India in New York - Feb 14, 2014

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THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT INDIAN VISAS

India in New York www.rediff.com (Nasdaq: REDF)

VOL. XVII NO. 34

A GUIDE TO EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM INDIA ABROAD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014

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INDIA IN NEW YORK is published every Friday by India Abroad Publications, Inc. 42 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10004.

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Ajit Balakrishnan Chairman and Publisher Nikhil Lakshman Editor-in-Chief

Community hails India’s visa on arrival scheme

Rajeev Bhambri Chief Operating Officer-US Media THE EDITORIAL TEAM NEW YORK Aziz Haniffa, Editor, News Arthur J Pais, Editor, Features Suman Guha Mozumder, Associate Managing Editor George Joseph, P Rajendran, Deputy Managing Editors Paresh Gandhi, Chief Photographer Ritu Jha, Special Correspondent Parimal Mehta, System Manager Production: Dharmesh Chotalia, Production Supervisor.

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have been advocating visa reform for years, hailed the decision. Last year, Ommen submitted a memorandum to Congress party leader to Dr Karan Singh, asking for visa on arrival for at least Indians living abroad.

“If the system is supposed to work as it has been announced with an online application and then arrival at the airport to pick up the visas, it would be a dream come true for our community,” Abraham said. “However, it is also fraught with security risks and anything less than efficient governance at the airports could backfire on the entire efforts.”

Inder Singh, chair, Global

he Indian-American community has welcomed the Indian government’s decision to grant visa on arrival to tourists from 180 countries, including the United States.

Most foreigners have to wait weeks after submitting their applications to get an India visa.

Under the new scheme, tourists can apply online and then receive the green light within five days, before picking up their visa at the airport on arrival into India.

Citing security reasons, India is not extending the visa on arrival scheme for citizens from eight countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iraq.

“It will be a boon for Indian Americans,” said George Abraham, chair, Indian National Overseas Congress (I), “as they no longer have to visit BLS (the company handling the visa and passport applications Applicants outside the for the Indian consulates) BLS office in New York offices and struggle for days share their woes with with uncertainty whether Norman Solovay, chairman, they could travel to India on Indo-American a certain date.”

Global Chamber of Thomas T Ommen, one of Commerce, right. the community leaders who

Organization of People of Indian Origin, said, “The government has experimented giving visa on arrival to people from 11 countries since 2010. Now they have decided to extend the scheme to 180 countries. Once the procedure is streamlined, people will no longer be at the mercy of Indian consulates.”

“They will not be in panic to get a visa in an emergency, travel to consulates by spending money on air travel, as it would be available on reaching India.

They should no longer be losing their passport in the offices of outside agency or at the consulates.”

“It would also reduce workload at the consulates. Millions of people should be happy to hear this new policy of visa on arrival,” Singh added.

India had tightened visa procedures after it was revealed that David Coleman Headley, involved in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai who is a naturalized US citizen from Pakistan, had traveled to India extensively to survey the attack sites.

The Indian government hopes to have the necessary infrastructure in place, including at the country’s airports, by October — in time for the start of the peak tourist season.

India attracted 6.58 million tourists in 2012, about a quarter of what Thailand or Malaysia attract.

Embassy looks for new company to outsource services RITU JHA

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nsatisfied with BLS International Services, the Indian embassy February 5 announced a new bid for visa outsourcing services companies.

When BLS International’s contract expires was not disclosed, but the new service provider will have to start operations by May 21.

The information posted on the embassy Web site shows an invitation for bids for outsourcing of services related to issuance of Indian visa, Overseas Citizen of India and Person of Indian Origin cards, surrender and renunciation of Indian citizenship certificate.

The contract will be signed for a period of four years with a provision for review of operations every year.

Since BLS International was awarded the contract last July, Indian consulates in the US have received scores of complaints for poor service.

“We are monitoring the situation,” N Parthasarathi, India’s consul general in San Francisco, had told India in New York’s parent publication India Abroad January 25. “We are considering various steps and hope that in the next couple of months the situation improves.”

The embassy Web site notice says, ‘It is estimated that the Embassy of India and its Consulates General will receive approximately 3,50,000 visa applications, and 150,000 to 200,000 OCI/PIO applications and 35000 surrender and renunciation of Indian citizenship certificate applications on an annual basis.’

‘This is, however, only an estimate. The Outsourcing Agency is responsible to collect and process these applications along with passports of the applicants, and deliver them to the Embassy of India, Washington DC and its Consulates General in the US and subsequently return the Indian visa, Overseas Citizen of India and Person of Indian Origin cards, surrender and renunciation of Indian citizenship certificate etc to the applicants in an expeditious and secure manner.’

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Largest Insider Trading Case

MATHEW MARTOMA FOUND GUILTY Preet Bharara’s perfect score continues with 79th insider trading conviction. George Joseph reports Mathew Martoma walks out of the courthouse in New York with wife Rosemary, February 6, after his conviction.

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t court room 110 at the Thurgood Marshall Court House on Foley Street, Manhattan, Mathew Martoma sat expressionless and his wife Rosemary, a pediatrician, wept. His parents and a few relatives sat shocked in the front row.

The jury forewoman had just announced — on the third day of deliberations after a month long trial — that he had been found guilty on all three counts in the largest insider trading case.

The 39-year-old former SAC Capital portfolio manager was arrested in 2011 from his home in Florida and charged with secretly obtaining information about clinical tests of an experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease, conducted

by Elan and Wyeth, which caused SAC to divest stocks worth $700 million in these companies — not just avoiding losses on these stocks before bad news about the clinical trials became public knowledge but making $276 million in profits.

He had consistently refused to plead guilty or cooperate with the prosecution against his former boss, SAC owner Steve Cohen and now faced 45 years in prison: 20 years on each of the two securities-fraud counts and five years for the single conspiracy charge.

Once the jury, of seven women and five men, announced its decision, the proceedings lasted less than half an hour.

With this, the office of the District Attorney of the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, has won all 79 cases it has filed in insider trading. Some of the accused were convicted and others pleaded guilty.

‘Cheating may have been profitable for Martoma, but in the end, it made him a con-

EDUARDO MUNOZ/REUTERS

victed felon,’ Bharara said in a statement.

‘As the jury unanimously found, Martoma cultivated and purchased the confidence of doctors with secret knowledge of an experimental Alzheimer’s drug, and used it to engage in illegal insider trading. Martoma bought the answer sheet before the exam — more than once — netting a quarter billion dollars in profits and losses avoided for SAC, as well as a $9 million bonus for him.’

Martoma is the eighth current or former SAC Capital employee charged with insider trading.

The other seven pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.

Defense lawyer Richard Strassberg — who has maintained that Martoma was wrongfully charged as part of the government’s efforts to get information against Cohen, who was never charged even though his hedge fund pleaded guilty to criminal insider-trading charges and settled it paying $1.8 billion — said, “We’re very disappointed and we plan to appeal.”

US Judge Paul Gardephe said February 7 that sentencing would take place June 10 and Martoma, who is currently out on bail, had time till May 13 to submit any motion seeking a lenient sentence.

Any response by the government to Martoma’s motion would be due by May 27.

Reports said that while the maximum sentence on all the three counts was 45 years, Martoma could face upto 15-20 years in prison based on federal sentencing guidelines, which will take into account the gains reaped by SAC from the trading.

He also faces a fine of over $5 million.

Prosecutors are expected to seek the maximum prison term.

The Case

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t the heart of the case was confidential information about an experimental drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease being developed jointly by the pharmaceutical companies Elan Corporation and Wyeth.

To obtain inside information, Mathew Martoma arranged for approximately 42 paid consultations between 2006 and July 2008 with a leading Alzheimer’s doctor.

When he got the inside information that the drug trial was progressing well, he recommended increasing holdings in Elan and Wyeth. By June 30, 2008, his company held approximately $700 million worth of Elan and Wyeth equity securities, the prosecution said.

July 17, 2008, one of the doctors informed Martoma that the result of the drug trial was negative and also provided him with a draft power point presentation, the prosecution said.

Drs Joel S Ross and Sidney Gilman, who were involved in the research, testified that they had given Martoma inside information; they were given immunity against prosecution for cooperating with the prosecutors, Gilman, 81, a former University of Michigan professor and chairman of the safety committee during the drug trial, testified that he gave Martoma — who did not testify during the trial — the final results of the trial July 17, 2008, hours after he received it and weeks before it was made public.

Two days later, Martoma went to Michigan, to visit him and take a look at the data himself, Gilman said.

Gilman, however, showed signs of a faltering memory during the five days he took the witness stand, reports noted.

Strassberg attacked the testimony of Gilman, who first told prosecutors that he could not recall the meeting in his office with Martoma but then told the court that his memory evolved and he recalled key details shortly before taking the witness stand.

The attorney told the jury, ‘He’s not remembering, he’s creating.’

He asked, ‘How in the world can the prosecutors try to convict someone of a serious federal crime based on this testimony?’

After the meeting with Gilman in 2008, Martoma sent SAC owner Steve Cohen an e-mail July 20, 2008, asking for a meeting, which happened.

The prosecution said, ‘The hedge fund owner then directed the hedge fund to sell Elan and Wyeth securities prior to the announcement of the drug trial results. Over the next seven days, the hedge fund liquidated its entire position in Elan and almost all of its position in Wyeth — a total of 17.7 million shares worth approximately $700 million.’

It said, ‘The hedge fund also shorted Elan and Wyeth by approximately 7.75 million shares. This trading represented over 20 percent of the reported US trading volume in Elan and 11 percent of the volume in Wyeth.’

It added, ‘The drug results were announced July 29, 2008. The next day Elan stock closed approximately 42 percent lower and Wyeth shares fell approximately 12 percent.

Through this trading activity, the hedge fund is alleged to have earned profits and avoided losses of approximately $276 million.’

The defense argued that Martoma had no role in SAC’s selling of the stocks, but prosecutors noted that he sold his own stake in the companies too.

Martoma is said to have earned only $9.8 million from the dealings involved in this case and was fired the next year, supposedly because he failed to provide any other hot stock information and was considered a ‘one trick pony with Elan.’

The defense also noted that much of the information about the research was already public knowledge and could not substantiate an insidertrading charge.

During the deliberations, the jury called for the testimony of Dr Thomas Wisniewski, a defense expert witness who is a professor of neurology, pathology and psychiatry at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

He testified that there was ‘no substantial difference’ between the detailed drug trial results Martoma was accused of trading on and an earlier press statement by Elan and Wyeth publicizing ‘encouraging topline results’ of the tests.

The jury asking for the transcript had aroused hope in the defense for an acquittal, which did not happen.

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Devyani Khobragade seeks dismissal of case she would not be charged with any claim of bail jumping.

Dr Khobragade did not become a ‘former’ diplomat until that evening at approximately 8:30 pm when her airplane departed American airspace, her lawyer noted.

‘Here, the sequence of events to be examined for resolution of the motion is critical,’ Arshack said. ‘The question is not whether the prosecution may bring a case against Khobragade now that she is a “former” diplomat: It can. But, it cannot do so based upon an indictment that was obtained while she was an active diplomat cloaked in immunity, as she was on January 9, 2014.’

‘The immutable fact is that she was a diplomat entitled to immunity from prosecution who did not leave the United States until approximately 8:30 pm, which was several hours after the indictment was returned and filed with the court.’

The defense — which has argued that even pursuant to her position as deputy consul general, Dr Khobragade was afforded certain privileges and immunities under the Vienna Convention ‘in respect to acts performed in the exercise of consular functions’ —filed another set of formal moving papers to dismiss the case January 14.

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Respite for the diplomat

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r Khobragade stands accused of federal charges of submitting a fraudulent visa application and presenting false statements to the US. The prosecution has argued that the charges are not covered by ‘official acts’ immunity because several cases have held that ‘the hiring of a personal domestic worker is not an official act that confers immunity.’

Under Count One, Dr Khobragade is accused of assisting her domestic worker in the preparation an A3 visa application to travel to the US, and causing the submission of said visa application to the US containing allegedly false statements.

The defense has argued that assisting in the preparation of an A-3 visa application so the domestic worker could travel to the US is an act that falls under the consular function of ‘helping and assisting nationals of the sending state.’

Under Count Two, the prosecution claims that Dr Khobragade ‘caused to be submitted to the US department of state an employment contract that she knew to contain materially false and fraudulent statements, which contract was submitted in support of a visa application filed by Khobragade’ on behalf of the domestic worker.

The defense has said this assistance in preparation and submission of an A-3 visa application and preparation of an accompanying employment contract, both of which were actually submitted to the US prosecution by the domestic worker, were reasonable efforts to effectuate Dr Khobragade’s consular function of helping and assisting nationals of India. Without the application and employment contract, the domestic worker could not obtain an A-3 visa to work as a domestic employee in the US. ‘Thus, both charges against Khobragade, (1) visa fraud and (2) false statements, are covered by the “official acts” immunity of the VCCR, and precluded the arrest of Khobragade on December 12, 2013 and her subsequent indictment on January 9, 2014,’ the defense noted asking the court to dismiss the case.

The next court date is not yet set.

RAJESH KARKERA

hen Dr Devyani Khobragade, the former deputy consul general at the Indian consulate in New York, was indicted by a grand jury January 9, she had full diplomatic immunity and the proceedings against her should have been dismissed, Daniel N Arshack, her attorney, told the court.

In his reply to the prosecution’s stand that she enjoyed no diplomatic immunity at the time of her arrest and could thus be prosecuted, he said the State Department granted her full diplomatic immunity January 8 yet she was indicted the next day, which was against the Vienna Convention on diplomatic immunity.

‘It is acknowledged that the prosecution is not forever precluded from prosecuting the defendant,’ the reply said. ‘Our application is only that this proceeding must be dismissed. The instant indictment was returned and filed with the court prior to Dr Khobragade’s departure when she was still recognized as a diplomat and still imbued with diplomatic immunity. The prosecution could not then and cannot now proceed further on that invalid instrument.’

It noted, ‘The prosecution is clearly legally able to seek a new indictment at this time or at some point in the future, now that Khobragade no longer possesses such diplomatic status and immunity, but it may not proceed further with this case.’

Arshack added, ‘The prosecution goes to great lengths in its opposition to make inapposite distinctions between the immunity conferred upon consular officials versus diplomats under the respective Vienna Conventions as the ostensible basis to deny the requested relief. Such distinctions are a clear Dr Devyani Khobragade at effort to obfuscate, are irrelevant and do not assist her home in Mumbai. the court in resolving this matter.’

He cited the timeline of how events unfolded to support his reply.

Dr Khobragade was appointed as a special advisor to the United Nations August 26, 2013. That appointment continued, unabated, through December 31, 2013; he presented a document from the UN to prove this too.

Dr Devyani Khobragade has earned some respite She was arrested December 12, 2013, handcuffed, strip back in India. searched, and then brought before the magistrate.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University has stepped in to She was transferred as counselor at the Permanent reunite her divided family by offering her husband, Mission of India to the UN, a position which carries with it Aakash Singh Rathore, a job in New Delhi, reported full diplomatic immunity from prosecution, December 18, The Telegraph newspaper. She had left her children, 2013. who have American citizenship, behind with her Arshack said Dr Khobragade was given full diplomatic husband. status by the State Department at 5:47 pm January 8 while Rathore is an American, born in New York, and the grand jury returned the instant indictment January 9, teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. The report after she was already cloaked with diplomatic immunity. said, ‘In New York, India’s permanent mission to the The diplomatic immunity upon her required that the entire UN has been in a state of extreme discomfort since ‘proceeding or action’ be dismissed, he said.

Khobragade’s departure because it has been shelterHe added, ‘Contrary to the prosecution’s erroneous, selfing these US citizens under its roof.’ serving and foundationless unilateral proclamation that her It added, ‘Rathore is an unusual academic and will appointment terminated January 8, 2014, she, in fact, constand out from most of his peers at JNU if he takes tinued in that capacity through January 9, 2014, at approxiup his post in New Delhi as expected. He is an mately 8:30 pm, when she was obligated by the US to oenologist who formally qualified in the subject from depart the country.’

France. Oenology is the study of wines.’

Arrangements were being made to have her depart that evening once the court modified her bail conditions so that

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Sikhs for Justice offers reward to anyone who saw Sonia Gandhi in the US between September 2 and 9, 2013 GEORGE JOSEPH

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he Sikhs for Justice published an advertisement in amNewYork February 7, declaring a $20,000 reward for anyone who would testify before a United States judge that the person had seen Congress party President Sonia Gandhi in the US between September 2 and 9, 2013.

In a case the SFJ had filed against Gandhi — accusing her of protecting the perpetrators of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India — a judge recently denied the organization’s request to grant more time to investigate whether Gandhi visited the US in that time period.

The SFJ had tried to serve the summons on Gandhi, believing she was at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, September 9, 2013. They could not find her and served the summons on the hospital staff, to be handed over to Gandhi.

Gandhi through her attorney Ravi Batra told the court that she was not in New York during September 2-9. The judge granted the SFJ till February 8 to file its opposition to Gandhi’s motion to dismiss the human rights violation lawsuit due to insufficient service of summons. The SFJ request for more time was denied.

“Yes, the last date was February 8, but we have been given right to file supplemental, in case we have information about Sonia’s presence,” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the SFJ’s attorney.

“Contrary to SFJ’s wishful thinking, Mrs Gandhi’s position has always been the same: She was not served (the summons); she wasn’t even in New York during the relevant period,” Batra said.

“The (SFJ) ad states that Sonia Gandhi denies ‘ever being’ in the United States. It’s sad that SFJ needs to lie to the public. What Mrs Gandhi has said is that she was not in

New York during September 2-9 of 2013.”

He added, “At best, it’s a cheap trick to get more free publicity by offering an award knowing it will never be collected. At worst, it is soliciting false testimony so as to defraud the court. If it’s the former, it’s laughable; if it’s the latter, the constitutional confrontation clause coupled with perjury-penalty are sufficient to protect the court from fabricated testimony of a false witness.”

“I’m sorry to see anyone mock the judicial process by trying to buy false testimony, while knocking on the courthouse door for justice,” Batra added.

Pannun said Gandhi’s claim of absence from the US at the time when SFJ served the summons is critical to maintain the case.

“The reward is offered,” Pannun said, “to unveil the mystery surrounding Gandhi’s presence in the United States during September 2013.”

Hiten Patel’s sexual assault trial to end soon A CORRESPONDENT

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he trial of Hiten Patel, 35, of Egg Harbor Township in New Jersey for sexually assaulting seven women in Atlantic City in 2012 before Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury in Atlantic City, is expected to end this week.

He had been indicted on 36 counts in connection with impersonating a police officer and kidnapping and sexually assaulting these women.

Patel, a computer analyst with high security clearance for the Federal Aviation Administration, was arrested August 2, 2012 by Atlantic City police after he posed as a police officer, ordered a 21-year-old woman into his van and then sexually assaulted her, according to the prosecution.

He posted $1 million bail by bond November 9, 2012 and was conditionally released on a GPS monitoring unit and placed under house arrest.

He maintains he is innocent and refused to plead guilty in exchange for a 30-year jail term.

Following the arrest, the Atlantic City police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated previous reports of sexual assault in the area and charged Patel with several other attacks.

The assaults date back to at least April 5, 2011, when he allegedly used a toy gun to force a woman to have sex with him.

He was arrested at that time, but charged only with possession of a fake firearm. He was not convicted then.

Patel was already under surveillance when he picked up the 21-year-old woman.

JR, a prostitute identified only with her initials testified in court against him last week.

‘Being a prostitute, things like this happen. When you start crying and you start screaming, it can make them more mad,’ she told the court about the attacks, a report in the Press of Atlantic City, noted.

She told the court that she was an addict and worked as a prostitute then for buying drugs. According to the report, when she asked for money Patel pulled out a gun — which was later identified as a toy — and raped her.

She said it was easy to identify Patel when she saw his photograph in the Press of Atlantic City August 4, 2012, after he was arrested for other attacks.

‘I saw the man who did this to me, and a story that sounded like what happened to me,’ she told the court.

JR agreed with the defense attorney that she was in a mess during the time of the attack with drugs, and prostitution.

But it was noted that she had been clean for about a year-and-a-half, had regained custody of her three children, and had a job. Her probation, for an earlier drug conviction, was almost done.

Chivukula hosts job fair in Somerset SUMAN GUHA MOZUMDER

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ew Jersey Assemblyman Upendra J Chivukula has urged job-seekers, companies and organizations to participate in a job fair in Central Jersey February 18, which he will host in collaboration with the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Raritan Valley Community College Career Services and The Imperia.

According to the monthly labor report, the unemployment rate in New Jersey went down to 7.3 percent in December from 7.8 percent in November.

But soon after that an estimated 90,000 New Jersey residents lost their extended federally funded unemployment benefits.

‘This unfortunate development was the catalyst that prompted us to work with our cohosts to put together a job fair that would connect job-seekers to potential employers. We are pleased at the response from nearly 50 companies, non-profits and universities that will be participating,’ Chivukula said in a statement.

The job fair will be held from 10 am to 2 pm at The Imperia located at 1714 Easton Avenue in Somerset, NJ.

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

A CORRESPONDENT

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shok Varadhan has been appointed co-head of Goldman Sachs’ securities division. This is the largest and most profitable of the New York headquartered global investment bank’s four units.

The 41 year old was the head of macro trading in the Securities Division. In an internal memo Goldman’s CEO Lloyd Blankfein noted that in his long tenure in this unit Varadhan ‘demonstrated dedication to our clients and a deep understanding of our business.’

Varadhan had also been an ‘effective voice on a number of firm wide, regional and divisional committees,’ which included the management committee, growth markets operating committee and firmwide risk committee, Blankfein added.

Varadhan — the son of eminent Abel Laureate

Srinivasa Varadhan, a Chennai native who is Professor of Mathematics at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University — brings stellar records to the table.

He is a Duke University graduate who joined Goldman Sachs in 1998 in Swaps Trading. He went on to head the dollar derivative trading, run the North American interest rate products, become managing director in 2000, partner in 2002 and global head of foreign exchange in 2007.

He will join Isabelle Ealet and Pablo Salame as coheads of the Securities Division and focus on building the client franchise across Goldman’s fixed income, currency and commodities and equities businesses.

People who have co-headed the unit previously have gone on to assume top-ranking positions at the Goldman.

Filmmaker Jagdish Sidana passes on A CORRESPONDENT

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agdish L Sidana, a filmmaker who had won India’s National Award, died in New Jersey, February 5. He was 76.

Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh-born and raised Sidana joined the film industry in Mumbai in the early 1970s, after graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

He started as an associate director, and went on to become codirector, editor, director and producer.

He was associated with movies like Dastak, Phagun, Uphaar, and Saudagar, and worked with legends like Dilip Kumar, Sanjeev Jagdish L Sidana Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, dancer wife Padma Khanna in Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Iselin, New Jersey.

Utpal Dutt, Shashi Kapoor and Khanna acted in more than 400 Rishi Kapoor. movies in different languages in Sidana was close to actor Kadar India. She also acted in many teleKhan, with whom he did a number vision serials including Ramayan, in of stage plays.

Sidana moved to the US in 1996 which she played Kaikeyi. and founded the Indianica Sidana is survived by his wife, his Academy, which teaches Kathak daughters Sushma Kataria and and other dances, with his actressNeha Sidana Puniani, and son

Akshar Sidana.

The funeral services were performed February 7 at Franklin Memorial Park in North Brunswick and a prayer meeting was held at Royal Albert’s Palace in Fords, February 8. It was organized by Dr Navin C Mehta, Girish Soni, Kenny Desai, H R Shah, Albert Jasani, Dr Sudhanshu Prasad and others.

Long Island physician, community leader Shakir Mukhi dies A CORRESPONDENT

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ommunity leader and physician Dr Shakir Mukhi, a former president of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin, died in Long Island, New York, February 7.

He was also a founding member of the Nargis Dutt Foundation and served as its vice president under its president, the late Indian actor Sunil Dutt.

Dr Mukhi was involved in the AFMI’s educational mission as well as other charitable and community activities.

He served as vice president of the Indian National Overseas Congress, and as board member of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin.

He was a human rights commissioner for Nassau County since 2001.

A graduate of MP Shah Medical College, Jamnagar, Gujarat, he completed his residency training from Catholic Medical Center Hospital in Family Medicine, Queens.

“Dr Shakir Mukhi was an important Dr Shakir Mukhi member of our organization who was always concerned with the plight of underprivileged masses in India,” said Dr A R Nakadar, the AFMI’s founding trustee. “His contributions are many and he will sorely be missed by one and all.”

A service was held in Queens; the funeral was held in Orlando, Florida.

“In the New York area whenever we launched a campaign for justice or development in India or conducted a program for the same, he participated in it fully,” said Dr Shaik Obaid of the Coalition Against Genocide.

“He was a great symbol of harmony in our often polarized world,” said George Abraham, chair, Indian National Overseas Congress (I), “bringing disparate people of faith, region and languages together. He loved hosting some of the grandest parties at his home and it always resembled an interfaith forum.”

“He was an eternal optimist at heart and motivated others to engage with the community and do positive things in their lives. He will be sorely missed.”

Even though Dr Mukhi was suffering from a terminal illness — which few people knew about — he was involved in programs to pay tribute to his late colleague in the AFMI, Dr Najma Sultana.

MOHAMMED JAFFER-SNAPSINDIA

Ashok Vardhan appointed co-head of Goldman Sachs securities

Cover Story

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

‘Microsoft needed somebody like him’

Satya Nadella is the third CEO of the iconic Microsoft.

Hyderabad native Satya Nadella named CEO of the multi-billion dollar software behemoth.

Suman Guha Mozumder reports

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nding months of speculation, Satya Nadella was named chief executive officer of Microsoft February 4.

After a five month-search — Steve Ballmer had announced August 23, 2013, that he would retire once a successor was named — Nadella, always a front runner in the race that included

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A CRICKET BUFF WHO LOVES POETRY SUMAN GUHA MOZUMDER AND VICKY NANJAPPA

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ne of the lesser known facets of Satya Nadella’s character is that besides being a highly talented technology wizard, the newly minted CEO of Microsoft is very passionate about poetry.

Those who know him are not surprised.

“His personal passion is poetry as well as cricket. He can learn and understand poetry as fast as he can learn software, something one does not find in very many CEOS of high-tech companies,” Vish Mishra, Venture Director, Clearstone Venture Partners, who has known Nadella for many years, told India In New York.

Navin Chaddha, managing partner, Mayfield Fund, who worked with Nadella at Microsoft when both of them held midlevel management positions at the company and remains in touch with him, said, “Despite being immersed in technologyrelated work, he finds time for reading, including poetry and for one of his kids

COURTESY: MICROSOFT

who needs special development and spends time with him and tries to nurture development. He is a well-balanced guy and always tries to maintain balance in life despite his huge work load.”

Nadella has said he finds relaxation in poetry, in all forms. ‘It’s like code,’ Microsoft quoted him as saying. ‘You’re trying to take something that can be described in many, many sentences and pages of prose, but you can convert it into a couple of lines of poetry and you still get the essence, so it’s that compression.’

The new Microsoft CEO’s other passion, like many Indians, is cricket.

He played the game competitively in school in Hyderabad, and said, ‘I think playing cricket taught me more about working in teams and leadership that has stayed with me throughout my career.’

Mishra said Nadella always came across as nice and personable in social settings: “If Satya is in the middle of a crowd, you cannot pick him. He just does not have the (that kind of) presence, but once you are with him, you can feel his energy and talent and you say, ‘Wow, this guy is great!’”

Nadella who passed out from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka in 1998, was just like any other student in college said Sunil Shetty a batch mate.

“He has worked hard for this,” he added “In college I would not say that he was a brilliant student. He passed out with a first class. He was not much into sports either.

He was not part of the college team.”

Harishchandra Hebbar, Nadella’s digital electronics professor at Manipal, remembered him as a good listener and someone who asked a lot of questions. “This was a good trait since he always wanted doubts to be clarified. I am proud of him and the news has made me very happy,” Hebbar said.

Before moving to Karnataka for his engineering degree, Nadella grew up in Hyderabad.

His classmates from the class of 1984 at the Hyderabad Public School remembered him as a humble person.

They said he inherited his hard-working nature from his father.

Nadella’s father is the distinguished civil servant B N Yugandhar, who held several

high-profile administrative positions, including special secretary to the prime minister and a member of the Planning Commission.

Yugandhar politely turned down requests for an interview about his son, saying, “Let us speak after a few weeks. I cannot speak about him right now.”

There is no such reticence at the Hyderabad Public School, which is bursting with pride over its star alumnus.

Nadella was present for the school’s 90th anniversary celebrations in November 2013 and spoke at the event, recounting fond memories of his school days.

Faiz Khan, one of the school’s directors, recalls that Nadella had visited with a team from Microsoft.

“He told us they would come up with a better search engine. It would be even better than Google,” Khan says. “He is extremely fond of his school and never misses a chance to come here each time he is invited. What we appreciate most about him is that he continues to stay in touch and we can confidently say that success has not affected him one bit.”

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

On who he is?

I am 46. I’ve been married for 22 years and we have 3 kids. And like anyone else, a lot of what I do and how I think has been shaped by my family and my overall life experiences. Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning. I buy more books than I can finish.

I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me.

Why he chose Microsoft?

I am here for the same reason I think most people join Microsoft — to change the world through technology that empowers people to do amazing things. I know it can sound hyperbolic — and yet it’s true. We have done it, we’re doing it today, and we are the team that will do it again.

I had a choice about where to come to work. I came here because I believed Microsoft was the best company in the world. I saw then how clearly we empower people to do magical things with our creations and ultimately make the world a better place.

I knew there was no better company to join if I wanted to make a difference. This is the very same inspiration that continues to drive me today.

His next mission

To paraphrase a quote from Oscar Wilde — we need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable.

This starts with clarity of purpose and sense of mission that will lead us to imagine the impossible and deliver it.

We need to prioritize innovation that is centered on our core value of empowering users and organizations to ‘do more.’

We have picked a set of high-value activities as part of our One Microsoft strategy.

And with every service and device launch going forward we need to bring more innovation to bear around these scenarios.

Next, every one of us needs to do our best work, lead and help drive cultural change.

We sometimes underestimate what we each can do to make things happen and overestimate what others need to do to move us forward. We must change this.

Finally, I truly believe that each of us must find meaning in our work. The best work happens when you know that it’s not just work, but something that will improve other people’s lives.

Many companies aspire to change the world. But very few have all the elements required: talent, resources, and perseverance. Microsoft has proven that it has all three in abundance. And as the new CEO, I can’t ask for a better foundation.

The Indian-American community is so very proud of Satya Nadella. His accomplishments speak for themselves and his journey from Hyderabad to Redmond should be a source of inspiration to others. All of us wish him the very best in helping to take Microsoft to the next level.

What I would like to know is why some of the best technology executives in the US come from

Satya Nadella, the man and his vision

Excerpted from Satya Nadella’s e-mail to employees on his first day as CEO

An inspiration called Satya Satya Nadella is highly qualified and will do a lot of good for the company.

I wish him lots of success because Microsoft has many challenges ahead. Its core market — the PC — is shrinking. Tablets and smart phones — which predominantly run on Android and iOS are eclipsing it.

His job won’t be easy. But Nadella has done wonders in building the cloud business, so if anyone can beat the odds, it is him.

Nadella was clearly the best choice for this job because he understands the cloud and mobile and built a very successful business for Microsoft.

I don’t know Nadella personally, but know some people who know him very well. They are in awe of him.

What surprises me is that a company that had no senior Indian executives until the 1990s is now appointing an Indian as CEO. This shows how far the industry and America have come.

— Vivek Wadhwa, Silicon Valley entrepreneur; VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, SINGULARITY UNIVERSITY; FELLOW AT STANFORD LAW SCHOOL; AND A DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AT DUKE UNIVERSITY.

‘I AM HERE TO CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH TECHNOLOGY THAT EMPOWERS PEOPLE TO DO AMAZING THINGS’

Hyderabad: Is there a secret sauce we need the recipe for?

— Romesh Wadhwani FOUNDER AND CEO, SYMPHONY TECHNOLOGY He has been the CEO of different units and some of the critical initiatives within Microsoft and has been successful in delivering results. He has led teams within Microsoft and understands the culture. Being home grown he may be the best person to lead the company.

— Sridar Iyengar FORMER CEO, KPMG AND PRESENTLY A BOARD MEMBER, INFOSYS Having heard Satya speak a few months ago, I was most impressed by his keen intellect, ability to communicate, entrepreneurial instincts and humility.

Satya is a great role model and his selection as the next CEO of Microsoft is a wonderful testimonial to how and why the United States attracts, identifies and rewards talented immigrants based on the culture of meritocracy.

Satya is an excellent example of how a highly skilled immigrant who is entrepreneurial succeeds in the US with strong work ethics, a zeal for learning, making significant contributions and having good people skills.

— Suren G Dutia SENIOR FELLOW, MARION EWING KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION, AND FORMER CEO, TIE GLOBAL This is a great time to celebrate for all Indian

COURTESY: MICROSOFT

Satya Nadella’s appointment has been welcomed by the industry as well as Microsoft employees Americans and technology immigrants. He is like many of us who came to US with a great dream.

What I like best about Satya is that he is a constant and consistent learner and his quest for knowledge and innovation. That is one thing that I would try and emulate in my life and all things we plan to do at Next Generation.

This is a testament of another Indian-American success story and it is a coincidence that the first Indian-American employee of Microsoft, Rao Remala, and the first Indian-American CEO of Microsoft bothhail from Andhra Pradesh.

— Krishna Kumar DIRECTOR, NEXT GENERATION LEADERS AND BUSINESSES (CALIFORNIA).

The fact that an immigrant from India could rise to become the CEO of an über-American behemoth such as Microsoft signals both the strength of Indian-Americans’ contributions to this country, as well as the beauty of the American meritocracy that allows immigrants to contribute so richly to every field.

This guy is an engineer who has worked his way up the ladder since joining Microsoft over 20 years ago.

Like so many immigrants who have realized the American dream, nothing was handed to him. He had to rely on his education in Hyderabad, the work ethic and values instilled in him by his family, and good old-fashioned ingenuity to get where he’s got.

Nationally, it’s inspirational for all immigrants and children of immigrants.

— Raj Mukherji FRESHMAN LEGISLATOR, NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY India has had a very strong intellectual tradition.

Indians who migrate are hard working and motivated. They impart those values to their children while upholding the intellectual tradition of back home.

When you put this together with the superlative American universities and the largely open, transparent and competitive environment, you produce wonders. It is a pity that Indian politicians have failed to create the institutions and environment that could harness India’s enormous talent.

— Arvind Panagariya JAGDISH BHAGWAI PROFESSOR OF INDIAN POLITICAL ECONOMY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY I am excited about Satya Nadella taking the helm at Microsoft. He has accomplished a great deal at an early age and seems modest in his acceptance of his top role.

— Upendra Chivukula NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLYMAN As told to Aziz Haniffa, George Joseph, Suman Guha Mozumder

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

‘If he had not got a H1-B visa he would have had to leave the country’ SUMAN GUHA MOZUMDER

S

atya Nadella’s ascent to the top job at Microsoft should be “a wakeup call” for the American government in terms of immigration reform, Vivek Wadhwa, fellow, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, said.

“If he had not got a H1-B visa or a Green Card, he would have had to leave the country. The sad thing for America is that tens of thousands like him are being chased away every year because of America’s flawed immigration policies.”

He noted that Nadella came to this country when it was easy for skilled immigrants to get a permanent residence, but now it is extremely hard.

“There are tens of thousands of would-be entrepreneurs leaving the US every year.

There are probably several Microsoft-type companies that weren’t started in the US because of our flawed immigration policies.

This is sheer stupidity,” Wadhwa added. “The

country is bleeding competitiveness.”

Vish Mishra, Venture Director, Clearstone Venture Partners, however said that to look on the brighter side of things, such an appointment could only be possible in a country like America “where talent is recognized and honored.”

“Think of the bigger issues — half of the fortune 500 CEOs are immigrants and 25 percent of all the new businesses are founded by new immigrants who have made huge contributions in terms of dollars to the American economy. But having said that I would admit that not addressing the issue of huge skilled talent shortage in America is a big mistake,” Mishra said. “Skilled and highly talented people should be fast tracked. The problem is not the immigration authorities but the policy makers. There are lobbyists, and members of the Congress have different agendas to push. I do not think Satya’s appointment would be a wakeup call in DC at all. But people like Satya should be welcomed with open arms and given residency and it should be fast tracked.”

An archival photograph of a long line outside the Immigration and Naturalization center in New York.

I PAGE 7 names like Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motors; Stephen Elop, former CEO, Nokia; Steve Mollenkopf from Qualcomm; Ericsson’s Hans Vestberg; Tony Bates, former Skype boss now in charge of Microsoft’s business development; and Sundar Pichai, a senior vice president at Google who managed its Android OS, Chrome browser, and apps divisions; surged ahead.

He is the third CEO of Microsoft, and in him the company gets an insider and an engineer, who can adapt to all aspects of the business.

Since joining the company in 1992, Nadella has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services, most notably the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and other services.

During his tenure overseeing Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, the division outperformed the market and took share from competitors. He headed Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise division when the race for CEO began.

Microsoft founder and its first chief executive officer Bill Gates said there was no better person than Nadella to lead Microsoft during this time of transformation for the company.

‘His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is

REUTERS

‘Microsoft needed somebody like him’ exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth,’ Gates said in a statement.

Gates, who stepped down as chairman and took on a new role as technology adviser, will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction.

John Thompson, the lead independent director for the board of directors, who will assume the role of Chairman of the Board and remain an independent director on the board, said Nadella was clearly the best person to lead Microsoft, and had the board’s unanimous support.

‘Satya,’ Ballmer said, ‘will be a great CEO, and I am pumped for the future of Microsoft. Satya is a proven leader. He’s got strong technical skills and great business insights.’

Beyond the official statements and accolades what worked in Nadella’s favor was his

unflinching commitment to the interest of the company and its people; his popularity with colleagues, both superiors and subordinates; and above all, his varied experience in various departments within the company.

He brings, according to those who know him, a relentless drive for innovation and a spirit of collaboration to his new role.

“He always had three passions in life — cloud computing, cricket and poetry, and as far I know, he has kept them all throughout his life,” a person who has worked with him at Microsoft told India In New York.

Entrepreneurs, who have known him, felt he would deliver the goods given his track record within Microsoft where he has been at the helm of various departments, including Cloud Computing and Business Development, and steered them successfully.

Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla told India In New York, “Among the candidates speculated about, Satya is the best person for the

job. It is great that he is Indian, but at the same time he is the best person, Indian or not. Microsoft needed somebody like him, a product visionary, a technologist, somebody who understands enterprise customers and where technology is going.”

Nadella worked at Sun Microsystems, cofounded by Khosla, before starting at Microsoft.

“It is great for Satya,” Khosla said, “for a person as young as him, to be offered that job. It is a great vindication for him in terms of his skills and what he has done at Microsoft.”

“The choice was not surprising, at least for me,” Khosla added, “because Bill understood the company’s needs and he would never make a poor choice and so, of course, Satya was the most appropriate person for what the company needs to do.”

Entrepreneur Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande felt Nadella’s appointment was a “testament” to America’s meritocracy.

“Over the last five decades Indians have proven that they can be good students, then engineers and professors, then engineering managers and heads of departments, then entrepreneurs and deans, and then CEOs and presidents of universities,” he said.

“Satya’s appointment sends a message to Indians to aspire to be CEOs of a very large complex organization.

Nadella holds an engineering degree from the Manipal Institute of Technology, a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Desi View

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

The city that gave wings to a stay-at-home mom’s dreams LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS

NANDINI BHUCHAR

I

came to America almost 25 years ago, as a young bride. Now being at the ‘midpoint’ of life at 50, I feel absolutely fabulous about myself and everything around me.

My journey began with my husband in 1989 in Flushing, Queens…. our first home. Coming from a rather large family of four siblings to having no immediate family or close friends in the tristate area, it took me a while to get accustomed to the loneliness of the ‘weekend’ culture in the US. Those days, speaking over the phone to loved ones in India was rationed to once a month due to the exorbitant phone rates. Correspondence was mainly through letters. I used to look forward to the ‘click’ of the mailbox and run downstairs from our apartment in anticipation of a letter from India.

I didn’t experience any severe ‘culture shock’ in my transition from New Delhi to New York. Several things did take a long time to get accustomed to (not sure if I am accustomed to them yet).

One of them was being addressed by my first name by those younger then me.

Coming from a culture where elders were always addressed respectfully, being addressed as Nandini by young ones made me cringe (still does).

Even though we did not have any family nearby, they were always there for us emotionally and mentally. We visited family as much as we could and they did the same.

Gradually we made friends nearby and the warmth of these friendships saw us through our ups and downs in life.

These friends evolved into family.

Our two boys were born in April 1993 and October 1997.

In raising our children, we kept our minds open to positive influences from other cultures.

In Queens, we had enrolled our son in Gymboree, a week-

ly play session for toddlers. There I met some other first time mothers and we formed a voluntary informal playgroup with our children.

We would meet once a week in each other’s homes. Most children in this playgroup were from Jewish and Catholic families. During the playgroup’s weekly activities, I learnt a lot from the other mothers, who though they were born and brought up in the US, had similar thought processes like me.

We took the children to zoos, playgrounds, museums, circus, and book-reading sessions at libraries etc…something which I have to say that most stay-at-home mothers from the Indian community miss out on. I started to feel very comfortable and really looked forward to these weekly interactions.

Somewhere along the line we moved to the suburbs, Ronkonkoma, Long Island.

I spent my time in doing what most stay-at-home mothers do, took my children to preschool, library, baseball and soccer games, play dates, birthday parties, made sure homework was done etc.

One afternoon, as I was picking up my younger son from his preschool, I heard some of the mothers discussing that the Internal Revenue Service was hiring seasonal workers for the upcoming tax-filing season.

One of the mothers was applying and was encouraging the others to do the same. I applied and was pleasantly surprised to be selected in February 2002. This was an entrylevel position.

I considered myself extremely fortunate to be selected, even though I had been out of the workforce for 13 years and had no prior work experience in the US. I worked as a seasonal employee in different IRS departments for about four years. Simultaneously, I had my foreign education credentials evaluated, and began studying part time to fulfill the educational requirements needed to successfully apply for a professional cadre at the IRS. My hard work and perseverance paid off. In my fifth year

as a seasonal employee, in June 2006, I was selected as an Internal Revenue Agent. For me this was a dream come true, and I genuinely thought at that time that this would be my career for the rest of my working life.

While I enjoyed the content of my job and the respect associated with the position, I soon realized that being a Revenue Agent involved a substantial amount of travelling, within the city.

My daily field work and commute was tiring and I was finding it difficult to keep up with the demands of my young family. I longed for a career where I could work closer to home and with limited travel.

I started looking for appropriate job vacancies at the federal government jobs Web site.

I worked as a Revenue Agent for about two years before joining the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in March 2008 as an auditor.

Currently, I am a management and program analyst and recently received my certified Fraud Examiner credentials from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. I get to work from home four days a week.

I have my dream job.

What I have learned in my journey is that in order to move forward, besides working hard, one has to constantly keep challenging oneself and try to get out of one’s comfort zone.

There is no end to learning…it goes on constantly. There is no glass ceiling. It exists only in our minds.

So go out and chase your dreams without even giving a moment’s thought to rejection.

If you don’t think about it, it won’t happen.

I will end with one of my favorite quotes by Neil Feree: Think big, start small, scale fast, do it now.

Nandini Bhuchar is a CFE and works as a Program and Management Analyst with the TIGTA. Her husband Dalip Bhuchar is a CPA.

Aseem in Berlin

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

The 10-day festival features nearly 400 films.

A Movieable Feast

L

ast week, New York City was slammed by two snowstorms — more like ice storms, with many inches of accumulation, slush and slippery sidewalks.

It was a very pleasant change to arrive in Berlin February 6 to discover it was at least 15 to 20 degrees warmer here. This part of Europe is experiencing a mild winter.

The trip to Berlin — my seventh visit to the city to attend the Berlinale — does not afford me time to be out on the streets.

Most of the time one is indoors in large, plush, movie theaters, with giant screens. The theaters are also comfortably heated.

T

here is a lot of history in Berlin. The city was united after the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall in 1989, and in the 24 years since there has a lot of construction in the East Berlin part of the city.

Many sections of the Berlin Wall stand in different parts of the city, including a 1.3 km (0.8 mile)-long East Side Gallery where various artists have painted colorful graffiti.

Throughout the city a metal trail runs along where the Wall stood, dividing the city into the Communist and Western blocks.

Of course, there is the famous Checkpoint Charlie, one of the places where the Wall used to be open for official movement between the two cities in Communist times.

Checkpoint Charlie is now a tourist trap, where bus tours drops off visitors from all parts of the world. People can visit a museum dedicated to the Wall's history and on their way out can also buy small concrete chips that are supposed to be parts of the original Wall.

My favorite slab from the Wall stands at the Potsdamer Platz, the business hub of Berlin and also the central point of the Berlinale, where most of the theaters are located.

The slab reads 'The Next Wall To Fall: Wall Street.'

Just a few days ago, I watched the documentary, Another World that tracked the brief rise and the collapse of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The 10-day festival features nearly 400 films, in various sections, including competition, Panorama, Forum and tributes to master filmmakers. The choices are hard to manage, risks are taken, but I am certain quite a few films will blow me away.

Berlinale is also a great place to see Hollywood and European celebrities. This year, there have been many such stars at the press conferences after the screenings — George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Wes Anderson, Tilda Swinton, Uma Thurman, Christian Slater and Shia LaBeouf who walked out of the gathering for his new film,

Nymphomaniac.

It is a big year for Indian films at the Berlinale.

There are 10 films from India, including documentaries. The new Bollywood film, Highway, will be shown here a week before its opening in India and in other Diaspora markets.

I am especially excited about a rare screening of the restored version of Satyajit Ray’s Nayak (1966) with a very young Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore.

And a film that very few people in India have seen — a 1977 adaptation of Vijay Tendulkar’s controversial play Ghashiram Kotwal, co-directed by the late Mani Kaul and D K Hariharan.

B

erlin is heaven for foodies. The city has a large immigrant population and it a treat to find an array of Asian, Middle Eastern, European and North American food.

The largest concentration of immigrants in Berlin are from Turkey; slightly less than 10 percent of the city’s population is Turk.

Berlin is the place to eat really good Turkish food, often close to what we consider Middle Eastern food in New York and yet different, at least in appearance, if not taste and name.

Most popular at Turkish restaurants are the Doner Kababs, usually with beef (or veal) and chicken. Doner is similar to the Arab Shawarma or Greek Gyros.

This past weekend, I ate a platter of chicken Doner, thin strips of seasoned and well-cooked chicken along with pieces of Falafel. I have only eaten deep fried Falafel balls in New York. At the Turkish place in Berlin, the Falafels were flat and circular, similar to the Indian Shammi Kabab.

A thoroughly satisfying meal, and very reasonably priced.

Wall to Wall: A slab from the Berlin Wall in the city’s business hub.

Berlin is a treat for Turkish food lovers.

Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

‘I think sleeping is for the weak’

P

riyanka Chopra is racing — between film sets, between promotions, between several countries and between two careers. And when she says it is a race where she competes only against herself you have got to believe her for no other Bollywood actress is doing what she is doing, successfully we might add.

Even the seemingly unstoppable star has her fears and in a chat with India in New York, she opens about how she deals with the fears; the choices that set her apart; her upcoming film, Gunday; and her new single.

You are working with two relative newcomers in Gunday, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. What did you learn from them?

It’s interesting you asked me this; we were discussing the same thing a few days back. All three of us are almost about the same age, yet I have done more work than both their careers combined.

I can’t help it if they started so late (laughs).

One thing that I learnt from both of them is when you are new to the industry you tend to magnify things and see it so that they can focus on every little detail and it really helps in your performance.

Both Ranveer and Arjun are phenomenal actors.

Who was a bigger gunda — Arjun or Ranveer?

Me! I am big bully and I enjoy bullying men.

Jokes apart, we became really good friends.

I know Arjun for a long time. He was an assistant director on Salaam-e-Ishq. He was really huge at that time. I guess he used to weigh 140 kg (300 lbs). We had our own secrets and would hang around quite often.

I came to know Ranveer through Gunday, but I have ended up enjoying working with him too.

Priyanka Chopra chats with Sonil Dedhia about working on two successful careers simultaneously How do you see the transition in Arjun Kapoor?

I knew he always wanted to be an actor, so it didn’t surprise me when he started acting. But I knew Arjun as a 140-kg guy. He couldn’t walk without breathing heavy.

From there to have a six pack abs, he is a perfect example for everyone out there who is obese and says that we cannot change anything. It’s really inspiring and amazing.

Have you ever had a situation when two boys have been vying for your attention at the same time?

Many times. Ultimately I pick the guy I like.

The thing is guys always have to live it up to the girl as eventually it’s her prerogative. Girls aren’t someone who will like two people at the same time.

And how do you say that?

I think it’s not in our DNA. I think a girl’s attention just goes to one person.

Hypothetically, if those two boys were to be Ranveer and Arjun, who would you have chosen?

I don’t see the two of them romantically so when I am getting two, why should I pick one? (laughs) You shot the film in Kolkata. You had earlier visited the city during the shoot of Barfi! Can you share some of your experiences?

When we go for shooting, we don’t really end up observing at the city.

For me, Kolkata is a lot about visuals and smell. There have been times when we leave for shoots early in the

Priyanka Chopra says her mother inspired her clothes in Gunday: “The big bindi, curly hair and the saris are similar to how she wore it.”

morning and I enjoy looking at the architecture of the city.

The people of Kolkata are deeply rooted in their culture.

It’s a city that is lost in time.

Did you try out the local food?

The macher was doing jhol (a play on the word jhol, referring to how Macher Jhol or Fish Curry was messing with her resistance) to me every night (laughs).

You are playing the role of a cabaret dancer in the film.

Which has been your all time favorite cabaret in Hindi films?

Piya Tu Ab Toh Aa Aaja. Helen ma’am was just phenomenal in the song.

Did you take any inspiration from Helen for your character?

We did not want to make it an Indian cabaret because Helen ma’am has done a great job with cabaret and I don’t think we could match up to it. No one can step into her shoes.

Our cabaret is more of European style. The film is set in the ’70s and during that time a lot of Anglo-Indian girls who came from Europe would perform cabarets in Kolkata.

My mother inspired my clothes in the film. The big bindi, curly hair and the saris are similar to how she wore it.

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Bollywood

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INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Priyanka Chopra will release her third single in April.

I PAGE 12 In one of your recent interviews you mentioned that you work really hard and live a very hectic life. How do you take time out for your friends?

My friends always call me non-existent in their lives.

I love what I do. My work is my worship and it gives me a high. I sleep only for four hours in a day. I think sleeping is for the weak (laughs).

I do take out time for my friends whenever I can. It’s became a little hectic since the time I am handling two careers (acting and singing) at the same time.

There are times when my family and friends travel with me.

Your father passed away last year and during that time you were the pillar of strength for your family. Who is your pillar of strength?

My father was. I depended on him for everything. He was very protective of me. I think he was really proud of all my achievements.

Now my mother has taken over that role.

I read somewhere that you have attention deficit disorder. You tend to get bored of things easily. Will you ever get bored of acting?

Yes, it could be that I will get bored of acting. It hasn’t happened yet.

I am extremely unpredictable... But you know with acting, it always keeps an actor attentive and that is why I do so many different characters.

It’s very easy for me to be the safe heroine who does all the films, which have the songs and scenes, but I want to be able to make my own path.

My next film is always different from what I have done before. I like to play strong characters in my film.

Is that the reason why you end up doing films like Fashion, 7 Khoon Maaf and Mary Kom? I don’t think so much when I take up a film.

For example, I have a pivotal role in Gunday. It is because of my character, everything happens in the film.

There are many different shades to my character in the film. It’s completely different from my last film (Krrish 3), which was a mainstream commercial blockbuster.

I do like to do different characters and even if there is a similar character that I have played earlier, I try and make it different by changing the look or adding some nuances.

At the same time you end up doing a small role in a film like Krrish 3.

You have to do those films also. I don’t why other actresses don’t get questioned when they do a 10-minute role in big blockbuster movies. Maybe people expect a lot more from me.

To be a mainstream actor and to be able to do a film where a producer can rely on you like in the case of my next film Mary Kom, you have to be a saleable actor and to

‘I think sleeping is for the weak’ be a saleable actor you have to be a part of big blockbuster movies.

I personally enjoy watching masala Hindi films, which are full of action, herogiri and glamorous heroines.

Moving away from films, you shot a video for your new single in Los Angeles last month. How was the experience?

It was a great experience. I am really excited about my next single. I am also nervous because it’s my first solo single. It should be released by early April.

We finished shooting for the video and it is completely different from what I have done earlier. The song is EDM and a cover of I Cant Make You Love Me by Bonnie

Raitt.

It felt really appropriate to make this my first solo single as it was the reason why I became a singer. This song for me is so captivating and I have spun it on its head and made it into a dance track.

The world views you as a woman with the world at her feet. How do you look at yourself ?

I have been in the limelight now for more than half my life. I don’t know what it is not to be famous. I never see myself as Priyanka Chopra the star. That fascination went away long ago.

Today, what is important for me is my work.

Whether it is music, acting or endorsements I want to create my personality around it.

I feel extremely proud of the support and love that I receive from my fans across the world. My fans are like my family.

The way I look at myself is just another girl who loves to listen to music, going out for dinner with friends, or go to a bookstore and buy a trolley full of books or squeal when I see an Apple store.

The limelight comes with a price. How do you react when you read rumors about yourself ?

There is a price you pay for everything in your life and being a public person (means) giving up your privacy.

When true things are written I read them and say, ‘Oh ho pakdi gayi (darn, I got caught),’ but when it’s not true and people pass their own judgments, I feel it’s wrong to do that.

How often do you Google your name?

I Google my name all the time. I want to know what people are writing about me.

It really entertains me when there are some dumb stories that get published and at the same time it fascinates me (to unearth) the source of that dumb story.

As an actress, how insecure are you about your work?

My career is not dependent on anyone else, so I am not insecure about other people.

I have never been competitive with other actors because I have consistently done good work. I am content in my space.

I don’t follow any rules or a particular path. I like to make my own way and do some unconventional things. I like to surprise myself. I don’t like to be told what I need to do.

I don’t like rules, so I have an authority issue (laughs).

What are your biggest fears?

I have a performance fear. Every time I walk to the sets and before giving the first shot I feel physical fear within me.

I have physical manifestations of my fear.

I feel sick and there are times when I feel I won’t be able to breathe.

I also feel the same when I am going to perform on a stage.

My biggest fear is losing the people I love.

How do you overcome them?

I just calm myself down and focus on the task at hand. I tell myself that even if I make my mistake, I will cover it up in the next attempt.

I try and make myself feel comfortable.

Is there anything that you would like to be better at?

Everything! I compete with myself and would like to do everything perfectly.

I try and evolve constantly. There is so much I want to learn. I want to learn a new language, play a role where I am completely unrecognizable.

There are so many things that I will need two lifetimes to do those (smiles).

14

India in New York February 14, 2014

India in New York February 14, 2014

15

16

Bollywood INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Red carpet divas At the Zee Cine Awards Raanjhanaa actress Swara Bhaskar in a eye catching Gauri & Nainika gown. She shared the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) award with Divya Dutta.

Rajkummar Rao took home the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) award for Kai Po Che. Sonakshi Sinha

PHOTOGRAPHS: PRADEEP BANDEKAR

Priyanka Chopra at the 14th Zee Cine Awards in Mumbai. She earned the International Icon Female nod.

Deepika Padukone turned heads in her sparkly Naeem Khan outfit.

She had one of the most eventful runs at the box office last year with super hits like Chennai Express, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.

While Chennai Express won the Best Marketed Film of the Year award, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela fetched the Best Cinematography trophy.

Pritam won the Best Background Score award for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. The music category was swept

by Aashiqui 2.

Shuddh Desi Romance’s statuesque debutante Vaani Kapoor took home the Best Actor Debut Award (Female) for her role in Shuddh Desi Romance. Dhanush won the Best Actor Debut Award (Male) Award for Raanjhanaa.

Winners in the four major categories will be revealed during the show’s broadcast on television.

Bollywood

17

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Bappi da, the politician!

B

appi Lahiri has, of all things, decided to enter politics.

“I am not going into active politics,” the composer, who has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, tells India in New York. “Narendra Modi is showing a chamatkaar (miracle) in Gujarat, so when the BJP invited me to join them, I decided to go for it. After 42 years of music, it seemed like the right time to use my status to do something for the (film) industry.”

Through his political association, he wants to create funds for old and needy members of the industry.

“So many distinguished members of our film fraternity like Lalita Pawar, A K Hangal and O P Nayyar faced financial hardships before they passed away,” he says. “We need to look after old and vulnerable entertainers. If I can do anything to help Bollywood by being in politics, I think it’s worth my while.”

—Subhash K Jha

From dhak dhak to martial arts

M

adhuri Dixit’s trainer Kanishka Sharma, who choreographed her stunts in Gulaab Gang, says the actress made even the most tiring action sequences look effortless on screen.

“I remember a scene where Madhuri had to twist a man’s arm and kick him hard,” he

told the media. “I rehearsed with her for a few hours before the shot, but was a little apprehensive. I was shocked at how comfortably she pulled it off. She makes all my otherwise tiring action look effortless on screen.”

Madhuri credits this to the Taekwondo skills she picked up when she lived stateside.

Gotcha!

First looks Sonakshi Sinha in Tevar, which was shot in the Sambhar district in Rajasthan.

The Amit Sharma-helmed film also stars Arjun Kapoor.

COURTESY: FACEBOOK.COM/SUSHANTSINGHRAJPUTFANPAGE

Madhuri Dixit in Gulaab Gang.

‘When I was in Denver, I used to take my kids to a taekwondo class,’ Press Trust of India quoted her as saying.

‘I used to sit there and wait for an hour to bring them back. One day, I thought that I was just sitting and wasting my time. So, we enrolled in a family program. We were five steps away from getting the black belt. It helped me a lot.’

The brief given to Kanishka by director Soumik Sen was to design the stunts that looked aesthetic and realistic.

‘It couldn’t be as gritty as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon neither could it be as suave as the Matrix,’ he said.

Madhuri, he said, trained in rare martial art forms for the action scenes: ‘I extensively trained Madhuri for a month in Shaolin Kung Fu, besides stick training, Shaolin joint locking, Kali knife, short stick and of course, close combat.’

Gulaab Gang, which also stars Juhi Chawla and promises a rare treat for Bollywood fans, releases March 7.

Sushant Singh Rajput, left, in the titular role of Detective Byomkesh Bakshi. directed

by Dibakar Banerjee. The movie is set in the Kolkata of 1942.

A

nushka Sharma might have stuck to the tired ‘we are friends’ routine about her relationship with cricketer Virat Kohli on her Koffee with Karan appearance February 9, but media reports suggest otherwise.

Just like Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone were outed by fans during their trip to New York last month (India in New York, January 10), the actress and the cricketer were seen walking hand in hand in Auckland, New Zealand, where India is currently playing a Test series.

Twitter was abuzz with fans who had spotted them together and it later emerged that Anushka had specially flown in to spend some quality time with her rumored beau.

Over to you, Anushka.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Shahid Kapoor in Haider, Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Hamlet.

American Desi

18

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

At 70, Sarojben Gundani wrapped up her life in India and moved to New Jersey. She brought only one thing with her on her new journey — her music.

Text and Photograph: Paresh Gandhi

Sarojben Gundani conducts music classes and performs.

I

t takes a lot of courage to abandon a familiar land.

There, you were surrounded by your family.

Your neighbors knew you.

You knew your surroundings like the back of your hand.

The food you ate as an adult was the same traditional meal your mother would make for you.

There, you were a star, propelled to popular heights on the wings of your talent.

It takes courage to abandon all that and move to a new land. To, in many ways, start over.

Five years ago, at the age of 70, this is exactly what well-known singer, radio artiste and music teacher Sarojben Gundani did.

She wrapped up her life in India and moved to New Jersey in order to spend time with her children and grandchildren.

It is a decision she does not regret.

“America taught me to live youthfully, to dedicate more time to myself and do what I love — music.”

Her eyes filmed with the sheen of memory, Saroj recalls, “I was born in Chotlia (a small town, known for its Mata Chamunda temple), Gujarat, but we lived in Mumbai.

My mother sang traditional bhajans and folks songs.”

When her mother fell seriously ill, the family moved to Ahmedabad.

It was a turning point for young Saroj, who was showing immense talent as a singer. She was just four years old when she participated in a children’s program.

Three years later, she acted and sang in the Gujarati film, Vevisham, and her first gramophone record was released by the popular music company, His Master’s Voice.

She continued to train in classical music under the late Kalidas Joshi and was barely 13 when she passed the Sangeet Visharad with a gold medal.

“In those days, we married early,” she says with a smile. Saroj was married to Joshi’s son, Shashikant Gundani.

“My husband was a violinist and a radio and HMV artiste,” she says proudly. Her training in music continued after marriage; she was schooled by both her fatherin-law and her husband and passed the Sangeet Alankar.

Following in her husband’s footsteps,

Living life, on a song!

Saroj started her career as a radio artiste in 1954; she specialised in sugam sangeet (light classical vocal) and folk music.

All India Radio would organize concerts at Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Allahabad, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajot and Bhuj where she was a regular participant.

By 1960, she was signed on as an HMV artiste and has 58 albums to her credit.

She also participated in music programs on India’s national television channel, Doordarshan, and lent her voice to several Gujarati films.

Many of her songs remain popular and are part of the rich repository of Gujarati santvani, bhajan, folk and sugam sangeet.

Saroj’s children — Punita, Janak, Dipak and Sonal — have inherited their parents’s talent.

Dipak, with whom she lives, began playing the tabla at the age of eight. Today, he

is a professional musician proficient in the tabla, sarod and electronic drum pads.

Sonal — who, like Dipak, lives in New Jersey — has a Sangeet Visharad and is blessed with a beautiful voice.

Punita, who retired as a music teacher from the Divan Ballubhai School last year, has performed with Saroj in many concerts and cut records for HMV. Janak, who taught music at the Bharati Sangeet Mandir founded by Saroj and Shashikant Gundani in Ahmedabad, has accompanied his mother at many concerts.

Managing both home and work has been stressful at times, but, says Saroj, she been lucky. “Music — which is also my job — relieves my stress.”

Her calling has taken her across the world — to Africa, America and Europe.

She recalls the time the entire family performed in America in 1988.

“And I will always remember my visit to Africa in 1970 with Savitaben Nanji Kalidas Mehta. I was awarded 10,000 shillings and the title, Koyal of Saurashtra,” she says proudly.

Her professional career is studded with several awards, including the Gaurav Puraskar from the government of Gujarat for the year 1996-1997.

The biggest decision in her life, she says, was the decision to come to America.

“Initially,” she says, “it was very difficult. I would go to the temple and sing bhajans.

It’s something I enjoy doing even today.”

The fact that her children and grandchildren rallied around her helped.

She learnt to play video games with her grandchildren. She knit them sweaters.

She cooked for them.

But there was one thing she never let go… her discipline. Her riyaaz.

Before long, Saroj was back in her element, holding music classes and giving concerts. “I enjoy sharing my knowledge of classical music and teaching students here,” she says.

Her biggest regret? “I have learned that many communities are corrupt and those who are knowledgeable are not always valued,” she says sadly.

And her dream? “To teach music,” she says. “And to pass on the legacy of Indian classical music. I want it stay alive in the Indian-American community.”

19

India in New York February 14, 2014

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Health

20

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Y

our kitchen offers amazingly simple cures to problems that need not always be sorted by popping pills.

Earlier, these simple kitchen solutions would be confined to the region of their origin. Today, thanks to the easy availability of information, kitchen remedies from one region can be used in the opposite corner of the world.

It must also be remembered that, since natural remedies are rather powerful, their side-effects can also be disturbing.

While self-prescription would be foolhardy, this kind of easy access to information offers options that can be considered after checking out various sources for hidden contraindications that may not be known.

For instance, while nutmeg is often used (in negligible amounts, less than a pinch at a time) as an aphrodisiac in India, too much of it could be dangerous, since it could cause seizures or fits.

Nutmeg is a nervine herb; it impacts your nervous system.

Do ensure, however, that you carefully check the drawbacks of misusing these simple remedies.

Shameem Akthar offers home remedies for everyday ailments

Kitchen clinic

Turmeric

Turmeric is often regarded as the yoga herb because it can improve flexibility and help heal joint inflammation.

There has been some drama around this root, when it was sought to be patented by an American firm, but the issue has since been resolved.

In many parts of India, even today, raw haldi paste is rubbed on the skin to remove suntan, prevent sunburn and reduce damage to the skin.

Raw turmeric tubers are rubbed on a grating stone to create a paste that is used as poultice over wounds because of its anti-bacterial properties.

This paste is also used as fomentation over inflamed or swollen joints, as it is believed to relieve pain and swelling.

It stops bleeding when applied over wounds. This is why it is used over fresh body piercings, to initiate faster healing and avoid the formation of pus.

It is used to relieve most respiratory ailments, including asthma, sore throat and common cough.

Turmeric is used to relieve tooth pain, dental problems and control digestive tract issues (including flatulence).

Several books have been written about the magical properties of haldi (turmeric).

Does it make you wonder if it is time to visit your kitchen cabinet instead of the doctor’s clinic?

and other digestive tract problems.

It is also used to add a dash of sweetness where white sugar may not be used, as with diabetes.

It is one of the best ways to remove fungal infections.

Cinnamon is used to relieve bad breath or halitosis. Its bark, rubbed with lime, can be applied on skin eruptions for relief.

Cinnamon gargle or tea can help clear mucous overload and relieve the sinus too.

Swami Sivananda writes that it is a good substitute or partner with clove.

It has aphrodisiac properties.

A little-known property of this commonly used herb is that it can help control modern day ailments like anorexia and bulimia.

It revives interest in food, according to Swami Sivananda.

It is said to improve male sexual vitality and tone the uro-genital system in general.

In its raw form (as a leaf ) it can be used a poultice to relieve pain and inflammation.

Coriander tea/ concoction is said to help control piles. It has a tremendous impact on the digestive tract and can control most

Cloves

Mint

Our very own humble pudina that we love in our food because of its spunky fragrance and flavor is a little medicine cabinet by itself.

According to the book Home Remedies

by Swami Sivananda, it is an ‘astringent, refrigerant (meaning cooling), diuretic stimulant (causes increased passing of

Coriander

urine)’ and has ‘carminative (one that relieves flatulence) anti-spasmodic’ properties.

It is used to control nausea, improve appetite and can be chewed as a natural mouth freshener.

Using a mint poultice around your forehead can get rid of a headache.

Used as tea (with its leaves steeped in hot water), it can help with digestion.

Mint can cool off high fever, relieve stomach ache and aid recovery from jaundice.

It is used to treat menstrual problems.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon tea can help contain nausea,

Widely used in cooking, cloves have tremendous power to help the digestive tract.

They encourages the flow of natural digestive enzymes to complete our ritual of eating and absorption of nutrients from what we eat.

Cloves are regarded as anti-flatulent, which explains their wide use post-meal or as post-meal mouth freshener.

Cloves are used widely in dental problems, including controlling toothache.

They are an ideal retort to acidity and boost immunity.

problems related to it.

It can control weakness, fainting, relieve chronic headache (when applied as paste at the forehead) and relieve inflammatory conditions like ulcers and boils.

Shameem Akthar is a yogacharya trained with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center Catch Shameem’s yoga tips on http://jaisivananda.blogspot.com.

21

India in New York February 14, 2014

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22

The Week That Was INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

US does a U-turn, Powell to meet Narendra Modi United States Ambassador to India Nancy Powell plans to meet Narendra Modi, signaling a shift in America’s stand towards the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed they would meet but did not comment on the possible date of the meeting.

UK admits to ‘advisory’ role in Operation Blue Star The British military’s role in the 1984 Operation Blue Star to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar was ‘limited’ and ‘purely advisory,’ Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague told the British parliament February 4.

Hague said the United Kingdom played no role in the actual operation that took place at temple.

In a statement at the conclusion of an inquiry into alleged British assistance provided by then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Hague said, ‘The report concludes that the nature of the UK’s assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage in their planning.’

An analysis of nearly 200 files and 23,000 documents confirmed that a ‘single British military adviser’ traveled to India between February 8 and 19, 1984, to advice Indian intelligence services on contingency plans.

Terror accused links RSS chief to blasts Swami Aseemanand, accused in the bomb blasts in the Samjhauta Express (February 2007), Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid (May 2007) and Ajmer Dargah (October 2007), claimed that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat had knowledge about the attacks.

A report in Caravan magazine quoted Aseemanand as saying that Bhagwat, then RSS general secretary, told him that the blasts should not be linked to the Sangh.

Aseemanand told Caravan that Bhagwat said of the violence, ‘It is very important that it be done. But you should not link it to the Sangh,’ a statement issued by the magazine stated.

Aseemanand later denied granting an interview to the magazine and RSS supporters protested outside its offices in Mumbai and Delhi.

Special registration for overseas Amarnath pilgrims Non-resident Indians will now have a special registration facility for the annual Amarnath Yatra starting June 28.

‘The registration facility has been specially established as a good number of devotees living abroad undertake this annual yatra,’ Naveen Choudhary, chief executive officer, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, said.

The 44-day annual pilgrimage to the holy Himalayan cave shrine of Lord Shiva in south Kashmir will conclude August 10.

Third Front in the making?

In what could be the final step towards the formation of a Third Front, an alternative to the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, 11 political parties decided to work as one block on a ‘common agenda’ in Parliament.

‘This is the first step after the October 23, 2013, meeting,’ Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav said.

The block includes the four Left parties, the Samajwadi

ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS

Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, right, at a news conference in New Delhi, February 11. He took on Reliance, saying the company was charging double for gas from the KG-D6 gas block. He said he had asked the Delhi Anti-Corruption Bureau to file charges against Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani, then petroleum minister Murli Deora and current Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily.

AAP loses majority after lawmaker withdraws support The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi was left teetering February 10 after Independent MLA Rambir Shokeen withdrew his support, reducing the party’s strength to 35 in the 70 member Delhi assembly.

Fresh probes into closed, untraced, 1984 riot cases: AAP Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has given consent to the Aam Aadmi Party government’s recommendation for a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

AAP lawmaker Manish Sisodia said all those cases which were closed or shown untraced would be re-opened, re-investigated and if the need arose, fresh reports would be registered. Besides this, he said, the SIT would also inquire into allegations of destruction of evidence by the police.

Sheila Dikshit, cops in AAP’s line of fire The Delhi government’s Anti Corruption Bureau filed a First Information Report, alleging cheating and criminal conspiracy in a $14.5 million project to install street lights before the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Although the FIR does not name former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, a panel set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to probe the scam had blamed her government and four Delhi municipal corporation officials.

Meanwhile, the Delhi police suspended seven policemen after they were shown accepting bribes in a sting operation conducted by a television news channel. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed an investigation in the matter.

Party, the JD-U, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Asom Gana Parishad, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, the Janata Dal-Secular and the Biju Janata Dal.

Ishrat Jahan case: Breather for Modi’s aide India’s Central Bureau of Investigation lodged a second chargesheet February 6 in the Ishrat Jahan extra-judicial killing case against former Intelligence Bureau special director Rajinder Kumar and three officers.

The chargesheet slapped murder and conspiracy charges on them, but did not name former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, who was questioned by the agency in the case.

Fresh revelations in helicopter scam One of the three alleged middlemen in the VVIP helicopter kickbacks scandal had reportedly advised top AgustaWestland officials to ‘target’ Congress party President Sonia Gandhi and her close aids to bag the $580 million contract.

The revelation was made during the ongoing corruption trial in an Italian court, the prosecutors presented a note written in March 2008, by middleman Christian Michel to Peter Hulett, the then India head of AgustaWestland, the UK-based subsidiary of Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica.

PAGE 23 J

The Week That Was

23

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

I PAGE 22

Gangster Abu Salem marries girlfriend Jailed gangster Abu Salem married a woman on a train while being escorted by the police from Mumbai to Lucknow to appear in court, the Mumbai Mirror reported. The nikaah was reportedly solemnized after Salem and his bride made their vows over the phone.

Northeast watch A group of lawmakers from Northeastern India met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh February 10 and demanded an anti-racial discrimination law and judicial inquiry into the death of Arunachal Pradesh youth Nido Tania. *** A 22-year-old Manipuri man was stabbed by some unidentified men in south Delhi February 11.

Police said he was out of danger at press time.

Telangana bill rocks Delhi Pro and anti-Telangana supporters clashed during a protest in New Delhi.

The issue rocked both Houses of the Indian Parliament too as the federal government announced that it would take up the Bill to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh in the ongoing Parliament session that ends February 21.

The federal cabinet approved the draft

bill and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee gave his nod.

It was to be tabled in the Upper House of Parliament February 11, in an effort by the United Progressive Alliance government to keep it alive even after the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, which is currently conducting the last session of this term.

Bills introduced in the Upper House and not passed by it remain in the ‘live register.’

But the bill wasn’t tabled that day since the House secretariat sought clarifications over whether or not it was a money bill, which has to be necessarily introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha first.

Ugandan women lured

by Delhi drug mafia The Delhi government sought the intervention of India’s external affairs ministry in providing ‘protection’ to three Ugandan women after they alleged they were held hostage by the drug mafia in the capital.

The women told the police they were lured by placement agencies and assured jobs.

Congress pitches Azhar in West Bengal Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, a Congress party member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, is set to cross state frontiers and contest the Lok Sabha elections from Howrah, West Bengal.

Sources in the Congress say the party’s strategy is that even if he does not win, the choice will help the Left Front seal the seat, keeping Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress out of the reckoning.

Shiv Sena’s discordant notes

Face off

A supporter of the Awami Ittihad Party, a pro-India party, scuffles with a policeman during a protest in Srinagar February 9. Authorities imposed restrictions across Srinagar as separatists called for a three-day shutdown to demand the remains of Mohammad Afzal Guru, who was executed February 9, 2013, for the attack on India’s parliament in December 2001.

Riots may rock Bihar, UP, Karnataka: Alert

Bureaucrat accused in rape case suspended

The Intelligence Bureau has issued alerts about the possibility of communal clashes in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka before the general election.

IB officials say such alerts are issued before most elections, but they are more serious this time in the face of a particularly divisive election season, which comes soon after the Muzzafarnagar riots.

The Rajasthan government suspended bureaucrat B B Mohanty in the alleged rape and exploitation case of a 23-year-old woman.

The woman told the police that Mohanty exploited her on the promise of helping her clear the civil services examination.

Dutt seeks another parole extension!

The Jammu and Kashmir police registered a first information report against state Health Minister Shabir Ahmad Khan for alleged sexual assault after a complaint by a woman doctor February 7.

Actor Sanjay Dutt, who was jailed in the 1993 bomb blasts case, has sought a second extension of his parole to be with his wife Manyata, who is reportedly recovering from surgery, police said.

The actor was granted a month’s parole from December 21 for the second time after he spent all of October at home.

He was supposed to return to jail January 21, but he sought and was granted an extension by another month.

Wielding saffron flags and chanting ‘Pakistanis go back,’ Shiv Sena workers in Mumbai barged into Pakistani guitarist Mekaal Hasan’s press conference. The protestors heckled the artistes and vandalized the venue.

The event was organized by the Meekal Hasan Band to announce a joint venture between Indian and Pakistani artists.

Penguin to axe Doniger’s book, The Hindus Reports say Penguin Books India has succumbed to pressure by various groups and agreed to withdraw all published copies of Wendy Doniger’s book, The Hindus: An Alternative History.

Reports say Penguin even agreed to destroy all the remaining copies of the book, which are currently with the publisher.

Shiv Sena supporters protest at the venue.

SAHL SALVI

DANISH ISMAIL/REUTERS

J&K health minister booked for sexual assault

Gang-rape assumes political overtones in West Bengal In West Bengal’s Howrah district the gang rape of two women from a family has gained political overtones.

According to a news channel it was found that the women were from a family of Communist supporters and the alleged rapists, seven of whom have been arrested, had links to the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress party.

Rape victim shot dead A 20-year-old rape victim and her mother were shot at in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, February 6. They were on their way to court to testify against the girl’s rapist.

While the victim died on the spot her mother was battling for her life in hospital.

Sports

24

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Betting bomb explodes before IPL7 auction Indian cricket board chief ’s son-in-law involved in betting, as are six ‘Indian capped’ players, probe committee tells Supreme Court

A

Gurunath Meiyappan

Shilpa Shetty

Raj Kundra

committee probing alleged corruption in the cash-rich Indian Premier League tournament has said in its report that ‘the allegations of betting and passing information’ against Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Narayanswami Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan ‘stand proved’.

In a 200-page document submitted to India’s Supreme Court February 10, the Justice Mukul Mudgal-headed committee said the allegations of fixing against Meiyappan as well as Rajasthan Royals coowner Raj Kundra need to be further investigated.

The Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice A K Patnaik, said it will pass the appropriate order after going through the report.

‘The committee is of the view,’ the report said, ‘that the material on record clearly indicates that Meiyappan was the face of the Chennai Super Kings and the team official of CSK.’ The report, based on the information provided by the Delhi and Mumbai police and comprising police reports and the chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police and transcripts of telephonic conversations, said, ‘Meiyappan was indulging in betting through Vindoo Dara Singh who was in direct touch with the bookies and punters like Mr Vikram Aggarwal… Bets placed by Mr Meiyappan inter alia were not only in

favor of CSK but also against it… Meiyappan also bet on teams in matches of teams other than CSK… The role of Gurunath Meiyappan in Chennai Super Kings as the team official stands proved and the allegations of betting and passing of information against Meiyappan stand proved.’

The committee, also comprising Addi-

tional Solicitor General N Nageshwar Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, added, ‘However, the allegations of fixing requires further investigation.’

The committee’s report came two days before the IPL auction in Bangalore for the seventh edition of the tournament, and raised questions on the status of the

‘Six Indian capped players names figure in scandal’ Six prominent ‘Indian capped’ players, including one who is part of the current team, also figure in the report.

The Justice Mudgal report said a journalist, who was apparently connected with recording of tapes for a sports magazine, could identify the voice of the Indian player. He said the player was part of the team which played the World Cup and is a member of the team now.

‘The journalist,’ the report said, ‘refused to disclose the names of the Indian players involved. In spite of repeated requests to put the name of the said player in a sealed cover for perusal before the Supreme Court, the journalist appeared terrified and was very reluctant to do so and pleaded that it would be dangerous for the journalist concerned. It thus appears that names of six prominent Indian capped players are available in tapes in connection with dealings with bookies while two of these prominent Indian capped players have also been named by none other than a former president of BCCI.’ The report also referred to the transcripts of the tapped conversation between two alleged bookies, Chandresh Jain and Ashwani Aggarwal, in which there are ‘references to high level fixing of players where the names of two international Indian players were mentioned.’

Chennai Super Kings, as Meiyappan was the Team Principal, though Srinivasan claimed he was only a cricket enthusiast.

The team may attract provisions of the termination clause under the Franchise Agreement which says that any franchisee, franchisee group company and/or any owner acts in any way that has adverse affect on the reputation of the League, BCCI/IPL, BCCI and the game of cricket.

However, the BCCI has to decide whether the disciplinary action it may take could be a period of ineligibility or a ban on specific periods for the team or only a ban on the individual concerned.

The committee — appointed by a bench of Justices A K Patnaik and J S Kehar to probe allegations of betting and spot fixing against Meiyappan and owners of the Rajasthan Royals — also said, ‘Allegation of betting and spot fixing against Raj Kundra, team owner of Jaipur Cricket Private Limited, need to be further investigated.’

The court was hearing cross appeals filed by the BCCI and the Cricket Association of Bihar, challenging the Bombay high court’s order that had declared the BCCI’s probe panel in the scandal as illegal.

‘In so far as the roles of Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh are concerned,’ the report said, ‘our conclusions are based on the testimony of the police and chargesheet and are not meant in any manner to pronounce on the issue as to whether Meiyappan and Singh are guilty of the offences charged with, which issue is entirely under the domain of the criminal court.’

The committee also took note of the issue of conflict of interest raised against Srinivasan.

‘While it is evident,’ the report said, ‘that the questions raised before us about conflict of interest are serious and may have large scale ramification on the functioning of cricket, we do not deem it proper to pronounce our opinion on this issue as it is not directly in our terms of reference. However, since several stake holders repeatedly expressed this issue, we thought it proper to bring this issue to the attention of this court.’

While maintaining that further investigation is needed, the report said, ‘In so far as the role of Kundra is concerned, the fact that he resorted to betting through Umesh Goenka in the IPL matches is evident from the statement of Mr Umesh Goenka under section 164 of CrPC recorded by the Delhi court… We are clearly of the view that the statements under section 164 of CrPC made

by Goenka clearly required further and serious investigation, as Raj Kundra and his wife Shilpa Shetty are part owners of Rajasthan Royals.’

The committee also gave a 10-point suggestion to make cricket a ‘cleaner’ game and eliminate the evils of spot and match fixing.

The panel was set up by the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council after the betting and fixing scandal surfaced, and it had gone into the charges against India Cements Ltd, Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals.

Sports

25

INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Keshavan finishes disappointing 37th

Independent Olympic Indian participants walk at the opening ceremony with the Olympic flag ahead.

Inset, Shiva Keshavan

LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS

due to the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association, finished 37th and 34th in the third and fourth rounds held February 9.

He was also 37th after two rounds a day earlier too.

The medal winners were decided according to the combined timings of the four rounds.

Felix Loch of Germany won the gold with a combined time of 3:27.526 while Russia’s Albert Demchenko (3:28.002) and Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler (3:28.797) bagged the silver and bronze respectively.

This was Keshavan’s worst performance in the Winter Olympics. He had finished 28th in Nagano (Japan) in 1998, 33rd in Salt Lake City (USA) in 2002, 25th in Torino (Italy) in 2006 and 29th in Vancouver (Canada) in 2010.

Two other Indians are competing in the Games — cross country skier Nadeem Iqbal and alpine skier Himanshu Thakur.

Iqbal was to participate in the 15 km Classic run February 14 while Thakur’s Giant Slalom event begins February 19.

I

ndia’s Shiva Keshavan finished a disappointing 37th in the men’s singles luge competition of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

The 32-year-old Indian, who is competing in his fifth Winter Olympics, clocked a combined time of 3:37.149 over four rounds to end the event at 37th out of 39 lugers in the competition at the Sanki Sliding Center in Sochi.

Keshavan, who was competing under the IOC flag as an Independent Olympic Participant ALEX LIVESEY/GETTY IMAGES

International Olympic Committee lifts its ban on India R

ajeev Mehta, secretary general, Indian Olympic Association, confirmed February 11 that the International Olympic Committee has lifted the ban on India.

The Indian body returned to the Olympic fold after a 14-month suspension following the election of Narayanswami Ramachandran as the IOA president after fresh elections were held February 9.

India's athletes have been competing at the Winter Olympics in Sochi under the Olympic flag due to the country's suspension, imposed after the IOA held a 2012 election in which a corruption-tainted official was voted in as secretary general.

February 9, the IOA elected a new set of officials. World Squash Federation chief Ramachandran was elected president, and All India

Tennis Association chief Anil Khanna treasurer.

The polls marked the exit of corruption-tainted Abhay Singh Chautala and Lalit Bhanot from the IOA. ‘The IOC Executive Board reinstated the National Olympic Committee of India, the Indian Olympic Association, during an ad hoc meeting in Sochi today," read a statement from the IOC.

N Srinivasan to be ICC chairman

T

he International Cricket Council passed key proposals February 8, effectively placing the cricket boards of India, Australia and England in charge of the game.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India president Narayanswami Srinivasan was nominated ICC chairman. He will chair the ICC board from July.

Wally Edwards, chairman, Cricket Australia, will head a newly formed executive committee.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka abstained from voting on the proposal, citing need for more time to discuss it, while the other eight full members backed the reforms, the ICC said after the meeting in Singapore.

‘The Board has made some significant decisions, which provide us with long-term certainty in relation to the future governance, competition and financial models of the ICC,’ Alan Isaac, president, ICC, said.

The financial restructuring will see India, cricket’s biggest fund generator, as well as England and Australia, pocketing greater share of the ICC revenue.

The proposals had invited widespread criticism, with some suggesting that the ‘Big Three’ would take over the sport at the expense of the other cricketing nations.

England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Giles Clarke will continue to head the finance and commercial affairs committee in the new structure.

‘Full members will gain greater financial recognition based on the contribution they have made to the game, particularly in terms of finance, their ICC history and their on-field performances in the three formats,’ the governing body said.

The ICC said a Test cricket fund would be introduced to help its members sustain the health of the five-day format.

‘The structure of the model will ensure that none of the full members will be worse off than they are at present and — if forecasts of revenue generation prove to be correct — all will be significantly better off,’ the ICC added.

The proposed World Test championship has been scrapped and replaced by the 50-overs Champions Trophy tournament in 2017 and 2021.

‘It proved impossible to come up with a format for a four-team finals event in Test cricket that fits the culture of Test cricket and preserves the integrity of the format,’ the ICC said.

‘The most recent ICC Champions Trophy event proved to be very popular with supporters around the world and the future events will build on this success.’

The associate members will now get a chance to play Test cricket with the champions of a lower-tier tournament taking on the lowest-ranked full member in a play-off for a shot at test status.

26

Sports INDIA IN NEW YORK FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Dhoni reveals how India lost the plot needed for victory.

India, who were eventually dismissed for 366, were skittled out for 202 in the first innings, a deficit of 301 runs, but fought back brilliantly with the ball to give themselves a fighting chance of achieving an unlikely victory.

Dhoni, the architect of a bludgeoning counter-attack after his side had been reduced to 270 for six after tea, said, ‘The bowlers bowled fantastically well to get us back. One of the best spells that I have seen our bowlers bowl, especially on a good wicket. They kept it tight and bowled wicket-taking deliveries at the same time.

They need to continue doing that.’

‘I don’t think we batted really well in the first innings. In the second innings, quite a few of our batsmen batted really well. We had few unlucky wickets,’ he said.

The defeat was another low for Dhoni, who has now lost 11 Tests away from home, the most by an Indian captain.

New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum was delighted to see his bowlers come up trumps under pressure situation.

‘Neil Wagner’s spell epitomized everything that is going well with the side. It was a great Test to be part of, one that we will remember. We had to overcome tough periods when batting,’ he said.

McCullum, who was awarded the Man of the Match for his 224 in the first innings, said, ‘It’s one of my best innings in a New Zealand shirt. I am delighted to make a significant contribution. A lot of credit must go to those who formed partnerships with me. A Test victory over this Indian team is no small achievement.’

India versus New Zealand 1st Test

New Zealand 503-10

Peter Fulton lbw b Zaheer 13 Hamish Rutherford c Rahane b Ishant 6 Kane Williamson c Dhoni b Zaheer 113 Ross Taylor c Jadeja b Ishant 3 *Brendon McCullum c Jadeja b Ishant 224 Corey Anderson lbw b Ishant 77 BJ Watling c Dhawan b Ishant 1 Tim Southee b Shami 28 Ish Sodhi c Rohit b Ishant 23 Neil Wagner c Kohli b xJadeja 0 Trent Boult not out 1 Extras: 14 byes:1 leg byes:5 no balls:3 wides:5 Total: 503-10 (121.4) India: Mohammed Shami 28-6-95-1, Zaheer Khan 30-2-132-2, Ishant Sharma 33.4-4-134-6, Ravindra Jadeja 26-1-120-1, Virat Kohli 1-0-40, Rohit Sharma 3-0-12-0.

PHIL WALTER/GETTY IMAGES

India 202-10

New Zealand celebrate the wicket of Ishant Sharma and the first Test win at Eden Park in Auckland, February 9.

I

ndia’s poor run away from home continued after New Zealand beat them by 40 runs in the first Test, in Auckland, February 9.

The visitors had raised hopes of eclipsing a record run chase earlier in the day before a lower middle-order collapse.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised his bowling attack for bringing India back into the game, but rued unlucky dismissals in the second innings.

Neil Wagner captured four wickets at crucial times as New Zealand held off a counter-attacking India at the Eden Park on the fourth day.

India had looked favorites to win the match for much of the day before Wagner dismissed Virat Kohli (67) and Shikhar Dhawan (115) after lunch, then removed Zaheer Khan (17) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (39) in the evening session when the tourists were in sight of the 407 runs

Shikhar Dhawan c Williamson b Boult 0 Murali Vijay b Wagner 26 Cheteshwar Pujara c Watling b Boult 1 Virat Kohli c Fulton b Southee 4 Rohit Sharma b Boult 72 Ajinkya Rahane c Taylor b Southee 26 *MS Dhoni c Watling b Wagner 10 Ravindra Jadeja not out 30 Zaheer Khan c Watling b Wagner 14 Ishant Sharma c Boult b Southee 0 Mohammed Shami c Fulton b Wagner 2 Extras: 13 byes:5 leg byes:2 no balls:3 wides:3 Total: 202-10 (60) New Zealand: Trent Boult 17-2-38-3, Tim Southee 19-6-38-3, Corey Anderson 5-0-29-0, Neil Wagner 11-0-64-4, Ish Sodhi 6-0-13-0, Kane Williamson 2-0-9-0,

New Zealand 105-10

Peter Fulton c Jadeja b Shami 5 Hamish Rutherford lbw b Shami 0 Kane Williamson c Jadeja b Zaheer 3 Ross Taylor c Rahane b Zaheer 41 *Brendon McCullum run out (Jadeja) 1 Corey Anderson b Shami 2 BJ Watling b Ishant 11 Tim Southee c Pujara b Jadeja 14 Ish Sodhi c Rohit b Ishant 0 Neil Wagner c Jadeja b Ishant 14 Trent Boult not out 7 Extras: 7 byes:4 leg byes:0 no balls:2 wides:1 Total: 105-10 (41.2) India: Mohammed Shami 12-1-37-3, Zaheer Khan 9-2-23-2, Ishant Sharma 10.2-3-28-3, Ravindra Jadeja 9-4-10-1, Rohit Sharma-1-0-30,

India 366-10

Murali Vijay c Watling b Southee 13 Shikhar Dhawan c Watling b Wagner 115 Cheteshwar Pujara c Watling b Southee 23 Virat Kohli c Watling b Wagner 67 Rohit Sharma c Watling b Southee 19 Ajinkya Rahane lbw b Boult 18 *MS Dhoni b Wagner 39 Ravindra Jadeja c Sodhi b Boult 26 Zaheer Khan c Taylor b Wagner 17 Ishant Sharma c Watling b Boult 4 Mohammed Shami not out 0 Extras: 25 byes:12 leg byes:7 no balls:4 wides:2 Total: 366-10 New Zealand: Trent Boult 23.3-2-86-3, Tim Southee 23-4-81-3, Neil Wagner 25-8-62-4, Corey Anderson 7-1-22-0, Ish Sodhi 15-2-78-0, Kane Williamson 3-0-18-0. * Captain

27

India in New York February 14, 2014

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