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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Vol. 19 No. 1 October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
The Quarterly Magazine for the Indian Diaspora
Vol. 19 No. 1 www.pittsburghpatrika.com October 2013
4006 Holiday Park Drive, Murrysville, PA 15668
Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953 e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com
“Like” us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pittsburgh.patrika
Highlights in this issue... ... ...
President Obama Buys Time & Averts a Crisis
By Kollengode S Venkataraman..................................................... 2
Bill Peduto Slated to be the Mayor Pittsburgh
By Kollengode S. Venkataraman.................................................... 5
The Need to Recognize Depression in Youth
By Dr. Mani Balu............................................................................ 6
Working to End Violence Against Women
By Namita Luthra......................................................................... 10
The India Day Celebrates Everything Indian
By David Downey........................................................................ 12
A Very Unusual Last Goodbye
By Cindy Koller............................................................................ 14
Are There Any Truths in Mythological Stories?
By Kollengode S. Venkataraman.................................................. 19
How Running in a Marathon Changed My Life
By Paul Grossi.............................................................................. 20
Dr. Subra Suresh Shares His Vision for CMU
By Anonymous............................................................................. 24
Swami Vivekananda: His Influence in America
By Prakash Mullick..................................................... 28
Ha! Ha!
By K. S. Venkataraman................................................. 32
On the cover: A snapshot in the India Day parade around the Cathedral
of Learning on August 18. Photo: Shankar Krish, North Hills, PA. •
3
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
The Quarterly Magazine for the Indian Diaspora
Vol. 19 No. 1 www.pittsburghpatrika.com October 2013
Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953 e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com
President Obama Buys Time & Averts a Crisis
By Kollengode S Venkataraman
In his talk to the nation on August 10 President Obama, recognizing
the lack of support, wisely asked the Congress to postpone the
vote granting him the power to attack Syrian President Assad for using
chemical weapons on his citizens. President Obama opted instead to use
the opening Russia gave that seeks to disarm Syria without US military
attack. This buys Mr. Obama time to think through all possible fallouts
of such a unilateral and limited surgical missile attack by US forces with
“no-boots-on-the ground.”
It is not even clear who used the chemical weapons—the Syrian military
under Assad’s orders, rogue Syrian military officers or the rebels.
The US record on matters of chemical weapons is not all that clean.
We turned the other way when Saddham Hussein used chemical weapons
against Iran in the 1980s. In the 1960s and 70s, in Vietnam US used napalm
bombs on nonmilitary targets with devastating effects, and sprayed
defoliants over large areas of forests and farm lands—a form of chemical
warfare—whose effect was tens of thousands of Vietnamese women delivering
babies with grave abnormal deformities.
George W. Bush had with him the tenuous Coalition of the Willing in
his war against Iraq when he did not get the UN support. Now Obama
was about to become the missile-slinging Lone Ranger planning an attack on
Syria in what he calls a surgically precise, short-duration aerial combat. He
had no support from other nations (including the “special relations” Britain),
the UN Security Council, US Congress or the American public.
Rationalizing his resolve for a military assault on Syria, Obama also said,
“[G]overnments representing 98 percent of the world’s population said the
use of chemical weapons [is] abhorrent.” If nations representing 98% of the
population have signed the treaty against chemical weapons, why does the
US representing only 5% of the world population have to go alone? Where
are the nations representing the remaining 93%—the Arab League, our Persian
Gulf and NATO military allies, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq where
we waged a 10-year war with almost 4,500 dead US soldiers, over 30,000
Obama’s averts war on Syria... ... continued on Page 33
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Bill Peduto Slated to be Next Mayor Pittsburgh
By Kollengode S Venkataraman
With a 4:1 voter advantage for Democrats, Bill Peduto, the Democratic
mayoral candidate and a member of Pittsburgh City Council, is expected
to win easily in November. Peduto won easily in the Democratic primary
in Spring 2013 defeating his main rival Council President Jack Wagner
in a 4-way primary. The last time Pittsburgh had a GOP mayor was in
the 1930s!
Peduto has name
recognition, political
savvy and gravitas, a
good grasp of the region’s
politics and economic
challenges, and
a stronger war chest
than his GOP rival.
Bill Peduto is familiar
to Indian-Americans interested in public life at the city and county
levels. Several times we have covered in the past his a presence at the
podium in the annual India Day melas at the Cathedral of Learning. He
knows the Indian-American Diaspora here only too well. In the photo
above, Peduto is with volunteers in the India Day in August 2013.
Peduto’s has been a progressive and also fiscally responsible voice in
Pittsburgh City Council. He understands Pittsburgh’s many challenges—
city finances, urban revitalization, and retaining existing businesses
and bringing new businesses into the city. Another challenge is making
Pittsburgh attractive for our young men and women raised here, and for
young professionals from outside to move here.
One also hopes the future Peduto administration will make it easy for
suburbanites to come to the city during weekends and evenings to enliven
the city’s night life beyond the South Side. One of the biggest annoyances
for suburbanites—the region’s population is over 2 million while the city’s
is only 300,000—is the exorbitant city parking fees during evenings and
on Saturdays. More people coming into the city will revitalize the city’s
ambiance during weekends and evenings and expand the city’s retail and
hospitality businesses, and help to bring in more tax revenue.
Peduto is endorsed by the region’s political heavyweights—County
Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Democratic elected officials and unions.
Their goodwill is critical to set the tone of his administration. The influential
nonpartisan Common Cause too gave Peduto “The Champion of
Good Government” award in 2012. We wish Bill Peduto well. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
The Need to Recognize Depression in Youth
Dr. Mani Balu, Monroeville, PA
e-mail: balus61@gmail.com
Editor’s Note: Dr. Mani Balu is one of the early Indians to settle down in Southwest
Pennsylvania. For over three decades he practiced pediatric medicine in Union Town, PA.
After retiring from his practice, he and his wife Shantha now live in Monroeville. PA.
On May 27, 2013 we lost our dear daughter Geetha, 35, to depression.
She ended her life after suffering from depression for fifteen long
years.
This article is not intended to publicize her illness or our grief. As a
father and a pediatrician, my aim through this article is to make people
aware of depression.
In general, people do not recognize depression in themselves or in
their loved ones early. Even if they suspect it, either they neglect
it, deny it or think that it is due to some other illness and put the person
through many medical tests. As a pediatrician, I see this problem in my
patients, when the teenagers are brought to me with symptoms suggestive
of depression. When I tell the parents that I suspect depression in their
daughter or son, neither have they believed it nor wanted to accept it. As
a result of this, the diagnosis and proper treatment are delayed or even
denied. I hope this article will help everyone understand the problem and
seek medical help promptly.
First of all, we need to understand that depression is a chronic disease
due to chemical imbalance in the brain. As of yet, we do not know the
cause of this. It is more common in girls. It has a genetic predisposition
too. If a parent, grandparent, sibling or other close relative has or has
had this problem, we should realize there is more chance for the youth
to have depression.
More importantly, as the causes of depression are not known, there
are no preventive measures. So please do not feel guilty that you could
have done something more to prevent it.
Realizing the seriousness of depression and the importance of its
early detection and proper and prompt treatment, the American
Academy of Pediatrics has instructed all pediatricians in the United States
to ask the following questions to all girls and boys between the ages of 15
and 18 years to diagnose the condition early, during their yearly physical
check ups. (Depression can start earlier or later also.)
1. Do you have little interest or pleasure in doing things?
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
2. Do you feel down, depressed, irritable or hopeless?
3. Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep?
4. Do you feel tired or have little energy to do things?
5. Are you experiencing poor appetite, weight loss, overeating or
weight gain?
6. Do you feel bad about yourself or feel you are a failure or have let
yourself and your family down?
7. Do you have trouble concentrating on things, such as schoolwork,
reading or watching TV? Do you avoid friends and prefer to be alone
most of the time?
8. Do you move or speak so slowly that other people notice OR conversely,
are you fidgety, restless and worried all the time?
9. Do you have thoughts that you would be better off dead or would
like to hurt yourself in some way?
Hopefully this article will help in the early diagnosis and prompt treatment
of someone who may be suffering.
As for Geetha, she herself suspected that she might have depression
when she was living in the college dorms and she told me
about it. The diagnosis was confirmed soon and the treatment was started
promptly.
For fifteen long years, she had all kinds of treatment: Allopathy,
Homeopathy and even Tirupati (Venkateshwara). Hers was a severe case
of depression which took her away from us.
I still feel confident that, in the future, we will have a better understanding
of the disease with better outcomes. So please, do not give up
hope. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Working to End Violence Against Women
By Namita Luthra, New York, NY.
e-mail: namitaluthra@gmail.com
Editor’s Note: Namita Luthra, a civil rights lawyer, lives in New York City with her husband
Anil Shrivastava and their two children, Amartya and Jaya. She grew up in Weirton,
WV, near Pittsburgh.
“Everyone deserves love, laughter, and joy in their lives. No one deserves
to live in fear.” — Radha, a survivor of domestic violence.
To end violence against women. That is
the simply stated but ambitious mission of
Sakhi for South Asian Women, an organization
founded twenty five years ago in New York City
that assists survivors of domestic violence. Sakhi,
meaning woman friend in Sanskrit, takes a twopronged
approach to achieving this mission:
First, it creates a safe place with a full range of
culturally sensitive, language-specific information, support, services, and
advocacy for South Asian women facing abuse in their lives.
Secondly, it works to inform, actively engage, and mobilize the South
Asian community in the movement to end violence against women forever.
Though its mission is far-reaching, Sakhi works to make it a reality one
woman at a time.
In 2012, Sakhi served nearly 600 women who reached out through its
helpline, website, or a referral. Here is a glimpse of one life of a survivor
named Radha, in her own words:
“Growing up, my home was filled with laughter, love, and joy. My
parents were like normal Indian parents and expected the best from us
in terms of grades, manners, and respect, but they always made us feel
cherished and supported
Even on my wedding day, my mom held my hand before I walked towards
the mandap and told me that she would always support my decisions and
always stand by my side.
After I married, my home was filled with sadness, disrespect, and fear.
My husband ruled the home like a tyrant and used his words and hands
to instill fear in me. He wouldn’t allow me to see family or friends. And
soon I was isolated, alone, and afraid.
Sakhi helped me move past my assumptions that I would shame my
family and, society would view me poorly if I were divorced, and helped
me move forward in my life. Sakhi helped me get a lawyer and held my
hand in court. My mom stood by her word and held my other hand.
Domestic Violence... ... Continued on Page 32
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
The India Day Celebrates Everything Indian
By David Downey e-mail: : DPD25@pitt.edu
Pitt Chancellor Nordenberg and Indian Army Brigadier
Nawab Singh Heer (Ret.) after flag hoistings.
14
Editor’s note: David is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in
Philosophy. He also works at the Nationality Rooms Program. David hopes to see
more India-related events.
On Sunday, August 18,
hundreds of people gathered
at the Cathedral of Learning
on the University of Pittsburgh
campus. Although the sky was
overcast, smiles were everywhere
as people prepared for
the 16th India Day’s festivities,
celebrating India’s culture,
heritage and ancestry coinciding
with the 66th anniversary
of India’s independence. This
year’s festivities highlighted
Subhash Chandra Bose.
The festival began outside
with a parade around
the grounds of the Cathedral
with Keerti Gaulati welcoming
crowd and singing the Indian and American
national anthems. A truck carried powerful
speakers that put forth both Indian music and
the rallying words of the parade. The music
was accompanied by a variety of hand-held
percussion instruments, as well as the cheers
of marchers and spectators with the marchers
in the front spontaneously dancing to the upbeat
tunes. The half-hour parade drew several
pedestrians into the Cathedral to see what was
going on.
The program booklet was a work of art in itself,
with messages from leaders in Pittsburgh’s
community, a summary of the life of Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose, a timeline of India’s
history, and advertisements for Indian restaurants and businesses.
Allegheny County Chief Executive
Rich Fitzgerald delivering his
remarks at the start.
Indian Day... ... Cintinued on page 24
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Celebrate Diwali at Phipps
FRIDAY, OCT. 25, 2013 7 – 10 P.M.
On the evening of Friday, October 25,
join Phipps Conservatory and
Botanical Gardens in celebrating Diwali
surrounded by the color and beauty
of its lush Tropical Forest India exhibit.
Enjoy appetizers, beverages,
children's activities, music and dancing.
This event is open to the public
and free with Phipps admission.
Discover more at phipps.conservatory.org.
15
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
A Very Unusual Last Goodbye
By Cindy Koller, West Newton, PA
e-mail: ckoller@andrew.emu.edu
Note: Cindy Koller proofreads and copyedits most of the articles in the Patrika.
When you still find typos here and there, it is because we did not send those articles
for her critical look on account of time constraints. — Editor
Just recently my husband’s cousin Ernie died. Ernie was 96 years old
and died while doing one of the things he loved most—working in his garden.
A long life lived well to the very end. Ernie leaves behind Rose, his
wife of 59 years; five children; eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild,
as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Plans for Ernie’s funeral and burial were well-thought out and proceeding
well until the unimaginable happened: the day after Ernie died,
Rose fell and broke her hip. This required immediate hospitalization and
surgery. Rose was already distraught at Ernie’s unexpected passing.
But now, being unable to attend the viewings, funeral services and burial
were causing Rose and her family a great deal of emotional pain.
Well, if Mohammed couldn’t come to the mountain, the mountain
would have to come to Mohammed. And come it did.
an incredible act of care, compassion and cooperation, the
Through funeral home and the hospital devised a plan. After the viewings and
church service were over, instead of proceeding directly to the cemetery,
the hearse journeyed to the professional building attached to the hospital
where Rose was a patient. A room there was arranged as a make-shift
funeral parlor. Ernie’s casket was brought in and re-opened and his body
was gently prepared for an ‘encore’ viewing by his wife.
When all was ready, Rose arrived in a wheelchair to have her final
visit with Ernie and take her leave of him. Family, pall-bearers and close
friends were invited to attend this special viewing.
After Rose gently scolded Ernie (“You know I was supposed to go
first!” she said to him) and expressed her parting thoughts, all the relatives
got in line to greet Rose and take one last leave of Ernie. She talked
and visited with each person.
With this unusual arrangement, Rose got that all important closure that
would have been denied her had the funeral home and hospital stuck to
rigid formalities and policies.
This generous act of humanity and cooperation afforded a grief-stricken
widow and her children an opportunity for closure and peace. It was our
privilege to have been able to participate. And it is a testament to both the
hospital and the funeral home that they bent a few rules to provide comfort
and solace to this family in their time of grief. •
16
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Are There Any Truths in Mythological Stories?
There was a story by Laurie Goodstein in the July 20th issue of The
New York Times (http://tiny.cc/Mormon_Doubt) focusing on an
intra-faith challenge: When Mormons search the web for reinforcement
and clarifications in their faith, they end up with doubt and disillusionment
because of the historical anomalies, inconsistencies and church practices
between what they hear in their tightly managed churches and read in the
Mormon Bible, and what is widely available on the Internet.
Goodstein quotes a deeply religious Mormon overseeing the Mormon
Church’s European operations: “I felt like I had an earthquake under my
feet. Everything I’d been taught, everything I’d been proud to preach
about and witness about just crumbled under my feet. It was such a terrible
psychological and nearly physical disturbance.”
A few days later, Harold Kushner, a Conservative Rabbi and the author
of the bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People, chimed in
advising Mormons on how Judaism deals with inconsistencies in its Bible,
the Old Testament, compiled a few thousand years before the Mormon
Bible’s time (Letter to The New York Times, July 23). The rabbi writes:
“Might I suggest that they [Mormons] use the tactic used by many
modern Jews dealing with biblical narratives that defy credulity, from a
six-day story of creation to Jonah living inside a large fish. We [Jews]
distinguish between left-brain narratives (meant to convey factual truth)
and right-brain narratives (meant to make a point through a story).”
The rabbi goes on: “The message will be true even if the story isn’t
factually defensible.” Modern Jews’ efforts to reconcile credulous events
in their Bible with their skeptic members today are understandable.
In this background, we hope—and also expect—that the Abrahamics
extend the same approach when they study mythologies in other systems
of beliefs instead of showing condescension and derision.
In any case, there is nothing “modern” or original in modern Jews’
attempt to reconcile the incredulous with the cerebral. In fact, this is the
very basis of stories in Indian and Greek mythologies, and in the Sufi
stories that came over 1500 years later. In all these stories, even when
the narratives themselves are incredible and truly fantastic, the kernel
messages they convey are valid for all times and in all places.
So, here is an example of a story I heard in the Bhagavatam discourse
by Shantananda at the Chinmaya Mission in August:
In the Hindu cosmology, time is divided into four sequential yugas or
epochs, called the Satya or Krta, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali yugas, with
each yuga thousands and thousands and thousands of years long. But that
is not important here.
Mythology... ... Continued on Page 28
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
How Running in a Marathon Changed My Life
Paul Grossi, Beaver, PA
e-mail: paul.grossi@hotmail.com
Editor’s Note: Paul Grossi works for a small global company. While working full
time, he earned his BS in Business Administration from Penn State and went on to
earn his Masters in Project Management/Leadership from Geneva College.
never had any interest in running; it never appealed to me. But some
I years back, my life and health was headed in the wrong direction and
out of balance. I was going to school
and working full time. I had a stressful,
sedentary lifestyle. I was challenging
and pushing myself mentally but doing
nothing physically. I was putting
on weight, and at the age of 35, I set
a goal to run my first marathon and
attempt to turn my health around.
A marathon is a 26.2-miles-long
endurance test. The first marathon I
attempted was the Pittsburgh Marathon
in 2010. I underestimated the
challenge and didn’t train well. I just
thought I would do the best I could and
coast to the end post.
I quickly discovered that running in a marathon was one of the hardest
things I had ever attempted. It rained nonstop the entire race and the most
difficult part was finishing the last six miles. My body, and more importantly
my mind as well, were not prepared for the difficult challenge. I
did however complete the marathon in 5 hours and 46 minutes. Crossing
that finish line and accomplishing a goal I had set for myself encouraged
me to improve and do better.
Shortly after, I joined Steel City Road Runners, a great community
of runners in Pittsburgh. They were a very good support group
and didn’t care how fast or slow you ran. I found people faster than me
and people slower than me.
I began entering smaller races, 5K’s to 10K’s, and doing weekly training
runs with the new group. I really enjoyed running with them. They
motivated me to keep running and not give up.
The group began putting training plans together for various races and
marathons. A plan for a marathon consists of 16 to 18 weeks of training
in which you increase your mileage every week, and have one long run
22
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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on weekends. Ultimately, the longest weekend run increases to 20 miles,
and then you are ready for the marathon.
I learned about the importance of pacing, not starting too fast and
taught myself not to give up mentally. I also learned the importance of
hydration, stretching, and how to recover after a long run.
Since the 2010 Pittsburgh marathon, I have completed five full
marathons. I’ve improved my time by about 20 minutes on every
race. My current fastest marathon time is 4 hours and 3 minutes. I do
plan to run many more marathons in the future, maybe even a few ultramarathons.
My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Boston marathon next
year in which my time needs to be under 3 hours and 15 minutes.
I found that the best thing you can do is surround yourself with a community
of supportive and encouraging people that share the same goals.
For runners this supportive community helps continually motivate you to
become better. Running a marathon is as much a mental challenge as it
is a physical challenge. Running makes you mentally strong and teaches
you not to give up when things become tough.
Rnning in a Marathon is a great metaphor for life. In life, just like
when running, there will be some tough times. Everyone has to
decide whether to give up when things get tough, or to keep moving through
Marathon... ... Continued on Page 25
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
India Day... ...Continued from Page 14
Although many festival goers were dressed casually, many others
wore traditional dress with many women in brightly colorful saris. The
extravagant ornamentation of the dresses brightened the grey limestone
halls of the old Gothic building. The Commons
Room became even more lively as music and
dance performances alternated with speeches.
The two-hour program started with people
singing the American and Indian national anthems
as the Stars and Stripes and the Indian Tricolor
flags were hoisted. People celebrated their
freedom to exercise both Indian and American
identities, and how cultures are able to celebrate
and complement each other. Speakers included
Meena Muthyala, the keynote
speaker at the podium.
Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, Councilman Bill
Peduto, County Commissioner Rich Fitzgerald,
Meena Muthyala, Kaushik Mitra, and Chelsea
Pallatino.
Speeches addressed everything from Indian history and freedom, making
a new home in Pittsburgh and the US, climate change, and maintaining
a rich cultural heritage and working together as a community.
These elements are all exemplified by the Indian Nationality Class-room
on the third floor of the Cathedral that was opened in early 2000. The
classroom cost tens of thousands of dollars raised by the Indian community
in the region. The dedication
required to build a classy teaching
room is proof that the speakers’
words rang true. The room was
open to visit, and many took time
to appreciate its representation of
the ancient classroom.
The classroom also continues
to give, as made clear by the
speech by Chelsea Pallatino, this
year’s winner of the Indian Nationality
Classroom Scholarship,
which enabled her to travel to India. Chelsea worked with Share India to
assist health issues in the Medchal Mandal area. This experience allowed
her both to experience rich Indian culture, and give back to those people
by improving health conditions. The dances and songs performed by various
ages kept the festival atmosphere alive.
In addition to the speakers and dancers in the center of the room, vari-
24
A Rajasthani/Gujarati folk dance item.
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
ous tables lined the perimeter. There were several arts and crafts tables for
children, with people indulging in the Indian food available. There were
multiple booths inviting
philanthropy.
These were hosted
by Overseas Volunteers
for a Better
India, The Association
for India’s
Students of Nandinii Mandal getting ready for their dance item.
25
Development, and
The Bengali Association
of Pittsburgh. The event was also sponsored by The U.S. India
Forum. Finally, there was a table selling finely decorated saris, and another
selling books. The books covered biographies, history, religious scripture
and meditation practices.
The effort and planning required for an event such as this were no challenge
for the motivated enthusiasts of Indian culture and heritage. •
Marathon... ... Continued from Page 23
the difficult times. During these tough times, we test ourselves and find
out how strong we really are and what we are really made of.
Running is not about distance alone—it’s about setting personal goals,
challenging yourself and seeing what you are capable of accomplishing.
Whether you run a full marathon, or a 5K, or however fast or slow you are,
it’s all about reaching your goals and continually working to get better.
It’s a blessing to be able to get out and run every day. You can enjoy
the outdoors, get away from problems and set goals for yourself. Most
people don’t know what they are capable of until they begin to set goals
and start accomplishing them.
Running has changed my life bringing me balance and happiness. I
can get away from the stresses of the day and relax during running. It’s
my time to think clearly and cope with any issue. I do my best thinking
when I’m running and am always in a better mood after a run. Running
has improved my health and has brought many other positive changes into
my life. I feel that I have become a stronger person because of running.
I recommend running for anyone that has a busy schedule and wants
to improve their mental and physical health. Running is by far the easiest,
cheapest, and fastest way to improve your mood, your health, and
outlook on life. Running has improved my life in so many ways. It has
energized me and given me a new outlook on life. I’m happy and excited
to call myself a runner. •
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Dr. Subra Suresh Shares His Vision for CMU
in a Reception at Phipps
Striving to keep the technological edge it has cultivated over the decades,
significantly strengthening endowments for its long-term stability
and growth, and aesthetically embedding motifs of performing and visual
arts throughout the campus are on the “To-Do”
list of Dr. Subra Suresh, the new President of
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The last one
is not trivial. CMU’s College of Fine Arts, though
among the best in the nation, is often overshadowed
by its techie image among the general public.
Dr. Suresh shared these points in his freewheeling
remarks in the reception given to him at the
Phipps Conservatory on Tuesday August 27 by
Dr. Subra Suresh at the podium.
Photo: Subash Ahuja
Sunil & Nita Wadhwani on behalf of Pittsburgh’s
Indian-Americans. Mr.Wadhwani is on the governing
board of CMU. The 200-plus invitees
represented Indian-Americans of diverse background.
After his 3-year tenure as the head of the prestigious National Science
Foundation, whose mandate is to identify and fund the advanced
research needs in all branches of science, Dr. Suresh is now at the helm
of Carnegie Mellon. As Sunil Wadhwani said in his opening remarks,
CMU gives its presidents long tenures—in CMU’s over 100-year history,
Dr. Suresh is only its ninth president.
Dr. Suresh, the first India-born scientist to head a major cutting-edge
US university, has ambitious goals even as he recognizes the competition
from other big players. After all, he was at MIT and Brown University
teaching and in research and administration as well.
In his unscripted easygoing remarks, Dr. Suresh also touched on the
reasons for the high cost (~$45,000/year) of undergraduate education
in private universities—not
eligible for any state grants,
and daring to pursue cutting
edge research that
state legislatures will not
be interested in funding.
Ironically, he said, these
cutting edge researches
spawn multi-billion dollar
industries employing thousands
while keeping the US Dr. Suresh with his audience. Photo: Ram Bajaj.
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
as the technology leader. But this is little comfort for a family of four with
an annual taxable household income of $50,000.
One question to him from the audience was whether CMU will open a
campus in India as it and other universities have done in other nations. The
gist of Dr. Suresh’s answer was: Opening an off-shore campus is one of the
ways, certainly not the only way, in which CMU can strengthen education
in India. Outside the US, he said, India has the largest number of CMU
alumni in universities, industries, and in R&D. CMU can innovatively
capitalize on this soft resource without opening an Indian campus, to have
an impact on technical education in India while also benefitting CMU.
He did recognize that a $45,000/year CMU campus in India would be
over Rs.2.5 million (Rs. 25 lakhs) per year in school fees, a huge sum.
We can see his point. This will not sit well. In India even for working
people with college degrees, the family income would be only round Rs.
600,000 (Rs.6 lakhs) per year, not to speak of India’s working poor.
Suresh, accompanied by his wife Mary, a public health professional
with her own credentials, spent the reminder of the evening getting to know
the Indian-American community in town. The canopy of the Phipps’s live
exhibit of the Tropical Forest India, provided a perfect ambience in every
measure—brightly sunny and humid with temperatures in the 80s.
The Taj Mahal Restaurant provided the catering for the reception.
— By Kollengode S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Susheel Kant Khetarpal’s Lively Arangetram
By Premlata Venkataraman
Susheel Kant Khetarpal had his arangetram at Fox Chapel Area High
School on August 17th, 2013 under the guidance of his guru Smt. Jaya
Mani. He is Jaya Mani’s first male student to
have Arangetram.
A promising recital by the first male student
of Jaya Mani was a unique treat for the audience.
He displayed vigorous energy required of male
dancers in classical Indian performing arts with
meticulous and brisk footwork, while displaying
grace -- always tricky for young male dancers – in
his maiden recital. Jaya Mani mentioned that she
took extra care to choreograph the dance movements
to her first male student emphasizing Tandava style, which is quite
different from Lasya that emphasizes grace in moving limbs, abhinaya
and facial expressions in women dancers.
His choice of padams—Shankara Sirigiri, Charanam Sharanam, and
Hari Nama—were good to display the Tandava of Shiva, the gentle grace
of Hanuman, and the valor of Rama respectively, which Jaya Mani used
fully to bring out his skills. He responded well to his Guru.
Being a male dancer, his costumes and jewelry had to be muted,
compared to the glamorous options for women dancers. So, he had to
compensate for the muted visual impact of his costumes with his abhinaya
and vigor; and this he did well.
As one of his friends said in the brief roast-cum-toast, Susheel’s
Arangetram will be an inspiration to young boys to learn this art form in
the years ahead. •
Mythology... ... Continued from Page 21
In the Satya Yuga, the noble and the evil people lived isolated in different
worlds. In the Treta Yuga (Ramayana’s time), the noble and evil people
came closer—in different land masses on earth separated only by water.
The noble Rama was in India and the evil Ravana in Lanka, separated by
water. In Dwapara Yuga, the evil and noble people became closer still—
cousins of the same family, as the noble Pandavas and the evil Kauravas.
In the Kali Yuga (our time), the Noble and Evil are the closest they can
ever be—the two are in all of us in our own mind. As ideas and thoughts,
the two constantly battle each other all the time each trying to have an
upper hand within each one of us. — By K S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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Anika, daughter of Bijaya and Manik Debnath of
Monroeville, PA and a student of Jaya Mani had
her Bharatanatyam Arangetram on June 22, 2013
at the S.V. Temple Auditorium in front of invited
guests. Anika is Jaya Mani’s 101st Arangetram student.
Anika, a freshman at Gateway High School,
is an active member of the school’s string orchestra
and articipates in various competitive scholastic
events She continues to pursue her training in Bharatanatyam
as well as Kuchipudi. •
Nikita, daughter of Sangeeta and Shailesh
Bokil from McDonald PA, and a student
of Nandini Mandal had her Bharatanatyam
Arangetram on June 1st, 2013 at the South Fayette
High School auditorium in front of invited
guests. She has participated in several dancedramas
and in dance programs under her Guru’s
direction. She also teaches the junior classes at
Nandanik Dance Academy. She goes to Carnegie
Mellon University this fall. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Swami Vivekananda: His Influence in America
By Dr. Prakash C. Mullick, Pittsburgh, PA
This year India and many parts of the world celebrated the150th anniversary
of one of the greatest religious leader and philosopher of Hinduism.
Vivekananda was invited as a speaker of Indian religion at the world’s
Parliament of Religion held in Chicago in 1893. The topic of the conference
was unification of all religion into a Universal religion.
He was the last speaker on the first day, at the time when attendees were
preparing to leave. However, when Vivekananda stood on the podium and
addressed the parliament, “Brothers and Sisters of America,” those in the
audience were stunned, and turned to listen to him. He spoke very clearly
and said, “If there is ever to be a Universal Religion, it must be one which
will have no location in place or time, which will be infinite like the God
it will preach, and whose sun will shine upon the followers of Krishna
and Christ, on saints and sinners alike; which will not be Brahminic or
Buddhist, Christian or Mohammeden, but the sum total of all these, and
still have infinite space for development.”
He spoke powerfully about Indian religions and Hinduism. He explained
the universal principles which form the foundation of Hinduism, such as
the divinity of the soul, self-realization and eternal peace as explained in
Vedantic principles that he grasped from his Master Sri Ramakrishna.
He told the parliament that the Hindus are open minded and embrace
all the religions of the world, and explained the true religion as “eternal
truths and the laws of the spiritual world,” namely, Vedanta. He introduced
India as the spiritual leader of the world. From that time onwards people
in the West and America came to know the worth of India and to develop
a quest for spiritual knowledge.
Vivekananda was declared as the chief architect of the parliament by
the Chairman of the Congress and people followed him all through his
lectures on different topics and became his ardent followers. The New York
Herald wrote, “He is undoubtedly the greatest figure of the Parliament of
Religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries
to this learned nation.” The Boston Evening Paper wrote, “He is a great
favorite of the parliament by his sentiment and appearance. If he merely
crosses the platform, he is applauded.”
Swami Vivekananda was born in Calcutta in 1863, graduated from Calcutta
University with majors in Philosophy, History and Music. Perturbed
with the poverty and backwardness in India, he questioned God until he
met his Guru Sri Ramakrishna, who gave him direction and imparted to
him spiritual knowledge. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Domestic Violence... ... Continued from Page 12
I am now happily married to a wonderful man and have two very loved
children. With the support of Sakhi and my loving family, my home is
filled with laughter, love, and joy once again.”
My own involvement with Sakhi is a longstanding one. In 1996,
after receiving a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh
School of Law, I moved to New York City for a civil rights legal fellowship
with the American Civil Liberties Union. At the same time, I
began a volunteer position with Sakhi. As a volunteer, I helped survivors
of violence navigate the criminal justice and civil law systems. In 2012,
I joined Sakhi’s Board of Directors and now help set its development and
program priorities.
At Sakhi’s helm is Tiloma Jayasinghe, its Executive Director, who has
steered Sakhi in bold and new directions. In addition to strengthening
its local focus, Tiloma now ensures Sakhi’s role in a national and global
conversation about reframing anti-violence work.
Other vital members of the Sakhi team include Community Outreach
and Domestic Violence Program Advocates and an Economic Empowerment
Coordinator. This spring, Sakhi along with other South Asian
women’s organizations, was present for President Obama’s signing of
the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Two years ago,
Sakhi hosted a summit for international and national social justice leaders
to understand intersections between immigration, economic dependence,
and gender violence and set forth positive goals for the movement.
This year, Sakhi celebrates its 25th Anniversary. It marks this milestone
with several events during the year including a gala reception
in May 2014. In past galas, Sakhi has honored dedicated supporters
including film director, Mira Nair, a United Nations Special Rapporteur
on Violence Against Women, and most recently this May, Ann Mukherjee,
Senior Vice President of Frito Lay, who spoke compellingly about her
own history of surviving violence.
Sakhi could not exist without generous support from a committed South
Asian community in the New York metropolitan area. The Pittsburgh and
Tri-State South Asian community can contribute to Sakhi’s vital work,
too. A contribution from you, no matter how large or small, will help
Sakhi achieve its mission – one woman at a time. Join our mailing list to
learn more about Sakhi’s important work, receive updates about 25th Year
events, or support Sakhi, by contacting Danielle Reydon through Sakhi’s
website: www.sakhi.org. By supporting our work, you could take pride
in helping to end violence against our fellow sakhis – Indian, Pakistani,
Sri Lankan, and other South Asian women. Women like Radha. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Savithri Nagarajan 1919-2013
By Geetha Nagarajan*
Savithri Nagarajan, 94, died June 14, 2013 at St. Margaret’s Hospital
in Fox Chapel. Following the death of her husband in 1987, she came
from Chennai to Pittsburgh in 1988 live her son Nandu and his family.
Savithri lost her father in 1922 when she was just 3. Her young 21-
year-old mother, with the support of her own mother, rebelled against
the orthodoxy of the time that stigmatized widows, and educated both
herself and her four children. Savithri earned a master’s degree in Physics
from Annamalai University. She got the first rank in her class. She
was a professor of physics at various institutions, including the Benares
Hindu University and Loreto College, Lucknow.
Once in Pittsburgh, Savithri devoted herself to the raising her grandchildren,
Anisha and Arjun. She was an active member of the S.V.
Temple writing and directing plays that featured both her grandchildren
and many other youngsters, all of whom remember her fondly.
Savithri is survived by her daughter, Sundari, two sons, Gopal and
Nandu, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A private funeral service for Savithri Nagarajan was held on June 18.
The family extends warm thoughts towards all those who knew her.
* Geetha is the daughter-in-law of Savithri Nagarajan. •
Obama’s averts war on Syria... ... Continued from Page 4
wounded soldiers requiring care for the next several decades, not to speak of
the several hundred thousand Iraqi civilian deaths? And the Iraq war cost us
over a trillion-dollars so far. After all, our Arab military allies and friends in
the region have been benefitting by the American military involvement there
without spilling a drop of their own blood.
Just because Mr. Obama drew the red line arbitrarily, he wants the warweary
Congress and the citizenry to support him for one more military adventure
in a region where US blood has been spilling for over 10 years, and
where our credibility is already low. Is this how the leader of the Sole Super
Power should go about making decisions on war?
Oh, by the way, we will exceed our debt ceiling in the next several
weeks, and the federal government is already in sequestration, we are
barely out of a deep economic downturn with anemic new job growth, and
we have mounting budget and trade deficits; and we have to take care of so
many domestic problems we have been neglecting for over 15 years.
To understand the conundrum of the Syrian Situation and how intractable
the Middle East is, go the last page. Do we really want this war? •
33
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
Try Understanding
the Middle East Conundrum
President Obama avoided military action in Syria by buying time for
diplomacy for removing chemical weapons in Syria. The unilateral and goit-alone
US Military action would have damaged the American interest in
that region even further from where we stand now, which is pretty low.
One Mr. K. N. Al-Sabah helps readers of The Financial Times to
understand Middle East politics thus in his letter to the editor in August:
“Iran is backing Assad [of Syria]. [Persian] Gulf States are against
Assad. Assad is against Muslim Brotherhood [in Egypt], and Obama is
against General Sisi [of Egypt].
But Gulf States are pro-Sisi! Which means they are against Muslim
Brotherhood.
Iran is pro-Hamas, but Hamas is backing Muslim Brotherhood!
Obama is backing Muslim Brotherhood, yet Hamas is against the
US!
Gulf States are pro-US. But Turkey is with Gulf States against Assad;
yet Turkey is pro-Muslim Brotherhood against General Sisi. And General
Sisi is getting backing from the Gulf States.
Welcome to the Middle East and Have a nice Day.”
Naming Rights, Desi Ishtyle
In the US corporations spend millions of dollars for naming rights for
stadiums and auditoriums, and individuals pay millions to universities to
get the buildings and departments named after themselves. One city in
India has adapted this feature with a uniquely Indian twist. Citizens of
Raipur, the capital of Chattisghar state in Central India, have given to
themselves the rights to name potholes after elected public officials to
show their annoyance.
Angered at the potholes (gaddha in Hindi) on Raipur roads, citizens
came up with a novel way to protest—naming potholes after elected officials.
Now they have Brijmoham Gaddha (named after the public works
minister), Raman Gaddha (after chief minister), and Munat Gaddha (after
environment minister).
They also solemnized the event in different parts of the city with the namakaran
(naming) ceremony with proper rituals with help from priests.
Probably they know that the potholes will never be filled. The priests
could as well have uttered sotto voce the traditional Deerghayushman-bhava
(may you have a long life) after the naming ceremony. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 19, No. 1, October 2013
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