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1 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Friday, August 06 2010 | Vol. 29, No. 32 $1

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Vol. 29, No. 32

American

this week Inside

A Year of Milestones, Celebrations, for Kohinoor Diamonds

continued on page 4

VPss 25-year celebration of life, spirituality

Kids R Kids North Sugar Land Wins iSmart School Award

Story on Pg 6

JVB Preksha Conducts Meditation Workshop

Story on Pg 4

The most popular and critically acclaimed music directors of Bol-lywood comes to Houston on August 6, 8:30pm at Berry Center along with Pakistani singer Shafaqat Amanat Ali, Richa Sharma, Mahalaxmi Iyer and others to perform in one of the most entertaining concerts of the year.

Shankar Ehsan Loy to Perform in Houston

Friday, August 6

Maestro A R Rahman will visit Houston and Dallas this weekend to meet with media and principle sponsors and tweak their enthu-siasm and energy for his resched-uled Jai Ho Concert

Sadhvi Ritambhara Devi on USA - Canada Tour

Story on Pg 12

This new Indian coin has been approved by the Indian government as a new symbol for Indian Rupee and this is the newest look of Rs. 10 coin.The Indian rupee symbol is a mix of the Devanagri ‘’Ra’’ and Ro-man ‘’R’’, and becomes the fifth currency in the world to have such a distinct identity. This new Indian rupee symbol is designed by IIT post-

graduate D Uday Kumar and has been approved by the Union Cabinet.The new Indian rupee will now join the elite club of US dollar, British pound-sterling, Euro and Japanese Yen to have its own symbol.

First look at the new 10 rupee Indian coin

Independence Day Flag Hoisting on August 15

Details on Pg 11

From left: Sarla Patel;President of VPSS, Goswami Vrajraj Kumar, Indira Betiji, Dhrumilbava, Nikunjlatabetiji

Story on Pg 3

HOUSTON: Culminating a nine-day long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Vallabh Priti Seva Sam-aj, a Chappan Bhog was per-formed on Saturday, July 31 at the temple premises on the city’s southwest. The events, which actually started on Friday, July 23 also com-memorated the fifth year of the Texas Nathdwara, the new temple, and also hon-ored eleven Hindu activists.

The celebrations were blessed by the four VPSS acharyas who came to Hous-ton — Param Pujya Shri Indira Betijee Mahodaya, Param Pujya Shri Nikunjlata Betijee Mahodaya, Param Pujya Shri Drumilkumar Mahodayshri and Param Pu-jya Shri Vrajrajkumar Ma-hodayshri.

The entire temple was deco-rated festively with garlands, edge lighting, paintings and flags. A 90-minute long proces-sion with hundreds of devotees joined the Shobha Yatra with the four Acharyas riding in horse car-riages. The climax came when a helicopter hovered overheads and

showered rose petals and roses on the dignitaries and their disciples. The procession ended in front of the temple and the Acharyas were escorted in where they proclaimed the beginning of Chhappan Bhog celebration by lighting ceremonial

lamps while a Haveli Sangeet was played.

The next day, the VPSS conduct-ed its first ever Health Fair where medical professionals belonging to the temple and other supporters provided valuable checkups to the

community and about 450 people attended.

Every evening from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, the Vallabh Hall was full of vaishnavs and others who watched cultural programs based on Lord Krishna and Pusti Marg performed by the young-sters of VPSS. Theswere followed by discourses by the Acharyas. The young and talented Acha-rya PP Shri 108 Goswa-mi Vrajraj Kumar, stood out as he captivated the audience.

The event on Friday, July 30, hailed the work of the Hindu leaders en-dorsed by VPSS which pledged to work with other Hindus across the U.S. to strengthen Hindu unity and harmony with the mainstream. Nearly 700 people attended the

program that was emceed by Phal-guni Kikani and Rasesh Dalal and included a darshan and dinner.

Suresh Patel, one of the founder-

American READ US ONLINE atwww.indoamerican-news.comPublished weekly from Houston, TX

AR RAHMANIN HOUSTON

‘outstanding young Houstonian’HOUSTON: Since 1932 the

Houston Junior Chamber (Houston Jaycees) and the Houston Junior Chamber Foundation have recog-nized the outstanding young men and women of Houston for their accomplishments and contributions to the Houston community. For the year 2010, Sanjay Ramabhadran will be honored as one of Five Outstanding Young Houstonians. Houstonians who have received this recognition include President George H.W. Bush (Senior), How-ard Hughes, and Dr. Denton Cooley.

Sanjay Ramabhadran (Ram), PE serves as Vice President at CP&Y, a Texas based infrastructure and environmental consulting firm. tions he serves in the community.

Sanjay has played a key role in promoting the political awareness and participation of the Indo-Amer-ican community. He has a Mas-ter’s degree in Civil (Environmen-tal) Engineering from Texas A&M

University and an undergraduate degree from BITS-Pilani, India.

He is now involved in “Re-new Houston” an organization dedicated to providing a fund-ing source for world class in-frastructure to promote Hous-ton as a business destination.

Sanjay is married to Vidya and the couple has two sons, Vedanth and Saarang.

Sanjay Ramabhadran

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 06 , 2010 • Ay, August 06 , 2010 • A onlonlo Ine Ine I edItItI ItIt on: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com

2 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, Ay, A August 06 , 2010 • onlonlo Ine Ine I edItItI ItIt on: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com


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By Ky Ky alyani Kalyani K GiriHOUSTON: The luster cast by

the opulent chandeliers at the Sug-ar Land Marriott at Town Square were evocative of the magical gems vying for covetous attention at the Kohinoor Diamonds’ Hill-croft showroom. Also favoring the jeweled tones of the evening were the platinum-hued overlays on the tables that found echo in the silvery fabric swathing the chairs, while bowls of roses and softly glowing candles reposing on beds of sea glass made for tasteful centerpiec-es. The elegant ballroom was a re-gal venue for a dual celebration in a landmark year; the 5th anniver-sary of Kohinoor Diamonds, and more significantly, the 25th wed-ding anniversary of Kohinoor’s proud founders/owners, Neelofer and Altaf Ali. Hardly coinciden-tal, as the Kohinoor showroom was Altaf Ali’s gift to his wife Neelofer a short five years ago. It was undoubtedly a leap of faith and an unwavering confidence in her abilities that has seen the store endure beyond a rugged economy to have fast become a household name and the diamond destination for aficionados of precious stones and high-end jewelry.

The celebratory event, skillfully planned and executed by the cou-ple’s daughters Sophia and Aleya, drew about 150 of the Ali fam-ily’s close friends and family who gathered to help commemorate the milestone occasion.

“I owe a debt of gratitude to our loyal patrons and friends who have helped make Kohinoor so successful. I feel such immense pride in our showroom,” confided Neelofer. “More than anything,

I want to thank Altaf for being the most supportive and wonder-ful husband in the world! I have reigned like a queen for the past 25 years of our marriage and our love grows stronger every year. I’m the luckiest woman! And a very proud mother,” she added emotionally.

Kohinoor Diamonds, spanning 5000 sq. feet, is home to the works of some of the most imaginative jewelry designers of international repute; sharing glass-banked cases are the creations of Luca Carati, exclusive pieces from the Breanna Collection, the Diana Classics, Triton, Claude Thibaudeau, Fendi, and Hollywood’s LeVian, to name a few. For the discerning shopper, the store’s staff has a collective in-depth knowledge culled over forty years, and is intuitive to a custom-er’s individual taste. With clarity, cut, color, and carat at its optimum at Kohinoor (meaning Mountain of Light), the store has a wide range of classic and contemporary, tradi-

A year of milestones, celebrations, for Kohinoor diamondsThe Mountain of Light gleams brighter than ever in Little India

tional and playful styles, to please all ages and jewelry palates. The showroom carries confections fashioned of white, yellow, and rose colored gold. The Diana collection of exclusive bridal en-gagement and wedding rings are

timeless pieces of wearable art, coveted and popular among those planning on tying the knot. All the rage presently and making for energetic conversation pieces at parties citywide are the Polki diamonds, which are crafted into natural settings with an antique burnish and selling avidly to the fashion-conscious. From custom made pieces, to pendants, neck-lace sets, earrings, bracelets, de-signer watches, the store truly has something for everyone.

As a live band played popular songs, guests were treated to a slide presentation showing the evolution of the Ali family over the past 25 years. The courtship

parents and invited them to cut the anniversary cake.

“I remember that I helped when you started Kohinoor five years ago and it is amazing to see how much it’s grown. I know that it will continue to prosper. You are terrific parents and I wish you many more years of joy together,” said Sophia. Her sister Aleya was equally complimentary.

“I am so proud of your success with Kohinoor – you’ve put in such wonderful effort. Many good wishes for the future, and happy anniversary,” Aleya added.

Urmila and Bharat Shah were at Kohinoor Diamonds from its in-ception and are more than valued employees. Rather, the Ali family has embraced them as their very own.

“Neelofer, Altaf, and the girls treat me like a mother. The respect they give me - that in my life is a great gift,” said 71 yr. old Urmila Shah,who is universally and affec-tionately known as Baa. “Today I bless them as my own son and daughter and wish them many, many years of happy married life,” she added, as she proudly mingled with guests at the party at the Marriott. She gifted gather-

Altaf and Neelofer Ali (Center) with their two daughters Sophia (left) and Aleya Ali

days, Neelofer as a young mother, birthday parties and family holi-days, bore testimony to the fam-ily’s happiness and connectedness. Serving as an articulate Mistress of Ceremonies for the event, 20 yr. old Sophia Ali congratulated her

Customers at Kohinoor Diamonds with Neelofer Ali and Urmila Shah (Baa)

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 06 , 2010 • onlIne edItIon: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com


Writers are requested to limit their words to 500 The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Tuesday of each week. For more information, Call 713-789-6397 or email us at: [email protected]

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JVB Preksha conducts meditation workshopHOUSTON: JVB Preksha Med-

itation Center, Houston conducted a two day Preksha Meditation workshop on July, 31 & August 1 at the Preksha Dhyan Meditation Hall at its facilities on Schiller Rd. The workshop was attended by about 25 people.

Pranayam sessions. Dr. Ajay Jain was at hand for a

talk wherein he discussed the func-tions of the various body organs, and common ailments of each of the organs. He also answered par-ticipant questions regarding gen-eral health and fitness.

ment of one’s personality. Started in 1970, Preksha Meditation is the result of the untiring efforts of Ganadhipati Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya. Preksha Meditation is for everyone, irrespective of his or her race, religion, language, color, gender and belief.

Meditation Workshop attendees at the JVB Preksha Meditation Center

Samaniji’s Akshay Pragya Ji & Vinay Pragya Ji conducted the workshop which included lectures by Samaniji’s & Mahendra muni ji on Preksha Meditation techniques. Some of the topics covered in the talks were – ‘Internal Trip through your Body’, ‘Perception of your Body’, ‘How to start the inner jour-ney & ‘Know your Inner World’. All the lectures were followed by meditation sessions that were de-signed to be practical applications of each of the lecture contents. Workshops were conducted from 9am – 4pm with participants un-der a pledge of complete silence, had multiple breaks and included lunch and snacks. Sessions on both days began with morning Yoga &

Participants enjoyed the pro-gram content & arrangements, and especially appreciated Samanijis in-depth knowledge of the top-ics covered, and most pledged to become regular practitioners of Preksha Meditation, resolving to come back for future sessions.

Preksha Medi-tation is the prac-tice of purifying our emotions, consciousness and realizing our own self. Media-tion augurs atti-tudinal change, behavioral modi-fication and inte-grated develop-

JVB Preksha Meditation Center is home to a specially designed Preksha Dhyan ‘Pyramid’ Medi-tation Hall and is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082.

For more information visit www.JVBHouston.org or call 281.596.9642.

Indian export delegation traveling to Houston seeking Business opportunities

HOUSTON: A delegation of companies belonging to one of the oldest and most prominent business organizations in India is traveling to Houston, seeking op-portunities to expand their product lines and form strategic partner-ships with U.S. companies.

The 11 firms – members of the Chemical and Allied Export Pro-motion Council of India (www.capexil.com) represent compa-nies that export wood, plywood and related products. The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) is sponsoring the visit by the delega-tion.

The goal of the delegation is to seek business opportunities in the U.S. market for the delegates, ex-port products, promote bilateral trade between the U.S. and India, form joint ventures, appoint sell-ing agents and establish branch of-fices in the U.S.

Representatives will present in-formation about their companies at an event scheduled for Monday, August 30, from 8:30-10am, at the Westin Galleria’s Royal Suite, 5060 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056. Admission to the program is free for members of the IACCGH, Greater Houston Part-nership, area chambers of com-merce and economic development agencies. RSVP’s are required by August 25 and may be made by

emailing at mailto:[email protected] or [email protected]. A short profile of the company is required at the time of registration.

Opportunities to network one-on-one with the delegation will be held from 10am-1pm. Advance registration for this individual net-working event is required and may be made by visiting www.roivi-sion.com/CAPEXIL/houston/in-dex.html. The deadline to RSVP for the one-on-one event is also August 25.

“We are pleased to host members of CAPEXIL in Houston,” said Jagdip Ahluwalia, IACCGH ex-ecutive director. “We believe there are unlimited opportunities to de-velop long-lasting mutual business relationships between companies in the two countries.”

“The CAPEXIL Trade Mission to Houston is focused on build-ing new business ties between our Indian exporters and potential partners and importers in the U.S. market,” noted B.H. Patel, chair-man of CAPEXIL and leader of the U.S. trade mission. “Our del-egation looks forward to meeting many members of the Houston business community to pursue topics of mutual benefit.”

For more information about the event, call IACCGH at 713-624-7131 or visit the website at www.iaccgh.com.


5 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com s o c i e t y

continued from page 1

A celebration, 25 years in the making, of life and spiritualitymembers of VPSS and a trustee of Texas Nathdwara, welcomed the honorees and praised their untiring efforts in inculcating Hindu values in our children, spreading aware-ness and educating the mainstream community about Hindu philoso-phy and religion, taking up Hindu causes and fighting discrimination and bias. He stressed the fact that VPSS devotees were Hindus first and Pushti Margiya second.

“Their presence among us is more relevant because each one of them believes and advocates that we are Hindus first and then Pushti Margiya Vaishnavs.” He said. “Those who were here yes-terday heard Pujya Indira Betijee loud and clear - that different paths of worship that we follow are like branches of a tree and that tree is Hinduism. We may follow the teachings of any of our recognized Jagadgurus and accept any one of their theories regarding relation between God and us, we are al-ways conscious of the fact that the foundation of our personal beliefs are world renowned scriptures such as the Vedas, the Upnishads, the Gita and Shrimad Bhagwat. In the end these scriptures are the ba-sis for Hindu Unity at home and

From left: Vijay Pallod (Hindus of Greater Houston), Ramesh Shah (Ekal Vidyalaya), Neelkanth Patel (BAPS), Swatantra Jain (Preksha Meditation Center), Goswami Vrajraj Kumar, Beth Kulkarni ( Hindu Temple of Woodlands), Padmakanth Khambati (Sanatan Hindu Center & Voice of Hinduism Radio Program) , Shyam Sunder Das (Hare Krishna Dham) and Dr. G.S. Gopalkrishna (MTS) were honored as Best Hindu Leaders in Houston. Not in the picture: Darshanaben Nanavati (Chinmaya Mission) Photo: Krishna Giri

around the world.”Patel said the idea of recognizing

Hindu activists was wholeheart-edly supported by the commit-tee that worked out the details of the Chhappan Bhog celebrations. “When our ambassador and trustee of VPSS Rasesh Dalal presented the idea to our Board of Trustees,

it was unanimously approved. Our Vallabh Kul Acharyas also encouraged and blessed the idea,” he said.

“The second purpose is to re-emphasize the need for Hindu Unity,” Patel said. “We need to support organizations like the Hindu American Foundation that

represents all Hindus and tries to educate American legislators, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad which spreads Hindu values and strives to preserve Hindu heritage. As a matter of fact we all should pledge to contribute 1% of our annual tak-ings to a common fund to support such organizations. We also need

to stop criticizing construction of Hindu temples. If we did not have this temple, we would not be meet-ing here or conducting our reli-gious, educational, cultural, social and charitable activities or provid-ing knowledge of Hinduism to the future of tomorrow, our children.”

This was followed by the in-troduction of the Hindu leaders who were honored: Darshanaben and Gaurang Nanavati acharya of Chinmaya Mission Houston; Padmakant Khambati of Sanatan Hindu Center and Voice of Hindu-ism radio program; Ramesh Shah of Ekal Vidyalaya; Vijay Pallod of Hindus of Greater Houston; Swa-tantra Jain of Preksha Meditation Center; Shyam Sundar Das of Hare Krishna Dham; Beth Kulkarni of the Hindu Temple of the Wood-lands; Neelkanth Patel of BAPS; G.S. Gopalkrishna of Sri Meenak-shi Temple and Acharya Dr. Prem Chand Shridhar of Arya Samaj of Greater Houston. Each received a shawl and a gift bag from the acha-ryas on stage.

Gaurang Nanavati said that in-stead of worrying about the future of Hindus in America or whether our children will remain in the

continued on page 6


6 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 s o c i e t y

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Kids r Kids r Kids r north sugar sugar s land wins wins wisisi mart smart s school Awardschool Awards

AUSTIN: On July 30, Kids R Kids North Sugarland located on Hwy 6 and West Air-port received the first national iSmart School Award in Austin by Assistant to the President of Kids R Kids International Glen Sloan for utilizing technology tools to enhance student learning. Kids R Kids North Sugar Land is

the first Kids R Kids school to receive the iSmart School Award for incorporating the TeachSmart® Learning System as part of their student curriculum and the only pri-vate pre-school in Fort Bend that uses the TeachSmart tools for ages 3- 5 year olds.

Technology is now an integral part of life and Kids R Kids Sugar Land owners Lon-nie and Sue Hutson fully understand this.

Sue said that when Lonnie encountered the 60 inch wide smart screen, “He was like a kid in a candy store.” The screen responds to almost any touch, ranging from hands to tennis balls and uses real pictures in its over 1100 enriching learning activities. The board’s activities cover areas of study like

literacy, math, sci-ence and social stud-ies and have three levels in each activ-ity, allowing students to be continuously challenged in their learning experience. “I love playing on the Smart Board,” says Kalel Patel a kinder-gartener at Kids R Kids.

The new Smart Board based learning will be coordinated by Mr. Hughe, who has a Master’s Degree in Education. “The kids are very intuitive with the Smart Board,” he said proudly. Ms.

Thibodeaux, one of the kindergarten teach-ers says, “It’s an incredibly valuable re-source for creating engaging learning expe-riences.” Kids R Kids North Sugar Land is the only Kids R Kids in Houston to have the TeachSmart® technology.

For more information, visit them at 11118 S. Highway 6, (West Airport) Sugar Land, TX, 77498 or call 281-575-0011.

Owner Lonnie Hutson and Glen Sloan, Kids R Kids Interna-tional, Inc. Assistant to the President

VPss 25-year year y celebrationHindu fold or not, we must just do our duty today. “Teach our children about Hinduism, our culture, our scriptures and our values. The future will take care of itself”, he said. In this regard, he congratulated VPSS on starting Vallabh Vidya Mandir where chil-dren learn the tenets of Hinduism.

Vijay Pallod is one of the earliest volun-teers with the Hindus of Greater Houston in which he is still active. He also offers his services, especially in media relations, to many Hindu temples and organizations and yoga groups in the Greater Houston area and nationally. Pallod, who spoke in Hindi and English, said, “I am especially glad to be here today because Sri Nathji is my fam-ily deity (ishta devata). I will continue to volunteer for VPSS and the Hindu commu-nity with the blessings of the elders. I will continue to serve through my tan, man dhan (body, mind and money).”

Beth Kulkarni praised the proposed se-niors housing complex initiated by VPSS. “By recognizing me and my fellow honorees tonight, you are encouraging others to be-come more involved in community service; if your actions and ours encourage others to perform more service, we are pleased,” she said. Dr G. S. Gopalakrishna said, “My involvement in Hindu temple’s in America began when my eldest daughter told me that ‘everyone goes to church on Sunday.’ She made me realize the importance of temples as centers of tradition and culture and that doing pujas alone at home did not provide this sense of community.”

The VPSS is located at 11715 Bellfort Village Dr, Houston, TX 77031; www.vpsshaveli.org



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Asha for education at chevron Houston marathon 2010-2011

HOUSTON: Do you agree that EDUCA-TION forms one of the important founda-tions in every human beings life? That ED-UCATION brings good job prospects to an individual? Do you know that nearly 20% of children in India 6-14 years old have no access to primary education?

One of the main reasons for wide-spread illiteracy in India is poverty. When a fam-ily doesn’t have enough money for food or shelter, it is tough to imagine that they will have the luxury to send their children to school. However, without educa-tion there is little chance that their circumstances will become bet-ter.

Asha for Edu-cation is working towards break-ing this circle by providing under-privileged chil-dren access to basic education. Asha’s growing presence and ef-forts, which are primarily supported by do-nations and fundraisers, is benefitting sev-eral hundreds of children all over India but the goal is to reach many thousands more and support projects in every district of In-dia.

For the second consecutive year, Asha for Education has been selected as an of-ficial charity for the 2010-2011 “Run for a Reason” Chevron Houston Marathon. Last year, through the efforts of 40 Asha runners, numerous sponsors and volunteers, $20,000 were raised to fund educational projects supported by Asha Houston.

To help children get their needed educa-tion, you can Train, Run and Educate with Asha Houston. Running for Team Asha, the marathon training program of Asha, is a fun experience. You will make new friends in the Houston area, get in excellent shape, and help make a difference in lives of un-derprivileged children in India!

Currently, projects supported by Asha Houston include: SACSAS (Save Children, Save Society) in Manipur, SUKRUPA in Bangalore, BUILD in Chennai and Project-NELSON in Cuddalore. Project SACSAS has been instrumental in providing early education to the children living in remote areas of Bishnupur district in Manipur.

By involving the villagers in building of schools, and recruiting qualified locals as

teachers, SACSAS has ensured that about 300 children from the low income families of this district are going to school, enjoy-ing their time there and getting an educa-tion. SUKRUPA is focused on providing children from the slums in Bangalore a complete value education. BUILD ensures that the children working in brick kilns in Chennai have the opportunity of continu-ing their education and Project NELSON provides non conventional ICT based edu-

cational access as bridge course for higher education to rural children in the Cuddalore area. All Asha projects are driven by the ini-tiatives and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers and have zero overheads making it possible to channel funds directly to the projects.

If running a marathon, half-marathon or 5K is something you or someone you know are considering, then run as part of Team Asha. The registration for the Chevron Houston Marathon began July 27 and the Marathon will be run on Sunday, January 30, 2011.

In addition, the Sidewalk squad organized by the Marathon is an excellent opportunity for businesses/companies to get involved with ASHA as an official charity. The Side-walk Squad program allows companies to donate $5000, $7500, or $10,000 to an official charity in return for their visibility at the marathon. Since the marathon is ex-pected to have over 200,000 live spectators and 1,000,000 television viewers, it is not only a good opportunity for publicity, but contributions are also tax deductible.

For more information and to register for Chevron Houston Marathon with Asha Houston, visit www.ashanet.org/houston/events/marathon or email [email protected].

Asha volunteers cheering and encouraging runners in the 2010 Chevron Houston Marathon.



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stoRy of MahatMa Gandhi

Gandhi Jayanti 2010 Celebration as 1000 Lights for Peace

5 pm: Sunday, October 3, 2010,at Miller Outdoor Theatre

To register for “Walk For Peace” at Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, visit www.gandhilibrary.org.

gandhi Invites untouchable Family to Ashramuntouchable Family to AshramuGandhi went to Rajkot and Por-Gandhi went to Rajkot and Por-Gandhi went to Rajkot and Por

bandar to meet his relatives and then went on to Shantiniketan. There Gandhi met poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore for the first time, as well as C. F. Andrews.

Andrews, who came to India as an Anglican priest in 1904, was one of the very few people respect-one of the very few people respect-one of the very few people respected both within Indian nationalist circles and official British ones. A close friend of Gandhi, Tagore and other eminent Indians of the time, Andrews never ceased to cham-pion the Indian cause for indepen-dence and, in a broader sense, the cause of all downtrodden peoples against oppression. Now read on.

During his short stay at Santini-ketan Gandhi heard the sad news that Gokhale had passed away. He immediately left for Poona, C. F. Andrews accompanying him as far as Burdwan.

“Do you think,” Andrews asked Gandhi, “that a time will come for satyagraha in India? If so, how soon will it be?”

“It is difficult to say,” replied Gandhi. “For one year I am to do nothing. Gokhale made me prom-ise that I would travel in India for one year to gain experience, and that I would express no opinion until I had finished this period of probation. So I do not think there will be any occasion for satyagra-ha for five years.”

After attending the shraddha ceremonies of Gokhale, Gandhi met the leaders of the Servants of India Society. Out of respect for Gokhale he would have joined the Society, but there was opposi-tion from a certain sections of the members.

Gandhi visited Rangoon, in Burma, for a short period and on his return he went to Hardwar during the time of the Kumbha Mela. About 1.7 million people at-tended the mela. Volunteer corps from different organizations had gone to Hardwar to be of service to the big crowds that were flow-ing in. Gandhi was invited to go there with the Phoenix party with the Phoenix party to help the vol-unteers. The Phoenix group went there and Gandhi joined them. Gandhi was pained at the many happenings and shortcomings at the great religious fair. There was corruption, there was cheating and many other unsocial activities. Scant care was taken about sani-tary arrangements.

All this made Gandhi, feel very sad. He thought a great deal about the problem of how to improve the Indian character.

In May 1915 an ashram was established in a village near Ahmedabad. The city was an an-cient centre of handloom weaving and Gandhi thought the place was suited for the revival of the cottage industry of hand-spinning. Gandhi named the new institution Satya-graha Ashram.

“Our creed is devotion to truth,

and our business is the search for and insistence on truth,” he said.

A simple uniform style of cloth-ing was worn by all who were there. They took their food togeth-er in a common kitchen and strove to live as one family. Gandhi told the members: “If you want to serve the people, it is essential to observe the vows of truth, ahimsa, celiba-cy, non-stealing, non-possession, and control of the palate.”

One day Gandhi said to members of the ashram, “I have received an applicaiton from an untouchable family who want to join us here. I am replyuing to them that they are welcome.”

This created quite a stir. An un-touchable family in our midst!! Even Kasturbai had her misgiv-ings. Gandhi’s mind was made up, however, and there could be no ob-jection from anyone in the ashram. But the patrons of the ashram did not like the idea and they stopped funding the ashram.

The ashram was suddenly faced with an acute financial crisis, but help came unexpectedly. A rich man came to the ashram and gave Gandhi Rs. 13,000 and urged him to continue running the ashram.

In February 1916, Gandhi was invited to speak at the laying of the foundation-stone of the Banaras Hindu University. The Viceroy and many of the most important people of India were there.

Gandhi, clad in a Kathiawadi long coat and a turban, rose to speak. The police arrangements, and also the pomp and luxury around him, hurt him deeply. Turning to the audience he said, “I want to think audibly and speak without reserve. His first words froze the audience. “It is a matter of deep humiliation and shame for us,” he said, “that I am compelled this evening under the shadow of this great college, in this sacred city, to address my countrymen

in a language that is foreign to me.” It was a bombshell. Nobody had ever dared to speak against the English language. The British officers, then friends, and the im-portant Indians who had gathered there were seething in anger.

But Gandhi went on, “His High-ness the Maharaja who presided yesterday over our deliberations spoke about the poverty of India. But what did we witness? A most gorgeous show, an exhibition of jewellery... There is no salvation for India unless you strip your-selves of this jewellery and hold it in trust for your countrymen in India.”

Gandhi gave a long speech, cov-ering many topics. His speech was full of outspoken criticism.

Mrs. Annie Besant, who was one of the organizers of the function, was horrified and urged Gandhi to sit down. But Gandhi went on. Some people went red with rage, but others listened to Gandhi with great interest.

“Here at last is a man telling the truth,” they thought. “He is the man to raise India from the mire.” They applauded him and shouted joyfully. Gandhi turned to them and said, “No amount of speeches will ever make us fit for self-gov-ernment. It is only our conduct that will make us deserve it.

Gandhi told them that they should all be the kind of people able to take up the work of self-able to take up the work of self-able to take up the work of selfgovernment.

Finally, Gandhi, the man who three times had supported the Brit-ish in their war efforts, said, “If I found it necessary for the salvation of India that the English should re-tire, that they should be driven out, I would not hesitate to declare that they would have to go, and I hope I would be prepared to die in de-fence of that belief.”

The people were amazed at Gan-dhi’s frankness. It was Gandhi’s first great political speech in In-dia.

Years later, Jawaharlal Nehru de-scribed what the coming of Gan-dhi meant to the Indian people. He said, “We seemed to be helpless in the grip of some allpowerful mon-ster; our limbs were paralysed, our minds deadened. What could we do? How could we pull India out of this quagmire of poverty and defeatism which sucked her in...

“And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air that made us stretch ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our eyes, like a whirlwind that upset many things, but most of all the working of people’s minds.’

Several conferences demanding home rule were held in India dur-ing the latter half of 1916. They marked a new wave of political life under the leadership of Tilak, Mrs. Besant, and Jinnah.

— To be Continued

“And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air that made us stretch ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam of light that pierced the dark-ness and removed the scales from our eyes, like a whirlwind that upset many things, but most of all the working of people’s minds.”

— Jawaharlal Nehru



We revamped our website to serve you better

indoamerican-news.com

life life l can Begin at 60, It is All in your Hands!your Hands!yBy S. y S. y ramachandranramachandranr

CHENNAI (Hindu): Many peo-ple feel unhappy, health-wise and security-wise, after 60 years of age owing to the diminishing im-portance given to them and their opinion. But it need not be so, if only we understand the basic prinonly we understand the basic prin-ciples of life and follow them scruciples of life and follow them scru-pulously. Here are ten mantras to pulously. Here are ten mantras to age gracefully and make life after age gracefully and make life after retirement pleasant.

1. Never say ‘I am aged’: 1. Never say ‘I am aged’: There are three ages, chronologThere are three ages, chronolog-ical, biological, and psychoical, biological, and psycho-logical. The first is calculated logical. The first is calculated based on our date of birth; based on our date of birth; the second is determined the second is determined by the health conditions by the health conditions and the third is how old and the third is how old you feel you are. While you feel you are. While we don’t have control we don’t have control over the first, we can over the first, we can take care of our health take care of our health with good diet, exercise with good diet, exercise and a cheerful attitude. and a cheerful attitude. A positive attitude and A positive attitude and optimistic thinking can optimistic thinking can reverse the third age.reverse the third age.

2. Health is wealth: 2. Health is wealth: If you re-ally love your kith and kin, taking ally love your kith and kin, taking care of your health should be your care of your health should be your priority. Thus, you will not be a priority. Thus, you will not be a burden to them. Have an annual health check-up and take the pre-scribed medicines regularly. Do take health insurance cover.

3. Money is important: Money is essential for meeting the basic necessities of life, keeping good health and earning family respect and security. Don’t spend beyond your means even for your chil-dren. You have lived for them

all through and it is time you en-joyed a harmonious life with your spouse. If your children are grate-ful and they take care of you, you are blessed. But never take it for granted.

4. Relaxation and recreation: The most relaxing and recreatThe most relaxing and recreat-ing forces are a healthy religious attitude, good

sleep, music and

l a u g h t e r. l a u g h t e r. Have faith in God, learn to sleep well, love good music and see the funny side of life.

5. Time is precious: It is almost like holding a horse’s reins. When they are in your hands, you can control them. Imagine that every-day you are born again. Yesterday is a cancelled cheque. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is ready cash, use it profitably. Live

this moment.6. Change is the only perma-

nent thing: We should accept change — it is inevitable. The only way to make sense out of change is to join the dance. Change has brought about many pleasant things. We should be happy that things. We should be happy that our children are blessed.our children are blessed.

7. Enlightened selfishness:7. Enlightened selfishness: All of us are basically selfish. Whatof us are basically selfish. What-ever we do, we expect something ever we do, we expect something in return. We should definitely be in return. We should definitely be grateful to those who stood by us. grateful to those who stood by us. But our focus should be on the inBut our focus should be on the in-ternal satisfaction and happiness ternal satisfaction and happiness we derive by doing good to othwe derive by doing good to oth-ers, without expecting anything in ers, without expecting anything in return.return.

8. Forget and forgive:8. Forget and forgive: Don’t be bothered too much about othbe bothered too much about oth-ers’ mistakes. We are not spiritual ers’ mistakes. We are not spiritual enough to show our other cheek enough to show our other cheek when we are slapped in one. But when we are slapped in one. But for the sake of our own health and for the sake of our own health and happiness, let us forgive and forhappiness, let us forgive and for-get them. Otherwise, we will be get them. Otherwise, we will be only increasing our BP.only increasing our BP.

9. Everything has a purpose: 9. Everything has a purpose: Take life as it comes. Accept Take life as it comes. Accept yourself as you are and also yourself as you are and also accept others for what they accept others for what they

are. Everybody is unique and are. Everybody is unique and right in his own way.

10. Overcome the fear of death: We all know that one day we have to leave this world. Still we are afraid of death. We think that our spouse and children will be unable to withstand our loss. But the truth is no one is going to die for you; they may be depressed for some time. Time heals everything and they will carry on.

cry America to Host cry America to Host cry multiple multiple m events in Houstonevents in HoustoneHOUSTON: CRY (Child Rights

& You) is an organization that was formed in order to provide every child in India their fundamental and human rights to education and a better life.

We at CRY America – Houston Action Cen-ter are looking forward to continuing our mis-sion to empower chil-dren, through a series of events this summer and fall.

The first event is a DJ event, “Groove,” with DJ Samia, the first South Asian female DJ in Houston has been organized by Dharam Bali. The intent of the event is to spread awareness about the organization, while enabling people to have fun and consider the opportunities of volunteering with CRY.

The DJ event is set to take place Saturday, August 14th at Avant Garden at 411 Westheimer (Mid-Town area), from 8:30pm-1:30am. There is a cover charge of $10 which will go to benefit the CRY cause.

Our second event is the CRY Walkathon on October 16 where

people can come out to walk, run and show their support for millions of impoverished children. Aashish Malhotra and Swati Sachdev are coordinating the walkathon and invite like minded people to come

forward and help with the effort. We really thrive off of our volun-teers and appreciate the support of our many members of the commu-nity and the media. We hope to see you all there for our events!

Please continue to support CRY America and please stand up for what is right and stand up for child rights. Come by and join us on for both the events. We look forward to seeing you there!

There is so much more still to

be done. To ensure all children receive their basic rights to an education, health care, protection from exploitation and abuse and the freedom to follow their dreams, we seek your partnership.

Possible partnership op-tions:

1. Permit CRY America to appeal to the members of your association

2. Promote CRY Ameri-ca during events organized by your association. CRY America literature could be on display and handed out to all visitors / par-ticipants in the events and/or you could allow us to make a short presentation on our organization during the event.

3. Organize, with CRY Amer-ica, a co-branded event to spread awareness and raise funds for un-derprivileged children.

4. Adopt a CRY America project in India or in the USA.

For more details, visit www.cry-america.org . To volunteer, email at [email protected] or [email protected] us on Facebook: CRY America – Houston Action Center.


10 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 i n d i a

DOYEN OF MALAYALAM JOURNALISM:

DOYEN OF MALAYALAM JOURNALISM:Malayala Manorama chief editor K.M. Mathew’s body

Malayala Manorama chief editor K.M. Mathew’s body

being taken out by relatives from the newspaper’s

office in Kottayam

FREEDOM TAKES WINGS: A thread-maker prepares coloured threads for flying kites in Jammu. The demand for threads rises in August as people prepare to celebrate India’s Independence Day

OF WHAT’S LEFT: India’s neighbor, Pakistan People carry their belongings after heavy floods destroyed their homes in Nowshera

Sachin Tendulkar pratices bowling during the first day Sachin Tendulkar pratices bowling during the first day of the third and final Test match between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. Tendulkar became the most-capped Test cricketer, after taking field for his 169th match

Commuters walk on the Howrah Bridge as ‘Chakka Jam’ protest against price hike against price hike called by the Demo-cratic Youth Federa-tion of India (DYFI) led to disruption in the public transport system in Kolkata

INDIA IN PICS



SYDNEY: The sometimes-strained relationship between Aus-tralia and India will take a positive turn this week-end in south-west Victoria, with internation-al focus on the repatriation of a former hawker’s ashes.Sixty-three years after im-migrant Pooran Singh died in Warrnambool a team of Indian community rep-resentatives led by cricketing great Kapil Dev will retrieve the ashes to be taken to the River Gan-ges. In the throng is Singh’s great-nephew Harmel Uppal, who arrived in the south-west yesterday overawed by the significance of the weekend. His interview yesterday with The Standard was a taste of the media frenzy that will follow him as he accompanies his now-famous rel-ative’s ashes.

“It’s hard to explain the emo-tions,” Uppal said.

“It’s fantastic being here so sig-nificant to our family. I think this will be the start of many visits by

Indian people here.”Uppal is a 47-year-old father

of two who works in the clothing industry in the UK, a far cry from the rural village of Uppal Bhopa in India where his father and Pooran were raised. “I first heard about him when I was about five or six and remember being told he moved to Australia when he was young,”

Ashes of early Aussie Immigrant to return with Kapil dev’s Help

Uppal said.“A few months ago family mem-

bers told us there was a lot of me-dia interest in the vil-lage and we later learnt about the story of great uncle and his ashes.

“It was because of his savings he sent to India the rest of his family’s poverty was lifted.”

Tomorrow Mr Uppal will accompany Kapil Dev to the Warrnam-bool cemetery with a Sikh priest for a ceremony to retrieve Pooran’s ashes.

They will fly out of Australia on Monday to visit the village and then on to the Sikh holy place of Haridwar to cast the ashes onto the Ganges, fulfilling Pooran’s will.

“Preparations at the village have already started. It will be an important occasion,” Uppal said. Yesterday’s introduc-tion to the hawker’s adopted home district brought Uppal in touch with local historian Avis Quarrell, who showed him a shell necklace Pooran gave to her mother when she was 17. “Pooran was a fantastic man who was friends with many,” she said. Uppal also inspected the

hawker’s horse-drawn wagon, which was do-nated to Flag-staff Hill by the Moore family.

Avis Quarrell displays a necklace, given to her mother by Indian hawker Pooran Singh, to Pooran’s great-nephew Harmel Uppal.

independence day flag hoisting HOUSTON: The Flag Hoisting ceremony on India’s 64th Indepen-

dence Day will be held on Sunday, 15 August at 10 am at the Con-sul General’s Residence (5634 Briar Drive, Houston, Tx – 77056). Consul General Sanjiv Arora will read President of India’s message on this occasion. Refreshments will be served.

Indian nationals and friends of India are cordially invited to the function. Participants are requested to assemble at Consul General’s Residence by 9:45 AM. Kindly bring a photo ID.

ranji nagaswami: new york’s First ever chief Investment Adviser

WASHINGTON (TOI): Con-cerned over New York’s spiral-ling pension costs, Mayor Mi-chael Bloomberg has tapped Ranji Nagaswami, an Indian American finance expert, as the city’s first ever chief invest-ment adviser.

N a g a s w a m i will be the “full-time, central advisor to the Mayor’s trustees on the five New York City re-tirement system boards and the New York City Deferred Com-pensation Plan Board”, the may-or’s office said on Monday. “We are extremely fortu-nate to have someone of Ranji’s deep experience, talent and record of success in managing major in-vestments across assets classes agree to be our Chief Investment Advisor,” said Bloomberg.

“The cost to City taxpayers of the pension systems is growing at an astronomical rate, from $1.1 billion in 2001 to an expected $7.6 billion this year, which is more than 10 percent of the entire city budget,” he added.

“We will continue to pursue the reforms desperately needed in Al-bany to reduce the unmanageable costs of pension benefits, while at the same time working to ensure we are getting best possible re-turns on pension fund investments

and looking at every option.”India-born Nagaswami came to

the US in 1984 to attend business school at Yale University.

She most recently worked at Al-lianceBernstein, where she was

chief investment officer, overseeing $100 billion in as-sets and manage-ment. After 10 years at the company she left the job in Feb-ruary 2009.

Nagaswami lives in Greenwich, Con-necticut, so the administration se-cured a waiver that will enable her to work for the city.

Bloomberg has repeatedly pointed to mounting pension costs as a financial drain on the city. In a radio address on Friday, he noted that the city’s pension contributions have grown from $1.1 billion when he took of-from $1.1 billion when he took of-from $1.1 billion when he took office to $7.6 billion this fiscal year.

Nagaswami’s experience is lim-ited to the private sector, but she told the Wall Street Journal her clients were almost all public pen-sion funds and central banks.

“Governments have been my most important clients in my 23-plus years” in the workforce, she said. “My job is to work with the mayor’s trustees,” she said. “It is a very, very important role for the mayor to shape the policy deci-sions that are made within these funds.”


12 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 s o c i e t y

sadhvi ritambhara devi’s usA- canada tourHOUSTON: One of the most

respected Indian spiritual figures, Sadhvi Ritambhara Devi (Didi Maa), is visiting USA and Canada from July 29 to September 20 for spiritual discourses. Sadhviji is highly revered for her powerful spiritual renditions and humanitar-ian work in East and West. During this visit, Sadhviji will be visiting Boston, New Jersey, Washington, Seattle, St. Jose, LA, Las Vegas, Orlando, Dallas and Houston.

Sadhviji will be in Houston/Dallas area from August 11-17 to deliver discourses on spiritual sub-jects and create awareness about Vatsalya Gram. In Houston, there will be a three day Ram Katha from August 13-15 at 6:30 pm at Radha Krishna Temple and a lec-ture on Hindu Unity on August 12 at 6:30 pm at India House. This program is jointly sponsored by Hindus of Greater Houston.

Sadhviji is a founder of Vatsalya Gram, a socio-educational project of Param Shakti Peeth, an India-based non profit organization. Param Shakti Peeth is currently mentoring Vatsayla Gram in Vr-indavan near Mathura, UP and in Omkareshwara (Indore) located on the banks of river Narmada, MP. This haven for destitute wom-en and children set up takes care of 500 plus children and women with Vatsalya (affection) of an extended family at each Vatsalya Gram.

Vatsalya Gram in Himachala Pradesh under construction and in Gujarat 60 kms from Ahmedabad

a parcel of 55 acres of land is ac-quired for Vatsalya Gram. There will be more Vatsalya Grams in different regions of India so that there would be homes and families for the destitute women who in turn will nurture and shower motherly love and build emotional bonds with the children entrusted to their care and these women will have a secure home, a life’s purpose and an opportunity to claim a family of their very own, while children would cease to be Anath (orphans)

Continued from Page 3

A year of milestones, celebrations, for Kohinoor diamonds

ees with silver dollars as a token of her blessings and love for the Ali’s.

Friends and patrons of the Ali family spoke glowingly of their warmth and hospitality. Dinesh Shah, a close friend of the Ali family, confided that he knew Altaf Ali for over 20 years.

“We first came in contact through our business as devel-opers. My respect for him has grown over the years and I am happy to share his success story this evening,” said Shah.

Before the couple of the eve-ning took to the floor for their first dance, Altaf Ali thanked guests (some who had come into town especially for the event) for their good wishes. He made some jokes in the Gujarati lan-guage that had attendees laugh-ing. Then he turned his attention to Neelofer and said:

any more.” As Sanjay Gupta,

known affectionate-ly as Bhaiyya, put it, “it is the only facility in the world where orphaned children and destitute women of all ages are given homes so they may live like families and form everlasting bonds as parents and siblings.” A char-tered accountant by profession, Sanjay gave up his lucra-tive practice to be part of Shakti Peeth and now of Vatsayal Gram.

While many chil-dren are fortunate to have been amongst the most divine re-lationship; some are bereft of the same,

living a life of an outcast. It was the conviction of Poojya Didi Maa Sadhvi Ritambharaji to serve the cause of children by providing them what they are deprived of. To her, serving children is wor-shipping the God Himself as chil-dren are His nearest expression. In her ideas, securing future of every child is synonymous to securing India’s future and that is the mis-sion of Vatsalya Gram.

For more information visit www.vatsalyagram.org

“I’ve never said this before. But the past 25 years – I’ve never been able to acknowledge how appre-ciative I am of the effort you’ve put in to make our lives so suc-cessful. I wasn’t programmed to say I love you, never bought you flowers, or even a card. Tonight, I am ready to say that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, to grow old with you,” said Altaf. Coming from a very private man, it was arguably one of the most unexpectedly ro-mantic and vulnerable speeches of the evening.

An excellent dinner catered by the hotel, and dancing, rounded off a memorable and heartwarm-ing event.

For more information about Kohinoor Diamonds, visit www.kohinoordiamonds.net or visit the showroom at 5901 Hillcroft Street Houston, TX 77036. (713) 334-8700

Author Chitra Divakaruni will be on PBS (channel 8) in Houston, doing a show on the importance and wonders of poetry, titled The Greatest Poems of all time, with the host Patricia Gras on Living Smart, on Friday, August 6th at 10pm. They will read and discuss some of the world’s greatest & most inspirational poems, including work by Tagore, Neruda, Rumi and Gibran. The purpose of the show is to demystify poetry and demonstrate how deeply it speaks to the soul, and how important it is to include it in our lives. The show is appropriate for older children as well as adults.



Friday Aug 13, from 6 pm - 9 pm

• Saturday from 4 pm - 7 pm

and Sunday Aug 15, 10 am to 12.30 pm

(followed by Mahaprasad everyday)

(Located between Boone & Kirkwood)

IA N

ews ©

2010 A.R

.R

For More Information, Call:Bhagwan Bhutada 832-236-6147

Dilip and Kusum Mehta 281-491-7299Pradip Raol 832-771-5557Girish Naik 281-851-6866

www.vatsalyagram.org and www.hindusofhouston.org

For Aarthi & Sponsorship Call:Jyoti Vyas at 281-495-1856

Shri Ram Katha Spiritual Discourses

In co-operation with the Hindus of Greater Houston and Param Shakti Peeth of America

Param Pujya Sadhvi Ritambhara Devi (Didi Maa)by Amritvani

Param Pujya Didi Maa, Founder, Vatsalya Gram

Everyone is invited to receive Didi Maa’s blessings

Shri. Radha Krishna Temple,11625 Beechnut, Houston, TX 77072

Program to be held at India House, August 12, Thursday • Hindu Unity • 7PM - 8:30 PM


14 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 R e l i G i o n

In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day – at dawn and dusk and in a few it is main-tained continuously - Akhanda Deepa. All auspicious functions commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often main-tained right through the occasion.

Light symbolizes knowledge, and dark-ness - ignorance. The Lord is the “Knowl-edge Principle” (Chaitanya) who is the source, the enlivener and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshiped as the Lord himself.

Knowledge removes ignorance just as

Did you Know? why do we light a lamp?

light removes darkness. Also knowledge is a last-ing inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth.

Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too would remove darkness. But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual signifi-cance. The oil or ghee in

the lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or nega-tive tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vaasanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards higher ide-als.

Whilst lighting the lamp we thus pray:Deepajyothi parabrahmaDeepa sarva tamopahahaDeepena saadhyate saramSandhyaa deepo namostuteI prostrate to the dawn/dusk lamp; whose

light is the Knowledge Principle (the Su-preme Lord), which removes the dark-ness of ignorance and by which all can be achieved in life.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 06 , 2010• ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

15 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.coms o c i e t y

Mumbai Girl Swims to Glory in USNEWPORT, Vermont:

The ‘Little Mermaid’ in the world of swimming has done it again!

The only Indian and youngest in the competition, 11-year-old Swapnali Ya-dav, won the 10-mile course for female youth (under-18) at the prestigious Kingdom Aquafest that was held on the shores of Lake Mem-phremagog, in the heart of Northeast Kingdom, New-port, Vermont, USA on Sat-urday, July 24.

Taking to the waters in near-perfect conditions at Prouty Beach, Swapnali completed the swim in an impressive time of 6 hours, 23 minutes, 13 seconds at the same point.

Swapnali, of Bombay Cambridge High School, Amboli, Andheri (West), was invited by the United States Master Swimmers (USMS). The swim was approved by USA Swimming and world ruling body FINA.

She added the Kingdom Aquaf-est effort to the outstanding per-formances as the youngest-ever in the world in the 2007 Open World Swimming Marathon and the 30km Messinikos Gulf Swim in 2008-09, both in Greece, and the 2009 Bermuda Round the Sound Open Swimathon, to announce her arrival in international swimming.

“The weather was good and I was

in the right frame of mind. I had no problems with a good support staff alongside that included my father Go-pal and mother Sailee. I felt confident at the start and was truly delighted at finishing first,” said Swapnali.

“Once again, it was a rich experi-ence. Most of the swimmers were top class. Some were Channel swimmers and former Olympians,” Swapnali revealed.

Swapnali featured in a competition with an age spread of seven to 68 years. Her support staff followed her in a kayak and provided nutrition,

Eleven-year-old Swapnali Yadav has added another feather to her cap by winning the under-18 10-mile course Kingdom Aquafest open swimming competition held on the shores of Lake Memphremagog at Newport Vermont

continued on page 16


INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, AUGUST 06 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

16 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.come d i t o r i a l

®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: [email protected], website: indoamerican-news.com

correspondentschicago: nand Kapoor

Founder: dr. K.L. Sindwani

editor: Pramod KuLKarniBuSineSS manager: Jawahar maLhotra

marKeting manager: KriShna giri

Community rePorter: KaLyani giriCommunity editor: manaSi goKhaLe

adminiStrative manager: vanShiKa viPinmarKeting & Food rePorter: JaCoB david

ProduCtion manager: huSSain mandviwaLa

By Gopalkrishna GandhiA friend from Delhi, on a rare

visit to Chennai, was calling and we were engaged in pleasant talk when the doorbell rang. Two self-assured women in silk stood at the entrance with long sheets of paper in their hands. “We are from the census department,” they said in a mix of excellent Tamil and effective enough English. “Can we ask some questions?”

I was torn. Here we were, my caller and I, having a much longed-for chat on nothing and everything over steaming coffee, and here were two enumerators on serious professional duty. I could either ask my friend to forgive the intrusion or ask the count-takers to return later. I chose to let my friend bear the interruption.

“Name, sir?”I spelt it out for them, apologising

for its length. “How many in the family, sir?”

“Just my wife and I.”“Your Mrs’ name, sir?”“She is out at the moment,” I said,

giving my wife’s name.“Father’s name?”I spelt it out again.“Do you not want my mother’s

name?” I asked, “that is equally or even more important”.

“Yes, sir, we want that also.”There was no need to spell that one.

Who does not know ‘Lakshmi’?“Sir,” she then asked in Tamil, “you

have a car?”“Ille,” I replied.“Two-wheeler?”“Ille”.“Bicycle?”“Ille, it is many years since I cy-

cled”.“Okay, sir,” she said reassuringly

and moved on with the question-naire.

“Profession?”“Pensioner”.This was noted in a small square

on the sheet.“Department?”No wonder, I thought, our Upa-

nishads have a Prasnopanishad, the Upanishad of Questions but no Ut-taropanishad giving us the answers.

“Retired from the IAS”.

India’s Rainbow Peopleshape policy, and who can deny that social backwardness in India must be weighed against numbers if it is to be tackled?

Predictable thoughts, these were, and they proceeded on predictable lines.

The mixed-caste puzzle did not, however, leave my thoughts. The ‘mix’ is not just of castes. There are the offspring of parents from different religious backgrounds, Hindu-Mus-lim, Hindu-Christian, Hindu-Sikh, Hindu-Jaina, Hindu-Parsi, Hindu-non-Hindu Scheduled Tribe and even of different nationalities, half-Indian and half-European or half-Japanese, or half-American (though not, it must be said, so many half-Indian and half-African). Where do all these rainbow people fit? Does the architecture of caste have a home, a room, even a verandah for them? Probably there is a Shastraic text somewhere which accommodates them. I am not aware of one.

I spoke some days later about this to a valued friend, the distinguished social anthropologist, Professor An-dre Beteille. “Tell me,” I asked, “if the question about my caste had been posed to me, what should I have said to the two enumerators?”

“You could of course have declined to respond to that question,” he re-plied, “but if you wanted to respond, you would’ve had to say that as your father was a bania and your mother a brahmin, the Dharmashastra of Manu makes you a…”

Professor Beteille, whose mother was a Bengali Brahmin and his father French, then said, “you see in Manu’s scheme, I would be a…”

Traditional rules of marriage in In-dia, Professor Beteille has explained elsewhere, are changing and the sanc-tions behind the concepts of ‘anulo-ma’ and ‘pratiloma’ are now virtually obsolete. The younger generation in Hindu society is unlikely to have even heard of the phrases. But by custom an ‘upper caste’ Indian can marry and have children from a woman of a ‘lower’ caste without jeopardising caste. Not so, if the reverse happens. ‘Out there’, where Manu speaks and

Further questions followed about my “academic qualifications”. Whether this millionth respondent is literate, a school-finalist, graduate and so on would be an understandable Census curiosity. But the subjects of his under-graduate and post-graduate study? Surely, that is a redundancy? Reminding myself that the enumera-tor was only asking what she had been told to ask, I volunteered: “English Literature”.

The session went on for a while but the ‘question of questions’ did not come. From the moment the queries began I was expecting the big ques-tion about my caste to be posed and readying myself for a likely answer. But no, nothing was asked.

Being the child of a mixed caste marriage, I was unsure as to what, if anything at all, I should say if asked “Are you SC, OBC…?” The question did not come.

Returning to my friend with ad-miration for the gargantuan exercise that the Census of India is but also relief at the ending of the question-and-answer session, I told him about the missing question. “That issue has been frozen for now,” he reminded me.

Would the caste query have taken us back to what we had ceased to think about? But then, who are the ‘we’ we are talking about? ‘Out there’ in the villages, caste has not been forgotten. And so…

Besides, censuses are not just about fixing numbers. They are tools to

Sorry SportIf India was hoping to prove something to the world by win-

ning its bid for the Commonwealth Games, then the run-up to the games is showing up their organizers in a shockingly perverse light. The organizing committee, especially its chairman, seems to be hell-bent on putting out to the world a rather shameful mix of corruption, brazenness and inefficiency as the characteristic Indian way of meeting a happy challenge. A concerted effort at appearing disgraceful seems to be the only form of concerted effort the games have inspired in the organizers. First, the cor-ruption — and in the highest places. It looks as if the people working most hard in the last couple of months before the games are going to be the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. After all, India’s rank in the international corruption-perception index is 84, an honour it shares with El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala and Thailand. Interestingly, this is a perception index, and the Com-monwealth Games are unlikely to make the world perceive India in a kinder light. Then, the inefficiency. Every realistic inspection of the state of the art in Delhi has resulted in public expressions of deep alarm at the spectacular unreadiness evident everywhere. Unmet deadlines, leaks, overflows, collapse, casualties, lack of coordination, compromised standards: the list is endless.

Finally, the callousness. To spruce the city up for the world’s gaze, offending human elements — beggars, slum or pavement dwellers, hawkers, rickshaw-pullers — are hastily being moved out of sight without proper rehabilitation schemes in place for them. To enable desperate last-minute construction (the inevitable result of sloth and bad planning higher up), labourers are being hired without proper wages and protection. There has been a significant number of accidents, many of them fatal, among the poorest of these workers, now working round the clock to make up for their employers’ lack of organization, discipline and scruple. A senior sports official has invoked the typical Indian wedding to explain his optimism about the games in the face of all this: there will be confusion till the last minute, but everything will go off smoothly at the end. The world is not amused so far, neither is the Indian taxpayer. Calcutta Telegraph

The ‘mix’ is not just of castes. There are the offspring of parents from different reli-gious backgrounds, Hindu-non-Hindu Scheduled Tribe and even of different nationalities, half-Indian and half-European or half-Japanese, or half-American. Where do all these rainbow people fit?

Good DoctorsA report published in the August issue of Health Affairs maga-

zine reveals that patients of doctors who went to medical schools outside the U.S. had a 9% lower death rate than those whose doc-tors trained within the U.S. That is indeed good news that confirms the competency of doctors from outside the U.S. such as South Asia. In a parallel trend, UK patients are said to be suffering due to the influx of eastern European doctors as a result of an EU open door policy and wish that they were being treated from doctors from India and Pakistan. As you know, South Asian doctors have long suffered discriminatory treatment from the UK government and the medical establishment. Pramod Kulkarni



17 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com society

water and direction during the swim. The Kingdom Aquafest was blessed with greatness, with a world class chal-lenge to many that included [English] Channel and double Channel crossers, former US Olympic [ Images ] team members and speedsters of all stripes.

“Swapnali led an astonishing group of youngsters taking on the full gamut of distances this year,” said Phil White, meet director and Chairman of the Board of Indoor Recreation of Orleans County (IROC). “In establishing our rules for the Kingdom Aquafest we have tried to be fair to all and maintain consistency with several of our primary goals. This event provided a world class challenge to many upper level and competitive marathon open water swimmers. This event was a fun and well-supported experience for the participants and an inspiration for many to push themselves just a little bit farther with their training and conditioning,” White added.

Swapnali Yadav Wins US Swim Meetcontinued from page 15

India’s Rainbow Peoplethe laws are undecided or unver-

ifiable, custom prevails and khap panchayats are called upon to turn the greys of life into the black or white of social authority. Caste identities with their not-so-subtle gender axis, entrench male superiority in the name of caste.

Those from a ‘clear’ caste line will, therefore, wrestle and enjoy wrestling with the issue of whether the caste question in Census 2011 is a progressive or a regressive step. They will know the answer they are

entitled to give. But for one of mixed parentage I have in mind, the issue becomes more complicated. It is not about answering or not answering the controversial question. It is about finding the right answer, even if to keep it to oneself. It is also about positioning oneself in India’s male-female discourse.

Is that a serious enough issue? After all how many children of such mixed marriages would there be in our country? Several million, I should imagine. ‘Several’ is no quantifica-tion. The truth can drown in that

continued from page 16 description, like the man who sank in the swimming pool’s deep end because he went by its average depth. To find out with any accuracy, the size of India’s ‘mixed-parentage’ puzzle in a post-Manu sense, however, the question: “Would you like to men-tion your caste status… SC, OBC...” would have to be accompanied by a sub-question: “or TC…?”

Trans-caste, trans-community, trans-creed, trans-creation? HT

Gopalkrishna Gandhi is a former administrator, diplomat and gov-ernor.

35 Years of Glorious Service, Back to MotherlandBy JacoB david

Atul Kothari, CPA, has lived all his life in Houston having come here in 1975. Now he has plans to return back to Ahmedabad, India for his retirment years. He has no plans to retire out of doing social work, what he has done and the count-less recognitions he achieved from the Houston com-munity. He is the founder of the Ma-hatma Gandhi li-brary here in Hous-ton. He is glad that the library will be now run by the able team put together by Dr. Manishwani who will continue to promote the eter-nal values of truth, non-violence, love and service that was taught by Gandhi.A champion follower of Ma-

hatma Gandhi, the father of India, Atul Kothari has plans to work for Manav Sadhana, a Gandhi Ash-ram in Ahmedabad. His goals are

clear and his vision is set - to help eradicate poverty from India, one neighborhood at a time. Manav Sadhana helps educate kids in the slums, provide vocational train-ing to women in villages and also provides microfinance lending to

farmers and entrepreneurs in In-dia who cannot afford the high interest rates of greedy lenders. Atul and Rita Kothari plan to vis-

it Houston once a year. He plans to help raise funds for charitable events to help Pratham who fos-

ter education among the poorest of kids; Akshay Patra who pro-vides midday meals to children at schools and villages.Atul Kothari says, “I will miss

each person I know here in Hous-ton. All my well-known friends

here are like family to me, I will miss them. They have shown great love and support throughout all my years here. I wish them and their families well and keep them in my prayers. There are no words enough to express my gratitude to all here. But I would love to go back to India and pay my dues to my motherland.”Atul Kothari is happy

that the Gandhi Cel-ebrations will go on as planned from Sept 27th - Oct 3rd. Jim McIngvale

will be the keynote speaker. Con-sul General Sanjay Arora will grace the occasion. Atul Kothari feels sad that he will not be here to celebrate this special occasion during this time. He wishes ev-eryone in Houston well.

Atul Kothari and his wife Rita Kothari are excited to be going back to India, their motherland


18 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com


19 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com cHild laBor

‘I Would Give my Right Hand for 2 Meals a Day’

KOLKATA: Sombhu Das, 11, dreams a modest dream -- that of owning a grocery shop some day. Which is why he is honing his skill as an errand-boy at a grocer’s in south Kolkata.

Though he has to put in 8-10 hours of hard work a day, he doesn’t crib at all. Rather, he is grateful to his employer for giving him Rs 400 per month.

The shop owner also takes care of his daily needs and lets him sleep at his residence at night.

“The money that he pays me is not much but it is of great help to me and my family,” he said.

“I have asked my mother to set aside my ‘salary’ so that we can use it for my sister’s wedding. She is 14 and we plan to marry her off in a few years.”

Sambhu studied till Class III and was ‘an above average student’.

However, acute poverty following his father’s untimely death forced him to give up studies and take up this job.

At this early age, Sombhu has learnt to take the daily toil in his stride. He always carries a smile on his lips.

Reason? “When I am dead tired, I motivate myself to dream. I goad my inner self to fantasise that I am the owner of this shop -- I think of all the

nice things under the sun. That has a magic effect. It not only rejuvenates me but also helps me slog without feeling exhausted,” philosophises young Sombhu.

His mother and sister work as housemaids in the locality and his elder brother is a mason. His youngest sister is only 8 and she mostly stays at home.

“She has been in and out of school quite a few times. Nothing is more valuable in this world than food and all the five of us would give our right hands for two square meals a day. I know we should go to school but then how can we study with hunger

for 2 Meals a Day’

gnawing at our entrails,” asks the 11-year-old.

“I often overhear our customers discussing that the poor get govern-ment assistance in foreign countries. They also talk about India competing with the West on various issues. But I am sure poverty can’t be one of them. Else, why are we leading such pathetic lives?”

Child labor is a dagger through India’s soul. The country has the dubious distinction of being home to the largest child labour force in the world, with an estimated 30 per cent of the world’s working kids living in India.

Sombhu Das. | Photo: Dipak Chakraborty

Read us online at www.indoamerican-news.com


20 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.comi n d i a


21 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com


22 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.coms o c i e t y

By surya Jilludimudi and raJ razdan

ATLANTA: Senior Citizens Pro-gram (SCP), Shakti Mandir and SEWA International USA (SEWA) independently organize numerous events to make a positive difference in our communities. Recently they hosted a Senior Citizen event at the Shakti Mandir in south Atlanta on July 18, 2010 to honor the Bhutanese Seniors to help benefit the Bhutanese community who had to leave Bhutan in distress and sought refuge in Geor-gia a few years back.

A Challenging time for the Bhu-tanese migrants: The population of Bhutan has two communities of Drukpas and Lhotshampas. In 1985, as the domicile controversy gained notoriety with crisis proportion in Bhutan, the Bhutanese government began to expel ethnic Nepalese-Bhu-tanese and the Lhotshampas from Bhutan. For more than 15 years they lamented in UN refugee camps in Nepal. Resettlement camps/relief projects also emerged in Australia, Canada, and Europe.Due to the gen-erosity and the openness of USA, the Bhutanese refugees were also al-lowed to migrate here, mainly Geor-gia. Currently there are 30,000 refu-gees in the USA, expected to double by 2012, according to a SEWA- USA report.

SEWA USA playing an active role in Bhutanese relief: Rallying for the relief efforts for the Bhutanese, SEWA USA has worked since 2006 to help rehabilitate the Bhutanese ref-

Senior Citizens Program Collaborates with Shakti Mandir and Sewa-USA to Help Distressed Bhutanese Seniors

ugees in the spirit of Mahatma Gan-dhi’s famous quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Like any ethnic migration, the Bhutanese under-went cultural and men-tal shock and struggled without adequate funds to survive.

Bhutanese migrants have miles to go before they can overcome the cultural and economic constraints. These challenges cannot be totally addressed by the well-meaning gov-ernment alone but by a concerted effort by the diverse communities, towards the education, housing, transporta-tion and employment needs of the Bhuta-nese migrants,” said Swadesh Khatoch of SEWA USA.

The Bhutanese migrant commu-nity have started adjusting to their new land of shelter, called America. Their children have started going to school and endeavoring to be part of the cultural tapestry of the USA.

Shakti Mandir, co-host of the Senior/Bhutanese July event: This Senior Citizen event to benefit Bhutanese Refugee cause was held at their Temple in Lake City near Jonesboro.

The program commenced with the prayer song (Aarthi), by the priest of the Shakti Mandir followed by vari-

ous spiritual songs (Keerthans and Bhajans) with the backdrop of beauti-fully ordained deities. All the seniors

participated in chanting of spiritual songs led by melodious community activist (and attorney) Neera Bahl who was accompanied by social worker Sunny Thakker on the drums (Dholak).

The spiritual program was fol-lowed by a sumptuous lunch for the 250 seniors. The food was facilitated by volunteers Ashwin Patel, Bhiku Patel and other members of the Shakti Mandir team. Arranging the vans for transportation of the seniors were by Bobby Patel of Shakti Mandir and SEWA-USA officials.

Bazaar for charity drive: T h e

highlight of the event was the Bazaar organized by the Senior Citizens to benefit the Bhutanese with clothes,

household goods and other basic necessities in their time of need. The clothing dona-tions were largely due to the combined effort of the Sindhi Sabha of Atlanta, numerous families and individu-als Asha Advani and Meenakshi Bhatia, and many other anonymous donors from Georgia. Beautiful, expensive Saris. Even a computer was donated by Girish Modi-a senior himself.

Yeoman sewa (ser-vice):

“Volunteerism and Philanthropy was at its best considering the

warm reception and the hospitality for over 250 participants was suc-cessfully executed.” acknowledged jubilant Raj Razdan, Exec. Director of the SCP.

“This joint effort showcased how individuals can and should join hands to give back to their communities in the spirit of service and commitment for creating a positive change in the lives of a struggling Bhutanese refugee community in the USA. Such missions provide noble and selfless service opportunities for various In-dian American organizations across Georgia to engage in collective public service activities,” Razdan added.

The reporters Surya Jilludimudi and email [email protected]) and Raj Razdan (email [email protected]) serve as Volunteer of SEWA International USA and Execu-tive Director of the Senior Citizens Program respectively.

A Senior Citizen event at the Shakti Mandir in south Atlanta on July 18, 2010 was held to honor the Bhutanese Seniors to help benefit the Bhutanese community who had to leave Bhutan in distress and sought refuge in Georgia

Schaumberg: Pratham Chicago Gala 2010 will be held at India House, Schaumburg on Sunday, September 19. Padma Shri Anupam Kher, acclaimed Indian actor along with Dr. Madhav Chavan, co-founder of Pratham will be keynote speakers at the event. A private reception to greet and meet Anupam Kher as well as Madhav Chavan will be held preceding the gala for business and individual sponsors. Tarana Kathak Dance Academy will present several Bollywood and Kathak dances to entertain the guests at the gala event.For more information about the event visit Chicago.PrathamUSA.org

or contact Dr. Raj Rajaram, President, Pratham Chicago at : [email protected].

Pratham Chicago to Hold Gala at Local India House


23 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com s o c i e t y

Prof. Kulkarni Receives Extraordinary Service AwardDENVER: In a recent an-

nouncement Dr. Steven Jordan, President, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, Colo-rado declared that “Extraordinary Service to the College Award for 2010” is conferred upon Prof. Kishore G. Kulkarni, Professor of Economics and the Chief Editor, Indian Journal of Economics and Business (www.ijeb.com). “This honor speaks highly of the quali-ty of your continued commitment to Metro State and the admira-ble level of exceptional service you have demonstrated over the years”, writes President Jordan.

Prof. Kulkarni has published roughly 100 journal articles and 8 books. Some of his books are used as textbooks in Macroeconom-ics, International Economics and Monetary Economics in universi-ties and colleges in India and in the USA, one was even used at Har-vard University. Over 3 decades of academic life Prof. Kulkarni has delivered numerous lectures in Indian educational institutions as well as in US universities.

As a recipient of several other awards such as Golden Key In-ternational Honor Society’s Out-standing Teacher (2001), Out-standing Researcher (1997), and Faculty Senate’s Distinguished Service to the College (2004), Prof. Kulkarni is a well known economist of international re-pute. He was born in Pune, In-

dia, and migrated to USA in 1976. He holds the First Rank in merit amongst economics majors for B.A. (1974) from Univer-sity of Pune, and he completed M.A. and Ph.D. (1982) from University of Pittsburgh, PA.

Besides being a full time pro-fessor, and a worldwide traveler, Dr. Kulkarni spends time on the tennis court. He has won several local and state tennis champi-onships and is a current mem-ber of 4.5 (rating) USTA tennis leagues. He lives in Denver with his wife of 30 years, Jayashree, who is an Accounting Instruc-tor at the Metropolitan State College of Denver and their two daughters Lina and Aditi.

Prof. Kishore Kulkarni, is a Professor of Economics at Metropolitan State College of Denver and the Chief Editor, Indian Journal of Economics and Business

US Congress Honors Dr. Sudhir ParikhWASHINGTON D.C. (PTI): Emi-

nent Indian American physician and philanthropist Dr Sudhir Parikh, who was awarded with the prestigious Padma Shri this year, has been rec-ognized in the US Congress for his extraordinary contribution. “I ap-plaud Dr Parikh’s achievements and dedication and recognize his work as it serves as an inspiration to us all,” influential US Congressman Frank Pallone said in his remarks in the US House of Representatives.

“Madam Speaker, please join me in leading this body in acknowledge-ment of the extraordinary contribu-tions of Dr Sudhir Parikh. He is a greatly valued citizen of the state of New Jersey, and I am honoured to recognize him today,” Pallone said. A nationally acclaimed and re-spected allergist and immunologist, Dr Parikh, the Congressman said has used his time, money and influence to advance the goals of the Indian American and Indian communities.

\With the Padma Shri award, Dr Parikh becomes the only Indian American to receive the Ellis Is-land Medal of Honour, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the Congress-man said.

The Ellis Island Medal is the high-est civilian honour presented to a US immigrant for community and social service.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award is the highest honour the Gov-ernment of India presents to non-residents.

“Publisher of Parikh Worldwide Media, the largest Indian Ameri-can publishing group in the US, Dr Parikh’s priority is to use the media to empower second-generation Indians assimilating to American society,” Pallone said.

“His work with the media has a dual purpose: to expose mainstream America to the accomplishments and quality of the Indian Ameri-can community and to encourage young people to pursue the American Dream,” the New Jersey Congress-man said in his remarks. Pallone said

Dr. Sudhir Parikh (left) with Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

Dr Parikh has also helped construct an influential Indian American lobbying force in Washington, arranged several high-level meetings between US and Indian lawmakers and secured critical votes on multiple Indian issues.

“Dr Parikh has worked closely with members of both houses of Congress and the Administration to develop a close, strategic relationship between US and India,” Pallone said. The New Jersey Congressman in his remarks in the House of Representative said, un-der his guidance, the Friends of India Caucus was created in the Senate.


24 Indo American News • Friday, August 06 , 2010 ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com

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