CaroMont Family Medicine

Bankim Patel, MD

For more than sixteen years, CaroMont Family Medicine of Gastonia has offered patients excellent care through friendly staff and experienced providers. Dr. Patel is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Our providers have over thirty combined years of experience in family medicine.

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CaroMont Family Medicine - Gastonia

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Phone: 704.834.2420 Fax: 704.834.2426

Shankar Mahadevan Interview:

Samir Shukla: Talk about recording the new record.

Shankar Mahadevan: I’ve been touring and associated with Shakti for 22 years. We have always been talking about doing a studio recording, especially in the pandemic the plans especially crystallized, to meet and go into studio, but the plan fell through because of Covid, and during that time we decided let us do a studio album to commemorate Shakti’s 50th anniversary. We were all in remote places with digital technology and video conferencing, which I’ve been doing with my academy for the last 11-12 years, it is pretty easy and convenient too because everyone is in their home studio or studio close by to their homes. So, we started talking via lots of messages, texts, WhatsApp, emails… going back and forth and we had this cloud drive where we would upload our stuff, everyone comments and puts it back on.

It’s a humongous process but everyone was so kicked about it and so keen to do it so the process was very interesting. Instead of traditionally where we would have gone into the studio and boom boom play and record and got out, so it was very interesting. It was almost like a painting that was unfolding, one day a person’s files are uploaded and the next day another person’s then you hear it and you can see the song blossoming. With John ji and Zakir bhai’s enthusiasm everybody follows them and it is infectious, with the kind of blessing they give and the encouragement they bring to the whole project.

Shukla: Yeah, and it gels and sounds like everyone is in the same room.

Mahadevan: One person sends the file and the other person records it, and after he records, the person who sent the file rerecords it and becomes like a two way thing that makes you feel like you are in a room playing. For example in my improvisation if I have taken a particular rhythmic little phrase, and it feels like it can be accompanied by percussionist who enhances that rhythmic improvisation and he rerecords it and now it feels like you are playing face to face with eye contact.

Shukla: It’s been at least 10 years since the last tour and there’s this whole new energy to this with the anniversary and post pandemic, what is the new element you wish to bring to this when the tour gets started.

Mahadevan: Everything is new, with Shakti every concert is new, because what happens is its only about 20 percent fixed and preplanned, that is the melody and rhythmic things we play together, but other than that everything just happens on stage because it is an improvising band, whether it is an alaap, or any of the solos, John ji, Zakir bhai, Ganesh or mine, everything is a new experience for us every concert, so when you hear Shakti today or day after tomorrow, the energy will be completely different. Even if it is a slow song, and where you are playing, or what stage and the audience whether its intimate or its huge everything changes, and every show psychologically is a very different experience. It’s about the interpretation of everything we do. This band is so fresh and ticking all the time the energy and lots of eye contact, lots of happiness and lots of laughter on stage, lots of internal jokes. It’s full of positive energy and love. That playful happiness on stage gets transmitted to the audience.

Shukla: Have you ever worked with Zakir Hussain outside of Shakti?

Mahadevan: My first song ever, my first film song ever was with Zakir Hussain. It was for a film called In Custody and I sang my first film recording with him, it was a ghazal which he had composed. He gave me the opportunity to sing, maybe I was 16 or 17, so since then we have been working with each other. It’s family. Zakir bhai and with Taufiq and Fazal (Zakir Hussain’s brothers), the entire family.

John McLaughlin is a very senior artist. We kind of play around and joke with him and he is a wonderful person. He has played with greatest jazz legends you can think of and he is of that caliber. You know in one lifetime how can you create a Mahavishnu Orchestra and a Shakti and play with Miles Davis, and so many others. How can you achieve this? He has done this. I really feel blessed to sit with him on stage and do music, it’s a big big honor for me.

Shukla: Talk a little bit about your academy. How you connect and teach the younger generation.

Mahadevan: The Shankar Mahadevan Academy we started off with a friend of mine. Both of us were engineers actually, I decided to become a musician and he went to the US, and we connected after 14 years, he came back to India and wanted to do something new and then we started the online academy. No online academy teaches structured Indian music, with courses curriculums, exams and teachers…so we created a proper academy. And everybody just loves it and we are in 90 countries teaching and the academy runs 24/7 with teachers and support and we are opening centers. It is very important to spread the joy of our music to the next generations.

Indian music is so powerful people should learn and know about Indian music, maybe not to perform Indian music, you may want to perform Arabic music or African music, but the elements of Indian music really help you and become a very strong musician. We have a gathering every year called Sangam where students from all over come, there are teachers, interactions, workshops, students perform, teachers perform, I perform. There are questions and answers. It goes on for three days. The main day this year was June 17. We had a 10-day festival for our 10th anniversary a few yeas back with many celebrities…and then went online during the pandemic and again this year we are doing an in-person festival. We can physically meet and talk. We do these in different cities. We may start doing more than one Sangam because there are so many students. We are planning to do one in the USA one day.

(ICMDS) on May 21, 2023, explored this topic of discrimination through the viewpoint of Nandi, the Bull of Shiva. When Nandi guards the temple, and sees discrimination occur, how does Nandi feel?

In an interesting story about a Shiva Devotee, Nandanar was from a different social group and could not go inside to see the Shiva Murti. Yet, as a great devotee, he still prayed outside and tried to get a glimpse of Shiva and prayed that he would be able to see the murti form of Shiva. Nandi sitting in front of Shiva, was so touched by the sincerity of the Nandanar, that he moved himself so that Nandanar could get a glimpse.

In this story, we can learn from the devotee Nandi and his actions, so that Nandanar could see Shiva. It may have seemed small for Nandi to move but imagine a stone form of a statue moving, that is the symbolism of the small, but great gesture.

Like Nandi who witnessed discrimination, how can we act and not feel so helpless. Nandi the bull is a devotee to Shiva and as a devotee, he saw the pure desire of the other devotee to see the Lord. How can we enact this beautiful lesson in our daily lives?

Maybe we can start with something small. Something big may feel overwhelming. So maybe first, have a sense of understanding of someone who may seem different to you. Try to understand their story. This is not limited to adults. Kids can do this too! If a kid in your class is looking alone or seems to have trouble making friends, have some courage and ask the child to play with you. You may get a best friend! But for adults, if you see someone who seems to be having trouble, maybe try to see what they may need to help without being condescending.

Sitting quietly with someone, or letting them participate, may make the world of difference in their lives. Maybe things may not have gone as planned, but now you have another member on your team. Maybe a kid (or adult) sees that a place is not accessible on their playground. Maybe a ramp is needed to accommodate a wheelchair or a swing that could also do the same. Is that possible? We can imagine how nice it would be to have a person in a wheelchair swinging alongside their friend on a swing. We are in this together!

Maybe write to the leaders and see if they are willing to listen to your thoughts on why that ramp is needed and why should it be designed in such a way. But be patient. It may feel like things may never change. Sometimes honestly, we will feel overwhelmed by the amount of callousness we perceive.

For me, when I feel down, when it seems that everything is cruel, everything hurts, no one understands, and thoughts of ‘what difference does it make anyway,’, I think of Nandi. The immovable bull rock that moved. And with that, the dance of atman continues.

Preethi Sriram is a classical dance enthusiast and lifelong learner of dance. Contact: SriramPreethi@hotmail.com

Modi continued from page 52

The cow is a symbol of life and of nurturing. The substitution of the silver image of a coconut for an actual cow reflects a common Hindu ritual in which an actual coconut is used in a ceremony to substitute for some other object that is unavailable or that would be impractical to include.

The gift of a piece of land also represents wealth. Traditionally, the gift of an actual piece of land is something one could draw upon in times of financial difficulty. It could be cultivated, rented out, and so on.

Ghee, or clarified butter, is an element in Hindu rituals going back to at least the second millennium B.C. It represents both nourishment and healing.

Cloth represents financial security: one’s ability to obtain the necessities of life, such as decent clothing.

Rice, in India, has long been a symbol of fertility. The ability to grow rice has been vital to life in most of India since before recorded history.

The sweetness of the jaggery represents good news. Giving it represents a hope that one will receive good news and hear auspicious things in the years ahead.

Silver is connected with the Moon in Hindu symbolism – as gold is connected with the Sun. The gift of silver is a wish that one will have good dreams and undisturbed sleep.

Finally, salt is a symbol of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. Like salt, she is said to have emerged from the ocean. Salt thus represents lifelong prosperity.

A thousand full moons

The 10 danas are given to someone who has seen 1,000 full moons, or “sahasra chandra.” This is an ancient practice first described in a set of texts called the “Grihya Sutras,” which date from roughly 500 B.C. These sutras, or authoritative texts, describe household rituals and regulations. The practices they enjoin are rooted in the the Vedas, the oldest sacred literature of Hinduism.

The full moon is an auspicious symbol in many Indian traditions. The full moon day, or Purnima, of each month is a time when many people engage in religious observances. The full moon day is the culmination of the “bright half,” or the Shukla paksha, of each month in the Indian lunar calendar. The bright half is the roughly two-week period during which the Moon is waxing, and is seen as a better time to undertake any important activity. Seeing the full moon is an auspicious act, so having seen a thousand full moons is a particularly auspicious and noteworthy event in one’s life.

The ceremony is typically performed for someone who is between the ages of 81 and 84, though Modi gave the 10 gifts to Biden on the occasion of his reaching the age of 80. Giving these gifts amounts to congratulating the recipient for having lived a long life – itself a sign of virtue and wisdom – and wishing continued good luck, health, and prosperity.

Article courtesy of The Conversation (theconversation.com)

Jeffery D. Long is a Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College

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When the time comes to typically make a lump-sum repayment of a reverse mortgage, the cumulated loan interest is paid then too, all at once; hence the taxpayer, whoever it is, must make sure that there is enough taxable income that year to allow the additional itemized deduction to offset your income. Otherwise, this big benefit is lost. The simplest way is, during that tax year, to create enough taxable income to absorb additional mortgage interest deduction. This might be accomplished by an IRA distribution or ROTH conversion for that year or even by showing additional capital gains which may not be as helpful as the first two ideas. What is clear is that much advance planning is desired, almost necessary.

Mo Vidwans is an independent, board certified financial planner. For details visit, VidwansFinancial.com, call 734-476-0579 or write to: mvfinancial@yahoo.com

College Advice

continued from page 42

Learn how to make sacrifices because ultimately, you have to choose what’s most important to do. In college, there’s so many options. At any given point in time, you can do five different things, whether that’s studying, going to a club meeting, going out with friends, or doing some extracurricular. But you obviously don’t have time to do everything, so you have to choose what’s important to you.

Prateek Mishra, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Class of 2026)

Try not to overthink things and take them as they’re given. I find it easier to just go with the flow than worry about what’s next. Make sure you have a goal in mind that you’re trying to walk forward to. With everything that you do in college, be surrounded by that goal, but don’t forget to have fun either. For me, the only issue with my school was being far. I picked my school because of the program that I was accepted into, which would guide me to my end goal, so if you do end up getting into a school farther away and you believe that it is your best option or opportunity, then go for it. Don’t let distance be a problem.

Sahithi Mothukuri, University of the Pacific (Class of 2026)

Get comfortable being alone. It may feel awkward to sit and eat by yourself in the dining hall, but speaking from personal experience, no one is watching or judging you. Of course, making and cultivating healthy, positive relationships with others is vital, but take the time to be on your own and really get to know yourself. Go on a solo trip to a museum or get some studying done at a cafe. Be safe, but treat and love yourself.

Sanjana Mishra, Northeastern University (Class of 2026)

Sanjana Mishra is a second-year criminal justice and journalism student at Northeastern University with a passion for storytelling. sjmish04@gmail.com.

Editor’s Desk continued from page 14

Right now, while you are reading this, someone’s text message, email, streaming movie, a song, or a combo of all, are going through your brain. Not around, but through. Never in human history have we been bombarded via invisible signals on such a massive scale. 3G, 4G, 5G, and the as yet not imagined or invented some other type of G.

All the wireless information, in the forms of frequencies, sound waves, or what have you, are invading the human mind in manners that didn’t exist just a few decades ago.

Yes, radio has been around for a long time. Same is true for TV signals and other wireless means of communications. Satellites bouncing back beamed information have also been around for several decades. But in this era of everything going wireless, there has never been the torrential, unending amounts of transmissions from countless sources at such a massive scale before in human history. We maybe subjecting ourselves to some types of those silent dog whistles that dogs can hear but we can’t. Trainers use them to get their attention or even inflict pain to modify behavior.

Right now, the debates have begun about artificial intelligence and its potential to unhinge humanity, for better or worse. But no one talks about the invisible dog whistles floating about everywhere in every corner of the globe, right now, today, this minute. This deluge, this bombardment will continue to grow.

Some anarchist scientists will figure out just the right frequency or the combination of frequencies that may be able to manipulate people. Dog whistles for humans, sent out at subspace frequencies.

Maybe research is needed, and of course it will have to be long term, on if the current torrential monsoons of frequencies we are enduring, may have negative effects. We sometimes wonder, when we hear about it, how a once sane person suddenly goes berserk and does violent things. An explanation could be his brain was rewired over time. It may have been a human dog whistle.

This curiosity of mine has been building, and on this dark summer night as I write this, I’m trying to get a handle on my brain fog frequencies. No, it’s not the bourbon I’m sipping.

I defer this to scientific minds, while I grab the remote and search for my science fiction fix for the night, squinting my eyes, looking around, imagining the crisscrossing, zipzapping, sidewinding, tsunamis of signals twirling about the room. Brain fog, yes, indeed.

Samir Shukla

is the Editor of Saathee Magazine

Contact: Samir@Saathee.com

Twitter: @ShuklaWrites

Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com

When our family was confronted with this realization, my husband took time off for a year to be a SAHD so I could focus on my corporate career. When he was ready to head back to work, I chose to put family ahead of my career pursuits. Stepping down from the career ladder and switching to a 1-income household meant making lifestyle adjustments, but I had my eyes on the long-term investment of assets. Assets that masquerade as bundles of joy, stress, happiness, and exhaustion – ones that would need nurturing, guidance, parental oversight so that in adulthood they can springboard into well-rounded individuals.

What’s the dividend?

Being a stay-at-home parent can provide benefits such as being able to spend more time with children, having greater control over the children’s upbringing, and being able to manage the household and daily routine more effectively. Additionally, stay-at-home parents can save on childcare expenses and have more flexibility to attend to their children’s needs.

What are the investment fees?

It is important to note that being a stay-at-home parent can also have drawbacks such as financial strain and potentially feeling isolated from the outside world.

Investing in your family as a SAHM or SAHD can involve a variety of actions:

• Create a daily routine: Develop a daily routine that works for you and your family. This may involve setting regular mealtimes, nap times, and bedtimes. Having a consistent routine can help your family members feel more secure and can make it easier to manage household tasks.

• Spend quality time with your children: As a SAHM or SAHD, you can spend more time with your children. Make the most of this time by engaging in activities that your children enjoy. Spending quality time with your children can help strengthen your bond and create lasting memories.

• Prioritize self-care: It’s important to take care of yourself so that you can be at your best for your family. This may involve taking time for exercise, hobbies, or relaxation. It’s also important to prioritize your mental health by seeking support when needed.

• Foster open communication: Communication is key in any family. As a SAHM or SAHD, you have the opportunity to create an environment of open and honest communication.

• Find ways to stay connected: Being a SAHM or SAHD can be isolating at times. It’s important to find ways to stay connected with the outside world. This may involve attending social events, joining a parenting group, or volunteering in your community.

Lastly, should the SAH parent opt to ramp back into the workforce, there’s good news! LinkedIn now supports “Stay at home parent” as a job title - to explain the break in work experience. Think of all your transferable skills –organization skills, time management, conflict resolution and patience!

It does take a village…however, in its absence, the onus is on parents to equally shoulder the financial and household responsibility. After all, raising a family is a serious commitment eventually bearing fruits of a strong foundation, healthy relationships, emotional wellbeing, and well-rounded young adults. Well-balanced kids are more likely to foster healthy habits helping them navigate school, college and life in general.

The return on this investment is priceless. After all, isn’t that what we as parents strive for and willingly take on the hardest unpaid job in America?

Rupa Pereira is the owner and lead financial advisor at FWJ Planning, an investment advisory and planning firm registered in NC. As an enrolled agent, she’s also authorized by IRS to represent her clients on tax-matters. Contact: info@fwjplanning.com.

Biometrics continued from page 80 have the option to call the USCIS Contact Center to reschedule an appointment, but USCIS strongly encourages users to use the new tool to save time, increase efficiency, and reduce call volume to the USCIS Contact Center.

USCIS is also issuing guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to explain that the agency may consider an untimely request to reschedule a biometric services appointment and the effect of failing to appear for an appointment, and to explain how the agency considers a timely request to reschedule a biometric services appointment for “good cause.” Good cause exists when the reschedule request provides sufficient reason for the benefit requestor’s inability to appear on the scheduled date. Sufficient reasons may include, but are not limited to:

• Illness, medical appointment, or hospitalization; Previously planned travel;

• Significant life events such as a wedding, funeral, or graduation ceremony;

• Inability to obtain transportation to the appointment location;

• Inability to obtain leave from employment or caregiver responsibilities; and answering each question, you must show your thought process rather than solely choosing the “right” answer.

• Late delivered or undelivered biometric services appointment notice.

USCIS only accepts untimely rescheduling requests made to the USCIS Contact Center and does not accept untimely requests to reschedule by mail or in-person at a USCIS office or through the myUSCIS online tool.

For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit uscis.gov.

2. Learn the basics of common ethics and medical ethics. Because you are being tested on how you would respond to ethical dilemmas, you should understand what your ethics are before you tackle CASPER. While you won’t be explicitly tested on your knowledge of medical knowledge or ethics, having a basic understanding can guide you in your responses.

3. Use personal examples to help convey empathy and respect. While you likely won’t be asked specific questions about your own experiences, you might have to discuss when you faced a similar situation as the scenario. You won’t be able to prepare for every question you might encounter, but it can be helpful to start to create a story bank of ideas to use during the exam. Remember, a different rater will evaluate each scenario, so reusing stories or examples as you see fit is okay. As you reflect on stories you can use, think about how you approached the situation and how you want to improve.

4. Use “if/then” statements. Because the CASPER raters want to see you considering multiple perspectives, using “if/then” statements can be more effective in helping you in these hypothetical dilemmas. For example, if this is true, then I would react this way. However, if this alternative is true, then this is how I would respond.

5. Avoid making assumptions. What can make these ambiguous scenarios difficult is that there is often a lot of missing information. You might want to automatically fill in some of the gaps by making assumptions. It’s essential to remember that in the CASPER, what is unsaid is often more important than what is said. The different scenarios try to trick you into making assumptions and going down the wrong path to answering the questions. By remaining nonjudgmental in your response, you can give people the benefit of the doubt and allow them to express their thoughts.

6. Make a firm judgment. You are also being tested on your ability to pick a path and stick to it. In some scenarios, you may be faced with making tough decisions where you want to make exceptions to the rules for the person. However, this won’t make you look empathetic; it will just make you look like you are unable to make difficult choices. As a future doctor, veterinarian, dentist, etc., there might be similar situations where you must make a choice that won’t be well-received by everyone. CASPER is testing you on those skills.

7. Practice! Preparing for a situational judgment exam can be challenging, but it is not impossible. By understanding the questions that you will face, you can formulate a more proactive strategy to improve your chances of scoring high. You’ll also want to emulate testing conditions and try to answer the responses within the time limits. That way, you can figure out what realistically you could say or write in each scenario, helping you budget your time wisely.

Violet Wei is a College Counselor and Outreach Coordinator. Website: MoonPrep.com Contact: Violet@moonprep.com.

ChatGPT continued from page 58

Colleges might also be able to use AI detectors to see whether the students have actually written the essays themselves. Already, a Princeton University graduate has created an app that can detect if the essay was written by ChatGPT.

The App, called GPTZero, uses “perplexity and burstiness” to see if a bot or the student wrote the essay. If the colleges do discover the student used ChatGPT, or another service, the student might be eliminated from consideration for enrollment.

However, students can use ChatGPT during the college search. Students could type in a query like “Best schools for biology with an acceptance rate of over 30 percent in the state of New York,” and it will generate a list for you. While students should research the schools’ websites to verify the information is accurate, it might be a good starting point.

As ChatGPT continues to gain in popularity, students should tread carefully to make sure they are following the rules of admission and creating work that reflects themselves and their abilities.

Violet Wei is a College Counselor and Outreach Coordinator. Website: MoonPrep.com Contact: Violet@moonprep.com.

Eye on Markets continued from page 46

Small and mid-caps trade at less than half the price of large cap tech, with sectors such as energy in the single digits. Positioning is way offsides in cyclicals.

By some measures the positioning in cyclicals is near pandemic lows. It will start with short covering on continued economic and earnings resiliency, as market internals suggest.

As price moves above certain moving averages and resistance levels and moving averages start to inflect up, momentum players will start to pile in. As momentum players start to bid up the price, the people that missed the rally so far will come into cyclicals, as their cheap valuation and a higher for longer environment will justify positioning, driving a meaningful rally.

Looking forward, the market will focus on economic data, second quarter earnings, and Fed meeting

Ketu Desai is the principal of i-squared Wealth Management Inc. (www.isquaredwealth.com), an investment management firm based in New Jersey. ketu@isquaredwealth.com