Disaster’s Low Profile Hinders Aid Efforts

A Massachusetts organization is working to help victims of a deadly cyclone that struck nearly halfway around the world late last month.

Parashar Patel may have garnered only 21 votes in his bid for a seat on the Holliston Planning Board during municipal elections last month, but the vote tally proved enough to earn him a seat in town government.

It turns out Patel, 44, was the only person interested in serving in the post, which has a five-year term.

A prominent Indian judicial activist, speaking at a recent lecture hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, argued that India’s explosive economic growth and increasing international profile are coming with significant costs, most notably the exploitation of the country’s vast impoverished population.

“Mystic India”, a documentary about Neelkanth‘s solo journey through India, is now playing at the Museum of Science in Boston.

The film, shown around the globe since early 2004, has finally wound its way to Boston. Shown in IMAX format, “Mystic India” is being presented by BAPS Charities, a social service charity in India.

Jothi Raghavan, the well-known bharata natyam dancer and founder of the Academy of Indian Performing Arts in Westford, will present a solo dance theater performance of “Nayaki” on June 27. With a 6 p.m. start time, the performance will be at the Sorenson Theatre for Performing Arts at Babson College in Wellesley.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Cambridge, Mass., have found a link between a mother’s height and the health of her children in a study using national data from India.   According to UNICEF,  more than 2 million children younger than 5 years old died in India in 2006, more than in any other country and making up roughly a quarter of all child deaths worldwide. The study revealed an association between the height of mothers and several indicators of their children’s health, including risk of death, risk of being underweight and anemia.

Rajendra K. Pachauri is set to become head of Yale University’s newly established Climate and Energy Institute in July. The New Haven-based university announced the appointment of the Indian climate change expert in March.

During the opening credits of several horror films, images of photographic negatives flash across the screen, a subtle cinematography tactic designed to prepare movie audiences for scares.

But what makes a seemingly innocent photograph with its shading simply reversed so unrecognizable and foreboding for moviegoers?

Mission Completes Final Stage of Construction, Slates Event July 24-26

Chinmaya Mission Boston will dedicate its newly completed facility in Andover, Mass., during the July 24-26 weekend.

The grand inauguration and Kumbhabhishekam ceremonies will be led by Swami Tejomayananda, world-wide spiritual head of the Chinmaya Mission, who will provide the keynote address and bless the mission's center.

Reporter Mark Connors recently asked people what Manmohan Singh’s top priorites should be in his second five-year term as India’s prime minister: 

Bobby Mannan

“I think his immediate focus should be the economy, controlling inflation and helping India’s GDP [gross domestic product] grow at a faster rate. I think he has also got to be very strict with Pakistan and cross-border terrorism. I’m really looking forward to [Singh’s] ‘100 Days’ program.”