February 2016

february 2016 • vol. 29 , no .10 • www. indiacurrents.com

INDIA CURRENTSCelebrating 29 Years of Excellence

Decoding Mindfulness

by Tamanna Raisinghani

Exploring the science behind the art of living in the moment

INDIA CURRENTSIndra Nooyi–Reinventing the Future

By Scott S. SmithEmbarrassed by My Indianness

by Swathi RamprasadOn the Difficulty of Making Friends

by Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan


at thn eai Gd rn aI m s’ mt a yh ’s?W

By s P ar Diy a

February 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 1

June 26-28

2 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | February 2016


Rehman Farishta, BrokerCall

These rates based on 10 days lock & for owner occupied, purchase or refinance, single family homes, without cash out or second loan on the subject property. Borrower with minimum 740 FICO and 70% CLTV or below with Escrow/Impound account: Rates as of 01/13/2016. Rates subject to change without notice. Please call to qualify for best rate. CA properties only!

ALL ZERO COST MORTGAGE RATES!

Loan Program RATE APR

Home Advantage Corp& Googain Inc

MBA, Real Estate BrokerNMLS # 378252DRE # 01339085

510-386-1033Fax: 510-797-7876

[email protected]

Market is HOT. Ask me about a FREE Underwriter approval to Beat all CashOffers in a Multiple offer situation. I WILL BEAT ANY RATE!

We offer a Stated Income Loans. Call me for details. WE CAN CLOSE FAST!!

702 Brown Road,Fremont, CA 94539

ATTENTION FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS! LET ME PAY YOUR CLOSING COST!!

CALL ME

TODAY!

Loan above $200,000 and below $417,0005/1 ARM 2.625% 2.625%7/1 ARM 2.75% 2.75%10/1 ARM 3.00% 3.00%15 Years fixed 2.99% 2.99%20 Years fixed 3.625% 3.625%30 Years fixed 3.625% 3.625%Loan above $417,000 and below 2 Million5/1 ARM 2.75% 2.75%7/1 ARM 2.875% 2.875%10/1 ARM 3.125% 3.125%15 years fixed 3.00% 3.00%20 years fixed 3.625% 3.625%30 years fixed 3.75% 3.75%• Free pre-approval with Underwriter for a purchase loan.• Cash out loan for remodeling and other needs.• Loan for second home or investment home.• Convert from 30 years fixed to a ARM LOAN for Cash Flow.• Line of Equity on your current home to purchase a new investment home.

THINKING OF BUYING, SELLING OR REFINANCING?

www.HomesByFarishta.com.

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Last summer I encountered a ghost. It happened simply, unsuspectingly. Perhaps the stage had already been

set. I had been invited to stay for a month

at an artists’ residency in a French town called Marnay-sur-Seine. The setting was a 17th century priory next door to a 12th century church, which still carries the scars of war. Beneath my window, I could see the river Seine with its flowing gray-green scroll. I planned to spend my time writing about (and capturing the emotions of) those who were dead.

That first night, as I lay in my narrow bed, trying to acquaint myself to the voices of a starlit French night, I heard the wind whisper, the river murmur, and the stone walls echo with the sounds of strangers.

In a few days, I began to identify and sift through the nighttime noises. Those that came from outside my window—the hoot of an owl, the bark of a dog, the splash of a swimmer’s arms—and those that seemed to filter down directly from above me: the scrape of a chair, the heavy thud of footsteps, a cough, the clearing of a throat.

There were six other residents living in the three wings of the old priory. Anne Moses, a vivacious and talented artist, oc-cupied the room adjoining mine. We were the only two in our wing.

Our building was covered in ivy and had a door that led to a long narrow spiral staircase providing access to three floors and each level had empty, lonely looking rooms, with lonely looking furniture. The turret at the top had been converted into a classroom and a studio. Anne and I oc-cupied adjoining rooms on the second floor, and she used the studio upstairs for her work during the day. There were no beds on that level and we expected that the room was unoccupied at night.

One day, casually, as though it were not something of any great import, I asked Anne if she’d heard any movement com-ing from upstairs around midnight. She looked at me and, with something of a zombie look on her face, said yes, quickly, almost too quickly. I laughed to make light of it. But I could see that she was having none of it.

From the beginning, I toyed with the idea of a ghost. A notion so exciting as to

power my imagination. For the other pos-sibility, that of a man or woman creeping into the building while we slept seemed infinitely more ominous.

We decided to text each other as soon as we heard the sounds. And so we did, that night, and the next, and the next. Till the idea of texting seemed somehow point-less, merely a corroboration that it was not the figment of one person’s imagination. It had quite conclusively become more than that, maybe a figment of two people’s imaginations, for, after all, we were both artists engaged in free expression.

To my surprise, Anne refused to accept anything other than the idea of a vagrant, or a kid playing a prank.

So we set vigil one night. That night, too, we heard movement upstairs. We sent a text to the other residents who met us near our rooms and then, armed with our iPhones, we crept up single file to the tur-ret. Was it any surprise that there was no one there, and the furniture had not been moved?

I have never been afraid of the idea of

ghosts. That seems like an M. Night Shya-malan narrative. A little too expedient.

I would like to believe that a super-natural experience is a memory trapped in continuity or that ghosts are traces of the past making a presence in our present. Though, that does seem fanciful.

So how do we interpret a supernatural experience rationally?

In an article on BBC, Adam Waytz from Northwestern University explains paranormal experiences thus: “We create beliefs in ghosts, because we don’t like believing that the universe is random.” In other words it’s a matter of control. The mind, when taken out of its usual, conjures up the unusual.

Scientists spend lifetimes trying to ex-plain the mysteries of our universe. Still there is much we don’t know, including the wonderful enigma of “dark matter,” or matter that cannot be seen but has been proven to exist.

Sounds like my ghost.

Jaya Padmanabhan, Editor


INDIA CURRENTSPERSPECTIVES West Coast Edition

www.indiacurrents.com

Find us on

February 2016 • vol 29 • no 10

3 | EDITORIALDo You Believe in Ghosts?By Jaya Padmanabhan

8 | WORDS AND THINGSOn the Difficulty of Making FriendsBy Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan

13 | BUSINESSIndia Deserves Better than Mark Zuckerberg’s Watered Down InternetBy Vivek Wadhwa

14 | VIEWPOINTPomegranates and PotatoesBy Usha Akella

24 | YOUTHEmbarassed By My IndiannessBy Swathi Ramprasad

28 | OPINIONNo Country for Gray PeopleBy Ranjani Iyer Mohanty

29 | PERSPECTIVEMagic from the MundaneBy Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham 74 | NEWS FEATUREAishwary Rai Talks Films, Cannes and More with French President Francois HollandeBy IANS

100 | ON INGLISHWatching Jugaad at WorkBy Kalpana Mohan

102 | THE LAST WORDUnfriendedBy Sarita Sarvate

LIFESTYLE

70 | SoCal Cultural Calendar

74 | NorCal Cultural Calendar

82 | NorCal Spiritual Calendar

91 | SoCal Spiritual Calendar

26 | RELATIONSHIP DIVA Five Signs to Alert Guys Their Approach is Not WorkingBy Jasbina Ahluwalia

36 | TAX TALKIs Your Pastime a Hobby or Business?By Khorshed Alam

44 | TRAVELMesmerizing MuscatBy Kavita Wadhwani

48 | BOOKSA Review of India Gray by Sujatha MasseyBy Jeanne E. Fredriksen

88 | HEALTHY LIFEHealth Myth BustedBy Nickhil Jakatdar

90 | DEAR DOCTOR Feeling Lost WithoutChildrenBy Alzak Amlani

94 | RECIPESRecipes for Dalma and Mastani the DrinkBy Jagruti Vedamati, Ritu Marwah

DEPARTMENTS6 | Letters to the Editor6 | Popular Articles

WHAT’S CURRENT

30 | Ask a Lawyer31 | Visa Dates

The practice of paying attention to the “now”

By Tamanna Raisinghani

16 | Decoding Mindfulness

Reviews of Bajirao Mastani and Wazir

By Aniruddh Chawda

64 | Music

What’s Indian at the Grammys?

By Priya Das

34 | Films

40 | ProfileIndra K. Nooyi–Reinventing the Future

By Scott S. Smith


IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

ICS

(40

8) 3

24-0

488

Experience, Integrity, Results

Direct: 408-219-9513 [email protected]

Call

Srinadh Kareti today!!

Please call for a confidential consultation!!

ASK ME ABOUT NO POINTS, NO COST REFINANCE AND SAVE $$

BEST RATES IN TOWN, NO POINT!!!LOOKING FOR GREAT INVESTMENT PROPERTIES?

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

Realtor/ Mortgage Consultant

BRE# 01335971 NMLS# 318926

The conforming rate upto 417K The Jumbo Loans $625K to $3M:

Fully indexed by Ethnic

Newswatch

facebook.com/IndiaCurrents

twitter.com/IndiaCurrents

HEAD OFFICE2670 S White Rd., Suite 165,

San Jose, CA 95148Phone: (408) 324-0488

Fax: (408) 324-0477 Email: [email protected]


Publisher: Vandana [email protected]

Managing Director: Vijay [email protected]

Editor: Jaya [email protected]

(408) 324-0488 x102Events Editor: Mona [email protected]

(408) 324-0488 x103Social Media Editor: Ritu Marwah

[email protected] Manager: Anu B

[email protected](408) 324-0488 x 104

Advertising [email protected]

Northern California: (408) 913-1619

Graphic Designer: Nghia Vuong

WASHINGTON, D.C. BU-REAU

(Managed by IC New Ventures, LLC)

910 17th Street, NW, Ste# 215Washington, D.C. 20006Phone: (202) 709-7010

Fax: (240) 407-4470Associate Publisher: Asif [email protected]

(202) 709-7010

Cover Design: Nghia VuongINDIA CURRENTS® (ISSN 0896-095X) is published monthly (except Dec/Jan, which is a combined issue) for $19.95 per year by India Currents, 2670 S White Rd.,

Suite 165, San Jose, CA 95148. Periodicals postage paid at San Jose, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POST-

MASTER: Send address changes to INDIA CURRENTS, 2670 S White Rd, Ste. 165, SAN JOSE, CA 95148

Information provided is accurate as of the date of going to press; India Currents is not responsible for errors or omis-sions. Opinions expressed are those of individual authors. Advertising copy, logos, and artwork are the sole responsi-

bility of individual advertisers, not of India Currents.

Copyright © 2016 by India Currents All rights reserved.


SPEAK YOUR MIND!

Have a thought or opinion to share? Send us an original letter of up to 300 words, and include your name, address, and phone number. Letters are edited for clarity and brevity.

Write India Currents Letters, 1885 Lundy Ave. Suite 220, San Jose 95131 or email [email protected].

letters to the editor

More Than a Travel StoryI really enjoyed Rajesh C. Oza’s article

(“A Migrant’s Holiday” India Currents, Dec ‘15–January ‘16)and felt you cap-tured the journey through the people you met. Images of the places you mentioned careened through my mind like a film that is slowed down and sped up at the same time, like stills on a reel forming a sequence of images.

I imagined myself being present on the train with you as an observer; hearing the conversations, watching the facial expres-sions, the countryside roll by, the gentle rocking and swaying of the train.

However the best part is how you cap-tured the people.

You told your story through the people you met. So I imagined myself as being MARS+1. Not part of the inner group but a close observer. So I was popping in and out of the scenes like in the reel above.

I particularly like how you captured Gabri. You captured the essence of her character and conveyed that to the reader (makes me want to meet her and stay at her flat).

You describe your article as a travel piece but it is so much more. You art-fully carried your theme of liberté, égalité, fraternité and what it truly means in a modern sense. Or how immigrants, race relations and your own immigrant story fit into this broader theme.

So it was the best of both worlds. It captured the essence of the places and the people. The article was thought provoking and definitely more than a travel piece.

There was a glimpse into your own heart and soul. Not just of the places or people you met.

Sid Prudil, website

Sex Inequality and HinduismSarita Sarvate’s article (“We Were Mid-

night’s Daughters” India Currents, Dec ‘15–January ‘16) prompted me to write this letter. Sex inequality is ingrained in our sub-conscious and inherent in our cul-ture and religion. We need to acknowledge this bias to get rid of inequality.

Sex inequality is given sanctity by our Hindu religion. Our scriptures plead Vasudheva kutumbakam (The world is one

family.) But in this family, women and shudras (lower castes) have lower status. Manu (the progenitor of man and the legendary author of the Manu Smriti (laws of man))pleads that the woman be under the supervision of her father when she is unmarried, under the husband after the marriage, under the son when widowed. For her there is no freedom.

We talk of swayamvara (marriage of one’s choice), but that is merely in name. For example, Sita (in the epic Ramayana) did have a swayamvara (a ceremony to select her husband) but the choice was not really in her hands. Her father had a pre-condition. Whosoever broke the “shivad-hanusha,” (Shiva’s bow) would get Sita’s hand in marriage.

There’s the story of Samyukta who wanted to marry Prithviraj Chauhan around the 12th century. But he was not invited for her swayamvara. Where was the choice for Sita and Samyukta?

Even today, I hear of cases where if the daughter brings home a boyfriend and requests permission to marry him, the first question asked is often about his religion If the family is Hindu then a Muslim boy-friend or a boy from a lower caste Hindu background is met with shock. This has been going on through the ages.

There is also the way we deal with rape as a society. When a woman is raped the general reaction is “uskaa sab kuch lut gayaa, ab rahaa hii kyaa hai?” (She’s lost everything, now what is left?) Can we not teach our girls to get back on her feet and to try to lead a normal life? In reality, however, it takes a long time for a raped woman to get back to leading a normal life.

Unless we as a society acknowledge this hypocrisy and address the root cause, we will continue to carry this burden through the ages.

Ram Prakash Saxena, Foster City, CA

India Currents is available on the Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/India-Currents/dp/B005LRAXNG

Follow at twitter.com/indiacurrents

on facebook.com/IndiaCurrents

Most Popular ArticlesDecember 2015–January 2016

1) A Palanquin of Wedding BillsKalpana Mohan

2) The Lingering Flavors of HomeKamala Thiagarajan

3) A Migrant’s Holiday Rajesh C. Oza

5) A Diet Plan for Weight LossNishtha Chawla

6) We Were Midnight’s DaughtersSarita Sarvate

7) Bombay BusRavibala Shenoy

6) Snoring Shanmugam, and Other Cautionary TalesRagini Tharoor Srinivasan

8) A Holiday Food CanvasPraba Iyer

9) Flying Daggers, Avenging Widows and Ocean MotionAniruddh Chawda

10) Tackling ISIS: Use Social Media!Jaya Padmanabhan

Online Extras:• Easy access to our current content and decade-old archives of diverse articles• Special web-only articles and videos• Digital issue of the magazine• Interactive event listings• Advertising access to a niche high-value segment of the community

• Comments highlighted on home page • A full color experience • RSS feeds and newsletter subscriptions



Princeton, and Chicago. We have friends in all of these places, which sometimes feels like none of them.

Academic life is like this for many people for a very long time: a condition of migrancy. Of always moving, never settling. Of making and leaving friends, collecting contacts, moving through rooms an outsider and interloper, here only for the year, only for the semester, only until the next appointment, only until the gig is up.

Migrancy (before it leads to immigra-tion or naturalization, if it does) is a condition of betweenness, double-consciousness, what the cultural theorist calls “‘not-here’ to stay.” Which is a good description of how I feel these days, in the third city I’ve lived in, in as many years, as a dissertation-writing spouse, following my husband around on a tour of this country’s fancy universities.

My parents were immigrants from India, but they decided to be here, in California, to stay. They could find their chosen family, and they did. We’re here, but not staying, so why bother making friends? Why do the coffees, the walk to the lake, the texts, the emails and pleasantries and dinners, the clean-up after, the food preparation, the table setting, the family introductions, the showing of albums, the telling of stories—all the things you have to do to cultivate intimacy with would-be friends you didn’t grow up with, didn’t go to school with, don’t work with, don’t naturally run into every day?

Maybe the answer is that it’s not about making friends, but about flexing those socialization muscles. About cultivating the urban disposition that allows for strangerly and neighborly ex-changes that need not develop into relationships, in the heaviest sense of the word. Maybe small talk is small for a reason: you are supposed to hold back, inhabit the silences, find a way to sit with the uncertainty of your own murky intentions and inch your way toward something approaching an honest exchange.

This, I find out belatedly, is a tenure party. Our host has just been tenured, which means that he is now effectively “married” to the institution where he works—which happens to be the institution near which I live, but to which I have no actual affilia-tion. This is his home. I imagine belonging here, buying a house, making and keeping friends. I imagine a rooted life. Then, I go to grab my coat from the pile and, pulling it against my chest, I

make my way to the door. n

Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan is a doctoral candidate in Rhetoric at UC Berkeley.

The scene is a winter party, Chi-cago, the year 2015. There are large platters of powdered

cookies and plates of soft cheese. There is an eight-quart stockpot of mulled wine on the stove, all float-ing orange segments and cinnamon spice. And there is an older crowd: professors and the partners of pro-fessors, the recently tenured and the not-so-recently and the soon-to-be.

In this mix, I, one of two gradu-ate students present, seem quaintly young, with my heavily pigmented hair and asymmetrical cut. I find a glass, am poured wine. I talk to the lovely host. I smile around the room, out of practice. The small talk I usually make is with small people, under three feet tall. Small talk with grown-up strangers that is only moderately mediated by alcohol, but does not take place over the dinner table, is a different game.

I find a spot on a corner couch and begin conversing with a man who, it turns out, shares my alma mater. But he was there some three or four decades before I was, and after a few minutes, it becomes apparent that we are not only talking about different times, but different places entirely.

“I loved it there,” I say. “I couldn’t stand it,” he counters. After some time, I see someone I know. I stand; I make my

way to a crowded part of the room in proximity to her elbow and shoulder, tapping-distance. I don’t have much to say other than hello, and after I say it, with what I hope is warmth, I have nothing else to say. I like this person, but I don’t know her very well. I am not sure that we are friend-material. I am not sure what it would take to become friends, what exchange of intimacies, what shared experience, how many meetings, how many different modes of contact and communication would be required. I myself chafe against over-familiarity and so try not to be too familiar, too friendly. But I like her. I think she would be nice to get to know, and I wonder what it would take to make something like that hap-pen: a friendship.

Later, after another abortive start, I find myself in conversation with this woman and a friend of hers, who I like just as much. The talk moves forward in fits and starts. Then a pause, awkward smiles, until someone takes up the football and runs. It feels very much like a sport that requires effort and perseverance, training, muscle memory. Equally, it is a mental game, this social practice called making friends.

Silence again, a smiling-apologetic parting of ways. Awkwardness, and yet the stakes here are fairly low. I will likely

not see most of these people again, as I don’t imagine that I will be living in this particular city for long. Actually, it is a matter of mere months more. In the last 18 months, we have lived in Berkeley,

By Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan

On the Difficulty of Making Friendswords and things

I am not sure what it would take to become friends, what exchange of intimacies, what shared experience, how many meetings, how many different modes of contact and commu-nication would be required.






Facebook chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, is taking intense fire in India over an initia-

tive that his organization Internet.org launched, to provide limited In-ternet access to the masses. He seems genuine in his desire to bring digital equality to the world: in an op-ed for The Times of India, he defended this initiative, called “Free Basics,” citing the example of a farmer named Ganesh, who would be able to find weather informa-tion and prepare for monsoons, look up commodity prices to get better deals, and invest in new crops and livestock.

Zuckerberg is on the defensive because he doesn’t understand the culture and values of Indians. He doesn’t realize that Ganesh cherishes the freedom that India gained from its British colonizers in 1947 and doesn’t want a handout from a West-ern company. Ganesh may be poor, but he doesn’t want anyone to dictate what sites he can visit, what movies he may watch, or what applications he can download.

Like a billion other Indians, Ganesh can afford a cellphone that lets him call and text anyone, anywhere. He is saving up for a beautiful new smartphone, just like the ones he sees other people us-ing, which costs around $40. He would rather spend 50 cents a month for 100 megabytes of unrestricted data access than compromise his freedom and dignity.

Zuckerberg is right about the benefits of Internet access: it will enable village ar-tisans to access global markets; farmers to learn about weather and commodity pric-es; and laborers and maids to find work through sharing-economy applications. With unrestricted Internet access, they will have access to same ocean of knowledge as we do and become our equals online.

And here is the problem with Free Basics: the Internet access on offer is not unrestricted. Facebook and the mobile car-riers get to decide what websites people can visit, and Facebook becomes the cen-ter of the Internet universe. Users can’t do

Google searches and explore the web; they can only go to supported sites and search Facebook.

Zuckerberg compares this limited ser-vice to libraries and hospitals. But imagine a private corporation being allowed to decide which books your children could read and which videos they could watch— and to monitor everything that they did. Imagine the corporation’s dictating what services your hospital would offer and what treatments it would provide. Would you accept that?

The debate centers on the concept of net neutrality—whether a mobile carrier should be allowed to favor which websites a person visits. This is not an Indian issue; we are fighting these battles in the Unit-ed States. The Federal Communications Commission enacted rules in March 2015 to require broadband providers to treat all data equally rather than provide preference to some sites. A federal appeals court is challenging these rules at the behest of the telecommunications industry.

Google has the same motivations as Facebook—to bring billions more people online. But it is pursuing a more sensible strategy: it is setting up fast and free WiFi Internet access points at 400 railroad sta-tions all over India. These are frequented by tens of millions of people. Facebook could one-up Google by setting up access points at thousands of schools, libraries, and villages. This “no strings attached” approach would earn it gratitude—and signups— rather than resentment.

The ultimate solution, unrestricted In-ternet for everyone, is, however, some-thing that Facebook, Google and others are already working on providing, via

By Vivek Wadhwa

business

drones, balloons, and microsatel-lites.

With its Aquila Unmanned Aircraft and laser technologies, Facebook has demonstrated the ability to deliver data at a rate of tens of gigabytes per second to a target the size of a coin—from 10

miles away. This is 10 times faster than existing land-based technologies. With in-terconnected drones, it will, within two or three years, most likely be able to provide Internet access to the most remote regions of the world.

Google is further ahead in its efforts. It has already piloted a technology in Brazil, Australia and New Zealand to beam Inter-net data from the sky. Google’s balloons, called Loons, are essentially floating cell towers that can relay a signal to a mobile device on the ground.

And then there are low-orbit microsat-ellites, which Oneweb, SpaceX, and now Samsung are building. These beam Inter-net signals by laser to ground stations.

Google was supposed to launch Loons in India, but India’s defense, aviation, and telecommunications ministries raised tech-nical and security concerns and stopped the project. When the telecom providers figure out that with unlimited, inexpen-sive, Internet access, their cell and data businesses will be decimated, they too will place obstacles in the way of these technologies.

This, therefore, is the real battle that Facebook should be fighting. If the goal is to provide everyone with Internet ac-cess, Facebook and the Internet-freedom groups that it is fighting should be work-ing together to lobby for a change in government policies—for when the new space-based technologies are ready. n

Vivek Wadhwa is an entrepreneur turned academic. You can follow him on Twitter at @vwadhwa and find his research at www.wadhwa.com. First published in The Wash-ington Post.

India Deserves Better than Mark Zuckerberg’s Watered-down Internet

The debate centers on the concept of net neutrality—whether a mobile carrier should be allowed to favor

which websites a person visits.


viewpoint

Pomegranates and PotatoesBy Usha Akella

So, the pomegranate has gone down history as a celebrated fruit, ripe with burgundy sparkle and as a mys-

terious aphrodisiac. It boasts adjectives and laudatory verbiage like revitalizing, rich, anti-oxidants, fertility, eternal life, flavonoids polyphenols and anti-cancer. This wonder food is toasted by doctors, nutritionists and like an energizer bunny goes about our body at astonishing speeds breaking down carotid arterial blockages with triumph.

As a sexy siren, she stimulates serotonin and estrogen. Her mere presence sets you salivating and lets your juices loose.

As a super heroine, she reigns in the hi-erarchy of fruits and vegetables as a gleam-ing queen. She delivers a head high kick to those god awful diseases lurking around the human organism. With her reserves of “punicalagin” she pronounces, “Be gone cancer! Be gone heart block! Be gone tu-mors, osteoporosis, platelet aggregation!”

If the potato and the pomegranate were to look in the mirror and ask, “mir-ror, mirror on the wall, the pom or the pot, who stands tall?” Undoubtedly, the mirror would curtsy and simper to the pomegranate, “But you, who else my queen?” And to the potato the mirror would say apologetically, “Dude, take a good look. You need to lose that girth a bit before you are in the running.” And the pomegranate would daintily laugh, flash-ing perfect little ruby teeth. Yes, we know who wears the crown.

Even at the nomenclature level, test “punita granatum” in the cave of your month vs “solanum tuberosum.” “Punita” brings visions of a Caribbean island with a canvas of sunset hues in which dreams and life forces burgeon. And “grantum” sounds like the creator is saying “So be it.”

Now say “potato” and you want to sag to the ground, depleted and defeated by the cholesterol in your body. You want to sit on that couch in your living room

starchy-humored and watch reruns of Sein-feld. There’s something about potato that says “You are doomed. Be round and heavy, lead a second best life, never get the girl …”

One is God’s masterpiece created on Day 1 in his divine plan. The pomegran-ate rind is a Van Gogh canvas. You want to dive into the red and wake up to nights of passion. They grow high up in the air basking in the sun’s glorious light. Cut it open length-wise and a whirl studded with deep set gems greets your vision. Layered in crown, skin, pith, membrane and seeds, it is so masterfully designed as to be Na-ture’s crowning glory.

The potato is an afterthought on Day 7. The Divine Lord had tossed it all out—the planets, the starry skies and constel-lations, oceans, vertebrae, non-vertebrae organisms, jewel-toned fish, the diapha-nous jelly fish, algae, minerals, the animal kingdom and Adam and Eve frolicking in a verdurous Eden. His glorious creativity spent, he lay on his hammock suspended between Orion and the morning star. And just as he was about to sink into a cosmic sleep, Adam whined, “we need to eat, the nations need to eat.” God grunted and woke up. And thus began the human in-ability to be content or grateful. From his grunt, rolled out the potato, thick with God’s annoyance. It slunk off to grow in subterranean depths ashamed to show its plain face.

I am just saying it’s no contest at all. But have you tried to eat the pome-

granate? The work! The torture! There are manuals needed on how to unseed this

fruit. When you greedily stuff your mouth with a mound of glistening red—your mouth explodes with juice and seed, a garbage of good and bad.

And all that juice in your mouth sub-sides into a rocky mess like an excavated pit filled with bones and debris. Your teeth are invaded, chipped and inhabited. You mouth is the site of a ship sink. Flotsam and jetsam, a bloody mess! The panic be-gins … do you swallow or not, what if you choke, what if the seeds clog the intestines, what if you can’t ever get them out of your body … what if they sneak into pancreatic crevices … what if … what if…

Potatoes—wash, peel and set them on your cutting board—cherubic, good na-tured minions filled with the intention to serve and make human beings happy. So compliant, you can do what you want with them. Fries, hash brown, pierogies, roun-dels, gnocchi, pakodas—a medley of com-fort foods. Mash them—paradisiacal puffs of cloud whipped with cream and kale keep you going for a week. Dice them, fry them, serve hot with omelets or bise bele bhath. Grate them—golden hash browns like lace adorn your plate. Salt them, pep-per them, ketchup them, bhajji them and serve with fluffy pooris or bhatura. Knead them into kababs, serve with hot rice.

They stop your mind from becoming nebulous. They do exactly what Adam asked for. They feed you and make you happier by a few pounds. n

Usha Akella is an internationally known poet. She lives in Austin, Texas. Occasionally she writes whimsical prose.


SILICON VALLEY UNIVERSITYUnivesity Caters to Silicon Valley High-Tech Industry

•

Doctoral Degree

Computer Engineering

Master Degree

• Computer Science

• Computer Engineering

• Business Administration

Bachelor Degree

• Computer Science

• Computer Engineering

• Business Administration

Certificate Program

• Computer Networks & Telecommunications Engineering

• Database Design & Software Engineering

• English as a Second Language (ESL) / TOEFL

CONTACT US:

2010 Fortune DrSan Jose, CA 95131Tel: (408) 435-8989Fax: (408) 955-0887Email: [email protected]

ACICS Accredited Member

www.svuca.edu


INDIA CURRENTSINDIA CURRENTSCelebrating 27 Years of Excellence


cover

By Tamanna Raisinghani


On average, 46.9% of our waking time is spent in thinking and letting our minds wan-der.

When we spend close to half of our waking moments in this man-ner we better have some monitoring in place unless we want to live caged by our thoughts.


Back in my college days, my friends and I decided to visit Dharamshala, one of the famous tourist attractions

in the state of Himachal Pradesh, best-known for its magnificently breath-taking snow-covered Dhaula Dhar mountains. During the trip, I visited a Buddhist monastery located in McLeodganj, a suburb of Dharamshala. As soon as I entered the monastery, a sense of calm came upon me. I felt a connectedness to everything around and within myself. I had never experienced anything like this before.

The sight of meditating monks, the sounds of gongs at prayer time, the spin-ning wheels around the sidewalks and the vibe of that monastery stayed with me for a long time. The effect was so profound that I decided I would visit the place again.

Two years later I did visit the monas-tery again with my family. Both times, it was not just the memory of the beautiful and astonishing monastery surrounded by the splendid Himalayas that lingered on, but the feelings associated with the experi-ence, the revelation of something surreal, pleasant and peaceful.

It was many years later that I had the opportunity to investigate those feelings.

I was introduced to the concept of meditation three years ago when in a very casual conversation with my friend she mentioned Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra.

I had never read any of Deepak Cho-pra’s books nor was I planning to. With a little baby and a toddler and a full time job, my plate was already full. Severely sleep-deprived, reading was the last thing I wanted to do. But I was intrigued by its title.

As I began reading, what really caught my attention was the emphasis on medita-tion. I didn’t quite understand the quan-tum physics application to healing and I attribute it to my ignorance of quantum physics in general, but the concept of med-itation got the bells ringing in my head.

Being a skeptic, it was not easy for me to embrace the idea of meditation right away. This book was just a pointer to look in a direction that I had not considered before. With my newfound interest and curiosity on the subject, I dived into the subject of meditation and mindfulness and gradually things started registering.

Making Friends With YourselfMeditation (dhyana in Sanskrit) is the

practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, image, breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, gradu-ally relaxing the mind to enhance personal and spiritual growth. Meditation is a way of becoming so familiar with your thoughts, feelings, behavior patterns and attitudes that it becomes a way to get to know your-self intimately. It’s a process of making

friends with yourself. Instead of turning your attention out-

ward, to other people or the external world, you turn it inward back on your-self. As a result, it could change the way you relate to the world.

The practice of meditation is believed to have its roots in the ancient Vedic tra-ditions of India. It is speculated that it originated more than 5,000 years ago and served as a means to understand and get closer to the true nature of God (Brah-man) by Hindus.

And almost 2,500 years ago, medita-tion evolved when one of the best-known figures in the history of meditation, Sid-dhartha Gautama, attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree and became Buddha. He practiced meditation to achieve his personal awakening to truth and reality.

Meditation became an essential part of Buddhism in this era and spread to Tibet, China, Japan, and the rest of Asia. The essential difference in the ancient Vedic meditation technique and the one used by Buddhist followers is that the former

serves as a means of getting closer to an understanding of a higher being, the latter serves as a means of realizing one’s inter-connectedness with all things.

Some forms of meditation were in-troduced in the United States in the early 1900s, but gained momentum in the mid-twentieth century when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian spiritual teacher

introduced the Transcendental Meditation technique (the one based on ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment) to the Western world.

In Transcendental Meditation (TM), the meditator sits with closed eyes and concentrates on a single syllable or word (mantra) for 20 minutes at a time. Dur-ing TM, ordinary waking mental activity is said to settle down, until the thinking mind is transcended and a self-referential state of pure wakefulness or awareness is experienced.

Not a Religious PracticeIn the 1960s and 1970s meditation

caught the attention of many researchers and professors and became the subject of academic research. Until then, meditation was not adopted in healthcare as it was considered to be a religious practice.

Dr. Herbert Benson did pioneering re


search at Harvard University that showed that meditation acts as an antidote to stress and can be effectively used to promote general well-being and relaxation. After studying the physiology of meditation, he developed an approach very similar to TM called “Relaxation Response,” where he taught patients to focus upon the repeti-tion of a word, sound, or phrase for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. The phrase for repetition does not have to be in Sanskrit. This strips meditation of its association with religion.

Better Things To Do In Life vs Doing Things Much Better In Life

Twelve years ago my cousin start-ed a Buddhist mantra chanting group. She suggested I should do the same if I wanted my wishes to come true. She wrote the mantra on a piece of paper which I accepted politely.

But the rebel in my head said, “You are only 25 and you have better things to do in life than letting this bunch of superstitious people convert you to Buddhism. Just disappear.”

I am glad I did the disappearing act then. I am not critical of what she was doing, but the reasoning she gave me was enough to steer me against it. The transformation (though pretty ironical) from someone who thinks that I have better things to do in life to someone who wants to do things much better with meditation didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual process, which involved wrapping my head around the concepts, realizing that I can be wise and sane in the middle of chaos. The realization that I could feel a little less miserable during challenging times; That I can tame my monkey mind that grasps and holds onto trivial things; That I can face my worries, fears, insecuri-ties bang on; That I can accept the imper-manence of every thought, emotion and feeling, and above all have some control over the constant chatter going on in my head.

I started meditating on my own with the help of guided meditations available online. Meditation does sound simple at first as all you have to do is to sit and watch your breath and do nothing. But our mind has never learnt to do nothing. My mind kept slipping to its default mode

and my attention kept wandering to every-thing other than my breath. Out of the five minutes, I was spacing out for more than 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Nevertheless, I continued my practice. It felt like going to the gym and dealing with sore muscles. Initially, the mind does offer a lot of inertia to your practice, but slowly the attention muscles start developing and I began to exprience that relaxation that all the studies have claimed. I noticed improvements in my sleep patterns within a few days. Not only was I falling asleep faster, with less tossing and turning, I was able to remain asleep for

longer hours.

Mindfulness MeditationAnother form of meditation which

became the subject of research and gained some traction in recent years. Also known as Vipassana, or Insight Meditation, Mindfulness is one of the cornerstones of Buddhist meditation. Among all the dif-ferent forms of meditation, mindfulness is unique as it is not directed to take us some-place other than where we are. It teaches us to be more present to everything that is, fully aware, without judgment or analysis. Mindfulness means paying complete at-tention to a particular experience.

For example, drinking tea or coffee can be a mindful exercise if you choose to pay attention to every sensation in your body

as you drink the beverage. How does it feel as it’s going down your throat? Is it warm or hot? How is the taste? Sweet or strong? Stay with the experience of drink-ing without looking at your phone or TV and also without telling yourself a story like: “I wish it tasted more like the one I drank yesterday,” or “It would have been better if I bought it from a coffee shop instead of making it myself.” It is the idea of consciously remaining unattached yet observant.

In the words of Dr. Swati Desai, founder of 2meditate, and a long-term

mindfulness teacher, “The power of Mindfulness lies in this: it is Secular and yet Sacred, Simple yet Serious, Ancient yet backed by Modern Science, and it gets you out of “me and mine” by paying attention to “me and mine.”

The practice of Mindfulness Medi-tation involves sitting in a comfortable position (either on a chair or a cushion) with your spine straight and allowing your posture to be upright. Take a few deep breaths in and out, exhaling and inhaling fully. As breathing becomes simple and natural, direct your atten-tion to the natural rhythm of your breath, noticing the sensations as you breathe in and out. If your attention wanders, gently bring it back to your breath. When thoughts arise, acknowl-edge them without getting caught in the story, gently returning to the breath. By stepping outside the story we can begin to non-identify. Develop-ing this moment by moment awareness of any experience without pushing it away or holding on to it is mindfulness.In Mindfulness we don’t label an expe-

rience as good or bad. Whether it’s pain-ful or pleasant we treat it the same way. This is called the emotionally non-reactive state or equanimity (stillness and balance of mind). If left to itself, the mind keeps ruminating about the past or imagining the future and has trouble remaining in the “NOW.”

We are slaves to our deeply ingrained mental habits and patterns and Mindful-ness changes that relationship by purpose-fully directing our attention to the object of our focus.

There are five primary benefits of mindfulness, according to Dr. Desai. She summarizes them in an easy to remember acronym CREST. C is for Concentration, R is for Relaxation (reducing stress and

The author meditating


20 | INDIA CURRENTS | West Coast Edition | February 2016Quality Journalism for 29 Years

Congratulations! Congratulations!

CINDIA CURRENTS

India Currents Magazine, Vandana Kumar, Jaya Padmanadhan

Modern Day Slavery, Chia Seeds, Psyllium Husk and a Blender–Sarita Sarvate

INDIA CURRENTS

Who Am I, Passion and Paranoia, How Jay-Z Trumped Modi–Jaya Padmanabhan

Cong

ratu

latio

ns

India Currents took home six prizes at the 37th Annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards organized

by the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club. An impressive 398 entries were received from media

professionals in the 11 Greater Bay Area counties. The awards honored work done in 2014. Entries

were judged by the Press Clubs of Cleveland, Florida, New Orleans, Orange County, and Kern County.

February 2016 | West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 21 Quality Journalism for 29 Years

Congratulations! Congratulations!

CINDIA CURRENTS

India Currents Magazine, Vandana Kumar, Jaya Padmanadhan

Modern Day Slavery, Chia Seeds, Psyllium Husk and a Blender–Sarita Sarvate

INDIA CURRENTS

Who Am I, Passion and Paranoia, How Jay-Z Trumped Modi–Jaya Padmanabhan

Cong

ratu

latio

ns

India Currents took home six prizes at the 37th Annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards organized

by the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club. An impressive 398 entries were received from media

professionals in the 11 Greater Bay Area counties. The awards honored work done in 2014. Entries

were judged by the Press Clubs of Cleveland, Florida, New Orleans, Orange County, and Kern County.

anxiety), E is for Equanimity (evenness of mind which helps in dealing with ups and downs of life better), S is Self-Aware-ness and T is for Taming self-sabotaging habits. Some of the secondary benefits may include a better immune system, lower inflammation, decreased pain, better cognitive capabilities, more empathy and compassion, more resilience, and a better ability to relate to people.

The Science Behind ItOne of the most compelling studies

on mindfulness was done by Sara Lazar at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Participants (who never meditated before) meditated for eight weeks every day for 30 minutes and MRI brain scans were taken before starting the practice and after its completion. The results showed that 8 weeks of practice can change the gray matter in the areas associated with learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking. Most particularly, there was a decrease in the gray matter in the amygdala (the area associated with the flight and fight response) which resulted in reduction in stress and anxiety.

One of the studies that came out of the University of Toronto shows that long term meditators are better in keeping two neuronal circuits of the brains disengaged compared to non-meditators.

One circuit is called the default circuit which is active when we are daydreaming,

ruminating, or planning for the future. This is also called the narrative circuit of the brain, which is active for most of the waking period and doesn’t take much ef-fort to operate. The other circuit is called the direct experience circuit that gets ac-tivated when you are experiencing the information coming to you in real time. It enables more sensory information to be perceived, which allows you to get closer to the reality of any event. The ability to switch between the circuits is more devel-oped in meditators where as non-medita-tors are more likely to automatically take the narrative path. That explains the better cognitive and decision-making capabilities in meditators.

Neuroscientist David Richardson car-ried out brain imaging tests on Tibetan monks who are long term meditators and also on novice meditators. The results show that monks have greater gamma wave activity in their brains compared to the other group. Gamma wave activity is associated with higher mental processes like increased sensory perception, cogni-tion and memory formation and recall.

All these studies eventually prove the ability of the brain to continuously evolve structurally and functionally. On average, 46.9% of our waking time is spent in thinking and letting our minds wander. When we spend close to half of our time in this manner we better have some monitor-ing in place unless we want to live caged by our thoughts.

My Aha MomentIt happened when I boarded a flight

to India and had a panic attack before the flight took off. I knew I was anxious but

didn’t realize that my travel anxiety had grown big enough to throw me into a full-fledged panic attack. My heart started rac-ing and I was shivering, hyperventilating, and gasping for breath. It was very embar-rassing to be surrounded by the flight crew trying to help and assure me that flying was not that hard. When one of the flight attendants told us that they can’t let us fly in this condition, my husband whispered in my ears—“tickets are non-refundable, you better pull yourself together, and I know you can do it.”

I went to my seat, closed my eyes, and focused on my breath. A few minutes later my breathing returned to normal. My heart stopped racing and my nerves stopped acting out. I continued to focus on my breath for 10 to 15 minutes more and as the plane picked up speed on the runway, my small dose of meditation was fueling my brain by clearing the fog of anxiety and gearing me towards the take-off on my own mental runway.

That day I gained a valuable insight into how my compulsively obsessive fear of travel overpowered me putting me in a situation where I was caught off-guard, vulnerable and weak.

Here is a definition of meditation which aptly describes what happened to me: “A practice to rediscover our hidden neuroses and our hidden sanity at the same time.”

Mindfulness is heavily influenced by Eastern culture but what makes it attrac

The essential difference in the ancient Vedic medi-tation technique and the one used by Buddhist followers is that the for-mer serves as a means of getting closer to an un-derstanding of a higher being, the latter serves as a means of realizing one’s interconnectedness with all things.

I continued to focus on my breath for 10 to 15 minutes more and as the plane got up to speed on the runway to take off, my small dose of meditation was fueling my brain by clearing the fog of anxiety and gearing me towards the take-off on my own mental runway.

A Creative Commons Image


IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

IC (

408)

324-0

488

tive to the modern world is the science behind it.

Big companies like Google, Ford, Tar-get, General Mills, and Aetna have started offering mindfulness practices to their employees. Mindfulness Based Stress Re-duction techniques—MBSR (launched by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Mas-sachusetts Medical School in 1979) have been widely used by psychologists in treat-ing stress, anxiety and depression in their patients. Models similar to MBSR are also getting adopted in schools, prisons, hospi-tals, veterans’ centers, and beyond.

A program called Quiet Time was launched at San Francisco’s Visitacion Val-ley Middle School in 2007. The students at the school were reportedly stressed and agitated due to gang violence and drugs in the community. Just a month after medi-tation began, teachers reported that bul-lying went down, kids were happier, less stressed, paying more attention, working harder and results improved considerably.

Responding instead of ReactingBut is this the reason I want to adopt

this practice? Will I be able to remain truthful to the

practice if my reasons are based on some external validations beyond my control? The answer is, of course, no.

I realized that by incorporating medi-tation into my daily life I was not learning anything new, but unlearning everything that I had learnt so far (not that it’s causing any amnesia or memory loss). Unlearning habitual patterns of thinking and reacting, which is a result of years of conditioning either by society, family,

friends, school, peers or environment on the whole that we grew up in. When lay-ers of conditioning are sliced one by one, we are able to see ourselves unadulterated, complete, and absolute.

Equipped with this new lens to view every situation and circumstance, we start responding instead of reacting. Instead of dwelling inside our thoughts we start dwelling in the awareness behind those thoughts.

For anyone who wants to take a plunge in this practice, my advice would be to not adopt it for the sake of being part of some trend which appears cool. You might get the benefits but sticking to it and gaining discipline will be a challenge.

Try to understand what it is and why you want to do it. Is it to ease stress and feel more relaxed, or deal with anger or difficult emotions or develop more com-passion and resilience?

Figure which part of you is getting nourished by it. Ask the right questions and choose mindfulness mindfully. This way you will be more open and receptive to its benefits.

And remember—don’t try too hard. There will be days when your mind wan-ders more, just acknowledge that too. n

Thanks to Dr. Swati Desai, founder of 2Med-itate (www.2meditatetogether.com) for her valuable insights into Mindfulness

A software engineer by profession, Tamanna Raisinghani intends to add more meaning to life by pursuing interests in mind body rela-tionship and meditation.

A C

reat

ive C

ommo

ns Im

age


EYEBROW

THREADING

5$00


I was seated on the kitch-en counter, my favorite perch as a four-year old.

I watched my thatha, my ma-ternal grandfather, draw a “U” shaped white figure on his forehead with what looked like a metal toothpick. Carefully, he placed a red substance with water on the heel of his hand, and with the precision of a chemist, mixed them to the perfect consistency. He washed the ever-silver rod, and, in one stroke, drew a red line in the center of his forehead. I begged him to draw one on my head as well. He simply laughed and said, “This is not for you, ma.” Seeing my wide eyes, he placed a small red line on my forehead and lifted me away.

Daily, I would watch my Ramanju thatha repeat the same process over and over again. A deeply pious man, he would bathe early in the mornings, draw his thiruman, and say his prayers for the day. The thiruman is a mark or symbol that Iyengars (members of a sub-sect of Hindus who worship Vishnu) wear on their foreheads in order to show their sub-servience to God.

When I was eight, I had a birthday party at my school. I was more than thrilled to celebrate with my friends and my favorite teacher. Being the bossy third-grader I was, I ordered my mom to bring cupcakes to school to share. Not wanting to anger me on my special day, she agreed to heed my wishes, but asked me to do her a small favor in return. She asked, “Swathi chellam, please can Patti and Thatha come to see your birthday celebrations? Patti would love to see your friends, and you can introduce Ms. Roberts to Thatha.”

I contemplated about this for a few

days, and I came to a conclusion. My grandparents could come to my school, only if thatha erased his thiruman for the day.

“It’s too Indian, Amma, I just want to have a normal American birthday, and I don’t want my friends to keep asking questions.”

My grandfather was indignant, “Do you understand the purpose of this mark, Swathi? All my ancestors wore this on their foreheads.” I tuned out the rest of his tirade, and all I can remember is a blur of some Sanskrit phrases, and the word “God” multiple times. I never bothered to understand the significance. He never agreed to take it off.

The next day, my mom came to school at 2:00 sharp, as per Queen now-nine-years-old’s wishes. My thatha stepped out of the car, and I looked up at him. He now had a bare forehead; the first time I had ever seen this. Pleased that my thatha had chosen my side, I skipped off to play with

my friends. No one asked ques-tions about my grandparents, and no one bothered me about my Indian-ness. I was a happy birthday girl.

The symbols of tradition, in that moment, were so insig-nificant to me. They were a re-minder of the past that we had left behind to come to America.

Every first-generation child of immigrants undergoes this inner turmoil, attempting to find the balance between cul-ture and the American ideal. Whether being embarrassed about the parent’s over-empha-sis of the “w” in “jewel” or bringing a peanut butter sand-wich to school every day, we all go through the process of shunning our roots.

Some of us find the equi-librium between the cultures,

and others reject either side in favor of the other. To each their own. But these visible marks of tradition, in language, in symbols, and in food, are dog-tags that point us out as “others,” not part of the American standard. Attempting to fit in, we try to minimize the exposure of this immigrant side of us, until we can under-stand where we truly fit in. This innocent, albeit rude, rejection of my thatha’s thiru-man was an expression of the culture wars that I faced, even at nine years old.

But, as time progressed, I learned to appreciate my heritage more and more. The simplicities of rituals and wealth of knowledge in my Indian blood mean a great deal to me now.

Through many of my thatha’s visits, I began to learn more about the Hindu re-ligion. He taught me many of the slokams and their meanings. He instilled a great sense of tradition within me, with his sto-ries of mythology and staunch beliefs that

By Swathi Ramprasad

Embarassed by My Indiannessyouth


Creations By SamPhotography, Videography& DVD ProductionsFOR ALL OCCASIONS

Sameer Yagnik

(408) 605-1817(408) 972-2056Email: [email protected]

www.creationsbysam.com

We use high quality HD Cameras to produce:Blue-Ray Disc &High Definition DVD

he continues to impart to me. Although we argue about many facets of the differ-ences between the cultures, we respect one another immensely. And as I developed a closer relationship with my thatha, I came to associate that familiar thiruman with him, his ideologies, and the tradition that he represents in my mind.

“Thatha, it isn’t just. How can you continue to be so rooted in your misogy-nistic ways?” At fourteen, I found each and every reason to reject the patriarchy. A number of our conversations would start and end the same way: with me criticiz-ing the backwardness of the South Indian cultural processes.

He tried to explain to me, “Illa, ma, appidi illa. It isn’t like that. The woman was always given control of the wealth and the gold that the man brought home. She had an equal part in the control of the household as the protector of the family’s riches. Only she could decide when to sell the jewelry for money.” I, a sharp-tongued teenager, could not take this as an answer. I could not accept the inequality that con-tinues even to this day. “How come only men can don the sacred thread or even the

thiruman you wear as opposed to a devout lady?” Again, my thatha was the poster face of tradition. All qualms I had with the culture were directed at him. He was always ready with a response, “Women wear the bindi. Wouldn’t it look weird if I wore a sari and Patti wore a veshti?” I kept quiet for a minute. Quickly, my next re-buttal came to me. It followed the rule of my family: when all hope fails, change the subject, even if ever-so slightly. “Thatha, American people treat men and women more equally, why can’t we?” Once again, I held the American culture to an execu-tive ideal.

Last summer, my thatha and I decided to embark on a mission: to use the Silicon Valley public transportation system. We would take these, mostly empty buses, to places around our neighborhood. A bus driver one day, noticed the mark on my thatha’s forehead, and asked him what it was. With his thick accent and expressive hand gestures, my thatha said, “It is the Lord’s feet. When we worship Him, we must remember that we are simply his sub-ordinates who bow down to Him.”

I remember clearly the pride that my

thatha felt that day that someone from another culture cared enough to ask about his thiruman, a symbol of our religion and his faith.

It was then that I learned that in order to be “American” or “modern” it does not mean we all have to be the same, factory-made people with no story or no heritage.

Being American means accepting and taking an interest in what each person of every background has to offer us. We are known as the melting pot, a seamless mixture of countries all over the world. Accepting the American character is hav-ing a certain blend of old and new, custom and innovation.

My thatha’s adherence to the role of ancient practices but to the acceptance of modern convention reflects this duality. As paradoxical as it may sound, my thatha’s thiruman, which I once repudiated so greatly has actually not only come to be a symbol of tradition for me but also of be-ing American. n

Swathi Ramprasad is currently a junior at Presentation High School. She enjoys being a child of two cultures.

Call for a Free in home consultation

(866) 415-1100(510) 206-6478

Elegant Drapery ConceptsElegant Drapery Concepts

* Specializing in custom draperies to match your home decor

* Save up to 40-60% by ordering direct from the manufacturer.

* Choose from a wide selection of luxurious sheers, prints, and solid fabrics.

* Also featuring a large selection of blinds, shades, bedspreads and custom upholstery.

[email protected]


Excellent collection of Gold plated Charms and Chains!

Are you looking for custom made Charms and Chains?

Lifetime Warranty!

Gold Plated Custom Jewelry

Now available at www.goldeninches.com

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

ADVANCED

LASERH AI R R E MOVAL

Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Mon-Fri

(800) 888-7474 • (650) 965-7888www.enhanced-you.com • [email protected] South Drive, Suite 1, Mountain View

Do you want to be freeof unwanted hair?

We Are Specialists In Laser Hair Removal For South Asian PatientsAn Enhanced You Cosmetic Surgery Medical Group and the

Lowen Laser Medical ClinicWe have been providing safe and effective permanent laser hair removal for patients of all skin types, including South Asian patients, for over ten years.

All skin types can be treated, and large areas quickly done. Candela has dynamic cryogen cooling and Starlux has sapphire glass cooling, both designed to enhance safety and comfort. Come to a Center that has truly comprehensive hair removal capabilities for all body areas. We also offer the first and only laser that is FDA approved for stretch mark removal, the Palomar Lux 1540 erbium, 1064 YAG Laser Spider Vein Treatment; Lux IR Non-Surgical Laser Skin-Tightening, IPL Photofacial, Laser Skin Rejuvenation for wrinkles and acne and scar correction, Botox, Dysport, Obagi, Restylane & Radiesse. Eyelid wrinkle removal with minimal down time with Cynosure Smartskin Microblative Laser.In practice for over 25 years.

We have three state of the art devices, the Candela CentleYAG, GentleLase, and the intense-pulsed light Palomar Starlux Y.

Robert M. Lowen, MDCertified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

CELLULAZE ANTI-CELLULITE TREATMENT • SMARTLIPO TRIPLEX LASER LIPOSUCTIONIN-OFFICE • LOCAL ANESTHESIA • QUICK RECOVERY • AFFORDABLE

My cousin hasn’t dated much, and he’s a little awkward with women. Since he’s really a decent guy, I was surprised

to find him checking out “pick-up artist” stuff online recently. My girlfriends and I can’t stand getting approached by guys with canned pick up lines. Any ideas on how to deter him?

Yes, lots of women find those “pick-up artist” approaches a turn-off. To

point him towards a more promising approach with women, let him know that all he really needs is confidence and attentiveness. Consider sharing with him the following five signs to alert guys that course-correction is warranted for greater success with women.

1. Your Jokes Meet Silence Ever tell a joke and the entire room

goes quiet? It’s happened to everyone once or twice, but if it happens a lot, just stop.

2. Too Nervous to Try

So many men see a woman they’d like to talk to and get nervous; they talk them-selves out of even trying.

The truth is, some women will reject you. And some won’t and the more wom-en you approach, the more comfortable you’ll be with the process.

3. She Looks Bored Many women won’t reject you outright

because they’re trying to be polite. You can change the game if you pay attention to her body language. If she leans away from you and looks around the room, you know she’s trying to find a way to leave.

Two ways to improve your odds here—start talking to another female (this seems shady, but it works), or have a rehearsed story you know always gets a reaction.

4. Putting Them On A PedestalSo many men fall into this with at-

tractive women; our entire body language tells them we think they’re exceptionally

attractive. The thing is, most women will over-

look a guy who’s already into them in favor of someone they have to “win.”

5. Your Own Body LanguagePay attention to your own body lan-

guage to make sure you’re sending the right messages. Leaning into the girl too much may come off as desperate. Shoul-ders back, hands at sides expresses a confi-dent personality.

There will be women who reject you anyway, but that shouldn’t stop you from approaching them. n

By Jasbina Ahluwalia

Q

A

relationship diva

Five Signs You Have No Game

Jasbina is the founder and president of Inter-sections Match, the only personalized match-making and dating coaching firm serving singles of South Asian descent in the United States. She is also the host of Intersections Talk Radio. [email protected].


ADVANCED

LASERH AI R R E MOVAL

Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Mon-Fri

(800) 888-7474 • (650) 965-7888www.enhanced-you.com • [email protected] South Drive, Suite 1, Mountain View

Do you want to be freeof unwanted hair?

We Are Specialists In Laser Hair Removal For South Asian PatientsAn Enhanced You Cosmetic Surgery Medical Group and the

Lowen Laser Medical ClinicWe have been providing safe and effective permanent laser hair removal for patients of all skin types, including South Asian patients, for over ten years.

All skin types can be treated, and large areas quickly done. Candela has dynamic cryogen cooling and Starlux has sapphire glass cooling, both designed to enhance safety and comfort. Come to a Center that has truly comprehensive hair removal capabilities for all body areas. We also offer the first and only laser that is FDA approved for stretch mark removal, the Palomar Lux 1540 erbium, 1064 YAG Laser Spider Vein Treatment; Lux IR Non-Surgical Laser Skin-Tightening, IPL Photofacial, Laser Skin Rejuvenation for wrinkles and acne and scar correction, Botox, Dysport, Obagi, Restylane & Radiesse. Eyelid wrinkle removal with minimal down time with Cynosure Smartskin Microblative Laser.In practice for over 25 years.

We have three state of the art devices, the Candela CentleYAG, GentleLase, and the intense-pulsed light Palomar Starlux Y.

Robert M. Lowen, MDCertified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

CELLULAZE ANTI-CELLULITE TREATMENT • SMARTLIPO TRIPLEX LASER LIPOSUCTIONIN-OFFICE • LOCAL ANESTHESIA • QUICK RECOVERY • AFFORDABLE

Jambolan (Kala Jamun) Trees for SalePapaya Tree Nursery

Your Local Full Service Source for Fruiting & Tropical Plants

SOME OF OUR AVAILABLE PLANTS:BANANA • CHIKU/SAPOTA • FIG • JAKFRUIT

• LITCHEE • MANGO • PAPAYA • POMEGRANATE • JAMUN• SHEHTOOT/MULBERRY • SITAPHAL/SHARIFA

Open 7 Days A Week by Same Day Appointment8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Please Call First)

(818) 363-3680 [email protected] • www.PapayaTreeNursery.com

At only 20' tall at maturity, these semi-dwarf grafted "Jamun" trees are only half to one third the height of the wild form (40'-60' tall) from India. Also, the fruit size is considerably larger and sweeter with less of the astringency commonly found in the wild form. Seed size remains normal for larger fruit...no smaller, no larger. Fruit is harvested from August to October. "Larger, sweeter fruit on a smaller tree...sounds good to me". Available in 5 and 10 gallon sizes.




opinion

By Ranjani Iyer Mohanty

No Country for Gray People

Several years ago, when I was nearly fifty years old, I had gone from

Delhi to one of the smaller towns to visit my extended family. I hadn’t seen them for some time and was look-ing forward to re-establishing ties. Many members had gath-ered together under one roof to meet me. I felt things were going well, there was laughter and exchange of information, and we were really connecting, when suddenly the eldest lady in the room —probably in her late sixties—asked me, “Why do you have gray hair?”

I was speechless—but I understood where she was coming from. For women, there is no country for gray people. You’d be hard pressed to find elderly high-profile women in India with gray hair. It’s true that Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi (age 68) has a few gray hairs, but they probably set her apart as much as her Ital-ian origin. And there are a few like Arund-hati Roy (53), Medha Patkar (60), and Anu Aga (73), but they can be dismissed as NGO-types, perhaps even consciously cultivating an “I only care about the envi-ronment” look.

By and large, raven locks are the norm. In India, business-woman Kiran Mazum-dar-Shaw (62), minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj (63), actress Hema Malini (66), popular columnist Shoba De (67), chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa (67), designer Ritu Kumar (age 70), all the way up to dancer Vyjayanthimala (79), all sport jet-black hair.

In the United States, prominent ex-amples are news anchor Uma Pemmaraju (57), director Mira Nair (58), PepsiCo head Indra Nooyi (60), former Iowa state senator Swati Dandekar (64), and au-thor Bharati Mukherjee (75). And that color permeates down the pyramid to the middle class.

While natural hair dyes have been

around at least as far back as ancient Egypt, synthetic hair dye was created in the mid 1800s, with L’Oréal and Clairol bringing it to the consumer market in the 1900s. Understandably, the most common color of dye amongst Indians is black since the key purpose of hair dye is generally not to change the color of the hair but to cover the gray. There are no blonde hair dyes or shades of gray on the store shelves in India. Gray may have been all the rage in the Europe of King Louis XIV and even making something of a comeback in the West over the last few years, but in India, black is indeed black.

When actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan swings around her luscious black locks in the L’Oréal advertisement and says, “Be-cause I’m worth it,” she’s implying that if you don’t cover your gray, you’re lacking in self-esteem; you’ve let yourself go.

Interestingly, the same attention is not given to exercise or nutritious eating—which are more substantial ways of retain-ing youth. A healthy lifestyle, however, doesn’t offer the same commercial oppor-tunity from a manufacturer’s perspective, and from a consumer’s perspective, it requires long, hard work, not to mention a shift in thinking.

You would think Indians would be more comfortable than most other cultures with the idea of aging. We are an ancient culture, we are philosophical, and we are religious. Coloring hair is in some sense just a continuation of the centuries-old tradition in some parts of India of using

henna to cover gray. Further-more, it requires little money and only one afternoon of your time to get highly visible results.

With their Viagra and fliban-serin, Americans may be chang-ing to a bottom-up anti-aging battle strategy, but Indians are

still sticking to the top-down ap-proach.

For those with light hair (blondes, redheads, brunettes), going gray is a more gentle and a less perceptible process. For those with black hair, it is a dramatic and traumatic change. From having had black hair all one’s life, going to the opposite end of the spectrum can be too much to bear. And therefore, the primeval desire and now the facility to seemingly control two uncontrollable processes—graying, and with it, aging—is too hard to resist.

Which puts us few grayers in a dif-ficult position; if everyone around you has jet black hair, it’s intimidating to go against the current. The young look at you with awe and curiosity; despite liv-ing with grandparents, they may not have seen someone with gray hair before. The old, with their jet black hair, look at you suspiciously. Instead of admiring you for your naturalness and welcoming you into their club, they wonder what you’re trying to prove. With that question, my aging relative may have been rebuking me, “I’m 70 and sitting here pretty with my raven locks, and you walk in 50 and gray. Are you trying to blow my cover?!”

Or, upon kinder interpretation, per-haps she was merely offering advice: “Lis-ten GF, do not go gentle into that good night—at least, not with gray hair.” n

Ranjani Iyer Mohanty is a writer, editor, and commentator. She has contributed to sev-eral publications, including the International Herald Tribune, the New York Times, the WSJ, the Financial Times, the Globe & Mail, and the Atlantic.

Sporting a head full of gray is still disdained in many parts of the world

From having had black hair all one’s life, going to the opposite end of the spectrum can be too much to bear.


perspective

Magic From the Mundane

At this point in my life I feel like I’m surrounded by children; chil-dren of my own, children I teach

and then children I hang out with, those would be my nieces, nephews and friends’ kids, of course. But the most amusing two children that I look forward to spending time with are the ones on my everyday commute. The cause of amusement is their intriguing conversations and delight-ful games to which I’m nothing but a mute observer, a silent listener. I learn so much from them every day. I have reason to be-lieve, from what I picked up from their in-numerable discussions, ranging anywhere and everywhere from the weather that odd Wednesday to how one of them is in charge of making sure the other’s earrings are never lost to if the new building con-structed on Washington avenue is going to be a toy store or a beauty parlor, that they may be best friends or what they call it today, BFFs.

Recently, I got to experience how cre-ative and funny these six-year-olds could be. Our car was stuck in traffic for about 15 minutes when I saw one of them point to the nearest palm tree and exclaim, “How I wish I could be, Up on top of that tree!” The other immediately picked up this cue with “And how silly it would be When you fall down and hurt your knee.” This continued for a while and neither dropped the rhyme or the theme.

Being a teacher I have observed many times how something starts off creative but, in a matter of seconds, silliness sets in and giggles erupt or words are uttered that make no sense. But these two ladies, while they kept working on their little number, choosing their adjectives carefully so as to not let the rhyme drop, stayed the course. Paired with their limitless imagination was their creative vocabulary to describe what

they associated with the art of climbing trees and the risk of getting hurt with a lot of emphasis on how fun it was, indeed, to climb a tall tree and see the view from up there. They turned the language upside down, inside out, and played with words showcasing their love of it and their desire to express their thoughts poetically. They made a great team, a family of two. How I wish I had written it down, verse by verse, to capture the lyrical simplicity of these budding poets to share it with the world.

I’m forever grateful for the innocent and endearing laughter that these two children bring to my life, reminding me of the bygone years of how you could take an utterly ordinary subject–stuck in traffic on a Tuesday, a bothersome sibling, the bubble that a raindrop makes on the surface of our swimming pool—and turn it into something extraordinary.

A dreamy, almost heart breaking, nos-

By Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham

talgia rose up inside of me as I was given a glimpse of life before there was any com-plexity, when confusion was an emotion that made you laugh, when happiness was putting on a raincoat and rubber boots and stomping out in the rain.

Now, as I watch them hop off to school in their brightly colored dresses car-rying their pink and blue school bags I feel so refreshed and motivated. I dedicate this writing to my favorite ladies—Ms. Spot Splatter Splash and Ms. Bea Spells-a-lot for inspiring me to remember to bring the magic out of the mundane. n

Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham is a mother of two, an art enthusiast and lives in Fremont, CA. She loves to read, cook and travel with her family.

A Creative Commons Image


By Indu Liladhar-Hathi

I applied for my Green Card with my employer, but now I want to change jobs. Can I look for a new employer

before I get my Green Card?

Perhaps. To change jobs while your Green Card application is pending (officially called your “Application

to Adjust Status,” Form I-485), you need to meet three criteria.

First, your Application to Adjust Sta-tus must be pending for 180 days or lon-ger. Second, your Application to Adjust Status must be based on the Immigrant Worker Petition, Form I-140, which your employer submitted for you. Third, the new job must be in “the same or a similar occupational classification” as your cur-rent job.

The third criterion is not easy to deter-mine. Thankfully, USCIS recently issued a memorandum to provide guidance to determine whether two jobs are consid-

ered in “the same or similar occupational classification.”

As noted in the memorandum, you must establish by the preponderance of ev-idence standard (a requirement that more than 50% of the evidence points to some-thing) that the two jobs are in the “the same or similar occupational classifica-tion.” This should be done by considering the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, which is from the Depart-ment of Labor (DOL). The SOC system organizes jobs into different categories based on a six-digit number system. For example, a Web Developer has SOC num-ber 15-1134. If your current position has the same six-digit SOC number as your new position, they are likely to be consid-ered to be in “the same or a similar occu-pational classification.” Or when the first 2 or 3 numbers of the six-digit SOC num-bers are the same, they may be considered to be in the “same or similar occupational

classification.” In some cases, two positions with

varying combinations of six-digit SOC numbers may be considered in “the same or similar occupational categories.” Thus, you should also consider whether the job duties, experience, and education required for the positions are similar, and, if so, use that information to evaluate your situa-tion.

If you meet all three criteria, you should be able change jobs. Due to the complexity in determining this, we en-courage you to contact an employment-based immigration attorney for a profes-sional opinion while your Application to Adjust Status is pending. It is also impor-tant to consider notifying the USCIS that you are changing employers. n

Immigration and business attorney Indu Li-ladhar-Hathi has an office in San Jose.(408) 453-5335

Q

ask a lawyer

Can I Change Jobs While My Green Card is Pending?

A


• Family Law-Divorce/Custody/Support/ Restraining Orders• Criminal Defense• Immigration• Auto Accidents/Personal Injury• Evictions

(925) 935-1976Fax (925) 935-1077

Attorney-at-Law

UMA SUBRAMANIAN, J.D.

1855 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 180 Walnut Creek, CA 94596



INDU LILADHAR-HATHIINDU LILADHAR-HATHIATTORNEY AT LAW

Experienced Attorney

(408) 453-5335 Fax: 408-453-5334

1754 Technology Drive, Suite 143. San Jose, CA 95110

Immigration Law(including but not limited to)

• Family Visas • Business Visas—L-1, H-1B • Labor Certification

• Employment Visas • Citizenship

Verma LAW FIRMArjun Verma, Attorney at Law

(408) 436-1010

Email: [email protected]

www.vermafirm.com

This column carries final action dates and other transitional information as taken from the U.S. State Depart ment’s Visa

Bulletin. The information below is from the Visa Bulletin for February 2016.

In the tables below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is over-subscribed. “Current” means that numbers are available for all qualified applicants.

FAMILY PREFERENCE VISA DATES

Preference Dates for India

1st Jul 08, 20082A Sep 01, 20142B May 09, 20093rd Oct 01, 20044th Jun 08, 2003NOTE: F2A numbers subject to per-

country limit are available to applicants be-ginning with priority dates beginning June 08, 2014 and earlier than Sept 01, 2014.

EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA DATES

Preference Dates for India

1st Current2nd Jul 01, 20093rd Jul 01, 2005Other Jul 01, 2005 Workers4th CurrentCertain Current Religious Workers5th Current Targeted Employment Areas

The Department of State has a recorded message with visa availability information at (202)485-7699, which is updated in the middle of each month. Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulle-tin/2016/visa-bulletin-for-february-2016.html

Important Note: U.S. travelers seeking vi-sas to India will now need to obtain them through Cox & Kings Global Services Pvt. Ltd. Call 1-866-978-0055, email [email protected] or visit www.in.ckgs.us for more information.

February 2016

visa dates

Legal


AD PROOF

Please indicate any changes or corrections needed on this proof, and e-mail/fax it back to us.

India Currents Fax: (408) 324-0477

Contact: ASIA ASLAM Client: ROY LEGAL GROUP Fax: PDF [email protected]

DEREK NUNES 1885 LUNDY AVE., SUITE 220SAN JOSE, CA 95131 (408) 324-0488 / (714) 523-8788FAX: (408) 324-0477

Ad is Correct

Initials Date

Needs Changes

Raj D. Roy Attorney at Law

Roy Legal GroupMedical Malpractice Specialist

Winner of many high profile settlements

Established law practice since 1997 in the Los Angeles areaand now serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

NEWLOCATION

2000 Wyatt Dr., Ste. #15, Santa Clara, CA 95054

Medical MalpracticeCareless treatment and undisclosed side effects.

Winner of many high profile settlements.

Personal InjuryAccidents, slip and fall, work related injuries,

product liability issues

Labor & Immigration LawWork Permit & Immigration Status Change,

EB-5 Visa for immigrant investors,Labor Code violations, wage and

hour issues, discrimination, sexual harassment,wrongful termination, and overtime claims

Living Trusts and EstatesPlanning, setup and maintenance of trusts,

trustee/administrator issues, litigation of estates,foreclosure prevention, etc.

Real Estate: Homes, Motels and ApartmentsSales, mortgages, insurance claims, motel and

apartment injuries, discrimination, eviction, etc.

Business & Corporate IssuesIntellectual Property issues, contracts,

leases, asset protection, business litigation

Family LawDivorce, child and spousal support, legal and

physical custody, visitation, restraining orders,domestic violence, asset and liability

(408) 970-9100 • (408) 933-9986

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATIONwww.baylegals.com • [email protected]

We also speak Spanish, Hindi, Bengali & Tamil

Raj D. RoyAttorney at Law

Roy Legal Group Medical Malpractice Specialist

Winner of many high profile settlements

(408) 970-9100 • (408) 933-99862000 Wyatt Dr., Ste. #15, Santa Clara, CA 95054

www.baylegals.com • [email protected]

• Medical Malpractice • Personal Injury • Labor & Immigration Law• Living Trusts and Estates • Real Estate

• Business & Corporate Issues • Family Law

We also speak Spanish, Hindi, Bengali & Tamil

Established law practice since 1997 in the Los Angeles areaand now serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

HABBU & PARK (A LAW CORPORATION)

• IMMIGRATION - Family & Business (H1B, L1, E, etc.), Employment Labor Certification & Green Cards, Artists Visas (O,P), Naturalization/Citizenship OCI (Overseas Citizen of India Applications)

• CORPORATE & BUSINESS LAWS - Incorporations, Strategic Partnerships, Stock Option Plans, Funding, etc.

• INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS - Contracts, Customs, Trade, Investment, etc.

• EMPLOYMENT LAW - Overtime, Wages, Contracts, Wrongful Termination, etc.

• SERVICES - Transactions, Negotiation, Litigation, Mediator

(408) 993-9577

Attorneys: Hemant R. Habbu & Jeff Park

95 South Market St., Ste. 530, San Jose, California 95113Affiliated Offices in Mumbai & New Delhi

We speak English, French, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati & Spanish

www.habbupark.com

RAJI RAJANAttorney-at-Law

* DIVORCE, SUPPORT* TRUSTS, WILLS, PROBATE* MEDIATION* NAME CHANGE, ADOPTION

(408) 730-9492 - Sunnyvale

355 W. Olive Avenue, Suite 101,Sunnyvale, CA 94086

PARVEENMAHESHWARI

CPA, MS (TAX)

Tax & Accounting

Services

Business ServicesCorporation ReturnsPartnership/LLC ReturnsAccounting ServicesBusiness Consulting

851 Burlway Road, Suite 201Burlingame, CA 94010

Individual ServicesTax PreparationTax Planning

www.cpamax.com

Tel: 650.340.1400

Tel: (650) 340-1400Email:

[email protected]

www.cpamax.com

Over 20 yearsof experience



February 2016| West Coast Edition | www.indiacurrents.com | 33

2333 Alcalde St., Santa Clara, CA 95054

TIWANA LAWPhone: 408-318-3045 | Email: [email protected] | Website: www.tiwanalaw.com

ESTATE PLANNING & OTHER LEGAL SERVICES

IMMIGRATION

smoothimmigration.com [email protected]

• We are immigration consultants bonded with the California Secretary of State.

• H1B, H4, and other temporary work visas• L1A/ L1B (intra company transfers And including all related corporate Matters in us & india) • Employment Based Green Cards - PERM/ Eb1/ Eb2/ EB3/ NIW

• WE ASSIST YOU IN PREPARATION OF FOLLOWING PETITIONS:

5201 Great America Pkwy., Ste 256, Santa Clara, CA 95054

5776 Stonebridge Mall Rd, Ste 285,Pleasanton, CA 94588

(925) 260-1245

Tax & AccountingAudit & review servicesIncorporation & business consult.Nonprofit organizationsInternational taxation – acct/ legal

IMMIGRATION

1/5 West Patel Nagar, Main Rd,New Delhi-110008.

Tel : (91-11) 4508 4477

DIVISION OF BHATIA & CO, INC. BUSINESS & IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS

ALL SERVICES UNDER ONE ROOF

Smoothimmigration.com

Pleasanton Office:

• Relative & Fiancée Petitions • Family-based GCs • Adjustment of status and B-1/2 extensionTeam of highly qualified professionals in US & India

Santa Clara Office:

(We are not attorneys in the US)

(408) 845 9411-

Office in India :


films

Lion in the WinterBy Aniruddh Chawda

BAJIRAO MASTANI. Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Players: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Aditya Pancho-li, Milind Sonam. Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Hindi with Eng. sub-tit. Theatri-cal release (Eros)

As one of the most-talked about Hindi filmmakers of modern era, Bhansali’s works have included

noteworthy movies some of which were huge box office hits (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Black, Ram Leela, and Guzarish). Bhansali’s pet project since Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) was Bajirao Mastani. Finally seeing the light of marquee during Christmas in 2015, Bajirao Mastani, a period costume and action-adventure epic, achieves both a box office juggernaut and makes a command-ing artistic statement.

Faced with fractures from possible overreach into huge sections of the sub-continent, the expansive 18th century Maratha empire, based in Pune, urgently needs a new Peshwa (prime minister). Overcoming strong rivals with a show of successful military campaigns and sin-gle feats of bravery, the dashing Bajirao (Singh) clinches the much-coveted post. On one such military campaign, Bajirao comes to the aid of the beautiful warrior-princess Mastani (Padukone) and gets drawn to her even though he is already married to the influential and equally beautiful Kashibai (Chopra).

The concept of a flawed leader who is at a major crossroads of his life is the stuff of legends. On that level Prakash Kapa-dia’s script posits Bajirao as a conflicted man, a lion caught in the doldrums of a personal winter. Or more precisely, his world forces him into conflict he can’t easily navigate. The battlefront emissary, a shrewd war tactician and by all accounts a hardy and brave warrior, strangely, is more-or-less at peace when he is van-

quishing his elephant-back or horse-back foes in the empire’s far-flung vistas.

The other, more urgent, battle Bajirao must overcome is on the home front, where Bajirao’s secret marriage to Mas-tani makes not only Kashibai unhappy but has the entire capital in an uproar. There are also the palace politics of Mas-tani’s arrival into the household, albeit at first housed with courtesans—thanks to the icy reception from Bajirao’s mother (Azmi). Then there is Bajirao’s political nemesis (Pancholi) who harbors a hid-den agenda. Finally, the fact that Mastani —who has a Rajput father and Persian mother—is of Muslim background is used as a ruse by the local priestly class to instigate the nobility against Bajirao.

A sizable boost to Bajirao’s success has to do with music. Bhansali, who previ-ously scored the soundtrack for Guzarish and Ram Leela, again takes up the baton. The result is a spell binding score that more than once touches light classical ragas, especially “Mohe Rang Do Laal,” a duet with Pandit Birju Maharaj and Shreya Ghosal and Ghosal’s “Deewani Mastani.” The hit “Pinga” duet, chore-graphed superbly by Remo D’Souza, is a fetching tandem dance featuring both Padukone and Chopra in a dazzling ex-plosion of sights, colors and sounds.

The box-office results for Bajirao have been nothing short of amazing. As if validating the raves, there was the near sweep of many of the popular industry awards. Now that Filmfare gives out its famed awards in early January for the previous calendar year, Bajirao won Best Film, Best Director (Bhansali), Best Ac-tor (Singh) and Best Supporting Actress (Chopra). In an amazing achievement, Bhansali’s film won nine out of the 12 categories it was nominated for. In the Awards’ 61-year history, only three other movies have won more Filmfare Awards; Bhansali’s Black (2011) won 11, while Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Bhansali’s Devdas (2002) each won 10.

Bhansali and a small army of artisans and craftspeople make it seem effortless. Sriram Iyengar, Sujeet Sawant and Sa-loni Dhatrak’s gorgeous set pieces evoke upper crust chivalry from an era when tradition ruled and stepping out of line was tantamount to treason. The period precise sensibility is extended to first-rate culturally-appropriate costumes for both Mastani with her Mughal gowns and Kashibai in her queen-like Hindu attire. While the lingo at times gets annoying going from street-wise Mumbai Hindi to classical Marathi, the eyes are too busy chewing up the scenery.

Based on respected Marathi writer Nagnath Inamdar’s historic (and ficti-tious) novel Rau and set on southern India’s vast Deccan Plateau during the 18th century when the Mughal empire was generally in decline and the Maratha empire was in its glory, Bhansali’s Bajirao captures the historical imagination like few other recent Hindi movie entries. While the historical Bajirao, Mastani and Kashibai were real life figures, Bhansali goes to pains to point out that this movie is a work of fiction. Fiction that is worth standing up and cheering for! n

EQ: A


FLICK PICKS

Bajirao Mastani

Dilwale

Guddu Ki Gun

Jazbaa

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Shaandaar

Singh is Bliing

Tamasha

LATA’S

WAZIR. Director: Bejoy Nambiar. Play-ers: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari, John Abraham, Manav Kaul, Neil Nitin Mukesh. Hindi with Eng. sub-tit. Theatrical release (Re-liance)

Ever since it’s advent in India more than 1,500 years ago, chess has evolved as a power-

ful tool for testing one’s discipline to anticipate the opponent’s moves. The symbolism of chess pieces—each with its own highly precise movements that can only be overcome by the next hierarchical piece—is a teasing play on power and cunningness. For their part, scenarists have woven chess strategy and chess pieces into elaborate plot lines since ancient times. In Nambiar’s well-made and thought-provoking terrorist conspir-acy riddle Wazir, a real life chess match is afoot and the wrong outcome may well invite total mayhem.

Set mostly in Delhi, the name of the game is male bonding as a most unlikely pair of virtual single men find common ground while poring over a chessboard. One guy is anti-terrorist cop Daanish (Akhtar), who is taking time off as he re-covers from the recent death of his young daughter. The other is the wheelchair-bound retired teacher and chess expert Pandit Omkar Dhar (Bachchan), who is, coincidentally, also mourning the loss of his daughter. Over a game of chess—Daanish is learning the game from the retired expert—both men find common threads to their stories. Not only did both men’s daughters know each other but they also had the same friends and frequented some of the same places. Could this be sheer coincidence?

Daanish has bankable insider connec-tions; chief amongst those is superin-tendent S.P. (Abraham) whose team is chasing down the same bomb conspirators while assuring the safety of rising political star Minister Qureshi (Manav). Pandit, on the other hand, provides a sounding board for Daanish not only to get him back to

work but also possibly help him reconcile with his estranged wife Ruhana (Hydari). Pandit may be wheelchair bound. His mind, however, appears to be doing figu-rative wheelies.

The clever script by Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (who also produces) creates a mood of distrust early on. Be-cause there is death—and death at a young age at that—at the root of what appears to be driving both Daanish and Pandit, the script can’t help but offer a sympathetic eye towards the two fathers. It’s the oth-ers characters we gotta worry about. For added uncertainty, there is the diabolical, mysterious Wazir (Mukesh), a ruthless, shadowy assassin linked to the bombing conspiracy that, out of the blue, zeroes in on making nocturnal rounds of Pandit’s house in a very scary way.

Ever since Chopra roped in Akhtar and Bachchan together in Lakshya (2004), he had been toying with the Wazir storyline with Akhtar and Bachchan. That cast-ing pays off. Akhtar, who put on weight for the command-in-lead role here, and Bachchan, in his wheelchair-bound schol-arly best, offer an unusual stamp of male bonding against a background of chaos. As the distant estranged spouse, Hydari does a decent turn and while Abraham’s role is limited, Mukesh’s knife-wielding night prowler is downright creepy.

On an eclectic soundtrack, with many lyricist and music directors making contri-butions, the standout tunes are Sonu Ni-gam and Shreya Ghosal in Shantanu Moi-

tra’s “Tere Bin,” a heartfelt lilt to a loved one and also Ankit Tiwari’s “Tu Mere Paas,” about loss, which the singer also provided the music for. For added mea-sure, try Bachchan’s rich baritone anchoring “Khel Khel Mein.” This song’s ominous lyrics and sizable thematic appeal rounds off a good score.

Nambiar, who ear-lier made the note-worthy

three-in-one David (2013) featuring Mukesh as a lead, has a trick or two up his sleeve here. As Daanish and his team shuttle between Delhi and Kashmir, where Minister Qureshi is giving a speech and also exactly where the cryptic Wa-zir threatened violence, the mission may necessarily need to change from a race to protect a VIP to a frantic effort to restore public safety. The big reveal at the end—and mind you, it may pop a surprise—is a twist that departs from Hindi movie con-ventions on several different and satisfying levels. Take notice! n

EQ: B+

Globe trekker, aesthete, pho-tographer, ski bum, film buff, and commentator, Aniruddh Chawda writes from Mil-waukee.

Wheelies of Justice


tax talk

By Khorshed Alam

Is Your Pastime a Hobby or Business?

If you’re like some taxpayers, you have a pastime that brings in cash but produces a loss after you deduct your

expenses. Example: an amateur artist who spends

money for paint and canvas but who only occasionally sells a painting. If you could deduct “hobby” losses on your tax return, you could reduce taxes owed on your sal-ary or other income.

Actually, you can deduct your losses, but only if you establish that you are car-rying on your pastime with the motive of making a profit.

If you can’t prove you have a profit motive, the IRS views your activity as a hobby, not as a business. Expenses of a hobby can be deducted only up to the amount of income from the hobby. You

can’t deduct hobby losses from your salary or other income.

You can help establish your profit mo-tive in one of two ways. If you show a profit in three out of five years (two out of seven years for horse activities), the IRS will presume you’ve got a business and not a hobby. However, you can’t simply manipulate deductions and income to cre-ate profit years.

The other way to demonstrate that you’re operating with a profit motive is to conduct your activity in a business-like manner.

Get advice from an accountant to assist with keeping accurate books and records. Maintain a separate checking account, ad-vertise your services or products, and get a business phone listing.

If you have losses, try to turn your business around by taking classes, con-sulting with experts, and changing your methods of operation.

Be sure you spend enough time at your activity to demonstrate that you’re serious about profits.

Remember, you don’t have to earn a profit, but you must try to do so. If you don’t have profits in three out of five years, the burden of proof will be on you to show the IRS that this activity is a business and not a hobby. n

Khorshed Alam is a practicing CPA and business valuation analyst. He is the Presi-dent and CEO of Alam Accountancy Corpo-ration. Check out http://alamcpatax.com or call (408) 445-1120.



tax . accounting

NEERAJ BHATIA, CPA, CA

[email protected] www.bhatiaco.com(408) 845-9411

INTERNATIONAL TAX ISSUES

BHATIA & CO, Inc.

ALL SERVICES UNDER ONE ROOFTeam of highly qualified professionals in US & India

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

FBAR * OVDP * OVERSEAS INCOME / DEDUCTION * FOREIGN TAX CREDIT * OVERSEAS BRANCH/ SUBSIDIARY

TAX & ACCOUNTING

• Income Taxes - Individual & Business - C&S • Audit representation IRS/ FTB, etc• Sales & Other Taxes • Payroll Processing & Taxes

NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

• Non-profit formation • Federal & State Tax Exemption

INCORPORATION & BUSINESS CONSULTING

• Incorporation & other corporate matters• Incorporation of Corporations - C & S Corps. • Setup of LLC, LLP, Branch Office, Sole Proprietorship & Partnerships, • Dissolution of Corporation & Business matters• Business Planning & Financial & Profit Planning

IMMIGRATION CONSULTING

• L1 (Intra Company transfers including all related Corporate matters in US & India)• H1, H4, B1/ B2 extension, etc• Relative & Fiancée Petitions• Labor Cert , Green Card Petitions• Employment, EB1 & Family-based green card We are not attorneys in the US

AUDIT & REVIEW

• Audit: Full Assurance • Review: Limited Assurance• Employee Benefit Plan Audit• Compilation-Lowest level of Assurance

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IN INDIA

• Accounting & other Process Outsourcing• Indian Accounting, Tax & Corporate Matters

5201 Great America Pkwy., Suite 256,Santa Clara, CA 95054

Office in India : 1/5 West Patel Nagar, Main Rd, New Delhi-110008. Tel : (91-11) 4508 4477

PLEASANTON OFFICE:5776 Stonebridge Mall Rd, Ste 285,

Pleasanton, CA 94588(925) 260-1245

Narika Helpline

www. narika.org

ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW

A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Is Your Family Or Loved One Hurting You?

Counseling/Therapy, Accompaniments, Legal

References, Translation, Health & Wellness, Support Groups


All Services Are Free And Confidential

Services Include:

1 (800) 215-7308

CPA Services Offered:

SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE BUSINESS CONSULTING

• Software selection and Acquisition

• QuickBooks Professional Advisor Program and Installation Other Services

• Acquisition/Sale of Business Analysis

• Sales Use Tax, Personal Property Tax ,& Payroll Tax Returns Peachtree, MYOB,Great Plains & Solomon Installation

• Write up Services, Payroll & Compilation Services. • Individual, Corporate, Partnership, LLC & Non-Profits Tax Returns.• Estate Planning, Trust & Estate Tax preparation.• Tax Planning & Tax Problem resolution

Business Planning

Financing services

• Determining Financial needs or Loan Applications

• Improving Internal Cash Flows

• SBA Loans & other Government Financing

• Asset Based Financing & Lease/Buy Analysis

• Start up Assistance & Cash Management

• Assessing Franchise Operations

• Business Plan Preparation

Microcomputer Services

Contact: (510) 825-7563

SANJIV GUPTA, CPA www.sanjivcpa.com


[email protected] • (925) 523-6662 • www.ritacpa.net

3983 Fairlands Dr., Pleasanton, CA 94588

IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

IC (

408)

324-0

488

Rita BhayaniCPA, CMA

• Individual Income Tax • Financial Planning• Foreign Account Reporting• IRS, FTB & BOE Representation

Catering East Bay CitiesPleasanton, San Ramon,

Dublin & Livermore

• Corporation Tax • Accounting & Bookkeeping• Payroll Services • Sales & Use Tax Filing• Tax Planning for Small Businesses• Quickbooks Help & Support • New Business Set Up

Business Service

Individual Services

2690 S. White Road, Suite 245, San Jose, CA 95148

HARSHAD SHAHMULTI-FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Income Tax Preparation

• Year-round Bookkeeping

• Buying & Selling

Businesses & Homes

• Setting Up Corporations

(408) 238-1200Fax (408) 238-1276

tax . accounting

SUGUSUGUSUGU ARIAARIAARIA

(408) 423-9600(408) 423-9600

C.P.A., M.B.A., F.C.A.

• ACCOUNTING AND TAXES

AUDITS & REVIEWS

• BUSINESS PLANS

• INCORPORATIONS

• IRS AUDIT REPRESENTATION

•

Specializing in individuals, partnerships,corporations, start-ups, and small business

“ An experienced accountant andsuccessful high tech entrepreneur ”

SUGU ARIA C.P.A.

Fax: (408) 423-9800 • E-mail: [email protected]

Certified Public Accountant

A Professional Corp.4100 Moorpark Ave. #100San Jose, CA 95117

www.suguariacpa.com

Chandrakant S. Chudgar

WESPEAKTAX

ENROLLED AGENT

KENT TAX &

BUSINESS SERVICES

EXECUTIVE 112140 Peralta Blvd., Ste 113. Fremont, CA 94536

Tel: (510) 744-0753Executive II2140 Peralta Blvd.,Suite 113,Fremont, CA 94536

IRS AUDIT REPRESENTATIONB.A., LL.B., E.A. - TAX consultant

Income Tax Service, Bookkeeping,GLOBAL INCOME TAXATION

Payroll, Sales Tax...more since 1990

www.Kenttax.netFax: (510) 744-0754


$66.4 billion, net income of $6.7 billion, and 274,000 employees.

Changing the FormulaNooyi has boldly tampered with a

company that already had a solid for-mula for success (and I understand the resistance she faced, since I worked in the Dark Ages of the natural food industry in the 1970s). Forbes now rates it, seven years after she took the helm, at No. 25 on the list of the most valuable global brands.

Her first real job was with a local office of the British textile firm Tootal. She then served as a product manager for Johnson & Johnson with a very tough assignment: promoting the Stayfree line of sanitary pads. They were not even allowed to be advertised in India at the time and many retailers refused to stock them. Nooyi marketed by going to schools and talking directly with young women.

her mother was a housewife and her father a bank manager.

But she wasn’t an ordinary Indian girl: she was the guitarist in an all-female rock band (she still sometimes sings at corpo-rate events) and played a mean game of cricket.

Like most middle class Indian families, her parents insisted she get top grades in high school. An academic whiz kid, at 18 she earned a degree at a Christian college in physics, chemistry, and math.

But enticed by the prospect of being a business executive (despite her parents’ protest that this would ruin her prospects for marriage), she received her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta in 1976.

Nooyi is the highest-ranked Indian American female in business and PepsiCo is No. 93 on Forbes’ list of world’s larg-est public companies, with 2013 sales of

“The company operates in an ecosystem and you cannot ignore any part: employees,

customers, suppliers, non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations, governments, and shareholders.”

Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo since 2006, was ranked by Fortune in 2014 at No. 3 on the list of the most powerful women in global business (just behind the CEOs of GM and IBM).

More importantly, she has led the com-pany through the most socially-critical changes in its history. Founded to promote its cola in 1902 and then turned into a snack food conglomerate with a merger in 1965, PepsiCo is transforming itself under Nooyi’s leadership into a major source of healthier nutrition.

She wasn’t destined to be a business leader. Born in 1955 to a traditional family in what is now Chennai in southern India,

profile

By Scott S. Smith

Indra K. Nooyi–Reinventing the FuturePepsiCo CEO Nooyi transforming the business of nutrition


Nooyi had always wanted to live in the United States and when she saw an ad for the Yale School of Management, she ap-plied and was given a scholarship in 1978. She interviewed for internships wearing her sari, for lack of money to buy a suit, and won a position with consultant Booz Allen Hamilton. To make ends meet, she also acted as the dorm receptionist on the graveyard shift because it paid an extra 50 cents an hour.

After graduating, she was hired by the Boston Consulting Group, where she stayed for six years, then joined Motorola as a strategic planner. In 1990, she became a top executive at the engineering firm Asea Brown Bovari.

Four years later, the ambitious Nooyi received two impressive offers. One came from General Electric, the more presti-gious company, but the CEO of PepsiCo, Wayne Calloway, convinced her that she could make a bigger difference there and he would create a new position for her, chief strategist.

PepsiCo had been running second to Coca-Cola in the caffeinated soda war forever, but had become a diversified food and beverage conglomerate. Over the next couple of years, Nooyi did intensive re-search and came up with a shocking rec-ommendation to jump the company to the next level: spin off its profitable fast food restaurant division, which consisted of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC (formerly Kentucky Fried Chicken). By then, Cal-loway had died and the new CEO, Roger Enrico, resisted, but Nooyi prevailed in 1997.

The divestitures brought in $35 bil-lion. Then she convinced the board to back her new vision of the company as a major source of healthier food. She ad-vocated some fresh acquisitions with this in mind and oversaw buying Tropicana, with its juices, for $3 billion in 1998 and Quaker Oats, for whole grain cereals, for $14 billion in 2001.

Nooyi was promoted to chief financial officer and president in 2001, while the chief operating officer, Steve Reinemund, became CEO. A former Marine and seven years her senior, he came across as the ar-chetypal buttoned-down executive, while her more spontaneous personality and analytical skills were complementary, as they explained their new direction to Wall Street. BusinessWeek called them “one of

the most unusual management teams in Corporate America.” Within a year of their ascension, the stock had risen 30%.

Still, the favorite to succeed Reine-mund was Mike White, who had turned around the international business, while Nooyi had never been a line manager, the standard background for running the entire global operation of the corporation headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. But as CFO, she had also been in charge of IT systems and supply chain management, very complex challenges, and a CEO didn’t really require hands-on operational experi-ence.

Revolutionary CEOWhen she was finally tapped, her first

call was to White, persuading him to stay on as her most senior advisor. She also courted other managers, but if they didn’t buy into her long-term plans, they had to find a more compatible home elsewhere.

There were plenty of skeptics in and outside the company, including sharehold-ers who protested the strategy. It was al-ways assumed that corporate efforts to do good were in conflict with making money, while the Great Recession put a lot of pres-sure on PepsiCo’s bottom line.

But Nooyi, 50, a lifelong vegetarian and Baby Boomer who grew up in an emerging market, knew that expanding the line of products that were better nu-tritionally would appeal to two impor-tant groups. Boomers everywhere were increasingly concerned about improving their diets, while consumers in developing economies needed affordable and healthy foods and drinks.

“I was like a missionary with everyone

and the transformation was rough against some headwinds, and many times I ques-tioned whether I should abandon this path,” she said. “Then suddenly, people were saying, ‘It’s so logical.’”

She knew the transition needed to be gradual, but aligned her “Performance with Purpose” program with global campaigns to reduce obesity and prevent disease. With 22 of the brands bringing in over $1 bil-lion in sales each year, she divided products into three groups:• “Fun for You” included traditional re-

freshments, like regular cola and potato chips.

• “Better for You” included snacks that were given more nutritional value, while maintaining good taste, with diet beverages and baked chips with re-duced fat, sodium, sugar, and calories.

• “Good for You” was “where the tail-winds were, constituting 20% of net revenue in 2013,” she said, with yogurt, high-fiber cereals and snacks, fresh dips like hummus, and the premium line of Naked Juice. “Trends such as a desire for more

convenient, functional nutrition, local and natural ingredients, and better-for-you snack and beverage options have firmly taken hold and will continue to accelerate around the world,” PepsiCo’s 2013 annual report noted. “We anticipated these trends early on and have taken significant actions to balance our portfolio of offerings to capture this growth opportunity.”

In 2013, the company had nine of the top 50 new food and beverage product in-troductions across all U.S. retail channels.

The stronger push into developing markets has meant that overseas executive


assignments were more likely to mean Beijing or New Delhi, rather than Lon-don or Paris, so some managers left when given the choices.

Emerging markets in 2013 for Pep-siCo produced an impressive average 10% organic growth (which excludes acquisitions). This included very strong performances by China, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey. With an acquisition finalized in 2011, the company became the largest food and beverage maker in Russia.

“By 2030, an additional three bil-lion people may join the middle class in developing and emerging markets,” the annual report projected. “We will con-tinue to invest in building our capabili-ties there.”

But Nooyi recognized that the com-pany by itself is limited in what it can do to improve public health. She chairs the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a coalition of 150 U.S. retailers, manufac-turers, restaurants, sporting goods makers, insurance companies, trade associations, professional sports and non-governmental organizations. It has funded a wide variety of school, community, and nonprofit ef-forts to provide meals to underprivileged children, educate students on good nutri-tion, sponsor exercise programs, and create public fruit and vegetable gardens.

Greening PepsiCo

As if all this progress were not enough, Nooyi has pushed to reduce PepsiCo’s im-pact on the environment worldwide as part of “Performance with Purpose.”

Both in the United States and in other countries, the company uses a tremendous amount of clean water, which is often scarce in the communities where it oper-ates, especially where there are droughts. In response, PepsiCo has done a variety of innovative things, including integrating conservation efforts into its systems, using purified air to clean bottles, and captur-ing water that is naturally contained in potatoes before turning them into chips. By 2009, it was saving 12 billion liters of water a year, compared with 2006.

The company also stepped up its re-cycling efforts, developed bottles that re-duced the weight by 40%, and created the first plant-based recyclable plastic for the

Green Bottle.The company has been recognized for

such efforts. It has been included for six years in a row on the Dow Jones World Sustainability Index and Newsweek ranked it third on its Green Rankings for its industry in the U.S. PepsiCo has also en-couraged employees to conserve resources, eat better and exercise more.

In ranking Nooyi at No. 13 on the 2014 list of “World’s Most Powerful

Women,” Forbes noted that she is among just a handful who have been on since its inauguration in 2004. “She once again exceeded analysts’ expectations and dour forecasts: despite a global decline in the consumption of sugary drinks, the com-pany’s earnings have increased 3.1% while the S&P 500 Index added less than 1%. How did she do it? Thinking outside the soda can, with innovations such as smaller sizes.”

Wall Street tends to reward short-term corporate performance, which is why most CEOs have a primary focus on improving quarterly results, no matter the sacrifice of long-term goals that this requires.

But Nooyi has pleased investors as a contrarian with a vision of doing good to work towards global dominance.

When she joined PepsiCo two decades ago, its stock was $19 and declining. After she guided dramatic improvements for

a dozen years, it had reached $64 by the time she was named CEO. As of mid-2014, it is $84. In 2013, investors also received their 41st consecutive dividend increase.

Not bad for a girl who wasn’t sup-posed to become an executive. And she did get married and has two daughters, one of whom is attending the Yale School of Management.

Real Life Lessons• You can get to bold long-term goals if

you are a pragmatist in the short-run.• Give persuading your internal oppo-

nents your best shot, then move ob-structionists out of the way.

• The ceiling that has prevented more women from corporate advancement is a powerful barrier that is nonetheless made of glass.

• Indian families are role models for cul-tivating high achievement.

• Good nutrition is one of the secret keys to having the energy to do great things. n

Scott Smith is the author of The Soul of Your Pet: Evidence for the Survival of Animals After Death. This is an excerpt from Ex-traordinary People: Real Life Lessons on What It Takes to Achieve Success: www.ExtraordinaryPeopleBook.com.

PepsiCo’s Clean Water Initiatve in India


Artesia, CA Location

HOURS:SUN-THURS 12pm – 10pmFRI-SAT 12pm – 11pm

Free entree(with the purchase

of two regular price entrees)


We picked Muscat as a travel destination because it brought to mind the warm waters of

the Arabian Sea and high peaks of the Al-Hajar mountains.

Muscat is a stunning port city and the capital of Oman. It is home to people from all across the world, including India, Iran, Baluchistan, Phillipines, East Africa, Zan-zibar and Europe.

As we drove toward the city of Muscat from the airport, we took in the clean roads, green parks, luxuriant flower gar-dens, and a whole lot of low lying pastel hued houses. Muscat has an old world

By Kavita Wadhwani

Mesmerizing Muscat

travel

charm which is novel and inviting.

Mosques and MuseumsThe city is dotted with mosques. The

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is one of the best known, and is named after the current ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. Sultan Qaboos came to power in 1970 after he overthrew his father Said bin Taimur in a palace coup. He is the eighth sultan of Oman. On his website, it is said that he built more than 100 mosques at his own expense.

With its dome and four minarets, the Grand Mosque is an architectural splen-

dor. The building was undertaken in 1992 and finished in six years. It is reputed to have been constructed from 330,593 tons of Indian sandstone.

It does seem like the autocratic ruler has indeed made way for development where the city’s trade and beauty is con-cerned.

With a huge Indian population resid-ing in Muscat for decades, it is little sur-prise to come across two Hindu temples—a Shiva and Krishna temple with a host of Hindu devotees around.

Muscat houses a number of stunning museums. Oman National Museum is

Kantab Beach, Muscat


of Muscat and it includes a massive marketplace which has a number of fine jewellery shops, cloth merchants, craft shops, grocery stores, export goods and small local de-signer malls.

The Muscat Clock Tower, located in Ruwi is the oldest monument in modern Oman and showcases the Sultanate’s commitment to modern-ization.

If you are the ad-venturous kind, then try dune bashing in the desert which is about a two-hour road journey from Mus-cat city to Wahiba Sands where the Wadi bashing desert safari is located.

On the way to the safari, at the Wadi Bani Khalid, we took a walk along cascading riverbeds and peered into crystal clear waters of blue-green pools. All of this is sur-rounded by picturesque limestone hills. If willing to go further, one can also check out the Turtle resort which is a hit with most kids. It’s a turtle nesting ground to watch turtles hatch or lay eggs.

Culture and Commerce

Muscat is considered a progressive and modern city in the Gulf and has stylish women who love to shop and men who flaunt their gadgets and cars. The main shopping area is situated in the Al Qurum commercial area; however there are shop-ping malls throughout the city and boast world class brands.

People here love tra-dition, which is why, annually, for four weeks, the Muscat Festival is held to show-case the country’s heritage, culture, and

arts in several outdoor venues around the city. In 2016, the festival takes place from January 14 until February 13. The event sees a huge number of visitors from

Clock Tower; Photo credit: By Shoestring via Wikimedia Commons

a jewel in their crown where we can see Oman’s well preserved rich cultural heri-tage, including an 8th century letter from the Prophet Mohammed to the rulers of Oman.

Sand and DunesThe pristine and fun beaches of Oman

with its stunning cliffs, attracts tourists from all over the world. The Qurum Beach is very popular for fishing and pic-nicking. There are many café and coffee shops around the beach so a lot of young-sters can be seen in the area.

The summer comes with heat and hu-midity but calm seas. Kantab Beach is the perfect place if you wish to have a BBQ, play a game of throw ball, swim, snorkel, or simply laze around on the beach.

And if you are a dolphin lover, then head straight to the Marina Bandar where you can watch spinner dolphins horsing around. It’s a treat for the eyes to see the friendly creatures taking spins and leaps.

We drove around the Mutrah Corniche and harbor. This is a 1.9 mile stretch with flowers and water fountains. At one end of the Corniche is the dhow harbor where fishermen can be seen unloading the catches of the day. The Muttrah Cor-niche was part of vital trading routes since ancient times and, thankfully, the old city hasn’t been replaced by grander buildings or newer inventions. The Muttrah souk or market alongside the Corniche carries traditional items for sale and you’re likely to get a good price here, if you’re up for some bargaining.

Standing guard over Muscat’s harbor are the massive Mirani and Jalali forts or museums (overlooking the Royal Palace), built way back when Oman was a major military base in the 16th century. The ancient cannon protected forts are still operated by the military and the palace is essentially the seat of Oman’s government.

Ruwi is a preferred commercial hub

Wadi Bani Khalid; Photo credit: By Andries Oudshoorn via Wikimedia Commons

Muscat is considered a progressive and modern city in the Gulf and has stylish women who love to shop and men who flaunt their gadgets and cars.

46 | INDIA CURRENTS |West Coast Edition | February 2016

around the globe. The festival is a mix of poetry recitals, folk music, dance and acro-batic acts, handicraft and firework displays from Oman and surrounding countries. Omani jewellery, costumes, weaponry, camels and dates are very popular so one can pick them up in souvenirs.

Football is the favorite sport in Oman. Young boys in Muscat are passionate about the game and can be seeing playing around

The Royal Palace

their houses. Crowds come out in thou-sands at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Com-plex to watch their national team play.

The typical Omani food is rich, deli-cious and heavily flavored with herbs, spices, garlic, and lime, and show Arabic, Indian, and African influences. Also popu-lar is the Omani sweet or halwa made of dates and sprinkled with dry fruits.

Omanis love diverse food and this is

obvious from the fact that there are a host of restaurants in the city with cuisines from all over the world.

One of the best Indian restaurants in the city is the Mumtaz Mahal which serves outstanding Indian food and musical en-tertainment alongside a panoramic view of the city from its hilltop.

When packing gifts or souvenirs for kith and kin, don’t forget to buy boxes of dates or date chocolates/date sweets. If you get a chance, pick up baked goods from the famous Muscat Bakery Shop which makes some melt-in-the-mouth cakes, biscuits, breads and confectionaries.

There is no rail or metro network in the country. So traveling must be done by road (taxi/cars/buses) or by air. However, this is not a reason for you to shy away from exploring this exciting destination. So take your next holiday trip to Muscat and live this dream. n

Kavita Wadhwani is a dreamer with nine years of writing experience on subjects rang-ing from fashion, fitness, décor, to food and travelogues.


Open Monday thru Saturday915 Meridian Ave., Ste 209,

San Jose, CA 95126

(408) 298-2194Cell: (408) 506-9474, Fax: (408) 298-2748

email: [email protected]

Most Competitive Rates & Friendly Service

AMAR SEHGAL, LUTCFInsurance Specialist, Lic. #OB62962

• Auto • Home/Renters • Life • Business • Health Individual & Group• Visitors’ Medical

Gets you back where you belong.

Looking for a Competitive Insurance Quote and Excellent Services?

Call Ila KothariIndependent Insurance Broker

Amila Insurance Services4340 Almaden Expressway, #212 San Jose, CA 95118

Tel: 408-723-2100 | Email: [email protected] # 0D83085

Home

Auto

Hartford

Allied

Health

& More

Commercial

Life

Safeco

Travelers Metlife

2450 Peralta Blvd Suite 203 Fremont CA 94536

We have Special Coverage for You!!Call: 510-797-7989

Need Insurance?

Duabba Insurance Agency

Auto . Home . LifeBusiness. Work Comp

Do You Drive withUber - Curb – Lyft - SideCar

License # 0C70672Gurcharan Singh Mann

insurance


books

INDIA GRAY: HISTORICAL FICTION by Sujata Massey. Ikat Press, Baltimore. 2015. Available as an e-book and print paper-pack. $16 paperback. 316 pages.

If you’re looking for something fresh that offers variety and suspense in storytelling, Sujata Massey’s latest

book, India Gray: Historical Fiction, is the perfect read. Even if the genre isn’t your first choice for reading material, Massey’s writing is so fluid and captivating that her smartly-drawn characters—definitely products of their time—are easy to love for who they are and what they champion: truth, love, compassion, and determina-tion.

The book contains two novellas and two short stories that offer something for everyone. Each of the four stories features a strong female lead that demands the reader’s attention, supporting characters that satisfy, and conflicts that intrigue.

“Outnumbered” is a novella set in 1919 at St. Hilda’s and Balliol Colleges at Oxford. Perveen Mistry of Bombay, a law student with a secret, and her lively friend, mathematics student the Honourable Al-ice Hobson-Jones, are drawn into a miss-ing person case when an Indian domestic disappears along with a male student’s proprietary paper.

Like characters in good buddy stories, Perveen and Alice turn stuffy Oxford on its heels and deliver the yin and the yang that make the story fun. Watch out for a good amount of intellectual adventurousness tempered by a dash of daredevil decorum in the pursuit of truth.

The novella, however, happily is not the end of Perveen and Alice, who are slat-ed to star in their own series. In late 2015, Massey signed a contract with Soho Crime,

and the series will be set in Bombay where Perveen has returned to her father’s law practice. There she’ll encounter “all kinds of fascinating characters and clients,” according Massey. Alice tags along to give her a hand as they tackle cases drawn from real events of the time. Look for the first book in 2017.

The second novella in the collection is “The Ayah’s Tale,” a story that heartbreakingly dem-onstrates the triumphs and failings of humans delicately bound by re-lationships complicated by race, education, cul-ture, and colonialism. “The Ayah’s Tale” was originally published as a standalone novella by Sujata Massey and Ikat Press in 2013.

In 1952 Malaya, a collection of stories by a British war hero stuns Menakshi because the author writes of his child-hood in India when she was his caregiver.

As she reads, Menakshi is swept back to the 1920s when she was a 16-year old ruled not only by the Raj but also by Julian’s cruelly-domineering mother and unsympathetic father. Alternating be-tween Julian’s stories and Menakshi’s own memories, the full picture of her dashed personal dreams and love for the children are laid bare against the lavishness and

deception within the household. Readers who enjoyed Massey’s The

Sleeping Dictionary (IC, September 2014) will be pleased to read “India Gray,” a short story featuring Kamala, the steadfast heroine of the novel, and her husband, Simon Lewes.

The year is 1945, and as a high-ranking British official with the Indian Civil Ser-vice, Simon is temporarily moved from

A Quartet of Mighty WomenBy Jeanne E. Fredriksen


Tel: (408) 979-7980 Cell: (408) 497-4141Fax: (408) 979-7983E-mail: [email protected] hrs a day/ 7 days a week

MANJIT SINGHExclusive AgentCA Lic. # 0C19465

• Auto • Life • Home • Business

Conveniently located next to 7-11

Allstate Insurance Company5725 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124

• Renters • Health • Notary Public

Call for NO

Obligation

Quote

* Visitors

Visitors Medical Insurance

www.visitors-insurance.com

Contact: Padmaja Bapat

Tel: (800) 204-1939email: [email protected]

* Students * H1, B1, J1, F1

* New Immigrants

Calcutta to an Allied military installation in Assam. Never one to rest, Kamala joins him, volunteering to work at the Allied hospital. There she learns that wounded prisoners of war—members of the Japa-nese-supported India National Army—are treated and held until their sentences have been decided.

Kamala’s innate compassion, coupled with being the wife of the man who will decide the prisoners’ fates, puts her in a challenging situation with hospital person-nel and Simon.

When asked about a sequel to her nov-el, Massey said, “a full sequel … is years away because [I’m] so busy with Perveen and Alice and their series.” Alas, this is a catch-22 simply because a “Dictionary” sequel would be wonderful, but the new series is thoroughly appealing.

Taking a leap into more recent mem-ory, the short story “Bitter Tea” moves us to Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier when the Taliban imposed their strict religious laws on villages. This story originally ap-peared titled “The Mayor’s Movie” in the

short story anthology Politics Noir: Dark Tales From the Corridors of Power, edited by Gary Philips and published by Verso in 2008. In the story, fourteen-year old Shazia, annoyed that she can neither go to school nor leave the house (unless covered by a burka and accompanied by a male), discovers that a friend and her friend’s mother have been forced into a situation that could be dangerous.

Restless but determined to find a way to rescue them, Shazia and her trusted cousins devise a bold plan to free Farida and her mother. With that plan comes the knowledge that failure will result in the worst of all punishments. A simple twist of fate, however, shocks them all.

Sujata Massey is a seasoned author with eleven books in her popular Rei Shimura series plus her superb aforementioned en-trance into India-centric historical fiction. Despite her publishing prowess, India Gray: Historical Fiction is a departure for her because it is self-published under her own Ikat Press imprint.

Aside from having a traditional pub-

lishing history, her motive for self-pub-lishing is simple: “It allows me to publish more frequently … material that might not seem profitable to a publisher,” she explained.

To maintain the quality of her tradi-tionally-published books, she personally hires independent pre-production person-nel. The result is this beautiful and inspir-ing collection of extraordinary female pro-tagonists that well represent their histories and cultures.

Crafted with Massey’s special brand of mystery, this volume is a gem that might otherwise have gone unexcavated. n

Jeanne E. Fredriksen lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where she is the managing editor of a monthly newspaper and is a Books for Youth reviewer for Booklist magazine, a publication of the American Library Associa-tion. Between assignments, she writes fiction, hunts for the perfect Bloody Mary, and heads to the beach as often as she can.

insurance


251 SOUTH MATHILDA AVE. SUNNYVALE, CA 94086

SERVING THE COMMUNITYFOR OVER 30 YEARS

CST# 1007750-10

(408) 245-5090

EXCELLENT

SERVICE AT

COMPETITIVE

PRICES

SUNNYVALE

INDIA • EUROPE • HAWAII

SPECIALIZING IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVELTO

Consolidator for Major Airlines

Open 7 days

a weekOpen 7 days

a week

www.sunnyvaletravel.net

FOR EMERGENCIES CALL (408) 499-3906EMAIL US: [email protected]

WE OFFERFARESFROMINDIA

TRAVEL

WE OFFER PACKAGES FOR:

TRIPS & TRAVELEstablished

in 1982 SAI TRAVELS

For More Information Please Call:

(408) 737-7000

• Air India • Cathay Pacific • Lufthansa • Singapore Airline • EVA Air • American Air • Korean Air • Emirates Air • and many more

• Hyderabad • Amritsar • Delhi • Mumbai • Bangalore • Colombo • Calcutta • Dhaka

• Cochin • Chennai • Trivandrum

Wholesale Direct Airfares to public

To

1250 Oakmead Parkway, Ste 101, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Monday thru Friday:9:00 AM - 5:30 PMFax: (408) 737-3647

[email protected]

On

Full TimeAgents

RequiredFax Resume

(408) 737-3647


travel

251 SOUTH MATHILDA AVE. SUNNYVALE, CA 94086

SERVING THE COMMUNITYFOR OVER 30 YEARS

CST# 1007750-10

(408) 245-5090

EXCELLENT

SERVICE AT

COMPETITIVE

PRICES

SUNNYVALE

INDIA • EUROPE • HAWAII

SPECIALIZING IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVELTO

Consolidator for Major Airlines

Open 7 days

a weekOpen 7 days

a week

www.sunnyvaletravel.net

FOR EMERGENCIES CALL (408) 499-3906EMAIL US: [email protected]

WE OFFERFARESFROMINDIA

TRAVEL

WE OFFER PACKAGES FOR:

TRIPS & TRAVELEstablished

in 1982 SAI TRAVELS

For More Information Please Call:

(408) 737-7000

• Air India • Cathay Pacific • Lufthansa • Singapore Airline • EVA Air • American Air • Korean Air • Emirates Air • and many more

• Hyderabad • Amritsar • Delhi • Mumbai • Bangalore • Colombo • Calcutta • Dhaka

• Cochin • Chennai • Trivandrum

Wholesale Direct Airfares to public

To

1250 Oakmead Parkway, Ste 101, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Monday thru Friday:9:00 AM - 5:30 PMFax: (408) 737-3647

[email protected]

On

Full TimeAgents

RequiredFax Resume

(408) 737-3647


IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

ICS

(408)

324-0

488

www.chaatus.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Since 1988!


12

1212

1212

122/29/16

2/29/162/29/16

2/29/162/29/16


Call today to find out about our competitive ad rates and custom made advertising packages.

The Premiere South Asian Entertainment Television ShowContact: Poonam Bajaj (510) 304-8654 • Email: [email protected]

SITAARRE TV is a South Asian entertainment television show featuring Bollywood Star Profiles, Celebrity Interviews, Movie Reviews, Special Themed segments, Business Infomercials and the highlights of Community Events happening in and around the Bay Area.

ADVERTISE ON SITAARRE TV • REACH 12.8 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS

Kavita, Anchor

Show Times and Networks:1. Every Sunday,10 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. on KTSF 26 available on Dish Network and DirecTV Channel 26, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Channel 8 and also available to watch on Comcast on Demand 24/7 Show Reach: Entire Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Greater Bay Area).2. Every Sunday, 11 A.M. – 12 Noon on Comcast/Xfinity - Channel 238 in the entire Bay Area 3. Every Sunday, 5 P.M. - 6 P.M. on Comcast/Xfinity – Channel 238 in the Central Valley (Tracy, Livermore, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton & Sacramento4. Every Sunday 5 P.M. – 6 P.M. on Times Warner, Channel 503 in New York and New Jersey5. Every Monday, 5 P.M. – 6 P.M. on Times Warner, Channel 503 in New York and New Jersey


(650) 568-9000 / (650) 619-1965 CellFax:(650) 226-3882(for Emergency Call Anytime 24 X 7 @ (650) 619-1965)

[email protected]

IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

ICS

(408)

324-0

488

(from USA to India, Europe, Asia, Australia & anywhere in the world)

• Specialize In Originating India Tickets

• Corporate Accounts Warmly Welcome

• Excellent Vacation Packages And Cruises

• Tickets Delivered To Your Doorstep

* BEST INTERNATIONAL & DOMESTIC FARES AVAILABLE ON ALL AIRLINES

www.ambertravels.com693 Veterans Blvd., Ste #2Redwood City, CA 94063

KULDEEP DEORA

Amber TravelWORLDWIDE

DBA

Special Fares for Business & First Class Travelers

Emergency/

last Minute Deals

@ Excellent

Price

Right Service @ Right Price

Pric

e A

ve

Whi

pple

Ave

��

AMBERTRAVEL

Veterans Blvd

EMAIL ADDRESS

LAST NAME

Yes! Sign me up to receive free digital newsletters

Or Email: [email protected]

Fax to: (408) 324-0477Sign up at www.indiacurrents.com/subscribe/

Join us on Facebook and Twitter

Please allow 4-6 weeks for the first issue to arrive.

Back issue $3 each, if available

I Cundia rrents

You may email me promotions and news about India Currents.

Mail this form to:

India Currents Subscriptions2670 S White Rd., Suite 165,

San Jose, CA 95148

FIRST NAME

I would like to receive a print magazine

Northern California (S/H $12.95/year)

Southern California (S/H $12.95/year)

DAYTIME PHONE (optional)

EMAIL ADDRESS (required)

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

SIGNATURE (required) DATE

CITY STATE ZIP

With the magazine available in digital as well as print form, you never have to miss another issue of India Currents! Subscribe today.

(required)

Credit Card # Exp date


travel

AD PROOF



Contact: SPAN TRAVELS Client: RAO Fax: PDF [email protected]

DEREK NUNES 1885 Lundy Ave., Suite 220San Jose, CA 95131 (408) 324-0488 / (714) 523-8788FAX: (408) 324-0477

Ad is Correct

Initials Date

Needs Changes

SPAN TRAVELS AND TOURSWE SPEAK HINDI, TELUGU, TAMIL, MARATHI AND PUNJABI.

408.235.7711

* CONSOLIDATOR FARES TO ALL MAJOR CITIES IN INDIA* BEST DEALS TO HYD, MAA, BLR, COK, AND DEL, BOM.* TOUR PACKAGES TO EUROPE, HAWAII AND MEXICO.

CA Seller of trv regn# 2059835-40

WE SPECIALIZE FROM INDIA FARES

Offers escorted travel and vacation packages worldwide with:

2118 Walsh Avenue, Ste #145, Santa Clara, CA 95050 Email: [email protected]

www.spantravels.com

PUNJAB TRAVEL & IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT

SAN JOSE

(408) 441-7570FREMONT

(510) 824-8009SACRAMENTO

(916) 226-6393

[email protected] • CSTR# 1001108-10 PREM SINGH*IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT

CA Bond # 57BSBGR1892

PASSPORT * VISA * OCI * PIOGREEN CARD * CITIZENSHIPWORK PERMIT * AFFIDAVITS

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY* I am not an attorney

BB Travel ExpertsAIRLINES • CRUISE • RAIL • CAR RENTALS

FARESORIGINATING FROM INDIA AVAILABLE

Most Economical and CompetitiveWorld Wide Airlines ticketing

To & From USA, Canada, India, Pakistan.

Call or e-mail us: Bomi Patel — BB Travel Experts

(408) 264-4395 • (408) 390-0750 email: [email protected] • www.bbtes.com

CST # 2112876-50

“Uhmrah, Haj and other

pilgrimage packages available”

(408) 529-7329


IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

IC (

408)

324-0

488

TRAVEL INC3 either Beats or Matches your price with our NEW TECHNOLOGY

Beats Online prices in most caseswelcomes any sorts of complicated ItinerariesOffers all In-bound and Out-bound unbeatable pricesOffers amazing packages with Indian Meals, around the world and within USA

(510) 249-9333 • (408) 243-5495EFax: (510) 257-1756 • [email protected]

46500 Fremont Blvd., #716, Fremont, CA 94538

3S INTERNATIONALTRAVEL INC

3S INTERNATIONAL

3

33

3

877-766-7786

LOWEST FARES TO INDIA

International Travel Center

* Discounted Business and First Class fare

* Cheapest Economy Class fare to India, Bangladesh and Nepal

* One to One service with highly experienced staff

www.itravelcenter.net • [email protected]

OVER 30

YEARS IN

BUSINESS

No frills, no unpleasant surprisesJust good service & low travel rates

We are the travel agency thatunderstands all your needs

Call VARSHA(510) [email protected]

Reg.# 2069369-40

Special Fares to India!Fast, Reliable and Courteous Service.

Open 7 Days a Week.Emergency Service 24 Hours/7 Days.

We Offer All Major Airlines.

Let's Fly To Visit Incredible India !

WWW.ANJANAYETRAVELS.COM

Contact us at (408) 947-1209 or email [email protected]

Disclaimer: Fares based on seat availability. Some restrictions may apply.

travel





India Currents is a leading Indian-American monthly with features, reviews, opinion, analysis, and a detailed calendar of Indian events.

katha

[email protected]

INDIA CURRENTSINDIA CURRENTS

First Prize: $300 • Second Prize: $200 • Third Prize: $100 • Two Honorable Mentions

How To Pay:

A Paypal account is required for online payment. Log onto indiacurrents.com/katha to submit payment.s Alternatively, you may send a personal check, cashier s check or money order.s

CONTEST GUIDELINES:

1. One submission per individual; $7 per submission. (Paid by check or paypal)2. Submissions should consist of one short story or extract from a longer work up to 3,000 words in length.3. Entries should be unpublished works and should not have won previous awards or contests.

How To Submit:

E-MAIL YOUR STORY as a word file attachment to: [email protected]

Literary Fiction Contest 2016Literary Fiction Contest 2016

For complete contest guideline go to indiacurrents.com/katha

SPONSOR

All entrants will be notified of the results by e-mail by June 30, 2016. Winning entries will be considered for publication in upcoming issues of India Currents

’

THE COMPLETE INDIAN AMERICAN MAGAZINE

For more information: (408) 913-1610

DEADLINE: MARCH 31, 2016Submissions not following the guidelines will be automatically disqualified from the contest.

Disqualified entrants will not be notified.



PURE VEGETARIAN FOOD

510-656-2336Business Hours:Tuesday to Sunday11:00 am to 8:00 pm

IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

ICS

(408)

324-0

488

KRISHNA RESTAURANT

FARSANPapadi Ganthia $7.00/lbHot Mix $7.00/lbThin Sev $7.00/lbChakli $7.00/lbGarlic Sev $7.00/lb

SNACKSKhaman-Dokhla $2.99/plate or $7.00/lbBhel Puri $2.99/plateKachori $1.99/plateSamosa $1.99/plate

• Chapati or Puri• Vegetable• Dal & Rice• Farsan & Chatni• Pickle• Sweet Dessert

Served From: 11 am - 2:30 pm

Take Out or Eat In

• Chapati or Puri• 2 Vegetables• Dal or Kadhi• Rice or Pulav• Pickle & Papad• Sweet Dessert

Served From: 5 pm - 8 pm

Take Out or Eat In

SUNDAY SPECIAL DINNER• Rotala• Khicadi & Kadhi• Vegetable• Bhaji or Bhartu• Pickle & Papad• Sweet Dessert

Served on Sunday Only: 5 pm - 8 pm

Take Out or Eat in

DAILY LUNCH DAILY DINNER

40645 Fremont Blvd. #1Fremont, CA 94538

$550+ TAX

$700+ TAX

$700+ TAX

SARADE,KALANIKETAN

SRI, SAKTI,

offer classes in

Yoga & Indian Classical Dance

Bharata Natyam

KathakaliKuchipudi

(562) 746-1945 • (562) [email protected]

VijayaBhanu.net

VIJAYA BHANU the entrepreneur of dance classes in California since 1982 and (3 times award winner "NATYAMAYURI " DOCTOR award in dance 1995 Dancing Angel award in 2000. Versatile Classical Dance Performer and the

Kathak

Versatile singer of Bhajans, Gazals, Geet, Sangeet, and Filmy old and new songs and Punjabi folk songs. Available For Stage Concerts And Home Concert for All occasions, In your Choice of locations.

Promotional Pricesstarting at only ...

mo.for 12 months Not eligible with Hopper.

1-800-378-2148

Make the Switch to DISH Today and Save 50%

Call Now And Save 50%

Call 7 days a week 8am - 11pm EST Promo Code: MB12015

where available

ASK ABOUT HIGH SPEED INTERNETAS LOW AS ....

mo.CALL TODAY -

INSTALLED TODAY!

SAME DAY INSTALLATIONIN UP TO 6 ROOMS

Where available.

FREE

All o�ers require 24-month commitment and credit quali�cation.

With qualifying packages and o�ers

With qualifying packages and o�ers

and Save 50%

Call Now And Save 50% With qualifying packages and o�ers

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: O�ers valid through 6/10/15 and require activation of new qualifying DISH service with 24-month commitment and credit quali�cation. An Early Termination fee of $20 for each month remaining will apply if service is terminated during the �rst 24 months. All prices, fees, charges, packages, programming, features, functionality and o�ers subject to change without notice. PROGRAMMING DISCOUNT: Requires qualifying programming. Receive a discount for each of the �rst 12 months as follows: $35 per month with America’s Top 250; $30 per month with America’s Top 200; $25 per month with America’s Top 120, America’s Top 120 Plus; $15 per month with Smart Pack; $25 per month with DishLATINO Dos, DishLATINO Max; $20 per month with DishLATINO Plus; $15 per month with DishLATINO Clásico; $5 per month with DishLATINO Basico. After 12-month promotional period, then-current monthly price applies and is subject to change. You will forfeit discount in the case of a downgrade from qualifying programming or service disconnection during �rst 12 months. HD FREE FOR LIFE: Requires qualifying programming and continuous enrollment in AutoPay with Paperless Billing. Additional $10/mo. HD fee is waived for life of current account. O�er is limited to channels associated with selected programming package. Qualifying programming packages are America’s Top 120 and above, DishLATINO Plus and above. You may forfeit free HD in the case of service disconnection. PREMIUMS FREE FOR 3 MONTHS: Receive Showtime, Starz, Blockbuster @Home and Encore free for the �rst 3 months. You must maintain all four movie services during the promotional period. O�er value $132. After 3 months, then-current prices will apply unless you elect to downgrade. 6 FREE MONTHS OF PROTECTION PLAN: Receive the Protection Plan free for the �rst 6 months. O�er value $48. After 6 months, then-current price will apply unless you elect to downgrade. Change of Service fee will apply if you cancel the Protection Plan during the �rst 6 months. DIGITAL HOME ADVANTAGE: EQUIPMENT: All equipment remains the property of DISH at all times and must be returned to DISH within thirty days of account deactivation or you will be charged an unreturned equipment fee ranging from $100 to $400 per receiver. Lease Upgrade fees are not deposits and are non-refundable. Maximum of 6 leased receivers (supporting up to 6 total TVs) per account. You will be charged a monthly equipment rental fee for each receiver beyond the �rst, based on model of receiver. WHOLE-HOME HD DVR: Monthly fees: Hopper, $12; Joey, $7, Super Joey, $10; second Hopper, $12. First Hopper HD DVR receiver and up to 3 Joey receivers available for a one-time $199 Upgrade fee. $199 Upgrade fee waived at time of service activation with subscription to America’s Top 120 and above or DishLATINO Plus and above. A second Hopper HD DVR receiver is available for a one-time Upgrade fee: $49 for a Hopper, $99 for a Hopper with Sling. With a second Hopper HD DVR receiver, one additional Joey receiver is available for a one-time $99 Upgrade fee. Hopper and Joey receivers cannot be combined with any other receiver models or types. PrimeTime Anytime and AutoHop features must be enabled by customer and are subject to availability. With PrimeTime Anytime record ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC plus two channels. With addition of Super Joey record two additional channels. AutoHop feature is available at varying times, starting the day after airing, for select primetime shows on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC recorded with PrimeTime Anytime. Recording capacity varies; 2000 hours based on SD programming. Equipment comparison based on equipment available from major TV providers as of 12/01/14. Watching live and recorded TV anywhere requires an Internet-connected, Sling-enabled DVR and compatible mobile device. On Demand availability varies based on your programming subscription. Requires Android OS 4.0 or higher to watch on an Android device and iOS 7.0 or higher to watch on iPhone or iPad. Select DVR recordings cannot be transferred. ALL OTHER RECEIVER MODELS: Lease Upgrade fee(s) will apply for select receivers, based on model and number of receivers. Monthly DVR and receiver fees may apply. Digital Home Advantage o�er is available from DISH and participating retailers for new and quali�ed former DISH residential customers in the continental United States. You must provide your Social Security Number and a valid major credit card. Participating retailers may require additional terms and conditions. The �rst month of DISH service must be paid at time of activation. Number of channels may decline. Local and state sales taxes and state reimbursement charges may apply. Where applicable, monthly equipment rental fees and programming are taxed separately. Standard Professional Installation includes typical installation of one single-dish antenna con�guration, typical hook-up of an eligible receiver con�guration and equipment testing. More complex installations may require additional fees; other installation restrictions apply. Prices valid at time of activation only; additional fees will apply to upgrade after installation. 0 Any unreturned equipment fees will automatically be charged to your DISH account or credit or debit card provided to DISH. DISH shall determine eligibility for this o�er in its sole and absolute discretion. Programming and other services provided are subject to the terms and conditions of the Digital Home Advantage Customer Agreement and Residential Customer Agreement, available at www.dish.com or upon request. Blackout and other restrictions apply to sports programming. All service marks and trademarks belong to their respective owners. ©2015 DISH Network L.L.C. All rights reserved. HBO®, Cinemax® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box O�ce, Inc. HBO On Demand® and Cinemax On Demand® require compatible HD DVR receiver model. HBO GO® and MAX GO® are only accessible in the US and certain US territories where a high-speed connection is available. Minimum connection of 3 Mbps required for HD viewing on laptop. Minimum 3G connection is required for viewing on mobile devices. Some restrictions may apply. SHOWTIME and related marks are registered trademarks of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. STARZ and related channels and service marks are property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. ESPN GamePlan, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, ESPN Full Court and MLS Direct Kick automatically continue at a special renewal rate each year provided DISH carries this service, unless you call to cancel prior to the start of the season. ESPN GamePlan, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, ESPN Full Court and MLS Direct Kick are nonrefundable, nonproratable and nontransferable once the season begins. NHL, the NHL Shield and Center Ice name and logo are registered trademarks and The Game Lives Where You Do is a trademark of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2015. All Rights Reserved. NBA, the NBA logo and team identi�cations are the exclusive property of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2015. All rights reserved. © 2015 NFL Enterprises LLC. NFL and the NFL Shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League. MLS Direct Kick is a trademark of MLS. Sling is a registered trademark of Sling Media, Inc. All new customers are subject to a one-time processing fee.


music

What’s Indian at the Grammys?By Priya Das

The Grammys award ceremony this year is scheduled for February 15 and has quite a few India(n) related

nominees. Take a read below:

Record of the Year and Produc-er of the Year (Non Classical)

Uptown FunkJeff Bhasker (Producer)Released in November 2014, Uptown

Funk has cruised the top positions in music charts in the United States, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Australia and Brazil. It was co-produced by Jeff Bhasker, who was born to an American mother and an Indian-origin father.

Music producers are typically the un-sung heroes of any song: they rarely ap-pear on camera, but are responsible for literally everything to be camera-ready. Bhasker prefers to maintain a low profile, he has been reported to say, “…A lot of people think you can make a beat and be a producer. But there’s so much more that goes into it: having a vision, knowing how to get a really great performance out of the artist, stuff like that… to get an Adele-like

vocal performance out of someone or to write a great song or capture multi-layers and levels of music, it’s an entire tradition of producing...”

Bhasker is a Grammy veteran, before this year, he has been nominated 11 times and won three; namely Best Rap Song for “Run this town”(2009) and “All of the lights”(2012) and Song of the Year for “We are young”(2013).

He attributes his music-sense in part, to years of playing in a wedding band. In an interview, he said “I would play clas-sical music for the ceremony, jazz for the cocktail reception, and we’d play all the hit music from the 40s until current at dinner. I was spanning 600 years of music in six hours.”

Before forging his own path, Bhasker worked with Kanye West, who he de-scribes as the modern Miles Davis.

Best Music FilmAmy Asif Kapadia (Video Director)Amy is a documentary on the life of

Amy Winehouse, a British songwriter and singer who died in her twenties of alcohol

poisoning. London-born Indian Asif Kapadia di-

rected the film. He believes that the art of documentary making begins with ques-tions that one wants answers to. Wine-house was visibly not in control of herself at public appearances leading up to her death. In an interview Kapadia says, “How did it transpire that she was in that state on stage. Every one saw it and yet nobody stopped it. People were making decisions to have her on TV shows … keeping her in the limelight when she was trying to escape.”

Kapadia is no stranger to awards, hav-ing won BAFTA’s (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) 2012 Best Doc-umentary and Best Editing for “Senna,” a movie based on three-time Formula One racing champion, Ayrton Senna.

Best World Music AlbumHomeAnoushka ShankarAnoushka Shankar pays tribute to her

father and guru Pandit Ravi Shankar in Home. It features Raga Jogeshwari, which

Jeff Bhasker Asif Kapadia


is a creation of Ravi Shankars. Shankar has been nominated for a

Grammy four times before this year, and was the youngest-ever and first woman nominee in the World Music category in 2003. Her father won five Grammys between the years of 1967 and 2013, in-cluding the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Incidentally, the Grammy Museum is hosting an exhibit called Ravi Shankar: A Life In Music, which will be on display through April 2016.

Best Instrumental CompositionConfetti ManDavid Balakrishnan, composer

(Turtle Island Quartet)Their website best describes

them: “Winner of the 2006 and … the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet es-thetic with contemporary American musical styles.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said of them, “It must have been like this when Beethoven was

taking Vienna by storm—the exhilaration of seeing the future of classical music un-fold before your eyes and ears.”

The Quartet was formed by violinist David Balakrishnan, who was himself a fan of rock persona Jimi Hendrix grow-ing up. In an interview online, he says, “I remember my mouth falling open, and experiencing a feeling of astounding joy … It’s like falling in love for the first time. That’s what created the first intense love of music for me, not playing classical music … listening to Hendrix, I realized that I could do that on violin.”

Yo-Yo Ma (world renowned cellist) has proclaimed the Quartet to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground —au-thentic and passionate—a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.”

Best Instrumental Composition and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

The Afro Latin Jazz SuiteAfro Latin Jazz Orchestra (featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa)

Apparently, the night after the Ar-turo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra played in U.S. Interest Section in Havana, President Obama announced the normal-ization of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba after 50+ years.

The Grammy nominated track features saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. It’s from the album Cuba: The Conversation Continues, which features compositions by six American and four Cuban composers, played by 24 musicians. Throughout, Ma-hanthappa moves through several genres, including salsa, cha cha, and jazz.

OthersTwo other India(n) related nomina-

tions are Seeing; Kabir Padavali by Christo-pher Rouse/ Labl-Maxos for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album and Bhakti Without Borders by Madi Das for Best New Age Album. n

Priya Das is an enthusiastic follower of world music and avidly tracks intersecting points between folk, classical, jazz and other genres.




If you can walk, you can dance - join us!

INDIAN DANCE CENTER(formerly known as Monsoon Dance Academy)

ENROLLMENTS OPEN FOR FALL 2015

ANNUAL RECITAL IN JUNE 2016

* KATHAK * BOLLYWOOD

* TUSTIN * LAKE FOREST* FOOTHILL RANCH* MISSION VIEJO

Call Ruchi Lamba At (949) 466-5220 or email [email protected]

Your first visit is free. Come dance with us and find out why we love it!

CLASSES OFFERED: LOCATIONS:

Ruchi Lamba

Like us on Facebookwww.indiandancecenter.com

INDIAN DANCE CENTER


dance . music

KALANJALIDances of India

Establshed in 1975

CLASSES IN BHARATANATYAM India's most ancient classical dance

SACRAMENTO,LAFAYETTE,BERKELEY

Registration and Information:

[email protected]

Following traditional Kalakshetra syllabus

- all levels

Artistic Director:

Jayanthi Sridharanoffers

Bharathanatyam Classesin North San Jose

BharathaKala KutiramBharathaKala Kutiram

Call: (408) 251-3438e-mail: [email protected]

Director:

Srividya Eashwar

CONTACT INFORMATION

408-246-3005 / 408-838-3079Email: [email protected]

Web: www.xpressionsdancemusic.com

Classes offered in a combination of styles including Folk, Semi-Classical, and Fusion at various locations in Cupertino and San Jose.

10th Year of Artistic Excellence

Peter: (408) 839-2476

MUSIC Lessons with

Peter Block

Private LessonsALL AGES & LEVELS

ENGLISHLessons with Sita

• Saxophone, Guitar, Flute, Clarinet• Classical, Jazz & Pop styles• Includes comprehensive program of playing, rhythm & ear training, theory, recitals, etc.• Qualify for local youth symphonies, wind ensembles, jazz bands, & college music.

Writing, reading & speaking skills • Prepare for high school and college • Word choice, vocabulary, grammar, diction • Essay, academic & creative writing

1/2 or Full Hour LessonsSita: (408) 253-1051

[email protected] [email protected]

Bansuri Bamboo Flute

Jeff Whittier• Flutes of the Highest Quality

• Lessons in North Indian Music in Palo Alto& Fremont

• Video Instructions Available

• Light Classical Music for Indian Weddings

(650) 493-2187E-mail: [email protected]

* Teacher of repute and artiste having numerous stage and TV shows.

(disciple of late Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh and Ustad Munawar Ali Khan)

[email protected]@gmail.com

* Special lessons in Bangla Gaan - (Bengali) Puraatani, Tappa, Nazrulgeeti, Atulprosad, Raagprodhan, etc.

By DR MOUSOOMI BANERJI

Contact: (408) 799-1102 • (408) 823-3918

Vocal Music Classes

* Elementary lessons for beginners in Indian Classical Music (Hindusthani style) and Light Classical Music - including bhajan, ghazal, etc.

Classes In

San Jose,

Sunnyvale

& Santa Clara


special dates

Ash Wednesday Feb. 10

Vasant Panchami Feb. 12

Saraswati Puja Feb. 12

Presidents Day Feb. 15

Maha Shivaratri March 8

events

February 6 Saturday Workshop on Wills and Trusts. Organized by Sahara and South Asian Bar Association. 10:30 a.m. Matiya Patidar Center (Sanatan Temple), 15311 Pioneer Blvd., Norwalk. (562) 402-4132. HTHF Valentine Anual Gala. Raffles, prize, auction and dance. Live Entertainment by Vivek Arya and Sujhata Padman Bhan, dinner by Manohar of Del-hi Palace. Organized by Shital Wadhwa. 7

Check us out on

Southern California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

Edited by: Mona Shah List your event for FREE!

MARCH issue deadline:

Friday, February 19

To list your event in the Calendar, go to www.indiacurrents.com

and click on List Your Event

CULTURAL CALENDER

Ahmad Saeedi, live in concert on February 13, in Beverly Hills

FEBRUARY

p.m. Arcadia Community Center Hall, 365 Campus Drive, Arcadia. $60 adults, $30 kids. (626) 574-0760.

February 12 Friday Valentine’s Day With Dipali and Vishal. 8 p.m. Amaya Restaurant, 7850 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. $40. (909) 319-1899. [email protected].

February 13 Saturday Max Amini Live In Concert. 6 p.m. Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles.

www.sulekha.com. Valentine 2016. Skits, shayari, comedy, dance, music. Organized by Mehfil En-tertainment. 6:30 p.m. Royal Delhi Palace Restaurant, 22323 Sherman Way, Canoga Park. $45, $50. (818) 992-0913, (805) 208-0244. [email protected]. Ahmad Saeedi Live In Conert. 7 p.m. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. www.sulekha.com.

February 20 Saturday


Ashiqui Tere Naam. Evergreen roman-tic melodies from the 90’s. Organized by Sharad Mehta. 8 p.m. Jain Center, 8072 Commonwealth Ave., Buena Park. (310) 430-6612.

What better way to spread the word of universal love while taking time away

from the demands of daily life than to kick off a spiritually infused Valentine’s weekend with Her Holiness, Sai Maa and her upcoming seminar on Wisdom and Enlightenment.

Internationally recognized, Indian spiritual healer and humanitarian Sai Maa, is in San Diego for a 3-day speak-ing event featuring a range of free-to-cost events entwining her message of love, wisdom and enlightenment. Said the Colorado based advocate of interfaith di-alogue about the upcoming visit, “With the momentum of the quickly expand-ing community, we can move into even deeper levels of transformational work expressed as love, wisdom and light, my greatest desire is for people to know they are divine and to live as that divinity in daily life.”

The weekend’s event will include an opportunity to receive darshan or ener-getic activations and teachings which will serve to create a life of inner fulfillment and joy.

The goal of this event remains con-sistent with one of her life’s missions, put into full thrust since the early 1990s when she began touring Asia, Europe and North America to educate and spread global enlightenment through a range of spiritual, social and psychological topics.

“I am not good with devotees; I am here to create masters. A state has come for spiritual empowerment which allows you to be deeply involved at a higher level of leadership in the evolution of the

Valentine Call for Universal Love

plan, of the grand design for this galaxy, universe, solar system, this world, and for each one of us,” said Sai Maa.

Born on the island of Mauritius, which laid the foundation for interfaith coopera-tion, Sai Maa’s early twenties were based in France, where she enjoyed a life of mar-riage and children, practiced homeopathic

to osteopathic therapies, acted as a city council member in Bordeaux.

After her children reached adulthood, Sai Maa also began aligning her spiri-tual beliefs with the Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba and later became his disciple.

Another calling to uplift humanity manifested as Sai Maa forged on to estab-lish the nonprofit, Sai Maa Vishnu Shakti Trust in 2007 which focused on humani-tarian efforts in India to empower women, assist the needy and provide disaster relief amongst other services. In the same year,

By Shyamal Randeria Leonard

Sai Maa also became the recipient of the title of Jagadguru or Guru of the world, the highest title in the Vedic tradition not “bestowed to a woman in 2,700 years of the Vishnuswami lineage and in recogni-tion for her humanitarian service and spiri-tual mastery,” per Sai Maa’s website. n

Feb 13-14. Hilton San Diego Del Mar, 15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar.$425, $299 students. www.sai-maa.com/sandiego2016.

Schedule of events:Friday, February 12: 7:30-9:30 p.m. “En-lightened Conversations with Sai Maa” Sai Maa will discuss topics suggested by the audience, ranging from practices for overcom-ing life’s challenges, global transformation, parenting and relationships. ($25)

Saturday, February 13: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Wisdom of the Soul with Sai Maa’s Successors ($150). 3 to 4:30 p.m.: Vegetarian Buffet at Hilton San Diego ($25). 5 p.m. until com-plete: Darshan with Sai Maa (free).Presented by Sai Maa’s successors, Lucinda Hanover and Adam Rizvi, with discussions on creating an expansive experience of one’s divine nature, inner wisdom and boundless joy.

Sunday, February 14: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: En-lightened Heart with Sai Maa and Teachers ($275)Participants will have the opportunity to expe-rience the unconditional love of Sai Maa and her successors who will guide attendees into so they can consciously expand love through their lives.

© Copyright 2016 India Currents. All rights reserved. Reproduction for commercial use strictly prohibited.

Share your stories on health with India Currents readers!We are accepting original submissions that focus on health and wellness. Send your 600-800-word essay on disease prevention, exercise, ayurvedic cooking,

or any other health-related topic to Mona Shah at [email protected].


Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is not mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself~ Havelock Ellis

BHAIRAVI KUMARFounder/Director Since 1989

Affiliated with Hindustan art & music society, Calcutta. Students receives official accreditation, diplomas and degrees from India.

Contact: 909-630-8558 [email protected]

NRITYODAYA KATHAK ACADEMY

www.kathaksocal.com

Kathak classes offered in

Walnut/ Diamond Bar, Tustin/Irvine,

Santa Ana

of Kal o thao k h dac nS ce

Artistic director:

Punam Kumar (Holds a master's degree in art of Kathak)

Beginning and advanced classes for children all ages Adults dance class Special events choreography

Cypress


Diamond Bar Irvine

For information call:

714-293-4539714-891-3799

Classes also offered at:

New classes coming to Santan Mandir, Norwalk

Shivam artsShivam arts

Kalapeetham Foundation

Director: Smt. Kalyani Shanmugarajah(Alumnus of Kalakshetra, 1974)

Established in 1990

Offering Classes In:

Kalakshetra style of Bharathanatyam,Traditional Folk Dances and Theory

Class Locations: Granada Hills, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Simi Valley,Valencia, Santa Clarita, Palmdale/Lancaster, Santa Monica, Irvine

(818) 892-4890 • [email protected] • www.facebook.com/Kalapeetham

Manipuri Dance Visions

For more information:: (818) 790-2897Email: [email protected]

Classes in Pasadena & Woodland Hills D

AN

CE

Institute of Manipuri Dance

Artistic Director:

Dr. SOHINI RAY(disciple of late Guru Bipin Singh)




Prachi DixitFounder/Director

Kathak | Tabla | Vocal

Torrance, Cerritos & Venice

(310) [email protected] • www.nupuracademyla.org

Nupur Academy LA Inc.Institute for Indian Clasical Performing Arts - A Not For Profit Organization

Shakti School of Bharata NatyamClasses in West Los Angeles, Torrance,

Cerritos, Orange/Irvine, Woodland Hills

CELEBRATING DANCE1977 to 2015

Viji PrakashFounder/Director

[email protected]

“dance is the song of the soul”

Arpana School of Dancewww. danceramya.com(949) 874-3662

“Art washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.” Picasso

ACADEMY OF KATHAK DANCEClasses offered at

La Habra Heights, Whittier, Cerritos, Yorba Linda

( Classes can potentially be offered in your area - inquiries welcome)

Visiting Artist and TeacherAbhay Shankar Mishra

Head of Kathak Department(Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, London, UK)

Aarti ManekContact:1.714.595.37351.714.299.3525shankaradance@gmail.comwww.shankaradance.com

Call for classes in your [email protected]

Geeta & Sanjiv MunshiArts Academy“Bringing you Music & Dance

for 25 successful years!”

Nishi MunshiMiss India California

Call us for LIVE MUSIC & DANCE PERFORMANCES!

• Vocal Classes• Instrument Classes• Dance Classes

(562) 946-0496(909) 556-6070

dance . music

Classes Available on Weekdays and WeekendsPrivate Lessons also available

For information Call

(818) 882-3368

San Fernando Valleyand in Pasadena

Offered by the talented member of the Academy

Students of the Academy have performed all over the Los Angeles Community

Founder and Instructor

RachanaUpadhyay

MA in Kathak ( Nipun)Bhatkhande University

Kathak Kala AcademyEstalished in 1998

www.mykathak.com

Lucknowemail:

[email protected]

Serving

www.mykathak.com

Now

Kathak

KathakKala

Academy

Established in 1998www.mykathak.com

• ClassesAvailable onWeekdays

andWeekends• PrivateLessons

alsoavailable• Students

ofthe Academy

haveperformed all

over theLos AngelesCommunity

For Information Call

(818) 882-3368www.mykathak.com

Founder

and

Instructor

RachanaUpadhyay

MA inKathak(Nipun)

BhatkhandeUniversityLucknow

Email:[email protected]

Serving

San FernandoValley

andin

Pasadena

Offered by thetalented

member of theacademy

Anvita Kohli

Kathak Kala Academywww.mykathak.com

• ClassesAvailable onWeekdays

andWeekends• PrivateLessons

alsoavailable• Students

ofthe Academy

haveperformed all

over theLos AngelesCommunity

AD PROOF



Contact: RACHANA UPADHYAY Client: KATHAK KALA ACADEMY Fax: PDF [email protected]


Ad is Correct

Initials Date

Needs Changes

KathakKala Academy

www.mykathak.com

Founder and InstructorRachana UpadhyayMA in Kathak (Nipun)

Bhatkhande University, Lucknow

ServingSan

FernandoValley

andnow in

Pasadena

Offered by the

talentedmember of

theAcademy

AnvitaKohli

Kathak

email: [email protected]

For Information Call

(818) 882-3368

Estalished in 1998

Bharata NatyamFolk Dances

Paulomi PanditRecipient of Post Diploma from

Kalakshetra, India

626-590-5547

Classes:Duarte,Cerritos,

Riverside,Chino Hills

[email protected]


news feature Aishwarya Rai Talks Films, Cannes and More with French President Francois Hollande

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is said to have had a “hospitable” experience when she met French

President François Hollande at a special luncheon in New Delhi on January 26, looking radiant and ravishing in a red Banarasi sari.

Their conversation ranged from talk-ing about movies to her experiences at Cannes, a guest at the lunch told IANS, adding that Hollande even made Aish-warya join him at his table.

“The French president was very warm,” the insider said.

Aishwarya, who has been in the midst of shooting her new film Sarbjit, took out time from her busy schedule to attend the lunch, which was hosted by French Am-bassador Francois Richier.

The former beauty queen, a past recipi-ent of the prestigious Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, a civilian award by the French government, was the only Indian

actor to be present. Hollande attended the lunch following

his appearance at the country’s colorful Republic Day parade on Rajpath in New Delhi as the chief guest.

Other guests at the lunch included de-signers Ritu Beri, who has earlier received the Chevalier Des Arts et Des Lettres award, one of the highest civilian awards by the French government, for her contri-bution to the enrichment of Indo-French cultural relations; and Manish Arora, who shares a deep connect with Paris, the source said.

For the occasion, Aishwarya chose a perfectly suited ensemble—a sari from designer duo Swati and Sunaina.

Made in Banaras, the six-yard wonder that the actress wore, was woven with fine mulberry silk and zari (gold embroidery) made from pure silver threads dipped in gold.

Only natural fibers and eco-friendly

dyeing was used in the making of the sari, a source close to the designers told IANS.

It was only fitting that Aishwarya chose a creation so deeply rooted in Indian technique and craft to meet the president of France, a country that she’s had a great connection with for a long time.

She’s a regular at the Cannes Interna-tional Film Festival, where the first look of Jazbaa—her comeback film post preg-nancy—was launched last year.

An actress who has featured in Bolly-wood films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Dhoom 2, Guru and Devdas, Aishwarya is also an ambassador of French cosmetics company L’Oréal Paris, for which she re-cently starred in an ad with Eva Longoria.

In fact, she even shot for her interna-tional film Pink Panther 2 in Paris. n

This is an IANS news story.

Aishwarya Rai greeting French President Francois Hollande Aishwarya Rai in a specially woven red Banarasi sari



special dates

Ash Wednesday Feb. 10

Vasant Panchami Feb. 12

Saraswati Puja Feb. 12

Presidents Day Feb. 15

Maha Shivaratri March 8

February 1 Monday Growing Up Asian in America. Art, essay and video contest for K-12 students. 2016 contest theme: Give Someone a Gold Medal. Organized by Asian Pacific Fund. (415) 395-9985 x500. [email protected]. www.asianpacificfund.com.

February 6 Saturday 10th Annual India Republic Day

Check us out on

Edited by: Mona Shah List your event for FREE!

MARCH issue deadline:

Friday, February 19

To list your event in the Calendar, go to www.indiacurrents.com

and click on List Your Event

CULTURAL CALENDER

eventsNorthern California’s Best Guide to Indian Events

FEBRUARY

Celebration. Kids painting/art competi-tion, talent contest (dance, music, singing, public speaking). Dance and cultural per-formances. Awards, honors and trophies to be awarded by elected officials and dignitaries present. Organized by Radio Zindagi and Young Leaders Academy and Divine Vastu. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Performance Pavilion, Lake Elizabeth Park, 40204 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont. (510) 378-0698. docs.google.com/forms/d/1EC3HB3JD8q5-UUkJ_UOsPEql5mEvi8xzjKHchv7XoQg/viewform?c=0&w=1. Karnatik Vocal Concert—Dou-ble Header. 2-4 p.m. Sowmya Subramanian(vocal),accompanied by Karthik Lakshminarayanan (violin) and Natarajan Srinivasan (mridangam).

4:15-6:45 p.m. Hari Devanath and Vivek Sundararaman (vocal duet), accompanied by Saravanapriyan Sriraman (violin) and Vignesh Venkataraman (mridangam). Organized by SR Fine Arts. 2-6:45 p.m. Community Of Infinite Spirit, 1540, Hick’s Ave., San Jose . Free. (408) 569-0860. [email protected]. Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi Re-cital. By Mangala Maddali, Shraddha Jo-glekar, and Priya Ramdoss. Organized by Yuva Bharati. 4 p.m. Mission City Center for Performing Arts, 3250 Monroe St., Santa Clara . (650) 565-8859. [email protected]. www.yuvabharati.org. Samara—A Woman’s Fight. A solo thematic presentation exploring the

August: Osage County—A Play by Naatak theater Company, Feb 20-28 in Palo Alto.


recommends

“ “Looking for a little mohabbat this Valentine’s Day? Some fun for the entire family, or a chance to meet

other singles? Or maybe an opportunity to ignore Valentine’s Day entirely and party in a place where red clothing is banned? Whatever your Valentine’s Day desire, the Bay Area has an event guaranteed to make your commemoration of Saint Valentine memorable.

Valentine’s Day commemorates the actions of Saint Valentine. When Emperor Claudius II ordered that all young men within the Roman Empire must remain single, Saint Valentine married young men in secret. Whether you choose to remem-ber Saint Valentine’s actions by attending an event that supports nonprofit work in the arts, have a smashing good time at a DJ party, meet other singles, or thumb your nose at the entire holiday, everyone will find an appropriate venue this Valen-tine’s Day.

Friday, Feb. 12

Valentine Bash 2016 with Mastani. Bring out your inner diva! Dinner, Dance, DJ. Red and Black dress code. Organized by Peter Sahjani. 7 p.m. ICC, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $45, $55, $75. www.indiacc.org.

I Hate Luv Stories Party. As single as I wanna be! If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the red roses, chocolates, and champagne? Not so sure about cheesy Hallmark cards? Sign up for the tongue-in-cheek Bay Area V-Day event,Red cloth-ing is banned and the organizers have sworn that no love songs will be played at the event. Great club anthems and classic party rockers will be played. It’s also the Official Birthday bash for DJ Asif Ali. Organized by 3M Productions.

10 p.m. Aura Nightclub, 389 S 1st St., San Jose. www.facebook.com/3MBollywood/.

Saturday, Feb. 13

A Valentine’s Special with Hari Kondabolu. Kondabolu is a Brooklyn-based, Queens-raised comic, promises some rip-roaring fun. Organized by En-acte Arts. 6-9:30 p.m. DeAnza Center for Performing Arts, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. $30, $10 students w/ID. enacte.org/produc-tion/hari-kondabolu-a-valentines-special/.

Valentine’s Candle Light Dinner. DJ dance, ladies fashion show, photo shoot. Bring your favorite song to perform or do a couples dance. 7:30 p.m. Dosa Bawarchi, 1380 South Main St., Milpitas. (650) 669-0281.

Bollywood Blast—Dil Dhadakne Do Valentine’s Eve Party. Valentine Party Bollywood Istyle. 9 p.m. Club OMG, 43 6th St., San Fran-

Who Loves Ya, Baby?

cisco. www.eventbrite.com/e/bollywood-blast-dil-dhadakne-do-valentines-eve-party-tick-ets-20648369830.

Love Affair Celebration With Dai-sy Shah. Bollywood’s best DJ will rock the house with the beats of Bolly-wood, UK Bhangra, Electro House, Pop House, R & D, and Hip-Hop. 7 p.m. ICC Milpitas, 525 Los Co-ches St., Milpitas. www.facebook.com/events/1678140305733093/.

Sunday, Feb. 14

Valentine Party with Evelyn Shar-ma. Dance to the mix by DJ Realdeal. MC for the evening, Jagruti Shah. Orga-nized by 777 Entertainment. 7:30 p.m. ICC, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $50, $100, $150. (510) 396-2956, (510) 491-7141. www.777entertainment.us, events.sulekha.com/valentine-party-2016-with-evelyn-sharma-in-milpitas_event-in_milpitas-ca_305319, www.tickethungama.com/event/953/777-entertainment-presents-valentine-party-2016-with-evelyn-sharma.

recommends

By Mona Shah

Experience the best of Valentine night-out in the Bay Area


California’s Best Guide to Indian Eventsevents

various battles fought by women told through stories from mythology, history and everyday lives. Some of the pieces have been specially composed for this performance by K.V Ramprasad and Snigdha Venkataramani. Live music ac-companiment by Snigdha Venkataramani (vocal), Chethana Sastry (nattuvangam), Ravindrabharathy (mridangam), Susheela Narasimhan (violin) and Prasanna Rajan (flute). Portion of the proceeds will be do-nated to the Chennai Flood Relief efforts. Organized by Naina Shastri and Ushanjali School of Dance. 4 p.m. Sunnyvale Theater, 550 E Remington Drive., Sunnyvale . Gen-eral $12, VIP/Donor: $50. (510) 742-9303, (408) 930-2229, (925) 719-5706. [email protected]. www.ushanjali.com. Odissi Dance Open House. With Jyoti Rout, Artistic Director of Jyoti Kala Mandir. Jyoti Kala Mandir College of Indian Classical Arts, 3767 Union St., Fremont. Free. (510) 589-3989. [email protected]. www.jyotikalamandir.org.

February 7 Sunday Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour. Discover 100 plus years of Bay Area Desi history, from 1908-2014. You’ll visit original sites, hear stories, and leave inspired by our com-munity’s struggles for justice, from the independence movement to women’s organizing and beyond. Morning (10 a.m.–1 p.m.) and afternoon (2 p.m.–5 p.m.) tours. Tour is stroller and wheel-chair accessible. Organized by Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Berkeley. $5-$15. (510) 520-0545. [email protected]. www.berkeleysouthasian.org. Odissi Dance Open House. With Jyoti Rout, Artistic Director of Jyoti Kala Mandir. Organized by Jyoti Kala Mandir College of Indian Classical Arts. Santa Clara. Free. (510) 589-3989. [email protected]. www.jyotikalamandir.org.

February 12 Friday

Seasonal Allergies: An Ayurvedic Approach to Prevention and Man-agement. A talk by Ashok Jethanandani. As winter turns to spring, the body’s doshic balance is disturbed, precipitat-ing in some people a distressing spate of allergies. In this talk we will discuss the underlying causes of allergies and practi-cal ways to navigate this seasonal change. What role do incompatible foods play? Does sluggish digestion exacerbate the problem? Learn simple tips and remedies to alleviate and prevent your springtime suffering. 6-7 p.m. India Community Center, Classrooms 2/3, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. Free, re-registeration required. www.indiacc.org/ayurveda. Karnatik Music Concert. With Gautam Tejas Ganeshan and New Direc-tions. Original songs along traditional lines, improvisations backed by tambura drone lutes, mridangam double drum and ghatam clay percussion. 7-9:30 p.m. Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia St., San Francisco. $10. (415) 824-3890. [email protected]. carnatic-ata.eventbrite.com. Valentine Bash 2016 with Mastani. Dinner, Dance, DJ. Red and Black dress code. Organized by Peter Sahjani. 7 p.m. ICC, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $45, $55, $75. www.indiacc.org. Valentine’s Day With Dipali and Vishal. 8 p.m. Amaya Restaurant, 7850 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. $40. (909) 319-1899. [email protected]. I Hate Luv Stories Party. As single as I wanna be! If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the red roses, chocolates, and champagne? Not so sure about cheesy Hallmark cards? Sign up for the tongue-in-cheek Bay Area V-Day event,Red cloth-ing is banned and the organizers have sworn that no love songs will be played at the event. Great club anthems and classic party rockers will be played. Its also the Official Birthday bash for DJ Asif Ali. Organized by 3M Productions. 10 p.m. Aura Nightclub, 389 S 1st St., San Jose. www.facebook.com/3MBollywood/.

An evening of Hindustani music with Manik Khan on sarode, Feb. 13 in San Rafael



February 13 Saturday An Evening of North Indian Clas-sical Music. Performances by Manik Khan (sarode), Nilan Chaudhuri (tabla), Benjamin Araki (sitar) and William Ros-sel (tabla). 7:30 p.m. Ali Akbar College of Music, 215 West End Ave., San Rafael. $20 General, $15 members, seniors and students. (415) 454-6372. [email protected]. www.aacm.org. A Valentine’s Special with Hari Kondabolu. Kondabolu is a Brooklyn-based, Queens-raised comic. Organized by Enacte Arts. 6-9:30 p.m. DeAnza Center for Performing Arts, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. $30, $10 students w/ID. enacte.org/production/hari-kondabolu-a-valentines-special/. Valentine Party. Organized by Me-hfil Entertainment. 6 p.m. Delhi Palace Banquet Hall, 22323 Sherman Way, Los Angeles. $45-$50. (805) 404-9836. Love Affair Celebration With Daisy Shah. Bollywood’s best DJ will rock the house with the beats of Bollywood, UK Bhangra, Electro House, Pop House, R & D, and Hip-Hop. 7 p.m. ICC Milpitas, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. www.facebook.com/events/1678140305733093/. Valentine’s Candle Light Dinner. DJ dance, ladies fashion show, photo shoot. Bring your favorite song to perform or do a couples dance. 7:30 p.m. Dosa Bawarchi, 1380 South Main St., Milpitas. (650) 669-0281. Bollywood Blast—Dil Dhadakne Do Valentine’s Eve Party. Valentine Party Bollywood Istyle. 9 p.m. Club OMG, 43 6th St., San Francisco. www.eventbrite.com/e/bollywood-blast-dil-dhadakne-do-valen-tines-eve-party-tickets-20648369830. February 14 Sunday Valentine Party with Evelyn Shar-ma. Dance to the mix by DJ Realdeal. MC for the evening, Jagruti Shah. Orga-

nized by 777 Entertainment. 7:30 p.m. ICC, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. $50, $100, $150. (510) 396-2956, (510) 491-7141. www.777entertainment.us, events.sulekha.com/valentine-party-2016-with-evelyn-sharma-in-milpitas_event-in_milpi-tas-ca_305319, www.tickethungama.com/event/953/777-entertainment-presents-valen-tine-party-2016-with-evelyn-sharma.

February 20 Saturday The Language of Colors—A Dis-cussion of Guru Nanak’s Janam-sakhi Life Stories. Explore the legacy of Guru Nanak, through the museum’s collection of Janamsakhi paintings, which share the miraculous story of his birth and life. The program begins with artist Rupy C. Tut demonstrating traditional minia-ture painting in the North Court. At 2 p.m., the program continues with a public conversation in Samsung Hall, featur-ing guest speakers Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh of Colby College; Kamla Kapur, author of The Singing Guru: Legends and Adventures of Guru Nanak, the First Sikh; and docent Shivi LeghaKapur will sing a shabad (Sikh hymn), and Qamar Adamjee, associate curator of South Asian and Islamic art, will introduce paintings on display in the collection galleries. 1-4 p.m. Asian Art Museum—North Court and

Samsung Hall, 200 Larkin St., San Fran-cisco. Free with museum admission. www.asianart.org/events/812. Karnatik Vocal Concert—Double Header. 2-3 p.m. Anusha Kutchibotla(vocal), accompanied by Aparna Thyagarajan (violin) and Shreyas Ramaswami (mridangam). 3:15-6:15 p.m. Subiksha(vocal), accompanied by Lavanya Raman (violin), Amit Ranga-nathan (kanjira) and Ravindrabharathy Sridharan (mridangam). Organized by SR Fine Arts. 2-6:15 p.m. Community Of Infinite Spirit, 1540, Hick’s Av., San Jose . First concert: free, Second concert: $10 gen-eral, $5 students/seniors. (408) 569-0860. [email protected]. www.srfinearts.info. August: Osage County—A Play. An unflinching, and uproarious, look at the dark warrens inside a Goan Chris-tian home. When the large Pinto family reunites after Dad goes missing, their Goan family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unset-tling secrets, presided over by Helen, the drugged-up, acidic matriarch of the family. Based on August: Osage County, the Pulitzer-prize winning play that was turned into a film. Ends Feb. 28. Organized by Naatak. 6-8 p.m. Cubberley Theater, 4000 Middlefield Road., Palo Alto . General $25, VIP $35. (408) 335-9247. [email protected], [email protected],

An ayurvedic approach to seasonal allergies, Feb. 12 in Milpitas



[email protected]. www.naatak.com/port-folio/asylum-2016/.

February 27 Saturday Maitri Gala 2016. Maitri turns 25. Celebrate the journey, share in future plans and raise a glass to you. Dance the night away with videsi band, Black Mahal. 5:30 p.m. Crowne Plaza Palo Alto, 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. (408) 436-8393. [email protected]. maitri.org.

February 28 Sunday Hindustani Classical and Semi Classical Concert. Arshad Syed on tabla. Arshad will explain how traditional folk music from different states of India is developed into melodious film songs and how tabla and folk drums provide the au-thentic colors and moods of the songs and help fusion of Indian and western melo-

dies. Organized by Sangeet Dhwani. 1-5 p.m. Milpitas Library Auditorium, 160 N Main St., Milpitas. [email protected].

Karnatik Music Concert. Featuring Sikkil Gurucharan, V. Sanjeev and Patri Satishkumar. Organized by SanKritiLaya. 4 p.m. CET-SOTO Theater, 701 Vine St., San Jose. www.sankritilaya.org.

March 12 Saturday Laasya 2016. The nation’s oldest intercollegiate Indian classical dance competition. Ten collegiate teams will visit UC Berkeley to perform pieces they have choreographed. Teams grapple with a wide range of subjects, from retell-ing classic Indian tales from a different perspective, exploring world cultures, or highlighting societal issues. Organized by Laasya Board 2016 and Asha for Educa-tion. 5-8:30 p.m. El Cerrito Performing Arts Theater, 540 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito .

$18 General, $15 students/professors. (408) 507-6422. [email protected]. www.desidancenetwork.org/laasya.


A discussion of Guru Nanak’s janamasakhi life stories, Feb. 20 in San Francisco


For Pujas & Rituals Contact: PANDIT GANESH SHASTHRYE-mail: [email protected] E. Fremont Ave., #302, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 — Home: (408) 245-5443 / Cell: (925) 209-7637

Please Make A Note: Temple Address: 32 Rancho Drive, San Jose CA 95111 Temple Timings: Week Days Morning 10.00 Am To 12 Noon, Evening At 6.00 pm To 8.00 pm - Week Ends And Holidays 10.00 am To 8.00 pm

FOR BHAJAN'S RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES, MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCES, PRIVATE POOJAS PLEASE CONTACT TEMPLE FOR FURTHER DETAILS MANGALANI BHAVANTHU,SUBHAM BHUYATH,LOKA SAMASTHA SUKINO BHAVANTHU, LOVE ALL SERVE ALL LOVE IS ALL

Om Sri Mathre Namaha

32B Rancho Drive, San Jose, CA 95111(Capitol Expressway West and Montrey Road Junction, Opposite and 1 Block from Capitol Cal Train Station)

Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center

• www.vvgc.org or siliconvalleyhindutemple.com

SRI LAKSHMI GANAPATHI TEMPLE

(408) 226-3600

Saturday February 6thAt 4:00 Pm Sri Venkateswara Abhisheka continued with Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama Chanting Sani Pradosham Shiva Sri Rudra Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa

Friday February 12th At 4:00 Pm Vasantha Panchami Sri Bhuwaneswari / Sri Lalitha Devi Abhisheka Continued With Sri Lalitha Shasra Nama Chanting Aarati and Manthra Pushpa

Saturday February 13th At 8:30 Pm Sukla Sashti Vratha Sri Valli Deva Sena Sametha Sri Subramanya Sahasra Nama Archana

Sunday February 14th At 10:30 Am Sri Ratha Sapthami Spcial Sri Surya Narayana Pooja Aarati and Manthra Pushpa

Monday February 15th Presidents Day Week End Timings Sri Beeshma Ashtami Kritika Vratha At 4:00 Pm Sri Valli Deva Sena Sametha Sri Subramanya Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Puspa

Thursday February 18th Sri Beeshma Ekadasi

Saturday February 20th Sri Venkateswara Abhisheka continued with Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama Chanting Sani Pradosham Shiv Sri Rudra Abhisheka

Aarati and Manthra PushpaMonday February 22nd At 5:00 Pm Sri Shvia Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa At 6:00 Pm Masi Makham Maha Maham Pournami Vratha/ PoojaSri Sathya Narayana Swamy Vratha/ Pooja

Friday February 26th At 4:00 Pm Sri Bhuwaneswari/ Sri Lalitha Devi Abhisheka Continued with Sri Lalitha Sahasra Nama ChantingAt 5:00pm Sri Sankata Hara Chathurthi Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Homa/ Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Abhisheka Aarati and Manthra Pushpa

VEDIC SAMPRADAYARITUALS

PANDIT RAVICHANDRANVeda Pandit • Sahitya Siromani

1193 Bluebell Drive, Livermore, CA 94550

(925) 449-0620

Classes in Puja Vidhi & Veda Chanting

• Ganapati, Navagraha Homas• Upanayana, Seemantham, Marriages

• Sradha, Funeral Services

ALL TRADITIONAL HINDUPUJAS & HOMAS LIKE:

E-mail: [email protected]

BALU SHASTRIBALU SHASTRIis now available in the Bay Area

to conduct all Hindu religiousrituals both in North and

South Indian manner.

• Poojas of all Kinds• Ceremonies• Homams, etc.

Please contact:

Phone: (408) 738-0571Cell: (408) 393-7722Email: [email protected] Prospect Rd., San Jose, CA 95129



ö XI m;;F;e n;m;/All kinds of Hindu traditional

Pujas and homas

Pt. Ganesh Shasthry880 E. Fremont Ave., #302

Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Home (408) 245-5443Cell (925) 209-7637

[email protected]

l;ek:; s;m;st;; s;uiK;n;;e B;v;nt;u

Ganapathi, Navagraha, Vasthu, Ayushya Homas, Marriages, Seemantham, Nama-karnam, Upanayanam, Sathyanarayana

Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Durga Sapthasathi Yanthra Puja. Hiranya Sradha and last rites. American born children’s horoscopes.

AD PROOF



Contact: PANDIT GANESH SHASTHRY Client: Fax: PDF [email protected]


Ad is Correct

Initials Date

Needs Changes


SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH

February 1 Monday A Taste of Relaxation and Medita-tion. Four class meditation series. Ends Feb. 22. Organized by Heartfulness Insti-tute. 7:30-8:30 p.m. ICC Milpitas, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas . Free. (408) 888-5949. [email protected], [email protected]. en-us.heartfulness.org.

February 5 Friday Ribhu Gita. Silent meditation, reading and commentary by Nome. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831 )425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/calendar/, satramana.org/web/events/boundless-wisdom/.

February 6 Saturday

Venkateswara Abhishekha. 4 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

Celebration in Honor of Swami Vivekananda. Formal worship, devo-tional singing, readings from the Life and Teachings of Swami Vivekananda, flower offerings, lunch and prasad. 10 a.m. Ve-danta Society of Northern California, 2323 Vallejo St., San Francisco. (415) 922-2323. [email protected]. www.sfvedanta.org. Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas. This group chant-ing tells the heroic story of Sri Hanu-manji’s journey to Lanka in search of Sita. Through chanting and reflection on Hanumans dedication and devotion, spiri-tual and mental strength is developed and peace abides. 2:30 p.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. www.badarikashrama.org.

February 7 Sunday

Does Satan Really Exist? Every Sun-

day. Organized by Self-Realization Fellow-ship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shat-tuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times. Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satra-mana.org/web/events/calendar/. Sri Haridas Day. The Haridasa tradi-tion was a devotional movement taking place over a span of nearly 6 centuries with major developments in the 13th through 16th centuries. Haridasa saints and mystics influenced the culture, phi-losophy, music, and art of Karnataka and the rest of South India. Throughout the day Karnatik singers throughout the Bay Area will fill the stage for anticipated per-formances. 10 a.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. www.badarikashrama.org. Lecture on His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Buddha and Christ. By Rob-ert McDermott. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. [email protected]. www.culturalintegraiton-fellowship.org. Sri Ramanama Sankirtana and Gos-pel of Sri Ramakrishna. The program beings with chanting and meditating on Sri Rama followed with selected readings from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The teachings will be elaborated on by ash-rama devotees. 11 a.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. www.badarikashrama.org.

February 10 Wednesday Swami Brahmananda’s Birthday

Celebrations. Worship and meditation, devotional singing, readings and flower of-ferings. 7:30 p.m. Vedanta Society of North-ern California, 2323 Vallejo St., San Fran-cisco. (415) 922-2323. [email protected]. www.sfvedanta.org.

February 12 Friday Meditation. Self-inquiry meditation instruction by Nome, silent meditation, dialogues. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/calendar/, sa-tramana.org/web/events/meditation/.

Vasantha Panchami Sri Bhu-waneswari/Sri Lalitha Devi Ab-hishekha. 4 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhin-dutemple.com.

February 13 Saturday

Archana. 8:30 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhin-dutemple.com.

February 14 Sunday

Celebration in honor of Swami Vivekananda, Feb. 6 in San Francisco


Sri Ratha Sapthami Special Sri Surya Narayana Pooja and Aarti. 10:30 a.m. Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.siliconvalleyhindutemple.com.

The True Meaning of Self-Real-ization. Every Sunday. Organized by Self-Realization Fellowship. SRF Center Sac-ramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times. Sri Saraswathi Puja and Dance. Once a year students bring their books, instruments, ghungru, flowers and fruits to offer to Sri Saraswathi for blessings of knowledge and success in the arts and sci-ences. All the students will sit on the alter to participate in the puja. There will be a special Odissi dance performance by Jyoti Kala Mandir from Fremont. Donations will help support Badarikashrama’s school project and it’s many other humanitarian projects. 10 a.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. www.badarikashrama.org. Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/events/calendar/.

February 16 Monday Learn to Meditate. Ends Feb. 29. 9:30-11 a.m. Sri Rama Chandra Mission, 485 Mowry Ave., Fremont. Free. (408) 307-8637. [email protected], [email protected]. www.sahaj-marg.com, www.srcm.org/home.

February 17 Wednesday

Mahalakshami Yaagam. Sri Suktam will be chamted 1600 times by 16 ritwiks while performing homan. Ends Feb. 21. Livermore Temple, 1232 Arrowhead Ave., Livermore. www.livermoretemple.org.

February 19 Friday Ramana Darshanam. Silent medita-tion, reading and commentary by Nome. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/calendar/, satramana.org/web/events/ramana-darsha-nam/.

February 21 Sunday

The Way to Mental Freedom. Every Sunday. Organized by Self-Realization Fel-lowship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shat-tuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times. Lecture on the Life and Legacy of the Mother. This talk is a celebration of the Mother’s (of the Sri Aurobindo Ash-ram) 138th birthday and will focus on her external biography. It will be given by a scholar-practitioner of integral yoga, Kun-dan Singh. 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. [email protected]. www.culturalintegra-tionfellowship.org. Sri Satyanarayana Puja and Kirtan. Composed by ancient Vedic Rishis as a simple form of worship during busy life, this puja brings God’s presence in day to day life. It develops bhakti and shradha and brings blessings to those with sincere prayer. It is practiced every full moon or auspicious day once a month. 11 a.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. www.badarikashrama.org. Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and

English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/events/calendar/.

February 26 Friday Meditation. Self-inquiry meditation instruction by Nome, silent meditation, dialogues. 8-9:30 p.m. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/calen-dar/, satramana.org/web/events/meditation/.

Sri Bhuwaneswari/Sri Lalitha Devi Ahbisheka. 4:00 p.m. Sri Lakshmi Ga-napathi Temple. 32B Rancho Drive, San Jose. (408) 226-3600. www.vvgc.org. www.silicon-valleyhindutemple.com.

February 28 Sunday

Choosing to Be Happy. Every Sun-day. Organized by Self-Realization Fellow-ship. SRF Center Sacramento, 4513 North Ave., Sacramento. (916) 483-9644. SRF Center Los Gatos, 303 E. Main St., Los Gatos. (408) 252-5299. Berkeley Temple, 3201 Shat-tuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 984-0084. www.yogananda-srf.org. Contact temples for times.

Sri Bhagavad Gita Talk and Kir-tan. Suman Shah will offer an inspiring and insightful talk on the Gita. Sargam Shah will lead the kirtan. 11 a.m. Badari-kashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. [email protected]. Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/events/calendar/.



March 5 Saturday Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas. Group chanting tells the heroic story of Sri Hanumanji’s journey to Lanka in search of Mata Sita. 2:30 a.m. Badarikashrama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. [email protected]. Shri Gajanan Maharaj Pragat Din Utsav 2016. Palakhi-sohola (pro-cession) with lezim dance, bhajan by professional singers and naam-smaran (chanting) session. The celebration will conclude with bhandara. Mahaprasad will be prepared using shidha collected from devotees. Organized by Shri Gajanan Maharaj America Parivar. 9:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, 450 Persian Drive, Sunnyvale. Free. (562) 396-8545, (408) 828-3345, (408) 597-7991. [email protected]. www.shrigmap.org, www.facebook.com/shrigmap, tinyurl.com/gajanan2016.

March 6 Sunday Sri Mrityunjaya Japa and Homa. A day of sadhana. Chanting of Mrityunja mantra from 9 a.m.-noon, followed by a Mritunjaya homa. Following will be sharing of mahaprasad. 9 a.m. Badarikash-rama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. [email protected]. Satsang. Silent meditation, discourse and dialogues on Self-Knowledge and Self-inquiry. Recitation in Sanskrit and English of Vedantic texts. Recitation of Tamil Ribhu Gita, followed by prasad, and puja to Lord Siva and Sri Ramana. Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT Temple), 1834 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Free. (831) 425-7287. [email protected]. satramana.org/web/events/satsangs/, satramana.org/web/events/calendar/.

March 13 Sunday Lecture and Chanting. In this lec-ture and group chanting experience, join

Indira and Shanta Bulkin, teachers and Sanskrit chanters, to experience the joy of the Sanskrit language. 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Cultural Integration Fellowship, 2650 Fulton St., San Francisco. (415) 668-1559. [email protected]. cultur-alintegrationfellowship.org. Sri Ramakrishna Jayanthi Celebra-tion. This celebration of the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna will be an afternoon of music and satsang. Susheel Narasimhan and family will offer a violin concert. Srimat Swami Tattwamayanan-daji Maharaj will show us the relevance of Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings and life to our spiritual practices. Following the performance and talk aarati, mahaprasad will be shared by all. 2 p.m. Badarikash-rama, 15602 Maubert Ave., San Leandro. Free. (510) 278-2444. [email protected]. www.badarikashrama.org.



God's Unfailing Love……

Do you have the real Joy, Peace and happiness in your life? Have you ever asked this question What is the purpose of my

existence in this world? What is a person profited, if he/she shall gain the whole world, and lose his/her own soul? (Or) What shall a person give in exchange for his/her own soul? Is there anyone in this world who can truly love me? Many times we are lost and finally end up asking these questions. There is no one in this world, who can truly love us, except God.

Initially, God created human kind (both man and woman) in HIS own image. The purpose of creating mankind was to be with God. But human kind sinned against God and lost the greatest gift of being with HIM. God is Holy. A person with sin cannot dwell or exist with God. Also with sin, human kind earned curses from God. The result of sin was death & curses.


Lord Jesus, Thank you for coming into this world for me and my sins. I truly accept you just as I am. Come into my heart; cleanse me and my sins with your precious Blood. Be in my heart forever and help me to live and lead a Holy life like you. I also invite YOU & Your Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me the Joy, Peace, Happiness, Deliverance from sins, bondages and sickness forever. Thank you for giving me the assurance of being with me forever. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

What is sin?Anything we do that separates us from God’s presence is called SIN. We cannot hide anything from God. God knows our troubles, problems & everything. What the World can offer us is the Lust of flesh, the Lust of eyes & the Pride of life.Anyone who takes what the World offers ends up committing sin against God.

What is the result of committing sin?The result of committing sin is a broken heart & soul,having guilt which makes us weak before God, with sadness, no peace, sickness, curses and separation from God. The Bible says, when we were born, we were born with sin because our parents brought us into this world with a sinful nature. For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. The wages of sin is death.

No one in this world including our parents or spouse or kidsor friends or relatives can love us more than God. The Bible says, and HE manifested HIS love by sending God is Love God's only Holy SON into this world to save us Jesus Christ from all our sins and redeem us from this sinful world. For God so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten Son Jesus Christ, that whosoever believeth in Jesus should not perish, but have everlasting life, the life after death with God in Heaven.

Jesus came to this earth only to die for us and shed HIS blood so that we can be saved by HIS grace and then receive HIS gift of Salvation. Without HIS shedding of blood there is no redemption from sins. So God sent Jesus Christ to this world to die for you and me. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins. If we confess our sins to Jesus, HE is faithful and just to forgive us from our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jesus said "Come unto ME, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

For every sin we commit, we need to pay the penalty individually. However, Jesus took all our sins upon himself, when HE died for us. By giving HIS every drop of blood, we are saved and free from the penalty of sin & death. Jesus

died for our sins and on the third day, HE rose again from death and became victorious over death, hell and sins. Jesus is a living God. HE is the same yesterday, today & forever. In the Name of Jesus there is Victory, Deliverance from sins & curses and there is Healing from sickness & Miracles in our life.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to God the Father, HE is the Truth and HE is the Life. No one can go to God the Father & Heaven, except through Jesus Christ.

Our family or friends, our caste or creed, our education or position, our money or riches or status, or by doing charity or by doing yoga or by doing fasting will not take us to God or to Heaven. When we accept & ask Jesus Christ to come into our heart & cleanse our sins with HIS precious blood, Jesus comes into our heart and makes us a new creature, by giving us HIS Love, Joy, HIS Peace, Hope & eternal Life with HIM. This is the TRUTH and the truth shall set you free.

Now how can I redeem HIS gift of Salvation in my life?All we have to do is to believe Jesus, accept HIM into our heart & ask him to cleanse our sins by HIS blood by repeating this simple prayer. (Prayer means talking to God in your heart)

If you have truly meant this prayer, then you have accepted Jesus into your heart. HE will be with you forever. HE will not leave you nor forsake you. If you need prayers or would like to know more about Jesus, then you can visit nearby Churches or email us at [email protected]



Do you have the real Joy, Peace and happiness in your life? Have you ever asked this question What is the purpose of my

existence in this world? What is a person profited, if he/she shall gain the whole world, and lose his/her own soul? (Or) What shall a person give in exchange for his/her own soul? Is there anyone in this world who can truly love me? Many times we are lost and finally end up asking these questions. There is no one in this world, who can truly love us, except God.

Initially, God created human kind (both man and woman) in HIS own image. The purpose of creating mankind was to be with God. But human kind sinned against God and lost the greatest gift of being with HIM. God is Holy. A person with sin cannot dwell or exist with God. Also with sin, human kind earned curses from God. The result of sin was death & curses.


Lord Jesus, Thank you for coming into this world for me and my sins. I truly accept you just as I am. Come into my heart; cleanse me and my sins with your precious Blood. Be in my heart forever and help me to live and lead a Holy life like you. I also invite YOU & Your Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me the Joy, Peace, Happiness, Deliverance from sins, bondages and sickness forever. Thank you for giving me the assurance of being with me forever. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

What is sin?Anything we do that separates us from God’s presence is called SIN. We cannot hide anything from God. God knows our troubles, problems & everything. What the World can offer us is the Lust of flesh, the Lust of eyes & the Pride of life.Anyone who takes what the World offers ends up committing sin against God.

What is the result of committing sin?The result of committing sin is a broken heart & soul,having guilt which makes us weak before God, with sadness, no peace, sickness, curses and separation from God. The Bible says, when we were born, we were born with sin because our parents brought us into this world with a sinful nature. For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. The wages of sin is death.

No one in this world including our parents or spouse or kidsor friends or relatives can love us more than God. The Bible says, and HE manifested HIS love by sending God is Love God's only Holy SON into this world to save us Jesus Christ from all our sins and redeem us from this sinful world. For God so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten Son Jesus Christ, that whosoever believeth in Jesus should not perish, but have everlasting life, the life after death with God in Heaven.

Jesus came to this earth only to die for us and shed HIS blood so that we can be saved by HIS grace and then receive HIS gift of Salvation. Without HIS shedding of blood there is no redemption from sins. So God sent Jesus Christ to this world to die for you and me. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins. If we confess our sins to Jesus, HE is faithful and just to forgive us from our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jesus said "Come unto ME, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

For every sin we commit, we need to pay the penalty individually. However, Jesus took all our sins upon himself, when HE died for us. By giving HIS every drop of blood, we are saved and free from the penalty of sin & death. Jesus

died for our sins and on the third day, HE rose again from death and became victorious over death, hell and sins. Jesus is a living God. HE is the same yesterday, today & forever. In the Name of Jesus there is Victory, Deliverance from sins & curses and there is Healing from sickness & Miracles in our life.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to God the Father, HE is the Truth and HE is the Life. No one can go to God the Father & Heaven, except through Jesus Christ.

Our family or friends, our caste or creed, our education or position, our money or riches or status, or by doing charity or by doing yoga or by doing fasting will not take us to God or to Heaven. When we accept & ask Jesus Christ to come into our heart & cleanse our sins with HIS precious blood, Jesus comes into our heart and makes us a new creature, by giving us HIS Love, Joy, HIS Peace, Hope & eternal Life with HIM. This is the TRUTH and the truth shall set you free.

Now how can I redeem HIS gift of Salvation in my life?All we have to do is to believe Jesus, accept HIM into our heart & ask him to cleanse our sins by HIS blood by repeating this simple prayer. (Prayer means talking to God in your heart)

If you have truly meant this prayer, then you have accepted Jesus into your heart. HE will be with you forever. HE will not leave you nor forsake you. If you need prayers or would like to know more about Jesus, then you can visit nearby Churches or email us at [email protected]

Integrated Homeopathy care for the whole family

Weekend appointments available

* Migraines * Allergies and Asthma * Skin * Female health* Depression * Anxiety and many more conditions

(408) 835-7420

email: [email protected] | Visit www.pacifichomeopathy.com for consultation specials

Rina ValiaLCEH, MD(HOM), CCH

(Over 25 Years Expereince)

3275 Stevens Creek Blvd #245 San Jose, CA

Gentle and Personalized Care

Pacific HomeopathyTHE GENTLE PATH TO HEALING

HOMEOPATHYHOMEOPATHYIn practice since 1987, Meenakshi has 7 years of graduate study in homeopathic medicine. She is a graduate of a world-renowned Homeopathic Medical Institute NIH Calcutta, was a lecturer at CMP Medical College in Bombay, and Advisor to Central Council of Homeopathy in New Delhi

15750 Winchester Blvd., Suite 206, Los Gatos, CA 95030

CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHPh.D. Dip-NIH GCEH CCH

* Asthma * Allergies * Sinusitis * Migraines * Colitis

* Menopause * Teething * Colic * Ear Infections * Acne

* Eczema * Stress/Anxiety * Chr. Fatigue Syndrome

Others...

www.homeopathicdoctor.net • (408) 884-1992

Practicing under SB577

health


When we think of heart disease, we often picture a certain type of person—someone

obese, perhaps. Someone who smokes, eats sweets and fried foods and isn’t physically active. We use this image to reassure ourselves when we are symp-tom-free, that we can’t possibly be at risk.

At a glance, I look the picture of good health. A 43-year-old serial entre-preneur, I run a startup company in Sili-con Valley. At 6 feet tall, I weighed 164 pounds and was at an optimal BMI of 22. I don’t smoke, nor do I consume al-cohol or soda. I’m very active, and play soccer in a competitive league. When my primary care physician mentioned that as a South Asian I should get my markers for heart disease checked, I did not feel compelled to follow through. After all, how could I possibly be prone to heart disease when I had done every-thing right? A year later I went to El Camino Hospital’s South Asian Heart Center, where my wife had made an appointment—still a little reluctant and skeptical, because I looked and felt per-fectly healthy.

The results shocked me. The first ad-vanced, comprehensive risk assessment showed that I was at a high risk for heart disease and the clinical educator at the Center recommended a set of thera-peutic lifestyle changes. A subsequent Calcium CT scan revealed that I had coronary artery disease already, and that the level of calcification was at an in-credibly high 98th percentile for people of my age and gender.

I immediately made arrangements to meet with a cardiologist, who explained my risk and recommended that I start statin therapy in addition to making the lifestyle changes recommended by the Center. Knowing that I wasn’t as healthy as I had assumed, was a rude wake up call for me. I now had to come face-to-face with my own mortality.

Health Myth Busted!healthy life

My perspective on lifestyle choices changed. I realized that although I had a problem, I also had a solution. I met with the registered dietician at the South Asian Heart Center to create an individualized meal plan that made modifications to my diet.

For years, I enjoyed a breakfast of sweet cereal (who could resist Banana

Nut Crunch?), and was religious about getting a Chipotle rice bowl for lunch. With the help of my dietician, I’ve moved away from these not-so-healthy favorites and made better choices for breakfast and lunch. She showed me how I could still enjoy the traditional Indian foods I loved, while adjusting them to be healthier. For instance, she helped me migrate from a dinner of wild rice, dal and chivda to whole grain brown rice, and a more satiat-ing chili-like mix of dals, beans and green leafy vegetables (masoor, moong, thoor, black eyed peas, and channa with spinach), had me replacing my plain dosas with stuffed moong dosas (stuffed with savory preparation of spinach, tomatoes, bell pep-pers, onions, and any left over vegetable

How to prevent, treat and reverse heart disease

sabjis), supplementing my idli sambhar meals with a green salad or stir fried veg-etables and using fresh cucumber and nuts instead of chivda to satisfy my craving for a crunchy topping.

I learned new, yet easy ways to change my surprisingly sugar-rich dietary prac-tices, such as the high intake of fresh fruit juices and fruits which I thought were good for me. I never realized how much sugar I was consuming. I now drink water instead of juice and eat some fresh fruit every day. Just a couple of weeks after making these changes, I began to notice that I was sleeping longer. While I am not at the disease prevention ideal of 7-8 hours yet, I am already waking up feeling much more energized and refreshed.

Four months after my initial assess-ment, I was retested to see if the changes in my diet and sleep patterns had impacted my markers. My cholesterol and triglycer-ides have dramatically improved (50% and 75% drop in those markers respectively) and I have lost 18 lbs. I was thrilled with the results, which proved that my choices had, in fact, improved my health. I finally feel that my insides have caught up with my outward appearance, and I can truly say that I am as healthy as I look. And, I am motivated to sustain the behavioral changes I have made.

The reason I am telling my story is that no one, including myself, would have ever known that a serious health problem was lurking underneath my seemingly healthy exterior, without a comprehensive risk evaluation. Regardless of our level of health, it is my belief that we are all ca-pable of making smarter lifestyle choices, and that through this we can minimize our risk for heart disease and in the process, lead better lives.n

Nickhil Jakatdar is CEO and co-founder of Vuclip, a mobile video service and a partici-pant in South Asian Heart Center’s AIM to Prevent™ program.

By Nickhil Jakatdar


• Complete Prenatal Care & Delivery • Fetal Monitoring & Ultrasounds • Most Major Insurance & HMO Plans Accepted (See website for details)

• A Silicon Valley “TOP DOC” • Now Accepting Patients

Adjacent to / and affiliated with Good Samaritan Hospital2577 Samaritan Drive, Suite 810. San Jose, CA 95124

Anjali S. Tate, MDObstetrics & GynecologyTaking the Time to Care

Planning to Start a Family ? I can help

(408) 358-1888www.atatemd.com

health

Ayurveda ClinicDr. Vivek Shanbhag, ND, MD (Ayu), BAMS, CYEd. • Ayurveda Doctor & Professor for over 30 years• Licensed Naturopathic Doctor for over 20 years.• Director, AYU Clinic & Academy, Seattle. 1989-2006 (17 yrs)• Chairman, Ayurveda Dept, Bastyr University, Seattle. 1991-96• Head, Ayurveda Research Institute, Pune. 1985-88

Gayathri Shanbhag, MS• Professor & Consultant in Nutrition & Diet Therapy.• Over 20 years experience.

(408) 876-0636 • www.YogaAyurveda.org • [email protected]

$100 Offon Initial 1 HourConsultationBRING THIS AD

• Ayurveda & Naturopathy Consultations• All Chronic & Acute Disease Treatment • Herbal & Nutritional Prescription • Pancha Karma Cleansing & Rejuvenation • Weight Management Program • Lectures, Workshops & Cooking Classes• Evening & Weekend Appointments• 3 Clinics: Mountain View, San Jose, Los Gatos

2013 AWARD

for Excellence in

Ayurvedic

Practice


Counseling/Therapy,

Accompaniments, Legal

References, Translation, Health &

Wellness, Support Groups


Services Include:

ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?


www. narika.org

Male & Female In Home Supportive

Services (IHSS) providers available in South Bay to assist your loved ones to live their life to the fullest.

Contact (408) 722 0069

Ayurveda

www.herbsforever.com

with Ayurvedic Doctor(herbalist)Free consultation

Call: (213)-427 3500E- mail: [email protected]

Premium line of Ayurvedic herbal supplements

Since 1932




IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

IC (

408)

324-0

488

I am a male in my mid-forties. I have a decent career and an OK marriage. For various reasons my wife and I never

had children and that opportunity is essen-tially over. We have not gotten closer, but there isn’t a good reason for us to separate. Most people my age are very busy raising their kids. I feel a bit like a misfit and even lost since I don’t have many family responsibilities. I work a lot but can’t seem to reach the next level of success in my career. How do I create a more satisfying life for myself?

If you’ve decided that having chil-dren is not an option anymore, you’ll need to deal with that reality.

Life is indeed different without the pres-ence of children. Although you have a lot more time and freedom, you may also feel lonely and isolated. Do you have natu-ral inclinations towards parenting? Being with young children or teenagers where you can participate in their lives in a mean-

getting clearer about what you want from the next decade.

Try creating a fuller life where more of yourself is engaged. Here are some op-tions: Pick up a sport or activity where you are moving your body. There are so many benefits to recreation and exercise from a healthy heart and brain, to creativity, to a sense of optimism and well being. Life-long learning by taking a class on a subject or activity that you are curious about is stimulating, helps build friendships and supports brain development. Doing art, gardening or cooking is great for men, as it engages the right-hemisphere of the brain and gets us in touch with life more intimately. n

Alzak Amlani, Ph.D., is a counseling psychologist of Indian descent in the Bay Area. 650-325-8393. Visit www.wholenesstherapy.com

ingful way can fulfill some of those needs. There are many ways of doing this: nieces and nephews; volunteering in a school or an organization that need elders to men-tor children; becoming a “big brother;” teaching a class or becoming a tutor. This can be done in the evenings or weekends. You can make a significant difference in a young person’s life and children are hun-gry for nurturing and stimulating contact with other adults.

Is working a lot a form of escape from some of the emptiness you feel? It’s hard to be creative in your career, unless you’re motivated by an interest deeper than stay-ing busy.

Moving towards fifty, is am important life-stage. Underneath some of your angst are these answers to these questions: What have I done with my life? What legacy will I leave behind? What is most meaningful to me? These are not easy questions to consider, nevertheless they can lead you to

Q

dear doctor

A

Feeling Lost Without ChildrenBy Alzak Amlani


All Ingredients Fresh and Natural, Lightly Spiced

“Best Indian Vegetarian Restaurant”- LA WEEKLY

5140 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood

www.parusrestaurant.com

(323) 661-7600

INDIAN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

Serving the FinestMasala Dosasand otherSouth & NorthIndian Delicacies

PARU'S

PATIO DINING

BEER & WINE

CurrentsIndia

®

EADER 'R SHOICC E

1992

Top 10

BESTMASALA DOSA

BESTIDLI SAMBHAR

Open Daily for Dinner:Monday-Friday 5:00 pm - 11:00 pmSaturday & Sunday 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm

February 5 Friday

Kirtan Concert—Music as Medi-cine. With Jonathan Rosen. Organized by I-CODA. 8 p.m. International Centers of Divine Awakening, Amigo Ave., Los Angeles. (310) 497-1899. www.i-coda.org.

February 7 Sunday Does Satan Really Exist? Sunday Ser-vice. Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego. (619) 295-0170. Call temples for times. Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

February 14 Sunday The True Meaning of Self-Realiza-tion. Sunday Service. Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego. (619) 295-0170. Call temples for times. Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

February 21 Sunday The Way to Mental Freedom. Sunday Service. Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glen-dale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego. (619) 295-0170. Call temples for times. Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH

February 28 Sunday

Choosing to Be Happy. Sunday Ser-vice. Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-4114. Hollywood Temple, 4860 Sunset Blvd., Hol-lywood. (323) 661-8006. Glendale Temple, 2146 East Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. (818) 543-0800. Fullerton Temple, 142 East


Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1291. Encinitas Temple, 939 Second Street, Encinitas. (760) 436-7220. San Diego Temple, 3072 First Avenue, San Diego. (619) 295-0170. Call temples for times. Organized by Self Realization Fellowship. www.yogananda-srf.org.

Kitan concert with Jonathan Rosen, Feb. 5


Dentistry BlossomDr. Dimple Manchandia, DDS

* General & Cosmetic Dentistry

* Ceramic Crowns & Whitening

* Extractions & Emergency Services

* Accept All Insurances PPO & HMO

* Saturday & Late Evening Appointments

$

49(A $175 Value) (Limited Time Offer)

Exam, X-rays& Preventive

Cleaning

(UCLA GRADUATE) www.dentistryblossom.com | Email: [email protected]

(714) 832-722018102 Irvine Blvd., Suite 200, Tustin, Ca 92780 |

MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTEDEvening & Weekend • Appointments Available


Counseling/Therapy,

Accompaniments, Legal

References, Translation, Health &

Wellness, Support Groups


Services Include:

ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?


www. narika.org



Dalma and the Odia ThaliBy Jagruti Vedamati

final punch from a delicious tadka (season-ing) of cumin seeds and a pinch of jeera-lanka powder (commonly used in Odia dishes—red chilli-cumin powder).

It is most famously known for being served at the holy deity Jagannath’s abode in Puri. As very aptly put by writer James Osland, “For worshippers at Odisha’s Ja-gannath Temple, a dish of lentil stew with coconut is itself a form of prayer.” Couldn’t have been said better.

This idea of dalma being a prayer and an offering rings especially true in our house. I remember Sunday lunches with the family when it was almost a ritual to have arua bhata (a special kind of rice), alu bharta (mashed potatoes with a hint of cumin seeds and red chillies), and of course dalma with its various accompani-

“If you had to name a dish that would sum up the essence of Odisha, what would it be?” This

is the question I get asked a lot. To that my first instantaneous answer is always—the humble, unassuming Odia comfort offer-ing—dalma. For me, dalma is to Odisha what undhiyo is to Gujarat or pav bhaji is to Mumbai—that core, essential dish that sums up the palate of its people.

Dalma’s simplicity and ease of prepara-tion, mélange of flavors and the history behind it makes it the contender and win-ner for the honor of being the Odisha state dish.

Dalma lends itself to all seasons and reasons. Simply described, it is a surpris-ingly effortless, yet utterly delicious lentil stew with seasonal vegetables that gets the

recipes

ments for lunch. There are some distinct, joyous mem-

ories of these lunches. To trouble my younger brother, I would often hide his serving of alu bharta (mashed potatoes), which was his favorite side dish, inside his mound of rice. Initially he genuinely got upset and then later, as he caught on, he pretended to be upset, as he frantically searched for his portion of alu bharta. We broke out into fits of laughter when he found his favorite dish hidden inside his rice mound. Now, every time I eat this meal, I always think of those days with nostalgia. n

Jagruti Vedamati is a post-doctoral student at Stanford University.

DalmaYield: 4 servingsCooking Time: 20 min-

utes

Ingredients:2 potatoes, diced ½ cup pumpkin, diced½ cup carrots, diced½ cup green beans, diced ½ cup eggplant/brinjal,

diced ½ cup split toor dal (yellow pigeon peas)1 tsp turmeric powder 1 cup water ½ tbsp crushed ginger 1 bay leaf 2 whole red chilies 3 tbsp ghee 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp red chilli & cumin powder (jeera lanka powder) To taste: salt 1 tsp sugar ½ tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)

Method:Soak the toor dal at least 10 mins

prior, to get a soft and smooth dal. You will notice the difference, especially if you

plan to pressure cook the dal.Boil all the vegetables (pump-

kin, carrots, potatoes, green beans, eggplant) with the toor dal, along with turmeric powder, crushed ginger and bay leaf. You can also pressure cook for one whistle. Note: I usually add sea-sonal vegetables, although the very typical dalma that I have grown up with has potatoes, eggplant, pumpkin and carrots.

For the tadka (garnish): In a pan, add ghee and let it

heat up. Then add cumin seeds and after it

splutters, add red chilies and saute. Add in half a cup of water to the ghee and let it boil. Then add in the jeera lanka powder (red chilli and cumin seed powder) and amchur. Boil over low medium heat till the ghee floats to the top.

Add the tadka to the dalma and then add salt and sugar and adjust for taste. Simmer for 10-15 mins. Sprinkle with fresh grated coconut, and chopped cilan-tro. Serve hot. n


IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

IC (

408)

324-0

488

PLEASE CALL

408-834-7407AND FIND OUT FOR YOUSELF

E-mail: [email protected]

PH: 408-834-7464

AARAX HOME LOANS, INCCOMPETITIVE RATES

NO POINT - LOW CLOSING COSTS

NO UPFRONT FEES

WOW!! TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

AARAX HOME LOANS

LOWEST RATES, LOWEST PAYMENTS

408-834-7407

3.75%

4%

2.75%

3% APR 4.165%

APR 3.985%

APR 3.480%

APR 3.230%

30 Years Fixed Conforming 5/1 Fixed ARM Conforming

30 Years Fixed Hi Balance 5/1 Fixed ARM Hi Balance

OR DROP BY AT OFFICE:MON - FRI 9AM to 6PM

SAT -11AM to 3PM1313N. MILPITAS BLVD, #120

MILPITAS, CA 95035

It was called the ice-cream-cold-drink for years. Around every corner in Pune this version of an ice cream shake

was slurped up. Layers of velvety yummi-ness, fruity melt-in-your-mouth goodness, translucent pieces of tutti-fruiti, crunchy pistachios and meaty almonds made for a ‘mast’ (alluring) drink. Thirty years ago a restaurant renamed it Mastani.

When two flavors, orange and pine-apple were combined, a new drink was born. It was called, Mastani, named after the famous Princess of Bundelkhand, Mas-tani and her husband Peshwa Bajirao 1, the Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire under Chattrapati Sahuji.

Pineapple ice cream and pineapple piec-es bob in orange flavored milk. The first sip through the straw brings a rush of delicious sweet pineapple syrup from the bottom. Mastani seems a royal name when compared to pina colada or fruit punch.

An eatery in Pune, “Sujata Mastani”

sells over twenty flavors of the drink.

Mastani, the Drink

Recipe for Mango Mastani Ingredients

2 cups of mango pulp 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream½ cup milk½ cup of chopped cashews, pistachios and almonds3-4 chopped glazed cherries

Method:Blend together the pulp, milk and 3

scoops of ice cream in a blender. Pour the thick shake into serving glasses.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the shake.

Sprinkle the nuts and glazed cherries on top.

Other options: This shake can be made with other fruits like sugar-apple (sitaphal) or sapodilla (chikoo) n

Ritu Marwah is Social Media Editor at India Currents.

By Ritu Marwah

A Flickr Image by Hari Chandana



real estate . loans

EMAIL ADDRESS

LAST NAME

Yes! Sign me up to receive free digital newsletters

Or Email: [email protected]

Fax to: (408) 324-0477Sign up at www.indiacurrents.com/subscribe/

Join us on Facebook and Twitter

Please allow 4-6 weeks for the first issue to arrive.

Back issue $3 each, if available

I Cundia rrents

You may email me promotions and news about India Currents.

Mail this form to:

India Currents Subscriptions2670 S White Rd., Suite 165,

San Jose, CA 95148

FIRST NAME

I would like to receive a print magazine

Northern California (S/H $12.95/year)

Southern California (S/H $12.95/year)

DAYTIME PHONE (optional)

EMAIL ADDRESS (required)

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

SIGNATURE (required) DATE

CITY STATE ZIP

With the magazine available in digital as well as print form, you never have to miss another issue of India Currents! Subscribe today.

(required)

Credit Card # Exp date

OVER20 YEARSEXPERIENCE

All work guaranteed at LOW PRICE and ON-TIME

LUCKYKITCHEN & BATHGENERAL CONTRACTOR

• ROOM ADDITION

• DENTAL & DOCTOR’S OFFICE

• PLUMBING / ELECTRIC / PAINTING

ONE STOP REMODELLING • FINEST CABINETRY

LICENCED,BONDED

& INSURED

Sang Le(408) 590-9071

Showroom:752 Commercial Street, San Jose, CA 95112

• CUSTOM CABINET

• CABINET REFACE &

REFINISH

[email protected] • www.luckykitchenbath.com

LIC# 978638

Kim PropertiesRVanDenBulke@KimProperties.netwww.CupertinoHomeInfo.com

*Searching for Top Schools in the South Bay?*We specialize in the great school district in Cupertino

and surrounding cities.FREE SERVICES* Free Neighborhood Listing Finder sent direct via email** Free List & tours of Bank Owned and Short Sale properties** Free Home Market Evaluation report for homeowners, know the value in today's market.

WHY PAY RENT!!Buy a home while prices and interest rates are at a low.

Kim Properties is family owned and has been serving the South bay since 1979. We know buying your dream home is the biggest purchase you will make, let us guide you to a success. We look forward serving you.

408-206-1064

ROBERT VAN DEN BULKE

1% BACK TOSELLERS ORBUYERS(Certain Restrictions Apply)


health

CALL ME FOR YOUR HOME BUYING, SELLING AND MORTGAGE SERVICES

• Experienced at finding the home that meets your requirements

• Extensive knowledge of the Bay Area neighborhood with

great selling skills.

• Superior mortgage product knowledge

Well-researched advice to help you make an informed decision•

Over 130 lenders to choose from•

Quick and easy closing•

• High level of customer service satisfaction guaranteed.

References will be provided upon request.•

1288 Kifer Road, Suite 208, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Direct: 408-212-8847Cellular: 408-839-4219E-mail: [email protected] website: www.RealtorAndLoanAgent.comCompany website: www.Maxrealusa.com

Lakshmi SathyanarayanaNMLS ID - 238706 • BRE ID 01472095

Realtor/Mortgage ConsultantMember of SCCAOR, NAR & CAR

real estate . loans

• The rate of your 3-1, 5-1 or 7-1 ARM may be expiring in the next couple of years.

• You may want to consolidate your 1st and 2nd Mortgage into One Loan

• You may want the security of a Fixed Rate Loan

• You want LOWER MONTHLY PAYMENTS

• You want cash out for Remodeling, Debt Consolidation or Buying a Rental Property

• We’ll take the hype out of interest rates

and real estate financing!

HEALTHY REASONS TO REFINANCE

Email us: [email protected] • www.pvfloans.com

Dreams Home”

NMLS 86218 • BRE# 00905411

Voice Mail (925) 806-8567Toll Free (800) 820-3070

NMLS# 54263

* Free Pre-Approvals

* Free relocks when rates go down

Serving the Indian Community for over 20 years • We sincerely thank you for all your business


BRE # 01956962 / NMLS # 1220008

RAJIVE�K�BHARGAVA

(408) 300-9240 Fax: (408) 834-0955

1313 N. Milpitas Blvd., #120 Milpitas, CA 95035

[email protected] | [email protected]

ARAA REALTY / AARAX HOME LOANS

Service with Pride & Integritywww.aaraxhomeloans.com

Realtor/Loan Officer

IND

IA C

UR

RE

NT

S G

RA

PH

IC (

408)

324-0

488

BRE#00711397 | NMLS #287860, #239940

JEFFREY K. WOOD

REAL ESTATE AND MORTGAGE BROKER

26753 Adams Rd., Los Gatos, CA 95033-8179

WOODWORKSPROPERTIES.COM

(408) 353-1237 fax |

[email protected]

l Focusing on the Finest School Districts

l 35 years of Experience, Knowledge, Relationships and Integrity

l Serving the Real Estate and Mortgage needs of the Indian

Community throughout the SF Bay Area

l Client referrals available

l UC Davis Bachelor of Science Economics Graduate

(408) 353-4467

WOODWORKS PROPERTIES

(408) 666-7366 cell www.indiacurrents.com



A day after I arrived in Chennai during the first week of the new year, I saw a car languish-

ing on the road behind ours. I stared in disbelief at the dust-covered relic.

“Dead from being waterlogged for days,” Vinayagam, my late father’s chauffeur, said. The car was a bone-dry testament to the titanic ferocity of the massive floods that upended Chennai in December 2015. With a finger, someone had etched a “Happy New Year” on the car’s sightless window.

One month after the deluge, the city’s vehicles still await their turn at the repair shop. My father’s car is waiting for a spare part, too. Now, whenever Vinayagam wants to honk—which is almost always—the sound of his brand new car horn floods the air. A wily mechanic engineered a quick workaround for our car: He fixed a 10-rupee doorbell to the right of the steering wheel.

“That is India, madam,” Vinayagam said to me as I poked fun at the contraption. “In India, we find economical, efficient patches to problems.” Indians refer to this spirit by a Hindi term that is now in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: jugaad. This crude and expedient “make-do” quality is a modus operandi in developing nations. Businessmen in the west envy it because it’s often a precursor to innovation.

I see jugaad at work every day in Chennai outside my father’s apartment. Azhagappan, the mobile ironing man, works ten hour days on the roadside pressing clothes with a hot coal iron. He lacks a table; but he uses the burls and branches of a neem tree right by him as a shelf, a table top and a coat rack for the accoutrements of his ironing business.

The leitmotif of jugaad rises into cadence in most places in India because adversity offers opportunity. Decades ago, the In-dian government started a daily “midday meals” scheme for poor children in rural communities. Children who craved one decent meal a day were concurrently force-fed an education.

I read a story about an entrepreneur, Harish Hande, who soldered the midday meal concept into his business goal. He sold more than 100,000 modular solar lighting systems in the remote corners of India even as the Indian government was groping in the dark on how to bring electricity to Indians who lived off the grid. Solar panels were installed on school premises and batteries were given to children who charged them at school. If a child did not attend school daily, there would be no light at home. Hande also implemented the idea through a cost-effective grassroots distribu-

tion network. Hande’s innovative thinking—

in disseminating a solution across a huge population—was seen even dur-ing the natural disaster in Chennai, especially when the city administra-tion failed to address every emergency in a timely fashion. When Chennai flooded, Ola, India’s leading cab-

hailing app startup, began plying fishermen’s boats through streets addressing rescue and relief operations. Days after the worst downpour, a businessman unleashed his grandfather’s military vehicle for reaching food to marooned residents. He maneuvered his 1943 Ford GPA Amphibious Seep—a vehicle that had once put thousands of Allied troops on the Normandy beach during World War II—through Chennai’s rough waters to supply food packets.

The spirit of jugaad was on display everywhere in Chennai during the crisis. Aruna Subramaniam, one of the volunteers coordinating food production, told me about the crafty improvisations of helpers as they went about conjur-ing up thrifty and environmentally sound measures to pack food and relief supplies. They eschewed manmade products and used banana leaves instead. Storm drains had been choked by plastic during the deluge and volunteers had to devise bio-degradable alternatives that would not add to the garbage mounting all around town as residents discarded household objects destroyed by rain.

Aruna shared a heartwarming story that showed yet another facet of jugaad. In response to a natural disaster, relief volunteers drove towards solutions in harmony with nature—and with one another. When all that mattered was to feed hungry mouths, a Hindu wedding cook taught and worked alongside a Muslim chef to make large batches of tamarind rice; at times during the course of the week, another culinary expert strode into their kitchen. His name was Xavier.

“To live and to let live” thus became Chennai’s refrain as the year turned, a significant byproduct, I suppose, of this ineffable thing called jugaad. n

Kalpana Mohan writes from California’s Sili-con Valley. To read more about her, go to http://kalpanamohan.com.

jugaad, noun. < Jugaad (alternatively Juggaar) is a colloquial Hindi and Punjabi word that can mean an innovative fix or a simple work-around, used for solutions that bend rules, or a resource that can be used as such, or a person who can solve a complicated issue

By Kalpana Mohan

Watching Jugaad at WorkOn Inglish

When Chennai flooded, Ola, India’s leading cab-hailing app startup, began plying fishermen’s boats through streets addressing rescue and relief operations.


AD INDEX nAnnouncements27 Ameredia68 POST Beauty26 Angel Hair & Beauty26 Robert Lowen23 Shiva Beauty Salon, Inc.

Classes: Computers15 Strategism Classes: Dance73 Arpana Dance Company72 Bhakti Bhav Dance69 Bharathakala Kutiram68 Indian Dance Center69 Kalanjali Dances of India72 Kalyani Shanmugarajah73 Kathak Kala Academy72 Nrityodaya Kathak73 Prachi Dixit69 Preetha Sheshadri73 Rangashree72 Rangoli Dance Company73 Shakti School73 Shankara Dance Academy72 Shivam Arts72 Sohini Ray63 Sri Sakti Sarade Kala69 Xpressions Classes: Music66 Ali Akbar College of Music73 Geeta Munshi69 Jeff Whittier69 Madhuwanti Mirashi69 Mousoomi Banerji69 Peter Block72 Shruti Music Academy Construction/Remodelling2 Best Tile11 Deco Kitchen Cabinet54 Kirna Solar Electric97 Lucky Kitchen & Bath Education19 Champion School12 Insight Education15 Mathobotix15 Silicon Valley University

Events66 Asian Pacific Fund60 Cal Performances85 Hindu Community & Cul-tural Center67 Kalalaya59 Sankritilaya Fabrics25 Elegant Drapery Concepts Grocery58 India Cash & Carry62 Madras Groceries10 New India Bazaar Health89 Anjali Tate, MD90 Ashok Jethanandani92 Asmath Noor, DDS89 Ayurveda Clinic89 Bala Pat92 Dimple Manchandia89 HerbsForever Inc.87 Jyoti Sahdev80 Liberty Dental89 Mamta Desai, DDS87 Meenakshi Bhargava PhD92 Nilima Mamtora87 Pacific Homeopathy92 Prema Kothandaraman87 Smilesavers Dental84 Sutter Health

Insurance49 All Solutions Insurance47 Amar Sehgal47 Amila Insurance Services47 Bindu Bhandari47 Duabba Insurance Agency49 Global Health Ins Center47 Makol Insurance49 Manjit Singh1 Visitors Coverage Inc49 Visitors Insurance Jewelry26 Golden Inches Jewelry

Legal32 Alam Accountancy31 Arjun Verma33 Bhatia & Co32 Habbu & Park, Inc.

31 Indu Liladhar-Hathi36 Kalara Law Firm30 Aruna Venkidu33 Madan Ahluwalia5 Mathew & George32 Raji Rajan32 Roy Legal Group19 Syndicate Legal7 The Chugh Firm33 Tiwana Law31 Uma Subramanian Nursery / Plants27 Papaya Tree Nursery Real Estate & LoansBC Deleon RealtyIBC Nirmalya Modak95 Aarax Home Loans99 Araa Realty93 Taylor Morrison22 Domicilio 43 G3 Realty97 Kim Properties98 Lakshmi Sathyanarayana97 Nila Patel98 Pacific Valley Financial103 Pushpa Nagaraj90 Rapid Capital Funding3 Rehman Farishta5 Srinadh Kareti97 Sue Bose99 Usha Krishna103 Valya Ragu99 Woodworks Properties Restaurants52 Chaat House63 Krishna Restaurant53 Oasis Palace91 Paru’s Indian Restaurant43 Tara’s Himalayan Cusine52 Taste of India Services87 Maitri89 Narika9 North American Credit Card10 Priya Living85 Sahara Care SpiritualIBC Self Realization Fellowship81 Balu Shastri

81 Ganesh Shasthry81 Hindu Heritage Endowment81 Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple86 Power of Gospel Ministries81 Ravichandran Iyer Tax & Accounting37 Alam Accountancy38 Bhatia & Co39 Jessie Tax Services39 Kent Tax & Business39 Multi-Financial Services32 Parveen Maheshwari, CPA39 Rita Bhayani CPA, CMA38 Sanjiv Gupta, CPA39 Sugu Aria, CPA Travel57 3S International Travel51 All Nippon Airways Co Ltd55 Amber Travel55 American Travel & Tours57 Amglo Travels57 Anjanaye Travels56 BB Travel Experts57 International Travel Center51 Narmadha Travels56 Punjab Travel56 Span Travels & Tours Inc.50 Sunnyvale Travel57 Third Eye Travel50 Trips & Travel46 Worldwide Travel56 Yaan Travels TV/MediaIFC Dish Network96 Diya TV Videos & Photos25 Creations By Sam25 Suneel Photo

Legends: IFC-INSIDE FRONT COVER, IBC-INSIDE BACK COVER, BC-BACK COVER

NEXT DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 19

CALL (408) [email protected]


Unfriended!the last word

I was browsing the web recently when I realized that some-one whose posts I used to see regularly had been flying under the radar lately. Curious, I checked my profile and

discovered that indeed, the person was no longer listed as my “friend.”

My heart missed a beat. I hadn’t actually paid a lot of atten-tion to the woman’s posts, still the idea of being “unfriended” rankled. What crime had I committed to deserve such a snub? Was I no longer hip? Was I too old? Had I offended the person in some way?

Or heaven forbid, had I unwittingly clicked the wrong icon and “unfriended” her?

And what was I to do now? Was I to go back and beg to be let back into the fold? Was I to ignore her, not only on social media but elsewhere too?

I considered closing my account and opening a new one.

I pondered how much I resented the social media.

Shall I count the ways?One. Social media encourages us all to become

Mrs. Bucket—pronounced Bouquet—the main character in the PBS comedy Keeping up Appearances. We are all forced to display our best china and post pictures of candlelit suppers with the up-per crust. The pressure to keep up with the Joneses—or rather the Buckets—is so intense that we no longer know who we are and what is important to us.

Two. Our “friends” on social media aren’t actually our “friends,” but rather a collection of people who a web algorithm told us we might know and who we “friended” simply because we were too afraid to offend them by declining their invitations. As opposed to our actual friends who we might sometimes see in real life and have some kind of a relationship with.

Three. On social media, people no longer talk to one anoth-er, they simply swap jokes. Where people find these gems, I have no idea. There must be a deep, deep mine somewhere on the hidden Internet, I imagine, where poor jokes are hidden. Here is a typical posting on WhatsApp, a site Indians are crazy about.

Dear Ladies: There are two types of husbands ….First: Calm, handsome, responsible, understanding, caring,

loving, and one who listens to his wifeSecond Type: Your own husband. Huh? Are we scraping the bottom of the humor barrel now?Four. Social media makes no distinction between close

friends who might know our intimate secrets and people who we have never even met. In real life, we might moderate our behavior based on whom we are talking to. In social media, our life is an open book anyone can read.

Five. Social media forces you to peek into other people’s

bedrooms regardless of whether you want to or not. Take the example of an acquaintance who has been posting the progress of her medical treatments. TMI, I want to scream at her. Too much information! Please! Don’t tell me so much! I don’t want to become a peeping tom, a voyeur, a fly on your wall.

Six. Most of us who have any qualms about privacy can’t share honestly on Facebook so we are reduced to sharing only the good times. The result is that we have all become a brand

name, an advertising slogan, a commercial. If Don Draper were to rise from his grave, he would cringe

at the evolution of his industry. Seven. Social media requires us to no lon-

ger have any original thought. What with the sharing of news clips, jokes, political propa-ganda, music, videos of cats, dogs, and little children, not to mention old photographs of our parents and grandparents, there is no space left in which to share our actual lives

or feelings or thoughts. The masthead at the top of these social media sites might well an-

nounce, “No thinking required.”Eight. Social media gives us the illusion of connec-

tion without any real camaraderie. We see pictures of mouth-watering foods, gorgeous children, men and women in love. And we crave for more. But we can’t eat them or touch them or embrace them. All we can do is salivate.

Nine. Social media has made us all stars of our own TV shows. When Andy Warhol coined the phrase fifteen minutes of fame, he had not imagined the existence of social media. Today, we have attained, not only fifteen minutes, but fame twenty-four-seven. We have become Truman, the poignant character in the Jim Carey movie the Truman Show, who does not know that his life is a TV drama in which everyone is an actor.

Ten. In what world is one able to get away with “unfriend-ing” someone in such a blasé fashion? And what does that say about the “friendship” that existed before such an act of cruelty? In the town I grew up, you couldn’t look your neighbor in the eye and “unfriend” him or her. It was just not done. And with good reason too.

Eleven. If I don’t post, do I exist? This last one frankly frightens me. So I go through the

motions. I am afraid to go off the grid, to sign off, to be van-quished. n

Sarita Sarvate (www.saritasarvate.com) has pub-lished commentaries for New America Media, KQED FM, San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune, and many nationwide publi-cations.

By Sarita Sarvate

The masthead at the top of these

social media sites might well announce, “No

thinking required.”

Eleven Reasons Why I Hate Social Media


VALYA RAGU (VAL)

VALYA RAGU (VAL)

Consistent Top Producer • Residential Specialist

DIRECT LINES 510.744-3537 • 408.438-8831Affiliated with LEGACY REAL ESTATE & ASSOCIATES www.valyaragu.com

Where experience and knowledge makes a difference!

Specializing in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

25 Years of track record in Real Estate

Expert knowledge of great school areas like Cupertino, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Mt.View, Palo Alto,

Pleasanton, Danville, San Ramon, Fremont.

GRAND MASTERS AWARD WINNER!!

Looking for a

Brand New Home?

Contact Valya!

I can negotiate the right deal on the right home for you!

Excellent References Available

Specializing in Good School Areas!!!

2014 ERALeader’s Circle

Award

Among Top 25 Agents in ERA for California in 2014!

GRAND MASTERS AWARD WINNER!!

Consistent Top Producer • Residential SpecialistHappy Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day!

PUSHPA NAGARAJBROKER R, GRI

CALL: 626.833.5206

BRE#01306346

201320142015

WWW.PUSHPA4HOMES.COM

Sell/Buy your home in 60 days or less with Pushpa & team. If you are playing on purchasing a property we have special

promotion. Please call to inquire.


Happy Valentine’s Day!

DeLeon RealtyList your home with

Staging* | Property Inspection | Pest Inspection

DeLeon Realty will cover all of the following at no additional charge:

*Includes: Design, Installation, 1 Month of Furniture Rental and Removal

650.488.7325 | www.deleonrealty.com | DeLeon Realty CalBRE #01903224

®

Our clients love the personal attention they receive from Michael Repka, from beginning to end. Additionally you will receive a suite of free services from the DeLeon Team, including interior design,

construction consulting, handyman work, and dedicated marketing to local and foreign buyers.

February 2016

Documents