Saathee Charlotte December 2015

Page 1

saathee.com

December 2015

In this issue: Should India get cows off the streets? U.K. has a serious curry problem.




December 2015 Issue # 212 Editor

page 14 page 8

Samir Shukla

page 30

Diwali’s A lost Indian Should India girl returns get it’s cows off fireworks are really bad for the after 10 years health. streets? in Pakistan.

page 74 U.K. has a serious curry problem.

(saatheemag@hotmail.com)

Publisher & Advertising Divakar Shukla (rakavid@aol.com)

Ad Design / Layout Nageshwar

Executive Assistant

Hello ReADeRS! Why it took a lost Indian girl 10 years, and a Bollywood movie, go get home. See story on pg. 8. Should India get its cows off the streets? Go to pg. 14 for the story. Diwali's fireworks can be really bad for the health. See story on pg. 30. Are you paying too much taxes? Suggestions to reduce your taxes are in the column on pg 50. Everyone has wisdom teeth. Should you get rid of them? Read our Dentist visits You column on pg. 52 for an informative piece on the subject. In Delhi, young women are fighting 7:30pm curfews. See the story on pg. 80. The AstroScope, our exclusive monthly horoscope is on pg. 120. Get daily updates about our community, news, analysis and videos at our recently revamped website saathee.com We welcome all comments and suggestions.

QUote: "The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family." - Lee Iacocca

In tHIS ISSUe

Jennifer W. Allen

Lost Indian Girl Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 08

Contributors:

Cows on India’s Streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 14

Kirit Shukla, Judith L. Bergman, Parul Kharod, Ahsen Jillani, Lakshmi Challa, Shyama Parui, Yash Garg, Gail Martin, Vatsal Suthar, Balaji Prasad, Mo Vidwans and Jalendu Vaidya.

Teatime in the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 18 Subcontinental Divide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 20 Film Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 24 Upcoming Movie Releases . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 26 The Hazards of Diwali Fireworks . . . . .pg. 30 The Bookshelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 32 Sangeet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 36 Namaskar, Y’all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40 Youth Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 44 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 46 Personal Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 50 The Dentist Visits You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 52 Thinking About Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 56 Test your India Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 60 Nutrition for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 62 Mastering Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 64 Marketing Turnaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 68 News Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 74 Immigration Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 76 Community Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 84 Community Organizations . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 92 Pop’s Puzzles and Jokes . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 116 Festivals and Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 Puzzle Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 118 AstroScope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 120 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 122 Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 124

Cover: our lady of Ransom Church, Kanyakumari It is believed that Our Lady of Delights Grotto, in which St. Francis Xavier worshiped in 1542, later became the church of Our Lady of Ransom. It is one of the centers of Catholicism in India. Photo: Dreamstime.com

All contents © 2015 Shukla Entertainment, Inc. 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 subscription, visit Saathee.com and click the “about” button. 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.

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Saathee (USPS 021-116) (ISSN: 1543-8147) is published monthly by Shukla Entertainment Inc., 655 Pressley Rd., Ste G, Charlotte, NC 28217. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Saathee, P.O. Box 11468, Charlotte, NC 28220-1468.


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December 2015



Why it took a lost Indian girl

10 years...

AND A BOLLYWOOD MOVIE ...to get home

border is unclear. Reports surmise that she accidentally boarded the train unnoticed and was found when the train stopped in Lahore. Geeta spent the years since being cared for by the Edhi Foundation, which pieced together through her gesturing that the girl was actually from India. Efforts to reunite her with her family, however, were only taken up three years ago, when Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney heard Geeta’s story and took on the task of looking for her family in India — without any luck. Then Bollywood got hold of the story. Bajrangi Bhaijaan, an Indian-made mega movie released in July, tells the tale of a mute Pakistani girl who is accidentally separated from her mother on a trip to India, and an Indian

By Nimisha Jaiswal, GlobalPost.com NEW DELHI, India — Bollywood movies are known for their bizarre plot twists and larger-than-life characters. But in the case of a young woman whose story has gripped India and Pakistan, real life is even stranger than the Bollywood blockbuster it seems to have inspired. Geeta, now 23, was found as a girl over a decade ago by Pakistan border security personnel, alone on a train that runs between India and Pakistan. Geeta is deaf and has difficulty talking. Unable to tell the authorities where she came from, she was taken in by the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistani charitable organization. How Geeta found herself on the other side of a secure Saathee.com

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December 2015


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man’s quest to reunite her with her family. The film broke mainstream Bollywood norms by covering Pakistan and its people positively, and was an instant success in both countries. Almost magically, the media and foreign ministries of both countries began paying attention to Geeta’s case, hunting for her relatives in India and speeding through repatriation procedures. The clincher came when Geeta identified photographs of one of several Indian families that claim her (though DNA tests have yet to confirm whether they are indeed related). Greeted by India’s foreign minister and hordes of journalists, Geeta arrived in New Delhi on Oct. 26, just three months after “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” made her a cause célèbre. So what kept her in Pakistan all these years? It wasn’t just Geeta’s silence. Almost 70 years after partition, India is Pakistan’s largest neighbor and many citizens of each country have family in the other. Crossing the 1,800-mile border between them, however, isn’t like walking over to Canada to get a better view of the Niagara Falls. The frontier between India and Pakistan is heavily guarded and almost impermeable. There are only two direct flights from India to Pakistan, operated once a week. Neither connects the two capitals. Delhi and Islamabad are about the same distance apart as Washington, DC and Boston, but flying from one capital to the other involves a detour via Abu Dhabi or Bahrain and takes at least 10 hours. The twice-weekly Samjhauta (“Compromise”) Express, on which both Geeta and her Bollywood version were found, is one of only two passenger trains which connect India and Pakistan. The opening of the route back in 1976 was hailed as a significant improvement in relations between the two countries. Since then, however, the line’s route has had changes, reductions in service and even all-out suspensions during tense security situations, which occur often enough. One of its trains was bombed in 2007, killing 68 people. Yet physical barriers aren’t even the main barrier for Indians and Pakistanis hoping to visit each other. Officials issue visas with great hesitance and often deny them — and the application process is tortuous. Irrespective of which country in the world they are in, Indian and Pakistani nationals have to fill out different forms from other nationalities when they apply for a visa to Pakistan or India. India requires those with ancestral links to Pakistan to fill out separate applications as well. While India demands that Pakistani nationals provide a “sponsorship certificate” from an Indian citizen, Pakistan places restrictions on the mode of transport and method of entry, and asks Indians to register with Pakistani police within a day of arrival. These prohibitively complex processes are what made the support for Geeta’s repatriation so unique and surprising. Yet even as India warmly welcomed Geeta, it denied a Pakistani author a visa to attend a literary festival. In earlier weeks, the organizer of the Indian launch of a former Pakistani minister’s book was attacked and a revered Pakistani musician’s Mumbai concert was canceled because of opposition by Indian nationalists. India and Pakistan were once one country: They speak nearly identical languages, live within the same cultural and societal norms, eat the same food and harbor the same fanaticism for cricket and Bollywood. Yet it often seems as though Indians and Pakistanis are unaware of these similarities. As nationalist rhetoric continues to mount, peace talks stumble and travel between India and Pakistan is kept deliberately difficult, Geeta’s journey across the border remains an exceptional story. Saathee.com

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Should India get its cows

OFF THE STREETS? Stray dogs and puppies are not treated as gently. Many Indians love, feed and care for the street dogs in their neighborhoods, but others consider them an annoyance — even a danger. Some dogs get aggressive, and in a country where rabies is endemic, a bite can prove fatal. What to do about stray dogs is now a matter for India’s Supreme Court. On Nov. 18, judges will decide whether local governments have the authority to kill street dogs that are a “nuisance” to people. Their ruling could affect hundreds of thousands of strays in states like Kerala, where authorities face a dilemma over how to control a vast canine population. The state is estimated to have more than 200,000 stray dogs on its streets and residents have long demanded action to reduce their numbers, with some vigilantes even taking matters into their own hands.

By Nimisha Jaiswal, GlobalPost.com NEW DELHI, India — Animals hold a lot of social and political significance in India. Hindus consider the cow sacred, Muslims find the pig impure, and Parsis are put on towers of silence after death to be eaten by vultures. For most Indians, though, these creatures aren’t just religious symbols — they’re neighbors. The country’s biggest cities are filled with urban wildlife, most noticeably the millions of stray cows and dogs living on India’s streets. In New Delhi, for example, it’s not unusual to find a cow loitering, unperturbed, in the middle of the road. Unafraid of traffic, they often cause logjams or accidents, as speeding vehicles stop dead or swerve to avoid hitting the holy creatures. Commuters, however frustrated by the delay, can do nothing but try to convince the cow to move along, because hurting one in any way would enrage Hindus. Saathee.com

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TEATIME IN THE CITY Notes from the Editor’s Desk and swollen rivers to recharge and refill depleted underground aquifers is another challenge and inevitable necessity. The water stored in natural underground aquifers has quenched humanity’s thirst for centuries but we have also depleted vast amounts of that water. We can also use those emptied underground chambers and refill them with water harvested from above, for future use, working with nature’s storage system. There will be more than 9 billion people on this planet by 2050. Water resources are already strained in many places around the world. With exploding populations, all other dilemmas – terrorism, poverty, economic stagnation – will seem minor if there simply isn’t enough water for all. The lack of access to clean water will only amply all other ills, especially in countries like India. Water management is truly the global need of the young century.

By Samir Shukla Climates and Adaptations Adaptation has been the key element for humans to gain dominance over this planet. It’s about survival. Our ancestors adapted to new environments as they traveled and populated the globe. As a species we have evolved and thrived via adaptation. Of course in the meantime we have also devastated ecosystems and irreversibly changed the planet in many ways. We have built great cities, but also wiped out species and created environmental troubles for ourselves. Contemporary threats require continuous fine-tuning of our innate ability to adapt. Cyber threats, terror threats, virus and disease threats, nature threats, these all require adaptation. They require planning and infrastructure for all contingencies. Climate change is now a part of our lives. It is already wreaking havoc on the planet, but along with making changes to mitigate and temper climate change, we must also adapt to its threats. Adaptation is the key to rethinking our lifestyles and building infrastructure to minimize the effects of climate change on our species. Above all else, water is the prime stuff that will require new adaptations on a global scale. We must create massive infrastructure to manage the world’s water supplies. This will be the defining act of our generation in the coming decades. Not only is the world’s weather changing, but the influx of severe storms, increase in droughts and flooding, and rising sea levels beckon us to make changes. It’s good to see activists and politicians wanting to do something about carbon emissions. There are things we can do as a human community to mitigate climate change to the best of our abilities, while creating new economic opportunities evolving technologies and renewable energy. We must also realize that the effects may already be irreversible and efforts to reduce carbon emissions and soften climate change may already be too late. But we must make efforts in this endeavor. Increasing the capacities of renewables such as solar and wind will help. Massive conservation efforts to reduce use of fossil fuels will help, but we must also put into place new policies and thinking. The key again is water. Massive water harvesting infrastructures must be built. Desalination plants, pipelines to transfer water from wet to dry areas, and underground aquifer recharging are essential to this effort. Infrastructure needs to be planned and implemented now. Right now. There is no other choice. This will be very expensive, of course, requiring investments of hundreds of billions of dollars around the globe. Water is, for the most part, not only an immediate concern for most countries, but a long-term peace and stability issue for humanity. If water is thought of as a national security issue, governments will respond in the manner it needs to. Clearly weather patterns around the globe are becoming more extreme and unpredictable. Water will be the trigger for future confrontations between nations, even between internal regions of countries. Thousands of desalination plants around coastal areas with pipelines taking that fresh water to dry and drought-affected farmlands and thirsty cities is one challenge. Diverting floodwaters, desalinated water and water from dams Saathee.com

Salman Rushdie at Queens University, Charlotte Famed author Salman Rushdie visited Charlotte recently and talked about freedom of speech, his new novel, past works, and his life in a one-on-one talk format with local NPR station WAFE’s morning show “Charlotte Talks” host Mike Collins. It was a drizzly evening on November 5 and the auditorium was nearly packed as Rushdie chatted with Collins and later fielded a few questions from Queens University students. Rushdie’s latest novel is “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights,” a work that makes a numerical play on the legendary 1001 nights’ tales in the title of the book. Collins began the evening asking questions about something that Rushdie has answered innumerable times over the years. His nearly a decade of hiding and living under British police protection due to a fatwa on him placed by the late Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran for his alleged blaspheming of Islam in the novel “Satanic Verses.” He answered the query with erudite and witty banter, a style that informed the evening. A funny moment was when he recollected being a guest on Bill Maher’s show along with Ted Nugent and Jerry Springer. He said the show turned into a shouting match with ultra-right winger Nugent going up against the unlikely combo of Rushdie and Springer. Rushdie said he found it amusing that by the end of the show, “I ended up a good friend of Springer.” When the topic came up of freedom of speech and political correctness, especially in academia, he said, “A university should be safe place for ideas.” There shouldn’t be any political correctness in universities, he chimed. Young adults cannot be cordoned off into safe zones and non-controversial ideas and ethos. His main point through the evening was the by nature humans love stories, “We are the storytelling animal.” I always welcome your comments.

Samir Shukla is the editor of Saathee magazine. contact - saatheemag@hotmail.com

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SUBCONTINENTAL DIVIDE An Indian Subcontinent Dialogue Meet the Pat…well, the Jillanis

were the cultural handicaps that so many friends and relatives warned me about? Three decades out, I can see a few things. Yes, my dad was right about being there for the family. But many desi families move to foreign countries, or away from their hometowns within their countries, and face difficulty seeing their families on a regular basis. More of that depends on your job and your economic circumstances rather than distance. Many cousins I know who work for large, progressive companies in the U.S. can take weeks off and fly home for weddings, deaths, and even vacations. I’m usually self employed or working for small companies who never seem to be able to accommodate my requests. Yes, my mom was right about the kids. If we had to thank a god for the meal on the table, I wouldn’t know which one to thank. My wife and kids have decided on their own god, and seem happy enough. Yes, Bollywood/Hollywood always want to put their liberal spin on things and love, rather, LOVE, always seems to conquer all. For me also, beyond the logistics, it wasn’t about culture, religion, color, or national origin. I look back three decades and look at sacrifices and they go beyond whether I met my spouse at work, at a disco, through the internet, or via a traditional handshake between our parents. Someone who cares for you, wants to build a family with you, wants to grow old with you, and always seems to supersede the logistics, the distance and the culture. In the end, I probably haven’t delivered what was expected of me. I hardly turned out to be an exotic Asian guy with mysterious ways. I’m just a person. My wife is just a person. I tolerate the fact that she washes clothes with organic washpowder that doesn’t work. She tolerates the fact that I sniff towels and complain that they don’t smell bleached and fresh. Those are just battles in the story of life. I don’t care if she cremates me, buries me, embalms me or throws me to the buzzards. She’s a person who loves me, a guy who snores, bleaches, smells things, buys steam cleaners and vacuums, and gives birthday presents like Lysol spray to the kids. The world is now a small place and 12 hours separate one culture from another. I cannot make the journey East and claim that anyone loves me more because I have crossed some borders. My journey is the one I am on now…being with a person who plucked me out of the world to be her one and only, through fate or parental handshake, through culture and geographical border, and set her sights on spending the rest of her life with me. Meet the Jillanis….quirks and all.

By Ahsen Jillani

With the tremendous reviews the movie Meet the Patels is receiving, it was obvious that the battle was going to come to, well, my bedroom. Late one night, my wife lamented that I should have married a “desi” woman and life would have been a lot easier for me. This is not the first time either. Over the years, I’ve heard her complain about my expectations enough that I can usually guess that I will be hearing about why desi women were the perfect match for me. I would hardly characterize myself as being the kabob eating guy who demands cooking, cleaning and ironing on a regular basis. I mean, we have an iron, but no one has seen it in decades. And I did My parents were microwave chicken kabobs not traditional, having that I got from an Indian travelled through several grocer on a whim one time. countries while my dad On a daily basis, I’m your tried his hand on a United usual boring man about the Nations career. house who goes around sniffing towels and checking for dirt on top of furniture. That, I’ve explained to my wife, is not a desi thing—it’s called OCD. I don’t think most desi men use comet on the bathtub and steam clean the kitchen floor on a regular basis. More than 27 years out, I am realizing that it wasn’t cultural differences that made my wife want to choke me while I was snoring in bed. Actually, I don’t know any desi wife who could tolerate my notorious snoring. That takes extraterrestrial sort of love and commitment. My kids usually sleep on the porch if the weather allows, just to avoid the symphony that sounds like Ravi Shankar played backwards with a warning message to purchase earplugs before sleep deprivation kills you. In all seriousness, however, I tore through the difficult barriers like a hitched buffalo slaving through dry ground. My parents were not traditional, having travelled through several countries while my dad tried his hand on a United Nations career. We met couples who fit every combination of race, creed, religion, ethnic background, and tax bracket. When I finally presented my dilemma to them, there was the usual silence, of course. But then they asked practical things. “Deaths, births, illnesses, happiness and pain,” my dad said (asked?), looking Ahsen Jillani never goes on vacation because hotels will not give his up from his Newsweek magazine. I smiled. “Are you kids wife a free room in case a snoring episode happens. going to grow up Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or what?” my mom asked. I smiled. I got married in a park by a Christian priest. My parents have passed. Strangely, nothing that scared my parents, and Ahsen Jillani a former editor and publisher, is originally sometimes, me, ever happened. My girls are 23 and 19 now, from Islamabad , Pakistan , and now lives in Charlotte. and they have their own, rather strong, moral code. I never He owns Must Media, a PR company focusing on both asked. I celebrate Christmas, wish my friends Happy Diwali, political and corporate clients. and Happy Eid, but I don’t see any of that as being “me vs. them.” People I love celebrate life in many ways. What then Saathee.com

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December 2015



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FILM CLIPS South asian international Film Festival

in the heart of the Sea

The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) is one of the the largest film premiere destinations for South Asian/Indian filmmakers in the United States. SAIFF was founded in New York City due to the lack of support for many emerging filmmakers and the overall underrepresentation of Indian cinema in the city that is recognized by the world as the birthplace of independent filmmaking. The Festival exhibits films from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) and within the Indian Diaspora. With a focus on dynamic, visionary cinema, SAIFF annually creates exposure for filmmakers and brings innovative short films, documentaries and feature films to the fore. The opening night will feature Beeba Boys, a film by Deepa Mehta. The 12th Annual South Asian International Film Festival will take place from December 9-13, 2015. For full details on the films being screened visit www.saiff.org.

In the Heart of the Sea is an upcoming epic historical adventure and drama film based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, that inspired the tale of Moby Dick. Directed by Ron Howard, In the Heart of the Sea stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson. In the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home. The film releases on December 11.

Sushant Singh rajput Stars in half Girlfriend

Bajirao Mastani Bajirao Mastani is an Indian historical romance film produced and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. According to reports, Bhasali has wanted to make the project since 2003. But due to cast changes and his work on other films, he shelved the project until 2014. He has now completed the film, which narrates the story of the Maratha warrior Peshwa (Prime Minister) Baji Rao I of the Maratha Empire and his second wife Mastani. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone portray the lead protagonists, and Priyanka Chopra plays Bajirao’s first wife Kashibai. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters worldwide on December 18.

Chetan Bhagat is one of the most popular authors in India. Many of his books have been adapted for film and have become hits. His last book, 2 States, turned out to be one of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters. His latest novel, Half Girlfriend, is now slated to made into a film by director Mohit Suri. Up and coming actor Sushant Singh Rajput will play the leading male role in the love story. Suri told interviewers that since the protagonist of the books is a Bihari and Rajput is from Patna, the character should gel nicely. The search is on for an actress to play the leading lady in the film.

Sunny Deol returns with Ghayal Once again

abhishek Bachchan Signed for ek tha Gangster

Veteran actor Sunny Deol reprises his role of Ajay Mehra from the original film Ghayal, which was released more than two decades ago in 1990. Deol directed and produced the sequel Ghayal Once Again. He is debuting four teenage actors in leading roles for the new film. Debutant actors include Shivam Patil, Rishabh Arora, Aanchal Munjha and Diana Khan. The youngsters present the new generation willing to fight injustice and seek out careers. The action-drama film also stars Soha Ali Khan, Prachi Desai, Tisca Chopra among others and is slated to release on January 15, 2016.

During his career, film director Sanjay Gupta has become synonyms for his gritty gangster movies like the Shootout series. Gupta’s last film, Jazbaa that featured Irrfan Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was a success at the box office. Now Gupta is all set for his next that will feature Abhishek Bachchan. The film will be titled Ek Tha Gangster. The action thriller will be based on S. Hussain Zaidi’s 2014 bestseller, Byculla to Bangkok, a sequel to his 2012 novel, Dongri to Dubai. The story will trace how youngsters were recruited and went on to become local goons like Arun Gawli, Ashwin Naik and Chhota Rajan. But that is just a blueprint and the film won’t focus on any specific gangster, but rather will follow the lives of the cops and politicians who are also involved. Apart from this, the film will also feature characters inspired by reallife cops Vijay Salaskar and Pradeep Sharma. The film is expected to commence shooting in Mumbai in December.

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UPCOMING MOVIE RELEASES December 4

Concussion (Director: Peter Landesman) Cast: Will Smith and Alec Baldwin

Hate Story 3 (Director: Vishal Pandya) Cast: Sharman Joshi, Zarine Khan, Daisy Shah, Karan Singh Grover, and Puja Gupta

Joy (Director: David O. Russell) Cast: Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence Mastizaade (Director: Milap Zaveri) Cast: Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, Vir Das, Milap Zaveri, and Riteish Deshmukh

Macbeth (Director: Justin Kurzel) Cast: Michael Fassbender and Sean Harris Kajarya (Director: Madhureeta Anand) Cast: Meenu Hooda, Ridhima Sud, Kuldeep Ruhil, Shashi Bhushan, and Sudheer Chaubeesee

January 8 7 Hours to Go (Director: Saurabh Varma) Cast: Sandeep Dhar

December 11 ok Mein Dhokhe (Director: Utpal S. Chaudhary) Cast: Zoya Rathore, Sapan Krishna, Vaidhei Singh, Megha Verma, Ravi Thakur, and Milan Singh

Chauranga (Director: Bikas Ranjan Mishra) Cast: Sanjay Suri, Riddhi Sen, Soham Maitra, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Arpita Chatterjee, and Ena Saha

In the Heart of the Sea (Director: Ron Howard) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, and Brendan Gleeson

love Shagun (Director: Sandesh Nayak) Cast: Anuj Sachdeva, Nidhi Subbaiah, Manit Joura, Vikram Koccher, and Taran Bajaj

the Big Short (Director: Adam McKay) Cast: Brad Pitt and Christian Bale

Sanam teri Kasam (Director: Radhika Rao) Cast: Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane

December 18

Wazir (Director: Bejoy Nambiar) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari, John Abraham, and Neil Nitin Mukeshs

Bajirao Mastani (Director: Sanjay Leela Bhashli) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Tanvi Azmi, Vaibbhav Tatwawdi, and Mahesh Manjrekar

January 15 Ghayal once Again (Director: Sunny Deol) Cast: Sunny Deol, Om Puri, Murli Sharma, Prachi Desai, Soha Ali Khan, and Tisca Chopra

Sisters (Director: Jason Moore) Cast: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey

January 22

Dilwale (Director: Rohit Shetty) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Varun Sharma, and Chetna Pande

Airlift (Director: Raja Krishna Menon) Cast: Akshay Kumar, and Nimrat Kaur Jugni (Director: Shefali Bhushan) Cast: Sugandha Garg, Siddhant Behl, Anurita Jha, Sadhana Singh, and Samir Sharma

Star Wars: the Force Awakens (Director: J.J. Abrams) Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher

December 25

January 29

the Hateful eight (Director: Quentin Tarantino) Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kurt Russell

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Ishq Forever (Director: Sameer Sippy) Cast: Krishna Chaturvedi, Ruhi Singh, Lisa Ray, Zakir Hussain, Chetan Pandit, and Sonal Jha

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December 2015



India’s Biggest Festival is

REALLY BAD for its Health By Nimisha Jaiswal, GlobalPost.com

respiratory illnesses, and the most affected group is really young children.” Advocates recently came up with a novel way to highlight the problem: They petitioned the Supreme Court on behalf of their infant children. Two 6-month-olds and a 14-month-old appealed for immediate restrictions on the use of fireworks on the basis of their fundamental right to life and clean air. “Our lungs have not yet fully developed and we cannot take further pollution through bursting of crackers,” said the petition, drafted by the toddlers’ families. “The smoke … during the festivals of Dussehra [a Hindu celebration in October] and Diwali virtually clogs the atmosphere and magnifies the risk of contracting lung diseases.” Unsurprisingly, a Sivakasi-based group opposed the plea, claiming that the lives of 1.3 million employees of the firecracker industry would be affected. The Supreme Court responded that the use of loud fireworks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is already prohibited to limit noise pollution, and said that an all-out ban was unrealistic. It turned down the petition, instead reprimanding the government for not publishing public service advertisements discouraging firecrackers as it had asked in a ruling 10 years ago. The reluctance of authorities to take action in the face of all the evidence comes down to a combination of religious zeal and environmental apathy. Hindus say it is their religious right to set off firecrackers, while manufacturers insist that any spike in pollution from their products is only temporary. Amid India’s chronically dirty air, industry leaders argue, a few festivities are not a factor in the country’s respiratory problems. Experts contest both assertions. Several campaigns against firecrackers point out that while lamps are a symbolic part of Diwali celebrations, firecrackers are purely celebratory — which means they could easily be curtailed, if not banned, without keeping Hindus from their religious rites. The question of pollution is even harder to ignore. According to Mukherjee of the CSE, the air pollution around Diwali aggravates the ill effects of Delhi’s notoriously smoggy winter on people with respiratory problems. And the problem is not limited to temporary carbon dioxide and particulate matter levels. “[Firecrackers also release] elements like heavy metals, which stay in the atmosphere for a long time and percolate into underground water, and stay in the soil for a much longer period,” Mukherjee said. Extended exposure can affect the kidneys, liver and the central nervous system. And however temporary some festive air pollution may be, it adds to the problem of survival in India’s metropolitan cities. “People are leaving Delhi,” said Mukherjee. “Expatriates are returning to their own countries because they say Delhi is not safe for their kids, but we have to work here.”

NEW DELHI, India — In the week leading up to the Hindu festival of Diwali, which falls this year on November 11, every neighborhood in India becomes more beautiful. Houses are cleaned out, decorative lamps are lit, and families reunite and gifts are exchanged. Diwali is considered to be the Hindu New Year, the day on which winter “officially” arrives, and a time to pray for prosperity by felicitating the goddess of wealth. It is also the day that air pollution across India spikes to five to eight times above the safe standard. Two practices define Diwali — lighting earthen lamps all over the house, and setting off firecrackers. According to children’s rights NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, India produces nearly $38 million worth of firecrackers every year, most of which are sold in the weeks leading up to Diwali. Entire towns are dedicated to the manufacture of these fireworks. Every Indian child grows up knowing the names of each different kind. Many Indian children, though, are too familiar with firecrackers — because they make them. “During the festive season thousands of children are trafficked and used as cheap labor … and made to work in very hazardous conditions where a blast or tiny spark often leads to accidents,” says R.S. Chaurasia, the chairperson of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which is currently campaigning against fireworks. Chaurasia gave the example of Sivakasi town in the state of Tamil Nadu, which he said was home to 80 percent of India’s fireworks production. Fatal accidents and fires in its factories are an annual affair. According to Chaurasia, ignoring safety measures and hiring children allows for massive profit margins. Consumers aren’t safe, either. Fire hazards and burn injuries during celebrations are common. And according to the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), a policy research organization, standards for what goes into fireworks are either non-existent or not imposed, allowing firecrackers to emit abundant toxic fumes into the environment. CSE readings show that levels of carbon dioxide and particulate matter — particles of pollution suspended in the air — increase significantly during the festivities leading up to Diwali, and are the highest on the day itself. Last Diwali in Delhi, for example, the center recorded a level of PM2.5 — measuring the fine particulate matter that can enter the lungs and bloodstream — that was ten times the recommended standard. It was three times as high as Delhi’s average real levels, which are already considered unsafe. “The body’s filtering mechanism doesn’t work against this small particulate matter,” Polash Mukherjee, a research associate at the CSE who has worked extensively on firecracker emissions, told GlobalPost. “It causes an exaggeration of Saathee.com

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THE BOOKSHELF By Samir Shukla

of daily cooking, or simply women still prefer traditional methods of cooking on open fires to unreliable or short-lived cooking stoves. The near-extinction of South Asian vultures is another ecological tragedy she writes extensively about. Subramanian has written widely on the subject in publications and compiles much of her research here into concise prose. The birds have filled a very important niche in the ecology of the country, keeping carcass dumps and carrion clean of streets and towns. Now with the commonly used anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac killing off most of the birds, she visits people trying to keep them from dying off. Farmers use the veterinary version of the drug, and when vultures eat the carcass of that animal, it proves fatal and they die shortly. In the essays and reportage she details investigations into the decline of India’s vulture population, almost to the point of extinction, and how this will affect the biodiversity and natural order of things in the country. Vultures are the street cleaners of carrion and carcass dumps. Who will do this natural job if they are all gone? Their extinction would create a vacuum in the natural order of things that would be irreplaceable. In another of India’s dilemmas, she also writes about the “Rainman of Rajasthan” who is helping build dams to collect rainwater into pools that supply water for farmers and replenish wells that are tapped during the dry seasons. She writes that India’s problems can be solved via localized micro projects like those small dams, rather than massive macro projects. Sustainability efforts on the micro levels, customized to local areas and environments, are the solution to India’s longterm environmental and water and land protection efforts. Her reportage is not dry, but filled with stories of microlevel works of several people she profiles. They are all unique characters telling the greater story of India. From farmers returning to organic farming, to activists trying to bring back vultures, rural dweller building small dams to harvest rainwater and replenish wells, all people profiled in the book present a promise of positive possibilities and solutions. They are among the activists and farmers, along with government workers, trying to keep India from falling into an irreversible environmental disaster. It could be depressing to read about seemingly intractable problems, but Subramanian showcases positive efforts at mitigating these problems and passions of people seeking to make India into a better place for all. The last chapter of “A River Runs Again” seems out of place with the rest of the narrative. The book covers environmental dilemmas throughout, but in the last chapter Subramanian talks about women’s sexual health and reproduction activists. It is a fine and necessary discussion, but doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the book and feels like an afterthought. It is very informative, but it could be a part of another book dedicated to such efforts and reportage.

Disorder Author: Vanesha Pravin Vanesha Pravin’s book “Disorder” is a poetry collection that taps into family history, looks at uprooting via migration and examines contemporary cultural crossroads, all written in spare, yet evocative poems. Her words breathe life into the characters of a family, her family. The poems have universality while many are rooted in the inimitable Indian ethos. She connects the contemporary with the history of her ancestors. In certain poems, like “First Wife,” entire stories are succinctly told. In the piece and another accompanying poem, her grandmother, unable to have children, finds a second wife for her husband, a show of love to continue the bloodline. Pravin recounts this history in minimal words while unfolding the feelings and conditions of family members in vivid imagery. She writes of family seeking better lives to migrate to while looking at a map for new lands. One imagines countless families struggling with the possibilities and wonder of shifting to new lands. “Disorder” presents details of lives in sparse, strong homage. I generally find poetry confounding. I enjoy reading it, but so much of it is, well fluffy rhyming. A collection like “Disorder” brings music and grounding to the art of poetry. Pravin delivers a fluid style in this small but substantial collection. I want to read more from Pravin; another book of her poems in the near future perhaps. She toils in academia and currently teaches at University of California, Merced. A River Runs Again India’s natural world in crisis, from the barren cliffs of Rajasthan to the farmlands of Karnataka Author: Meera Subramanian Meera Subramanian’s book stitches together stories of activists and common folks who are working to address India’s environmental problems into a documentary-like narrative. She assays several different yet interconnected problems and gathers interviews, thoughts, ideas, and passions into seamless strings of essays. She has traveled widely in India for her work. Open fire wood stoves and biomass burning are commonly used in India to cook meals and heat water for centuries, and still remains the most prevalent in rural areas. The smoke, especially of indoor wood stoves, can wreak havoc on the people living in the house, especially women and young children. She analyzes the international efforts to bring safe and less polluting cooking stoves to India and masses around the world. Many of these efforts have not come to fruition or reached scale because either the stoves don’t meet the demands Saathee.com

Samir Shukla is the editor of Saathee magazine. contact - saatheemag@hotmail.com

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SANGEET Popular Music of India By Kirit Shukla

Lyrics in English: Lāge re lāge re lāge lāge re naianawā lāge re lāge re… (2) (Jab se tere nainā mere naino se lāge re - 2 Tab se diwānā huā, Sab se begānā hua, rab bhi diwānā lāge re - 2, Ho o o o …) -2 Jabse tere nainā mere nainose lāgere, diwānā yehto diwānā lāgere, Ho o o jab se milā hai terā ishārā, Tab se jāgi hai bechainiyā Jab se hui sargoshiyān, Tab se badhi hai madahoshiyān Jab se jude yārā tere mere mān ke dhāge re, Tab se diwānā huā, Sab se begānā huā, Rab bhi diwānā lāge re2, Jab se tere nainā mere naino se lāge re ... Jab se hui hai tujhse sharārat, Tab se gayā hai chain o karār - 2 Jab se terā ānchal dhalā, Tab se koi jādoo chalā, Jab se tujhe pāyā yeh jiya Dhaka-dhaka bhāge re, Tab se diwānā huā, sab se begānā huā, Rab bhi diwānā lāge re-2 Ho o o o, Jab se tere nainā mere naino se lāge re ...

living legends: Singers Shaan: Shantanu Mukherjee, aka Shaan, is a film playback singer in Hindi, English, Bengali, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and other languages. He has also served as a TV host and judge. Shaan is a lyricist, music composer and a pop star. He was born on Sep. 30, 1972, in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. He is married to Radhika Mukherjee and has two children. Shaan’s musical output includes songs in all types of genres, including pop, patriotic, jazz, Ghazal, hip-hop, and rock. He began his career at age 17 (in 1989) and has sung in over 400 movies in the last 15 years. Obviously, he gave his voice for many actors under several music directors. It is not possible to list them all. He has also tried his hand at acting in several films. He has been touring in India and many countries giving live shows in many cultural festivals of various educational institutions. He toured for a short period in USA in 2005. During his live interview with Divakar Shukla, on Nazar TV in January 2005, he said: “I enjoyed the people and country. Whatever I achieved was my (due to my) dad, who died when I was 14, had a long vision for.” Shaan is known for his modesty and a grounded personality. He said in an interview that today, many music directors are avoiding established singers to bring some novelty into the field of playback singing, while compromising on the quality. He doesn’t appreciate technological aspects such as auto-tuning software, which makes people with average or rough voices a better feel in the final recording and release of the song.

Meaning (Summary): Your eyes met.., since your eyes met my eyes, since then I got crazy, I got away from all, even God looks crazy to me now, since your eyes met my eyes. Since I got your eye signals, I feel restless. Since there are whispers, intoxication has gone high, the threads of your heart and mine are attached. Since then I got crazy, I got away from all, even God looks crazy to me now.. Since there's been a mischief with you, rest and peace has gone. When your scarf came down, some magic has worked (upon me). Since I got you, my heart beats fast. Since then I got crazy, I got away from all, even God looks crazy to me now. Since your eyes met my eyes ... Lyrics in Hindi:

Awards: He has won many awards as a best playback singer in a competitive market. Some of them are: 1. MTV Asia Music Award for Best Solo Album – Tanhā dil (2000) 2. Zee Cine Award for Best Male Playback Singer – “Suno nā” (Movie: Jhankaar Beats; 2004) 3. Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer – “Chaand sifarish” (Movie: Fanaa; 2007) and “Jab Se tere naina” (Movie: Saawariyā; 2008) 5. Best Playback Singer (Male) IIFA Awards – “Behti hawā sā thā woh” (Movie: 3 Idiots; 2010) The lyrics to his popular Hindi song, “Jab se tere nainā…” are given in this column on this page.

evergreen and Classic lyrics Jab se tere naina... Song: Jab se tere nainā… Film: Sāwariyā Year: 2007 Music: Monty Sharma Singer: Shaan Lyrics: Sameer-Nusrat Badr-Sandeep Nāth Based on Indian Classical Rāgā: Mishra Bāgeshri Tāl/Rhythm: Kaharavā Starring: Ranbir & Sonam Kapoor, and Salman Khan Saathee.com

Note: The contents of this article are compiled from the news, books, internet and my knowledge and love for Indian music.)

Kirit Shukla Contact him at kiritsshukla@hotmail.com

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December 2015


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December 2015


NAMASKAR, Y’ALL Reflections and a few confessions as an Indian American in the Carolinas In the eyes of the Beholder

making me chuckle. They imagined that Gods visit us from their heavenly abode during festivals and will be there to protect us when the Earth is in trouble. Another astute observation was that a lot of people believe in festival traditions because of they get to meet friends, exchange gifts and share joy but some just do it because “they feel like they have to.” True! Living in a multicultural society, there are so many messages, some loud and clear, and some vague and filled with ambiguity. I’m sure that my innocent children will at some point in their lives be challenged about their beliefs, hear things that will shake their faith or have a different understanding of a supreme being. And as they make sense of this world in their own way, my personal belief is that they will develop a unique relationship with God and a spiritual connection that is theirs alone. My quest to seek the wide eyed and trusting perspective of preschoolers, led me to two of the youngest members of our extended family. One is a very talkative and energetic little boy who makes it his morning duty to call everyone in his traditional “joint-family” to the place of prayer and make sure that everyone is praying. He is curious about all things related to “Ganpati bappa moray,” his favorite Hindu God. The other young man, will join his hands and pray for good health when he or a family member is sick and when he is feeling better, he can be overheard saying, “God, please give me your blessing and my Papa big money. I really want Papa to get me lots of new toys.” Recently, a dear friend of mine shared that when her son thinks of God, he has a vivid image of a vast open land with flowers. He and his little brother are both convinced that God is watching over us all the time. Where do they get these ideas from? It’s no secret that we live in an age with an abundance of information. Today’s children have more resources than the “Amar Chitra Katha” series that my friends and I borrowed from the library or tales we heard from our parents and other relatives. And if I dig way back into my childhood, I can remember sitting through “kathas” (religious stories) at household pujas and while we may have picked up the moral of the story, my cousins and I mainly eyed the “prasad” (edible offerings) impatiently waiting for our turn to eat some. Turns out, even today things are not that different. With kids who have not yet had their double digit birthday, parents and colorful books continue to be the most common resources. But the older tweens or teens predictably turn to the internet. I can’t blame them as I turn to Wikipedia, too, if I need a quick summary of the Vedas. Just being honest! Listening to these bright young minds, I am impressed by their unique ways of making a connection with God. What their eyes behold is a gift in the form of a mirror that allows us to reflect on what we are teaching and the values we are transmitting.

By Shyama Parui Wrap up clay lamps – check Sweep away rangoli – check Gently pack the kandil (paper lantern) – check Unpack Christmas tree and ornaments– to do Sneak in the Elf on the Shelf and think of a name – to do Inflate Santa toys..sigh– to do Looking through my list of holiday to dos, I realized how thankful I am for this year’s wonderful Diwali and Durga Puja. It’s also a great feeling that we have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to. The pondering parent in me however poses the question - “What does this really mean to my kids?” Hopefully it means more than presents, parties and new clothes. A part of me wants to be a mind reader only because as a mother I desperately want to understand what my kids have absorbed from our religious celebrations, traditions, rituals and from books depicting illustrated tales of valiant heroes from our epics who personify the universal lesson that good triumphs over evil. A few years ago I had written an article exploring children’s fresh and innocent perspective on God. I had started off by asking my own children who were then 7 and 5, what they thought of God. Their mind went straight to the festivals. One liked Durga Puja due to the lively dance performances and the other had the most fun during Janmashtami. When asked why, the answer was simply and honestly stated as “it’s so sweet to see Baby Krishna on the swing.” A common belief was that Jai Jai (God) protects us and respects us if we are respectful. To them being respectful meant “thanking Ma Saraswati (the Hindu Goddess of Learning) for all the books we get, not stepping on the books and singing Om Jai Jagdish Hare.” One interesting admission by my younger daughter was that she could not understand why Maa Kaali (Destroyer of Evil) was so angry. The raging image of Maa Kali with the “mundumala” (garland of demon heads) was confusing as she associated Gods and Goddesses with being kind, helpful and forgiving. One can certainly appreciate the complexity our religious stories present and provokes some thinking on this legitimate concern of what God is really like. There are no easy answers and yet do we want everything to be defined. One wonders! Well, since mind reading is not an option, I decided to casually sneak in some of the same questions at the dinner table and attempt to unravel what their thoughts are today. To them God is a powerful being who gives them blessings when human beings deserve it and can take it away if they are not being good. “Kind of like Santa, except Santa will still get you something like coal if you are naughty” said one of them Saathee.com

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

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December 2015


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YOUTH CORNER A monkey, a squirrel, and a bird are racing to the top of a coconut tree. Who will get the banana first, the monkey, the squirrel, or the bird? None of them, because you can’t get a banana from a coconut tree!

Word World By Kirit Shukla

M B

S

U E

L

Which eight-letter word still remains a word after removing each letter from it? Starting-Staring-String-Sting-Sing-Sin-In-I.

R

The more it dries, the wetter it becomes. What is it? A towel! What can you hear but not touch or see? Your voice.

Make words using 4 or more letters. The central letter must be used in each word. Letters cannot be used more than once per word. Use all letters for the subject word (underlined in solutions below) 10+ words = Excellent; 6 to 9 words = Good; 5 or less = keep looking. Words we found are in solutions below.

What starts with “P” and ends with “E” and has more than 1000 letters? A post office.

Brain train

Answer for brain train: 5 miles. (Hint: Use Pythagoras theorem or draw the triangle to the scale and measure.)

Hi Kids, Here is a simple quiz. See if you can solve it. You are walking straight 3 miles in the East direction. Then you turn at right angle and walk 4 miles straight in North direction. How far are you from the original point you started walking, as measured in a shortest straight line distance? The answer given on the bottom of this page (no peeking).

Word World (Solution): BLUE, BLUME, BLUR, BRUME, BURL, BURSE, LEMUR, LUBE, LUMBER, LURE, MULE, MURE, MUSE, RUBE, RULE, RUMBLE, RUSE, SEBUM, SERUM, SLUB, SLUE, SLUM, SLUMBER, SLUR, SURE, UMBEL, UMBER, USER

Dadaji’s short stories for kids A tiger was very hungry on a hot summer day. He came out of his den and searched around the jungle. He found a rabbit and caught it. He hesitated and thought that the small rabbit couldn’t possibly fill his tummy. As he was about to kill it, he saw a deer running away in the distance. He became greedy. He thought: “Let me get that big deer instead of this small rabbit so I can fill my tummy.” He let the rabbit go and ran behind the deer. But the deer was hopping and running so fast that it vanished into the wooded forest and the tiger could not find it. The tiger now felt sorry for letting that rabbit go free. Moral: A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

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December 2015


MASTERING MEANING

Harnessing the Power of American English By Judith L. Bergman

a. Be careful in order to avoid a problem with someone b. Proceed with care and caution c. Extremely tedious and boring d. To look and observe closely and carefully e. On the alert, very vigilant f. Small, portable time pieces g. Look at steadily over a period of time h. Guarded something valuable when a theft could occur i. To behave properly j. Don’t be rude or disrespectful. Be careful of what you say. k. Waits expectantly l. While I was on duty or in charge m. Member of the ship’s crew on duty during the night n. When you wait anxiously for something to happen, it seems like a long time. o. View a show on television p. Someone who is eager to stop work and keeps looking to see what time it is q. Observed the group very carefully r. Protects and keeps safe

It’s been a while since we looked at a clever headline of a news article. Do you see the play on words or “pun” in this headline that was on page 1C in the Science section of the November 9, 2015 Raleigh News & Observer? tech-tock What do you think this article was about? If you had the newspaper in front of you, you would see photos of the four “top smart watches of 2015.” So there is a double pun here. First, the column could be informally called, “Tech Talk” since this section features discussions and evaluations of what’s new in technology. Secondly, the sound of old, analog watches, clocks and spring wound “grandfather clocks” was...”ticktock.” Both are referenced in this clever headline. An old nursery rhyme and song begins with this verse: “tick tock goes the clock, And what now shall we play? tick tock goes the clock, Now summer’s gone away.” 2 Match these sentences with forms of the verb, adjective or noun watch with the correct meaning. 1 (Two sentences are matched to the same meaning.)*

Suggested strategies to increase your mastery of meaning this month: See how many uses of watch you can find in your local newspaper and in articles in your favorite magazines (including Saathee).

1. All night, a security guard kept watch over the jewels on display before the auction. _____ 2. He always watches for an opportunity to sell his products. ___ 3. When we hiked in the wood, we had to watch carefully for trail markers. ____ 4. We always watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV _____ 5. When guests were coming, the children were told, “Watch your manners!” ___ 6. He was relieved of duty by the night watch. ___ 7. I read the review of four new smart watches. ____ 8. “Watch your step,” said the shuttle van driver as a passenger departed. ___ 9. “Don’t sit by the phone, waiting for it to ring. A watched pot never boils! __ 10. For me watching the golf tournament was like watching paint dry. ___ 11. His older brother always watches out for him during rough play. ___ 12. Watch out for the boss today. He’s in a bad mood. ___ 13. “I don’t like your language,” the little boy’s mother said. “Watch it!” ___ 14. I don’t know why you like those fishing programs. It’s like watching grass grow. ____ 15. I should have been more alert. The accident happened on my watch. ___ 16. That new employee who is always watching the clock doesn’t have a future with this company. ___ 17. During the final exam, the teacher watched the students like a hawk. ___ 18. The security guards are now on the watch for anyone who looks suspicious. ___ 19. Did you watch the debates last night? ___

Answers: 1-h, 2-k, 3-d 4-g 5-i, 6-m 7-f 8-b, 9-n, 10-c*, 11-r 12-a, 13-j 14-c*, 15-l 16-p, 17-q 18-e, 19-o

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References: 1, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/watch 2 http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/doctor+who/ tick+tock+goes+the+clock_21073499.html

Judith L. Bergman M.A CCC is the director of Triangle Speech Services specializing in foreign accent modification. Contact: jlbergman@mindspring.com or 919-489-5464. www.trianglespeech.com

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PERSONAL FINANCE Another one which is most forgotten is the unnecessary additional taxes paid for social security; this happens especially when you change jobs. Many states also allow an adjustment for the contributions to 529 plans.

Are you Paying too Much taxes? By Mo Vidwans There is hardly a month left and very little time to do things right to minimize our taxes for this year. It is not too late if you act now. Here are some of the tips for reducing your taxes legally.

Why is tax planning so critical? Tax planning, especially for medium and high-income families, is something that must be considered from the beginning of the year as part of estate-planning tool. . tax Planning for Ages between 60 and 70.5 Many people retire around the age of 60 or 62 either because they want to or because they are asked to. This creates a dilemma because they have to figure out as to where the income stream is coming from until they start their pensions or social security payments or withdrawals from IRAs. In fact, this is a great opportunity to review their income stream for every year between now and their age of 70.5 and determine how they should be handling the withdrawal of their non-taxable assets. If they are older than 59.5 then there is no penalty for withdrawal from IRA or 401k or similar programs; the only tax they will have to pay is the income tax for the withdrawn amount at their regular tax rate. Many people see their income drop when they retire and hence they pay much less income taxes. However, at the age of 70.5 when the required minimum withdrawal kicks in, their taxable income can go up substantially which can push them into higher income tax bracket. They can reduce the disparity of income by balancing the withdrawal between the age of 60 and 70.5 so that they can take advantage of lower taxes when the income has already dropped. This way, by controlling how much they withdraw from non-taxables, they can stay under the higher bracket for taxes and have almost 11 years to do so. It also helps to reduce the total amount in the IRA when the time comes to start minimum withdrawals. The amount withdrawn earlier does not have to be spent; it should be just reinvested in taxable accounts. If they withdraw just stocks (or mutual funds) from the IRA (without selling it first inside IRA), they would, of course, pay income tax on the value of the stock at the time but after the stock comes out of the IRA the rest of the appreciation is taxed on the capital gains only, at a smaller rate than the income tax rate.

Itemizing: Most who own homes generally itemize and are aware of certain deductions. But there are many items that can be easily overlooked. In medical expenses everything that is prescribed and not reimbursed is deductible, including the health insurance premiums (but not life insurance) and also long-term care insurance. Your travel mileage to the doctor, hospital and labs are deductible; 23.5 cents (2014 rate) per mile are allowed. Threshold for this is 10% of AGI (7.5% for seniors). State and local taxes (or sales taxes), property taxes and car registration fees (partial) are allowed. If you donate, just keep receipts and a detailed list of items donated and their current market value. It is all deductible. Financial advisor fees can be deducted. Also safe deposit box fees, expenses for finding a new job even if you are unsuccessful, tools and uniforms required for your business, professional magazine subscriptions, non-reimbursed business expenses are deductible. Some of them have a floor of 2% of your AGI. If you volunteer your time, your mileage to the place of volunteering and back is deductible (14.0 cents per mile for 2014). Casualty and theft losses are deductible under limited conditions. Income: Be very particular about declaring all income on your 1040. If you receive a 1099 form, then it must be included; even if you do not have a 1099 and you know you had income then include that. Interests, dividends, pensions, social security income, withdrawals form IRAs, rentals, royalties and other income, unemployment compensation and income from gambling or lottery are all to be reported. Ways of reducing the income are by taking capital losses (up to $3,000) by selling stocks that have lost value and spreading income over more than one year if possible. More capital losses can be carried forward for next year. Adjustments to income: You can claim certain expenses like school supplies (if you are a teacher) up to a limit, unreimbursed moving expenses (23.5 cents per mile) only if you move for a new job, HSA contributions, new IRAs, student loan interests, alimony payments and penalty for early withdrawals of savings are some of the reductions to gross income. These adjustments are used to reduce income before the taxes are calculated. The deductions taken as credit to the taxes give you the most bang for your buck. Foreign tax credit is probably the most forgotten credit. If you have 1099s showing this tax paid, you owe it to yourself to make sure that you take that credit; it is a credit that reduces your final taxes dollar for dollar. Child and dependent care expenses, education expenses for the classes you took, residential energy saving expenses and child tax credits are some of the examples that need to be explored for credit against taxes. In some cases, earned income credit is also available. There are limits of income and other limits to all of these. Saathee.com

Manage your adjusted gross income on 1040 It is critical that total income and the taxes are estimated (AGI on 1040) at the beginning of the year. Very many tax calculations depend on the value of your AGI. For a married couple on Medicare, if AGI exceeds $170,000 they pay additional Medicare taxes of $42.00 per month; if the AGI exceeds $214,000 they will end up paying additional Medicare taxes of $104.90. They could avoid this extra charge if they pre-plan and limit the AGI.

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

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THE DENTIST VISITS YOU Wisdom teeth By Vatsal Suthar

While you will always receive local anesthetic to numb the areas and teeth, having sedation is optional dependent on your anxiety levels. Because the 3rd molars present in a complex and wide variety of positions and conditions compared to other teeth, most general dentists will refer you to an oral surgeon for their safe removal. An oral surgeon is a dental specialist who has undergone an additional 4-6 years of training after dental school. Some even have dual dental and medical degrees which confirms their expertise to handle the diagnosis, surgery and treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and facial region. Furthermore, because surgeons have additional expertise in anesthesia, patients can be “put to sleep” safely with IV, oral, or inhalation sedation so that a patient has reduced anxiety and can forget the intimidating aspects during the procedure. The most common complication following wisdom teeth removal is “dry socket.” This is a condition in which the blood clot in the surgical site is not formed properly or has been dislodged prematurely. The clot contains many nutrients and natural components to allow your tissue to repair and recover. With dry socket, this important healing phase gets delayed while causing extreme discomfort. People that smoke, patients that do not follow home hygiene instructions, and females on oral contraceptives have an increased risk to developing dry socket. Not keeping the area clean with water rinses or a prescription mouth wash after surgery could lead to infection but is not as common. When wisdom teeth are taken out in the younger years, a person has a better chance of an uneventful outcome after surgery compared to if a person waited decades later to remove them. The main objection to most patients in extracting the 3rd molars is they do not hurt. I believe our community would appreciate the idiom, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” because taking care of something while it is small and manageable is not only cheaper, it saves you time and, most importantly, pain which keep you from performing at work, school or business. When you make an emergency appointment to see your dentist for a pain from your wisdom teeth, who then refers you to an oral surgeon for a separate visit and fee, you have wasted your time and money for a condition that was forecast well in advance. Since the chances of maintaining 3rd molars in perfect position without the risk for decay or gum infection is less than 10% for all adults, I urge those with wisdom teeth to seek timely treatment as suggested by your dentist.

With the holiday season upon us and the kids at home for winter break, many Indian parents I know will use this time to get their children to the dentist for their cleaning and exam so as not lose any precious days away from school or college. As kids turn into teenagers and enter their early twenties, the development and associated symptoms of wisdom teeth begin to appear. Last month, I wrote on the merits of diagnosing a bad bite early so as to fix that malocclusion with braces. The wisdom teeth are in a similar situation in which bigger problems down the road can be avoided altogether by addressing them at this stage of life. There are commonly four wisdom teeth that develop. Third molars, or wisdom teeth, begin to emerge in the mouth from 17-21 years of age. Wisdom teeth are considered “vestigial” because as humans have evolved, the need for them has been made obsolete. The common postulation is that the skulls of human ancestors had larger jaws with more teeth, which possibly were used to help chew down foliage to compensate for a lack of ability to efficiently digest the cellulose that makes up a plant cell wall. As human diets changed, smaller jaws gradually evolved, yet the third molars, or “wisdom teeth” still commonly develop in human mouths. If the wisdom teeth grow properly, they are no different than any other tooth in the mouth and can be kept without problems. However, only 2% of adults over 65 maintain their wisdom teeth without cavities or gum infection. Because the jaws became smaller with evolution, there’s less room for the third molars to position properly and more than likely become “impacted.” An impaction can cause gum infection, decay on adjacent teeth, cysts, tumors, or pushing of other teeth leading to misalignment. Often times, the pain from the gum tissue over a wisdom tooth or decay into the nerve will cause a patient to seek treatment for extraction of the tooth. A panoramic x-ray is taken at certain intervals to monitor the growth of the 3rd molars in a dental office in order to predict how the teeth will be positioned in the patient’s jaw. If an impaction is likely, your dentist will suggest removing them. A common misconception for all patients is that if it does not hurt, why mess with it? Especially true for a vast majority of the Indian mentality is to wait only until you are on the brink of death to seek any treatment. If your physician can accurately predict you having a heart attack based on your blood pressure, cholesterol, imaging, and other testing, would you still wait until the “pain” to seek treatment? Whenever I discuss an impacted wisdom tooth with Readers, if you have any questions or suggestions for this column, patients, the most common question I receive is whether to send them to us at saatheemag@hotmail.com. We will forward them remove one, two or all of them at a time. Having a tooth taken to Dr. Suthar for a potential future article. out can be an intimidating and scary circumstance. Patients sometimes need a pair of wisdom teeth out but, most often, all Vatsal Suthar four will be removed at one time to eliminate all impaction risk is a private practice general dentist in areas. Furthermore, by extracting all four wisdom teeth at one Columbia, SC aiming to increase dental time, you take care of all treatment needs at one time, take time awareness for the South Asian Community. away from work or school once, and your healing period is for only that single time frame. The procedure is performed in an outpatient setting with your dentist or an oral surgeon’s office. Saathee.com

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THINKING ABOUT THINKING I Hate My #*?#& Work!!

are unhappy with where things are, you need to regroup your resources and chart a plan to bring the gleam back to your eye. And, if you think the world is being bad to you, you definitely need to go into navel-gazing mode. The world ain’t going to change. You are!

By Balaji Prasad “Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity.” - T.S. Eliot You hate your work? That is terrible! Oh, not all of it – just some parts of it? I get that. That’s perfectly reasonable and expected. You are not alone in that. We have all been there. It is critically important to make sure that you are managing and optimizing your experience in the workplace. Why? Because work is probably, in sheer number of hours, the most significant part of your waking life. If you are falling short in your work experience index, you are compromising your overall life experience. Also, few people like to feel that they are not moving ahead. Most would like to grow, expand and thrive. Growth is often elusive though. Promotions, raises and recognition do not always beat a path to your door. And, of course, all this ignores more organic kinds of growth that go well beyond “growth”.

Change is good, transformation is better The fact is that change is hard! And the kind of change that we call “transformation” is even harder. We can think of transformation as being more structural, something that does not simply tweak existing things and configurations, but is more of an overhaul that reframes, reorients and renews. Transformational change requires an attitude of openness; everything should be on the table. Including, most importantly, your own self. This is the hardest part, but the most critical, because what we are is what we do. And, many of the things we are simply habits hardened into our emotional infrastructure by circumstantial forces. But it doesn’t need to stay that way, unless you want it to. Sometimes people get attached to who they happen to be. “This is who I am, and I need to be accepted for who I am” is pretty close to a death sentence, as far as any kind Step 1: Put up a sign: Me, Inc. Words matter. They tell you how you think. Not what you of transformational change is concerned! believe you think, but what you actually think. If you look back I can’t think! My mind is a twisted pretzel! at what I wrote earlier, it put the responsibility for poor Telling people that complex things are simple is like that compromises squarely on your shoulders, not on the big, bad, infamous line attributed to Queen Mary Antoinette who said evil corporation. It may be more helpful to view yourself as an “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” (Let them eat cake), when she intrepid entrepreneur with a majority share in Me, Inc. You can was told that the peasants had no bread. Whether she actually never forget your most important shareholder! made this statement or not, eventually the French The notion of “Me, Inc.” is not to suggest that a life that is all revolutionaries got to her and guillotined her, as they did other about I, me and myself is the way to go. Far from it. There will people of the nobility. always be others. Minimally, Me Inc. begins with some angel Like Marie, we can sit in the stands and “know” exactly how investors – your family and close friends – who do have a stake the batter or the soccer player should behave, or what employees in you. As you move forward from there, if you think like a need to do to succeed. But this kind of knowing is simply an company, you don’t treat your customers like dirt, nor your inability to relate and respect people’s circumstances and their partners or your colleagues and associates. So Me Inc. starts current shape. Transformations require deep thought. That kind from a center, but it does not stay centered on the imagined of thinking needs a mind that is free and engaged in the pleasure center. That would be a sure way to implode, quite ungracefully. of self-discovery and the possibilities. But you cannot even begin Words matter. Me, Inc. helps you bootstrap your business. to do this if you are distraught, anxious and worried. Insecurity But if you were smart enough to build some flexibility into your is a normal human retreat when times seem difficult. The mind sign, just as you would do in your business, you would have swirls around twisting itself around itself, unless there is an used 3D letters rather than actual paint. So the “M” can be external force that is not caught in the loop, and can play a role. turned upside down to make the “me” a “we”, as your little corporation goes beyond surviving to thriving. Step Zero: Consider getting a trusted friend or coach Some of us have close friends or family who have our Step 2: Contemplate your navel interests at heart, and are able to put aside their own biases and It can be easier to start from a simple outline that lays out self-interest to serve as coaches and trainers. Sometimes these the basic pieces. Strategists and business consultants use a lot of people also have the wisdom and experience, but quite often frameworks and models to help corporations think with clarity. they don’t, especially when it comes to the work environment, I have been there. We do this because the human mind is a rather and knowing about the nuances involved in surviving and stubborn hairball that resolutely tangles itself into little knots thriving in some very dysfunctional places. Anxiety is okay – it that are impossible to find and unravel, unless you find some can become a source of power, if you can use it to channelize tools to keep things straight. There are some that have been very your capabilities. A good coach can help you strategize, plan successful in helping companies think about their “business and discover yourself, if you can find one. I happen to know one. model” and lay out the basic building blocks that are important to any business. Balaji Prasad The point here is that you need to start by grasping what is is an IIT/IIM graduate, a published author, needed, and what you have in hand. This is the essential first SAT/ACT Online and Offline Coach, interview, step in strategizing how to move Me, Inc. forward. You don’t resume, and career coach at NewCranium. have to be a new corporation to do all this. If you are branching Contact: 704.746.9779 off into something new, you need to stop and take stock. If you balaji.prasad@newcranium.com

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test your

Knowledge

1

2

The capital of Uttar Pradesh.

3

This famous proponent of Kathak dance hails from the city of Lucknow.

4

One of only two educational institutions around the world awarded “battle honors� by British Govt.

Famous park in Lucknow devoted to this social justice stalwart.

5

The Lucknow gharana is a very famous school of this North Indian dance.

7

6

This tallest clock tower in India is located in Lucknow.

8

What is one of the nicknames of Lucknow.

9

In India, Lucknow is the center of which sect of Islam?

Which river flows through Lucknow?

Answers: 1. Lucknow 2. Pandit Birju Maharaj 3. Ambedkar Memorial Park 4. La Martinere College (Lucknow) 5. Kathak 6. Ghanta Ghar 7. The city of Nawabs. 8. Shia 9. Gomti River



NUTRITION FOR LIFE Diet, exercise, and good sleep are the trinity of good health. So what can we eat for a healthy body and mind?

“Happy” new year! By Parul Kharod

Whole Grains - Studies have shown that whole grains have several benefits for those with anxiety. Whole grains are rich in magnesium, and magnesium deficiency may lead to anxiety. Whole grains and starchy vegetables like sweet potato contain tryptophan, which becomes serotonin – a calming neurotransmitter. Whole grains are rich in fibers that act as prebiotics for the gut bacteria. Oats, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, bajra, jowar, amaranth, quinoa, are all healthy whole grains. Try to eat more actual grains rather than foods made with atta/flour.

It’s time to close out another year and reflect on the good and not so good times of the past twelve months. As we wish ‘Happy New Year’ to friends and family, let’s give a little thought to what is happiness? Are there any resolutions we can make in the New Year so we can be a little less stressed out and a little more joyful? We are designed for survival. Our body ensures that everything for survival makes us feel good. Therefore our brain produces hundreds of neurochemicals that nudge us to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

Blueberries - Blueberries are rich in vitamins and phytonutrients (plant nutrients) that are considered extremely beneficial for relieving stress. Many experts also believe that peaches fall into this category as well, because they have nutrients that appear to have a sedation (calming) effect.

• Dopamine is known as the reward molecule. It is responsible for reward-driven behavior and pleasure seeking. When we set a goal and achieve it, the brain gets flooded with dopamine and makes us feel happy. • Oxytocin is a hormone directly linked to human bonding and increasing trust and loyalty, face-to-face interactions, connections with your community, and sense of belonging to a group helps release oxytocin. It is also why we feel good when we hug. • Endorphins are neurotransmitters that help reduce pain and stress. Endorphins are released with physical activity and exercise. • GABA (gamma-amino-butyric acid) is known as the antianxiety molecule. Studies have shown that yoga increases the level of GABA, making us feel relaxed. • Adrenaline or Epinephrine is known as the energy molecule. This is what gives us the fight versus flight instinct. The release of epinephrine creates a surge of energy. • The neurochemical responsible for our self-esteem is Serotonin. Higher serotonin levels give us a sense of accomplishment and a secure feeling.

Almonds - Almonds contain zinc, a key nutrient for maintaining a balanced mood – and have both iron and healthy fats. Healthy fats are an important part of a balanced diet, and low iron levels have been known to cause brain fatigue, which can contribute to both anxiety and a lack of energy. Dark Chocolate - Chocolate – especially pure dark chocolate without the added sugars or milks – is also a great food for those living with anxiety and stress. Chocolate reduces cortisol – the stress hormone that causes anxiety symptoms. There are also compounds inside dark chocolate that improve mood. Kefir - Kefir, an ancient fermented yogurt, might just be the most powerful probiotic ever! It also has fat soluble vitamins A, D and K2, all important for brain health.

Avocados - They are great for brain health and anxiety. They contain potassium which helps naturally lower blood pressure. Avocados also contain beneficial B vitamins and monounsaturated Did you know that we also have a second brain? Our fats that are needed for neurotransmitter and brain health. gastrointestinal system or digestive tract is known as our second leafy Greens - If you struggle with stress and anxiety increase the brain! When you have a “gut feeling” to make a decision or feel greens! Plant foods like Swiss chard and spinach are rich in “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous, you’re likely getting calcium and magnesium. signals from your second brain. Researchers have known that the brain sends signals to the gut, which is why stress and other omega-3 fats - Walnuts, Flax seeds, Chia Seeds, Olive oil are all emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. Studies rich sources of omega -3 fats that help trigger serotonin. now show that the signals travel the opposite way as well. This two-way highway is being called the gut-brain axis. other foods that increase dopamine levels are almonds, avocados, For decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Beans, depression caused problems like diarrhea, constipation and lentils and vegetables have a lot of fiber which is a pre-biotic and stomach upset. Studies show it may be the other way around. helps improve the bacteria in the gut. Just as we have neurons in our brain, we also have neurons in our gut — including neurons that produce neurotransmitters like Foods to Avoid - Sugar, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, fast food and serotonin. In fact, the greatest concentration of serotonin is found fried foods, processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage and all processed foods with artificial chemicals and preservatives have in our intestines, not the brain. Now there is proof that our mental and emotional health a negative effect on the gut environment. depends on our gut health. There are studies showing that what we eat can alter the environment in the intestine and improve Parul Kharod, MS, RD, LDN symptoms of anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder. is a registered dietitian and licensed Pre-biotic and probiotic foods help in improving the good nutritionist and works as a Clinical Dietitian bacteria that live in our gut. These bacteria help with increased with Outpatient Nutrition Services at production of the “feel good” hormones and enzymes that travel WakeMed Hospital in Cary and Raleigh. She back to the brain via the vagus nerve, which means that our mood can be reached at parulkharod@gmail.com is dependent upon our food! Saathee.com

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hindu cenTer support hindu Center expansion Leave a Lasting memory on hC Wall.

sponsor a briCK $1001 $5,001 for 5 X 7 marble plaque $10,001 for 8 X 11 marble plaque expansion project update: Grading, parking Lot and foundation completed. building work in progress, stone work 90% complete and outside stonework started!!

2015 membership Drive

Annual membership: $101, students & seniors $31 Donate brick and become life member for $1001!

Upcoming Hindu Center Events & Activities: Diwali Dinner: Dec 5, Saturday Balaji Anniversary: Dec 5, Saturday Election day / General Body Meeting: Dec 6, Sunday Gita Jayanti: Dec 20, Sunday Vaikunth Ekadasi: Dec 21, Monday Pongal / Makar Sankranti: Jan 16, Saturday Republic Day: Jan 30, Saturday Maha-Shivratri: Mar 7, Monday Voice Of India Radio Program is not on the air currently. WNOW station was sold and we are negotiating with them and other stations to resume the broadcast. For more info email: voiceofindiahc@gmail.com

hinDu Center OF CharlOtte 7400 City View Drive, Charlotte, nC 28212 ph. 704.535.3440 Fax. 704.535.6923 email: administrator@hcclt.org


oF charLoTTe

Hindu Center Celebrating Vaikunta Eka Dasi on

Monday, Dec 21, 2015

Temple will be opened in the morning at 6am

Morning start 6am suprabatham, Nitya puja Followed by opening of Vaikunta dwaram Evening 8:45pm Vishnu sahastranama parayanam, Followed by Sayanotsavam and Lalli songs to Lord. (Local devotes will sing songs for Lord)

Jan 1st, 2016 - New Year Celebrations Lord Balaji's Archnas all day (8:30am to 9pm) Vishnu Sahastranama Archana & chanting (3-5pm) Celebration will continue on Jan 2nd, Sat. until 2pm and include Lord Balaji Abhisekam from 10.30am to 1pm For more details talk to Hindu Center Priests 704-535-3440 lakshmikanth Bhattar 980-254-1022, Balaji Bhattar 704-906-2109


hindu cenTer o New Vedanta Hall


oF charLoTTe New Year Celebrations Friday January 1st, 2016

Lord Balaji's Archnas all day (8:30am to 9pm) Vishnu Sahastranama Archana & chanting (3-5pm) Celebration will continue on Jan 2nd, Sat. until 2pm and include Lord Balaji Abhisekam from 10:30am to 1pm

Sankranti/ Lohri/ Pongal "Day of Goodwill and friendship event"

kite flying - Sat, Jan 16, noon to 5pm Weather permitting call Nirav Pandya 570-205-2636 for details.

puja: Sat Jan 16, 2016 (5pm) Abhishek/ Pooja with Bhajan/Shlokas. Followed by Kari/Bhogi Pallu & Mahaprasad Kari/Bhogi Pallu: Parents/ Grandparents will Bless & Shower their kids with fruits, candies, coins, Cranberries etc., supplied by Hindu Center. Please bring kids and don't miss this unique event. Dress up in Indian tradition outfits if possible.

repuBliC Day CeleBratiOnS: Saturday, January 30th Gandhi Bhavan @ hindu Center Flag hoisting, national anthem, Cultural Show & lunch For more information contact: anu Shenoy, rituben Mukherjee, anitha Gautam, nimish bhatt, hemant amin, reena roy 607-607-8412 or temple 704-535-3440.


MARKETING TURNAROUND Social Media and your Website

be fed to your website (and to your other social media sites as well), creating yet another interesting element, and an additional By Gail Z. Martin way for prospects to get to know you. It doesn’t require a lot of equipment or technical knowledge to podcast, but it can be a What does the world see when it comes to your website? great cross-promotional tool as well as a way to connect with a After all, most social media sites allow you to list one or more broader audience and share your expertise. home pages or blogs. It’s not uncommon for someone who meets you on Facebook or Twitter to hop over to your website your home page portal to learn more. You probably do the same thing when you’re With social media, your home page actually becomes a thinking of asking a contact you met on social media to provide portal, a gateway website that lets viewers start at a central a product or service. location and then easily find a wide variety of information. From Many websites sprawl like an untended garden. Few people your home page, in addition to the standard web information have a clear idea of what they want from their web presence such as an About Us page, a page of products/services, and before they put up a site (at least, their first site). Some site perhaps an online purchase page, you can feed your main blog, owners just add pages for new material, but pay little attention Tweets and even a podcast into your site to keep it relevant and to update or remove old information. Other sites are essentially fresh. abandoned, having been posted and then ignored. One of the main reasons many business owners have Your website is your virtual storefront and business card. outdated web content is because of the cost to have their Rightly or wrongly, people will judge you by the quality and designer update the pages. Shifting your main website to a content of your site. This is especially true if the information Wordpress blog platform makes it easy for you to post updates they see on social media about you doesn’t seem to match the about your speaking engagements, open houses, book signings website when they visit. When a social media friend makes the or educational programs and you will be able to make changes effort to check out your website, you’re one step closer to closing quickly and inexpensively. a sale. Don’t let them slip away at the front door. Make the most of Social Bookmarking and boilerplates Back to basics When you use Social Bookmarking to draw attention to an Take a hard look at your existing site. Is it outdated? Is your article, blog post or news release, or when you create the photo and bio current? Does it showcase your most recent “boilerplate” company information at the end of a press release, accomplishments and accolades? Do you have badges for remember that you can use a link to pages beyond your home Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to help your web visitors meet page. Search engines actually reward you for doing this, as it you on social media? drives traffic deeper into the site, encouraging readers to stay A great way to get twice the impact out of your writing time and decreasing your “bounce rate.” Customers like links to is to have your blog and your Twitter page feed content to your specific pages that feature the item mentioned in the article or homepage. That way, every time you post a new blog or Tweet, release because it saves them the time of hunting around on your home page gets updated content. Your home page always your site to find it. looks fresh, and search engines like sites that are frequently The same principle works for your web address on social updated. It’s a winning solution! media sites. Defaulting to your home page may not always be You can also embed YouTube videos or posts from the best link if there would be another page more focused to the Instagram, Tumblr or Flickr photos into your web site. This is interests of that particular target audience. For example, if you’re another great way to get more productivity out of your social an author and you use social media sites targeted to readers, media time by making each element work for you in multiple publishers and other writers, consider using a web address for places. The YouTube videos you create with your cell phone a page on your site that talks about your books. A speaker might won’t look studio quality, but that’s OK. If your content is good want to encourage readers to visit the event booking page. and the short videos are lively and packed with personality, Your email or blog post signature block can also change viewers will have the feeling that they’ve met you, which is a depending on the audience. When you comment in blogs, great way to take the online relationship one step forward. groups and forums, consider using a link to the page on your Audio is another way to personalize your site and let visitors site best suited to the topic. Readers have very little patience for get to know you. AudioAcrobat.com is one of my favorite tools rummaging around a website looking for relevant copy. Keep because it’s easy to use and versatile. You can record a personal them engaged by taking them right to the good stuff. web audio so that you greet every visitor to the site, and then easily add the audio to your home page. Consider having a Excerpted from 30 Days to Social Media Success. different personal audio greeting for every page. (Remember— you can add a link to the audio on your Facebook page and in your Twitter bio as well!) Gail Z. Martin If you’ve always wanted to be on the radio, consider doing a owns DreamSpinner Communications. podcast. A podcast is a lot like a radio show, except that it is Contact her at Gail@GailMartinMarketing.com recorded, not live, and is broadcast via the Internet. Podcasts can be anywhere from five minutes to two hours in length (I’d suggest fifteen minutes or less). You can record a daily tip or insight, or invite guests like a radio interview. Podcasts can also Saathee.com

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NEWS NOTES The UK has a serious curry problem

colonial rule. The first curry house opened its doors in London in 1809. More than 200 years later, and nearly 70 years after India gained independence, curries remain hugely popular in the UK. The UK parliament has its own curry committee and it’s common for revelers to end their boozy Friday and Saturday nights with a chicken tikka masala. But it’s not just the food that’s at stake. Curry houses employ roughly 150,000 people and generate 4.5 billion pounds (nearly $7 billion) in sales every year, according to Khan. In other words, it’s a significant part of the British economy. Leaving the EU could be the solution, according to Paul Scully, who heads the all-party parliamentary group on the curry catering industry. “... By leaving the EU and controlling our own borders, we would be able to be more flexible in our immigration policy when tackling unintended consequences with our traditional Commonwealth partners, such as the shortage of skilled curry chefs,” Scully, a Conservative MP, wrote on Facebook. And “curries may well be tastier after Brexit,” he said. Another option would be to train Brits or Europeans to cook curries. But that’s easier said than done, according to chefs. Making the perfect curry is an “art” that was learned over many years, Khan said. “It’s in our blood and we have the vast experience.” Another problem is language. “When it gets busy in the kitchen and you start shouting in Bengali, it’s difficult for a Romanian to understand,” Mohammad Azad, the executive chef at Cafe Saffron in Shrewsbury, told The New York Times.

By Allison Jackson, GlobalPost.com Britain is facing a curry crisis. Sourcing the right ingredients to make spicy dishes like chicken tikka masala or jalfrezi, two of the most popular curries in the country, isn’t the problem. Rather, it’s finding the skilled chefs to cook them. Immigration restrictions have created a severe shortage of chefs from South Asia. It’s become an acute problem in recent years as the first generation of mostly Bangladeshi chefs who opened curry houses (as they are known in the UK) in the 1950s and 1960s retire from the kitchen.

Many Westerners pouring into Myanmar have no idea how offensive they are being By Patrick Winn, GlobalPost.com Britain only accepts a certain number of skilled migrants from non-European Union countries every year and requires they be paid at least 29,570 pounds (more than $45,000) a year. Pay that high is hard to offer at family-owned curry houses, which often employ as many as two chefs and eight kitchen and wait staff. At least two to three curry houses are closing every week, said Oli Khan, a chef and senior vice president of the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK, which represents more than 12,000 curry houses across Britain. Khan told GlobalPost he feared the industry could “collapse” in four or five years unless the government relaxes its immigration restrictions and reduces the minimum salary requirements. While many of Britain’s curry houses are family owned and operated, fewer young people are interested in taking over their parents’ business when they retire, said Khan. Educated and armed with university degrees, most are choosing higher-paying professions outside the kitchen. For decades curries have ranked among Britain’s favorite dishes, alongside fish and chips and a Sunday roast. The British developed a taste for spicy Indian food over centuries of Saathee.com

BANGKOK, Thailand — Few supreme beings are so casually blasphemed as the Buddha. His face has been plastered on kitschy toilet seats sold on Amazon. And on port-a-potties in the Netherlands. Chic Italian designers sell chairs resembling his disembodied head, a sacred image that isn’t meant to be touched, let alone sat on. It gets worse. Penthouse Magazine printed a spread in which a nude model pops her nipple in Buddha’s mouth. Practically everyone knows that irreverent depictions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammed risk violent backlash. Vulgar depictions of Jesus Christ, while less apt these days to bring on bloodshed, at least register as obscene. Crude portrayals of either are typically created with provocation in mind. But Buddhism, the fourth-largest religion on earth, is often disrespected in an offhand way. In the West, Buddha’s face is lazily presented as a fetishized image indicating something vaguely exotic and serene. Stoners lean against Buddha pillows and get high. Buddha statues are used to decorate clubs packed with sweaty, wasted partygoers. College kids ink up their bodies with Buddha tattoos — a shocking act in the eyes of reverent Buddhists.

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continued on page 80 December 2015


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December 2015


IMMIGRATION MATTERS Increase your Success at Consular Processing: Insights from the Select USA Roadshow

Challa Practice Pointers: • Ensure that all documentation submitted with a visa application is genuine. Given the shift to encourage legitimate business travel to the United States, avoid padding your application with documents not accurately representing the purpose for your travel. • Be wary of “migration agents.” Though some are legitimate, many are out to scam. You are strongly advised not to listen to people who tell you that they can “arrange” a visa. • Migration agents offer empty promises of success and applicants blindly trust the agents to accurately represent them and to submit supporting documentation. You are ultimately responsible for anything submitted on your behalf, even if through an agent, and therefore, you must actively participate in the process and review everything being submitted. - For example, in F-1 visa processing, to show evidence that the foreign student intends to return to their home country, agents will often transfer money into their account. Consular officers have stated that they are very suspicious of large sums of money recently deposited. • The Consular Officers emphasized that business visitor travel on a B-1 visa is encouraged when it is for a legitimate business purpose structured for permissible activities as outlined by the regulations, such as attending meetings or conferences. These visas cannot be used for productive employment, and productive employment is not defined by whether you are receiving a salary in the U.S. Instead, productive employment is defined by the activities. Even in the instance when you are being paid by a source in India, the activities dictate whether your travel is consistent with authorized B-1 visa conditions. If you are going to engage in productive employment, you must obtain a work authorized visa. If eligible, an L or an H Visa could be a better fit. - In 2013, Infosys was cited for abuse of the B-1 visa program, using B-1 visas to avoid requirements of the H-1B visa program. Infosys paid over $34 million to settle the dispute. • In general, it is incumbent on both the applicant and the company to understand the terms and limitations stipulated by U.S. immigration regulations. If in doubt, contact an immigration attorney or visa office.

By Lakshmi Challa This October, I was selected to participate in the 2015 SelectUSA India Roadshow. I was honored to present on U.S. visa strategies alongside Consular Officers from all the U.S. Consulates in India. President Obama created SelectUSA as a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce to facilitate investment and business expansion in the United States. While participating in these presentations, I was happy to note a shift toward a more promising future for business immigration visa processing to the United States. Additionally, in conferring with Consular Officials, I gained strategic insights and trends in the business immigration realm. Although the trend is shifting toward more favorable immigration policies, historically, the visa denial numbers out of India have been very high. For example, in the instance of L visa1 processing, the National Foundation for American Policy’s March 2015 Policy Brief found that from FY 2012 to 2015 while the average worldwide L-1B denial rate was at 13%, 56% of company transfers from India were denied. For this same period, NFAP calculations of USCIS data show that 65% of L-1B petitions from India received time-consuming Requests for Evidence, whereas petitions from the next largest L-1B-contributing country, Canada, only received Requests for Evidence 3% of the time. It is important to acknowledge that the largest number of L-1Bs processed worldwide are processed out of India, and although high volume of L-1B processing may contribute to the high denial right, there are other factors impacting that number. The most salient issues regarding business visa processing are highlighted below. Consular Insights and Challa Practice Pointers You have only three minutes for your Consular Interview.

Challa Practice Pointers: • Be prepared. The Consular Officials affirmed that they do not look at your documents in the interview (but still bring all relevant documents). Instead, they ask questions about your documentation, so it’s important to know your case. - For H and L visas, it’s critical that you are able to articulate your job duties and the terms and conditions of your employment, consistent with what was filed with USCIS. • Be genuine and listen to the questions being asked. While The standard of review for L-1s varies: Blanket versus Non-Blanket. preparation is key, the Consular Officials stated that they Challa Practice Pointers: become suspicious when applicants give rote responses • In the instance of a blanket L-1B filing, although the and sidestep questions. process necessitates that the multi-national company be pre-certified, verifying its eligibility, each employee of • Be confident. As you’re responding, make sure you do that company seeking an L-1B visa needs to apply so with some confidence. Although you might be scared directly at the consulate, forgoing the filing of an L-1B about the consular interview, that fear may translate into petition with the USCIS. The application, therefore, is suspicions about the validity of your response. subjected to a higher scrutiny than those non-blanket applications where the petition has been reviewed and There is a high suspicion of visa fraud out of India. If an individual is approved by the USCIS prior to filing for the L-1B visa. found guilty of perpetrating fraud to obtain an immigration benefit, there could be dire consequences for both the individual and the • Even companies that have an L-1B blanket certification will company, including a life-long bar for the individual and a possible want to use a mixed approach. For example, such blacklisting of the company. continued on page 90

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December 2015


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News Notes

continued from page 74

Blaspheming Buddha is unlikely to provoke the sort of murderous rampage suffered by Charlie Hebdo, the Parisian satire magazine that in recent years has made a point of insulting Muhammed. But in some Buddhist-majority states — namely Myanmar — it can get you deported or possibly thrown in prison. That’s the fate of a New Zealander named Philip Blackwood. Until recently, the 32-year-old was managing a Western-style gastro bar in Myanmar, also known as Burma, a post-totalitarian state transforming into a hip holiday spot. He and two other Myanmar citizens who ran the bar have been imprisoned. Their crime? In December, they allegedly disgraced the faith by promoting a drinks special using an image, posted to Facebook, of Buddha wearing headphones. As a senior police official told local outlet The Irrawaddy: “He said he did it because using the Buddha in ads is in fashion internationally.” Blackwood faces multiple charges that could amount to a four-year prison sentence. His lawyer has reportedly received death threats just for taking on the case. Blasphemy charges in Myanmar aren’t common. Almost everyone in Myanmar is taught from childhood that Buddha’s image is sacred and that provoking monks is forbidden. They seldom break this societal pact. The same can’t be said for the Westerners now pouring into the country. Many have no clue that wearing skimpy clothes in a temple is as appalling as wearing a bikini in church. Misusing Buddha’s image isn’t just insulting to the average Buddhist, says Buddhism scholar Paul Fuller of Britain’s Bath Spa University. It’s actually seen by many, he says, as “potentially dangerous.” “Misuse of Buddha images is not simply unlucky,” Fuller says. Many Buddhists believe his image has “the power to avert danger and produce beneficial outcomes in this life and the next.” To disgrace Buddha’s image — by, say, putting his face on a flier promoting margaritas — is to invite a run of bad luck. And Myanmar, a crumbling nation ravaged by war, needs all the luck it can get. Thanks to its long spell of isolation, few in Myanmar know that well-meaning outsiders flippantly use Buddha’s image to sell booze and knick knacks. Authorities were also appalled last year when a Canadian tourist showed up with Buddha’s image tattooed on his right leg, a most unholy spot given its proximity to the feet. He was promptly deported. A similar scandal played out in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, which deported a British tourist last year for turning up with a Buddha tattooed on her arm. Sri Lanka also has the distinction of banning R&B singer Akon for appearing in a music video titled “Sexy Bitch” in which bikiniclad women gyrate in front of a Buddha statue. How would Buddha react to all this? According to Buddhist scripture, Fuller says, he wouldn’t have reacted at all. As Fuller explained in an essay on Buddhist blasphemy: “Surely the Buddha, being free from all attachment, would not have taken any offense.”

In Delhi, Young Women are Fighting 7:30 p.m. Curfews By Nimisha Jaiswal, GlobalPost.com NEW DELHI, India — There’s no question that women’s safety in India’s capital is a serious concern. Sexual offenses from rape to street harassment happen every day. Saathee.com

But locking the gates on women’s hostels at 7:30 p.m.? And refusing to let women stay out until 10 p.m., even just twice a month? For many women and students in Delhi, that’s going too far. The Pinjra Tod (or “Break the Cage”) campaign began in October when Jamia Milia Islamia, a prestigious university in Delhi, cancelled ‘late nights’ for female residents at its hostel (Late nights extend the regular curfew by two hours, till 10 p.m.). In India, hostels are residential facilities provided to university students to live on or near campus while they pursue their degree. As this subsidized accommodation is limited, rooms are given out on the basis of academic merit. Single women taking up jobs in the city can also decide to put up in working women’s hostels. The Delhi Commission for Women issued a demand for an explanation to Jamia following the revised hostel rules, which it argued was discrimination because men’s hostels did not have to obey the same rules. “These [policies] are not just limited to Jamia University. It’s all across the country, so we wanted to at least make a platform around Delhi,” said Devangana Kalita, a Delhi University alumna who was on the team that started the campaign. “We are constantly told that it is for your own safety and security, but the university isn’t doing anything about enabling measures like sexual harassment complaints committees.” Break the Cage has brought into public discussion a host of problems women in Delhi’s hostels regularly face: Curfews at 7:30 p.m., two to four “late nights” a month, never later than 10 p.m., and demands for permission from parents or authorized guardians if a resident wants to be away for the night. Even hostels for employed women forbid entry after 10 p.m. While those running these facilities claim that the measures aim to ensure the safety of residents, Break the Cage says it is nothing but moral policing. “The university just infantilizes you, makes you feel like you are girls who have to be protected,” said Kalita. She pointed out that as state-funded institutions, hostels are accountable to the constitution to guarantee the legal rights of adult women, and not to their parents. “We are experiencing the city every day, and the kind of violence which happens to us after 7:30 also happens during the day. Give us the choice to decide how we want to negotiate and think about our safety.” In response to the campaign, women have also come out to complain about disparaging comments from wardens on what they wear, where they go and who they meet. The campaign has demanded checks on such regressive attitudes. “These incidents of moral-policing seek to reinforce a certain Brahminical notion of the good and obedient woman, who talks politely, wears ‘decent’ clothes, does not indulge in independent relationships, marries into her caste and class — the qualifications are endless,” reads the group’s online signature petition to the Delhi Commission for Women. Campaign managers have mostly received a positive response during their signature collection rallies and discussion groups, and they hope to convince the commission to demand answers from university authorities on discriminatory policies that apply mainly or exclusively to women. Break the Cage is only the latest of a series of vocal feminist movement in Delhi’s universities. In March this year, college students across the city were greeted with sanitary pads stuck to walls and trees, with little notes on them. Inspired by a German artist, this bizarre campaign too came with a feminist message: “Imagine if men were as disgusted with rape as they are with periods.”

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COMMUNITY FOCUS events of note

picks back up at 8pm for evening activities until 11pm and a fantastic midnight finale show from 10pm-12:30am on the main Samskrita Dinam stage. First Night is alcohol-free but attendees are encouraged to SanskritBharti USA presents “Samskrita Dinam 2015” - enjoy the local dining before the Queen Charlotte crown is raised Celebrating 20 years of Sanskritam in USA on Sunday, to ring in 2016. Full details available at www.firstnightcharlotte.com December 6 at HSNC, 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville NC from 4 - 7pm. The admission is free. Chief Guest: Dr. First night Raleigh Padmakumar mahodaya (SB’s Senior Karakarthaa). During this In 1990 First Night Raleigh was event Students of Samskritam, Children and adults of all born, joining other cities worldwide learning levels will perform skits, songs and dance entirely in a joyful, family-oriented, alcoholSamskritam. No prior knowledge of Samskritam is needed to free New Year’s Eve celebration of enjoy this memorable cultural program. Samskritbharti is a the arts. Admission buttons, worn non-profit organization and info can be found at by participants, make First Night www.samskritabharatiusa.org. For more details on this event: Raleigh the most accessible, janardhan.kyathanahalli@gmail.com inexpensive and safest way to celebrate the New Year. The event has grown to be the largest New Year’s Eve event held in eastern North Carolina. First Night Raleigh has continued to thrive as an arts festival devoted to the 4 pillars of First Night: celebration, community, The New Year, and the arts. First Night Raleigh has evolved with the changing environment of a revitalized and vibrant Downtown. It continues to use the city as a stage, presenting artists and performers in plazas, churches, museums, theatres, bank Christmas Celebrations lobbies and street corners throughout two dozen blocks of The Carolina Christian Assembly Downtown Raleigh. Help ring in the New Year. The fun is on Thu, will celebrate Christmas and New December 31. For full details visit www.firstnightraleigh.com Year on Sat, December 26 (5:30 - to 8pm) at Logan Chapel CME Happy new year Charleston Church, 9505 Parkton Rd, A celebration that offers a non-alcoholic and family-oriented Charlotte. The highlights include: alternative program to celebrate the incoming New year in Special songs in different Indian downtown Charleston. There will be music, food, and other languages, skits, games, and activities on the streets on Thu, December 31 beginning in the dances; Free Child care and a afternoon. There is no charge for entry. For more details call delicious Indian style dinner will 843-766-2080 or visit www.Visit-Historic-Charleston.com. be provided; Door prizes & gifts for all attendees; Free entry for Holiday on Ice everyone but registration is Holiday on Ice is back for the holiday season. As the air gets required. For more details call Dr. colder, the ice beckons. The outdoor ice skating rink in the heart Shibu Cherian at 404-840-6745 or to register visit To register, of Uptown is now open through January 3, 2016. The holiday visit http://carolinaschristianassembly.org. tradition brings families and friends together for and afternoon A Hickory Holiday Enjoy holiday music, free wagon rides, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Many other children’s activities will be on hand and shops will remain open during the event. There is no charge for the event to be held on Thu, December 10 in downtown Hickory, NC. For more details call 828-322-1121 or visit www.DownTownHickory.com.

or evening of ice skating, hot chocolate and fun. The rink is located at the corner of MLK Blvd and Brevard on The NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza in downtown Charlotte. For more details call 704.390.3715 or visit http://wbt.com/shows/holiday-on-ice/

Christmas town USA This small town near Charlotte transforms every year into Christmas Town USA with lovely lights covering over 400 trees, houses, buildings, and neighborhoods. Over 450,000 lights are used every year. There is no charge, you simply drive through town via marked routes in McAdenville, NC between December 1 - 26 and enjoy the light show. For more details call 704-824-3190 or visit www.mcadenville-christmastown.com.

leGo-palooza LEGO-palooza celebrates its 12th year at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Since 2005, the North Carolina LEGO Users Group (NCLUG) has created amazing displays of unique LEGO scenes, from settlements in outer space to hometowns throughout America (including forts, amusement parks, city landmarks and more), for Morehead visitors to enjoy during LEGOpalooza. The event is open to the public and takes place on Sat and Sun, January 30 - 31 (11am - 4pm) at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 205 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. There is no charge for the event. For more details call 919962-1236 or visit http://events.unc.edu/event/lego-palooza-3/.

First night Charlotte Charlotte Center City Partners present the annual First Night Charlotte event on Thu, December 31 in downtown Charlotte. Ring in 2016 with a family-friendly cultural celebration taking place on New Year’s Eve. Artists, dancers, comedians, musicians and magicians will take to the streets and venues. First Night Kids kicks off the day with events from 12-5pm with a kids’ countdown at the main stage from 4-5pm. First Night Saathee.com

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COMMUNITY FOCUS Ramlila, Indian Devotional theater exhibition “Ramlila: The Story of Ram in Indian Devotional Theater” is an exhibition that incorporates original costumes, props and multimedia to help share a style of Indian theater called Ramlila with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus and community. The exhibition is on display in the UNC FedEx Global Education Center now through December 13. Ramlila is ritual theater – the dramatic enactment of the earthly life of the Hindu god Ram. The drama recounts Lord Ram’s travels on earth, from his birth, marriage, and exile, to his war with the demon-king Ravan and triumphant return to Ayodhya. Performance of Ramlila is the basis for an annual fall festival celebrated throughout much of North India and the Indian diaspora. The narrative of Ramlila is drawn from the Ramayana, one of two major Hindu epics that date to India’s classical period. Ramlila emerged around the same time as the poet-saint Tulsidas’ sixteenth-century retelling of the Ramayana, the Ramcharitmanas. This and other recent retellings of the Ramayana serve as the literary basis for Ramlila. Included in the exhibition are photographs, props, costumes and other items compiled by Pamela Lothspeich, associate professor in the Department of Asian Studies at UNC. The exhibit seeks to highlight the range of Ramlila theater practices and to explore new trends in the tradition, like the role of technology, the influence of globalization, and the growing presence of women, at Ramlila venues. The FedEx Global Education Center is located at 301 Pittsboro Street in Chapel Hill and is open weekdays from 8am – 9pm and on select Saturdays from 8am to 4:30pm. More details call 919.962.2435 or visit http://global.unc.edu/event/ramlila-exhibition.

Abbasi — along with Iyer and Mahanthappa — is one of a trio of jazz musicians who are forging distinctly South Asianinflected voices on the contemporary scene. Abbasi comes to this endeavor honestly: he is one of the foremost guitar players in modern jazz, a product of the Manhattan School of Music,

but early in his career he made a pilgrimage to India to study intensively with tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha, father of Zakir Hussain. The mission of Invocation’s music, Abbasi declares, is “to create a global-based music steeped in jazz. This tradition follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest jazz musicians. Coltrane, Ellington, and Gillespie all immersed themselves in music from around the world.” The performance is on Fri, January 22 at 8pm in the Baldwin Auditorium, Duke University. Tickets range from $10 - $28. For more details visit www.dukeperformances.duke.edu.

Community news Grand Annakut was held at BAPS temple in Charlotte and a children’s performance at the Diwali mela at Hindu Center in Charlotte. Both events took place on November 14. Photos by Samir Shukla

Public Art exhibition on Hilton Head Island The 2015 Public Art Exhibition on Hilton Head Island includes 20 large-scale sculptures, created by well-known artists from around the country, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Lowcountry. This biennial event draws thousands of visitors and school children during its three-month run. The full exhibition takes viewers along a nearly mile-long trails with views and access to two boardwalks along Calibogue Sound, camellia gardens, a butterfly shed and a historic cemetery. The exhibition is open during the museum’s regular business hours. The event is sponsored by The Public Art Fund of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry and runs through December 31, 2015. The venue is Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC. For more details visit www.hhipublicart.org. Rez Abbasi Invocation Invocation is Pakistani-born jazz guitarist Rez Abbasi’s quintet featuring pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. In this performance at Baldwin Auditorium, the quintet unveils a new project that explores Carnatic classical music from Southern India through the idiom of jazz. This is the final installment in a triptych made by Abbasi that puts a jazz lens on the musical traditions of South Asia; Invocation previously explored Hindustani music and qawwali in a pair of critically acclaimed recordings. All About Jazz calls Abassi’s music “neither Eastern nor Western, but effortlessly global … proof that jazz can be as vital and boundary-pushing as ever.” Saathee.com

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COMMUNITY FOCUS Dr. Gingrich-Hosted tV Show Recognized on 10th Anniversary The CPCC Foundation hosted a reception on Sept. 24 in Tate Hall on CPCC’s Central Campus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the TV program “Charlotte, A City of International Success,” hosted by Dr. Maha Gingrich. The invitees includes past featured guests of the program. Dr. Gingrich pictured with George Couchell, president of Showmars Restaurants. Photo by Sruthi Bailoor

Trophies. Three teens were given Heritage medals: Sanjana Rao for excellence in Academics, Arpita Das for excellence in Performing Arts, and Anuroop Giri as community ambassador. Prakash Devalapalli gave them books. Children presented a fabulous fashion show and a stunning Fancy Dress competition choreographed by Sangeeta Naik. Geetha and Bhaskar Rao and Dr. Harish Chander helped with ticket sales. More than four hundred people attended the event. Ruchika Giri and Vidya Arvapalli worked on stage decoration while Naresh Giri provided general supervision.

Children’s Day Celebration: A Review By Yash Garg Last month Google celebrated Children’s Day along with the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with a special doodle created under its Doodle 4 Google 2015 contest. The theme for the Google 4 Doodle was “Create Something for India.” The Heritage India Association of NC celebrated its 10th annual Children’s Day on November 14. This celebration offers an opportunity to children to work as organizers, managers, volunteers and performers, as well as develops in them skills such as team spirit, leadership, and cultural awareness. This year’s program presented a variety of dances from folk to Bollywood and from

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modern to classical performed by teams of vibrant and highly skilled youngsters. The event also included musical performances and an Indian fashions show. Three high school students — Naina Acharya, Ankita Das and Eiha Patnaik – were the Emcees for the event. Sangeeta Naik was the program coordinator and stage director while Aruna Bhatnagar compiled the music for the entire show. The program began with lamp lighting by Saroj Sharma with chief guests Morrisville Mayor Mark Stohlman, Morrisville Mayor Pro-Tem Liz Johnson and Morrisville councilman Steve Rao, as well as HIANC leaders. Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and Morrisville Mayor Stohlman proclaimed Nov. 14 as Children’s Day in their towns. By hosting a dance competition in two children’s categories, 9-12 age groups and teens’ group, the organization hopes to raise the public profile of heritage dances. Both 9-12 age group dances and Adults’ dance were choreographed by Sanskriti Inamdar and Teen dance was choreographed by Arpita Das and the winner received Heritage Saathee.com

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Immigration Matters

Should India Get Its Cows off the Streets?

continued from page 76

continued from page 14

companies should utilize the Blanket visa process for very Any proposal to cull dogs has met with fierce opposition strong candidates, such as executives or managers, but from animal rights activists all over India, however, who this should file individual petitions through the USCIS when summer called on foreign travelers to boycott Kerala — which they are bringing in a team of specialists for a project. depends heavily on tourism — over alleged animal cruelty. The Animal Welfare Board of India, which advises the government Challa law Best practices for Post-Visa Processing: on animal policy, filed a petition in July with the Supreme Applicable to all Business Visas Court in a bid to block indiscriminate culling. The process for entry into the United States does not end with the visa Instead, the board invokes rules established in 2001 that issuance. When you enter the US, you must present your visa to require local authorities to vaccinate and sterilize street dogs, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). CPB will then issue an electronic while allowing them to euthanize only dogs that are fatally ill 1-94 document, which dictates the validity of your stay in the U.S. or injured. Challa Practice Pointers: “[These rules] are not being followed, in most places,” S. • Shortly after entry, because the I-94 card is issued Chinny Krishna, vice chairman of the Animal Welfare Board, electronically, review your card for accuracy before told GlobalPost. “We have the finest animal welfare laws in the printing. Keep your I-94 card with you at all times. world, bar none, but implementation is virtually zero.” • In the instance of government error, return to the port of If the Supreme Court rules against culling, Krishna hopes entry to make the correction immediately. Even in that it will convince states to invest in sterilization and instance of a government error, the individual is only vaccination programs, which he says are a more humane, safer authorized for the terms and length of stay as outlined and more effective way to control the population of stray dogs by the 1-94 card. Some examples: and prevent the spread of rabies. - B-1 visas are typically issued for a 10-year validity If the treatment of street dogs is hotly debated, India’s street period; however, CBP determines how long you can cows are largely ignored. They, too, can be a nuisance and a stay in the U.S. on that visa, so even though your visa danger to city dwellers, and the animals themselves risk being is valid for 10 years, and you may have requested a 6- hit by speeding vehicles or grazing on poisonous waste. And month stay, the CBP officer, in his own discretion, may yet no policy exists to govern their care, control or removal. issue it for a 3-month period. Therefore, it is important “As far as stray cows are concerned, [the rules] vary from that you review the 1-94 card shortly after entry, so that state to state and from local body to local body,” said Krishna. you don’t find yourself unknowingly out of status. “There are no nationwide rules.” - If you have an L-1b valid for 3 years, but the CBP The Delhi High Court ordered all stray cattle to be removed Officer accidently transposes the numbers of your from the streets of the capital in 2002, but the animals can expiration date from 11/2/2016 to 2/11/2016, you frequently be seen chewing wayside trash here and in other cities. could be out of status in February even though it’s Where do they come from? According to PETA India, bulls, the officer’s error. male calves and cows that have “dried out” are often turned • If you have multiple visas in your passport, make sure out of dairy farms because they do not produce milk. Some you present the proper visa. farmers sell such cattle to slaughterhouses, but many others are - For example, if you have both a B visa for a discouraged by religious objections and the rise of militant temporary stay and an L visa for a company Hindu “cow protection” groups, who have taken to attacking transferal and you are expected to work during your trucks that transport cattle and beating up farmers who they time in the U.S., make sure you present the L visa to suspect of sending cows to their death. Abandoning cows is CBP. Remember productive employment on the B-1 often considered the safer option. According to Nikunj Sharma, one of PETA India’s campaign is prohibited; therefore, it is imperative that the I-94 strategists, even cows that aren’t abandoned often find reflects and L-1 entry. - No productive employment as no productive themselves on the streets — illegal dairies cut costs by allowing the cows to feed themselves off waste lying in the road. employment B visa. Some attempts have been made at a local level to regulate • If you are re-entering on an H-1B after an extension or change of employers, you can use your visa from the previous illegal dairies and mandate proper care of cattle. City authorities employer, but make sure you also show the approval notice are usually directed to impound street cows, release them to for your current petition. We’ve seen this with a number of owners for a fee, and auction or rehome unclaimed animals. H-1Bs, where you may present the visa from your previous Some local governments have their own cowsheds, where employer, which would still be valid, but you also must show confiscated or ownerless cattle are taken to live out their days. Yet these “retirement” sheds are not necessarily a happy the I-797 approval through your new employer. - We recently saw a case where someone had a visa ending either. Twenty years ago, the Delhi government created valid until June of 2016. They entered in April but 10 such shelters. By last year, only five survived, amid failed to show their new approval notice for the new complaints of a lack of funding or oversight. Out of 49,000 cows employer, which extended their status until January kept in these shelters, authorities reported in 2011, 46,000 died 2017. When they were up for an extension, they in three years. Many of the animals are severely malnourished by the time printed their 1-94 card and realized that they were they reach a new home, caretakers say. Trash, plastic, shoes and out of status. Know your immigration documents! even metal are found in their stomachs. 1 L visas are used to transfer key employees from an international In a country where eating beef can get you killed, cows seem to get a lot more of India’s attention when they’re dead than business site to the U.S. they do when they’re alive. Saathee.com

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Carolina Khadayata Samaj All Khadayata families of NC and SC are welcome to be part of the Carolina Khadayata Samaj. For Further Details: carolinakhadayatasamaj@yahoo.com Jaswant Mehta - 704.839.1965 Rita Shah - 704.321.0740

Charlotte Agaram tamil Palli Agaram Tamil Palli serves the Tamil speaking community in Greater Charlotte area by conducting Tamil language classes at CPCC, central campus. For Further Details: Megalai Ezhilarasan agaramtp.coord@gmail.com 704.456.9881 http://agaramtamilpalli.wordpress.com

Carolinas Christian Assembly Carolinas Christian Assembly located on 12601 Idlewild Road in the city of Matthews, NC, offers worship, fellowship and community assistance to all South Asians living in the Charlotte area. Pastor, Dr. Shibu Cherian, offers free counseling services to married couples and is a licensed premarital counselor. For Further Details: 704-771-1414 (Church) 404-840-6745 (Mobile) www.carolinaschristianassembly.org

Art of living (Healing with Breath) Art of Living is dedicated to serving society by strengthening the individual. This is done through self-development programs that recharge the body, mind and spirit and allow people to function at their optimum potential. People from all backgrounds, religions and cultural traditions come together in service and celebration. For Further Details: 980.216.8732 charlotte@us.artofliving.org www.artofliving.org/charlotte

Charlotte Gita Study Group Beginners and advanced students of the Gita are welcome. The group meets the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 3 - 5pm. This course is based on the Home Study Course of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA. Each session starts with meditation followed by a recorded lecture in English and discussion among the group. For Further Details: Rishi and Shikha Bhatnagar - rishi@solveron.com - 513.518.5300 Shridhar and Kruti Dave - skdave@hotmail.com - 704.844.9567 www.freewebs.com/gitastudy

Association for India’s Development - Charlotte A volunteer movement committed to promoting sustainable, equitable and just development. AID Charlotte supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as education, livelihoods, natural resources, health, women’s empowerment and social justice. For Further Details: Kiran Uppalapati - 704.307.6450 Venkata Ramana Duddu - 662.231.2350

Charlotte Hindu Center table tennis The Charlotte Hindu Center Table Tennis group meets every Wednesday from 6.30 - 10 pm. All levels and types of play. Takes place at Vihar Hall, Hindu Center, 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte. For Further Details: 704.607.8412

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir A spiritual, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service. Activities include: Daily Arti - 6:30 am & 6:30 pm; Weekly Satsang Sabha held every Sunday which includes Bhajans and spiritual discourses: Adults: 4pm, Young Men (Ages 23-36) - 3pm, Young Women (Ages 23-36) - 4pm, Teens - 4:30pm, and Children - 5pm. Temple location: 4100 Margaret Wallace Rd, Charlotte, NC. For Further Details: 704.573.0805 www.baps.org

Charlotte Kriya yoga Group The group promotes Kriya Yoga Meditation as taught by the lineage of realized masters such as Mahaavatar Baba Ji, Lahri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Hariharananda, and Prajanananada. A sincere seeker who follows the path of Kriya Yoga with love and devotion and a desire for spiritual growth can attain Self-realization. The center hosts two annual initiation programs and a weekly Sunday meditation for initiates. For Further Details: agupta1@carolina.rr.com www.kriya.org

Bethel Christian Fellowship Bethel Christian Fellowship offers services in various South Asian languages (i.e. Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc.) Sunday School (11:15am - 11:45am); Sunday Worship Service (11:45am - 1:15pm). Sunday Service Location: Fort Mill Church of God - 216 Academy St., Room 102. Fort Mill, SC 29715. Saturday Service Location: Life Builders Church - 730 Oak Dale Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216. For Further Details: 803.792.7223 Pastor: Rajan Samuel pastorofbcf@gmail.com Saathee.com

Charlotte Malayalee Association The association promotes and facilitates the cultural, educational, social and economic welfare of the Charlotte Malayalee community. For Further Details: cltma@cltma.org 704.517.5850 www.cltma.org 92

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS The Carolinas Region of the EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North & South Carolina. For Further Details: Ekal Charlotte: Kameswar Tulasi - himadeeps@yahoo.com Ekal Columbia: Janak Dalal - jaydalalcolumbia@gmail.com

Charlotte Marathi Mandal CSMM promotes Maharashtrian culture and language. Maharashtra mandal is committed to serve Carolina Marathi community with various cultural, social and traditional Marathi programs and events. For Further Details: csmmonline@gmail.com www.charlottemarathimandal.com

Gurdwara Sahib The Gurdwara works to enrich the lives of the Sikh & Punjabi communities of Charlotte and surrounding areas. Located at 1760 Stoney Creek Lane, Charlotte, NC 28262. Regular Program: Every Sunday: 10 - 11am, Asa Di War by Bhai Satnam Singh Jee, 11am - 12pm, Keertan by Children, 12 1:15pm, Keertan by Bhai Satnam Singh Jee, 1:15 - 1:30pm, Ardaas, followed by Guru Ka Langar. For Further Details: www.charlottegurdwara.org

Charlotte telangana Association This association was formed to promote Telangana cultural activities within greater Charlotte area. It brings together all the Telangana people living in the area to discuss, plan, and take action around the development of Telangana focusing both on rural and urban areas. For Further Details: www.charlottetelangana.com

Hindu Center of Charlotte The Hindu Center of Charlotte holds many regular events and religious ceremonies. The temple library is stocked with books, CDs, DVDs and other materials on varied genres such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and health. The temple is located at 7400 City View Dr., Charlotte, NC 28212. Upcoming Events: Sat, Dec 5: Diwali dinner and entertainment For Further Details: 704.535.3440 / 704.607.8412 (facility manager) admin@hcclt.org www.hcclt.org

Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The Charlotte Vipassana Meditation Group holds weekly group sits and monthly all day sits for established students (those who have taken at least one ten day course from S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers). Ten-day courses are also available for all students. Never a charge for a course. For Further Details: 704.277.5013 - rbddesai@gmail.com 704.563.5440 - dspranger@gmail.com www.dhamma.org

IAMC (Indian American Muslim Council) - Charlotte IAMC is committed to promoting peace, pluralism and social justice for all through advocacy. The organization is also committed to promote and protect human rights and human dignity in India as they are the foundation of freedom and justice. IAMC-Charlotte seeks to reach out to Indian Muslims living in and around Charlotte to strive for Inter-Faith, InterCommunity understanding with focus on Indian Diaspora. For Further Details: Ashfaq Mehdi - 704.904.5778 Afzal Syed - 704.770.1103 iamc-charlotte@yahoogroups.com

Classical Music Association of Charlotte (CMAC) CMAC sponsors many classical concerts during the year in Charlotte. Membership forms are available at shows. For Further Details: Lakshmi Muthukrishnan - 704.814.9355 - lakshmi7778@yahoo.com Jayashree Panduranga - 704.541.3361 / 704.442.1186 - cacmusic@yahoo.com www.onlinecmac.org Dada Bhagwan Group What is Gnan Vidhi? It is the scientific process of attaining Self Realization in the presence of Atmagnani. It is the gracing of real knowledge that separates the real Self from the non-self. The benefits of Gnan Vidhi are many: attaining awareness of the soul, getting solution through right understanding, removing wrong beliefs and destroying past sins. For Further Details: 877.505.3232 www.dadabhagwan.org

India Association of Charlotte The organization works to foster better understanding of the rich diversity of Indian culture by the larger community in and around Charlotte. The Festival of India is held annually in September. For Further Details: Toni Sawhney - 704.604.2133 Lal Vishin - 704.545.3727 www.indiafestival.net

ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, and economic freedom.

Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC) IPAAC promotes classical Hindustani music by inviting wellknown artists from India and offers music classes at various locations in Charlotte. For Further Details: contact@ipaac.org www.ipaac.org

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International Community Church A WORSHIP CENTER FOR PEOPlE FROM INDIA AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES We Welcome you to Become a Part of this loving Spiritual Family “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (The Holy Bible) Pastor: Joseph B. Jesudason

Regular Activities Worship Service - Sundays at 8:30 AM Child Care Available 1524, north Harrison Avenue, Cary (next to SAS Campus) Children’s Sunday School & Adult Bible Study - Sundays at 11 AM 1215 Jones Franklin Rd Suite 204 Prayer Fellowship - Wednesdays at 7:00 PM Meet at Four Zones at host families Raleigh, Durham, Apex, Cary, Morrisville, Holly Springs & Chapel Hill

SeRVInG GoD AnD tHe CoMMUnIty SInCe JUne 1984 Zakar Bible Club: Character development of children through memorization of God’s powerful & redemptive word. Please send your child and receive guaranteed life lasting blessing.

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS related to Bengal in the Charlotte area, to increase Bengali cultural awareness, and to provide community service to the community. For Further Details: www.probasi.org

Jain Center of Greater Charlotte (JCGC) The JCGC serves the spiritual, cultural, social, and community needs of Jain families in and around Charlotte area. JCGC is dedicated to the practice, understanding, promotion, and preservation of the Jain faith. Activities include celebrating major religious festivals such as Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushan, Diwali, and routine programs like Swadhyay, Poojas and children’s Pathshaala. Located at 7631 Mallard Creek Rd., Charlotte, NC 28262. Upcoming Events: Weekdays: 9:30am - Prakshal and Pooja, 7:30pm - Aarti and Mangal Divo Weekends: 10:30am - Prakshal and Pooja, 7:30pm - Aarti and Mangal Divo For Further Details: JCGC President: Vibhakar Modi - 704.258.4507 info@jaincenter.us www.jaincenter.us

Sahaj Marg Meditation Sahaj Marg which means Simple or Natural path, is a Raj Yoga system of spiritual training based on the heart centered meditation. The features of this meditation include transmission of divine energy into the heart of the practitioner and cleaning of deep impressions, thereby regulating the mind. Regular practice of this system of meditation integrates the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human being, while still encouraging people to maintain a normal family and working life. A group meditation is held at the Unity of Charlotte on Sundays and Wednesdays. For Further Details: Srikanth Katakam - 704.496.4411 naturalpath.nc@gmail.com www.srcm.org

life Bliss Charlotte Meditation Center The Center works to spread the knowledge of Yoga and meditation by letting people experience the teachings of Vedic Science in its purest form delivered by the enlightened master Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda. Life Bliss Foundation is part of a worldwide movement for meditation and healing. Paramahamsa Nithyananda is a global leader in the science of enlightenment and the author of more than 300 books published in 27 languages. For Further Details: LifeBlissClt@gmail.com 704.766.1420 / 704.992.6114 www.innerawakening.org

Sangamithra Foundation Sangamithra Foundation is a Charlotte based charity organization formed by a group of people who strive to make a difference in society. The team has taken the path of identifying the needs of underprivileged communities in India and provides support to meet those needs. Sangamithra is reaching out on a global scale and working collectively towards realizing its vision. For Further Details: www.sangamithra.org / info@sangamithra.org Shantiniketan Senior Center of Carolinas The Shantiniketan Senior Center of Carolinas (SSCC) is located at 1817 Central Ave., Room # 208, Charlotte, NC. The Center is open from 10am - 3pm and presents members with activities, outings, access to physical care and mental wellbeing and care. For More Details: Nimish Bhatt - 704.560.4910 / 704.491.1186 nimishbhatt@bellsouth.net

net IP Charlotte NetIP Charlotte is the only official Carolinas chapter of North America’s Largest Network of Indian Professionals. NetIP Charlotte provides a forum for on-going Career Developmental and Professional Networking activities. It also arranges various events and maintains deeper ties with Businesses & the Community. For Further Details: www.netIPnc.org

Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal On the 1st Sat of every month, Shree Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Vadtal has kirtans and bhajans at the Hindu Center of Charlotte at 5pm. After the bhajans, there is Aarti and Mahaprasad. In addition, on the 3rd Sunday, an additional Satsang Sabha is held at a sponsor’s house from 3 - 5pm. For Further Details: Ramesh Dhanani - 704.392.4488 admin@issvcharlotte.org

Pratham - Charlotte Pratham organizes grassroots programs in the area of primary education. Pratham has made an impact on the learning levels of several million children through its Read India campaign. It has developed an accelerated learning technique which helps children to read and write in two months. With nearly half the children in India who attend schools are not learning to read and write at the required level, Pratham is trying to fill an important gap in the area of primary education. For Further Details: Anju Desai - ajdesai66@gmail.com - 980.622.0125 Shubhra Chakraborty - shubhra.chakraborty1@gmail.com 704.942.4798 www.prathamusa.org

Shri Rang Avadhut Parivar (Parspar Devo Bhav) The group meets Thursdays from 6 - 8pm in Charlotte. The group recites Datta-Bavani, singing devotional Dattatraya Bhajans and reading Guru-Lilamrut. Detailed information about Charlotte meetings, Literature, Videos, as well as Nareshwar Ashram and Shri Avadhut’s life are available. For Further Details: Bharat Shah - 704.724.6247 Nagesh Patel - 704.399.7805

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Vibha Charlotte Vibha Charlotte is volunteer driven organization dedicated to create a brighter future for underprivileged children. Charlotte Action Center has a group of energetic and enthusiastic volunteers from varied backgrounds. This group came together through a strong belief in Vibha’s mission and resolved to create a positive societal impact in India. The group works to organize social events that spread awareness and raise funds to further the organization’s mission. For further Details: Volunteers@charlotte.vibha.org http://sites.vibha.org/Charlotte/home

Sindhi Association of the Carolinas The Sindhi Association of the Carolinas (SAC) organizes religious, cultural, community, and social events in Charlotte. SAC also sends donations for the needy to the schools in India for Scholarships and for camp refugees in India. For Further Details: sindhiassociationcarolinas@gmail.com 704.779.2396 SouthPark Cricket Club South Park Cricket Club is based in Charlotte and has been an active member of the Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference since 2002. The club home base is at the Reedy Creek Park, 2900 Rocky River Rd, Charlotte, NC. For Further Details: anishtr@hotmail.com www.southparkcc.org

Greensboro Art of living (Greensboro) The Art of Living Foundation offers programs to uncover the strength, peace, and joy that lie at the core of every human being. Part I courses are offered regularly in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Greensboro which cover breathing techniques to eliminate stress & tension; skills for improving relationships at home and at work; practical wisdom to get the most out of life; insight into the laws that govern the mind & emotions; low-impact yoga and the breathing-based technique called Sudarshan Kriya, or the healing breath. For Further Details: Nirupama Shankar - shankar.nirupama@gmail.com Puja Verma - puja_usa@yahoo.com http://us.artofliving.org/greensboro

Srishti of Charlotte Srishti works to fulfill the NC community’s need for togetherness and the desire to showcase Bengali culture, heritage, literature, theatre, music and popular arts. Literally, the word Srishti means an act of creation. Though established and coordinated by a group of Bengali families, Srishti welcomes and brings together people of varied cultures, ethnicity, languages, backgrounds and nationalities who are interested in East Indian traditions. For Further Details: Santanu Sarkar - 704.541.3451 www.srishticharlotte.org

BAPS Greensboro BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Greensboro features activities which include Sunday Sabhas: Shishu (Toddlers) sabha: 4 - 5pm; Bal/Balika sabha: 4:15 - 5:30pm; Kishore sabha: 2 - 3:30pm; Main sabha: 4 - 6pm; Gujarati classes: 2:30 - 3:45pm and Arti at 6pm followed by Mahaprasad. Fresh Shayona snacks available on Sundays. Located at 922 Gallimore Dairy Road, High Point, NC. For Further Details: bapsgreensboro@gmail.com

telugu Association of Greater Charlotte Area (tAGCA) The organization’s mission is to bring together Telugu speaking people and to promote Telugu Culture. TAGCA organizes regular events and programs. For Further Details: www.tagca.org trimurti temple Trimurti Temple is open daily, morning puja (10am) and evening puja (7pm). Sunday abhisekhams (11am) and other special pujas. The temple is located at 6519 Beatties Ford Rd., Charlotte. For Further Details: 980.219.7556 contact@trimurtitemple.org www.trimurtitemple.org

Greensboro Cricket Club (GCC) There are several teams that play Cricket in the Greensboro area. The goals of GCC are fun, fitness, and friendship. For Further Details: 336.501.3566 (9:00am - 9:00pm, S&S) Dev (Greensboro Warriors) - happy4mehta@yahoo.com Venky (Triad Tigers) - venkyhot@hotmail.com

Vallabh Pushti Samaj of Carolinas (VPSC) VPSC is starting construction of “Shrinath Dham Haveli” for benefit of entire Vaishnav Samaj and Pushtimargiya devotional activities. VPSC is moving forward with objective to fill devotional need for hundreds of Vaishnavs in Carolinas to worship and pray together, perform “seva and rituals” and to observe and celebrate festivals and to perform and engage in humanitarian and educational activities. Regular “Paath and Bhajan” recitations are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 4 - 6pm at Shrinath Dham Haveli - 1006 Vickie Lane, Stallings, NC 28104. For Further Details: vsccarolinas@gmail.com Prathmesh Shah - 704.763.3059 Saathee.com

Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont (GCAP) The Gujarati Cultural Association of Piedmont serves the Asian Indian community through sponsored events, cultural, educational and social programs. Located at 127 Landmark Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410 For Further Details: Jack Dhekar - 336.254.1727 Manubhai Patel - 336.253.7182 www.gcap.us India Association of the triad (IAtnC) Greensboro The objective of the Association is to promote social, cultural and 98

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS educational interests of its members, develop understanding between members of the Indian community and other residents of the Triad area, and make the latter aware of issues of concern to the Indian community. For Further Details: committee@iatnc.org www.iatnc.org

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center of Greensboro, nC The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center regularly conducts Sai Bhajans, Study Circles, various service activities and SSE classes (for students) every Sunday from 9:45 am - 12:15pm. For Further Details: Swami Rajendran - 908.875.6964 Dr. Varatharajah - 336.851.9150

Indo-American Society of nC (IASnC) The objectives of IASNC are to support the Indian, South Asian and American community residing in Greensboro, NC and vicinity and other individuals interested in learning the culture, traditions, and arts of India. Specifically, IASNC promotes IndoAmerican cultural, arts and sports events and also school based volunteering activities. For Further Details: Krishna Balu - 336.292.9462 - balu4428@infionline.net www.iasofnc.org

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Indo-US Cultural Association of Winston-Salem The Indo-US Cultural Association’s primary mission is to increase awareness of the cultural heritage of India which is tremendously rich in its diversity and history. The Association seeks to reach out to the thriving Indian-American community within the Piedmont and Triad areas to share the vibrant Indian culture and promote cross-cultural understanding. For Further Details: Aparna Shivram (President) - 336.528.8584 ramanathanaparna@hotmail.com www.indouswinston.org life Mission, USA This ashram has been established to provide helpful benefits for all - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. All these benefits can be achieved through the natural remedies of yoga therapy, Ayurveda, naturopathy and diet. The ashram is located at 8136 NC Highway 119, South Mebane, NC 27302. For Further Details: 336.421.0690 Dr. Manoj - 848.459.7401 lifemissionusa@gmail.com www.lifemissionusa.com Prabhupada Village Prabhupada Village is a rural Hare Krishna community situated in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Puja/Worship of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai/Sri Pancha Tattva starts at 5:00am every day. Every Sunday at 3pm there is chanting, dancing, feasting and philosophy. The temple is located at 1283 Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046. For Further Details: 336.593.2322 / 336.793.7138 prabhupadavillage@gmail.com www.prabhupadavillage.com Quan Am Buddhist temple All interested in Buddhism are welcome. The temple is located at 1410 Glendale Dr, Greensboro, NC 27407 For Further Details: www.ChuaQuanAm.com Saathee.com

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Art of living Foundation Art of Living gives practical knowledge and techniques to unlock deepest potential and bring fullness to life. The techniques are effective in reducing stress levels and increase health, physical energy, enthusiasm, self-esteem, awareness, and clarity of mind. Advance courses are also available once every few months. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar’s mission is to create a violence free, stress free society and One World Family. Art of Living center holds follow-up sessions on Thur, Sat, Sun and Kirtan Satsang every Friday evening. The Art of Living Center is located at 4000 Bear Cat Way Suite 102, Morrisville, NC 27560. For Further Details: 919.793.8490 rdu@us.artofliving.org www.behappytriangle.org Association for India’s Development (AID) Duke Chapter AID’s mission is effect social change in India, by supporting projects with grassroots non-governmental organization in India in the areas of literacy, health care, rural credit, women’s empowerment etc. For Further Details: http://www.duke.edu/web/aid/ Atlantic Coast Sikh Association One of the oldest Sikh associations in the Southeastern USA. It meets every Sunday from 11:30am to 1:30pm at its Kirtan is done by Bhai Dyal Singh Jatha. Classes for Punjabi and religious studies are held for children at the same time. Gurdwara located at 3108 Sparger Road, Durham, NC 27705. For Further Details: Bhai Dyal Singh - 919.309.1045 www.acsagurdwara.org Balagokulam Gokulam is where Lord Krishna’s magical childhood days were spent. It was here that his divine powers came to light. Every child has that spark of divinity within. Balagokulam is a forum for children (4-15 years age) to discover and manifest that divinity. It will enable Hindu children in the US to appreciate their cultural roots and learn values. This is done through games, yoga, stories, songs, shlokas, arts/crafts, and Seva (selfless service) in the community. Sessions are free for all and held on Saturdays. For Further Details: balagokulam.rtp@gmail.com (Raleigh) hss.charlotte@hssus.org (Charlotte) www.balagokulam.org

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir invites everyone to the regularly scheduled events: Ravi sabha - every Sunday at 4 - 6pm followed by Aarti and Maha Prasad. Mahapuja conducted every Purnima at 7pm. Many classes are conducted. Fresh Indian snacks and sweets available at Shayona. Located at 1020 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560. For Further Details: 919.469.6605 www.swaminarayan.org Bengali Association of north Carolina (BAnC) BANC seeks to promote Bengali culture, language, music, arts and social activities by offering varieties of programs for members of INDO-American community within North Carolina and adjacent states. The association is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural, social and educational purposes. For Further Details: Ratan Ray - 919.461.2386 - ratanray@hotmail.com Swaty Sen - 919.510.7943 - swaty_sen@yahoo.com banc_members@googlegroups.com www.banc-online.org Bharatiya Senior Citizens of nC BSCNC is an organization for Senior Citizens of Indian Origin that are age 60 years and over. BSCNC members meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Cary Senior Center in Bond Park in Cary, NC from 10am to 4pm. Next meeting will be on December 12. For Further Details: Kusumben Desai (President) - 919.677.8513 Natver Parikh (Vice President) - 336.266.5209 Upmanyu Shukla (Director) - 321.696.1474 Carolina Rajasthani Association The Carolina Rajasthani Association organizes several events throughout the year and works to promote Rajasthani culture to the greater community. For Further Details: carolinarajasthanis@gmail.com www.carolinarajasthanis.org Chinmaya Mission Chinmaya Mission is a worldwide organization promoting spiritual growth as started by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda. The Chinmaya Mission Raleigh Durham (CMRDU) chapter conducts Balavihar classes from kids on Sun from 10am to 11:30am at Reedy Creek Middle School, Cary. The classes are tailored to each age group by special curriculum created by experienced Swamijis and Acharyas exclusively for CM Balavihar. Curriculum includes learning to chant the Bhagavad-Gita verses, singing devotional bhajans, stories from scriptures, family pujas, meditation, and fun activities like picnics and competitions. Introduction to Hindi and Sanskrit is also included. Parents can enroll their children in Balavihar through the website. A regular adult study group is conducted for adults on Sunday mornings. For Further Details: www.chinmaya-RDU.org

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Dada Bhagwan Foundation The Foundation was formed with the goal of spreading peace and harmony to the world through the science of Akram Vignan - the science of Self Realization as expounded by the Shree A.M. Patel, known as Dadashri or Dada Bhagwan. DBF organizes Spiritual Satsangs /Gnanvidhi (2 hour scientific process of selfrealization) of Pujya Deepakbhai around the world. There are no formal lectures, but instead in the format of questions and answers on various topics. Held every 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturday of each month from 5 - 7pm followed by Prasad. Located at the HSNC Hall, 309 Aviation Pkwy, Morrisville, NC. For Further Details: 877.505.3232 ext 1003 rabhatt@yahoo.com www.dadabhagwan.org Datta yoga Center - Raleigh Mission: Spread the teachings of Sadguru Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore. Activities: Namasankeertana - Bhajans written, composed and sung by Pujya Sri Swamiji. Kriya yoga classes conducted by Pujya Sri Swamiji-trained teachers from India. The group meets on the first Saturday of every month and every major festival day for Satsang and Namasankeertana (divine singing). Everyone is invited to attend. For Further Details: Srinivas Chittineni - 919.484.1993 Suresh Kota - 919.461.0843 Duke Diya Duke Diya is a Duke University student organization that is committed to providing a forum for interaction through political, cultural, community service, and social events relating to South Asian Americans. For Further Details: 732.865.3173 www.dukediya.com ekal Vidyalaya Foundation RtP Chapter Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI) was established to help in the overall development of the remote tribal and rural villages in India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, economic wellbeing and happiness. The Raleigh Chapter EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in the Triangle area. For Further Details: Ekal/RTP - raginiusa@yahoo.com eKtAA Student organization EKTAA (meaning unity) is the South Asian Student Organization at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The organization was founded in 1970. The motto is “unity within diversity.� EKTAA strives to spread culture and heritage of South Asia all over the campus as well as the local community and the organization works hand-in-hand with many organizations on and off the NCSU campus, as well as South Asian organizations from area universities. For Further Details: www.ektaa.org 102

December 2015


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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Geet Bazaar Radio Program Every Sunday morning from 10am - 12om on WKNC 88.1 FM, join hosts Afroz Taj and John Caldwell, for a wide variety of music from India, Pakistan, and other countries and languages of South Asia. Geet Bazaar will also publicize community events free of charge. For Further Details: Dr. Afroz Taj - 919.851.1119 taj@unc.edu Gem Raleigh Church of God Attend worship services, prayer meetings or weekly Sunday school. Located at 316 Watchet Place, Wake Forest, NC 27587 For Further Details: Pastor Thankachan Mathai - 919.395.6208 globalem@gmail.com Gokul Bhajan and Vedic Studies Weekly satsang of parents and children singing bhajans and glorifying past times of Lord Krishna. Multimedia assisted programs every Friday 7 to 9pm at HSNC, Morrisville, NC. Children learn slokas, learn presentation skills, manage and lead various projects such as book distribution, charity for cow protection, food for poor, and prison seva. For Further Details: bkdasa@gmail.com 919.491.9536 www.gokulbhajan.com Grihastha Family Institute Grihastha Family Institute offers parenting workshops for the parents of 6 to 16 old in Cary, NC. These workshops are free and conducted in collaboration with AID-INDIA, a non-profit organization. There are three workshops: 1. Essentials of Parenting; 2. Rate your Parenting; 3. Know your Child For Further Details: www.grihastha.org Heritage India Association of nC (HIAnC) Heritage India Association of NC aims at providing Indian cultural experience through performing arts, cultural arts, fine arts & crafts of India. Its mission is “to preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.� During the year, the association presents several events and also coordinates Indian dances for the main stage performances for the Raleigh International Festival. For Further Details: yashcgarg@gmail.com Hindi Vikas Mandal of nC Hindi Vikas Mandal (HVM) based in the RTP area, promotes study and appreciation of Hindi Language, and strives to foster Indian culture and traditions through Hindi. HVM has special focus on the youth from the preservation of Indian heritage. Every year HVM has been organizing Kavi-Sammelan (Poetry Reading); Independence Day Function with over a dozen other Indian organizations of the RTP area participate in this function where HVM takes the lead; celebrates Dushera Festival and a members picnic. HVM also conducts weekly Hindi classes (10:30 Saathee.com

- 11:30am on Sundays) at HSNC for children. For Further Details: Saroj Sharma - 919.460.7830 https://www.facebook.com/hindivikasmandal/ Hindu Society of north Carolina The Hindu Society of NC temple is open daily from 7:00am 9:00pm. Morning Aarti: Mon-Fri 10.30am, Sat-Sun 10:00am. Evening Aarti: Mon-Fri 8:00pm, Sat-Sun 6:00pm. There are many other regular events taking place at the temple. All major religious celebrations are observed. Facility rentals are also available. Priest services are available at your home and/or at the Temple at a nominal charge. Activities: Yoga, Hinduism and Meditation classes; Weekend Community Classes: Jain pathshala, Hindi classes, Sanskar Gurkul Classes, Tamil classes, Balmukund classes; Youth Affairs: Ohm Squad is the youth wing of HSNC involved in the youth activities like camp, games, craft and arts. Located at 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC and serves the greater Triangle area. For Further Details: Saroj Sharma - 919.654.5224 Trilok Pillai (manager) - 919.599.6597 hsnc@hsnconline.org www.hsnconline.org Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) The HSS conducts activities to develop character and leadership skills in participants, emphasizing values such as self-discipline, self-confidence and a spirit of selfless service (seva) for humanity while maintaining Hindu cultural identity in harmony with the larger society. HSS is inspired by the idea that the whole world is one family. HSS has over 100 chapters (shakhas) across the country. Activities are tailored to include yoga, games, songs, lectures and discussions on Hindu dharma and culture. For Further Details: www.hssus.org (click Chapter Locations on the Top Left, then select NC) Hum Sub HumSub is dedicated to sharing the social and cultural traditions of India with the residents of the Research Triangle Park and North Carolina. Upcoming Events: Celebrating Basant Bahar in the spring of 2016. For Further Details: 919.371.4470 www.humsub.net Immanuel Assembly of God A full Gospel Christian church serving the Indian / South Asian community in Raleigh and RTP area of North Carolina. The Church is located at 5419 S. Alston Ave, Durham, NC 27713. For Further Details: 919.442.8537 thechurch@immanuelassembly.org www.immanuelassembly.org India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) The Triangle chapter of IDRF supports volunteer-based, honest

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS and highly experienced non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India in serving their populations’ critical needs around education, childcare, healthcare, women empowerment and tribal welfare, as well as relief and rehabilitation in times of natural disasters. For Further Details: www.idrf.org. Indian American Forum for Political education (IAFPe) IAFPE is the oldest and largest Indian American organization for political education with numerous chapters throughout the United States. The North Carolina Chapter is in Raleigh and is motivated to educate the community on political issues and help the community with various services. Support is needed from the community and members to help the chapter grow and provide relevant services and informative events. For Further Details: www.forum-nc.org Indian Classical Music & Dance Society (ICMDS) ICMDS is dedicated to the task of promoting Indian classical music and dance in the Triangle area. ICMDS invites top artists from all over the world to perform in the Triangle area. For Further Details: www.icmds.org Indian talent Discovery Foundation ITDF was established to promote any form of art that has originated in India. The primary objective of the foundation is to encourage local talent to excel in the chosen art to become professionals. The art can be in any form such as Indian Classical and Bollywood dance, Indian music, Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, traditional medicine, Vaasthu Shasra, and so on. For Further Details: contactus@itdfoundation.org www.itdfoundation.org Indo-American Friendship Foundation The foundation works to improve Friendship between the People of India and USA through Cultural and Technological Exchanges. For Further Details: iaff10@yahoo.com www.iaff1.org InStepp InStepp is located in Durham and its mission is to create a vibrant community by empowering women who’ve come up against some challenges in their lives to rise above those challenges and succeed personally and professionally through innovative, gender-responsive training, educational and prevention services. Services include employment & career counseling, resume development, skills training, federal and state benefits application, financial and tuition assistance, community and college referrals, computer skills training and more. InStepp welcomes all women from South Asia and understands the differences in customs and religions across South Asia and can provide services in many South Asian Languages. For Further Details: Saathee.com

telephone: 919.680.8000 Email: pmanhas@instepp.org www.instepp.org International Buddhist Progress Society - nC temple All are invited to the temple, which is open from 10:00am 5:00pm Tuesday through Sunday, with Sunday services at 10:00am followed by a free vegetarian lunch. The temple is located at 2529 Prince Drive, Raleigh NC 27606. For Further Details: 919.816.9866 www.blianc.org International Community Church ICC is a worship center for people from India and neighboring countries. Church services at Reedy Creek Baptist Church 1524 N. Harrison Avenue Cary, NC 27513 For Further Details: 919.233.2900 Pastor: Joseph B. Jesudason http://www.icc-nc.org/ International Hindi Association IHA promotes Hindi language and literature and has chapters all over the United States. The Raleigh Chapter periodically organizes Kavi Sammelans with local and indigenous talents. Open to those interested in listening to poetry or in reciting poetry. For Further Details: Saroj Sharma - 919.656.5224 Sudha Om Dhingra - 919.678.9056 www.hindi.org International Swaminarayan Satsang organization (ISSo) ISSO is a socio-religious organization and its primary objective is to advance the Sanatan Dharma in accordance with the principles and teachings of Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya, founded and ordained by Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Himself. ISSO Raleigh-Durham chapter organizes a regularly scheduled biweekly “Satsang Sabha,” every other Saturday, at HSNC Cultural Hall (309 Aviation Pkwy., Morrisville, NC27560), which includes Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and Mahaprasad. Pujya Santo visit often to impart the divine knowledge of Swaminarayan Bhagwan. For Further Details: 919.964.1008 isso.nc@gmail.com http://issonc.org ISKCon new Goloka temple of nC New Goloka temple is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The Radha-Krishna temple is in a rural setting at 1032 Dimmocks Mill Rd. Hillsborough, NC. Visitors are welcome any day of the week to come have darshan of Sri Sri Radha Golokananda. Every Sunday at 4:00pm, there is a special program consisting of arati, kirtan, Bhagavad-gita discourse, and a prasadam feast. From 4:30 - 5:30pm, there is a Sunday School program for children ages 3-7 and 8-12. Children take part in learning Bhagavad-gita slokas and bhajans, understanding the basic philosophy, reciting and hearing stories 106

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS from the Vedas. New Goloka also provides educational classes and programs for adults. New Goloka Daily Darshan Times 4:30 - 5:00am, 7:15am - 1:00pm, 4:15 - 5:45pm, 7:00 - 8:00pm. Saturday and Sunday Darshan open from 7:15am - 8:00pm. For Further Details: 919.593.6827 golokanandapriya@hotmail.com www.newgoloka.com

Pakistani American Association The Pakistani-American Association (NCPAA) promotes Pakistani culture to all the communities in the Triangle area of NC. Several events are presented during the year including a family dinner on the second Friday of every month. For Further Details: payamber@ncpaa.org www.ncpaa.org

Kiran Kiran is a community based South Asian organization promoting self-reliance and empowerment of South Asian women and men who are in domestic violence through crisis counseling and intervention, language assistance and translation and resource referrals in a confidential manner. Services offered at Kiran are confidential and free of charge. The organization spreads awareness about causes and effects of domestic violence in the community and cooperates with organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives. Kiran assists and provides information on referrals to professional and community services regarding legal issues, health care, short-term child care, psychological counseling, and temporary shelter and housing. For Further Details: 24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 877.625.4726 919.839.6203 kiran@kiraninc.org www.kiraninc.org

Pratham - triangle Area Pratham is a grass-roots organization that works towards universalizing primary education in India. It is one of the largest NGOs in field of literacy movement in India. Pratham continues to evolve, grow and works to meet the continually changing needs of the children it educates. The NC chapter actively aims to collaborate with individuals, local organizations and community associations and seeks ideas, volunteers and resources to deliver the vision of “Every Child in School and Learning Well.” For Further Details: Rajeev Thalla - rajeev.thalla@gmail.com Monica Awasthi - awasthimonica@yahoo.com www.prathamusa.org

lakulish yoga and Health Retreat Lakulish Yoga and Health Retreat is a secluded resort in Caswell County. It is a place of natural beauty that stimulates a spirit of detachment and inspires and uplifts visitors. This resort is hallowed by a Yogi, a Sannyasi who ensures that the true practice of Dharma and Yoga flourishes here, offering the NC community and visitors an ongoing program of free Yoga Classes. The classes are offered each Wednesday from 6:00 - 8:00pm, and each Saturday from 11:00am - 1:00pm. Located at 8136 NC Highway 119 South, Mebane, NC. For Further Details: 336.421.0690 lifemisionusa@gmail.com www.lifemissionusa.org Maitri A student organization at NC State that aims at unifying various cultures at university. The organization works to help and support Indian students at NC State, but also creates opportunities for them to immerse in the global culture while retaining their rich Indian identity. For Further Details: www.maitrincsu.org nuv yug Nuv Yug is a cultural organization with a mission to promote awareness of Indian cultural arts and heritage. Striving to create synergy among various cultural groups from the South Asian region. For Further Details: www.nuvyug.net

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Professional Indians’ Association PIA is a meetup that serves young South Asian professionals in the Triangle Community. The group is made of Indian professionals and grad students interested in cultural events, socializing and meeting/making friends with like-minded people around the Triangle. Monthly events include meeting at bars/restaurants, Bollywood movie nights, potlucks, Indian concerts/performances, outdoor activities, community service and volunteering. It is an opportunity for professionals to share their thoughts on respective industries, social causes, the economy and politics. For Further Details: http://www.meetup.com/PIATriangle/ Raleigh Sai Center Parthi Sai devotees of Triangle area meet every Sunday from 4:00 - 6:00pm in the Mini-Hall of Hindu Bhavan in Morrisville. There will be Study circle, Bhajan Practice, Veda Chanting etc. during the 4:00 - 5:00pm slot depending on the week, followed by bhajans from 5:00 - 6:00pm. The center carries out several service activities as well, including Human Values Education (SSE) classes for the children of different age groups. For Further Details: Rakesh Huria (President) - 919.244.1263 rsc.president@yahoo.com. Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of nC The Society draws inspiration from the timeless, philosophical wisdom of the Vedanta as practiced and preached in the modern day by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. Practical Vedanta and the message of the harmony of religions and the spiritual oneness are studied. Regardless of background and/or knowledge the organization welcomes participants. For Further Details: www.vedantanc.org

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS RtP Maharashtra Mandal The Mandal is a home away from home for Marathi-speaking people. The goal of the Mandal is to advocate the vibrant culture, the rich heritage and the language of Maharashtra. The Mandal is dedicated to showcase the cultural, social and traditional attributes of Maharashtra to the local community through variety of entertaining programs, and events. For Further Details: Mohana Dighe - 919.378.1947 Sameer Mohile - 919.851.8799 www.rtpmm.org Sahaj Marg Meditation - triangle Area Sahaj Marg translates to “The Natural Path.” It is a simple system of Raja Yoga meditation and spiritual practice that helps one realize the ultimate potential within oneself. Regular spiritual practice under capable guidance enables aspirants to progressively experience the sublime presence of the divine in their daily lives. Sahaj Marg system of meditation is freely offered to seekers worldwide through Shri Ram Chandra Mission. In Triangle area, group meditations are held on Sunday and Wednesday. For Further Details: Raj Solanki - 919.303.7447 raleigh.center@gmail.com www.srcm.org, www.sahajmarg.org Sahaja Meditation Ongoing meetings, seminars and workshops are available in Raleigh. There is never any charge for Sahaja Meditation instruction. RSVP in meetup: Sahaja-Meditation-Triangle-Group Thursdays at 7:30pm. Located at 9308 Fairbanks Dr, Raleigh, NC. For Further Details: balaram.krishna@gmail.com 919.757.3135 www.sahajamediation.com Sky Meditation and Kaya Kalpa yoga Benefits include longevity, wellness and stress management. Triangle Sky Meditation group holds weekly group meditation and simplified physical exercises every Friday in Cary for those who have attended Shri Vethathiri Maharishi’s Kaya Kalpa Yoga course. Kaya Kalpa Yoga Courses are held several times a year for anyone 14 years and above. For Further Details: 919.830.9764 vikram.renganathan@gmail.com www.vethathiri.edu.in

features the only shrine in North America to incorporate abodes to Lord Viswaksena and Lord Sudarshana/Lord Narasimha as part of Srinivasa Parivaram. The temple rituals are performed in accordance with Pancharathra Agama Shastra. For Further Details: 919.468.0040 comm@svtemplenc.org www.svtemplenc.org tamil Cultural Association of north Carolina (tCA nC) TCA NC was formed for the purpose of providing youths with exposure to Tamil culture. Everyone is invited to join TCA and become part of the organization promoting Tamil culture in the Triangle area. For Further Details: tca_nc@yahoo.com www.tcanc.org triangle Area telugu Association (tAtA) TATA is committed to building a vibrant Telugu Community and promoting Telugu culture and language in the Triangle area of North Carolina. For Further Details: committee@tataonline.org www.tataonline.org triangle Bangladesh Society (tBSnC) TBSNC strives to arrange musical programs by artists who have captured the hearts and minds of millions of Bengali, Urdu and Hindi-speaking music fans all around the globe. For Further Details: Ishtiaquem@gmail.com www.tbsnc.org triangle Gujarati Association (tGA) TGA’s mission is to promote and serve Gujarati culture in the Triangle area by organizing various events and programs throughout the year and impart Gujarati culture and language on the youth. For Further Details: nctga00@gmail.com www.nctga.org

triangle Rang Mandal Devotees of Pujya Sri Rang Avdhoot Maharaj meet every Saturday in Cary or Raleigh from 8:30 - 10:30pm to sing devotional Dattatreya Bhajans and Datta-Bavani in a spiritual atmosphere. Special programs are organized on Guru Purnima and Rang Jayanti and on the occasion of Pujya Sri Prem Avdhoot Bapji’s annual visit to the US. South Indian Fine Arts Academy (SIFAA) SIFAA is a non-profit organization that works to arrange and For Further Details: promote concerts and performances in the Triangle and Triad rangmandal@gmail.com areas, concentrating on Carnatic music. triangle Vegetarian Society (tVS) For Further Details: 919.773.1580 The mission of TVS is to build a sense of community between www.sifaa.org current vegetarians and people who are interested in vegetarianism and have a forum for a discussion of issues. SV temple of north Carolina The temple is built on over nine acres of centrally connected For Further Details: triangle area. This grand tribute to Lord Venkateswara and his barman@cs.unc.edu consorts is designed to exacting standards of shilpa shasthra and www.trianglevegsociety.org Saathee.com

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS triangle Vipassana Vipassana, which means to see things as they are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques and was taught 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The Triangle Vipassana meditation group holds weekly group sittings in Cary and Raleigh on Thursday, Saturday, and Monday and 3-hour sitting on 3rd Sunday each month, and one day sitting once every few months for established students (those who have taken at least one ten day course). There is no charge for the course. For Further Details: 732.213.9660 carync.sittings@gmail.com www.dhamma.org

Regional Hindu Society of eastern nC (Greenville, nC) The temple celebrates major festivals and holds regular bhajan seesions and Geeta study. For Further Details: Temple - 252.752.2670 B.S. Srivatsa - 508.654.0360 Hindutemplenc@gmail.com

Sri Mata Shakthipeetham of nC The mission of this organization is to establish Sri Mata Shakthipeetham for the Hindu community of North Carolina, offer worship, and conduct pujas. Lewisville, NC. Urdu Majlis For Further Details: Urdu Majlis, the Triangle’s Urdu Literary Society, meets monthly www.aumsrimata.org in the FedEx Global Education Center on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Meetings include discussions of the life and works Sri Somesvara temple of major South Asian poets as well as opportunities to share Sri Somesvara Temple is located near Asheville at 95 Mount original poetry and other writing. Urdu Majlis is co-sponsored Soma Blvd., Clyde, NC 28721. There are regular pujas, aarti, and by the Carolina Asia Center and the South Asia Section of the special events. Major festivals are celebrated. UNC Dept. of Asian Studies. It is an intellectual endeavor with For Further Details: no political or religious affiliations. 828.476.4073 For Further Details: www.srisomesvara.org. Afroz Taj - taj@unc.edu - 919.851.1119 Ashraf Faruqi - pasbaan@hotmail.com - 919.596.4792)\

South Carolina

Vaishnav Samaj of triangle Area A group of like-minded devotees who meet for religious worship and understand Pushti Marg Principles at large. Regular Bhajan recitations are held 2nd Sunday of the month from 4:00-6:00pm and Seniors are requested to encourage youngsters to participate in the activities. For Further Details: Arvindbhai Shah - 919.233.7677 Vithalbhai Shah - 919.803.9027 Vibha Raleigh Vibha is dedicated to creating a brighter future for underprivileged children. The Raleigh Action Center has a group of energetic and enthusiastic volunteers from varied backgrounds, including working professionals and students. This group came together through a strong belief in Vibha’s mission and resolved to create a positive societal impact in India. The group works to organize social events that spread awareness and raise funds to further the organization’s mission. For Further Details: raleigh@vibha.org http://raleigh.vibha.org. Vraj education Raleigh Kendra The Vraj Education Raleigh Kendra is conducting comprehensive weekly teaching of Hinduism and Pushtibhakti Marg backed by Vraj Temple Pennsylvania. Raleigh Vaishnav children will get an opportunity to recognize, learn, and exercise Pushtimarg guidelines and leverage rich Shri Vallabh Mahaprabhuji heritage to improve individual life style. For Further Details: vraj.raleigh@gmail.com for timing and location information.

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American South Asian Cultural Assoc. of Columbia, SC The Association’s fundamental goal is to increase cultural awareness and develop cultural understanding among American South Asian Community in Columbia area. A monthly Lunch meeting is held on the Second Sunday of every month between 1 to 3 pm ($9 per person charge). For Further Details: Contact in the evenings: 803.233.7042 512.547.7077 Bethel Christian Fellowship The Fellowship offers services in various Indian languages (i.e. Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc.) and Sunday Worship services are at 11:30 a.m. Located at the Fort Mill Church of God, Student Life Center Building, 216 Academy Street, Room 102. Fort Mill, SC. For Further Details: 803.792.7223 Pastor Rajan Samuel - pastorofbcf@gmail.com www.bethelchristianfellowship.org Carolina Buddhist Vihara (Greenville, SC) Regular beginner meditation program conducted by a Buddhist Monk. Activities are held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings: 6:30pm (puja), 7:00pm (meditation), and 8:00pm (“Dhamma” talk or discussion). A youth program is also held once a month. For Further Details: dhammasc@hotmail.com Hanahan table tennis training Center There are no membership fees of any kind to play at HTTTC. Free

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Special Offer for New Patients Call For Details


COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS open play and training, USATT league. Informal free coaching as time permits. Open to all levels of players from recreational to competitive. The center is located at City of Hanahan Gym, 1255 Yeamans Hall Rd., Hanahan, SC (Adjacent to the Police Station). For Further Details: www.tthanahan.com

Qari Abdul Khader Multani - 803.740.5127 Mosque main number - 803.754.2632 Spartanburg Buddhist Center The center’s resident monks seek to preserve Theravada Buddhist traditions and welcomes all who are interested in Buddhism, Southeast Asian culture, or meditation. Since the center opened in 2010, a regular English-speaking group meets Hindu Society of Greater Spartanburg at 6:00pm on Thursdays for meditation, a brief Dhamma talk, A daily Aarti is conducted at 7:00pm, Balvihar classes are from and short discussions. 10:00 - 11:45am on scheduled Sundays, and Satsang is on second The center is located at 770 Bryant Rd., Spartanburg SC 29303. Sunday of every month from 5:00 - 7:00pm. For Further Details: Temple is located on 1130 Fairview Church Road in Boiling 864.279.7546 Springs, SC 29303. https://www.facebook.com/spartanburgbuddhist2012 For Further Details: 864.599.7048 telugu Association of Greater Greenville The Telugu Association of Greater Greenville, SC, serves the Hindu temple and Center (Columbia, SC) Telugu community of the Greenville/Spartanburg area of South The temple is located at 5704 Kiawah Road, Columbia, South Carolina. The group sponsors several events throughout the year. Carolina 29212. It is open on weekdays between 8:30am to 12:00 For Further Details: noon and between 5:00 - 8:30pm. On weekends, the temple is www.taggsc.org open between 8:30am to 1:00pm and 5:00 - 8:30pm. Bal Gokulam (Sunday School) classes are held every Sunday from 10:30am to Vedic Center of Greenville 12:00 noon. Classes are designed to help children build physical, Daily Aarti is conducted Monday - Friday at 8:00pm. Bal Vihar mental, cultural, social & spiritual lives. classes are conducted Sundays from 11:15am - 12:30pm. Sri For Further Details: Venkateshwara Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Saturday of each 803.772.6940 month at 9:00am. The Center is located at 499 Bethel Road in www.hindutemplesc.org Mauldin, SC 29662. India Assoc. of Greater Charleston (IAGC) The IAGC was founded in Charleston to bring together people who were interested in India and to provide a forum to increase the understanding of the heritage of India in US. For Further Details: http://www.indiaassociationofgreatercharleston.com International Fellowship Church of Greenville, SC The church offers Sunday worship services and other weekly and occasional activities for people of Indian origin within the Greenville, SC area. For Further Details: Pastor Suhas Raiborde - 864.234.1256 www.internationalfellowshipchurch.org Kannada Association of Greater Greenville (KAGG) An organization devoted to the awareness and promotion of Kannada culture in the Greater Greenville area of SC. KAGG is a primarily run by volunteers and invites Kannadigas living in and around Greenville area to participate in the organization. Kannada classes for children are also conducted. For Further Details: 864.430.4973 www.kagg-sc.org Masjid noor-Ul-Huda On the first and third Saturday of every month from 6:00 8:00pm, Islamic session is held by Hafiz Mohammed Basheer. Quranic Reading classes for children are also conducted daily. The Mosque is located at 517 Winmet Dr., Columbia, SC. For Further Details: Dr. Shami - 803.749.0827 Saathee.com

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POP’S PUZZLES & JOKES By Kirit Shukla

Note: * denotes abbreviation of the word or phrase Clues Across: 1. The state flower of Oklahoma. 9. South Carolina. (*) 11. Good health: used as a toast. 12. A curved structure, as of masonry, that supports the weight of material over an open space, as in a doorway. 14. Deep fried wheat breads of India, puffs out in hot oil. 15. Arousing no interest or curiosity; uncheerful. 16. Am Afro-Asiatic language spoken in central Ethiopia. 17. A huge sea wave caused by earthquake under an ocean. 19. A high, rocky hill. 21. Dry and barren; lifeless. 22. Blood Pressure. (*) 24. Recover; get back to. 26. To or toward as the goal or object. 27. Oriental Astronomical Association. (*) 29. Several temporary suspensions of electric power. 31. In Germany or Austria, an expressway. 33. United States of America. (*) 35. A building where films, plays or operas are presented.36. An extinct, shaggy, long-horned wild ox. 37. “ __ Mater”, the school or college that one attended. 38. Mistake; something incorrectly done. 40. Private Network Interconnect. (*) 41. Innings pitched. (*) (Baseball) 43. To remove a projecting pin. 45. “___ corpuscle,” a nerve ending, sensitive to touch. 46. American Stock Exchange. (*) Saathee.com

Clues Down: 2. An image displayed on a computer screen for a function. 3. To hit or destroy with a bullet or an arrow etc. 4. Intense fear. 5. A wreath of flowers worn around the neck, in Hawaii. 6. At first; Formerly. (Archaic); 7. Tropical Storm. (*) 8. Profit. 9. Fraud; to cheat as in a confidence game. 10. “Jesus ____”. 13. To utter aloud the words of written or printed matter. 14. A submarine. (Slang) 15. The oval, spiny, edible fruit of an East Indian tree. 18. This magazine, of the Carolinas, a tool for ads & articles. 20. To procure again. 23. “ ___ Surf School” is located in Cabarete on Encuentro Beach, Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. 25. An annual leguminous plant, grown in India for forage. 26. Makes certain; gives confidence to. 28. Presenting an action or event being incomplete. 30. The fourth largest satellite of Jupiter. 32. Online Access Manager. (*) 34. To the same amount or degree; equally. 36. A vase used to hold the ashes of a cremated body. 39. To go rapidly by feet; move swiftly. 40. Parcel Post. (*) 42. The sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. (π) 44. General Electric. (*) (Puzzle solutions are on next page. NO peeking!)

Hee Hee It was Christmas eve and the warden was in a happy mood. He asked the prisoner: “What are you charged with?” The prisoner: “Doing my Christmas shopping too early.” “That's no crime”, said the warden. “Just how early were you doing this shopping?” Prisoner: “Before the shop opened.” •••••••••••••• He: “Drinking makes you look extraordinary beautiful!” She: “But I have not been drinking.” He: “No, but I have.” •••••••••••••• Sergeant: “Booddhoo, go and stand at the end of the line.” Booddhoo went at the end of line and returned to Sergeant. Sergeant: “Why don’t you obey my orders?” Booddhoo: “I tried, but a man was already standing there.” •••••••••••••• Student: “Guru, when the Government research department says that ‘Developed after years of intensive research,’ what does it mean?” Guru: “It was discovered by accident.” •••••••••••••• 116

December 2015


Word Find (Created By Kirit Shukla) Find & circle the words in the puzzle. (Subject: “Bhagwat Gita”)

Math Magic Use these numbers only once: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] in empty squares, to get = the final given answers. Note: Follow the order of operation per basic math rule: ×,÷, +, The multiplication or division is done before addition and subtraction.

ARJUNA CHARIOTS DIALOGUE DUTIES GITA GOD HOLY KALIYUGA KARMA KAURAVAS KNOWLEDGE KRISHNA KURUKSHETRA

MAHABHARATA MAYA PANDAVAS REMEDY SANJAYA SANSKRIT SELFRESTRAIN SOUL SUPREME WAR WORSHIP YOGA

The unused 6 letters spell (Sanskrit word) means ”Devotion.”

(solution on next page)

eZ-BZ TEST YOUR IQ

(The common letters are “CY” - Fill in the blanks) 1. The barrel of a pump. CY _ _ _ _ _ _ 2. A paddle driven, two wheeler bike. _ _ CY _ _ _ 3. A written contract of insurance. _ _ _ _ CY 4. A radical, RCO, derived from an organic acid. _ CY _ 5. An egg before maturation. (Embryology). _ _ CY _ _ 6. A tropical tree resembling thick-stemmed palm with crowns of leathery fernlike leaves. CY _ _ _ 7. Precision; exactness. _ _ _ _ _ _ CY 8. To enclose in a capsule or sac. _ _ CY _ _ 9. Catholic Youth Organization. (*) CY _ 10. Whimsical imagination; illusion. _ _ _ CY 11. A long cutting tool with a long curved blade. _ CY _ _ _ 12. An empty space. _ _ _ _ _ CY 13. A greenish blue color. CY _ _ 14. A drug store. _ _ _ _ _ _ CY 15. A disposition to forgive, pity or be kind. _ _ _ CY 16. A cup-shaped part as in some flowers. _ CY _ _ _ _ 17. The money in circulation of a country. _ _ _ _ _ _ CY 18. A circular, brass plate used as a percussion. CY _ _ _ _ 19. Proper behavior, modesty, courtesy etc. _ _ _ _ _ CY 20. Succulent; full of liquid part of fruits. _ _ _ CY 21. Tornado or hurricane. CY _ _ _ _ _ 22. Take Care of Yourself. (*) _ CY 23. For general circulation. _ _ CY _ _ _ _ _ _ 24. Having a delicate open pattern. _ _ CY 25. Symbol zero. (British spelling) CY _ _ _ _ (Puzzle solutions are on next page. NO peeking!) Kirit Shukla Contact him at kiritsshukla@hotmail.com

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Festivals & Holidays

FESTIVALS & HOLIDAYS Hemant Prakash, MD

Julia Blevins Richards, MD

December 2015 Dec. 7 - Utpatti Ekādasi Dec. 7 - Hanukkah begins Dec. 11 - Darsha Amās (No Moon) Dec. 11 - Shahādat - e - Imām Dec. 17 - Guru Teg Bāhadur Shahid Day Dec. 19 - Pramukh swami Maharaja Jayanti Dec. 21 - Mokshāda Ekādasi Dec. 22 - Gita Jayanti Dec. 24 - Dattātreya Jayanti Dec. 24 - Eid-e Milād Dec. 25 - Christmas Day Dec. 25 - Mārgshirsha Purnima (Full Moon) Dec. 26 - Kwanzaa begins Dec. 31 - Last day of the year 2015 (New Year’s Eve)

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Puzzle Solutions

January 2016 Jan. 1 - New Year 2016 starts Jan. 4 - Pārshvanāth Jayanti Jan. 5 - Safalā Ekādasi Jan. 9 - Darsha Amās (No Moon) Jan. 12 - Swami Vivekananda Jayanti Jan. 15 - Makar Sankranti/ Pongal/ Uttarāyan Jan. 16 - Guru Govindsingh Jayanti Jan. 18 - Martin Luther king Day Jan. 20 - Putradā Ekādasi Jan. 23 - Shākambhari Purnima (Full Moon) Jan. 26 - Republic Day (India) Jan. 30 - Gandhi Nirvana Day

Math Magic

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ASTROSCOPE

General Predictions for December 2015

ARIeS (Mar 20 - Apr 20) - You may lose confidence this month. A bad diagnosis may lead you towards major health problems. As far as your monetary situation is concerned, you will do very well, but avoid any corrupt ideology to make easy money. Your enemies may try to hurt your reputation. You may focus on further study to learn new things. This month is good for romance. Your religious beliefs will help you through tough times. Your situation will improve by end of the month. Drive very carefully. tAURUS (Apr 20 - May 21) - Now is the time to work on a dream project and enjoy success. You will earn name and fame this month. You may gain due to a change in government policy. Don’t take risks to have fun and drive carefully. You may be able to find ways to restrict your expenses and resolve misunderstanding with family and friends. Life is taking a positive turn, so enjoy it. Your religious knowledge and activities may help you in many ways. Minor disputes with your spouse are possible, but they are temporary. Just take it easy this time. Make quick moves and don’t wait until end of the month. GeMInI (May 21 - Jun 21) - Time will fly for you this month. Major changes will keep you active and busy. You may meet old friends and build strong bonds to make new friends. Life is giving you opportunities, so grab them wisely. Don’t react instantly and consider emotional value while making a move; also use your knowledge and morals. Major financial gain is possible during second half of the month, but don’t borrow money. Enjoy spending on luxury and parties, but also watch your health. CAnCeR (Jun 21 - Jul 22) - It is your turn to move life your way. You may get opportunities, but an unnecessary rush may cause you to make mistakes. Family values and culture must be considered in making any decisions this month. You will enjoy great success throughout the month, but with the help of family involvement. Short distance trips and travel may happen unexpectedly. A rise in income is possible, but at the same time non-productive work may build frustration. Follow both your mind and your heart this month. leo (Jul 22 - Aug 23) - After a negative start, the second half of the month will bring good results. Enjoy the holidays and indulge in spending for fun. Improvement in physical health and as well as self-confidence will lead you towards success. Make your own decisions, but wait before putting them into action. The time is good to start looking for investments in real estate. Avoid family politics this month. You may earn respect through religious and cultural activities. VIRGo (Aug 23 - Sep 23) - Negligence towards responsibilities may create problems at your place of work. Slow down and avoid making abrupt decisions. You will enjoy good luck this month, but your actions will put you in a shameful situation. Watch yourself inwardly during first half of the month. Your family will come forward to rescue you. A memory loss incident may be quite puzzling. The last week of the month may bring minor relief. Be extra careful and try to stay away from any risk-taking tendencies.

lIBRA (Sep 23 - oct 23) - After a very positive start, the month may end with minor negativity. You will enjoy good luck but high expectations will result in disappointment. Control your expenses and beware of hidden enemies. Try to avoid traveling during last week of the month. Your family may not agree with your actions this month. You will enjoy financial gains, but expenses will be higher than your income. Negative news from far away may hurt your feelings during the holidays. SCoRPIo (oct 23 - nov 22) - If you didn’t make decisions last month, now is when you’ll regret it. You will realize your mistake, but that can cause further mistakes to avoid frustration. Try to compromise with the situation and avoid taking financial risks. You may enjoy minor immediate financial gains during middle of the month. Try to avoid any long distance journeys. Your colleagues may try to create hurdles, so be watchful. You will have to change your ideology, it will protect you from unforeseen problems. SAGIttARIUS (nov 22 - Dec 21) - A change in career for higher position or promotion is clearly indicated. It could be sudden and unexpected. Don’t compromise with your morals as it will protect you from any major personal problems. Don’t trust anyone blindly for now. Your competitors may also do well this month, but don’t react to it. Destiny may become cruel with your social life. Avoid traveling or spending time with friends. If you give priority to work and career, you will ultimately enjoy protection. You may enjoy religious events and even increase your spiritual knowledge. CAPRICoRn (Dec 21 - Jan 20) - You will feel a huge relief this month during the holidays. Destiny will start favoring you. Improvement in health will rebuild selfconfidence. If involved in a business, your partner will bring good news for you. Your spouse will also bring good luck for you. Don’t expect a major rise in income, but your expenses should go down significantly. Improvement in your relations with siblings should make you feel comfortable. Enjoy a journey during second half of the month. AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 19) - A heavy workload due to your own mistakes may exhaust you during first half of the month. Your spouse will become excellent support in many ways. Drive carefully and watch your health. Stay away from alcohol or other similar substances. Avoid traveling, as you may face unexpected problems. A rise in savings should make you feel comfortable. Your business partner may try to cheat you. Time will improve drastically by the end of the month. PISCeS (Feb 19 - Mar 20) - Watch your diet this month as overeating and excessive drinking may force you to seek medical treatment. A lack of confidence could be there, but you will feel relaxed, carefree and happy. A few major financial gains could come your way. Try to be brave by controlling fear. Family-related issues and misunderstandings with family members could create problems during first half of the month. Relations with a coworker can bring fun and happiness, so enjoy it. Happy holidays will delight you at the end of the month. By Jalendu Vaidya • Contact: 973-223-5047 www.jmvaidya.com

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Must be willing to move to Greensburg, PA (near Pittsburgh). Please call or e-mail for details: 773-507-8848 or 773-999-3324

Email: apq147@yahoo.com

Accountant needed: Opening at a leading manufacturing company in High Point, NC. Duties include AR/AP/Payroll. Please email for further info: Kajalb@amerifabintl.com Motel Help: Couple needed for housekeeping, and front desk for a 15 room Motel in Goldsboro, NC. Accommodations provided. Contact Nate at 919-396-1752.

Household Help needed in University City area (Arbor Hills) 2-3 times a week Must speak English and have Legal for 2-3 hours daily. $10/hr. Must be able status. Call 856-266-5059. to drive. Experience needed. Contact 704654-5361. South Indian Cook needed in Ballantyne area. Preferably between 2-4pm on most Full-time nanny needed for our 3 month days. Should have own transportation. old son in Huntersville, NC. Please call Call 704-968-1237. 765-409-9234.

For Sale: 20 Room Motel. 13 double bedrooms and 7 single bedrooms. Plymouth, NC on Hwy 64. Owner Retiring. $350k. Serious inquiries only. Full-time nanny needed (Live in/out) for 252-216-5709. 17 month old boy near South Charlotte Business for Sale: Gas Station located (Waxhaw). Competitive pay. If interested Apex, NC (Wake County). Asking $65K please call 704-526-9810. plus inventory. Must have $100K to invest to obtain listing information. Call Gas station help wanted in Rock Hill, Ben (862) 268-2844 or e-mail SC. Part time or full time. Good pay for experienced person. Call 803-981-4352. ben@countysouth.biz Grocery Store & Halal Meat Shop for Sale in Raleigh, NC. Serious buyers only. Please contact 336-613-5521.

Eyebrow Threader HELP WANTED

Convenience Stores/Gas Stations for lease or Sale in NC. Great opportunities Gas station/C-Store for Sale with with upside potential. Only serious property in Spring Lake, NC near inquiries; must have capital for goodwill Fayetteville. High lotto sales. Fixed rent / inventory. Please call 803-789-3133. income with Hair Salon & ATM. Owner Convenient store for rent in Cherryville, financing available. Call 910-489-6545. NC. Store is currently closed. Call 803235-6672 or 803-235-6671. laundromat for Sale in Charlotte, NC. Clean, High Volume. Very profitable. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Some owner financing available. Asking price $499,999. Call 704.236.5161. Gas Station Help Wanted in South Charlotte. Part-time or Ful-time. Nice Pizzeria for Sale in Chapel Hill area. All neighborhood. Good pay for experienced equipment is 3 years old and restaurant person. Call 704-771-9106. is immaculate. Sales are $8K/week. Closed Sundays. Asking $165K. Call for Gas station & Subway help wanted: details 919-880-8779. Full/ Part-time in Richburg near Rock Hill, SC. Must speak English & have legal Motel for sale: 102 rooms flagged in status. Please call 704-737-7230. Hardeeville SC with an estimated gross revenue for 2015 of $1.375M. For details Help Wanted: Looking for Gujarati email: gm.sc19000@gmail.com. speaking employee near Burlington or Elon, NC for up to 25 hours a week (partIndian Grocery Store for Sale: Open for time). Contact 336-740-4921. 10+ years; great location in the Triangle area of NC. For details call 919-274-6181 Convenience Store Help Wanted in or 919-272-6277 Charlotte. Retail experience preferred.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES:

Chefs, tandoor Chefs, Kitchen Helpers, Servers, Hosts & Bartenders needed for Indian restaurant in Greensboro, NC. Call Biv 336-327-2749 or apply sonaindiancuisine.com under “careers� section.

Gas station Help Wanted in South Charlotte. Part-time or full-time. Nice neighborhood. Good pay for experienced person. Call 704-771-9106. office administrator and manager needed for accounting firm in Charlotte. Candidate should have excellent communication and peoples skills and knowledge of MS Office. Accounting and Quick Books experience preferred. Email: info@kmaccountant.com.

CnAs/PCAs Wanted: Always Best Care is hiring CNAs/PCAs to care for Seniors. Motel help wanted in Charlotte (28208). Call 919-449-8138 or apply online at Desk/supervision/small maintenance https://abcraleigh.clearcareonline.com/apply/ work. Salary with accommodations. Call Convenience Store Help Wanted: North 803-554-6377. Charlotte / University area. Retail Gas Station Help Wanted: Single or Experience Preferred. Speak English & Couple full-time in Albemarle, NC. Must have legal status. Part time or full time. speak fluent English & have legal status. Please Call 856-266-5059. Experience a plus. Call 704-915-1026. looking for a licensed esthetician for Eyebrow Threading in Greensboro, NC. Convenience Store Manager with 5+ years experience needed. Computer Contact Jill at 336-478-6638. skills a must. Salary commensurate with Gas station help needed: Single or experience. Store located in Lexington, couple full-time near Greensboro, NC. SC. Please email resumes to Must have legal status. Good pay. infocpa2010@gmail.com. Experience a plus. Call 336-509-4054. 122

December 2015


Part-time nanny wanted to help for all needs of newborn baby and other household chores. Call 717-440-5434. Manager needed for limited service property in Rock Hill, SC. Please call 803517-4662. night Audit/ Front desk help wanted for Franchise motel in Charlotte, NC. Full-time / Part-time. Must have experience, honest, reliable, and fluent in English. Call Nina 704-299-3364. Indian Restaurant in Charlotte, NC looking for Waiter/Server. Must have experience in Indian Restaurant. Please call 704-512-9177. Gas Station Help Wanted: Couple, fulltime in McCormick, SC (near Greenwood & Augusta) & Lincolnton, GA. Must speak fluent English & have legal status. Good pay. Call 704-299-8535. Hotel Help Wanted in Charlotte. Competitive salary and accommodations provided. Front desk - all shifts (experience a plus) & housekeeper. Must be fluent in English. Call 704-7651447 or e-mail 123nash@gmail.com Subway & store help wanted in Greensboro NC. Single or couple full / part time. Must speak fluent English, have computer knowledge & legal status. Please call Bailey 704-737-1555. Hotel Management Firm now Hiring: House keepers, front desk (must speak fluent English), and General Manager of franchise hotels. Experience required. Email resumes to abcone@abcinns.com or call 704-649-6833 (M-F, 9AM-5PM). experienced threading Practitioners or licensed esthetician in Charlotte & Raleigh. New locations now open. Full or part-time. Great pay and flexibility. Experience required. Good English skills. Please call 980-322-1110 (M-F 9-5). Domestic help needed for Gujarati family in Rock Hill SC. Excellent cooking & cleaning skills required. Competitive salary & allowance for rent. Must be legal US resident and drive. Call 803-448-4820.

MATRIMONIAL Mumbai based parents invite alliance from Gujarati families for daughter: 27, light complexion, slim, very pretty, MA in English literature. Email details w/ photo to ankunadar@gmail.com. Correspondence requested for cousinbrother. Living in NC, 35. IT professional & never married. Gujarati - Bhramin. email: rakavid@aol.com. Saathee.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE townhome available for lease transfer. Spacious 1846 sqft end unit. Providence Park apartments (485 exit 57). Rent $1750/month. Lease till May end. Contact 623-363-7639 or 954-205-7255. Motel Furniture For Sale: approximately 75 rooms. Great value for small motel owners. Call 704-889-7095, Ext 1121. townhome for sale in South Charlotte near South Partk Mall. Meyers Park High School feed zone. Great location. Email for details: rakavid@aol.com

lAnD FoR SAle: learn about land in the Apex, nC area (named the #1 place to live by Money Magazine). the landman, Bob Atkinson can help! Call 919-362-6999 or visit www.learnaboutland.com.

SERVICES learning Home Daycare in South Charlotte. 15 years of experience. NC Early Childhood Credetials, CPR, First Aid. Learning environment. Spanish lessons. M-F 7am-6pm. Newborns Welcome. Excellent References. Call Gladys 704-541-9235. live Band for Garba / Raas, Wedding songs, bhajans. Call 704-568-8206. Gujarati Priest in nC & SC for Ganesh, Randal, Laxmi, Sharda Pujan, Satyanarayan Katha, Wedding, Vastu, Baby Shower, Hawan, Grah Shanti. Kishor Trivedi Home: 336-774-0597 Cell: 336-486-7925 E-Mail: kishor7@juno.com Mehandi (Henna): Award-winning artist in the Chapel Hill / Durham, NC area specializes in Mehandi parties. Perfect for weddings, birthdays & gettogethers. Creative & beautiful art! Contact: Krishna Priya Dasi: 919-8247734; krsnapriyad96@gmail.com; www.lotuslyrics.com/henna.html Dholi For Hire: Plays the Dhol (drum) for any occasion! Classes Available! Barat, Doli, Graduation, Birthdays, Baby Showers & any other festivity. Affordable rates! Call Arpan Bhandari 704-843-7202 or email: arpandholi@yahoo.com 123

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. to all Gujarati families: Interested in learning everything Gujarati (culture, food, language, etc). If willing to add an additional house member, call Nik 803579-1405. Priest Available for the following 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 704438-6334. Astrologer With Gold Medals - Jayanti Lad- Contact for Health, Wealth, Relationship, Child, Enemies, Court Cases, Marriage, Job, Business, Vastu Problems, Preparing & Matching Horoscope. Call 919-463-5180 or Jayantinlad@yahoo.com Hindu Priest: All kinds of puja. Including: havan, katha, weddings, graha pravesh, funeral services & Shraadh. In Hindi, English & Tamil. Call Balaji 704-877-6320 or 704-545-7220 or email: priestbalaji@gmail.com Pretty Face - Indian beauty parlour. Threading, facials, waxing etc conveniently located at Ballantyne /South Charlotte area. Please call for appointment 704-726-8928. neeta’s Beauty Parlor: Charlotte area open 7 days a week. Full service. Call for appointment. 704-968-0270. Pari Beauty In Matthews: Threading, Waxing, Facials, massage for new born and mom & other services. 25 years of experience. Special Deals & Great Service. Call: 704-846-7912.

Saathee Classifieds Business ads are $25 Personal ads are $15 Upgrade to color or add a box for additional $10 Saathee.com ads posted daily (call for rates) We accept all credit cards and checks. Ads up to 25 words. Deadline for print is the 20th. Web ads daily.

How do I Submit classifieds? 1. on-line: saathee.com (classified section) 2. e-mail: Saatheemag@hotmail.com 3. Fax: 704.527.7590 4. For more info call 704.527.7570 Saathee Magazine PO Box 11468 Charlotte, NC 28220 December 2015


Advertisers Index A & V Satellites ....................................................23

DJ Hangama .....................................................45

Passage To India - Fine Indian Cuisine..................70

Access Realty & Funding (Chandravadan Shah)....10

DJ Lalit (Lalit Hemnani)......................................101

Patel Brothers (Charlotte)...................................109

Accounting Solutions (Muhammad Kamran Awan) .45

Eshaan Jewelers .................................................27

Patel, Champa (Real Estate)...............................111

All Car Care.........................................................78

Eye Brow Threader Wanted................................122

Patel, Mrugesh (Law Offices)................................87

Anand, Versha (Real Estate) .................................97

Fairview Home Mortgage.....................................37

Patel, Tony (Real Estate) .......................................39

Anil Bedi & Associates PC (CPA & Consultants) ....63

First Data (Credit Card Processor) ........................35

Pathak, Atul (Real Estate) .....................................49

Anova Groups (Clinical SAS Training & Placement) .10

Fresh Dental .....................................................119

Payal Groceries ...................................................19

Apna Travels (Morrisville)......................................85

Friends Travel ......................................................63

Peacock Indian Cuisine (Charlotte) .......................83

Aroma Indian Chinese Cuisine (Charlotte).............29

Gandhi International Market.................................34

Piece Of India, Inc..............................................121

Around The World Market (Charlotte)....................47

Geological Resources, Inc. ...................................71

Piedmont Health Care (Gastroenterologist V Trivedi, MD) 82

Asian Divas (Makeup Artist/ Beauty Salon)............51

Global Mall .......................................................127

Puja Boutique (Charlotte) .....................................81

Asiana Fusion.Sushi ............................................79

Goehring & Strang PLLC (Immigration Law)

....19

Rajbhog Foods ..................................................115

Aspect Commerical Realty (Prashant Parmar).......93

Gohil Law (Law Offices of Sanjay R. Gohil, PLLC)103

Rajdeep Video & Photography (Ramesh Panjabi)...51

Austin Village Eye Care (Dr. Keshav Bhat) ...........103

Golden Green Hotel Clt (Events & Meeting rooms) 105

RedBow Fitness (Bollywood Dance / Fitness Class) 81

Ayesh Mian (Wedding Planning and DĂŠcor) ........111

H2 Laser & Skin ..................................................91

Regal Oaks Dental ............................................113

Ballantyne Tech Academy ....................................33

Hindu Center of Charlotte (Events) ..................64-67

Ribald Floral and Events.......................................37

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Charlotte)........55

Idolize Brows & Beauty ......................................93

Ritu Selects - India Inspired Couture ..................105

Barot, Tushar (State Farm)....................................27

India Grocers (Charlotte) ......................................38

Robert Brown LLC (Oza, Rishi: Immigration Law) ..41

Bashyam, Spiro & Coats, LLP (Immigration Law)...69

Insurance Shopping (Sonal Patel - Independent Agent)17

Roop Beauty (Pooja Patel) ....................................81

Bhindi Jewellers ................................................2

International Community Church .........................95

S S Event Services (Event planning, Photo, Video).97

Bipin Parekh Realty, LLC ........................................6

Jaipur Indian Restaurant (Charlotte) ...................103

Saffron Restaurant and Catering ..........................54

Blakeney Dental ..................................................73

K & M Accounting................................................79

Shah, Anish (Real Estate)...............................58-59

Blooming Buds....................................................45

K & S Novelties Wholesale ...................................31

Shah, Kirti (CPA - Sepa Consulting) ..................114

Bombay Grille (Charlotte) .....................................77

Kasarla, Gopal & Veena (Real Estate & Mortgage)...6

Shining Star Academy .......................................107

British International School of Charlotte ................73

Khanna & Sons Jewelers.....................................25

Shukla, Kirit (Music Lession & Band) ....................82

Carolina Law Group (Monty Desai) .......................57

Kirti Shah CPA...................................................101

Shyama Beauty Parlour .......................................19

Carolina Wedding Belle (Event Design & DĂŠcor) ....27

Krut Systems (LED, Signs, Solar) ..........................12

Singh Tutoring .....................................................75

Carolinas Christian Assembly ...............................28

LED Lights (Smart Energy Solutions- Hari Bol Inc).126

SJ Iyer Reatly ......................................................44

CaroMont Medical Group (Dr. Manu Patel)............88

Lonestar Video Production & Photography............46

Sleep Inn (Charlotte) ..........................................115

Challa Law Offices, PLC (Immigration)..................35

Maadhurya Photography......................................71

S. Charlotte Endocrinology (K. Narasimhan, MD)...48

Charlotte Chess Club .........................................75

Maharani Indian Cuisine (Charlotte)......................33

SRF Clt Meditation (Self-Realization Fellowship)..111

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat .........................72

Malani Jewelers ................................................128

Taylor Morrison (Homes Inspired by You)...............15

Charlotte Music School........................................22

Malaya Kitchen (Charlotte) ...................................88

Thakkar, Beena (Realty)..................................42-43

Chaupatti (Casual Indina Kitchen - Charlotte)........16

Mathur, Gitanjali (Allen Tate Realtors)....................17

The Blue Taj.........................................................53

Chiro-Carolina

...............................................28

Matthews Family Dentistry ..................................54

The SQL Academy...............................................37

Chugh Attorneys at Law.......................................21

Maxim Tours .......................................................95

Travel Universe ..................................................125

Concha, David (Immigration Attorney)...................91

Meena Jewelers (Zaveri Bazaar).............................9

Travelinks ............................................................97

Concord Children's Clinic ................................118

Merrill Lynch (Monica Vadhear) ..........................39

Ttravel Guru ......................................................114

Copper................................................................53

MyTripFare (Travel agent).....................................99

Tyagi, Rita (Real Estate)........................................82

County South Realty & Business Brokers..............99

Nationwide Ins. (Maqsood Khan) ..........................85

Uni World Travel...................................................93

Crown Cab Charlotte...............................19/79/109

Neeta's Beauty Parlor ..........................................82

Vallabh Pushti Samaj of Carolinas (VPSC).............61

Curry n' Cakes (Charlotte)....................................11

North American Bancard ......................................5

Vemuri, Krishna (Realor).......................................87

Dentist (Dr. Prashant Rao-Cedar Walk Dentistry).105

Nuv Yug India Fest .................................................3

Vyas Travels ......................................................101

Dentist (Pineville Dentistry - Lina V. Mistry, DDS) ...48

OM Tech Training ................................................17

White Horse Weddings.........................................99

Desai, Rajarshi (CPA, PLLC) .................................91

OnCall Mobile Medical and Wellness ...............111

Woodlands Vegetarian Cuisine (Charlotte).............13

Devam Jewelers....................................................7

Pac N Fly (Travel Agency) .....................................51

Worldwide Travels ...............................................41

Digital Room Photography .................................105

Pardasani, Kamlesh (Real Estate) .........................89

Zafran Kabab Palace (Charlotte / Pineville) ...........75

DJ Desi (Amit Vasi) ..............................................41

Parekh, Smita (NY Life) ........................................11

Saathee.com

124

December 2015



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