desi pages september 2022

MESSAGE FROM THE MANAGEMENT




VAISHALI THAKKAR - FROM THE MANAGEMENT


Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate glorious heritage,
culture, and traditions. They are meant to rejoice special moments
and emotions in our lives with our loved ones. We at FunAsia
understand this very important thread that links us back to our
roots. Being so far away from home our emotions get magnified,
and we miss our country even more. Festivals play an important
role to add structure to our social lives and connect us with our
families and backgrounds. Every festival brings happiness and
harmony between our traditions and rituals.
As the CEO of FunAsia, I am always striving to bring this balance
in our community. To bring events that are close to the hearts
of our community that celebrates our glorious traditions. And
VAISHALI THAKKAR this month the biggest is Navratri, the 9-Nights Festival for
Goddesses and the traditional Garba and dance performed around
CEO Perfect Tax & Finance &
CEO FunAsiA it. Garba originated in the state of Gujarat but soon became a part
of celebrating Navratri in the entire country. We have brought this
tradition to the Americas as well. Each year we have events around it and all community members
eagerly await the celebrations.
My Partner of FunAsia Events, Moody Akhtar, and I have decided to bring three huge Garbas
for our community this season. We are very fortunate of our partners Raj Chaudhary from
Omni Media and Mankesh Rao from SR Entertainment who are enthusiastically working
with us to bring the biggest Navratri festival ever in Dallas, Texas. There is a lot that goes behind
the scenes, and there is a lot of hard work that the team puts in to bring such grand scale events
for the community. We are also looking forward to a huge participation from our community by
making these Garba’s the hugest gathering ever in Dallas, Texas.
The first Biggest Garba is by Atul Purohit who is very authentic and loved by our community for
the traditional style he brings with him. This event is on Friday the 16th of September, and we are
so happy to feel the support of the community and the way you have shown your eagerness to be
part of this event. We know this will be a House Full Show. Do come in groups as that is the fun,
and do avail our group discounts.
Aishwarya Mazumdar is the next Garba artist who is performing LIVE on Saturday the 15th of
October. She has been loved by the country for winning the 2007–08 musical reality show STAR
Voice of India - Chhote Ustad at the age of 15. She has sung several songs for Gujarati and
Hindi films. She will glorify the Garba night with her voice.
Finally, we will end this season of Garba celebrations with our melody queen of Garba Falguni
Pathak Live in Dallas on Saturday October 22nd. We have danced to her tunes for years and
have loved her Garba events.
I encourage and appreciate feedback from the community. I love to be around you during these
events and the excitement I see in your eyes. That inspires me to keep bringing such events to
the community. Your support and participation matter to our motto of ‘Bringing the community
together”! Aala re Aala , Garba Aala!!

Fall begins in September. With very

high temperatures this Summer, and
hardly any rain, cooler temperatures are
eagerly awaited. The sun has already
stated to set sooner, and evenings are
dark early. It seems like we skipped a
season. However, the festive season
has begun with Ganesh Chaturthi,
celebrating Ganesha’s birthday as the
God of New Beginnings and the Remover

of Obstacles. The symbol of wisdom,
prosperity, and good fortune. With this
we mark the beginning of festivities with
Navratri’s being the first, as we move
on to Diwali and new years as per the
Hindu calendar. It is always the best time
of the year when the weather also plays
a big role to the mood and celebrations.
Our regular columns are getting more
and more interesting with great content.
Do check out our Person in Focus Kala

Ramnath ‘singing Violin’ who I had the
honor to interview when she was visiting
the US. Click on her interview link and
also watch it.


Do read the amazing content that is
brought to you by different content
writers. Leave us a comment.
If you would like to contribute. Please

email to [email protected]








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star reveals





SUSHMITA SEN ROPED IN FOR AN UNTITLED BIOPIC

Actress Sushmita Sen will be fronting the biopic whose rights have been acquired by Mansi Bagla of Mini
Films and ace photographer Subi Samuel’s Bungalow No 84. The film will be the first ever association of
Mini Films and Bungalow No 84, joined by Soham Rockstar Entertainment. The team has signed Sushmita
Sen as the lead for this intense and power-packed script. The film prep is on and set to go on floors by the
end of this year.
Talking about the same, Mansi Bagla, Mini Films says,
“I wanted to make a big announcement after Forensic
and this timing is just perfect. This is my birthday gift
to myself. Forensic is still making noise, loved by
so many, and now I’m here to tell this thrilling story
who better than Sushmita Sen to play this role, more
details on the biopic coming up soon. The day I met
Sushmita, I was spellbound by her aura and I can say
it now with all my heart, this film will be a super hit.”
Subi Samuel, Bungalow No 84 shares, “I met Mansi
through a common friend and our passion for cinema
and stories has culminated in bringing this film to life.
I am excited to begin this new journey with two of the
most powerful women I’ve met in the industry by far- Sushmita is a brilliant actress and is apt for the biopic
and Mansi whose drive and passion towards filmmaking inspired me to explore it myself.”

The biopic will see Sushmita in multiple shades, in a never seen before avatar. The casting and other
aspects of the film are in the pre-production stage and will go on floors by the end of this year. Mini Film’s
Forensic has garnered high numbers on the OTT platform, Avitesh Shrivastava starrer Adesh Shrivastava’s
biopic is near completion and Bagla has also bagged the rights of a Ruskin Bond story which was widely
reported by the media.

Hrithik Roshan REJECTS Brahmastra 2 due to Krrish 4 & Ramayana


Hrithik Roshan was offered to play a key role
in the Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer
Brahmastra. The superstar was offered the
lead role in Brahmastra 2 - Dev. However,
now we can inform our readers that Hrithik has
rejected the offer and his reason is very valid.
“Hrithik is already doing two high-on visual
effects films - Krrish 4 and Ramayana. He
felt, that doing Brahmastra 2 would mean
too much of a time investment on another
VFX-heavy film. This decade, he wants to do
more films and he doesn’t want to end up
spending the next 7 years on these 3 dream
projects. He informed his thought to Ayan
and Karan, and politely let go of the offer,”
The team is now looking for an actor to play the role of Dev in the second part. It’s a role that requires a certain amount
of aura and hence, it would be interesting to see who is the next best bet for the team of Brahmastra. The movie is
confirmed to release on September 9 and we expect the advance bookings to open within the next 3 to 4 days.
The Ayan Mukerji directorial also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Nagarjuna in key roles.



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star reveals

























































































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CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP


INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation- Time 10 Mins

• Cook the Vegetables

Sauté the onions and celery in butter until they’re
tender. Add the broccoli florets and the chicken broth,
cover the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
• Blend the Ingredients
MAKE RESTAURANT-WORTHY CREAM OF
BROCCOLI SOUP IN THE COMFORT You can use a countertop blender or an immersion blender
OF YOUR OWN KITCHEN. IT’S THICK, to purée the soup. Give it a few quick pulses, then blend
FLAVORFUL, CREAMY, AND EASY TO MAKE continuously until the soup is totally smooth.
WITH SIMPLE INGREDIENTS.

INGREDIENTS: • Thicken the Soup

• Butter : You’ll use butter twice in this Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a separate
recipe. Once to sauté the onions saucepan. Stir in the flour, then the milk. Cook the milk
and celery (butter adds rich flavor to mixture until it’s thick and bubbly, then add it to the
sautéed vegetables) and again at the soup. Finish it off with a dash of pepper (and the other
end to make a roux. seasonings of your choosing).
• Onions and Celery : This recipe
starts with onions and celery. These TIPS for Storing Cream of Broccoli Soup
veggies add complexity and depth of
flavor. You’ll need to
• Broth : Chicken broth is the liquid refrigerate this soup
base for this cream of broccoli soup. within two hours of
For a vegetarian option, substitute
vegetable broth. cooking. Let it cool to
• Broccoli : Choose dark green room temperature,
broccoli with firm stems. then transfer it to
• Flour, Milk, and Butter : All- an airtight container
purpose flour, milk, and the rest of and store in the
the butter are cooked together to refrigerator for three
create a roux. When added to the to four days.
soup, it creates a thick and velvety
texture that’s impossible to resist. If you want to keep it
• Pepper : Ground black pepper is for more than a few
the perfect finishing touch. Add other days ,you can freeze
cream of broccoli
soup.Ladle the soup
in serving-sized
portions into zip-top
freezer bags. Label
the bags with the date, lay them flat in the freezer, and
freeze for up to two to three months.






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cover story



BRAHMASTRA: PART 1 SHIVA


divine weapons. The most powerful of all these
weapons is Brahmastra. For a while let us leave
the divine aspect of the epics aside and focus
on the stories. These are stories that contain
ethical lessons and philosophical aspects that
can be used by people worldwide. They are truly
universal in nature. Rich in content and not fully
explored so far, Indian mythology truly deserves a
mighty universe of its own. The stories need to be
told by someone who has grown with them -an
Indian storyteller.


Ayan Mukherjee and Karan Johar bring a glimpse
of this vast spectrum in Astraverse. The first movie
in this trilogy is Brahmastra: Part 1 Shiva. The
co-producers of this film include Ranbir Kapoor,
Apoorva Mehta, founder of Instacart, and Namit
Malhotra, CEO of DNEG visual effects, a stereo
conversion, and animation company. The film
stars Ranbir Kapoor in the titular role of Shiva,
Since time immemorial stories of Superheroes Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Nagarjuna, and
and Gods have captivated the minds of writers Mouni Roy. The film also stars Dimple Kapadia
and readers alike. Over the past few decades and Sharukh Khan in a cameo role as the wielder
franchises of several superheroes such as Batman of Vanarastra. Written and directed by Ayan
or Spiderman have captivated the audience so Mukherjee, the premise of Brahmastra is the
much that Universes have emerged on the silver primal weapons of the Universe. Let us explore
screen around them. Hence, we saw the birth of all the players of this Universe briefly.
the Marvel universe and Justice League that has
enthralled movie-goers of all ages and created AYAN MUKHERJEE: CREATOR
superstars out of several Hollywood stars. Ayan is the cousin of Kajol and Rani Mukherjee.
His father is Deb Mukherjee who was a famous
Creating a Universe needs several elements to Bengali actor. Ayan made his directorial debut
come together. Since it contains a whole team of with the film ‘Wake Up Sid’, which won rave
characters each of them deserves a background reviews from critics and audiences alike. He went
story to establish them as prime characters. on to make ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ with Ranbir
Stories loop around each other creating new and Deepika later and has ever since formed a
plots and unprecedented twists and turns. Some close bond with Kapoor.
of them are endowed with supernatural powers Ayan announced Brahmastra in 2014 but was
and others simply rise to the occasion to fight delayed for several years. Speaking of the movie,
supernatural villains. And we are drawn to this Ayan says that the movie is infused with Indian
world of larger-than-life characters whom we call spirituality and mythological elements.
Superheroes.
RANBIR KAPOOR: SHIVA
The childhood of many Indian children is filled Ranbir stars in a larger-than-life character of
with stories from the two greatest historical Shiva, a DJ who is the manifestation of Agni
epics ever written by Man: Ramayana and Astra- Fire Weapon. Ranbir and Mukherjee have
Mahabharata. Outside these two great epics are collaborated on two movies, and both have been
eighteen Puranas, filled with stores of Gods and very successful. Ranbir Kapoor is a method actor.
goddesses and their many accomplishments and He has the unique combination of being a star


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and an actor. When dealt with a good script NAGARJUNA: ANISH
and scope for acting the ‘Rockstar’ actor always The Telugu
comes through. He has had a successful run so superstar plays
far but after the debacle of ‘Shamshera’ is looking the wielder of
for a super hit. the Nandi Astra.
He is an artist as
ALIA BHATT: ISHA well. Nagarjuna
She needs no is the son of the
introduction off late! legendary Telugu
Alia has been riding superstar A.
the success wave Nageswara Rao
with ‘Gangubai (Swapna Sundari
Kathiawadi’ one of fame). A veteran of over 100 films, Nagarjuna
the few movies that has starred in several religious movies, notable
raked in the moolah amongst them being ‘Annamacharya’, the story
for Bollywood after of the 15th-century composer-saint. Nagarjuna
the pandemic. She made his debut with the remake of Ram Gopal
plays Isha, the love Verma’s Telugu superhit, ‘Shiva’. Nagarjuna’s son
interest of Shiva. Naga Chaitanya recently made his Bollywood
Alia has grown in debut in Lal Singh Chaddha.
strength as an actor
and has given some memorable performances in MOUNI ROY: JUNOON
movies like ‘Highway’, ‘Udta Punjab’,’ and Dear Every superhero
Zindagi’ to name a few. Alia and Ranbir, who are film deserves a
expecting their first baby, fell in love on a flight nemesis and Shiva
as they were going to the Brahmastra workshop of Brahmastra has
in Tel Aviv. Alia recently debuted in Hollywood Junoon. Mouni Roy
with the film, ‘Heart of Stone costarring Wonder proved her prowess
Woman, Gal Gadot. as a dancer and
actor in the web
AMITABH BACHCHAN: GURU series ‘Devon Ke
It is not fair to talk Dev Mahadev’.
about Big B in 5 The series ran
sentences. But a for820 episodes.
project as colossal Mouni played
as Brahmastra would Sati, the consort
be wanting without of Shiva and she
AB. The superstar played the role with aplomb. Roy made her debut
is Guru, the leader in Bollywood in Akshay Kumar’s ‘Gold’.
of Brahmansh, a
secret group that Brahmastra is India’s answer to Hollywood’s
holds the knowledge cinematic universes. A lot of effort and research
of Brahmastra. He has gone into creating the Astraverse and the
is also the wielder film will be best watched on the large screen. It is
of Prabhastra- Light releasing on September 9th at FunAsia theatres.
Weapon. Speaking of the ‘Zanjeer’ star Mukherjee
says that his enthusiasm and dedication to the
art are contagious. Amitabh is known for his
sensitive portrayal of characters and his towering
personality, and a rich baritone will only add to
the epic character of the Guru.







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Lifestyle Article



STREET



FOOD



BITES





If you have grown up in a big city, you would food. These are very low-investment businesses
be familiar with food cooked and sold off the and if the business owner handles his resources
streets. Busy officegoers, students, and tourists all prudently, they can make a decent profit. Profits
would throng these little kiosks or food trucks to may be low initially, but as popularity grows so
order their favorite food custom-made in front of will profits. The location of the kiosk or the food
their eager eyes. And as people chowed down truck or cart also is very important. Stalls or kiosks
delectable little bites lustily down their throats near schools and colleges and industrial or office
one can see a sense of deep satisfaction come areas are bound to attract crowds thus bringing
over their faces. At that very moment, time stops, in more business. Several vendors, especially in
thoughts of that report that needs to be submitted Indian cities offer a variety of cuisine and bring in
by the next hour fade away and one experiences a their twists. The entire Indo-Chinese cuisine, for
sublime almost mystical experience! As a Spanish example, perhaps was born out of the creative
proverb goes,’ The belly rules the mind’. And it genius of a street food vendor!
cannot be truer in the case of street food.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, this
industry was affected most adversely. Travel-
friendly places like Thailand which welcomed
over 39 million tourists in 2017 had only 34000
tourists in 2019. Street food is highly dependent
on a daily flow of customers and the pandemic
devastated the industry. Wastage is another issue
in the industry. Most hawkers simply cook and
sell. They don’t have cost-saving analytics to
help them forecast their business. Many are not
familiar with online delivery, and some don’t have
fixed spaces for their business.
And despite these challenges and some more,
the street food industry continues to grow around
The success of a street food vendor or a food truck the world. Vendors are far more educated in
owner depends on three skills. They need to be sanitary practices than before. Glass plates and
great cooks; they need to have time management cups have given place to single-use utensils. The
and great interpersonal skills. None of these skills vendors wear gloves and hair nets and serve the
can be faked and all of them work together. customers. Fresh
and custom-
Some of the vendors may have the skills of a made food served
five-star Michelin chef, but they are not looking by vendors seems
for such awards. They are looking to satisfy their to attract more
customers’ deepest gastronomic fantasies and customers and
make a living out of their skill. many young
Word of mouth is probably the only way the men and women
vendors become popular and the criterion for have entered this
popularity is solely the taste and quality of the industry. With


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Present coupon before consultation begins. valid till 04/15/2022









Present coupon before consultation begins. valid till 04/15/2022

DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 15

Lifestyle Article
inflation and job losses looming in the background
the gig economy has taken off in a big way and
the street food industry offers a delightful way of CAIRO, EGYPT
making income for those having a passion for
cooking. Egypt is the land of shwarmas. Beef and chicken
shwarmas are served with tahini sauce and all
Let us look at cities that are popular for their street the vegetable
food. fixings on the
streets of Cairo.
SINGAPORE This ancient

Singapore takes its food very seriously. One can city boasts of
find tourists lining up at the coffee shops or local 5ooo -year -
hawkers, gorging on some of the island’s most old history
delectable dishes. Simply follow the crowd and and tourists
chances are that one might be led to a street food swarm to see
hawker! Such is the excitement around food in the pyramids.
Singapore. Chefs are adroit in mixing up the local Equally attractive is the street food of Cairo.
Chinese, Malay, or Tamil cuisines to bring about Baba Adobo, one of the famous street food
their version of a popular dish. For example, chains of Cairo has several exotic meat dishes for
the fish foodies to try. One of their most popular foods is
head curry, crumbled sausages. For vegetarians and vegans,
available there is the fava stew a combination of fava beans
in most cooked with spices and falafel. Another vegan
kiosks, has staple and hugely popular street food is Koshary.
its origins in This is a lentil dish cooked with rice and macaroni
Kerala and and crispy fried onions. Abdul Tarek is famous
Malaysia. for this creation as it is topped with a chili paste
But in and vinegar sauce that takes aroma and taste to
Singapore, another level.
it gets a tangy tamarind twist. So is Laska, a SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
potpourri of flat noodles, coconut soup, fish
cakes, prawns, and cockles. Served with Otah, One of the many benefits of Asian and Middle
a fish cake it is a fusion of Malay and Chinese Eastern immigration is that the food of Australia
cuisines. acquired a richer, newer dimension. The Sydney
fish market has remained the best place to
MUMBAI, INDIA get fresh seafood. Fish chips, BBQ octopus,
shellfish, and soft-shell crab are all served simply
According to CEO world, Mumbai was ranked
5th among the top cities for street food. And it but expertly here. But the city has embraced
comes as no surprise. One of the busiest metros Vietnamese and Middle eastern foods like banh
in the world, the city is best understood by eating mi, noodles, and babaghanoush. The city has a
off of its streets. Cuisines from all over the place wide variety of Chinese and Thai street foods also
find a home in the simple plates and bowls of to choose from. Australian BBQ is world famous.
hawkers. But Mumbai is most famous for the if one is a lover of sausages, they need to find
vada pavs, various chat items, and pav bhaji barbecued snags that are seasoned with garlic
that are served probably in every street corner of butter at Squire’s landing. There is a sizable Asian
the city. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian options Indian population as well in this coastal paradise
in Frankies and biriyanis are available in plenty and one can find carrot halwa along with other
throughout the year. Mumbai is also famous for North Indian Dhaba delights in a place simply
its lemonades flavored with ginger and black salt. called North Indian cuisine.
For ice cream lovers one can blissfully immerse
yourself in a variety of kulfis, faloodas, and ice
cream sandwiches. In the next edition of FunAsia Desipages, look out
for some more drool-worthy street food from the
USA, Dallas being one of them!




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People speak






PEOPLE SO ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?
SPEAK



always influenced by family, friends or loved
ones to do something that makes them happy
Once again welcome to my column! and content as a result of a superstitious
belief.
The number 13, black cats, breaking mirrors,
or walking under ladders, may all be things So lets talk about the most common
you actively avoid – if you’re anything like superstitions.
the 25% people in the world who consider
themselves First one the comes to my mind is “Friday the
superstitious. 13th” firstly the belief of bad luck coming from
the number 13 isn’t scary enough but when
Even if you don’t paired with a Friday, it becomes a deadly
consider yourself combination, well some believe that. Dating
a particularly back to the late 1800s, Friday has long been
superstitious considered an unlucky day and 13 has a long
person, you history as an unlucky number.
probably say “bless you” when someone
sneezes, just in case the devil should decide
to steal their soul, as our ancestors thought
possible during a sneeze.


Superstition also explains why many buildings
do not have a 13th floor – preferring to label
it 14, 14A 12B or M (the 13th letter of the
alphabet) on elevator button panels because
of concerns about superstitious tenants.
Indeed, 13% of people in one survey indicated
that staying on the 13th floor of a hotel would
bother them and 9% said they would ask for
a different room.
If anything bad happens to you on Friday the
So, what is superstition defined as? 13th, the two will be forever associated in
your mind.
“It’s a belief or practice resulting from
ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in Another common superstition is “Cross your
magic or chance, or a false conception of fingers” in the hope to make a wish come
causation or a story/myth that is passed down true. Those wishing for luck will often cross
from ages.” one finger over another, a gesture that’s said
to date back to early in time. The story goes
Doesn’t matter if we are young or old, rich or that two people used to cross index fingers
poor, educated or not, we are all superstitious when making a wish, a symbol of support
at some level. Even if we say we aren’t we are from a friend to the person making the wish.


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The tradition gradually became something People speak
people could do on their own; these days,
just saying “fingers crossed” is enough to get
the message, well, across. for thousands of years, cats play all sorts
of mythological roles. In ancient Egypt, cats

One of the most common superstition or were revered; today, Americans collectively
belief is “Make a wish on a wish bone” keep more than 81 million cats as pets.


The tradition of a chicken bone in Desi So why keep a black cat out of your path? Most
countries or a turkey bone in the US, tug-of- likely, this superstition arises from old beliefs
war goes back a long way. Legend has it that in witches and their animal familiars, which
first-century Romans used to fight over dried were often said to take the form of domestic
wishbones, which they believed were good animals like cats. Again a superstitious belief.
luck and would accidentally break them,
ushering in the idea that whoever has the Last but not the least, from my recent visit
largest bit of bone gets their wish. Bird bones to LasVegas the next superstition resonates
have also been used in divination throughout with me the most. And that is none other
history, with a supposed soothsayer throwing than “Beginner’s luck”. Usually grumbled
by spoil sports or people who lose against a
new player, beginner’s luck is the idea that
newbies are unusually likely to win when they
try out a sport, game or activity for the first
time. In my case, when I first time tried my
luck on the slot machines in the casinos of Las
Vegas, I won a handsome amount from just
a few quarters. And after that I almost never
won again, so the Beginners luck resonated
with me.

Beginners might come out ahead in some
the bones and reading their patterns to predict cases because the novice is less stressed out
the future. about winning. Too much anxiety, after all,
can hamper performance. Or it could just be
The next one even I relate to is “Knock on a statistical fluke, especially in chance based
wood” This Phrase is as if like a magic spell, gambling games.
which is normally used to continue the good
fate that you are currently having, in the hope We’ll there are infinite superstitions and the
that it will stay and not be touched by the evil list can go on and on. At the end of the day,
eye. its all about your belief system and what you
chose to make a part of your life. And for me
The fixation on wood may come from old myths just like “Michael Scott” I am not superstitious,
about good spirits in trees. Similar phrases but I am a ‘Little’stitious.
abound in multiple languages, suggesting
that the desire not to upset a spiteful universe Cheers!
is very common.

One of the most common one that I am
sure each one of us has heard about or
experienced, “Black cats crossing your
path”. As companion animals for humans Zarina Khorakiwalla


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Bollywood takies







this Month



Tiger 3 starring Salman Khan,
Katrina Kaif, and Emraan Hashmi
is one of the most awaited films
of 2023. After the super success
of Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda
Hai, the fans of the franchise have
been eagerly waiting for Tiger
3. Well, one of the highlights of
the film will surely be the cameo
Kala Chashma of Shah Rukh Khan. There have
been reports that YRF is planning

Unless you’ve been living under a soy universe and while Shah
a rock, you would have come Rukh Khan’s character Pathaan
across the #KalaChashma will have a cameo in Tiger 3,
trend on Instagram. The remix Salman will be seen as Tiger in
from Sidharth Malhotra and Prakash Jha SRK starrer.
Katrina Kaif starrer Baar Baar According to a report in E-Times,
Dekho that released in 2016, has Shah Rukh Khan will be shooting
caught everyone’s fancy once Prakash Jha has been known for his cameo in Tiger 3 by the
again ever since a Norwegian for his talent as a storyteller and end of September. The superstar
urban dance group called Quick filmmaker, but in a celebrated is currently shooting for Atlee’s
Style grooved to the track during career, he’s also had half-a- Jawan in Chennai and later
a wedding. The song recreated dozen acting credits. But none move to Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki
by Badshah and Neha Kakkar, have been as special as his The last time we saw Shah Rukh
originally a Punjabi track from upcoming one, where he’s Khan and Salman Khan on the
the 90s sung by Amar Arshi and slated to act in daughter Disha big screen together was in Zero
composed by Prem Hardeep and Jha’s short film. in which the Tiger 3 star had a
Kam Dhillon, has so far made Prakash is currently in news for cameo. It will surely be interesting
the Indian cricket team, Jimmy his film Matto Ki Saikal (Matto’s to watch both superstars on the
Fallon, Demi Lovato, Ayushmann Cycle) in which he plays a daily- big screen again.
Khurrana, to name a few, dance wage labourer. His daughter
to its beat. The reason why shared that senior filmmaker’s
everyone is making reels on this next project that’s going on
song is because the hook step floors is a short film. “It’s on
is easy, in fact there’s no dance honour killing. Baba is the main
routine. People in a group can lead in it. Sonali Kulkarni will
push anyone to the centre, and feature opposite him. We will be
a person can break into twerking shooting it this month around
while the other members can 20th and 25th in Lucknow,” she
keep doing their own thing. revealed.


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DOES MISSING “FOREIGN COMPLIANCE” TAKE YOU TO JAIL?
could mean you are concealing foreign income
to IRS. Second, when you are maintaining foreign
In April 2011, 46-year-old
Vaibhav Dahake, American bank accounts outside US and your aggregate
Indian of New Jersey was daily balance between those accounts exceeded
sentenced 5-year prison $10,000 even in single day then you would have to
for willfully concealing his file Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR) form.
foreign bank accounts in This applies to each taxpayer in the household.
India. U. S tax authorities When your balance exceeds $75,000 for single
has prosecuted many other tax filer and $150,000 for Married joint filers,
people after that for tax then additional form called FATCA must be filed.
evasion in this crackdown Penalties are different for each form for non-filing.
including taxpayers, If you have foreign salary form 2555 needs to be
bankers, lawyers, and filed. If you have foreign trust, Form 3520 needs
advisors. In October 2017, to be filed. U.S. citizen, corporation, partnership,
50-year-old Michael Fitzgerald of Longmeadow, trust, or estate who has at least 10% ownership in
Massachusetts was sentenced 6 months of prison a foreign corporation, needs to file Form 5471. If
and fined $1,115,320. Upon release, Fitzgerald you have made foreign capital contribution, then
would be monitored and supervised for 4 years. 5472 needs to be filed. There are many other
The big question is, does everyone who miss foreign IRS forms that is required on different situations.
compliance goes to jail? Answer is clearly, “No”. Our firm is currently providing free consulting so
Best way to break this down offense is willful and that everyone can make an educated decision
non-willful violation. When someone misses filing to comply before penalties pile up. Many of my
foreign compliance unknowingly, this is non- clients are scared to open foreign accounts. As
willful violation. When someone makes a scheme long as you are reporting these accounts to IRS,
or strategy to undisclosed foreign accounts to IRS there is nothing to worry about because they
simply to avoid taxation, this is willful violation. are only for reporting purpose. IRS just wants to
Separating willful versus non willful could be tricky make sure that you are not money laundering
and complex. There are so many forms involved or opening foreign bank to evade U.S. taxes.
and understanding it all could be cumbersome. Vaibhav Dahake later received a bail for his jail
I would advise everyone to seek advice from time with $250,000 civil fine and had to pay

foreign tax expert to seek help to comply with this his new tax dues immediately. Prosecutors left
law. There are subsidized IRS programs where him with the condition that he would provide the
taxpayers can comply with minimum possible fine. government officials useful internal information that
Although I cannot cover everything in this small would eventually help the government to find other
article, I would like to leave everyone with basic individuals with similar offense. Foreign compliance
knowledge so that everyone knows who is required audit has been very aggressive since 2010. I have
should file foreign compliance forms. must comply been personally advising my clients on foreign
with this law. There are two parts to reporting foreign compliance for years. While we can achieve the
account. Accounts include, Bank Account, stocks, lowest penalty possible through our many years of
mutual fund, LIC policies, Provident Fund etc. First, expertise, I prepare my client with both best and
when your foreign accounts are is giving you income, worst scenario while disclosing offshore assets.
dividend etc. that needs to disclose this in your tax
return as foreign income. This does not mean your Diwas Dhungel
double taxed because you can also get allowable Senior Director of Operations
foreign tax credits. Although tax due could be zero Perfect Tax & Finance
or negligible, not showing the amount in tax return September 2022




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DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 23

HAPPY BIRTHDAY starrer, ‘Black’. According to the ‘Tamasha’ actor,
his sole intention was to star in SLB’s film, and
RANBIR KAPOOR he accomplished that with ‘Sawariya’. Although
the film failed commercially, Ranbir got noticed.
He went on to star in one of his best roles in
SEPTEMBER 28,1982 the coming-of-age film ‘Wake Up Sid’. Kapoor
excels in the titular role as a spoilt insensitive
Scion of the Kapoor family, Ranbir Kapoor, young man who later understands life through
shares his birthday in September, with his his experiences and with the help of a matured
cousin Kareena Kapoor-Khan. Ranbir’s Konkona Sen Sharma. It was an unusual pairing
success in the film industry is not by Ayan Mukherjee and a risky move by the
just for his charming looks but young Kapoor, who chose to star opposite an
also his subtle acting skills. older and more established actress. But the
Son of the popular couple move paid off and ‘Wake Up Sid’ remains one of
the late Rishi and Neetu his finest performances. Kapoor went on to star
Kapoor, the ‘Saawariya’ as a determined young Sikh in ‘Rocket Singh:
star has never shied Salesman of the Year. ‘Rajneeti’ presented the
to experiment talented Kapoor in a new light, and he has not
with roles and looked back ever since,
has always
performed His marriage to the petite and talented Alia
them Bhatt has made them the next power couple in
with Bollywood. Movie buffs worldwide are eagerly
awaiting the release of ‘Brahmastra: Shiva
Part One. In this fantasy thriller, Kapoor plays
a larger-than-life character (one of his firsts).
Ayan is known for his tight scripting and subtle
handling of the characters in his movie and one
can safely say that ‘Brahmastra’ will not be a
mindless fantasy. Besides Alia Ranbir is pitted
aplomb. against the legendary Amitabh Bachchan and
F i l m s Telugu superstar, Nagarjuna.
should have
been a natural
choice for Kapoor, FUN FACTS
given the fact that his • Ranbir was sportier at school, his favorite
great grandfather and sport being football.
grandfather were Prithviraj
Kapoor and Raj Kapoor • His childhood crush was Madhuri Dixit.
respectively. But the ‘Bachna Ai • An introvert by nature, Ranbir can express
Haseeno’ star says that his interest himself through dance! He is trained in jazz
in film was triggered by repressed and ballet.
emotions. Although formed a great pair • ‘Rockstar’ Ranbir can play the drums and
onscreen, Rishi and Neetu constantly fought tabla and learned to strum the guitar as well.
at home, leading to Ranbir’s inner turmoil.
Kapoor says that he was always close to his mom • Ranbir believes that the number 8 is his lucky
and formed a bond with his dad, Rishi Kapoor number. He admires it for its fluidity and its
while working as assistant director for him in the close resemblance to the Infinity sign.
Aishwariya Rai starrer ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalein’. • The ‘Sanju’ star is an ace mimic.

• His favorite foods are home-cooked meals
The ’Barfi’ actor worked as an assistant director prepared by his mom.
for Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the Amitabh-Rani



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HAPPY BIRTHDAY the whole gamut of emotions with a twinkle in his
eyes, the characteristic nod of his head or inflection
PANKAJ TRIPATHI in his tone. His body language just like his idol
Manoj Bajpayee conveys and communicates
effectively, hitting the right notes every time. He
September 28, 1976 credits his success as an actor to hours of practice
and effort rather than merely talent. Pankaj has
Bollywood has a magnetic appeal for people from won several awards for his roles in
all around the world. Many actors who made it ‘Newton’, ‘Stree’
big have done it due to sheer determination and and ‘83’ to
by consistently honing their skills. Although there name. a
is a lot of talk on nepotism, favoritism and several few.
other ‘isms’ the fact remains that if one is good
in their craft and is willing to stick it out through
the tough circumstances success is almost a
guarantee for them. Pankaj Tripathi, son of a
farmer and a priest from a tiny village in the state
of Bihar in India goes to prove that more, than
anyone else.

If one wants to enter the industry, it helps if one
is born to one of the Bollywood Moguls or have
a hunger for their craft. Tripathi was active in
theatre for the longest period before he got his
first break in an uncredited role in the movie
‘Run’. It is interesting to note that his first celluloid
appearance was in a Kannada film ‘Chigurida
Kanasau’ in an uncredited role. Although he
worked as a chef for a brief period in Patna, the
‘Newton’ actor enrolled himself in the National
School of drama which has given us actors in the
caliber of Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Naseeruddin
Shah just to name a few.

The ‘Mimi’ actor was noticed first in Anurag Outside
Kashyap’s celebrated gangster drama, ‘Gangs o f
of Wasseypur’, a role for which he auditioned Bollywood,
for 8 hours! The role fetched Tripathi a lot of Pankaj is very well known
recognition. From 2004 to 2012 the ‘Bunty aur for the Television series, ‘Mirzapur’ and the
Bali 2’ comedian played small parts in several OTT series ‘Criminal Justice’. The audience sat
films like ‘Apaharan’ and ‘Omkara’ but went captivate by the compelling script of the series
unrecognized. ‘Wasseypur 1 and 2’, the story of and it is a joy to watch Pankaj perform with deep
the coal mafia of Bihar brought him recognition intelligence and subtility of the characters of a
and a plethora of roles fell into his lap. Pankaj corrupt politician or a struggling upstanding
credits his wife Mridula for supporting him lawyer in both the series.
wholeheartedly during his period of struggle. She Pankaj sums up his philosophy by saying that he
was the main bread winner of the family during is a simple man at heart who did not come to
that period. Mumbai to become a star but wanted to earn his
living through acting. As the actor celebrates his
Pankaj Tripathi is like a plate that is full of 46th birthday on September 28th, we wish him
wholesome food and with a lot of variety one the very best in his life. The ‘Stree’ actor will be
can pick and choose from! His perception of the seen in ‘OMG 2’ next along with Akshay Kumar
character comes through as he can communicate who also celebrates his birthday in September.



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I
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THE PERFECT 2ND PLACE
PAMIR SANYAL

One cool autumn day, two students were walking in the hallways of Manhattan High
School. The two students’ names were Alex and John. Alex was tall, lean and good
natured, he had sharp blue eyes and messy dirty blond hair, he loved to draw and make
animations. John was a little shorter than Alex, he had jet black hair and tanned skin.
John loved to write and he was the smarter one of the two. As they walked, Alex and
John talked about how a big science competition was coming up that helped them get
good college credits if they placed well.
“We need to think of something unique,” John was saying.
“But we’re only highschoolers, what do they expect?” Alex said exasperated. Just then
three of the biggest, meanest bullies of the whole highschool turned the corner. They
all wore dark leather jackets, with skull designs, they had crazy hair and their eyes were
always mischievous. Alex and John were so engrossed in their conversation that Alex ran
into the leader, Buford. Buford pushes Alex back and calls him a loser.
“Yo guys,’’ he calls to the other two bullies.
“Do y’all need spitball practice?” Buford said with a creeping smile. The other two start
laughing and bringing out their straws and wads of paper. Before anyone could react
John hit the other two in the hand so they would drop the straws and punched Buford in
the stomach. This all happened in under 5 seconds. Buford was winded, but got enough
Pamir is a resilient strength to yell
;disciplined and focused “You’ll pay for this punks,” and he runs away with the other two.
14year old going on to The next day Alex and Jack were very careful at school, they were expecting
9th grade at Imagine Buford and his gang pulling stunts on them when nobody was looking. For some reason
they didn’t spot Buford or his gang anywhere during school. A few hours later, the
International school of two boys were at Alex’s garage, they had figured out what to make for the science
North Texas . He is an competition, a laser. They were really close to finishing, they just needed to attach one
more component. Unfortunately, the boys had company, Buford and his gang strolled
ardent fan of basketball up Alex’s driveway carrying baseball bats. Alex grabbed his phone and threatened to
and had represented his call 911,
school several times . He “One more step and I’m calling the cops,” Alex said with panic in his voice as the three
is an avid reader and boys kept advancing. Buford swung his baseball bat and smashed Alex and John’s laser,
before the boys could do any more damage Alex started dialing 911, the three boys
loves to write and play took the hint and bolted out of the driveway. The next morning Alex and John were out
his guitar. Summer is all of it, the science competition was only 3 days away and they couldn’t possibly fix the
laser by then. Just then, Alex noticed A few nerdy kids getting bullied by a few older guys.
about basketball; friends The bullies weren’t Buford and his gang, so Alex and John went to help. The two boys
;travel ;good food ; managed to drive the bullies away, the smartest kid from the nerdy kids came forward
and insisted on repaying them in any way he could, his name was Felix. Alex and John
swimming ;Ice Skating had an idea, they asked if Felix and his group could fix the laser they had built. Felix just
and PS4 that Pamir looks smiled and the other kids started laughing too.
“You guys really haven’t heard of us have you?” Felix said
forward to !
“That is a piece of cake,” Felix continued. So, after school all the kids were at Alex’s
garage, working on the laser for two days. At the end of the second day the laser was
complete. John and Alex couldn’t stop giving their thanks to Felix and his crew.
“If you help someone out of the kindness of your heart, you will get good fortune
afterwards,” Felix said. Alex and John kept that noted.
The day of the science competition was finally upon them, Alex and John were
waiting for their turn to present. They had seen a lot of good inventions, and hoped
they could impress the judges more. Finally, it was John and Alex’s time to present. They
brought a piece of metal from their bag and set it on the table, then they turned on
the laser and it cut clean through the metal. After a few more groups went, Alex and
John were shocked, the last group of the competition was Felix’s, they presented their
invention, and got first. Alex and John were still very jubilant over their 2nd place, John
even said that it was “the perfect 2nd place.” And the perfect 2nd place it was indeed.



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C
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I
Listen to Kids Club with Ambreen Hasnat every
Wednesday from 3:00- 4:00 pm.
THE PERFECT 2ND PLACE Click Here to Play
PAMIR SANYAL
















Click Here to Play













Did you Know?
































If you want to wish your child a Happy Birthday,
Please send message to [email protected]/[email protected]
For all submissions of your kids talent: Poem, short stories, Jokes, Artwork please send submissions to
[email protected]/[email protected]



DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 29

Gracefully Life


TAKE WHAT COMES !!!

ER except that everybody started moving
around very fast. I woke up only 5-6 days
later. I only remember the doctor telling
my wife to call my children to get to the
hospital quickly, as the odds didn’t seem
good at all. I had an aortic dissection.
They operated emergently and saved
my life. I had 2 surgeries after, to repair
everything. One of those surgeries
had gotten cancelled at 2 am the night
before due to an emergency. At first I felt
aggravation, but my second thought was
that I’m alive today because somebody
else got put off. Never again did I have
a bad feeling about that. I realized how
fortunate I was to be alive. I appreciate
life more since then. I realized that the
only way to keep on going, is by being
active. I’m 80 years old right now. I don’t
sit around and wait for death. I make a list
of things to do and do them. I do a lot of
physical things around the house, feed the
I was lifting something at the fitness center birds, take care of my garden, work out
when all of a sudden I had a very strange 3-6 times a week and continue to do the
feeling. I can’t exactly describe it, but I knew things I love. My PCP has made me talk
that I had to get to the hospital. I literally to other older patients of his, who after an
ran out, jumped in my car and drove to the illness decide that now they have got to go
hospital. By the time I reached the ER my left home and sit. I tell them that life can go
arm was numb. It frightened me, but not as on and you can still enjoy your life. There
much. I remember thinking that if I loose my is nothing that says that you have to stop
left arm, I would still have my right. I have doing what you like, you just may have
always been one to say “ Take what comes”. to change some things around it and be
I don’t remember much once I got to the more careful.


















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MELODIOUS ECHOES CONTRIBUTION

BY RAJI


CLASSICAL MUSICIANS IN FILMS


As my guru taught me the nuances of Raag Nand female lead, it was Lata Mangeshkar’s soft nimble
voice and occasionally Asha’s flexible tones.
Could one imagine a Bhimsen Joshi or Gangubai
Hangal singing for the leads?! Even in a film like
‘Shankarabharanam’, SP Balasubramanian sang
for the lead character who is a classical musician.
Perhaps filmmakers think that audiences may not
be able to appreciate classical music in its original
glory. But we have seen audiences appreciate
classical music that has not been watered down.
For instance, the song ‘Paadariyen Padippariyen’
in the National ward willing movie, Sindhu
Bhairavi. The song set to Kamboji raag in the
Carnatic style has a sargam-taan at the end of the
through the beautiful bandish, ‘run jhun baaje’ ‘kriti’/’bandish’ And it has been executed expertly
I was enamored by the beauty of the sargam by K.S. Chitra no doubt, but why was a classical
of the raag. The way ‘pa re sa’ forms a small musician not used in the song, one wonders.
loop with ‘ga ga ma’ simply shows you visions
of the kaleidoscopic myriad colors of the raag! Occasionally we have heard a Begum Parveen
Aah! Classical music is as vast as the space itself! Sultana or Vidshushi Kishori Amonkar render
Universes lie hidden within, and musicians find some beautiful numbers for lead artists. ‘Do
the Sat Chit and Ananda through the practice Boond Pani’ a low-budget film by the veteran
of such sublime music. I feel that if properly director KA Abbas, had music by Jaidev. The
communicated Indian classical music will reign song ‘Pital Ki Mori Ghaaghri’ was picturized on
in the hearts of the young and the old alike. Simi the lead female actor and Parveen Sultana
Through thumris and ghazals, classical music provided the vocals for her. Similarly in the movie
has managed to reach millions of music lovers, Drishti, Kishori Amonkar composed and sang all
much like how the Ganga reaches the plains the songs in the film. Drishti had an ensemble
transforming herself from the glacier she is. star cast with Dimple Kapadia, Shekhar Kapur,
Incidentally, the Madan Mohan-Lata Mangeshkar Irfan Khan, and Neena Gupta. But these movies
melody, ‘Tu Jahan Jahan chalega’ is a classic don’t fall under mainstream cinema.
example of Raag Nand. Similarly, the movie ‘Sur Sangam’, the remake of
K. Vishwanath’s cult classic, ‘Shankarabharanam’
Music in the Indian film industry is a mixture of starred Girish Karnad and Jayaprada in the
genres across the world. Storytelling is the most lead roles. The doyens of Benares Gharana, Pt.
vital influencer of music in movies. And although Sajan Mishra, and Pt Rajan Mishra both together
there are very few movies based on classical provided vocals for Karnad, who played the role of
music and musicians are made, we have had a classical musician. Lata Mangeshkar, S. Janaki,
a few gems in this genre. Starting from ’Baiju Anuradha Paudwal, and Kavitha Krishnamoorthy
Bawra’ we have been treated to films that have provided the vocals for the female actors.
classical music as the theme of the film. But the ‘Umrao Jaan’ the 1980 classic that brought to life
music director had a film singer sing for the lead period Lucknow is popular for transforming Rekha
actor. For Baiju, it was Rafisaab and Mannadey. and Asha Bhosle. Bhosle was treated like a crooner
For most classical compositions picturized on a until then. Except for O.P. Nayyar who explored


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CONTRIBUTION

I know we live in a world of instant gratification.
We barely pay attention to details and true music
lies in the details. The small murki the intricate
ghamaka and the sonorous meend are all needed
to express different emotions and classical music
is all about expressing emotions through these
musical components. Regional movies have a
repertoire of movies with classical music as their
base theme. The movie ‘Morning Raga’, starring
her voice most beautifully, Asha always got hand- Shabana Azmi is a poignant tale of a classical
me-downs from her sister Lata Mangeshkar, who musician who gives up music after losing her best
was the popular choice for female characters in friend and violinist and her only son. Retreating
the golden era. Umrao Jaan’s ghazals were all into a world devoid of music she suffers until her
sung by the transformed Asha. And yet the popular dead friend’s son and his girlfriend come along
thumri, ‘Jhoola Kinne Daala Re Amaraiya’ came and bring her back to the stage with the enigmatic
alive with the vocals of Ghulam Mustafa Khan, ‘Thaye Yashoda’ set to ‘Todi Ragam’. Vidushis
Pt. Runa Prasad and Shahida Khan. Set to Mishra Sudha Raghunathan and Bombay Jayshree (Zara
Pilu has all the elements of a classic thumri but Zara) sing for Shabana. The movie has several
lasts for barely 2 ½ minutes! One wonders why! beautiful elements of human emotions, and they
Thankfully the raagmala, ‘Pratham Dhar Dhyan’ are all expressed through music.
has the pristine feel of a traditional raagmala.
Again, sung by Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and
Shadida the bandish stands pristine in its delivery.
Although the Sargam-taan parts are missing in
this composition, the composition introduces the
concept of raagmala to its listeners very well. The
ragas used are Ramkali, Todi, Shuddha Sarang,
Bhimpalasi, Yaman, Malkauns and Bhairavi.


Lata Mangeshkar is the voice of ‘Pakeezah’, the
swan song of Meena Kumari who played the
titular role. Ghulam Mohammed composed the
songs for the movie in the 50s. But the film was Classical music forms the very base of all music.
completed over a period of nearly two decades. The seven notes have thousands and thousands
Mohammed passed away then and the task of of permutations and combinations, and each
background music and music for the titles was combination gives birth to a unique scale or raga.
left to Naushad. He used the voice of Parveen ‘Ri, Ga, Ma, Dha, Ni,’ take on several forms but
Sultana, Vani Jayram, and Rajkumari in very short they always have ‘Sa and Pa’ to fall back upon.
renditions of some popular thumris in a scene Just like that film music can go all over, but when
where the ‘Lucknow Mohalla’ is shown. ‘Kaun one wants to rest back one can always come
Gali Gayo Shyam’ set to Misra Khamaj gives a back to classical music and be enthralled once
glimpse of the maestro’s control over her taan again to the pure sounds of music.
and ghamaks. Her short 2 ½ minute rendition
sparkles and stays in our minds long after it gets
over. Parveen enthralled the Hindi audience
again with her award-winning, ‘Humein Tumse
Pyar Kitna’, a thumri set to Misra Bhairavi for
the movie ‘Kudrat’. The song was picturized on
Aruna Irani, and she played the role of a singer.


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bollywood bonanza


PANKAJ TRIPATHI SAYS BOLLYWOOD NEEDS SELF-ASSESSMENT,
ADDRESSES BOYCOTT TREND: ‘IF A FILM IS BAD, PEOPLE DON’T
GO TO THE HALLS…’



Pankaj Tripathi has opened up on the recent boycott trend, which some say is
responsible for the dent in film collections of Bollywood movies. Lately, several big
budget films including Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar’s
Raksha Bandhan tanked at the box office, giving the industry a rather sharp
jolt.
Pankaj discussed why films are not working in the post-pandemic era. He
said, “Self-assessment is needed about what we are making and how
we are making it—that’s necessary and that’s what is lacking.” Speaking
about the boycott trend, the actor said, “If a film is bad, it doesn’t work,
and doesn’t get boycotted. People don’t go to the cinema halls. That’s also a
boycott then, isn’t it? There is no social media campaign then, and no hashtag
but the film still doesn’t work. But yes self-assessment is needed.”
Speaking about his film 83 which did not perform well at the box office, Pankaj
Tripathi said, “Nahin nahin, afsos nahin hota, maine paise thodi lagaya hai film mein (No,
no, I’m not upset, I haven’t invested anything in the film.” He added that he has just invested
talent. “I did what I had to do, with full sincerity and what happens after that, is not in my hands.”
83, a sports drama, which starred Ranveer Singh in the lead role, was affected by the Omicron
breakout in December and the box office collections suffered, despite positive reviews.



Sargun Mehta reveals ‘real lIFE MEIN KAISE HAIN
AKSHAY KUMAR’: I CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS
HOW...
Akshay Kumar gave a ‘big hug’ and promised her to meet soon after his
Cuttputlli co-actor Sargun Mehta posted an appreciation note for his
passionate and amazing personality in real life.
Actor Sargun Mehta, who is seen as a cop in the new film Cuttputlli
alongside Akshay Kumar, had one query hounding her ever since
she signed the film. In a new Instagram post, she talks about how
Akshay Kumar is in real life and reveals that is the only question
everyone has been asking her. As Sargun praised him for being
passionate and dedicated, he also responded with a “big hug” for
her and promised they’d meet soon. Sargun posted pictures with
Akshay from the sets of the film that is currently streaming on Disney+
Hotstar. Sharing the pictures, Sargun wrote, “Jis din yeh news aayi that
I am doing a film with Akshay Kumar, uss din se har jagah, har family
function, har dinner pe ek hi sawaal tha ki “real life mein kaise hain akshay
kumar” (Ever since the news came that I am doing a film with Akshay Kumar, I
only get one question at each family function and dinner - how is Akshay Kumar
in real life). I am not lying when I am saying ki jab inki tareef shuru karo toh ghanto karte reh
sakte ho (I can go on for hours if I start praising him).”






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MADHURI’S MUSINGS
goodreads NEW STARBUCKS CEO IS






INDIAN-BORN

LAXMAN NARASIMHAN







It’s a Brew-tiful day and one that calls for an SATYA NADELLA- MICROSOFT:
extra cup of cappuccino!
As the leader of
As a loyal Starbucks fan, coffee lover and Microsoft, Nadella
immigrant Indian, I was delighted to hear defines his mission
that the new Starbucks CEO who will take as empowering every
over the reins from Howard Schultz is Indian- person and every
born Laxman Narasimhan. How incredible organization on the
that the world’s largest coffeehouse chain planet to achieve
has chosen Narasimhan as their next global more. With the world
leader. moving towards the

It is commendable that Indians who are cloud, Nadella has
an ethnic minority in the US have risen to urged companies to look beyond digital
prominence leading global companies by transformation to digital imperative, focusing

dint of their intellect, creative brain power, on accomplishing “more with less”. Another
resilience and willingness to take on the truly remarkable leader!
enormous challenges that come with such
high-profiles roles. Here are a few more
Indian immigrants or Indian origin leaders SHANTANU NARAYEN-ADOBE:
who have made our community proud: As CEO of Adobe,
Narayen is known to
SUNDAR PICHAI- GOOGLE:
lead innovation in Adobe
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Alphabet, the with its global digital
parent company of document standards.
Google. Under Pichai’s Narayen is equally
leadership Alphabet known for his altruism
has tripled its value. and generous measures
Known for his humility such as providing free
and brilliance, Pichai software to impoverished children in India.
is an inspirational icon A great reminder to all of us overseas, to
for many ambitious continue to support charitable endeavors in

and intelligent young India in some form or fashion.
professionals.

DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 36

AJAYPAL SINGH BANGA MADHURI’S MUSINGS

GENERAL ATLANTIC AND MASTERCARD:
trailblazer. As the first woman of color and
Ajaypal Sing Banga immigrant who rose to
is Vice Chairman of become the CEO of a
General Atlantic -a Fortune 50 company,
multi-billion dollar her success is extra-
equity firm prior to ordinary. Her book “ My
which he was CEO of Life in Full” is packed
Mastercard. He is known with nuggets of wisdom
to have enhanced the and life lessons for all
worldwide brand of to read and absorb.

Mastercard with his
emphasis on analytics and AI. Banga was
honored with the Padmashri Award by the
Government of India. One of his famous LEENA NAIR- CHANEL
quotes is “We have the internet of everything Nair is the second
but not the inclusion of everyone”.
woman of Indian origin
to take over a global

RAJIV SUBRAMANIAN – FEDEX: company as its CEO.
She is also the first ever
How wonderful that

one of the world’s female and youngest
largest transportation CEO of Chanel.
giants is led by an Her career growth is
Indian immigrant. impressive and she is a
Subramanian’s passion mentee of Indra Nooyi herself.
for his profession is Developing future leaders through
evident from Fedex’s mentorship should be a priority for all of
Purple Promise our current global leaders. Whether its
commitment to consulting, technology, logistics, food,

customers. Words of advice from his father beverages or fashion, these Indian immigrant
in India to his son was “ Always be humble”; leaders have made a lasting impact. It’s a
Indeed humility is an important component matter of pride and honor for India that
of success for everyone to develop as they with celebrating 75 years of independence,
ascend the career ladder. we also are celebrating powerful leaders,
innovative thinkers and changemakers
who will continue to play a key role in the
INDRA NOOYI- PEPSI: global landscape. Let’s keep an eye out for

The list would not be complete without who the next Indian or Indian origin global
mentioning Indra Nooyi, former CEO leader will be!
of Pepsi who is an iconic role model and



DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 37

accompanied by backyard barbecues and parades.
Formally known as Independence Day, the national
holiday commemorates the signing of the Declaration
of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1776

Our community is so diverse and it is so good to see
our community getting engaged in various religious and
social activities
August will also bring many festivals like Raxa Bandhan
and Janmashtami and 75th independence day
celebrations of India and Pakistan on 13th and 14th
August respectively

We would like to invite all the nonprofit associations to
come forward and show your love and solidarity towards
Namaste /Aadab our motherland and our pride.

A big hello to the vibrant community of the DFW This is an event where we all Indians/Pakistanis around
metroplex. the world can not only look back on their history with
pride but can also look ahead to a future filled with hope
I am so glad that we are connecting with the entire and further progress.
community on so many levels, and “Desi Pages” is one
of the best platforms where we can bring the community
together. So please do come to join us in celebrating our pride and
our heritage, and let’s show that our vibrant community
is stronger than ever.
July was very eventful month for entire community. We We also helped to promote many big events for many
celebrated religious festivals like ‘Rath yatra’ on July 1st non-profit associations all across the metroplex

Ratha Yatra (Festival of Chariots) is one of the world’s Looking forward to everyone’s support for the celebration
oldest religious festivals, originally celebrated in of the heritage of our own pride.
Jagannath Puri. By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada this
festival is now being celebrated all over the world Also, I am very excited to announce that Fun Asia is
offering a huge discount on our BIG FM-HD3 channel
Ratha Yatra takes place every year, and millions of for any religious or community shows by non-profits
people go there to participate in the car festival. It is
celebrated in commemoration of Lord Krishna along Pricing is as low as $300 monthly
with His elder brother, Balarama, and His younger sister,
Subhadra, visiting Kurukshetra on the occasion of a This is a huge opportunity for each of you to get more
solar eclipse. Kurukshetra is about ninety miles north of exposure and presence in the community and to spread
Delhi. It is a place of pilgrimage and people still gather more awareness about your association
there, especially during the solar and lunar eclipse.
Once again, I am thankful to our dynamic CEO, Mrs.
In July all temples across DFW also celebrated Guru Vaishali Thakkar, for her exceptional leadership in
Purnima our endeavor to reach out to the community. Once
again, many thanks to the community for continually
On this most sacred day, the devoted seekers honor supporting FunAsia Radio and helping us in ‘Bringing
their GURU as the “dispeller of darkness” (GU means the Community Together
“darkness” and RU means “that which dispels”), an
embodiment of the divine Cosmic on the physical. This Always at community service-
most powerful day falls on the full moon of July
Neelam Dave
Entire community also celebrated ‘Independence day’ Community Outreach Program Director
on 4th of July Cell phone- 817-690-2284

Entire DFW was lit up with fireworks displays,

DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 38

BOLLYWOOD NEWS




Alia Bhatt becomes the third most followed Indian actresses after
Priyanka Chopra and Shraddha Kapoor as she hit 70 M followers on
Instagram


Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt is currently awaiting the release of her
next ‘Brahmastra’. The film is all set to hit the theatres on September
9. While the actress juggles with the promotions, she is also basking
the success of her last film ‘Darlings’. The actress surely does enjoy a
massive fan following and having said that, she has recently hit another
milestone. She has clocked 70M followers on Instagram.


With this, the actress has become one of the highest followed Indian
actors after Priyanka Chopra and Shraddha Kapoor, beating Deepika
Padukone who’s at 68.8 M and Katrina Kaif who’s at at 66.7 M.

This year has been quite fruitful for the young actress. Her last theatrical
film ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ was a box office hit. Post which she married
her long-time boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. The actress is also pregnant
with her first baby with Ranbir.
Speaking of Brahmastra, the film, helmed by Ayan Mukerji also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna,
and Mouni Roy in pivotal roles.


Karan Johar cheers for ‘The Fabulous Live Of Bollywood Wives’: These
girls have the sass and guts to put themselves out there knowing you
may laugh at them


The second season of Fabulous Live Of Bollywood Wives featuring
Maheep Kapoor, Neelam Kothari, Seema Sajdeh and Bhavana Pandey
just released and is trending globally taking the number one spot on
OTT. Filmmaker Karan Johar who’s backed the show, took to his social
media handle to heap praises for the fabulous wives and admitted
that the show is ‘cringy’ and a ‘guilty pleasure’ for most people
Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives season 2 is trending not just in
India, but also in Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Qatar,
UAE, Mauritius, Bahrain, New Zealand, Oman, and Singapore.
Sharing the same he wrote, “So never thought there would come a day
where these fabulous friends of mine would be trending globally! So
let’s put it in perspective! Ofcourse it’s cringy! ( and bingy) Ofcourse
it’s guilty pleasure viewing ( pleasure is still pleasure ) Of course it
may appear manicured and artificial ( aren’t we all) Ofcourse its far
from being intellectually stimulating ( don’t we need a break from
that at times) BUT you gotta admit these girls have the sass and guts
to put themselves out there knowing you may laugh at them !!!!”
On a closing note he wrote, “I am super proud of them !! And love them dearly !!!
You can troll baby troll but it won’t stop them from Rock and Roll!!!! The show is being
massively viewed and therein lies the validation ! That’s what makes it fabulous !!!”



DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 39

Kala Ramnath -THE SINGING VIOLIN

by NAVNEETA KHEMKA


Recently I had the pleasure She is famous worldwide. Her playing has been featured
to interview the legendry Kala on the Grammy-nominated Miles from India project.
Ramnath who is called the Compositions of hers have appeared on the Grammy-
singing Violin! Kala is an Indian winning album “In 27 Pieces” and the Kronos Quartet’s
classical violinist and belongs 50 For the Future. She was the first Indian violinist ever
to the Mewati gharana. She to be featured in the violin Bible, The Strad. She also
represents the beginning of the had a 19-concert tour with Ustad Zakir Hussain and
seventh generation of violinists Jayanthi Kumaresh ji for their group ‘Triveni’. They
in her family. I caught her at just performed at a sold-out
her stopover in California on concert at the Esplanade
her way to New Jersey, USA. Hall in Singapore on the
eve of India’s Independence
Before coming to the US, she Day. She has collaborated
was performing at the Royal with renowned artists from
Albert Hall in UK on their different genres around the
150th anniversary in July globe incorporating elements
2022. It was arranged with of Western classical, jazz,
an organization ‘Saudha’. The Flamenco, Celtic, country
Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s music, Persian and traditional
paintings were interpreted African music.
through Indian Classical Music
and poetry. She also performed It’s an interesting story that
in a Concert at the World Harp her grandfather bribed her to practice violin and vocal
Congress Featuring the group training by offering her sweets and candies at the very
Elements which she’s a part tender age of two. All her hard work from that early age
of with Gwyneth Wentik and became sweetness of candies for everyone who hear her
George Brooks. now. She recollects in retrospect that she got interested
in music only at the age of seven, after she regularly


DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 40

heard the great legendry classical musicians
like Kishori Amonkarji, Pandit Jasrajji and
others on a classical music show on All India
Radio’s Vividh Bharti. These were show slots
dedicated to great classical musicians. She
would soak herself into Ragas like Bheem
Palas, Shuddha Sarang, Kishoriji’s Bhopali
Bageshwari and found the beautiful music
very fascinating and decided to pursue it
forever.

At the age of 12, her famous violinist aunt
Dr. Smt. N Rajan introduced her to the instrument and even in Carnatic classical
audiences. Her grandfather felt she was music violin has its place, but in Hindustani
ready, and her first concert was arranged classical, it is used just as a filler. She says,
by Pandit Jasrajji himself. She was also very ‘probably there are not many performers and
pampered by him and only later did she start practitioners with great techniques. She has
learning from him. decided to work on making this instrument
popular and abolish the preconceived notion
According to Kala the musicians of different that people have about the
genres worldwide have great instrument.
respect for Indian music. Indian
Classical music is the oldest form She says “Violin is complete
of music in the world. However, on its own and can do
nothing has been written down everything that a voice can
and the music has just passed do and an instrument like a
from generations to generations. sitar or flute can do. I can
India was ruled at different times create the same sound,
by different rulers, yet the Indian whether it be a taan or an
Music is alive and is still referred alaap”
to as Hindustani classical music. Kala receives a lot of love
The music has evolved, matured, and respect around the
and is totally developed with melody and world and yet is very humble and down to
rhythm. She wants to try and save what we earth. A true artist in every sense. When she is
have. Document, explaining everything in not performing, she likes to lead a simple life
4K videos as Indian music cannot be read cooking, doing grocery, reading on Current
due to the microtones in between the notes. affairs, and watching Bollywood movies. We
Hence, it could just be passed down from at Funasia DesiPages wish her all the power
teachers to disciples. But now she is making towards her genuine efforts of talking the flag
it available through the 4k videos on her of our Indian culture and art to the epitome
website Indianclassicalmusic.com.
of its glory. May she also check her bucket
The other important thing that she wants to list to see the Northern lights and Kashmir
do is give violin the stature it deserves. In soon..
western classical music Violin is the main



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DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 42

5











MOVIES RELEASING THIS MONTH

1. BRAHMASTRA (RELEASE DATE: 9 SEPT 2022)


The protagonist of the novel is a DJ named Shiva who discovers a remarkable affinity for
the element of fire and the ability to awaken the Brahmastra, a legendary weapon with the
potential to wipe out the entire universe, all life, and creation. On the other hand, the evil
powers are also trying to seize control over the Brahmastra. Ayan Mukerji introduces the
ethereal Astraverse, often known as the world of many stars, in a film that was released in July
2022. The film will be starring the recently hitched Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.


2. BABLI BOUNCER (RELEASE DATE: 23 SEPT 2022)


On September 23, the upcoming film “Babli Bouncer,” directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and
starring Tamannaah Bhatia, will have its digital premiere on Disney+ Hotstar. The coming-of-
age tale with a “slice-of-life comedy tone” is described as such in the project from The Star
Studios and Junglee Pictures. The film will be starring Tamanaah and Abhishek Bajaj.


3. VIKRAM VEDHA (RELEASE DATE: 30 SEPT 2022)


The next neo-noir action thriller film Vikram Vedha will be in Hindi and will be written and
directed by Pushkar-Gayathri from a screenplay by Neeraj Pandey. It is a remake of the
same-titled 2017 Tamil film from the directors, which was produced by YNOT Studios,
Plan C Studios, T-Series Films, and Reliance Entertainment. The film is going to star Hrithik
Roshan and Saif Ali Khan! This is one of the most anticipated Bollywood movies releasing
in September 2022 due to its cast!

4. SIYA (RELEASE DATE: 16 SEPT 2022)


Bollywood drama Siya was helmed by Manish Mundra in 2022. In “Siya,” a small-town girl
chooses to fight for justice and start a movement against the repressive patriarchal society
in spite of all the hurdles. To bring this cinematic experience to life, the production company
selected upcoming performers in the key parts, including Vineet Kumar Singh from Rangbaaz
and Pooja Pandey as Siya.
5. CHUP (RELEASE DATE: 23 SEPT 2022)


Chup: Revenge Of The Artist, which also stars Pooja Bhatt, Dulquer Salmaan, and Shreya
Dhanwanthary in pivotal roles. It is directed by R Balki, who is known for helming movies
like Cheeni Kum, Ki & Ka, Shamitabh, Padman, and Paa. The film is R Balki’s ‘ode’ to the
legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt, who died at the age of 39 on October 10, 1964. Now,
Chup: Revenge Of The Artist is scheduled to release on 23rd September 2022.


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NAVRATRI:



Time for celebrating good
over evil, September 28th
through Oct 5th



By Parul Bhatia (Dancer, Actress, Filmmaker, Director)


Navratri is celebrated twice in a year: once during
spring and is called Chaitra or Vasant Navratri,
and once during autumn and is termed as Sharad
Navratri. These times are marked by planetary
changes as per the lunar calendar.
Celebrated by Hindus all over the world,
Navratri is considered as one of the most
auspicious times of the year. The term “Navratri”
is derived from a Sanskrit word that translates
into nine nights. ‘Nava’ means nine and ‘Ratri’
is night. Each day represents one of the nine
avatars of goddess Durga. Additionally, each
day also has a color associated with it which for this day is red and signifies beauty and
fearlessness. During puja, jasmine flowers are
offered to please her.
Navratri Day 4, Chaturthi: Goddess Kushmanda,
signifies cosmic essence and is known to spread
energy and warmth to everyone.The color for this
day is Royal blue which signifies good health and
prosperity.
Navratri Day 5, Panchami: Goddess Skandamata
who rules over Budha (the Mercury planet) is
revered this day and it is believed that she is fierce
and loving.The color for this day is yellow which
stands for happiness and brightness.
Navratri Day 6, Shashti: Durga is worshiped
represents a certain feeling and essence. Here is this dau. She is said to have taken the form of
the significance of each day and the Goddess Devi Katyayani so that she could kill the King of
and color associated with the day: Demons. Women offer prayers to get a peaceful
Navratri Day 1, Pratipada: Shailputri, the married and family life. Green is the color for this
daughter of Mountain God, namely Goddess day and signifies new beginnings and growth.
Parvati is worshiped on this day. The color for this Navratri Day 7, Saptami: This day is specially
day is a bright and vibrant orange which signifies dedicated to Goddess Kalaratri. She is said to
energy and happiness. be fierce and frightens the evil spirits all over the
Navratri Day 2, Dwitya: Goddess Brahmacharini universe. She is the most destructive avatar of Kali
is a form of Durga Devi and she is the one Devi and rules over Lord Shani (Saturn Planet).
who reduces anger. Hence, the second day is Gray is the color for this day and stands for the
dedicated for this Goddess. The color for this strength of transforming.
day is white which signifies purity, peace and Navratri Day 8, Ashtami: On the eighth day,
meditation. people worship Mahagauri. She wears only white
Navratri Day 3,Tritiya: Goddess Chandraghanta, clothes on this special day and rides a bull. On
who is believed to have a third eye and fights this day, Kanya Puja takes place- a special event
against evil, is celebrated on this day. The color dedicated for young virgin girls. This day is known


DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 44

as Mahashtami or even Maha Durgashtami. The the eighth or ninth day where young girls are
day is celebrated with dance, fun and prayers. worshiped, and their feet are washed, and they
Purple is the color for this day and signifies the are offered food and clothing. In Northeast India
power of intellect and peace. it is celebrated as Durga Puja. In the Northern
Navratri Day 9, Navami: is the last day of the and Western States devotees observe Navratri
Navratri festival. On Navami, Devi Siddhidaatri by fasting, and not eating meat-products. Pooja
is given importance. She is powerful enough to is conducted and many children and theaters
fulfill all your wishes and hence the ninth day is perform ‘Ramlila’ – the story of Lord Rama
dedicated to her. Peacock green is the color of vanquishing Ravana. The defeat of Ravana is
this day and signifies the wishes and desires that celebrated on the day of Dussehra where the
get fulfilled with the blessings of Goddess Durga. effigies of Ravana and his brothers are set to fire
Day 10 Vijayadashami (Dussehra) After the 9 through firelit arrows. In Tamil Nadu this festival is
days of prayers, the tenth day is kept aside for celebrated as Golu and in Gujrat it is celebrated
Vijayadashmi. A day when new things can begin as Dandiya.
in life. It is also called Vidyarambham- an event Fervently this festival of Navratri is held in honor
where children are introduced into the world of of the divine feminine and the nine nights are
education. Sindhoor Khela is a very important dedicated to many different aspects of shakti or the
part of the rituals on Vijayadashmi. feminine principle. For the most part the first three
days of the festival focuses on Goddess Durga,
Throughout the span of this festival the mood of the second three days on Goddess Lakshmi, and
the devotees is filled with colorful celebration and the final days of the festival are dedicated to
devotional reverence fills the air. For many people Goddess Sarasvati.
who observe this festival, it is time for abstinence Sarva Swarupe Sarveshe, Sarva Shakti Samanvite
and religious reflection through fasting and Bhaye Bhyastraahi No Devi, Durge Devi
offering prayers while for others it is a time for Namostute
dancing and feasting. Meaning: OM. You exist in everything, you
possess infinite powers. Devi, please protect us
The temples are brightly decorated, and devotees from all fears p, we salute to you O Durga Devi.
begin preparing for the festival days, if not weeks, Benefit of chanting this powerful mantra is to
in advance. Special food is cooked, especially help us eliminate fear, our most dreaded enemy.
a wide variety of sweets that differ from region
to region, be it ladoos, jalebi, barfi, halwa and
many more.

This festival stands for the message of retribution
that is essentially the unanimous spiritual message
of religions from all over the world: Sow as you
shall reap, You do good you get good, Karma
comes back around and similar such messages
that emphasize the importance of ethical behavior
and morals. Quintessentially the message is that
victory always wins over evil. Goddess Durga
is believed to have fought with buffalo-headed
demon Mahishasura, a demon representing
egotism. The battle ended with the inevitable
defeat of the demon when he was beheaded by
Durga. This day of Mahishasura’s defeat is called
Vijay Dashmi.


The festival has various similar and different
nuances and rituals that are observed in different
parts of India with rituals and traditions that vary
from state to state. A popular ritual is that of
Kanya Puja or “Kanjak” which takes place on


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pakistan corner
TRAVEL PAKISTAN


Pakistan is home to some of the most beautiful places attractions to visit.
in the world. Last month we talked about one of the CELEBRATING THE CELEBRITIES:
most beautiful Valleys in Pakistan – The Kumrat Valley.
This month we will talk about, The Ranikot Fort. The month of September

marks the birthdays of some
extremely important people in
the history of Pakistan as well as
some internationally acclaimed
celebrities. To name a few:

• Junaid Jamshed (Singer, Recording Artist):
September 03, 1964
• Momina Mustehsan (Singer, Song-writer):
September 05, 1992
• Farhan Saeed (Singer, Actor): September 14,
1984
• Noor Jehan (Singer and Actress): September
21, 1926
• Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (Politician): September
21, 1988

Also referred to as the Great Wall of Sindh, the A LEGEND LOST – NAYYARA NOOR
Ranikot Fort is a historical fort built by the Pankistani (1950 – 2022)
Talpur dynasty. It is thought to be the world’s largest
fort, measuring 20 miles in circumference, connecting Nayyara Noor – The Nightingale of Pakistan, the
voice that gave us some of the best hits of Pakistani
several bleak mountains in the Kirthar hills, and is
interspersed with several bastions surrounding a music industry, the legend whose voice provided
melody to poetry, romance, and patriotism, left us
central smaller fort known as Miri Fort.
in the wee hours of August 20, 2022 at the age of
The great fort was built under the Talpurs during 71. It was a loss that the entire Pakistan mourned
the administration of Prime Minister Nawab Wali for. Social media erupted with condolence notes
from celebrities, politicians, and people in general
Muhammed Leghari in the 17th century. The extensive
structure was reinforced around 1812 at the massive who were simply fans of the legendry Singer.
cost of 1.2 million rupees, and formed the last capital
of the Amirs of Sind before they were bought under Noor dedicated her voice to the words of some
of the legendry poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Aaj
the control of the British Empire who invaded the fort.
Bazaar Mein to Behzad Lakhnawi’s super famous
The walls of Ranikot Fort have a striking resemblance Ae Jazba-e-Dil to Momin Khan Momin’s Wo Jo
to the Great Wall of China. At first glance, it seems Hum Mein Tum Mein Qarar to Ahmed Shamim’s
Kabhi Hum Bhi Khoobssorat Thay. Not only was
that the only difference between the walls are the hills
in Pakistan that bare no vegetation, unlike the green she limited to Ghazals, but her beautiful songs like
Roote Ho Tum and Tera Saya made people fall in
hills the Great Wall of China is known for. These great
walls of Sindh form the outer defense system of the love with her Romantic melodies. And the journey
didn’t stop there! She touched the hearts of millions
fort of Ranikot. Within the outer walls there are three
inner forts named Miri Kot, Sher Garh and Mohan of Pakistanis with her patriotic songs like Wattan Ki
Mitti Gawah Rehna and so many more.
Kot – and together they constitute what is generally
regarded as the largest fort anywhere in the world. Nayyara Noor’s voice was gentle, subtle, and
The dimensions of the fort are truly impressive – its
outer walls measuring more than 35 kilometers in perfectly controlled and people loved that purity
and cleanness of her singing. She got a Pride of
length, and in total the huge fort occupies an area
of more than 65 square kilometers, larger than some Performance Award in 2006, and also a Nigar
Award for her singing in film Gharana in 1973. With
modern micro states.
her ended an era of yet another legend
So the next time you are planning a visit in Pakistan, who would be remembered forever in
especially Sindh, Ranikot Fort is one of the breathtaking the music world of the subcontinent.
by KIRAN HAYAT


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DesiPages DFW | September 2022 VOL 41 | 47

BOOK REVIEW •
• In 1904, Jamsetji died and his son, Sir Dorab
Tata took over as chair of the company.
Under the guidance and leadership of
Dorab, the group grew quickly, venturing
into different industry segments like steel
(1907), electricity (1910), education
(1911), consumer goods (1917), and
aviation (1932).
• In 1932, when Dorab died, Jahangir Ratanji
Dadabhoy Tata became the group’s chair.
He took the company’s expansion to many
new sectors including chemicals (1939),
cosmetics (1952), marketing, engineering
A Column by and manufacturing (1954), tea (1962), and

MADHAVI NAIR software services (1968).
A Resident of Frisco • In 1945, Tata Group added another star in
the sky by establishing Tata Engineering and
“The TATAS” Locomotive Company; it was renamed Tata
Motors in the year 2003. This company is
• Growing up in Mumbai, reading news about the Tata’s involved in manufacturing engineering and
or driving past the National Centre for the Performing locomotive products.
Arts, the Tata Cancer Research Centre, the Tata Institute • In 1991, Ratan Tata became chairman of
of Fundamental Research and other Tata ventures felt Tata Group.[15] This was also the year of
like no big deal. Being an IT professional, I also worked economic liberalization in India, opening up
with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) consultants on the market to foreign competitors. During
various IT projects. The Tata’s symbolized a name that this time, Tata Group began to acquire a
meant a trusted brand but I never gave a second thought number of companies, including Tetley
to the Tata empire and who were the stellar figures who (2000), Corus Group (2007), and Jaguar
made all of this happen. and Land Rover (2008).
• The book ‘The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and • In 2017, Natarajan Chandrasekaran was
a Nation by Girish Kuber’ was an eye-opener for me. appointed chairman. He was instrumental
It chronicles the 200-year history of the Tata family and in restructuring business verticals and
how the Tata culture of creating social wealth led to what increasing promoter stake ownership in
we know today as the Tata group of industries. companies. Under his leadership, the group
• made acquisitions through insolvency law
• The Tata industry’s seed germinated in 1822 when a Indian Hotels Company Limited, which runs the
toddler was born in a priestly household in Gujarat’s Taj group of hotels, opened its first property,
Navsari. ‘This boy is going to rule the world. He will the Taj Mahal Palace, in Bombay in 1903
be rich enough to build a seven-story bungalow,’
prophesied the astrologer and quite predictably got a
nice offering for himself. The prophecy turned true when
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata had established Tata Group
as a private trading firm in 1868. In 1902, the group
incorporated the Indian Hotels Company to commission
the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower; it was the first luxury hotel
in the country.
•
• Indian Hotels Company Limited, which runs the Taj
group of hotels, opened its first property, the Taj Mahal
Palace, in Bombay in 1903


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first fully indigenous passenger car. It was
the most modern car to be designed by
an Indian company. Its name, Indica, is an
amalgamation of wards ‘India’ (Indi) and
‘car’ (ca). According to Ratan Tata, Indica
was designed to have the external dimensions
of a Maruti Suzuki Zen while providing the
interior space of a Hindustan Ambassador.
Introduced with the tagline “More car per
car”, the ad campaign focused on roomy
interior and affordability.
• Tata Indica ‘More car per car’ campaign
JRD recreates history by flying solo • The narrative of Tata is very inspiring. It is
between Karachi and Mumbai a tale that endorses the Indian tradition of

and investments in E-commerce, expanded its airline
business by winning a bid for Air India, and completely
bought Air Asia India.
• There were many interesting facts that I came across
while reading this book.
• JRD we all know was the pioneer of aviation in India
but I did not know that he was the holder of India’s first
Private Pilot License. He enrolled in the newly opened
flying club in Bombay with three hours and forty-five
minutes of dual flying he did his solo flight and earned upholding community values above individual
for himself his greatest possession, his flying license gain. It is unbelievable that an enterprise
No. 1 from the Flying Club of India and Burma on could be built on such a philanthropic value
3 February 1929. At the age of seventy-eight, on the system. Companies are customarily organized
fiftieth anniversary of his inaugural Karachi– Bombay on two lines – either to make money for their
flight JRD was adamant about piloting the Leopard shareholders or, in idealized socialist theory, to
Moth on the same route once again to mark the convey services for sections of the community.
occasion. ‘This flight of mine today was intended to The story of Tata is a story about a really
inspire a little hope and enthusiasm in the younger inimitable company that was established to
people of our country,’ he said. ‘They will feel like do both.
I do, that despite all difficulties, all the frustrations, • As to why this book was written, the author
there is a joy in trying to achieve. says: “The Tata conglomerate is intricately
• JRD recreates history by flying solo between Karachi intertwined in so
and Mumbai many of India’s
• Another interesting fun fact is that Tata Group finally successes and
regained control of the national carrier Air India after firsts, and
69 years and the company welcomed back the airline’s most of these,
passengers. Amul, too, dedicated its latest cartoon incredibly ,
to celebrate the occasion. The cartoon showed the have remained
Amul girl in the cockpit dressed as a pilot as the uncovered. Not
airline’s mascot — the Maharaja — bowed down many know that
with utmost respect. The celebratory cartoon sketch it”
also included what resembled Tata Sons Chairman N • Overall I enjoyed the book and highly
Chandrasekaran sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. recommend it. It kindled nationalist fervor in
• Iconic Amul ad when TATA regained control of Air me. I will forever revere and respect the Tata’s
India after 69 years for the role they have played in developing
• Tata Indica was launched in 1998 and was India’s India as a successful industrialized nation.


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INDIA INDEPENDANCE DAY
























































































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