Friday, February 01 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 5
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Indo American erican News
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February 01, 2013
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COMMUNITY
February 01, 2013
New Venue for ICC’s Republic Day Celebration Dwindles Crowds
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: If the Independence Day celebration last year was any indication, it would seem that the ICC had latched onto a fine formula for creating the kind of ambiance that most desis seek in large gatherings. Lots of people, socializing, food and colorful entertainment featuring local talent. Add to that no entry fees and plenty of free parking and you can’t go wrong. Fast forward six months and the ICC delivered on all fronts at its Republic Day celebration this past Saturday, January 26 – which is the actual anniversary date – except for one: the people. The large hall was set up with rows of chairs for an anticipated 1,000 people but they were mostly empty as a couple hundred crowded the front rows. It was disheartening to not only the organizers but also the vendors who had set up their booths along both sides of the huge hall. Amarjit Singh of Unique Arts who drove in from Atlanta with his colorful framed religious paintings had set up in the large lobby. Three local restaurants and the upcoming India Coffee House catered to the stomachs of people. For those who came, it was a fun, easy going event, albeit missing running into those people you see once or twice a year at these events. The program was well orchestrated, focusing on the young future jewels of India, with awards given
to the new ICC Board led by new President P. V. Patel. So where was everybody, was the question of their minds. Many pointed to the change in venue as the culprit, from the Stafford Civic Center on Cash Road in Missouri City that most had become accustomed to over the past few years, to the Bayou City Event Center on Knight Road, south of the Reliant Arena. The Center is relatively new, has tons of free parking, has fairly easy access (you could even ride the Metro Train from downtown and walk to it) and has a fine open air dining area for those who wanted to enjoy the mild winter day. Perhaps it’s a mixture of apa-
Photos : Jawahar Malhotra
to key organizations and individuals and Congressman Al Green stopping by for a short speech. Jasmeeta Singh orchestrated the Little Kids Fashion Show and students from a host of local dance schools provided a lively program. Darshak and Mona Thacker did a bang up job with the sound system and there was even an entertaining magic show. Outgoing President Rajiv Bhavsar passed on the baton
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thy and a new venue. Perhaps it is time for the ICC to consider merging Republic Day and Indian Independence Day into one India Day, as this reporter has suggested before, and leave the more official Republic Day to the Indian Consulate to conduct. Take a look at the accompanying short survey of opinions of some people. SEE COLLAGE ON PAGE 14 & 15
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How Should We Remember Republic Day? BY MANU SHAH HOUSTON: As first generation Americans, we seem to have held on to many of our traditions, customs, festivals and religious beliefs yet we have a hard time remembering the relevance of India’s Republic Day or Independence Day. So does their significance seem to be waning among Indo-Americans in Houston as well as the next generation and what should be done to revive it? We posed these questions to a few people. Suresh Khator, Associate Dean, College of Engineering thought that the turnout at this year’s Republic Day flag hoisting at the Consul General’s home was better than ever. He suggested that the venue for the Flag Hoisting could be moved to a bigger location to accommodate more people comfortably, the function should be crisp and brief and a friendly cricket tournament organized to attract more crowds. Col. Raj Bhalla, former President of ICC believes that it would be better to celebrate only Independence Day around August 15th and this event will be well attended if a separate broad based community committee under the ageis of India Culture Center is set up for this specific task. The venue selected should be able to accommodate enough people with adequate parking, it should be well advertised and culminate in a fireworks display which would attract the younger generation.
Suresh Khator
“And speeches must be kept to a minimum,” he added. (This is Col. Bhalla’s personal view and does not convey or imply the views of ICC) According to one anonymous reader, as Indo Americans assimilate in American culture, it is only natural that one loses interest in national events such as India’s Republic Day or Independence Day. What inspires one to attend these events is usually very personal and related to nostalgic childhood memories which may be passed down to the next generation and generate some interest in them. Another anonymous responder said that we are losing pride in our Motherland. The current po-
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COMMUNITY
February 01, 2013
Consular Reception for the Republic Hits High Notes for Culture
Photo : Jawahar Malhotra
Photo : Bijay Dixit
Photo : Krishna Giri
Photo : Bijay Dixit
Photo : Jawahar Malhotra
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: As in the past four years, this year’s Indian Republic Day reception was held once again by the Indian Consulate at the Hilton Hotel on Post Oak on Sunday, January 27 evening, but the contrast to the austere and dreary event of the previous years could not have been starker. And it reflected the personal interest of the Consul General Paroathaneni Harish and his wife Nandita as they reached out to many of the Bayou City’s artists and performers whom they have befriended in the short six months they have been here. While the rigidity characteristic of the Foreign Service was still evident as key staffers registered and met the invited guests, there was a warmth and eagerness to
greet that permeated from Harish down and less hesitation to engage freely in conversation. One guest was surprised but appreciative that there was background music playing throughout the evening to add ambiance. Another murmured gratefully that the CGs speech was short, knowing how his predecessor, Sanjeev Arora had a penchant for long, drawn out acknowledgements focusing on the notable guests in the audience. Harish kept his remarks crisp and short, and reflected on the agenda that he hopes to pursue in the three years he will be in the US. After acknowledging the slate of politicians who were invited, Harish paid homage to Swami Vivekananda whose 150th Birth Anniversary was celebrated two weeks ago. He lauded the American Universities
and their focus on individual development. He heralded the contribution of the Indo-American communities in the 11 states that his office serves and thanked the elected officials for making that role easier. He felicitated the Indian performing arts that has grown in the Metroplex and concluded that “the future looks bright for the Indo-American community.” Harish turned the stage over to the area’s politicians – Congress members Sheila Jackson Lee, Al Green and Pete Olson (who serves all of Ft. Bend County); Harris County Judge Ed Emmett; Harris County Sherriff Adrian Garcia; Houston City Councilman Mike Laster whose district includes Little India and India House; Jay Guerrero of Sen. John Cronyn’s office and others. Given the prox-
imity to Dr. Martin Luther King’s Anniversary and the recent Presidential inauguration, the common refrain was the legacy of both King and Mahatma Gandhi. Lee called out to the mother of Mini Timmaraju, who has taken a new role as Chief of Staff to the new Indo-American Congressman Dr. Ami Bera from California. The evening was ably emceed by Rinku Mehta, a welcome addition to the CGI’s staff, who oversees the marketing efforts that Harish has encourages in order to spread the office’s messages effectively. As in the last three events, Dr. Sunil Gadgil played the national anthems on the saxophone. The program ended with performances by local artistes and their students: Divyaa Unni of Sreepadam School of Arts; Rathna Kumar of Anjali
Center for Performing Arts; Shiva Mathur of Shivangini School of Dance; Anisha Rajesh of Upasana Kalakendra and a stirring vocal recitation by the very talented Pt. Suman Ghosh. Snacks and a buffet dinner were served by Uddipi Café. Earlier in the weekend, on Saturday morning, the Consul General, his wife and the CGI staff hosted about 200 people at their residence for a flag hoisting ceremony and a reading of the address to the nation by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, followed by lunch. Many people then rushed to the Republic Day celebrations organized by the India Culture Center (see story on page 3).
Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $40 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036, tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-7896399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Indo American News,7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036 INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
February 01, 2013
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COMMUNITY
February 01, 2013
The Mahatma’s Death Anniversary Stirs Hearts and Minds
BY DR. MANISH K WANI Mahatma Gandhi Library organized the 5th annual Shraddhanjali to Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at India House to commemorate Martyr’s Day, January 30th, the day Gandhiji was assasinated. Mr. Jayesh Shah was the coordinator for the auspicious program which was beautifully emceed by Mrs. Alpa Shah. The program started with an enlightening invocation by Arya Samaj Acharyaji Surya Narayan Nanda ji and garlanding of Gandhiji’s photo by MGL board members, Dr. Manish Wani and Shefali Jhaveri. This was followed by lamplighting ceremony by Dr. Sulekh Jain, Mr. Rajiv Bhavsar, and Sanjay Jain. The program started with a beautiful rendition of Gandhiji’s favorite bhajans including Vaisnav Vajanato and Dedi Humein Azaadi delightfully sung by the talented Dr. Rucha Sheth. Tony Jha, 2nd place winner of 2012 Mahatma Gandhi week speech contest, dazzled the crowd with his speech about how he learned not to retaliate with violence but rather find peace within himself. Peri, P.K. McCary, co-founder of Think Peace International, gave an inspirational talk on “be the change you wish to see.” She appropriately noted, where we differ, we should celebrate. Where we agree, we should help
solve the world’s problems. Shri Manglesh “Mangal” Mujmer, visiting Hindi poet scholar from Bhopal, recited a self-composed poem, Rashtra-Pita (Father of nation). The English translation of his powerful poem was projected on a screen for all to follow along. Jami Arnst of Unity Houston and teacher of 33 years promoted the upcoming Wisdom of Gandhi classes. Dr. Sitaben Kapadia and her beloved husband Narenbhai Kapadia are a few alive who have actually seen Mahatma Gandhi in real life. Together, they came to the podium and gave a moving tribute to Gandhiji and encouraged the audience that upholding his values is a challenge but attainable by each and every one of us. The audience was then treated to the stunning voice of Vinita Arora, singing Hein Mere Watan ke logo, Minu Garg and Rajni Agrawal. The evening was concluded by Vote of Thanks by Mr. Jayesh Shah. The audience then gathered outside of the hall to enjoy light snacks and experience the beautiful display of the Gandhi Darshan Exhibit and the Mahatma Gandhi Library booth put together by board member Namita Sutaria and Mahesh Gandhi and numerous volunteers. It was indeed a wonderful evening paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi, apostle of peace, truth and non-violence. The Mahatma Gandhi library is thankful to all the volunteers and collaborating organizations for helping bring the Shraddhanjali program to fruition.
Photos : Jawahar Malhotra
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February 01, 2013
IMMIGRATION Plan Ahead for H-1B Filings
LAW OFFICES OF ZAINAB K. RIZVI DEDICATED DEPENDABLE & PERSONAL ATTENTION IMMIGRATION LAW Non Immigration and Immigrant Visa, Family & Employment Immigration. Citizenship/Naturalization, Asylum,VAWA
BY AMY DONNELLY ASHBY We take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy New Year. In addition, we also take this opportunity to remind employers to evaluate their needs for H-1B specialty occupation workers for the government’s 2014 fiscal year. The government’s H-1B fiscal year will begin on the 1st of October 2013 and end on the 30th of September 2014. We note that the regulations permit filing an H-1B petition up to six months before the start of the government’s fiscal year (April 1st). As in the past, Congress continues to limit the number of available H-1B visas to 85,000 per fiscal year. And, with improved economic growth, the demand for H-1B visas will exceed the supply. Current financial indicators lead economists to believe that the economy will continue to accelerate. Historically, an economic improvement of this nature has increased the demand for H-1B visas. For example, during the 2011 fiscal year, the supply of H-1B visas was not exhausted until the 26th of January 2011. However, as the economy improved, the supply of H-1B visas for the 2012 fiscal year was exhausted on the 22nd of November 2011 and the supply of H-1B visas for the 2013 fiscal year was exhausted on the 22nd of June 2012. This data indicates that it is very likely that H-1B visas for the 2014 fiscal year will be exhausted possibly on or shortly after the filing date of the 1st of April 2013. Thus, we recommend that Companies plan early and submit their H-1B petitions on or im-
mediately after the 1st of April 2013. Employers should pay particular attention to F-1 students currently employed under Optional Practical Training (OPT) who have a limited duration on their work authorization. It is important to assess and review the possibility of filing an H-1B petition for these F-1 OPT students because H-1B visas may not be available at the time the foreign national’s OPT work authorization ceases. Therefore, we recommend that employers begin the H-1B petitions for these workers in anticipation of an April 1st filing date. Employers unable to utilize the H-1B category may have other immigration remedies available under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The criteria and processes for each of the other immigration remedies are distinct from the H-1B category; we would be happy to discuss these options and the procedures involved. We caution that the foregoing discussion is a very broad explanation of complex laws and processes. Visa availability for any given situation depends on a wide range of individual circumstances and this information should not be construed as legal advice for any one immigration case. Instead, we recommend contacting competent legal counsel to discuss subjective case details. The author, Amy Donnelly Ashby, is an immigration attorney with the law firm of Donnelly-Ashby & Nguyen, PLLC. For more information, email adashby@danpllc. com or anguyen@danpllc.com. Or call 281-888-9730
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COMMUNITY
February 01, 2013
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How Should We Remember Republic Day?
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litical and social scenario doesn’t help matters and until India does something to make us feel good about it, is responsive to its citizens and respects their rights, the significance of such days will continue to abate. According to Karun Sreerama, a consulting engineer, the lack of interest is a natural progression and not isolated to India and Indians. A young nation remembers the struggle for independence and celebrates its importance and significance with fervor but this decreases as generations go by and is often times taken for granted. Teaching our youngsters about India’s freedom struggle is important and the lesson can be reinforced by showing them those nations that lack independence! Sonam Nayyar feels that we must make the effort to keep Indian languages and traditions alive by practicing them and organize fun filled events on days like Independence Day, only then will the relevance of the day be remembered
Col. Raj Bhalla
Sonam Nayyar
by us as well our children. There should be a formal flag hoisting, interesting activities for children and their parents and traditional cuisines from different states of India to help draw crowds. Rachna Jagota from Dallas says that with time, most immigrants become a part of the great melting pot that is America and lose affinity to our childhood national holidays. The Indian community is no exception. The
generation that fought for Indian independence is almost gone. The youth cannot connect with their struggle nor feel any pride at their achievements. The current political and social scenario does not inspire any pride or desire to connect with the Indian identity either. It is a sad truth of our times that our movies and songs form a stronger bond of our National identity as Indians than our National holidays.
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COMMUNITY
Youthful Minds, Dedicated Hearts Guide Vedanta’s Future BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: At lunch served at the table in the lobby of the Vedanta Society of Greater Houston Joseph Emmett didn’t hesitate to start eating with his fingers, taking a piece of roti to scoop up a some sabzi. After over 16 years of exposure to Vedanta, India, its customs and philosophy had become second nature to him and even given a slight affectation to his American English. After all, Emmett had made a choice to go to India in 1996 when he was 19 years old and was drawn to the Vedanta Academy nestled by the Indrayani River in the picturesque hills of Malavali in Lonavala, Maharashtra, between Pune and Mumbai, 108 miles away. He had studied there under Swami Parthasarathy (who founded the Academy in 1988) and graduated in 2001. Since then. he has become an ardent follower of Vedanta and divides his time between the Los Angeles Ashram and the Academy in India. But Houston is also home for Emmett, where his parents Gwen and Ed, who is Judge of the Harris County Commissioners Court, live. And he happened to be in town as the VSGH celebrated Swami Vevakananda’s 150th Birthday on Saturday, January 12. He arrived in a white khadi kurta and lungi, with a mala and quietly sat in the back row as the morning speakers gave their presentations (see IAN, January 18, 2013). It wasn’t till later that afternoon that he would help conduct the Youth Session, but for now, he had a few minutes to exchange ideas with Pravrajika Sitaprana, clad in saffron robes, who would cohost the session and had emceed the morning panelists session. A young woman who was born to
Joseph Emmett and Pravrajika Sitaprana at the Vedanta Society celebrations two weeks ago.
Anglo family and raised in the Northeast, she was in Houston for the celebrations but is based out of the Vedanta Temple in Santa Barbara, California. She and Emmett both attributed their decision to join Vedanta as karma. With his thick head of red hair and relaxed look, Emmett could easily pass for another young professional. And in fact, he was to do a round table discussion later in the week with the Houston Strategy Forum, an organization founded in March 2011 by Ravi Kathuria, president of Cohegic Corp., a management consulting firm. Corporate civic responsibility is a central tenet of what Swami Parthasarathy extols at the Academy which annually hosts many corporate retreats, including the Young Presidents Organization, a group founded by Ray Hickok in 1950 to foster networking among those who headed up businesses large and small. Its global conference in 2012 in T:6” Singapore was attended by 2,500 people, but every
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year a small contingent of 50 or 60 come to Lonavala for a management retreat, practicing pujas, eating vegetarian food and hearing discourses from Swamiji. For Swami Parthasarathy, 86, is not only a philosopher and spiritual guide to thousands, he is a great proponent of integrating social responsibility into management styles. He comes from a well-off family and has multiple degrees in literature, science and law and completed a post graduation in international law from London University. He renounced a lucrative corporate career early in life to dedicate himself to the study and teaching of Vedanta. And so, when Joseph’s father, Ed led a trade delegation to India some years ago, he started off with a retreat at the Academy in Lonavala. “Dad insisted that this was the best way to get acquainted with doing business with India,” smiled Joseph.
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February 01, 2013 13 COMMUNITY IMAGH Launches New Club for Senior Citizens BY IRFANA HUSSAIN HOUSTON: On an unusually warm January afternoon the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH) hosted a Family Day at Chateau Crystal, attended by old and young alike, and to launch their new program, Club 65. The fun day started with an ice breaker in which attendees played games to get to know each other. The emcee and organizers of the fun games were Nazia Hussain and Anam Khan, both young ladies who led the attendees in playing ice breaker games and a fun game especially for couples. Ten couples battled it in a game of how well they know their spouse, as Ms. Khan asked increasingly harder questions designed to trump and at times embarrass wife and husband. The first place winners were Drs. Syed Azhar and Rakshanda, who have been married for 32 years! Of course the fun day could not have been complete without some singing and dance. Uma Mantravadi led the musical entertainment by delighting all with her singing. Others participated in the karaoke and a hearty impromptu dance number by young children. Amidst the fun games, the main purpose of the gathering was to launch Club 65, a group dedicated to senior citizens in the South Asian community who are over 65 years. This initiative is spearheaded by Fakhruddin Sabir, who gave an informative presentation of the vision and goals of the new program. Club 65’s vision is “to engage, energize, and activate the golden years of our respected elders.� This club came out of a direct need to help create a community and connection for South Asian seniors who are often isolated and alone in
Col. Raj Bhalla who has been a founding member of Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston gave warm regards for the launch of the new club. Abeezar Tyebji, Chairman of the Board of Advisors, left President Obama’s inauguration ceremony early to be on hand for the launch of Club 65. The current seniors and youth of the organization are very excited for this group and have been planning the launch since last October. They hope to organize many activities in the months to come. The first function of Club 65 is slated for late March, 2013. IMAGH is an organization dedicated to “Fostering Amity Across Cultures, Communities, and Religions.� IMAGH hosts the annual Eid Milan and participates in cultural programs in Houston.
From left: Latafath Hussain, Nazia Hussain, Anam Khan, Col.Raj Bhalla, Abeezar Tyebji, Fateh Ali Photos: Irfana Hussain
their old age. Club 65 hopes to address that need by connecting seniors with one another through planned activities such as picnics, exercise classes, movies, and fun game days. Sabir also includes youth involvement and to engage the youth with seniors of the community through mentorships in which both can learn new hobbies and skills. The President of the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston, Latafath Hussain stressed the importance of this new initiative and wishes it to be a dynamic group that brings new vigor for seniors and youth alike. IMAGH’s dedication to involve old
and young alike was reflected in this day, as the organizers included many youths as well as senior citizens, providing a great combination of enthusiasm and wisdom. Other key members of Club 65 include Fateh Ali, Dr. Syed Azhar & Mrs.Azhar, Rosemin Premji, Dr. Khalid Razvi, Asif Ali, Farida Jinnah , and Afroz and Sayeda Parveen. Young Members of IMAGH, Anam Khan, Nazia Hussain, Zain and Zaid Hussain, Nisha Azhar, and Irfana Hussain have expressed their commitment to help grow Club 65!
From Left: RaďŹ Ansar welcoming Ammar Abuwala
For more information about IMAGH visit www.imagh.org. Those that want to join Club 65 can contact Latafath Hussain at 713-269-6171 or at Latafath47@gmail. com.
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// (55,215 (9&(36 )24 $17$4: 8(1,1* 5(55,21 7*$4 $1' 21)(4(1&( (16(4 (55 ,46/( /8' 7*$4 $1' !# $674'$: $17$4: 8(1,1* (55,21 !+( "22'/$1'5 20071,6: (16(4 $.( 2%%,15 4 !+( "22'/$1'5 !#
164: 4(( // 2112,55(745 75,& 28(45 16+75,$565 $4( &24',$//: ,18,6(' 62 $66(1' $1' (1-2: 6+(5( 21&(465 216$&6 075,& &,&0+ 24* INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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16 February 01, 2013
COMMUNITY
Magh Utsav Celebrations at the Dey Sarkars
BY SANCHALI BASU HOUSTON: Magh Utsav marks the anniversary of the founding of the Brahmo Samaj. The Brahmo Samaj literally denotes communities of men who worship Brahman. Brahmos celebrate MAGHOTSAB every year on 11th Magh (25th January), that is the day Keshab Chandra Sen started Upasana in “Sadharan Brahmo Samaj� following the same rituals Maharshi Debendranath Thakur established for the fellow Brahmo disciples of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. In practice, a Brahmo Samaj is an assembly of all sorts and descriptions of people without distinction, meeting publicly for the sober, orderly, religious and devout adoration of “the (nameless) unsearchable Eternal, Immutable Being who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe.� To name some of the noteworthy members of the Brahmo Samaj, one must mention Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Jagadish Chandra Bose and Meghnad Saha. In marking the celebration of this occasion, some members of the Brahmo Samaj congregated at the residence of Asoke and Ruma Dey Sarkar, on Friday, January 25. The evening consisted of chanting a few Sanskrit Mantras with their English translations in the Upasana method and some Brahma Sangeet. Smt Ruma Dey Sarkar stated
the proceedings with the invocation prayer and then the service prayer and all the mantras from thereon were very ably chanted by Sri Partha Chatterjee. The melodious rendition of the Rabindrasangeet “Shara jeebon dilo aalo� by Smt. Mahua Dasgupta had a very calming influence on everyone. Members in the congregation who knew the song sang along. This was followed by the salutation service and Tagore’s prayer song “Tumi Nirmala Karo� by Amit De. This song was so soulfully sung that everyone was transported by the lyrics of the song into a world where all sorrow and evils are washed away by the pure rays of the Lord. The communion and meditation services ensued with another Tagore prayer song by Amit De where the devotee requests that may all his/her love be directed to the Lord. A two minute silence period was observed and a few more mantras (meditation and service) were chanted. The evening concluded with Two Brahma sangeets composed by Tagore and were sung by all “Antara mamo bikashita koro� (enlighten my soul) and “Padaprante rakho sebake� (keep me at your feet O Lord and shower me with knowledge, love and affection and may all be filled with pure joy and happiness). Ruma Dey Sarkar chanted the final Brahmo Dharma Pratipadak Vachan.
From left: Ruma Dey Sarkar, Mahua Dasgupta, Partha Chatterjee, Amit De and Biplab Samaddar.
In keeping with the traditional style of Magh Utsav, as celebrated in Shantiniketan in Bolpur, West Bengal, the meal at the end of the festivities consisted of Khichuri, Begun bhaja, labda, chutney and the Bengal delicacy Joynagarer Moa. One and all enjoyed the kind hospitality of the Dey Sarkars and thanked them for arranging the Magh Utsav celebration so meticulously.
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February 01, 2013
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Councilman Harish Jajoo Announces Bid for Re-election SUGAR LAND: Sugar Land District 4 Councilman, Harish Jajoo has launched his campaign for re-election. In an email to supporters, Jajoo asked for their support in seeking another term to represent District 4 in Sugar Land. Jajoo was first elected to the Sugar Land City Council in 2011, vowing to use his experience in infrastructure and city government to modernize Sugar Land into an economic powerhouse. On the council, Jajoo championed measures to attract Fortune 500 employers to Sugar Land. In addition, the councilman has focused on increased public safety, fiscal responsibility and robust infrastructure as priorities for city government. In his email to supporters Jajoo was looking forward to “an even brighter future for Sugar Land.”
Jajoo will officially launch his re-election campaign at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce building on Wednesday, February 6, at 5:30 pm. The event is open to the public.
Councilman Harish Jajoo has announced his re-election bid in upcoming May 11, 2013 election. He was elected in 2011 in a three-way race. A registered professional engineer, Councilman Jajoo brings wealth of experience on infrastructure and mobility to the Council.
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About Harish Jajoo Jajoo, an experienced registered professional engineer and urban infrastructure professional, is the current councilman from Sugar Land district 4. He serves on InterGovernmental Committee, Sugar Land Development Corporation (SLDC), Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) No. 4 and served on Economic Development Committee last year. In addition he represents City of Sugar Land on Transportation Policy Council (TPC) of Houston Galveston Area Council. He was elected in 2011 in a three-way race. Before his term as councilman, Jajoo served on Planning and Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustments for City of Sugar Land. A graduate of Fort Bend Leadership, he served as chair of Infrastructure Planning Division of Fort Bend Chamber for four (4) years. An active member of Exchange Club of Sugar Land, he has served as a board member and secretary and has CoChaired the Spaghetti Cook Off fundraiser in 2010 and 2011 benefitting Child Abuse Prevention. Jajoo and his wife, Shashi, have two grown children, both graduates of Clements High School.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
EDITORIAL
Future of Us
President Pranab Mukherjee’s address on Republic Day eve was devoted, in very large part, to the question in the spotlight — women’s freedoms. It is a sign of how loudly this question now resounds in India, in the weeks since the Delhi gangrape. Tens of thousands of young people massed in the streets, in Delhi and elsewhere, to express their revulsion at sexual violence, at the systematic denial of women’s agency and autonomy. The barricades were rattled; activists, citizens and politicians across parties spoke up; the Justice Verma commission prepared a comprehensive analysis of the injustice, and of how to combat it. The Congress party’s Jaipur resolution acknowledged the gravity of the matter, including it in one of the five points of the declaration. And now, the president of India, the occupant of Raisina Hill, where the protests first gathered, has spoken of women’s rights as a civilisational principle. The president also spoke with equal emphasis about a younger, more hopeful India, one that struggles with great anxieties about merit, success and circumstance, one that wonders about political morality and the best way to create change. He reminded political parties that they had to tap into this restlessness and idealism. The establishment speaks of a “demographic dividend”, but it must know that this could explode in its face if aspirations are not squarely addressed — education, employability and jobs are desperately needed. The young woman whose rape and brutalisation brought on this soul-searching was a “symbol of all that new India strives to be”, said President Mukherjee. Young women like her, who aim for a life different and better from the one they are pitched in, who study and work, and brave a hostile public culture to live a fuller life, are the inheritors of the future. Politics will have to shape itself to them, and indeed, the nation will have to “reset its moral compass” — a fact that political leaders, preoccupied with rote electoral calculations, have not fully grasped yet. The pace of this change, as the president pointed out, is unprecedented. Living standards have risen, if patchily, cities have grown, the media has speeded up, citizens chafe at things once taken for granted. This new, demanding demographic needs schools, jobs, services, material progress, and it needs to feel politically addressed. It is no longer possible to look away from this restlessness and buoyancy, the president underlined. The president is not a policymaker, but he can be a tone-setter. His well-chosen words must spur the political leadership to their duties, and drive home the need to respond with greater alacrity to India’s real dissatisfactions. Indians across the world soaked in the spirit of patriotism as they celebrated the Republic Day with fervour today to mark 64 years since the establishment of the Indian constitution. In Houston, CG P. Harish led the celebrations in Houston with a flag hoisting at his residence and a reception at the Hilton Post Oak. Organizations such as India House and India Culture Center also joined in the celebrations. Indian Express
February 01, 2013
19
The Dearth of Leaders In a sudden and dramatic lastminute twist, Nitin Gadkari, facing allegations of dubious funding of his company, was tonight forced out of the race for BJP President’s post and Rajnath Singh appeared to have emerged the consensus candidate. The move by Sinha, who had earlier demanded Gadkari’s resignation in the wake of allegations of impropriety by his firm Purti Group, forced top BJP leaders including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu and RSS representative Ram Lal into a huddle to deliberate on the evolving situation. 62-year-old Rajnath, who had served as BJP president till 2009 before Gadkari, is also considered close to RSS and that appeared to have tilted the balance in his favour. BY TAVLEEN SINGH It could be because I had just heard David Cameron make a brilliant speech. Or because every time I come to Davos I am reminded of how few of our own political leaders measure up to real leadership standards but, the news that Rajnath Singh had become president of the BJP yet again depressed me. Undoubtedly, those of you who accuse me routinely of being a ‘Congi chamchi’ will leap into action to charge me with not being sufficiently depressed by Rahul Gandhi being elevated in our oldest and most successful political party and you would be wrong. It is true that I thought Rahul’s reaction to the ‘poison’ that his Mummy told him power was turned my stomach because it suggested that sense of entitlement I so despise. But, since Rahul takes charge of a family firm that everyone knows was his inheritance, his promotion came as no surprise. He has been the second most powerful leader in the party ever since he entered politics so nothing new happened at the ‘chintan shivir’ except a bit of melodrama on the part of weeping Congress leaders. There were so many tears that I started to ask myself whether they really were tears of joy but let’s talk this week about the BJP and its new old president. There are those of my political pundit fraternity who have analysed the nuances of how the RSS has actually
“Every time I come to Davos I am reminded of how few of our own political leaders measure up to real leadership standards but, the news that Rajnath Singh had become president of the BJP yet again depressed me.” been defeated this time but this is of no interest to me. In the long years that I have been a political columnist I cannot remember a single moment when the RSS was not in complete control of the BJP and it is my humble view that it is because of this that the BJP has not grown into a real political party. It never will as long as its leaders think of the RSS in much the same way as the Congress Party thinks of the Gandhi family: as the fount of authority and guidance and thereby the ‘high command’. The BJP has some intelligent, modern politicians among its ranks but they remain ever subservient to the likes of Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari because the RSS is incapable of dealing with new leaders or new ideas. If truth be told it has not had a single new idea since its birth and because young Indians are really not interested in old fashioned Hindutva, the RSS and its khaki knickers lost their appeal long ago. Had the BJP been able to rid itself of RSS controls in the ten years it has sat on the op-
position benches in Lok Sabha it would probably today have been in a position to challenge the What are its views on urbanisation? What are its views on the massive anti-poverty programmes that Congress has wasted taxpayers money on? What are its views on malnutrition that afflicts nearly half of India’s children? What are its views on the abysmal state of public healthcare and government schools? What are its views on economic reform? What are its views on the shameful state of the criminal justice system? And, this is without even beginning to talk about foreign policy. Had the BJP been functioning as a real opposition party should in a democratic country it would by now have real answers to those questions. Instead all it does is whip up a hysterical response every time someone in the Congress Party says or does something stupid. So almost the first thing that the new old president has announced is that the Lok Sabha will not be allowed to function because of the Home Minister’s exceedingly irresponsible remarks about Hindu terrorist camps run by the RSS. This is very much a piece with senior Congress leaders suggesting that 26/11 was an RSS plot and the correct response would be to allow a discussion in the Lok Sabha instead of preventing it. The BJP does not see this so time after time in the past few years we have seen the Lok Sabha grind to a halt over some new reason for hysteria. This has happened so often that it is beginning to seem increasingly as if the BJP does not want debates on important issues because it has no considered opinions to offer. So what we have is a situation in which our main opposition party seems not just bereft of ideas but of leaders as well. There can be no other reason why a man who alienated the party’s own chief ministers when he last had the job is now back in the hot seat mere months before campaigning begins for the next general election. If the BJP loses the next general election yet again it will have only itself to blame. IE Follow Tavleen Singh on Twitter @ tavleen_sing
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RECIPES/PUZZLES
February 01, 2013
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes Khatta Mittha Achaar (SWEET & SOUR PICKLES) Achaars (pickles) of all types are popular all over the world but the ones made in India and neighboring countries are different because they are oil-based. And thought the spices and ingredients may change from region to region, the same achaars can be found all over India, like amb da achaar (mango pickle) or punchranga achaar (five item pickle). But, as far as I can tell, khatta mittha achaar is unique to the Punjab, and has been a staple in many villages, sometimes even taking the place of a dish to be eaten with roti. I can remember when my grandmother would make it in our ancestral home in Lyallpur (now called Faisalabad). It was usually made in the winter time because the gur (jaggery) gives added warmth and energy. The most authentic type is made with sarsoan ka tail (mustard seed oil) as it gives a heavy aroma. This achaar does not use any haldi (turmeric). This achaar can be stored for a long time without refrigeration, as long as the vegetables are dry before cooking. The longer the vegetables stay in the jar and soak in the spices, the tastier the achaar will become! Ingredients: • 1 medium sized phul gobi (cauliflower) • 1 kg gajjar (carrots) • 1 kg shalgum (turnips) • 1 large pyaaz (onion) • 100 gm adrak (fresh ginger root) • 50 gm lasan (fresh garlic cloves) • 150 gm gur (jaggery) • 1 cup safaid sirka (white vinegar) • 100 gm rai (rye) • 250 gm sarsoan ka tail (mustard seed oil) or any other you prefer • 2 tsp garam masala • 2 tsp lal mirch (red pep per) • Namak (salt) to taste
Directions: • Peel the cauliflower, carrots and turnips; cut them into medium pieces; wash them and set aside. Make sure that the vegetables are dry because any water left on them will shorten the achaar’s shelf life and cause it to spoil. • Peel the onions, garlic and ginger and mince them into a paste. • Heat the oil well and put the onion, garlic and ginger in it, stirring till it is brown. Take it off the fire; let it cool down and them add the red pepper and garam masala. If you add degi mirch (a type of red pepper powder), it will add color to the achaar. • Now place the cut vegetables in this mixture and stir, adding the salt. Break the jaggery into small pieces and add into the mixture, along with the vinegar. Crush the rye and add two tablespoons. • When the entire mixture is cool, place in a glass jar and close the lid tightly. Leave alone for a week, shaking occasionally and then the achaar is ready for eating.
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Quick Tip: If you want to make the achaar faster, then place the vegetables in boiling water for five minutes. Take out of the water and place the vegetables on a cloth in the air and dry the water off. Now place them in the mixture (step 3) and continue. The achaar will be ready to eat in much less time.
Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her mid-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share some of her delectable recipes.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
INDIA
February 01, 2013
BJP Faces Internal Turmoil as Gadkari Abdicates & Rajnath Singh Crowned
IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT BY RAJ KANWAR SOME unexpected and some expected developments over the last few days have left the BJP, India’s main opposition party, red faced. The reelection of Nitin Gadkari as its president for a second term tragically ended in miscarriage. No one, barring the father-son duo of Ram and Mahesh Jethmalani, had questioned, at least openly, Gadkari’s reelection. It was thus naturally assumed that reelection of Gadkari would be a smooth affair. A few months before, BJP at its national session in Mumbai had amended its constitution permitting a second term to its president. That implied that Gadkari were to be reelected. However, the Maharashtra’s Income Tax department played spoilsport by conducting surveys at Gadkari’s Purti Group companies on the day when he was to file his nomination. Prima facie, the income tax department found that most of the companies involved were bogus with fake addresses. The news of the raids at Gadkari’s companies was like setting the cat among the pigeons. There was much hue and cry. In his trademark sulking mood, the party stalwart Lal Krishan Advani suggested Sushma Swaraj’s name for the post of party president. He felt that Gadkari with a tarnished image would be a bad choice as the party president particularly with the elections looming large. Yashwant Sinha too appeared to be a contender. Mahesh Jethmalani whined that he was denied the nomination papers. Gadkari accused the Congress party for using CBI simply to thwart his election for political reasons. There were tremors in the RSS hierarchy, in Nagpur and elsewhere. RSS Supremo Mohan Bhagwat was all out for his protégé Gadkari but found the going tough in the face of some opposition even from within the RSS ranks. Thakur from UP emerges as the dark horse In the last minute hurly-burly, the Thakur from UP Rajnath Singh emerged as the dark horse and was anointed BJP’s president for the second time in his political career. RSS too acquiesced in his choice as a lesser evil than any other BJP leader with non-RSS background. Top party leaders such like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj too had no option but to accept Singh’s choice. All in all, the issue of the party president was somehow resolved without much public bickering. Seeing the winds blowing against him, Gadkari resigned making a virtue of necessity. Nevertheless, he remained in a petulant mood and flew back home to Nagpur; he was given a boisterous reception, planned or spontaneous, by his supporters.
21
Nitin Gadkari
But this even did not heal his hurt pride and he lashed out at the income tax officers for raiding his companies. Saying that he is now a ‘free man’ and was not bound any longer by the dignity of an office (such as BJP’s president ship) and promised that nobody would be able to save them when his party came to power at the Centre. In the irritable temper that Gadkari was in, he also accused the UPA government of ‘using the IT department as a political tool against him.’ First it was the CBI and now it is the income tax department. But threatening the income tax officials of dire consequences when his party would come to power backfired. Gadkari further warned the income tax officials that the Congress government was like a sinking boat. “When it goes and our government comes (to power), there will be no Chidambaram or Sonia Gandhi to save them.” The fight in the states Is Gadkari’s prognostication based on ground reality or is it merely a pipe dream? Before the scheduled general elections in 2014, there will be elections in 10 states this year. The first to go the polls is Tripura where the elections are being conducted on 14 February. This will be followed by elections in Meghalaya and Nagaland. The BJP does not have any stake in these smaller northeastern states. In Tripura, Mamata’s Trinamool Congress has given a tactical walk over, thereby leaving the field to the Congress and the CPI (M) to fight for the spoils. Both in Meghalaya and Nagaland, the fight will essentially be between the
Rajnath Singh
Congress and the regional outfits. BJP will be nowhere in the picture in Nagaland and Mizoram. However, the big test for the BJP will be in the larger states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Rajasthan. It currently is the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. The party looks to be in the driver’s seat in the first two states where its governments seem to enjoy a good credibility. However, Karnataka could prove a tricky proposition for the party where it is split down the middle with its erstwhile rebel chief minister BS Yeddyurappa vowing to spoil the BJP’s party. Thus, Karnataka will be a major testing ground both for the BJP and the Congress and indications are that the BJP could probably lose its hold over the only southern state in the country, with the Congress emerging as a beneficiary. However, it is the Congress that is the ruling party in Rajasthan and it will be a big achievement for the BJP if it could dethrone the incumbent. However, it will be not so easy since the Congress seems to have an edge on present reckoning. Returning to Gadkari’s threats to the income tax officials However, taking umbrage to Gadkari’s threats, the income tax officials in Maharashtra have sought an unconditional apology from him. Their Association has condemned the use of “such intemperate language by a politician of national stature with the intention to thwart the rule of law” and thereby preventing them from discharging their duties. Almost all the mainstream dailies have also criticized Gadkari for his threats to the income tax department officials and said that such threats were absolutely unbecoming of a leader of his stature. Meanwhile, a statement by India’s Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde that claimed that Hindutva elements too were involved in acts of terrorism stirred many a hornet’s nest. There were vociferous and stringent protests from all and sundry belonging to BJP and RSS outfits. The newly installed presi-
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dent Rajnath Singh has demanded that the Prime Minister dismissed Shinde. Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley too urged the dismissal of the Home Minister and threatened that they would not allow the Parliament to function if Shinde were not dismissed. Sushma Swaraj, the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, went a step further demanding a apology from Sonia Gandhi for Shinde’s outburst. Most English newspapers have condemned both Jaitley and Sushma for their belligerent threats to stall the forthcoming session of
the Parliament. Chandigarh’s The Tribune said that the issue arising out of Shinde’s controversial statement should have ended once the Congress party as such had disowned his comments on Hindutva terrorism. In a leader on Monday, The Tribune said that if what Shinde said has hurt ‘national prestige’ – as Rajnath Singh put it – then the BJP’s plan to disrupt Parliament, once again, is also against national interest. One Ved Prakash Sharma has moved a Delhi court seeking directions to the police to register a case against Shinde over his “Hindu terror’ jibe.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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INDIA
February 01, 2013
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Air India Grounds Dreamliner Fleet Indefinitely after DGCA Order MUMBAI/DELHI (TOI): Air India has grounded its entire fleet of six Boeing 787 Dreamliners after the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) issued an order on Thursday morning. The DGCA issued the order after the US aviation regulatory authority, the Federal Aviation Administration, came up with a similar advisory. Aviation minister Ajit Singh said no one knows how long will it take to resolve the issue and Air India is entitled for compensation. “The directive came at 4.30am (India time). It is too early to even speculate how long this issue will take. So at the right time, if needed, AI will seek compensation from Boeing. For an airline, safety is top priority. The moment FAA advised grounding of the Dreamliner, the DGCA was asked to immediately issue orders accordingly here,” Singh said. He said the plane will be allowed to fly again only after a go-ahead from first the FAA and then DGCA. AI is hoping that the Dreamliners-on which its turnaround rests-start flying again. Because of the constant snags in this aircraft, AI had kept one of the six planes as standby. While two were deployed on Delhi-Paris and DelhiFrankfurt routes, three were being used for domestic routes. While this aircraft accounted for just 4 per cent of AI’s total capacity, the problem its absence is causing is huge. Air India spokesperson said these routes will be not be affected, as they will be operated by other aircraft like the Boeing 777, B747, A320 and A321. Currently, the entire global fleet of 50 Dreamliners has been temporarily grounded. No time-line has been given as to when these aircraft, the most technologically advanced crafts to come from the Boeing stable, will be deemed air-worthy. In India, the hugely-popular A320 aircraft had met a similar fate in the early nineties, after the erstwhile Indian Airlines grounded its entire fleet of 18 Airbus A-320s for about eight months, following several technical glitches and finally a fatal crash in Bangalore. The Dreamliner did its first commercial flight in October 2011 and of the 50 Boeing 787s delivered worldwide so far, about 50 per cent are with Japan’s All Nippon Airways
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dicated a battery error. Japan’s transport ministry said it considered the emergency landing a major incident that could have led to an accident. A similar incident occurred in Boston earlier. Boeing chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney in a statement issued on its website said: “We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity. We will be taking every necessary step in the coming days to assure our customers and the traveling public of the 787’s safety and to return the airplanes to service.”
Fiat Hopes to Tie up with Tatas for Vehicle Finance (The Hindu) The Fiat Group is looking at the possibility of partnering Tata Finance or Tata Capital for vehicle finance in India, even as the Italian car major seeks to aggressively double its market share and become “an important reality here in India”. The possible tie-up comes at a time, however, when the company is terminating most of the dealers under the Fiat-Tata joint venture, planning to wind almost all of them by March-end, and start the rollout of its own dealer network. “We will still be associated with the Tatas, and hope to have an arrangement with them in terms of vehicle finance by April. It will mainly be a reciprocal arrangement as Fiat Capital provides vehicle finance for Tata’s Jaguar and Rover in Europe. In India, it should be the reverse,” said Enrico Atanasio, Managing Director, Fiat India. He was addressing reporters at the inauguration of the company’s exclusive dealership here. “There are over 150 dealers in the Fiat-Tata joint venture which should be closed by March. While in some smaller cities and towns there will still be a few open to provide after-sales service, which the Tatas will continue to do for us. However, by the end of March we hope to have 65 of our own dealers open and 120 by the end of the year,” Mr. Atanasio added. The company also hopes to double its market share to 1 per cent — a commitment that is underscored by its decisions to have nine new products out in the next three years. “With our own dealers we will be able to remove one layer (the Tatas), by dealing directly with the consumer which should improve our support service,” he said.
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Click Once for Cappuccino BY SONAL NERUKAR NEW DELHI: Communications consultant Namrata Asthana had an idea brewing after her move to New Delhi two years ago. Amazed at how difficult it was to find good roasted coffee beans in India, the sixth-largest coffee producer in the world, she considered setting up her own service. Husband Matt Chitharanjan laughed at first but then considered the years he had spent roasting and grinding his own coffee back in the US. An economist, he didn’t stop to look at the numbers. “It was a project of necessity,” he says. The couple launched www.bluetokaicoffee.com , an online delivery service of roasted coffee, in January, following in the footsteps of two Mumbai-based entrepreneurs. Former adman and “brewing junkie” Kunal Ross of Theindianbean. com wanted to monetize his shared passions of farming and coffee and kicked off his website in October. After a short course at The Coffee Board of India, Sahil Jatana of www.thecoffeecoach.in conducted more than 50 coffee appreciation workshops and saw an opportunity. “I realized people wanted to brew their own coffee, but didn’t know how or where to buy the equipment,” he says. The Coffee Coach website, launched in November, offers customers both roasted coffee blends and brewing equipment, including imported French presses and Moka pots. The Indian Bean and Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters don’t sell brewing equipment and offer only singleestate coffees sourced from Arabica bean farms across Karnataka. Asthana and Chitharanjan roast and grind the coffee at home, while the others employ roasting units in Mysore. All three services offer whole beans and ground coffee, grind beans to specification and dispatch
Three new online ventures hope to cater to the growing love for coffee in India
Namrata Asthana and Matt Chitharanjan at the Edward’s Sandwich Bar, Deli and Artisanal Food Shop in New Delhi. Photo: Priyanka Parashar/Mint.
orders within 24 hours. Similar on pricing, Frowner’s (Rs.350 for 250g) from The Indian Bean is slightly more expensive than The Coffee Coach’s 100% Arabica (Rs.329 for 250g) and Blue Tokai’s Attikan Estate (Rs.270). A love of fresh coffee inspired these business ventures; now the entrepreneurs are hoping to target others like them. Their customers range from ages 26-50 and pursue a wide spectrum of professions, which is not surprising, says Sunalini Menon, CEO of Coffeelab Ltd, Bangalore. Menon has spent more than four decades in the industry, and believes that the roasted coffee market is no longer exclusive to the south Indian filter coffee drinker. The privatization of the coffee industry in 1995 and the subsequent launch of café chains have created an interest in the brewed beverage. Ross agrees: “If you enjoy cappuccinos in a coffee shop, you will want to make it at home.” Jatana says today’s well-travelled Indian, who
shops for Starbucks mugs abroad, has realized brewing isn’t rocket science. “He wants to invite others to sample his espresso pod machine.” Ross believes some even associate a snob value with roasted coffee. “These are food connoisseurs and particular about ingredients,” he says, likening them to single-malt drinkers. Blue Tokai assumed it would be catering to the non-resident Indian and expatriate market but was surprised by the response. “People from tier II cities like Bikaner, Palampur and Lucknow are writing in,” says Asthana. Most customers are brewers who have been unable to find roasted coffee that suits their palate in India. These clients recognize a medium roast over a dark, prefer buying whole beans and request a certified organic product, which currently only Blue Tokai offers. It’s not just small entrepreneurs who are tapping into this evolving market today. Vejay Anand, president, Café Coffee Day (CCD), says sales of CCD’s premium roasted
coffees (Dark Forest, Rs.150 and Mysore Royal, Rs.195 for 200g) and brewing equipment have been “galloping” over the last year and a half. “Tastes evolve, so there is gravitation towards finer coffees,” says Anand, adding that CoffeeDay Wakecup, a capsule espresso machine (from Rs.4,449) in the market for six months, has done well. Catering to the finest markets, Krittivas Dalmia launched Kaffa Cerrado, a range of international single-estate coffee beans, in January 2011. The Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, graduate felt imported Arabica beans, priced at Rs.1,400 for 250g, would differenti-
ate his brand. “We wanted a premium coffee since we’re targeting the high society,” says Dalmia who, in March 2011, introduced Swiss luxury brand Jura’s espresso machines, in the Rs.75,000 to Rs.6 lakh price range. While Dalmia fine-tunes his business plan, the others are more forthcoming with numbers. Blue Tokai aims to sell 1,000kg coffee in the first year, approximately 4,000 bags of 250g (they’ve had 60 orders so far). Ross, with 400 customers, aims to sell 600 bags a month. Jatana has 110 customers and he’s sold over 120kg of coffee, including 150 customized gift-hampers. All the entrepreneurs are giving themselves one-five years to break even, which Menon approves of. “Selling coffee online, though now in its nascent stage, could develop into a huge market. But those selling must believe that it will take off, if not today, tomorrow.”
Home-delivered: Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters sources its cofee from Karnataka.
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SPORTS
February 01, 2013
Bell Century Leads England to Consolation Win India Scrape to No. 1 Ranking in ODIs DHARAMSALA (ESPN Cricinfo): Ian Bell’s third one-day century guided England to a consolation victory in the fifth and final ODI against India to bookend an ultimately disappointing tour with a second success. Although the series was already lost, a 3-2 defeat represents a marked improvement on recent efforts in the country, but Alastair Cook’s chief regret will be that his side took so long to put in a second accomplished performance, after they had taken a 1-0 lead in Rajkot a little more than two weeks ago. The bowlers, lead by Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and James Tredwell, had made good use of Cook winning the toss to restrict India to 226, despite a fighting 83 from Suresh Raina, and England looked to have a modest hike ahead of them in order to secure only a third ODI win against India at home in 23 attempts. At times, the target seemed to loom higher than the Himalayas visible behind Dharamsala’s multicoloured pavilion but Bell is an experienced climber these days and Eoin Morgan brought along his spare oxygen canister to ease the ascent at the end. Like Raina, whose fourth halfcentury in as many innings helped drag India from a potentially disastrous 79 for 5 earlier in the day, Bell was not entirely secure at the crease, twice edging past his stumps early on and struggling to time the ball as the surface got slower. But he stuck around as England lost two wickets for 11 runs in 6.2 overs and after a diligent, restorative partnership with Joe Root, he began to look more imposing, stepping out of his crease to hit the disappointing R Ashwin for six and striking timely boundaries whenever the asking rate began to enquire a little more urgently. Although Root was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, slogging across the line in ungainly fashion after another level-headed knock, Morgan buckled down before adding a few flourishes of his own to ease England past their target with 16 balls to spare. At 1317 metres above sea level, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium is among the loftiest international grounds
Ian Bell scored his third ODI century as England ended the series as they began, with a victory
in the world and Morgan seemed keen to see just how far he could hit a six in the thin mountain air. Despite being described as a match of “no consequence” in some local papers, India chose not to experiment with their line-up, again leaving Cheteshwar Pujara on the bench. They could perhaps have done with his monkish selfdiscipline, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli departed to consecutive deliveries via loose drives outside off to trigger a top-order collapse. It was left to Raina, India’s leading run-scorer in the series, and Jadeja, who has also toyed regularly with England over the last month, to pull things together with a spiky, 78-run partnership, before some late hitting from the tail, combined with a rash of dropped catches, helped the score towards respectability. Before the match, Raina had expressed a desire to usurp one of his colleagues up the order and he made good use of a longer spell at the crease after coming in during the seventh over. A harsher judge, however, may conclude that he failed to construct the
truly big innings that the situation provided an opportunity for. England have been quiescent opponents in the past for Raina, who improved his average against them to 47.47 with his 11th fifty, but he was allowed let-offs on 5 and 61 before pulling idly to midwicket with a hundred in sight. The first was a difficult, diving chance that would have completed a hattrick of slip catches for Tredwell but the latter opportunity, grassed by Cook at backward square leg, was much more straightforward. Perhaps Raina was deserving of some benevolence after the fiery start England’s bowlers made in chilly, if bright, conditions. The Dalai Lama is based in exile at nearby McLeodganj but the early exchanges were far from peaceable on a hard, fast surface with enough juice in it to make a Tibetan monk sit up and blink. There was initial seam movement on offer for Finn but it was Bresnan who made the first incursion, removing ersatz opener Rohit. Having timed one exquisite square drive for four, Rohit attempted a reprise to a slightly
DHARAMSALA (ESPN Cricinfo): India have reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in one-day internationals for the first time in three years. by finishing 0.20 rating points ahead of England after their 3-2 victory in the ODI series. India had become the top ranked side after winning the third ODI on January 19 and held onto the spot, aided by South Africa’s loss in their home series against New Zealand. But they ended the series by being beaten, losing by seven wickets in Dharamsala, India’s highest international venue. MS Dhoni had lost the toss on a chilly morning and England’s fast bowlers struck three times in the first ten overs and reduced the hosts to 79 for 5 in the 22nd over. “It was a bad toss to lose. Initially, in places like Dharamsala or Guwahati, where you have an early start, the ball does a bit,” Dhoni said. “But this is good exposure for the younger batsman about how to play when the ball is seaming and swinging. The wicket eased out during the second half and it became easier for batting.” The fourth wicket of that top-order collapse was Gautham Gambhir, who cut James Tredwell to Ian Bell at point and was caught on 24. The dismissal continued a lean run for Gambhir, who had failed to pass 20 in the three ODIs
wider delivery that drifted further away from his crease-bound push, the ball slicing off the outside edge to the right of Tredwell at second slip, where he took a tumbling catch. The very next ball produced a facsimile swish from Kohli, though Tredwell went in for a bit of variety on this occasion, juggling the ball three times in front of the kneeling Cook before grasping it for good with a giddy grin. When Yuvraj got a thick edge to point trying to turn Finn through square leg, the match was beginning to resemble an early season encounter in England - at least in temperature and bowling conditions, if not the setting. It could have been even better for England had Raina’s edge off Chris Woakes - replacing Jade Dernbach - stuck but he battled pugnaciously after being hit on the shoul-
against Pakistan. He began this series with a half-century in Rajkot but made only 8, 33 and 10 in three matches before Dharamsala. “Yeah, he [Gambhir] has been going through a lean patch but he is an experienced player. I believe he has batted a bit better in the last few games,” Dhoni said. “Unlike some of the earlier matches, he didn’t look tentative and was a lot more decisive about stroke-making. “I believe he is improving and don’t forget he is an amazing player of spin bowling. Ideally, we want him to bat till the 35th-40th over.” Another concern for India is the form of offspinner R Ashwin, who took 0 for 50 in Dharamsala and finished the series with seven wickets at 35.71 apiece. He was outbowled by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and England offspinner Tredwell. “Maybe he was using variations a bit too much but he has now realised his mistake,” Dhoni said. “In the last couple of matches, he has been more consistent about length. He has not used too many variations and was trying to bowl to one line. The new ODI rules, with five fielders inside the circle, has also made it slightly difficult.” India don’t play one-day cricket for quite some time now, with Australia touring for four Tests in February and March. der by his first ball, from Finn. Tredwell has spent the one-day series doing a passable impression of Graeme Swann, particularly to left-handers, and he had Gautam Gambhir caught by the sprawling Bell at point. The wicket came from Tredwell’s second ball, an immediate, Swann-esque intervention, and England’s delight ratcheted up further when Finn won an lbw decision against MS Dhoni. Only during the spells of the part-time bowlers, Root and Samit Patel, did India’s batsmen display any sense of comfort. Their combined 11 overs cost 80 runs as Raina gave India one last spin of the prayer wheel in pursuit of 4-1 - but he could not turn a molehill into a mountain. Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
February 01, 2013
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For Rape Victims in India, Police are Often Part of the Problem
BY GARDINER HARRIS NEW DELHI (NYT): Not long after telling the police that she had been raped, a woman from South Delhi looked out her apartment window and saw the man who had attacked her laughing with an officer who had given him a ride back from the police station. “That officer then came over and asked me why I wanted to file a complaint,” the 30-year-old mother of two said in a recent interview. “He said I would be ridiculed unless I agreed to settle things without an investigation.” After months of intimidation from her rapist and indifference from the police, she got a politically powerful acquaintance to intervene, and her rapist was finally arrested. A court case is under way. A far more prominent case, the brutal gang rape on a bus in New Delhi last month, and the later death of the victim, has led to an anguished re-examination in India of many of the nation’s age-old attitudes toward violence against women. But even as India grapples with the polarizing issue, a powerful force stands in the way of any fundamental change: a police force that is corrupt, easily susceptible to political interference, heavily male and woefully understaffed. “If you’re a woman in distress, the last thing you want to do is go to the police,” said Vrinda Grover, a human rights lawyer based in New Delhi. In many rape cases, the police spend more time seeking reconciliation between the attacker and the victim than investigating the facts. Over all, experts say, the police are poorly organized to deal with serious crimes, particularly those against women. Pay is poor and opportunities for advancement are rare, leaving many police officers dependent on bribes to support their families. People without money or political connections are often ignored. In the latest official move to deter further such attacks, the Delhi police announced late last week that constables would be stationed nightly at 300 bus stops around the city. The problem with this plan is that many women say the presence of police officers makes them feel less safe,
A New Delhi bus stop. A gang rape on a bus that led to a woman’s death has stirred outrage.Photo: Mansi Thapliyal
not more. The treatment of women by the police is such a concern that laws now forbid officers to arrest or even bring women in for questioning during nighttime hours. In case after case, the police have used their powers to deliver abused women into the hands of their abusers. Police reforms have been proposed for decades, but few have been put in place, because many of them involve making officers less susceptible to political meddling — something politicians have little incentive to seek. Of all the problems affecting the police, many women’s advocates point to cultural tradition as the most intractable. Even as India has undergone an economic upheaval that has brought millions of women out of the home and into urban workplaces, a profound attachment to female sexual virtue remains deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. The foundational texts of Indian culture — the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, ancient Sanskrit epics — both revolve around the communal outrage that results from insults to a good woman’s modesty. “A woman’s body as the site of cultural purity is the predominant theme in the epics,” saidAshutosh Varshney, a professor of international studies at Brown University. “And dishonoring a woman is equal to dishonoring a family and even a culture.” As a result, the police and village elders often see their first duty after a rape as protecting a woman’s modesty and a family’s honor, instead of giving her justice.
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On Dec. 26, an 18-year-old Punjabi woman committed suicide after police officers refused for five weeks to arrest the men who were suspected of gang raping her and instead pressed her to marry one of the men. So many Indian women end up marrying their rapists that the police often squander the first hours and days after a woman reports a rape seeking just such a resolution, said Ravi Kant, president of Shakti Vahini, a nonprofit advocacy group. “That first crucial day is almost always lost,” he said. Delays are endemic and courts are backlogged. Of the more than 600 rapes reported in New Delhi last year — far below the actual number of such attacks, experts say — only one person has been convicted so far. In a vicious circle, police ineffectiveness leads many women to consent to marriage, but such marriages, sometimes reached after the police have gone to the effort to pursue a case, discourage adequate police investigations. Suman Nalwa, a deputy commissioner in Delhi’s police force, said that changing the mind-set of the constables, many of them from small villages outside of New Delhi, “is a tough process. You cannot do it at the snap of a finger.” At the same time, Indian police officers are few and poorly paid, and that makes them easily susceptible to corruption. India has just 1,585,117 officers to protect 1.2 billion people, or about 130 officers per 100,000 people, the second lowest among 50 countries ranked by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Only Uganda fared worse; many nations have more than twice India’s ratio of police officers to population. More than 80 percent of India’s police officers are constables who cannot investigate crimes or issue fines; most are assigned to paramilitary forces that do little traditional police work. Just 5 percent of police officers are women, though the government recently announced it would hire more female officers in Delhi. “That the Indian police are performing poorly is beyond doubt,” said Arvind Verma, a professor of criminal justice at Indiana University, an expert on the Indian police and a consultant to the government. “The common experience is that the personnel are rude, indifferent, abusive, threatening and extortionist.” An impermeable police hierarchy is another problem. Top leaders are taken from the Indian Police Service, an elite core of bureaucrats who never serve in front-line positions. It is all but impossible for a beat cop to rise to the top, making for a wide disconnect between police officers and their leaders. Salaries are abysmal, about $100 per month for constables. Police stations often lack toilets and heat. Many low-level officers pay recruitment bribes of a year’s salary to get their jobs, so demanding payments on everything from routine traffic violations to major crimes becomes a way of life. Such behavior saps public trust, worsening security. “It is an unfortunate reality that police are not trusted in this country,” said Nirmal K. Singh, a former joint director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Another important reason for that
lack of trust is frequent political interference. Officers have few civil service protections, and politicians can transfer or punish police leaders at will. Conspiracies between the police and politicians are common. Hundreds of people have been killed in police shootings with political overtones, and blatantly political arrests occur frequently. Two women living near Mumbai were arrested recently for a Facebook post that politely questioned the deference given a deceased political leader. A professor in Kolkata was arrested after forwarding a political cartoon by e-mail, and a farmer in West Bengal was arrested after he asked a tough question of the state’s chief minister at a political rally. For the woman in South Delhi who said the police had refused to take her rape complaint seriously, politicization of the police means justice is available only to the well connected. When her rapist threatened her 12year-old daughter, she turned to her brother to call a high-ranking politician. Belatedly, the police sprang into action. Asked about the case, a police supervisor said he would check on details, but had not responded further by Tuesday. “During that whole time, I lived in fear of my husband being killed or my kids being kidnapped, because I knew the police wouldn’t help if that happened,” the woman said. “I have no faith in the police. If you have money or connections, you can get justice. If you don’t, forget it.” Niharika Mandhana, Malavika Vyawahare and Jim Yardley contributed reporting.
A police check post in South Delhi. After the outcry over a gang rape, the police pledged to put officers at 300 bus stops nightly. Photo: Enrico Fabian
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Ethics is a Bigger Responsibility in Advertising Today: Kim Das
BY VIDHI CHOUDHARY NEW DELHI (Mint): Kim Das , Singapore-based business director and president of emerging markets at DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc., a subsidiary of the $13.9 billion (around Rs.76,450 crore) Omnicom Group Inc., spoke in an interview about the growing importance of Indonesia and Vietnam, changing purchase habits and ways in which brands can connect with the technology savvy Indian consumer. Das is the son of writer and columnist Gurcharan Das. Edited excerpts: Considering your DDB experience in New York, how different are the Kim Das of DDB Worldwide says consumers emerging markets from the US in on social media are far more public about terms of media complexity and con- who they are, and this behaviour has created a huge opportunity for brands to embrace the sumer behaviour? data they get from these consumers. Photo: The world’s moved to a far more uni- Ramesh Pathania/Mint versal place in terms of media, the way it’s consumed and the way we work in the industry. But there are still substantial differ- is that the middle class has suddenly grown to ences in the way consumers behave in the devel- a critical mass. Growing up in India, it was a oped and the developing worlds. For example, very different consumer. The notion of saving, in the US, consumers are more sophisticated in being frugal and preparing for the future—that the area of certain products like women’s health. has all kind of rapidly gone away. Today, you However, in categories like skincare, Asians are see a larger middle class population that’s much far more sophisticated than Western consum- more in charge of the agenda in terms of buying ers. The prevalence of fairness as a category, for the house and consuming products. So you for instance, is much more developed in Asia. have seen a consumerist sort of culture taken Even skincare regimens and the way women over, which is a good and a bad thing. The good are far more in tune with offerings, benefits and thing is, of course, you see people enjoying, beliefs, are far more sophisticated in this part of having discretionary income for the first time. At the same time, you end up with a much more the world than, say, in the US. Moving to Asia, how has the consumer homogeneous McDonald’s culture, if you will, in the sense that consumerism continues to be at behaviour evolved over the years? The biggest thing which has changed, and the core of what these people believe as opposed markets like India are great examples of that, to, say, other value sets.
How is the mushrooming of smaller agencies affecting large established advertising agencies? It has made the larger organizations take notice of the fact that many of these start-ups are slowly pulling projects away from the larger agencies because they provide what we all at one point in our careers provided—great ideas to the clients. That’s what we can really learn from them— to stay nimble and give ideas as opposed to turning into some giant organization. Advertising is said to be a reflection of society. But what about advertising that’s in bad taste? It’s a question we wrestle with. Advertising is a reflection of society, but it is also a reflection
Kim Das of DDB Worldwide on ways in which brands can connect with the technology savvy Indian consumer of how consumers behave. But in terms of the way brands behave, we subscribe to the belief that ethics and a moral stance are a far bigger responsibility (today) than they ever have been. Particularly in the categories I work in, like skincare. There are a lot of companies that don’t necessarily subscribe to a strong sort of moral underpin, you know they’ll come out with claims that are incredulous. They come up with ridiculous ‘make you whiter in seven days type’ of advertising, which I think is terrible. What makes Indonesia and Vietnam attractive emerging markets?
Sizeable populations. Indonesia is sitting at 240 million and Vietnam at about 90 million. You then have a young demographic, which means that they are more technologically savvy and their spends will increase year-on-year. Finally, you have the changing political landscape just like in India when the reforms were announced in the early 1990s. If you were to ask any marketer today, Indonesia is probably going to be at the forefront of his future investment. I think Indonesia and Vietnam are right behind India and China. What categories are going to drive growth for India? Multi-brand retail, for example, is just going to explode when it takes hold in this country. There is automobile and fast food. Skincare, beauty and cosmetic products—there is an awakening in the Indian woman in terms of the kind of things she wants and looking good is part of that. So you’ll see disproportionate growth in this category as well. What are some critical ways in which brands can engage with their audiences? One is having a strong social media platform in order to create a rich dialogue with the consumer. Secondly, brands are slowly waking up to data. Consumers on social media are far more public about who they are. And they share, which has never happened before. This behaviour has created a huge opportunity for brands to embrace the data they get from these consumers to create sharper marketing programmes. The other way to engage is to be open about the fact that consumers have changed. For instance, a 16-17-year-old girl is no longer what her mother was when she was 16 or 17. Staying ahead of how she has evolved in the journey is a very important piece of what brands should be doing.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
February 01, 2013
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Houstonian Invited to 2013 Presidential Inauguration
Rahman Moton at the Inauguration
Rahman Moton is a prominent businessman from our community. He is associated with various political and charitable organizations and is the founder and president of the Myanmar American Chamber of Commerce (MACC). He was invited to attend the inauguration ceremony of the 44th President Barack Obama. He attended the ceremony along with various Congressman, Congresswoman, Senators and Governors. The function was followed by the inaugural ball hosted by the President and the First Lady along with the Vice President and the Second Lady. It was a proud day for all Asian
Americans and Houstonians because our native Rehman Moton attended the function with all other dignitaries, politicians and the affluent business community present at the occasion to represent our community. The relations between Myanmar and America have never been better, thanks to the efforts of Rehman Moton who has been trying over a decade to build a healthy trade relationship between the two countries. Rahman Moton was instrumental in organising the first ever historical trip by the American President to Myammar (Burma) after the second term victorty of President Barack Obama in November 2012.
Rahman Moton with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
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February 01, 2013
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February 01, 2013
SAVINGS! BIG
produce Specials this week only! 98
¢lb.
29
grocery
MONTH LONG Specials!
4
$ 19 ea.
Crisp!
Jonagold Apples
Shan Paste 750 gm ginger, garlic or mixed
3
$ 99 ea. Supreme Quality Chick Peas 4 lbs.
3
$ 50 ea.
1
$ 27 ea.
Sweet Red Bell Pepper
28
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Cilantro
Supreme Quality Rice Flour
bunch
Prices good on these produce items only at your 10100 Beechnut, 14498 Bellaire & Hwy. 6 and 530 Hwy. 6 H-E-B Stores Thru Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Due to the popularity of our Extra Low Prices Every Day, we reserve the right to limit quantities.
4 lbs.
Prices good on these grocery items only at your 10100 Beechnut, 14498 Bellaire & Hwy. 6 and 530 Hwy. 6 H-E-B Stores Thru Thursday, February 28, 2013. Due to the popularity of our Extra Low Prices Every Day, we reserve the right to limit quantities. Limit Rights Reserved. We Accept The Lone Star Card, WIC And Manufacturers’ Coupons. ©2013 HEB, 13-0990
Limit Rights Reserved. We Accept The Lone Star Card, WIC And Manufacturers’ Coupons. ©2013 HEB, 13-0990
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February 01, 2013
Movie Review: Inkaar
BY TARAN ADARSH (Bollywoodhungama) The moviegoers have developed a taste for innovative, out of the box stories. Topics that were once considered taboo are being attempted on the Hindi screen. Known for attempting diverse stories in film after film, Sudhir Mishra takes on a hitherto untold topic for his newest venture Inkaar: Sexual harassment in a work environment. A film like Inkaar is extremely relevant, topical and relatable in today’s times. Sexual harassment is a reality and one needs to address it. One has to be vigilant, on the guard against those indulging in it and getting away scot free. The ones who endure harassment are often scared to come out in the open, fearing that it may ruin their personal/professional life. Inkaar may revive memories of Disclosure [Michael Douglas, Demi Moore] and also Abbas-Mustan’s Aitraaz and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate, but Inkaar depicts the clash of egos most differently. Beneath the sexual harassment issue that it addresses, there’s a love story that comes to the fore during the culmination of the film. However, the writing isn’t watertight this time. More on that later! At one of India’s leading ad agencies, the battle for the top job between Rahul [Arjun Rampal], a venerated advertising CEO, and Maya [Chitrangda Singh], his ambitious protégé, takes a dramatic turn when she files a sexual harassment complaint against him. It’s the job of the com-
mittee set up by the agency to hear both sides of the story and work through the layers of lies and accusations to find out who’s really telling the truth and who’s lying. The stakes are high because only one of them [Rahul or Maya] will walk away with their reputation intact. Will the committee really be able to uncover the truth? Inkaar is a tough film to make and one must compliment Sudhir Mishra for sticking his neck out. Let me add, Inkaar is not just about sex. It’s about greed, ambition and power play. Generally, in a majority of Hindi films, it’s the man who seeks sexual favors, while the woman is projected as someone who’s meek. But the woman here is shrewd and spiteful. When the two sexes collide, what the spectator gets to see is not just the issue that the film raises, but also the games the ambitious play to reach the top spot. Mishra is a sensitive storyteller. At the same time, he’s a director’s actor. Given the subject matter, Inkaar
would’ve turned into a sleaze fest, a cheesy film, but the director handles the provocative moments elegantly. However, like I pointed out at the outset, the writing is gripping in parts, not in its entirety. A few episodes are engaging, but a couple of them lack the hammer-strong impact. Besides, the screenplay should’ve been exhilarating and engaging towards the resolution.Also, the track of the father [Kawaljit Singh] is a little difficult to comprehend. What was the writer trying to convey in those scenes? Dialogue are incisive, razor-sharp and acidic, depending on the situation. Inkaar succeeds in bringing out the right emotions from its actors. Arjun Rampal displays remarkable understanding of the character. Post Chakravyuh, which released a few months ago, this is yet another power-packed performance that makes you realize that this supermodel has transformed into a super actor. Chitrangda immerses herself into the role brilliantly. She uses her lustiness in a wicked, dominating way and that’s what catches your eye. It’s great to see Deepti Naval after a hiatus. The film has a collage of talented actors, which includes Vipin Sharma, Mohan Kapur, Asheesh Kapur, Shivani Tanksale, Gaurav Dwivedi and Rehana Sultan [cameo] and each of them stands out in his/her respective part. On the whole, Inkaar is for spectators of serious cinema. Caters to a niche audience!
ENTERTAINMENT Adnan Sami to Rock Houston After 8 Years
Worlds fastest keyboard player and singer has always been in demand and is returning after 8 years for one of the best musical experience at the Arena theater on March 23,2013.
Adnan Sami’s hit songs include: kabhi to nazar milao, dil keh Raha hai dilse, bheegi bheegi raton mei, teri yaad aati hai, tera chehara, sun zara, noore khuda and many more fast tracks like world famous lift karadey, and kabhe nahin. This time Adnan has promised that it will be a three hour long life time experience for the audience. The show will include his world fastest fingers on the keyboard performance, on a live stage with major laser effects and over 20 live musicans. A world class performance to look forward to. Adnan Sami show tickets are available online at sulekha.com or local stores. The event is brought to you by Rehan Siddiqi. For further details and for tickets call 713-545-4115.
Jhansi Resident Files Petition Against Big B
Amitabh Bachchan may have received huge compliments and accolades for hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) successfully season after season but seems like one person isn’t too impressed with what Mr.Bachchan had to say in one of the episodes of KBC that aired almost a year ago. Mudassir Ullah Khan, a resident of Jhansi, has taken exception to the use of the phrase ‘racha gaya’(composed) in the context of the Holy Quran as said by Bachchan in the KBC episode that aired on 28.09.2011. Khan
has filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court accusing Bachchan of having made a derogatory remark about the Holy Quran with malicious intention. Khan said that the Holy Quran was neither composed nor created; it rather came into existence through Allah’s mercy itself. He has even accused the manager of Sony Entertainment Television and the main programmer sponsor of KBC in his petition. The petition is likely to be heard before a Bench next week. -Bollywoodhungama
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February 01, 2013
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