Voice of Asia April 18 2014

VOICE OF ASIA 1 FRIDAY, April 18, 2014

Vol. 27 No. 16 Friday, April 18, 2014 Published Weekly from Houston 713-774-5140 28 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: [email protected] 25 years of dedicated service to the community

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BetaGlide, a mobile tools startup from IIT Kharagpur and a win-

ner of TiE International Busi-ness Plan Competition (TIB-PC), won $1 million at the Rice Business Plan Competition in Houston on April 12, 2014. BetaGlide was the recipient of the Mercury Fund Technology Transfer Investment prize at RBPC. This was the culmi-nation of an amazing journey for BetaGlide that began from the IIT Kharagpur incubator TLabs, won the business plan competition at TiE Kolkata earlier this year, and as a result competed in the Asia final of the TIPBC at TiE Delhi; won the student track of Asia finals and thus becoming TiE Glob-

TiE Mentored Company Wins $1 million at Rice

Business Plan Competition

al‘s entry at the RBPC. Historically, teams from In-

dia placed near the bottom at the RPBC, the world’s richest and most competitive student business plan competition. A total of 42 graduate student based teams, carefully selected from a large number of entries from across the world, com-pete for over $1.6 million in prizes. “It was a dream come true for me to see a team from India win the largest award in the history of the RBPC.

The Charter member com-munity of TiE Global and TiE Houston is proud to have played a part in setting this young startup on a path to suc-cess.”, said Ashok Rao, Chair-man of TiE Global, who also happens to be a Trustee of the Jones School of Business at Rice University. Ashok Rao was the force behind the cre-ation of the TiE International Business Plan Competition and the partnership with the RBPC. This is the third year of the partnership between RBPC and TiE Global and teams from India have shown steady improvement each year. “We are delighted to partner with TiE. TiE brings a lot of value to the RBPC by bringing the best of Asia and Europe to Rice for the world’s richest student busi-ness plan competition”, said Brad Burke, Managing Di-rector of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entre-preneurship.

“Success has a thousand parents. There are so many in TiE who contribute to the success of the contestants at the TIBPC and beyond. Beta-

Glide’s achievement is truly the acknowledgement of our strength as a global commu-nity focused on giving back”, according to PK Agarwal, CEO, TiE Global. “We are grateful for all the mentoring and coaching from the Char-ter members of TiE Houston, TiE Kolkata and TiE Delhi without which this would not have been possible”, said Amritanshu Anand and An-shul Singhle, the co-founders of BetaGlide.

BetaGlide is an issue ana-lytics and user management platform for mobile app developers that helps cre-ate better and more efficient apps. (http://www.betaglide.com).

Mercury Fund Technology Transfer Investment Prize encourages the commercial-ization of university technol-ogies. (http://www.mercury-fund.com)

TiE is a global network of successful entrepreneurs with presence in 61 cities in 18 countries that focuses on startup success through men-toring, education, network-ing, incubation, and funding. TiE Kolkata, TiE Delhi and TiE Houston contributed to the success of BetaGlide. (http://www.tie.org).

Rice Business Plan Compe-tition is the world’s richest and largest graduate-level student startup competition, hosted and organized by the Rice Al-liance for Technology and En-trepreneurship, which is Rice University’s flagship initia-tive devoted to the support of entrepreneurship. (http://alli-ance.rice.edu/rbpc.aspx )

The excitement in the Wortham Center was palpable. The

audience was in for an ex-traordinary experience that far surpassed their expecta-tions. The curtain opened upon a stunningly beautiful silhouette of Vishnu, with the voice of the narrator (Rathna Kumar) explaining the rea-son for the avatars. It was continuous and seamless sto-ry-telling, through dance and drama, of the Ten Avatars of Vishnu, presented in a short one and half hours, with each story acted out by various characters and linked to the next by three groups of danc-ers who were the Sutradharis (Chorus), summing up the

Dashavatar – A Magnificent Presentation From Samksriti

BetaGlide team the winners $1 million with TiE Houston President Aruna Viswanathan (far rt.).

Continued on Page 5Dr. Rathna Kumar (center right) with artists of Dashavtar at the Wortham Center, Houston. Photo credit: Navin Mediwala.

IDC hosts 33rd. Annual gala, donates to ID Charity Clinic and Medical Students

Uttam Tripathy, MD, President, Indian Doctors Association (left) presented a check to Dr. KT Shah of Indian Doctors Charity Clinic at the IDA gala.

by Shobana MurateeHOUSTON - An impressive

gathering of Houston’s very best physicians was witnessed at the Indian Doctors Associa-tion’s (IDA), 33rd Annual Gala held on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at the Westin Oaks Gal-leria here in Houston.

Guest of Honor Dr. Elizabeth Torres, President HCMS ap-plauded the IDA for its over-whelming strength of 100,000 members. She was introduced by Dr. Subodh Buchar, Master of Ceremonies. Addressing the gathering of over 700 guests, Dr. Torres said, “At the Harris County Medical Society we certainly understand the diver-

BCM student receives scholarship certificate from Dr. Kalpalatha Guntapally and Dr. Uttam Tripathy at the IDA gala

Continued on Page 8


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HOUSTON (12th April, 2014) - The purpose of human life is self-real-

ization through God realization. Just like to learn everything else in our lives, we need a teacher, the same way we need a spiritu-al mater to realize God. Above thoughts were expressed by Rev. Arun Ahluwalia Ji who is

Purpose of Human Life and Human Values

the General Secretary of SNM, USA during his Houston visit. Quoting extensively from scrip-tures he said, “ Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Ma-heshwarah, Gurur Saakshaat para- Brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruve Nahah.” In short this means that “a True Master him-self is the Supreme God”. He also quoted from Shri Bhagvad Geeta and said God is an entity

that is described as- “nainam chindanti sastrani , nainam da-hati pavakah , na chainam kle-dayanty apo , na sosayati maru-tah”

Rev Arun Ahluwalia Ji in his discourse further said that a spider builds a web around him and ultimately dies in it. Similarly man works for his own family and children all his life and ultimately leaves

this world. So what is the dif-ference between a spider and a man? He said the biggest dif-ference is that man can realize his creator, God. All our scrip-tures have talked about God as an entity which is indestruc-tible, omnipresent, omnipotent or Almighty. In the program the topic of discussion was “Purpose of Human Life and Human values”. This was two-hour session that began at 5:30 PM. Spiritual speeches and songs were part of this pro-gram. The young children sang the song “You are one I can count on…. I believe in you”.

Invited speaker Mr. Sha-hid Ahmed from Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in his speech explained the origin of Ahmadiyya community in In-dia and said the true purpose of human life is to know God through worship and through devotion. He also said the highest capacity of a man is to be one with God. Another in-vited speaker Rev. Bob, who represented Family Federation of World Peace, read some part of earlier speech of Father Moon’s message to America.

Rev. Parveen Ahluwalia Ji, wife of Rev Arun Ji, said we keep changing our targets as we grow from our childhood to youth and to our elderly age

but moving targets cannot be purpose of our lives. She gave an example of Swami Viveka-nand, a great Hindu scholar, when he was coming to USA by ship asked a fellow passen-ger as why he is going to USA. The young man replied he is going there for higher educa-tion. Swami Ji asked him again what you will do after that. The young man said he will find a good job and then get married. Swami Ji kept asking him what he will do then. After answer-ing these repeated questions, the young man said eventually he will die. Swami Ji said you are doing all this hard work just to die. He explained to young man that there is greater pur-pose of human life and that is to realize God in our life time and be one with Him.

There were two programs on Saturday, April 11, 2014. The first program was on “Stress Management and Youth De-velopment in the presence of Rev. Arun Ahluwalia Ji”. In this hour long program that began at 4:00 PM, an audience of about 60 people including young college and high school students participated. The au-dience was asked to explain the causes of stress in their lives and how do they handle it. Some students and adults

came forward and expressed their opinion. In the gist, Rev Arun Ahluwalia Ji said stress begins at a very early age in human life. If you take away a toy from a child he will start crying as he is stressed about not having it anymore. Stress is normal reaction of our body in response to things that do not go our way. Stress can be man-aged if we exercise, care oth-ers, share things with one oth-er, manage time well, and most importantly to have that feel-ing of letting it go when things don’t go our way. He said we will understand the guiding principal of “letting it go” if we understand the purpose of our lives. With the realization of God, the fear of unknown or self doubt goes away. God realization builds our faith that God will take care of all our needs and it lifts all our stress. This meeting was coordinated by sister Sheela Keswani Ji, member SNM, who always work tirelessly to bring about a change in young people’s day to day life.

Rev. Raj Bhala Ji, who is the in-charge of Houston Branch of SNM, in his address welcomed Rev Arun Ahluwalia Ji and all the attendees. He thanked the speakers and listeners for their participation in the program.

Rev Arun Ahluwalia Ji addressing the gathering.

A section of the gathering at the India House on Saturday, 12th April, 2014.


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ASIE, American Soci-ety of Indian Engi-neers (ASIE) is open

to Engineers of all disciplines, Architects, and all Engineering Technicians. For their yearly license renewal, the continu-ing education credit hours are required. In addition to many benefits to the members, ASIE organizes monthly seminars, for them to earn these credit hours and learn various techni-cal topics including an hour of

Professional Practice Update and Ethics credit is compulsory for all technical branches.

For the month of March, the Ethics seminar was organized by ASIE at the Mayuri Res-taurant, which was presented by Mr. Sockalingam “Sam” Kannappan. The delicious din-ner and interesting seminar of Professional Practice Update and Ethics was well attended by more than fifty professionals from all technical disciplines. Mr. Kannappan is a Profes-sional Licensed Engineer. He received his B.E. with Honors in Mechanical Engineering from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas, Aus-tin. He is the author of the text

book on “Introduction to Pipe Stress Analysis” and developer of Piping Analysis software “EZFLEX”. He works as a Senior Design Engineer with SNC-Lavalin Hydrocarbons & Chemicals, Houston. He is an appointed Board Member by Governor Perry for Texas Board of Professional Engineer. He is a Board Member of the Society of Piping Engineers & Designers and Advisory Board Member, Asia Society, Texas Center. He served as member of the American Society of Me-chanical Engineers Gas Pipeline Safety Research Committee, Defend Houston against Bio-terrorism. He has also served on the Texas On-Site Wastewa-ter Treatment Research Council from 2006 to 2011.

The goal for the inception of ASIE by senior members was to build the future for young en-gineers. Today, AISE has many young engineers and students, and the organization is being run by them efficiently under the continuous guidance of se-nior engineers. This year ASIE will be celebrating 20th anni-versary and grand event plan-ning is underway.

For the upcoming event, this month a Professional and Infor-mative Field Trip is scheduled to Sugar Land Water Treatment Plant, and “City of Houston’s Infrastructure Challenges” sem-inar will be presented by Mr. Daniel W. Krueger, P.E., Direc-tor of Public Works at City of Houston for the month of May at Hess Club.

Sam Kannappan presents “Ethics” seminar at ASIE

Left: Sam Kannappan, a speaker for the Ethics Seminar, receiving a plaque of appreciation from Ramesh Gunda, President of Gunda Corpora-tion and a current Corporate Member of ASIE (on the right), accompanied by Sekhar Ambadapudi, the current President of ASIE.


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USIPI Succeeds in Engaging Indians in Houston for Inclusive Development Policies for Minorities

HOUSTON - US India Policy Institute (USIPI)

dinner presentation on “Inclu-sive Development Strategies for Minorities - In the Decade Ahead” in Houston, Texas on April 5, 2014 was a success. With over 100 attendees at-tentively sitting in Mezban Banquet Hall, USIPI is mov-ing forward in garnering a strong support system of Indian Americans working to make a difference in India.

This is a crucial time in In-dia as the 2014 election to choose the nation’s next leader draws near. Within the next few weeks, India will face new changes. And as conscious In-dians residing in the United States, USIPI members believe that any change in India should be for the better. And with ev-ery change, Indian minorities should get a chance to move forward towards better educa-tional, employment and social success.

Dr. Maqbool Haq, an Oncolo-gist and the Chairman of Indian Muslim Association of Greater Houston began the event by re-marking, “As we speak, India is changing. We want to ensure that the development of mi-norities remain a priority.” The Houston gathering discussed the developmental priorities for Indian government in the next decade, and the role Indian Americans must play towards promoting these progressive policies for minorities.

Rasheed Ahmed, President of US India Policy Institute introduced the organization’s mission and emphasized that an active participation from the community is imperative for community development and nation building. Development can occur with research, and evidence based research and policy development requires institutions like policy institute and think tanks. Ahmed stated, “The role of the policy institute (USIPI) is independent of which party or ideology is the power in

any country including India.”The keynote presentation was

by USIPI’s Chief Scholar, Dr. AbuSaleh Shariff. Dr. Shariff was the well known Chief Econ-omist for The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). He also served as an Advisor to the India Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and was the Member Secretary in the Sachar Committee. The Sachar Committee was a team of experts brought together by Dr. Manmohan Singh to create a report on Muslim community in India and their educational, employment and social status. The Sachar Committee Report brought to light India’s largest minority’s struggles and lack of progress.

Explaining his work, Dr. Shariff said, “As a Human De-velopment Expert, my research and field work provided me a unique understanding of the conditions of all communi-ties and backgrounds in India.

I noticed over the decades that although other poor and marginalized were benefiting from Government policy and programs, but Muslims were falling behind all other com-munities. My involvement with the Sachar Committee Report provided me an opportunity to comprehensively study and establish this pattern. It is now generally accepted in policy circles that Muslims live in the poor and poorest households in some of the least developed areas in India. The findings of Sachar Committee and the subsequent research greatly help in me proposing policy recommendations that are most efficient and effective in nar-rowing the gaps between com-munities.”

As the event concluded, USIPI’s General Secretary At-taulla Khan remarked, “We are thankful to the organizers, Dr. Maqbool Haq, Latafath Hus-sain and Abbas Ali Khan and the guests for making the night

a huge success. Moreover, a special thanks to our volunteers who have diligently worked to ensure the success of this event.”

USIPI’s Chief Scholar, Dr. AbuSaleh Shariff delivering his keynote address.

A section of the guests who attended the USIPI presentation on April 5, 2014

sity of organization and that’s what’s makes us strong,” she said. “The unity between Indian Doctors Association and Harris County Medical Society I think, it’s a great coming together of association and collaboration” she said and urged more mem-bers to join the HCMS. “The HCMS is the largest county medical society in the nation, with more than 11,000 physi-cian and medical student mem-bers and represents 25% of the TMA,” she added.

Dr. Uttam Tripathy wel-comed the gathering and rec-ognized special guest AAPI President Dr. Jayesh Shah and members of APPI who were there to promote their upcom-ing Convention in San Antonio from June 25th to 29th, 2014. Dr. Tripathy spoke about the IDA, a non-profit organization founded in 1981 with goals of mentoring and educating, net-working and community ser-vice. “Our Charity saw more than 1500 patients last year, all free of cost,” Dr. Tripathy, told the guests and also mentioned that the proceeds of the gala would go towards the Indian Doctors Charity Clinic and to-wards medical school scholar-ships and community service. On the occasion Dr. Tripathy present a check of $10,000 to the Indian Doctors Charity Clinic which was received by Dr. KT Shah. Dr. Shah said that

the Charity Clinic was seeing 30-40 patients every Saturday and there was need for more volunteers and donations” One day’s income is good for a start or $100 today” he said. Dr. Tri-pathy also gave away scholar-ship of $2500 each to three out-standing medical students from Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Medical School and UTH.

The program began with a se-ries of dances by Rhythum and Beats and an enthralling pre-sentation of India regional folk dances by Shivangani School of Dance and Sunanda Nair’s Performing Arts. Dr. Adeebha Aktar presented a song and the spectacular performance by the Spanish group that danced to Indian Bollywood songs was the highlight of the entertain-ment segment. Aaron Aryanpur gave a delightful standup com-edy performance making the doctors the butt of his jokes. The program was superbly em-ceed by Dr. Bhuchar and Pooja Lodhia, news anchor of abc 13. A silent auction followed the comedy show and raffle and other prizes by sponsors were given away. A host of sponsors included Morgan Stanley rep-resented by Gary Iyer, BBVA Compass Bank, Kindred medi-cal Center, Key Surgical, St. Luke’s Hospital, Sugar Land, Encore Enterprises, and few others. Madras Pavlion catered the gala dinner.

IDC hosts 33rd. Annual gala, ....

Continued from Page 1

Dr. Uttam Tripathy with Dr. Elizabeth Torres, President HCMS


HOUSTON - The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and GIBV got together on Sun-day April 6th, 2014 for one of the first open interactive discussion supporting Shri Narendra Modi in the 2014 General Election. The “Chai Pe Charcha” event was

organized by Nitish Desai and moderated by the panel consisting of the media team of the OGBJP.

The panel members Aadit Kapadia, Pramod Buravalli, Sunanda Vashsisht and Nitish De-sai discussed various topics including defense policy, economic issues, NRI contributions, cultural issues and many more. Overall the event was very successful with an attendance of over 100 people in support of Shri Narendra Modi. The event was made possible by the sponsors Mr. Ishwar Desai and Mr. Hiten Modi and by a team of volunteers supervised by Neil Shah.

The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and GIBV got together on 6th April 2014 for one of the first open interactive discussion supporting Shri Naren-dra Modi in the 2014 General Election. The “Chai Pe Charcha”

The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and GIBV host interactive discussion supporting Shri Narendra Modi

Nitish Desai, Member of OFBJP.

Left to Right.: Pramod Buravalli, Sunanda Vashsisht, Aadit Kapadia, & Nitish Desai (Giving a speech to the audience supporting Shri Narendra Modi for the 2014 General Election).Left to Right: Neil Shah, Nitish Desai, Ishwar Desai, Aadit Kapadia.

Left to Right: Pramod Buravalli, Sunanda Vashsisht, Aadit Kapadia (Address-ing the audience and taking their questions, & Nitish Desai.


Supporters: Sugar Land City Council Member Harish Jajoo, Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen, Missouri City Council Member Floyd Emery, Constable Trever Nehls, MJ Khan, Stafford City Council Member Ken Mathew, Munir Ibrahim, Munira Panjwani, Mahesh Wadhwa, Haroon Shaikh, Nasrullah Khan, Ghulam Bombaywala, Mehmood Daya, Nizar Ali, Ramesh Anand, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Jagat Kamdar, Anil and Rathna Kumar, Naren Patel, Sonal and Dr. Subodh Bhuchar, Homi Davier, AVN Reddy, Ra-jasekhar Yalamanchili, Vijay Pallod, Ramesh Bhutada, Rishi Bhutada, Dinesh Shah, Vish Bhaskaran, Ashok Dhingra, George Willy, Thara Narasiman, Vale Subramani-yam, Shobana Muratee, Lachchman Das, Sanjay Rao, Gitesh Desai, Amee Patel, Nisha Mirani, Harshad Patel, KC Mehta, Ravi Arora, Lalit and Chtur Chinoy, Sunil Thak-kar, Deepak Bhatt, Mahendra Korivi, Jithendar Reddy, Prem Cholia, Devesh Pathak, Surinder Trehan, Rana Das Gupta, Hasu Patel, Sathish Marathe Rao, Suma and Krish-na Mudan, Thomas Abraham, Neeta Balsaver, Nat and Leela Krishna Murthy, Sita and Bhaskar Mutyala, Nik Nikam, Amey Prakash, Krishna Prasad, Ajit and Deepa Thakur, Nozer Bhuchia, Tanaz Choudhary, Koshy Thomas, Sashidharan Nair, Alpa and Ma-hesh Shah, Rajan, Jawahar Malhotra and Narayana Reddy Kudumula.

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Meet & Greet

Friends of Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala are organizing a Meet and Greet event

SUNDAY, April 27, 2014 • TIME: 3 - 5 pm.VENUE: Udipi Indian Restaurant, Sugar Land

Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala will share his vision, thoughts, and will also answer

any questions during this event

Please attend and invite your friends & family members

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LIFESTYLEVol. 27 No. 16 Friday, April 18, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

Israeli Jewish worshippers light candles as they perform a ceremony for Passover in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 14, 2014. ( - AFP/Getty Images)

Sex: When standing alone makes you stand outPARIS, (AFP) - Looking the

odd one out may seem like a recipe for mating disaster, but

it could make you more attractive to the opposite sex.

So said a study Wednesday which may also explain why fashions change.

Researchers in Australia used beards to test a theory that some features be-come more desirable when fewer peo-ple have them.

They showed women sets of pictures of men: clean-shaven, with stubble, or bearded, and had them rate the men’s attractiveness.

Men with beards scored better when they were surrounded by clean-shaved faces, and vice versa, the study found.

“In some cases, rarity in ornamen-tation can be advantageous,” said the paper, which may explain a puzzle of evolutionary science.

Under the theory of sexual selection, female animals choose mates with de-sirable features, which are often “ad-vertised” through adornments such as colourful tail feathers in peacocks.

Logically, these sought-after fea-tures should eventually dominate the

by Paavan MATHEMAKATHMANDU, April 14, 2014 (AFP)

- Hundreds of Jewish travellers in Kath-mandu attended what organisers claim was the world’s biggest Passover cel-ebration on Monday, as food supplies delayed for weeks due to a diplomats’ strike arrived just hours before the feast.

Chabad House Nepal, which organises the celebration every year, usually relies on the Israeli embassy to help import supplies for the meal to the impoverished Himalayan nation.

The Orthodox Jewish group has or-ganised the event for more than a decade, overcoming problems ranging from a ten-year Maoist insurgency to the recent strike by Israeli diplomats.

“We were prepared to organise the cel-ebration with or without the shipment, but we are very glad it has arrived,” said Rabbi Chezki Lifshitz, co-director of Chabad House Nepal.

Dozens of backpackers, many sporting dreadlocks and bandanas, lined up Mon-day evening to purchase $15 tickets for the feast, held at an upscale hotel, where tables decorated with balloons were set for 1,000 expected guests.

Organisers left a pile of traditional Jewish skullcaps or kippahs at the can-dle-lit entrance for male visitors to cover

Hundreds attend world’s big-gest Passover feast in Nepal

their heads.As guests filtered into the ballroom,

sipping wine or mint lemonade, hotel staff and Chabad volunteers worked fu-riously inside the crowded kitchen, un-packing boxes of brand-new cutlery and crockery, slicing and dicing tomatoes and onions, frying aubergines and roast-ing beef brisket.

In keeping with Jewish kosher dietary rules, volunteers spent the morning firing up blowtorches to remove all previous traces of food from the kitchen.

Supplies, stuck in the Indian port of Kolkata since last month, arrived Mon-day afternoon and included one tonne of unleavened bread, 2,000 bottles of wine, 3,000 pieces of gefilte fish (poached ground fish) and other traditional Jewish foods.

Lifshitz had earlier appealed to Israeli backpackers to bring food supplies with them to Kathmandu before diplomats ended their strike over salaries two weeks ago and returned to work.

“Every year we have a story to tell... but we find a way to come together, cel-ebrate and make the feast successful,” Lifshitz told AFP.

- ‘One big family’ -Passover is usually celebrated with

only close family, but 25 years ago the Israeli embassy invited Jewish visitors to Kathmandu to share in a meal, kicking off the annual tradition.

“There was no way I would have missed this,” said Shvut-Ami Ansbach-er, a 23-year-old Israeli student visiting Nepal.

“It feels like one big family,” she told AFP.

gene pool and less desirable variations weeded out -- but this is not the case.

Instead, genetic variations are per-petuated across generations specifical-ly because they give a survival edge with combinations of “good genes”, compared to the mainstream.

Scientists have long been baffled by the apparent contradiction, but now believe rarity of features, scientifically termed “negative frequency-dependent selection”, may explain some of it.

In guppies, fish which have the most unusual colour patterns have the most mating success -- and they also hap-pen to live the longest.

But how does it apply to humans?Past research has suggested that hair

colour variation spread through Eu-rope on the back of such “novelty” se-lection, and that men’s preference for brown hair increases when it is rare.

Other work has pointed to mens’ preferences for unfamiliar female fac-es that, to them, look exotic.

The new research builds on this, giv-ing a clearer idea of the value in being the odd one out.

It also highlights the advantages of being able to manipulate one’s look.

“If men tailored their grooming in order to be distinctive... that could confer an advantage to rare-beard styles that would decay as a style grew more popular,” said the study.

This could explain why fashions keep changing.

Novelty styles boost the chance of reproductive success because they stand out. Conformists then mimic these “influential early adopters”, which eventually leads to new rebels emerging in a cycle of change.

The paper, led by Barnaby Dixson of the University of New South Wales, was published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Yisroel New, a 24-year-old American student who flew to Kathmandu last week to help organise the feast, told AFP many travellers planned their visits to Nepal to coincide with the celebration.

“Many feel that this is an eye-opening experience for them to witness the ritual in its authenticity,” he said.

The celebration opened with a Pass-over song, followed by a prayer, after

which guests raised their glasses and sat down to enjoy the feast.

This year’s menu included roast chick-en and beef, pumpkin soup and a variety of salads with cucumber, tomatoes and olives.

For Passover, kosher laws forbid leav-ened and fermented grain products, in-cluding foods like bread and pasta.

The requirement for unleavened food dates back to the Exodus, when the Jews escaped Egypt with no time to let their breads rise. Instead, for Passover, Jews eat matzo, an unleavened bread.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jew places a leavened item on a fire in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak on April 14, 2014, before the start of the Jewish Passover holiday.


Friday, April 18, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

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W A S H -I N G T O N , (AFP) - US l a w m a k e r s want electron-ic cigarettes to be treated just like to-bacco prod-ucts when it comes to bar-ring the sales and market-ing of the controversial devices to children.

Senate and House Dem-ocrats said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency responsible for protecting public health in the United States, has the legislative authority it needs to step in.

The FDA is expected to issue regula-tions on e-cigarettes later this year, but whether or not an advertising ban or sales restrictions to youths will be in-cluded is unclear.

“Federal laws and regulations pro-hibit traditional cigarettes from being sold to persons younger than 18 years of age, distributed as free samples, ad-vertised on television and radio, and having characterizing candy and fruit flavors that appeal to children,” eleven lawmakers said in their report entitled “Gateway to Addiction?”

“There is no federal ban on the use of such tactics by e-cigarette manufactur-ers.”

E-cigarettes are battery-operated de-vices that deliver nicotine that is vapor-ized into an aerosol inhaled by the user.

The report found that of the nation’s nine manufacturers of e-cigarettes -- which are marketed under various names including vape pipes or e-hoo-kahs -- six sell flavors such as Cherry Crush or Chocolate Treat that could ap-peal to children.

Most also have provided free samples at hundreds of events, including youth-

oriented concerts, while seven of the companies broadcast TV or radio adver-tising.

One company, NJOY, advertised dur-ing the Super Bowl, one of the most-watched televised events in the United States.

Swift FDA action “is necessary to en-sure that e-cigarette manufacturers stop targeting kids,” Senator Dick Durbin, who spearheaded the restrictions push along with congressman Henry Wax-man, told reporters.

Waxman said the FDA should issue regulations that deem e-cigarettes the same as conventional tobacco products in order to close a regulations loophole.

“Manufacturers are taking advantage of the absence of federal e-cigarette regulations to aggressively market their products,” he said.

The industry insists e-cigarettes help smokers kick their habit, but Durbin dismisses that argument, saying they “lure children” into nicotine addiction.

E-cigarette use among young people is soaring.

A December study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention es-timated that 10 percent of high school students had used e-cigarettes.

The lawmakers estimated e-cigarette sales neared $2 billion in 2013.

US lawmakers: no e-ciga-rette sales or ads to youths

There’s pressure to begin a career as soon as we graduate, but with unemployment rife that’s easier said than done

by Nyika Suttie, theguardian.com,

My boyfriend isn’t having a great time of it at the moment. Having gradu-

ated with a creative writing degree last June, he’s just been made unemployed from a painting and decorating job. He has no idea what he wants to do with his life, and no time to figure it out. My situation is quite the opposite. I’m employed as an intern at a council, a position I will probably be in for an-other five months. I’m getting the min-imum wage, and my department has freely admitted they only employed an intern because we’re “very economi-cal”, but it’s a job. I’ve also just spent three months having counselling, be-cause getting to where I want to be in life just feels impossible.

When I left university, everything seemed mapped out. I would move back home, like a quarter of young people are thought to do, temp for a year and then return to university in September to do a masters. Except it didn’t work out like that. I did the tem-ping, but after six months it became apparent that I wasn’t going to earn enough to do a masters, and living at home wasn’t exactly a picnic.

It was during a month of putting files in boxes for a security firm that I decided I’d had enough of having no hope and decided to do something rad-ical. I applied for an outdoor learning tutor post by the seaside, and I got the job. I spent the happiest six months of my life teaching children geography and adventure and living five minutes from the beach, but it soon came to an end. In the last months of the job I realised there was no way I could sus-tainably stay in seasonal work without having to constantly move back home, so instead I moved home for an inde-terminate length of time. A product of the boomerang generation twice over.

The thing is, I was really lucky. I had

always harboured an unusual urge to work in local government, so I applied for an internship in environmental planning 300 miles away. Now here I am, living in a shared house where there’s never a clean pan with my boy-friend and other friends wondering when exactly I’m supposed to become a grown-up.

Life just hasn’t changed that much since university. I’m a little more ma-ture, but I don’t really feel old enough to be making plans that will influence my entire life. There’s an amazing amount of pressure to work towards a career the moment you leave univer-sity, and for many that means work-ing for free. I’m one of the lucky ones, I’m paid a minimum wage. While I’m getting great experience of public sec-tor working, I’m also living in one of the most expensive cities outside of London, and my wage doesn’t go very far. I didn’t grow up in an afflu-ent household, so an unpaid internship was never an option for me. I’m really scared that I’ll end up unemployed af-ter this internship. Every time I get a

Every time I get a temporary job people tell me it’ll turn permanent. But it never does, and my internship won’t either.’ Photograph: Siri Berting/Getty

temporary job people tell me it’ll turn permanent. But it never does, and my internship won’t either. The council will employ another intern.

But I still feel I’m one of the lucky ones. As mentioned, my boyfriend has no idea what he wants to do, and that makes working towards a career rather difficult. Pressure is coming from all directions for him to choose some-thing to go into while he applies for cleaning jobs because he doesn’t think he can get anything else. It seems even the dead-end jobs that Nina Stibbe took such delight in after university aren’t available to us without several years of experience. Is it any wonder the “quarter-life crisis” is on the rise?

It seems everyone I know in their 20s is worrying, and nobody’s getting an easy ride. We’re old enough to be seen as grown-ups, but too young to truly want to be one. We’re expected to work for a pittance, or nothing at all, and to set our sights on the future before our present is even in any sort of order. It’s easy to see why we’re struggling.

With few jobs for the young no wonder the quarter-life crisis is on the rise

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices

VOICE OF ASIA 19 FRIDAY, April 18, 2014LEISURE

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About RAMACHANDRA GUHA Author of GANDHI BEFORE INDIA

Ramachandra Guha has taught at Yale and Stanford universities, the University of Oslo, the Indian Insti-tute of Science and the London School of Econom-

ics. His books include a pioneering environmental history, an award-winning social history of cricket and the award-winning India After Gandhi. He writes regularly on social and political issues for the British and Indian press, including columns in The Telegraph and the Hindustan Times, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times. He lives in Bangalore.

The first in a multiple-volume biography of one of the 20th century’s

most influential and controversial men, Gandhi Before India takes us from Gandhi’s birth in 1869 through his two decades as a law-yer and community organizer in South Africa. The result, writes The Guardian, is “a work of vivid social history (and) fresh biogra-phy.” Winning access to private family papers and secret files kept by the British Empire, Guha captures the social, political, and personal worlds of a man whose legacy resonates in our time – for all time.

“Indian democracy’s pre-em-

New Exhibition at Asia Society Texas Center Presents Fascinating Depictions of Indian Gods and Goddesses

HOUSTON — Asia Society Texas Cen-ter will present a

series of vibrant photographs by Brooklyn-based Indian contemporary artist Manjari Sharma and modern chromo-lithographs produced by the Raja Ravi Varma Press in an exhibition entitled Transcen-dent Deities of India: The Ev-eryday Occurrence of the Di-vine, on view May 2 through September 14, 2014. This is the first time these artists’ works have been presented together in Texas.

The exhibition of nearly 60 images will be on view in the Louisa Stude Sarofim Gal-lery at the Texas Center and is funded in part by a grant from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

“Transcendent Deities of India features Hindu gods and goddesses depicted in the less familiar formats of pho-tography and chromolithog-raphy which demonstrates their ongoing relevance to more recent artists who uti-lized the technology of their eras,” said Bridget Bray, di-rector of exhibitions, Asia Society Texas Center. “These modern and contemporary representations of the deities preserve the tangible con-nection between worshippers and the objects of their rever-ence, which has an important religious function as well as making the works visually compelling to a broader au-dience.” Bray notes that re-ligious pilgrims frequently make arduous journeys to see important depictions of dei-ties in place at temples and other settings.

“We are thrilled to bring this fascinating exhibition of Indi-an art to Houston,” said Bonna Kol, executive director, Asia Society Texas Center. “This is a unique opportunity to pro-mote understanding between cultures by viewing aspects of religious art and practice in South Asia through a modern and contemporary lens.”

Artist’s Photography Lens Enlivens Tradition Some of the Sharma works coming to the Texas Center most re-cently appeared as part of the artist’s Darshan exhibition at the Richard Levy Gallery in Albuquerque, NM, from

March 8 to April 18, 2014. Associated with Hindu wor-ship, darshan is a Sanskrit word meaning vision or view and refers to the experience of connection between deity and viewer. Historically, Hindu deities have been depicted predominantly through sculp-ture rather than Sharma’s chosen mode of photography. Multiple trips to Mumbai and collaborations with a sizable team of local artisans, sculp-tors, and painters resulted in lavish sets, ornate costumes, and models styled to render each of the nine elaborately-staged archetypal representa-tions.

Varma’s Prints Popularize Subjects Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was an Indian artist whose paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European aca-demic art. Varma’s paintings became an important motif of the time, but Varma also pursued advances in the chro-molithography of the era. He founded several presses to make his images more widely available, resulting in

reproductions being found in homes and businesses. These works with their colors and shading were markedly dif-ferent from earlier prints. In addition, they were frequently embellished with fabric and materials that further adorned the deities depicted.

The works in this exhibi-tion are loaned courtesy of the Ramchander Nath Foun-dation, New Delhi, India, and Manjari Sharma and the Richard Levy Gallery, Albu-querque, NM. The exhibi-tion is supported by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

About Manjari Sharma Born in Mumbai and raised

in India, Sharma was im-mersed in her Hindu culture as a child. In her early 20’s, she moved to the U.S. to pur-sue photography. Visits to Hindu temples were gradually replaced by sojourns to muse-ums and art galleries with the same dedication. The Darshan series bridges the gap of these two separate worlds. Among her recent awards and honors, in 2013 Sharma was selected for the New York Times Port-

folio Review; took honorable mention for Santa Fe Prize in 2011 PDN 30; and was a 2010 Photolucida Critical Mass Finalist Review Santa Fe 2010. Sharma received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH, and also studied at S.V.T. College in Mumbai.

About Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma (1848–

1906) was an Indian artist from the princely state of Travancore in southern India who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Primarily a self-taught artist, he chose oil as his primary medium but explored other methods of production. He founded several presses to make his images more widely avail-able, resulting in reproduc-tions being found in almost every middle-class home. His exposure in the west grew when he won the first prize in the Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873 and is sometimes referred to as the “Father of Modern Indian Painting.” Asia Society Texas Center Asia Society Texas Center

is part of a leading global educational organization that promotes mutual understand-ing and strengthens partner-ships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. Across the fields of arts, business, cul-ture, education, and policy, Asia Society Texas Center provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collabo-ration to connect Americans and Asians for a shared fu-ture. Asia Society Texas Cen-ter officially opened its head-quarters, which was designed by famed Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, in April 2012. Part of the internation-al Asia Society, which has offices in 11 of the world’s leading cities, the Texas Cen-ter works to promote mutual understanding and strengthen partnerships among people, leaders and institutions both here and in Asia.

More information about the exhibitions, opening events, and ongoing programs can be found at AsiaSociety.org/Texas.

Menil Collection Presents: In anticipation of the Menil exhibition Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence October 2, 2014 - February 1, 2015

Ramachandra GuhaIndia’s preeminent historian brings Gandhi Before India to Houston

A reading, discussion, and book-signing

Monday, April 21st, 6:30 p.m.

Image Credit:Manjari Sharma, Lord Vishnu, from the Darshan series, 2013, Chromogenic print, 60 x 48 in, Edition 1/2, Cour-tesy of Richard Levy Gallery and the artist.

inent chronicler” (Time Maga-zine), Ramachandra Guha has held visiting professorships at Stanford, Yale, and the London School of Economics. He lives in Bangalore.

Copies of Gandhi Before In-dia will be on sale at the Menil Collection Bookstore beginning April 15.

The book can also be purchased at the museum for the author to sign on April 21.

Co-presented with Inprint. For more information visit Menil.org or call 713.525.9400. Open to the public • RSVP not required • Seating is limited

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PARIS, April 14, 2014 (AFP) - Men with blood group O are far

less likely to suffer a recur-rence of cancer after prostate tumour surgery than men with other blood types, researchers reported on Monday.

Blood clue to prostate cancer recurrence

HOUSTON (April 7, 2014) – Citizens in Houston, Har-

ris County and the eight sur-rounding counties now have a new resource at their finger-tips – a 24-hour Nurse Triage Call Center that will help them with healthcare questions and choose the most appropriate place for care.

Regardless of healthcare af-filiation, primary care provider, or insurance status, a bilingual staff is available 24 hours, every day to answer calls on theNurse Health Line – 713-338-7979 – to assess callers’ primary health concerns and direct them to an appropriate level of care.

“When you don’t feel well, the last thing you want to do is wait in a crowded emergency room,” said Dan Wolterman, President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System. “This new, free community-wide re-source lets you talk directly with a Registered Nurse who will ask questions, determine what level of care you need, then refer you to an appropriate resource. It’s important to note that this service is not just for Memorial Hermann patients; it is available to all residents liv-ing in Harris County and the greater Houston region.”

The Nurse Health Line is one of several Memorial Hermann-sponsored Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment,

or DSRIP programs. Memo-rial Hermann is part of Region 3’s Southeast Texas Regional Healthcare Partnership an-chored by Harris Health Sys-tem, and includes the counties of: Austin, Calhoun, Cham-bers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Ma-tagorda, Waller, and Wharton.

“The Nurse Health Line is an example of a smart solution to a regional problem – more ef-ficient delivery of healthcare,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “While Harris Health is the anchor of Region 3, this service will benefit citizens in Harris County, as well as eight other counties. It can potential-ly improve access to care and enable more efficient use of the emergency rooms in this region because trained nurses will answer calls and help direct people who are uncertain about what they should do when they have a health concern.”

After an assessment is made, callers will be advised to seek care with their physician of choice or referred to local emergent care centers. Ad-ditionally, community health workers will be available to provide information on free or low cost community resources or clinics.

The Nurse Health Line is not designed to assist with life-threatening conditions or emergencies. People with life-threatening conditions and

emergencies should immedi-ately call 911.

“With visits to the emer-gency room at an all-time high in Houston, wait times have skyrocketed,” said Mayor An-nise Parker. “This program will help us make sure that ambu-lances and emergency rooms are available for crises, and non-critical healthcare is de-livered in a more appropriate setting. The health cost savings for our community may be sig-nificant.”

More than 46 percent of all patients treated and released from emergency rooms in Har-ris County are primary care treatable, according to a study conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health.

These visits result, in part, because patients do not have the clinical knowledge to as-sess the severity of symptoms of less emergent conditions and determine where to go for ap-propriate care. Consequently, emergency rooms in southeast Texas are at capacity and facili-ties struggle to meet the needs of patients in a timely manner.

All calls to the Nurse Health Line are confidential and ad-dressed by a staff of profes-sionals who are experienced in assessment of clinical situ-ations. To help patients who call, nurses use their training, experience, evidence-based de-

cision-support tools, and peer-reviewed materials to conduct their assessments.

DSRIP projects like the Nurse Health Line are approved and funded through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Ser-vices and Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The Texas HHSC ap-proves DSRIP projects through the 1115-Waiver application process which gives the U.S. Health and Human Services department authority to ap-prove experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects that promote the objectives of CMS and CHIP programs.

“A primary goal of the Nurse Health Line is to improve ac-cess to care and ensure more efficient use of the emergency rooms in Houston, including Harris and the surrounding counties,” said Carol Paret, Chief, Community Benefits Officer, Privacy and Security Officer for Memorial Her-mann. “Based on historical ex-perience, projections indicate that approximately 25 percent of the calls will be triaged to a lower-level care setting.”

In recent years, emergency rooms at local public and pri-vate hospitals in Harris County regularly have gone on ‘drive-by status,’ requiring ambulanc-es to divert seriously ill or in-jured patents to other facilities.

Free Health Care Advice Just a Phone Call AwayNew, 24-Hour Nurse Call Center Helps You Avoid Crowded Emergency Rooms

Diabetes Mellitus is a con-dition where blood glu-

cose levels are above normal. With a diagnosis of diabetes, the body does not know how to use sugar (or glucose) for energy. High glucose levels for years can lead to damage of the nerves and blood ves-sels in the body. This dam-age can lead to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, kid-ney failure, blindness, dental

Are you at Risk for Diabetes?problems, nerve problems and amputation.South Asians are at increased risk for diabetes. Genetics, combined with a diet high in refined carbohydrates and a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to the development of diabetes in many South Asians.Risk Factors for Diabetes in South Asians:• A first degree relative with diabetes• Being overweight or having a Body Mass Index (BMI) > 23 • Age > 40 years• Diagnosis of high blood pressure or blood pressure >140/90• Abnormal cholesterol levels, particularly high triglycerides

(>150 mg/dL) & low HDL (<35 mg/dL)• A sedentary lifestyle• History of diabetes dur-ing pregnancy or giving birth to a baby weighing >9 pounds• Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary SyndromeIdentify your risk factors by working with your primary care physician. Incorporat-ing lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Dr. Deepshikha Sharda is a family medicine physi-cian with Houston Meth-odist Primary Care Group. To make an appointment with Dr. Sharda, call 281.208.3322.

Dr. Deepshikha Sharda

A standard treatment for lo-calised prostate cancer is to remove the whole gland, a procedure called radical pros-tatectomy, but this fails to stop the cancer in nearly a third of patients.

Japanese researchers looked

at 555 men who had had radical prostatectomy, examining their case 52 months on average af-ter the operation.

Patients with blood group O were 35 percent less likely to have a recurrence of cancer compared with patients with

blood group A, they found.“This is the first time that

anyone has shown that prostate cancer recurrence can vary with blood group,” Yoshio Ohno of Tokyo Medical University said in a press release.

More work is needed to ex-plore this surprising finding, but if the results are confirmed, important changes lie in store for medical practice, he said.

“For example, should we be counselling people with certain blood groups that they have a greater or lesser chance of re-currence, and should these risk factors be built into decisions on treatment?”

The research was issued at a conference in Stockholm of the European Association of Urol-ogy.

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• If you applied for Medicaid through your state, or were sent to Medicaid from the Marketplace, but you weren’t eligible for Medicaid.

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Error messagesYour application was

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abuse and weren’t previously allowed to enroll and receive advance payments of the pre-mium tax credit separately from your spouse. You’ll be able to do so now.

Other system errorsOther system errors that

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Friday, April 18, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

BUSINESS

Read latest on US and World business on: www.VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 31, 2014 -- Xoom Corporation

(NASDAQ: XOOM), a leading digital money transfer provider, today announced a partner-ship with HDFC Bank Limited (NYSE: HDB), by offering in-stant deposits to INR denomi-nated HDFC Bank accounts in India. This breakthrough service allows Xoom custom-ers to instantly deposit money directly into their recipients’ HDFC Bank accounts in India. The instant service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year--even on banking holidays.

“Unlike other transfer ser-vices to India which typically take five days or more, Xoom is relentlessly working towards providing ‘instant’ for all of our services, and we are excited to launch instant deposits to HDFC Bank,” said Julian King, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development for Xoom. “This is great news for people who send money to HDFC Bank accounts. Now NRIs can send money anytime, anywhere from their computer, mobile phone or tablet and their bank deposits reach their re-cipients’ HDFC Bank account instantly.”

“At HDFC Bank, we are consistently looking at new ways in which we can make a difference in the lives of our customers. Through this tie-up with Xoom we will be able to provide this breakthrough ser-vice of instant deposits,” says Mr. Rajender Sehgal, Group Head, Financial Institutions Group, HDFC Bank. “We look forward to bringing a whole new world of convenience and flexibility to our account hold-ers, allowing them to receive

Xoom Announces Instant De-posit Service to HDFC Bank Accounts in IndiaXoom’s revolutionary technology enables instant deposits to one of the largest banks in India

money from the US in a secure manner, at any time of the day or night.

Xoom provides great locked-in exchange rates for money transfers to India, and there is no fee when customers send more than $1,000 and pay with their U.S.-based bank ac-count. Plus, Xoom continues to provide fast bank deposits within four hours to all other banks in India, including to NRE and NRO accounts, when sent during bank processing hours in India. Customers can also download the Xoom App for Android and iOS mobile devices for free. Visit https://www.xoom.com/india for more information.

About XoomXoom is a leading digital

money transfer provider in 31 countries, focused on helping consumers send money in a secure, fast and cost-effective way using their mobile phone, tablet or computer. During the year ended December 31, 2013, Xoom’s more than one million active customers sent more than $5.5 billion to family and friends. The company is head-quartered in San Francisco and can be found online at www.xoom.com.

About HDFC Promoted in 1995 by Hous-

ing Development Finance Cor-poration (HDFC), India’s lead-ing housing finance company, HDFC Bank is one of India’s premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services to its 28.5 million customers across hundreds of Indian cities using multiple dis-tribution channels including a pan-India network of branches, ATMs, phone banking, net

banking and mobile banking. Within a relatively short span of time, the Bank has emerged as a leading player in retail bank-ing, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments.

The Bank’s competitive strength clearly lies in the use of technology and the ability to deliver world-class service with rapid response time. Over the last 19 years, the Bank has suc-cessfully gained market share in its target customer franchises while maintaining healthy prof-itability and asset quality.

As of December 31, 2013, the Bank had a distribution network with 3,336 branches and 11,473 ATMs in 2,104 cities/towns.

For the quarter ended Decem-ber 31, 2013, the Bank’s total income was INR 127.39 bil-lion (`12,739.0 crore) as against INR 108.18 billion (`10,818.1 crore) for the quarter ended December 31, 2012. Net rev-enues (net interest income plus other income) were INR 67.83 billion (`6,783.1 crore) for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, as against INR 59.09 billion (`5,909.4 crore) for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Net Profit for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, was INR 23.25 billion (`2,235.7 crore), up by 25.1% over the corresponding quarter ended December 31, 2012.

Total income for the year ended March 31, 2013, was INR 419.175 billion (`41,917.5 crore).

Leading Indian and interna-tional publications have recog-nised the Bank for its perfor-mance and quality.

For more information please log on to: www.hdfcbank.com

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Persistently low in-flation poses a more

immediate threat to the U.S. economy than rising prices, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Wednesday, stressing that the U.S. cen-tral bank would be delivering policy stimulus for some time to come.

In her second public speech since taking the Fed’s helm, Yellen was careful not to pre-dict when interest rates would rise from near zero. Instead, she stressed the decision would hinge on healing in the labor market and on how briskly inflation rises toward the Fed’s 2 percent goal.

Yellen’s relatively staid remarks to the Economic Club of New York intensified somewhat when Martin Feld-stein, a Harvard University professor and former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, asked her whether she would let inflation creep above 2 per-cent to give the economy a bit more support.

“With inflation running at around 1 percent, at this point I think the risk is greater that we should be worried about inflation undershooting our goal and getting inflation back up to 2 percent,” Yellen said.

The central bank will “of course” eventually need to tighten policy to avoid a run-up in inflation, she said. “Overshooting that goal ... can be very costly to reverse.”

Yellen noted the Fed was not alone in its struggle to move inflation higher as a buffer against an economi-cally disabling deflation. The European Central Bank is mulling unconventional poli-cies that could lift inflation in the euro zone, while Japan has been mired in deflation for 15 years.

The Fed has kept its key rate near zero since the depths of the financial crisis in late 2008, and has bought more than $3 trillion in assets to help depress borrowing costs and stimulate economic growth amid a frustratingly slow recovery.

While the central bank’s preferred inflation gauge is just above 1 percent, a more popular measure firmed in March. Jobs growth was also decent last month, but the un-employment rate stayed high at 6.7 percent as Americans returned to the labor market in droves to search for work.

U.S. stocks added to gains on Yellen’s remarks, which investors viewed as under-scoring the Fed’s willingness to be patient in nursing the economy back to full health.

“This concern about the per-sistent weakness in inflation provides the key justification for the Fed to remain cautious about tightening policy pre-maturely or too aggressively,” said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securi-ties.

VAGUE ROAD MAP FOR WALL STREET

An apparent pick up in the world’s largest economy after a sluggish winter has many investors attempting to pre-dict when the Fed will finally raise rates, with most eying mid-2015.

Yellen herself said it was “quite plausible” the econo-my would be back to near full employment and a healthier level of inflation by the end of 2016.

“We are seeing very mean-ingful progress, although clearly ... the goal has not been achieved at this point,” she said. “We will be very

focused on removing accom-modation when the right time has come.”

In the last few years, the Fed has tried an array of strategies to telegraph just how long it will wait to tighten policy, including tying the ultra-low rates to time periods, and lat-er, to specific unemployment and inflation thresholds.

Last month it rolled out its latest version of forward guid-ance, effectively promising not to raise rates for a “con-siderable time” after it halts its bond-buying program. But Yellen sowed more confusion when she then told a news conference that a “consider-able time” means about “six months” or so, causing a sell-off in stocks and bonds.

Yellen did not mention the six-month term on Wednes-day.

How long rates will stay near zero, she said, will depend on how far the U.S. economy re-mains from the central bank’s goals of 2 percent inflation and maximum sustainable employment, and how long it will likely take to meet them.

She repeated her view that there is likely more slack in the labor market than sug-gested by the unemployment rate, which lessens the risk of inflationary wage gains as the economy strengthens.

But she emphasized that unforeseeable events could alter the central bank’s current course, as it has several times since the economy began re-covering from the 2007-2009 recession.

The Fed could even set aside efforts to wind down its bond-buying stimulus if dealt an economic surprise, Yellen said. Financial markets believe the Fed is nearly certain to end its purchases by year end.

Weak U.S. prices, not inflation, the threat now: Fed’s Yellen

U.S. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen speaks to the Economic Club of New York in New York April 16, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Brendan Mcdermid

VOICE OF ASIA 25 FRIDAY, April 18, 2014SPECIAL/CULTURE

Houstonians reveled in sheer ecstasy at Masala Radio’s sun-kissed Holi, Festival of

Colors on Sunday March 30th, despite the inclement weather postponement from the original March 23rd date. Ten days prior, Facebook and Twitter followers were a flurry with “What? Why did you move holi? But we made plans!!” Aaaah to be young and not see past the weekend! The perfect day packed Seabourne Creek Park to the rim at the 7th annual Aapka Colors Houston Holi 2014 also presented by MTV INDIA and TARA ENERGY. Crowds danced at 3 different Live DJs & Dholi’s and rocked as Mercedes Benz of Sugarland presented pop star Raghav crooning his Storyteller hits “Angel Eyes”, ‘Teri Baaton Mein” and recent Bollywood hit “Ishq Sha-va” to a frenzy of fans both teen and not-so-teen-but-screaming-like-they-were-teens.

Youths witnessed for the first time in their lives a real Matki Phod Spon-sored by New York Life. Matki Phod , a traditional event in India were a clay pot containing maakhand or curds is suspended high in the air, and dedi-cated teams build a human pyramid to break the matki (as Lord Krishna did in his childhood to reach the forbid-den maakhand). The audience held their breath when the 3-tier Masala Crew team – after two huge falls – finally broke the clay pot contain-ing….color pow-der! HOLI HAI!! And mazaa kisko nahin ayenga? Besides mouth-watering food lineup, everything was free! Free parking, Free en-try, Free brand new Keemat Kids Rides, and Free bags and spices from AAPKA COLORS, Free iced Deep juices and bottle water from Tara Energy, Free Chat Pat snacks and balloons from House of Spices, Sonu Nigam ticket giveaways, 200 Free perfumes thrown by W Per-fumes, and hundreds of Free T-shirts from Masala Radio, the movie JINN , and Fiesta, and Free mesmerizing Bol-

Holi celebrations in Houston draws record breaking crowd

lywood En-tertainment hosted by Sunil Thak-kar with his “DOSTI KE RANG” t h e m e d Bullet Mo-t o r c y c l e entry. The “ F R E E S ” were made possible by the generous major spon-s o r s h i p s of Alings Hakka, The Dosa Fac-tory, Amit & Arpita Bhandar i , Gopal & U r v i s h i Savjani, Ju-gal & Raj M a l a n i ,

Keemat Grocers, Mercedes Benz Of Sugarland, New York Life, Skai Foun-dation & Chat Pats. Rosenberg Police could not define the sheer number of people, summarizing the count as

“way more than the 17,000 we esti-mated last year.”

“Tune hava mein bhaang milaya…” Indeed, the God-given air-condition-ing breezes were intoxicating and distracting from the Equinox Sun beaming from a clear sky as thousands reveled in HOLI madness. And while the ancient official drink of HOLI – bhaang – was clearly missing, crowds feasted on exotic Dosas like the bean, cheese & salsa dosa of The Dosa Fac-tory, Golas, Kulfis, and Faloodas from BALOCH, cookies & brownies from Great American Cookies, heavenly chaat from Mirch Masala and Kurry-walah, Potato Stix and Indo Chinese from Sagar Indian Cuisine, South In-dian fare from Madras Pavilion, and Nizam-style cuisine from Hyderabad House and North Indian cuisine from the new Signature India Restaurant. The Chatpat Jhatpat Eating Contest had the audience rolling in laughter as Sunil T had 6 random contestants race to eat the most Chatpats in one minute.

“Balam pichkari jo tune mujhe maari…” ICC’s sold-out pichkaris, and the Alings Rain Dance crew’s eight new 6’ high sprinklers added a new level of water play to HOLI.

Of course the natural side effect was a fresh mud pit which hundreds fell victim to! Bura Na Mano…HOLI HAI!! Oh yeah? Tell that to a teen girl drenched in mud! Amee Patel, president of the Gujarati Samaj of Houston ordered double the Holi col-ored powder than last year in 6 vibrant colors, and as promised kept the HOLI revelers supplied to the end. HOLI PRAGTYA – the official lighting of the HOLI bonfire – started with a stage pooja by Priest Parimal Joshi with all major Holi Sponsors, followed with a Jaganath Chariot procession and fin-ished with prayers and coconut offer-ings to the growing fire. The Chariot held Lord Jaganath, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who in the story of HOLI comes to rescue Prahlad from burning to death while in the lap of his evil aunt Hollika. Young ISKCON devotees from ISKCON chanted “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama” through-out the Festival, and invited all to the grand opening of their incredible new ISKON temple on May 17th.

“Haa Jeans pahen ke jo tune maara thumka…” Masala Radio’s Sunil Thakkar introducing mesmerizing Bollywood dances by Houston’s lead-ing dance schools. Ek Do Teen’s lit-tle 3-5 year olds stole the audience’s

The host team Masala Radio with Holi revelers

hearts. Hype built throughout the performances by Nuppor Dance School, Bollywood Shake, and UH’s Jannat. The change of date prevented two HOLI stalwarts Dancing Starz of Katy and Shivangai Dance Schools for performing. But Rhythm India wowed the audience with over 65 performers some in stunning neon costumes and precision moves. Finale act Naach Houston blew everyone away with over 100 performers in non-stop blast of Bollywood hits with surprise Pich-karis, vibrant costumes, unbelievable energy, and of course synchronized “thumkas!” . The crowds jumped from their seats to finally get to dance themselves as MTV India presented the Battle of the DJs. Bollywood (DJ Nish) vs Bhangra (DJ GEO). MTV INDIA declared it a tie as the audience were equally screaming during both sets!

Toh lattoo padosan ki bhabhi ho gayi…” Even the most serious, seedha saadha caught HOLI Fever. Houston Holi was a joint community event organized by Sunil & Sandhya Thakkar of Masala Radio, presented by Aapka Colors, MTV India, & Tara Energy, with partnering organizations Gujarati Samaj of Houston, India Cut-lure Center, and Hindus of Greater Houston. Masala Radio thanks the im-measurable contributions of over 120 sponsors, 12 restaurants, 55 booths, 20 vendors, and over 115 volunteers from surrounding schools including UH ISA, Austin High School, and Hight-ower. 36 Masala Crew members led by Event Directors Munira Vejlani, Ruchir Patel, and Rinku Gosh includ-ed: Shah, Charliebhai, Ninad, Chirag-bhai, Malav, Sunny, Amir, Sameep, Devan, Devangi, Shivani, Shreya, and Sara. Stage Masala Crew managed by Preanka Desai and Dilip Kanabar included: Rajoo, Pankti, Sandeep, Natasha, Priti, Krupa, Ina, Mayur, and Keval. Masala Radio Jockeys pro-moting the event for 2 months were: Preanka, Rajoo, Dilip, Alka, Bijuria, Kashmira, Priya, Naina, Ajay, Sushil, Priti, and Ina.

Indeed, there was a record turnout of non-Indians, from mounting pub-licity and interviews. Channel 39 News covered the event, and featured it on their Sunday evening prime time news. For stunning photos by Meedu Photography, Carlos Pena and Win-ston Hsu visit www.masalaradio.com, houstonholi.com, or facebook .com/HoustonHoli. Edited Video compila-tion coming soon on YouTube under Houston Holi 2014.

Matki Phod in action


Your Horoscope for the Week of April 18, 2014As per Indian Vedic Astrology the Moon sign is considered, in which every Rashi has control over certain letters, which are initials of your name. Whereas in Western system of Sun Sign, all the people born in one month belong to the same sign. For example, every year approximately around 21 of March to 20th April, the Sun is moving in the Aries Constellation. So all the people born in that month belong to the Sign of Aries. If you were born in between those two dates then you are a Aries born.

by Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 AprilYour careful research and caution make falling in love, dealing with children, or expressing a talent, secure areas of your life. Ideal financial conditions could seem elusive, right now. You may think that someone who should want to cooperate has undermined your position

with a public event. Let others take the glory, if that is the issue. You may have other vegetable to cook and can go on to other projects with ease once you’re really willing to let go the present. The desire to clarify all matters and be involved in high-minded projects is worth all your effort.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 MaySome emotional meltdown, either yours or someone else’s, close to you. Use any stress reduction techniques you can, (Yoga, Meditation, “Om Namah Shivay” Chanting….) to help keep yourself cool. Take a break from what you’ve been doing, and check in with your partner before going any further. Language & communication are tools you

can use with great skill and power. If others aren’t prepared to give you what you deserve, reach out and take it for yourself. Celebrate your genius, even if you have to do it alone.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 JuneTrust your gut instincts & be aware of your own power and effectiveness. Some situa-tions in your personal life may be trying, to say the least. Try not to let them to make you feel down. speak to someone impartial & get their perspective. Don’t allow expectations of family members to apply undue pressure on you. If you lose your focus, you could get

careless. You will be effective in projects that you are able to promote on an international level. Part-ners/spouse could be important to the kind of success that will put your creative ideas on the map.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 JulyCommunicate your plans & get started on your future agenda. This way, you’ll be able to put additional points in the bank and that will provide you with bigger dividends later on. Your creative fire will blaze brightly. This is a time of breakthrough and personal triumph. Experi-ence is the best teacher for you right now. Take a risk if it will bring your dreams closer to

coming true. A real commitment brings an instant return. Your stars show a ‘disappointment’ of some kind, possibly a schedule glitch and likely an elder or power person in the family ‘doing a change up on you’.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 AugustYour psychic energy will be very strong. Predictions can influence your current reality without really overriding it. You may think that you need to keep peace, at any price. Be willing to walk away from events that require any force. Lead the way by simply doing what you do best. Your ultimate stroke of charm is your ability to laugh at yourself. Just

a few words from you can make all the difference to those you love. A partnership hinges not only on what is said, but on what is understood, as well.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 SeptemberKeep up with everyone else’s expectations. You may need to curb some activities so you don’t spread yourself too thin. Don’t get lazy at the wrong moment. Encourage your part-ners to go forward with exciting and challenging plans. Your home may be a haven that en-ables you to express the best of your ideas and intellect. Children & elder family members

will require your attention. People will respond easily to you, and you’ll seem to have your finger on the pulse of the public. Ask for anything that you need to implement your tasks.

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 OctTread lightly on weakened personal & professional relationships. People at a distance may hurt your pride. Some may disapprove with your tactics, and will clearly let you know, how they feel. Don’t try to take on everybody by yourself. Group projects may require the use of kid gloves. Emotions & feelings will interfere with your ability to

bring people closer together. You need to take a closer look in the mirror & face your own personal challenges. Recognize your abilities and follow your dreams.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 NovConserve your energy for important tasks to structure new public and career projects. Investments and gambles may not pay off. If you’ve recently been disappointed in romance, felt abandoned, you may act in a way that you’ll regret later. Organizational discussions may not go well, either. You may be tempted to say some things you’ll wish

you hadn’t. Be objective and try to understand how others might react to your actions. Show your compassion and utilize your sense of humor.

Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 DecNothing can stand between you and what you want. You have an exciting chance to express a more compassionate, caring and emotional part of yourself. You words will be well headed. Romance may sweep you off your feet, and you may feel loved and cared for. Emotional highs are certainly welcome. Find a way to create excitement in

your social and public life. Enjoyment is key to the kind of work you can plan. You’ll be amazed by the amount of income potential, especially if it derives from partnership activities.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 JanKeep yourself grounded & realistic. Don’t sell yourself short. You are in the company of people who think the world of you. You’ll regain a measure of control over your life by being more confident in who you are. Your behavior will be understood by those who know you and love you. Seek their help to get yourself back on track. Accepting help doesn’t

mean that you’re doing a bad job on your own, everyone can always stand a little improvement in their methods. Reaching your goal is more important right now, than who helped the most to make it happen.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 FebUse your powers of persuasion to influence other’s ideas. Don’t be shy about express-ing your opinions. Value the things that you have to offer to important public projects. Go full steam ahead with important projects, especially those that may lie at a distance from your present locale. There may be something you need to prove to yourself. Any work that you do now will be touched by your sincerity. Your present actions are des-

tined to become the stuff that memories are made of.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 MarchYou quest to attain perfection, or your own version of perfection. Just when you think you have the ability to control your own destiny, things will start to erode slightly. Prepare to deal with the consequences of getting involved in someone else’s personal problems. You may be driven you to take chances that you normally wouldn’t even consider, otherwise. Let your basic grasp of cause and effect be your guiding light, for the moment. The circu-

lar nature of events will shed light on your past mistakes.

HOROSCOPE

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