Vol. 5 | Issue 5 | Oct-Nov 2014
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THE
TERRIFYING RISE of ISIS
Rama’s Home Coming
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what’s inside Features 08 Blazing a trail for aspiring South Asian Actresses: Sandy Sidhu 12 The terrifying rise of ISIS 16 Terrorism a diplomatic asset: Fair is foul, foul is fair 18 Riots in US town prompt soul-searching on nation’s racial divide 22 Is the most powerful gang also the most Dangerous Gang 24 Sukhbir Badal: Modi government very decisive, will change system 26 What’s Up with South Asian Youth and Party Culture? 28 Rama’s Home Coming - Diwali 30 Arranged Marriage In The 21st Century 32 Rape victims in India are always Traumatised 34 Afghan women drivers: A Rare, Cherished Scene 36 Meet the Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia 40 The man who would have made India the most powerful country
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Food, Art, Entertainment 58 Hollywood’s 10 most expensive divorces 60 Will the Khans turn average 2014 into Bollywood Blockbuster? 62 Now I can beat anyone: Priyanka Chopra 63 I want to travel that dark road: Bipasha Basu 64 Asha Bhosle: Reality shows fail to produce playback singers 66 Interesting to play Pakistani inUS show: Nimrat Kaur
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Publisher’s Note This edition of Desi Today magazine is dedicated to Diwali festival. Diwali is a celebration of the victory of good over evil as Rama slew the demon king Ravana and rescued his wife Sita. Today, demons have reared their ugly heads once again in the shape of fanatical organizations such as the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that are committing the most heinous crime imaginable in the name of religion. But they are a group that really does not represent Muslims, because Islam, like other religions, does not advocate violence. They are actually a disgrace to all humanity. Aptly, we are carrying articles on both ISIS and Diwali in this issue.
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On the lighter side, we are proud to feature actress Sandy Sidhu who is blazing a trail for aspiring South Asian actresses. She is not only beautiful, talented and intelligent, but also bold, enterprising and tenacious – a true role model, indeed. This issue also deals with the sad and brutal reality of gangs in British Columbia even as the B.C. Supreme Court found two Red Scorpion gangsters each guilty of six counts of first-degree murder in the notorious Surrey Six murders in which two of the victims were innocent people, including South Asian Chris Mohan earlier this month. We also take up the issue of South Asian youth and their party culture ... and many other issues. We hope you enjoy reading this issue and welcome your feedback to help us keep improving to serve you better. Until next time,
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bold. rprising. She’s bold. She’s enterprising. versatile. She’s versatile. nacious. She’s tenacious. The interview
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Sandy Sidhu is indeed a perfect role model for South Asian females who want to pursue an acting career in North America. Her advice to aspiring actresses: “Tell yourself that you can do it. Work hard. Listen to the whispers of your heart and have faith. Somehow your heart already knows what to do before you do, and faith is what you need to keep going. And above all else, be you.” DESI TODAY spoke to Sandy about her amazing career.
Q How did you get involved in acting?
It started in high school when my friend told me about these auditions for an after-school musical theatre program. I was very shy at the time but I thought it was a good opportunity to step out of my shell. My first audition was for West Side Story and I distinctly remember the first moment I stepped on stage as a Puerto Rican Girl. I’ll never forget it. I was instantly hooked.
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Q What was your parents’ role in
encouraging you to pursue acting?
Well, I look back and I realize how lucky I was. I definitely come from a household where my parents allow me to just be me. They always supported my curiosity in every facet of life, whether it was science, or the arts. Whatever my drive was, they supported the direction that I chose. But I think my parents must have always known I was drawn to the arts. I’ve been drawing since I was three and then eventually moved into theatre in high school. So I’ve always been very creative - they never told me it was a waste of time.
Q Were they upset that you
decided to drop out of UBC after earning a degree in cell biology and genetics? I finished my degree. I never dropped out. Midway through my degree, I knew that I was going to finish it but I also knew that I was never going use it again and would pursue acting. So when it came time to announce it to my parents, yeah, I was petrified. But their response was incredible. It was ‘go for it’ and they supported me 100%. I had always been so creative so it didn’t shock them like I thought it would. And I honestly don’t think I would’ve been able to pursue this path without their support. I’m lucky. Especially in our culture where a career in the arts is less acceptable than other jobs that offer structure and guaranteed security.
Q What all training have you received in your field?
I’ve trained for many years in Vancouver and also studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles. It’s crucial to train.
Q Can you tell us about your role
in the science fiction series “Stargate Universe” and the Canadian series “Arctic Air”?
An actor never forgets their first role. And my first was Stargate Universe. It was a great opportunity because I got to work with Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba). He was the first person I had ever worked with, which was pretty amazing. Arctic Air was my most recent guest starring role where I played a character named Rachel, a lost ice climber who had to be rescued off a mountain before she froze to death. Rachel never hid how she felt. She was very candid and raw with her emotions, which was liberating for me as an actor. One of my favourite parts was working with Gary Harvey who was an incredible director and one of the kindest people in show biz.
Q What challenges have you
faced as a South Asian in the industry and how have you overcome them? I try not to think about what the barriers are because I tackle things as if there are none. But realistically, we aren’t seeing South Asians having equal opportunity for leading roles in Hollywood yet. People like Mindy Kaling and Aziz Ansari have become mainstream which is fantastic. We definitely have room for continued growth and opportunities. I think the way you overcome those boundaries is to continue to have South Asians in mainstream films and see that those films do well at the box office. Look at Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi as an example. It’s happening. We just have to continue to push.
Q You have started to produce your own films now as well.
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Tell us about that. I got into producing because it was an arena for me and I didn’t know if I was capable of doing it. But I was up for the challenge. And through the process of producing my first short, I realized I also loved it and I wanted to continue doing it. I have now produced two shorts within a year. My first short was called Fade Out, which was awarded a bravoFACT grant. My second short is called ‘Becoming Sophie’ and it’s currently in post production. I am now continuing to develop a slate of other feature films and TV shows with my producing partner, Crystal Lowe.
Q What are you working on at the moment?
I can be seen in a Canadian feature called Preggoland, where I play a character called Linda. And I just finished working on a role in an Ellen Page feature.
Q What are your future ambitions?
My passion for film and TV hasn’t waned since the first day I started. If anything, it grows stronger every day. I want be a part of the change for South Asians and break into leading roles in Hollywood films.
Q What is your advice to South
Asian females who want to pursue an acting career in North America?
Tell yourself that you can do it. Work hard. Listen to the whispers of your heart and have faith. Somehow your heart already knows what to do before you do, and faith is what you need to keep going. And above all else, be you. - By Desi Today Bureau
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The
TERRIFYING RISE of ISIS By Syed Asad Hussain
“… since September 11th event, in many occasion I always come forth, with a defense of Islam. Islam is like any other major tradition. I think the very praising Allah means love, infinite love, compassion, like that. I understand Islam, they usually carry rosary, all 99 beads, different name of Allah, all refer compassion, or these positive things.” – Dalai Lama
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The Shia-Sunni stifles Islam is an Arabic word meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of Allah (God) and obedience to His law. The Shias, Sunnis and Christians have lived peacefully for centuries but the post 9/11 period has produced deep cracks not only across the Middle East, but Pakistan and Afghanistan also felt the heat. The region is seeing the worst chaos, bloodshed and anarchy in its history. The Ottoman Caliphate, headquartered in Istanbul, ruled the Arab world for centuries. However, in the early 1900s, the Arab revolt backed by the British ended the long era of the Caliphate and made ways for the creation of many individual Arab monarchs. Moreover, the Sykes-Picot Agreement (post-Ottoman Arab world map) also attempted to divide the Middle East between British and French: Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan were to be given to the British, Syria, Lebanon, and southern Turkey to France under the Agreement. The security situation of the Middle East has worsened in the last decade or so and the region seems to be falling back into the old age of tribalism in which every tribe was fighting every tribe. Moreover, in the absence of any effective democratic rules and the incompetency of rulers, the extremist and jihadi groups continued to surface to fill the gap and establish strongholds in the region. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan in what historians call the worst sectarian killings in centuries.
What the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) wants? ISIS wants to abolish all borders in the Middle East and establish an Islamic State or Caliphate and enforce Islamic Law. Analysts reckon that among many Jihadi groups that have operated in the last decade or so, ISIS are the most barbaric and brutal and worse than al-Qaida. Reports coming from the Middle East would suggest ISIS considers random killings, suicide bombings, looting, kidnappings, torture and beheadings as an integral part of the holy struggle against the infidels.
A quick look at ISIS history According to Egyptian history, ISIS was the goddess of the sky and nature, the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. She was originally depicted wearing a thronewww.desitoday.ca
shaped headdress. Today, however, ISIS also known in Arabic as Da’ash, which is considered to be a stigma on the forehead of the Muslim world. Before the sudden capture of Tikrit and Mosul in Iraq in June, the world didn’t know much about ISIS. A recent statement by ISIS in which it rebranded itself as the “Islamic State,” declaring the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria, sent strong shock waves through not only the Middle East but the West as well. People were stunned, perplexed and shocked over ISIS’s sweeping victories in such a short span of time. They now control a third of Iraq and a quarter of Syria, or approximately 90,000 square kilometers. “Isis now presents itself as an ideologically superior alternative to al-Qaida within the jihadi community,” says Charles Lister of the Brookings Doha Center. ISIS used the Shia-Sunni conflict to their advantage and ran over Mosul and other Sunni majority areas in Iraq before controlling the major border crossings between Iraq and Syria. Earlier, Shias leaders blamed the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for igniting the deadly civil war in Iraq and Syria and supplying weapons and money to ISIS and al-Qaida fighters in a bid to overthrow Assad’s regime. ISIS started in 2004 and grew out of Iraq as an offshoot of al-Qaida. However, Al-Qaeda denounced its affiliation with ISIS earlier this year for it being too extreme and brutal. Some critics directly blame the Saudis (a Sunni state), and western countries led by the US for creating ISIS. According to a report prepared by the Center for International Interest,”the ideological roots of ISIS can be traced back to the Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, which was established in Iraq in 2004 by the Salafi-jihadi Jordanian Abu Mus’ab alZarqawi. Al-Zarqawi soon pledged his allegiance to Al Qaeda’s founder Osama bin Laden, and changed the name of his organization to Tanzim Al Qaeda fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (Al Qaeda Organization in the Country of the Two Rivers)”. Forty-three-year-old Abu Bakr alBaghdadi (his real name is Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai), a Sunni, born in Baghdad is leading ISIS. He claims he is a
ISIS SCORE CARD • ISIS was established in 2004 • Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took over the leadership of Islamic State of Iraq after its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a targeted strike by a US Air Force F16 jet north of Baghdad in June 2006 • On June 10, 2014, Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq and the capital of Ninawa province, fell to ISIS • More than 1,000 (with some estimates over 3,000) western jihadist militants are fighting in Iraq and Syria • Around 700 militants, the highest estimated number, are from France • ISIS charges $2 per month in taxes • ISIS is making $3.2m/day by laundering up to 80,000 barrels • ISIS now controls six out of ten of Syria’s oilfields, and four small fields in Iraq • Number of fighters in ISIS may range from 10,000-20,000. The CIA puts the number around 31,500 • ISIS draws recruits from nearly 81 countries • ISIS’s stock of weapons and equipment equal to 3 divisions worth • ISIS is controlling 90,000 square kilometers area • ISIS has achieved what Al Qaeda failed to accomplish
direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, comes from a religious family, and holds a PhD in Islamic studies from the University of Baghdad. According to the Guardian newspaper, Baghdadi was a captive of US forces from 2005 to 2009 and on the UN terrorist list in 2011.
ISIS Inc. finances It all began when money and weapons started flowing freely from the Gulf States and West to the rebellions, including alQaida and ISIS operators, engaged in overthrowing Assad’s regime. They were OCT / NOV 2014
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Main source of Income-ISIS Oil revenues and oil production barrels Source: Iraq Energy Institute $2 m/day
$1.2 m/day 50,000 b/day 30,000 b/day
SYRIA
IRAQ
trained by foreign experts as well. Intelligence reports say ISIS is now equipped with all sorts of weapons supplied by the West and in use by Iraqi and Syrian forces. The oil smuggling network that runs over northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southern Turkey and parts of Iran is believed to be the single most important source of income for ISIS today. According to Maplecroft, the risk-management firm, ISIS now controls six out of 10 of Syria’s oilfields, and four small fields in Iraq. Iraq Energy Institute estimates that ISIS is making $3.2 million a day by laundering up to 80,000 barrels.
ISIS by the numbers No one really knows the exact number of ISIS fighters engaged in Syria and Iraq. Colin Clarke, an associate political scientist at the Rand Corporation, says the figure may range between10,000 and 20,000. The CIA report, however, puts the number around 31,500. According to Souffan Group, a US-based think tank, ISIS has successfully recruited foreign fighters from at least 81 countries. Watching the videos uploaded by ISIS on the social media suggest they enjoy considerable support by people in
Iraq and Syria, which may be either because of fear of ISIS’s terror or because they truly love and believe what ISIS are doing. The use of social media has played a major part in the ISIS recruitment process. They have used news releases, magazines, videos and the Twitter account to update its supporters and do an online recruitment campaign. Thousands of foreign fighters from Europe and North America have flocked to the banner of ISIS to fight against the “infidels.” France seems to be the hot ground for ISIS recruiters followed by the UK. The Canadian government claims, however, there are at least 130 of its citizens fighting in Syria. US President Obama says, “Our intelligence community believes that thousands of foreigners -- including Europeans and some Americans -- have joined them in Syria and Iraq.”
Implications for the Arab world and west There seems to be no immediate direct threat to Europe and North America, but analysts believe that when ISIS foreign
Foreign Fighters in ISIS US 4% Netherlands 5%
Source: Business Insider
Spain 2%
Canada 4% France 32%
Australia 8%
Belgium 12%
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Germany 15%
UK 18%
fighters return to their home countries, they might carry out deadly attacks. Also a borderless Islamic State in the center of the Middle East means ‘the end’ for Arab monarchs, autocrats and theocrat rulers. On the flip side, Iran, Iraq and Syria (where Shias are in majority) understand that for them, living under Sunni ISIS rule would be no less than living in hell. Hence to counter the increasing threat, the collective assault by the US, European countries, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iraq on ISIS has just started. In addition, Australia and Canada also have joined the assault in various ways. Iran is acting independently and helping the weak Shia Iraqi government to deal with the ISIS threat. Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani (whose original name was Taha Subhi Falaha), the official spokesman and a senior leader of the ISIS, issued a statement recently urging ISIS supporters to kill Canadians, Americans, Australians, French and other Europeans, regardless of whether they were civilians or members of the military.
What the Muslim religious scholars say about ISIS? Going forward, the majority of Muslim scholars would disagree with the ISIS approach. They would argue that Islam is a religion of peace and denounces violence in any form. They view ISIS crimes as unparalleled in recent Islamic history and these have brought only a bad name to the religion. The Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, issued a new fatwa or legal ruling that the militant groups Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda were “enemy number one of Islam.” Australia’s grand mufti, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, also condemned ISIS ‘horrors conducted overseas’. On September 24, more than 100 Muslim clerics released a detailed refutation of claims by ISIS that its actions in Iraq and Syria are in line with Islamic law. The letter, signed by 111 prominent clerics from around the world, demonstrates many ways in which the clerics assert that ISIS is consistently violating Islamic law. Canada reacted strongly to the ISIS statement and Jason MacDonald, the director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said, “ISIS represents a threat not just to stability in the Middle East, but to global security.” In the meanwhile, the Canadian Immigration Minister Chris Alexander confirmed that the government has indeed denied www.desitoday.ca
The Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, issued a new fatwa or legal ruling that the militant groups Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda were “enemy number one of Islam.”
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passports to applicants deemed to have been interested in leaving Canada for the purposes of participating in terrorist activities. Canada is part of a U.S. led alliance that has also mobilized resources to crush ISIS. The reactions of the local Muslim community in Surrey are also not unexpected. The community seems unhappy with what is happening in the Middle East, consider ISIS actions to be extreme views of a particular group and not that of the majority of the Muslim world and that their actions are against Islamic teachings. In sum, ISIS’s sudden but strong emergence on the global arena has shocked the world. Although ISIS is not a direct threat to the West today, analysts believe that if resources are not mobilized to crush ISIS now, they may become a global security threat soon. Moreover, the oil-rich Gulf States are very much scared of the ISIS threat because one borderless Islamic State across the Middle East would mean the collapse of the Arab monarchs. Furthermore, the Sunni-Shia stifles is central to the broader conflict that has seemingly put the entire Middle East beyond hope of stability.
“Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see - egoism, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, intolerance, anger, lying, cheating, gossiping and slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then you will be ready to fight the enemy you can see.” - Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
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The ISIS threat has been around for months. Why was it not nipped in the bud? Obama’s response in the course of a conversation with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times is revealing. “We did not start airstrikes all across Iraq as soon as the ISIS came in because that would have taken the pressure off Nouri al-Maliki”, the then Shia prime minister in Baghdad. In other words Obama’s immediate priority was to get rid of Nouri al-Maliki. According to this logic, a terrorist outfit like the ISIS can, on some occasions, play a useful role. That is why Obama allowed the ISIS to grow in size to frighten the obstinate prime minister in Baghdad. Here the president of the US is giving an example of how terrorism can be placed at the disposal of diplomacy. In the early stages of the insurrection in Syria, US Ambassador to Damascus, Robert Stephen Ford and his French counterpart drove around the country’s major trouble spots - Derra, Homs and Hama. In each city they contacted opposition leaders. In Damascus some of us exchanged views with a veteran US diplomat www.desitoday.ca
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and Arabist, Edward Lionel Peck who was privately visiting the country. He was quite as astonished at this new, aggressive style of diplomacy, more akin to special operations. After returning to the US, Peck wrote on what he described as “a very unsettling subject”. He wrote: “I have been dismayed by the accolades and support given to Ambassador Ford, our man in - and now out of Syria, for stepping well out of the traditional and appropriate role of a diplomat and actively encouraging the revolt/insurrection/ sectarian strife/outside meddling, call it what you will. It is easy to imagine the US reaction if an ambassador from anywhere were to engage in even distantly related activities here. I fear my country remains somewhat more than merely insensitive, and is sliding into plain rampant and offensive arrogance”. Later that year, former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright spoke on US foreign policy at New Delhi’s India International Centre. During Q and A, I cited Peck as an outstanding example of the liberal American conscience. Albright was not impressed. She mounted an effective endorsement of Ford. The escalating terrorism in Syria, helped by “outside meddling” from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar has morphed into this beast called the ISIS. Ofcourse, Russia, Iran and Iraq dug their heels in for the regime. But does that make them worthy of equal blame? There is no space left to touch on jihadist militancy let loose in Libya, traversing Mali, uniting with Nigeria’s monstrous Boko Haram. Zbigniew Brzezinski, president Carter’s National Security Adviser considers global terrorism a small price for breeding Islamic Jehad which helped topple Soviet power. The aftermath of that Jehad, however, is still hovering over the heads of the principal actors in Kabul, indeed, in every concerned capital. Soon after the Taliban were ousted from Kabul, Hamid Karzai was nominated “interim president” in December 2001. A pulverized “international community” has been stuck with him all these years. The Constitution does not allow him to carry on endlessly. The occupying power organized elections in which one of the candidates, Abdullah Abdullah has alleged “industrial scale fraud” and pulled out, leaving Obama and John Kerry with the prospect of turning up at the NATO summit in Wales Sep 4, empty handed. Will jaw jaw on Ukraine and the ISIS disguise their embarrassment in Afghanistan?
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Riots in US town prompt
soul-searching on nation’s
Ferguson, the predominantly black small US town where a white policeman shot dead an unarmed black teen triggering weeks of protests has touched a raw nerve exposing America’s persistent racial divide. The protests, riots and looting of stores including some owned by Indian-Americans in the St Louis, Missouri, suburb of 21,000 people, nearly 70 percent of them black, but policed by 53 police officers all but three of them white, also has raised uneasy questions. “The town is trying to figure out how to turn a tragic moment into a lasting movement,” as Time magazine put it. It described Ferguson as “a town that has become the latest shorthand for America’s racial divide to figure out how to translate the energy, intensity and anger of the past two weeks into concrete change.” “The problem is that nobody is quite sure how to do it - or what that change would even look like,” it said. The influential Washington Post also wondered “What comes next in Ferguson” noting, “A reaction like we saw in Ferguson does not simply grow from nothing.” “It takes years of issues and tension, friction and unease, building and building before a spark sets the entire thing off,” it said. “Can peace come to Ferguson?” wondered CNN Contributor LZ Granderson noting “Blacks in and around Ferguson have felt targeted by police and disenfranchised for decades.” “They are overrepresented in police stops and arrests and underrepresented as police officers and lawmakers. They have been frustrated by this dynamic since long before Michael Brown” the slain 18 year 18
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UN WATCH:
Racial discrimination in US cause of concern The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said that racial and ethnic discrimination in the US remain a major cause of concern. In its concluding observation on the periodic report of the US on its implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the committee expressed grave concerns over the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials in the US, Xinhua reported. Serious problems persisted in all areas of life, including school segregation, access to health care and housing, with minorities -- particularly African-Americans -- continuing to be disproportionately arrested and sentenced, said the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the convention by its state parties. Noureddine Amir, member of the committee, highlighted the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials against racial and ethnic minorities, warning it was as “an ongoing issue of concern”, particularly in light of the recent shooting event in Ferguson, Missouri. Unarmed 18-year-old AfricanAmerican Michael Brown was shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb in the
US state of Missouri, which prompted nationwide protests and questioning of the US racial divide. Protests escalated into days of rioting. “This is not an isolated event, (and) it illustrates bigger problems in the United States such as racial bias among law enforcement officials, the lack of proper implementation of rules and regulations governing the use of force, and inadequacy of training of law enforcement officials,” Amir told reporters. The committee urged US authorities to promptly and effectively investigate every case of excessive use of force, ensuring the alleged perpetrator were prosecuted, and the victims and their families were adequately compensated. “The United States should undertake concrete and comprehensive measures to address the root causes and avoid any future repetition of such tragic incidents,” Amir said. The human rights expert also drew attention to the high level of gun violence in the US, saying the disproportionately affects members of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly AfricanAmericans. He urged US authorities to take effective legislative and policy measures to fulfill its obligation to protect the right to life and to reduce gun violence. www.desitoday.ca
Riot police clear a street with smoke bombs while clashing with demonstrators in Ferguson
old black teen, “was born.” Another CNN correspondent John Blake suggested “How Ferguson could be America’s future. “The protests in Ferguson, Missouri, have been described as a mirror into contemporary America, but they are also something else: A crystal ball,” he wrote. “Racial divisions will remain a permanent part of America’s future as long as the media tells black people that the criminal justice system is stacked against them,” he writes citing Ben Shapiro, author of “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America.” “A dramatic increase in interracial marriages will change the racial landscape as more people cross racial and ethnic lines to marry,” Blake says. “But that change won’t be a cure-all,” he cites Rory Kramer, a sociology and criminology professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, as saying. Racial progress is not inevitable with the browning of America, says Kramer as it will not happen without effort. Lisa Corrigan, director of the Gender Studies Programme at the University of Arkansas, also doesn’t accept the notion that most white people will welcome the browning of a country that she says was built on white male supremacy. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” she is quoted as saying, “because power is shifting and white people think that their whiteness is property to be defended.”
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Demonstrators protest the killing of teenager Michael Brown outside Greater St Marks Family Church
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FEATURES
g n a g l u f r e pow
Is the most
Photo: Chandra Bodalia
Also the most
G N A G S U DANGERO
FIRST the good news. There’s been a significant decline in gang violence in B.C. Now the bad news. With an estimated 130 to 180 gangs or criminal groups in B.C. you would be fooling yourself if you think there’s going to be peace. But, as gang expert Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – BC, points out: “If we don’t continue this work and if the communities don’t continue to work with the police or don’t continue their advocacy against gangs and gang violence, then it’s going to come back. The numbers are going to rise again.” In other words, there is no room for complacency. Just looking at South Asian gang victims, the community had already paid a huge price since the murders of brothers Jim and Ron Dosanjh in 1994. Yet looking at what’s going on once again in the South Slope of Vancouver where two rival South Asian gangs of young men are once again going at one another with shootings and arsons, it seems that we just might be sitting on a time bomb once again. The bad news? “What we see is still the continuing trend
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of a handful of predominantly young South Asian men who are for whatever reason are attracted to this lifestyle despite having every opportunity afforded to them because they come from middle class / upper middle class families. They have opportunity for schooling. They have opportunity for good careers. They continue to be lured in and they believe all of the myths and lies that are fed to them about gangs and the gang lifestyle,” notes Houghton. The good news? “We’ve seen the South Asian community more than any other ethnic group mobilize against this,” says Houghton. So there is no room for complacency either for the community or for the anti-gang task force, the CFSEU-BC. Houghton puts it bluntly: “People always ask me ‘well, are we still in a gang war?’ Well, of course, we are! We always have been and we can’t take our eye off the ball or our foot off the gas just because the stats are low.” He adds: “If we don’t continue this work and if the communities don’t continue to work with the police or don’t continue their advocacy against gangs and gang violence, then it’s going to come back. The numbers are going to rise again.” Why?
Because “there are gang members out on our streets every single day who look to commit violence look to commit crimes Photo: or Chandra Bodalia whether it’s selling drugs or shooting somebody. That’s always a potential in every single community in British Columbia and across Canada.” ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY to 180 gangs / criminal groups might sound staggering. However, those groups could be comprised of as few as less than 10 members or they could be like the Hells Angels who have more than 100 members. That all makes the gang scene very fluid and hence, very unpredictable with rank opportunism the order of the day. As Houghton puts it: “Alignments are always changing. It’s an extremely fluid and dynamic environment that these people find themselves in. As police, we are constantly targeting them and monitoring and disrupting their activities and conducting enforcement both locally and as they travel around, whether it is within British Columbia or across Canada.” There are still remnants of the United Nations and Independent Soldiers and other gangs. But gang members aren’t necessarily calling themselves by a specific name. They
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sometimes function in very tight-knit groups and go by the names of who their identified leader is or some other name that they seem to choose and that name may change two or three times year, Houghton notes. And the Red Scorpions still exist. Houghton says that police still considers the two surviving Bacon brothers, who are behind bars, to be leaders of the Red Scorpions, although police believe that some people are sort of controlling things on the outside. And recently, we learned that yet another gang wields quite a bit of influence in small communities around B.C. and even as far away as Yellowknife and Alberta and Ontario: the so-called “856” (the phone prefix in the Aldergrove area) gang. Just recently the CFSEU-BC displayed almost $400,000 worth of drugs that were reportedly seized from the gang. Police say
Seizure from Hells Angels in Nov. 2010
November 2010 Hells Angels seizure
it’s a violent criminal group that have been in existence for close to a decade and have been featured in local and other media for their involvement in assaults, drugs, weaponrelated, property-related, and other types of crimes. BUT you may be surprised to know that the most powerful gang in B.C. is NOT the most dangerous. The most powerful gang is none other than the Hells Angels. As Houghton explains: “You look at a group like the Hells Angels – by just sheer numbers they have over a hundred full patch members of the Hells Angels and then they have dozens and dozens of close associates 22
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and they’re disbursed throughout the province. “Not only that, but they’re an international organized crime group. They have chapters and clubhouses and members all around the world. So they’re not only internationally connected but they’re in existence throughout every single province in this country and they have been so for decades and so they are unique in that respect and they’re one of the first gangs, if you want to call them that, in Canada.” Houghton also notes: “Many of them have been arrested and convicted and the last I heard it was about 18 per cent of British Columbia full-patch members are either in jail, have been convicted or recently convicted of criminal offences – so almost one out of every five of them. “They’re heavily involved in criminal activity and have been for many, many years and everybody knows that - and in the gang world - perhaps less so than it used to be but in the gang world, they were somewhat revered and feared. The name Hells Angels is very well known – it’s a ubiquitous name in our society.” They are also the richest gang. Houghton points out: “They have been in existence for decades and they’ve been operating for decades and they’ve amassed a huge fortune – millions and millions of dollars.” HOWEVER, the Hells Angels don’t operate the same way as United Nations gang founder Clay Roueche and his gang or the Red Scorpions did.
“They don’t care about the 99.9 per cent of society – the rest of us, if you will – they want to fight over the small piece of pie that is the drug market and they’re willing to put everybody at risk including themselves to fight over that.”
Sgt. Lindsey Houghton
Pic: Chandra Bodalia
Houghton notes that members and associates of crime groups like the Red Scorpions, the Independent Soldiers, the United Nations and the Dhak-Duhre, whose power has waned a bit, are the ones that “have been committing the most violence in our communities and those are the ones who concern us greatly because they don’t care for the most part about public safety.” Many of them are not calling themselves by those gang names, but the fact is that they are former members of those gangs. Houghton says: “They’re the ones who are fighting over drug lines. You look at the Surrey Six trial and the murder of those six people was over drug lines and the most violent thing that could happen in our community is fighting over turf and that’s what these people do.” Innocent victims Chris Mohan, 22, and Edward J. Schellenberg, 55, of Abbotsford and four other victims who police say led criminal lifestyles - brothers Corey Jason Michael Lal, 21, and Michael Justin Lal, 26, and Edward (Eddie) Sousakhone Narong, 22, and Ryan Bartolomeo, 19 - were executed in typical gang-style fashion at the Balmoral Towers in Surrey on October 19, 2007. On October 2, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Wedge found two Red Scorpion gangsters Cody Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston each guilty of six counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the 2007 Surrey Six murders. Surrey Six co-accused, Jamie Bacon, is being tried separately. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Corey Lal and, along with Haevischer and Johnston, conspiracy to commit murder in Lal’s death. Houghton points out: “They don’t care about the 99.9 per cent of society – the rest of us, if you will – they want to fight over the small piece of pie that is the drug market and they’re willing to put everybody at risk including themselves to fight over that.” Don’t forget that we are talking access to millions and millions of dollars worth of drugs and profits from drugs. But let’s also note: “What do those people have to show for it? They are either all dead or all in jail.” - Desi Today Bureay
www.desitoday.ca
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FEATURES
POLITIC S
SUKHBIR BADAL:
Modi government VERY DECISIVE, will
The “decisiveness” in decision-making and “cutting red-tapism” of the Narendra Modi government at the centre will change the country’s governance system, Punjab’s powerful deputy chief minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, feels. “He is moving in the right direction. He has shown two-three things - decisiveness and cutting off red-tapism in decision making. That alone is the biggest and the most visible factor which is going to bring about a change in this system,” Badal told IANS in an interview here, as he analysed the Modi government’s completing 100 days. Badal feels that the new government should be given at least six months to set things in order and settle down. “After 10 years (of being in opposition), you just can’t take off. There is positivity now. We are positive. Give them another six months and you will see things happening. They will be more decisive as they will get a foothold in the government,” said Badal, who is also the president of Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. The Akali Dal is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and has a minister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Sukhbir Badal’s wife), in the Modi government. The Akali Dal and the BJP have run an alliance government in Punjab since 2007. “Earlier, things like road projects used to go to the road transport ministry, the Planning Commission, the feasibility committee of five secretaries, GoM (Group of Ministers) and then the cabinet. Now, till Rs.1,000 crore ($164 million), the minister is competent (to sanction projects). No Planning Commission, no GoM. Things are getting cut down from two years to just a few days. They are giving power (to ministries) to take decisions,” Badal said. Criticised by the opposition Congress in Punjab for being unable to get any package for the state from the centre, Badal has
CHANGE SYSTEM 24
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a different take on it. “I think we are already getting results. Within one to two months we have got road project clearances worth Rs.10,000 crore. People look at ‘ki sannu paisa kina bhejeya hai’ (how much money has the centre given us). In the next 2-3 months, the tendering would be completed. In two years’ time, we will be the only state where every major town connected with a fourlane expressway,� a confident Badal said. He said that urban infrastructure projects worth Rs.8,000 crore were being sent to the centre for approval soon. “Earlier nothing used to happen. We now have access to the (central) government which was completely denied earlier. We have an administration which listens, which never used to listen before. We were not welcomed before. That’s the difference,� he pointed out. The Punjab government, headed by 86-year-old Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (Sukhbir Badal’s father), was recently put on the back-foot after union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley wrote a letter saying that Punjab could not be given more funds. “People don’t want to understand in what context the letter is. Our issues are different. We will take it up with the prime minister and the finance minister. There are certain things we want to showcase which are based on the experience of the previous years of militancy and other things. We will convince them,� he said. Badal said that the governance and industrial reforms would bring more investment to Punjab. “We have already got 90 projects cleared. Investment of Rs.7,000-Rs.8,000 crore is coming. This was worked out in just four months as the (Lok Sabha) elections came in between. This month, I am planning to go to various places to attract investment,� he said. Badal has ordered the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion to secure clearances from various departments within 30 days for new investment projects. “We have a single window system for industry. You don’t have to go to all concerned departments. Just one person for all clearances,� he said. Himself a successful businessman with interests in hotels and resorts, media, real estate and agriculture, Sukhbir Badal, who is known for his corporate style of functioning and decision-making, said: “Business is run by professionals. I am a full-time politician. In business, you are your own decision-maker. In government there is red-tapism which we are trying to cut down.� - By Jaideep Sarin
www.desitoday.ca
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FEATURES
H T I W P U WHAT’S
H T U O Y N A I S A H SOUT AND
By Nadia Ali
? E R U T L U C Y PART
It’s a case of strict tradition versus a highly taboo topic. In the year of 2014 it is safe to say teenagers of all backgrounds and ethnicities experimenting with alcohol and party drugs is nothing new. But only recently, as in the last ten years, has the shift began to occur in south Asian youth, in which they have become more open to the idea of drinking and partaking in the party culture in general.More and more high school students from the Indian community are dabbling with underage drinking and/or marijuana usage throughout their high school and teenage years. Along with these issues, is also the emergence of the digital age and the popularity of social media amongst not only teens, but all demographics.With the majority of kids on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and YouTube, anything embarrassing and newsworthy that happens at a party will likely make its way onto the internet, where it is highly likely to become permanent public property. This means that if you decide to let your drunk self make an appearance at a party, there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to relive it the following day and days after that via Facebook photos or even YouTube clips. Growing up in a culture where the traditions are strict by nature, south Asian youth are taught that most ‘Western’ practices are bad, these including drinking, smoking, drug use, premarital sex, scantily clad clothing, dating, along with so much more. A tight leash is kept on the kids, which, naturally makes them want to explore the things they are banned from. Strict parenting often works the opposite way in which it is intended. Most south Asian parents who immigrate to Canada from overseas are desperate to raise their children with the
No alcohol and drugs were consumed during this photo shoot and was supervised by parent of one of the models.
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same traditional values as they would back home, disregarding the pressure their children will be going through at school to modernize themselves to North American culture, creating an inevitable friction between parent and child. Most significantly, it gives the child an excuse to lie if there is a lack of trust already in existence. But what exactly occurs at these parties? Are they as scary and deadly as parents have in mind? Probably not. In most casesits girls coming from home with big, oversized hoodies on with more revealing clothing on underneath that they will change into at the party. Its loud, explicit hip hop and rap music being played. It’s a bunch of kids trying to be more appealing to the opposite sex. Of course a lot of times people do get drunk, there may be a minor fight that is talked about for a couple days after, but it is not that often that anything majorly dangerous occurs, which is why it is so important for mothers and fathers to talk to their kids about smart partying, especially our young girls.The occurrences at house parties are no different than what happens on a Friday night at a club, which is where probably every young adult will go to at least a couple times in their lives, so developing smart habits in youth is not such a bad idea. In the generation our grandparents grew up in, or even our own parents’ generation, the youth of those times would not have even thought about attending social gatherings in which the opposite sex would be present. It is clearly evident that times have changed, but what exactly has caused this change? Of course, there are always the cookie cutter answers of teens wanting to ‘fit in’ or succumbing to peer pressure, which may rightly so be the reason, but when it comes to the youth of the south Asian community, the answer may just be as simple as lack of freedom and trust on part of the parents.A more open line of communication is needed between teenagers and parents to discuss the temptations and issues being faced by today’s youth, in a safe and judgement free manner. The taboo around underage drinking put in place by south Asian parents must be removed in order to successfully implement proper education to teens about the topic and creating a safer community. The bottom line is that teenagers will do what they want to do. Rather than treating the child with a lack of trust from the bginning, talk to them and establish open lines of communication. Create a relationship where the child can be open with the parent. For many kids who go and experience a house party, they discover it is not even a thing they enjoy, while others really do. When it comes down to keeping our youth safe, talking goes miles longer than any other tactic. www.desitoday.ca
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DIWALI SPECIAL
Rama’s Home Coming
Rama’s younger brother Bharata had been waiting, impatiently, to hand over the kingdom of Ayodhya back to her rightful king. Meanwhile over in Lanka, after ending the evil empire of King Ravana, Rama was busy concluding his obligations. As a Vishnu incarnate, his primary commitment was restoring Lanka’s crown to its rightful head and establishing the rule of law (dharma). History is full of treacheries and conspiracies. There is one in the family of Dashratha, the mighty king of Ayodhya. His youngest wife Kaikayi, Rama’s step mother, was one cold hearted woman. With the support of her cunning maid Manthara, Kakaiyi concocted a plot to trap her husband and force him into doing something he would have never dreamt of. They manipulated him into crowning Bharata, Kakaiyi’s son as king of Ayodhya and exiling Rama for fourteen years. This scheme was an anti-overthrow insurance protection for Bharata, who was completely in the dark about his mother’s scheme. Kakaiyi knew that Rama was a dutiful and obliging son, so sensitive to his father’s 28
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wishes he would do anything to fulfil them. She also knew that even if Dashratha never verbalised them Rama would fulfill them, and his devoted Sita and his younger brother Lakshmana would follow him as their shadow. But Kakaiyi didn’t hold all the cards. She did not know that her own son also worshipped Rama. She also did not know that her scheme while succeeding would become her karmic trap; a trap that would not only imprison her and isolate her from Ayodhya, but also from the entire civilized world. Tragically, right after Rama, Sita and Lakshmana left to live in exile, Dashratha died. His grief and depression of being separated from his sons and daughter in law were too much for his heart to bear. Bharata turned down the throne and moved out of the palace to live the life of a sanyasi. Disgusted, he also severed his relations with his mother for her sinful behaviour. And the subjects of Ayodhya! Well, they all turned against her. The women folk hated her so much that they refused to name their new born daughters Kaikayi. I wonder how a mother could be so blind to the virtues of her own son.
Bharata, though he conducted the daily business of managing Ayodhya from his jungle cottage, remained distanced from the glamour of acting as king. He was so anxious to see Rama take over the charge as the king that he even threatened to burn himself alive if Rama delayed returning to Ayodhya after the completion of his exile, even by one day. Fourteen years later, when the trio returned, their arrival felt like a monsoon of ecstasy and hope after an exhausting and dreary drought. The citizens celebrated their home coming. They illuminated the entire city with rows upon rows of lamps; sang welcome songs; danced with joy and distributed sweets. This is how lighting of rows and rows of little clay lamps became synonymous with the anniversary of Rama’s homecoming celebration. Dipavali in Sanskrit means rows upon rows of lamps. Its Hindi version is “Divali” and the Anglicized “Diwali.” It comes sometime between the last week of October and the middle of November. It is that time of the year when leaves turn gold, orange and red. The nights become longer and darker, and air www.desitoday.ca
nippy; in some parts of Canada, the United States and European there is even snow on the ground. Rivers, which become muddy during monsoon season, become crystal clear. The story of Rama and Sita did not remain confined to the boundaries of India. It traveled from India to Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Java, Laos, Malaya, Mongolia, and South Africa, Surinam, Sumatra, Thailand, Tibet, Trinidad, Turkistan, Vietnam and the entire western world through different routes, establishing close cultural ties with India. From an inter-faith and inter-cultural perspective, Diwali opens the front gates for Hanukah and Christmas, keeping the celebrations of good and right over evil and victory of purity over spiritual contamination on. Divali is the most auspicious day on the Hindu calendar. The alignment of stars the day Rama returned must have been so powerful and lasting that whenever such an assembly revisits, good things happen. Hundreds of years later, Lord Mahaveer, the last Jain holy saint attained salvation this day. Emperor Ashoka, who ruled by his sword from 273 to 232 BC, is said to have surrendered to absolute non-violence by converting to Buddhism on this day. The sixth spiritual leader of Sikhs, Shri Guru Hargobind Singh, was liberated from a Mogul prison along with fifty-two of his followers on this day. Unfortunately, the planetary alignment that had once forced violence to declare a cease-fire has not re-occurred since then, though we have continued to celebrate Diwali. Sure we celebrate Diwali, every year. After all, the evil Ravana is dead. But is evil dead? It is absolutely not. Evil is alive in every corner of this planet. Every day we go to bed after watching massacre of innocent children,
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani encourages Muslims to “kill disbelievers (that means us) in countries, including Canada currently supporting American and Frenchbacked military action against the group in Iraq in any manner. To date, they have killed thousands of Yazidis, Shiites and Kurds and captured their women. Their Islam is not a religion. It is an insatiable lust for blood; a weapon of control. The majority of Muslims, who wish to live in harmony, abhor them. www.desitoday.ca
men and women, and waking up to the news of killings, beheadings, bombings and kidnapping and raping: all because of Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab, Boko-Haram, and ISIS types. They are anti-Hindu, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-Yazidi (a group of people, who are very similar to Hindus and Muslims in many respects), and anti-humanity. Ravan and his demon associates used to plunder and defile holy sites, holy men and their spiritual practices by raining urine, blood and parts of slaughtered animals over their fire sacrifices. Completely unrestrained, they used to kidnap women, and wantonly. Every individual, who knows the story of the Ramayana, knows Ravana abducted Sita and pressured her into marrying him. He used his wide selection of powerful weapons, some of them even given to him by gods, to kill and invade. He was one power hungry demon. Peace and harmony were not in his lexicon. Today we are kept frightened by the modern day Ravanas. They exist in the form of organisations. Their objective is to destroy democratic values, freedoms and their indicators such as, temples, synagogues, churches, even mosques, and convert disbelievers to Islam. ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani encourages Muslims to “kill disbelievers (that means us) in countries, including Canada currently supporting American and French-backed military action against the group in Iraq in any manner. To date, they have killed thousands of Yazidis, Shiites and Kurds and captured their women. Their Islam is not a religion. It is an insatiable lust for blood; a weapon of control. The majority of Muslims, who wish to live in harmony, abhor them. Osama Bin Laden is dead, courtesy of President Barack Obama, but al-Zawahiri is alive; busy planning to establish an Al-Qaeda South Asia wing in India for the expansion
of their brand of Islam, which is anti-rule of law, anti-independent judiciary, anti-free press, anti-human rights, anti-minority rights, anti-civil society, anti-prosperity, anti-peace and anti-progress -- all the basic values that civilized functional democracies work hard to develop, preserve, protect and improve upon. The world is in crisis. However, this crisis also offers an opportunity to unite. Uniting to fight against evil is not a sin. Uniting to fight the enemies of humanity is dharma. Listen to the Bhagavad Gita; chapter 4; verse 8: paritranaya sadhunam vinashaya cha dushkritam. dharma sansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge. For the protection of those, who believe in and practice what is good and right, for the destruction of evil and evil doers, and for the re-establishment of the natural law, I come age after age. These modern day Ravans with thousands of heads, thousands of arms and thousands of eyes, and equipped with modern weaponry and technology and adept in the use of social media have to be taken out of this planet. It does not matter what they call themselves: al-Shabab, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram or ISIS, they are cloned Ravans. And given their evil practices and powers, Rama will have to clone him as well -- inter-racially, inter-culturally, inter-nationally and in multifaiths. I do not think one single bodied Rama cannot do it alone.
By Dr Suresh Kurl Dr. Suresh Kurl is a South Asian Community Activist, a retired Registrar of the BC Benefits Appeal Board and an Ex-Member of the National Parole Board. OCT / NOV 2014
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FEATURES
d e g n a Arr e g a i r r MaIN THE
Y R U T N E C 21ST arranged introduction, followed by a period of getting to know each other. We share, with our parents, the responsibility of choosing whether we want to spend the rest of our lives with this person or not. My older sister on the other hand had what I consider to be a true arranged marriage. My parents asked for her input, but she’d put her faith in their hands. The first time she saw her husband was at the gurdwara on their wedding day. They’ve been married over 20 years, and their relationship works for them in large part because they share strong religious and family beliefs. As for me, I ventured into the dating worldand met anice East Indian man. My mother said she understood that times were changing, and that this is how
My sisters and I are first generation Canadians. Born in India, we came to Canada before my 4th birthday. We grew up in a conservative Sikh family where dating is strictly forbidden. According By Manjit Bains to my mom, an Indian girl’s life belongs to her parents. After marriage it belongs to her husband. While I don’t subscribe to that belief, when I turned 18, I asked my parents to start arranging my marriage. A lifetime of not dating and not talking to boys had certainly not prepared me for what was to come. I provided a naïve wish list, and my aunt felt 30
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she had a suitable match, and took on the role of vachola (middleman/woman). The young man was well-educated as I’d requested. When it came to being clean-shaven, I felt his beard and mustache disqualified him, but according to my aunt, he trimmed them, and as such was in fact clean-shaven. It was not a match, and fortunately my parents decided to wait until I was older before trying again. Arranged marriages don’t really exist here in Canada. What we have is more of an www.desitoday.ca
girls were finding their mates. Her only request was that he be of the same caste as our family. He was not. With dating, I felt I was on the right track. I ventured further and had a gora/white boyfriend. We understood each other. He treated me well. But this was not an easy relationship for my family to accept. Further complicating matters was my younger sister’sannouncement that she’d also been dating a white man, he’d proposed, and now they were getting married. They held a traditional Punjabi wedding ceremony at the gurdwara followed by a Canadian wedding ceremony conducted by a Minister. The gurdwara wedding was attended by only my sister’s side of the family. Their white wedding was attended by only my brother-in-law’s side of the family…this was not a good start for a new life together, and after 7 years, their marriage ended. She has since re-married, this time to a Punjabi man. Now my parents have turned their attention back to me. My mother tells me she’s heard of this thing called the ‘internet’, and that there are single men there that I can marry. She says she doesn’t know what the internet actually is, but it is where the single Sikh men are. I love my parents. I know they have my best interests at heart. And while I’d like very much to have a family of my own, my priority is to be with the right person, and for it to be a healthy relationship. I don’t know what that looks like yet. But, I do know that I want a different relationship than what my parents have…than my sisters have…than most of my married friends have. Can a vachola help bring the right man into my life? I believe so. The vachola gets a special place in the wedding festivities, and with that comes responsibility, financial and personal in helping the marriage along. It is important to me that the vachola be happily married and reliable. Does arranged marriage work? Or is a love marriage the way to go in today’s society?It depends. The answer differs for each of us. For some, an arranged marriage/introduction can work. We’d have a hand in shaping our future, and honoring the lessons our parents have taught us. I’d be surprised if parents in our culture also didn’t feel some sense of relief at getting to share the responsibility for one of life’s major decisions.For others a love marriage is the way to go, especially if our families no longer understand who we’ve become living in this Western country, with its emphasis on individualism over the family unit. I see a shift taking place. Less focus on how we meet our life partners, and more emphasis on how to stay on the same page as the person we’ve chosen to spend our life with. As Antoine de SaintExupery put it: “Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” www.desitoday.ca
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RAPE VICTIMS in India are always
traumatised ow cruel the world can be for a rape victim, Suzette Jordan, the 2012 Park Street victim, can tell you but this hasn’t killed her spirit or made her give up her zest for life. “Victims in India are always traumatised. People pointed at my dignity. They did not even hesitate to call me a prostitute. But this hasn’t stop my spirit for living life zestfully,” Jordan, an Anglo-Indian who loves to live her life on her own terms, told IANS on the phone from Kolkata, saying she did not wish to shelter behind a pseudonym, which is usually the norm for victimes of rape. “My kids are my biggest strength. I have learned to survive because my family stood beside me every single time,” said Jordan, 40, who is a single mother to two children and runs an NGO that fights for women’s rights. She was allegedly raped at gun-point inside a moving car and later thrown out of it in central Kolkata, on one of its most well known streets, in February 2012.
My name is
Suzette
and not Kolkata Park Street Rape Victim 32
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Suzette Jordan has emerged as a courageous face of the struggle for justice for survivors of sexual justice. Being a survivor herself, she has used her experiences of navigating the processes of the criminal justice system, to help others. She has grown into an activist and spokesperson for survivors who suffer silently, hoping for relief and acceptance. Jordan believes that society must fight the sense of shame that is forced on survivors of rape and sexual assault and empower them with respect, support, compassion and sensitivity. The incident returned to haunt her some days ago when Jordan, accompanied by her friend, was refused entry into a reputed Kolkata hotel. The reason? She was a rape victim, the hotel staff told her in the presence of several people. The restaurant management, however, denied the charge and claimed the woman was turned out for being “troublesome”. “There were mails, posts, calls from people across the country supporting me, conveying their concern. But where were these people when I was insulted outside the hotel,” she asked. “All have their own life, all get busy. The fight is of that solitary soul who faces it, who goes through the mental trauma, that in-erasable horrific incident and those deep scars left behind,” Jordan added. Today she feels she is still a victim of the patriarchal society and what hurts her the most was the deafening silence from the people present at the hotel who turned out to be mere mute spectators. “No one uttered a single word in protest. They stood silently and saw me getting chastened. Nobody came out in my support, and I knew people won’t, I didn’t expect this,” she uttered. “This is India, this is our society. Because I am raped I don’t deserve a life. Was it my fault if I was raped,” asked Jordan, reflecting her disgust. The hotel incident kicked up a storm in the social media. Thousands of posts, blogs and write-ups came up in her support. People expressed their anger over the www.desitoday.ca
incident. Eventually the hotel’s rating on a popular food rating website has come down to 1 from 2.5. “I felt l was being raped again and again. The incident once again took me to my past, reminded me of the 2012 incident. Even if I want to get over that, people won’t let me do so. They will keep reminding me that I was raped,” Jordan said.
“Help should come as a genuine act and not show off; solidarity should be shown when needed,” Jordan contended. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had courted controversy after she dubbed the rape “fabricated”. While five people were charged by the court, only three are behind bars. Two, including the prime suspect, are still untraced.
Suzette Jordon is your average Kolkatan, but she is known in Kolkata by another name - The Park Street Rape victim. She has participated in protests against the failure to prosecute rapists. OCT / NOV 2014
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33
FEATURES Female passengers giggle when they see a woman behind the wheel, and tell Sara Bahai they are proud of her.
AFGHAN WOMEN DRIVERS:
A Rare, Cherished Scene In many countries, to see women drivers on streets is a familiar sight. In China and many European countries, it is not uncommon to see women driving taxis, buses and even heavy trucks. But in Afghanistan, a conservative Muslim country, to see a woman driver is still a rarity. That was why when a young lady was seen driving in a street in the eastern part of capital Kabul, she was followed by curious onlookers, Xinhua news agency reported. Some young kids flying kites and riding horses and elderly people in their yards had to stop at what they were doing to take a look at the young ladydriver. It was as if they have seen a ghost. “I am trying to learn how to drive so that I can drive in going to the university and in visiting friends and relatives. I also intend to drive to my office once I get employed after graduation, “ said the young lady on condition of anonymity. The lady driver, in her twenties and wearing a scarf, said in other countries, women can drive cars and even airplanes. “Why can’t we do it in Afghanistan?” she asked. “We should make women and men equal,” another lady-driver, who introduced herself by only one name, Laila. Women in Afghanistan, especially in the countryside where people deeply believe in traditions, usually prefer to stay at home or do light jobs. They also do not usually reveal their names to strangers.
Although there is no government ban for women to drive, it is very rare to see women drivers in Kabul and other Afghan cities. During the reign of the Taliban, with its brutal Islamic rule, women were not allowed even to walk in streets without a veil and without a male companion. They have outlawed schools for girls and confined women to their homes. It was only after the Taliban were toppled in 2001 that Afghan women began to regain their freedom. With education and influences from Western democratic countries over the past 13 years, some women are now breaking from traditions and are seen driving in the city’s congested roads. Women in today’s Afghanistan are now involved in social, political and cultural activities. In fact, there are now women holding government posts. There are women in the cabinet and some are parliamentarians, journalists, traders, singers and entertainers, something that was unheard of during the Taliban rule. Although the Taliban-led militancy is a continuing threat to the country’s security, the bulk of the Afghan populace, including women, are serious in moving their country towards more freedom and progress. One observer said Afghan women definitely would play a major role in restoring the country’s stability as soon as the election deadlock is settled.
Sara Bahai, 40, grew up in a world where women were not allowed the freedom to go to school, work, have a career or dream. But since the fall of the Taliban, she’s been working as a taxi driver in Mazar-i-Sharif. Sara Bahai, 40, says the idea that a woman driving a cab is sacrilege is ‘ludicrous.’ She has dedicated her life to caring for her mother Bibi, 60, to helping her sister care for her seven children, after the death of her husband in 2000 during the war against the Taliban.
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Meet the Toronto Raptors
It was exactly 30 years ago in 1984 when a young Sikh engineering graduate from Delhi landed in Canada with a few dollars in his pocket. He sent over a hundred applications for a job, but no one responded. In desperation, he went to a car dealer who was kind enough to hire him as a salesman. And as they say, the rest is history. Meet Nav Bhatia - Hyundai’s No 1 dealer in Canada and the only Super Fan as well as South Asian Ambassador of citybased NBA team Toronto Raptors. As he completes his 30 years with Hyundai, this super successful Sikh is in big demand. “On Sept 18, Hyundai invited me to Seoul speak to over 350 new dealers. They were from all over the world and Hyundai wanted me to fire them with motivation. I told them my story and they were just inspired,’’ says Bhatia, sitting in his Mississauga dealership superstores. “Today, I am one among the top four-five dealers in Canada. I have only brand - Hyundai. Even the colour of my blood id blue (colour of Hyundai). What I am today is because of Hyundai, and I want to give back to Hyundai, society and our South Asians and Sikhs. I am want to inspire people, I want to motivate them,’’ says Bhatia, just back from another motivational speech called TEDX Talk in downtown Toronto. Aside Hyundai, Bhatia’s another passion is basketball, and he has been a long-time fan of Toronto Raptors. His association with Raptors has got him officially designated as Super Fan and made him the most famous Indian face on the mostwatched NBA games in North America. “Because have watched hundreds of their games over the years, Raptors have given me the status of Super Fan. During Vaisakhi and Diwali, I buy 3,000 tickets for NBA games for over $300,000 and give them to Sikhs and non-Sikh children so that they can enjoy matches. The idea is make the mainstream in North America aware about turbans and my Indian identity. The idea is to integrate my Indian community with the mainstream,’’ says Bhatia.
SUPERFAN
Nav Bhatia By Gurmukh Singh 36
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In fact, it is because of Bhatia that Toronto Raptors have got the highest South Asian attendance at their matches for the past five years. “To thank me, Raptors appointed their South Asian Ambassador in April 2014. Now other NBA teams are after me to help them with more South Asian attendance,’‘ laughs Bhatia. For motivating Sikh children to take up basketball, Bhatia has been awarded by New York United Sikh. The multimillionaire Sikh says he now plans to sponsor the Canadian basketball Olympic team. “Right now, Canada is very low on the Olympic basketball table. But within the next few years, I want them to win the Olympic medal. I am roping in basketball stars to train our Olympic team. And don’t forget that we are Canada’s top car dealership when it comes to raising funds for charities.’’ According to Bhatia, “Bridge-building with the mainstream is the road to success, and this is what I am doing.’’ And he has his reasons to. “Something happened in 1998. I was walking into a Bell cellphone repair centre when a gentleman - who was talking on the phone - looked at me and said loudly: “Honey, I have to hang up now as my cab is here.‘ This man thought that all turbaned guys are cabbies. I wanted do change stereotype by telling the mainstream who we are.’’ He also recalls the discrimination he faced when he landed in Canada. “I was a guy with a degree in mechanical engineering from California State University. But nobody would give me a job because of my turban. It was so bad back in those days.’’ But thankfully, a Chinese car dealer gave him a break as sales-
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man. “I was desperate so succeed that I sold 127 cars within three months. And the Chinese gentleman rewarded with a promotion as a manager. I always tell new immigrants that you have to work twice as hard to succeed, and that’s what I did. I am on the job from 8 am to 11 am.’’ And so impressed was Hyundai with his commitment that they made him the manager of a failing dealership to turn it around. Within a few years, he not only turned it around but also bought it in 1989. Over the years, he has gone to buy more dealership and become one the top dealers in Canada. Interestingly, Bhatia is also the man behind introducing Bollywood in a big way in Canada. Beginning with Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1999, he would bring newly released Bollywood films to Toronto and screen them at multiple theatres. “We also brought many topnotch Bollywood stars - the Big B Amitabh Bachchan, A.R. Rehman, Shahrukh, Aamir, Akshay and others to perform before mainstream audiences. This helped promote Indian culture and identity. Promoting my roots and culture remains my aim,’’ he says. But more than his success, Bhatia is known for standing by his community, his people and his friends. And he is not like so many other rich, pompous Indians here who speak with forked tongues and have zero record of helping fellow immigrants. Bhatia is genuine and down to earth, say his long-time colleagues. Others tell you how he has helped many fellow immigrants get their footing in Canada.
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The man who would have made India
THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY On the fateful day, May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur, Rusy Karanjia, chief editor of the Blitz tabloid, was with Rajiv Gandhi for a few minutes. Gandhi disclosed to Karanjia that he had learnt from the mistakes of the past and that in the days to come, he was going to be really an enlightened leader - either as the prime minister or as the opposition leader. Gandhi told Karanjia that he would meet the expectations of the people in his next term, that seemed to be almost certain. Shortly afterwards, a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber detonated herself, killing Gandhi instantly. Gandhi was always afraid of criticism. A little encouragement filled him with elation and worked wonders for him and he began to be less dissatisfied with the world around him and himself. Gandhi’s move to usher in a new international order for protecting the global environment for future generations and similar other proposals were unique as no one could envisage that the bipolar global order would collapse in a short time, creating opportunities for the birth of a world order which shared the concerns of everyone. He very rightly understood that if the world had to be saved from a possible nuclear or an environmental holocaust, traditional and Europe-US centric approaches to international relations would have to be abandoned and rejected. Former foreign secretary Maharaj Krishna Rasgotra’s words lucidly explain Gandhi’s mind: “All of Rajiv Gandhi’s external policies were tailored and interpreted to fit this grand design of a new world’s order for peace.” 40
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As early as June 13, 1985, Rajiv told the US Congress that he wished to promote India in the service of the world. It struck an immediate chord in each one of us, giving a delightful feeling. It was believed that a bright young avatar had truly arrived. Here was a man who could speak our language, who was in step with us and who understood our hopes and longings of a million years (should it be ears?) and hearts because he was not part of the Congress politics of manipulation and caucuses. Gandhi was one of us. Fresh from the ranks, an ordinary guy with a family and interests in music and photography. Gandhi’s entry into politics was not just as the son of Indira Gandhi but as the great Prince Charming who would defeat the demented demons violating our society and usher in a new era of honesty, equality and change. Remember his scorching remarks to his avaricious partymen at the 1985 Congress centenary in Mumbai, denouncing power brokers and favour seekers, decrying the lethargy in the party and the distance between leaders and the people? Gandhi’s conviction that the panchayat raj was the only instrument to ensure power to the people was born out of his commitment to the masses. As he saw poor and ill-clad masses hailing him with sheer love writ large on their faces, he resolved to devote his time, his power, his position and eventually his life in their service. Wasting resources and time on needless tension was a sheer criminal act for him. With the same zeal, Gandhi initiated the missions designed to upgrade technology in a time-bound manner. It was Gandhi who brought the computer and hi-tech knowledge boom to India, which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government tried to hijack in the form of the India Shining campaign. His education policy of 1986 still holds good today. For the first time, the phrase NRI came into vogue as Gandhi opened the country’s doors for Indian experts wanting to return home. In order to facilitate their return, he initiated quick administrative reforms that saw technocrats occupying policy-making positions for the first time, enraging the power-hungry. As a child Gandhi was a perfectionist and would go on making efforts to improve. A deft motor mechanic, who at the slightest excuse would lie under his car to mend it, an expert cameraman according to Simi Grewal, for whom the young prime minister was no less than a profeswww.desitoday.ca
Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi at Rajiv Gandhi’s funeral.
sional who guided her own cameramen. He was the man who polished his own shoes. Even as a pilot he was always busy with one manual job or another. That he was better off than many other Indians and was a privileged scion of the Nehru clan did not seem to matter to him. He was an airline pilot - granted he had the advantage of being the prime minister’s son and grandson of another - and showed others that they didn’t have to be an obsequious khadi-clad type to make it to the top. Many of his political rivals cracked snide jokes about his Italian Gucci and Lotto shoes, his Cartier sunglasses, Armani suits and designer jeans knowing well that he was magnetic, better looking, better dressed and a man of immense
charm. Few politicians could match Gandhi’s open, cheerful, disarming smile. It converted even the hardest of cynics, or at least reduced their opposition. One of Rajiv’s great strengths was his youth. He had so much to live for, so much to do, despite all our caviling, cribbing and carping. There was a lump in many throats, certainly in mine as I groped for thoughts and words while watching his son, daughter and widow standing so compelling alone and with such dignity as the flames devoured a man loved by generations. Truly, he would have made India the most powerful country. By Firoz Bakht Ahmed, IANS
Rajiv Gandhi with Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
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LOVE & RELATIONSHIP
Law on pre-marital tests would save couples Keeping impotency or frigidity under wraps at the time of tying the knot that causes marital discord and break-up has triggered a debate following a high court poser to the government why then not punish the guilty. Observing it is an avoidable human tragedy, Justice N. Kirubakaran of the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court suggested “if pre-marital clinical examination by doctors are done, it will not only prevent impotents from getting married, but (also) prevent marriages of people suffering from dangerous and incurable diseases”. He was hearing a petition seeking to quash proceedings pending against a man on a complaint by his wife under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. A Bangalore-based NGO Sunday said enacting law for both the groom and the bride is a must. President of the NGO, Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP), Kumar V. Jahgirdar told IANS: “We welcome the high court interim observation that potency test should be made mandatory before marriage with the condition that the couple should be included in the test.” Justice Kirubakaran said: “The governments (both the central and the Tamil Nadu governments) could also think of including a provision for awarding compensation or punishment for suppression of impotency or frigidity.” Noting that women were the worst sufferers in such cases, the court said, “It violated the very basic human rights and right to decent and meaningful life.” Jahgirdar said: “I have seen a lot of couples filing impotency cases with one spouse complaining of being cheated. The pain lasts lifetime since majority of such cases are unreported and the victim suffers in silence.” He added: “However, enacting a law only for men to do the potency test is unconstitu42
OCT / NOV 2014
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tional and gender-biased.” Swarup Sircar, head of Save Indian Family, Delhi, said impotency is related to psychological condition and hormone imbalance. “In the Hindu Marriage Act, if the marriage is not consummated, the court can also make a decree declaring the marriage as null and void. But nobody believes that the wife can suffer due to impotency,” he said. Radha Krishna, a gynaecologist based in Bangalore, said many wives suffer silently about their husband’s impotency due to social stigma. “The wife is always targeted for infertility, mainly by in-laws. So, examination of the couple before marriage is a must.” She, however, said infertility is different from impotency and added pre-marital counselling is needed since India lacks sex education at the school level. Observing the high rate of impotency-related marriage failures, Justice Kirubakaran asked: “Whether state and central governments are aware of the social scourge and whether they are ready to amend marriage laws to fast-track matrimonial disputes?” Quoting data of the Chennai family court, Justice Kirubakaran, who posted the matter for next hearing, said the number of failed marriages due to impotency has increased to 715 in 2013 from 88 in 2009. The court asked the government about steps being contemplated to address the “serious problem/human tragedy”. Jahgirdar said pre-marital counselling should be made mandatory to bring down the number of divorces, adding that divorce cases are increasing in Bangalore due to stress that leads to impotency. “The government should not grant marriage certificate without pre-marriage counselling. It should take responsibility to save marriages,” he said. By Vishal Gulati, IANS
Tips to restore faith in love post break-up The end of any relationship leaves behind scars and the ability to trust again becomes a challenge when you start a new relationship. Take it slow, be honest and all will be fine. Rachel MacLynn, psychologist and relationship expert, shares trust commandments that will help put the faith back into love, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Accept that you are stronger than before: After the end of a relationship, you become wiser and ultimately a stronger person than you were before you experienced the difficult time. And that means that you now have more to contribute to a new relationship, and that you can be an even better partner to the right person.
Go slow: Take your time and offer yourself slowly, watching for how the person responds. Show a few smaller parts of yourself in the beginning; then, if the new person responds in a way that makes you feel safe, try offering a bit more.
Be honest: It can be very healthy to openly discuss your reluctance to make yourself vulnerable again. It can also create a sense of connectedness between two people, which can lead to more trust and caring. You might even find that the person you are sharing your experiences with has a similar story.
Not everyone is same: Remember that your new partner isn’t your old one. Don’t treat him as the person that hurt you, remember he hasn’t done anything wrong.
Trust yourself: In many cases, the fear of trusting another person is more about your own fear of not being able to handle a betrayal. But you know you can. You know you will be able to cope with a broken heart and trusting yourself to be able to cope will make it much easier for you to learn to trust again.
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LOVE & RELATIONSHIP
WANT A GOOD
k r o W t a e RaisSUPPORTIVE GET A WIFE Do not just blame your boss or jealous colleagues for no promotion or salary hike at work - your spouse’s personality is equally important to decide if your chosen career will make you richer or poorer. According to an interesting study, it is not only your own personality that influences career success but your spouse’s personality matters too. “When it comes to pay raises, promotions and other measures of career success, it is the husband or wife at home who may be exerting a bigger influence on workplace performance,” said Joshua Jackson, an assistant professor of psychology in arts and sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. The experiences responsible for this association are not likely isolated events where the spouse convinces you to ask for a raise or promotion. “Instead, a spouse’s personality influences many daily factors that sum up and accumulate across time to afford one the many actions necessary to receive a promotion or a raise,” Jackson pointed out. To reach this conclusion, researchers did a five-year study of nearly 5,000 married people aged 19 to 89 with both spouses working in about 75 percent of the sample. Jackson and co-author Brittany Solomon
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analysed data on participants who took a series of psychological tests to assess their scores on five broad measures of personality - openness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness. The findings suggest that having a conscientious spouse contributes to workplace success in three ways. First, the working spouse may come to rely on his or her partner to handle more of the day-to-day household chores, such as paying bills, buying groceries and raising children. Workers also may be likely to emulate some of the good habits of their conscientious spouses, bringing traits such as diligence and reliability to bear on their own workplace challenges. “Finally, having a spouse that keeps your personal life running smoothly may simply reduce stress and make it easier to maintain a productive work-life balance,” Jackson noted. The findings also suggest how we should go about choosing romantic partners. “People with ambitious career goals may be better served to seek supportive partners with highly conscientious personalities,” researchers concluded. The study is set to appear in the journal Psychological Science.
Marriage queries annoy single Indian women most When are you getting married and why aren’t you getting married? are questions that annoy single Indian women most, according to a survey by personalised matchmaking survey Select Shaadi. A total of 7,486 single men and women in the age group of 21 to 34 across the country were surveyed by the service, provided by www.shaadi.com, to understand the most frequently asked questions about ‘being single’ that annoy them. According to the survey, as many as 49.1 percent of the 4,310 women surveyed were annoyed by “When are you getting marrie?”, followed by 39.4 percent who were irritated by “You are settled and independent, why aren’t you getting married?” while 11.5 percent of the women respondents found “You should have kids by now annoying. When 3,176 single Indian men were asked about the most annoying things they hear frequently, 47.6 percent picked “You are settled in your career, why aren’t you getting married?” This was followed by 43.3 of the respondents getting annoyed at “Get married, you will become responsible”, and 9.1 percent who were tired of hearing “You need someone to take care of you, get married”. According to Premanshu Singh, assistant vice president and head - Emerging Business, Select Shaadi, the survey suggests that “Indian parents still consider marriage to be a sign of maturity, responsibility and dependability”. www.desitoday.ca
HEALTTH & WELLNESS
Fight Inflammation Naturally by Surinder Shaun Kochhar LPN, FCN
Anti-inflammatory diet
Inflammation is part of the body’s immune response to heal. Without it, we can’t heal A body weak in immune system, sans inflammation, surely will fail to survive.The various signs of inflammation are : redness, swelling , low fever, warmth, pain and loss of function.
to the injured/affected area. This inflammatory response triggers extra blood to the point of repair. Our blood serves as a sky train and passangers are the various body elements namely Zinc, platelets, fibrin Vitamin A, vitamin C , et al which help to heal the injury.vitamin A and zinc help in rehabilitating from an injury. Both are required for proper collagen formation. Vitamin A contributes to cell growth, bone development and immune function. Zinc speeds new cell growth and improves immune function. Vitamin Chelp with wounded tissue healing and healing of burns. It improves the strength of the walls of the blood vessels and help in speedy recovery..
So to heal the injured area our brain triggers immune response which results in Inflammation
But if inflammation is out of control --as in rheumatoid arthritis--it can damage the body.
Our body’s immune system is our defense system. It is totally responsible to fight successfully for indoor or invading bacteria/ virus .When we are attacked with this, the body’s immune system triggers inflammation What is Inflammation
Secondly, it’s thought to play abig role in obesity, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and even some cancers . Moreover, foods high in sugar and saturated fat help inflammation to go out of control. They cause over activity in the immune system, which can lead to joint pain, fatigue, and damage to the blood vessels. So inflammation under control heals wher as out of control prove diabolical. Can we prevent over inflammation with the help of food Yes of course, by eating healthy food in succession 24x7. Let us have a serious look at the various food that may curb inflammation. Add these items to your plate everyday every time we eat. 1. Ginger and turmeric These spices, common in Asian including Indian cooking, have been shown in various studies to have anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger, meanwhile, has been shown to reduce inflammation in the intestines . Turmeric, the ingredient that gives curry its yellow color, works in the body by helping to turn off a NF-kappa B, a protein that regulates the immune system and triggers the process of inflammation, researchers say. 2. Fatty fish Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proved to help reduce inflammation. To get the benefits, however, you need to eat fish at least 2times a week, and it should be cooked in healthy ways: In a 2009 study from the University of Hawaii, men who ate baked or boiled fish (as opposed to fried, dried, or salted) cut their risk of heart disease by 23% compared to those who ate the least. Not a supporter of fish? Turn to Fish-oil supplements. They can cut inflammation, although a 2013 study found that if a diet is very high in omega-6 fatty acids (found in processed foods and vegetable oil), fish-oil supplements may accelerate inflammation. Flax seed
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Those who are vegans can go with flax seed. Flax Seed is Rich in omega-3 Fatty Acids: Inflammation is enhanced by having too little Omega-3 intake (such as in fish, flax, and walnuts), especially in relation to Omega-6 fatty acid intake www.desitoday.ca
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HEALTTH & WELLNESS (in oils such as soy and corn oil). In the quest to equalize the ratio of these two kinds of oils, flax seed can be a real help. Ground Flax seed is better than whole seed as ground one is better absorbed. Most of the oil in flax seeds is alpha linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an Omega-3 that is a precursor to the fatty acids found in salmon and other fatty cold-water fish (called EPA and DHA). Because not everyone is able to convert ALA into EPA and (especially) DHA easily, it is better not to rely solely on flax for your Omega-3 intake. However, ALA also has good effects of its own, and definitely helps in the Omega 3/6 balance. Omega-6s and Omega-3s don’t have the same effects. Omega-6s are pro-inflammatory, while Omega-3s have an anti-inflammatory effect. 3. Whole grains Consuming most of your grains as whole grainsare much healthier than their refined counterpartsnamely refined, white bread, cereal, rice, and pasta can help keep harmful inflammation away. That’s because whole grains have more germ,fiber, which has been shown to reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the blood, and they usually have less added sugar. Whole brown rice/basmati rice[aged] is a best option for south Asian rice lovers 4. Dark leafy greens Studies have suggested that vitamin E may play a key role in protecting the body from proinflammatory molecules called cytokines—and one of the best sources of this vitamin is dark green veggies, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens. Dark greens and cruciferous vegetables[bokchoy, collard greens, kale, red and green cabbage, chard, turnip greens, arugula, mustard greens, savoy cabbage, Chinese cabbage, rapini and watercress] also tend to have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals—like calcium, iron, and disease-fighting phytochemicals—than those with lightercolored leaves. 5. Nuts Another source of inflammation-fighting healthy fats is nuts—particularly almonds, which are rich in fiber, calcium, and vitamin E, and walnuts, which have high amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fat. All nuts are packed with antioxidants, which can help your body fight off and repair the damage caused by inflammation. Nuts (along with fish, leafy greens, and whole grains) are a big part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been proven to reduce inflammation in as little as 6 weeks. 6. Olive oil “Anything that fits into a heart-healthy diet is probably also good for inflammation—and that includes healthy, plant-based fats like olive oil,” 48
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says Dr. Zashin, author of Natural Arthritis Treatment ($13; amazon.com). In fact, a 2010 Spanish study found that the Mediterranean diet’s myriad health benefits may be largely due to its liberal use of olive oil, especially the extravirgin kind. The compound oleocanthal, which gives olive oil its taste, has been shown to have a similar effect as NSAID painkillers in the body. 7. Berries All fruits can help fight inflammation, because they’re low in fat and calories and high in antioxidants. But berries, especially, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties— possibly because of anthocyanins, the powerful chemicals that gives them their rich color. Studies have shown, for example, that red raspberry extract helped prevent animals from developing arthritis; that blueberries can help protect against intestinal 8. Soy Several studies have suggested that Isoflavones, estrogen-like compounds found in soy products, may help lower C-Reactive Protein and inflammation levels in women—and a 2007 animal study published in the Journal of Inflammation found that isoflavones also helped reduce the negative effects of inflammation on bone and heart health in mice. But avoid heavily-processed soy whenever possible, which may not include the same benefits and is usually paired with additives and preservatives. Instead, aim to get more soy milk, tofu, and edamame (raw green soyabean kernels] into your regular diet. 9. Low-fat dairy Foods with milk products are loaded with calcium and vitamin D are sometimes considered a trigger food for inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, because some people have allergies or intolerances to casein, a protein found in dairy. But for people who can tolerate it, low-fat and nonfat milk [skim milk] are an important source of nutrients. A child may be fed on Homo Milk for 3 years and after that 2 % milk is recommended. For people 40 years plus skim milk is a preferable choice, though it depends on amount of physical work done in a day in succession. Yogurt also contain probiotics, which can reduce gut inflammation. Go for greekyogert for assured better results 10. Peppers Colorful vegetables get their color due to Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the primary pigment in plants. These are part of a healthier diet ingeneral .As opposed to white potatoes or corn, colorful peppers, tomatoes, squash, and leafy vegetables have high quantities of antioxidant vitamins and lower levels of starch. Bell peppers are available in a variety of colors, while hot
peppers (like chili and cayenne) are rich in capsaicin, a chemical that’s used in topical creams that reduce pain and inflammation. Peppers, however, are nightshade vegetables— which some doctors and patients believe can exacerbate inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis. What helps one person may be harmful to another,” says medicine experts. One just need to pay attention to one’s diet, symptoms and stick with what works for you. 11. Tomatoes Tomatoes, another nightshade veggie, may also help reduce inflammation in some people. Juicy red tomatoes, specifically, are rich in lycopene, which has been shown to reduce inflammation in the lungs and throughout the body. Cooked tomatoes contain even more lycopene than raw ones, so tomato sauce works, too. Tomato juice consumption in succession is also beneficial. 12. Beets This vegetable’s brilliant red color is a tip-off to its equally brilliant antioxidant properties: Beets (and beetroot juice) have been shown to reduce inflammation, as well as protect against cancer and heart disease, thanks to their hearty helping of fiber, vitamin C and plant pigments called betalains 13. Garlic and onions There’s a good reason why these pungent vegetables are known for their immunity-boosting properties. In test-tube and animal studies, garlic has been shown to work similarly to NSAID pain medications (like ibuprofen), shutting off the pathways that lead to inflammation. Onions contain similar anti-inflammatory chemicals, including the phytonutrient quercetin and the compound allicin, which breaks down to produce free radical-fighting sulfenicacid. inflammation and ulcerative colitis; and that women who eat more strawberries have lower levels of CRP in their blood. 14. Tart cherries In a 2012 presentation, Oregon Health & Science University researchers suggested that tart cherries have the “highest anti-inflammatory content of any food.” Studies have found that tart cherry juice can reduce the inflammation in lab rats’ blood vessels by up to 50%; in humans, meanwhile, it’s been shown to help athletes improve their performance and reduce their use of anti-inflammatory pain meds. Experts recommend eating 1.5 cups of tart cherries, or drinking 1 cup of tart cherry juice, a day to see similar benefits. And yep, they’ve got to be tart—sweet cherries just don’t seem to have the same effects. www.desitoday.ca
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49
STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE
TOO MUCH MAKE-UP
not good FOR
youngsters South Asian Designers Showcase Their Styles At VFW! By R. Paul Dhillon
The fall Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) Opening Gala in downtown Vancouver brought out a bevy of Vancouver’s most stylish fashionistas. VFW has changed the venue from Chinatown to the upscale Queen Elizabeth Theatre (in front with tents). It reflects their upward mobility with big sponsors like Pantene and CoverGirl coming on aboard. India’s Shravan Kumar is back and his fabulously grand designs got the biggest ovation at the Gala and showcased his designs along with a number of other South Asian designers; Swati Padmaraj (Seattle), Heer (Blanch Macdonald Fashion design program) and Taranjit K Cheema (Canada). RJ1200 contest winners Rajveer Chohan and HafizaParbatani enjoying the red carpet experience. As winners, they received the VIP invitation to the opening gala of Vancouver Fashion WeekSpring/Summer 2015, enjoyed London drugs VIP lounge experience and walked home with free gifts from COVERGIRL, Pantene and Olay.
Parents are being urged to ensure that their children aren’t using too much make-up particularly if they’re young as it can lead to major skin problems, says an expert. Girls as young as 12 years old are afraid to leave their home without wearing a full face of make-up, new research has revealed. An independent survey conducted by survey-led marketing research company OnePoll says that one in five girls aged between 12 and 17 are covering up their imperfections daily before leaving their home. A worryingly high number of young girls are also topping up their make-up at least once a day as results reveal 46 percent of young girls will reapply make-up, reports femalefirst. co.uk. Skincare experts warn that applying too much make-up at a young age not only worsens existing and immediate skin problems but can also have an effect on long term skin health and condition that includes confidence and self esteem. This comes as the study found that 40 percent of young girls ‘forget’ to remove their make-up and a further 36 percent leave it on because they are ‘too tired’ to remove it. “Applying too much make-up from as young as 12 years old without first using skincare products can cause sensitive skin to become dry and irritated. “Skincare products such as face wash and cleanser help ensure that skin is clean and prevent build-up of spot-causing bacteria, while moisturisers are key for ensuring skin is hydrated and often contain SPF to protect against damaging UV rays,” said skincare expert Caroline Frazer. Mothers also admit to their daughters having insecurities about skin issues with 70 percent regularly hearing complaints from their daughter about it. “The results of this research suggest that while good skin is clearly very important to young girls, they are caking on makeup to cover their imperfections which unfortunately, enters them into a vicious circle as this excessive use is actually creating more problems for themselves,” said Frazer. “Applying layers of make-up will only serve to block pores, create and harbour more bacteria and inevitably, lead to greater skincare problems as well as confidence and self esteem issues,” added the expert.
As the official hair and makeup provider, P&G brand stylists brought Canada’s favourite beauty brands, COVERGIRL, Olay and Pantene, to showcase the latest makeup trends and hairstyles on the Vancouver Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 runway. Some of the products featured at VFW S/S 2015 include COVERGIRL Clump Crusher Mascara, truBLENDFoundation, truBLENDFixstick, Pantene Pro-V StylersShaping Hairspray, Pantene Pro-V StylersMousse, and Olay RegeneristLuminous Brightening Cream Cleanser.
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SRI SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA JYOTHISH MANDIR
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shapely eyebrows Perfectly shaped eyebrows can accentuate the beauty of your eyes, so it’s important to spend that extra time to get them properly trimmed. International creative director of Paul & Joe Beaute, Craig-Ryan French shares his top tips for beautiful brows, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
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Nobody’s eyebrows are totally symmetrical. A mentor once explained - Think of eyebrows as sisters - not twins. They will resemble one another - but they will never be identical. To balance wider set eyes, start brows a little closer together. For closer set eyes, begin slightly farther apart. The ending tip of the eyebrow should never drop below the level of the beginning of the brow. Brows should sit on the same horizon line or the slightly higher, but never lower. Beware of too-thin brows as it can actually make you look older. Use an eyebrow pencil, or powder that matches the colour of your own eyebrows.
Exception: If you have pale or blonde eyebrows, use a colour that’s one or two shades deeper than your natural brow colour - this prevents blonde brows from looking washed out, especially when other eye make-up is worn.
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STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE
Mumbai, Mumbai, Karachi girls girls Karachi EQUALLY equally ADVENTUROUS adventurous about fashion about HUMA HUMA ADNAN ADNAN
Karachi-based fashion designer Huma Adnan says her “dramatic and quirky” creations are apt for the Mumbai market as women here are as daring as those in her homeland. For the past eight years, she has been offering women in Pakistan, popular for long length kurtas with salwars, outfits that are far from “regular”. Be it midriff revealing tops or anklelength dresses, her designs can be worn by any “daring” woman. “My stuff is more for people who are young at heart. Age is not a limit. I feel somebody who wants to feel happy, I make clothes for them. I don’t have typical thing that I see everywhere,” Adnan, who was in the capital for the “Aalishan Pakistan” lifestyle exhibition, told IANS here.
“I feel bored of the regular stuff... looks like uniform. I show dramatic and quirky clothes. I do fusion and I am proud of my craft,” she added. Adnan’s creations were sold from Indian multi-designer store Kimaya in Mumbai and she believes that when it comes to business, the city is good for her. “I used to sell from Kimaya. I was stocking from there. For a little while, I stopped doing for personal reasons. I plan to start again. I know Mumbai is my market because people love my stuff,” she said. “Here (in Delhi), people are not willing to experiment. Maybe, I am wrong. In Mumbai, girls are very adventurous. They can wear anything,
The 5 key autumn/winter 2014 fashion trends you need to know about Autumn/winter is our absolute favourite season of the year (just so you know, we think in fashion seasons rather than those of the meteorological variety – much easier to distinguish).
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just like Karachi girls. They are willing to be daring. “In Delhi, people are more into traditional and they play safe. I’ve seen a lot of socialites here in cutting edge pieces too, but mostly ethnic wear... very royal and regal though. They are well dressed, but not adventurous,” she added. With the arrival of the autumn-winter season, she has more exciting pieces for fashionistas. “I don’t make boots. I am working on anklets which can be worn with dresses. Women can cover almost half of their legs. That’s a new trend I am trying to bring in. It’s an accessory and looks stunning,” said the designer. She is also planning to offer structured ensembles to women for the coming season. “There will be structured clothes and I’ll use a lot of stretch fabric and silk. I want girls’ contours to show,” said Adnan. She is also looking at the West for her collections. “London is my next venture. There is a huge market for my kind of clothes,” she said. While she wants to open stores in different parts of the world, she says that fashion has “come a long way” in her home country. “We used to wear a lot of dark colours and not experiment with bright ones. Now, we wear something as bright as saffron or red, but they are different from what is available in India,” she said. “Fashion weeks have also started. There are quite a few American designers who love our work. I know we have made it, but how the government will capitalise, they need to have a plan for that,” added Adnan, a member of the Fashion Pakistan Council that has been providing exposure to the country’s designers since 2007.
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MEHARBAN (RON) RANAUTA 1. Every season has its signature decade these days and this time round it’s the 60s, as seen at Nicolas Ghesquiere’s first show for Louis Vuitton which featured structured A-line shifts, knee-high shiny leather boots and luxe polo necks. Gucci’s more glamorous take saw brown leather A-lines paired with ruffled leather shirts, while Valentino gave us bright printed tunics. 2. Dolce & Gabbana turned storytellers with their dark, unctuous take on traditional fairy tales for AW14. Think huge fur hoods, jade green embellished capes and enchanting Little Red Riding Hood thick ruby coats. 3. Don’t groan. Yes, normcore’s gone high fashion. Also described as ‘perfectly boring’, the key to this trend is beautifully tailored louche trouser suits, soft wool jumpers, and a lot of classic grey, navy and black. This is about wearing the very best classic pieces you can afford, to make your life as simple and comfortable as possible. As seen at Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Margaret Howell. 4. Burberry often creates trends all on its own these days. And it’s no different this season with Christopher Bailey celebrating the boho artists and writers of the 1920s, known as the Bloomsbury set. Beautiful, whimsical watercolour scarves were layered over dresses and worn with drawstring ankle boots and either a shearling jacket or one of those monogrammed blankets. 5. While pink has reigned supreme in recent seasons, blue fought back on the AW14 catwalks (though don’t ditch the pink coat yet – Christopher Kane ensured they’re still en vogue, phew). From cobalts to teals and everything in between, we’ll all be feeling blue this autumn.
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STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE
It’s India calling again for Tommy Hilfiger 54
OCT / NOV 2014
News With A Desi View
Iconic American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, who is inspired by the “energetic culture” of India, will visit the country for three days starting Sep 26 to commemorate 10 years of his brand’s existence in the nation. He will host special events in the capital as well as in Mumbai. “It’s an honour to be visiting India again to celebrate our brand’s 10th anniversary in the country,” the designer, who has over 30 years of experience in the international fashion and design world, said in a statement. Talking about his deep connect with India and its culture, Hilfiger said: “I first visited India in the early 1980s, and over the course of my career, I’ve returned many times. I am continuously inspired by the country’s energetic culture and India’s incredible colors, textures and fabrics.” “For 10 years we’ve shared our classic, American, cool styles with consumers throughout India, and I look forward to celebrating this milestone in New Delhi and Mumbai,” added Hilfiger, who made his inaugural trip to India in the 1980s. His official tour of India will begin Sep 26 in the capital, with an exclusive VIP dinner hosted by Indian philanthropist and patron of the arts, Feroze Gujral, at her private residence. The following day, the ace designer will attend a press event at the Tommy Hilfiger Select Citywalk store with Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor. The designer has also been invited to the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) as a guest speaker, where he will share his experiences in building a global fashion brand with aspiring design students. On the evening of Sep 27, Hilfiger will host the Tommy Hilfiger brand’s official 10th anniversary celebration event at The Leela Palace in the capital. On Sep 28, he will travel to Mumbai as the final stop of the tour. There, he will attend a private event. The multi-day programme will highlight the Tommy Hilfiger brand’s most notable moments and achievements throughout its 10 years in India. Also, to commemorate the brand’s milestone in the country, and to honour the country’s long tradition of celebratory dress, two exclusive limited-edition designs will be introduced: a shawl for women and a traditional men’s bandi. These iconic Indian garments have been reinterpreted with Hilfiger’s signature twist. The limited edition designs will be available exclusively at select Tommy Hilfiger stores across India starting Sep 24. The first Tommy Hilfiger store in the country opened in April 2004 at Bangalore’s Forum Mall. www.desitoday.ca
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BUSINESS & CAREER
Apple chief executive Tim Cooks got a standing ovation in Cupertino, when he announced the “next chapter in our story” at a special event that also launched the iPhone 6 in two sizes. The Apple Watch checked more than the expected boxes: Nifty design (not spectacular by Apple standards), sapphire crystal, a new interface with an innovative little crown to control most things, vibrating feedback for reminders, a new NFCbased Apple Pay system, and even “wireless charging”-sort of. Don’t rely overly on standing ovations as an indicator of great products, though. Especially when it’s a fan audience that’s waiting for months for just that announcement. And remember when Steve Jobs announced the iPod way back in 2001? He didn’t even get polite applause, until the end when he pulled the iPod-with its 5 megabyte hard drive-out of a pocket in his blue jeans. There was no standing ovation. Yet the iPod, with its companion iTunes software and service, opened up for Apple a new market with new customers: hundreds of millions of music lovers. Most weren’t Apple users. And yes, it also changed the world of digital music. In January 2007, when Steve Jobs announced that Apple had just “reinvented the phone”, there was more excitement. Again, it wasn’t a global new category: as with MP3 players before the iPod, smartphones had been around. But it was an all-new market for Apple. Many who weren’t Apple users bought the iPhone. On the face of it, Apple’s watch appears to check the same boxes: existing market segment, new category for Apple, trademark design innovation. There’s one very big difference though. The iPod and iPhone were standalone gadgets that did not need you to own an Apple product, to work. You did need to connect the iPod to a computer to load music, but not necessarily an Apple. That’s how the company opened up a new market, with new customers who didn’t have an Apple. 56
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WHY
Apple Watch IS A
missed OPPORTUNITY
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By Prasanto K. Roy, IANS
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Not so for the Apple Watch. It works only with an iPhone, and not just any old model, but the current iPhone 5, and the next one that’s launching Sep 19 in the US and Oct 17 in India, the iPhone 6. Can you use an Apple Watch without an iPhone? Intermittently, perhaps, but for many features, it needs an iPhone aroundincluding for GPS. That’s a surprise, given how many wearable devices are already available with GPS. So if you’re going jogging, you’ll need to lug your iPhone 5 if you want to use those capabilities. Let’s look at the competition: Even those who have watches linked to their smartphones let you use them largely independently. Samsung’s Gear S has GPS and a 3G internet connection. The rather stunning Moto 360 lets you sync with many Android handsets. There’s even a Spice-branded dual-SIM watch in India -at under Rs.4,000. Okay, forget the competition. Apple had an opportunity to reach out to the billions who don’t use Apple. It missed it on two counts: The requirement for an iPhone. And the price tag. At $349 upward (with no information on how high the prices go), we’re talking about a digital watch that costs way more than a good midrange smartphone. So for someone who’s not an Apple user, this watch would set her back, in India, by somewhere in the region of Rs.70,000. That’s over three very capable Moto X handsets. So what could Apple have done? Well, if it had priced at least one version of this at $199, and allowed sync with iPad 2 and iPhone 3 upward, it would have doubled its addressable market. And if it had further supported Android, heresy though that might sound like, it would have opened up to a market of a 100 million potential buyers in India -- and hundreds of millions others in similar, Androiddominated, markets. Given Apple’s track record, its new watch will sell, albeit mainly to Apple’s existing, top-end-iPhone owners. And there will be a scramble by app developers to support it. For the rest, I’d guess they’d watch the market -- and maybe activate features and support for other iPhone and iPad models further down. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple even had a Watch App for Android up its sleeve, in reserve.
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10
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Bigelow. In 1993, Hamilton gave birth to Cameron’s daughter. Despite the child, the two had an on-again, off-again relationship for the next four years. However, while Cameron was shooting Titanic, the two decided to to marry in 1997. The marriage ended when Hamilton discovered an affair between Cameron and Titanic actress Suzy Amis. Cameron, who made $100 million for directing Titanic alone, was ordered to pay $50 million in a divorce settlement.
Length of Marriage: 6 years Children: One Filed for Divorce: 2008 Amount of Settlement: $48.6 million Paul McCartney and Heather Mills met at a Pride of Britain march, after Mills had spent years working as a charity campaigner and sometimes model (including posing nude for a German sex education manual). She became an anti-landmine advocate after losing a leg in 1993 in a police motorcycle accident. The two married in a lavish ceremony Castle Leslie in 2002. The marriage immediately became the focus of tabloid headlines, with rumors that Mills was dissatisfied with McCartney’s age and lack of social life. In 2006 the two separated, and an increasingly rancorous divorce began, with accusations of drug use and abuse flying back and forth. Mills initially sought more than $250 million from McCartney, citing needs such as $25 million to buy a home in London, $6 million for a home in New York, $1 million per year for vacations, $250,000 for clothing, $80,000 for wine, and $60,000 for “equestrian activities.” In the end, a judge awarded Mills $48.6 million, though he scolded Mills for being “inconsistent, inaccurate” and “less than candid.”
#
9
7
When Michael Douglas and Diandra Luker met and married in 1977, he was the son of a famous actor with a few TV credits to his name, but still years away from becoming an A-list movie star with hits such as Romancing the Stone and Fatal Attraction. The couple weathered several storms, including a serious skiing accident that hospitalized Douglas in 1980, and his treatment for alcohol abuse in 1992. However, in 2000 the couple filed for divorce, amid rumors that Douglas had begun OCT / NOV 2014
News With A Desi View
Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Length of Marriage: 8 years Children: Two Filed for Divorce: October 15, 2008 Amount of Settlement: $75 million
Michael Dougles and Diandra Luker
Length of Marriage: 23 years Children: One Filed for Divorce: 2000 Amount of Settlement: $45 million
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seeing the actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. (Douglas reportedly told Zeta-Jones when he met her, “I’d like to father your children.”) Luker was awarded $45 million dollars in the divorce. In an interview with Cigar Aficionado shortly after the divorce, Douglas mused,”I got acknowledgment and approval from working. And in relationships you don’t get a medal for being a good partner each week.”
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James Cameron and Linda Hamilton
Length of Marriage: 18 months Children: One Filed for Divorce: 1999 Amount of Settlement: $50 million James Cameron and Linda Hamilton had a long working relationship, beginning with the original Terminator movie in 1984. While shooting the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991, a romance developed between the two, though Cameron was married at the time to Kathryn
Madonna has the dubious privilege of being the only woman on the list to have paid out a divorce settlement, instead of getting paid. The diva married British film director Guy Ritchie in 2000, but the marriage seemed to fizzle after eight years, one biological and one adopted child, and lots and lots of Kabbalah. Ritchie, who was worth an estimated $45 million before marrying Madonna, at first said he wanted no part of his ex-wife’s fortune, but as the divorce proceeding went on and incidents such as Madonna calling Ritchie an “emotional retard” played out, he apparently changed his mind. A judge awarded Ritchie an amount that remained undisclosed, with Madonna’s spokeswoman placing the sum at $75 million, including a English country estate and a pub, The Punchbowl, the couple had owned in London.
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6
Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva
Length of Marriage: 16 years Children: Three Filed for Divorce: 1994 Amount of Settlement: $80 million Kevin Costner was still a college student and Delta Chi fraternity member when he met and married fellow student Cindy Silva in 1978. Costner, who had a few small movies roles to his credit, took a job as a marketing executive after
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college, while taking acting classes at night. After breaking big with movies such as Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, and winning a Best Director Oscar in 1991 for Dances with Wolves, Costner was pulling down serious paychecks, earning $51 million dollars in 1991 alone. You could argue Silva got out just in time -- when the marriage dissolved in 1994, she was awarded $80 million, while Costner went on to star in a series of big budget dissapointments, including the infamous Waterworld and The Postman, sending his career into a steady decline from which it has never recovered.
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Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison
Length of Marriage: 21 years Children: Two Filed for Divorce: 2004 Amount of Settlement: $85 m & future earnings Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison met on the set of Apocalypse Now in 1979, when Ford was a rising star and Mathison was an ambitious young screenwriter who was finishing up the script for The Black Stallion. The two wed in 1983, just weeks after the release of the Mathison-scripted blockbuster E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. The first signs of trouble in marriage began in November of 2000, when the two announced a separation, but reconciled in 2001. However, rumors of both Ford’s bouts of deep depression combined with nights of bar hopping seemed to be too much, with the two divorcing in 2004. Mathison secured the services of Denise Wasser, who had previously worked as Tom Cruise’s divorce lawyer. The ensuing divorce settlement was remarkable not only for its size -- $85 million -- but also for details stipulating that Mathison and Ford would split future royalty earnings from movies made during their marriage, including the Indiana Jones series.
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Steven Speilberg and Amy Irving
1976, they were both stars on the rise within Hollywood. Irving, a talented young actress, had gained rave reviews for her costar turn in the high school horror movie Carrie. Meanwhile, Spielberg had just directed the massive blockbuster Jaws. They were on-again, off-again for many years after that, ultimately marrying in 1984 with the marriage dissolving in 1989 after Spielberg began dating Indiana Jones star Kate Capshaw. Irving was awarded a reported $100 million dollars, half of Spielberg’s fortune, after a judge invalidated a prenuptial agreement that had been written on a cocktail napkin. Speaking after the divorce, Irving said, “During my marriage to Steven, I felt like a politician’s wife. There were certain things expected of me that definitely weren’t me.”
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Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey
Length of Marriage: 26 years Children: Two Filed for Divorce: 1995 Amount of Settlement: $150 million It was marriage number two for Neil Diamond when he married television production assistant Marcia Murphey 1969. Diamond, who had mild success in the late ‘60s, was about to enter into his golden era: in 1970 he signed to MCA Records and developed the mellow adult contemporary sounds that would define his career. Major hits such as “Sweet Caroline,” “I Am... I Said,” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” followed, and by the end of the ‘70s Diamond was pulling in an estimated $14 million a year. In 1994, amidst rumors of infidelity on Diamond’s part, Murphey filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. While the full amount of the settlement was never publicly revealed, Diamond was quoted as saying at the time: “She deserves half my fortune. I wish her all the happiness $150 million can bring.”
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
Length of Marriage: 4 years Children: One Filed for Divorce: 1989 Amount of Settlement: $100 million
Length of Marriage: 26 years Children: Two Filed for Divorce: 1995 Settlement Amount: $250-$375 million
When Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving met in
In another highly publicized divorce, movie star
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and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, split after it was revealed that Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with a member of the couple’s domestic staff. Since the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, Schwarzenegger was required under California law to hand over half of his wealth to Shriver, reports indicated that that he was willing to give an even more generous sum in order to demonstrate that he was taking responsibility for his actions. Although the final figure was never made public after the 2011 announcement, it was estimated that Schwarzenegger’s wealth was between $500 million and $750 million, placing the settlement between $250 and $375 million.
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Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore
Length of Marriage: 31 years Children: Seven Filed for Divorce: 2009 Settlement Amount: $425 million In what is the biggest celebrity divorce of all-time, Mel Gibson reportedly handed over half of his $850 million fortune when he split with his wife of 31 years, Robyn. The two met in the late 1970s, when they were both tenants in a house in Adelaide, Australia. Of their seven children only one, a 12-year-old son, is a minor and therefore subject to a custody agreement. The divorce was finalized in December 2011 after being filed more than two years earlier, following the release of photos showing the actor in an embrace with Russian singer-songwriter Oksana Grigorieva. As a result of the divorce, it was reported that Robyn was entitled to not only half of Gibson’s wealth, but also any future residuals from Gibson’s films. Not only did Gibson lose half his fortune (he too did not have a prenuptial agreement), but soon after his relationship with Grigorieva hit the breaks. In a highly publicized breakup that included recorded phone conversations and restraining orders, Gibson was also ordered to pay child support to the tune of $750,000, plus a multi-million dollar settlement.
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FOOD, ART, ENT
to n i 4 1 0 2 e g a r ve a n r u t s n a h Will the K
d o o w y l l o B ? r e t s u b k c Blo Box office calculations indicate Bollywood made a decent start with the young kids on the block such as Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. But the onus is on superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan to turn an average year into a blockbuster in the last quarter, say trade analysts. With close to 120 releases, the box office has garnered over Rs.1,400 crore ($230 million). Trade analyst Taran Adarsh extols the young brigade’s achievements, saying they have done a “tremendous job” this year. “They have put their best foot forward - be it Tiger Shroff in ‘Heropanti’, Varun Dhawan in ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Alia Bhatt’ in ‘Highway’ or Arjun Kapoor in ‘2 States’.
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“This was something unexpected and they have proved their talent with their films,” Adarsh told IANS. Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 multiplex and Maratha Mandir, also admitted the newcomers’ good performances have “come as a surprise to all ofus”. “Be it ‘Heropanti’, ‘2 States’, ‘Highway’ or ‘City Lights’ - these films have not just recovered their money but also made a huge profit,” he said. “Heropanti” collected around Rs.51 crore, “2 States” entered the Rs.100 crore club with a Rs.102 crore collection, “Gunday” minted Rs.80 crore, “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania” raked in Rs.75.5 crore and unusual road movie “Highway” took home close to Rs.30 crore. This is not to forget Sidharth Malhotra’s “Ek Villain”, which has done an amazing business at the box office. “It managed to garner close to Rs.98 crore”, said Rajesh
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Thadani. Even some small-budget films did fair business. “Queen” and “Raginni MMS 2” were big earners. “ ‘Queen’ managed to do really well as the film had strong content and managed to collect around Rs.57 crore,” Thadani said. For the first six months, the youngsters set the ball rolling; then entered Salman Khan and ‘kicked’ a storm with his action-romantic drama “Kick”, the biggest money spinner of 2014 so far. Lauding Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut, Thadani said: “ ‘Kick’ was a money spinner, which collected close to Rs.211 crore. It’s outstanding. ‘Kick’ is the biggest film of 2014 so far.” In between, Akshay Kumar too contributed with “Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”, but his “Entertainment” didn’t turn out to be entertaining enough to make big bucks. And recently, Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty set box-office milestones rolling with “Singham Returns”, which earned Rs.100.68 crore in the first five days of its release and it’s still counting. “ ‘Entertainment’ barely collected close Rs.41 crore,” said Thadani. Despite satisfactory performances by young actors, overall collections have not been overwhelming. “Business has been poor and there has been a slowdown because of three reasons - general election, the Indian Premier League and examinations,” said Adarsh. According to Thadani, “It has been a decent year, but it could have been even better. If we compare it to the last year, the collection has been almost the same.” Three films - “2 States”, “Jai Ho” and “Holiday” - entered the Rs.100 crore club but trade expert Manoj Desai insists that so far, it “has been an average year”. “If we look at the records of the last year, it was way better than this year. I hope the remaining part of the year will make up,” he said. Consequently, distributors has pinned hope on SRK’s “Happy New Year”, Aamir’s “PK” and Hrithik’s “Bang Bang”. If Adarsh’s expertise is anything to go by, there is a lot of “expectations from ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘PK’ and, as always, the second half will belong to them.” Apart from the two Khan biggies, there is an interesting line up for “Finding Fanny”, “Mary Kom”, “Khoobsurat”, “Haider”, “Welcome Back”, “Action Jackson” and “Happy Ending”. Thandani said: “We hope few films will hit the Rs.100 crore club, but with films like ‘Happy New Year’, the expectations are higher. We are hoping for Rs.200 crore with these films.” - By Uma Ramasubramanian www.desitoday.ca
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FOOD, ART, ENT
Now I can beat anyone Priyanka Chopra
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No, Priyanka Chopra is not talking about the box office competition, but about actually beating up someone physically! And the actress strongly feels that every woman should learn some form of self-defence. Priyanka may have now lost all the muscle she built up for her role as five-time boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom in her forthcoming film, but she says she’s now fitter and stronger to give a tough fight to anyone. “Today, I can beat anyone, it feels great,” Priyanka, one of Hindi film industry’s most indomitable actors, exclaimed during a tete-a-tete with IANS while she was on the move for her promotional commitments for “Mary Kom”. Building the muscles for the movie, which brings to screen the inspirational story of Manipur-based athlete Mary Kom, made Priyanka feel “very tired”. But it was worth it! “Building muscles can’t make you feel empowered, but stronger. I did! I have lost all my muscle now, but I still feel strong. I still believe I have those muscles,” she said, and broke in guffaws. On an introspective note, she said: “Muscles are a very superficial thing. What they did for me, honestly, was being able to learn a sport. I’ve never learnt a sport in my life. That too a contact sport. For me, it was a huge challenge to learn an entire sport. “Today, you can put me in a boxing ring. I may not be able to beat another boxer, but I’ll be able to give her a tough fight. I’ve learnt it that much.” It also makes her believe that women must learn some form of self-defence. “I think girls should be able to do what they want, be free and not be worried about protecting themselves. But I think that in the world that we live in today, unless the laws that have been made to protect us have been implemented well enough, we should learn some form of self-defence just for confidence. “You may not be able to beat a guy who’s coming at you, but you’ll be able to put up a fight. And that can really scare some people off. So, with that, you will be able to put up a fight, and say, ‘You cannot take advantage of me’. For some, that power comes from the gym. But one has to find an individual source. “For me, it came from being agile, from learning this new sport.” “Mary Kom”, directed by first-timer Omung Kumar, released on Teacher’s Day Friday.
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FOOD, ART, ENT
I want to travel that
dark road BIPASHA BASU
Bipasha Basu, who has done a string of horror and supernatural movies, says this is the only genre that allows an actress to drive the plot towards box office success. “I want to travel that dark road,” she said when asked about her choice of cinema. “...I’ve just done five supernatural films. This is a genre where the woman actor can drive the plot towards box office success. Every other genre of cinema in our country is the men’s forte. I think my presence in the genre adds something to it. “I’ve never bothered with my image. But I don’t want to ever again stand behind the leading men looking lost and miserable,” said Bipasha. The actress, who did films like “Aatma”, “Raaz 2”, will next be seen in “Creature 3D”, which is directed by Vikram Bhatt. Q: Are you looking at “Creature 3D” as your third big blockbuster with Vikram Bhatt? A: It should become a blockbuster, because it’s the first creature film in India. Whatever we may say we have very little variety in our mainstream cinema. “Creature” cracks a new genre. People are looking at it as a horror film, but the rush of thrill in a creature film is very different from a typical horror film. Creature has got the feel of “Anaconda”, “Jurassic Park” and “Godzilla”. It’s a task, because www.desitoday.ca
we are introducing Indian masses to a new genre of horror. Q: You are also doing a film called “Alone”? Why so many horror and supernatural films? A: Why not? Why don’t you ask other actors why they do slapstick or action or romanticcomedies repeatedly? In “Alone”, I am doing a passionate love story for the first time since “Jism”. I play conjoined twins and the two girls are completely opposite from one another and yet the sisters love one another so much. Q: So one more supernatural film? A: I want to travel that dark road. Earlier this question would stump me. But now I know what I am doing. And I’ve just done five supernatural films. This is a genre where the woman actor can drive the plot towards box office success. Every other genre of cinema in our country is the men’s forte. I think my presence in the genre adds something to it. Q: In “Creature 3D” you remind me of Raquel Welch? A: That’s most flattering. Recently I did a magazine shoot where I was dressed up like Audrey Hepburn. I remember when I had just come into cinema I was compared with Sophia Loren.All these comparisons to
these timeless beauties is most flattering. But I don’t aspire to be inspired by other greats. I want to be inspirational in my own right. Q: You haven’t been signing too many films lately? A: I don’t plan and strategise my releases. “Creature” has been a very difficult film to make. The film’s post-production was very demanding. This film took a good 10 months more to complete than a normal film would. Other films have a maximum of two-three scenes with special effects. Our film has special effects from the word go. So while the film was completed, I was busy with other things. Life continues to move at a crazy speed. So if you ask me what I’ve been up to I’d say a lot. Q: Your concluding remarks? A: Questions about my career plans are always very confusing. I never planned anything. The supernatural films just happened. And they opened new doors for me as an actress. When I did “Aatma”, I actually felt like that little girl’s mother. Which other actress would have agreed to play a vicious star on the decline that I did in “Raaz 2”? Which actress would risk playing a falling superstar? I’ve never bothered with my image. But I don’t want to ever again stand behind the leading men looking lost and miserable. OCT / NOV 2014
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FOOD, ART, ENT
ASHA BHOSLE:
Reality shows
FAIL TO PRODUCE
playback singers 64
OCT / NOV 2014
News With A Desi View
Octogenarian singer Asha Bhosle said musical reality shows bring out talented crooners, but they fail to churn out solid playback singers. “I think there are good singers that come out from those shows but no playback singers. I think reality shows give them a platform to do stage shows... they come to do shows but not playback singing. “It takes a lot to become a playback singer and they (playback singers) are a different lot. Their brains function in a different way,” she told reporters here on the sidelines of an event. She was in the city to launch the Bengali music album “Pancham Tumi Kothay”. Launched by Saregama, the album is a bouquet of eight songs selected by Bhosle which were originally sung by her late composer Rahuld Dev Burman aka Pancham da. They have been re-recorded by Bhosle and the album is pegged as a Durga puja special album. “We used to work so hard and therefore, we could churn out so many songs. There wasn’t anytime for doing shows in our time as we used to be so busy,” said the Padma Vibhushan awardee who has apparently crooned more than 12,000 songs in multiple languages. The 81-year-old crooner recalled how during her time, singers used to listen to the composers and try to “catch” the tune directly from their sessions. However, she lamented, today, even after listening to songs multiple times, aspirants can’t get the right tune. “Even after listening to songs 10 to 15 times if they can’t get it right then they are of no use. We used to learn directly from the composer. Besides, the music directors today do not sing that well themselves. In our time, all the music directors (like Madan Mohan etc.) used to sing very well,” she said. Asha, the younger sister of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, has sung for actresses of black and while era like Madhubala, Helen and Asha Parek as well as the new-age heroines like Urmila Matondkar and Kareena Kapoor. What pains her is the way the classics are replicated and given a modern spin that essential “ruins” (“bigaad dete hain”) the original. “We had sung the songs with a lot of hard work and a lot of effort went in for the rehearsals. After that effort, the songs became hits and ran for a long time. “So when somebody ruins the compositions through remixes (bigaad dete hain) I feel very bad. Especially when somebody does it to Lata di’s songs or Kishore da’s songs...I feel anguished. When they sing our songs like that I wonder why do they do it ? Nobody has the voice of Kishore da... ,” she said.A “Aaiye meherban”, “Jaaiye aap kahan”, “Raat akeli hai”, “Piya tu ab toh aaja”, “Dum maaro dum”, “Dil cheez kya hai” are “Yayi re yayi re” are some of her memorable numbers. She performs live on stage till date and took to the stage at a packed show in Paris earlier this year. www.desitoday.ca
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FOOD, ART, ENT
Interesting to play
Pakistani inUS show Nimrat Kaur After finding global visibility with “The Lunchbox”, Indian actress Nimrat Kaur has landed a chance to play a Pakistani character in the fourth season of hit American series “Homeland”, set in Islamabad. The Punjabi girl, who has roots in Rawalpindi and Lahore, finds the opportunity “very interesting”. Currently in Cape Town for a shooting schedule of the Emmy Award-winning political thriller series, Nimrat says “it is very early on” to comment on her experience. However, she is loving every bit of it - especially since her role of Tasneem Kureshi, a high-level operative within Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, has been increased from five to nine episodes. Nimrat said she accepted the role without giving a “second thought”. “It is very interesting (to play a Pakistani
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character in a US show). India and Pakistan are culturally so similar...I belong to Punjab and there’s so much similarity between us. There are food-loving and fun-loving people ...I’d just say it’s a country which is a victim of circumstances,” she told IANS in a telephonic interaction from Cape Town. It bears repeating that the subcontinent was one nation till partition in 1947. The fact that her character belonged to another nation didn’t pose a hurdle for Nimrat. “It was more important to feel the part than to feel where the character came from. It’s an interesting character in the overall story of the show’s new season,” she said. While for now the “Homeland” team is busy shooting the show, Nimrat hopes she will be able to visit Pakistan at least once in her lifetime.
“I’m dying to go to Pakistan once,” she squeaked with excitement, before adding: “My maternal and paternal ancestors come from Rawalpindi and Lahore. It’s a strange affinity we have towards people there, and I would love to get a chance of going there. “It’s a dream,” added the actress, who is joined by Indian actor Suraj Sharma of “Life Of Pi” fame, “Mad Men” star Mark Moses and Art Malik, known for “True Lies” in the show. Nimrat, for many, is the girl who entices chocolate lovers via Cadbury advertisements on the Indian small screen. “Homeland” will air in India on Star World Premiere HD starting in October, along with its telecast in the US. Her character will be introduced in the narrative in the fourth episode. It may sound strange, but Nimrat had never seen “Homeland” before she saw the pilot episode of the new season. “I wish I had seen it before! After I saw the pilot episode, I asked for CDs of all the three seasons and saw all of it! I watched it whenever I found time between work,” said the actress, who has been going in and out of Cape Town since early July. Nevertheless, she is yet to soak in its beauty in its entirety. “It’s my first time here (in South Africa). But I have not been travelling here much because it’s cold and rainy. Otherwise, it’s really nice and beautiful,” she said. Back home in India, questions await as to when she’s starring in her next Indian project. To that, she said: “I am finalising something very soon.” - By Radhika Bhirani, IANS
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DESI
Around Town
At the book release of Mere Samyian Di Punjabi Gayaki by Ashok Bhaura at Surrey’s India Banquet Hall.
New president, Arivid Gupta, pleadges to boost UBC research excellence in an installation ceremony, was attended by more than 1000 students, faculty, staff as well as representatives of peer institutions and government.
Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk was given a grand reception by businessman Paul Arora of Gagan Foods at his Richmond residence with entertainment by singers Baljit Kainth and Ruby Arora.
Photos by Chandra Bodalia
University of Fraser Valley Wrestling coaches Arjan Bullar and Raj Virdi welcomed Indian national team coach P.R. Sondhi in Abbotsford. Sondhi has coached the Indian national team at multiple Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championship.
SLAM - The tour in Vancouver with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachhan and other Bollywood stars blew away the audience.
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Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Councillors Linda McPhail, Bill McNulty and Chak Au had lunch at India Cultural Centre of Canada’s Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in Richmond. One of the topics discussed with the gurdwara management was a proposal to celebrate Richmond’s cultural and religious diversity / harmony as exemplified by the Highway to Heaven
The Hindi Literary Society of Canada, BC, held a Hindu Folk Festival promoting and preserving cultural heritage at Surrey’s Riverside Signature Banquet Hall.
At the annual barbecue held by Jasbir Sandhu, MP for Surrey North, at Surrey’s Kwantlen Park.
www.desitoday.ca
DESI
Around Town
Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Arjun Gill was the centre of attraction at the Guru Hargobind Wrestling Club’s fundraising dinner to honour him at Surrey’s Mirage Banquet Hall.
Well known businessman Paul Arora of Gagan Food & Daljit Thind of Thind Properties at Garden reception in honour of Premier Christy Clark in Richmond
At the 22nd annual celebration of Shahid Sant Nihal Singh and Sant Harnam Singh of Talhan village in Jalandhar district of Punjab at Richmond’s India Cultural Centre Gurdwara. Indian Consul Amarjit Singh, who has been to Talhan Gurdwara, was honoured by Asa Singh Johal and other gurdwara members.
The Ismaili Muslim community with the YWCA Metro Vancouver raises over $200,000 at 23rd annual Ismaili Walk at Lumberman’s Arch, Stanley park to improve lives of women and children.
At the welcome reception for Rai Azizullah Khan, former Pakistani MP, by Barj Dhahan, Ajit Thandi and Sarup Mann, in Vancouver. Pakistani Consulate General Shuja Alam was also present.
At an informal gathering by Global Force Realty on an aggressive growth plan under the new brand of Royal LePage Global Force Realty at Surrey’s Riverside Signature Banquet Hall.
www.desitoday.ca
A large number of Surrey businessmen gathered at the home of Jagir S. Nagra and Harpreet Nagra to show their support for Surrey mayoral candidate Doug McCallum last Sunday. Mandeep Nagra was appointed the campaign’s Indo-Canadian affairs co-chair.
Shreya Ghoshal, the ‘Nightingale of Bollywood,’ thrilled her fans at the Queen Elziabeth Theatre in Vancouver.
At the luncheon and discussion with International Trade Minister Ed Fast hosted by Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) and sponsored by the Surrey Board of Trade. Fast provided an update on the Canada-India bilateral trade prospects after the Indian election.
At the Mela Tiyan Da at Vancouver’s Fraserview Hall with singers Dilraj, Neelam, Amrita Virk, Amarjot (Jyoti) and Khushboo. OCT / NOV 2014
News With A Desi View
69
LIFE, ETC.
Some find it over the top, others feel Priyanka Chopra was not the right choice to play the title role. But boxing champ M.C. Mary Kom is happy with Omung Kumar’s directorial venture “Mary Kom” and says that the biopic has captured the true essence of his life. It had a successful run at the box office and Mary Kom says that the movie would not have been a hit if any look-alike had played her role. “What makes me happy is that my story and whatever it may contain to inspire younger generations, would now be taken far. Now the story of my struggle has gone to every corner of India,” she said.
When you saw yourself on screen what were you thoughts? A: I broke down and cried. I remembered all the difficulties and all my struggles. It hasn’t been easy being Mary Kom. The film took me on an emotional journey. When I saw it the first time, I cried uncontrollably. Again when we had a screening of the film on Sep 3, I broke down. I can’t forget all the pain and stress I’ve been through.
got my life
almost right By Subhash K. Jha, IANS
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Do you think “Mary Kom”, the film, captures your life? A: Almost. Yes, it’s got my life almost right. Except for the bits showing insurgency in Manipur that affects my state so deeply, the rest of the film is true to my life. It’s all true. Priyanka has done a great job of playing me. And not just Priyanka, even Darshan Kumaar who plays my husband is very, very good.
Priyanka doesn’t look like you at all. Is that a problem for you? A: No! I don’t think it was important for her to look like me. In many ways Priyanka is very similar to me. It was important to feel like me. Any other girl from Manipur or the Northeast could look more like me. But www.desitoday.ca
to express my feelings and thoughts was more important. Also, the movie would not have been a hit if any look-alike had played my role.
You said Priyanka is similar to you. In what ways? A: Yes, we are similar people. We found a lot in common. We both laugh and cry a lot. We’ve both gone through our own struggle. A lot of hard work has gone into her career, just like mine. The struggle has not being easy for either for me.
How would you rate the film? A: I don’t know (laughs). What makes me happy is that my story and whatever it may contain to inspire younger generations, would now be taken far. Now the story of my struggle has gone to every corner of India.
And that makes you happy? A: Very happy (laughs). I may not be known in some parts of the country. I am hopeful that after this film, I’ll be known in every corner of India.
Is your husband Onler like Darshan Kumaar who plays him? A: Yes, except that he (Darshan) is more handsome. But I think the movie has made a great effort to capture our real lives, and succeeded. A lot of hard work has gone into the film.
Your husband has created a problem for all us husbands. Every wife wants a husband like yours.
A: (Giggles uncontrollably) My husband is very cool, very good, very simple and humble. He has fully supported me in everything I’ve done. I’d really like more husbands to support their wives in their dreams, ambitions. I am very lucky to have a husband like Onler.
Audiences everywhere are watching “Mary Kom”, but not in your home state. A: I am really upset about this. I really want people in Manipur to see the film. But there is a ban on Hindi movies. I’d really like the film to release in my state. I am sorry it hasn’t happened so far.
Have your children seen their mother’s film? A: (Laughs) Yes, and they know that’s their mother’s story. One of my sons, the one with the heart problem, immediately recognised Priyanka. They were very excited.
What now? A: I am preparing for the Asian Games. I’ll continue to do the best for my country.
I want you to play yourself in “Mary Kom Part 2”. A: (laughs) That would be something.
Your final thoughts on the film? A: Please see the film. That’s really my story. Except that my real struggle was far more difficult. Many of the incidents have been toned down. If they had shown my real struggle, it would have been impossible for the audience to see. But my life history has been put on screen honestly.
Mary Kom visited the Omega Boutique at London’s IWestfield Stratford Mall with Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan during the London Olympics.
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OCT / NOV 2014
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LIFE, ETC.
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The Indian Navy has transformed from a “buyer’s navy to a builder’s navy”, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan said. “The blue print for the future Indian Navy is firmly anchored on self-reliance and indigenisation and currently we have 41 ships and submarines under construction in various public and private shipyards within the country,” Admiral Dhowan said after commissioning the 2,200 tonnes INS Sumitra patrol vessel at a ceremony here. “It is a matter of great pride that over the decades, we have transformed from a ‘buyer’s navy’ to a ‘builder’s navy’,” a statement from the defence ministry quoted Admiral Dhowan as saying. He said INS Sumitra will have a major role to play in patrolling India’s eastern coast. “The Indian Navy is a multi-dimensional force capable of meeting any challenge in the maritime domain in the Indian ocean region. “The responsibilities of protecting our vast maritime interests fall squarely on the shoulders of men in white uniform as it is the responsibility of the navy to ensure that India’s maritime interests - which have a vital relationship with the nation’s economic growth - are allowed to develop unhindered both in peace and war,” Admiral Dhowan said. INS Sumitra is the first major ship based in Chennai in recognition of the growing importance of the region and enhanced surveillance needs, the statement added. “The primary role of the ship is to undertake surveillance of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) besides other operational tasks such as anti-piracy patrols, fleet support operations, maritime security of offshore assets and escort operations of high value naval platforms,” it added. - IANS
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Ready to eat snacks available in packages and bulk at all major supermarkets and IndianOCT Stores / NOV 2014
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73
LIFE, ETC.
Crush
on teachers
TV ACTORS TELL THEIR STORY
Be it the brain or brawn or the smile, children tend to fall for that one teacher in their school at least once in a lifetime. Everyone has had a childhood crush on his or her Teacher. Remember your Crush? Did you do something interesting for him or her? Handsome ‘sirs’ and attractive ‘ma’ams’ have been a perpetual distraction for students. The flamboyant sir flaunting a stud can make many a student go weak in the knee. Or the ma’am’s kohl-lined eyes can be a reason for many a sleepless night. However, what’s changed now is that teachers and students have come a lot closer to each other these days. Today, there is no dearth of teachers who have the names of students on their friend lists. In an interview to Times of India counselling psychologist Dr Amit Chakrabarty said, “Today’s teachers are no longer limiting themselves to being parent figures. They want to be friends with their students. The kind of familiarity that students and teachers share today was unheard off even a generation or two ago. Inhibitions have come down and it is much easier for students to also take a chance and express their fondness for a teacher by resorting to social networking and text messages.” However, it’s been 41 years since a whole generation of youngsters fell for Simi Garewal after it saw how Rishi Kapoor had a crush on her as a young teacher in “Mera Naam Joker”. Much later, Rani Mukerji shared a very sensitive relationship with her teacher played by Amitabh Bachchan in “Black”. TV actors like Divyanka Tripathi, Mrunal Jain and Mohammad Nazim go down memory lane and recall their crushes. IANS gets TV actors to reveal their crushes on their teachers:
Divyanka Tripathi: I had a crush on my WWF trekking instructor. My then best
“It’s been 41 years since a whole generation of youngsters fell for Simi Garewal after it saw how Rishi Kapoor had a crush on her as a young teacher in “Mera Naam Joker” 74
OCT / NOV 2014
News With A Desi View
www.desitoday.ca
Divyanka Tripathi
friend and me used to fancy him together during our wildlife and nature trips with no cat fights between us. We loved his brains and brawn. We were bookworms then, so we loved talking about brainy guys. This crush saga lasted for a year. Even now, when my friend and me meet, we laugh over our madness.
Mohammad Nazim: I had a crush on my
history teacher in the sixth grade. She was tall and sexy. She used to teach the subject well. The crush lasted for seven months. After that, she quit the job. The memories still stay with me. I got a group photo with her at one of the school functions and I still treasure it.
Mrunal Jain: My geography teacher. Her
hair was always shampooed. She used to motivate me to study hard. I was in Class 9. She used to even encourage me to participate in extra-curricular activities. She was my class teacher too and had made me the monitor as well. The crush lasted for six months as she was transferred to another branch of the school.
Samiksha Bhatnagar: I was in the sev-
enth grade when I developed a crush on my PT teacher. He encouraged me to play sports. The crush was for only four months as he got replaced. I couldn’t meet him again. I still remember he was tall, dark and good-looking and had a good smile.
Ssharad Malhotraa: I was in Class 4 and I had a crush on her for two years. I always used to ask her for help in making me draw. Her smile was like (actress) Madhuri Dixit’s. She was my drawing teacher for two years. She even used to get chocolates for me. I felt very happy when she told my mother at parents-teachers meet that I am a sincere boy. Ankit Gera:
I had crush on my English teacher when I was in the 11th standard. She was the most beautiful teacher. I was like Shah Rukh Khan of “Main Hoon Na”. She used to wear saris and her height was 5 feet 8 inches. She wore a distinctive perfume and had long hair. I used to carry perfume and before she would enter my class, I used to apply it. I was a backbencher, but during her period, I used move to the front bench. On one of the Teacher’s Days,
Mohammed Nazim
I wrote her a love letter without mentioning my name on it. I kept that in the staff room. My crush lasted for one year, but I will never forget her.
Sahil Mehta:
I was 11 years old when I first had a crush on a teacher. She taught me civics and was also my class teacher. I was never a good student. She was pretty for sure, but I also liked the fact that she never shouted at me for not doing well in studies. I was madly in love with her for a year. When I completed my schooling, I told her that I wanted to move to Mumbai and pursue acting. She was very happy for me. (with IANS input) Mrunal Jain
Samiksha Bhatnagar
www.desitoday.ca
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LIFE, ETC
Indian marriages are now made in Mauritius With destination weddings catching up amongst rich Indian families, which in turn rakes in good money for hotels and others, Mauritius, the Indian Ocean island that is home to a sizable Indian diaspora, is targeting this segment in a serious manner, a senior o cial said. “We have started talking to wedding planners in India. We took a group of wedding planners from here to Mauritius and plan to take another group soon to showcase what Mauritius offers,” Mauritius Tourism Development Authority (MTDA) deputy director Vijaye Haulder told IANS here. Haulder, whose forefathers hailed from West Bengal and settled in Mauritius several generations ago, is here to conduct road shows in four Indian cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. He said Indian wedding planners or organisers would also be given handsome incentives that are offered to meetings, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) operators from India. “Duty free liquor is also offered,” he added.
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Mauritius is a well-known wedding destination for European celebrities and sportspersons. “In the case of Europeans or other nationalities, the wedding group would be not more than 10-15 people. In many cases only the to-be-married couple would come here. But Indian weddings are different,” Haulder said. He said the size of Indian wedding groups coming to Mauritius ranges between 350 and 800. Such a large size bodes well for Air Mauritius - the sole airline flying direct to Mauritius out of India - the hotels and other tourist players there. Haulder said around 8-10 Indian weddings are now being held in Mauritius. According to him, annually around 10 celebrity weddings happen in Mauritius. The celebrities are from varied fields - movie actors (China, Japan, Hollywood), football players and others. Queried about promoting such weddings among Indian celebrities, he said: “We are open. We can have it free of cost. It would be a brand building exercise for us among Indians.” While celebrities would like to have
their wedding in privacy, they do talk about it in their social media, which is a good branding activity for Mauritius Tourism, Haulder said. “It is not only marriages, even engagement ceremonies and pre-engagement photography is being done in Mauritius by Indians,” said Medha Sampat, founder, Knack Marketing, a travel marketing and representative company in Mumbai. The company is the India representative for Sun Resorts Ltd that runs star hotels in Mauritius. Sampat said the Indian wedding group size would be between 200 and 500 people, giving good food and beverage revenue to the hotels. Normally members of Indian wedding groups would spend two or three nights in Mauritius. Meanwhile, Mauritius Tourism hopes to attract around 60,000 Indians to Mauritius this year, up from around 58,000 people who travelled there last year. According to Haulder, the island nation is confident of attracting more than one million tourists this year up from over 900,000 who visited in 2013. “It is a medium-haul destination (travel
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time around six hours) and has got a European feel. It is a year-round tourist destination. The hotels and resorts are on the beaches and one need not go out in search of a beach,” Vivek Anand, MTDA country manager-India, told IANS. He, however, agreed that in terms of air fare Sri Lanka and the Maldives are much cheaper destinations. Anand said Mauritius is a family destination where there are fun and adventure activities like submarine rides, undersea walks, walking with the lions et al for the entire family. Air Mauritius connects Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore with Mauritius with its Airbus A-330 aircraft.
Indian weddings in Philippines, anyone? How about an exotic Indian wedding on the fine white sand beaches in the Philippines with the ocean waves lapping gently beside? The Philippines is planning to promote its beach resorts as a wedding destination, complete with all arrangements, including visa facilitation for guests, in order to boost tourism from India. “We are keen to promote the Philippines as a wedding destination, especially Cebu and Boracay. We are putting together packages for Indian weddings, that would include hotels, organising the event and facilitating visas for guests,” Verna Covar-Buensuceso, director market development of tourism department, told a visiting group of Indian journalists here. In order to promote wedding tourism, the tourism department is working out packages and is in talks with interested parties, he said. The Philippines is also keen to promote its pretty islands for Bollywood filmmakers to shoot their films in and hold its glitzy
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awards functions, he said. “We want to promote the Philippines for shoots. We brought a lot of Bollywood producers here for talks. We are at present in talks with some Indian film producers to hold shootings here,” said Verna. On promoting the Southeast Asian island country located in the western Pacific Ocean as a wedding destination, the o cial said “we are sitting with a wedding planner for Indian weddings”. Some Indians have held weddings in Cebu, an island province in the Philippines comprising several islands. Boracay is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 315 km south of Manila. He said they would provide visa facilitation for around 500 guests from India for a wedding. Of the 52,000 Indians who visited the Philippines in 2013, just 17,000 of them were tourists, he said. The Philippines is deliberating on providing visa on arrival to Indians, which, if agreed to, would help to boost tourism. One major hindrance to increasing tourism flows between the two countries is the lack of direct flights. Philippines Airlines
discontinued its direct flight programme to India some years ago after the route failed to prove economically viable. Now, the Jet Airways and the Philippines Airlines are in talks to revive direct flights between the two countries, he said. Among the countries which send the largest number of tourists to this former Spanish colony and later American colony are the US, which sends over 700,000 tourists a year, followed by China, which sends 500,000 tourists a year. Europeans constitute 11 percent of the total tourist arrivals, comprising 400,000, he said. Manila is busy upgrading its infrastructure in preparation for next year’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. With frequent tra c jams proving a constant irritant to motorists and tourists alike, the Philippine authorities are “speeding up the tra c infrastructure”, said the o cial. This would include skyways on top of main roads and linking of highways and access roads to the airport, he added. By Venkatachari Jagannathan for Mauritius & Ranjana Narayan for Philippines, IANS
OCT / NOV 2014
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77
LIFE ETC
A face-lift for Kabaddi: World Kabaddi League From muddy fields of rural Punjab to professional arenas in metros across the globe, kabaddi has surely travelled a long way. The revival of this age-old rural game into a professional league-style sport has By Sableen Minhas made it an attractive commercial venture, getting kabaddi the recognition it deserves and the ongoing World Kabaddi League (WKL) tournaments have much to do with it. Kicked off on August 9 at London’s famous O2 arena, the first season of WKL is scheduled over four months in 14 cities across five countries, namely, India, England, United States, Canada and Pakistan. The league is designed as a round-ribbon tournament and is following the Punjabi circle style format of the game. “Kabaddi is a rural sport that has gone international. Today, circle kabaddi is played in Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan. The World Kabaddi League will be the first international sports with its origin in India,” said Sukhbir Singh Badal, President of World Kabaddi League and Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab (India), during the launch. Gone are the days when kabaddi players were rewarded with mere three or four figure salaries. The 144 WKL players will be taking home lakhs. (One lakh is 100,000). The base salary for a WKL player is fixed at Rs 5 lakhs and ranges up to Rs 25 lakhs, depending on the category of the player, as per a Times of India report. OWNERSHIP On July 24, Badal announced the franchisees and logos of the eight teams. The cost for team rights was fixed at Rs 5 crores. (One crore is 10
milion). The owner’s list includes Bollywood Alister Akshay Kumar, actress Sonakshi Sinha, famous-musician Yo Yo Honey Singh and Rajat Bedi. Apart from attracting Bollywood stars, the teams found buyers in Non-Resident Indian (NRI) corporations and individuals. Akshay Kumar’s Khalsa Warriors (London) is co-owned by Fastway Sports Development Pvt. Ltd, while California Eagles is owned by The Tut Group, a California-based organic farming company. Royal Kings (Sacramento) is owned by Thiara Company, a well-known name in transport and almond farming in California. On the other hand, United Singhs (Birmingham) was bought by the Hayre Group, a leading sports company in United Kingdom, and Sonakshi Sinha. Delhi-based real-estate pioneer, Mahesh Pawar, invested in Yo Yo Tigers along with Honey Singh, Deepak Kaistha and Dr. Ruby Dhalla, a Canadian politician. Lahore Lions (Lahore) is owned by the Government of Punjab, Pakistan. Vancouver Lions and Punjab Thunder, two teams with home cities in Canada are backed by British Columbia-based Punjabi barons. Gurjit Singh Purewal, a renowned name in blueberry farming and processing, is the sole owner of Vancouver Lions (Abbotsford). Punjab Thunder (Surrey) is owned by three entities - Daljit Thind, CEO of Thind Properties, Rajat Bedi and Monty Sikka. CANADIAN TEAMS The two B.C.-based Canadian teams are having a bumpy ride in the league. With an average performance, the two teams are far from being a front-runner to win the coveted first trophy of the WKL. Although his team is not having a phenomenal run, Sultan Singh (Punjab Thunder raider)
is carving a niche for himself. Ranked third on the best raiders list, Sultan has a success rate of 90.97 percent and is fast moving up on the raider tally. Vancouver Lions’ Sucha Singh is not far behind. Ranked seven, currently, he has a success rate of 83.33 percent with a total of 120 successful raids to his name. His teammate Gagandeep Sabrawa is ranked number 11. In the first week of October in Mohali, Punjab, the United Singhs, which had lost three of their last four games, became the first team to beat leaders Khalsa Warriors as they scored a whopping 67-57 win over them. Despite the defeat, Khalsa Warriors stayed on the top with 21 points from 12 matches with 10 wins, one tie (against Punjab Thunder) and one loss. United Singhs moved to 12 points from 11 matches and joined Lahore Lions (12 points from eight matches) and California Eagles (12 points from 11 matches). So, there are now three teams with 12 points each in tied second place, though Lahore Lions have played fewer matches. The following week, the League cancelled the Abbotsford, B.C. matches The League said that “seeing the overwhelming response from spectators, sponsors and other stakeholders,” it decided to hold the remaining matches in India only. The finals will be held in Lahore, Pakistan, as had been originally scheduled. It said: “Fresh venues have been identified keeping in mind the audience response. Apart from Bhatinda, Mohali and Jalandhar in Punjab, the League will traverse to newer terrains with Bhopal and Mumbai as new venues added. The additions are strategic keeping in mind the high viewership ratings that Wave WKL has been receiving ever since it reached India after a successful UK inaugural stint.”
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LIFE ETC THE FUNNY SIDE
Working yourself TO DEATH is now
mandatory If they invited me on one of those radio shows where you choose your top 10 music tracks, I would choose the national anthem 10 times, so that everyone in the country would have to stand up for an hour. The fact that I would find this incredibly enjoyable is CONCLUSIVE PROOF of Original Sin and the fact that humanity is deeply evil at heart. Or at least I am. Life can be hard for people with a naughty streak. Like that American guy who got “devil horns” implanted into his forehead because he thought it looked cool. Everything was fine until his recent court case where he had to beg the judge to tell the jury that just because the guy in the dock was Satan Incarnate, it didn’t automatically mean he was not a nice person. Yet individual pranksters are easy to spot and make allowances for. The danger is when big, slick organizations act wickedly. Recent example: Beijing banker Li Jianhua was found cold at his desk after he worked himself to death pulling an allnighter. His employers, the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission, held him up as an example other staff should follow:
“We can all learn from Comrade Li Jianhua... who gave an unremitting struggle to perform his best and to sacrifice everything.” Middle managers must have been delighted: “New rules, lads, working yourself to death is now the minimum requirement for promotion.” What hope is there? Well, I do believe that God surrounds naturally wicked people with excessively nice people, which is why so many sweet-natured readers have sent me lists of “Things I Am Grateful For” and urged me to follow suit. So here goes. 1. I am grateful to Sir Isaac Newton for inventing gravity because it would be SO ANNOYING if food kept floating away when you were trying to eat it. 2. I am grateful for not being a cat and having to clean my genitals with my tongue every day. 3. I am grateful for my three wonderful children when I am filling in the tax deductions page on my annual filing. 4. I am grateful for Halloween, because I don’t need to clean the cobwebs from the corners of my room as they kind of fit right in.
5. I am grateful to Benjamin Franklin for inventing electricity, because without that, I’d need a team of runners just to swap a few emails with someone, which would totally suck. 6. I am grateful that dogs don’t fly because it is annoying enough to find and scoop my dog’s poop as it is. 7. I am grateful that so many lovely people phone me and I can practise using Caller ID and the ignore button. 8. I am grateful for Facebook so that I don’t have to phone 435 friends to tell them what I just ate. 9. I am grateful that every year I have less chance of having a bad hair day. 10. I am grateful for not having to write any more of this column but probably not half as grateful as you are for not having to read any more of it. We are all now required to follow the example of Li Jianhua and work ourselves to d e a t h . Amen.
By Nury Vittachi, IANS
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OCT / NOV 2014
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LIFE ETC THE FUNNY SIDE
Now, PAY for elevators, and MORE for high floors! It is morally wrong to describe a whole group of people as “incarnations of evil”. Unless we’re talking about landlords, since that’s a scientifically proven fact. I’ve had landlords so scary that the supreme rulers of Hades, Beelzebub and Moloch would run away screaming, which is exactly what I do when I see my landlord approaching, tentacles dragging behind him. I once managed to get a two-month delay in paying a particularly terrifying landlord by sending him an unsigned cheque. When he got round to asking why it was unsigned, I told him I had “writers’ block”. He’d vaguely heard of that ailment, so he let me off. With my bitter experience of landlords, I had no problem believing a shocking report sent to me by a reader in China. The landlord of an apartment block in Jining city, Shandong, decided to squeeze extra money from his tenants by making them pay to use the elevator. Residents were “taking it too frequently”, he told reporters, using it daily, not just to go out, but to come home too! Outrageous! Elevators sometimes suffered breakdowns, which wouldn’t have happened if they were not being used, he pointed out with unassailable logic. Tenants argued that they had to use the elevator because he had
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rented them flats in an 18-storey building. He brushed aside such irrelevancies and showed what an incredibly nice guy he was by offering lower prices for folk “travelling” to lower floors - and a corresponding surcharge for everyone above floor 12. I sent copies of the report to friends who live in swanky highrise buildings to punish them for being richer than me. A couple from Europe replied that they’d seen something similar in Italy, and a guy from the US city of Denver said he’d seen an apartment block sign that allowed 30 return trips a month, with cash required for additional rides. The sign said: “The stairs are still free.” One woman said that if this happened in her building, she would call her neighbours and arrange elevator-pooling. “I’m taking a little tripette to the lobby tomorrow morning; would 20 of you like to share the cost of the ride?” I suppose she could hand out canapés and make it a social thing. But then I realized that most elevators have cameras these days! The landlord would have video proof of cheating. No, if I was in her position, I would wear an extremely large frockcoat (like Neo’s in “The Matrix”) and hide children, spouse, domestic helpers, dogs and the like among my legs. A colleague sent me a link to a book which predicts that the coming energy crisis will make all elevators pay-per-ride and make all low-floor homes worth more than luxury penthouses. Can’t wait. If any reader wishes to swap his luxury penthouse for my aged first floor apartment, drop me a line. I’ll organize elevator-pooling parties to get up and down. And if no one’s travelling one day, I’ll just stay in my luxury penthouse. “Sorry, boss, can’t come to work today, can’t afford the elevator.” Worth a try. I need to stop here and write this month’s rent cheque. Wait. I feel an attack of writers’ block creeping up on me. - By Nury Vittachi
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AUTO REVIEW
2015 INFINITI QX80 WILL LAUNCH IN THE FALL The fullsize Infiniti QX80 SUV offers a fresh new exterior design and a more crafted interior for 2015, plus additional standard features and technology, bringing Infiniti’s premium full-size luxury SUV closer in look and feel to the dramatic new Infiniti Q50 sports sedan. The new Infiniti QX80 made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show prior to going on sale at Infiniti retailers in Canada in fall 2014. The extensive exterior design refinements focus on the QX80’s frontend appearance, with the new upper grille shape and added lower grille mirroring the bold style of the popular Q50. The revised front fascia also features new LED high/low beam headlights, LED turn signals, LED fog lights and a new bumper with flush-mounted sonar sensors. Chrome-plated outside rear mirror caps have been added to the QX80 Technology Package. The extensive exterior design refinements focus on the QX80’s frontend appearance, with the new upper grille shape and added lower grille mirroring the bold style of the popular Q50. The revised front fascia also features new LED high/low beam headlights, LED turn signals, LED fog lights and a new bumper with flush-mounted sonar sensors. Chrome-plated outside rear mirror caps have been added to the QX80 Technology Package. In the rear of the QX80 a larger, standard bumper protector helps reduce potential damage when loading or unloading recreational gear or bulky cargo. Two new wheel designs are also added – standard machine-finished 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and 14-spoke 22-inch forged aluminum-alloy wheels (the largest available in segment) available with the optional Technology package. Several new technologies have been added for 2015, starting with the Q50’s advanced High Beam Assist and Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW). The High Beam Assist headlight function, which is standard on all models, utilizes a forward camera to read oncoming or
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upcoming traffic and automatically dips the high beams to the low beam setting. The high beam setting is restored when the traffic is clear. The Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW) system warns the driver of risks that lie beyond the driver’s field of view. It not only can sense the relative velocity and distance of a vehicle directly ahead, but also of a vehicle travelling in front of the preceding one. Also added are standard 3-Blink one-touch turn signals. Included in the Technology Package are Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) with Forward Emergency Braking and the new Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Backup Collision Intervention® (BCI), Intelligent Cruise Control (Full-Speed Range), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Distance Control Assist (DCA) and steering wheel switches for the Safety Shield technologies. The QX80’s drivetrain is rugged enough to handle tasks such as towing boats or trailers (8,500-pound towing capacity, standard), while being equally at home transporting friends and family for a night on the town.
The proven 5.6-litre V8 engine combines the responsive acceleration of Infiniti’s VVEL (Variable Valve Event & Lift) technology with the efficiency of Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) to produce 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. A smooth 7-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) and manual shift mode with Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) is standard on all models. The QX80’s standard Around View® Monitor with Front and Rear Sonar System includes the advanced Moving Object Detection (MOD) system. Around View® Monitor utilizes four small superwide-angle cameras – mounted on the front, side and rear of the QX80 – to provide a virtual 360° view of objects around the vehicle, helping to maneuver it in tight spots. The MOD function helps enhance the driver’s situational awareness by providing visual and audible warnings (front or back range object detection) if the system detects large moving objects within the displayed image in situations such as when pulling out of a parking space. The Infiniti QX80 goes on sale at Infiniti retailers in Canada in fall 2014.
OCT / NOV 2014
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LIFE ETC.
Reading ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ unhealthy for young women
Have you read the blockbuster erotica “Fifty Shades of Grey” that has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and a movie adaptation is scheduled for release? Beware that you are at an heightened risk of developing binge drinking and unhealthy sexual habits. According to an interesting study, young adult women who read “Fifty Shades of Grey” are more likely than non-readers to exhibit signs of eating disorders and have a verbally abusive partner. Moreover, women who read all three books in the erotic romance series are at increased risk of engaging in binge drinking and having multiple sex partners. “All are known risks associated with being in an abusive relationship, much like the lead character, Anastasia, is in ‘Fifty Shades’,” said study author Amy Bonomi from the department of human development and family studies at Michigan State University. If women experienced adverse health behaviours such as disordered eating first, reading “Fifty Shades” might reaffirm those experiences and potentially aggravate related trauma, Bonomi added. To reach this conclusion, researchers studied over 650 women aged 18-24. Compared to participants who did not read the book, those who read the first “Fifty Shades” novel were 25 percent more likely to have a partner who yelled or swore at them. Nearly 34 percent were more likely to have a partner who demonstrated stalking tendencies and more than 75 percent more likely to have used diet aids or fasted for more than 24 hours. “Those who read all three books in the series were 65 percent more likely than nonreaders to binge drink - or drink five or more drinks on a single occasion on six or more days per month - and 63 percent more likely to have five or more intercourse partners during their lifetime,” Bonomi explained. “I am not suggesting the book be banned or that women should not be free to read whatever books they wish or to have a love life,” she said. However, it is important women understand that the health behaviours assessed in the study are known risk factors for being in a violent relationship, Bonomi noted. “We recognise that the depiction of violence against women in and of itself is not problematic, especially if the depiction attempts to shed serious light on the problem. The problem comes when the depiction reinforces the acceptance of the status quo, rather than challenging it,” researchers concluded. The study appeared in the Journal of Women’s Health.
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Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Collected Stories Author: Rachel Dwyer
Author: Raja Rao
The book explores India’s economic growth and social change through popular Hindi cinema. In the book, Dwyer, a film scholar, looks at Bollywood films since 1991 and offers an explanation on how films have corresponded to and in some cases depicted India’s changing dreams and hopes. The book also reveals how with passing times, Bollywood films through entertainment have portrayed modern India and its views on religion, caste and their aspirations and would continue to do so.
This vibrant collection traverses the entire span of writer Raja Rao reflecting his understanding of the village life and passion for India’s struggle for freedom. Part of Penguin’s Modern Classics series, the book offers the best of Rao with stories ranging from those written as a struggling writer to the ones written in his later years. The book comes with an introduction by poet and translator R. Parthasarathy.
Only Connect
Malala, The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Changed the World
Edited By: Meenakshi Bharat, Sharon Rundle At a time where lives have become virtual with battles fought in cyberspace and love being declared through instant messages comes this collection of short fiction from India and Australia on “Technology and Us”. Edited by Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle, the book weighs “the deep impact of technology on our lives, relationships, and the ways in which we perceive each other and ourselves”. So, while Bharat’s “B Wid U Soon” narrates the story of a couple who despite living away from each other successfully share the joy of the birth of their child through technology, Janhavi Acharekar’s ‘Sneha 25’ brings to the fore the hoax of digital ties and cyber lovers.
Author: Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick The book traces Malala’s story, which she has written for her peers. Malala, who at a very young age faced Taliban opponents, narrates how on the day she was shot, she was to appear for an examination and had overslept. Led with a passionate belief in every girl’s right to education, Malala, through her book hopes to inspire children across the world. The book also gives a peek into her life after she was shot and adapted to life in a strange country.
A Journey from cyberspace to social change
From the gutsy tale of Malala Yousafzai who stood up to the Taliban, to the role played by cyberspace in today’s lives -- IANS bookshelf has all this and more on offer. Take a look.
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Mouth Watering
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#124-15299 68th Ave., Surrey 83 Tel: 778.578.4444 or Tel: 778.551.0143 OCT / NOV 2014
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