Lake Palace, Udaipur
March 2009
In this issue:
Marketing via Membership
Reinvention of Capitalism
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Hello Readers Is capitalism under reconstruction? The global economic crisis just may reinvent capitalism. Read the essay on pg 8. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma has single-handedly popularized the santoor as a classical Indian instrument. Read about his work on pg 10. Visit the hill station area of Munnar on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the article on pg. 16. President Obama and his family have settled into the White House. Read about some of the historical facts of that famed home on pg. 38. The chill of winter is still upon us. If you want to warm up a bit, visit the wonderful and warm Central American country Costa Rica on pg. 62. Networking is still the best way to advance a career, or hold on to a current job. Read about it on pg. 64. Our Community News section offers a complete guide to local and regional organizations and their activities. Keep up with all upcoming holidays and festivals with our list on pg. 114. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome.
A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas
Quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle
March 2009 – Issue # 131 Editor:Samir Shukla (saatheemag@hotmail.com) Publisher: Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com) Community News Editor: Rajesh Ganatra Ad Design / Layout: Nate “Namdev” Andrews Consultant: Himanshu Desai Contributors for this issue: Pradip Bulsara, Kirit Shukla, Rajesh Ganatra, Mark Moxon, Chandan Sen, Dilip Barman, Sardar Singh, Dr. Maha Gingrich, Narendra Dixit, Aishwarya Ramaswamy, Gail Z. Martin, Anjana Agarwal, Judith L. Bergman, Lakshmi Challa, Summer Bailey, Ananya Mallavarapu, Olga Han, Jalendu Vaidya, & Dr. Meena Chelury.
Your saathees: Samir, Divakar, Raj, Nate, & Himanshu
In this issue:
March 2009
All contents © 2009 Shukla Entertainment, Inc. Opinions expressed herein are those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily of the publisher or editor. Contact us prior to sending in articles or photographs for submissions. Saathee is published monthly. Deadlines for advertisement, submissions and events information is 15th of the previous month. Mission: Our goal is to be a valuable source of information for the Carolinas’ South Asian community and to be a vital advertising tool for businesses.
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P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220 Phone: (704) 527-7570 Fax: (704) 527-7590 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com
www.saathee.com Cover: Lake Palace, Udaipur
Built between 1743-1746, the Lake Palace is now a luxury hotel. Located on a natural foundation of 4 acres on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, the hotel operates a boat to transport guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace.
Photo: istockphoto
March 2009
Lake Palace, Udaipur
Capitalism Reinvented . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 08 Pandit Shivkumar Sharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 10 What Price Nostalgia? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 12 Munnar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 16 Saathee Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18 Film Reviews & News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22 Sangeet, Music of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 26 Evergreen Film Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 28 Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 30 Bollywood Snippets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 32 Children’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36 Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40 The White House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36 Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42 The Chai Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46 Astride three continents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 48 Healthwise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50 Recipes & more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 52 Stock Tickers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54 Marketing turnaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 56 Personal Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 58 Immgration Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 60 Pura Vida in Costa Rica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62 Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 64 Cricket Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 66 One Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 70 A Window to Your Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72 Community Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 84 Community News & Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 90 Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 112 Who Want’s to be a Scholar . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 114 Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 114 AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 116 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 120
In this issue:
Marketing via Membership
Reinvention of Capitalism
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Saathee Magazine, USPS 021-116, is a free subscription magazine published monthly by Shukla Entertainment Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Saathee, P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220-1468. Postage paid at Charlotte, NC. (ISSN: 1543-8147)
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Capitalism Is Reinventing Itself By Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar As the recession deepens, people across the ideological spectrum declare that capitalism has failed. Almost every economic news report carries words like “crisis” and “disaster.” Yet, recessions are not aberrations of capitalism but an intrinsic part of it. Markets create boom and bust cycles, arising from human tendencies to swing from euphoria to fear and back. A bust is an occasion for cleaning out deadwood and failed experiments, and reinventing capitalism. In my youth, the Communist Party politburo would meet after every recession and declare “capitalism is now in its final death throes.” In fact, capitalism reinvented itself and grew constantly stronger, while the recession-free communist system collapsed. Two decades ago, economist Jerry Muller chronicled never-ending predictions of the demise of capitalism, by its friends as well as foes. In the 1850s, Karl Marx claimed capitalism was dying. Rosa Luxemburg wrote in “The Accumulation of Private Capital” (1913), “Though imperialism is the historical method prolonging the career of capitalism, it is also a sure means of bringing it to a swift conclusion.” Lenin harbored similar illusions: his 1916 book was titled “Imperialism: the Last Stage of Capitalism.” The Great Depression of the 1930s provoked further predictions of capitalism’s demise. Ferdinand Fried, of the German radical right, made waves with his 1930 book “The End of Capitalism.” In the United States, Howard Scott’s technocracy movement predicted the replacement of market prices by central planning. British sociologist Karl Mannheim asserted in “Man and Society in An Age of Reconstruction” (1940) that democracy could survive only by delinking from capitalism. World War II came and went, but obituaries of capitalism continued. Historian AJP Taylor declared on BBC in 1945 “Nobody believes in the American way of life, that is, private enterprise. Or rather, those who believe in it are a defeated party, and a party which seems to have no more future than the Jacobites in England after 1688.” Economist Joseph Schumpeter, a great protagonist of entrepreneurship, nevertheless suggested in “Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy” that capitalism could die through self-inflicted wounds. Nikita Krushchev was certain history was on his side: “We will crush you.” All capitalist nations became welfare states after World War II, devoting unprecedented sums to the sick, aged and poor. This was interpreted by some as meaning that capitalMarch 2009
ism was fading away. The stagnation of capitalist economies in the 1970s fuelled new hopes in the European Left, and Francois Mitterand came to power in France on a platform of breaking with capitalism. He nationalized major French industries, raised taxes, shortened working hours and lengthened holidays. He would not he said take the Thatcher-Reagan path to disaster. But soon France was in even deeper recession than the US or Britain. A disillusioned Mitterand later re-privatized nationalized companies. Why have so many intelligent, learned people been constantly wrong about capitalism? First, the word capitalism has been used by some people to mean a system with no role for governments at all, whereas modern capitalism is very much a joint government-business venture. Second, critics have constantly underestimated capitalism’s ability to re-engineer itself and evolve into new forms that get rid of some of the old defects. The current bust certainly calls for some re-engineering of markets. Yet, economists and politicians have been quicker to condemn existing flaws than propose comprehensive reforms that will nip financial crises in the bud. Ever since the Asian financial crisis, we have heard much talk about a new financial architecture, yet in practice that has not gone much beyond suggesting higher IMF quotas for developing countries, which is desirable but of marginal importance. We hear talk of doubling or tripling the lending power of the IMF. That will enable the IMF to rescue some developing countries or East Europeans, but not to end the housing and credit busts in the US and EU. Everybody agrees that financial markets need more regulation. We will doubtless see more controls on financial derivatives and stricter lending norms. Yet, recessions and financial crises occurred in earlier decades when lending controls were much stricter, and financial derivatives did not exist. After having demanded for decades a greater say in the global financial system, developing countries now have a chance to actually press for reforms. They now have unprecedented clout: Asian forex reserves greatly exceed those of the IMF. The world is looking seriously for new ideas, and wants to hear from Asia. Yet, developing countries — including India — have little to suggest except larger quotas for themselves in the IMF, and bigger IMF lending. So sad. If you have nothing to say, why demand a greater say? Montek Singh Ahluwalia (India’s Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission), here’s your big chance.
Saathee
Source: Times of India
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Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Innovator and Master of Santoor When you think of the musical instrument known as santoor, only one name immediately comes to mind. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (born January 13, 1938, in Jammu, India) is a Hindustani music original and catalyst. He is a master of the santoor, which was originally used only as a folk instrument in the Kashmir valley. Sharma’s father started teaching him vocals and tabla when he was just a wee 5-year-old. Shivkumar Sharma’s father was a big fan of the santoor and after conducting research on the unusual instrument, he encouraged Shivkumar Sharma to learn to play Indian classical music on it. Sharma went on to become the first musician to play Indian classical music on santoor, a dulcimer-like hammered string instrument. Sharma embarked on a journey to master the santoor at the age of 13 and after years of study, made his father’s dream come true in becoming its master. Sharma gave his first public performance in Mumbai in 1955 and is rightfully credited with single-handedly making the santoor a popular classical instrument. Sharma recorded his first solo album in 1960 and later composed the music for Shantaram’s classic film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1965). In 1967 he teamed up with flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pandit Brijbhushan Kabra to record the album The Call of the Valley, which is now considered a classic. Sharma composed music for many Hindi films in collaboration with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia including Silsila (1980). They came to be known as the “Shiv-Hari” music duo. Other films for which they composed music are Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Darr (1993). Pandit Shivkumar Sharma has created history in the world of classical music with his signature use of the santoor. He has single handedly brought forth an obscure, almost unknown instrument to the level of being “indispensable” on the concert platform. Musicians and their instruments do become synonymous, but how often does an instrument acquire an identity because of a musician? Santoor was mostly used in Sufi music in the valley of Kashmir when Sharma decided to infuse new characteristics into it. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Santoor or Shata-Tantri Veena as it was called in the ancient times was used as an accompaniment to a specific type of singing called Sufiana Mausiqi. When Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, a renowned vocalist from Jammu, and a disciple of Pt. Bade Ramdasji of Benaras spotted it, he was convinced of the instruMarch 2009
ment’s potential. After conducting extensive research on the santoor, he bestowed the responsibility of establishing it on the concert platform on his only son Shivkumar. However, the road to success was far from smooth. After several radio broadcasts and performances Shivkumar Sharma appeared for his national level concert in Mumbai in 1955. This was a turning point in Sharma’s life where he received applause but was also severely criticized by the orthodox sections of musicians and listeners. Santoor according to them was not a complete instrument on which one could play classical music. Instead of getting disheartened or discouraged, Sharma took these criticisms as a challenge. After indepth research, he made some important modifications on this hundred stringed instrument, such as a new chromatic arrangement of notes and increased the range to cover full three octaves. Besides, he also created a new technique of playing with which he could sustain notes and maintain sound continuity. Today the santoor is at par with any classical instrument, well established not just all over India, but across the globe. Through his performance career spanning over a half century, he has created millions of new listeners and ardent fans of Indian classical music. Sharma believes in the immortality of the great heritage of Indian classical music and wishes to leave no stone unturned to make it so. With this aim in mind, he has been imparting his knowledge to the next generation of musicians. So deep is his conviction that despite no institutional or government support, he has been teaching in the Guru-Shishya (teacher-student) tradition, without charging a fee to his students, who come to him from all the corners of India as well as different parts of the world like Japan, Germany, Australia and America. While he never compromises on the purity of music, Pt. Sharma’s open-minded approach has resulted in many innovative recordings. In fact he is among those rare musicians who have been able to create successfully in the world of film music as well. Now for over forty years santoor has been an indispensable part of Indian film music. Music, he believes, is food for the soul. Naturally, his music is meditative and soothing at the same time. His immense faith in the ancient wisdom of Vedanta has resulted in creation of music for Shlokas from the Upanishads and a new raag called Antardhwani. Today he has over 100 recordings to his credit and has a long list of National and International awards conferred upon him including the Honorary Citizen for the City of Baltimore, USA (1985), Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1986), Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1990), Honorary Doctorate from the University of Jammu (1991) Padmashree (1991), Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Award (1998), and Padma Vibhushan (2001). Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain will perform Sunday, March 29, 2009 at Page Auditorium in Durham, NC. Visit Saathee.com and click on the Events tab for more details.
Saathee
Portions of the article courtesy of santoor.com saathee.com
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What Price Nostalgia? By Jug Suraiya Thanks to the global economic downturn, nostalgia soon might not be what it used to be. Nostalgia, a hankering for the good old days of the past, has always been a soft-focus shampoo commercial: a landscape of longing where the sun is sunnier, the blue sky bluer, the breeze breezier and most importantly the prices less pricier. You can figure out a person’s age by the prices that the person remembers. The rule of thumb is or was that the lower the prices, the older the person. Coke at one rupee a bottle? You think that was cheap? Then obviously you weren’t around when Coke was four annas yes, that’s right, just four annas a bottle. What? Who’s Anna? Arre, baba. You young people, you know nothing about the old times. Anna as in 16 annas made a rupee; an anna was a coin, not a girl’s name. And four annas got you a Coke back then. A pastry in Flury’s the best Swiss confectionery in town was five annas. The best smuggled cigarettes, from America and England, were two rupees for a pack of 20. And you could smoke when and where you liked, including in movies, without busybody health ministers slapping fines on you. Salaries? You got a job with a starting salary of 300 Rupees a month, you were doing fine. There was this young guy, everyone used to point him out. He used to earn a thousand a month. Yeah, a thousand. He was the most eligible bachelor around, with half the moms in the community wanting to become his momin-law. It was said the rate he was going it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he didn’t end up a lakhpati by the time he retired. Yup, a cool lakh. What’d you think of that? The past, that lost country of nostalgia, was a great shampoo commercial. And like all shampoo commercials, it had to end. The gossamer past of soft light and softer prices suddenly seemed to get swallowed up in the incandescent glare of the present, the most glaring things of which were the humungous price tags, which kept jumping up every minute like a taxi meter with a nervous tic. Overnight the crore became the new lakh; the standard unit of commercial measurement. Salaries were no longer calculated in so many hundreds or thousands a month; they were computed on the basis of crores per year, Esops and Diwali bonus extra. A centrally located two-bedroom flat? To buy? Forget it, March 2009
unless your uncle was Lakshmi Mittal, or maybe Mukeshbhai Ambani. You’d be lucky to get a suburban matchbox for a crore, and don’t ask for change, not even for five bucks, which was now the cost of the smallest bottle of Coke. Never mind the snows of yesteryear. Where were the prices of yesteryear? Sighed the poet lamenting the loss of the past. And then, like a balloon pumped up with too much gas, the boom went bust. Recession promises to reverse the telescope of nostalgia: the past seen as the realm of not small but huge prices. Already, the lakh has become the new crore. As in: My neighbor just sold his flat which he’d bought for 1.5 crore and has had to take a hit of 20. You mean he lost 20 lakhs in the process? No he only got 20 lakhs in the process. It’s not just in property that prices have shrunk. Old-time punters reminisce yearningly about a 20,000-plus Sensex. Was it only a year ago? It seems like another age altogether as they haggle with the raddiwala as to how much per kilo he’s going to give for their portfolio. No one talks about the price of Coke any more; they just drink homemade nimbupaani (lemondade) to save the money. And who knows? If the recession persists, an elderly father might recall with fondness how as a fresh MBA way back then he was offered his first job at a crore a year. Golly, that’s fantastic dad but tell me, what’s a job? A question that his 38-year-old son might ask.
Saathee
Source: Times of India
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Munnar: Escaping India’s Heat
Story & Photos by Mark Moxon Ah, that’s better. The oppression of India’s mini-heatwave has been really grinding me down, and like the British before us, we’ve taken refuge in a hill station. Munnar, which the British Raj made their southern capital in summer, is 1500m above sea level, and like all India’s hill stations, it lets you function. The novelty is palpable. We visited Munnar in 2007. Munnar is clearly taking off as a tourist destination – both Indian and foreign – because the outskirts of town are under construction to a considerable degree. High-rise blocks are propped up by hundreds of straight pieces of scaffolding, while whole gangs of workmen drill, mix, bang and blast, slowly filling the concrete skeletons with red brick walls and gray concrete plaster. Unfortunately, we followed the advice in the Lonely Planet and started looking for a homestay to the south of the main town center, only to end up in a hotel that was perfectly pleasKundala Dam ant, but which turned out to be stuck in the middle of nowhere and a long walk from town. “Never mind,” we thought, and fired up with the energy of those who have just escaped the heat of the plains, we strolled into town, ate in the bazaar, walked back to the hotel and decided we’d celebrate the ambient temperatures with a beer. And that’s when things started to go a bit wrong. When we tried to find the hotel bar, we discovered they didn’t have one, and so we took the concierge’s advice and hopped into an auto-rickshaw for the Hotel Isaac’s Residency, home to the only bar in town. I’d forgotten how amazing the bars are in southern India; indeed, I’d forgotten just how frowned upon alcohol consumption is in general, and the bar at the Residency is a good example of why south Indian bars March 2009
don’t win any prizes for hospitality and ambience. Worst of all, I’d had the nerve to bring along a woman, and as we slunk into the dimly lit room and sat down, a palpable wave of bemusement ran through the allmale crowd. Keralans go to bars to get drunk; they go there to consume a drug, and any pretensions to socializing over a beer after work would go straight out of the window, if the bars had any. I thought at first that the drinkers propping up the bar were diluting their large measures of whisky with a surprisingly large amount of water, but they were actually mixing it with a clear liquid that calls itself brandy, but is clearly a local interpretation of the genre that has nothing to do with its European origins. People were clearly getting drunk, and quickly, and in this atmosphere we Tea Pickers near Munnar tried to order a Kingfisher and a Kingfisher Strong from the waiter, so we could compare the two different varieties of India’s premium lager. The waiter looked pretty confused, and he brought over the Kingfisher Strong first, and I tried it; it wasn’t bad. Peta waited patiently for her beer, but it didn’t materialize, while the frenetic buying at the bar – which reminded me of the London Stock Exchange on a busy day – continued on apace. Eventually we realized that he wasn’t going to bring a beer, so I called him over and asked him for another Kingfisher, pointing to Peta. He looked horrified, but went to get the beer anyway, clearly unused to serving women in any shape or form. The striking thing was just how naughty everyone looked. I say “naughty” because that’s exactly what it was; they were like schoolboys breaking the rules, hoping that nobody would see them. Huddles of conspirators hid in the dim light, while a handful of solitary drinkers downed glass after glass of whisky, slowly sinking into their Top station on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu chairs in defeat. One young man at the table opposite us tried to pull his collar up when an older man came in and stared at him in total disapproval; the young man eventually went over to the older man and tried to undo whatever offence he had
Saathee
continued on page 78 saathee.com
Upcoming Movie Releases
Top Five Movies - March 09
(Bollywood films slated to be released in the next 4-6 weeks)
1. Delhi 6 Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Divya Dutta, Om Puri, and Rishi Kapoor
13b (Dir: Vikram K. Kumar) Cast: R Madhavan, Neetu Chandra, Sachin Khedekar, Murli Sharma, Poonam Dhillon, and Deepak Dobriyal
2. Billu Barber Shahrukh Khan, Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Asrani & Om Puri
Straight (Dir: Parvati Balagopalan) Cast: Vinay Pathak, Gul Panag, Siddharth Makkar, Achla Sachdev, Daman Baggan, and Ketaki Dave
3. Dev D Abhay Deol, kalki Koechlin, Mahi Gill, and Parakh Madan
Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge (Director: Umesh Shukla) Cast: Kunal Khemu, Sonu Sood, Soha Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal, Deepal Shaw, Johny Lever, and Asrani
4. Ghajini Aamir Khan, Jiah Khan and Asin
8x10 Tasveer (Director: Nagesh Kukunoor) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Javed Jaffrey, and Girish Karnad
5. Slumdog Millionaire (Rated R) Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Irfan Khan...
Top Five Songs - March 09
Jai Veeru (Dir: Puneet Sira) Cast: Fardeen Khan, Kunal Khemu, Dia Mirza, Anjana Sukhani, Arbaaz Khan, and Rajesh Khattar
1. Billu Barber: “Majaani” Music: Pritam Singers: Sukhwinder Singh and Sunihdi Chauhan
Gulaal (Dir: Anurag Kashyap) Cast: Deepak Dobriyal, Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastav, Piyush Mishra, Ayesha Mohan, and Jessy Randhawa
2. Victory: “Balla Utha...” Music: Anu Malik Singers: Sukhwinder Singh & Daler Mehndi
Aloo Chaat (Dir: Robby Grewal) Cast: Aftab Shivdasani, Aamna Shariff, Linda Arsenio, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and PurshottamManoj Pahwa
3. Raaz 2: “Soniyo” Music: Nadeem-Shravan Singers: Shreya Ghosal & Sonu Nigam
Barah Aana (Director: Raja Menon) Cast: Naseruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, Arjun Mathur, Violante Placido, and Tannishtha Chatterjee
4. Delhi-6: “Rahna Tu” Music: A.R. Rahman Singers: A.R. Rahman, BennyDayal & Tanvi
5. Aloo Chaat: “Aloo Chaat” Music: Rdb Singers: Rdb and Nindy Kaur (Note: This top five is based on the following non-scientific research: your feedback, video rental, box office from India and United States, internet opinions & our opinion) March 2009
Aa Dekhen Zara (Director: Jehangir Surti) Cast: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu, Rahul Dev, Sophie Choudry, Bobby Vatsa, and Shrivas Nydu
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Upcoming Movie Releases Continued (Bollywood films slated to be released in the next 4-6 weeks) Ek The Power Of One (Director: Sangeeth Sivan) Cast: Nana Patekar, Bobby Deol, Shreya Saran, Chunky Pandey, Jackie Shroff, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Jaspal Bhatti Sikandar (Dir: Piyush Jha) Cast: Parzun Dastur, Ayesha Kapur, Sanjay Suri, and R Madhavan Kal Kissne Dekha (Director: Vivek Sharma) Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Vaishali Desai, Rishi Kapoor, Archana Puran Singh, and Irrfan Khan Heaven on Earth (Dir: Deepa Mehta) Cast: Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj, and Deepa Mehta Rang Rasiya (Director: Ketan Mehta) Cast: Randeep Hooda, Nandana Sen, Paresh Rawal, Aashish Vidyarthi, and Sachin Khedekar The Murderer (Director: N C Sippy) Cast: Mimoh Chakraborty, Simran, Madhu, Monalisa, Raza Murad & Shanti Priya Karma Aur Holi (Director: Manish Gupta) Cast: Sushmita Sen, Randeep Hooda, Rati Agnihotri, Suresh Oberoi, Suchitra Krishnamurthy, and Deepal Shaw Shortcut The Con Is On (Director: Neeraj Vora) Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Simi Garewal, Sanjay Dutt, and Chunky Pandey Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De? (Director: Partho Ghosh) Cast: Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Aman Verma, Nikita Anand, a nd Rozza Catalano (Movie Release Dates Subject To Change.) March 2009
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Film Reviews & News
Sita Sings the Blues (Director: Nina Paley, 2008, 82 minutes) By Dilip Barman
A Complete Driving School
As many readers of Saathee will no doubt be familiar with, the Ramayana, celebrated especially during the Diwali holiday, is a tale of the triumph of good over evil. It is one of Hinduism’s most enduring Sanskrit epics, allegorizing the key concept of dharma, or righteousness and duty in life. Ideal characters fulfill their dharma, without attachment, in roles they play, whether as king Rama serving his constituents, or Rama’s wife Sita, or brother Lakshmana. King Dasaratha of Ayodhya is about to name the universally beloved Rama as his heir. However, Queen Kaikeyi, desiring her son Bharatha, to rule, calls the King on a promise to grant her several wishes, and asks that Rama be exiled with Bharatha assuming rule. A point of discomfort, for some, is the lengths to which Sita must prove her fidelity to Rama. Having accompanied her husband into exile so that she can be by his side, she is abducted to evil Ravana’s kingdom of Lanka. She successfully rebuffs his unwanted advances but, upon her rescue, must prove her virtue. She is still banished, this time by her husband, into her own exile. Filmmaker Nina Paley weaves her own narrative into a retelling of the epic from Sita’s perspective in Sita Sings the Blues. It is delightfully animated with bright, vibrant two-dimensional computer graphics. The epic is told with running commentary by Indonesian shadow puppets. Sita will remind many of 1930s Betty Boop. This association is enhanced by the use of the 1920s music of Annette Hanshaw, one of the first women to achieve fame as a jazz singer. Paley intersperses her own recent biography, with ironic parallels, using a more roughly-drawn and less stylized animation. Living in San Francisco with her husband, she is left alone with their cat when the husband takes a temporary contract to work in Trivandrum (India). She later joins her husband, but he is strangely cool and, when she returns to the March 2009
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States, he sends her a short email, announcing the end of their relationship. Other than the artistic merit of the film, it is of interest from a copyright point of view. The music of Annette Hanshaw has entered the public domain, but the lyrics are still protected and, in particular, the recording synched to the animation is considered a violation of copyright. Visit Paley’s blog entry at blog.ninapaley.com/2008/12/28/sitas-distributionplan/ to see how she encourages the public to freely download “promotional” copies of her film. Some will welcome this film as a fresh and entertaining version of the Ramayana epic. Others may feel slighted that this story, so important in the religious lives of nearly one billion people who call themselves Hindu, is perhaps too “entertaining,” presented so far out of its original context, and/or inclusive of secular and comparatively trivial biographical details. My own family is split. I found the film delightful to watch. The bright and clever animation, even including a fun intermission with the characters getting snacks and taking a break, enhances the enjoyment. Just as I enjoyed Peter Brooks’ 1989 film The Mahabharata especially because the international cast shows this other Hindu epic to be universal and inclusive, I found the inclusion of American jazz and the modern animation style to be positive. My wife saw the film with me and thought that Hindu viewers may find the philosophical theme of the epic inappropriately treated with perceived mockery and disrespect. Rather offhand remarks, posed by questioning shadow puppets, were at times, she felt, unbecoming. Perhaps this can be expected of any treatment of a beloved religious story. On the other hand, is there not merit for lovers of epics meant to convey universal truths to see these stories recast, perhaps broadening the audience? I do wonder if the autobiography had to be interjected, and, other than as a catharsis for the filmmaker, if it really served to further the story? I feel that the animation itself, as well as the music, puppets, and of course perspective, provide ample framework to simply present the epic. The film has garnered a number of awards and attention by media like The New York Times, BBC World News, and Wired. Public television is airing the film on March 7. Visit the film’s website, sitasingstheblues.com, and referenced blog address above for details on film screenings and availability of the film for free download. Full Frame Film Festival By Dilip Barman
The country’s largest documentary film festival, Full Frame, returns on April 2-5, 2009 to Durham, NC. The festival website lists the over one hundred films that will be shown, with a schedule posted on March 19, 2009. I look forward to sharing my coverage of the festival and in the meantime encourage you to make plans to attend. Sponsored by the New York Times and other organMarch 2009
izations, festival attendees come from many states and countries. Often, important films are shown, sometimes as work-in-progress, years before release. Filmmakers like Michael Moore, Mira Nair, and Martin Scorsese have attended; many films are accompanied by their filmmakers who often hold a question-andanswer session immediately after their screenings. The best way to experience Full Frame is to take Thursday and Friday off and make it a four-day love affair with film. But even if you just have the weekend or evenings, there are many films, panel discussions, and parties to enjoy. Passes have been on sale since December; see the festival website for full details, and note that at least one category of pass has already sold out. Individual tickets can also be purchased on the day of the screening. For details visit www.fullframefest.org or call 919.687.4100. Billu Barber (Director: Priyadarshan) By Aishwarya Ramaswamy Director Priyadarshan returns with yet another remake. This one funded by Shahrukh Khan’s home production Red Chillies Entertainment. Unlike the usual SRK movie where he is in the spotlight throughout, Billu Barber features Irrfan Khan in the lead. The film is a remake of the original hit movie Katha Parayumbol (Malayalam) starring Mammootty, which was remade into Kuselan, starring the South Indian superstar Rajnikanth which again turned out to be a huge hit. Priyadarshan has now turned it into the Hindi film Billu Barber. The story revolves around Billu, a family-oriented barber trying to eke out a living from his rundown salon. The movie is set in a downtrodden village called Budhbudha. All of a sudden, the audience is introduced to this eye candy superstar surrounded with zcategory protection in a matrix re-reloaded item song. Bang, we’re back to Planet Earth and our run of the mill village. Billu is portrayed as the laughing stock of his whole village. While Billu just starts to accept his fate and moves on, our extraterrestrial hero, Shahrukh Khan chooses to shoot the rest of his matrix re-reloaded movie in this village. This brings gleam and celebration all over the village. As the whole village is imbibed in hero worship, Billu, who happens to be the star’s childhood friend, is coaxed by villagers and flooded with bribes with a hope of meeting the star personally. Billu, being ashamed of his penury, hesitates to go forward and meet his friend with the fear of being ridiculed. The rest of the story is about the star, his stardom and whether or not his stardom has changed his friendship with his childhood friend Billu. Though the movie has been embedded with characters meant to instigate a comic sense, it turns out that too much of anything is bad.
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By Kirit Shukla A Tribute to Bollywood Music Directors S. N. Tripathi (1913-1988) Shri Nath Tripathi, the actor, singer, composer, story and screenplay writer and filmmaker was born in Varanasi, Utter Pradesh on March 14, 1913, into a Brahmin family. He was a man of many talents. In India, Brahmins are pundits, who in Hindu society, learn and preach the scriptures and conduct religious ceremonies. His contributions to the music in films based on Hindu traditions were immense and have achieved immortality in the film industry. His grandfather Pundit Ganesh Tripathi was a principal of a Sanskrit school and his father Pundit Damodar Thakur was a principal of a Government high school in Kashi. S.N. Tripathi received his B.Sc. Degree from Allahabad and trained in classical music at a music college in Lucknow. He received his music degree, “Sangeet Visharad,” from Morris Music College. He went to Mumbai, like most of artists to try his luck in the films and joined Bombay Talkies as a violinist in 1935. Later he became the assistant for music director Saraswati Devi, at a salary of Rs. 100 per month. In 1936, he got his first opportunity as a singer in the Hindi film Jivan Naiya, which was also the first film of Ashok Kumar. In 1939 he composed the music, as an independent music director, for the film Chandan, released in 1941. His first composed song “Nanha Sa Dil Deti Hoon,” sung by Rajkumari and himself. Besides music, he also tried acting. He first acted as “Hanuman” in the film Ram Bhakt Hanumaan in 1948. After acting in many films, he pursued his career as a music director. He created some beautiful songs for many films from 1940’s to 1980’s. His first film as a director was Ram Hanuman Yudh in 1959. He directed few more films after that. He was a many-splendored personality. He composed music, wrote dialogues and stories for many regional films also. He died on March 28, 1988 in Mumbai.
Inaam, Chiraag-e-Chin, Rattan Manzari, 1956-Bajrang Bali, Dilli Darbar, Haatimatai, Panna, Rajrani Meera 1956-Roop Kumari, Sati Naag Kanya 1957-Gul Bakawali, Janam Janam Ke Phere, Ram Hanuman Yudhh, 1959-Bhaqt Prahalad, Jagga Daku, Kavi Kalidas, Pakshiraj, Rani Roopmati 1960-Chandramukhi 1960-Do Aadmi 1960-Laal Quila, Veer Durgadas 1961- Amrit Manthan, Jaadu Nagri, Jai Chittor, Piya Milan Ki Aas 1962-Jadugar Daku, Maya Jaal, Naag Devta, Sangeet Samrat Tansen, Sherkhan, Shiv Parvati, Been Ka Jadu 1963-Cobra Girl, Dev Kanya, Pareeksha, Raja, Zingaro, Maharaja Vikram 1965Mahasati Anusuiya, Kunwari, 1966-Shankar Khan, Har Har Gange, 1968-Lahu Pukarega, Nadir Shah, Rani Chandrawati, 1970-Shri Krishna Leela, Brahma Vishnu Mahesh, 1971-Maya Baazar, Veer Chhatrasal, Maha Shiv Ratri 1972-Naag Mere Saathi 1973-Vishnu Puran, Hare Krishna, 1974-Subhadra Haran, Shri Ram Hanuman Yudhh, 1975-Jai Jagat Janani, Naag Champa, 1976-Jai Ambe Maa 1977-Jai Ganesh, 1978Jai Mahakali 1979-Chautha Palna, 1981-Sati Saavitri, 1983-Agent 123 1985-Mahasati Tulsi etc.(The underlined films are my favorites.) The classic song, “Aa lauta ke aajaa mere meet,” from the film Rani Roopmati is given in this issue of Saathee in Evergreen Classic Film Lyrics on page 26.
Some of his contributed films: 1941-Chandan 1942-Choodiyan, Seva, Duniya Tumhari Hai, 1943-Panghat 1945-Aadhaar, Bachpan, Ji Haan, Ramayan 1946-Mansarovar, Uttara Abhimanyu 1948-Shri Ram Bhaqt Hanuman 1949Veer Ghatotkachh 1950-Saudamini, Shri Ganesh Mahima 1951-Hanuman Paatal Vijay, Laxmi Narayan 1952-Alladin & Wonderful Lamp 1953-Navdurga 1954Durga Pooja, Alibaba & 40 Thieves, Tilottama, 1955March 2009
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By Kirit Shukla Song: Aa lauta ke aajaa mere meet Film: Rani Roopmati Music: S. N. Tripathi Singer: Mukesh Lyric: Bharat Vyas Year: 1959 Based on Indian Classical Raga: Madhumat Sarang Taal/Rhythm: Kaharavaa Starring: Bharat Bhusan, Nirupa Roy
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Aa lauta ke aajaa mere meet Aa laut ke aajaa mere meet, tuze mere geet bulaate hai. Meraa sunaa padaa re Sangeet, tuze mere geet bulaate hai; Aa laut ke aajaa mere meet... Barase gagan, mere tarse nayan, dekho tarse hai mana, aba to aajaa; Shitala pawana, yeh lagaaye agan, O sajan, aba to mukhadaa dikhaa jaa; Tune bhali re nibhaayi prit, Tuze mere geet bulaate hai, Aa laut ke aajaa mere meet.. Ek pala hai hasanaa, ek pala hai ronaa, kaisaa hai jivan Kaa khelaa, Ek pala hai milanaa, ek pala hai bichhadanaa Duniyaa hai do din kaa melaa, Yeh ghadi na jaaye beeta, Tuze mere geet bulaate hai, Aa laut ke aajaa mere meet.
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Meaning (Summary): O my lover, come back; my songs are calling you and my music is lonely. It is raining from the sky but my eyes and my mind are eager, so come back. The cold breeze makes me feel hot. O my beloved now show me your face. Well, see the way you maintained the love. My songs are calling you so come back. How is the game of life! A moment to laugh and a moment to cry; a moment of meeting and a moment of departing! The world is a fair of two days. Let this moment be not gone away. My songs are calling you so come back.
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style has become one of the most respectable and known classical dances of India.
Dances of India
I will be performing this dance style on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Central Piedmont Community College’s Dale F. Halton Theater, Charlotte, NC at 4:00 PM. I look forward to seeing you there. For tickets call 704-330-6534 or tix.cpcc.edu.
By Dr. Maha Gingrich Kuchipudi - From Temples to Theater Kuchipudi is one of the most popular classical dance traditions of India. It is perhaps the only tradition that takes its name from the village of its origin, Kuchipudi, located in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. Originating as a Natyamela tradition this form was initially practiced exclusively by a group of Vaidiki Brahmin men. They belonged to particular families and only those families were trained to perform. To depict a dance-drama, several dancers were needed for different roles. As only men practiced and performed this dance form, men dressed up as females for female characters. This practice was to primarily avoid exploitation of females by kings and other rulers during those times. These performances were dedicated to temple dancing and seldom left the state of Andhra Pradesh. The idea of men dressed up as females did not attract the general audiences. Any art has to adapt itself to the aesthetic sensibilities of changing times. It was with this idea in view the pioneer Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastry initiated women also into this discipline. In spite of the resistance from the traditional groups, formal training was imparted to women and this gave the style the much-needed momentum to increase the popularity of this beautiful dance style. Slowly, people from other areas and families have also started to learn this dance style. The repertoire also underwent a change. Solo items were choreographed along with dance-dramas. This marked the beginning of the solo dancers who would perform at theaters outside the state. Today we see women playing even men’s roles. The technique of Kuchipudi makes use of fast rhythmic footwork and sculpturesque body movements. Stylized mime, using hand gestures and subtle facial expression, is combined with more realistic acting, occasionally including dialogues spoken by the dancers. Kuchipudi is accompanied by Carnatic music. A typical orchestra for a Kuchipudi recital includes the Mridangam drum, flute and violin. A vocalist sings the lyrics, and the nattuvanar conducts the orchestra and recites the rhythmic patterns. The languages used are primarily Telugu, Sanskrit and, occasionally, pure Hindi. All over ancient India, it would seem dance and music is seen not merely as ways to celebrate but also as an offering and worship to the Divine. Dance, like music has no geographical boundaries, no linguistic barriers and no racial divisions. This is apparent, as Kuchipudi dance March 2009
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Shahid Kapoor Indulges in Foul Play He’s looking like a million bucks these days. But the uber-polite gentleman Shahid Kapoor has shown us what he is capable of when push comes to shove. The actor has given umpteen bad-words in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey. We’re sure it wasn’t the most comfortable thing for the suave and sophisticated Kapoor. But he’s managed his cuss words so well in the film that Bhardwaj is impressed and far from shouting “foul.” Well, let’s hope the censors are as impressed and don’t cut a long story short!
When Aamir Left Arshad in Splits
Contributed by Guatam Buragohain and Urvashi Ashar
Farhan’s Kissie Kissie Bang Bang
Minissha minds her language After playing an urban girl in Kidnap, Minissha’s preparing for her role as a village belle in Shyam Benegal’s next film Abba Ka Kaun. For the movie, Lamba is required to speak in a dialect called Dakini to lend an authentic touch to her character in the film. Interestingly Minissha learned this dialect and managed a fluent performance. Bingo to the lingo enthusiast.
Farhan Akhtar has become the new heartthrob in Bollywood post Rock On. His sense of humor and urbane cool charm is making women go weak in the knees. And the latest thing that has really got the women swooning is Akhtar’s head banging talent. “The females go crazy and request him to do the ‘Rock On’ head banging wherever he goes. They clap, whistle and blow him flying kisses,” says a close friend of the actor. Ahem! This is your chance Farhan, get lucky.
Mimicking and mocking Aamir Khan has become the order of the day it seems. Popular comedians have spoofed Aamir umpteen numbers of times and actor Arshad Warsi too recently joined in the laughter riot, all thanks to Aamir’s “perfection” way of life. On the sets of a soon to be aired comedy show Arshad was apparently left in splits when his partner took digs at Aamir. An onlooker present on the set revealed, “Arshad had partnered with TV star Krishna and both were performing a gig, Arshad suggested his partner to team up with Aamir instead for a skit and he replied saying, “No way… in a period of five years Aamir would rehearse for four and half and then take another six months to perform the act.” On hearing this Arshad couldn’t help but crack up. Circuit bhai, as long as Aamir’s fuse doesn’t blow up, it’s ok.
Preity Zinta is Following Ash Actor Preity Zinta loves life – from films to cricket she seems to be enjoying every inning. But what has her peeved is the constant jabber about her restricting herself to “art films.” PZ says that that’s not true and gives every script a chance. Anyway, never mind her film career, we’ve recently learnt that just like best friend Aishwarya Rai, Preity, too, has an amazing eye for architecture. Ash has been a student of architecture, and PZ too may take up the subject seriously some day. “She’s good at it. And may even do a course in it some time soon,” says a friend of the actor. “Building blocks” to yet another successful career? Let’s wait and watch.
Ash’s cameo in Pink Panther Pink Panther’s premiere was attended by Ash-Abhi in New York recently and since every Indian is curious to know about Ash’s role in the film, we asked the beauty queen herself to clarify things. “I haven’t seen Pink Panther but I loved doing the film. It’s a fun film and very obviously an ensemble film. All actors in the movie are talented and I have not kept a tab on who is getting how much screen time each of us have. The bottom line is that it’s a Steve Martin film. I have been working in the movies for 12 years and have never dictated to or questioned my directors,” she stated. Now that’s our gorgeous Ash, who’ll always say the right things at the right time. March 2009
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SRK Enthralls Barbers
After all those magnificent item numbers by the magnificent actresses – Deepika, Kareena, Priyanka – who wouldn’t have turned item girls for anyone else but SRK, Billu Barber is surely looking groovy. But what’s groovier is Shah Rukh’s dil. Apparently, the actor-producer has taken a decision not have a film do for the film. Instead of a high profile party, SRK arranged a special screening for 400 barbers and their families in one of the theatres of Mumbai. Well, that’s an interesting one now. Considering even Aamir turned hairstylist whilst promoting Ghajini, it’s SRK’s turn now to do something with the scissors and comb. But the one lot that is not complaining is the barbers.
He may have been reprimanded for his unpunctuality, but actor Govinda, we hear, has turned over a new leaf. After the success of Partner, the actor is keen that his next film Naughty At Forty also becomes a superhit. So he has been working for 15 hours at a stretch and is even reporting to the sets on time. Director Jagmohan Mundra is most happy with the actor. We hear Chi Chi is also actively taking part in the marketing strategy and has made himself available to all and so that he can tom-tom about Naughty at Forty. Well, here’s someone who is going to make some big noise, now let’s hope it’s followed by thunderous applause in the theaters as well.
From Bachchan to SRK - Singh is King The small screen is pretty big these days. Even the Badshah Khan, Shah Rukh thinks it to be a good business avenue and will be launching his TV serial soon. But a happier man is music composer Raju Singh. Reason? He’ll be composing for the first TV serial produced by Khan. “I started my career composing for a Jaya Bachchan film Dekh Bhai Dekh, now I’m looking forward to doing some good work for Shah Rukh,” he told us. “Shah Rukh is a bundle of energy, and it’s going to be fun working with someone who is so passionate,” said Singh. Talk about being on the same song sheet.
Rakeysh Mehra’s animal farm
Now that we know that Masakalli is the dove in Delhi 6, it’s time for a new entrant called Heena bhabhi. And just who is Heena? Well, she’s no woman, but a goat, which is lovingly called Heena bhabhi by all and sundry. Director Mehra has continually maintained that the D-6 is a biopic of sorts, and there are incidents in the film that come from his own life experiences. Wonder if Masakalli and Heena Bhabhi actually emerged from his social circle. If yes, D-6 is one helluva pet pooja.
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A celebration of Indian Culture & Heritage with Dance, Music, Food, Mehndi, Arts, Crafts and more…
Organized by the India Association of Charlotte, at the
BLUMENTHAL CENTER / BELK THEATER 130 N Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
SEPTEMBER 5th & 6th, 2009 For details regarding participation, please contact one of the following: Cultural Program Kathleen Desai 980-387-7121 Sonia Bose 704-948-4005 Food Vendors Rafi Khaja 704-859-4760
March 2009
Souvenir Vendors Navin Enand 704-905-6239
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T R
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Make words using 4 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Use all letters for the subject word. No repeating of any letters. 30+ words = Excellent; 26 to 30 words = Good; 25 or less needs to improve. (Solution at bottom of page)
Music is My Shield By Ananya Mallavarapu (age 16) Music, it’s not an abstract thought or concept but it is like one to us. People relate to it, enjoy the immortality of it, and live off it, as a source of inspiration. I love music, whether it is classical (Indian or Western) or rock (generally classic, Alternative, or Indie). I love music, and I would like to share its importance to me. Whether it’s an experience or just me hearing my favorite CD’s, music continually shapes my life. About a year ago, I went to my best friend’s UNCC Youth Orchestra Concert. Nothing can describe the awe and beauty that I experienced. I’ve always loved live concerts, but listening to live orchestras really does take your breath away. This same best friend, while driving me home the other day played the Classical station on her car’s radio. We were both swept away by an amazing Arabic Orchestral piece. The intonations, the blend, and the entire combination of all the music: I won’t forget that experience. She told me that she loved classical music because no matter what happens, people playing the same classical pieces 20, 30, maybe 50 years down the road, love it and experience the same feelings as people now. I can’t agree with her more. Classical music is “classic” for a reason. I’m studying Carnatic music. It’s beautiful with its broad structure, and though I don’t completely know all of it, the idea behind it astounds me. Even today, the pieces and songs created such a long time ago constantly weave their way into lives with or without the person’s permission. The amount of hard work and practice give Carnatic music not only recognition, but March 2009
Word World (Solution): NEST, NEWS, RENEW, RENT, RESENT, RESET, REST, SEEN, SEER, SENT, SERE, SEWER, SNEER, STEER, STEW, STREW, SWEET, TEEN, TENSE, TERN, TEST, TREE, TRET, WEEN, WENT, WERT, WEST, WHERE, WREN, WREST
Word World
awe as well. In addition, just like Western classical music, the stories told from the songs, or the stories in the songs, still incorporate themselves vividly into our lives. I’ve never completely heard Hindustani music, but I want to hear a Hindustani concert one day and hear the music and vocals weave their way underneath my skin. Music also plays a big factor in my writing. I can honestly say that without indie bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay I’d have no real inspiration. However, they’re not the only sources. I listen frequently to Motion City Soundtrack and adore the Beatles. Their lyrics speak out to me. Sometimes, as in the case of the Beatles and Motion City Soundtrack, there are songs (“I wanna’ hold you hand” and “Antonia” respectively) that stay straightforward, evoke a sudden sensation of joy, and a burst of writing energy. With bands like Coldplay and my favorite: Death Cab for Cutie, I can relate or even quote the lyrics to describe my life. “Cause in my head, there’s a greyhound station, where I send my thoughts to far-off destinations” is a lyric from my favorite Death Cab song “Soul meets Body.” I love the metaphor and merge other metaphors (by Death Cab) into my stories: drawing a metaphor or a quote and expanding on it. It’s amazing to picture the station shipping out the thoughts right now as I write this. Music is such a big part of my life and I’m sure that it’s a big part of many other people’s lives. People listen to sad songs when they’re sad, happy songs when they’re feeling “bubbly,” and dance beats when they just feel like getting up. Hasn’t that shown us what a big impact it’s had on our lives? I can’t live a day without my music, yes my music, music that I relate to, know the words to, and try to use as a little “Today’s a sunny day” weather forecast. Music’s immortality never fails to shine at an opportunistic moment. To me, music is a shield. I can live without it, but when in my presence, it awakens feelings of security and protection. If music is this important to me, I just want to know, how important music is to others.
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An American Home: The History of the White House (ARA) - In 1861, when a Union militia was called in to protect the White House as tensions rose around the nation’s capital, soldiers spilled from one elegant room into another, begging for food in the kitchen. In a starkly different landscape almost a century later, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth chatted privately with the Roosevelts in a well-dressed reception room — marking the royal family’s first visit since 1860. And on a summer day in 1964, the American quest for equality hit a powerful new stride when Lyndon B. Johnson sat down in the East Room to sign the Civil Rights Act. But ordinary things happen in the White House, too. Despite the constant glare of media, the daily influx of visitors and the stress that typically clings to those in charge of running a nation, the White House is also a refuge, a place where presidents can reconnect to the things that make them ordinary and human. Ulysses S. Grant ended each day feeding treats to his horses in the stables. Richard Nixon spoke to the portraits of past presidents in a quiet attempt to channel their wisdom. John F. Kennedy discovered a new interest in roses. The White House, home to America’s finest leaders and stage for its most critical moments, has evolved dramatically since its construction began in 1792. When John Adams moved into the new building in November 1800, there was no running water or electricity, and the telephone hadn’t yet been invented. The East Room was a mere unfinished shell, where Abigail Adams hung laundry from clotheslines. Only small dirt roads connected the sprawling mansion to a city center dominated by open, rolling terrain, with views that cascaded toward the Potomac River with little more than trees and grazing livestock to interrupt the view. But that serene landscape changed dramatically two years into the War of 1812, when the British set fire to several government buildings — including the White House. The only object saved, thanks to Dolley Madison, was an immense portrait of George Washington hanging in the State Dining Room. (It’s the oldest item in the White House today.) Three years later, James Monroe moved back in. By 1830, the North and South Porticos had been constructed, and a century later the East Wing was created. The West Wing was rebuilt and expanded in 1934. But changes go beyond architectural, as the character of the White House is constantly evolving from one president to the next. John Adams planted a magnolia tree, now 200 years old, with branches that fill tall windows on the dining room’s south side. Franklin D. Roosevelt conMarch 2009
verted a long cloakroom into a small movie theater. Brand new bowling lanes were all the rage during Harry Truman’s administration. Dwight D. Eisenhower added a putting green outside the Oval Office. And President Clinton made good use of a new jogging track encircling the South grounds’ driveway. The imprint of each great leader still hangs in the air. It’s a powerful sensation, one that Jacqueline Kennedy reveled in. “I love the Lincoln Room the most,” she said. “When you see that great bed, it looks like a cathedral. To touch something I know he had touched was a real link with him.” Today, the public can enjoy similar experiences on selfguided tours scheduled up to six months in advance through their Congressional representative’s office. The White House and the surrounding President’s Park, which features Lafayette Park, Sherman Park, and the Ellipse, are all part of the National Park System. The Park Service offers in-depth interpretation at the White House Visitor Center near the southeast gate, where visitors can view a video, explore exhibits, and glimpse a collection of more than 30,000 objects, including antiques and original artwork. When Barack Obama and his family moved into the White House this January, they chose items from the collection to decorate their new home, gently shaping each room to their liking as they settled into traditions that began more than two centuries ago. It’s one small way they are making this historic house their own. For more information about the White House and other national parks, visit the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association at www.npca.org.
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Courtesy of ARAcontent
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Yoga
A Path of Life
By Pradip Bulsara Pada Prasar Pachimotasana (legs spread back stretch)
Bring the palms in prayer position and place them on top of the head.
This asana gives an extended stretch to the inside of the legs and the effect of the asana is distributed throughout both the upper and the lower parts of the body. Sit with your legs spread apart as wide as possible this is the starting position.
Reach out with both hands in the front.
Walk your hands as far out in front as possible.
Gradually bring the chest, abdomen, and pelvic region to the floor. Wrap the arms around the back in prayer position. Raise the head so that the throat and chin are also on the floor.
Breathe slowly and deeply and on each breath out relax the elbows down to the ground without moving your hands. Once the elbows are down on the ground bend both arms to support the head.
This is the final position. Hold the position as long as you feel comfortable. Release the hands and return to the starting position.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Reach out to the sides with your hands grab the toes. Bend forward and try to touch the forehead to the floor directly in front of the body. March 2009
Pradip Bulsara teaches a yoga class at the Hindu Center in Charlotte on Sunday Pradip Bulsara teaches mornings.
a yoga class at the Hindu Center
in Charlotte on Sundays at 9 a.m.
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VGS March 2009
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The Chai Table Saathee Readers Forum
Man Made Mind By Sardar Singh Generally I go for a walk around the lake that is very close to our house. One day I met a young couple who had come to the lake along with their two daughters. I was told that the kids were two years old and identical twins. I was fascinated to see the way the children responded when they saw the ducks in the lake. Both of them were very excited and full of joy and happiness. They would go close to the ducks but would immediately back off. They played this game for quite some time. I think it is worthwhile to ask, why are we not able to maintain the same sense of freedom and happiness throughout our life? The human brain has unbounded intellectual potential and an amazing power of the mind. Because of this potential human beings have made tremendous progress in the fields of science and technology. Resources and ingenuity have been mobilized to create variety of goods and services. But in the bargain we have lost innocence and our capability to enjoy life. We have miserably failed in creating a healthy and harmonious relationship with each other. The state of my physical, mental and spiritual health depends to a large extent on the quality of my relationship with nature and other human beings. A sane world implies where there is right relationship. Right relationship means to respond with love and care. Unfortunately human beings are not living that way. The significant problems that we face arise out of numerous conflicts arising out of human relationships. Any type of conflict brings about pain, misery and sorrow. There is conflict between husband and wife, between parent and child, between one group and another. There is enormous confusion, violence, brutalities, the wars, terrorism and endless division on the basis of religion and nationalities. There is also the problem of poverty, overpopulation and environmental degradation. All problems are interrelated and affect each and every human being one way or the other. It is so obvious that when the children grow up they will be affected by the world in which they live. Although each one of us is born with certain distinct physical and intellectual characteristics yet when we examine very carefully we will find that psychologically we are not different from each other. All human beings, irrespective of their color, caste, creed, religion and nationality are fearful, uncertain, feel insecure and face the same life of pleasure, pain and sorrow. Our perceptions and responses to challenges of life and our basic urges, desires, demands are similar. Our consciousness is shaped by the culture in which we live. Our mind gets influenced the same way. The society shapes the individual and the individuals create the society. The individual and the society are inseparable. If we are really concerned about the March 2009
deterioration that is taking place in the world we must understand the nature of the human mind. Our thinking determines the nature of our consciousness. Our thinking determines our actions. The ultimate source of our problems is in thought. Psychologically we are not different from each other because the process of our thinking is the same. Our own thinking is responsible for the existing state of the world. We can very safely say that the mind that we have inherited and the mind that has been shaped by the society is man made mind. If there is lack of clarity in our thinking and if there irrationality in our thinking it will inevitably create the monstrous society in which we live. There is only one question that we need to answer. Can we be free of the old, rotten, traditional mind and create a new mind? In order for that to happen we must understand the existing framework of mind and in the process of selfenquiry and self-examination eradicate from our mind all thinking that is based on false premises and all thinking that is contradictory and therefore creates confusion in the mind and conflict in human relationship. Love, compassion, goodness and generosity are the key factors that can bring about a healthy and harmonious relationship. Love is not a process of thought. The action of love has no motive. The mind that is in state of love is a religious mind. When love expresses itself through our hearts we experience a state of bliss. Without love life has very little meaning. Is it possible for us to bring that quality of love in our life so that the future generations can also live in peace and harmony? We would like the readers to actively participate in the dialogue so that we may together explore this vast and complex territory called the mind and find out the root cause of our problems. We can examine the existing framework of the mind only when we are in pure state of observation. Our observation should be objective, free from bias, prejudice, opinion, judgment or conclusion. Only such a mind can see things as they actually are. Human beings do have this capability if they are willing to exercise it. No problem can be understood without clarity of perception. Clarity of perception facilitates the operation of intelligence, which is the basic instrument to wipe out the mess that man has created.
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Harnessing the Power of American English
By Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC Until very recently, the methods of teaching a foreign language have been the exact opposite of the way natural (i.e. native) language learning occurs. Most of my clients and many Saathee readers began studying English around the age of ten. They learned the alphabet, repeated words and learned to read them. Their teachers were not native speakers of either British or American English. Not much time was spent engaging in real conversations. Many report having gone into a “state of shock” when they first came to the U.S. and heard the flow of connected sounds of American English conversation, little of which they could understand at first. We do not naturally learn language from reading; we learn reading from language. Meaningful Differences1 by Hart and Risely, showed “stark disparities” and a direct correlation between early language experiences at ages 1 and 2, vocabulary growth at age 3 and reading skills at age 9 in three groups of children from three socioeconomic groups. Children are immersed in the sound patterns of their native language from birth. They map meanings onto sound patterns while having real experiences. Spelling does not equal pronunciation. Consider “ough.” Preschool children are running through a play “tunnel” and the teacher says, “You are running through the tunnel!” They are sanding, gluing and painting scrap wood pieces. The teacher says, “Sand paper is rough but it will make this wood smooth. An older child is showing Dad what Mom “buyed” today and Mom corrects him tactfully, “Yes, show Dad what we bought.” Then the child sees these “sight” words, through, rough, bought, (which cannot be sounded out phonetically) and hears the teacher read them. He learns to read them by linking the sound patterns of these spoken words with the actual experiences he had. The sequence is “experience + speech sound pattern = meaning” and then meaning is mapped onto the printed word. The meaning does lie in the “music.” The reason that many fluent speakers of English as a second language are not understood by native speakers is because the ESL speakers have not learned the unique sound patterns and the movement patterns of words, but are pronouncing them as if they were reading them the way the words would be pronounced in their native language. Speech patterns of languages have three characteristics: 1. They are unique to each language. 2. They are learned unconsciously by native speakers and used automatically. 3. They are rule-based March 2009
Idioms, or forms of non-literal language are also “absorbed” by native speakers. Can you match these “birds and bees” idioms with their meaning? 3 ___For the Birds ___A Bee in Her Bonnet ___Stir Up A Hornet’s Nest ___Flying High ___Swan Song a. Last and final project b. Determined to change something c. Create trouble d. Silly, boring or stupid e. Really, really happy (See the answers below) Suggested strategies to increase your word power this month: 1. Listen to conversations, use your Longman’s Dictionary4 and check newspaper headlines for idioms and multiple meaning words. See if you can guess their meaning from the content of the article that follows. 2. Repair communication breakdowns gracefully. Ask your listener to tell you if he/she doesn’t understand a word you say, rephrase or spell the word and ask your listener to pronounce it correctly. References 1 Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, by Todd R. Risley & Betty Hart (1995). Baltimore, MD, Brookes Publishers 2
Medically Speaking RULES: Rules for Using Linguistic Elements of Speech, by Lynda Katz Wilner and Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker, ESL Rules LLC (2007). Published by Successfully Speaking, “Syllable Reductions” pp. 65-67.
3
The Idioms Workbook, 2nd Edition by Myra Shulman Auslin, (2003) Pro-Ed Publishers, p.250 www.proedinc.com.
4
Longman Dictionary of American English, Pearson Education Limited, 2004 edition or later. (Some come with a CD-ROM).
Answers: d, b, c, e, a
Mastering Meaning
Two “rules” for syllable reductions are used unconsciously by native speakers.2 Native speakers of American (not British) English leave out the syllable with the weakest stress in many words that have three or more syllables. Examples with the stressed syllable in caps are VEG(e)table, LAb(o)ratory, EV(e)ry, BUS(i)ness WE(d)N(e)sday, COMF(or)table, deLIb(e)rate and AV(e)rage. In addition, the cally word ending is pronounced without the vowel as “klee.” For example, automatically is pronounced “automaticklee.” Other words that native speakers pronounce with a “klee” ending are: characteRIStically, dramMAtically, MEdically and alphaBEtically. (To receive a short sound file with these words pronounced correctly, send the author an email with the subject line “Syllable Reductions.”)
Judith L. Bergman is the founder and director of Triangle Speech Services. She is a speech pathologist and corporate speech trainer. Contact: jlbergman@mindspring.com or 919-489-5464. www.trianglespeech.com
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ASTRIDE
CONTINENTS
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By Chandan Sen Confessions Of A Substitute Teacher When I first joined the substitute teaching profession, I told myself that I was lucky to get a job in a difficult job market. The pay could best be described as pocket money, but we had enormous flexibility in choosing and canceling assignments. We could key in dates and periods of unavailability, and choose the schools where we preferred to sub. But beyond all this, it was the fact that I started subbing at Enloe High School, which was the school my son Reeshi attended, that made the experience all the more worthwhile. Often, while walking down the corridor, I was pointed out by smiling students as “Reeshi’s Dad.” I bumped into Reeshi occasionally, but, true to his adolescent stature, he preferred not to be seen talking to me. He enjoyed going around with his classmates, and I marveled at the enormous camaraderie that I saw the students exhibit among themselves. Irrespective of race, religion or economic status, these students had a spirit which did Enloe proud, and no wonder—-it is the 52nd best school in the nation. Since I was at Enloe for almost four years, I had the opportunity of watching a batch of students come in as freshmen and leave as seniors. Within this time frame, they grew and matured and developed their personalities and skills almost like chrysalis into butterflies. Boys went from being uncertain tweens to tall, gangling, sometimes muscle-bound young men. Girls went from primness to flamboyance to sedate young ladies. And through it all they laughed, talked, thought and perspired as they acquired knowledge, honed their laboratory skills, and coordinated motor skills on the playing field and in the gym. Often, while subbing, I would find a kid more interested in humming a tune, or in throwing a crumpled paper ball into the wastebasket. Then I would surmise, often correctly, that they had just come in from a music class, or a basketball game, as the case may be. It was a challenging experience to change their frame of mind to the one more suited to the task at hand, be it a calculus worksheet or a group project on To Kill A Mockingbird. I had occasion to do a long-term subbing assignment also, during which I got to know almost 126 students on a more than nodding acquaintance. In guiding them through an energy resources project, I used my judgment in giving them freedom to express themselves as they wished. Of course, there were some discipline problems, but these were more the signs of exuberance than troublemaking. Three years later, these students still greeted me affectionately, and I got a glimpse into their mindset when one of them confided to me, “It was the best time we ever had.” March 2009
I feel it necessary to emphasize strongly the need to balance “concern for the job” with “concern for people.” Except for occasional admonitions, I had no need to place strictures on their work. After all, Enloe is a magnet school and its students are highly motivated. Other occasions to observe kids and interact with them more deeply were the daily lunch period and the bus journey. I think the students who shared with me the daily encounter with the public transport system, saw in me a person very much like themselves, only older, who, for whatever reasons, chose not to drive but use the bus. We bus travelers have a sub-culture of our own. We know the ropes, the routes, and the occasional boredom of bus travel. Lunch is a joyous occasion for all students, and a chance to socialize and let off steam. A healthy mind in a healthy body can only be attained if the proper nourishment is present. Young people at the peak of their growing process have voracious appetites. And, finally, to the teachers and administrators go my thanks for congenial and collegial relationships. They were, without exception, helpful, and aroused my admiration at how skillfully they taught their students; how much motivation and commitment they brought to a task, and how well they succeeded. The girl who used to grin and call out loudly, “Reeshi’s Dad!” has become a serious senior. The lad who skipped class as a freshman is now busy with his engineering studies. And I, a foreigner who found a place in their hearts, am still learning, teaching and marveling. As for my son—he has graduated and moved on, an alumnus of Enloe and a student at ECU. Revenue Streams I remember my Dad running his tiny workshop in Calcutta during the eighties and nineties. He had a lathe, shaping machine, drilling machine and grinder. He had to do his own marketing, accounting and managerial work, but the machines were operated by casual workers who worked only when there was work for them. To the question, why did these workers not have their own workshops, I’d like to say that firstly, it takes a lot of business acumen to run a small-scale industry. Secondly, my Dad had got a loan from the State Bank of India, against the land that he had at Konnogor, which served as collateral. Most poor people cannot provide this collateral, and so they usually can’t get loans. Of course, experiments have been tried to give loans without security, but often the borrowers don’t bother to repay the loans. Human nature being what it is, a borrower pays back the loan to release his collateral, not otherwise! When all the machines in my dad’s factory were running, it was music to our ears, so to say. Money was coming in and we had the promise of a good month.
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continued on page 108 Chandan Sen Contact: chandansen33@hotmail.com
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The following food servings all provide at least 25 percent of Daily value of Vitamin B12:
Healthwise
Fortified breakfast cereals . . . . . .3/4 cup Plain yogurt, milk . . . . . . . . . . . .1 cup Sockeye salmon . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 ounces Rainbow trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 ounces Clams, cooked . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 ounces For individual diet counseling, see a registered dietitian. Many insurance companies now pay for the consults.
By Anjana Agarwal Vitamin B12 and Brain Health: Getting plenty of vitamin B12, already known to be important for healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, may also protect your brain from shrinking with age. In a small observational study published in “Neurology,” British researchers report that older people with low but sill normal level of B12 were six times more likely to experience brain atrophy as those with highest levels. The low-B12 group in the study also lost twice as much brain volume on average. “Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control,” said lead author Ann Vogiatzoglou, MS, of the University of Oxford. “But this study suggest that simply adjusting our diet to consume more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk may be something we can easily adjust to prevent brain shrinkage and to perhaps save our memory.” Vitamin B12 is naturally found in foods that come from animals, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs milk and dairy products. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adult is 2.4 microgram per day. Most nutrition facts labels don’t list a food’s B12 content; those that do use percentage based on Daily Value, which for B12 is 6.0 micrograms. Older adults, up to 30 percent of those 50-plus, may have a weaker production of stomach acid or taking antacids for reflux do not absorb sufficient B12 from foods, so their dietary adjustment to boost B12 intake is beneficial. These individuals, however, are able to absorb the synthetic B12 in fortified foods and dietary supplements. Vitamin B12 is important to brain chemistry and some previous studies have associated B12 deficiency with cognitive problems, but results are inconsistent. Although too small to investigate cognitive changes, the new British study set out to look at B12 and the brain directly, using MRI scans to measure brain volume, It was also notable for using only healthy volunteers, none of them were technically B12 deficient. Vogiatzoglou and her colleagues followed 107 men and women, average age 73, for five years. One third of the subjects with the lowest vitamin B12 levels proved more likely to experience brain shrinkage and saw a greater volume of atrophy. The researchers were able to conclude that there is a strong association of Vitamin B12 markers and the brain volume. According to Susanne Sorensen, MD, of the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, “shrinkage is usually associated with the development of dementia. This is another reason why it is crucial for people to lead a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet rich in B Vitamins and antioxidants.” March 2009
Anjana Agarwal, MS, RD, LDN, CNSD, CDE Registered Dietitian Phone: 704-890-3162 Carolina Nutrition (Adult & Pediatric) www.carolinanutrition.com
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1 cup (packed) grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz) 8 Tbsp (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz) 2/3 cup whipping cream
Recipes and more
Method: Preheat oven to 400째F. Combine potatoes and sliced onions in heavy large saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain potato onion mixture well. Arrange half of potato-onion mixture in 11x7 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mixture with 1/3 cup Gruyere cheese and then 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining potato-onion mixture atop cheeses. Pour cream over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of Gruyere and 6 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Bake gratin uncovered in 400째F oven until cream thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Broil gratin until top is golden, about 2 minutes. Serves 4.
This month we feature a variety of recipes to make that simple vegetable, the potato, a bit more interesting. Roasted New Potatoes with Onions and Truffle Oil Ingredients: 1 pound small, new potatoes, scrubbed, quartered 1 large yellow onion, peeled, thinly sliced 3 Tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Several shakes of white truffle oil, about 1/2 tsp. Method: Preheat oven to 400째F. Put onions and potatoes in a sturdy roasting pan. Pour olive oil over them and toss well to coat. Liberally sprinkle salt and pepper over the potatoes and onions. Spread the potatoes out so they are in a single layer in the pan. Place in oven. Cook for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned and cooked through. place potatoes and onions in a serving dish. Sprinkle with truffle oil and toss to coat. Serves 4. Turnip and Potato Patties Ingredients: 1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/3 cups) 6 oz potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup) 2 1/2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens 1 egg, beaten lightly 1/4 cup all-purpose flour Peanut or canola oil Salt and pepper Method: In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the turnip and potato cubes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are tender, and drain them. In a bowl, mash them with a fork and stir in the scallions, the egg, flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet with about 1/4-inch of the oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer, but not smoke. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of the turnip potato batter into the pan, flattening them into 1/2inch thick patties with the back of a spatula. Fry the patties until they are golden, turning them once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to paper towels to drain off excess oil. Makes six patties. Onion Potato Gratin Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch slices 3/4 pound onions, thinly sliced March 2009
Oven-fried Potato Chips Ingredients: 4 russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and sliced diagonally 1/8 inch thick 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) of butter, melted Coarse salt to taste Method: Pat the potatoes dry between paper towels and arrange them in one layer in 2 buttered cookie sheets pans. Brush the potatoes with the butter, bake them in a preheated 500째F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Sprinkle them with the salt. Serves 4. New Potatoes with Cheese and Tomatoes Ingredients: 8 to 12 small red-skinned new potatoes 2 Tbsp butter 1 med yellow onion, finely chopped 4 large green onions, cut in 1-inch lengths 2 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Salt and pepper 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Method: Scrub the potatoes; do not peel. Place the potatoes in a large pan, cover with water and boil, covered, until tender when pierced, about 20 minutes. Drain and place in a serving container. Keep warm. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and green onions and cook until limp. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. While stirring, slowly add the cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve at once. Spoon the sauce over the potatoes. Serves 4 to 6. Recipes courtesy http://www.elise.com/recipes/
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The Stock Tickers
tional centers like this are planned in the very near future. DHL Global Forwarding indicated that there is tremendous opportunity for Indian suppliers to make a market in European countries, especially eastern European countries where the consumer markets are still developing post-communism. DHL reported a 20 percent growth in India last year, and it wants a large India-based staff to handle its Asia-Pacific operations network. By Rajesh Ganatra The Pakistani economy and stock market continued to face significant challenges as 2009 began. Despite Here are some important quotes as of 02/20/2009 the challenging backdrop of gloomy economic conditions and violence throughout the country, the KSEMumbai (Bombay) Sensex: 8,842.50 100 managed to do well until mid-April 2008, when it Karachi, Pakistan KSE-100 Index: 5,823.89 Dow Jones Industrial Average (USA): 7,327.84 reached a summit of 15,676.34. Immediately after NASDAQ Composite (USA): 1,441.69 reaching that climax, the KSE-100 got caught up in S & P 500 Index (USA): 770.77 the global market sell-off and the KSE-100 lost over 40 percent of its value within four months. To try and Currency Exchange Rates: Indian Rs. 49.88 = $1.00, stem the decline and calm the markets, the Pakistani Pakistani Rs. 80.05 = $1.00 Government placed a protective floor on the market during August 2008. While the floor was in place, tradGold Price: $993 / ounce (Mumbai) Silver Price: $14.96 / ounce (Mumbai) ing activity was minimal; the Karachi KSE-100 hovered between 9,178-9,184. The floor was finally taken (Note —- Mumbai prices quoted in U.S. dollars were calculated using the above exchange rate and the metric factor out on 12/15/2008 and at that point, the market had of 28.6 grams equals 1 ounce. Generally speaking, there are to do its own work, which ended up being a sharp slight variances in prices of precious metals between India nosedive. The index stood at 5,753 on January 1, & U.S.A. due to market conditions / exchange rates). 2009 and after a brief sprint back into the 6,000s - the The Sensex had a very difficult 2008 in which it shed index tanked again and tumbled below 5,000 by the over 50 percent of its value and as the calendar turned third week of January 2009. to CY2009, investors hoped that a “fresh year” would There has been a lengthy struggle between hardbring a “fresh start” but unfortunately, things did not line Taliban militants and the fragile civilian governwork out that way. After a couple of positive trading ment over the Swat Valley, which is located in the days to start the year, the Satyam scandal broke on North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The Taliban January 7, 2009 and it resonated throughout the insurgents wanted to install strict Sharia (Islamic Law) financial system due to the scope and magnitude of in the valley and one of the prime intents therein was the fraud involved. The Sensex took a hard plunge on to deny education to females. The Government was the news and hit the 9,000 level and even after the resisting the efforts of the Taliban via 20,000 army initial shock wore off, it was very difficult for the mar- troops, however, on February 16, 2009 there was a kets to recover: it was a situation very similar to the cease-fire after the Government agreed to let the Enron “implosion” in the USA - even though it was just Taliban gain access to the Swat: this region is com“one company,” the fraud was catastrophic in size, prised of tremendous natural beauty and in the past, scope and depth and that truly “shook the faith” in the it has been a true tourist haven. It is deeply concernentire financial system for a certain period of time, ing to see Pakistan come more and more under the and that is precisely what “India Inc.” is experiencing influence of the Taliban forces: initially, only the tribal right now due to the Satyam fiasco. areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were A new strategic business alliance between Gujarat under the influence of the Taliban and other tribes, and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan may end however, the radicals have gradually made more up challenging De Beers’ monopoly over the global inroads into the country, piece-by-piece. What is diamond business: Canada would become one of the especially frightening about the takeover of the Swat world’s biggest diamond producers and the state of by the Taliban is that the crucial region is only 100 Gujarat would be in a controlling position in the glob- miles from the capital Islamabad. al diamond trade. Saskatchewan has the world’s Despite all of the political chaos and territorial dislargest diamond reserves and it has made a business putes, the KSE-100 managed to recover somewhat. It plan to Gujarat to explore them. The initial plan is that came off its nadir in the 4900s and traded above Gujarat would soon send a high-level delegation to 6,000 on February 19, 2009 before settling the day at Canada to investigate the business opportunities and 5,880. The Pakistani Rupee has also been holding potential. This appears to be a winning proposition for steady against the U.S. Dollar, at PKR 79-80 to the both parties: people from Gujarat can mine diamonds Dollar. A couple of other positives are that Indiain Saskatchewan (which lacks the labor force to do so) Pakistan trade along the Wagah border crossing had and then ship the diamonds to India for polishing and come to a virtual standstill following the attacks in sell them in the global marketplace. Mumbai on 11/26/08, however, trade between the two DHL Global Forwarding, which is a part of DHL nations has started to blossom again. Additionally, group, is planning to shift a significant portion of its the “Dinar Standard” issued its 5th annual ranking of operations to India. The company has already set up the Top 100 Muslim companies within the 57-nation a “center of excellence” which employs 60 and addicontinued on page 110 March 2009
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Marketing via Membership By Gail Martin How many organizations have you paid to join? It could be the Chamber of Commerce, a trade or professional organization, an alumni group, or an online networking association. Many people pay hundreds of dollars per membership to join groups with the hope of increasing their business, and then neglect the most important free marketing resource of all: their member profile. Here are some tips for you to make the most from your membership profile opportunities: Current contact information. Have a current photo and a working email and website. I can’t tell you how often I’ve found a great profile of someone I want to contact for business only to find that their email address doesn’t work and their website is gone. It’s also nice to have a photo that looks like you do now (not ten years ago) so that at a networking event, you can be recognized. Benefit and value. It’s not about what you want to sell; it’s about what your target audience needs in order to profit during tight times. Tell them how you’ll help them save money or stretch their dollar. Explain how you can help them do more with less. Show them you’re missioncritical for their success. Can you provided outsourced services to help them avoid needing to hire staff? Or can you teach them how to do a service in-house they are currently outsourcing in order to save money? These are the hot topics in today’s economy.
The value of membership profiles goes beyond what you post about yourself. Learn to use the profiles to find other members who would make great prospects, referral sources or partners. The trick is not to send out unwanted solicitations. That means every email needs to be a customized, individual email that reflects that you have genuinely looked that that person’s profile and want to talk with them about doing business together. There has to be mutual value or you’re just cold-calling. The trick is to have in mind how you might be able to help each other via referrals, adding value to a shared customer base, etc. Ask to set up a time to talk by phone. In less than 15 minutes, you’ll have either been able to secure a new valuable contact or know you can politely move on. If your organization offers an annual conference, use the member profiles to set up meetings in advance with interesting fellow members. Remember, since you both belong to the same organization, you already have something in common. Plan to set up early morning breakfasts or coffee meetings, or late-night connections over a cocktail. That way, you’ve already booked appointments before you ever leave home, making your travel investment even more valuable! Remember that your member profile can be updated at any time, so don’t let it fall out of date with old information or dated descriptions of what you do. Change up the information every few months to keep it fresh or target it to current trends and headline topics. Use these tips to connect via membership profiles and start getting full value out of your association dues! Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications. Contact her at dreamspinnercommunications@earthlink.net
Uniqueness. Every organization seems to have overlap in the types of businesses of its members. You’re unlikely to be the only real estate agent, insurance sales person or consultant. So your profile has to make it clear why you’re unique and what you offer that differs from the rest of the pack. Your target audience. Don’t make the reader guess what types of companies you serve. Do you specialize in small business solutions? Say so! Work only for large companies? Don’t make them guess. Do you specialize in a particular industry or focus on a specific type of company? Make that clear. You’ll help interested prospects know that you’re the best provider for them.
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The Aggressive Investor The aggressive investor is generally comfortable with a portfolio that focuses on maximum growth and can tolerate the risk associated with investing heavily in equities, including international equities, in exchange for potentially greater returns. This approach is best suited to individuals with a substantial time horizon (ten years or more) who are willing to risk short-term losses in order to benefit from the equity markets’ potential long-term historical growth.
Personal Finance By Narendra Dixit
How much risk can you handle? The composition of your investments is determined by many factors, including your ability to tolerate the risk of losing money. Every investment portfolio is different because everyone has different goals, time frames and financial circumstances. While you may want to seek advice from friends and family, you should avoid imitating their investment decisions without considering your unique situation. Sometimes, to make sure the information you get is objective and focused, it is helpful to seek the guidance of a financial professional who can provide information on the different investment categories and help you determine an investment strategy that closely reflects your goals and circumstances. Some factors you should consider when choosing how you’ll invest include: • Your investment objective (whether retirement, children’s education or other specific goals) • Your investment time horizon, or how long your money can stay invested before you will need to start withdrawing it • Your financial situation or how much you can put aside, how regularly you can do so and the likelihood you will need the money before your objectives are reached.
Investments are subject to market risk, will fluctuate and may lose value. International securities carry additional risks, including currency exchange fluctuation and different government regulations, economic conditions or accounting standards. For more information or to help you determine the type of investment strategy most appropriate for you, contact your financial advisor. GE-45469 This article is not intended as legal or tax advice. Accordingly, any tax information provided here is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the tax payer.
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In addition to these objective criteria, there are also subjective factors: how comfortable are you about your knowledge and ability as an investor and how much risk can you tolerate? Basically, there are three general risk tolerance categories: conservative, moderate or aggressive. The Conservative Investor The conservative investor is usually more comfortable with a portfolio that aims for capital preservation and a low degree of risk. This type of investor is usually most comfortable with investing in fixed income investments that promise to repay the amount invested if held to maturity. Conservative investors generally have a short time horizon, are in or near retirement and are highly averse to risk. The Moderate Investor The moderate investor is generally comfortable with a diversified portfolio that seeks a balance between stocks, bonds and fixed income investments, and is usually comfortable with accepting a moderate degree of risk in exchange for potentially higher returns. Moderate investors tend to avoid risks inherent in international investments and seek to preserve and grow capital. March 2009
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their jobs or were terminated from their H-1B employer (and purported to still be working for that employer), or the beneficiary ported to a new employer without filing a new H-1B (transfer) petition first. All of these cases were determined to be fraudulent.
Immigration Matters “Fraud” Alert! USCIS Report on H-1B Fraud & Violations & How It Affects Your Company By Lakshmi Challa & Emily Sumner This fall, USCIS issued a report entitled H-1B Benefit Fraud & Compliance Assessment. The report was drafted by the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, which is a Division of the National Security and Records Verification Directorate. Other USCIS Directorates and the USCIS Office of Chief Counsel also collaborated on the report. In the report, USCIS estimates that approximately 20 percent of H-1B petitions filed involve fraud and/or technical violations. Technical violations included violations of Department of Labor regulations, which are outside the jurisdiction of the USCIS. Where did they get these numbers and what was the methodology used? USCIS drew a sample of 246 cases from a pool of 96,827 H-1B petitions (approved, denied, or pending) filed between October 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006. The sample of 246 cases represents 0.2 percent of the total pool of 96,827 cases. Immigration Officers in USCIS offices across the country conducted the first stage of the investigation, which included reviewing the “pertinent data,” performing system checks and conducting site visits to validate the information on the submitted petition. The Immigration Officers then sent the field results to the Regional Immigration Officer for review, who in turn sent them to the headquarters of the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security for final review. On the basis of this sampling and investigation, USCIS found that 51 of the 246 cases involved either fraud or technical violations. This is equivalent to 20.7 percent of the cases. USCIS applied this rate to the total pool of H-1B petitions (96,827) and extrapolated to determine that approximately 20,000 of those petitions may have some type of fraud or technical violations. What else did USCIS find? The most prevalent type of violation USCIS found (55 percent of all violations) was the job location was not the location listed on the I-129 and LCA. USCIS found 15 of these cases to be fraudulent, and 13 of them to be a technical violation. The second most prevalent type of violation (27 percent of all violations) was the beneficiary not receiving the prevailing wage. Of these, 9 cases had a final determination of fraud, and 5 had a determination of technical violations. Other abuses found included fraudulent/forged documents, no bona fide job offer, job duties significantly different from those listed on the LCA/I-129, and misrepresentation of H-1B status, meaning the beneficiaries reentered the US with H-1B visas after they had quit March 2009
USCIS also outlined, “possible fraud indicators based upon an analysis of traits common” among the cases in which violations were found. USCIS found that the following types of cases had a higher fraud rate: Petitions in which the beneficiary held only a bachelor’s degree (rather than a graduate degree); H-1B petitions filed for accounting, human resources, business analyst, and sales and advertising occupations; Petitions in which the petitioning entity was established ten years or less prior to 2005; Petitions in which the petitioning entity has 25 or fewer employers; Petitions in which the petitioning entity’s gross annual income is $10 million or less; and Petitions in which the petitioning entity is engaged in professional, scientific, or technical services. How does this affect me and/or my company? Even those companies who follow all rules and regulations by the book are affected by this report. The end of the report states that based on the 20 percent violation rate, “USCIS is making procedural changes, which will be described in a forthcoming document.” Even now, the RFE rate for H-1B petitions has increased dramatically. Some of the more common requests focus on the beneficiary’s proposed duties and specialty work, the percentage of time will the H1B beneficiary spend on enumerated duties, for whom and where will the H-1B beneficiary directly perform the specialty employment, and in-house project details. Notwithstanding this report, the H-1B visa category is still a viable option for many companies. With appropriate documentation, the H-1B petition can be approved, and the H-1B classification remains a viable alternative for companies seeking foreign nationals to meet their business needs. More information on H-1B RFEs and recent H-1B decisions is available at www.challalaw.com. Contact Lakshmi Challa at 804.360.8482 info@challalaw.com
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Pura Vida in Costa Rica By Ron A. Virmani, M.D. When you ask the question “Como estas?” (Meaning how are you?) in Costa Rica, you are likely to get an answer “Pura Vida,” which means “pure life” or that life is blissful. Millions of years ago, the North and South American continents were separate. Sometime between 15 and 25 million years ago, there was movement of tectonic plates and volcanic activity ensued. From this, a landmass was formed which we now call Central America. In 12000 BCE, the man in Costa Rica was a hunter and gatherer, but by 4000 BCE, nomadic people started settling down and organized in tribes of agrarian nature. Columbus discovered Costa Rica on his fourth and final voyage to the New World when he was shipwrecked in 1502 ACE. He was greeted by natives on the east coast (Caribbean ocean) with great hospitality. The indigenous people were dressed in impressive gold and jade jewelry. This led to the name of Costa Rica (rich coast). Although Columbus never returned to Costa Rica, the Spanish explorers and conquistadors brutally pillaged and colonized the region for the next 300 years. Juan Vásquez de Coronado, who was sent as the new governor in 1562, is considered the real conqueror of Costa Rica. During the Spanish rule, the native population was mostly wiped out. From being a Spanish colony, Costa Rica gained independence in 1821. Today, it is one of the few countries with no army. It is an amazingly beautiful country with biodiversity far greater than its proportion of landmass on the planet. I went on a short trip (4 days) to Costa Rica in the beginning of 2008. I flew into San Jose, the capital city, which is located in the central valley. Surrounding the Central valley are high mountains made from 300 volcanoes, some of them still active. The climate is mild, spring-like all year around. The currency is colon ($1=550colones). After spending a couple of days in this picturesque city, I went to Manuel Antonio, which is a postcard perfect picturesque beach on the pacific coast. Lush green trees surrounded my cottage while monkeys and hummingbirds milled about. Unfortunately it rained a lot for two days when I was there. When sunny, iguanas would come out and sun themselves all over the place. I could not help fall in love with these protected creatures. Going back to San Jose, we came across a river where 14 crocs had parked themselves on the bank in a leisurely fashion. Fortunately for them, I resisted my great urge to jump into the middle of them. Boy! That would have surely sent them scurrying scared in all directions! Somewhere in my subconscious, I must have made a promise to myself to return to Costa Rica. I signed up for a guided tour by a company called Caravan starting December 24, 2008, when I flew March 2009
back to San Jose for a ten-day vacation. Senorita Shirley, a beautiful Costa Rican young lady was our tour director and guide for the trip. All 46 of us met with her in the hotel Barcelo Palacio that evening and she briefed us about the trip. The trip was going to take us to both coasts and many places of interest in a counter-clockwise fashion. We went to bed excited. Next day, the tour bus took us to see Poas volcano. As the bus climbed the mountain, a dense fog surrounded us. The bus dropped us at a point from which there was a half-mile hike to the crater. We could smell the sulfur fumes but the crater was invisible because of dense fog. I did a jog to and around the Botos Lake which was also invisible from the fog. It is unfortunate that less than two weeks later, on January 8, a quake struck this region, killing dozens of people. We came back to San Jose that afternoon. I spent some time shopping around the National Theater and the cathedral, both of which are in downtown. Day 3, we headed east up the mountains. It became cold and rainy. We went through Braulio Carrillo National park and came upon the rainforest aerial tram, which was quite an experience in a cable car. The forest guides took us for a nature walk but the nature opened its heart and poured on us. Somewhere high in the mountains, we passed the continental divide. Rivers to the east of this divide flow into the Caribbean, those to the west flow into the Pacific. Back in the bus, we drove to the lunch stop, where there was a small butterfly garden. We drove some more and came upon a bustling banana plantation. Bananas, pineapples, and coffee are major exports of Costa Rica. I took the opportunity to eat a delicious fresh coconut with sweet buttery nut. We drove to the Caribbean coast after which there are no more roads. We took a boat cruise to our destination of Laguna lodge, set in the jungles of Tortugero (tortuga – sea turtle). The cottages in the lodge had no phone, TV or A/C. One might call it rustic, but it was totally enjoyable. The sand on the beach was brown black, because of the volcanic origin. On day 4, we cruised in small open boats in canals with naturalist guides. We saw howler monkeys, white egrets, viper snakes, iguanas, caiman (alligator), anhingas and a host of other tropical birds. For part of the trip, it rained again. The east coast of Costa Rica is not as dry as the Pacific coast in this time of the year. We visited the Tortuguero village, which is small and poor with 1300 inhabitants. We saw a documentary film about the efforts to protect green turtle’s nestling habitat. We shopped for some souvenirs. I spent the afternoon jogging, playing table tennis and volleyball. Day 5, we headed back inland by boat first and then by bus. We stopped at Selva Verde Rainforest Reserve and walked across a 300 foot suspension bridge across a jungle river. Then we headed west to San Carlos valley to stay at Fortuna. Day 6, some people split off from the group for a whitewater rafting trip. Rest of us headed north after
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are let go from your current place of employment or if you are simply looking to work somewhere new. Even if you are secure in your current role, networking with competitors will also help you to determine if your compensation and other benefits are in line with the rest of the market and if you are being treated fairly. Additionally, don’t forget to connect with people from a variety of fields—this will help to position you with a number of contacts in case you decide to explore other career fields, attract potential clients, or simply learn more about the challenges and rewards of working in industries other than your own. Social, volunteer, or networking organizations such as Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) provide excellent opportunities for connecting with professionals from a variety of industries. NetIP holds monthly networking events and a variety of other social and professional events in Downtown Charlotte, in addition to a national annual networking convention each August.
Networking Now More Important Than Ever By Summer Bailey In a previous article we discussed the importance of networking to one’s professional development. While networking is beneficial even in the best of economic times, in today’s environment, with unemployment at a 17-year high of 7.6 percent and job losses accelerating, networking is more important than ever. Having a strong network can mean the difference between joining the rolls of former workers now on unemployment benefits (now at a record high of 4.81 million) and finding a new, perhaps even better position if you are unexpectedly presented with a pink slip. What follows are some additional tips on properly developing your network so that you will be in the best possible position to handle the ongoing difficulties in the economy and job market. Build a strong network inside your workplace. Building a strong network within your company can help you to maintain a job within your organization, particularly during an economic downturn. When companies are faced with having to make layoffs, employees that are well known and well liked are more likely to survive cuts than their less well known counterparts, even when their performance levels are the same. Given this, make sure to establish a good rapport with your managers and colleagues and to participate in after work social or volunteer events if these are held. Additionally, reach out and establish contacts with people in other areas or divisions of your company. A simple conversation in the elevator or washroom or chat over coffee to learn more about what a fellow employee does in their division can blossom into a rewarding networking relationship. When layoffs come and you receive a pink slip, you may be able to leverage your “at work” contact base to find a new position within the same company, as some divisions may be hiring even if others are downsizing. Don’t forget to network outside your company. Since so many of us spend a great deal of our time at work, it is fairly natural to develop networking relationships mostly within our workplaces. However, in order to build a strong contact base, don’t forget to network outside of your company. For example, connect with employees of your company’s competitors— this will help you to find potential opportunities if you March 2009
Network “Up” “Down” and “Sideways.” It may come be easiest to network sideways, that is, with people who are at roughly the same place in their careers as yourself, but don’t neglect to establish a network with those who are both more senior and junior than yourself. While it may be a little intimidating to approach those more senior than yourself, many people who are farther along in their careers are often quite happy to establish networking relationships with more junior workers. Networking with more senior people enables you tap into the knowledge and wisdom they have gained over the years and they may be willing to offer helpful career advice. Additionally, an informal networking relationship with a more senior person may develop into a mentoring or advocate relationship that could be very beneficial to your professional development. Likewise, connecting with persons at a more junior point in their careers can also be beneficial, as you can tap into their unique perspective, while potentially helping them to develop their careers—after all, networking is a two way street that provides you with an opportunity to both advance your own career and to help others do the same Building a strong network takes time. While networking primarily takes place with the goal of career development in mind, remember that you are also developing acquaintances with whom you need to establish trust and rapport. So when growing your network, make sure to approach people with a sincere desire to get to know them—don’t blast them with business proposals or a job application right after you’ve just handed them your business card (even if these are hard economic times). Remember that building a strong network takes time, and that acting too aggressively with regard to your professional development can backfire. Be patient and take time to continued on page 110 Summer Bailey is the NetIP CO-Chair for Professional Development. NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas Chapter of the North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals. Contact: amit@netipcharlotte.org www.NetIPCharlotte.org
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England visits West Indies March 6-10, 2009 - 5th Test @ Port Of Spain, Trinidad March 15, 2009 - 20/20 match @ Port Of Spain, Trinidad March 20, 2009 - 1st ODI @ Guyana March 22, 2009 - 2nd ODI @ Guyana March 27, 2009 - 3rd ODI @ Barbados March 29, 2009 - 4th ODI @ Barbados April 3, 2009 - 5th ODI @ St. Lucia
The Cricket Forum By Rajesh Ganatra IPL to kick off in Jaipur The second season of the IPL will kick off with a grand opening ceremony in Jaipur, IPL chairman Lalit Modi has confirmed. Modi also said the defending champions Rajasthan Royals’ would play two matches of their home matches in Ahmedabad. “As of now, the gala opening ceremony and the inaugural IPL match will be held in Jaipur,” he told reporters in Jaipur. “I understand that Rajasthan Royals are keen to play two matches in Ahmedabad. I don’t know which two matches they would be but the rest of matches will be played in Jaipur.” Modi had earlier said the league might shift matches out of Jaipur if it perceives any opposition to the matches there from the state or city administration. Modi was in Jaipur to file his nomination for the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections. He said the result of the elections would not have any affect on the start of the IPL, which starts on April 10. “I was waiting for the schedule of elections but now we do not have much time in hand so I have forwarded the IPL schedule to Rajasthan government for approval,” he said. “I have been hearing that the state government will provide all support to IPL. I have also received good feelers. Hotel bookings are good and there are other progress.” Modi said he hoped for “free and fair” contests. “The elections should be fair and square. I have been nominated for the post of president and I have accepted the proposal. Let all eligible units vote. No one should be debarred from voting.” Modi, who was close to the previous state administration in Rajasthan, has been facing resistance at the local association from a group of dissidents ever since the government changed hands after an election last year. “Some of the districts are opposing me but I am confident of victory,” he said. “I have some unfinished tasks. I want to spread the game and that is why I want to fight elections.” — Courtesy of cricinfo.com
Australia visits South Africa March 6-10, 2009 - 2nd Test @ Durban March 19-23, 2009 - 3rd Test @ Cape Town March 27, 2009 - 1st 20/20 match @ Johannesburg March 29, 2009 - 2nd 20/20 match @ Centurion April 3, 2009 - 1st ODI @ Durban April 5, 2009 - 2nd ODI @ Centurion April 9, 2009 - 3rd ODI @ Cape Town April 13, 2009 - 4th ODI @ Port Elizabeth April 17, 2009 - 5th ODI @ Johannesburg June 2009 - ICC World Twenty20 Tournament June 2009 - July 2009 - India visits West Indies June 2009 - September 2009 - Australia visits England - Ashes Series
Cricket schedule is courtesy www.cricinfo.com Note that the aforesaid schedule is subject to change due to acts of nature, political issues, etc. For updates on all the cricket action and scores visit saathee.com.
Upcoming Cricket Action Sri Lanka visits Pakistan March 1-5, 2009 - 2nd Test @ Lahore India visits New Zealand March 3, 2009 - 1st ODI @ Napier March 6, 2009 - 2nd ODI @ Wellington March 9, 2009 - 3rd ODI @ Christchurch March 11, 2009 - 4th ODI @ Hamilton March 14, 2009 - 5th ODI @ Auckland March 18-22, 2009 - 1st Test @ Hamilton March 26-30, 2009 - 2nd Test @ Napier April 3-7, 2009 - 3rd Test @ Wellington March 2009
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One Planet Saving Our Planet: Not Just a Labor of Love - It can be fun By Olga Han Okay. We’re just a month away now. Earth Day is on April 22, 2009. For the past two months, I’ve asked you to help to minimize the abuse and destruction of our environment. Hopefully, we’ve all made some effort, whether that has been recycling more, reusing more, cutting back on wasteful material, or doing the laundry in cold water. Though I’ve written that these are small steps that we can all try to take in order to make a world of difference in our environment, I realize that these small steps are conscious ones, especially if “going green” is something new to you. I’ve been going green for years now, but it’s still not completely second nature. I still make conscious decisions about my purchases. I mean, who wouldn’t want to use paper plates for all those play dates? What could be easier than prepackaged, individual snack portions of everything? I have to stop and remind myself not to fall prey to the disposable lifestyle in which our generation lives. So even though some steps are easy, I admit that sometimes you still have to work at it. If you’ve felt discouraged or belabored by your green efforts, wait! Don’t give up! There is fun to be had while we work to save our children’s future. Whether single or married, young or old, male or female, there are so many things we could do (or are already doing) that can add to our lives while making a difference in the world around us. · Instead of watching television after dinner, how about taking a stroll in the neighborhood? You’ll save energy, save money and get some fresh air and exercise, not to mention you may meet old friends or make new ones along the way. · Eat dinner by candlelight. If it’s just you and your partner, an intimate dinner can bring you closer than ever before. If you have children, pretend you’re camping in Yellowstone Park or you’ve taken a step back in time to the days before electricity. Whatever your situation, be creative and let your imaginations run wild. · Turn off the computer or television and talk to your friends or family. Talk about the day’s events or the dream you had last night or the funny thing the dog did today. Everyone is so busy these days with work and school that sometimes we lose touch of each other. Taking the time to really communicate with one March 2009
another can make a huge difference in the quality of our lives. Who knows what you’ll discover about the ones closest to you. · Instead of going to a movie, visit an aquarium or zoo. Not only will you learn more about our environment and the animals with whom we share our world, you just might have a ton of fun while you’re at it. · Have a barbeque. Don’t let the cooler temperatures keep you indoors. Shut the oven, save energy and get some sunlight. Vitamin D is great for the body. · Visiting a friend in the neighborhood? Leave the car behind. Bike or walk over. · Looking for something different? Tired of taking the kids to the local house of inflatables? Is the scene at your favorite coffee shop getting old? Take it outside. Enjoy the park or go on a nature exploration or take the lead from the Backyardigans and find adventure through imagination right in your own backyard. · If physical activity just isn’t your cup of tea, reduce the thermostat, save a little energy (and money) and snuggle up on the sofa in your favorite, most comfortable set of pajamas to read a book. There’s so much out there, whether you choose to revisit a classic piece of literature or lose yourself in the latest bestseller. Earth Day 2009. April 22. We’re almost there. Let’s all continue to make a difference, let our imaginations run free and enjoy ourselves!
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The Art Of Living A Window To Your Soul By HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
is called ‘‘Shiva.” This state gives the deepest possible rest that one can experience. The mind becomes fresh, delicate and beautiful. In the waking state, one is constantly engaged in looking, smelling, eating, etc. The other extreme is the sleeping state where one is completely cut off and dull. The dullness and heaviness linger even after waking up. The more one sleeps, the duller one feels since a lot of energy is expended in sleep. Hence, the fourth state, where we are awake and yet at complete rest, is worth knowing. And we enter this state only during meditation.
We lead life through three states of consciousness — waking, dreaming and sleeping. Holding on to infinity In the waking state of Every cell in the body has the capacity to hold infinconsciousness, we ity. While a worm also eats and sleeps and wakes and experience the world performs its daily activities, there is no point in living through the five senses like that. We must tap the full potential that nature — sight, smell, touch, has bestowed on us, the potential to hold infinity in hearing or taste. We every cell of the body. For that we must practice medseek elevation and joy itation regularly. It only takes few minutes every day. from these senses. And once imbibed into the daily routine, meditation is For instance, we only no more a burden or a chore. want to look at something that is a source of joy, not Meditation is like a seed. The better a seed is cultiat something likely to sadden us. If any one of the vated, the more it flourishes. Similarly, the more we senses is missing, the entire dimension of that sense practice meditation, the better it cultures the entire is lost. One who can’t hear is bereft of the whole arena nervous system and the body. Our physiology underof sound. Similarly, he who can’t see is deprived of all goes a change and every cell in the body is filled with the beautiful sights and colors. So the sense is more ‘‘prana.” And as the level of ‘‘prana’’ in the body rises, important and much bigger than the object of the we bubble with joy. sense. The culturing of meditation into our system is norEach sense has a limited capacity to enjoy — after mal. Some people call it the higher state of conall, how much can one see or hear or touch? However sciousness; I call it the normal state of consciousness beautiful a sight, one cannot keep looking at it. The since we are endowed with the ability to live in that senses get tired after a short period of time. The eyes state. Meditation helps in two ways — it prevents close and we want to go back into ourselves because stress from getting into the system and simultaneousevery experience is an expense of energy. ly helps release already accumulated stress. Rated higher than the sense is the “mind.” The mind Regular meditation also leads to happiness and fulis infinite; its desires are many. But the capacity of the fillment; to sensitization of the sensory organs (theresenses to enjoy is small. This imbalance in the system by intensifying the experiences of seeing, tasting, will remain. Greed is wanting more and more sensory feeling, etc.); and to greater intuitiveness. objects — even though a person can eat only so much, With the assimilation of meditation into daily life, he wants all the chocolates in the world; though the the fifth state of consciousness, called cosmic conamount (of money) that can be spent by an individual sciousness, dawns. Cosmic consciousness perceives during a lifetime is limited, he wants all the wealth in the whole cosmos as part of oneself. When we perthe world. This is greed. This is what is prevalent in ceive the world as a part of us, love flows strongly the world today. between the world and us. (Love again is not an emoGiving too much importance to sensory objects tion but a state of being. It is not a melodrama leads to greed, giving too much importance to the expressed by endearments but our very existence.) senses leads to lust and giving too much importance This love empowers us to bear with the opposing to the mind and its desires leads to delusion. We hold forces and the disturbances in our lives. Anger and Art of Living National Week Special Course on to the concepts of the mind and want things to disappointments become fleeting emotions that occur happen in a certain way. Thus, the concepts in our momentarily and then vanish. mind impede us from perceiving the infinite conUsually we tend to let go of pleasant emotions and sciousness that’s a part of us. cling to the unpleasant ones; 99 percent of the world I’m not saying that the senses or the mind are bad. population is prone to doing this. But when the conBut we must learn to discriminate between things and sciousness becomes free and cultured with meditabe aware of what is happening at all times;Art that of is Living National Special Course tion, this tendencyWeek of holding onto negative emotions when clarity dawns on us. This is the first step towards is the first thing to disappear. We start living in ‘‘the the higher state of consciousness. moment’’ and let go of ‘‘the past’’. This is important Then fourth (or the higher) state of consciousness is because no matter how good the people we interact somewhere in between the waking, sleeping and with, there are bound to be misunderstandings in any dreaming states; wherein we know ‘‘we are’’ but we relationship. Once a little misunderstanding crops up, don’t know ‘‘where’’ we are. This knowledge that I our emotions get distorted and a host of negativities ‘‘am’’ but I don’t know ‘‘where’’ I am or ‘‘what’’ I am follow.
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But if we are able to let go and focus on the ability of consciousness to revel in the glory of every moment, we are shielded from all the above. The truth that every moment is supportive and complimentary to our growth dawns on us. Thus, attaining higher states of consciousness does not require any complicated strategization; one just needs to learn to let go. A person in a higher state of consciousness is expected to know everything. But while the mind and the consciousness possess the ability to know everything, do they really need to know everything? ‘‘All knowing’’ simply means being conscious of the essence of all you know. In this state, both knowledge and ignorance co-exist and complement each other. For instance, while playing a game, it is not knowing the result beforehand that makes the game sincere and fun. If one knew the result even while playing, the players (and the game) would lose their intensity. Similarly, if you know that a friend is going to let you down in ten years’ time, it will affect your relationship with that person today. If everything in life progresses smoothly and as per plan, life won’t be fun. After all, the fun of a story is in its suspense. And anyway, what is the big deal about this one life? Just 60-80 years? It is nothing. You have had many such comings into this world, inhabited many bodies, done many things. One life is negligible. When you realize this, little things will cease to bother you. Every up and down in life makes this play of life more interesting. When you open yourself to the consciousness in any particular moment, you perceive the innumerable activities taking place in the universe in that very moment — people are waking, sleeping, preparing for bed, driving, working; chicken are hatching, frogs croaking, virus and bacteria are infecting people — zillions of things are happening in that one moment in this infinite creation and yet the consciousness knows everything. Deep inside, each person knows about everything in this world. This knowledge is present in every person. You are a part of this whole phenomenon. As your consciousness opens and the whole system gets physically, mentally and spiritually elevated, your life becomes worth living. A higher state of consciousness will not drop on your head from heaven one fine morning. The sapling of consciousness is within you — it needs to be nurtured with simple techniques of meditation. Some palm trees yield in three years, some in ten years. And those that are not nurtured, never yield! They simply exist. The confluence of knowledge, understanding and practice makes life complete. When you grow into higher states of consciousness, you find that you are no longer thrown off balance by different situations and disturbances. You become beautiful yet strong — a soft, delicate and beautiful blossom capable of accommodating different values in life without any conditions.
Film Reviews continued from page 24 While the film’s director Priyadarshan has taken care to instill the comedy scenes so they flow with the rest of the story, the songs pretty much take you into another world and make you wonder if you are being made to watch a concoction of nonsensical scenarios, all at once! But, the cinematography and choreography of the songs are fabulous. Actors in the movie seem to have done good justice to their role. Lara Dutta surprisingly has done a good job in a role totally exempt of glamour. While there are a host of characters brought in to instill humor, all of them seem to overdo it. Irrfan Khan, the undeniable star of the show, has proved his mettle as an actor in every expression emoted. You cannot disagree with the fact that he is a natural actor. Khan portrayed the police inspector in the current hit Slumdog Millionaire. The movie tests your patience with bizarre item numbers goes one step further to test your emotion and unless you have a heart of stone, you will not come out of the theater with dry eyes. This movie does have a glam quotient, plenty of humor, emotions, requisite action, sarcasm and all else that you can think of when talking about a Bollywood movie. Overall Billu Barber is a smooth, simple, commercially portrayed tale of morality. Though it cannot be called an ultimate entertainer, it’s worth watching.
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Munnar continued from page 16 caused by being there, but the man wasn’t having any of it, and however much the boy nudged him as if to say it was all right, the old man kept a straight face, utterly offended. Funnily enough, we didn’t savor our beers. Instead we drank them down fairly sharply, and figured that this was probably why I hadn’t drunk much beer on my last visit. Somehow, making alcohol a thing of shame makes it taste rather bitter. It’s perhaps no wonder that the locals drink to get drunk, because goodness knows there’s no other reason to go out for a beer here. Around Munnar I forgot to mention that we hired a car and driver in Kochi to get us around for the next five days. After all, this is supposed to be a holiday, and spending hours and hours on bumpy Indian buses is a luxury only those with time on their hands can afford, so we’ve spent Rs6500 on a gleaming white Ambassador Classic, a very friendly driver called Sajeeve, and an itinerary from Kochi to Munnar, then on to Periyar and Kovalam. It’s a great way to get around, even if it does reek slightly of decadence. The best thing about having your own car is being able to decide exactly where you want to go, and when. On our only full day in Munnar, we decided to head over to Top Station, a point on the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala that offers spectacular views over the Western Ghats, the mountains that separate Kerala from its neighbor. This sounded exciting enough, but we hadn’t realized that the journey there would be so beautiful. The area round Munnar is absolutely stunning. This area is famous for having some of the highest altitude tea plantations in the world, and once you leave the overactive and slightly dingy town center, the hills open up and the beauty of the High Ranges becomes apparent. And what a delight it is. Most of the reason is tea. Tea was introduced to India from China in 1780, and large-scale planting had taken off by the midKundala Dam 1830s, after the discovery of the Assam tea plant in 1823. Cultivation in central Travancore (as Munnar used to be known) started in 1875, and the High Ranges were cultivated in 1878, leading to the tea estates we see today. Because tea leaves are picked from the tops of tea bushes, the bushes quickly assume a squat stature and a flat top, giving the fields the appearance of a perfectly assembled jigsaw. Tea bushes are a beautifully deep green, and there are paths between the bushes where the tea pickers ply their trade, so it’s as if the hills have turned into huge, complex tennis balls, albeit tennis balls smothered with meticulously manicured March 2009
topiaries. Or, to cut the description to a minimum, the hills around Munnar are simply gorgeous. The beauty is enhanced by a collection of reservoirs, which the road to Top Station winds past in an increasing state of disrepair. These reservoirs form part of a hydro-electric system that provides tourists the opportunity to take pedalos out onto the water, and afterwards to shout at the tops of their voices at a place called Echo Point, so called because – you guessed it – the reservoir shore echoes back whatever you care to yell at it. This being India, you don’t have to try it out yourself, as there are plenty of noisy tourists about who can shout louder and longer than you’ll ever manage. Yes, this is the land of the Indian tourist, and it’s all the more fun because of it. Indeed, the only problem with getting to Top Station is the road, which clearly gets a pounding in the monsoon. They’re currently resurfacing parts of it, which means you get to drive right through the middle of the whole process, dodging workmen and veering round turning trucks. In the West we can only glance at roadTea Plantations near Munnar works from the other side of an invasion of orange cones, but in India you get to participate. At one point, a JCB digger politely stopped dropping rocks onto the road ahead of us, just in time to stop the stones bouncing off the bonnet; at a contra-flow, manned by men with red and green flags, buses and four-wheel-drives with attitude overtook us by driving on the part-surfaced road, only pulling in when faced with stationary roadlaying equipment in their path; and all along the sides men and women toiled in the hot sun, smashing rocks with hammers, sending sharp shards into the side of the car and doubtless into their companion’s shins. It’s a hard life, out there on the highways of India. But the effort is worth it, as Top Station does indeed provide wonderful views of the Western Ghats, even if they’re a little hazy at this time of the year. And best of all, you get to repeat the journey on the way back; the tea plantations, reservoirs and road works are just as wonderful second time round. We ended our tour of Munnar with a visit to the Tata Tea Museum, a slightly uninMadupatty Lake spiring introduction to the teamaking process that takes you through the various stages in an accent so heavy that most of it gets lost in translation. Happily the process turns out to be the same in Munnar as it is in Darjeeling, with the raw tea leaves being dried by having air blown through them, before being
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rolled and chopped by what’s called a CTC (Crushing, Tearing and Curling) machine. The goo is then oxidized – or fermented, to use a more common term – where the tea turns brown (green tea is not fermented, so it stays green). It then passes through a machine called a Ball Breaker, whose function I couldn’t quite understand, and finally the tea is dried in a hot air stove before being sifted into a range of sizes, from powder to leafy (the powder making stronger tea than leafy tea). It takes 4kg of leaves to make 1kg of tea, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is that. Hill Spices We’d been so uninspired by the location of our first hotel, that we tracked down a second one for our second night. Perched on top of a hill next to the Mount Carmel Church, bang in the center of town, the Kaippallil Homestay was much more our kind of thing. Our room had a balcony overlooking Munnar, the homestay served ice-cold beer with no guilt attached, and the rooms were cheaper – you can’t say fairer than that. It was also a very short walk from the homestay to the center of town, which meant Peta could buy a large bag of he spices for which the area is famous. As she picked out bags of cardamom, vanilla, white and black pepper, mace, mustard seeds and cinnamon, the young man behind the bar looked up and his eyes widened. “Last night,” he said, pointing his thumb at his mouth, looking slightly guilty. “Last night, you were in the bar.” “That’s right”’ said Peta. It was the youngster who’d had the run in with the older man. “I remember you.” “Ah yes,” he said, “I was getting in trouble.” “Who was that man?” asked Peta. “Was it your dad?” “Father, no,” he said. “Uncle. Not pleased to see me there.” “Ha,” I said. “But he was in there too, so he couldn’t really have a go, could he?” “I’m not supposed to”’ said our young friend, grinning conspiratorially as he handed us our bag of spices. And with that, we headed off to the Rapsy Restaurant, which proudly proclaimed on the sign outside: Customers from 43 countries... Amiably taken care... Moreover astoundingly pleased... Their ecstasy is... Just with quality, not with looks. Luckily, Munnar excels on both quality and looks. What a delightful place to take a break from the Indian heat.
Mark Moxon is a web developer and travel writer. Find more of his Indian adventures and tales in Saathee magazine in future issues. Read more travel tales at Mark Moxon’s website: www.moxon.net. March 2009
Costa Rica continued from page 62 breakfast. We saw two trees on the way fully laded with hundreds of iguanas. This was truly spectacular! Then we cruised on Rio Frio through Cano Negro wildlife refuge. We saw spider monkeys, web-footed water walking lizards, blue herons and the boundary of Nicaragua. Costa Ricans have an immigration problem with Nicaraguans just like we have with Mexicans in this country. After lunch, we enjoyed the village of Fortuna. Extremely lucky for us, because it does not happen all the time, the clouds had dispersed and we could see Mount Arenal, the volcano in all its majestic beauty. The sight of memories, legends and romance, it is forever transfixed in my visual data bank. In the late afternoon, we enjoyed the hot springs, soaking in the warmth of the natural springs as well as the sensational view of Mount Arenal above us. Day 7, we traveled to Monteverde cloud forest reserve for a nature hike. Then we arrived at the Doubletree Hilton hotel on the central pacific coast of Costa Rica. There was much decadence about this large luxurious hotel in Puntarena. Only thing missing was Paris herself. Day 8, last day of 2008! Some people decided to go on the tour bus to Manuel Antonio park. This park has the white-faced monkeys, hiking trails and beautiful beaches to swim. I decided to go ziplining in the area of Puntarena, which is the sport of “zipping” down steel cables suspended on a harness. There were eight cables, longest one about 800 feet long. Next I signed up for some rappelling, down a 120 feet rock. A few scratches later, I was on ATV (all terrain vehicle) for a couple of hours having fun like a kid in a candy store. The adventure company cut up some watermelon and pineapples, this fruit was the best I have ever eaten. All this kicked my endorphins up to a euphoric high. At the hotel, there was a sumptuous New Year Eve’s feast. Therefore, December 31, 2008 qualified as the “Best day of my life.” Day 9, I started the New Year with an hour’s jog on Dona Ana beach. Then we headed off to the central valley. We stopped at a place called Sarchi for lunch and souvenir shopping. Then we toured the Café Brit factory and saw how coffee is grown, picked and made. The locals put on a humorous and lively show. We returned to downtown San Jose for our last night at Aurola Holiday Inn. The farewell dinner was excellent. We said goodbyes to the fellow travelers. I had met many nice people on the tour. Day 10, I did a morning jog through the bustling streets of San Jose, to La Sabana, the park. After breakfast, we went to the national museum. The “secret garden” had thousands of most beautiful butterflies I have seen. Then we went to the “Gold” museum, where there was a collection of preColumbian gold artifacts of a fascinating era. The trip was now over. Senorita Shirley had done a great job. The US Airways flight was delayed a couple of hours because the computers shut down at San Jose airport. I got home past midnight.
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Community Focus Events of Note Sujata Mohapatra, daughter in law of the legendary Guru Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra will perform an Odissi Dance Recital on Friday, March 6, 2009 beginning at 7pm. The venue is yet to be determined. The show is sponsored by Pani Dance Academy, Triangle Oriya Association, and ICMDS. Tickets are $25, $15, and $10. Members will be admitted free. Info: 919.942.0130 or 919.260.7409. The Classical Music Association of Charlotte will present a vocal concert by Nisha Rajgopal on Sunday, March 22, 2009 starting at 3 pm on the campus of CPCC in Charlotte. Info: Lakshmi and Muthukrishnan 704.814.9355, Jayashree 704.442.1186 or Rama Rachakonda 704.541.3361. The Nuv Yug C u l t u r a l Organization will present India Fest 2009: Your Gate Way to India at the J.S. Dorton Arena, State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Saturday March 28, 11 am-9 pm and Sunday March 29, 11 am-7 pm. India Fest 2009 is an exposition of South Asian culture, and an opportunity for the Triangle community to discover Indian cultural arts through an array of dance and music. India Fest features a theme based exhibition, a traditional crafts bazaar, and delicious cultural cuisine. The theme of this year is “India - A Spiritual Journey.” Info: http://nuvyug.net/events.php Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma will perform at Page Auditorium in Durham, NC on Sunday, Mar 29, 2009 beginning at 8pm. Hussain and Sharma are two titans of the Indian classical tradition. They have collaborated together since the 1980s, and are now acknowledged as living masters of Indian music on the world stage. Tickets range from $5-$34. For details visit saathee.com and click on the Events tab. The Heritage India Association of NC will present the 2009 Heritage India Festival on Saturday April 4, 2009 from 4-10 pm at the Hindu Society Cultural Hall in Morrisville, NC. This is their 5th annual festival and
will feature art, heritage, music, crafts, food, mehndi, and heritage of India. Colorful regional costumes and exhibits and folk dances will be presented as well as fashion shows for teens and adults. Info: 919.870.5222, 919.362.0520 or 919.678.9056. March 2009
The North South Foundation’s Raleigh Chapter presents the 2009 regional contests for children on March 28, 2009 and April 4, 2009 at the Duke University Social Sciences Bldg. The contents include: Spelling Bee - Junior (grades 1-3); Senior (grades 4-8) *Vocabulary Bee* - Junior (grades 1-3); Intermediate (grades 4-8) *Math Bee* - Level I (grades 1-2); Level II (grades 3-5); Level III (grades 6-8) *Geography Bee* - Junior (grades 1-3); Senior (grades 4-8) *Essay Writing* - Level 1 (grades 3-5); Level 2 (grades 6-8); Level 3 (grades 9-12) *Public Speaking* - Junior (grades 6-8); Senior (grades 9-12) North South Foundation (NSF) is a non-profit organization that awards scholarships to qualified and needy students in India entering colleges regardless of religion, gender, caste or creed. Winners of the Raleigh Chapter contests will compete at the 2009 NSF National Finals to be held later this year. For details & online registration visit www.northsouth.org. A rip-roaring, humor filled Hasya Kavi Sammelan is scheduled on Sunday, April 12, 2009 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Hindu Bhavan in Morrisville, NC. Tickets are $10. Indian Food will be served from 6:30 to 7:30 pm for free. The featured poets include: Manjit Singh (Haryana) is a talented Hasya Kavi who has written six books and released two CDs. Singh is a recognized star in India and will make the audience laugh. This is his second trip to the US. Surendra Dubey (Chhattisgarh) is a leading satirist in India who has entertained and awakened the conscience of millions of people with his humor containing a deep penetrating satire. He has written six books and released three CDs. Dr. Dubey is a maestro of haasya-vyang. This is his second trip to the US. Rajendra Rajan (Uttar Pradesh) is a gifted poet. Rajan’s forceful voice is tinged with an effective message the leaves the audience spellbound. He has written two books and this is his first trip to the United States. The featured poets have each participated in national and international Kavi Sammelans including at India’s prestigious Red Fort, and have enthralled the audiences in Thailand, Indonesia, Oman, and Dubai with their poetry. They have recited in many radio and TV programs including DoorDarshan and All India Radio, and are widely published in major newspapers and literary journals. They have received many laurels, prestigious awards and honors by various organizations. Details: Sudha Om Dhingra (919.678.9056), Mrs. Saroj Sharma (919.460.7830). National sponsor is International Hindi Association www.hindi.org.
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March 2009
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Community Reports The British American School of Charlotte recently celebrated a special event called India Week sponsored in part by the Arts & S c i e n c e Council of Charlotte. During this week, students in Years 1-9 learned about this country and its cultures. This school thought that devoting a week, instead of a day, would give students more time to learn and discover new things about this amazing country. On Thursday, the entire school got to taste some native Indian foods, including vegetable pulao meaning rice, vegetables and seasonings, raita yogurt which is yogurt except with cucumbers and carrots, papad which is like potato chips, except its made from black beans. For dessert, we had gajar halwa, which contains carrots, nuts and raisins, and last but not least cardamom butter cookies. All of the students enjoyed the food tasting, and they all were very thankful for the women who cooked the food! On Monday, the entire school had an early assembly containing some traditional Indian dancers, including Leila who is in Year 2. Later that day, each class got to learn how to dance like the professional dancers from India. The lady that taught these children to dance is named Ashima. She taught them that each dance move means something different, such as the sun, the moon, and certain gods and goddesses. On Tuesday classes went up to the art room to make a conventional block printing. Years 1-9 used a handmade wooden stamp, dipped it in acrylic paint, and then pressed it on a khaki cloth. Foundation classes 1 and 2 used a large Lego, dipped it into paint, and pressed it on a piece of paper. This technique, called block printing, originated in India in the 12th century. People can make natural dyes for their prints, using red onions, berries, or any kind of fruit or vegetable you want to use! Also, on Wednesday, BASC students learned about Rangoli patterns. Rangoli is made from sand or food colored rock salt. The students got a lot of help from Shilpa Shah; they also learned a lot about Rangoli from her, too! Rangoli became popular around 1300 BCE. You can also use pebbles, lentils, foam, and pebbles, though it is traditional to use colored powder. Mrs. Pakala came to Ms. Tombs’ class and talked to some middle school students about the culture and scenery of New Delhi, where she is from. They learned so much about New Delhi that they were able to write a whole story about their individual Indian versions of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. They were displayed on Thursday night when the school had a production March 2009
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about all they learned about India. Students also learned about Indian weddings, and other important facts they needed to complete their Indian Cinderella story. A few girls from Mrs. Haworth’s class showed the school how to properly put on a sari. Did you know that saris could be up to 6 yards (18 feet) long? The students from Ms. Tombs’ class wore some handmade Indian clothes they wore on Thursday, the night of the performance. The guys wore scarves, which is what most Indian men wear when they want to be casual. On Friday, all the students got henna tattoos. Henna tattoos are made from the henna plant; they are ground and added to a bit of water, then drizzled onto a person’s hand. After that, you let it sit until it is dry, then you rub it off with a dry paper towel. The pattern will stay in your flesh for a few days. — Contributed by students Lindsey Turk (Year 8) and Cameron Bosch (Year 7).
The second annual Virsa Punjab Da Bhangra competition took place in Durham in early February and was a wonderful success. Featuring some of the best Bhangra teams from across the United States, Virsa Punjab Da presented a tasteful illustration of Punjabi culture with traditional and modern Bhangra, a live
musical performance, and an informative presentation on Sikhism. Drawing a diverse crowd of almost several hundred people, the show was able to fulfill its goals of showcasing South Asian diversity while also raising over $7,000 in humanitarian aid to provide educational and medical services for orphans and widows in India. North Carolina State University’s Sikh Student Association and Delta Sigma Iota Fraternity are honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve the community and enrich the flourishing of South Asian culture in the Carolinas. saathee.com
IPAAC embarks on its fifth year of existence in 2009 and will present performances by Padma Talwalkar in May, Anand Bhate (Anand Gandharva) in June, a Sarod and Sitar jugalbandi by Dr.Rajeeb and Reena Chakraborty in September, and an Odissi-Kathak dance recital by Yogini Gandhi and her troupe in October. The group also hosts a local talent concert at the end of every year where children and adults who have learnt any form of Indian classical dance or music are encouraged to perform. Info: www.ipaac.org. — Contributed by Chaula Jain
— Contributed by Sumana Rallapalli The Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina was conceived over 10 years ago and is now nearing completion. It has garnered huge patronage and goodwill of the greater Carolinas and southern Virginia communities. The temple expects many devotees to witness the 5-day event that is slated for May 23 - 28, 2009. Consecration ceremonies starting on May 23rd and ending with the sanctification, Kumbhaprokshana and Pranapratistha on May 28th. Hundreds of devotees are engaged in putting together the fundraising, logistics, infrastructure, facilities and human resources required to complete the project and inaugurate the temple. Additional info about the event is available at www.svtemplenc.org or write to pranapratistha@svtemplenc.org. Call the temple during business hours at 919.468.0040.
India’s Republic Day was celebrated in late January at the Hindu Center of Charlotte. Performances included colorful dances, patriotic skits, several enlightening speeches and flag salutes to both India and the United States. Invitees included representa-
Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte ended it fourth year of formation with an outstanding dance recital by Bangalore-based couple Nirupama and Rajendra. This was the first time IPAAC hosted a dance recital and the overwhelming turnout was encouraging and IPAAC hopes to venture towards more such concerts in the future. Nirupama and Rajendra have been trained in the traditions of Bharat Natyam and Kathak. Their performance was mainly in the Kathak style of dance, but they seemed to infuse their dance with the preciseness and discipline of their Bharat Natyam training along with the romanticism of kathak. The choice of music and beautiful costumes added to the total effect. For many in the audience this was the first time they had seen an Indian dance performance with such innovations. Since 1994, IPAAC has brought major artists of the North Indian genre of Classical music to Charlotte. The last year began with a performance by Grammy award winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt who plays the Mohan Veena, followed by a vocal performance by Pt. Wasifuddin Dagar in the tradition of the Dhrupad, an older form of the Khayal of Hindustani Vocal music. Pt. Rajan and Pt. Sajan Mishra enthralled the IPAAC audience once again with a performance that will always be a cherished memory. Some of the artists which IPAAC has hosted over the years are Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Pt. Rashid Khan, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, N. Rajam and her daughter Sangeeta Shankar , and Pt. Ronu Majumdar, to name a few . Their music has been etched permanently in the minds of its audience. March 2009
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Saturday, April 18th, 2009 at 4pm by internationally acclaimed performer, Dr. Maha Gingrich and Group
CPCC - Central Campus Dale F. Halton Theater, Charlotte, NC Tickets on Sale Now! Adults $10 School Age Children $5 For Tickets, call CPCC Box Office at 704.330.6534 or tix.cpcc.edu
March 2009
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Community News & Events Compiled by Rajesh Ganatra
Charlotte Art Of Living (Healing with the Breath) Art of Living is dedicated to serving society by strengthening the individual. This is done through self development programs that recharge the body, mind and spirit and allow people to function at their optimum potential. People from all backgrounds, religions and cultural traditions come together in service and celebration. Info: 704.248.2647 charlotte@us.artofliving.org www.artofliving.org BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Regularly scheduled activities include a daily Aarti at 6:30 am and 7 pm. Darshan: Mon-Fri 6:30 am-12:30 pm and 4 - 8:30 pm, Sat/Sun 6:30 am8:30 pm. Gujarati classes are held every Sunday from 3 - 4 pm and “Satsang Sabha” is held every Sunday at 4:30 p.m. The Swaminarayan Temple is located at 4100 Margaret Wallace Road in Charlotte, N.C. Info: 704.573.0805 704.573.0820 (fax) Bhartiya Association of Lake Norman (BALKN) BALKN invites members from Indian community living at Lake Norman and the surrounding areas to join the organization and be a part of the ongoing fun activities. Sat Mar 14 Holi Celebration at Lake Norman State Park, Troutman, NC - all members are requested to come and enjoy the celebration. Info: 704.807.4485 (Mitesh Parikh) 704.450.6130 (Ajay Patel) www.balkn.org Carolinas Prayer Fellowship Rev. Dr. Samuel Prabodh Talluri invites everyone living in the North and South Carolina to participate in “Fellowship” Every Sunday Morning in Gastonia, N.C. Info: 704.865.1428 (Jay) 704.824-8698 (Joe) 704.545.1465 (Dayakar) Charlotte Gita Study Group Join the study of the Bhagawat Gita, based on the home study sourse by Swami Dayananda Saraswati of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at March 2009
Saylorsburg, PA. Swamiji’s written commentary in English will follow each verse, after which there will be a chance to have a short discussion. Additionally, there will be a short guided meditation session. The group meets every first and third Sunday from 4 - 5.30 pm in Charlotte, NC. Info: 704.622.9108 rvenky@aol.com naras@quaero.com Charlotte Kannada Koota The Charlotte Kannada Koota is an organization that promotes understanding of Karnataka culture and provides a medium for people of Karnataka (Kannadigas) to get together. The activities include social get-togethers, music, and drama. Info: 704.526.9990 (Appan Patil), agm_patil@hotmail.com 704.281.8732 (Raj Kulgod), kraj7@yahoo.com Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group holds weekly group sits and monthly all day sits for established students (those who have taken at least one ten day course from S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers). Ten-day courses are also available for all students. There is never a charge for a course. Info: 704.544.0790, rbddesai@yahoo.com 704.563.5440, dspranger@earthlink.net www.dhamma.org Classical Music Association of Charlotte (CMAC) CMAC sponsors many classical concerts during the year in Charlotte. Memberships are available at concerts. Sun Mar 22 @ 3:00 p.m. - vocal concert by Nisha Rajgopal at Central Piedmont Community College. Info: 704.541.3361 (Rama Rachakonda), 704.814.9355 (Muthukrishnan) lakshmi7778@yahoo.com cmacmusic@yahoo.com www.onlinecmac.com Saathee
Dada Bhagwan Group Satsang is conducted every Sunday at 7 pm at the Hindu Center in Charlotte and there is also a Satsang every Thursday. In addition, watch Satsang from Friday to Tuesday at 7 am on TV Asia. The present topics are “Pati-Patni ka Divya Vyahvar” and “Chovis Tirthankar.” The group has recently opened a library for spiritual books, audios and videos. Info: 704.287.3133 www.dadabhagwan.org Datta Yoga Center - Charlotte The group is dedicated to the service of SadGuru Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji through SadGuru Seva, yoga and satsang (singing the glory of god). Regular Activities: Satsang every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, from 4 7pm. Bhajans composed by Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji are chanted and occasionally video programs produced by Avadhoota Datta Peetham are viewed. including Sri Swamiji’s visit to Manasa Sarovaram, Music for meditation & healing concerts & lectures. Info: 704.839.3256 (Ravi Anupindi) www.dattapeetham.com www.dycusa.org Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to selfesteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One School One Teacher in one village) plans to establish 100,000 schools in tribal areas by 2012.This will cover all the villages in tribal areas where there are no schools today. The Carolinas Region of the EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North & South Carolina. Seeking volunteers. Info: shuklas@carolina.rr.com www.ekalvidya.org Hindu Center of Charlotte The center is located at 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212. The library is stocked with books, CDs, DVDs and other materials on varied genre such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and health. Library info: 704.554.0765. saathee.com
Community News & Events Children’s Religious Oriented Program (C.R.O.P.) is for children Kindergarten through 12th grade to educate them in culture and understand religious practices. A glimpse on understanding The Bhagvad Gita provides children with an opportunity to learn about the GITA with simplicity, ease and in an inclusive discussion format. Info on CROP 704.547.1676 (Chetna Patel) patel4260@bellsouth.net. The Senior Citizens Group meets on the 1st Sunday of every month at 4 pm and followed by Satyanarayan Katha at 5 pm. Future trips and activities are in the planning stages. Info on the group: 704.334.2462 (Gobind Bhojwani). The sloka class teaches children between the ages of 4 and 13 different Hindu hymns, their meaning and significance. The class meets Sundays at 9:30 am. Info on the class: 704.814.9355 (Lakshmi Muthukrishnan). Info on the Social Welfare Committee: 704.372.1265 (Narain Amar) or 704.948.5609 (Dhinakaran Pillai). The Vedic Havan is held at the vedant hall on second Sunday of every month at 10:30 am to 12:00 pm noon followed by Prasadam. Info: 704.825.9223 (Swadesh Sawhney). The Pranayam classes are held Saturdays from 9:30 - 11 am in the Vivek Hall. Info: 704.649.5374 (Kajal Jain), 704.554.0765 (Manisha Naik), or 281.304.5597 (Sanjay Vyas) pranayamclt@aol.com. Yoga classes are held Sundays at 9 am. Info: 704.864.8212. Upcoming Events: Sun Mar 15 - The Tenth Thyagaraja Aradhana & All Composers’ Day @ 9:30 a.m. - Vihar Hall. Info: Jayashree Panduranga: 704.442.1186, pandu@bellsouth.net or Rama Rachakonda: 704.541.3361, R_rama2000@yahoo.com Info: 704.535.3440. www.hcclt.org Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC) IPAAC (Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte) promotes classical Hindustani music by inviting well-known artists from India. Upcoming Events: 1. Smt. Padma Talwakar, Vocal Concert, Saturday, May 2, 2009 at CPCC, Tate Hall 2. Shri Anand Bhate Gandharva, Vocal Concert, Saturday, June 20, 2009 at CPCC, Tate Hall. March 2009
3. Dr. Rajeeb and Reena Chakraborty, Sarod & Sitar Jugalbandi, Saturday, September 19, 2009 at CPCC, Tate Hall. 4. Smt. Yogini Gandhi and her troupe, dance Odissi and Kathak Style, Saturday, October 31, 2009 at CPCC, Pease Auditorium. Info: Sarla Kumar 704.846.4423 Chaula Jain 704.364.0984 contact@ipaac.org www.ipaac.org Indian Visual Artists Association of Charlotte (IVAAC) IVAAC was founded by artists of Indian origin living in the Charlotte, NC area in their pursuit of a creative outlet, stemming from an urge to express the flow of their innate artistic moods and ideas. The vision is to promote the enigmatic and intriguing Indian culture into meaningful forms of expression that exposes the rich traditions and diversity of one of the most ancient civilizations on earth, in today’s fast blending global culture and to create an organization that provides planning and funding required to ensure and support a vibrant and culturally diverse Indian art community. Info: 704.540.8799 (Amit Shah), 704.688.5387 (Kinshuk Agarwal) www.ivaac.org Kiran KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South Asian organization. We promote the self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential manner. We spread awareness of South Asian women’s issues in the community and we cooperate and collaborate with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives. Countries in South Asia include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Though there are differences in language, customs, and religions across these countries, these regions share many basic cultural and historical similarities. KIRAN operates a crisis phone line Monday- Friday from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. If you need help or are in search of information regarding domestic violence call an advocate. Services offered are confidential and free of charge: • Information in a culture- and context-sensitive manner Saathee
• Non-judgmental help and support to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations • Emotional support • Referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing • KIRAN’s services are completely confidential. Translators and crisis counselors do not disclose any information provided by our clients. Info: CRISIS HOTLINE: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1-877-625-4726 KIRAN@KIRANINC.ORG www.kiraninc.org McColl Center for Visual Art The McColl Center for Visual Art has selected Veda Saravanan and Varsha Pradhan to display their paintings in the 6th and 7th Street windows in Charlotte downtown. Veda will be displaying in the 2 windows of the Hearst Tower on 6th street, and Varsha in the 6 windows of the TransAmerica building on 7th Street from January 10, 2009 through July 11, 2009. McColl Center for Visual Art is an artists’ residency program and gallery dedicated to promoting contemporary art and supporting artists regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Center’s goal is to present art and artists in a way that engages and enriches the public while revealing the creative process through open studios, outreaches, community projects, and educational programs. Net IP Charlotte NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas chapter of North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals. NetIP Charlotte provides a forum for on-going Career Developmental and Professional Networking activities. It arranges various events and maintains deeper ties with Businesses & the community. It provides various effective ways for Carolinas’ Indian Professionals to connect with other successful professionals. Fri Feb 20 - Networking Event @ 6:00 p.m. at the Fox & Hound, 330 North Tryon Street (intersection of North Tryon and 7th Street). Free for CY2009 members, and $5.00 charge for non-members. Info: hd@netipcharlotte.org (Hardik Shah) www.NetIPCharlotte.org saathee.com
RIP-ROARING HUMOR, NON-STOP LAUGHTER, HEART-WARMING RECITALS
Sunday â&#x20AC;˘ April 12, 2009 â&#x20AC;˘ 6:30 PM Hindu Bhavan (Temple Hall) Tickets: $10 Delicious Indian Food will be served from 6:30 to 7:30 PM for free Contact: Sudha Om Dhingra (919-678-9056), Mrs. Saroj Sharma (919-460-7830) Sponsors: Sudha & Satpal Rathei,Asha & Sajjan Aggarwal, Sudha & Om Dhingra, Saroj & Gangadhar Sharma, Usha & Dhruv Kumar, Ratna & Jagdish Narayan, kalpana & Uttam Deedwania, Nandita & Vipin Garg, Kalpana & Hari Nath Manjit Singh of Haryana is a talented Haasya Kavi. Writer of 6 books and 2 CDs to his credit, Manjit Singh is a recognized star in India. From the podium, he will make you laugh and laugh and deliver the serious message that will be remembered for a long time to come. This is his second trip to the US. Surendra Dubey of Chhattisgarh is a leading satirist in India who has entertained and awakened the conscience of millions of people with his humor containing a deep penetrating satire. Writer of 6 books and 3 CDs to his credit, Dr. Dubey is a maestro of haasya-vyang. This is his second trip to the US.as well Rajendra Rajan of Uttar Pradesh is a gifted poet. Rajan's forceful voice with an equally effective message leaves the audience spellbound willing to listen to him more. He has 2 books to his credit, This is his first trip to the US. The featured poets have each participated in over 1500 national and international Kavi Sammelns including at India's prestigious Red Fort, and have enthralled the audiences in Thailand, Indonesia, Oman, and Dubai with their poetry. They have recited in many radio and TV programs including Door-Darshan and All India Radio, and are widely published in all major newspapers and literary journals, and have received many laurels, prestigious awards and honors by various organizations. India. National Sponsor International Hindi Association www.hindi.org; Local Media sponsor: Geet Bazaar (88.1 FM)
Community News & Events Pratham - Charlotte Area Pratham Charlotte chapter is looking for volunteers and someone to lead the Charlotte Chapter. Info: M. Ramesh 919.678.0109 chith_ramesh@hotmail.com www.PrathamUSA.org Probasi of Charlotte Probasi is the Bengali community based in Charlotte and surrounding areas. The community’s goal is to organize cultural and educational program related to Bengal in the Greater Charlotte area, to increase Bengali cultural awareness, and to provide community service in the area. Info: www.probasi.org Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal On the 1st Saturday of every month, Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal has kirtans and bhajans at the Hindu Center of Charlotte at 5 pm. After the bhajans, there is Aarti and Mahaprasad. In addition, on the 3rd Sunday of every month, an additional Satsang Sabha is held at sponsor’s house at 3 - 5 pm. Info: 704.392.4488 - Ramesh Dhanani Sikh Heritage Society The Sikh Heritage Society strives to unite and enrich the lives of the Sikh & Punjabi communities of Charlotte and surrounding areas. “Gurdwara” address: 1760 Stoney Creek Lane, Charlotte, NC 28262. Info: 704.948.7664 (Roshan Attrey), rattrey@aol.com, 704.541.0350 (Sajjan Dhaliwal), sajjan@carolina.rr.com, 704.948.8091 (Inderjeet Rajpal), irajpal@aol.com www.gurdwaracharlotte.com SouthPark Cricket Club South Park Cricket Club is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it has been an active member of the Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference since 2002. The club’s home ground is located at the Reedy Creek Park, 2900 Rocky River Road, Charlotte, NC. The 2008 season has recently concluded SPCC encourages new players to join the club for the upcoming 2009 season. Info: 847.722.9865 (Baseet Ahmed), baseer_11@yahoo.com www.southparkcc.org
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Srishti of Charlotte Srishti has emerged to fulfill the community’s need for togetherness and the desire to showcase Bengali literature, theatre, music, cinema and popular arts. The word Srishti means an act of creation. Though established and coordinated by a group of Bengali families, Srishti welcomes and brings together people of varied cultures, languages, background and nationalities who are interested in East Indian traditions. Info: 704.321.1964 (Samiksha Bose) 704.541.3451 (Santanu Sarkar) 704.882.6115 (Manmatha Chakrovorty) Steele Creek Cricket Club Cricket is played every Sunday morning at the Steele Creek Athletic Association complex at 13530 Choate Circle, (weather permitting) from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. This group is dedicated to playing cricket with a hard tennis ball and/or soft baseball (also known as T-Ball) for fun in the Steele Creek Area of Charlotte. If you would like to stay informed about this club or would like to play or watch cricket, feel free to join and share your ideas. For information on current hours of play, location, and contacts. Info: http://www.geocities.com/steelecreekcricketclub Telugu Association of Greater Charlotte Area (TAGCA) The organization’s mission is to bring together Telugu speaking people and to promote Telugu Culture. TAGCA and Hindu Center of Charlotte are conducting Telugu Classes. They are on every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from 10:30 - 11:30 am and are free for member and non-members alike. Sankranthi Celebrations: TAGCA will be celebrating Makara Sankranthi Function in Charlotte on 1/31/09 at 4PM. Venue: Providence High School . Telugu Classes: TAGCA in association with Hindu Center is organizing Telugu Classes at Hindu Center, which will be conducted alternate Sundays. Info: Sreedhar Manjigani 704.965.6704 education@tagca.org www.tagca.org United Cricket Club Forming a team this March of experienced as well as beginners that love cricket. Team will play in the Atlantic Saathee
League. Practice is every Sunday at Reedy Creek Park (11 to 4pm). Sunday and Monday evenings for ages 15 and up. Info: 704.905.9127(Captain-Syed) 704.493.7629(Vice Captain-Mohsan)
Greensboro Greensboro Center of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, Barsana Dham A satsang (devotional meeting) is regularly held on Saturdays from 3:30 - 5 pm at the home of Ashwatthama and Madhu Sharma, which includes prayer, chanting, meditation and lectures of Shree Kripalu Maharajji on the philosophy of Shrimad Bhagwatam. The lectures of Jagatguru Shree Kripalu Maharajji are shown on the “International Channel Network” weekdays at 7:30 am and Saturdays at 12:30 pm and also on TV Asia weekdays at 8 am and 10 am on weekends. Info: 336.643.0578 krishndas59@yahoo.com www.jkp.org, www.isdl.org Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont (GCAP) The Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont serves the Asian Indian community through sponsored events, cultural, educational and social programs. GCAP, 127 Landmark Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410. Info: 336.420.7290 336.327.1235 www.gujaratisamajoftriad.org Hare Krishna Temple Sandy Ridge This rural Hare Krishna community is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The community is based upon the teachings of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the philosophy of the BhagavadGita, becoming God conscious. Come and join in the kirtan, mantra meditation, and discourses on the top most yoga system. There are lots of regular festivities and events. Treat yourself to a free, hot and delicious vegetarian meal on Sundays at 1 pm. Venue: 1283 Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046. Info: 336.871.9738 www.prabhupadavillage.com
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Community News & Events Hindu Society of North Carolina at Greensboro The HSNC at Greensboro is located at 2424 Huffine Mill Road. Its mission is to serve the Hindu Community and promote Hindu Culture through religious, social and educational activities. Regularly scheduled events include Puja, bhajans, children’s programs, celebration of holidays & community service. Info: 336.621.5848 www.hsnc-triad.org India Association of the Triad The objective of the Association is to promote social, cultural and educational interests of its members, develop understanding between members of the Indian community and other residents of the Triad, and make the latter aware of issues of concern to the Indian community. Hindi Language classes are being taught by Mrs. Punjabi. Info: 336.656.0203 (Dhananjay Kumar) www.iatnc.org Life Bliss Foundation Life Bliss Foundation - NC Chapter, offers workshops, books, CD’s, and DVD’s on spirituality and enlightenment from living enlightened master Paramahamsa Nithyananda. 500 videos are available at youtube.com/LifeBlissFoundation Satsangs in the Greensboro / Winston-Salem area include Life Bliss Meditation, video discourse, Q&A, and Nithya Spiritual Healing Prayer, a method of energy healing. Satsang Locations: Weekly - Tuesdays, 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm, 1060 Tyler Road, Walnut Cove, NC 27052 Biweekly - Fridays, 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm, 3090 Diaz Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 Meditation workshops are taught on a regular basis. Info: 336.644.1111 www.lifebliss.org Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center of Greensboro, NC The Center organizing regular Sai Bhajans, Study Circle , Balvikas class for students and Service Activities. All devotees are welcome to the Center. First Sunday of the Month 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, all other Sundays 10:00AM – 12:15 PM. Info: 612.239.7529 (Deepak Deshpande at Winston Salem) 908.875.6964 (Swami Rajendran at Greensboro) March 2009
Raleigh Academic Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (AFICE) Interested in exploring the diverse cultures of the world? Become a host family for a high school exchange student! All the students will come from various countries around the world, and all students speak fluent English. They are of high school age (15-18) and will attend local high school in their respective communities. Each student will live as member of their American host family, sharing household duties and responsibilities. AFICE is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing cultural gaps by allowing foreign students the opportunity to live as part of an American community. Info: lathapamarthi@earthlink.net www.afice.org Association for India’s Development (AID)- Duke University Chapter: AID’s mission is effect social change in India, by supporting projects with grassroots non-governmental organization in India in the areas of literacy, health care, rural credit, women’s empowerment etc. Info: www.duke.edu/web/aid/ Atlantic Coast Sikh Association This is one of the oldest Sikh associations in the Southeastern USA. It meets every Sunday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at its gurdwara, located at 3108 Sparger Road, Durham, NC 27705. Kirtan is done by Bhai Dyal Singh Jatha. Classes for Punjabi and religious studies are held for children at the same time. Info: 919.309.1045 - Bhai Dyal Singh 919.467.4856 - Mrs. Raj Dhillon www.acsagurdwara.org Balagokulam Gokulam is where Lord Krishna’s magical childhood days were spent. It was here that his divine powers came to light. Every child has that spark of divinity within. Balagokulam is a forum for children (4-15 years age) to discover and manifest that divinity. It will enable Hindu children in the US to appreciate their cultural roots and learn values. This is done through games, yoga, stories, songs, shlokas, arts/crafts, and Seva (selfless service) in the community. Saathee
Balagokulam sessions are free for all and are held on Saturdays. Info: balagokulam.rtp@gmail.com hss.charlotte@hssus.org (Charlotte region) www.balagokulam.org BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir invites everyone to the regularly scheduled events: Ravi sabha every Sunday at 4 - 6 pm followed by Aarti and Maha Prasad. Mahapuja – every Purnima at 7 pm. Many classes are conducted. Fresh Indian snacks and sweets available at Shayona. 1020 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560. Info: 919.469.6605 www.swaminarayan.org Bengali Association of North Carolina (BANC) BANC seeks to promote Bengali culture, language, music, arts and social activities by offering varieties of programs for members of INDOAmerican community within North Carolina and adjacent states. The association is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural, social and educational purposes. 919.461.2386 (Ratan Ray), ratanray@hotmail.com 919.510.7943 (Swaty Sen), swaty_sen@yahoo.com banc_members@googlegroups.com www.banc-online.org Bharatiya Senior Citizens of North Carolina (BSCNC) BSCNC is a nonprofit organization for Senior Citizens of Indian origin who are of age 60 and over - the organization meets on the second Saturday of each month at Cary Senior Center, which is located on High house Road in Cary, NC from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. An election for Board of Directors for 2009 is in the works. Child Relief and You (CRY) An organization in the Raleigh area working with the India-based charitable non-profit organization committed to encouraging and facilitating individuals and organizations to make a positive impact in the lives of underprivileged children since 1979. CRY America’s RDU Action Center has been active since 2001. CRYRDU invites people to join the enthusiastic volunteer base to contribute ideas or any relevant skills. Info: 919.362.9591 (Sarav Arunachalam) rdu@cryamerica.org www.cryrdu.org saathee.com
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March 2009
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Community News & Events Chinmaya Mission The group hosts study groups/satsangs in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, and Chapel Hill and all are welcome to attend. Chinmaya Mission offers an avenue for adults to acquire spiritual knowledge that can be applied to lead a successful and happy life. Study groups follows three disciplines - self-study, enlightened discussion, and finally, reflection on the knowledge gained in class. Everybody is invited for all the Jnana Yagna (Lecture Series) by Bramachairini Sumati Chaitanya of Chinmaya Kirti of London, UK. Sumatiji will talk on Updesh Sara by Sage Ramana Maharishi. Sessions: Fri Jan 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sat Jan 3 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sun Jan 4 - TBD. Venue: Triangle Children’s Center Gym, 1900 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC. Info: 919.544.2815 CMRDU1@gmail.com www.chinmaya-rdu.org Datta Yoga Center - Raleigh Mission: Spread the teachings of Sadguru Sri Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore. Activities: Namasankeertana Bhajans written, composed and sung by Pujya Sri Swamiji. Future projects: Kriya yoga classes by Pujya Sri Swamiji-trained teachers from India. The group meets on the first Saturday of every month and every major festival day for Satsang and Namasankeertana (divine singing). Everyone is invited to attend the satsang with family and friends and receive divine blessings. Info: 919.484.1993 (Srinivas Chittineni) 919.461.0843 (Suresh Kota) YahooGroups: Dattasatsang_NC. Duke Diya Duke Diya is a Duke University student organization that is committed to providing a forum for interaction through political, cultural, community service, and social events relating to South Asian Americans. Info: 732.865.3173 www.dukediya.com Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal March 2009
areas. Education is the key to selfesteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One School One Teacher in one village) plans to establish 100,000 schools in tribal areas by 2012.This will cover all the villages in tribal areas where there are no schools today. The Carolinas Region of the EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North and South Carolina. Seeking volunteers. Info: 919.803.0478 (Hari H. Nath) hnath45@yahoo.com www.ekalvidya.org EKTAA South Asian Student Organization EKTAA (meaning unity) is the South Asian Student Organization at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The organization was founded in 1970. The motto is “unity within diversity.” EKTAA strives to spread culture and heritage of South Asia all over the campus as well as the local community and the organization works hand-in-hand with many organizations on and off the NCSU campus, as well as South Asian organizations from area universities. Info: www.ektaa.org Geet Bazaar Radio Program Every Sunday morning from 10 am 12 noon on WKNC 88.1 FM, join hosts Afroz Taj and John Caldwell, for a wide variety of music from India, Pakistan, and other countries and languages of South Asia. Geet Bazaar will also publicize community events free of charge. Info: 919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroj Taj) taj@unity.ncsu.edu GEM - Raleigh Church of God Attend worship services, prayer meetings or Sunday School. Info: 919.395.6208 (Pastor Thankachan M.) globalem@gmail.com Hasya Kavi Sammelan A rip-roaring, humor filled Hasya Kavi Sammelan is scheduled on Sunday, April 12, 2009 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Hindu Bhavan in Morrisville, NC. Tickets are $10. Indian Food will be served from 6:30 to 7:30 pm for free. The featured poets include Manjit Singh (Haryana), Surendra Dubey (Chhattisgarh), Rajendra Rajan (Uttar Pradesh). The featured poets have each participated in national Saathee
and international Kavi Sammelans including at India’s prestigious Red Fort, and have enthralled the audiences in Thailand, Indonesia, Oman, and Dubai with their poetry. They have recited in many radio and TV programs including Door-Darshan and All India Radio, and are widely published in major newspapers and literary journals. They have received many laurels, prestigious awards and honors by various organizations. Details: Sudha Om Dhingra (919.678.9056), Mrs. Saroj Sharma (919.460.7830). Heritage India Association of NC (HIANC) The HIANC aims at providing Indian cultural experience through performing arts, fine arts, and cultural arts and crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.” It organizes three colorful events annually, and the 2009 celebrations are as follows: 1. Heritage India Festival on APRIL 4 at the HSNC Cultural Hall 2. Gandhi Jayanti on OCTOBER 4 at the Marbles Kids Museum 3. Children’s Day on NOVEMBER 14 at the HSNC Cultural Hall. Group performances by youth, children and adult artists from the Triangle community are welcomed for all three events. Info: Yash Garg at 919-870-5222 Harsha Shah at 919-362-0520 chander@bellsouth.net Hindi Vikas Mandal of NC Hindi Vikas Mandal (HVM), based in the RTP area, promotes study and appreciation of Hindi language and strives to foster Indian culture and traditions through Hindi. HVM has a special focus on the youths for the preservation of Indian Culture and heritage. Sun Apr 12 - “Hasya Kavisammelan” at Hindu Bhavan (Temple Hall) 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, North Carolina. Tickets: $10. Info: 919.851.0225 (Saroj Sharma) 919.461.0001 (Vinod Goel) vgoel2@nc.rr.com Hindu Society of North Carolina - Morrisville, NC The Hindu Society of North Carolina, located at 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, N.C. serves the Indian community in the Triangle area and its vicinity. Temple timings are: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sat. - Sun. saathee.com
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Community News & Events 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Daily Aarti and Puja is also conducted by the Priest. Other regular religious and cultural programs: Monthly Vedic Havan, Tuesday Hauman Chalisa recitation, Sri Ramakrishna Study Group, Sri Sai Baba Group, Gita Study Group, Devi Puja, Vaishnav Bhajan Group, Akhand Ramayana Recitation, Weekend Language and Spiritual Knowledge Classes, and Sloka classes for Children. Yoga classes are also offered twice a week (Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.) at the Cultural Hall. Priest services are available at your home and/or at the Temple at a nominal charge. Upcoming Events: Info: hsnc@hsncweb.org www.hsncweb.org Hindu Students Council (HSC) NC State University HSC-NCSU is a chapter of the national organization Hindu Students Council (HSC). HSC-NCSU is a cultural and religious student organization. It aims to provide opportunities to learn about Hindu philosophy, spirituality and cultural heritage through various activities, events and projects and is dedicated to provide “seva” (service) to the community. Info: 919.676.0298 (Mrinmoyee Sanyal) msanyal@ncsu.edu www.hsc-ncsu.org Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) conducts weekly activities to develop character and leadership skills in participants, emphasizing values such as self-discipline, self-confidence and a spirit of selfless service (seva) for humanity while maintaining Hindu cultural identity in harmony with the larger society. HSS is inspired by the idea that the whole world is one family. HSS started in 1989 in the United States and currently has over 100 chapters (shakhas) across the country. The Research Triangle Park chapter meets every Saturday. Activities are tailored to include yoga, games, songs, lectures and discussions on Hindu dharma and culture. Info: hss.rtp@hssus.org - Triangle area hss.charlotte@hssus.org - Charlotte Hum Sub Hum Sub is dedicated to sharing the social and cultural traditions of India with the residents of the Research March 2009
Triangle Park and North Carolina. Info: 919.468.3332 (Mamta Bisarya) 919.363.7339 (Latha Pamarthi) info@humsub.net www.humsub.net Indian Classical Music & Dance Society (ICMDS) ICMDS is dedicated to the task of promoting Indian classical music and dance in the Triangle area. ICMDS invites the top artists from all over the world to perform in the Triangle area. Upcoming Events: Fri Mar 6 - Odissi Dance Recital by Sujata Mohapatra, Daughter-in-law and disciple of the legendary Guru Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra (Co-sponsored by Triangle Oriya Association and Pani Dance Academy). Venue: ETC Auditorium of NCSSM (North Carolina School of Science and Math). Sun Mar 29 - Maestros in Concert: Tabla & Santoor Extravaganza by Ustad Zakir Hussain & Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (jointly with Duke Performance) at 8 p.m. Duke University, Page Auditorium, 116 Chapel Drive, Durham, NC 27708. Sat Apr 18 - Carnatic Flute & Violin Concert by V.K. Raman (Flute) & Mysore Srikanth (Violin) with Shri. Vijay Ganesh (Mridangam) - 6 p.m. @ West Cary Middle School, 1000 Evans Road, Cary, NC. Info: www.icmds.org Indo-American Friendship Foundation Did you know that about 90 percent of rural orphans are female and most of them are abandoned at birth due to their gender? Not one of them gets the opportunity to become a doctor, engineer, or even receive basic education. Because they cannot live in the orphanage when they turn 18, many of them fall vicitim to different types of exploitation, including sex trade. IAFF has created an orphanage education fund to help qualified orphans to rise as high as they can climb in the educational/professional ladder. Info: 919.362.7653 (Dr. Subhas C. Mohapatra) www.iaff1.org Indus Foundation Indus Foundation was founded in NC by a group of professionals with the sole purpose of giving back to the community and the country that has helped members achieve success. Every dollar is wisely spent back into Saathee
the community without any overheads. Current major projects: Indian Cancer Society rehabilitation Center in Mumbai, Mental Healthcare Center for socially rejected Women in Indore, and three Educational Centers in Gurgaon. Adopt an ongoing project or launch and new project under specific guidelines. Make a commitment today to build a better tomorrow. Info: 919.461.0001 (Dr. Vinnie Goel, Chairman) 919.467.0598 (Dr. Shri Kulkarni, President) 919.319.7294 (Dr. Vijaya Bapat, Vice-President) www.indusfoundation.info International Community Church CC is a worship center for people from India and neighboring countries. The pastor is Joseph B. Jesudason and the church office is located at 1215 Franklin Jones Road, Suite #204, Raleigh, NC 27606. Info: 919.233.2900 w w w. i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y church.org International Hindi Association International Hindi Association (IHA) promotes Hindi language and literature and has chapters all over the United States. The Raleigh Chapter periodically organizes Kavi Sammelans with local and indigenous talents. Open to those interested in listening to poetry or in reciting poetry. Info: 919.851.0225 (Sarojben Sharma) 919.362.5244 (Sudha Dhingra) www.hindi.org International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization (ISSO) Primary objective of ISSO is “To advance the Sanatan Dharma in accordance with the principles and teachings of Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya, founded and ordained by Lord Shree Swaminarayan (Shree Sahajanand Swami),” enabling His devotees from both the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad) and Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal) to practice their religious duties in harmony. The Raleigh-Durham chapter organizes a “Satsang Sabha” every two weeks, typically on Friday or Saturday evenings, which includes Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and Mahaprasad. Info: 919.363.2356 (Niraj Joshi) niraj_joshi@yahoo.com www.swaminarayan.info saathee.com
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Community News & Events ISKCON of North Carolina The Sri-Sri Radha Golokananda Temple - Iskcon of NC is situated on 16 acres of field and forest with the historic Eno River flowing behind the temple property. The temple is just a few miles off of Routes I-40 & I-85 and located at 1032 Dimmocks Mill Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Daily aarti- 4:30 am, 7:15 am, 12:30 pm, 4:15 pm, 7 pm. Darsana: Monday through Friday 7:30-11:30 am and 4:15-5:45 pm, Saturday all day until 5:45 pm, Sunday all day until 7:30 pm. Sunday Festival 5 – 7:30 p.m. includes kirtan, aarti, Bhagavad Gita discourse, vegetarian feast, and Sunday school for children. Info: 919.732.2680 krsnapriya@earthlink.net Kiran KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South Asian organization. We promote the self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential manner. We spread awareness of South Asian women’s issues in the community and we cooperate and collaborate with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives. Countries in South Asia include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Though there are differences in language, customs, and religions across these countries, these regions share many basic cultural and historical similarities. KIRAN operates a crisis phone line Monday- Friday from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. If you need help or are in search of information regarding domestic violence call an advocate. Services offered are confidential and free of charge: • Information in a culture- and context-sensitive manner • Non-judgmental help and support to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations • Emotional support • Referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing • KIRAN’s services are completely confidential. Translators and crisis counselors do not disclose any information provided by our clients. Info: Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or 1877-625-4726 www.kiraninc.org KIRAN@KIRANINC.ORG March 2009
Nuv Yug Nuv Yug is a cultural organization with a mission to promote awareness of Indian cultural arts and heritage. Striving to create synergy among various cultural groups from the South Asian region. India Fest 2009: Will be held March 28-29, 2009. Info: info@nuvyug.org www.nuvyug.org Pakistani American Association The Pakistani-American Association (NCPAA) is a non-political, non-sectarian, cultural and social organization that promotes Pakistani culture to all the communities living in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. Several events are presented during the year. A family dinner is held on the second Friday of every month. Info: payamber@ncpaa.org www.ncpaa.org Pratham - Triangle Area Founded as a UNICEF initiative, Pratham is a grass-roots organization that works towards universalizing primary education in India. With a goal of reaching 20 million children, Pratham is one of the largest NGOs in field of literacy movement in India. Pratham continues to evolve, grow and works to meet the continually changing needs of the children it educates. Pratham’s North Carolina chapter actively aims to collaborate with individuals, local organizations and community associations and seeks ideas, volunteers and resources to deliver the vision of “Every Child in School and Learning Well.” Info: www.prathamnc.org Professional Indians’ Association (PIA) PIA is a meetup that serves young South Asian professionals in the Triangle Community. The group is made of Indian professionals and grad students interested in cultural events, socializing and meeting/making friends with likeminded people around the Triangle. Monthly events include meeting at bars/restaurants, Bollywood movie nights, potlucks, Indian concerts/performances, outdoor activities, community service and volunteering. This will also be an opportunity for professionals to share their thoughts on respective industries, social causes, economy and politics. Info: www.meetup.com/PIATriangle/ Saathee
RTP Maharashtra Mandal RTP Maharashtra Mandal promotes Maharashtrian culture and language. Maharashtra mandal is committed to serve RTP community with various cultural, social and traditional marathi programs and events. Info: 919.468.8824 (Jayant Yete) 919.757.7300 (Neeraj Shikarkhane) www.rtpmm.org S. V. Temple of North Carolina S.V. Temple of NC incorporated over ten years ago by a small group of devoted members of the community is now racing towards the grand opening and Pranapratistha on May 28, 2009. Built on over nine acres of centrally connected triangle area, this grand tribute to Lord Venkateswara and his consorts is designed to exacting standards of shilpa shasthra and features the only shrine in North America to incorporate abodes to Lord Viswaksena and Lord Sudarshana/Lord Narasimha as part of Srinivasa Parivaram. The temple rituals are performed in accordance with Pancharathra Agama Shastra. The temple encourages devotees to frequently visit the premises, its website and subscribe to the newsletters to get updates about the progress of construction activity and preparations for the elaborate consecration ceremonies starting on May 23 and ending with the sanctification, Kumbhaprokshana and Pranapratistha on May 28. Religious pundits, scholars and spiritual leaders from across the globe will grace these unique celebrations. Info: (919)-468-0040 pranapratistha@svtemplenc.org, comm@svtemplenc.org www.svtemplenc.org Sahaj Marg Meditation Triangle Area Sahaj Marg translates to “The Natural Path.” It is a natural, simple system of Raja Yoga meditation and spiritual practice that helps one realize the ultimate potential within oneself. Regular spiritual practice under capable guidance enables aspirants to progressively experience the sublime presence of the divine in their daily lives. Sahaj Marg system of meditation is freely offered to seekers worldwide through Shri Ram Chandra Mission. In Triangle area, group meditations are held on Sundays and Wednesdays. Info: 919.841.0035 (Alexey Lef) 919.757.2732 (Jenna Boyd) meditation@nc.rr.com www.srcm.org, www.sahajmarg.org saathee.com
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Community News & Events SAMPIGE - Triangle Kannada Association The Triangle Kannada Association is a cultural association for people residing in the Triangle area from Karnataka, India. Sampige organizes Kannada (the language spoken in the Karnataka area) activities in music, dance and drama as well as social activities. Info: sampigeeditor@yahoo.com www.sampige.org Satsang/Kirtan of Pujya Shri Asaram Bapu “Satsang” pertaining to Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta is organized every month in the Triangle area of NC. Venue: Mayank & Prapti Trivedi’s residence in Cary, NC. Info: 919.465.9155 trivedimp@gmail.com. Share and Care Foundation (SCF) Share and Care Foundation (SCF), a charitable organization focused on several projects in India and the USA, is launching a new chapter for the Carolinas - this represents the first chapter outside the New Jersey headquarters of SCF. SCF has been working with the Triangle’s Indian community for more than 15 years. Info: 919.425.5299 (Manu Patel) 919.469.1258 (Rajeev Kamath) www.shareandcare.org South Indian Fine Arts Academy (SIFAA) SIFAA is a non-profit organization that works to arrange and promote concerts and performances in the Triangle and Triad areas, concentrating on Carnatic music for the present. Info: (919)-773-1580 www.sifaa.org St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Monthly Mass and regular services are held in Malayalam/English by Rev. Dr. M. K. Thomas at the Baptist Student Center, 2702 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC. Info: 919.461.1773 sec@stgregoriosnc.org www.stgregoriosnc.org Tamil Cultural Association of North Carolina (TCA NC) TCA NC is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of providing youths with exposure to Tamil culMarch 2009
ture. Everyone is invited to join TCA and become part of a wonderful organization promoting Tamil culture in the Triangle area. Info: tca_nc@yahoo.com www.tcanc.org Tamil Sangam of Carolina The Tamil Sangam is an organization that promotes understanding of Tamil culture and provides a medium for people of Tamil culture to get together. The activities include music, drama, lectures, Tamil movies, etc. Info: (919)-465-1606 Ravi Shanmugam (President) http://members.fortunecity.com/tam ilsangamofcarolina Triangle Area Telugu Association (TATA) The Triangle Area Telugu Association (TATA) is a non-profit organization (started in 1983) committed to building a vibrant Telugu Community and promoting Telugu culture and language in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Info: committee@tataonline.org www.tataonline.org Triangle Bangladesh Society (TBSNC) TBSNC strives to arrange musical programs by artists who have captured the hearts and minds of millions of Bengali, Urdu and Hindi speaking music fans all around the globe. Info: 919.741.9343 (Ishtiaque Mohiuddin) Ishtiaquem@gmail.com www.tbsnc.org Triangle Chapter-India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) IDRF is a registered, tax-exempt non-profit organization that supports volunteer-based, honest and highly experienced non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India in serving their populations’ critical needs around education, childcare, healthcare, women empowerment and tribal welfare, as well as relief and rehabilitation in times of natural disasters. Info: www.idrf.org. Triangle Gujarati Association (TGA) TGA serves the Gujarati community in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas, TGA sponsors musical programs, dramas Saathee
and other cultural activities to help maintain the Gujarati culture and heritage. Info: Arvind Shah 919.233.7677 Harsha Shah 919.362.0520 Ravi Parikh 919.387.8808 www.nctga.org Triangle Indian Youth Organization (TIYO) This organization has been created with the purpose of encouraging youths of Indian origin aged between 12-18 years to develop skills for leadership, to organize team-oriented efforts, understand and participate in community services, understand and develop individual potential. There will be activities that will fall into the broad categories of education, arts, cultural, charity, religious and community services. Info: 919.363.7339 (Latha Pamarthi [Director of TIYO]) triangleindianyouth@yahoo.com Triangle Rang Mandal Devotees of Pujya Sri Rang Avdhoot Maharaj meet every Saturday in Cary or Raleigh from 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM to sing devotional Dattatreya Bhajans and Datta-Bavani in a spiritual atmosphere. Special programs organised on Guru Purnima and Rang Jayanti and on the occasion of Pujya Sri Prem Avdhoot Bapji’s annual visit to the US. Info: rangmandal@gmail.com Triangle Vegetarian Society (TVS) The mission of TVS is to build a sense of community between current vegetarians and people who are interested in vegetarianism and have a forum for a discussion of issues. Info: Dilip Barman barman@cs.unc.edu www.trianglevegsociety.org Urdu Majlis Urdu Majlis is a literary organization for the promotion of Urdu language and literature and has no political, national or religious affiliations. The group has regularly scheduled monthly meetings in which enthusiasts and scholars of Urdu literature meet to discuss the life and works of a selected literary figure. Info: 919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroz Taj) 919.962.1060 (Dr. Afroz Taj) 919.596.4792 (Ashraf and Seema Faruqi) taj@unity.ncsu.edu saathee.com
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Community News & Events Regional Cape Fear Cultural Association of India - Wilmington Cape Fear Cultural Association of India is an organization that promotes understanding of Indian culture and promotes a medium for people of Indian culture to get together. Info: 910.799.0948 (President: Anil Shah) 910.791.4686 (Cultural Program Director: Suvarna Karve) 910.762.4903 (Treasury Director: Purnima Khajanchi) 910.392.1929 (Music Director: Santosh Sheth) Hindu Society Of Eastern NC (Greenville, NC) All programs are from 11 am - 12 pm (noon), followed by Aarti & Prasad unless specified otherwise. Info: 252.830.5177 (Dharam Vasnani) VasnaniD@aol.com Hindutempleenc@gmail.com Indo-US Cultural Association of Winston-Salem The Indo-US Cultural Association’s primary mission is to increase awareness of the cultural heritage of India which is tremendously rich in its diversity and history. The Association seeks to reach out to the thriving Indian-American community within the Piedmont and Triad areas to share the vibrant Indian culture and promote cross-cultural understanding. Info: Madan Rangabasyam 336.354.6199 indouswinston@gmail.com
forum to increase the understanding of the heritage of India in US. Info: 803.884.0859 iagcfolks@yahoo.com International Fellowship Church of Greenville, SC International Fellowship Church offers Sunday worship services and other weekly activities for people of Indian origin. Info: 864.234.1256 (Pastor Suhas Raiborde) internationalfellowshipchurch.org Kannada Association of Greater Greenville (KAGG) An organization devoted to the awareness and promotion of Kannada culture in the Greater Greenville area of South Carolina. KAGG is a primarily run by volunteers and invites Kannadigas living in and around Greater Greenville area to join the organization. KAGG will celebrate “Ugadi” on Sat Mar 28 - the event will include cultural and social activities followed by a catered dinner. Info: 864.430.4973 www.kagg-sc.org Masjid Noor-UL-Huda The Mosque is located at 517 Winmet Drive, Columbia, SC. A weekly Islamic session is held by Qari Abdul Khader Multani every Saturday from 6 - 8 pm. Quranic Reading classes are conducted daily. Info: 803.749.0827 (Dr. Shami) 803.740.5127 (Qari Abdul Khader Multani) 803.754.2632 (Mosque main number)
Carolina Buddhist Vihara (Greenville, SC) Regular beginner meditation program conducted by a Buddhist Monk. Activities are held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings: 6:30 pm (puja), 7 pm (meditation), and 8 pm (“Dhamma” talk or discussion). A “youth program” is also held once a month. Info: dhammasc@hotmail.com
Sirigannada Sirigannada is the Kannada Association of South Carolina (based in Columbia) is a non-profit organization created in 2004 by the interested Kannada speaking people of South Carolina. A voluntary organization primarily run by memberships and donations from Kannadigas of the State of South Carolina. President: Dr. H.N. Narayanaswamy Nadig. Vice President: Mrs. Radha Rajagopal. Secretary: Mrs. Usha Bilgi. Treasurer: Mrs. Malathi Nagaraj. Info: www.sirigannada.org
India Assoc. of Greater Charleston (IAGC) The IAGC was founded in Charleston to bring together people who were interested in India and to provide a
Triad Avatar Meher Baba Group The Meher Center is a spiritual retreat/ashram located on SC Highway 17 immediately North of the Highway 22 connection 8 miles from
South Carolina
March 2009
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Myrtle Beach, SC. Meher Baba visited this place 3 times and considered it His home in the West. A small brick house built especially for Him is open for “Darshan” on Fridays and Sunday (11:00 am) / Meher Center: (843) 272-5777. Info: 336.299.9683 runderwood@webtv.net www.avatarmeherbaba.org Vedic Center of Greenville The Center is located on the Corner of Bethel Road and Bethel Drive in Mauldin, S.C. Daily Aarti is conducted Monday to Friday at 8 pm. Bal Vihar classes are conducted Sundays from 11:15 am - 12:30 pm. Sri Venkateshwara Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Sat of month at 9 am. Info: 864.967.2852
COMMUNITY NEWS AND COMMUNITY FOCUS Send your organization’s news and events by the 15th of the month for following month’s issue. Events submitted will be posted at saathee.com asap. Send high resolution digital images of your events afterwards & we will publish them in our Community Focus section as space permits. Our community news editor is Rajesh Ganatra. saatheemag@hotmail.com 704.527.7570 704.527.7590
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Astride three continents continued from page 48 An idle machine is a sheer loss, in more ways than one. But there was one machine that my Dad did not have—a sawing machine. Because of this he had to outsource his sawing work, thus reducing his profits. We had a family discussion on whether to go in for a sawing machine costing Rs 5000. Capital expenditure is always risky, but here the rewards seemed to outweigh the risks. So we bought the sawing machine and after that all our sawing work was done in-house. We had just started a new “revenue stream.” This term, so favored by bankers, means that additional money would be coming in, financial obligations like debt servicing could be met, salaries and other bills paid, etc. Back in the US in 2001, I initially was dependent on my wife for all my needs. But within a short time I managed to generate my own revenue. Now I have three revenue streams. Firstly, there’s the money that the editors of Saathee magazine pay me. Then there’s my income from tutoring high school students in math, and finally there’s my monthly paycheck from my work as a substitute teacher. With increasing competition, it is very necessary to be resourceful. Society will only give you money if you give value to society. A customer is, therefore, a person with whom you exchange value. Entrepreneurs know this, and institutions like banks and venture capitalists are always ready to provide the finance, albeit at a cost. But the risk is yours, as are the profits.
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Stock Tickers
NetIP: Interview Tips
continued from page 52
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Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Doha, Qatar at the beginning of February 2009, and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) ranked 29th on this list. The U. S. equity markets and economy continued their struggles as CY2009 began - the economy lost nearly 600,000 “non-farm” jobs in January 2009, the stock market remained in a funk and could not make any significant headway. During the 3rd week of February 2009, the major indices visited levels not seen since the late 1990s. Approximately one month after taking office, President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus bill that aimed to create nearly 3,500,000 jobs over the next few years and most notably, the jobs would be within the construction/infrastructure areas - the plan would also aid homeowners who are behind on their mortgages or facing foreclosures. The financial sector continued to struggle; especially two former titans: Bank of America (NYSE-BAC) and Citigroup (NYSE-C) continued to languish in single-digits and rumors about nationalization (takeover by the Government) were always in the background. In the case of nationalization, shareholders would be wiped out. Despite the increasing popularity of satellite radio, Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ-SIRI) has been dogged by substantial losses and it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Formerly, these were two separate companies (Sirius and XM Radio), which merged in a $13 billion transaction during the first half of 2007. The two companies were NASDAQ darlings during CY2004CY2005 and their market capitalization reached the upper atmosphere, however, they found themselves in strong competition with iPods/iPhones/MP3 players and other free music services, and their market cap came back down to earth with a ‘thud’. Liberty Media (NASDAQ-LMDIA) made a $530 investment in Sirius XM on February 17, 2009 that staved off an imminent bankruptcy filing, however, Sirius XM still faces a significant uphill battle. Every year, the Federal Reserve Board meets eight times to review economic data, monetary policy, and make appropriate adjustments to interest rates as deemed appropriate. At the 12/16/2008 meeting, the Federal Reserve slashed the Fed Funds rate (the rate at which banks borrow money from each other) to a target range of 0.00 - 0.25 percent and the Discount Rate (the rate at which individual banks borrow money from the Fed) to 0.50 percent - this represents a historical low and due to the slack economic conditions, these rates are expected to be in place for the foreseeable future - this dramatic rate cut did indeed have a sharp, strong negative impact on the U.S. Dollar’s value against other world currencies.
cultivate a friendly relationship before making any requests of your contacts. As such, it is best to establish a network well in advance of when you think you might need to rely on it! Never burn bridges. While most networking relationships are a positive experience, if things turn sour, make sure not to burn any bridges. This is particularly applicable to your “at work” network—when switching employers or leaving a job because of a pink slip, make sure to leave on good terms, as your work reputation can follow you even outside of the workplace. Even if you are let go from a job, make sure to maintain a good relationship with former co-workers and managers, as this will help you to keep your contact base strong, and could potentially lead to rehiring when conditions at your company improve. Although developing a strong network takes time, effort and a good deal of patience, the payoff in terms of professional development can be enormous, particularly in this difficult economic environment. With these tips in hand, we wish you the best in further developing your network. For more information on networking and professional development, contact NetIP Charlotte’s board at info@netipcharlotte.org or attend the NetIP business card networking event in Charlotte.
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Serving Buyers and Sellers Since 1989 Our experienced and talented AGENTS CAN SPEAK ENGLISH, HINDI, GUJARATI and Korean languages. Offering Motel, Restaurants, Dry Cleaners, Laundromats, Convenience Stores, Salons, land and more.
Let Us Help You Buy or Sell A Business C-STORES Gaffney, SC $79K, + Inv., GR $1.1M Martinsville, VA $95K, + Inv. Kannapolis, NC $59K +Inv., GR $300K Piedmont, SC $210K + Inv., GR $2.5M Mocksville, NC $1.1M + Inv. Shelby, NC $65K + Inv., GR $900K Hudson, NC $95K + Inv., GR $1M Morganton, NC $159K + Inv., GR $1.4M Conover, NC $159K + Inv., GR $2.1M Hillsborough, NC $300K + Inv., GR $900K
C-STORES Easley, NC $39K + Inv. GR $1.2M Statesville, NC $129K + Inv., GR $2.5M Bessemer City, NC $139K + Inv., GR $2.3M High Point, NC $169K + Inv., GR $2.5M RESTAURANTS: Charlotte, NC, Indian Full Menu $95K Matthews, NC $59K, Ice Cream Shop, Franchise Sub Shops Available DOLLAR STORE: Matthews, NC, $34K,
MAILING AND SHIPPING BUSINESS: Lake Wylie, SC $95K, HAIR SALON: Charlotte, NC $42K DRY CLEANERS: Hudson, NC, $150K, GR $150K Gastonia, NC, $49K, GR $80K Indian Trail, NC $649K, GR $400K Charleston, SC, $249K, GR $400K
Log on to our website for more listings!
www.countysouth.biz 704-814-9435 fax-866-876-9980 1300 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd
March 2009
Saathee
Matthews, NC 28105
saathee.com
47. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. (*) 48. A long-way off.
Clues Down: By Kirit Shukla 1
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(Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase)
Clues Across: 1. The official currency of the European Union. 4. A point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus, the point where the earthquake originates. 11. The thirteenth “Tithi” (day) of “Krishna-Paksha” of every month of the Hindu calendar; assigned to worship Lord Shankar. 13. Sprite, Goblin. 15. Any special capacity of perception. 16. Costa Rica. (*) 17. To reply in words. 19. South Carolina. (*) 21. A blend of ground spices; “Hot Spice.” (Hindi) 24. Rupees. (*) 25. The fifth sign of zodiac; The Lion. 26. Vigilantly attentive; keen. 28. A snakelike marine, freshwater fish with no fins. 30. Trinitrotoluene. (*) (Used in explosives) 32. A boy attendant, who carry massages etc. 33. Something illusionary; incompetence. 36. To float. 37. Biblical name of “Heliopolis”. 38. Louisiana. (*) 40. Temporary. (*) 41. A secondary stipule situated at the base of a leaflet of a compound leaf. 43. Beryllium. (*) 44. A military encampment made with tents. 46. To kill or shoot. (Slang) March 2009
1. “__ Classic Film Lyrics,” Saathee’s feature. 2. Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. (*) 3. Ohio. (*) 4. Equal odds in wager. 5. A bear-like carnivore of the Himalayas. 6. Internal Revenue Service. (*) 7. A flower called "Mexican Bird of Paradise". 8. Extra Terrestrial. (*) 9. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (*) 10. A former name of the Republic of Ireland. 12. Equality in refraction in two eyes of a person. 14. A contract renting a building or land to another. 18. A comrade; chum. (Informal) 20. A wedge shaped block fastened to a surface to serve as a check or support. 22. __, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa. (Music) 23. A diamond-shaped pattern in colors. (Knitting) 27. Tellurium. (*) (Chemical Element Symbol) 29. A lubricant applied to a vehicle. (Short form) 31. Tantalum. (*) (Chemical Element Symbol) 34. Deprived of power of sensation. 35. Red or pink water lily, used in ancient art. 39. Wing-shaped. 40. The aromatic hot or iced beverage of leaves exclusively cultivated in Assam, India. 41. Turf; sward. 42. Pounds per cubic foot. (*) 43. “EZ-__ ,” Saathee’s feature to test your IQ. 45. Virgin Islands. (*) (Puzzle solutions are on page 118. NO peeking!)
Hee Hee (Booddhoo is foolish. Mafatlal is a freeloader.)
“Yesterday my dad saw my report card with the failing grades and got so mad that he threw away all my sporting items like tennis rackets, balls, baseball bat, football out of the window. All my play things went out of the window except one.” “What do you mean by except one?” “The boomerang is still in my house.” ****** Mafatlal was visiting Amdavad for the first time. He wanted to catch the local bus to go to railway station. He asked the conductor: “what is the fare to go to railway station from here?” Conductor: “Two rupees from here.” Mafatlal ran with the bus and asked the conductor at the next bus stop: “What is the fare from here?” Conductor: “Two rupees from here.” He again ran to the next bus stop and asked the same question to the bus conductor. Conductor said: “Now the fare is three rupees.” ****** Saathee
saathee.com
March 2009
Saathee
saathee.com
Who wants to be a scholar?
Festivals & Holidays Compiled by Kirit Shukla
By Kirit Shukla There is only one correct answer. 1. Arrange these Seas of the world from the largest to smallest area. (a) Yellow Sea (b) Red Sea (c) Black Sea (d) Bearing Sea
March 2009
2. The Music director of 1957 popular Hindi film: “Janam Janam Ke Phere” was (a) Ravi (b) Naushad (c) Chitragupta (d) S. N. Tripathi 3. “Lucknow–Varanasi” distance by NH#56 is about (a) 100 Kms. (b) 200 Kms. (c) 300 Kms. (d) 400 Kms. 4. The winners of Super Bowl 43 were (a) Panthers (b) Cardinals (c) Steelers (d) Falcons 5. F. D. Roosevelt was US President for period (a) 1929-1933 (b) 1933-1945 (c) 1945-1953 (d) 1953-1961 6. The opposite of “Begin” is (a) End (b) Continue (c) Stop (d) Give up 7. Find the next number in the series: 3,5,8,12,17,? (a) 21 (b) 22 (c) 23 (d) 24 8. The state nickname “Empire State” is used by (a) Georgia (b) Delaware (c) Illinois (d) New York 9. The area of Nepal is approximately — Sq. kms. (a) 91000 (b) 141000 (c) 191000 (d) 241000 10. The tallest building in 2008, in the world is (a) Sears Towers, Chicago, IL, USA (b) Bank of America Bldg. Charlotte, NC, USA (c) Empire State Bldg. New York, NY, USA (d) Burj, Dubai, UAE 11. Mandavi was wife of _ according to “Ramayana.” (a) Bharat (b) Rama (c) Laxman (d) Shatrughna 12. If you weigh 145 lbs. the calorie consumption for the activity/per hour of hill climbing, is about (a) 200 (b) 400 (c) 600 (d) 800 Scholar: All correct First Class: 11 correct Second Class: 10 correct Third Class: 9 correct Needs Improvement: 8 or less correct. You be the judge for yourself.
Puzzle Solutions are on page 118 (No peeking!) March 2009
Mar. 7 Mar. 10 ..... Mar 11 ..... Mar. 15 ..... Mar. 17 Mar. 20 Mar. 22 Mar. 26 Mar. 27 Mar. 28
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.Aamlaki Ekadasi .Eid-E-Milad .Holi (Full Moon) .Dhuleti .Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Jayanti .Rang Panchami .Eid-E-Maulud .Saint Patrick’s day .Spring begins (US) .Papamochini Ekadasi .Darsha Amas (No Moon) .Gudi Padavo .Chetichand
Apr. 1 . Apr. 3 . .... Apr. 5 . Apr. 7 . Apr. 9 . Apr. 10 Apr. 12 Apr. 14 Apr. 21 ..... Apr. 25 Apr. 27 .....
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April 2009 .April Fool’s Day .Rama Navami .Sahajanand Swami Jayanti .Kamadaa Ekadasi .Mahavir Jayanti .Hanuman Jayanti (Full Moon) .Good Friday .Easter .Baishakhi .Varuthini Ekadasi .Shri Vallabhacharya Jayanti .Darsha Amas (No Moon) .Akshaya Trutia / Akha Trij .Parashuram Jayanti
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Major Holidays & Festivals of May. 09/Jun. 09. May 1 . . . . . .Ganga Saptami May 5 . . . . . .Mohini Ekadasi May 9 . . . . . .Buddha Poornima . . . . . . . . . . .Tagore Jayanti May 10 . . . . . .Mother’s Day May 20 . . . . . .Apara Ekadasi May 24 . . . . . .Bhavuka Amas (No Moon) May 25 . . . . . .Memorial Day May 26 . . . . . .Jarathost no Diso Jun 3 . . . . . . .Bhim/Nirjala Ekadasi Jun 7 . . . . . . .VataSavatri Poornima (Full Moon) Jun 14 . . . . . .Flag Day (US) Jun 21 . . . . . .Father’s Day . . . . . . . . . . .First Day of Summer (US) Jun 24 . . . . . .Ratha Yatra
Saathee
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FRIENDS TRAVEL CUSTOMER SATISFACTON IS OUR PROFIT
We speak Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi & English. Consolidated fares to: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Asia, Africa, Europe & the Middle East on All Major Airlines We provide Visa, Passport, Cruise & Tour Package Services. We also sell luggage & other travel-related products.
For Friendly & Reliable Service Call Your Travel Agent Friend
Manish Hingoo Phone: 919.467.5084 Fax: 919.467.5823 E-Mail:FRIENDSTRAVELNC@YAHOO.COM Emergency Service: 919.455.5213
We can do tour packages in India. Railway Bookings in India. THE BEST TRAVEL SERVICE IN THE CAROLINAS
New Location 1200 S.E. Maynard Rd. Cary, NC 27511 Suite 204 (0.2 miles from Patel Bros.) March 2009
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take action. This will also avoid financial loss. Unfortunately you will realize your mistake only during the second half of the month. Try to correct the mistake immediately; this will give you a feeling of relaxation.
General Predictions for March 2009 ARIES MAR 20 - APR 20 After a very positive start, the situation will take a sudden downward turn. You will start losing control over the situation. You may get a last good luck chance this month through your business partner. Curb expenses, specifically on luxury and fun articles. Don’t waste your time on non-productive activities. An unexpected positive change in your kids may surprise you. This is the time to slow down. TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 21 Some of you may feel very fortunate, but the majority will experience a setback. The best thing to do for this small group who will face a setback is to follow your mother. If you see any change in career, grab the opportunity immediately. Don’t wait till the second half of the month. If involved in partnership, watch carefully. You may face credit problems due to mistakes and lose benefit. The second half is not good for health, either. GEMINI MAY 21 - JUN 21 After the first week of the month, you will see a positive change in your life. An active life and rise in income will delight you in the second half of the month. Don’t count on your family to help you. You must go ahead on your own to achieve desired success. Overconfidence could be the only enemy to create problems. Just focus on your job and move fast, income will follow. You will enjoy good health. CANCER JUN 21 - JUL 22 “Work is worship.” Follow this philosophy to enjoy success. You will enjoy a very active and happy time. The first half of the month will keep you busy with social activities while you will celebrate success in the last week. However, you must avoid mental fear, open up and make decisions. Sudden health problems during second half of the month may slow you down. A happy family life is clearly indicated. LEO JUL 22 - AUG 23 Don’t miss the opportunity during the beginning of the month. You will feel as if you’re coming out of a bad dream. A slow improvement and back to normal feeling will comfort you. You may take help from your spouse, partner or friend to enjoy the period, but avoid cheating or dishonesty to make money, because it may put you in a real bad position in near future. Also remember to avoid a stubborn attitude. VIRGO AUG 23 - SEP 23 You will get mixed results this month. Your health and mistakes will be the major issues this month. Worthless pursuits will steal your peace of mind. Try to move slow and wait for the right time to March 2009
Saathee
LIBRA SEP 23 - OCT 23 You will feel helpless and miserable during this month. The time will change constantly yet provide hardly any fruitful result. If you can handle your health, you may be able to grab the opportunity. If you are expecting, take extra care of your health. Your competency will not be able to boost your luck. I mean, you are not weak, but your stars will not favor you during this period. Wait for now. SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 22 After a very good start, you will experience a big downfall in the second half of the month. Don’t get involved in too many things. Time is good for traveling, so, don’t cancel any journey. You will experience dual response, both good and bad as far as reputation and popularity is concerned. Hardship at the place of work and problems by child may disturb peace of mind. SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21 You will be inclined towards unproductive pursuits during this month. Due to this you will unnecessarily be a perturbed person. You may see a major alteration at family front. Avoid business related traveling; there is a danger of losing money. Major ups and downs are possible at place of work. Continue working hard and sincerely. Don’t get involved in new venture. CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 The situation will become more complicated after second week of the month. Your credit and reputation both are in danger. Your friends and coworker could be the best adviser in making any decision. Lack of confidence may force you to compromise with your morals. However you will be able to defeat your enemies. Difference of opinion with spouse may make situation worse. AQUARIUS JAN 20 - FEB 19 After a negative start the time will take a little positive turn this month. You may face competition with your associates. Time is good for changing strategy at your business. New ideas will pop-up in your mind. Implement the changes to gain the financial benefits. Minor health ailment could be there. A strong family bond can help you in defeating the common enemies. A rise in saving is possible. PISCES FEB 19 - MAR 20 Try to relax and enjoy. This is going to be very eventful month. You will be able to defeat your enemies, may be by using immoral ways. Your friends and family will offer help so do not deny them. You should carefully watch your health. Drive carefully and avoid unnecessary rushing. Moderate increase in the income is possible after second week of the moth. However, the expenses are also going to rise. By Jalendu Vaidya Contact: 973-365-1766 / hindusvision.com saathee.com
March 2009
Saathee
saathee.com
Saathee
Classifieds BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: EVOS. Successful Franchisor of America’s First Healthier Fast Food. Burgers, fries, and shakes that are 50-70% less fat, 100% full of flavor! Franchise opportunities now available in NC. 706-414-5440 www.evos.com Businesses for sale. Near Raleigh: Quiznos $110K, Deli $119K. Near Triad: Transmission shop $180K. Fayetteville: Self Storage $1.9M. Email info@EntrustAssociates.com or call Olga at 919.881.9997. Convenience Store With Gas Station For Sale: In South Carolina, absentee owner, excellent opportunity for owner-operator. $50,000 + inventory, living accommodations on property. Return to your investment in one year. Call 704-649-5138 or 704-258-2281. C-Store / Gas & Auto-Workshop For Sale: Charlotte, NC - Great Interstate Location, 4-5 minutes to Downtown. Lease $4500/month. 3 month deposit, no royalty fees. Purchase $550K. All EPA requirements current. Only Experienced & Financially able Call 704.641.5902 Citgo Station For Sale / Lease: Citgo Station & Café located in Sparta, NC. Intersection of Hwys 221 N & 21 N. Great location! In operation & full equipped. Sell or Lease. Contact 336-372-4401 Motels for sale: Locations in NC & SC. Brands from Wyndham to Choice Hotels priced from $2M+. Please call 704-906-9899 Liquor Store & C-Store for Sale on Lease: Reduced Price! In Clover, SC (Near Gastonia): Asking $115 k + Inventory (Negotiable) on lease .Gross for both $385k. Call Rocky 803.810.5105 Businesses For Sale: C-STORES: Gastonia, NC, $39K+Inv., GR $1.3M; Charlotte,NC, $34K + Inv., GR $90K; York, SC, $125K + Inv., GR $1.2M; Lenoir, NC, $79K + Inv., GR $800K; Peachland,NC, $525K+Inv., Gr $570K; Many locations available under $99K + Inv. 704.814.9435 www.countysouth.biz March 2009
Indian Restaurant For Sale in Downtown Charlotte, excellent location. Call 571.238.4905. Businesses For Sale: Café, restaurants, deli, coin laundry, dry clearers, and more plus residential listings. Call for best discounts when you buy or sell. 704.649.9095. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Eyebrow & Facial Threading Practitioner Wanted: For Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, NC. Full and/or part-time. Call Bill 248-7213255 (cell) or email resume to bk56@sbcglobal.net. Motel Help Wanted: Franchise Motel in Raleigh, NC. Couple needed for night audit & housekeeping. May consider single for night audit. Experience preferred but not required, will train. Accommodations provided. 919.395.0710. Hotel Management Firm Now Hiring: Various positions available for house keepers, front desk (must speak fluent English), and General Manager/s of franchise hotels. Experience is MUST for all positions. E-mail resumes: abcone@abcinns.com or call 704-649-6833. Motel Help Wanted. Looking for a couple or single for desk clerk duties. Experience needed. Accommodations provided. Call 336.253.1655. Fax 336.983.6989. Hotel Help: Manager, Front Desk, Housekeeping & Maintenance for franchise motel in NC. Experience preferred. Couples welcome. Accommodations provided. Call 252-623-9115 Nanny Needed: for one year old child between 8am -4pm on weekdays, at home near UNCC. Applicant must understand English and have own transportation. Contact - 704 644 0887 Nanny Needed: in South Charlotte, NC for a newborn starting Mid/End of May 2009. Light housework & cooking assistance preferable. Call 732-372-3490 or e-mail: venu.gul@gmail.com Gas Station / Convenience Store Help Wanted: Full Time or Part Time. Located at University City (Near Highland Creek) area, In Charlotte, NC. Experience preferred but not required. Call Sunny 704904-5613 Motel Help Wanted: Couple needed for Motel help. Front Desk & Housekeeping. Call 704-867-0231 Saathee
Gas Station Help Wanted: Full time help for convenince store near Charlotte, NC. Short or Long-Term positions available. Accommodations Provided! Call 704.701.9975 Nanny Needed: Experienced, reliable, live-out position in Cary/Raleigh area for 9 month child. Light housekeeping and cooking expected. Must have own transportation. 919-234-2677 PROPERTY FOR SALE OR RENT: Home For Sale: Morrisville / Cary, NC. 3392 sf, 4 Bedroom, 3-1/2 Bathrooms. Open floor plan. Great Schools. Near Davis Dr. & High House Rd. Asking $425,000. Call Mary Kim 919.454.8039 Pat Hensley Realty Group @ RE/MAX United. Commercial Building for rent: 1000 sq foot office / retail. Near Gaston memorial hospital in Gastonia. New construction. Rready to move in. $890 / mo. 704.867. 9580. Medical Office For Sale/Lease: in prime area next to Wake Med Cary Hospital. For details call 919.649.1484. Condo for Rent: Near waterfront and swimming pool. Walking distance to bus. Perfect for small family, H-1 workers or students. 704.619.1603 Townhome For Sale Charlotte: Close to downtown, Airport, South Park Mall. Great Schools (Myers Park High & AG Middle). Near Light Rail. 2br & 1.5 bath. $139,000. Call 704.641.9336. PRODUCTS: American Mattresses Too Soft? Try a Duroflex mattress from Aleppy! Rubberized coir with 3’ latex foam cushion. Limited quantities. BilliBeds, 919.321.1284, carrom1@hotmail.com SERVICES: Beautician: In Cary, Apex, Holly Springs area. Threading, Waxing, Bleaching, Facials Pedicure manicure. Int’l diploma from Mumbai with 20 years of experience Appointments Call Anita: 919-557-7998 Babysitter Available full-time or part-time. Experienced. Speaks Hindi, Gujarati and English. Call 704.619-1603. saathee.com
SERVICES: Tax Returns: Tax Preparation with e-filing, Sales/Payroll Taxes; and Notary services to Individuals and small businesses. Ten years experience. Call Mahesh Patel, EA, MBA, (704) 799-6377 Accent Reduction Training: Threemonth tutorial with certified speechlanguage pathologist. Transform accents from career obstacles to charming cultural flavors. Invest in your future! www.trianglespeech.com Bollywood, Bhangra, Fusion, & Hip Hop Dance Lessons In Charlotte: Dance instructor/choreographer with 10+ years of experience in various dance styles including Bollywood, Bhangra, Hip Hop, Fusion & Reggae. Private & group lessons for males and females of all ages! Dance Group also available for special performances for weddings & other special events. Choreography also available. 919.395.2679 email dancevolutions@gmail.com. Harmonium/Keyboard Player: For any occasion/party, Garba-raas, traditional Indian wedding songs, programs & lessons. Kirit 704.568.8206.
Mehandi (Henna): Award winning artist from Jaipur, India is specializing in wedding parties (Bride & attendants). Satisfaction is guaranteed regarding design, color & price. Krishna Priya Dasi 919.824.7734 E-Mail: krsnapriyad@hotmail.com Dholi For Hire: Plays the Dhol (drum), for any occasion, barat, doli, graduation, birthdays, baby showers and any other festivity. Affordable rate. Instructional classes also available. Call Ritu Bhandari at 704-843-7202. email: sbhandari@carolina.rr.com Balaji Priest: All kinds of puja, havan, katha, weddings, graha shanti, funeral services & Shraadh. In Hindi, English & Tamil. 704.877.6320 or 704.545.7220. Beautician in Matthews, NC: Pari Beauty - Threading, waxing, bleach, facial, manicure, pedicure & much more. 18 years of experience. For appointment call 704.846.7912 South Indian Priest: Sastriji is an independent priest Call for Pujas, Gruhapravesh, Weddings, Multi-lingual, Vedic traditional priestly services, etc. 704.625.7578 704.231.0751. sastrigal2003@yahoo.com
Gujarati Priest: Devendra Dave Independent priest. Ganesh, Randal, Navratri, Diwali’s Laxmi & Sharda Pujas, Satyanarayan Katha, Weddings, Vastu, Baby Showers, Funeral Seva. Call Daveji 704.780.3563. God Blessings to All. SAATHEE CLASSIFIEDS: Business ads are $25 & personal ads are $15 up to 25 words. Type or clearly write the ad & include a check along with your home/work phone numbers. Classified posted on saathee.com at no extra charge. We accept Credit Cards. Ad Submission Deadline is the 20th. Saathee Classified PO Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com 704.527.7570 Fax: 704.527.7590
Refinance Your Mortgage Now! 30-year and 15-year fixed rates are at a 37 Year Low! • Lower your Mortgage Payments • This Once in Lifetime Opportunity to Refinance will not last • You could be refinanced with cash in hand in as little as 10 days • Don’t Wait until Mortgage Rates Rise again • Waiting to refinance could cost you additional thousands in interest a year. Don’t wait. These interest rates won’t last long!
You May Qualify for a No-Closing Cost Option. Call Now!
Shital “Sam” Patel President / Mortgage Broker
Office: (919) 342 4761
Fax: (919) 882 8877
spatel@clearlinemortgage.com Clearline Mortgage, Inc. RTP North Carolina P r o m i s e t o H e l p Yo u B u i l d We a l t h March 2009
Saathee
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Index of Advertisers A Complete Driving School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Abbi, Chitra (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Agie Photography (Agie Sundaram) . . . . . . . . . .115 AKM Realty (Arvind Mahajan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Allstate (Adam Pham MBA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Amberly Family Dentistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Amerifab International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Anil Bedi & Associates PC (CPA & Consultants) . . .11 Aradhana Music Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Around The World Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Asad Enterprises (International Calling) . . . . . . . .75 Ashirvad Tours & Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Bashyam, Spiro & Edgerton LLP (Immigration Law) 97 Bhalodia, Sanjay (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Bhindi Jewellers . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover Blooming Buds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Bombay Grille Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Care Pediatrics (Dr. Sarath Dommaraju) . . . . . . . .73 Carolina Retina Institute (Amit Kumar MD) . . . . . .40 Cary Cardiology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Cary Children's Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Cary Internal Medicine & The Diabetes Center, PA .95 Cary Medical Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Cary Photo & Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Chandni's Beauty Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 CheapIndianGrocery.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 CJ Tax & Accounting Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Concha, David - Immigration Attorney . . . . . . . .109 County South Realty & Business Brokers . . . . . . .111 Countywide Sealcoating & Striping . . . . . . . . . . .105 CrossOver Lending Group (Tony Xie) . . . . . . . . . .69 Dale's & Tandoor Catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Dances of India (Dr. Maha Gingrich) . . . . . . . . . . .89 Dave & Dave Inc. (Accounting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Desai Desai Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Dhamaaka (Live Music, DJ & More) . . . . . . . . . . .50 Dish Network (Reality on Dish) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 DJ Hangama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 DJ Kenz (Kenz Desai) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 DJ Don (David Pandoria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 DJ Mav . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Elegant Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Eshaan Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Evershine Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Eye Care Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Fairview Home Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Festival Of India (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Freight Guru.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Friends Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Goels Plaza - Banquet & Conference Center . . . . .27 Grand India Mart (Groceries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Greater Triangle Realty (Thomas John) . . . . . . . . .27 Heritage India Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Hindi Vikas Mandal (Hasya Kavi Sammelan) . . . . .93 ICMDS (Upcoming Concerts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 iFuturistics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Imagin Photojournalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Inchin's Bamboo Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 India Fest 2009 (Nuv Yug) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Indian Food & Spices (Fayetteville) . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Indu Conv. Store Greensboro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 International Comm Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Isaac, S (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 ITaxLogic (Tax services) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 IWP Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Jump Zone (Party / Play Centers) . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 K.B. Zaveree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Kadhambam Spices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Kalashri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 KD Photographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 L. Harold Poole Funeral Service & Crematory . . . . .83 La Bella Studio (Photography & Cinematography) .66 Legacy Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover Lightning Minds (Training In Oracle Tech) . . . . . . .89 Limon Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Live Spectrum Ent. (Jagjit Singh Farewell Show) . . .3 Mahabazar.com Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Make My Trip.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Malani Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover Mandap World (Nita Govan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Maruthi Pediatrics (Dr. Badriprasad R. Donthi) . . . .59 Montessori Children's House of Durham (Applications) 59 Montessori Children's House of Durham (Summer Camp)45 Nagpal, Sunil (MetLife Financial Services) . . . . . .109 Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 NC Dermatology Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 NC Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat (Pankaj Gupta, MD, FACS) 45 New York Life (Employment Opportunity) . . . . . . .25 March 2009
Oxford Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Palika Bazaar & Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Parekh , Bipin & Smita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Patel Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Patel, Champa (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Patel, Shailesh DDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Patel, Shital (Clearline Mortgage) . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Prashant Video Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Pretty Inspirations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Pristine Fashion Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Property Net Realty (Suku Pandiyattu) . . . . . . . . .39 R.P. Videography (Rashmi Patel) . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Rajdeep Mandap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Rajdeep Video (Ramesh Panjabi) . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Rama Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Real Triangle Properties (Joe Mathews) . . . . . . . . .29 Refulgent Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Roopkala Sarees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Royal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 s2s Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Saathee.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Sangam Mart (Indian Groceries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Shah, Chandravadan (Real estate & Mortgage) . .105 Shah, Kirti (CPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Sharma, Leena (New York Life Ins Co.) . . . . . . . . .43 Sitar India Palace Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Sleep Inn (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Smart Property Group (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . .57 Sonal Furniture & Custom Draperies . . . . . . . . . . .63 SV Temple (Srivari Pranapratistha) . . . . . . . . . . .47 Taj Indian Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Taj Mahal Restaurant (Raleigh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 TakeoutRdelivery.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Tamarind Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 The Montessori School of Raleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Tower Restauant (Morrisville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Travel Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Travelinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Triangle Indian Market (Cary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Triangle Phycian Group (Dr. Varadarajan) . . . . . . .14 Triangle Spine & Sports Medicine (Hari Kuncha, M.D.)74 Ttravel Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Udupi Cafe (Cary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Usha Decor (Wedding Planning & Decor) . . . . . . . .20 VGS India Mart (Morrisville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Vyas Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Wake OB/Gyn (Dr. Nanda Shah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 White Horse Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Worldwide travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Zamana Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
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