Pittsburgh Patrika April 2019

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
The Quarterly Magazine (Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct) for the Indian Diaspora
Vol. 24 No. 3 www.pittsburghpatrika.com April 2019
4006 Holiday Park Drive, Murrysville, PA 15668
Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953 e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com
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Highlights in this issue... ... ...
Page
Amazon’s Arrogance
By Kollengode S Venkataraman .................................................... 2
Congressman Conor Lamb Visits CCAC North Campus
By Srujana Kunjula......................................................................... 6
Dunkin Donuts Gets Drowned in India
By Premlata Venkataraman...........................................................11
Bharat Aur America — India and America
By Ahacrya jagdish Chandra Joshi............................................... 12
British Airways Non-Stop Flight to London Starts in April
By Kollengode S Venkataraman .................................................. 14
The Untrodden Path
By Samar Saha.............................................................................. 17
Exhibition at Pitt Looked at African Diaspora
from Another Perspective
By Donovan Harrell...................................................................... 21
Indians Caught in the Transition of Persian Gulf Countries
and the Arabian Peninsula
By K S Venkataraman,.................................................................. 24
India’s Republic Day Celebrated
By Subash Ahuja........................................................................... 26
Celebrating the Spiritual Wisdom of Indian Scriptures
By Suresh Mulukutla.................................................................... 30
On the Cover: The scene in Matunga vegetable market in Mumbai on
a bright spring day. — K S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
The Quarterly Magazine (Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct) for the Indian Diaspora
Vol. 24 No 3 www.pittsburghpatrika.com April 2019
Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953
Amazon’s Arrogance
4
e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com
After a one-year long search, Amazon announced that its HQ2 project in
Novrmber 2018, with the potential to employ 50,000 employees, would be
split ,between two large metropolitan areas, namely, New York City (population
8 million) and the Washington DC area (over 6 million), both on
the eastern seaboard, hardly 250 miles from each other. The project, with
an outlay of $5.0 billion, is expected to provide employment for 25,000
people in each location. The two locations are the 1st and the 7th largest
metropolitan areas in the nation. New York City is already the capital of
TV news media houses, financial markets, ad agencies, and with all other
cultural accoutrements
such as
museums, sports,
theater, music
and dance… The
DC area is the
political epicenter
of the nation
with top-flight
universities, several
thousand
lobbying houses
for every conceivable
special interest group, and all the trappings for the “good life,”
with all kinds of tax-payer subsidized attractions like parks, museums
and monuments. And the DC area, for a variety of reasons, is the most
recession-proof regions in the nation. The pictures in this story show the
public anger against Amazon’s arrogance.
No matter where Amazon moves its HQ2 and HQ3, tax payers will
be coughing up over $2 billion in tax subsidies and abatements for
several years. This is nothing new. In the US, cities vie with each other
to attract new glamorous businesses with the potential to offer thousands
of jobs or give national visibility. Sports teams, healthcare facilities, or

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
airlines looking for opening a new hub talk to second- and third-tier cities
seeking all kinds of financial subsidies for them to come. Cities such as
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Denver and others desperately looking
for new businesses to grow, are willing to give all kinds of concessions
and tax breaks. So, getting tax-payer funded financial subsidies even for
mega companies such as Amazon, is par for the course in the American
business environment.
But what was diabolical with Amazon was the way it went about teasing
all the metro areas to make their offers while meeting certain minimum
criteria before sending their proposals. Among the criteria it listed when
it released the RFP (Request for Proposal) from cities were:
• Metro area with at least 1 million in population; space of 8 million
square feet for its buildings a) within 30 miles of the population center
and b) under 45 minutes from an international airport with nonstop flights
to Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area, New York, and Washington DC. Its
Seattle HQ sits on an 8 million sq.ft site with 33 buildings.
• Stable and business-friendly regulations and financial incentives and
subsidies from state and local governments (essentially tax-payer money).
The company also asked the applicants — mind you, the applicants are
cities and large metro areas with elected governments — to outline the
specific types of incentives
they offer, such as
tax credits and relocation
grants, and calculations
on the amount
of total incentives they
provide.
• Since Amazon
wanted to hire 50,000
employees, the applicant
cities were also asked to submit the names of the universities, community
colleges, vocational schools with the details of the student enrollment
statistics and the majors they offer.
• Amazon was also asking for what it called “cultural fit” in these
terms: it defined cultural fit to include a diverse population, strong highereducation
system, and local government “eager and willing to work with
the company,” among other features. So, Amazon was in the driver’s
seat, not the elected state and local governments responding to its needs.
Amazon also asked the cities to “demonstrate characteristics of this [cultural
fit] through testimonials from other large companies.”
• Amazon wanted the site with mass transit — train, subway, or bus
— no more than one or two miles from highways and connecting roads.
Amazon’s Arrogance... ... Continued on Page 31
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Congressman Conor Lamb Visits CCAC
North Campus
Srujana Kunjula, Wexford, PA
e-mail: srubru@rediffmail.com
Editor’s note: Dr Kunjula, who holds a PhD from the Jawaharlal Nehru University in
India, teaches sociology and political science at CCAC.
Many high school graduates are not able to go to 4-year degree colleges for a variety
of reasons. Among them are the high cost of 4-year degrees in universities, and “missing
the bus” during their high school years due to family situations, not getting proper directions
and guidance during critical transition years as young adults. Whatever the reason, as a
society, we need to recognize that we help ourselves by helping all our youngsters to become
skilled employees and tax-paying citizens. Otherwise they end up as a burden to society.
Besides, with the rapid development in technology in all facets of our life, it is imperative
that we train and re-train all our workforce to make these transitions smooth for everyone.
The community college system all over the country provides a vital service in delivering
an educated and trained work force for many jobs for a whole range of manufacturing and
service-sector industries. The community college system does this at an affordable cost by
giving a second chance to students, many of them in their thirties and forties.
Mr. Conor James Lamb, the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s
17th congressional district, visited the Community College
of Allegheny County (CCAC) on February 19, 2019. North Campus president,
Gretchen Mullin-Sawicki, put the visit in context: “We welcomed
Congressman Lamb with administrators, faculty, industry, and student
presentations to provide a comprehensive vision of CCAC’s commitment
to workforce development and student career readiness. We were
delighted to showcase our talented CCAC community to the Congressman
and his staff.”
After the welcome remarks by CCAC president Quintin Bullock,
CCAC’s North Campus president Gretchen Mullin-Sawicki provided a
nice overview of CCAC’s workforce development programs in Health
Congressman Conor Lamb (standing at the center) with the administrators and teaching
staff of CCAC North Campus.
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Care, Information Technology, Engineering, Science & Production,
Business & Financial Technology, Construction, and Retail & Hospitality,
and its emphasis in developing technical and soft skills in students.
Academic Dean, Dr. Jeffrey Thomas, introduced industry partners from
WesBanco, IT Strategy & Innovations and Management Science Associates
who thanked CCAC for sending trained students to their companies.
Students from West Allegheny
High School explained how
they are benefitting from early
college programs provided by
CCAC.
Dr. Mary Lou Kennedy,
Dean of Students, introduced
faculty and students to Mr.
Lamb. Professors Eric Darsow
and Rebecca Elinich
highlighted Cyber Security,
Data Analytics, Simulation and Gaming programs and projects. The Student
Government Association president, Kaylor Dobbs, described how he
worked with the administration representing student interests.
Zain Aaban, Honors leadership scholar elaborated on how the honors
program enriches students through honors courses, research projects, field
trips, guest lectures, operas, musicals, rock climbing and community service
initiatives. Fernando Tapia Tinoco from Ecuador expressed gratitude
to CCAC for giving him the possibility of treating his son’s heart disease.
Dr. Kennedy said, “We had the opportunity to showcase the talent of our
students both in and out of the classroom as well as highlight the skills our
students are learning through their active involvement on campus.”
Conor Lamb listened to all the presentations with interest asking questions.
In his remarks at the end, he reiterated the valuable role CCAC
plays in this region, promising he will be its strong advocate. He spent
time interacting with faculty and students after the program. My student
Jaron Snavely remarked, “I am thankful to meet Conor Lamb and ask
his views on the state of the Democratic Party, ‘Green New Deal’, and
its impact on Western PA constituents. He gave thoughtful answers and
seemed to care about my opinions and concerns.”
I had the opportunity to share my academic experiences with Representative
Lamb. He is personable, enthusiastic, supportive, and down-toearth.
The fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to learn about
our college exemplifies his curiosity and commitment to people-centered
politics. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Dunkin Donuts Gets Drowned in India
So this news tidbit stopped me on my tracks!! Dunkin Donuts closed
shop on nearly half of their stores in India!! They had started with great
fanfare in 2012 and used the same franchise with which they launched
the Domino’s Pizza chain in India. But this time, Dunkin Donuts did not
catch on!
For starters, the unhealthy sugary and oily donut franchise targeted
young adults comprising college students and young kids, who were
already successfully targeted by McDonald’s, KFC and other fast food
giants. But even these chains too were forced to cater to Indian taste buds
and palates by spicing up their bland items, and offered altogether new
items such as McDonald’s
paneer wrap and other spicier
offerings. KFC with its fried
chicken mainstay appealed to
the chicken-gorging Indians.
The donut items were
priced for youngsters from
affluent homes or for working
folks with disposable
incomes to spend on these
not entirely healthy fares.
Typical steamed-milk-added
coffee, appropriately named
Dunkaccino, was priced at Rs
160, and a single donut was
at Rs. 62.
But still, where did Dunkin
slip? Theirs is the only franchise
that did not catch on in
India. Remember, fast food
business is a cut-throat business.
Working on thin margins,
they depend on volume in sales to make a profit.
A recent story in the Economic Times cited several reasons. First and
foremost, Indians were not used to a grab-and-go breakfast culture. Even if
you drive to work, it will be difficult to eat while driving on Indian roads.
In the chaotic and unruly Indian traffic, not only pedestrians, but also other
2-, 3- and 4-wheeler vehicles do not follow any traffic rules. Already,
young Indians have enough distractions while traveling, like texting and
messaging on their iPhones, and talking to their buddies. You can add
Dunkin’ Donut... ... continued on Page 15
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Dunkin Donuts... ... Continued from Page 13
one more item to this multi-tasking group at great peril with accidents.
Second, Indian prefer to sit down and eat a hot breakfast at home before
leaving for work. The top 10 Indian breakfast items include such fare as
Idli, Dosa, Upma
Poha or Aloo Paratha,
none of them
sweet. Older adults
prefer oatmeal with
dahi or buttermilk
or the more traditional
ragi-based
porridges.
Dunkin tried to
tease the Indian palate again by introducing mango and lychee flavored
donuts but these still did not produce the magic of burgers and pizzas.
Indians view donuts as a dessert offering and consider it more like a
luxury to indulge in once in a while. The idea of eating something sweet
first thing in the morning just did not click. So Dunkin beat a retreat from
Indian markets, looking for more sweet pastures elsewhere.
15
•
— By Premlata V. •

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
British Airways Non-Stop Flight to London
Starts in April
Beginning April 2, 2019, a new nonstop service starts between Pittsburgh
International Airport and London Heathrow. The British Airways
flight operates four days a week using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one
of the newest aircrafts in its fleet.
A British Airways official in his press release said, “British Airways
is very excited to be returning to Pittsburgh and offering travelers a nonstop
service to London and easy connections to Europe. Both cities have
rich histories and bright futures and we look forward to welcoming new
customers from Pittsburgh onboard very soon.”
London and British Airways are well-connected with other parts of
Asia and Africa. So, with this flight, travelers from the Pittsburgh area
can save travel time by flying nonstop to London from here, and with one
stop in London, they can reach Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and
other cities with direct
flights from London.
If you can put up with
one more stop, you
can pretty much reach
any second-tier Indian
city through Dubai,
Doha, Abu Dhabi, or
Mumbai.
The British airways
flights operates
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Fridays and Sundays departing from London Heathrow at 5:00 PM
and landing in Pittsburgh at 8:15 PM. Flights will then depart Pittsburgh
at 10:00 PM, arriving in London at 10:35 AM the following day.
“We are thrilled to have British Airways serving our region nonstop
to London once again,” said Christina Cassotis, Pittsburgh International
Airport CEO. “We are looking forward to working together to ensure
the flight is a success.”
Craig Davis, president and CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH, an organization
dedicated to promote tourism in Pittsburgh said “The mission of
VisitPITTSBURGH is to bring Pittsburgh to the world and the world to
Pittsburgh. This flight will help us draw even more international travelers
and strengthen our status as a premier destination.”
— By K S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Ouvaiyyaar, the Grandmotherly Tamil Poet
Ouvvaiyaar is a legendary— even mythical — poet in Tamil literature.
With the name meaning in Tamil “The respectable Old Lady,” one can
imagine the exalted place her name occupies among Tamils, whether
scholars or commoners. Literary historians believe that more than one
person went by the name, one in the Sangam literary time (a few centuries
before the Current Era), and the other, around 10th
century CE. They assert this based on the styles and
the vocabulary in the poems attributed to her.
She was a Saivite, grandmotherly, austere mendicant,
full of wisdom on the way of the world. Many of
her poems are in four-lines in the meter of Vennbaa.
They convey profound — sometimes cynical — messages
on human frailty and emphasize the importance
of education, forbearance, charity, and good conduct. Tamil cinema even
made a film on her decades ago, with a man (T K Shanmugam) playing
her role. See the picture above. Here are two of her verses:
First one:
All that people need are a morsel of food and six-yards of cloth.
And their life is fragile as a mud pot.
Living blinded in ignorance of the purpose of life,
People live till death in millions of vacillations and worries.
Here is the second one:
The shady tree on a river bank and the good life
with royal patronage will one day tumble down;
[But] making a living with one’s own sweat is
unmatched & laudable. Other ways of living are flawed.
— By K S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
India’s First Large Luxury Cruise Ship
India has over 7500 km of coastlines — 6,000 km on peninsular India
and another 1500 km around the islands — Andaman, Nicobar in the Bay
of Bengal and Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.
I have seen glossy ads for cruises to Alaska, the northeast coastlines of
the US, the Caribbean islands, not to speak of cruises along the Mediterranean
and the Scandinavian peninsula. So, I always wondered how nice
it would be if only they have cruises along the Indian coasts catering to the
increasingly affluent Indian middle class with lots of disposable income,
but not a lot of disposable time. People in this bracket are too busy making
money and simply to get from Point A to Point B in Chennai, Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai…
and hence do ot have enough
time on their hands.
In any case, this question
of mine is now answered. An
Indian start up company, appropriately
named Jalesh Cruises,
has acquired a 2000- passenger
cruise ship Karnika, which was the Pacific Jewel in its previous incarnation
under P&O Australia’s flag. This ship is being refurbished in Singapore
for the Indian market, and is expected to reach Mumbai in mid-April.
Jurgen Bailom, president & CEO of Zen Cruises and the exclusive
agent for Jalesh Cruises, said, “Today marks an important day for the
Indian cruise tourism industry.” True indeed.
There is a uniquely Indian twist to this Indian cruise story, though.
No matter where Indians go, they cannot divorce themselves from
their craze for foreign shores and foreign maal.
So, if you think that you can board the ship, say in Mumbai, and sail
on a route touching Goa, Mangalore, Kochi/Alappuzha, Kanyakumari, and
Colombo and back to Mumbai, perish that thought. For this to happen,
Indians need to be more self-assured to demand cruises kissing Indian ports.
For now, this cruise is for Indians from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain,
Doha, Dubai and Muscat. This is to start in September 2019.
Bailom further said, “We will offer a memorable vacation to passengers
on board with exotic culinary experiences, international hospitality and best
of entertainment shows.” One hopes to go beyond the Tandoori Ghosht
& Chicken and relish the Indian delicacies of the Konkan, Mangalorean,
Coastal Andhra, and Bengali cuisine as well. (Source: www.tinyurl.com/
Indian-Cruise). — By K S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
The Untrodden Path
By Samar Saha e-mail: samar_k_saha@yahoo.com
could never figure out my nephew Birendra Narayan – nicknamed
I Biru. When Biru was growing up in the 80’s, we all had a real
concern for him in our family. He was slow in
picking up everything starting from his first spoken
words. His parents took him to all kinds of
child specialists in Kolkata who diagnosed him as
‘learning impaired’ – a mild form of autism. The
doctors and all their medicines did not help him
with his mental word processing problem, or how
his brain works with words and how his mind interprets
phrases and clusters of words... Biru’s
parents were well-to-do professionals. They were
graduates from reputed universities. Initially, they
tried hard to conceal Biru’s handicap. Biru’s siblings took pity with his
handicap. They were normal kids. Their main aim in life was ‘intellectual
pursuit’ for getting into professional schools, colleges and hopefully, to
earn bundles of money. It was not that only Biru’s extended family was
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Sri Venkateswara Temple of Pittsburgh, PA is seeking
an efficient and highly detail-oriented individual for
the position of Operations Manager.
Eligible candidate must have
• a Bachelors degree and experience in managing
day-to-day operations of an organization, its
building facilities and human resources, and
• a valid visa to work in United States.
Email your résumés to: jobs@svtemple.org
For additional details:
https://svtemple.org/Public/jobs.aspx/
in this mode; the entire Indian society was, and is, in a mad dash to climb
into the ‘upper class’ society.
When such madness was sweeping over the entire country, Biru’s
parents were puzzled on how to raise him. How to rear an autistic child
in India? After much deliberation, they decided to put him through an
unconventional schooling, meant for autistic children. Their record was not
stellar, but the school did focus on children’s confidence building as a part
of their education. Obviously, Biru was lacking in that department. Slowly
gaining this self-confidence began to change Biru, despite his handicap.
Family members began noticing this change. Steadily he completed his
high school courses — not in flying colors, but with so-so grades.
Biru tried sports, music, and painting, in that order, but eventually
settled on business. He turned out to be a good entrepreneur when
he opened his own travel agency. His parents only knew that he worked
as an employee in a travel agency. Soon he expanded his business and
became a tour operator without his family knowing about it. That part
of the business shot up like a rocket as the Indian middle-class income
took off in the new millennium. They all now had extra money and disposable
time to spend on vacations. That Biru was in this transition was
Providence’s gift to him. In organizing tours for his affluent clients, Biru
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
became so busy that he could hardly take any time off for himself even
after hiring more associates. Others around him might have considered
him a ‘retard’ at one point, but now, everyone saw his capability as he
bloomed as an entrepreneur. For the past ten years he has been doing a
prosperous business. He turned out to be a street-smart instead of a booksmart
person.
So, what makes a person successful in life? More importantly, and
more fundamentally, what is “success”? Is it fulfilling the expectation
of your family? or society? or yourself at a given point in life? The
term ‘successful’ is relative and so fleeting. Your own approach may be
unorthodox. Your desire may be trailblazing but ‘risky,’ whereas your parental
expectation could be time-tested and therefore considered 'safe.’
We all live in this world as social beings, trying to make a living helping
each other in some context. A balanced person has both inner and outer
goals and yearnings as well.
A ‘balanced’ person has a strong emotional core to survive an adversity
or a tragedy and make something of oneself in life. Then there are other
types. These are “gifted” and “successful” individuals, seen in the context
of their place and time. Often, many are self-absorbed and self-centered and
suffer from alienation, loneliness, and apathy towards others. Yes, these
individuals can be persons of considerable repute, wealth and power. As
it happens, you can be one or the other — but cannot be both. We were
all humbled when Biru showed us this truth by his own example. •
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Exhibition at Pitt Looked at African Diaspora
from Another Perspective
Donoivan Harrell, Staff Writer
University Times, the University of Pittsburgh
Note: This article is reprinted with permission from University Times, a Publication
of the University of Pittsburgh.
The African diaspora is expansive, reaching the Americas, the Caribbean
and Europe. But a new University Art Gallery exhibition
shows the lives and contributions of members of the African diaspora that
are often overlooked: Africans in India.
During the opening reception of “Africans in India: From Slaves to
Generals and Rulers” on Feb. 15, the Pitt community heard presentations
from Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins, Omar H. Ali and Jazmin Graves, renowned
scholars on contributions of elite East Africans in India.
Robbins, the co-curator of the exhibition along with Sylviane A. Diouf,
presented an overview of these contributions. He is a psychiatrist, collector,
archivist and scholar who specializes in Indian rulers and minority
groups.
Ali is the dean of the Lloyd International Honors College and professor
of comparative African diasporic history at the University of North
Carolina, Greensboro. He’s also the author of “Malik Ambar: Power
and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean” (2016, Oxford University Press).
Ambar is one of the African rulers featured in the exhibit.
And finally, Jasmine Graves, is a Ph.D. candidate in the department
of Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago and
fellow at the
American Institute
of Indian
Studies.
East Africans,
according
to the
p r e s e n t e r s ,
became generals,
admirals,
architects, rulers
and more.
Many of them
made their way
to these posi-
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
tions after being
enslaved.
These people
were known
as Habshis, or
Abyssinians,
and Sidis.
Upward social
mobility
for slaves was
not common in
the transatlantic
slave trade.
But in the Indian
slave trade,
Africans who showed intellectual and physical prowess were afforded
social mobility.
Ali said that the transatlantic slave trade has dominated the narratives
of enslaved Africans in the U.S.
“And that has been shaped, and then … in some ways it’s come to
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
over determine our ability to see Africans as almost anything other than
the victims and enslaved subjects,” Ali said. “But I think it’s a function
of how we’re taught history, which is very myopic in the United States.
“It’s only been a generation or two where African-American history has
been given its proper sort of place in the academy, that mostly Africans
and people of African descent have been sort of sidelined in the making
of the modern world, which is completely incorrect.”
This exhibition, Ali said, challenges the dominant narrative of slavery
in the U.S. and shows just how vast the African diaspora is.
On loan from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture, the exhibit features reproductions of more than
100 paintings and contemporary photos depicting the lives of the Sidis,
according to the University Art Gallery. It has been shown at the United
Nations and venues on five continents.
Mrinalini Rajagopalan, director of graduate studies in the Department
of History of Art and Architecture, and Neepa Majumdar, associate professor
of film and media studies in the English department, coordinated
the event in partnership with the South Asia Initiative, organized by the
Asian Studies Council.
Rajagopalan said this exhibit brings attention to the global history of
the African diaspora and how it’s affected Indian society.
Africans in India.. ... continued on Page 33
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Indians Caught in the Transition of Persian
Gulf Countries and the Arabian Peninsula
Millions of Indians have been living on temporary work permits for
decades in countries in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula --
Saudi Arabia, Oman ,Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and others. They keep
the economy going, providing cheap labor in the construction and service
industries in healthcare, hospitality, retail business, and domestic help.
In the UAE, 27% of the 10.4 million population, or 2.8 million people,
are Indians, overwhelmingly from Southern India. In Saudi Arabia’s 31
million population, 13%, or 4 million people, are from India, working temporarily
for decades. These workers sweating it out under difficult working
conditions have been keeping the economy buzzing for decades.
The entire Persian Gulf and the Arabian countries are going through
huge economic constriction in recent years, as we see in news stories in
the print and visual media all over the word.
The fortunes of this region are tied to the price of crude oil since it
accounts for 31% of the 82 million barrels/day of oil produced all
over the world. The Middle East region holds 65% of the world oil reserves.
The U.S. and Russia are major oil producers, with over 11 million
barrels/day, or 14% each of the global oil production. With oil price 50%
of where they were only 5 years ago (see the graph), the region is feeling
the pinch. Real estate prices are no more good options for speculative
investors since the prices are falling or stagnant in many places.
In Saudi Arabia, the generous social services to their citizens are
being trimmed. Further, per-capita taxes on all family members are
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
being imposed on temporary foreign workers from India, Pakistan, the
Philippines, and Indonesia, making it unattractive for the foreign workers
to work there. The idea behind the per-capita taxes is to reduce the
number of foreign workers and make the native Saudis to fill the vacancies.
The Saudi government is slowly forcing their native-born citizens to
take up the regular 9-5 jobs or even work in shifts in the refineries, now
sustained only with cheap labor from South Asia. But the native citizens
of these regions are not used to such a grueling work routine under the
harsh weather and working conditions.
To reduce the labor costs further, the employers and businesses in these
countries have found an even cheaper source of work force — cheaper
than what they get from South Asia. People from the Philippines and parts
of sub-Saharan Africa are ready to work in the Middle East at ~50% of
what the Indians are paid, as revealed in a recent Times of India story.
(Source: www.tinyurl.com/Indians-Transition-PersianGulf)
In the years ahead, employers in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula
will find it economical to hire people from the Philippines and Africa.
“They have multi-skills and their language skills are also good.”
Are the state and federal governments in India studying the impact of
this change on the economies in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Uttar
Pradesh, and how it will affect the social fabric? •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
India’s Republic Day Celebrated
By Subash Ahuja e-mail: subash.ahuja@gmail.com
It was another first for the Indian Americans in Pittsburgh. The Indian
Community celebrated an important day for India, second only to its Independence
Day. It was India’s Republic Day, on January 26, 2019 at the
Indian Community Center in Carnegie. Thanks to efforts of Chetan
Patel (President of United Seniors Association of Pittsburgh)
Krishna Sharma (Indian Community Center), the event drawing
over 150 Indians of all ages in the ceremonies with the
unfurling of the Indian
Tricolor, went off well. There was
singing of the Indian
and American national anthems,
other songs, speech-
India gained
es and dances.
its independence from the
British colonial
rule on
August 15,
1947. However,
India
w a s s t i l l
governed by
a Britainappointed
governorgeneral,
because the country did not yet have its own permanent constitution.
It took the 308-member drafting committee of the 308-member
Constituent Assembly more than two years and hundreds of public debates
before adopting the permanent constitution.
The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950, marking
the first Republic Day of India, with the indirectly elected president
of India as the constitutional head of state. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the
first President of India.
While the flag of India is ceremoniously hoisted up the pole from below
to commemorate gaining of independence, the flag is unfurled from the
top in the annual Indian Republic Day celebrations.
The special occasion brought together many other local organizations
to celebrate this special event. Priyesh Shah (Gujarati Samaj of Greater
Pittsburgh), Moumita Kundu (The Bengali Association of Pittsburgh),
Swatee Nanivadekar (Maharashtra Mandal), Sailesh Bokil (Pittsburgh
Cricket Association), Rani Mikilineni (Pic-5K) and Preeti Paranjpe (Pitt
Masti) all spoke in favor of this united initiative to keep the celebrations
going forward on a regular annual basis. •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Delectable Korean Fare in NYC
There is something to be said for eating exotic meals in their natural
settings. That is the reason why every time I go to India, I make a determined
effort to eat off the plantain leaf at least once during my trip, or go
to an authentic Marathi or Gujarati restaurant in Mumbai serving traditional
regional cuisine. But this is not easy now. Everyone is onto the Punjabi
menu of Chole and Puri/Bature or the dreaded Biryani (!).
Eating all the dishes of a traditional feast off the plantain leaf with your
right hand is a cultural, gastronomic, religious experience all on its own.
The fresh odor of the leaf, and the array of dishes and the physicality of
eating engage all the senses.
[Incidentally, chicken and mutton biriyani are enormously popular in
Tamil Nadu for reasons that I don’t fully understand. Party workers during
election season demand that they are given non-vegetarian biriyani,
and at least a “quarter,” the quarter being a quarter bottle of whiskey
or vodka. Alcoholism is a very big and widespread social problem all
across Tamil Nadu today. Increasing number of young adults (both men
and women) — some in high schools — are alcoholics This is another
topic for another day.]
So, during a recent visit to New York City, on the suggestion of my
daughter, I stepped into the Hangawi Vegan Korean restaurant on
E 32nd St. After luxuriating in the hallowed rooms of the New York Public
Library, we
went to the restaurant,
a short
walk away, in
Koreatown.
E v e n a s I
walked into the
Korean spot
the atmosphere
p r o m i s e d a
rare treat for
this vegetarian.
However,
I had to tweak
the menu here and there, to make up a decent meal.
As much as the food, it was the ambience of this setting also that blew
me away. First, you remove your shoes. The maître d’ ushers you into
the eating spot, which is not strictly a traditional table. You are seated
at floor level “tables” just 18” tall. For those with unfoldable legs, they
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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.
have provided a pit just below the table into which you can leave your
legs hang, touching the ground.
Kondo-esque simple decorations with Chinese and Korean characters
decorate the walls. The atmosphere is one of serenity and peace. In this
ambience, you just don’t eat the food. You savor it — its shades of texture,
aroma, tastes and flavors. We had Korean fine noodles with kimchi and
an assortment of vegetables, vegetable dumplings with rice cakes. The
noise and bustle of the street, and also from other guests was muted, and
you could experience the satisfying meal with total focus.
On our way out, I recalled another meal I ate years ago at Watan,
an Indian restaurant, again in New York City, that attempted this
ambience with a Gujarati village as the setting. Seated at round tables
under a [fake] banyan tree with its overhanging branches with subdued
lighting keeping the outside shut out, you could enjoy the traditional
Gujarati fare with all your senses. In typical Indian fashion the food was
unlimited and the meal was for a fixed price.
So, restaurants to be successful must pay attention not only to the
quality — and quantity — of their fare but also to the ambience. It does
not have to be lavish but has to be aesthetically pleasing.
30
Open seven days a week
1711 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
1-888-946-5397
www.wholey.com
— By Premalata V. •

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Amazon’s Arrogance... ... Continued from Page 6
• The company asked the applicant cities to identify “all transit options,
including bike lanes and pedestrian access” for the proposed site
and to rank traffic congestion during peak commuting hours.
• Amazon also asked for information about housing prices and availability,
the general cost of living, and crime statistics from each of the
metropolitan areas.
Nearly 240 cities and metropolitan areas responded to Amazon’s
call. Since many cities or counties all by themselves rarely meet
all these criteria, elected
officials in many areas got
together with adjoining cities
and counties, spent hundreds
of hours and thousands of
dollars to make their proposals
in glossy and eye-catching
video presentations.
Amazon whittled down
the proposals from 238 communities to 20 Metro areas as “finalists,”
much like bikini-clad beauty contestants are chosen; or worse still, like
some modern day dating show. Amazon humiliated the 20 finalist metro
areas by publicly teasing them by, all the while drumming up publicity for
itself among different sections of society. The finalist cities were desperate
to be picked up by the Prince on the White Horse.
Among the twenty “finalist” metro areas that Amazon whittled down
were: Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Los Angeles,
Dallas, Austin, Boston, New York City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Columbus,
Ohio; Washington, DC Metro area, Raleigh, NC; and Atlanta.
After getting all kinds of information from 238 metro areas, and whittling
them down to 20 smaller metros, when Amazon decided to split its
decision between New York City and the Washington DC area, the two
largest metro areas barely 250 miles apart, people and elected officials
all over were irate. Many social commentators berated Amazon, stating
that Amazon’s objective in this exercise was not on the second HQ, but
to gather at no cost to itself all kinds of information and then use it for its
other business purposes down the pike. Cowing down to pressure, New
York said NO, and soon Amazon withdrew from New York City.
This is the finest example of what happens when we let Corporate
America’s big wigs such as Amazon run amuck and roughshod over elected
state and local governments all across the nation. And how public outcry
can outsmart corporate high-handedness.
— By K. S Venkataraman •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Celebrating the Spiritual Wisdom of Indian
Scriptures
By Suresh Mulukutla
Volunteer, Chinmaya Mission, Pittsburgh
Spiritual saints play a central role in the Indian ethos acting as catalysts
to revitalize the Indian spirit by disseminating messages of love and unity.
The annual Chinmaya Mission Mahasamadhi Camp this year celebrates
the work of Swami Chinmayananda, and Pittsburgh is fortunate to host
this week-long retreat from July 29 to August 4. In addition to the adult
discourses, there will be special sessions for children from Pre-K to Grade
12, Yuva Kendra (ages 18-28), and Setukaris (ages 29-45). This year’s
focus is Krishna Leela through which we will use the example of Lord
Krishna to find clues to how we can transform our lives.
Krishna Leela: Krishna Leela is the heart of Bhagavad Purana. If we
listen to Krishna Leela with an open heart, we learn how spirituality can
be lived in day-to-day life. In today’s global age with innumerable distractions,
how do we recognize the depth, beauty, and love all around?
Pujya Swami Swaroopanandaji will use Krishna Leela as a beacon guiding
us towards spiritual triumph and effortless meditation. Swamiji will
illustrate the parallels between Lord Krishna’s life and that of Balakrishna
Menon, better known as Swami Chinmayananda in his later life.
Other key texts to be discussed include:
Akshara Brahma Yoga (Chapter 8 Bhagavad Gita): The 8th chapter of
Srimad Bhagavad Gita is a profound teaching where Lord Krishna initiates
a dialogue with Arjuna by stating that a mind centered upon the Lord is
the one that attains Liberation. Dwelling on the relationship between the
manifest and the unmanifest, Krishna draws out our essential nature as
Brahman (eternal and infinite soul or presence). Pujya Swami Shantananda
will use his gentle style to help us understand the powerful insights from
the Lord’s teachings.
Purajana Gita: In Tulsi Ramayana, Lord Rama gives a sublime message
of Dharma in His first address after His coronation as the King of
Ayodhya. Just as the Lord established the foundational principles of
Dharma to the residents of Ayodhya, Swami Prakashananda will continue
the tradition as he continues to pass on this meaning of Dharma so that
we may be able to live life filled with purpose and love.
Register at www.mahasamadhi2019.organd join us for a truly unique
opportunity to discover the Lord within all of us. •
32

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Africans in India... ... Continued from Page 25
“It’s a history that’s been really marginalized in Indian history,” Rajagopalan
said. “So, it was important for us to really give this exhibition
a platform as part of the South Asia Initiative.”
Majumdar said this exhibition gives the Pitt community an opportunity
to dialogue about the complexities of the African diaspora.
“And Pitt is a really important location for Atlantic studies, and we
thought because of that, Indian Ocean studies is something we could open
up a conversation about the flow of people across the Indian Ocean,”
Majumdar said. “And obviously, the African diaspora — usually people
think about the Caribbean, the Americas and they don’t think about Asia
as much.”
Accompanying the exhibition is “Movements,” curated by Leslie Rose,
a Hot Metal Bridge fellow in art history.
The cases are filled with pieces from Pitt’s permanent collection,
including documents, photographs and other artworks related to movements
(migration and protests), music and more from other members of
the African diaspora.
For Rose, the exhibit offers diverse representation of members of the
African diaspora not often seen.
“The importance to me is seeing people,” Rose said of the overall
exhibition. “For me personally, as a black woman, seeing people who
look like me in spaces that I don’t commonly see.”
The exhibit was on display between February 15 and March 21. •
Pittsburgh Fellowship with
His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda
20th April-8th May 2019.
Please contact us at
pittsburgh@hansavedas.org or call 724-307-5002
For Free Copy in the Mail or for Writing Articles
The magazine is mailed free every quarter to nearly 2000 homes and
businesses. To get your copy in the mail,
send your name and mailing addresses to:
thepatrika@aol.com
For enquiries for writing articles on events
in your neighborhood and on other topics, contact the editor at 724 327
0953 or e-mail your enquiries to: thepatrika@aol.com •
33

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
Ha!! Gatecrashing in Weddings in India
Gatecrashing in American weddings are rare, but not unheard of,
simply because typically, weddings in the US have a much smaller cozier
gathering. However, in the US crashing in the year-end Christmas and
New Year parties in large fancy hotels are more common, and by one
account, it is on the rise. See www.tinyurl.com/US-gate-crashing.
Crashers strategically camp out in upscale hotel lobbies and looking
for parties in large ballrooms. Many online groups even advise people on
how to gatecrash company parties successfully! Here are the tips:
1. Dress appropriately — Wear a suit to blend in.
2. Show up fashionably late.
3. Don’t coat check. This helps to leave quickly.
5. Don’t take the company gift. Sometimes there’s only enough for
actual employees.
6. Don’t overindulge and avoid drawing much attention to yourself.
But in Desi weddings, where the number of invitees is nearly 400
to 600 people, or even larger (if it is in India), gatecrashing is
far more common.
Recently, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Kurukshetra,
UP, in India, warned its students against gatecrashing weddings organized
in halls near its campus. In a notice
to students, the school says,
“It has been reported that some
of the students have been going
to attend weddings in the city
without having invitation. This
is not only unethical and immoral
but also uncalled for.”
Sources in the institute said
that officials at the wedding halls
nearby have complained that students have been gatecrashing weddings
to skip meals in the mess, which is why this directive was issued.
The letter directed students to desist from indulging in such type of
“uncivilised activities” which also brings a bad name to the institution. The
letter warned students of disciplinary action if they are found to indulge
in this behavior in future. “Disciplinary action as per the institute rules
will be taken against the students if they are found indulging in such an
activity,” the letter said.
One thing the NIT Mess can do to prevent this behavior of its students
is to improve the quality, flavor and variety of the food they serve in the
students canteen!! — By K S V •
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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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35

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 24, No. 3, April 2019
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36