india currents - july 2015
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This is a free sample of India Currents issue "July 2015" Download full version from: Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id724241349?mt=8&at=1l3v4mh Magazine Description: India Currents is an important facet of America's emerging multicultural identity—a monthly publication devoted to the exploration of the heritage and culture of India as it exists in the United States. You can build your own iPad and Android app at http://presspadapp.comTRANSCRIPT
INDIA CURRENTSCelebrating 29 Years of Excellence
You Lose It In a Generationby Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan
Destination Baliby Vivienne Kruger
UnsaidIqbal Pittalwalaby
INDIA CURRENTS
July 2015 • vol. 29 , no .4 • www. indiacurrents.com
by Sarita Sarvate
How retirement homes are now catering to changing demographics
by
URRENURRENURRENURREN
Re-creating Home
KATHA1st Prizewinner
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July 2015 | Northern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 3
NOWHIRING!
May 1. 2015
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Thumbs Up, Ekalavya!As a child, I was dismayed at the story
of Ekalavya, a boy of “humble birth,” who asked the sage Drona to accept him as a pupil. Seeing that the talented youngster was a potential rival to his royal students, (and no doubt remembering the non-compete clause in his contract), Drona first refused to accept E (the dreaded reject letter from Drona U.!) and then asked for the archer’s right thumb as gurudakshina (tuition fees by another name.)
Allow me to venture that high education costs are the equivalent of Ekalavya’s thumb for low-income students who are crippled by the burden.
Desi immigrants are uniquely positioned to understand that a college education can be a ticket to the American Dream. Even after admission is secured, steep college tuition remains a formidable barrier.
But perhaps there is hope. The “other,” arguably less famous, Salman Khan of Khan Academy has been in the news recently. The son of Bangladeshi parents, Sal attended MIT and Harvard before founding Khan Academy.
In partnership with the College Board,
Khan Academy announced free prep classes that hold the promise of creating educational access. (“Can Khan Academy’s Free SAT Prep Level the Playing Field?” Jason Tanz, Wired, June 2, 2015.)
Could this usher in a democratization of education? Can you say MOOC? (Massive Open Online Course) As in so many fields, the Silicon Valley leads the trend. Sebastian Thrun’s first open 2011 Artificial Intelli-gence class grew to 160,000 students. De-spite some disappointment over completion rates, there is no doubt that the new model has the potential to radically alter higher edu-cation. The face-to-face Socratic method of teaching is effective, but expensive. The door has been cracked open just a sliver.
Let’s hope that a modern-day Ekalavya can sign up for a free Khan Academy prep class or a MOOC instead. Thumbs Up, Ekalavya!
Geetika Pathania Jain, Ph.D. is guest Manag-ing Editor of India Currents magazine. Jaya Padmanabhan will return from her sabbatical next month.
4 | INDIA CURRENTS | Northern California July 2015
INDIA CURRENTS
PERSPECTIVES Northern California Editionwww.indiacurrents.com
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July 2015 • vol 29 • no 4
1 | EDITORIALThumbs Up, Ekalavya!By Geetika Pathania Jain
8 | EDUCATIONWhy a Software Engineer Became A WriterBy Jaya Padmanabhan
10 | A THOUSAND WORDSYou Lose It In A GenerationBy Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan
20 | BUSINESSHouse of CardsBy Prabhu Palani
25 | COMMENTARYMemories Of A Beloved FatherBy Vrinda Kirloskar
56 | FEATUREDrought Changes Water Rights History in CaliforniaBy Ritu Marwah
74 | Q&AKal Penn Loves India Cur-rentsBy Geetika Pathania Jain
94 | YOUTHGandhi CampBy Divya Desale
108 | ON INGLISHHouse of TeakBy Kalpana Mohan
110 | THE LAST WORDDoes A Corset A Woman Make?By Sarita Sarvate
LIFESTYLE
76 | Cultural Calendar86 | Spiritual Calendar
28 | RELATIONSHIP DIVA It’s In The EyesBy Jasbina Ahluwalia
44 | TRAVEL
Destination BaliBy Vivienne Kruger
59 | MUSICBollywood Hums New Zealander’s TunesBy Priya Bhatt Das
92 | HEALTHY LIFESkyrocket Your Energy LevelBy Puja Mukherjee
98 | DEAR DOCTOR Getting To Know YourselfBy Alzak Amlani
106 | RECIPESBaked Samosa TrianglesBy Shanta Sacharoff
DEPARTMENTS
6 | Letters to the Editor7 | Popular Articles
WHAT’S CURRENT
30 | Tax Talk31 | Visa Dates
How retirement homes cater to changing demographics
By Sarita Sarvate
16 | Recreating Home
Unsaid
By Iqbal Pittalwala
32 | Fiction
68 | Books
Reviews of Two States by Chetan Bhagat, Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Devaka-runi
By Raj Oza, Tara Menon
60 | FilmsReviews of Dil Dhadakne Do, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Miss India AmericaBy Aniruddh Chawda, Sagaree Jain and Madhumita Gupta
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