Friday, October 9, 2020 | Vol. 39, No. 41
Indo American News
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October 9, 2020
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COMMUNITY
October 9, 2020
A Year Later, County Honors its Fallen Hero Dhaliwal with Tollway Dedication By Jawahar Malhotra
that “we do our very best to be like Sandeep. Only God has a plan and this happened through a connection with Bobby Singh. Sandeep was clean-shaven before but brought us a picture of a turbaned and bearded Sikh in the US Army and asked us to make a change. I’m glad a Brown guy could bring in the Brown guy Sandeep,” quipped Garcia. Garcia closed with a quote from the Bible and a statement in Spanish for the Spanish language TV reporter covering the event. The entire group then walked off to the sign by the side of the tollroad for a series of pictures, while the Constables blocked off part of the feeder road.
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Houston: A year after Harris County Deputy Constable Sandeep Dhaliwal was senselessly murdered at a gas station during a routine traffic stop on September 27, 2019, the County Commissioners formally unveiled signs on both sides of the 5-mile stretch of the Sam Houston Tollroad Beltway 8 from West Gulf Bank to Fairbanks North Houston. The rectangular green and white signs are located on the northbound lanes at Gulf Bank and the southbound lanes at Fairbanks, virtually in front of the Sikh National Center Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Dist. 7 Congresswoman property where a Gurdwara is in its Lizzie Fletcher (D) and Peter King, the Interim Executive Director of the Harris County Tollroad Authority, pose with a replica of the sign. final stages of completion. It was in the parking lot of the SNC, adjacent to the feeder road this past Tuesday, October 6 that Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Dist. 7 Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D) met with members of the Sikh community and others to make the dedication of the 5-mile portion of the tollroad. In mid-September, Fletcher announced that Congress had unanimously PRACTICING IMMIGRATION LAW SINCE 1985 approved the renaming of a US Post Office along Addicks-Howell Road near the Katy Freeway after INTEGRITY KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS Dhaliwal. Garcia made the announcement on a makeshift stage flanked by pictures and a banner carrying Dhaliwal’s image. He thanked several people who were instrumental in making the name change possible, ATTORNEYS including Peter King, the Interim Executive Director of the Harris County Tollroad Authority, Gonzalez, Fletcher and Sikh community activist Bobby Singh who had campaigned for Dhaliwal’s right to wear his articles of fait in uniform. “What a privilege it is to drive the tollroad to the post office named after him,” said Fletcher as people sat socially distant and masked in the bright morning sunlight. “It shows the incredible power one person can have and influence an entire community. We will see him everyday as we drive by this tollroad,” she added. Gonzalez echoed the sentiments, adding that the Sheriff’s office “missed our friend, our teammate everyday. We pledge to always remember him. This marker will keep him in our minds for future generaROGER PIPER PAULINE APPELBAUM JUDGE JIMMIE BENTON THOMAS P. FISCHER THOMAS R. HUTSON tions.” FORMER DISTRICT FORMER USCIS FORMER IMMIGRATION FORMER DISTRICT FORMER CONSUL ASSOCIATE REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF JUDGE DIRECTOR OF GENERAL Hardam Singh Azad, the Chairman of the Board of COUNSEL IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION the SNC, said that “Dhaliwal changed the perspective of people towards people who look like him.” He disR. W closed that the SNC would place an electronic sign GE ANDHRA MIRCHI HUM FM MASALA RADIO RADIO MIRCHI 107.5 FM - HD-3 106.1 FM 1050 AM 98.7 FM by the feeder road across from the marker to explain TUESDAYS THURSDAYS EVERY 2ND SUNDAY TUESDAYS what Dhaliwal stands for. 4:00 - 4:20 PM 4:00 - 4:30 PM 3:10 - 3:40 PM 1:00- 1:30 PM Dhaliwal’s father Pyara Singh and sister Harpreet remarked that the sign makes sure that people will reCENTRAL TIME member Sandeep forever, and that “Sandeep wanted LIVE to spread love and help the people.” Former District Director of Immigration Thomas Investment VISAS Fischer and Roger Piper and Former Consul General Garcia closed the formal dedication with the hope Thomas Hutson serve as Special advisors to the �rm
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COMMUNITY
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October 9, 2020
Vishala 7 Hillcroft Grand Opening Attracts Over 3,000 in Gandhi District! Houston: Vishala opens its seventh location – Vishala VII Hillcroft – with a BANG in the center of the Mahatma Gandhi district on SAT OCT 3rd. “For the first time in Houston, we were giving away 7, 1-Gram Gold Coins to the first 7 shoppers and added Valet Parking,” said Viral Thakkar, Vishala Partner. “When I arrived at 6AM, there were already people in line outside the store! By 10AM, there were more than 500 people in line whom we were serving refreshments since 8AM!” said Sanjay Patel, Partner of Vishala Grocery. Indeed, the location at 5815 Hillcroft at Harwin was transformed to a Socially Distant Parking Lot Party with Masala Radio. Sunil Thakkar said “It’s always so much fun working with the Vishala team. We have done all the Vishala Grand Openings over the last 11 years. Virendrabhai told me that for this event, the giveaways and deals will be unbelievable… and they most definitely were. I have never seen gold coins given as auspicious token gifts to guests. Vishala also arraigned for 15 valet parking attendants to help park all cars. We want to thank Harry Sahni and Sam for giving us additional parking spaces in their complexes next door.” Sandhya Thakkar said “As Oct 3rd was Gandhi Jayanti weekend, we thought to add some Masala by searching for the perfect Gandhiji & Modiji lookalike to be present at the event.” Gandhiji (played by Ramesh Modi) and Narendra Modi (played by Bharat Khamdhar) made a special appearance to the delight of all that attended. Gabbar Singh (played by Ninad Gupte) also came to the grand opening in the Masala Rickshaw. “The entire opening was so fun and very theatrical… looked like a movie shooting. Gabbar and the Basanti Dance Off…I just couldn’t stop laughing. The free Vishala Grand Opening show was better than many ticketed shows I’ve attended,” shopper Bhoomi Pandey said. Vishala went all out with the complimentary snacks & 500 free gifts. All customers received free Bhel Puri, Idli Sambhar, Samosas,
Chai, Coffee, Kulfis, and complimentary Mehendi by neighbor Ruby Salon. Virendrabhai said, “Opening a Mega Store in the center of Little India Houston was always in our plans and we are grateful to Rakesh Patel to give us the first opportunity to take over this iconic location.” Shoppers rushed for incredible deals like all vegetables at $.49 a pound. Over 30 Vishala team members and family/friends were present to ensure customers were serviced quickly. They even took it a step further by helping unload groceries to customers’ cars. Viral Thakkar explained, “I was prepared for a crowd of 1,000 to 1,500 but Masala Radio brought in more
people than I ever imagined. We had over 3,000 people come in our store just on Saturday. Now I am ready to serve the tremendous local, out of town, and restaurant customers that have relied on this location for so long.” Special guests in attendance included: Rakesh Patel, owner of Raja Foods and Mahesh Raolji, owner of Jalaram Produce. Priest Hardik Raval of Shiv Shakti Mandir, conducted the opening Pooja and recited Shlokas just before the opening. The official Ribbon Cutting was done by: Houston City Council Member Edward Pollard, Fort Bend County Judge KP George, Trever Nehls running for Fort Bend County Sheriff, Sugar
Land Council Member Naushad Kermally, Nabil Shike running for Fort Bend County Constable, Missouri City Council Member Anthony Maroulis and Former ICC President Bangar Reddy, Muzaffar Siddiqui Fort Bend Sheriff candidate. Vishala Partners Virendra Thakkar, Sanjay Patel, Vyomesh Patel and Viral Thakkar
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then presented 1 Gram Gold Coins to all the dignitaries who came for the ribbon cutting. Gabbar made a grand entry by demanding gold coins and “hafta’ (protection money) or he wouldn’t let the store open. Gandhiji (played by Ramesh Modi) intervened along with Narendra Modi (played by Bharat Khamdhar) and they pacified Gabbar by promising a Basanti Dance contest. At high noon, Gabbar demanded all the Basanti’s to dance, and a friendly dance off ensued with all participants receiving silver coins. Vishala means wide, spacious, illustrious. Since the opening of the first location (Hwy 6 and Bissonnet) in 2005, Virendra and Yogina Thakkar have been unstoppable! Vishala II (Katy) opened in 2011 by Vyomesh Patel, Vishala III (Westheimer) opened in 2014 by Sanjay Patel, Vishala IV (Dulles) opened in 2016 by Jagrut Thakkar, Vishala V (Webster) opened in 2018 by Bimal Vohra and Kalpesh Patel, and Vishala VI (FM 529 and Hwy 6) opened 2019 by Chirag Shah. Vishala has welcomed their customers with open arms in clean stores, offering the most illustrious brands like Swad, Laxmi, Deep Foods, and much more; recently even developed their own Vishala brand for a wide variety of products. Long-time Masala fan, Mala Shekhar exclaimed, “ yeah I have been to all the Masala Grand Openings, it’s so much fun, I just can’t resist. I filled my pantry on the first one and bought tons of groceries for my friends and neighbors who are not going out. Me, I love the mini festival atmosphere, I love getting dressed up, all the freebies, snacks and chai, and I love to dance. Wherever there is a Masala Radio event, I’m coming!.”
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INDIA
October 9, 2020
Pune Teen Tops JEE, But Already a Freshman at MIT
Pune: Groggy from his early morning classes at USA’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chirag Falor had slept for barely a few hours on Monday when a call from the IIT Delhi director woke him up. “I was half-asleep when I came to know that I have got the top rank in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)Advanced,” said the resident of Wadgaonsheri. Falor, who had scored a 100 percentile in JEE Main, said his family was confident about him topping nationally, and cake and balloons had been arranged to celebrate the occasion. A former student of Arnold High School, Falor had moved to Delhi to focus on the JEE, as he “didn’t want any distractions”. The teenager, who didn’t even use a mobile phone for two years to avoid any distraction in his plans to get into IIT, however, has no intention of studying in the coveted institution. “While in Delhi, I met someone who inspired me to apply to MIT, considered the best engineering col-
lege in the world. They take only five to six students from India every year and I was lucky that I cracked the exam. Since September, I have started classes there and now I am waiting for my visa,” says the teenager, who wishes to major in Physics and study ‘space settlements’. And while getting a seat at the MIT is no less of a feat, he does admit that the SAT, which is one of the requirements for admission to MIT, and even a few common first-year class examinations which he took for credit, were easier to crack than the JEE. Falor, whose father Pavan Kumar is a project manager and mother Pooja Devi is a tutor, said that while the JEE was more of a “concept testing” for him after the MIT admission, he was thrilled with his national rank as it would help in his post-graduate admissions, and in getting a job later. “Every year, only one student gets this distinction and this exam is an internationally reputed one… so, even though I won’t study at IIT, this means a lot to me…,” he said.
Meanwhile, of the 1.6 lakh students who had registered for the exam, 1.5 lakh appeared for it and over 43,000 candidates, including 6,707 girls, cleared the exam. While Falor has scored 352 out of 396 marks, Vijaywada’s Gangula Bhuvan Reddy and Bihar’s Vaibhav Raj bagged the second and third ranks respectively. Kanishka Mittal, who bagged the 17th rank with a score of 315 of 396 marks, is the topper among girls. JEE-Advanced was conducted on September 27 amid strict precautions at exam centres like staggered entry-exits, use of sanitisers, masks and social distancing in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results, along with cutoffs for admissions to IITs and rank lists, are available on jeeadv.ac.in. The registration for counselling, organised by Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA), begins from October 6. This year, the number of counselling rounds has been reduced by one to ensure timely admissions and beginning of classes. -- Indian Express
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October 9, 2020
Indo-American News • Friday OCTOBER 9, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com
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October 9, 2020
150th Gandhi Jayanti Observance in Houston, Irving & Worldwide
The Indian Consulate in Houston joined the Eternal Gandhi Museum of Houston in celebrating the 150th Gandhi Jayanti at the Gandhi statue in Hermann Park. Here, EMGH’s Atul Kothari offers flowers at the Gandhi statue as CG Aseem Mahajan, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Fort Bend County Judge KP George look on.
CG Mahajan joined Indian Americans in North Texas in observing Gandhi Jayanti at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in Irving. In India, PM Modi and President Kovind paid theirrespects at the Gandhi memorial at Rajghat.
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OBITUARY
October 9, 2020
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Raj Syal Dies: A Pioneering, Tireless Pillar of Houston’s Hindu Community By Jawahar Malhotra
The Woodlands: In the early years of the Indian community in the Bayou City, in 1968, when there were perhaps only 50 young families and a handful of foreign students at the University of Houston, there was a natural yearning to bond and find ways to gather for camaraderie and satisfy the yearning to reconnect with one’s roots. There weren’t many choices in a city that had yet to see an influx of diversity that is taken for granted today. Realizing there were no other outlets, Raj Syal discussed an idea with a small group of friends and decided to bring in Indian films from New York to show once a month at the Agnes Arnold Hall Auditorium at UH. They chipped in some money, and he would pick up (and afterwards deliver) the four 12-inch round tin-cased reels from Hobby Airport, learnt how to run the projector, sell $1 tickets and even cajoled his wife Krishna and other women to make samosas and mint chutney and sell them 2 for a buck during the intermission. It went on for a couple of years and formed the heart and soul of the community’s efforts to define itself. Encouraged by the response, Syal convinced others to join in and celebrate Indian events like Independence Day and Diwali with outdoor gatherings with food
In 2014, Raj Syal received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Consul General of India, Harish Parvathneni (left), Dr. Sen Pathak, Distinguished Research Professor at University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center (right) and the actor Saurabh Raj Jain who played Lord Krishna in the Indian television series Mahabharat in 2013.
and music spun off vinyl LPs under the stars at UH in the grove by Shasta’s (the UH cougar mascot) cage. These were the beginnings of Raj Syal’s experiments with social service, which eventually led to the creation of the India Culture Center and in subsequent years, as the community began to grow rapidly, to other events to bring those who yearned for the old country together. His spirit never diminished, even as he grew older, to rejoice in the luster of Indian culture, his Punjabi roots and Hindu religion, as he went on to jump-start other institutions that outlast him. After several years of declining health, Raj Syal finally breathed his last on Thursday, October 1, at his home, surrounded by his fam-
ily. He was 86. He is survived by his wife Krishna, children Anju, Rajinder (wife Georgiana), Rupinder and grandsons Krishan (wife Chandler) and Daniel. “My grandfather was a lot of things to the Houston community,” reflected his eldest grandson Krishan James Syal, “ – a leader, role model and mentor – but to me he was just Baba, a caring grandfather, my biggest supporter and the center of our family.” His brother Daniel Kumar Syal, who, like his grandfather, graduated from Tulane in 2018, echoed the sentiment. “Baba never allowed his education or fierce intelligence to corrupt his natural humbleness,” he said. “He forged a vibrant community in a strange country through the strength of his
character and his commitment to preserving his heritage. He was a rare man and should serve as an example for future immigrants who wish to become Americans while also preserving their distinct traditions.” Raj Kumar Syal was born on May 7, 1934 in village Bilga, District Jullunder in the Punjab, India and lost his parents at an early age and was, with his older brother, raised by his grandparents. He received an associate degree in engineering in 1958 and then came to Tulane University in 1963 but earned his civil engineering degree at Texas A&M University. Two years later, his wife Krishna and two kids Anju and Rajinder followed and the family moved to the Houston area in Lamarque in February 1965 after Syal began
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working for the Texas Highway Department. Ever conscious of self-improvement, Syal received his masters in civil engineering from the University of Houston in 1970. Syal worked at the THD for 45 years till his retirement in 2011. After his moved to The Woodlands, the Syals followed suit and shifted there in 1999. Syal was a man burning with a desire to hold true to his faith, culture and humble beginnings and sought out like-minded people to knit what he perceived would be a growing Indian community in a dominant Anglo-Saxon culture. At first, he helped start a Sikh Gurdwara in the Southeast side of the metropolitan area. Then he invested both time and money in the India Culture Center, eventually buying a small house on Cypress Street near Beechnut and Hillcroft (across from the Vedanta Society formed by Dr. K. L. Sindwani, the founder of Indo American News) to serve as its headquarters. He would often go there and cut the grass and do other landscaping (and at times this reporter would help). No task for the community was ever too small or menial or time consuming, whatever the time of day, a fact that his wife Krishna and kids (who now included the youngest son Rupinder) had to learn to live with. She would tag Continued to Page 8
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October 9, 2020
MOVIE REVIEW
OBITUARY
Ananya Pande’s “Khaali Peeli�: A Timepass Movie
Krishna and Ray Syal at the wedding of their elder grandson Krishan James with Chandler. They also have a younger grandson Daniel Kumar.
By Shubhra Gupta Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday, Jaideep Ahlawat, Swanand Kirkire, Satish Kaushik, Anup Soni Director: Maqbool Khan Rating: Two stars Can a new film which is a deliberate harkback to the masala movies of the 70s and 80s, be worth your time? Only if it is smart and selfaware, and never forgets to send itself up, that’s when. Khaali Peeli does an adequate job of assembling the ingredients, and when it remembers to stay light on its feet, it’s fun, but slackens in other parts. Blackie (Khatter) is a Mumbai taxi-driver. Pooja (Panday) is a girl on the run. Bump. Rubber meets road, goons and cops join the chase, and other wheels begin to grind. That’s your basic story, which we have seen in bits and pieces in many, many films. Glimpses flash by, of Sadak, Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin, Rangeela, and, oh wait, doesn’t that song remind you of Raja and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and so on. Some of the elements make you smile. A ‘mela’ by the road-
Raj Syal: A Pioneering Pillar
Continued from Page 6
side becomes the site of a game of hide-and-seek played by Blackie and Pooja, and those on their tail. On the back of the ‘kaali-peeli’ (the black-and-yellow cabs, such a Mumbai icon) is imprinted the urban legend, Panvel. The taxi segues nicely into the film’s name, Khaali Peeli which pretty much means, without any aim, just like that, a phrase plucked from that era where ‘tapori’ acts were still new in Hindi cinema. Here, both leads speak the lingo. Or let’s just say, they try, Blackie coming off better than Pooja, though both sound like clean-cut kids caught dialogue-ing. What helps is both are easy on the eye, with Khatter getting a chance to do the whole hero-giri thing—sing, dance, romance, fight, displaying an impressive set of biceps. He’s creating an outline of and for him-
self: watch out for him in the forthcoming Mira Nair’s series, A Suitable Boy. The best part about Ms Panday is that neither the script nor she herself, takes herself seriously, and that works. The baddies include Ahlawat playing an old-style goon, and Kirkire his unlikely boss, running an operation which involves prostitution. The good guys are Hussain, a cop after the run-away couple, and Kaushik as a lumbering sidekick. All these actors can be excellent when given appropriate parts; here they do their job. And that’s really what this film does, overall. Khaali Peeli knows that it needs to refresh the tropes it is up against, and manages to do so only some of the time in its two-hour duration. As a pandemic time-pass, it serves. Just about. -Indian Express
along to Houston, 35 miles away from home, and sometimes the kids would have to bring their homework with them to finish while Raj Syal finished his tasks. It was a sense of commitment and being true to his word that made Raj Syal such a dependable commodity when the community needed someone to shoulder the weight. Along with others like Shyam Talwar and his wife Tara and Gopal Rana (another tireless worker) and his wife Kumud, Syal realized that the Hindu identity needed a place to reflect and helped found the regions first temple, the Hindu Worship Society on Wirtcrest Road on the near westside. Some years later, recognizing that the Hindu community was fragmented across the metroplex, Syal pushed for holding the area’s first Janamashtami program at the George R. Brown Convention Center and subsequently, after it was deemed a success, forming
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the Hindus of Greater Houston, a non-profit that endures and speaks for the area’s Hindus and continues to hold the festival each year. He even organized the city’s first fireworks display downtown for Janamashtami. For all his efforts, the HGH awarded Ray Syal a lifetime achievement award on the 25th anniversary of the Janamashtami event in 2014. But Syal, who had a naturally charming and innocent manner and a ready smile on his cherubic face, was not one who sought out honors. In fact, he would often run from the limelight, and was never given to long speeches. His congenial manner of sublimating and cajoling made the strength of his convictions had to resist. As he would often say at the tail end of a meeting, with a slight wave and bow, “chalo, wekhi jaiyigi. Let’s see!� and if all else failed, you’d see him personally taking care to make events work.
COMMUNITY
October 9, 2020
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Classical Arts Society Presents Ramkrishnan Murthy via FB Live The South Indian NRI diaspora in the US has supported classical carnatic music for more than half a century. This is done both by bringing carnatic musicians to perform here in the US, and by having kids born and raised here learn this art in order for them to stay connected to their Indian roots. Little did they expect that this would produce excellent performers amongst them in the last decade or so. One such performer is Ramakrishnan Murthy (RKM), a young carnatic musician born and raised in California and currently settled in Chennai, where he has attained the stature of a highly acclaimed musician in a very short time. His music attracts the young and the old carnatic buffs alike. He started his Carnatic musical journey through weekly once lessons from Padma Kutty in CA. In an interview he quips that initially he was not very keen on learning this music but was not rebellious and therefore was very diligent in learning so as to please his parents and teacher. During his high school years, he took lessons from gurus Delhi Sundararajan and R.K. Shriram Kumar on his vacation visits to India. His first performance was a very well received home concert after which Carnatic music became his passion. He is very talented and hard working. His music is very pure and at the same time with plenty of creativity. Classical Arts Society Houston proudly presents Ramakrishnan Murthy in a virtual grand finale concert of its youth festival
HYKU. This will be premiered on its FB page on Friday, October
16, at 6.30 pm, heralding the arrival of the Navarathri festival with
his thematic presentation of DEVI songs. The Indian press has aptly captured this young musician and his success story: The Hindu “It is, indeed, gratifying to note that Ramakrishnan Murthy, who has gained immense popularity, keeps his creative energy under tight leash through his musical wisdom. Recipient of ‘Isai Peroli’ title from the organization this year, Ramakrishnan Murthy justified it in every way with his performance.” First post “When you see Murthy, there is nothing to suggest that he grew up away from the shores of Chennai: he wears a dhoti and shirt, the standard attire for most Tamil Brahmins, with the
sacred ash prominently smeared on his forehead. When he speaks in Tamil, or English, neither give away his US upbringing. In fact, his English nestles in the cadences of Tamil. And when he sings, he evokes the music of past masters without mimicking them which, in a traditional music like Carnatic music, is a priceless quality.” Here are quotes from a couple of board of directors of Classical Arts Society (CAS) who are passionate carnatic music buffs: Abhishek Balakrishnan (Director CAS), a young Carnatic violinist himself, about RKM: “A very inspiring, all-rounded artist who always brings something fresh to his concerts. He offers an engaging concert experience for his co-artists on stage as well as to lay and experienced rasikas. I have enjoyed his unique presentations recently, including a thematic concert with the painter Vijay Varanasi.” (can be viewed on YouTube) Dr. Lakshmi Srivaths (Secretary, CAS), a Veena player, about RKM: “Very passionate about Carnatic music, his music is pristine, soaked in classicism, extremely sincere and completely involved singing! It is pure bliss to listen to his music and to see someone who grew up in the US excel and be respected amongst the very best in Chennai’s Carnatic circle!” So, tune in, one and all, and enjoy this free concert and welcome the Goddess into your homes this Navarathri season.
The Indian Queens Who Modelled for the World’s First Smallpox Vaccine Mysore: When Devajammani arrived at the royal court of Mysore in 1805, it was to marry Krishnaraja Wadiyar III. They were both 12 years of age and he was the newly minted ruler of the southern Indian kingdom. But Devajammani soon found herself recruited for a more momentous cause - to publicise and promote the smallpox vaccine. And her unwitting role was captured in a painting commissioned by the East India Company to “encourage participation in the vaccination program”, according to Dr Nigel Chancellor, a historian at Cambridge University. The cure for smallpox was fairly new - it had been discovered just six years before by Edward Jenner, an English doctor - and met with suspicion and resistance in India. Not least because it was being championed by the British, whose power was rising at the turn of the 19th Century. Dr Chancellor believes this painting, dated to around 1805, is not just a record of the queen’s vaccination but also a window into how the British effort unfolded. The portrait, an arresting rendi-
tion in oil on canvas, was last offered for sale via Sotheby’s auction house in 2007. Its subjects were unknown - and thought to be dancing girls or courtesans - until Dr Chancellor stumbled upon it. He says he “immediately felt this was wrong”. He identified the woman on the right in the painting as Devajammani, the younger queen. He said her sari would have typically covered her left arm, but it was left exposed so she could point to where she had been vaccinated “with a minimum loss of dignity”. The woman on the left, he believes, is the king’s first wife, also named Devajammani. The marked discoloration under her nose and around her mouth is consistent with controlled exposure to the smallpox virus, Dr Chancellor said. Pustules from patients
who had recovered would be extracted, ground to dust and blown up the nose of those who had not had the disease. It was a form of inoculation known as variolation, that was meant to induce a milder infection. Dr Chancellor cited details to support his theory, which was first published in an article in 2001.
For one, the date of the painting matches the Wadiyar king’s wedding dates and the court records from July 1806, announcing that Devjammmani’s vaccination had a “salutary influence” on people who came forward to be inoculated. Two, as an expert in Mysore history, Dr Chancellor is certain the “heavy gold sleeve bangles” and “the magnificent headdresses” are characteristic of Wadiyar queens. Also, the artist, Thomas Hickey, had earlier painted the Wadiyars and other members of the court. And most important, he wrote, is the “compelling candour” with which they engage the viewer. Half-smiling royal women striking a casual pose for a European paint-
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er is rare enough to raise eyebrows. And the Wadiyars would not have risked a scandal, Dr Chancellor said, for a run-of-the-mill portrait. It’s not known if the young queen Devajammani was vaccinated with dried lymph or from the pus of an earlier patient. There is no mention of anyone else in the family or at the court being vaccinated, Dr Chancellor said. That would not have been unusual because there are reports of other royals being vaccinated. But none memorialised it in a portrait. The credit for that politicking, according to Dr Chancellor, goes to the king’s grandmother, Lakshmi Ammani, who had lost her husband to smallpox. He believes she is the woman in the middle of the portrait of the three women, buttressing the Wadiyar stamp of approval for the vaccine. The “oval face and enormous eyes” are typical of the family, he adds. Dr Chancellor says the painting was possible because she was in charge - the king was too young to object and the queens were too young to refuse. -- BBC
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EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
October 9, 2020
Vote!
NRG Center in Harris County and City Financial Centre in By Lakshmy Parameswaran Fort Bend County are already accepting mail-in ballots. Early voting begins Oct. 13 and concludes Oct. 30 and election day The United States of America – the model of democracy for the is Nov. 2. Please voteas early as you can.
Conspiracy Theory What kind of a regime would see, after the death of the 19-year-old Dalit woman assaulted by upper caste men in Hathras, not the grief of the family that lost its daughter and was denied even the right to conduct her last rites, and hear not the ringing demands for lawful justice — but only a conspiracy to defame its own reputation? As Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke of “anarchists” and “conspiracies” against his government by those “who want to incite caste and communal riots”, his police force, in the dock themselves for their brutish action, obediently took their cue and registered a spate of FIRs — 21 and counting. Against the BJP’s political opponents and others who have protested in the wake of Hathras or have tried to lend a shoulder to the family. The FIRs filed across the state target those belonging to the Congress, SP, RLD and the Bhim Army among others, and invoke sections of the Information Technology Act, sedition, criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between groups apart from violation of Section 144 that has so insidiously become a ubiquitous feature of the UP landscape. This criminalisation of protest makes the UP government look even more ill at ease in a constitutional democracy, even more out of step with the temper of a young and questioning nation, than it did after the hurried cremation, the barricading of the family and the attempt to deny or downplay the crime in Hathras. The crime in Hathras makes for a particularly poignant setting, but there have been grim warnings of the institutionalisation of the Yogi Adityanath government’s intolerance of any and every expression of dissent or protest, and in acting on it, its scant regard for democratic nicety or rule. Most recently, before the pandemic struck, the way in which it targeted those who protested against a discriminatory citizenship law showed that it was following its own copybook and pursuing its own fantasy of an Opposition-mukt state. Posters were put up in public places, naming and shaming the protesters, violating the right to privacy and the presumption of innocence until lawfully proved guilty. Now, an argument being made by the UP government, including in its affidavit to the court, is that the issue is being given “caste-communal colour”. The bigger question, surely, for any sensitive government is this: Why do crime and impunity have a caste and communal colour, why does the police response have a caste and communal colour in UP? Today, the BJP-led government in UP, as at the Centre, has a large majority, and the Opposition party and view is struggling for a voice and toe-hold in the state and at the Centre. In times like these, if the political executive weaponises its numbers, as the Yogi government is doing, if it does not listen to, leaves no spaces for, those who question and protest, it does disservice to the trust reposed in it. In a system that abides by as largehearted a document as the Indian Constitution, a government takes a narrow and vengeful view of its mandate at its own peril. -- Indian Express
world – is at the precipice of becoming an autocratic state. The validity and certainty of the 2020 presidential election hang in the balance. President Trump claims that our ballot system is rigged, that is, if he loses the election. And he will not agree to a peaceful transfer of power. No president in history, Democrat or Republican, has dared to challenge the will of the American voters. This is the time to put United States first and rescue our democracy by going to the polls. A traditionally Democratic voting bloc, the Indian-American community is debating voting for Trump in the interest of US-India relations. I believe that we should base our votes on issues that affect our lives as Americans. Voting on the basis of what benefits India will not be in service to this country or future generations. And 2020 election is shaping up to be an example of why we should put this country’s interest above all else. We migrated to the United States believing in the freedom, equality and opportunity that this country offered. And we were glad to discard the political atmosphere of India – an atmosphere of nepotism, abuse of power, bribery, larceny and threats. We found a nearperfect participatory democracy here that suited our aspirations and rightly so, until 2016. In the last four years, we have seen Trump exceeding the crooked Indian politicians in corrupting the sanctity of the Presidency. He appointed his daughter and sonin-law in crucial ‘advisor’ roles for which they are un-qualified; he defies ethics and promotes his golf courses and resorts to enrich himself; he used the sanctioned aid to Ukraine as a bargaining tool to smear his opponent, Joe Biden, and got impeached; he demeaned and purged staff members who dared to question him; he despises free press and freedom of speech and assembly; and the list goes on. But the most egregious of his
Democracy First
“Voting on the basis of what benefits India will not be in service to this country or future generations. And 2020 election is shaping up to be an example of why we should put this country’s interest above all else.” acts – his decision to lie to the American public about the severity and immediacy of Covid-19 pandemic which has afflicted him now – has caused the death of 210,000 Americans and counting. His mismanagement of the pandemic has driven our economy into a tailspin, ruptured our educational system, overburdened our healthcare system and upended people’s lives. Seniors like me and my husband are isolated in our homes, our annual medical check-ups and family visits postponed indefinitely. We pray that we do not get hospitalized for any reason. One of us in the hospital will leave both of us even more isolated, unattended and unsafe. Due to Covid-19, our hospitals are no longer the agents of safety and reassurance that they used to be. Whatever outside help we seek would be at our own risk and that of others. For the first time, many seniors find themselves in a situation where both living and dying look equally bleak. It is infuriating to think that if Trump’s pandemic response had been more timely and aggressive, we would not be in this place. Yet, what is scarier than this pandemic reality is Trump’s delusional belief that he is an efficient president who deserves another term and more. He is working towards power-grabbing by gutting
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 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 212, Houston, Texas 77036.Tel:713-789-6397, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www. indoamerican-news.com
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the postal service, delegitimizing mail-in ballots, rushing to fill a Supreme Court vacancy and dismantling the integrity of American institutions like the justice department. His actions are reminiscent of the bully politics that we chose to leave behind in India. We know mayhem will follow. This is why, conservatives or liberals, we must reject Trump’s autocratic ideals, for we want to continue to debate and espouse issues that are important to us, better US-India relations being one. Our purpose in making USA our home would be lost if this country becomes anything less than the true democracy that attracted us to her shores. Therefore, it is imperative that we use the leverage of our votes this election to rescue American democracy even if it means voting across party-line. Indian-Americans are a vested and growing voting bloc. We should be able to discern long-term stability over short-term gains for the sake of our future generations. Lakshmy Parameswaran is a family therapist and founder of Daya Inc., a non-profit serving South Asian survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Houston (www.dayahouston.org). She is a first generation IndianAmerican who moved to the US in 1973.
SUDOKU/EDUCATION/MEDICINE SUDOKU/RECREATION 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 October 14, 2020. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.
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October 9, 2020
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iEducate to Help Teachers with Online Tools Houston: A Houston-based nonprofit mentorship program that matches underperforming second to fifth graders with college student tutors to provide them targeted support has adapted to the online schooling era, by introducing hybrid learning services in partnership with Texas Region 4 Education Service Center. iEducate engages student mentors from the nearby University of Houston education program and graduating Alief ISD high school students to work alongside teachers to ensure that every child has the academic support needed to achieve their full potential. “Before the pandemic closed schools, our vision was to have an in-person system mixing public institutions with our local community,” says Arun Gir, CEO of iEducate. “Mentors could provide their math, science, and literacy skills to prove targeted support to students, encouraging teachers to differentiate learning by identifying groups that could benefit the most from our help.” Gir says the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent school closings have forced iEducate to adapt, just like many other teachers and educators. For the first time, they are offering a needs assessment to any school that is interested in working with them. “We are building on our unique range of educational support services that we have provided over the past to help schools advance student learning in these uncertain times,” says Gir. With their recently announced partnership with the Texas Region 4 Education Service Center, they
will be able to train mentors on instructional tools and strategies to support any type of instruction including in-person, remote, and hybrid instruction. “We are excited to collaborate with iEducate,” says Pam Wells, executive director of Region 4 Education Service Center. “Their transformational work confirms the value that iEducate brings along with their ability to adapt and respond to our evolving educational needs.” The nonprofit, which was founded in 2013, started off as a hobby with Gir and volunteers working directly with individual schools, but after a few years, he left his job to work on building iEducate. “Our focus is definitely on closing that achievement gap,” says Gir. “One of our biggest issues is the literacy gap because that’s a precursor to any type of student achievement beyond the early years. Personalized instruction focused on getting the portion of the class that is behind has led to growth for the students.”
This summer, they conducted a needs assessment and revamped their mentorship program for a virtual classroom’s needs, including calling out for more mentors. More than 600 applicants answered the call, ready to support over 7,000 students during the 2020-2021 school year. “There was an overwhelming need for new types of assistance,” says Gir. “From helping parents learn how to use online digital learning platforms to one-on-one tutoring and group tutoring sessions in the evening for students and parents, our mentors are willing and able and they have risen to the challenge.” To learn more about working with iEducate, email contact@iEducateUSA.org. “We are navigating unexplored waters,” says Gir. “We thought about opening up any school in the Houston area because we know that COVID-19 response measures are very decentralized which means we have to go directly to the source.” -- Innovation Map
India’s New Paper Covid-19 Test: A ‘Game Changer’
Last Week’s SUDOKU Winners Kirit Suthar
New Delhi: A team of scientists in India has developed an inexpensive paper-based test for coronavirus that could give fast results similar to a pregnancy test. The BBC’s Soutik Biswas and Krutika Pathi unpack how it works. The test, named after a famous Indian fictional detective, is based on a gene-editing technology called Crispr. Scientists estimate that the kit - called Feluda - would return results in under an hour and cost 500 rupees (about $6.75; £5.25). Feluda will be made by a leading Indian conglomerate, Tata, and could be the world’s first paperbased Covid-19 test available in the market. “This is a simple, precise, reliable, scalable and frugal test,” Professor K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific adviser to the Indian government, told the BBC. Researchers at the Delhi-based CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), where Feluda was developed, as well as private labs, tried out the test on samples from about 2,000 patients, including ones who had already tested positive for the coro-
navirus. They found that the new test had 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity. The accuracy of a test is based on these two proportions. A test that’s highly sensitive will detect almost everyone who has the disease; and a test that has high-specificity will correctly rule out who doesn’t have the disease. The first ensures not too many false negative results; and the second not too many false positives. India’s drug regulator has cleared the test for commercial use. With more than six million confirmed infections, India has the world’s second-highest Covid-19 caseload. More than 100,000 people in the country have died of the disease so far. After a slow start, India is now testing a million samples a day in more than 1,200 laboratories across the country. It is using two tests. The first is the timetested, gold standard polymerase chain reaction, or PCR swab tests, which uses chemicals to amplify the virus’s genetic material in the laboratory. The second is the speedy antigen test, which works by detecting virus fragments in a
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sample. The PCR test is generally reliable and costs up to 2,400 rupees. It has low false positive and low false negative rates. The antigen tests are cheaper. They are more precise in detecting positive infections, but generate more false negatives than the PCR test. Scaling up testing in India hasn’t meant easy availability yet, according to Dr Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health and health policy. “There are still long wait times and unavailability of kits. And we are doing a lot of rapid antigen testing which have problems with false negatives,” Dr Bhan said. He believes the Feluda test could potentially replace the antigen tests because it could be comparatively cheaper and more accurate. “The new test has the reliability of the PCR test, is quicker and can be done in smaller laboratories which don’t have sophisticated machines,” Dr Anurag Agarwal, director of IGIB, told the BBC. Sample collection for the Feluda test will be similar to the PCR test - a nasal swab inserted a few inches into the nose nasal passage. -- BBC
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