Friday, March 01 2013 | Vol. 32, No. 9
Indo American erican News
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March 01, 2013
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March 01, 2013
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2013 India House Gala: Celebration of My House, Your House, Our House
BY PRAMOD KULKARNI HOUSTON: What was once a dream has become a reality. Now fulfilling the mission of India House as a community center for the entire Indian community in the region and the local mainstream neighborhood has became the theme of the India House Gala held Saturday, Feb. 23 evening at the Hilton Post Oak in the Galleria area. India House, located on a 10acre plot at 8888 West Belfort Avenue in southwest Houston, serves as a meeting facility for a wide array of cultural activities, business meetings and educational classes. These include Community Health and Eye Clinic, Urban Youth Program and yoga classes. The India Senior Citizens hold all their gatherings at India House. Plus, the grounds of India House includes a cricket pitch for a taped ball cricket league and an annual cricket camp for young children As a result of these activities, India House incurs mortgage payments and administrative and maintenance expenses in excess of $25,000 per month. The annual galas serve as one of several revenue streams to support India House gala. In a review of India House activities, President Jugal Malani explained that the 2013 gala raised over $480,000 in cash and other forms of donations. India House construction was financed in part by donations by the Jindal Indian industrial house in the name of its founder O.P. Jindal and a large number of trustees and India House Council members as well as smaller contributions from businesses and individuals from the Indian and mainstream communities. India House has also received grants from the City of Houston and other charitable and commercial enterprises, including Chase Bank.
Consul General of India P. Harish (left) with India House benefactor Swatantra Jain, India House President Jugal Malani and India House trustee Durga Agrawal. Photos: Bijay Dixit.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett was the keynote speaker at the 2013 India House gala.
India House trustee Chowdary Yalamanchali (right) presented awards to Pallavi Dinesh (clockwise from left), Rishi Bhutada, Dr. Stephen Golden and Nikki Vedi (accepting on behalf of father Ashok Dhingra.
The elegant evening was organized by co-chairpersons Paul and Stephanie Madan with support from gala committee members, which included India House Trustees Durga and Sushila Agrawal, Dr. Virendra and Nalini Mathur and Naresh Mittal. Over 325 India House supporters and guests attended. One of the highlights of the evening was the screening of a documentary on India House activities, narrated by Yolanda Robertson-Benoit, who serves on the India House management staff with Anil Jindal. Speakers at the gala featured Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Consul General of India P. Harish and Dr. John Mendelsohn, former president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Video tributes came from U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas governor Rick Perry, both of whom recalled their past visits to India House. Representatives of U.S. Congressman Al Green and State Senator Rodney Ellis, presented proclamations in recognition of India House. Special guests at the gala were University of House Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator and her husband Dr. Suresh Khator. India House used the occasion of the gala to present its annual achievement awards This year, the Woman of the Year award went to Pallavi Thakur Dinesh, owner of Fommy. Com, a mobile telecommunications and software provider and Rishi Bhutada, vice president at Star Pipe Products for Young Leader of the Year. Nikki Vedi accepted the award for Outstanding Community Service on behalf of her father and former India House President Ashok Dhingra and the Outstanding Phlianthropist award went to Dr. Stephen Golden of UH Board of Regents. The evening ended with Bollywood dance entertainment by Naach Houston.
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March 01, 2013
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2013 Vedic Fair: Youth Provide Spiritual Energy for Hindu Enlightenment
BY PRAMOD KULKARNI KATY, TX: Throngs of IndoAmericans, with a sprinkling of mainstream Americans, enjoyed cosmic delights at the second annual Vedic Fair hosted by Ashirwad A Blessing at the Cinco Ranch High School in Katy. Directed by Geetha and Sri Ravula, Ashirward A Blessing conducts weekend Hindu spiritual classes for young children in Katy, Cypress and Sugar Land. The Ravulas and their coterie of enthusiastic volunteers, outdid themselves with an elaborate diorama of Vaikuntha, children’s exhibitions that filled the perimeter of the common area. The children’s exhibitions included presentations from the Hindu pantheon, religious festivals such as Pongal and India’s historical heroes and heroines such as Zhansi ki Rani and Mahatma Gandhi. Booths, which featured interactive sessions, included palm reading and mehendi. There was also a judged cuisine competition of satvik dishes. What was gratifying to see is that the Vedic Fair opened the exhibition for other faiths. Interfaith representatives came from Islamic Society of Greater Houston representing Islam, Universal Door representing Buddhism and Jain Society of Houston & JVB Preksha representing Jainism . The highlight of the evening was a cultural entertainment at the center stage. The theatrical presentations included dances and vocals by three Katy dance schools, a Mahabharat walk by children, from ages 5 to 12, playing characters such as Vyasa, Ganga, Bhishma, Gandhari, Lord Krishna and the five Pandavas. This was followed by a play, “Arjun, the Chosen”, directed by Geetha Ravula. The evening concluded with a neon raas garba, a first for Houston. “The concept of Vedic Fair itself is exclusive and an eye opener for all,” exuded judge Thara Narasimhan, This year, the Vedic Fair was superb and awesome.” Planning is already underway for 2014 Vedic Fair, featuring a diorama of Kailash with Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.
Vedic Fair Winners Above 10 Years Category: Winner: Rithika Ravishankar - Presentation: “Saptapadi:The Seven Steps of Hindu Marriage” Joint Runner Ups: Ajith Kumar - Presentation: “Sri Koormam - The slow and steady mind” Nitin Pendekanti - Presentation: “Diwali” Below 10 Years Category: Winner: Shreyas Sankar - Presentation: “CivilAdization” Joint Runner Ups: Anika Ravishankar - Presentation: “Significance of Animals in Hinduism” Vindhya Selvakumar - Presentation: “Shri Radha Krishna” Ananya Bhonsley - Presentation: “Sanathana Dharma - Idol Worshipers or Ideal Worshipers?” Puneesh Kapoor - Presentation: “Vegetarianism” Satvik Cooking Competition Live! Winner: Srilatha Valluri - Dish: “Banana Porridge & Winter Melon (Ash Gourd) Raita” Joint Runner Ups: Padmavathi Tella - Dish: “Oatmeal idli with peanut chutney” Manjari Guturu - Dish: “Spinach Grape salad & Fruit Salad Cream”
The visitors walked through an elaborate series of arches at the entrance to the Vakuntha display.
An elaborate rangoli by Sangita Bhutada was presented in front of the live Vaikuntha diorama of Lord Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. Next year, Mayuri restaurant provided complimentary cuisine Vedic Fair is planning to feature Kailash. for the Vedic Fair guests.
The exhibitions by children included a disply on DJ Sridhar Dadi in front of his 24-hour Telugu Radio goddess Lakshmi by Rhea Bhat. Hungama booth. SEE COLLAGE ON PAGE 4 Vedic walk
The second Vedic Fair was held once again at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy.
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:713-789-6399, 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
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COMMUNITY
March 01, 2013
Houston Ballet Presents “La Bayadere” (The Temple Dancer)
BY SANCHALI BASU HOUSTON: Houston Ballet is presenting Stanton Welch’s La Bayadere (“The Temple Dancer”), from February 21 to March 13 at the Wortham Center. This is a dramatic ballet set in royal India of the past. The lavish production featuring spectacular scenery and colorful costumes speaks of eternal love, mystery, fate, vengeance and justice. The ballet recounts the story of Nikiya, a temple dancer, her lover Solor, and the vengeance that keeps them apart – at least in this life. Act 1 begins with the low caste Solor and his brother killing the prized Bengal man-eating tiger that had been terrorizing the nearby village. In its claws he discovers a woman’s torn silk sari. From the jungle shadows, the beautiful Nikiya, the bayadere (the temple dancer) reveals herself and thanks Solor for saving her life. They are smitten, but she’s wary of these feelings as to what may happen. The villagers and Solor’s family celebrate that he will become rich. In reverent pomp, the high Brahman leads all in prayer. Agni, the god of fire appears in a dramatic fashion from the sacred flames to warn of grave danger. The brahman declares his love for Nikiya. Shocked, Nikiya gently rebuffs his advances and reminds him of his devotion to God and that they must only love God. Solor and Nikiya have another rendezvous and fall in love and vow to elope as soon as Solor reaps his reward for the tiger hunt. Their tryst has been spied upon by Kalum (the brahman’s attendant, the wild man and fakir who prowls around as if part animal). Enraged by Nikiya’s dishonesty, the brahman orders the entire temple retinue to the Rajah’s palace. Scene 2 is set in the grand royal Rajah’s palace. The colorful costumes in the court scene are reminiscent of brightly colored traditional Indian attire, such as harem pants and saris. The temple dancers entertain the court with beautiful formations, some of them mimicking traditional classical Indian style dance formations. The dancers are so graceful that it seems like poetry in motion. The Rajah bestows upon Solor an opulent reward and also offers him the hand of his eldest daughter Gamzattin in marriage. The Brahman storming in demands an audience with the Rajah and informs him of
Choreographer: Stanton Welch, Dancers: Artists of Houston Ballet. Photo: Amitava Sarkar
where the inconsolable Solor is under guard. Kolum offers him the mind numbing hookah promising that by smoking it he will see his beloved Nikiya. Under a narcoleptic haze, Solor envisions the powerful bird god Garuda who accompanies him in the underworld. Next ensues the famous Kingdom of the Shades section, which showcases 24 female dancers in white tutus, executing 38 synchronized and seamless arabesques while descending down the ramp onto the stage, and is one of the purest forms of ballet-blanc, or white tutu ballet. This is a challenging segment because it requires tremendous control and precision from the dancers. There amid spirits of formal temple dancers, Solor finds Nikiya, and they are briefly
Choreographer: Stanton Welch, Dancers: Joseph Walsh and Karina Gonzalez. Photo: Amitava Sarkar
Solor’s attachment to the temple dancer. Furious, the Rajah orders the dancer killed, but the Brahman quickly convinces him that he has another plan – to break her heart and therefore save Nikiya for himself. Ajah, Gamzatti’s handmaiden has overheard the conversation and tells her of the betrayal. Gamzatti, in order to find out who among the dancers her rival might be, announces that she’s betrothed and displays a portrait of solor as her love. Nikiya vehemently protests and declares that Solor and her are in love. Desperate, Gamzatti offers Nikiya a bejeweled necklace to forswear Solor, but Nikiya throws the necklace back at her in disgust. Ajah attacks her with a dagger, but Nikiya wrests it away and slashes Gamzatti’s portrait. To console a
distraught Gamzatti, Ajah devises a plan for revenge. She summons the snake charmer and selects a poisonous yellow viper that she will conceal in a basket and use at the wedding ceremony for Nikiya to carry. Her death is assured. Act 2 is the betrothal celebrations set in the luxuriant palace gardens. Solor has risen far but is in a dilemma, and is reluctant and tentative. Gamzatti looks splendid in all her royal spendor. Heartbroken Nikiya dances for the royal couple. At the conclusion she embraces the basket and is fatally bitten. Solor swears eternal love, but she dies in his arms. The Rajah orders Solor removed and the Brahman, overcome, embraces the dead body of Nikiya. Act 3 takes place in the palace
reunited. Although their love is rekindled, as a shade, like a wisp of smoke, she remains tantalizingly out of human reach. Awakened to reality, Solor is commanded by the Rajah to marry Gemzatti or see his family murdered and he has to agree. In the final scene, during the vows of the marriage ceremony, the shade of Nikita appears and discloses all. Solor accuses the princess who denies it. Ajah admits that it was her plan. Overcome by his unconsumed grief, the Brahman stabs Ajah. Solor adamantly refuses to marry Gamzatti. Humiliated and betrayed, Gamzatti stabs him. With that outrage, the gods of the temple come alive to punish the desecraters of their holy precinct. The temple collapses killing all. In the shattered ruins, Solor and Nikiya are rejoined in their eternal love. They ascend to paradise. Karina Gonzalez, as the temple dancer and Joseph Walsh as Solor, did ample justice to their roles and were met with a thundering applause by the audience at the end of the show. Stanton Welch, the artistic director and conductor Ermanno Florio, also made brief appearances and were greeted by a standing ovation and “bravos” by the very knowledgeable and appreciative Houston ballet lovers. For more information, visit www.houstonballet.org
Bhumi Puja Held for Mobile Temple in Katy
KATY: On February 25, at 5pm, Sai Durga Shiva Vishnu Temple conducted Bhumi Puja on its newly acquired land at 26100 Tina Lane, Katy, TX 77494. The main goal of the temple is to provide vedic services for Katy community and surrounding areas. “We are planning to start the mobile temple very soon and need the support of all the devotees”, said the priest, Udayakumar Gullapalli. For more information, visit www.sdsvt.org or call 713-933-8821.
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March 01, 2013
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Can Kill You How to Survive One?
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BY KAY K LALL When we prepare for life’s emergencies, we must not forget that Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of them. Statistics show, SCA can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. SCA strikes people of all ages and fitness levels, usually without warning. It can happen at home, at work, even at the place where you gather to worship and pray. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, men at age 40 in the U.S. have a one-in-eight chance of suffering SCA over the rest of their lives, a stark indication of the toll cardiovascular disease exacts on society. American Heart Association (AHA) says when cardiac arrest happens, brain damage and permanent death start to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes. At that time while waiting for 911 help, every minute counts. Though properly performed CPR can maintain the needed blood flow to the brain for a while, the fact is: to eliminate the heart’s chaotic rhythm that caused the SCA, you need an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). AED is a portable medical device, smaller than a laptop that anyone can use with little or no training to save the life of a sudden cardiac arrest victim. In a critical situation like SCA, having this miracle device of modern technology handy can make the difference between life and death. An AED consists of a microprocessor that is capable of analyzing heart’s rhythm through a pair of electrodes. When these electrodes are attached to the chest, AED can diagnose the cardiac arrhythmia of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia and can deliver an electrical shock automatically to the heart to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. AEDs provide auditory and visual prompts to assist a layperson and emergency personnel in treating a victim of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. According to the AHA, Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States and many other countries in the world. Not too long ago, a study conducted by the Hyderabad-based Center for Cellular & Molecular Biology has shown that 60 million Indians carry a defective heart gene that can trigger Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Further, the American Heart Association states SCA accounts for 295,000 occurrences per year in the USA. Of which only 8% survive. They estimate, up to 50,000 of these deaths could have been prevented if someone had initiated the Cardiac Chain of Survival im-
mediately at the time of the emergency and if an automated external defibrillator had been available within 4-minutes of the SCA attack. When Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs, it can be frightening. SCA causes the heart’s normal heart rhythm to suddenly become chaotic. The heart can no longer pump the blood effectively and the victim collapses, stops breathing, becomes unresponsive and has no detectable pulse. It is important to understand here that though a sudden cardiac arrest and the heart attack (myocardial infarction) both relate to the heart, they are two different problems: putting it in a layman’s terms, SCA is an electrical problem; a heart attack is a “plumbing” problem. Sometimes a heart attack, which may not be fatal in itself, can trigger a sudden cardiac arrest. In such a case, Automated External Defibrillator availability is the most important factor in saving a life. As a spokesperson for the AED Awareness Initiative (AEDAI), I firmly believe that every place where people live, work or worship should have an AED. Kay K. Lall is founder and CEO/chairman of General Medical Devices, Inc. Before establishing her company in Palatine, IL, she was an executive with a Fortune 500 company and worked with Westinghouse Electric Corp. on a high level radioactive waste disposal project for U.S. DOE.
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Hindu Temple of The Woodlands Celebrates Priest’s 60th Birthday THE WOODLANDS, TX: Sri Chakrapani Bhattar-ji, chief priest of Hindu Temple of The Woodlands, together with his wife Srimathi Vanajakshi, was honored on February 24, on the occasion of his 60th birthday by family and hundreds of local community members. In keeping with the Hindu tradition of the celebration of the 60th birthday as a passage from the
Photo: Anil Adoni
time of family responsibilities to a time of more complete emphasis on spiritual duties, a surprise tradi-
tional celebration was planned by the temple board, executive committee, and other devotees. During the festivities, in addition to religious activities, Pundit-ji and his wife renewed their marriage vows by exchanging garlands and tying the sacred knot. The festivities ended with cake cutting and lunch. All those present were blessed by the couple for a long, happy, and successful life.
Book Reading by Award Winning Fiction Writer, Chitra Divakaruni
On March 7, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s new novel, Oleander Girl will be launched at Asia Society’s beautiful new center at 1370 Southmore Blvd., Houston, TX 77004, at 7 pm. It is a free event, but space is limited. Visit http://asiasociety.org/texas/events/ chitra-banerjee-divakaruni-oleander-girl to preregister. About Oleander Girl: Orphaned at birth, seventeenyear-old Korobi Roy is the scion of a distinguished Kolkata family and has enjoyed a privileged, sheltered childhood with her adoring grandparents. But she is troubled by the silence that surrounds her parents’ death and clings fiercely to her only inheritance from them:
the unfinished love note she found hidden in her mother’s book of poetry. Korobi dreams of one day finding a love as powerful as her parents’, and it seems her wish has come true when she meets the charming Rajat, the only son of a high-profile business family. On the night of their engagement party, Korobi’s grandfather dies of a sudden heart attack. His death reveals the family’s unexpected financial problems as well as a dark secret. This secret will shatter Korobi’s sense of self and will thrust her— against the wishes of her fiancé and his family—out of her sheltered Kolkata life into a courageous and troubled search, in the company of an attractive stranger, across post 9/11America, a country that she finds at once dangerous, unwelcoming and alluring.
What she discovers at the end will force her to make the most difficult choice of her life. About Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the award-winning author of many books, including The Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart, One Amazing Thing and, the soon to be released, Oleander Girl. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New York Times. Born in India, she lives in Houston and teaches in the nationally-ranked Creative Writing program at the University of Houston.
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The Traveler’s Best Guide: Homi
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: When the desi community was still very young in the late 70’s and travel arrangement were much more complicated, using telexes and dealing with the travel desks of major airlines was the forte of the newest agency in town, Everest Travel, run by the likeable team of the corpulent Mohan and skinny Krishna, on the inbound feeder road of 59 north near Westpark. A new face joined them in 1980, a friend from their days in Muscat, Homi Davier, also of the same demeanor, in-between girth and fast on travel facts. Three years later, Davier had spun off his own agency, Capricorn Travel ‘N’ Tours and from his office on Bissonnet and the Southwest Freeway was one of the dominant players in the travel market, continuously winning Million Dollar sales awards from Lufthansa, KLM, Air India, Gulf Air and other airlines for their incredible sales volumes. After di-
Homi Davier
versifying and relocating to Hillcroft in Little India, Davier sold his Capricorn Travel in 2008 and the name to another businessman. Being a risk taker and a born aviator, Homi along with two partners Robert Knauss & Paul
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Gregory took a company public on the Nasdaq stock exchange and started an airline Baltic International in Riga, Latvia which was later sold off to SAS and is still flying to over 50 destinations in Europe. But, persistent demands from some of his old customers-turned-friends made Davier come back to his first love, travel, and he has opened a small, as yet, two person agency, XPERT TOURS, next to Raja Sweets. “I’m not going trying to become big again,” he said, no pun intended, “and just want to stay a small business, taking care of my good customer base.” Our niche is the Leisure market and we specialize in Group plus family travel. Cruises and tour packages are the mainstay at Xpert Tours. There is a myth that air fares are cheaper on the net, that was true but when these large corporations grew larger, so did their costs and now our Desi agents are back in the low air fare ticket game. Check them out after checking the net! Xpert Tours can be reached at 5663 Hillcroft, Houston, TX 77036, 281-491-4000; info@xperttours. com or www.xperttours.com
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Ashok Rao Reelected Chairman of TiE Global SANTA CLARA, CA: The TiE Global Board of Trustees reelected Ashok Rao as its Chairman for a second two-year term starting January 1, 2011. Two years ago, Ashok replaced Arjun Malhotra who completed his two-year term as the Chairman during 2009-10. Ashok is the former President of TiE Houston and has served on the Global Board of Trustees since January 2009. A successful serial entrepreneur, Ashok is currently on his fifth technology start up, as Chairman and CEO of Whodini Inc.- an enterprise software firm, developing cutting edge solutions for large enterprises, using state of the art artificial Intelligence, contextual search and sense-making. He was Chairman and co-founder of Opelin Inc, an on line data backup company, from 2004 till 2007, when it was sold to HP. He founded and served as CEO of Prime Wave Communications, a broadband wireless access technology company, from 2000-03. Ashok founded Trex Communications Corp. in December 1997 and grew it to $70 million in two years before selling it to L3 Communication in early 2000. Prior to that, Ashok was the President of the North American operations of Enron Corp. from 1996-97, growing revenues from $300 million to $2 billion during that time. Ashok has worked for several years in the telecommunications world and founded Midcom Communications in 1990. He grew the company into the ninth-largest long-distance telephone carrier with $250 million in annual revenues, and then took it public in 1995. He was one of the first Indian-Americans to take a company public on NASDAQ. After several years in the telecommunications world, Ashok gave fruition to his creative flair. Ashok is also the CEO of Excalibur Pictures and has produced four full-length Hollywood feature films. His first film, “My
Ashok Rao
Bollywood Bride”, was released worldwide in theaters in July 2007, which later had success as a DVD. His second, “The Whisperers” won awards for best picture in the thriller category and best edit in the overall category at the Worldfest International Film Festival in 2008. “Before the Rains”, released in 2009 received a worldwide theatrical release, and won considerable critical acclaim. His fourth film – a Sci-Fi/Horror thriller – “The Lost Tribe”, was very successful commercially and had major runs on the Sci-Fi channel, HBO and Starz. His latest film is a documentary, “A Pocket Full of Soul” (www.pocketfullofsoulmovie.com) on the history and impact of the harmonica on soul and blues music and will be released in 2013. Ashok is on the board of the Jones Business School of Rice University, and was a Trustee at Franklin Pierce University from 2004-08. He has earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi, and an MS from Marquette University. He also has a Diploma
in Financial Management from the London School of Economics. Ashok is a powerful public speaker, a witty comedian, a great moderator and an inspirational speaker on a wide gamut of topics. Ashok says, “I try to live in the moment and be thankful for whatever I have been fortunate and lucky enough to achieve and receive.” On being reelected Chairman of TiE Global, Ashok says, “I am grateful for, and humbled by, the honor bestowed on me by my fellow Trustees. We have come a long way in the last two years, but there is much more still to be done. With the support of Chapter leadership, Charter members in 61 chapters, and my fellow Trustees, I will do all that I can to support and promote this noble cause of Helping Start-Ups start up. After all, TiE is all about fostering entrepreneurship, mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs, and providing global networking opportunities for all our members.” TiE Global TiE is the world’s largest non-profit organization focused on entrepreneurship. The TiE ecosystem comprises 13,000 members, with 2,500 of them being charter members by invitation top entrepreneurs, CEOs, venture capitalists, and professionals in their chosen field. TiE has 61 Chapters in 17 countries, spread across five continents. All TiE Chapters operate independently and focus on serving their local region, while being affiliated to TiE Global. For more information about TiE Global, call Mohini Suchanti at +1 408567-0700 or visit www.tie.org.
Help Wanted Store Manager required for a one-man Ayuvedic/ Health Food store operation. Spoken Gujarati is a Plus T:6”
Tel: 281-242-5000 or sales@divyaproducts.com
LEGAL NOTICE
These Texas Lottery Commission Scratch-Off games will be closing soon:
Game Name / Odds
$
Official Close of Game
End Validations Date
1426
Royal Riches Overall Odds are 1 in 4.73
$2
5/1/13
10/28/13
1455
High Roller Overall Odds are 1 in 4.20
$5
5/1/13
10/28/13
1469
Holiday Break The Bank Overall Odds are 1 in 4.80
$2
5/1/13
10/28/13
1476
Jingle Bell Crossword Overall Odds are 1 in 3.65
$3
5/1/13
10/28/13
1478
Happy Holidays Overall Odds are 1 in 3.24
$5
5/1/13
10/28/13
T:4”
Game #
For detailed odds and game information, visit txlottery.org or call 1-800-37LOTTO. Must be 18 or older to purchase a ticket. The Texas Lottery supports Texas Education. © 2012 Texas Lottery Commission. All rights reserved.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
March 01, 2013
13
Avant Garde India Coffee House Opens on Hillcroft
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: Little India just got its taste of a classy place to have coffee, and not just any type. Its a South Indian style served in small shiny stainless style tumblers with the aroma that takes you back to India. And if you didn’t know anything about coffee, the facts are on the walls and make for interesting reading. The genius behind the India Coffee House is none other than David Raj who has made headlines as the past president of the Indo American Charity Foundation and made many clients happy in his wealth management consultancy. David has never shied away from a challenge, and when the bug bit him to get into mercahndising, he decided to go into it in a big way. So at the soft opening this past Sunday, February 24, he was smiling away as the guests poured in to admire the excellent interiors of the space that is in the Hillcroft Shoppinh Center, right next to Kohinoor diamonds. The floor has been smoothened out and given a beautiful epoxy finish that is shiny enough to see your reflection. Roy Joseph of OnePoint construction created a wonderfully warm interior space and in particular the private dining room which has moving stars projected on the ceiling. “ The trick was to hide the projector,” said Roy as he gave small tour. Joseph owns OnePoint, Inc, a
ing environment by Alex Berube, OnePoint’s, Interior Designer.The final outcome is a space that is tastefully decorated and the color scheme of the paints, Plastic laminates and furniture’s allow one to relax and take in the atmosphere. Raj has shown a passion for helping others which has driven him to work on the Education Initiative for the IACF. He continues this with his new venture.
“I have pledged that 25 percent of the profits will go towards charity,” he explained as he catered to the 200 or more guests who came to the opening from 3 in the afternoon all the way to the evening. They were entertained by songs from a trio of talented local singers ( some of whom had performed in the Indian Idol competition last September) just in front of the coffee bar.
At the soft opening of the India Coffee House, from left, Roy Joseph, of OnePoint Construction who was the contractor for the interior remodelling effort; Alex Berube the interior designer with OnePoint; David Raj, the owner of ICH; Zhanna, the offical photgrapher and Girish Desai, a friend.
firm of Architects/Engineers/Designers and Construction professionals who have been in business for many years. “When my closefriend David Raj asked for our help, I couldn’t turn him down,” said Joseph, “and we rose to the occassion to design and build a unique experience for coffee drinkers.” ICH was designed and built to achieve the best functional design and to create one of the most unique Coffee house in Houston. The floor plan was designed for efficient flow and for the patron to have a “coffee experience.” Special attention were taken to install an attractive epoxy flooring with a light gold
glitter accent to handle wear and tear from foot traffic and for ease of maintenance. The space has been designed with a private dining/meeting room for 18 people and is equipped with a 60” flat screen TV, Wi-Fi, dimmable recessed downlights, lay-in fluorescent light fixtures and piped-in music. It can be used for a formal business or a private intimate meetings where the lighting can be changed to create the desired ambiance, including a romantic moving starry night ceiling. The interior color selection was based on colors of the coffees beans and to create a sooth-
India Coffee House is located at 5901 Hillcroft, Suite C2-A, Houston, TX 77036. For more information, call 832-487-6337.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
14 March 01, 2013
Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya MAHASIVARATRI
Come, celebrate and receive Lord Siva’s grace and blessings Saturday, March 9th 2013
( Temple Hours 8:30 am – 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm ) 9:00 am - 10:15 am Maha Mrtyunjaya Homa ( In Chinmaya Smrti Building — Homa sponsorship: $21)
Sunday, March 10th 2013 ( Temple Hours 8:00 am to Midnight )
Special Pravacana (for adults) on Siva Manasa Puja by Acarya Sri Gaurang Nanavaty
8:35 am - 10:30 am AND 11:20 am - 1:00 pm
Puja Schedule 9:00 am - 9:45 pm Ksirabhiseka to Utsava Murti of Lord Siva 9:00 am - 11:30 am Mahanyasa purvaka Rudrabhiseka 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm Laghunyasa purvaka Ekadasa Rudrabhiseka 10:00 pm - 10:30 pm Arati & Prasada 10:30 pm - 11:45 pm Meditation followed by midnight Arati ( Rudrabhiseka puja sponsorship with Ksirabhiseka Seva: $21 per family ) Chinmaya Mission Houston 10353 Synott Road Sugar Land, TX 77478 281-568-1690
www.saumyakasi.org Contact: Jay Deshmukh 832-541-0059 Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233
Om Namah Sivaya INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
March 01, 2013
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
16 March 01, 2013
COMMUNITY
Dharma Bee Draws Huge Response as Registration Swells BY HAIDER KAZIM HOUSTON: The Dharma Bee contest, organized by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), is getting enthusiastic response from children of all age groups all over USA. Learning from the popularity of Spelling Bee contests among Indian students, HSS has come up with the idea of Dharma Bee to make children learn about Hindu culture and heritage in a fun environment. The topic is Bhagwan Sri Krishna (early childhood stories) and Swami Vivekananda (life and message). Although the last date for reg-
istration is March 10, over 2,300 children have already registered for the contest till date. “Children who have registered and are participating are really enthusiastic and are having fun while learning. In many places, as soon as asked if they wanted to participate in such a contest, almost all children raised their hands” said Sreevidya Radhakrishna, a national coordinator. Children in grades Kindergarten to Eighth are eligible to participate. There are 4 groups. Group 1 is K-1st grade; Group 2 is 2nd-3rd grades; Group 3 is 4th-5th grades;
and Group 4 is 6th, 7th, 8th grades. After registration, the contestants are required to undertake an online pre-qualifying exam to test their preparedness for Level 1. “Dharma Bee provides an excellent opportunity for our kids, to improve their Dharma Quotient,” a parent said. “My daughter is excited about this unique Bee. She took the pre-qualifying and has already begun working on a unique project for Level 1. She also has been asking some very interesting questions about our dharma in general and Swami Vivekananda in particular.”
Another parent welcomed the idea. “Kudos to HSS for organizing such a contest throughout USA. It is indeed a privilege for any student to register and assess his/her knowledge and awareness about our unique and great culture. Heartfelt gratitude and best wishes to the HSS team for giving this platform to our children!” The nationwide contest, first of its kind by HSS, will be held at 200 centers across 30 states. Level 1 will be mostly objective questions and written (similar to practice online exam). At Level 2, it will be oral (objective and subjective).
Level 3 will have written, oral, and team aspects to it. Before Level 1, the contestants may do a Home Project which is optional. Level 3 National will be held at June 15-16 weekend in Chicago. The organizers will take care of all boarding and lodging arrangements. Some travel allowances may also be considered. For more information, visit www.dharmabee.org. In Houston itself, 19 prominent Hindu organizations have opened their heart and premises as the Dharma Bee Centers for level 1 test. Along with rest of the country, Houston has seen a surge in interest towards this noble and unique project. HSS is expecting 10,000 children to participate in this by the time the registration closes next month. “I am very pleased that we are getting good support from many Houston temples and Hindu organizations for this unique contest” said Manoj Rathi, HSS Public Relation Incharge ,Houston Chapter . All participants who pass the practice pre-qualifying exam will receive a certificate. Medals will be awarded to Level 1 winners. Level 2 winners will receive trophies. Winners going to Chicago will receive some travel grants. Level 3 winners will receive $3,000 for 1st place, $2,000 for 2ndplace, $1,000 for 3rd place. “This year being Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary, we were really keen as to how many of our children in USA will also be able to learn about him, his life and his message... How they can take one step further in being able to appreciate and understand our dharma and culture... And we came up with Dharma Bee! It’s not only challenges a child to learn more and compete with other children but provides a forum to learn in a fun environment. It’s a unique way to confidence in our culture and heritage,” Sreevidya said. Besides the Home Project at level 1, all participants going to Level 2 may do an optional Sewa Project and earn extra points. Each participant can think of a service project, do it, and receive 1 additional point for each hour spent on the service project. A maximum of 5 extra points can be earned for completing a service project before Level 2. Contestants making it to Level 3 will be required to visit a place that Swami Vivekananda visited, stayed, or a nearby Vedanta Center/Ramakrishna Center. If there is no such location nearby their home, they can do a phone interview with one of the Swamis about his views or visit such a location. Each Level 3 participant will be required to give a presentation of the visit when he or she goes to Chicago. After seeing this initial enthusiastically overwhelming response, HSS organizers are hopeful that such contests will continue in future.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
March 01, 2013
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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18
EDITORIAL
March 01, 2013
Poor No More
To fill its empty coffers, the sarkar might declare us all ‘rich’ There is a widespread feeling that the government – in order to fill its coffers and prune the growing fiscal deficit which is pulling the economy down and adding to inflation – is planning to increase taxes on the rich. Many if not most feel that there is no good reason as to why the rich shouldn’t shell out more tax. However, the problem arises when it comes to judging who is rich, and who is poor. Often, such judgments are based on one’s own financial standing. For instance, to the pavement dweller, the person riding by on a scooter might seem rich in comparison to him. In turn, the scooterist might feel poor in relation to the CEO of the company for which he works.And the CEO might feel poor in comparison with Mukesh Ambani, who, conceivably, might feel shortchanged when exchanging notes with the Sultan of Brunei. But surely the sarkar has a reliable and objective yardstick to measure who is rich and who is poor. Or does it? Last year, the Planning Commission created a stir when it determined that people capable of spending 24 per day on themselves in rural areas, and 32 a day in urban areas, could not technically be called poor, and hence should not be eligible for subsidy benefits meant for those who are below the official poverty line. When people asked how someone who had only 24 per day to spend on food, shelter and clothing – never mind frivolities like healthcare – could possibly be deemed to be ‘not poor’, the Planning Commission said that it had been misunderstood. Clearly there is a lot of scope for misunderstanding between the commonsensical definition of the word ‘poor’ and the government’s definition of it. Conversely the sarkar can make the word ‘rich’ mean anything it wants it to mean. Looking at the scooterist from the pavement dweller’s point of view – or from the point of view of the ‘nonpoor’ person who can afford to spend 24 a day on food, clothing and shelter – the sarkar can claim that anyone who can afford to buy and drive a scooter is ‘rich’, and therefore liable to higher taxation. If you are reading this, you are obviously English-educated and as such are likely to belong to the upper section of India’s rapidly expanding urban middle class. As such, seen from the perspective of the ‘non-poor’ 24-a-day-spender you most certainly belong to the ‘rich’ category and are duty-bound to pay higher taxes. Indeed, by using the 24-a-day ‘non-poor’ rule of thumb, the sarkar can deem nearly all urban Indians to be ‘rich’, and thus capable of paying more tax. A 15th century English chancellor called Morton devised what is called ‘Morton’s fork’. According to this, if you lived lavishly you could obviously afford to pay more tax. If you lived frugally, you obviously were saving a lot of money, which meant you could pay more tax. Both the rich and the poor had to cough up more. Our sarkar seems to be using Morton’s logic to ensure that all of us are well and truly forked. Jug Suraiya in Times of India
BY FARIDA HASANALI Did you watch the Oscars this past Sunday? If not, then you can either pass on this article or read it to get an overview and my biased opinion of who should and shouldn’t have won. Let’s set the stage first. This year the Oscars show was watched by one billion people, yes that’s billion with a “b.” Why do so many people watch this show? It’s our temporary relief from the stark reality of our lives. For those three hours we live vicariously through the accomplishments of others. We lament at our inability to accomplish our dreams of being rich and famous and rationalize our failures by finding faults with dresses, suits, speeches and performances. The show started with Seth McFarlan’s monologue which was kind of funny to most. If you don’t know who that is, he is the one who made the movie Ted. A story about an adult male whose best friend is a talking teddy bear who gets him into all sorts of trouble. What I liked about McFarlan was that he was an equal opportunity deprecator. He had racial jokes, religious jokes, ethnic jokes, acting jokes and even Presidential jokes. What I found even more amusing than McFarlan was Helen Hunt in the first row. She was not at all amused by anything he had to say. She barely cracked a smile even in some of the most hilarious segments. I guess she just hadn’t had enough to drink. I liked the premise of having Captain Kirk (hard to take him seriously after watching the Priceline commercials) but I really think William Shatner is washed out. He is just not funny and his delivery was flat. He was supposed to have come back from the future to warn McFarlan that his reviews were going to be horrid and show him the mistakes he had made for that to happen. He was tolerable only because his lines were short and all he had to what push a couple of buttons. The saving grace of the opening segment was that McFarlan can sing, that boy has an amazing voice and even though he offended almost everyone with his lyrics, he sounded really good doing it. I like the part where the camera pans to the actors he is picking on cause I love to see their reactions. Can you believe
Oscaritis!
Best actress award for Jennifer Lawrence. Really?
there are some that look annoyed? Seriously? You are an actor at a show. Play along with the humor and enjoy yourself. This year must have been one of the toughest years for the Oscar judges. What a fabulous line-up of movies and actors. I wanted there to be a tie between Les Miserables and Lincoln. Both were such massive undertakings. I have a great respect for period films because of the complexity of recreating a near perfect past world. When you are recreating the past you have to be careful about every little detail, because we the viewers know the past and can pick out any inconsistencies overlooked by the film makers. I was seriously disappointed Argo won the best film award. I respect the complexity behind the film. The multiple locations (especially abroad), the recreation of the past (though not so distant past) but I didn’t get that “awe” feeling when I watched it like I did with Les Miserables. In fact I was quite bored with the first 10 minutes of the film. No offense Ben Affleck, I really like you, I just didn’t think Argo stood out against my other two favorites. My second biggest disappointment came in the best actress category. Jennifer Lawrence? Really? Yes, she is gorgeous, even though she fell on her way to get her Oscar but seriously this one should have gone to Sally Field. Lawrence did not have to learn a new accent, wear corsets and recreate a past world. Lawrence will also have many other opportunities to get an Oscar, but this may have been
Sally Field’s last major performance. I guess the judges don’t really take that into account. I know a lot of people wanted Quvenzhané Wallis to win for Beasts of the Southern Wild but really she is just way too young and although that isn’t a real reason for her not to have it, I think it’s really good enough that she got nominated. She has many years left to win an Oscar.. As in all shows, there are at least one or two things that go right and in this one it was the best actor and best director award. Daniel Day Lewis, my heart skips a beat, yes….he won best actor! Phew! If he hadn’t I was fully prepared to turn off the TV and start a scathing Facebook rant about how delusional the Oscar show had become. I loved his little acceptance speech. He thanked his wife for putting up with him. You see when he gets into character he stays that way even when he is home. So in their 16 year marriage she has been with 18 different men, lucky girl! Ang Lee won for best director for Life of Pi. I loved that book, it was so thought provoking. Although both Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg are my all-time favourites I was alright with Ang Lee winning because he had to deliver a story whose characters were real but whose situation was surreal. Having said that, I do want to give a shout out to Quentin Tarantino; he is crazy, but he is creative freaking crazy. He took the very sensitive topic of slavery, enveloped it in comedy, drama, heroism, and frustration and delivered it in a beautiful way. This is Farida Hasanali, signing off from the Oscar review, now to watch Joan Rivers ruthlessly destroy the worst dressed at the Oscars which I leave up to the National Inquirer to deliver. Farida Hasanali is a free lance writer for several Indo American community publications. In her day job, Hasanali works as a Knowledge & Program Manager for BP’s Remediation Management Division.
Indo American News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI MANAGING EDITOR: MANASI GOKHALE ADVERTISING & ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN CORRESPONDENTS
HOUSTON: MANU SHAH, CHETNA SAMAL CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, INDIA: RAJ KANWAR ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
March 01, 2013
19
Strong Turnout and Great Feedback for IIT 2013 Liftoff
BY PARTHA SARATHI CHATTERJEE HOUSTON: IIT 2013 Global Conference, the annual global conference organized by the alumni of Indian Institutes of Technology, had its Official Conference Kick-Off on February 23. The conference is open to all and aims to bring together “the best and the brightest”, including graduates of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), many of whom have been responsible for advances and innovation in engineering, science and technology, in the U.S. and other countries. PanIIT leaders visited Houston to meet with the Conference steering committee, advisors and the volunteers. In addition to the main kick-off meeting, the two-day event had a pre-kickoff dinner at Chairman Witty Bindra’s residence and a great golf event at the top-rated Club at Carlton Woods. The official kick-off on Saturday afternoon started with a meeting of the PanIIT leaders with the conference steering committee and advisors at the swanky Hilton-Americas, venue of the conference in December. Roy DaSilva, the Executive Director of PanIIT USA, started off the meeting, sharing the expectations of the conference and his own experience organizing and attending the conferences. Suresh Shenoy, Chairman of the Conference Advisory Committee of all the past chairs, shared his tremendous wealth of knowledge from getting sponsorships to attracting attendees to inviting marquee speakers. It was immensely helpful to understand the lessons learned from previous conferences – the pitfalls as also the success stories in various aspects of the conference. They shared update on the marquee speakers, who have confirmed attendance and also, are tied to the conference theme – “Inspiring Innovation for Tomorrow”. Arjun Sen talked about developing the IIT brand and ensuring we market not only the conference but also the institution. Steering committee members had a multitude of questions which were addressed by the PanIIT leaders, leading to action items to be followed up by the conference team. An enthusiastic team of volunteers joined the PanIIT leaders in taking a tour of the facilities. Operations Chair, Tapan Das, walked the team through the banquet halls, exhibit halls and meeting rooms to be used for the conference. Suresh Shenoy and the volunteers shared various ideas and got their questions about the facilities answered. Finally, an open session was held with the conference volunteers, steer-
ing committee and advisors with the PanIIT leadership. Chairman Witty Bindra invited everyone to the kickoff meeting and stressed the need for everyone to work as a team and focus on three items, “SOS” – Sponsors to fund the conference, Outreach to reach out to attendees, and Speakers to speak at the conference. Vice-Chair Pratish Kanani unveiled the promotional video for the conference – short crisp and upbeat video introducing the conference and its venue, Houston. Suresh Shenoy urged the volunteers to put their efforts behind making the conference a success – a legacy they will be proud of in the future. Volunteers had different questions and detailed feedback on various aspects of the conference – from speakers to entertainment to sponsorship and marketing. Respective Committee Chairs answered many of the questions and noted down some as future action items. Marketing & Strategy Chair, Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, worked with Tejinder Singh, the PanIIT Media Advisor, and Arjun Sen, VicePresident of PanIIT, on detailing a media plan to publicize not only the conference but also the IIT brand. In-
dividual Committee Chairs, Murthy Divakaruni (Program Content), Hemant Jha (Registration), Surajit Dasgupta (Sponsorship), Abhijit Gadgil & Prabhu Murugan (Finance) went over their plans and answered questions regarding their progress. Suresh Shenoy, the PanIIT USA’s Chair of the Conference Advisory Committee commented “I was blown away by the enthusiasm, preparation and leadership in Houston. Their commitment to deliver a conference that exceeds anything we have done previously is impressive. They have done a great job of including the community, garnering major sponsors, lining up marquee speakers and mobilizing a large volunteer group. I am confident this event marking the 10th anniversary of the first PANIIT conference will be memorable.” In a nutshell, there was tremendous enthusiasm regarding Kick-Off and the PanIIT leadership was strongly impressed by the progress of the conference team, led by Witty Bindra and Pratish Kanani. They are very confident about the success of the conference, which plans to inspire innovation for tomorrow and leave a mark for the future.
Rajat Gupta Ordered to Pay Goldman $6.2 Million
NEWYORK: Former Goldman Sachs board member Rajat Gupta was ordered Monday to pay $6.2 million for legal fees incurred by his former employer during his trial, in which he was convicted for insider trading. Gupta, one of the most senior US businessmen convicted for white collar cheating, was told to foot the bank’s legal bills by federal Judge Jed Rakoff in New York. “This Court has no difficulty in concluding, by a preponderance of evidence, that nearly all of the expenses Goldman Sachs here
claims were the necessary, direct, and foreseeable result of the investigation and prosecution of Gupta’s offense of conviction,” Rakoff wrote in his decision. Gupta is free on bail while appealing his two-year prison sentence. He was convicted last June of spilling boardroom secrets to his friend Raj Rajaratnam, the former Galleon hedge fund tycoon who was earlier sentenced to 11 years in prison for insider trading. In addition to his spot on the Goldman Sachs board, Gupta had been head of the renowned consultancy McKinsey & Co, and a director of Procter & Gamble, making him one of the most successful Indian immigrants in the United States.
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SUDOKU
Place a Number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine. Send us the correct answer before March 06, 2013 to win complimentary Movie tickets to the advance screening of THE CROODS on March 9. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com to get the free movie tickets code.
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HEALTH
March 01, 2013
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Indian Women Opt to Freeze Their Eggs (TOI) Deepika Gupta, 35, a lawyer in a Delhi court, has been into a few relationships but has not been able to narrow down to Mr Right. With her biological clock ticking fast and her wish to have her own children in the near future, she has now chosen to have her eggs frozen and have babies when she finds her companion. Though a new concept in India, there is an increasing trend of working women - both single and married - who want to delay pregnancy to focus on their careers, going in for freezing eggs. It’s scientifically called “oocyte freezing”. According to experts, with women
getting more career-oriented and opting for late marriages, fertility could decline and their chances of having babies later too become difficult. But egg freezing offers them an option to have their biological children whenever they want. “Many women are coming forward to preserve their fertility as either they don’t want to have a child now or haven’t found the right person. Every month we get four-five queries about egg freezing and one or two of them come in for the procedure,” Shivani Sachdev Gour, director, Surrogacy Centre India (SCI) Healthcare, in Kailash Colony in south Delhi, said. The right age for a woman to have children is before 30, after which the ovum quality slowly reduces. After the age of 37, it becomes really difficult for women to conceive naturally. Ovum is a mature egg ready for fertilization. “Women aged between 30 and 35 years face problems in conceiving. Most of my customers are above the age of 35 and are generally single women or married women who are not ready to take a maternity break while their career is at its peak,” Gour said. The technique of egg freezing -
where the ovum from a healthy woman is taken and stored for future use - was popular among higher income groups but career-oriented women are now becoming aware of it and coming forward for the procedure. “Initially egg freezing was used for medical reasons where women suffering from diseases like cancer used to freeze their eggs before going in for chemotherapy, which affects the ovulation process. However, this technique is now being used for lifestyle reasons too,” Gour said. The process takes two-four weeks from injecting hormones to stimulate ovulation, egg retrieval and preservation at minus 196 degree Celsius for future use. Doctors said after egg freezing, a woman has also to go through the entire process of egg retrieval, banking and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in future. The procedure costs around Rs.140,000-Rs.160,000 (about 2,500-3,000 USD). Gour said her clinic charges Rs. 30,000 (about 600 USD) annually for egg banking. The process is available only at a few places in the capital, including Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi. Talking about the process, Abha
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Majumdar, head of the Centre of IVF and Human Reproduction in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said: “On an average, a woman ovulates one egg monthly and hormones are injected to ensure multiple ovulations during the process.” The eggs are monitored with the help of ultrasound and hormone testing to ensure good quality. “The women have to undergo a minor procedure so that eggs are collected from the ovaries and protected under a special process,” said Majumdar. Gour said the success of egg freezing depends on the preservation process. “We now have fast freezing process where survival of eggs after thawing is above 90 percent which also results in a normal baby,” said Gour. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is also exploring egg freezing as an option for preserving fertility and is planning to develop an egg banking system. “We are in the process of developing it but it will take some time before it becomes functional,” Alka Kriplani from the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Centre and IVF facility of the AIIMS said.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
ASIE Celebrates National Engineers Week
BY DINESH SHAH The year 2013 started very busy for American Society of Indian Engineers (ASIE). In January, under the leadership of newly elected President Vishal Merchant, the year 2013 Executive committee was formed, which included Showeri Nandagiri as Vice president, Sekhar Ambadapudi as Secretary, and Karthik Balasubramanian as Treasurer. The current Board of Directors are Madhu Kilambi, Amal Dutta, Raj Basavaraju, Rajesh Tolikonda, and Chetan Vyas. The Board of Advisors include Srinivas Chintalapati, Hasmukh Doshi, Dinesh D. Shah, Virendra K Bansal, and Mahesh Wadhwa. On February 2, ASIE volunteers participated at MATHCOUNTS competition sponsored by Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TBPE), which was held at Flour Corp in Sugar Land, by serving as Proctors and Graders. MATHCOUNTS is a national math enrichment, coaching & competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state & territory. Schools select students to compete individually or as part of a team in one of the more than 500 written and oral competitions held nationwide. Top students advance to the state, and ultimately, national level. On February 15, ASIE organized a two part event at Mayuri Restaurant, which was attended by over sixty
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March 01, 2013
Engineers Week in Houston
“Indian Engineers Engineering the Future” award recipients Navin Krishnasing and Sujan Patel with ASIE memebrs
members and was sponsored by Geotech Engineering and KIT professionals. The topic for the seminar was “Problem solving 102” by Dr. Saidas M. Ranade, who has obtained Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of Houston. The second part of the event was meet and greet with Indian Consul General Parvathaneni Harish. The National Engineers Week 2013, known as EWeek was celebrated during February 17 to 23. The theme for the event was “Celebrate Awesome”, and it was definitely celebrated awesome and enabled the UH engineering students and organizations to receive an awesome about of money and recognition. About $57,000 was awarded to 72 students and 5 organizations from corporations, professional engineering organizations, Cougar engineers, and friends of UH. The 9-year total of cash awards passed the quarter million dollar mark at about $268,000. About 240 engineering students,
alumni, faculty, staff, and sponsors attended this event. For this EWeek celebration, on February 19 during UH EAA Student Awards Banquet, ASIE presented “Indian Engineers Engineering the Future” award to two recipients. Navin Krishnasing and Sujan Patel were awarded with $ 500 scholarship. Navin has been an active participant in the Scholar Enrichment Program where he leads workshops to assist students enrolled in Physics. He is also a tutor for other students. He shows great potential for leadership in and out of the classroom. Sujan is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE). He attended the Shell Drilling and Production Camp with the UH team and is active in the Scholar Enrichment Program and PROMES as a mentor for his peers. Ravi Arora presented the award to Sujan Patel and Hasmukh Doshi presented the second award to Navin Krishnasing.
Volunteers during Engineers week on February 23 at Northbrook Middle School. Photo: Abby Kannappan
HOUSTON: The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) participated in an event called “Expanding Your Horizons,” put on by The American Association of University Women (AAUW), for about 400 middle schools girls at Northbrook Middle School in Houston on Saturday, February 23. The workshop that SWE-Houston Area held was titled “Catch A Thief- A Lesson in Chromotography” and was done with a number of middle school students participating. Sockalingam Sam Kannappan P.E, Texas Board of Professional Engineers, attended the event as an outreach program coordinator of
the board. Jill Bullard Almaguer, President of SWE-HA and Danielle Mauz, Vice-President Outreach of SWE-HA gave instructions to the students about the detective work of identifying the pen used to write the ransom note among four suspects. Volunteers included Abby Kannappan with Chevron and Esabelle Verdeja with Greene, Tweed & Co. When asked, a number of students mentioned that they are interested in taking mathematics and science classes to become an engineer. Mary Studlick, a former SWE-HA president, with ExxonMobil Development company, delivered the key note address to kick off the event.
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Oscars-Winning Soundtrack was Made in Chennai for Life of Pi
CHENNAI (TOI): One scene in the Hollywood film “ Life of Pi” had recording engineer Sai Shravanam’s full attention. When the majestic tiger walks away from its master Pi Patel in the final scene, Shravanam was caught up in the emotional high it created. Largely because it was one of the few scenes that didn’t carry the Oscar-winning background score he helped create in his studio in Chennai. Singer Bombay Jayashri’s “Pi’s Lullaby” might have lost out to British singer Adele at the Oscars on Sunday, but director Ang Lee’s film is full of sounds created in Chennai. Shravanam’s studio, Resound India in Adyar, recorded “Pi’s Lullaby” and the Indian rhythm section of the film’s background score, which won an Oscar for composer Mychael Danna. It all started when Jayashri approached Shravanam in July 2012 to work on a film. Once the producer, Fox Studios, was happy with the output, they asked him whether he could do the score. But they wanted to record remotely. “Normally, we go wherever the composers are, or they come to us. Here, they wanted the artist to perform live in my studio and Lee and Danna listened to them sitting in a Los Angeles studio,” says 32-year-old Shravanam, who has worked with classical musicians like M Balamuralikrishna, Lalgudi Jayaraman and dancers such as Leela Samson. Shravanam says he didn’t have the required technical background or technology to send high-quality live feeds. “But I told them I was willing to learn and they bought the licence for Source Connect software,” he says.
The software is similar to Skype and helps users send high-quality audio and video data in real time, with little lag. “I didn’t sleep for five nights as I had to understand the technology that would help me sync my studio with the one in Los Angeles,” he says. Once the test sessions were over, the recording went without a glitch, with
Danna and Lee giving inputs to percussionist V Selvaganesh as he was performing. “The entire process was over in 20 days,” says Shravanam. “I think it was the first time such a recording happened in India. I loved the way we worked together as a team and it is great to know that the sound production was good enough for an Oscar.”
Some of the soundtracks of the movie Life of Pi had their origins in a studio in Adyar, Chennai. Sai Shravanam of Resound India recorded the Indian percussion segment in Chennai while the music was simultaneously matched to the visuals in Los Angeles. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
Upcoming Event 12 hour Holi Satsang at Shri Kripalu Kunj Ashram Sat Mar 23 2013, 9am to 9pm
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March 01, 2013 Indian Performing Arts SAMSKRITI (Rathna Kumar – Artistic Director)
Proudly presents
The Director and Staff of the
A Kuchipudi Dance Performance By
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A recital by the students of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts '
In joyous celebration of the Center’s 38th Anniversary 1975 – 2013
And as a special tribute to the late, great Gurus
Kalaimamani Smt. K. J. Sarasa & Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam
6.30 PM, Saturday, March 16, 2013 Kaplan Theater, Evelyn Rubinstein Jewish Community Center
Saturday, March 16, 3.00 – 6.00 PM
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5601 S. Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096
5601 S. Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096
CHIEF GUESTS: THE HON. SHRI P. HARISH, CONSUL GENERAL OF INDIA IN HOUSTON, AND MRS. NANDITA HARISH
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• Coca-Cola was originally green. • The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910. • In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere. • Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. • A shrimp’s heart is in its head. • The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. • A rat can last longer without water than a camel. • A snail can sleep for three years. Source:4education.freeservers.com INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
March 01, 2013
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Apple Signals Emerging-Market Rethink with India Push BY DEVIDUTTA TRIPATHY AND HARICHANDAN ARAKALI NEW DELHI/BANGALORE (REUTERS): As BlackBerry launches the first smartphone from its makeor-break BB10 line in India, one of its most loyal markets, the company faces new competition from a formidable rival that has long had a minimal presence in the country. More than four years after it started selling iPhones in India, Apple Inc is now aggressively pushing the device through installment payment plans that make it more affordable, a new distribution model and heavy marketing blitz. “Now your dream phone” at 5,056 rupees ($93), read a recent full frontpage ad for an iPhone 5 in the Times of India, referring to the initial payment on a phone priced at $840, or almost two months’ wages for an entry-level software engineer. The new-found interest in India suggests a subtle strategy shift for Apple, which has moved tentatively in emerging markets and has allowed rivals such as Samsung and BlackBerry to dominate with more affordable smartphones. With the exception of China, all of its Apple stores are in advanced economies. Apple expanded its India sales effort in the latter half of 2012 by adding two distributors. Previously it sold iPhones only through a few carriers and stores it calls premium resellers. The result: iPhone shipments to India between October and December nearly tripled to 250,000 units from 90,000 in the previous quarter, according to an estimate by Jessica Kwee, a Singapore-based analyst at consultancy Canalys. At The MobileStore, an Indian chain owned by the Essar conglomerate, which says it sells 15 percent of the iPhones in the country, iPhone sales tripled between December and January, thanks to a monthly payment
scheme launched last month. “Most people in India can’t afford a dollar-priced phone when the salaries in India are rupee salaries. But the desire is the same,” said Himanshu Chakrawarti, its chief executive. Apple, the distributors, retailers and banks share the advertising and interest cost of the marketing push, according to Chakrawarti. Carriers like Bharti Airtel Ltd, which also sell the iPhone 5, run separate ads. India is the world’s No. 2 cellphone market by users, but most Indians cannot afford fancy handsets. Smartphones account for just a tenth of total phone sales. In India, 95 percent of cellphone users have prepaid accounts without a fixed contract. Unlike in the United States, carriers do not subsidize handsets. Within the smartphone segment, Apple’s Indian market share last quarter was just 5 percent, according to Canalys, meaning its overall penetration is tiny. Still, industry research firm IDC expects the Indian smartphone market to grow more than five times from about 19 million units last year to 108 million in 2016, which presents a big opportunity. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd dominates Indian smartphone sales with a 40 percent share, thanks to its wide portfolio of Android devices priced as low as $110. The market has also been flooded by cheaper Android phones from local brands such as Micromax and Lava. Most smartphones sold in India are much cheaper than the iPhone, said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.
“Where the masses are - there, Apple still has a gap.” ‘I Love India. But..’ Apple helped create the smartphone industry with the iPhone in 2007. But last year Apple lost its lead globally to Samsung whose smartphones, which run on Google Inc’s free Android software, are especially attractive in Asia. Many in Silicon Valley and Wall Street believe the surest way to penetrate lower-income Asian markets would be with a cheaper iPhone, as has been widely reported but never confirmed. The risk is that a cheap iPhone would cannibalize demand for the premium version and eat into Apple’s peerless margins. The new monthly payment plan in India goes a long way to expanding the potential market, said Chakrawarti. “The Apple campaign is not meant for really the regular top-end customer, it is meant to upgrade the 10,000-12,000 handset guy to 45,000 rupees,” he said. Apple’s main focus for expansion in Asia has been Greater China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, where revenue grew 60 percent last quarter to $7.3 billion. Asked last year why Apple had not been as successful in India, Chief Executive Tim Cook said its business in India was growing but the group remained more focused on other markets. “I love India, but I believe that Apple has some higher potential in the intermediate term in some other countries,” Cook said. “The multilayer distribution there really adds to the cost of getting products to market,” he said at the time. Apple, which has partly addressed
that by adding distributors, did not respond to an email seeking comment. Ingram Micro Inc, one of its new distributors, also declined comment. Executives at Redington (India) Ltd, the other distributor, could not immediately be reached. BlackBerry, which has seen its global market share shrivel to 3.4 percent from 20 percent over the past three years, is making what is seen as a last-ditch effort to save itself with the BB10 series. The high-end BlackBerry Z10 was launched in India on Monday at 43,490 rupees ($800), close to the 45,500 rupees price tag for an iPhone 5 with 16 gigabytes of memory. Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, Nokia’s Lumia 920 and two HTC Corp models are the main iP-
hone rivals. BlackBerry will target corporate users and consumers in India for the Z10, said Sunil Dutt, India managing director, adding that it will tie-up with banks for installment plans. Until last year, BlackBerry was the No. 3 smartphone brand in India with market share of more than 10 percent, thanks to a push into the consumer segment with lower-priced phones. Last quarter its share fell to about 5 percent, putting it in fifth place, according to Canalys. Apple was sixth. Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in MUMBAI and Poornima Gupta in SAN FRANCISCO; Editing by Tony Munroe, Mark Bendeich and Chris Gallagher
Kingfisher Loses Flying Slots NEW DELHI (The Hindu): The Union Civil and Aviation Ministry stripped the beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines of international and domestic flying slots. The move is likely to make available 25,000 additional seats for passengers. The Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh, has directed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to take action to allot the domestic slots of Kingfisher Airlines to other domestic airlines. Similarly, various international routes will now be offered to the rival airlines, an official statement here said. The move comes close on heels of a decision taken by the consortium of bankers to start recalling their loans amounting to Rs.7,500 crore. “The government has decided to withdraw all international bilateral traffic rights allocated to Kingfisher Airlines with immediate effect,’’ the statement added. Under the said rights, Kingfisher Airlines was allowed to fly the sky of
eight countries, namely, Bangladesh (14 services a week), Hong Kong (14 services a week), Nepal (7 services a week), Singapore (7 services a week), Sri Lanka (14 services a week plus 21 services a week from unlimited 18 destinations), Thailand (21 services a week), UAE Dubai (21 services a week) and Great Britain (7 services a week each from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore). These traffic rights were allocated to Kingfisher Airlines between 2008 and 2011. The statement said these international traffic rights had been withdrawn from Kingfisher Airlines on account of non-utilisation by the airlines. “The Civil Aviation Minister has decided to make these international traffic rights available to other carriers for use. This would give additional availability of about 25,000 seats a week for use by other Indian carriers to these eight countries, some of which are much in demand by these carriers,” the statement said.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2013 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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SPORTS
March 01, 2013
India Beats Australia in Chennai with Dhoni’s Double
BY WILL DAVIES CHENNAI (WSJ): India has beaten Australia in the first Test as the visiting batsmen, with the exception of a stubborn Moises Henriques, were unable to cope with a spin attack led by Ravichandran Ashwin on a crumbling Chennai pitch. It was a convincing victory, inspired by a game-changing innings from captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and India will take great confidence into the next match in Hyderabad this weekend. If it hadn’t been for Henriques, India would have had this opening match of the series wrapped up within four days. The 26-year-old debutant, who was born in the cricket wilderness of Portugal, was Australia’s last man standing Tuesday, on 81 not out. His efforts ensured India would have to bat again, but with a target of 50 runs there was never any doubt about which team would emerge victorious. Murali Vijay threw away his wicket and Virender Sehwag was also dismissed, but Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar – who hit two sixes off his first two deliveries – guided India to an eight-wicket victory. By the end of the match, the dusty red wicket at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium resembled the craggy surface of Mars. Australia’s captain Michael Clarke said the pitch wasn’t as bad as it looked, but it certainly appeared to be alien territory for his team when the batting lineup collapsed Monday. Once again, a touring side has been bamboozled in the Subcontinent by Indian spin, despite having just received a batting master-class by a local boy. This time, the lesson came from Dhoni, whose career-best innings of 224 runs came to an end Monday morning. The Indian captain unleashed a volley of ferocious shots in an innings that included six sixes and 24 fours. It was the highest score ever made by an Indian captain, and the most spectacular of the six centuries he has achieved in his Test career. His disappointing form during the England tour of November and December is already a distant memory. Dhoni, a familiar face in Chennai as captain of the local Indian Premier
M.S. Dhoni’s double century took the game away from Australia.
Sachin Tendulkar was bowled on 81, India v Australia, 1st Test, Chennai, 3rd day, February 24, 2013
was the pace of James Pattinson, who took five for 96 runs in India’s first innings. With only Lyon to rely upon, Australia looked far too short on the spin front, and his three wickets in the first innings came at a very heavy price of 215 runs. In contrast, Ashwin ended the match with 12 wickets for 198 runs. Figures like that would typically secure the man-of-the-match award, but not this time. That honor rightly went to Dhoni, whose innings put India in a winning position. This is still likely to be a tightly contested four-match series between
Ravindra Jadeja picked the last wicket
League franchise, at times batted as if he was involved in a Twenty20 thrash-about rather than a Test match. His Chennai Super Kings teammate Ravichandran Ashwin also had a match to remember with a monstrous 12 wicket haul. After taking seven wickets for 103 runs in the first innings, Ashwin again dominated in the Chennai sunshine Monday, ending the day with five for 90. Harbhajan Singh, in his hundredth Test, joined the wicket-taking party Monday, taking two for 55, while Ravindra Jadeja, the other prong of India’s spin triumvirate, took two for 68 as Australia’s batting lineup folded. Jadeja finished off the innings with Lyon’s wicket Tuesday morning.
The Australian batsmen, with the exception of Henriques and Clarke, who scored 130 and 31, looked uncomfortable throughout Monday as India’s spinners peppered the dusty surface with deliveries that were just as likely to leap high as stay low. The contrast with Sunday was stark, and not just with Dhoni. Virat Kohli, Tendulkar and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar at number 10 batted brilliantly, with Kohli scoring the fourth century of his Test career before carelessly hitting a catch to Mitchell Starc off the bowling of Lyon. Tendulkar came close to adding to his 100 international centuries, but was undone on 81, again by Lyon, Australia’s lone spinner. While India’s spinners shared all of the wickets, Australia’s biggest threat
the world’s number three (Australia) and four (India) ranked Test teams. India will remember that a convincing win against England in the first Test of that tour in November didn’t lead to a series triumph. But Australia’s Clarke, without the experienced old heads of the nowretired Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, will have a tough job rallying his troops for the next match in Hyderabad. His Indian counterpart Dhoni can afford to take a more relaxed approach, though that has always been his way.
India Moves to 4th Spot in Test Rankings DUBAI (The Hindu): India moved up a rung to fourth in the ICC Test rankings for teams replacing Pakistan, while Sachin Tendulkar jumped three places to be 17th in the batsmen’s chart announced on Wednesday. Among the bowlers, off-spinner R. Ashwin rose to a career-best 11th. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni charged up 15 places to 21st courtesy his maiden double hundred at Chennai. Virat Kohli gained 10 places and is now on a career-best 25th position. South Africa consolidated their position on the top of the Test rankings after a thumping victory over Pakistan in the third and the final Test at Centurion. There was no other change in the top 10 of the bowlers’ table, which is headed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn followed by his teammate Vernon Philander. Hashim Amla continued to lead the Test batsmen chart followed by Australian skipper Michael Clarke.
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Deadly Bombings Hit Hyderabad, Killing at least 13 People BY HEATHER TIMMONS & GARDINER HARRIS NEW DELHI (NYT): Two bombs on Thursday killed at least 13 people and wounded about 70 in a busy shopping district in the southern city of Hyderabad at the height of the evening rush hour, the largest terrorist bombing in India since September 2011. Sushil Kumar Shinde, India’s home affairs minister, said the central government had warned state governments that such an attack was planned. “We have had some information for the last two days of such an incident,” he said. Hyderabad, one of India’s largest cities and a leading center of the country’s growing pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, has faced other such attacks in recent years, usually linked to sectarian friction. The sites of the blasts — in the Dilsukhnagar neighborhood, packed with shops, restaurants, theaters and a huge produce market — were quickly mobbed by protesters, reporters, curious onlookers, and politicians and their entourages. Video on television news in the hours after the bombings showed chaotic scenes, with some investigators trying to find the remains of the explosive devices, which were planted on bicycles, while huge numbers of people jostled for space around them. Shinde, speaking to journalists in New Delhi, said that the bicycles were almost 500 feet away from each other and that the bombs detonated about 10 minutes apart, killing eight at one site and three at the other. But he forewarned that the toll could rise, and it did so, with 13 reported dead by midnight. In a Twitter message, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “This is a dastardly attack, the guilty will not go unpunished.” They and other officials sought to diminish the chances of the kind of sectarian rioting that has long plagued the country. Asked in a news conference if he believed that Muslim extremists were to blame for Thursday’s blasts, Shinde said, “We have to investigate. We should not come to conclusion immediately.” In another Twitter message, Singh said: “I appeal to the public to remain
between the police and Muslim protesters afterward. In August 2007, a pair of synchronized explosions tore through two popular gathering spots in Hyderabad, killing at least 42 people and wounding dozens. In the hours after the blast, police found and defused 19 more bombs, left at
bus stops, theaters, pedestrian bridges and intersections. In New Delhi in September 2011, a briefcase exploded near the high court, killing at least 12 people and injuring scores. Hari Kumar contributed reporting.
US Seeks Closer Relations with Pakistan
The scene of a blast at Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Feb.21, 2013. (AP)
Officials look for evidence in the debris of one of the two bomb blast sites in Hyderabad, India. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP
calm and maintain peace.” Asaduddin Owaisi, a Muslim member of Parliament from Hyderabad, called the blasts “cowardly.” “I feel that the priority is to maintain peace,” he said. “Let us not fall prey to rumors.” The crush of government officials where the blasts took place, along with their large entourages and their own police squads, was portrayed by the news channel NDTV as particularly unhelpful. The money and resources spent on protecting government officials and politicians has become a source of increasing controversy in India, especially when security for ordinary people is lacking, as was underscored recently by a highly publicized gang rape case in December in New Delhi. Indian politicians, like those elsewhere, often compete with one another to show who is tougher on acts of terrorism and other crimes.
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“We’ve seen political leaders come into the area and hold press conferences,” an NDTV anchor said. “That’s the last thing they should be doing.” Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, the chief minister of the state of Andhra Pradesh, where Hyderabad is, held a news conference away from the scene late Thursday night and asked people to stay away from the blast areas. Renuka Chowdhury, a leader of the Indian National Congress Party, pleaded with other politicians to stay away as well. “I really wish politicians would recognize this,” Ms. Chowdhury said. The bombings in recent years in Hyderabad have often used homemade explosives. In May 2007, 13 people died after a bomb went off at the Mecca Masjid, a mosque there, including some who were killed in clashes
WASHINGTON (DN): The United States seeks to boost its relationship with Pakistan, though it is committed to winding up its combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of next year, says a top Pentagon commander. Gen Lloyd J. Austin, nominee for commander of US Central Command (Centcom), told his confirmation hearing earlier this week that the conflict in Afghanistan remained Centcom’s top priority despite the Obama administration’s determination to end the war by December 2014.
President Barack Obama announced this week that 34,000 US troops, about half of those now there, would leave Afghanistan over the next year and this, the general said, had increased Centcom’s responsibilities. The movement of so many troops and their equipment would be a “Herculean undertaking,” Gen Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Last week, reports in the Pakistani media said the US had already started the pullout and was using the Karachi port for the purpose. Senator Joseph Donnelly, a Democrat, suggested the United States should also make alternative arrangements for withdrawal from Afghanistan. “One of the things we want to do is to continue to work closely with Pakistan on that plan, but also have alternative options, if there are bumps in the road as we proceed
forward with borders and with other things,” he said. Former US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter told a briefing in Washington on Wednesday that Washington’s “callousness” over the killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a US air strike on a post in November 2011 had strained ties between the two nations. “The fact that we were unable to say that we were sorry until July (2012) cost our country literally billions of dollars,” Mr Munter said. But Gen Austin assured the Senate committee that ties with Pakistan were on a positive trail now. “I think our relations with Pakistan are critical.” Gen Austin, now the Army’s vice chief of staff, said as the new Centcom commander his goal would be to “immediately work to continue to boost the existing relationship, which is on somewhat of a positive slope right now, a positive path.” When a senator asked how he would deal with Pakistan as the Centcom chief, Gen Austin said: “I want to continue to build on that. They will be a key throughout going into the future.” But lawmakers underlined the problems that strain relations between the two allies and urged him to deal with those too. “Among the greatest threats to stability are the safe havens for Afghan insurgents across the Pakistan border, which the government of Pakistan has failed to disrupt or eliminate,” said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Ranking Republican Senator James Inhofe said: “In Pakistan, we see a nuclear-armed government teetering on collapse while militant groups have enjoyed that as a safe haven.
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