The Indian Panorama

Tag: Texas

  • Obama nominates Indian- American to key post

    Obama nominates Indian- American to key post

    WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh to a key administration post. Singh has been nominated as the member of the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Obama made the announcement on Thursday along with several other key posts including Matthew H Tueller, who has been nominated as the US ambassador to Yemen. “I am honoured that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come,” Obama said.

    A founding board member for Indian American Leadership Incubator (IALI), Singh currently is executive director of the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth, a position she has held since December 2013. Singh is also the global director of Government Social Programs in MasterCard’s Public Private Partnerships group, a position she has held since February 2013. From 2011 to 2013, she was Senior Advisor to MSLGROUP. Previously, she served as vicepresident of Government and Public Affairs at Nike, Inc from 2010 to 2011. Prior to that, Singh served as COO for Global Community Development at Citigroup, Inc. from 2005 to 2010. From 2004 to 2005, she was a deputy director for America Votes while in 2003, she served as a senior adviser to US house democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and in 2002 was the deputy campaign manager for the Ron Kirk for US Senate campaign. Singh was executive director for the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 1999 to 2001.

    She was Congressional Liaison for the Office of Congressional Affairs at the Department of Labour from 1998 to 1999, Senior Legislative Advocate for the Service Employees International Union from 1995 to 1998, and Campaign Associate for the Ann Richards for Governor Committee from 1993 to 1994. She is a young global leader with the World Economic Forum and a Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Institute. She received her Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Public Administration from the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

  • TANVI SHINDE-The Teen Talent

    TANVI SHINDE-The Teen Talent

    It was the great American poet, Robert Frost who once wrote the now famous lines: “Woods are lovely, dark and deep; But I have promises to keep; And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep”. Tanvi seems to be keeping those lines of Frost in her mind. Not content with a number of trophies and awards she has won, she told The Indian Panorama, in an interview, recently, “I want to continue on my journey with pageants because I believe that this is just the beginning; I still have a lot more to achieve in my life.

    I want to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts and become an astonishing creative director.” Look at all the honors she has got. Miss Teen India DFW 2012; Miss Popular 2012; Miss Teen South Asia Texas 2012; Miss Photogenic Miss Teen India USA 2012; Second runner up Miss Teen India USA 2012; Miss Over-All Photogenic winner 2013; Miss Talented Miss India USA 2013. As a child she wasn’t really aware of pageants, she had never even thought of being in one. But as a child she was involved in dancing and art. Her passion for dance and art began at a very young age. Her creativity comes from her dad’s side of the family.

    The Shinde family consists of great singers, artist and dancers. And this is what influenced her to become such a creative person overall. Tanvi’s father, Raj Shinde, is an accomplished creative director in advertising and mother is a teacher. Both played a key role in shaping their daughter’s ambition. However, it appears her father had a greater influence on her. She told The Indian Panorama, “In order to realize and achieve the goal I paid close attention to my father’s work since he himself is a phenomenal creative director. With his guidance and the company of my mom and her support I was able to experience and get more knowledge in the commercial field by acting in a few commercials and doing voice-overs.

    I made sure I was open-minded and ready to learn new things at every moment of my life.” In reply to a question as to what career she would like to adopt, she took no time to answer, “As far as career is concerned, I’ve always wanted to become a creative director and open up my own advertising agency. Along with that I also want to pursue modeling and acting.” When I congratulated her on her being one of the top 5 finalists in Miss India USA Pageant, she smiled, looked at her father and then said in a matter of fact style, “Success doesn’t come to you; you have to work hard for it.

    Nothing is impossible; if you can dream it you can achieve it. Be real, be yourself, be unique, be true, be honest, be humble and most of all is to be happy.” I asked her about the pageant- when and where it was held, how many participated etc. I love to quote her. “Several young women participated in the 32nd annual Miss India USA pageant which was hosted by IFC. It was held in New Jersey on November 23rd at Royal Albert’s Palace. Being the winner of the 2012 Miss Teen India DFW, I was a teen participant from Dallas, Texas. I represented Texas.


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    Tanvi Shinde (left)is crowned Miss Teen India USA

    I won the Miss Talented Miss India USA 2013 title in the 2013 Miss India USA pageant.” Visibly excited to recall the pageant, she continued, “The rounds that were included in the 2013 Miss India USA pageant were an Intro dance, Talent round, Indian Wear along with a self-introduction, Evening Wear, Top 5, and crowning. I was one of the top 5 finalists. She said, “I’ve always competed with the teens but this was my very first time competing with the miss girls, it was definitely a unique experience also a lot more challenging! Along with that I got to meet new people and make new friends.

    It also taught me several new things and increased my knowledge about the world of pageants. I would say that the 2013 Miss India USA pageant has impacted my life tremendously; it has brought great opportunities to me. It has given me a chance to help my community and be successful in my career. I couldn’t have gotten this far without my parents, and all of my family and friends; I would like to thank everyone with all my heart”. Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra India raised, and in Dallas, Texas USA, Tanvi is, to say the least, extremely talented. Imagine a young girl of 18 having command over such diverse aspects of talent.


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  • GURU GOBIND SINGH A Great Proponent of Religious Diversity

    GURU GOBIND SINGH A Great Proponent of Religious Diversity

    25 million Sikhs all over the world celebrated January 5 to 7, the birth anniversary of their Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh who created Khalsa in 1699.

    On this January 7, day of his birthday, we are reminded of Guru Gobind Singh, a great messiah and a fearless Asian leader. He changed the course of history in many ways and his life is a telling story of an invaluable legacy. The prophet lived at a time (1666-1708) when religious fanaticism in South Asia was at its height. It was endlessly posing a grave threat to the human spirit of freedom and liberty. Acceptance of pluralism and multicultural life was in peril.

    Those with faith practices different from those of misguided rulers were persecuted and the religious places of one religion were replaced with those of others. Guru’s great-grand-father, father, four sons and countless followers were put to death by the powers. It was a dark, grim and ominous period in human history. The innate human desire for individual expression and diversity of belief was severely curtailed. From his childhood Gobind took the ways of interfaith promotion and broke the social barriers to its practices. Contrary to established practices of initiating a child by the faith of his forefathers, a renowned Muslim saint, Syed Bhikhan Shah, was given this honor.

    The saint was inspired by Divine Light to make his way to the Guru’s birth place, Patna in East India. He was sent there to bless the day-old Gobind, and to pronounce him divine messiah of the time. Throughout his life, Guru Gobind Singh worked tirelessly to restore society’s confidence in the time-tested human values of unity in diversity, freedom of faith practices, justice and compassion. He challenged the ruling and dominant powers with perseverance and determination. With equal might he challenged the wide-spread religious bigotry of self-appointed contractors of heavens.

    The Guru’s defiance of political and antagonistic cultural onslaughts extracted a heavy price. His both parents and four sons faced martyrdom right in front of his eyes. However, his commitment and resolve didn’t weaken despite enormous hardships. He founded and led an army of those committed to serve the divine mission, and be partisans of truth and freedom in the unholy strife. To spread his message of a perfect egalitarian society based on one-ness of God that celebrates diversity in all of its myriad forms, he said:

    As out of a single fire arise millions of spark; but all of them merge back into the same fire. As out of same dust arise millions of dust particles; but all of them merge back into the same dust. As out of a single ocean arise millions of waves; but all of them merge into the same water. So from God’s form, emerge all creation, animate and inanimate; and all of them are in equilibrium with the same Creator.

    Guru Gobind Singh believed that the differences among humans in terms of color, appearance and ethnicity were due to God’s creative process; all human beings had a moral responsibility to cherish and preserve this sacred creativity. He emphasized the unity of human spirit despite many apparent distinctions. He said:

    All human being are one and the same, although there is a deception of differences.

    Guru Gobind Singh was a champion of human rights. He advocated freedom of culture, religion and thought for every individual. He explained that the differences in our outward appearance, clothes, customs and practices are attributed to the choices that only we make:

    Many are gods or demon, or celestial musicians. There are heavenly tribes and the learned people or the artists. They may be seen as people of different religions as Muslims (citizens of Islamic nations) or Hindus (natives of Indian subcontinent). They all look and act differently, but their apparent differences are due only to the influences from their countries and cultures, or in the clothes they wear.

    We can thus appreciate that selfrighteousness which comes from dividing the world into us and them had no place in Guru Gobind Singh’s vision. His sacrifices made a great difference and diversity was preserved throughout Indian sub-continent. Santokh Singh, a great historian of India rightly observed.

    Were Guru Gobind Singh not there at the critical junction of South Asian history, there would have been all uniformity; the diversity would have taken wings. In favor of one religion, the others would have been destroyed and their holy places smashed. Sin would have replaced the virtues.

    The worldview of Guru Gobind Singh is all inclusive. Indeed, Guru Gobind Singh’s ideal of appreciation for diversity as a pivotal feature of all human activity is also an American ideal. We must never forget to defend it. On this day of Guru’s coming, we take pride in its celebration.

    (The author is an authority on Sikhism. He is Emeritus Professor and Chairman, Dept of Pharmacology & Neuroscience U. North Texas Health Science Center He can be reached at 817- 446-8757 and Japji8@yahoo.com)

  • Texas woman admits to sending ricin to Obama & Bloomberg

    Texas woman admits to sending ricin to Obama & Bloomberg

    DALLAS (TIP): A Texas woman and former actress Shannon Guess Richardson pleaded guilty Tuesday, December 10 to sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, under a deal that her attorney has said would cap prison time at 18 years. Richardson entered her plea in federal court in Texarkana, Texas, to a federal charge of possessing and producing a biological toxin. Richardson was arrested in June after authorities said she tried to implicate her ex-husband, Nathan Richardson, after he had filed for divorce.

    Prosecutors say Shannon Richardson mailed three letters from New Boston, outside Texarkana, then went to police and claimed that her husband had done it. The letter to Obama, according to a federal indictment, said: “What’s in this letter is nothing compared to what ive got in store for you mr president.” Prosecutors say investigators noted inconsistencies in Richardson’s statements and later learned that she had purchased materials online to produce ricin, a toxin that can cause respiratory failure if inhaled. Richardson, 35, has had minor roles in the television series The Walking Dead and the movie The Blind Side. She also is the mother of six children – including one child born prematurely while she was in custody this year.

    Her attorney, Tonda Curry, said last month that she and prosecutors agreed to a deal capping Richardson’s sentence at 18 years. Prosecutors say Richardson faces life in prison for the charge to which she pleaded guilty. A federal judge ultimately will sentence Richardson at a later sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. “Shannon is anxious to admit her role in ordering the components to make the ricin, her role in the letters that contained the ricin, and to tell the government who else was involved in those offenses,” Curry said. Curry did not say more about Richardson’s possible motives or whom she might name.

  • American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin Honors 4 at 2013 Fall Meeting

    American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin Honors 4 at 2013 Fall Meeting

    DALLAS (TIP): American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO), at its Fall meeting December 4, honored Greg Behar, President and CEO of Boehringer lngelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Joseph M. Chalil, Associate Director, Health Science Executives, Boehringer Ingelheim USA, and Dr. Dinender K. Singla, a graduate of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India for their achievements in the field of Cardiology.

    In addition, AACIO Young Investors Award was given to Dr. Ganesh Athappan and the Dr. Madhukar Deshmukh awards were given to Dr. Forum Kamdar and Dr. Manavjot Siddhu. AACIO awards the Dr. Krishna Ramaswamy and two Dr. Madhukar Deshmukh Young Investigator Awards at the AACIO dinner meetings held each year during the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association annual convention in March and November. The finalists presented their abstract at the meeting and each received $1000.00 award and a plaque The Fall 2013 annual event, organized by AACIO in coordination with Texas Indo- American Physicians Society (TIPS), North East Chapter and American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin was held at the Dallas Convention Center Theater Complex in Dallas, TX on November 17th, and was attended by over 200 physicians from around the nation.

    Dr. Navin Nanda, the Founding President and Chairman of the AACIO Board of Directors, while lauding honorees for their contributions and achievements, said, “AACIO is proud to honor some of the stalwarts of the pharmaceutical industry like Greg Behar and Chris Kaplan as well as some of the upcoming personalities like Jo Chalil. They have made significant contributions to medical therapeutics in the area of cardiology.” Dr. Nanda is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, Senior Scientist, Minority Health and Research Center and UAB Center for Aging, and UAB Comprehensive Cardiovascular Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, President Elect, who had represented AAPI at the event, congratulated AACIO for its consistent good work, both in the academic and the applied fields, and reaching out successfully to American Heart Association, and working in tandem with them in many spheres.

    He had special praise for the three Scholarship Awards that are given out each year to young aspiring medical students for poster sessions and in investigative sectors. “We at the national AAPI are proud of these activities,” he said. Dr. Jahagirdar, who will assume charge as the president of the national AAPI in June next year, pledged AAPI’s continued support in the future. In his inaugural address, Dr. Kul Aggarwal, president of AACIO, and Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Missouri and Chief, Cardiology Section, Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, stated that AACIO provides a central forum for physicians and scientists of Indian origin, living in the United States, who have interest in Cardiovascular Medicine. “Indian Cardiologists are playing an increasingly important role in the provision of Cardiovascular services and also as academic thought leaders in the United States. We are proud of our colleagues.

    AACIO is your organization and joining it adds strength to all of us,” he said. The American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (aacio.org) was formed in 1986 and after crossing puberty, the organization has reached the excited stage of youth after nineteen years. A Symposium, which was part of the meeting was organized by Drs. Navin C. Nanda and Kul Aggarwal. In his insightful presentation on “Newer anticoagulants in the management of a trial fibrillation and stroke prevention” Dr. Sanjeev Saksena, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Rutgers-RWJ Medical School Medical Director, Piscataway, New Jersey, Electrophysiology Research Foundation, Warren, New Jersey & Editor-in- Chief, Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology, provided an overview of modern trends. Dr. Amit Khera, Associate Professor, Director, Preventive Cardiology Program, Program Director, Cardiology Fellowship and Dallas Heart Ball Chair in Hypertension and Heart Disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas, addressed the audience on “Emerging therapies in dyslipidemia management, beyond statins.” Dr. Nanda educated the audience on “Choice of anti-platelet therapy in acute coronary syndromes.”

    With more than 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Greg’s experience includes leadership roles in marketing, sales, business operations and general management. Greg joined Boehringer lngelheim in 2009 as Corporate Vice President of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Franchise. That same year he became Vice President, Corporate Division Prescription Medicine, leading 14 countries including Northern Europe, Canada and Australia. Prior to Boehringer lngelheim, Greg worked at Novartis Pharma AG in roles of increasing responsibility in Spain and at global headquarters in Switzerland. Another honoree, Dr. Singla has received numerous honors and awards, and has been invited to give talks throughout the world. He also served as a chair/co-chair for scientific meetings, and well published in various peer reviewed journals. He is funded by the National Institute of Health and the American Heart Association grant awards since 2004.

    He has served as an editorial board member for different journals, and is the current Academic Editor for Plos one and Associate Editor for Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. Srinivas Reddy Gunukula serves on the Board of Directors of The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano and Director of Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Care at the Heart Hospital McKinnney Campus. He is well known among the Cardiology community in Dallas. Dr. Joseph M. Chalil is a Fellow of American College of Healthcare Executives and is Board Certified in Healthcare Management. He serves as Co-Chair, AAPI Industry Physician Committee and Scientific Advisor, AAPI Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Stroke Network. Dr. Chalil holds three US Patents involving usage of sensors inside Human Body in addition to other applications. His research background includes Clinical Trial Management in Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Myeloma, and publications in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The Asian American Business Development Center, NY has awarded Dr. Chalil the 2013 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award. He is a Visiting Professor at various Universities and serves on various company Boards. He is an expert in US Healthcare policy and a strong advocate for patient centered care.

  • Chamber of Commerce backs Cornyn in primary

    Chamber of Commerce backs Cornyn in primary

    DALLAS (TIP): “Senator Cornyn is a conservative champion for the American free enterprise system. He has a proven record on issues important to the business community and has received a 90 percent lifetime voting record with the U.S. Chamber,” U.S. Chamber National Poltiical Director Rob Engstrom said in a statement. “The Chamber is proud to stand with him.”

    The endorsement is the latest example of establishment conservative and business groups stepping up for Republicans facing right-wing challenges. The Chamber has also endorsed Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a close friend of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) who is facing a Tea Party challenge. Other groups, including former Rep. Steve LaTourette’s Main Street Alliance, have promised to spend heavily for centrist candidates. Stockman, who surprised many with his decision on Monday, December 9 to run against Cornyn, has not yet received the same support from national conservative groups.

    The deep-pocketed Club for Growth, the biggest player on the right, said on Tuesday, December 10 it wouldn’t get involved in the race. Meanwhile, FreedomWorks and the Senate Conservatives Fund have been critical of Cornyn and haven’t ruled out involvement in the contest. Cornyn has nearly $7 million cash on hand for the race, while Stockman has just over $30,000 – and $160,000 in campaign debt. Just to be clear: Nobody in Texas thinks Stockman has a snowball’s chance of winning against Cornyn, and they’re probably right. “This is going to be an irritant,” says Matt Mackowiak, an Austinbased Republican strategist. “But it’s only an irritant.”

  • A Two-Year Deal on Spending Reached: Conservative Republicans not happy

    A Two-Year Deal on Spending Reached: Conservative Republicans not happy

    WASHINGTON (TIP): A compromise federal budget plan that would remove the threat of a government shutdown for two years won easy approval Thursday, December 12, from the Republicancontrolled U.S. House. The deal worked out by House Budget Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray passed on a 332-94 vote and now goes to the Democratic-led Senate, which is expected to approve it next week in a very close vote. It represented rare convergence between the two parties on government spending after two years of bitter debate and political brinksmanship that included the 16-day shutdown in October. President Barack Obama hailed the agreement as a sign of rare bipartisan cooperation in the strife-filled US legislature.

    “It’s a good sign that Democrats and Republicans in Congress were able to come together and break the cycle of shortsighted, crisis-driven decision-making to get this done,” the president said shortly after the deal was announced. The agreement’s main brokers, Democratic Senator Patty Murry and House Republican Paul Ryan, said it sets the new annual budget caps for 2014 and 2015 at just over $1 trillion — slightly higher than current levels — and at least partially repeals the automatic, widely loathed budget cuts known as “sequestration.” “I see this agreement as a step in the right direction,” Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee and chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters, noting that the deal does not raise taxes on Americans. “We have broken through the gridlock and reached a bipartisan budget compromise that will prevent a government shutdown in January,” added Murray, the Senate’s top budget chief, who said she and Ryan set aside their political differences to reach a compromise over weeks of negotiations.

    “We agree that our country needs some certainty and we need to show that we can work together,” she added. House Speaker John Boehner acknowledged the measure amounted to only a small step toward the GOP goal of deficit reduction and balancing the budget, but he rejected opposition by some conservatives in his caucus as well as outside groups on the political right. “Is it perfect? Does it go far enough? No, not at all,” Boehner said in urging his colleagues to back the plan, noting it resulted from “doing what the American people expect us to do — coming together and finding common ground.” Ryan noted that Washington politicians have “been at each other’s throats for a long time” over budget issues, and Republicans must first win some elections in order to get all the deficit reduction and spending cuts they want. Democrats also hailed the budget proposal as a “small positive step forward,” in the words of Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.

    He and other Democrats called for Congress to also extend long-term unemployment benefits for more than 1 million Americans set to expire after Christmas, but their support for the budget plan showed they dropped any demand to link the issues in Thursday’s vote. In the House vote, 169 Republicans voted for the spending plan while 62 opposed it, with 163 Democrats in favor and 32 against. While most Republicans supported the plan, Boehner needed help from Democrats to get the 217-vote threshold needed for passage. Top GOP Senate aides said they expect the budget to pass the Senate but it could be by a razor thin margin. This could also change if momentum against the bill grows. GOP conservatives including Ted Cruz of Texas, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said they will oppose the measure, which would need some Republican support for Democrats to overcome an expected filibuster.

  • Let us Know Texas – The State

    Let us Know Texas – The State

    Texas, the second most populous (after California) and the second -largest state (after Alaska) in the United States of America, has had a checkered history which all residents need to know. A state of immigrants, the state has made tremendous progress in the last few decades, and is growing. The Indian Panorama readers will get to know the state of Texas from a series of articles that will appear each week. – EDITOR

    Texas is the second most populous (after California) and the secondlargest of the 50 states (after Alaska) in the United States of America, and the largest state in the 48 contiguous United States. Geographically located in the South Central part of the country, Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihunahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and borders the U.S. states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2) and a growing population of 26.1 million residents. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas- Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin-the state capital.

    Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state’s struggle for independence from Mexico. The “Lone Star” can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today. The origin of the state name, Texas, is from the word, “Tejas”, which means ‘friends’ in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes that resemble both the American South and Southwest. Although Texas is popularly associated with the Southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of the land area is desert. Most of the population centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend. The term “six flags over Texas”, as can be seen in the Grand Prairie-based large national and international amusement park operator Six Flags, came from the several nations that had ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas. France held a shortlived colony in Texas.

    Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. The state’s annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican-American War in 1846. A slave state, Texas declared its secession from the United States in early 1861, joining the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. After the war and its restoration to the Union, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The state’s economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century. As of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.

    History
    Texas lies between two major cultural spheres of Pre-Columbian North America: the Southwestern and the Plains areas. Archaeologists have found that three major indigenous cultures lived in this territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first European contact. These were: ● the Pueblo from the upper Rio Grande region, centered west of Texas; ● the Mississippian culture, also known as Mound Builder, which extended along the Mississippi River Valley east of Texas; and ● the civilizations of Mesoamerica, centered south of Texas. Influence of Teotihuacan in northern Mexico peaked around AD 500 and declined over the 8th to 10th centuries. No culture was dominant in the presentday Texas region, and many peoples inhabited the area. Native American tribes that lived inside the boundaries of presentday Texas include the Alabama, Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Choctaw, Coushatta,Hasinai, Jumano, Karankawa, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Tonkawa, and Wichita.

    The name Texas derives from táysha?, a word in the Caddoan language of the Hasinai, which means “friends” or “allies”. Whether a Native American tribe was friendly or warlike was critical to the fates of European explorers and settlers in that land. Friendly tribes taught newcomers how to grow indigenous crops, prepare foods, and hunt wild game. Warlike tribes made life difficult and dangerous for Europeans through their attacks and resistance to the newcomers.[ The first historical document related to Texas was a map of the Gulf Coast, created in 1519 by Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda. Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his cohort became the first Europeans in what is now Texas. Cabeza de Vaca reported that in 1528, when the Spanish landed in the area, “half the natives died from a disease of the bowels and blamed us.” Francisco Vasquez de Coronado describes his 1541 encounter with “Two kinds of people travel around these plains with the cows; one is called Querechos and the others Teyas; they are very well built, and painted, and are enemies of each other. They have no other settlement or location than comes from traveling around with the cows.

    They kill all of these they wish, and tan the hides, with which they clothe themselves and make their tents, and they eat the flesh, sometimes even raw, and they also even drink the blood when thirsty. The tents they make are like field tents, and they set them up over some poles they have made for this purpose, which come together and are tied at the top, and when they go from one place to another they carry them on some dogs they have, of which they have many, and they load them with the tents and poles and other things, for the country is so level, as I said, that they can make use of these, because they carry the poles dragging along on the ground. The sun is what they worship most.” European powers ignored the area until accidentally settling there in 1685. Miscalculations by René Robert Cavelier de La Salle resulted in his establishing the colony of Fort Saint Louis at Matagorda Bay rather than along the Mississippi River. The colony lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives. In 1690 Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed competitive threat, constructed several missions in East Texas. After Native American resistance, the Spanish missionaries returned to Mexico. When France began settling Louisiana, mostly in the southern part of the state, in 1716 Spanish authorities responded by founding a new series of missions in East Texas.

    Two years later, they created San Antonio as the first Spanish civilian settlement in the area. Hostile native tribes and distance from nearby Spanish colonies discouraged settlers from moving to the area. It was one of New Spain’s least populated provinces. In 1749, the Spanish peace treaty with the Lipan Apache angered many tribes, including the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai. The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785 and later helped to defeat the Lipan Apache and Karankawa tribes. With more numerous missions being established, priests led a peaceful conversion of most tribes. By the end of the 18th century only a few nomadic tribes had not converted to Christianity. When the United States purchased Louisiana from France in 1803, American authorities insisted that the agreement also included Texas. The boundary between New Spain and the United States was finally set at the Sabine River in 1819, at what is now the border between Texas and Louisiana. Eager for new land, many United States settlers refused to recognize the agreement. Several filibusters raised armies to invade the area west of the Sabine River.

    In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence included the Texas territory, which became part of Mexico. Due to its low population, Mexico made the area part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas. Hoping that more settlers would reduce the near-constant Comanche raids, Mexican Texas liberalized its immigration policies to permit immigrants from outside Mexico and Spain. Under the Mexican immigration system, large swathes of land were allotted to empresarios, who recruited settlers from the United States, Europe, and the Mexican interior. The first grant, to Moses Austin, was passed to his son Stephen F. Austin after his death. Austin’s settlers, the Old Three Hundred, made places along the Brazos River in 1822. Twenty-three other empresarios brought settlers to the state, the majority of whom were from the United States. The population of Texas grew rapidly. In 1825, Texas had a population of approximately 3,500, with most

  • Family with Charitable Disposition launches Food Foundation

    Family with Charitable Disposition launches Food Foundation

    DALLAS, TX (TIP): Sunil, Sharmila, Chris and Puja Dharod have launched the Dharod Food Foundation. They kicked off their foundation during Diwali by feeding 1,350 people in North Texas and a total of 2,000 people in the state. The Dharod family also owns 68 Applebee’s restaurants in Texas.

  • The Dallas-Fort Worth economy has outperformed the Texas economy so far this year: Dallas Fed

    The Dallas-Fort Worth economy has outperformed the Texas economy so far this year: Dallas Fed

    DALLAS (TIP): The North Texas economy has grown at “moderately strong pace” this year through October and is outperforming the state, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Dallas-Fort Worth Economic Indicators provides a variety of economic data and analysis about the region. The Dallas Fed said it will release the report on the third Thursday of each month. Dallas Fed spokesman Alexander Johnson said the new report is in keeping with the bank’s role in monitoring the regional economy, conducting regional research “vital to the nation’s monetary policy process” and releasing information for public use.

    “We felt we needed to enhance our monitoring of the Dallas-Fort Worth economy because of its growing importance to our region,” he added. Here are some highlights of the report: * EMPLOYMENT: Dallas-Fort Worth employment has grown 2.9 percent, faster that the Texas growth rate of 2.4 percent. Job growth continues to be across many different industry groups, but led by: construction and oil and gas, professional and business services; and financial services. * UNEMPLOYMENT: The October unemployment rate was 6 percent in Fort Worth and 6.1 percent in Dallas. Both were lower than the Texas rate of 6.2 percent and the U.S. rate of 7.3 percent that month.

    * HOME PRICES: Home prices continue to rise as inventories fall. In October, the median price of a home in Dallas was $196,004 and $136,380 in Fort Worth. Dallas-Fort Worth prices surpassed their 2007 peak in April and were up an annualized 10.2 percent as of August, according to the S&P Case-Shiller index. The average U.S. home price is rising at a faster pace – as some hard-hit states catch up – but remains below the pre-recession peak. * INDUSTRIAL AVAILABILITY: Industrial real estate availability rates fell to 10.1 in Fort Worth and 12.7 in Dallas in the second quarter as distribution and logistics companies have increased the demand for space.

    Rental rates have been increasing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is a major trade and distribution hub. * BUSINESS CYCLE INDEX: The Dallas and Fort Worth indices each rose at a 5 percent pace, slightly slower than a year earlier but faster than the state. The indices include employment, the unemployment rate, inflation-adjusted real wages and inflation-adjusted retail sales.

  • New York City’s ‘Holi Hai’ to launch in Dallas, Washington DC

    New York City’s ‘Holi Hai’ to launch in Dallas, Washington DC

    Pooja Premchandran DALLAS, TX(TIP): The upcoming Holi of 2014 will have the vibrant and highly popular event ‘Holi Hai’ from New York City, extend their festivities in Dallas, Texas andWashingtonD.C. Megha Kalia, Founder and Artistic Director of NYC Bhangra confirmed to The Indian Panorama of its planned ventures. Started by Kalia from her two bedroom apartment in Queens, today the event is the largest celebration of the festival of colors in New York City. As a non-ticketed event, NYC Holi also boasts of the largest number of non-Indian attendees. The journey has been a multitude of colors for her. “Blue, black, red, white! I have faced it all in my journey so far. But it is all totally worth the painstaking effort when I see the celebrants face light up with joy at the event every year.” As part of extending her venture, Megha Kalia has closed in on Dallas and WashingtonDC. With the popularity the event was gaining, it was a natural move for her to push beyond the boundaries and even look far west.


    6
    colors of Holi

    “I did extensive research and spoke to innumerable people regarding celebrations of Holi as well as promotion of Bhangra in the rest of the country. Only a few engaged and promoted Bhangra to its audience. The dance form of Bhangra is vibrant, fun and colourful, all of which are synonymous to Holi. And I wanted people from these cities to experience the same fun that New York has been having since the past 5 years during Holi, “says Kalia. Besides playing Holi the traditional way (throwing colour at each other), NYC Bhangra’s Holi celebrations also provide a platform to emerging artists (in dance and music) to exhibit their talent to residents of New York City. But the event isn’t fulfilled without the must-have dose of Bhangra. Says Kalia, “Since 2010, we have continued to engage our audiences into Bhangra which is in line with our mission. Naturally, at an environment like that of Holi, Bhangra just goes hand in hand.” Megha sincerely hopes for the same extent of support she received in New York to follow her to DC and Dallas.

    “In the last few year of the event in NYC, we have received inexpressible amount of support from our sponsors such as State Bank of India, Incredible India, Time Warner Cable, Sony TV, Zee TV, etc. We look for similar support and encouragement from DC and Dallas. In terms of our expansion, we sincerely hope to see these cities welcome Bhangra and celebrate Holi with much gusto and spirit as is a must for Holi,” says Kalia. NYC Bhangra is New York City’s group of Bhangra enthusiasts who are engaging people in the Bhangra joy and creating more awareness of the dance through dance showcases and performances. NYC Bhangra was established in 2007 to promote Indian dance forms in New York City. Sponsors can reach NYC Bhangra atinfo@nycbhangra.com or 212-372-8001. Watch this space for more information on the venue and dates of the event.

  • 544th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji

    544th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji

    Sikhs Take Out an Impressive Parade to Celebrate

    RICHARDSON, TX (TIP): November 16 appeared to be a bad weather day. But the threatening clouds relented. It was the Grace of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, to celebrate whose 544th birth anniversary his followers were gathered at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Richardson, to take out an impressive parade that the seemingly hostile weather turned out to be quite friendly. A sea of humanity could be seen at the parade the Sikh community of the Dallas Fort Worth area took out in Richardson. The parade was taken out to celebrate the 544th birth anniversary of a great saint,philosopher and a social reformer who had followers from all major religions of his times. Prior to the parade being taken out, prayers were offered in the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Richardson.

    After the formal prayers and the kirtan darbar, the Gurdwara management and some guests addressed the congregation. These guests represented various institutions and organizations. Mike Ghouse of Inter Faith Community and an eminent scholar on Sikhism, Dr. Harbans Lal spoke on the life and philosophy of Shri Guru Nanank Dev Ji. Dr. Lal also spoke about Guru Nanak’s relevance to the modern world. Ghouse callled Guru Nanak Dev Ji a man of all climes and ages. Dr. Lal said Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s message is universal and it needs to be followed to bring peace and happiness to the world.

    On this occasion, a few officials were recognized for their services to community. They included Sergeant Kirby Luke of McKinney Police Department, Sergeant Brian Alcorn of Richardson Police Department, Laura Maczka, Mayor of Richardson, Beth Van Duyne, Mayor of City of Irving, Reatha Forte of Justice Department, and Gregory W Rushin, Police Chief of City of Plano. In their address to the congregation, they greeted the Sikhs on the auspicious and happy occasion of the birth anniversary of their First Master. Describing the Sikh community as hard working and honest, they lauded the role of the community in the growth of America.

    The Secretary of the Gurdwara Bhai Surinder Singh Gill who conducted the stage, reminded, from time to time, that Guru Nanak was an apostle of love, liberty and peace, the values that the American nation holds so dear. The United Sikhs representative Bhai Gurvinderjit Singh praised the American administration for providing adequate security for Sikhs in the wake of the attack on Sikhs in a Gurdwara at Oak Creeks. He described the courageous Police Officer Brian Murphy as a great soldier who placed his life in the line of duty and took bullets on himself to save so many lives of innocent Sikhs trapped in the Gurdwara.

    A plaque to honor Lt. Brian Murphy and a check to express community’s gratitude, were handed over to the local law enforcement officers. Bhai Surinder Singh Gill appreciated the local administration for their cooperation in organizing the Parade. He also thanked the cultural organizations- Hansda Punjab and Punjabi Cultural Association of North Texas (PCANT) for their participation and cooperation. Prayers in the Gurdwara Sahib over, the Parade moved on, led by Panj Piaras (Five Beloveds). The Living Master of the Sikhs, Shri Guru Granth Sahib (The Sikh Holy Scripture) was carried in a flower bedecked float that followed the Panj Piaras.


    26

  • Texas students to host ‘Catch an Illegal Immigrant’ game

    Texas students to host ‘Catch an Illegal Immigrant’ game

    AUSTIN, TX (TIP): A conservative student group announced Monday they will play a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game” this week on the University of Texas at Austin, drawing condemnation from Democrats and a threat of expulsion from campus officials, a report in USA Today says.

    The Young Conservatives of Texas have planned the game for Wednesday. Club members will wander the campus wearing signs that say “illegal immigrant,” and students who capture them and take them to the Young Conservatives’ recruiting table will get $25 gift certificates. “The purpose of this event is to spark a campus-wide discussion about the issue of illegal immigration, and how it affects our everyday lives,” a statement posted by the group’s spokesman, Lorenzo Garcia.

    The Texas Democratic Party pounced on the posting, condemning the game and pointing out that Garcia recently was a paid staffer with Republican Greg Abbott’s gubernatorial campaign. The Democratic party has been pushing Abbott to state his position on a Texas law that allows children brought into the country illegally by their parents to receive in-state tuition, legislation called the Texas DREAM Act. “While Abbott has said he doesn’t support the DREAM Act as it is, he refuses to say what he would change and if he supports it at all,” state Democratic chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said.

    “He must come out and immediately denounce Wednesday’s event. This style of hatred and fear is not the type of leadership Texas deserves.” Abbott’s Press Secretary, Avdiel Huerta, said the “campaign has no affiliation with this repugnant effort.” Many top Republican candidates have promised to repeal the Texas DREAM Act. Students affected by the law frequently stage protests on the Austin campus demanding changes to federal immigration law.

    Gregory Vincent, the university’s vice president for diversity, said students who participate in the game Wednesday would be exercising their freedom of speech “to the detriment of others.” “The YCT is contributing to an environment of exclusion and disrespect among our students, faculty and staff by sending the message that certain students do not belong on our campus,” Vincent said in a statement. “If the members of YCT carry out their plan … they are willfully ignoring the honor code and contributing to the degradation of our campus culture.” Students found guilty of violating the honor code could face expulsion.

  • Supreme Court refuses to block Texas abortion law

    Supreme Court refuses to block Texas abortion law

    DALLAS (TIP): A sharply divided Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 19 allowed Texas to continue enforcing abortion restrictions that opponents say have led more than a third of the state’s clinics to stop providing abortions. The justices voted 5-4 to leave in effect a provision requiring doctors who perform abortions in clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

    The court’s conservative majority refused the plea of Planned Parenthood and several Texas abortion clinics to overturn a preliminary federal appeals court ruling that allowed the provision to take effect. The four liberal justices dissented. The case remains on appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. That court is expected to hear arguments in January, and the law will remain in effect at least until then. Justice Stephen Breyer, writing for the liberal justices, said he expects the issue to return to the Supreme Court once the appeals court issues its final ruling.

    The Texas Legislature approved the requirement for admitting privileges in July. In late October, days before the provision was to take effect, a trial judge blocked it, saying it probably is unconstitutional because it puts a “substantial obstacle” in front of a woman wanting an abortion. But a three-judge appellate panel moved quickly to overrule the judge. The appeals court said the law was in line with Supreme Court rulings that have allowed for abortion restrictions so long as they do not impose an “undue burden” on a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion. Writing for the appeals court, Judge Priscilla Owen noted that the Texas law would not end the procedure, only force women to drive a greater distance to obtain one.

    Justice Antonin Scalia, writing in support of the high court order Tuesday, said the clinics could not overcome a heavy legal burden against overruling the appeals court. The justices may not do so “unless that court clearly and demonstrably erred,” Scalia said in an opinion that was joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy did not write separately or join any opinion Tuesday, but because it takes five votes to overturn the appellate ruling, it is clear that they voted with their conservative colleagues. Planned Parenthood and several Texas abortion clinics said in their lawsuit to stop the measure that it would force more than a third of clinics in the state to stop providing abortions.

    After the appeals court allowed the law to take effect, the groups said that their prediction had come to pass. In their plea to the Supreme Court, they said that “in just the few short days since the injunction was lifted, over one-third of the facilities providing abortions in Texas have been forced to stop providing that care and others have been forced to drastically reduce the number of patients to whom they are able to provide care. Already, appointments are being canceled and women seeking abortions are being turned away.” Breyer said the better course would have been to block the admitting privileges requirement at least until the court issued its final ruling because some women will be unable to obtain abortions.

    If courts ultimately find the law is invalid, “the harms to the individual women whose rights it restricts while it remains in effect will be permanent,” he said. Tennessee and Utah are the other states enforcing their laws on admitting privileges. Similar laws are under temporary court injunctions in Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In Texas, 12 abortion providers say they have attempted to obtain hospital privileges for their doctors, but so far none of the hospitals have responded to the requests. That means those clinics can no longer offer abortions, leaving at most 20 facilities open in a state of 26 million people. All of those facilities are in metropolitan areas, with none in the Rio Grande Valley along the border with Mexico. Currently, only six out of 32 abortions clinics in Texas qualify as ambulatory surgical centers, and some have doctors who do not meet the admitting privileges requirement. Texas women undergo an average of 80,000 abortions a year.

  • Texas town evacuated after gas pipeline blast

    Texas town evacuated after gas pipeline blast

    CHICAGO (TIP): A Texas town was evacuated November 14 after a gas pipeline operated by Chevron exploded, but there were no injuries.

    Huge plumes of smoke and massive flames rose up from the Milford blast site in an otherwise empty field, according to images posted by local media. “At 9:30 this morning, I had a report of an explosion on a Chevron pipeline,” said Jo Ann Livingston, a spokeswoman for the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office. “Chevron requested that the town of Milford be evacuated, and it was.”

    Around 200 school children were among those evacuated, Livingston told AFP. They were taken to a nearby high school.

    “I’m not aware of any injuries to people in town,” Livingston said. The town of 700 people is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Dallas.

    A crew was performing “excavation activities” when the natural gas line ruptured, Chevron said in a statement. The five workers were able to escape without injury before the site was engulfed in flames.

    “Chevron is continuing to depressurize the West Texas LPG pipeline that ruptured and subsequently ignited today,” it said in an update.

    “The fire continues to decrease in size as residual product is flared and burned off,” Chevron said, adding that it was monitoring an adjacent gas pipeline.

    Workers have set a 1.5-mile evacuation zone at the site, and the local Red Cross has been mobilized to help assist the people affected by the incident.

    “Our priority continues to be the safety and wellbeing of the community, our employees and responders,” Chevron said.

  • WHAT HUMANITY OWES GURU NANAK

    WHAT HUMANITY OWES GURU NANAK

    When Guru Nanak came to this world in the 15th century, many paths to enlightenment were devoid of divinity. They were mostly distorted towards unholy goals of exploiters of people. Religious practices were concocted routinely and thrust on people by mutually supportive interests that had designed to conceal tricks to fool innocent people. The religious institutions used beauty shows in religious practices that were intended to attract innocent minds. They invented deities, stories, idols, recitations, and rituals that supported each other.

    They asked people to erect stunning buildings to house God and promised accessibility to Gods at precise time and places through expense of wealth, time, and intellect. Altruism was perverted so that it only benefited clerics, clergy, and their masters Many other tricks were implemented to speed institutional agenda. Miracles were invented to convert human behaviors. The religious myths were invented to answer real questions and then safe-guarded their myths by un-testable threats and promises. Religious institutions of the time built cults of external marks and wrappings to encourage murders and wars against those who did not tow the line or who were members of competing religions.

    They asked to invest massive amount of money, time, and energy in ritualistic illusions. They were sold on beliefs such as, converting others or serving clergy would guarantee heavens no one has ever seen. Above all, horrific fear were employed to ensure compliance. Guru Nanak came out of the famous Veeni River meditation with fervent zeal to spread what he said was inspiration from Almighty. He then taught that human life was a result of the millions of years’ history and experience from numerous life cycles of birth and death. This history manifested in human mind and body as the primitive and corrupted instincts all inherited from plant and animal life. Upon birth into the human form they were reinforced by illusions created by selfserving materialistic cultures on one hand and the clergy promoting ethnic religiosity on the other.

    Thus, mislead human life endured pains and sufferings, but at the same time experienced longing for salvation. Guru Nanak taught that suffering comes from enslavement of five inner evils. Conquering over those evils with the sword of knowledge and seeking of enlightenment with contemplation of Divine brings freedom from suffering, and will lead to achievement of the timeless bliss. Guru Nanak claimed that there was no religion that God would patronize. Each disciple of spirituality may seek guidance from the Guru and work out his/her own practice to calm down the mind and insure suitable paths of salvation. Guru Nanak preached the institution of spirituality in earthly practices, all leading to a life of sharing the possessions with others, being thankful, and seeking the Divinity in life practices.

    He felicitated experience of Divinity at every moment and in every act. His teachings inculcated cleansing acts to purify the heart. In Guru Nanak’s religion, the company of enlightened minds in the service of humanity will facilitate the journey to salvation. No deities, mythical stories, hidden powers, or other beauty tricks of organized religions would be desired for spiritual attainments. (The author is Emeritus Professor and Chairman, Department of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, the University of North Texas Health Science Center, and recipient of Doctor of Literature (honoris causa) from Guru Nanak Dev University. His writings on Sikh subjects appear regularly in books on Sikh issues and Sikh journals. He lives in Arlington, Texas)

  • SATGURU NANAK PRAGATYA, MITI DHUND JAG CHANAN HOA

    SATGURU NANAK PRAGATYA, MITI DHUND JAG CHANAN HOA

    GURU NANAK’S TEACHINGS AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO MODERN WORLD

    The Sikhs across the world would be joined by Hindus, Muslims and others in celebrating the 545th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the fountainhead of Sikhism, Sunday, November 17. The tradition of celebrating the anniversary of the Gurus or the spiritual teachers is called Gurpurb (celebration of the teacher). There are ten Gurus in Sikh faith and their holy book is called the Guru Granth Sahib. Granth Sahib is a compilation of entire teachings of the Gurus and a few saints and remains a perpetual guidance for the Sikhs.

    As a pluralist who has done over 25 hours of Radio Talk shows and two workshops on Sikhism as a part of “Understanding the wisdom of Religion, all the beautiful religions” my goal was to share the essence of each faith and their relevance to the common man on the street who is not related to that particular religion. Let me begin with the recognition of how Guru Nanak’s teaching has produced an exemplary model of dealing with conflicts today. On August 5, 2012, a gunman Wade Michael Page walked into the SikhTemple in Oak CreekWisconsin, and opened the fire killing 6 people causing tremendous panic and apprehension.

    This is an accumulation of many smaller incidents beginning with the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Phoenix, Arizona, and many incidents later, the humiliation of Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh Professor in New York and harassment of Mr. Jagjeet Singh, a truck driver by a Judge in Mississippi. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mikeghouse/ harassment-of-sikhs-inne_ b_3997899.html How did the Sikhs respond to the harassment and the violence? They followed the teachings of Guru Nanak by responding to the Wisconsin massacre with forgiveness, patience, forbearance, and kindness, it was the right thing to do when tragedy befalls a community.

    They set a new benchmark in America. Instead of expressing anger, threatening to sue the authorities, or demonstrating their apprehensions, the Sikhs across America chose the most powerful tools of all: Prayer and forgiveness. Indeed it resonates with the teachings of Jesus, Prophet Muhammad and other great masters, and recently Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and Martin Luther King’s march in Selma. It disarms the oppressor and the message of goodness gets conveyed. Every Gurdwara in America held candle light vigils and speeches focused on forgiveness and goodwill – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNxrf8fFU0 I The selfless service to mankind known as Seva is central to the teaching of Sikhism. There is no thought of reward or gains, it pure service to fellow beings.

    The Sikh community must be appreciated by one and all, and were indeed appreciated at the Unity Day USA for setting the standards of dealing with conflicts. Indeed, it is our duty to “honor and cherish individuals “who have dedicated their lives to building bridges among Americans. Their pioneering spirit in facilitating communities to know each other and to respect each other is appreciated by the people of Dallas/ Fort Worth. On this day, we appreciate and celebrate their contributions towards building a cohesive America, where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. Guru Nanakji’s birthday has a special significance to me, indeed, the religion we called Sikhism today, started out as an interfaith movement, where Guru Nanak primarily brought people from different religions together and taught common sense goodness, and serving humanity and caring for the neighbors. Today,

    I wrote my weekly piece at Dallas Morning News on Pluralism, I was asked what verse from Quran I would recommend to those who serve in public office. The verse I recommend reminded me of the Sikh Brother, Bhai Kanhaiya’s story from the battle of Anandpur Sahib in 1704. Quran, 5:8 (Asad translation): “O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious.

    And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do.” Indeed, the word hatred has multiple meanings in this case – bias to color, race, appearance, deport and other temperamental proclivities that are destructive to everyone. Indeed Bhai Kanhaiya took it further to include enemy soldiers. Martin Luther King Jr., said, “Injustice to one is injustice to all” – thank you Bhai Kanhaiya for setting the new standard of inclusion and caring. Here is a dialogue between Bhai Kanhaiya and Guru Gobind Singh; the 10th Guru of Sikhism who put the final touches to the religion, this story is narrated by many sources including Wikipedia. Guru Gobind Singh summoned Bhai Kanhaiya and explained that he had received a complaint about his actions on the battlefield. Guruji,

    “These brave Sikhs are saying that you go and feed water to the enemy and they recover to fight them again – Is this true?” Bhai Kanhaiya, “Yes,my Guru, what they say is true. But Maharaj, I saw no Mughal or Sikh on the battlefield. I only saw human beings. And, Guru Ji, they all have the same God’s Spirit? – Guru Ji, have you not taught us to treat all God’s people as the same?” Guru Ji said, “Bhai Kanhaiya Ji, You are right. You have understood the true message of Gurbani (compositions of Sikh Gurus) “.

    He then continued and told the Sikhs that Bhai Kanhaiya had understood the deeper message of the Gurus’ teachings correctly and that they all have to strive to learn lessons from the priceless words of Gurbani. Guru also gave Bhai Kanhaiya Ji medical Balm and said “From now on, you should also put this balm on the wounds of all who need it”‘ Then turning to the sangat Guru Ji said, Saadh sangat Ji, Bhai Kanhaiya is a Godfearing saintly soul. His impartial and nonbiased behavior towards others has led him to achieve Sehaj-avastha. Let him carry on with his mission. Many more will follow in his footsteps in the years to come and keep the tradition of Nishkam Sewa alive.”

    Guruji was committed to peace and harmony

    I hope on this auspicious occasion of Gurpurb, the Sikhs can make a genuine effort to pay tribute to the spirit of Guru Nanak Devji and remove the misunderstandings that erupted from a wrong translation of Quran that happened 350 years ago during the reign of Aurangzeb, and has rightfully etched in the psyche of Sikhs. In an article in Huffington Post about Kentucky Senator David William’s bigotry I wrote, “No one has a right to belittle other’s faiths.

    If Senator Williams has a problem let it be his problem and no one should malign Christianity for his bigotry.” Likewise, King Aurangzeb’s bigotry should not be slapped on to Muslims. I have nothing to do with it, nor does any Muslim today has anything to do with him. One single mistranslation of a verse from Quran has created a great misunderstanding between Muslims and Sikhs since the times of Aurangzeb, and has lasted till this day. Sadly there was a lot of bloodshed during the partition of India that has deepened the ill-will among a few Muslims and a few Sikhs.

    It is time to forgive for our own sake, as it will release the tension and apprehension within us and deal with each other as free individuals. I was a speaker on “reading the scriptures” at the Parliament of world’s religions in Melbourne, Australia and discovered this longest running ill-will between Sikhs and Muslims with Dr. Avatar Dhaliwal of Tennessee. I hope, to honor Guru Nanak, we can put this behind through a serious dialogue. I am willing to invest my time for the sake of common good and peace between people of different faiths.We cannot have walls between us by the men who are no more.

    Sikhism was one of the first formal religions that began as a reconciliatory goodwill nurturing faith and let’s give the full value to it and work together. May the Noor (divine light) of Guru Nanankji brighten the world today and for eternity. Amen! The DFW Sikh Community invites you, our friends, neighbors and all members of the community, to join us in the celebration of the 544th coming of the founder of the Sikh Faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. His ideals of peace, harmony, egalitarianism, social justice, living in the presence of the One Creator and with dignity and honesty are the fundamentals we strive for everyday.

    This celebration will include the 1st parade in the City of Richardson. When: Saturday, November 16, 2013 from 10:00 AM – 2 PM. Where: Gurdwara Singh Sabha of North Texas in Richardson. Langar will be served. This is the Sikh institution of the community kitchen and as with any and all Sikh events it will include a complimentary vegetarian meal, sweets, refreshments and drinks.

     

     

  • GURU NANAK’S TEACHINGS AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO MODERN WORLD

    GURU NANAK’S TEACHINGS AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO MODERN WORLD

    The Sikhs across the world would be joined by Hindus, Muslims and others in celebrating the 545th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the fountainhead of Sikhism, Sunday, November 17. The tradition of celebrating the anniversary of the Gurus or the spiritual teachers is called Gurpurb (celebration of the teacher). There are ten Gurus in Sikh faith and their holy book is called the Guru Granth Sahib. Granth Sahib is a compilation of entire teachings of the Gurus and a few saints and remains a perpetual guidance for the Sikhs. As a pluralist who has done over 25 hours of Radio Talk shows and two workshops on Sikhism as a part of “Understanding the wisdom of Religion, all the beautiful religions” my goal was to share the essence of each faith and their relevance to the common man on the street who is not related to that particular religion. Let me begin with the recognition of how Guru Nanak’s teaching has produced an exemplary model of dealing with conflicts today. On August 5, 2012, a gunman Wade Michael Page walked into the SikhTemple in Oak CreekWisconsin, and opened the fire killing 6 people causing tremendous panic and apprehension. This is an accumulation of many smaller incidents beginning with the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Phoenix, Arizona, and many incidents later, the humiliation of Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh Professor in New York and harassment of Mr. Jagjeet Singh, a truck driver by a Judge in Mississippi. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mikeghouse/ harassment-of-sikhs-inne_ b_3997899.html How did the Sikhs respond to the harassment and the violence?

    They followed the teachings of Guru Nanak by responding to the Wisconsin massacre with forgiveness, patience, forbearance, and kindness, it was the right thing to do when tragedy befalls a community. They set a new benchmark in America. Instead of expressing anger, threatening to sue the authorities, or demonstrating their apprehensions, the Sikhs across America chose the most powerful tools of all: Prayer and forgiveness. Indeed it resonates with the teachings of Jesus, Prophet Muhammad and other great masters, and recently Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and Martin Luther King’s march in Selma. It disarms the oppressor and the message of goodness gets conveyed. Every Gurdwara in America held candle light vigils and speeches focused on forgiveness and goodwill – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNxrf8fFU0 I The selfless service to mankind known as Seva is central to the teaching of Sikhism. There is no thought of reward or gains, it pure service to fellow beings. The Sikh community must be appreciated by one and all, and were indeed appreciated at the Unity Day USA for setting the standards of dealing with conflicts. Indeed, it is our duty to “honor and cherish individuals “who have dedicated their lives to building bridges among Americans. Their pioneering spirit in facilitating communities to know each other and to respect each other is appreciated by the people of Dallas/ Fort Worth. On this day, we appreciate and celebrate their contributions towards building a cohesive America, where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. Guru Nanakji’s birthday has a special significance to me, indeed, the religion we called Sikhism today, started out as an interfaith movement, where Guru Nanak primarily brought people from different religions together and taught common sense goodness, and serving humanity and caring for the neighbors.

    Today, I wrote my weekly piece at Dallas Morning News on Pluralism, I was asked what verse from Quran I would recommend to those who serve in public office. The verse I recommend reminded me of the Sikh Brother, Bhai Kanhaiya’s story from the battle of Anandpur Sahib in 1704. Quran, 5:8 (Asad translation): “O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do.” Indeed, the word hatred has multiple meanings in this case – bias to color, race, appearance, deport and other temperamental proclivities that are destructive to everyone. Indeed Bhai Kanhaiya took it further to include enemy soldiers. Martin Luther King Jr., said, “Injustice to one is injustice to all” – thank you Bhai Kanhaiya for setting the new standard of inclusion and caring. Here is a dialogue between Bhai Kanhaiya and Guru Gobind Singh; the 10th Guru of Sikhism who put the final touches to the religion, this story is narrated by many sources including Wikipedia. Guru Gobind Singh summoned Bhai Kanhaiya and explained that he had received a complaint about his actions on the battlefield.

    Guruji, “These brave Sikhs are saying that you go and feed water to the enemy and they recover to fight them again – Is this true?” Bhai Kanhaiya, “Yes,my Guru, what they say is true. But Maharaj, I saw no Mughal or Sikh on the battlefield. I only saw human beings. And, Guru Ji, they all have the same God’s Spirit? – Guru Ji, have you not taught us to treat all God’s people as the same?” Guru Ji said, “Bhai Kanhaiya Ji, You are right. You have understood the true message of Gurbani (compositions of Sikh Gurus) “. He then continued and told the Sikhs that Bhai Kanhaiya had understood the deeper message of the Gurus’ teachings correctly and that they all have to strive to learn lessons from the priceless words of Gurbani. Guru also gave Bhai Kanhaiya Ji medical Balm and said “From now on, you should also put this balm on the wounds of all who need it”‘ Then turning to the sangat Guru Ji said, Saadh sangat Ji, Bhai Kanhaiya is a Godfearing saintly soul. His impartial and nonbiased behavior towards others has led him to achieve Sehaj-avastha. Let him carry on with his mission. Many more will follow in his footsteps in the years to come and keep the tradition of Nishkam Sewa alive.”

    Guruji was committed to peace and harmony
    I hope on this auspicious occasion of Gurpurb, the Sikhs can make a genuine effort to pay tribute to the spirit of Guru Nanak Devji and remove the misunderstandings that erupted from a wrong translation of Quran that happened 350 years ago during the reign of Aurangzeb, and has rightfully etched in the psyche of Sikhs. In an article in Huffington Post about Kentucky Senator David William’s bigotry I wrote, “No one has a right to belittle other’s faiths. If Senator Williams has a problem let it be his problem and no one should malign Christianity for his bigotry.” Likewise, King Aurangzeb’s bigotry should not be slapped on to Muslims. I have nothing to do with it, nor does any Muslim today has anything to do with him. One single mistranslation of a verse from Quran has created a great misunderstanding between Muslims and Sikhs since the times of Aurangzeb, and has lasted till this day. Sadly there was a lot of bloodshed during the partition of India that has deepened the ill-will among a few Muslims and a few Sikhs. It is time to forgive for our own sake, as it will release the tension and apprehension within us and deal with each other as free individuals. I was a speaker on “reading the scriptures” at the Parliament of world’s religions in Melbourne, Australia and discovered this longest running ill-will between Sikhs and Muslims with Dr. Avatar Dhaliwal of Tennessee.

    I hope, to honor Guru Nanak, we can put this behind through a serious dialogue. I am willing to invest my time for the sake of common good and peace between people of different faiths.We cannot have walls between us by the men who are no more. Sikhism was one of the first formal religions that began as a reconciliatory goodwill nurturing faith and let’s give the full value to it and work together. May the Noor (divine light) of Guru Nanankji brighten the world today and for eternity. Amen! The DFW Sikh Community invites you, our friends, neighbors and all members of the community, to join us in the celebration of the 544th coming of the founder of the Sikh Faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. His ideals of peace, harmony, egalitarianism, social justice, living in the presence of the One Creator and with dignity and honesty are the fundamentals we strive for everyday. This celebration will include the 1st parade in the City of Richardson. When: Saturday, November 16, 2013 from 10:00 AM – 2 PM. Where: Gurdwara Singh Sabha of North Texas in Richardson. Langar will be served. This is the Sikh institution of the community kitchen and as with any and all Sikh events it will include a complimentary vegetarian meal, sweets, refreshments and drinks.

  • International Conference confers the title ‘Gyani’ on Max Arthur Macauliffe

    International Conference confers the title ‘Gyani’ on Max Arthur Macauliffe

    MONTREAL (TIP): An International conference was held in MontrealSept 20- 22, 2013to formulate methodology for interpreting hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib. The conference was dedicated to the Max Arthur Macauliffe Centennial. Scholars from Canada, USA and UK made presentations to highlight the inadequacies of the available translations of the Sikh scripture on Sept 20-22, 2013. They discussed the criteria that must be met when interpreting the scripture of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. In his Keynote Address Dr. Devinder Singh Chahal quoted Max Arthur Macauliffe who first time pointed out the lack of understanding of the universal message of the Guru. Macauliffe was the first to serve as the gateway to promote Sikh teachings to the West. Dr. Avtar Singh Dhaliwal from North Carolina, USA stressed “Explicative Methodology for Interpreting Gurbani”. Dr. Kulbir S Thind, from California, USA titled his presentation as “Some Pitfalls of Translation of Aad Guru Granth Sahib into English”. Prof. Davinder Singh Chahal, from Laval, Quebec, Canada discussed “Application of Science and Logic in Interpreting Gurbani”.


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    Max Arthur Macauliffe, born in Ireland is best known as English translator of the Sikh scriptures and historian of early Sikhism. The International Conference on interpreting Gurbani held in September, 2013 in Montreal was dedicated to the Max Arthur Macauliffe Centennial.

    Dr. Harbans Lal, from Texas, USA stressed that translations must always be consistent with Gurmat doctrines. Using many illustrations he stressed that the Guru’s hymns use metaphors to make their meanings relevant to all cultures and all times. Dr. Lal dedicated his paper to the Macauliffe Centennial. Devinder Singh Sekhon, from Brampton, Canada illustrated examples of incorrect splitting of Larivar (continuous text) caused errors in the interpretation of Gurbani. There were other presentations such as “Exploration of Gender Equality in Sikhism” by Lovpreet Kaur from Wolverhampton University, UK; “Amrit Bani as a Trajectory of a Distinct Identity” by Charan Singh of Ashwa, Canada. Prof. P.S. Bhandari, Montreal, Canada presented a slide show depicting of photos the Guru Granth celebrations in Montreal. The conference was organized by the Institute for Understanding Sikhism (IUS) and supported by local Gurdwara. It started with informal discussion at a dinner on September 20 and ended with a roundtable discussion on September 22, 2013.

    The conference unanimously passed two resolutions.
    1. It was resolved that ‘Formulation of Methodology for Interpreting Gurbani’ by world class scholars is urgently needed. The resolution was moved by Dr. Kulbir Singh Thind, San Mateo, USA and seconded by Dr. Teja Singh, Brampton, Ontario, Canada and approved unanimously by the attendees with voice vote.
    2. It was unanimously passed to bestow the honorific title of GYANI upon Max Arthur Macauliffe for his contributions to Sikhi (Sikhism) and introducing Sikhism to the English speaking people of the West. He will now be known as Gyani Max Arthur Macauliffe. The resolution was moved by Dr. Harpal Singh Buttar of Ottawa, Canada and seconded by Dr Teja Singh of Brampton, Ontario, Canada and was passed unanimously.

  • Dallas Indian American Couple Donates $ 12 Million to University of Dallas

    Dallas Indian American Couple Donates $ 12 Million to University of Dallas

    DALLAS (TIP): Dallas based Indian American entrepreneurs Satish and Yasmin Gupta have made a $ 12 million donation to University of Dallas. The gift, the single largest in the 57 year old history of the University, will fund construction of a building that will house the Satish and Yasmin Gupta College of Business. The announcement of donation was made October 24, by the University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe in the presence of the donors, their relations and friends, faculty and students. Both, Satish and his wife Yasmin, are graduates of University’s MBA Program. Speaking on the occasion, Satish Gupta said, “The University of Dallas inspired not only our careers, but our lives, and we hope this new college of business will inspire business students who come to the University of Dallas from all over the world.” He said,” It is very important that we give back to the community. This creates balance in life.”


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    Yasmin Gupta, who shares with her husband a similar vision said, “Our dream is for the College of Business to become global meeting ground for diversity and understanding among all cultures. We hope it empowers students to become leaders who go forth into the world and build stronger communities”. In conversation with The Indian Panorama, Yasmin Gupta recalled that some three years ago when Satish was invited as a keynote speaker for a Commencement they found that the BusinessSchool had not changed much in 30 years. It was then that Satish and she decided to do their bit for the School of Business from where they had graduated. University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe, in appreciation of the generous donors said, “The Guptas set a tremendous example for our business students both in the drive and ingenuity they personify as entrepreneurs, and in their commitment to philanthropy and social responsibility.” President Keefe said University of Dallas believed in giving quality and personalized education. We have personalized relationship with our students. We treat them as individuals. The gift from Satish and Yasmin will help the University in further achieving the aim of providing quality and personalized education.

    Robert F. Scherer, Dean & Professor of Management, in his comment to The Indian Panorama said the donation from Guptas will help the College of Business in many ways. The building that will come up with the donation will not only provide a marked visibility, as it will be located on the highest point in Dallas County, it will allow for practice based and problem based approach to be followed. It will allow the students and faculty to interact in a better environment. The building will facilitate holding of meetings, seminars and contribute to better interaction among students, faculty, businesses and community. He described Guptas as role models who will be inspiring a whole lot of people. The gathering at the announcement was very appreciative of the Guptas for making a generous contribution. The Indian Panorama spoke with some of them after the brief ceremonial announcement of the gift by President Keefe and Satish and Yasmin Gupta and found they had great admiration for the two for repaying the institution where they had studied some 30 years ago. Some said it will inspire others to come forward and pay back to the community. The gathering lustily cheered Guptas when President Keefe announced the donation. Remarks by Satish and Yasmin also received the gathering’s applause. The new building, SB Hall, will be a 50,000-square foot, three storey structure atop the highest point in the UD campus from where Downtown will be clearly visible. According to information provided by Chat Ganesh, Vice President Business Development, SB International, Inc. and a close associate of Satish Gupta, the building is expected to be completed by the end of July 2015 and should be ready for the Fall 2015 Semester opening. Satish and Yasmin Gupta are philanthropists and civic leaders besides being business executives.

    The two serve Dallas/Fort Worth through various organizations related to cultural organization and outreach, including the Gupta Agarwal Charitable Foundation of which Satish Gupta is the Founder. They also support the Primary Care Clinic of North Texas and Greater Dallas Arya Samaj Cancer Clinic, a system of non-profit healthcare facilities providing medical care to local uninsured adults. Perhaps the most popular Indian American cultural event in Dallas is the Diwali Mela organized by Dallas Fort Worth Indian Cultural Society founded by Satish Gupta. Every year, in October/November, this popular event to celebrate “spirit of India” as Satish prefers to call the event, attracts 40,000 to 50,000 people who get glimpses of the rich Indian culture at play. Satish says he has combined Dussehra and Diwali and therefore, there is a Ram Lila and Ravan Dahan, signifying victory of good over evil, followed by fireworks to celebrate the victory. The mela provides a variety of entertainment for all age groups. There is a special kids corner. There are elephant and camel rides. There are the more modern laser shows. Community performances and Bollywood entertainment are integral parts of the mela And, of course, a variety of food in a specially carved out Food Court. The Diwali Mela 2013, the 8th in a row, is being held on November 2 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas where Bollywood artists Monali Thakur and Arijit Singh will enthrall the audiences.

  • The Essence of Diwali

    The Essence of Diwali

    The DFW Indian Cultural Society’s mega event-the Diwali Mela- is being organized on November 2 at Cotton Bowl. It will be the 8th super mela in a row. As our tribute to the grand event, we bring to our readers an article on Diwali specially written for The Indian Panorama by Mike Ghouse, a noted literateur and journalist. Read on.


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    Diwali is the Indian festival of lights and is celebrated on a large scale throughout India and the Indian Diaspora. It is also celebrated in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Guyana, West Indies, Fiji, and of course, here in the United States. Thanks to the Gupta’s for placing Dallas on the World Map of Diwali Celebrations.

    I believe it is one of the biggest celebrations in the United States, if not the biggest in the western Hemisphere. Ramesh Gupta initiated the event eight years ago, fully supported, encouraged and funded by the Dallas billionaire couple Satish and Yasmin Gupta.

    DFW Indian Cultural Society (DFW ICS) made its debut on the Dallas scene with the very first “Diwali Mela 2006”, which drew over 38,000 people to Texas Stadium. . Attendance has been increasing every year and is currently at an impressive figure of over 70,000. Diwali Mela has become an annual signature event for DFW IC


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    The inauguration of an earlier Diwali Mela

    DFW ICS has a strong commitment to the community which is reflected in the variety projects that it has undertaken, such as organizing the Diwali Mela, entertainment programs, sponsoring the Medical Clinics in Plano and Lewisville, for the uninsured and has recognized the contribution of teachers to the community by giving cash rewards.

    DFW ICS has supported multiple non-profit organizations throughout metropolis. Under the leadership of Satish Gupta, DFW ICS is moving forward by organizing various programs and dedicating itself to serving the needs of the communities in the Dallas Fort Worth area


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    Huge gathering in Cotton Bowl

    Nearly 50,000 people attend the event. First it was held in Texas Stadium, former home of the Dallas Cowboys and now it is held at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park, Dallas, where college football is played and home to Texas State Fair. There is nothing like it.

    Satish Gupta, president of the organizations writes this information on their website, http://www.dfwdiwalimela.com/, “This year again we have decided to pack all the fun for children, youth, adults and seniors. From Ram Leela and Bollywood singers to spectacular fireworks, elephant rides to slides, Cultural dances to mouth watering Indian food, all packed in one of the biggest Carnival of its kind in America. There will be three elephants and two camels available for the rides this year! We bring all this to you at a very minimal cost to you.”


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    The moving spirit behind the Diwali Mela, Satish Gupta, President of DFW Indian Cultural Society

    “The large number of people the Carnival attracted in the past years is a testimony to its success. The number of attendees keeps growing and it presents an important platform for a quick reach to the Asian Community of Dallas Fort worth and the nearby cities of Texas.

    We would like to thank all our Sponsors who support us in this huge task. The purpose of this message is to request you to come with your family and friends and make the event a grand success. Your participation will go a long way in promoting our culture to the kids and youths of our community.” Diwali is spelled differently, and is called by many names.

    There is Divali among others, and Deepavali, meaning the festival of lights. Although Diwali is a Hindu tradition, people of all faiths participate in celebrations – Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians and others. People decorate their homes with lights and Rangoli, i.e., colorful drawing in the front yard of the home, sidewalks, even roads in India with colorful powders or colorful pieces of chalk.

    Women and Children look forward to express their artistic talent in this season. Their surroundings filled with colorful lights to enliven the day, to mark the dawn of a new era in one’s life. My childhood is filled with good memories of Diwali; the sparklers, the food and everything joyous you can imagine.

    A few years ago, Jyoti and Nishi Bhatia, former President of DFW Hindu Temple and President of Dallas Hindi Association respectively, asked me to speak about Diwali in a dinner gathering to a group of people from different faiths and cultures, and I cherished it, I love talking about Diwali, as its essence reflects the ideals of pluralism, and symbolizes hope and positive energy, victory of good over evil; a new beginning.

    It is indeed seeing the light at the end of tunnel. Diwali Celebration is a part of the epic Ramayana, and the Ram Lila is played out all night long in towns across India. I grew up watching it in front of my house, and my friends played different roles in the show. Indeed, one of my former relatives played Hanuman’s role.


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    Ramayan being enacted

    It was a challenge for me to teach Ramayana to a group of people who knew nothing about it. It turned out to be a successful program. I prepared the nearly all white audience that I will be narrating the story through the power point and along will be reinforcing the names and roles of the key persons in the story and will ask them for feed back at the end.

    Friends, I cannot tell you the joy, the Bhatias and I felt when each one of them answered the questions from the story. They got it! It is a powerful story and takes about 30 minutes to narrate. The epic is filled with educative tales, edifying poems, and fables. It is probably through their constant retelling in the villages over centuries that Hinduism is most efficiently disseminated from generation to generation


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    Ravana’s effigy is set on fire

    Whenever a society rots with adharma (wrong path), where no one cares about the other, lying, stealing and dishonesty become rampant, Lord Krishna says, I will emerge among you and restore the righteousness and trust in the society to function smoothly.

    Zarathustra, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna, Nanak, Mahavira, Confucius, Tao and others served the same purpose… it is almost like the laws of physics ; water finds its own level, and righteousness finds its own existence. Rama is one such incarnation who reestablished the moral code for social conduct and proper relation of mankind to divinity. He was truthful and a just king. Diwali symbolizes hope and positive energy

    ● People wear new clothes
    ● Share sweets as a symbol of happiness
    ● Renew the relationships
    ● Strengthen the bonds It signifies a new beginning, starting out fresh.
    ● for most businesses it is the new financial year
    ● An inventory of assets is taken
    ● An assessment of family and relationship
    ● Last harvest for the farmers
    ● New things are bought

    President Obama in his message last Diwali said it perfectly,
    “Many who observe this holiday will light the Diya, or lamp, which symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.

    As that lamp is lit, we should all recommit ourselves to bring light to any place still facing darkness. Earlier this year, we were reminded of the evil that exists in the world when a gunman walked into the Sikh Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and opened fire.

    In the wake of that horrible tragedy, we saw the resilience of a community that drew strength from their faith and a sense of solidarity with their neighbors, Sikh and non-Sikh alike. We also saw compassion and love, in the heroic actions of the first responders and the outpouring of support from people across the country. Out of a day of sadness, we were reminded that the beauty of America remains our diversity, and our right to religious freedom. To those celebrating Diwali, I wish you, your families and loved ones Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak.”


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    Today, on this blessed day, we have a blank slate to start, let’s plan on filling it with doing good things for ourselves, to our family, friends, community, nation and the world until next Diwali. What are good things? Words and actions that bring peace, Mukti, salvation, Moksha, nirvana, Nijaat and freedom to us, yes us.

    There is so much of joy waiting to be had. If we can remove hatred and anger towards others, forgive others and ask for forgiveness (Michami Dukadam is a beautiful phrase the Jain’s use), then a blissful year is sure to come for each one of you and me.
    ● May this Diwali purge your heart, mind and soul from hate, malice, anger and ill-will;
    ● May this Diwali open your hearts and minds towards fellow being;
    ● May this Diwali brighten your life, and may this Diwali mark the dawn of a new era; Muslims are a big part of Diwali as well, and innumerable poets have written poetries and songs about Diwali.

    Here is my effort, I wrote this seven years ago on the occasion when Diwali and Ramadan were celebrated around the same time.

    A meri diwali hai, a meri eid hai donon may khushi hi khushi hai Diwali say naya saal shuru hota hai Ramzan ek naya insaan banata hai Diwali may ek baat ka hisab hota hai Ramzan may her baat ka review hota hai Diwali nayay saal ke liye clean slate deta hai Ramzan pichlay saal ki slate clean karta hai Baat hi baat may, my nay a sher likh diya Sahir Diwali aur Ramzan say subka acha hi hota hai Shubh kamnaein | Diwali Mubarak | Blessed Diwali. Happy Diwali to you my friends, may this Diwali bring happiness, serenity and peace to you. Amen!

  • Kavi Sammelan/ Mushaira for peace and Unity in Dallas

    Kavi Sammelan/ Mushaira for peace and Unity in Dallas

    DALLAS (TIP): It was an incredibly lovely session of Urdu and Hindi poetry at Hall of State at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas on October 25, with a galaxy of poets locally and from India and Pakistan coming together to give a rare intellectual treat. However, the attraction was Munawwar Rana Saheb one of the greatest poets of our times. Hon. Kapil Sibal, India’s law Minister (Secretary, Department of Justice) was to be the Chief Guest of the event, unfortunately, he was called back in the last minute to stay in New Delhi to handle the national affairs.


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    However, the greatness of the man lay in his response to the need of the day, he realized his absence will embarrass the organizers and the people of Dallas/ Fort Worth. So, he took the time to address the organizer Noor Amrohvi and the audience in a powerful video message with regrets. We the people of Texas appreciate it and honor this gesture of dignity.

    In 1996, when we held a big Cricket event and invited the Ambassadors of Common Wealth Nations, and the Ambassador of Australia and New Zealand were bat ready to come and play, but were pulled back due to back home politics. This happens. The set up was incredible; I have never seen anything like that. It looked like Mughal Shahi Darbar or a Roman Coliseum; Corinthian columns in Gold in the back drop and rows of two white long stretched Sofas that ran across the spectrum of the outdoor arena. It provided a historicity to the samaa (environment).


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    Jyoti Kumar was pleased with the efforts of her team made up of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians from the subcontinent. From the planning stages to the execution of the program, each one in the team was committed to the unity theme and she is positive about moving forward with the mashaal (torch bearer) of the Unity. I would encourage Noor Amrohvi, the Chief Organizer to repeat this set next year.

    Janab DD Maini Saheb suggested that we bring the “Kambals” and enjoy the outdoor program. Tirmizi Saheb said, it happens in UK and Germany. Unfortunately, weather did not permit sitting outside, and instead, the program was carried in the auditorium. Agar Chandni raat hoti to kya baat hoti! Every poet was great, but as always a few leave lasting impressions on each one of the audience members.


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    What appeals to you is different than what appeals to me; it is as simple as that. The old saying, beauty is in the heart of the believer remains an eternal truth. I would encourage you to write your impressions in the comment section below, so we have a full range of expressions.

    It is not customary to praise a few and skip the others. Indeed, everyone of the poets came prepared to deliver his and her best and they did, when I get the time, I will write a note about all the poets, but for the time being, here are a few mentions. The biggest hit was Munawwar Rana Saheb, he was everything he was projected to be; one of the best in Urdu/Hindi poetry. Of course, as Noor Amrohvi Saheb said, it’s like “sooraj ko chiragh dikhani wali baat.”

    His style, voice and delivery kept us all sit with full tawajjay (attention) through the very end of the program around 1 AM. His poem Mahajir was just incredible. Indeed, Zia Khan Saheb was sitting two seats from me, it was his story too… they left everything when they went to Peshawar from UP and it is also the story of Maini Saheb, whose family sold their stuff in Lahore for damdies and made it to New Delhi.

    There was a lot of mention about Allahbad, so I bought his book and CD to share it with my wife whose mother was from Allahabad. I did miss Renu Chandra Saheba, who is also from Allahabad. I believe it was Sarfaraz Abad Saheb who said, writing poetry is an amazing experience, you can tell so much in just two lines…. sometimes the whole story can be said in a Rubayee – a Qurartet.

    Poetry is indeed a powerful story telling medium. That was very encouraging to me personally, as I am reviving the poet in me after 35 some years of writing 32 short stories and 43 poems in Urdu/ Hindi, but this time, it will be on social issues and religious and societal pluralism. Dr. Zubair Farooq’s poetry won many hearts – he is an Arab, a medical Doctor serving two hospitals in Dubai but he has learned Urdu and Hindi, and has a passion for the languages, and has written over 24 books.

    His poetry was simply enjoyable and his Urdu accent was delightful and so was his tarannum (Singing). Of course we all have different accents of Urdu, ranging from Dakkani to Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalee, Bihari, Sindhi, Dogri or Gujarati tones. However the standard bearers of Urdu are speakers from New Delhi, Karachi and Lucknow. Why does Dr. Farooq have a passion for the language? Munawwar Rana Saheb used a sentence for a different purpose, but fits right in… Columbus ka Khoon! Meaning why did Columbus sail to different lands? Actor Mahmood would have said, “khujli ka jhaad”.

    Indeed, it was his passion – just as each one of us is driven by a different passion. Mine is Pluralism, what is yours? Think about it and make an effort to say in poetry format, you can do it, it is a challenge for you! Archana Panda Saheba had a powerful message about women and freedom. She shared a story in her poem, about the laanat (curse) of Dowry.

    How a girl is constantly trained to put up with things, the girl in her narrative tells the Groom off while sitting in the Mandap (wedding altar) to his demands of dowry – and then comes the most sensitive moment where parents would normally scream at the girl for bringing shame to the family… instead, her Mother said she was proud of her for the action, and her father puts his hand around her giving her confidence that she did the right thing.

    It is a powerful story and I hope to pass on her information to Dallas organizations like Chetna and Muslim Community Center committed to address the domestic violence issues. She will make a good speaker with little training on Domestic Violence. When I get the time, I will write a note about the other poets. I also appreciate the team led by Noor Amrohvi, Jyoti Kumar, Irfan Ali, Azhar Bukhari, Anand Punjabi, Javed Gill, Sanjeev Gupta, Mushtaq Raes, Nutan Arora, Rehan Kaiser and others.We should always appreciate the sponsors who believe in the program and make it happen – Jyoti and Ashok Kumar, SK Mittal and several others were big supporters.

    Noor Amrohvi Saheb was thorough in appreciating and thanking the poets, volunteers, sponsors and the supporters – he gets 10 for 10 from me. Please note that in March 2014, we will go for the 2nd Annual Pluralism Mushaira/ Kavi Sammelan, where we are planning to start a new dhaar (stream) on poetry with exclusive focus on social, cultural, religious and work place pluralism. Pluralism in one sentence is respecting the otherness of others, and when we do that, conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

  • Indian American Couple Donates $ 12 Million to University of Dallas

    Indian American Couple Donates $ 12 Million to University of Dallas

    DALLAS (TIP): Dallas based Indian American entrepreneurs Satish and Yasmin Gupta have made a $ 12 million donation to University of Dallas. The gift, the single largest in the 57 year old history of the University, will fund construction of a building that will house the Satish and Yasmin Gupta College of Business. The announcement of donation was made October 24, by the University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe in the presence of the donors, their relations and friends, faculty and students. Both, Satish and his wife Yasmin, are graduates of University’s MBA Program. Speaking on the occasion, Satish Gupta said, “The University of Dallas inspired not only our careers, but our lives, and we hope this new college of business will inspire business students who come to the University of Dallas from all over the world.” Yasmin Gupta, who shares with her husband a similar vision said, “Our dream is for the College of Business to become global meeting ground for diversity and understanding among all cultures. We hope it empowers students to become leaders who go forth into the world and build stronger communities”.

    University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe, in appreciation of the generous donors said, “The Guptas set a tremendous example for our business students both in the drive and ingenuity they personify as entrepreneurs, and in their commitment to philanthropy and social responsibility.” The new building, SB Hall, will be a 50,000-square foot, three storey structure atop the highest point in the UD campus from where Downtown will be clearly visible. According to information provided by Chat Ganesh, Vice President Business Development, SB International, Inc. and a close associate of Satish Gupta, the building is expected to be completed by the end of July 2015 and should be ready for the Fall 2015 Semester opening. Satish and Yasmin Gupta are philanthropists and civic leaders besides being business executives. The two serve Dallas/Fort Worth through various organizations related to cultural organization and outreach, including the Gupta Agarwal Charitable Foundation of which Satish Gupta is the Founder.

    They also support the Primary Care Clinic of North Texas and Greater Dallas Arya Samaj Cancer Clinic, a system of non-profit healthcare facilities providing medical care to local uninsured adults. Perhaps the most popular Indian American cultural event in Dallas is the Diwali Mela organized by Dallas Fort Worth Indian Cultural Society founded by Satish Gupta. Every year, in October/November, this popular event to celebrate “spirit of India” as Satish prefers to call the event, attracts 40,000 to 50,000 people who get glimpses of the rich Indian culture at play. Satish says he has combined Dussehra and Diwali and therefore, there is a Ram Lila and Ravan Dahan, signifying victory of good over evil, followed by fireworks to celebrate the victory. The mela provides a variety of entertainment for all age groups. There is a special kids corner. There are elephant and camel rides. There are the more modern laser shows. Community performances and Bollywood entertainment are integral parts of the mela And, of course, a variety of food in a specially carved out Food Court. The Diwali Mela 2013, the 8th in a row, is being held on November 2 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas where Bollywood artists Monali Thakur and Arijit Singh will enthrall the audiences.

  • The Republican Intransigence

    The Republican Intransigence

    With just four days remaining to avert the government shutdown, it is certainly turning out to be a high wire act and a deal might be reached just in time to prevent the shutdown. But there is also a possibility that the looming Monday night deadline might pass without any agreement thus forcing the default. In the meantime, the country is facing a big uncertainty: will the government shutdown or it won’t? Recent CBS/New York Times poll confirms the even split among American people. And, the blame for this surely can be laid at the doorsteps of the Republican Party. Back in 2011, Republicans tried to do the same thing, harping on the really worn out playbook of reduction in spending and reduction in debt etc. The end result was Standard and Poor’s downgrading the credit rating of the USA. To be clear, this was not due to massive debt or spending but the total dysfunction of the government. And, the players who brought that about are the ones driving the current fake crisis.

    This time they have added Obamacare to their playbook. The last time shutdown occurred was in 1995-1996. The effects were not felt severely as the economy was booming. But this time the situation is different. Economy is still very weak; large numbers of people are unemployed and are depending on the government assistance for survival. Many of the government agencies would also shut down thereby crippling day-to-day life. The effect of shutdown, thus, could be severe. What are the issues that are causing this so-called fake crisis? They simply are raising the current debt ceiling, in the form of Continuing Resolution, to keep government funded to meet all its obligations and the funding of Affordable Care Act, which Republicans “passionately” call as Obamacare. These two issues are not at all related. The House has already passed the funding bill to keep the government running but has stripped the funding of Obamacare and sent it to Senate for their vote. But Senate has already made it clear that that any House bill that de-funds the Obamacare is not going to pass. In addition, it will restore the funding to Obamacare that has been stripped out in the House bill. The President has also made it clear that he will veto any bill that defunds the Obamacare. Under such circumstances one can’t help but wonder why a few Republicans are indulging in brinkmanship which was best illustrated by the fake filibuster carried out by Ted Cruz (R), a Tea Party member from Texas.

    To be clear, majority of the Republican caucus in the Senate were not interested in filibustering the bill but a handful of Senators elected in 2010 on a Tea Party wave to which Ted Cruz belongs thought otherwise. The Senate leadership was not on board with Ted Cruz’s plan and wanted nothing to do with him. This was made clear by Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority leader. But make no mistake; it is not that McConnell and his colleagues are against the House bill. They would love to block anything that Democrats, especially President Obama, propose. In the end Republican leadership, after surveying the political scene, has figured that it would get egg on its face if shutdown occurs and hence their opposition to Sen. Cruz’s plan. So what was the point of Ted Cruz,’s talkathon? First, it seems he was just grandstanding, scoring political points with his extremist base called Tea Party, which is nothing but a freak wing of the Republican Party with members like Sarah Palin, whom Steve Schmidt, Senator John McCain’s 2008 campaign manager now regrets having pushed to the forefront on the national stage. Second, and this one is completely crazy, Ted was filibustering the House bill that had already stripped off funding for Obamacare and which was sent to Senate for their vote. By preventing it from coming up for vote, he was, in effect, restoring funding to Obamacare. Talk about idiocy. By filibustering the bill, he was also disrespecting his House colleagues who had passed the bill exactly as Ted Cruz wanted and whom he had harangued over the past few months for not having the spine to de-fund Obamacare. Third, based on first and second above-mentioned interpretations and the follow-up developments, the point of his idiotic exercise seemed to be complete fakery.

    This was amply made clear on Wednesday, September 25, when he voted along with 99 other Senators to keep the government funded beyond Sept. 30, shortly after he ended his talkathon. In effect, he voted against himself. In the first place he tried to prevent the bill from coming to vote and then turned around and voted for the same bill to proceed in the Senate. Isn’t that crazy? As Sen. John McCain has pointed out Tea Party members are “wacko birds”. Their shenanigans in the House and Senate prove it. But with this bamboozling act, they have soared to new heights. And, these are the people who are setting and driving the agenda of Republican Party, lampooning moderates, and running roughshod over seasoned old hands by calling them names like RINO – Republican in Name only. It is absolutely frightening. But why is there so much republican opposition to Obamacare? Why are Republicans so intransigent? One and only reason is that Republicans are afraid it will become hugely successful and hence their virulent opposition. A report released on Wednesday by Department of Health and Human Services, attests to facts of the benefits that will be afforded by the Obamacare. The report states that most Americans will be able to choose from multiple insurance carriers and pay lower coverage on the Obamacare Healthcare Insurance Marketplaces, though there will be variations from state to state. All other reasons put forward by the Republicans for defunding Obamacare are pure scare tactics. As Sen. Barbara Mikulski (DMaryland) put it eloquently on the senate floor on Wednesday- “Republicans are not only throwing sand in the gears of Obama administration, they are throwing concrete”. Which is so true

  • Texas man executed for ambush that killed 4 women

    Texas man executed for ambush that killed 4 women

    HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS (TIP): A former street gang member was executed on Septmber 19 evening for his involvement in a gang ambush in which four women were gunned down 11 years ago. Robert Gene Garza, 30, became the 12th condemned inmate executed this year in Texas, which carries out capital punishment more than any other state. Garza smiled and blew a kiss to friends and relatives as they entered the death chamber. In a brief final statement, he thanked them for coming and told them he loved them. “I know it’s hard for you,” he said. “It’s not easy. This is a release. Y’all finally get to move on with your lives.” He was pronounced dead at 8:41pm CDT, 26 minutes after a lethal dose of pentobarbital began flowing into his arms. A member of a Rio Grande Valley gang known as the Tri-City Bombers even before he was a teenager, Garza insisted a statement to police acknowledging his participation in the September 2002 shootings in Hidalgo County was made under duress and improperly obtained. But prosecutors said Garza orchestrated the gang’s plan to silence the women, who Garza thought had witnessed another gang crime, and was present when several gang members opened fire on the women when they arrived at their trailer park home after work at a bar.

    “I really didn’t have anything to do with the scenario the state was providing,” Garza told The Associated Press recently from death row. “I guess since we are gang members, they got me involved through the gang. “I think they were just trying to close this case … and they needed somebody.” Evidence later would show the women were killed by mistake. The gang member in the other crime never went to trial because he accepted a plea deal and prison term. Garza, who was arrested in late January 2003, was convicted under Texas’ law of parties, which makes a non-triggerman equally culpable. Evidence showed Garza was a gang leader, told his companions how to do the killings, was present when the shootings took place and “in all likelihood was a shooter but is downplaying his part,” Joseph Orendain, the county assistant district attorney who prosecuted him, said this week. In February, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. His lawyer, Don Vernay, said appeals were exhausted.