Saathee Charlotte January 2022 by Shukla Entertainment

Bridging Bridging America America and and the the Indian Indian Subcontinent Subcontinent

Saathee.com

January 2022

IN THIS ISSUE Immigration Year in Review 2021: Page 22 Events: Page 18 Recipe: Ramen Noodles with Crispy Tofu: Page 72

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Hello Readers! Happy New Year! Our Immigration year in review 2021 article covers a lot of ground on immigration issues and what may lay ahead. Go to page 22. Find out about India’s largest salt lake, Sambhar Lake, in the column Increase Your India Knowledge on page 34. Read a review of Indra Nooyi’s book My Life in Review on page 44. India’s evergreen dance form Bharatha Natyam is covered in detail in our Dances of India column on page 46. It’s time to simplify your investments and still boost your returns. See the column on page 54. Look for the easy to make and utterly delicious recipe for Ramen Noodles with crispy tofu on page 72. We are seeking writers and recipes. Send a query to Saathee Editor Samir Shukla, Samir@Saathee.com. Thank you for continuing to read Saathee and please share it with family and friends. Drop us a line with any comments or suggestions. We welcome conversations.

Connect with us via email: saathee@saathee.com.

“Bridging America and the Indian Subcontinent.”

January 2022 Issue # 284 - Saathee.com Editor Samir Shukla (Samir@Saathee.com)

Publisher & Advertising Divakar Shukla 704-527-7570 or rakavid@aol.com

Digital Media & Marketing Jennifer W. Allen

Ad Design / Layout Nathan C. Andrews

Contributors for this issue: Kirit Shukla, Raajeev Aggerwhil, Rishi Oza, Ahsen Jillani, Balaji Prasad, Mithi Shukla, Parul Kharod, Lindsey Conger, Dr. Maha Gingrich Mo Vidwans & Jalendu Vaidya. Mission: Our goal is to be a valuable source of information for the South Asian community and to be a vital advertising tool for businesses.

Cover: Diskit Monastery, Ladakh Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh, northern India. It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Photo: Soloviova Liudmyla /Adobe Stock

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January 2022

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In This Issue

Page 22 Immigration 2021 Year in Review

Page 50 Spot the Differences

Page 18 Events

Page 34 Increase your India Knowledge: Sambhar Lake

Content The Editor’s Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 14

Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44

Youth Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 84

Community Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18

Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46

Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . .pg. 86

Immigration Matters . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22

Thinking about Thinking . . . . . . . .pg. 48

Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . .pg. 88

Upcoming Movie Releases . . . . . . .pg. 26

Spot the Differences . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50

Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 88

Film Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 28

Personal Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54

AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 90

Increase India Knowledge . . . . . . .pg. 34

Nutrition for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 56

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 92

Increase USA Knowledge . . . . . . . .pg. 38

College Admissions Insider . . . . . .pg. 60

Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 96

Raajeev’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40

News Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62

Subcontinental Divide . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42

Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72

Saathee.com

╬ ╬ ╬ ╬ ╬

January 2022

Saathee.com

January 2022

Onward The Editor’s Desk by Samir Shukla No Resolutions. Adjustments. Another year has dissolved into a permanent slumber while its young offspring has arrived at the door and is ready to go off to the races. Once more around the sun. It’s another day in another year. We work, play, love, walk, run, cry, laugh, plan, dream, scheme. Live life. Our efforts sometimes pay off, while other times skid off the road and are redirected via bumps in the road or too heavy a load, societal dictates, biological bugs or political thugs, personal or familial trials and triumphs. Some of it our own making. Much of it out of our control. Lives rerouted. Adjusted. We welcome the incoming year with hopes of faces smiling and noses breathing in air without facial coverings filtering out the aromas of our indoors. We need the scents, the air warmed by human breath, tingling our noses, yes, indeed, without masks. Will we reattain a sense of carefree? I don’t want to call it normal, as every year we progress into an adjusted new normal. Will this year mark the return of carefree? I venture that it will. Yes, it will be a year of carefree living akin to childhood, lives rebalanced. It must. We will work and adjust toward that end. Of course, there are no guarantees of anything, but we are ever-adaptive creatures, continually rerouting our lives. All the tribal rumblings, planetary upheavals and climatic realignments are all within our power to manage. Adjust. This year I don’t want to make resolutions. I will adapt and adjust as circumstances present themselves and live my best life. We do that anyway without realizing it most of the time, but the coming time holds fresh promise. It’s winter and there will be times that a sharp chill will grab you, hold you and won’t let go until you let your inner sun, your flares of humanity and adaptability chase it away. This is the nature of our beings. This is adjustment. Onward. continued on page 66 Saathee.com

January 2022

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Community Events NC Chinese Lantern Festival: Cary, NC (Through January 9, 2022)

North Carolina’s favorite holiday event returns to the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC. This colorful event will run for seven weeks from November 19, 2021 to January 9, 2022 featuring all new displays and enhanced programming. Various ticket packages and other information are available at Boothamphitheatre.com.

Makar Sankranti: Charlotte, NC (January 15, 2022)

Winterfest at Wildwood: Greenville, NC (January 21-23, 2022) Experience the magical winter days and nights at the new Wildwood Park in Greenville. Enjoy twirling around the iceskating rink overlooking the lake, watching the snowflakes fall from the snow machine, listening to music, pulling up chair around the campfires, roasting s’mores, and sipping hot chocolate, or something stronger from the beer and wine garden on Friday and Saturday nights! Participate in the adaptive 5k Run, Plunge & Splash trail run and polar plunge into the lake after. Proceeds from the 5k trail run and plunge will benefit the Pitt County Special Olympics team. The fest takes place in Wildwood Park, 3450 Blue Heron Dr., Greenville, NC on Friday, January 21: 5 pm - 9 pm; Saturday, January 22: 10 am - 9 pm; Sunday, January 23: 10 am - 2 pm. More details at, Greenvillenc.gov.

Republic Day Celebration: Charlotte, NC (January 29, 2022)

Kite flying and Uttarayan celebrations will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2022 from noon to 5pm, weather permitting, at Hindu Center of Charlotte. The center is located at 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte. For more details call 570-205-2636, 704535-3440 or visit Hcclt.org.

Greenville News Run Downtown 5K: (January 15, 2022)

The Hindu Center of Charlotte will celebrate India’s Republic Day on Saturday, January 29, 2022, beginning at noon. There will be flag hoisting, singing of national anthems and a cultural program. The program will also be broadcast live on the Center’s Facebook page. For more details call 704-258-3588, 570-205-2636 or visit Hcclt.org.

North Carolina Jazz Festival: Wilmington, NC (February 3-5, 2022) Enjoy one of the largest traditional jazz festivals in the Southeast from February 4-6, 2022. This musical weekend starts on Thursday evening and then continues Friday and Saturday night with fourhour concerts featuring seven sets with six or seven musicians per set (each with a different leader). Come experience some fantastic musicians from around the globe. Find out more at Ncjazzfestival.org.

Wine & Chocolate Festival: Greensboro, NC (February 12, 2022) The 43rd annual Greenville News Run Downtown 5K will be Wineries and wine enthusiasts from across the region will gather on conducted on Saturday, January 15, Saturday, February 12, 2022 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Event 2022 and is one of the oldest, largest Hall B for an unlimited sampling of dozens of North Carolina wines of all and most-popular 5K runs in the styles and tastes. Bottles will be available state. The run/walk is presented by for purchase. Everyone gets a free The Greenville News and Greenville souvenir tasting glass. Enjoy a selection Track Club. It is also a GTC of food, chocolates, cheeses and sweets. Corporate Shield event and is a part Take a stroll through the Candy Bar. of the Greenville Track Club running Browse through mini boutiques series. More info available at featuring many products. Check out Runsignup.com/Race/Events/SC/Gre Wineandchocolatefestivals.com and enville/RunDowntown. search for Greensboro for full details. Saathee.com

January 2022

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Community Events competition. This year they’re coming back with another hot lineup at the Koger Center of Performing Arts. All of the eﬀorts made by AKR are in pursuit of helping local charity, Carolina Survivor Clinic. CSC is the only clinic in the North and South Carolina to provide comprehensive and holistic care for refugees. Come out to help the students and community of Columbia, South Carolina enjoy the eight teams with a burning passion and enjoy Aag Ki Raat, a night of fire on Saturday, February 26, 2022. Tickets at the door. For more information: visit the Aag Ki Raat page on Facebook or Email: uscakr@gmail.com.

Hasan Minhaj - The Kings Jester Show: Carolinas and Atlanta (February 17 - 20, 2022)

Oak City Revolution: Raleigh, NC (March 12, 2022) The South-Asian socio-cultural organization at North Carolina State University, called Ektaa, organizes its premiere dance competition every year. Oak City Revolution is the first ever Bollywood-Fusion Dance Competition to be held in the city of Raleigh, NC. This year eight teams from around the country will compete. The event takes place on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the Stewart Theater on the NC State campus. All proceeds will be donated to Pratham. For details visit, Facebook.com/OakCityRevolution.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj is slated to perform in the Carolinas and Atlanta during February. Note that phones, smart watches, and accessories will be secured in individual Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event. Hasan Minhaj was the host and creator of the weekly comedy show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj that premiered on Netflix in October 2018. The series explored the modern cultural and political landscape with depth and sincerity through his unique comedic voice. Minhaj is back touring his one man show The Kings Jester Show. Here are the dates: • DPAC, (Durham, NC) Feb. 17, 2022 at 7pm and 10pm • Blumenthal (Charlotte, NC), Feb. 18, 2022 at 7pm • Peace Center (Greenville, SC), Feb. 19, 2022 at 7:30pm • Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA), February 20, 2022 at 7pm Tickets and other info can be found at Hasanminhaj.com.

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Immigration Matters 2021 Year in Review Immigration Matters by Rishi P. Oza

While the immigration landscape continues to be marked by constant change and churn, 2021 was a year that was truly like no other in terms of policy and potential changes to our current immigration system. The year started with the obvious change in administrations, as the outgoing President Trump and his Administration’s hardline immigration policies were met with incoming President Biden’s softened stance on global immigration. From the outset, President Biden immediately sought to get rid of the existing Migrant Protection Protocols (aka: Stay in Mexico policy), but that was immediately met with pushback from the federal courts, which ruled that the Biden Administration had changed a federal policy without thoroughly considering the consequences of the change. As a result, MPP continues to be in eﬀect, grudgingly being implemented by an administration that does not believe that the policy is worthwhile or humane. President Biden’s election also corresponded with a huge surge in migrants coming north, mainly from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, along with Mexico and select South American countries. The surge has been unprecedented, and Customs and Border Protection numbers reflect the dilemma – according to available data from CBP, land border encounters through September 2021 total 1,734,686. In 2020, that number was 458,088 (obviously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic), but 2019 numbers show 977,509 encounters. In short, 2021 is showing almost an 80 percent rise in encounters across the country’s southern border, a situation that is unsustainable and has led to appalling conditions at the border. When compounded by the turmoil in Haiti and the Administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, the flow of refugees from continued on page 78

Saathee.com

January 2022

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January 2022

Upcoming Movie Releases All Dates Subject to Change - for the latest information visit Saathee.com/Movies

January 26

January 7

The Kashmir Files (Director: Vivek Agnihotri) Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, and Chinmay Mandlekar

RRR (Director: SS Rajamouli) Cast: Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, and Ajay Devgn The 355 (Director: Simon Kinberg) Cast: Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, and Diane Kruger

January 28 Attack (Director: Lakshya Raj Anand) Cast: John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Rakul Preet Singh

January 14 Scream (Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett) Cast: Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell Bheemla Nayak (Director: Saagar K Chandra) Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Rana Daggubati, and Raghu Babu Deep Water (Director: Adrian Lyne) Cast: Ben Aﬄeck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts, and Rachel Blanchard Radhe Shyam (Director: Radha Krishna Kumar) Cast: Prabhas, Pooja Hegde, Sathyan, and Kunaal Roy Kapur

Morbius (Director: Daniel Espinosa) Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, and Michael Keaton

February 4

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (Directors: Jennifer Kluska & Derek Drymon) Cast: Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaﬃgan, and Steve Buscemi

Acharya (Director: Koratata Siva) Cast: Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Pooja Hegde, and Sonu Sood Moonfall (Director: Roland Emmerich) Cast: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, Michael Peña, and Donald Sutherland

January 21 Prithviraj (Director: Chandraprakash Dwivedi) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, and Manushi Chhillar

Before You Die (Director: Suvendu Raj Ghosh) Cast: Puneeth Raj Sharma, Rita Dutta, and Lovekansh Garg The Black Phone (Director: Scott Derrickson) Cast: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, & Ethan Hawke

Cyrano (Director: Joe Wright) Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Bashir Salahuddin, and Ben Mendelsohn Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre ( Director: Guy Ritchie) Cast: Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, and Hugh Grant

Badhaai Do (Director: Harshavardhan Kulkarni) Cast: Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar

The King’s Daughter (Director: Sean McNamara) Cast: Pierce Brosnan, William Hurt, Rachel Griﬃths, and Julie Andrews Saathee.com

Jackass Forever (Director Jeﬀ Tremaine) Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Machine Gun Kelly. 26

January 2022

Film Clips Brahmastra Part One: Shiva

This film is part of a 3-part film franchise and the beginning of India’s first original universe – the Astraverse. It is a new original cinematic universe inspired by deeply rooted concepts and tales in Indian mythology but set in the modern world, with epic storytelling of fantasy, adventure, good vs evil, love and hope; all told using cutting edge technology and never-seenbefore visuals. The film, directed by Ayan Mukerji, stars Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna Akkineni. It is now slated for worldwide release on September 9, 2022 in five Indian languages – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

Kaun Banegi Shikharwati

Shikharwati, is a dramedy series with a unique take on a dysfunctional royal family. The comedy-drama will feature many renowned Bollywood faces, including Naseeruddin Shah essaying the role of a King while Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Soha Ali Khan, Kritika Kamra, Anya Singh play his daughters, and Raghubir Yadav, Cyrus Sahukar, Varun Thakur and Anurag Sinha play key roles. Commenting on the association, Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said, “We are thrilled that our first outing with ZEE5 is with Kaun Banegi Shikarwati, a lighthearted, heart-warming dramedy that is both quirky and delightful and boasts a stellar cast of actors. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with ZEE5 and help contribute in a small way to their global ambition.”

Bheemla Nayak Things change when the egos of an upright police oﬃcer and a retired army oﬃcer clash in this action drama directed by Saagar K Chandra. Bheemla Nayak stars Pawan Kalyanm, Rana Daggubati, Nithya Menen, Samyuktha Menon, Samuthirakani, and Murali Sharma. It opens in theaters on January 14, 2022.

Radhe Shyam ZEE5 is partnering with Applause Entertainment for a multi-show association. ZEE5 unveiled its first oﬀering as part of the partnership, titled Kaun Banegi Shikharwati produced by Applause in association with Emmay Entertainment and directed by Gauravv Chawla and Ananya Banerjee. The original will premiere exclusively on ZEE5 in January 2022. Kaun Banegi Saathee.com

Europe during the 1970s. The actors in Radhe Shyam include Prabhas, Pooja Hegde, Krishnam Raju, Sachin Khedekar, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Murali Sharma, Bhagyashree, Sathyan, and Kunaal Roy Kapur. Look for the movie on January 14, 2022.

Vijay Deverakonda Stars in Liger

Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda is going Pan-India with his upcoming movie Liger which stars Ananya Panday and Mike Tyson in a special role. The filmmakers have announced August 25, 2022 as the release date. “It’s Time. A long journey culminates in Two very important dates! Stay Ready..And Remember the words that have been said. #Liger,” Deverakonda wrote on Twitter. Liger will also feature numerous foreign fighters. In association with Puri connects, the film is being produced jointly by Bollywood’s production house Dharma Productions. The cinematography will be handled by Vishnu Sarma, while Kecha from Thailand is the stunt director. Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy play prominent roles in Liger which is being made in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

Director Radha Krishna Kumar guides the large cast in What happens when you this romantic drama set in gather a massive cast for the 28

January 2022

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voices in an animated film? You get Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon. The voice actors include Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaﬃgan, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Hull, Fran Drescher, Brad Abrell, Asher Blinkoﬀ, and Steve Buscemi. The Drac’s Pack is back, like you’ve never seen them before in the final chapter of Hotel Transylvania. The movie hits the cinemas world on January 14, 2022.

The film’s cast includes Anupam Kher (a real-life Kashmiri Pandit), Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, and Chinmay Mandlekar. Look for it in cinemas on India’s Republic Day, January 26, 2022.

Acharya The movie, directed by Koratata Siva, is a socio-political actioner, where the plot revolves around a middle-aged Naxalite-turned-social reformer who launches a fight against the Endowments Department over misappropriation of temple funds and donations. The movie stars Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Pooja Hegde, and Sonu Sood. It opens on February 4, 2022.

Prithviraj

Before You Die Suvendu Raj Ghosh directs this film that is based on how a cancer patient and her family handle the crisis and trauma in a warm and family-supported manner. Before You Die stars Puneeth Raj Sharma, Kavya Kashyap, Zarina Wahab, Mukesh Rishi, Pradip Chopra, Mushtaq Khan, Arha Mahajan, Badshah Moitra, Rita Dutta, and Lovekansh Garg. It is slated for release on February 4, 2022.

Based on Prithviraj Raso, a biopic of legendary Hindu Rajput warrior king of the Chahamanas Dynasty Prithviraj Chauhan, the epic film captures his early life, military accomplishments, marriage to Sanyukta and battle with Muhammad of Ghor who led the Islamic conquest of Hindustan (India). The massive cast includes Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, and Manushi Chhillar and is directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi. Look for it in theaters beginning January 21, 2022.

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Knowledge Sambhar Lake Sambhar, India’s largest Salt Lake, sits west of the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan. It surrounds the historical Sambhar Lake Town. On the eastern end, the lake is divided by a 5-kilometer long dam made of stone. East of the dam are salt evaporation ponds where salt has been farmed for a thousand years. Salt sheets, which from a distance resemble snow, often cover the lake’s bed, which is usually dry in the hot months. Sambhar has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognized wetland of international importance) because the wetland is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of ﬂamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia. The lake’s depth varies between dry and monsoon seasons. The algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking watercolors. The lake receives water from six rivers: Mantha, Rupangarh, Khari, Khandela, Medtha and Samod. It occupies an area of 190 to 230 square kilometers based on the season. The temperature reaches 45 °C (113 °F) in summer and goes as low as 5 °C (41 °F) in winter. The Indian epic Mahabharata mentions the Sambhar Lake as a part of the kingdom of the demon king Vrishparva, as the place where his priest Shukracharya lived, and as the place where the wedding between his daughter, Devayani, and King Yayati occurred. There is a narrow-gauge freight train that traverses the lake carrying loads of salt on its freight cars. Sambhar is a popular shooting location for advertisements and movies, including PK, Jodha Akbar, Delhi 6, Veer, Drona, and many others.

Read about Great Salt Lake, USA’s largest salt lake on pg. 38

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USA Knowledge Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. It is located in the northern part of Utah, and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particularly through lake-effect snow. It is a remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric body of water that covered much of western Utah. The high salt content makes the lake itself uninhabitable for all but a few minor forms of life, such as brine shrimp. The marshes, mudflats, and islands, however, attract waterfowl, including pelicans, herons, cormorants, terns, and gulls, while Antelope Island has been made a refuge for bison. It has a much greater salinity than the oceans, since natural evaporation exceeds the supply of water from rivers feeding the lake. This density causes swimming to feel like floating. The lake receives water from numerous perennial and intermittent streams, including Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers. The lake has fluctuated greatly in size, depending on the rates of evaporation and the flow of the rivers that feed it. Native American cultures used the freshwater marshes and streams around the lake for hunting and fishing. The high salt content of the lake has restricted its use, but several resorts have existed on its shores from time to time, the most famous being Saltair. In 2021, after years of sustained drought and increased water diversion upstream of the lake, it fell to its lowest recorded area at 950 sq. miles, falling below the previous low in 1963. It has been called “America’s Dead Sea.” The Shoshone, Ute, and Paiute have lived near the Great Salt Lake for thousands of years. The Great Salt Lake lends its name to Salt Lake City, named by the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young, who led a group of Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley southeast of the lake on July 24, 1847.

Read about Sambhar Lake, India’s largest salt lake on pg. 34 Saathee.com

January 2022

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January 2022

Monkey and Ginger Raajeev’s Comedy Corner by Raajeev Aggerwhil

We tried a new Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. I was really mad after taking a bite to discover that they had served meat samosas instead of vegetarian samosas. The server oﬀered to bring a replacement but my son, Vicktor, was afraid because I had already lost my temper. “Dad, they are going to spit in your food.” How can you argue with that? So, we got up and were ready to leave. The manager kept saying, “Please sit down, Sir.” I didn’t want to say anything, but he was persistent, so I told him, “My son is afraid you’ll spit in our food.” He said, “No, Sir. We will never do that.” Vicktor chimed in, “What if we don’t leave a tip?” He replied, “But we will find out afterwards so that will be on your next visit, right?” It is hard to argue with Vicktor. He continued, “So, you’ll spit on our next visit.” We all knew there was no use arguing. A doubt had been created and there was no way to bring back the trust, so we left! A few years back during our visit to DC, my wife wanted to try a new Indian restaurant for lunch that she had heard great things about, especially their famous palak chaat. I had a business meeting so I told her to go ahead on her own and I would join her a little later. When I went there after an hour, she told me that the restaurant staﬀ had been giving her a royal treatment. They answered all her questions patiently while she ordered a variety of hors d’oeuvre. They even escorted her to the rest room. She was happy but also confused at that time. Later she realized that after seeing her eagerness to try new dishes, her dress and Saathee.com

her mannerisms, they assumed that she was a food critique who was there to write a review about their restaurant. I am usually not that fortunate to have a great experience at Indian restaurants, especially when I travel alone on business. When I am dressed in a suit, other people think I am the server. A couple left me a tip in my hand as they were leaving. When I looked down, it was a ten dollar bill. I took it and told them, “Thank you for coming. Come again. Try the chicken tikka masala next time.” This confusion based on a stereotype continues beyond restaurants. I rented a black Cadillac and pulled into the hotel entrance in DC. An old lady got into the back seat and said, “Airport please.” Boy I was mad! She only tipped me 4 bucks and only 2 stars on Yelp! I read somewhere that restaurants seat beautiful, well-dressed people next to the windows because it attracts more customers. Now we are not exactly the model customers. The fancier the restaurant, the worse seat we get. First time we went to a fancy Italian restaurant, they stuck us by the bathroom. Another fancy restaurant seated us by the kitchen. The third time, at a really fancy restaurant, they didn’t even bother seating us. They just gave us our food to go! Once when traveling to Maryland, my flight had got delayed so by the time I reached the hotel, it was past 11 pm and all the restaurants near my hotel were closed. I found one restaurant which continued on page 80 January 2022

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Beyond Plunderdome We Don’t Need Another Logo Subcontinental Divide by Ahsen Jillani Yes, holidays are approaching as I compose this diatribe. I have heard rumors that there is some virus thing around, but we are not waiting another second to get out and purchase $400 worth of absolute garbage at Target, Walmart, Costco, Office Depot, Exxon Mobile, Tractor Supply, and Jimmy’s BBQ & Fertilizer Heaven. Sometimes I sit for 7.385 minutes at my neighborhood exit because frenzied homemakers armed with their car horns, tablets and smartphones are trying to reach the nearest World Market for the BOGO deal. You know the one on made-in-China faux ceramic dishes made-to-look-like fine English China that Queen Victoria would eat her sheep chops in to gain another 15 pounds of cholesterol while ordering 25 people gutted and 77 people imprisoned for – I don’t know – breathing, or something like speaking in an obnoxious accent that nobody else on the planet can understand so the natives just surrender and drop to their knees saying, “We are not worthy of this cockney sophistication. Colonize us immediately.” Something like that. I have spent the last several years in two worlds. My younger daughter even uses Kleenex tissue with a Gucci label on it. Recently I, of course, bought an electric dust blower device on Amazon, and turned on an ultra ionic, mega-UV, hyper SpaceX filter (also Amazon – also made in China, of course), and went hog (or at least Chihuahua) wild on my office. Beneath the layers of dust that I stirred was an archeological find about as intriguing but also as tragic as finding the nose-ring of Queen Nefertiti. There, under piles of papers, tax filings, printing samples, and credit card offers that expired in 1998, were beautiful boxes with elastic ribbons on them. They had weird terms on them – things like Polo, Gucci, Christian Dior, Armani. I was puzzled. I isolated the pile and stared at it from my office chair and felt deep sadness. My kids had little money back in those days; but there was this hormonal urge driving them to spend their last dime on buying daddy something with a logo on it. And if we were progressing in a positive direction from this nightmare in time, I would say, well, this pile of logos on shirts, shoes, pants, socks, belts, undies – it was worth it. We gambled. We lost. We learned. We grew. We are now superior beings. Heck no. If you think you are about to exit this worm hole wellversed in the trickery of the Metaverse, ahem! They already had you by continued on page 94 Saathee.com

January 2022

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Reviews Read Watch Listen by Samir Shukla

Book Review My Life in Full Work, Family and Our Future Author: Indra Nooyi (Portfolio/Penguin) In her new memoir, Indra Nooyi, former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo, talks about her life, early struggles as a woman trying to establish a career in India and rising to the highest post in the company. It’s quite an intimate telling of her story, a quintessential tale of humble beginnings in India, education, hard work, perseverance, and achievement of reaching the top of an iconic American company. Nooyi served as CEO and chairman of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2019 and was the first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 500 company. My Life in Full is a poignant memoir written with humility. Throughout the book she chronicles her journey and events that shaped her life, her close-knit family, education in 1960s India to the Yale School of Management, marriage and raising a family while working to advance her career. Her memoir is inspiring from her firsthand telling of the progress in her career and the personal sacrifices it so often demanded. She worked as a corporate consultant and strategist who worked to rise to the top. Her strategy at PepsiCo was to maneuver the company toward healthier products, a more sustainability profile, and inclusivity. She talks about her strategies for the company, changing consumer preferences and behavior while managing a large, global workforce. She writes in honest details about the resistance she received as well as the support from people in the industry and outside, while trying to manage her family life and career. She worked for and continues her eﬀorts with business and government for what she believes are necessary for a healthy and productive society - paid Saathee.com

leave, work flexibility, child and eldercare ecosystems and community support. Nooyi has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, the U.S. State Department’s award for Outstanding American by Choice, and 15 honorary degrees. She is married to Raj Nooyi and has two daughters, Preetha and Tara.

Music review: This Pale Iranian American vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi and Indian sitarist and composer Shujaat Husain Khan have recorded a lovely and haunting new album with the poems of Rumi as lyrics. Their eﬀort, This Pale, gives a musical backdrop to the works of Persian poet and Sufi mystic Rumi, who was an advocate of love and tolerance. The ancient connections of Persian and Indian music meld organically here. You don’t have to understand the words to get a feel of the wisdom and the emotions, especially listening to this while reading some or Rumi’s works. Gourdarzi’s voice takes command of a particular piece or flutters around the music in other pieces. The diverse group of musicians in this recording also include Iranian Ney player Shaho Andalibi, and 5thgeneration Indian tabla player of the Thirakwa lineage Shariq Mustafa. Rumi, who lived and composed his works over 800 years ago, has been the biggest selling poet in the United States for two decades. Goudarzi reflects, “All those basic human emotions that are fundamentally universal in nature and connect us, regardless of race or country of origin, are there. Beyond its surface beauty, it also carries a lot of messages about what he really stood for. He was actually greatly loved for his stance on tolerance and certain other things that are worth paying special attention to at this crucial time in our society.” Samir Shukla Editor of Saathee Magazine Contact: Samir@Saathee.com Twitter: @ShuklaWrites Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com 44

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photo courtesy Dr. Maha Gingrich

The Evergreen Dance Form - Bharatha Natyam and makeup, just to mention a few. It is a holistic approach to benefit your body, mind and soul. I have been giving several presentations on health benefits of these dances, especially when we age these benefits stay with us. Let us explore some basics of this dance form. Let us start with the source of this name. The word “Bharatha” is believed to be composed of the first syllable of its three main elements: BHA for Bhava - meaning mood/expressions RA for Raga - meaning melody/tune/song THA for Thala - meaning rhythmic timing/beat NATYAM - meaning the combination of both dancing and acting. It is also known that Sage Bharatha has written the great book Natya Sastra (The treatise on dramaturgy), describing all aspects of dance. This book includes the basic techniques called Adavus; position of the feet and body; single and double hand gestures called Asamyuktha and Samyuktha hasthas; Shiro Bhedas-or head movements; Drishti Bhedas or eye movements; Bhru Bhedas or eyebow movements; Griva Bhedas or neck movements; Nava rasaa or nine emotions and so on. Temple sculptures became the scriptures. Great temple builders, the Cholas, who ruled India between the 9th and 13th centuries, left a wealth of material on dance carved as inscriptions and sculptures on temples. Dance poses

Dances of India by Dr. Maha Gingrich One of the most enduring images of South India is that of the Bharatha Natyam dancer and this ageless, evergreen dance form continues to hold people in thrall today. I always say, these classical dances are not merely an entertainment. India’s classical dances are steeped in history and mythology and are immersed in teaching philosophies and ethics. When presented in its purity, Bharatha Natyam is one of the most subtle, sophisticated, and graceful dance forms in the world. This South Indian dance style is immensely popular in India and in many parts of the world. Many parents want their children to learn this dance form either to fulfil their own childhood dreams or because they hope their children will learn about the epics and the rich Indian culture through dance. Due to the amazing survival of this evergreen dance form, irrespective of the changes in repertoire and modes of presentation from time to time and from region to region, the basic principles and techniques of the art remained the same to the present day. This dance form was developed with such precision that each part of the dance was well thought out. It starts from characteristics needed to become a classical dancer, followed by the setup of the stage, costume design, jewelry, Saathee.com

continued on page 94 46

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Are You Being Selfish Enough? Thinking About Thinking by Balaji Prasad “Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.” - Jane Austen She stood, glowering down at him, and grimaced, “How can you be so selfish, and think only of yourself!?” The boy shuffled his feet, looked away sheepishly, and couldn’t find any words that would be appropriate to the situation. Clearly, selfishness is not considered a virtue. When you are part of a society, a group, or an organization, you are just one among many. If everyone thinks only of themselves and compromises everyone else, it would be a difficult existence for all, practically speaking, setting aside the broader philosophical issues of morality and such. The one or the many? Many questions create dichotomies that make it difficult to deal with the underlying reality in a meaningful manner. So, too, in this case: It is not the one or the many. There’s a power in an “and”, that it’s wise to understand: that the thing in your hand, is not the thing that was canned, by the words that were planned, for some ostrich in the sand. There are times that call for a greater attention to yourself, and there are times when it is more appropriate to attend to the “greater good”. Putting an “or” between these things creates the illusion that one must be given up completely to get the other. Sometimes, and quite non-intuitively, a focus on yourself can make you more valuable to others; the obvious example is when you are told, during an continued on page 74

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Time to Simplify Your Investments and Still Boost Returns

especially true for older workers and those nearing retirement since they have had the most time to collect extra financial baggage. When these investments are done over a long period of time, sprawl is a problem, at least a sure concern, because it makes it hard to keep tabs on what is in your portfolio, not to even mention the asset allocation across diﬀerent accounts. Keep in mind that we are not doing this on purpose or anything like that; it just happens because we don’t have the time to look at all the previous investments when the new one is made. It just requires more oversight than we can muster time or interest for. There are at least three areas we should be looking at.

Personal Finances by Mo Vidwans We all squirrel away our savings in one form or the other and often we really don’t pay attention to those investments that much. I know at least I was not doing much of a careful review to understand that my investments are in the right place/category/class and that they are doing as well as I expected them to do when those early investments were started. The reason, very simply, is this: there were so many things going on in life when these earlier investments were made, I didn’t have enough time to sit down and review them carefully. There was always tomorrow. To many people, investing often seems complicated and if that is what we think then we keep away from it sub-consciously; that is human nature. If we made the right decisions when we started this process, then where is the need to go back and review it again. On the surface, all this looks very logical, but things happen. World changes, our goals change, investment process and our decisions as to where we should be investing now change. It is always an evolving process and that never stops. I remember vividly that every time I heard a new song and liked it very much, I used to think this is it, there is not going to be anything better than this. But sure enough, another good song comes along, then the first one doesn’t get as much attention. Then another one and so on. You get the picture. Investments can be viewed the same way. If we started investing long time ago then there is a need to get an overview first, then dig deeper into each portfolio. When it comes to managing your portfolio, a streamlined approach with few funds and fewer accounts can help you make most of your money and could even boost your returns. Decluttering our investments can be one of the easiest ways to improve our finances. And that is Saathee.com

Consolidate Accounts For most investors it will become very clear when I mention 401K accounts. Each 401K is tied to your current or previous employer and knowing well that we make job changes every 3 to 5 years, we probably have at least a few of these accounts residing somewhere, generally still with the previous employer(s) because of our neglect or they tell us to do so (it is in their interest to do so but not yours). Hence now you have several of these accounts. This can make it harder to keep track of your savings and can push up costs considerably, unless you consolidate the accounts into an IRA or your current employer’s 401K. All the 401Ks from your previous employers can be consolidated into one IRA, as long as the owner is the same, and then you can manage it whichever way you would wish to. One of the disadvantages 401K has is that you are given very limited choices to invest in by the administrator, generally between 15 and 25 choices but when converted to IRA it has literally thousands of choices. Consolidating can also lower your costs by enabling you to qualify for Fund share classes with lower expense ratios. One thing to remember is that you can’t do much with your current employer 401K and you can never combine your IRA with anyone else’s, even your life partner. Use Total Market Funds or ETFS It is best if you could construct your portfolios around total market index funds or ETFs if one is available. These are sold by many, certainly most large funds including Fidelity, Blackrock, Vanguard and Schwab. These funds oﬀer both lower cost and convenience. Many funds have continued on page 80 54

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Greens and Beans Nutrition for Life by Parul Kharod In the Southern part of the US, there is a popular saying, “Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year.” According to the Farmer’s Almanac, on January 1 millions will be serving up the traditional New Year’s menu of black-eyed peas and greens. It is believed eating these foods on New Year’s Day will bring good luck and prosperity for the remainder of the year. Greens – (collards, mustard or turnip greens, cabbage, etc.) symbolize the green of “dollar bills,” and will ensure you have a financially prosperous New Year. Black-eyed peas symbolize “coins,” and point to monetary gain. In Italy, lentils are thought to bring prosperity for the year ahead when eaten on New Year’s Day. But beans and greens don’t have to be eaten only on New Year’s Day! These foods have a lot of health benefits and should be consumed year-round on a regular basis. Benefits of Beans (including all pulses) Beans are highly nutritious and are an important source of fiber, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and plant-based protein. Beans have important health benefits. They are rich in fiber, and keep you satisfied for longer than many other foods. Studies have found that eating a meal with beans and pulses made study participants feel fuller than a meal without beans. This can help with balancing blood sugars and hormones. Eating a high fiber diet that includes beans and pulses may help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and GI issues such as diverticulosis. Beans are not only good for you, but also good for the planet. Beans foster sustainable agriculture and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Beans have a positive impact on the environment because they fix nitrogen in the soil, increasing soil fertility. Beans promote biodiversity. They also help increase organic matter and microbial biomass and activity (e.g., bacteria, fungi) in the soil. For this reason, they play a key role in crop rotation and the health of the planet. Beans are economically accessible and contribute to food security at all levels. They are inexpensive to buy, have a long shelf-life and are stable during transportation. Beans are the cheapest form of quality protein and can help towards feeding more people. Benefits of Leafy Greens Dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of many important nutrients. continued on page 74

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How to Ace Your Grad School Interview College Admissions Insider by Lindsey Conger

Your grad school interview is your chance to show the schools that you are not only the perfect fit on paper but also how you could add to the school community. During the interview, you can also learn more about the school and ask any questions. While not all grad schools will oﬀer interviews, it is essential to take the time to prepare if the opportunity does arise. Here are a few tips to help you through the grad school interview process. Before the interview: 1. Do your research. Whenever possible, you should try to find out who your grad school interviewer will be. Often, it is an admissions counselor or representative, but it could also be a current graduate student or professor. Doing some research on who will be the person interviewing you can help you tailor questions to fit their background or discover mutual interests to discuss. 2. Nail down why you want to attend the school. While you can likely talk about your activities and accomplishments at length, a harder question for students to answer oﬀ the top of their heads is why they want to attend that particular program. Take time to dig through the website and learn about the school, the program, its faculty, and how these elements fit your needs and can help you achieve your goals. You should also take time to read through the program’s coursework so you can pick out a few interesting highlights. 3. Practice! Either with a friend/family member or in front of a mirror, review common interview questions. Record yourself to see how much you fidget, your tone of voice, and how confident you sound to see if there is any room for improvement. Here are some common interview questions to prepare: •Tell me about yourself. •Why do you want to attend this program? Why are you pursuing an advanced degree? •How will you contribute to this program? •What are your career goals? How can this program help you achieve them? •What is your proudest achievement? •What are your research interests? •How have your experiences helped you prepare for our program?

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During the interview 1. Be confident. Whether the interview is inperson or via Zoom, make eye contact and act as naturally as possible. Take note of the names of the interviewers. 2. Showcase your personality. At this point, the interviewers know that you are academically qualified; now, they want to see how you will fit on campus. Because grad schools are so competitive, it is okay to show your personality (when appropriate)—it might help you be more memorable! 3. Ask questions. This part of the interview is critical to showcase your interest in the program and your priorities when you are on campus. You can ask things like: •What type of student tends to succeed in this program? •What are alumni doing a year after graduation? Where are they working? •What are a few things that people find surprising about this program? •What type of work can I do as a research assistant? When can students do teaching assistantships? After the Interview Once the interview is over, you will likely feel relieved! But the work isn’t quite over yet. It is always a good idea to write a quick note to your interviewers, thanking them for taking the time to interview you and reiterating your interest in the program. The grad school interview is just one step in the process, but it is critical to your success. If you properly prepare, demonstrate your interest in the program, and ask insightful questions, you are on the right track to getting accepted to your dream program. Lindsey Conger is a college counselor and tutor at Moon Prep. She helps students create memorable personal statements and tutors students to increase their academic profile to universities. Website: MoonPrep.com Contact: Lindsey@moonprep.com

January 2022

News Notes Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu Crowned Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned Miss Universe 2021 on December 12, 2021, during a pageant hosted this year in southern Israel. The pageant was held in the resort city of Eilat, with 80 women from around the world competing for the crown. Sandhu draws her inspiration from her mother, she says, who broke generations of patriarchy to become a successful gynecologist and led her family. Driven to support other women the same way, she grew up working with her mother at health camps addressing women’s health and menstrual hygiene. She is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment, particularly their constitutional rights to education, careers, and their freedom of choice. Sandhu is an actor with two Punjabi LMS slated for release in 2022 and hopes to essay characters in LMS that break stereotypes that the world has of women. Sandhu enjoys the company of friends, loves yoga, dancing, cooking, horse riding, and playing chess. In a speech on stage during the pageant, Sandhu urged young people to “know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful, stop comparing yourself to others.” The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is an organization that celebrates women of all cultures and backgrounds and empowers them to realize their goals through experiences that build selfconfidence and create opportunities for success.

the International Space Station’s complex systems, training for spacewalks, developing complex robotics skills, safely operating a T38 training jet, and Russian language skills. Upon completion, they could be assigned to missions that involve performing research aboard the space station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, as well as deep space missions to destinations including the Moon on NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. For the first time ever, NASA required candidates to hold a master’s degree in a STEM field and used an online assessment tool. The women and men selected for the new astronaut class represent the diversity of America and the career paths that can lead to a place in America’s astronaut corps. The 2021 astronaut candidates are: Nichole Ayers, Marcos Berríos, Christina Birch, Deniz Burnham, Luke Delaney, Andre Douglas, Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon, Christopher Williams, and Jessica Wittner. With the addition of these 10 members of the 2021 astronaut candidate class, NASA now has selected 360 astronauts since the original Mercury Seven in 1959. For more details, visit Nasa.gov/astronauts.

NASA Selects New Astronaut Recruits to Train for Future Missions

Ekal Raises $4 Million in Annual Gala

NASA has chosen 10 new astronaut candidates from a field of more than 12,000 applicants to represent the United States and work for humanity’s benefit in space. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson introduced the members of the 2021 astronaut class, the first new class in four years, during a December event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Today we welcome 10 new explorers, 10 members of the Artemis generation, NASA’s 2021 astronaut Indian American Anil Menon is among candidate class,” Nelson said. “Alone, the new astronaut candidates. each candidate has ‘the right stuﬀ,’ Photo courtesy of NASA but together they represent the creed of our country: E pluribus unum – out of many, one.” The astronaut candidates will report for duty at Johnson in January 2022 to begin two years of training. Astronaut candidate training falls into five major categories: operating and maintaining

On a lovely Saturday, November 13, 2021 “Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation (EVF)” raised over $4 million in star-studded virtual Gala, called “Future of India” that highlighted pre-eminent speakers, Ekal’s accomplishments and youth’s contributions to its mission. As per Indian demography, two third of its population resides in villages. Ekal, as it is popularly known, currently has presence in over 102,000 rural-tribal areas across India with a reach to over 300,000 such clusters of habitants. Although rooted in education, Ekal has evolved into providing healthcare, integrated village development, empowering functionality and new-age technology to these rural folks. This two-hour event, co-chaired by Mohan Wanchoo and Kamlesh Shah, saw

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January 2022

consistent response from the donors, from the moment it opened till it was capped by youthful entertainment by Penn-Masala, an acapella group from the University of Pennsylvania. The funds raised at the Gala were for specific projects, such as tailoring training centers, E-shiksha, Ekal-on-Wheels, Telemedicine, Gramotthan Research Centers, and Integrated Village Development. Wanchoo, who pioneered Gala events at Ekal, regaled viewers with a personal story of how hospitable tribal villagers were in the midst of a horrific tragedy that they had endured earlier. Kamlesh Shah elaborated on Ekal’s aggressive fight with Covid19 pandemic and the steps, that were taken to fight misinformation about the virus and the treatment. Several other speakers noted Ekal’s activities. Ekal supports all its activities without any regards to a particular region, religion or gender. A galaxy of Bollywood stars – from Hema Malini, Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai to Varun Dhavan, Udit Narayan, Alia Bhatt - provided glitz with their support for Ekal. For more details, visit Ekal.org.

UNESCO Adds Srinagar to its Network of Creative Cities List

On November 9, 2021, Srinagar was inscribed with the status of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the Crafts and Folk Arts category. The summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir joins Jaipur under the same category. Forty-nine cities including Doha and Jakarta were added to the preexisting network of 246 cities following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. Other Indian cities in the Creative Cities Network include Mumbai (Film), Hyderabad (Gastronomy), Chennai (Music) and Varanasi (Music). According to a release posted on the oﬃcial website, the UCCN was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The 295 cities reaching 90 countries that invest in culture and creativity—crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music—currently make up this network to work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level. Saathee.com

LPS Scholarship Foundation Awards $100,000 for 2021-2022 The Leuva Patidar Samaj Foundation in conjunction with Jaydev and Purnima Foundation have jointly distributed in scholarships worth one hundred thousand dollars for the year 2021-2022 academic year. The LPS Foundation had received over one hundred Applications for the prestigious scholarship this year. LPS scholarship believes that education is the key to help communities, and it is a fundamental ingredient for a healthy democracy. The LPS Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit that opens doors to higher education through direct assistance programs for students and through active participation in many aspects of the LPS community. The Foundation’s core financial aid programs provide outright grants to students for education to qualified LPS community students who are pursuing bachelors, associate, technical degrees and postgraduates at accredited educational institutions throughout the United States. Here are some of the names of the top achievers of this year’s Scholarship. Brijesh J Patel, Thomasville, NC; Radha C Patel, Goose Creek, SC; Riken A Patel, Apopka, FL; Dilan K Patel, Rome, GA; Evani N Patel, Kennesaw, GA; Simran A Patel, Atlanta, GA. LPS scholarship foundation started in the year 2000 and it has awarded more than half a million dollars to students over the years.

Sewa Diwali 2021

Sewa Diwali is an initiative by individuals, spiritual and religious organizations as well as Indian sociocultural organizations who believe in the Sewa Dharma (Service to Humanity is Service to Divinity). As part of this campaign these organizations collect food January 2022

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January 2022

during the festival of Diwali and sharef it with Food banks and needy communities across the US. The first Sewa Diwali-2021 initiative by Indian community of Greater Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC region was a success with over 13,500 lbs. of food collected by many volunteers that was delivered to local food pantries. They spent long hours working on this project, collecting food, sorting, loading, distributing flyers, explaining the importance of giving and finally delivering the collected food to the food pantries around Greater Charlotte, Greensboro, and Columbia areas. Several area organizations joined this initiative.

Edit Desk

continued from page 14

Print It. Don’t stop the presses. Print the newspaper. Print the magazines and books. Read them. Print is looking backward, you may say, as we push further into this still young century. I disagree. Print medium has never left us and I don’t believe it ever will. Paper books, and likely magazines, will be around for decades, centuries maybe. Print medium has survived radio, TV, Internet, social media, and will survive whatever else lurks ahead. I’ve always been an avid reader and my love for print began at a very young age. I loved making little comics using folded papers and staplers as a kid. Draw, doodle, cut and paste. It was the first year of college. I was in between classes as a student at the University of North Carolina Charlotte in 1981-82. It was late in the semester. I strolled into the building where the student media were based. The radio station, WFAE (Charlotte’s NPR station, freshly born in 1981), the student newspaper Carolina Journal, and the literary magazine, named Sanskrit, were all based there. I walked into the college newspaper office on a whim. One of the editors must have mistaken me for someone else and asked if I was there for an assignment. I said, sure, I like to write. He assigned me a story, to cover an event. I covered it and wrote about it and saw my name in print and man I was hooked. The editors gave me a quick rundown on the do’s and don’ts of newspapering, about being objective, fair, and telling it like it is. My journalism training was firsthand. I started writing for them as a staff writer and later became the newspaper’s editor. In our world, traversing the canyons of digital information can get overwhelming. The slowness of the old print medium gives a sense of pause. Unplug. Print remains a unique, to tag this century’s all-purpose buzzword, “experience.” It may sound a bit selfpromoting (you’re reading this in a print magazine that we own and publish), but the experience of reading information in printed format has a different, dare I say, a deeper connection. Saathee remains a part of that connection, the passion for the print medium, the paper and ink, connecting the larger community. You can clip out a newspaper article, or a recipe from a magazine, or keep a dog-eared favorite book on a shelf, as part of that connection. Yeah, digital gives the immediacy, but it still doesn’t match the printed medium in the most human of all needs, physical connection. Raise a glass for printed media in this new year. Rejoice adjustments and our rerouted lives. And, yes, onward.

Surya Namaskar Yagna 2022 Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) will launch the 15th annual “Surya Namaskar Yagna (SNY)”, a Health for Humanity Yogathon campaign. The 16-day event aims to create awareness about Yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind and spirit. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) integrates simple Yoga postures in 10-steps that, along with easy breathing technique, can provide immense health benefits to both the body and the mind. Each year Hindus worldwide celebrate Makar Sankranti in January – a day that marks the change of season as the sun enters the sign of Capricorn or Makar. Makar Sankranti ushers in longer days; thus, the festivity symbolizes sunshine in life. Surya Namaskar Yagna (SNY) will run from January 15 - 30, 2022. This program has been conducted by HSS since 2006 to spread the awareness of fitness among people. People spend hundreds of dollars on fitness centers whereas this ancient yoga form enables anyone who does it for 15-20 minutes obtain the same benefits. Surya Namaskar is a yoga form that gives exercise to the entire body. All you need to do is learn the correct postures and breathing. This is where HSS plays a big role, reaching out to people and teaching them how to do Sun Salutations and inculcating the habit of fitness using ancient technique of yoga and pass it on to the next generation. It is very important that kids also get good exercise for their physical and mental growth and Sun Salutations are an easy and simple way to achieve this. Surya Namaskar is one such habit which can takes little time and eﬀort yet gives all the benefits of good health. At the end of this two-week period, certificates are given to kids for participating and to encourage them. Last year, around 5000+ participants across 43 states participated in this program and did over 1.03 million Surya Namaskars. Additionally, teachers and school children from over 91 schools learned and performed Surya Namaskars. Details: Hssus.org/sny. Saathee.com

Samir Shukla Editor of Saathee Magazine Contact: Samir@Saathee.com Twitter: @ShuklaWrites // Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com 66

January 2022

HINDU CENTER Support Hindu Center Expansion Leave a Lasting Memory on HC Wall.

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Upcoming Hindu Center Events & Activities: Vaikuntha Ekadasi: January 12th, Wednesday Lohri: January 13th, Thursday Pongal / Bhogi Pallu: January 15th, Saturday Kite Flying / Makar Sankranti: January 15th, Saturday Republic Day: January 29th, Saturday Vasant Panchami: February 5th, Saturday Maha-Shivratri: March 1st, Tuesday Holika Dahan: March 17th, Thursday Dhuleti: March 19th, Saturday Ugadi: April 1st, Friday Gudi Padava/Vaishakhi/ Vishu/ Chetti-Chand : April 2nd, Saturday Chaitra Navratri: April 2nd (Saturday) thru April 10th (Sunday)

HINDU CENTER OF CHARLOTTE 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212 704-535-3440 email: administrator@hcclt.org Fax. 704-535-6923

OF CHARLOTTE Hindu Center Celebrating Vaikuntha Ekadasi Wednesday, January 12, 2022

(Temple will open in the morning at 6 am)

Morning start 6 am: Suprabatham, Nitya Puja 7 am: Vaikunta Dwara Aradhana Followed by opening of Vaikunta Dwara Evening 7 pm: Vishnu Sahastranama Parayanam, 8:15pm Sayanotsavam and Lalli songs to Lord. For more details on Lord Venkateshwara Anniversary or Vaikuntha Ekadasi talk to Hindu Center Priests 704-535-3440 Lakshmikanth Bhattar 980-254-1022; Balaji Bhattar 704-906-2109 Vijay Raghava Bhattar 803-470-8377; Kaushik Srinivasa: 980-263-1238 Badri Naryan: 704-998-1861

January 29, 2022; Saturday (Noon) also on Facebook Live

Flag Hoisting National Anthems Cultural Show Food Options will be available Cultural Show: email: hc_cultural@yahoo.com Nirav Pandya 570-205-2636, Anju Jain 704-620-4503, Anitha Gowtam 704-206-9348 or Hemant Amin 704-258-3588

HINDU CENTER Lohri

Jan 13, 2022 Puja: (Thurs., 7 pm )

Pongal / Bhogi Pallu: Jan 15, 2022 (Sat., begins at 5 PM)

Abhishek/ Pooja with Bhajan/Shlokas. Followed by Kari/Bhogi Pallu & Mahaprasad Kari / Bhogi Pallu: Parents / Grandparents will Bless & Shower their kids with fruits, candies, coins, cranberries etc., supplied by Hindu Center. Please bring kids and don'tmiss this unique event. Dress up in Indian tradition outfits if possible.

Makar Sankranti Kite flying: Jan 15, 2022 (Saturday, Noon to 5 pm)

Weather permitting Kites, Threads & Food options will be available for donations. Nirav Pandya 570-205-2636 or HC 704-535-3440

MAHA-SHIVRATRI Mar 1, 2022 (Tues)

Lord Shiva Abhishekham all day Maha Shivaratri will be celebrated by performing Pooja all night long including Rudhrabhishekham. Evening Puja Abhishek, Bhajans, Aarti and Prasad

OF CHARLOTTE Holika Dahan

March 17, 2022 (Thursday) Puja & Aarti 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Dhuleti:

March 19, 2022 (Saturday at 12:30 pm) COLOR, MUSIC & FOOD

Ugadi / Gudi Padva / Baisakhi In Temple on

April 1, 2022 (Friday) Lord Balaji Archnas all day every hour $11 donations.

Vishu / Gudi Padava / Cheti Chand: in temple April 2, 2022 (Saturday)

Chaitra Navratri

April 2 (Saturday) thru April 10 (Sunday)

Ramen Noodles Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu

Saathee RECIPES

By Mithi Shukla

Happy New Year, food lovers! I am a noodles freak. So, I thought I would give you my staple quick and easy noodles recipe that you can make with any veggies you have on hand. I love the combination of bell peppers, broccoli and two types of onions. Make it colorful and fun. Tofu provides satisfying protein while you can get your carbs and veggies covered as well with this healthy and tasty recipe. You can turn up the heat if you prefer your food a bit hot or keep it mild. The magic is in the sauce. If you don’t have an air fryer, I’m sorry you can stop reading now. Just Kidding. You can broil the tofu with the same dry mix in the oven on high setting for 3-5 minutes, tossing frequently. Keep an eye on the tofu so it doesn’t burn. After a busy day, this is a perfect go to guilt-free meal.

Ingredients Ramen Noodles (I used 2 bundles of Japanese Ramen) Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper (1) Yellow or white Onion (1 small) Green onion (1 stalk) Garlic (3-4 cloves) Broccoli (half head) Salt to taste

Serves: 3 - 4 Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 15 - 20 mins

Directions

1 Cut tofu into cubes. Mix corn starch, salt and black pepper. Toss the tofu in the dry mix. Air fry tofu at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, ﬂipping the cubes halfway.

2 Julienne strips of pepper and onion. Mince garlic and chop green onion and broccoli. Sauté broccoli until slightly soft, then add bell peppers, onion, garlic, and green onion.

Air Fried Tofu Extra Firm tofu (1 block) Corn starch (1 tablespoon) Salt and Black pepper (to taste)

3 Boil Noodles. Drain boiled noodles and rinse with cold water.

Optional ingredients Sesame Seeds (to garnish) Eggs (1 large egg) scrambled Roasted peanuts (1/4 cup crushed)

5 Mix noodles and veggies. Add ready tofu with noodles and veggies and mix. Pour

Sauce Soy Sauce (1/4 cup) White vinegar (1 tbsp) Brown sugar (1 tbsp) Chili Sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce) (to taste) Hoisin sauce (1 tsp) (Adds more depth to the ﬂavor)

Saathee.com

4 Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix. sauce on top and mix again.

6 This is an optional step to garnish with sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, the scrambled egg, or any variation of the three.

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Nutrition

Thinking

continued from page 56

continued from page 48

airplane emergency, to wear your oxygen mask first, before attempting to help others in distress. Similarly, it may be necessary to prioritize something that is not immediately obvious as being of value to you, but which may well be, for example, when you take the eﬀort to resist someone who is looking to curb someone else’s right to speak because they would like to suppress what is being said. It should not be hard to see that this behavior can be detrimental to your well being too, under diﬀerent circumstances. So, selfishness is a somewhat blurry idea. This also results in its often being used inappropriately, ironically, even very selfishly, to get others to do what you want them to do!

All greens, including kale and spinach are rich in vitamins A, C, E and K. Bok choy and Mustard greens are also rich in many of the B-vitamins. They also contain high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. The dark greens supply a significant amount of folate, a B vitamin that promotes heart health and helps prevent certain birth defects. Folate is also necessary for DNA duplication and repair which protects against the development of cancer. Several large studies have shown that high intakes of folate may lower the risk of colon polyps. Dark green leafy vegetables have Vitamin K which can help with protecting bones from osteoporosis and helping to prevent against inflammatory diseases. Green leafy vegetables may be one of the best cancerpreventing foods. These vegetables contain a lot of antioxidants that protects the cells. Studies have shown that eating 2 to 3 servings of green leafy vegetables per week may lower the risk of stomach, breast, and skin cancer. These same antioxidants have also been proven to decrease the risk of heart disease. Green leafy vegetables are high in fiber and very low in calories. This helps with achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. Adding fiber rich greens also helps with balancing blood sugars and thus managing diabetes.

I before ye, except after ye see? We live in a world that is populated by things and words. The words sit between us and things. And this is what makes everything interesting and challenging: it’s a constant struggle to duel with the real world with the silly words that we make up. So, in a given situation, you may be making the right trade-oﬀs you need to, with regard to the balance between the part that is “the I” and the whole, which includes everyone and everything else. But someone, e.g., a politician, may come along and say that you are being “selfish” (it is important to reflect here that politicians are not just those who sit in congressional halls, but pretty much anyone who looks to use the power of words and rhetoric to get things that are in their interest or preference, while making their words indicate that they’re acting for “the greater good”, or for your good). And so, the debates go on endlessly about what you’re supposed to do versus what you do do, and who is right, and what is right, and so on. It can be a real quagmire, as you deal simultaneously with reality and with the words that don’t always have everyone’s best interest at heart. A wise person gives people one chance, maybe two – maybe even three! – for their rhetoric to match the reality. At some point, we would be remiss not to realize that our minds are in the driver’s seat of our bodies, and that we have our own issues of making our words match our realities, let alone dealing with other people’s creative craft with words that may serve no one other than themselves. A certain kind of “selfishness” is not a bad thing. There’s probably a good reason why a mind is inside a specific body, rather than somewhere else, looking to drive you steadily, without veering, on the sometimeschallenging road of survival. Drive safely in the New Year! I wish you the best.

Beans and Greens Around the World Beans and greens are eaten all around the world in diﬀerent cuisines. In India and Pakistan, spinach and mustard greens are cooked with chhole or chana daal. Spinach and mung daal or masoor dal is also a popular dish. These daals are also cooked with other leafy greens such as methi and gongura. In Ethiopia, various greens are cooked with lentils or chickpeas. In Italy, cannellini beans are cooked with milder greens such as escarole with lots of garlic! Another dish from the Southern Italian region of Apulia is bitter greens with dried fava beans. Mexican cuisine also has black bean stews that are cooked with local varieties of leafy greens. Mediterranean and Persian cuisines also have many variations of diﬀerent greens cooked with a variety of beans. Happy New Year! Hope you start your new year by eating some beans and greens for good luck and continue to eat them through the year for good health.

Balaji Prasad is an IIT/IIM graduate, a published author, SAT/ACT Online and in-person Coach, and K-12 Math Tutor at NewCranium. balaji.prasad@newcranium.com. Saathee.com

Parul Kharod is a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist and works as a Clinical Dietitian. She can be reached at parulkharod@gmail.com. 74

January 2022

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January 2022

Looking forward, all eyes are on the United States Congress. The immigration reform bill that has passed the House of Representatives is attached to the President’s larger “Build Back Better” plan, which is a sweeping human infrastructure bill that seeks to target a variety of non-physical needs, such as universal pre-K education, climate change, expanding the child tax credit and growing Obamacare’s subsidies. By attaching immigration reform to the BBBA’s largely spendingcentric focus, Democrats are hoping to persuade the Senate Parliamentarian (Senate official that advises the Senate on the appropriateness of inclusion of certain policies within a bill) to allow the immigration proposals to remain. Previous requests to include immigration reform in spending bills have been nixed, as changes that only have a budgetary impact may be included to require a 51-vote passage. Substantial changes in policy require a 60-vote threshold and the likelihood of garnering 10 Republican votes appears slim. If the measure passes Parliamentary scrutiny, all eyes will be on Senate Democrats, and particularly Senators Joe Manchin (D – W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D – Ariz.), as the bills’ passage may help to provide a pathway to legalization for individuals with DACA and Temporary Protected Status. Senators Manchin and Sinema have famously bedeviled Senate Democrats hoping for the bill’s quick passage, raising concerns about the overall bill’s price tag. While the immigration measure would fall short of providing a pathway to citizenship to those groups, adopting the provision would have an outsized impact on recipients, providing employment authorization and relief from removal for an estimated seven million individuals. It would also permit USCIS to recapture the 377,000 unused visas that expired in the last fiscal year, which would be a boon for those awaiting the grant of their residency status. As has been a consistent theme involving immigration matters, much of the systemic changes needed for truly reforming the country’s immigration system lies with Congress and ultimately with the voter. Voters that demand political purity from their elected officials cannot complain when reforms fail, as passing legislation inherently requires negotiation and trade-offs. However imperfect a first step the Build Back Better Act is (and much can and should be debated as to the merits of the provisions included in the bill), BBB nevertheless represents a genuine improvement with respect to the nation’s immigration woes over the failures of Congresses-past. Handwringing about the cost and social impact of the bill will undoubtedly continue, but one thing remains true if BBB passes – baby steps of progress are steps, nonetheless.

Immigration

continued from page 22

the United States has been extraordinary thus far. The Biden Administration’s approach to immigration adjudications has also been noteworthy. Under the Trump Administration, H-1B visa petitions were subjected to very high rates of denial and the issuance of often onerous Requests for Evidence. Following the inauguration, USCIS reinstituted a long-standing policy of providing deference to the agency’s prior decisions; in short, if an H-1B petition was granted to an individual in the past, the agency should defer to that determination in adjudicating any new filing. This has helped to improve overall H-1B approval rates, which in the current environment of labor shortages is a relief for US employers. The news, though, was not all cheery, as USCIS failed to use 220,000 family-based visas and 157,000 employment-based visas in the fiscal year. Although a bill that has been passed by the House of Representatives that would permit USCIS to recapture these unused visas and green cards, it faces an uphill climb in the Senate. Nonetheless, USCIS’ failure to utilize 377,000 visas is both astounding and maddening, particularly given the lengthy delay that many applicants have already faced in awaiting their immigrant visas. Those lost green cards represent individuals waiting to open a business, spouses that want to work that are unable to do so, children that are looking to go to college and individuals that are simply anxious to come to the United States. If there is a constant theme that seems to run throughout all administrations, it is that accountability remains scarce. The year 2021 has also been one of drastic change in policy from the enforcement end of the immigration system. The White House temporary suspended all removals in the early months of the administration and has reinstituted the use of “prosecutorial discretion” as a means of avoiding the institution of removal proceedings against individuals that may be in the country unlawfully but are able to present factors that may not warrant the government’s priority. These factors, such as long-time residence, lack of a criminal record, employment in an essential industry or position and significant family ties, may render an individual’s case a non-priority and permits the government to pursue higher priority matters, such as individuals with serious criminal records or repeated immigration violators. Prosecutorial discretion was nonexistent under the previous administration, which resulted in a huge court backlog. As a result, immigration judges carried dockets choked full with cases, leading to increasing case delay and concerns of burnout. By providing both immigration judges and DHS attorneys with tools to ease their caseloads, the Administration has brought some relief to court dockets and individuals alike. Saathee.com

Rishi Oza is a Partner at Brown Immigration Law, a firm that focuses solely on immigration law. He practices in Durham, NC Contact: roza@brownllc.com 78

January 2022

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ordered another one. I asked why we couldn’t order all the food at once. He said this is the only way they will let you sit there for about half an hour and have a conversation. Otherwise, they throw you out in fifteen minutes! Over there, the dining experience may not be pleasant but I don’t have to worry about the authentic Indian taste. Most restaurants, including street-side dhabas, serve delicious food that is authentic to the region. In the US, the trick is to maintain that balance between authenticity and dining experience. I can read the reviews on Yelp about the dining experience, but I cannot rely on them about the authenticity when they are written by American patrons. One of my friends advised me of a simple solution. Call the restaurant and ask them in Bengali how late they are open. If they answer in coherent sentences, there is a strong possibility it may not be an Indian restaurant. I have a better solution. If I want a Punjabi taste, I’ll call them and ask in Punjabi. If I feel like having an authentic dosa, I’ll get on Google Translator and ask in Tamil or Telegu. My dad’s favorite Hindi idiom was, “Bandar kya jaaney adrak ka swad. What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?”

Raajeev

continued from page 40

was open for takeout, and it happened to be Indian. When I started eating the food in my hotel room, I almost spit it out. It was the worst palak paneer I had ever eaten with no flavor. It was like somebody had just put spinach, cream and cheese in a microwave and served it. If they had served frozen palak paneer from Trader Joe’s, it would have been ten times better. I have never done this before, but I actually called the restaurant back to complain. I am glad they didn’t answer otherwise I would have felt guilty and would not have been able to sleep. The next day, when I carefully read the Yelp review, I saw that somebody mentioned that the chef was Nepalese and then it all made sense. I decided that in the future I’d be more careful. Most people will not eat sushi made by an Italian chef. With this new wisdom, when my family and I went to a new Indian restaurant in Los Angeles, I tried to figure out where the chef was from. After exchanging pleasantries our conversation went like this: “How long have you been open?” “Are you the owner?” I still couldn’t get a clue, so I directly asked them, “Where is the chef from?” He replied, “Indian sub-continent.” The restaurant was fairly empty so I knew I could dwell deeper. “Is he from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?” “It doesn’t matter, Sir. We are all neighbors.” “Does he specialize in North Indian or South Indian?” “They are all the same. You should not discriminate against caste or regions.” “No, I am not discriminating. Does he make Mughlai dishes well or things like dosa or uthappam?” “Everything, Sir. He makes it really good. You can order anything and it will be good.” At this point, I could not ask any more questions. I didn’t want to irritate him and more importantly I didn’t want to create a doubt in my son’s mind that he might spit in our food, so we just ordered a bunch of curry dishes. The food was okay. It wasn’t as bad as the NepaleseIndian restaurant in DC but the critic in me still felt that microwaved Indian dishes from Trader Joe’s would be at par or slightly better. Later I found out from a friend that this restaurant was owned by Bangladeshi people and the chef was from Bangladesh. I don’t have anything against Bangla or Bangladeshi people but the problem is I don’t eat fish, a delicacy that is their specialty. I like palak paneer or chole bhature Punjabi style and I can tell the diﬀerence if the food is prepared by a chef who grew up in Punjab. Eating out in India is a whole diﬀerent experience than eating at Indian restaurants in Los Angeles. Over there, they are jam packed at lunch time. My wife and I went to a restaurant in New Delhi with a couple of our friends. My friend ordered snacks. After the snacks came, he ordered more snacks. Then he ordered a drink for me. After it came, he ordered one for himself. After that he ordered an entrée for me. After the dish came, he Saathee.com

Raajeev Aggerwhil is a Los Angeles-based comedian. Follow him on Instagram @raajeevcomedy See his videos on YouTube, search for his name.

Personal Finances

continued from page 54

lower costs to start with but these ones are one of the lowest and it is almost impossible to beat their expense cost ratios. There are 5/6 core areas of the market you can invest in; total US market, total international market and total bond market are three main ones. Taxes are always a serious consideration for any stock transaction, especially in taxable accounts. Selling appreciated stocks or funds in taxable account always creates a scene where there will be capital gains taxes even when you reinvest the money immediately. Idle Cash: Don’t Overlook That With the exception of Emergency funds, much of our cash sits idly in a brokerage account or let me say we ignore to do much with it. That means, for the last so many years, it is probably giving you a very small return of a very small fraction of 1 percent interest and you pay tax on that too. You must talk to the person managing your account to find out what is the best strategy to earn more interest and still keep it fluid if so desired. You just want to ascertain that your cash money is not sitting fallow. There are many options. Mo Vidwans is an independent, board certified financial planner. For details visit, VidwansFinancial.com, call 984-888-0355 or write to: mpvidwans@yahoo.com 80

January 2022

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Saathee.com

January 2022

Who wants to be a Scholar?! Answer the ones you know and research the rest. There is only one correct answer!

1. Arrange the average weight of land animals from highest to lowest. (a) White Rhino (b) Gaur (Indian Bison) (c) Giraffe (d) African Elephant

Word World

2. How many Oscar awards were won by the 1982 film Gandhi? (a) 8 (b) 9 (c) 10 (d) 11

By Kirit Shukla

N I Y

(b) Red, Yellow, Blue (d) White, Red, Blue

4. A Misogamist... (a) Likes women (c) Dislikes women

(b) Likes marriage (d) Dislikes marriage

5. A year on Venus is approx. — Earth days? (a) 175 (b) 200 (c) 225 (d) 250 6. The ratio of 400 ÷ 10000 is (a) 4.0 (c) 0.4

Make words using 5 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Plural words are not allowed. Use all letters for the subject word (underlined in solutions below)

(b) 0.04 (d) 25

7. The coldest temperature recorded in India at (a) Leh, Ladakh (b) Kangchenjunga, Sikkim (c) Kargil, J & K (d) Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

11+ words = Excellent; 7 to 10 words = Good; 6 or less = keep looking. Words we found are in solutions below.

8. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in... (a) Moscow (b) Beijing (c) Oslo (d) Denver

Brain-Train

9. The Greek scientist Archimedes was born in the year (a) 237 BC (b) 257 BC (c) 287 BC (d) 212 BC

Here is a simple quiz. See if you can solve it. No peeking! Match the number in column 1 with letter in column 2 Highest Mountain...

...Country or Continent

1 Everest 2 K2 3 Kangchenjunga 4 Dhaulagiri 5 Kilimanjaro 6 Denali 7 Aconcagua 8 Kosciusko 9 Elbrus 10 Vinson Massif

A. Antarctica B. North America C. Russia D. Kashmir E. Nepal & Tibet F. India G. Australia H. Nepal I. South America J. Africa

10. The capital of New York state in the US is (a) New York City (b) Buffalo (c) Yonkers (d) Albany Answers are on bottom left. No Peeking. Scholar: All correct; 1st Class: 9 Correct; 2nd Class: 8 Correct; 3rd Class: 7 Correct; Need to improve: 6 or less

Timeless Advice

“Nothing is particularly hard if you break it into small jobs.”

Brain Train: 1-E, 2-D, 3-F, 4-H, 5-J, 6-B, 7-I, 8-G, 9-C, 10-A Scholar 1. d, a, b, c 2.a 3.b 4.d 7.c 8.b 9.c 10.d

5.c

6.b

Word World (Solution): ENVIRON, ENVOI, ENVOY, INVENT, INVENTOR, INVENTORY, INVERT, IVORY, OVERT, OVINE, RIVEN, RIVET, ROVEN, TROVE, VEINY, VENIN, VERITY, VINERY, VIREO, VOTER Saathee.com

3. The three primary colors are? (a) Pink, Green, Red (c) Red, Pink, Blue

- Henry Ford 84

January 2022

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Chess for All Ages

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Saathee Discount: 10% off First Camp or Class Use coupon code Saathee. Exp 2/5/22

980-265-1156 www.CharlotteChessCenter.org 10700 Kettering Dr., Suites E & F Charlotte, NC 28226 Saathee.com

January 2022

PUZZLES AND JOKES

Clues Down: 1. Harassment; aggravation. 2. A transuranic element, aka Dubnium, with atomic no. 105. 3. To make amends, as for a sin or fault. 4. To make an open confession of error. 5. Academic Nursing Home. (*) 6. The Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. 7. Alaska. (*) 8. A young ewe that has not yeaned. 9. Hindu ritual being performed in Agni; the fire god. 10. Ascending the stage by a Bharatha Natyam dancer on the completion of formal training. 11. Massachusetts. (*) 15. Ecuador. (*) (Country) 19. The prince or chief in Rajputana/Rajasthan. [Hindi] . 20. The fruiting body of a rust fungus in which the first binucleate spores are usually produced. 22. The act of bringing something under one's control. 26. The basic unit of money in Georgia. (Plural) 29. An open boat of a wooden frame covered with hide. 31. One who makes a show of knowledge. 33. Up to the time that; up to such time as. 34. Very firm. 36. Slightly open. 37. Proceed. 39. Clever or apt humor. 40. Young Adult. (*) 42. Indiana. (*)

By Kirit Shukla

Clues Across: 1. The Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. 12. A past participle of eat. 13. A gymnasium. (In India; Hindi word) 14. A ritual slaughterer. (In Hebrew) 16. Estimated Gestational Age. (*) 17. A city located at the center of Sicily, southern Italy. 18. A dark resinous medicinal gum obtained from trees. 21. A Chinese multinational conglomerate and marketing company headquartered in Tianjin. 23. To commit destructive actions. 24. The 12th letter of the Greek alphabet. (μ) 25. A private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. 27. European Commission. (*) 28. The second-largest bird by height, after the ostrich. 30. “ __ California”, a peninsula in NW Mexico. Cap. La Paz. 31. Press Trust of India. (*) 32. Beautiful hand gestures in Bharata Natyam style dance. 34. A traditional ornamental comb made from either wood or whale bone of the Māori of New Zealand. 35. A tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori. 37. A love poem in Carnatic music and a slow tempo dance. 38. A rhythmic dance performed to only musical notations without a story. 40. A large Asiatic antelope native of the Himalayas. 41. Integrated Services Digital Network. (*). 43. Arkansas. (*) 44. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies. (*) 45. Nine plus one. Saathee.com

Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase (solution on page 88)

Hee Hee

Jokes & Riddles From Around The World

An older girl prayed to ﬁnd a husband. “God, please give my mother a good son-in-law soon.” Not long after, her younger sister announced she was engaged. ********* Judge: “Before I announce your jail sentence, do you have anything to say?” Mafatlal: “Sir, I request a 10% senior discount.” ********* Mafatlal: “Can you give me $100?” Stranger: “I don’t know you so I can’t. Why don’t you ask someone who does know you?” Mafatlal: “That’s the problem. People who know me won’t give me any!” ********* 86

January 2022

WordFind

Math Magic Fill in the empty squares to get = the final given answers. Use the remaining numbers from 2 to 9 only once: Note: Follow the order of operation per basic math rule: ×,÷, +, The multiplication or division is done before addition and subtraction. (solution on page 88)

Find & circle the words in the puzzle.

Subject: Mahatma Gandhi AFRICA AHIMSA ASHRAM BAPU BRITISHRAJ CIVILRIGHTS CONGRESS DALIT FAST FREEDOM GODSE GRIEF GUJARATI HEY RAM JAIN

JURM KASTURBA LAW MAHATMA MASSACRES NATAL PRAYER QUITINDIA SALT SATYA SEVA SHOT TEAM TRUTH

The unused 9 letters spell: ”Gandhi’s birthplace.” (answer on page 88)

EZ-BZ TEST YOUR IQ The common letters are “ANU” - Fill in the blanks)

1. First month of the Gregorian calendar year. _ ANU _ _ _ 2. An exceptionally large profit. _ _ _ ANU _ 3. Absence or defective excretion of urine. ANU _ _ _ 4. The language of the Tolai people of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. _ _ ANU _ 5. A stringed Assyrian musical instrument. _ ANU _ 6. A style of Iyengar Hatha yoga. (Sanskrit) ANU _ _ _ _ 7. Hittite & Hattic goddess of the sun _ _ _ ANU 8. Eight day Jewish holiday; festival of lights. _ ANU _ _ _ _ 9. Lockjaw, a bacterial infection/muscle spasm. _ _ _ ANU _ 10. A protégé of the monkey god. (Ramayana) _ ANU _ _ _ 11. “God is with us” (Hebrew) _ _ _ ANU_ _ 12. The posterior opening of the digestive tract. ANU _ 13. An insignificant or tiny person. _ _ ANU _ 14. The seventeenth year of the 60 year cycle for the calendar Tamil year. _ _ _ _ _ ANU 15. Done by, used by, or operated with by hand. _ ANU _ _ 16. The seventh planet of our solar system. _ _ ANU _ 17. A volcanic island in the East Solomon Islands. ANU _ _ 18. Heavy green resin derived from poon trees. _ _ _ ANU 19. A melody with at least one added voice to enhance the harmony, developed in the Middle Ages. _ _ _ ANU _ 20. “Svayambhuva”, the son of Brahma; the first man. _ ANU 21. “Kedarnath Bhattacharaya”, an Indian playback singer in Bollywood films: (Ek ladki ko dekha!) _ _ _ _ _ _ ANU 22. Member of a Luo Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of East Africa. ANU _ _ (Puzzle solutions are on page 88. NO peeking!) Saathee Puzzle Master Kirit Shukla kiritsshukla@gmail.com

Saathee.com

January 2022

Festivals & Holidays Spot the Diﬀerences Solutions from page 50

January 2022 Jan. 1 - New Year's Day Jan. 1 - Kwanzaa Ends Jan. 2 - Darsh Amas (No Moon) Jan. 6 - Epiphany Jan. 9 - Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti Jan. 12 - Vaikuntha Ekadashi Jan. 13 - Lohri / Maghi Jan. 14 - Makara Sankranti (Uttarāyan) / Pongal Jan. 17 - Poshi Poonam (Full Moon) Jan. 17 - Martin Luther King, Jr Day Jan. 23 - Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti Jan. 24 - Swami Vivekanand Jayanti Jan. 26 - Republic Day (India) Jan. 28 - Shat Tilā Ekadashi Jan. 30 - Gandhi Nirvana Day Jan. 31 - Magh Amas (No Moon) February 2022 Feb. 1 - Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger) Feb. 2 - Groundhog Day Feb. 4 - World Cancer Day Feb. 4 - National Wear Red Day Feb. 5 - Vasant Panchami Feb. 12 - Jaya Ekadashi Feb. 14 - St. Valentine’s Day Feb. 14 - Hazrat Ali Birthday Feb. 15 - Nirvana Day Feb. 16 - Magha Purnima (Full Moon) Feb. 21 - Presidents’ Day Feb. 26 - Vijaya Ekadashi Feb. 28 - Maha Shivaratri Feb. 28 - Lailat Al Miraj

Puzzle Solutions from page 86-87

Math Magic from page 87

Saathee.com

January 2022

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FINANCIAL PLANNING Estate Planning Life Insurance IRA ANNUITY Kid’s Education plan

January 2022

Astroscope Aries (March 21 – April 20)

JANUARY 2022

Libra (September 22 – October 20) There could be no better time right now unless your partner cheats on you. A promotion or new business deal is on the horizon. Your income and status will most certainly rise. You should see your dreams coming true, which could provide tremendous happiness. This relaxed state of mind will help boost self-conﬁdence.

It’s very important that you maintain a passive attitude during the ﬁrst half of the month. Control your speech and avoid any disputes with competitors. Narcissistic comments may create major problems. Things should improve gradually after the middle of the month and end with some good news. The last week of the month will bring ﬁnancial gains and mental peace, so remain calm and be patient.

Scorpio (October 21 – November 20)

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

Even though there won’t be any ﬁnancial problems, severe anxiety will rule you this month. Try to fortify your resolve by sparing some time to practice meditation. This period is not negative, but your mental health won’t permit you the chance to enjoy it. This insecurity will even disrupt your daily routine. At the same time, keep an eye on your physical health.

An indecisive state of mind could become a major concern for you this month. Fruitless travel will prove distressing. A dispute with your partner is also possible during the ﬁrst week of the month. However, your parents could assist in controlling the situation if you listen to them. By the end of the month, your associates will offer a proﬁtable proposal. Don’t try to alter the deal; just accept it as is.

Sagittarius (November 21 – December 21)

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

You may start new venture at the beginning of the month. A romantic relationship may start to deteriorate over time. Your enemy may try to hurt you. Personal values will protect you from possible disaster. Try to curb your expenses. This is not a good time to purchase a new vehicle. Some minor health relief could be there. Be patient and wait on any major decisions.

Your self-conﬁdence, principles and hard work will provide outstanding results during the ﬁrst half of the month. Your opinions will garner respect. A religious or social ceremony may be celebrated within the family. Your savings will rise, and you should feel relief from any health-related issues. Try to avoid any unnecessary expenses. You may experience negative results during the second half of the month if involved in politics.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 21) An old health related problem may flare up during the first half of the month The situation won’t be under your control. Relations with your partner may worsen during the last week of the month. However, a steady flow of income will be maintained. It may be necessary to compromise with your ideologies.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) A parapsychic experience may provide a major shift to your overall outlook of life. This is a very good time to make decisions concerning your job, business, relationship, or any other general activities. An increase in income is clearly indicated. Your reputation and popularity will be on the rise and your social circle will expand. Watch the behavior of your child during the middle of the month as an unexpected problem may cause worry.

Aquarius (January 22 – February 18) Health-related problems could bother you during the ﬁrst half of the month. You may lose a beneﬁcial money-making opportunity. Your mother may face a disrespectful situation which will disturb your peace of mind. Destiny will play games, but you would be better off to surrender to your fate. A loss of status is also possible.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

You are stepping firmly into a stronger and superior part of your life. The time will favor you and your confidence should be on par by the end of the month. You will be involved in more than one venture simultaneously. Most of them may appear fruitless, but they will build a strong base for future achievements. You may spend on social activities and then face a tight financial setback.

Almost all potential activities except travel should be beneﬁcial for you this month. Try to concentrate in your education or profession as negligence could prove very costly. Things will improve rapidly, and by the end of the month you will be in a position to control the situation. Also remember to avoid driving, if possible. Your competitors won’t succeed in damaging your reputation. This is also a good time to review and reshufﬂe your investments.

Virgo (August 23 – September 21) Destiny will have the upper hand when it comes to your decisions, so it’s better to surrender to fate. A relaxed state of mind will delight you. The month will end with the possibility of a better future and chances for ﬁnancial gains. Drive very carefully. Your family life could become quite satisfactory. Avoid a stubborn or egocentric attitude this month. Stay on target with routine activities. Saathee.com

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January 2022

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January 2022

CLASSIFIEDS Night Shift Clerk position available at Hotel near Charlotte airport. Good pay Convenience Stores for Sale: with accommodations provided. Call Louisburg, NC $175,000 + Inv., Annual Tarun 704-350-5161. Sales $1,047,000, Fuel Gallons 6,000; Gas Station / C-store Help Wanted in Cleveland County, NC $179,000 + Inv. Charlotte, NC (15 minutes from Annual Sales $1,470,000, Fuel Gallons UNCC). Must speak English. Salary 240,000; Henderson, NC $599,000+ Inv., commensurate per experience. Please Annual sales $1,400,000. Fuel Gallons call 704-733-0553. 300,000; County South: 704-440-4433 / Hiring Couples for Housekeepers, Countysouth.biz. Front Desk Clerks, Assistant Managers,

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Subway Franchise for Sale N. Charlotte. Doing good business at great location with proximity to highway & other businesses. Contact: sc20200908@gmail.com. C-store with Property for Sale or Lease in Denmark, SC with displays for fresh produce & frozen items. Gross income $55K / Lotto $25K per month. Daily income not included. Call 904307-4770.

House Help Needed: Part-time cooking, housework, and personal help for North Indian vegetarian couple near Hindu Center in Charlotte. Fluency required in English and/or Hindi. Contact 704-408-1504 or househelp177@gmail.com. Servers & Cooks needed for Restaurant in Morrisville, NC. Excellent pay! Call 919-434-5078.

Front Desk & Housekeeping Needed Managers, and Renovation Managers. for motel in Richmond, VA (Airport Legal status required. Positions available in NC, SC, FL, TN, area). IL and IN. Contact MB at 980-208-3038. Accommodations provided. email Eyebrow Threading Position: Winston airportbw@gmail.com or 804-512-7810. Salem, NC. Excellent Pay + Tips & Perfume Store Help Needed in Benefits! Some Experience & fluent Charlotte and Pineville, NC. For more English required. Call 336-422-7582. information, please call Veer Singh at Housekeeping and Front Desk (single 415-265-8686.

or couple) Needed for Franchise Motel Manager Couple needed for franchise in South Carolina. Accommodations hotel 1.5 hours from Charlotte. Must be provided. Call 704-915-1026. Fluent in English. Accommodations Earn income cooking from home! Gas Station in Rock Hill, SC seeking provided. Text/call 704-701-9975. DishDivvy, the #1 platform for help. Single or couple. Hourly rate $11- Front Desk Clerks Needed for 3-11 HomeCooks is coming to the Carolinas! 15, depending on experience. No and 11-7 shifts at franchise hotel in Fort 100% Free to signup and join. More info: accommodations. Call 803-659-3330. Mill, SC (near Carowinds). Fluent www.DishDivvy.com/signup Manager Couple & Housekeeping English and basic computer skills a Saathee Classified ads: Sell your Couple needed for Motel in NC. Excellent must. Call 704-302-3318. business, or property. Find the perfect pay. Accommodations provided. Call 910- Hotel Help Needed: Front Desk (2nd job, hire the perfect employee. Get 817-4313 or 910-995-1707. & 3rd shifts), Housekeeping & more customers. Get great adversting Laundry for Franchise Hotel in results with Saathee Magazine, weekly Full-time Nanny needed (Live-in / Charlotte, NC. Accommodations email newsletter and Saathee.com. Live-out) Winston-Salem, NC. Gujarati provided if needed. Text / Call 980-229Call 704.527.7570 or email preferred. Call/text 980-298-2828. 8216. Manager Couple Wanted for 52-room info@saathee.com. franchise hotel in Fort Mill, SC (near Housekeeping & Front Desk Couple EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Carowinds). Fluent English and basic needed for franchise motel in computer skills a must. Charleston, SC. Experience preferred Need Producers & Co-Producers for a Accommodations provided. Call 704- but will train. Great Pay & South Indian feature film project. Accommodations provided! Call 843302-3318. Investment of $250,000. Contact 425-2840. directorjpr007@gmail.com or 919-999- Hotel Help Wanted in Charlotte: Front Help Wanted: Front Desk, all shifts (experience a plus) & Hotel 0509. Desk/Manager, Night Auditor and Housekeeper. Must be fluent in Beauty Parlour Help Wanted: in Cary, Housekeeper (Single / Couple) for English. Competitive salary & NC. Esthetician, Cosmetologist or franchise hotels in Charlotte/ Gastonia accommodations provided. Call 704Threader. Choose: salary or hourly plus 464-4427 or e-mail 123nash@gmail.com. / High Point. Offering good pay! tips commission. Call 919-649-1228. Accommodations provided. Call 704Cashier Wanted for Convenience 460-0379 between 6 to 9pm. Front Desk Help & Housekeeping Store near Kannapolis, NC. / Laundry needed for Franchise Housekeeping Couple wanted for Accommodations provided. Very Hotel in Concord, NC. Legal status franchise hotels in Shelby, NC. attractive salary! Text or Call 704required. Accommodations provided. Accommodations provided. Must have 701-9482. Call Rick 704-772-5554. legal status. Contact 704-974-1521 and Hotel Positions for Immediate Hire: leave a message if no answer. Help Wanted at Convenience Store in General Manager for Franchise Hotels. Restaurant Help Wanted: Chef for Belmont, NC. Full or Part-time. Front Desk & Housekeepers, $14 and tandoori and general cooking at Indian Experience and legal status required. up per hour. Contact 704-649-6833 or restaurant in Charlotte. Please call 980Call 704-807-6519. abcone@abcinns.com. 938-8363. Saathee.com

January 2022

Sales Managers, Customer Service Members & Sales Associates needed for all Rug & Home locations in Raleigh, Pineville (Charlotte), Asheville, Gaffney and Kannapolis. Full Benefits. Competitive Salary based on experience. For details or to apply, send your resume to careers@rugandhome.com.

MATRIMONIAL Looking for Groom for Marathi girl, 39, 5’1”. Lead Solution Architect, H1B, divorced with no kids in FL. Refer RK and Text 678-304-8184. Looking for a life partner? Saathee can help you reach hundreds of potential matches. Cost is only $15 per month. Includes matrimonial classified in Saathee Magazine print edition and on-line at Saathee.com in the classified section. For details, email info@saathee.com or call 704.527.7570 and ask for Jennifer.

PROPERTY FOR SALE Residential Plot for Sale in Gandhinagar, Gujarat with compound wall in a gated community with 24 hour security. Near SG Road, Infocity, DLF IT Park, Multispeciality Hospitals. Swagat Rainforest III, Sargassan Circle, Gandhinagar. Call Himanshu 201-406-3169.

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January 2022

Dances of India

Subcontinental Divide

continued from page 46

continued from page 42

the business end – now they are going to put the squeeze on you (and you will scream for mommy – or at least your accountant). Fact is that this planet has about zero to do with facts. You read a badly written paragraph from a Gen Z writer on the autism spectrum, and immediately get fed 15 ads about what Dr. Gundry wants you to do to improve your gut health (if you buy his olive oil for $39.99). And that’s just the beginning. “If your nails look like this, it may be death.” But wait, “5 Ways to Heal a Dying Liver.” That’s not all. “Jennifer Aniston was devastated when Angelina Jolie started dating Shah Rukh Khan’s sister-in-law’s third cousin.” And, by the way, BOGO deal at Bogo.com, and Doordash has just emailed you a notification that delivery is free, but a bowl of Thai soup will still cost you about $70. I mean, stupid is what stupid does. You will be reading this way beyond the holiday season, when I would have spent a thousand bucks on junk just like the junk I just dusted off in my office that I someday plan to wear to my own funeral. The problem is that I don’t think Jeff Bezos has lost one wink of sleep worrying about if some old guy in middle America has actually put on the Huang-Kuai diabetic compression socks my kids awarded me with a smile on Christmas morning. He’s on SpaceX with his girlfriend, Dom Perignon on ice, to destinations that don’t even appear on maps, because, heck, he probably owns the satellites that can see the planet. For all we know, he may be showing us Mars. Or is that Elon? I’m so confused. I’m as confused as a rocket that goes toward the sky and then decides it is going to land on a platform in the ocean. I’m as confused as Bill Gates’ wife. I’m as confused as the stockholders of Moderna – a company that had never manufactured even bubble gum before covid. Everywhere you go, there is a sales pitch. You need more. Buy more for that 15 second smile on Christmas morning. The smile that turns dusty. The smile that is a lie. I don’t know what the truth will be as you read this in the new year. I may succumb in the interest of tradition and yield to that Norman Rockwell moment of deep hugs from the kids while they shed tears after opening things that have godly words like Ralph Lauren, or heavenly symbols like the Nike swooshed thingy, that came in a box with the Amazon swoosh thingy. Maybe I’ll report next month that the kids each opened a card that said $300 was donated to the local homeless shelter, the food bank, to animal rescue, or to addiction counseling. I doubt it, though. That wouldn’t be American enough. The poor rich folks and their stockholders are people too – and they are hungry. Would that be Visa or MasterCard?

abound in the grand temples like the Brihadeshwara temple at Tanjavur, Gangasikonda Choli swaram temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the Iravateswara temple at Darasuram, the Kampahareswara temple at Tribhuvanam, the cluster of temples at Kanchipuram and Kumbhakonam, Meenakshi temple at Madurai are some of the examples. The grand master of all temple architectures for this dance style is my favorite Nataraja temple at Chidambaram, in Tamil Nadu. All 108 dance Karanas or poses are engraved in the temple’s grand entrance doors. These carvings have been preserving the history of dances for ages. The preservation continued through Guru Shishya Parampara. Even in the age of technology, a complicated dance form like this cannot be learned without the careful guidance of a guru. All established dancers themselves will say it starts with the great Gurus being treasure troves of knowledge, not just book learned or theoretical. They had the heritage of a practical methodology and wisdom, instilled with the ability to be intuitive in their teachings. They were deeply connected with the inner beings of their disciples, as they taught more than dancing. They helped us to recognize our inner and outer selves. They taught their students as much by what they said as by what they did not say and allowed us to nurture and develop our own epistemologies. It is this harmonious blend of relationship between guru and the disciple that renders the transcendent experience in dancing. As these Gurus established themselves in diﬀerent parts of India during diﬀerent historic time periods, several major styles within Bharatha Natyam have been developed. Some of them are Melattur Style; Pandanallur Style; Vazhuvoor Style and Kalakshetra Style which is the most popular of all styles. These gurus followed Natya Sastra in which Margam or a path to these dances were developed. A general format was established using a sequence of progressively hard dances to complete an Arangetram or Ranga Pravesham, or as we call it here a “Dance Graduation”. This repertoire starts with Kauthvam or Alarippu and continues with Jathiswaram, Shabdam, Padam, Keerthanam, Varnam and ends with Thillana. These dances are set to the harmonious blend of south Indian Carnatic music compositions and the themes span the entire gamut of human emotions. Due to this comprehensive and holistic approach, Bharatha Natyam dance style still is cherished, appreciated and treasured by many across the world. Many years of practice, grace, speed, versatility and complete mastery of the art are necessary to do full justice to a dance form such as this. Other dances may come and go, but Bharatha Natyam and other classical dances will continue to be evergreen and withstand the test of time.

Ahsen Jillani a former editor and publisher, is originally from Islamabad, Pakistan, and now lives in Mint Hill. He owns Must Media, a PR firm focused on political and corporate clients. Contact: aj@must-media.com

Dr. Maha Gingrich For questions or comments, contact via email at GingrichMaha@gmail.com Saathee.com

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January 2022

Saathee Charlotte January 2022

Articles inside

Classifieds

Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes

College Admissions Insider

Personal Finances

Immigration Matters

Raajeev’s Corner

Subcontinental Divide

Upcoming Movie Releases

Thinking about Thinking

Increase USA Knowledge

Spot the Differences