The Indian Panorama

Year: 2018

  • Indian Origin Man Crashes Into US Air Base

    Indian Origin Man Crashes Into US Air Base

    NEW YORK (TIP) :  Hafiz Kazi, an Indian origin man, who drove through the main gates of a major US air base carrying propane tanks and gas cans on March 21st, died as his vehicle caught fire. The FBI on March 24th denied any terror angle in the incident so far on March 24th

    Hafiz Kazi, 51, was living in the US since 1993 and was a legal resident, FBI Special Agent Sean Ragan said at a news conference, adding that he was originally from India.

    He apparently lived in the San Francisco area and had worked as a cab driver, Ragan said.

    Around 7pm on Wednesday, Kazi drove his minivan through the main gate of Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The vehicle soon veered, crashed and started burning and by the time first responders broke through its locked doors, Kazi was dead, said Regan.

    No shots were fired during the fiery crash, he said, adding investigators discovered five propane tanks, three phones, gas cans, several lighters and a gym bag inside the car.

    “Authorities have not announced a motive but the security breach does not appear at this point to be terrorism-related,” Ragan said.

    “We don’t have any nexus to terrorism at this point,” he said but added that Kazi’s phones and social media were being searched for any possible connections.

    Officials said the investigation is ongoing and there are no current known threats to the base or community. “The main gate has reopened and all other facilities are operating as normal,” the base officials added.

    Travis Air Force Base is home to 10,000 military personnel and is a major hub for logistics and military cargo in the Pacific.The base is located in Solano County and is midway between Sacramento and San Francisco.

  • PAK AMBASSADOR TO INDIA RETURN FROM ISLAMABAD

    PAK AMBASSADOR TO INDIA RETURN FROM ISLAMABAD

    NEW DELHI (TIP): A week after he was called back for consultations amid raging row between India and Pakistan over harassment of diplomats, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood will return from Islamabad late in the evening and be present at Pakistan national day functions on Friday, a diplomat said.

    The ambassador will host a series of events to mark the ‘Pakistan National Day’ at the country’s mission in New Delhi, including a dinner reception. The envoy will also hoist the flag and deliver a speech, they said. Mahmood was called back to Islamabad for consultations after alleged incidents of “harassment” of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi with Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Faisal claiming that the Indian government failed to take notice of the increasing incidents of intimidation of Pakistani diplomats, their families and staffers by its intelligence agencies.

    India and Pakistan have accused each other of harassing diplomats and their families in Islamabad and New Delhi respectively.

    Source: HT

  • Arvind Kejriwal on apology spree: 3 down, 30 more to go?

    Arvind Kejriwal on apology spree: 3 down, 30 more to go?

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been humble pie.

    Kejriwal’s spree of apologies has generated mixed reactions, with some amused, some piqued and others downright infuriated.

    The AAP chief, with 33 defamation cases against him in 22 states, has crossed three cases off his list by saying sorry to the complainants.

    Kejriwal has tendered a series of apologies, starting with Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, followed by Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and subsequently Congress leader Kapil Sibal and his son.

    Deputy chief minister of Delhi and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia justified the apologies. “We are here to work for public. If someone is hurt by our remarks, we will apologise. We do not have time for courts. We do not want to indulge in battle of ego,” he said.

    In contrast to the moral high ground by AAP leaders in Delhi, cracks appeared in party’s Punjab unit after Kejriwal apologised to Majithia with AAP’s Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann quitting from the post in protest. Lok Insaaf Party, AAP’s alliance partner in Punjab, said it will snap ties with Kejriwal-led party.

    Kejriwal’s apologies have provided readymade ammunition to the Opposition to target AAP. Congress, taking a dig at the Delhi Chief Minister, said that Kejriwal should change his name to “Arvind Sorry Kejriwal”. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari slammed Kejriwal for being a “regular and habitual offender”. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh dismissed Kejriwal’s apology as an “antic”.

    Kejriwal’s apology episode is the latest in a series of recent events that have earned the party criticism from several corners and could hurt its public image in the long run.

    However, things will be difficult for Kejriwal in the case involving Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

    According to the sources, Kejriwal sent one of his newly inducted Rajya Sabha MPs as an emissary to Jaitley to discuss the possibility of an apology.

    “The finance minister hasn’t agreed with the apology proposal,” a source said.

    It’s also learnt that Jaitley wanted to know whether Kejriwal could ensure apologies from other AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai against whom defamation case has been filed.

    The finance minister had filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders. A civil defamation case was filed in Delhi High Court and a criminal defamation suit was filed in lower court in Delhi.Besides, a separate defamation case was filed against Kejriwal after certain remarks were made by his lawyer Ram Jethmalani during the trial. Kejriwal wanted to take the apology route with Jaitley as the next hearings in the high court and lower court are respectively on 3 April and 8 April.

  • Iraq deaths: Cong moves privilege notice against Sushma, VK Singh N

    Iraq deaths: Cong moves privilege notice against Sushma, VK Singh N

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress members from Punjab on March 22 gave a breach of privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her colleague MoS VK Singh, accusing them of “deliberately misleading Parliament and the country on the status of 39 Indians who went missing in Iraq in 2014”, repoted The Tribune.

    Moving the notice, MPs Ambika Soni, Shamsher Singh Dullo and Partap Singh Bajwa said, “The External Affairs Minister and her colleague VK Singh deliberately misled families of 39 individuals who were slain in Mosul. For a period spanning between June 2014 and March 2018, the minister continued to state as a matter of fact that the individuals are not only alive, but that the government is also undertaking steps for their rescue. As such claims were made on the floor of Parliament and outside, this is a serious breach of Parliament privilege and a stringent action must be taken against the members for their gross acts of dereliction of public duty.”

    The Congress leaders said the government actively worked to conceal the truth from the families of those killed in Iraq. The trio said the information about the death of slain Indians came out at least seven months ago, but the government still did not disclose that. “It is a tragic and inexcusable breach of duty that the External Affairs Minister, being in possession of this information (of the killing of Indians), failed to share the same with the grieving families. In fact, it is now clear that the only reason the government has disclosed the information now is compulsion because the Iraqi government would have otherwise done so,” they said.

    Bajwa said, “It is also sad that Swaraj waited to come to Parliament to make the tragic announcement on March 20 when she knew it already. This could have been made known outside Parliament.”

    Family members grieve by a portrait of one of the 39 Indian workers from Amritsar killed in Iraq by ISIS. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Rajya Sabha stated that the 39 bodies exhumed from a mount in Badoosh in Iraq have been identified.

    On March 20, Swaraj said that the 39 missing Indians in Iraq have been killed. She was speaking in Rajya Sabha. Forty Indians, mostly from Punjab, were originally abducted by terrorist organisation Islamic State from Mosul, Iraq. One of them escaped by posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh, Swaraj said in a statement in Rajya Sabha at 11 am, as soon as the House convened. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed. Swaraj said search operations led to a mound in Badoosh where locals said some bodies were buried by the ISIS. Deep penetration radars were used to establish that the mound indeed was a mass grave, she said, adding the Indian authorities requested their Iraqi counterpart to exhume the bodies.

    The external affairs minister added that the mass grave had exactly 39 bodies, with distinctive features like long hair, non-Iraqi shoes and IDs. The bodies were then sent to Baghdad for DNA testing.DNA testing by Martyrs Foundation has established identity of 38 Indians while there has been 70 per cent matching of the DNA for the 39th person, she said. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will be flying to Iraq to bring back the bodies on a special flight.

  • GOPIO-Central Jersey 10th Anniversary, Seeking Award Nominations and GOPIO-CT Appeal to support MISSION 12 NASA TEAM PROJECT

    GOPIO-Central Jersey 10th Anniversary, Seeking Award Nominations and GOPIO-CT Appeal to support MISSION 12 NASA TEAM PROJECT

    EDISON (TIP):  GOPIO-Central Jersey is pleased to announce the 10th Anniversary Celebrations with a Gala Banquet and Award Ceremony to be held on Sunday, June 3rd starting at 4.30 p.m. at Ember Banquets, Monmouth Junction, New jersey. As part of the celebration we will honor those achievers in different fields (Basic or Applied Science, Social Sciences, Arts and Letters, Performing Arts, Education, Engineering and Technology, Entrepreneurship/Business, Corporate Management, Medicine and Health Services, Journalism and Mass Communication, Community Service) from Indian American community residing in New Jersey. Please block your calendar for that day.

    We seek nominations from Indian American residents in New Jersey who are outstanding achievers and/or those who have made notable contributions to the society or provided community service. We are also seeking nominations for a “Friend of India Award” to be presented to an American (non-PIO) who has done outstanding work in promoting the Indian community in the US or in furthering Indo-American relations. A young Indian American (age below 35) will also be recognized at the banquet.

    Please send in nominations of any achievers residing in New Jersey right away, but not later than April 15, 2018 to dinesh1018@gmail.com.

    GOPIO-Central Jersey is also seeking sponsors for the banquet and advertisers in program booklet. More details are attached. You may contact GOPIO-Central Jersey President Suresh Reddy at 732-259-9331, or e-mail: sureshr@attglobal.net.

    (Based on a Press Release)

  • Another Hindu Temple approved in Connecticut

    Another Hindu Temple approved in Connecticut

    MILFORD, CT (TIP): Planning and Zoning Board of the City of Milford in Connecticut has reportedly unanimously approved the proposal to establish a Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Milford.

    Besides worship services, it also plans to undertake various cultural activities and community events. The proposed Temple building sits on 1.77 acres, reports suggest.

    Meanwhile, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed commended the efforts of temple leaders and area community towards realizing this temple complex.

    Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

    Milford, whose history goes back to 1639 and which calls itself “A Small City with a Big Heart!” and claims to be a meticulously maintained “town green”, is known for its annual Milford Oyster Festival. Benjamin G. Blake is the Mayor.

    Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.1 billion adherents. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

  • Indian American Forum Honors Five Women with Achievement Award

    Indian American Forum Honors Five Women with Achievement Award

    Nassau County Executive Laura Curran presents awards at a glittering gala to Pinky Rangi, Dr. Isha Mehta, Nami Kaur, Reema Rasool, Ananga Manjari Malatesta Gonzalez

    HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): Four distinguished women were honored with Achievement Award for their outstanding achievements. They included Pinky Rangi, Dr. Isha Mehta, Nami Kaur, Reema Rasool, and Ananga Manjari Malatesta Gonzalez.

    Nassau County Executive Laura Curran presented the awards at a glittering gala at Antuns by Minar in Hicksville, March 22, a day after the official arrival of Spring, albeit with a lot of snow.

    Speaking on the occasion, County Executive lauded the honorees for their achievements and hoped many more women will come forward to play significant role in the County. She spoke of many opportunities available in Nassau County to women entrepreneurs and exhorted women to take advantage of them.

    The gala which was attended by a couple of local politicians and oficals, attracted a large number of community members

    Those who addressed the gathering included IAF founder Bobby Kumar Kalotee, IAF chair Indu Jaiswal, and Mohinder Taneja, IAF PR chair. Gala chair Shammi Singh welcomed guests.

    A colorful entertainment program was the highlight of the evening.

    Profiles of honorees

    Pinky Rangi

    Pinky Rangi came to the USA in February 1964 with her parents. Her father JS Premi was commissioned to open the first Indian government office of the Handicraft Handloom Export Corp at the World’s Fair in NY.

    Pinky started her career with her father in 1972. She had just finished high school, and at her father’s request, joined his company. She was planning to study medicine and got accepted to Barnard at Columbia University. Soon after she started, she designed a line of costume jewelry and scarves that took off immediately. That sign was too much to ignore, so she was in the fashion business to stay! She then moved full-time into designing and selling her father’s clothing line. So far for the beginning.

    She met her husband Raj Singh in 1975, who was also working in the same business. With a common interest (that was the foundation for their love), they decided to start their own company in 1977 called “Pinky “. Within the first year they made major strides, selling to many major department stores and specialty stores. In 1980, they launched a line for children in one of the most prominent stores on the west coast – JW Robinson’s.

    With their desire to get into a more of a designer line in 1986, they launched their flagship brand, Ultra Pink. Their initial projection was $12 million yearly revenue, but to their surprise it grossed over $100 million. By the fifth year, the brand was global. At this point, the sky was the limit. Their peak was over $500 million in revenue from 1988-1992, providing licenses worldwide. Ultra Pink became a household name for all school kids! Some high- lights; they sponsored Miss Teen America, hired Michael Damien from the “Young and Restless “as spokesperson, launched an MTV ad campaign nationwide with their product, donated a certain percentage of every garment sold as proceeds to the Make A Wish Foundation, and much more

    In mid 90’s they had major business setbacks due to market crashes and major bankruptcies of many stores where they experienced disastrous losses. They had to reorganize and restart, and today they are back with a very successful business selling to many major department stores all over the country. Currently, Pinky is the president of two brands – Ultra Pink and Pinky, which they have kept strong in the Women’s fashion world by creating and selling trendy sportswear for Juniors, as well as Missy and Plus Sizes.

    Dr. Isha Mehta

    Dr. Isha Mehta is President of Rotary Club of Jericho Sunrise for 2017-2018. Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million leaders and problem-solvers who act to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves-by using their passion, energy, and intelligence to solve real problems with real commitment and vision through sustainable projects in areas from literacy and peace to water and health. Rotary Club of Jericho Sunrise, since its inception, has been a partner to continue the mission of Rotary locally and globally with dedicated Rotarians.

    Dr. Isha Mehta is the Chief of Gynecology at Elmhurst Hospital, a Mt. Sinai Hospital affiliate, a position she has held for 15 years.  She is also a clinical assistant professor at Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine since 2000.

    Dr. Mehta has been working with women in need for more than 25 years. Her many years of experience in helping women have convinced her that a healthy woman is essential for a successful family and the society. Her research and opinions on women’s health and medical practices have been published in peer-reviewed journals and medical texts.

    Dr. Mehta has organized and participated in gynecological and healthcare camps in New York City, Honduras, Guatemala and Ethiopia and rural India. She has also traveled to Bangladesh and Guatemala several times for surgical camps. Her ability to speak several languages allows her work to attain a wider berth of impact and transcend beyond man-made barriers. One of her personal missions is to make a difference in a person by a person, of which these health care camps are just the beginning of fulfilling such a dream.

    When Dr. Mehta and her colleges founded A Stitch in Time, they knew it would be a timeless organization as it creates clear-cut impacts on the lives of the women they treat and their families.  In her experience, successful pelvic surgeries are life-changing, and the benefits are life-long when performed by committed and experienced gynecological surgeons. For the past five years since its inception, A Stich in Time has grown and the impact it has made on women’s lives, young and old, is immeasurable.

    Her husband, Dr. Parag Mehta is Senior Vice Chairman of Department of Medicine and Chief Medical Information Officer of New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, affiliated with Weil Cornell Medical School and New York Presbyterian System. Her daughter, Ruju, is an Environmental Engineer working at WSP and other daughter, Setu, is a freshman at Harvard University and is motivated to follow her dream in medicine.

    Nami Kaur

    Jasbir “Nami” Kaur is a freelance marketing communications consultant and volunteer in four organizations, after completing a corporate career at IBM Corporation.

    Nami is donating her skills and services to the nonprofit sector. First, she serves on the Executive Board of Children’s Hope India (CHI); a New York based nonprofit organization. At CHI, she initiated its Social Media engagements, coordinated the development of its Business Plan with an intern from New York University, and led the project to develop its new website with a team of CH2 volunteers and an external website contractor. She also manages CHI relationships with the South Asian media to distribute Press Releases and host selected media at its flagship fundraiser events. Nami manages outreach initiatives with selected dignitaries to invite them, solicit their congratulatory letters for the event journal, and host them at CHI key events.

    She is currently the Chair of the Media Council at GOPIO (Global Organization of People of Indian Origin) International, a global advocacy NGO for people of Indian background living outside India. Additionally, at GOPIO she is the Editor of the monthly GOPIO Newsletter. Previously she completed a four year term as Secretary of GOPIO International and has served as a volunteer since 1989. She manages relationships and communications with the South Asian media via press releases, alerts, and press conferences.

    Nami was elected to serve on the Board of her Riveredge Coop Building where she resides. Her focus, along with the normal Board responsibilities, has been to improve communications between the Board, Property Management and the Resident Shareholders. Towards this end she led a team of resident volunteer editors to develop and distribute a quarterly newsletter for the Riveredge community.

    Fourth, she volunteers at the New York Botanical Garden in different assignments at their public relations programs department. She serves as a roaming docent for their key exhibit shows, and as one of many ambassadorial faces of the Garden for the public she receives, ushers, and guides visitors to have a delightful experience at the Garden.

    Her 32 year career at IBM consisted of three sequential tracks in Technology, Marketing and Communications. During her last assignment she was the Analyst and Influencer Relations Manager within the Communications Group at IBM.  She led the external communications with focus on IT and industry analysts for Media & Entertainment, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare and Life Sciences industries.

    Nami holds an MBA in Marketing from New York University, an MS in Computer Science and Mathematics, and a BA in Physics from State University of New York, in Buffalo.

    Reema Rasool

    Reema Rasool is a luxury branding strategist and marketing expert with years of experience in business development, content strategy, social media strategy, image building, media relations and international marketing and market launch. Her work has spanned the field from fashion to tech to finance.

    Reema is the principal of LUXE Consulting Groupe, a New York City based international marketing firm, which specializes in marketing financial products to international investors.

    Reema has worked for and with Conde Nast, Edelman International, JINGO Media, IMG, LVMH, Wells Fargo and the Bulgari family to name a few over the years. Reema has also consulted and held titles at many fashion tech start-ups. She is the founder of SAYWE, a national women entrepreneurs trade association that has been underwritten by Fortune 500 companies for the last 8 years.

    Reema’s latest venture ElleBhi, is closing its first seed round of funding (all women led) and brings together her backgrounds in high fashion and social change.

    Reema has her degrees in the fine art of creative writing from NYU Tisch School and is the proud mom of 2 beautiful boys.

    Ananga Manjari Malatesta Gonzale

    Ananga Manjari Malatesta Gonzalez is a teacher and dancer of the school Gopeswara Danza. She has performed Classical dance of India both in Peru and abroad (India, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Malaysia and China).

    She has been learning dance from a very young age. Besides learning from her Gurus, she has been blessed to take workshops from some of the greatest exponents of dance including Padma Bhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh, Dr Janaki Rangarajan and Smt. Indira Kadambi to name a few.

    She has also participated in major festivals and performances in both India and Malaysia with her teacher Shankar Kandasamy, bringing with her recognitions and merits in each of her presentations. She was bestowed the titles of ” Yogyata Patra” & “NrityaJyothi” for excellence in her performances.

    Ananga Manjari has extensive knowledge not only in the style of Bharatanatyam Dance she is also trained in ballet and contemporary from the age of 7.

  • Creating history, Air India flies Delhi-Israel direct flight via Saudi airspace

    Creating history, Air India flies Delhi-Israel direct flight via Saudi airspace

    NEW YORK TIP):  Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel with the inauguration on Thursday, March 22, of an Air India route between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.

    Air India 139 landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after a flight of over 7 and a half hours.

    “This is a really historic day that follows two years of very, very intensive work,” Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said in a radio interview, adding that using Saudi airspace cut travel time to India by around two hours and would reduce ticket prices.

    The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner entered Saudi airspace at around 1645 GMT and overflew the kingdom at 40,000 feet for about three hours, coming within 60 km (37 miles) of the capital Riyadh, according to the Flight radar monitoring app. It then crossed over Jordan and the occupied West Bank into Israel.

  • Hindus to push for Diwali holiday as Maryland’s Montgomery Schools launches calendar survey

    Hindus to push for Diwali holiday as Maryland’s Montgomery Schools launches calendar survey

    ROCKVILLE, MD (TIP): Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS); headquartered in Rockville, Maryland; is launching a survey to develop 2019-2020 school year academic calendar, and Diwali is included in possible holidays listed.

    Although the participation in survey is voluntary, yet Hindu statesman Rajan Zed is urging all the current Hindu MCPS students and their parents and staff members to actively participate in providing the survey feedback (and persuade friends/sympathizers also to do the same), mentioning that it is “very important” for them that the school is closed on Diwali, most popular of Hindu festivals.

    Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada today, also urged all the current Hindu MCPS students and their parents and staff members to list other Hindu festivals also under the question: “Are there any other days that you (or your family) observe…”

    Rajan Zed indicated that Diwali holiday in MCPS would be a step in the positive direction in view of presence of a substantial number of Hindu students in the district; as it was important to meet the religious and spiritual needs of these pupils. Moreover, awareness about other religions thus created by such holidays like Diwali would make all MCPS students well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow.

    Diwali fell on October 19 in 2017 and six New York school districts declared holiday for students on October 19, which included: East Meadow School District, East Williston Union Free School District, Half Hollow Hills Central School District, Herricks Union Free School District, Hicksville Union Free School District and Syosset Central School District. Mineola Union Free School District announced that no homework or examinations would be given on Diwali, reports suggest.

    For 2017 in New Jersey; Glen Rock Public Schools announced closure of schools and offices on Diwali; in West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, schools were closed on October 19; and in Piscataway Township Schools, there was “No School for Students” on Diwali. And in the recent past, Millburn Township Public Schools announced Diwali day off for students for the next three years, reports add.

    In 2017 Unionville-Chadds Ford School District headquartered in Kennett Square in Pennsylvania approved closure of schools on Diwali; while Harvard Public Schools in Massachusetts declared October 19 as “early release day”. Board of Directors of Council Rock School District, headquartered in Newtown (Pennsylvania), in their meeting on February 15, unanimously approved 2018-2019 calendar which includes the addition of Diwali as an official school holiday, reports note.

    Zed further said that it was important for Hindu families to celebrate Diwali day together at home with their children and they expected that MCPS would display how respectful and accommodating it was to their faith by closing schools on Diwali.

    Rajan Zed points out that Hinduism is rich in festivals and religious festivals are very dear and sacred to Hindus. Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

    Christmas Eve through January 1, Friday before Easter and Monday after Easter are state-mandated school closures. The survey has been developed in consultation with Hanover Research, a market research firm.

    Hinduism is oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

    About 161,936 students from 157 countries speaking 150 languages are reportedly enrolled in 205 schools of award-winning MCPS, 14th largest school district in USA spread in 497 square miles whose operating budged in FY 2018 was $2.52 billion.

  • Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash to Perform with Bronx Arts Ensemble

    Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash to Perform with Bronx Arts Ensemble

    BRONX, NY (TIP): Bronx Arts Ensemble (BAE) will present on April 7, 2018 at 7.30 P.M. at Lovinger Theatre, Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd West, Bronx, NY, a concert named East Meets West.  Indian artists Amaan Ali Bangash and his brother Ayaan Ali Bangash, along with members of BAE will perform a concert designed to weave together the cultures of the East and West.

    According to Ayaan, the aim is to “joyfully explore the common musical ‘DNA’ of both traditions. “The Bangash brothers will perform on the sarod, a large string instrument similar to the sitar; it is a member of the lute family, indigenous to Hindustani classical music. A third player, Amit Kavthekar, performs on tabla, a pair of small, single-headed drums held between the legs. BAE members include violinists Jorge Ávila and Francisca Mendoza, violist Sally Shumway, cellist Eliana Mendoza, flutist Theresa Norris, and bassoonist Atsuko Sato.

    The Bangash brothers will perform on the sarod, a large string instrument similar to the sitar; it is a member of the lute family, indigenous to Hindustani classical music. A third player, Amit Kavthekar, performs on tabla, a pair of small, single-headed drums held between the legs. BAE members include violinists Jorge Ávila and Francisca Mendoza, violist Sally Shumway, cellist Eliana Mendoza, flutist Theresa Norris, and bassoonist Atsuko Sato.

    All the musicians will perform Samaagam (Sanskrit meaning confluence or flowing together), a new piece composed by the Bangashs. According to Ayaan, “We worked to preserve the essence of both Indian and Western musical traditions so that they can both flow artistically. We used pre-Bollywood Indian orchestration, combined with compatible Western musical stye”

    Other works on the program will be performed only by the Bangashs and Kavthekar. Tribute to Tagore utilizes folk music from western Bengal known as Bhatiyali, a type of music sung by boatmen on a river.

    It has poetry written in 1905 by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and music composed in the 1960s by Amjad Ali Khan. The message of the poem, entitled Ekla Cholo, is that if no one responds to your call, you must walk on your path alone.

    In Classical Indian music there is no written score, so improvisation takes hold once the initial composition is presented. Ayaan points out, “The musicians on stage don’t know what the other is going to do and yet have to perform like a rehearsed orchestra! Our role is really that of three people: the performer, the composer and the conductor.”

    Bronx Arts Ensemble brings the power of the arts to neighborhoods across the Bronx through its live music and arts education programs. It presents over 50 live concerts annually to more than 35,000 people, featuring diverse cultures, including classical, Latin, Afro-Cuban, and other world music. BAE’s arts education programs have served over 100,000 Bronx students since 1993 through multi-disciplinary artist residencies during school hours, after-school, and through summer activities that culminate in original auditorium programs and in-school gallery exhibits. For more info: bronxartsensemble.org

  • NYC Commission on human Rights announces settlement with Lenox Hill Radiology following investigation in to failure to provide equal access to Mammograms for patients with disabilities

    NYC Commission on human Rights announces settlement with Lenox Hill Radiology following investigation in to failure to provide equal access to Mammograms for patients with disabilities

    Commission requiring Lenox Hill Radiology to provide accessible medical equipment in line with U.S. Access Board’s accessibility standards, among other changes

    NEW YORK – The NYC Commission on Human Rights announced a settlement with Lenox Hill Radiology following an investigation into allegations of discrimination for failure to accommodate patients with disabilities. As part of the settlement agreement, the NYC Commission on Human Rights is requiring Lenox Hill Radiology to modify the front and interior of its building at 61 East 77th Street in Manhattan to make it accessible to people with disabilities; provide equipment in line with the U.S. Access Board’s accessibility standards to ensure that mammography machines are accessible; change internal scheduling, communications, and equipment purchasing policies citywide; and train staff at all its New York City locations to better accommodate patients with disabilities.

    The Commission initiated an investigation into Lenox Hill Radiology after it received a letter from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest identifying accessibility issues at Lenox Hill Radiology’s 77th Street location. The Commission then tested and visited the facility and verified the claims. Lenox Hill Radiology, which fully cooperated with the Commission’s investigation and settlement process, is currently making the agreed upon changes and the Commission is working to ensure that other Lenox Hill Radiology facilities in New York City are accessible to people with disabilities.

    The New York Lawyers for the Public Interest’s letter to the Commission noted possible violations and described the experience of Susan Scheer, a long-time disability rights activist who experienced great difficulty when attempting to get a mammogram at Lenox Hill Radiology’s main office at 61 East 77th Street in Manhattan.

    The Commission found several violations of the NYC Human Rights Law disability protections during its investigation of Lenox Hill Radiology, which the Commission is requiring Lenox Hill Radiology to fix in a settlement agreement. It is illegal in New York City for employers, housing providers, and places of public accommodation, including doctors’ offices and hospitals, to discriminate against people with disabilities by denying them access to employment, housing, and goods and services or by denying them reasonable accommodations.

  • Police: Austin bomber left 25-minute confession video on phone

    Police: Austin bomber left 25-minute confession video on phone

    AUSTIN, TEXAS (TIP): A CNN report says that as the Austin bomber sensed that authorities were closing in on him on Tuesday, March 20, night, he took out his cell phone and recorded a 25-minute video confessing to building the explosive devices — but didn’t explain why he targeted his victims, interim Austin police Chief Brian Manley said.

    “It is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his life that led him to this point,” the interim chief said. “I know everybody is interested in a motive and understanding why. And we’re never going to be able to put a (rationale) behind these acts,” Manley told reporters Wednesday, March 21 night.

    The video made by Mark Anthony Conditt, whose string of package bombs killed two people and wounded five in Texas, was found on his cell phone when police recovered his body Wednesday morning. The cell phone was in Conditt’s possession at the time of his death, police said.

    Manley says that Conditt did not make any terror- or hate-related references in the confession.

    Hours after he made the video, police found Conditt leaving a hotel. They followed him until they made a move to stop him from getting on an interstate and Conditt ended up in a ditch.

    Authorities say Conditt, 23, killed himself with his last explosive device.

    Federal agents went to the bomber’s home Wednesday while police interviewed his roommates, attempting to determine whether any bombs remained and if Conditt acted alone.

  • Indian Origin Chief of Scotland Yard Launches New Anti-Terror Campaign

    Indian Origin Chief of Scotland Yard Launches New Anti-Terror Campaign

    LONDON (TIP):  Scotland Yard’s newly appointed Indian-origin counter-terrorism chief, Neil Basu, has launched a new campaign to urge the public to help in the fight against terrorism.

    The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner of Specialist Operations revealed that last year more than a fifth of reports from the public produced intelligence which is helpful to police.

    “Since the beginning of 2017, we have foiled 10 Islamist and four right-wing terror plots, and there is no doubt in my mind that would have been impossible to do without relevant information from the public,” Basu said at the launch of Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) campaign in London, March 20.

    “We have been saying for some time now that communities defeat terrorism, and these figures demonstrate just how important members of the public are in the fight to keep our country safe,” he noted.

    According to the police data, of the nearly 31,000 public reports to the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism (CT) Policing unit during 2017, more than 6,600 (21.2 per cent) resulted in useful intelligence information which is used by UK officers to inform live investigations or help build an intelligence picture of an individual or group.

    Research carried out by CT Policing suggests that while more than 80 per cent of people are motivated to report suspicious activity or behavior, many are unclear exactly what they should be looking for.

    The ACT campaign, accompanied by a 60-second film based on real life foiled plots, aims to educate the public about terrorist attack planning and reinforce the message that any piece of information, no matter how small, could make the difference.

    “Like other criminals, terrorists need to plan and that creates opportunities for police and the security services to discover and stop these attacks before they happen. But we need your help to exploit these opportunities, so if you see or hear something unusual or suspicious trust your instincts and ACT by reporting it in confidence by phone or online,” Basu said.

    He detailed some forms of suspicious activity, which could involve someone buying or storing chemicals, fertilizers or gas cylinders for no obvious reasons, or receiving deliveries for unusual items, or someone embracing extremist ideology, or searching for such material online.

    UK Security Minister Ben Wallace added: “The police’s fantastic ACT campaign is rightly highlighting the vital part that communities are playing in defending this country against terrorism.

    “The public should remain alert, but not alarmed, and I urge anyone who is worried about suspicious behavior and activity to follow this advice and report their concerns to the police.”

  • Indian American Ram Villivalam wins Illinois State Senate District 8 primary

    Indian American Ram Villivalam wins Illinois State Senate District 8 primary

    CHICAGO (TIP): Former congressional aide Ram Villivalam won the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 8, thereby running unopposed in the general election to be held on November 6, 2018.

    Villivalam, who challenged 20-year incumbent Ira Silverstein, won the primary getting 13,350 votes that account to a total of 51.86 percent.

    Incumbent Ira Silverstein could secure only 29.05 percent, giving a clear majority to Villivalam.

    Other Democrats who ran for the election were Caroline McAteer-Fournier and David Zulkeywas, who could only secure 13.81 percent and 5.28 percent votes, respectively.

    Interestingly, no Republican candidates filed to run for election and Villivalam will run unopposed. The last date for a candidate to file papers was on December 4, 2017.

    Speaking to his supporters at the 90 Miles Cuban Cafe in Lincolnwood, the first-time candidate Ram Villivalam, declared victory over incumbent Ira Silverstein in the 8th District State Senate race.

    “I am incredibly proud of – and humbled by – the coalition we’ve brought together and the work we’ve done over the last four months,” Villivalam told a group of supporters gathered at 90 Miles Cuban Café in Lincolnwood. “This win belongs to each of you.”

    The 8th Senate district has the highest concentration of Asian Americans in Illinois. It includes 21 Chicago neighborhoods, among them, all of Devon Ave.’s business district, popularly called “Little India” — and the suburbs of Lincolnwood, Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, Des Plaines and Glenview.

    “This campaign was never about me. It has always been about working together to empower and raise the voices of the voters of the 8th State Senate District, one conversation at a time. Today, those voters spoke clearly: they’re ready for a new generation of effective progressive leadership. Thank you to my wife, Elizabeth, my family, my staff, and the hundreds of volunteers who have been a part of this campaign.” Villivalam added.

    Villivalam’s parents immigrated from India in the 1970s. He was born and raised on the Northwest side of Chicago, where he continues to live. The area is part of the 8th district.

    “As the son of Indian immigrants who came to this country to seek out a better quality of life and opportunities for their children, I feel the responsibility to step forward and speak out on the important issues that working and middle-class families are experiencing every day,” Villivalam told the Bazaar earlier.

    He had also attacked his opponent, Silverstein, saying he was reprimanded by an independent inspector general for violating the legislative ethics act and behaving in a manner “unbecoming of a legislator.”

    Villivalam’s experience includes working as a legislative coordinator for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), where he fought to protect home care for seniors and people with disabilities, child care for working families, and Medicaid for those in need. Prior to that, Villivalam was the Outreach Director for Rep. Brad Schneider, D-IL, where he signed people up for the Affordable Care Act and put on job fairs.

  • Indian American Democrat Sameena Mustafa loses Illinois 5th District Primary

    Indian American Democrat Sameena Mustafa loses Illinois 5th District Primary

    CHICAGO (TIP): Sameena Mustafa, an Indian American democrat who challenged incumbent Mike Quigley in the 5th Congressional District of Illinois, was defeated in the Democratic primary election held on Tuesday, March 20.

    Mustafa finished second in the primary getting 23.87 percent votes against Quigley’s 62.3 percent, thus eliminating her chances to become the first Indian American Muslim representative in the Congress.

    Besides Mustafa, two other Democrats — Benjamin Thomas Wolf (9.66 percent) and Steve Schwartzberg (4.05 percent) — challenged Quigley, who’s held that office for nearly a decade.

    Mustafa is a real estate broker working with nonprofits and small businesses. She was also active in the city’s comedy scene. In 2015 she cofounded Simmer Brown, a South Asian comedy collective.

    She is graduate of Northwestern University.

  • Indian origin Canadians Firoz Patel and Ferhan Patel Accused of Operating an Unlicensed Money Service Business and Money Laundering

    Indian origin Canadians Firoz Patel and Ferhan Patel Accused of Operating an Unlicensed Money Service Business and Money Laundering

    Payza.com allegedly processed more than $250 Million of proceeds from Ponzi schemes, child pornography rings, and other criminal enterprises

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Firoz Patel and Ferhan Patel, the founders and operators of Payza.com, AlertPay.com and Egopay.com, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges alleging they operated an Internet-based unlicensed money service business that processed more than $250 million in transactions.

    The announcement was made today, March 20, by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C.

    The indictment was returned earlier this month and unsealed today, March 20,  in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Firoz Patel, 43, and Ferhan Patel, 37, who live in the area of Montreal, Québec, are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and to violate anti-money laundering program requirements, one count of a money laundering conspiracy and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in the District of Columbia.  If convicted, each of the brothers faces a maximum sentence of more than 25 years.

    MH Pillars, Ltd., doing business as Payza, is charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    Ferhan Patel was arrested on March 18, 2018, in Detroit. He made his first appearance on March 19, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He remains held pending further proceedings in the District of Columbia. His brother remains at large.

    The indictment alleges that the criminal activity took place from in or about March 2012 until the present. The defendants, through Payza.com, are accused of operating a money transmitting business that operated without the necessary state licenses and knowingly transmitting funds that were derived from illegal activity.  Despite receiving cease and desist letters from various states and being told by a consultant that operating a money transmission business without the necessary licenses was a crime, Firoz and Ferhan Patel continued their illegal activity, the indictment alleges.

    The indictment alleges that the Patels, together with other co-conspirators, are responsible for transmitting over $250 million throughout the United States and elsewhere. The investigation is continuing.

    According to the indictment, Payza’s customers included Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes and a child pornography site.  The Patels opened bank accounts in the United States and laundered their illegal proceeds through those accounts.

    The indictment also seeks forfeiture of any property involved in these offenses or traceable to these offenses.  In addition, the indictment seeks the specific forfeiture of approximately $10 million that has already been seized and frozen.

    Further information is available to the public at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance/obopay-payza.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

    This case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field office.  It is being prosecuted and investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui and Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Assistance has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Marston and Diane Lucas; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly; Paralegal Specialists C. Rosalind Pressley and Toni Donato; Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant; Document Management Analyst Basizette Stribling; Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick; and Litigation Technology Specialists Ron Royal and Joshua Ellen.

    (Source: DOJ)

     

     

  • Indian Origin Physiotherapist Jailed for Molesting Teen Girl in Singapore

    Indian Origin Physiotherapist Jailed for Molesting Teen Girl in Singapore

    SINGAPORE (TIP):  An Indian-origin physiotherapist was sentenced to 11 months’ jail and three strokes of the cane for molesting a 18-year-old patient during treatment.

    Luke Manimaran Degarajoo, 43, had touched the teenage girl inappropriately during a physiotherapy session at his clinic about a year ago. He was sentenced on March 21.

    The girl had visited Degarajoo at the clinic on March 25 last year seeking treatment for back and hip pain, according to a news report.

    Degarajoo then directed her to a massage bed in a therapy room. During the massage, he asked the teenager to remove her top and loosen her shorts.

    The victim complied as she thought it was part of the treatment. While massaging her, Degarajoo molested her twice after rolling down her underwear and shorts, the report said.

    “The victim felt uncomfortable by the contact but did not shout or ask for help as she was unsure if it was part of the treatment or not,” Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said.

    The massage ended when the victim heard Degarajoo speaking to her friend who had glanced into the room and was surprised to find her nude.

    After the session ended, he gave her a report detailing his assessment of her condition. The girl did not complain initially as she thought it was part of the treatment.

    But she finally told her friend about her ordeal when they left the clinic at around 7.40 pm (local time) before lodging a police report about four hours later.

    Degarajoo is out on SGD 10,000 bail after the court granted his request to defer his sentence as he had to settle some personal matters.

    He will surrender himself at the State Courts on April 20 to begin serving his sentence, according to The Straits Times report.

  • Indian couple from Nebraska sentenced to one year for staying illegally, harboring another illegal alien

    Indian couple from Nebraska sentenced to one year for staying illegally, harboring another illegal alien

    OMAHA (TIP): An Indian couple, illegally staying in the US, was sentenced to one-year jail term for alien harboring. Vishnubhai Chaudhari, 50, and Leelabahen Chaudhari, 44, of Kimball, Nebraska, were sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison on Monday, March 19, by the federal court in Omaha.

    The couple has pleaded guilty to alien harboring for financial gain and conspiracy to harbor an alien in December last year. They have also agreed to a stipulated judicial order of removal to India at the completion of their sentences and paid the victim $40,000 in restitution as a condition of their guilty pleas.

    The couple admitted to conspiring to harbor the victim, who was an illegal alien from India, at a Super 8 Motel in Kimball between October 2011 and February 2013, said a statement issued by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE).

    The victim was forced to work long hours, seven days a week at the motel. He did manual labor, including cleaning rooms, shoveling snow and doing laundry.

    Though the couple promised to pay him a salary, they cheated him by not making the payment. The defendants claimed to apply the victim’s earned pay to a debt the victim owed. He was verbally abused and physically assaulted for not meeting the expectations of the couple.

    Leelabahen Chaudhari slapped his face several times because he had failed to clean a bathtub to her standards, said the USICE statement.

    Vishnubhai and Leelabahen also tried to restrict the victim’s movement and threatened to find him if he tried to escape.

    “Today’s sentence, and the restitution awarded to the victim, sends a clear message that the Justice Department will use its full resources to prosecute defendants like this one who motivated by their greed violate our immigration laws and exploit a vulnerable individual who lacked immigration status,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

    “This case is a reminder that labor exploitation occurs in the United States, not just overseas, and federal law targets those who profit from human trafficking and related crimes,” said US Attorney Joe Kelly for the District of Nebraska. “This case is a testament that such conduct will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted in the District of Nebraska.”

    This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Olimpia Michel and Shan Patel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick D. Franklin of the District of Nebraska.

    (Source: DOJ)

     

  • Theater / Concert

    Theater / Concert

    NJPAC Presents Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist, and the Silk Road Ensemble

    (Music) joins people together—there is no culture that doesn’t have music…It comes up during the important times (of) people’s lives. It expresses things. …..it is very ephemeral, but its effect is generally always about something bigger than yourself.”  Yo-Yo Ma – Harvard Political Review
     “Uninhibitedly joyous!” The Los Angeles Times
     “…a roving musical laboratory without walls” The Boston Globe

    Yo-Yo Ma, child prodigy cellist and songwriter returns with his Silk Road Ensemble to NJPAC

    Yo-Yo Ma, world-renowned cellist

    A celebration of music, crisscrossing centuries, continents and cultures!
    Composed of virtuoso musicians, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers from over 20 countries, Yo-Yo Ma’s exuberant Silk Road Ensemble was founded by him in 1998 to explore and celebrate cultural, artistic and intellectual traditions drawn from the ancient trade routes, The Silk Road (that were for centuries central to cultural interaction originally through regions of Eurasia connecting the East and West).

    Yo-Yo Ma attended the Juilliard School, New York and continued to excel throughout his adult life, producing more than 75 albums and winning 18 Grammy Awards.

    “As musicians, we transcend technique in order to seek out the truths in our world in a way that gives meaning and sustenance to individuals and communities. That’s art for life’s sake.”  Yo-Yo Ma, The Nancy Hanks Lecture, 2013

    Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble

    The organization’s vision is to “connect the world’s neighborhoods by bringing together artists and audiences around the globe.” Since founding the Silk Road Project, Ma has served as its artistic director.

    “I realized that everything I practice in music, and this is true of all the performing arts, involves the four qualities necessary for success in the workforce of the 21st century: collaboration, flexibility, imagination, innovation.” – Yo-Yo Ma

    “Yo-Yo Ma’s grandly all-encompassing world music band that seeks to find meeting points for musical traditions from China to Europe (to the USA), has proved to be the ever-curious cellist’s most valuable project” writes The Los Angeles Times.

    In 2000, Ma was given the opportunity to expand his audience beyond his wildest dreams: Film director Ang Lee asked him to play on the sound track for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which went on to become an astounding success, winning four Academy Awards in 2011—for best foreign-language film, art direction, cinematography and, most importantly for Ma, best original score.

    “All the things I love about life outside music have to do with people, and playing the cello allows me to fulfill all those interests through music. – Yo-Yo Ma

    For more information on the April 8, 2018 concert and tickets, visit http://www.njpac.org/events/detail/yo-yo-ma-and-the-silk-road-ensemble

    Grammy Nominee Celtic Woman New Live Show, ‘Homecoming’

    Celtic Woman Singers/Performers (left to right) Violinist Tara McNeill,Éabha McMahon, Susan McFadden and Mairéad Carlin

    Celebrating Ireland’s rich musical and cultural heritage, Celtic Woman combines finest musical talent with epic stage productions to present a unique, inspiring live experience. From the debut, Celtic Woman has touched the hearts of a huge global audience.

    Now, with Homecoming, Celtic Woman brings the next chapter of an extraordinary musical journey. It’s a universal celebration of life. It’s traditional, it’s contemporary. It’s yesterday, today and tomorrow.

    Both an accomplished recording ensemble and a world-class performing collective, Celtic Woman celebrates Ireland’s rich musical and cultural heritage, while continuing its remarkable 12-year-legacy of introducing some of Ireland’s most talented singers and musicians onto the world stage.

    Celtic Woman featuring the angelic voices of Susan McFadden, Mairéad Carlin, Éabha McMahon and the breathtaking Celtic violinist Tara McNeill, accompanied by a full ensemble of musicians and dancers — will embark on a four month tour.  The 90-city trek will take Celtic Woman across the country before wrapping on June 17 in Rosemont, IL.

    About Celtic Woman

    Following its debut on PBS in 2005, Celtic Woman has achieved massive success encompassing twelve chart-topping albums, nine DVDs and nine public television specials leading to sales of over ten million albums, with platinum success in nine countries. Each of the twelve CDs—including 2016’s Voices of Angels—has reached #1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart. The group has been named Billboard Magazine’s #1 World Albums Artist six times.

    Celtic Woman received its first-ever Grammy-nomination in the World Music category for its 2016 release Destiny. As a touring powerhouse, the group enthralls audiences of all ages.

    For more information on the Saturday, March 24, 2018 concert at NJPAC and a complete tour schedule and ticket information, visit www.CelticWoman.com.

    Mike Marino: Make America Italian Again Tour With Special Guest Jon Bramnick, NJ’s Funniest Lawyer!

    Mike Marino
    Jon Bramnick

    Busy stand-up comedian Mike Marino – affectionately known to his fans as “New Jersey’s Bad Boy” – brings his hysterical and insightful take on the Italian-American experience to NJPAC with his new tour, Make America Italian Again!

    A native of Jersey City, Mike Marino’s material is largely inspired by his own life, from his Italian family roots to his edgy observations about everyday life. His riotous approach to stand-up has taken him from The Tonight Show to sitcoms (including appearances on hits like Frasier and Becker) to major comedy clubs, theaters and casinos from New York to Los Angeles, and around the world. He’s also been a highlight of Montreal’s Just for Laughs Comedy Festival for seven years in a row.

    In 2008, Marino was inducted into the New Jersey Comedy Hall of Fame, and in 2015 he was awarded the USO Bob Hope Comedy Award for his regular performances for the U.S. military. He currently appears on his own DDV Radio show, Live from My Mother’s Basement, and on a new web series, A Marino Moment in History Only on YouTube.

    Jon Bramnick holds the title “Funniest Lawyer in New Jersey” after winning contests sponsored by the bar association at Rascals Comedy Club. Jon Bramnick is the New Jersey Assembly Minority Leader. Assemblyman Bramnick was elected by his colleagues in January 2012 to serve as the Assembly Minority Leader, making him the highest-ranking member of the Republican Caucus in the Assembly.

    The performance takes place on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM.

    For more information on the 3 events or to buy tickets, visit www.njpac.org or the box office or call 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).

    For more information on the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), visit www.njpac.org or call 888.go. NJPAC (888.466.5722).

    (Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)

  • CONSULAR OUTREACH VERSUS CKGS LOOT

    CONSULAR OUTREACH VERSUS CKGS LOOT

    Will the Consulate General of India in New York stop fleecing of users of consular services? The Consulate General of India in New York, as elsewhere, under an initiative of External Affairs Ministry, crafted a plan, some 5 years ago, to deal with mounting complaints with regard to deficient Consular services being provided in Indian missions abroad. Organizations like GOPIO have over the years voiced the concerns of the vast non – resident Indian.

    Year after years, GOPIO and other smaller organizations continued to register complaints and offer suggestions and solutions at both the local Consulate level and at the level of the government of India. And, after years of coaxing and cajoling, government of India decided to come up with a community relations plan, under which, among other things, Indian consulates will reach out to Indian community abroad to provide Consular services. The service providers, (in this case, Cox & King Global Services), were made a part of the exercise.

    As part of the plan, a Consulate organizes, periodically, open house at different locations in its jurisdiction to listen to grievances of community and take care of their needs with regard to consular services they may need. At times, the consulates organized seminars, too, with a view to educating the community about the latest government of India policies with regard to a number of issues, including travel rules and requirements, and laws which concerned them which included property laws. Another role the outreach program played was building bridges through the community, with the American administration. The Consular Outreach program hasbeen helpful in bringing down the decibel level of the outcry of the community, but problems persist. There are many. And a solution to them may not be possible straightaway. However, there is one which needs immediate attention and can be taken care of without government of India needing to make a law.

    While the Indian missions abroad are making all efforts to establish a rapport with the community through the outreach program and through opening their doors to community where all, without discrimination, are welcome, the service provider for New York Consulate CKGS has made community very unhappy.

    A couple of weeks ago, a reader of The Indian Panorama called to complain that she was trying to contact CKGS helpline 888-585-5431 with a query about her husband’s passport and the automated service said she will be required to pay at the rate of $2.59 per minute of the call and that she should provide credit card details. She was taken aback that a service provider to the Consulate should be asking for fees to be paid for making an inquiry.

    We made a call on the number provided by the lady (888-585- 543)and found the complainant lady was reporting correctly. We spoke with the local Manager Raghu Duindi who pleaded his ignorance about the phone charge but said he would look in to it.We received two days later an email from a third party who referred to our conversation with CKGS manager on the subject, saying the call charge was a part of the contract. It was a surprise for us to have received this kind of explanation from a third party, unrelated to the issue. The explanation did not come from the CKGS, nor from the Indian Consulate in New York.

    We decided to refer the issue to the Consul General. We forwarded the email received from the third party to the Consul General on February 21. The CG was good enough to convey that he would look in to the complaint. On February 23, the CG informed us that the phone charge was valid under “the contract”. The question now is: why should a customer be asked to pay for seeking information from the service provider? Where is the concept of “service”? Is it ethical on the part of the CKGS to ask for a payment for answering queries of its customers, or the government of India to allow the call charge? It is simply “atrocious”, as a seniorcolleague from media put it, when we mentioned the issue to him. And, many members of the community we spoke to about the issue described the phone charge as “CKGS loot”. Will the Consulate General of India take necessary steps to stop this fleecing of users of consular services?

  • Weekly Horoscope March 26 – April 1, 2018

    Weekly Horoscope March 26 – April 1, 2018

     By Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla
    Contact no: +91 8141234275

    Aries: Ganesha says the period starts with a reality check. You realize that your plate is filled with activities and that you are in for a hard slog. You are also ambitious, and money is honey. While you are not the flamboyant type and don’t necessarily believe in ostentation, you know very well that money sponsors your dreams. They understand that work is important to you and they see the tangibles that money can buy. You like a happy home and want to get them whatever they desire.

    Taurus: The hard work continues. There is travel and collaborations and spectacular gains. You are smart, polite, diplomatic, shrewd and tactful, and your lives are normally packed with secret meetings, rendezvous, clandestine love affairs, journeys and experiences of all kinds which may startle the average person. You simply manage to outsmart the opposition and you do it so deftly that they may not even be aware of it.

    Gemini: The twin themes of progress and expansion continue. There will also be many distractions of the domestic kind; there may be health and money issues to straighten out in the family and, possibly, some altercations which need your sober and mature erudition to defuse. You continue with the momentum of the past period and make good progress too. There is no harm in apologizing if you have to; in fact, it makes you an even bigger person!

    Cancer: You are on the treadmill of life in almost all spheres; from work, to family to entertainment. Your self – belief and confidence are at a high and you have the magic touch; there is success in almost everything you do. You may also indulge in religious rituals and go on a pilgrimage. You feel that you are invincible and there is power, success, energy and enthusiasm pushing you forward. You carry Ganesha’s blessings wherever you go.

    Leo: You are filled with new ideas and your imagination runs riot. You also start thinking of the dark areas of life and get into unnecessary negativity and depression which you have to guard against. You think of unhappy moments in the past and fret about them. Please remember that the past is spilt milk and there is nothing that you can do about it. You know something is amiss but can’t put your finger on it.

    Virgo: You are straightening out and begin to see things more clearly. You realize your role in the larger scheme of things and understand your responsibilities clearly. If you have a family, there are duties towards them from which you cannot run away. There are also work pressures and you begin to understand and accept all this. This is a vital learning experience. Now your focus is clear and there is no stopping now. There is also money to be made and you see the writing on the wall.

    Libra: There is full of strenuous activity. You are fully involved in work and manage to make remarkable progress. All your inherent cunning comes into play while signing documents and entering new business deals which work out in your favor. You entertain lavishly and make many purchases for the home and office. You may also consider shifting into a larger, newer and brighter home, or may even shift into an upscale new office.

    Scorpio: You are racing away like a Formula 1 car. There is tremendous growth in all areas of activity, and some truly interesting and promising offers and opportunities will come your way. You are ambitious, energetic and ebullient and make the most of the situation. You grab everything that is offered and strike hard which is a good thing because fortune is now shining on you. Ganesha warns you to be careful and moor yourself till the tempest passes.

    Sagittarius: You continue on an upward swing and make steady progress. All that you embark on at this stage leads to success. There is also an expansive phase of emotions and sensitivity and you will react to the slightest affronts which are not really necessary. You are on the boil and steaming away from no apparent reason. There will be happiness with children, and there may also be an addition to the family.

    Capricorn: You spread yourself in many directions and use all the diplomacy and wisdom in your command to emerge trumps. You meet up with old acquaintances and they enjoy your soft, loving nature full of sympathy and empathy for the ills of the world. You bask in all the attention and just love it as you are a non – violent, non – confrontationist sort of person and would rather make friends than enemies. It suits you perfectly to sit on the fence in most matters and still worm your way through!

    Aquarius: This is a period in which you make carefully calculated progress. There are many work challenges that require your attention to the fine print. There is some entertainment thrown in but very little time for leisure as such. You count pennies and make wise investments and there will be a lot of buying and selling. If you gamble or speculate in the market, chances are that you make substantial profit. At least, it keeps you focused and occupied and distracts you from unwanted escapades.

    Pisces: Your career focus is steadfast, and nothing deters you from laughing all the way to the bank. You enjoy the sound of money and the blossoming bank statements. They fill you with security and joy and you get ambitious and greedy for more money and power. You make purchases for the family and there is happiness all around. Love continues to desert you, but you are not perturbed. Instead, you spend time with old associates and colleagues and let yourself loose in friendship, bonhomie and gaiety.

  • Religious freedom in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka: A Summary of Religious Freedom concerns in South Asia.

    Religious freedom in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka: A Summary of Religious Freedom concerns in South Asia.

    The South Asia working group’s initial report to the International Religious Freedom Round-table

    By Dr. Mike Ghouse
    “The many millennia old caste systems and the ‘unparalleled social abuse of untouchability (A.J. Toynbee)’ are based on religious doctrines of Brahminical Hinduism. Thus, caste-based violations of human rights in India are expressions of the utter lack of religious freedom.
    “In Pakistan, the Hindu population is steadily declining as a percentage of the overall population with forced conversions. Christians are targeted with blasphemy and apostasy laws.
     “In Bangladesh, Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya Muslims live in apprehension; the Atheist bloggers have been killed.  There is a deficiency of law and order.
    “In Sri Lanka, the ethnic violence continues between the Buddhists and Hindus and Buddhists and Muslims.

    There is a dire need to address the violations of religious and political freedoms in South Asia comprising the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

    A critical note – when a reference is made to the Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, India, Russia or others, it is not “all” people of that faith or country.  It is usually a small percent of disaffected people from among the majority who feel threatened about their future and their way of life.

    The Center for Pluralism offers a solution to counter that – We need to reassure each other in conflict, particularly those who may be troubled by the changing paradigms and demographics of the society that we are committed to safeguarding the way of life for everyone.  As Citizens of a given nation, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values of liberty and freedom enshrined in the Constitution. We acknowledge that not all constitutions have the element of freedom embedded in it – an example would be the rights of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan and rights of Arab Israelis.

    There are pending issues that are simmering and may boil over one day. We hope to understand these issues and do our share of reporting them to the International Religious Freedom Round Table, an informal group.

    This group will identify problems and offer recommendations and possible solutions, and they are;

    Monitoring to ensure the individual rights of people are protected.

    Facilitate democratic values and hoping for stable political and economic climate

    Secure our long-term interests of the safety of Americans and their investments

    Governor Sam Brownback, the newly appointed Ambassador for religious freedom, said in the inaugural reception.  The essence of which was -if you want a nation to have peace, give the people their freedom, but if you push them to the corner, their anger will morph into extremism, and everyone will lose in the end.

    Here is a summary; a detailed report is in the making and will be produced upon a request.

    There is no doubt a lot of good things are happening, but our focus is how to identify exceptional violations of human rights and religious freedom.

    India

    The commissioners of USCRIF have been the denied visa to India to investigate, among other things; Sikh Genocide, Massacre of Muslims in Gujarat, the plight of Hindu Pundits and the caster system that mistreats the Dalits who are shamefully called untouchables. Most of the Hindu American organizations have an affiliation with the ruling party in India; we need them to stand up for the religious rights of the people and work on getting the Visas to the commissioners for an honest evaluation of the situation.

    The policies of the government will lead to mass suicides by the farmers. The Farmers raise the cattle to sell and eke out a living.  Now, they are afraid to sell the cattle for fear of being killed by the vigilantes and the Government does nothing.  The Cows have gone astray and are eating the farmer’s crops and eating trash on the streets – the cows are treated with disrespect and left on their own, its gross violation of animal rights.

    In India currently, you do not have the freedom to eat, drink, wear or believe in the pursuit of your happiness.

    A Dalit groom rode a horse on his wedding Baraat (Procession) in the state of Uttar Pradesh last month; the upper caste Hindus could not stomach the “neech –i.e., the low caste untouchable” ride above them and they ended beat him up. Last week an Adivasi (Tribal) Girl was burnt alive. The upper caste Hindus feel entitled to the Dalit women for their pleasures.  It is an endless agony for the Dalits. They cannot even convert to other faiths to escape these attitudes due to enforced anti-conversion laws.

    Here is a report from the Dalit Leaders in India.

    “The many millennia old caste systems and the ‘unparalleled social abuse of untouchability (A.J. Toynbee)’ are based on religious doctrines of Brahminical Hinduism. Thus, caste-based violations of human rights in India are expressions of the utter lack of religious freedom.

    This perilous situation is aggravated by anti-conversion laws that have been passed in many states of India. Their purpose is to prevent Dalits from converting to other religions where they would not be considered untouchable’. https://www.loc.gov/law/help/anti-conversion-laws/india.php

    The inferior status that Hinduism accords to Dalits, in spite of the equalities guaranteed by the constitution of the country, reflects in severe social, economic, and educational inequalities.

    Dalits continue to suffer extreme prejudice and deprivation, apart from institutional harassment. Violence against Dalits – public shaming, beatings, rape, murder – is a daily occurrence. The law enforcement agencies, police and the judiciary, largely remain mute spectators, if not actively conniving in the violence.

    Statistics show that violence against Dalits has only increased in recent years. Religious freedom and equality thus remain a mirage for 200 million Dalits in India.”

    The Muslims are lynched and killed for doubt of possessing beef; fake encounters are common practice to trap the young Muslim boys; RSS (political Hindus in the guise of culture) set the bomb blasts in Mumbai and other places and blamed Muslims.  Muzaffarnagar and other riots were created to pit Hindus against Indians.

    Christian Nuns are raped; pastors are chased and beat up in the public. The Christians Churches are burned, and the couples are constantly harassed on Valentine’s Day and Christmas Day. The Dalits are forced to convert back to Hinduism.

    Justice to Sikhs is not done yet; mothers are still waiting for their unaccounted children from the Sikh Genocide of 84 where in three days, the extremists among Hindus butchered about 3000 Sikhs.

    Blatant discrimination births frustration leading to violent expressions, when that happens the foreign investors will pull out, who wants to invest in a place where their investments are not secure.  It’s happened in India in the mid-60’s, mid 70’s and it has happened in South Africa. The consequences do not bring goodwill.

    There is a significant crisis brewing in India, and the Supreme Court will render a judgment about the disputed land and authority to build or not build a Hindu temple, where a 500-year-old Muslim Mosque was razed to the ground.

    The Supreme Court of India would review the documents if that Mosque were built razing a temple.  The internationally famed Guru of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has sowed the seeds of discontentment.  Instead of suggesting the public to respect the Supreme Court’s decision, he has predicted civil war if the Court decides one way or the other. He has shown disrespect to the average Hindu and average Muslim who have demonstrated respect to the decisions of the Apex Court, several times in the recent past.

    We pray that the Modi government and the State Government will offer strong safety protections to the public at least for a few months after December 5, 2018, the new date of the verdict.

    Pakistan

    Harassment of all minorities continues unabated. Ahmadiyya Muslims are denied their right to call themselves Muslims. There are numerous billboards that proclaim that it is legitimate to kill Ahmadiyya. The Hindu population is steadily declining as a percentage of the overall population with forced conversions. Christians are targeted with blasphemy and apostasy laws; these are the fake encounters. The Apostasy and Blasphemy laws were created to appease the tyrant kings and have no basis in the religion of Islam, and both are tools of oppression.

    Bangladesh

    The Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya Muslims live in apprehension; the Atheist bloggers have been killed.  There is a deficiency of law and order.

    Sri Lanka

    The ethnic violence continues between the Buddhists and Hindus and Buddhists and Muslims. Sri Lanka’s president declared a state of emergency Tuesday amid fears that anti-Muslim attacks in several central hill towns could spread. The emergency announcement came after Buddhist mobs swept through the cities outside Kandy, burning at least 11 Muslim-owned shops and homes. The attacks followed reports that a group of Muslims had killed a Buddhist man. Police fired tear gas into the crowds, and later announced a curfew in the town. The government will “act sternly against groups that are inciting religious hatred,” Cabinet minister Rauff Hakeem said after a meeting with the president.

    Nepal

    It seems this nation is free from religious strife at this time, as it has undergone tumultuous political conflicts including a change in the form of Government from Monarchy to a democratic Republic.

    A full report is available upon request to Mike Ghouse.

     (The author is Chair, South Asia working group – IRF Roundtable. He can be reached at Mike@CenterforPluralism.com / Phone no. (214) 325-1916

  • March 23 New York & Dallas Print Editions

    March 23 New York & Dallas Print Editions

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    Print Replica ~ Digitally

    E-Editions

    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”New York Edition” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FTIP-March-23-NYC.pdf|||”][vc_single_image image=”91945″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TIP-March-23-NYC.pdf”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Dallas, Texas Edition” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FTIP-March-23-TX.pdf|||”][vc_single_image image=”91944″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TIP-March-23-TX.pdf”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”82828″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/advertising-media-kit-portal-indian-panorama/”][vc_single_image image=”82829″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/advertising-media-kit-portal-indian-panorama/”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][td_block_ad_box spot_id=”custom_ad_3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Lead Stories This Week” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2F|||”][td_block_5 limit=”8″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”td-default”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Expressing Life through Art: Portrait of an Artist

    Expressing Life through Art: Portrait of an Artist

    It is not luck but hard work for Artist & Designer Smrita Jain

    By Ashok Vyas
    Smrita, the artist has successfully carved a place for herself on the creative landscape of big apple. She is an NYC-based award winning designer at The Aqurio Group. She is internationally renowned artist at the Surmrit Gallery of Art and Design, which has its studios in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

    When you meet Smrita Jain, you can’t miss a sense of brightness and innocent curiosity in her eyes. She recognized her inner calling at early age and then courageously followed her passion. She wants to be recognized as a creative person. She lets her creativity flow from in various ways, be it painting, designing or writing or thinking, she wants to create something different.

    She wants to think uniquely and create with freedom to choose her medium of expression. She has experimented with colors as well as photography to offer something distinct and unique.

    Smrita, the artist has successfully carved a place for herself on the creative landscape of big apple. She is an NYC-based award winning designer at The Aqurio Group. She is internationally renowned artist at the Surmrit Gallery of Art and Design, which has its studios in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

    It was after high school in Delhi, her conservative, traditional family expected her to become a lawyer, but she decided against it and she had to fight to get into the creative field. She wanted to combine design and art, so right after her high school but she got into political science due to family pressure which didn’t feel right to her. She says, art spreads harmony but artists need to struggle for their expression and to protect their ability to be creative. She looks at it as a long process. Smrita doesn’t believe in blaming others, yet she realizes that her experience of failure and achievement both get expressed through her art.

    She combines design, painting, writing, digital photography as well as graphics for her creative work. Smrita is also a frequent speaker to various conferences. She has an independent creative way of expressing herself, it is more about focusing on what she wants to say as well as when and where she wants to say it, whether is it a book or a painting.

    She is respectful for her inner journey and at the same time, she pays special attention on curating her own art. This is visible in her exhibitions, she works with various artists, she is respectful of artist’s choice on how their art should be displayed.

    Smrita has sustained memories of her childhood games and found a creative, innovative way of translating some of these memories into contemporary art form.

    Colors
    Incredible India
    Royal Blue Butterfly

    The child hood game ‘Tippy Tippy Tap Tap’ gave her the inspiration to create paper origami art installation. This game is played to figure out one’s luck. As art matures, creativity starts overlapping with the search and expression of meaning of life. This meticulous hand-built art installation by Smrita is aimed at unwinding of the truth. Truth that success in life comes from hard work, not just wishful thinking.

    She has been through her own share of struggles and what she has achieved is built on hard work, not luck. Her message, success in life doesn’t depend on God’s wish or luck. She makes it clear through her talks and through her art installations that it is hard work that will take you to the destination of success. Smrita shares her view of life in these words, “Life is about each moment, every moment coming together in different colors, life is not about luck, it is about hard work.” She conveys the idea that life can be shaped differently through hard work. She was also the Keynote speaker at KADLondon 2017, her subject was ‘Global Status of Women and Girls’.

    Smrita is a design mentor for students. She has exhibited at Pratt Institute, Javits Center, Queens Museum, The Juliana Curran Terian Design Center Pavilion, The Arthur M. Berger Art Gallery and The Nehru Center London.

    It is not difficult to learn from her that she worked her way up gradually, she convinced her parents about her dream, she also worked hard for convincing her professors and colleagues. She appreciates competition for artists and acknowledges one needs to thrive in it.

    She also presented the ‘Tippy Tippy Top Top’ installation in the two day creativity conference at Nehru center, London organized by art division of high commission of India. Smrita found Honorary Mention at London International Creative for this installation.

    In Oct 2017, Smrita received 47th Creativity International Award Gold from India’s Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India for her work ‘Look Closer’. She worked on event advertising and posters for ‘Incredible India’, which is an international marketing campaign by Indian govt to promote tourism in India. The campaign was initiated to an audience of global appeal. Smrita picked the theme ‘Look Closer’. She wanted to portray Look Closer as mind-body-soul in the Indian context. These graphic campaigns revolved around inviting guests to visit India to learn the country from a deeper perspective and look at the details and intricacies that tell India’s unique story.

    She also got 54th American Graphic Design Award for this campaign.

    Creating Durga

    Creating Durga is Smrita’s first photography-based journal published by Surmrit Gallery of Art and Design. It depicts the history of one of the most important festivals in India, it is the life of artists behind making sculptures of mother Goddess that is brought alive through words and photographs, this book establishes her as cultural documentary photographer.

    Fat free Samosa

    Smrita is excited about her second book, titled ‘Fat Free Samosa’, this art book has autobiographical elements. She presents her life as an Indian living and surviving in New York City for over a decade. This book is an honest, humorous, witty and dramatic narration. She is candid and brings a fresh perspective to difficult and confusing moments of life. Smrita Jain was selected as People To Watch 2018 by GDUSA, as an individual who embodies the combination of art and design.

    (The author is President, Insight for Creativity. He can be reached at (insight4creativity@gmail.com)

     

     

  • Indian American Singer Sowparnika’s “Faces” to be released on April 6

    Indian American Singer Sowparnika’s “Faces” to be released on April 6

    Prakash M Swamy

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): Los Angeles based Indian-American singer Sowparnika Raghuram is all set for the release of her solo debut EP titled “Faces” being released worldwide on April 6 this year. She is the daughter of popular Tamil hero Karan also known as Master Raghu in South Indian movie circles.

    “Faces” is an eclectic display of everything that influences me musically. It was written to show and express every side of me through a wide array of music while bringing out my deepest thoughts and emotions into words, “she says.” A lot of these songs are about relationships, but in different situations, timelines and aspects of these relationships. The part that stands out is how these songs can apply to just about anyone in our lives – a friend, significant other, or even a family member.”

    Born in Chennai, Sowparnika began writing songs at the age of 15 as an artistic escape from the regularities of teenage life. Soon, her growing interest in songwriting and live performance pushed her to pursue her musical passion and follow her dreams to L.A.  Her songwriting comes from a very vulnerable place as she aims to speak from the heart and write songs that everyone can relate to.

    In 2013, she was accepted into the Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) to study under some of the industry’s finest including Dorian Holley, Kasia ‘KC’ Livingston, Tierney Sutton, and many more. Upon receiving an Associate of Arts Degree in 2015, she began performing around L.A. at popular venues such as The Viper Room, House of Blues, etc. and began playing around at street fairs, corporate events, and other musical ventures.

    Drawing from her experience of touring locally in India with worship leader Don Moen, she toured as a lead singer with the L.A. rock band ‘The World Over’ in 2017 around America. This helped her improve as a performer and find her love for it. In 2016, to broaden her musical knowledge, she decided to go back to LACM for a bachelor’s degree.

    Her voice is often branded as being unique due to her Indian timbre mixed with an American quality. Influenced by a wide array of musical styles and artists, she combines elements to find a sound of her own. She enjoys experimenting with different types of gear to add vocal effects to her sound both live and in the studio. The song order: I’ll Find Me, Seasons Change, Erased, Someday, No Memories and Without You

    The song I’LL FIND ME starts off as her doubting her abilities in songwriting but foreshadows a deeper quest as it progresses. The process of discovering her own challenges through the words she writes, through the words she uses to empower herself. It is about the struggles a lot of us face in how harshly we judge ourselves, how we question ourselves unnecessarily and fail to meet our full potential because of it. The journey is reflected in the structure of the song itself as it progresses from a simple folk song into a powerful anthem about finding oneself.

    The SEASONS CHANGE is sharing a life with someone we love can be one of the most beautiful experiences in living our lives. But when the relationship ends unexpectedly, finding closure is one of the hardest things as you begin to wonder where it went wrong. This song expresses the pain of losing someone as you try to understand the transition from them being your everything to some random face in a crowd.

    ERASED: Being the shortest track on the record, ‘Erased’ stands out for its progressive story line about figuring out that exact moment your relationship fell apart. It’s that instant when you try to wrap your head around the good moments; the moment that you never saw coming, when they tell you it’s over; the moment they leave you for someone else; just that moment you wish you could just numb your heart and erase all the pain.

    SOMEDAY is a song that I’m sure most of us can relate to. We often part ways with people in the heat of the moment over things that don’t really matter. When we look back at these moments we often wonder if it was worth losing a friend over it. ‘Someday’ talks about that hope that you can both take it all back, get over it and understand what happened because you care for each other. With an upbeat intro and a loungy vibe, the song brings forth this concept in a light-hearted fashion.

    No Memories goes through the process of letting go of the emotions you felt for someone after it’s been a few years. Losing someone is one of the hardest things we go through, whether it be a friend, lover or a family member. With a moody electronic vibe, every beat wishes to leave behind the little things that still sting and remind you of the moments you shared together.

    With a very simple concept, ‘Without you’ is a fun, upbeat take on all the toxic relationships we manage to get out of!! It rejoices how much freedom you really get when you cut out the people who just aren’t right for you.