Saathee Raleigh November 2023

Bridging America and the Indian Subcontinent

Saathee.com

November 2023

IN THIS ISSUE Ultra Processed Foods: pg 42 Mining For Jokes: pg 44 Virtual Power Plant: pg 58 Recipe: Pumpkin Kheer: pg 74

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Hello Wishing you and your family the best during the Festival / Holiday season. We are thankful to you for being an avid Saathee reader. We ask that you 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. Enjoy the November 2023 issue!

Read about "Returning to our Roots" in the essay beginning on page 28. The Dances of India column delves into "Modernity Vs Classical Dances" in the essay on page 40. So much of modern diets consist of "Ultra Processed Foods" - a deterrent to good health. Read the column beginning on page 42 for more details. "Biden Administration's Border Problems" are explored in the Immigration Matters column on page 50. "What is a Virtual Power Plant?" An energy expert explains in an article on page 58.

Find the recipe for “Pumpkin Kheer” on page 74. Looking for a life partner, a job, or a new business? Check our classifieds section beginning on page 108.

Don’t forget to visit website, Saathee.com for the latest in movies, events, classifieds and more. We welcome conversations.

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

Subscribe to Saathee magazine at saathee.com/subscription.

“There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.”

- Isaac Asimov

“Bridging America and the Indian Subcontinent.”

November 2023 Issue # 306 - Saathee.com Editor Samir Shukla (Samir@Saathee.com)

Publisher & Advertising Divakar Shukla 704-527-7570 or saatheemag@hotmail.com

Digital Media & Marketing Jennifer W. Allen

Ad Design / Layout DSJ Graphics & Manimaran

Contributors for this issue: Cover: Diwali Diwali, "Festival of Lights" is a Hindu festival with variations also celebrated in other Dharmic traditions. It symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. The diyas, traditional oil lamps made from clay or mud with a cotton wick dipped in oil or ghee, are lit and placed all around houses.

Kirit Shukla, Raajeev Aggerwhil, Sereena Kumar, Taige Shukla Balaji Prasad, Mo Vidwans, Parul Kharod Dr. Maha Gingrich, Rishi P Oza, Shyama Parui, Ketu Desai, and Jalendu Vaidya.

Mission: Our goal is to be a valuable source of information for the South Asian community and to be a vital advertising tool for businesses.

- FOUNDED 1998 -

Saathee Magazine P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220

704.527.7570 Photo: Adobe Stock

Fax: 704.527.7590

Saathee@saathee.com Opinions expressed herein are those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily of the publisher or editor.

Please contact us prior to submitting articles or photographs.

Saathee (USPS 021-116) (ISSN: 1543-8147) is published monthly by:

Shukla Entertainment Inc. 612 Heather Ln., Charlotte, NC 28209 Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC and additional mailing offices.

Saathee is published monthly. Deadlines for advertisement, submissions and events information is 15th of the month.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

For a free Saathee subscription, visit saathee.com/subscription All content © 2023 Shukla Entertainment, Inc

Saathee, P.O. Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220-1468 Saathee.com

8

November 2023

Indian Clothing & Jewelr y Boutique

Wedding Outfits Men’s Wear (Size 32-56) Kid’s Wear (Girls & Boys) Lehengas (Small to XXX large) Saree & Blouses, Half Saree Pavadai Varieties of Dupatta Casual Fancy Kurti Dhoti Shoes (wedding, men & women) Designer Jewelry & Gold Jewelry

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In This Issue

Page 42 Nutrition for Life: Ultra Processed Foods

Page 18 Fall Events

Page 36 Film Clips: Vicky Kaushal stars in Page 74 Recipe: Pumpkin Kheer Sam Bahadur, opening in early December

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

Immigration Matters . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50

Road to 2024 USA Elections . . . . . .pg. 88

Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18

Thinking about Thinking . . . . . . . .pg. 52

Road to 2024 India Elections . . . . .pg. 90

Namaskar Y’all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 28

A Teenage Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54

Quiz Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 100

Mirror, Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 30

Spot the Differences . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 56

Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . .pg. 102

Upcoming Movie Releases . . . . . . .pg. 34

Virtual Power Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 58

Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . .pg. 104

Film Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36

Test Your India Knowledge . . . . . .pg. 60

Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 104

Dances of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40

Personal Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62

AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 106

Nutrition for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42

News Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 64

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 108

Raajeev’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44

Eyes Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 72

Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 112

Eye on the Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46

Recipe: Pumpkin Kheer . . . . . . . . .pg. 74

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November 2023

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13

November 2023

Third Political Party Fantasies

The Editor’s Desk

by Samir Shukla

It is November. Election month. This is an off-year election and in most places around the country it is a rather sleepy election. Most contests this year are regional and municipal. Unfortunately, this means the voter turnout will be dismal. Here’s my participation cheer. Remember that Election Day is November 7, 2023. Mark your calendars, check your local ballots and make an effort to vote. Local elections have a larger effect on lives living in that region or state than national ones.

The big fight, the big prize, for the oval office next year, is in full swing. Republican hopefuls are sparring now, trying to distinguish themselves from others during the debates and on the campaign trail. One of them is hoping to dislodge former President Trump from once again attaining the nomination. President Biden is in essence going to get the Democratic nomination. In love and politics nothing is written in stone, though. Either Trump or Biden, or both, could face unforeseen curve balls, like severe health issues, that can derail their runs.

Trump faces lots of legal issues and some formidable opponents in the primaries, and if the number of candidates narrows by the time the primaries and caucuses begin early next year, or at least by Super Tuesday, then he may not be the sure thing that he thinks he is. The nomination may be heavily leaning his way, but it is still anyone’s for the taking.

Biden also faces headwinds, but unless voters really see him as not being able to function during his second term, he remains the presumptive Democratic nominee and will contest as such next November.

Saathee.com

The two dominant parties are in the process of choosing their nominees for president. There will be independent candidates running but unless they have name recognition and financial backing, it will be an exercise in futility. A strong independent candidate, though, can sway enough votes and become a spoiler, a derailer of dreams. Of course, any independent candidate must get on the ballots in all 50 states, which is no small feat.

Efforts are being made for a viable third party. A couple of new ones have been organized. The No Labels Party and the Forward Party. Yeah, that’s what I thought. Who? Their hearts are in the right place, but unless they want to be spoilers, they will wind up supporting one of the nominees from the two parties in the end.

So, let’s start with an established one, instead. The Libertarians should have become, by now, a viable third party. They think they are, but not really. How many Libertarians can you think of that hold any substantial office around the country? Or more importantly, the numbers of offices in a specific arena, say a state legislature? This is how you impact change with your ideas and ideology. You gotta have the numbers.

They should be a viable third party, and have fielded Presidential candidates for years, but essentially are non-consequential in their results. My advice to Libertarians, something I have written about before, is to forget running someone for president and instead identify Libertarian leaning congressional Editor’s Desk continued on page 80 14

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Upcoming Events Verse & Vino: Charlotte, NC (November 2, 2023)

Cape Fear Kite Festival: Kure Beach, NC (November 3 - 5, 2023)

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation presents the 10th annual Verse & Vino — an evening of writers, fine wine, and library supporters.

Featuring New York Times bestselling authors Melanie Benjamin, Roxanne Gay, Sadeqa Johnson, Etaf Rum, and Brad Taylor. The event will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom on Thursday, November 2, 2023. For more details and tickets: 704-416-0603 or visit, Foundation.cmlibrary.org/verse-vino.

Set your sights to the sky at the 16th Annual Cape Fear Kite Festival between November 3 & 5, 2023. An annual tradition, both amateur and professional kiters take to the sky with a dazzling array of colorful kites of all shapes and sizes seaside at the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Pack picnics or visit food trucks and various vendors onsite during the three-day festival. Bring the whole family and your four-legged friends for fun beside the shore. Details are available at Wilmingtonandbeaches.com.

Sharad Punam Fusion Garba: Morrisville, NC (November 3, 2023)

WNC Pottery Festival: Sylva, NC (November 4, 2023)

The Triangle Gujarati Association NC presents a night of fusion garba on Friday, November 3, 2023 beginning at 8pm.

DJ Benni will spin the music for this event and food will be available for purchase. The event takes place at HSNC, 309 Aviation Pkwy, Morrisville, NC. For more details, call 919-3530550 or visit Nctga.org.

NC International Festival: Raleigh, NC (November 3 - 5, 2023)

Master potters will exhibit some of North Carolina’s finest pottery at this one-day festival on Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 10am – 4pm in Sylva, NC. Technique demonstrations and contests will keep pottery lovers busy between checking out local art galleries & boutiques, and shopping at the street fair. There is a $5 entrance fee. Learn more at Wncpotteryfestival.com.

Statesville Pumpkin Festival (November 4, 2023) Classic cars and two stages of live music are marquee attractions at this fest, but pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors are the true reason for celebrating. Say cheers to pumpkins in the Corks, Taps and Barrels Garden featuring local breweries and spend time playing in the Kids’ Zone. The 20th annual festival will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 10am – 5pm. For more information: Statesvillepumpkinfest.com.

South Carolina Underground Film Festival: Columbia, SC (November 4 - 5, 2023)

The North Carolina International Festival helps bring the world to Raleigh. Experience global and shop local as participants bring the best of their traditions, food, desserts, dance, music, handmade items from home to share with the community. It will take place between November 3 & 5, 2023. at the N.C. State Fairgrounds – Expo Building. For more details, visit Theinternationalfestival.org.

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The 2023 South Carolina Underground Film Festival celebrates all genres of independent film in one festival. This is an international film festival as featured films are from all over the globe. The SCUFF will be two packed days of indie films where fans and filmmakers can meet, mingle, and celebrate obscure & independent films. Presented in part by The Nickelodeon Theater in Columbia, SC, SCUFF will take place on November 4 & 5, 2023 at the at Spotlight Cinemas Capital 8 in Columbia.

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November 2023

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Upcoming Events Southern Christmas Show: Charlotte, NC (November 9 - 19, 2023)

Cucalorus Film Festival: Wilmington,

The Southern Christmas Show returns with NC (November 15 - 19, 2023) the theme: Nauti or Nice! Showcasing buoys, boats and sandy beaches, the nauticalinspired entrance will be filled with coastal Christmas charm. Find charming shops, festive music, smiling faces, crafts galore, yummy food, holiday décor, local wines, Santa, over 400 holiday merchants with gifts for all ages and enough fun to last all year.

The 56th annual show will be held from November 9- 19, 2023 at the Park Expo and Conference Center in Charlotte with a special preview night on November 8. Tickets and other info are available online at Southernchristmasshow.com. Tickets Known for its gorgeous riverside setting and its are also available at select Harris Teeter locations and at the door laid-back, rock n’ roll atmosphere, the 29th during the show. annual Cucalorus Film Festival is a noncompetitive festival showcasing worldwide films, Kids' Diwali Celebration: Matthews, NC a diverse selection of Stage performances (bold, original productions in dance, music, comedy, (November 11, 2023) and theater), and various Connect Conference BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir presents a Kids' events (entrepreneurship-focused panels, Diwali celebration on Saturday, November 11, 2023 speakers and workshops).

The fest will take place from 1pm - 5pm. Join for a day filled with food, between November 15-19, 2023 in downtown games, activities, exhibitions, and more. A family Wilmington, NC. Check out the website for event for kids 8th grade and under. Location: BAPS performance schedules and locations at Mandir, 4100 Margaret Wallace Rd., Matthews, NC. cucalorus.eventive.org.

TAGCA Dasara Deepavali Sambaralu: Waxhaw, NC (November 11, 2023)

Charlotte Auto Show (November 16 - 19, 2023)

TAGCA presents the annual celebrations of Dasara Deepavali Sambaralu on Saturday, November 11, 2023, with cultural activities, programs, raffles, and multiple performances. It takes place on Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 4pm – 9pm at Cuthbertson High School, Address: 1400 Cuthbertson Rd, Waxhaw, NC. For more details, The Charlotte Auto Show starts its engines for the visit Tagca.org.

30th year at the Charlotte Convention Center from November 16 – 19, 2023. Enjoy an all-access Mythical & Medieval Fest: pass to fully experience dozens of vehicles and Myrtle Beach, SC (November 11 - 19, 2023) brands in one space, an indoor EV test track, new The Mythical & Medieval Fest is a tech and sustainability zone, hero drive, and other Renaissance themed festival to raise family fun. Details: Charlotteautoshow.com. money for Caleb’s Dragonfly Dreams; a local non-profit in Myrtle Beach, SC Stargazer Music Festival: that provides positive activities to Charlotte, NC (November 17, 2023) children that have been abused, Stargazer Music Festival abandoned, or neglected and reside in transports you to a realm group homes or shelters. This charity where the tapestry of will provide you with a whimsical music, art, and science realm filled with a fairy forest, becomes the playground. medieval combat, princesses, artisan’s village area, fire show and so much more. The event is geared toward Explorers embark on a the whole family with free activities like archery, Viking toss and fight journey into 20 acres of circles. All shows and live music are included with paid admission one of the best night-sky between the two weekends of November 11 & 12, 2023 and November viewing areas in Charlotte, at Hodges Family Farm, 3790 Rocky River Rd. Pull 18 & 19, 2023. Details: Mythicalmedievalfest.com.

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November 2023

Upcoming Events up your blankets & chairs in the grass around the stage for a night-sky viewing and concert experience. Shop and interact with artisan crafters, artists, & makers at the Night Market. Surrender to dance under a meteor-lit sky and let cosmic vibrations transcend our earthly existence in this crafted experience produced by Charlotte New Music. It takes place on Friday, November 17, 2023. Details at: Charlottenewmusic.org/stargazer.

Carolina Renaissance Festival: Huntersville, NC (Through November 19, 2023)

NC Chinese Lantern Festival: Cary, NC (November 17, 2023 - January 14, 2024)

Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre will once again welcome the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival when it returns this winter for an 8th year. Chinese artisans are already busy crafting more than 40 all new displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts, and thousands of LED lights. These larger-than-life lanterns will captivate visitors at every turn with amazing craftmanship and artistic beauty. Cultural arts performances will take place each night on the main stage.

Details: Boothamphitheatre.com.

History comes alive with non-stop, day long entertainment, arts and crafts, games and rides, jousting knights on horseback, and feasting. The Renaissance Festival is a 16th century European-style art, food and entertainment festival combining outdoor theater, crafts, circus entertainment, and marketplace. Each weekend has a different theme and the festival continues through November 19, 2023. Find all the info at: Carolina.renfestinfo.com.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast: Durham, NC (November 23, 2023)

Diwali Cultural Program & Mela: Charlotte, NC (November 18, 2023)

The Triangle Vegetarian Society presents their a n n u a l vegetarian Thanksgiving Day Feast at Parizade in Durham on Thursday, November 23, 2023. This is one of the largest plantbased feasts in the country. The Triangle Vegetarian Society in Durham provides information and support for those interested in any aspect of plant-based diets.

Enjoy community entertainment, food stalls, vendor booths, clothing, jewelry, and crafts at this annual fundraiser holiday event. It takes place at Hindu Center, 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 11am – 7pm at the Vihar Hall. Admission is free. For more details, call 704-535-3440 or 704-607-8412 or visit Hcclt.org.

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November 2023

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November 2023

Upcoming Events Info: Trianglevegsociety.org.

The Winter Wonderland Shop: Charlotte, NC (November 30 December 2, 2023) The Winter Wonderland Shop at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte welcomes families from the Charlotte community in the spirit of the season. This unique experience is an extension of Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s north star: Kindness. This is one of Charlotte’s longstanding traditions as the community’s leading familycentric shopping event. ImaginOn will be full of magic, snowflakes, and a snow-kissed stage. Children up to 12 years old are invited to shop on the Wells Fargo Playhouse stage for pre-wrapped gifts at low-cost to give to their loved ones. Free to attend, gifts priced between $1-7. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, 300 E. 7th Street @ ImaginOn. Info call 704-973-2800 or visit Ctcharlotte.org.

Christmas Town USA: McAdenville, NC (December 1 - 26, 2023) McAdenville is known as Christmas Town USA and has been lighting up the entire town for Christmas for decades. Walk or drive through the downtown area to view the frosty majesty of the winter landscape. Green, red and white lights will shine from 5:30 – 10:00 pm each night. There will be Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 1, 2023 and Yule Log Parade on Thursday, December 14, 2023. An evening in Christmas Town U.S.A. is like a magical trip back in time.

Details are at Townofmcadenville.org.

Christmas Pageant & Program: Apex, NC (December 9, 2023) The International Community Church presents a Christmas Pageant and Program on Saturday, December 9, 2023 beginning at 4pm. The story of God’s love at Christmas enacted by children. ICC is located at 1402 E. Williams St., Apex, NC. For more details, call 919-233-2900 or visit Icc-church.org.

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November 2023

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November 2023

Returning to Our Roots Growing vegetables in the backyard during summers

Namaskar, Y’all

by Shyama Parui A life of unlimited luxury, robots available 24/7 to complete chores, flying cars, materialistic demands fulfilled at the click of a button, wouldn’t all that be nice? Ah, the twenty-first century! Generation X folks may still remember the fantasies we had in the 80s while visualizing a futuristic utopia, but the reality of the current era has been a disappointment. Other than instant gratification of items and services available through the internet, the hype did not live up to expectations of dreamers and sci-fi fans.

I guess we should have suspected these failures since the century was predicted to begin with ominous warnings of Y2K. While there has been a good measure of progress, the world has been punished by devastating hurricanes, forest fires, not to mention, the pandemic. Additionally, chronic illnesses are on the rise and humans are more depressed than ever. In a recent conversation with my mother, we started discussing the festive season and meandered to the topic of climate change and an increase in chronic illnesses.

Namaskar continued on page 98

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November 2023

Wes Anderson Films Tales of Love & Ennui, with a Splash of Whimsical Charm those who do adore Anderson’s films seem to adore his inimitable artistic vision and narrative style.

Perhaps one more element that tends to slide under the radar about his films is his love for South Asian and Middle Eastern culture. Almost all his films include either an actor or character (or both) of Indian descent. It is certainly a sly way to further familiarize fans in the Western world with those from other countries. This is (in part) due to his partner Juman Malouf who was born in Lebanon and spent her youth in Saudi Arabia. An author and illustrator in her own right, she’s lent her assistance to the set design for some of his later films.

Anderson’s enthusiasm is most prominently on display in 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited. The plot surrounds three brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) on an extended train ride through India following the death of their father a year prior. Each of them deals with grief in their own way and in part by carrying luggage marked with their father’s initials, and other personal items of his.

While the three lead characters are white, most of the supporting cast are South Asian including Amara Karan, Waris Ahluwalia, Gurdeep Singh, Irrfan Khan, and Kumar

Mirror, Mirror

by Jennifer Allen

Pastel colors.

Carefully planned symmetrical shots.

Actors often standing or sitting perfectly in center frame breaking the 4th wall to the audience.

Or… if there’s more than one actor in the shot, they’re layered in such a way that your gaze can easily move from one character to another as they gesture meticulously in the scene.

There is also often at least one character talking on an old telephone or writing in a book.

And if you’re really lucky… you’ll see two characters in a layered pastel colored shot having a wildly gestured conversation on old telephones while one speaks directly to the audience and the other writes something in a book.

And this is only a taste of all the quirkiness you can find in a Wes Anderson film.

Such an idiosyncratic aesthetic has evolved over time and is much more noticeable in his more recent works, but it’s become such a specific niche that it has practically become its own genre. While it’s not to everyone’s taste, Saathee.com

Mirror continued on page 110 30

November 2023

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Upcoming Movie Releases November 10______________________________

November 22-24 ___________________________ Dream Scenario (Director: Kristoffer Borgli) Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Cera, and Julianne Nicholson Wish (Directors: Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn) Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Angelique Cabral, and Alan Tudyk Farrey (Director: Soumendra Padhi) Cast: Alizeh Agnihotri, Ronit Roy, and Juhi Babbar

Tiger 3 (Director: Maneesh Sharma) Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Emraan Hashmi

Good Burger 2 (Director: Phil Traill) Cast: Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell

The Marvels (Director: Nia DeCosta) Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Park Seo-joon, and Samuel L Jackson

Emergency (Director: Kangana Ranaut) Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, and Milind Soman Napoleon (Director: Ridley Scott) Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, and Tahar Rahim

November 17_____________________________ Khichdi 2 – Mission Paanthukistan (Director: Aatish Kapadia) Cast: Supriya Pathak, Rajeev Mehta, and Jamnadas Majethia

Maestro (Director: Bradley Cooper) Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, and Sarah Silverman

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Director: Francis Lawrence) Cast: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, and Viola Davis

December 1_______________________________ Family Switch (Director: McG) Cast: Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, and Rita Moreno

Trolls Band Together (Director: Walt Dohm) Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, and Kunal Nayyar

The Bikeriders (Director: Jeff Nichols) Cast: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Michael Shannon Animal (Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol

Saltburn (Director: Bradley Cooper) Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, and Rosamund Pike

Candy Cane Lane (Director: Reginald Hudlin) Cast: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Nick Offerman Sam Bahadur (Director: Meghna Guizar) Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Neeraj Kabi, Rajiv Kachroo, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, and Fatima Sana Shaikh

Next Goal Wins (Director: Taika Watiti) Cast: Michael Fassbender, and Will Arnett

The Shift (Director: Brock Heasley) Cast: Neal McDonough, Sean Astin, and Jordan Alexander

May December (Director: Todd Haynes) Cast: Natalie Portman, and Julianne Moore

Saathee.com/movies has the latest info on where the movies are showing or streaming. All dates subject to change.

Saathee.com

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November 2023

p s m i l C l F i

Next Goal Wins The story of the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. Taika Watiti directs Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, and Will Arnett in the film that opens on November 17, 2023.

Poor Things The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Yorgos Lanthimos directs Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe. Look for it on December 8, 2023.

Farrey Niyati, an orphan prodigy, living under the care of her warden in a local orphanage in Delhi, becomes the national level topper in the 10th board exams and gets admission on a scholarship. There she is lured by her rich friends to help them cheat in exams and gets pulled into a cheating racket with increasingly higher risks. Farrey stars Alizeh Agnihotri, Ronit Roy, and Juhi Babbar. Look for it on November 24, 2023.

Candy Cane Lane A man is determined to win the neighborhood’s annual Xmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win—and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, bringing chaos to town. Eddie Murphy stars along with Nick Offerman.

Directed by Reginald Hudlin, look for it December 1, 2023.

Saathee.com

Sam Bahadur Sam Bahadur is based on the life of Sam Manekshaw who was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Meghna Gulzar directs the cast including Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, and Fatima Sana Shaikh. It is slated to be released on December 1, 2023.

36

Dunki Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu will be coming together for the first time for Rajkumar Hirani’s upcoming movie Dunki. The will release on December 21, 2023. Dunki, shot in multiple locations including Budapest, UAE, and Kashmir, also stars Dia Mirza, Boman Irani, and Dharmendra.

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Modernity Vs Classical Dances

Dances of India

by Dr. Maha Gingrich Recently, I had the pleasure of attending some beautiful weddings. During those celebrations, I was amazed to be approached by many people talking about my Dances of India column and articles in Saathee Magazine. They are ardent followers and readers of my articles. It gave me a lot of hope about our Indian culture and traditions being sustained here in the USA. However, I also noticed that many of these readers are not the younger generations who have younger kids.

Some of the younger generation is influenced by modernity and they expect instant gratification. So why am I still so hopeful that Indian classical dances are still solid and appreciated both in India and abroad?

In the last twenty years we have seen many transformations of the dance scene in India and abroad. The almost frantic period of the late 50’s and early 60’s saw the “new discoveries” and a revival of the nearly forgotten Mohiniyattam of Kerala; the Sattriya of Assam State and Kuchipudi Bhagavata Mela Natakam, dance drama forms

Photo courtesy of Maha Gingrich

Dances of India continued on page 92

Saathee.com

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November 2023

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Ultra Processed Foods Industrial Formulations with Five or More Ingredients

Nutrition for Life

by Parul Kharod Centuries ago, humans ate food that grew around them in its most natural form. Then cooking techniques were invented and we started using food in a slightly altered form from its natural raw versions. Then came industrialization and we started more processing.

A processed food is one that has been altered from its original form. We started eating more packaged foods for convenience. The International Food Information Council defines processing as “any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it is ready for us to eat.” Most foods we eat are technically processed, unless we eat fruits and vegetables that are grown in our home gardens.

But just because something has gone through a process doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy to eat. If you are using mostly “whole” foods that are prepared or made ready to eat, they are still fine to consume them. For example, rolled oats or cracked wheat or any of the split daals.

However, now we have reached a stage where we have what is officially been labeled as “ultra processed foods”.

Ultra processed foods are referred to as edible products made from manufactured ingredients that have been extracted from foods, processed, then reassembled to create shelf-stable, tasty, and convenient items.

For example:

• Unprocessed food = whole apple • Processed = apple slices in a bag • More processed = apple sauce or apple juice • Ultra processed = Apple Jacks cereal or apple flavored granola bar or apple flavored gummies Ultra-processed foods currently make up nearly 60 percent of what the typical adult eats, and nearly 70 percent of what kids eat. The category includes everything from cookies and sodas to jarred sauces, cereals, packaged breads, and frozen foods.

How to identify ultra processed foods? Look at the list of ingredients!

Ultra-processed foods are defined as industrial formulations with five or more ingredients. They tend to include many additives and ingredients that are not Nutrition continued on page 96

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November 2023

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November 2023

Mining for Jokes

I was confused but then I realized that I was calling a number in New Delhi from my Vonage phone. The country code for India is 91 and country code for Delhi is 11. The code to make international phone calls is also 011. Instead of dialing 011-91-11 before the phone number, by mistake I must have dialed 911 without the international code. When the call didn’t go through, I hung up and got busy with some other work.

The cops accepted the explanation and sat outside our house in their car to write the report. My youngest son, Neil, 13, at that time was into stand-up.

He said, “Maybe I should go out and tell them that it me who had called 911 because my mom was forcing me to eat Indian food – this mushy gooey Aloo Gobhi!” I advised him not to do it. However, we were having pancakes so I told him that he can go out and ask if they want us to have any pancakes. Of course, they said no but the cops did find our hospitality amusing.

Although Neil no longer performs stand-up comedy, he is a natural and is very funny. Last week, he was coming home to Los Angeles from UC Santa Barbara, and he stopped at Vedanta Society’s temple on the way. While he was doing meditation outside, he noticed a young white couple with their kids pointing out to him and smiling. Neil said he felt like a monkey in a zoo. We all cracked up. I told him that if he starts doing stand-up again, this is one of the jokes he should do.

My kids provide me with good inspiration for jokes, especially around Halloween. As a Bania, I exaggerate my

Raajeev’s Corner

by Raajeev Aggerwhil As a comedian, I am always developing new material.

In a politically correct environment, we must be extra careful because people have become very sensitive. Growing up in India, I noticed that most humor in real life and in Bollywood targeted individuals with undesirable features – like fat, dark, short, bald or possessing physical or mental handicaps.

The general rule in the comedy world is that it is safe to make fun of anything which belongs to you – you, your family, your own religion, your ethnicity, and your nation.

And when it comes to race, the accepted norm is that making fun of white men is fair game for everyone!

I feel fortunate to have a loving family, and to have raised three wonderful children. When developing new material, I like to think back to my kids’ childhood, and use those experiences as the basis for my jokes and stories.

One of the stories that comes to mind is from a few years ago when we were living in Burbank, a suburb of Los Angeles. On a Saturday morning, the doorbell rang. There were a couple of cops at our door. They asked if the lady of the house was in the house. I told them yes and had them talk to my wife.

They asked her if she was OK. When she said yes, they told me that there was a 911 call made from our home number.

Saathee.com

Raajeev continued on page 96 44

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November 2023

Dispersion is Back

Eye on the Markets

A more abstract factor is the recent pick up in productivity. This has been annualizing north of 3 percent, which also helps support growth. The second is if inflation comes down faster than expected and real rates become onerous. Inflation will likely be more stubborn as stalling shelter and car prices need to be balanced with energy, wages, food, and goods’ prices. The Fed’s bar for cutting rates will be high and difficult to reach.

TINA (there is no alternative) became a popular acronym among investors in the 2010s. With rates near zero and real rates negative for much of the 2010s, there was often no alternative to equities to generate a meaningful return.

While there is an alternative to equities now, within equities TINA may be making a comeback for high quality US companies. Europe continues to face a challenging economic outlook. The ECB forecasts sluggish GDP growth of just 1 percent next year with inflation of 3.2 percent. Many economies in Europe are likely to fall into recession, especially if energy prices keep rising.

China is struggling to recover with pain in its property sector. China’s largest privately held property developer is on the verge of default. The government has initiated many smaller scale stimulus measures that have yet to have an impact. There appear to be both secular and cyclical headwinds for the Chinese economy. While there are pockets of opportunity in other countries in Asia and Latin America, given the history of these countries, the

by Ketu Desai Higher for longer. That is the message that the Fed sent about rates at their meeting this month. Along with higher rates, the Fed expects growth to be more resilient and inflation to be more stubborn. Many market participants expect that the Fed will start cutting rates next year. There are potentially two reasons why the Fed would cut next year. The first is if the economy significantly weakens. The data continues to be strong. Third quarter There is around $1.2 trillion GDP looks like it will come in well above in excess savings trend, likely near 3 percent.

Initial jobless claims remain near 50-year lows. The consumers’ balance sheet remains strong. JPM estimates that there is around $1.2 trillion in excess savings. The positive carry they earn from the spread between their mortgage and cash continues to increase as rates move up.

There is approximately $2 trillion in fiscal spending in the pipeline, which will start to hit the economy next year. Over the last year or so, companies have been preparing for a recession, in doing so, they have been reducing inventory, while not placing significant new orders. As the recession continues to be pushed out, we will soon hit an inventory restocking cycle, which will further support growth.

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Eye on Markets continued on page 98 46

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November 2023

Biden Administration’s Border Problem

Immigration Matters

by Rishi P. Oza With the 2024 presidential election closer than it may appear, myriad events continue to churn the current political landscape. Economic anxiety, stubbornly high inflation numbers, the war in Ukraine and the most recent violence between Israel and Palestine have given the current administration more than enough concerns about the political landscape of 2024. This makes no mention of the potential headwinds caused by the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, and his taste for pugilistic politics. However, the current immigration environment holds the potential for truly torpedoing Biden’s chance for re-election, threatening his message of political competence and leadership.

By any observable metric, the current situation at the nation’s southern border is a mess. Total border encounters have skyrocketed, rising from 1.95 million in 2021 to 2.7 million in 2022; 2023 has already registered 2.86 million encounters nationwide and CBP has yet to report statistics from September, which will likely push the year’s totals to exceed 3 million encounters. Simply stated, these numbers are unsustainable, which is reflected by the administration’s about-face on the construction of the southern border wall and reintroduction of deportations flights of Venezuelan citizens.

Local leaders, such as Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have become vocal critics of the White House’s handling of the migrant crisis, with Mayor Adams claiming that New York City would be “destroyed” by the continued influx of migrants; Governor Pritzker urged that “[t]here is much more than can and must be done on a federal level to address a national humanitarian crisis…”, which can only be read as an indication that the federal government simply isn’t doing enough.

These criticisms play directly into the Republican argument and national concern that Biden is simply no longer up to the task of the presidency. The president’s advanced age, a topic of almost constant discussion, is already top-of-mind to potential voters, most of whom are Immigration continued on page 80

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November 2023

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November 2023

AI. AI! Oh!

Thinking About Thinking

by Balaji Prasad “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

- Arthur C. Clarke Old MacDonald had a farm. And he might cause some harm.

He bought a parrot recently: A hyper-parrot! AI. And it just won’t stop talking. If we let it keep on and on like this, it’s going to burn things into our brains, for sure.

When the hyper-parrot is not in your field of vision, you can hear it, but you can’t see it. And this is really really dangerous. Because your eyes help you see things that your ears can’t see. In fact, your ears can’t see at all! But we may be way too deep into this dysfunctional way of being already – we may have gotten into the terrible habit of seeing with our ears, and going mostly blind in the process, without even realizing this.

So, the hyper-parrot sounds like a human. It’s pretty good at this! And, if we have gotten into this bad habit of “seeing” through our ears, we will not only hear what it says, but also “see” a human saying it.

It gets worse! Not only can our hearing replace our seeing, but also can the words replace our meaning.

A word in the hand is worth truth in the bush?

Words are strange things. They can point to very different things depending on who does the pointing. It would have been wiser to have called “words” pointers because that new word for what we have got habituated to calling “words’ may point better to the underlying reality that is pointed at. There is no confusing something that points with something that is pointed to. If your finger points at the moon, you never confuse your finger with the moon! But when we point with words, and we fail to realize that words are mere pointers, can we be sure that we keep this distinction straight? Do our words become the reality?

If so, what happens to the actual reality that we have now corrupted with our ability to produce guttural sounds? Does reality skulk away into some irrelevant corner, into oblivion? Maybe. Maybe, as far as the word - and languagespace we operate in is concerned. Because that ends up becoming our reality, our very world, if we are not careful.

Thinking about Thinking continued on page 86 Saathee.com

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November 2023

My Dad’s Story

A Teenage Story

by Sereena Kumar As teenagers, we don’t always know what we are doing. Fortunately for us, we get to look up to the people in our lives who are further along in their journey. These wise souls make us who we are. My dad is a self-made entrepreneur who started his business, MYCO Medical, in 1993. I am blessed that I have my dad to look up to. After all, there wouldn’t be “A Teenage Story” without “My Dad’s Story”.

My dad taught me that hard work can be fun because at the end of the day, the sense of pride in your heart gets bigger. It carries you over through the next day and gives you a reason to open your eyes.

There were a lot of people who believed that my dad working towards his dreams was risky, but he followed the pride in his heart: he built up a business that he could be proud of within the depths of his dusty garage with a chow dog to keep him company.

It’s scary to take the first step beyond what society expects you to do, but that first step is imperative. He was a double engineer from NC State and could have chosen to follow the path of an engineer for the rest of his life, ignoring his call to entrepreneurship. As he taught me though, what you start with doesn’t necessarily have to define your path. He wanted the rewarding satisfaction of building something of his own.

Dad continued on page 86

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Spot the Differences See if you can spot the 10 differences between the original photo and modified photo on the right.

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Answers are on page 104.

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November 2023

What is a Virtual Power Plant?

An Energy Expert Explains

By Daniel Cohan After nearly two decades of stagnation, U.S. electricity demand is surging, driven by growing numbers of electric cars, data centers and air conditioners in a warming climate. But traditional power plants that generate electricity from coal, natural gas or nuclear energy are retiring faster than new ones are being built in this country. Most new supplies come from wind and solar farms, whose output varies with the weather.

That’s left power companies seeking new ways to balance supply and demand. One option they’re turning to is virtual power plants.

These aren’t massive facilities generating electricity at a single site. Rather, they are aggregations of electricity producers, consumers and storers – collectively known as distributed energy resources – that grid managers can call on as needed.

Some of these sources, such as batteries, may deliver stored electric power. Others may be big electricity consumers, such as factories, whose owners have agreed to cut back their power use when demand is high, freeing up energy for other customers. Virtual power sources typically are quicker to site and build, and can be cleaner and cheaper to operate, than new power plants.

A growing resource Virtual power plants aren’t new. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that there are already 30 to 60 gigawatts of them in operation today. A gigawatt is 1 billion watts – roughly the output of 2.5 million solar photovoltaic panels or one large nuclear reactor.

Virtual Power continued on page 82

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some vengeance within three years, if not sooner. Since these are locked-up accounts, you cannot do anything anyway and quite frankly there is no need to do anything; let your value ride with the market and you will be glad that you did not panic and sold things at the wrong time. This is somewhat akin to the price of your house which you own and where you live; when the markets are down there is not much one can do except go with the flow.

Now the new SECURE II law has taken the age limit to 73 (or 75 in 2033) for an RMD withdrawal and hence the 35/40-year period is extended even further. Depending on what you and your spouse’s risk tolerance is you can decide at what level of aggressiveness you can invest; but know that time is on your side. One thing for sure, all the withdrawn money, whenever that happens, from a nontaxable account will be taxed at your regular income tax rate, whatever it may be at the time. If you wait till 73 (or 75) to start taking the withdrawals (RMDs) then you must give serious consideration to IRMAA Medicare premium charges, which are substantial.

What is IRMAA? The Medicare income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA, is a surcharge on Medicare premiums

Allocation of Assets Taxable and Non-Taxable Personal Finances

by Mo Vidwans

One commonly asked question is what assets should be chosen to invest in two different categories, namely taxable and non-taxable groups. There are some limitations on nontaxable assets (IRAs, 401Ks, 403b etc.) as to what and where we can invest under that umbrella. Non-taxable assets cannot be invested in collectibles like art, automobiles and more, life insurance contracts and derivative trades, and there are other restrictions as well.

There is no such restriction on taxable accounts but some of those are still not recommended.

There are major differences between the two classes, and we need to recognize those first. As the title suggests, nontaxable assets are the ones for which you have not paid income taxes, either on the principal or on the earnings or both and you pay those taxes only when you withdraw from those accounts (except ROTH accounts).

Generally, per IRS’s rules today, you must wait till your age of 59.5 before you can withdraw from them without penalty, but you always have to pay income taxes whenever you withdraw. There are some exceptions, like you can withdraw from that account up to $10,000 if you are buying your first house and there are few other exceptions for penalty free withdrawal but still not tax free.

There is also a special provision where if you wish to retire at 55, you can start withdrawing at that age if you can continue to withdraw at a steady rate from that point onwards.

Investing in non-taxable should be a long-term or a very long-term strategy depending on your Buy stocks that you wish to age. If you are just starting your work keep for a long time. life, say in your early 20s, then you have at least 35 to 40 years in front of you where these funds will keep growing untouched and unimpeded. That is a very long-term perspective and that is exactly how these accounts should be treated. In most cases you cannot or do not wish to withdraw from these accounts and really, you would want them to grow at the highest rate possible; inside such accounts one can buy/sell, earn interests/dividends or anything else and it is not a concern to the owner.

The most common thought that is expressed by many is what if there is a recession and “my IRA value goes down?”

Yes, that is possible but if I go by the experience of the numerous previous recessions, they all come back with Saathee.com

for Medicare Part B (medical insurance) and Part D prescription drug plans. It applies only to Medicare beneficiaries who have a modified adjusted gross income above $97,000 for an individual return and $194,000 for a joint return. If your earnings are below this threshold, IRMAA doesn’t apply to you.

Taxable assets are a different story. Every year you earn interest/dividends or sell stocks and earn some capital gains or any which way you earn profits you will have to declare and pay income taxes on them when you file 1040 for that year; you must earn that profit by selling. So, this tells us two things right away. Buy stocks that you wish to keep for a long time and ideally you would want to buy stocks that grow well but do not pay dividends; such stocks are not that easy to find but they are there. Apple, Google and Amazon were all like that but after the first 15 years or so they fell prey to paying dividends.

Another important aspect to remember is that long-term capital gain taxes are capped at 20 percent (but generally 15 percent which is much less than regular income tax you Personal Finances continued on page 92 62

November 2023

News Notes Oncologist, Kamal Menghrajani, Among 15 Gifted White House Fellows

Aishwarya Majmudar Live in Charlotte Popular garba and raas singer Aishwara Majmudar performed in Charlotte on September 30, 2023. The show was presented by Friends of Charlotte. Nearly 4000 people attended with proceeds benefiting local non-profit organizations.

Cricket Returns to Olympics in Los Angeles 2028 Cricket was last played in the 1900 Olympics in Paris as a one-off match between Great Britain and France. The sport’s return to the Olympics was approved by the 141st IOC Session held in Mumbai on October 16, 2023.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: “Absolutely delighted that baseball, softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash will feature in @LA28. This is great news for sportspersons. As a cricket loving nation, we specially welcome inclusion of cricket, reflecting the rising global popularity of this wonderful sport…”

Cricket’s popularity has been growing in the United States.

The exact dates for the 2028 Summer Olympics have not been announced. Details: Olympics.com

Kamal Menghrajani, an Indian American Oncologist who was raised in Charlotte, was selected as one of the 15 highly talented and accomplished individuals for the 2023-2024 class of White House Fellows. Menghrajani, the only Indian American and oncologist selected this year, has been placed within the Office of Science and Technology Policy and specializes in treating patients with leukemia. Over the course of the year, she will collaborate with senior White House staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other officials in the administration. Established in 1964, the White House Fellows program provides outstanding young leaders with the opportunity to gain firsthand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.

World Hindu Congress 2023

AAHOA Donates to Hindu Center During Navaratri The Asian American Hotel Owners Association, NC region, donated $30,001 to the Hindu Center of Charlotte during Navaratri on October 20, 2023. AAHOA has supported the Center since 2009.

AAHOA represents nearly 20,000 hoteliers across the U.S. Nearly 60 percent of U.S. hotels are owned by AAHOA members.

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The World Hindu Congress will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from November 24 – 26, 2023 with the conference theme “Jayasya Aayatnam Dharmah”, meaning “Dharma, the Abode of Victory”.

Hindus are a 1.2 billion-strong community, comprising 16 percent of the world’s population with a presence in around 200 countries in the 21st Century. Across the world, Hindus have been leaders and catalysts in all spheres of human endeavor including business, economy, education, governance, media, technology, and culture. The World Hindu Congress (WHC) is a global platform and gathering of Dharmic leaders from around the world. These leaders – spread across nations, November 2023

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societies, and cultures – will come together to organize and combine its energies for global welfare.

The WHC enables all leaders, activists, thinkers, and influencers to come together and work towards a common vision. It provides Hindus a platform to connect, share ideas and inspire each other for the greater common good. The WHC has been a facilitator for the cultural, social, and material advancement of Hindus. The WHC is also a place where critical issues impacting Hindus worldwide are addressed. These include denial of human rights, discrimination, and physical and cultural assaults on the community.

Seven parallel thematic conferences (Economy, Education, Media, Political, Women, Youth, and Organizations) to articulate the community’s values, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit will constitute this WHC. The conferences will provide space to discuss and deliberate upon the opportunities and challenges facing Hindus across the world and how to address them. These conferences will also focus on areas of strategic importance to Hindus and provide avenues for collaboration among Hindu leaders, activists, and thinkers.

Some of the leaders attending include Mahant Yogi Adityanath, Mata Amritanandmayi Devi, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, and Swami Govinddev Giri Maharaj.

The conference is held every four years. For more details, visit: Worldhinducongress.org/events/whc-2023.

“Senior Dance” featuring the HSNC Seniors and the “Celebrity Dance” featuring area mayors and town council members (all non-Desi!). The headliner was Abby V and band with opening artist Shradha Ganesh.

Abby’s father and Shradha also joined in for a few duets with Abby later in the show. The performance featured many Bollywood classics, along with his original work and a few numbers featuring classical ragas.

The day culminated with Diwali Fireworks lighting up the sky. Hum Sub’s next signature event will be Basant Bahar on March 3, 2024 at the Cary Performing Arts center. More details at Humsub.org.

Army Doctor Helps Care for Unresponsive Child on Plane

Hum Sub Diwali 2023 Story and Photos by Divakar Shukla Hum Sub Diwali 2023 took place at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, NC on Saturday, October 14, 2023. The event began humbly in 2001 with several hundred people in attendance, to nearly 10,000 in attendance this year.

Many from the Triangle community participated in the nearly 20 performances throughout the rainy Saturday.

Fortunately, the skies cleared for the afternoon / evening sessions. Two huge crowd pleasing performances were the Saathee.com

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A Brooke Army Medical Center physician put his skills to the test on a flight back to San Antonio when a child on the plane became unresponsive.

Army Capt. (Dr.) Ronak Patel, neurologist, was returning home with his wife and baby, after visiting family in Maryland when an urgent call asking for a physician came over the intercom.

“I didn’t hear the announcement because I had my noise-cancelling headphones on, but my wife heard it and tapped me on the shoulder,” Patel said.

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The flight attendant came and said they already had someone to assist but a short time later she returned to ask Patel for his help.

“The other person who volunteered was a retired Air Force physician assistant who hadn’t practiced for more than 20 years,” the doctor said. “So, we worked together. He helped with finding the medical equipment that was available on the plane.”

The parents said the 4-year-old, who had a genetic disorder and several other medical issues, wasn’t responding when they tried to wake her. They checked her oxygen level, and it was only at about 40 percent. Her normal oxygen level is 90 percent or above.

“She was breathing very shallow, rapid breathes,” Patel said. “She had a tracheostomy tube from past surgeries, but the parents said she wasn’t currently oxygen dependent.”

They tried giving her oxygen and it helped a little, but not as much as they hoped it would.

“When we opened her trach, she gave a little cough and we could hear her congestion,” he said.

The parents told Patel that she had been sick a couple of days earlier and that she was on antibiotics.

“I asked if they had some type of suction device on the plane, but the parents said they had one and a nebulizer in their bags,” Patel said. “We were able to suck some mucus out through the trach tube and give her a nebulizer treatment. Then her oxygen level started to go up, but as soon as we would take the oxygen mask off it would start to drop again.”

Even though her oxygen level was back in the 90s, she still wasn’t waking up, so they collectively made the decision to divert the plane to Houston so the child could get additional medical treatment.

“As we made that decision, she slowly started wiggling around so I asked her mother to call her name and stimulate her by tapping her a little,” he said. “Then she did open her eyes and give a good cough. We tried to keep her awake until the plane landed, but she was in and out.”

As soon as the plane landed Emergency Medical Services came and took the child off the plane, so Patel doesn’t know the outcome.

“Am just happy I was there and able to assist,” he said.

“I hope that she was able to get the additional care she needed to recover.”

2020 Census demographic characteristics on 41 detailed Asian groups released show that the Nepalese population increased over 250 percent and was the fastest growing Asian alone and Asian alone or in any combination group among those with populations of 50,000 or more in 2010.

The Nepalese alone population increased 295.5 percent from 51,907 in 2010 to 205,297 in 2020. The Nepalese alone or in any combination population grew from 59,490 to 219,503, a 269.0 percent increase over the decade.

The race alone population includes respondents who reported one response. The race alone or in any combination population includes respondents who reported one response, such as Filipino, and it also includes respondents who reported more than one, such as Filipino and Asian Indian or Filipino and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. The race alone or in any combination population represents the maximum number of people who identified as that detailed group.

As the country becomes much more diverse and multiracial, this information is important to frame the discussion of racial and ethnic composition and help understand the country’s changing demographics.

The next largest Asian alone groups and their population change from 2010 to 2020: Chinese, except Taiwanese alone, 4,128,718 (up 31.6 percent).

Filipino alone, 3,076,108 (up 20.4 percent).

Vietnamese alone, 1,951,746 (up 26.0 percent).

Korean alone, 1,508,575 (up 6.0 percent).

Japanese alone, 741,544 (down 3.2 percent).

U.S. Mission to India Surpasses One Million Visas Processed in 2023 New Delhi – The U.S. Mission to India has reached and surpassed its goal to process one million nonimmigrant visa applications in 2023. The Mission has already surpassed the total number of cases processed in 2022 and is processing almost 20 percent more applications than in pre-pandemic 2019.

U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said, “Our partnership with India is one of the United States’ most important bilateral relationships, and in fact one of the most important relationships in the world. The ties between our people are stronger than ever, and we will continue our record-setting volume of visa work in the coming months to give as many Indian applicants as possible the opportunity to travel to the United States and experience the U.S.-India friendship firsthand.”

Last year over 1.2 million Indians visited the United States, making this one of the most robust travel relationships in the world. Indians now represent over 10 percent of all visa applicants worldwide, including 20 percent of all student visa applicants and 65 percent of all H&L-category (employment) visa applicants.

Recognizing the continued high demand for U.S. visas, the United States continues to invest heavily in operations in India. In the past year, the Mission has expanded its staffing to facilitate more visa processing than ever before.

Asian Indian Was the Largest Asian Alone Population Group in 2020 Nepalese Population Grew Fastest The Asian Indian alone population became the nation’s largest Asian alone population group in 2020, growing by over 50 percent to 4,397,737 between 2010 and 2020. The US Census Bureau reported in late September with updated numbers and latest data releases.

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The Mission has made significant capital improvements to existing facilities, such as the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, and has inaugurated a new Consulate building in Hyderabad.

The Mission has also implemented strategies to increase efficiency, extending interview waiver eligibility to new visa categories and utilizing remote work to allow staff around the world to contribute to Indian visa processing.

As noted in the Joint Statement issued by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden during the President’s recent visit to India, the United States and India share a “close and enduring” partnership.

Grand Opening of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey

Mayor John F. Higdon of Matthews, North Carolina presents key to the city to His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj

BAPS, a global spiritual and humanitarian organization, celebrated the grand opening of the Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey on October 8, 2023. Individuals from across the globe witnessed this historic celebration virtually, marking the unveiling of the largest Hindu mandir in the United States.

The mandir (temple) was constructed with Hindu art, architecture, and culture. It stands as a testament to the rich heritage and traditions of the Indian community. It serves as a bridge between the Asian Indian diaspora and the diverse American audience, inviting all to explore the spiritual and cultural treasures it holds walls.

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The grand dedication ceremony included dignitaries, community members and leaders, live performances and concluded as fireworks illuminated the night sky, symbolizing the spirit of celebration of all those in attendance. The mandir represents a fusion of tradition and modernity, where the echoes of ancient wisdom resonate harmoniously with the vibrant energy of the present.

In a world where birthday presents are typically received, the spiritual guru of BAPS, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, chose to give a gift to the world on his 90th birthday. This gift, the Swaminarayan Akshardham, is a symbol of unity, spirituality, and cultural appreciation, reflecting the shared values that bind people from diverse backgrounds. In his blessings, Mahant Swami Maharaj stated, “It was Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s divine wish to construct an Akshardham in North America, where people can come and visit, irrespective of race, creed or religion.”

In his address to the audience, U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland said, “This mandir is magnificent. We marvel at its immense size. We admire the craftsmanship behind the thousands of carved elephants, peacocks and other sculptures. But what I find most extraordinary is the community that built it.” Admiring the dedication of the volunteers and their selfless service, Congressman Hoyer continued, “They did it because they believe in the values this structure represents: equality, liberation, truth, harmony, and most importantly, service to others. The values enshrined here are not just Hindu values, they are human values.”

Over 12,500 volunteers helped build the temple.

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When You Think About Your Health, Don’t Forget Your Eyes

By Bernard J. Wolfson I vividly remember that late Friday afternoon when my eye pressure spiked, and I staggered on foot to my ophthalmologist’s office as the rapidly thickening fog in my field of vision shrouded passing cars and traffic lights.

The office was already closed, but the whole eye care team was there waiting for me. One of them pricked my eyeballs with a sharp instrument, allowing the ocular fluid that had built up to drain. That relieved the pressure and restored my vision.

But it was the fourth vision-impairing pressure spike in nine days, and they feared it would happen again — heading into a weekend. So off I went to the emergency room, where I spent the night hooked to an intravenous tube that delivered a powerful anti-swelling agent.

Later, when I told this story to friends and colleagues, some of them didn’t understand the importance of eye pressure, or even what it was. “I didn’t know they could measure blood pressure in your eyes,” one of them told me.

Most people consider their vision to be vitally important, yet many lack an understanding of some of the most serious eye diseases. A 2016 study published in JAMA Ophthalmology, based on an online national poll, showed that nearly half of respondents feared losing their eyesight more than their memory, speech, hearing, or limbs. Yet many “were unaware of important eye diseases,” it found.

A study released in July, conducted by Wakefield Research for the nonprofit Prevent Blindness and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, showed that one-quarter of adults deemed at risk for diseases of the retina, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, had delayed seeking care for vision problems.

“There is significantly less of an emphasis placed on eye health than there is on general health,” says Rohit Varma, founding director of the Southern California Eye Institute at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

Because eye diseases can be painless and progress slowly, Varma says, “people get used to it, and as they age, they begin to feel, ‘Oh, this is a normal part of aging and it’s OK.’” If people felt severe pain, he says, they would go get care.

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For many people, though, it’s not easy to get an eye exam or eye treatment. Millions are uninsured, others can’t afford their share of the cost, and many live in communities where eye doctors are scarce.

“Just because people know they need the care doesn’t necessarily mean they can afford it or that they have the access to it,” says Jeff Todd, CEO and president of Prevent Blindness.

Another challenge, reflecting the divide between eye care and general health care, is that medical insurance, except for children, often covers only eye care aimed at diagnosing or treating diseases. More health plans are covering routine eye exams these days, but that generally does not include the type of test used to determine eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions — or the cost of the lenses. You may need separate vision insurance for that. Ask your health plan what’s covered.

Since being diagnosed with glaucoma 15 years ago, I’ve had more pressure checks, eye exams, eyedrops, and laser surgeries than I can remember. I should know not to take my eyesight for granted. And yet, when my peepers were filling with that vision-threatening fog last March, I felt oddly sanguine.

It turned out that those serial pressure spikes were triggered by an adverse reaction to steroid-based eyedrops prescribed to me following cataract surgery.

My ophthalmologist told me later that I had come “within hours” of losing my eyesight.

I hope my brush with blindness can help inspire people to be more conscious of their eyes.

Eyes continued on page 84

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by Taige Shukla Instagram: @whatsthe_chai

Pumpkin Kheer

Hi Saathee fam! It is once again one of my favorite times of the year, a time full of family gatherings and lots of delicious food. This month we wanted to add a fun Fall twist to a Diwali classic- kheer, which is a popular South Asian dessert, very similar to rice pudding. While it’s typically made with a rice base, to add a bit of “fall flare” we decided to sub shredded pumpkin in as the base, and it did not disappoint! The shredded pumpkin is a very similar texture to the rice and if you decide to add in the extra spices, it takes on one of the best flavors of fall pumpkin spice! Personally, I believe Fall holidays such as Diwali and Thanksgiving are incomplete without that touch of pumpkin, so now here’s another super simple, pumpkin- filled dessert we can add to our tables this year! Happy Diwali and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ingredients 4 cups whole milk 2 cups pumpkin (shredded)

Servings: About 3-4

Directions

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Start by prepping the shredded pumpkin. Cut a medium pumpkin into 5-6 pieces, peel, and shred until you have about 2 cups full. Sauté with butter or ghee, on medium-high heat for 4- 5 mins until tender, be careful not to burn the pumpkin. Optional: If you are a fan of a Pumpkin Spice flavor like I am, add in a dash of each “Optional Spice” to the sautéed pumpkin. Set the prepped pumpkin aside.

2 tbsp butter or ghee 5-6 tbsp sugar ½ cardamom powder Pinch of saffron Optional spices: All Spice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg

Saathee.com

Next, in a pot on medium heat, bring the milk to a boil then let simmer for about 8 mins. Be sure to stir every 1-2 mins to ensure the milk does not burn or stick to the bottom. Add in the cooked pumpkin and saffron, continue to let simmer for 4-5 more minutes.

Stir in 5-6 tbsp of sugar and let simmer for another 4-5 mins, continue to stir the mixture from time to time. Finally, stir in the cardamom. The kheer is done once the consistency has become slightly thicker. Serve warm or cold and top with nuts. Here I added roasted pumpkin seeds.

Enjoy!

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precedent makes clear that Congress has “plenary” (or absolute) authority to create and change laws pertaining to foreign nationals. Common public misperception is that the President can single-handedly fix the immigration system without Congressional input and while years of presidential actions regarding immigration, including the creation of DACA, granting of parole to Central and South American residents and recognition of countries for Temporary Protected Status (i.e. Ukraine, Haiti, etc.), but wholesale changes to the nation’s immigration laws require agreement between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, not just action by the occupant of the White House.

Nevertheless, with his overall approval numbers stuck in the low 40s and voters almost uniformly uninspired by his reelection bid, Biden can hardly afford to lose what should otherwise be solid support. This can only mean paying attention to portions of the immigration system that he can genuinely control. Although election season tends to focus a politician’s mind like no other time, the needs of the country demand leadership from both sides of the aisle that is less interested in just talking about a problem and more invested in actual problem-solving.

Immigration

continued from page 50

dismayed by a potential Biden-Trump rematch. While Trump’s legal troubles and overall baggage make him an inherently limited candidate, Biden’s inability to project leadership on the vexing border issue is an undoubted weakness that has begun to eat into his fundamental support among Democrats.

The problems of the southern border have too often been portrayed as distant and abstract issues that only affect the local communities of southern states; while the bussing of migrants by border state governors has been roundly criticized as abhorrent and repugnant to American values, it has brought the dysfunctional border situation to Democratic-leaning doorsteps. While most migrants only remain in border communities for a limited time (studies show that many migrants often settle in larger urban areas anyways), the overwhelming of local services in urban areas has jolted the public consciousness and has created a tension between the desire to assist migrants fleeing poverty and violence and a local community’s ability to absorb waves of individuals.

While Biden hardly controls the specific drivers of migration in the Western Hemisphere, he has shown little appetite to deal with the issue head-on. Little political capital has been spent on seeking genuine immigration reform and the lengthy delays that have mired the issuance of decisions on work permits, green cards and other immigration benefits hardly connotes a sense of competence. Moreover, messaging from the White House remains muddled and incoherent. This may be intentional, as the administration likely has no good options on stemming the flow of migrants globally (while Central and South America remain the largest source of migrants, Africa and India have also shown spikes of new arrivals), but his lack of any coherent vision leaves him looking aloof.

The acuteness of the problem when displayed visually is hard to ignore. According to the Syracuse University’s TRAC system, an immigration data and records collection system, the Biden Administration is facing a crush of people coming to the US border. Recent data, which shows the total number of Notices to Appear or NTAs issued to newly arriving migrants at the US border, makes clear that the problem of illegal migration has exploded under Biden’s watch (note: an NTA is a document notifying an immigrant as to why they are subject to removal proceedings before the nation’s immigration courts).

The spike in total NTAs issued reflects the spike in individuals seeking entry into the United States, which is reflected in the Immigration Courts ongoing backlog.

Sadly, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not released a year-end report since 2019 regarding removal operations, so no actual data can be matched to see what actual enforcement actions the Administration is undertaking. This lack of transparency reinforces the perception that border security is not a policy priority.

While the Biden Administration is charged with the enforcement of current immigration laws, the reform and changing of current laws lands squarely in the lap of members of Congress. A long-standing Supreme Court Saathee.com

Rishi P Oza is Partner at Brown Immigration Law, a firm that focuses solely on immigration law; he practices in Durham. roza@rbrownllc.com

Editor’s Desk

continued from page 14

districts around the country and concentrate on the House of Representatives. If they can get substantial number through the turnstiles, they can make a difference and force the Democrats and Republicans to work with them. You gotta have the numbers.

If you want to affect change, forget about third political parties making any difference in American political systems for the next few years, maybe decades. Work instead to make one of the two parties that fits your ideology closest into a better party. This is how the left and right wingers are trying to make sharp turns with the two parties, by getting just the right amount of folks in their caucuses to bend the way the bills are brought to the floor. But they are spoilers, not achievers.

Lasting change always happens with cooperation and compromise, which requires the right quantity of participants in any governmental battlefield. There is safety in numbers, but in politics, there is power in numbers. The better solution than trying to get a substantial third party off the ground is to work to eject the extreme ends of whichever party fits your bill first and then veer the party toward the foundational center. This is where the country’s work gets done and we move forward.

Third political party fantasies are just that, fantasies.

Samir Shukla is the Editor of Saathee Magazine Contact: Samir@Saathee.com Twitter: @ShuklaWrites Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com 80

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November 2023

Virtual Power

continued from page 58

Most of these virtual power plants are industrial customers that have agreed to reduce demand when conditions are tight. But as growing numbers of homes and small businesses add rooftop solar panels, batteries and electric cars, these energy customers can become not only consumers but also suppliers of power to the grid.

For example, homeowners can charge up their batteries with rooftop solar when it’s sunny, and discharge power back to the grid in the evening when demand is high and prices sometimes spike.

As smart thermostats and water heaters, rooftop solar panels and batteries enable more customers to participate in them, DOE estimates that virtual power plants could triple in scale by 2030. That could cover roughly half of the new capacity that the U.S. will need to cover growing demand and replace retiring older power plants. This growth would help to limit the cost of building new wind and solar farms and gas plants.

And because virtual power plants are located where electricity is consumed, they’ll ease the burden on aging transmission systems that have struggled to add new lines.

50,000 homes with solar and batteries to build that country’s largest virtual power plant.

Virtual power, real challenges Virtual power plants aren’t a panacea. Many customers are reluctant to give up even temporary control of their thermostats or have a delay when charging their electric car.

Some consumers are also concerned about the security and privacy of smart meters. It remains to be seen how many customers will sign up for these emerging programs and how effectively their operators will modulate supply and demand.

There also are challenges at the business end. It’s a lot harder to manage millions of consumers than dozens of power plants. Virtual power plant operators can overcome that challenge by rewarding customers for allowing them to flex their supply and demand in a coordinated fashion.

As electricity demand rises to meet the needs of growing economies and replace fossil fuel-burning cars and furnaces, and reliance on renewable resources increases, grid managers will need all the flexibility they can get to balance the variable output of wind and solar generation. Virtual power plants could help reshape electric power into an industry that’s more nimble, efficient and responsive to changing conditions and customers’ needs.

New roles for power customers Virtual power plants scramble the roles of electricity producers and consumers. Traditional power plants generate electricity at central locations and transmit it along power lines to consumers. For the grid to function, supply and demand must be precisely balanced at all times.

Customer demand is typically assumed to be a given that fluctuates with the weather but follows a predictable pattern over the course of a day.

In order to satisfy it, grid operators dispatch a mix of baseload sources that operate continuously, such as coal and nuclear plants, and more flexible sources such as gas and hydropower that can modulate their output quickly as needed.

Output from wind and solar farms rises and falls during the day, so other sources must operate more flexibly to keep supply and demand balanced. Still, the basic idea is that massive facilities produce power for millions of passive consumers.

Virtual power plants upend this model by embracing the fact that consumers can control their electricity demand.

Industrial consumers have long found ways to flex their operations, limiting demand when power supplies are tight in return for incentives or discounted rates.

Now, thermostats and water heaters that communicate with the grid can let households modulate their demand too.

For example, smart electric water heaters can heat water mostly when power is abundant and cheap, and limit demand when power is scarce.

In Vermont, Green Mountain Power is offering its customers incentives to install batteries that will provide power back to the grid when it’s needed most. In Texas, where I live, deadly blackouts in 2021 highlighted the importance of bolstering our isolated power grid. Now, utilities here are using Tesla Powerwalls to help turn homes into virtual power sources. South Australia aims to connect Saathee.com

Article courtesy of theconversation.com Daniel Cohan is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University

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And don’t forget children. Multiple eye conditions can affect kids. Refractive errors, treatable with corrective lenses, can cause impairment later in life if they are not addressed early enough.

Healthful lifestyle choices also benefit your eyes.

“Anything that helps your general health helps your vision,” says Andrew Iwach, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and executive director of the Glaucoma Center of San Francisco.

Minimize stress, get regular exercise, and eat a healthy diet. Also, quit smoking. It increases the risk of major eye diseases.

And consider adopting habits that protect your eyes from injury: Wear sunglasses when you go outside, take regular breaks from your computer screen and cellphone, and wear goggles when working around the house or playing sports.

The Prevent Blindness website offers information on virtually everything related to eye health, including insurance. Other good sources include the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s “EyeSmart” site and the National Eye Institute.

So read up and share what you’ve learned.

“When you get together for the holidays,” says Iwach, “if you aren’t sure what to talk about, talk about your eyes.”

Eyes

continued from page 72

Eyeglasses or contact lenses can make a huge difference in one’s quality of life by correcting refractive errors, which affect 150 million Americans.

But don’t ignore the risk of far more serious eye conditions that can sneak up on you. They are often manageable if caught early enough.

Glaucoma, which affects about 3 million people in the U.S., attacks peripheral vision first and can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve. It runs in families and is five times as prevalent among African Americans as in the general population.

Nearly 10 million in this country have diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes in which blood vessels in the retina are damaged. And some 20 million people age 40 and up have macular degeneration, a disease of the retina associated with aging that diminishes central vision over time.

The formation of cataracts, which cause cloudiness in the eye’s natural lens, is very common as people age: Half of people 75 and older have them. Cataracts can cause blindness, but they are eminently treatable with surgery.

If you are over 40 and haven’t had a comprehensive eye exam in a while, or ever, put that on your to-do list. Get an exam at a younger age if you have diabetes, a family history of glaucoma, or if you are African American or part of another ethnic group at high risk for certain eye diseases.

Article courtesy of the Kaiser Health News For more details, visit Kffhealthnews.org.

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Watch the Video Here: World’s Most Dangerous Railway Tracks

Go Straight to Our Film Guide Here: Streaming and theatrical releases are listed and updated regularly.

Nutrition for Life: Informative article on how to use nutrition to benefit your brain health.

Go to our Recipes Page Here: Lots of delicious recipes found in Saathee are gathered here.

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A Teenage Story

Thinking about Thinking

continued from page 54

continued from page 52

And, arguably, we have not been careful, over centuries, over generations; we have gotten into some very bad habits that have taken us to parallel universes.

We get words thrown at us from every side. From books.

From newspapers. From talking heads on TV’s. We are taught words, right from the cradle, perhaps even from before that moment of grand arrival. We are trained to play with words, formally at schools and informally everywhere else. We are taught to use these to influence, to use them as a means to achieve what we believe we need to achieve. As we grow up, words become our core currency. Along with their strong and silent cousins, numbers, that are as symbolbased as words are, but pack a gravitas that might belie their ability to deceive and distort as much as the words do.

During the day he worked as an engineer building circuits for airplanes. At night, he worked as a dreamer, the darkness lit up by the sparkle in his eyes and the warmth of the moon.

What he had to keep him going was intangible. He didn’t have employees or money, but he had the passion to help his community as his great-grandfather, a physician, did in India.

This passion paid off in 1996 when he launched his first product in the US, the carbon steel blade. He had the right skill set and right product lines to become a viable business and work as an entrepreneur full-time. During the pandemic, when the whole world shut down, companies tried to take advantage by inflating the PPE costs. I am proud to say that my dad gave away free masks to WakeMed because he knew that it was important to support the community.

My dad has given me the tools in life that I need to succeed, whether he is aware of it or not. I see him forming personal connections with overseas suppliers whenever he is on Zoom calls. His frequent chuckles and quips echoing from his office make me beam, as I am reminded that he has that magical charisma that can make any stone-faced businessman smile.

Even in a serious work or school setting, connections can be formed. By watching him make people’s day with a simple, yet genuine smile, I learned that forming relationships is important.

To quote my dad, “People like to relate to a business, it can’t be just transactional”.

He recounts stories of him toiling away and incessantly working in his 30’s whenever I am feeling doubtful of myself. When he sits me down at the kitchen table for these pep talks, I see the sparkle in his eyes that I imagine he had during those wearisome nights in his garage. Whenever he speaks, his words are filled with a sweet sensitivity, yet a motivating, “I believe in you”.

I am my father’s daughter so I too can find that perseverance that makes me crave to accomplish my goals more than I crave sleep. Dad, I hope you know that I love you to the moon.

You are the wind in my sail that keeps me steering towards where I want to go and the lighthouse giving me direction. You are my Tambourine Man and as Bob Dylan sang, “In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come following you”.

Happy 60th birthday and happy 30th anniversary of MYCO Medical.

My dad is a caring, sensitive soul. While I was growing up, I remember him dropping me off to summer camps. On the drive there, we sang “Mr. Tambourine Man” while stuffing our mouths with blueberry muffins on the way.

Even while dropping me off to swim practice at 5am, he was up and lively, blasting rock and roll music in our vibrant blue jeep.

A word in the hand, or a bird out of hand?

Let’s go back to the hyper-parrot. This brings a whole new dimension to our fascination with wordsmanship. AI is the name of this hyper-parrot. It learns to do the same kind of wordplay that we have been trained to do, except at an unimaginable scale. There is a new species of this genus of AI in town, something that we call “generative AI” that is really the hyper-parrot we are talking about here. It is aptly named because it generates. At scale. And it trains and trains and trains, listening to every man or woman or child, dead or alive. Also, at scale. It stands on a platform of shiny silicon that constantly feeds it with anything and everything that has been said before. And when we hear this bird, it sounds just like us. And we are still as intoxicated with the words as we have always been. And it can be worse than before because it will be right on many simple things, allowing it to gain our implicit trust. But it will often be wrong, even more wrong than us, on the really important things in life. Because it will homogenize the complex swirl of life into simple “truths” that are anything but. While we gullibly swallow these utterances hook, line and sinker. As a modern-day parodying Tennyson might say in The Charge of the Lied Brigade: “Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to eat the lie.”

This bird has flown. We cannot put the Gen AI back in the bottle. But …

Parrots can never be human There is an optimistic view. If AI takes over many of the things that we have extolled as coming out of innate human intelligence, maybe we will start to realize that our human intelligence was not all that it was hyped up to be. We were always copycats, but the new copycat in town is way faster and better at copying and parroting than we can ever hope to be. So, as we have done in the past in other revolutions, we will introspect, dig deeper inside ourselves, and unearth hidden treasures from our depths that can help us boldly go where no silicon has gone before.

Balaji Prasad

is an IIT/IIM graduate, a published author, SAT/ACT Online Sereena Kumar and in-person Coach, and K-12 Math Tutor at is a junior at Enloe High School and has a passion for NewCranium. balaji.prasad@newcranium.com. writing. Contact: slkumar@mycomedical.com Saathee.com

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2024 Electi ns

Your Guide to all the Upcoming Dates and News

Upcoming Dates:

What’s New in North Carolina 2023

General Election: November 7, 2023

All voters will be asked to show a photo ID. This means that voters should bring an acceptable form of photo ID with them to their voting site. Voters who vote by mail should include a photocopy of an acceptable ID when they return their ballot.

Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but many other types of IDs will be accepted. The list of acceptable IDs is available on the State Board of Elections’ Voter ID webpage, NCSBE.gov/voterID. And any voter who does not have an acceptable form of ID can still get one, at no cost, from their county board of elections between now and the end of the early voting period, November 4.

Any registered voter can go to their county elections office, provide their name, date of birth, and last four digits of their Social Security number, and have their photo taken.

Voters who do not have an ID should not let this deter them from casting their ballot. They can still vote a provisional ballot and fill out an ID Exception Form as to why they were unable to show an ID. As an alternative, if a voter has an ID but forgets to bring it to their voting site, they can vote and then return to the county board office after Election Day and before the county canvas and show an ID to have their ballot counted. The county canvas occurs 10 days after Election Day, so a voter returning with their ID has until the ninth day after election day to bring in their ID. Comprehensive information about the photo ID requirement is available at NCSBE.gov/voterID.

Presidential Primary Election Dates 2024: January 15, 2024: Iowa Republican caucuses February 3, 2024: South Carolina Democratic presidential primary February 6, 2024: Nevada Democratic presidential primary February 13, 2024: New Hampshire Republican presidential primary February 24, 2024: South Carolina Republican presidential primary March 5, 2025: Super Tuesday (includes NC, TN, VA) May 21, 2024: Georgia presidential primary National Conventions: May 24 - 26, 2024: Libertarian National Convention (Washington D.C.) July 15 - 18, 2024: Republican National Convention (Milwaukee) August 19 - 22, 2024: Democratic National Convention (Chicago)

State Election Board Websites: North Carolina: Ncsbe.gov South Carolina: Scvotes.gov Georgia: Sos.ga.gov/state-election-board Virginia: Elections.virginia.gov

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New Research Helps Explain Why Indian Girls Appear to be Less Engaged in Politics Than Indian Boys Finally, we analyzed over 430 open-ended responses to explore how participants explained gender disparities in Indian politics. In these responses, we noticed a pattern: Boys tended to attribute gender disparities in politics to individual women’s choices. “Women don’t take the initiative to stand as a candidate,” one 18-yearold boy explained. Meanwhile, girl respondents tended to emphasize structural forces at play. “It is a common mindset that women should work at home even today,” a 17-year-old girl wrote. “It’s clearly seen even in my family despite their modern mindset.”

By Sara Wilf The big idea Girls in India report being less interested and engaged in politics than boys and cite fewer opportunities to participate in politics, we found in a recent survey of youth across India.

Further, although political interest and engagement was higher for older boys (ages 18-22) than younger boys (ages 14-17), girls’ political interest and engagement stagnated across age groups.

I study young people’s political development, and in the fall of 2022, I collaborated on a study with Indian nonprofit Kuviraa. I am on the advisory board at Kuviraa, which aims to increase girls’ engagement in politics. We used an Instagram ad to survey over 600 youth ages 14-22 who lived in nearly 30 cities across India.

We found that just over half (51 percent) of boys considered themselves politically engaged compared with less than a third (29 percent) of girls. We also measured the survey participants’ level of political engagement based on five behaviors, including sharing political posts online, attending rallies and contacting government officials. We found that boys and girls aged 17 and under had similar levels of political engagement.

However, boys’ engagement became much higher than girls once they were 18 and older.

Further, boys had lower awareness than girls of the structural barriers women face in Indian politics. For example, 74 percent of the girls surveyed agreed that “it is more difficult in our society for women to become elected officials” compared with 54 percent of the boys.

We found that girls’ awareness was higher with age, whereas boys followed the opposite trajectory, with lower awareness in the older age group.

We also explored possible predictors of youths’ political engagement such as public speaking skills or having a sense that they can affect politics. We found that the two significant factors that shaped youths’ political engagement were having parents who discuss politics with their children and parents who encourage their children to engage in politics. The effect was less for girls but still significant.

Saathee.com

Why it Matters Women’s political representation is important to democracy and societal progress. Studies of India’s local councils have shown that having more women political leaders leads to more policies catered to women. More women representatives also improve child health and education indicators and can lead to more lasting peace negotiations.

With India’s general elections coming up in 2024, a conversation about the importance of increasing women’s political representation is particularly timely.

India’s Parliament recently passed one of the most progressive bills in any democracy to reserve a third of seats for women. Currently, Indian women vote in high numbers but make up just 14 percent of Parliament.

What’s Next Our findings suggest that parents simply talking to their children about politics, and encouraging them to engage, can have substantial effects on girls’ political interest and engagement. Yet more resources are needed to teach parents how to have these conversations, particularly with younger children.

It is also critical that boys understand the structural causes of gender inequities in Indian politics. That way they can be enlisted as allies in overcoming obstacles to women’s political engagement.

Article courtesy of theconversation.com Sara Wilf is a Ph.D. Candidate in Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles

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November 2023

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November 2023

and quicker to copy the moves from a movie, learn it using videos, and do a quick performance. When I speak with classical dance teachers or musicians, many of them share similar stories and some of them, to survive, have included movie dances in their teaching as their repertoire.

At the hands of Martha Graham and Uday Shankar, the artistic maturity of East and West learning successfully from each other is self-evident.

There is undoubtedly going to be a continuing, perhaps increasing, fascination with the possibilities of “East-West fusion”; experiments in dance have been taking place, and in dramatic theatre pieces. Some East-West experiments have drawn upon the traditional Indian concept of theatre, resulting in plays in which the spoken word, dance movement, music and visual representation are integrated.

I do understand that many shows have become mere entertainment or novelty.

Then on the other side, I have so many parents and grandparents coming up to me, thanking me for teaching pure dance styles, performing them, and sharing them with the broader community. They talk about the difference it made in their children’s lives, personality, self-confidence, and personal growth. Some parents say they cannot believe the transformation of their children as it seems like a miracle.

For the first time in a while, most of my graduated students not only continue to dance on their college teams, but they also want to participate in Dances of India production coming up next year on April 6, 2024.

Despite their busy college schedules and personal lives, students are carving out time and are excited to perform classical dances while maintaining their lifetime friendships through dance.

This participation and learning brings immense joy to their parents and families.

They are the generation who found perfect balance between American culture and Indian culture. They are not ashamed to speak the language, learn classical dances, and dress up in traditional clothes. I spoke to their families in India who are blown away by the talent, knowledge and respect this generation has for classical dances. Parents are in tears when they see their kids in these beautiful traditional dance costumes looking divine as they are used to seeing them in shorts and T-shirts.

I attribute this transformation to the grandparents and parents who wanted these young kids to try and learn the classical dances. That little nudge has created an amazing generation of successful and accomplished individuals who found a perfect balance between modernity and classical dances.

This movement must continue to enlarge our spheres of understanding and aesthetic experience, moving us toward a greater maturity and appreciation of the plurality.

A special Thank you from me to Parents and Grand Parents!

Personal Finances

continued from page 62

might pay) and there are no capital gain taxes for married filing jointly if their taxable income is below $89,250 for year 2023. If the person can wait till the assets are transferred upon his/her death, then the cost basis is updated to the market value on that day and there are no capital gain taxes if the inheritor sells immediately after.

After reading how taxation happens in the cases of nontaxable and taxable accounts you know, by now, what policy you wish to follow. I would think that the goal must be to minimize the income taxes in both cases. I will say this that if your income is reasonably high in retirement or will be high at the time of retirement say at 65, then you must take into consideration the IRMAA impact on your Medicare premiums. Everyone who is close to age 60 and dreaming of comfortable retirement needs to do some advance planning and determine if there is a way to undermine IRMAA impact.

That thought takes us back to the split of our assets between taxable and non-taxable. The goal should be to reduce adjusted gross income, which is what IRMAA looks at. For non-taxable there is a withdrawal procedure but for taxable there is none. Careful planning of both assets is almost a must.

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

Dances of India

continued from page 40

performed by male ensembles transitioned into solo performances to survive. Now those solo artists came back in a circle to create beautiful dance dramas and became the cultural ambassadors.

I like what was written by someone about Indian culture.

“Indian culture is the heritage of social norms and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India.

The term also applies beyond India to countries and cultures whose histories are strongly connected to India by immigration, colonisation, or influence, particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia. India’s languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country.”

I see it as Indians always had a blend of many cultures.

People are creative and not afraid to try new things. At the same time, they are also passionate about learning about their history and traditions.

Indian culture, often labelled as a combination of several cultures, has been influenced by a history that is several millennia old, beginning with the Indus Valley civilization and other early cultural areas.

Dr. Maha Gingrich In many instances attempts are always made to depart from the universal Indian themes derived from the epics and For questions or comments, contact via email at puranas, and to adapt modern movie material. It is easier GingrichMaha@gmail.com

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“organic.” While these words may describe the original ingredients, they don’t refer to the process of how the food was made. Remember, an organic, natural cookie is still an ultra-processed food!

Nutrition

continued from page 42

typically used in home cooking, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colors and flavors.

They are made mostly from substances extracted from foods, such as fats, starches, added sugars, and hydrogenated fats. They may also contain fillers and stabilizers. These foods generally have a long shelf life. In short, if you pick up an item, look at the list of ingredients, and it’s a long paragraph or seems like you are reading a chemistry textbook, put it away!

We are what we eat, so be careful of what you put into your body!

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

Raajeev

Why are ultra-processed foods bad for physical health?

continued from page 44

• They contain higher levels of trans fats, saturated fats, added sugars, or excess sodium.

frugality as someone who didn’t want to buy expensive costumes for my kids. I tell the audience that I let my kids make their own costumes. I got them some white sheets and let them decide. The oldest became Mother Teresa, the middle became Casper. The youngest was left with the pillowcase was going as Gandhi.

Some of my jokes also revolve around the entertainment industry. I was fortunate to be cast as Mr. Bored, a boring schoolteacher in Nickelodeon’s 100 Things to Do Before Highschool. I let the MC at comedy clubs introduce me with that television credit. Then I explained to the audience that for the audition, I had to speak in a low monotone voice. I nailed the audition without taking any acting classes at that time because I had been married for a long time, so speaking in a low monotone voice came naturally! At the wrap-up party of season 1, I introduced my family to the cast and crew. “This is Mrs. Bored. Here are my two sons, Fatigued and Disinterested. We left our third son, Energetic at home. He didn’t fit the character.”

Actually, a few years after the Nickelodeon show, my wife and I took acting classes. We were very much into it.

She liked method acting. She was playing the role of an angry wife. The other actors won’t leave their character until the show is over. My wife won’t leave character until the marriage is over. For scene rehearsals, I gave her the script of Gone with the Wind only so that I could say the line, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!” In this joke, my wife is the target victim. When I perform, I make sure I don’t have too many jokes about her, and the jokes are based on our marriage. She does make fun of me for being cheap and absent-minded, which is fine.

When we post short clips on Instagram (@raajeevcomedy and @IndianComedyCouple) and on our Youtube channel (youtube.com/c/raajeevcomedy), our goal is that much of the time, my wife has the upper hand or gets the last laugh. In a politically correct and emotionally charged environment, comics must be extra careful choosing the victim or the target of jokes. The safest choice in choosing your joke victim is yourself, and then your family.

So far, I have not heard any complaints so we must be doing something right!

• The processing makes a difference in how we digest and absorb the nutrients. Ultra processed foods have been shown to affect gut health.

• Research shows links between ultra processed foods and increased risk of weight gain and heart disease. High consumption of ultra-processed foods has been linked to health concerns ranging from increased risk of obesity, hypertension, breast, and colorectal cancer to dying prematurely from all causes.

Ultra processed foods and Mental Health One of the most fascinating areas of research is food and mental health! Research is showing that these ultra processed foods have chemicals that can be highly addictive.

Some studies show that the brain responds to these chemicals in the same way as any drug, alcohol, or opioid addiction! Once you start eating these foods, you become so addicted to them that it is hard to stop.

This is perhaps one of the main reasons to limit giving these packaged foods to young children.

How can you cut back on ultra-processed foods?

• Be mindful when shopping for groceries – learn to read the list of ingredients. The shorter the better! For example, the ingredients label on a jar of peanut butter should be peanuts. That’s it!

• Cook more at home – restaurant foods, and especially fast foods tend to have many extra additives. Search for the ingredients in a typical fast-food meal, and you will know how processed it is.

• Move snacks from the pantry to the refrigerator! Shelf stable packaged snacks tend to be more processed and full of additives. Consider fresh fruits and vegetables as a snack. Add healthy dips to make the snacks more appealing.

• Consider the source - think about where your food comes from. If you have trouble figuring out where a food originated because it has been so highly manipulated, it is an ultra-processed food.

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

• Beware of marketing gimmicks - Ultra-processed foods are often marketed as “healthy,” “natural” and Saathee.com

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November 2023

Namaskar

continued from page 28

Predictably, my mother claimed that this was a result of poor eating habits. Mothers will be mothers, I thought to myself, but scientists are drawing the same conclusions.

“You are what you eat”, “Nourish your body and you nourish your soul”, these quotes from family elders that seemed to fade in the background when we were little are replaying in Dolby stereo today.

Nevertheless, I refuse to believe that it is all gloom and doom. The excitement of Diwali and allure of mouthwatering delicacies has put me in an optimistic mood.

It has also diverted my attention to things we have been doing right. For over a decade, we have been growing vegetables in the backyard during summers. The fruits of our labor have brought us many joys.

It started with my husband’s fondness for gardening that was nurtured by his grandfather. At first, we tried our hand at the easy ones like tomatoes and cucumber and its success emboldened us to experiment with plants that demand more attention.

Since my husband is the one with the green thumb, the rest of the family members follow his lead. When our kids were younger, their contribution was plucking strawberries, playing in the dirt, and collecting fond memories. Over the years, my favorite part has been trying new recipes with the week’s harvest that seems to vary from a bumper crop of karela (bitter melon) to an extra-large lauki (a kind of gourd).

This usually makes cooking less boring, but it also means ending up with a ton of organic waste like leaves, peels, bug eaten, overripe fruit that was not harvested on time.

Eventually we added a large compost bin that continues to turn the waste into nutrition for future plants and we’ve grown more appreciative of that humungous green box despite its lack of aesthetic appeal. For five months out of twelve, we consume fresh produce, reduce trips to the grocery store, and have fewer plastic bags or packaging materials to dispose.

Most days slow food wins over fast food although the convenience of drive-through pick-ups has been a lifesaver on many occasions.

It would be nice if the bulk of food we cook could be grown easily or if we could barter goods like our forefathers did while still holding on to our day jobs. Rumors of a modern version of this idea was churning a few years ago but the crash of the housing market in 2008 probably buried those plans. In my current wave of positivity, I feel that all is not lost, and a residential neighborhood designed to have large kitchen and flower gardens as well as a community market would be a great concept especially for a retirement community. I can picture active seniors engaging in light gardening to grow flowers and food, hanging out with neighbors who share similar interests and adopting a primarily plant-based diet. Inspired by Dan Buettner’s research on longevity, this simple lifestyle could be an attractive option as we age.

The current obsession with continuously seeking pleasures is leading to greater sadness, proving that abundance and technology are not the boons they appear to be. Perhaps, humble pursuits with less materialistic and Saathee.com

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more nourishing results will be beneficial to all age groups.

Home builders could potentially create site plans that will allow more space for gardening and lesser patches of grass.

Once buyers demonstrate a desire for such homes, more sellers are likely to provide those outdoor designs. In fact, regardless of the type of dwelling, residents should have innovative options to engage in gardening with the added benefit of helping the environment. It is my sincere belief that we will begin to make that shift soon.

So, on this Diwali, I hope that I have sown the seeds of gardening in your mind and pray that Goddess Annapurna brings you and your loved ones good health and nourishment. Shubh Deepavali!

Shyama Parui is a long time North Carolina resident and an ardent writer.

You can reach her at: shyamashree_parui@hotmail.com

Eye on Markets

continued from page 46

risk/reward is not favorable for a significant bet. The dollar has continued to rally, which is another headwind. Given the challenges elsewhere, there is no alternative to high quality US companies for global equity investors.

It is not a wholesale opportunity in US markets.

Dispersion within equities has made a comeback, with the market picking winners and losers within sectors. Take healthcare for instance, we have seen a massive bifurcation between the companies focused on obesity and everyone else. The obesity related names are up 50 percent for the year, while the broader healthcare index is down. In semis we have seen a similar bifurcation between AI related names and everyone else. In banks it has essentially been JP Morgan versus everyone else. In streaming, it has been Netflix dominating. Caterpillar has diverged from Deere.

Walmart has outperformed Target by nearly 50 percent over the last year. FedEx has outperformed UPS by approximately 80 percent in the last year.

Across most industries you can find significant dispersion. When there is more dispersion, positions in broad-based ETFs often net each other out, resulting in disappointing performance. This can be seen in the performance of the equal weight S&P and the Russell 2000, which are essentially flat on the year. The market cap weighted S&P has been held up by large cap tech. As rates remain higher for longer and quantitative tightening continues to drain liquidity, money flows to the best.

Investing, in both private and public markets, requires more selectivity than it did when money was free. For more than a decade it has not paid to be a stock picker, we may now be entering a new era in investing.

In the coming weeks, the markets will focus on the economic data and earnings.

Read Eye on Markets every month online at Saathee.com

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 November 2023

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November 2023

Quiz Corner

Who wants to be a Scholar?!

Answer the ones you know and research the rest.

There is only one correct answer!

1. Arrange these cities of Nevada from South to North. (a) Elko (b) Las Vegas (c) Tonopah (d) Carson City 2. Best Actor of the 2022 Filmfare Awards: (a) Pran (b) Ranveer Singh (c) Dev Anand (d) Shah Rukh Khan

Word World By Kirit Shukla

O

O

V

H

M

E R

D

A

(b) Nashville (d) Memphis

9. India’s first Prime Minister (a) Tagore (c) Nehru

(b) Gandhi (d) Bose

Answers are on bottom left. No Peeking.

Scholar: All correct; 1st Class: 8 Correct; 2nd Class: 7 Correct; 3rd Class: 6 Correct; Need to improve: 5 or less

Key Word Search Fill in blanks of these clues, then take the first letter of each word and unscramble them to find this month’s Key Word.

Not previously known; unfamiliar. ___ An unusual or exciting experience. ___ To ask for the presence of someone. ___ This __ that. ___, East, South, West.

A round-shaped figure with no corners or edges. ___

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

9.c

10.d 2.b

3.a

4.c

5.a

Word World (Solution) :RHODE, HEADROOM, HERMA, HOOVER, HOOVERDAM, HOVER, MAHOE, HOARD, RODHAM. Saathee.com

8. The capital of Tennessee is. (a) Knoxville (c) Chattanooga

10. The official state flower of Nevada is (a Wood Violet (b) Carnation (c) Tube Rose (d) Sagebrush

Here is a fun quiz. See if you can solve it. No peeking!

Match the number in column 1 with letter in column 2

A. North Carolina B. Georgia C. California D. Oregon E. Florida F. New Jersey G. Louisiana H. Maine I. Massachusetts J. South Carolina

(b) Pacific Time (d) Platinum

7. Who wrote India’s national anthem? (a) Tagore (b) Gandhi (c) Nehru (d) Bose

Brain-Train

1. Charleston 2. Wilmington 3. Cape May 4. Provincetown 5. Savannah 6. Lake Charles 7. Santa Barbara 8. Key West 9. Rockport 10. Cannon City

4. ‘PT’ does NOT stand for (a) Physical Therapy (c) Pop Tart

6. One Imperial Gallon is equal to ___ US Gallons (a) 0.83 (b) 0.93 (c) 1.0 (d) 0.73

7+ words = Excellent; 4 to 6 words = Good; 3 or less = keep looking.

Words we found are in solutions below.

...State

(b) Italian (d) French

5. How far is the Earth from the Sun? (Ave.) (a) 9.3 million miles (b) 9.8 million miles (c) 9.5 million miles (d) 9.7 million miles

Make words using 5 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Plural words are not allowed.

Use all letters for the subject word (underlined in solutions below)

Coastal Towns...

3. The official language of Austria (a) German (c) English

Answers on page 104 100

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PUZZLES AND JOKES

Clues Down: 1. Nevada. (*) 3. U.S. train system name.

4. A plain round surface.

5. Advertisement. (*) 7. A rideshare company.

9. State capital of 1 Across.

10. Also Known As. (*) 17. ___ Chi. 18. Variety of Bantu language spoken in eastern Uganda.

19. Participated in a rodeo.

20. A metallic chemical element (Symbol Cu) 23. America's largest reservoir created by the construction of the Hoover Dam. 25. Towards.

28. Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. (*) 29. Restocking Hardware. (*) 31. The advertising industry.

35. A village in the Netherlands.

36. Moveable carpets.

38. Polyvinyl Acetate (*) 41. The capital of 1 Across’ gold belt.

43. Information System. (*) 45. Verification Of Employment. (*) 46. Alpha Tau Omega. (*) 48. Megabyte. (*) 50. Alabama. (*)

By Kirit Shukla

Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase

Clues Across: 1. The Silver State.

6. Mountain site (1 Across) for the disposing of nuclear waste.

11. Voice Mail. (*) 13. In the middle of.

14. Editorial Board. (*) 15. Alaska. (*) 16. Bar Tech Telecom Services. (*) 18. A range of mountains in 1 Across.

20. Largest county in 1 Across.

21. Sorry spell backwards.

22. A hair color brand.

23. Boy. 24. Department Of Transportation. (*) 26. A constant number = 22/7. (π) 27. Salman, Aamir or Genghis ____.

29. “The Biggest Little City in the World.”

30. Prime Care Association. (*) 32. England, Wales, Northern Ireland & Scotland.

33. Childrens’ Hospital Of (Orange) County. (*) 34. Arid land with usually sparse vegetation.

37. Enterprise Information Portal. (*) 40. To be dependent.

42. The 12th letter of the Greek alphabet. (μ) 43. Investigation Discovery Television. (*) 44. The most populous city in 1 Across.

47. Young Adult. (*) 48. My Kind Niece. (*) 49. A kiln to dry hops or malt.

51. Having a body of a specific kind.

52. Irish Gaelic variant of “old”.

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(solution on page 104)

Hee Hee

Jokes & Riddles From Around The World

Voter: “What will you do if you’re elected?”

Candidate: “Good heavens! What will I do if I‘m not?”

Voter: “How do you account for your defeat at the polls?”

Candidate: “I was a victim.”

Voter: “A victim of what?”

Candidate: “Of accurate counting.”

Fortune Teller: “Unfortunately, the first two years of your marriage are the worst and will make you miserable.”

Man: “Then what?”

Fortune Teller: “Then you’ll be used to it!”

Teacher: “What are the three great American parties?”

Student: “Democrat, Republican, and Cocktail.”

Ajit: “My wife has the worst memory.”

Amit: “Does she forget everything?”

Ajit: “No, she remembers everything.”

November 2023

WordFind

Math Magic Fill in the empty squares to get = the final given answers.

Use any number from 1 to 8 only once: Note: Follow the order of operation per basic math rule: ×,÷, +, The multiplication or division is done before addition and subtraction. (solution on page 104)

Find & circle the words in the puzzle.

EZ-BZ

Subject: Diwali

TEST YOUR IQ The common letters are “PY” - Fill in the blanks) ADORN

GIFT

ANNAKUT

GOD

AUSPICIOUS

GOVARDHAN

CELEBRATION

GREETINGS

CUSTOM

HINDUISM

3. 11th month of the Gregorian calendar year.

NOV _ _ _ _ _

DECORATION

HOLIDAY

4. To bring something new to an environment.

_ NOV_ _ _

DEVOTION

INDIANS

DIYA

JOY

FANE

LAKSHMI

FESTIVAL

MELA

FIREWORKS

RANGOLI

FUN

TRADITION

1. Fictional prose narrative of considerable length.

2. Bright explosion of a star.

_ _ _ _ _ NOV _

5. A Small dough pastry folded atop itself with filling. _ _ _ NOV_ _ 6. A synthetic alkaloid anesthetic.

NOV _ _ _ _ _

7. Sound effects device.

_ _ NOV _ _

8. To make like new.

_ _ NOV _ _ _

9. NE province in Canada.

The unused 5 letters spell “_____ Diwali!” (answer on page 104)

NOV _ _

NOV _ _ _ _ _ _

10. Constructed international auxiliary language.

NOV _ _ _

11. A person new to a field of study.

NOV_ _ _

12. A relaxed style of samba music.

_ _ _ _ _ NOV _

13. Lubricating joint fluid secreted by membranes. _ _ NOV _ _ 14. Shorter than a novel, longer than short story.

NOV_ _ _ _

15. Something new or unusual.

NOV _ _ _ _

16. A written acknowledgement of debt.

_ _ _ NOV_ _

17. Recitation of prayers across 9 days.

NOV_ _ _ _

18. Tennis star Djokovic.

NOV_ _

19. Scientifically plausible ideas in science fiction stories.

NOV _ _ 20. A man known for his amorous adventures.

_ _ _ _ NOV _

(Puzzle solutions are on page 104. NO peeking!)

Saathee Puzzle Master

Kirit Shukla kiritsshukla@gmail.com Saathee.com

103

November 2023

Festivals & Holidays Spot the Differences Solutions from page 56

NOVEMBER 2023 Nov. 1 - All Saints' Day Nov. 2 - Dia de los Muertos (All Souls' Day) Nov. 5 - Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 7 - Election Day Nov. 8 - Rama Ekadashi Nov. 9 - Vagh Baras Nov. 10 - Dhan Teras Nov. 11 - Veterans’ Day Nov. 11 - Kali Chaturdashi Nov. 12 - Diwali / Darsh Amas (No Moon) Nov. 12 - Mahavir Nirvana Day Nov. 13 - Vikram Samvat 2080 Nov. 13 - World Kindness Day Nov. 14 - Bhai Bij Nov. 14 - Nehru Jayanti / Children’s Day (India) Nov. 17 - Labh Panchami Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving (US) Nov. 24 - Black Friday Nov. 24 - Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahdur Nov. 24 - Native American Heritage Day Nov. 25 - Small Business Saturday Nov. 27 - Kartik Purnima (Full Moon) Nov. 27 - Guru Nanak Jayanti Nov. 27 - Cyber Monday Nov. 28 - Giving Tuesday

Puzzle Solutions from page 102-103

Key Word Search Answers from page 100 Strange.

Adventure.

Invite.

Or. North.

Circle.

Key Word of the Month: CASINO

Math Magic from page 103

Saathee.com

104

November 2023

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105

Business

Small Business

November 2023

Astroscope

NOVEMBER 2023

Aries (March 21 – April 20)

Libra (September 22 – October 20)

The influence of aggressive associates could lead you to make mistakes. This will not improve until the last week of the month. You may lose a source of extra cash but will be able to maintain your regular income. Try to control your temper as arrogant behavior could create problems with your partner as well. Hold off any major decisions until next month.

Your income and expenses will balance each other out this month. Listening to your partner may even prevent you from losing an important opportunity. Investment in real estate will prove beneficial. This is also a good time for a change in career or field of study. Minor health issues are clearly indicated. You will feel happier and more confident this month to enjoy success.

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

Scorpio (October 21 – November 20)

You should enjoy an accelerated track to happiness. If unemployed, you may receive a job opportunity or chance to rise in status. You will benefit through your partner. This is a good time to invest in real estate or a new business. Minor issues due to your kids could bother you. If involved in a legal dispute, you could benefit from its final judgment. Avoid aggression and watch your health.

It’s time to slow down and rethink your plan of action. Your destiny could prove stronger than previously believed. An old health issue may reappear to bother you. Caution is key this month. Expenses may elevate out of control, so don’t make any abrupt decisions. Your child could provide a helping hand. Spend more time with family and try to solve any residual issues to enjoy an easier life. Avoid driving, if possible.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

Sagittarius (November 21 – December 21)

Various additional sources of income will bring good financial results. Intelligent planning by your partner will delight you. A great idea may also be conceptualized at this time; be brave and don’t wait until the end of month to follow up on it. Avoid family issues for now and focus on your career to enjoy success.

You will experience a gradual upward turn this month. Some improvements to your personality as well as changes to your overall outlook should provide a great deal of happiness and relaxation. Trust your wits and past experiences to make confident decisions. A minor family problem could be there, but you can count on your friends during this turning period. Drive very carefully.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Capricorn (December 22 – January 21)

Even though you should do very well with money, you will feel no sense of contentment. Try to catch your breath and take a trip or two to feel much more relaxed. Things should improve toward the end of the month, though aggression could add fuel to your frustration. An old problem should finally be resolved, but such fulfillment won’t last long as a new problem will soon take its place. Be especially vigilant while driving.

Your destiny will help you to make the right decision this month.

Profits in business/trade will be more than expected, so be sure to focus on earning even more money to increase your bank balance. Students will see disappointing results. Don’t react aggressively with your partner. This is a good time for developing new relationships but be sure to analyze these connections thoroughly.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Aquarius (January 22 – February 18)

An unexpectedly heavy workload during the first half of the month could create disappointment. Try to remain patient and focus on any potential health issues instead. You may lose an especially important opportunity during the last week. You could damage your eyesight due to too many hours in front of the computer. Sincerity may gain you some appreciation during the middle of the month. Avoid any egoistical comments.

Now is when plans regarding property investments will materialize. You should be successful due to your creative thinking. This is also a favorable time for love and romance.

Friends and siblings will offer whatever assistance you need.

Your opponents won’t dare face you. Keep a close watch on your health this month and travel could also prove troublesome.

Virgo (August 23 – September 21)

Be ever mindful of voicing your inner thoughts, as you could lose your moral power. If you’re not careful, it might hurt your reputation. Don’t make any major money decisions this month, but this is a good time to spend on religious celebrations.

Dishonesty could prove costly, so try avoiding it if possible. You may benefit through your business partner. Accept all life changes with caution.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

You may experience a variety of changes this month. If you’re not careful, you may lose a very important opportunity. A misunderstanding with your partner could also create problems. Try to act with a relaxed temperament and expect the unexpected. Also, while you should prepare to work vigilantly in the coming years, be sure to take time to slow down and meditate for a few minutes daily.

Saathee.com

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November 2023

CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

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 704460-0379 between 6-9pm.

C-Stores for Sale: Forest City, NC $179,000 + Inv, Annual $641,906, no gas; Jonesville, NC $850,000, Leased, Reduced!; Winston Salem, NC $229,000 + Inv, Annual $1,500,000 Fuel Gals 374k; Contact: County South: 704-4404433 or Countysouth.biz.

Front Desk Manager Wanted for Saathee Classified ads: Sell your franchise hotel in Columbia, SC. business, or property. Find the perfect Accommodations provided. Fluent job, hire the perfect employee. Get English required. Text / call 704-701-9975. great advertising results with Saathee Magazine classifieds. Call 704-5277570 or email saathee@saathee.com.

Tire Shop for sale: Monroe, NC $545,000, Annual Sales $872,122; Call for details:704-440-4433.

LearnAboutLand.com NEW HILL MONCURE New Elam Church Rd near Jordan Dam 2 lots side by side Call Bob! Atkinson Properties Group 919-362-6999 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Cashier Wanted for Convenience Store in Belmont, NC. Fluent English required.

Family friendly establishment. Text / call 980-225-3341 or 704-807-6519 between 7am & 9pm.

Help Needed at Perfume Stores in Charlotte & Pineville. For details, please call Veer Singh at 415-265-8686.

Looking for GMs to operate franchise motels in Richburg, SC. Legal status & fluent English required.

Accommodations provided. Call 864694-6299 and leave message.

Caregiver Wanted to assist elderly parents. Located in Pawleys Island, SC near the Myrtle Beach area. Please contact slallahome@gmail.com.

Help Needed for Front Desk & Laundry at Economy Franchise Hotel in NC. Accommodations provided.

Contact 704-465-8129.

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Job Opportunities in Dallas and Tampa for Goldsmiths and Diamond Repair Specialists at Malani Jewelers.

Please call 404-298-7811 or email info@malanijewelers.com for details.

Gas Station/Liquor Store Help Needed 30 minutes from Columbia, SC. Full-time or Part-time. Experience and legal status required. Good pay!

Call 843-473-5476 or email bottle29078@gmail.com.

Manager / Front Desk needed for 3 full-time Positions Available at Gas Franchise Hotel in Rock Hill, SC. Station in Charlotte, NC. Good pay rate. Accommodations Provided. Call 803Call 704-299-8535.

517-4662.

Autobody Shop hiring now! Auto Gas Station in Rock Hill, SC seeking Body technician needed in Charlotte / help. Single or couple. Good pay! No Mooresville, NC. Great pay! Willing to accommodations. Call 803-659-3330. sponsor a Visa for well qualified Looking for Part-Time or Live-In applicant. Call 704-663-0032 or email: Gujarati-speaking Caretaker in Spring VS@ColorMasterPremium.com.

Lake, NC for 65 year-old female with Cashier Wanted for Convenience Store near Kannapolis, NC. Very attractive salary! Accommodations provided. Text or Call 704-701-9482.

Looking for Live-In Nanny in Winston Salem, NC to help with childcare & cooking. Please call 216-370-8105 or email: devanshism@icloud.com.

memory issues. Female preferred.

Must be trustworthy. Please call or text Samir Patel at 919-659-8897.

Front Desk Help & Housekeeping / Laundry needed for Franchise Hotel in Concord, NC. Accommodations provided. Call Rick 704-772-5554.

Liquor Store Help Needed in Fort Gas Station / C-store Help Needed at Mill/Indian Land, SC. Full-time or Partstores near Huntersville & Northlake time. Legal status required. 9am-7pm shift areas. Must speak English. Family friendly (Mon-Sat). Good pay! Call or Text 732oriented people. Call 704-402-4661.

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Hotel Help Wanted in Greensboro, For Immediate Hire: Accounting NC. Front desk and laundry positions manager (must have experience). Hotel open (single or couple).

GMs - Wyndham, Choice, and Hilton Accommodations available. Fluent brands (must have experience). Front English and legal status required.

Desk (multiple locations). Pay rates Contact JR at 336-558-8195. higher than the competition. Contact Looking for live-out Gujarati speaking 704-649-6833 or abcone@abcinns.com Nanny in Raleigh, NC for 6 month-old.

Gas Station / C-Store Help needed in Also able to help with light house cleaning Greensboro, NC & surrounding areas. and meal prep. Please contact Multiple positions available from jbdesai26@gmail.com or 941-586-4407. cashiers to managers. Must have prior experience & speak English. Great pay!

Hotel Help Wanted: Front Desk / Call 336-509-4054.

Manager, Night Auditor & Sales & Marketing person wanted with college degree in related field for manufacturing company. Must be fluent in communication and familiar with MS office & computers. Should possess great personality & be able to Live-in House Helper needed in work in team environment. Willing to Greenville, SC for daily cooking and light sponsor if candidate is suitable to housework. Lady preferred. Please call company requirements. Contact Raj 318-562-0664.

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108

November 2023

MATRIMONIALS Hindu Punjabi Khatri parents seek a match for daughter. 31 year-old, 5ft 4in. Fair, slim, and very pretty.

Medical office administrator in Central Florida. Prefer suitors from the southeast. Please respond with full details to nudaak@gmail.com.

Looking for Bride for Los Angeles based, India born intellectual, human rights activist, vegetarian, YouTuber, and writer. Secular so religion is not an issue. Leg a little weak due auto accident. Prefer a slim, fair lady around 60. No fun being alone!

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SERVICES Gujarati Priest in NC & SC for Ganesh, Randal, Laxmi, Sharda Pujan, Satyanarayan Katha, Wedding, Vastu, Baby Shower, Hawan, Grah Shanti.

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Online puja also available. Call Rajendra Bhatt 732-841-7832.

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Mirror

continued from page 30

Pallana. It was the first film I ever saw both Khan and Pallana in… and while their roles were quite brief, they were also quite memorable.

Having the film mostly set in Jodhpur, Rajasthan is quite remarkably inspired as the director’s signature color palette blends perfectly with the bright and beautiful jewel tones often associated with Northern India. Besides the vivid blues, yellows and oranges of the train itself, the trio also visit various Hindu temples and shopping districts with the cinematography pausing to painstakingly appreciate every wall pattern, pamphlet, and sign behind them.

Perhaps the most intriguing fact is that Anderson doesn’t emphasize the environment in such a way that the film morphs into a tourist brochure of Jodhpur.

Instead, it is more like a backdrop of watercolor by which the characters happen to release their various traumas in the foreground.

Now, fast forward to 2023 as Netflix announced the director’s endeavor to personify some of Roald Dahl’s short stories. For those who are not fully aware, Dahl was a Welsh author and screenwriter who often wrote cautionary tales where obnoxiously bad characters would generally receive equally despicable comeuppance. His most famous works include James and the Giant Peach, Matlida, The Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also co-wrote the scripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.

Anderson had already tackled a lesser-known Dahl story with Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009. Due to the story’s use of talking animals, the director chose to use stop-motion animation along with all his other signature filming quirks.

The mix of the two creators was like peanut butter and chocolate as the film garnered much critical success.

It’s no wonder, then, that a few shorts have gradually emerged in the Netflix library with the combined eccentricity of Dahl’s wit and Anderson’s inventive filming style.

Saathee.com

As of this writing, four short films have been released: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher, and The Swan. The first two include actors of South Asian descent with Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley in the cast. Richard Ayoade (who is Norwegian and Nigerian) also portrays an Indian doctor in Henry Sugar, but this doesn’t detract from the story itself. Rounding out the main cast between the four stories are Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, and Ralph Fiennes… the latter portraying a personification of Dahl talking with the audience to emphasize various story beats.

All actors handle the script’s precise dialogue through extremely long takes framed in such a way that they wouldn’t be out of place on stage for a play. The actors move in and out of center frame with purposely placed “assistants” walking in and out of camera to change costumes, set pieces, and lightning.

Actors Dev Patel and Rupert Friend in particular give such immaculate performances as they handle each line of articulately fast-paced narration both towards the camera and with the other actors; performances that are bolstered by Anderson’s quirky whimsical nostalgic film style.

As these are Roald Dahl’s works, the words are his with a few stylized revisions by the director to fit better fit the screen… and do include expected touches of fantastical irony often associated with both creators.

If you enjoy director Wes Anderson’s previous works, I do suggest watching these short new films (the longest being Henry Sugar at 37 minutes). They’ll make you smile. They’ll make you laugh. And above all else, you’ll marvel at how these two unique men’s visions blend so well together.

Jennifer Allen Is part of the Saathee team and is also a Podcaster, Blogger, Photographer, Graphic Artist, Gamer, Martial Arts Practitioner, and an all around Pop Culture Geek. You can reach her at Saathee@Saathee.com

110

November 2023

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Advertisers Index for Charlotte, South Carolina and Atlanta Region 360insureall.com (Maqsood Khan)...................105 AmeriFab International .....................................91 Anand, Versha (Real Estate) ...............................61 Area 51 Fireworks...............................................4 Bala Sure (Broker / Realtor, NC & SC)................67 BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Charlotte) 16-17 Bashyam Global LLP - Immigration Law Group..48 Bhindi Jewelers .................................................2 Blooming Buds .................................................41 Blooming Smiles Pediatric Dentistry...................87 Blumenthal Performing Arts (Events)..................71 Bombay Grille (Charlotte)..................................83 Brijal Shah (Keller Williams - Real Estate) ...........81 British International School of Charlotte ..............9 Brown Immigration Law (Rishi Oza, Partner)....114 Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center.......................87 Carolina Law Group .........................................26 Carolina Medical Partners..................................85 Carolinas Christian Assembly .............................23 Carolinas Pediatrics (Periyanayagam, MD, FAAP) .27 CaroMont Medical Group (Bankim Patel MD) ....29 Charlotte Chess Center ......................................69 Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat .......................32 Chess Klub (Klub Ventures) ................................25 Chiro-Carolina .............................................89 Classifieds ................................................108-109 Color Master Collision Center.............................67 Concha, David (Immigration Attorney) ...............99 Copper Restaurant (Charlotte) ...........................65 County South Realty & Business Brokers............109 Countywide Commercial (Pavement Solutions) ....91 Davey Jones Fireworks .......................................31 Desai, Rajarshi (CPA, PLLC) .............................99 DJ Lalit (Lalit Hemnani) ...................................45 Dosa n' More (Fort Mill, SC)..............................33 Eesha Realty, LLC ........................................38-39 Elite Motors .....................................................11 Fairview Home Mortgage ..................................53 Four Points by Sheraton (Myrtle Beach) ..............93 Ganamrutha Academy (School of Music).............23 Geological Resources, Inc. ..................................51 Global Mall / Legacy Jewels .............................115 H2 Laser & Skin................................................27 Harish Bhasin (Independent Insurance Agent) ......31 Health Markets (Medicare, Health, Life, Supplemental)55 Hindu Center of Charlotte (Events)................76-79 Hitch Hiker's Guide to College............................29 Hitesh Rathod (Real Estate) ...............................23 House Of Fireworks ..........................................19 Indian Astrologer (Pandit Pratap Raj).................51 IndusTreks .......................................................24 Insurance - Tushar Barot, Supreme Insurance Serv. 41 Insurance Shopping (Sonal Patel - IndependentAgent)99 JVC Realty (Balaji Tatineni Realtor / Broker) .......63 Kaur, Karamjit (New York Life Insurance)...........73 KB Zaveree (Atlanta) .........................................21 Khanna & Sons Jewelers.......................................5 Krishnadham VYO (Shreenathji Haveli)...............75 Kumar, Kokila (Real Estate - Allen Tate)...............31 Lead Designs LLC.............................................91 Maadhurya Photography ...................................43 Maharani Indian Cuisine (Charlotte)...................84 Malak Jewelers ..................................................35 Malani Jewelers ...............................................116 Malaya Kitchen.................................................69 Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors)................29 Maxim Tours .....................................................47 Meenakshi Creations LLC ..................................10 Meghana (The Vedic Power Astrologer)..............107 Saathee.com

Mehta & McConnell, PLLC (Injury Lawyers).....111 Mint MedSpa & Laser Studio..............................85 Neeta's Beauty Parlor ........................................81 North American Bancard ....................................7 NSD Tax & Accounting Services ........................101 One 2 Entertainment .........................................53 Osian Softcon ...................................................15 Patel & Samatova, Law ....................................101 Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices)..............................45 Patel, Tony (Real Estate).....................................49 Pathak, Atul (Real Estate) ..................................41 Persis Indian Grill (Fort Mill, SC).......................33 Pramukh Mandapam.........................................49 Publix (Diwali) .................................................37 Queen City Smiles (Dr. Kanupriya Tewari) ...........61 Ram Mortgage & Realty (Mayank Patel) .............51 Rug & Home.......................................................3 Ryan Shah (Tabla Lessons)..................................69 Saffron Restaurant and Catering.........................89 Shah & Associates, CPA, PLLC .........................105 Shah & Trivedi CPA, PLLC.................................53 Shah, Anish (Real Estate)..............................94-95 Sheraton Chapel Hill (ATMA Hotel Group).......113 Shukla, Kirit (Music Lession & Band)..................45 Sona Realty (Venkat Suryadevara).......................97 Technone LLC (Securtiy Systems)........................43 The Blue Taj......................................................65 Travel Passion ...................................................45 Union Family Eye Associates (Dr. Keshav Bhat) ....27 Uniworld Travel...............................................105 Uthsaav (Wedding Planners) ................................6 VAS Realty LLC (Ashwani Dalal).................47/101 Vasthra Vedika Boutique ....................................15 Vema Mortgage LLC (Chirag Rachhadia).......15/81 Vimal Realty (Vimal Patel - Realtor) ..................59 VP Insurance Consultant....................................47 Windsor Run (Erickson Senior Living)................13 Worldwide Travels..............................................43

Index for Raleigh (Triangle), Greensboro (Triad) & Virginia 360insureall.com (Maqsood Khan)...................105 Allstate (Krish Parlikad)....................................15 AmeriFab International .....................................91 Apna Bazar (Morrisville)....................................10 Area 51 Fireworks...............................................4 Aura Skin & Laser (Dipan Patel).........................59 Bashyam Global LLP - Immigration Law Group..48 Bharath Bazar and Café (Cary) ...........................26 Bhindi Jewelers .................................................2 Blooming Buds .................................................41 Bombay Central (Grocery & Take Out Food)........32 Brown Immigration Law (Rishi Oza, Partner)....114 Cary Internal Medicine & Diabetes Center, PA......77 Cary Medical Clinic ...........................................85 Chandni's Beauty Salon .....................................77 Club-Z! (In-Home Tutoring) ...............................79 Corner Stone Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine .....61 County South Realty & Business Brokers............109 Countywide Commercial (Pavement Solutions) ....91 Crescent Dental (Dr. Kavita Ghai).......................31 Darji, Iyer, Joshi & Patel (Accounting &Tax Services) 33 Desai, Rajarshi (CPA, PLLC) .............................99 DJ Lalit (Lalit Hemnani) ...................................45 Eesha Realty, LLC ........................................38-39 Elite Motors .....................................................89 Fairview Home Mortgage ..................................53 Four Points by Sheraton (Myrtle Beach) ..............93 Ganamrutha Academy (School of Music).............13 Geological Resources, Inc. ..................................51 Global Mall / Legacy Jewels .............................115 Grand India Mart (Groceries).............................87 112

Health Markets (Medicare, Health, Life, Supplemental)55 Hindu Center Charlotte .....................................78 Honest Indian Vegetarian Restaurant ....................9 Inchin's Bamboo Garden ....................................31 Indian Astrologer (Pandit Pratap Raj).................51 IndusTreks .......................................................24 Insurance - Tushar Barot, Supreme Insurance Serv....41 Insurance Shopping (Sonal Patel-IndependentAgent).99 International Community Church .......................16 KB Zaveree (Atlanta) .........................................21 KDP CPA.........................................................69 Khanna & Sons Jewelers.......................................5 Krishnadham VYO (Shreenathji Haveli)...............75 Lead Designs LLC.............................................91 Liberty Real Estate & Mortgage (Sunny Sebastian)17 Maadhurya Photography ...................................43 Malak Jewelers ..................................................35 Malani Jewelers ...............................................116 Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley ........................63 Maxim Tours .....................................................47 Meghana (The Vedic Power Astrologer)..............107 Mehta & McConnell, PLLC (Injury Lawyers).....111 NC Dermatology Associates................................76 North American Bancard ....................................7 NSD Tax & Accounting Services ........................101 Nunna Realty (Shiva Nunna)..............................61 One 2 Entertainment .........................................53 Osian Softcon ...................................................15 PandyaNad Indian Restaurant (Raleigh) .............23 Patel & Samatova, Law ....................................101 Patel Brothers (Cary).........................................83 Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices)..............................45 Patel, Tony (Real Estate).....................................49 Pathak, Atul (Real Estate) ..................................41 Pramukh Mandapam.........................................49 PreJuve Medspa & Wellness (Neelu Agarwal MD)..85 Prism Lending (Madan Khatri) ..........................19 Publix (Diwali) .................................................37 Rajeev Devgon, CPA .........................................59 Ram Mortgage & Realty (Mayank Patel) .............51 RB Realty Group (Ravi Bheemarao)....................65 Real Triangle Properties (Joe Mathews)................27 Rug & Home.......................................................3 Rupa's Spa & Threading .....................................13 Sapna Hemnani (Real Estate)..............................81 Satyam Primary Care (Amit Sharma, MD) ..........33 Shah & Associates, CPA, PLLC .........................105 Shah & Trivedi CPA, PLLC.................................53 Shah, Anish (Real Estate)..............................94-95 Shamim Beauty .................................................25 Sheraton Chapel Hill (ATMA Hotel Group).......113 Shukla, Kirit (Music Lession & Band)..................45 Singh, Manny (Real Estate) ................................25 Sizzlin Stirfry Asian Bistro (Raleigh) ...................23 Smile Forever Family Densistry (Dr. Narender Dudee).19 Sona Realty (Venkat Suryadevara).......................97 Spectrum Family Medicine (Sujatha Sajeevan, MD)19 Spices Hut ........................................................67 Stylish Me.........................................................11 Taaza Fresh Indian Bistro...................................27 Technone LLC (Securtiy Systems)........................43 The Montessori School of Raleigh ......................81 Travel Passion ...................................................45 Tutoring (Nirmala Koripella - A+ Tutoring) ........71 Uniworld Travel...............................................105 Uthsaav (Wedding Planners) ................................6 VAS Realty LLC (Ashwani Dalal).................47/101 Vema Mortgage LLC (Vipul Hapani) .............13/69 Vimal Realty (Vimal Patel - Realtor) ..................29 VP Insurance Consultant....................................47 Wake Spine & Pain ............................................73 West Cary Medicine (Dr. Kareem M.D.) ...............15 Worldwide Travels..............................................43 November 2023