1. home and garden

Philadelphia South Asian
Monthly Community Paper | www.Philadelphiasouthasian.com | 512-828-6709 | Vol. 5 No. 04
INDIA AND WORLD CUP Free DACA Legal Services
By K.R. N ayar
Melbourne: India’s defeat to
Australia by 95 runs may be dis-
appointing for millions of fans,
but a close study will reveal that
it was a combination of many
factors that went against India.
One may argue that One-day
cricket is won by the team that
plays well on that day. Although
India had put up a great show in
the World Cup, the scars of their
defeat to Australia in the triseries, (Continued on page 4)
A WOODEN CROSS, AN EMPTY
TOMB, AND A FULL HEART
By Ravinder Andrew
Each year billions of Christians
celebrate on what is called Good
Friday the death of Jesus Christ
for the sins of the world. The
most recognized verse in the
Bible is John 3:16 and it states,
“For God loved
the world in this
way: He gave
His One and
Only Son, so
that
everyone
who
believes
in Him will not
perish but have
eternal
life.”
God the Father
sent God the
Son to die as a
substitute for the
sins of mankind.
(Continued On
Page 4)
By Taral Patel
Eligible Youth Can Obtain Legal
Advice Regarding Work Authorization, Social Security Numbers
and More
D.A.C.A or the “Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals” program was announced
by President Obama on June
16, 2012 which has allowed
over 560,000 people who
entered the United States as
children to avoid deportation, obtain work authorization, get a Social Security number, receive a Texas
Driver’s License, and gain
the ability to travel outside
and return to the United
States among other benefits.
(Continued On Page 11)
You Can Advertise In
Philadelphia SOUTH ASIAN
for Just $29 Month
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inside
April 2015
Meet Sandeep Shah....04
SXSW.........................05
Easter Surprises..........07
New Insights From......08
A Relaxing Oasis.........08
Wildlife Friendly..........11
DACA Legal Services...11
Free Soil Testing.........11
Wooden Cross............14
Real Estate Special......15
May 2015
Summer
Special
512-828-6709
Three Indian American
Win Medals.................17
Vibha Launches..........17
Make A Difference.......18
Predictions.................19
Texas Whiz Kids..........20
Community Calendar...20
Straight A’s.................21
Childrens Page............22
Holi At RMD................23
Entertainment........23,24
2
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Jobs
Jobs
Jobs
Jobs
You have a great job. Congratulations.
But, you could be missing on huge opportunities by not applying for jobs listed on
the employment market.
One good opportunity could make all the difference.
It is like being at the right place, at the right time. And we could make it happen for
you.
You are on vacation and you do not want to miss on posted job opportunities.
You don’t have job. You may be missing on opportunities by not responding in time.
WE CAN HELP YOU. YOUR JOB APPLICATION IS OUR JOB
Register online: www.ooota.com
[email protected] |281-754-3933
www.
OOOTA
.com
DESI SUPPORT SYSTEM You Can Advertise In
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BECOME A PART OF SOCIAL
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Philadelphia South
Asian
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SouthAsian.com
3
India and World Cup
(Continued from page 1)
before the World Cup, had not been totally
wiped away. Despite them putting up a
brave face, India did fear the Australians
and knew that to beat them, they would
have to be at their best and hoped things
would go their way.
For Indians to succeed, the best option
would have been to win the toss and hope
to bat first. Unfortunately that did not happen and they knew that should Australia
pile up a big score, chasing that against
Mitchell Johnson and company will not be
easy.
Having lost the toss, the only way to put
Australia under pressure was to bowl them
out for a small score. India got the wicket
of opener David Warner quickly, but they
were unable to crack the partnership between Aaron Finch and Steven Smith.
Their aggression too began to fade away
slowly, allowing Smith, who had been in
tremendous form against them all summer,
to go on and get a century.
Even then India was still in the game, but
towards the end of Australian innings they
let Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner
score freely. The last five overs yielded 57
runs, helping Australia gain the psycho-
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Asian South
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logical advantage of posting a total of over
300-plus runs.
Umesh Yadav did bowl a tight length
but Mohammad Shami, in his eagerness
to bounce the Australians out, bowled a
number of short balls. This was the same
mistake that Zaheer Khan had committed
in the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa against Australia and had got thrashed.
Shami, India’s strike bowler, went wicketless for 68 runs.
Despite the big score, India were still in the
game after their openers Shikhar Dhawan
and Rohit Sharma put on 76 runs. Virat
Kohli, fully aware that his role was to stay
at the wicket to anchor the innings, should
have attempted the risky shot like the pull
only after sighting the ball well. His wicket
put additional pressure and Ajinkya Rahane failed to force the pace. Rahane then
got out at a time when he should have started accelerating, but in the process took up
68 balls to score 44 runs.
Although Indian skipper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni played a good knock, the lack of
momentum resulted in the run-rate piling
up. Australia’s fielding rose to the occasion
and when Ravindra Jadeja got run out off
a superb direct throw from Smith, the Australians got psychologically on top. When
Dhoni, too, fell through a run out, the contest was as good as over.
Philadelphia South
Asian Invites
Contributions
From
Readers and
Community
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
A WOODEN CROSS, AN EMPTY
TOMB, AND A FULL HEART
(Continued From Page 01)
It was a cruel and horrific death for the Son of God but what happened on that wooden
cross allows mankind to be reconciled to God! All four Gospels (the first four Books in
the New Testament) give accurate, detailed accounts of Jesus’ substitutionary death and
His resurrection from the grave three days later.
Many have claimed to be divine prophets sent by God but only one Person died and
substantiated those claims by a bodily resurrection never to die again. That person was
Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul states, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He
rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Because Jesus lives we have hope for today and for eternity. Because His tomb is empty
I have a heart full of joy, peace, and forgiveness! I invite you to join us for our Good
Friday service at 6:00pm on April 3rd. On Saturday April 4th we will have a wonderful time with the children in a massive Easter Egg Hunt at 10:00am. And then on Easter
Sunday, April 5th, we will have a celebration worship service where we thank God for
His forgiveness of our sins and eternal life.
Great Hills Baptist Church, 10500 Jollyville Rd, Philadelphia, TX 78759, 512.343.7763
www.ghbc.org
AN AFFAIR
Poem by Arun Sundarraj
Leaving him a little disturbed.
Her Charming sight made him hot
somewhat
Increasing the beat of his vacant heart.
He nursed a desire making him to
crave for
She is with him and he is with her ever.
No disgust. No anger.
For the affair was pure and sincere.
As they cared for the welfare
More for each other.
Becoming closer and getting accustomed
Keeping all hesitations aside
To pour his intentions he decided
With courage he proposed.
With pleasure she concurred.
His joy knew no bounds.
He was too surprised to receive her
warm hug unexpected.
But alas! It was only in his dreams.
Fire of hope continued to flare
Dreams come true as wise declare.
To win the game he had to play
Must succeed was only his pray.
But the blaze of hope extinguished
When reciprocation anticipated
For fundamental reasons she denied.
Life is a journey with varied vehicles.
A few accompany make the excursion
joyous.
Inevitably some change the conveyance
Leaving an indelible impact on few
close travellers.
Like a sip of wine tingle on the tongue
The memory of the affair short
Linger for long in the heart
May be till the time the lives depart.
To Advertise
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4
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
For Kids, Books Make Great Easter Surprises
(StatePoint) The best way to treat kids this
Easter may not be with the typical sweets.
While candy is predictable, you can really
make a child’s day with a different approach.
“This Easter, think books,” says Jaimie
Cona, Associate Director of Marketing at
DK, a publisher of adult and children’s
books.
Bug Hunter” includes more than 30 handson learning activities and step-by-step
project instructions.
Enter the kingdom of creepy crawlies and
learn everything there is to know about
while teaching basic baking skills. From
simple kneading and mixing to creating
whimsical and tasty treats, the book empowers kids to experiment in the kitchen.
• “Frozen”: For fans of the mega hit film,
• Bedtime: There’s always time for a little
play before bedtime. Capture the attention of infants with “Baby Touch & Feel
Animals,” which features blankets, stars,
sleepy stuffed animals and a range of novelty textures.
“Fill baskets to the brim with books, and
consider including them in your egg hunt.”
Here are some titles that are fun enough to
be a sugar substitute:
• Pop-Out Surprises: Using flaps, touchand-feel textures and pop-out surprises,
“Pop-Up Peekaboo Farm,” introduces
young minds to sheepdogs, tractors, cows,
horses and more.
• Creepy Crawlies: “Eyewitness Explorer:
“Finding support when life gets challenging is a helpful way to cope,” says
Max Lucado, a leading inspirational
author, named “America’s Pastor,” by
“Reader’s Digest.”
Lucado’s latest book, “Miracle at the
Higher Grounds Café,” follows the story of a newly single mother after a very
(StatePoint) There are a lot of
items parents don’t necessarily
know they will need before their
new bundle of joy comes.
Preparing for baby is exciting, but
the pregnancy journey also can be
simply can’t?
Parents can now register their
wishes -- such as a dream nursery, help with hospital bills, or a
year’s supply of diapers.
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Turn Your Bathroom
Into A Relaxing Oasis
(StatePoint) Time spent in the
bathroom can be precious, as it
may be your only solo time.
When prioritizing home upgrades, consider first transforming a ho-hum, conventional bathroom into an oasis of comfort,
style and ultimate relaxation.
Relax
Replace outdated fixtures with
chromatherapy mood light systems, thermotherapy heated backrests and in-line heaters that keep
water heated perfectly. Explore
your options at www.Mansfieldplumbing.com.
Retreat
Make your bathroom the perfect
retreat from the rest of the house
and the outside world with a few
stylish accents that provide great-
In the “Sophie la girafe” book series, Sophie and her friends teach new concepts,
such as colors and basic vocabulary.
“Peekaboo ABC” features every letter of
the alphabet illustrated by familiar objects
found in Sophie’s world.
beetles, bees, spiders and more. Experiments that can be done at home include
raising a caterpillar.
• Little Chefs: Encourage your budding
chef’s aspirations with creative recipes that
are safe for children.
The “Mommy & Me Bake” cookbook is
designed to offer parents and children the
opportunity to work together as a team
fill up Easter baskets with a great crop of
new picks, including “Frozen: The Essential Guide,” a fact-filled reference book
about the characters, locations and themes
of Disney’s beloved princess tale.
A sing-along companion, “Frozen: The Essential Collection,” features lyrics to the
famous songs, as well as a full-color sticker
book. “Ultimate Factivity Collection: Disney Frozen,” a jam-packed activity book,
SouthAsian.com
public break up. She takes over an old
coffee shop in dire need of reinvention.
After a visit from a curious stranger,
the failing café suddenly becomes the
go-to place for people in search of answers to life’s biggest questions, as its
Internet connection links directly to
God.
While not everyone will experience
divine intervention when the going
gets tough, support can take on many
forms. Lucado, well-known for his encouraging words, offers a few insights:
• Make a plan. Hard times are a “petri dish for brainless decisions,” says
Lucado. “To do nothing is the wrong
thing. To do something is the right
thing.” Keep it simple, but decide what
would be most helpful in your situation, and pursue it.
• Join a congregation: If you aren’t already affiliated with a religious community, consider joining one. A priest,
rabbi or minister can be a great resource for advice, and fellow congregants offer a built-in social circle and
support network. If that’s not for you,
a community center often offers many
of the same benefits and programming.
• Spend time with loved ones: Time
with family and friends can be a great
reminder that you are loved. Take time
each week to be around the people who
uplift your spirit. They can offer advice and insights into your particular
situation and remind you that you are
not alone.
• Be honest about the help you need:
It can be hard to swallow your pride at
times, but often, assistance is the only
way to land on your feet. Whether you
need financial aid, help with babysitting or advice, don’t be afraid to ask.
When the going gets tough, the tough
know to seek the right support.
On a limited budget you can
give the bathroom an elegant
long-term facelift by investing
in millwork products that resist
humidity so you don’t experience
warping.
From crown moulding to trim
around showers and bathtubs to
ceiling medallions, polyurethane
is a more practical material than
traditional wood for these design
elements.
To get the look of a luxury hotel,
the experts at Fypon, which produce thousands of pieces of polyurethane millwork, moulding and
trim in a variety of architectural
styles, recommend a few project
ideas:
MEN CAN COOK!
Info@Philadelphia
Beauty
It’s lightweight, easy to install,
and most importantly, designed to
resist the humidity of bathing.
More kids’ book ideas for Easter can be
found at www.dk.com. With a few literary
surprises, you can indulge more than just
your child’s sweet tooth on Easter.
How to Find Support When Going Gets Tough
(StatePoint) In life, having a game plan
can help you identify goals and be successful in your efforts. But unfortunately, such plans are never foolproof.
From serious illness to serious romantic upset, there are limitless unforeseen
circumstances that can set you back.
New Insights From
Expectant Parents
• ABC’s: Children around the world have
fallen in love with Sophie, the popular giraffe teether toy from France.
• Super Heroes: Discover a thrilling, action-packed world with “LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Amazing Battles!,”
which features the bravest of heroes as
they foil yet another evil villain’s scheme.
Dynamic images and scenes will appeal to
reluctant readers.
Super hero fans may also love “Ultimate
Factivity Collection: Marvel Avengers,”
which combines facts about the Earth’s
mightiest super heroes – the Avengers –
with fun activities and interesting puzzles.
combines facts with games, challenges and
sticker activities; and aspiring princesses
everywhere are sure to love the “Ultimate
Sticker Book: Frozen,” which lets kids recreate their favorite scenes from the movie
with reusable stickers.
5
overwhelming. Mom is expected
to tackle big to-do’s before baby
comes -- including making a baby
registry.
It’s not always clear what to include on the registry.
How many diapers and wipes will
baby need in that first year?
Nearly half of moms don’t realize
that on average they will change
2,200 diapers in baby’s first year,
according to a new survey conducted by Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers, which focus on offering outstanding skin care with
a gentle absorb liner.
Even with countless resources
available online, nearly 80 percent of moms report their friends
are a primary influence on their
baby registry choices.
Is there something you wish you
could add to your registry, but
If you’re selected as a winner,
Huggies will do everything they
can to make your wish come true.
For more information and to enter, visit huggies.com/registerwish.
When baby comes you want to be
as best prepared as possible -- so
remember to add essentials like
diapers and wipes to your baby
registry.
To Advertise
In ASA
Call
512-828-6709
new top-quality options that offer
greater functionality. Manufacturers such as Mansfield
Plumbing, produce fixtures and
fittings designed to work in tandem. Such “suites” of a toilet,
sink and bathtub can improve the
look of a bathroom setting.
er solitude.
For example, privacy decorative
glass windows and privacy acrylic block windows offered from
Hy-Lite are design elements that
don’t compromise natural light.
In a toilet, there are certain features to seek. A SmartHeight toilet allows for easier access.
Available in four designer frame
colors, you can go beyond plain
frosted glass with stylish windows that come either operable or
fixed in place.
For those who are environmentally conscious or looking for a
pocketbook-friendly option, seek
out a WaterSense rated toilet, signifying greater water conservation.
Offered in varying shapes and
sizes, it’s easy to match windows
to other bathroom elements, such
as tiles and countertops. Full details are available at www.HyLite.com.
When it comes to relaxation, the
bathtub is king. Luckily, manufacturers are innovating features
to go beyond whirlpools.
Take your spa retreat a step further by piping music into your
bathroom with humidity-resistant
speakers unsusceptible to steamy
showers and hot baths.
New bathtub offerings include
• Install a set of pilasters on both
sides of your shower stall and a
door crosshead overhead to upgrade your bathroom’s look.
• Surround mirrors and decorative
accent windows with painted or
stained polyurethane mouldings
that complement the room.
• Install chair rail moulding
around the bathroom to add dimension.
Paint above or below the moulding and use wallpaper, paneling
or a different color paint in the
other section.
Find more project ideas at www.
Fypon.com.
While many think of the bathroom as a place to take care of
necessary business, you can easily give yours an upgrade that will
transform it into a whole lot more.
6
Most South Asian Students who travel 20000
plus miles for studies in
Philadelphia feel home
sick within the first 30
days of landing.
ADOPT A STUDENT
Families interested
in creating a ‘Home
Philadelphia
South
Asian
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Away Home’ for these
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Marketing:
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Asian.com.
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Interesrted students will
Design/Layout
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Email:
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PAMV
is about telling children that consumption of
violent content in media can have adverse
health impacts. Join the Parent group today.
Invites Contributions From Readers And Community www.PAMV.org
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ORACLE TRAINING
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
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Enhance and improve your career opportunites.
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Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Free DACA Legal Services To
Be Available At The Asian
American Resource Center
Attending the Education Session is required to enroll in the
FREE workshop/clinic on Saturday April 25th from 8:00am to
4:00pm to receive assistance in
filling out the applications.
at the University of Texas at Austin, South Asian Bar Association
of Austin, Austin Asian American
Bar Association, Jung Ko LLC,
University Leadership Initiative,
Equal Justice Center, Education
Philadelphia, and the City of Austin Asian American Quality of
Life Commission to launch a free
educational workshop and free legal clinic for potential applicants
of DACA with an emphasis of
reaching out to the Asian American community and especially for
the Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese,
and Chinese language groups.
At the workshop/clinic we will
have lawyers and attorneys to
help all applicants.
Texas is the 4th highest state for
the number of potential beneficiaries of DACA from Asia.
The Asian American Resource
Center Non-Profit is proud to
partner with the Network of
Asian American Organizations,
Asian Law Students Association
For more information, contact,
Richard Jung - 512-419-9288 [email protected] ; Taral Patel - 832-748-1096 - taralvpatel@
gmail.com.
(Continued From Page 01)
The Asian American Resource
Center Non-Profit will be hosting a FREE Education Session
on Wednesday March 25th from
6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Asian
American Resource Center located at 8401 Cameron Rd, Austin,
TX 78754.
Is Your Yard Wildlife-Friendly?
(StatePoint) Being a good neighbor means more than being friendly to the humans across the street,
it also means being friendly to the
animals in your yard.
Making your yard a safe place
for local wildlife should be a top
lawn care priority.
With that in mind, here are some
tips for creating a healthy habitat
for local critters.
Be a Valuable Rest Stop
Stock your garden with small native species of trees, shrubs and
flowers to give wildlife needed
nourishment, as well as cover
from predators.
A source of water can also be a
great resource for visiting fauna.
Whether it’s a pond or a bird bath,
be sure this zone is well-maintained so you don’t inadvertently
create a haven for unwanted spe-
cies.
In the warmer months when
mosquitoes are most active, you
should change the bird bath water
even more often.
Promote Safety
A bird feeder in your backyard,
full of water and seeds, will be
the perfect invitation for beautiful
migrating and local birds to stop
by.
Just be sure your property is safe
for birds.
Unfortunately, birds don’t see
clear glass.
As a result, millions of birds die
every year by striking glass.
Don’t let your sliding glass doors
or other windows become a death
trap for birds.
decals that reflect ultraviolet sunlight.
For example, those from WindowAlert have the appearance of
frosted glass, but glow like a stoplight for birds, so you don’t have
to compromise your own view
out your window.
The brand also makes a high-tech
liquid called WindowAlert UV
Liquid, which should be applied
between decals.
“Wildlife can beautify your garden and be a sign that your yard
is healthy” says Spencer Schock,
founder of WindowAlert.
“But birds and other wildlife need
food, shelter, and safety.”
9
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
More Indians Want Five Interesting Foods That Should
Be On Everyone’s Bucket List
To Study In The U.S
More Indians want to study in the
U.S. than ever before.
A new study shows that graduate
schools in the U.S. received 32%
more applications from India this
year compared to last year.
Applications from India have
been on the rise since 2012, said
the Washington-based Council of
Graduate Schools.
The study said Indians are the
second-largest
international
group to receive graduate degrees
from the U.S after China.
a fifth.
In 2014, though, more Chinese
students applied to the U.S.
compared to a year earlier.
Compared with a 3% decline in
2013, applications from China
saw a small decrease of only 1%
this year.
CGS based its findings on data
received from 308 U.S. graduate
schools for the academic year
beginning 2014.
(StatePoint) Whether you live for
culinary adventure or unfamiliar
items on your plate make you nervous, trying new foods is a worthwhile endeavor.
But even avid foodies don’t have
the time to try everything.
So how can you prioritize your
food bucket list?
Enter, “1,000 Foods to Eat Before
For an Italian approach, serve
cold with lemon juice and olive
oil.
If you prefer elaborate flavors,
serve with a Hollandaise sauce of
egg yolks, lemon juice, butter and
nutmeg.
Egg Cream -- United States
A New York original, egg creams
contain neither eggs nor cream.
Overall, it found, international
Austin, Texas— As the temperatures in Austin warm, home gardeners begin to think about the
many varieties of crops they’ll
want to plant this spring.
First, however, they’ll need to put
some thought into the quality of
their garden’s soil. Austin Brownfields Revitalization Office, part
of Austin Resource Recovery,
is making this process easy by
sponsoring free soil testing at the
Soil Kitchen.
The Kitchen will be open during part of this year’s Fusebox
Festival, on April 10-12 from 10
a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1098 Jain Lane
in East Philadelphia. Representatives from the Environmental
Protection Agency, Texas A&M’s
AgriLife Extension Service and
the City of Philadelphia will be
on hand to test soil for the pres-
ence of heavy metals and soil nutrients.
“Soil testing is an important start
for preparing garden beds before
planting. Understanding what is
actually in the soil provides gardeners with the information they
need to successfully grow healthy
crops for their families,” said
Christine Whitney, program manager for Brownfields Revitalization Office.
With technical support from the
Environmental Protection Agency, gardeners can bring in samples for sophisticated testing in
the EPA’s mobile lab at no charge.
“Historical uses of land, even for
residential use, may have left behind heavy metals.
The Soil Kitchen provides an opportunity to inform gardeners of
what’s in their soil and what can
be done to improve soil quality
and food safety,” Whitney said.
The testing is confidential. Gardeners simply list their initials,
date of soil collection and the
closest intersection on their quart
size sample bags.
Get out the binoculars! With a few
small actions, you can make your
yard or garden a wildlife refuge.
A number is assigned to the sample and the gardener can look up
the number online, contact the
Brownfields Office by phone or
drop back by the Soil Kitchen to
obtain the results later.
A test will generally take about
30 minutes, but the length of time
depends on how many samples
have already been dropped off.
Gardeners can also watch demonstrations on how to build raised
beds and learn about home composting during the festival. Additionally, staff members from
the City’s Office of Sustainability
and Parks and Recreation’s Sustainable Urban Agriculture program will be on hand to encourage gardeners and answer any
For more information about the
Soil Kitchen and soil sampling,
please visit: www.Austintexas.
gov/soilkitchen.
Directions for Soil Sampling:
Gather together a garden trowel
or spade; a spoon; two zip-top,
quart size, plastic bags; a waterproof marker; and a clean shallow
pan.
Label the bag(s) with the following information: your initials,
the date you took your sample
and the approximate location of
your garden plot. PLEASE do not
give your exact address. Instead,
please list your street and the
closest cross street. This is for the
protection of your privacy.
Go to your garden area and sample the soil in five to 10 different
spots around the garden bed(s).
You Die,” a new book that presents the globe’s must-have foods
into one master list of the best
dishes, ingredients, restaurants,
markets, books and movies, that
everyone should experience.
When you have completed the
sampling work, take your spoon
and mix all the soil together in the
shallow pan to obtain a more representative sample.
If you would like to have your
soil sampled for the presence of
heavy metals AND for soil nutrients, please use the collected soil
to half-fill TWO separate zip-top
bags.
Fill your plastic bag(s) until it is
half -full and seal it shut.
Like Westerners, the Chinese believe in starting the day with a
hearty meal.
To prepare, cook short grain
white rice until it approaches
mush, then serve with a variety of
toppings, such as spicy, pickled
vegetables, dried fish, preserved
eggs and tofu.
Sample to a depth of six inches,
using your trowel to make a cone
shape into the soil and then extract the samples. Place each of
the collected samples into the
shallow pan.
If the soil is very wet, leave the
soil to dry out in the pan overnight. Make sure to remove any
rocks, grass or dead plant material that could get in the way.
Congee -- Asia
Variations found throughout Asia
are sold everywhere, from street
stands to dim sum palaces.
To protect birds, apply special
questions they may have about
their gardens and plant life.
To serve, tangines are fitted into
colorfully woven baskets and
passed around to guests, along
with rice, couscous or fresh, hot
bread. Congee, a creamy rice porridge,
is a favorite.
FREE Soil Testing For Gardeners
Visit the Soil Kitchen during this
year’s Fusebox Festival.
cooked with various vegetables
over direct fire or charcoal, absorbing aromatic spices such as
saffron, cinnamon and ginger.
Chinese students accounted for
about a third of international
students in the U.S. that year,
while Indians accounted for about
graduate applications increased
by 7% this year compared to a 2%
rise in 2013.
ICC NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
India Community Center of Austin needs VOLUNTEERS.
[email protected]
A once ubiquitous street treat, this
beverage is a lot harder to come
by now.
To whet your appetite, author
Mimi Sheraton, former New York
Times restaurant critic and awardwinning cookbook author, shares
five food must-haves originating
from five regions of the world: Make your own at home with a
squirt of chocolate syrup, followed by a shot of seltzer and a
quick stir, then add a trickle of
whole milk and stir vigorously
while blasting in vibrant shots of
soda to create a frothy, creamy
concoction. White Asparagus -- Europe
Tagine -- North African
Milder in flavor than the green
variety, white asparagus is highly prized in Europe, while in the
U.S. it has only recently come
into favor.
Like the pans Americans call
“casseroles,” a tagine is both
a cooking vessel and the stew
cooked within.
A harbinger of spring, asparagus
is celebrated in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where special asparagus
menus are featured in restaurants.
A tagine is a deep, wide terra-cotta bowl, with a high-peaked conical cover that directs and concentrates heat.
Meats, poultry or fish are slow
Vegemite -- Australia
Australian children cry for this
caramelized spread made of
brewer’s yeast and vegetables, as
American tots do for peanut butter and jelly.
Spread on buttered toast or bread
as a snack or a sandwich, or on
biscuits as a special treat at teatime, Vegemite may not be pretty,
but it is one of the world’s most
iconic foods and definitely worth
a try.
More information about the book
can be found at www.1000Foods.
com.
By being a little more adventurous with what goes on your dinner plate, you can expand your
horizons and explore the whole
world.
10
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Future Fossils: Plastic Stone
Plastic first became widespread in
the mid-20th century. Since then,
about six billion tons have been
manufactured.
Much of that has ended up as
trash, and nobody knows what
will become of it.
even more resistant to the aging
process.”
Plastiglomerate was discovered
in 2006 by Charles Moore, a
sea captain and oceanographer
The significance of that discovery
was not realized until 2012,
when Patricia Corcoran, an earth
scientist at Western University
in Ontario, invited Mr. Moore
to give a lecture about plastic
At first, Mr. Moore hypothesized
that lava from the nearby
Kilauea volcano created the
plastiglomerates, but flows have
not approached the beach for at
least a century.
Now researchers have discovered
an unexpected way that some
plastic waste is persisting: as a
new type of stone.
The
substance,
called
plastiglomerate, is a fusion
of natural and manufactured
materials.
Melted plastic binds together
sand, shells, pebbles, basalt,
coral and wood, or seeps into the
cavities of larger rocks to form a
rock-plastic hybrid.
The
resulting
materials,
researchers report in the journal
GSA Today, will probably
be long-lived and could even
become permanent markers in the
planet’s geologic record.
“Most conventional plastic is
relatively thin and fragments
quickly,” said Richard Thompson,
a marine biologist at Plymouth
University in England, who was
not involved in the research.
“But what’s being described here
is something that’s going to be
hard to identify, but traces of
nets, ropes and lids appeared in
some stones. They collected 205
pieces, ranging from the size of
a peach pit to the diameter of a
large pizza.
Interviews with local residents
revealed
a
more
likely
explanation: bonfires.
Kamilo Beach’s sand is laced
with degraded pollutant particles
called “plastic confetti.”
at the Algalita Marine Research
Institute in Long Beach, Calif.
Mr. Moore was surveying plastic
washed up on Kamilo Beach, a
remote, polluted stretch of sand
on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Like other southeastern shorelines
in the Hawaiian archipelago,
Kamilo Beach accumulates
garbage because of how currents
circulate.
Spotting the odd plastic-covered
rock assemblages, Mr. Moore
took a few photographs and
collected some specimens.
pollution.
He
included
the
plastic
conglomerates in one of his
slides, although he had no name
for them. Intrigued, Dr. Corcoran
decided to fly to Hawaii to see the
strange anthropogenic stones for
herself.
At Kamilo Beach, she and a
colleague sampled 21 sites on a
2,300-foot strip.
They collected all plastic-rock
specimens with a diameter of
about an inch or more.
Most of the melted plastic was
Philadelphia South
Asian Invites
Contributions From
Readers And Community
This makes it virtually impossible
to find a bonfire spot free of
plastic waste, Dr. Corcoran said.
She also heard that some locals
intentionally burned plastic in an
effort to get rid of it.
Kamilo Beach’s plastiglomerates
are probably not unique. Plastic
is found around the world, as are
bonfires.
And in some developing
countries, people regularly burn
garbage to dispose of it.
Continue reading the main
storyContinue reading the main
story
“I’m sure people have seen
plastiglomerates in other places
and just haven’t reported them or
given them a name,” Dr. Corcoran
said.
Because scientists define rocks
as things formed by natural
processes, she prefers to label
the new materials as stones.
This distinction does not affect
plastiglomerates’
longevity,
however.
Many scientists believe the planet
has entered a new geological
era, the Anthropocene, in which
human activity is leaving a vast
and durable imprint on the natural
world.
Along with building materials,
tools and atmospheric signatures,
plastiglomerates could be future
markers of humanity’s time on
earth.
“Plastics and plastiglomerates
might well survive as future
fossils,” said Jan Zalasiewicz,
a geologist at the University of
Leicester in England, who was
not involved in the discovery.
“If they are buried within the
strata, I don’t see why they can’t
persist in some form for millions
of years.”
MEN CAN COOK
Info@Philadelphia
southasian.
com
11
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Is Your Home Hurting You? Reducing Pollutants And Chemicals At Home
The spring cleaning season is a
great time to take a closer look at
some of the potentially harmful
chemicals present in your home
-- and to seek out healthier alternatives. “You can arm yourself with
the knowledge needed to make
smarter choices for you and your
family.” Harney offers a few tips to help
(VOCS): From paint to composite wood, VOCs are found in
many products and are responsible for that tell-tale chemical
“smell.” When it comes to paint,
“Low VOC” or “No VOC” are
are known to accumulate over
time in the human body. Looking for an alternative? Try a
natural fiber such as down in your
upholstery.
In recent years, homeowners
have started asking better questions about what pollutants are
lurking around nearly every corner -- from building materials to
the paint on the walls down to the
backing on carpeting.
• Plastic Additives: Plastics are
beneficial in a number of household materials but their use
should be limited when possible.
Search for a carpet with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-free backing
or try wool, a natural alternative.
While it’s neither realistic nor
necessary to remove every toxin
from a home, there are a few
common sources that can be addressed easily.
For tile or sheet flooring, avoid
vinyl products and consider linoleum or cork and rubber options
instead.
“The good news is, you don’t
have to be a chem
ist to understand what products
and materials are safe to have in
your home,” says Anne Hicks
Harney, architect and Director
of Sustainability at architectural
firm Ayers Saint Gross and member of the American Institute
of Architects’ (AIA) Materials
Knowledge Working Group.
Ventilate Your Home
reduce or eliminate common toxins in the home:
your best options and are easy to
find. Go Natural
Whenever possible, use natural or
water-based materials and cleaning agents. Also, be aware of:
• Flame Retardants and Petrochemicals: Commonly found
in such foam products as couch
cushions and insulation, these are
a bit more challenging to avoid.
• Volatile Organic Compounds
The risk is that these chemicals
It’s good to open your windows
every now and then to get the air
circulating into your home and
any chemical smells out. If you
can’t open your windows due to
outdoor allergies or poor outdoor
air quality, indoor plants constantly regenerate air and provide
a pretty alternative.
Take to the Web
Manufacturers and professional
organizations are becoming more
transparent about educating consumers.
Check out resources like the AIA
Materials webpage or http://architectfinder.aia.org to learn more
about sustainable products and to
find professionals who can assist
your efforts.
Don’t Know? Don’t Buy
As a general rule of thumb, if you
don’t know and understand what
a product contains, don’t put it inside your house.
Take advantage of the wealth of
information now available at your
fingertips to make safer choices.
During this spring cleaning season, take the time to protect your
family by removing harmful pollutants from your home.
Courtesy: Statepoint
PHOTO SOURCE: (c) .shock Fotolia.com
How To Plant Your Garden From Scratch
Planting a garden from scratch
can sound like a daunting task,
especially for those who are new
to the hobby.
But with the right knowledge,
you can plan a successful, fruitful
green space and expect to have a
great harvest.
use a high-quality garden starter.
Check seed packages to learn
when to plant outdoors in your
area, and then start them indoors
one month earlier to your trans-
One way to get a head start on
your garden is to start your seedlings indoors and then transplant
them later into an outdoor garden.
This time-tested technique can
save you hundreds of dollars annually, as young plants at a nursery can be pricey. Here are some
tips and tricks to make the most
of this method:
planting date outdoors.
• Don’t start your indoor plants
too soon. They can grow in
about four weeks or less if you
• Consider using a seed-starting
system that takes some of the gardening guesswork out of the equa-
tion. For example, the Aerogarden Seed Starting system allows
you to start up to 66 seedlings indoors with no dirt or mess, nurturing seeds with optimal amounts
of water
and nutrients
for reliable
germination and
healthy
growth.
plants.
•
Add
new nutrients to
the seedlings every two weeks and keep the water
at full level. Feeding your plants
more than the recommended
amount will not make them grow
faster. In fact, it could hurt the
• Don’t let sprouts get too big before transplanting them outdoors.
Ideally they should be about 4-6
inches tall. If possible, wait to
plant your seedlings on a cool,
cloudy day. If your seedlings get
too large before weather will allow transplanting outdoors, transplant them into small pots with
high quality potting soil. Keep
• Before transplanting, seedlings
need to be hardened off. Skipping
this step will almost certainly result in some or all of your plants
dying. Hardening off seedlings
eases their transition to the outdoors, where they will be exposed
to the elements. The process involves gradually exposing plants
to the outdoors, protecting them
from full sunlight, temperature
variations and wind.
fully watered in a sunny space
until weather permits transplanting outdoors.
• After transplanting seedlings
outdoors, be sure to water them
daily for the first two weeks, especially if the weather is dry and
sunny.
• Save and reuse your seed starter
tray for the next season. Once the
spring plants have been transplanted outdoors, you will be free
to get a head start on your summer crop.
More tips to start your own
seedlings can be found at www.
Aerogarden.com. For true green
thumb bragging rights, grow your
garden from scratch. Just be sure
you know the tricks of the trade.
Courtesy: Statepoint
12
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
REAL ESTATE SPECIAL
How To Avoid Apartment Rental Scams
By Jeanette Pavini
Navigating your way through the
housing rental market can be frustrating and discouraging. Now
add to that the potential for being
scammed in the process.
If they say things like, “It’s OK if
you have bad credit,” or “If you
don’t have money for the security
deposit, that’s OK, we’ll take it in
installments,” beware.
Some online ads look real be-
The Federal Trade Commission
says you can avoid rental scams
by looking for signs. The number
one sign of a scam is if you are
asked to wire money.
When you find that dream apartment that’s spacious, low cost and
centrally located and you think
it’s too good to be true, you may
be right.
You can use rent comparison sites
like Rentometer.com to gauge
whether a rental price is reasonable.
If you get into communication
with a landlord and they are overly accommodating, that could
also be a red flag.
yer or agent who will get you the
keys. They may even go so far as
to create fake keys.
If you can’t be there in person to
see the apartment, ask someone
you trust to go in your place.
In some cases, they may not be
after your money, but your identity. Be cautious about giving
out your Social Security number,
bank account or driver’s license.
This will ensure that apartment is
indeed for rent as advertised. You
may also want to conduct an Internet search on the owner. If you
find the ad listed under a different
name, it’s probably a scam.
Here’s how to make sure your
dream rental doesn’t turn into a
nightmare.
Research the average rates for
comparable rentals in the area. If
the apartment you’re interested in
comes in a lot lower, that’s reason
to be suspicious.
a security deposit or first month’s
rent before you’ve met or signed
a lease, it may be a scam.
cause they are. Scammers will hijack a rental listing, swap out the
contact information for their own
and place it on another site.
In some cases, they don’t even
change the contact info, they
hack the landlord or property
manager’s email address.
Then there are phantom rentals,
which is where listings are completely fabricated for a place that
isn’t for rent or doesn’t exist.
There’s no reason they would
need to request payment by wire
transfer only to pay a security
deposit, application fee or first
month’s rent.
Even if they sent you a contract
first, avoid wiring money. Remember wiring money is like
mailing cash — once it’s gone,
there’s nothing you can do to get
it back.
If the owners or managers ask for
In one version of this scam, they
might say they can’t give out
the address because in they past
they’ve had issues with vandalism. Don’t believe that.
Think of all the home and apartments for sale or rent that could
potentially be unoccupied. That
doesn’t stop legitimate agents and
property companies from posting
the address.
Another red flag is if they say
they’re out of the country.
Typically scammers will tell you
they can’t meet you because they
are overseas but they have a law-
It is standard procedure for a
landlord to want to check your
credit, especially if you’re renting
in a competitive real estate area.
Often the landlord will ask for
permission to obtain your credit
report when you fill out the rental
application. And sometimes the
cost of the credit report is covered
in your application fee.
This in itself is not a red flag.
However, proceed with caution if
a “landlord” sends you a link to
enter personal and financial information so they can get a credit report. This could be a ploy to steal
your identity. Only enter this type
of information on secure, trusted
sites.
13
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14
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Vibha Launches Kalakaar 2015
February 15th, 2015- Vibha invites you to ‘Click for a Cause’
with Kalakaar 2015. The contest
returns after a successful run in
2013 which saw 1500 participants
from 50 countries worldwide.
children.
Inspired by the success, several
other Action centers came on
Kalakaar is open from 15th
March to 15th April 2015 and
invites entries from amateur and
skilled photographers alike!
Founded in 1991, Vibha is a USbased non-profit with over 1000
volunteers spread across 15 Action Centers in cities across the
US and India. The Minnesota
Action Center of Vibha first conducted Kalakaar in 2009 as an
arts event for adults and children.
Featuring drawing, writing and
photography competitions, it
sparked the idea of using one’s
creativity to help underprivileged
board and the vision to launch the
event on a larger scale came into
being. In 2012 Kalakaar went national as a photography contest to
an overwhelming response.
With over 600 entries and through
the sponsorship of Digital Nirvana, iTasveer and DishWorld and
other donations, Vibha was able to
fund their project
with Vidya Sagar
Vikas Kendra in
Thane, India for
the
education
of children of
sex workers and
other underprivileged children.
After this success, a dedicated
team of volunteers from across
the country put
in their efforts towards organizing Kalakaar as an annual event.
HDRSoft Kalakaar 2013 had
more than double the entries of
previous years and raised $3200
through HDRsoft, Purple Rickshaw, ArtSmart, Digital Nirvana
and donor Zenfolio.
A new partnership was entered
into with ValueDOT via CertLog
to provide online participant and
winner certificates.
This year Kalakaar is being sponsored by Mubi, Certlog and private donors. Media partners for
the event are ChicagoIndian.com,
The Desi Times and Philadelphia
South Asian. Other partners include Buddy4Study.com and MotaChashma.com.
This year there are two themes
and a separate category for HDR
Photography.
In addition to winners decided by
a select panel of judges, there will
be a special prize for the most
liked photo.
Participants will have the unique
opportunity to vote for their favorite photograph.
You too can Click for a Cause!
Participation is free. Contest runs
from 15th March to 15th April
2015 at 12:00 am PST. Learn
more at: www.kalakaar.org
The mission of Vibha is to educate, empower and enable every
individual who wishes to make a
positive difference in the life of
the underprivileged child.
15
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Study Finds Researchers Make A Difference...
Are Social-Media Shy
Social media and academic
medical researchers have a little
catching up to do, according
to a report published in Health
Affairs.
The study’s goal was to see if
researchers were amenable to
sharing their work over social
after finding a Tweet of note from
groups such as Health Affairs,
medical associations or the
Centers for Disease Control.
The
group’s
one-on-one
interviews with 215 health
services and health policy
researchers who attended the
participant said.
Academics were also worried
that text limits could lead to
misinterpretation, and that their
work could be tossed into an
information stream that means it
could “just get confused with the
junk that’s out there,” such as “a
Till date, we have supported over
190 projects in India and the US.
To read more about Vibha, visit:
www.vibha.org
Three Indian-Americans have
won medals at the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search for the
year 2015, and alongside other
winners, today they will get a
chance to meet President Barack
Obama at the White House.
Michael Hofmann Winer, each
received the first-place award of
USD 150,000 at the Intel science
competition, a program of Society for Science & the Public, the
organisers said.
The top winners and other finalists from across the US took
home awards totalling over USD
ties, which could be harnessed for
a variety of electrical and computing applications.
Shashwat Kishore, 18, of West
Chester, Pennsylvania, won the
Third Place Medal of Distinction
for Basic Research. Shashwat’s
math project focused on representing abstract algebras using
matrices.
Anvita Gupta, 17, of Scottsdale,
Arizona, won the Third Place
Medal of Distinction for Global Good. Anvita used machine
learning to “teach” a computer to
identify potential drugs for cancer, tuberculosis and Ebola. Preclinical trials are already underway in China on the tuberculosis
drug that she identified.
The trio, Saran Prembabu, Shashwat Kishore and Anvita Gupta
yesterday won medals at the
competition, however none of
the three could get the top award,
which has been dominated in previous years by Indian-Americans.
Noah Golowich, Andrew Jin and
1 million. Saranesh (Saran) Thanika Prembabu, 17, of San Ramon,
California, won the Second Place
Medal of Distinction for Innovation. Saran studied how varying
the layers of lead titanate and
strontium ruthenate in nanocrystal superlattices could affect their
electrical and magnetic proper-
“We are honoured to congratulate
Noah, Andrew, Michael and the
rest of the top winners of the Intel Science Talent Search 2015,”
said, Maya Ajmera, President and
CEO of Society for Science & the
Public and alumna of the Science
Talent Search.
“These students serve as shining
examples of the incredible work
being accomplished in STEM
fields by young people, and we
are proud to recognise and reward
these stellar young researchers,”
she said.
Of the 40 finalists, 11 were Indian-Americans. Each of the finalists received at least USD 500.
In total, the Intel Foundation
awarded USD 1.6 million for the
Intel Science Talent Search 2015.
To Advertise
In PSA
Call
512-828-6709
VOLUNTEERS.
Please contact
ICC or
Email:
iccAustin@
gmail.com
The reason every time I have had
my review I would make up my
mind to be better at what I have
lacked.
While working in an office one
goes through yearly review of
their performance.
Most of the time it is stressful
because the expectation whether
you are reviewing your staff or
your boss is reviewing you - what
we think we have communicated all year round and what the
boss/staff thinks is totally poles
apart and this miscommunication comes out clearly during the
yearly review.
What would be the outcome of
Although, in my heart of hearts I
think there is nothing to change in
me.
Clearly, there is a benefit to review our habits, relationships
and attitudes once a year since it
would enhance our life style.
Maybe, just like the calendar
New Year which bring forth resolutions to the front the New Year
that one celebrates – like Ugadi or
Tamil or Vishu (Kerala) or during
Diwali can be looked at in a different light and improve our habits, tempers, attitudes etc.
Wishing all of you happy Tamil
New Year and belated Ugadi best
wishes.
MEN CAN COOK!
India Community
Austin needs
Make a difference – yearly review
Can all the arguments or quarrels
or fights that one has with spouse
and or children – come under
yearly review?
ICC NEEDS
Center of
such an event?
Imagine the same situation we
have at home also.
Three Indian-Americans Win Medals At Intel Science Competition VOLUNTEERS
By Press Trust of India
By Vidya Kumar
Email your recipe with photos and see yourself in print
media channels, since the
assumed benefit is that a Tweet or
a post could get policy makers to
take notice of their findings more
easily or quickly.
Researchers were also motivated
by a 2012 study that said the
National Research Council was
uncertain whether scientific
evidence was reaching policy
makers and incorporated into
public programs.
An added bonus of posting
reports:
maximizing
“the
return on public investments in
research.”
The seven-person research team
said connecting researchers to
social media could shorten the
time frame between discovery
and social change, and envisioned
a scenario in which a legislative
aide finds relevant information
they can hand over to their bosses
2013 AcademyHealth Annual
Research Meeting highlighted
why this is not happening.
Academics said peer pressure
was one reason they were keeping
their data off the wires.
This concern played out in two
ways: first, academics told the
researchers they were concerned
Tweeting their research could
be perceived as self-promotion,
which is frowned on in academic
circles.
This is in addition to worries
that a bad post could hurt their
employment prospects or that
they would be poorly perceived
by their peers.
“I think there’s a fine line between
being... a researcher who wants to
get their message out and being a
self promoter who wants to just
have their face everywhere” one
140-word Twitter statement [that]
may or may not be true.”
[email protected]
Senior
academics
were
unsurprisingly more hesitant
about social media than their
younger peers, but that reserve
did not translate into a full-on
refusal to consider the medium
as an add-on to more traditional
communication streams such as
printed journals or contacting
policy makers.
Philadelphia South Asian
The study’s researchers said the
social-curious wanted “evidence
about whether they should use the
media” meaning proof that diving
in would put their research in
front of decision makers.
They also noted that their
interviews indicated academics
would also need to learn the
basics about social media, such as
how to embed links.
Invites
Contributions
From Readers
And Community
16
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
April Predictions - 2015
ARIES (March 21 to April 20):
People in business will do well
this
month.
Money
wise
you will stay
comfortable.
Some one lot
younger will try
to create some problems at work
but will not succeed. You will
do some work in and around the
house and get rid of things piling
dust. You may call an old friend
to seek his advice. A business trip
is also in the air.
TAURUS (April 21 to May 20):
Unnecessary stress can cause loss
of appetite and
upset stomach.
Business
will
continue to grow
and you will
keep marching towards your
professional goals and may even
finish project before deadline. Try
to relax in spare time and go for a
walk if possible. Spouse will give
you few very practical and great
ideas.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20):
You will continue to work on
a very good
idea and keep
looking for right
partners.
You
will be invited to
couple of parties
in September. You will try to take
time out of busy schedule and
help your child with home work.
People seeking a change will be
called for second interview and
receive the assurance.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22):
This may not be the right time to
look for a change
in career. Money
wise you will
continue to do
well and receive
some kind of
refund also. Value of stocks will
appreciate and you may dispose
off some and pocket the profit.
People in business will experience
better sales. Issue involving a
child will be resolved favorably.
LEO (July 23 to August 22):
Just be careful with all financial
transactions
and
do
not
stretch
your
limits. People in
business should
keep an eye on
employees. Business will be
better and you will take few sound
decisions in career. Do not make
any commitments in a hurry. You
may start working on a short
vacation with family towards the
end of next month.
VIRGO (August 23 to September
22): Take advice and second
opinion
before
you make any
big moves. Legal
matters
will
take a favorable
turn and victory is within reach.
Relationship will keep getting
stronger and commitment is
not far off. You may dispose off
recently purchased stocks and
pocket the money. Keep an eye
on an important mail.
LIBRA (September 23 to October
22): Planets are favorable for all
financial matters.
You may hit
some kind of
jackpot,
don’t
forget to try your
hands at lottery
also. There will be slight change
in travel plans. You will try
your best to maintain a balance
between family and professional
life. Deal you had been working
on, can be finalized.
SCORPIO (October 23 to
November 22): Planets will make
things
happen
quick. You will
not only regain
confidence but hit
your professional
goal also. Your
image in social circle will
improve and you will be invited
to a big gathering. You may meet
an interesting personality during
the course of a trip. You will
make few more important clients
this month.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23
to December 22): If you keep
your emotions under check,
you are a guaranteed winner.
Transiting Venus will bring fresh
opportunity
to
make fast bucks.
Try to be calm
when on phone
and use soft
language when
writing any important mail if you
really wantt to get the job done.
You may be thinking of traveling
long distance.
CAPRICORN (December 22
to January 19): Strong Venus
will give you
many
reasons
to
celebrate.
Roadblocks
will be lifted
and you will
achieve your goals. Some of you
will be offered a lucrative job
also. Strong chances that a new
member will be added to family.
You may spend some money on
electronic gadgets or do some
repairs in or around your home.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to
February 18): You may be in touch
with some wise
people to seek
advice on how to
deal with some
important issues
or
headache.
Watch out for people trying to
flirt. No harm in enjoying life
but do not take them seriously or
will get hurt later. Some one with
honey colored eyes or going little
bald will be very helpful.
PISCES (February 19 to March
20): Help will come from totally
unexpected
places.
You
will be calling
overseas
more
frequently
and
may travel on
short notice. You will be still
aiming for long term goals and
not on short ones.
Health will get better with
minor change in diet. You may
recover lots of money and may
even receive a big check from
insurance in April. It will take
some more time to find a better
and ideal place to move.
17
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
April 2015 Community Calendar
We have compiled this event listing based on the information available on the web site (where ever possible) of the community/organization as of third Friday. Please check with
the organizers to confirm its accuracy. We request all South Asian organizations to email us ([email protected]) their community calendar on or before 20th of
every month, for the events happening next month. We will carry listing of all South Asian non-profit organizations in Philadelphia. If the Name, Contact info is not correct or has
changed email us ([email protected]) the changes you want to see. E&OE.
SCHEDULE:
In Central Texas).
April 04, Saturday,
01:00 PM,
The festival is at Lanier High
School - TX, 1201 Payton Gin Rd
W Philadelphia, TX 78759.
India Fine Arts presents A New
Cultural Experience 20th Sri
Ramanavami Musical Festival
(2015).
A Grand Music & Dance Festival
(With Senior Sudents & Teachers
Of The Music & Dance Schools
For more information, contact
512-918-1351. Admission free of
charge.
All are welcome. Donations accepted.
April 18, Saturday,
06:30 PM,
Indian Fine Arts presents Shashank, Chaurasia Flute Concert
at Jones Auditorium,Ragsdale
Center, 3001 South Congress Avenue, Philadelphia, TX 78704.
Ticket:
$3,000 to $10,000 for each commissioned work.
Artists may select from a list of
City-owned sites, including parkland, libraries, and right-of-way,
and craft a proposal for a shortterm artwork or time-based performance that responds to that
specific site. Selected artworks
will be installed for varying periods of time between July and
December 2015. Proposals must
be submitted by April 24, 5:00
p.m., through www.PublicArtist.
org, an online application system.
Temporary public art plays an important role in attracting new and
emerging artists to the City’s public art program, enriches the civic
dialogue, cultivates tourism, and
engages public space in a unique
way. The TEMPO program allows artists to explore a range of
themes suitable for outdoor sites
and provides the opportunity for
innovative, thought-provoking
artwork that impacts the way people experience their environment.
AIPP Staff is available to provide
assistance to emerging and ex-
perienced artists and can answer
specific questions about this opportunity. Two Artist Information
Meetings will be held on March
26 at 5:30 p.m. and April 9 at
5:30 p.m. Staff will also be available during Open Office Hours on
April 10, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
All three events will take place
at the Cultural Arts Division offices, 201 E. 2nd Street. Parking
is available in the Convention
Center Parking Garage, enter
on Brazos Street between Ce-
always be either reading or anticipating their next read. Serial literature can be a great way to accomplish the goal of keeping kids
interested. One great example is
society, parents should reinforce
the educational and entertainment benefits of reading. Here are
a few tips for encouraging your
children to love the written word.
“Hollow City,” the second novel
in the “Miss Peregrine’s Home
for Peculiar Children” series, a
unique combination of fantasy
and haunting vintage photography. And since that first book is in
the process of being adapted into
a movie, kids awaiting its release
can read “Hollow City” in the
meantime.
Texas Whiz Kid Earns 7 Associate Degrees From College
Richardson, Texas — Joshua
Chari, son of Raj and Manjusha
Chari, has earned a record seven
associate degrees, moving past
the known U.S. record of four
A.S. degrees in parallel with the
high school diploma.
Chari achieved this mostly
through the “Early College Education” program in some states
which allow high school students
to sign up for advanced level
computer science, electrical, biomedical,
telecommunications,
software and computer engineering.
According to the Dallas Morning
News, in addition to dual-credit
classes at the STEM Academy
and traditional courses at Richland College, Chari took online
courses through the Texas Virtual
School Network, a Texas Education Agency program that offers
classes that apply to high school
two weeks before he gets his high
school diploma.
The Texas State legislature recently honored Chari by passing
a bill in his honor through House
Bill HR480.
After high school, Chari plans to
go to the University of Texas at
Dallas for a fast-track BS/MS degree with dual majors in bio-medical and mechanical engineering,
Pandit Parashar
[email protected]
www.parashar.com
925-833-7170
sar Chavez and 2nd Streets, and
there is available street parking.
The TEMPO project launched in
spring of 2013, with an open call
to Austin-area artists to submit
proposals for temporary artwork
on City parkland. Eleven proposals by eight individual artists and
two artist teams were selected and
installed for varying durations beginning in fall 2013 and continuing through summer 2014. More
information about the TEMPO
2013/14 artworks can be found at
www.AustinTexas.gov/TEMPO
(StatePoint) In today’s age of
technology, it’s easy for teens to
reject books in favor of gadgets.
As these emerging technologies
become increasingly important in
General admission $ 30.00; Srs.,
Stds., & Children above 5 $ 20.00
Local Artists Invited To Submit
Proposals For TEMPO 2015
Austin, TX – Art in Public Places
(AIPP), a program of the City
of Philadelphia’s Cultural Arts
Division of the Economic Development Department, seeks to
commission temporary public
artworks for the 2015 cycle of the
TEMPO program. Professional
visual artists and designers who
live and work in Williamson,
Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays,
Burnet, and Blanco counties are
eligible to apply. Multiple commissions will be awarded. The
budget for artwork ranges from
How To Get Your Teenagers To
Become Lifelong Readers
classes which give high school
and college credit at the same
time.
Chari attended Richland College, in Dallas, where he earned
his degrees in liberal sciences,
and public college degrees.
Chari started taking college credit
classes when he was in the seventh grade. He will get his eighth
and final Associates’ degree in
mechanical engineering on May,
with dual minors in nano-technology and business.
“I’ll have the master’s within
four years,” Chari told the Dallas
Morning News.
Treat Reading Like a Privilege
If your kids believe that reading
is a chore, they’ll stop as soon as
your influence over them begins
to wane or they are no longer required to read for school. Instead,
show them that reading is a source
of fun. In order to do this, position
reading as a “reward.” When they
get good grades, take them to the
bookstore. When they finish their
homework in the evening, give
teens “reading privileges,” as you
may be inclined to do with electronic sources of media. Offer Compelling Literature
One of the most important things
you can do is make sure that your
kids have positive early experiences with books. This will shape
their opinions of reading for the
rest of their lives. Beyond school
assignments, be sure your teens
are reading compelling literature
for fun. The best way to do this is
to give them books that you know
they’ll enjoy -- that way, they’ll
Model Good Reading Behavior
Let your kids see you reading. If
they know that you like to read,
then they’ll imitate your behavior.
Teens may not always act like it,
but they do look up to you. Don’t
replace reading with interacting
with your teens; instead, read at
a time when they are already engaging in independent activities.
Start your own little household
book club. During dinner or another portion of the day spent together, discuss what you both are
reading and what you like about
the books. Make recommendations and swap great books.So
when your kids are staring at
their screens, remember that this
generation can find just as much
joy in books as you did when you
were younger. All you need to do
is give the extra push.
18
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Straight A’s Aren’t All You Need In A 21st Century Education
By Aruna Andrew
mind.
plying to colleges.
President’s Day, celebrated on the
third Monday in February, was
originally established to recognize President George Washington, but has since become a day
We at Best in Class believe that
having high marks on a report
card is important, but so is the
value of strong leadership skills
in our students.
College admissions have transformed in the past decade. According to the National Center for
Public Policy and Higher Education, each year nearly 60 percent
education that students can be
confident in their abilities and
knowledge.
Colleges are not only looking at
grades and test scores; but also
for strong leadership abilities and
self-efficacy.
If your child is preparing to
enter a college or university,
here are some tips to help them
achieve and hone their leadership
strengths.
These are also great ways to build
experiences that can be highlighted on college applications.
Run for student government –
Being able to work with others
and lead through student council
is a great way to show determination and dedication.
This is also a great way to meet
people and learn from others.
Become president of a club –
Does your child have an interest
in chess, debate or sports?
recognizing all U.S. presidents
past and present.
When reflecting on this holiday,
the word leadership comes to
Through our programs, we place
a strong focus on building leadership skills in students, especially
high school students who are ap-
of freshman college students realize they are not prepared for postsecondary studies.
It is only through a well-rounded
Becoming captain of an intramural team or president of an organization shows initiation.
Learning to delegate whilst being
fair is a life-long lesson.
Volunteer –Dedicating time to a
cause that a student is passionate in is not only a great resume
builder, but it shows empathy and
emotional intelligence.
Be a team player –Even if your
child isn’t class president or captain of the team, being a team
player, showing eagerness and
always being a good sport is just
as important as having a leading
role.
Branch out – Being part of several different organizations shows
depth and well-roundedness.
Encourage your child to explore
new activities; they might even
discover a hidden talent.
Who knows? Maybe someday
we’ll be celebrating your child on
President’s Day.
For more information about Best
in Class services for your student,
visit bestinclasseducation.com/
locations/nw-Austin or call toll
free at 1-512-375-3245.
Take the lead on group projects –
Taking on this role helps students
work efficiently and creatively.
PAMV
is about telling children that consumption
According to Research studies Children spend more than 6 hours on
some form of Media activity everyday. Help your child kick Media Addition.
Order Media Rehab Tool Kit TODAY.
Email: [email protected]
www.MEDIAREHAB.com
of violent content in media can have adverse
health impacts. Join the Parent group today.
www.PAMV.org
[email protected] | 248-677-5523
19
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
THEME: EARTH DAY
ACROSS
1. Penniless
6. Hermey the dentist, e.g.
9. “____ in the face”
13. *Experts say sea level does it as planet warms
14. “New” prefix
15. *Geography class prop
16. Tiny island
17. Contend
18. Kind of space
19. *Environmental science
21. *Green car
23. R&R spot
24. Give the cold shoulder
25. College entrance exam
28. Of a particular kind
30. Long John Silver had this
35. *Deforestation is big issue in this country
37. Brazils or filberts, e.g.
39. Upholstery choice
40. Van Gogh’s famous flower
41. “_____-and-true”
43. Dissolute man in fashionable society
44. Bordered
46. Common hosiery shade
47. Concludes
48. Looked lecherously
50. Like a sharp eye
52. “O say can you ___”
53. Prejudice
55. X
57. *Type of bug?
60. Guards and keeps order
64. _____-Goldwyn-Mayer
65. “Ostrich” of Australia
67. Cafè offering
68. Actor’s reward
69. Hanks or Cruise
70. Relating to ohms
71. Light grey
72. *Clean Air Act org.
73. Required things
DOWN
1. French hors d’oeuvre staple
2. Reduced Instruction Set Computer
3. Northern European capital
4. Hull appendage, pl.
5. Impedes by estoppel
6. Green-eyed monster
7. South Pacific welcome
8. Warm down-slope wind of the Alps
9. Talk like a drunk
10. “Laughing on the inside” in text message
11. In the sack
12. p in mpg
15. Chunk of raw meat
20. Like hunger strike victim
22. Uh-huh
24. Performer’s gimmicks
25. *Oil crisis
26. Eagle’s nest
27. Father, Son and Holy Ghost, e.g.
29. “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” band, The ____
31. *”An Inconvenient Truth” author
32. Some have a mane
33. Dodge
34. These in U.S. are often Canadian
36. “Breaking Bad” victim
38. Dried-up
42. Because of
45. Credit card user
49. “___ Hard” movie
51. *Earth Day founder
54. Mountain ridge
56. Specialty
57. It’s more, to some
58. A strong desire
59. Cafeteria carrier
60. Wild feline
61. Dog call
62. Children’s author Blyton
63. Abbreviated seconds
64. Extinct flightless bird
66. Janitor’s tool
SOLUTION
Sudoku
Please
email
your
sudoku answers to [email protected].
Name and photo of the inviduvidual with first correct answer will
be published in Feberuary 2015
issue.
To Advertise
in ASA call
512828-6709
20
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
What Caused The ‘Man On The Moon’? Higher Temperatures Weakened
The Surface And Made Impacts More Visible, Study Claims
globe of the moon as a boy, being struck
by how different the farside looks,’ said
Jason Wright, assistant professor of
astrophysics at the university
The moon is tidally locked to Earth, which
means its near side always points towards
our planet.
Until now, researchers have debated why
this near side has an abundance of dark
features - most notable by the ‘man on
the moon’ - whereas the far side is much
lighter
‘It was all mountains and craters. Where were
the maria? It turns out it’s been a mystery
since the fifties.’
This mystery is called the Lunar Farside
Highlands Problem and dates back to 1959,
when the Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 transmitted
the first images of the far side of the moon
back to Earth.
Scientists have revealed how the near side’s
proximity to the scorching young earth
weakened it and made it more susceptible
to asteroid impacts that caused features
like this to form.
Neither side of the moon is ‘dark’ in terms
of light though - both receive sunlight as the
moon completes its orbit and rotation around
Earth.
The dark areas we see on the near side,
that resemble a face, appeared when
meteoroids struck the Earth-facing
side of the moon and created large flat
seas of basalt that we see as dark areas
known as maria.
Researchers at the time noticed that fewer
‘seas’ or maria existed on the portion of the
moon that always faces away from Earth.
Now the scientists, reporting their results in
Astrophysical Journal Letters, have realised
that the absence of maria, which is due to a
difference in crustal thickness between the
side of the moon we see and the hidden side,
is a consequence of how the moon originally
formed.
No such ‘face’ exists on the farside
of the moon, and now Penn State
University astrophysicists think they
know why.
‘I remember the first time I saw a
March 2015 Sudoku Answer:
Correct Answer: Yudhveer Bagga
(Continued On Page 18)
MEN CAN COOK!
Email your recipe with your
photos and see yourself in print
Info@
Philadelphia
Second Correct Answer:
Ketika Tyagi
SouthAsian.com
To Advertise
512-828-6709 / info@
Philadelphia
southasian.com
21
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Nelson Mandela Peace Award Bestowed On The Charitable Organization Supported By Austin Based Hindu Temple
By Sunita Lal,
JKP Education, a non-profit
organization supported by Radha
Madhav Dham Hindu Temple in
Philadelphia, has won the Nelson
Mandela Peace Award for its
contribution to the education
of underprivileged girls in rural
India.
School dropout rate among
adolescent girls is as high as
63.5%.
Education attempts to correct
this situation and give back the
birthright of education to girls
living in poor rural
areas of UP, India.
JKP
Education’s
President, Vishaka
Tripathi, accepted
the
prestigious
award in Delhi on
April 19, 2014
Jagadguru
Kripalu
Parishat
(JKP) Education, located in Uttar
Pradesh (UP), India, provides
100% free education, from
kindergarten to postgraduate
studies, to more than 5,000 girls
living in impoverished rural
areas.
from a member of
Indian Parliament
and former Minister
of State of Home
Affairs,
Shripad
Yesso Naik.
With 430 million children in
India, every 6th child in the world
originates from India.
Unfortunately, girls in India
are robbed of an education on
account of poverty even today.
Through
its
initiatives,
JKP
G.S.
Sachdeva,
General Secretary
of the Economic
Growth Society of
India, commented,
“These
awards
have been instituted with the
goal of honoring individuals and
organizations that have made
selfless contribution towards the
growth of India”.
The efforts of JKP Education
have been recognized in the past
as well.
In addition to free education,
students
are
provided
transportation, uniforms, school
bags, and other school-related
items at no cost.
It has received Rajiv Gandhi
Global Excellence Award (May,
2013), Naari Today Award of
Jagran group (May, 2013), and
Mother Teresa Excellence Award
(September, 2013).
“Our aim is to remove any
obstacle to the girl’s education
that is likely to be induced by
poverty”, said Vishaka Tripathi.
Swami Nikhilanand, a US based
preacher of Radha Madhav Dham
in speaking to supporters about
the award remarked “Leading a
spiritual life and helping the less
fortunate go hand in hand.
We are very happy about this
recognition. These awards inspire
us to strive ever more diligently
towards helping our fellow
human beings and expand our
future charitable works.”
Nestled in the beautiful Hill
Country of Austin, on a 200 acre
property, Radha Madhav Dham is
one of the largest Hindu temples
in America.
In addition to contributing to
several health and educational
related charitable projects aimed
at improving the quality of life
for poor in India, Radha Madhav
Dham also supports Shiksha,
a non-profit Sunday school
providing enriching educational
experience in India’s Arts and
Culture for children living in the
Greater Austin Community.
Parent And Child Must Get Enough Sleep To Ward Off Obesity
The new study by Fiese and
colleagues showed that sleep is
a protective factor in lowering
the incidence of obesity in
parents and being overweight in
preschool children.
protective factor against obesity
or overweight in children was
getting adequate sleep.
sleep had a
overweight
engaged in
protective
greater risk for being
than children who
at least three of the
routines regularly,
characteristics, Fiese said.
But the researchers also learned
that the number of hours a parent
In the study, socioeconomic
characteristics were assessed in
relation to protective routines
and prevalence of being obese
or overweight for 337 preschool
children and their parents.
“We viewed how long parents
slept and how long children slept
as part of a household routine
and found that they really did go
together,” Fiese said.
The study was co-authored
by Blake L Jones of Purdue
University and published in the
journal Frontiers in Psychology.
The routines assessed in parents
included adequate sleep (over
seven hours) and family mealtime
routine.
To
Advertise
In BSA
The four protective routines
assessed in children were
adequate sleep (10 or more hours
per night), family mealtime
routine, limiting screen-viewing
time to less than two hours a day,
and not having a bedroom TV.
The only significant individual
a parent’s sleep has an effect on
the likelihood that their children
will be overweight or obese.
Children who did not get enough
even after controlling for parents’
BMI and socio-demographic
sleeps is related to how much
sleep children are getting, so that
info@
Philadelphiasouth
asian.com
22
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
National Awards: Kangana Ranaut Wins Shashi Kapoor’s Dadasaheb Phalke Award Is
Best Actress, ‘Queen’ Is Best Hindi Film Recognition Of A Career Which Is Kaleidoscopic
New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut
won the Best Actress award for
her powerful performance in
“Queen” at the 62nd National
Film Awards where Bollywood
movies “Haider” and “Mary
Kom” bagged key honours while
Chaitanya Tamhane’s “Court”
was named the Best Feature Film.
Ranaut, 28, who celebrated her
birthday on Monday, got a belated
present by winning her career’s
second national award in the
movie about a girl who goes on
a foreign honeymoon alone after
being ditched by her fiance just
before marriage. She had won her
first National award, as best sup-
porting actress, for “Fashion” in
2010.
The Vikas Bahl-directed comingof-age film was also named the
best Hindi feature film. Vijay was
declared the best actor for his
poignant portrayal of a woman
trapped in a man’s body in Kannada film “Nanu Avanalla Avalu”
(I am not a he, but she). “Court”,
which focuses on the flaws in the
Indian judicial system, has been
winning critical acclaim nationally and internationally.
The award is expected to give a
major boost to the movie ahead of
its theatrical release on 17 April.
Shahid Kapoor-starrer “Haider”,
a Kashmir-set modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet,
won five honours. Its helmer
Vishal Bhardwaj was named the
best music director but lost out
the best director award to Bengali filmmaker Srijit Mukherji
(’Chotushkone’).
Bhardwaj was also named for
best dialogues in the movie while
Sukhwinder Singh clinched the
best male playback singer for
the song “Bismil”. Its other two
wins were in the categories of
choreography and costume design. “Chotushkone”, a film about
four directors’ attempt to make
four short stories, won two more
awards—best
cinematography
and screenplay (original). Priyanka Chopra-led biopic “Mary
Kom” was named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
Karthi-Nagarjuna Bilingual
Begins With A Pooja
A bilingual film starring Karthi
and Nagarjuna has begun with a
first shot of the Tamil version.
The untitled film will be produced
by PVP cinemas and already the
chain of varied reactions
Very often, a large number of film
artists fade into oblivion and their
contributions are not noted and
recognised. The selection of vet-
eran actor Shashi Kapoor for the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award seems
to address the aforementioned
concerns. It is the recognition of
a career which is as kaleidoscopic
as cinema could be. It is a story
of a survivor, a conformist, a performer who became an actor and
above all, a film artist who staked
all and created Hindi cinema’s enduring art house offerings but in
the bargain lost all also.
Sivakarthikeyan A
National Phenomenon?
‘Kakki Sattai’ has become Sivakarthikeyan’s highest grossing
film in his career and has catapulted him into the elite list of
top heroes of Tamil Cinema. Siva
took time to chat live to his fans
Philadelphia South Asian | April 2015
Chandamama Kathalu 62nd National Film Awards: Bobby Simha,
Vivek Among Winners In Tamil!
Wins National Award
Telugu film “Chandamama Kathalu”, which is directed by Praveen
Sattaru and has eight sub-stories
in the movie to tell, has now won
All these days we don’t even have
a film to be sent to National Film
Awards Committee, but Telugu
National Award for Best Telugu
film.
films are surely changing now.
We all know that the dashing
Manchu girl, Lakshmi Manchu,
has been unanimously elected as
the Vice President of the Movie
Artistes’ Association (MAA).
good this time around.
Released last year, the film has
stories of a struggling writer, a
fallen model, an aged couple, a
greedy Muslim girl, a municipal
worker, a beggar and others. The
film looks little slow at times but
deals with life and the point where
all stories converge into a single
theme is superb. Praveen Sattaru
deserves a pat for the win.
PVP cinemas have also confirmed
PS Vinod of Aaranya Kaandam
fame as the cinematographer for
this bilingual.
62nd National Film Awards are
being announced and Tamil cinema has already won seven of
them.
We bring you live updates as the
awards are still being given away.
The biggest surprise has come
in the form of Best Female Playback Singer. Unnikrishnan’s eight
year old daughter Uthara Unnikrishnan has won the best singer
award for her debut song in the
film Saivam.
Vivek Harshan, the editor of Ji-
It is to be noted that Unnikrishnan
garthanda has bagged the Best
Editor of the year while Na Muthukumar has got the Best Lyricist
award for the second consecutive
time.
too won the National Film Award
for Best Male Playback Singer
for his first song ‘Ennavale’ in the
film Kadhalan.
Prominent roles in the flick are
essayed by Lakshmi Manchu,
Aamani, Naresh, Krishnudu,
Chaitanya Krishna, Abhijeet,
Naga Shourya, Vennela Kishore,
Amitha Rao and Richa Panai play
the lead roles. Mickey J Meyer
composed the music for this spine
chilling life-story.
Good News For Women
In Film Industry
Since the present general body’s
tenure will be over soon, elections are being held to form a new
committee.
The elections for the President
post will be held on 29th March
and both the groups are pulling all
their strings to come out with flying colours.
It is to be noted that Muthukumar
won the best lyricist last year for
the song ‘aanandha yaazhai’ from
the movie Thanga Meenkal.
Vijay,Ajith, Dhanush, Vijay
Sethupathi , Anirudh and Mahesh
Babu as well as his personal life
were directed at Siva to which he
answered with humor and ease.
Many of his fans addressed him
It is said that the song ‘Azhagu’
from Saivam has awarded him
the honour this year.
makers have organized a separate
pooja for the Telugu version in
Hyderabad. Shruthi Haasan has
been confirmed as one of the heroines in the film while the hunt is
on for the second female lead.
Vamsi Paidipally of Brindhavanam fame will be directing the
Tamil-Telugu bilingual and Gopi
Sundar who is known for his
works in Bangalore Days and Ustad Hotel will be composing the
music.
formal pooja. Karthi’s father and
ace actor Sivakumar clapped the
Awards are a strange beast especially those given in recognition of an artist’s lifetime work.
In the field of cinema where the
personal is so ‘personal’, a lifetime award many a times elicits a
23
Bobby Simha has won the Best
Supporting Actor for Jigarthanda which takes the tally of total
awards won by the film to two.
Best Tamil film is won by Kutram
Kadithal which was directed
by Bramma.G and produced by
J.Sathish Kumar and Christy Siluvappan.
ICC NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
India Community Center of Austin needs VOLUNTEERS.
[email protected]
on twitter yesterday and the less
than couple of hours he stayed on
line he started trending Chennai
and gradually ended up trending
India.
A flurry of questions about
as ‘Anna’ and Sivakarthikeyan
said that he was more comfortable with this kind of relationship
with his fans than being a Hot star
like Arya and Simbu.
Now, with the senior actress
turned politician Jayasudha contesting for the President post,
charming heroine Charmee and
other popular actresses vying for
the top posts, expectations are
high on the state of women in the
film industry being altered for
While Vice Presidents and the
core committee members have
been elected without much sweat,
the competition seems to be really tough between Nata Kireeti
Rajendra Prasad and Sahaja Nati
Jayasudha for the President post.
If Jayasudha wins the contest and
Lakshmi already elected as the
VP, there is no doubt that women
will be brought into the limelight
in the film industry and the long
stricken indifference towards
women in the industry will be
eradicated.
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