Indian American hired by Presidential Hopeful

Remember S.R. Siddharth! He is the 22 year old Indian American student from University of Virginia who sunk senator George Allen's re-election bid to US Senate in 2006. This resulting from the famous Macaca incident.

Now S.R. Siddharth is working for Democratic Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson. EarthTimes is reporting

Sidarth works in Richardson's Santa Fe office compiling daily newspaper articles for the New Mexico governor, drafting press releases and performing other communication tasks, according to the Washington Post.

Here's the famous Macaca moment from YouTube

Photography corner: Holiday card ideas

We are getting closer to the holidays and if, you have a large family and want to send some cool looking photo cards that have your signature and style on it, here is how.

One of the tricks I learnt, is to create my own bokeh with a super simple tool. Bokeh is a beautiful aspect of photography, which is the out of focus area in a picture, often used confusingly and interchangeably for depth of field. With a little effort and zero dollars, you can command any shape to the bokeh. I created a heart shaped bokeh in the picture above, for the holiday theme. Notice the lights behind the teddy bear. They can be achieved by making a simple mask with items, found in any home easily. Here is the mask.

What you will need

1 black cardboard sheet
1 black tape
1 scissors
1 white pencil or thin marker that can be seen on black cardboard.
1 sharp blade or knife that can cut the cardboard sheet. Kitchen knives do not tend to work very well.
A camera, preferably an SLR or DSLR but, you can probably try it with a P&S as well, just have to make a tinier hole.
A lens with an f stop of 2.8 or less, for nice bokeh. f2.8 or a little higher like 3.5 to 4 might also work well.
1 or 2 strips of christmas lights, colored ones are great.

To make the mask........

Wind your lens to the wider end, place it head down on the cardboard and draw the outline with the white pencil. It need not be perfect, just make sure you get a circle on the sheet of the same size as your lens diameter.

Cut the circle out. You can use a compass too to make this circle, the same diameter as the lens. I used my lens directly because, I wanted the mask to snugly fit my lens.

At the center of the circle, cut a shape, a heart or a star or anything you like, with the sharp knife.

Cut a 3 inch wide strip from the cardboard. An A4 size sheet cut lengthwise, will give you enough strip to wrap around the lens.

Place the lens on the table tail down. Put the circular piece on the lens front and take the rectangular strip and wrap it around the lens.

Use the tape to attach the two together making sure that there is no opening on the side. I used the tape that could be used to seal electric wires. The glue on it is not harsh and I could remove it and move it easily if, one piece of tape did not fit well.

Your finished tool would look like the picture above. Throw the lens back on the camera and slide your mask on your lens front and you are ready to shoot. The picture of the mask is to show how the lights are round in shape with my camera without the mask. When I put the mask on my lens and shot a teddy bear, the same lights turned to a heart shape.

For your photo shoot, you can place any object in front of your christmas tree or you can hang the christmas lights strips against a window and place your object in front of them. I shot the teddy bear with two strips of lights hanging against my window and the teddy bear placed on the dining table at about 5-6 feet away from the lights. You could photograph your kids against a lit christmas tree. Make sure there is enough light on the kids, for a nice shot. I used an external flash to illuminate the teddy bear and I also had some dining chandelier lights above.

The most important point to note is that the lights MUST be out of focus and USE A TRIPOD to shoot the picture, preferably on a timer, it is very important to make your object sharp. Your camera's focus should be on your object and not on the lights.

It was a fun exercise for me and it took an hour of my time and zero dollars to make it. I learnt it from this article.

Teddy bear: Shot with a Canon 40D, EF 50mm f1.8 lens and Speedlite 580 Ex II (Bounced against the ceiling)

Mask : Shot with Canon 40D, EF 50mm f1.8 and speedlite 580 EX II (Bounced against the ceiling)

Happy holidays everyone !

American Born Confident Desi

ABCD Lady is Desi Website for American Born Confused Confident Desi Women.

This quote from ABCD Lady's "About Us" page where the editor talks about as to why she launched ABCD Lady

I realized South Asian Americans are far behind African Americans in discussing their identity. African American women talk freely and openly about the struggles they face. They can discuss dating and marriage issues related to black men, health issues that only concern their community, and so much more! It got me thinking—why doesn’t our community have a forum for the Desi women who have grown up in America? We are a unique culture of our own and have so many stories to tell!

So if you consider yourself a "Confident" or a "Confused" Desi bhainji (भैनजी), visit ABCD Lady. The site will (quoting the editors)

• Provide an outlet to discuss taboo topics.
• Give a South Asian perspective on health, fashion, beauty, entertainment and news.
• Highlight South Asians in the community.
• Help South Asians understand themselves and their family for their personal and spiritual growth.

Shanti Project to screen Bollywood Movie Saathiya

The Shanti Project, of University of Michigan School of Social Work which works to promote healthy family relationships in the Gujarati community will be showing Bollywood Movie Saathiya.

There is no cost to you. It is FREE and will be shown on December 8, 2007 from 2:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. at Costick Community Center – Belfast Room which is located on 28600 W 11 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills , MI 48336 (map).

Quoting an email announcement from Folks at Shanti Project regarding this event

An evening of viewing a film, interesting conversation, light food, and meeting new friends. There will be free parking and chilcare if needed. Learn how we can work together to make the Gujarati community safer and stronger.

For more details
Contact:
The Shanti Project
University of Michigan
1080 S University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Tel: 1-888-4SHANTI
Email: shantiproject at umich dot edu

Welcome: Music review

Welcome, an Akki-Katrina starrer is set out to be in theatres on December 21, 2007. Directed by Anees Bazmee, who scored with his comic timing in films like No Entry, Mujhse Shadi Karogi, the film portrays a comedy coated love story between Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar. The only twist in the tale is that Katrina is a mafia sis, who has 3 brothers in mafia (Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Feroz Khan). I am not sure if, any shots would be drawing inspiration from Mickey Blue Eyes, the music albeit is very uninspiring and if, you are wondering, the album has 3 music composers. Haven't we learned that too many cooks spoil the broth? Sajid-Wajid, Anand Raj Anand and Himesh Reshammiya compose the music for this album.

Welcome

Sung by Shaan, Wajid and Soumya Rao. Composed by Sajid-Wajid. Slide that pitch control down on Partner title track and Welcome fits into those shoes perfectly. Riding high on composition with several trumpets and mildly on donald duck rap, the song sets the mood for a party and is very likeable. Now if you are wondering, you will like it too, just wait until you listen to the rest of the songs in the album. Twisting a leg or two is absolutely fine with me! The song sounds perfect for the credits roll.

Honth rasiley

Sung by Anand Raj Anand, Shankar Mahadevan and Shreya Ghosal. Composed by Anand Raj Anand. It is hard to decipher the style of this song, is it a mujra, bhangra misplaced, or a Qawwali? After listening to it a couple of times (you must think you do not want to be a reviewer) I decided it to be a Qawwali. The song has a comic aura to it and knowing Anees Bazmee's reputation, I sense that the visual of this song could be more interesting than the audio.

Inshah Allah

Sung by Shaan, Akruti Kakkar and Himesh Reshammiya and composed by Himesh Reshammiya. Himesh hams and howls his signature "REPETITIVE" words. The music arrangement is very mediocre and the lyrics, outdated. Shaan is a great singer and there are some tracks that I feel that are just made for him. He sings them with utmost style and jazz, a recent example being 'Aao milo chale' from Jab we met. This isn't one of them and both the singers are wasted. Remember to fade down while the song is a few seconds long, you won't miss Himesh's repetition, yet AGAIN !

Kola Laka Vellari

Sung and composed by Himesh Reshammiya. Surprisingly, this is a decent song, though it does not have any encore value. Himesh's vocals are pleasantly subdued and the song is passable with good tabla mix. Purportedly a sad-toned love song. Do not ask me what Kola Laka Vellari means. I could even not find out what language it is. If you happen to know, please enlighten me. I won't loose my sleep over it and honestly you won't either.

Uncha lamba Kad

Sung and composed by Anand Raj Anand with Kalpana. The best song of the album, although very well inspired by Makhna from Bade Miya Chote Miya and another Punjabi song I know but, can't remember at this time. As soon as I do, I will come right by to update this. Coming to the song, it is pleasant on the ear and fall into that scanty list of punjabi love songs. The music arrangement is simple as well as the singer's voices, they flow smoothly.

Tera sarafa

Sung by Shweta Pundit and Anand Raj Anand. Composed by Anand Raj Anand.Apparently, this is an item number by Mallika Sherawat with Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor. What is Mallika Sherawat doing in this film? She is the one who adds more chaos at the end when, she shows up claiming that she is Akshay Kumar's wife, when Akki is all set to marry Katrina. While Mallika might offer some drool to the viewers, this foot tapping song will easily be erased as soon as she is off screen.

Coming to the composers themselves, Anand Raj Anand scores once in a while, his last hits that I remember were Kyon ki mein jhooth nahi bolta, Masti, Kaante, Hadh Kardi Aapne. He has several mediocre albums, with him it is a matter of chance and fluke. Sajid-Wajid does fall into the same category but, he has a latest hit, Partner. Prior to that, other than Mujhse Shadi Karoge, the composer does not have too many hit scores. Himesh Reshammiya is totally a different league, though not my kind, he sure did deliver many hits. Putting all of them together isn't very welcome !

The album gets my * star.

Kiwanis Club of Okemos, MI names Esha Kumar its "Citizen of the Month"

Lansing State Journal is reporting that Esha Kumar, a senior at Okemos High School, has been named "Citizen of the Month" for November by Kiwanis Club of Okemos, Michigan.

Students are selected based on volunteer activities and community involvement. With respect to volunteering

Esha Kumar was a Sparrow Hospital volunteer since 2005-2006. She has volunteered at Cristo Rey Medical Clinic, Meals on Wheels, Hiawatha Elementary School, Ingham County Medical Care Facility, Bharatiya Temple of Lansing, India Cultural Society of Lansing, and the Lansing Chapter of Michigan Association of Physicians. She helps in the ACTION (All Connecting To Improve Our Neighborhoods) activities with Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army, Red Cross and Haven House as the Captain. Kumar helped in the National Honor Society Community Services food drive and Red Cross activities and Kiwanis Key Club Red Cross and Humane Society projects

Other awards Esha has to her credit

first place in Indian singing competition, an All Area Academic award, Division 2 State semifinalist, Regional and CAAC League champion in tennis, Mid-Michigan Asian pacific American Association Scholarship Award for community service essay competition. She received score of one at solo and ensemble district and state festivals for violin.

In addition, Kumar has first place in Midwest Section of Arthur Ashe Essay Competition, and is a scholarship winner to MSU and is listed on the National Honor Roll of Who's Who Among High School Students Honor Roll

Esha plans to become a doctor and wants to make a difference in people's lives by being a compassionate physician.

Congratulations Esha!

Millennium Soundz Entertainment - A new Indian DJ in Michigan

I was just informed that there is a new Indian DJ in Michigan. It is DJ Deep of Millennium Soundz Entertainment.

DJ Deep has DJ'd for weddings, birthdays, sweet 16's, fund raising events and can dj any occasion. Call them at (734)674-2836 or contact them via email at:

Satish Jasti: CEO of Indian owned bank in Michigan

Meet Satish Jasti an Indian American who is a CEO of Lotus Bank located in Novi, Michigan.

Satish was recently interviewed by Nipa Shah for "Round Table India" a podcast or internet based audio/radio show designed for the Asian Indian community. To listen to the podcast click here.

I have listened to this podcast and some of what I recall:

• Mr. Satish Jasti came to United States at the age of 15
• He has an MBA from University of Chicago
He worked for Federal Reserve here in Detroit
• He was encouraged by a colleague to get into Commercial Banking
• Listen to Mr. Satish Jasti's interesting story at MIICC

Thanksgiving Day Snow in Metro Detroit - 2007

Here's a image of 1st snowfall (though not much) on Thanksgiving day in Plymouth, MI.

Thanksgiving Reflections

It's Thanksgiving and as an Indian American living in the US, we are celebrating Thanksgiving too (but of course as vegetarians, ours is a non-Turkey Thanksgiving).

Our heartfelt compassion and moral support to Geeta and her family, Virender's wife and his entire family, and to all out there that make a difference in the lives of others, THANK YOU.

We are fortunate to have good health and the support of family as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Take a minute to read my Thanksgiving post on http://www.miicc.com/blog/ and post a comment about your thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving - Enjoy and be safe!

Happy Thanksgiving

UPDATE: This Google Maps Mashup featured in Mike Pegg's GOOGLE MAPS MANIA and John Musser's ProgrammableWeb
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from all of us here at MIBAZAAR. On this occasion I have put together some interesting facts on Google Maps showing:

• Cities and Towns in USA called "TURKEY"
• Cities and Towns in USA which claim to be "TURKEY CAPITAL OF USA/WORLD"
• Cities and Towns in USA named "PLYMOUTH"
• Cities and Towns in USA named "CRANBERRY"

Giving Thanks this Thanksgiving

Detroit Free Press mentions Geeta Dhande of Canton, MI in its November 17th issue under the title "Giving Thanks". Here's how it goes

Geeta mother of two young girls thought she had the flu. It wasn't until she ended up in the hospital with multiple organ shutdown last January, and what doctors thought was a ruptured appendix, that tests showed that she'd been felled by the common strep bacteria. Geeta never got a sore throat. Instead, the strep bacteria had invaded her bloodstream. She was in a coma for 2 1/2 weeks and doctors gave her a 50-50 chance of survival. She was in the hospital for 65 days and relearned how to eat, walk and talk.

What Geeta is thankful for: "The overwhelming amount of love that was shown to us," says Geeta, 35, of Canton. Relatives and friends flew in from all over to help husband Amol care for daughters, Jaya, 6, and Maya, 3. Friends and friends of friends made meals. "I haven't even met these people. I have a huge stack of cards and gifts."

How Geeta shows thanks: "I thank everybody. Just the smallest thing, people helping you in the store. Without them, you wouldn't be able to manage your day."

---

Here's why my family is thankful this thanksgiving

Last December my wife was involved in a nasty Automobile Accident (Head on Collision). She suffered multiple fractures from Right Hip, Broken Femur and crushed ankle. After 3 surgeries (the last surgery was late September) she is still learning to walk with walker and crutches.

What my wife is thankful for: The tremendous support from her friends who used to drive in from Canton, Ypsilanti, Oakland Township, Novi, Commerce (to St. Joseph Mercy, Ann Arbor and then to our home in Plymouth) to give her moral support and help with cooking, household chores.

Then we are thankful that her parents could fly in from India to help us out. Then my parents came in to help us out. So all in all we received tremendous support.

Then we are thankful to the Bus Driver from Plymouth/Canton Schools who use to stop in front of our driveway (this was not a designated bus stop) to pick my daughter up. This because my wife could not drive or walk our daughter to the bus stop and I had to be at work.

Overall we are just thankful to be together because it could have been worse. What if my wife had a spinal cord injury or......

A Simple Peda Recipe

Wait a second! Before you head to a Indian/Desi Grocery store to get some Indian Sweets at $6.99/lb, try this simple killer PEDA Recipe. If I can make it then believe me any one can make it. Here it goes (no rocket science):

• 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (I used Nestle Brand)
• 2 Cups (Measuring Cups and not coffee cups) of Milk Powder (I used Kroger Brand)
• 1/2 stick of Butter (use store brand)

And now the easy part:

• Place the above 3 items in a microwable bowl
• Stick the bowl into the microwave for 5 minutes
• Every other minute keep stirring it (otherwise it will boil over)
• Take tbe bowl out and set it aside for couple of minutes
• Since you have done all the work, have your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/child cut it into different PEDA shapes
• You are now a certified Halwai

Do you know of any simple Desi/Indian recipes then email me and I will post it here.

Himesh Reshammiya

I generally am not a big desi TV fan (although I will admit to watching quite a few episodes of Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi & a few other serials - albeit for evaluation purposes only - :)) and although I watch Hindi movies off and on, I'm not one to be found at the local theater waiting with bated breath to catch the latest movie.

But I love Hindi music. I love all songs that have good lyrics and equally enjoy oldies (from the 70's and onwards) to current songs, slow songs and fast songs, etc. Ok, so call me old but I enjoy Rajesh Khanna movie songs (and songs sung by Mukesh and Rafi) just as much as I enjoy Imran Hashmi movie songs sung by Himesh Reshmmiya.

I recently bought some song DVDs and have been watching & listening to Himesh Reshmmiya's songs on a DVD for the past few days and decided that I'm going to blog about him. Yeah, I know that people call him nasal and think his singing style is stale with the same type of songs/lyrics.

But I really enjoy his songs and I may be the minority when I say that I even enjoyed his movie Aap Ka Suroor, not because the movie had a good story line or anything. I enjoyed the movie because I loved, let me say that again, LOVED, his songs in that movie, and also his style.

When I first heard Himesh's songs, I admit that it was difficult to like his singing because I couldn't hear anything beyond his nasal twang. But over time, and once I saw his different songs on DVD, we began listening past the nasal twang. His complete persona, the way he sings, holds the microphone, gets all emotional over the various girls who leave him, etc., brings his songs alive and that's when we (my kids and I) became his fans.

I even took two quick minutes to learn more about him and learned that he's 34 (just a kid in my eyes), is married to a lovely girl named Komal, and has a 10 year old son. Like I said above, I'm not a huge huge Bollywood fan like some of my friends are, but I was curious about Himesh.

His trademark hat and trench coat are perhaps meant to "distinguish" him but he is quite cute for a singer and for the life of me, I cannot understand why he hides his perfectly cute look behind that hat. But I guess singers like him are permitted some eccentricities. Either way, Himesh, you have fans in us in Michigan and hope that you will continue to sing songs like "Tere Bina", "Aksar", and "Love you Sayyoni".

No, we didn't go to see his concert when he was in Detroit, but may do so the next time around. And the next time he is here in Detroit, I plan to invite him to my Round Table India podcast, assuming he is interested in participating.

Or perhaps he will read this blog and have his publicist contact me so that I can interview him while he is in India or anywhere in the world - ;).

Jab we met - A surprise hit !!

Being as much the cinamchi ( Movie buff ) as I am, I went crazy reading how the internet world was split, debating which movie (OSO and Sawariya) would be the first to watch. Several polls were hung online and I checked out all of them and read about all the hype for both of them. At last, I decided to take a chill pill and put my money into 'Jab we met'.

Whoa! What a pleasant surprise! Imtiaz Ali (Director) handled the simple love story with such elegance and the movie sets the scene so beautiful, such as a fresh morning drizzle. Pritam's music which I reviewed earlier here, grew more on me, while I watched the movie. If you are like me, who opens ears wider for the background scores, you will be mesmarized at this one. Certain scenes complimented with the apt background score remain in your memory for a longer time. The songs are placed at appropriate times in the movie and the lyrics are written with much thought. "Manzil se behtar lagne lage yeh raastein....." for a journey that would take two people to different destinations. ( temporarily of course, we like happy endings, don't we? ) Watch for the lyrics in "Aaoge jab tum". Lyricist Irshad Kamil takes you to the 'Chitchor-esque' lands with that song.

The cast themselves did a stupendous job. Imtiaz Ali perhaps brought the best out of Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. While Kareena's role is of a bubbly Basanti, Shahid's role is of a calm and composed lad with some brooding shades. Aditya Kashyap's (Shahid) character is a typical Rahul of our cinema, which any Shah Rukh and the likes would have easily given their 100% of "overacting" skills. However, Shahid Kapoor gave only as much as any shot required him to. It is perhaps one of his finest performances. Even the hotelia at hotel 'Decent' gives you a 3-mintute laughter ride with his excellent expressions.

If there is someone you could like as much as you liked Basanti (of Sholay fame), that would be Geet (Kareena) in this film. The lass is a loud chatterbox but, will keep you rolling in laughter. Her obsession with shaadi and trains provide the perfect comic timing and emotion. Her train missing scene for the second time, is absolutely hilarious.

This is a young and vibrant film. The dialogues are like any day mumbaikar's, chitchat, "How do you like me, tell me know"??? The plot is simple. Girl is going home to Bhatinda from Mumbai with a later plan to elope with her boyfriend. Stumbles upon the the lost rich boy in the train and after a series of incidents and missing trains, the two end up travelling together, to get her home, help her elope with her boyfriend. Boy returns to his empire and starts pulling his cards together while the girl gets rejected by the boyfriend and disappears being heartbroken.

Girl's family whines to the boy and boy sets out to find her and the boyfriend to bring them back home. The confusion at the end is quite hilarious which sets the right stage for the ending. Watch out for the boyfriend's frustration over the sugarcane field tour. Its hilarious.

So, what exactly is my point, in writing this review 3 weeks after its release? One, I happened to watch it only now and two, to urge you to see this wonderful tale at least now, if you have not seen it so far. I assure you that it is way better entertainment than OSO or Sawariya. In the last weekend in 24 hours, I saw this movie thrice, jee haan, thrice..........but then, I started this review telling you how much of a cinamchi I am, didn't I?

Shahid Kapoor dances like a dream, after all, he is trained at Shiamak Davar's and sports it to good use.

MIBAZAAR: World Map at General Motors Plaza, Detroit, MI

MIBAZAAR: World Map at General Motors Plaza, Detroit, MI

It's 3 AM and I don't have anything better to do so what do I do, I look around Detroit on Google Maps. I pan towards the river front and follow the path I use to take during my jog (when the weather was warm) which is right by the river front from Cobo Hall to beyond General Motors Plaza. Guess what I noticed on Google Maps - A World Map on Granite at the GM Plaza. I blogged on this at MIBAZAAR. Here's the permalink.

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa - Mika Singh is out!!

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa-Dancing with the Stars airs on Sony Entertainment Television on Fridays and Saturdays (9.00pm EST).

I have been watching Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa for past couple of weeks. The talent is unbelievable. If you think there is no one can who can shake like Shakira then you should watch Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Unbelievable!! Some of the performances will make you dizzy.

Anyway I was rooting for the past couple of weeks for Mika Singh to be voted out. Why? I felt he was arrogant, he had no respect for judges. Last night's show was unbelievable. After his performance, Mika comes up with this -- "Please don't vote for me...". Well the audience listened and voted Mr. Mika out.

Networking - Asian Indian Style

I just came back from a networking event organized by the Gujarati Samaj of Greater Detroit (GSOD) at the Radisson in Livonia, and I thought it was time to post a blog on the topic of networking. (No, I'm not talking about computer networking, I'm talking about 'business networking')

I'm a power networker, I love to meet people, talk to them, learn more about them, share more about myself, you get the idea. When I meet someone, I like to find out how I can connect that person to someone in my network so that they can benefit from a connection.

Now networking is not necessarily an art but I find that we Asian Indians do business networking the same way we do social networking. We gravitate towards the ones we know and try to stay away from the ones whom we don't know.

Today's event had about 6-7 women and the rest were men. I made it a point to walk up and introduce myself to almost everyone that was there. I however noticed that two of the women didn't network the way I did. They met a couple of people and then went and sat down at a table, together, so that they had at least each other to talk to.

Now I met a few old friends there and perhaps because as a seasoned business woman (;0), I am extremely confident and comfortable walking up to a male and introducing myself. But many Asian Indian women, in a social or business setting, are not as comfortable (and I noted this again first hand today). But perhaps neither are the men. None of the other participants walked up to the two women to introduce themselves to them.

Now why is that? Is it our social background that puts a barrier in front of us that prevents us from equal opportunity 'business' networking? Or is it that we think the other will approach and so we wait for them? Or is it that we are comfortable in our age old segregation traditions where men sit with men and women hang out with women?

I for one think that in business, being shy, being introverted, staying away from the male majority, and not being able to network across the room puts women at an additional disadvantage.

I have also noticed at non-Asian Indian events that when an Asian Indian spots another Asian Indian, they generally tend to ignore or avoid each other unless they are prior acquaintances. Asian men will generally introduce themselves to other Asian men. Asian women will sometimes ignore other Asian Indian women. And cross gender networking within our community is obviously a big challenge because more often than not it just doesn't happen, period.

I on the other hand, deliberately walk up to others, regardless of their gender, and say something like "Hello, I never miss the opportunity to meet / introduce myself / get to know another Asian Indian". And once I do that, the other individual always reciprocates warmly. But the first approach if missed, results in missed networking opportunity for both.

Nine times out of 10, I approach the other Asian Indian individual/s in the room. But I hope to change that with my Asian Indian advocacy that I've undertaken with the Michigan India Chamber of Commerce (www.miicc.com).

I want to get to know you and I want you to get to know other Asian Indians. That means that I want each of us to take a look at our networking approach closely when we find ourselves in a room with other Asian Indians.

And the next time you are out there networking and when see another Asian Indian, don't avoid or ignore that person or wait for him or her to approach you. Take the first step, demonstrate your networking savvy, and be a change agent to network more effectively with other Asian Indians.

Networking is the key to grow professionally and personally so don't lose the opportunity!

Please check the Michigan India Chamber of Commerce (http://www.miicc.com) for future networking opportunities and look for a related blog on (http://www.miicc.com/blog)about the GSOD event.

Nipa is a technology expert with more than 18 years of experience in the automotive industry and calls herself the 'serial entrepreneur'. She is the owner of an online marketing company and recently launched a blog portal called http://www.thebloogle.com. More about Nipa and her company at http://www.jenesysgroup.com

Karn Gill, Indian Realtor from Canton, MI

Meet Karn Gill a Indian Realtor, originally from Punjab, India. Karn Gill works out of Coldwell Banker Preferred Realtors branch located at 43050 Ford Road Suite 100, Canton, MI, 48187. You can reach him at 734.392.6003.

I noticed Karn Gill on practically all the local Indian/Desi Websites and then I heard about Karn Gill on Subhash Kelkar's radio program. By now everyone must have heard about Karn Gill, his name is everywhere - in print/internet/radio. I did not want to be left behind so I sent Karn a email. Yes!! unlike others in our community, he responded promptly which tells you something about a person.

I asked Karn about housing trend in Michigan. According to Karn he is hoping that the depressed housing market will turn around sometime after Spring 2008.

As a side note: Fortune Magazine is predicting a positive 5 year housing trend for Detroit. (click here for more details)

IndiaTimes.Com Visitors exposed to Malware

A ScanSafe Advisory reports that IndiaTimes.com a news and entertainment website from India and owned by Times Group exposed their site visitors to Malware recently. Mary Landesman from ScanSafe writes in her blog

The installed malware included a cocktail of downloader and dropper Trojans, assorted other malicious binaries, and large amounts of scripts, cookies, and other non-binaries. We ran some of the binaries through VirusTotal and looks like overall detection among signature-based antivirus vendors is low. Given the nature of the downloaded files, it appears the malware may be intended to create sites used to attack others or that there may be some malicious peer-to-peer or other filesharing/communication purpose. ScanSafe continues to analyze the attack and we'll update the blog and our Threat Alert Center with those findings.

Mary Landesman further writes that

we notified the India Times folks via email and by phone on Thursday. Unfortunately, the person we spoke with indicated that it was a holiday (Diwali) in India and they would be unlikely to fix the problem until Monday. They declined to provide us with another contact or to escalate our concerns. As a result, we felt compelled to contact the media

C.K. Prahalad named the top management guru in the world

C.K. Prahalad, the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University of Michigan Professor of Corporate Strategy has been named the top Management Guru of the World by "Thinkers 50". C.K. Prahalad beat out Bill Gates (ranked 2nd) and Allen Greenspan (ranked 3rd).

Quoting University of Michigan Ross School of Business website:

According to Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove of Suntop Media, not many management thinkers actually follow up important early ideas with genuinely groundbreaking future ideas.

"This is what C.K. Prahalad has managed to do," Crainer said. "His work with Gary Hamel set the strategic agenda of the 1990s. Now, with 'The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid,' he has established the social, entrepreneurial and economic agenda of our times."

C.K. Prahalad's Early Life (via Wikipedia)

Prahalad is one of nine children. His father was a well-known Sanskrit scholar and judge in Madras, India (now Chennai). When he was 19, Prahalad was recruited by the manager of the local Union Carbide battery plant. He worked there for four years. Prahalad calls his Union Carbide experience a major inflection point in his life.

Prahalad then went to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), where he fell in love with a student at a nearby university. After five years spent trying to win their families' approval, the couple married and left for Harvard University. There Prahalad wrote a PhD thesis on multinational management in just two and a half years. The couple then returned to India, where he taught at the IIMA. But his ideas on global business were under constant attack from nationalists in India. He decided to return to the United States, as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan.

Quicken Loans to move headquarters from Livonia to Detroit

Detroit gets a boost. Quicken Loans announced today that it is moving its headquarters from Livonia to Detroit. The move involving approximately 4000 employees will take 3-4 years. Dan Gilbert Chairman and CEO of Quicken Loans has (via Detroit FreePress)

contractually promised the city that he will make a final decision within the next 12 months between two possible sites for the new Quicken headquarters – a 2-acre parcel above the Premier Garage on the site of the former J.L. Hudson’s store, and a site off Grand Circus Park that once housed the now-
demolished Statler and Tuller hotels and vacant United Artists Theater.

Fly to Premier Garage Location, Detroit in Google Earth or view in Google Maps.

Fly to Statler Hotel site (now demolished), Detroit in Google Earth or view in Google Maps.

Diwali - what does it mean to you?

All of us celebrate Diwali each year but how many of us truly incorporate the significance of the festival in our day to day life?

This year, my kids and I decided to learn more about Diwali (beyond the various parties we attended and the firecrackers and Rangolis) and so we poured over the Internet trying to find out why we truly celebrate Diwali. And in the process, even I, born and brought up in India (CDBA), learned something new about Diwali.

The following were the five most commonly cited reasons for the celebration of Diwali:

1. Ram, Laxman, Sita return from 14 years of exile after vanquishing Ravana and people celebrated their return by decorating the whole city with lamps
2. The Pandavas return home after 12 years of exile and people celebrated by lighting lamps to show their happiness
3. Lord Mahavir (Jain religion) attained Nirvana on this day known as Diwali
4. Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakaasura and freed 16000 women who were held in captivity by him. This led to a two day celebration including the Diwali day
5. Lord Vishnu (in his fifth incarnation) rescued Laxmi Devi from King Bali’s prison

I explained to my kids the fundamental theme which is also underlying in four out of the five above versions: that good prevails over bad.

Now you can laugh but I think that the significance can be adapted to fit our day to day lives. I mean, none of us are in exile nor do we have the powers that Ram, Vishnu, and Lord Krishna had.

But, by vanquishing our own fears, asserting ourselves in the face of aggression, standing up for the truth regardless of the consequences, doing the “right” thing even though the temptation (or the reward) to veer off the path is great, are all ways in which we can incorporate the significance of Diwali in our day to day life.

So for those who believe in and celebrated Diwali this year, how do you plan to incorporate the significance of Diwali in your life, ongoing, and not just during the Diwali season? How will you ensure that “good prevails over bad” in and around your life?

Saawariya - I don't "Likes"

Last night went to see Saawariya with family at SR Movies. 15-20 minutes into the movie I got so bored that I started flipping through the email messages on my Blackberry and surfing the net, occasionally glancing at the Big Screen. My son, daughter and wife seemed to enjoy the movie.

Ranbir Kapoor has potential (after all he is from Kapoor Khandan). Sonam Kapoor has the looks and also knows how to act (there is a lot of similarity with her dad - Anil Kapoor).

An hour or so into the movie my son reacts - "Dad did you see that". I was reading some messages so I missed it. I said "What!". He said "Raj's (Ranbir Kapoor) towel fell". I said "so....". He says "Raj was not wearing anything...". Immediate thought - Girls will flock to see Saawariya.

Later in the evening I asked my 7 year old daughter as to what did she think of the movie. Only thing that was bothering her was "Why did they beat up Raj at the girl's house". She was referring to Raj - who being depressed goes to see Rani Mukherjee who turns Raj away and when Raj refuses to leave the area, Raj gets beaten up by the locals.

My son's reaction - "This is not your typical Hindi Movie. It has a sad ending..."

Note: When walking out after watching Saawariya, I noticed there were 3 times as many people lined up to watch OM Shanti OM then Saawariya.

Rabid Fox attacks residents in Plymouth Township, MI

Detroit News is reporting that

A rabid fox is still on the loose today after biting a township woman and her beagle near Ann Arbor Trail and McClumpha last night.

Around 9 p.m. Thursday, the crazed animal "came out of nowhere," nipped at the woman's ankle and broke the skin, said Plymouth Township Police Chief Thomas Tiderington.

The woman's dog then chased the fox and was also bit. Both sought medical treatment, he said.

The incident is the latest following several attacks occurring in the same area over the last month.

"There's not much we can do…except notify the public to be on the lookout," Tiderington said. "We've contacted professional animal control and we're discussing what capabilities they have."

Careful out there when jogging or taking your dog for a walk!

Indian-American gets the top job at University of Houston

Renu Khator has been appointed president of University of Houston and chancellor of the four-campus University of Houston System. Hers is an amazing story. Quoting Times of India

The story goes that when Khator first came to the United States in 1974 as a young bride following an arranged marriage, her English was so dodgy that her new husband, Suresh Khator, an engineering student at Purdue University, translated for her while she was interviewed by the dean for school admission.

She made the cut, earned high grades while learning the language from re-runs of I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show , and never looked back. The couple moved to Florida in 1983 when Suresh received a teaching offer from the University of Southern Florida.

Renu Khator took up a temporary position, but in two decades worked her way to become provost at the University, where her success in attracting funds and top notch faculty drew UH’s attention.

On Monday, the Houston Chronicle observed that "Khator spoke without using notes, and her easy eloquence seemed to impress all who met the university's 13th president." Her husband happily boasted that he was now the junior partner and happy to follow her.

Saawariya has a Michigan Connection

Bollywood Movie Saawariya which will be shown in Michigan starting November 9th, 2007 has a Michigan Connection.

Anuradha Vakil who has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Michigan has designed the costumes for Sonam Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee for the movie Saawariya.

Anuradha Vakil is one of India’s most unlikely designers. After Graduation she worked for a large corporation which she left and took the skills she had learned to a new career in design driven by her passion for Indian textile crafts. (more at Planet Bollywood)

TV Asia Free Preview till November 14, 2007

All Dish Network Subscribers can tune in to Channel 575 for a Free Preview of TV Asia till November 14th, 2007.

Desi Blogs of Note - 11/04/2007

desibloggers.mibazaar.com is a page I have put together of great/excellent/quality Desi Blogs. Check it out and if you come across a great Desi Blog then do send me a note. I will be updating this list on weekends.

Blogs shown in this image: SepiaMutiny, IndiaUncut, NewsViewsAnalysis, Seattle Indian Community.

Saawariya comes to Michigan on November 9th, 2007

Saawariya starring Ranbir Kapoor (son of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh) and Sonam Kapoor (daughter of Anil Kapoor) will be screened at SR Movies, Novi, MI starting November 9th. For Showtimes keep checking MIMANTRA.

Saawariya Synopsis (via)

Saawariya is the innocent love story of two lonesome youngsters over a period of 4 successive nights. The charming, free-spirited Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) is a dreamer, who comes to a quaint, picturesque town in Shimla, known for its lakes, mist, heavenly snowfall, rains, and tall swaying pine trees.

Raj believes that he's found the perfect place to inspire his inner artist. The bright, fun-filled winding streets of the mall come alive with singing clubs, rustic folklore, dancing, love ballads, flourishing colonies of artists and weavers, and chants from the monastery - all woven in perfect harmony into a magical dream. All is perfect until at a bridge one night, he stumbles across the shy, mysterious, and melancholic Sakina (Sonam Kapoor) with a secret past.

Their chance encounter kindles into friendship and an impromptu romance. As one night passes another, Raj falls more and more in love with Sakina and tries to win her heart, while Sakina begins to trust him enough to share her secret. But when Sakina reveals why she cannot reciprocate his love, Raj is unable to accept her past and is driven into a whirlwind of desire, madness, and romance. And then what happens is......got to head over to the movie theaters to find out!

Check your Freezer

Don't feel like cooking tonight! You want an easy meal so you head for your freezer and grab that frozen pizza.

WAIT A SECOND! Look at what you pulled out from the freezer. Does it look like this:

(image courtesy: ClevelandLeader)

If what you have grabbed from the freezer looks anything like what's shown in the image above then trash it or take it back to the grocery store for a full refund.

General Mills is recalling millions of frozen pizzas sold under the brand Gino and Totino because it might be contaminated with E.Coli. (more at CNN)