The Pittsburgh Patrika Oct 2017

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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
“Like” us on Facebook at
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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 Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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.
10
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

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

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

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

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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 Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
The Asian Studies Center
congratulates the
Pittsburgh Patrika on
its many years of service
to the community.
Find out more about upcoming
events and programs
on India. Visit our website
http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/asc
or email us at southasia@pitt.edu.
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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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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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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.
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 23, No. 1, October 2017
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

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