GEORGE JOSEPH

Madhavan Nair of the FloridaInternational University’s HerbertWertheim College of Medicine is

among the researchers who have found away to get an HIV drug through the blood-brain barrier.

Dr Nair, professor and chair, and DrSakhrat Khizroev, professor and vice chair,department of immunology, used specialparticles to cross the barrier and sendalmost double the drug dose usually avail-able to HIV-infected cells.

The study was published in NatureCommunications recently.

Currently, more than 99 percent of thedrugs used to treat HIV are deposited in

the liver, lungs and other organs beforethey reach the brain. “This allows avirus, such as AIDS, to lurk unchecked,”Nair said.

The patent-pending technique theyused binds the drug to a magnetic parti-cle in a white blood cell, which once inthe brain, is directed to its target usingmagnetism.

In lab experiments, most of the drugreached its intended target. The treat-ment will soon enter the next phase oftesting.

This method of delivery could alsohelp patients who suffer from neurolog-ical diseases like Alzheimer’s,Parkinson’s, epilepsy, muscular dystro-phy, meningitis and chronic pain. Itcould also be applicable to diseases likecancer.

‘The success of our nanotechnology isderived from the fact that nature likessimplicity,’ Khizroev was quoted as say-ing.

“We cannot completely eradicate the

HIV virus despite strong medication,”Nair explained to India Abroad,“because the virus travels to the brainand infects brain cells, causing neuro-AIDS. There is no treatment for neuro-AIDS because no drugs (go) to the braindue to the existence of a strong bloodbrain barrier.”

This method of delivering and releas-ing HIV drugs in the brain can benefitHIV-infected patients to completelyeliminate the virus from virus sanctuar-ies in any part of the body, he said,adding that work has begun using theSimian Immunodeficiency Virus (thesimian equivalent to HIV).

“Once the monkey model is perfectedwe have to do clinical trials in patients tomake it marketable,” he said.

Nair, who came to the United States35 years ago, studied at the TataMemorial Cancer Center in Mumbai,and did his postdoctoral research at theSloan-Kettering Memorial CancerCenter in New York.

AZIZ HANIFFA

Venture capitalist, angel investor, phil-anthropist and arts patron RanvirTrehan and his wife Adarsh last week

hosted the 10th anniversary of theWashington, DC-based Dakshina/DanielPhoenix Singh Dance Company at their ele-gant McLean, Virginia, home.

More than 100 art lovers and patronswere treated to a scintillating performanceby Leela Samson and Bragha Bessell, andSamson’s dance company Spanda.

India’s Ambassador to the United StatesNirupama Rao was the chief guest.

Radha and Dev Ganesan co-hosted theevent with the Trehans.

Daniel Phoenix Singh introducedSamson, director of the Sangeet NatakAkademi (India’s equivalent of theNational Endowment for the Arts), as aunique example of a successful artist strad-dling the role of an arts advocate, leaderand policymaker.

Dakshina showcases Indian culture, andart forms, and it does that in harmony withwestern art forms.

The Trehans’ daughters, Veena andMeera, who are part of the Trehan FamilyFoundation that supports arts and cultureand was a major underwriter of theMaximum India program at the KennedyCenter three years ago, said Dakshina wasthe pride of the Indian-American commu-nity in the Washington, DC area andnationally.

Dakshina, Veena and Meera pointed out,

presents sister dance companies from Indiaand the US bringing some of the leadingdancers to the capital area.

Other guests present included MSridharan, the Indian embassy’s new min-ister of press, information and culture; DrNatwar Gandhi, chief financial officer,District of Columbia; Rakesh and SobhaGangwal; Girish and Indu Jindia; Raj andKumkum Boveja; Gary and Rita Grover;Vijay and Sayeeda Chaudhry; D PVenkatesh, former president, The IndusEntrepreneurs; P V Boccasam, TiE’s cur-rent president.

Singh told India Abroad that Dakshinawas launching an ambitious program tocommemorate its 10th season and that its

programming included a fall festival ofIndian arts with dancers, musicians, andactors taking the stage in Washington, atour by Dakshina to India and Bangladeshthis winter, and a project titled PersistentVoices that will be a collaboration withpoets/spoken word performers, andexplores the lives of eight DC-based poetswho died of AIDS.

Singh said this performance is fundedpartially by the DC Commission on Artsand Humanities and will take place in thespring of 2014.

According to Singh, also on the cards is aproject in summer 2014 with the SokolowFoundation to restage Kafka, whichexplores the life of the author and which

was choreographed by late modern danceicon Anna Sokolow.

Singh took his company to India in 2009.In 2010, Dakshina became the first US-based company to perform in Bangladeshafter the country’s founding.

In 2011, Dakshina was one of only twoUS-based companies invited to perform atMaximum India.

In 2012, it received a grant from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation to complete per-formances at nine venues in five East Coaststates.

Earlier this year, Singh received the PolaNirenska Memorial Award for outstanding

Madhavan Nair makes AIDS breakthrough

Dakshina celebrates a decade of bringing worlds together through dance

Page A34

Leela Samson and Bragha Bessell Ranvir Trehan, right, at the event

Dr Madhavan Nair

A32

COMMUNITYIndia AbroadMay 10, 2013

A34 COMMUNITY NEWS India Abroad May 10, 2013

A CORRESPONDENT

There are about 80,000 Hindus in theGreater Houston Area and about 60Hindu organizations, but not all of

them have been able to act in unison in thepast on relevant issues. The local adminis-tration also did not know who to contact ifit wanted to elicit the community’s support.A new umbrella organization aims tochange that.

Earlier this month, the recently formedboard of advisers of the Hindus of GreaterHouston held its first meeting at theChinmaya Mission to lay the foundation forthe umbrella organization.

“The organization was formed about sixyears ago, but was not as successful as weall hoped it would be,” said Vijay Pallod, anentrepreneur and activist. “But with therecent formation of the board, there is opti-mism that the voice of Hindu organizationswill be (more) united than before, andstronger.”

Dev Mahajan, chair of the board advisers,has told representatives of local Hinduorganizations that the umbrella organiza-tion would unite Hindu organizations andeach organization would nominate a per-manent representative to the team.

The representatives, he said, should havea passion for the Hindu cause and feel apart of the big, formal structure.

‘We have flowers in different parts ofHouston. We have to assemble a nice gar-land,’ Mahajan said. ‘In becoming a part ofthe Hindu organization, the flower neednot shed its beauty or lose its fragrance.While maintaining its own tradition and

individuality, the organizations would joinhands in support of a general cause thatimpacts all Hindus. The issues will not andshould not pertain to an individual or anindividual group.’

The American Jewish community, forexample, has an umbrella organization torepresent the community. The board of

directors felt Hindus should have a similarorganization.

Mahajan said a majority of organizationsand their representatives have felt the needfor a strong umbrella organization to repre-sent the community.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, headof the Kauai Hindu Monastery in Hawaii

and publisher of Hinduism Today, was theguest speaker at the event.

‘The Hindus in Houston are fortunate tohave over so many organizations conduct-ing worship and teaching programs in thegreater Houston area,’ Veylanswami said.

‘Normally, all that is needed is for theseorganizations to perform well their respec-tive missions. However, on occasion thereis a need for a united Hindu front, for allHindus to come together to address apressing issues such as mistreatment ofHindu students, newspaper articles grosslymisrepresenting Hinduism or a naturaldisaster where Hindus want to worktogether to create a joint response.’

‘The Hindus of Greater Houston, as anumbrella organization, is ideally situated todo just that.’

New advisory board member VenugopalMenon felt it is only proper that a unifiedvoice is created.

‘With that motivating philosophy,’ saidSharad Amin, president, Hindus of GreaterHouston, ‘the organization of the Hindus ofGreater Houston along with its advisoryboard with representatives of all the Hinduestablishments in the area is created.’

The new organization has scheduled abanquet July 13 where United StatesRepresentative Tulsi Gabbard, the firstHindu to be elected to Congress, will be thechief guest.

‘Our goal this year is to unite youngHindu professionals in celebration of the150th birth anniversary of SwamiVivekananda,’ said Richa Dixit, coordinatorfor the Hindu Youth Award, which will bepresented at the banquet.

Participants at the Hindus of Greater Houston meeting

Houston’s Hindus come together

contribution to dance. Singh said the company is seeking sponsors for their 10th

anniversary year programs “that are broad in vision andalso position Indian dance within themainstream dance context.”

Radha Ganesan said she was anardent supporter and patron ofDakshina because it “brings leadingguest artists from India, and offers pro-fessional development and culturalenrichment opportunities for dancers inthe US. Daniel uniquely combinesBharata Natyam with modern dance,and this approach makes Indian danceaccessible to a wider community.”

Ranvir Trehan told India Abroad, “Isee some of my own adventurous andentrepreneurial spirit in Daniel. I’mparticularly happy that he is positioningIndian dance and art within a main-stream context. Dakshina came to ourattention about four years ago as wewere starting to assist the KennedyCenter for its Maximum India Festival.We were impressed with several things:The fusion of modern and Western

movements into the classical Bharata Natyam vocabulary,the quality of the dancing, and the robust volunteer com-ponent of the organization.”

Ambassador Rao congratulated Samson, Bessell and theSpanda dance company, and said, ‘India’s strength lies in

its soft power such as the arts and cultural diplomacy,which foster a deeper understanding across boundaries.’

She was thrilled that one of the Spanda dancers hailedfrom China and had performed at the Indian embassy inBeijing when she was India’s ambassador to China.

Dakshina founder Daniel Phoenix Singh was bornin Varangaon, Maharashtra, grew up in Chennaiand settled in the Washington, DC region in

1990. He is the son of Swamidoss George and VioletRachel Doraisingh.

An accomplished dancer in Bharata Natyam as well asmodern forms, Singh has choreographed the fusion ofdance styles that Dakshina has become well-known for.

He trained in Bharata Natyam with MeenaTelikicherla of Maryland-based Nrityanjali. Singh’smost recent explorations in dance includeCuban/Colombian variations of salsa and meringuewith Javier Varela and Shawn Malone. He is on thefaculty at Maryland Youth Ballet.

The man behindDakshina

Page A32

Dakshina celebrates a decade of bringing worlds together through dance

From right, Daniel Phoenix Singh, Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Adarsh Trehan and RadhaGanesan