Pittsburgh Patrika July 2022

Vol. 27, No 4 July 2022

www.pittsburghpatrika.com

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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 27 No 4, July 2022

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

Vol. 27 No. 4, July 2022

www.pittsburghpatrika.com

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

The Regressive Reversal of Roe v. Wade

By Premlata Venkataraman .............................................2

Maestro Zakir Hussain’s Electrifying Tabla Recital

Came Once Again to Pittsburgh

By Nicholas J Gigante ...................................................7

Juginder and Dolly Luthra, Well-Known to Patrika Readers,

are Moving to New Jersey

By Premlata and Kollengode S. Venkataraman......................9

Difference Between the Old and the New

By K S Venkataraman.................................................. 10

From Kolis to The Wholey’s — A Seafood Story

By Deepak Kotwal...................................................... 11

Obituary: Mani Balu (1935 – March 28, 2022)

Soft-speaking Pediatrician, Helpful & Caring

By Sudha Dixit.......................................................... 16

The Reptilian Brain on Hyperdrive

By Arun Jatkar.......................................................... 18

Bus Driver’s Error Takes Kerala Pilgrims to the Goa Beach

300 kms Away

By K S Venkataraman ................................................. 20

On the cover: The entrance at the Wholey’s seafood retail shop in the

Strip District on PennAvenue. Story by Deepak Kotwal on seafood as

an important part of the Indian cuisine, and the symbiotic relatioonship

between the Wholey’s and their Indian customers — Page 9. •

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

Vol. 27 No. 4 July 2022

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

The Regressive Reversal of Roe v. Wade

By Premlata Venkataraman

Finally, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

by a vote of 6-3. The 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was given, interpreting that

the “Due Process Clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution

gives a fundamental “right to privacy” protecting a woman’s right to opt

for terminating her pregnancy (aka abortion). The overturning of the 1973

decision was expected for weeks — social media was abuzz that it would

be struck down, and the death watch was already in place.

This latest overturning of the 1973 ruling will cause a tectonic shift in

all these rights and even beyond. The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision went

beyond abortion: it included the right to contraception as well. Many states

in the South, where social and religious conservatives run the government

machinery, had already started imposing restrictions on abortion.

Striking down Roe v. Wade has always been in the campaign promises of

many Republican presidential and congressional candidates in elections.

But it gained momentum during the Reagan presidential campaign in

1980. It was ironic that the B-grade Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan, in

the 1980s, made this a campaign promise when running against Jimmy

Carter, an Evangelical Christian, to woo the religious conservatives led

by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. And Reagan struck gold!!

Ever since, every Republican presidential candidate has promised to

appoint judges to the Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade to appeal

to social/religious conservative voters. Of course, the maverick Republican

Donald Trump appointing three justices to the Supreme Court made this

easy. Nobody will miss the irony that the thrice-married Trump, a playboy

with a promiscuous, unrestrained, philandering — you pick the adjective

— lifestyle throughout his adult life, made this happen! Predictably Trump

took credit for the decision, keeping the 2024 presidential elections in

mind: “Today’s decision, which is the biggest win for life in a generation

… was made possible because I delivered everything as promised.”

Americans have always been divided on the issue of abortion. Those

opposed to women’s need to have the options on reproductive

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matters prophesied that rates of abortion will rise and promiscuity among

teenagers would lead to more pregnancies. Much to their chagrin, this did

not happen (see the graphs).

On the contrary, better sex

education and dissemination

of correct information

resulted in fewer teenage

pregnancies.

Similarly, as working

women focused on their

careers, the birth rate too

declined. The blame for this

is the abysmal state of paid

maternity/paternity benefits

and the prohibitive cost of

childcare for working class

families.

Some states rushed to

ban abortions altogether (the

count is now seventeen) and

many more will join them in

the coming months. Now,

in many of these states,

abortions will be accessible only to those women with money to travel

to states where abortion is still available, who have the resources to pay

for the service and stay in hotels, costs that may run into a few thousand

dollars. But abortion numbers are closely tied to the poverty level of

women. See the table below:

Abortions and Poverty Levels in the US:

49% of abortions are by women earning < $13,000/year

26% of abortions are by women earning between $13,000

and $26,000/year

Note: Median personal income: $35.000/year

Source: Guttmacher Institute

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Lowincome

rural

and urban

women of all

ethnicities in

the American

context, who

cannot afford

to pay for the abortion, are the biggest victims of the US Supreme Court

decision. These women, already burdened with low wages and higher

unemployment with less access to medical facilities, will be victimized

for this over-reach of the Supreme Court.

In the post-feminist era, a new generation of women took the victories

of the feminist movement for granted. With better access to education


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and better paying jobs, many felt complacent about the freedoms they

enjoyed. They will have to start the struggle all over again to gain control

of their reproductive rights. Now, there will be a new respect for the

earlier feminists who fought and won concessions to gain control of their

reproductive rights — from sex education/contraception to abortion.

So, where are we headed from here? For starters, restrictions to

abortion in many states are likely to increase the serious complications

for women and infants during childbirth. Further, where abortion is not

legally available, outcomes for medically high-risk births will result in

dangerous situations, mostly for low-income, less educated women. This

should be of grave concern for public health administrators, irrespective

of their ideology on women’s reproductive rights.

Fixing this problem requires a long-term outlook. Electing more women

who are pro-choice — not just in Congress, but also in state and local

government — is necessary to bring women’s issues into public focus. Not

just reproductive rights, but paid maternity/paternity leave, and helping

families with childcare costs.

What should young parents do now? It is important now more

than ever that parents with young children take on the important duty of

educating their daughters and sons as well — and particularly sons, one

might say — on their personal responsibilities in their interactions with

their peers of the opposite gender. Discussing openly and freely in the

home in one-on-one discussions and in schools is imperative for saving

our children from the horrible consequences of pregnancies when they

are themselves children.

This regressive decision by six judges of the Supreme Court, prompted

solely by their partisan politics and conservative ideology, is deplorable

Roe v. Wade.. ... Continued on Page 17

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Maestro Zakir Hussain’s Electrifying

Tabla Recital Came Once Again to Pittsburgh

By Nicholas J. Gigante, Vice President of Development

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh, PA

Finally, Covid-related restrictions were receding further in our rearview

mirror, and we were in spring last April. In a wonderful sign that

downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District is returning to life once again, the

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presented

a return engagement

of the Tabla Maestro Zakir

Hussain in Triveni at the

Byham Theater on April 12.

Nearly 1,000 patrons came

to the recital on a Tuesday

and thoroughly enjoyed the

performance by Mr. Hussain,

the tabla superstar, performing

along with Kala Ramnath

on the violin and Jayanthi

The maestro (L) with Nita Wadhwani (C) and her

husband Sunil (R), the hosts for the evening.

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Kumaresh on the veena.

Prior to the evening recital,

around fifty guests attended a

special meet-&-greet with the dynamic and engaging Mr. Hussain, along

with Ms. Ramnath and Ms. Kumaresh. Mrs.Nita and Mr. Sunil Wadhwani,

well-known to

the readers, hosted

the reception

in the Byham

Theater’s Fulton

Mini lounge,

overlooking the

Allegheny River.

Mr. Hussain

and his musical

colleagues interacted

with guests,

posed for pictures

and selfies, and signed autographs.

The President of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Mr Kevin McMahon,

welcoming Zakir Hussain (facing Mr McMahon) in the reception.

Mrs. Wadhwani, along with Cultural Trust President and CEO, Kevin

McMahon, made remarks jubilantly welcoming Mr. Hussain back to


Nita Wadhwani (Left) welconing the artistes Kala Ramnath (violinist) and Jayanthi Kumaresh

(veena player) in their elegant saris. Sunil Wadhwani is facinfg camera .

Pittsburgh. Mr. Hussain also delivered heartfelt musings highlighting his

excitement to once again be performing for live audiences, especially his

devoted and enthusiastic fans.

Mrs. Wadhwani is a member of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Programming

Committee. Her husband, Sunil, is on the PittsburghTrust’s

Board of Trustees. Also in attendance, among others, was fellow Cultural

Trust Trustee, Sarika Goulatia, along with her husband, Dr. Amit

Goulatia. •

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Juginder and Dolly Luthra, Well-Known to

Patrika Readers, are Moving to New Jersey

By Kollengode S. and Prema Venkataraman

Juginder and Dolly Luthra, long-time

residents of Weirton, WV and wellknown

to Patrika readers and the Indian

diaspora here, are moving to New Jersey,

to be close to their daughters and

grandkids, in their retirement. This is

a trend among Indians in their autumn

years.

“There is a pang of sadness in leaving

the community,” said Dolly Luthra

wistfully, continuing “even as we are happy to look forward to spending

more time with our grandkids.”

Dolly recalled arriving in Pittsburgh over four decades ago with their

6-week-old twin daughters in a bassinet and another 4-year-old daughter

in tow. They settled in Weirton WV to start their practice in healthcare

— Juginder in ophthalmology and Dolly in dentistry.

They raised their daughters and took part in social and cultural events

around the city, as is usual in Indian communities everywhere. Soon they

went beyond just participation. Living in Weirton close to the Greater

Pittsburgh Indian diaspora, they were the patrons supporting Indian classical

traditions of music, dance and performing arts.

Weirton in its heydays of the Mighty Steel starting in the early 20th

century, attracted immigrants from all over Europe to run the thriving

steel industry. The city organized an annual Festival of Nations in

Spring to highlight the culture of the many immigrants. But this festival

ended in 1948, after the end of WW II.

When Weirton revived the Festival of Nations in 2009, Juginder introduced

Indian folk and classical dances in the festival to highlight the new

immigrants from India settling in Weirton. He dipped into the resources

available in Pittsburgh and enriched the Festival of Nations to include

many dance traditions from Asia. Nandini Mandal wrote a story on this.

(www.tinyurl.com/Luthras-Story-by-Mandal)

Both Dolly and Juginder are also well known for their artistic talents

outside the narrow confines of their professions. Dolly acted in dramas.

Juginder was the main lead in a 15-minute short movie titled Sunflower

about getting old, directed by Ferris Rosati. Many of Juginder’s friends

would recall his singing ghazal/shairis and other genres of Hindi songs.

The Luthras... ... Continued on Page 19

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Difference Between the Old and the New

From time immemorial in India, rivers have been used as a metaphor.

Examples: Hina-yanam (literally the Small Boat) and Maha yanam (Big

Boat) in Buddhism, samsara sarovar (the sea of life), and teerthankaras

(the Boatmen Who Help to Cross the River) are the Jain masters.

We have rivers all over India that people need to to cross over for going

from anywhere to everywhere. Urdu poets too have used rivers and boats

as metaphors in simple-sounding shers (two liners). Here is one by Akbar

Allahabadi (1846-1921) that Harish Saluja sent me sometime back:

The difference between old light and the new light is only this:

One can’t find the boat; the other can’t find the shore.

In Indian languages, there is more to any two liner than its literal translation.

The light the poet talks about is insight. The “Old” has the insight

to see the shore afar, but not the resources or the strength to reach there.

And the “New” has the resources and strength, but does not know where

the shore is. This is the ultimate paradox of life. — KSV •

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From Kolis to The Wholey’s — A Seafood Story

By Deepak Kotwal, Squirrel Hill, PA

In early June, Deepak Kotwal, a Maharashtra native and a seafood connoisseur,

visited Wholey’s in the Strip District to write about their business and how they

cater to the seafood lovers in our area. Note: Kolis (कोळी) are the Marathi fishing

community that dominates seafood harvesting and trading in Maharashtra.

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When Indians first settled in the Pittsburgh area in the 1960s, pescatarian

Indian immigrants from Mumbai and coastal regions of Maharashtra

savoring paplet (pomfret,) bombeel (Bombay-duck) and surmai (kingfish),

and the macher-jhol-loving

Bengalis, whose favorites

are hilsa and rohu, and

from all over the peninsular

and other regions of India

were thrilled to “discover”

Wholey’s in the Strip District.

They are the largest

seafood retailer in Southwest

Pennsylvania. Local

supermarkets then did not

Typical retail seafood market in Mumbai.

have much of a seafood section. Until fish-loving Indians in and around

Pittsburgh found out about Wholey’s, their options were frozen fish sticks

and canned tuna to whet their cravings for seafood.

The word Koli (कोळी) in Marathi refers to the traditional Marathi

fishermen community that dominates the seafood harvesting and trading

business in Maharashtra. My childhood memories include shopping for

fish and price-haggling, mostly unsuccessfully, with the kolanīs (कोळणी),

the kolī women who managed the retail sales. Their men were on the seas

harvesting their catches or getting ready for their next fishing expedition.

My daughters’ childhood

memories here include going to

Wholey’s and holding a slippery

smelt in each hand.

Besides ethnic identity,

religion, language and

clothing, food is an important

marker of one’s cultural identity.

The late Anthony Bourdain,

the famed chef, author, and

TV culinary travel host, showed

Typical retail seafood bazaar in Chenna.


An oil-on-canvas painting of Koli fisherwomen by B.Prabha. See the footnote.

through his TV shows, how to understand cultures through their food.

Here in the US, a land of immigrants, by necessity, new arrivals

quickly adapt to the morés of the land to blend in. They switch to local

clothing. Their children lose proficiency in their mother tongues in one

or two generations. But they continue their culinary traditions passing

them on to their children. Childhood food and taste memory is a powerful

force.

There is a perception

outside India

that most Indians are

vegetarians. But with

its 7,000-plus kilometer

coastlines and

400-plus rivers with

over 12,000 miles of

rivers and countless

ponds and lakes, it is

natural that seafood

is a major part of the

The author, Deepak Kotwal (L) talking to Wholey’s Muriel

Maze (C) and John McNally (R)

Footnote: An oil-on-canvas painting (50” x 29”) of fisherwomen by B.Prabha (1933-2001)

in a private collection in Pittsburgh. Prabha, the Indian artist, often used as her motif rural

and coastal Indian women going about their daily grind. The elongated figures’ somber,

yet graceful expressions reflect their grim life. Prabha’s works, sought after by indian

corporate houses, are sold through Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

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Indian diet. There are many

references in old Sanskrit and

Tamil literature to all types of

fish and other aquatic creatures

and fishermen communities. In

2000-plus year-old Tamil classics,

neithal (ெநய்தல்) is the

term for seashores, having unique

landscape features, human settlement

and activities. Here is a

website listing the Indian names

for a variety of different fish types: Prepping the fish requires lots of skills.

www.tinyurl.com/Fish-names-in-Indian-Languages As an aside, in India,

Bengali brahmins and Saraswat brahmins in Maharashtra are seafood

connoisseurs. Why some brahmins are vegetarians and others are not is

a topic for another article.

I visited Wholey’s in the Strip District to inform readers of a

Recently, whole range of seafood items at the store. I spoke to John McNally,

a purchasing and marketing veteran with Wholey’s, and Muriel Maze,

who joined the Wholey’s recently, to learn more.

In 1912, Robert L. Wholey, from an Irish immigrant family in McKees

Rocks started a food distribution company dealing with poultry, meats,

sausages, and coffee. His son Robert C. Wholey in 1948, after returning

from his military service in WW-II, started a live chicken store in what

was then known as “Diamond Market” in downtown Pittsburgh.

In 1959, the Diamond Market was converted to the current up-scale

Market Square, forcing their poultry and meat-related business to move to

the Strip District. It was a difficult business decision since theirs would

be the first retail food store among all

the wholesale shops there. It is a truism

that successful businesspeople listen to

their customers. Around 1960, a customer

who had gone to the Chesapeake

Bay area came to Mr. Robert Wholey

with a large catch of crabs and asked

whether the Wholey’s would put them

up for sale in his store; they did. Sensing

an opportunity, Wholey’s added

a fresh seafood section. The rest, as

they say, is history. Today, Wholey’s

sources their seafood from all over the

world. They even have a cooked food

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The author holding a live 5-lb live lobster.


section as well, the most popular item being their fish sandwich.

The Wholey’s has a significant customer base from among the people of

Indian origin living in this metro area. John explained that Indian customers

like to buy the whole fish and have it cleaned by the store’s skilled

staff. Fish cleaning requires special skills and there is in-store training

for the job, which commands better pay, and has a much lower turnover

rate. We chatted with Mr. Yum Duong, a fish cleaning specialist with the

Wholey’s for over 20 years, an immigrant from Vietnam. He is well tuned

into how to prepare fish steaks, bone-in, for the Indian market.

The fish types popular among Indians are bronzini, blue fish, sea bass

and catfish among others. Also popular are butterfish, a small fish that is

cooked whole. Pompano and flounder remind us of paaplet (pomfret.)

The local American population sticks to boneless fillets, as most do not

know how to cook and eat a whole bone-in fish. Indian immigrants

who learnt to eat fish in India know that bone-in fish preparations are

tastier than boneless fillets.

Raw shrimp sold at Wholey’s, as in most of America, is head-off (that

is, with its head cut off). Most of the shrimp’s fat is in its head. So, when

the shrimp has its head on, it tends to become mushy. Headless shrimp

can retain their original crispness and texture because of the absence of fat

and is preferred by

Americans.

In the late 1970’s,

a few fish-eating

friends of ours

would order headon

whole shrimp

from Louisiana.

We woulde pick

up the 50-lbs dryice-packed

Styrofoam

box at the Deepak Kotwal (L) talking to John McNally (C) and Yum Duong (R)

airport, and split the huge shipment. For a true fish-lover from India

there is nothing more delectable than sucking on a curried shrimp head!

I know, I know, some of you, who are used to eat shrimp the American

way are probably repulsed by this. But then, food, like beer, you will

agree, is an acquired taste!

When I buy a whole flounder at Wholey’s and have it cleaned at the

store, I always request the cleaner to check for egg sacks inside. These

egg sacks are an Indian delicacy, but routinely thrown out here.

There are those Indian immigrants who were vegetarians back home and

have switched to eating fish after coming here. They learnt to eat fish in

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restaurants, always served as boneless fillets. These Indians generally do

not like whole fish prepared bone-in and with Indian curries and spices.

Climate change, increased world demand for seafood and improvements

in the mechanized fish harvesting technology have led to

overfishing. While per-capita meat consumption shows a downward trend

in the developed countries for health reasons, seafood consumption has

increased. Naturally, some species are near extinction. Fish-farming may

be the savior of some of these species. Given the increased demand for

seafood, flagrant violations of international agreements to limit catches

are common. The Marine Sustainability Council (MSC) and the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are working to promote

sustainable practices. Whole Foods uses a red/yellow/green rating

of MSC. John McNally at Wholey’s assured me that their policy is to

sell only sustainable species. It is incumbent on all pescatarians to ensure

that the seafood they consume meet the level of sustainability.

The fish-loving Indian immigrant community here and Wholey’s have

a symbiotic relationship: the former wanting to fulfill their desi cravings

of seafood, and the latter, wanting to find a new market segment for

expanding their business. The Wholey’s in the Strip District ensures that

despite Pittsburgh not being on either coast of this vast country, it is not

a gastronomic wasteland in the sphere of seafood delectables. •

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Go to Bellydancepittsburgh.com to register.

15


Obituary: Mani Balu (1935 – March 28, 2022)

Soft-Speaking Pediatrician, Helpful & Caring

By Sudha Dixit, Wexford, PA

Sudha Dixit, a long-time friend of Mani Balu, lived in Uniontown before she and her

husband moved to Wexford. With her husband Niranjan practicing medicine, Sudha lived

in Uniontown for decades as Mani Balu’s neighbors.

Dr. Mani Balu, a long-time resident of our area who practiced pediatrics

in Uniontown for several decades, suffered a cardiac arrest on

March 28, 2022, and passed away even before the emergency medical

staff arrived. He was 87.

Mani Balu was the youngest of six siblings,

born in 1935 in Thoothukkudi in Tamil Nadu. Mani

completed his medical degree at Kilpauk Medical

College in the late 1950’s. He was posted as a

civil assistant surgeon for Tamil Nadu in various

small towns. He married Shantha in 1961. They

had two children, Ravi, and Latha, while in India.

The Balus came to the United States in 1968, with

Mani wanting to train in pediatrics. He studied

pediatric endocrinology in New York’s Queens

General and Long Island Jewish hospitals. After completing training,

the Balus moved to Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Later, in 1993 they moved

to Uniontown, PA, with Mani joining Dr.Thomas D’Auria to practice

pediatrics. After Dr. D’Auria’s retirement, Balu continued and expanded

the practice in Uniontown, with three pediatricians joining him.

Dr.Mani Balu retired from his practice in Uniontown in 2015 and moved

to Monroeville to be close to their son, Ravi Balu. In his retirement,

Mani Balu annually went to Chennai and spent several weeks in Chengalpattu,

treating leprosy patients. With Shantha’s dedicated support, he

silently continued his philanthropic work there from his own resources,

be it for leprosy relief efforts or funding education for young girls and

underprivileged children.

Balu was an avid reader of the classics and Hitchcock. He was an

ardent fan of Raj Kapoor songs and cricket. With his friends practicing

medicine in Uniontown, Balu would watch cricket matches and travel

to many places. Personally for me, Balu was my Pediatric Help Hotline

while we were helping our daughter raise her two children. Mani Balu was

known for his humility, generosity, compassion, and openness towards

his friends. The Balus bore their painful personal losses with stoicism,

fortitude, and resignation.

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Dr. Mani Balu leaves behind his wife Shantha, and his son Ravi Balu,

his daughter-in-law Raji, his two grandchildren, and a large number of

his friends.

Mani Balu was cremated on March 29, with Pandit Gopala Bhattar

helping Dr. Balu’s son, Ravi, with the Vedic cremation rites. Dr. Mani

Balu’s family organized a memorial service in Monroeville in early April

with a number of his friends in attendance. •

Fresh whole fish from all over the world

delivered everyday to

Wholey's Market

Please visit us in the Strip

where we will be happy

to assist you.

Or order online at your convenience.

We will hand-select your order with the greatest care.

Open seven days a week

1711 Penn Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

1-888-946-5397

www.wholey.com

Roe v. Wade... ... Continued from Page 6

to say the least. Deplorable because this decision

a) reverts an already settled issue,

b) is intrusive in our cherished right to privacy,

c) completely ignores the widely available socioeconomic statistics

of unwanted pregnancies that are cruel to the working class and poor

disadvanged women of all races and color, and

d) overlooks the advances in medicine in detecting serious fetal defects

resulting in a huge burden on all women, families, the healthcare

system, and taxpayers when women are forced to carry to terms their

high-risk pregnancies. •

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The Reptilian Brain on Hyperdrive

Arun D. Jatkar, Monroeville, PA

When my wife and I arrived in the US in 1973, we lived in Salt Lake

City, Utah. I was a graduate student at the University of Utah and

my wife Shobha was a graduate student at Brigham Young University. A

Mormon land through and through. I could write many anecdotes about

our experiences while we pursued our PhD degrees, but recent events in

the body politic of the USA take my mind elsewhere.

During our four years of living in Salt Lake City, we watched with awe

and wonder the narrowly missed impeachment of President Nixon. Such

a thing was so much against the very grain of our cultivated reverence

for Prime Ministers, Presidents, and many other past and present figures

of national importance. It taught us what democracy is all about and we

said to ourselves, “If only Indians stopped chanting ‘Indira is India and

India is Indira!’”

The year 1976 was the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

of the American colonies from England. We were bombarded by

the conviction deeply rooted in the American psyche that “the American

Constitution is divinely inspired.” In India, the only divinely inspired words

are the four Vedas. It was also the time that the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)

was on its way to being ratified in several states of the USA.

Move forward to 2022. Despite the abundantly proven fact that there

is not a grain of truth in ex-President Donald Trump’s irrational and

evil claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, he and his allies in

the House and the Senate in Congress are unfailingly bent upon bombarding

the whole country with that Goebbels-style lie (Goebbels was Hitler’s

Minister of Propaganda, whose mantra was, “A lie told once remains a lie,

but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth".) With the ex-President’s

continued hold on a vast cross section of Republican voters, the “divinely

inspired” constitution is increasingly becoming a sorry victim.

The landmark Roe v. Wade decision of the Supreme Court of the United

States in 1973 had remained unshaken until now. But it did not survive

the majority opinion of the current Supreme Court. As if that was not

cruel and evil enough (see the lead article by Premlata Venkataraman),

one of the six justices who ruled to overturn the Roe v. Wade landmark

decision of 1973 has further suggested that the Supreme Court should also

reconsider several constitutional rights!

When I look at all this, it makes me think that a nation may land a man

on the moon and a robotic explorer on Mars; but its primitive reptilian

brain simply refuses to become sophisticated. And right now, that reptilian

brain is on hyperdrive! •

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The Luthras... ... Continued from Page 9

The Luthras coauthored poems in the Pittsburgh Patrika. Juginder also

authored poignant articles in the Patrika on his childhood as a Partition

Child, when Juginder’s parents moved to India with their young kids leaving

everything they had in Pakistan. (www.pittsburghpatrika.com/2020/02/

my-matajis-moms-kitchen/)

When we approached the Luthras to feature a story on Saroj Bahl,

and her efforts to set up the India Nationality Room at the Cathedral of

Learning in Oakland., they readily responded to our request. The Luthras

talked extensively to Saroj and her husband Mohinder Bahl on this topic.

Their fascinating account of how the Nationality Room came into being

culminated in an article in the Patrika in 2009 (www.tinyurl.com/Sarojind-NationalityRoom).

Similarly, they talked to Nandini Mandal in 2018

on her journey in Indian dance traditions through her challenging health

situations (www.tinyurl.com/Luthras-on-NandiniMandal).

Making their marks in their professions and giving back to their

communities (Weirton and Pittsburgh), while sharing their love of

literature and the performing arts, Dolly and Juginder enriched the lives

of people in our area that they called home for four decades.

We are sure they will be active on matters that interest them in New

Jersey as well. Surely, we expect and anticipate that they will continue

to use the Patrika as a platform for sharing with readers their poems and

essays in the coming months and years.

Please join us in wishing the Luthras good health and happiness in their

new place, spending their times with their daughters and grandkids. •

If I ask you to forego a day’s meal, you say no; and if I ask you to take

two-days’ meals on one go, again you refuse. O my torturing stomach! it is

very difficult to live with you since you never understand my daily struggles

to make a living. — The Old Lady Ouvaiyyar (10th century (?)

19


Dear Editor:

Enjoyed the last page article Wicked Tamil Nadu Humor in the April

issue. Similar things happens here in the USA too, right here in our own

neck of the woods. Across from my housing plan on Beaver Grade Road,

in Moon Township our Port Authority

contractor built this bus stop.

The bus route on my street was

never active and I never saw a single

bus on this road. Finally the Port

Authority officially discontinued the

route as uneconomical on account of

the lack of riders.

However, after the bus stop was

installed, contracts were awarded for ad hoarding. Maybe the contractor

rushed to finish the job before he got notification of the cancellation!

Currently, even with no bus plying on this road, every every few months

the advertising contractor comes and replaces the poster! — Mahendra

Shah, Moon Township, PA

Bus Driver’s Error Takes Kerala Pilgrims to

the Goa Beach 300 Kilometers Away

Kerala could be the state with the highest literacy rate and better social

indicators in the aggregate. But aggregate numbers do not tell about

individuals as this story shows.

In May 2022, the Kerala State

Transport Corporation introduced an

air-conditioned sleeper bus service

from its capital Tiruvananthapuram

to Kolluru Mookambika temple, the

famous Devi temple and pilgrimage

destination for Keralites, north of

Mangaluru in Karnataka. On the inaugural

trip, on the coastal highway,

late at night, the driver missed the exit

to Mookambika temple and continued

straight, not recognizing that he missed the exit.

Passengers deep asleep in the bus were expecting to be at the Mookambika

temple at dawn. When the passengers opened their eyes in the morning,

they found themselves on the beach in Goa, 300 kilometers away from

Kolluru, seeing scantily clad gora men and women tourists playing beach

volleyball. The driver blamed Google map for wrong directions. •

20


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Pittsburgh Patrika July 2022

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