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Friday, August 7, 2020 | Vol. 39, No. 32

Indo American News

August 7, 2020

Published weekly from Houston, TX

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Special Reports Community Briefs Local Politics South Asians in the News

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Global Celebration of Sri Ram Bhoomi Puja

HWS Bhoomi Puja

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Images of Lord Ram in New York City’s Times Square to celebrate the Lord Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Pujan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ayodhya. Full coverage on Pages 2, 5, 8 and 9.

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August 7, 2020

Bhoomi Puja in Ayodhya by PM Modi: “Centuries of Wait Has Ended”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and others during the Bhoomi Pujan at the Janambhoomi site in Ayodhya.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values. “Ram is love, he can never appear in hatred. Ram is compassion, he can never appear in cruelty. Ram is justice, he can never appear in injustice,” he said. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the prime minister’s participation at the bhoomi pujan went against the Constitution and marked the victory of majoritarianism. “Today is a victory of Hindutva over secularism,” he said. The construction of the temple is designed by the Sompura family (see Page 5) and to be built by L&T by 2024.

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dressed the gathering after the bhoomi pujan. Beginning his speech with “Jai Siya Ram”, PM Modi described Ram as the common thread in India’s unity in diversity and drew a parallel between the country’s independence movement and “centuries” of people’s struggle to build the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi. The groundbreaking was celebrated with smaller events across the country-- from the blowing of a conch at a jewellery shop beyond the barricades in Ayodhya itself to more elaborate rituals in Delhi’s Chattarpur temple complex. Elsewhere people lit diyas to mark the historic occasion. President Ram Nath Kovind said the foundationlaying ceremony defines India’s spirit of harmony. “Being built in tune with law, it defines India’s spirit of social harmony and people’s zeal. It will be a testimony to ideals of Ram Rajya and a symbol of modern India,” he tweeted.

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Ayodhya: The decades-long wait to see a permanent home for Lord Ram built in Ayodhya, the perceived birthplace of the deity ended on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ram temple on the site in a grand ceremony. Bhajans and ‘shlokas’ were heard as the Ayodhya, festooned with marigold flowers and yellow and saffron flags, celebrated the beginning of the construction of a grand Ram temple. Roads leading to the holy city were adorned with hoardings of the proposed temple and of Ram Lalla, the infant Ram, the deity now housed in a makeshift temple. Most shops were painted in bright yellow. Not only was the bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya a reason to celebrate for many in the nation but also signalled the fulfilment of a long-held goal of the Bharatiya Janata Party. “The wait of centuries has ended and India is creating a golden chapter in Ayodhya,” PM Modi said after performing the bhoomi pujan. As priests chanted Sanskrit ‘shlokas’ and the ground-breaking ceremony got underway under a giant marquee decorated in shades of reds and yellows, Modi and the other dignitaries, all in masks, maintained social distancing and sat a safe distance away from each other. Some Ram Janmabhoomi movement leaders, including former deputy prime minister LK Advani, were not at the venue where the organisers had invited only 175 people. Here is all you need to know about the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan that took place in Ayodhya today: In a highly-anticipated event watched by millions on television, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the culmination of a campaign that fuelled the rise of the BJP and marked the fulfilment of one of its core poll promises. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust head Nritya Gopal Das were on the dais along with the PM. The prime minister arrived in Ayodhya in a helicopter where Adityanath among others received him. Before the function to lay the foundation stone of the ‘Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir’, the prime minister took part in prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple. From there, he travelled to the ‘Shree Ram Janmabhoomi’ where he performed prayers at the ‘Bhagwan Shree Ramlala Virajman’. Amid the chanting of shlokas, Modi consecrated the very first bricks for the temple at the spot where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. The wait of centuries has ended, he said after performing the groundbreaking ceremony. Later, the Prime Minister ad-

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August 7, 2020

HWS Bhoomi Puja for New Shiv Mandir and Construction Starts By Jawahar Malhotra Houston: several months of planning and design effort for the Shiv Temple at the Hindu Worship Society, a bhumi puja was held on Friday, July 24 at a mahurat (auspicious time) decided by HWS priest Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji. City and county guidelines were observed for the ceremony, which was attended, by a limited number of people. Puja participants included HWS Trustees Board President Bal Sareen, HWS President Ravi Goel and HWS Shiv Mandir project committee chair Rajinder Soni, accompanied by their spouses Rita Sareen, Aruna Goel and Meera Soni. Also included was Dilip Patel, a project committee member. Another devoted member Prabhat Sharma could not attend. Mahesh Wadhwa, the project architect and his spouse Shashi attended the function. Raghu Iyer, managing director of IECONI – the selected project contractor - and his crew started construction activities soon after the puja. Afterformingtheprojectcommittee and hiring the Wadhwa Architects work started on the Shiv Mandir project in mid-2018. Presentations were made to HWS devotees after incorporating input from executive committee members. COVID-19 has given a fair amount of setbacks to the HWS which has had to postpone the Mata Ki Chowki and fundraiser which planned for April. To support the community at large, the HWS donated to SEWA International and also hosted a very successful food distribution drive for the over 200 needy families of the

From left, Rajinder Soni, Bal Sareen and Ravi Goel engaged in the bhoomi puja ceremonies under the direction of Pandit Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji.

neighboring communities. HWS has decided to commence with this important Shiv Mandir project with cautious optimism hoping that the devotees and donors will help complete this project. Soon after the bhumi puja was finished, Rita and Bal Sareen made a generous donation of $25,000 to insure adequate funds for completion of the project and other needs and repairs such as painting, new roof air conditioning and a new audio/ video system Hindu worship society is the oldest Hindu place of worship, started in 1969 by four like-minded Hindu Americans to insure that

Hindu families in Houston and surrounding areas would be exposed to Hinduism and its cultural values. In its early years, HWS held weekly gatherings at member’s homes, and rented school and church halls. A few years later, HWS a purchased the vacant property of its present location and built a foundation slab. For years, HWS conducted weekly pujas on this slab and members had to often run for shelters whenever unexpected showers arrived. After three well-attended fundraisers HWS had the funds to construct the current temple hall. Another phase was built through some generous donations and interest free loans for the arrival

and installation of life size deities and a building for the residence of the priest and his family and a guesthouse. As a good member of the at-large community, HWS has performed many functions including blood drives and active participation in initiatives like Hands Around Houston. HWS also hosted a special puja for the ailing late Gyani Zail Singh, then the President of India when he came to Houston for heart surgery by world-renowned surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley. His family attended the pujas along with officials from the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. HWS also held exchange programs with local churches and delivered lectures to students at Rice University. Normal Temple timings are Monday to Saturday 8 am to 10 am, 6 pm to 8 pm Sunday 8 am to 4 pm aarti at 1:00 pm. Due to COVID-19 these timings are being observed in compliance local city and county

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guidelines and all pujas are being offered on-line. HWS’ full time resident priest, Pandit Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji is available to perform most of the pujas and rituals, both at the temple or devotees’ homes. To list a few, these are Kathaand Paravchan – shrimadbhagvtum, shree ram katha, geeta paravachan,sundarkand path, shri satyanarayan katha, bhoomi pooja, grahapravesh (with vastu shanti puja), Navgraha-Shanti pooja, including havan for all pujas. He can be contacted a 713-957-4608 or 832-278-0100 HWS management is currently led by President Ravi Goel, Secretary Ashima Patel and members Nisha Bhatia, Ranjan Lashkari and Pramod Barnwal. HWS is also governed by a Board of Trustees that Includes Dr. Durga Agarwal, Bal Sareen and Sandeep Soni.

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City Engineer Jay Patel Wins Public Works Award

Houston: Jay Patel, P.E., Supervising Engineer for City of Houston Public Works Department, was recently awarded Professional Manager of the Year in the Facilities and Grounds Category by the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association. This award recognizes outstanding achievement in the area of administration within the Houston Public Works Department and inspires excellence in the public sector by recognizing the outstanding career service achievements of the individual. Mr. Patel has been a Houston area resident since 1985 and for more than 35 years has been involved in various City, County, State, and Federal projects. He currently works for the City of Houston as Supervising Engineer, where he has overseen and completed numerous projects throughout Houston. Recently, he completed two award-winning projects for the

City – The 4200 Leeland Water Quality Laboratory, which received the 2019 Historical Restoration/Preservation Project of the Year award by the Texas Chapter of APWA, 2020 Gold Medal Award for Project of the Year by

ACEC, and the Ardmore Maintenance Facility, which received the 2020 Structures Project of the Year. His effective methods have earned him recognition for the innovation that he brings to any project that he has managed. Mr. Patel’s dedication to the state does not end with these accomplishments. He has used his professional skills to help various non-profit Indian organizations as well as community at large. Mr. Patel has assisted with the planning and designing various Hindu Temples, acting as Project Manager for New Hindu Temple (BAPS) in Stafford. The Indian Cultural Center (ICC) has had experience working with him in the construction of Mahatma Gandhi Monument, and he even received an award for his service in 2013. He continues this work today by helping construction committees in the planning and design of temples in the Aliana and Spring neighborhoods.

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August 7, 2020

Sompuras: Master Architects Building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya By Leena Misra The Ram Temple in Ayodhya, whose ‘bhoomi pujan’ was performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (August 5) is being built by the Sompura family of temple architects, led by the patriarch Chandrakant Sompura who first visited the site where the Babri Masjid once stood more than 30 years ago. Chandrakant Sompura, 77, had started work on the temple to Ram Lalla in Ayodhya 30 years ago, after he first visited the site with then Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Ashok Singhal. Industrialist Ghanshyamdas Birla asked him if he would take up the Ram Mandir project, and introduced him to Singhal. Sompura had worked on several of the Birla temples then. (Follow live updates on the Ayodhya Ram Temple ceremony) From then to today, August 5, is the longest time a project commissioned to the Sompuras has taken for the ground-breaking, says the patriarch, whose family has designed around 200 temples in India and abroad. “Usually we see the bhoomi poojan happen within 2-3 years,” says Sompura, who will be watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi perform the shilanyas of the temple live, on television. Sompura has decided not to go to the site because of his age and the coronavirus pandemic. But his son, Ashish, 49, who has made the site plan of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, is in Ayodhya to work out the details with Larsen & Toubro, the company that has been awarded the contract to build the temple. The art of temple building came to Ashish largely from his father and great grandfather Prabhashankar, who built the Somnath Temple in Prabhas Patan on the Gujarat coast inaugurated by the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, in 1951. Prabhashankar, who was later honoured with the Padma Shri, lost his son, Balwantrai, who was then 51, in an accident while Balwantrai was returning from a renovation project of the Badrinath temple. But for the family, the Somnath temple is the closest to their heart. The Sompuras believe that their ancestors were taught the art of temple building by the divine architect Vishwakarma himself. The Sompuras, who come from Palitana town of Bhavnagar, consider themselves to be ‘residents of the moon’ (Som = moon and pura= city). Their ancestor Ramji built the Jain temple complex on the Shetrunjay hills of Palitana, commissioned to him by a sugar merchant from Bombay who named the main dwar ‘Ram pol’ after him, says Sompura. He did not go to any formal school of architecture, having learnt it from his grandfather and father and the shastras, he says — his sons and others who joined in

The construction of the grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, whose ‘bhoomi pujan’ was performed on Wednesday, is expected to be completed in the next three years, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said.

The Sompuras — Chandrakant Sompura (in pink kurta) and his sons Nikhil (on his left) and Ashish (far left) — have built over 200-odd temples. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

the temple project are, however, trained engineers or architects. From the time when Sompura first went inside the garbha griha at the site in Ayodhya, measuring it with his footsteps as he was not allowed to take any instruments, the site was out of bounds — and restrained the architects from drawing up plans for the future temple. Back then, Sompura would make the primary pencil drawing, and the inking would be done by experts, on tracing paper. Just as Sompura himself had assisted his grandfather Prabhashankar when he built the Somnath temple and the Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura, Ashish too, joined his father around 1993. Sompura had drawn up 2-3 plans for the temple, one of which was approved by the VHP, which had then taken up the task of building the temple. A wooden model was

made, and at the Kumbh Mela that followed, the model was placed before the assembled sadhus, who gave their approval. Sompura recalls that before the Babri Masjid was razed, then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao had called him to ask if he would make an alternative plan for the temple to Lord Ram while keeping the mosque. An “Ayodhya Cell” had been set up in the Prime Minister’s Office at the time, according to Rao’s autobiography, ‘Ayodhya, 6 December, 1992’. Sompura built a model with the three domes of the mosque intact, and with the temple by its side — an arrangement similar to the one at the Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura. But the VHP, Sompura had told The Indian Express, was adamant: “If the temple is not built at the actual site, it doesn’t matter to us whether it is built on the banks of the Sara-

yu or in Ahmedabad.” The demolition of the Babri Masjid plunged the country into communal violence. The temple project, however, got a boost — now that the mosque was no longer there, the possibility of building the temple at the site believed to be the actual birthplace of Ram Lalla had opened up. Between 1992 and 1996, work on the temple went on in full swing in the ‘karyashala’ in Ayodhya, and components of the temple were crafted. But then the VHP ran out of funds, got engaged in litigation, and work slowed down. At that stage, there would be just 8-10 artisans at the site, Sompura recalls. Hope skyrocketed last November, after the Supreme Court awarded the entire land for the building of the temple. The last time Sompura himself went to Ayodhya was around

Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUST 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

five years back. His sons Nikhil, 55, and Ashish have taken over the execution of the project, and Ashutosh, 28, the civil engineer son of Nikhil, has joined them after training for two years in temple architecture through site visits and home schooling. Among Ashish’s projects has been the private temple in the Ambani home at Antilla in Mumbai. The family has built the Akshardham temples in the country, as well as the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purshottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) Sanstha temple in Neasden, United Kingdom. The head of the BAPS, Mahant Swami, is among the seven saints who have been invited for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ on Wednesday. The temple has been planned in the Nagar ‘shaili’ (a style of temple architecture where the temple tower is built over the sanctum sanctorum. The other major style is the Dravidian, which includes gopurams), and is far bigger than what had been originally planned. Three more spires have been added, one in front and two at the sides, to extend the gudh mandap (the covered porch); the number of columns has gone up from around 160 in the original plan to 366 (160 on the ground floor, 132 on first floor, 74 on second floor); the width of the stairway to the ‘Ram Darbar’ on the first floor has been expanded from 6 feet to 16 feet. The height of the temple has been increased from 141 feet to 161 feet, its width from 160 feet to 235 feet, and its length from 280 feet to 360 feet. The expansion was made because the government wanted space for “more people”, says Ashish. As per the plan, each column will have 16 idols, which will include the ‘Dashavataras’, the ‘chausath joginis’, all the incarnations of Shiva, and the 12 incarnations of the Goddess Saraswati. The unique feature of the Ram Mandir will be the octagonal shape of the sanctum sanctorum, in keeping with the design provided in the shastras for a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The Ram temple, will be on a raised platform, and will have the four features of a typical Hindu temple: the ‘chauki’ (verandah), ‘nritya mandap’ (semi covered porch), ‘gudh mandap’ (covered porch), and ‘garbha griha’ (sanctum sanctorum), aligned on a single axis. The original would have used up to 3 lakh cubic feet of sandstone; an additional 3 lakh cubic feet will now be needed, which will be mined at Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan. The Sompuras had initially estimated the construction to be completed in three and a half years, but the pandemic could push it back by another 6-8 months. The VHP had commissioned the building of the temple to three contractors, who have now been replaced by L&T..-- Indian Express

COMMUNITY

August 7, 2020

Namadwaar Houston Hosts Sri Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations

By Nisha Giri With the presence in Houston of Sri Ramanujamji, senior disciple of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, Namadwaar Houston Prayer House has become the focal point for hundreds of devotees around the country and the world. Now with Sri Krishna Janmashtami coming up, Global Organization for Divinity (G.O.D.) is conducting a special monthlong and nationwide celebration, involving devotees and children from all around USA and Canada. The celebrations are all entirely online, via Zoom and YouTube (Namadwaar Houston channel), and hundreds of devotees and families are participating in these, from Texas, California, Washington state, Michigan, Arizona,

Georgia, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, North and South Carolina, New Mexico, Indiana, Canada, and also from Muscat, Dubai, UK, Europe, Australia, India, and other places. Sampoorna parayanam (full recitation) of 18000 slokas of Srimad Bhagavatam is being performed currently at Namadwaar Houston, led by Sri Ramanujamji and Sri Ramaswamyji. The parayanam began on July 17, Rohini nakshatra, and will culminate with Janmashtami on Aug 11. It is performed for 2-3 hours daily. Apart from this, a “Bala Bhagavata Saptaha” where North American children are taking turns to read 108 chapters of Srimad Bhagavatam in one week is being held from Aug 3-9 and is coordinated by G.O.D. Canada from Toronto. Our shastras enunciate that

the purpose of the tongue is to speak of Bhagavan and that telling Bhagavad katha is everyone’s dharma. In this spirit, a number of devotees from around North America are presenting a series of discourses on every weekday evening in July-August. ‘Krishna Kathamrutam’ series based on Sri Krishna’s leelas from the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam are being presented by lady devotees from North America every Monday and Tuesday evening. ‘Vak Arpanam’ series on bhakta charitrams and more Sri Krishna Leelas will be presented by more devotees on Wed-Fri evenings, which will be followed by Sri Ramayana Katha by male devotees in the second half of August. Since mid-June, Namadwaar Houston has also hosted a Youth Katha series where children from

around the country present a 1530 min devotional katha. As they prepare, this helps the children be inspired through the stories of devotees they are speaking of, and grow devotion in their own hearts. This initiative began as a National Junior Honor Society project by 12-year-old Kritika Dwarakanath of Houston, and has taken off in a big way with over 40 children participating nationally. Devotees from different regions also sing prayer kirtans every evening, chant Vishnu Sahasranamam and perform Mahamantra kirtan. And as part of the Janmashtami celebrations there will also be classical cultural performances by youth before the evening kathas. For the past over 120 days, Global Organization for Divinity has been broadcasting daily satsangs and discourses by Sri Ramanujamji

on the grandness of Hinduism and its philosophies, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Ramayanam, Srimad Bhagavatam, Vedanta, non-religious discussions on Intelligent Living; and by Sri Ramaswamyji on Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhakta charitrams that are sagas of surrender and highest prema bhakti. These events have all helped uplift devotees’ hearts, reinforce their faith, and strengthen their minds, as the world struggles through this pandemic situation. To follow current events and happenings at G.O.D. and Namadwaar, please visit the Facebook pages at Global Organization for Divinity USA and Namadwaar Houston, or call 281-402-6585 or email houston.god@godivinity. org to join our local WhatsApp groups.

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Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUT 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

7 Swami Parthasarathy Presents Talk on Personal Rehabilitation

COMMUNITY

Houston: On Sunday, July 26th Swami Parthasarathy addressed the world on the topic of ‘Personal Rehabilitation, Concern to Composure’. For 50 years, Swamiji has delivered a message in honor of Guru Purnima, normally to thousands of people in the auditoriums of India. At the age of 93, for the first time online, Swamiji spoke to a global audience of more than 10,000 from his home in Pune. Here are a few of the concepts Swamiji offered: The tendency of humanity is to be extrovert rather than looking within. This leads to a lack of selfmanagement that has dire consequences. The educational system is only concerned with information as opposed to developing the intellect (buddhi). Development of intellect alone allows one to manage oneself and relate to the world properly. Living is a “skill, a technique, to be learnt and practiced as you would to play an instrument or fly an aircraft.” But we do not bother to read the manual of life and living, which is Vedanta. For an optimal life, one must read the manual as you would before using any gadget. Without higher knowledge, we fall into selfish living. Selfishness agitates and disturbs us. Life is consumed with the selfish pursuit of acquisition and enjoyment, without regulation or moderation.

This leads to a state of neutralization where no amount of external contact offers any more pleasure. We blame the world for our unhappiness, thinking that a little bit more will make us happy. We think ‘if I get that, I will be happy’. That happiness never comes. It is always just around the corner. Therefore, develop your intellect to control your mind, never allowing your present happiness to be dependent on future acquisitions. Attachment and possessiveness

August 7, 2020

are the true virus destroying mankind. About this universal virus, Swamiji said, “All the suffering is because of the virus of attachment. Nobody bothers about it! What is coronavirus compared to the virus of attachment?! It is killing everybody! Destroying everybody! 60 – 70% of the western world is divorced. There is no family life. You can’t live with your own people. Attachment and possessiveness is the cause.” We are attached to possessions,

partners, children, religion, everything. It is the mind (manas) that gets attached to everything. It can

only be controlled by a well understood and well-developed intellect (buddhi). So then how to develop the intellect? First, one must question everything. Second, we must not take anything for granted. Third, enroll in the Vedanta Academy Elearning Course. That will help develop the intellect and fortify the personality. Within six months you will be less victimized by your own mind. Swamiji concluded, “You make yourself, you mar yourself. You are the architect of your fortune, you are the architect of your misfortune. There is a tendency to blame everything except yourself. Nothing in the world can disturb you except yourself.”. To watch the recording of Swamiji’s full Guru Purnima address, visit: vedantahouston.org For information about Swamiji’s recommended elearning program, visit: elearning.vedantaworld.org To learn about programs offered in Houston by Swamiji’s students Joseph and Christina Emmett, visit: vedantahouston.org

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Candidates should have an engineering degree and some chemical plant experience Great pay w/ benefits. EOE/AAP Send resume to apply@chemicalsinc.com

Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUST 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

ENTERTAINMENT

August 7, 2020

“Raat Akeli Hai” Review: Nawazuddin, Radhika Film is Sufficiently Twisty By Shubhra Gupta Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Ila Arun, Nishant Dahiya, Swanand Kirkire, Aditya Srivastava, Khalid Tyabji Director: Honey Trehan Rating: Three stars A haveli is all lit up, and wedding festivities are underway. Guests are milling about. But there’s an undercurrent of unease, a ‘something evil this way comes’ kind of feeling. The groom lies dead, on his bed, his head all bloody. Whodunnit? Raat Akeli Hai launches a small-town cop on a dusty trail strewn with curdled passions, where he learns the crucial lesson that governs almost all crimes involving humans: to dig into the present, you have to excavate the past. The sleuth who functions as the moral centre of a dark universe is a familiar crime noir trope. Raat Akeli Hai refreshes it, and gives us an all too human cop (Siddiqui) in a small UP town, who has many fronts open: from his own acerbicbut-loving mother (Arun, wonderful) to his embedded-in-local-power-structures senior (Dhulia, good fit), to the members of the family of the dead man, none of whom show genuine grief. They are too busy grousing at a young woman (Apte), who had ‘illicit relations with the deceased’, and who has a special space in the house.

The strength of a film like this is in the way it creates the set-up and characters, and how it takes us down the path to where the answers are. Raat Akeli Hai is darkly atmospheric and sufficiently twisty, and though it does telegraph a few of its punches (you know, for example, what’s going to happen to a character as soon as the story progresses to her), it keeps enough rancid tricks up its sleeve, right till

S L CENSUS TX 2020

the end. We’ve seen Nawazuddin as a policeman before (Kahaani), but his recent criminal turns have taken over our memory. It’s nice to see him arrayed on the other side, giving us a glimpse into his character’s vulnerabilities. Apte, who had also been coming off much too-familiar, digs her teeth into her woman wronged: she knows that she isn’t always in the right, but

she knows what is right. The other characters are sketched with enough detail to make them interesting. A family forced to live with the degrading sexual proclivities of the man who gives them a roof, learns to keep its mouth shut, till a tragedy forces open the can and the worms start wriggling: an old woman hovering over a tightlywound girl (Raghuvanshi), sons with an eye on the main chance, daughters (Tripathi) and sonsin-law waiting for their share of the bounty. Something about the putrid goingson reminded me of the great Raymond Chandler thrillers, in which private eye Phillip Marlowe gumshoes around homes where no one is clean, everyone has something hide. I also flashed back to 2007’s Manorama Six Feet Under, which borrowed its sense of uneasy mystery from the Hollywood classic Chinatown. A few of the bits and pieces in Raat Akeli Hai feel a bit contrived,

but not enough to take the enjoyment away from a film which has a terrific sense of time and place, and a crime in which everyone has stakes. -- Indian Express

Sushant’s Case to CBI New Delhi: A gifted and talented artiste has passed away in circumstances which are unusual; needs to be inquired into, said India’s Supreme Court. The Centre has accepted the Bihar Government’s recommendation for a CBI probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s unnatural death, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court on Wednesday. “The matter is now in public domain. Till the CBI takes over the investigation, the Mumbai Police should not do anything which will amount to destruction of evidence,” Mehta told Justice Hrishikesh Roy during hearing of a petition filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty seeking to transfer an FIR registered against her in Patna to Mumbai. Mehta said the Centre should be allowed to be impleaded in the matter. Asking the Mumbai cops to file an affidavit to satisfy the court that it had handled the case in a professional manner, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing next week. A PIL too has been filed seeking a CBI probe into Sushant’s exmanager Disha Salian’s death.

Ev e r y o n e c o m p l e t e y o u r Census…Before it’s too late!

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Fill out your Census now at my2020Census.gov . Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUT 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

COMMUNITY

August 7, 2020

Parents of Slain Santa Fe Exchange Student Start Foundation in Her Name Houston: More than two years after the Santa Fe High School shooting, the family of a Pakistani exchange student killed during the massacre is determined to keep her memory alive through a new foundation that will provide university scholarships to low-income Pakistani women. Abdul Aziz Sheikh and Farah Naz are hopeful this nonprofit initiative, the Sabika for Peace Foundation, will expand educational opportunities for those who need it most. The organization is named for their daughter, Sabika, an exchange student, and one of the 10 people killed during a shooting at Santa Fe High School in May 2018. -- Houston Chronicle

Sabika Sheikh, 17, was among the 10 people killed in a May 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School.

The family of Sabika Sheikh visit the Santa Fe Resiliency Center on Wednesday, July 10, 2019.

Houston Immigration Officials Force-Feed Detained Man from Bangladesh Houston: U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen on Wednesday granted The Department of Homeland Security’s request for a longterm order to continue feeding and hydrating the man. Mahbub Ahmed-Begum has lost about 20 percent of his body weight since he stopped eating on his own last month at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, officials said during a federal court hearing Tuesday in the Southern District of Texas. The center houses men and women of all nationalities detained by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. Doctors at the facility testified that his extreme weight loss could cause irreversible damage to his organs and lead to his death. It could also heighten the risk of exposure to COVID-19, officials said. Ahmed-Begum told doctors that he would “rather die than go back to his country, because he knows if he goes back they will kill him,” according to testimony from Dr. Uchenna Orazulike. Speaking through a translator at the hearing, Ahmed-Begum said he is “not

able to swallow without the fear coming up.” U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen last week granted a temporary emergency request by the The Department of Homeland Security to involuntarily feed the man. Doctors began feed- Montgomery Processing Center in north Houston. ing him through a nasal tube. tion and Customs Enforcement Tuesday’s hearing, held by phone, said they could not discuss specentered on a request for a long- cific details about his case without term order that allows immigra- his consent. tion officials to continue feeding “Due to privacy rules, ICE is him through the tube. prohibited from discussing in“Most people cannot survive af- dividuals engaged in a hunger ter 40 days on a continuous hunger strike by name or by the specifics strike,” Orazulike said. “People of their case absent the detainee’s who can survive longer have more consent.,” the agency said. fat than Mr. Ahmed does now.” An agency spokesman added: Richard Kincheloe, the attorney “(ICE) fully respects the rights of representing The Department of all people to voice their opinion Homeland Security, told the judge without interference. ICE does not that he did not know whether retaliate in any way against hunger Ahmed-Begum had a scheduled strikers. ICE explains the negative deportation date. U.S. Immigra- health effects of not eating to our

detainees, and they are under close medical observation by ICE or contract medical providers. For their health and safety, ICE carefully monitors the food and water intake of those detainees identified as being on a hunger strike.” Orazulike said Ahmed-Begum weighed 136 pounds before the hunger strike. His weight dropped to 109 pounds by July 13, she said. Since doctors started feeding him through a nasal tube, he has gained back about 1.5 pounds, Orazulike said. She expects his condition to gradually improve if the judge grants the request for a long-term order. It’s unclear whether Ahmed-Begum has contracted COVID-19. He was twice tested for the virus over the last month. One test came

back positive while the other was negative, officials said. He was tested again Monday, when he was taken to an emergency room after coming down with a fever. Those results have not been returned. Ahmed-Begum was released from the hospital later that day, and he did not have a fever on Tuesday, officials said. Another doctor at the Montgomery Processing Center, a psychologist only identified in court records as Dr. Riley-Bass, said she has spoken to Ahmed-Begum about the damage the hunger strike is doing to his body. She encouraged him to protest in a less harmful way, but so far he has refused. “He is quite depressed,” she said. “He does not have a history of mental health problems. His current state of depression is specific to his current situation - based on the idea of returning to his country.” When asked by the judge for any final comments, Ahmed-Begum only answered: “I just need one chance, only one chance… to stay in this country and survive.” -Houston Chronicle

Person of Interest in Custody in Brutal Death of Indo-American Jogger in Plano Plano, Texas: The murder of a Plano mother of two children brought an outpouring of support for her family. Sarmistha Sen, 43, was attacked while she was running Saturday morning. Police say the murder investigation includes a person of interest from a nearby burglary. The go-getter spirit is what defined Sarmistha’s life, according to her brother, Sumit Sen. Her family says she loved performing at community events and helping others. Sarmistha was a pharmacist and researcher who studied molecular biology and worked with cancer patients. And she was an athlete, running the popular Chisholm Trail nearly every morning before her two young sons woke up. “She just immediately connected with anybody she met on a deeply

personal level with a very infectious smile and energy,” Sumit said. Sarmistha’s family says she went for her regular run Saturday morning and never came back. Around 7 a.m. Saturday, police were called by someone passing by who saw the victim’s body at the bottom of the creek. Police say around the same time of the murder, someone broke into a house

nearby on the 3400 block of Michael Drive. Police arrested 29-year old Bakari Moncrief for the burglary, and they say he is a person of interest

in Sarmistha’s murder investigation. He is being held on a $1 million bond for the burglary charge. “We have our suspicions, but we have to have proof,” said Plano Police Officer David Tilley. “And that’s what they’re looking for right now is trying to obtain proof as to whether or not this individual is or is not responsible for her death.” As officers were searching the area for evidence, neighbors came one after another to pay tribute to

Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUST 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

Sarmistha by laying pairs of running shoes near the site she was killed. Dozens of neighbors hope to show support for Sarmistha’s family and honor her memory one pair of shoes at a time. “It makes me feel inspired. She’s an inspiration for me,” Sumit said. “It makes me feel grateful to the community for such generous support. Her life is a life full of purpose and it’s not over. Her soul lives on.” The medical examiner hasn’t released a cause of death, and police aren’t saying how Sarmistha died. Neighbors are also planning a memorial run next Saturday at 6:30 a.m. Organizers say they plan to meet at Jack Carter Park and run to the site near Legacy and Marchman.

August 7, 2020

Brick and Milestone

August 5, when construction of the Ram temple began at Ayodhya — one year after the abrogation of Article 370 by the BJPled Centre in Kashmir — marks a milestone for the BJP, and for India. For the BJP, it will have a tidy resonance. On August 5, it achieved its grand cause, which had energised its politics and powered several mobilisations for decades. The issue that coalition politics compelled it to place on the “backburner” in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime has now journeyed to the centre, flamboyant and triumphant, in the Narendra Modi raj. Of the two large national political projects that reconfigured India’s politics in the early 1990s — Mandal and Mandir — the former met with only scattered and fragmented success while the BJP has led the latter to full and unequivocal fulfilment. But if the BJP has reason to celebrate a conclusion, for India, the beginning of temple construction at Ayodhya underlines a challenge. The leading role of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Governor at an event ostensibly organized by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust was foretold. Even so, its images, of intimacies between state and religion, have implications that will need to be grappled with in days and years to come. India’s secularism has been a variant of the traditional Western notion of the strict wall of separation between church and state. The Indian version has described itself, more, as being about a state that keeps equal distance from all religions but respects them all. Now, even that increasingly embattled idea of equidistance will need to be qualified or redefined. Of course, this task is the burden of the non-BJP parties, should they have the stomach for it, which, so far, they don’t. In the BJP’s narrative, on the other hand, a discredited secularism has deservedly fallen. At Ayodhya on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi sought to draw parallels between the bhoomi pujan on August 5 and August 15, Independence Day. A five-centuries-old struggle had triumphed in the liberation of an idea that will now be the link, the PM said, between “nar” and “narayan” (man and god), “lok” and “aastha” (people and faith) “vartman” and “ateet” (past and present). The Ram temple, he said would be an inspiration for a self-confident and self-reliant India on the world stage. The BJP’s political opponents may not rise to the challenge posed by the far-reaching changes in political culture wrought by it — both the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and the bricklaying for the temple at Ayodhya have been met by the same sullen silence, if not acquiescence. But as the ruling party at the Centre of a diverse nation, the BJP must be mindful of the dangers of majoritarian triumphalism. Even the Supreme Court, which paved the way for the temple by giving the disputed site to the Hindu side, described the 1992 destruction of the Babri masjid as illegal. The demolition case continues in court. At Ayodhya on Wednesday, there was no mention of the debris of the mosque that lies under the proposed temple, or of the exclusions of faith-based politics. These need to be acknowledged and addressed. Only then can the invocation of national unity — by virtually the entire political establishment today — ring sincere. -- Indian Express

EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY

Does Federal Policing Violate U.S. Constitution? By Surendran K. Pattel There can be little doubt that the Trump administration’s provocative decision to send federal agents to “police” city streets in Portland, Ore, was a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution. Without question, such federal “policing” infringes on state and local rights and powers. The fact is, there is far more clarity in the Constitution regarding the separation of federal and state/ local roles in law enforcement than there is in the more frequently discussed issue of separation of church and state. As Judge Anthony Napolitano put it in a column posted on the Trump-friendly Fox News website, many of the actions of federal agents in Portland have been “unlawful, unconstitutional and harmful.” As Napolitano notes, the federal government cannot legally deploy police or military domestically unless a state legislature or governor requests such assistance. Such was not the case in Portland, where federal agents seem to have provoked protesters rather than diminish tensions. (The Portland situation differs from that of Chicago in that Illinois officials have agreed “reluctantly” to accept federal assistance in policing the Windy City.) History informs us that the framers of the Constitution, fully aware of the broad powers of the federal

government they had invented, were at the same time wary of big government and its potential to undercut liberty and freedom. As a result, in the arena of law enforcement our Constitution specifies limited policing powers for the federal government, with remaining concerns to be determined by state and local governments. That is the thrust of the 10th Amendment, which states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In short, we are in the territory of states’ rights. The Constitution specifies that the federal government be concerned with policing such crimes as counterfeiting, piracy and treason, for example. In addition, because Congress is given constitutional authority over certain other specific issues (such as bankruptcies and post offices), it is reasonable for Congress to enact criminal legislation related to those subjects. Given such well-defined constitutional limitations, it seems clear that the federalization of other

policing is overreach that can result in the endangerment of public safety and a violation of our rights. Even more important, most sources agree that the federalization of policing leads too often and too recklessly to the militarization of policing. Such militarization is believed to have resulted in the violence at Waco and Ruby Ridge. Beyond important constitutional concerns, we must answer this question: Are we willing to risk a horrific climax to our continuing discontent over racism and police brutality? What we need at this moment are leaders in government, in law enforcement, and among protesters who know and respect constitutional powers and limitations — not to mention respect for one another. Surendran K. Pattel is a trial lawyer and appellate attorney who has represented clients in Fort Bend, Harris and Brazoria counties. The founder of PKS Law Firm, P L L C , he also sought the Democratic nomination for judge of District Court 505 in the current election cycle.

Why Did Prime Minister Modi Say, ‘Jay Siya Ram’? ByShilvee Sharda By choosing to hail Lord Ram with ‘Jai Siya Ram’ instead of the popular ‘Jai Shri Ram’ after the bhoomi pujan in the Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left a number people curious. ‘First let us remember Lord Ram and Mata Janki... Siyavar Ram Chandra Ki Jai… Jai Siya Ram,’ the PM said in his speech on the occasion. Since the launch of the Ram Temple movement in 1984, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ has been the most popular mode of greeting among the saffron forces. It took the form of a war cry in the heat of temple moment.

However, votaries of ‘Jai Siya Ram’ believed that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ militarised way of greeting and took away its benevolence and benignness and de-emphaise the role of Sita. They felt that ‘Jai Siya Ram’ represented the benign character of Maryada Purushottam Ram and the softness and humility expected from his believers in the Hindi belt. “’Jai Shri Ram’ speaks for a sense of fearlessness while ‘Jai Siya Ram’ is filled with regard for others. Both indicated commitment to a cause but while ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was filled with belligerence, the driving sentiment in ‘Jai Siya Ram’ is love and submission,” explained Mahant Girishpati Tripathi of the Tewari

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Mandir, adding that the traditional believers of Ram could not accept the assertive call. On the assumption that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was popularized to fuel a political movement, he said: “In Vinay Patrika, Tulsidas ji has said that the name of Ram is bigger than him. The important fact is that people are remembering Ram either way. ” The PM’s choice signaled towards a significant change indicating that the goal has been accomplished. “Now that the objective has been met, the PM subtly indicated mellowing down should be the norm,” said Prof Manoj Dixit, former vice-chancellor Avadh University, Ayodhya. -- Times of India

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August 7, 2020

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Ayodhya: Start of construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya marks the fulfilment of a key Sangh Parivar goal and is evidence of the growing acceptance of the saffron view of nationality and cultural identity, RSS believes. The question as to what next for the temple movement is not particularly troubling, a senior RSS functionary said, adding that the construction at Ram Janmabhoomi and the symbolism of the temple would attract more adherents to Sangh’s view that Ram and the values he represents are central to India’s cultural and social life. RSS believes, the functionary

said, that the political aspects of the temple movement were a result of the opposition from Congress and several other parties which failed to read the popular mood. “It was not a matter of tactics for RSS, which has always had deep convictions about the sanctity of janmasthan,” he said. The Hindu claim, he pointed out, was finally established by a unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court that “secular” parties clearly did not originally anticipate. The success story for RSS is the growing acceptance of its thought and the temple will be a powerful magnet in this regard. A similar

Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUST 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

approach to the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque was not required, the RSS functionary said, adding that there was no need for a “roadmap” for settling the dispute which is under litigation. The main issue is acceptance of Sangh’s beliefs abou “Hinduness” and identity. The organisation has often found itself isolated and under attack for regressive views but the Ram temple movement established that it can, in fact, be an agent of change as it sought to alter the definition of nationhood that challenged the mainstream. -- Times of India

August 7, 2020

Indo-American News • Friday, AUGUT 7, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com