Winter is in full swing, and by the time you read this a new administration will have become operational in Washington DC. Your old friend Saathee will keep the work going, informing the community, bringing people closer via reliable and useful information. Our scrap team of writers bring you fresh, original material every month.
February is the month of hearts and heartfelt connections. Grab a hot cup of chai and flip through this issue. Thank you for reading and supporting Saathee magazine, Saathee.com, our weekly e-Newsletter. If you have ever wondered how you can help Saathee expand its work to inform the community, here is a simple way. Become a friend with your
financial support! See page 73 for details or visit: Saathee.com/Friend. - Samir Shukla (Editor)
Some highlights in this issue:
♦ How constitutional guardrails contain presidential ambitions. Page 30
♦ Have we forgotten how to relax? Page 40
♦ The winds of immigration policies are shifting between administrations. Page 42
Share Saathee with friends and family. We would be happy to add anyone in the Carolinas to the Saathee subscription base at no charge, simply visit saathee.com/subscription and also sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter: saathee.com/weekly-e-newsletter
“Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.”
H. L. Mencken
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Cover: Rishikesh
View of the holy city of Rishikesh over the Ganga River. Rishikesh is also the yoga and meditation capital of India.
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Kismuth and the Way II pg. 28 Constitutional Guardrails pg. 30
Upcoming Movie Releases pg. 34 Film Clips
Namaskar Y’all
.pg. 36
.pg. 40
Immigration Matters pg. 42
My Meeting with Rafi pg. 44
Editor’s Desk
by Samir Shukla
AdjustMates
Ah, the month of love. Many hearts, along with flower, chocolate, and greeting card merchants and of course restaurant owners, grow fonder in the lovely month of February.
Sure, matters of love and attachments glow the whole year, but this short, sweet month is the king of such reminders. Some guy named Saint Valentine has made sure of that, and the American marketing savvy has now made this an international boom for one and all.
February also keeps itself short, I think to help springtime approach a little quicker.
A recent conversation with a friend, about relational matters, turned up the word soulmates. It is a word often heard in matters of the heart and emotions. Those oh so human needs.
The movies have put the word soulmates up in lights. See, there it is on the marquee. The film starts and is colored with drama and music, the protagonists cast as soulmates from the beginning or become one by the end credits. I get it. It’s a word that makes people giddy and wishful for their own social fortunes. Of course, as you walk out of that movie house with eyes glazed, the real-world smacks you.
You know I’ve got a stinker of a movie plot for you, there is no such thing as soulmates.
Percussionist and dhol player Sunny Jain’s band Wild Wild East will perform live at NC State LIVE, in Raleigh, NC at Talley Student Union on the campus of NC State. Jain has made a career of bringing musical forms into conversation with one another. This isn’t jazz, though it’s impossible to imagine without jazz; nor is it a South Asian party music, though Jain’s dhol magic is impossible to resist. For details, visit Live.arts.ncsu.edu.
North Carolina Jazz Festival: Wilmington, NC (February 6 - 8, 2025)
Enjoy one of the largest traditional jazz festivals in the Southeast from February 6-8, 2025. This musical weekend starts on Thursday evening and then continues Friday and Saturday night with four-hour concerts featuring 15 sets with six or seven musicians per set (each with a different leader). Come experience some fantastic musicians from around the globe. Info: Ncjazzfestival.org.
Queen City Brewers Festival: Charlotte, NC (February 8, 2025)
The festival brings together the Charlotte region’s craft beverage producers, celebrates their contributions to the Queen City and serves an organization that helps to improve the quality of life of individuals. In 2025, the festival benefits Envision Charlotte, a nonprofit that looks to make the city a more circular economy. February 8, 2025, from 1-4pm. Info: Qcbrewfest.com.
Abraham
Verghese: Charlotte, NC (February 11, 2025)
The Learning Society of Queens University presents an evening with Abraham Verghese at Gambrell Center for the Arts & Civic Engagement on February 11, 2025. Dr. Abraham Verghese, practicing physician and Stanford University professor, will discuss “Caring in Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities in a Technological Era” as he shares insights into his early career journey and the evolution of healthcare. He will describe the crucial role of empathy in healthcare leadership and share how leaders can cultivate it within themselves and their teams. Info: Queens.edu/learningsociety.
Ek
Sham
Pyar Ke Naam:
Charlotte, NC (February 15, 2025)
Voices of Charlotte present a fundraising event for the Hindu Center. It will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2025, with dinner at 6 – 7pm and the program 7 – 9:30pm. Regional performers will present songs and music. Tickets range between $20 - $ 50. The center is located at 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte. For more details, call 704-535-3440 or 732-586-6075.
Dog Days
of
Winter:
Charlotte, NC (February 15, 2025)
Celebrate winter with your four-legged friends on February 15, 2025, with a variety of activities ranging from a 5K trail race, adoption events, ice rink access, dog yoga, doggy vendors and more. It will take place at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Info: Center.whitewater.org.
Hilton Head Marathon: (February 15 - 16, 2025)
The Hilton Head Island Marathon returns on February 15-16, 2025, for another fun two days of running through Hilton Head Island. Join runners across three distances (marathon, half, and 5k) and experience this scenic race that’s one of the premier running events in the region. With all races finishing at the same after party, celebrate your accomplishments with a party featuring beer, free food, great tunes, and some race swag. Info: Hhmarathon.com.
Beaufort International Film Festival: (February 18 - 23, 2025)
The 19th annual Beaufort International Film Festival will be held between February 18-23, 2025, at various theaters in downtown Beaufort, SC. Screenings and awards will be presented for various independent films in several categories. There will also be awards for several categories, and the ever-popular audience voted for awards - Audience Choice and Best Comedy. Info: Beaufortfilmfestival.com.
Upcoming Events
Wilmington Marathon (February 22, 2025)
This is the perfect Boston Marathon qualifying event. The course starts in Wrightsville Beach and makes a straight shot into downtown Wilmington. The back half of the marathon is in beautiful Greenfield Lake and will finish at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. Come span the Cape Fear Coast and run from destination to destination on Saturday, February 22, 2025. Find all the details at: Wilmingtonncmarathon.com.
Aziz Ansari Live: Durham, NC
(February 27, 2025)
Aaj
Ka
Aziz Ansari is an actor, director, writer and comedian. He co-created, writes, directs, and stars in the Netflix original series Master of None. He is also known for co-starring in NBC’s Parks and Recreation. His latest special Nightclub Comedian is now streaming on Netflix. Anzari will perform live at DPAC on February 27, 2025. Info: Dpacnc.com.
Dhamaka:
Chapel Hill, NC (March 1, 2025)
Green River Revival: Charlotte, NC (March 15, 2025)
Kick off the spring festivities with Green River Revival. Watch as the Whitewater Center’s resident leprechaun transforms the river green for St Patrick’s Day. Start the day with the Color Me Green 5K Trail Run before rafting down the river and listening to live music. Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC. Info: Whitewater.org.
Nuv Yug India Fest: Raleigh, NC (March
22, 2025)
UNC Aaj Ka Dhamaka (AKD) aims to provide a premier platform for South Asian Fusion dance, uniting performers and audiences from diverse backgrounds to celebrate culture, creativity, and competition. Through the annual event, AKD strives to foster community engagement, promote cultural appreciation, and support the development of talented artists as they pursue excellence on the national stage. Proceeds will benefit Kiran. AKD will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, 5pm, Marietta Ctr for the Performing Arts, Raleigh, NC. Get tickets at Ticketmaster, search for AKD.
The NC Rice Festival takes place from March 5 – 8, 2025 with indoor and outdoor activities featuring cultural presentations, live entertainment, arts, crafts, food truck and kids’ activities. It is free to attend. The venue is Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Park, 8884 St. Philips Road, SE, Winnabow, NC. Details at Northcarolinaricefestival.org.
Charleston Wine and Food: (March 5 - 9, 2025)
TGA Holi 2025: Morrisville, NC (March 8, 2025)
Nuv Yug presents “India Fest” on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Jim Graham Building at State Fairgrounds at 4285 Trinity Road, Raleigh, NC. Nuv Yug works to preserve and promote Indian cultural arts by producing programs of high artistic merit that entertain and educate. The fest will feature myriad performances, delicious food, arts, crafts and exhibits. For more info: Detail: Nuvyug.org.
Come experience the Hilton Head Wine and Food Festival during the week of March 23–29, 2025. The festival will celebrate its 40th year with many events, including local chef showcases, wine education sessions, live entertainment and the famed Grand and Public Tastings, all located in and around the iconic Harbour Town in Sea Pines Resort. Hiltonheadwineandfood.com
Charleston Wine + Food infuses homegrown flavor with top chefs, winemakers, authors, storytellers, artisans, experts, and food enthusiasts from around the globe for any event that spans March 5-9, 2025. Details: Charlestonwineandfood.com.
The Triangle Gujarati Association will host Holi cultural program on Saturday, March 8, 2025, starting at 5:30pm. There will be many dance performances by regional performers. It will take place at HSNC, Main Cultural Hall, Morrisville, NC. For more details, visit Nctga.org.
The 28th annual Catawba Valley Pottery & Antiques Festival will take place between March 28-29, 2025, at the Hickory Metro Convention Center in Hickory, NC. This acclaimed event brings together potters and vendors from across the southeast to exhibit and sell their unique artistry and craftsmanship. For more info visit Catawbavalleypotteryfestival.com.
The Reedy Reels Film Festival promotes the appreciation of the art of filmmaking while generating support for independent filmmakers. The festival engages the community and creates exposure for local filmmaking while building inspiration and new opportunities for local artists. The 7th annual festival will take place from March 28-30, 2025, at the South Carolina Children’s Theatre in Greenville, SC. Info: Reedyreels.com.
Hum Sub Basant Bahar: Cary, NC (March 30, 2025)
Hum Sub presents the annual Basant Bahar on Sunday, March 30, 2025, from 3 – 5pm. This year’s theme is “Yaadein – Ek Suhana Safar (Memories – A Beautiful Journey).” Enjoy classical and traditional dances, music, art and more. The venue is Cary Arts Center, Cary, NC. Info: Humsub.org.
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: Durham, NC (April 3 - 6, 2025)
ages, serving up soulful music, food, images, playful installations, inspiring performances, and ideas. Info: Charlotteshout.com.
Keep up with all the events happening in our region with Saathee Magazine. The best way to find them is in these pages or online at our regularly updated events section: Saathee.com/events
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema, returns from April 3–6, 2025 in Durham, NC at several venues. A variety of documentary films will be screened along with appearances by filmmakers and film experts. For a full list of films, ticket pricing and other details, visit fullframefest.org. Info: Fullframefest.org.
Senior Resource Expo:
Morrisville, NC (April 6, 2025)
Meet with providers from businesses offering resources for seniors such as: Home Care, Independent and Assisted Living, Personal Care, Medicare, Financial Planning, End of Life Planning, and more. Snacks and tea are available for purchase. Entry is free. HSNC Cultural Hall, 309 B Aviation Pkwy, Morrisville, NC. For more details, call 919-338-4037 or write to SeniorExpoHsnc@gmail.com.
Charlotte SHOUT!: (April 4 - 20, 2025)
Uptown Charlotte will transform into a creative paradise between April 4 & 20, 2025. The festival weaves together the talents of internationally and locally acclaimed artists, dancers, musicians, poets, storytellers, photographers, chefs and thought leaders. It is a feast for all the senses and all
Krish Parlikad
Cultural Awareness Community Service
Become a member at gcap.us
GCAP organizes numerous activities and events including Holi, Navratri, Diwali and more. 127 Landmark Dr., Greensboro, North Carolina 27409
GCAP was established to preserve Gujarati cultural heritages and traditions, educate the youth, celebrate Indian festivals and create networking amongst individuals within our community. Established in 1992, GCAP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable and educational organization. Our mission is to create an innovative, inclusive and ideal Gujarati Samaj to implement our vision and activities. We believe we must nurture the youth of our community to become leaders of tomorrow while nourishing our senior citizens to provide opportunities for inter-generational exchange of ideas and knowledge. The Piedmont region of NC includes Greensboro, Winston Salem, High Point and surrounding areas.
Leading annual medical missions to remote areas of Kenya and India.
Pastor: Joseph B. Jesudason
We Welcome You to Become a Part of This Loving Spiritual Family
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (The Holy Bible)
Regular Activities
Sunday Worship Service: 9 AM (Dynamic Praise Time)
Children’s Sunday School & Adult Bible Study: Sundays at Noon
Sunday Love Meal: 11 AM
Wednesday Intercessory Prayer Fellowship: 7 PM
Zakar Bible Club: Character development of children through memorization of God’s powerful and redemptive word. Please send your child and receive guaranteed life lasting blessing.
We welcome you to our new facility come and receive a blessing through this evangelical, Christ-centered, Bible-based, non-denominational, loving, caring, mission-minded spiritual family church.
Church: 1402 E. Williams St., Apex, NC 27539
Pastor’s Cell: 919-233-2900
Why Starting a Company is So Hard
Why Starting a Company is So Hard
Learning how to overcome my own expectations
Learning how to overcome my own expectations
My Voice by Sagar Shukla
Nearly every immigrant knows someone who has started or runs their own business. It might even be you. After all, isn’t that one of the driving factors of coming to this country? The “American Dream” is about pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into manifesting your own destiny. If you endeavor to do so, you’d be following in the footsteps of countless others trying to make something greater of themselves by imagining a whole new world of possibilities.
Keep at it day after day, and with enough time and elbow grease, you too can be the next great entrepreneurial story they say. Some may say even the pilgrims were a part of this endeavor, leaping off the Mayflower in pursuit of beaver pelts and greener spiritual pastures. But let’s talk about the reality undergirding this narrative preached to the masses. What’s unsaid about this grease? What mentally and emotionally goes into all the blood, sweat, and tears? What makes starting a business so hard? We’ll get to that in a minute, but first some context.
About 15 years ago I left home to attend a residential high school, my first personal foray into the unknown. The school’s motto was “Accept the Greater Challenge.” This, for better or for worse, has stuck with me throughout my adult life. Imbibing this mantra for the next decade took me on a journey across entrepreneurial America. I worked for multiple tech startups, riding the unique waves of each business and helping to grow these companies through acquisition and an IPO. I was a loyal company foot soldier, until one fateful day when it came time to quit helping write others’ success stories and begin writing my own.
The Year of the Composition Studio
The Year of the Composition Studio
Kismuth and the Way II
by Dipika Kohli
‘Are you writing?,’ I asked the shopkeeper who recognized me from the last time I was there. This was Melakka, in Malaysia. It was 2018. I was circling old roads, a step-tracing to jog why it was I even wanted to write anything.
‘I… ‘ I gave her a minute. To collect herself, to rebut such a rude question.
‘I would love to be writing, but I have to… you know, take care of obligations. I have to… be… To write, you have to have a house, a big house, and lots of… the environment has to be right. But maybe someday. Not now, I will though. It’s my dream.’
‘Yes. I remember.’
I have to finally write this down, my real reaction. Tell it. Because it’s so big, you know, this whole “I’ll get around to
it, later “ way of thinking, which people seem to have so they can shunt creative efforts to the side. For many years, thanks to luck, circumstance, and designing out resistances, I’ve stayed with my mode of creating what I like. I use accessible materials, and I aim to not deliver anything that feels pretentious, though I think maybe “Rooftop Philosophy in Phnom Penh” came a little close. Mmm.
Don’t get me wrong, I do go to art exhibitions at galleries and in museums, at times, and I will enjoy a really good critique, but, lately, I don’t feel much like seeing what other people put together for me to “consume.”
I’d prefer to simply make my own way towards what I think, if it’s a topic I care about. “Home”, for example, an exhibition in a museum in Marugame in Japan last fall, was one that I skipped, instead whiling away the late afternoon in the fantastic patio space, amidst the rain, sculpture, and what architects call “a water feature.”
continued on page 80
Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash
Kismuth
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How Constitutional Guardrails Have Always Contained Presidential Ambitions How Constitutional Guardrails Have Always Contained Presidential Ambitions
By Victor Menaldo
Now that Donald Trump has been sworn in for a second term, concerns he threatens American democracy are rising yet again. Some warnings have cited Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric, willingness to undermine or malign institutions meant to constrain any president, and a combative style that strives to stretch executive power as far as possible.
Authoritarianism erodes property rights and the rule of law, so financial markets typically respond with alarm to political unrest. If major investors and corporations really believed the United States was on the brink of dictatorship, there would be large-scale capital flight, equity sell-offs, spikes in U.S. credit default swaps or rising bond yields unexplained by typical macroeconomic factors such as inflation forecasts.
Instead, there have been no systematic signs of such market reactions, nor an investor exodus from American markets. Quite the contrary.
This absence of alarm is not conclusive proof that democracy is safe forever, nor that Trump cannot damage American democracy at all. But it does suggest that credible institutions and investors who literally bet on political outcomes for a living do not view an American autocracy as imminent or even likely.
This is probably because the mechanics of upending American democracy would entail surmounting a thick tangle of constitutional, bureaucratic, legal and political obstacles. As a political economist who has written widely about the constitutional foundations of modern democracies, I submit it’s far more complicated than one man issuing brash executive orders.
Presidents have long seized more power
Throughout American history, presidents have achieved far greater expansions of executive power than Trump did in his first term.
Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War, allowing detention without trial. He bypassed Congress through sweeping executive actions, most notably the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate states.
Woodrow Wilson created administrative agencies and imposed draconian censorship during World War I via the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s court-packing plan failed to pass, but it still cowed the Supreme Court into deference. His New Deal bureaucracy centralized vast powers in the executive branch.
Lyndon B. Johnson obtained the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, transferring major war-making powers from Congress to the presidency. Richard Nixon invoked executive privilege and ordered secret bombings in Cambodia, steps that largely bypassed congressional oversight.
George W. Bush expanded executive prerogatives after 9/11 with warrantless wiretapping and indefinite detention. Barack Obama faced criticism for the dubious legal rationale behind drone strikes targeting U.S. citizens deemed enemy combatants abroad.
These historical examples should not be conflated with an actual ability to impose one-man rule, though. The United States, whatever its imperfections, has a deeply layered system of checks and balances that has repeatedly stymied presidents of both parties when they tried to govern by decree.
Trump’s openly combative style was in many ways less adept at entrenching presidential power than many of his predecessors. During his first term, he broadcast
Upcoming Movie Releases
February 7
Thandel (Director: Chandoo Mondeti)
Cast: Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi
Badass Ravikumar
(Director: Keith Gomes)
Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Prabhu Deva, and Sunny Leone
Love Hurts (Director: Jonathan Eusebio)
Cast: Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, and Sean Astin
Brahma Anandam (Director: RVS Nikhil)
Cast: Raja Gouthama and Priya Vadlamani
Loveyapa (Director: Advait Chandan)
Cast: Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor
February 14
The Gorge (Director: Scott Derrickson)
Cast: Miles Teller, Anya TaylorJoy, and Sigourney Weaver
Chhaava (Director: Laxman Utekar)
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, and Akshaye Khanna
Captain America: Brave New World
(Director: Julius Onah)
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford
Sanki (Directors: Adnan Shaikh & Yasir Jah)
Cast: Ahan Shetty and Pooja Hegde
Bridget Jones: Mad About a Boy
(Director: Michael Morris)
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth
Nakhrewaalii
(Director: Rahul Sankhliya)
Cast: Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava
February 21
The Unbreakable Boy (Director: Jon Gunn)
Cast: Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, and Patricia Heaton
Mere Husband Ki Biwi (Director: Mudassar Aziz)
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh, and Bhumi Pednekar
The Monkey (Director: Osgood Perkins)
Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Elijah Wood
Cleaner (Director: Martin Campbell)
Cast: Daisy Ridley, Taz Skylar, and Clive Owen
Old Guy (Director: Simon West)
Cast: Christoph Waltz, Cooper Hoffman, and Lucy Liu
February 28
Last Breath (Director: Alex Parkinson)
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, and Djimon Hounsou
No Address (Director: Julia Verdin)
Cast: William Baldwin, Ashanti, and Beverly D’Angelo
In the Lost Lands (Director: Paul W S Anderson)
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, and Amara Okereke
My Dead Friend Zoe (Director: Paul W S Anderson)
Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Ed Harris
March 7
Mickey 17 (Director: Bong Joon-ho)
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo
The Senior (Director: Rod Lurie)
Cast: Michael Chiklis, Rob Corddry, and Mary Stuart Masterson
Rule Breakers (Director: Bill Guttentag)
Cast: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ali Fazal, and Nikohl Boosheri
Saathee.com/movies has the latest info on where the movies are showing or streaming. All dates subject to change.
Watch the madness unfold after a couple exchanges their cell phones and begin to unearth bitter truths about each other. Advait Chandan directs Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor in this comedy drama that hits the theaters on February 7, 2025. F i l m C l i p s
Loveyapa
The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan
The documentary showcases what makes the IndiaPakistan cricket rivalry legendary. For fans of cricket in the subcontinent, there is no bigger face-off than these two neighbors. It delves into a saga of and history of the sport and premieres on Netflix on February 7, 2025.
In the Lost Lands
Cleaner
Criminal activists hijack a gala, taking 300 hostages. One extremist plans mass murder as a message to the world. An Ex-soldier turned window cleaner now works to rescue the hostages. Martin Campbell directs Daisy Ridley, Clive Owen, and Taz Skylar in the film that will be released on February 21, 2025.
A sorceress travels to the Lost Lands in search of a magical power that allows a person to transform into a werewolf. The film is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and stars Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, and Arly Jover. It hits the screens on March 7, 2025.
Ghaati
Directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlmudik, Ghaati is about a woman who gets entangled in the weed trade due to circumstances. The tagline “Victim, Criminal, Legend” explores morality, survival, and redemption. The movie stars Anushka Shetty, Vikram Prabhu and Jagapathi Babu. It opens April 18, 2025.
Mickey 17
Acclaimed director Bong Joonho returns to direct Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo in this sci-fi film. Mickey 17, known as an “expendable,” goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet. Look for the film on March 7, 2025.
Son of Sardaar 2
The sequel to the hit 2012 film will star Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur. Ajay Devgn won hearts as the beloved Jassi in the original film and will reprise his role with a different support cast. The film is currently finishing production. The action comedy is slated for release on July 25, 2025.
12/31/25
Have We Forgotten How to Relax?
Have We Forgotten How to Relax?
Namaskar, Y’all
by Shyama Parui
One task, ten minutes, twenty distractions! With good intentions, I had begun a meditation session and all I had to do was focus on my breathing, but it proved to be as hard as driving smoothly on I-77. The bigger problem, however, was finding an alternative method and time to attain my quest for relaxation. I also suspect that people like me have forgotten how to relax.
For today’s generations whether they are X, Y or Z, seeking relaxation is often discouraged. Whether it is the fast-paced lifestyle of Mumbai or a laid-back town in the Carolinas, there is undeniable pressure to keep doing stuff or something. The act of doing nothing is perceived not as rejuvenating but as laziness or a waste of precious time. Taking a vacation, which should ideally offer a respite from the burden of endless responsibilities, ends up becoming just as stressful as work, if not more. Decisions such as picking a destination from the “bucket list” or coordinating with family or friends, negotiating dates and duration, planning activities, dealing with unsolicited advice from armchair experts or chronic complainers can be exhausting even before the journey begins. Fears of doom and dread follow.
Resting in the afternoons was common in many cultures such as India, especially when the economy was primarily agricultural. For practical reasons, it made sense for farmers to begin their daily work at the crack of dawn and get rest when the temperature was at its highest. At the end of the harvest season, festivals and celebrations marked a break before the hard work resumed. With industrialization followed by the Information age, integration of work and religious holidays has been lost. There is often a clash between career or work deadlines and special occasions which can sometimes lead to friction in one’s personal life. With modern transformations, my goals and expectations of myself are different from those of previous generations. For my mother and aunts for
Namaskar continued on page 88
Winds of Immigration Policy Shifting Between Administrations
Winds of Immigration Policy Shifting Between Administrations
Immigration Matters
by Rishi P. Oza
Trump’s Use of Executive Orders
As has been written about ad nauseum, President Trump has ballyhooed an intention to remake the United States’ immigration system with a focus on tightening up US borders and deporting millions of individuals currently in the United States. He likely intends to achieve many of these aims through executive orders and moving the levers of government that he controls, namely the US Departments of Homeland Security and Justice.
Within DHS are three important agencies – Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Each of these agencies has a specific purpose: CBP oversees the admission and departure of individuals to/from the United States; ICE enforces immigration law in the nation’s interior and oversees litigation before the Immigration Courts; USCIS adjudicates visa, naturalization and other filings for the grant of immigration benefits.
While Congress holds the real power in terms of crafting new legislation that would overhaul the current Immigration and Nationality Act, Trump’s use of his executive authority is likely to garner the most immediate
A Major Regulatory Change by the Biden Administration
The waning weeks of the Biden Administration have been relatively quiet on most policy fronts but have been somewhat seismic with respect to a few areas of immigration law.
While the incoming Trump Administration has been vocal on its intent to enact a mass deportation, the Biden Administration released an amendment to the Code of Federal Regulations that may have major implications on the current immigration framework.
Here are some significant changes:
• Extending the current CAP-gap period for those individuals moving from F-1 status to H-1B
• Clarifying the H-1B definition of “specialty occupation” to be more expansive in USCIS interpretation of what constitutes an H-1B qualifying job position
• Codifying DHS’ position under the Biden Administration of providing deference to previous decision when adjudicating a subsequent filing for the same applicants and the same underlying facts
My Meeting with Legendary Singer Mohammed Rafi
My Voice by
Girish Modi
Just as Lata Mangeshkar is called reincarnation of Goddess Saraswati, Mohammed Rafi is called farishta/devta with his golden inimitable voice. Both singers dominated Indian film music from 1950 to 1975, and people born in that golden era were lucky to grow up listening to their songs on the radio.
Though Lataji died in 2022 at a ripe age of 92, Rafi Sahib died in 1980 at the young age of 55 while on the way to the hospital due to a massive heart attack. Thousands of music lovers all over the world had mourned Rafi Sahib’s sudden death and attended his funeral.
I am one of a few lucky souls who had met with both legends. Rafi Sahib performed a concert at New York’s famous Felt Forum in November 1979 after giving a concert the week before in Montreal. Since I was always the first one to buy highest priced ticket and
also provide free photo service, the organizers liked me and gave me one of the best seats in the house.
At Rafi Sahib’s concert I was in an aisle seat in the second row on the left side of the stage along with Yash Chopra and his family members and had taken his autograph in my autograph book. I had a brief conversation with Yashji about songs of BR Films.
The auditorium was packed, and Rafi Sahib sang the first duet with Krishna Mukherji, who was the famous actress Rani Mukherji’s mother, but I did not know that at that time. After many years I learned that Yash Chopra and Ram Mukherji (Rani’s father) were close friends. On my left side a young girl in a nice dress in makeup and perfume was sitting (she could be Kajol), who had called me uncle and helped me one time when I was changing my lens. Years later when I found out that Krishna Mukherji was Rani Mukherji’s mom, I mailed a photo to her and received her thank you note along with a signed photo!
Rafi continued on page 84
This Year May Be the Opposite of 2023-24 This Year May Be the Opposite of 2023-24
Eye on the Markets
by Ketu Desai
This year in many ways will be the opposite of the last couple of years. Moderation in growth, inflation, and rates was the theme in 2023 and 2024. Nominal growth has moderated from double-digits to below 5%. Inflation has moderated from nearly double digits to 2.5% and rates have moderated from 5% rate.
This year will see growth, inflation, and firmer rates. The consumer remains in good shape. Real wages are growing, initial jobless claims are historically low, household debt service for disposable personal income remains at low levels, and spending is running north of the trend. The incremental GDP growth will come from corporations. Behind de-regulation, tax incentives, and pent-up demand, we will see a resurgence in CapEx, M&A, and business activity.
Corporate CapEx will grow in the mid-single digits, led by AI-related spending. AI-related cloud CapEx alone is expected to grow 24% in 2025. This spending is structural and wide-ranging, driving growth of the infrastructure
supporting it, from semiconductor design and manufacturing to the building of data centers, increased energy generation needs, and further automation of supply chains. This spending will be augmented by the CHIPS Act, Infrastructure Act, and Inflation Reduction Act. Total construction spending is running at a 5.2% growth rate. This type of spending has a meaningful multiplier effect on the economy. With real consumer spending running north of 3.5%, continued fiscal spending north of 20% of GDP, and a resurgence in corporate CapEx, GDP growth will run above trend.
M&A will likely make a comeback with an easier regulatory backdrop. Goldman Sachs estimates M&A activity to grow 25% in 2025. There is nearly $1 trillion in private equity dry powder that is running out of time to be put to work. Small business sentiment saw the largest jump since 1980, which will lead to more activity in 2025. With the expectation of tariffs, many businesses will front run them in the first half of the year, which has the impact of boosting growth.
The resurgence of business activity will lead to abovetrend growth, but also firmer inflation and rates. The 5-year breakeven rate (proxy for future inflation) is nearing 2.5%, up from 1.86% in September 2024. The market expects the
The Fountain of Youth Karaikkal Ammaiyar The Fountain of Youth Karaikkal Ammaiyar
As an adult dance student, the physical concept and awareness of the body can come into play. For instance, how far can one “sit” in the aramandi position. Are the jumps as high? Are the squats as low. How fast can one move in the three speeds?
Awareness of the body is important in dance; for instance, eating proper foods to have the energy to complete a dance, stretching properly to avoid injuries, as well as knowing how to modify moves as needed to protect oneself. While awareness is important, hyper awareness of our physical being is something that society seems to have grappled with from various cultures and at different periods in time.
Many have heard the term “Fountain of Youth”. That phrase conjures up mental pictures of a conquistador in search of a water source that is restorative.
Today, this fountain can be explored in consumerist culture. There are so many products and potions that provide alluring promises.
In the sciences, it is being researched how to extend human longevity.
There are medicines that are currently on the shelf for different diseases, that seem to have anti-aging effects that are being studied.
Some people have made it their mission and motto to not die and to stay forever young.
All of this is of course the human desire to come to as close to infinity as possible, which is but an instinct that can be found in other life forms.
Scientists found that desire in a roundworm, which was frozen for more than 46,000 years in Siberian permafrost in a state of cryptobiosis. Once it was thawed, the roundworm started to self-reproduce.
While all of this is very impressive, and the drive for discovery, innovation and improvements is needed, looking at radical opposite examples can be just as fascinating if not awe-inspiring.
A great figure within Tamil Literature is a Shiva Devotee from the 6th century known as Karaikkal Ammaiyar whose
Adult Dance student continued on page 86 ing one’s best foot forward, there seems to also be somewhat even more interesting cases in the quest for the everlasting.
Adult Dance Student by Preethi Sriram
I’m Moving Forward and Facing the Uncertainty of Aging I’m Moving Forward and Facing the Uncertainty of Aging
By Judith Graham
It takes a lot of courage to grow old.
I’ve come to appreciate this after conversations with hundreds of older adults over the past eight years for nearly 200 “Navigating Aging” columns.
Time and again, people have described what it’s like to let go of certainties they once lived with and adjust to new circumstances.
These older adults’ lives are filled with change. They don’t know what the future holds except that the end is nearer than it’s ever been.
And yet, they find ways to adapt. To move forward. To find meaning in their lives. And I find myself resolving to follow this path as I ready myself for retirement.
Patricia Estess, 85, of the Brooklyn borough of New York City spoke eloquently about the unpredictability of later life when I reached out to her as I reported a series of columns on older adults who live alone, sometimes known as “solo agers.”
Estess had taken a course on solo aging. “You realize that other people are in the same boat as you are,” she said when I asked what she had learned. “We’re all dealing with uncertainty.”
Consider the questions that older adults — whether living with others or by themselves — deal with year in and out: Will my bones break? Will my thinking skills and memory endure? Will I be able to make it up the stairs of my home, where I’m trying to age in place?
Will beloved friends and family members remain an ongoing source of support? If not, who will be around to provide help when it’s needed?
Will I have enough money to support a long and healthy life, if that’s in the cards? Will community and government resources be available, if needed?
It takes courage to face these uncertainties and advance into the unknown with a measure of equanimity.
“It’s a question of attitude,” Estess told me. “I have honed an attitude of: ‘I am getting older. Things will
happen. I will do what I can to plan in advance. I will be more careful. But I will deal with things as they come up.’”
For many people, becoming old alters their sense of identity. They feel like strangers to themselves. Their bodies and minds aren’t working as they used to. They don’t feel the sense of control they once felt.
That requires a different type of courage — the courage to embrace and accept their older selves.
Marna Clarke, a photographer, spent more than a dozen years documenting her changing body and her life with her partner as they grew older. Along the way, she learned to view aging with new eyes.
“Now, I think there’s a beauty that comes out of people when they accept who they are,” she told me in 2022, when she was 70, just before her 93-year-old husband died.
Arthur Kleinman, a Harvard professor who’s now 83, gained a deeper sense of soulfulness after caring for his beloved wife, who had dementia and eventually died, leaving him grief-stricken.
“We endure, we learn how to endure, how to keep going. We’re marked, we’re injured, we’re wounded. We’re changed, in my case for the better,” he told me when I interviewed him in 2019. He was referring to a newfound sense of vulnerability and empathy he gained as a caregiver.
Herbert Brown, 68, who lives in one of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, was philosophical when I met him at his apartment building’s annual barbecue in June.
“I was a very wild person in my youth. I’m surprised I’ve lived this long,” he said. “I never planned on being a senior. I thought I’d die before that happened.”
Truthfully, no one is ever prepared to grow old, including me. (I’m turning 70 in February.)
Chalk it up to denial or the limits of imagination. As May Sarton, a writer who thought deeply about aging, put it so well: Old age is “a foreign country with an unknown language.” I, along with all my similarly aged friends, are surprised we’ve arrived at this destination.
Aging continued on page 110
his intentions so transparently that it galvanized numerous institutional forces – judges, bureaucrats, state officials, inspectors general – to resist his attempts. While Trump’s rhetoric was more incendiary, other presidents achieved deeper expansions of the executive branch more discreetly.
Trump’s Jan. 6 plan was never realistic
Trump’s failure to impose his will became particularly evident on January 6, 2021, when claims that an “auto-coup” was afoot never translated into the real-world mechanics that would have kept him in office beyond the end of his term.
Even before the Electoral Count Reform Act made the process clearer in 2022, scholars agreed that under the 12th Amendment the vice president’s role in certifying the election is purely ministerial, giving him no constitutional basis to replace or discard certified electoral votes. Similarly, state laws mandate that certification is a mandatory, ministerial duty, preventing officials from arbitrarily refusing to certify election results.
Had Pence refused to certify the Electoral College vote count, it is more likely than not that courts would have swiftly ordered Congress to proceed. Moreover, the 20th Amendment fixed noon on January 20 as the end of the outgoing president’s term, making it impossible for Trump to remain in power just by creating delay or confusion.
The idea that Pence’s refusal to certify could erase statecertified votes, or coerce Congress into accepting alternate slates, had no firm grounding in law or precedent. After January 20, the outgoing president would simply cease to hold office. Thus, the chain of events needed for an autocoup to occur in 2021 would have fallen apart under the weight of well-established procedures.
A massive bureaucracy
Potential avenues of power consolidation during Trump’s impending second term are equally narrow. The federal bureaucracy makes it exceedingly difficult for a president to rule by fiat.
The Department of Justice alone comprises roughly 115,000 employees, including over 10,000 attorneys and 13,000 FBI agents, most of them career civil servants protected by the Civil Service Reform Act and whistleblower laws. They have their own professional standards and can challenge or reveal political interference. If an administration tries to remove them en masse, it runs into protracted appeals processes, legal constraints, the need to conduct a bevy of lengthy background checks and a crippling loss of institutional knowledge.
Past episodes, including the George W. Bush administration’s politically motivated dismissals of U.S. attorneys in 2006 and 2007, illustrate that congressional oversight and internal department practices can still produce major pushback, resignations and scandals that thwart political interference with the Justice Department.
Independent regulatory agencies also resist being dominated by the president. Many are designed so that no more than three out of five commissioners can belong to the
same political party, ensuring some measure of bipartisan representation. Minority commissioners can deploy a host of procedural tools – delaying votes, demanding comprehensive studies, calling for hearings – that slow down or block controversial proposals. This makes it harder for a single leader to unilaterally impose policy. Those minority commissioners can also alert the media and Congress to questionable moves, inviting investigations or public scrutiny.
In addition, a 2024 Supreme Court ruling shifted the power to interpret federal laws, as passed by Congress, away from executive branch government agencies. Now, federal judges play a more active role in determining what Congress’ words mean. This requires agencies to operate within narrower bounds and to produce stronger evidence to justify their decisions. In practical terms, an administration now has less leeway to stretch statutes for partisan or authoritarian ends without encountering judicial pushback.
Layers of defenses
American democracy has vulnerabilities, and other democracies have collapsed under powerful executives before. But in my view, it’s not reasonable to draw definitive lessons from a tiny number of extreme outliers, such as Hitler in 1933 or the handful of elected leaders who staged more recent auto-coups in fragile or developing democracies such as Argentina, Peru, Turkey and even Hungary.
The United States stands out for having a complex federal system, entrenched legal practices and multiple layers of institutional friction. Those protections have historically proven adept at limiting presidential overreach – whether subtle or bombastic.
In addition, state-level politicians, including attorneys general and governors, have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to challenge federal overreach through litigation and noncooperation.
The military’s professional culture of civilian control and constitutional fidelity, consistently upheld by the courts, provides another safeguard. For instance, in 1952 the Supreme Court ruling in Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer reversed President Harry Truman’s order that the military seize privately owned steel mills to ensure supply during the Korean War.
All those institutional checks are further buttressed by a robust civil society that can mobilize legal challenges, advocacy campaigns and grassroots resistance. Corporations can wield economic influence through public statements, campaign funding decisions and policy stances – as many did in the aftermath of Jan. 6.
Taken together, these overlapping layers of resistance make the path to autocracy far more challenging than many casual observers might assume. These protections also may explain why most Americans are resigned to Trump’s second term: Many may have come to realize that the nation’s democratic experiment is not at stake – and probably never was.
Article courtesy of Theconversation.com
Victor Menaldo is Professor of Political Science, Co-founder of the Political Economy Forum, University of Washington
Spot the Differences
See if you can spot the 15 differences between the original photo on top and modified below Answers are on page 104
Why We All Need an Adult in Our Lives Why We All Need an Adult in Our Lives
My Voice by Hiren Deliwala
As children, we are accustomed to structure and guidance. Parents and guardians enforce schedules, ensure we participate in activities, and hold us accountable for commitments. But as we grow older and become our own bosses, we often shed this external discipline. We start believing that rules and routines no longer apply to us. While this newfound autonomy feels liberating, it can have significant consequences, particularly in areas like health and personal growth.
One of the most noticeable effects of this lack of discipline is neglecting our health. Activities like waking up early, going for a walk, playing a sport, or heading to the gym transform from essential routines to optional burdens. We convince ourselves, “I can get away with skipping this,” until the exceptions become the rule. Even when a wellmeaning spouse or friend nudges us to adopt healthier habits, we nod politely and revert to old ways. The problem is not ignorance—we know what needs to be done, where to go, and how to do it. Yet, time and again, we find reasons to stop.
When children face resistance to a new activity— whether it feels boring, hard, or uninteresting—parents step in. They cajole, motivate, or even threaten their kids to push through. They drive them to practice, encourage them when they’re discouraged, and reward their efforts. Over time, the children often build a sense of community, find joy in their activities, and develop discipline.
As adults, we need a similar force in our lives—a guiding “adult” who will not buy into our excuses. This figure is not about blind obedience but about having someone who helps us uphold our commitments, especially when our motivation wanes. A personal trainer, for instance, can be an excellent example from a health perspective. Unlike a spouse or friend, who might pity us or give us a pass when we falter, this “adult” holds us accountable without enabling our excuses.
Being guided by such a person requires vulnerability and humility. It means acknowledging that, despite our age and experience, we need help to achieve our goals. This is not a sign of weakness; rather, it’s a recognition of human nature. Just as we parented our children to push through discomfort and find fulfillment, we too can benefit from someone who fulfills that role for us.
Madan Khatri NMLS #1980752
Madan Khatri
Health is Wealth
Health is Wealth
Financially Speaking
by Rupa Pereira
When was the last time you got your 10,000 steps in?
On a recent trip to my birth-city Mumbai in November 2024, I was starkly reminded by the simple truth that staying fit and healthy allows for an enjoyable travel experience. Since my parents in Mumbai don’t own a vehicle, I decided to get around using public transport and resorted to using buses, trains, the metro and an occasional 3-wheeler, a lifestyle that was part of my growing years three decades ago. I had to ditch the comfort and convenience of having a vehicle at my disposal akin to my current US lifestyle. Surprisingly, when I got back to sedentary living in the US, I actually missed the hustle bustle, getting my steps in, climbing up/down a bridge and embarking/disembarking from a bus/train. I discovered how it made me feel years younger, lighter and agile and shall I say, more alive?
As the adage goes, “Health is Wealth.”
Enough has been written about new year resolutions to exercise more, eat healthy and also make smart financial moves. But what if smart financial moves are correlated with health goals?
Poetically speaking, health is wealth, and it is the kind of wealth that doesn’t sparkle in bank vaults or parade itself on stock tickers. It is quiet and unassuming, like the first drizzle of a monsoon, soaking the earth and coaxing green shoots into reluctant life. It isn’t flashy, but it has the power to alter the landscape of everything—your body, your mind, your spirit.
It’s something I discovered on my train journey aboard Vande Bharat from Mangalore, Karnataka to coastal Kerala. Picture lush green fields, swaying coconut palm trees, sheltering mangroves, and gliding houseboats. Close your eyes and visualize the Kerala backwaters, where water whispers secrets to the breeze and time lingers, unrushed, serene, where fisherman cast their nets and bide their time in anticipation of a huge bounty. Those fisherman – hale, hearty and healthy enough to be toiling in the seas - rough or calm. That’s true happiness. True wealth.
Contrast that to the world we live in, which demands speed, worships excess, and measures worth in increments of currency. But all the while we’re chasing these moving goalposts, our bodies fight back, in the language of pain, fatigue, or disease. Health isn’t a commodity; it’s an ecosystem and precious. Wealth in its truest sense doesn’t lie in what you accumulate, but in what you have the freedom to be. Healthy.
It is the quiet foundation on which everything else rests. Without it, no house of ambition can stand, no dream can unfold its wings. It is the river that carries the boat, the air that fuels the fire.
As Mark Twain would say, “Money can buy you a golden bed, but it won’t buy you sweet sleep. It can get you the finest foods, but it won’t repair a busted stomach. And if you lose your health in pursuit of fortune, you’ll spend every last dime trying to buy back the one treasure you let slip through your fingers. If wealth is the steamboat, then health is the river. Without it, you’re stuck in the mud, no matter how fine your vessel may be.”
Triangle Area - NC Deepak Parti
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News Notes
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off Pravasi Bhartiya Express during the inauguration of the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) convention at Bhubaneswar, in Odisha on January 09, 2025.
The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas took place between January 8 - 10, 2025 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. PBD celebrates and marks the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.
PBD was inaugurated in 2003. Since 2015, under a revised format, PBD Conventions have been organized once every 2 years.
This year’s theme was “Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat”.
For more details, visit Pbdindia.gov.in/pbd.
WHEF 2025 Australia
The World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2025 is jointly organized by Hindu Economic Forum of Australia, Government of South Australia and Federal Department of Tourism Australia.
WHEF 2025 will connect influential leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to share business expertise, and create a prosperous society by fostering economic growth.
WHEF began in 2012 at Hong Kong, followed by annual forums in Bangkok 2013, New Delhi 2014, London 2015, Los Angeles 2016, Chicago 2018, Mumbai 2019, Bangkok 2023 and the most recent one in Mumbai in 2024. Additionally, there were several regional economic forums held in Kuala Lumpur, Auckland, Fiji, Durban, Kenya, Frankfurt, and Dallas.
WHEF 2025 will focus on:
• Strengthening economic ties between the global Hindu community and Australia.
• Facilitating knowledge and resource sharing among businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Promoting sustainable practices and cuttingedge innovation.
Key topics to be addressed: TechnologyDefense, Robotics, Space, Cyber; Education & Skills: Workforce Development, Tourism; Sustainability: Renewables, Environment, Climate Change; Healthcare: Medical Systems, Advancements; and Real Estate Investment.
The WHEF 2025 dates are August 2 – 3, 2025 at Adelaide Convention Centre, Australia.
Info: Wheforum.org.
India Giving Day
The India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), a U.S.based network of nonprofit, philanthropic, and charitable organizations focused on India, has announced their 3rd annual India Giving Day to be held on March 14, 2025. The campaign is organized to increase the ease and access of participation by growing the number of community and regional events throughout the country and leveraging the success of last year’s Youth Leadership Council to create opportunities for young people to play leadership roles in the campaign through peer-topeer fundraising.
“The first India Giving Day was essentially a ‘proof of concept’,” said IPA’s Executive Director, Alex Counts. “We believed the Indian American community would support the work of leading nonprofits in earnest if we created an informative platform to feature high impact organizations and set a day to come together to celebrate the culture of India and the joy of impactful giving. Our second campaign was a big breakthrough.”
The first India Giving Day held in March 2023 garnered nearly $1.4 million from 1,031 unique donors, and the second year raised over $5.5 million from 1,770 donors in March 2024. Much of the success of the second year was due to an increase in community events and volunteer fundraisers taking advantage of IGD’s userfriendly peer to peer fundraising platform. Community events increased from four to more than forty, and volunteer fundraisers increased from thirty-six in the first year to nearly two hundred.
India Giving Day’s leadership has designed the means to continue this trend through accelerated community engagement, incentives, and prizes. Community events will range from home gatherings of five to ten people to larger regional events like the ones held in Dallas, Texas over the past two years.
Chandnis Chandnis
India Giving Day has received leadership support from the Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST), the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Bank of America, MasterCard, Raj Family Foundation, Wadhwani Impact Trust, Sehgal Foundation, and Raj & Kamla Gupta Ujala Foundation.
India Giving Day is an initiative of the India Philanthropy Alliance designed to inspire and facilitate a movement of joyful, informed, and impactful giving to India. It seeks to grow American private giving to India quantitatively and qualitatively.
The first India Giving Day was held on March 2, 2023, and raised more than $1.3 million to advance the mission of 25 participating organizations.
The second India Giving Day, held on March 1, 2024, quadrupled the campaign’s impact through 33 organizations working in the fields of health, education, livelihood development, environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment, children’s rights, and more.
For more info, visit Indiaphilanthropyalliance.org.
AAPI’s Share-the-Warmth Program to Bring Comfort to the Needy
“Continuing the tradition of providing comfort and warmth to the needy and the homeless in the United States during this winter season, with the overwhelming support from dozens of Chapters, we at the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) are relaunching the Sharethe-Warmth program that will benefit thousands of people across the nation through the generosity of AAPI members, ” Dr. Satheesh Kathula, President of AAPI said.
For several years, AAPI at the national level and various local Chapters at the state levels have been jointly leading efforts to bring warmth and comfort into the lives of the needy across the United States. Launched in 2019, this noble initiative has now become an annual tradition of giving by AAPI to local communities. AAPI’s “Share-The-Warmth” project has donated thousands of blankets to the poor and the needy in several homeless shelters across the nation every year.
and helped numerous needy people by DONATING A BLANKET and proud to say that this was very well received by the targeted communities.”
“This has been a one-of-a-kind experience for the teams of physicians and young volunteers alike who have generously volunteered their time and resources to bring joy to the less fortunate. I want to thank all the State Chapter leaders for their commitment and their enthusiastic participation,” said Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, President-Elect of AAPI.
The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), founded in 1982 is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, representing the interests of over 120,000 physicians of Indian origin. In addition to several programs in India, AAPI has been in the forefront, advocating for the interests of the medical fraternity and organizing regular CME programs, health & wellness events, and financial workshops for its members and outreach, public health education, and advocacy activities for the community both locally and internationally. For more details, visit: Aapiusa.org.
United States
Consulate General Kolkata
The Indian city of Kolkata has a preeminent place in the history of American diplomacy as one of the oldest American Consulates anywhere in the world, and the oldest in India.
Dr. Malti Mehta, a Charlotte resident and Co-Chair of the Share-the-Warmth program said, “AAPI launched the ShareA-Blanket project in 2019 during the presidency of Dr. Suresh Reddy to bring warmth to the needy around the nation. Dr. Binod Sinha, founder President of AAPI Chapter in New Jersey organized and conducted it successfully that year, and since then it has been held annually by AAPI and local Chapters of AAPI.”
“We are immensely happy to state that our AAPI’s ‘SHARE THE WARMTH’ program has been highly successful this year,” said Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu, Chair, Share-TheWarmth program. “Holiday season is here again! Time to care and share again!! Last few years AAPI along with several local chapters and some of our members made tremendous effort
President George Washington, on November 19, 1792, nominated Benjamin Joy of Newbury Port as the first American Consul to Kolkata. With the advice of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson later the third President of the United States and consent of the Senate, President Washington commissioned Joy to that office on November 21, 1792.
Joy, however, reached Kolkata only in April 1794. He was never recognized as Consul by the British East India Company but was permitted to “reside here as a Commercial Agent subject to the Civil and Criminal Jurisdiction of this Country…”.
Despite this rather inauspicious beginning, Benjamin Joy’s arrival was the beginning of a long official American relationship with Kolkata – and, indeed, with all of India.
- Source United States Department of State
NIH Researchers Discover Novel Class of Anti-Malaria Antibodies
New antibodies could lead to the next generation of interventions against malaria.
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of red blood cell infected with malaria parasites (orange/red/yellow). The small bumps on the infected cell show how the parasite remodels its host cell by forming protrusions called ‘knobs’ on the surface, enabling it to avoid destruction and cause inflammation. Uninfected cells (teal) have smoother surfaces. Image courtesy of NIAID
A novel class of antibodies that binds to a previously untargeted portion of the malaria parasite could lead to new prevention methods, according to a study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published last month in Science. The most potent of the new antibodies was found to provide protection against malaria parasites in an animal model. The researchers say antibodies in this class are particularly promising because they bind to regions of the malaria parasite not included in current malaria vaccines, providing a potential new tool for fighting this dangerous disease.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Although malaria is not common in the United States, its global impact is devastating, with 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths estimated by the World Health Organization in 2023. Of the five species of Plasmodium that cause malaria, Plasmodium falciparum is the most common in African countries where the burden of malaria is largest and where young children account for the majority of malaria deaths. Safe and effective countermeasures are critical for reducing the immense burden of this disease.
In recent years, new interventions have been developed against malaria, including vaccines that currently are being rolled out for young children in regions where the disease is prevalent. Anti-malarial monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are another promising new tool that has been shown to be safe and efficacious against infection with P. falciparum in adults and children in early clinical trials. The anti-malarial
mAbs evaluated in trials in malaria-endemic regions target the P. falciparum sporozoite—the life stage of the parasite that is transmitted from mosquitoes to people. By binding to and neutralizing the sporozoite, the mAbs prevent sporozoites from infecting the liver, where they otherwise develop into blood-stage parasites that infect blood cells and cause disease and death.
Led by scientists at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the research team used a novel approach to find new portions—or epitopes—on the sporozoite surface where antibodies bind. They isolated human mAbs produced in response to whole sporozoites, rather than to specific parts of the parasite, and then tested the mAbs to see if they could neutralize sporozoites in a mouse model of malaria. One mAb, named MAD21-101, was found to be the most potent, providing protection against P. falciparum infection in mice.
Findings from the study will inform future strategies for the prevention of malaria and may facilitate the development of new antibodies and vaccines against the disease, the researchers indicate. The scientists also note that more research is needed to examine the activity and effectiveness of the newly identified antibody class and epitope, according to their paper. The approach used in this study could also aid the development of a new generation of countermeasures against other pathogens as well.
Natarajan wins 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
Yale astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan has won the prestigious 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics for her path-breaking research focused on the invisible universe, including the nature of dark matter and understanding the origin of black holes.
The Heineman Prize, awarded jointly by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP), honors excellence in mid-career astrophysics research. Natarajan is the first Yale faculty member to with the prize since it was first awarded in 1980.
Book Release
Cultures & Traditions of South India
A hardcover illustrated book titled Cultures & Traditions of South India and authored by North Carolina based Dr. Saraswathi Ramachandran has been released. The book is illustrated by Nivya Kuriakose and edited by Edward Cook. The book is written for children with images and illustrations accompanying cultural and brief general information about India’s southern states. The book talks about some famous landmarks, tourist spots, cuisine, architecture and culture. It is available via Amazon.
Vikas Patel, MD
Elizabeth Ju, MD
Katharine Hodinka, MD
Evan Darwin, MD
NASA Opens New Challenge to Support Climate-Minded Business Models
NASA’s Sustainable Business Model Challenge is looking for entrepreneurs, startups, and researchers to leverage the agency’s publicly available Earth system science data to develop commercial solutions for climate challenges.
This opportunity bridges the gap between vast climate data and actionable solutions by inviting solvers to transform data into sustainable business models that support climate resilience and decisionmaking.
“Creative, outcome-driven entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our country’s economy, and we’re excited to see the sustainable climate solutions they’re able to come up with when working closely with NASA’s vast resources and data,” said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for the NASA Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, which is sponsoring the challenge.
Through the Sustainable Business Model Challenge, NASA aims to foster a new set of sustainable enterprises capable of turning climate insights into tangible market-ready services, ultimately contributing to a more resilient future for vulnerable communities, businesses, and ecosystems. NASA is committed to broadening participation in its solicitations and fostering technology advancements.
wealth of data that can inform new approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation.
Participants will submit a 10-page business concept paper that includes details on how they will incorporate NASA climate or Earth system data to deliver a product or service. Up to ten winning teams will receive $10,000 each, along with admission to a 10week capability development training designed to strengthen any future proposals for potential NASA funding.
NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, is part of America’s Seed Fund, the nation’s largest source of early-stage funding for innovative technologies. Through this program, entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses with less than 500 employees can receive funding and nonmonetary support to build, mature, and commercialize their technologies, advancing NASA missions and advancing the nations aerospace economy.
By engaging new entrepreneurs, the challenge serves as a pathway to NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, helping scale solutions to advance the global response to climate change and encourage a more sustainable future. From its vantage point in space, NASA holds a
Ensemble is hosting the challenge on behalf of NASA. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge. The program supports global public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.
The deadline to participate in NASA’s Sustainable Business Model Challenge is June 13, 2025.
For more information about the challenge, visit: Nasabusinesschallenge.org.
Discover the Best Technology Summer Programs for High School Students
In today’s digital age, students are learning technology at younger ages. No matter what career students are interested in, gaining hands-on experience in technology can help them gain valuable skills.
As summer approaches, students should consider attending a summer program concentrated on technology, especially if their school curriculum doesn’t offer them much opportunity to explore the field. Here are some of the hidden benefits of attending a technology-focused summer program.
Entrepreneurial Skills
When students are exposed to technology, they are also encouraged to be more creative, innovative, or learn how to solve problems. Students who learn computer science are also taught to approach problems systematically and break them down into manageable steps. Understanding technology can better position high school students to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. These skills can improve the student’s ability to contribute to innovative projects or create their own solutions to problems.
Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Beyond potentially learning a new coding language, students will also learn principles of digital citizenship and responsibility. They might learn digital etiquette, ethical
behavior online, or responsible technology use. Having a strong foundation in these skills will help students navigate the digital world safely.
Prepare For the Future
As students transition into their university coursework, they might find having basic knowledge in technology will help them. Understanding digital platforms and other tools might help them with projects or research.
Additionally, when students start looking for jobs, they might find that being digitally literate can help them in almost every single career field, from engineering, business, mathematics, healthcare and more. Having an interdisciplinary approach can give students a leg up in their job search.
Many college and university programs integrate technology into their coursework. High school students exposed to technology are better prepared for the academic demands of higher education, where digital tools and platforms are commonly used for research, collaboration, and project work.
Coding As a Universal Language
No matter what country a student is from, coding can be a unifying language that can connect people from all cultures. It can help people worldwide collaborate on projects and is a skill that can quite literally be taken anywhere.
College Admissions Insider by Brandie Erickson
Economists: NC in a Good Spot for Growth, but Helene and National Trends Could Add Uncertainty
By Galen Bacharier, NC News Line
DURHAM — North Carolina’s economic outlook remains solid, but Hurricane Helene’s impact and changes in national policymaking could result in bumps this year, a panel of economists projected last month.
“There’s nothing that we’re seeing in conversations to show that patterns are changing very much,” said Laura Ullrich, a regional economist with the Richmond Federal Reserve’s Charlotte branch, during an NC Chamber forum.
Up in D.C., a new administration under Donald Trump is poised to enact tariffs that could spike prices of international imports. And conflicts across the world continue to disrupt global trade and the world economy.
John Connaughton, director of the UNC-Charlotte Economic Forecast, said ordinarily disasters like hurricanes result in two quarters of economic slowdown, followed by a major bounce-back the year after.
But Helene’s unique damage — much of it via rising water in uninsured mountain communities — means that formula isn’t necessarily applicable, he said.
“I don’t expect that slowdown to go away, frankly,” Connaughton said.
Regardless, the expected growth of key industries, specifically pharmaceutical manufacturing within the Triangle, will help cushion North Carolina for years to come, another economist predicted.
“Demand is only going to get higher,” said Travis Clark, an economist with Visa. “I expect that to be a main source of growth.”
NC Chamber will launch a health care plan for small businesses
Small businesses with two to 50 employees will soon be eligible to enroll in a new health care plan created by the NC Chamber and BlueCross BlueShield, Salamido said Tuesday. It will be open to businesses who are members with local chambers across North Carolina.
“Hopefully, everything goes well, it’ll be open for open enrollment in 2026,” Salamido said. “We’re going to spend this year getting that in place.”
“The uncertainty we face because of the election, because of Hurricane Helene and other world events, is making some companies slow down their decision-making processes.”
North Carolina has seen propulsive growth in recent years — driven by investment by both established and emerging industries, as well as a boom in new residents centered within metropolitan areas.
That growth appears likely to continue. But developments both in Washington, abroad and at home could complicate the equation.
In western North Carolina — a hub for tourism and key industries — Hurricane Helene destroyed countless homes and small businesses. The president and CEO of the NC Chamber, Gary Salamido, described it Tuesday as “North Carolina’s Katrina.”
The plan will be regulated by the Department of Insurance, and more details will roll out in the coming months, Salamido said.
Changes to state law as part of Senate Bill 382 — a controversial bill that shifted executive power — allowed the plan to come to fruition, the Chamber said in a December news release.
“Our product will fill a need in the small business health insurance market and give business owners the opportunity to grow their business while providing high-quality benefits to their employees,” the news release says.
Article courtesy of ncnewsline.com
From left: Visa economist Travis Clark, UNC-Charlotte Economic Forecast director John Connaughton and Federal Reserve regional economist Laura Ullrich speak about North Carolina’s economic outlook during an NC Chamber forum in Durham on Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)
Become a Saathee Friend
by Taige Shukla
(IG: @whatsthe_chai)
Palak Paneer Poppers
I haven’t had a chance to say it yet so: Happy 2025 Saathee Family! I hope everyone started the new year on a healthy and hopeful note, I know I did! I’m excited to share this fun recipe that my family (aka the best taste testers) absolutely loved over the holidays. This can also be a great one for any Galentine / Valentine celebrations this month. I know this will definitely be repeated for our future gatherings. You really can’t go wrong with bite-sized pastries filled with paneer! You can use ready made paneer or try your hand at homemade paneer (check out the video on Insta: @Whatsthe_Chai). You can find a full How-To video for this recipe on Instagram, follow @saatheemagazine and @whatsthe_chai.
Next, make tadka (infused oil). Add a tbsp of oil to a small pan along with the ginger, garlic, and cumin seeds. Roast for about 3 mins until fragrant, then set aside.
In a large bowl add onion, spinach, crumbled paneer, the prepared tadka (ginger, garlic, & cumin seeds), the remainder of the spices, lemon juice, and optional green chili. Mix until well combined. Taste the mixture to make sure it is as flavorful as you would like, feel free to add more of the spices if needed.
Once the pastry sheets have thawed, roll each out into a 12x10 inch rectangle and cut each into 3 equal strips. Add 1/6 of the paneer mixture to each strip and fold the strip in half lengthwise. Pinch the edges shut. Brush the top of each filled strip with egg wash (egg + 1 tbsp water mixed or melted butter) and top with toasted sesame seeds. Cut into equal bite-sized pieces, about 1.5 inches each.
Add the bites to a prepped baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 15 mins, until the pastry is cooked all the way through and golden brown. Serve with your favorite chutney or dipping sauce.
For more recipes, visit Saathee.com/category/recipes
Kismuth continued from page 28
I sifted through my personal re-designed ideas of “home”, there. On the road, after countless roads, over many years. I did this, instead of being shepherded by curators’ musings, on the walls, in the museum’s rooms, within.
I’ve met musicians, academics, scientists, artists of all kinds, writers, and researchers. The ones who spend their lives pursuing their inquiry and mastering their craft tell you the best stories, I feel. You can tell they’ve committed to prioritizing one thing, making it their thing. Learning by doing, and making things as they’d go, and sharing, too, because if they didn’t, there’d be no feedback. To listen to, so as to grow.
What I’m saying is, unlike the acquaintance I mentioned at the start, here, some people will get around to it. Maybe even early on. This could be due to luck or privilege, or it might be because they had... a space.
A physical, dedicated space. A studio.
Yes. A studio doesn’t have to be a permanent spot. It can be a guesthouse, as was the case, for me, in Melakka. (A splendid town to disappear in, for a while. That’s what I was doing there, anyway.)
A middle-aged man who ran the place made idle talk about his son, his worries for that son’s future, and so on, if we ran into each other in the great common room, which, because of that, felt like a writing residency, kind of. He even dropped me off at the bus depot in his car, when it was time to go.
Like they did when I went to Finland, and then the time before that, in Punjab. Two writing residencies.
Like the other writers and artists who’d joined those programs, when I was there, too, I could see how much they loved their studio space. Some wouldn’t open the door to you. Others welcomed you in, gave you cakes. In any case, private space was where we could each focus, and commit, and get going, working, in general, on formulating something new
I think they felt as I do, that the goal isn’t to have a fancy box, but a place. Completion is cool, but the point is not that. Making is. I’ve visited other artists’ studios. Some are quite cluttered while some are ultra-minimalist. Some are decorative, others bare, some flooded with yarn, or plates, or brushes, or photography equipment. All are theirs. Their very own.
I wonder if the woman in Melakka will start, sometime. So as to do what she claimed that she dreamt of doing. Because doing makes you better. Getting better at your craft, I’ve observed from those who’ve been there and done that, seems to be quite rewarding, in and of itself.
That’s my feeling, here, in my studio, in Phnom Penh. Let me keep doing, then. Let me try.
Dipika Kohli
is an author who is based in Phnom Penh. Discover her books at kismuth.com and other projects at dipikakohli.com.
Immigration Trump continued from page 42
attention and action.
The use of executive orders is his most immediate avenue of enacting an imprint on the current immigration system. But what is an Executive Order? “Executive Orders (EOs) are official documents … through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the Federal Government.” Remember the President is the head of the executive branch of government, which encompasses most of the federal agencies that the public relies upon, ranging from the US military, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Parks Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In short, Trump can direct any of these agencies to undertake any particular action, provided that such directives cite to the President’s authority under the Constitution and statute (sometimes specified). EOs may be revoked by the President at any time, and many expect Trump to revoke many of the EOs passed by President Biden. Given that Congress often acts very slowly and with much deliberation, Executive Orders can be used by Presidents to pursue specific policy aims or programs without Congressional approval.
The Trump camp has promised to deliver a blizzard of EOs to help shape his immigration agenda. This can include surging resources to the Southern US border, blocking the issuance of visas for given countries and altering the paperwork requirements for specific benefits. During the first Trump administration, DHS required green card applicants to submit reams of evidence that they would not become reliant upon the government once their green cards were issued, which often required hundreds of pages of financial documents and complicated immigration forms.
Doing so resulted in a larger administrative burden, as processing times slowed due to the volume of this new paperwork requirement. Similarly, Trump’s famed “Muslim Ban” slowed travel for individuals coming from specified foreign countries. In short, he will likely try to enact a range of immigration-related EOs to help deliver on his promise of a tougher immigration system.
However, like most other government actions, EOs are subject to federal litigation and lawyers will likely line up to challenge the propriety of Trump’s actions in federal court. As mentioned above, EOs are still bound by the Constitution and statute and EOs cannot supersede the authorities granted to the President by Congress.
A hallmark of Trump’s first administration was to test the limits of Presidential power, and his second term will likely try to push the boundaries even further. Whether this is a good or bad outcome remains to be seen, but by the time this article is published, we will likely have our first taste of what is to come over the next four years.
Rishi P. Oza
is Partner at Brown Immigration Law, a firm that focuses solely on immigration law; he practices in Durham. roza@rbrownllc.com
Immigration Biden continued from page 42
• Clarifying that certain business owners may be eligible for H-1B status, even when they have a controlling interest in the business
Each of these changes have the ability to significantly impact individuals currently in the United States. Foremost, the extension of the F-1 CAP-gap period is of importance to those seeking to change to H-1B status. Currently, F-1 students are eligible to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which is a complicated way of stating that upon graduation, a student is given temporary employment authorization.
Historically, OPT starts when an individual graduates and expires one year later. This leads to a common problem of an individual’s OPT expiring in the summer months of a given year (most students graduate in May/June, so their OPT will usually expire in May/June of the following year). These same individuals would apply for H-1Bs under the CAP-lottery system but would have a gap in their ability to work while waiting for a decision from USCIS on their respective H-1B filings.
In response, USCIS created the CAP-gap extension, which allowed these individuals to continue to work, despite the expiration of their work authorization, through October 1 of a given year, which is when an individual’s H1B would theoretically take over.
However, as a result of processing delays, USCIS often does not have individual H-1B adjudicated by October 1st of a given year and as a result, this regulatory change extends an individual’s ability to work through April 1 of the following year and effectively provides those same individuals with an additional six months of potential work authorization.
This extension expires upon the adjudication of the H1B application (with either an approval or denial).
While the clarifications of “specialty occupation” and the codification of DHS’ deference policies are important, the real eye-opening change was DHS’ indication that it would allow for business owners to submit H-1B applications on their own behalf even if they have a controlling interest in the business. As has been a fundamental rule for H-1B filings, individuals cannot “self-sponsor” for H-1B status, and an employer must establish an “employer-employee” relationship.
DHS now indicates that “[t]here is nothing in the statute prohibiting a noncitizen with an ownership interest in a U.S. employer from being the beneficiary of an H-1B petition filed by that employer.”
DHS has indicated a concern about abuse for the program but has stated that the agency has created specific conditions that would ensure the propriety of the program, including “the requirement that the beneficiary must perform specialty occupation duties a majority of the time and shortened validity periods for the initial petition and first extension of 18 months.”
DHS has indicated that “even if a beneficiary is a sole
Immigration Biden continued on page 90
College continued from page 70
Top Tech-Focused Summer Programs for High School Students
Columbia Univ. Introduction to Programming with Java
● Location: Virtual
● Dates: 7/15/25-7/26/25
● Cost: $3,850
● Age requirements: 9th-12th graders
● Deadline: Not available
● Overview: Two-week program teaching Java programming fundamentals, algorithms, and objectoriented programming. Students learn logical reasoning and participate in college-prep activities.
Computer Science for Cyber Security (CS4CS)
● Location: New York University (NYU)
● Dates: 7/1/25-8/9/25
● Cost: Free
● Age requirements: 9th-11th graders from NYC and neighboring cities
● Deadline: 4/14/25
● Overview: Three-week cybersecurity program teaching digital forensics, steganography, hacking, and cryptography. No prior experience in computer science is required, and it aims to empower underrepresented populations in cybersecurity.
Naval Academy Summer STEM Program
● Location: U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)
● Dates: 6/2/25-6/20/25 (depending on grade level)
● Cost: $750
● Age requirements: Rising 9th–11th graders
● Deadline: Applications open on 1/6/25
● Overview: One-week residential program focusing on problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration in coding, game development, and robotics.
● Overview: Rising Researchers is a sister company of Moon Prep and has two options available. The first is a 15-session bioinformatics program where students will build a strong foundation in data analysis and learn no-code tools for artificial intelligence and machine learning. The second option is a 6-session program focused on designing a science fair project or developing a conference presentation. Both programs are fully customizable.
There are also summer programs at UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, and UNC Charlotte.
Brandie Erickson
For more details, contact Brandie@moonprep.com
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Rafi Sahib’s voice during the live performance was very similar to the voice we hear in recorded songs. I have a faint memory that comedian Mehmood also came on stage during one song and escorted Rafi Sahib from behind the podium and also danced with him.
I was also happy to hear the voice of then famous singer Hemlata, who had enchanted the audience with her songs in the films Chitchor, Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaye and others. I don’t remember if she had sung a duet with Rafi Sahib in the first concert.
I remember vividly that Rafi Sahib’s eyes were fixed in our direction when he was singing. I captured one of my best photographs of Rafi Sahib during that time. Incidentally, I had sent an enlarged print of this photo to his son Shahid some 20 years later via another singer. He called me from Mumbai and told me that he will display my photo in Rafi Sahib’s room, which he had converted into a small museum of memorabilia.
After the concert ended after four hours, I drove back home to New Jersey. The next day I went to one hour lab and had my rolls developed and printed in postcard size photos, which I had put together in an album. I then drove to Philadelphia where Rafi Sahib’s second concert was going to take place.
on a bench and took their photo. I did not know who they were at that time but a couple years ago when I showed this photo to Rafi’s Sahib’s grandson Fuzail at an event in Atlanta, he identified them.
Unfortunately, someone had stolen this album, because when I went to JFK airport the next day to send off Rafi Sahib, his wife had told me why did I take the album back? I then told Rafi Sahib that I would mail another album to his home in Mumbai.
At JFK airport Rafi Sahib was waiting in Maharaja Lounge with about a dozen well-wishers when I arrived. However, Rafi Sahib’s blood pressure suddenly went up and we were told to go outside. After about half an hour, Rafi Sahib came out. I noticed that he had removed his necktie, and his right arm was bent at the elbow.
I had forgotten to take my camera to the airport. However, I did take an LP Album called This is Mohammed Rafi, which is one of my favorite records. On one side has very melodious non-filmi songs and the other side non-filmi ghazals. When I showed it to Rafi Sahib and told him that it was one my favorite records, he was very pleased and immediately signed it for me.
I also met Hemlata at the airport and got her to sign the photo I had taken.
At this concert I had taken my 8mm film camera and three 50 feet rolls with me and had captured bits and pieces of the whole concert, especially when Rafi Sahib was dancing with Mehmood and Hemlata was singing “leto aye ho sapno ke gaon mein” a very melodious song which I often hum even today.
The best moment came when at the Philadelphia concert I met Rafi Sahib on stage in person during the interval. I shook his hand and talked about a few songs. I had given Rafi Sahib the photo album I had prepared for him, and he was quite pleased.
I had also gone with him backstage where his wife, son Shahid, brother-in-law Zaheer and actor David were sitting
I often remember my meeting with the legendary Mohammed Rafi whenever I listen to his songs and will always cherish it until I die. In a future article, I will share my memories of meeting with Kishore Kumar.
Girish Modi
is an 85-year-old retired engineer who is passionate about Indian music and classical dances. He donates money to various Indian organizations and provides free photo service. Contact: girish39@yahoo.com.
Mohd. Rafi with his wife and actor David backstage during Philadelphia concert. Photo by Girish Modi
Anjana Patel RPH
Speaks fluently in Gujarati and Hindi
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● Apply for extra help to lower prescription copays for brand and generic medications (based on certain financial eligibility)
Adult Dance Student continued from page 50
name was Punithavathi. She was born to a wealthy family in the Chola Kingdom, and as a child, showed devotion to Lord Shiva. She initially was married, but there was one incident that would change the direction of her life.
Her husband witnessed a miraculous event that she had prayed for to occur, and because of that, her husband could no longer see Punithavathi as a wife, but as a goddess incarnate. He thus left the home and noted to her that he was leaving for business. Without her knowledge, he moved to another town in the Pandya Kingdom. He found another wife and had a child which was named Punithavathi after his first wife.
When she heard rumors that he was with another wife, she went to the Pandya Kingdom to search for him. There, he mentioned to her that after the miracle that he had witnessed from her, that he no longer saw her as a wife, but as goddess incarnate. He begged for her forgiveness and asked for her blessings.
When she learned of this, what she prayed for is what can be considered truly stunning.
As a beautiful woman, she fervently prayed to Lord Shiva to take away her physical beauty. This was her desire.
Exploring this, especially from a modern-day perspective, one would question what was her rationale to pray for this?
Couldn’t she just have prayed for her husband to come back/reverse the situation? Wouldn’t there be some more “practical” requests?
While that can be further delved into, philosophies within Sanatana Dharma relay the impermanence of the physical body. Being overly attached to the physical form can also delude one to the nature of reality. In this story, Punithavathi realized that she no longer needed her physical beauty and did not want to be deluded by her physical form which she felt was a distraction in her worship to Lord Shiva.
But can that sentiment relate in the modern world or is this just a tale that is no longer relevant? Can the old tale benefit the new era?
I believe it can. As an example, do we need to physically see a person to know their characteristics? Or can we understand them by their actions? In this world, there are many who are deluded by their physical appearance. There are various studies that demonstrate how physical form impacts real world perceptions of the person and groups. In its most nefarious form that is still pervading in the modernday world is within the real concept of racism. The form deludes individuals and groups that we are separate from each other, and not part of a bigger family. But the most recent science shows that race is a social construct.
Punithavathi embodies the virtues of a well-known Sanskrit Subhashitham through her actions. She provided charity to the needy (Hastasya Bhushanam Dhanam). She speaks the truth (Satyam Kanthasya Bhushanam). She understands the message of the texts and has faithful devotion (Srotrasya Bhushanam Shastram). Her actions decorated her and made her beautiful, not her physical form.
Punithavathi felt she no longer needed her physical beauty, but her actions are what makes her beautiful (Bhushaniahi Kim Prayojanam).
Lord Shiva granted her wish. Far from her initial form, she describes herself as a ghost and graphically notes herself to have red hair, fangs, protruding eyes and bulging veins. This portrayal is used as a later inspiration for a 13th century statue made to commemorate her.
As a devotee, she was able to focus her attention not on appearance, but her devotion. She composed poems in praise of Lord Shiva in the Tamil language.
But her physicality did not leave her. During one of her pilgrimages to mount Kailasa, she determined that she did not want to walk on the holy land of Lord Shiva with her feet, so she went to the holy site walking upside down. The amount of Shakthi or energy she had within herself, because of her devotion, gave her the power to be able to cross the holy grounds.
While some may see this as fantastical, there may be certain ideas that can be applied within our daily lives. What can be learned from this inspirational woman, Karaikkal Ammaiyar? We cannot all do exactly what she did because each of us has a unique path, but we can take inspiration. For instance, maybe we can learn to not judge ourselves so harshly; if we cannot make that high jump, we did the best we could. If there are upsets in life or someone may have hurt us, we can practice compassion and continue our journey forward without bitterness. We can learn to accept change.
With form, we should not overly worry about what society expects for how we should look. We are made the way we are from the divine grace within the conditions we are given. This can be seen from the “logical” vantage point of some places being hotter, some place being colder, thus each of us having variations and from the “philosophical” viewpoint of “unity in diversity” and us being a family.
Karaikkal Ammaiyar used her “head” (her knowledge) and her bhakthi to write beautiful poetry and to be able to see Lord Shiva. When she reached Mount Kailasa, Lord Shiva seeing the true devotion of this woman, addresses her respectfully as “Mother” and grants her a boon.
Her request is that she never forgets Him, and that He dances for her. Lord Shiva agrees and requests that she go to Thirualangadu so she can watch Him perform.
Again, there is much that can be taught from her desire to watch Lord Shiva, the King of Dance, perform. Albert Einstein is noted for saying that everything in life is a vibration. Whether we look from the logical vantage point of everything vibrating, or to the artistic of sculptures and paintings and writings, the different vantage points seem to somehow converge.
But how to understand this for oneself and experience this?
If we can move past the superficial, and allow ourselves to “see” deeper, maybe we too can experience that cosmic dance. If that “third eye” can be opened, one can then maybe achieve timelessness.
Preethi Sriram is a classical dance enthusiast and lifelong learner of dance. Contact: SriramPreethi@hotmail.com
example, it was perfectly acceptable to enjoy a siesta. However, I am almost afraid of taking a nap even on my toughest days. As I lower my head on the pillow, I am reminded of my list of chores, or field trip forms to sign or anything besides rest. For most mothers of my age, simply attaining motherhood is insufficient, the desire to excel at parenting is the bigger goal. While it was fulfilling to watch my baby sleep, during the early stages of motherhood, I felt compelled to constantly do more such as read articles about infants and toddlers. Ridiculous, you say? Sadly, I agree.
If a person mentions that he or she enjoys or carves out some time to simply do nothing, that is frowned upon. I recall a particularly hectic year at work when I decided to let my mind wander and stay away from work on a twohour plane ride for a business trip. It was rewarding to allow myself a chance to recharge but the guilt set in as soon as I heard my co-workers brag about what they had accomplished on the flight. Weekends too fail to be free as they are packed with action items that are perhaps overdue. On rare occasions when boring tasks have been checked off the to-do list, there is an expectation that one must post pictures from one of the happening spots around town to keep up with friends active on social media.
In a competitive world, children’s free time looks different than it did 50 years ago. Unstructured free time, random naps, or spontaneous play have shrunk for many. Pre-schoolers have planned play dates and enrichment camps to avoid any period of boredom. I worry that they may grow up not knowing the value of leisure. Although some individuals have no problem kicking off their shoes and chilling, others may not prioritize it. Modern society does not hand out medals for hours one spends meditating or recognizing companies that require employees to stay away from their business phones and emails while on vacation.
Parents and educational institutions have also raised their expectations of young people. High schoolers with a 4.0 GPA are no longer exceptional if they haven’t already solved one of the world’s most pressing problems.
Let us collectively recognize that there is an overwhelming need to be consciously in tune with our bodies so that we understand the signals for rest or a pause from mental and physical activity. A healthy amount of relaxation is a remedy for many ailments without the side effects of drugs. Perhaps, we should attempt to systematically identify what refreshes us. It may look different for different individuals just as our definition of an ideal weekend varies. Reading, cooking, watching a funny movie without multitasking, a massage or bubble bath or any mindful activity may have more health benefits than we realize. At the risk of sounding corny, may I suggest that we also allocate a segment on the calendar for relaxing and reward ourselves for doing nothing.
Who is with me?
Shyama Parui
is a long time North Carolina resident and an ardent writer. You can reach her at: shyamashree_parui@hotmail.com
Financially Speaking
continued from page 60
In our prosaic, mundane existence, here are a few reasons to steer you towards the health river:
1. Enjoy career longevity: Good health enables individuals to work longer, especially in sectors where retirement is optional, thus allowing for higher net-worth over one’s lifespan.
2. Pursue entrepreneurial hustles: Health provides the energy and ability to pursue wealth-generating opportunities (businesses, investments, or side projects).
3. Avoid foolish financial moves: Stress and fatigue lead to impulsive purchases or poor investment choices, losing $10,000 in avoidable debt, whereas regular exercise and mindfulness improve focus and decision-making, saving the $10,000 and compounding it through smart investments.
4. Pay lower premiums: Healthier folks pay less for life, health, and disability insurance leaving more money for savings or investments.
5. Incur lower aging costs: Long term care costs are spiraling out of control in the US and insurance doesn’t cover it 100%. Healthy aging reduces the risk of requiring long-term care and assisted living.
Realistically, what can be done to accumulate healthy “Wealth?” I’m sharing a few tips that you may be already familiar with but worth repeating:
• Schedule annual wellness checkups – medical, dental, vision. An ounce of prevention costs much less than a pound of cure. Unhealthy habits or chronic illnesses can financially burden families with caregiving or medical costs.
• Make healthy choices, stay hydrated and avoid harmful habits – excessive screen time, insufficient sleep or not taking time to rest – that can be productivity drainers over time.
• Engage in physical activity that incorporates stretching, mobility and strength.
• Do not ignore mental and emotional well-being as they’re equally important alongside physical health in wealth creation, preservation and financial success.
Financially speaking, good health supports financial wealth by reducing expenses, increasing earning potential, and ensuring a longer, more productive life. Whether it’s preventing chronic illnesses, saving on insurance, or maintaining the stamina to seize financial opportunities, the return on investing in health proves that health truly is wealth.
Rupa Pereira is a CFP, EA, CSLP and an Advice-Only planner and tax professional specializing in cross-border planning and education planning. Contact: info@fwjplanning.com.
RUBY REALT Y RUBY REALT Y
Starting a Company continued from page 26
One year into the pandemic, I gleefully put in my two weeks’ notice and birthed the company Foresight with my co-founder Nigel, our very own freshly minted tech startup. Wide eyed and bushy tailed (albeit with a slight chip on my shoulder), I entered the vaunted realm of being a Founder and getting to build a company every day. To say we were in for a hard reality check is an understatement.
Here’s what nobody shared about what was coming our way:
Hiring our first developer and relying on him with our survival over the course of a year, only to discover he’d started a job at another company without telling us (finding out just two days before a major product release).
Spending six months painstakingly recruiting our first three salespeople, only to spend the next six months having to part ways with each of them after they couldn’t get the job done.
Crisscrossing the country and traveling from conference to conference selling our first 15 customers, only to lose them all a year later and start over from scratch.
Convincing a C-suite executive at a large and successful corporation to sign a deal with us and awaiting with bated breath for months for the deal to sign, only to hear back before the end of the quarter that there was no more budget left to spend on our project.
Staring down an empty bank account and feverishly sending emails from India at 4 am, while there on a business trip, to US investors, pleading them to send their wires in ASAP so we can process our next payroll.
Managing your emotions
Starting a company is like the movie Castaway, where Tom Hanks is stranded on a remote island and must keep himself alive by keeping a fire alive in the middle of a typhoon with no fire starter or little wood to be found. Starting a company is not actually at all about business. It is an emotional marathon that happens to revolve around business milestones. It is a test of managing your emotions for long enough, so you can survive to see the day when the sun shines in your favor.
What was so emotionally challenging about this? I dare say it was not the events as described above, but my mental and emotional state surrounding each of them. I allowed my self-perception to control my reality.
I assumed our developer would be with us from Day One through an IPO. I expected our salespeople to perform as if they sold our product every day of their lives. I believed that the result of all the toil earning the first 15 customers would mean they’d stick around. I presupposed that getting approval from the C-Suite was a surefire way to close a big deal.
I assumed we’d be successful so quickly that we would never have to raise money again from investors and be well along the path to an IPO. Simply put, I expected us to succeed. I expected that since we were smart, capable, and hungry people building the company of our dreams in the most entrepreneurial country on earth, that “making it” was
inevitable. This web of perception woven together over the years replaced the truth with illusion. The agony wasn’t in falling down, but the feeling that we should never have fallen in the first place. And if there’s one thing this journey has taught me, is that the only thing I should expect from myself is resilience. Learning how to get back up again is less about recovering from a fall – it’s realizing that’s the only way up the mountain.
So here I am, writing this, four years into this entrepreneurial adventure. I wouldn’t say that we’re running a “Company” quite yet, but we are still alive, and I have finally accepted the greatest challenge of all: choosing to face my emotions every day, unlearning every expectation, and relinquishing any attachment to success along the way.
At the end of the day, all I have is the ability to get back up. The belief that we will be alive when the clouds part, and the sun shines once again.
Sagar Shukla
is a Charlotte native and the Co-Founder and CEO of Foresight. When he's not running his business (or writing about it), you can find him on the tennis court or kitchen cooking up a new recipe.
Contact: sagars.shukla@gmail.com.
Immigration Biden continued from page 82
owner of a business, that business may still file an H-1B petition as a ‘United States employer’ if the business…has a bona fide job offer of employment, has a legal presence in the United States and is amenable to service of process, has an IRS tax identification number, and, if the beneficiary has a controlling interest in the petitioner, the beneficiary will perform specialty occupation duties a majority of the time, consistent with the terms of the H-1B petition.”
This amounts to a titanic shift in prospects for motivated entrepreneurs seeking to open their own business and ventures.
How this new set of rules will be interpreted by the Trump Administration will be an open question, but the change provides much-needed flexibility to an immigration system that has too often been slow to respond to the everchanging needs of our dynamic American economy.
In the best-case scenario, these changes will be a boon for those interested in starting up their own entities and willing to invest in the success of their respective businesses. One can continue to hope that DHS looks to forward-thinking ways in which to build a more vibrant and responsive immigration system to meet the moment of ongoing change to our economy.
Rishi P. Oza
is Partner at Brown Immigration Law, a firm that focuses solely on immigration law; he practices in Durham. roza@rbrownllc.com
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Even in a philosophical sense, it’s a clueless word, creating unrealistic expectations and false hopes. Creating a sense of comparison in people that is at best disappointing and at worst empty.
In my now six decades around the block on this floating blue marble, I have never met two people who are soulmates, even though some may claim to be. Soul and mate are two lovely words that don’t make a better word when put together.
I suggest a replacement word that is quite practical, not just for couples, but pretty much for all social relations. It’s a lovely word that appeared to me in a dream one night. A word that can have actual real-world consequences if widely practiced. That word is adjustmates. Yeah, I made it up. It defines those who are willing to adjust their behavior, thinking, or actions, when dealing with their mates, be they lovers, friends or family members.
When people have the capacity to adjust to each other, for each other, making themselves adjustmates, much of human conflict will melt away. There would be more love in the world, and dare I say, more lovely souls mating if more people become adjustmates. Souls would be happier. Mates would be happier. Even among friends, good friends that understand each other, when adjustments are made without feeling like one has sacrificed more than the others, a greater joy happens.
Alas, there are very few adjustmates in the world. If you look at relationships that have lingered for a long time, usually the participants have come to an understanding of the other. They have adjusted for each other. Instead of constantly cribbing about things you can’t change about someone, if both make an adjustment on any point of conflict, contention or behavior, become adjustmates if you will, peace can prevail. Contented relationships can bloom. The company of each other becomes more desirable.
This only works on two-way streets. When both parties, or all parties of a social combo, are amenable to adjusting. If only one half of the participants are constantly adjusting while the others are not, this practical word cannot work. Everybody has to kind of step back and get into that mode where you soften self-want and become others-aware, for the sake of the couple, group, community, society.
Adjustmates also must develop the capacity to do away with expectations and embrace interactions.
Your actions and words affect you first, but they also affect several people around you. The simplest, yet toughest act people can do is adjust. And I mean minor adjustments. No one needs to separate from their natural personalities and selves. This is not about surrendering. We don’t need matching mates. We don’t need superficial soulmates. What the world needs are more adjustmates.
Samir Shukla
is the Editor of Saathee Magazine
Contact: Samir@Saathee.com
Twitter: @ShuklaWrites
Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com
Eye on Markets
continued from page 46
Fed to cut two- or three times next year. If inflation does firm up, it’s likely that the Fed will be on hold, similar to 1995 when mid-cycle adjustment cuts were made, and then were on hold until 1996. The combination of firmer growth and inflation, a Fed on hold, a high fiscal deficit, and a heavy issuance calendar, means rates will be higher for longer.
The drivers of the market are also likely to be different in 2025 than they were in the past 2 years. The defining feature of the rally over the last couple of years has been its narrowness. The “Magnificent Seven” large cap tech names have outperformed the equal-weighted S&P by over 100% in the past two years. In fact, the S&P is at its most concentrated since 1932. The driver behind the performance gap is a growing excitement involving AI, which has been moving in phases. It started with the infrastructure names, led by the semiconductors; peaking in July 2024, and since then the trade moved on to software.
The market is now rewarding applications such as ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Palantir. In 2025, we will likely move to the next phase, the consumers of technology. Technology consumers will start to show margin improvement, which will instill a re-rating for many names across healthcare, financials, industrials, staples, and consumer discretionary. Walmart, on its earnings call, highlighted the potential for AI. Their CEO said, “We’ve used multiple LLMs to accurately create or improve over 850,000,000 pieces of data in the catalog. Without the use of generative AI, this work would have required nearly 100 times the current headcount to complete in the same amount of time.” I suspect we’ll see more of this type of AI commentary as the year progresses.
These AI consumers will also see margin improvement are large cap value stocks. Goldman Sachs estimates that AI will expand margins by 4%. This will likely lead to multiple expansion and re-rating. Value stocks trading at 17.5x with double-digit earnings growth have plenty of room for multiple expansion. The value of stocks trade at a 45% discount to large cap tech. The multiple on large cap tech is likely capped with rates higher for longer, earnings decelerating, and they are in a CapEx spending cycle. The spread between value and growth is wider than the dot.com bust.
Value stocks had a historically poor performance in December 2023, and after similar occurrences the value factor went on to gain 24.4% over the following year. The current positioning in large cap tech is in the 96% percentile. Many investors have waited for the new tax year (and potentially a lower tax rate) to reduce these names. High positioning, valuation, and concentration will likely cause re-allocation into large cap value in 2025.
Looking forward, the market will focus on the new administration, fourth quarter earnings, economic data, and an upcoming Fed meeting.
Ketu Desai
is the principal of i-squared Wealth Management Inc. (www.isquaredwealth.com), an investment management firm based in New Jersey. ketu@isquaredwealth.com
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Editor’s Desk: Read Saathee
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Fill in blanks of these clues, then take the first letter of each word and unscramble them to find this month’s Key Word.
___, Re, mi, fa, sol... ___ Redford (actor).
Rome is in ___.
Not odd, but ___. Khatmandu is in ___. January, ___, March.
Answers on page 104
Hello Readers
We welcome comments and suggestions about our puzzles and cartoons pages. Send your thoughts to Samir@Saathee.com
Magic Maze Answers on page 110
Go Figure! Answers on page 104
Festivals & Holidays Puzzle Solutions
February 2025
Feb. 1 – National Freedom Day
Feb. 2 – Groundhog Day / Imbolc
Feb. 2 – Vasant Panchami
Feb. 4 – World Cancer Day
Feb. 7 – National Wear Red Day
Feb. 8 – Jaya Ekadashi
Feb. 8 – Kite Flying Day
Feb. 12 – Magha Purnima (Full Moon)
Feb. 12 – Guru Ravidas Jayanti
Feb. 13 – Magha Puja Day
Feb. 13 – Lailat al Barat
Feb. 14 – St. Valentine’s Day
Feb. 15 – Nirvana Day
Feb. 17 – Presidents Day
Feb. 17 – Random Acts of Kindness Day
Feb. 19 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti
Feb. 23 – Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti
Feb. 26 – Maha Shivaratri
1. Color changed in bike light
2. Flower removed
3. Added Dog
4. Light removed
5. Bag removed
6. Board removed
7. Woman’s bag removed
9. Changed color
10. Changed bag color
11. Changed color
12. Photo removed
13. Added bird
14. Poster removed
15. Woman removed
8. Watch removed
Puzzle Solutions from page 102 Key Word Search Answers from page 103
Key Word of the Month: FRIEND
Feb. 27 – Darsh Amas (No Moon) Go Figure! answers from page 103
Astroscope FEBRUARY 2025
Aries
(March 21 – April 19)
The month may start with disappointments and confessions but will not last very long. Don’t try to make easy money, as you may create problems for yourself. You should consider taking a pause or slowdown in life. Plan to do nothing new and avoid taking risks. You may enjoy a happy love life during the second half of the month. Be careful in taking your medications, or you may end up with a minor but long-term health issue. Avoid any long-distance journey this month.
Taurus
(April 20 – May 20)
You need to put your diplomacy into sorting problems to enjoy success. You will come across numerous activities to earn money. It could be a very busy period. Students and the young generation should make brave and positive decisions. An accident is possible this month, so drive carefully. An unexpected rise in income may delight you in the last week of the month. Don’t get involved in someone’s problems.
Gemini
(May 21 – June 20)
This month may lead you to a good understanding with your spouse. Watch your health. You will be busy in your career and will earn good this month. You may enjoy limited help from your kids. The second half of the month should bring some hopes for positive changes but wait till next month to make any career-related changes. Any aggressive and harsh actions must be curbed to avoid negative consequences.
Cancer
(June 21 – July 22)
You may enjoy a short-term peace of mind but unexpected expenses in the second half of the month will bring back a new type of mental stress. You may avoid religious events and focus on money making projects. You may start considering investing in real estate but won’t make any decision. A new source of income may develop without any realistic results. Improvement in health may bring peace of mind in the last week of the month.
Leo
(July 23 – August 22)
Some kind of uncertainty and confusion shall prevail this month. The best recommendation is to avoid any major actions and decisions. Maintain your routine and pass the time. Avoid any legal disputes this month. Focus on family issues and plan for changes during the next quarter of the year. Minor health ailments could be there. Improvement in relation to spouse is clearly indicated.
Virgo
(August 23 – September 21)
Fear and misunderstanding will confuse you this month. If you make any major decisions under such mental conditions, it may lead to problems in the future. Be prepared for a major positive move in the coming months. Wait for now. Time is good for love life. There should be no issues in maintaining the flow of money this month. Egoistic thoughts and stubborn attitude may develop short-term health problems.
Libra
(September 22 – October 20)
You will feel delighted and happy this month as you will get positive responses from your loved ones. Your confidence will be at par, and you will start planning a new dream project. Avoid family disputes and work on your future projects. Rewarding travel is possible this month, although it may not be comfortable. You may end up paying for your spouse’s mistake. Make quick decisions and move forward in life, as a great opportunity is waiting for you.
Scorpio
(October 21 – November 20)
Watch your health and avoid long-term journeys. Destiny may take hold of your life, so just relax. An extension in family and new friends may happen this month. You may miss a good career-related or social relation related opportunity this month. Slow down and control aggressive activities. Any risk-taking tendency must be curbed. You may benefit through your spouse.
Sagittarius
(November 21 – December 21)
Check your diet and drive carefully to avoid unexpected health problems. Uncertainty at the workplace is also possible this month. Life is on the verge of making a move so wait and watch this month. Avoid disputes with spouse and adopt a no-argument policy. Avoid any travel this month. Your associates and friends may not cooperate in your project this month.
Capricorn
(December 22 – January 21)
Your enemy may try to hurt your reputation by making fake allegations. Even though it may create problems for you, it will help you in changing your line of action for good. Be prepared for major changes in the coming months. Drive carefully and get your blood tested in case of any health problems. The time is good for new relations and love. Luck will help you in building new relations.
Aquarius
(January 22 – February 18)
Look inward this month. Your ideology, presentation and actions may create unnecessary problems for you. It could develop frustration and financial loss. Control yourself and pass the month quietly. Dispute and argument with spouse may also take place this month. Time is changing and you are going through a transformation phase. A problem due to your child could be there.
Pisces
(February 19 – March 20)
You may fail to maintain morality this month. Your relationship with friends may turn sour. Your own mistakes may bring disaster and financial problems for you. Avoid taking any financial risks this month. You may learn a big lesson and change your mind set by the end of month. Your spouse may ignore you and avoid cooperating with you this month.
CLASSIFIEDS
Business Opportunities
Adeia Services
Home / Business Cleaning / Sanitizing Franchise $699. + Royalties. Financing $99 down, $30 / month for 24 months. For details contact J. Edward Wolfe at jedwardwolfe46@gmail.com.
16-Room Motel for Sale on 1.6Ac lot in McCormick, SC. Great location! Recently renovated. Revenues $170k/yr. Owner financing. Potential for expansion. Asking $375k. Call 240-357-7023.
Independent Financial & Insurance Strategy Consultant Opportunity in the financial insurance industry. Work from home part-time & achieve excellent income potential! Call 908-590-4210 to set up an appointment for more details.
Employment Opportunities
Gas Station Seeking Help in Rock Hill, SC. Single or couple. Good pay for an experienced person! No accommodations. Call 803-659-3330.
Housekeeping Couple Wanted for Franchise Motel (Econo Lodge) in Southern Pines, NC. Interior Corridor property & Accommodations provided. Great salary! Call Bipin 910-916-3288.
Hotel Help Wanted
Front Desk / Manager, Night Auditor & Housekeeper (Single/Couple) for franchise hotels in Charlotte (Airport Area) & Winston-Salem (Near Hanes Mall). Accommodations provided. Call 704-626-4849 between 4-8pm.
Restaurant/Convenience Store Help Wanted in Troy, NC Cook needed. Single/Couple, Part-time or Full-time. Excellent pay and accommodations. Call/text 919-771-6189.
Looking for Babysitter to take care of newborn babies in Raleigh, NC. Female preferred. Call 843-333-5810.
Gas Station / C-store Help Needed at stores near Huntersville & Northlake areas. Must speak English & be family friendly oriented. Please call 704-402-4661.
Help Needed at Perfume Stores in Charlotte and Pineville, NC. For more information, please call Veer Singh at 415-265-8686.
Front Desk Manager & Housekeeping Couple Wanted for franchise hotel in Columbia, SC. Accommodations provided. Fluent English required. Text / call 704-701-9975.
Hotel Help Wanted
Front Desk / Manager, Night Auditor & Housekeeper (Single / Couple) for franchise hotels in Charlotte, Gastonia, High Point, NC & Columbia, SC. Accommodations provided. Call 704-460-0379 between 6-9pm.
Manager / Front Desk needed for a Franchise Hotel in Rock Hill, SC. Accommodations Provided. Please call 803-517-4662.
Household Help Needed
2 hours a day, 3 times a week in Apex, NC. Call 609-319-1097.
Front Desk & Laundry Help needed for Franchise Hotel Accommodations provided. Concord, NC. Call 704-772-5554.
Front Desk Manager Needed for Franchise Hotel in Concord / Kannapolis, NC. Accommodations provided. Call 980-454-9093.
Hotel Help Wanted
Looking for Manager & Front Desk for properties in Charlotte. Must have legal status. Contact Nita Shah 704-502-2630 or gm.nita.shah@gmail.com.
Cashier Wanted
for Convenience Store near Kannapolis, NC. Very attractive salary! Accommodations provided. Text or Call 704-701-9482.
Hotel Help Wanted
Hiring experienced Operations Manager for interior corridor hotel in Suffolk, VA. Accommodations available. Legal work authorization required. Please call or text 804-991-0306.
Matrimonial / Seeking Companion
Seeking Groom
Well-educated MS Software Engineer, BE Computer Engineer Girl. 32 year-old, never married, well-settled, and goodlooking. Vegetarian, Spiritual, Gujarati, US H1-B-140 approved living in Anaheim, CA. Looking for Boy, preferably IT/ Medical professional but will accept any higher education. Text Shailesh 260-602-3354.
Seeking a US raised, vegetarian, tall groom for 25 year old, 5'7", US-born & raised girl from a Kannada Madhwa Brahmin family. Vegetarian, MS, Sales Operations Analyst, CA. Refer RJ. Text 678-304-8184.
Seeking an educated, settled groom for 24-year-old. 5'3", US-raised from a Telugu family. Financial Analyst in Georgia. Refer AK. Text 470-684-0830.
Seeking a well-educated, US/outside India-raised groom in NYC, Tri-State area, or CA for a 45-year-old bride. 5'7", raised in India (in the US for more than 20 years), divorced with no children, MD, Attending Physician, NJ. Refer AP. Text 678-304-8184.
Seeking a well-educated groom for a 32year-old bride. 5'2", never married, born in the USA and raised in India. Owns private practice and works as a Therapist in CA. Refer PS. Text 678-304-8184.
Seeking a well-educated, US-raised, Sikh groom for a 25-year-old girl from a Sikh family. 5'2", good-looking, born & raised in the US. Digital Marketing Specialist in San Jose, CA. Refer PC. Text 678-304-8184.
Seeking a well-educated, US-raised vegetarian groom for a 33-year-old, 5'3" tall, raised in the USA, Hindi-speaking Brahmin. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in Georgia. Refer AS. Text 470-684-0830.
Saathee Classified
Looking for a life partner? Saathee can help you reach hundreds of potential matches. E-mail saathee@saathee.com or call for details: 704-527-7570.
Seeking Bride
Seeking a bride for a 32 year-old, 5'6", US-born, never married Tamil boy. MS in social work, based in Arizona. Looking for a suitable girl who is willing to relocate to Arizona. Refer GB. Text 470-239-0059.
Well-educated MD Internist / Hospitalist (Non-Interventional Cardio Fellowship) Man. 35 year-old, never married, wellsettled, and good-looking. Vegetarian, Spiritual, Gujarati, only child, US Citizen. Looking for Girl, preferably Medical professional but will accept any higher education. Text Shailesh with details 260-602-3354.
US citizen, Hindu, business graduate, 33 currently working in a federal position in Raleigh, NC. Looking for educated bride. Call 336-683-7631 or cstore1947@yahoo.com.
Seeking Companion
Seeking a companion to travel the world with 64-year-old, well-settled gentleman. 5'6", in the USA for more than 4 decades. Widower with two well-settled daughters, FL. Refer CJ. Text 678-304-8184.
For Sale / Rent
House For Sale in Amritsar, Punjab
New house w/ 4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, large kitchen & family rooms. Lot 240 sqyds. Located off Ram Tirath Road near ESSMA Estate. Golden Temple @ ±7km and SGRDJ International Airport @±12km. Please call Aman at 8289057602 (Amritsar) or Kuldip Singh in US at 301-602-6245.
Room For Rent
in Morrisville (Brier Creek) near RTP. One bedroom with attached bathroom in a Townhome, for vegetarian professional. Rent $950 per month. Utilities included. No pets or smokers. Text/Call: 847-877-0154.
Property for Sale in India
Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat.Bunglow on property is still functional. Located right before Raguvir tenaments. Call Rajesh: 706-633-4577.
Sell Your Property Fast Saathee can help you reach hundreds of potential matches for your property. Email saathee@saathee.com or call for details: 704-527-7570.
Music Lessons
Indian Classical: Veena, slide guitar, other string instruments & vocal for all ages. Music professional and teacher Sri Suman Laha. Contact: sumanguitar@gmail.com or WhatsApp +1 310-818-9068.
Priest Available
for Shree Satya narayan katha, Shanti hawan, Vastu shanty, Weddings, Baby shower, Bhumi pujan, Mata ki chowki pujan, Funeral, all types of karmakand. Please call Viral Bhatt 704-438-6334.
Rajeshree Beauty
Eyebrows and full face threading, facial, waxing, henna for hair & hair color, body & hair massage. Please call 704-995-5230.
Travel Passion
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Priest:
Ganesh, Shiv, Lakshmi, Randal, Paduka Pujans; Wedding, Baby Shower, House warming, Satyanaryan Katha, Mundan & Yagnopavit; Funeral, Navchandi, Tarpan, Havans, etc. Online puja available. Call Rajendra Bhatt 732-841-7832.
Pari Beauty in Matthews
Threading, Waxing, Facials, Massage for newborn and mom & other services. 36 years of experience. Special Deals & Great Service. Call: 704-846-7912.
Math Tutoring
Looking to boost your child's mental math skills? Master Math with Abacus provides top-quality, remote tutoring with a proven track record. ISO-9001 certified training for grades 1-8. Call for details. WhatsApp: +91 798-053-5065.
Gujarati Priest
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Neeta's Beauty Parlor
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Affordable Wedding Photography
20 years of experience in Indian wedding photography. Specializing in film & digital photos. Engagement, Wedding, and Receptions. Contact Vivek: email: vivekweddingmemories@gmail.com or call 347-321-4746.
Bini’s Salon: Greensboro
Eyebrow threading, Waxing and tinting; Lash lift & tint; Facials, Body waxing, Tanning beds & more. Call for appointment: 336-288-4826 or walk-in at 3606 N Elm St, Unit D in Greensboro, NC.
Need an Adult continued from page 58
Ultimately, the commitment to change and improve is our own. Many of us resolve to lose weight, get fit, or adopt healthier habits. While books and knowledge can motivate us, they are not the missing piece. The real question is: Are we willing to let someone challenge us and hold us accountable? Having an “adult” in our lives—a mentor, trainer, or guide—can make all the difference in breaking through barriers and achieving what we set out to do.
Hiren Deliwala
currently serves as the Leader of Solutions Architecture for the Worldwide Public Sector at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He received his MBA from UNC Chapel Hill. Contact: hcdeliwala@gmail.com
Aging
continued from page 52
For me, 2025 is a turning point. I’m retiring after four decades as a journalist. Most of that time, I’ve written about our nation’s enormously complex health care system. For the past eight years, I’ve focused on the unprecedented growth of the older population — the most significant demographic trend of our time — and its many implications.
In some ways, I’m ready for the challenges that lie ahead. In many ways, I’m not.
The biggest unknown is what will happen to my vision. I have moderate macular degeneration in both eyes. Last year, I lost central vision in my right eye. How long will my left eye pick up the slack? What will happen when that eye deteriorates?
Like many people, I’m hoping scientific advances outpace the progression of my condition. But I’m not counting on it. Realistically, I have to plan for a future in which I might become partially blind.
It’ll take courage to deal with that.
Then, there’s the matter of my four-story Denver house, where I’ve lived for 33 years. Climbing the stairs has helped keep me in shape. But that won’t be possible if my vision becomes worse.
So, my husband and I are taking a leap into the unknown. We’re renovating the house, installing an elevator, and inviting our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to move in with us. Going intergenerational. Giving up privacy. In exchange, we hope our home will be full of mutual assistance and love.
There are no guarantees this will work. But we’re giving it a shot.
Without all the conversations I’ve had over all these years, I might not have been up for it. But I’ve come to see that “no guarantees” isn’t a reason to dig in my heels and resist change.
Thank you to everyone who has taken time to share your experiences and insights about aging. Thank you for your openness, honesty, and courage. These conversations will become even more important in the years ahead, as baby boomers like me make their way through their 70s, 80s, and beyond. May the conversations continue.
Article courtesy of kffhealthnews.org
Magic Maze & Puzzles4Kids answers pgs 102 -103
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