Saathee Raleigh October 2022

Adeep bench of experience. Holistic, custom-tailored financial planning and wealth management. A team that understands you, your family, and your unique goals. These are just a few of the benefits to working with The Aggarwal Group at Morgan Stanley.

Led by Arun Aggarwal, Senior Vice President and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, the group includes his three sons—Aman, Financial Advisor, Arjun, Financial Advisor and Senior Portfolio Manager, and Ashwin, Assistant Vice President and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. Gaurav Judge, Financial Advisor, has recently joined The Aggarwal Group, while Tracy Varner, Client Service Associate, rounds out the practice. Together they make a formidable team, highly experienced in helping meet the needs of multigenerational families, transfer wealth, and succession planning for their approximately 200 clients as of September 2022 in the Raleigh area, including physicians, business owners, families, and individuals.

Multigenerational Team, Family Approach

"We look at a client's wealth from a 360-degree perspective and provide advice and solutions to help them meet their particular needs," Arun says. "We understand the complexities of managing a business and the importance of family, so we work at our clients' convenience so they can minimize the time spent dealing with financial issues and maximize the time spent with loved ones."

(Left to right) Ashwin Aggarwal CFP®, First Vice President, Financial Advisor; Gaurav Judge, Financial Advisor; Arun K. Aggarwal, Senior Vice President, Wealth Advisor, Financial Planning Specialist; Arjun Aggarwal, Financial Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager; Tracy Varner, Client Service Associate; and Aman Aggarwal, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor

The Aggarwal Group is truly team-oriented, with each member having a specific role. This approach, suggests Arjun, helps solidify relationships. "Rarely do we have oneon-one meetings with our clients," he notes. "Based on current needs, a client may meet with several of us, helping ensure all aspects of their financial lives are explored, monitored, and followed up on."

For example, Arun, who possesses strong experience in estate planning and tax strategies, and Aman, who deals with wealth transfer and retirement cash flow planning among other matters, may join in a meeting with a business owner client for whom retirement is looming.

"Our clients don't only work with an advisor," Arun confirms. "They receive the benefits of having an entire financial team at their disposal."

Custom Tailored Investment Strategies

The Aggarwal Group is especially adept at uncovering investment strategies that are well-suited to the needs of their clients and that may be overlooked by other teams.

"While other advisors invest in models that can be put on autopilot and largely forgotten

about," Ashwin says. "We're more handson, and our services are more transactional."

Opportunities the team may pursue on behalf of clients include annuities and alternative investments, "the types of products that are typically outside of the advisory umbrella," explains Aman.

The group's association with Morgan Stanley is invaluable in this arena, Arun shares. "They have among the most flexible and unique products in the industry, and their world-class resources help us provide the personalized financial planning and investment and wealth management services our clients deserve. The Aggrawal Group has been with Morgan Stanley since 1988, and I wouldn't change a thing."

700 Spring Forest Rd., Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27609 919-626-9172

advisor.morganstanley.com/the-aggarwal-group

CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S. The strategies and/or investments discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products and annuities in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates. Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences. The Aggarwal Group has engaged Saathee to feature this content. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 4843407 8/22

Hello Readers!

Read the essay, “It's Okay to Be Quiet, a Teenage Story,” which brings to light being an introvert. See page 22.

Read about palm oil in India and its rapid growth and competing health claims in the article starting on page 36.

Private equity firms see huge profits in eye care as firms target highprofit procedures. Read about it on page 40.

Read the tribute to the incomparable Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on Star Trek, on page 46.

The Personal Finances column explores generational financial literacy and well being in the article on page 62.

Learn how to make Khandvi, a delicious anytime snack in our recipe on page 80.

Thank you for continuing to read Saathee and please share it with family and friends. Drop us a line with any comments or suggestions. We welcome conversations.

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

Cover: Diwali Celebrations

Diwali is knowns as the festival of lights and is a major festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs around the world. The festival usually lasts five days and one of the ways it is celebrated is by lighting “diyas” or small lamps traditionally made from clay or mud with a cotton wick dipped in ghee or oil.

“Bridging America and the Indian Subcontinent.”

October 2022 Issue # 293

- Saathee.comEditor Samir Shukla (Samir@Saathee.com)

Publisher & Advertising Divakar Shukla

704-527-7570 or rakavid@aol.com

Digital Media & Marketing

Jennifer W. Allen

Ad Design / Layout DSJ Graphics & Manimaran

Contributors for this issue:

Kirit Shukla, Taige Shukla, Shyama Parui Preethi Sriram, Sereena Kumar, Violet Wei, Raajeev Aggerwhil, Mo Vidwans, & Jalendu Vaidya.

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

- F OUNDED 1998 -

Saathee Magazine

P.O. Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220 704.527.7570

Fax: 704.527.7590 Saathee@saathee.com

Saathee

(USPS 021-116) (ISSN: 1543-8147) is published monthly by: Shukla Entertainment Inc.

612 Heather Ln., Charlotte, NC 28209

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Saathee, P.O. Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220-1468

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

For a free Saathee subscription, visit saathee.com/subscription

All content © 2022 Shukla Entertainment, Inc

Photo: Adobe Stock

"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes."

- Jim Carrey

Registration Now Open

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

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

My Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 22

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

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

College Admissions Insider . . . . . .pg. 32

Palm Oil in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36

Eye Care Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40

Namaskar Y’all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 42

Mirror Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46

Election 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50

Adult Dance Student . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 54

Spot the Differences . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 58

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

Raajeev’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 66

News Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 70

Recipe: Khandvi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 80

NASA Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 88

Is a Gas Stove Harmful? . . . . . . . . .pg 96

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Voter Power

The Editor’s Desk by Samir Shukla

I often wonder what drives people to run for political office. Some are idealistic, some are seeking power, some like the notoriety, while some genuinely want to help make a difference in people’s lives and help guide the direction of the country.

People running for office can range from naively honest to pathological liars, with each candidate stacked somewhere in between those bookends. Extra thick skin is requisite for anyone even thinking about running for office. One thing is for sure. Many more good people would seek office via elections if the endeavor had not become so degrading.

The negativity and the character destroying nature of campaigning is a travesty that keeps some genuinely talented and worthy people from going through the process to get elected. Every detail of their lives, whether recent or something they said 30 years earlier, becomes fodder for their opponents. The incessant negative ads on TV numb people to the real work involved behind running a campaign while swatting aside reasonable discussions of policies and issues.

Professional political operatives seemingly exist more to destroy an opponent’s reputation, rather than help their own clients. Politics has always been a dirty business; it has gotten dirtier with the crass amplification of social media and 24-hour news cycles.

But still, politicking perseveres, folks throw their selves into candidacy, and every couple of years the political makeup of the country shifts.

This year’s marching orders are in place. All the primaries have wrapped. October is going to see a dizzying amount of politicking from candidates running for office and vying for voters’ attention. Misinformation and disinformation will float through the air, and voters will have to decide worthiness of candidates.

The next few weeks and Election Day will decide the power structure in the House and Senate, along with myriad state, local and regional offices. Of course behind all these maneuverings is the invisible puppeteering and positioning of the presidential election which is two years from now.

The political parties hone their crafts for the next cycle of power, but there’s only one main power leading up to election day, that is the power of the voter.

The real power, when exercised, is with voters, who in turn can make their preferences known by electing candidates to their offices. If anyone thinks a single vote is irrelevant, just look at all the close races over the past few decades and realize that even one single vote

matters. A lot. In the corridors of power, compromise and deal making take a backseat or often are tossed out the window, but voters can let their opinions be known via the ballot box.

Many states have early voting, absentee voting, and other options to cast a ballot. So there really is no excuse to not vote unless you simply don’t care.

Among many other sources, Ballotpedia.org is a wonderful, non-partisan information site. You can enter your state in the search box and much useful information will be availed. Other very useful sites are Politifact.com and Factcheck.org, which check the truth or false levels of statements made by candidates, politicians, and political ads. See the article on page 50 for relevant dates for this election cycle.

Election days of the past have shifted the country’s gears, realigned social and cultural ethos, and caused changes in laws and regulations.

November 8, 2022 is the next day when the country shifts gears again.

Voters, the power to help affect changes you wish to occur is in your hands.

Samir Shukla is Editor of Saathee Magazine

Contact: Samir@Saathee.com Twitter: @ShuklaWrites

Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com

Krish Parlikad

Upcoming Events

Carolina Renaissance Festival: Huntersville, NC (October 1 – November 20, 2022)

Global Mela: Atlanta, GA (October 8 – 9, 2022)

The annual Global Mela will take place at Global Mall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, GA from October 8 - 9, 2022. The mela features food, kids’ games and activities, cultural shows and performances, clothing, jewelry, and many vendors. There is free parking and entry. For info, write globalmela@amsglobalmall.com, call 770416-1111 or visit Amsglobalmall.com.

NC Dussehra Festival: Morrisville, NC (October 9, 2022)

The Hindi Vikas Mandal presents Ramleela and Ravan Dahan on Sunday, October 9, 2022, 4pm Mela (fair) and 6pm Ramleela. There will be food, mela, Ramleela and Ravan Dahan. The venue is HSNC Cultural Hall, 309 Aviation Pkwy, Morrisville, NC. For more details, call 919-656-5224 or visit Hindivikasmandal.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 from October 1 to November 20, 2022 has a theme including a Kids weekend, Halloween, & Pirate Christmas. Info: Carolina.renfestinfo.com.

Tryon International Film Festival: (October 7 - October 9, 2022)

The annual Tryon International Film Festival is one of the few film festivals in the world that employs the entire town. Six screening venues operate seamlessly during the threeday event as retail shops, restaurants and bars come alive with activity as filmmakers and fans walk the streets, enjoy street entertainment and art. The festival will run between October 7 & 9, 2022. For more details and tickets info, visit the website: Tryoninternationalfilmfestival.org.

CORD 5K Run: Cary, NC (October 8, 2022)

Join the CORD 5K Run/Walk with family and friends around the beautiful Bond Park. Take a Stride for a good cause, helping over half a million under privileged people around the globe. The walk and run takes place on Saturday October 8, 2022, from 8 am – noon. The Fred G Bond Metro Park (Kiwanis Shelter) is located at 801 High House Road, Cary, NC. For more details, visit Cordraleigh.org/2022-5k-run.

Georgia State Fair: Atlanta, GA (Through October 9, 2022)

The Georgia State Fair returns to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for 10 days of exciting attractions, live music, tasty fair foods and carnival rides for safe, clean family fun. Tickets and more information are available at Georgiastatefair.org.

South Carolina State Fair: Columbia, SC (October 12 – 23, 2022)

Every year, people of all ages descend upon Columbia to attend the South Carolina State Fair. The wide variety of exhibits, thrilling rides, and unique food – such as chocolate-covered bacon, doughnut burgers, and even fried coke – draws visitors from near and far. This year’s theme is “To the FAIR and Beyond” and will run between October 12 & 23, 2022 at the Fairgrounds on Rosewood Drive in Columbia, SC. For more information visit Scstatefair.org.

North Carolina State Fair: Raleigh, NC (October 13 – 23, 2022)

The North Carolina State Fair returns to the fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC from October 13-23, 2022. The fair features all sorts of attractions, competitions, fair food and rides for the whole family. Parking has also been expanded with a free shuttle service available. Various ticket packages are available. For more info, visit Ncstatefair.org.

Fall for Greenville: (October 14 – 16, 2022)

Discover a world of tempting tastes, sights and sounds, as mouthwatering aromas carry you along Greenville’s Main Street. With over 40 restaurants featuring over 200 menu items and free entertainment on seven stages, Greenville, SC invites you to enjoy this popular outdoor festival. Between October 14 and 16, 2022, indulge in a weekend full of flavor. Admission is free. Learn more at Fallforgreenville.net.

Mental Health affects us all, whether it be fighting it personally or having a loved one going through it, the effects of mental illness does not discriminate. The stigma of seeking help is still present, but you can take control by just starting the conversation. I can help you through your own, personal revolution. Please reach out to me if you or anyone you know may need help. Together, we can start a revolution! Follow me on Instagram @Ratiarevolution.

Upcoming Events

Boo at the NC Zoo: Asheboro, NC (October 15-16 & October 22-23, 2022)

Celebrate autumn and Halloween at one of the country’s largest zoos. Activities for the whole family. The two weekends are October 15-16 and October 22-23, 2022. The zoo is located at 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC. For more details, visit Nczoo.org.

Diwali Mela: Charlotte, NC (October 16, 2022)

ARNI Fashion and Ruchi Collection present this Diwali Mela happening on Sunday, October 16, 2022 from 11am onwards. Come see this family-filled event and celebrate Diwali with some lastminute shopping, Indian food, music, and over 20 South Asian jewelry, clothing, and home décor items. The event will be held at 10213 John Abrams Road in Charlotte.

Entry and Parking will be free. To learn more, call 757-634-4459.

Falguni Pathak Dandiya Dhoom: Raleigh, NC (October 21, 2022)

Asia Events and Hi India present Falguni Pathak and band for a night of garba and dandiya on Friday, October 21, 2022 at the Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC. Early bird tickets are available. Regular tickets are $30. Kids 5 and under free. For details, call 310-890-5599 or 773-552-6083.

TAHTS Health Fair: Morrisville, NC (October 22, 2022)

Triangle Area Hindu Temples and Triangle Indian American Physicians Society present the 13th annual Health Fair on Saturday, October 22, 2022 from 9am - 1pm. The blood draw day is Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 8am - 11am. There will be number of medical specialists available. There is a non-refundable registration fee of $25. Masks are required for both days. There will also be a blood drive, CPR training, Medicare info session, flu shots and more. Both events are at HSNC, 309 Aviation Pkwy, Morrisville, NC. For details, visit Tahts.org.

Sanjay Subrahmanyan Concert: Charlotte, NC (October 29, 2022)

Swathi Thirunal Sangeetha Sabha in collaboration with Classical Music Association of Charlotte presents vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan live in concert accompanied by S. Varadarajan (violin) and Neyveli Venkatesh (mridangam). The show will take place at the Halton Theater, Charlotte on Saturday, October 29, 2022. For more details visit, Swathithirunalsangeethasabha.org.

Statesville Pumpkin Festival: (November 5, 2022)

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 with rides and other activities. It takes place on November 5, 2022 from 8am – 5pm. Details: Statesvillepumpkinfest.com.

Cape Fear Kite Festival: Kure Beach, NC (November 5-6, 2022)

Set your sights to the sky at the 15th Annual Cape Fear Kite Festival between November 5 & 6, 2022. 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 on-site during the two-day festival. Bring the whole family and your four-legged friends for fun beside the shore. Details: Kurebeach.wilmingtonandbeaches.com

Verse & Vino: Charlotte, NC (November 10, 2022)

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation presents the ninth annual Verse & Vino — an evening of writers, fine wine, and library supporters. Featuring New York Times bestselling authors David Baldacci, Adriana Trigiani, and Sarah McCoy plus newcomer Javier Zamora. This is a way to celebrate the joy of reading and reflect on the importance of libraries and literacy. Sheri Lynch, author, speaker, and radio legend will be the emcee. The event will take place at the Charlotte Convention Center on Thursday, November 10, 2022. Details: 704-416-0603 or visit, Foundation.cmlibrary.org/verse-vino .

For a complete list of upcoming events, visit our regularly updated page: Saathee.com/events

It’s Okay to be Quiet A Teenage Story

My Voice by Sereena Kumar

I’ve always thought that the loudest people in the room had the most important things to say. I thought that they were the ones who made the world spin around and around. It’s easy to think that all of that is true, especially in the competitive society we live in today where people try to talk over one another to get what they want. It is especially easy to observe all of your talkative friends in life and compare themselves to you. Of course, that’s like comparing a silent film to an action movie. Both convey powerful messages in different ways.

The funny thing is, I enjoy expressing my thoughts; but not through words all the time. I like to paint, sing, or write, as I have done with this article. Just because I don’t like to verbalize my ideas, does not mean that I don’t have any.

My English teacher in freshman year often said that it is better to write a strong sentence in fewer words than a super long run-on sentence that you scrape together to hit the word limit for your essay. At the time, I didn’t believe that this was true. I thought that the longest sentence with the fanciest words always made students become a teacher’s pet. I realize now that my English teacher is right. In fact, the quietest thoughts can oftentimes be the loudest.

My Voice continued on page 94

Upcoming Movie Releases

Saathee.com/Movies

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

(Directors: Will Speck & Josh Gordon)

Cast: Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, and Shawn Mendes

Till (Director: Chinonye Chukwu)

Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Haley Bennett, and Whoopi Goldberg

Godfather (Director: Mohan Raja)

Cast: Chiranjeevi, Salman Khan, Nayanthara, Satya Dev

Goodbye (Director: Vikas Bahl)

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Rashmika Mandanna, and Sunil Grover

Mr. and Mrs. Mahi (Director: Sharan Sharma)

Cast: Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor

Amsterdam (Director: David O Russell)

Cast: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, and Robert De Niro

The Ghost (Director: Praveen Sattaru)

Cast: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, and Srikanth Iyengar

October 14

Halloween Ends

(Director: David Gordon Green)

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Kyle Richards, and Will Patton

Tara vs Bilal (Director: Abhishek Sharma)

Cast: Harshvardhan Rane and Sonia Rathee

Last Film Show (Director: Pan Nalin)

Cast: Bhavin Rabari, Richa Meena and Bhavesh Shrimali

movies are showing or streaming. All dates subject

October 21

Black Adam (Director: Jaume Collet-Serra)

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, and Pierce Brosnan

Ticket to Paradise (Director: Oliver Parker)

Cast: George Clooney, Kaitlyn Dever, and Julia Roberts

The Banshees of Inisherin (Director: Martin McDonagh)

Cast: Colin Farrell, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, and Brendan Gleeson

Raymond and Ray (Director: Rodrigo Garcia)

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Maribel Verdú, and Ethan Hawke

October 24

Ram Setu (Director: Abhishek Sharma)

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Nushrratt Bharuccha

Thank God (Director: Indra Kumar)

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, and Rakul Preet Singh

October 28

Armageddon Time (Director: James Gray)

Cast: Anne Hathaway and Anthony Hopkins

Call Jane (Director: Phyllis Nagy)

Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Kate Mara, and Sigourney Weaver

F i l m C l i p s

Amsterdam

Disney+ Hotstar Working on Mahabharat Series

The movie, set in the 1930s, follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. David O Russell directs Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, and Robert De Niro. The film is set for release on October 7, 2022.

The Ghost

Walt Disney Co. is filming a series based on the classic and ancient Indian poem, the epic Sanskrit poem Mahabharat, which tells the tale of a warring dynasty, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, will be released in 2024, Gaurav Banerjee, head of content at Disney+ Hotstar said at the media giant’s threeday D23 extravaganza in California last month.

Madhu Mantena, one of the series producers said, “For centuries Indian epics have captured the imagination of billions around the world. These epics are deeply woven into the very fabric of our nation. The ‘Mahabharata’ – one of the oldest epics in India, despite being as old as time, is still relevant today for the many lessons and words of wisdom hidden within its ancient verses.”

Maja Ma

Maja Ma is a family film set against the celebratory backdrop of a traditional festival and a colorful Indian wedding. The film is directed by Anand Tiwari and written by Sumit Batheja and is a thought-provoking drama with unexpected twists and turns. Veteran actress Madhuri Dixit plays the protagonist. The film also features Gajraj Rao, Ritwik Bhowmik, Barkha Singh, Srishti Shrivastava, Rajit Kapur, Malhar Thakar and Ninad Kamat. It streams on October 6, 2022.

Goodbye

Vikas Bahl directs evergreen actor Amitabh Bachchan, along with Rashmika Mandanna, and Sunil Grover in a heart-warming story about life, family, and relationships. Look for the movie to hit the screens globally on October 7, 2022.

An ex-Interpol officer wreaks havoc and sends shock waves across the global underworld but goes missing in action, only to remerge years later, for his beloved family. Nagarjuna Akkineni, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, and Srikanth Iyengar star in the Praveen Sattaru directed film that opens on October 7, 2022.

Ram Setu

Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, and Rakul Preet Singh star in the comedy drama about a couple of goofy, kind-hearted men as they try to reform society. The movie, directed by Indra Kumar, opens on October 24, 2022.

Last Film Show

Akshay Kumar stars in the story of an archaeologist who has sets out to explore whether the Ram Setu bridge is a myth or a reality. The movie, directed by Abhishek Sharma, also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, and Nushrratt Bharuccha. It is slated for release on October 24, 2022.

India’s official entry to the upcoming 95th Academy Awards was announced in September and the Gujarati film Last Film Show (Chhello Show) was named as the official entry to the Best International Feature Film category. Directed by Pan Nalin, the film is a drama about the charm of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also an homage to the cinema of the past. The film stars Vikas Bata, Bhavin Rabari, Richa Meena, and Rahul Koli. Last Film Show had its world premiere as the opening film at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Thank God

Spa & BROWS

Tips On Writing the Personal Statement

College Admissions Insider by Violet Wei

Your personal statement is a 650-word essay that will go to nearly every school on your college list.

The essay prompts, which can be found at Commonapp.org have already been released for the 2022-23 application cycle, allow you to distinguish yourself from other students who might have similar SAT, academics, or resumes. Here are five tips to use your personal statement to stand out from the crowd.

Pick A Strong Topic

Writing about a sports injury, how you finally got an “A” in a demanding high school class, how much you love Harry Potter, how you went on a mission trip to a foreign country for a week, or how the death of a grandparent affected you, is not the best way to spend your 650 words.

These topics tend to be overdone, and admissions officers are likely bored with reading about them. However, remember no topic will be completely unique, so you should focus on being very personal. Add a lot of details to your essay so we, as readers, can get to know you better.

Some possible topics you could write about include:

A unique activity your family does

An extracurricular or other activity where you display leadership skills

An accomplishment you are proud of A challenge you’ve overcome

A time you were pushed out of your comfort zone

Starting the Essay with A Hook

A great way to start your essay is often with a story. You can pick a small moment from your topic and bring us into the narrative. One technique is to use the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) to show us the story. For example, if you want to talk about your babysitting experience, don’t just tell us about the kids’ ages and how much fun it is. Instead, start with a particular moment from your time together. Maybe you can describe how you learned the planets by painting them or the unique memory games you created. Then, walk us through the situation! As you continue to write your essay, you might want to highlight specific skills you learned along the way or tell a story that portrays a particular quality.

You don’t have to write about only “big moments.” Find something small that can help show you are. We want to be able to understand you by the end of the essay. Therefore, consider a few qualities or achievements you want to showcase and stick with those. If you try to put too much information into your essay, we won’t be able to understand you fully by the end of the 650 words.

Proofread Your Essay

Always have one or two other people proofread your essay! They will catch small mistakes you make and can give you good advice. You will want to ensure that the tone of your essay and the stories you choose to tell showcase you to the best of your abilities.

Violet Wei

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

Palm Oil in India

Rapid Growth and Competing Health Claims Palm Oil in India Rapid Growth and Competing Health Claims

By Seema Prasad

Palm oil is now ubiquitous. Arguably the world’s most versatile oil, it is used as a preservative in a variety of foods and has a host of other applications in shampoos, cosmetics and even biofuels. Its prevalence is explained in part by the higher oil content of the palm fruit compared to other oil crops.

As the oil’s consumption has become more widespread in India, so has the debate over its health implications. The discussion centers on its high saturated fat content but includes conflicting information and, quite frequently, interest-driven claims. Here we weigh up some of these concerns and the conversations around them.

Booming demand for palm oil in India

India is the world’s second-largest consumer of palm oil, with consumption having soared during the 2000s to reach around 9 million tons each year. Palm oil now accounts for about 40 percent of India’s edible oil consumption.

The nation is almost entirely dependent on imports to meet this demand, becoming the world’s largest importer. Incomings grew from below 500,000 tons in 1994 to a peak of 10 million tons in 2018. Most of this arrives in crude form to be refined domestically, while about 30 percent comes already refined.

Palm oil was not much used in Indian cooking until its import was liberalized near the turn of the century. “As

India opened up in the 1990s, it was attractive to import cheap palm oil to meet our needs, especially as a lack of investment in the local oilseed sector had led to its decline,” explains Bhavani Shankar, a professorial research fellow in food and health at the University of Sheffield. “The major exporters, Indonesia and Malaysia, were also strongly promoting their palm oil to new markets like India.”

In 2021, the Indian government launched the National Mission on Edible Oils to promote domestic oil palm cultivation, focusing on the northeast region and the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The goal was to reduce dependence on edible oil imports significantly.

Dr R Hemalatha, director of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Nutrition (ICMRNIN), explains that oil palm’s superior productivity makes its oil the cheapest around. “Accordingly, our country is also promoting the acreage for palm plantations to enhance vegetable oil production and reduce imports.”

Because of its low price, palm oil is popular for household cooking among India’s poorer citizens. As of 2019, about 10.2 percent of India’s population lived in extreme poverty on less than USD 1.90 per person each day. At 30 to 100 Indian rupees (USD 0.40-1.30), branded palm oil in India is cheaper per liter than other edible oils.

“One 15 kg tin of palm oil costs 2,550 rupees [USD 32], whereas the same quantity of sunflower oil costs about 2,990

Palm Oil continued on page 82

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Private Equity Firms Traget

High-Profit Procedures in Eye Care

By Lauren Weber

ST. LOUIS — Christina Green hoped cataract surgery would clear up her cloudy vision, which had worsened after she took a drug to fight her breast cancer.

But the former English professor said her 2019 surgery with Ophthalmology Consultants didn’t get her to 20/20 vision or fix her astigmatism — despite a $3,000 out-ofpocket charge for the astigmatism surgical upgrade. Green, 69, said she ended up feeling more like a dollar sign to the practice than a patient.

“You’re a cow among a herd as you just move from this station to this station to this station,” she said.

Ophthalmology Consultants is part of EyeCare Partners, one of the largest private equity-backed U.S. eye care groups. It is headquartered in St. Louis and counts some 300 ophthalmologists and 700 optometrists in its networks across 19 states. The group declined to comment.

Switzerland-based Partners Group bought EyeCare Partners in 2019 for $2.2 billion. Another eye care giant, Texas-based Retina Consultants of America, was formed in 2020 with a $350 million investment from Massachusettsbased Webster Equity Partners, a private equity firm, and now it says on its website it has 190 physicians across 18 states. Other private equity groups are building regional footprints with practices such as Midwest Vision Partners and EyeSouth Partners. Acquisitions have escalated so much that private equity firms now are routinely selling practices to one another.

In the past decade, private equity groups have gone from taking over a handful of practices to working with as many as 8 percent of the nation’s ophthalmologists, said Dr. Robert E. Wiggins Jr., president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

They are scooping up eye care physician practices nationwide as money-making opportunities grow in medical eye care with the aging of the U.S. population. Private equity groups, backed by wealthy investors, buy up these practices — or unify them under franchise-like agreements — with the hopes of raising profit margins by cutting administrative costs or changing business strategies. They often then resell the practices at a higher price to the next bidder.

The profit potential for private equity investors is clear: Much like paying to upgrade plane seats to first class, patients can choose expensive add-ons for many eye procedures, such as cataract surgery. For example, doctors can use lasers instead of cutting eye lenses manually, offer multifocal eye lenses that can eliminate the need for glasses, or recommend the astigmatism fix that Green said she was sold. Often, patients pay out-of-pocket for those extras — a health care payday unconstrained by insurance reimbursement negotiations. And such services can take place in outpatient and stand-alone surgery centers, both of which can be more profitable than in a hospital setting.

The investments that private equity groups provide can help doctors market and expand their practices, as well as negotiate better prices for drugs and supplies, Wiggins said.

Eye Care continued on page 84

First World, Third World, Whatever!

Namaskar, Y’all by Shyama Parui

English is a funny language some say. The rules for grammar and spelling are far from clear, making it hard to learn and yet it is the lingua franca in numerous countries. Nevertheless, it has a beautiful collection of adjectives such as effervescent and pristine that add oomph to an otherwise bland conversation, whereas words like bumfuzzle or hoosegow might crack you up even under the most solemn circumstances. As a speaker there are some words that I simply reject such as “mythology” that tends to deny the beliefs of certain groups of people and the outdated term “hysteria”. My outright disdain, however, is reserved for the expression “first world and third world countries.”

If you have been reading my column for a while, you will know that I believe in breaking, not following stereotypes. The use of first, second and third world may have started with the intention of specific categorization, but these Western-centric definitions introduced in the 1960’s have generalized into labels with biased connotations. Let’s begin with “first world” which refers to “the highly developed industrialized nations often considered the westernized countries of the world.” Industrialized is a fair descriptor but “first” sounds pompous and implies that it is ahead of the rest. While that may be the case in some ways, it is not necessarily true in other.

There are multiple definitions of “third world” - thank you Merriam-Webster for helping us out.

1: the aggregate of the underdeveloped nations of the world – dealing with poverty, large populations, inadequate natural resources.

2: a group of nations especially in Africa and Asia not aligned with either the Communist or the non-Communist blocs.

3: an aggregate of minority groups within a larger predominant culture.

Countries relegated to this group were not always poor nor did they lack natural resources. A large contributor of the current wealth gap is the long-term results of colonization. India is a case in point. Heavy commercial agriculture of crops such as cotton, jute, tea, etc., in India under British rule benefited “The Crown”. What was grown in India was sent to the factories in the UK and often sold in the Indian markets at rates unaffordable to the average Indian. Excessive farming, taxation and atrocious money lending practices depleted the farmer’s resources forcing them to lead a hand to mouth existence. Whether India still belongs on the list of developing nations is up for debate.

Namaskar continued on page 90

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Nichelle Nichols

An Angel Surrounded by a Cloud of Graciousness

I had not the time to write for our September issue about the passing of the beloved icon Nichelle Nichols, and so it almost feels too late to express my gratitude for her legacy now. Yet I will do my best to add to the already overwhelming tributes to such a wonderful woman.

Her role of Nyota Uhura, along with George Takei’s Hikaru Sulu, in the original Star Trek series was so pinnacle at the time as the 1960’s very rarely depicted people of color in main television roles. Most African American actors at the time were relegated to stereotypical guest appearances as joke characters or villains, and the only other show I can even remember having an East Asian lead at the time was The Green Hornet with Bruce Lee as Kato and it wasn’t until after Star Trek’s cancellation in 1969 that Sesame Street would begin with a vibrant cast of various ethnicities as well.

By the time I caught The Original Series in syndication during the mid-1970’s, the world had become much more tolerant of TV shows featuring African American leads… and I dare to say that was in no small part to both Gene Roddenberry’s vision and Nichelle Nichols’ unforgettable performance.

I’ve been lucky, along with just about everyone else born after 1966 with a TV in the house, to have always had Star Trek in my life. My mother often had the show running in the background as she cooked dinner, and I was drawn to watch it emphatically by the time I was four.

Each character had their own qualities which made them so memorable. Kirk was the adventurous swashbuckler and ladies’ man. Spock’s methodical logic was the opposite of Kirk’s more bad boy ways. McCoy finished up this iconic trio with a personality which sat somewhere between the other two. Sulu and Chekov navigated the iconic starship onward into uncharted regions of space. And of course, Uhura was level-headed, intelligent, and compassionate.

As a young girl, seeing someone like Lieutenant Uhura as an officer on the bridge was captivating. As she often was the first voice heard by many hailed ships, stations, and planets, her role as Communications Officer emphasized the importance of language. While it’s never specially discussed in the original series, the much more recent Strange New Worlds told us that prior to joining Starfleet, Uhura had learned no less than 37 Earth languages and wished to expand her knowledge to non-Earth communication as well. While this is a slight retroactive continuity to Nichelle’s original portrayal (we all remember the scene in The Undiscovered Country where she could barely speak Klingon, right?) I also think it’s a beautiful expansion of the character.

Mirror continued on page 110

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Election 2022

The general national election is on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. National elections are always on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.

Here are important dates for the states in Saathee’s coverage region: You can find your state’s information by going to Ballotpedia.org and entering the name in the search box.

North Carolina

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 14, 2022. By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 14, 2022. Online: Oct. 14, 2022

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 1, 2022; By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2022; Online: Nov. 1, 2022

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022; By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 8, 2022

Is early voting available to all voters? Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates? October 20, 2022 to November 5, 2022

On Election Day, the polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Info: Ncsbe.gov.

South Carolina

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 7, 2022; By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2022; Online: Oct. 9, 2022

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters? No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 28, 2022; By mail: Received by Oct. 28, 2022

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022

By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Is early voting available to all voters? Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates? Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 5, 2022

On Election Day, the polls are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Info: Scvotes.gov.

Georgia

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 11, 2022; By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2022; Online: Oct. 11, 2022

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 28, 2022; By mail: Received by Oct. 28, 2022; Online: Oct. 28, 2022

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022; By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Is early voting available to all voters? Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates? Oct. 17, 2022 to Nov. 4, 2022

On Election Day, the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Info: Georgia.gov/voting.

Source: Ballotpedia.org

Some numbers...

In the U.S. Senate, 34 of the 100 seats are up for regular election. Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the 34 regular elections in 2022 will begin their six-year terms on January 3, 2023.

State judicial elections, 2022. A total of 382 appellate court seats are up for election in 2022. This includes: 84 supreme court seats and 298 intermediate appellate court seats.

In North Carolina, the contested seats: US Senate one seat, US House all 14 seats, including one new seat gained due to population growth in 2020 census. State Senate all 50 seats. State house all 120 seats.

State executive offices up for election in 2022 include 36 gubernatorial seats, 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 30 attorney general seats, and 27 secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there are 307 state executive seats up for election across 44 states in 2022.

Dilip Barman

Linda Green Kim Johnson

The Language of Dance

Adult Dance Student by Preethi Sriram

As I continue to learn more about Classical Indian Dance, I am realizing how it seems to be its own “language family.”

Language is a portal to the mind and to the thoughts and emotions of others. It is a way to share information and ideas. Having knowledge of one language can be beneficial for sharing feelings amongst a group of people who may understand the same language.

Bilingualism and Multilingualism can have individual benefits and can help to make a person be able to think and share ideas to different groups. By learning and understanding a new language as well as understanding the structure, it feels like a way to “open” one’s mind and allows for “multidirectional” thinking. Being bilingual or understanding the concepts of bilingualism/multilingualism teaches a life lesson as well: there can be more than one way to say a sentence, just like there can be more than one perspective.

But what if words are not enough - or someone is not able to communicate through words? How can communication occur? Maybe hand gestures could be the language used instead of words.

When learning about the history of modern sign language evolution from an online search, its beginnings can be seen from when monks had taken a vow of silence.

Because they still had to communicate, they thus created a rudimentary way of “speaking” to each other. In the 1500s, a Spanish Benedictine Monk took these signs to teach deaf students in Spain, which created a path for the inception of the formal sign language. Sign language helped in opening another “portal” to those who may not have been able to speak, and prior to the creation of the language, it was hard for those who were not able to speak to participate in society effectively.

Parallels to sign language can be seen in the Classical Indian Dance Forms. An aspect of the dance that I have been learning more in depth is the hand gestures, which can be seen as analogous to sign language. These signs can then be used to help tell a story.

Each sign can be thought of as a “word.” Each word put together makes a sentence, and each sentence can be made into multiple sentences/stories. The dance hand gestures follow a similar concept.

There are Single Hand Gestures (Asamyuktha hasta), double hand gestures (Samyuktha hasta), and many “intermediate” hand gestures (Viniyoga Hasta) and gestures to denote the various divinities (Devatha hasta). Thus, the hand gestures taught within Indian Classical Dance have parallels that can be seen to the “family” of sign language.

While many may be familiar with the concepts of hand gestures within classical dance, there are many more parts

Adult Dance Student continued on page 90

Spot the Differences

See if you can spot the 15 differences between the original photo below and modified one on right. Answers are on page 104.

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Generational Financial Literacy and Well Being

Personal Finances

by Mo Vidwans

April is National Financial Literacy month. I realize that we are nowhere near that right now, the only reason for me to mention it is that overall, the community in general and financial community, have felt the need to recognize the deficiency in such literacy.

We need to understand the missing element of lack of literacy in financial matters. During April, there are lots of activities that happen in that month just to get people to get involved, get educated, get to pass the word to as many as one can. But this type of financial literacy is useful the whole year. When you consider many of the aspects of financial matters and literacy, they are a wake-up call for many.

One big aspect of financial literacy is retirement readiness. Out of more than 1200 adults ages 60 to 75, who were surveyed and quizzed by The American College New York Life Center for Retirement Income, just 5 percent scored the equivalent of a B grade or higher; worse yet, nearly three quarter of the respondents failed this quiz. What was on the quiz? Topics include when to claim Social Security, the relationship between yields and risk and more questions about annuity, long term care, Medicaid, and Medicare.

There was nothing much out of the ordinary but the results were outright disheartening because every one of us, undoubtedly, will be dealing with such subjects at some point in our lives. And I would think that we should be knowledgeable enough so that we can talk smartly with people who may be handling our finances, money and assets.

Results of such quizzes beg the questions of not only how to educate the adults who are not conversant with such subjects but, even more importantly, when and how to start educating our next generation.

The simple and logical answer is sooner the better. But how soon? Should it be when our next generation starts working or when they enter college or in high school or even earlier than that? It makes sense to think that the sooner we

educate our children with the idea of handling the money the better it would be. But for all this to happen we must make separate efforts, take time away from our busy and hectic schedules, understanding that there will not be immediate visible results but may be ideas will sink in which will manifest themselves later. We may have to wait for the victory lap which will be OK if we just know that such education is sinking in.

I remember when my children were growing up, I sure could not spend enough time with them for such literacy efforts even though I knew it needed to be done. Somehow, though, there was enough conversation around the dinner table and other dealings that plenty of knowledge got passed on. Part of the reason why I could not do enough was because, being an immigrant, I was learning many things for the first time myself.

Now I notice that my son-in-law is working with his daughter who will be seven soon, to open an account with Charles Schwab with her Petsitting money and they discuss where the money should be invested. Of course, in her mind it is to be invested where her immediate world is, like Disney, McDonalds, Pokémon or dresses or toys. But the fact is that she is making the connection between her surroundings and her interests today via investments.

Peter Lynch, the well-known manager of the Magellan Fund of Fidelity, was running that fund in the 70s and 80s and was following the same sort of philosophy. His teenage daughters at the time were always talking about certain stores for clothes and other teenage amenities and he decided to follow that instinct and invested in those new companies after doing serious research (Book: One up on Wall Street). Needless to say, Magellan was growing at the time at a hefty rate.

Financial Literacy should start as early as possible and the best place for it is at home; like mathematics, we need a teacher to learn about finances.

It is left up to us, the parents, to initiate such activity so that children understand the importance of saving and then long-term investing. Also, there is no better time to understand the concept of “compounding” than at a young age, if nothing else one can see the results of such thinking within a few years. Small starting amounts can grow to large sums when invested in a disciplined manner over a sufficient long period of time. I should also say that Debt has the opposite impact on wealth. Fail to pay down the principal and the interest paid on interest will drag you into a bigger hole.

Luckily, there is plenty of help available if someone is serious about educating the young ones in financial matters. Many high schools have programs just for that reason. There are well known contests in which students can participate

Personal Finances continued on page

The Trojan Horse

Raajeev’s Corner by Raajeev Aggerwhil

In the 1970’s, my father was traveling to the US often. He was practically living in San Francisco, 11 months out of a year, making his yearly pilgrimage to India. He decided to outsource the care of me and my brother to our mom in India. My mom was an economics high school teacher. Because of her busy schedule, she outsourced our care to our live-in helper, Bankay. My mom’s brother and his family were living in the house, so it was an extended joint family.

My uncle acted like a de facto father figure for my brother and me. We would look up to him 11 months out of a year, when our father was not around. He was a chain smoker, consuming two packs of Panama cigarettes every day. He could be annoying at times, because rather than covering his smoke-induced cough, he would unknowingly cough on top of our heads. He would also often come home drunk every few months, his incoherent speech and movements, still vivid in my mind. My father on the other hand, despite his stay in the US, was a teetotaler.

Despite his shortcomings, my uncle was our role model. He was helping my father in the import-export business, taking care of the export part from India. He knew how to deal with the suppliers of brass carriage lamps, paper mache pill boxes, and paper kites. He would negotiate with the rickshaw-wallas by insulting them if they asked for more money than the standard fare, “Dimag Kharab hai Kya? Are you out of your mind?” In his previous job, he acted as a general contractor, so he knew how to deal with the

construction workers and get the job done. We looked up to him for his leadership qualities.

With his and my aunt’s presence, and their two children, we had a house full of activities. Our two cousins were a few years younger than us, but my brother and I would play with them. Festivals like Diwali, Holi, Dusshera, and Raksha Bandhan were celebrated with our dozens of other cousins, friends, uncles, and aunts who lived near our house in Old Delhi. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, Diwali usually is in October. Our Diwali did not follow the Hindu lunar calendar because it depended on whenever our father would come from the US. He would mostly come in August or September and prior to his arrival we would get the house cleaned and freshly painted.

On his annual trip to India, my father would bring two big suitcases filled with his business samples, such as incense sticks, brass beads, and Korean-made plastic dragon kites with long tails. In addition he would bring his personal clothes and gifts for all of us, including extended family members. I remember one suitcase would sit on the living room floor, which resembled a giant chess board with alternating black and white squares. The other suitcase would be in the adjacent room with a similar chess board pattern, except the tiles were red and white. We never questioned the aesthetics of those designs. We never knew if those new floors were added after my father had bought the house or they came as is. We just felt lucky to have a roof over our heads.

After a couple of hours of listening to our dad’s in-person podcast of his stay in the US, progress in business and politics in India, we would start the ritual of opening the suitcases.

Raajeev’s Corner continued on

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Festival of India

U.S. Delivers Aid to Pakistan

U.S. service members are providing critical support to humanitarian efforts in Pakistan in response to catastrophic flooding that has displaced millions of people.

U.S. Central Command flights had delivered more than 400 metric tons of relief supplies as of September 12, 2022 from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s warehouse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to meet the immediate needs of people affected by the floods.

Centcom Airlift Support delivered: 41,220 Kitchen sets; 1,500 Rolls of plastic sheeting; 35,000 Plastic tarps; and 8,700 Shelter-fixing kits

The supplies Centcom delivers are expected to help more than 300,000 people with shelter and household needs.

is rooted in South Asia’s classical music, raga, which is unique in that specific modes are only played at specific times during the day.

The entire event will be broadcast on WKCR- FM, where it began as a 50 musician, in-studio broadcast in 2012.

The eclectic programming includes the New York premiere of the Baul performer Parvathy Baul, master of the Iraqi maqam Hamid AlSaadi, ambient modular synth explorations from Kroba and a tribute to Ali Akbar Khan on his centennial featuring his son Manik Khan. At least a dozen more artists will also perform.

The live festival will take place within an immersive installation by film and video artist Charles Atlas, on a bespoke stage designed by artist Mika Tajima in collaboration with Chadha Ranch.

For full details, visit Ragaslive.com.

The 26th annual Festival of India took place on Saturday, August 27 2022 in uptown Charlotte. The festival is organized by the India Assoc. of Charlotte, a nonprofit cultural organization established to serve the growing Indian American Community in the Charlotte area. The festival presented myriad performances on stages inside and outside, arts and crafts exhibitions, vendors, and lots of delicious food.

Ragas Live Festival 2022

The Ragas Live Festival will stage a return as a 24-hour live event at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works in October, after having presented one of the most ambitious and successful virtual events of the pandemic.

Presented by Pioneer Works in collaboration with Brooklyn Raga Massive and the Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia, Ragas Live will take place from October 22 (8pm) to October 23 (8pm).

Featured artists will include Parvathy Baul, Hamid AlSaadi, Manik Khan, and Mysore Brothers. This will be a 24-hour celebration of transcendent, spiritual music. Ragas Live Festival

North Carolina Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2022

The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame marks another historical year as it announces its 2022 class with five new inductees to be installed into its Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony to honor each music artist is held annually as the Hall of Fame’s event to commemorate the musical legacy of the state’s greatest music makers. Those to be inducted are: Nnenna Freelon, Janet Paschal, Stephanie Mills, Bernard Edwards, and Charlie Poole.

The induction ceremony is open to the public and will take place on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at the historic Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, NC. The ceremony will include appearances by inductees and live performances.

The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame’ mission is to recognize, promote, and commemorate musicians, singers, songwriters, and producers from the state of North Carolina. The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame has a museum located in Kannapolis, NC. Learn more at: NorthCarolinaMusicHallOfFame.org.

Ghazal aur Kalaam Fundraiser

An impactful fundraiser event by Indian Philanthropists for the cause of Ukraine. Ghazal aur Halaam, an Evening of Light Ghazals and Shayari, was held on Sunday, August 21, 2022 at the Booth Playhouse, uptown Charlotte. The show raised close to $50,000 for the cause of Ukraine. As the unjustified war in Ukraine disrupted the lives of many Ukrainian families, leaving behind nothing but the rubble of dust and devastation, it also displaced millions. A group of philanthropists of Indian origin called “Rise to Raise” (R2R) came together for the cause of supporting the Ukrainian refugee families in Charlotte whose lives were turned upside down in Ukraine early this year. R2R, along with their partner, the UIC forum, are working closely with local Ukrainian community volunteers to coordinate practical support to help meet the immediate needs of the Ukrainian refugees as they arrive. The fundraiser was organized by Dr. Harmohan Singh, Dr. Jasleen Gill, and Anitha Gowtam.

The event focused on connoisseurs of Urdu-Hindi poetry, Indian light classical music, and literature and called to action several physicians, technology leaders, business heads, and influencers for donations. The show was attended by nearly 290 people.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal Attends Meeting of the IPEF

a total of fourteen participating founding member nations, with the late entry of Fiji, the first South Pacific Island to join, with an open invitation for other countries to join at any time.

Biden described the initiative as “writing the new rules for the 21st century economy,” stating that the agreement would make the participant’s economies “grow faster and fairer”.

India will Host FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup 2022

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 is scheduled to be held in India between October 11 – 30, 2022. The seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be the first-ever FIFA women’s competition to be hosted by India. Carrying on the positive legacy from the FIFA Under-17 Men’s World Cup 2017, the nation is preparing for a seminal moment for women’s football when the best young female footballers from across the world will be showcasing their skills to lift the coveted trophy.

The FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup is a prestigious event and it will encourage more youngsters to participate in sports and help develop the sport of football in India. The event will not only promote football as sport of choice among Indian girls, but is also poised to leave a lasting legacy that will facilitate girls and women in the country to embrace football and sports in general.

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal attended the first in-person Ministerial meeting of the IPEF in Los Angeles on September 9, 2022. Interacting with media on the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Ministerial Meeting, Goyal assured that India will take decisions on different aspects of the frameworks of IPEF based on national interest.

He said that there have been useful engagements with the 14 members of the IPEF and added that the officials from member nations had worked very hard to prepare ground for such fruitful interactions. He expressed hope that in a day’s time, IPEF would finalize a framework within which member nations could interact on different areas of mutual interest.

Goyal also held a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on the side-lines of IPEF Ministerial meeting in Los Angeles.

Speaking of the meetings with his US counterparts in the media interaction, Goyal said that the meeting with them was very and favorable towards expanding trade and investment including in high-tech areas and wishing to further the resilient supply chains between the two nations, he said.

IPEF is an economic initiative launched by United States President Joe Biden on May 23, 2022. The framework launched with

The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is the world championship for female players under or upto the age of 17, organized by FIFA. The event started in 2008 and is traditionally held in even-numbered years. Spain is the current champion of FIFA Under17 Women’s World Cup. FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 will be the 7th edition of the tournament in which 16 teams, including India, will participate. India hosted the FIFA Under-17 Men’s World Cup India-2017.

NYIFF 2023 Submissions are Now Open

The New York Indian Film Festival is North America’s oldest film festival which features cinema from India, and the Indian Diaspora. Presented by the IndoAmerican Arts Council, NYIFF celebrates alternative, independent cinema from the global Indian community. The festival is dedicated to providing filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals a platform to showcase their work, as well as creating an environment where filmmakers may exchange

eFax: 704-973-7935 anup@desaillp.com

ideas with one another, and interact with discerning and diverse audiences, journalists, and aficionados. NYIFF is now accepting submissions from filmmakers. The 23rd Annual New York Indian Film Festival will be held in April 2023 where the chosen films will be screened. For more information visit: Iaac.us.

U.S.-India 2+2 Intersessional and Maritime Security Dialogues

deferring their removal and allowing them an opportunity to access a renewable, two-year work permit. Since its inception in 2012, DACA has allowed over 800,000 young people to remain in the only country many of them have ever known, with their families.

“Today, we are taking another step to do everything in our power to preserve and fortify DACA, an extraordinary program that has transformed the lives of so many Dreamers,” said Mayorkas. “Thanks to DACA, we have been enriched by young people who contribute so much to our communities and our country. Yet, we need Congress to pass legislation that provides an enduring solution for the young Dreamers who have known no country other than the United States as their own.”

The rule continues the DACA policy as announced in the 2012 Napolitano Memorandum and is based on longstanding USCIS practice. The rule embraces the consistent judgment that has been maintained by the Department—and by three presidential administrations since the policy first was announced—that DACA recipients should not be a priority for removal.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Dr. Ely Ratner co-chaired the sixth U.S.-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue in New Delhi on September 7, 2022, alongside Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, Additional Secretary Vani Rao of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Colonel Shailender Arya of the Indian Ministry of Defense. Assistant Secretary Ratner, Assistant Secretary Lu, and senior Indian officials subsequently chaired the fifth Maritime Security Dialogue, last held in 2019 in Monterey.

The 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue advanced an ambitious set of initiatives across the breadth of the U.S.-India partnership, including defense and security, science and technology, climate, public health, trade, and people-topeople ties. On the defense side, Assistant Secretary Ratner and his counterparts discussed a range of leading regional security issues, including recent developments in East Asia. The officials also reviewed progress toward operationalizing major bilateral initiatives on information-sharing, defense industrial cooperation, and joint service engagements to support combined, multi-domain operations. They committed to expanding cooperation in new domains such as space, cyber, artificial intelligence, and other defense technology areas.

During the Maritime Security Dialogue on September 8, 2022, the U.S. and Indian officials discussed ways to expand U.S.-India collaboration both bilaterally and with likeminded nations, including Australia, Japan, and European partners. They identified new opportunities to coordinate capacity-building activities in South and Southeast Asia, deepen logistics cooperation, and drive forward high-end Navy-to-Navy cooperation to address challenges, including in the undersea domain.

DHS Issues Regulation to Preserve and Fortify DACA

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas last month announced that the Department has issued a final rule that will preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy for certain eligible noncitizens who arrived in the United States as children,

A product of careful review and in response to the more than 16,000 comments received during the public comment period, the final review codifies existing DACA policy, with limited changes, and replaces the DACA policy guidance set forth in the 2012 Napolitano memorandum. The final rule:

•Maintains the existing threshold criteria for DACA;

•Retains the existing process for DACA requestors to seek work authorization; and

•Affirms the longstanding policy that DACA is not a form of lawful status but that DACA recipients, like other deferred action recipients, are considered “lawfully present” for certain purposes.

For more information, visit USCIS.gov

Correction:

A news item about India’s new President Droupadi Murmu in our September issue stated that she is the first Dalit Indian President. That was not correct. The article should have said she is the first person from a marginalized tribal community to serve as the President of India.

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Samir Shukla’s Newsletter

Upcoming Hindu Center Events & Activities:

NAVRATRI: Garba - September 26th thru October 4th in temple;

Ashtami Havan: Oct 3rd; Dashera: Oct 5th;

Sharad Purnima: October 9th; Children’s Garba: October 16th

Karva Chauth: October 13th, Thursday

Dhan Teras: October 22nd, Saturday

Kali Chaudas: October 23rd, Sunday

Diwali / Mahavir Nirvana day: October 24th, Monday

Annakut / Govardhan Pooja / New Year: October 26th, Wednesday

Diwali Cultural Show: October 29th, Saturday (Diwali Dinner Cancelled)

Tulsi Vivah: November 5th, Saturday

Karthik Poornima Deepotsavam: November 8th, Tuesday

Balaji Anniversary: December 10th, Saturday

Gita Jayanti: December 17th, Sunday

New Year’s Day - Tiruppavda Seva: January 1st, Sunday

by Taige Shukla

Ingredients Directions

For Batter

1 cup gram flour (Besan)

1 cup yogurt (dahi)

2 cups water

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp salt

For Tempering (Vhagar)

2 tbsp oil

1 green chili pepper, cut into 4 pieces

1 tsp mustard seeds

1-2 tbsp Sesame seeds

1-2 tsp hing (optional)

1 sprig curry leaves (optional)

Optional: Garnish with cilantro and grated coconut

Khandvi

Happy October Saathee Fam! Not sure how fall is already here, but it is, and I am so excited!! October is probably my favorite month of the year, it’s when the leaves start changing, the crisp fall air starts to roll in and our favorite comfort recipes start resurfacing! For most, these recipes tend to involve some sort of pumpkin element, but we’re going to mix it up this time around with one of my favorite Gujarati snacks, khandvi! Personally, I consider khandvi a comfort food because it was one of my favorite dishes to watch my grandma, Amma, make when I was growing up. Of course, the best part was helping her roll it up! Today, I can still say the most satisfying part is rolling up the khandvi.

As mentioned, khandvi is a popular snack/ appetizer that originated in the regions of Gujarat and Maharashtra, now popular throughout India. Made up of gram flour and dahi (yogurt) it’s one of the healthier savory snacks you can find, and so delicious when served with tempered spices or chutney! So, when whipping out your pumpkin treats this October, give one of my favorite “comfort” foods a try too, I guarantee it will become a new snack staple this Fall.

Special thanks to Amma (Charu Shukla)

Servings: 10 - 14 pieces Prep Time: 30 min

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Start by prepping the batter. Add all batter ingredients to a blender and mix until well combined. The batter should have a watery consistency at this point.

Heat batter mixture until thickened. This can be done on a stovetop or in the microwave. If using a stovetop, add batter mixture to a pan and whisk on medium heat until the batter begins to thicken, about 5 minutes or so. If using a microwave, transfer batter mixture to a microwavable bowl and heat for about 2 minutes at a time. Remove the bowl after each round and whisk until smooth. Note: there should be no lumps in the batter. Continue this process until the batter is thickened and ready to use. About 5 minutes total in the microwave. Hint: to test if the batter is ready, spread a small amount on a flat surface and let cool, if it’s easy to roll it’s ready to go!

Next, make the rolls. For this portion, it’s important not to let the batter cool down too much, otherwise it will be very difficult to spread. On a flat pan, baking sheet, silicon mat or plate, start spreading the batter in a thin layer, forming a rectangular shape. Once all batter has been spread, let cool completely, about 5 mins. Once cool, using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into equal strips then gently roll each strip tightly to form the Khandvi. Set aside.

Now time to temper. Start by adding oil and mustard seeds to a small pan and let cook until they start to crackle, then add in the remaining tempering ingredients. Cook until the ingredients begin to slightly brown.

Finally, pour the tempered ingredients over the khandvi rolls and top with cilantro and coconut. Best served immediately/ warm. Khandvi can also be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days and be served both hot or cold. Enjoy!

Palm Oil continued from page 36

[USD 38] and soybean costs around 2,700 [USD 34],” says Sagar Nandagudi, CEO of Nandagudi Oils and Agro Industries, a company based in Karnataka that refines and sells palm oil to wholesalers.

Professor Shankar says other oils may not ever be as cheap, but when palm oil’s health and environmental implications are taken into account, there is a compelling argument for having a range of oils in the food system.

“Such diversification is also good for resilience against shocks,” Shankar adds. “We are seeing the fallout of the Ukraine war resulting in soaring sunflower oil, and consequently, palm oil prices, which are suddenly making it much less affordable. If we have a diversity of oils thriving in the system, the shock to a particular oil is cushioned.”

Dietary debates: Palm oil, red palm oil and vitamin A

In India, palm oil has often been touted as the cure-all food for vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A can help maintain vision, strengthen the immune system and support bone health. Deficiency in it is common in developing countries and among preschool children in India.

In its severe form, it can lead to stunted growth and blindness.

Carotenoids are pigments that gives plants, fruits and vegetables bright coloring. One such, beta-carotene, the body can convert into vitamin A. In its unprocessed form, crude palm oil derived from the flesh of the fruit contains 500–700 parts per million of carotenes. But carotenoids are removed from palm oil during the conventional refining process.

Red palm oil, by contrast, is a less heavily processed version that retains 70 percent to 90 percent of the betacarotene content. Palm oil refiners say it is not marketable, as the red color may be less appealing to consumers, given its association with food additives.

It has “not taken off for commercial sale” explains Manorama Kamireddy, former principal scientist at the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research.

Unlike India, Malaysia has two major brands that produce red palm oil. They are Carotino, a mix of red palm oil and canola, and Harvist, which is 100 percent red palm oil, according to Rachel Tan Choon Hui, a professor in applied sciences at UCSI University Kuala Lumpur. She authored a recent review on improved refining processes for palm oil and supports the notion that red palm oil is a better option to counter vitamin A deficiency. She echoes references to red palm oil’s “mild” processing and its retention of carotenoids.

BV Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) of India, an organization that represents the edible oil industry, expands on why the market remains small. “There is a lack of awareness among consumers about the beta-carotene content in red palm oil and its other health advantages,” Mehta explains. “For example, everyone knows about the health benefits of olive oil in India, and people are willing to pay for it. It’s about three things: awareness, affordability and marketing. That’s the only difference.”

Palm oil, cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases

A range of conflicting information has spread, both in India and beyond, on the implications of palm oil consumption for cardiovascular health, much of it providing few citations or authoritative sources. By some accounts, palm oil can cause heart disease; by others, it reverses heart disease.

Many report that palm oil consumption increases cholesterol levels, while others say it does not. Such fervent debate is not likely to be settled swiftly, but a closer look at what palm oil consists of can be instructive.

Kamireddy says that some fatty acids contained in palm oil, such as oleic acid and linoleic acid “are not harmful and protect from developing cardiovascular diseases”. But, she says, palm oil offers no benefit over and above other commonly used vegetable oils in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Dr Hemalatha echoes this, but says palm oil is no better than other types of vegetable oils regarding cholesterol. She mentions a 2019 analysis of several trials, conducted between 1975 and 2018, which showed that palm oil consumption did not alter cholesterol levels much more than other vegetable oils.

However, according to a 2015 American Society for Nutrition study, despite the presence of potentially beneficial acids, palm oil’s high saturated fat content means that, overall, its consumption can contribute to a higher cholesterol level, and thus raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The society advises reductions in palm oil use in favour of other oils lower in saturated fats.

A 2016 study conducted by the Institute of Home Economics at the University of Delhi and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, compared the saturated fat content of various edible oils, demonstrating the higher presence in palm oil of long-chain saturated fatty acids; these acids, such as palmitic acid and stearic acid, are known to contribute more to cardiovascular inflammation and fat storage than other saturated fats.

The study’s authors recommend moving away from dependence on palm oil towards a mixture of edible oils in the diet, and even blending oils in cooking.

Most experts consulted echoed this conclusion, with many underlining the importance of increasing the diversity of oils consumed.

“Since complete dependence on a single vegetable oil may not provide the optimal balance of all the fatty acids, ICMR-NIN recommends consuming a variety of vegetable oils, including palm oil,” Hemalatha said.

Vitally, experts say, all oils should be consumed as part of a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle.

This article was originally published on The Third Pole under the Creative Commons BY NC ND license.

Read more at: thethirdpole.net

Eye Care

from page 40

But he warned that private equity companies’ quest to maximize profitability runs the risk of compromising patient care.

“The problems are accumulating and driving up prices,” added Aditi Sen, director of research and policy at the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute, which provides data and analysis about the economics of health care.

Yashaswini Singh, a health economist at Johns Hopkins University, and her colleagues analyzed private equity acquisitions in ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and dermatology and found that practices charged insurance an extra 20 percent, or an average of $71, more after the acquisition. Private equity-owned practices also saw a substantial rise in new patients and more frequent returns by old patients, according to their research, published Sept. 2 in the JAMA medical journal.

A KHN analysis also found that private equity firms are investing in the offices of doctors who prescribe at high rates two of the most common macular degeneration eye drugs, meaning the doctors are likely seeing high volumes of patients and thus are more profitable.

KHN analyzed the top 30 prescribers of the macular degeneration eye drugs Avastin and Lucentis in 2019 through a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services database. Private equity companies went on to invest in 23 percent of the top Avastin prescribers, and 43 percent of the top Lucentis prescribers — far higher than the 8 percent of ophthalmologists in which private equity currently holds a stake. Retina Consultants of America, for example, has invested in the practices of four of the top Avastin prescribers, and nine of the top Lucentis prescribers.

“The private equity model is a model that focuses on profitability, and we know they are not selecting practices randomly,” Sen said.

She noted that the volume of patients would be attractive to private equity, as well as the idea of investing in practices utilizing expensive Lucentis prescriptions, which cost roughly $1,300 an injection. Furthermore, she said, after being acquired by private equity, doctors could potentially change their prescription habits from the cheaper Avastin that costs about $40 to Lucentis – improving the bottom line.

Retina Consultants of America did not respond to requests for comment.

Last summer, Craig Johnson, then 74, decided it was finally time to have cataract surgery to fix his deteriorating eyes. He decided to go to CVP Physicians in Cincinnati, calling it “the cream of the crop locally for having eye surgery” as they do “100 a day.” The practice was already part of a private equity investment but has since been acquired by another investor, behemoth EyeCare Partners, for $600 million.

Johnson, while happy with the results of his surgery, did not know about the manual cutting version of the surgery — the cheaper but just as effective alternative to using a laser. Johnson was using private insurance because he was still working, and he said that resulted in over $2,000 outof-pocket charges for each eye. Laser surgery typically costs more than manual and may not be covered by insurance

plans, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Johnson explained that a salesperson, as well as a physician, walked him through options to improve his eyesight.

“Seniors are a vulnerable population because they’re on a fixed income, they’re a little older, they trust you … you’re wearing a white coat,” said Dr. Arvind Saini, an ophthalmologist who runs an independent practice in California’s San Diego County.

Many patients have no idea whether private equity investors have a stake in the practices they choose because they are often referred to them by another doctor or are having an eye emergency.

David Zielenziger, 70, felt lucky to get a quick appointment at one of Vitreoretinal Consultants of NY’s practices after his retina detached. Zielenziger, a former business journalist, didn’t know it was associated with Retina Consultants of America. He loved his doctor and had no complaints about the emergency care he received — and continued to go there for follow-ups. Medicare covered just about everything, he said.

“It’s a very busy practice,” he said, noting that it has expanded to more locations, which must be making the investors happy.

In 2018, Michael Kroin co-founded Physician Growth Partners, a group that helps doctors sell their practices to private equity firms, to capitalize on the explosion of interest. Eye care is one of the largest areas of investment, he said, because the specialty health care services apply to such a broad market of people.

Sixteen of the 25 private equity firms identified by industry tracker PitchBook as the biggest health care investors have bought stakes in optometry and ophthalmology practices, a KHN analysis found.

Kroin expects private equity investment in practices will only continue to accelerate because of competition from the “1,000-pound gorilla” of hospitals that also are acquiring practices and as the bureaucracy of insurance reimbursement forces more physicians to seek outside help. “If you’re not growing, it’s going to be tough to survive and make a similar level of income as you had historically,” he said.

Some health care experts worry that private equity companies could eventually be left holding an overly leveraged bag if other firms don’t want to buy the practices they’ve invested in, which could lead to the closures of those practices and ultimately even more consolidation.

“I’m not sure that most physician practices are so inefficient that you can get 20 percent more profit out of them,” said Dr. Lawrence Peter Casalino, chief of the division of health policy and economics at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Population Health Sciences. And, he said, investors count on reselling to a buyer who will pay more than what they paid. “If that doesn’t work, the whole thing unravels.”

KHN investigative reporter Fred Schulte contributed to this article.

Article Courtesy of Kaiser Health News, visit khn.org.

NASA Pursues Astronaut Lunar Landers for Future Artemis Moon Missions

NASA is seeking proposals for sustainable lunar lander development and demonstration as the agency works toward a regular cadence of Moon landings. Through Artemis missions, NASA is preparing to return humans to the Moon, including the first woman and first person of color, for long-term scientific discovery and exploration.

Under the solicitation, Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development, NASA has provided requirements for companies interested in developing and demonstrating astronaut Moon landers. These efforts will pave the way for multiple companies to provide recurring Moon landing services beyond the Artemis III mission, which is planned for no earlier than 2025.

Companies selected under this contract will be required to perform one uncrewed and one crewed lunar landing demonstration. NASA will certify any lander system to meet its requirements prior to the crewed demonstration mission(s).

“Work done under this solicitation, in addition to current lander development and studies taking place, will help build the foundation for long-term deep space exploration,” said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

“Partnering with American companies to do that work now allows us to leverage NASA’s knowledge and expertise to encourage technological innovations for a sustained presence at the Moon.”

The final call for proposals comes after NASA incorporated industry feedback on the draft solicitation, released March 31, encouraging companies to send

comments to help shape a key component of the agency’s human exploration Artemis architecture. NASA also hosted a virtual industry day in April to present an overview of the solicitation and to provide companies an opportunity to ask clarifying questions and provide comments.

NASA’s existing contract with SpaceX includes both an uncrewed and a crewed lunar landing demonstration that is part of the Artemis III mission, marking humanity’s first return to the Moon in more than 50 years.

The agency plans to exercise an option under this contract, known as Option B, asking the company to evolve its current Artemis III Starship Human Landing System design to meet an extended set of requirements for sustaining missions at the Moon and conduct another crewed demonstration landing.

These concurrent sustaining lander development efforts will meet NASA’s needs for recurring, long-term access to the lunar surface, such as the ability to dock with Gateway for crew transfer, accommodate an increased crew size, and deliver more mass to the surface.

NASA’s Artemis efforts include sending a suite of new science instruments and technology demonstrations to study the Moon, landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, and more. The agency will leverage its Artemis experiences and technologies to prepare for the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

Proposals for the sustainable lunar lander development and demonstration are due Nov. 15.

For more information about this procurement, visit: Nasa.gov/nextstep/humanlander4.

Artist’s illustration of an Artemis astronaut stepping from a Moon lander onto the lunar surface / Credits: NASA

Namaskar continued from page 42

And now about the “second world” countries made up of “communist nations regarded in the latter part of the 20th century as a political and economic bloc.” The infrequent use of this category is perhaps due to the perception that these places are shrouded in mystery and in the absence of free exchange of information, we build ideas that may be worse than actuality. Villains on the silver screen and novels are conveniently from these parts of the world, contributing to the negative associations. And until we receive a warm welcome to visit and explore these nations, it will be hard to experience the current reality.

From these labels, one would assume that the goal is to progress to the first world category and imitation of all its practices is desirable. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As most immigrants would attest, there are no absolutes, and no place is perfect. Before I arrived in the USA, I had imagined it to be a place of prosperity and openness. Poverty has been increasing visibly around us in the Charlotte area just as crime has. Homeless people holding signs that plead for help is being spotted at more and more traffic intersections. The disease of prejudice and closedminded attitudes is eating away at the justice system and ruining political conversations. And heavy industrialization has been a bane for our environment. A prime example being the dumping of coal ash in Lake Norman by power plants that has probably risked the health of the local population. Its adverse effects will unfortunately last for a long time. Additionally, not all wealthy nations are considered safe. Pickpocketing in popular tourist destinations like Barcelona and Paris and crass bottom pinching behavior by Italians is not to be emulated.

Contrary to popular belief, first world countries could seek solutions for their current problems in third world cultures. Studying conservation, ancient healing techniques and health practices, to name a few, are a good place to start. In this context, California’s current climate crisis comes to mind. Amidst record high temperatures and unrelenting heat waves, there is a risk of introducing rolling blackouts. Tied to old habits, majority of Californians could struggle with a sudden reduction in their household electricity usage. People from Kolkata are probably very familiar with “load shedding” since there were deliberate power outages in West Bengal to conserve energy for decades. Even in Mumbai, where blackouts were rare, we were disciplined about switching off lights and fans when we left a room, as electricity was expensive unlike the US where we tend to get careless about power usage. Our give and take with nature must be proportionate or we will be forced to face harsh consequences. In fact, living in harmony with nature is best learned from indigenous tribes that have not assimilated into what we consider a modern society.

It would be wise to remember that we are all inhabitants of the same planet, and one should not only learn from one another but also be appropriately wary in every land. Don’t judge a book by its cover or a nation by its “label” because that would be dunderheaded, aka stupid.

Shyama Parui

is a long time North Carolina resident and an ardent writer. You can reach her at: shyamashree_parui@hotmail.com

Personal Finances continued from page 62

to increase their knowledge and speed of doing calculations; and of course, there are plenty of books available if that is the starting point in the minds of the parents. My idea would be to get parents to keep that topic as a central subject at some conversation point once in a while and just expose the children to everything that they need to know. And then don’t be surprised if your child shows, many years later, some form of financial acumen in his/her financial dealings. They are usually soaking up everything.

Mo Vidwans

is an independent, board certified financial planner. For details visit, VidwansFinancial.com, call 984-888-0355 or write to: mpvidwans@yahoo.com

Adult Dance Student continued from page 54

to the dance for the language beyond words/gestures that are important in communication.

The language of the body and expressions are an important feature of Indian classical dance as well. For instance, expressions are taught for how to convey a mood or “Rasa” of a dance. Without words, how does the face/eyes convey Love? How to convey compassion? What would the eyebrows do if one is angry?

In Tamil literature, there was a five-year-old boy called Urutticanaman who cannot speak, but when he hears the correct commentary of the sutras or teachings, tears fall from his eyes, and from his body, his hairs will stand like goosebumps.

His expressions could bring parallels to “abhinaya” of the dance or the aspect of the dance where expressions are used to help with the story telling. Urutticanaman was expressing concepts within expressions known as “Saatvika Bhava” by displaying bodily goosebumps and having tears fall from his eyes.

With the combination of hand gestures, body language, and keeping rhythm with the musicians, the dancer can then convey the language of storytelling from the comprehensive usage of their body.

When learning Classical Indian dance, from a personal perspective, I am learning to be able to communicate in the language of the body which is a portal of communication for understanding the self, communicating to the audience, and to the divinities. It is a way to keep us interconnected to each other and to reach various audiences, who may need different modes of communication.

This series of articles is about the journey and unique insights of an adult dance student learning classical Indian dance. An introduction to the experiences and a perspective of taking classical Indian dance as both an American and an Indian, and how this shapes her personal journey.

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

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My

from page

Introverts have the capability to change the world without words. They just don’t put their capabilities in the spotlight, which leads to people thinking that they don’t have any capabilities. Last year, I tried out improv. My first show was coming up, and I wanted to spread the word to my friends so that they would come to the show. When I told them that I was in improv, they looked at me as if I had just told them that I was part-mongoose. They said, “You’re in improv? But you’re so quiet!”. The next night during the show, I set aside all of their doubts about me being in improv and I made people laugh.

I wasn’t able to make people laugh by putting away my introverted side in a box, and transforming into an extrovert. Instead, I used being an introvert to my advantage. I was creative with my jokes and I crafted well thought out punchlines.

This experience proved to me and my friends that there aren’t certain activities that are only reserved for extroverts, or only for introverts. Introverts have the capability to do any activities that an extrovert can do, while still being themselves.

Shy, aloof, anxious, unsociable. That is often how introverts are thought of in society. Introverts are labeled with a negative connotation. Extroverts, on the other hand, are friendly, action-oriented, and enthusiastic; all words with positive connotations. What we don’t see in society is that we need both of these people in the world to progress as humans. In my group projects during school, the natural leader is always the one who talks the most; it’s an unspoken understanding. Whenever the teacher observes the group discussions during class, all they see is the group leader pouring out ideas. It’s natural for them to assume that that person is doing all the work in the group.

What the teacher doesn’t see, is the person behind the curtain who takes everyone’s opinion into account. They spend hours grammar-checking their group members’ work. They pour their whole heart into creating a poster with wondrous illustrations. They are thoughtful, detailoriented, and creative. These people are introverts, and that shouldn’t be considered a weakness. They have an inner strength within them, and without it present in the group, the whole group will teeter off balance.

I would like to say to all of the introverts reading this: you are important in this world. You don’t have to change yourself in order to be heard, rather, people should change themselves to listen.

Your traits are not your weaknesses. Your traits make up the wonderful person that you are and give you the qualities that other people admire about you. Just because you may not be in the spotlight like some of your peers, does not mean that you are not making a difference in this world. You bring so much joy, creativity, and positivity to this world and you are making the biggest difference than you will ever give yourself credit for.

Sereena Kumar is a freshman at Enloe High School and has a passion for writing. Contact: slkumar@mycomedical.com

Raajeev’s Corner continued from page 66

My father would proudly take the individual items out and pile them in three different categories: business items, his personal clothes, and gifts. The gift pile would be the biggest because there were so many stakeholders.

The gifts rotated every year. One year, there was a red Chevrolet convertible car with a wired remote that my brother and I spent hours navigating on the checkered floors of our rooms. Another year was a steam engine which would emit actual smoke and change directions after bumping into a wall. Then there was Ford car that had a special mechanism preventing it from falling from a table.

One year there was a wine glass that gave the impression that it was half full, but the red wine was inside the two glass coats of the gobbler. We would marvel at the fact that the wine would not spill out and scare relatives by pretending to throw a cup of wine at them. On that same visit, after a couple of days, my brother and I filled up the wine cup with water. When we brought it to the living room, my uncle grabbed it and threw at one of our other relatives, drenching their face and clothes with water!

Another year, my father brought a couple of plastic birds which would fly from one corner of the room to another after you would wind them. Then there was view master with a deck of colored slides with pictures ranging from sites of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, redwood trees. Another deck of slides had views of NASA Apollo Mission.

Besides toys, he would bring brightly colored polyester shirts, bell bottom pants and winter jackets. There were saris made of American Georgette, generic brand lipsticks and large bottles of Intimate perfume by Revlon. My mom would take the perfume out and put them in small generic glass bottles and give them out to relatives.

During my younger years, I used to feel very fortunate that our father lived in the US, and he cared for our family bringing all these wonderful toys and gifts. We considered our childhood as normal as any of our friends from a lower middle-class upbringing. We were too young to even realize that we were deprived in any way. I think the yearly visits of our father with all the toys helped. As I reflect and visualize the image of a large brown polyester suitcase sitting in our living room, I cannot stop comparing it with a Trojan horse where soldiers disguised as toy cars, flying birds and Levi’s jeans would crawl out into our house and blow out any isolation or despair before they actually became sizable.

I can still see the whiskey-colored Revlon Intimate bottle and smell its blended aroma of Rose, Gardenia, Bergamot, and Sandalwood. It took me many years after coming of age to realize that the blended smell of Intimate perfume must have acted like opium to help bring some semblance of normalcy to my mother’s life. I can now understand her pain, frustration, and loneliness being a single mom 11 months out of a year and only be able to share those feelings with her husband through handwritten words expressed on thin light parchment papers from Nai Sarak, the Old Delhi book market. Those thin pink or green translucent sheets of paper were for the sole purpose of saving money on overseas air mail postage. There were no WhatsApp, no text messages

Raajeev’s Corner continued on page 110

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Is Your Gas Stove Bad for Your Health?

By Jonathan Levy

Cooks love their gadgets, from countertop slow cookers to instant-read thermometers. Now, there’s increasing interest in magnetic induction cooktops – surfaces that cook much faster than conventional stoves, without igniting a flame or heating an electric coil.

Some of this attention is overdue: Induction has long been popular in Europe and Asia, and it is more energy-efficient than standard stoves. But recent studies have also raised concerns about indoor air emissions from gas stoves.

Academic researchers and agencies such as the California Air Resources Board have reported that gas stoves can release hazardous air pollutants while they’re operating, and even when they’re turned off

As an environmental health researcher who does work on housing and indoor air, I have participated in studies that measured air pollution in homes and built models to predict how indoor sources would contribute to air pollution in different home types. Here is some perspective on how gas stoves can contribute to indoor air pollution, and whether you should consider shifting away from gas.

Respiratory effects

One of the main air pollutants commonly associated with using gas stoves is nitrogen dioxide, or NO₂, which is a

byproduct of fuel combustion. Nitrogen dioxide exposures in homes have been associated with more severe asthma and increased use of rescue inhalers in children. This gas can also affect asthmatic adults, and it contributes to both the development and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nitrogen dioxide in homes comes both from outdoor air that infiltrates indoors and from indoor sources. Road traffic is the most significant outdoor source; unsurprisingly, levels are higher close to major roadways. Gas stoves often are the most substantial indoor source, with a greater contribution from large burners that run longer.

The gas industry’s position is that gas stoves are a minor source of indoor air pollutants. This is true in some homes, especially with respect to exposures averaged over months or years.

But there are many homes in which gas stoves contribute more to indoor nitrogen dioxide levels than pollution from outdoor sources does, especially for short-term “peak” exposures during cooking time. For example, a study in Southern California showed that around half of homes exceeded a health standard based on the highest hour of nitrogen dioxide concentrations, almost entirely because of indoor emissions.

Stove

Gas Stove continued from 96

How can one gas stove contribute more to your exposure than an entire highway full of vehicles? The answer is that outdoor pollution disperses over a large area, while indoor pollution concentrates in a small space.

How much indoor pollution you get from a gas stove is affected by the structure of your home, which means that indoor environmental exposures to NO₂ are higher for some people than for others. People who live in larger homes, have working range hoods that vent to the outdoors and have well-ventilated homes in general will be less exposed than those in smaller homes with poorer ventilation.

But even larger homes can be affected by gas stove usage, especially since the air in the kitchen does not immediately mix with cleaner air elsewhere in the home. Using a range hood when cooking, or other ventilation strategies such as opening kitchen windows, can bring down concentrations dramatically.

Methane and hazardous air pollutants

Nitrogen dioxide is not the only pollutant of concern from gas stoves. Some pollution with potential impacts on human health and Earth’s climate occurs when stoves aren’t even running.

A 2022 study estimated that U.S. gas stoves not in use emit methane – a colorless, odorless gas that is the main component of natural gas – at a level that traps as much heat in the atmosphere as about 400,000 cars.

Some of these leaks can go undetected. Although gas distributors add an odorant to natural gas to ensure that people will smell leaks before there is an explosion risk, the smell may not be strong enough for residents to notice small leaks.

Some people also have a much stronger sense of smell than others. In particular, those who have lost their sense of smell – whether from COVID-19 or other causes – may not smell even large leaks. One recent study found that 5% of homes had leaks that owners had not detected that were large enough to require repair.

This same study showed that leaking natural gas contained multiple hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, a cancer-causing agent. While measured concentrations of benzene did not reach health thresholds of concern, the presence of these hazardous air pollutants could be problematic in homes with substantial leaks and poor ventilation.

Reasons to switch: Health and climate

So, if you live in a home with a gas stove, what should you do and when should you worry? First, do what you can to improve ventilation, such as running a range hood that vents to the outdoors and opening kitchen windows while cooking. This will help, but it won’t eliminate exposures, especially for household members who are in the kitchen while cooking takes place.

If you live in a smaller home or one with a smaller closed kitchen, and if someone in your home has a respiratory disease like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, exposures may still be concerning even with good ventilation. Swapping out a gas stove for one that uses

magnetic induction would eliminate this exposure while also providing climate benefits.

There are multiple incentive programs to support gas stove changeovers, given their importance for slowing climate change. For example, the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes many provisions to address climate change, offers rebates for the purchase of high-efficiency electric appliances such as stoves.

Dozens of U.S. cities have adopted or are considering regulations that bar natural gas hookups in new-construction homes after specified dates to speed a transition away from fossil fuels. At the same time, at least 20 states have adopted laws or regulations that prohibit bans on natural gas.

Moving away from gas stoves is especially important if you are investing in home energy efficiency measures, whether you are doing it to take advantage of incentives, reduce energy costs or shrink your carbon footprint. Some weatherization steps can reduce air leakage to the outdoors, which in turn can increase indoor air pollution concentrations if residents don’t also improve kitchen ventilation.

In my view, even if you’re not driven to reduce your carbon footprint – or you’re just seeking ways to cook pasta faster – the opportunity to have cleaner air inside your home may be a strong motivator to make the switch.

Jonathan Levy is Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University Article courtesy of theconversation.com

Quiz Corner

Word World By Kirit Shukla

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)

3 or less = keep looking. Words we found are in solutions below.

Brain-Train

Who wants to be a Scholar?!

Answer the ones you know and research the rest. There is only one correct answer!

1. Arrange these planets in order of size from largest to smallest.

(a) Mars(b) Earth (c) Venus(d) Mercury

2. This actor was NOT in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, released in 2008. (a) Anil Kapoor(b) Anupam Kher

(c) Dev Patel(d) Saurabh Shukla

3. The specific gravity of the Mercury element as a solid is: (a) 13.534(b) 12.534 (c) 11.534(d) 10.534

4. Periphery means

(a) Territory(b) Winding Road (c) Destruction(d) Circumference

A5. The closest distance between Mars & Earth was recorded in 2003 when they were ___ apart.

(a) 54.23 million km (b) 56.62 million km (c) 55.76 million km (d) 58.75 million km

6. The area of a regular octagon with each side is equal to 10 meters is (a) 483 m²(b) 473 m² (c) 463 m²(d) 453 m²

7. How many Atlantic hurricane names are given in the current year 2022? (a) 24(b) 23 (c) 22 (d) 21

8. Which baseball team has won the most World Series?

(a) Yankees(b) Braves (c) Dodgers(d) Cardinals

9. Daniel Bernoulli, the Swiss mathematician and physicist, was born on,... (a) Feb. 8, 1782(b) Feb. 8, 1741 (c) Feb. 8, 1700(d) Feb. 8, 1641

10. The highest mountain in Ireland is (a) Baurtregaum(b) Mount Brandon (c) Mangerton(d) Carrauntoohil

Answers are on bottom left. No Peeking.

Scholar: All correct; 1st Class: 9 Correct; 2nd Class: 8 Correct; 3rd Class: 7 Correct; Need to improve: 6 or less

Key Word Search

Fill in the blanks of these clues, then take the first letter of each word and unscramble them to find the Key Word of the Month.

The first letter of English alphabet. ___

New Delhi is the capital of ___.

The capital of Colorado. ___

Current Prime Minister of India is ___ Modi. The capital of Hawaii. ___ ___ Buddha.

Answers on page 104

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Burlington

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Charlotte

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Greensboro Office Greensboro, NC 27410 (336) 763-9292

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Clues Down:

PUZZLES AND JOKES

By Kirit Shukla

Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase

Clues Across:

1. Folk dance of Rajasthan, India.

7. Desert in Rajasthan.

11. “Rana ___ Singh”, Hindu Maharaja of Mewar. (1572-97).

13. Capital of the province of Zambales, Philippines.

14. Comparative for available without charge or cost.

16. The capital and pink city of the Indian state of Rajasthan.

18. A dark brown or black bituminous obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (wood or coal.)

19. Item of food.

21. Pair of bones forming the upper bridge of the nose.

23. Automated Clearing House. (*)

26. Louisiana. (*)

27. Magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors.

30. One of a militant sect of Sikhs.

32. Horsepower. (*)

33. Single Room Occupancy. (*)

34. Malana Power Company Limited. (*) (India).

35. Person of great prestige in a field of devotion.

37. Except for the fact.

38. Person who displays exceptional intellectual ability.

39. Tissue surrounding the seed in certain fruits.

41. Texas. (*)

42. Professional Engineer. (*)

43. National Institute of Education. (*) (Sri Lanka).

44. A canopy or tapestry covering a bed or wall.

46. Feeling or expressing annoyance, animosity, or resentment.

47. Widely distributed lichens that have a grayish or yellow pendulous freely branched thallus.

1. To endow with.

2. Theatrical performance set entirely to music.

3. A monetary subunit of the krona (Sweden) and krone.

4. The Rajasthani dialect.

5. A monetary subunit of the kip.

6. State of NW India bordering on Pakistan. Capital: Jaipur.

8. Very fashionable or stylish.

9. ‘Mount ___’, highest hill of the Aravalli in Rajasthan.

10. Seldom occurring or found.

12. A betel leaf.

15. Village in near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan between Jodhpur and Udaipur.

17. Integrated Data Acquisition System. (*)

20. International Language Institute. (*)

22. To deliver goods for money.

24. A Bronze Age burial chambers each lined with a stone.

25. Physical or mental injury or damage.

26. A dance from Porto Seguro, Brazil.

28. Various green and blotched rocks (as a serpentine).

29. Money lenders.

31. The art of representing a character on a stage.

35. Maximum Economic Yield. (*)

36. A plant hormone.

38. Of a neutral tone. (British spelling)

40. An atmospheric movement; a breeze or wind.

42. Variable annual Eurasian vine of the legume family cultivated for edible protein-rich seeds.

44. Chemical element: Copper. (*)

45. Leading Edge. (*)

(solution on page 104)

Hee Hee

Jokes & Riddles From Around The World

Teacher: “What is farther away from here: the sun or India?”

Student: “India.”

Teacher: “What makes you to think that?”

Student: “We can see the sun, but we cannot see India.”

*****

Two judges collide with each other while driving drunk.

First judge: “You see we both are judges. We’ll lose prestige if we go to the court. So, let’s finalize the case here.“

Second judge: “Alright. You are a judge and know that drinking and driving is a crime. I fine you $ 50,000.”

First judge: “Same rule applies to you. Knowing that one judge was fined $ 50,000, you made the same mistake. I fine you $ 100,000.”

*****

Question: It belongs to you, but your friends use it more often. What is it?

Answer: Your name.

WordFind

Math Magic

Fill in the empty squares to get = the final given answers. Use any number from 1 to 9 only once (except 4): 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.

Subject: Rajasthan, India

ARID BHIL CHITAL DELWARA

JAIN JATS KOTA KURJA

LUXURY TRAINS MARUSTHALI NATHDWARA NILGAI

PUPPET SHOW PUSKAR QUAIL RANAKPUR SAMBAR SARISKA SOREGHUM STRAWHUT TAMARISK THARDESERT UDAIPUR

Unscramble the 13 unused letters below to spell the Wordfind Word of the month. Clue: “A living honeycomb urban center for tourism in Rajasthan.” (answer on page 104)

EZ-BZ

TEST YOUR IQ

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

1. Submissive to the command of authority. OBE _ _ _ _ _

2. A spherical representation of the Earth. _ _ OBE

3. An upright 4-sided monolithic pillar that gradually tapers as it rises and terminates in a pyramid. OBE _ _ _ _

4. Not intoxicated or affected by alcohol or drugs. _ OBE _

5. Clay or soil used in making sun-dried bricks. _ _ OBE

6. Having excessive body fat. OBE _ _

7. Chemical element with an atomic number of 102. _ OBE _ _ _ _

8. A tribe of the Northern Sotho group. _ OBE _ _

9. A penetrating or critical investigation. _ _ OBE

10. Tenth month of the Gregorian calendar year. _ _ _ OBE _

11. A belief among some people of the British West Indies and the Guianas, characterized by the use of magic ritual to ward off misfortune or to cause harm. OBE _ _

12. A loose gown worn after bathing. _ _ _ _ _ OBE

13. A mature, very large cremini mushroom. _ _ _ _ OBE _ _ _

14. A naive, ignorant, or foolish person. (Slang). _ _ OBE _

15. The fleshy pendulous part of the external human ear. _ _ _ _ OBE

16. A tall cabinet, closet, or small room built to hold clothes. _ _ _ _ _OBE

17. An organism of ultramicroscopic size. _ _ _ _ OBE

18. A town in Montana. _ _ OBE _

19. A flash tube used in a camera for photography. _ _ _ OBE

20. A town in SW Luxembourg. OBE _ _ _ _ _

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

Saathee Puzzle Master Kirit Shukla kiritsshukla@gmail.com

Festivals & Holidays

October 2022

Oct. 2 - Gandhi Jayanti

Oct. 3 - Navaratri ends

Oct. 4 - Vijaya Dashami / Dussehra / Buddha Jayanti

Oct. 5 - Pāshānkushā Ekadashi / Yom Kippur

Oct. 8 - Sharad Purnima (Full Moon)

Oct. 9 - Sukkot Begins

Oct. 10 - Columbus Day / Indigenous People's Day

Oct. 10 - Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

Oct. 12 - Karwa Choth

Oct. 16 - Sukkot Ends

Oct. 17 - Boss' Day

Oct. 18 - Simchat Torah

Oct. 21 - Rama Ekadashi

Oct. 22 - Dhanteras

Oct. 23 - Kali Chaturdashi

Oct. 24 - Diwali / Deepavali (No Moon)

Oct. 25 - Gujarati New Year (Vikram Samvat - 2079 begins)

Oct. 20 - Bhai Beej

Oct. 29 - Labh Panchami

Oct. 31 - Halloween / Samhain / Jalaram Jayanti

Key Word Search Answers from

India Denver Narendra Honolulu Gautama

Key Word of the Month: Gandhi

Spot

Puzzle Solutions from page 102-103

Astroscope

Aries

(March 21 – April 20)

2022

Libra (September 22 – October 20)

Maintain power within presentation this month. Work will feel fulfilling due to potential success. The first half of the month should be much better than the second. Consider a plan to invest in real estate. If you don’t, increased expenses may bring you back to square one. A digestion-related health issue may be there. If seeking a life partner, things are looking positive.

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

Money will flow and your savings should increase by the end of the month. Work sincerely and maintain a positive approach to achieve success. Avoid arguments with your partner during the last week, though a minor dispute with another family member is also possible. Enjoy picnics and parties along with good health.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

A hectic schedule may drive you crazy this month, but cunning decisions should provide abundant success. Try to control your speech in public. You may travel to meet extended family. If looking for a promotion, good news will delight you. Your partner may prove to be great support for your business. Make quick decisions and act fast to enjoy financial gains.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

After a very positive start, you could experience setbacks during the latter half of the month. A compromise with your partner in the second week should bring relief. Be sure to get enough rest and work patiently to avoid unnecessary health problems. Special kinship with your mother is possible in the middle of the month. Your savings may decrease and develop stress. You could also enjoy a fun vacation with siblings.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Avoid taking any major risks this month as destiny may play a foul game. Business partners may initially help, but then change their minds later on. However, an improvement in health-related issues will offer hope. A friend may rescue you during the last week of the month and provide a feeling of happiness and comfort.

Virgo

(August 23 – September 21)

Enjoy the freedom of artistic expression and interpretation. You will achieve a commendable status and enjoy respect within society. Unfortunately, enmity with someone of another gender is also possible. Enjoy spending money for your dreams and hobbies, but don’t take on any business risks. You may also experience ups & downs in the money market. Don’t dispute with your friends.

You may experience major ups and downs this month. The first week will be very successful but may result in overconfidence, which is the root of the problem. Accepting any new obligations may cost you, so learn to say no and avoid taking on further responsibilities. If you don’t, this could negatively affect your health during the last week. Be prepared to focus on working hard.

Scorpio (October 21 – November 20)

This will be a successful month for you. You may enjoy extra income which will boost your confidence. However, you could spend that money on marketing, luxury, and travel, with no additional savings left over. You should enjoy excellent health this month. The first half of the month will be ideal for calculated speculation. Any real estate investments may prove lucky for you. This is a good time to start new venture.

Sagittarius

(November 21 – December 21)

After a very positive and active start, life may slow down during the second half of the month. You may have problems borrowing money or taking out a loan. However, you should be able to maintain a steady flow of income. Outlying circumstances may force you to compromise your morals. Enjoy quality time with your partner this month. This is a positive time for students. A stomach virus may disrupt your peace of mind.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 21)

The month may begin relatively busy but end with a lighter workload. Minor ups and downs are possible but a rise in income and success may delight you. Maintain discipline to avoid unnecessary expenses. You may revise your lifestyle in order to upgrade your overall work ethic. Your health should also improve, but potential carelessness could sabotage it.

Aquarius

(January 22 – February 18)

Now is the time to control your expenses. A lack of confidence may hinder major decisions. You could consider a co-op deal with one of your consultants. Even though your partner is not actively helping your project, a comment may alter your thoughts toward a better choice. You will be very busy by the end of the month. Don’t plan any long-distance travel.

Pisces

(February 19 – March 20)

Even though you may lose confidence and slow down your work schedule, you should maintain a steady routine. Be sure to take a long break and enjoy some vacation, though be mindful of potential minor health problems. Even in your absence, your savings may rise and boost your mood. Don’t count on your associates or friends as they may back out at the last moment. Catch your breath and take it easy for now.

Jalendu Vaidya (973-223-5047)

CLASSIFIEDS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Motel for Lease in Greensboro, NC. 20rooms w/ large manager's residence. Great business! Walmart & restaurants only 1 mile away. Please call H.D. from 5-9pm, M-F at 336-471-3777.

Indian Restaurant for Sale in Raleigh, NC. Plenty of parking. Contact 786-236-6828 or omshivjillc@gmail.com.

Franchise Gas Station/C-Store for Sale in Fayetteville, NC. Perfect for an Entrepreneur! Initial Investment of $125k only, no cash needed for inventory. Owner has to manage store operations. Great location (Army Base) with lottery sales. Call 865-360-4406.

Men & Boys Formal Clothing Business for sale in Sumter, SC. Great location & established clients. Owner looking to retire. Contact 803-468-2200.

Motel for Sale in NC, 30 rooms plus owner/manager living space. Great location. Owner retiring. Asking $425k. Call 828-748-7133.

C-Stores for Sale: Shelby, NC $839,000 + Inv. Annual $1,860,000, Fuel Gals 480,000; Pinetops, NC $239,000 + Inv., Inside Sales $540,000, Fuel Gals 60k; Distributor: Charlotte, $69,900, Annual $813,000; County South: 704-440-4433 or Countysouth.biz.

Looking to Lease Hotel, I have 14 Years of Hotel Experience plus Management Experience and would like Lease to Own option for Hotel. Please call Jay to discuss your property 804-614-7715 or 336-558-3844.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Gas Station / C-store Help Needed in Charlotte, NC (near Huntersville & UNCC area). Must speak English. Family friendly oriented people. Pay $15/hr and up. Call 704-402-4661.

Front Desk Clerk wanted for 3rd shift (11pm-7am) at Franchise Motel in Ft Mill, SC (near Charlotte). Mix shifts (11pm-7am, 7am-3pm & 3pm-11pm). Must have previous hotel experience & basic computer skills. Call 704-541-1765 & leave message.

Looking for Energetic employees (Fulltime/Part-time, single or couple) for Tropical Smoothie Cafe on Concord Pkwy, Concord, NC. Some English required. Call Ajay Patel 704-661-4708.

Nanny Needed in Mint Hill, NC for 4 month-old boy starting November 1. Please call 646-249-1419.

Manager Couple w/ Front Desk experience wanted for Hotel near Charlotte. Must have basic computer skills, be guest friendly, fluent English & legal status. Accommodations provided. Email resume to mars803@gmail.com.

Manager / Front Desk needed for Franchise Hotel in Rock Hill, SC. Accommodations Provided. Contact 803-517-4662.

Front Desk & Housekeeping / Laundry help needed for Franchise Hotel in Concord. Legal status required. Accommodations provided. Call Rick 704-772-5554.

South Indian Cooking & Housekeeping Needed for family in Charlotte. Either livein or part-time - 3 times/week. Please call 619-788-8577.

Hotel Help Wanted: Hiring Maintenance and Housekeeping Couple for Motel in Rocky Mount, NC. Call 443-538-3997.

Immediate opening for experienced livein Manager for 50-room independent motel in Charlotte. Attractive salary plus bonus and complimentary two-bedroom apartment. Please call 704-906-9170 or send resume to dpmonick@yahoo.com.

Live-in Nanny Needed for 3 month-old baby in Apex, NC. Vegetarian Hindi speaking family. Duties include some light chores. Comfortable living arrangements & competitive pay. Contact 612-222-4378.

Hotel Help Wanted: Front Desk / Manager, Night Auditor & Housekeeper (Single/Couple) for franchise hotels in Charlotte / Gastonia / High Point, NC & Columbia, SC. Accommodations provided. Call 704-460-0379 between 6-9pm.

Household Help wanted in Charlotte Ballantyne area (near Ardrey Kell High School) 2-3 times a week, 2-3 hours a day (time is flexible). Primary work includes meal/food prep, laundry, and organization. Must be able to drive. Call 980-621-8436.

Housekeeping Couple Wanted for Franchise Motel (Econo Lodge) in Southern Pines, NC. Interior Corridor property & Accommodations provided. Great salary with Bonus. Call Bipin 910-916-3288.

Hiring Restaurant Servers and Dishwasher for popular restaurant in Cary/Morrisville, NC. Excellent Pay! Call 919-434-5078.

Convenience Store Help Wanted in Charlotte, NC. Single or Couple. Salary w/ incentives. Open 6am to 11pm. Call Vipul 704-431-8310.

Front Desk Manager Wanted for franchise hotel in Columbia, SC. Accommodations provided. Fluent English required. Text or Call 704-701-9975.

Looking for Vegetarian Cook for home in South Charlotte area. Full-time up to 5 days a week. Please contact 201-850-9580.

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

Couple wanted for Franchise Hotel in South Charlotte. Previous hotel experience, fluent English, and basic computer skills required. Must be energetic and friendly. Accommodations provided. Email resume to jpatel3333@aol.com

Hotel Positions for Immediate Hire: General Manager for Franchise Hotels. Front Desk, & Housekeepers. $14 & up/ hr. Contact 704-649-6833 or abcone@abcinns.com

Cashier Wanted for Convenience Store near Kannapolis, NC. Very attractive salary! Accommodations provided. Text or Call 704-701-9482.

House Help needed: Part-time cooking, housework, and personal help for North Indian vegetarian couple near Hindu Center in Charlotte. Fluency required in English and/or Hindi. Contact 704-408-1504 or househelp177@gmail.com

Marketing Salesperson needed. Full-time position in High Point area. Must be fluent in English and be a good team player. Good Salary with vacation. Call Raj 336-558-3410.

Gas Station / C-Store Help wanted in Greensboro, NC. Must have prior experience. Great salary & benefits. Manager position also available. Call 336-509-4054.

Hotel Help Wanted: Front Desk/Manager, Night Auditor and Housekeeper (Single / Couple / Family) for franchise hotel(s) 30 minutes from Raleigh / Durham, NC. Excellent opportunity for family. Experience preferred but not required. Legal status & fluent English required. 2BR on site Accommodations provided if needed. Good pay! Call 919-720-0991.

Looking for Energetic employees (Fulltime/Part-time, single or couple) for Tropical Smoothie Cafe on West Catawba Ave in Cornelius, NC. Some English required. Call Ajay Patel 704-661-4708.

Estimate Coordinator wanted. Full-time position in High Point area. Must be fluent in English & have computer knowledge. Good Salary with vacation. Call Raj 336-558-3410.

Hiring Front Desk Manager for 72-room interior corridor franchise Hotel near Suffolk, VA. Accommodations provided. Call/Text 804-317-8587.

Live-In Help Needed for Gujarati Family in Charlotte, NC. Light cooking and cleaning. $2,000+ per month. Text/Call 704-904-3933 or 704- 907-7349.

Saathee Classified ads: Sell your business, or property. Find the perfect job, hire the perfect employee. Get more customers. Get great adversting results with Saathee Magazine, weekly email newsletter and Saathee.com. email saathee@saathee.com.

26-year-old man, 6'1", US-born and raised, Tamil, pursuing his Ph.D. in New York. Looking for like-minded women in NY and surrounding areas. Text 470-239-0059 and refer VR.

40 year-old gentleman, 5'3", never married, MS, Deputy Chief Engineer in Dallas, TX. He has been living in the USA for 22 years. Looking for someone in Texas or on the East Coast. Refer SR and Text 678-304-8184.

38-year-old woman, 5'4", raised in the USA, never married, Eggetarian. She is successful & self-assured & lives in Manhattan. Refer VP & Text 470-239-0059.

Hindu Punjabi family seeks match for very pretty 31 year-old girl. 5'4", slim and fair, US citizen, medical services coordinator in FL. Prefer suitors from the southeast. Contact at rishtaho@gmail.com or 689-209-5729.

Seeking grooms from Telugu families for a 32-year-old woman from a Telugu family. 5'7", raised in India, MS, software engineer, CA. Divorced with a brief marriage. Contact 678-304-8184 (Refer SV)

31-year-old boy seeks bride. 5’10”, India raised & US-Green Card. Software Developer in Charlotte, NC. Belongs to a Gujarati family. Text 704-322-5505 or email chaku007@live.com.

Family seeks physician for 26 year-old single girl, 5'5", Med student in CA. Telugu family, non veg, raised in the US. Refer AG and Text 470-239-0059.

Well accomplished and independent 34 year-old girl, 5'8", born and raised in India, Tamil, pursuing a Ph.D., non-vegetarian. Refer HT and Text 470-239-0059.

Looking for suitable match from very affluent and well-accomplished Gujarati family. 31 year-old Gujarati girl 5'6", born and raised in the USA, Attorney. Refer RK and Text 470-239-0059.

Looking for a well settled match for never married, good looking Sikh girl. 40 year-old, 5’3“, US citizen with east-west values enjoying good position in a prestigious company in Wake County. Refer GKS 919-840-8390.

Seeking established US citizen, welleducated & handsome man for companionship with mid-40-year-old woman. Divorcee (Child is in college), 5'3", well established US citizen in Charlotte, NC area. Refer SS & email: reply4mu@yahoo.com.

Seeking good-looking, fit groom for 37year-old woman from a Gujarati family, 5'3", raised in India, and a nutritionist in FL. Contact 678-304-8184 (Refer DP).

Looking for a life partner? Saathee can help you reach hundreds of potential matches. Email saathee@saathee.com.

37 year-old woman, 4'10", vegetarian, Tamil, never married, MS in computer science, GC holder, software engineer manager in Nevada. Looking for South Indian partner. Refer NN & Text 678-304-8184.

29 year-old girl, 5'8" tall, Tamil, vegan, born and raised in the USA. She is currently doing her residency in Seattle. Refer MR and Text 470-239-0059.

Seeking a vegetarian, tall, good-looking, fit groom raised in the USA for a 30-yearold girl. 5'9", born and raised in the USA. Vegetarian, MS, Occupational Therapist, & lives in CA. Contact 678-304-8184 (Refer PR)

41 year-old woman, 5'2". In the USA for 20 years. She has a double master's and works as a Sr Manager in Chicago. Refer MS and Text 678-304-8184.

PROPERTY FOR SALE / RENT

Saree Draping: specializing in draping sarees, dupattas and jewelry for Weddings, Engagements, Baby showers, Birthdays, etc. Contact Rital Patel: info@bridaldraping.com or www.bridaldraping.com.

Live Dhol, Tabla, & Music Services for all types of events including Weddings, Concerts, Birthday Parties, Graduation Parties, or any other Festivities. Serving the Carolinas since 2006. Open to travel. Contact Jeetu Singh at 919-752-7309 or email dholi.jeetu@gmail.com.

Gujarati Priest: Devendra Dave Independent priest. Ganesh, Randal, Navratri, Diwali's Laxmi & Sharda Pujas, Satyanarayan Katha, Weddings, Vastu, Baby Shower, Funeral Seva. Call Daveji 704-780-3563. God Blessings to All.

Travel Passion: International & Domestic Air tickets. We process India Visa, OCI, Indian Passport Renewal, Hotel bookings & Tour packages. Call 509-550-9076 or 509550-9034 Email: travelpassion24@gmail.com

Neeta's Beauty Parlor: Charlotte area open 7 days a week. Full service. Call 704-9680270 for appointment.

Prime Airport Industrial Site

NOW

Mount Soma Cottage for Sale next to Sri Somesvara Temple in Clyde, NC (near Asheville). Stapatyaved. 6 rooms, 3 baths, & parking. Email maura.shea@yahoo.com or call 443-614-4644.

SERVICES

Safa, Pagh, and Turban Tying Service for weddings, baraats, parties, photoshoots, other events. Centered in North Carolina & able to travel wherever your event is located. Contact us for bookings! Carolina Turban Crew: 919752-7309 or Carolinaturbans@gmail.com.

Pretty Face Beauty Parlor in South Charlotte/Ballantyne area available for your Threading and Waxing needs. Please call 704726-8928 to schedule an appointment.

Gujarati Priest in NC & SC for Ganesh, Randal, Laxmi, Sharda Pujan, Satyanarayan Katha, Wedding, Vastu, Baby Shower, Hawan, Grah Shanti. Kishor Trivedi: 336-774-0597 Cell: 336-486-7925 E-Mail: kishor7@juno.com.

Installation for CCTV surveillance, networking products, and WiFi solutions in North and South Carolina. Contact Jasmin Patel at 630-998-6627.

Priest Available for these services: Shree Satya narayan katha, Shanti hawan, Vastu shanty, Weddings, Baby shower, Bhumi pujan, Mata ki chowki pujan, Funeral, all types of karmakand. Please call Viral Bhatt 704-438-6334.

Pari Beauty in Matthews: Threading, Waxing, Facials, Massage for newborn and mom & other services. 32 years of experience. Special Deals & Great Service. Call: 704-846-7912. email: gescpl@gmail.com.

Seeking Writers

Send a query with your expertise, a short sample and short bio to Samir@Saathee.com

Put seeking writers in the subject line.

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There are multitudes of scenes over the years which would show the character as both an exceptional officer and inspirational person. Her resourcefulness hotwiring the communications grid in “Who Mourns for Adonais?”, the interracial kiss from “Plato’s Stepchildren”, taking command of the ship in the Animated series episode “The Lorelei Signal”, and helping Kirk and crew steal the Enterprise in The Search for Spock are just a few standout moments for Uhura.

My all-time favorite scene for Uhura is in the Original Series episode “The Savage Curtain” where she meets and talks with a clone of Abraham Lincoln.

As he takes her hand, this exchange occurs…

Lincoln: “What a charming Negress. Oh, forgive me, my dear. I know that in my time some used that term as a description of property.”

Uhura: “But why should I object to that term, sir? You see, in our century we’ve learned not to fear words.”

Now while most think of the episode as a whole to be one of the worst in Star Trek history, Nichelle’s delivery of that line is an absolutely poignant moment for both Uhura and Roddenberry’s overall vision of the future.

I shudder to think what would have happened if Nichols had stayed the course and left the show after the first season due to dissatisfaction with how the character had been handled thus far. Her now fabled meeting with one Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. where he persuaded her to stay is one for the history books. Staying on proved to be the right choice as it turned her into a symbol of hope, encouragement, and dreams coming true for all women and people of color who’ve wished to fly beyond the stars.

It’s no wonder that Nichelle would eventually become a spokeswoman for NASA. On her website she wrote, “…I helped recruit and inspire a new generation of fearless astronauts; young men and women with a strong belief in themselves, in their potential, and in a future of learning and achievement for all humanity.”

This past September 8, now known as “Star Trek Day” because it is the anniversary of when the very first episode aired on NBC, was so poignant as many fans, cast members, and creators came together to express an outpouring of gratitude for the late actress, dancer and singer.

Celia Rose Gooding, who now portrays Uhura on Strange New Worlds said, “As I sit on the bridge of the Enterprise I feel her presence, I see her influence in those who knew her, and I strive to carry the majestic legacy forward into the future she wanted for all of us.”

Nichelle Nichols passed away on July 30, 2022, from natural causes at the age of 89. The United Launch Alliance has already announced that a portion of her ashes would be spread into deep space later this year and serve as a reminder to us all of how she continues to pave the way for younger generations… boldly going, and boldly inspiring.

Jennifer Allen works at Saathee 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

Raajeev’s Corner

continued from page 94

and rarely any phone calls. The first time we got a phone call was a 3-minute call which my father booked after being away for a couple of years on his trip. I can still remember the relief and joy on my mother’s face from that phone conversation.

Sure, she had her brother supporting her in the business and her sister-in-law, living in the house provided some companionship but I can imagine the isolation and void she must have felt day after day coming from her job in the evening. I still vaguely remember the snide, snarky remarks of intrusive relatives asking my mom where her husband was and when he would be back. I am sure she must have figured out an optimal way to triangulate her happiness from the curves of supply and demand from her students’ economics homework. My brother and I were too young and too naïve to understand any of those feelings.

My father was a great man. He lived a very hard but honest life with immaculate character and integrity. Besides his tremendous willpower, I inherited his sense of humor, irritable behavior, and dry skin. I appreciate all his hard work and how he worked tirelessly to create a brighter future for all of us, but I do not agree with some of his choices by not keeping the family together for over a decade. He believed that he would always go back to India and feared that by having his children grow up in the US, they would get spoiled. His fears are not alone. When my children were teenagers, I too had the same fears that my American born children would get into drugs, gangs or would pay full price for anything!

My childhood was a bit paradoxical. I adored my father, a strong-willed Arya Samaj follower and his abstinence from cigarettes and alcohol. I also looked up to my uncle, his leadership style and support of his sister. Despite his vices, it is interesting that my uncle outlived all his five other siblings. Maybe because he would only drink so much once every few months or maybe it was because he stopped smoking when he got into his 60’s. I can now imagine my mom’s pain seeing her brother come near the house drunk and watching her teenage children escorting him back to the house.

Despite my ups and downs in my professional career, and despite having lived in San Francisco, Virginia, Boston, and several cities within the Los Angeles area, one thing I made sure I would never do. I made sure wherever I lived, I would keep the family together. I made sure I would attend as many PTA meetings, soccer games, and piano recitals as possible. I made sure that we celebrated all the major American and Indian festivals together, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and especially Diwali. I made sure that my children could never feel that void of not having their father around for an extended period and they would not have a Trojan horse childhood. I also made sure my wife never would have to hide her pain because of my extended absences relying on the opium of Revlon perfume bottles. Instead, she can just express her occasional outbursts of anger and frustration through her comedy, making me the target of her jokes. For that, I am thankful!

Raajeev Aggerwhil

is a Los Angeles-based comedian. Follow him on Instagram @raajeevcomedy. Search for him on YouTube.

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