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Friday, July 9, 2021 | Vol. 40, No. 28

Indo American News

July 9, 2021

Published weekly from Houston, TX

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‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of Eternal Gandhi Museum of Houston

P2 At the groundbreaking ceremony of Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (EGMH), Ajit Paralkar (left), Trustee EGMH; Dr. Manish K Wani, Trustee EGMH; Namita Sutaria (hidden), Trustee EGMH; Ken R DeMerchant, Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner; Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner; Myrna Guidry, HISD Board Member; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congressman Al Green, Martha Castex-Tatum, Vice Mayor Pro-Tem; and City of Houston District K Councilwoman, Aseem Mahajan, Consul General of India; KP George, Fort Bend County Judge; and Atul Kothari, Trustee EGMH.

W E D D I N G S , S P E C I A L E V E N T S , T E N T E D E V E N T S , O U T D O O R C O U R T YA R D

3 3 3 0 F M 1 4 6 3 | Ka t y, T X 7 7 4 9 4 | 8 3 2 . 8 5 5 . 5 5 2 0 | p a l m ro y a l v i l l a . c o m

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COMMUNITY

July 9, 2021

‘Bhumi Pujan’ for Eternal Gandhi Museum of Houston

Houston: It was Saturday the 3rd of July, a seemingly normal day except for the palpable excitement in the humid air as volunteers and distinguished people alike eagerly gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (EGMH). This is a truly an exciting opportunity to bring a world-class, high-tech museum dedicated to promoting a culture of harmonious unity, understanding, and nonviolent conflict resolution- all ideals very dear to Mahatma Gandhi- to our diverse city of Houston, Texas. The first museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi in the Americas, Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, took a concrete step in its journey with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 3, 2021. The museum is located at 12379 Riceville School Road @ Beltway 8 S, Houston, TX 77071 and is expected to open in 2022. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was Congressman Al Green. The ceremony was attended by a cross section of the Houston area community. The Guests of Honor for the ceremony were Mayor Turner and Consul General of India Aseem Mahajan. Other elected officials present included Fort Bend County Judge KP George, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Fort Bend

EGMH volunteers with CG Aseem Mahajan, FB County Judge KP George and other dignitaries.

County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken R DeMerchant, Vice Mayor Pro-Tem and City of Houston District K Councilwoman Martha Castex-Tatum and Houston ISD board member Myrna Guidry. In his remarks, Congressman Green highlighted Gandhi’s nonviolent approach and cited a quote from Martin Luther King’s papers at the Stanford University’s King Institute: “Gandhi’s non-violent approach was the only morally, and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom. The struggle for freedom never ends. The freedom struggle doesn’t end with one protest. It is a struggle that we all have to assume at birth, we are born into the struggle for freedom, not just for ourselves but for every living being on the planet earth. Gandhi lived up to these words that we

should take them to heart today”. Green quoted a poet “Some measure their lives by days and years, others by heartthrobs, passions, and tears, but the surest measure under God’s sun is what we do for others in our lifetime.” Consul General of India informed the audience that the construction of Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston will take place during “Amrit Mahotsav”, the period during which India will be celebrating 75 years of Independence. Mahatma Gandhi throughout his life remained committed to his beliefs in non-violence, even under oppressive conditions, he said. He also added that in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy, teachings, and thoughts are of great relevance in the world today. Furthermore, he said “The power

of peaceful means to seek justice, the effectiveness of non-violence in countering force, respect for diversity within and between societies, fighting social prejudices and promoting social reforms, conservation of nature and probity in public, are enduring ideas that can help us all to address many of the problems of the contemporary world”. The deep ties between the city of Houston and India and also between United States and India and globally would strengthen “Because this is truly one of its kind initiative where they will connect locally with many schools, institutions and also showcase the life and message of Mahatma Gandhi”. Mayor Turner in his address to the audience stated “Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the United States and it welcomes

Indo-American News • Friday, July 9, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

the addition of the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston to its rich cultural landscape. We pride ourselves constantly by talking about our diversity and inclusiveness. But, what’s happening here today, really amplifies the message by telling the story of Gandhi and the leaders, he inspired. The Eternal Gandhi Museum, activates a collection of educational initiatives that encourage children, youth and adults to choose the path of peaceful conflict resolution. And if there was ever a time for that to take place, that time is right now, this museum is a step in the right direction.” Fort Bend County Judge KP George said, “With a lot of dignity and pride, I endorse the Eternal Gandhi Museum. We all know that we are living in a very polarized, political world, and it needs to be taught that without touching a gun or without touching a knife, or without physically fighting, Gandhi shook the British Empire at that time and that was so powerful. And his teachings are inspiring people all over the world. And I’m so proud to learn about Mahatma Gandhi at a very young age and learning and understanding, and I will be part of this discussion. He further added that Fort Bend County will look into the possibility of Continued on Page 5

July 9, 2021

Indo-American News • Friday, july 9, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

IDY 2021

July 9, 2021

HGH Hosts Youth Yoga Photo Presentation By Kesava Chakka, Thara Narasimhan

Houston: Our mission is to encourage youth and highlight them wherever we can, and this year Hindus of Greater Houston has been an active participant in this celebration of International Day of Yoga. Our planned Youth Yoga Photo Presentation became a successful event, and we are delighted to share the details. Hindus of Greater Houston help in organizing and providing logistical support to IDY and in helping spread the word among Houstonians. In the backdrop of the COVID situation in India, the celebrations focused on the positive aspects of Yoga in bringing the community together. HGH along with Young Hindus of Greater Houston (YHGH) initiated to promote the practice of Yoga among the Youth. Youth either individually or along with family members were requested to send pictures of their Yogasana along with a caption notifying the significance and benefits of the posture. This request was widely advertised in various social media platforms and radio/email communications. The participation from youth was overwhelming. It was heartening to see the young people’s love for this centuries old art that focuses on bringing harmony. This year IDY 2021- Hindus of Greater Houston Youth Yoga Asa-

na Picture Presentation is titled as, “I Do Yoga” Vrikshasana (Tree pose) was the favorite choice of many with submissions from Amrita Ravi, Eesha Dhiryawan, Niral Patel, Hema Sarda, Yadarth Sarda, and Simmi Dargan. Dhyanasana (Prayer pose) was the choice of the awesome threesome yoga pose of Suchir Mannikara, Sukara Mannikara, and Sumara Mannikara. Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) that focuses on strengthening of the spine was the choice for Radhika Pallod and Dhriti Kashyap. Shananya Sharda and Dhriti Koyya chose to showcase their love for yoga through Anjaneyasana (Low lunge pose) in which the entire body gets stretched. Anjali Aggrawal and Krupa Rathi showcased their yoga talent through Padmasana (Lotus pose) while Adhiti Mukopadhyay and Sristi Vennamaneni selected the Kapotasana (Camel pose). Yadarth Sarda and mom Hema Sarda were the most enthusiastic participants

with several yoga poses. Shivoham Pandya and Samika Dutta showcased their interest in yoga through Surya Namaskar (Salute to Sun) pose. The difficult looking pose of Shirshasana, (Head stand pose) was too easy for Ansh Pallod. Other submissions include Anika Kakkeru – Sethubandasana (Bridge pose), Shiva Dangre – Shashankasana (Hare pose), Vatsal Sarda –Tadasana (Mountain pose), Keshav Ravi - Urdha Hathasana (Raised hands), Aditi Kashyap Urstrasana (Camel pose), Priyanka Motivar – Uttanasna (Camel pose), and Dhruv Mantri – Veerabhdrasana (Warrior pose). While all of the pictures received are publish worthy, we could only post a few in this article. This year HGH event is first of its kind and HGH Board Members are indeed thankful for all the responses and submissions. All the photo submissions will be uploaded on our HGH website, Facebook and YouTube Channel. More details at www.hindusofhouston.org

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COMMUNITY

July 9, 2021

‘Bhumi Pujan’ for Eternal Gandhi Museum of Houston Continued from page 2

financially supporting this effort, because these teachings need to be taught.” The groundbreaking ceremony was preceded by the Hindu fire ritual of “Havan” conducted by Acharya Surya Nanda from Arya Samaj Greater Houston. The Yajmans were Dr. Barkat Charania, Kamal Shah, Mrudula Sutaria, Sangeeta Sutaria and Dr. Kanti and Meena Wani. The ceremony began at 9 AM sharp with welcome by Emcee Dr. Manish K Wani, a trustee and co-founder of EGMH. He said the concept of bringing Eternal Gandhi Museum from Delhi to Houston started more than 6 years ago. The EGMH will specifically focus on peace, truth and non-violence and will be based on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. “Today, we stand on the grounds of a future 12,800 square foot facility, planned by the prominent architectural firm from Houston, RDLR Architects, as a cost-effective structure which will be elegant in its simplicity, like Gandhi himself. EGMH has teamed up with the design and fabrication firm Solid Light from Kentucky. They have craftily designed the interior with innovative multi-media exhibits and are truly creating the heart and soul of this distinguished museum”. Dr. Wani said. The construction contract has been awarded to TDK Construction, which specializes in commercial construction since 1993 and has completed more than 400 projects in and around the Houston Area. EGMH has been guided by

Smithsoniantrained Museum Consultant Brian Crockett and education consultant Honor Moorman. The Museum’s message is a transformative one: Through practice of nonviolent conflict resolution, visitors (especially youth) can be Congressman Al catalysts for ceremony. change in their own lives and communities. It is a simple, unique idea - build a cultural hub in our own backyard to further peace in our community. EGMH will impact the community in so many positive ways. Its primary focus will be on Nonviolent Conflict Resolution. “Our vision is to see that every schoolaged student visits EGMH at least once, before graduating, so they can be exposed to our mission of reinforcing the universal values of Peace, Truth, Non-violence, love and Service,” Dr. Wani said. The project Budget is $12.5 million dollars which includes a $3 million endowment fund. To date, $3.1 million, has been raised. The welcome address was followed by multi-faith invocation led by Suresh Shah dressed as Mahatma Gandhi. The multi-faith invocators were Dr. Alejandro Chaoul, Director of the Mind Body Spirit Institute at the Jung Center representing Buddhism. Rabbi Richard Freeman of Congregation Beth Messiah representing Jewish

Green was the chief guest at the

faith. Rev Mindy Lawrence-Curtiss of Unity of Houston representing Christianity. Mrs. Eram Mansia, Educator, coach and mentor at the regional Academic Lead for Religious Education Center, representing Islam. Acharya Dr. Surya Nanda of Arya Samaj Greater Houston representing Hinduism. Dr. Hansa Raval, retired Colonel from the United States Army and Director of Brahmakumaris of Texas representing Hinduism. The ceremony also featured the burial of a time capsule. Prem Cholia and EGMH board member Sesh Bala put together the time capsule to bury a historic cache of goods and information that depicts the current state of the world, with emphasis on the local situation and EGMH beginnings. The plan would be to remove the capsule in maybe 50 years as a means of communication with the future generation. Then came the main event of the ceremony, the symbolic tree planting in place of traditional

groundbreaking by dignitaries mentioned earlier and the Board of Trustees, Sesh Bala, Dr. Barkat Charania, Sanjay Jain, Atul B Kothari, Devinder Mahajan, Ajit Paralkar, Namita Sutaria and Dr. Manish K Wani. They were folgroundbreaking lowed by the generous donors who have pledged $ 50,000 and plus for the project, Aditya Birla Group representative Nitin and Charulata Mathuria, Dinesh & Vibha Agrawal, Anand and Sudha Bhagavatula, GV and Bhuvaneswari Krishnan, Noorali and Noorie Hussain, Atul & Rita Kothari, Devinder and Sushma Mahajan, Narinder and Aruna Mahajan, Aman and Seema Oberoi, Amit and Shivani Patel and Dr. Kanti and Meena Wani. Atul Kothari, the founding Trustee of EGMH, and the main spirit behind the project, extended a vote of thanks to all the volunteers, organizations, foundations and public officials for their support. He recognized the critical and sustained support provided by Co-Founders, Devinder Mahajan and Dr. Manish K Wani, and the tireless volunteers of Arya Samaj of Greater Houston since launching of the non-profit in 2002. The autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, had a profound impact on Kothari. He discovered the es-

sence of life is to practice one’s own truth nonviolently. It was his “aha moment.” Gandhi notably said, “Be the change you wish to see.” Kothari contemplated what he could do to spread this simple idea of practicing your truth nonviolently. He and a dedicated cadre of like-minded individuals formed the Mahatma Gandhi Library (renamed the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston in 2019) to honor Mahatma Gandhi, study his teachings, and give back to the community through activities and events that shared teachings of nonviolent conflict resolution. During the ceremony, Abeezar Tyebji and his mother announced a donation of $50,000 on behalf of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Houston. Colonel Raj and Kanwal Bhalla also added another $ 40,000 to their previous donation of $ 10,000. The program concluded with Gandhiji’s favorite bhajan Vaishnava Jana To sung by the melodious voice of Smriti Srivastava of Swar Sangam School of Music. Afterwards, all were treated to delicious snacks and Masala Chai from Indian Summer, a division of Dawat Catering company. Bhoomi Poojan, the Groundbreaking ceremony, of Eternal Gandhi Museum was a grand success thanks to cooperation from mother nature and the everlasting support and enthusiasm of all who attended. To learn more about the project please visit www.egmh.org or call 713-785-3900

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July 9, 2021

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INDIA

July 9, 2021

Prime Minister Modi Reshuffles Cabinet

New Union cabinet ministers pose with PM Modi and President Kovind.

New Delhi: Hours after 43 leaders took oath as ministers in the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday evening as a part of the Cabinet reshuffle exercise, the Centre allocated portfolios to the newly inducted ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister. Home Minister Amit Shah will also be in charge of the newly created Ministry of Cooperation. Rajnath Singh will be in charge of the Defence, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also be the Minister of Corporate Affairs while bureaucrat-turned-politician Ashwini Vasihnaw will be in charge of the ministries of Railways, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology. Kiren Rijiju will be the new Minister of Law and Justice. Mansukh Mandaviya has been made the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers while Hardeep Singh Puri will be in charge of in charge of the ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has been made the Minister of Civil Aviation while Anurag Singh Thakur has been allocated the portfolios of I&B and Youth Affairs and Sports. Former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal was allocated the AYUSH and Ports, Shipping

and Waterways ministries. Former Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal will now be in charge of the Minsitry of Textiles, besides being the Minister of Commerce and Industry; and the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Dharmendra Pradhan will be the new Education Minister and the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Ramchandra Prasad Singh will be the new Steel Minister, while Pashupati Kumar Paras has been made the Minister of Food Processing Industries. Ahead of the much-anticipated reshuffle, twelve ministers resigned. Among the big names to resign are IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar. Other ministers who are out of the Cabinet are Babul Supriyo, Sadananda Gowda, Debasree Chaudhuri, Rattan Lal Kataria, Sanjay Dhotre, Thawarchand Gehlot, Pratap Chandra Sarangi (MoS) and Ashwini Chaubey (MoS). The newly inducted Council of Ministers include 15 Cabinet ministers and 28 Ministers of State (MoS), comprising new faces and those elevated. -- Indian Express

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COMMUNITY

July 9, 2021

Meenakshi Temple Society Holds ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ for Open Air Mandapam

Pearland: Sri Meenakshi Temple Society of Houston (MTS), Pearland, Texas has embarked on a brand new open air congregation space (Mandapam) and children playground on the west side of the Main Temple. This new facility will be located between the Ganesh Temple built in 1978 and the Main Temple built in 1982. This new open air mandapam will be used for religious, cultural, festival celebrations, youth activities, social gatherings and everyday socializing. While MTS embraces lot of the traditions from the parent Meenakshi temple In Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India where major festivals and celebrations are held in open air mandapams for the benefit of large number of devotees to participate and receive blessings during auspicious

occasions. Indian diaspora living in Greater Houston area and attending major festival celebrations have grown tremendously over the years and exceeding current facility capacity at times. This open air mandapam will be located on Chithirai Veedhi (street) and will be called as Chithirai Veedhi Mandapam (CVM) and will accommodate large group of devotees and whenever better social distancing in open air condition is desired. Chithirai Veedhi Mandapam will be 10,000+ sq.ft. in size and adorned with architecture in conformance with the current Temple architecture and designed by Sthapathis (Temple Architects) from India. The Gopurams and Raja Gopurams are more common, the Mandapam structure in South Indian Architecture based

Temples in USA will be for the very first time. A Children’s playground adjacent to Ganesh Temple and Chirthirai Veedhi Mandapam of 3,000+ sq. ft will be part of the CVMP project. Bhoomi Pooja (groundbreaking ceremony) for the CVMP project was held on Sunday June 27th at 10:00 a.m. with Navadanyam offering and symbolic shoveling of soil at the North East corner of the Chithirai Veedhi Mandapam was performed around 10:45 a.m. Varuna Bhagvan (Rain God) blessed the occasion at the right moment when priests started performing the Navadanyam offering and soil shoveling. Previously Ganesh Homam, Abishekam Alankaram and Aradhana was performed for Ganesha in Ganesh Temple and all the CVMP donors carried Golden

Kamalam (flower) blocks in the Bhoomi Pooja procession around the Main Temple to the temporary stage built in the CVMP area. All the Temple priests performed the Bhoomi Pooja along with 300+ donor families in attendance including the Temple Board, Council, Fundraising Team, Staff and Volunteers. This occasion was honored by the presence of Mayor Emeritus of Pearland, Tom Reid and Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole. Also in attendance were Temple Chairman Dhani Kannan, Secretary Partha Krishnaswamy, Treasurer Bhargavi Golla, Vice Chairman Vinod Kaila, Honorary President Sam Kannappan, Advisory Council Chair S. Narayanan, Fundraising Advisory Chairs Dr. S.G. Appan, Kumar Bhasyam, Dr. Venugopal Menon, Dr. P. Vadug-

anathan and Shakthi Fundraising Banquet Chair Nalini Kannan. Traditional South Indian lunch was served for 400+ devotees in Youth Center after completion of the Bhoomi Pooja ceremony. Chairman Dhani Kannan thanked all the priests, staff, devotees, volunteers, board, council, and fundraising team for all their planning and executing a successful Bhoomi Pooja ceremony and all the donors who have generously donated and pledged towards the project. This project is planned to start breaking ground by late July and complete by late October of this year. We thank the community for their continued support and hope to celebrate upcoming major celebrations in the new Chithirai Veedhi Mandapam towards end of this year.

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ENTERTAINMENT

July 9, 2021

‘Ray’: Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao Shine in Anthology

Dilip Kumar: Ganga Bhi, Jamuna Bhi

By Shubhra Gupta Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao, Raghubir Yadav, Manoj Pahwa; Kay Kay Menon, Rajesh Sharma, Bidita Bag, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Kharaj Mukherjee; Ali Afzal, Shweta Basu Prasad, Anindita Ghosh; Harshavardhan Kapoor, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Radhika Madan Directors: Abhishek Chaubey, Srijit Mukerjee, Vasan Bala Rating: 2 stars The new four-part Netflix anthology, based on short stories by Satyajit Ray, is a mixed bag. One segment stands out, another has promise and the other two don’t lift off the screen. No prizes for guessing which one tops the list. ‘Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa’, directed by Abhishek Chaubey, has a bunch of the best actors working in Hindi cinema. Manoj Bajpayee plays Musafar Ali, a dapper ‘dil-phenk’ ghazal singer, oozing with oldstyle ‘shayarana andaaz’. Gajraj Rao is Aslam Baig, a former wrestler whose ‘dhobhi pacchhaad’, a complicated ‘kushti’ move, is famous from ‘Dilli to Agrey’ (only familiars will smile at the use of ‘Agrey’ for ‘Agra’). Sharing a fateful train journey, in one of those near-forgotten cosy coupes, Ali and Baig joust with each other, and old secrets, involving kleptomania and a fateful twist in fortunes, come tumbling out. The clattering of the rails, the swaying of the compartment, the stillness of those watching, all come together in this segment,

in which Bajpayee twinkles from behind his shiny spectacles, Rao is on the top of his game, and you listen with pleasure to the kind of flowery language that’s gone missing from the movies since the ‘Muslim social’ was deep-sixed. Raghubir Yadav and Manoj Pahwa have walk-on parts, and that’s all they need. My only niggle with this solidly-produced, well-designed segment is that this journey remains determinedly pleasant and placid. I kept waiting for the customary sharp edge, so much a part of Abhishek Chaubey’s arsenal. What happens when an actor (Harshvardhan Kapoor) who has coasted on just ‘one look’ gets caught in a bind, not entirely of his own making? ‘Spotlight’ offers up an insider view of showbiz and the attendant shallowness that’s such an intrinsic part of it. The faithful secretary (Chandan Roy Sanyal) who knows exactly which buttons

to push to keep his client on track, the sonny boy’s mummy who has full faith in him, and the young man of limited talent himself, full of insecurities, doubt and bluster. The comic-book bits in this one reminds you of Bala’s ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota’, but ‘Spotlight’ is not kooky enough. Radhika Madan, who was such a delight in the earlier film, doesn’t quite fill out her part of the madly popular Didi, whose feet are worshipped by her ‘bhakts’. There’s something here, a sending up of blind fandom in both hokey religion and show business. The other two, ‘Bahurupi’ and ‘Forget Me Not’, both directed by Srijit Mukherji, are disappointing. Not because the actors aren’t trying. Kay Kay Menon, as an expert make-up artist who gets stuck between a rock and a very hard place, gets a role that’s worthy of him. When you put a mask on, what happens to the essential you? Can you disguise yourself so successfully that you disappear? Intriguing questions, and you wait for the answers. They arrive, much too underlined, too overstated, no nuance. And that’s also the problem with ‘Forget Me Not’ too, which is about a highly successful, extremely egotistic man who prides himself on his memory (Ali Afzal) being sent on a shocking mindbender. There’s a lesson in here: pride does come before a mighty fall, and nothing lasts for ever. Each segment is nearly an hour long. Choose wisely. -- Indian Express

Mumbai: The death of Dilip Kumar, popularly known as the ‘Tragedy King of Bollywood’, has left an irreplaceable void. As tributes pour in from all quarters of the country, and even from across the border, Amul’s homage to the star stands out. In a monochromatic tribute, with references to Kumar’s finest works from his vast filmography, the advertisement read: “Ganga bhi, Jamuna bhi, Aadmi bhi, Vidhaata bhi, Har Andaz ka Leader.” It drew him in three iconic characters from Ganga Jamuna, Aadmi, Vidhaata. Alongside Kumar, the Amul girl is also seen dressed in a ghagra choli, referring to Kumar’s onscreen heroine from Ganga Jamuna. The moving tribute by the brand, known for its beautiful cartoons, tugged at the heartstrings of fans and went viral across social media sites. In a career spanning more than five decades, the prolific legend was part of comedies, dramas, romance, and several other genres. Some of his best known films include Aan, Daag, Devdas, Madhumati, Azaad, Mughal-e-Azam, Kranti, Karma and Ram Aur Shyam. Legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s funeral took place with full state honours in Mumbai on Wednesday. The actor passed away early on July 7, at the age of 98 at the city’s Hinduja hospital. Dilip Kumar’s burial was held at Juhu Qabrastan in Santacruz. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray declared a state funeral for the icon of Hindi cinema. Not just Amul, even the Mumbai Police paid homage to the iconic star with a post in reference to his role in the 1982 blockbuster Shakti, Kumar played an honest police officer, DCP Ashwini Kumar, in

the film. Actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Vidya Balan visited Dilip Kumar’s residence earlier in the day to condole his death. Thackeray also met the actor’s wife Saira Banu to pay his respects. The veteran actor suffered from advanced prostate cancer that had spread to other organs of his body. “The cancer spread made it difficult to treat him,” the doctor said. Along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, the other two of the famous troika, Dilip Kumar typified the modern Indian who was putting behind the shackles of colonial rule and striding towards a new, confident nation busy creating its own fate and fortune. He made his debut in Jwar Bhata, a 1944 Bombay Talkies film. A much-storied meeting with the lovely Devika Rani, one of the architects of the production house along with Ashok Kumar, persuaded him to change his name, and Mohammed Yusuf Khan of Peshawar origin became Bombay’s One And Only Dilip Kumar. He crossed over into a newly formed nation, and blazed into our consciousness in the 1949 ‘Andaaz’, possibly Hindi cinema’s first ‘triangle’ love story. And then it was a steady stream of hits accompanied by critical acclaim and the never-ending adoration of a public hungry for stories with substance and resonance, and a star they could both revere and emulate. In 1991, he appeared in Subhash Ghai’s ‘Saudagar’, alongside Raaj Kumar. It was his last hit. Dilip Kumar didn’t wait for chances. He made his own. And in so doing, he made the movies, and us, his own. -- Indian Express

Indo American News Founder: Dr. K.L. Sindwani Publisher: Jawahar Malhotra Editor: Pramod Kulkarni Correspondent: Sanchali Basu ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. Deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 2470 Dairy Ashford, Houston, Texas 77077. Tel:713-789-6397, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www.indoamericannews.com

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IDY 2021

July 9, 2021

IDY 2021 at Hindu Temple of Woodlands

Consulate General of India Houston JOB VACANCY The Consulate General of India, Houston invites application for the post of clerk, from the applicants who are either US citizens or permanent residents, residents with valid appropriate visa and valid work permit. Interested candidates may send their application and resume along with all supporting documents (for educational qualiﬁcation/passports/visa/work permit etc.) latest by July 23, 2021. By email to: admn.houston@mea.gov.in

Latha Kuruvanka, Dr.Ulupi Choksi, Rajeev Limaye, Dr.Neeta Shukla, Pallabitha Bhuyan, Nita Patel, Raju Veludandi, Shilpi Veludandi and Nitika Veludandi.

By Raju Veludandi Woodlands: Hindu Temple of The WoodLands has had an active yoga program almost from the inception of the temple facilities in 2011. This year, HTW community members held its fifth annual community-wide Yoga event, as part of the International Day of Yoga. This year it was a virtual event, celebrated from 7:00 to 9:30 AM on 19th June 2021. As usual, The Woodlands area yoga enthusiasts attended the program in large numbers. International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebration has been HTW’s major community outreach program for the last five years. Participants have included young children to senior adults and members of the Hindu community and the broader community. Dr. Neeta Shukla has led the temple’s effort during this time. Hundreds of other dedicated volunteers helped with the arrangements. In 2017 the celebration was held at the beautiful Town Green

Park of the Woodlands. In 2018, a CME (Continuing Medical Education) program with the topic “Yoga As Medicine” was held in conjunction with the yoga practice session for a more general group. For 2021, Dr. Shriram Sarvottam conducted the IDY Protocol and gave a presentation on the topic “Yoga for Strengthening Immunity”. Starting from 2013, under the guidance of Dr. Neeta Shukla, the temple introduced the SVYASA Yoga training classes to provide YICC Yoga-certified instructors for classes at the temple premises and in the community. The first group started with 18 students, including three high school students. HTW’s first yoga lecture was given by renowned yogi, Shri RaghuRamji from VYASA Bangalore. Since then there have been yoga lectures and workshops under the guidance of renowned yoga teachers including Dr. Dilip Sarkar, Dr. Rajan Narayanan, Dr. Shriram Sarvottam, Dr. Nagarathnaji and

Dr. Nagendra. Advanced yoga workshops have been conducted under the guidance of Vishwarupaji, Kiran Chukkapalli, Devraj Nayak, and Rajashree Tupe. With three yoga teachers’ training programs conducted on temple premises, HTW now has more than thirty certified yoga teachers in the temple. Various yoga educational events enhance the capability of these teachers to serve the community. HTW also has conducted camps like “STOP DIABETES MOVEMENT” and events like “Yoga for Immunity”. The temple also been conducting summer Youth Yoga Camps for last three years. Hindu Temple of The Woodlands has been a center for culture and devotion serving Greater Houston from 2011 onwards. The temple takes great pride in announcing that for the last 10 years, it has been offering over 1000 educational classes per year catering to all age groups. This includes over 200 yoga classes per year serving over 10,000 people.

By post to: Head of Chancery, Consulate General of India, 4300 Scotland Street, Houston, Texas 77007 For further details, visit the website of Consulate: http://www.cgihouston.gov.in

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Indo-American News • Friday, July 9, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

SUDOKU/CULTURE Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Send us the correct answer before July 12, 2021. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com and send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.

Solution Next Week

July 9, 2021

Pearland Sophomore Sandhya Mahesh Accepted into NY Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra Pearland: Shadow Creek High School sophomore, Sandhya Mahesh, was rewarded with the summer experience of a lifetime. She has been invited by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute to join the National Youth Orchestra of the United States (NYO2). The program brings together 200+ of the brightest young American instrumentalists for intensive training and performances on some of the world’s greatest stages. Created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the prestigious national programs recognize the finest young musicians from across the country. These outstanding orchestral and Jazz musicians will gather this summer at Purchase College, SUNY for a month-long musical residency. Sandhya knew she had to prepare long and hard for the auditions to even be considered. The audition requires not only recordings of solo work, but also select

orchestral excerpts. “I knew that only 10 violists would be selected from all over the country. I went in knowing that no matter what, the audition process would allow me to greatly improve as a musician in many aspects – not just my technique and musicality but also responsibility and perseverance.” said Sandhya. Sandhya has been playing the piano since the age of 5 and earned her Social Diploma in Piano in May 2020. She started learning to play the viola in 5th grade, as part of Alvin ISD’s inaugural orchestra batch at Marek Elementary. While

at Nolan Ryan Junior High, Sandhya was principal violist at Region 17 Symphony Orchestra twice. She received a scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Center’s summer program in summer 2019 and was a principal violist of the Interlochen Philharmonic. She has also been a member of the Houston Youth Symphony for 5 years. Most recently, she was the winner of the Senior Strings Division of the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra’s 2020 Whit Phillips Memorial Young Artist Competition. She has also co-founded a non-profit, called Chords for a Cause, with her sister, Tanya Mahesh, to use music as a tool to improve lives through volunteering, fundraising and research. “The musicians selected to be a part of Carnegie Hall’s three national youth ensembles are among the very best players in the nation,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director.

Kudos to a Special Yoga Teacher: Unna Ramanathan By Alka Gadgil

Last Week’s Solution

Last Week’s Winners Sanchali Basu, Krishna R. Vuddagiri, Rita Suther, Sandeep S. Sayal, Ramana Vadrevu,Winners Rohith Sriram, Neelima Last Week’s Jadhav Sanchali Basu

Yoga is an ancient Indian tradition which has gone global It is trending activity, a suitable way to balance hectic new age life style I was pondering over it and by chance I was introduced to this lady named Unna Ramanathan from Houston, who was named among the top 5 volunteers in lithe local paper Star, who teaches stretch and tone classes on line but with a unique flavor. She has added weights and holding the poses to her teaching I joined her class and decided to ask her about her journey. Here is the exchange. Yoga is the new buzz word now. How were you inspired to learn Yoga and does she remember her first session? She told me she took different exercise classes tried Yoga in 2094 with Mary McDermott overseas. She was instrumental in inspiring her interest her brother is also an Art of living Yoga teacher But when she returned to USA, she took formal training in 2012 in Austin Texas with living Yoga program I asked her what is the special brilliance about Yoga and what did she gain out of it Her reply was that Yoga does benefit all aspects of life physical mental and spiritual For her personally she has become more flexible and has a sense of balance. She remembers the calmness she felt after her sessions in the beginning One may not able to to say touch one toes to start with but was told by her teacher to do one best not be in competition. I asked her what would she tell

Yoga teacher Unna Ramanathan resides in Houston snd offers online classes daily from 10.30 to 11.30 am.

a beginner and what is the benefit and why they should they take it up. For those who do take it up depending on how sincere and desclipined in their practice, they will reap the benefits. It will build your stamina, increase flexibility, and improve breathing She has incorporated and added weights to poses and she holds poses. That is just the tip of iceberg I told her when the class is over it feels as if the whole days stress has melted. It is not a acrobatic performance but truely gives one sense of calmness Just like her personality. I visited Unna Ramanathan last week when she was visiting Chicago Even on vacation she gave us a Stretch and Tone with Yoga poses with weights demonstration and told us the benefits of this type of exercise Yoga runs in her blood I admire

Indo-American News • Friday, july 9, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

this attribute in her. She is very humble giving and low key person She made it clear that she would not call it pure Yoga. She said she adds weights to yoga poses in her stretch and tone class. Using weights strengthens ones bones and joints. Static holds also helps with stamina and one feels more flexible and energetic I asked her what motivates her to teach? She said when people feel more energetic she is happy I told her I remember her saying when one is done with excuses one will see the results Yoga does benefit one in all aspects of life, physical, mental and spiritual. Also as one ages good idea to prioritize on ones health For her personally, she feels more flexible and have a sense of balance, but remembers the calmness she felt Even though she was not flexible at the time, her teacher was encouraging the students to do their best to their capabilities and not be in competition with anyone else. She was not able to touch her toes then, but with practice and patience, She could do it. Yoga may not be for everyone and that is okay. For those who do take it up, depending how sincere they are their practice, they will reap the benefits. Their stamina builds, flexibility increases, breathing improves, and a sense of calmness dawns. What I would say to Yoga beginners is to give it a fair chance and do as much as you can. Don’t be discouraged if you are not able to do the poses as well as others. You do the best you can. Relax into the pose I bid her good bye knowing I’m on the right path.

July 9, 2021

Indo-American News • Friday, July 9, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com