E newspaper05152015 by Indo American News

Friday, May 15 2015 | Vol. 34, No. 20

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

May 15, 2015

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

May 15, 2015

Students Discuss the Role Future Technologies Will Have By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Almost nine months after the class year started, the 48 high school students of the Youth Leadership Development Program were in the final stretch with the session that happened last Saturday, May 9 between them and graduation. Some felt the pressure of the previous months of competitiveness – and held back emotions that had been cultivated in them as they came prepared to analyze what they heard and relate their opinion in front of their peers and the teachers and mentors of the YLDP. But most held up and supported the weaker ones as they broke out into teams to report their conclusions. Each team had a specific topic to respond to in the meeting room of India House as a panel of three judges – YLDP Board members Nat Krishnamurthy, Shrimati Kumar and Ritu Raju – graded their performance. YLDP President Sushma Bhan presented the speaker for session 8 (there is one per month and nine in total for the class year which runs from September to May), Ann Pickard, Executive Vice President with Shell exploration and Production, adding “she has been called the bravest woman in

Photos: Sarvesh Bhavaraju

the business.” Formerly in charge of Shell’s operations in Nigeria, Pickard is now in charge of Shell’s Artic project, which the Obama administration gave the go ahead to just this week. Pickard talked about leadership attributes at Shell: ACGP for Authenticity, Collaboration, Growth and Performance and in doing so traced her own career path and shared her experiences with culture, diversity and decision making. She said she had always been motivated to go to new places and take up new challenges, but always asked people on the ground what they needed before making decisions. She stressed the importance of diversity in making inclusive and comprehensive decisions. The five teams of students took Pickard’s ideas and dissected them to respond to one question each from the judges, ranging from the lessons learnt from the Gulf of Mexico Macondo disaster to ways to encourage STEM studies for youth, managing innovation, its impact, deployment and risks. Each student in the team presented admirably and a few defended themselves well to questions posed by this reporter. In concluding, Rachana Wood, continued on page

Indo American News • Friday, May 15, 2015 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

May 15, 2015

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COMMUNITY

May 15, 2015

Laugh your sides out in Hindi Till your cheeks Hurt !

By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: For the packed, sell-out crowd of 350, the words couldn’t be truer; its why they had come out to hear these fluid and fast Hindi speakers. “English is a very peculiar language,” jested headliner poet Arun Gemini as he stood at the mic, “Some letters are silent. Well then, throw them away! Why are they there? In Hindi the words are written and spoken the same way!” Then he launched into the Hindi one-liner jokes which he is popular and famous for, sparing nothing but staying in safe territory. “Krishna was pumping up Arjun and told him 18 stanzas, then paused and asked him ‘Will you fight or shall I tell you more?!’.” He paused for dramatic effect and the audience roared with laughter. Gemini was one half of a poetic comedy duo with Ved Prakash Ved who also hit his routine with deadpan delivery. The third member of the troupe that performed the eleventh program of its US tour (they had just arrived from Dallas and would visit eight more cities) was Ritu Goel, who was the serious poet, enchanting the audience with her verses, sometimes sung out without accompaniment. They had come to Houston at the eighth annual Hasya Kavi Sammellan (Laughing Poet’s Gathering) on Saturday, May 9 at India House organized by the local chapter of the International Hindi Association and spearheaded by organizers Sangeeta Pasrija, Swapan Dhairyawan and Charlie Patel; with a push for the strong ticket sales by Nisha Mirani, Pramod Bengani, Ajit Patel and Fatehali Chatur that led to the sell-out crowd. Mona Thakkar of Krishna Sounds handled the sound system, with Darshak running between events after setup (he thrives on the adrenaline rush!). It being the eve of Mother’s Day, the group, led by Deepty Patel, Sangita Bhutada, Pallavi Dhairyawan, Sangeeta Derashri and Sapna Shah made gift bags of a pashmina shawl for all the moms who came. Umang Mehta of Deep Foods donated the juices, samosas and gulab jamuns and Mahesh Shah of Madras Pavilion provided the great chai, refreshments, buffet dinner and later dinner to the artists at the restaurant. The artists stayed at the house of Meera and

Umesh Kapur and Raj and Kanwal Bhalla for the limo arrangements for their airport departure. The emcee for the evening, Manisha Gandhi, introduced the artists, gallantly in Hinglish, thanking the supporters Wallis State Bank, Paradise Gifts, MD & Associates, Hindu Worship Society, Dr. Ashima and Anand Chauhan and the Bhavsar and Bhambani families. The ceremonial lighting of the lamps were performed by Jyotsna Dhairyawan (Swapan’s mother: he was delighted to be with her on Mother’s Day again after 16 years) and Shakuntla Malhotra (this reporter’s mother) and then Charlie Patel gave a welcoming speech shudh Hindi which was as difficult in construction (and in some cases pronunciation) as it was for many to imagine he could deliver! He was followed by Sangeeta Pasrija, who started the local Hindi chapter (and is known for her oneliners on couples from Haryana), and delivered a complicated and elaborated introduction of the artists in pure Hindi, some words flying over people’s heads. Arun Gemini of Delhi is the son of the famous poet Jamini Haryanvi and is one of the most popular humorists in India. His has traveled extensively and this marked his return visit to Houston after seven years. Ritu Goel is from Delhi too but hails from Kolkata. She is a journalist by profession, associated with newspapers and TV channels and has produced documentaries in India. Ved Prakash Ved, also of Delhi, is a highly celebrated poet; a regular on national radio and TV and has published humorous books. This is Goel and Ved’s first visit to the US. Arun Gemini started off with a series of jokes, saying “only man can laugh, not animals, you don’t see a donkey laughing” he deadpanned staring at the crowd who roared with laughter. He asked Ritu Goel to offer an opening bhajan to the Goddess Saraswati before continuing. Then Gemini launched into a series of jokes on husbands and wives (a common topic throughout the night) before relinquishing the mic to Ved Prakash Ved who continued with one-liners and observations of life in India that had the crowd in stitches. Ritu Goel interposed with beautifully framed poems about feelings, teachers, moms and even

Alpa Shah (on left) and Pallavi Dhairyawan (right) helped Joytsna Dhairyawan (left) and Shakuntla Malhotra light the ceremonial lamp before the event Photos: Sanjay Sohini

From left, Ved Prakash Ved, Arun Gemini and Ritu Goel regalled the audience with jokes and poetry in Hindi at the Hasya Kavi Sammellan at India House

SMS or texts and emails. The pervading sensation was one of rapt and noisy laughter as the audience caught the jokes and

let loose with delight and applause. Hearing the witticisms come out in Hindi, a language that is increasingly less used among desis here

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these days, made the ideas more impressionable and lasting: an escape from the everyday humdrum in English.

COMMUNITY

May 15, 2015

Akshaya Patra Provides emergency meals & Builds Kitchen For nepal earthquake survivors own knowledge of engineering to design immense mechanized kitchen facilities capable of preparing meals for 100,000 children or more every day. Akshaya Patra’s custom chapatti machines can bake 60,000 chapattis per hour and easy-tilt cauldrons can produce 1,200 liters of rice or sambar in just two hours. These technological innovations optimize quality and minimize cost, time and labor to ensure that the meals prepared are safe, fresh, and nutritious. All of Akshaya Patra’s kitchens meet the highest standards of safety and efficiency, and ten of Akshaya Patra’s kitchens have already been certified

STONEHAM, MA: At the request of the Prime Minister of India, Akshaya Patra is participating in India’s efforts to provide emergency aid to neighboring Nepal, which suffered a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25. Akshaya Patra, with the support of the TATA Foundation, is building a field kitchen facility in Nepal to sustain emergency meal distribution efforts. On April 29, Akshaya Patra prepared 100,000 meals of pooris, chana, makhana, pickles, biscuits, and cakes for survivors of the earthquake. In addition, Akshaya Patra has sent 220 lbs of shakkar pari, 882 lbs of roasted chickpeas, and 220 lbs of individually packed units of jaggery, 4409 lbs of puffed rice.

as FSMS ISO 22000:2005 compliant, which means they meet the standards of the International Food Safety Management System (FSMS). The International Organization for Standardization established the ISO 22000 certification to ensure the safety of the global food supply chain. Akshaya Patra has provided aid relief after natural disasters. In 2012, Akshaya Patra prepared 50,000 meals for survivors of floods in the Bhatta Basti, Shastri Nagar, and Jahawar Nagar areas of Rajasthan. For more information, please visit www. foodforeducation.org

The meals were prepared in Akshaya Patra’s mechanized kitchen facility in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and shipped in Akshaya Patra’s meal distribution vehicles to Delhi. The meals were then air-lifted from Delhi to the relief site in Nepal. With the support of the TATA Foundation, Akshaya Patra will begin building a field kitchen to continue to provide meals to survivors of the earthquake. The proposed kitchen will be able to produce 10,000 meals in each preparation cycle with a total daily capacity of 100,000 meals. Akshaya Patra’s Jaipur kitchen is one of 22 mechanized kitchen facilities that provide daily school meals to more than 1.4 million children in government schools across India. Akshaya Patra's founders used their

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 • Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

May 15, 2015

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 • Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

COMMUNITY

May 15, 2015

Puneet nehra’s Body Found in Brazos river

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SUGAR LAND:Divers with Texas EquuSearch recovered a body, that is believed to be the missing Fort Bend County man Puneet Nehra, 43 about 1 pm Saturday, May 9 from a stretch of the Brazos River in Brazoria County, Fort Bend County sheriff's officials said. Nehra, of Sugar Land, went missing May 3 while he was assisting a motorist involved in a minor wreck at a bridge crossing the Brazos River at the Grand Parkway. A passing driver struck the stranded car just after 9 p.m. while Nehra and another person were trying to push it to safety, authorities said. The force of the impact apparently threw Nehra off the bridge and into the fast-moving river, about 50 feet below. The driver suspected of striking the stranded car, Gregory Lee Kure, 30, of Needville, was arrested and has been charged with in-

toxication assault, authorities said. Sheriff's officials said Kure struck the stranded car only a few minutes before any first responders arrived at the accident scene. He was later released after posting a $25,000 bond but may face additional charges, officials said. Several agencies joined the search effort to find Nehra, an information technology professional who had been dubbed a "good Samaritan" because of his efforts at the bridge. At first, it was focused on a two-mile section of the river. Houston police helicopters circled above as EquuSearch boats with side-scanning sonar churned up and down for any sign of the missing man. But as the week went on, the teams began to move several miles downriver. On Saturday, divers found a body in the Brazos River along FM 2004 just south of Clute, only about 10 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Nehra was last seen when he left his apartment to pick up dinner for his family. Later that night, sheriff's deputies went to his home because his car was found at the scene of a crash at the nearby Jodie Stavinoha Bridge, crossing the Brazos River on the Grand Parkway. Nehra’s funeral will be held in Garden Oaks Funeral Home on Bellaire and Synott at 1pm on Friday, May 15. Deputies are still searching for anyone who might have seen the crash. Call Fort Bend County investigators at 281-341-3839. -The Houston Chronicle

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Shell’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion spoke about Shell’s commitment to promoting different perspectives. Shell has been the biggest sponsor of the YLDP since its incep-

tion nearly a decade ago. The students will have their graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 31 at India House, foregoing the last session due to time constraints. YLDP STEM Session Teams Lessons Learnt: Anirudh Suresh (St John’s); Sashank Kuthapally (Dulles); Kaushiki Tewary (Cinco Ranch); Amrutha Immadi (DeBakey) STEM Studies: Viren Joopelli (Austin); Kartik Talwar (Austin); Sachin Sanam (DeBakey); Sudeep Swarnapuri (Cypress Branch) Manage Innovation: Mira Sankhavaram (Travis); Siddharth Gwrantha (DeBakey) Innovation Impact: Sniesh Kalwa (Dulles); Tiki Selvan (Elkins) Innovation Risk: Yalliniyal Sivaprakash (Kempner); Varsha Ranganath (Dulles); Shravya Prabhu (Hightower); Richa Patel (Cy-Woods)

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 • Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

May 15, 2015 COMMUNITY Festival of the GIrmITIyAs Arrival day By arItI JaNKIE HOUSTON: Unique in India’s diaspora is the history of its 3.5 million people transported during the period 1833 to 1920 to European controlled colonies, to provide labor, following the abolition of slavery. The Gitmit or Indentureship system started a new chapter with added color to its ancient culture that has since flourished all over the world. In countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Fiji, Mauritius, Jamaica and others, Indian Arrival Day marks the arrival of the first ship carrying Indian laborers. It is celebrated with remembrances geared to preserve the moral values, cultural traditions and religious observation passed on in an oral tradition and held closely over time. In Houston, the Indo-Caribbean

and Pacific residents have come together to celebrate the triumph of their ancestors in surviving the hardships to carve success in succeeding generations. The 2nd Indian Arrival Day celebration takes place on May 24 at the Sanatan Dharam Mandir, 12918 Players Street, Houston 77045. The festival begins at 7.00 am when Pundit Sase plants a bamboo in the mandir yard and offers a lota of jal. The simple ceremony goes back to the arrival of the first Indians who planted a stick on the river bank to symbolize a place of worship and offered salutations to the Sun-God Surujnarayana. It was the beginning of Hinduism while Muslims made the call of Ajaan nearby and also on the riverbank. Members of two mandir groups, the Sanatan Dharam Mandir comprising a largely Guyanese membership and a branch (377) of the

Trinidad-based Sanatan Dharam Maha Sabha lead a short walk to honor the memory of ancestors who were forced to travel on foot. Also, moving to Houston 30-40 years ago many of the participants also walked long distances each day before they could afford vehicles. The “JAHAJEE WALk” takes them beneath a tree where they sit in a circle to reminisce. A breakfast of sada roti with damadol (tomato) and bigan chokha would be served.

Chokha originated among the girmitiyas who had no options but to roast whatever vegetable they could find to mix with salt and pepper and serve with roti. The beneath-the-tree experience also includes folk songs, tassa drumming and dancing. Worship follows inside the mandir until 11.00 am. A formal program will begin. Awards will be given to those who have performed above and beyond their

call of duty and for long years of service to the community. A photographic exhibition will be on display and a lunch of dhal, bhaat and bhaji with coconut chutney and salad will be served. The feature address will be delivered by Guyanese-born, Houston based attorney Basisht Sharma. The office of the Indian Consulate has also been invited to address the gathering.

90 Kids received Award from Hawa masjid for After school Program said the families are not born refugees but, because of the countries situation, they became stateless refugees. He mentioned that we are helping the kids out in there school

HOUSTON: On May 2, 90 refugee’s kids received Award at Hawa Masjid (Harwin & Ranchester). Chief Guess Sheriff Adrian Garcia attended and delivered a speech on his background to motivate the kids & asked them to stay away from trouble. Also Sam Merchant, representative from Congress man Al Green was present. At the Hawa Masjid kids attend Quran Class & After School Program. It is absolutely Free of Charge, majority of families are living next to Hawa Masjid. The Majid opened less than a year ago, especially for Refugees families. We took the

homework, projects & we help them to not drop out of school, but at this moment Hawa Masjid doesn’t have a Wadu Room, Ladies Namaz Room & Kids Class

Room. He also said we are seeking volunteers or any kind of help. With your support we will be able to provide the families with more opportunities.

kids out the streets, help them stay out of trouble (gangs, drugs, violence) and to educate them, said the masjid authorities. For the elders we have found them jobs & provide there families with Free Groceries and School Supplies. At the event we had speakers, Qari Dilawar Shan, Hafiz Turqi Shan, Hafiz Abdur Rahim, Hafiz Ashraf Tanavi, Hafiz M. Iqbal & Dr. Mamdouh Salama, The emcee was Shahab Shaikh, leaders from the organization & community members were at the event. Rahman Moton in his speech

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 • Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

COMMUNITY

10 May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY

sri Guruvayurappan Temple: Auspicious Inauguration ceremonies (April 2015) By BIJU PIllaI HOUSTON: Inauguration ceremonies of the newly-built Sri Guruvayurappan Temple in Houston, TX were held from April 18 to May 2, 2015. Thousands of devotees from nearby cities of Greater Houston and across the nation participated in the consecration of deities and Maha Kumbhabhishekam. The rituals exclusively included chanting of Vedic mantras, slokas, Kalashabhishekam and sanctification of deities with the sacred water held in brass, silver and gold plated pitchers. In addition, Prana Prathishta, the infusion of divinity into Vigrahas was performed. The celebrations were also marked by traditional chenda melam by the famous chenda artists led by Pallavoor Sreedharan from Kerala, India. In Kerala temples, chenda melam is a requirement as well as a prominent attraction for many rituals and other auspicious festivals. Chenda (big drum) along with other accompanying drums and wind instruments are blended to create a mesmeric crescendo that are believed to generate and conserve potential energy within the Vigrahas as well as bestow an ecstatic devotional ambiance for the devotees. The rituals formally began on April 18 with Acharya varanam,

honoring the chief priest. The installations of the deities (Prathishta) were held between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm on Thursday, April 23, 2015. Following the consecration of deities, the Sreekovil (Sanctum Sanctorum) was closed as per traditions. The temple auspiciously re-opened on Sunday, April 26 before sunrise to all devotees. On Sunday, April 26, Kumbhabhishekam and Sahasrakalasham were performed with an elaborate and ceremonial bath with various sizes of pitchers containing holy water, milk, curd, and other auspicious pooja items . Thantri Divakaran Namboothiri, artisan Sabareeshan and Kanippayyur Krishnan Namboothiri were lifted up on to the top of the temple with a specially chartered crane. The thantri (chief priest) performed the much-awaited ceremonial kumbhabhishekam by pouring on the kalasam, the sacred water brought in the silver pitcher. From the top of the temple, the priests sprinkled sacred water and showered flower petals. As if the gods were blessing the event there was a momentous view and divine intervention. In the setting of a clear sky and light breeze the devotees witnessed the golden eagle circumambulating in the sky during the kumbhabhishekam ceremony. The Lord Guruvayurappan was elegantly dressed, brightly dec-

orated with glittering ornaments and surrounded by garlands made of colorful flowers. The idol of Sri Guruvayurappan was then anointed with sandalwood paste, dressed ritualistically and decorated inside of the sanctum sanctorum for devotees to have dharshanam. Thousands of devotees joined to witness the poojas and circumambulated the temple with ardent devotion. The six-day festivities associated with Kumbhabhishekam began on April 27 evening by hoisting the temple flag. The festival appeared to be neverending with ongoing cultural programs including Carnatic music and traditional dance programs by professional dance schools. The final day (May 2) program

continued till midnight. Cultural program was coordinated by Anil Janardhanan, Jayan Aravindhakshan, Sathyan Pillai and Biju Pillai. The final day of festivals was concluded by procession, melam, traditional cultural programs and spectacular fireworks. Secretary Gopalakrishnan Nair acknowledged the grand success of these great events accomplished by many volunteersâ€™ dedicated hard work for several months. Rajagopala Pillai (President) and Thankappan Sankaran (Treasurer) thanked all priests, donors and the devotees for making the celebration a grand success. Temple construction chairman, Shanmugan Vallulissery and Trustee board chairman Madhu Cherikal expressed the grand accomplish-

Indo AmerIcAn news â€˘ FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 â€˘ Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

ment and dream of many devotees to have a traditional Krishna temple in Houston. The temple administrators (Raman Panangadan and Sadasivan Parayil) trustee board members and board of directors are working together to preserve the divinity and holy atmosphere of this unique Krishna temple, Sri Guruvayurappan temple, Houston. The temple symbolizes Hindu spirituality and culture. To imbibe youths and children in the temple activities, education committee is taking the efforts to organize several activities including Bhagavad Gita contest, religious classes and other educational activities. For more information, please call the temple at 713-729-8994 or visit the temple at www.guruvayurappanhouston.org

COMMUNITY

May 15, 2015

IAcAn’s community education outreach event

Sugar Land Ballroom HOUSTON: Summary of presentation by Bunmi Ogunleye, M.Sc., CHES., RHIA, Manager, HIM, Harris Health System, at IACAN’s community education outreach event “Navigating Health Resources” held on Sunday, March 22 at India House “TAKE NOTE.... YOUR HEALTH and YOUR MEDICAL RECORD” MAINTAINING YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD: is an important step to managing your health. It promotes your ability to partner with your health care physicians and providers on the journey of achieving your best maximum health. Medical record and Personal Health Record are slightly differing terms; medical record is kept by your health care provider/ health care facility, while Personal Health record is kept by you (the patient). The provider/Health care facility owns their medical record. However, the information contained in the medical record belongs to patient. The provider / health care facility may charge for dis-

closure of the medical record they keep. On the other hand, you own your personal health record and the information contained belongs to you. You update it as often as you like. Your Health Record is a good tool for tracking and managing your health conditions, record family health histories and or share current or past medical information about your health. Your Personal Health Record does not replace the provider's / health care facility's Legal Medical Record. The purpose of your Personal Health Record is simply to help you to manage your health care related activities in a more meaningful ways. Try your best to keep a reliable, accurate, and complete personal health record. Remember to update them on an on-going basis. REASONS FOR KEEPPING PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD Knowledge about your health condition is powerful to your speedy recovery Changing doctors Saves money in repeated test, and medical record disclosure fees Saves you time and inconveniency of repeating routine medical test Reduce repeated exposure to ra-

diation Smooth and knowledgeable communication with your provider Promotes proper health care Feel more in control of your health Always available when you need it: your doctor moved out of town, Hurricane and other disaster may destroy record at original facility Share with your doctor, family members/ caregivers Have your medical histories in case of emergency Seek second opinion Details about your previous diagnosis and treatment can help your doctor design a new treatment Caring for your elderly Helps you manage health insurance claims, taxes, and other legal matters Helps you provide supportive documentation in disability insurance and life insurance claims Helps your children and future grand children with their health

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Missouri City: Happy Children Happy World, a 501 (c) (3) registered non-profit for children is planning to hold its launch event on Sunday, May 31, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 12101 Shadow Creek Parkway, Pearland, Texas 77584 between 3 PM – 5 PM. This is a free event for all the general public who would love to support the mission and vision of this non-profit. Started in August 2014, this non-profit has been able to raise funds to help three NGO’s in India till the month of April 2015.

Total estimated impact is to help about 450 children over the next 4 months. 1. Donated a washing machine (new) to an NGO that houses 112 children. 2. Donated 4 outdoor lights for a play court to help orphans learn sports and study. 3. Helping an NGO train 200 slum children learn sports - soccer, badminton, and cricket. 4. Feeding the orphans meals and clothing them. 5. Supporting an NGO with a full month's expenses for 42 special needs children. Jacob David, Founder and CEO says “Our mission at Happy Children Happy World is to empower children living here and across the world to a bright future. We aim to impart basic education, vocational training (ages 10 - 18) and provide healthcare from ages 1 – 21 as a part of our plan. We would like to see each child become a responsible citizen and productive

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member of society where they grow up and contribute, give back to society. We want to train each child to share this world and its resources to make this a better planet for future generations of children.” To RSVP for this event, please e-mail: contact@happ y c h i l d re n happyworld. org

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 • Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

12 May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY

srabani Takes rabindra sangeet to new Heights with soulful renditions By SaNChalI BaSU HOUSTON: It was a chance stopover en route to the west coast that Houstonians got to capitalize on. Houston was not a designated stop on Srabani Sen's well chalked out America tour. Thanks to the valiant effort of a few die hard ardent Rabindra Sangeet lovers namely Arna and Uttam Dasgupta and Amit De, the cozy Rabindra Sangeet soiree was made possible on May 3 at the Harman Center in Sugar Land. And oh, what a delightful evening it was indeed! Srabani in fact, was in for a surprise herself, to see her mentor and advisor Bulbul Sengupta in the front row of the audience. She paid her respects to her teacher and set the mood for the evening with Srabaner dharar moto doing justice to her name. As the afternoon drifted into dusk, she sang Aamar bela je jai. The mood then just kept on building as she flowed from one song to the next like a soothing river in motion. She earned her mentor's compliments with the song Tumi kemon kore gaan koro he guni which literally means, “Oh talented one, how dost thou sing your song, I am mesmerized and keep listening in awe.” Every one of the 20 odd songs that she sang was a huge hit with the Rabindra Sangeet connoisseurs who were all very happy to sing along. She acknowledged the fact that she was glad to be here during Rabi paksha (the fortnight of Rabinranath Tagore's birthday celebrations). Each one of the songs she sang was a huge hit with the audience as they threw all their cares away

Swapan Adhikary is the tabla player and Sourabh Chakraborty is on the synthesizer

to be transported to their days in the homeland (Bengal). Ore grihabashi was an apt tribute to the spring season which is sung at the Basanta Utsab celebrations in Shantiniketan. What really got the crowd going was the request brought to her by youngsters for the song Haare re re and she very sweetly obliged. The mastery of musicians Sourabh Chakraborty on the synthesizer and Swapan Adhikary on percussion brought an entirely different dimension to the music and added depth to the songs. Khoro bayu boy bege from the dance drama Tasher Deshe brought out the child in everyone from the child to the child at heart. During a short break Srabani interacted

with her fans over cookies and tea and kindly agreed to take photos with them. The young and the old all told her how nostalgic it was to listen to her songs. Madhuro dhwani baaje brought back childhood memories of Saraswati Puja in everyone. Oi ashono tole resonated with the essence that the only way for mortals to realize the eternal truth is through humility and total surrender at the feet of the Supreme Power. She ended her program with Tobu mone rekho which brought tears to many a person's eyes and brought us all face to face with the reality that nothing is permanent in life and all we leave behind are fond memories.Ina private moment Srabani got to share her feelings about the American Bengalis.

She was very impressed with the cultured audiences who still took so much interest in Rabindra Sangeet. She felt honored and very encouraged as the enthusiasm was evident in everyone singing along with her. The warmth of specially the Houstonians was very touching and she was reminiscing about her last visit nine years back with her mother. Srabani hails from a family of singers and is the daughter of noted singer Sumitra Sen, and is the younger sister of another Rabindra Sangeet exponent Indrani Sen. Srabani is one of the foremost female Rabindra Sangeet singers currently and her humility, down to earthness and capability to capture and engage the audience in her own special way is really praiseworthy.

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May 15, 2015

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14 May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY

singapore sovereign Fund GIc and norwest Venture Partners Invest $ 28 m in Local services Leader sulekha.com CHENNAI, INDIA : Sulekha.com, India’s leading digital platform for local services, today announced that GIC, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore, and Norwest Venture Partners, a top-tier global investment firm, have invested $ 28 M into the company. Sulekha.com will use the capital to further expand its platform that connects one of the largest bases of users and local service providers, and invest in technology and branding. Satya Prabhakar, Founder and CEO of Sulekha.com, said, “Sulekha was founded in Austin as a tiny website serving Indians in US and this investment by GIC and Norwest is a powerful endorsement of the vast potential of the local services opportunity and Sulekha’s ability to prosecute it successfully both within and outside of India. Sulekha has cultivated deep expertise and built a sophisticated platform in 800+ local service categories including home/office services, coaching/training, health/lifestyle and property/rentals. Sulekha’s large base of user and businesses, unique IP, vast operational footprint, plus rapid migration to mobile are transforming the local services market.” Param Parameswaran, Chairman of Sulekha.com, said, “We are pleased to add GIC to our investor group. Sulekha has architected a remarkably lucrative business model because of the immediacy, specificity and location-oriented nature of the user local service needs. Sulekha has been enjoying significant organic growth while being quite capital efficient, making it one

of only a few digital companies in India that have been profitable.” Local businesses spend an estimated $2.5 billion in advertising across various media to capture $200 billion worth of local services bought in diverse categories such as computer training, serviced apartments, party catering, babysitting, elder care, yoga lessons, kitchen renovation, and wedding photography. Sulekha sends 16+ million user needs a year to over 2+ million active businesses on its platform. Promod Haque, Senior Managing Partner of Norwest Venture Partners, said, “Sulekha’s innovative digital platform allows users to fulfil their needs while providing a highly targeted and affordable avenue for small businesses to secure customers. Less than 10% of local businesses in India have ever advertised according to recent estimates. Sulekha is seizing an enormous opportunity in transforming how businesses find local customers and grow and we look forward to significant scale ahead.” Added Parameswaran, “It is great to have Promod’s ongoing participation during this time as we seek to capture this largely un-

tapped opportunity.” Mistui & Co. (Tokyo), a Global Fortune 200 company, and Indigo Monsoon Group are also investors in Sulekha. About Sulekha.com: Sulekha.com is one of India’s largest and fastest-growing digital platforms for local service need fulfillment in over 40 cities, connecting tens of millions of users and local businesses in 800+ need categories such as computer training, serviced apartments, wooden flooring, party catering, baby-sitting, elder care, yoga lessons, kitchen renovation, wedding photography, moving-packing, pest control, event planning and auto repair. Sulekha has 14 offices and 1,300+ employees across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Austin. Please visit www. sulekha.com. GIC: GIC is a leading global investment firm with well over US $100 billion in assets under management. Established in 1981, the firm manages Singapore’s foreign re-

serves and is uniquely positioned for longterm and flexible investments across a wide range of asset classes, including real estate, private equity, equities and fixed income. GIC has investments in over 40 countries and has been investing in emerging markets for more than two decades. Headquartered in Singapore, GIC employs over 1,200 people across 10 offices in key financial cities worldwide. For more information: www.gic.com.sg. About Norwest Venture Partners: Norwest Venture Partners is a global, multi-stage venture capital and growth equity investment firm that manages approximately US $ 5 billion in capital and has funded more than 575 companies since inception. The firm targets early to late stage venture and growth equity investments across a wide range of sectors including: technology, information services, business services, financial services, consumer products/services and healthcare. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Norwest has offices in San Francisco and New York, as well as subsidiaries in Mumbai and Bengaluru, India and Herzelia, Israel. For more information, please visit www.nvp.com Follow NVP on Twitter @NorwestVP For further details, contact: India: Divya Singh +91 85529 44004 divya.singh@2020msl.com US: Kashmira Rao +1 512 767 8623 kashmira@sulekha.net

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May 15, 2015

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16 May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY

The Houston chariot Festival of 2015

shree Jagannath naba kalebara and ratha Jatra: orissa culture center

Priests conducting the puja ceremony on Akshaya Trutiya celebration

HOUSTON: This year is a special year for the devotees of Lord Jagannath all over the world. The three deities along with the Sudarshana Chakra residing in the temple at the city of Puri, on the east cost of India, will go through the human cycle of birth and death and birth. Every 12~19 years, the deities in the form of "Daru Brahma" change into new forms carved out of the logs of special Neem Tree. This event is known as the "Naba Kalebara" or literally the new bodies. Thus, this year's Chariot Festival is a special event as it coincides with the "Naba Kalebara (Installation of new deities)". The yearly festival of Houston Ratha Jatra or the chariot festival

organized by the Orissa Culture Center (OCC) in association with Shree Sitaram Foundation, Govindji Gaudiya Matha and other spiritual organizations has been a great attraction for people of greater Houston. This year’s chariot festival will be celebrated on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at the VPSS Haveli, 11715 Bellfort Village Drive, Houston, TX, 77031. As a precursor to the grand chariot festival, OCC and other participating organizations celebrated "Akshya Trutiya" to mark the beginning of preparation for the grand festival. The day is marked with the start of the Ratha (Lord 's Chariot) construction for the famous Ratha Jatra (festival of the

Volunteers with divine head-cloth dedicating their service to Houston chariot festival on Akshaya Trutiya celebration

Chariots). Akshaya Tritiya was celebrated at the Govindji Gaudiya Matha on April 26, 2015 (Sunday) followed by chanting and a ritual invitation to the Maharanas and Biswakarmas (the carpenter and artisans) for the Ratha construction. About three hundred people attended the event. Sixteen devotees came forward to receive the divine cloth and pledge their time and labor to the service of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra. The second event to follow after Akshaya Trutiya is Snana Purnima or the Bathing ceremony of the Lords which will take place on May 31st Sunday at 11AM in Shiv Sakti Temple, 6640 Harwin Drive, Houston, 77036. All are welcome

to attend the event and witness the last bathing of the current deities followed by Maha arati and prasad sevan. The major attractions of the Chariot festival on July 18th Saturday are planned for the late afternoon hours and include the “Pahandi” where all devotees are allowed to carry their beloved Lords on to the chariot, the chariot pulling by thousands of devotees, devotional kirtans and bhajans, Kids activities and maha arati. The admission and parking are free. This year OCC is proud to present a live vocal devotional concert by the world renowned classical vocalist Padma Bibhusana Sangeeta Martanda Pandit Jasraj. OCC is a fast growing non-profit

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, mAy 15, 2015 • Online editiOn: www.indOamerican-news.cOm

institution with a dedicated mission to promote the cultural heritage and traditional art forms from India in general and state of Orissa in particular. The Rath Yatra will host a colorfully decorated 22foot high chariot carefully crafted by dedicated members of Orissa community. All devotees will be allowed to offer worship to the Lord on the chariot. For information, please visit houstonrathyatra.org or call 832225-2376 or e-mail at rathyatra. hou@gmail.com. You may connect on https://facebook.com/HoustonRathYatra Jai JagannathOrissa Culture Center (http://orissaculturecenter. org/)

COMMUNITY

May 15, 2015

Children Enchant with the Gita at Chinmaya Prabha

The winners of 2015 Gita Chanting competition with Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty. Photos: Satish Bali and Nilesh Shah

Acarya Gaurang Nanavaty listens to Vashi Banavalikar, a four-yearold, Pre-K student of Bala Vihar as he captivate audience.

BY SHALINI KONDE HOUSTON: Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda once said – "Opportunities in life come to all of us almost all the time. They come in streams, in hosts and knock at our doors. We are either ‘out’or sleeping ‘in’. Be awake. Be alert. Be prepared to make use of them.” Truly, one of such glorious opportunities comes every year in the form of the Gita Chanting Competition at Chinmaya Prabha Houston. And, as a mark of special reverence, the competition is held on a Saturday close to Pujya Gurudev’s birthday of May 8, 1916. Signiﬁcantly, the event held this year on May 2nd, was a beautiful opportunity for children to offer a very beautiful gift to Pujya Gurudev to commemorate the centenary year of his birth. Prepared, alert, and enthusiastic, over a hundred and twenty children from ages 4 – 18 captivated the audience with their skillful chanting of Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 – Purushottama Yoga (The Yoga of the Supreme Spirit). The competition started at 8:30 AM in the morning with Vedic Aarti followed by the Mission Pledge. Pujya Acarya Sri Gaurang Nanavaty, in his message encouraging and congratulating all participating children, said, “Just as listening to the national anthem increases patriotism, listening and the learning the Gita increases love for the Lord. You children who learn the Gita are indeed winners in life.”

As the competition commenced, it was evident that all children were really the winners. The judges who listened to child after child struggled to distinguish who was ahead in terms of memory, pronunciation, chanting style and overall effect. From the youngest participant to the oldest, the spirit of chanting was such that it must have truly enchanted Lord Krishna himself! When the competition concluded by noon and the results were announced, the overwhelming feeling was one of genuine victory for all. The special day drew to a conclusion with a sumptuous lunch for all the attendees. In the award ceremony the next day, when Acarya Gaurangbhai, honored the winners, he shared a special email written by Rohith Narra, one of the winning children. The young teenager dedicated his success to his teachers saying that his victory came after nine years of participation. During his chanting this year, he concentrated on giving his best and did not focus on the result – he learned how that attitude, in fact, contributed to his success. Then, there was Vashi Banavalikar, a four-year-old who just missed participating in the formal competition because of his age cut-off. He was determined to learn the verses of Ch.15 and so he did – the toddler memorized fourteen verses, and he marched on the stage that Sunday morning – and enchanted everyone with his chanting of the verses until the Acarya had to request him to pause! Indeed, Gurudev’s rich legacy of teaching the Gita shone throughout the day’s award ceremony. Each year, the preparation for this day starts early – the Mission conducts Gita chanting classes for the children from February to prepare them for the annual event and teachers pour their hearts in this auspicious effort. This year, the winners will head for Chicago in September to participate in the National competition which will be followed by the International Chanting competition being conducted at Chinmaya Vibhooti, Kolwan (Near Pune), India in December as part of Pujya Gurudev’s Birth Centenary celebrations. Group A (4 to 6 year olds) 3rd Place: Sanvi Sudarshan

2nd Place: Saumya Kabnur 1st Place: Pranav Sriram Group B: (7 to 9 years) 3rd Place: Siddharth Satish 2nd Place: Aditi Chaubal 1st Place: Shanaya Kabnur Group C (10 to 12 years): 3rd Place: Rachit Mukkamala & Ayush Manoj 2nd place: Meghana Prabhakaran 1st Place: Mihir Krishna Gundamaraju Group D (13 to 15 years) 3rd Place: Bhavya Kethireddipalli 2nd place: Mythreyan Ganesh & Arushi Das 1st Place: Rohit Narra Group E (16 to 18 years) 2nd Place: Shravya Arra 1st Place: Yuthika Gundamaraju Also, Chinmaya Prabha Houston will continue Pujya Gurudev’s birth centenary celebrations with many special events this year. To know the great Master whose breath carried the message of the Gita worldwide, Chinmaya Mission invites all seekers in Houston to attend the special screenings of a biopic, “On a Quest,” on May 30th and June 7th at 3:15pm at the AMC Dunvale. Portraying the life of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, the ﬁlm will carry us on a journey that brought forth a visionary Master – a transformational search that turned a non-believing ﬁery Indian journalist into a revolutionary teacher of Vedanta worldwide. The biopic is about a spiritual renaissance where the rebellious young BalaKrishnan Menon matured into the majestic Swami Chinmayananda and carried the Truth of the scriptures to the maximum people, without any claim to personal glory. To watch “On a Quest” will be to watch the power of pure spirituality – do not miss the chance to partake this journey to the Highest! Buy your tickets on line at www.chinmayahouston.org/onaquest .Ticket availability is limited so we encourage you to purchase as soon as possible. For more information about Chinmaya Mission Houston, please visit www.chinmayahouston.org or contact Bharati Sutaria at 281-9330233.

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18 May 15, 2015 Jayalalithaa’s Apogee Moment History, the Marxist cliché goes, repeats itself twice — usually as a tragedy and then as a farce. But sometimes it repeats itself as a bigger tragedy. As the implications of the Karnataka High Court’s blanket acquittal of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa are thrashed threadbare, some crucial cultural questions remain to be explored. The months following the Special Court’s verdict in Parappana Agrahara in September 2014 and leading up to the denouement in the Karnataka High Court on May 11 were marked by unprecedented public displays of prayer and devotion. Ardent All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party cadres sought divine intervention in favour of Amma. Sceptics termed these as sycophancy orchestrated by motivated party leaders. But the wide popular support and sympathy among the plebeian classes, especially among the women, was hard to miss. ‘My leader, right or wrong’ seemed to be the guiding principle. Corruption, disproportionate assets, the mother of all weddings — all seemed to count for little in the popular mind. Three decades ago, in late 1984, history had unfolded with the same melodramatic overtones. Citizens will not forget the devout zeitgeist when Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), Ms. Jayalalithaa’s mentor, lay ailing in Brooklyn Hospital, New York. Across temples and churches and other places of worship, prayers were conducted. A tearful Sowcar Janaki lip-syncing to ‘Andavane un pathangalai naan kanneeril neerattuvaen …’ (O lord, let me bathe your feet in tears) from the MGR-starrer Oli Vilakku prefaced ﬁlm screenings across cinema halls in the State. Despite the mocking by an avowedly rationalistic opposition party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the spontaneity and fervour marking these prayers cannot be discounted. Cultural historians will wonder if this time around it has been played out as a bigger tragedy. As expected in Tamil political culture — one could dispute the numbers — there have been suicides committed in grief. But the most striking aspect of the prayers and rituals conducted over the last several months is not only the humongous scale but also its variety. In a somewhat dated formulation, cultural anthropologists have discussed religion and culture in terms of a ‘great’ tradition and ‘little’ tradition. If, in the Indian context, the Sanskrit-centred Vedic temple culture could be termed the ‘great’ tradition, popular religiosity with its plethora of vernacular rituals and local practices is the ‘little’ tradition. The prayers for MGR’s health were largely ‘great’ tradition affairs. Despite criticisms by his political adversaries that he had reneged on the Dravidian movement’s rationalistic ideals, MGR maintained Anna’s politics of accommodation with no formal disavowal of rationalism. Ms. Jayalalithaa, for her part, has seen no need to be defensive. Her three terms in ofﬁce have seen the direct involvement of the ruling party and the State in the promotion of religious activity. The Hindu A.R. Venkatachalapathy is a historian and Tamil writer.

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY

Modi’s Chinese Takeaway via Mongolia BY C. RAJA MOHAN With barely three million people deep inside the Eurasian steppe and sandwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia is an unlikely destination for Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week. China will certainly loom large over Modi’s three-nation tour, beginning Thursday. For, Modi is trying to move the Sino-Indian relationship out of the stasis that it finds itself in. Given his focus on “Make in India” and attracting foreign direct investment, Modi would want to end India’s prolonged political neglect of South Korea, one of the world’s leading economies, located at the heart northeast Asia. But Mongolia? Why has Modi chosen to be India’s first prime minister to visit Mongolia? Some point to Mongolia’s potential as a source of natural uranium and other valuable minerals for India. But New Delhi already has agreements on uranium supplies with many countries from where it is easier to ship uranium than the landlocked Mongolia. Others would see rivalry with China as the driver behind Modi’s brief sojourn in Mongolia. If China spends so much political energy in cultivating India’s neighbours in the subcontinent and the Indian Ocean, it has been argued, Delhi should be doing the same on China’s periphery. Mongolia is indeed a very sensitive neighbour of China, and the investment of the PM’s time in Mongolia seems worthwhile. To be sure, there has been a geopolitical dimension to India’s engagement with Mongolia. Over the last few years there, India and Mongolia have steadily expanded their defence exchanges and security cooperation. But there are also limits to any Indian powerplay in Mongolia. With just two neighbours, with whom Mongolia has had difficult relations in the past, Ulaanbaatar has no interest in provoking either Russia or China by undertaking activities hostile to them. Like all small states with large neighbours, Mongolia wants a measure of “strategic autonomy” from them. The country, however, carefully calibrates its partnerships with other major powers. It also had to carefully circumscribe its relations

Why has Modi chosen to be India’s ﬁrst prime minister to visit Mongolia? Some point to Mongolia’s potential as a source of natural uranium and other valuable minerals for India. Others would see rivalry with China as the driver behind Modi’s brief sojourn in Mongolia.

with the Dalai Lama amid Chinese protestations. Over the last quarter of a century, Mongolia has diversified its relations with an approach that is called the “third neighbour” policy. Originally developed vis-a-vis the United States in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, Mongolia has sought active cooperation with Germany, Europe, Japan and Korea. Ulaanbaatar has also taken to multilateralism, regional and international. Mongolia holds annual multilateral military exercises on its soil called the “Khaan Quest”, and has participated in UN Peacekeeping Operations. These activities have already given Mongolia an interesting global personality. For Mongolia, India is more than a third neighbour — it is the “spiritual neighbour”. Buddhism travelled to Mongolia in different periods from India and Tibet to emerge as the dominant religious faith over the last two millennia. It has survived the Stalinist-era oppression of religion, when Mongolia became part of the Soviet sphere of influence after the Bolshevik Revolution. India was the first country outside the socialist bloc to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955. Reviving its religious heritage and celebrating its new democratic orientation have become the major attributes of Mongolia after the 1990s, and India figures prominently in both domains. If the Mongolian state has

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put special emphasis on reafﬁrming the nation’s cultural identity, it might have found the right man in Modi. During his travels over the last year — whether it was offering prayers to Lord Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, Nepal, meditating at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan or visiting the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka — Modi has put shared religious heritage with neighbours at the centre of his regional engagement. Mongolia, then, offers many possibilities for Modi’s cultural diplomacy. Modi, who used to express his interest in Buddhism when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, has now lent it a special mission in shaping the future of the subcontinent and Asia. Speaking in Delhi earlier this month on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Modi said, “Without Buddha, the 21st century will not be Asia’s century.” Modi has talked about the possibilities of restoring historic Buddhist sites in the subcontinent and promoting tourism by integrating them across borders through modern transportation facilities. If spiritualism and economic development are presented as two sides of the same coin by Modi, his three-nation tour this week will see Buddhism at the very forefront of India’s new Asian outreach. IE The writer is a distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi and a contributing editor for ‘The Indian Express’

May 15, 2015 19 COMMUNITY Silambam Houston Dance Company’s Krishna BY THARA NARASIMHAN HOUSTON: Unquestionably this was an incredible maiden production with outstanding dancers. The Silambam Houston Dance Company is a brand-new pre-professional dance company composed of senior students of Silambam Houston, a non-proﬁt dance academy here in Houston. Its Artistic Director and founder Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan has taken meticulous care to showcase spiritualism with added traditional artistic fervor, and adhere to the Thanjavur style of pure Bharatanatyam. Her lineage in dance comes from her training with the Bharatanatyam legend and notable danseuse Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy at the prestigious dance school of Chennai, “Shree Bharatalaya”. The institution is well known for its special Madura Margam dance compositions of Vidwan Madurai N Krishnan and a number of exquisite dance dramas choreographed by Sudharani Raghupathy. With a musical prayer dedication the ﬁrst opening dance was taken from Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam – Jaya Jagadeesha Hare - depicting the Dasavataram of Lord Vishnu. Each of the Avatars was presented with dancers swiftly changing their roles at different sections of the stage. Jagadhodharana followed this piece where Yashodha appreciates Krishna’s childhood Leela. This was highlighted by expressions of the poet’s feelings at one part of the stage presented by Lavanya and the anecdotes of Mother Yashoda and son little Krishna by Roshini and Shikha dancing at the other end of the stage concurrently. Many of the popular episodes were woven into repertoire that included the lifting of the

Govardhana Hill and the story of Sudhama that were compositions of Narayana Theertha and Maharaja Swati Thirunal respectively. The dancers with vibrant Jathis ably demonstrated the three elements of Nritta, Nritya and Natya combined. The music of Madurai N. Krishnan was incorporated in the Raas. This was presented as the Gopi’s danced along with many Krishna’s around them enjoying His presence and tapped their feet along with him. It also involved quick transitioning of both expression and emotion, that is, Abhinaya and Bhava. A theme on Krishna can never be complete without a depiction Radha’s love for Krishna. However understood it is the only pure love that can exist in its highest form. Yahi Madhava Yahi Kesava is yet another piece taken from Jayadeva’s Ashtapadi. Radha reprimands Krishna for his acts of betrayal but although His charm prevails, He surrenders unto her as He does to those who love Him deeply. This ends ultimately in the coming together of the two - Radha and Krishna. The performance of Lavanya and Anusha was very graceful and inspiring. The Thillana depicted various facets of Krishna coming together in a dance of celebration as everyone’s feet tapped to the rejoicing music. The brilliant dance choreography for Colonial Cousins’ Krishna Nee Begane was a very refreshing ending with a beautiful mix of music and culture and a powerful message for human understanding, respect, love and kindness. Silambam Houston Dance Company’s premier production was indeed done very professionally, and the artistes presented a beautiful performance of “Krishna” without a question mark.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

20 May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY

Bangladeshi Artist on Rice Radio

HOUSTON: Bangladesh, a country unexplored by many westerners took center stage on ktru’s Navrang show on Saturday, April 25. Houston based Bangladeshi artist Suparna (Rupa) Ghosh shared her Bangladeshi essence and enthusiasm with Houstonians. Rupa Ghosh a Rabindranath Tagore aﬁcionado was at ktru with her Bangla edition of the Nobel laureate’s Geetanjali. Rupa Ghosh originally from Chittagong, Bangladesh, shared her educational and music background on the Navrang show hosted by Varsha Vakil. Rupa Ghosh’s musical journey started at the age of ﬁve under the guidance of Sri Nirmalandu Chowdhury. Her formal Hindustani classical training was under the tutelages of Ustad Nirod Baran Barua of Bangla-

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desh and Pandit Manas Chakraborty of Kolkata, India. She later reﬁned her musical taste and dedicated it to Tagore’s work. To hone her passion for Tagore’s poetry she traveled to Shantiniketan, India. Varsha Vakil a true arts and culture enthusiast facilitated Rupa Ghosh and her team to paint a colorful picture of Bangladesh. This helped ktru listeners to visualize Bangladesh’s serene lifestyle surrounded with coconut trees and the rich culture portrayed by the noted poet Nazrul along with Tagore’s heart-wrenching poetry. Rupa Ghosh’s fascination for Tagore was summarized in a simple answer “Tagore in his poetry addresses my personal feelings”. The young Surangan music school

students accompanying Rupa Ghosh confidently expressed their pure love for Bangladesh. They chatted heartily with the amicable Varsha who eased them for a candid dialogue which resulted in a magnificent journey amidst giggles and glee through dancing peacocks and the enchanting seasons of Bangladesh. Houston’s South Asian artists merit Varsha’s dedication to music as a boon to their talent. Artists are becoming more aware of ktru’s platform only after Varsha’s affiliation to ktru’s specialty show Navrang. Rice radio presents diverse genres of music through their specialty shows. Navrang show website is navrang. ktru.org. Varsha can be reached by email at ktru@ktru.org.

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Shantanu Mukherjee (born 30 September 1972), known as Shaan, is an Indian playback singer more active in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, Telugu and Kannada ﬁlms and a television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and STAR Voice of India 2. He has also sung many Pakistani songs. He is considered as the one of the most popular voices for romantic as well as melodious songs and is one of the most versatile singers. He has sung songs of different genres like pop, sad songs, patriotic, jazz, ghazals, hip-hop, rock, and many more. He has sung songs in Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi, Nepali, English, Hindi, Oriya, Malayalam, Telugu and Marathi. He also started his career at a very young age of 17 years in year 1989. He has been showered with titles like "Golden Voice of India", "Voice of Paradise", "Magician of Melody", and "Voice of Youth". He recently appeared as a judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2014-2015.

May 15, 2015

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

22 May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY

A Musical Double Delight!

KGSMA's Annual Music Recital & Vidushi Dr. Sowmya's Grand Carnatic Concert

BY DR. LAKSHMI SRIVATHS

First Ever

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HOUSTON: How can a pleasant spring weekend in Houston be made even sweeter? Only by intertwining vibrant musical presentations by the vivacious Houstonian children with a state-of-the art carnatic concert, dulcet yet drenched in classicism! Houston was fortunate to witness and experience this rare amalgamation of back-to-back musical presentations by the young students of Krishna Gana Sudha Music Academy (KGSMA) and the splendid carnatic music concert by Vidushi Dr. S. Sowmya and party. On May 2, the KGSMA celebrated with grandeur, its ﬁrst annual music recital, at the Old Stafford Civic Center, Stafford, Texas. More than hundred children receiving tutelage from Vidushi Smt. Raja Rajeshwary Bhat presented a glimpse of their musical erudition as four group performances. The unique introduction by talented children of KGSMA by means of human puppetry, set the stage for the children's performances. Entitled "Hemavathi" (denoting those just initiated into music), "Dharmavathi" (indicating those who need to practice music regularly with discipline), "Senavathi" (implying those who need to strive harder to accomplish in music) , and "Kalavathi" (referring to those inducted into the art of music as a result of their of persistent efforts), the four groups presented songs of several legendary composers includ-

ing Sri Purandara Dasa, Saint Thyagaraja, Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Sri Shyama Shasthri, Maharaja Sri Swathi Thirunal, Sri Patnam Subramanya Iyer, Sri Thachur Singarachar, Mahakavi Sri Subramanya Bharathiyar, and contemporary composers namely Dr. Balamurali Krishna and their music teacher's esteemed guru Sri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. The tireless efforts and able guidance of their beloved carnatic music guru Smt. Raja Rajeshwary Bhat was evident in the near ﬂawless performances by the tiny tots and the reﬁned and classy presentations embellished with manodharma by the advanced level students. The group performances were ably accompanied on the violin by Maya Iyer, Kruthi Bhat and Deepa Ramachandran and on the mridangam by Karun Salvady and Charan Rajan. The members of Houston Youth Music Association were the emcees for the annual recital, who complimented the students' earnest efforts and thanked the Guru for honing the skills of all her students, age no bar. At the end of each presentation, it was a visual treat to see the young and old students of KGSMA presented with a trophy for their musical achievement. KGSMA expressed their sincere thanks by felicitating Mr. Darshak of Krishna Sounds for his skilful handling of the sound system throughout the event. Thanks were in order for all the children and parent volunteers who contributed several hours of efforts

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

despite their busy schedules. As the audience savored the musical nectar presented by the children, the evening's crowning event followed next. What an honor and privilege it was for Houston's young learners and yearning audience to be treated with a classic carnatic concert by none other than the music virtuoso Vidushi Dr. S. Sowmya. She was accompanied by master musicians, Vidwan Sri Embar S. Kannan on the violin, Vidwan Sri Neyveli R. Narayanan on the mridangam and Vidwan Sri G. Chandrasekara Sharma on the ghatam. The concert opened with the melodious Sahana varnam. An accomplished guru herself, it was enlightening to listen to the educational pearls in the songs that ensued by Smt Sowmya, when she explained the deceptively simple, yet complex to handle ragam Gurjari in the Tyagaraja krithi, the "DhanammaL BaaNi" of handling ragam Saveri in the alapana that preceded the krithi "Etunamminaa O Manasaa". It was equally enriching to learn about the signiﬁcance of her song choices: "Gnaana Sabayil Thillai Gaanam Thanil Nindraadum" in Saranga set to Misra chapu coincided with the "Kumbabishekam" in Chidambaram; "Narasimha Aagacha Parabrahma" in Mohanam and Misra chapu was sung as the day marked Narasimha Jayanthi. The melliﬂuous and mesmerizing RTP in Reeti Gowlai was followed by the invigorating thani avarthanam on the mridangam and ghatam, a percussionist conversation that enthralled the audience. Sri Embar Kannan's violin spoke a million melodic words that reverberated in the listeners' ears and hearts well after the concert. The concluding phase was adorned by the Swathi Thirunal Bhajan "Sundari Bhaje" in Desh, Sadasiva Brahmendra's "Bhajare Yadhu Naatham" in ragam Pilu, the lilting Kavadi Sindhu "Villinai Oththa Puruvam" by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar and the pleasing Arunagirinathar's Thiruppugazh "ThuLLuvadhu Vaettai" in Hamsanandhi. As the audience sat completely spellbound in the concert, an inevitable thought crossed one's mind: did Goddess Saraswathi herself descend on earth with her ensemble to treat the Houstonians with a divine musical experience? These thoughts were aptly brought forth in the emcee's introductory statements and Janaki Mami's congratulatory interlude when the latter also acknowledged and applauded the efforts of the KGSMA students and their beloved teacher. The event concluded with a thank you note from a KGSMA senior student; but the passion to learn, listen to and indulge in classical carnatic music continued to burn fully ablaze in the hearts of one and all!

COMMUNITY

May 15, 2015

Shaan Live in Concert

CONTINUED FROM PAGE

She also loves cartoons like Doremon and Pokemon. Her father is a teacher while her mother is a housewife. Arunita also plays a few musical instruments like Harmonium and Tanpura. Arunita is taught singing by her uncle who is a singer himself. She wants to learn from Hariharan and Shreya Ghoshal

Ambili Menon

She shot to fame after winning the Sunsilk Gang of Girls. A power packet, the young and versatile singer-performer Ambili Menon has been setting stages on ﬁre not just within the country but abroad as well. Known for her electrifying connectivity with the audience and scintillating performances. family crowd just sitting and applauding till late into the night, listening to music and enjoying with a smile on their faces!

Gagan Gaonkar

Arunita Kanjilal

11 years old Arunita is from West Bengal. MADRAS N PAVILIO T & DAAWA CATERING

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13 years old Gagan Gaonkar hails from Karnataka and sings Ghazal, Suﬁ and Hindustani classical songs. Gagan loves acting and has even acted in Kannada movies. His father is a professor of Economics and mother is a lecturer. His hobbies include writing poems and stories and reading. Gagan got interested in singing by watching singing shows on TV. His favourite singers are Lata Mangeshkar and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and he aspires to meet Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

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PUZZLES/RECIPES

Mama’s Punjabi Recipes

Mitthi Bread or Shahi Tukdre (Sweetened Fried Bread Pudding)

Most people think that Punjabis enjoy their paranthas the most of all types of breads, but the truth is that they enjoy breads cooked in many ways. And when they can’t get any kind of cooked roti, they will just as easily turn to regular bread with sabzi, toast with butter and jam or the crispy ready-made husks eaten dipped in a cup of milky tea. Sometimes when there isn’t enough time to make a delicious sweet dish, an imaginative Punjabi will turn to this easy recipe, which uses bread and is not only simple but also greatly appreciated by guests. If you happen to have some left over chasni (sugar syrup), then this dish is even faster to make. Mitthi bread, better known as shahi tukde, is also popular in Rajasthan and Hyderabad, but some say it is best connected to a region called Awadh in Uttar Pradesh. This region was sometimes referred to as Oudh (derived from the Hindi name Ayodhya) whose capital was Lucknow. The other ingredient in this dish is rabdi or thickened, evaporated milk that is poured all over the bread which soaks it up. When served chilled sprinkled with chopped almonds, pistachios and saffron, the taste is just fantastic. Ingredients: 6 slices of bread - (bleached white and sliced) 1 ½ cups chinni (sugar) 1 cup pani (water) ½ gallon doodh (milk) – whole milk is best Vegetable or sunflower oil for frying Condiments to your taste: kishmish (raisins); saunf (fennel seed) Dry fruits to your taste: badam (almonds – peeled and slivered); piste (pistachios – halved or pieces)

Directions: 1.To make the chasni, pour sugar into a bowl and slowly add warm water while mixing thoroughly with a spoon.

2.Meanwhile, pour the milk into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and keep stirring to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom otherwise it will give a burnt smell. Keep stirring till the milk is thickened and only ¼ remains, take off the heat and set aside. 3.Cut the slices of bread into four squares, then fry in the oil till each side is golden brown. 4.Dip the hot pieces into the chasni and take them out with a strainer to drip. 5.Spread the pieces in a large ﬂat pyrex baking dish and arrange in two layers. 6.Pour the rabdi, covering the layer

of fried bread. 7.Sprinkle the top with slivered almonds, pistachios, raisins and fennel seeds. Place in the fridge to chill before serving. 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 Punjabi recipes.

MAMA’S TIP OF THE WEEK REUSE EXTRA CHASNI FOR ANOTHER DISH

Several Indian sweet dishes are made with chasni (sugar syrup), which is water based. Though it is not hard to make, having some handy makes it easy to make another sweet dish should you be in a hurry or get caught by surprise guests. Usually when cooking gulab jamun or jalebis some chasni or sugar syrup is left over. Take this chasni and store it in a plastic container in the fridge. If you are short on time, you can quickly turn to another recipe, like shahi tukde, and make a delicious sweet dish in no time at all.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT Movie Review: Piku

BY SWETA KAUSHAL NEW DELHI: A father who introduces his 30-year-old daughter to her suitors as a "ﬁnancially, emotionally and sexually independent, non-virgin woman" and a daughter who scolds her dad for his obsession with health and tells him it would have been better if he had some disease. The dad is Amitabh Bachchan's Bhashkor Banerjee and Deepika Padukone essays the role of Piku, the daughter, in this Shoojit Sircar's directorial venture. How does this eccentric fatherdaughter relationship unfold on screen? Let us explore.

In a rare reminder of Hrishikesh Mukherjee films, Piku does not feel like a movie; it might as well have been a video recording of any family with an ageing parent and a single child taking care of him/her. Piku presents a very realistic view of a typical Indian family. The film has life as it is, minus any over-the-top idealistic relationships or preachy morals. The film harps on the simplicity of reality, gently tugging on your heartstrings. The film explores the relationship between an old father and his daughter on whom he completely depends. Shoojit, who earlier gave us John Abraham-starrer Madras Café (2013) and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Vicky Donor (2012), once again proves that an entertainer does not have to be largerthan-life and unrealistic. The beauty of Piku lies not in the story but the way it is told. The film shows that mind-boggling stories are not essential to touch hearts on the silver screen. Piku’s story is too simple - it does not offer shocks or surprises. Instead, it is one of those endearing narratives where the actors’ performances and nuanced ways in which

the director tells the tale overpower the predictable storyline. Juhi Chaturvedi’s warm and sweet screenplay ensures that everyone who lives with or has lived with ageing parents will identify with Deepika’s character. It is irritating to deal with their tantrums and we keep scolding them, but the moment we see the smallest deterioration in health, we are ready to do anything to ensure that they are back to their childish ways. Bhashkor (Amitabh) and Piku (Deepika) are Bengalis living in Delhi. While Bhashkor spends his days obsessing over his bowel movements, Piku is a wonderful multi-tasker who manages the whole household, works at an architecture ofﬁce and also tries her best to maintain an active sexual life. Rana Chaudhary (Irrfan) is the owner of a taxi service company that is reeling under the onslaught of Piku’s arrogance. While several of his drivers have left because of her attitude, many have caused accidents when faced with her wrath. Situation puts Rana in the middle of Piku’s family drama. While he is attracted to Piku, he is also aware how this caring woman can also be arrogant, rude and adamant. As he maintains his distance, Rana’s interaction with Piku has a subtle, understated romantic tone. -Hindustantimes.com

May 15, 2015

The Wait is Over: Ranbir Kapoor Conﬁrms Marriage Plans with Katrina

NEW DELHI: Ranbir Kapoor has conﬁrmed that he plans to wed girlfriend Katrina Kaif by the end of 2016, ending the suspense that has surrounded their marriage plans. Things seem to be moving on the right path for lovebirds Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor. Earlier this year, the two Bollywood actors moved in together. Rumours of the 'powercouple' dating have been doing the rounds since the two worked together in Rajkumar Santoshi's Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. "This year, there's a lot of pressure on me because of work. I feel I won't be able to make the time. I'm thinking of getting married towards the end of next year. Till now, that's the plan for

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me and her, "Ranbir said in an interview to Ananda Bazar Patrika. The actor was further quoted as saying, "We both are very sure about the relationship now. If I don't speak now, I won't be respecting the relationship. I'm now 33. I want a family. Katrina wants the same. There is no need to hide anything." When asked why superstars aren't honest and the reason behind his aloofness, the actor said, "That's their business. Some things they don't do, but I do. Some things I don't do, but they do. The mystery surrounding stars is no longer there. I want to retain that mystery. The viewers and fans should see me just before the release of a ﬁlm." -Hindustantimes.com

26 May 15, 2015

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STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

SAIL to Invest Rs1.5 Trillion by 2025

The country’s largest steel maker will ramp up steel production from 24 million tonnes to 50 million tonnes

Gold Weakens on Low Demand; Silver Gains on Fresh Buying Gold of 99.9 as well as 99.5% purity declined by Rs50 each to Rs27,250 and Rs27,100 per 10 gram respectively NEW DELHI: Gold prices fell by Rs50 to trade at Rs27,250 per 10 grams on Saturday in Delhi bullion market on slacking demand from jewellers even as it made gains in overseas market. Bullion traders attributed the fall in gold prices to a decline in demand from jewellers as well as retailers at current levels but ﬁrming global trend

capped the fall. Globally, gold rose by 0.6% to $1,188.90 an ounce and silver by 1% to $16.46 an ounce in New York in yesterday’s trade. In the national capital, gold of 99.9 as well as 99.5% purity declined by Rs50 each to Rs27,250 and Rs27,100 per 10 gram respectively. It had gained Rs70 yesterday. Sovereign, however,

continued to be traded at last level of Rs23,700 per piece of eight gram. On the other hand, silver ready rose by Rs50 to Rs37,900 per kg while weekly-based delivery by Rs120 to Rs37,935 per kg. Meanwhile, silver coins unaltered at Rs56,000 for buying and Rs57,000 for selling of 100 pieces. -livemint.com

ONGC to Start Appraisal of New Areas Areas where fresh appraisal will take place include Odisha’s Mahanadi basin BURNPUR: Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), the country’s largest steel maker, has charted investment of Rs.1,50,000 crore till 2025 to ramp up steel production from 24 million tonnes to 50 million tonnes. “We have prepared an investment plan of Rs.1,50,000 crore till 2025 to meet our vision to increase the steel production capacity to 50 million tonnes from 23-24 million tonnes now,” SAIL chairman C.S. Verma said on Sunday on the sidelines of dedication of Rs.16,000 crore modernisation of IISCO plant by the Prime Minister. The capacity of the plant of crude steel had been ramped up to 2.5 million tonnes. But, by 2025 the capacity will be further ramped up to 5.6 mil-

lion tonnes in phases, Verma said. Verma said that another major modernisation project in the 2025 vision document of SAIL was in the Durgapur steel plant “whose capacity will be taken up from 2.2 million tonnes to nine million tonnes.” The total investment for West Bengal would work out to Rs.40,000 crore in both the plants, he said. Speaking about iron-nugget plant in collaboration with Kobe of Japan, he said that the project was delayed as a new improved technology was being awaited. Another fresh MoU will be signed with Kobe for the upgraded technology. The project will come up at Durgapur and use the Japanese steel maker’s patented iron making technology. -livemint.com

BHUBANESHWAR: As part of its effort to ensure energy security, the centre has decided to undertake fresh appraisal of areas including Odisha’s Mahanadi basin to ﬁnd out oil and natural gas reserves. “As the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government has decided to take the country towards energy security, we need to go for fresh exploration of the reserves. Therefore, ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd) will undertake new appraisal over 40,000 line km,” Union minister of state (independent charge) for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters here on the sidelines of the inauguration of an ONGC ofﬁce in Bhubaneswar. Stating that though there are 26 sedimentary basins in the country,

Pradhan pointed out that assessment has been done in only 15 sediments. “Since we want to increase production of oil and gas in the country, there is a need to explore and assess 11 remaining sediments,” Pradhan said adding that some region from the 15 sedimentary basis also require further exploration and assessments. While justifying necessity of massive explorations in the country, Pradhan said India imports 77% of its hydrocarbon needs from foreign countries. ONGC would carry out 2D and 3D survey across the Mahanadi basin, the minister said, adding that the state government has already given

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

required permission for beginning exploration in the Mahanadi basin. Claiming that Odisha would soon emerge as the eastern India’s hydrocarbon hub, the minister said that new technologies need to be implemented in order to make the gas and oil commercially viable. Though ONGC had launched exploration activities in Mahanadi basin area decades back, it abandoned the effort after ﬁnding that the discoveries of oil and gas may not be commercially viable. “Now, the ONGC will further the Mahanadi basin,” Pradhan said. -livemint.com

28 May 15, 2015 IPL 2015: DD Shock CSK with Consolation Win BY VISHAL DIKSHIT RAIPUT (ESPN Cricinfo): Delhi Daredevils 120 for 4 (Iyer 70*, Ishwar 2-27) beat Chennai Super Kings 119 for 6 (Zaheer 2-9, Morkel 2-21) by six wickets An exceptionally disciplined show from the Delhi Daredevils bowlers restricted table-toppers Chennai Super Kings to 119 for 6, to set up a convincing and consolatory six-wicket win on a slightly uneven and sluggish pitch in Raipur. Ironically, Daredevils were without their their top three wicket-takers of the season so far, Imran Tahir, Amit Mishra and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was excluded for Gurinder Sandhu. Daredevils’ chase was later steered with 20 balls to spare by an unbeaten and uncluttered fifty from Shreyas Iyer. The loss means that Super Kings still haven’t technically made it to the playoffs. Even though they are on top with 16 points and a game to go, they could be out on net run rate. Nothing went Super Kings’ way apart from the toss, as Daredevils opened with leftarm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Zaheer Khan. The two suffocated Super Kings’ destructive openers, who rely on boundaries early on. Nadeem started with a maiden with the help of a few seam-ups and gave no room to Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum; and Zaheer hardly gave them any pace to utilise, bowling a stump-to-stump line. The pressure resulted in McCullum’s wicket on the last ball of the frugal Powerplay, which yielded only 16 runs, including 27 dot balls. It was Super Kings’ second-worst Powerplay across eight seasons, and the third-worst by any team. The pressure never allowed Super Kings to breathe on a hot evening. Smith took 12 balls to get off the mark, struggled the most to time the ball, and was trapped lbw for 18 off 24 on Albie Morkel’s first ball. For

Zaheer Khan ended with ﬁgures of 4-1-9-2 and bowled 19 dot balls, Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2015, Raipur, May 12, 2015

a brief period, it looked like Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis would rescue their team. Raina rotated the strike from ball one and du Plessis decided to find gaps instead of clearing the boundary on the big ground. But offspinner Jayant Yadav got rid of Raina seven balls after Smith’s wicket, which brought the already-struggling MS Dhoni out. He and du Plessis briefly consolidated the innings, scoring runs off Sandhu and Yuvraj Singh, with a stand of 37 in six overs. But du Plessis’ wicket in the 16th over threw Super Kings off track again. Thirteen runs from the next over, off Yuvraj, and 11 off Sandhu in the next helped Super Kings’ score past 100 but Zaheer and Sandhu conceded only nine from the last two to keep Daredevils’ required run rate to exactly six per over. Daredevils’ chase was uncharacteristically smooth after losing two wickets early on. Even though Iyer struck three fours in the first two overs, Ishwar Pandey, who came in for an ill Ashish Nehra, removed

Quinton de Kock and Duminy, for 3 and 6 respectively. An unfazed Iyer avoided any extravagant or risky shots to keep the chase on course. He cashed in on the room offered by Mohit Sharma early and used his feet and played the ball late against the spinners. Ishwar’s first three overs read 3-1-7-2, but his last over, the seventh of the innings, dashed Super Kings’ hopes and chances. Yuvraj struck fluent fours on the first and sixth balls, and Iyer unleashed an inside-out drive for six and a beautifullytimed on-drive for four off consecutive deliveries to accumulate 20 from the over. Super Kings made things worse for themselves when Mohit dropped a high catch of Iyer, on 32 then, wide of deep midwicket off a rare slog. Yuvraj and Iyer scored at least a boundary for next five overs to bring the required run rate to a comfortable four per over. Iyer brought up his fourth fifty of the tournament and even though Yuvraj and Morkel fell to Pawan Negi’s successive overs towards end, Iyer took

them home comfortably. Super Kings’ spinners tried to make use of the slow pitch, which offered some turn but they had very little to defend. Vishal Dikshit is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

Sunrisers Beat Kings

HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad 185 for 5 (Warner 81, Hendricks 2-40) beat Kings XI Punjab 180 for 7 (Miller 89*, Henriques 3-16) by 5 runs. David Warner continued to carry his team forward in the tournament on the back of his own personal form, his sixth halfcentury this season laying the foundation of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fifth win in six matches that helped them catch up with Rajasthan Royals on the points table. But not before David Miller gave them a brief scare by hitting first four balls of Ishant Sharma’s last over for 6, 6, 0 and 4, bringing the equation down to 12 off two balls. He missed the penultimate ball, but hit the last one for a six again, exposing how poor that over had been. Or how poorly Kings XI Punjab’s batsmen had fared on course of their seventh consecutive loss.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

SPORTS

Rohan Bopanna is India’s Top Player in Doubles Ranks

NEW DELHI: India’s Rohan Bopanna gained three places to be world number 21, following his stupendous title win at the Madrid Open with Romanian partner Florin Mergea. Bopanna gained 1000 points for his efforts and is now country’s top ranked player in the ATP doubles chart. Leander Paes lost a place to be at number 24. Bopanna and Paes are the only players from India in doubles top-100. Bopanna was ranked number three in the world in July 2013 when he partnered Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi. In the singes, Somdev Devvarman continues to be top singles player at number 173 but he is now closely followed by Yuki Bhambri, who gained six places to be placed at 180. Yuki had reached the singles quarterfinals at the Karshi Challenger event. Saketh Myneni, who has played in Indian Davis Cup team, is next best at number 229 after going up the ladder by 10 places. In the WTA charts, Sania Mirza maintained her world number one rank in the individual doubles chart. But in the teams’ table, Sania and Martina Hingis have conceded their top spot to Bethanie MattekSands and Lucie Safarova. In the singles, Anikta Raina improved her ranking by six places. Bopanna started playing tennis at age 11. He reached his career high doubles rankings on 22 July 2013 when he was ranked World No. 3 in the ATP Rankings. He reached his career-high singles rankings of world No. 213. Bopanna partnered with Qureshi in doubles in 2007. The duo, nicknamed the IndoPak Express, went on to win four Challenger titles in quick succession.

May 15, 2015

After Acquittal, Jayalalithaa Set to Return as CM BY KRISHNAPRASAD SRUTHISAGAR YAMUNAN BENGALURU: After eight months in limbo, AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa’s political life was resurrected in a matter of a few minutes on Monday. The Karnataka High Court acquitted her and three others in the disproportionate assets case, setting aside a trial court order of September 2014 sentencing them to four years in prison. The packed Court Hall No. 14 witnessed jubilant scenes when Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy announced that the appeals of Ms. Jayalalithaa and her associates — V. Sasikalaa, V.N. Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi — were being allowed, and they stood acquitted of the charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to the known sources of their income. The proceedings lasted just ﬁve minutes as the judge chose to read out the operative portion of the order.

In his 919-page judgment, Mr. Justice Kumaraswamy said the prosecution had failed to prove the conspiracy. He recalculated the income and expenditure of the accused during 1991-96 and said the additional assets they possessed exceeded their known income by just 8.12 per cent. Citing a Supreme Court judgment in the Krishnanand Agnihotri case, he said that when the ‘disproportionate asset’was less than 10 per cent, the ac-

With no Majority in Rajya Sabha, Can’t Pass Law for Ram Temple this Time, Rajnath Singh Says

AYODHYA: A dearth of majority in the Upper House of Parliament was coming in the way of BJP to bring in a motion and make law for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday. Construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya was among the promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto which it had released in the run up to last year’s general election. Some other contentious issues like

abrogation of Article 370 which gives special status to Jammu & Kashmir and enactment of uniform civil code were also promised in the party’s manifesto. “The BJP does not have a majority in Rajya Sabha, so this time it is not possible to bring motion in the Parliament to make law for the construction of Ram temple,” the senior BJP leader said. He was here to take part in a programme of senior Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Nritya Gopal Das. When asked if BJP will bring the motion for a Ram temple if it gets a majority in Rajya Sabha in the days to come, Singh said,”It is an imaginary question.” Later, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said the underworld don lives in Pakistan and the Centre would continue to pursue the case very seriously. -TimesofIndia

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cused were entitled to acquittal. “...the prosecution has mixed up the assets of accused, firms and companies and also added the cost of constructioni.e.,Rs. 27,79,88,945 and marriage expenses at Rs.6,45,04,222/and valued the assets at Rs. 66,44,73,573,” the order said. Also, the High Court criticised the trial court for not including the loans availed of by the accused during 1991-96 as part of their income. It also said due importance was not given to the evidential value of records such as Income Tax rulings. “The Trial Court has not appreciated the evidence in a proper perspective,” Mr. Justice Kumaraswamy said.

He also said the fact that all the accused resided together at Ms. Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden home did not prove any conspiracy. When the judge got down from the podium, AIADMK lawyers erupted in joy and raised slogans hailing their leader. In contrast, the prosecution team and those representing DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan were in disbelief. In consequence, it would be a sort of a political resurrection for Ms. Jayalalithaa, whose disqualiﬁcation under the Representation of People Act stands negated by the High Court ﬁndings. This paves the way for her return as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, as it is possible for her to hold the position for six months without being an MLA. Jaya's Resurrection In a major victory for AIADMK, a special bench of the Karnataka High

Court on Monday set aside the trial court order convicting former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case. The clinching argument The value of disproportionate assets was Rs. 2.82 crore and this value was not enough to convict them on charges of corruption, said Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy in his verdict while disagreeing with the verdict of the Special Court, which had computed the value of DA at Rs. 53.6 crore. AIADMK chief keeps her plans under wraps In a statement, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the verdict gave her immense satisfaction and proved that she was innocent. She warned her political opponents to end their conspiracies against her and thanked the partymen and people who prayed for her. But she did not reveal any of her plans. -The Hindu

Pakistan Gunmen Kill 45 on Karachi Ismaili Shia Bus ASIA: At least 45 people have been killed and 13 injured in a gun attack on a bus carrying Ismaili Shia Muslims in the Pakistani city of Karachi, police say. A police official said six gunmen on motorcycles had stopped the bus and fired indiscriminately at passengers. Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack and ordered an investigation. Pakistani Taliban splinter group Jundullah and Islamic State (IS) both said they had carried out the attack. It is the second deadliest militant attack in Pakistan this year after 62 Shia Muslims were killed in a suicide bombing in January. This is the first such attack on the Ismaili community in Pakistan, and it is shocking even by the standards of Karachi. The sheer numbers of casualties and the manner in which they were killed provide an uneasy contrast with the peaceful image of this Shia sect, which makes upa tiny proportion of Pakistan’s mostly Muslim population. One of the country’s many militant

groups has said it carried out the attack. But we are not likely to ﬁnd out for sure who did it because Karachi is in the throes of an armed struggle between the military and a confusing array of political, religious and sectarian militants. Ismailis consider the Aga Khan their hereditary spiritual guide. They mostly inhabit the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan, but also have a signiﬁcant presence in Karachi where they run businesses and charities, and tend to use community-built accommodation and transport.

The attack is likely to cause some diplomatic tensions for Islamabad as theAga Khan has been a major source of development funds. This may be one reason why both the prime minister and the army chief have set aside other engagements to head for Karachi. About 60 people were on the bus when it was stopped in the Safoora Chowk area on its way to the Ayesha Manzil Ismaili centre, police said. Relatives of some survivors said the gunmen were dressed as policemen. One man at the hospital told AFP news agency: “I have come to collect the body of my young son. He was a student preparing for his ﬁrst year exams at college.” Ismaili spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan said in a statement the “attack represented a senseless act of violence against a peaceful community”.Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described the killings as “a deplorable attempt to spread chaos in Pakistan”. -bbc.com

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