inside a beneﬁ t for santosh...

April 2016 - Volume 0416 1

A Monthly Publication of the Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) Since 1967

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

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LOTUS TEAMPublishing & EditorialSujata Lakhe BarnardRamesh “Ray” GehaniPriyanka Gopal

Email Distribution & WebsiteRadhika ReddyArielVentures.com

Public Relations/CreativeParamjit [email protected]

Email:Lotus@fi cacleveland.orglakhe4fi [email protected] 791-FICA(3422)Sign up and pdf archive:www.FICAcleveland.org/Lotus tab

www.FICAcleveland.org

Santosh Tankala, a 26 year old came Cleveland State University from India with the dream of becom-ing Computer Scientist, studying Masters in Computer Science. How-ever, fate had something else inshore for Santosh. In October 2015, he was diagnosed with advanced stage rectal cancer! I can only imagine how diffi cult it must have been to in-form family ‘back home’, realizing the burden and sense of helplessness he was going to introduce in their

life not forgetting the sense of alone-ness a 26 year old can feel to hear such a diagnosis so far away from family! A tiny ray of sunshine for Santosh was his ‘family’ of friends right here at Cleveland State Uni-versity. They have helped Santosh physically, emotionally and even fi nancially. They have run many campaigns for him to raise funds for his treatment and day to day ex-pense, including a ‘Santosh Tankala’ GoFundMe camapign’, please go

to https://www.gofundme.com/san-toshtvsk to see Santosh’s story in his own word and help with any amount you can.

Sticking to old adage Actions speak louder than words, Cleveland State University’s Indian student organization, ISO organized Inter-national Cultural Night ! This event was focused on gathering students and other community members from different Cultures to enjoy a blend of Music and Dance performances and

to increase awareness of San-tosh’s fi nancial needs and raise funds by selling tickets and ac-cepting donations. The guests of honor at this event were rep-resentatives from FICA of Neo, Thyagaraja festival’s Aradhana Committee and offi cers from CSU’s International Student Services.

The Cultural Program was of top quality and rough-ly 250 people attended. ISO has also established a website called www.Teamtoheal.com, where you can fi nd out infor-mation about this organization and contact information if you would like to talk to some one

regarding Santosh’s case.

A benefi t for Santosh Tankala’s strong will to live!Reported by Naga Harsha Koppula, President, Indian Student organization of CSU

Spartan Bhangra of Case Western Reserve University performing at International Culture NightSee more pictures on page 11.

INSIDE1 A benefi t for Santosh Tankala’s strong will to live!2 Families Gather for Holi for Marathi Play, Gulaal, Dance, Clown and Food!3 President’s Message4 We too Believe - in Believeland!5 Knight Foundations Art Challenge6 Cleveland International Hall of Fame Inductees Announced7 CMA Women’s Council Creates Weekly Works of Art8 Longevity10 Indian Life in America - Good Ol’ Boy11 International Cultural Night Photographs

2

April 2016 - Volume 0416

North East Ohio Marathi Man-dal organized their annual Holi cel-ebrations on March 26th at Parma Snow Library Auditorium. More than 125 people witnessed this event. All guests were welcomed by applying “Gulaal Tikka”(a symbolic custom of applying color on fore-head). The entrance was beautifully

decorated with a symbolic display of Holi Bonfi re. The event commenced with aromatic lunch, which includ-ed authentic cuisine from the state of Maharashtra like pooran poli, katachi aamti and thandaai on the menu. The kids from Marathi Shaala kicked off the cultural program by reciting Ganpati stotra (Prayer for

Lord Ganesha) followed by a phe-nomenal dance performance from the students of Cleveland State Uni-versity. Following the dance perfor-mance was a drama performed by a group from Pittsburgh, PA. While the adults were enjoying cultural performances, kids were entertained by JOJO D Klown with magic tricks

and balloon twisting. The celebra-tions were concluded by a vote of thanks from the president and wish-ing everyone Happy Holi.

Families Gather for Holi for Marathi Play, Gulaal, Dance, Clown and Food!By:Utkarsha Hazarnis

3


FICA Staff

AdministrationBoard of TrusteesChittaranjan Jain, [email protected]/942-4369

Executive BoardSujata Lakhe Barnard, [email protected]/791-FICA(3422)Giri Guruswami, Vice [email protected],vicepresident@fi cacleveland.org440/317-3911Jessica Kumar, Secretarysecretary@fi cacleveland.org660/349-0480Hemant Kanodia, Treasurertreasurer@fi cacleveland.org216/791-FICA(3422)Shenaz [email protected] 543 0616Sujata Lakhe Barnard, Editor, The LotusLotus@fi cacleveland.org216/791-FICA(3422)Priyanka Gopal , Lotus Copy EditorLotus@fi cacleveland.org512/201-0443Lotus Business ManagerVacancyIndia Cultural GardenRaj Pillai - [email protected]/724-4398Shiksha DaanSanjay Garg - [email protected]/590-1261Project SevaMona Alag, Chairperson

[email protected]

Sister OrganizationsAssociation of Indian physicians of Noth-

ern Ohio (AIPNO)www.aipno.orgDr. Umesh Yalavarthy, [email protected]

Bengali Cultural Society of Clevelandwww.bcscle.orgSunil Dutta, President440 316 [email protected]

Marathi Mandalwww. neomm.orgSmita Samant, President440 725 [email protected] SocietyBirendra Jena, President330 544-1725

[email protected]

President’s MessageBy Sujata Lakhe Barnard, FICA President

FICA Annual General Body Meet-ing and Elections was held on Sunday, March 27 at 3:00 PM at formerly India Community Center building. Unfor-tunately a number of members of FI-CA-Board were out of town and could not make it to the meeting. However, there was an update given of FICA-cleveland’s activities and collaborations done in year 2015-2016 and also an update about future activities and col-laboration was announced. Sanjay Garg of Shiksha Daan gave an update on the accomplishments of this signifi cant arm of FICA. The program was started for tutoring children of the Bhutanese/Nepalese refugee community in Cleve-land Heights on Sundays is now in its 3rd year and going well with 15 active students in the program and 25+ active tutors. Their partnership with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) con-tinues with volunteers supporting the resume writing and mock interview workshops, and E-City business plan coaching and judging. In 2015 they started a partnership with College Now to have members of the Indian com-munity serve as mentors for college students from low income families and also established a $2000 scholarship for one college student. Recently they established a partnership with Refugee Response to help provide tutors to teach the refugee children at their home once a week during the school year. Please volunteer for this wonderful program and help make a big difference in the life of a deserving youth.

In addition it was agreed that im-portant issues, including but not limit-ed to following will be discussed in a soon to be announced meeting of newly elected members and existing members and open invitation for all members.

- Future direction of FICA- Offi ce help and offi ce space- Fund raising events and membership drive- Increasing attendance at FICA events- Term limits for President and Chair-man of FICA boards.- Lotus funding model- Treasure’s report- Project Seva report.- Outreach to CSU/CWRU Undergrad student organizations- Business ‘meeting room’, annual expo development

Upcoming FICA ProgrammingSunday April 3 7:10 PM

Monday April 4 11:30 AM

Tuesday April 5 9:20 AM

Tower City Cinemas, downtown Cleveland

The New Classmate

The Lotus is media-partner

Tickets: $14 with use of code “LOTUS”

Wednesday April 20, 7:30 PM

Donahue Auditorium, John Carroll University

Concert Devotional Indian Music

JCU.edu/touhy

FREE

Saturday April 23, Morning and evening pro-

graming

The Wolstein Center Conference Pavilion

Please check FICAcleveland website..

Holi celebration in collaboration with Indian

Student association of Cleveland State Univer-

sity.

Tickets: TBA

Saturday April 30, RUN CHECK-IN OPENS @

7:30am - RUN STEP OFF IS @ 8:30am

WALK CHECK-IN OPENS @ 8:00am - WALK

STEP OFF IS @ 9:00am

Walk, Rock & Run by Diversity Center.

TeamFICAcleveland at diversitycenterneo.org

Walk Registration FREE

Tuesday, May 3, All day

FICA/Lotus day at Choolaah Indian BBQ

A percent of profi ts generated this day will be

donated to FICA/Lotus

Thank you Choolaah for helping this fi rst of its

kind newsletter!

Wednesday, May 25, 6:30-8:30

Cleveland Museum of Arts, Gartner Auditorium

Sanchaari, Dances of India

FREE

Wednesday workshops, May 18, June 1, June 8

– 6-8:30pm

Saturday workshops, May 21, May 28, June 4 –

10am-12:30pm

Sunday workshops, May 22, May 29 and June

5 – 10am-12:30pm

Chhau Workshops at Cleveland Museum of Arts

class rooms

FREE

Saturday, June 11, 2016; Parade at 12 noon; Cir-

cle Village 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Wade Oval

Parade the Circle, Parade theme: Temenos

Rain or shine

FICAcleveland Float.

Sunday, August 14, time TBA

India’s Independence Day

Programing/venue TBA

4


A stir was in the air, and the an-ticipation that only a world premiere can bring carried with it a buzz that was not audible but palpable. I en-tered the storied halls of Connor’s Palace Theater in historic Playhouse Square and the ‘newness’ of the ex-perience was exciting in more ways than one. I felt blessed as well : just a few days earlier I had agreed to serve on FICA’s executive board, and after seeing all of the great things that organization had accom-plished and the great things yet in store I could not help but feeling my decision to support and serve this or-ganization and its mission to serve the Indian American Community was spot on. I felt the best way to offer immediate value in service was to leap at the chance to review fi lms and shed some light on the CIFF ex-perience. This is the 40th anniversa-ry of the storied Cleveland Festival and this world premiere of a soon-to-be ESPN special was therefore the Signature Event of the festival.

Lotus Editor Sujata Lakhe, who had so impressed me by how much she had accomplished in carrying the torch to be a beacon for the com-munity, had somewhat spontaneous-ly (a day prior!) let me know there was a world premiere I could attend, and have a chance to meet her hus-band Bill Barnard, a FICA supporter himself and is helping with produc-tion of Lotus in substantial way. He also graciously pointed out to me, as we took seats near the VIP section up front, some of the luminaries in attendance - NPR host of acclaimed show ‘Sound of Ideas’-Michael McIntyre, and Tony Rizzo, famed sports critic for WKNR, 850AM. Later on it would be revealed that for-mer Cavs great Craig Ehlo and leg-endary browns wide receiver Brian Brennan were also in attendance. I was impressed with the way the ded-icated staff of the Cleveland Interna-tional Film Festival had organized and planned this premiere - from concessions that imitated ballpark and stadium offerings, to the various celebrities present, to the wonderful panel to close the event, hosted by Cleveland’s own Jim Donavan.

Having just enough time to skim the preview for the event I commit-ted to taking everything in visceral-ly. Bill with his worn, vintage Tribes hat on, was fairly easy to spot. We greeted each other warmly - Sujata had already briefed me a bit on her hubby, and I appreciated his easy-going manner. I had been informed several other events were associated with this special premiere - and not-ed Ernest Byner setting up for book signing on a table near the entrance - it was good to see him - and I knew he’d be featured prominently in the fi lm. The promotions around me even at the venue on standee instal-lations were prominent ‘ The Fum-ble’ was, unfortunately the curse that would seemingly always haunt Cleveland, as has the ‘shot’ by Mi-chael Jordan to nix the Cavs chance at a championship. The key theme of redemption came up here, as the movie offered meaning to both the loss of Lebron James and the moving of the Browns by Art Modell from Cleveland to Baltimore. This fi lm showed signifi cant empathy to both men, who supposedly loved their respective sports too much. Some fans could not resist still booing and many will not forgive Art still. Yet it had us reconsider the longtime ha-tred, the frustration of seeing Modell grinning as he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as a Baltimore Raven. Rizzo voiced that angst wonderfully.

Not as focused on was the Drive - the great John Elway was given little consideration here, rather the focus was on HOW CLOSE the Browns defender came to block-ing that fateful last minute touch-down, And the anguished lament from the vociferous Tony Rizzo res-onated throughout the fi lm on many occasions. The frustration of fans - a key theme of the fi lm became pal-pable as we witnessed and relived some of the storied - and depressing - moments throughout Browns his-tory.

Indian Americans know sports well. And though our frames and bodies may be better suited to fi eld Cricket, fi eld hockey, air-rifl e, and tennis - we certainly love, as a pop-

ulace and fan base, watching profes-sional baseball and basketball. I can recall watching many tribe games at the old stadium shared with the Browns. And I enjoyed the happy transition to the Jake (now Progres-sive Field as well). As for Football - truth be known, I am a Steeler Fan something that has caused me grief from fan to family alike) but I did respect the Browns, and believe it or not, missed the Browns actually los-ing their team and having it MOVED TO BALTIMORE by ‘Evil” Art Modell - just as much as any die-hard Browns Fan would. The Shot broke my heart - I had been a Cavs fan since the age of eight, and felt the pain of Price, Ehlo, and Daugh-erty fi rsthand, it seemed. Cleveland has a legacy of loss in sports and this was the point.

Going into this movie I only knew it captured a legacy for Cleve-land - always believing, always

thinking, ‘better luck next year’. I really could relate to the themes that were raised this evening. Bill joked to me, as we were attending a special gala - that some had wondered and even asked ‘So how is the Indian American Community connected to this event?’ My answer to Bill was immediate and simple. Sports speak to all of us: the fi ery competition, witnessing the best in the world at what they do shine. And as sports are inextricably intertwined with Cleveland as a City and spirit - Indi-an Americans share it with tremen-dous passion and heart. We too, the Indian Community of NEO, about 30,000 strong have shared Cleve-land’s legacy. We pray for a cham-pionship for this City, lacking since the times of the great Jim Brown. We too celebrated the ‘Return of the King’ and are uplifted - as is the world - by Lebron James. We too Believe - in Believeland!

We too Believe - in Believeland!By Sudhir Raghupathy contact: [email protected]

5


It all started with an announce-ment in a local area newspaper, on-line session and then completing an online application. It is a big honor to be selected from 500 applicants for Knight Foundations Arts Chal-lenge. The funding comes just in time to accommodate growth in en-rollment. A challenge grant requires the recipient to raise matching funds from other sources. Hillier Fami-ly Foundation agreed to match this challenge.

What started as monthly meet-ings in apartments with Bhutanese women has evolved into DAWN project. Meeting so many women consistently naturally alerted us that something needed to be done to train them for jobs which came naturally and held value in USA.

DAWN has dedicated volunteers who come from all walks of life, some with sewing skills, professors , retired counselor and adding indi-

viduals who bring new ideas, energy, contacts and administrative skills into the group. Perhaps the grant-ors liked the extent of involvement with mainstream and Asian Indian Community , temples and church-es, no salaried positions and using space provided by the City of Akron at a community center in the midst of our target population. Recycling and up-styling of donated silks, em-broidered Indian clothing combined with other fabric donations provid-ing income and skills training to the displaced women.

This grant funding has allowed us to purchase very good quality sewing machines, sergers to provide a higher quality fi nish and additional training for the women. Two of our students have become paid bi-lin-gual instructors. We attend many shows in North East Ohio and with our Community Partner business owners who order custom made

handcrafted items, others hold spe-cial sales during the holiday season.

We welcome your visit to our quarterly open house, a fun fi lled event where you can meet our stu-dents, see their work and some of their equipment. It is just as much

an education and a cultural exchange for our visitors as it is for our stu-dents.

(visit www.dawn-creations.org or Contact Manju Rastogi at [email protected])

Knight Foundations Art Challenge

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Call 440.248.5625 to set up an appointment.

30405 Solon Road | Suite 16 | Solon, OH 44139 | 440.248.5625 | www.bdsfn.com Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®,

Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser.

6


Sewa USA, Cleveland Chapter In Collaboration with

The MetroHealth System Is organizing

An exceptional public health and wellness event Vital Sewa

A Unique Spotlight on Sustaining Wholesome Health and Well-being in North East Ohio

Featured Speakers Joe Cimperman, President, Global Cleveland Brian Cummins, Councilman, Cleveland City Council Mike Roizen, M.D, Chief Wellness Officer, Cleveland Clinic

Calvin D. Williams, Chief of Cleveland Police Eileen Seeholzer, M.D., Weight Loss Surgery & Weight Management, MetroHealth Medical Center Reema Gulati, M.D., Director, Pediatric Weight Management & Wellness Program, MetroHealth Medical Center Legendary Cleveland Cavaliers Player Odyl Witman, International Association of Human Values Esteemeed Expert Panelists for a unique Panel Discussion for the audience PLUS

‘Vital Signs’ our complimentary mini health check-up! ‘Hale & Hearty’ complimentary lunch ‘Wonder Wellness’ Exhibitors’ Showcase Raffle drawings & much more

Guests from popular media, corporate organizations and more… On Saturday, April 16th, 2016 from 11-4pm

At Scott Auditorium 2500 MetroHealth Dr., Cleveland, Ohio 44109

SAVE THE DATE Saturday, April 16, 2016

SanchaariDances of IndiaWednesday, May 25, 6:30–8:30

Gartner Auditorium FREE

11150 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106 216-421-7350 or 888-CMA-0033 www.clevelandart.org

Featuring

New Delhi

Sanjib Bhattacharya Manipuri

Shashadhar Acharya Seraikella Chhau

Cleveland

Sujatha Srinivasan Bharathanatyam

Antara Datta Kathak

A select group of dancers and musicians from India and Ohio performs, and a finale features the Cleveland premiere of Purulia Chhau of West Bengal.

Sanchaari means “to travel.” Sanchaari, Dances of India takes us across the rich and diverse styles of dance in India, providing a visual and musical encounter that connects the many cultures and traditions of Indian dance.

Sponsored by

The Cleveland Museum of Art The Federation of India Community Associations

SanchaariDances of India

Cover photo by William G. Barnard IV

Cleveland International Hall of Fame Inductees AnnouncedCleveland, OH – The 7th Class of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame has been announced.

The class will be inducted in a dinner ceremony in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriot at Key Center on April 26, 2016.

Nominees were required to have made signifi cant and long-lasting contributions to one or more ethnic communities in Cleveland or to the overall ethnic community. Over 150 nominations were submitted for the 2016 Class and the class was selected with input from the members of the previous 6 classes of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. (Complete list at http://clevelandinternational-halloffame.com/inductees/)

The 2016 Class consists of (alphabetical order):

1. Dr. Mohan Bafna (Indian community)

2. Carolyn Balogh (Hungarian and Hispanic communities)

3. Arnie de la Porte (posthumous) (Dutch and French communities, Cleveland Consular Corps)

4. Jack Kahl (Irish community)

5. Rev. Mikhail Mikhail (Egyptian community)

6. Khalid Samad (African-American community)

7. Eugenia Stolarczyk (Polish community)

“The reason the induction ceremony is always a sellout (500+ people) is because of the amazing contributions the inductees have made,” said Dan Hanson, co-founder of the CIHF. “People want to show their appreciation and also to be inspired by amazing stories.”

About the Cleveland International Hall of Fame

The Cleveland International Hall of Fame was established by ClevelandPeople.Com in 2010, to permanently recognize those individuals who have made a valuable and lasting contribution to our multicultural city and region and to inspire a new generation of leaders.

The 2016 Cleveland International Hall of Fame induction will be Tuesday April 26, 2016 at 5:30PM in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott at Key Center downtown.

Contact

Debbie Hanson

Cell: 216.406-6594

http://clevelandinternationalhalloffame.com/

[email protected]

7


CLEVELAND, Ohio--Isa Ranga-nathan stands on tiptoe, holding a pussy willow branch against a large ceramic container. She tilts the furry branch diagonally, visually measur-ing time and again before placing it inside.

Position is important. It is the fi rst foundation piece of this week’s fl o-ral arrangement in the north lobby of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Ranganathan repeats the process, and soon three pussy willow branch-es form a triangle sprouting from the round container.

“We don’t have a plan,” says Ran-ganathan, president of the Northern Ohio chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana, and soon-to-be chair of the Women’s Council Flower Fund of

the Cleveland Museum of Art. The petite woman climbs a step stool to place a showy stargazer lily in the container. “We start to design once we see the material, based on the principals of Ikebana. Very minimal-istic.”

Ursel Dougherty, soon-to-be vice chair of the Flower Fund, is there to assist. She pulls several lily stems from a plastic pitcher where the blooms are re-hydrating after being in a delivery box. She holds up a sturdy stem with two blooms and a bud, and Ranganathan nods her ap-proval.

“We talk about two different ways to control balance in design,” Dough-erty says, her accent lightly tinged with German. “Western tends to be mass design, something you can

produce over and over again,” she says, handing a deep magenta peo-ny to Ranganathan. “Western design uses symmetry. Ikebana is balance through asymmetry. Is that correct, master?” she asks Ranganathan, laughing. The “master” glances over her shoulder and smiles, nodding.

The women move in sync, step-ping back to get perspective, mov-ing in close to slide a fl ower into the perfect spot. It’s a dance they have quickly perfected even though Dogherty is relatively new to the Women’s Council. The women met while taking Ikebana lessons.

In 1989, the Women’s Council es-tablished a Flower Fund Endow-ment, raising funds for the fl owers, containers and supplies for a weekly arrangement. The inspiration came from the fl ower displays at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The fl owers are a living work of art, there to greet visitors as they enter the mu-seum. An average arrangement costs $150 to create.

There are 15 fl oral designers and 30 assistants on the CMA Women’s Council. They alternate weeks, and each designer must dismantle her arrangement on Monday, when the museum is closed, before the next week’s designer shows up to create a new work of art. The assistants eventually move up to become de-signers. The designer, or an assis-tant, must maintain the arrangement daily, replacing spent or drooping

blooms, removing browned leaves, and watering.

“Isa can use mechanics to cross stems and achieve balance with-out using oasis or chicken wire,” Dougherty says proudly, watching her work.

Western design uses symmetry. Ike-bana is balance through asymmetry.

Ranganathan smiles, a bit embar-rassed. “This was my passion grow-ing up in India,” she says, her dark eyes intent on the job at hand. “I saw Ikebana arrangements in hotels and I was so much in awe of the simplicity and the beauty. So I bought books, cut things from the yard and prac-ticed.” She says it took her years, after she married and moved to this country and after her children were grown, to take formal lessons. She has been studying, both Ikebana and western design, for 18 years. She now teaches Ikebana at John Carrol, CMA and the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and has her own fl oral busi-ness.

“For me it takes awhile, usually three to four hours, to complete an arrangement,” she says. “You have to pick up the fl owers, (usually at Mayesh Wholesale in Parma) un-pack them and get them re-hydrated. Then you begin to see what shape the materials suggest. You measure height of the materials and prune them to proper scale to the contain-

CMA Women’s Council Creates Weekly Works of ArtBy Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer - [email protected]

Continued on Page 9

Isa Ranganathan waters her fl oral arrangement, thinking she was fi nished with the design. Then she stood back and took another look, and added a few camellia branches.

The fi nished fl oral arrangement. See more photos at http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2016/03/cma_womens_council_creates_wee.html

8


Coming on to 98th year of my life in August 2016, and in reason-ably good health, driving a car and walking without a stick, I have been asked by people how I manage to do it. I do walk a mile per day if I can, weather permitting. People now con-sider that I am an expert on longevi-ty, so much so that a few years back, Professor Murali Nair of Cleveland State University did a Research on my life in the University Studio. He placed a DVD disk of that research in the University Library. I am now obliged to give my views about this longevity.

My father lived only 60 years up to 1931 and my mother passed away at age 73 in 1959. So heredity may not be the reason for my longevity. In my younger days in 1950’s I was fond of deer hunting or ducks and partridge shooting and sometimes I used to walk 10 miles, chasing the deer in the countryside.

The fi rst thing that people might have noticed now is, that “I keep smiling.” Even I shun taking medi-cations of any kind unless forced by some serious ailment. Another im-

portant thing that I follow is that I do not allow myself to be constipat-ed; that too without resort to med-ication. They say that stomach is a storehouse of all kinds of illnesses. Our desk-bound habits are a contrib-uting factor. So if we keep a healthy social and family life, eating a plant-based diet, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, frequent consumption of legumes and nuts, also engaging in regular physical activity, there is no reason to be constipated. A study of the regions of the world known as blue zones, where people common-ly live active lives past 100 years of age, found that longevity is related to eating such kind of foods, packed with fi ber and nutrients. They also help to protect us against cardiovas-cular diseases. In my own case my diet besides fruits, Roti (fl at bread) , whole grains, and nuts, I have a hab-it of eating plenty of yogurts every day. I am a non-vegetarian and do take some meat at times, but I pre-fer to eat more vegetables and Daal (lentils) daily. If possible I do take some wild-caught fi sh sometimes. I have also imposed a discipline in my daily routine. I take a cup of bed-tea

early morning. Then I eat my break-fast a banana, an egg, cerial and milk at 8-9 AM, then mostly a vegetari-an lunch at 1.30 PM; and dinner at 8 PM. In between, I may have some juice once a day but do not keep munching other things. I go to bed at 10 to 10.30 PM, discarding all kinds of worries, irritants and hassles of the day. It gives me 8 hours of sound sleep when I wake up at 6.30 AM. All this is possible because my sons and their families offer me all the as-sistance in foods I need.

I have never smoked in my life, nor do I drink alcohol, though in younger days I used to have an occa-sional beer, but not as a regular fea-ture. For me, even now, any time is fruits time. My other important habit is to take plain water rather than any aerated drinks or colas with or with-out my meals.

For anyone to get inspiration here is the picture of a couple who are going to reach their 100th year of life in May and June respectively:

LongevityBy Om Julka - [email protected]

Mr & Mrs Ravji, residents in Auckland, both will be completing 100 years age, he , on May 4, 2016 & she on June 6, 2016 . They have been married 81 years

9


An acquaintance has been pestering you for months to join him at his favorite restaurant. You eventually run out of ex-cuses and agree to meet for dinner. After arriving at “Ganda Delight” that night, you are unimpressed. The signage is poor, the restaurant is dirty and dim, and the staff is rude. Your initial impressions are confi rmed by the end of the evening which adds poor service and worse food to your list of complaints.

After you get home and justifi ably take a shower to rid yourself of the expe-rience, you sit down to write a scathing review on a popular review website. Sev-eral months later, you are served with a complaint alleging that your website post cost Ganda Delight millions of dollars in profi ts and forced the restaurant out of business.

What is the result?

Under Ohio law, libel (written) and slander (spoken) are actionable claims for “defamation”. To succeed on its claim for defamation, Ganda Delight must prove that you made a false statement to anoth-

er person (here the world wide web), that the false statement caused it damages, and that you were negligent in failing to dis-cover the truth before making the state-ment. A true statement is not defamatory, nor are mere opinions. At the heart of an actionable defamation claim is a false statement that is purported to be true ei-ther through outright maliciousness, or a lack of reasonable diligence to confi rm the veracity of the statement.

The monetary damages available to Ganga Delight are those naturally stem-ming from the libel. This can include loss of profi ts, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill, etc. It can also seek an injunction (a court order) prohibiting you from making any further untrue state-ments about it or forcing you to retract what you said about the business.

You have excellent defenses in this case. First, the statement was merely your opinion. The very reason ratings websites exist are to solicit the opinions of restaurant patrons. Secondly, it was true. Although cast in artful terms, you did not say anything untrue. The service

really was poor, and the restaurant real-ly was poorly lit. While Ganda Delight may not like what you said, it is probably not actionable against you. Keep in mind that general liability coverage (like the kind included in homeowner’s insurance policies or “umbrella” policies available for purchase separately) may offer cover-age for defamation claims and a paid-for attorney to defend the suit. You should check for insurance coverage. If proper-ly covered, you need not go this journey alone.

Mahatma Ghandi has stated “I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.” While calm refl ection before your tirade would have avoided your legal woes, perhaps now is the time to apologize?

###

Arun Kottha is an attorney with Tucker Ellis LLP in Cleveland, Ohio. He focuses on the defense of personal injury, product liability, and commercial law-

suits. Please feel free to submit a topic for a subsequent article. Contact: [email protected].

This article is for informational pur-poses only and not for the purpose of pro-viding legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Arun’s Legal CornerBy: Arun J. Kottha, Esq.©

er and proper scale to the pedestal. The maximum height of the materi-als might be twice the height of the container.”

She says she brought the contain-er she is using for this arrangement from home, although the designers have a collection to work with in their Flower Fund studio.

“Sometimes I get inspired by the fl owers and fi nd a container to match. Sometimes I get a new con-tainer and I’m excited to see how I can fi ll it,” she says. “But each de-signer has their own way.”

The two women grow quieter as the container grows fuller. Dougherty hands pink-speckled lilies, dusty rose astilbe, dark fuchsia peonies, white tulips and glossy stems of ca-mellia to Ranganathan.

Dougherty takes photos to help them perfect the balance of the piece. She holds out her cellphone and the two women stare critically at

the screen. They are pleased with the triangles of blooms within the trian-gles of pussy willow.

Ranganathan steps back, taking a long look at the four-foot tall ar-rangement. She begins to clean up the stray leaves, petals and drips of water from the marble pedestal on which the container stands. Sudden-ly, she is back at the buckets full of fl owers. She plucks a camellia stem from the water, snips off the end and begins to push it into a spot on the right side of the arrangement. Dougherty, from a distance, helps her determine how far in to push the stem.

Ranganathan pushes hard, and the stem goes in way too far.

“Is it broken?” Dougherty asks, heading toward the buckets to fetch another stem.

“No,” says Ranganathan as she tugs the stem upward, “but that is when you know you are done, when you can’t put another thing in.”

The two step back and take a look. “It’s just amazing those little green leaves. All of a sudden, it adds an-other dimension,” Dougherty says.

“Those leaves are so perfect, it would be good to repeat them, Ran-ganathan says, clasping another ca-mellia stem as she climbs up the step stool again.

“Wait, let me hold it for you so you can see for yourself,” Dough-erty says. “This is when the fussing starts,” she grins.

“That area is too dark,” Rangana-than says, pointing to an area on the lower right side of the arrangement.

No, it’s just that the peony isn’t open yet,” Dougherty replies.

Ranganathan grabs a white tulip and fi nds a way to fi t it into THE spot just behind the unopened peo-ny, the white fl ower providing con-trast to the darker one. “Excellent,” she says.

“The paint is not dry yet, and Isa paints with care.” Dougherty teases, but her voice is full of respect.

“I think we are so privileged that the art museum is allowing us to arrange here. It is the Cleveland Museum of Art, one of the best in the world. Most of us are amateurs creating here,” Ranganathan says. “But we have a good team, and it is fun to see what they come up with each week. And it is so nice when so many people appreciate our work.”

They fold the drop cloths, sweep the fl oor and wipe away spilled drops of water. As they start to leave, Ranga-nathan grabs another camellia stem and works it into the left side. When she steps away, Dougherty moves in to tug on a peony bud, pulling it to fi ll a dark spot.

Perfection.

TO DONATE TO THE WOMEN’S COUNCIL FLOWER FUND AT THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART, GO TO clevelandart.org and click on “ways to give.” Or write the Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland, 44106. Spec-ify “fl ower fund” on the memo line of your check.

CMA Womans CouncilContinued from Page 7

10


I started my fi rst job when I was in High School washing dishes at a Ponderosa Steakhouse. I remember it as being a life changing experience where I was working with people who were older than me and from different backgrounds than myself or my parents. I met people in their late twenties with only a high school education working two jobs, thir-ty something mothers taking about raising their families and stressed out managers trying to keep an em-ployee schedule together. Also I was able to experience working with people who grew up in other coun-tries. There was one waitress from India. I don’t remember many of my conversations with her but I do re-member one thing she did say. She was worried that her children were

not experiencing their Indian heri-tage. I thought about that statement a lot. What was it like to move to a land where the culture was very dif-ferent from your own? How would it feel to watch your children grow up to embrace that culture?

I was reminded of my Indian co-worker after all these years when I was able to watch the opening night fi lm at the Cleveland Internation-al Film Festival this year with their screening of the movie Good Ol’ Boy as part of their Opening night Gala. Good Ol’ Boy is the coming of age story of a ten year old boy, named Smith (Roni Akurati), whose family has immigrated to the Unit-ed States from India in the 1970’s. Smith’s father, Bhaaskar (Anjul

Nigam), is determined that Smith will achieve the American dream and become a doctor. But Bhaaskar does not seem to realize that his son is growing up in America. He wants his son to keep the traditions of his Indian heritage but does not realize that Smith will be affected by the world around him. Bhaaskar observ-ers the Hindu holidays including hanging strings of lights for Diwali on Halloween to the confusion of the kids in the neighborhood who won-der why there are Christmas lights being put up in October. The biggest problem for Smith is that his father has already arranged his marriage for when he turns 22. The real prob-lem is that Smith has started noticing girls. One girl in particular: The girl next door.

Good Ol’ Boy gives the audience a glimpse into the life of an Indian immigrant and all of the challenges that sometimes befalls them. When

Bhaasker invites the neighbors over for a vegetarian BBQ the movie shows the uncomfortable feelings that the guests have when they real-ize that the main dish will be grilled eggplant and the uncomfortable feel-ings the hosts have when Butch (Ja-son Lee) goes back to his house to bring massive steaks to grill. It gives a lessen to those that have lived in America all their lives and possibly nostalgia to those that have integrat-ed into American culture.

If you missed Good Ol’ Boy at the CIFF 40 opening night FICA is discussing with the distributer to see if a screening can be made in the near future. The distributed has said it will be getting a wider release in September and will most likely be available for viewing in a near by theater then.

Film Screening Friday, April 8 6:15pm

Saturday, April 9 1:35pm

$14 CIFF Members $16 Non-members $14 Students and Seniors

Order tickets online at www.cleveland ilm.org

Enter code LOTUS and receive $2 off per ticket!

Indian Life in America - Good Ol’ BoyBy Bill Barnard

11


International Cultural Night PhotographsPhotos by William G. Barnard, IV Twitter: @wgbiv

12


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