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1 Indo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Friday, September 24 2010 | Vol. 29, No. 39 $1

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UR

ED IN

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E Maheshwari Youth Speed Date in Washington, D.C.

DAYA Hosts 2010 Annual Seminar Why Counseling

Eid Milan at India House

Story on Pg 12

Story on Pg 9Story on Pg 6

Story on Pg 25Story on Pg 8

Meeting an Indophile in Italy

Ikea to Double Buying of

Goods In India

Story on Pg 32

Pratham Goodwill Ambassador Actor Anupam Kher Hosted at VIP receptionrahman rules!

Packed production epitomized by composer’s genius, brilliant theatrics, and outstanding stagecraft

By Ky Ky alyani Kalyani K GiriHOUSTON: First there was the

widespread hype. Posters, articles, and radio programs, exhorting the faithful to prepare, ticket in hand, for music director A. R. Rahman’s Jai Ho – The Journey Home show. Then disaster struck. The stage collapsed at the Pontiac Silver-dome in Detroit and roadies nar-rowly escaped with their lives. The rest of the US tour was postponed while sets were reconstructed and confidence restored.

Finally, on September 17, the Toyota Center downtown explod-ed with psychedelia, sound, and unbridled energy, as the Mozart of Madras emerged, a trilby hat nat-tily perched on his head, groov-ing to his Oscar award-winning

soundtrack from the runaway hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. It was an adrenaline rush for fans that had waited for months for that magical moment.

The 2 ½ hour long themed event that incorporated the talents of a multicultural and international team of dancers, acrobats, and mu-sicians, and featured Hariharan, one of India’s most gifted vocal-ists, was a non-stop fest of Rah-man’s hit songs from a plethora of movies in his illustrious career. And pivotal to the motif of the per-formance was the score for Slum-dog Millionaire, a thread that sinu-ously wove and insinuated itself throughout, brilliantly echoed by the theatrics of a little boy. About 11, 100 attended, according to fig-

ures released by Toyota Center. Brought to this city by Moid

Khan, CEO of Bollywoodshow-s4u, the show was choreographed and directed by Amy Tinkham, whose clientele includes Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and Mariah Carey.

“The show is actually a celebra-tion of music I have done for 20 years and the whole visual and ar-tistic element is Indian,” confided Rahman at a press conference a few months ago. And indeed, the maestro’s genius was celebrated through the soul-stirring lyricism of Bhaarat humko jaan se pyaara hai from the film hai from the film hai Roja, sung by Hariharan, to songs from Lagaan, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Dil Se,

Phot

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HOUSTON: The Pearls Infra-structure Projects company of In-dia will be holding its real estate roadshow this coming weekend at the Marriott Energy Corridor Ho-tel on 16011 Katy Freeway from 10am to 6pm. The roadshow will

Pearls roadshow Hits the city this weekend

feature many of the resi-dential, commercial proj-ects that the company has in 15 states in India.

Representatives of the company will be on hand to answer questions on the procedures to buy and hold real estate in India as well as to explain the special fi-nancing offers available.

No advance reservations are re-quired for attending the day-long road show, which has also toured other cities in the US and Canada. (For more information, see the ad on page 35)

Hopes Fade for Success of Common-wealth Games in India

America’s Teen Queen is Indian-origin girl from the UK

Story on Pg 43

$1Circulation Verified by

Charity begins at Home but goes across the Community

In a week’s time, the Indo American Charity Foundation will hold its 22nd Annual Fundraising

Gala, this year hearlded as the Magic of PassionThe IACF has helped over 30 charities over its 22 years and hopes that Houstonians will open their

hearts to help others in need.

For related story see page 19

Indo American Association presentsSalaam India : An English play saluting the many paradoxes that define Modern IndiaSeptember 25, 8pm, Wortham Center

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, sePTemBer 24 , 2010 • onlIne edITIon: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com

2 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, Ay, A sePTemBer 24 , 2010 • onlonlo Ine Ine I edITIon: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com


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By Ky Ky alyani Kalyani K GiriHOUSTON: By no stretch of

imagination is Anupam Kher mod-est about his prowess as an actor. He joyously revels in talking about his vocation that almost did not happen, but for a temper tantrum he threw at the home of Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt where he berated the latter in the presence of a bemused Shabana Azmi for taking away his role in Saaranshand giving it to actor Sanjeev Ku-mar. Bhatt, perhaps a little stunned and overwhelmed by the then 26-year-old Kher’s apparent anguish, reconsidered and recast Kher who went on to win the national Film-fare Best Actor Award for the mov-ie in 1984. And the rest is history; an enormous body of work bears testimony to the towering versatil-ity and artistry of the charismatic Kher, a recipient of the Indian gov-ernment’s prestigious Padma Shri award.

This past weekend the actor was in Houston as Goodwill Ambas-sador for Pratham, the largest non-governmental organization work-ing to provide quality education to the underprivileged children of India. At a VIP reception held in his honor at the Westin Galleria Monarch Room on September 18, Kher was introduced to community leaders and local philanthropists by Dr. Madhav Chavan, Founder and CEO of Pratham Education Foun-dation.

“It is a pleasure to welcome

Anupam Kher as Pratham Ambas-sador,” said Dr. Chavan. “He was an obvious choice (along with ac-tress Waheeda Rehman) to help spotlight the key issues concern-ing education and help Pratham achieve its mission of every child in school and learning well. He is a man who’s never lost his kindness of heart; he’s very simple and com-passionate. It is noteworthy that he has retained his simplicity in a very tough field,” added Dr. Chavan.

Dr. Chavan told guests about a new program Education for Edu-cation (EFE) launched by Pratham and inaugurated on September 6, 2010, by Kher in Mumbai. The program, said Dr. Chavan, rewards

volunteers for the organization’s highly successful flagship pro-gram, Read India, by providing for them a computer education. Read India in 2008-2009, reached more than 33 million children across 300, 000 villages through 405, 000 volunteers. The volunteers are in the 18-24 age bracket and based in villages and towns where they help teach poor children.

In partnership with Intel, Pratham is running EFE centers where vol-unteers are taught how to use the computer, including basics of op-erating system, Microsoft Office applications like Word and Excel and Internet and its applications, by young graduates. For its innova-

tive programs and commitment to eradicating illiteracy, Pratham was awarded the fifth annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership in March 2010. The Kravis Prize, which car-2010. The Kravis Prize, which car-2010. The Kravis Prize, which carries a $250,000 award designated to the recipient organization, also recognizes extraordinary leader-recognizes extraordinary leader-recognizes extraordinary leadership in the nonprofit sector.

With humorous anecdotes and charming candidness, Kher talk-ed about his involvement with Pratham, his life, and of course, the movies.

“Over the past 26 years, I’ve made you laugh, I’ve made you cry, I’ve made you yawn,” said Kher, draw-ing ripples of laughter. “But off the script, I am always myself and it is the most difficult thing – to be one-self. Those who pretend to be some-thing other than themselves, must not like themselves very much, I think,” he quipped. “In Mumbai, the industry is such that the whole world knows whether you’re a suc-cess or a failure. I was fortunate to come from a small town (Shimla) where we were fourteen family members sharing one small house. Pretense was an impossibility. I grew up realizing that connectivity is a necessity. There is something in my persona that makes me connect with people because I am interested in them, in human emotions, that is what is important to me. It’s not about how much money or how many cars I have. As we get older we lose our innocence. But children with their innocence and purity de-

Pratham Goodwill Ambassador Anupam Kher Hosted at VIP receptionserve a fighting chance in life, and I salute Pratham for trying to give a child an identity. I’ve worked extensively with mentally chal-lenged children and the children of the slums of India. They are also worthy of our generosity,” added Kher. A longtime humanitarian, Kher founded The School of Life Program, which is also dedicated to the cause of education in India. Kher will be hosting Pratham’s informative and educational tele-vision program called Angrezi OK Please.

“I’ve found that the people liv-ing abroad are much more gener-ing abroad are much more gener-ing abroad are much more generous than those living in India,” said Kher. “It could be the culture of giving that is so inherent here. So I urge you to continue to help Pratham with your generosity.”

For more information about Pratham visit http://www.pratha-musa.org.

Actor Anupam Kher with author Chitra Divakaruni. Kher had a role in the movie Mistress of Spices, based on the book written by Divakaruni.


5 Indo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com s o c i e t y

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Kadhalan, and Rang De Basanti, to name a few, rendered by Rahman and his young team. Several Indian languages were repre-sented through the performance.

The soundtrack from Rahman’s crossover movie Couples Retreat was exuberantly presented by the vividly garbed singers and dancers and drummers who commandeered the ramp surrounding the VVIP seating area and conjured up the laidback Caribbean island ethos of sandy beaches and lazily swinging hammocks.

As the tunes, rhythms, instrumentals, diverse musical styles, odes to world reli-gions, and messages of peace converged triumphantly during the evening’s recital, it more than showcased Rahman’s facility as a composer non pareil.

Shy, notoriously private, not much of a singer, and arguably hardly much of a con-cert artiste either, the young melodist at times seemed a tad uncomfortable careen-ing across the ramp; to hazard a wild guess he would probably have preferred to be holed up in the sanctity of his studio. Yet undoubtedly, he seemed to revel in hearing his songs come alive onstage to the delight-ed appreciation of the audience.

Through advanced technology the beauti-ful duet of the legendary Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman were made possible. Quite outstanding was the Black or White tribute

to Micheal Jackson with the participation of the cast; again, mention must be made of the little boy, whose prowess at mimick-ing Jackson’s moves, white glove and all,

Sugar Land Pro-Tem Mayor Tom Abraham presents a proclamation from the City to the promoter of the A R Rahman show, Moid Khan of BollywoodShows4U at the VIP reception held at Toyota Center prior to the Jao Ho Concert . Photo: Krishna Giri

Houston swings to A.r. rahman’s music

had the audience captivated. Through the event in short cameo appearances, the boy epitomized innocence, wide-eyed wonder, childlike delight, despair, hope, - all through

body language and facial expression. The manifestation of his character was a brilliant piece of choreography.

While there have been many interest-ing and successful stage shows in this city, none reached the spectacular level of Jai Ho – The Journey Home as far as production, lighting, well-orchestrated stage craft, and special effects were concerned; it was quite unprecedented in an Indian show here. And thanks to impresario Moid Khan, this city was privy to something epoch making in the world of music.

“I’d like to thank Houston and our sup-porters, fans, media, for their patience and for keeping the faith. The positive messages helped me see this show through. I couldn’t have done this on my own,” said Moid Khan.

For information about future events, visit bollywoodshows4u.com.


6 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010 s o c i e t y

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Icc Hosts cc Hosts cc eid milan milan m celebration at India Housecelebration at India HousecHOUSTON: September 19 will be marked

as a watershed date for Houstonians. The Eid Milan celebration which was a collab-orative effort of ICC Houston with AFMI, Aligarh Alumni and Qaumi Ekta Commit-tee was held at India House on this day. The first such initiative by ICC under the leader-ship of President Swapan Dhairyawan was very ably chaired by Col. Raj Bhalla.The purpose of integration, cohesiveness

and spirit of oneness has been spoken on various occasions. Organizations and social network-ing groups have conducted Holi, Diwali, Dandi-yas and other major festivals with great vigor and fervor. It was the first instance in which the Houston Muslim Indo-American brethren felt the assimilation and were proud and boasted upon the secular forces which keep India united. This event was an “Invited Only” event

since being the first initiative; but the ICC President in his address strongly suggested the ICC Board and also the Boards of the other co-hosting organizations to continue such an event on a larger scale in future. The Chief Guest for the program was Con-

sul General Sanjiv Arora who was also in-strumental in seeding Eid Milan thought at various forums. He was appreciative of the efforts of the organizations and spoke about the strong secular forces which make India so diverse and yet united. He applauded this “one of a kind event” and enjoyed the en-tire evening with great attentiveness. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett was also present & he was excited to be part of these Sig-nature celebrations happening “at home” in India House. Col Raj Bhalla who was instrumental in

working every detail to the core was very pleased with the turnout. There were more than 330 adults and 45 kids sign up for this event. He read out a beautiful and mean-ingful quote from the Granth Sahib about humanity and unity. Dr Azeemuddin, Vice President of AFMI spoke about the role and activities of AFMI in uplifting women and children in rural India. Fayyaz Khan, Presi-dent of All India Qaumi Ekta Committee spoke about his thoughts on intercommu-nity harmony. Latafath Hussain, President of Aligarh Alumni Association of Texas

spoke his childhood experiences in Vara-nasi and the interfaith communal harmony which prevailed & the need of continuing Eid celebrations in this city for the sake of our future generations.The program continued with literary and

cultural session which was very well han-dled by Dr Nausha Asrar. The participants in this segment were Parvez Jafri, Ishrat Afreen, Dr Rucha Sheth, Ahsan Qureshi and Shyamal Bhattacharya.

The program had commenced with formal invocation by young kids Omer and Na-dia Mohiuddin. High School senior Nisha Azhar spoke eloquently about the Eid fes-tivities, the 30 day fasting period & the in-teractive celebrations of Eid and Diwali in India. There were 3 cash prize winners to the Poster contest whose theme was “Eid as I see”. All the kids who attended were given “Eidi” and goody bags.The program culminated with a Vote of

thanks from ICC Director Rafi Ansar and was followed with a sumptuous Eid dinner. Comments from community leaders:“I was used to seeing in newspapers the

pictures of successive Indian Prime Minis-ters attending Eid feasts every year in New Delhi, but I had no firsthand experience until last Sunday’s celebration hosted by ICC in India House. I commend you and the ICC board for making a new beginning that reflects India’s pluralism and oneness.” - Krishna Vavilala“The Eid Milan at India House was or-

ganized by the ICC Houston and others. It provided an opportunity for Hindus and Muslims to meet, talk and celebrate Eid together. I would encourage the ICC Hous-ton to organize this event annually and for more people to participate and gain a better understanding of each other’s traditions by celebrating together.” - Girish Naik, President of Hindus of

Greater Houston.

ICC hosted Eid Milan, a collaborative effort with AFMI, Aligarh Alumni and Quami Ekta committee at India House. The event was attended by Consul General Sanjiv Arora greeting Raj Bhavsar, ICC and Swapan Dhairyawan, President ICC, and Col. Raj Bhalla and aimed at promoting a spirit of oneness.



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HOUSTON: Academic institutions are facing sets of challenges as they seek to attract the best and brightest students and faculty from multiple backgrounds across the world. Mr. David Leebron, President, Rice University, Dr. Renu Khator, Chancel-lor/President of University of Houston, Dr. M.S. Ananth, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras are the Panelists at an Event organized by IIT Alumni of Greater Houston (IITAGH) and IIT Madras Alumni Association of North America (IITMAA-NA).The event is on Tuesday, September 28,

2010, at 6:00 p.m. at Westin Galleria Hotel, Monarch Room (24th Floor). The Panelists will explain the types of challenges they have faced in their respective environments and how they have attempted to overcome them and lead the institutions to higher lev-els of achievement. Mr. Ashok Rao, Presi-dent of TiE Houston moderates the Panel. The Consul General of India in Houston, Hon. Sanjiv Arora is the guest of honor for the event.The dinner event celebrates the signing of

memorandum of understanding for academ-ic and research collaboration in the morning at the Rice Campus between IIT Madras - Rice University. The scope of collaboration includes:• Academic and research collaboration in

the areas of mutual interest,• Exchange of academic information,

scholarly information, materials and publi-cations,• Exchange of students and faculty, and

Addressing challenges of Globalizing Higher education by rice and U of H Presidents

• Sponsorship of cooperative seminars, workshops and other academic meetingsThe IITM delegation consists of a three-

member team led by: Dr. M.S. Ananth, who has been the Direc-

tor of IIT Madras from December 2001. He joined IIT Madras in 1972 and has been teaching a range of courses in Chemical En-gineering. He has held various senior posi-tions at IITM as Head of the Department, Dean of Academic Courses, and Dean of Academic Research. He is an alumnus of AC College of Technology, Chennai where he completed his Bachelor’s in Chemical engineering with a gold medal. Subsequent-ly, he obtained his M.E. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Florida, Gainesville.Other members of the team are:Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, the Dean for

Planning and Alumni Affairs and Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering. He is a founding member of TeNeT. He is from IITM Class of 1980.Dr. Ram Nagarajan, Professor, Department

of Chemical Engineering and the Principal Coordinator for L-RAMP (Lemelson Rec-ognition and Mentoring Program) at IITM, an innovation-incubation initiative. He is an Advisor, Office of Alumni Affairs and he is an IITM Class of 1981.The IITM delegation is visiting five cities

- Los Angeles, SF Bay Area, Houston, Bos-ton, and Toronto, from September 25-30, 2010. The delegation will share the success and achievements of the recently completed Vision 2010 and present new goals and chal-lenges as a part of the Vision 2020 plan. To register for the event, visit www.iitagh.org



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dAyAyA A Hosts 2010 Annual yA Hosts 2010 Annual y seminar seminar sWhy Counseling

By Ky Ky alyani Kalyani K GiriHOUSTON: Non-profit organi-

zation Daya Inc. hosted its 2010 Annual Seminar at the Hilton Southwest Hotel on September 18, from 9.00am to 2.30pm. The topic Why Counseling was addressed by Why Counseling was addressed by Why Counselinga distinguished panel of experts in the fields of social work/health and mental wellbeing, with speakers coming in from other cities within the United States. About one hun-dred from the local community attended the event that was both pertinent and informative. The seminar highlighted the benefits of counseling on mental issues, marriage, career, children, adjust-ment issues in the US, to name a few. Counseling, according to the

experts, is not just for people with mental illnesses but anyone facing serious issues in life and in need of talking to a professional about get-ting advice and finding better op-tions. The seminar also addressed the barriers and misconceptions that South Asians have about counseling.

Keynote speaker Dr. Jerry Ruhl, Ph.D, Executive Director, Jung Center, Houston, discussed Fram-ing the issue: Why Counseling? A psychologist in private practice, Dr. Ruhl earned his doctorate de-veloping a holistic model for cop-ing with the trials and tribulations of life. Having observed spiritual practices in India, Japan, and Ne-pal, Dr. Ruhl advocates meditation in stress management and incorpo-rates relaxation exercises in thera-py sessions with clients.

“I am a firm believer in eastern philosophy,” said Dr. Ruhl. “I be-lieve in the slender threads that weave into the tapestry of our lives. We are wounded healers at different stages of healing. When seeking a therapist, look for some-one who is compassionate to your needs. When you’re in a multicul-

tural background it gets complex,” he added.

Dr. Ruhl led the audience in guided relaxation, urging them to “that quiet place”.

“We mortgage our energy the way we mortgage our finances,” Dr. Ruhl told gatherees. “In our busy lives we rarely stop and visit that quiet place within us where the mind stills and you concentrate on breathing,” he added.

Part video, part live skit, Reach-ing In: Reaching Out was a perforing In: Reaching Out was a perforing In: Reaching Out -mance on the process of counsel-ing by the Shunya Theater group and Daya Client Services Coordi-nator Meghna Goswami. The skit described how clients approach Daya for succor and are heard with

compassion, and given the neces-sary tools and resources to make crucial changes for abuse-free lives. The dramatization hinged on circumstances Daya staff often en-counters; an abused woman call-ing the Daya hotline for advice, hope, help, and direction.

Smita Ruzicka, Office of the Dean of Students, UT, Austin, spoke on Counseling Issues – The Client Counselor Fit.

“Some personal issues are like a dull pain interfering with our lives. We need a safe place to deal with these issues even in non-crisis sit-uations,” said Ruzicka.

Counseling, she added, covered a wide spectrum; couples coun-seling, dealing with grief or ter-minal illness, career transitions, and group counseling where one can share one’s story in a non-judgmental environment. A good counselor would be empathetic, compassionate, have excellent listening skills, respect confidenti-ality, and have some cultural un-derstanding. Their services should be financially feasible. And their areas of expertise must be ex-emplary. Clients should look for

therapists that are accessible, not a long distance away. Some clients are particular about the gender of the therapist, and others may pre-fer to be counseled by someone outside of their community, added Ruzicka.

Visiting freelance journalist from New York, Nisha Chhabra, offered her personal experience in Lifting the Shame. She told of the family’s anguish coping with her father’s bipolar disorder. She grew up dreading his sudden outbursts. The family was shunned because of her father’s behavior.

“There was shame in admitting to anyone, even our family back in India, that my dad had a mental illness. It wasn’t something he had

control over but it ruled our lives because we couldn’t predict what he was going to say or do,” said Chhabra. Her father did get help and medication eventually, she added.

A panel discussion with Daya counselor Lakshmy Parameswaran, Smita Ruzicka, Bhawna Luthra, Kirit Mehta, Nisha Chhabra, and Rabia Ilahi continued to address questions from the audience and each took turns to answer satisfac-torily. Moderator for the panel dis-cussion was Dr. Vatsala Bhaskaran, a respected psychiatrist and Daya Board Member.

Daya promotes healthy family relationships in the South-Asian community by providing services that include counseling, referrals, legal advocacy, and financial sup-port to women and children af-port to women and children af-port to women and children affected by family violence and sex-ual assault. Daya also promotes awareness on topics relevant to the welfare of South Asian fami-lies through educational seminars, publications, and outreach events.

For more information, visit www.dayahouston.org. or call (713) 981 7645.

Daya Board of Directors, volunteers, and panelists at the seminar.



By Py Py ooja Dooja Dooja eoPuraWashington, D.C.: From New

Yorkers to Californians to Mum-baikers alike, Maheshwari youth joined at the nation’s capital for the 2010 fifth Maheshwari-Raj-asthani Convention during Labor Day weekend.The Maheshwari Mahasabha of

North America (MMNA) repre-sents a business-oriented community that has over time earned a reputa-tion for excelling in various professions including doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and entre-preneurs.Maheshwaris or

baniyas originated from the Indian state of Rajasthan with a rich cultural history filled with music, dance and a flair for serving the community.With 1.5 million

Maheshwaris residing in India and approximately 2000 families in the United States, the community has been in the forefront of char-ity and community service in India and the United States, said Guest of Honor for his charitable contri-butions, Vijay Pallod.In addition to learning about one’s

heritage, the youth, of ages 15 to 30, see the convention as a great way to reunite with old friends and family, and make new friends.Since the Maheshwari commu-

nity is so small here in the United States, Maheshwari conventions are a great way to meet others with the same cultural values and upbringing as you, said Roochita Jaju-Mathur, 29.The ice-breaker and speed dating

sessions were the highlights since it gave the youth a chance to min-gle with each other. “The speed dating session was a huge success as a lot of people showed up,” said co-moderator Jaju-Mathur.The session, attended by ap-

proximately 60 youth, ages 21 to 30, was intended for the Mahesh-wari singles to meet and network with one another. It was set up so that each couple could speak with each other for three minutes. The friendships that formed in these

maheshwari youth youth y speed speed s date in washington, washington, w d.c.short three minutes went well beyond the session room, Jaju-Mathur said.“In fact, I saw a lot of phone

numbers being exchanged both during and after the session,” she said. Many youths agree that they have made new friends because of a speed dating session organized like this.

ings to find a suitable Maheshwari husband or wife for their children, however, the “Maheshwari” crite-ria for most youth is optional.“My Maheshwari culture is im-

portant to me,” said Sarish Kasat, 25, who was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, “because it unites me with people who have the same family values and up-bringing as I do.”However, marrying a Mahesh-

wari isn’t as important as long as she’s Indian and our cultural val-ues match, he said. “If she happens to be Maheshwari, that’s definitely an added bonus,” Kasat said.Although traditionally, it is pre-

ferred that Maheshwaris marry within the community to uphold the Maheshwari heritage, Mahesh-waris with non-Maheshwari part-ners, such as Sangeeta LaForges and her husband Joe LaForges, of Catholic background, and Anu Moricca and her husband David Moricca, of Jewish background, proved that a successful marriage outside of the community is not unheard of.For David Morrica, who came for

the first time with his wife and ten-month-old baby, Shayal, this was a great way to unite with friends and

get exposed to the Maheshwari culture.It’s important for me to connect

with – and expose Shayal as well – to both his Hindu and Jewish heritage. Rather than have Shayal choose one path, Anu and I want him to have a spiritual journey of his own, said David Morrica, 34.Shradha Bhutada, 25, who has

been married for less than three years, tries to uphold her Mahesh-wari heritage by fol-lowing family rituals that have been passed down from generation to generation. In ad-dition to practicing a strict vegetarian diet, she also celebrates Maheshwari festivals such as Gangaur, a festival celebrated in honor of Hindu Gods Shiva and His wife, Goddess Parvati, for a fruitful harvest sea-son as well as marital bliss.

“I celebrate Gangaur not only for the health and long life of my hus-band,” said Bhutada, “but also be-cause it is a Maheshwari tradition that helps us to understand the per-fect pairing of Shiva and Parvati.”“I know with every generation,

the importance of the Maheshwari culture will matter less and less,” said Jaju-Mathur. “So it becomes our responsibility to teach the next generation about our ancestry.”The Maheshwari community is

one of the few that acknowledges the value in a jati or social-based community because it ties those with common traditions and occu-pations, said Krishna Maheshwari, 29, founder of Hindupedia.com.With more than 550 attendees,

including 50 from India, this con-vention holds the highest atten-dance record to date.“This conference offers an op-

portunity to get the community to-gether in order to help each other pass on our traditions, maintain our traditions, network and learn about each other,” Maheshwari said.The location of the next conven-

tion are being decided either in Los Angeles, California, or De-troit, Michigan.

The speed dating session hosted by the Maheshwari community is seen as essential to maintaining the age old tradition and culture albeit in a modern day society



Vishal (ricky) Agrawal elected to India House Board of directors

HOUSTON: At the Joint meeting of Board of Directors and Council of India House, Inc. held on August 28,2010 ,Vishal (Ricky) Agrawal was unanimously elected Direc-tor of India House. Ricky is a University of Houston Cougar finishing his B. S. in Eco-nomics and B. S. in Industrial Engineering. He has a strong interest in computers and volunteers as a counselor at many Indian re-lated camps and lock-ins.

Ricky is the proud son of Brij Agrawal, Director & Vice President Finance at India House.



Session

Doctors Conference

Mass Healing & Satsang

Siddha Dhyan and Healing

Shambhvi Dhyan and Healing(Pre-requisite: Siddha Healing)

Shree Vidya(Pre-requisite: Siddha Healing & Shambhvi Dhyan Healing)

Date

Sat, Oct 2

Mon, Oct 4 &Tue, Oct 5

Thu, Oct 7 to Sat, Oct 9 (3 days)

Mon, Oct 11 toWed, Oct 13 (3 days)

Thu, Oct 14 toSat, Oct 16(3 days)

Time

9am to 6pm

6pm to 9pm

9am to 6pm(including one tea break and one lunch break)



Venue:The Unity Church

2929 Unity Drive, Houston, Texas 77057

meeting an Indophile in ItalyBy PramoD KulKarni

FLORENCE, Italy: You never know whom you’re going to run into when you’re in Florence for a technical conference.

Last Saturday night here, it was raining so we went around the cor-ner of our hotel to a smaill tratto-ria. There was very little room in the restaurant so we were placed within the comfort zone of an Ital-ian couple.

We struck up a conversation with the couple: Giulio and Patri-zia Mezzetti. Juilio is a retired pro-fessor of architecture and Patrizia is a mathematics teacher.

It turns out that Juilio and Patri-zia have been to India three times

since the mid-1980s. He writes books on exotic locations around the world, but India is one of his favorites. They started with New Delhi and Agra and has seen the Taj Mahal. Then they went to see the forts in Rajasthan and Kashmir, while it was in the state of turmoil. The last trip was to Tamil Nadu.

While many Western tourists go to these places, Juilio Mazzetti has created a legacy of a lifetime through books that are travelogues and explanations of religion and culture. Most of all these books contain amazing photographs that Juilio has taken himself.

To take a look, visit their web-site: www.juiliomezzetti.it.

mini Pravasi divas in south AfricaDURBAN (HT): Pravasi Bharti-

ya Divas, a conclave of the Indian diaspora, will be held in South Af-rican city of Durban from October one. The mini Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is being organised in South Africa with a view to connect with the large Indian diaspora of the country. The event coincides with Mahatma Gandhi’s birth an-niversary and will also be a part of the year-long celebrations to com-memorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indian immigrants in South Africa from India. The theme of the two-day event will be ‘India and Africa: Building Bridg-es’, officials said. The mini-PBD is is being organised in partnership with the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and

the Government of South Africa. Around 600 to 800 delegates from all over Africa are expected to par-ticipate in the conference.

The Premier of Kwa-Zulu Na-tal (KZN) province, the Mayor of Durban Municipality, Indian ori-gin community leaders, prominent businessmen, dignitaries and dis-tinguished persons from African countries will participate in the event.

South Africa has around 1.28 million Indian-origin people who constitute about 2.5 per cent of its total population.

A plenary session on “The Rel-evance of Mahatma Gandhi in the 21st Century” will be held on October 2 followed by sessions on ‘Business: Opportunity in Africa’.

s o c i e t y


14 Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.comIndo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010 s o c i e t y

dipak Jain named dean of InseAdBOSTON (PTI): Noted Indian-

American academician Dipak Jain has been named as Dean of INSEAD, a leading international business school which aims to expand operations in developing countries like India and China.

Jain, a Dean Emeritus at North-western University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management, will succeed J. Frank Brown, who will step down in 2011.

Among Jain’s responsibilities would be to look for opportunities to build INSEAD programmes in China and India as the busi-ness school focuses on growing its global presence and attracting more students from the develop-ing countries.

Jain, who was Kellogg’s Dean, is part of a growing list of Indian-origin academicians assuming leading roles at foreign universities

Dr. Dipak Jain, fomer Dean of Kellogg School of Management, will take over the reigns of INSEAD, a premier business school in the U.S. from March 2011. File photo

“I am pleased that someone of Dipak Jain’s calibre and val-ues will continue to develop the school. The Board chose Jain to lead INSEAD into what is fast

becoming a new global economic climate - one in which emerging markets are growing at a faster rate than the industrialised mature economies of Europe and North America.

In this environment we need to teach solid business and manage-ment skills while being innova-tive, entrepreneurial and instilling a culture of true sustainability,” Chairman of the INSEAD Board Franz Humer said.

Part of an elite listJain, a native of Assam, will be

introduced at INSEAD’s Leader-ship Summit Asia 2010 to be held on November 12 in Singapore and will assume his duties as Dean in March 2011.

Jain, who was Kellogg’s Dean from 2001-2009, is part of a growing list of Indian-origin aca-demicians assuming leading roles at foreign universities.

Harvard Business School got its first Indian-origin Dean Nitin Nohria this year while Univer-sity of Chicago’s Booth School of Business too named Stanford University professor Sunil Kumar as its new Dean in July this year.

At Kellogg, Jain was the Sandy and Morton Goldman Professor in Entrepreneurial Studies and Professor of Marketing, a Chair he held since 1994.

He stepped down from his Kel-logg dean post last summer but remained a professor.

A graduate of Guwahati Univer-sity, the Assam native received a Masters in management science and a PhD in marketing from the University of Texas at Dallas.

“What attracts me to INSEAD is that it is a true global brand in management education, one with enduring passion and inspired vision. The values that drive IN-SEAD - including a deep respect for the power of diversity; a desire to link theory and practise to ad-dress important managerial issues; and an entrepreneurial approach to teaching and research - are ideal to meet the opportunities and chal-lenges facing organisations in the coming years,” Jain said.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2010• ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

15 Indo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.comsociety

Republician Candidates Share their Views at Barsana Dham

AUSTIN: Candidates for elected of-fices from U.S. Congress to State Re-spresentative to Hays County Com-missioner were welcomed to Barsana Dham Hindu Temple in traditional Hindu style with flower garlands. The occasion was a “Meet and Greet” at the temple for the congregation and the candidates to get to know each other, enjoy lunch, take a tour of the temple and share some laughter. Each candidate addressed the audience of about 75 people shedding light on their backgrounds, their interests and life’s experiences. They also explained what inspired them to run for office and what it means to them to serve so-ciety through holding a public office.

Their stories were punctuated with lighthearted moments and were met with frequent applause from the au-dience. One candidate shared her experience of serving as a physician in Ghana, another was in the trucking business before decided to run for of-fice and another has spent her entire

career in the judicial system. There was a broad spectrum of

concerns discussed, from government spending, county growth and plan-ning, property taxes, new develop-ment, and the question of the limited water supply in the Hill Country which was address by Ray Whisenant who is running for Hays County Commis-sioner. One of the greatest concerns expressed by Barsana Dham residents is the safety of FM 1826 where a member was recently killed in an auto accident. Barsana Dham residents also frequently assist the injured in the aftermath of accidents along their property line which runs along the busy road.

Gary Cutler, candidate for Hays County Sheriff praised the natural beauty of Barsana Dham and com-plimented the hospitality, saying, “Hospitality is where God is.” All the candidates enjoyed the vegetarian lunch which included both Mexican and Indian cuisine.

From left: Candidates Ray Whisenant, Jason Isaac, Judge Melissa Goodwin, Dr. Bert Cobb, Dr. Donna Campbell, Judge Bill Henry, Gary Cutler at the Meet and Greet at the Barsana Dham in Austin.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

16 Indo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010 ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.come d i t o r i a l

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Target PracticeBy Sunil Jain

Now that it’s Millennium Develop-ment Goal (MDG) week, expect a host of studies/ articles/ commentar-ies around how India has failed to meet the important MDGs, on how parts of India are worse than sub-Saharan Africa or Bangladesh when it comes to nutrition, and so on.

The UN set the ball rolling when it said that “with just five years to the 2015 deadline for achieving the MDGs, the country as a whole will not be on track for a majority of the targets related to poverty, hunger, health, gender equality and envi-ronmental sustainability.” It goes on to add: “It is possible that poverty will be halved by 2015 but by no means certain ... on hunger there are disappointing failures.” Others have jumped on to the bandwagon. Just the other day, Standard Chartered Bank and Cranfield University came out with a study showing that just 5.6 per cent of those in the boardroom were women. The Economic & Political Weekly had an article talking of the jump in inequality levels. The list goes on ... a giant with, to use the sub-title of Pranab Bardhan’s book, feet of clay.

While obviously all this is true, the question is how true, and can an economy really be growing at 9 per cent a year for so long if a fourth of its men are anaemic (56 per cent for women), 28 per cent have a body mass index that’s below normal (33 per cent for women) and 45 per cent of children under the age of three are stunted? It does strain the credulity more than just a bit, doesn’t it?

The poverty numbers are the easi-est to tackle, and not just using the Surjit Bhalla argument that all pov-erty estimates in India are based on the National Sample Survey and the NSS systematically captures less and less of India’s consumption, cur-rently more than half the consump-tion is left out. Take the 37 per cent figure that Suresh Tendulkar has for poverty in India, as compared to the Planning Commission’s 25 per cent or so. Analysis from NCAER’s income surveys show that 11 per cent of Tendulkar’s poor actually own a

two-wheeler and 9 per cent of them have TVs! If you hike the minimum expenditure below which you’re con-sidered poor, the way Arjun Sengupta did to get his poverty number of 78 per cent, you get even more bizarre results — the NCAER data show a fourth of these households have a two-wheeler and a colour TV. In other words, the poverty numbers are hugely dodgy and, in all probability, India has already met the MDG goal on this front.

What of hunger and the “disap-pointing failures” in reducing the pro-portion of the hungry by half between 1990 and 2015 that the UN talks of? By the way, the Indian government report on the MDG, by the CSO, has a zero sign before this MDG and explains this to mean “slow or almost off-track”. I have no independent data, of the NCAER type, to contest this, but it does seem funny that hunger should increase when, even after taking into account inflation, income levels for the poorest fifth of the population, to use NCAER data, rose 4.5 per cent per year between 1994 and 2005 and by 6.5 per cent between 2005 and 2010. Is it possible, just possible, that as people get richer, they eat food that’s poorer in calorie counts? It does strain the credulity to juxtapose this hike in income levels (which, like it or not, is a by-product of the economy growing as fast as it is) with what the CSO has to say on this in its MDG report. “The propor-tion of population that has dietary

energy consumption below 2100/ 2400 kcal in India tends to rise since 1987-88 with about 64 per cent below the norm in 1987-88 increasing to 76 per cent in 2004-05.”

C’mon guys, give me a break. It gets worse. Not only does the CSO rue the fall in calorie intake of the poorest fourth in rural India, it says, “The total of calorie intake of the top (that’s TOP) quartile of the rural population has similarly declined from 2863 kcal in 1987-88 to 2521 kcal in 2004-05.”

Perhaps the focus on calories is ex-cessive and also driven by age-weight height-weight ratios that aren’t strict-ly relevant today?

What of gender equality, the board-room barometer? At 5.3 per cent, the number of women boardroom direc-tors in India is lower than Australia’s 8.3, Hong Kong’s 8.9, the UK’s 12.2 and the US’s 14.5. But surely the years of development have some-thing to do with this, the levels of GDP and per capita incomes? Let’s take women in Parliament — the US was just7 per cent in 1990 and this rose to 17 per cent in 2008; the figures for India were 5 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively. That’s not bad given the 250 years of US democracy versus our 60, isn’t it?

It is true, of course, that while the proportion of boys to girls is roughly equal in primary and secondary levels of education, it is pretty bad at higher levels of education (around 72 per cent at the tertiary level). Concentrat-ing on the 72 per cent figure is fine, but this is rear-window economics. Look at Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report and you find that the proportion of girls getting schooled is rising steadily — these are tomorrow’s graduates, GDP and urbanisation willing (why would a woman, or a man for that matter, want to be a graduate if s/he is going to remain in a village with few job opportunities?). India has a long way to go, and various systems are in a mess, whether in public healthcare or education. But let’s not be so hard on ourselves by applying first-world standards to third- or second-world incomes. Indian Express

Can an economy really be growing at 9 per cent a year for so long if a fourth of its men are anaemic (56 per cent for women), 28 per cent have a body mass index that’s below normal (33 per cent for women) and 45 per cent of children under the age of three are stunted?

Our Dark SideI had wanted this editorial to be about the success of our South Asian commu-

nity in the technical sphere. During a visit to Europe for a technical conference, I was impressed with the presence of our engineers and scientists as they made presentations on complex projects. There is, of course, a large community of professionals from our part of the world in the English-speaking regions of North America and UK. But our people have made significant impact on the technical contributions being made in European countries such as Norway, Germany and even Italy, despite the language barriers. When India was more closely associated with USSR during the Nehru and Indira Gandhi eras, a large number of Indians learned Russian, and now, there are Indian professional communities in Russia and Eastern Europe as well.

Instead of discussing our ability to traverse the world in search of economic opportunities, we must address our dark side with the tragic killing of three young children in Houston as part of a domestic abuse incident (read story on page 21). Details about the incident are still emerging , but we know enough to realize that domestic abuse is a significant issue in our South Asian com-munity. According to agencies, such as Daya Houston, domestic violence is occurring across all ethnic communities and economic classes. We must combat this problem on a personal, community and regional levels. As a part of this effort, I would like urge you to support Daya’s One Voice 2010 against Dometic Violence as part of the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in association with the Houston Police Department. Please join Daya volun-teers in in forming a human chain and spreading the message of violence-free homes. This event is taking place Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 12-1pm at the Hillcroft Shopping Plaza.

Pramod Kulkarni

Taking the First Step in KashmirOnce a much-needed, logical step is taken, it sometimes seems obvious,

even too obvious. For many following the 39-member all-party delegation from Delhi visiting violence-wracked Jammu and Kashmir over the last two days, the ‘obvious’ step taken by many members of the delegation of going that extra mile to meet separatist leaders in the Valley may not have amounted to much.

But for those who know that a ‘big picture’ solution comprises incremental yet paradigm-shifting steps, Monday’s interaction between mainstream na-tional leaders and those in the Valley — including separatists such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik — is a gesture rife with possibilities of forward movement. By itself, this is a momentous event. By itself, it’s also, however, just the start before any beginning.

Hindustan Times

Afghanistan Not Getting BetterLast weekend’s parliamentary elections in Afghanistan saw commendable

turnouts with ordinary Afghans braving threats from the Taliban to exercise their franchise. Disappointingly though, allegations of fraud have been rife. Coming after last year’s less-than-perfect Afghan presidential elections, it bodes ill for the country’s nascent democracy and does little to inspire confidence in the stability of the country. The future of Afghanistan looks anything but simple. Frustration is building up and plans for an early US exit strategy are doing the rounds. The current surge in American troops in Afghanistan needs time to bear

fruit, but meanwhile the Obama administration is facing flak at home. Alternative scenarios being floated are not at all satisfactory, but it’s doubtful whether the administration has the nerve to stay the course. The alternative plan that seems to be gaining support is one that hands over de facto control of Pashtun-dominated south and east Afghanistan to the Taliban with Pakistan as the guarantor. This would also see an end to the US combat mission in Afghanistan and the relocation of a few thousand American troops to the non-Pashtun north and western parts of that country. Times of India



HOUSTON: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (World Hindu Council of America) expressed deep concern to those who suffered as a result of a gruesome attack on Hindus in Deganga, located in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, near Bangladesh. The attack on Hindus began on the

evening of September 6. An Islamist mob armed with swords and daggers and hurling bombs resorted to arson and violence on the Hindu localities of the Bangladesh bordering, Muslim majority district of the state of West Bengal. This mob-attack continued throughout the night and into the next morning. Army was finally deployed to

control this rioting mob when the District police, Rapid Action Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force all failed to

VHP of America Condemns Attack on Hindus in West Bengalstop the Islamist mob violence. Even after the deployment of army

and promulgation of prohibitory orders Islamist violence continued unabated in the interior villages of this Bangladesh-bordering Muslim majority area. It is reported that recent massive

infiltration and illegal migration from Bangladesh has created these Muslim majority bordering districts in India. The violence finally subsided on

September 9, after hundreds of Hindu business establishments and residences were looted, destroyed and burnt, dozens of Hindus were severely injured and several Hindu temples were desecrated and vandalized by the Islamist mobs. It has been reported by reliable

sources, from the area, that these mobs were led by recently elected

local Member of Parliament, Haji Nurul Islam. In addition, some Muslim leaders

had threatened the rape of Hindu Women in the area if they continue to live in Deganga. According to the VHPA this

process of ethnic cleansing of the Hindus in West Bengal, is along the same lines as the one perpetrated in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s, and cannot be tolerated. The civilized world in general and US in particular must take cognizance of this dynamic caused by unnatural change in demographics.The VHPA is saddened and

disappointed by the inability of the Government of India and West-Bengal in protecting the places of worship, life and property of the nation’s citizens.

By Shveta & upendra BhattHOUSTON: The Arya Samaj of

Greater Houston (ASGH) celebrated its 19th anniversary of its Foundation day recently on September 12. Initiat-ing the day’s proceedings, Acharya Sridhar ji reminded the audience of Arya Samaj’s goals of spread-ing peace and spiritual harmony in the communities of its pres-ence.

He praised the vision and efforts of the late Ram Chand Mahajan who led the forma-tion of Arya Samaj in the city, providing the impetus for shaping a leading insti-tution not only in the field of spiritual activity but also a home of one of the lead-ing Montessori and Sanskriti (cultural education) schools.

Acharyaji also spoke of our duty and responsibility to uphold the peace and security of our adopted country, USA, since it is the land of our karma (actions and deeds) just as we would do for our motherland, India. Acha-ryaji subsequently led the gathering for the ceremonial havan which con-cluded with a prayer for peace and tranquility for all.

After the havan, Dev Mahajan, Chair of the Managing Committee, recollected the journey of the ASGH institution from its very humble begin-ning in 1991 at its original premises on 1712 Highway 6 South, graciously provided by Rita and Sunil Mehta, to its current location at 14375 Schiller

Arya Samaj of Greater Houston Celebrates its Foundation DayRoad, where it has a sprawling cam-pus comprising of the meditation & Satsang hall, library, an external yajya shala and the increasingly popular DAV Montessori school. Mahajan stated that it is due to the persever-ance of the various volunteers and members during the initial years that the Samaj has emerged as a success-

ful organization which nurtures and aids people across the various wakes of life.

In his presentation, Mahajan shared the highlights of the various programs being run by the Samaj and requested the members to participate whole-heartedly in the same. Some of the notable community service programs include:

1. Annual Read-a-thon for raising donations for Jeevan Prabhat Pondi-cherry – an institution in Pondich-erry supporting children orphaned by 2004 Tsunami

2. Support and donations raised for 15 Bhutanese families from Nepal who were granted asylum in the USA

3. Sponsorship and support for the Mahatma Gandhi Library and its cel-ebrations of Mahatma Gandhi week and the 1000 Lights for Peace march in the city of Houston every year.

His presentation also included a video recording of the 10th anniver-sary celebrations of DAV Montessori School held in May earlier this year.

The video showcased the amazing talent and cultural versatility amongst the tod-dlers and various students of the school and clearly demonstrated the school’s holistic curriculum.

Mahajan’s presentation was followed by a series of devotional songs sung by the students of various grades from the Montes-

sori and Sanskriti schools under the able guidance of Acharya Praveen ji and the music teacher, Smriti Srivas-tava. The devotional songs sung with melody within the environs of the Satsang hall held the audience in a bind and truly created a blissful en-vironment for the old and the young. The session ended with aarti and a prayer for peace and harmony.

Through the celebrations of the Foundation day, a heartfelt grati-tude was expressed by the ASGH members to its founder, the late Ram Chand Mahajan. It is to his passion and devotion that the members owe an institution that is helping spread the religious, cultural and moral val-ues of the Hindu community.

The youth at Arya Samaj participate in devotionals


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


19 Indo American News • Friday, September 24 , 2010ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com society

DALLAS: The Indian American Community of Dallas/Fort Worth gathered in large numbers to support Nikki Randhawa Haley for Governor of South Carolina at a gala fundraising luncheon reception held on Sunday, Sept. 19 at FunAsiA Banquet Hall in Richardson.

Piyush Patel, Vice-President of the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC), wel-comed the gathering and mentioned that it is proud to see Nikki Haley on the cover page of the News Week recently as the new face of the South and wished all the best with her campaign.

While introducing Haley, Prasad Thotakura, Texas State Coordinator-IAFC, said that, after graduating from Clemson University with a B.S. in Accounting, she worked as an Account-ing Supervisor at FCR inc., and five of its sub-sidiaries. Actually, her first job at the age 13 was to keep the books of her family’s small clothing businesses which she eventually helped grow it into a multi-million dollar enterprise.

Nikki was first elected as a State Represen-tative of South Carolina in 2004 beating the longest serving State legislator, as the strongest fiscal conservative she got reelected in 2006 and sent to back to the State House in 2008 with more than 83% of the vote the highest percentage of votes earned by any lawmaker in that year in South Carolina.

Thotakura expressed his full confidence of her being elected as Governor of South Carolina

IAC Dallas/Fort Worth Shows Strong Support for Nikki Haley

because of her credible track record in public service. As a State Legislator, she has fought for accountability and transparency, fought for wasteful spending at every turn, reputed as one of the most honest, hard working and fiscally conservative legislators in the State; displayed her leadership skills in fighting back on false allegations on her with inner strength, resolve, resilience and family support; endorsed by Who’s Who of the Republican Party and

already holding a double digit lead over Demo-cratic opponent.

Nikki Haley while addressing the gathering appreciated the Dallas Indian American com-munity for their wonderful support for her campaign all way along and this is her third time of coming to Dallas and will be back as Governor one more time just to thank the com-munity for their unconditional support. Haley said that she is very proud of her rich Indian

IAFC Board members with Nikki Haley from (L-R) - Dr. C.R. Rao, Dr. Niranjan Tripathy, Taiyab Kundawala, Prasad Thotakura, Nikki Haley, Piyush Patel, Rao Kalvala and Dr. Sat Gupta.

cultural heritage and a lot of respect for the first generation of Indian Americans like her parents who did sacrifice a lot for the well being of the next generation.

“As a Governor of South Carolina, I want to create and keep more jobs in South Carolina, I do encourage small and mid level businesses to prosper and know exactly what it takes to move them to the next level, I have an unwavering commitment to Tax-payers bottom-line, I have a thorough knowledge of present economic conditions and focus on future to help the next generation and the senior citizens”, said Nikki Haley, gubernatorial candidate of South Caro-lina.

Rao Kalvala, IAFC Board of Director, mod-erated Q& A interactive session with Nikki Haley.

A group of Indian American youth Sneha Chebrolu, Sushmi Shetty, representatives of Ecoppell Suraj Kalvala, Eesh Shetty and Aash-ish Arrey welcomed Nikki Haley with a bou-quet of flowers. Prasad Thotakura pledged a donation of $250 from IAFC for the ECoppell project to bring environmental awareness to the local citizens.

Taiyab Kundawala, Secretary of IAFC thanked all attendees, Nikki Haley and her staff for taking time to visit Dallas and FunAsiA for providing beautiful banquet facility and the sumptuous lunch.

By Jawahar MalhotraHOUSTON: In nearly a week’s time it will

be curtain call for the 2010 Fundraising Gala for the Indo American Charity Foundation. The highlight of its annual activities, the Gala, to be held on Friday, October 1 at the New Stafford Civic Centre on Cash Road, will crystallize the efforts of a Board of Directors to raise funds for the charitable causes that the IACF supports.The event promises to be different from

other Galas held by the desi community with a flashy entertainment program, instant framed photographs of couples, numerous silent auction and live auction items and dancing for an expected 600 guests. By persuading the cream of the desi crop to open their hearts and wallets to those who are less fortunate, this year’s Gala hopes to net much more than last year’s, even in a down economy.This optimism speaks to the efforts of the

current Board under the helm of President Bobby Singh to meld together different personalities harmoniously in consensus building decisions. “This Board represents a strong cross-section of our community, both geographically and ethnically,” said Singh, “and we have all worked hard to spread the message of the Foundation.”The approach taken this year also heralds a

At the Crossroads, the Indo American Charity Foundation Aims Higher

maturity in the role that the IACF intends to play and the way it will react in the future. Since its inception in 1988, the Foundation has held onto an all too familiar formula to raise its profile: a walkathon in the Spring and a Gala in the Fall, interspersed with donations throughout the year, including a well-established Scholarships event.But, this year, the Foundation has started to

brand itself, marked by the “I am Charity’s Friend” campaign of ads (a play on the IACF acronym) that it has featured to bring attention to its main objective of helping other charities. The Foundation has held numerous mixers across the city, including one for mainstream charities that it supports, for their help in spreading its message. “We have given out millions of dollars,” said Singh at one event,

Members of the IACF Board with executives from Houston area charities at a recent mixer on the westside at Isla Ixtapa restaurant.

“since our inception, and we want you to know that you can count on the Indo-American community to play its part in helping in this city that we call our home.”And that is the essential difference between

the Foundation and many of the other Indo-American charities in the city. The Foundation recognizes its place in the spectrum of people that live in Houston who want to show that they care and belong to it. “We want to show that we – the Indo-American community – can make a difference,” said Singh, “that our compassion, understanding and dedication can contribute to a better world for all of us.”Such efforts signal a maturity in the mission

of the Foundation as well as change in the way that it intends to market itself in the future not only in raising money but also in how it will fan out into the mainstream to signal its clout as a philanthropic player. Next year, under the 2011 President Anu Bala, the Foundation will hope to implement new plans to reach out and make a difference – desi style – in someone’s life in the Bayou City.

The IACF can be reached at www.iacfhouston.org or by calling President Bobby Singh at 8322-766-0680 or President-elect Anu Bala at 832-865-6222.



Radhanath Swami to Visit HoustonIn the summer of 1970, Richard

Slavin, a 19-year-old spiritual seeker from Chicago, was meditating in a re-mote cave on the island of Crete when he heard an inner voice, “Go to India.” Six months later, Richie stood in front of the Hussainiwala Pakistan-India border crossing. Even though he had almost no money, he had hitchhiked, walked and begged his way through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his new book, Jour-ney Home: Autobiography of an American Swami, Radhanath Swami describes an unexpected obstacle to his quest.

I longed for India... My heart and soul was already with the yogis in their mountaintop ashrams. Now, a step from my goal, I stood waiting before the border guard, who gripped my passport to India in her bureau-cratic hand. She looked up after some minutes of scrutinizing it, her face expressionless. “Show me how much money you have.”

As I reached nervously into my cloth bag, she leaned forward in her chair. There were only a few coins to her.

Disgust crept across her face. “You require two hundred dollars mini-mum to enter. You cannot enter... Go back to your own country.” She glared at me. “We have beggars enough. We don’t want another one. You will not enter India. You are rejected. Now go back to where you came from.”

As the sun was setting, I observed that a shift was about to take place at the immigration desk. An elderly man had come to relieve the woman from her duty.

Not knowing what else to do, I meekly approached the new offi-cer, praying in my heart of hearts. I handed him my passport and pleaded, “Please allow me entrance into your great country.”

His voice was cold and disinter-ested. “ I was warned that you are a nuisance. Now show me sufficient money or go back.”

Tears sprang from my eyes as I explained my life and my spiritual aspirations. “I have left behind the comforts of America to search for India’s spiritual treasures. Risking my life, I’ve hitchhiked all the way from London to reach your homeland. I yearn to find the way to God. Please

be kind to me. Someday, I promise, to do something good for the people of India... Please give me a chance.”

Tears filled his eyes. “Give me your passport. Sometimes a man must follow his heart. I believe in your words.” With a thump he stamped my legal entrance into India.

“It is done,” he said. “Son, I give you my blessings. May you find the truth you are crying for. Welcome to India.”

Radhanath Swami has sincerely attempted to fulfill his promise to help the people of India. Today, he is in charge of Mumbai’s Radha-Gopi-nath temple, and he guides thousands of disciples in India as well as many in England, America, Russia and other countries. His disciples in Mumbai provide free meals for approximately 150,000 slum children daily and they teach weekly spiritual programs in the local colleges and universities. Radhanath Swami also oversees Mumbai’s Bhaktivedanta Hospital, charitable eye camps in Varshana, a spiritual hospice in Vrindavan, a vegetarian farm and gosala in Ma-harastra, and a bhakti yoga center in Manhattan, New York. Although he had to beg to enter India about forty years ago, he was recently honored at a personal meeting with the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil, in the

presidential house in New Delhi.According to B.K.S. Iyengar,

founder of Iyengar Yoga, the swa-mi’s new autobiography is “A stun-ning story worth reading. Radhanath Swami’s journey from the external to the internal world is awe-inspir-ing. His determination as an ardent seeker of truth is clear, for at last he savored seeing the soul face-to-face. The Journey Home is the story of a seeker who became a seer. May many be inspired to experience what he has experienced.”

Radhanath Swami is scheduled to make a rare visit to Houston - his first in seven years - beginning Thursday, September 30 through Sunday, Octo-ber 3. He will speak on Saturday, Oc-tober 2 at 6:30 p.m. on “The Hidden Treasures of India” at India House, 8888 West Bellfort. The program will include a free vegetarian dinner.

He will also speak at several Hous-ton yoga centers and will conclude his stay in Houston with a discourse on Sunday October 3, “Journey to Ecstatic Love” at the Hare Krishna Temple, 1320 West 34 Street, begin-ning at 5:30 p.m. The program in-cludes cultural entertainment, book-signing and a free vegetarian feast. For information on all of Radhanath Swami’s programs or to get a copy of his book, call 281-704-5209.

society

Special Tribute Show on Sangeet Radio for Mahatma Gandhi Week

HOUSTON: Sangeet Radio, Houston’s largest South Asian Ra-dio Network, in collaboration with Mahatma Gandhi Library, Inc. will celebrate “1000 Lights for Peace,” and an event honoring Mahatma Gandhi. A production of Rajput Media Services, Sangeet Radio is a proud partner organization for “1000 Lights for Peace,” a project that seeks to create a higher aware-ness of the inspiring life and work of Mahatma Gandhi.

Sangeet Radio will celebrate Ma-hatma Gandhi Week during the week of September 27, during its weekday radio broadcast Monday through Friday on 1460 AM, and during its weekend broadcast Sat-urday and Sunday on 1480 AM. Houston’s #1 Desi Hit Music Sta-tion has extended a special invita-tion to distinguished guests: Honor-able Consul General of India, Mr. Sanjiv Arora; “Mattress Mack” Jim McIngvale of Gallery Furniture; and Harris County Judge Ed Em-mett for live, in-studio interviews. The guests will discuss their impor-tant roles in the “1000 Lights for Peace” event and its significance to Houston, as well as share special

messages about Gandhi’s legacy and his influence on the world. Ad-ditionally, Sangeet Radio will host a special tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on Saturday, October 2, on 1480 AM from 3 pm to 4 pm. Listeners are encouraged to call during the special weekend show tribute that day at 713-777-1480.

“Sangeet Radio is honored to be a partner organization for an event like ‘1000 Lights for Peace,’” said founder and CEO of Rajput Media Services and Sangeet Radio, Mr. Saeed Gaddi. “We encourage the entire city to come and honor the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, who is an iconic figure for the practice of non-violence, truth and peace. This special event celebrates his dedication and contributions to the world.”

“1000 Lights for Peace” will be held Sunday, October 3, at 5 pm at the Miller Outdoor Theater. The event will begin with a Walk for Peace at 3:30 pm in Hermann Park, followed by international entertain-ment and tributes. The event also features “light a candle for peace,” which is a pledge to observe peace in one’s own life.

Thiagarajar Alumni Awards T Kannan

T. Kannan receiving plaque from Sam Kannappan with Sudha JeyamKarumuttu T. Kannan met with alumni of Thiagarajar College of Arts and Engineering, Madurai on September 19th at Sri Meenakshi Temple. On behalf of the Alumni, Sam Kannappan presented T. Kannan with a plaque reading “Thank you for your service to further the cause of education”



Tragic End to Battle Over 3 KidsFather charged with killing his children as they slept, fearing loss of visitation rights

By paige hewitthewitthHOUSTON (Chronicle): A 47-

year-old father worried that he would never see his three children again was charged in their deaths on Sunday, accused of fatally shooting his son and two daughters as they slept in his north Harris County apartment.

Mohammad Goher then turned the gun on himself, firing into his mouth. Authorities found him unconscious and transported him in stable condi-tion to Ben Taub General Hospital. He was charged with capital murder.

Goher had threatened to kill or hurt himself if he lost visitation, said Houston attorney Syed Izfar, who was appointed by a court to represent Goher’s three children in a Sept. 24 divorce mediation.

“By all appearances, this was a man who loved his children. What a nightmare,” said Izfar, who planned to recommend standard visitation in the case. “He had it in his mind that the children would be taken away from him forever.”

While there was a history of vio-lence against the mother — including a 2006 conviction against Goher for beating her — Izfar said he was un-aware of the father ever harming 14-year-old Saeedah, 12-year-old Saeed or 7-year-old Aisha.

“I have documents of everything, all the abuse, and I showed it to everyone, but no one believed me, and they still made me send my kids to him every weekend,” Norma Martinez said in a statement read by Tayseir Mahmoud, a board member at An-Nisa Hope Center, a nonprofit that operates a shelter for battered women.

“She’s been married to this man for 15 years, and she’s gone through a lot of domestic abuse,” Mahmoud said of Martinez, who was too distraught to speak publicly. “Since three years ago, she’s been trying to tell people her story and raise awareness of what’s gong on and nobody really took her seriously.”

Mohammad Goher, charged with capital murder in the deaths of his three kids is being treated at Ben Taub General Hospital.

In May 2006, Goher was convicted of assault of a family member and placed on deferred adjudication, dis-trict attorney’s spokesman George Flynn said. Official records indicate Goher, who was intoxicated, beat

his wife with his hands and fists, leaving her bruised and injuring her right hand.

In 2008, Goher took the children to stay with relatives in Pakistan and refused to tell his wife where they were, said Christina Diaz, the vice president of operations for An-Nisa. Diaz said Martinez, who’s Hispanic, sought help from the FBI, consulates and embassies. She finally reunited with the children about six months ago after An-Nisa volunteers helped her locate them in Pakistan.

The family had lived together in a tiny apartment adjacent to a worn-down convenience store where Go-her worked in the 13000 block of Homestead until divorce proceedings began last year.

Since then, the children typically visited Goher on weekends and lived with their mother at a north Harris County shelter for battered women, said Harris County Sheriff’s Of-said Harris County Sheriff’s Of-said Harris County Sheriff’s Office homicide investigator Sgt. Ben Beall.

The night before the killings, Goher called co-worker Muhommad Riaz distraught that he would lose all cus-tody rights at the coming mediation

and never see his children.“He was very stressed,” said Riaz,

who was stunned to learn of the kill-ings when he reported to work Sun-day afternoon. “We talked for an hour. He said, ‘Everybody is lying and say-ing I’m a bad guy,’ “ Riaz said.

Around 9 a.m. Sunday, while the children and an older family friend visiting from Pakistan were sleeping, Goher got out a handgun, authorities said. Beall said he shot one of his girls sleeping in a bedroom and shot his other daughter and son sleeping in a king-size bed in a front room. He then crawled onto the bed and shot himself, Beall said.

The gunfire woke the family friend, who speaks little English. She saw the bloodied bodies and ran outside for help.

Neighbor Julio Rodriguez was cut-ting his grass across the street when another neighbor whistled at him loudly, alerting him to the scene.

He looked over at the store and saw a woman in the store parking lot, frantically waving her arms in the air and screaming loudly.

“She was hysterical,” Rodriguez said. “I heard her screaming, ‘Gun! Gun! Shoot! Shoot!’ I got scared because I knew there were kids in there.” Rodriguez then called 911, and patrolmen arrived moments later to find the children dead.

Harris County homicide detectives went to the shelter Sunday afternoon to tell the mother her three children had been killed. She was inconsol-able, Beall said. Neighbors who fre-quented the store knew little about the family, saying the children were extremely quiet and spent most time indoors.

“We would never see them outside or playing like normal kids,” said 14-year-old Mercedes Sanchez, who attended middle school with one of the girls. Attorney Ifzar recalled the children as normal and happy but struggling with the divorce. “They wanted their parents to stay together,” he said.

HOUSTON: Indo-American Political Action Committee of Greater Houston (IAPAC) hosted a luncheon for the heads of several Indo American organizations & IAPAC Board Members with Harris County Judge, Hon Ed Emmett on Sunday September 19, 2010. About 20 Indo American community leaders attended this unique and informal meeting, which was one of many similar interactive meetings with elected officials organized by IAPAC through the year called I-Luncheon Series standing for IAPAC Luncheon Series. Commencing the luncheon,

immediate Past President of IAPAC, Gitesh Desai welcomed the judge and requested each of the visiting community leaders to introduce themselves both by the organization they represented and talk briefly about their profession.

Judge Emmett started his informal discussions commending IAPAC on the role it played and provided some suggestions on it’s operations that can help it better represent the interests of Indo Americans. He talked about his close association with India and its food.Judge Emmett talked about the

emergency Response System in place in Harris County, which is working 24/7 to deal with any kind of emergency. He talked about Transtar and the state of the art infrastructure available to respond to issues Real Time.Responding to a query on Metro

Rail, Judge Emmett provided his comments on the route and felt Metro Rail and the critical role it plays in the Houston of tomorrow.He stated the options for the future

use of the Astrodome was up in the air and various options are being

explored.On how IAPAC could assist

him, the Judge mentioned one of the ways was to recommend Indo American talent for various Boards/ Commissions. He was informed of the role IAPAC played with the City of Houston in recommending Indo Americans to various Board/ Commission in the city. The Judge stated that he will be happy to have a similar referral for Harris County by IAPAC.In closing, the Judge thanked

IAPAC for organizing the luncheon and requested that such a luncheon be organized on a regular basis.Closing the event, the co-chair for

the event IAPAC Board Member. Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala thanked the Judge for joining the Indo American Community for the I-Luncheon and thanked the guests for participating in the I-Luncheon Series.

Judge Ed Emmett Stresses the Long Relationship between Harris County, India & Indo Americans


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

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