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Hate-fueled attack on Sikh condemned Details on page 16

PIO becomes Mayor of Bonn city

VOL 21, No. 1095

September 18, 2015

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PM TO VISIT FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE HQs NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the headquarters of social media giant Facebook on September 27 and is also expected to go to Googleplex, the campus of tech giant Google. Modi on his second visit to the US, will be visiting the headquarters of Facebook in Silicon Valley's Menlo Park for a townhall Q&A, the company's founder Mark Zuckerberg announced. "I'm excited to announce that Prime Minister Narendra

Modi of India will be visiting Facebook HQ later this month for a Townhall Q&A," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. Modi tweeted to confirm the visit. "I thank Mark Zuckerberg for the invite to visit @facebook HQ & for the Townhall Q&A at 10 PM IST on 27th September." During the visit, Modi and Zuckerberg will discuss how communities can work together to address social and economic challenges.

Details on page 5

Details on page 6

Pentagon creates India Rapid Reaction Cell

Swetha Prabakaran

Indian-American girl to get White House award Details on page 5

India, US to exempt some from checks Details on page 5

Gujarat easiest place to do business: WB Details on page 6

FOG Diwali Mela in Pleasanton hosted by FIA

Details on page 6

Details on page 18

India hails pathbreaking move on UNSC reform

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 30-31 Classifieds ------------------------- 52

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Community Post -------------- 16-26 Date Book -------------------------- 33

INDIA POST SURVEY

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HealthScience Post --------- 48-51

This week’s question

Horoscope ------------------------- 27

Continuing attacks on Sikhs dent US secular image?

Immigration Post ------------- 44-47

Last week’s result

Has private sector failed India? YES 59%

NO 49%

TOAST OF INDIA: Sania Mirza did India and herself proud by winning the US Open Doubles Championship in partnership with Martina Hingis (left) of Switzerland in New York on Sunday Sept 13. Here she is seen joyfully holding up the trophy with her partner. Earlier, 42-year old Leander Paes scripted history by notching up the US Open mixed doubles title, again with Hingis, to become the format's most successful male player in the Open era. (Details on page 10)

Life Style ----------------------- 36-39 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 34-35 TechBiz Post ------------------- 12-15 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43

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Publisher’s Diary

eally now, I am getting a tad bit tired of the endless don't-forget-what-hedid-in-2002 or the he-was-denied-a-US visa-before kind of negative rhetoric coming from one or the other section of the Indian American community surrounding a Narendra Modi visit to the US. Surely, each time the Indian prime minister attends the UN General Assembly in New York, we don't need to be assailed with these demonization campaigns of Modi, especially now when he has overwhelmingly been acknowledged for his positive vision for India by the American government as also by and large by the American media. So now this bunch of American academics, a majority of them of Indian origin and some like the redoubtable Prof. Wendy Doniger of University of Chicago, have put out this statement cloaked in their so called concern against the transparency of Modi's Digital India initiative which he is expected to promote to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs during his visit next week. However, the statement reeks of the left-leaning academic community's ideological agenda, as it ostensibly reminds all concerned about Modi's alleged involvement in the 2002 Gujarat communal violence. And even if they have some legit concerns, wouldn't it have been more honorable on their part if these academics as a delegation were to have sought an audience with Modi and discussed it with him rather than resort to a proxy agenda war? While this "concerned" group of educators - who, I wonder, as a privileged class, what they have done for the benefit of the underprivileged in India - has taken it upon itself to remind Modi's potential audiences of the reasons for his denial of a US visa between 2005-2014, I would like to remind them of the townhall the Indian Prime Minister will be addressing at the Facebook headquarters in California next week. It's an equal opportunity platform. Feel free to ask questions. As teachers, you should know that that's the best way to get answers; not by circulating cheat sheets.

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Ka-Ki wedding R Balki's upcoming rom-com, Ki and Ka with Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor is all about breaking gender stereotypes.

Cover Story: Modi visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the headquarters of social media giant Facebook and Google on September 27

Community: Eager wait Indian American technology professionals are eagerly looking forward to PM Narendra Modi's visit to Silicon Valley

Sharing refugees The head of the European Commission is urging EU countries to agree to share 160,000 refugees fleeing Syria

Life style: New Miss America Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell rode an opera performance to the Miss America title in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall

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Hemis Tourists flock to this part of Jammu and Kashmir mainly to catch a glimpse of its unadulterated beauty and to go trekking

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Modi to visit Facebook & Google HQs NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the headquarters of social media giant Facebook on September 27 and is also expected to go to Googleplex, the campus of tech giant Google. Modi on his second visit to the US, will be visiting the headquarters of Facebook in Silicon Valley's

Facebook post. Modi tweeted to confirm the visit. "I thank Mark Zuckerberg for the invite to visit @facebook HQ & for the Townhall Q&A at 10 PM IST on 27th September." During the visit, Modi and Zuckerberg will discuss how communities can work together to ad-

Zuckerberg asked Facebook users to send in their questions for the session and said, "Please ask them in the comments below (the post) and we'll try to get to as many as possible." The live video of the session will be available on Zuckerberg's Facebook page Menlo Park for a townhall Q&A, the company's founder Mark Zuckerberg announced. "I'm excited to announce that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will be visiting Facebook HQ later this month for a Townhall Q&A," Zuckerberg said in a

dress social and economic challenges. The Prime Minister invited questions for the session and tweeted, "The Townhall Q&A will be incomplete without your participation. Share Qs on FB or on 'Narendra Modi Mobile App'."

Modi is also expected to visit Google and the factory floor of auto major Tesla in Fremont, both in Silicon Valley, but those visits are yet to be confirmed. Zuckerberg asked Facebook users to send in their questions for the session and said, "Please ask them in the comments below (the post) and we'll try to get to as many as possible." The live video of the session will be available on Zuckerberg's Facebook page and also on PM Modi's official page in the social media website. Recalling his meeting with Prime Minister Modi in India last year, the Facebook CEO wrote,"...it's an honor to have the chance to host him here at Facebook." India has the largest Facebook user base outside the US. In June, the company had said 125 million users of its global base of 1.44 billion come from India.

India, US to exempt some from checks NEW DELHI: India and the US are working on a pact that will exempt a certain category of Indians, like former Presidents, Prime Ministers and other "high dignitaries", big industrialists and some film stars, from immigration checks in America. Top immigration officials of the two countries recently held a meeting for implementation of the Global Entry, a US Customs and Border Protection program that allows expedited clearance for preapproved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. The meeting discussed what categories of people from India could be exempted from the immigration checks in the US, sources said. In this context, the names of former President Pratibha Patil, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani and film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan were specifically mentioned, they said. Significantly, Shahrukh was once detained at a US airport because his name resembled that of somebody on the watchlist. "The US has been pressing for India's inclusion in the Global Entry so that high dignitaries, frequent flyers and top industrialists could visit America without any hassle," a source said.

Individuals included in the list enter the US through automatic kiosks at select airports. At airports, program members proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or US permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs dec-

India proposes to prepare a list, which will initially have around 2,000 individuals like top industrialists, film stars, former occupants of high ranking posts and frequent flyers, the sources said laration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit. Two foremost criteria for inclusion of the Global entry program for any individual is that he or she should not have any criminal record or anyway connected with any money laundering case.

So far, citizens of seven countries are getting benefits of America's Global Entry program. The countries are The Netherlands, Panama, South Korea, Germany, Peru, Mexico, Canada. Brazil and India are likely to be part of the program next year. "Discussions are continuing. We expect it to kick off for Indian citizens some time in next year. If the program becomes successful, the list would be enhanced," the sources said. India proposes to prepare a list, which will initially have around 2,000 individuals like top industrialists, film stars, former occupants of high ranking posts and frequent flyers, the sources said. Every applicant will have to go through a rigorous background check by Indian security agencies before sending the name to the US authority which will give the final nod after again doing a thorough background check. Security agencies will keep doing background check of every individual included in the list periodically and if any adverse report comes in-between, the individual will be removed from the list, they said. However, even in case someone is removed from the elite list, such person can still enter USA but will have to go through the routine processes.-PTI

File photo of CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on October 10, 2014

Last year, Zuckerberg had made his maiden trip to India. The young billionaire had

called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss digital expansion in the country. -PTI

Indian-American girl to get White House award WASHINGTON: A 15-year-old Indian-American girl has been selected by the White House for the prestigious Champions of Change award for empowering the community by imparting Internet coding through her non-profit organization. Swetha Prabakaran, whose parents immigrated from Tamil N a d u ' s Tirunelveli in 1998, is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and hopes to continue inspiring young women to transform their future and the world. Born in Indianapolis, Swetha is among eleven young women selected by the White House as 'Champions of Change'. Swetha is the founder and CEO of Everybody Code Now!, a nonprofit body working to empower the next generation of youth to become engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. "Under Swetha's direction, Everybody Code Now! has taught hundreds of students how to code and has raised thousands of dol-

lars for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) activities in schools," the White House said. "Her mentorship programs have transformed shy young girls into confident students, community leaders, and budding tech-

Swetha Prabakaran

nologists," the White House said in a statement. In addition to her passion for science and computers, Swetha is an avid Bharatanatyam dancer; she did her Bharathanatya arangetram - the debut on-stage performance of a classical art student, after undertaking years of training - in Tirunelveli on August 2. Her father Prabakaran Murugaiah is the founder and CEO of techfetch.com. -PTI

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Pentagon creates India Rapid Reaction Cell WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has established a first-ever country special cell to speed up its defense ties with India and accelerate the process of co-development and co-production of hitech military equipment in the country. Established soon after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter assumed Pentagon's leadership role in February, India Rapid Reaction Cell (IRRC) is headed by Keith Webster, Director, International Cooperation Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. India is the only country to have a specific cell of its kind inside the Pentagon. Currently, seven persons are working on this cell, representing various wings of the US Department of Defense. Given the new thrust on IndiaUS defense relationship under Carter, officials say there is quite a few on the waiting list who have shown keen interest in working at the Pentagon's India Rapid Reaction Cell. "The purpose of India Rapid Reaction Cell is to work all the ini-

tiatives that we have ongoing under (India-US) DTTI (Defense Trade and Technology Initiative) - both the initiatives that for example came out of the joint statement between the (US) President and the Prime Minister in January (in New Delhi) to move quickly

India Rapid Reaction cell, he said, has been instrumental in accelerating the DTTI projects and has started the process to send some new proposals to India for co-production and co-development and timely and be through, which in my opinion requires dedicated support to ramp up the operational tempo," Webster told PTI. "We are embarking on some new initiatives and the operational tempo is not declining at all," he said. In the next coming months, a

series of high-level exchanges are scheduled to take place, including that of Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar with the Pentagon. Defense and Strategic relationship would be a key topic of discussion when US President Barack Obama meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month. India Rapid Reaction cell, he said, has been instrumental in accelerating the DTTI projects and has started the process to send some new proposals to India for co-production and co-development. The mobile hydroelectric initiative and for-the-next- generation initiatives required negotiations, conclusion and signing of bilateral agreements. "Statistically, such a negotiation between US and India which was done before many times takes on an average a year and half to three years. We were done within three months on the US side with India," he said, adding that the documents were finally signed by the Indians last month. -PTI

PIO becomes Mayor of Bonn city BONN: Ashok Sridharan, a Nymptsch on October 21. mayoral candidate of Chancellor Until now, he served as the treaAngela Merkel-led Christian surer and assistant mayor in the Democratic Union (CDU), has municipal administration of neighcomprehensively won the elec- boring town Koenigswinter. tion in Bonn, becoming the first His absolute majority in the person of Infirst round of dian-origin to the election occupy the and his strong mayor's office lead over his in a major Gertwo main oppoman city. nents came as 49-year-old a surprise to Sridharan semany political cured absoobservers, who lute majority predicted a by polling close finish. 50.06 per cent His nearest of the votes in rival Peter the election in Ruhenstroththe former Bauer of the Ashok Sridharan German capiSPD finished tal, according far behind him to provisional results. with a share of 23.68 per cent of His victory marks the end of the votes while Tom Schmidt of more than 21 years' rule of the city the Green party received a share by the Social Democratic Party of 22.14 per cent of the votes. (SPD). Only around 45 per cent of the Sridharan, who is the son of a city's 245,000 voters went to the migrant from India and a German polls to cast their votes, which was mother, will take over the reigns much less than the turn-out in the of the city administration from the last election in Bonn in 2009, acoutgoing SPD mayor Juergen cording to the election results. -PTI

Gujarat easiest place to do business: World Bank NEW DELHI: BJP-ruled Gujarat is the best place in the country to do business, says the World Bank's ranking on ease of doing business in states, a list that has the party-ruled states occupying four of the top five slots. Andhra Pradesh, ruled by BJP-ally TDP, is the second best state, followed by Jharkhand,

moting competition among states with a view to improve business climate to attract domestic as well as foreign investments. The move would also help in improving India's overall ranking in the global Doing Business Study. India has been placed at 142nd position among 182 nations. Overall, World Bank said India is a difficult place to do business

union territories was based on eight specified parameters which include setting up of business, allotment of land, labor reforms and procedure for environmental clearance. The parameters also include infrastructure, procedure for registration for tax purposes and inspections for compliance of various norms. At the bottom of the ladder in

(15th), Punjab (16th), Himachal Pradesh (17th), Kerala (18th), Goa (19th), Bihar (21st) and Assam (22nd). Pitching for further ease of doing business, Ruhl said a disproportionately high regulatory burden is borne by businesses in India today. Besides, DIPP Additional Secretary Shatrughna Singh said the

According to the report, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have implemented over 50 per cent of the 98 point action plan business reforms studied in the assessment Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan - all having BJP governments. These rankings were provided in the report titled 'Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms' which was prepared by World Bank in association with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), KPMG, CII and Ficci. The exercise is aimed at pro-

and concerted action and reforms are needed on several fronts to improve its ranking in the global 'Doing Business Index'. "The assessment recognizes the fact that most states have already embarked on ambitious reform programs or expanded their ongoing reform efforts," Additional Secretary in DIPP, Shatrughna Singh said. The ranking of 32 states and

the index were Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. "What this report does very well is to provide a roadmap for states serious about improving their business environment and creating jobs," World Bank country director Onno Ruhl said. Among major states, West Bengal occupied the 11th slot, Tamil Nadu (12th), Haryana (14th), Delhi

preparation of this report is just a tiny part of the gigantic effort that "we need to make in unwinding a maze of procedures, rules, regulations and laws that we have put in place in India." "... We need to vigorously pursue reforms in the future," he added. The assessment, the firstof-its-kind, has been conducted to take stock of reforms implemented by states in the period

January 1 to June 30 based on the 98-point action plan for business reforms agreed between DIPP and the state and union territory governments on December 29, 2014. According to the report, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have implemented over 50 per cent of the 98 point action plan business reforms studied in the assessment. No state has implemented 75 per cent or more of the proposed reforms, an official statement said. The assessment has identified good practices on different parameters. For example, Punjab leads in the area of 'Setting up a Business', as it features an online single window system for registrations and licenses that cover most of the regulatory services in the country. Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, was ranked highest in 'Obtaining Infrastructure Related Utilities', with clearly defined timelines for electricity, water and sewage connections. -PTI

September 18, 2015

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India hails path-breaking move on UNSC reform UNITED NATIONS: With the "pathbreaking" decision by the UN General Assembly to advance efforts for UN Security Council reforms, India's top diplomat here has said that countries should now negotiate on the text on the table and give their national positions on the issue. "We have got something after 23 years which is a document on the table. From now it is going to be much more in terms of what they are used to doing at the UN which is to negotiate with a text in front of us," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukerji said. "Now the decision today puts the paper on the table and it is now for every country to negotiate on that paper giving their national positions," he told PTI here. The 193-member General Assembly adopted by consensus on the last day of the 69th session a text that sets the stage for negotiations on the long-pending issue of UNSC reform during the 70th session. Mukerji insisted that the decision to carry forward the intergovernmental negotiations on Council reform and the negotiating text is not a roll-over or technical decision. "It is a substantive decision taken unanimously by the General Assembly fully within the meaning of any decision on UNSC issues. In this case we had a complete census. That is the important part that the entire membership has agreed and it is as much a reflection of commitment of member states as of the President of the General Assembly (Sam Kutesa) who achieved this outcome for us," Mukerji said. He added that in cases of negotiations on Security Council reforms, there are pro-

In a statement after the adoption, Mukerji had said "this is the first time in the history of the InterGovernmental Negotiation process that a decision on UNSC reform has been adopted cedures which the countries have already agreed to on how to take decisions on issues about which there are convergent or divergent views. He also underscored that the UNGA decision has a "direct impact" on the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda that will be adopted by world leaders later this month. "You cannot delink the world in which we live, which is being marked by so many crises, from the implementation of the agenda," he said. India has been a leading voice in the UN to commencing the process of Security Council reform on the basis of a negotiating text. In a statement after the adoption, Mukerji had said "this is the first time in the history of the Inter-Governmental Negotiation process that a decision on UNSC reform has been adopted through an official formal L Document of the UNGA.

Asoke Mukerji

"This is a most positive and unique development, as so far, over the last 7 years we have only been making statements in the air, or at each other, with easily deniable or disputable summaries, or at times compilation text(s), to register our endeavors." Mukerji had also said the adoption of such a "substantive decision" on UNSC reforms "changes the dynamics of the Inter- governmental negotiations" completely and sets the process "formally on an irreversible textbased negotiations path."

While the negotiating text was adopted with consensus, Russia, China and Pakistan voiced their protests on the process in their explanations to the Assembly. The three countries, along with the US, had also refused to contribute to the negotiating text circulated by Kutesa. The text circulated in July had contained positions of UN member states on UNSC reform and how the UN body should be expanded in its permanent and non-permanent categories. China's delegate said that his country believed that the framework document "cut into pieces" the integrity of the membership and the spirit of earlier decisions.-PTI

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Indian-American bids for US city mayor HOUSTON: An Indian-American engineer is making a bid to become the first South Asian mayor of a US city that has 35 per cent Asian population in the state of Texas. Harish Jajoo is running for the mayor post of Sugar Land City where he has been living since 1985 after migrating to the US from Canada. Jajoo, one of two Indian-Americans on the six-person City Council, will face colleague Joe Zimmerman, also an engineer, in the next year's election to replace Mayor James Thompson. "I look different, I talk different, maybe I eat different. But my values for the city are no less than the next person," Jajoo, who came to the US from New Delhi when he was 20, was quoted as saying

by the houstonchronicle.com . Eventually a South Asian will

Harish Jajoo

be mayor of the city, he said, adding that he was "not looking for that label". Founded as a sugar plantation in the mid 1800s and incorporated

in 1959, Sugar Land is located in Fort Bend County, some 30 kilometers southwest of Houston. The county's Asian population has grown more quickly than any other group, according to a 2013 report by Stephen Klineberg, sociology professor at Rice University and his colleague Jie Wu. "We don't get hung up on what our backgrounds are. We get hung up on the qualifications," Zimmerman said. "We're not politicians per se. We're very much business people. We come from very diverse backgrounds and we all bring that perspective to building the city," Zimmerman said. Both candidates name safety, infrastructure and economic development as major issues in the community. -PTI

Disappointment over mistrial decision WASHINGTON: The declaration of a mistrial for an American police officer who partially paralyzed a 58-year-old Indian grandfather in February in the US state

Parker, 26, was charged with violating the civil rights of Patel and using excessive force. He was also charged in state court with a misdemeanor assault.

Later in a statement, SAALT said, "We are encouraged that the US Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Alabama will pursue a re-trial in this case within the 70 day window." If convicted, Parker would face up to 10 years in prison of Alabama has disappointed a South Asian rights group. Madison police officer Eric Parker was captured on video beating Sureshbhai Patel when he was walking down the sidewalk in February in Alabama. Patel was left partially paralyzed.

That trial and his termination proceedings are on hold pending the outcome of this federal case. "SAALT is deeply disappointed by the mistrial declared in the trial of former Officer Eric Parker, who is accused of the brutal beating of Sureshbhai Patel in

Madison, Alabama," Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), told NBC News. Later in a statement, SAALT said, "We are encouraged that the US Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Alabama will pursue a re-trial in this case within the 70 day window." If convicted, Parker would face up to 10 years in prison. National Coalition of South Asian Organizations member and Huntsville, Alabama communitybased organization, AshaKiran, continue to work with the local community and the US Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Alabama to ensure justice is brought to this case, a media release said. -PTI

Indian TV host discovers family's fate through show LONDON: Indian-origin British during the partition and she did TV host Anita Rani has discov- not know about the girl until the ered the tragic fate of her family BBC program on the partition. during the violence that followed In the program, Rani breaks India's partition in 1947 at the end down as she learns that Sant and of British rule through a BBC Pritam had a 7-year-old daughter show. who also died in In the prothe bloodshed. gram on 'Who "Nobody in Do You think my family talks You Are?' to be about the telecast on BBC daughter. NoOne on October body knows 1, Rani said she this. I don't learned her know what I am grandfather's going to do but first wife was this has killed during the changed me," violence and she said. Anita Rani she did not Bradfordknow the terrible details until the born Rani also learns in the show show. that her family, who are Sikhs, lived The Strictly Come Dancing in an area of the Punjab that is star's grandfather Sant Singh was now part of Pakistan. caught in the conflict and his first Rani is an English radio and wife Pritam Kaur died after falling television presenter and a journalinto a well. ist. She developed an early interRani, 37, said she was more est in journalism, hosting her first shocked to know that Pritam and show at the age of 14 on Sunrise Sant's young daughter were killed Radio in Bradford. -PTI

Rural kids in India have better immunization WASHINGTON: Contrary to earlier studies, children in rural India have higher vaccination rates than those in cities and Hindu kids are more likely to get their shots than Muslims, researchers from a leading American university have said. Said to be first of its kind of study, the report released by University of Michigan compares vaccination rates across religious groups in India. It's also significant because the

Sharif inaugurates Pak-China Friendship Tunnels ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated here five 'Pakistan-China Friendship Tunnels' built at the cost of about USD 275 million to restore a strategic road link to China via GilgitBaltistan. The tunnels are part of a 24 kilometer realignment project which has been completed in collaboration with China in over three years. The 'Pakistan-China Friendship Tunnels' are the network of seven-kilome-

ter-long five tunnels which restored Karakorum Highway (KKH) near Attabad Lake in Hunza valley of Gilgit- Baltistan region in the country's north. The restoration of KKH is said to be linked with the historic USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. Radio Pakistan reported that the repaired road is part of 24 kms long portion of the KKH which also includes two big and 78 small bridges. It costs about USD 275 million. -PTI

findings that rural kids are better vaccinated are contrary to earlier studies. The research by U-M's School of Public Health found that urban children between the ages of 1-3 years have an 80 per cent chance of not being vaccinated when compared to children in rural areas, the university said in a release. "Urban areas have pockets of slums where health care services are not reaching," said lead author Nijika Shrivastwa, who recently finished her doctorate in epidemiology at the University of Michigan. People in rural areas, she added, often have access to health care in government hospitals that deliver free vaccinations. Community health workers and public health centers have also done a good job of spreading vaccination message in villages, she said. Although India is a leading producer and exporter of vaccines, the country is home to nearly a third of the world's unimmunized children. Only 57 per cent of children younger than 3 are fully vaccinated, the university said in a statement.-PTI

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US doc artist pays homage to Punjab village NEW DELHI: For US-based surgeon turned painter Shivdev Singh, memories of a Punjab he left behind over 40 years ago find expression in art - a mix of oils, charcoal sketches and watercolors - evocative of vibrant folk traditions of the north Indian state. A bride bedecked in finery and her grandmother's ornate gold jewellery, a group of buffaloes being bathed in a river, a Punjabi lass twirling her Phulkari dress against a backdrop of lush yellow green mustard fields besides other snapshots from daily folk life of rural Punjab are among 20 oil works Singh has brought with him for a solo exhibition here. Curated by eminent art historian Alka Pande, the show is being held at Visual Arts Gallery here. A book by the same title, of images of paintings along with descriptive text, is also lined up for a launch on the occasion.

"My father was a surgeon in the Indian army and I wanted to be like him, but I had always doodled and sketched right from

A painting by Shivdev Singh that will be on display in New Delhi

my childhood," says 79-year-old Singh, who studied medicine at Government Medical College,

'A few Patels opposing Modi's US visit' WASHINGTON: Blaming it on political opponents, the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) has claimed that only a miniscule group of Patels are opposing the US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month. In a statement, OFBJP said an overwhelming majority of the Patel community in the US are whole heartedly supporting Modi's visit to the country. "Only a miniscule group of Patels are making noises," OFBJP said, refuting reports that about 1,000 Patels met in Edison, New Jersey on September 9 and made a decision to boycott Modi's US programs. "Only about 30-40 people met during that meeting," the OFBJP said.

In the statement, OFBP-USA national executive committee including President Chandrakant Patel; past president Jayesh Patel; office bearers Shri Raju Patel, Arvind Patel and Vasudev Patel et al said that over 500 Indian organizations are involved in organizing the grand community reception event in San Francisco. "These organizing groups also include the entire Patel community, Gujarati, Hotel and Motel Owners, Christian, and Muslim associations of USA," they added. OFBJP-USA appealed to this small group of Patels to withdraw their ill-advised protest and work with the Indian Diaspora in the successful conduct of the community reception. -PTI

India grants $5 mn to treat Afghan children KABUL: India will provide USD 5 million grant to Afghan Red Crescent Society for the treatment of Afghanistan's children suffering from congenital heart disease in three hospitals in Delhi. The Indian Embassy here signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ARCS under which the financial assistance of USD 5 million will be given to the aid agency over a period of five years beginning 2015.

The grant will be utilized for the treatment of Afghan children at Max, Artemis and Fortis hospitals in New Delhi, according to statement by Indian embassy here. These hospitals have offered special confessional rates for treatment of the Afghan children. The first tranche of USD 1 million has already been disbursed to ARCS and additional disbursement would be made over the next four years, it said. -PTI

Patiala. "In fact, even as a medical student, I continued to sketch." Many of the sketches of long bones in the Anatomy Museum at Medical College, Patiala have been done by Singh. Singh continued to paint all through his medical career but concedes that being a full time pediatric surgeon and an artist wasn't easy. "After a long thought, I retired from surgery to pursue art full time and spent four years in the College Arts department at Lancaster, California. I subsequently trained at Art Institute of California and painted live models," he says. Starting off with watercolors, Singh held his first exhibition in California in 1997 with a series of 100 works of US landscapes. Subsequently he has exhibited twice in India, once in Chandigarh in 2000 followed by Delhi in 2009.

The title of his upcoming show "Beyond The Village Pond: Cultural Reflections of Punjab" reveals Singh's nostalgia for the past. "The village scenes, ponds, museums, pre-wedding rituals, images of a bride dressed up, all

Jaago (a symbolic pre-wedding dance), wrestling matches and village fair are brought to life in Singh's colorful and skillful depiction of the Punjabi way of life. The artist says he was prompted to embark on the new series of paintings and books by

"The village scenes, ponds, museums, pre-wedding rituals, images of a bride dressed up, all to me represent a Punjab gone by. Life was simple back then and village was a self sufficient unitâ&#x20AC;? to me represent a Punjab gone by. Life was simple back then and village was a self sufficient unit with everything available to fulfill every need. The food that we ate was fulfilling and balanced with nutrition and locally available produce," says Singh. Traditional events like Giddha,

his grandson's curiosity to know about his Punjabi roots. "My grandson wanted to know what I did as a kid, what I ate and how I spent my time. Many children like him from the Diaspora are clueless about their roots and that is when I decided to write the book," says Singh. -PTI

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Sania happy the 'whole country loves me' NEW DELHI: She has always terview on her arrival from New found her stupendous success on York. court go hand-in-hand with controversies off it and that is precisely the reason why Sania Mirza is hardly bothered about what a few people have to say about her. Call it coincidence but both of her US Open titles were preceded by unwanted controversies. Her fresh US Open women's doubles title came after a court petition by an athlete, who questioned her selection for prestigious Khel Ratna award. Last year too before her US Open mixed doubles title with Bruno Soares, a politiSania Mirza arrives after winning her cian had opposed the move second consecutive Grand Slam title US Open womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doubles at Rajiv Gandhi of making her the Brand AmInternational Airport in Hyderabad on bassador of newly-created September 15 state of Telangana. "I actually don't care," Sania "I don't read newspapers very told PTI during an exclusive in- often. I just try and play tennis. I

try to perform the best and that gives me the pleasure. That's what I know how to do best. I am fortunate enough to be good at what I do, so I come back with victories. Besides that I don't pay attention to what a few people have to say, I know that rest of the country loves me," the Hyderabadi said. In the past too, she has had endured many controversies, several needless ones. Sania has enjoyed a lot success with Martina Hingis since joining forces this March last and she says that her partnership with the Swiss great will continue in the next season. "Yes, we are going to play next year as well," she said but is not sure whether she would like to continue playing mixed doubles with Brazilian Bruno Soares, with whom she won 2014 US Open. "At this point, I am not sure about Bruno, we have to see a few

things." Talking about their dominating run in the US Open, where they did not drop a single set en route

to win, Sania said," We have been playing well. Hard court is something we both like playing, it's my favorite surface. -PTI

Sania, Leander are huge inspiration: Rahul Dravid BENGALURU: Congratulating tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, former India captain Rahul Dravid said that both are "huge inspiration" for aspiring sportspersons in the country. "Both Sania and Leander are huge inspiration for not only tennis aspirants, but also for

by notching up the US Open mixed doubles title with Hingis to become the format's most successful male player in the Open era. The fourth-seeded Indo-Swiss pair edged past unseeded Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey 6-4 3 6 10-7 in a tricky final to win their third Major title

Leander Paes of India, and Martina Hingis, of Switzerland, pose with the trophy after winning the mixed doubles final match against Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey, of the United States, at US Open in New York on Sept 11

sportspersons," Dravid told reporters on the margins of announcement of second edition of Bengaluru Cup being organized by Hockey Karnataka in Bangalore. "I think it is phenomenal achievement by Sania and Leander to be able to win the US mixed doubles and women's doubles titles," he added. Sania and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis bagged the women's doubles title after outplaying the fourth seed team of Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 6-3 in the final. This was Sania's second consecutive Grand Slam title of the season and fifth overall. Veteran Paes scripted history

together this season. Dravid said it is incredible that at age of 42, Paes has been able to achieve the glorious feat three Majors in a calendar year. "It is incredible what Leander has been able to achieve in this age. It is timeless - he keeps going on and on. It is terrific to watch him," he said. "Sania also have been good with her performances in the women's category and by the time she hangs her boots she would have left a legacy behind for youngsters to follow," Dravid said. Dravid said it was lovely to watch Sania and Paes, playing the finals on television, as an Indian. "I watched both the games. It was lovely to watch as an Indian," he said.-PTI

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Tech News UP IT City project soon, says CM LUCKNOW: Stating that the IT City project was vital to garner investments and to create job opportunities, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said his government was committed to start the ambitious project in the state capital at the earliest. "The IT city project in Lucknow is very important as it will not only provide job opportunities and better vocational training to the youths but also bring investments and the state government wants to start it at the earliest," he said during a meeting with HCL founder Shiv Nadar at his official residence here. The state government had signed an MoU with the investment arm of the HCL in June this year for setting up a 100-acre Information Technology city which according to estimates would create job opportunities for 25,000 jobless and indirect jobs for 50,000 others. An official release issued here said Nadar has assured the chief minister that his priority project will be started by October 2016. About 1,000 people will get employment in the first phase and proper care will be taken on maintaining quality in the project, Nadar said. Nadar, who is also the chairman of Shiv Nadar Foundation, being run by the IT giant, apprised the Chief Minister of the works being done for the all round development of villages in Hardoi district, the release added. -PTI

WPI inflation plunges to historic low of (-) 4.95% NEW DELHI: Deflationary trend continued for the 10th month in a row with inflation plunging to a historic low of (-) 4.95 per cent in August on cheaper fuel and vegetables, putting pressure on RBI to cut interest rate. The Wholesale Price Indexbased inflation was (-) 4.05 per cent in July. It has been in the negative zone since November 2014. In August 2014, inflation was 3.85 per cent. However, onion and pulses turned costlier with inflation at 65.29 per cent and 36.40 per cent respectively during August, as per official data. Overall, the food basket inflation remained in negative territory for second month in a row at (-) 1.13 per cent. For vegetables, it declined to (-) 21.21 per cent, helped by potato at (-) 51.71 per cent.-PTI

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September 18, 2015

Asim Warsi, Vice President of Marketing, IT Mobile Samsung India, displays the newly launched Samsung Galaxy J2 mobile at a press conference in Chennai on September 14

Jaitley exhorts US firms to invest more in infra sector NEW DELHI: Promising the fairest tax regime and a stable policy environment, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has invited U.S. businesses to take advantage of the huge investment opportunity in the infrastructure sector and raise bilateral trade to $ 500 billion. The Minister said global financial turmoil was not a problem for the country as the savings on account of declining oil and other commodity prices have helped the government earmark more funds for the infrastructure sector and social sector schemes. Mr. Jaitley was addressing the 11th Indo-US Economic Summit, which among others was attended by the US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma. Stressing that the government has been able to deal with most of the legacy issues in taxation and put them to rest, Mr Jaitley said efforts have been made to evolve the "fairest" taxation regime, promote ease of doing business, speed up the pace of decision making and usher in a stable policy regime. As far as improvement in ease of doing and ensuring a predictable taxation regime is concerned, the Finance Minister said "these are work in progress". On investment opportunities in India, Jaitley said: "There is a lot of space in the infrastructure sector... like roads, ports, railways and

clean energy." India's fundamentals are sound even amid the global turmoil, Jaitley said, adding that the government has been working on

ing on ease of doing business. "The last two are work in progress," the minister said. Elaborating on taxation, he said, the government has tried to resolve

Union Minister for Finance Arun Jaitley and US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma during the 11th Indo-US Economic Summit in New Delhi on Sept 14

strengthening real economy by focusing on quick decision making, stable policy regime, predictable taxation system and improv-

the legacy issue by governmental decisions, legislation or even by accepting judicial mandate. The government has tried to

"put each one of these (taxation) issues to rest so that from the regime, which had earned an adverse reputation... we can evolve into fairest and predictable taxation regime in India". He was confident that these initiatives will make India an attractive investment destination for global investors. "I am quite certain the more India moves in that direction ... (we) will have an economy which is growing much faster than world... It will provide the kind of growth rate which will help eliminate poverty in India," he said. He also expressed hope that the target of raising Indo-US bilateral trade to $ 500 billion from $ 100 billion currently would be achieved in the next few years. Referring to the ongoing global financial turmoil in stock, currency and commodity markets, Mr Jaitley said it has made the task of policymakers difficult and "there is not an easy moment or a day". Mr Verma, in his address, said the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the U.S. has created a lot of excitement in California. He will be the second Indian Prime Minister to visit California after Jawaharlal Nehru. He said the visit of Mr Modi would be instrumental in taking the bilateral ties between India and U.S to a new level.-PTI

IT refunds to be sent to taxpayers in 7-10 days NEW DELHI: In what could be a good news for lakhs of taxpayers, the Income Tax Department will now process and send refunds in a short time of 7-10 days as its latest technology upgrade of electronic and Aadhaar-based ITR verification has begun on a successful note. The department's latest initiative to verify an Income Tax Return (ITR) by Aadhaar or other bank database has received positive response from ITR filers because of which the taxman, for Assessment Year 2015-16, was

able to process and send refunds to bank accounts of eligible taxpayers in less than 15 days time.

few years. The new electronic verification e-filing system has proved to be very customer-friendly and

According to latest statistics, the department received 2.06 crore returns on its e-filing portal as on September 7, 2015 (last date for ITR filing), which is an increase of 26.12 per cent over the last year "The days are gone when getting an I-T refund used to take months or in some cases even a

as a token of thanks to the taxpayers, the department is working to ensure their refunds are sent in a

week's time or a maximum of ten days. "This is surely the way forward in the administration of tax affairs in the country," a top officer of the department involved in these operations said. According to latest statistics, the department received 2.06 crore returns on its e-filing portal as on September 7, 2015 (last date for ITR filing), which is an increase of 26.12 per cent over the last year when 1.63 crore returns were filed online. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 14

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Jaitley for changing regulatory mindset NEW DELHI: Finance Minister of India Arun Jaitley has said policymakers need to change their regulatory mindset asserting that role of state should be minimized and government monopoly must end wherever possible. Speaking at the National Workshop on Citizen-Centric Governance, he said the economic reforms, which seek to promote ease of doing business, will continue as these are "never-ending processes and do not have a finishing line". Jaitley said policymakers in India still have a "regulatory mindset" which needs to change even as he spoke of the urgency for policing reforms to make police-citizen interaction more civilized. "... The control temperament or the control freak temperament of the political system has still not been fully done away with and

there is a legacy to it," Jaitley said, adding that all actions of the government should be aimed at "providing a better quality of life to citizens and minimizing the role of the

Jaitley mentioned that the use of technology has helped in improving the system of filing income tax returns and expeditiously providing refunds government". "Wherever possible, the role of the state should be minimized... the government's monopoly must end. Wherever we have ended

them, we are better-off. We have ended them in the airlines sector, we have not ended them in the railway sector. And the result is very clear. "There are many ways of doing this. As far as processes are concerned, every department has to take simplification exercise and particularly those departments which have the interface with the public," he said. Jaitley mentioned that the use of technology has helped in improving the system of filing income tax returns and expeditiously providing refunds. "Ease of doing business means providing a better regime than neighbors and tax rates which are globally competitive," he said, adding that the government intended to reduce corporate tax to 25 per cent from 30 per cent in the next four years and do away with "most of the tax exemptions". -PTI

'One stop shop' for Japanese firms planned "NIDEC Corporation manufac- to Maharashtra to explore investMUMBAI: Aiming to do business with Japan in a big way, tures electric motors for hard disk ment opportunities," he said. Fadnavis also visited the Maharashtra government has said drives, electronic appliances and Yokohama port and reviewed it will have a the development work being 'One stop carried out. Fadnavis and Inshop' to dustries Minister Subhash monitor all Desai visited the port, which projects inhandles 27 million tonne of volving Japacargo. nese compaHe also attended and adnies. dressed a function organized C h i e f by Association of Friends of Minister Japan. "The Association has Devendra agreed to work as a facilitating Fadnavis, centre in Japan to bring investwho rement in Maharashtra," he said. turned after a During his visit, the four-day trip Maharashtra Chief Minister, to Japan, who unveiled Dr Babasaheb told PTI that Ambedkar's statue at Koyasan the state Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis University in Japan, said government has decided to set up a special automobiles," said Fadnavis, who "Ambedkar's struggle and prindesk in Mantralaya (state secre- met Shigenobu Nagamori of the ciples for human dignity, social Japanese company during the last equality and justice is universal tariat) to oversee these projects. and relevant even in the modern "A special desk will be set up leg of his Japan tour. "The company will send a team age." -PTI along with JETRO to do hand holding for Japanese companies."This will be a sort of one stop shop," He also attended and addressed a function the Chief Minister said. Fadnavis said NIDEC Corpora- organized by Association of Friends of Jation (Nihon Densan Kabushiki pan. "The Association has agreed to work as Kaisha), world's leading manufacturer of electric motors, will send a facilitating centre in Japan to bring investits team to Maharashtra to explore ment in Maharashtraâ&#x20AC;? investment opportunities.

'Rose Valley scam much bigger than Saradha' NEW DELHI: Shibamoy Dutta, luring investors. This quality of MD of Rose Valley group arrested coining new ways of getting inby CBI in chit fund scam, has vestments made him an attractive emerged as the alleged brain be- candidate for chit fund companies hind the two schemes which were where he was able to climb the purportedly used by the group to corporate ladder," they said. dupe over one lakh investors of The sources said Rose Valley over Rs 10,000 crore, four times the group is a behemoth of chit fund money in Saradha scam. business much bigger than the Central Bureau of Investigation tainted Saradha group with eight (CBI) sources said during ques- divisional offices, 21 regional oftioning, it has emerged that Dutta, fices, 880 branches, nearly 20 lakh the company's Managing Direc- enlisted agents and 2.7 lakh active tor, was allegedly instrumental in initiating two schemes -Aashirward Dutta allegedly started as and Holiday membership an LIC agent after which he - through which investors were lured to invest with joined another chit fund the promise of high recompany before coming turns. The sources said to Rose Valley agency is focusing on money trail of Rs 10,000 crore - four times the entire collec- agents. The group was in the busition of Saradha scam - taken from ness of 23 hotels and three amuseover one lakh investors spread ment parks, they said. across the country. CBI has taken Shibamoy "The scam is so big that we are Dutta's transit custody after still looking at investors. So far which he would be taken to there are about one lakh investors. Bhubaneswar where the case has But we are still looking into it," one been registered by the agency, of the probe officials said. they said. Dutta allegedly started as an "He allegedly had a long assoLIC agent after which he joined ciation with the group and was another chit fund company before active in conspiring with Gautam coming to Rose Valley, they said. Kundu, CMD, in cheating and "His convincing skills were ex- misappropriation of funds," an tremely good which helped him in official said.-PTI

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Kejriwal invites Industry to partner in development India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: "Industry should collaborate and make the Government aware of the problems faced with respect to Government departments as the wearer knows where the shoe pinches" remarked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while addressing a huge gathering of potential investors, diplomats and delegates from India and abroad at the 4th Invest North organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to showcase the untapped investment potential of northern states. Kejriwal invited Industry to partner in development of Delhi as Service & tourism hub. Sharing the vision of his Government, he remarked that development is done by people and Government's role is to be a facilitator.

"We are fully committed to provide all possible support to the industry but request CII to channelise partner with us and support for enhancing education and healthcare facilities in Delhi by encouraging its members to contribute through their CSR activities", said Mr Kejriwal. "We are fully committed to do away with cumbersome regulations and procedures and promote self certification by the industry as well as the citizens. Regular attestation is obsolete in today's world. We fully trust our citizens and industry and hence would soon apply self certification methodology for any new industry in Delhi for various necessary approvals, with no inspector visiting for inspection. Further, an average citizen has to apply to govt offices and get

quality of life. Mr. Somany proposed a Joint Task force Of CII, Officials from NCT Delhi Gurgaon & Noida Administration to be formed for the Traffic Management & resolving the bottle necks faced by the Industry in the NCR region to which Kejriwal a g r e e d imediately. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing the 4th edition of the Invest North of CII in New Delhi on September 11 M r Kejriwal acattestation done for around 14 cepted CII's suggestions that services which lead to corruption. Delhi be developed as a knowlWe would change the procedures edge hub comprising research & and just an affidavit would be redevelopment, incubation centers, quired from applicants stating that skill centers etc, and as a knowlhis particulars are true. However edge economy. Delhi Govt. is we would ensure tough penalty in working towards upgrading Delhi case of wrong submission of in- schools, colleges and industrial formation , general particulars or training institutes such as the work on the ground in the next 6-8 polytechnics to meet the Industax evasion", added the CM. months," said Khushalani. Earlier in the session, try requirements and requested He said the company has idenShreekant Somany, Chairman, CII the private sector for their suptified a local partner which has Northern Region spoke on the port in this. Besides Delhi Govover 100 years of experience in the need to have a unanimous vision ernment also agreed to work with agricultural sector. to make Delhi a global metropolis CII in showcasing the strengths Khushalani said the company and a world-class city, where all & opportunities of Delhi in other invested around USD 1.5 billion the people would be engaged in important Industrial centers in the in a number of countries and makes productive work with a better country & abroad. its own cottons and silk garments. It exports silk garment to the US and Europe. He said the "fees" for leasing of the land has not yet been finalized and that there will be provisions for the lease to be renewed for another 50 years. Enhancing trade ties between is in place. With these new techIndian and Egypt figured promi- Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 12 nological advancements, the I-T nently during Indian External AfThe department's Central Pro- Department wishes to completely fairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's meeting with El-Sisi here last cessing Centre (CPC) as on Sep- eradicate human interface in these tember 7 processed 45.18 lakh re- taxpayers services which directly month. Egypt has traditionally been turns and issued refunds to 22.14 leads to faster and hassle-free proone of India's most important trad- lakh tax payers relating to assess- cessing of ITRs and refunds apart from other services," the official ing partners in the African conti- ment year 2015-16, it added. During this period, the depart- said. nent. The new e-filing system, enTrade between India and Egypt ment electronically verified over abled only last month, allows during the last financial year (April 32.95 lakh e-returns. The data added that peak filing online verification of a person's 2014 - March 2015) has been rerate touched 3,475 returns per ITR by using either the Aadhaar corded at USD 4.76 billion. Most importantly, India is the minute this time as compared to number, internet banking, ATM or sixth largest trading partner of 2,901 returns per minute last year. email, thereby ending the practice sending paper-based As per some testimonials re- of Egypt -- the second largest export ceived by the department from tax- acknowledgement ITR-V to its ofdestination. India's imports from Egypt were payers, also accessed by PTI, fice in Bengaluru. The Central Board of Direct worth USD 1.74 billion during many have reported that they received their refunds in only 11 or Taxes, the apex policy-making 2014-15. Indian businessmen have in- 13 days time from the day of filing body of the tax department, has recently said that it is committed vested in about 50 companies in their ITR. "A robust mechanism has been to improving taxpayer services Egypt and have given employment opportunities to around created at the CPC in Bengaluru through enhanced use and further and a dedicated team of officials improvement in technologies. -PTI 35,000 Egyptians. -PTI

Indian firms to invest Rs 5k cr in Egypt CAIRO: In a major foray into agri-business sector in Africa, Indian corporate Embee International is in the process of acquiring 33,000 acres of land for farming in Egypt where it will invest over Rs 5,000 crore to grow pulses and vegetables. The company, which is into textile business in Egypt for the last 28 years, said the land is being given to it by the Egyptian government on lease for 50 years which can be renewed thereafter. Director of Embee International Sanjay E Khushalani said agriculture sector in Egypt has huge po-

5,000-6,500 crore in the project which he claimed will be largest investment by any Indian company in Egypt and the first foray by an Indian firm in the country's agriculture sector. The 'One Million Feddan (acres)' is one of the most ambitious projects launched by Egyptian President Sisi after he came to power in June last year. It is aimed at reclaiming one million acres of farm land across the country that relies heavily on imports of basic foodstuffs. Currently less than four per cent of Egypt's total land area is

"Egypt has very good soil quality. We are waiting for the green light from the government which we are expecting by the next month. We will be ready to start work on the ground in the next 6-8 months," said Khushalani. He said the company has also identified a local partner of experience in the agricultural sector. tential and the company hopes to get all the required permission for the "mega project" by next month. "We are participating in the One Million Feddan land reclamation project of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. We have booked around 33,000 acres. The land is being given on lease for 50 years," Khushalani told PTI. He said the company has decided to invest between Rs

arable. Khushalani said Embee International was looking at producing pulses, sesame seeds, tomato, onions and other vegetables on the land. He said the company will sell the produce in Egypt as well as in other neighboring countries. "Egypt has very good soil quality. We are waiting for the green light from the government which we are expecting by the next month. We will be ready to start

IT refunds to be sent to taxpayers in 7-10 days

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September 18, 2015

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Air India may launch premium economy class NEW DELHI: Air India may look at introducing a separate cabin product on its flights - premium economy - to tap the growing de-

"We also have to evaluate the routes, domestic or international, before we firm up our plans," the official said.

in 1991, and since then the airlines world over have rolled out this new cabin class one after another. Premium economy has also as-

mand for this segment of travel in its bid to maximize revenue. As of now, Tata-SIA-promoted full service airline Vistara is the only domestic carrier which offers premium economy on its flights, besides business and economy class. "We are looking at introducing a new cabin class, premium economy as we see the demand growing for this product globally," a top Air India official told PTI. Changing passenger preferences have necessitated exploration of more options for travel, the official said, adding, "It may take a while before a final decision on the issue is arrived at".

Premium economy is positioned between economy and business class, with a different fare and services structure. The concept was first introduced by Taiwanese carrier Eva Air

sumed significance because of unpredictable global economy as during recession it is the revenue from the business class that gets affected most, he said. Premium economy fares are on average 60 per cent lower than the business class and almost 60 per cent higher than normal economy travel. Air India had last fiscal earned Rs 15,000 crore revenue from ticket sales, the official said, adding, "We are aiming at enhancing it to a significantly higher level along with higher yield with new revenue streams and introduction of a new cabin class could be one of the options." -PTI

Premium economy fares are on average 60 per cent lower than the business class and almost 60 per cent higher than normal economy travel.

RBI cancels Sahara's NBFC registration MUMBAI: Bringing to closure an over seven-year-old case, Reserve Bank has cancelled Sahara India Financial Corporation's certificate of registration as NBFC. "Following the cancellation of registration certificate, the above company cannot transact business of a non-banking financial institution..." the RBI said in a statement. The registration of the Lucknow-headquartered NBFC stands cancelled with effect from September 3, it added. The NBFC was registered in December 1998. Earlier, markets regulator Sebi had cancelled mutual fund and portfolio management licenses of other firms of the group, which is engaged in a long-running battle with the regulator in a case related to refunds totaling thousands of crores of rupees. Its chief Subrata Roy is in jail since March 4, 2014. Back in September 2008, a group company Sahara India Investment Corporation Limited had informed

the RBI that it has "voluntarily exited non-banking financial business". In another order on June 4, 2008, the RBI had prohibited Sahara India Financial Corporation Ltd

(SIFCL) from accepting deposits from the public and had directed SIFCL to repay the depositors on maturity and comply with the directions of the central bank. Later it approached the courts and the Supreme Court asked the

RBI to provide a personal hearing to SIFCL and pass a fresh order. After taking into consideration submissions made by the group, the RBI passed another order directing the company not to accept any new deposit which matures beyond June 30, 2011 and to stop accepting installments of existing deposit accounts also with effect from that date. A stagg e r e d timeline was also given to the company to reduce its Aggregate Liability to Depositors (ALD) and it was asked to repay the deposits as and when they mature and bring the ALD to zero on or before June 30, 2015.-PTI

Kansas apartment complex with low energy use KANSAS CITY, Mo.: A 276-unit City, ``much like Google Fiber did apartment complex planned for the when it came to Kansas City first. Missouri riverfront north of Kan- People will talk about it, show it sas City's downtown will offer off. It will be the first of a kind in large reductions in energy use the country in terms of bringing while also being able to withstand this passive technology to large all types of severe weather, ac- apartment building.'' cording to proponents. Planners say the concrete The $60 million complex, called walls are so durable the project Second and Delaware, will be the could last for 200 years. largest U.S. multifamily apartment Arnold said his main goal is complex using construction certi- to build a ``walkable neighborfied by the Passive House Insti- hood'' that embraces `àll the best tute, The Kansas City Star re- practices of sustainable develported. That includes 16-inch- opment, urban design and costthick walls that sandwich insula- effective construction.'' The tion between concrete panels, a complex is planned for four acres well-insulated building `ènve- on what is now undeveloped and lope'' and an energy recovery ven- overgrown land near the river. tilation system that reduces heatThe development is also using and cooling needs by about ing an unusual process called 90 percent from comparable-sized apartments. Excavation is schedArnold said his main goal is uled to begin next month and, if all goes to build a ``walkable neighas planned, tenants borhood'' that embraces could begin moving in `àll the best practices of by February 2017. Jonathan Arnold, sustainable development, the lead developer, said he's committed to urban design and cost``build one project to effective construction.'' embrace all the best practices of sustainable development, urban design ``target value design,'' which reand cost-effective construc- quires the entire development tion.'' He was appointed in 2011 team to be in planning meetings to be part of a United Nations from the beginning. effort that scouted the world to Arnold said the complex will find housing solutions ``that can be built by a team that ``started be implemented, are ready to with the last step - the finish of an scale and are financially fea- apartment unit - then worked backsible.'' ward to ensure that the people who Similar projects exist in Eu- are going to be building the buildrope. Ashok Gupta with the Natu- ing are developing the schedule, ral Resources Defense Council then staffing the project so work predicts the complex will bring never stops to wait for a subconnational attention to Kansas tractor.''-AP

Prince Pipes plans Rs 100-cr plant in Bengal KOLKATA: PVC pipes major Prince Pipes and Fittings is looking to invest up to Rs 100 crore for a manufacturing facility in the state. "We have plans for a manufacturing facility in the east by 201718. We will consider West Bengal for our eastern plan and looking to invest somewhere between Rs 75-100 crore, "Prince GM Marketing Hemant Kumar told PTI. The company currently has six plants in south, west and north India with a total capacity of 90,000 mtpa. The new facility will help the company to have a greater competitive edge in the eastern region. Kumar said by 2017-18 it will

able to garner critical volume for feasibility. He claimed that the company commands about 10-11 per cent market share in the Rs 10,000 crore PVC pipes and fittings industry. The company has tied up with Polish firm Trelleborg for sealants. Prince will use sealants in its premium pipes from Poland with this tie up, which is for a period of one year. Trelleborg Business Development Manager Asia Pacific Martin Boerma said, India is an important market over China. "China is not willing to pay for quality but Indian market values quality," he said. -PTI

Desi News FOG Diwali Mela in Pleasanton hosted by FIA VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

Free concerts as a tribute to Sri Chinmoy ASHOK PARULEKAR

NEW YORK: Sri Chinmoy Centre International together with Dr L. Subramaniam, India's acclaimed violinist, composer and conductor offered a free Manhattan concert in tribute to Sri Chinmoy at the Baruch Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 29. Performing with Dr Subramaniam was his wife Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam. Kavita is a much recorded, platinum playback artist, often referred to as the "Melody Queen" of India. She said, "a few years ago I met Sri Chinmoy in New York and the happiest moment in my life was when Sri Chinmoy blessed me." Their daughter, Bindu Subramaniam, and son Ambi Subramaniam, also performed. Details on page 19

Hindi Lovers Club celebrates Hindi Diwas RAMESH SOPARAWALA & ASIAN MEDIA USA

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

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The five ways to develop love for God

September 18, 2015

Details on page 26

Techies excited about PM Modi's visit to Silicon Valley India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Indian American technology professionals are eagerly looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Silicon Valley later this month. The San Francisco Bay Area, of which Silicon Valley is a part, is home to technology giants like Google, Facebook, Cisco, Apple, and Oracle. It is considered to be

in the next top seven immigrantfounder-sending countries combined. The percentage of companies founded by an Indian American (33.1%) was more than four times the next highest percentage by an immigrant group, the Chinese Americans (8.1%). Indian Americans founded 16% of Silicon Valley's startups and 6.5% of those nationwide - an amazing fact given that Indian immigrants comprised

The percentage of companies founded by an Indian American (33.1%) was more than four times the next highest percentage by an immigrant group, the Chinese Americans (8.1%). Indian Americans founded 16% of Silicon Valley's startups the startup hub of the world, housing nearly half a million Indian expats, many of whom work as technology professionals. According to research conducted in 2012 by the Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, Indian-Americans have founded more technology companies than immigrants born

much less than 1% of the US population at the time the study was conducted.

Epicenter of innovation One such prominent entrepreneur, Vinod Dham, the father of the Pentium Chip and a Venture Capitalist, stated, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit is significant as Silicon Valley is the epicenter

of innovation. There is excitement in the Indian Diaspora about the change that Modi has brought in India and a feeling that things can be brought back on track." P r a k a s h Bhalerao, a hightech entrepreneur and venture capitalist, similarly expressed his excitement at the upcoming arrival of PM Modi. "We are excited that we finally have a government in India that is focusing on the growth and development of the country. The Prime Minister's visit to the Silicon Valley signifies a much needed change in the Indian government's agenda, which is that massive change in India can only come through innovation and technology." Numerous professional bodies such as The Indus Entrepreneurs

(TiE), Global Indian Technology Professionals (GITPRO), various alumni groups of different Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)s, National Institute of Technology (NIT)s, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and many Indian employee organizations at different companies such as Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Oracle, Cisco and HP are

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

among those registered as Supporting Organizations for the community reception for the Indian Prime Minister on September 27th. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

Hate-fueled attack on Sikh condemned SURENDRA ULLAL & RAMESH SOPARAWALA

CHICAGO: The DuPage County State's Attorney's Office has announced that felony aggravated battery charges have been filed in juvenile court against a Willowbrook teenager accused of beating up 53-year-old Sikh Inderjit Singh Mukker in Darien on Tuesday September 8. The incident occurred near Cass Avenue and 69th about 5-15 pm. The DuPage County State's Attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a statement, they found an injured Inderjit Mukker in the front of his car with "cuts and bruises on his cheeks." Berlin said Mukker and the teenager, who has been charged with the crime which was allegedly triggered by road rage at some

Inderjit Mukker

point. "Following the altercation, Mukker and the defendant (allegedly) pulled their vehicles to the

side of the road, where the teenager exited his vehicle and approached Mukker's" Berlin said.

"Following an exchange of words, the teenager allegedly punched Mukker in the face as he sat in his vehicle." Mukker gave a description of the person who assaulted him and the license plate number of the car he was driving. "Regardless of what was said or done by either of the parties allegedly involved in this incident, physical attacks will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law," Berlin said. "People have to remember that if you find yourself involved in a traffic altercation, stay calm and don't let your emotions get the better of you."

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

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No dull moment in Kher's 'Matlab Nahin Tha' Pics Rama Photo Video

VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Anupam Kher's latest and eagerly anticipated production, "Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha" played at a packed San Jose City National Civic in San Jose as part of its North American tour on Saturday, September 12. The venue was packed with over 3500 stage play lovers. Due to the public demand, another show was added to the tour and was played on Friday,

September 11 at the same venue. The story, beautifully written and narrated by Rakesh Bedi, is crisp and fast-paced, without a single dull moment in the almost two-hour production. The versatile actor, Kher, along with his talented co-star Neena Gupta, brought the capacity crowd to its feet with their flawless performance. The play was produced by Kher's "Actor Prepares". It is India's finest acting school for talented individuals who wish to pursue careers as actor-perform-

ers in the entertainment industry. Established in 2005 by Anupam Kher, it is the only school for actors in the world to be founded by an actor who is professionally active. The play set in Lodhi Gardens, Delhi, where Hema Roy (Neena Gupta) is waiting for Pritam Kumar Chopra (Anupam Kher) on a park bench. "Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha" is an invitation for a walk down memory lane with childhood sweethearts Pritam and Hema, who reunite after 35 years and examine the reasons why t h e y drifted apart. Kher's versatile performance makes the play a reali t y . Though this is Neena Gupta's first come-back after ten long years, the actress gave a flawless performance. Neena Gupta, playing a double role as Hema Roy (Pritam's lover) and Nigaar (Pritam's wife), flawlessly switches from one role and accent, depicting two very different roles with a corresponding array of emotions in both roles. Rakesh Bedi's sporadic appearances as a casual jogger in the park brings lighter moments into the play. Vikas Rawat is the music director of the play. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 20

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FOG Diwali Mela in Pleasanton hosted by FIA VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: This year FOG Diwali Mela hosted by FIA of Northern California is scheduled on Oct 24 at Alameda county fairgrounds, Pleasanton for all day and over 80 vendors and over 30,000 audiences are expected to participate in it. The Federation of Indian Associations is a Fremont based umbrella 501-c (3) organization. It consists of over 40 member organizations. Over the last 23 years, The Federation has continued to work with its member organizations in working on various community based initiatives, and has emphasized that its members continue to remain engaged in every aspect of our community. This event has continued to garner participants from all over Northern California, and has attracted luminaries and dignitaries from all over the world. Diwali is the largest and the most important festival of India, to the scale of the Christmas and New Year's celebration. Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, where every household lights colorful lamps to welcome Goddess Lakshmi, symbol of wealth and prosperity. FOG Diwali in Pleasanton strives to bring the flavor of Diwali celebrations and create an ambience of festivities on this particular day. The idea is to provide an opportunity to the first generation Indians to remember the good old days of Diwali festivities and bring together the younger generation to

flaunt this beautiful festival while showcasing our rich Indian heritage and culture. FOG Diwali Mela in Pleasanton is the

only fair (mela) in the entire Bay area with grand fireworks and a laser light display and more than 20,000 people attended the event

in the first year in 2014. Attendance to the Jhankian are the other attractions of this carnival has been very encouraging and this Mela. year it is likely to touch 50,000 attendees. Wells Fargo is the official fireworks sponBesides the Bay area, the festival organiz- sors of this gala event. The Alameda County ers are expecting people from neighboring Fire Department, with the sponsorship of cities including Tracy, Fairfield, and Sacra- Wells Fargo Bank, will host this year's firemento. works display from 8.30 p.m. onward. VisiDiwali Mela will include celebrations throughout the day through cultural shows, dis- Wells Fargo is the official fireworks play of Diwali festivities along sponsors of this gala event. The with booths and vendors from various Corporate houses via Alameda County Fire Department, Airlines, Money Transfers, In- with the sponsorship of Wells Fargo dia Property Show, Media, Insurance, TV Channels, Mort- Bank, will host this year's fireworks gage Companies, Banks, Real- display rom 8.30 p.m. onward. tors, Tours, Cruises, Films, Entertainment and local business houses like tors Coverage have always supported FIA Boutiques, Jewelers, Fashion, Arts, Handi- and is the official Travel insurance partner crafts, Gifts, Food, Snacks, Mehendi, Pho- of FOG Diwali 2015. Visitors Coverage is a tographers, DJs, Video, Decors and more. unique one-stop-shop that specializes in The event will also include fun filled en- offering visitors medical insurance policy tertainment throughout the day for people to international travelers through online of all ages, professional entertainment and buying convenience and provides unbiased prominent elected officials from local town- advice to buy comprehensive medical inships and much more. There will be a pet- surance coverage. ting zoo, animal rides and kid's corner to For booths, cultural performances, sponentertain the tiny-tots. Cultural perfor- sorship and other information visit mances, live music band, fashion show and www.fogsv.org or call 510 491 4867

165 kids take part in Geeta Chanting Competition Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Gurudev Swami Chinmayanada's vision was to encourage Balavihar children to memorize Bhagavad Geeta verses with the hope that later as adults they will be inspired to understand and live Geeta. This vision was rejuvenated with the

The competition was held at the Badri Center on September 5 & 6. 165 children came from 24 centers from all across the USA to participate. The auspicious event was on Shri Krishna Janmashtami and the installation day of Shri Radha Krishna Prabhavali at the Yamunotri center of Chinmaya Mission Chicago. This historical event was presided by

Participants of Geeta Chanting Competition

second international Geeta Chanting Competition - Chant Geeta Enchant Krishna. The Chinmaya Mission Chicago hosted the Geeta chanting competition finals of Chinmaya Mission West, USA with Swami Sharanananda as the national coordinator.

Swami Ishwarananda of Los Angeles. The children divided into four age groups competed within their group one at a time. There was a team of 18 judges from different centers. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 22

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Free concerts as a tribute to Sri Chinmoy ASHOK PARULEKAR

Dr Subramaniam met with and performed for Sri Chinmoy on a number of occasions and the two greatly admired and respected one another. tinctive style. Dr Subramaniam met with and performed for Sri Chinmoy on a number of occasions and the two greatly admired and respected one another. At present Dr Subramaniam and his family are on a North America Concert Tour. Sri Chinmoy prolifically expressed his spiritual life through music, poetry and the visual arts. Born in Bengal, India in 1931, he made his home in New York in

1964. During his frequent travels worldwide, Sri Chinmoy emphasized the importance of meditation, music and inner peace. The previous day on August 28 another free concert took place at the same location. Russia's popular and leading star Boris (Purushottama) Grebenshikov was outstanding. He offered a special song to honor Sri Chinmoy. The audience not only enjoyed Krishna Das's Kirtan but participated and sang with him. Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers brought with them heavenly joy. Other Sri Chinmoy international groups brought peace and happiness through their meditative music. Kavita Krishnamurthy (Center) holding Peace Torch with Dr L. Subramaniam and their daughter Bindu at the concert hall

Hate-fueled attack on Sikh condemned Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

Sources close to Mukker said that Mukker was driving to a grocery store on South Cass Avenue when another driver began yelling at him, calling him a "terrorist" and "Bin Laden" and telling Mukker to "go back to your country."

utilizing education, research, and coalition-building.

Civil rights of victim

he added. Founder President of FIA, Sunil Shah, strongly condemned the ongoing horrific pattern of in-

NBC, WGN, FOX, UNIVISION, TV ASIA, Chicago Tribune, and Daily Herald were on hand at the Viceroy of India Restaurant and

SAAPRI wants justice done South Asian American Policy and Research Institute (SAAPRI) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago are outraged by the heinous, xenophobic attack on Inderjit Singh Mukker. "SAAPRI strongly condemns hate-fueled violence, racism, and anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric. Racially motivated violence diminishes our whole society," said Reema Kapur, Executive Director of SAAPRI. "Community organizations and the South Asian community must stand together in solidarity against hate and violence and promote compassion and respect for diversity." SAAPRI is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization established in 2001 to improve the lives of South Asian Americans in the Chicago area, by using research to formulate equitable and socially responsible public policy. Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago is the leading pan-Asian, multi-issue organization in the Midwest dedicated to empowering the Asian American community through advocacy by

FIA meet in Lombard

Upset at the Darien incident, Indian Americans led by the Federation of Indian Associations organized a media and civil meet in Lombard, a south west suburb of Chicago on Thursday September 10. "No American should be afraid to practice his/her faith in our country," Mukker, the victim, said in a statement. Although he could not make to the press conference due to his serious health condition, he sent his father, Sadhu Singh Rikhiraj. "Hate begets hate and love begets love," Rikhiraj shared his saintly advice despite having a tragic family crisis at home. "We love this country that has guaranteed our freedom of religion,"

tolerance, abuse and violence against Sikhs and other minority communities in this country. "We must work hard for our rights and better America. This is a wakeup call for us," Shah urged. "We are being mistaken for terrorists just because we wear a beard and a turban," said the victim's friend Rajinder Singh Mago. Onkar Singh Sangha, FIA Founder and current president, expressed his deepest concern on the continuous hatred perpetrated against Sikh Americans. "People need to be educated about various ethnic communities and respect for each other," he said. Reporters from ABC, CBS,

Banquets in Lombard. "Hate is no longer a foreign disease like Malaria. It is infecting our own neighborhood. Hate travels like a heat wave," said Moon Khan, FIA Vice President. Messages were also read from other faith groups. Neil Khot, FIA Vice President, brought a message of support from the American Jewish community leaders. "In this difficult hour, Jewish community is with all of you." FIA Treasurer Hitesh Gandhi advocated for zero tolerance and urged the Darien Police Department to conduct speedy investigation. Speaking on behalf of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, TV Asia anchor, Vandana Jhingan, urged the community to unite and support each other's efforts in encountering the issue of hate.

Techies excited about PM Modi's visit to Silicon Valley Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

Nupur Dave, Chief Operating Officer for the Indian Googler Network, an employee organization at Google, said that there was tremendous enthusiasm among Indians at Google. She summed up the general feeling in the Indian American tech community by saying, "The Community Reception event had over 700 Indians from Google registering and scores of bubbling fans reaching out to help volunteer with the event, more than a

month in advance! It is expected to be the event of the year, and we feel we have the luck of a superstar that Prime Minister Modi is visiting the Bay Area!" The event to be held at the SAP arena has been oversubscribed with more than 45,000 registrations for a seating capacity of about 18,000. Requests for event passes are still coming in large numbers every day. For more info, please visit www.PMModiInCA.org or follow us on twitter @pmmodiincalifornia.

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Hindu Unity Day celebrated with enthusiasm NEW YORK: The Hindu Unity Day (Hindu Sangathan Divas) was celebrated with pomp, position,

Shivaji Maharaj, who carved out a truly Indian kingdom in India in 1674 defeating Moghul marauders. The auditorium was packed to

Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Guyana and Trinidad living in New York mingling freely with one another burying all distinctions of caste, creed, color, language,

The meeting was addressed by Dr Subramanian Swamy, senior BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Commerce, Government of India; Rajiv

dignity, enthusiasm and grandeur in New York on August 30. The event celebrated every year in New York is in commemoration of the coronation of Ch.

capacity. The enthusiasm and jubilation on the part of audience was seen to be believed. The energetic spirit of attendees from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,

gender and nationality shattered the myth and debunked the obnoxious theories that Hindus are a divided entity and cannot be united

Malhotra, Founder and President of Infinity Foundation, author, philanthropist and community leader; Suresh Chavanke, Chairman, CEO of Sudarshan TV; Aditi

India Post News Service

Banerjee, Corporate Counsel at Leading Global Financial Services Firm; Dr Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America; Vijay Shertukde, Author of Novel, "Blur"; Vibhuti Jha, an entrepreneur; Devendra Singh, Founder of HindiUSA, the largest Hindi organization in the United States; Dr Rajesh Shukla, Member, Central Committee Overseas Friends of BJP, Jagdish Sewhani, HSS Coordinator Community Reach; Surinder Verma, Dr Urmilesh Arya, Satya Dosapati, and Amya Gulati. Dr Subramanian Swamy, personifying courage and perseverance was the Chief Guest. In his speech, Dr Swamy enthralled the audience with his forceful narration and outstanding arguments in support of the Hindu unity receiving huge and frequent applause from the audience. Suresh Chavanke was another eloquent speaker who exposed the insidious designs of anti-Indian forces who have been clandestinely working to destroy India from within. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 22

No dull moment in Kher's 'Matlab Nahin Tha' Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 17

"It is not just a love story, but a story about relationships, misunderstandings and our awkwardness in dealing with the truth. It has universal appeal," Kher said. A new concept has been employed in the production of this play with the use of multimedia. A large video screen depicts flashbacks and there are even interactive dialogues between the actors on stage and those on the screen. This is the first time that history was created for a houseful play (drama). In the past, Bay area has seen packed shows for music concerts and Bollywood dance performances. The play was truly an experience to be treasured and cherished. Besides accolades for his performance in the play, Kher has been honored with numerous proclamations in San Jose for his commendable work in performing arts and for being a champion for gender equality and defender of human rights, representing 500,000 Kashmiri Hindus uprooted from Kashmir 25 years back. Anupam Kher has appeared in several hundred films and many plays. Mainly working in Bollywood films, he has also appeared in acclaimed international films such as the 2002 Golden

Globe nominated Bend It Like Beckham, Ang Lee's 2007 Golden Lion winning Lust, Caution, and David O. Russell's 2013 Oscar winning Silver Linings Playbook. He has held the post of chairman of Central Board of Film Certification and National School of Drama in India.

second season of celebrity talk reality show titled 'The Anupam Kher Show - Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai', which airs on Colors. US state's most populous city Las Vegas has declared September 10 as 'Anupam Kher Day' to honor the veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher for his commend-

Neena Gupta won the 1994 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri. She is a popular actress in Indian commercial cinema, but it is her work with art filmmakers of India, like Shyam Benegal that got her recognition as an actress of considerable repute. She also hosted the

In 2004, he was honored with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution to Indian cinema. Kher has won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role five times. He is currently seen hosting the

able contribution to cinema and art globally. Rakesh Bedi , writer and director of this masterpiece, grew up in Delhi and has acted in over 150 Hindi movies and several TV serials, including Chashme Buddoor.

Indian version of the television quiz show The Weakest Link, Kamzor Kadii Kaun. In the Bay Area, the play was promoted by Bikramjeet Singh of Bollywood Events and they had partnered with Instant Karma,

Ricky Singh and Gagan Singh. Bollywood Events and Instant Karma are Bay Area's premier entertainment company covering all aspects of the entertainment spectrum including Live Concerts, Dramas, Events. Kavi was the event co-ordinator and spokesperson for the Bay Area show. Kashmiri Hindu Foundation, a non-profit, non-political, non-religious organization focused on helping underprivileged children in camps in India and building the Kashmiri cultural center in USA, supported the show. Nationally, the show was promoted by Rajinder Singh of Houston-based Star Promotions Inc. The fiftieth show of this play received glorious response from over 3,000 phenomenal audience over the weekend in Los Angeles. The performance also ended its US tour that began on stage on August 7 in Houston and went around 21 major US cities and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, with its 23 back-to-back and soldout performances. The tour now moves to the Mid-east followed by Europe. "Very excited with the way the play has been received during this US Tour. I have always believed that all dreams come true. My US trip has reaffirmed that belief," Kher, 60, said.

Community Across America

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Jihadis running amok in South India: Sampath PM SWAMY Arjun Sampath (center) with Ruthra Kumaran (second from right) and office holders of America Tamil Sangam

Arjun Sampath was honored in traditional Tamil style by placing a shawl by leaders of America Tamil Sangam

NEW YORK: In recent years 138 Hindu Leaders have been brutally killed in broad daylight in public by Jihadis who have also executed serial bomb-blasts killing over 100 Hindus in Tamil Nadu covering Chennai, Coimbatore and by planting bombs in three rail roads in Chennai, Tiruchi and Erode, according to Arjun Sampath, president of Hindu Peoples Party. Addressing a meeting organized by America Tamil Sangam and Shri Vari Foundation in Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Long Island, Sampath said nowhere in India such mass brutal killings take place and government has been silent over the killing of Hindu leaders. He called for Hindu renaissance across India that has been devastated by vehemently anti-Hindu Congress governments causing the population of Hindus to plummet to about 80 percent. "Many Hindus living abroad don't realize that Tamil Nadu has a crypto-Christian population of 19 percent and a Arabwannabe population of 6 percent - both of

He called for Hindu renaissance across India that has been devastated by vehemently anti-Hindu Congress governments causing the population of Hindus to plummet to about 80 percent. whom have teamed up to inflict a double whammy on Hindus by usurping reservation benefits and by inflicting humiliating apartheid in minority-run schools, colleges, indulging in economic deprivation, landgrabbing, perennial conversion of Hindu women and poorer Hindus; apart from violent riots, bomb-blasts and murders of the hapless Hindus," he said. He called for the support of Non Resident Indians and People of Indian Origin to put pressure on governments to protect Hindus and cows that have become object of attacks under some pretext or the other. V Ruthra Kumaran, a leading Sri Lankan Tamil leader of the US and Prime Minister of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) felicitated and offered his support to the good cause of Sampath. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 25

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Grand Janmashtami at Shivalya Cultural Center SHAILAJA KUMAR

Chicago: Over 300 people gathered at the Shivalya Hindu Cultural Center (SHCC) on Saturday September 5 to celebrate the festival of Janmashtami. SHCC was founded in August 2012 to provide a place of worship,

celebration and learning for downtown Chicago Hindu community. It is located in the river north neighborhood of Chicago. There were number of cultural activities like kids dances, songs, bhajans, kirtans, adult yoga and

Shivalya volunteers

meditation, Krishna's birth. Kids participated in Ganesha painting party with eco friendly pure clay. These Ganeshas will be used for 'visarjan' on Ganesh Chaturthi. Lavish dinner and prasad was served and each kid took his/her own Ganesha home.

Kids at the Janmasthami celebration

Devotees at Janmasthami celebrations

165 kids take part in Geeta Chanting Competition

Hindu Unity Day celebrated with enthusiasm Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 20

Group Prayer during Geeta Competition at Chinmaya Mission Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 18

For two days over 550 people came to the competition. Every participant was a true winner but the final rankings are: Group A- Age Group 4 - 6 years 1. Trisha Shankar (Chinmaya Mission Twin Cities) 2. Neha Pandya (Chinmaya Mission San Jose) 3. Rasshessh Thakkar (Chinmaya Mission Ann Arbor) Group B- (Age Group 7 - 9 years 1. Aditi Chaubal (Chinmaya Mission Houston) 2. Srinidhi Nagarajan (Chinmaya Mission San Jose)

3. Satvika Ramanathan (Chinmaya Mission Ann Arbor) Group C - (Age Group 10 - 12 years) 1. Shruthi Aiyar (Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles) 2. Anjana Bharadwaj (Chinmaya Mission Chicago) 3. Amrita Vinjamury (Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles) Group D - Age Group 13 - 15 years) 1. Sruthi Jayanti (Chinmaya Mission Chicago) 2. Pavan Sai Datta Prabhala (Chinmaya Mission Tri-State Center)

3. Deepa Kumar (Chinmaya Mission Chicago) Prizes awarded to each group rankings were 3rd prize $250, 2nd $500, and the 1st prize $1,000 and a trip to India to participate in the international Gita chanting finals. At the conclusion of the event, Swami Ishwarananda, the presiding Acharya, expounded the message of the lines mama eva a sa jiva loke. He said that Purushottam yoga, chapter XV held a very dear place in Pujya Gurudev's heart. "We are fortunate to be associated with a Master who is called the foot soldier of Geeta, who dedicated his life sharing the message of Krishna," he added.

"The notion of Dalit-Christian has been developed to convince the Dalits that they are non-Hindus, and that Hinduism is a system of exploitation for which Christianity is the solution. It is, therefore, necessary that evangelist-left nexus, media mediocrity must be fought", emphasized Rajiv Malhotra. Aditi Banerjee suggested that we Hindus should devote more attention, energy and resources to leadership training. We need the leaders who are talented, who

have vision, who can think strategically and who can manage and motivate a team. Presence of Vice Consul from Indian Consulate Shri Shambhu Amitabh was acknowledged and recognized by the Organizers. Priya Sahani Sood gracefully acted as Master of Ceremony. The program started with the blessing and chanting of Vedic mantras by Pandit Jagdish Tripathy. The function ended with the vote of thanks by Sivadasan Nair. Video of the entire function will be available soon, said Narain Kataria, a spokesman.

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Hindi Lovers Club celebrates Hindi Diwas RAMESH SOPARAWALA & ASIAN MEDIA USA

CHICAGO: The highlight of the near four-hour Hindi Diwas celebrations at Ahyana Banquete Hall in Downers Grove (a south west Chicago suburb) by Hindi Lovers Club was a spirited speech competition among kids age 9 to 15 under the theme "Why we should learn Hindi'. It was a grand effort on the part of contestants - the six finalists out of score of contestants. It was highly appreciated all around by 250 plus strong audience and Hindi fans from across Chicagoland. Another highlight was the Rajasthani folk dances, Kathak classical dance, Bollywood style performances

Hindi Diwas audience

earlier and was billed to be under his patronage. The Hindi Lovers Club announced that the CG

gaining momentum, at a fast pace, considering the staggering 457 million Hindi speakers across the globe, including 337 million in India. Meena said that Hindi has been the most popular language among Indian immigrants in different parts of the world while at the same time it has emerged as the acceptable link language in India with 70 to 80 percent of the Indian population speaking or understanding it. He underlined the importance of Hindi in preserving the culture,

the organizers and underlined the importance of the efforts of the Consulate General of India and Hindi Lovers Club in popularizing Hindi in the USA. Nimesh Jani, an elected Schaumburg Council member, had brought this message of the Governor. Vinita Gulbani, President of the Hindi Lovers Club, said that serious efforts are being made to ensure that Hindi language is available in the classrooms of schools in Illinois. Gurbachan Kaur Neelam,

programs which touched the hearts of the audience included: Ganesh Vandana and Sajda Dance Performance by Sheetal Dhanani; Hindi Bolo Song by Balodyan Kids; Unity in Diversity Dance Performance by Shanu and Group; "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" by Shan and Group; Dance Performances by Suhanee Patel, Neepa Shah, Shalini Dixit and Prachi Jetly; Rajasthani Dance by Madhu Choudhary; Punjabi Dance by Shalini Dixit Group; Bollywood melodies by renowned Chicago

Hindi Lovers Club guests and patrons

and Hindi songs rendered by young ones. The celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Club can be deemed to be a great affair but not the grand one that was billed to be by the organizers. One of the factors was that there were quite a

would attend the event. He could not make it but the Consulate was very well represented by Consul OP Meena who in his Hindi speech got himself endeared among all present. The program commenced with traditional lighting of lamp by OP

Hindi Lovers Club Speakers - Founder President Gurbachan Kaur, President Vinita Gulbani and Consul OP Meena

identity, and unity among Indians, irrespective of the region to which they belong. Meena laid emphasis on the need for popularizing Hindi among the new generation of Indian-

Club's Founding President, commended the efforts of the IndianAmericans in preserving Hindi language and Indian culture in the USA. Rich tributes were paid to APJ Abdul Kalam, Naren Patel

Singer Nipa Shah and Preetish Chakraborty; Saregama Lil's Champ North America 2015 2nd Runner up, etc. A vote of thanks was proposed by Kamal Gupta. A sumptuous din-

Dr Barai paying tribute to Naren Patel. Also in pic Gurbachan Kaur, Meena Patel, Neal Patel and Shan Joshi

few other community events. And the second reason was organizational failure to generate enthusiasm among members of the Indian community about Hindi and its promotion. The absence of Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed, who informed the organizers of his inability two days before and many other community leaders, was felt all around. The Indian Consulate in Chicago had blessed the event

Meena, Consul in the Consulate General of India and the Board Members of the Club. Vande Mataram was sung by Preetish Chakraborty, Indian National Anthem by Balodyan kids, and American National Anthem by Kiran. In attendance were over 350 guests. OP Meena, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said that the demand for making Hindi as one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization is

Speech contestants

Americans. He also pitched for a unified approach to advance the cause of Hindi in India and abroad. There was a heart warming greeting from Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner who congratulated

and Prashant Bhargav. The cultural programs, which were presented by associations representing different regions and communities of India, were eyecatching. Some of the important

ner was served and all those who were present enjoyed it thoroughly. Mrs Nipa Shah took over the stage to entertain the audience who danced on a few Bollywood numbers.

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Rajan Zed recognized at NJ Dharma Conference India Post News Service

EDISON, NJ: Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, was honored with "Pride of Dharma Award" at Global Dharma Conference in Edison NJ on September 11. Others to receive this Award at the Conference were Dr Rajiv Malhotra, founder and president of Infinity Foundation and a Director of Hindu University of

America, Orlando, Florida, and Dr Mahesh Mehta, founder of American Institute of Vedic Studies. Dr Mehta is a Founder and former President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America. He has been instrumental in starting several important organizations in USA and serving on the boards and committees of Friends of India Society International, India Development and Relief Fund, Hindu Student Council, Hindu Heritage

Rajan Zed, Rajiv Malhotra and Dr Mahesh Mehta

Foundation of America, India Quality Group, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of America. The "Pride of Dharma Award" citation said: "In appreciation of the significant contributions made towards the protection, preservation and propagation of Dharma". This Award "recognizes the outstanding contributions of those Hindus who have made a major impact on Hindu society". Rajan Zed, has taken-up interfaith, religion, Roma (Gypsies) and other causes all over the world. He had read opening prayers in United States Senate and US House of Representatives in Washington DC, various State Senates and State Assemblies/ Houses-of-Representatives, various County Commissions and City Councils all over USA. Bestowed with "World Interfaith Leader Award", many cities in USA have named October 25 as "Rajan Zed Day".

Opening ceremony on September 11 of this threeday Conference, attended by a few hundred people, inc l u d e d Bharatnatyam performance by Arsha Kala B h a r a t i founder Pavithra Srinivasan; addresses by Swami Tattwamayananda of Vedanta Society of Northern California, Dr Mahesh Mehta, Rajiv Malhotra,, Vamadeva Shastri, Sreepeetham founder Swami Paripoornananda; Shiv Pachakshara Stotra by Sparsh Shah; and Garba and Bhangra folk dances and musical performances. Over 50 eminent spiritual, business, science, social, arts and political leaders/experts are participating in this Conference whose tagline is "Reconnect-RejuvenateRealize", an initiative of Hindu Students Council, which has chapters in over 50 university campuses in North America and which was launched in 1990. Conference Executive Committee included: Nikunj Trivedi, Ravindra Jaishankar, Shaivi Sukhadia, Sohini Sircar, Harshit Agarwal, Parth Parihar and Darshna Modi.

Saluting an Indian Freedom Fighter: Jatin Bagha SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: NRI Press Club joined by a large number of Indian Americans paid tributes and saluted a young Indian freedom fighter who laid down his life hundred years ago on September 19, 1915. Jatindranath Mukherjee (Jaitn Bagha) fought the British rule tooth and nail with his young comrades and died a martyr in Balsore hospital after being wounded in a gun battle with British soldiers. Inspired by Swami Vivekananda, Jatin had expressed his ideals in simple words: "Amra morbo, jagat jagbe" - "We shall die to awaken the nation" Charles Tegart, the Intelligence Chief and Police Commissioner of Bengal said of Jatin: "Though I had to do my duty, I have a great admiration for him. He died in an open fight." Later in life, Tegart admitted: "Their driving power was immense: if

Jatindranath - Jatin Bagha

the army could be raised or the arms could reach an Indian port, the British would lose the War". And another lion from Bengal, Subhash Chandra Bose, did exactly that and got to the Indian border scaring British rulers to death. "But for this courageous act of Netaji Bose the British would be still sitting on Indians neck," said Madhu Patel NRI Pres Club Founding president.

September 18, 2015

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Memorable visit to Mount Rushmore Black Hills LINA SHAH

This summer our family chose to discover the beautiful wilderness and drive on the roads to Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota. After driving about 10 hrs from Chicago on I-90, en-route we visited a unique place called "the world's only Corn Palace" in Mitchell, South Dakota. The Russian-style onion domes and Moorish minarets gave the Palace a distinctive decor. The exterior corn murals are replaced and redesigned each year with a new theme, at a cost of $130,000. Our kids enjoyed fresh popcorn and corn on the cob while taking pictures. Driving on state highways of Dakotas is perfect for adventure and fun. About 70 miles north of Mitchell, we went to visit

"Little House on the Prairie" at De Smet, South Dakota. The author of the classic "Little House" books Laura Ingalls Wilder lived here, as a girl and

young woman. The town sits on a small slice of prairie that looks much as it did when Pa Ingalls brought his family there in 1879. This part of South Dakota is marked by small undulating hills that are creased by glacial lakes. An enormous sky, with rapidly changing cloud formations, hugs the land. And the air smells as clean as fresh laundry. At Ingalls homestead you and your youngsters can pretend to be back in Laura's time, helping to pack up a covered wagon for your next move west, dressing up in pioneer clothes, cooking with "old" utensils, patting farm animals, pony rides and attending a one-room school. We stayed at The Prairie House Manor Bed & Breakfast

overnight and had a healthy breakfast in the morning. On the way to Badlands National Park (a 3-4 hour drive), you can visit South Dakotas beautiful

State Capitol at Pierre. The rugged beauty of the Badlands draws visitors from around the world. These

ming pool in Hot Springs. Swim, splash and soak in 87 degree natural spring flowing in 5000 gallons

Next morning, as we rounded bend after bend of 18 mile Wildlife loop road, each revealing one dra-

striking geologic deposits contain one of the world's richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse, and sabertoothed cat once roamed here. 25% of Badlands National Park is a designated wilderness area, protecting an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and blackfooted ferrets live today. Kids had a great time exploring rock formations and taking pictures. That evening we arrived in Hot Springs and visited the Mammoth site, the world's largest concentration of mammoth remains and research facility. We toured an active paleontological dig site and saw Ice age fossils exhibits. It was a very unique experience to see the real Karst Sinkhole where wooly mammoths enticed by water and vegetation were trapped in a sinkhole. After a whole day of adventure, we had a great relaxing time in Evans Plunge, the world's largest natural warm water indoor swim-

of water replenishing per minute. That night we stayed at beautifully decorated with unique Santa Fe flair, FlatIron Historic Sandstone Inn.

matic mountains display after the other, we entered the Custer State Park.

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Why does it still happen in America?

few weeks back a report came from Peoria. A Sikh, Satwinder Singh Bhola, was knifed to death. This apparently was a hate crime Now my observation. When I travel to India and go thru Europe and /or Arab countries; it would be hard for me, or for that matter anybody, to explain the secular character of America; a character that has Christian majority. Why has it been happening to Sikhs in America? The perpetrators of this type of crime or heinous act are damaging the secular image of America. Is it any different from what Al Qaeda, Taliban or ISIS

are doing in the Arab world? Sikhs have been in America over 150 years and they fought

Satvinder Singh

two world wars side by side American soldiers. And still this! Painful to read what Satwinder

Singh Bhola's daughter wrote on Facebook "My hero. My role model. My strength. My will to fight. I love you dad. May your beautiful soul rest in peace." Geena Kaur Sidhu is Bhola's eldest daughter. Thank God, the majority of Americans are very tolerant but surely a few bad apples spoil the entire lot. It would not be too much to say that they could prove role models to "bad apples" overseas. These people forget how America was established and why there is celebration of Thanksgiving. Thakar S Basati Palatine, Illinois

Disclaimer :- India Post does not endorse opinions expressed in the letters.

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 26

Jihadis running amok in South India: Sampath Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 21

cows, temples and propagation of Hindu dharmic awareness among the masses. Across the shores of India, he is also working for the uplift and protection of Hindu minority of Sri Lanka who are suffering under well-orchestrated conversion campaign even after the civil war ended. He is also organizing Conferences on Ayurveda and Siddha Vaidyas (traditional medicine) and running ambulance services and serving the needs of poor Hindu victims of accidents, riots and other tragic incidents. Under the banner of Uniting Bharat from Kanyakumari to Kash-

Jaya Sundaram, secretary of the association welcomed the gathering and John Joseph, executive vice president, presided and presented the plaque awarding Hindu Ratna title to Sampath. Arjun Sampath is a dynamic speaker, scholar, intellectual and well-known grassroots Hindu activist for the past 30 years with a focus on Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. He is on a relentless mission to unite Hindus from all castes, sects and strata of society. Hailing from a RSS Pracharak background Sampath is President of Hindu Makkal Katchi (Hindu People's Party) that is engaged in pro- He is now working on creatviding spiritual reining a transferable "Hindu forcement and reviving physical protection of Vote bank" by mounting a Hindus in Tamil Nadu statewide campaign in all who are under increasing threat from Islamic the 234 assembly constituJihadi organizations, encies of Tamil Nadu Evangelical Missionary NGOs and pan-Tamil Dravidian hate-mongering groups mir he has taken a delegation of He had actively conducted young Hindu activists from Tamil "Ghar Wapsi" (reconversion) of Nadu to Jammu & Kashmir and over 6000 Christians and Muslims participated in Amarnath Yatra to back to their ancestral Hindu bolster the morale of Indian Army Dharma. He is also engaged in Troops in Kargil. combating the devious propaHe is now working on creating ganda of Dravidian Supremacist a transferable "Hindu Vote bank" Groups against Hindu Dharma, by mounting a statewide camHindu Temples and Hindu Scrip- paign in all the 234 assembly contures. stituencies of Tamil Nadu before He is working to removing the the upcoming elections in April trust deficit between different 2016. As a result of his pro-active castes, sects and sections of Hindu work, Sampath and his felHindu society in Tamil Nadu and low leaders of Hindu Makkal work on protection of Hindu Katchi are on the hit list of Islamic women, socio-economically terrorists and there have been sevweaker sections of Hindu society, eral attempts on their lives.

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The five ways to develop love for God

t was explained in the previous articles that when Shree Krishna takes avatar on the earth, He maintains His supreme Divine status. He does not become a man, and He does not stop being God. Nevertheless, He is seen behaving like an ordinary child. He fusses when He wants to be fed, He loves to sit on His mother's lap, He cries when His mother scolds Him, He enjoys

playing new games with His friends, He is groggy when He wakes up in the morning, and He is jealous if His brother gets more attention than He does. How is it possible to both maintain His status as supreme God, and behave as an ordinary boy?

Five ways of loving God The secret is in the eleventh shlok of the fourth chapter, which illustrates the amazing power of devotion. Shree Krishna says that He devotes Himself to a soul in whatever way they surrender to Him. What does this mean? There are five main ways of feeling related to Shree Krishna: shant

SWAMI NIKHILANAND

bhav (you are the subject and He is the king), dasya bhav (you are the servant and He is the master), sakhya bhav (you are friends), vatsalya bhav (you are the mother/ father and He is your son), and madhurya bhav (He is your soul beloved). When someone surrenders to Shree Krishna, they generally do so with one of the relational feelings described above. Accordingly, Shree Krishna ac-

cepts the feelings of His devotee, divinizes them, and reciprocates the feeling. In other words, however a devotee loves Him, He loves that devotee the same way in return. As you can see, devotion - or bhakti - is an amazing thing. Bhakti is not only practiced by the devotee who wishes to attain God, but it is practiced by God, once the devotee has attained Him. God Himself is bound by the love of His devotee. So if someone loves Him as the supreme Lord (shant bhav), He naturally loves them as a king loves his loyal subject. If someone loves Him as their master (dasya bhav), He naturally loves them as His close and trusted servant. If someone loves

Him as a friend (sakhya bhav), He naturally loves them as His dear and personal friend. If someone loves Him as their son (vatsalya bhav), He naturally loves them as His very own mother or father. And if someone loves Him as their beloved (madhurya bhav), He naturally loves them as His dearest one. Because of this, Narad Ji has said "amrit swaroopa cha" when describing the characteristics of bhakti, which means that bhakti never ages, fades or expires. It lasts forever because once the devotee meets God, the bhav He has worshipped Him with is transformed into a Divine relationship which becomes the guiding force of all their interactions forever in the Divine world. This force is a Divine power called Bhakti. It is Shree Krishna's most intimate power, which is so great that it allows Him to behave as an ordinary boy, even though He is supreme God. In other words, the power of Bhakti makes supreme God Shree Krishna behave according to our love for Him - and when this happens, His Divine status as the allknowing, all-powerful God becomes secondary. This is when the true sweetness of His leelas is manifested, which is relished by both God realized Saints and aspiring devotees.

The greatness of the Brajwasis The residents of Braj (the childhood home of Shree Krishna) were all God realized Saints who had worshipped Him according to one of the 5 relational feelings described above. His friends the

Gwalbals are Saints of sakhya bhav; his mother Yashoda and father Nand baba are Saints of vatsalya bhav; and the Gopis are Saints of madhurya bhav. Even the creator Brahma praised the greatness of the Gwalbals when he said "aho bhagyamaho bhagyam nand gop vrajaukasam, yanmitram paramanandam poornam brahm sanatanam" [Bhagwatam]. Brahma had been confused by seeing Bal Gopal having lunch with the Gwalbals in the forest in a very playful way. Shree Krishna was seated in the center of many concentric rings of Gwalbals, all of whom had brought food from home to share with Kanhaiya while out grazing the calves. As Brahma watched from above while seated in his aerial chariot, little Kanhaiya joked, laughed and shared food with all of His friends. Brahma wondered how supreme God could behave in such an informal way. He did not understand the secret of Krishna's leelas and the Divine power of Bhakti. However, after surrendering to Shree Krishna, with His grace he was able to realize the greatness of what he was seeing. Then he spoke the above mentioned shlok which describes that the Gwalbals are not ordinary boys - they are eternal friends of supreme God, who have captured His heart with

Memorable visit to Mount Rushmore Black Hills Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 25

The paved road menders through the grasslands of the prairie and into the hills sprinkled with Ponderosa Pine. We saw bison, deer and coyote with just 5 feet distance. Another 17 mile of stretch of Iron Mountain road was an incredible journey in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The most unusual and captivating roads also made our journey memorable with architectural wonders of pigtail bridges and one lane tunnel perfectly framing Mt. Rushmore. We spotted big horn sheep near the road and arrived at Mount Rushmore memorial National Park, A symbol of America - a symbol of freedom and hope for people from

all culture. More than 3 million visitors a year marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills and learn

drive away we reached the Crazy Horse Memorial. World's largest mountain carving in progress was

about the birth, growth, development and preservation of our country. Approximately 30 minutes'

started by Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski's in 1948 to carve a lasting memorial to the Native American People. It was very interest-

ing and educational to know about mountain blasting. We enjoyed evening walking on Custer roads and that night we stayed at Bavarian Inn in Custer. Early morning we had a great time horseback riding in Black Hills with Rockin R Rides. As we departed within an hour we were in historical Deadwood city. Days of '76 Museum, Main Street shows and glass vase making amazed our kids. Next Lead the city of gold where history meets future. We visited Open Cut where its mining began, Gold mine museum and Sanford underground research lab running LUX experiments and tunnels. Driving through scenic Spearfish Canyon Byway to make our way to North Dakota was very memorable.

their devotion and thus have attained a level of closeness and informality with Him which cannot be imagined. One might wonder if Shree Krishna is not just "play acting" when He is interacting with His friends? After all, He is God, so why would He feel the need to play or have fun? This will be answered in the next article. Disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj Swami Nikhilanand Ji is a Canadian born Hindu spiritual leader based in Austin, Texas. He is a sanyasi disciple and pracharak of Jagadguru Shree

Swami Nikhilanand

Kripaluji Maharaj. Attracted to the teachings of Hinduism from a young age, Swamiji eventually let his deep spiritual longing lead him to India, where he was most fortunate to come under the guidance of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Thereafter, living in the ashrams of JKP, he extensively studied Hindi, the philosophy of the prime Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, Darshan Shastras, Gita, Bhagwatam), and practiced meditation in the tradition of raganuga bhakti. In 2003, he was given sanyas. Now, with the blessings of his Guruji, he offers satsang programs throughout America, engaging audiences with his clear explanations of Hindu philosophy coupled with inspired chanting of Sanskrit mantras and shlokas and charming nam sankirtan. His informative and compelling speeches provide practical insight into how to adopt the teachings of Sanatan Dharm into our daily lives, and inspire us to awaken our inner spiritual potential. To stay in touch with Swami Nikhilanand Ji, like his Facebook page at https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / SwamiNikhilanand or follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/ Swami_Nikhil.

Horoscope

September 18, 2015

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Sept 18th - Sept 24th 2015

ake a chance and lis ten to advice given by some one in powerful position. There will be some progress in a property related issue and things can come to a closure soon. You will continue to deal with strong opponents and ultimately win. Some one will call from distant place and give a pleasant news. People in business will have better sales.

oney will come and disappear fast but will go on good reasons only. You will learn some thing new and useful that can help and open new doors in career. Chances are you will be on the move throughout the week and also accomplish a lot. Avoid any argument at home or some one close. You will need to replace electric item in the house.

oney wise you will do better from now but may have some concerns about health. You will make big change in food habits. You will pay lots of attention to some one who took care of you in the past. You will spend some time among politicians also. Stress at work place will come down and you will be assigned to an easier job.

t will take few weeks to regain self confidence. You will take few courageous actions but will be nervous and scared at the same time. You will be making plans with children and spending more money on them. Uncertainty will disappear and stress will also reduce a lot at work place. Financially you will continue to do well and meet commitments easily.

o not fall for the false promises; it's a bait to get more out of you. If you can keep emotions under controls you have absolutely nothing else to worry about. Changes you had been waiting for will start taking place in career at fast pace. You may purchase some big ticket item for personal use. Value of your assets and stocks will appreciate.

nowledge recently gained will help you move into right direction. You will make final payment on several bills. You will visit a nice place with family to meet an old friend. A child not doing so well in the past will make remarkable recovery. Enemies and opponents will try their best to hurt you but will not succeed.

ncertainty and confusions could develop and you will be given limited options. You may be in touch with an expert for advice but any decision will be hard. You will spend a lot of time on writing mails and reaching out people. Some of you may travel long distance in connection with office work. Money wise it will be rewarding week.

our talents will be recognized. Opportunity will come on a silver platter. It will be better to have the language changed and clause removed before you sign that contract. Some one from past will read the signs wrong and try to flirt with you. You have to be careful when driving or parking your vehicle. Business trip will be very fruitful.

fforts made in the past will start bearing fruits from now and on. You will be assigned to a prestigious project. You may attend a get together with other people in similar profession. Business will also pick up suddenly and new vendor will help you save lots of money. You have to let the past go and forget about things you lost, they are not coming back.

ome one close will hurt your feelings. Do not let slow progress shake your self confidence. Some of you will start trying your luck in total different field. There will be victory in ongoing legal battle very soon. You will be making big plans with family for coming summer. You will be applying for credit or some kind of loan application also.

here is a threat to your reputation, so express your self in black and white very carefully and make correct choice of words to communicate. Planets will keeps hopes high about money and you are right there is a big chance to strike it rich or make big bucks this week. Risk will pay off and once again things will start moving your way in career.

egal matter will come to an end and the wastage will stop. You will be getting ready for an upcoming trip. Money wise you will continue to stay very comfortable and have several chances to make extra bucks. You will have the opportunity to enjoy company of some beautiful people. Money will go on buying new cloths and expensive perfumes.

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TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

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September 18, 2015

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t was a low-key wedding on the sets of R Balki's upcoming rom-com, Ki and Ka. Kareena Kapoor, who plays an independent, corporate honcho, tied the knot with an MBA graduate, Arjun Kapoor, who opts to be a stay-at-home husband. Swaroop Sampat, Ki's (Kareena) chic mother, blessed the newlyweds. Rajat Kapoor, who plays Ka's (Arjun) disapproving dad in the film, was missing during the shoot. The film derives its title from linguistic gender division in the Hindi language found in the words `ladki and ladka' and its derivations -iska iski... uska uski. Writer-director-producer Balki had earlier told Mirror, "In Hindi, not just human beings but also nonliving objects have gender. Everybody and everything is categorized. But this film, like the couple's marriage, underlines the fact that `Ki' and `Ka' as genders don't matter. The film is all about breaking gender stereotypes."

ollywood actor Ranveer Singh is known for his outspoken and eccentric demeanor. However, a source close to the actor says that he prefers to remain silent on the sets of his next, film-maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani. He plays the role of Peshwa Baji Rao I in the film. "Since his character is intense, Ranveer keeps a low profile on the sets. Even when he is not facing the camera, he works on his dialogue, and prepares for his scenes. He does that because he wants to stay in character," says the source. Apparently, besides staying silent, the actor also uses sign language. "He communicates with his staff using sign language on the sets. His team is surprised to see him so quiet," says the source.

1 Selfie Le Le Re : Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2 Sun Saathiya : ABCD 2 3 Tu Chahiye : Bajrangi Bhaijaan 4 Bhar Do Jholi Meri : Bajrangi Bhaijaan 5 Hamari Adhuri Kahani : Hamari Adhuri Kahani 6 Bezubaan Phir Se : ABCD 2 7 Mera Naam Mary : Brothers 8 Chaar Shanivaar : All Is Well 9 Banno : Tanu Weds Manu Returns 10 Baaton Ko Teri : All Is Well

nushka Sharma has begun shooting for Karan Johar's next directorial venture "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil",

here. The film also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles. The 27-year-old actress took to Twitter to announce the starting of the film's principal photography and asked her fans to send their good wishes for the project. "So, today we start filming #AeDilHaiMushkil in London. Butterflies attacking. Excitement rolling. Send me your love and wish me luck guys!!" she tweeted. Johar is returning to the director's chair with the film after a gap of three years. He last helmed Varun Dhawan-Alia Bhatt starrer "Student of the Year" in 2012. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" dwells on relationships and heartbreaks.

India Post 31

September 18, 2015

m Sona ghter ayo" u a d an P ut his d abo Ratan Dh make a e t i c x o eteran actor Dharmendra says he will team up with his uite e "Prem ng the tw re i o the or is q ing film s y o a p s sons Sunny and Bobby for a movie again soon, and m a l , n fi e nil K 's upcom n Kha j Barjatya made som a r m they are already going through scripts to zero in on a o l o Sa ra as Kap films erstar "It's a Soo ctor. He h y p a project. u w s e with reen. a great dire anged th poor told The 79-year-old was in Delhi to launch Dharam Garam h on sc a c s e i s l e a p " eh t. H ns, K cou n a H Dhaba Te Theka, a restaurant inspired by the Sholay actor, f e d . o s e m o g ug ite ilm are is exc reaking f . He has h r his movies, songs and dialogues. Asked if the popular Deol a h o J b aran path- e in India lmK i trio will team up for a new project, Dharmendra told reportf d f n o d a a ra ind iew. p k d v o r e ) are m h t e ers: "We are reading scripts as of now. Our first film to's t a C a r n celeb ck n an i ke Aditya s (Barjaty e r a gether 'Apne' was a hit, but then the last film we did toPTI i s a i e b le li by h arriag y system his m "Peop inspired gether, did not work very well. So we are reading scripts y a l i w ot etely anged the value, fam ted a lot t l p now, and we will work together soon." m co He ch the whole s contribu . g Following Apne, they featured together in Yamla n i y a h ot db mak He g India. He recte i . Pagla Deewana and Yamla Pagla Deewana 2. Garam a d i a e d f m th in In bric o . y dra ne of l a i Dharam, the restaurant, has opened doors in central o f s m e i a h t I said the f h is t role. e Delhi's Connaught Place area. l b whic ," Kapoor an Payo", u do esh a y h k r n t u i D n n M a cou Ratan Nitin Salm Neil "Prem jatya, has he year. s r a t s j Bar s of t also Soora aited film an Payo" aw Dh most Ratan r m e r "P ska a Bha r a w and S

o r any new comer, Bollywood is a tough place to make a mark in. But, if you get as good a start as Ridhima Sud did (she debuted with director Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do), the road ahead can be less difficult. It's been a few months since her film released, but people still call Ridhima by her character's name, Noorie. Talking about the frequent occurrence, Ridhima says, "It does feel great to be recognized for my performance. It proves that I have left a strong impression. It is a big compliment.

ost actresses in tinsel town are not comfortable sharing their age, but Vidya Balan has no qualms about it! She says she's proud to be a 36-year-old. Vidya, who has been a part of the Hindi film fraternity for over a decade feels that the reason why not just actresses, but women in general too, are wary of revealing their age is because of the pressure to look young in a youth obsessed society. "I don't think it's only about actresses. I think we are a youth obsessed society... the pressure on women to remain eternally young is much more. But I say I am a proud 36year-old," the Kahaani actress says. The National Award winning actress said that women get worried because "desirability is often associated with age".

September 18, 2015

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Datebook

September 18, 2015

NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sat,Oct 3

NEW YORK Upcoming Sun, Sep 27

• Shri Atul Purohit Navratri Garba Mohatsav in NJ

• An Evening Of Indian Classical Music & Dance

Venue: MetLife Stadium, 1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford, NJ 07073 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 732-770-2561

Venue: Queen Of Angels Church Parish Center, 44-04 Skillman Ave, NY 11104 Time : 06:00 pm Contact: 8482191079

Sat, Oct 10

Sat, Oct 3

• IFMP Navratri Raas Garba 2015 Venue: West Windsor Plainsboro High School North, 90 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro, NJ 08536 Time : 07:00 pm

Fri, Oct 16 • ICS Navratri 2015 Venue: Dunn Sports Center-NJ, 600,Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202 Time: 8:00 pm

• Sukhwinder Singh & Kanika Kapoor -Live in Concert Venue: Colden Center Auditorium ( Queens College), 65-30 Kissena Blvd, NY 11367 Time : 08:00 pm

Fri, Oct 16 • Patel Brothers & India House Navratri 2015 Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, Nj 08873 Time : 09:00 pm

India Post 33

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

CHICAGO

Upcoming

Fri, Sep 18 •A Night with Remix King DJ Akbar Sami

Sun, Sep 20 • Vidwan Ganesh and Vidwan Kumaresh

Venue: Aura Nightclub, 389 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113 Time: 09:00 pm

Venue: Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001

• Ramesh Chindam’s solo art show on 'Untold Expressions'

Time: 08:00 am

Venue: 2801 Leavenworth San Francisco, CA 94109. Contact: 415-699 5442 rameshchindamarts@gmail.com

Sat, Sep 26 • NAATAK VRINDAVAN

Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054

presents

Venue: CSettles Bridge Park, 380 Johnson

Fri, Sep 25 • Bollywood Party: Masquerade Venue: M Lounge, 98 S Second St, San Jose, CA 95113 Time: 9:00 pm Contact: 9713442022

Sat, Sep 26 • Arijit Singh Live In Concert Venue: Oracle Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 5108380055

Sat, Oct 3 • EID Milan Musical Show Venue: Shahnawaz Restaurant, 12225 Centralia St, Lakewood, Ca 90715 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 714-397-7224

Sat, Oct 10 • MUSIC - MASALA - HANGAMA Venue: Jain Center of Southern California, 8072 Commonwealth Ave, Buena Park, CA Time: 5:30 am Contact: 949-215-9464

Rd, Suwanee, GA 30024 Time: 06:00 pm

ATLANTA Upcoming Fri, Oct 2 • Shobanas Krishna Music Venue: Stafford Civic Center (Old), 1415 Constitution Ave, Stafford, TX 77477 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 832-713-1713

Sat, Oct 3 • Shobanas Krishna Bollywood Dance Drama Venue: Lassiter high - Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Rd, Marietta, GA 30066 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 404-483-3866

Sat, Oct 3 • Shobanas Krishna Musical in English Venue: Lassiter high - Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Rd, Marietta, GA 30066 Time: 07:00 pm Contact: 404-483-3866

ILLINOIS Upcoming 1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Swami Ishatmananda • Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy of life Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662

• India Eternal: From the Vedic Age to the Present Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 N. Main Street Glendale Heights, IL 60139 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 630-655-8822

Realty Tidbits

Poonawalla buys Lincoln House for Rs750cr MUMBAI: Bulge-bracket property deals by the rich and the famous are not new to the landstarved megapolis, but the weekend sale of the iconic Lincoln House here to the Pune-based industrialist Cyrus Poonawalla for Rs 750 crore is nothing but mindboggling. The sale of the Lincoln House in the Breach Candy area of south Mumbai, which used to house the US Consulate, to the billionaire chairman of the Pune-based Serum Institute, makes it the largest ever real estate deal in the country's financial capital. Founded in 1966, Serum Institute of India is the largest producer of drugs for snake bite. The 2-acre Grade-III property at Breach Candy has a built-up area of around 50,000 sq ft. Though Grade-III heritage properties are open for redevelopment now, sources said Poonawalla wants to use the Lincoln House as a family residence. However, the property, which has been on the block since 2011, was sold at a lower price than what the Americans were demanding -a whopping Rs 850 crore. Joining the league of Kumar Birla, Poonawalla will also use the property as a family residence, sources added. Last year, the iconic Mehrangir, the house of the father of the nation's atomic program, Homi Bhabha, in the Malabar Hill area, was sold to the Godrej family for Rs 372 crore. In another high profile deal in 2011, the Maheshwari House was sold for Rs 400 crore.-PTI

25 Habitat for Humanity homes completed HAMTRAMCK, Mich.: Families are scheduled to move into five new Habitat for Humanity homes recently completed in the Detroit enclave of Hamtramck. The county says that the homes are the last of 25 constructed through a commitment to replace houses for some black Hamtramck residents displaced more than 40 years ago by urban renewal projects. The single-family homes are 1,600 square feet. They have four bedrooms, new appliances and two-car detached garages. About $4 million in Housing and Urban Development funds were used to build the 25 homes. Partners in the project include Habitat for Humanity Detroit and the city of Hamtramck.-AP

Real Estate M

Ask a Designer: the evolving home office

34 India Post

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September 18, 2015

Details on Page 35

Limited time offer for quick move-in homes at Victory India Post News Service

PITTSBURG, CA: Victory at Vista Del Mar in Pittsburg is offering opportunities for buyers to save big and start packing for a quick move-in to a new luxury home as part of the William Lyon Homes Pick and Pack Savings Event. For a limited time, buyers can choose their favorite way to save either with closing costs, design studio credit or additional appliances when they purchase a quick move-in home. Featured homes include Homesite 117 a desirable Residence Three with approximately 3,267 square feet, five bedrooms including one downstairs and a stunning California Room to seamlessly expand indoor/outdoor living space. Elegant interiors have a gourmet kitchen with large island, stainless steel appliances, upgraded interior paint, two fireplaces and a host of luxury appointments. Stop by the sales gallery, or visit www.lyonvictory.com to learn more. "Buyers should act now to take advantage of this limited time savings event at Victory," said Kathy

Floyd, Director of Sales for William Lyon Homes. "It's the perfect time to purchase a new luxury home and move-in before the holiday season." Additional neighborhoods par-

neighborhoods. Victory's four single-family detached home designs offer singlelevel and two-story floorplans ranging from approximately 2,535 to 3,810 square feet with three to

ticipating in the Pick and Pack Savings Event include Cielo at Palmilla in Brentwood and Maplewood in Tracy. Visit www.lyonhomes.com/ northern-california to find out more about the quick move-in opportunities available in these

five bedrooms, two and one-half to four and one-half baths and two to three-car garages. Every home features a desirable California Room to dine and entertain year round. These luxurious homes are set on homesites av-

eraging approximately 7,400 square feet with select locations enjoying distant Delta views. Prices start from the $600,000s. Victory's setting near Highway 4 and BART eases commutes to San Francisco, Daly City and Oakland, as well as to the San Francisco and Oakland airports. Shopping, dining, and entertainment, medical buildings and hospitals are all nearby. The neighborhood is located within the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, which includes Delta View Elementary, Riverview Middle School and Mt. Diablo High School. It matters who your builder is and William Lyon Homes is a company built upon a legacy of pride and integrity. A team of visionaries who are passionate about homebuilding and committed to providing a high quality homebuying and homeownership experience, William Lyon Homes has earned a solid track record for outstanding construction and customer service since 1956. Cont’d on page 35

Birla buys Jatia House in costliest deal MUMBAI: Top industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla has purchased the iconic Jatia House in the plush Malabar Hill area here for a whopping Rs 425 crore making it the priciest property deal in the megapolis. The sea-facing two-story bungalow, measuring over 25,000 square feet, has been bought by the billionaire chairman of the Aditya Birla Group for his personal use. The deal was closed through an auction, in which five bidders participated. Market sources said another industrialist Ajay Piramal was also in the fray. This is the largest house deal in the land-starved city and beats the purchase of another iconic bungalow, Maheshwari

House, on the Napean Sea Road for which industrialist Sajjan Jindal of the JSW Group had paid Rs 400 crore in 2011. A spokesperson from the Aditya Birla Group refused to

comment. However, property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), which was the sole advisor to the transaction, confirmed the sale, which was carried out through an auction.

Jatia house Mumbai

JLL also confirmed that the property will be used for the industrialist's personal purpose. The Jatias also could not be reached for comments. "The Jatia House, which has a built-up area of about 25,000 sqft has been sold at Rs 425 crore to Birla," a JLL official said. PWC executive director Shashank Jain justified the deal size, saying when properties are bought for personal use, commercial valuation is not generally taken into consideration. "The valuation of the property cannot be ascertained as it has been bought for personal use. Also such transactions do not wait for the right market conditions and are sold as per the requirement of the owner," he said.-PTI

Real Estate Post

September 18, 2015

India Post 35

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Ask a Designer: the evolving home office

aybe you dash off work e-mails while making dinner, or you squeeze in a half-hour of work on a spreadsheet before bedtime. The line between ``at work'' and ``at home'' has become a blurry one for many people, and for others it has disappeared entirely. That makes a home workspace more necessary than ever. Not every home includes a spare room available for use as an office, but design experts say that's not a problem: Today's streamlined technology means that just about any space can be transformed into an appealing and organized area for working. ``Walk into any creative corporation and you'll find the CEO sitting right smack in the middle of a large, open space along with almost every other key player,'' says designer Brian Patrick Flynn of Flynnside Out Productions. ``This relaxed, informal atmosphere has become the norm, not just in corporate settings but also in the home.'' Here, Flynn and two other interior designers - New York Citybased Young Huh and Danielle Colding - offer advice on creating a home work area that's both practical and inspiring. PART OF A ROOM IS PERFECT With today's smaller comput-

ers and wireless connections, there's less need for a boxy desktop and connecting cables. A

``I turned dead space into a mini-home office by configuring Ikea kitchen cabinets and a lamin a t e countertop as a tall workstation,'' Flynn says. ``You can assemble it all yourself and have the counter cut to size at a local home improvement store.'' Once the pieces are installed, ``it looks architectural, almost like it's always been part of the home.'' Or installing these items in a bedroom closet creates a mini-office This classic workspace designed by Flynn leaves room that can easily for a laptop while offering two table lamps for warm, be closed off appealing lighting during late-night work sessions. for privacy. desk built into a wall of shelving In a New York City apartment, and cabinets can often serve as a Colding opened up the wall befully functioning home office. tween the living room and a small So unless your work requires bedroom that had been used as total concentration and silence, an office. She filled one wall with don't give up an entire room even built-in shelving, cabinetry and a if you have one available. desktop, so the now-larger living And built-in pieces don't have room still offered a complete to be expensive. workspace. And she added a

Limited time offer for quick move-in homes at Victory Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 34

The company continues to expand its well-respected brand beyond California, Arizona and Nevada and into other market areas across the Western region with

der the symbol WLH. For updated information and to learn more, visit www.lyonhomes.com. Brokers will receive a 3% referral fee per closing. Brokers must bring client on first visit to register for broker referral fee. Buyers

The company continues to expand its wellrespected brand beyond California, Arizona and Nevada and into other market areas across the Western region with the acquisition of Polygon Northwest Homes, its newest division in Washington and Oregon and its Village Homes division in Colorado. the acquisition of Polygon Northwest Homes, its newest division in Washington and Oregon, and its Village Homes division in Colorado. William Lyon Homes' shares are publicly traded on NYSE un-

cannot be registered online prior to first visit. Broker referral fee to be paid at the close of escrow. To visit Victory, take Highway 4 east toward Stockton/Pittsburg, exit on San Marco Boulevard and

make a right. Turn left onto W. Leland Road, and right onto Alves Ranch Road. The Sales Gallery will be up the street and on the right. From Highway 4 west toward Concord, exit on San Marco Boulevard and turn left. Turn left onto W. Leland Road, right on Alves Ranch Road and follow the signs. The Sales Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 925.458.7633. Prices, plans and product information subject to change. All homes subject to prior sale. Buyers must purchase between September 12, 2015 and October 31, 2015 and close escrow by December 18, 2015 to qualify. Homes that do not already have flooring are subject to added price if upgrade is selected by buyer. Prices and availability of homes subject to change without notice. See sales counselors for details.

Murphy bed along that wall so the room could still accommodate an overnight visitor. Another option: Buy a ``secretary,'' a large piece of furniture with doors that conceal shelves and drawers. ``I love using secretaries because they have a drop-down tabletop that allows you to work, and drawers for storing things,'' Huh says, ``but then you can close everything up when you are entertaining or want to hide your work mess.'' GO BOLD Offices outside the home are often decorated in neutral or drab colors. But Flynn recommends bold or bright hues and fun patterns for home workspaces. ``There's something inviting that draws you in and even excites you about getting some work done if the overall look is fun,'' he says. In a small space, white walls can help.

analog option: Keep a paper and pen for scribbling down brilliant ideas that strike you during downtime or when you wake up. In the kitchen, add a family workstation for e-mails, schedules, bills, etc.: ``It ends up being the most-used area in the whole house,'' Huh says. ``I usually install a bulletin board or magnetic board above the work space, and a drawer to hide papers, pens and an emergency Band-Aid or two.'' Be sure each space has ample lighting, especially if you'll be working at night. ``Layered lighting is extremely important in a work space,'' Colding says. ``You want a combination of overhead and task lighting.'' And, she adds, ``late at night, a great desk lamp is invaluable.'' DON'T USE OFFICE FURNITURE For a desk that will be integrated into a living room or bedroom, look for pieces ``that don't

This home office designed by Brian Patrick Flynn with bold colors and geometric patterns brings a creative, upbeat energy to a very functional workspace.

``All white can make any cramped `bonus room' instantly feel like a light and bright home workspace,'' says Flynn. Huh says dark or intense colors also work in small rooms because they can make it feel like the walls are receding rather than crowding you. CONSIDER MULTIPLE WORKSPACES Start with a main space in a living room or family room where you keep files and items like a printer and landline phone. Then create convenient mini-spaces elsewhere in your home with just a small work surface, a chair and charging capability. For example, Huh suggests replacing your nightstand with a tiny desk and chair next to your bed. Include a power strip and extra charger. And don't forget the

look like they belong in an office,'' says Huh. ``Nothing from Staples or Office Depot. For a bedroom, consider a Parsons desk or a mirrored desk, because it's simple, and clean lines look like a vanity table.'' A streamlined desk will look great in a modern living room, but Colding says contrast can be striking: ``I do veer more modern with my selections,'' she says, but ``there is also something to be said for mixing in a really lovely antique desk into a more modern setting.'' All three designers recommend choosing items that express your personality and delight you. ``The key to creating a good home workspace is to make that space feel as though it's not really even meant for working,'' Flynn says. ``Keep it decorative and fun and practical, and you'll never really feel like you're `working' when you're working from

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36 India Post

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.: Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell is the new Miss America. Cantrell rode an opera performance to the title in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall Sunday Sept 13 night, besting 51 other competitors in the nationally televised pageant. The pageant also marked the return of Miss America 1984 Vanessa Williams, who was back for the first time after resigning the crown following a nude photo scandal. Pageant executive chairman Sam Haskell apologized to Williams on behalf of the pageant. ``I want to apologize for anything that was said or done,'' Haskell told Williams as they stood on the stage. ``Vanessa: Welcome back!'' For Williams, who went on to stardom on television and on the Broadway stage, it was a triumphant return to the Miss America stage.

``I did the best I could in my reign as Miss America,'' she said during Sunday's pageant. Cantrell sang an opera number for her talent performance. She won a preliminary competition earlier in the week, also with an opera performance. Miss Georgia's win ended New York's dominance at the Miss America pageant. Last year's Miss America, Kira Kazantsev, was the third consecutive Miss New York to win the title. ``I can't believe it's been a year since I was backstage getting ready to compete, just as the contestants are right now,'' Kazantsev said at a press conference in Boardwalk Hall. `` Preliminary competition in tal-

September 18, 2015

Miss Georgia's win ended New York's dominance at the Miss America pageant. Last year's Miss America, Kira Kazantsev, was the third consecutive Miss New York to win the title.

ent, interviews, evening wear and swimsuit competition ran through Thursday Sept 10. On Saturday, the Miss America contestants hit the Atlantic City Boardwalk for the annual ``Show Us Your Shoes'' parade. Most of the shoes had designs specific to the contestant's home states. New Jersey, for instance, had dice and Monopoly money on her shoes in a nod to the pageant's Atlantic City history. Miss Idaho had a potato. Contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were vying for the crown. The U.S. Virgin islands, which competed last year, could not field the required minimum number of entrants this year, pageant officials said. It is eligible for future competitions. -AP

September 18, 2015

India Post 37 www.indiapost.com

Designer fashion collections from Pakistan NEW DELHI: Top designers from Pakistan and India showcased traditional and contemporary collections on the final day of the 'Shaan- e-Pakistan' lifestyle expo here. The color gold dominated the theme for the event which marked the culmination of the three-day expo aimed at bringing the people of the two countries together through fashion, food and music. Glamorous, elegant and flamboyant collections in bright colors inspired by the swadeshi movement and the orient made an appearance at the fashion show, which began with a delay of four hours. "Gold is the main color of the night. A lot of gold zardosi work is being used. My Braahti collection is based on Wagha which is a Pakistani cut. Pakistani Zardosi along with Indian handwork and it's a completely gold collection with fantastic colors like nude, beige and magentas," Huma Nassr, the founder of the design label Braahtii and the curator of Shaan-e-Pakistan said. Umar Sayeed, a top designer from Pakistan presented a diverse and colorful collection on the runaway. Sayeed's collection had

"Indians have an absolute love for Pakistani craft and there is a very fine line between what is Pakistani and what is Indian.â&#x20AC;? opened the show. "I have showcased formal as well as bridal wear. It's a very small collection. Warm color palette has been used for my collection which essential consists of yellow, orange, maroon and gold. I have basically got marodi work to this platform which is called resham here," Sayeed said. Collections from the various designers included silk jackets,

embroidered shirts, gararas, lehengas, smart formals and bridal wear, the evening bedazzled the

audiences with a wide range of designs, cuts, materials and embroidery work. "The collection opens with a pearl palette followed by topaz and slowly turns into deeper richer more passionate jewel tones. Alexandrites, rubies and garnets vie with sapphires and turquoise to finally transform into ebony. Each outfit is delicately embellished with burnished gold or silver through intricate embroideries and appliques," designer Poonam Bhagat said. Bhagat was one of the leading Indian designers to showcase her collection at the expo. "The silhouettes are layered and sheers mix delightfully with solids. Gossamer chanderis twirl and swirl under silk jackets and robes, some quilted and appliqued in gold, others merely appliqued. The pairing is interesting and complimentary. The anarkalis flirt outrageously with volume and a burst of colors while the linear robes try

to keep them in check," Bhagat said. Re-entering the pret market this season with a striking shoot featuring Indian model and actor Lisa Haydon, Sahar Atif set the stage on fire with her exquisite hand-crafted bridal wear creation with exotic embroideries like dabka, zarodsi, mukaish, tulle and their variants. Atif said, "The USP of my bridal collection is that we have refrained from any such practice of using machines. My collection is 100 per cent handmade and the only machine which has touched by creations is the sewing machines." He pointed out demand for designs and craft from Pakistan. "Indians have an absolute love for Pakistani craft and there is a very fine line between what is Pakistani and what is Indian. In craft here what you call Chikankari we have something called the shadow work. A certain kind of weaving we do inside the fabric called Tarkashi is extremely popular with Indian clients," Atif said. Looking at participating in next year's Lakme Fashion week and then likely to open a store in India, designer Zainab Chottani, known for decadent bridal dresses presented a collection she called "Reflection of Shimmer". A mix of eastern wear, formals and bridal wear the collection showed intricate zardosi work on chiffons. "The color of the collection ranges from earthy green and going to into magenta seamlessly. Embroidery to watch out for is very very fine zardosi work," Chottani said. Asifa and Nabeel's collection "Birth of Venus" narrated the tale of a pearl. Layered with jewels to add the festivity of the wedding rituals the essence of the collection was aptly showcased by Pakistan's top model, actress and

fashionista Nadia Hussain. "The beauty of a woman is symbolized by pearls and flowers in our collection. Two different emotions have been portrayed in our collection - a bright morning and a grey afternoon, showcases a woman's persona," the designers said. Models who were donned in

make up of oriental style sported clothes designed by Ali Xeeshan - oriental robes teamed with Indonesian head gear on Indian lehengas. Delhi-based designer Rinku Sobti gave a taste of the swadeshi movement with black and white check skirts, shirts, pants, dresses as well as sarees. Adding color to the line she teamed the garments with bright colored jackets with little embroidered motifs. "This line is made by artists from Varanasi and emphasis was on silk as well as cotton. I took the inspiration from the Swadeshi movement as I thought its an apt platform to uphold the history and cultural heritage of my country," she said. Men's wear at the show was limited with designers showcasing only sherwanis with chunni, bandhgalas and shalwar and churidar. Designers such as Umar Sayyed and Sanam Agha presented exclusive men's wear collection. Dhoti pants for men and women, gowns and evening dresses were popular on the ramp. Bollywood's Evelyn Sharma walked for Kolkata designer Jyoti Sachdeva Iyer and Aditi Govitkar for Rajneeral Babutta. Other designers at the show were Raakesh Agarvwal, Poonam Bhagat, Samina Shajani and Huma Nassr. Pakistani TV actor Javed Sheikh was also present on the occasion said, "A Shaan-eHindustan should be organized in Pakistan to enable Indian designers to showcase in Pakistan," -PTI

38 India Post

September 18, 2015 www.indiapost.com

Incredible story of Flight 93 heroism SHANKSVILLE, Pa.: Gordon Felt knew his brother was sitting directly in front of two of the terrorists who hijacked United Airlines Flight 93. But it ``never really hit me,'' Felt said, until he walked through the new, immersive visitor center at the Flight 93 National Memorial. There it was, the seating chart with his sibling's name on it: Edward Felt, first class, second row. ``It kind of came crashing back,'' said Felt, whose brother took part in a passenger revolt that brought the plane down in a southwestern Pennsylvania field. ``Those feelings that were always there - the emotion, the anger, the sense of loss - really are drawn back to the surface.'' Sitting on a hill overlooking the crash site near Shanksville, the $26 million visitor center complex was dedicated and opened to the public one day before the annual 9/11 observances in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington. Victims' family members got a private tour. Fourteen years in the making, the center uses photos, video, ar-

tifacts and interactive displays to tell the story of Flight 93, the only jetliner among the four commandeered by terrorists that failed to reach its intended target on Sept. 11, 2001. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York and one slammed into the Pentagon outside Washington. More than 3,000 people died. The center's 10 exhibits are laid out chronologically, with visitors learning how the 33 passengers and seven crew members - at least some of them already aware the nation was under attack - voted to charge the cockpit and then fought to regain control of the plane, whose hijackers are believed to have wanted to crash it into the U.S. Capitol. ``You are seeing an incredible story of heroism, a piece of American history playing out in front of you as you are walking through this exhibit that gives perspective on the day,'' said Felt, president of Families of Flight 93. One video traces the aircraft's erratic movements in real time, fading to black at the moment of impact. Bits and pieces of the debris

field are displayed under glass. Picking up a handset, visitors can listen to recordings of the voice messages that two passengers and a flight attendant left for

Gordy Felt, president of Families of Flight 93, conducts a media tour of the Flight 93 National Memorial Visitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center near Shanksville, Pa.

family members minutes before plane went down. ``I'm on United 93 and it's been hijacked by terrorists who say they have a bomb,'' passenger Linda Gronlund, calling her sister Elsa,

Indian in Aus awarded for recycling dolls MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin woman in Australia, who recycles discarded fashion dolls by giving them a new down-to-earth style, has won a national award for encouraging children to repair and upcycle their old toys. Sonia Singh, who is from Tasmania, has won the 'Etsy Design Award' for her Tree Change Dolls project after beating 52 other finalists selected by a panel from Etsy.com, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods. Sonia is said to have inspired children, parents and craft enthusiasts, with her creations triggering a "Tree Change Movement" and encouraging others to restyle their old toys, the Herald Sun reported. She started her doll project after losing her job as a science communicator following a series of Australian government funding cuts to science research and the CSIRO in September 2014. "My sisters and I grew up playing with second-hand dolls and home-made toys in the beautiful Tasmanian natural environment. I love the satisfaction of repairing and reusing discarded items to

give them a new lease on life," she said in her blog. She restyles the faces of the dolls by removing the factory paint from the dolls and repainting them by giving them

Sonia Singh

makeunders and a more down to earth style. Singh also auctions off one doll for charity every month, often grabbing up to 1000 dollars.

begins matter-of-factly. ``Apparently they have flown a couple of planes into the World Trade Center already and it looks like they're going to take this one down as

"I made clothes for the first group of dolls I upcycled but soon my mum, an expert knitter and sewer, offered to clothe the dolls. Now we work together on the Tree Change Dolls," she said. Sonia's initiative has received an overwhelming support. Her online video posted by SBS2 Australia media outlet has been viewed almost 17 million times and the Tree Change Dolls Facebook page has over 440,000 fans. "I suppose I started accidentally inspiring people," she said. "Because they are hand-crafted the number of dolls I can make is limited to about 20 a month and they always sell so quickly. I like to encourage others to have a go at it themselves," she said. As part of her prize Singh will visit the Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn, US. -PTI

well.'' She breaks down sobbing: ``Mostly I just wanted to say I love you and I'm going to miss you.'' Other displays trace the recovery and investigation. The center's stark, 40-foot exterior concrete walls are split by a

black granite walkway that marks the doomed plane's flight path. Visitors are led through the exhibits to an outdoor platform that offers a commanding view of the crash site and surrounding hills. Debby Borza, whose daughter, Deora Bodley, 20, was one of the youngest passengers aboard Flight 93, said she hopes the visitor center will inspire. ``The view I come from now is what's available for the visitors, the difference that it'll make in their lives, the courage that they'll find, the fortitude,'' she said after touring the site. ``They'll be moved to take on things that they may have thought were only a dream in their lives.'' The money for the visitor center complex was raised from 120,000 private donors, along with contributions from the state and the federal government. Officials project attendance will rise from 300,000 per year to around 500,000. Development of the Flight 93 National Memorial is nearly complete, with only the planned Tower of Voices, a 93-foot structure with 40 wind chimes, still to be built. AP

Tanima bags Best Actress Award at IGIFF

ctress Tanima Bhattacharya has won the Best Actress Award for her role of 'Abeera' in Saankal Shackle at the 20th Indie Gathering International Film Festival. It's a proud moment for Pisceann Pictures as their debut

Tanima Bhattacharya

Hindi film Saankal - Shackle is winning accolades and awards at various international film festivals. An excited Tanima shared her thoughts by saying, "I am really blessed and honored that our film "Saankal - Shackle" has won the Best Lead Actress Award at 20th International Indie Gathering Film Festival 2015." The actress added, "I am really

blessed and honored that our film Saankal (Shackle) has won 2nd Best Foreign Feature Drama Award and I have won the Best Lead Actress Award at 20th International Indie Gathering Film Festival 2015. I am really proud of my director Dedipya Joshii Ji because he is the man who gave birth to Abeera and Kesar. Thanks to him for keeping faith in me that I can do justice to the role of Abeera. This is true that Tanima Bhattacharya has got this award but I want to dedicate the award to Abeera in Saankal. Saankal - Shackle brings light on the still followed malpractice of elder women forcibly being married off to younger boys in the state of Rajasthan. A tradition like this has several ill-effects. However it still exists in the Thar Desert. "Saankal - Shackle" features Chetan Sharma, Tanima Bhattacharya, Harish Kumar, Jagat Singh, Samarth Shandilya & Milind Gunaji. The film is produced by Aanand Rathore & Dedipya Joshii and presented by Pisceann Pictures. Saankal Shackle is directed & written by Dedipya Joshii.

September 18, 2015

India Post 39 www.indiapost.com

Fashion diplomacy from Australia NEW DELHI: India promises to be a big market for Australian designers who are looking for fashion collaborations with domestic artisans and craftsmen, according to Australian Deputy High Commissioner Chris Elstoft. "India promises to be a very big market for Australian designers but at the same time India stands to benefit. Australian designers love to work with the Indian handloom sector and they love the delicate craftsmanship," Elstoft said at a function at the Australian High Commissioner's residence here. Elstoft also launched a new book "Unfolding: Contemporary Indian Textiles" by Australian artist Maggie Baxter. The book, a result of Baxter's engagement with Indian textiles since 1990, documents work of 27 contemporary Indian designers and artists, who use Indian textiles within their practice. Stating that the arts, fashion, textile and books provide a window into cultures of the two countries, Elstoft said, "We can really find areas where the two countries can cooperate and we call this fashion diplomacy."

In its bid to globalize their fashion the Australian government has been working with the Australian fashion Chamber to seek opportunities for their fashion stylists and creators and designers with counterparts overseas like in India. "...So it is fashion diplomacy

Top Australian designers have been working with the Indian handloom sector for decades. Brisbane based fashion label Easton Pearson has been working with Indian artisans who handmake designs for them. and it is economic diplomacy as well. In India we see this as a very strong win win relationship," Elstoft said. "India has the labor, its textile industry is the second largest employer in the country. Australia on

the other hand has the wool, for example 50 per cent of wool that comes to India comes from Australia. So this is a win-win situation where Australian designers can work with Indian artisans to produce these wonderful garments," he said. Top Australian designers have been working with the Indian handloom sector for decades. Brisbane based fashion label Easton Pearson has been working with Indian artisans who handmake designs for them. So also luxury ready-to-wear clothing line by Bengaluru born and now Melbourne-based Rupa Pemmaraju, uses Australian indigenous artists and fabrics woven by Indian craftspeople. "We are working with Caroline Poiner from Artisans of Fashion and Triveni Chauhan from the Association of Reforming Traditions to bring together some of Australia's best known designers in a fashion collaboration with weavers based in India. "This is a very exciting project we are looking forward to. We are very positive for prospects of Indian and Australian collaboration in the area," Elstoft said. -PTI

Parineeti 'paid 1 million for 2 shirts' Bollywood actress Parineeti The 'Ishaqzaade' actress Chopra, who was last seen in found the differences in the 2014 film 'Kill Dill,' is now-a-days money value fascinating and busy traveling. The actress is posted another tweet, "Haha I currently in Jakarta for perform- love how everybody got their ing at a show and has been up- calculators out! 1 million for dating about her visit to the In- shirts, 4 million for lunch, the cradonesian capital. Parineeti posted a picture of her standing beside a cash counter on Instagram and the caption for the picture shocked her fans. "I paid 1 Actress Parineeti Chopra has been spending a huge million for 2 amount of Indonesian Rupiahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever since the day she landed in the country. shirts!!!! ?#?CrazyCurrency ?#?Jakarta" Parineeti wrote. ziness goes on!! The baffled fans then did #KaunBanegaCrorepati." some calculations and realized Parineeti earlier visited the US that IDR (Indonesian Rupiah) 1 during the Independence Day for million would be little less than the India Parade. Some days ago Rs 5000. The caption she put she also surprised her fans with made her purchases sound exor- her 'new look' where she looked bitant, but truth was far from it. leaner and fitter.

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40 India Post

he town of Hemis is located 40 km southeast of Leh, in Ladakh and is well known for its Hemis Gompa, which was established in 1672 AD by King Senge Nampar Gyalva. Situated close to Leh, the town is a prominent tourist spot. Many tourists flock to this part of Jammu and Kashmir mainly to catch a glimpse of its unadulterated beauty and to go trekking through the unexplored realms. The region of Hemis is also famous for a national park that is located there; known as the Hemis High Altitude National Park. Hemis National Park spreads over 600 square kilometers and is famous for the

snow leopard that is present there. Also known as the Snow Leopard capital of India, this national park stands at an altitude of 3,300 m to 6,000 m. The place is also known to tourists for its colorful festival held in July. Featuring one of the oldest monasteries in the country, it is a great place to visit. Tourist Attractions

Hemis National Park: Located 40 km southeast of Leh on the banks of Indus is the famous Hemis National Park, also known as Hemis High Altitude National Park. Named after the well known Buddhist Gompa (Hemis Monastery), the park is situated an altitudinal range of 3,300 to 6,000 m and covers an area of 600 sq. km. The park is home to snow leopard, one of the endangered mammals. One can also

September 18, 2015

spot varieties of animals including wolves, marmots, red foxes, ibexes, macaques, langurs, urials and deers. Rich in flora and fauna, it is an ideal place for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers. The park remains opens throughout the year but the best time to visit is during May to October. Hemis Monastery: Hemis Monastery, located in Hemis town, 45 km southeast of Leh was re-established by King Senge Nampar Gyalva in 1672 to enhance the religious education of Mahayoga Tantra School. During early June, the annual Hemis festival honoring Padmasambhava is held in the monastery. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 42

September 18, 2015

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Grand Hyatt redefines Care for employees PREETI VERMA LAL

MUMBAI: In a revolutionary move, Grand Hyatt Mumbai has introduced 8 monthly offs for each of its hotel associ-

Sunjae Sharma - Area Director West India General Manager Grand Hyatt Mumbai

ates on payroll. This is a first of its kind initiative by any hotel company in India and will be a historic move to bring a change in the 24x7 live hospitality industry in India. Part of Hyatt's global transformational journey towards becoming a caring and purpose-driven organization, this new care policy is a leap from the industry's usual 6 mandatory offs in a month. Says Sunjae Sharma, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Mumbai, and Area Director West, "The journey was very insightful as we gathered invaluable feedback using the extremely efficient tools such as empathy interviews and Hyatt Thinking. We are elated to announce the successful introduction of 8 weekly offs /month which also means a five-day working culture at Grand Hyatt Mumbai." The hotel has taken other steps to 'Care' for its employees. Fun has been made an integral part of the work culture with fun activities every month which encourages team building and individual talent performances. The staff restaurant 'Mirch Masala' is a venue for culinary celebration every month where a themed food festival is celebrated with specially curated menu, ambi-

Legendary ports reinventing themselves

Grand Hyatt Mumbai Lobby Entrance

Chicago's former airport now a park CHICAGO: What was once an airport on Chicago's lakefront is now a park featuring nature trails, rolling hills, migratory birds and native plantings. The 40-acre expanse of green space has

PROVIDENCE, R.I.: New England's ports are reinventing themselves to compete with one another and larger ones, but they were once legendary. From one of the world's great whaling ports to the Navy's first submarine base and the city featured in ``The

its peak in 1857, with 329 vessels employing more than 10,000 men, according to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The inspirational story of whalers attaining the American dream shaped the city and surrounding region, said James Russell, the museum's president. After petroleum was discovered in Pennsylvania in 1859, sperm whale oil was no longer in great demand for lighting. Confederate cruisers destroyed Yankee whalers during the Civil War. Many remaining whaling merchants A crowd watches the replica schooner Amistad returning home to New moved to San Haven, Conn., after a yearlong world tour. The replica ship serves as a Francisco to symbol of America's early anti-slavery movement. Enslaved Africans aboard get to the the original Spanish ship named Amistad revolted in 1839, seizing it and sailing western Arcup the East Coast. tic faster, Perfect Storm,'' here is a look at their lore: since they could send their products east using the new transcontinental railroad. WHALING IN NEW BEDFORD One of the world's great whaling ports SUBMARINE CAPITAL of the 19th century, New Bedford, MassaGroton, Connecticut, is known as the chusetts, became wealthy as its whaling ``Submarine Capital of the World.'' fleet grew. The New Bedford fleet reached Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 43

ence music, fun seating arrangement. New joiners in the organization are welcomed by the Leadership Committee members of the hotel over a breakfast / lunch session rather than an introduction session at training rooms. Even grooming rules have been relaxed. For example, new nail paint shades have been approved for the female associates. As if all this wasn't enough, now there's even a Welcome Wall. In the corridors of the staff entrance of hotel, a wall is decorated with an artwork to welcome new colleagues with a sense of grandeur. The objective of the artwork is to create a unique arrival experience 'for Hyatt colleagues, by Hyatt colleagues'. Grand Hyatt Mumbai is rewriting the rules of hospitality. Here, not only the customer, even the Hyatt employee is a king!

been officially opened on the southern half of Northerly Island, which hosted the 1933 World's Fair before it became an airport. It's been 12 years since then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, citing security concerns following the 9/11 terror attacks, sent backhoes to carve X's into the Meigs Field runway. The city spent $9.7 million to build the park, which features man-made hills, a 5acre lagoon and a winding bike and pedestrian trail. There are also camping sites and areas for educational programming. Northerly Island is actually a peninsula linked by a land bridge that leads to the city's Museum Campus. -AP

Philadelphia plan for papal pilgrims canceled PHILADELPHIA: Officials say a plan to establish an expensive campground for papal pilgrims in a large Philadelphia park has been scrapped. The World Meeting of Families had announced that independent company EMS Productions was going to operate Francis Fields Campgrounds in the eastern part of Fairmount Park. The site was to have accommodated 16,000 people and charge $199 per camper

- with costs for tents, cars, and RVs ranging from $99 to $999. But EMS Productions said in a statement that the plan was canceled due to a lack of interest and the fact that ``plenty of accommodations'' are still available in Philadelphia. Philadelphia's hotel industry said that about 3,000 of the 11,200 downtown rooms were still available two weeks away from the pontiff's Sept. 26 arrival.-AP

Northern Lights make a splash in the Dakotas BISMARCK, N.D.: The northern lights have been making a splash in the Dakotas this week. The North Dakota Department of Commerce's tourism Twitter account has been busy retweeting residents' brightly colored photographs of the aurora borealis from across the state. Sioux Falls, South

Dakota-based KELO-TV even caught a shot of the aurora on its Chamberlain sky-camera. Patrick Ayd of the National Weather Service's Bismarck office tells KXMB-TV that the weather phenomena is not done showing off, and he expects the trend will continue for the next couple months. -AP

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HEMIS Famous for beauty & rare beast snow leopard Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 40

Built in Tibetan style of architecture, the monastery highlights Buddhist culture and the Buddhist way of lifestyle. There are several shrines surrounding the monastery and statue of Lord Buddha,

made of copper being the main attraction. It is a well worth place to visit. How to reach By Train: There is no train connectivity to Hemis and tourists can take trains only up to Delhi.

From there the onward journey has to be undertaken on buses or taxis. By Air: Flights can be taken to

the airport in Leh, which has frequent flights to Delhi, Srinagar and Pune. By Bus: Buses are the locally

preferred mode of transport. You can opt for buses to Hemis Gompa from the region of Leh, as regular buses will be available.

700 per cent growth in e-Visa arrivals NEW DELHI: A total of 22,286 foreign tourists arrived on e-Tourist visa in August this year as compared to 2,705 during the same month last year registering a growth of 723.9 per cent. At present e-Tourist Visa facility is available for citizens of 113 countries arriving at 16 Airports across the country. A total of 1,69,976 tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa during January-August period this year as compared to 17,120 during the corresponding period in 2014 showing a growth of 892.9 per cent, accord-

ing to Tourism Ministry data. Maximum tourists from USA (25.93 per cent) availed the e-visa facility followed by Germany (10 per cent), UAE (8.92 per cent), France (8.76 per cent), Australia (7.20 per cent) and Canada (6.39 per cent) among the top 10 source countries. -PTI

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J&K gears up for eventful World Tourism Day SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department is all set to celebrate World Tourism Day on September 27 across the state. The theme of this year's World Tourism Day is 'Millions of Tourists, Millions of Opportunities', Secretary Tourism Department

clude interaction between travel fraternity, civil society and other stakeholders. This shall be followed by a talk on the same theme and an Opera on the cultural diversity of the state. He said the Chief executive officers of all Tourism Development

to ensure that eco-tourism in the state is promoted through this endeavor. In the run up to World Tourism Day, the department will observe a cleanliness week from September 15 to September 22, Shah said.

have been directed to involve locals including tourism stake holders in the campaign to help maintain the beauty and cleanliness at the tourist destinations.

Nevada closing tourism office in Beijing CARSON CITY, Nev.: Nevada is closing a tourism office that it's

Farooq Ahmad Shah said. Shah convened a meeting for discussing the proposed events to be held on that day. Giving details, Shah said the main functions will be organized at SKICC Srinagar and TRC Jammu. He said the function will in-

Authorities shall celebrate World Tourism Day at their respective destinations and shall co-ordinate with the educational institutions in the area as well. They would also ensure participation of registered travel bodies in the area, Shah said. He asked the concerned officer

"In an endeavor to maintain the beauty and ecology of the tourist destinations across the state, we have decided to organize a cleanliness week from September 15 to 22," he said. Shah said the CEOs of all the Tourism Development Authorities of and concerned tourist officers

"The department has already proposed a comprehensive plan for scientific disposal of the waste produced in and around these destinations," he added. -PTI

Claudia Vecchio

operated in China since 2004. The state Board of Examiners voted to approve $52,000 in severance costs for the Beijing office's

longtime director and two other staff members. The office is scheduled to be phased out through the end of 2015 in what's described as a ``complicated process.'' State tourism director Claudia Vecchio described the move as a restructuring, and said new tourism efforts in China expected to launch next summer would be less government-centric and reflect an evolving Chinese tourism landscape. Nevada was the first state granted a license to open an official tourism promotion office in Beijing. Vecchio said Chinese and Nevadan officials had differences of opinion and Nevada officials determined it would be best to close the office. -AP

Legendary ports reinventing themselves Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 41

In 1916, a naval yard and storage depot along the Thames River became the Navy's first submarine base. It grew exponentially during World Wars I and II. The base was home to the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, which was launched in 1954. It's now proudly displayed at the Submarine Force Museum next to the installation. Almost every submariner is stationed at the base for training at least once, and the nation's newest fast-attack submarines can regularly be seen gliding along the Thames. They're built just 4 miles down the road at General Dynamics Electric Boat. THE PERFECT STORM Gloucester, Massachusetts, was one of the earliest fishing ports in the country, if not the first, according to the Cape Ann Museum. A group of Englishmen, attracted by the deep waters and abundance of codfish, landed there in 1623 to fish and establish a settlement. The city remained a fishing

center as immigrants from Nova Scotia, Portugal and Sicily came to fish, but the industry declined through most of the 20th century because of overfishing and new regulations, the museum said. In 1991, what became known as

TRIANGULAR TRADE One of Colonial America's leading seaports, Newport became part of the infamous triangular trade. Rum from Massachusetts and Rhode Island was shipped to Africa to be traded for slaves, who were taken to the West The Fisherman's Indies to be traded for Memorial Statue sugar and molasses. Some overlooks the harbor in slaves were taken back to Gloucester, Mass., as the schooner Thomas New England, along with E. Lannon sails past the sugar and molasses to on the first day of make rum. the 23rd annual Many Newport families Gloucester owned slaves, and the Schooner Festival. city's harbor teemed with trading ships, according to the Newport Historical Society. The picturesque city later reinvented itself as a summer resort, attracting artists, writers and scientists, the historical society ``The Perfect Storm'' formed hun- said. During the Gilded Age, elite dreds of miles east of Nova Scotia. families like the Vanderbilts built Six crew members of the Andrea the mansions for which the city is Gail, a sword-fishing boat from now known, along with musical Gloucester, were lost at sea. Their festivals and sailing. story became the basis of a book that was turned into a blockbuster AMISTAD movie - and a part of the American Enslaved Africans aboard a lexicon. Spanish ship, the Amistad, revolted in 1839, seizing it and sail-

ing up the East Coast. The U.S. Navy captured the ship and forced it to dock in New London, Connecticut. The slaves were jailed in New Haven, Connecticut, and began a long legal fight to win their freedom. Former President John Quincy Adams defended them, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that they were free people who acted in self-defense. He won the case, and they were freed. Steven Spielberg depicted the famous rebellion in a 1997 movie, ``Amistad.'' A replica of the ship now serves as a symbol of America's early anti-slavery movement. The ship is spending this summer docked in New London, Connecticut. A PORT FOR HOLLYWOOD The port of Mystic is known for a pizza parlor that helped launch Julia Roberts' career. After a few low-budget films, Roberts auditioned for ``Mystic Pizza'' and landed the role of a teenage waitress in Mystic, Connecticut. Screenwriter Amy Jones was inspired to write the story about life in a New England port community and the romantic misadventures of three waitresses while she

was vacationing in the area. Released in 1988, the movie became a cult classic. Roberts told The Associated Press in 1990, ``None of us on that movie had really done very much. It was a chance to show somebody something.'' ``Mystic Pizza'' helped transform Mystic into a tourist destination. Roberts immediately went on to star in ``Steel Magnolias,'' then the smash success ``Pretty Woman.'' The rest is history. PORTS OF MAINE Maine has a rich maritime history. Dockworkers, or longshoremen, have labored on the waterfront in Portland for more than 150 years. In Bath, shipbuilding has been a way of life since 1762, when the sailing ship Earl of Bute was launched, and the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard is located there now, according to the company. Navy ships have been overhauled in Kittery, Maine, just across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, since 1800, when the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established as a public shipyard. -AP

In Brief Immigration artifacts return to Ellis Island NEW YORK: Artifacts that were removed from the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration after Superstorm Sandy are being returned following completion of a $39 million project to protect the facility from future storms. The National Park Service says over a million archival documents and thousands of artifacts that were moved to a museum storage facility in Maryland were being returned. The project included moving mechanical and electrical systems above flood elevations and upgrading humidity controls in the museum. Many of the items were donated by families across the country. They include shoes worn by immigrants from Austria, China, Albania, Greece and other countries. The exhibits are expected to be fully restored by early October. AP

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Notice to TN over 'harassment' of Myanmar refugees

CHENNAI: Taking sou motu cognizance of a media report about alleged harassment of refugees from Myanmar near here the National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to Tamil Nadu government directing reports to be filed within four weeks. Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Police, Chennai, have been asked to send reports within four weeks. Justice D Murugesan, Member of the Commission observed that a newspaper report on the "pathetic" condition of the refugees including women and children, if true, raised a serious issue of violation of human rights, NHRC said in a statement. "It appears that the refugees have been asked to move from one place to another, looking for shelter. They are made to wander on streets in utter disregard to their human rights. The state authorities have the duty to protect the human rights of the refugees and to provide shelter to them," it further observed. NHRC, quoting the media report, said about 57 refugees including women and children arrived at Manali (North Chennai), near here on September 3 with their belongings to stay there. They informed the authorities that they were from Myanmar and had come to Chennai during 2012 and had stayed (earlier) at Kelambakkam (Kanchipuram District) near here. -PTI

Immigration

Utah Court rules in immigration predicament

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Details on page 47

EU seeks deal for its countries to share 160,000 migrants BRUSSELS: The head of the European Commission has issued an impassioned plea for Europe to face up to its immigration crisis, urging EU countries to agree to share 160,000 refugees and warning that Greece, Italy and Hungary can no longer handle the influx alone. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled a list of new proposals to help Europe confront its biggest refugee emergency since World War II. ``The refugee crisis will not simply go away,'' Juncker told EU lawmakers, noting that some 500,000 migrants have entered Europe this year, many from conflict-torn Syria and Libya. ``It's high time to act.'' ``We are fighting against Islamic State. Why are we not ready to accept those who are fleeing Islamic State?'' he said. Juncker's new plan involves sharing 120,000 refugees from Greece, Italy and Hungary among 22 member states, on top of a proposal the EU's executive made in May to share 40,000 refugees from just Greece and Italy. Britain, Ireland and Denmark are not legally bound to take part,

due to exemptions they have negotiated previously. Greece, Italy and Hungary are not included. The Czech Republic and Slovakia immediately rejected the

must support the move for it to take place. More than 378,000 migrants have entered Europe this year, including over 256,000 crossing the

A group of migrants rest near the Hungarian border with Serbia, in Roszke, southern Hungary. Leaders of the United Nations refugee agency warned that Hungary faces a bigger wave of migrants and will need international help to provide aid and shelter on its border.

idea that compulsory quotas might be imposed, while other nations had already criticized the new proposal even before it was made public. Its chances of success hang in the balance because a solid majority of the 28 EU states

sea to Greece and nearly 120,000 braving the Mediterranean to reach Italy, according to the International Organization for Migration. Hungary estimates that more than 160,000 people have crossed

its borders alone this year. The latest proposals were drawn up as Budapest was busy building an anti-migrant fence on its border with Serbia. Tens of thousands have entered just in the last few months, many cramming into buses and trains bound for Germany. Despite the urgency, the EU's first refugee plan never won full support, and only around 32,000 refugees have been allocated. Hungary was among the countries to reject it, along with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Juncker wants both plans endorsed at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels. ``This has to be done in a compulsory way,'' he said. In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed the new immigration plan and also called for it to be made compulsory. ``We need a binding agreement on a binding distribution of refugees among all member states, according to fair criteria,'' Merkel said. Germany has taken in more migrants than any other EU country, and would have to accept more than 31,000 more under the scheme. Cont'd on Page 47

Kansas Indian admits unlawfully hiring immigrants WICHITA, KAN.: The owner of a central Kansas gasoline station and convenience store has admitted hiring immigrants who were not authorized to work in the United States. Satishkumar Patel, 47, pleaded guilty to routinely employing workers living illegally in the U.S. at the Route 56 Express gas station and convenience store in McPherson. He paid his workers in cash and didn't withhold federal income and Social Security taxes. Patel also admitted he operated a money remitting business without the required state license. His 36-year-old wife, Daxaben Patel, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money remitting business. The Patels are citizens of In-

dia who are themselves living illegally in the United States, prosecutors say. Their separate plea agreements warn the convictions may have deportation and other immigration consequences, but

seized by the government. ``This is what happens when employers ignore U.S. employment, business and tax laws,'' U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a news release. ``They face prosecution for

The gas station came to the attention of authorities when inspectors from the Kansas Department of Revenue observed employees selling tobacco products to minors. Investigators later determined that several employees were illegally in the country notes those are subject to a separate proceeding and no one can predict with certainty the effect on their immigration status. The couple agreed under the plea deals to forfeit about $706,000 in cash, bank accounts, and gold

their crimes and the loss of assets obtained in connection with those crimes. Contrary to what some may think, it is not legal to employ people not authorized to work in this country, nor is it legal to ignore our business and tax laws.''

Under his plea agreement, the parties propose that Satishkumar Patel be sentenced to either the five months of home detention, which his defense team is seeking, or the three months of prison sought by the government. The plea deal for Daxaben Patel calls for one year of unsupervised probation. If the judge disagrees with the proposed sentences, the defendants would be allowed to withdraw their guilty pleas. The gas station came to the attention of authorities when inspectors from the Kansas Department of Revenue observed employees selling tobacco products to minors. Investigators later determined that several employees were illegally in the country, according to the U.S. attorney's office.-AP

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Big jump in immigrants losing health coverage WASHINGTON: A change in government procedures has led to a big jump in people losing coverage under the Obama health care law because of immigration and citizenship issues. More than 400,000 had their insurance canceled, nearly four times as many as last year. The Obama administration says it is following the letter of the law, and this year that means a shorter time frame for resolving immigration and citizenship issues. But advocates say the administration's system for verifying eligibility is seriously flawed, and consumers who are legally entitled to benefits are paying the price. ``Same dog, different collar,'' said Jane Delgado, president of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, evoking an old Spanish saying about situations that do not seem to change. ``The bottom line is people got taken off health insurance when they applied in good faith.'' The National Immigration Law Center says it believes the overwhelming majority of the 423,000 people whose coverage was terminated are legal U.S. residents and citizens snared in a complicated, inefficient system for checking documents. Angel Padilla, the center's health policy analyst, said it defies common sense that that many immigrants without legal authorization to be in the country would

risk alerting a federal agency by applying for taxpayer-subsidized benefits. ``Somebody who is trying to submit documents over and over ... is someone who believes they have an eligible immigration status,'' Padilla said. By comparison, a total of 109,000 people lost coverage because of citizenship and

in 2014 because it was the first year of HealthCare.gov's coverage expansion. Last year, ``we had the authority to provide consumers more flexibility _ we were not taking action on the strict timeline,'' said Ben Wakana, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. ``In 2015, we moved to

Jane Delgado, president of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, works in her office in Washington. A change in government procedures has led to a big jump in people losing coverage under the Obama health care law because of immigration and citizenship issues.

immigration issues during all of 2014. President Barack Obama's health care law specifies that only citizens and legal U.S. residents are entitled to coverage through the new insurance markets that offer subsidized policies. The administration says this year the law provides just a 95-day window for resolving documentation issues that involve citizenship and immigration. There was no such clock

the timeline of about three months, so consumers need to act quickly to submit supporting documentation.'' Padilla said a shorter time window might not be so much of a problem if the administration would clearly communicate which documents are needed. ``If it was clearer what the consumer needed to do, we wouldn't have the numbers that we have,'' he said. The administration says it is

Germany reinstates border controls on refugees MUNICH: Germany said it was reinstating border controls as Europe's top economy admitted it was stretched to the limit trying to cope with a record influx of refugees. The announcement came as tragedy struck again off the coast of Greece, with 34 more migrants

mas de Maiziere said border controls would be reintroduced with immediate effect, and the Czech Republic announced similar measures on the border with Austria. "The aim of this measure is to stop the current influx to Germany and to return to an orderly process,"

A policeman checks a Syrian migrant in Freilassing on the border between Germany and Austria

- among them babies and children - drowning when their overcrowded wooden boat capsized in high winds. German Interior Minister Tho-

de Maiziere said, as the city of Munich recorded an influx of 63,000 asylum seekers in two weeks. Asylum-seekers must understand "they cannot choose the

states where they are seeking protection," he told reporters. Under EU rules, the first country of entry is required to deal with an asylum-seeker's request for protection, but Germany had waived the rule for Syrian refugees. Local authorities in Germany, which has earned praise for its welcoming stance towards refugees, have buckled under the sudden surge of migrants at the end of an exhausting and often perilous journey. European Union home affairs ministers is holding an emergency meeting to discuss deeply divisive European Commission plans to introduce compulsory quotas for refugees. "The German decision underlines the urgency to agree on the measures proposed by the European Commission in order to manage the refugee crisis," the EU said. -AFP

continually making improvements to help consumers. Hispanics, the nation's most numerous ethnic group, have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act. The uninsured rate for Latino adults ages 18-64 dropped from nearly 41 percent in 2013 to about 28 percent in the first three months of this year, according to a government survey. But Hispanics are still more likely to be uninsured than people of other ethnic and racial backgrounds. Signing up more Latinos is a priority for the administration and the law's supporters. The administration is highly sensitive to Republican accusations that it is dispensing health benefits to people who are not legally entitled to them, including those who cannot prove their citizenship or legal status. Investigators for the congressional Government Accountability Office successfully enrolled fictitious characters through HealthCare.gov in 2014, and at least initially, renewed their coverage for this year. But the nonpartisan probe also

found evidence of problems with HealthCare.gov's consumer communications about problem applications. For example, the federal insurance marketplace asked eight of the GAO's bogus beneficiaries to submit additional documentation to prove citizenship and identity. But GAO said the list of suitable documents that could be sent in consisted of paperwork for verifying income. After documents were sent in, HealthCare.gov failed in some cases to say whether they were acceptable. HealthCare.gov ``did not always provide clear and complete communications,'' said the GAO's report this summer. ``We did not always know the current status of our applications or specific documents required in support of them.'' The number of coverage terminations could actually be higher. The 423,000 figure only represents states served by the federal health insurance market. That does not include immigrant-rich California and New York, which run their own insurance exchanges.-AP

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No charges in police killing of rock-throwing Mexican PASCO, Wash.: Three police officers in Washington State who fatally shot a rock-throwing Mexican immigrant in February will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor announced saying there was no evidence the officers acted with malice. The death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, was captured on cellphone video and sparked months of protests in Pasco, an agricultural center in eastern Washington. Witnesses said Zambrano-Montes fought with an officer, threw rocks and repeatedly told officers to kill him before they opened fire. At a news conference repeatedly interrupted by protesters, Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said the evidence showed that the officers used legal force as they tried to arrest a man who had assaulted them and was threatening to attack them further. Sant said he could not meet the high bar for criminal pros-

ecution under Washington state law, which requires a showing that the officers acted with malice and without good faith that their actions were justified. ``The officers used legal force to prevent injuries to themselves and others,'' the prosecutor said. ``Certainly there is no evidence of malice.'' The shooting occurred Feb. 10 in a busy intersection, as Zambrano-Montes, high on meth, threw rocks at police. They tried unsuccessfully to subdue him with a stun gun, then, after he threw a rock at an officer's head, Officer Adam Wright shot, striking him in the arm, Sant said. The three officers then chased him across a street. Video of the shooting showed the officers following ZambranoMontes, then firing a second volley of shots as he turned to face them. Wright told investigators the man was transferring a rock from his left hand to his right, appar-

ently preparing to throw again. At least one video shows movements consistent with that description, and investigators said a rock

Marchers carry photos of police shooting victim Antonio Zambrano-Montes during a rally in Pasco, Wash. Three police officers in Washington state who fatally shot the rock-throwing Mexican immigrant in February will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor announced saying there was no evidence the officers acted with malice.

weighing nearly 3 pounds was found by Zambrano-Montes'

Babies among 34 dead in new migrant tragedy ATHENS: At least 34 people, among them 15 babies and children, drowned when their overcrowded boat capsized in high winds off a Greek island, the latest migrant tragedy at sea. The latest deaths came as Athens angrily defended its handling of the mounting refugee crisis in Europe and appealed for more help. Four babies and 11 young chil-

of the boat. A total of 34 people were found dead, while another 68 were plucked alive from the sea and a further 29 managed to swim to safety on a beach on the island, according to latest coastguard figures. The exact number of those aboard remains unknown but the ANA said it was overcrowded and went down because of high winds

Migrants arrive on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey on a dinghy

dren - six boys and five girls - were among those on the stricken wooden boat when it sank off the island of Farmakonisi, Athens News Agency reported. Eight of the victims were found by coastguard frogmen in the hold

in the area. The coastguard was also still searching for four children missing after another boat capsized off Samos, a Greek island just off the Turkish coast. The latest tragedies follow the

body. The shooting helped fuel a national debate over police use of force following several high-pro-

death of a Syrian toddler whose lifeless body was photographed washed up on a Turkish beach, becoming a heart wrenching symbol of the plight of refugees fleeing war. The International Organization for Migration has said more than 430,000 migrants and refugees had crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far in 2015, with 2,748 dying or going missing en route. Interim Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou branded criticism of Greece, which has been on the frontline of the surge of migrants trying to reach Europe, as "unacceptable". "Greece is strictly applying European and international treaties without ignoring the humanity of the situation," she said on a visit to Lesbos, an island which has been struggling with the massive influx. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Athens, already grappling with a deep economic crisis, to make more effort to protect the EU's external borders. "We have a second external border, that's between Greece and Turkey, where we need protection. And this protection is at the moment not being guaranteed," she said. "Greece needs to take its responsibility... we will also speak with Turkey." -AFP

file killings by police, including those of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York. Protesters expressed outrage that the officers had fired 17 times in a busy intersection in an effort to stop a man who was armed only with a rock, and who appeared to be suicidal and under the influence of drugs. The Pasco Police Department said it has nearly completed an internal review of the shooting, which prompted it to increase crisis-intervention training for its officers, launch efforts to recruit more Spanish-speaking officers and improve its communication with the local Hispanic community. Zambrano-Montes was an outof-work orchard worker who was in the country illegally and who had had several run-ins with police. In one case, he cut his forehead with a knife and asked officers to kill him. In another, just weeks before his death, Wright the same officer who shot him dragged him away from a fire at his small rental home.

Gov. Jay Inslee immediately asked Attorney General Bob Ferguson to review the charging decision, saying he would have wanted the decision reviewed whichever way it went. ``I want to ensure that people have confidence and trust in the decision that is made in this case,'' Inslee wrote in a letter to the attorney general. ``It is critical that, in the wake of this tragic incident, the communities and leaders of the city of Pasco and Franklin County come together and continue their healing.'' George Trejo Jr., a lawyer for Zambrano-Montes' wife and children, said in an email that he was disappointed with the prosecutor. This month, Trejo filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the three officers involved. ``His claim that there is insufficient evidence to establish any crime beyond a reasonable doubt is a pretext for his decision to protect law enforcement from the very beginning of this case,'' Trejo wrote. ``We are not surprised by this decision but disgusted and disappointed. This is precisely the reason why we continually asked for an independent criminal investigation.'' The sentiment was echoed by the state Commission on Hispanic Affairs, which said it was concerned about the ``dismissive nature'' of the police and prosecutor in regard to the case. Protesters at the news conference chanted ``whitewash'' and ``this blood is on your hands''; the prosecutor answered several questions from them after making his announcement. ``They're saying it's OK for the police to murder people,'' one protester, Jeremy Peterson, said afterward. One of the officers, Ryan Flanagan, has resigned to take another job in a move his lawyer said was unrelated to the shooting. The other two, Wright and Adrian Alaniz, remain on paid leave. -AP

Hungary camerawoman 'sorry' for kicking refugee BUDAPEST, Hungary: A Hungarian camerawoman caught on video kicking and tripping migrants near the Serbian border has offered a qualified apology for her behavior. Petra Laszlo says in the letter published in the daily Magyar Nemzet newspaper that she was ``sincerely sorry for what happened,'' but added, ``I was scared as they streamed toward me, and then some-

thing snapped inside me.'' The 40-year-old was fired by the right-wing N1TV online channel after footage of her kicking and tripping migrants near the village of Roszke went viral on social media. Police questioned Laszlo on suspicion of disorderly conduct, released her without charge, and say the investigation is continuing.-AP

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Utah Court rules in immigration predicament SALT LAKE CITY: The Utah Supreme Court will allow an immigrant to withdraw from a plea deal that should have wiped his record clean but instead left him at risk of deportation. The high court's opinion will remedy a legal complication that affects thousands of Utah immigrants, a lawyer for Sergio Meza said. ``There's thousands of immigrants that now have a way to get the promise of a clean record after having held up their end of the bargain,'' immigration attorney Aaron Tarin said. Tarin said his 23-year-old client did everything he was told after he was arrested with less than an ounce of marijuana. But three years later, Meza was still barred from applying for a green card to get permanent residency in the U.S. Utah courts have a system for dismissing charges against reformed low-level offenders

known as a plea in abeyance, but those charges can still come up during federal immigration proceedings. State law allows convictions to be expunged from court records, but Meza wasn't considered convicted of the charges because the case was dismissed, leaving him caught in a legal Catch-22.

sion that wasn't previously thought to apply to cases like his, Tarin said. Tarin is planning to file the motion to withdraw his client's plea in about three weeks, leaving time for revisions because it's the first of its kind. The opinion also clarifies that the current plea-in-abeyance system doesn't work for im-

``We want to start a family, but we're both too terrified to have a baby because I don't want to one day wake up and my husband is gone,'' said his wife, Chelsea Meza. The state Supreme Court decision gives the Springdale couple hope that they'll be able to move on. He appealed the case to the Utah Supreme Court, which heard arguments in November. In an opinion handed down Aug. 14, the high court ruled that Meza can file a motion to withdraw the plea using an open-ended legal provi-

migrants like Meza. Meza is one of many immigrants around the country who has received a reprieve based on precedent set in 2010 when U.S. Supreme Court ruled that immigrants can claim ineffective coun-

EU seeks deal for its countries to share 160,000 migrants Cont'd from Page 44

France has thrown its weight behind the EU plan by saying that it would take in 24,000 refugees this year, exactly the figure proposed in the new scheme. Britain, which is not taking part, announced separately that it would welcome up to 20,000 refugees currently in countries outside the EU over the next five years.

in a statement. ``To continue with a discussion about their establishment all across Europe only prevents us from taking really important and necessary steps.'' The Czechs argue most of the migrants have been heading for Germany and don't want to stay in the Czech Republic anyway. Hungary has also made a similar argument. This new response marks a shift

Wissam Ahmed, from Iraq, left, and other refugees arrive after an overnight bus trip from Germany, in Champagne-sur-Seine, south of Paris, France, the first among around 1,000 that French President Francois Hollande pledged to receive from the neighboring country.

Ireland is also taking 520 refugees from camps outside Europe. But Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that his government's opposition to mandatory quotas for migrants has not softened. ``The compulsory quotas are not a good solution,'' Sobotka said

to rapid humanitarian action as the EU begins to accept that longerterm policy moves are ill-adapted to the scale of the refugee emergency. But it only accounts for a fraction of the people seeking better lives in Europe. The EU estimates that two in three migrants arriving

are fleeing conflict and would probably qualify for international protection. Those coming in search of jobs alone are likely to be sent back home. To help ease the burden on European migrant-screening facilities, Juncker also announced a list of ``safe countries'' including Albania and Kosovo, from which thousands of people have fled this year. The ``safe country'' tag is likely to mean that few asylum applications by nationals from those countries will succeed. The full ``safe'' list is made up of candidates for EU membership or countries hoping to join. They are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. Almost 50,000 people from Kosovo applied for asylum in the EU in the first three months of this year. More than 21,000 did so in Germany. More than 9,000 Albanians sought asylum in July, mostly in Germany, Sweden and France. Longer-term, the Commission also unveiled a plan to set up a 1.8 billion-euro ($2 billion) fund to help African nations better manage their borders and help reduce the number of migrants heading for Europe. The money would focus on northern Africa and Horn of Africa countries like Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. -AP

sel if their criminal attorneys don't properly warn them about deportation risks, said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute's office at the New York University School of Law. That ruling is cited in the Utah opinion. The decision sent a very different signal to courts about how to handle the intersection of criminal law and immigration law, Chishti said. ``It laid the foundation for inviting courts to find effective remedies against ineffective counsel like this,'' he said. Meza, whose full legal name is Sergio Meza Ramos, was brought to the United States by his parents when he was 8 years old. When he was arrested in 2010, his defense attorney said entering a no-contest plea wouldn't affect his immigration status. The case was dismissed after Meza paid a $1,000 fine and stayed out of trouble for the next year, according to court records. ``I was just basically a dumb kid, hanging out with the wrong people,'' Meza said about the charge. The case was a wake-up

call, and he worked hard to complete the court's requirements, which also including drug counseling. But when Meza married a U.S. citizen and applied for a green card, he was nevertheless told the charge makes him ineligible. Meza is in a deferred action program for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as minors, which keeps him from being deported, but the threat was still hanging over his head. ``We want to start a family, but we're both too terrified to have a baby because I don't want to one day wake up and my husband is gone,'' said his wife, Chelsea Meza. The state Supreme Court decision gives the Springdale couple hope that they'll be able to move on. The type of plea deal that Meza took is fairly common, but many immigrants in Utah may not know it's a problem until they come into contact with federal authorities, he said. ``There's this sense of being punished twice for the same crime,'' Tarin said. -AP

Indian-origin cop made superintendent in Canada TORONTO: An Indian-origin police officer in Canada has been made the new superintendent of community services for Canadian police in Surrey. Inspector Sharnjit (Shawn) Gill, who was born in Punjab's Moga district and is currently Operations Officer for the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), is the second Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Superintendent in British Columbia of South Asian descent. In this new role, Gill will now oversee all of Surrey Detachment's community services, including community policing, youth, bikes, property crime, criminal intelligence, drugs, gang enforcement and traffic, Voice Online reported. Gill has been with the RCMP in the Lower Mainland for over 26 years and has spent 13 years of his service in Surrey. "I feel privileged to be coming back to Surrey and I look forward to working closely with the community to enhance public safety in our city," said Gill. "I am fortunate to have this career in the RCMP and I acknowledge my parents for the significant

role they have played. Had it not been for their courage and sacrifice in immigrating to Canada in 1969, I would not be in the position that I am in today," he said. Gill has been honored with several awards for his services. In 1997, he was awarded Officer in Charge Certificate of Recognition for his for his role in the arrest and conviction of two serial sex offenders.

Inspector Sharnjit

In 2012, he received Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his role as the Team Commander in charge of the pipeline bombings investigation in Northern BC. -Agencies

Â&#x201E; Health

Line

Advance spending plan for human services SPRINGFIELD, Ill.: The Illinois Senate has advanced a plan to pay for human services during a state budget impasse. The 36-19 vote would provide $1.8 billion in general revenue spending and $2 billion in other state funds for child care, cancer screening, immunizations, autism treatment and more. The Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner have been unable to agree on a budget which should have taken effect July 1. Federal court orders are requiring billions of dollars to be paid for service programs. Sen. Heather Steans - a Chicago Democrat - says other key programs are being ignored. Her legislation also releases millions of dollars in fuel taxes to municipalities. Rauner has resisted piecemeal efforts in favor of a universal solution. -AP

Â&#x201E; Punjab unveils plan to improve healthcare CHANDIGARH: Health and Social Security Departments in Punjab have jointly evolved a comprehensive master plan aiming at improving the health and general conditions of women and children in the state. Disclosing this here, an official spokesman said that these two departments shared proximity in serving the most important sections of the society. "The officers of these two important departments have also been directed to work in cooperation so that a clear message could be sent to the district and border level officers and quality health care and other facilities could be ensured to people," he said. Directions were also issued to the district health and social security officers regarding the drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers managed privately in their respective districts, he said. "The officers have been asked to keep a close eye on the functioning of such centers and take immediate action against if anything erroneous found in these centers," he said. He said that a written permission from the Health and Social Security departments was mandatory while opening any drug deaddiction and rehabilitation centre in the state. Strict legal action would be initiated against the centers if opened without permission, he said. -PTI

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NHRC to hold public hearings on health rights Details on Page 51

Judge clears way for House lawsuit challenging health law WASHINGTON: A federal judge has cleared the way for a legal challenge by congressional Republicans to President Obama's health care law to proceed. U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary M. Collyer ruled the House can pursue its claim that the administration violated the Constitution when it spent public money that was not appropriated by Congress. At issue is the more than $175 billion the government is paying health insurance companies over a decade to reimburse them for offering reduced health care co-payments for lower-income people. The House argues that Congress never specifically approved spending that money, and in fact denied the administration's request for it. The Obama administration insists it is instead relying on previously allocated money that it is allowed to use. ``The House of Representatives as an institution would suffer a concrete, particularized injury if the Executive were able to draw funds from the Treasury without a valid appropriation,'' wrote Collyer, who was appointed to the federal bench in 2003 by President George W. Bush. Department of Justice spokes-

man Patrick Rodenbush said the administration will seek to appeal the court's decision. The lawsuit was filed last year against the departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury by Republicans frustrated by

in the court. Collyer stressed that her ruling was merely procedural, and that Congress would still have to prove the merits of its case. White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman countered that Congress shouldn't try to settle

U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary M. Collyer

their inability to torpedo the President's signature heath care law through legislative action. The House has voted more than 50 times to repeal all or parts of the law known as Obamacare, only to be stymied in the Senate. House Speaker John Boehner praised the ruling, calling Obama's actions a ``historic overreach.'' He said the House will press its case

``garden-variety disputes'' with the Executive Branch in the courts. ``This case is just another partisan attack - this one, paid for by the taxpayers - and we believe the courts will ultimately dismiss it,'' Friedman said. Democrats contend that Obama acted legally and have mocked the case as an unwinnable, a politically

motivated attack. Legal experts have also expressed doubts the GOP can prevail. Under the Affordable Care Act, people with low-to-modest incomes can get help to pay their actual medical costs, such as annual insurance deductibles and co-payments when they go to a doctor or the hospital. Those so-called ``cost-sharing subsidies'' are on top of the financial aid that the law provides with insurance premiums. Earlier this summer the Supreme Court upheld premium subsidies in all 50 states, turning back a challenge from the law's opponents. The House argues that the cost-sharing subsidies are legally different from the premium subsidies. While the latter flow automatically, the cost-sharing subsidies require annual authorization by Congress. And the Republican-led Congress, still committed to repealing the health care law, will not authorize them. The administration counters that the law gives the Treasury Department authority to pay the cost-sharing subsidies without separate congressional approval. The government pays insurers directly, on behalf of their customers. -AP

Delhi to ban rapid dengue test kit NEW DELHI: Delhi government has decided to ban the use and sale of rapid diagnostic kits for detection of dengue for their "non-reliable" test results. The decision was taken at a review meeting on dengue, said Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain. "We have decided to ban the use and sale of rapid diagnostic kits in the national capital as it sometimes gives wrong results which sets off panic. "Even in cases of normal fever it sometimes gives positive results. So, we are going to ban it. By banning this, panic-like situation will end," Jain said. According to senior Delhi government officials, the Health

department will soon issue a notification banning the use and sale

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain

of Rapid Card Test in all hospitals. "With people panicking, pri-

vate hospitals and pathological labs are performing rapid dengue antigen test which gives result in an hour. But this test sometimes gives false positive result which in turn may lead to inaccurate treatment. "Elisa method for detection of dengue infection is sensitive, specific and reliable. In Elisa method, it takes six to seven hours for the results to come out. As per the guidelines of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP), NS1 Elisa test is considered reliable for confirmation of dengue infection," the official said. Jain also said that he has asked

the Medical Superintendents of all government hospitals to increase the number of beds and no patient will be denied admission. The Director General, Directorate General of Health Services, Jagdish Prasad, had recently said that raid card tests are not reliable as they throw up false positive results and that the Union Health Ministry is planning to issue an order banning the use and sale of rapid card tests soon. According to official data, 1,259 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi this year till September 5 with two persons having succumbed to the disease.-PTI

September 18, 2015

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WHO calls for elimination Are mobile towers injurious to health? of tropical diseases NEW DELHI: The WHO has called for renewed commitments and focused efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases - including kala azar, leprosy, yaws, lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis - which continue to disable, disfigure and kill people in SouthEast Asian region. "Though called neglected diseases, these are diseases of the

the affected population are needed to control, eliminate and eradicate these diseases," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said at a meeting of health ministers and senior health ministry officials from the 11 member countries in Dili, Timor-Leste. Some of these neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are fatal if

Stronger surveillance for early detection and appropriate treatment for prevention and cure of all the affected and at risk population, is the mainstay of the NTD elimination strategies, Singh said while stressing on the need for robust program management people who are neglected, the poorest of the poor. Strong political commitments and renewed and focused efforts centered around

not treated. Others leave the affected population disfigured and disabled, leading to discrimination, high stigma and often social

isolation, pushing them further into poverty. Stronger surveillance for early detection and appropriate treatment for prevention and cure of all the affected and at risk population, is the mainstay of the NTD elimination strategies, Singh said while stressing on the need for robust program management, especially at the sub-national level. The renewed efforts should seek multi-sectoral collaboration and engage the non-health sectors to address the various social determinants of NTDs, she added. Among the NTDs, though progress is being made against leprosy, the disease continues to be endemic in all countries of the region, which reported 155 000 cases, 73 per cent of the global cases, in 2013. Nearly 1,26,000 cases were reported from India. PTI

Study of cancer risks halted at 7 nuclear plants HARTFORD, Conn.: Federal regulators are pulling the plug on a five-year study of the risk of cancer in communities around six U.S. nuclear plants and a nuclear fuel site. Remaining work on a pilot study would take too long, at more than three years, and cost too much, at $8 million, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. It said any releases that occur ``are too small to cause observable increases in cancer risk near the facilities.''

The commission already has spent $1.5 million. And completing the pilot study and subsequent nationwide reviews could take eight to 10 years, the agency said. National Academy of Sciences researchers who were leading the study estimate it would be ``at least the end of the decade'' be-

fore they would have any answers, and the costs of completing the study are ``prohibitively high,'' said Brian Sheron, director of the NRC's office of nuclear regulatory research. ``We're balancing the desire to provide updated answers on cancer risk with our responsibility to use congressionally-provided funds as wisely as possible,'' he said. Beyond Nuclear, an antinuclear power group said halting the study is outrageous and that

funding it is a legitimate cost. It called the $8 million cost a ``drop in the bucket'' for the federal agency, which has a budget of more than $1 billion. ``It smells wrong,'' said Linda Gunter, a spokeswoman for the group. ``It doesn't seem like a credible answer.''

U.S. nuclear power plants comply with requirements limiting radiation releases from routine operations, the NRC said. The study was intended to update a 1990 review by the National Cancer Institute of cancer mortality rates around 52 nuclear power plants. That study said evidence did not show an ``excess occurrence'' of cancer. Nuclear sites to be studied included active and decommissioned plants in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan and New Jersey and a nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Tennessee. Daniel Steward, a legislator in Waterford, the site of the Millstone Power Station, said worries about cancer in the region are common. Millstone is Connecticut's sole nuclear plant owned by Dominion Resources Inc. The area also is home to the Naval Submarine Base, which has housed nuclear-powered submarines. ``It's almost like you're chasing something, and we're not sure exactly what,'' Seward said. Emergency management officials periodically distribute potassium iodide tablets to residents in a 10-mile zone around the Millstone plant to reduce the likelihood of developing thyroid cancer. -AP

NEW DELHI: Concerned over possible health risk posed by cell phone towers, the National Green Tribunal has directed the Centre to inform it whether the construction of these towers in residential areas would be injurious to humans or not. The green panel's direction came while hearing a bunch of petitions claiming that mobile phone towers were posing health hazards and "norms are flouted brazenly by all companies involved with installation of mobile towers, having complete disregard and concern for environmental protection". "We direct Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Development Authority to take clear instructions as to whether the construction and operations of mobile towers particularly in densely populated area or in the park of such locality would be injurious to the human health or environment, if so the extent of such injury and remedies thereof," a bench headed by Justice

Swatanter Kumar said. The tribunal also directed them to specifically reply on the nature of electromagnetic radiations emitted from mobile towers and "whether such radiation is injurious to human health and environmentally hazardous". It also asked them to submit remedies and steps that are required to be taken for preventing environment and health hazards resulting from such activity. During the hearing, advocate

Kush Sharma, appearing for DDA, told the bench that mobile-tower radiations are not a "pollutant" or a health hazard. "Studies carried out by DoT clearly stipulate that cell towers radiations are not dangerous. We have also widely publicized among the masses that these emissions are safe," Sharma said.-PTI

Salmonella case found in North Dakota BISMARCK, N.D.: The state Department of Health has confirmed a case of salmonella in North Dakota matching a national outbreak that has sickened nearly 350 people across 30

states. The department said the case was in Burleigh County, which includes Bismarck. Federal officials say cucumbers distributed by a San Diego-based company are a likely source of the infections.

Laura Cronquist is an epidemiologist with the state Health Department. She says the agency recently found that the cucumbers were distributed to more than 100 customers, which could include retailers and restaurants, in North Dakota and Minnesota. Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce has recalled ``Limited Edition'' brand cucumbers. Federal officials say there have also been three reported cases of salmonella in Wyoming, 10 in Montana and 12 in Minnesota. AP

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Health Science Post

September 18, 2015

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Grandmoms helped humans pair up & live longer WASHINGTON: If you have found the love of your life, thank all the grandmothers since humans evolved, as they helped us bond with a single partner instead of mating with numerous people, a new study suggests. University of Utah anthropologist Kristen Hawkes is known for the "grandmother hypothesis," which credits prehistoric grandmothering for our long human lifespan. Now, Hawkes has used computer simulations to link grandmothering and longevity to a surplus of older fertile men and, in turn, to the male tendency to guard a female mate from the competition and form a "pair bond" with her instead of mating with numerous partners. "Our hypothesis is that human pair bonds evolved with increasing payoffs for mate guarding, which resulted from the evolution of our grandmothering life history," the researchers said. That conclusion contradicts the traditional view that pair bonding resulted from male hunters feeding females and their offspring in exchange for paternity of those kids so the males have descendants and pass on genes, Hawkes said. The grandma hypothesis holds that

"the key to why moms can have next babies sooner is not because of dad bringing home the bacon but because of grandma helping feed the weaned children. That favored increased longevity as longer-lived grandmothers helped more." As human longevity increased, there were increasing number of males in the paternity competition. However, to become a father these males needed younger, fertile females. "So males who had preference for younger females were more likely to leave descendants," the researchers said. Human females often live decades past their child-bearing years. Changing environments led to the use of food like buried

tubers that weaned children could not dig themselves. So older females helped feed the kids, allowing their daughters to have the next baby sooner.

By allowing their daughters to have more kids, grandmothers' longevity genes became increasingly common in the population and human lifespan increased.

A computer simulation showed that with grandmothering, the computed lifespans get longer like those of humans, often into the 70s or 80s. As human lifespans grew longer, women's fertility continued to end by about age 45, while older men remained fertile. The new study indicates the ratio of fertile men to fertile women increased over time. "That's what made it advantageous for males to guard a female and to develop a pair bond with her," Hawkes said. The researchers ran computer simulations of human evolution - 30 simulations with grandmothering and 30 without. The simulations showed how male-female sex ratios changed over time to become increasingly male-dominated. "This male bias in sex ratio in the mating ages makes mate-guarding a better strategy for males than trying to seek an additional mate, because there are too many other guys in the competition," Hawkes said. The study was published in the journal PNAS. -PTI

Computer system of health insurer hacked ALBANY, N.Y.: A health insurer in western New York and affiliates have said that their computers were targeted last month in a cyberattack that may have provided unauthorized access to more than 10 million personal records. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, headquartered in Rochester, and Lifetime Healthcare Companies said they're offering affected individuals in upstate New York two years of free identity theft protection. The companies said unauthorized com-

The FBI said it's investigating, working with the companies to determine the scope of the security breach, and customers should take steps to monitor their personal information and report suspected instances of identity theft to its Internet Crime Complaint Center online. A spokeswoman declined to whether they've identified the source of the hack. Excellus and Lifetime said they were mailing letters to affected individuals. ``Protecting personal information is one of our top priorities and we take this issue

The FBI said customers should take steps to monitor their personal information and report suspected instances of identity theft to its Internet Crime Complaint Center online. puter access was discovered Aug. 5, and they haven't determined so far that any information was used inappropriately or removed. Information could include customers' names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, mailing addresses, phone numbers, member identification numbers, financial account information and claims information. Other affiliates are Lifetime Benefit Solutions, Lifetime Care, Lifetime Health Medical Group, The MedAmerica Companies and Univera Healthcare.

seriously,'' said Chief Executive Christopher Booth. ``We are providing free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to you for peace of mind. We also pledge to take additional steps to strengthen and enhance security to help avoid having something like this happen again.'' The company established a website at www.excellusfacts.com for signups for those services and for answering related questions. -AP

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Fitness programs help rabbis shape up CONCORD, N.H.: As an Orthodox Jew, Rabbi Moshe Gray may not need a cross. But CrossFit? That's another story. Gray, the director of a Jewish center at Dartmouth College, hits the high-intensity core strength and conditioning program five days a week. And he's not the only campus rabbi getting in shape as he shores up spirits. At Gray's urging, an international outreach organization for Jewish students launched a pilot program last fall to help campus rabbis and their wives get in shape. The 30 participants started by getting medical checkups and creating fitness goals, and Chabad on Campus offered online support groups and subsidized half the cost of a personal trainer for six months. Altogether, the participants lost 667 pounds, or an average of 22 pounds each. Gray, 36, actually has gained weight - in the form of muscle - since his rising cholesterol levels prompted him to start working out a few years ago. Becoming a self-described ``fitness freak'' after years of inactivity wasn't easy: When his trainer challenged him to do 96 burpees in eight minutes, Gray managed 27 of the squatting and jumping exercises before he vomited. But that was a turning point. ``I said to myself, `I am in such bad shape that if I can't do 27 burpees and not throw

up, I need this more than I ever thought I needed this,'' he said. It was actually Gray's trainer who sparked the idea for the fitness pilot program. Curious about Chabad Lubavitch - a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism - he looked it up online and noticed image after image of overweight rabbis. ``You guys are really doing God's work,'' he told Gray, ``But how are you effective doing this work while neglecting your bodies?'' Repeated research has shown that clergy members of all faiths are at a higher risk for obesity and other health ailments than other Americans. A study published in January in the journal Social Science Research identified several factors, including stress, long hours and low pay. Chabad on Campus rabbis have the added stress of having to fundraise their own budgets, and many have large families. That's certainly the experience of Rabbi Yosef Kulek, who has seven children and at least that many job descriptions leading Chabad at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. ``You're really a jack-of-all-trades. When I have to fill out what my job description is, is it rabbi? Is it executive director? Is it program director?'' he said. ``There's definitely

NHRC to hold public hearings on health rights MUMBAI: With a view to looking into the issue of violation of people's rights in the public and private healthcare sectors, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has decided to hold public hearings on 'Right to Healthcare' in different cities. The initiative is being organized in collaboration with Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) - a network of health rights organizations. The public hearing for the western re-

gion, covering the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Goa, will be held at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences here, JSA said in a release. A national-level inquiry into people's

rights violations in the public and private health sectors across India would be undertaken at these public hearings, it said. The exercise will also include a discussion on the status of existing regulatory structures and systemic factors contributing to the violation of patients' rights, advocate Kamayani Mahabal, human right activist and an associate of JSA, told PTI. "The main objective of the proposed public hearings would be to review human rights violations in the context of public and private healthcare services and to draw attention towards key systemic and policy-related issues," she said. NHRC would take steps to ensure action in specific cases and would formulate a range of related recommendations to ensure protection of health rights, she added. To hear and respond to testimonies and presentations of the participants, officials like state health secretaries, mission directors, directors of health services and medical education, national and state medical councils and consumer protection councils would be invited to the public hearings. Chief medical officers of civic bodies, officials involved with publicly-funded health insurance schemes and those responsible for regulation of public and privately-run hospitals, too, will be requested to take part in the proceedings, she added. -PTI

a lot of stress in what we do, and you can definitely see it in my receding hairline and the gray in my beard.'' Kulek, 38, had gained about 60 pounds

Provided by Rabbi Yosef Kulek, Kulek poses for a photo in Hartford, Conn., before beginning a fitness program that provided campus rabbis with online support and covered half the cost of a personal trainer for six months. Kulek directs a center for Jewish students at the University of Hartford.

since getting married and starting his career, and walking up a flight of stairs was enough to leave him winded. He eagerly

signed up for the pilot program, and kept up with his workouts even after the sixmonth subsidy ended. In one year, he lost 22 pounds and dropped six pants sizes. ``What people don't quite realize right away is that Judaism and the Torah put a strong emphasis on taking care of your body and taking care of the gifts God gave us in this world,'' he said. ``As clergy, it's important for us to lead by example.'' Rabbis aren't the only ones looking to get into a shape that's a little less round. Launched in 2007, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative is an $18 million, 10-year program to assess and improve the health and well-being of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. After an initial survey found 41 percent of those clergy members were obese, compared to 29 percent in the state's overall population, the initiative created a two-year program that provides $500 grants, health coaching by phone and online help with stress management and weight loss. The 1,100 participants were assigned to groups that started the program in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Researchers are still assessing the results, but in general, every group saw a decrease in risk factors associated with heart attacks and heart disease, stroke, diabetes, said Rachel Meyer, the initiative's director for program development and operations. -AP

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Philosophy

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ust as Kirtan-Sadhana has been made the special KaliYuga Sadhana for quick Godvision, even so herein you have the new Yoga, a Yoga most eminently suitable for this age of doubt and skepticism, pride and egoism. It is Guru-Bhakti Yoga. This Yoga is marvelous. Its power is tremendous. Its efficacy is most unfailing. The true glory of GuruBhakti is indescribable. It is the Yoga par excellence for this age, which makes God appear here before you in flesh and blood and move with you in this very life. The hard Rajasic ego is the arch enemy of the Sadhaka. GuruBhakti Yoga is the surest and best Sadhana to destroy arrogance and to dissolve the vicious ego. Just as a particular deadly germ can be annihilated only by a certain specific chemical germicide, even so, to destroy Avidya and Ahankara, this unique Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the peerless specific. They are the gravest 'Mayacide' and 'egocide'. They become quite powerless and no longer afflict the fortunate soul who saturates himself with the spirit of Guru-Bhakti Yoga. Blessed indeed is the man who earnestly takes to this Yoga; for he will obtain crowning success in all other Yogas. To him will accrue the choicest fruits of perfection in Karma, Bhakti, Dhyana and Jnana. The qualification for taking to this Yoga is the simple trio of sinROBERT E. SVOBODA

uccess at ritual is all about alignment. We want first of all to align ourselves with Ganesha, so that the objects that we are going to employ in our ritual will cooperate with us, so that our sense organs will be turned in the direction of the ritual that we are going to perform, and so that all the disembodied personalities in the neighborhood will be properly aligned as well. Those that want to cooperate will cooperate; those that don't want to cooperate we thus encourage to go elsewhere during this period. Once you have invoked Ganesha, you continue with your ritual. Often at the very beginning you will invoke Ganesha in a very simple way, because you will be reinvoking him frequently during your process. In this your ritual resembles a concert, as if you were an Indian musician, and you were elaborating a raga. The word raga means a mode, a musical mode, a specific order of notes going up and specific order coming down - but it also means redness, heat, inflammation and passion. Music's job is to arouse your emotional energy, and each raga activates emotional energy in

cerity, faith and obedience. Be sincere in your aspiration for Perfection. Be not vague or half-hearted. Then have perfect faith in the one you have accepted as your Guru. Do not allow even so much as a shadow of doubt to approach you. When once you have reposed absolute faith in him, then know that what he instructs you is indeed for your highest good. Therefore, obey his word implicitly. Follow his teachings to the letter. Be earnest in doing thus, and take my word: you will attain Perfection; I

tation of fruits; (vi) daily worshipping of the lotus-feet of Satguru with Bhava and devotion; (vii) selfsurrender or dedication of Thanu, Mana and Dhana in the cause of divine mission of Satguru; (viii) meditation on the holy feet of Satguru for obtaining his benign grace, and hearing his holy Upadesa and sincerely practicing it. It is not possible for an aspirant to enter the spiritual path that leads to the union with God unless he practices Guru-Bhakti Yoga. The essence of Guru-Bhakti

cross the quagmire of Samsara. The cream of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is absolute (blind) faith in the thoughts, words and actions of the Brahma-Nishtha Guru who is wellversed in the sacred scriptures. The greatest point in the philosophy of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to identify the Guru with the Absolute. The practical aspects of philosophy of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to realise the oneness of Guru with his Ishta-Devata. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is not a system which can be taught by lec-

Realize oneness of Guru with the Absolute Just as a particular deadly germ can be annihilated only by a certain specific chemical germicide, even so, to destroy Avidya and Ahankara, Guru-Bhakti Yoga is peerless Swami Sivananda

assure you emphatically. The important eight limbs of the Guru-Bhakti Yoga are: (i) the real lasting aspiration to practice GuruBhakti Yoga; (ii) absolute faith in the thoughts, words and action of Satguru; (iii) doing Sashtanga Namaskara with humility and repeating Guru's name; (iv) perfect obedience in carrying out Guru's commands; (v) doing personal service to Satguru without expec-

Yoga lies in utter obedience in carrying out the Guru's orders and translating his teachings in life. The aim of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to free man from the thraldom of matter and fetters of Prakriti and make him realise his absolute independent nature, through complete surrender to Guru. He who practises the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti can annihilate egoism without any difficulty and he can very easily

tures or correspondence courses. The student should live under a preceptor for many years and lead a rigorous life of austerity, discipline, celibacy and practice of deep meditation. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the science of all sciences. Excerpted from sivanandaonline.org. The 128th birth anniversary of Swami Sivananda was celebrated on September 8

a different way. You elaborate the raga in a particular rhythm, and wherever you begin your elaboration, your rhythm always has to come back to sama, to the point where one rhythmic figure ends and the next begins. You are doing the same sort of thing with your ritual. You put your

any obstacle that might lurk behind the door. It's sort of like playing a video game on a number of different levels. If at each level you were to invoke Ganesha, you would be able to blast whoever you need to blast more effectively along the way. You would want to be nice to

these two sons, but only indirectly. Ganesha is technically Shiva's son in that Shiva killed him by decapitating him, then brought him back to life with an elephant's head. Even if you are planning to worship Lord Shiva, you will want to make Ganesha happy. Because you know how parents are: if you come

Role of Ganesha in the success of rituals There are many layers of obstacles along the way to get rid of, and Ganesha will help you arrive eventually in an area where things are relatively, temporarily obstacle free. energy out, and then draw it back, and you keep coming back to Ganesha because you keep starting the process over again. There are many layers of obstacles along the way to get rid of, and Ganesha will help you arrive eventually in an area where things are relatively, temporarily obstacle free. At every doorway you will want to invoke Ganesha, to eliminate

Ganesha if you are reciting Om Namah Shivaya - for one thing, Ganesha is Shiva's son. Well, technically he is Parvati's son, not Shiva's. Shiva and Parvati are an unusual couple in that they have two children, but one was created entirely out of Shiva, and the other was created entirely out of Parvati; they did cooperate with one another in the creation of

Robert E. Svoboda

to visit the parent and the first thing you do is give something to one of the children, the parent automatically feels very good. If you bribe the children first, the parents immediately become more pliable. Excerpted from a lecture delivered at the Old School, Temple, New Hampshire, 14 September 2002. Ganesha Chaturthi will be celebrated on September 17

May He who is the Brahman of the Hindus, the Ahura-Mazda of the Zoroastrians, the Buddha of the Buddhists, the Jehovah of the Jews, the Father in Heaven of the Christians give strength to you to carry out your noble idea. -Swami Vivekananda There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. -Ernest Hemingway I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble. -Helen Keller To run away from trouble is a form of cowardice and, while it is true that the suicide braves death, he does it not for some noble object but to escape some ill. -Aristotle What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god. -William Shakespeare Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. -Francis of Assisi

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Dhaka mustn't be complacent in fighting extremism S. BINODKUMAR SINGH

n September 2, four eminent personalities, including Chittagong District Court's Additional Public Prosecutors Ashok Kumar Das and Chandan Bishwas; the Vice-Chancellor of Premier University, Chittagong, Dr. Anupam Sen; and International Crime Tribunal's Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta received death threats in the form of SMS text messages from the banned terrorist formation, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT, Volunteer of Allah Bangla Team). Earlier, on August 12, Ittehadul-Mujahideen (IuM, United Council of Mujahideen), an affiliate of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, Taliban Movement of Pakistan), in a letter sent to online news outlet bdnews24.com issued death threats to 19 distinguished people. The list included Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid; Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali; Awami League (AL) Member of Parliament (MP) Suranjit Sen Gupta; 'War Heroines' Ferdousi Priyabhashini and Abdur Rahman; Professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Muhammed Zafar Iqbal; Jahangirnagar University teacher Arafat Rahman; Member of the Udichi Shilpi Gosthi (Progressive Cultural Group, the largest cultural

identity if you do not cry for insult of the Prophet? Death will come one day friend, take the life of the enemy." In the letter the IuM has labeled these people as enemies of Islam and madrasa (seminary) education, atheists, satanic bloggers, Hindustani brokers and munafiqs (someone who outwardly practices Islam concealing his disbelief). These threats become more alarming given the fact that four bloggers have already been killed in 2015, by suspected Islamist terrorists. The Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League Government has tackled the rising specter of Islamist extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh with a high measure of success. In a further initiative to consolidate gains, on August 12, Foreign Secretary M. Shahidul Haque disclosed, "We will take a couple more weeks to put together amendments to the terrorism acts. Some of the global Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in disguise try to get resources not for real welfare of the people but for this kind of terrorist activities." Measures like this are the necessary way forward to fight this menace, even as ongoing efforts to reverse the success story have been intensified by radical group-

The processes of Islamist entrenchment have been ongoing for decades in Bangladesh and hundreds of thousands who have undergone various degrees of radicalization remain in the country as a potential pool of recruitment for violent mobilization. It is difficult to predict what could trigger a new cycle of escalation organization in Bangladesh) Makbul Hossain; bloggers Arif Jebtik, Sushanta Das Gupta, Arifur Rahman, Omi Rahman Pial, Ananya Azad, Mahmudul Haque Munshi, Maruf Rasul, Nirjhar Mazumder, Dr. Atik, Ashfak Anupa and Nur Nabi Dulal. Though the list also included Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy aka Niloy Neel (28), who was brutally killed at his flat in Dhaka city on August 7; the name was struck through with a red pen. The letter contains the threat in the form of a poem: "Death will come one day friend, today or tomorrow. For the sake of Almighty we will take the life of His enemies. What is your

ings. The succession of brutal killings of bloggers and surge of threats to people opposing radical ideologies are instances of such efforts. The emerging support base of these grouping among hitherto unattached section of the society is also worrisome. A measure of ambivalence, nevertheless, continues to tarnish Government responses. Thus, regrettably, urging the bloggers not to 'cross the limit' while writing on religious issues, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque, at a press briefing at the Police Headquarters in the capital Dhaka city on August 9, warned,

"Do not cross the limit. Do not hurt anyone's religious belief. The 'freethinkers' should keep in mind that hurting someone's religious sentiment is a criminal offence." A space yielded to the extremists by the Government has the potential to derail the success story against Islamist radicalism and terror in Bangladesh, and could provide fertile grounds for an extremist resurgence. Indeed, while the Government had succeeded in minimizing the threat from strong terrorist and extremist formations such as Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Hizb-utTahrir (HuT) and Hizb-ut-Towhid (HT), the subsequent failure to rein in fundamentalist elements has led to the growth of groups like ABT and Ansar-Al-Islam, and the spate of murders and wider intimidation these groups have unleashed. Indeed, on August 17, Tangail Superintendent of Police (SP) Mahfuzur Rahman, observing that, since the August 17 countrywide synchronized bombings by JMB, a new generation of terrorists had spawned, but there had been no change in Government tactics to deal with them. He noted, "The JMB doesn't have the organizational strength like that in 2005 following the arrest and execution of its top leaders. But it doesn't mean the organization has become very weak. The outfit is still active in different areas under different names. We need to monitor the elements whether they are in jails or outside, and fight them institutionally under a coordinated mechanism." The emergence of new groups demonstrate the speed with which violent extremists adapt to even to the most extraordinary pressures and changes in the security environment. The processes of Islamist entrenchment have been ongoing for decades in Bangladesh and hundreds of thousands who have undergone various degrees of radicalization remain in the country as a potential pool of recruitment for violent mobilization. It is difficult to predict what could trigger a new cycle of escalation. It is imperative, consequently, for Dhaka to fight through any complacency that may undermine the present resolve to wipe out extremism from the country. The writer is Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

India Post Development mantra

n a reverse order of things, spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayee of Kerala has donated Rs 100 crore to the Government of India for the construction of toilets under the Namami Gange and Swachh Bharat programs. She has promised another Rs 100-crore for the construction of toilets across Kerala. This is a unique gesture in which instead of asking the government for funds, a spiritual organization is funding the government. If the spiritual groups and the governments work together for common aims, there is hardly anything that cannot be achieved. And there is no need to hide our religion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not fight shy of demonstrating in public that he practices his own religion. Thus, the message is that everybody is free to practice his own religion. He has also demonstrated that as Indians we give respect to other religions as well. At a recently organized Hindu-Buddhist conference, he lauded the contribution of Buddhism in India as well as in the world. He has not followed the hypocrisy of previous prime ministers in hobnobbing with other religionists to prove their "secular" credentials. Swacch Bharat is part of the PM's project for development, an idea whose time, it seems, has come. It is also good to learn that the States are trying to outdo one another in trying to woo investment for development. Even in the States being ruled by opponents of the BJP, there is a rush to woo investors both from India as well as abroad. In Bihar, which faces an election next month, the agenda has turned on development thanks to Modi's championing it, as against the caste based calculations earlier. Even the Opposition alliance of Nitish Kumar's JD (U) is promising development. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal well known for having thrown out Tata's Nano car project from her State, is now pursuing investors, with promises of ease of doing business, a phrase borrowed from Modi's governance. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa called a meet of global investors in which she claimed deals worth Rs. one lakh crore were done. She also said the State had set an investment target of 250 billion USD in the infrastructure sector in the coming years. In UP, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced an ambitious IT city project in Lucknow which he says will not only provide job opportunities and better vocational training to the youths but also bring investments. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is aggressively wooing investors and has already toured China, Japan and Singapore bringing in promise of large scale investments. His government has cut down on the list of permissions attracting investors who have been frustrated by bureaucracy in neighboring States. The Odisha Government of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has unveiled a new industrial policy with plans to attract fresh investments of Rs1,73,000 crore in over four years. He is offering grants for private sector investments in both greenfield and brownfield infrastructure, subsidies in power tariff, training, capital investment and reimbursement of value-added tax, stamp duty exemption and land at concessional rates. BJP's own Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is on a high after securing multibillion dollar investments from firms like Foxconn, GM and Posco, beating many other states that were vying for the investment. Even Modi critic Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promised to do away with cumbersome regulations and procedures in order to woo industries at a gathering of potential investors, diplomats and delegates from India and abroad at the 4th Invest North organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to showcase untapped investment potential. There is a lesson in this for the Modi government. The Center should only initiate policies and let the Sates do the implementation as it has been forced to do in the case of land acquisition legislation. It is enough that the lamp that Modi has ignited has caught on all over India.

September 18, 2015

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