Nov 08 Saathee Clt

November 2008

Sri Hari Mandir, Porbandar

In this issue:

The Credit Crunch

Hyderabad Entices

Lara Dutta

Largest Selection of 22k Gold and Diamond Jewelry in North America.

The Bhindi Family would like to wish you Happy Holidays.

Please Visit Any Of Our Showrooms For Our Exclusive 2009 Calenders.

November 2008

saathee.com

Hello Readers A new era begins. The Bush years are (almost) over and as the new President prepares to take office in January, he will have a long uphill climb to pull the United States and in turn the world out of a deep recession. There are also two wars that will color the new administration’s foreign policy. We hope for positive developments and offer our support.

The economy is by far the biggest issue facing us.

Read some interesting articles on the matter on pages 6, 52, 54, 56, and 62.

Read the tribute to tabla legend Zakir Hussain and how his music creates magic on pg. 8.

Take a jaunt through the city of Hyderabad on pg. 14.

As the South Asian festival season winds down, we hope you were able to spend some of it with family and friends. A big hearty thanks from all of us at Saathee for making us a small party of your life.

Our Community News section is the complete guide to local and regional organizations and their activities.

Look for the info on activities starting on pg. 84.

Keep up with all upcoming holidays and festivals with our list on pg. 108.

We continually strive to improve Saathee magazine and always welcome suggestions and comments.

Your Saathees, Samir, Divakar, Raj and Himanshu

In this issue:

November 2008

Quote: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson

November 2008 – Issue # 127 Editor:Samir Shukla (saatheemag@hotmail.com) Publisher: Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com) Community News Editor: Rajesh Ganatra Ad Design / Layout: Nate “Naseeruddin” Andrews Consultant: Himanshu Desai Contributors for this issue: Pradip Bulsara, Kirit Shukla, Rajesh Ganatra, Usha Gandhi, Chandan Sen, Mark Moxon, Aparna Maddali, Dr. Maha Gingrich, Narendra Dixit, Sujata Mirchandani, Gail Z. Martin, Anjana Agarwal, Judith L. Bergman, Summer Bailey, Raveena Kashyap, Aditi Majumdar, Seena George, Radhakrishnamurthy Bhandaru, Ananya Mallavarapu, Jalendu Vaidya, and Dr. Meena Chelury.

All contents © 2008 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.

Saathee Magazine

P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220 Phone: (704) 527-7570 Fax: (704) 527-7590 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com

www.saathee.com Cover: “Shri Hari Mandir” at Shri Sandipani Vidya Niketan in Porbandar November 2008

Porbandar is a coastal city in the Indian state of Gujarat, best known as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama (friend of Lord Krishna).

Sri Hari Mandir, Porbandar

What can MFIs teach Wall Street? . . . . . . . .pg. 06 Where there is music there is magic . . . . . . .pg. 08 Devonair hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 12 Hyderabad entices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 14 Saathee Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18 Sangeet, Music of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22 Evergreen Film Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 24 Music Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 26 Bollywood Snippets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 30 Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 34 How to stop drafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36 Dentist Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 38 Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40 The Chai Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44 Astride three continents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46 Healthwise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 48 Stock Tickers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 52 Marketing turnaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54 Personal Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 58 Burning calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 60 The credit crunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62 Flavor Feast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 64 Cricket Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 68 Children’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 70 Swarna Kankanam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72 Community Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 76 Tending to a Bruised Knee . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 80 Community News & Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 84 Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 106 Who Want’s to be a Scholar . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 108 Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 108 AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 114 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 116 Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

In this issue:

Photo: Rajesh Ganatra

The Credit Crunch

Hyderabad Entices

Lara Dutta

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) saathee.com

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What Can MFIs Teach Wall Street?

By Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar Big financial institutions of all sorts are in dire straits across the globe. But one category remains unaffected - micro-finance. Even as the global financial system freezes and giants like Lehman Brothers collapse, micro-finance institutions (MFIs) are expanding unfazed. Famous financiers face defaults big enough to wipe them out, but MFIs report virtually zero default.

This is extraordinary. Big financiers lend against collateral, a back-up if their borrower defaults. But MFIs lend with no collateral at all. Big financiers lend to the most creditworthy corporations. MFIs lend to poor women whom nobody in history considered creditworthy before. Yet, the secured loans to big corporations are bombing, while unsecured loans to poor women are being repaid in full.

How so? What lessons does micro-finance have for Wall Street? I distilled some answers from feedback from promoters of three MFIs that I myself have a stake in: Shubhankar Sengupta of Arohan, Kolkata; Rakesh Dubey of Sonata Finance, Allahabad; and Manab Chakraborty of Mimo Finance, Dehra Dun. The big lesson for Wall Street is that lending against collateral, supposedly prudent, can blind you to the need for checking the repayment capacity of borrowers. US banks happily gave mortgages of 100 percent of the value of houses during the housing bubble, and suffered when house prices fell. So did august institutions buying mortgage derivatives. Some, like Lehman Brothers, borrowed massively to invest in AAA mortgage-backed securities, and went bust when value of these securities plummeted. A trillion-dollar house of cards was built on collateral. When the collateral value fell, the house of cards collapsed.

Lesson: don’t just depend on collateral, assess the cash flow of borrowers, and leave a cushion to ensure repayment. The housing bubble induced banks to give NINJA (no verification of income, job or assets) loans, secured just by house value. As house prices rose, their value exceeded the repayment capacity of borrowers. The rest is history.

Microfinance, by contrast, has no collateral at all.

November 2008

MFIs deliberately keep loans small, well within repayment capacity. Some MFIs give first loans of just Rs 5,000 a year. Those who repay qualify for a higher second loan, maybe Rs 7,000, and the third loan can be still higher. But MFIs set an absolute loan limit, ranging from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000, depending on local economic opportunities, to guard against overborrowing. Wall Street needs similar safeguards.

US housing brokers get commissions from banks based on the size and interest rate of loans. This gives them incentives to fiddle documents and data to lend excessive sums at excessive rates of interest, increasing default risk. But MFIs have a fixed interest rate, and fixed ceilings on the first, second and subsequent loans. MFI field agents are trained to ensure that loans do not exceed repayment capacity. Mimo Finance, for instance, gauges the cash flow of borrowers by taking a quick look at the quality of their houses. Wall Street needs similar safeguards.

MFIs lend to groups of poor women. If any borrower defaults, the whole group is barred from credit, so other members put social pressure on the defaulter to repay. This is remarkably effective.

By contrast, defaulting homeowners in the US are treated as victims, offered subsidies and write-offs by politicians. Brokers may have duped some home-borrowers, but many others over-borrowed on the assumption of ever-rising house prices. Many bought houses to re-sell at a profit. Some can afford to repay but have decided not to, since default attracts no social opprobrium.

High inflation in India has not caused MFI defaults.

MFIs report that worker-borrowers have demanded and got a 20 percent increase in wage rates, while small-businesses borrowers running tea shops have raised their prices from Rs 2 per cup to Rs 3. By contrast, home borrowers (or even giant corporations) in the US are unable to increase their incomes in line with borrowing costs. So, the MFI model is small but sound. But don’t lavish excessive praise on it. Western banks lend far too much. But Indian lenders - including MFIs - lend far too little. Rural studies suggest that poor rural households need Rs 25,000 of credit per year. MFIs provide far less. The balance is made up by borrowing from relatives and moneylenders. The system cries out for more formal credit.

The aim must be to enable capable but capitalstarved entrepreneurs to move beyond ownership of buffaloes and teashops. At an MFI meeting in rural Dehra Dun, I saw an enterprising village woman pleading for a loan of Rs 50,000, saying (rightly) that this was the minimum needed for a decent shop. But the MFI regretted that this was beyond its lending limit.

So, don’t get too excited by the fact that we’ve avoided the excessive lending of Wall Street. Bemoan the fact that our stunted financial system fails to reach hundreds of millions. Microfinance has its merits, but is not enough. The big challenge is to move from micro-loans to mini-loans of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.

These alone can transform poor borrowers from objects of pity to objects of envy.

Source: Times of India saathee.com

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Where There is Music There is Magic Tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ram Krishna and My Father

By Usha Gandhi “It was like watching a miracle of childbirth,” a friend of mine reported, “jaw dropping, awesome performance. How do they do it?” She was talking about Zakir Hussain’s concert she had attended recently. Having attended many concerts of Zakir Hussain myself in the last 22 years, I knew that she was not exaggerating.

What a great musician can make his instrument do is nothing short of miraculous. The effect on the soul of the listener is magical—like what one feels beholding a vista of Grand Canyon—magnificent beyond description, unforgettable, a place one yearns to revisit repeatedly.

Zakir Hussain is not only a giant in the world of Indian classical music but is also a legend in jazz and world music circles around the globe. He is the son of the legendary late Alla Rakha, who was hailed as an “Einstein of rhythm” by his disciple Mickey Hart, renowned musicologist and member of the Grateful Dead. Writing about Zakir Hussain is a daunting task.

His greatness was recognized in his birth country and abroad long before he came to the United States in 1970. Now he continues to perform internationally and presents no fewer than 150 concerts a year.

While on a recent concert tour, Hussain’s group suffered a tragic loss. During a live concert in New York, Ram Krishna, one of the musicians, passed away. Just few days before, I had enjoyed his music in Houston.

It had a spiritual depth that had kept my fire burning long after the concert ended. On that day before concert had begun, I had been sharing with a friend my thoughts on the shortness of life. Then, verifying my remark, that indeed it is short, came the passing of Ram Krishna. I was deeply saddened, and knew that all of the other artists in the group must have been in a state of shock, having lost a friend, guru and a vital contributor to their music. Somehow, in spite of difficulties arising from this sad event, they managed to carry on with the tour.

Life is hard. We live in a world full of violence where cycles of terror repeat like a day and night. Music has a power to take us on a realm of fancy, over the rainbow or in a world of ecstasy. When we do less through our conscious thought process that allows us to attend the moment at hand with joy and contentment. That is yoga to me. Good music enables us to enter in the deep state of meditation, taking us away from the difficulties and dualities of the mundane world for a while, and then we come back ready to face the challenges of life.

For reasons like this and many more, from the beginning of time, people are fascinated and mesmerized by arts, artists and worship them. I am one of them, an ardent worshiper. Kala servtra pujyte! Art gets worshiped everywhere!

November 2008

Six days after the death of Ram Krishna, the group performed in Columbus, Ohio. As always, they were received with enthusiasm and joyful anticipation. The hall was filled with capacity. The irresistibly engaging voice of Zakir Hussain welcomed the audience. “Please come, sit if you like. Then go home.” Stressing ‘go home’ as he demonstrated a yellow page finger walk in comical way, preparing them for delights to come.

The dancing drummers of Manipur electrified the audience. Each of the musicians in the group performed brilliantly. Among them, Taufiq Qureshi stood out, displaying his unique talent with the “cycle of life breath.” Using his palms to cheek, combined with breath, he emitted a cacophonous sound that amused and delighted the listeners. The sitar and sarangi mesmerized the crowd with a hypnotic spell, broken only when Zakir Hussain, the master of percussion, took them on a jungle safari. With the beat of Tabla you could hear the sounds of the hunt on the African veldt, lion bringing down a kill surrounded by yapping hyenas, a bull elephant trumpeting and then the sounds of gentler creatures, gazelles and zebras cavorting, and bunnies hopping. Through the magic of music, all in a beat of tabla, fiction and reality merge. ”Art is lie, but this lie is a difficult art.”

It was a spectacular fireworks of rhythm and melody.

Shall I say a kamala and dhammal of Taal and raga!

That night intensity of tempo, energy and magic of music was magnified ten fold. Understandably Ram Krishna, to whose memory this performance was dedicated, was there in spirit. His love and vitality animated Zakir Hussain and all other musicians in the group. They played with sorrow for their loss of him but joy in remembering how it felt to be energized by his presence. Now it was as through his energy was still animating them.

In John Updike’s novel The Witches of East wick the devil himself says, “l love music. It’s the only thing that makes me humble.” I share his passion and aspire to be an astute and adventurous listener open to the wonder of discovering new sounds brought by the genius of great composers and the talent of great performers.

By now, I was immersed in the sea of rhythm. My head was nodding, my hands were clapping and feet were moving to the beat of tabla. My body was dancing and my spirit was singing. “Rhythm of the body is the rhythm of the universe.”

Playing of “Raghupati Raghav” and “Vaishnva Jan To”, especially that night added “Char-Chand” (beauty) to every thing else that was going on. The rich orchestral sound had left windows shuddering and walls shaking. Climax had reached to its highest peak.

What homage! What could be more fitting and proper homage to the musician from the musicians, than continuation of music.

The moment I thought, “What homage!” something

Saathee 10

continued on page 82 saathee.com

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By Jug Suraiya Strolling through the convoluted lanes of Kathmandu a couple of weeks ago, I chanced upon the Kashtamandap - the ancient shrine, said to have been built from the timber of a single tree, after which the city is named - and thought of film legend Dev Anand who turned 85 in September, which makes him the youngest octogenarian of my acquaintance.

It was in the Kashtamandap that I first met Dev Sahib - as his myriad fans and admirers call him - in 1971 when he was shooting his Hare Rama, Hare Krishna on location in Kathmandu. A rookie reporter for the JS magazine - of which Dev Sahib was an extended family member, along with Mother Teresa, Edmund Hillary and an assorted host of other newsmakers - I’d been invited up to Kathmandu by the actor-director to cover the shoot.

You’ll like him, JS editor Desmond Doig said, packing me off to Kathmandu. I got there in the early evening and was told they were shooting a big scene with Zeenat Aman in the Kashtamandap. I’d never been to a film shoot before; a calculated chaos of blazing lights, clapperboards, boom mikes, whirring cameras on airborne cranes, and shouts of “cut!” How could anyone produce coherence out of this manic melee?

Someone who looked to be about my age, mid-20s, lunged out at me from the dazzle and hiss and smoke of the lights. Grabbing my hand he shook it with enough vigor to put it into next Wednesday. Welcome to Hare Rama, he beamed at me, radiating energy like a high-voltage power cable. Somehow I found the presence of mind not to say Dev Sahib, I presume? He seemed to be 25, maybe younger. But I knew he had to be considerably older, late 40s perhaps.

It didn’t need carbon dating to figure it out. Years ago, still in short pants, I’d seen him in Nau Do Gyarah (the numbers referring to lakhs, at a time when a lakh was a fortune, not a teenager’s pocket money as it is today). That made him 40-plus, the plus indicating the combined vitality levels of two 20-year-olds. Just watching him made me tired. Action!

The next day there was more action, of the unwanted kind. Then, as now, Nepal was more than a little sensitive to India’s perceived sins of omission and commission. Though prior permission had been got from the authorities, the local press accused the actor-director of being a latter-day Mohammad Ghazni, a desecrator of the sacred space of the November 2008

Kashtamandap. At a snap press conference, Dev Sahib soothed ruffled feathers with spontaneous charm. The next day’s headlines transformed him from heel to hero. The cameras rolled again, furiously. How do you do it? I asked him. He flashed me his signature klieg light smile. It’s show business; it’s what keeps me young, he said.

Back at Calcutta airport, the customs man was convinced I was smuggling something in from Nepal. He rummaged through my bag. But you have got nothing, he complained with disappointment. Then he came across the pictures of the shoot. Dev Anand! Zeenat!

The customs man, obviously a Bollywood fan, exclaimed.

No doubt I am keeping these, he declared. I explained I was a reporter and needed the pix for my article. He reluctantly handed them back. But you have to give me at least one, he insisted. So, ruefully, I gave him the one Dev Sahib had taken with his arm around my shoulder. Sign it, said the customs man.

What on earth for? I asked, adding, I’m a nobody.

True, agreed the customs man. But I can tell my friends the signature is the signature of the man in the photo with Dev Anand, he explained.

For that moment of reflected glory, thank you, Dev Sahib. And a belated Happy Birthday, with many more to come.

Source: Times of India

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Story and photos by Mark Moxon I took an instant shine to Hyderabad, during my visit in 1998, but I’m not sure why. My first impressions when I got off the train were insanely busy traffic, a hot climate and auto-rickshaw drivers who steadfastly refused to use their meters, but the place had something strangely enticing about it.

How many other places can you see a scraggly old man sitting on a dirty red rug, which he’s laid out on the pavement and covered with various yellowing sets of false teeth, a couple of mirrors on sticks and a selection of rusty and semi-sharp instruments that would put the ship’s surgeon at the Battle of Trafalgar to shame, all of which is tucked away behind a handscrawled sign reading “Teeth Dentist?” It made my root canal throb just to look at it.

Powering from the station in Secunderabad down to Hyderabad (the two are twin cities, with about 10km between the two centers) I got the thrill of my life leaning into the curves and sucking in my breath as we narrowly avoided yet another bus seemingly hell bent on flattening us into the bitumen. I found a hotel, dumped my stuff and found a place to eat, thrilled to be somewhere new.

The food was excellent: for the first time I felt I was eating food that came up to the standard of Indian restaurants in England. Hyderabad is the home of biryani, the succulent dish that combines rice with all sorts of interesting fruits and vegetables, and needless to say it does it magnificently.

I also came up trumps at the railway station, managing to book exactly the ticket I wanted for Chennai (the new name for Madras), and only having to queue for about ten minutes, a time that would be respectable in Europe. I posted some letters, rang home, and all of a sudden had a whole afternoon to kill, which I did by wandering aimlessly until I reached a hill, which naturally I climbed.

I found Hyderabad spread out below my feet. In the distance were mosques, forts, and a stadium from which speeches in a strange tongue floated over the afternoon breeze. A bunch of lads who had followed me up the hill wandered over and started up a conversation, proudly telling me that there was a rally for the BJP party there that very afternoon, as part of the campaign for the forthcoming elections. That explained the masses of young men marching the streets, flying the party flag and yelping like they were at a carnival: I’d noticed them when a busload of BJP November 2008

supporters had screeched past me on the main street and the boys crowded on the roof had spotted me, seemingly the only white tourist in Hyderabad, whereupon they waved and shouted until they’d disappeared into the melee. Hyderabad isn’t exactly a hot spot for western tourists: I only spotted one other white face in the entire week I was there.

Not only was there a great view from the top of the hill, but it also housed a planetarium and science museum, and interested to see what an Indian science museum might hold in store, I paid my 18 rupees for a combined museum and planetarium ticket and marched through the doors. It was more interesting for the people than the displays: most of the science area was given over to the sort of hands-on exhibit where you press a button, pull a lever, look through a hole and try to work out what on earth you’re supposed to be looking at, and not surprisingly the place was teeming with kids. Interestingly the adults were having just as much fun playing with the exhibits as the kids, but as soon as I walked in, things changed.

Apparently a western tourist is much more fun to play with than a bunch of scientific experiments – look, the funny white man shakes your hand if you hold it out to him, what a blast! – and I spent most of the time shooing away persistent urchins, who would delightedly push the buttons and pull the levers for me, and then have the cheek to ask me for ten rupees. The only place I got any peace was in the basement.

The basement was a bit of a surprise. Hardly anybody went down there, and despite this being a science museum, most of it had nothing to do with science at all. Apart from a number of interesting Hindu sculptures and paintings, the basement was given over to the private collection of some erstwhile benefactor, and the main bulk of the collection was made up of porcelain figures. There I was, in the depths of southeast India, wandering through rooms full of limited edition Royal Doulton and Wedgwood, thinking that we were both strangers in a strange Birla Mandir land. And for the first time in my life I actually enjoyed looking at porcelain figures: despite an awful lot of crud, there were some delightful pieces, including one particularly skilled set of dancing ladies from the 1930s, in which the body-hugging dresses looked so realistic and suggestive that I couldn’t quite believe that they were made from the same stuff as coffee mugs and toilets.

The basement might have been quirky, but the planetarium was even weirder. The content was fairly standard – ‘Look how these stars make up a bull... yes, kids, I know it looks nothing like a bull, but, look, saathee.com

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it is one, OK?’ that sort of thing – but the voiceover, pronounced in impeccable Indian English by a professor who sounded like Dan Maskell mixed with Mahatma Gandhi, made all the difference. I sat amazed as I learned about the ‘mye-thology’ behind the constellations, the huge galaxy in ‘An-drom-eeda’, the exploration of Mars by ‘Nay-sa’, and everybody’s favorite, old ‘Edgy Wells’ himself, who wrote a famous book about the invasion of earth by the ‘Marshee-yuns’. Add in the millions of schoolkids on a field trip, the poor girl two seats down from me who threw up halfway through the show and the little punk who kept kicking the back of my seat every ten seconds, and it was a planetarium as only India knows how.

And just to rub my face in it, I lost my sunglasses during the show: they slipped out of my pocket, and I didn’t notice in the darkness. I mention this because I lost six pairs of glasses in 1997, and this pair was my seventh. I’d even gone to the unfashionable trouble of wearing a band so they couldn’t fall off my neck, but stupid me shoved them in my pocket, forgetting that I’d lost every single other pair by doing the same. I might be able to cross continents, but I simply can’t hold onto a pair of sunglasses. It’s uncanny.

On Monday I visited the Salar Jung Museum, a huge, rambling building full of dull rooms of paintings, pottery, metalwork, jade, clothes and all the other exhibits that you usually find in local museums, but presented in a way that only Indian museums can manage. Everything looks as if it was set up in the days of the Raj and has been left exactly the same ever since, without a hint of upkeep: dust accumulates, colors fade, displays get slowly destroyed by meddling Indian tourists... it’s a sad sight, but tucked away in the bowels of this lumbering beast are some beautiful gems, such as the incredible collection of ivory carvings from all over India, and the room of ancient manuscripts in Arabic languages, detailing the holy scriptures of Islam.

The museum is also affected by the scourge of India’s tourist attractions: the Indian day tour. Mostly frequented by Indian tourists, a day tour is an incredibly cheap way of seeing huge numbers of attractions in a very short space of time, and as such I avoided them like the plague. In Hyderabad, for example, one tour takes you to the Buddha Purnima, the Qutab Shahi Tombs, Golconda Fort, Salar Jung Museum, Mecca Masjid, Charminar, the zoo, a handicrafts emporium, the planetarium and the Birla Mandir, all in one day. I took over three days to do the same, and I avoided the zoo and handicrafts emporium, thankfully.

This explains the human whirlwinds that plough through the museum at regular intervals. There I was, examining yet another collection of Royal Doulton and Wedgwood, when I was forcibly flattened against the glass case while a bus load of chattering Indian tourists flew past, scanning the exhibits without any noticeable slowing down. Next time I heard the approaching maelstrom I ducked into an alcove, escaping death in much the same way the bull runners do in Pamplona.

I then walked south to Charminar Gate, which is shown on every packet of Charminar cigarettes, one of India’s favorite brands of filterless smokes: the catch November 2008

phrase on packets of Charminar cigarettes is “Nothing else really satisfies,” which is true if your definition of satisfaction is coughing up a greeny every morning when you kick start your lungs. The gate itself is impressive: blocking the traffic pretty effectively, it looms over the surrounding bazaar and gives the winding backstreets a flavor of Persia, with its Islamic minarets and characteristic arches. Just up the road is the Mecca Masjid, one of the largest mosques in the world, said to cater for 10,000 worshippers. It is, however, far from the most impressive, Masjid Mecca and after wandering around and being stung for some baksheesh by a con man who pointed out to me a particular stone that was supposed to be from Mecca itself – who knows if he was telling the truth – I scurried back to my hotel for a hot shower.

Baksheesh is a uniquely Indian concept. A strange combination of bribe and tip, baksheesh isn’t viewed as a luxury only rich people can afford, it’s simply the way to get thing done. If you’re waiting at the bus stand, and every bus that goes past is hopelessly crowded, slip the conductor some baksheesh and you’ll end up with a prime seat. If the train is full, some judicious baksheesh will get you a seat and, if it’s humanly possible, a berth. If you’re staying in a hotel for a few days, surreptitious use of baksheesh can ensure you always get served promptly and courteously: without, you may end up not being served at all. If you get arrested, baksheesh often works instead of an official fine. Baksheesh is an integral part of life, and although it strikes westerners as strange to have to bribe your way through life, here it’s the social norm, and you’d better get used to it. The problem is that there are plenty of people who demand baksheesh for doing nothing: the skill lies in intelligent and inoffensive discrimination.

The next day I completed the collection of tourist curios on offer, wandering up to the Birla Mandir, catching a boat out to the Buddha Purnima, and lazing in the public gardens after an exhausting visit to the murky Archaeological Museum. The highlight was the Birla Mandir, also known as Sri Venkateshwara Temple; perched above the city, this modern white marble Hindu temple is simply beautiful, catching the sunlight and lighting up the hilltop with its intricate carvings and golden tower. I felt more comfortable than usual wandering barefoot round the sacred pathways: a sign at the bottom made it perfectly clear that this temple was open to everyone “regardless of race, creed or caste,” a nice change after the normal practice of banning non-Hindus from the inner sanctum. I even felt easy taking snapshots, as the day tour masses swamped the monument with their instamatics and herd-like push-and-shove. Often, as a stranger in a continued on page 112 saathee.com

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Upcoming Movie Releases (Bollywood films slated to be released in the next 4-6 weeks) Dostana (Dir: Tarun Mansukhani) Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra, Bobby Deol, and Shilpa Shetty Khallballi - Fun Unlimited (Director: Ajay Chandok) Cast: Nikhil Dwivedi, Chunky Pandey, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon, Manoj Joshi, Mukesh Tiwari, Zakir Hussain, and Asrani Emi (Director: Saurabh Kadra) Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Malaika Arora, Aashish Chaudhary, Neha Uberoi, Urmila Matondkar, and Manoj Joshi Dasvidaniya (Director: Shashant Shah) Cast: Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Saurabh Shukla, Gaurav Gera, Suchitra Pillai, and Sarita Joshi Fashion (Dir: Madhur Bhandarkar) Cast: Mugdha Godse, Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut, Arbaaz Khan, Harsh Chhaya, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Karan Johar Raat Gayi Baat Gayi (Director: Saurabh Shukla) Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia, Iravati Harshe, Navneet Nishan, and Dilip Tahil Horn Ok Pleassss (Director: Rakesh Sarang) Cast: Nana Patekar, Rimi Sen, Muzammil Ibrahim, Ali Asgar, Satish Shah, Nirmiti Sawant, Mukesh Tiwari, and Vrajesh Hirjee Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Director: Aditya Chopra) Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak, and Kajol Chal Chala Chal (Director: Rajiv Kumar) Cast: Govinda, Murli Sharma, Reema Sen, Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri, Asrani, and Manoj Joshi saathee.com

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Upcoming Movie Releases Continued (Bollywood films slated to be released in the next 4-6 weeks) Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi (Director: Kaushik Ghatak) Cast: Sonu Sood., Isha Koppikar, Alok Nath, Smita Jaykar, Srivallabh Vyas, Anang Desai, Vishal Malhotra, Chhavi Mittal & Amrita Prakash Oh, My God!!

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By Kirit Shukla A Tribute to Bollywood Music Directors Roshan: (1917-1967) The grandfather of Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan and father of music director Rajesh Roshan and film actor/director Rakesh Roshan, the notable music composer Roshan Lal Nagrath, known as Roshan, was born on July 14, 1917 in Punjab. His wife Ira was also a musician who composed Bhajans of Rama and Krishna. His entire family consisted of working and famous artists.

Roshan learned classical music at an early age while living in Lucknow. He composed music for radio in 1940’s. He went to Mumbai to work in films and Bollywood in 1948. When he composed music for the film Bawre Nain in 1950, he became known as a versatile music director in Hindi films. He composed music for almost two decades, during the 1950’s and 60’s, which was the golden period for him. Songs based on classical ragas like “Laagaa Chunari mein daaga” (Raga-Bhairavi), “Airi mein to Prema Diwaani” (Raga-Bhimpalasi), “Mana re tu kahe na dheera dhare” and “Zindagi bhara nahin bhulegi yeh” (RagaKalyan) have become legendary. The famous Qawwalis “Yeh ishq ishq Hai” and “Nigaaahen milaano ki jee chhaahataa hai” composed by Roshan have also become evergreen. His unique style of music was the melody that he never compromised. His music was different from others because he was able to blend folk music with timeless Indian classical music with ease. He died of a heart attack on Nov. 16, 1967 in Mumbai. We will remember him for his heart-touching music.

My selected films with Roshan’s evergreen music: Neki Aur Badi, Bawre Nain, Ham Log, Malhaar, Naubahaar, Chaandni Chowk, Aji Bas Shukriya, Heera Moti, Barsat Ki Raat, Maine Jeena Seekh Liya, Aarti, Surat Aur Seerat, Dil Hi To Hai, Taj Mahal, Chitralekha, Dooj Ka Chaand, Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal, Daadi Maa, Devar, Mamta, Bahu Beghum, Noor Jahan, Anokhi Raat, Aansoo etc.

Filmfare Awards won for best music director: 1964 — Taj Mahal The classic song “Jo vaadaa kiyaa vo” from his Filmfare award winning Hindi film is given in this issue of Saathee in Evergreen Classic Film Lyrics on page 24.

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Classic FILM LYRICS

By Kirit Shukla Song: Jo vaadaa kiyaa vo Film: Taj Mahal Music: Roshan (Best Music director award) Singer: Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar Lyric: Sahir Ludhiyaanavi (Best Lyricist award) Year: 1963 Based on Indian Classical Raga: Pahadi Taal/Rhythm: Kaharavaa Starring: Pradip Kumar, Beena Roy, Helen

nahin koi, mulake adama se, aaja jaraa jaane vafaa, dekhe zamaanaa tumako aanaa padegaa, Jo vaada kiyaa vo ..

Hama aata rahen hai, hama aata rahenge, mohabbat ki rasamen nibhaate rahenge, Jaane vafaa tum do sadaa fira kyaa thikaanaa hamako aanaa padegaa, Jo vaadaa ..

Bahuta jee lagaayaa, zamaane se hamane, bahuta vakhta kaataa, bahaane se hamane, jaba se huaa, tumase judaa ye dila na maanaa hamako aanaa padegaa, Jo vaadaa kiyaa vo, nibhaanaa padegaa; Ye maanaa hamen jaan se jaanaa padegaa; Hamaari kahaani, tumhaaraa fasaanaa, Hameshaa hameshaa kahegaa zamaanaa, kaisi fanaa, kaisi fizaa, kaisaa bahaanaa, hamako aanaa padegaa..

Jo vaadaa kiyaa vo, nibhaanaa padegaa.

Meaning (Summary): You must fulfill the promise, even though the entire world and the era wants to stop you. I believe you and I will have to come whenever you call me. I loved you so, I can die for you, because I have made an agreement of love with you. We will remain for each other for ever. When I was separate from you, I tried to concentrate and console myself many times, but my heart did not believed those excuses; so, I have to come to you.

The world will always remember our love story that we did fulfill our promises.

See this song on Nazar Television in November.

Visit saathee.com for Nazar Television local listings.

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Music Reviews

By Samir Shukla Global Drum Project Featuring Mickey Hart & Zakir Hussain Shout Factory (CD) The Global Drum Project features master percussionists Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo. The opening track “Baba,” arguably the most intriguing on the whole album, is a tribute to and features the late African percussion legend Babatunde Olatunji. Hart and Hussain have worked together on many projects throughout the last couple of decades including the Diga Rhythm Band and Planet Drum. This recording combines the world music ethos of the musicians along with elements of trance, dance and meditation flowing through the compositions.

“Under One Groove” has sitar lines and serenade intertwined with a dance groove. “Heartspace” is a tabla-laden and sarangi-touched meditative and spirituality piece that’s among the best pieces on the album. “Funky Zena” is a meditative, almost new age piece that nevertheless brings percussion into the mix with sparse, spacey vibes. “Tars” is a like a drum march with a rhythmic trance groove. Other musicians include Taufiq Qureshi (percussion and vocals), Niladri Kumar (sitar), and Dilshad Khan (sarangi).

Living Colour The Bowery Collection (CD) (CBGB Records) Living Colour exploded onto the rock scene in 1988 with a blistering debut album that landed several hits on the radio and MTV. After several albums and high-profile tours they split in 1995. Well, the reunited Living Colour hit the stages again in 2001 and on this disc the band recorded a live benefit for the legendary but now defunct NYC club CBGBs on August 19, 2005. The sound quality is up to par as the concert was recorded straight from the soundboard. The quartet’s ferocious mix of rock, punk, funk and tropical reggae is in fine form during this live outing. Anchored by Corey Glover on vocals and Vernon Reid on guitar, the band performs songs spanning their career including “Glamour Boys” “Terrorism” and “Sacred Ground.”

“Open Letter to a Landlord” is as fresh and relevant as it was first recorded. The gents also blast through “Type,” “Funny Vibe,” “Times Up,” and of course their signature mega hit “Cult of Personality.”

November 2008

Steve Wynn Crossing Dragon Bridge (CD) (Rock Ridge Music) Written and recorded in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Crossing Dragon Bridge has a different mood and aura than other Steve Wynn solo efforts. The Los Angeles native channeled the lush guitars of the 60’s and 70’s that he loved into his band the Dream Syndicate in the 80’s.

Since that paisley underground fave’s demise, Wynn has released a stack of solo records and performed with his side project Gutterball. Crossing Dragon Bridge is another notch in Wynn’s top-rung songwriting capabilities, where layered music and words evoke a combo of a storyteller and poet. The best songs on this disc are when Wynn is crafting a tale with just his acoustic guitar accompanied by sparse instrumentation, like the dreamy “Punching Holes in the Sky.” “Manhattan Faultline” and “Bring the Magic” are also floating acoustic numbers. There are plenty of rockers on this collection, but much of the album has an acoustic air about it. Wynn’s guitar and piano work is solid, at times sounding as if the songs were left over by some long-defunct band back in the late 60’s, but Wynn’s knack for songcraft brings a contemporary vitality to them, making them sound more timeless than dated.

Shawn Mullins Live at the Variety Playhouse (DVD) (Vanguard Records) Before strumming into the song “For America,” Mullins tells the audience it “is not meant to be a protest song.” Although when he sings of the soldiers serving in Iraq, “When they all come back home, what will they find?” it may feel like a protest song, but the message is more somber and filled with introspection. Live at the Variety Playhouse is a fine document of singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins in his favorite element, performing live. Mullins performs two sets, one solo and the other with a full band before a sold out, hometown crowd at the historic venue in Atlanta.

Mullins is a troubadour, relaying his stories of American life and love as only one can through travels and performing. Mullins taps into his large catalog of recordings and performs “Lullaby,” “Beautiful Wreck,” Shimmer,” and “All in My Head,” along with audience favorites “Twin Rocks, OR” and “Gulf of Mexico.” He also does a chilling rendition of the standard “House of the Rising Sun.” Mullins’ back-up band include veteran musicians Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow, Stevie Knicks, Dixie Chicks), Clay Cook (John Mayer), Gerry Hansen (Randall Bramlett, The BoDeans), and acclaimed soul singer Francine Reed. The bonus material features interviews, a photo gallery and music video.

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November 2008

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Lara’s International Look

Contributed by Guatam Buragohain and Urvashi Ashar

Imran Kidnaps Abhishek Now that’s what all the trade figures and guys are saying everywhere. Two of the most awaited films clashed last week at the box office and going by the reports, Imran Khan’s Kidnap has not only beaten Abhishek’s starrer Dorna at the domestic market, but also has beaten the lifetime gross of director Sanjay Gadhvi’s smashhit Dhoom in UK. Aamir Khan’s nephew Imran seems to have won the race both in the domestic and international market as well. But we are sure Abishek will strike back sooner than later.

It’s sure going to be interesting to see sensuous star Lara Dutta on screen in her upcoming film Blue. After all Lara was given the Hollywood touch by the same make-up artist who was behind Keira Knightley’s look in Pirates of the Caribbean. Lara says, “The film required a make up artist who could handle make up for underwater sequences as well as special effects for the action sequences and give the character a glamorous beach babe look that was also very natural looking. Nikoletta Skarlatos, who has worked on Transformers as well as Pirates of the Caribbean came highly recommended by the International action team. She and Clarabelle Saldhana have put the whole look together for makeup and hair. They have done an amazing job and I am extremely thrilled with the results,” she says. Now do we see other actress raising their eyebrows?

Salman: Pagdi System If the glittering diamond on Akshay Kumar’s designer pagdi in Singh is Kinng had you applauding, Salman, too, wished to don the pagdi albeit in an authentic manner. In the film Heroes, Salman plays a Sardar, and for his character, he wouldn’t allow anyone but an authentic Sikh to help him wear his turban. The gyaniji or wise man of the Gurudwara and village was on the sets everyday to help Sallu bhai with his Punjabi get up. Interestingly, there are three different styles of pagdis, and Salman tried them all out. “There are pagdis for different occasions, when Salman was in the fields, he wore the pagdi in a particular way, which was different from the way he would wear it in a Gurudwara or then at home. When he proposed to his girl in the film, he wore it in a different manner yet again,” says Saroj, a unit member. Let’s balle balle to Sallu’s efforts of being so true to his character.

No Bikini for Udita As the trend goes many actresses are shooting underwater sequences in a bikini these days and flaunting their sexy bods. Well, Udita revealed her petite body in her debut film Paap, this was a long time ago. And the hottie did an underwater sequence for Jagmohan Mudra’s next only recently.

But not in a bikini. Instead she was fully clad. Now that sure will be a disappointment for all her male fans, but the girl who is doing some serious cinema these days is not to be provoked.

November 2008

Kangana No Break Please It is no mean task to impress Madhur Bhandarkar, but Kangana not only impressed him but also managed to shock him recently. It so happened that Madhur was busy editing Fashion and asked his assistant editor to fill in him for one hour with while Kangana was going to dub. It is a natural phenomenon that an artiste takes 3 / 4 days to complete the dubbing, as it is a very tedious and emotionally draining experience, but by the time Madhur had reached the dubbing studio not only was Kangana had finished a substantial part but also was going great. Madhur asked her if she would want to take a break. But she finished at one go and that too without taking any breaks. Explains Madhur, “Since she was dubbing at a stretch and going through the script in linear manner, she was actually going through emotions in a similar manner. Her role is a very emotional tale and I would have thought she would have taken time to do the dubbing. But Kangana has just stunned me,” says Madhur. Now coming from the national award-wining filmmaker, its sure is a huge compliment. saathee.com

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Vidya’s Driving Phobia

Darsheel Works During Diwali Filmmaker Priyadarshan who is back from Toronto where his film was screened at the festival is happy with the response he got there. He was in Mumbai finishing off Billu Barbar, and is now back in Kerala. When we got in touch with him, he said he’s all set to go on floors with his kids film starring Darsheel Safary, Atul Kulkarni and Rituparna Sengupta. “We’ll be shooting in Ooty,” he informs us.

Touted to be a remake of Children of Heaven, let’s hope the hillstation experience proves to be a paradisiacal one for the gang.

Vishal Bharadwaj is very strict about his characters in his films. The talented director-producer sees to it that the actor actually learns the skills in reality and not fake it on his films. If Vishal made Saif Ali Khan learn the UP dialect including the expletives in Omkara the director has made Vidya Balan take driving lessons for Ishqiya. We hear that Balan was a complete phobic when it came to driving. She has acute road phobia. She was petrified at the thought of driving. The very thought of driving a car would send shivers down her spine. But not anymore! And she has only one person to thank that. He’s none other than Vishal Bharadwaj. Driving a car was something that is completely alien to her.

But Vishal saw to it that she mastered the art and now is pretty comfortable maneuvering her car on Mumbai’s roads as well. We wonder what’s next for Balan. How about learning some real gaalis?

Akshay celebrates Eid in Italy Actor Akshay Kumar was in a generous mood. The actor who is shooting in Italy for Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakht Ishq became sentimental and dildaar on Eid, and decided to treat the cast and crew to a sumptuous meal. Co-actor Amrita Arora informed us, “We’re in a little village in Italy. Yesterday we had a little Eid party thanks to Akshay who took us all to a little restaurant here. It was beautiful. It was built like a little house and we feasted!” Well, with the fitness conscious Kareena Kapoor and Amrita for company, we wonder what the Italian feast was all about, but we’re sure their celebration lacked no punch and pizzazz.

Ash Dresses Up for Hubby She had us stunned as she walked in at the Drona premiere dressed in an aqua blue gown. And this outfit, apparently, wasn’t just what she pulled out of her wardrobe and wore.

There was much thought that went into Ash’s dress selection for the night’s event. Apparently, the aqua blue of her dress matched well with a certain magical blue feather in the film that was Abhi’s guiding light. “It’s a very big moment,” she told us that evening, “And I wanted to be dressed in the spirit of Drona… Marine blue is the color of petals in the film.”

We’re sure Abhishek was touched by wifey’s gesture. Let’s hope the blue blew the blues away, after the not-so-encouraging reviews.

Minissha Crazy About Craig Much is being said about Minissha and her bikini clad scenes in Kidnap. While there’s been much progress on the Indian bikini front and the two-piece is en vogue, when will our perfect-10 bodied actors have the guts to be seen in their birthday suits ala Jean Claude Van Damme, or even Daniel Craig in Flashbacks of a Fool? If our actresses have dared to bare and progressed to the two-piece, will our perfect-10 bodied actors be seen in their birthday suits next? “I’m in love with Craig. I think him to be the quintessential man. About our hot actors, they’ll be able to do a Craig only when censorship in India is re-defined, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon!” says Minissha, who’ll caught the Craig film Flashbacks of a Fool recently. Well, popcorn and a visual treat of a sexy male may just make for the quintessential evening.

November 2008

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Dances of India

By Dr. Maha Gingrich Yakshagana Dance-Drama Yakshagana or Bayalata is from the State of Karnataka, in South India. Yakshagana was primarily a form of ballad and the players were called “Yakshas.” A Ballad is a music literature, a song or a poem, especially in a traditional style, telling a story in a number of short regular stanzas. This was presented originally in only the music form and it was around the 16th century that musical plays were written by famous composers. The themes enacted were from the Bhagavatham, and the emphasis was on the childhood days of Lord Krishna and his brother Balarama.

Like in Kuchipudi dance-dramas, the Sutradhara (story teller) introduces the dancers as young Krishna and his brother Balarama. Then the singers and the dancers took over the show. Later on as years passed other stories of epics from Ramayana and Mahabharatha were included in these dance-dramas.

Linked deeply with religious fervor, the Sutradhara (story teller) continues to amuse the audience by keeping up a running commentary throughout the play. The dramas usually have scenes of flights and the stories have an originality of their own.

Interwoven through the main text are philosophical extracts from the epics.

If you have seen the dance on Nazar TV, it is hard to miss the grand and colorful costumes used by these dancers. It almost looks like Kathakali dance style from the state of Kerala in South India. The costumes and make-up indicate the characteristics of each individual, hero or the villain. For example: the kings wear crowns, and the other characters wear turbans of a particular style, differing in size and color with each actor. Evil characters make up their faces in bizarre designs and are easily recognized by the shape and size of their headdress, the color of their clothes and the shape of their ornaments.

Just like in other South Indian classical dance styles, they also start their dances with a prayer to Lord Ganesh (The Elephant Head God), the remover of obstacles. They also end their dance with a traditional Mangalam, concluding the dances.

This style is musically of extreme interest as many ragas or tunes that they use are rare in Carnatic music. The rhythmic beats accompanying each character as he enters the stage, known as Voddolage are recited musically. Men, much like the Kuchipudi dance style in the past, perform this dance. The most fascinating part of this dance style to me is the ability of dancers to make quick consecutive circles in mid-air November 2008

while dancing. These dances come under unique and exotic dances of India, as they are not so common or practiced by all dancers in India. If you ever visit this part of India, I strongly suggest you to attend one of the live performances. It will be an unforgettable experience.

For questions or comments contact Dr. Maha Gingrich via e-mail at: msgingrich@juno.com

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How to Stop Drafts and Save On Energy Bills (ARA) - Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding pull-down attic stair, a whole house fan, a fireplace or clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

Drafts from these often overlooked holes waste energy and cost you big in the form of higher energy bills.

Drafts are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Drafts occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits that caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize energy loss and drafts.

But what can you do about drafts from the four largest “holes” in your home — the folding attic stair, the whole house fan, the fireplace and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

Attic Stairs When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood.

Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors.

In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood.

Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the attic door. Try this yourself: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door — do you see any light coming through? If you do, heated and air-conditioned air is leaking out of these large gaps in your home 24-hours a day. This is like leaving a window or skylight open all year ‘round.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an insulated attic stair cover. An attic stair cover seals the stairs, stopping drafts and energy loss. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.

Whole House Fans and Air Conditioning Vents Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only the drafty ceiling shutter between you and the outdoors.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan shutter seal. Made from white textured flexible insulation, the shutter seal is installed over the ceiling shutter, secured with Velcro, and trimmed to fit.

The shutter seal can also be used to seal and insulate air conditioning vents, and is easily removed when desired.

winter heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers.

Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing. One research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating-energy consumption by 30 percent.

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the drafts and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

Why does a home with a fireplace have higher energy bills? Your chimney is an opening that leads directly outdoors — just like an open window. Even if the damper is shut, it is not air-tight. Glass doors don’t stop the drafts either. The fireplace is like a giant straw sucking your expensive heated or air-conditioned air right out of your house!

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a Fireplace Plug to your fireplace. Available from companies such as Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, the Fireplace Plug is an inflatable pillow that seals the fireplace damper, eliminating drafts, odors, and noise. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.

Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the coldest room in the house. Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors.

In the winter, cold drafts in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house.

Dryer vents use a sheet-metal flapper to try to reduce these drafts. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the drafts.

Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This will reduce unwanted drafts, and also keeps out pests, bees and rodents. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Fireplaces Sixty-five percent, or over 100 million homes, in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home, especially during the November 2008

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Anniversary

November 2008

See you in the next issue. Till then keep smiling.

Dr. Meena Chelury can be reached at meenac@yahoo.com or www.AmberlyFamilyDentistry.com

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This is truly a special issue for me! I cannot believe this blog is a year old! When I thought of writing this blog, I wasn’t really sure of how this will shape up. I was encouraged by the fact that blogging is about sharing views and there is really no structure to it.

Given this informal set up, I started this as a way to share some of my dental stories that may be useful to our community.

Initially, when I thought of writing, I was wondering how I would find time to write regularly while balancing my life as a mother of two and a full-time dental practice. You may notice that I don’t have any fancy title or catch names for my blog. It is simply called the Dentist Blog. However it is not called a Dental Blog. Though it is quite a subtle difference, it has a lot more meaning to it. Had I kept it as a Dental Blog, I would have written as a Dentist, about Dentistry, which I am sure will be educational, but not very interesting for a general audience. In this blog, I want to share about the human aspect of Dentistry. It is about the narratives that I hear daily from people of all ages, diverse backgrounds, languages and economic strata. It is about the human side of a dentist that I wanted to share.

Let me share some of the narrations behind the content in the past issues. In my first blog, I wrote about my discussion with a friend at a soccer field. It was about my friend’s kids and some simple, innocuous dental questions. However, that afternoon turned out to be little hectic with a dental emergency that happened in the field. I used the conversation and the incident of that afternoon to cover my 1st issue – writing about dental hygiene for babies, toddlers and older kids. Of course, given the emergency, I also wrote about what you should do in an emergency, say, your tooth gets knocked out or there is a severe trauma to your jaws.

My 2nd blog was around the New Year’s. I have noted that we make resolutions about lot of things including health; however, I haven’t seen much about dental health. Hence, I wrote about “32 reasons to have a happy smile.” Well, to keep the resolutions simple and doable, I kept it to a few.

In my 3rd blog I wrote about the bantering in a New Years Party where we were chatting about the beautiful Bollywood heroines. Well, the discussion turned out to simple cosmetic stuff that we can do today. I covered some of the cosmetic and whitening options that are available today.

In my next issue, I covered Oral Cancer. I shared a story about my friend’s dad from India, who was diagnosed with suspicious spots in his mouth. The incidence of Oral Cancer is as high as other cancers like

TE

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By Dr. Meena Chelury

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A Dentist’s Blog

Leukemia; however there is not much awareness about it. In fact, India has the largest incidence of Oral cancer in the world. I used this issue to educate about Oral Cancer, things to watch out for and getting yourself screened for Oral cancer.

In the Valentine Day’s issue, I wrote about a candy mishap; someone I knew broke a hard candy and had a broken tooth. I used this issue to educate you on “crowns” and options with crowns.

Though, many of my issues have been motivated by incidents, I have also shared interesting things I saw.

In one issue, I wrote a commentary about a research paper called “What is the value of your Teeth?” There was a very interesting paper published by National Bureau of Economic Research about the value of your teeth. It provided some interesting perspective on teeth influencing the perception about your personality and established a case for preventive dentistry.

Then I wrote about my experiences of summer vacation and how to get ready for them from a dental standpoint.

In one of the issues, I devoted the entire blog on women’s dental health. Women have special oral health needs as they go through hormonal fluctuations that surprisingly have a strong impact on their oral hygiene. A Dentist has to carefully consider the implications of hormonal changes for girls of all ages – Be it a young girl going through puberty, an adult of child bearing age using contraception, or an elderly lady going through menopause.

Well, it has been fun writing about a variety of issues. I am glad that it helped some of the Saathee readers based on the emails that I received from you.

Unlike an online blog, where you can write your feedback, this “print” blog has none. However, that does not deter you from posting your feedback. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions or comments.

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Serving NC & SC

Call: Jayanti or Jyoti Patel 828.292.3167 828.754.0270 saathee.com

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By Pradip Bulsara A series of poses for keeping the body and mind young

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Sarvangasana (Entire body Pose) Savangasana the entire body pose also referred to as shoulder stand, stimulates the thyroid gland, balancing the circulatory, digestive, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.

Lie on the back, contract the abdominal muscles and with the support of the arms slowly raise the legs to the vertical position. When the legs are vertical press the arms and hands down on the floor raising the trunk to a vertical position. Bend the elbows and place the hands behind the ribcage to support the back. In final position the legs are vertical together and in a straight line with the trunk. The body is supported by the shoulders, nape of the neck and back of the head. The arms providing stability, chest resting against the chin and legs relaxed.

Hold the position for few seconds; gradually increase the time to 3 to 5 minutes.

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Halasana (Plough Pose) Halasana also know as plough pose massages all the internal organs activate digestion, revitalizes spleen and pancreas improves liver and kidney functions.

Strengthens the abdominal muscles and also regulates the thyroid and thymus gland. Halasana is best performed after sarvangasana.

From sarvangasana gently lower both legs over the head to touch the toes to the floor behind the head. Lock the fingers with fingers pointing towards the spine and gently straighten your arms. Hold the pose for few seconds and gradually increase the time to 3 to 5 minutes.

Matsyasana (Fish pose) Matsayasana also known, as fish pose is excellent for floating in water. This asana stretches the intestine and organs abdominal, encourages deep respiration. It regulates the function of thyroid and thymus gland. This asana is a good counter pose for sarvangasana and halasana.

From halasana unlock the fingers and using arms and hands as support gently lower the trunk and legs. Tuck your palms underneath the hips supporting body weight on your elbows arch the back and place the crown of the head on the floor. Hold the pose for few seconds breathing deeply and slowly. To come out of the pose raise the head up supporting the body on your elbows and then gently lower the trunk and head into Savasana.

Pradip Bulsara teaches a yoga class at the Hindu Center in Charlotte on Sunday mornings.

November 2008

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The Chai Table Saathee Readers Forum

Splintering global lives

By Aparna Maddali While the world believes in globalization and unification, human lives are splintered between the different worlds. Exposure to too many contrasting worlds of different cultures and lifestyles and not getting emotionally attached to any one particular world demands a tremendous effort to maintain a sense of stability.

While the Internet connects people through networking and social websites, I have observed this global living leading to a chasm deep in the heart, splitting the personalities between different worlds. Not just the personalities but families, too.

For a person migrating from the orient to the occident, conflict begins right from the fundamentals of right and left. While right hand is the primary focus in the oriental tradition, American world vouchsafes its identity through left. Every thing is on the left, from the car steering wheel to the flush tank knob. It demands radical transformation of an individual from the innate sentimental, emotional value to the rational and contemplative. Caught between the contradictions, the lives of the migrants are splintered.

Confused between the exuberant freedom of thought and the enormous possibilities of the West and the constraining options and restricted thought processes of the home, the lives of the global migrants dwindle between the two worlds.

While living in the solitude of the West, people tend to miss home, parents, relatives and the community living that they have been brought up in. Lack of a family support system, lack of emotional support, and lack of community living leave a gap in the heart despite all other comforts. Though they make friends, they mean nothing to replace family relations. Slowly people get used to the change in the weather, living conditions and the lifestyle that builds up the individualism. Community living is replaced by sporting activity, weekly outings and net surfing, which are essentially individualistic. Now the soul searching begins and in the process the self is identified. That self which was totally neglected and its interests camouflaged back at home in the day-to-day fight for existence. It is realized that the time spent in community living and social relations if diverted to some productive use would fetch excellent results in personal development.

Exactly at this point of self-realization people are moved back to their original cocoons, where the life struggle begins yet again. Every move in life revolves around negotiation. Negotiation for personal space, personal time and personal thought. Negotiation for personal movement so much so that we need to negotiate even for the air we breathe and water we drink.

Suffocated, the soul starts missing that solitude experienced while away from home. Those summer mornNovember 2008

ings that enriched the life with healthy cool breezes and those weekend trips that recharged for the hectic week ahead. Though tedious with entirely selfdependent daily chores, that life away from home is yearned for its exuberance and self-centered vitality.

This confusion is still more intense when thought about the next generation. What do we pass on to the children? The freedom of thought but very individualistic lifestyle that makes them alien to their own culture and kith and kin or the emotionally rich, community living yet full of constraints and so called values that inhibit personal and professional growth.

I wonder where does the problems lie? Is it the inefficiency of the individuals in being content or the contrasts in different worlds that confuse and captivate one and all? I see that the global lives are ripped apart physically, emotionally and socially while moving between contrasting worlds. They are forced to make a very painful decision to choose one world. It is very painful indeed because the human tendency is to have best of both the worlds. Negotiation begins there with personal emotions.

Relationship 101: What women want from men

By Sujata Mirchandani Ravi had a rough day at work and was eagerly waiting to go home to his wife, Shewta, who would tell him, “What a good husband you are and I am grateful you are such a good provider, taking care of me and our children......” When he reached home his wife started screaming and howling at him. Ravi was disgusted and wondered, “What does a woman want?”

As some Bollywood movies portray, the way to change a self-centered, aggressive and disrespecting wife is to slap her. Is physical abuse or inhuman treatment towards women the answer? Women are the caregivers and if you want her to give, men better do some caring. Let us look at some of the parameters that facilitate a happy, harmonious and healthy relationship.

In this complex world that is filled with obstacles, quarrels and increasing domestic problems, the things that can strengthen a bond is intelligence, kindness, and sensitivity. The intellectual capacity helps an individual learn new and creative problem solving skills, kindness and sensitivity in relating to others helps maintain a stable family and raise healthy offspring.

Ravi should understand that Shewta is reacting out of boredom and frustration. Today’s women are intelligent and educated. The never ending, thankless household chores don‘t satisfy them. Instead of getting repulsed by her complaints and nagging behavior, he needs to have compassion for her, listen to her troubles, and understand what she is going through.

Remember, that for many women complaining about their problems is a form of venting and they want someone to listen to them instead of giving advice.

Good communication skills are essential as they facilitate more stimulating daily interactions, and fewer misunderstandings. Shewta should articulate her grievances periodically, so Ravi understands, and has the opportunity to respond intelligently and continued on page 110 saathee.com

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Harnessing the Power of American English

By Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC Here is a new challenge for regular readers of this column: First cover up this article and then write down as many different expressions you can think of which feature the noun “way.”

Longman’s Dictionary itemizes at least 15 varieties of written and spoken usage and four more that are typically just spoken. (1) The way as road or path must be used with specific articles or prepositions: “Can you show me the way to the Town Hall?” “I’ll mail the letter on my way to work” “I can’t get out of the driveway because John’s car is in the way. (2) Referring to way as a particular direction we might say “Which way is East?” or “Turn this way, please.” (3) “Way” also means a method or manner.

“Is there any way to tell where this produce was grown?” ”I like the way he explained that.” “That drug affects people in different ways.” (4) If something is partly true, we can say, “In some ways, working alone is easier.” (5) “Way” expresses distance and time. “We’re a long way from home.” “We have a way to go before the project is finished.” (6) To have or get your way means to ignore someone else’s wishes, as “They always let their child get his own way.” (7) If someone is blocking your path a polite person says, “Excuse me” but a rude person might say, “Get out of my way.” (8) “Don’t let your social life get in the way of (interfere with) your studies.” (9) “Medicine has come a long way (developed a lot).” (10) “Construction is scheduled to get under way (start happening) soon.” (11) “The check is on its way (will be arriving soon).” (12) “She’s on the way up (advancing) in her career.” (13) “Their fear gave way to (was replaced by) anger.” (14) “You can’t have it both ways.” (15) “Several homes were torn down to make way for the shopping mall.”

Informal (colloquial) spoken usage: (1) “Oh, by the way (incidentally), I saw Tom yesterday.” (2) “No way (under no circumstance) will I allow my children to …”

(You can finish this one yourself!) (3) “Stand up straight…that’s the way.” (4) “Good job. Way to go!”1 The meaning does lie in the “music.” Here is another word pair that illustrates the importance of using the correct intonation or stress pattern. The noun “progress” with the first syllable stressed and the word pronounced “PRAHgress” means a state of improvement. “He is making progress in math.” The verb, “progress” with the second syllable stressed and pronounced “pruhGRESS” means to develop, improve or become more complete. “The negotiations are progressing.” Remember to pronounce the stressed syllable louder, longer and with a higher pitch which then falls if it is the final syllable in the word. 2

November 2008

Use context clues, dictionaries and special resources to learn idioms.4 Our economy and finances are big topics of conversation. Can you match these “money themed” idioms with the meanings below: ___a penny for your thoughts ___ made of money ___pinch pennies ___pay the price ___a dime a dozen ___strike it rich ___penny ante ___top dollar ___look like a million dollars ___money doesn’t grow on trees a. very common and plentiful b. a great deal of money, expensive c. you can’t buy everything you want d. small e. very rich f. win a lot of money g. spend as little as possible h. you will suffer if you do something you shouldn’t i. someone wants to ask you what is on your mind. j. look beautiful Suggested strategies to increase your word power this month: 1. Look and listen for various ways way is used in magazine articles and conversation.

2. Use flaunt and flout correctly in conversation and, when appropriate, in your written communication.

3. Listen to conversations and check the newspapers for examples of all ten idioms on the theme of “money.” Newspaper headlines feature many idiomatic phrases.

References and Notes:.

1 Longman Dictionary of American English, Pearson Education Limited, 2004, pp. 1025-1026.

2 IBID, Longman, pp. 719, 720.

3 Every Day Vocabulary by Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D., 1998: Doubleday Direct, Inc., Chapter 7: NOW I LIE ME DOWN TO SLEEP: Commonly Confused Words, p. 97.

4 The Idioms Workbook, 2nd Edition by Myra Shulman Auslin, Pro-Ed www.proedinc.com 2003, p.370.

Answers: 1. flaunt meaning to parade oneself ostentatiously.

2. flout means to be scornful of and show contempt for.

3. Idioms: i, e, g, h, a, f, d, b, j, c.

Mastering Meaning

Memorize the difference between commonly confused words.3 Here are two more examples of the most commonly confused words in American English: Fill in the blanks with flaunt or flout: 1. It’s not polite to _________ one’s wealth.

2. The government should not _____ the will of the people.

(Answers are below)

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 saathee.com

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ASTRIDE

3

CONTINENTS

their discoveries would ensure their belonging to the hall of fame, yet the miracle was that their contributions were multiple…all in a single year separated by centuries. Perhaps we should note, in ending, that Einstein’s famous equation, E= MC2, was discovered in 1905.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

By Chandan Sen Einstein’s Miraculous Year, 1905 In 1905 Albert Einstein wrote five papers that changed the face of modern physics and deepened our understanding of the universe. Parallels have been drawn between 1905 and 1666, when Isaac Newton had his Anna Miribilis, a Latin phrase which means “miraculous year” or the “year of wonders.”

Let us first look at Newton’s discoveries in 1666. The poet John Dryden is credited with first using the term anna mirabilis in the title of a poem ascribed to him.

Although the Great Fire of London, in which sixteen people were killed, occurred in 1666, the year was a good one for the 24-year-old Newton. Cambridge University, where he was a Professor, was closed due to a plague outbreak, and he was in his country home.

It is there that he observed an apple, so the story goes, falling from a tree, and made revolutionary inventions and discoveries in calculus, motion, optics and gravitation.

In 1905 the twenty-six year old Einstein made equally revolutionary discoveries concerning the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, and the special theory of relativity.

Newton’s discoveries in the realm of calculus, such as finding the slope of a curve, followed his discovery of the binomial theorem. However, other great minds, such as Leibniz, also contributed.

In optics, Newton used a prism in a darkened room to refract a narrow beam of sunlight into its component colors, and then used a lens to recombine them into white light. He was the first to state that white light was composed of many different colored lights such as red, blue, green and yellow.

Finally, Newton’s understanding of the force of gravity involved calculating the attractive force between planets. Here again, he was building on the work of others, such as Kepler…but that does not detract from the revolutionary nature of his discoveries.

Einstein’s discovery in the field of optics was essentially the idea that light, far from being just a wave, also exhibited the properties of particles—-called photons. He applied his theory, successfully, to the photoelectric effect.

As far as Brownian motion is concerned Einstein’s contribution, briefly speaking, was that he concentrated on the mean square displacement, rather than the instantaneous velocity of the particle, as had been done before, and therefore made predictions which proved to be true.

Finally, Einstein’s contribution to special relativity was to reconcile Maxwell’s theory with Newton’s by postulating that space-time observations depended on the observer—-or rather, the motion of the observer.

Both in the case of Newton and Einstein, any one of November 2008

If you walk around inside the circular Harrelson building of NCSU, where the math department is housed, you will come across a permanent display or notice board featuring the photographs of renowned mathematicians who, down the ages, have made significant contributions in the field of mathematics.

Only one Indian mathematician is featured there, a man about whom an Indo-British group is making a documentary this year. That person, Srinivasa Ramanujan, has been compared to Euler and Jacobi.

He made significant contributions in the areas of mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions.

Ramanujan was born and raised in Erode, Tamil Nadu, and showed early mathematical ability. He shone in school, and later in college, but only in the field of mathematics, not in any other subject. At thirteen, he was helping two college students, who were boarders in Ramanujan’s house, with their homework.

He kept notebooks in which he wrote down results, formulae and proofs. Over 3900 results have been ascribed to him, though some—-a very few—-were later found to be incorrect.

After college, while supporting himself as a clerk and continuing his own private studies in math, Ramanujan sent some of his results to a few British mathematicians. Only G. H. Hardy recognized his genius and invited him to come to England to work there in the field of mathematics. Ramanujan hesitated, because of some religious constraints, but eventually went to England where he worked at Cambridge University and published his results in The Journal of the London Mathematical Society.

He was awarded the B.A. degree, now renamed PhD, for his work on highly composite numbers. The paper was 50 pages long with different properties of such numbers proven. Hardy remarked that this was one of the most unusual papers seen in mathematical research, and that Ramanujan showed extraordinary ingenuity in handling it.

Hardy and Ramanujan contributed over five years of the former’s stay at Cambridge. Their personalities and working styles were very different. After Ramanujan fell sick, Hardy once visited him in hospital. He had come in a taxi with the number 1729 on the number plate. He remarked to Ramanujan what an uninteresting number that was. Ramanujan continued on page 110 Chandan Sen Contact: chandansen33@hotmail.com

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Healthwise

By Anjana Agarwal Eye on prediabetics November is Diabetes Care Month. Nearly 24 million are afflicted with diabetes, up more than three millions in approximately two years. That adds up to more than $170 billion in yearly healthcare costs.

There are close to 57 million people in the U.S. with prediabetes, who are dangerously close to developing the disease. And that’s not the only danger.

It can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease that means heart attacks, strokes, as well as circulatory problems.

Pre-diabetic gray zone: includes patients with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125. Fasting blood sugar below 100 is considered normal; over 125 is considered diabetic. It may be really hard to get a person to focus on something that hasn’t happened to them yet.

The bottom line: Prediabetics is an immediate risk and a shadow hanging over your future health, so get aggressive about dealing with it now. Don’t wait until it gets worst.

Focus on lifestyle: “Lifestyle is the way to go” in dealing with prediabetics. Diet and exercise really do work, reducing the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes by 60 percent.

Committee member Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FACE, medical director of the Metabolic Institute of America, said this about the committee’s recommendations: • Maintain healthy weight- even 5-10 percent weight loss will have many fold decrease in prediabetes.

• Get 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days per week.

• Eat low-fat diet with adequate dietary fiber.

• To lower blood pressure, cut back on sodium, and don’t drink too much alcohol.

• Take Aspirin, unless you have a medical reason not to (ask your doctor first).

• Get your blood pressure less than 130/80, and cholesterol < 200 (LDL < 100, HDL > 45 for male and > 55 for female). These are the levels recommended for diabetes patients.

• Talk to your doctor, if lifestyle isn’t enough to reduce your risk then diabetes and heart disease medications may help. But you’ll still need to persist with the healthy lifestyle.

• Don’t get hung up on numbers: “the blood sugar benchmarks for diagnostics diabetes are somewhat arbitrary,” says Alan Garber, MD, PhD, FACE, the committee’s chairman and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. If your blood sugar numbers are outside of the normal range, that’s enough to take action.

November 2008

Tip of the month: Many people don’t know that if they can recognize the symptoms of a stroke. You can save not only your life, but may be the life of someone else. By being able to recognize symptoms and understand that they signal an emergency, you are able to seek medical attention quickly. Treatment exists to minimize the effects of stroke; however it must be given within three hours of the first symptom, it is for people to recognize stroke symptoms by learning to Act F.A.S.T. F=FACE Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A=ARM Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S=SPEECH Ask person to repeat a simple sentence.

Are words slurred?

T=TIME If you observe any of these signs, then it’s time to call 9-1-1.

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The Stock Tickers

closed for several days for the Eid holidays and judging by the activity taking place around the globe, the Government put in a protective floor of 9,144 on the KSE-100, which would be removed on 10/27/2008.

Investors were turned off towards the market as-is, and they further shied away. The KSE had some of its lowest volume days in history and the KSE-100 remained in a three-six point trading range, hovering between 9178-9184. There is a “Pakistan Strategic

By Rajesh Ganatra Enterprise Fund” of nearly Rs 20 billion being prepared to help the market, however, traders are expecting the fund to be used at “15 percent below current levels” therefore, it would only come into play if the KSE-100 Here are some important quotes as of 10/24/2008 sank to approximately 7800.

The Pakistani Rupee also continued to weaken draMumbai (Bombay) Sensex: 8,742.50 matically - the currency started CY2008 at US Karachi, Pakistan KSE-100 Index: 9,193.89 Dow Jones Industrial Average (USA): 8,327.84 $1=62.04. As the financial crisis worsened, the Rupee NASDAQ Composite (USA): 1,525.69 continued to sink, and in mid-October 2008, the S & P 500 Index (USA): 876.77 exchange rate reached US $1=PKR 83.60, which represents a depreciation of 35% for the year.

Currency Exchange Rates: Indian Rs. 49.23 = $1.00, As of 10/16/2008, Pakistan’s foreign exchange Pakistani Rs. 81.35 = $1.00 reserves were US $7.74 billion and the forex reserves are dwindling quickly. The inflation rate is nearly 30 Gold Price: $662 / ounce (Mumbai) percent and there are fears that if the financial crisis Silver Price: $9.62 / ounce (Mumbai) continues to persist and even deepen further, Pakistan (Note —- Mumbai prices quoted in U.S. dollars were calculated using the above exchange rate and the metric factor might go into bankruptcy. of 28.6 grams equals 1 ounce. Generally speaking, there are The Dow reached a record high close of 14,164.53 slight variances in prices of precious metals between India on October 9, 2007 and at that time a four-digit Dow & U.S.A. due to market conditions / exchange rates). was virtually incomprehensible. However, in the world of investing often times what you never think would happen does indeed happen. The recurring themes The sub-prime loan crisis that started in the USA during CY2008 have been the softening housing marrapidly spread to other areas of the USA economy and ket, the sub-prime loan crisis which infected major soon thereafter became the “shock heard around the banks and investment houses, high energy prices world.” Markets have been touched by the financial which sapped the entire economy, and concerns about crisis, India included. The Mumbai Sensex started off the future performance of the economy - which has 2008 with several days of trading in the 21,000s - and lost jobs every single month during CY2008. The conif you had told an investor that the Sensex would sumer is the engine of the economy and if they were break below 10,000 later in the year, you probably to rein in their spending, then what happens? There is would have heard hoots of laughter in midst of “no already evidence of this in the retail sales numbers way, no way.” But the bears have indeed had the last and this holiday season is expected to be a lousy one laugh and after months of slumping alongside the rest for retailers. of the global markets, the Sensex broke below 10,000 During the end of September 2008 - the on 10/17/2008 to close at 9,975.

Government was working to put together a $700 bilWith banks around the globe suffering due to the lion bail-out package for the nation’s financial institufinancial crisis, Indian banks have not been spared tions and on September 29, 2008, the package was any suffering. There were rumors flying all over about defeated in Congress and that resulted in a 777.68 ICICI Bank which vehemently defended itself on sevpoint loss for the Dow - the largest point decline ever. eral occasions and insisted that it was well capitalized.

Although a revised package was passed later in the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly indicated week, the market still remained on a nervous footing. that depositors’ monies are safe and the Government The concerns about the economy, faltering banks, and RBI have been closely monitoring the situation sliding home prices, foreclosures and effects of ‘all of and would do the needful to prevent the calamity from the above’ on the consumer continued to hamper the getting worse. The Government has already taken actions to inject liquidity into the banking system and markets. Energy prices experienced a sharp decline has allowed additional Foreign Institutional Investor Crude Oil reached the mid $70s per barrel and the (FII) participation in Corporate Bond issues. Singh price declines gradually made it to the pumps, howevindicated that inflation should continue to decline due er, this was a mere sideshow to the chaos in the main to the recent dip in energy prices and he also stated economy. The Federal Reserve and other Central that India’s economic growth for FY2008-2009 may Banks around the world conducted a coordinated contract to 7.5 percent, however, the economy would interest cut on 10/8/2008 but the market could not return to around nine percent growth pattern by the manage to close positive on that day. The week of 10/6/2008-10/10/2008 was one of the worst ever for following fiscal year.

The Pakistani economy is in dire straits and trading the Dow - the Index fell from 10,325 to 8,451, which in the stock markets virtually froze up during October 2008. Earlier that month, the markets had been continued on page 112 November 2008

Saathee 54

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Marketing Turnaround

By Gail Z. Martin Why PR is More Important Now Than Ever Before I refuse to participate in a recession! And you can, too, if you understand that aggressive publicity and low-cost marketing are the best ways to stay in front of the consumers who are still buying.

One of the good things about having over 25 years of experience is the knowledge that even when the economy slows down, it doesn’t grind to a complete halt.

Many, many companies are going to continue to do business during slow times. Some of these are well-capitalized large companies. Others are agile, thrifty small firms and solo practitioners. And still others are tightlyheld family firms. The point is, if they’re doing business, you can sell to them but they have to be aware that you’re available.

With that in mind, here are some reasons why publicity and public relations (PR) is more important now than ever before.

• Good PR lets you show your expertise, which helps you build and extend credibility. Building your reputation as an expert is always a factor in growing your business. It’s become essential now that PR is as much about reaching the ultimate consumer as about feeding the media. The publicity you generate can establish you as the Subject Matter Expert and thoughtleader in your region and industry. You do this by adding value and showing leadership with good ideas. Be the grown-up by keeping a cool head as everyone else panics—and share your advice on how others can thrive and survive.

The best ways to accomplish this PR goal is through articles, blog posts, forum comments, op-ed articles, and business-related letters to the editor, newsletters, and live or online presentations.

• Provide user and prospect education. Don’t assume that the current economic downturn means that no one is buying. Businesses that expect to stay open still need support services and raw materials or supplies.

They’ll just be looking for a better deal. That doesn’t mean they won’t pay your price, but they will want to know the value and they will need to be convinced of its benefits.

Here’s your chance to demonstrate your product or service and focus on the benefits. It’s the perfect time to help current clients see the value in adding more of your services for a small incremental cost (upselling) and to show your bottom-line impact to your prospects. You can also take advantage of the uneven severity of the economic downturn by using the Internet to market your product to the world. Some regions and countries are hit worse than others, and there’s no reason you have to limit yourself to selling in your own back yard.

November 2008

The best way to seize this opportunity is through live seminars, articles, white papers, case studies, teleseminars/webinars, videos, podcasts and online press releases.

• Extend the value of your product by showing how to use it better. When money gets tight, your clients may be tempted to cut costs. While businesses shed non-essential products and services during a downturn, they would be foolish to sacrifice mission-critical suppliers. This is your chance to keep your existing clients by helping them understand why your product/service is mission-critical to their success.

Help them see how to get more out of what they’ve already invested in by explaining advanced or “off label” uses of your product. Show them creative extensions for little or no money that help them do more with the product/service they already have. Not only does this reassure your current users that they’re getting more for their investment, but it might tempt prospects to invest now. Here’s where you can take a cue from the food industry. Food manufacturers have known for a long time that giving away recipes sells product by showing customers new ways to use that ingredient.

This is a great time to use press releases to get visibility that is free and more credible and detailed than paid advertising. You can also extend the value of your product/service through live and online demonstrations, seminars, user-driven wikis, web videos, and articles sent to online distribution sites.

PR is a low-cost, high-visibility way to reach the world.

It requires more creativity that cash, and it lays the foundation for future sales, even if prospect can’t buy immediately. Well developed PR deepens existing relationships with clients, vendors when you seek common ground to help everyone weather the storm. The truth is, we’re stronger together than alone.

So start use PR to upsell those who ARE buying by showing extended/extra product uses as you lay the seeds for future sales during the recovery that is sure to follow.

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications.

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Personal Finance

By Narendra Dixit

Obstacles on the Road to Retirement You can see the light at the end of the work tunnel: its called retirement, and it’s coming into view. You’re feeling pretty good about it too, because you’ve done what you were supposed to do: socked money into a 401(k), IRA, and/or mutual fund, paid off the house, eliminated your debt. You’re in good shape.

But this is no time to become complacent, especially since there are four key risks that loom, threatening to derail your plans if not faced head-on. Some may be outside your control, but that doesn’t matter.

What matters is being able to address and overcome them to keep your retirement on track.

Risk #1: Inflation Every year, a pesky little thing called inflation erodes the buying power of a dollar. A few cents here, a few cents there… after a while, it adds up. Thirty years ago, a gallon of milk cost about half as much as it does today. That means that if you buy a gallon of milk tomorrow, your same dollar will only stretch halfway to the dairy.

For working people, these changes go virtually unnoticed since salaries generally keep pace with inflation. But, when your income becomes fixed – as is often the case in retirement - the changes hit a little harder. Add to it the real possibility of a 30-year (or longer) retirement, and suddenly inflation becomes a formidable risk to your purchasing power. You may begin your retirement in good shape financially, but if your income is not indexed to keep up with inflation, you may find yourself much worse off a few decades down the road.

So, how much is inflation? The Consumer Price Index acts as the bellwether for our economy’s inflation. Essentially, it compares the price changes of various products and services and calculates the difference in the dollar’s buying power year to year. Over the last decade, the average increase has floated between 2 – 4 percent.1 But, to put it into perspective, consider this: today, you will have to spend $24.57 to purchase the same thing you could buy for $10 in 1980.2 To preserve your standard of living, your retirement budget needs to adjust accordingly year after year.

Risk #2: Market Performance Sometimes, it’s the luck of the draw – you may plan to retire at age 60, and then find that once you reach that age, some circumstance outside your control is woefully impacting market performance. Believe it or not, something as cyclical as a bear market could significantly erode your retirement savings.

Therefore, the year you retire will impact how much November 2008

you have to draw upon going forward. Though you cannot predict if the market is about to take a downturn and if so, for how long, you can periodically evaluate market performance and adjust your budget accordingly to adapt to the market’s volatility and help your dollars stretch farther into the future.

Besides conscientious portfolio evaluation, another way market risk can be mitigated is through annuities.

These products are designed to preserve your capital while creating a guaranteed income stream for a duration of your choosing – be that several years, several decades, or for as long as you live. When it comes to annuities, there are many options, including how they are funded and how much risk they carry. A financial professional can explain the variations and help you decide if these types of products might complement your overall plan.

Risk #3: Longevity When it comes to living a long life, most of us think the longer, the better! But when it comes to preparing to finance a retirement of 30 or 40 years, longevity becomes an important planning factor. No one wants to outlive their money or become a burden on their family. Therefore, making sure you save enough to last as long as you do is critical.

In April of 2006, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported that the average life expectancy for Americans had reached an all-time high: 77.9 years.3 Women are living an average of 80.4 years while men are living 75.2 years.4 Mind you, that is just the average. By definition, an average means that, statistically, half fall below and half fall above those numbers. Thus, there’s a fairly good chance one member of a couple will live past “life expectancy.” Will you be prepared if it’s you?

Projecting retirement income in a variety of scenarios is a wise approach. It is beneficial to know just what you can afford to withdraw given various circumstances. That way, you are prepared to maneuver or make alterations to your plan as need be.

Risk #4: Getting Your Due Depending on your circumstance, you may expect to receive income from an employer-sponsored retirement plan or pension as well as Social Security and your personal savings. You may even be lucky enough to get retirement health coverage through your former employer. All of these components play into your overall retirement strategy. But, if one or more of these factors are reduced or disappear entirely, do you have a contingency plan?

If Your Pension is Discontinued It’s a frightening predicament in which too many Americans have wound up. Though you should, by all means take advantage of all these benefits if available to you, you should also make sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, just in case. Remember, diversification decreases risk.

If the worst should happen and your company claims bankruptcy or defaults on pension payments, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is an organization that picks up the tab for programs insured through them. Recipients may receive a saathee.com

Pinky Patel Bhojwani Agent Cell: (704) 661-7465 Bus: (704) 371-8509 pvbhojwani@ft.newyorklife.com

November 2008

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reduced amount, but at least they receive something.

To find out if your pension is insured through PBGC, go online to www.pbgc.gov or call (800) 400-7242.

If Your Health Insurance is Discontinued Fewer and fewer companies are offering health insurance to their retirees. Thankfully, Americans qualify for Medicare once they turn 65. If you find there will be a gap between when your employersponsored insurance ends and your Medicare begins, you can investigate COBRA options through your company’s plan, or you might consider buying a highdeductible (also called “catastrophic”) plan to get you through.

Though Medicare does well as the country’s largest insurance program, it does not cover everything associated with medical care. There are some out of pocket costs, especially for vision, dental, and podiatric care. Further, Medicare does not cover long-term care unless directly associated with a hospital stay; even then it only covers the first 3 months of care. To learn more about what is and is not covered through Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov.

Long-Term Care As we age, the likelihood of needing some form of assistance increases. Unfortunately, the cost of longterm care is extremely high and could quickly erode retirement savings if you or your spouse should need prolonged help performing the activities of daily living.

There are two ways individuals can protect themselves: long-term care insurance and living care riders.

Long-term care insurance policies are stand-alone insurance contracts that will, in accordance with policy specifications, pay for qualified long-term care costs if such care is ever needed. These policies can be expensive, and if the owner never needs care, the premium payments will have been spent for naught.

A living care rider works a bit differently. Unlike stand-alone policies that require years’ worth of premiums, some insurers now offer a living care rider which can attach to qualified permanent life insurance contracts for a fee. This rider can accelerate the permanent policy’s death benefit, if necessary, to pay for the costs associated with long-term care. If, on the other hand, long term care is never required, the permanent policy remains as is, and no additional premiums have been wasted.

For specific information about long-term care costs and the types of insurance products available, contact your financial professional.

Social Security Though there has been much discussion about Social Security and its future, analysts seem to think cuts to the program will impact generations to come more so than today’s pre-retirees. If benefit reductions are ever required at all, they will be phased in over time. People who are already retired or planning to retire in the near term should not be affected. For more information on Social Security benefits, visit www.ssa.gov.

Retirement is a new chapter in which you can November 2008

explore options you never had the freedom or time for before. You’ve worked hard and kept your eye on the ball financially. Now, it’s time to stare down those four key risks and make sure you’re ready if they should ever present themselves. For a thorough assessment of your retirement plan, contact your financial professional today.

AXA Advisors does not provide tax or legal advice. The information provided is based on our general understanding of the subject matter discussed and is for informational purposes only. Consult your tax and/or legal advisors regarding your particular circumstances.

GE 39692(05/07) 1

2

3

4

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index Table; February 21, 2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics: Inflation Calculator; February 28, 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; April 19, 2006; www.cdc.gov/od/oc/Media/pressrel/r060419.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; April 19, 2006; www.cdc.gov/od/oc/Media/pressrel/r060419.htm.

Narendra Dixit offers securities through AXA Advisors, LLC (member NASD, SIPC) and offers annuity and insurance products through an insurance general agency affiliate, AXA Network, LLC and its subsidiaries. 704-540-1509

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How does our body burn calories?

By Radhakrishnamurthy Bhandaru, Ph.D. We all know that our body gets energy from food. Fat, carbohydrates, and proteins are the components in the food that provide energy. These components during digestion are broken down into their basic constituents and are oxidized or burnt as fuel to generate energy for the body.

Depending on the needs of the body some of these fuels are used as quick energy and the remaining are stored for later use. In nutrition, energy is expressed as calories. One gram of sugar and protein each provide about four calories and one gram of fat provides nine calories. Other components in the food, such as water, minerals, and vitamins, do not provide energy but are essential for the body function. Alcohol with seven calories per gram is not a component of food, but its contribution to total energy in many people cannot be overlooked.

Generally adults consume between 1800 and 3000 calories a day, depending on their metabolic and physical activities. Typical American diets consist of 50 - 55 percent carbohydrate calories, 30 - 35 percent fat calories, and 15 - 20 percent protein calories. Asian diets usually have more carbohydrate calories and less fat and/or protein calories than American diets. Also, we have certain amount of energy stored in the body tissues, especially liver, muscles and fat depots. This energy is available when the body needs it after burning all the available quick energy. We burn the food calories and the stored fat calories in three ways: 1. Basic Metabolic Rate: Our body expends energy, even at rest, for normal functions of vital organs such as heart, lungs, brain, liver, kidneys, and skin. The energy that the body expends at rest during a 24-hour period is called Basic Metabolic rate or BMR which is influenced by many factors such as age, gender, height, weight, physical fitness, and environmental temperature. For example, younger persons have higher BMR than older persons, men have greater BMR than women, and people who live in tropical and very cold climates have greater BMR than people who live in temperate climate. BMR generally accounts for about 60 percent of the total calories that our bodies burn every day. Accurate measurement of BMR is a complex process and is expensive. A stay in a highly specialized laboratory is also needed to get an accurate BMR measurement. Because of these problems, scientists developed many special equations to estimate BMR from height, weight and age, for routine clinical purposes, and one such equation developed by Drs. J. Harris and F. Benedict is: For men: (13.65 x w) + (5 x h) - (6.76 x a) + 66, and for women: (9.65 x w) + (1.85 x h) – (4.68 x h) + 655; w= weight in kg; h= height cm; a= age. These are the calories you need to consume for your body to function.

November 2008

2. Thermic Effect: Just putting food in the mouth does not provide energy. It has to be chewed, swallowed, digested, absorbed, processed, and metabolized in the body. To perform all these jobs the body has to expend some energy which is technically known as Thermic Effect of Food or simply Thermic Effect.

Generally this accounts for 10 percent to 15 percent of the total calories that we burn daily. All foods do not have same thermic effect. Proteins consume the most calories for digestion and have the highest Thermic Effect, about 30 percent of the total Thermic Effect, while fats consume the least calories for digestion and have the least Thermic Effect, about three percent.

Carbohydrates fall in between protein and fat values.

Some foods, such as high fiber foods, have negative Thermic Effect, that is, these foods consume more calories for digestion than they provide. They are good for dieters. Note that Thermic Effect is also included in the Harris – Benedict Equation.

3. Physical Activity: Our body expends energy for all of its routine and physical activities. Even for simple activities like sitting, standing, sleeping, and reading newspaper some calories are burnt. The amount of energy that we burn depends not only on the nature and level of activity but also on the body weight.

Heavier people burn more calories than lighter people.

People with sedentary habits burn fewer calories than people who regularly perform some kind of physical activity. It is generally considered that people with sedentary habits burn calories equivalent to about 35 - 45 percent of BMR calories for their normal routine activities. People who perform light work burn calories equivalent to about 46 - 55 percent, people who perform moderate work burn about 56 - 65 percent, and those with heavy work burn calories about 76 - 100 percent or more of BMR calories for their physical work or activity. Average calories burnt in one hour during some common physical activities by a 150pound man are given below: sitting or sleeping or reading – 70; standing – 145: walking 3mph – 320; walking up stairs for 10 minutes – 175; bicycling 6mph – 240; running 10mph – 1280; swimming 25yards/min – 275; tennis –400 (For 100pound man multiple these numbers by a factor of 0.7 and for 200-pound man multiple by 1.3) Regular physical activity is a key factor for good health. Overweight people who wish to shed extra weight should include at least a 30-minute regular physical exercise in their daily routine in addition to dieting.

The total calories that your body burns daily are the sum of BMR + calories you burn through physical activity. This is the total amount of calories that you need to consume daily to maintain your present body weight assuming the level of your physical activity remains unchanged. If you consume fewer than the needed calories you lose weight. But if you consume more calories than needed you gain weight, and if you continue this trend for a prolonged period you become obese. I am sure that most of the readers of Saathee are aware of the ill effects of obesity on health.

The author can be reached at: rbhandaru1@yahoo.com saathee.com

November 2008

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The Credit Crunch

By Summer Bailey For about a month now, there has been quite a bit of turmoil in the financial markets, with stock prices incredibly volatile and a number of financial institutions failing. Given that these events may be weighing on people’s minds, we thought it would be useful to give a simplified summary of what is behind these events, as well as a brief look at what is being done to improve the situation.

It is generally well known that subprime mortgages have something to do with the mess in the financial markets, but what caused home lending, which had previously been seen as a relatively low risk practice, to become the root of a major problem? The answer takes us back to the early 1990’s when government policies encouraged banks to relax their lending standards to a certain degree in order to encourage home ownership. The idea was that home ownership, an integral part of the “American Dream,” would make people feel more invested in their communities and allow them to build equity in their homes rather than pouring money down the drain in rent.

Banks and mortgage brokers complied with the new lending guidelines and in a relatively short amount of time, relaxed lending standards became widely regarded as a normal practice. The easier availability of home loans led to an increase in demand for homes, which subsequently led to an increase in home prices.

Rapidly rising home prices brought in numbers of speculators and “house flippers”—people who purchased homes with the aim of selling them later at a higher price. These speculators were certainly not the people that the governments’ suggestions for relaxing lending standards had aimed to help. However, many banks and mortgage brokers saw an opportunity for increased revenues and were happy to relax their lending standards even beyond the bounds of what was originally suggested by the government’s guidelines.

Part of what explains some banks’ and mortgage brokers’ reckless behavior in this matter is the fact that there was a widely held notion that house prices would always go up. The idea was that since home prices would always rise, even if a borrower was unable to meet his or her mortgage payments, he or she could easily sell the home to repay the bank the full amount owed, or in the event of foreclosure, the bank could sell the home itself, probably for a tidy profit. Since the house acts as collateral, reasoned lenders, mortgages surely could not be that risky, so there is not much reason to be careful in choosing whom to lend to.

Another factor influencing lenders’ behavior was that in many cases, mortgages were not being held by the original lending banks or mortgage brokers. Instead, they were being packaged together with a large number of other home loans and sold off to a wide variety November 2008

of financial institutions, such as domestic and foreign banks, hedge funds and mutual funds.

Since, in these cases, the bank or mortgage broker was passing the risk of these mortgages onto someone else, they did not have much incentive to lend in a responsible manner.

This irresponsible system worked for a while, but as with every bubble, supply eventually exceeded demand, and in the spring and summer of 2006, home prices started to deflate. Many speculators tried to sell out quickly, while others simply defaulted on their mortgages. Meanwhile, subprime borrowers, particularly those with adjustable rate mortgages, also began to increasingly default on their loans. An adjustable rate mortgage is constructed such that there is a period, usually of a few years, during which the mortgage rate is comparatively low; however, after that time, the rate resets at a much higher level. When these rates reset, subprime borrowers were often unable to meet their payments at the new higher levels, leading a number of these borrowers into default and foreclosure.

With mortgage default levels rising, a number of institutions that had invested in mortgage pools began to see a decrease in the value of their investments.

However, since the quality of these mortgage pools was never made very clear, the degree of this decline in value was not well understood. As a result, confidence in many institutions began to falter—the first victim of this was Bear Stearns, which failed in March of this year. Months later, as the economy began to hint at recession and mortgage defaults began to increase further, other institutions such as Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual began to fail. These failures triggered a wave of panic, as no one seemed to know which institution could be next to fail. This drove stock prices down drastically. Amidst this panic, banks became fearful of lending to each other, which pushed stock prices down even further and, more importantly, triggered the credit crunch or crisis we are now seeing.

It might be useful at this point to explain why the fact that banks becoming reluctant to lend to one another is so problematic. The short explanation is that banks finance their long term lending (for example a 15-year home loan or a five-year loan to a large corporation) not only with consumer deposits but also through short-term borrowings from other banks.

Additionally, many other large corporations also rely on short term lending from banks (called commercial paper) in order to help pay for their day-to-day expenses, such as their workers’ payrolls. However, given that banks no longer had a source of funding from each other, they were hesitant to lend to these other corporations. The fear that corporations across a wide variety of sectors would not be abele to fund themselves caused additional panic, driving down stocks even more. To visualize this, think of the banks and the credit markets as the heart of the financial system, pumping money when needed to the corporations that make up the rest of the economic body. If the financial heart remained unable to pump money to the rest of the economic body for too long, serious damage could result.

Saathee 64

continued on page 110 saathee.com

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6 tsp sugar/sugar substitute 2 tsp chocolate powder

Flavor Feast Mithai - The Indian sweets Contributed by Raveena Kashyap India is a land of a wide array of cultures. All through the year various festivals are celebrated and mithai is a big part of our lives. Whether it is a festival or a wedding or any kind of celebration. mithai is the one token always exchanged between friends and families. It is believed that all ill feeling is lost when one exchanges sweets.

It is amazing to see the varieties of sweets in different parts of this rich culture. While Bengalis are famous for the colorful sondesh and rosogollas, North indians have their various laddoos and kheers. I remember as a child growing up in Mumbai my favorite store was Sangeetas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a small sweet shop tucked away in the upscale neighborhood of Peddar Road and they had the best chocolate Barfi and Mango mithai. These days though people are more health conscious and watching their waistlines. But that definitely does not mean that the Indian mithai is losing its allure. Dessert shops all over India and abroad are busy inventing sugar-free varieties to serve the needs of their customers. Living in the USA over the years has made many of us try our culinary skills in our very own kitchens. Most of us have come up with our own assortment of mithai and I must say that some surely beat the store bought ones. Rest assured the Indian mithai is not a thing of the past but is here to stay.

Put khoya in a flat glass bowl. Add sugar to it and microwave it for about a minute. Then add the chocolate powder and mix well. Evenly spread it out in the bowl and let cool. Your chocolate barfi is ready to go.

Garnish with chocolate chips and slivered almonds.

Korean Seasoned Potatoes Ingredients: 2 med potatoes 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tsp sugar or sweetener of your choice 1 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp sesame seeds 1 to 2 teaspoon sesame oil 4 tablespoon minced scallions Method: Peel potatoes and dice, place them in cold water to prevent browning. Drain and place in saucepan with just enough water to barely cover potatoes. Bring to boil and cook just until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in bowl, combine soy sauce, sweetener, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil and scallion. Drain cooked potatoes well and add to soy sauce mixture, tossing well. Chill. These are meant to be served cold.

Serves 4.

Garnishes Various dry fruits are the standard garnish used in Indian Dessert and sweets. Slivered pistachios, cashews and almonds are used freely to add to the rich flavors. Another garnish is varakh, a flattened edible silver foil. It is used to lightly layer the mithai. It has lost some of its charm after it was widely publicized that though being a pure vegetarian item, animal gut and byproducts were used in the flattening process. Many religions like Jainism have halted use of the varakh due to their beliefs. Due to the uproar of animal activists, alternate methods have been invented to make varakh.

I would like to share one recipe that is a surefire success with children and my version of my favorite childhood mithai. It is fast and easy and perfect for the festive holidays.

Chocolate Barfi 1 cup Khoya or mawa (dried whole milk) November 2008

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The Cricket Forum

By Rajesh Ganatra Australia visits India The world-champion Aussies are visiting India for a series of four Test matches. Here are the results and upcoming matches: October 9-13, 2008: 1st Test @ Bangalore Result: Match Drawn 1st Inn - AUS 430/all out, 149.5 overs 1st Inn - IND 360/all out, 119.0 overs 2nd Inn - AUS 228/6 [d], 73.0 overs October 17-21, 2008: 2nd Test @ Chandigarh Result: IND won by 320 runs 1st Inn - IND 469/all out, 129.0 overs 1st Inn - AUS 268/all out, 101.4 overs 2nd Inn - IND 314/3[d], 65.0 overs 2nd Inn - AUS 195/all out, 64.4 overs

December 2008 - England visits India December 2008 - Bangladesh visits South Africa Nov. 2008 - Feb. 2009 - New Zealand visits Australia Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009 - West Indies visits New Zealand Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009 - South Africa visits Australia Jan. 2009 - April 2009 - England visits West Indies Feb. 2009 - April 2009 - Australia visits South Africa March 2009 - April 2009 - India visits New Zealand June 2009 - ICC World Twenty20 Tournament June 2009 - Sept. 2009 - Australia visits England Cricket schedule is courtesy www.cricinfo.com Note that the aforesaid schedule is subject to change due to acts of nature, political issues, etc.

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New Zealand visits Bangladesh The Kiwis are touring Bangladesh in October 2008 for three ODIs and two Tests. Here are the results: October 9, 2008 - 1st ODI @ Mirpur Result: BAN won by seven wickets NZ - 201/9, 50.0 overs BAN - 202/3, 45.3 overs October 11, 2008 - 2nd ODI @ Mirpur Result: NZ won by 75 runs NZ - 212/9, 50.0 overs BAN - 137/all out, 42.4 overs October 14, 2008 - 3rd ODI @ Chittagong Result: NZ won by 79 runs NZ - 249/7, 50.0 overs BAN - 170/8, 50.0 overs October 17-21, 2008 - 1st Test @ Chittagong Result: NZ won by three wickets 1st Inn - BAN 245/all out, 122.1 overs 1st Inn - NZ 171/all out, 64.5 overs 2nd Inn - BAN 242/all out, 107.3 overs 2nd Inn - NZ 317/7, 137.5 overs October 25-29, 2008 - 2nd Test @ Mirpur Future action The International action tends to slow down a bit during the fourth quarter, however, cricket fans, don’t fear. There’s plenty of action slated to come up soon.

November 2008

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no other way than to settle down in the same nest. The next evening the red red robin and the female robin sang together. The kids were happy to see the birds settle down. After few days, the female robin laid eggs and the robins got new baby robins. The birds were happy about these and they always tried to protect them. Every evening the robin family sang for the kids while they were at play.

An End to my Masquerade

By Ananya Mallavarapu (age 16)

Word World

By Kirit Shukla

M L

N E A

Laughter flitters And music is playing As I, the masked lady Move around dancing.

I

Fake violets and blues Form my masquerade gown And my butterfly mask In this masquerade ball.

R

I’m light as a feather, Sweet as a bird, I shine like the stars On a moonlit night.

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.

29 words = Excellent; 23 to 28 words = Good; 22 words or less needs to improve.

(Solution at bottom of page)

I mingle with others, And I am at ease As I talk and I laugh And I float with grace.

The Red Robin

By Aditi Majumdar

November 2008

I watch you laugh, And dance and sing And wonder why Your mask is missing.

The masquerade is still going on: Dancing and music and flittering laughs, And you come ever closer And take my hand.

You ask me to dance And I accept your offer Watching your face And your emotion-filled eyes.

We laugh and we talk And we dance away, And all are only left to stare But I really couldn’t care.

Some are now leaving And others remain But there’s one question I’ll ask you again: Are you the end to my Masquerade?

Word World (Solution): ALIEN, AMEN, EARN, EMAIL, LEAN, LEAR, LEARN, LIEN, LINE, LINER, MAILER, MAINE, MALE, MARE, MEAL, MEAN, MILE, MINE, MINERAL, NAILER, NAME, NEAR, NILE, REAL, REALM, REAM, REIN, REMAIN

There was a red red robin, who sang all day long. In the evening the children used to play around in a nearby park and the red red robin liked to sing for them.

The red red robin would sit on a tree trunk and watch the children play and sing. The kids tried to find the singing bird and the robin would hide himself. He liked to play hide and seek with the children. The kids had an idea. One day they wanted to make a nest for the robin. They collected some small and soft twigs and leaves for the nest. The kids bought an iron basket and placed the twigs in that and kept it on the tree branch.

The red red robin was very happy that the children liked him and were concerned about him. That evening he sang in different tunes. The kids also understood that the red red robin liked the nest. Now the robin used to come and sit in the nest and sang for the kids.

The days went by, one day a female robin saw the empty nest and tried to get into it. She was planning to make it her own home. In the evening when the red red robin came to the tree and saw that some other bird was there he didn’t like it. He started fighting with the female robin. The kids came that evening to the park and saw two birds fighting on the tree. After a while they understood that the birds were fighting for the nest. The kids tried to stop the fighting by putting water on the birds and they brought the nest down.

The kids were talking among themselves about what to do. After much discussion they thought of making a bigger nest. After an hour the nest was ready and kept in the same place. The red red robin and the female robin were watching from far. As it was getting dark the children left for their homes. At night the birds had

And then you’re there.

The prince of the land, The man in bold colors The one who makes me fall.

Saathee 72

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Dr. Roshan Attrey Honored With Swarna Kankanam Award Dr. Roshan Attrey was honored at the 5th annual Swarna Kankanam ceremony for continuous community service on October 4, 2008 at the Hindu Center in Charlotte.

The vision of Swarna Kankanam Sanmanam started as a spontaneous idea of Rao and Guna Kommareddi and friends. They took the concept of 13th century where kings used to honor their exceptional poets with a gold bangle called S w a r n a Kankanam.

The awards ceremony is now an annual event that recognizes and honors one person for their community service.

In attendance at this year’s ceremony honoring Dr. Attrey were past honorees, friends, family and well wishers. Dr. Attrey and his wife Jaspal and son Keshav have been residing in Charlotte since 1984. He was instrumental in the formation of the Hindu Center, Sikh Heritage Society of Greater Charlotte and India Association of Charlotte (Festival of India). Dr. Attrey is Chairman of the Department of English at Livingstone College and a member of the Mayor’s International Cabinet in Charlotte. Here is a slightly edited acceptance speech that Dr. Attrey presented at the ceremony.

Speaking to the Indian Community The 2008 Swarna Kankanam Award

By Roshan Attrey I am overwhelmed by the honor you confer on me by your presence. I accept the Swarna Kankanam award with humility, feeling that I represent you in some way.

I am a sort of everybody made up of many parts – part Himachali, part Punjabi, part Marathi, part Gujarati, part Telegu, part Hindu, part Sikh, part something else.

I am Indian and American, and something more.

I am grateful to Guna and Rao Kommareddi and the Global Glory organization for this honor. And I am indebted to the organizations and individuals that enabled me to perform my karma and let me do what I was capable of doing: more importantly, the Hindu Center, Sikh Heritage Society, India Association, Mayor McCrory and the Mayor’s International Cabinet, The Charlotte Observer, Samir and Divakar Shukla’s Saathee Magazine, and many other entities. And I could not have done any of the things without the active support of my wife Jaspal, the anchor of my life and the moral compass of my being, and my son Keshav, the joy of my life.

This function brings diverse segments of the Indian community together and celebrates what is good in us and what connects us. Our specific heritage may be Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, or Christian, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Telegu, or something else, but our November 2008

common heritage is Indian.

And now that heritage is transcending the Indian borders and consequently, as we stay on in America, changing, evolving – perhaps without our knowing.

We live in a land to which Indian religions, languages, and social customs are foreign, though many of us have lived in the United States longer than in India or anywhere else. America is home now. Our children growing up here are American. We are trying to transplant our culture, our way of life, and our religions in the new world so that we can have continuity in our lives, preserve our heritage for our children, and enable them to develop a religious and spiritual relationship with their ancestors.

With our children born and growing up in America, then, we can make a claim to be American. Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, combines all – Indian, Punjabi, Hindu, Christian, and whatever – maybe that’s the 21st century American. Despite many differences from other Indians, he finds support among them simply because he seems to reflect for them some kind of kinship, somewhat in a transcendental way.

On this occasion we should ask what makes a community for us while living here. Indians of all stripes – of various colors, castes, creeds, and persuasions – we have come here for a better life, and more or less we have found it. Sometimes we think more of what we left behind, perhaps with some regrets and even guilt, and not of what we have found or achieved because we take our achievements for granted.

About Community: Our real community has to be grounded here where we are. Avoid the imaginary community we would love to have as if we were living in India. Many of us perhaps tend to live in “imaginary homelands,” as Salman Rushdie would say, where we believe in caste, subcaste, and such things that should have no place in the new homeland – we still believe in customs that kept India divided by “narrow domestic walls,” as Rabindranath Tagore would say, customs and beliefs that kept India backward, things that were horribly toxic to the moral, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional life of the Indian society.

So what is, or what is going to be, our community in the US? Let it not be the narrowly focused community based on caste and state and language - the Brahmin, the Aggarwal, the Patel, the Kayastha, or Punjabi, Bihari, or Bengali. We should ask our children what they say about these divisions. Think of the enormous conflict we create in our children’s lives when we compel them not to marry outside the caste or community, or tell them things that run against the very grain of the culture and country we live in.

We resist entering our children’s world; we want to keep them in our world which they have not experienced and will not. Our children can experience our Indian values and Indian culture only partially, based on what they see in us, not what we tell them. And most of what they experience and live are not necessarily the Indian values and culture, but American values. We Indians come from a country that defies definition. It is at once ancient and modern, traditional and contemporary, spiritual and materialist, democratic and hierarchical. No one way can define India saathee.com

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and Indian culture and values. I suggest that we choose such Indian values that are compatible with the new world in which our children are growing up.

About Religion: Religion is one of the most significant aspects of our living. But there is some problem with the way the religion gets transmitted to our children.

Human beings cannot appreciate what they don’t understand. They can’t follow what is not clear to them logically and intellectually. So when we read our scriptures to them, we must be able to explain the religion to them in their language – simple, rational English. If we can’t, they are not likely to follow – no matter how great we think our religion or culture is.

So focus on those beliefs that can be understood and followed by them. Is it possible to distill the central beliefs of the Bhagvad-Gita or the Guru Granth Sahib or any other scripture and convey them to the community in a language connected and relevant to our present lives?

All religions focus on the all-embracing aspect of being human – humanity.

Hindus love to say, Vasudhaiv kutumbkam, “The whole world is a family.”

Sikhs love to say, Sarbat da bhalaa, “May the whole world prosper!” The Bible emphasizes, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” And similar sentiments are expressed in Judaism, Islam and other religions, as well by many writers and philosophers.

Such universal beliefs should be the cornerstone of our value system – not the divisive ideas, beliefs, and prejudices. We need to find ways and foster habits that cut across the barriers of caste, creed, gender, color, race, and nationality. What we tell our children about these divisions and our prejudices influences their minds. If, for instance, my son heard me remark pejoratively about race, religion or color, he would be influenced by it: either he would think I was prejudiced and therefore to be avoided; or, he would embrace me as well as my prejudice and narrowmindedness. It is up to me to choose my beliefs and conduct.

We have our dreams as individuals and as a community. I dream of an Indian community where its members are affirmed by one another. I dream of an America where the Indian heritage - evolved and reformed - becomes part of this nation. I dream of an America where Indian children feel accepted by their peers and not judged by their color or religion but their merit. I want our children to cherish the best of our Indian heritage and offer it to future generations.

For this to happen, we as a community need to develop a sense of connectedness as Indian Americans and connect to the larger America. We need to reach out to one another across the barriers of our native state, native language, religion, and such other divisions. Creative, enterprising, and hardworking people that we are, we must find ways to harness our rich diversity to strengthen our community and to revitalize America.

To reach that stage of development when the Indian heritage becomes part of America, when our children become part of the mainstream, without our feeling that we are losing them, and when we have a strong, unified, and purposeful community, we need to work November 2008

on a number of facets that we think are necessary for our purpose, some of which may be stated as follows: • Be politically involved in the city, county, state, and nation, just as Rao Kommareddi is doing locally.

• Establish an international center in Charlotte as other major American cities have done.

• Establish a full-fledged India Center in Charlotte.

Under the auspices of India Association, the India Center made its debut in November 2007 at Spirit Square - thanks to Dr. Amit Shah, his wife Shilpa, and Lal Vishin. The Center needs more resources and community involvement.

• Be more involved in humanitarian activities in the US and India – in volunteerism in such programs as Habitat for the Humanity, as Thakorbhai Topiwala and Hindu Center have been doing, relief efforts during natural disasters as Gautam Desai has done, social justice, and environmental conservation, thereby bringing us close to the American society and paving the way for a better world for all.

• Enlighten the community by inviting speakers and artists, by organizing seminars and forums, and by building further on the Festival of India and other activities.

• Make children the focus of cultural programs.

Identify the best of Indian values and transmit them to children, and adopt the best American values.

Make Indian culture, religion, and other values relevant to our children.

• Continue to sponsor programs focusing on Indian heritage, classical and popular, religious and secular.

There is much we can contribute to America, our adopted home, beyond what we are doing today.

Representing a 5000-year-old culture, we not only revitalize America with our energy and hard work, but we also bring our age-old wisdom and values to serve the needs of our new home: our Indian family values, our extended family, our belief in sacrifice for others, and our belief in co-existence.

These activities will build our self-image and social image and increase our self-confidence as individuals and community. Thus, we can build a more vibrant, strong, and effective community necessary for us as well as our children, and thus build bridges to other communities.

I would like to end my speech with a poem from Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali (poem XXV). It was a prayer for India. I am using it as a prayer for my adopted homeland, the United States of America.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by Thee into everwidening thought and action; Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Contact: rattrey@aol.com.

Saathee 76

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Community Focus Events of Note: Children’s Day 2008 The event will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2008 from 1-5 pm. Sponsored by Heritage India Association of North Carolina and Hindu Society of NC, Children’s Day 2008 offers to renew commitment to the cause of children, to continue Indian tradition of Children’s Day celebration as well as celebrate the unique strengths and achievements of children. The fun afternoon includes Crawling Baby Derby, folk and classical dances, music by kids, a costume and fashion show and a talent and recognition award ceremony. The tickets are $3-$4 in advance and $5 at the gate. All kids under 12 are free, but complimentary tickets must be obtained in advance. The venue is the HSNC Cultural Hall, 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC. For details call Yash Garg 919-870-5222, Anju Verma 919-794-3643, or Sudha Dhingra 919-6789056.

Heritage India Festival Heritage India Association of NC presents the 2008 Heritage India Festival at the Hindu Society Cultural Hall in Morrisville on Saturday, December 6, 2008 from 4 - 10 pm. The festival is a celebration of India’s heritage, art and culture. The festivities will include a fashion show, folk dances and music, food, classical dances, and a poetry recital of Hindi poets. The hall is located at 309 Aviation Parkway. Tickets are $3-$4 in advance and $4-$5 at the gate. Kids under 6 are free.

For more details contact ygarg@nccu.edu or call 919870-5222, lathapamarthi@gmail.com or call 919363-7339.

Alexander Streets in uptown Charlotte. According to Gobind Bhojwani, President of CAHA, the area is of over 100 feet long by 80 feet wide with a park-like surrounding.

The statue of M o h a n d a s Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi features his eye glasses and his walking stick in the classic Dandi march stance. “This is an historic occasion for all people, of all ages, races, religions, colors and nationalities,” Bhojwani said. For details on the project visit www.gandhiparkcharlotte.com.

The annual Children’s Garba program took place at the Hindu Center in Charlotte on Sunday October 19, 2008. Dozens of children and their parents and grandparents enjoyed the unique event. The kids danced, twirled and learned how to do garba and raas to music provided by a live music orchestra. Pizza, subs and refreshments were served after the event.

Community Reports: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was installed and unveiled on Sunday, October 5, 2008 on the lawn of the historic old County Courthouse in Charlotte. The section now dubbed Gandhi Park, was inaugurated with a big celebration of India’s revered leader enhanced by activities, dances, food, speeches and more. The Charlotte Asian Heritage Association (CAHA) has been working on the project for several years and the installment is a realization of the work of many.

The monument is the central focus of an area to be designated “Gandhi Park” located at the corner of Trade and November 2008

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Cary Diwali 2008 – “Santulan”

By Seena George The curtains have come down on the 8th annual Cary Diwali celebration held at the Koka Booth amphitheatre on October 11, 2008.

The event was put together by the Hum Sub organization in conjunction with the Town of Cary Parks Recreation and Cultural Resources. The theme for this year’s event was “Santulan – An expression of harmonious equilibrium.” It was another successful and entertaining event with over 12,000 people from all walks of life in attendance experiencing the delicate balance that defines modern India and presented in all the festivities.

This year Mary Jean Eisenhower who lit the lamp and then addressed the crowd inaugurated the event.

Other dignitaries that were present during the morning inauguration, in addition to the Hum Sub board and volunteers and Town of Cary dignitaries, were Jennifer Weiss and Don Frantz, both of whom addressed the crowd with Don Frantz reading the declaration from the office of the Mayor of Cary declaring October 11 as Cary Diwali and urging all citizens to attend the event. Local choreographers and schools kept the crowd enthralled for over five hours with cultural programs. This year saw the emergence of young talent with many first time choreographers demonstrating their excellence in putting together shows that showcased the theme of this year’s show “Santulan” and depicting the many facets of India.

There were also several performances put together by non-Indian artists reinforcing the fact that Cary Diwali is a place where cultures meet.

Indian Embassy contributions and a host of dedicated volunteers, the exhibition showcased pictures from the two states of Kashmir and Goa and the city of Benaras in India. Each of these places have a different primary religion and the pictures on display managed to capture the delicate balance that existed with people from different religions and walks of life coexisting.

Attendees were also able to sample food from various parts of India as five different local restaurants vied for business with delicacies from various parts of India all in one place. Vendors with other Indian artifacts, clothes, decorations also made part of the “mela” that was going on in the background. This year saw a rise in the number of vendors proving how the event has grown over the years. The whole setup brought back memories of being in India.

The highlight performance of the evening was by VJ, actress, and model turned singer Raageshwari who kept the crowd entertained for the two hours she sang. Dancers accompanied her from a local school of dance and the crowd joined in the singing of their favorite songs. The toe-tapping numbers were mixed in with songs that were patriotic and filled with expressions of love.

Sadly all good things have to come to an end and so did Cary Diwali 2008, but not before a spectacular showcase of fireworks lit up the night sky for over 10 minutes. As the crowds left and vendors packed up their wares everyone applauded at another successful celebration and looked forward to a better one next year.

For More information: www.humsub.net

The Virginia-based physics and mathematics teacher Mukesh Chhajer is also a writer. He recently published a book of poems. The book, Silent Voices, is his fourth book. The poems range from titles that include honor, conflict and diminishing humanity, among many others. The book can be obtained from www.lulu.com/content/3605121. Contact the author at mchhajer@hotmail.com. Here is a sample poem from the book.

Life A man A woman A crumpled sheet Story of Laughter and tear Aggression and surrender Victory and defeat War and peace Of the struggle Of life itself

The other big draw at this year’s Cary Diwali celebration was the exhibition that showcased the cultural diversity of India. Put together with the help of the November 2008

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By Samir Shukla Arrival and short stay in New Delhi The chat with the woman at the Pre-paid Taxi booth was mercifully short and required minimal haggling.

It was 3 a.m. local time and I’d been on the road for about 30 hours before landing at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi.

On my quest to find the lowest fare for the trip, I had to deal with two airlines, four flights and five airports. It’s not even a pleasant thought let alone practice in the War on Terror travel scenario. Add to that the 10-hour time difference, turbulence-induced sleep deprivation, and lousy airline food.

OK, so the food was only lousy on the Continental Airlines leg from Charlotte to London via Cleveland.

The Emirates Air leg from London to New Delhi via Dubai was serviced with some mighty tasty Asian vegetarian food.

Along the way I faced the now typical interrogations specially designed for “dark haired, brown-skinned young males” so popular on the clipboards of international security agencies around the globe.

“Off with the shoes, mate.”

I finally arrived in New Delhi, finished the necessary Immigration/Customs yawn and patted myself on the back for having the last word on fixing the taxi fare at the Pre-paid Taxi booth in the airport.

I settled on a “simple” taxi, as opposed to a “luxury” taxi (a moniker for slightly better shock absorbers and a bit more legroom), as the difference in price was half and my ride to the hotel was less than 20 minutes.

Pre-paid taxis are a relatively haggle-free mode of transport to most parts of Delhi from the airport as there are no surprises at the end while the driver, who already knows the fixed rate, takes the shortest route.

It’s a good system for exhausted travelers so they can get to their awaiting beds without doing any unwanted sightseeing in the middle of the night.

New Delhi is a freeze-frame of present-day India sideswiping ancient India. All the conquerors, caretakers, colonialists and natives claim land, architecture, food, water and the air there.

Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists are all represented with temples, mosques and gurudwaras while the crowded old city and the modern day metropolis converge into a dizzying assortment of characters, languages, and cultures.

After arriving at the hotel and getting a couple of hours of rest, I climbed up to the rooftop to watch the sunrise. The sun began to color the hazy dawn as the two dominant religions of India rose from slumber.

In the house across the alley from the hotel I could hear a woman clanging a hand-held bell doing her morning prayers.

It was a typical Hindu morning “puja” where a diya (small oil lamp) is lit, the incense is burning and November 2008

prayer chants in Sanskrit, or the local language, are sung or spoken while the tiny bell is shaken in one hand. In the distance I could hear the morning call of a muezzin (Muslim cleric) singing a call to prayer to local Muslims. The mosque must not have been too far away.

The two faiths are the major components of what define modern day India, along with other multidimensional religious and cultural parts that makeup the complex equation and complete the puzzle.

Remove any element, no matter how small in scope, and the landscape would be incomplete.

Hinduism, with its innumerable gods, rituals and variations and the monotheistic Islam have been embedded in the foundation of India since the Islamic incursion into the region beginning in the 12th century.

After several centuries, no matter how hard communal forces try to bring conflict between the two religions, they are now so intertwined that contemporary India could not be defined by separating the two.

It’s when most folks realize and accept this distinction that communal violence will begin to recede into the past.

New Delhi has the distinction of being the capital of the largest democracy on the planet. The muse of any traveler, whether they are savvy, international jetsetters or wandering drifters, can sway from dismay to amazement at some of the spectacular monuments, including the stunning Red Fort, and the seeming chaos functioning with breathless abandon.

One can take in the whirlwind of sounds, sights and scents supplied by the sea of humanity on Chelmsford Road directly in front of the New Delhi Railway station or reflect in the serene environs of Raj Ghat (marking the spot Mahatma Gandhi was cremated). Both are within a short distance of each other.

I finished watching the sunrise, got a few more hours of sleep and headed out into town after having a late breakfast.

After a day of sightseeing I spent a short period of time before dusk standing in front of the New Delhi Railway station on Chelmsford Rd. and every mode of transport currently known to man passed by.

There were cars, auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, hand-pulled rickshaws, bullock carts, buses, trains, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, camel carts and scooters. Even a helicopter and couple of planes roared by overhead.

Of course many people used the oldest mode of transport. They simply navigated the cacophonous maze by walking to their destinations.

I retired for the night in the small room I had rented in the budget hotel across the street from the train station. The walls of the hotel were about as thick as cardboard and every whispered conversation could be heard from the room next door.

The street noise continued through the night but I was too tired to notice and fell asleep after a while. I had alerted the night clerk to give me a wake-up call as I had a very early morning train to catch for my next destination.

The pre-dawn air was clear and it was eerily quiet as the local denizens slept. I grabbed my bag and headed to the train pointed toward Amritsar.

Saathee 82

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Zakir continued from page 8 started churning within me. Still transported by the music, I began to think about my father. My attention shifted from Ram Krishna to my father who had died 10 years earlier. Because of his simple life and high thinking, people called him Gandhiji. Father was not a musician nor he played any instrument, he just loved music. He was a learned man and well versed in Vedas (scriptures). He was in tune with nature and connected with the primal energy/sound. Recitals of mantras would go on throughout the day; in addition, he had filled hundreds of notebooks with written mantras now under the foundation of a temple. Because of that, my children gave him a new name “Aum-dadaji.” And rest was the history.

“Vaishanv Jan To” and “Ragupati Raghav” were his all time favorite prayers and we often sang them as a daily ritual. Moreover, throughout his life father had followed the spiritual diet that is being prescribed in these prayers. In true sense, he was a “Vaishanv Jan.” In life, he witnessed for what he believed. He was a karma yogi, whose life was sum of charity, religious sacrifice and deeds done with a devotion and penance, for the wrongdoing of his children and others.

During my many trips to India, I had promised my father that I would be there when he needed me.

Moreover, regardless, of how difficult it would be, when the time came, I would give him the grand farewell that he deserved.

I was very close to him and we were spiritually connected. I was his disciple and caregiver. I came to America at an early age and lived with regret that I was not able to take care of him in his old age. Even worse, I was not there at the time of his death. That regret has been for me a great physical burden.

Now the concert was nearing its climax. Once again, musicians took heart and performed joyously as if they were singing from a thousand throats. Sure, they were singers of life not death. It was a celebration of life and grand farewell to the fellow musician. The kind of farewell I wished I could have given to my father.

The concert was ending but for me, it was the beginning of something.

The minute they hit the very first note of that prayer, Vaishnav Jan to, things had started shifting for me. I had begun to have a vision. Everything around me disappeared, even all musicians faded away. I become weightless and felt a floating sensation. Soon I was floating with clouds in eternal sound and, yes, I was fully alive. The rich orchestral sound that had filled the hall and had left windows shuddering and walls shaking now had filled the planet earth and made its way to heaven and so did I. There I saw my father sitting before the side of Ram Krishna and those two were sitting before the almighty God, a bright aura circling behind their heads, the countenances of both mirroring enlightenment and infinite compassion.

I knelt down and sat near their feet with folded hands.

Then the blissful sound of prayers transformed into blissful silence. I felt a gentle touch of hands on my head and soft voice ringing in my ears. “I knew you would come. What singing! What a magnificent perNovember 2008

formance,” my father was talking, “Now go home. Go home, my child.”

I opened my eyes and looked up.

Again, there was nothing, nothing but unexplainable peace and tranquility. I was in a blessed state of consciousness.

Finally, after 10 years, I was able to fulfill my promise. Someone had made it possible for me to enter all the way in the heaven to pay my final respect to my father and to Ram Krishna.

Now I have come to peace. The regret that was eating me up was outdone by the magical moment that helped me to put the glorious seal. Now, whenever I think about that experience, I fall back in that blessed state of consciousnesses, and coming out feeling fresh and tranquil.

Swar/sound emanates from Ishwar/God, and is therefore pure and uncorrupted. In addition, work performed with right attitude gets converted into yoga. Music does not coexist with ill feeling or negativity. Father sang a song of beauty and dance on the tune of duty. “I slept and dreamt life is beauty, I awoke and found life is duty,” was his signature song.

The musician Ram Krishna died at age 80.

Throughout his life he worshiped the goddess of sound. His performance would link to the spiritual walk.

Zakir Hussain is unrestrainedly inventive. Quite wide range of an extraordinary expression has kept this old art of tabla playing ever fresh, ever changing, and evergreen. He dives deep in the ocean of imagination and comes up with a new gem in every concert, indeed he is a jewel of Mother India!

I compare good music with the holy river Ganges, which gives joy and life to everyone who baths in its water. Is there any wonder that I entered in the heaven while fully alive?

One of Zakir Hussain’s die-hard fans has described her love and admiration for his music as such; “If there is a road to heaven I want his music to lead the path,” As far I am concerned, there was a road to heaven and his music laid the path.

Jay Hind! Jay Zakirji!

Where there is music there is magic!

Usha Gandhi is a hairdresser and a dressmaker. She lives in West Chester, Ohio. Readers, if you have experienced healing power of music or have a similar story to share, email Usha Gandhi, snupudi@ yahoo.com.

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Please Call Raj Desai at (704)-541-9966 or (917)-612-1489 (cell) Fax: (704)-541-9816

Email: rd@rajdesaicpa.com Member: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and NYSSCPA

I am committed to providing close, personal attention to my clients. I take pride in giving you the assurance that the personal assistance you receive comes from 14 years of my public accounting experience including several years of Big 4 accounting firm’s advanced training, technical experience and financial acumen. My continual investment of time and resources in professional continuing education and extensive business relationships is indicative of my commitment to excellence.

November 2008

• Audit Representation and Tax Resolution to 100% clients satisfaction before federal, state and local tax authorities, including filing past year returns • Review for possible Federal or Stateincome tax exposure • Monthly Bookkeeping Services.

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Community News & Events Compiled by Rajesh Ganatra

Charlotte, NC Art Of Living (Healing with the Breath) Art of Living is dedicated to serving society by strengthening the individual. This is done through selfdevelopment 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 & celebration.

Info: (704)-248-2647 charlotte@us.artofliving.org www.artofliving.org Association for India’s Development (AID) Charlotte Chapter An organization supporting a wide variety of social service and development projects in promoting literacy, health care, rural credit, vocational training, women’s empowerment and children’s welfare. AID currently supports projects in almost every Indian State. AID Charlotte is the local chapter of AID in the Greater Charlotte area, and has been actively raising both awareness and much needed funds.

AID Charlotte welcomes individuals interested in joining the volunteer base, and who would like to contribute time, skills, or ideas.

Info: (704)-599-3090.

E-mail: charlotte@aidindia.org www.aidindia.org/charlotte Bhartiya Association of Lake Norman (BALKN) BALKN invites new 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.

Upcoming events: Sat Nov 15 - Diwali Celebration at Mooresville Citizen Center. Info: Mitesh Parikh at (704) 807-4485, Mahesh Trivedi at (704) 663-6647 or Sunny Bhavanani at (704) 8814939. www.balkn.org Carolinas Prayer Fellowship Rev. Dr. Samuel Prabodh Talluri invites everyone living in the North & South Carolina Areas to particiNovember 2008

pate in “Fellowship” Every Sunday Morning in Gastonia, N.C. For More Details contact Jay at (704)-8651428, Joe at (704)-824-8698 or Dayakar at (704)-545-1465.

Charlotte Gita Study Group Join the study of the Bhagawat Gita, based on the Home Study Course by Swami Dayananda Saraswati of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at 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 shortguided meditation session. The group meets every first and third Sundays from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Charlotte, NC. Contact Rajesh at rvenky@aol.com or dial (704)-6229108, or email Naras at naras@quaero.com for more info.

Charlotte Kannada Koota NC 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, Kannada music, drama, etc. For information regarding membership, activities, and volunteering, etc. Call Appan Patil (agm_patil@hotmail.com) at 704-526-9990 and Raj Kulgod (kraj7@yahoo.com) at 704-281-8732 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, an Art of Living.

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 no charge for a course. Info: Rashmi Desai (704)-544-0790, rbddesai@yahoo.com David Spranger (704)-563-5440, dspranger@earthlink.net www.dhamma.org

Classical Music Association of Charlotte (CMAC) CMAC is a non-profit organization relying entirely on the support of its patrons and membership forms are available at concerts. Info: Rama Rachakonda at (704)-541-3361 or Lakshmi Muthukrishnan: 704-8149355, lakshmi7778@yahoo.com www.onlinecmac.com Email: cmacmusic@yahoo.com Dada Bhagwan Group “Satsang” is conducted every Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Hindu Center in Charlotte, and there is also a Satsang every Thursday. Call 704-287-3133 for the location. In addition, watch Satsang from Friday to Tuesday at 7 a.m. on TV Asia. The present topics are “PatiPatni ka Divya Vyahvar” and “Chovis Tirthankar.” The group has recently opened a library for spiritual books, audios and videos. Visit www.dadabhagwan.org for daily Satsang and spiritual inspiration.

Datta Yoga Center Charlotte Chapter The group is “Dedicated for 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 4:00 P.M to 7:00 P.M. Bhajans composed by “Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji” are chanted and occasionally, video programs produced by Avadhoota Datta Peetham are viewed, Mysore India (videos include Sri Swamiji’s visit to Manasa Sarovaram, Music for Meditation and healing concerts

by Sri Swamiji, Sri Swamiji’s lectures etc). Info: Ravi Anupindi at 704-839-3256. For details visit www.dattapeetham.com and www.dycusa.org Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI), a non-government, nonprofit organization 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.

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Community News & Events 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 for Charlotte area: Yesha at 704-274-9204, shuklas@carolina.rr.com www.ekalvidya.org Hindu Center of Charlotte The Hindu Center is located at 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212. phone: (704)-535-3440.

Library at Hindu Center: Gandhi Bhavan Foyer is the site of the fully automated library. The library is stocked with Books, CDs, DVDs and other materials on varied genre such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and health. Call Manisha Naik at 704-554-0765 with any questions or suggestions.

C. R. O. P is a Children’s Religious Oriented Program for K. G to 12th grade. In order to educate children in culture and understand religious practices, Hindu Center is providing this opportunity for future generations. 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.

For more information visit www.hcclt.org or contact Chetna Patel: 704-547-1676, patel4260@bellsouth.net or Manish Kandpal: 803-802-7634, kandpal@fmtc.net.

Senior Citizens Group meets on the 1st Sunday of every month at 4:00 p.m., followed by Satyanarayan Katha at 5:00 p.m. Future trips and activities are in the planning stages. Info: Gobind Bhojwani at (704)-334-2462.

Sloka Class: teach children between the ages of 4 and 13 different Hindu Hymns, their meaning and significance. The class meets every Sun at 9:30 a.m.

Info: Lakshmi Muthukrishnan at 704-814-9355.

Social Welfare Committee would like to extend moral support to people who are hospitalized for serious surgery or illnesses. Info: November 2008

Narain Amar at (704)-372-1265, Dhinakaran Pillai at (704)-9485609 or Devendra Patel at (704)829-0225.

Vedic Havan - held at Vedant Hall on second Sunday of every month at 10:30 am to 12:00 p.m. (Noon) followed by Prasadam.

Swadesh Sawhney at (704)-825-9223.

Pranayam Classes - held every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11.00am in the Vivek Hall. Info: Kajal Jain 704-649-5374, Manisha Naik 704-554-0765, Sanjay Vyas 281-304-5597, Deepak Jain at (704)-541-8950 or e-mail to pranayamclt@aol.com Yoga classes are held every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. There is no charge for the classes. Info: Pradip Bulsara (704) 864-8212 or pradip_bulsara@hotmail.com Upcoming events: Sat Nov 1 - Diwali Dinner/Program beginning from 5:30 p.m. onwards.

Info/Tickets: Keny Mahtani at (704)-861-1523, Rajni Patel at (704)-488-8145 or Ramesh Khatri at (828)-320-0717. Hindu Center website: www.hcclt.org.

IVAAC (Indian Visual Artists Association of Charlotte, NC) 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 in Charlotte.

Info: Amit Shah: (704)-540-8799, Kinshuk Agarwal: (704)-688-5387. www.ivaac.org Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC) IPAAC (Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte) is a nonprofit organization that promotes classical Hindustani music by inviting well-known artists from India.

Fri Oct 17 - Kathak and Bharat Natyam Dance (OJAS) by Abhinav Dance Company from India, performed by Shri Tumkur Dwarakanath Rajendra and Shrimati Nirupama Rajendra at 8:00 pm: Dana Auditorium, Queens University, Charlotte. Info: Sarla Kumar at (704)-846-4423 or Chaula Jain at (704)-364-0984.

E-mail: contact@ipaac.org www.ipaac.orgs Kiran The organization provides counseling for domestic violence and crisis services for South Asians in North Carolina. Kiran is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, organization.

Promoting selfreliance 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 with similar objectives. 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 a crisis advocate. Also offering emotional support and non-judgmental help to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations. Referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, shortterm child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing. KIRAN’s services are completely confidential. www.kiraninc.org, e-mail: KIRAN@KIRANINC.ORG or call 1877 NCKIRAN (1.877.625.4726).

MaGaReSa Music Group There is a new an amateur talent group in the Charlotte area for Bollywood music aficionados - the Music group ‘MaGaReSa’, loosely based on “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” of ZEE Television, will meet weekly to get together singers, composers and musicians. The difference between the reality shows and this group is the ability to learn from each other.

Amateur singers and musicians are welcomed to join and participate in the melodies once a week. Join at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/m aGaReSa-IndianMusic saathee.com

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Community News & Events NetIP Charlotte NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas chapter of North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals.

NetIP Charlotte provides a forum for ongoing 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. www.NetIPCharlotte.org or Hardik Shah (President) at hd@netipcharlotte.org Pratham Charlotte Founded in 1994 as a UNICEF initiative, Pratham is a grass-roots level non-profit 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 and grow into a powerhouse that best meets 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: Dr. Gurpreet Chadha at 704-293-5758 or Pushti Patel at 704-674-1936. www.pratham.org Probasi of Charlotte Probasi is the Bengali community based in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA 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.

Probasi is a registered non-profit organization in North Carolina. www.probasi.org BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS) Regularly scheduled activities include a daily Aarti at 6:30 am and 7 pm. Darshan: Mon-Fri 6:30 am12:30 pm & 4 pm-8:30 pm, November 2008

Sat/Sun 6:30 am-8:30 pm.

Gujarati classes are held every Sunday from 3 pm-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. (704)-573-0805, Fax: (704)-573-0820.

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 5:00 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 3:00 pm - 5:00.

Info: Ramesh Dhanani at 704-3924488 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: Roshan Attrey @ (704)-9487664 or rattrey@aol.com, Sajjan Dhaliwal @ (704)-541-0350 or sajjan@carolina.rr.com, Inderjeet Rajpal @ (704)-948-8091 or irajpal@aol.com www.gurdwaracharlotte.com 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. Literally, 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: Samiksha Bose: 704-321-1964, Santanu Sarkar: 704-541-3451, Manmatha Chakrovorty: 704-882-6115 Steele Creek Cricket Club Cricket is played every Sunday morning at the Steele Creek Athletic Association complex at 13530 Choate Circle, (weather per-

mitting) 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. Website: http://www.geocities.com/steelecreekcricketclub South Park Cricket Club South Park Cricket Club is a member of Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference since 2002. SPCC had a fruitful cricketing season last year and are looking forward to better performances, ratings and standing in the league this season. SPCC is based in Charlotte, NC and its home ground is located at the Reedy Creek Park. SPCC invites new players to join the club.

Details: www.southparkcc.org.

Contact Baseer Ahmed (847) 722-9865 or email at ahmed786us@yahoo.com.

Telugu Association of Greater Charlotte Area (TAGCA) A newly formed organization whose 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 AM – 11:30 AM and are free for member and non-members alike. Info: Sreedhar Manjigani at (704)-965-6704, E-mail: education@tagca.org or visit 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 League. Practice is every Sunday at Reedy Creek Park (11 to 4pm).

Contact: Capt Syed at (704)-712-6106 or Vice Capt. Ejaz (704)-996-5500.

Learn how to play cricket at the United Cricket academy.

Sunday and Monday evenings for ages 15 and up. Join the fun. saathee.com

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Community News & Events Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill, NC (Triangle Area) Academic Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (AFICE) Would you like to explore 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: www.afice.org or contact lathapamarthi@earthlink.net Association for India’s Development (AID)- chapters of Research Triangle Park (RTP) AID is a non-profit, voluntary organization with a mission to 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. AID has three chapters in the Triangle area in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Visit www.aidindia.org/rtp or e-mail to rtp@aidindia.org to find out more information about the chapter closest to you.

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, which is located at 3108 Sparger Road, Durham, NC 27705. Bhai Dyal Singh Jatha does Kirtan.

Classes for Punjabi and religious studies are held for children at the same time. Info: Bhai Dyal Singh at (919) 309-1045 or dial Mrs. Raj Dhillon at (919) 467-4856. www.acsagurdwara.org November 2008

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 Hindu values. This is done through games, yoga, stories, songs, shlokas, arts/crafts, and Seva (selfless service) in the community.

Balagokulam sessions are free for all, and are held on Saturdays. Visit www.balagokulam.org for more information or contact balagokulam.rtp@gmail.com or hss.charlotte@hssus.org (Charlotte region) for further details.

Bharatiya Senior Citizens of North Carolina (BSCNC) BSCNC is a nonprofit organization for Senior citizens of Indian origin, who are 60 and over in age and are member of this organization.

BSCNC meets on second saturday of each month at Cary Senior Center on High House Road in Cary from 10am to 3pm. In the previous, nomination forms for the 2009 committee were provided to members. In November, there will be Diwali/Annakut Celebrations. All the ladies are requested to bring sweets for annakut and dinner will be provided. Information: Pramila M. Domadia (919)-387-9171 (President).

Child Relief and You (CRY) America Are you new to the RTP area and looking to meet new people?

Would you like to help a Child while having fun and making new friends? It is possible with CRY (Child Relief and You), which is an 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 and 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: Sarav Arunachalam at (919)-

362-9591. rdu@cryamerica.org www.cryrdu.org Chinmaya Mission Chinmaya Mission Raleigh-Durham hosts adult study groups/satsangs in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, and Chapel Hill and all are welcome to attend. Chinmaya Mission study groups offer a wonderful 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.

Info:cmrdu1@gmail.com www.chinmaya-rdu.org.

Datta Yoga Center Raleigh Chapter Mission: Spread the teachings of Sadguru Sri Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore.

Activities include: Namasankeertana - Bhajans written, composed and sung by Pujya Sri Swamiji. Future projects: Kriya yoga classes by Pujya Sri Swamijitrained 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 the divine blessings of Pujya Sri Swamiji. Info: Srinivas Chittineni at (919)-484-1993 or Suresh Kota at (919)-461-0843.

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: www.dukediya.com or call (732)-865-3173 EKTAA South Asian Student Organization EKTAA, which means “unity” in Hindi and Urdu, 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 saathee.com

IndiaTown

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Community News & Events all over the campus as well as our 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. www.ektaa.org Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI), a non-government, nonprofit organization 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 self-esteem, 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 for Triangle area: Hari H. Nath @ (919)-803-0478, e-mail: hnath45@yahoo.com www.ekalvidya.org GEET BAZAAR South Asian Radio Program Every Sunday morning from 10:00 AM to 12:00 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.

E-mail to “taj@unity.ncsu.edu” or phone (919) 851-1119.

GEM - Raleigh Church of God Everyone is invited to attend worship services, prayer meetings or Sunday school. For more info call Pastor Thankachan M. at 919.395.6208 or e-mail globalem@gmail.com Heritage India Association of North Carolina Heritage India Association of North Carolina aims at providing Indian cultural experience through performing arts and cultural arts & November 2008

crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.” It organizes colorful events that enhance appreciation and understanding of Indian cultural heritage among children as well as strengthen cultural relations with fellow Americans.

Upcoming Events: Sat Nov 15 - Children’s Program @ HSNC Cultural Hall Sat Dec 6 - Heritage India Festival @ HSNC Cultural Hall.

Contact Anju Verma at (919) 7943643, Yash Garg at (919) 8705222, Harsha Shah at (919)3620520, or Sudha Dhingra at (919) 678-9056 or send an email at: anjmic@yahoo.com or chander@bellsouth.net.

Hindi Vikas Mandal of NC Hindi Vikas Mandal (HVM) is a nonprofit, voluntary organization based in the RTP area that 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. Info: Saroj Sharma at (919)-851-0225 or Dr. Vinod Goel at 919-461-0001, vgoel2@nc.rr.com www.hindivikas.org Hindi-Urdu Course on Television NC State University offers a televised complete college-level Elementary Hindi-Urdu course, taught by Professor Afroz Taj. The course airs in the Raleigh area Time-Warner Cable Channel 18 Monday and Wednesday evening, 9-10pm and Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9-10am. Tune in to learn for fun, or if you want to earn university credit, contact Professor Taj at “taj@unity.ncsu.edu” or (919) 851-1119 or contact the NC State Distance Learning Program at (919) 515-2265.

Hindu Society of North Carolina (HSNC) 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. 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, Weeklend 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: Sat Nov 1 - Deepwali Fair Sun Nov 2 - Annakuth & Goverdhan Pooja Sat Nov 15 - HSNC Golf Outing Sat Nov 22 - Gala Dinner E-mail: 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 non-sectarian, non-ethnic, non-profit cultural & 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: Mrinmoyee Sanyal at (919) 6760298, e-mail: msanyal@ncsu.edu www.hsc-ncsu.org Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) is a non-profit, cultural organization. HSS conducts weekly activities to develop strong character and leadership skills in participants, emphasizing values such as selfdiscipline, self-confidence and a spirit of selfless service (seva) for humanity. We encourage 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 chapsaathee.com

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Community News & Events ters (shakhas) across the country.

The Research Triangle Park chapter meets every Saturday. The participation is free. Activities are tailored to include Yoga, games, songs, lectures and discussions on Hindu dharma and culture.

E-mails: hss.rtp@hssus.org - Triangle area, hss.charlotte@hssus.org Charlotte region.

Hum Sub Hum Sub is a non-profit organization dedicated to share the social and cultural traditions of India with the residents of the Research Triangle Park and North Carolina.

Mamta Bisarya (919-468-3332) or Latha Pamarthi (919-363-7339).

For upcoming events or activities send E-mail: info@humsub.net www.humsub.net Indian Classical Music & Dance Society (ICMDS) ICMDS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the task of promoting Indian Classical Music & Dance in the triangle area. ICMDS invites the top artists from all over the world to perform in the Triangle area.

Visit the website for all upcoming performances. www.icmds.org Indo-American Friendship Foundation Did you know that about 90 percent of rural orphans are female and most of them are discarded at birth because “it is a girl, not a boy.” Not one of them gets the opportunity to become a doctor, engineer, IAF or university/college faculty. Because they cannot live in the orphanage when they turn 18, many of them fall victim 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: Dr. Subhas C. Mohapatra (President-IAFF), 1413 Boxwood Lane, Apex, NC 27502. Tel (919) 362-7653. www.iaff1.org.

Indus Foundation Indus Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit, secular organization started in North Carolina in May 2000 by a group of professionals, November 2008

with sole purpose to give back to our community and the country, who have helped us to reach our success today. Every dollar is wisely spent back into 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. You can adopt an on-going project or launch your favorite project under our guidelines. Make a commitment today to build a child’s tomorrow! To contribute time or money or to get involved contact: Dr Vinnie Goel, Chairman (919)-461-0001, Dr. Shri Kulkarni, President (919)-4670598, or Dr. Vijaya Bapat, VicePresident (919)-319-7294. www.indusfoundation.info INS Services Action Committee (INS-SAC) INS-SAC was formed as a nonprofit organization to address issues & problems associated with immigration and naturalization law.

The main objective is to create strategies to help make INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) a user-friendlier agency.

Recently, INS-SAC has elected some of the members of its Executive Committee, and more volunteers are needed to fill the remaining positions. Info for INSSAC: Amalendu Chatterjee (919) 674-2029. Email: amalendu.chatterjee@eximsoft.com International Community Church ICC 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. For details on regular worship services, Sunday school, Prayer fellowship and Bible study, call (919) 233-2900.

Website: 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 (Raleigh Chapter) International Hindi Association (IHA) is a non-profit, voluntary

organization that promotes Hindi language and literature and has chapters all over the United States.

The Raleigh Chapter organizes Kavi Sammelans with local and indigenous talents periodically. If you are interested in listening to poetry or in reciting poetry, contact Sarojben Sharma at (919) 851-0225 or Sudha Dhingra at (919) 362-5244. www.hindi.org International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization (ISSO) (Triangle Area) 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) & Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal) to practice their religious duties in harmony. The Raleigh-Durham chapter of ISSO organizes regularly scheduled “Satsang Sabha” every two weeks, typically on Friday or Saturday evenings, which includes Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and Mahaprasad. For information on venue, date and times, contact Niraj Joshi at (919)-363-2356 or niraj_joshi@yahoo.com. www.swaminarayan.info.

ISKCON of North Carolina Sri-Sri Radha Golokananda Temple - Iskcon of NC is situated on 16 acres of beautiful 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 ... located at 1032 Dimmocks Mill Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, (919)732-2680. 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 & 4:15-5:45 pm, Saturday all day until 5:45 pm, Sunday all day until 7:30 pm.

Sunday Festival 5 pm – 7:30 p.m. includes kirtan, aarti, Bhagavad Gita discourse, and vegetarian feast, Sunday school for children.

Temple President-Krsna Priya Dasi, E-mail: krsnapriya@earthlink.net

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Community News & Events Kiran The organization provides counseling for domestic violence and crisis services for South Asians in North Carolina. Kiran is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, organization.

Promoting selfreliance 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 with similar objectives. 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 a crisis advocate. Also offering emotional support and non-judgmental help to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations. Referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, shortterm child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing. KIRAN’s services are completely confidential. www.kiraninc.org, e-mail: KIRAN@KIRANINC.ORG or call 1877 NCKIRAN (1.877.625.4726).

North Carolina Bengali Association (NCBA) Seeks to promote the Bengali culture, including art, literature, music and language classes, within the state of North Carolina. For information regarding activities, volunteering, etc. contact: Mithu Chaudhuri at (910)-485-8528, dpchaudhuri@earthlink.net or Madhulavi Majumder at (919)-9288442, madhulavi@hotmail.com. http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/G arden/2504/

(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 and all events are open to all members and nonmembers. A family dinner is held on the second Friday of every month. Info: Nauman Faridi @ payamber@ncpaa.org www.ncpaa.org Professional Indians’ Association (PIA) PIA is a meetup that serves young South Asian professionals in the Triangle Community. We are a group of young (20’s-30’s) Indian professionals and grad students interested in cultural events, socializing and meeting/making friends with like-minded 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, the economy and politics. www.meetup.com/PIATriangle/

Nuv Yug Nuv Yug is a non-profit tax-exempt organization with a mission to promote awareness of Indian Cultural Arts. Striving to create synergy among various cultural groups from the South Asian region. E-mail: info@nuvyug.org www.nuvyug.org

Pratham (RDU) Founded in 1994 as a UNICEF initiative, Pratham is a grass-roots level non-profit 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 and grow into a powerhouse that best meets 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.” Find more info on the North Carolina chapter at www.prathamnc.org

Pakistani American Association (NCPAA) The Pakistani-American Association

RTP Maharashtra Mandal RTP Maharashtra Mandal is a nonprofit organization formed to pro-

November 2008

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mote maharashtrian culture and language. Maharashtra mandal is committed to serve RTP community with various cultural, social and traditional marathi programs and events. Info: Jayant Yete - (919)468-8824, Neeraj Shikarkhane (919)-757-7300. www.rtpmm.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. Contact phone numbers: Alexey Lef (919) 841-0035, Jenna Boyd (919) 757-2732.

E-mail: meditation@nc.rr.com www.srcm.org www.sahajmarg.org 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.

E-mail: sampigeeditor@yahoo.com or 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. For info call : (919)-465-9155 or write via email: trivedimp@gmail.com.

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Community News & Events Jersey headquarters of SCF. SCF has been working with the Triangle’s Indian community for more than 15 years. Contacts: Manu Patel at (919)-425-5299, Rajeev Kamath (919)-469-1258. www.shareandcare.org BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS) BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir invites everyone to the regularly scheduled events: Ravi sabha - every Sunday at 4:00pm to 6:00 pm followed by Aarti and Maha Prasad. Mahapuja – every Purnima at 7:00 pm. Call or visit website for information including classes, timings and directions.

Fresh Indian snacks and sweets available at Shayona, Contact Hasmukh Patel (919)-271-8006.

Venue: 1020 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560. Info: (919)469-6605. www.swaminarayan.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 S. V. Temple of North Carolina The Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina was founded in 1998 to serve the religious and cultural needs of North Carolina’s growing Indian community and to promote Hindu religion and heritage among future generations.

The temple operates according to ancient Hindu scriptures (agama shastras) and houses the main deity, Lord Sri Venkateswara. In addition to its religious and educational work within the Hindu community, S. V. Temple also delivers humanitarian services for the rest of the community. For more information, visit www.svtemplenc.org or call (919)-468-0040. E-mail: comm@svtemplenc.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 November 2008

Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC. Contact: (919)-461-1773.

E-mail: 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 culture. Everyone is invited to join TCA and become part of a wonderful organization promoting Tamil culture in the Triangle area. www.tcanc.org E-mail: tca_nc@yahoo.com 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: Ravi Shanmugam (Pres) 919.465.1606. http://members.fortunecity.com/ta milsangamofcarolina 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. Email: committee@tataonline.org www.tataonline.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. www.idrf.org.

Triangle Gujarati Association (TGA) TGA serves the Gujarati community in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. TGA sponsors musical programs, draSaathee 100

mas, and cultural activities to help maintain Gujarati culture and heritage. Info: Harsha Shah at (919)362-0520, Akshat Patel at (919)468-6879, Girishbhai Amin at (919)-439-5848, Manisha Patel at (919)-319-5698. www.nctga.org E-mail: nctga00@gmail.com 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: Latha Pamarthi (Director of TIYO) at (919)-363-7339 or 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. E-mail: 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 at barman@cs.unc.edu www.trianglevegsociety.org Triangle Bangladesh Society Triangle Bangladesh Society, North Carolina (TBSNC) strives to arrange musical programs by artists who have captured the hearts and minds of millions of Bengali-, Urduand Hindi-speaking music fans all around the globe.

Info: Mohammed Khan at (919)-961-4495. www.tbsnc.org saathee.com

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Community News & Events 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: Afroz Taj at (919)851-1119 or Ashraf and Seema Faruqi at (919)-596-4792. www2.ncsu.edu/tsac/majlis.htm

Greensboro, NC Greensboro Center of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, Barsana Dham A satsang (devotional meeting) is regularly held on Saturdays from 3:30 p.m.—5:00 p.m. 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 a.m. and Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. and also on TV Asia —- weekdays at 8:00 am and 10:00 am on weekends. If anybody would like to hold a ‘Satsang’ at their home, contact Ashwatthama and Madhu Sharma (336)-643-0578.

E-mail: krishndas59@yahoo.com www.jkp.org or www.isdl.org Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont (GCAP) GCAP, 127 Landmark Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410.

The Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont is a non-profit organization, which serves the Asian Indian community through sponsored events, to include cultural, educational and social programs. GCAP has many activities throughout the year. For more information, visit www.gujaratisamajoftriad.org or call one of the following: Rajubhai Patel (336)-420-7290 or Jayesh Patel (336)-327-1235.

Hare Krishna Temple of The Holy Name in Sandy Ridge This is a friendly,rural, Hare Krishna November 2008

community, situated in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The community is based upon the teachings of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and the philosophy of the Bhagavad-Gita/becoming God conscious. Come and join in the kirtan, mantra meditation, and discourses on the topmost yoga system. There are lots of festivities, and events. So come treat yourself to a free, hot and delicious vegetarian meal. Timings: Every Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Venue: 1283 Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046.

(336) 871-9738. www.prabhupadavillage.com Hindu Society of North Carolina at Greensboro The HSNC at Greensboro, located at 2424 Huffine Mill Road, was formed in 1979. 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 or 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.

Contact: Prem Ramachandaran: (336)-547-9267 and Dhananjay Kumar: (336)-656-0203. www.iatnc.org Life Bliss Foundation Teachings of Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Life Bliss Foundation - NC offers workshops, books, CD’s, and DVD’s on living by enlightened master Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s powerful and unique teachings on spirituality and enlightenment. There is ‘Satsang’ every week at the Center on Tuesdays, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Join for Life Bliss Meditation (Nithya Dhyaan), free Saathee 102

vegetarian meal, plus video discourse with discussion.

The evening is completed with dancing as a meditation. Meditation workshops are taught on a regular basis. Life Bliss Program - Sat & Sun, Dec 6-7, 2008 - 9am - 6pm a weekend Workshop designed by Paramahamsa Nithyananda.

The Life Bliss Program features seven transformational meditation techniques to relax and energize the seven major chakras (energy centers) in your system. It gives clear intellectual and experiential understanding of emotions such as greed, fear, worry, attention need, stress, jealousy, ego, discontentment, etc. The Life Bliss Program draws from religious traditions worldwide. The meditation techniques can be easily practiced by everyone and have been tailored to match the modern mindset.

Location: 1060 Tyler Rd., Walnut Cove, NC 27052, (336)-644-1111. www.lifebliss.org

South Carolina Carolina Buddhist Vihara (Greenville, SC) Regular beginner meditation program conducted by a Buddhist Monk. Activities are held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings: 6:30 p.m. —- puja (chanting).

7:00 pm —- meditation. 8:00 pm —- “Dhamma” talk or discussion. A “youth program” is also held once a month. Bhikkhuni Sudhamma at dhammasc@hotmail.com Hindu Temple and Center (Columbia, S.C.) The temple is located at 5704 Kiawah Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29212.

It is open on weekdays between 8:30 am to 12 noon and between 5 pm and 8:30 pm. On weekends, the temple is open between 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and 5 pm to 8:30 pm. Bal Gokulam (Sunday School) classes are held every Sunday from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon. Classes are designed to help children build physical, mental, cultural, social & spiritual lives. Contact the temple for regular services at (803)-772-6940. www.hindutemplesc.org

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i was so impressed with the breathing techniques during Lunch N Learn at I.B.M. This is a class all ages should take.

- PAULETTE COWAN "I am still amazed how this ancient science of yoga has had such profound effects on my heart.I have quit smoking;... my flexibility and range of motion has surpassed my teenage children."

- MARK BREWER saathee.com

Community News & Events India Assoc. of Greater Charleston (IAGC) The IAGC was founded in 1986 when the residents of Indian origin in Charleston felt the need to form an organization to bring together people who were interested in India and to provide a forum to increase the understanding of the heritage of India in US. Info: iagcfolks@yahoo.com or call 803.884.0859.

India Association of greater Greenville, SC The India Association of Greater Greenville (IAGG), started in 1970, is a voluntary non-profit organization that serves as a forum for cultural and social interaction for individuals and families in Greater Greenville area that have links with (or interests pertaining to) the subcontinent of India. www.iagg.org.

India Association of Orangeburg, S.C. The Indian Association of Orangeburg, SC (IAO), has been revitalized since 2001. Orangeburg and surrounding counties account for families of Indian origin.

Memberships have been initiated and are in the process of developing this association to a non-profit organization. www.iaosc.com International Fellowship Church of Greenville, SC International Fellowship Church invites you to join with us for Sunday Worship services and other exciting weekly activities for people of Indian origin. For more info call Pastor Suhas Raiborde - (864)234-1256 or visit www.internationalfellowshipchurch.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 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Quranic Reading classes are conducted daily. Children are encouraged to attend. For further details contact Dr. Shami at (803)749-0827, Qari Abdul Khader Multani at (803)-740-5127 or the mosque at (803)-754-2632.

November 2008

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. www.sirigannada.org 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 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 or email 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 8:00 p.m. Bal Vihar classes are conducted Sundays from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Sri Venkateshwara Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Sat of month at 9:00 a.m. Info: (864)967-2852.

Regional Cape Fear Cultural Association of India-Wilmington, NC 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.

President: Anil Shah (910) 799-0948. Cultural Program Director: Suvarna Karve (910) 7914686, Treasury Director: Purnima Khajanchi (910) 762-4903, Santosh Sheth (910)-392-1929.

Indo-US Cultural Association of Winston-Salem The Indo-US Cultural Association is a non-profit organization whose 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 crosscultural understanding.

Info: www.indouswinston.org; Ananda Mitra at (336)-682-5727, ananda@wfu.edu Hindu Temple (Hindu Society Of Eastern NC) (Greenville, NC) All programs are from 11:00 AM12:00 PM [noon], followed by Aarti & Prasad unless specified otherwise.

General Info: Dharam Vasnani - Home: (252)-830-5177, Work: (252)-792-6692, e-Mail: VasnaniD@aol.com Hindutempleenc@gmail.com

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. saatheemag@hotmail.com 704.527.7570

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

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the art of Navratri, Karva Chauth, Diwali and Eid

By Deepali Deshpande The joyous season of celebrations is here and the application of Mehendi for these festivals has become a tradition as well as a fashion statement.

Navratri, the biggest celebration of Goddess Durga, is grandly celebrated in Gujarat, Bengal and in all other Indian communities.

In G u j a r a t “Dandiya ras and garba dance” is the main attraction for this festival.

All nine days of this festival are filled with enthusiasm and colorful clothes and uplifting rhythms. Putting henna on during Navratri is kind of a fashion. Lots of girls like to put fancy and temporary tattoos that match their ghagra choli.

The face of Goddess Durga, and various dancing poses in Garba dance are very popular for henna artwork. One of the designs that can be applied is Lord Krishna and Radha’s dancing poses doing “Dandiya Ras.” The grand celebration of Navratri ends with “Dashera.”

Karva Chauth is another big celebration in this season. The day of Karva Chauth is celebrated mostly amongst the North Indian c o m m u n i t y.

The most important aspect of this day is a dawn to dusk fast practiced by married women.

On this day the women get up before sunrise, worship Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, and Shree November 2008

Ganesha. They believe in the blessings of God for longevity and prosperity of their husbands and children. They eat their meal early in the morning before sunrise and in the evening they finally break their fast after seeing the moon.

The fast is unique since nowhere in the world does a wife go without food or water just to pray for the longevity and well being of her husband. Karva chauth celebrations are incomplete without the Halwais (sweet shops), the Mehendi artists and Chudiwalis (bangle shops).

They believe that the married woman who gets a dark mehendi stain will get lots of love and caring from her groom. It symbolically says that, as the henna gives away her color to others, the married woman should also be generous and kind to give up certain things to beautify the life ahead of her.

These and other functions in modern days require booking a Henna artist in advance.

Often the patterns for these occasions are quick and simple as there are so many women waiting to have their mehendi done, and everyone wants the auspicious red color on their palms for these celebrations.

Diwali, the festival of lights is one of the biggest celebrations in Indian community. Almost every person that originates from India, celebrates this special festival worldwide.

There is no tradition for putting henna on Diwali as such, but in modern days people enjoy Diwali parties and “Diwali mela” with henna.

As Diwali is filled with lights and fireworks, the use of glitters add an extra glowing charm to the henna artwork.

Ramadan period is another auspicious season and is celebrated in Muslim communities worldwide. The festival of Eid is grandly celebrated with families and friends. The sweets, gifts , bangles, gajra, surma, perfumes and Henna add special charm to this celebration.

We will focus the special episode on “Henna tradition and designs for Eid” in the next issue.

Happy Ramadan and Eid mubarak to all in the Muslim community!

Happy Diwali to all the readers!

dipumo@yahoo.com 919 596 5159 or 650 544 5099 http://www.geocities.com/dipalishenna/ http://www.geocities.com/dipalishenna/

Saathee 106

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Clues Down: 1.

A features magazine for the South Asian community of the Carolinas.

2. Hindustan; Bharat.

3. ___ Vegas.

4. A Chinese unit of distance approximately = ½ km.

5. The comparative form of old.

6. Gynecologist. (*) 7. Shove; Drive.

8. Overtime. (*) 9. A day set apart for grateful acknowledgement of benefits and favors to God. 12. An aquatic weasel-like mammal, having webbed feet and a long flattened tail.

14. A large Western island of the British Isles.

16. Extra– terrestrial. (*) 18. An instrument for writing with ink.

20. The supreme Being, God, in Islam faith.

22. To melt; Liquefy.

23. Packages.

27. The 12th letter of Greek alphabet. (µ) 28. Having necessary skill; Qualified.

30. Dried sweet grape.

31. Florida. (*) 34. Association of Teachers Education in Europe. (*) 36. Electron Spin Resonance. (*) 37. A country formerly, Persia; Cap. Teheran.

38 Heroic; Majestic; Impressively great.

40. Plural of Man. 42. Look! See! (Interjection: frequently used in Biblical expressions) 44. Hawaii. (*)

By Kirit Shukla 1

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(Puzzle solutions are on page 118. NO peeking!)

(Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase)

Hee Hee

Clues Across: 1. The capital of Meghalaya.

7. A metal container used for cooking or serving.

10. A thin, horny plate growing at the finger end.

11. “__ Corner”, Saathee’s feature on finding words.

13 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. (*) 15. Depressions in a surface, as from blows.

17. India’s national flag is a __-colored. (3-colored) 18. Favorite; Most favored.

19. In relation to; By comparison with. (Preposition) 21. An exhaust manifold. (Auto) 23. Bachelor of Engineering. (*) 24. Luke. (*) (Bible) 25. Elevation. (*) 26. Indiana. (*) 27. Large pictures painted on a wall or a ceiling.

29. The hearing organs in humans.

31. Enjoyment or playfulness.

32. A pouch.

33. Of or pertaining to the nose.

35. The former capital of the Mogul empire of India.

37. A senseless or utterly foolish person.

38. Other than the things mentioned or implied.

39. A heavy horizontal timber for distributing loads.

40. Michigan. (*) 41. Not dead or lifeless.

43. Island. (*) 44. The female of a domestic fowl.

45. No one.

46. South Carolina. (*) 47. To vocalized melodically.

November 2008

(Booddhoo is foolish. Amir is rich. Mafatlal is a freeloader.)

Year 2000: When US economy was booming. A sign in a toy store read: “Watch your children.”

Year 2008: The prices had gone sky high and US economy is in a slump. The same sign in the store now reads: “Watch your language.” ****** Booddhoo: “ I have taken good care of my home aquarium and my fish is really very happy.”

Friend: “Fish cannot talk. How do know it’s happy?”

Booddhoo: “It is always wagging the tail!” ****** The politician won the election. He called his mother. “Mom, the election results are in. I won the election.”

Mother: “Honestly?”

Politician: “Why bring that up at a time like this?” ****** Mafatlal: “It is going to rain heavily. I am worried because my wife has gone to the bazaar.”

Booddhoo: “Don’t worry. She will go inside a store.”

Mafatlal: “That is what I am worried about!” ****** Saathee 106

saathee.com

EZ-BZ

YOUTH CORNER

TEST YOUR OWN IQ

(Created By Kirit Shukla)

(The common letters are “GI” - Fill in the blanks)

(Find & circle the words in the puzzle).

(They are all “African countries”).

ALGERIA BENIN BOTSWANA BURKINA CAMEROON CAPE CHAD DJIBOUTI EGYPT ERITREA ETHIOPIA FASO GHANA

1.

2.

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4.

Start. _ _ GI _ A tallest living quadruped animal.

GI _ _ _ _ _ Desirable; qualified. _ _ _ GI _ _ _ A violin like Indian musical instrument used to accompany dancing. _ _ _ _ GI 5. A state in SE US; Cap. Richmond _ _ _ GI _ _ 6. A trap or snare for game.

GI _ 7. A day set apart for grateful acknowledgement of benefits and favors to God. _ _ _ _ _ GI _ _ _ 8. An administrative division of a city. _ _ GI_ _ 9. A state in SE US; Cap. Atlanta. _ _ _ _ GI _ 10. Inflammation of the gums.

GI _ GI _ _ _ _ _ 11. Thank God Its Friday. (*) _ GI _ 12. Brittle; Delicate . _ _ _ GI _ _ 13. Huge; Unusually large.

GI _ _ _ 14. A geologic researcher. _ _ _ _ _ GI _ _ 15. The art of producing illusion for fun. _ _ GI _ 16. Ritual observance of faith. _ _ _ _ GI _ _ 17. The portion of the Mahabharata, in the form of a dialogue between Krishna & Arjuna.

GI _ _ 18. The point in the Cartesian coordinate system where the axes intersect. _ _ _ GI _ 19. The power of moving quickly. _ GI _ _ _ _ 20. Plural of Fungus. _ _ _ GI 21. A reed like plant, having a pungent and spicy smell, used in cookery.

GI _ _ _ _ 22. To enroll in a school. _ _ GI _ _ _ _ 23. Not stiff; Flexible. _ _ _ _ _ GI _ 24. The accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. _ GI _ _ 25. A skillful, technical person skilled in design, construction, using mechanics. _ _ GI _ _ _ _

GUINEA MADAGASCAR MALAWI MALI MAURITIUS MOZAMBIQUE NIGER SEYCHELLES SWAZILAND TANZANIA TOGO ZIMBABWE

The unused 5 letters spell the “Third Largest country in Central Africa.”

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November 2008

(Puzzle solutions are on page 118. NO peeking!)

All I know is, I weighed 55 Kilograms before my boss sent me to that personal growth seminar!

Saathee 107

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 mammals in order from most to less intelligence. (a) Elephant (b) Dolphin (c) Gorilla (d) Human being 2. Music director of 1968 Hindi film: Anokhi Raat. (a) Madan Mohan (b) Naushad (c) Ravi (d) Roshan 3. “Shillong–Agartala” distance by highway 44 is (a) 290 Kms. (b) 390 Kms. (c) 490 Kms. (d) 590 Kms.

November 2008

4. Maximum numbers of gold medals in Olympics of 2008 were won by (a) USA (b) China (c) Russia (d) Germany 5. Benjamin Harrison was US President from—to (a) 1881-1885 (b) 1885-1889 (c) 1889-1893 (d) 1893-1897 6. The word “Hush-hush” means: (a) Confidential (b) Hurry up (c) Ear of Corn (d) Badly injured 7. 20% of 30% is equal to (a) 2% (c) 6%

(b) 3% (d) 9%

8. The state nickname “Equality State” is (a) Washington (b) New York (c) Tennessee (d) Wyoming 9. Gujarat State produces approximately __ % of pharmaceutical products of India. (a) 25% (b) 35% (c) 45% (d) 55% 10. Asia’s largest ship breaking yard is in (a) Pakistan (b) Sri Lanka (c) Bangladesh (d) India 11. The clouds above 20000 feet are commonly classified as group __? (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D 12. One cup of “1% low fat milk” has approx. (a) 50 Calories. (b) 100 Calories. (c) 150 Calories. (d) 200 Calories 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.

Final answers on page 118 - HEY don’t peek!

November 2008

Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. ...

Nov. Nov. Nov. ...

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.Daylight saving time ends, US .Laabh Panchami .Election Day, US .Jalaram Jayanti .Jain Atthai begins .Dev-oothi Ekadasi .Veterans day .Deva Diwali .Guru Nanak Jayanti .Nehru Jayanti, Children’s Day .Utpati Ekadasi .Guru Tegabahadur Shahid din .Thanksgiving Day .Jilhaj

Dec. ... ...

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December 2008 .Bakri Eid .Geeta Jayanti .Mokshadaa Ekadasi .Dattaatraiya Jayanti (Full Moon) .Geeta Jayanti .First day of winter (US) . Paarshwanath Jayanti .Hanukkah .Safalaa Ekadasi .Christmas Day .Zarathosht No Diso .Darsha Amas (No Moon) .Muharram; Hijri Year 1430 begins .New Year’s Eve; Last day of 2008

Major Holidays & Festivals of Jan. 09/Feb. 09.

Jan. 1 . . . . . .New Year’s day; First day of 2009 Jan. 14 . . . . .Makarsankranti / Uttarayan Jan. 26 . . . . .India’s Republic day Jan. 30 . . . . .Mahatma Gandhi Nirvana day Feb. 14 . . . . .Valentines day Feb. 23 . . . . .Maha Shivaratri Saathee 110

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November 2008

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The Chai Table

The Credit Crunch

continued from page 42

continued from page 42

appropriately. Weeping or shouting and screaming only cause further misunderstanding. When misunderstandings or disagreements occur, couples should discuss and negotiate a resolution to get back on track and continue the relationship.

They need to spend time together doing active, mutually interesting projects like yoga, hiking, golfing, dancing, painting, pottery, swimming, or tennis. The list is endless. These activities increase bonding while time spent interacting with one another can open communication channels and encourage intimacy.

Ravi also needs to empower her to be independent, have her own circle of friends, and go out while he looks after the children on weekends. This will satisfy her social needs and prevent “burn out” in their relationship.

A woman wants someone she can rely on. If a husband says he will be home at 6:00, he should be home at 6:00. If he is running late, he should call. He should remember random milestones like birthdays and anniversaries as it makes the partner feel important and special. He should visit her family and interact with her friends. Women love it when their spouse gets along with their families and friends. Most of all he needs to show his love by appreciating and hugging his wife everyday.

Finally each person should have the freedom to make choices. Neither one has the right to tell the other what he or she can or cannot do. The key to a healthy partnership is to respect each other and support each other’s goals and ambitions. People must grow and become their ideal self, with the other’s support.

In order to attempt to restart this “heart” and mitigate damage to the wider economic body, the government decided to step in with a number of measures, including a much disputed $700 billion bailout plan.

The plan has evolved over a series of changes to include a $250 billion government purchase of preferred bank stocks and government guarantee of certain types of commercial paper. While the positives and negatives of this government action continue to be debated, fortunately, banks have begun to show signs that they are more willing to lend to each other, which will hopefully lead to some stability in the financial markets. While stock prices have at times appeared to be boosted by this good news, data releases are showing that economic weakening began even before the credit crisis began last month have mitigated improvement in stock prices. So while the financial heart may begin to start pumping again, the economic body looks like it is suffering from more illnesses than one and will likely need some time to recover.

Summer Bailey is the Net-IP Co-Chair for Professional Development. NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas Chapter of North America’s largest Network of Indian Professionals. Contact her at summer@netipcharlotte.org.

More information at: www.NetIPCharlotte.org.

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Astride continued from page 46 replied, “No, no Hardy, on the contrary it is a very interesting number. It’s the smallest number that can be represented as the sum of two cubes, in two different ways.”

Ramanujan’s untimely death shocked everybody.

Medical science was not so well developed in those days. Ramanujan’s home state of Tamil Nadu celebrates December 22, his birthday, as State IT Day. A stamp picturing Ramanujan was released by the Government of India in 1962—-the 75th anniversary of Ramanujan’s birth, commemorating his achievements in the field of number theory.

A prize for young mathematicians from developing countries has been created in the name of Ramanujan by the ICTP or International Center for Theoretical Physics, in cooperation with the International Mathematical Union. During the year 1987, Ramanujan’s centennial, the printed form of Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook was released by the late Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, following publication by Springer-Verlag and Narosa.

Ramanuja died in 1920 at the young age of thirty three. Death be not proud.

November 2008

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Saathee 112

web: AbbiC.hpw.com

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Hyderabad entices

Stock Tickers

continued from page 16

continued from page 52

strange culture, I feel a little anxious, conscious of my ignorance of local etiquette, but when there are lots of other Indian tourists, I feel fine: they manage to stamp all over their own heritage so comprehensively that the polite reticence of the conscientious westerner seems almost reverential in comparison.

represented a loss of 1,874 points (-18.15 percent).

The Dow had a handsome snap-back from one of its worst weeks ever - on Monday, 10/13/2008, the Dow enjoyed its biggest point gain ever, rising 936 points to 9,387 - however, the volatility and declines continued; ten days after the record-breaking “up-move”, the Dow surrendered over 1,000 points.

After years of declines, the U.S. Dollar seems to have turned a corner and is starting to get “greener” again despite all of the chaos and calamity in the financial markets. During mid-2Q2008, it cost $2.10$2.11 to buy a British Pound and now it is $1.60 against the Sterling. At one point a few months ago, the greenback fetched only 90 Canadian cents but has now reached back to $1.26 Canadian. The greenback had also tumbled to “even-exchange” levels against the Australian Dollar and Swiss Franc but has regained substantial ground against those currencies as well. When the Euro came into being on 1/1/2002, the greenback-Euro was “even exchange.” At its strongest point in late July 2008-early August 2008, a Euro bought nearly $1.58 - at the time of this writing it cost $1.29 to purchase a Euro.

There have been six Fed meetings and the interest rates were lowered sharply at the beginning of the year but have been kept steady throughout 2Q2008 and 3Q2008. During the first week of October 2008, the Fed and other central banks put together a coordinated interest rate cut to help boost up the ailing economy and financial institutions. Currently, the Fed Funds Rate (the rate at which banks borrow money from other banks) currently stands at 1.50 percent and the Discount Rate (the rate at which banks borrow money directly from the Federal Reserve) currently stands at 1.75 percent. The remaining regularly scheduled meeting of the Federal Reserve Board for CY2008 is on December 16.

Buddha Purnima The Buddha Purnima was pleasant too; it’s a 17.5mhigh statue of Buddha perched on a platform in the middle of the city’s huge Hussain Sagar lake. I took a boat out to the statue and back, and it was easy to understand how disaster had struck when the statue was being installed. The barge carrying it to the island had capsized and the statue, a bloody huge piece of stone, had sunk to the bottom of the lake. Luckily a salvage team managed to bring it back up unharmed, despite its two-year sojourn in the depths, but they couldn’t bring back the eight people who’d gone down with it. It completes the tripartite of Hyderabadi religion: the Islamic Masjid Mecca, the Hindu Birla Mandir and the Buddhist Buddha Purnima.

And as for the Archaeological Museum, yet again I became the main exhibit as family after family engaged me in lackluster conversation about what I thought of India, what was my name, where did I come from and so on. I wonder whether all this repetitive conversation is going to drive me nuts in much the same way it did in Indonesia, but where my Indonesian conversations consisted generally of census questions and rarely strayed into conversation about Indonesia itself, Indian conversation is more like a job application form, with questions like ‘Why do you want this job? What are your good and bad points? Do you have any other comments that might affect your application?’ attached to spaciously empty white boxes. The set pieces of ‘What is your name?’ and ‘What country?’ soon give way to questions like ‘Why have you come here? What do you think of India? And do you like Indian girls?’ all of which are general enough to elicit responses beyond the monosyllabic. It might still be an interview by numbers, but at least it’s an interview, rather than a monologue.

Mark Moxon is a freelance web developer, producer and journalist. His travel writings and photos appear on moxon.net. Also visit markmoxon.com.

November 2008

Special Note: This article contains the ideas and thoughts of its author and it does not necessarily imply the viewpoints of “Saathee” magazine or its principals.

Rajesh Ganatra is also the Community News Editor for Saathee and writes “The Cricket Forum” column every month as well. Contact: rajeshtganatra@rocketmail.com.

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November 2008

Nazar

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state of health is clearly indicated. Avoid any aggression and don’t make any decision under the influence of over confidence.

General Predictions for November 2008 ARIES MAR 20 - APR 20 After a negative start, time will take a positive turn. It is advisable to use the second week of the month most for making any move. You may enjoy a row of success this month. Your own efforts will help you in earning more income. Your confidence will be at par. You will enjoy good help from friends and partners. However drive carefully and run cautiously to avoid any mishap.

TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 21 Time is very favorable to make any long-term decision. You may take important family/career related action this month, but be prepared for healthy competition. Also watch your health and live with discipline. Try to work out partnership disputes, if there are any. A small cheat or lie may help you earn big money. Student may have to work hard to achieve desired grade. Try to avoid shady politics.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUN 21 You may experience two very distinct life experiences during the first and second half of the month. Even though you are protected well, you may experience sudden setback. Try not to lose your self-confidence under the influence of excitement or anger. Watch your health seriously this month. Discipline could also be very helpful. Avoid driving during last week of the month. Your spouse may prove to be a good help.

CANCER JUN 21 - JUL 22 You will perform excellent at your place of work, but will see no immediate benefit. You are at the verge of a change during last days of the month.

Don’t wait for next month to make any decision.

The turning point may bring feeling of big relief. A friendly discussion with parents may help you in making true decision. Don’t make any major decision on your own. Some financial losses are also possible this month.

LEO JUL 22 - AUG 23 After a negative start, time will take a sudden positive turn. You may experience a “roller coaster ride” in life this month. However, carelessness may become cause of health problem. Try to move fast and adopt flexible attitude during the second half of the month. Support from your friends and associates will delight you. You may enter into a new venture. Don’t hesitate to make a bold decision.

VIRGO AUG 23 - SEP 23 Your life will be controlled by circumstances this month. You may struggle at your place of work.

The week of the month, however, is open for you to make your decisions. Try to act very cautiously. A family gathering during last days of the month may bring good luck for you. A steady November 2008

Saathee 116

LIBRA SEP 23 - OCT 23 You may enjoy steady progress this month. With the great help of your family, more specifically your sibling, you will enjoy success. Try not to move very fast. You may feel happy during middle of the month. You will see rise in the bank balance. Stock market may bring some relief during third week of the month. For the students, now is time to focus on study. Time is good for a long drive.

SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 22 This is the period of great achievement and celebration. Your friends and seniors will be with you to enjoy the tremendous success. You will enjoy love and respect from your higher authorities.

You will invest some money in business or home affairs. Time is changing to a bit on the negative side for students. Your enemies won’t even dare to harm you. You will use your self-confidence and achieve success.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21 After a positive start, you will experience a minor downfall this month. You may lose your confidence and make wrong decisions. Try to maintain easy temperament and keep working hard. Don’t try to be overly smart. Don’t take any loan or debt this month. A strong para-psychic experience may bring a major negative change between your friend circle and relations with your family.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 You will experience minor positive change in the beginning of the month. You may feel relaxed, too. Your workload will increase but will prove to be rewarding. Support from the family and partners will bring good results in business / trade.

You should continue watching your health carefully and avoiding enmity with anybody. Also don’t plan any outing, as you might have to change your program.

AQUARIUS JAN 20 - FEB 19 Try to be practical during this month. It is better to concentrate in enjoying family and social life.

Time is not good for students. If working, last chance for getting promotion is still there. In either case, there will be a rise in income. Be aware of your surreptitious enemies. They could destroy your plans and take away happiness. If involved in legal dispute, the time is becoming positive now.

PISCES FEB 19 - MAR 20 Even though you will feel that the time is improving, some new problems will start in the last week of the month. Minor health issue could turn into prime concern this month. You must act very carefully and avoid taking any kind of risk. Old family problems will continue bothering you. Your performance at work could be poor, but your luck will protect you. Long term planning is essential now.

By Jalendu Vaidya Contact: 973-365-1766 / hindusvision.com saathee.com

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November 2008

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Saathee

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Hiring for Quiznos at Eastfield & Prosperity Road (Charlotte,NC) Anyone can apply! Housewives, professionals, students. Part or full time, evenings, weekends. No experience necessary!

Will Train. Contact sen07@yahoo.com or 704.728.3135 Indian Tutor Needed: Must speak, read & write Hindi. Pay $11/hour. Parttime 10hrs. / week. Call 704-364-6666 or apply in person at 469 N. Wendover Rd., Charlotte, NC from 9am to 6pm 7 days a week.

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. Email resumes: abcone@abcinns.com or call 704-649-6833.

Motel Help Wanted: Looking for a couple or single for housekeeping, maintenance, desk clerk / night audit duties. Accomodations provided. call 919.208.3513.

Help Wanted - Quiznos Restaurant: in Raleigh, NC area. Couple or single person needed for full time or part time. Opportunity to grow, will train.

Excellent Pay. Please Call Vinit @ 919358-4876.

Nanny needed: Live in / live out for 17 month & 7 year old girls of Gujarati couple in Concord, NC. Light housework & cooking included. Good Salary.

Call 704-720-9449 Live in/Live out nanny required: For 14 month old and newborn.

Childcare and light cooking needed.

Position located in Belmont, Gaston county, NC. Call 704 578 5548.

Nanny Needed: Experienced, reliable nanny needed weekday afternoons (3:00 PM to 6:00PM) for 7 & 5 year-old living in Huntersville, NC (off exit 23 on I-77). Will consider full day too.

Cooking & Housework optional. Call 704-947-7939.

Care taker needed: full time or Part time for an elderly patient. Plus light house work. Call 704-351-4313 Live-In/Live-Out Nanny: (preferable live-in) needed URGENTLY for one year old. Uptown Charlotte area. Duties include some help with household work, cooking and taking good care of the baby. Please call 704-763-2197.

Help Wanted: In Aiken, SC for cooking and light housework for vegetarian, Hindu family. Live in/out. Call 803.439.8785.

November 2008

Gas Station Help Wanted: Full time help for convenience store near Charlotte. Accommodations provided. 704.701.9975 Motel Help: Capable for Housekeeping, maintenance & desk-clerk duties.

Experience needed. Accomodations provided. Call 336-625-1880 or fax 336-625-9700. Serious inquiries only.

Servers Needed: for a popular restaurant in the Triangle area.

Friendly and pleasant personality with an ability to work in a fast paced environment. Restaurant experience a plus. Please call 919-434-5078.

Now Hiring: Store managers & bookkeepers for apparel stores. Willing to relocate. Please call Rajesh at 803327-1160 or 704-277-3233 Indian Restaurant Now Hiring: In Durham,NC. Need experienced Chefs & Waiters. Call Michael at 919-493-0033

Businesses For Sale: C-Stores: Hillsborough, $300K + Inv, GR $900K; Sanford, NC $119K +Inv, GR $2.67 M; NC Coastal Area, Full Service Marina & Real Estate $24 M, Gr $7.2 M; Durham, NC $350K + Inv, Gr $1.65 M; Many NC & SC locations available under 99K + Inv. 704.814.9435 www.countysouth.biz Convenience Store For Sale: in Augusta, GA. Lottery, check cashing, money order, kitchen & more! $250k + inv. Lease 5 yrs plus 10 years. Serious inquiries only. Call Mina 706.627.4151 or Soonae 706.513.4869 Available in the Triangle Area: CStore/Gas Station w/ land in Nash County, NC - $400K, Motel w/Land outside Raleigh, NC - $1.6M. Self Storage on 1 acre - $850,000. For detail contact: info@entrustassociates.com or Olga at 919.881.9997.

Help Wanted: Young, Energetic Sales Person Needed For Mens Clothing Store In Columbia, SC & Camden, SC. Must Speak Fluent English. Call (803) 427-1681

Liquor store & C-Store for Sale/Lease: Reduced in Clover, SC (Near Gastonia): Asking $115 k + inv (Negotiable) on lease or $350k inc 1200 sq. ft. building /w 1 acre land. Gross for both $377k. Call Rocky 803.810.5105

Nanny Needed: Reliable, experienced Nanny needed for 2yr. & 7 mnths. old. For Live-In position in South Charlotte, NC. Excellent accomodations & compensation.

Housekeeping & cooking expected. Call 704-770-5822

Quick Service Restaurant For Sale: Charlotte, NC. Well-Established High volume Franchise. Turn-key operation.

Great business that can provide 30 - 40% CASH ON CASH Return. Asking $250,000.

MOTIVATED SELLER! Serious Inquiries only. Call 704-701-9701

Live Out Nanny Needed: Experienced & reliable live-out nanny wanted for 3 year old in South Charlotte. Drop-off to school, light housework / cooking expected. English and / or Gujarati required. Call 704-315-5227 Household Help Wanted: In the Ballantyne area. 3-7pm MondayFriday. Cooking, light cleaning, dishes, laundry & ironing. Call 704-544-5383.

Can meet after 6pm on weeknights.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: Indian Grocery Store For Sale: in Matthews, NC. Only serious inquiries Call 704-351-4313 Dry Cleaners For Sale: In Greenville, SC. 4000+ sq.ft. plant with property.

Includes new 3BR apartment & two drop off stores. Call Jay (864) 3502571 Wanted Hotel on Lease: An experienced operator is wanting a hotel / motel property on lease. Contact Joe: 252-412-7681 Email: hamiltonfax@yahoo.com Bowling Center For Sale: All Equipment & Real Estate Included.

11308 Sq Ft Facility on 1.59 Acres Siler City, NC (Hwy 64). $650,000 Owner Financing Avail. Potential 6 to 7 K income / month. Call Harris Realty & Auction (919) 498-4077

PROPERTY FOR SALE OR RENT: Town house for rent Concord, NC. 2100 sq ft 3 Br, study, 2 car garage with lots of storage. water included.

Hardwood floors in dining / kitchen / sunroom. Call 704-720-9449 Apt. For Rent Kolkata: 2 beds, 2bath 1000 sq. ft. ground floor. Defense Colony, Salt Lake Sector 3. Close to IT Park, airport, rail station, schools, and mall. Rent Rs. 15000/month. Deposit req. Contact: dhavalfreny@yahoo.com call: 09958093159.

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. Only 4 miles from downtown, Airport, South Park Mall. Great Schools (Myers Park High & AG Middle). Near Light Rail. 2br & 1.5 bath. $149,000. Scaleybark at Woodlawn Rd. Call 704.641.9336.

SERVICES: Front Desk Clerk/Night Auditor Available: Experienced. Full or Part Time. Fluent in English, computer knowledge, college graduate. Call 704-8867109 or email: gautam_d123@yaoo.com saathee.com

SERVICES: 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 EMail: krsnapriyad@hotmail.com Music Lessons: Classical & light music trained teacher, for ages 3+, beginners and intermediates welcome. No talent only interest required! Patient, encouraging and friendly approach. Please contact Amrita 704-548-0607.

Shree Beauty: NC state licensed cosmetologist in Mooresville area offering haircut, eyebrow threading, waxing, facial, massage & much more. For appointments call Jagruti Pancholy 704.500.2724 or 704.658.7747 Daley Circle Learning: Experienced & certified english teacher available for End of Grade Coaching, Summer enrichment Teaching & Reflective Essay Writing. Serving the Triangle Area. Call 919-832-4599, email: returned54@yahoo.com Beautician in Charlotte, NC : Vandana Patel. Eyebrows, bleach, facial, wax, haircuts, manicure, pedicure, bridal makeup & Mehndi. 22 Years of experience. Call for appointment 704.552.4795.

November 2008

Harmonium/Keyboard Player: For any occasion/party, Garba-raas, traditional Indian wedding songs, programs & lessons. Kirit 704.568.8206.

Balaji Priest: All kinds of puja, havan, katha, weddings, graha shanti, funeral services & Shraadh. In Hindi, English & Tamil. 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

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

Dholi For Hire: for any occasion, barat, doli, graduation, birthdays, baby showers and any other festivity. Affordable rate.

Instructional classes. Also Indian Clothing for Sale, Chudidar & Anarkali suits, etc.

Call Ritu Bhandari at 704-843-7202 e-mail: sbhandari@carolina.rr.com.

Babysitter Available full-time or parttime. Experienced. Speaks Hindi, Gujarati and English. Call 704.619-1603.

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, Diwaliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Deadline is the 20th.

Saathee Classified PO Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220 E-mail: saatheemag@hotmail.com 704.527.7570 Fax: 704.527.7590

A features magazine for the South Asian Community of the Carolinas

saathee.com

Index of Advertisers All Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Allstate (Adam Pham MBA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Amerifab International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Ashirvad Tours & Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Asian Grocery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Austin Village Eyecare (Keshav Bhat O.D. MS) .81 BallantyneTech Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Bashyam, Spiro & Edgerton LLP (Immigration Law)111 Bayleaf Catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 BBN Distributors (Whole Sale) . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Bharat Bazaar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Bhindi Jewellers . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover Bhojwani, Pinky Patel (New York Life) . . . . . . .57 Blooming Buds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Bombay Cuisine Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Bombay Grille Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Bright Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Carlisle Chiropractic Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Cary Photo & Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Chaat & Chai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat . . . . . . . . . .79 Charlotte Primary Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Concha, David - Immigration Attorney . . . . . . .40 County South Realty & Business Brokers . . . . .20 Countywide Sealcoating & Striping . . . . . . . . . .40 Delhi Palace (Columbia, SC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Dell Pest Exterminating (Gulzar) . . . . . . . . . . .68 Dentist (Dr. Prashant Rao-Cedar Walk Dentistry) 79 Desai, Raj (Accountant) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Dick James Law Firm (Monty Desai) . . . . . . . . .63 Dish Network (Viren Mehta) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 DJ Kenz (Kenz Desai) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 DJ Don (David Pandoria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 DJ Ravi (Bhangra Baam) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Editor Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Elegant Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Eshaan Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Fairview Home Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Fast Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Fine Jewelry (The Journey NC, LLC) . . . . . . . . .91 Five Star Limousine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Friends Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Fu Lin Asian Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Gandhi International Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Grover Medical Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Halal Shish Kabob House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Henna's Dulhan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 iFuturistics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 India Grocers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 India Palace (Columbia SC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 India Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Indian Grocery (Columbia - formerly Patel Groc) 25 In-Style Boutique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 International Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Jain Construction & Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Jaipur Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Jotwani, Manoj (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Jyoti Catering (Mr. or Mrs. Patel ) . . . . . . . . . .38 KD Photographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Khandekar, Shobna (Real Estate - Allen Tate) . .07 Kumon School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Limon Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Madhosh Melody (J. Gulzar Pyara Lal) . . . . . . .85 Mahabazar.com Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Maharani Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Malani Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover Mandap World (Nita Govan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Mathew, Bindu (Century 21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors) . . . . . . .79 Maya Creations . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover Mrithujayan, Sue (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . .4 & 77 Namaste India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) . . . . . . . . . .119 Nazar Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Oracle Training (Advanced Logic Systems) . . . .53 Parekh , Bipin & Smita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Parikh, Utpal (Real Estate) UPA Investments . . .11 Patel, Champa (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Patel, Mrunal (Beautician) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Pathak, Atul (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Payal Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Photography By Vinod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Prashant Video Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 November 2008

Pretty Inspirations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Pro-Learners IT Training (Provish Consulting) . .65 Punjabi Dhaba (Indian Restaurant Columbia, SC) . .25

Puvvala, JP (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 R.P. Videography (Rashmi Patel) . . . . . . . . . .113 Rajbhog Foods (Shree Kailash) . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Rajdeep Mandap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Rajdeep Video (Ramesh Panjabi) . . . . . . . . . .103 Rajeshree Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Rama Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Rapid Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Refulgent Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Religious Ceremonies (Swaminath Sastrigal) . .95 Royal Kabab Hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Royal Pakistan Grocery Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Saathee Subscription Coupon . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Saathee.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Saffron Restaurant & Sangeeta's Catering . . .77 Sangrock (Taekwondo & Yoga) . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Security 101 (Bhavin Shah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Shah, Anish (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . .66 & 67 Shah, Chandravadan (Real estate & Mortgage) .59 Shah, Kirti (CPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Shyama Beauty Parlour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Situl Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Sleep Inn (Charlotte) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Soma Indian Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Sonal Furniture & Custom Draperies . . . . . . . .33 Sunuvkriti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Take Out R Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Tamarind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Taste Of India (Gaffney SC) . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Total Real Estate Solutions (Amanda Tucker & Kim Martin) 73 Transportation (Diamond Cab) . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Travel Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Travelinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Ttravel Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Tulika's Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Tyagi, Rita (Real Estate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Udipi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Usha Decor (Wedding Planning & Decor) . . . . .31 Varsha Enterprises (Jhankar Orchestra Tour) . . .20 Vyas Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Wedding Specialists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 White Horse Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Woodlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Worldwide travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Zamana Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

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We speak Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi & English.

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Phone: 919.467.5084 Fax: 919.467.5823 E-Mail:FRIENDSTRAVELNC@YAHOO.COM Emergency Service: 919.455.5213

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November 2008

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