SILICONEER | COMMUNITY: News Briefs | NOVEMBER 2010

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COMMUNITY | News in Brief: November 2010

Painting Exhibit in San Francisco to Mark Gandhi Jayanti
California Foundation Announces Peace Prize Honorees
Harvard Appointment
Picture of Peace
Nurturing Kids
Street Smarts Be Reel! Video Contest
Musician Honored
Obama Endorses Kamala Harris

Painting Exhibit to Mark Gandhi Jayanti

Seen at the inauguration of a painting exhibit to mark Gandhi Jayanti in San Francisco (l-r): Arvind Kotha (artist), Consul General of India Susmita G. Thomas, Ramesh Chindam (artist), Deputy Consul General Kumar Tuhin and Rajendra Prasad.

India’s apostle of nonviolence Mahatma Gandhi is not only a beloved leader of hundreds of millions of Indians in India and abroad. His message of nonviolence and peace has inspired leaders all over the world including Nelson Mandela in South Africa, the U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and even current U.S. President Barack Obama, who has said that he considers Gandhi one of the key influences in forming his worldview.

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the Mahatma, the San Francisco Consulate General of India organized a painting exhibition during the month of October at the Artist Alley Gallery in San Francisco. Paintings of several young and upcoming Indian artists, namely, Ramesh Chindam, Arvind Kotha, Sarika Katkuri, Yasala Prakash, Uddamdam Pullaih Swamy and Narendranath Palal depicting the life and values of Mahatma Gandhi and Indian culture were exhibited. Consul General of India Susmita G. Thomas inaugurated the exhibition Oct. 1.

The event was attended by members of local Indian community and the consulate officials, according to a press release from the consulate.

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California Foundation Announces Peace Prize Honorees

The California Wellness Foundation Oct. 19 honored three community leaders — Aquil Basheer, Perla Flores and Sammy Nuñez — with its 18th annual California Peace Prize at a ceremony in Los Angeles. In recognition of their efforts to prevent violence and promote peace, the honorees each received a cash award of $25,000.

“These honorees have helped youth and families devastated by violence, and provided essential leadership in organizations that work to make our communities better,” said Gary L. Yates, president and CEO of TCWF. “They represent thousands of unsung heroes dedicated to improving the health and well-being of California’s youth.”

Aquil Basheer is a nationally known crisis-intervention specialist, educational consultant, and youth development expert who has worked for more than 40 years to reduce community violence. Basheer is the chief executive officer of the BUILD Youth Empowerment Academy, which operates conflict-resolution training, mentoring, and gang-violence deterrence and intervention programs in middle schools and community centers throughout Los Angeles County.

Perla Flores is a passionate advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Because of her efforts, a rural community that once lacked adequate services and resources can now assist people in need. As a program director at Community Solutions, a multi-service nonprofit serving southern Santa Clara and San Benito counties, Flores oversees development, implementation, and evaluation of the organization’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking prevention and intervention services.

Sammy Nuñez has a deep understanding of how to work with young men and fathers. A former gang member himself, Nuñez graduated from a fatherhood program in Northern California that led him towards a path to a career in violence prevention. He has become a nationally recognized expert in the field of responsible fatherhood and youth development. Nuñez is the founding executive director of Fathers and Families of San Joaquin, a community-based organization providing services and parenting classes for young fathers and incarcerated men.

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Harvard Appointment

Rahul Mehrotra

Harvard University has appointed urban designer and educator Rahul Mehrotra a tenured professor and chair of its department of urban planning and design.

As professor of urban design and planning, Mehrotra a will teach studios and seminars on architecture and urbanization in India, besides working with students on research projects related to infrastructure, historic preservation and questions of rapid growth and extreme urban conditions in South Asia.

Graduate School of Design dean Mohsen Mostafavi said Mehrotra's work as a teacher, practitioner, researcher and community advocate makes him "exceptionally qualified to contribute to the GSD's growing involvement with the challenges of urbanism around the world."

An alumnus of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, he graduated with a master's degree in urban design from the GSD. He has taught at the University of Michigan and at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at MIT.

He has been involved in civic and urban affairs in Mumbai, having served on commissions on historic conservation and environmental issues.

He was also executive director of the Urban Design Research Institute.

"The GSD and the university at large will benefit from Rahul's extensive experience and informed perspective on South Asian urbanism," Harvard's Vice Provost for International Affairs Jorge Dominguez said.

Harvard's South Asia Initiative has also invited him to be part of its steering committee as it focuses on new areas of engagement in the region.

Mehrotra has written and lectured extensively on topics of architecture, conservation and urban planning in Mumbai and elsewhere in India.

His writings include co-authoring the book “Bombay: The Cities Within,” which covers the city’s urban history from the 1600s to the present and “Bombay to Mumbai: Changing Perspectives.”

His other publications include books on Mumbai's Victoria Terminus Station.

In 2000, he edited a book titled “The Architecture of the Twentieth Century in the South Asian Region.”

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Picture of Peace

This photo of (l-r): Indian Ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri, Rohan Bopanna and his doubles partner Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi and Pakistani Ambassador to the UN Abdullah H. Haroon has won the “Image of the Year” prize under the prestigious Peace and Sport award. The photo was taken by New York-based Jay Mandal.

A picture of Indo-Pak Express tennis stars Rohan Bopanna and his doubles partner Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi taken by the U.S.-based Indian photo journalist Jay Mandal has won the “Image of the Year” prize under the prestigious Peace and Sport award.

For the first time, the winner of the award for Peace and Sport's Image of the Year was chosen by a public voting system on the Internet.

The winning photograph of Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Qureshi, submitted by the ATP World Tour, won nearly 60 percent of the votes.

"The message of peace given by Rohan and Aisam is a unique source of inspiration for young people in their respective countries, but its significance does not stop there," said Joel Bouzou, president and founder of Peace and Sport that gives the award. He was speaking at a ceremony announcing the 21st edition of the Georges Bertellotti Golden Podium Awards held in Monaco.

The picture captured by New York-based Mandal shows the two tennis star from the sub-continent along with Indian Ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri and his Pakistani counterpart Abdullah H. Haroon.

Despite the differences between the two countries, Bopanna and Qureshi have played doubles for three years.

"Sport's greatest victory is not measured in terms of medals. It is measured by its ability to positively change people's lives and bring them hope. And that's exactly what Rohan and Aisam succeed in doing. They demonstrate what champions can achieve when they use their celebrity (status) for a good cause," Bouzou said.

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Nurturing Kids

In recognition of National Child Health Day on Oct. 4, First 5 California offers general tips to help build self-confidence in young children and foster healthy social and emotional development.

Focus on Relationships. Through loving relationships that offer security, comfort and encouragement, kids gain confidence to explore the world around them.

Spend quality time with your child every day and show affection. This lets him know he is loved and teaches him relationship-building skills.

Give Positive Feedback. Acknowledge children’s efforts to learn new skills and face challenges at different periods of development. Praise your child for doing a good job during all stages of her early life – when she starts crawling and walking to forming words and counting. This reinforces self-worth and increases a child’s sense of satisfaction.

Nurture Independence. Provide opportunities for kids to accomplish tasks on their own and nurture their own sense of curiosity. This helps them become more secure in their abilities and in themselves.

Give your child age-appropriate responsibilities, such as picking up toys or setting the table. When he learns to master or finish a task, his confidence will grow.

Be a Good Role Model. Children learn by watching adults and imitating their behavior. If you are confident in your abilities, your child will learn to be confident too.

If you're too harsh on yourself or overly pessimistic, your child may eventually mirror this behavior. Nurture your own self-esteem and your child will have a great role model.

For more information, contact First 5 California at ((800) KIDS-025 or visit www.first5california.com/parents.

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Street Smarts Be Reel! Video Contest

San Ramon Mayor H. Abram Wilson presents a certificate to student finalists producers Nitisha Baronia, Manasa Gujju, and Parushi Sharma at this year’s Street Smarts video competition.

Guests and students producers were treated to a private reception at the Danville Village Theatre to acknowledge their work on a bicycle safety film. The Annual Street Smarts "Be Reel!" Video Contest encourages middle school students from throughout the San Ramon Valley to create 60-second public service announcement videos about traffic safety. Ten videos were selected as finalists.

Finalists included: The Evil Rash Bikers produced and directed by Nitisha Baronia, Manasa Gujju, and Parushi Sharma, The Dream Bike produced and directed by Anvinash Jois, and Bicycle Distractions produced and directed by Liya Khan, Alexandra Yamada, Yumma Azizuddin and Madison Henry. Student director and producer, Danielle Morelan of Danville accepted the winning prize for the video Bicycle Safety: Dangerous Distractions.

The talented students used both humor and “scared straight” techniques to convey that distractions while bike riding can be very dangerous. While some students were assigned to make the video via their school teachers, others spoke about their interest in film making or doing something creative.

Street Smarts was created in 2004 following the tragic deaths of three San Ramon Valley children in two separate traffic-related accidents. The San Ramon Valley community came together to create the Street Smarts program to educate the public about traffic safety.

For more information on Street Smarts or their competition, please visit them online at www.street-smarts.com.

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Musician Honored

Musician Sai “Psychuck” Manapragada being honored by honorary chief guest Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad.

Indian American community leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area felicitated Oct. 15 double Guinness World Record holder musician Sai “Psychuck” Manapragada and Nandi Award-winning film director Suman Pathuri along with film producer Kalyan Palla.

Telugu Association of North America president Jayaram Komati presided over the function while Padmasri Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, former Member of Parliament, chairman of Andhra Pradesh Hindi Academy, and a professor at the Hindi department in Andhra University was the honorary chief guest for the event.

Congratulating the honorees, Yarlagadda emphasized the importance of their achievements and urged everyone present to recognize these achievements and encourage them. Yarlagadda also highlighted the significance of Indian culture and its influence on other cultures. Komati also congratulated the organizers of this event.

Attendees included Veeru Vuppala, Vijaya Asuri, Srilu Veligeti of Bay Area Telugu Association, Vijay Chavva of Telangana Cultural Association and Anand Kuchibhotla of SiliconAndhra. The event was organized at Swagat Restaurant in Milpitas, Calif.

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Obama Endorses Kamala Harris

Kamala D. Harris

Indian-American Democratic politician Kamala Devi Harris has won the endorsement from U.S. President Barack Obama, making her the first among the half-a-dozen Indian-origin politicians contesting the Nov. 2 mid-term elections to get support from the U.S. president.

The 45-year-old Harris, who is contesting for the attorney general of California, has done a remarkable job, said Obama.

In an email distributed by the Democratic National Committee/Organizing for America, Obama said Kamala Harris has always been a strong voice for Californians.

Obama credited Harris with several achievements including launching an early intervention programs to reduce the cycle of repeat offenders.

"As San Francisco District Attorney, she launched early intervention programs to reduce the cycle of repeat offenders. She created her office's first Child Sexual Assault Unit and first Environmental Justice Unit. She prioritized the prosecution of financial predators, processing over 450 consumer complaints in 2009 and forming the state's first stand-alone Mortgage and Investment Fraud Unit," Obama said.

"Now she's running to be California's attorney general, and I am proud to stand by her. She is someone who understands the needs of all Americans, and I need allies like that fighting for change across the country...," he said.

"Kamala has done a remarkable job in San Francisco. Now it's time to send her to Sacramento so she can get those same results for all Californians -- but she needs our help if she's going to win this race," Obama said in his endorsement message.

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