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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017

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The Quarterly Magazine (Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct) for the Indian Diaspora

Vol. 23 No. 1 www.pittsburghpatrika.com October 2017

4006 Holiday Park Drive, Murrysville, PA 15668

Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953 e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com

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Highlights in this issue... ... ...

Page

Globalization — NOT Something New

By Kollengode S Venkataraman .................................................... 2

VegFest 2017 — A Big Hit in the ‘Burgh

By Premlata Venkataraman ............................................................ 9

New Nonstop Flights to Europe Inaugurated

By Prema Venkataraman............................................................... 10

School Bags Filled with supplies Donated to Homeless Kids

By K S Venkataraman................................................................... 12

Community Profile — Som Sharma

By Arun Jatkar ............................................................................ 14

Scenes from This Year’s India Day Gala

By Anonymous ............................................................................ 18

US Chief Justice John Roberts Addresses 9th Graders

By K S Venkataraman................................................................... 19

The Palanisamys’ Adieu to the ‘Burgh

By Ray Kathiresan ....................................................................... 22

A Delightful Violin Arangetram

By Shankar Krish ........................................................................ 23

Sia Iyer’s Impressive Karnatic Vocal Arangetram

By Sujana Mulukutla.................................................................... 24

A Graduation Party to Remember

By Samar Saha ........................................................................... 28

A Mother-Daughter Duo’s Kuchipudi Recital

By Nangali S Srinivasa ............................................................. 30

On the Cover: A brilliant shot of the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland

in Fall with the splendor of bright colors of the foliage. Courtesy of the

University of Pittsburgh’s Photo archives. •

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The Quarterly Magazine (Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct) for the Indian Diaspora

Vol. 23 No. 1 www.pittsburghpatrika.com October 2017

Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953

e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com

Globalization — NOT Something New

By Kollengode S Venkataraman

People talk on globalization today as if it is something new. But this

has been going on for over at least 2,500 years. Before the Industrial

Revolution (1760 to 1840 Common Era) triggered by the steam engine

and spinning jenny in Europe, over 50% of the world GDP of those

times was split between India and China for over 2,000 years. See the

bar chart below (Source: The Economist). With so much of the world’s

goods produced in these two Asian geographic regions, the bulk of the

global trade of those times was between these two regions and Southern

European empires and the region between them—mainly Arabia, Persia,

the Persian Gulf, and Central Asia. Many trade routes at the dawn of the

Common Era are available

on the Web. A typical one

is on the next page.

Global trade before the

Industrial Revolution was

peaceful, relatively speaking

in any case, excepting

for infrequent highway

robberies and piracies

along the routes affecting

only the traders.

However, global trade

after the Industrial Revolution

impacted the world in ways unimaginable before, leading to the complete

destruction of native industries. The classic example is what Britain’s

East India Company in India did to its sophisticated textile industries.

Using foul means, the Company destroyed the sophisticated, traditional

Indian textile industries in which thousands of families had been engaged

for generations. Then it made the native population depend on textiles

imported from England. The gory details are well documented.

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Nobody knows who coined the word “globalization.” The Oxford

Dictionary says the word “globalization” was first employed in 1930.

What one means by “globalization” depends on who defines it:

Merriam

Webster: the

process of

globalizing;

the state of

being globalized;

... the

development

of an ... integrated

global

economy

marked... by

free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor

markets.

Business Dictionary: The worldwide movement toward economic,

financial, trade, and communications integration.

SUNY Levin Institute: Globalization is a process of interaction and

integration among the people, companies, and governments of different

nations. It is driven by international trade and investment, aided by

information technology. This process affects the environment, culture,

political systems, economic development, prosperity; and Mankind’s

well-being... around the world.

Here are India’s ideas of a global village: Puranaanooru, an ancient

Tamil literary work dated around 1st century of the Common Era,

declares: “yaadum ooray, yaavarum keLir,” literally, “Every village

is my native hamlet, and all are my kinsmen.” An Upanishadic phrase

echoes similarly: vasudhaiva kutumbakam, or “The whole world is,

indeed, a family.”

The industrial powers of the world, mostly European, for nearly 250

years after the Industrial Revolution, mastered mass manufacturing and

international trade backed by Science and Technology (S&T). Concurrent

developments in S&T helped these great powers to strengthen their

armies, navies and later, air forces. With governments, industry, S&T,

military, and trade mutually helping each other, European empires,

controlled the world economically, politically, and militarily. Japan

was the only Asian power in this context. Independent India was in the

Soviet Camp for decades.

Decades before economists talked about integration of the world through

trade, attempts were made to unite workers globally. In the 1960s, the

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common sloganeering among Indian Communists in rallies was, “Workers

of the World, UNITE!” Indian Communists, inspired by their patron saints,

the Soviet Union and China, were fighting for Indians to have working

conditions similar to those in Europe. But they were wary of internationalizing

capital, production and trade. They also opposed computerization/

automation. That is another story.

While capitalist governments want free flow of capital and goods across

borders, they do not want a free flow of workers across borders.

Also, globalization has been going on for long even in recent times,

even though the term globalization was not attached to it.

• The US steel Industry was built on the backbreaking work of European

immigrants, Mexicans and slaves. With a shortage of native workers,

Germany’s economic miracle in the mid-20th century was possible only

with Turkish “guest workers.”

• Indian IT professionals flooding the US during the Y2K crisis at the

turn of the millennium is well known. It changed the demographics of the

US in a fundamental way. The healthcare industry in the US and the UK

is sustained only with the large number of healthcare workers—mostly

doctors and nurses — from India, the Philippines, and Africa.

• Your fruits/vegetables are inexpensive because migrant farm workers

from Mexico and Central America toil in harsh conditions that Americans

do not want to work under.

• The luster of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and others is

built with their petro-dollars. But they had to import technology from the

West; and cheap skilled workers from the Indian subcontinent, working

under precarious conditions that Arab natives refused to work under.

The European trading companies, with help from their empires back

home in France, England, Portugal, and Holland, ended up as colonizing/occupying

powers, with Christian missionaries contributing to stir the

pot. Read on the Goan Inquisition in India to know what went on under

Francis Xavier (1502-1556), with help from Portugal’s king. Later, the

Vatican canonized Xavier as a saint in 1622.

In the early days of the British East India Company (in the 18th century),

Anglo-French wars were fought on Indian soil. With no stakes in

the war between England and France in Europe, Indian soldiers in the

armies of Robert Clive and Joseph Dupleix spilled their blood and died

in the Anglo-French wars fought on Indian soil. Read on the Carnatic

Wars in India (between 1744-1763) for details.

In the early 19th century, the British Empire had a huge trade deficit

with China (China was a net exporter even then). To break this, England

stealthily expanded its trade in China by exporting to China the opium made

Globalization... ... Continued on Page 27

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VegFest 2017 — A Big Hit in the ‘Burgh

Even for the nonvegetarians among us, delicious all-vegetable dishes

are a big part of our cuisine. Yet, how many of us know that we have

an annual vegan food festival, VegFest, right here, in the ‘Burgh, every

summer?

The third annual VegFest was held Saturday, August 6 at the Allegheny

Commons Park East, close to Allegheny General Hospital. The balmy

weather with a brisk wind attracted over 10,000 people — seniors, young

parents with kids, and youngsters, lazing around the many stalls.

Every cuisine was

represented. In addition

to Chinese, Thai,

Mediterranean, and Indian

food, people could

taste vegetarian snacks

from Mexico, the Caribbean,

many parts of

Europe — even grilles

and chilies. When we

went there around 2:00 PM (the closing time was 7:00 PM), many stalls

had already run out of food — that is how popular the event was.

In addition, there were stalls on cosmetics displaying items that had

no animal content in them, and that did not

use animals in testing.

The prime movers behind VegFest are

Leila Sleiman (right) and Natalie Fristick

(left) in the picture. They became friends

while participating in a protest against animal

cruelty in circuses. Their organization Justice

for Animals (JFA), extends compassion to

more than just dogs and cats.

Leila has participated in other VegFest events across the US. Three

years ago, they saw the potential for an outdoor VegFest in summer in

Pittsburgh to highlight the issues in a family friendly and positive way.

The sponsors for this year’s festival were: Whole Foods, Smoothy

King, East End Food CoOp, WESA-FM 90.5 (Pittsburgh’s NPR news

station), and Pittsburgh Port Authority, among others.

With grape leaves, tabbouleh and hummus, and a slice of baklava for

dessert we settled down for an alfresco lunch, listening to live music. A

fun way to spend a summer afternoon for this vegetarian couple!

— By Premlata Venkataraman e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com •

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New Nonstop Flights to Europe Inaugurated

By Premlata Venkataraman e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com

On June 23 rd Pittsburgh International Airport, after a thirteen year

hiatus, got its first nonstop flight to Frankfurt with Condor Airlines’

twice-a-week flight. As Pittsburgh slowly shores up its international

image, a nonstop flight to Frankfurt will greatly enhance this effort. The

flight is seasonal, through

September, and only twice

a week — on Mondays and

Fridays. Given how difficult

it is to get nonstop flights to

European destinations from

second-tier cities in the US,

this is a good start.

On the maiden flight were

Rich Fitzgerald, the chief executive

of Allegheny County,

Christina Cassotis, CEO of

Rich Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Allegheny County

(R) and Christina Cassotis (L), CEO of the County

Airport Authority, are cutting cake on the Condor’s

inaugural flight. The pilot is in the middle.

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Allegheny County Airport

Authority, and other airport

officials.

Earlier in mid-June, Iceland’s

low-cost WOW Airlines

started its all-year round, 4-times a week non-stop flights to Reykjavik

from Pittsburgh. Coming on its heels, Condor’s twice-a-week seasonal

flight will make travel to Europe convenient.

On the day Condor’s maiden flight landed, we had a close-up view of

the landing while standing on the taxiway close to the end of the runway.

Water cannons welcomed the plane at the gate. See picture.

A welcome ceremony was set up near the baggage claim area. Mr.

Fitzgerald and other officials spoke. German favorites — pretzels,

bratwurst and other snacks were laid out, and a celebratory cake was cut to

the accompaniment

of German

music.

“Additional

service to Europe

has been

a top priority

for Pittsburgh

Nonstops to Europe... ... Continued on Page 26


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Volunteers Fill School Bags with Supplies

and Donate to Homeless Kids

Volunteers from the Wold Hindu Council took the initiative for a

noble cause. They pooled volunteers to organize filling school bags with

supplies for

students going

to school in the

Fall. These bags

go to homeless

school children

in our area—

by far the most

needy and deserving

students

among us for

this kind of assistance.

The Monroeville India Garden Restaurant’s Shinghara Singh and his

wife Davinder Singh offered their banquet hall for free to the volunteers

for this group effort, and also fed the volunteers for free!

Over 125 backpacks were filled and handed over to the local chapter of

the Homeless Children’s Education School Supplies Drive. Volunteers

from the Maharashtra Mandal, H-J Temple’s Vidya Mandir and many

individuals gave their time in this noble cause. The SV Temple donated

$500. The picture above shows the bags being filled, and the one below

are the volunteers who made this possible.

— By K S Venkataraman •

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13


Community Profile — Som Sharma

By Arun Jatkar, Monroeville, PA

e-mail: ajmarathi@yahoo.com

Som Sharma, now retired after a three-decade long career as a financial planner, has

presented and represented India and Hinduism in many forums for many years well before

local temples and other organizations got into the act. Recently Arun Jatkar (picture on

the left), another long-time resident here, talked to Som Sharma (left in the picture below)

about this journey. Arun talked to Som on various topics over dinner

at Green Mango, a Thai restaurant in Wilkins Twp. Arun, an engineerresearcher

by profession, has worked in various capacities in many

industries. Both are now active on other fronts. Since 2001 Arun has

been the editor of Ekata, the first Marathi quarterly magazine of North

America published from Toronto, Canada since 1978. Som has been

organizing the Gandhi Jayanti (birthday) (October 2) in fall for the last

fifteen years. — Editor

Long-time residents of the Greater Pittsburgh Metro area know Mr.

Som Sharma of Monroeville through at least one of the myriad endeavors

(apart from his profession as a financial planner), of which Sharma

is, or has been, the vital force and the prime mover. I was delighted to talk

to him at the Green Mango Thai restaurant on Business 22. The primary

intent was to learn more about Sharma’s association with the Monroeville

Interfaith

Ministerium, a

group of representatives

from

different faiths,

including Catholics,

mainstream

Protestants, Jews,

Muslims, Sikhs,

Buddhists, Jains,

and Hindus.

Som Sharma (left) talking to Arun Jatkar (right).

14

Interfaith dialogue

is important

in any society where people of many different faiths have to live and

work together. In the US, in the early days, there were only the various

denominations within Christianity to begin with. Jews arrived later. Many

Americans until recently, were not even aware of other faiths such as

Hindu, Moslem, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, and Baha’I.

Som explained that in the early 1980s his wife Vandana volunteered as

the director of the Indian community’s dance groups participating in the

Pittsburgh Folk Festival and he helped in her organizational effort. This


led to contacts with several ethnic communities in and around Pittsburgh

and invitations from local churches to speak about the Hindu religion.

This was one

of the reasons

why Som got involved

in the interfaith

dialogue,

as a member of

Monroeville Interfaith

Ministerium.

Ministerium

is an association

of clergy

from various

religious groups

coming together

to accomplish a

specific purpose,

often to build

collegiality and

address socioeconomic

needs

in the community.

The clergy

represented

churches, synagogues,

temples,

mosques, and

other congregations that are often connected geographically in a small

town or group of small towns.

The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious

Affairs differentiates between ecumenical, interfaith, and interreligious

relations. But for most people “Interreligious” is synonymous with “Interfaith.”

Som said, “The 1893 Parliament of World Religions in Chicago is

often regarded as the birth of the ‘Interfaith Movement.’ This congress

was the first organized international gathering of religious leaders.”

Swami Vivekananda spoke at this congress over 120 years ago. However,

it seems to this writer that Indian communities all over the US are slow to

see the merit of participating in local interfaith organizations.

Som Sharma’s example was followed by Vinod Doshi (from the H-J

Temple) representing the Jains, and Gurdayal Singh Mehta (Monroeville

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Gurudwara) representing the Sikhs.

The seed sown by Som has grown into the Hindu-Jain Temple of Monroeville

now becoming a member of the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium,

wherein Harilal Patel and Damayant Agarwal represent the Hindu-Jain

Temple Pariwar. During Thanksgiving, the member organizations within

the Ministerium take turns gathering at one of the participants’ place of

worship to share a simple meal to bring people of all faiths together.

After the ghastly 9/11 attack in 2001 on the World Trade Center in

New York, interfaith dialogue became a necessity all across the US. Som

has eloquently represented the Hindu faith at many of these gatherings,

some of them held in open play grounds.

Given the recent events in Charlottesville, NC (and earlier events of

hate crimes committed against innocent Indians in Pittsburgh), one sees

the need for the interfaith dialogue to keep going from strength to greater

strength, for which Som sowed the seeds over three decades ago.

The ultimate goal of the Indian community ought to be to cultivate an

environment of interfaith amity and understanding in the US, wherein all

faiths will regard each other with mutual respect, going beyond the stock

expression of tolerance, commonly used in Interfaith interactions. •

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Scenes from This Year’s India Day Gala

As is the tradition, this year India Day was celebrated with the usual

gusto, with food, music, and dance, interspersed with talks and reading

of citations; and tables for a cornucopia of goods, services and causes.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Mark Nordenberg, the ex-Chancellor of

the University of Pittsburgh, were important speakers, among others.

Saroj Bahl, Nita Wadhwani, Sunil Wadhwani, Mark Nordenberg, E. Maxiine Bruhns,

Director of Nationality Rooms at Pitt, and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in the front row.

Nandini Mandal’s students waiting for their turn for dancing.

A view of the audience in the gala watching the events.

18


US Chief Justice John Roberts’

Commencement Address to 9th Graders —

Could as Well Be for Our Young Adults Today

In July of this year, US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

gave a very unusual commencement speech at the Cardigan Mountain

School, a private boys-only boarding and day school in New Hampshire,

from which his son was graduating. He

told the graduating youngsters what can

happen if we do not learn the correct

lessons growing up, especially if you

are born to privilege. Here are some

excerpts from his address:

“R

ain, somebody said, is like

confetti from heaven. So even

the heavens are celebrating this morning,

joining the rest of us at this wonderful

commencement ceremony. … …

“… If you look back to your first afternoon here at Cardigan, perhaps

you will recall that you were lonely. Perhaps you will recall that you were

a little scared, a little anxious. And now look at you. You are surrounded

by friends that you call brothers, and you are confident in facing the next

step in your education…. … And as far as the confidence goes… … it is

not because you succeeded at everything you did, but because with the help

of your friends, you were not afraid to fail. And if you did fail, you got

up and tried again. And if you failed again, you got up and tried again.

And if you failed again, it might be time to think about doing something

else. But it was not just success, but not being afraid to fail that brought

you to this point.

“Now commencement speakers will typically also wish you good luck…

I will not do that, and I’ll tell you why. From time to time in the years to

come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know

the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will

teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be

lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted.

“I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be

conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success

is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely

deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope

every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a

way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll

19


be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope

you will have just enough pain to learn compassion.

“Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And

whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see

the message in your misfortunes.

“Now commencement speakers are also expected to give some advice.

They give grand advice, and they give some useful tips. The most common

grand advice they give is for you to be yourself. It is an odd piece of advice

to give people dressed identically… But you should understand what that

means. Unless you are perfect, it does not mean don’t make any changes.

In a certain sense, you should not be yourself. You should try to become

something better. People say ‘be yourself’ because they want you to resist

the impulse to conform to what others want you to be…. …

“Now some tips as you get ready to go to your new school. Over the

last couple of years, I have gotten to know many of you young men pretty

well, and I know you are good guys. But you are also privileged young

men. And if you weren’t privileged when you came here, you are privileged

now because you have been here. My advice is: Don’t act like it.

“When you get to your new school, walk up and introduce yourself to

the person who is raking the leaves, shoveling the snow or emptying the

trash. Learn their name and call them by their name during your time at

the school. Another piece of advice: When you pass by people you don’t

recognize on the walks, smile, look them in the eye and say hello. The worst

thing that will happen is that you will become known as the young man

who smiles and says hello, and that is not a bad thing to start with…”

Mr. Roberts concluded his address by reciting the poem Forever

Young by Bob Dylon. As I was reading the commencement

speech, I recalled the following colloquial Tamil proverb:

Meaning: “Nothing is as helpful [to grow] like the ‘beatings’ one gets [in

life].” The “beatings” are the humiliations, failures, disappointments, and

betrayals — even bad luck in life that the chief justice talked about in addressing

his young audience. Well-educated Millennials (Desis included),

many of them born to comfort bordering privilege, now are working trying

to climb their career ladders. They too will benefit if they heed Justice

Roberts’ speech. Given the recklessness emanating from the occupants

of the West Wing offices of the White House today, I wonder whom the

learned Chief Justice had in mind in his commencement address.

— By K S Venkataraman

The author acknowledges Arun Jatkar for sending a shorter video clip of the speech,

which led him to get the transcript of the entire speech. •

20


The Asian Studies Center

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Find out more about upcoming

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The Palanisamys’ Adieu to the ‘Burgh

By Ray Kathiresan, Pittsburgh, PA

e-mail: raykathiresan@yahoo.com

On June 10,2017 friends of Dr. Palanisamy (Samy) and his wife

Renuka were at Tamarind Restaurant in Greentree to have a good time.

The occasion: The Samys were bidding Adieu

to their 30-plus years in Pittsburgh and their

friends in a Taking Leave Party they hosted.

Dr. Samy had a productive career as a cardiac

surgeon for over 30 years and an active social

life with a large circle of friends.

After temporarily moving to Florida after

Palanisamy feeds laddu to

Renuka at his friends’ request.

retirement, the Samys shuttled between their

home in Florida and Pittsburgh for several

years. Then, they decided to permanently

move to Ft. Lauderdale. So, the evening of the taking leave party was

full of nostalgia, mirth, laughter, with roasts, music, and of course, good

food.

Dr. Samy earned his MBBS degree from Stanley Medical College in

Chennai. He had his thoracic surgery practice in Dubuque, Iowa for 10

years, and then in Pittsburgh, PA for over 30 years. As the chairman of

the Tamil Nadu Foundation, he organized two national conferences of the

Foundation in Pittsburgh. Their son Sridhar and daughter-in-law Laxmi

live in Chicago. The Samys love their twin grand kids, Sia and Shyla.

Both Samy and Renuka love charity and social services. Their friends

in Pittsburgh wish Samy the best golfing in Florida, and an ever-expanding

circle of friends for Renuka not only in Ft. Lauderdale, but all across

Florida as well. (Graphics courtesy of R. Venkataramanan) •

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A Delightful Violin Arangetram

By Shankar Krish, Wexford, PA

shankar.krish@gmail.com

Shankar Krish has learned Karnatic music on the violin and is a familiar face among

Indian classical music lovers in our area.

I had the pleasure of attending the arangetram of Saarang Mulukutla

on the violin in July 2017. With Sumesh Narayanan on mrdangam and

Ravi Balasubramanian on ghatam, it was a melodious, engaging and

enjoyable debut solo recital.

As a student of well-known violinist L Ramakrishnan (who is a

disciple of the veteran violinist A Kanyakumari), Saarang has absorbed

the style of playing the instrument as well as rendering the compositions

with equal emphasis on the lyrics and melody. Starting with the varnam,

and through the many compositions, the tillana and mangalam, Saarang

exhibited maturity and consistency on the violin.

The highlight of the concert was his detailed alapana in raga bhairavi,

a complex raga with unique phrases and characteristics. He rendered it

quite well considering that this was his maiden concert. He brought out the

highlights of bhairavi in the alapana and the composition ‘upachAramu

jesEvAru’ to the best of his abilities.

Sumesh and Ravi, the professional percussion duo, provided supportive

rhythm accompaniments throughout the recital, encouraging Saarang all

through. They played a fantastic tani avartanam (percussion solo) showcasing

their expertise of their instruments.

I had heard his guru Sri L. Ramakrishnan, a great teacher, just a week

earlier. So, I could see that Saarang has absorbed the teachings and style

of his guru. That Ramakrishnan taught Saarang mostly through online

classes tells a lot of the dedication of both the teacher and the taught.

Growing up in a family steeped in music, Saarang has clearly taken

Violin Recital... ... Continued on Page 26

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Sia Iyer’s Impressive Karnatic Vocal Arangetram

By Sujana Mulukutla, Wexford, PA sujana_m@hotmail.com

Sia Iyer, a rising 7 th grader, had her vocal Karnatic arangetram at

Upper St Clair High School on July 8 th , 2017. All of twelve years of age

with a tiny presence on stage, but what a presence it was! She displayed

her mastery over sruti, ragam, talam and kaala-pramanam and kept her

audience spell-bound for a good two-and-a-half hours.

Just as a diamond needs to be polished and chiseled to radiate its shine

and luster, so too Sia is lucky to have her guru, Smt. Vijayalakshmy Subrahmaniam

(Chennai), who worked tirelessly to bring out Sia’s best.

Sia opened with the challenging Ata Tala Varnam in Todi and rendered

it well. The majestic Vallabha in Begada followed with crisp sangatis and

kalpana swarams executed with ease. A short raga alapana in Malayamarutam

with lovely sancharas was followed by Dhanyudevvado, a Patnam

Subramanya Iyer’s krti. Sia then took on Janani Ninnuvina, which she

delivered with finesse. Sia then elaborated a detailed Kambhoji raagam

(Evari Mata) with the hallmark sangatis of her guru.

A short and sweet Ragam-Taanam-Pallavi in Ranjani followed, which

Sia topped off with smooth and seamless transitions into Janaranjani,

Sriranjani, and Shivaranjani. The Abhang, Sakha mazha moved many

members in the audience to tears with Sia’s soulful rendition. Sia concluded

the concert with a melodious but challenging tillana in Sindhu Bhairavi.

Vidwan L. Ramakrishnan did an amazing job in executing silken

strokes on the violin, while Vidwan Vinod Seetharaman excelled

in mridangam accompaniment. Both gave the young Sia encouraging nods

of approval. Samyukta Sreeram, a high-schooler, nicely complemented

Vinod on the Ghatam. Pallavi Muluk was on the tambura.

Sia, you’re a young talent with great potential. Remember, this is just a

beginning in your journey in music. In the years ahead, you should strive

for perfection. That will ensure you will be the best you can be. •

24


Hasya Kavi Sammelan 2017

By Jayashree Phanse, Mars, PA

e-mail: jsphanse360@gmail.com

On 21 April, the Antar Rashtriya Hindi Samiti (International Hindi Association,

or IHA) organized a Kavi Sammelan (impromptu poetry recital)

at the SV Temple auditorium. The evening was three continuous hours of

humorous, satire-filled nonstop poetical repartee. The large attendance

at the program was a testimony to the program’s success. The IHA, a

nonprofit organization, strives to preserve and promote the linguistic tradition

and interests related to Hindi on a global scale to highlight human

values inherent in its literature.

It is difficult to translate satire and humor in any language into other

languages having different idioms, grammar, rhyming schemes and literary

traditions. So, I can not bring out the nuances of the evening.

The three poets who enlivened the evening were Gajendra Solanki,

Sudeep Bhola and Sunil Jogi.

Shri Gajendra Solanki started the evening with an ode to India, to its

culture, to its temples, to Mahatma Gandhi, to Hindi the national language.

In the ocean of languages, he claimed Hindi, the daughter of Sanskrit, was

the nectar. Solanki in his melodious voice presented with satire the issue

with demonetization, and needled politicians. With hilarious, elevating,

clap-generating quips, he presented to the Desis living all over the world,

declaring them Karma Yogis in the true sense.

The young and talented Sudeep Bhola’s political satire and single

liners were biting. With his charismatic poetic performance, he made the

audience laugh and cry. He took us on a journey of emotions from satire

and humor, to sacrifices by patriotic martyrs, to thought-provoking social

issues on Indian women and children.

Dr. Sunil Jogi, a Padma Shri award recipient, the chairman of the

Hindustan Academy, and a Minister of State in the Government of Uttar

Pradesh came next. Proceeds of his tours always fund his nonprofit

organization promoting sustainable education in rural areas. One of his

presentations touched me: “God requests His devotee to visit Him not

in temple but in the hut of the old woman in the slum and feed her the

Prasad. I am with the children washing plates in the restaurants near your

house. With the money for the hundi please buy books for them to go

to school.”

Sanjeev Sharma, IHA secretary gave the welcome and the vote of

thanks. Ananya Jadia, Ananya Tripathi and Mallika Acharcya from

Vidya Mandir and Chinmaya Mission introduced the poets in Hindi. •

25


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Nonstops to Europe... continued from Page 10

International Airport. The airline’s wide-body aircraft is a great addition for

Europe-bound travelers from Pittsburgh,” said Cassotis in her remarks.

Pittsburgh International valiantly tries to correct the reverses suffered

by US Airways shutting down its PIT hub. Obviously, the new nonstops to

overseas destinations are possible

only with financial concessions to

both Condor and WOW. Hopefully,

with these steps, we will

see better days.

End Note: For passengers

from our area to destinations in

the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent,

and Africa, the best

option is a nonstop from Pittsburgh to Dubai or Abu Dhabi. This is because

there are several daily non-stops from Persian Gulf hubs to cities in Africa

and the Indian subcontinent. Our hope is for Pittsburgh to get a nonstop

flight to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Qatar. Let us hope it is soon! •

Violin Recital... continued from Page 23

advantage of the environment at home and support from his family. With

his hard work that I have personally observed, Saarang has blossomed

into an excellent musician. Arangetram is only the first step, and I expect

he will continue to improve on his skills, repertoire and the nuances of

the Indian classical music tradition.

At the end of the concert, Kumari A Kanyakumari, the chief guest

of the evening, blessed Saarang on his maiden performance and offered

words of encouragement. Saarang will certainly cherish the presence and

blessings of the veteran A Kanyakumari that are bound to motivate him

to set higher goals in his musical journey. •

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Globalization... ... Continued from Page 6

in India. This led to the Opium Wars (1839-60) that destroyed China’s

ruling Qing dynasty, and made the Chinese populace opium addicts. The

Chinese never forgot what the Europeans did to them.

The world has changed. The unbridled advantages the industrialized

West had for over 250 years with their superior grasp of S&T, industrial

power, military strength, and wealth have run its course. S&T is now accessible

to any society willing to invest in them and work at it. China has

already emerged as a global economic power, in manufacturing, trade,

and military. China has captured their glorious past with a vengeance.

India is still emerging, but it may take another 30 years to regain its

foothold. For this to happen the Indian middle class and its upper crust

need to liberate themselves to look at India through their own lenses and

not through the Europeans’ lenses. This is more easily said than done

because the Indian upper crust today is completely uprooted from India’s

languages and its literary, artistic and philosophical traditions. Even after

seventy years since the British left India, Indian intellectuals and its middle

class are in mental imprisonment of European reference points on India,

craving for European recognition and acceptance in all walks of life.

In any case, Globalization can stave off another large-scale regional war

better than even military alliances. More on this in the next issue. •

27


A Graduation Party to Remember

By Samar Saha, Irwin, PA

e-mail: samar_k_saha@yahoo.com

The invitation was for the Graduation Party of Ayan Rivu Sinha at the

Fox Chapel Area High School on June 17, 2017. But it was not an ordinary

graduation gala. Instead of a plain old-fashioned party, where the graduating

child’s resume is mechanically recited, Ayan decided to entertain his

well-wishers with a solo vocal concert. Those who knew Ayan, like most

lovers of Hindustani classical music in Pittsburgh, were aware of this 17-

year-old’s talent. His talents were on full display with considerable flair,

seldom seen

even among

professional

singers.

A y a n

started learning

Hindustani

music

f r o m h i s

mother, Nidrita

Mitra Sinha, when he was five. He continued to learn from Padmasri

Pandita Tripti Mukherjee of Pandit Jasraj Instiute of Music (PJIM). On

many occasions he was blessed with training and guidance from Sangeet

Martand Pt. Jasraj-ji himself. Academically, graduating from Fox Chapel

High School, Ayan is going to Case Western Reserve University,

Cleveland, OH.

Part 1 of the concert started, almost on time, with a Khayal in raga

Puriya Kalyan—Vilambit Ektal Muraliya Baaji, followed by Dina

Raina in Drut Teental, and ending in a chaturang tarana with Tana Dhi-re

Na. Chaturang is a variety of tarana with 4 elements: tarana bol, pakhwaj

bol, words and sargam. Ayan composed this tarana himself. Next was

a Haveli Sangeet (a combination of kirtan and bhajan in worshipping

Krishna), a semi classical piece—Laal Gopal Gulaal, in raga Margi Vasant

in Deepchandi tal, popular in UP/Haryana/Rajasthan areas.

After a break, Part 2 started with a Chhota Khayal Laj Rakho Banwari

in raga Saraswati in Drut Ektal and ended with Tarana style in Drut

Teental. Next, Ayan chose a Dhrupad piece, Jagadamba Jagadamba in

raga Vasant in Chautal. It was somewhat daring for a young artist to attempt

Dhrupad in which there is no taan and paltas; instead it has digun/

trigun/chaugun, bol-taan and bol-baat. As the time moved on, the scene

28


Ranga Raachi in raga Bhairavi, a straight, simple

piece without much ornamentation of the notes.

Ayan was accompanied on tabla by his father,

Asish Sinha and on the harmonium by Neelesh Nadkarni

(see the picture on page 28), both providing

commendable support for this young artist.

Nandini Mandal aptly handled the emcees job

making all feel at home. The concert ended with

dinner and each family received Ayan’s first CD

recorded in 2017 by our own Rishi Nigam. We all wish this young talent

much success in life — both academic and musical. Let our good Lord

bless you in your journey. •

On Sunday, August 13, Moha, daughter of Shambhavi and Priyadarshi

Desai of Bridgeville, had her Bharatanatyam arangetram at

the S.V.Temple auditorium. Moha’s teacher was

Shambhavi, her mother. Varnam, the center piece

in a Bharatanatyam, is traditionally choreographed

to lyrics Tamil, but also in Telugu and Sanskrit.

In this arangetram Shambavi chose for the varnam

Meerabai’s“Hari tum haro jan ki bhid” in Bhojpuri

in ragamalika, and portrayed stories from the epics

and puranas. The recital included eclectic lyrics

from the Tamil, Sanskrit, Gujarati, and Hindi

repertoire.

Moha paternal and maternal grandmothers are

artistes. Her maternal grandmother Tani Desai, in her late 60s now, earned

her master’s degree in Bharatanatyam after her marriage in the 1970s. She

has her dance class in Mumbai and was on stage during the recital. Moha

had one item in Gujarati Ranga Heli in the Sugam Sangeet style sung by

her paternal grandmother Pauravi Desai. Moha is going to Penn State in

fall pursuing education in materials science and engineering. •

SPIFPA Cultural Festival in October

Srinivasa Prasad Int’l Foundation for the Performing

Arts (SPIFPA) is organizing a cultural festival

Date: Saturday, October 14, starting at 3:00 PM

Venue: S.V.Temple Auditorium Admission free.

• Event recognizes several artistes for their achievements

• Music and Dance Recitals

• Dinner follows program.

29


A Mother-Daughter Duo’s Kuchipudi Recital

Soumya Rajupet

By Nangali S Srinivasa, Murrysville, PA

e-mail: srini111@aol.com

Kamala Reddy Rajupet and her daughter

Soumya Rajupet gave an engaging Kuchipudi dance

recital at the S V Temple auditorium on Saturday,

August 6 2017. It was a tribute to Reddy’s Guru

Vempati Chinna Satyam (1929 to 2012), whose

decades-long efforts put the Kuchipudi dance on the

national pedestal as a classical dance form, with a

long line of students like Reddy scattered all over

the world today.

Throughout the recital, the mother-daughter duo

kept the audience captivated. The invocatory piece

had all the characteristic rhythmic patterns & movements of Kuchipudi.

Soumya portrayed the rigorous and joyous dance of Shiva as Nataraja

in the Ananda Tandavam, taking hymns from Adi Shankara’s Shivananda

Lahari, weaving the fluidity of dance form with the energetic, intricate

dance movements, dramatically ending in frozen postures.

In the next item Sanchara Dhara from Jayadeva Ashtapadi,

Kamala Reddy beautifully portrayed the playfulness of Krishna, and Radha

overcome with love and devotion to the melody of Krishna’s flute, often

portrayed as the Jivatma reaching and merging with Paramatma. In the

tarangam of Narayana Teertha, Soumya depicted Gopika vastrapaharanam,

with Krishna teasing the bashful Gopikas.

The concluding item was a tribute to Reddy’s Guru Vempati Chinna

Satyam, highlighting his dedication to put the art form on a firm pedestal,

his struggles along the way, and the accolades he received. This item

brought fond remembrances of Guru Vempati to those

who are associated with him in Pittsburgh. With synchronous

and coordinated dance steps, the dance-duo

highlighted their guru’s life.

Explaining the spiritual inner meanings of each

piece was useful for those unfamiliar with Indian

performing arts, which is yet another approach for

worshipping the Infinite, even as we recognize the

entertainment value of these art forms.

The recital was a blend of good technique and

aesthetics, tastefully done costumes to a well-selected repertoire of lyrics,

all of which made a lasting impression on both the uninitiated and

connoisseurs alike. •

30

Kamala Reddy


31


Ha!!

W h e n t h e n e w I n d i a n f i l m

S.S.Rajamouli’s Bahubali II was released,

it was simultaneously made and released in

Telugu and Tamil, and also in the dubbed

versions in Hindi and Malayalam, the

picture on the left was one of the wellpublicized

still shots used to promote the

film.

Indian films, particularly Bollywood

masala films, are popular in Pakistan because

the filmi Hindi is the same as Pakistan’s

conversational

street-level Urdu for all practical

purposes for the film going public there.

Pakistan’s cultural roots are closely

tied to the Indian ethos for better and for

worse, even when the Pakistani establishment

wants to believe and promote that its

cultural roots are closer to Arabs.

In any case, some smart Pakistani

graphic artist took the above still, and

PhotoShopped it to suit its Islamic ethos,

wrapping the two stars in the Muslim garb,

calling it Babu Ali-2.

Vishnu Shaman’s Panchatantra (Arthur Ryder’s translation):

The hair turns grey with aging years;

The teeth grow old, and the eyes and ears.

But while the aging seasons speed,

One thing is young for ever — greed. •

Accommodation Available for Rent

In Monroeville: Fully furnished 20’ x 20’ room and one-car

garage available for rent for 6 to 12 months.

Also, a 22’x22’ airy room is ready for keeping packages.

Contact 412 372 3872 (evenings), or bidur324@gmail.com

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