Infosys Chairman Emeritus Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy visits the Fuqua School of Business

The Duke India Business forum organized a half day event on Feburary 17th, for which Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy was the keynote speaker. The event titled “Duke Infosys Business India Forum”, had two panel discussions preceding the Keynote speech by Mr. Murthy.

Packed Geneen Auditorium in anticipation of NRN's keynote speech

A few minutes before Mr. Murthy’s keynote speech at 4pm, the graduate business students streamed into Geneen Auditorium and it quickly became a standing room only event. Clearly, everyone wanted to see and hear the storied visionary from India, who embraced “Compassionate Capitalism” in the late seventies after experiencing state brutality while traveling through the then communist Bulgaria.

The dean of Fuqua School of Business, William Boulding, and various faculty members of the business school attended the keynote as well. Mr. Boulding conducted a QA session with NRN for the benefit of the audience, to pry out nuggets of wisdom from the once Chairman and Mentor of Infosys. Mr. Murthy stepped down as Chairmain of Infosys in 2011.

Kudos to the Duke India student body for pulling off this event!

Tyagaraja Aradhana on March 17th, 2012 at HSNC

This year’s Tyagaraja Aradhana in the Triangle area will be held on March 17, 2012.

Date: March 17, 2012
Time: 10 AM-5 PM
Venue: HSNC mandir hall, Morrisville, North Carolina
Children session –10 am
Panchartna krithis –11:45 am
Individual/Group music sessions: 1PM
Registration deadline —– March 13

Saint composer Tyagaraja is among the supreme devotees of Lord Sri Rama.
One of the doyens of Carnatic music and a celebrated person of the divine trinity of
Carnatic music, his contribution to the music world is simply immeasurable.

Registration fees: $10/participant

As most of you already know, this event is a “Hindu Society of North Carolina”
sponsored event and all proceeds from this event have been directly benefiting
HSNC every year. Resources, such as HSNC facilities, rely on support from the
community for sustenance and by paying the registration fees, we help further
the causes of HSNC.

Please register either as an individual or as a group before March 13
by calling or e-mailing Anuradha Chivukula at 467-2035 or
anuradhachivukula@yahoo.com with information of the item you or
your group would like to present.

Group performances are strongly encouraged this year keeping in view the
limited available time for performances. As you all know, group performances
foster synergy and will encourage team building skills.

Please come forward and pay your tribute to this exceptional Devotee and
musician.

Upcoming ICMDS Programs March through April 2012

ICMDS has some wonderful programs coming up, starting with a local talent show on March 20th. Below is a note from the ICMDS team. More information at icmds.org

Like the previous wonderful years, this year also promises much, bringing quality programs through your ICMDS and we have lined up exciting programs for our community during the first half of 2012.

1.  Local Talent Show  (check out participation information below):
Performers – all levels of local talent and FEATURED PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS
Saturday, Mar 10, 2012 – 12 pm to 6:30 pm.
Venue: Durham Arts Council, Durham, NC

The last date for participant registration for LT event is February 20th, 2012 – check out details further down)

2.  Soothing Flute Concert by  Shantala Subramanyam (Flute) ;
Avaneeswaram Vinu (Violin) ; Melakkaveri Balaji (Mridangam)
Sunday, April 1st, 2012 @ 2pm
Venue: TBD.

3.  Anoushka Shankar and the Traveler Ensemble: ‘Flamenco Journey’
Saturday, Apr 14 @ 7:00 pm
Venue: Page Auditorium, Duke University:

 

Cary Diwali 2011 on Oct 22

Gates open at 11:30 on Saturday, October 22nd, for the Cary Diwali event. The event is held at the Regency Park Amphitheater in Cary. Admission is absolutely free. Bring in your chairs, blankets and friends(!) to enjoy the day long event.

Event: Cary Diwali – Sanskriti – Culture Transcending Borders
Date: October 22nd, 2011
Location: Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre, Regency Park, Cary
Program Schedule: 11:30a.m – Gates open
11:30a.m – Gates open
12:00 Noon – Exhibitions and Bazaar open
12:15p.m – Inauguration and Address by Chief Guest
12:30p.m – Cultural Program by Local Talent Begins
5:45p.m – Address by Chief Guest
6:00p.m – Highlight performance by Russian Dance Ensemble “Mayuri”
8:00p.m – Fireworks display

Admission is free to all.

More info at:

http://www.humsub.net/index.php

Aladdin – A Musical magic comes to the Triangle

Supria Desai, our “Karnataka Kalashri”, is producing a musical extravaganza titled “Aladdin – The Musical”. This is a collaborative production of Supriya Desai along with Dr. Sanjay Shantaram. This is also an ICMDS event.

When: Saturday, August 27, 6:30pm.

Where: Memorial hall, UNC Chapel Hill, NC.    Venue Link

Tickets:
$100 (VIP), $50 (PREMIUM)
$10 (General), $6 (Seniors, Students)
UNC Studentts and ICMDS members – free
Tickets available through memorial hall box office (919-843-3333), or from Supriya Desai (919-854-9989, supriyadesai2000@hotmail.com), or Nila Acharya (919.678.0204)

About the choreographers: Dr. Sanjay Shantaram, a dentist by training, a dancer by passion. He is well-versed in Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi and a host of contemporary styles. He is also a famous movie and TV personality. He completed senior Bharathantayam exam with a first rank. He has performed internationally in several tours. Supriya Desai is an icon of Indian dance in the area and has produced several high profile dance-dramas including Meera, Krishna Parijatha, etc. She is an expert in both Bharathantyam and Kuchipudi styles and was awarded the very prestigious title of Karnataka Kalashree by the Govt. of Karnataka.

More information at:

www.payal-academy.com

www.icmds.org

Candle Light vigil to Eradicate Corruption in India

Time  -  Wednesday, August 17 · 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Location  - Seratoma Amphitheater, Bond Park, Cary

Association for India’s Development (AID) Duke-RTP chapter is organizing a candle-light vigil on Wednesday as part of the “Global Solidarity in Fight Against Corruption” in support of the various Anti-Corruption Campaigns to bring out an effective Lokpal Bill. We support Shri Anna Hazare Ji & Team Anna in their efforts with the JanLokPal Bill and also support NCPRI’s efforts for a comprehensive Lokpal Bill. Please participate in this event to make it a success. For more information on the India Against Corruption movement and the role NRI population can play in it, please visit http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/ and http://nriac.org/

For more information about AID, visit http://aidindia.org/

Contact Us :  Naga (919-452-7933/937-594-0386) naga.aid@gmail.com
Naresh Giri (ngiri@yahoo.com)

Sreeram electrifies crowds at Dorton Arena in Raleigh

Sreeram, the Indian Idol 5 winner for 2010, electrified the Triangle area crowd at the India Fest in Dorton Arena.  Clad in a brown bomber jacket, Sreeram raced across the podium belting out favorite numbers easily while shaking hands with the outstretched hands of his delirious North Carolina fans.

I watched him with amazement and admiration during the Indian Idol 5 final rounds and his performance today was no less.  There is no question that he is an amazing singer and an awesome performer. He belted out a few Telugu songs as well to the wild cheers of the many Telugu speaking members in the audience.

Tia Kar, who accompanied him for the India Fest performance (she’s also an Indian Idol finalist) performed well too and the audience loved her. She was clearly happily overwhelmed by all the adulation showered on her by the audience.

This is Sreeram’s first performance in the United States.  Congratulations to Nuvyug, the organizers of India Fest, for a great day at the Dorton Arena yesterday. India Fest continues today, March 27th, at the Dorton Arena.

Lunch at Paradise

I’ve written about other Indian restaurants in the area which I like. Paradise Restaurant is one that I added to my list of favorites recently. Their claim to fame is their Biryani. More specifically, their “Hyderabadi Biryani”. Their Biryani is indeed very good and very flavorful. If you grew up in Hyderabad, you will no doubt recall the heady aroma that is the hallmark of Hyderabadi Biryani.

I’ve been to Paradise’s lunch buffet far more times than their Ala Carte dinner. The buffet spread is usually about 3 or 4 non-veg items and 5-6 veg items during weekdays. Weekends have more non-veg selections. They have a Veg Biryani on their buffet menu everyday, and, it is wonderful. Quite unlike the other biryanis that are available in other restaurants. It’s good. It’s authentic Hyderabadi.

One of their best dishes is their mutton curry with goat meat. The gravy that goes with the curry is mouthwateringly amazing. They have the mutton curry on all weekends, but do add it to the weekday menu on occasion. Fish is also one of their specialties. I’ve had different styles of fish during my many trips to lunch at Paradise.

Yes, they do have a vegetarian section :-) Usually, for my vegetarian cravings, I go to Tower Restaurant, which continues to be my all time favorite vegetarian restaurant; but, when I am at Paradise, I do try out their veg items once in a while, and they are quite good.

Paradise is located in Morrisville, on Route 54, between Aviation Pkwy and Airport Blvd. It is in the same complex as Neo Monde. They can be contacted at 919.481.6881 .

Demand for Gold continues

Deepavali (Diwali) ! The first thing that I think of when thinking Deepavali is Fire crackers, sweets and happy and excited faces. But, this colorful and cheerful festival also does pump up for demand for Gold.

Some stats from a recent article from the Wall Street Journal:

Gold imported into India in 2009: 559 metric tons.
Gold sold during week of Deepavali: 56 metric tons.

Gold imported in October in 2009: 36.2 tons
Gold imported in October in 2010: 44 tons