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US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

Geithner to travel to India next month Details on page 6

Did choppers on Osama mission cross into India?

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA

VOL 18, No. 940

September 21, 2012

50¢

Periodical Postage

BROWN SIGNS BILL TO ALLOW TURBANS Community responds with peace and unity rally

Vikram Sunderam

Indian-American chef enlisted in US diplomacy Details on page 5

India asks US to address parents' concerns Details on page 6

Details on page 6

Police release Gurdwara shooting video

Thein Sein to make first US trip as president

Details on page 7 Details on page 7

'Security at US missions in India being beefed up'

Kandahar hijack terrorist arrested in Kashmir

Details on page 8

Details on page 7

CONTENTS

Brtain drops Indian origin minister Details on page 8

INDIA POST SURVEY survey@indiapost.com This week’s question

Should the Federal govt follow Gov Brown’s initiative?

Last week’s result

Is China softening towards India?

YES 46%

NO 54%

Bollywood ---------------------- 34-35 Classifieds ------------------------- 47 Community Post -------------- 10-19

TWO OF THEM: California Governor Jerry Brown holds up the two bills after signing them into law in the presence of mover of one of the bills, Assembly Member Mariko Yamada of California’s 8th district, and Indians assembled from all over the country

Date Book -------------------------- 46 Edit Page --------------------------- 49 HealthScience Post --------- 36-39

The highlight of the event was California Governor Jerry Brown signing two bills to protect and extend civil liberSACRAMENTO: A peace and unity rally was organized ties in California. AB 1964 was introduced by Assembly in this capital city of California by North American Punjabi Member Mariko Yamada of California's 8th district, promotAssociation (NAPA) in association with Federation of ing openness by providing reasonable acIndian Associations (FIA), Fremont commodations to stop discrimination in Hindu Temple and many other organiInterview of Gov employment. This will allow Sikhs to zations to show Sikh community soliwear turbans and religious clothing at Brown on page 18 darity in the face of the August Sikh work places without fear of retribution. killings in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Details on page 17 RITU MAHESHWARI

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Horoscope ------------------------- 20 Immigration Post ------------- 40-42 Life Style ----------------------- 24-28 Philosophy ------------------------- 48 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 44-45 Sports Post ------------------------ 43 TechBiz Post ------------------- 21-23 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 29-31

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hen a company by virtue of selling its products begins to impact a country's overall economy, you know that there's more than just serious business happening here.

You may have guessed what I am talking about - Apple and its signature product, the iPhone. With the launch of iPhone5, Apple has arrived at a point where economists believe, it is likely to boost the US economy by adding some 0.33 percentage points to its GDP. Well, at least that is what J.P. Morgan analysts expect to see, according to Reuters.

The J.P. Morgan chief economist told Reuters that calculated using the socalled retail control method, sales of iPhone 5 could boost annualized GDP growth by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate.

Even if these analysts have got the better of themselves, it is intriguing how American enterprise, political vicissitudes apart, continues to define and redefine theory by capturing not only global markets in terms of sheer dollars, but also spawning sociological and cultural phenomena across the world.

Over the decades we have seen how products like Coke/Pepsi and Microsoft PCs have become so much a part of the lives of cultures all over the world that one no longer thinks of where these products come from. And then there have been the cultural phenomena like the domestically revered Oprah Effect in the US and the CNN Effect that have become part of academic studies in Universities around the world.

And now, the last decade has given the world yet another American phenomenon - Apple. So, what is it about the iPhone that consumers, whether in New York or New Delhi, exude the same fanatic enthusiasm in acquiring and owning an iPhone - sorry, let me correct that to owning the latest iPhone.

A lot of it defies logic. Sure it's the smartest phone ever made. Sure it looks good. Sure, it's a pioneering product. But, what makes it a cult phenomenon is perhaps now left to socio-cultural researchers to study.

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Bollywood: Love my work Ranbir Kapoor in a very diplomatic way tells the media to shut up and not interfere in his personal life.

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Cover Story: Turbans allowed California Governor Jerry Brown signs bill to allow Sikhs to wear turbans and religious clothing at work places.

Community: 89th birthday Over 700 members of Dallas Telugu Community celebrated the 89th birthday of movie star Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao

Health: Health care debate Mitt Romney said he would retain some popular parts of the new health care law he has pledged to repeal.

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Prof. Somasundaran elected Fellow of Royal Society of Canada India Post News Service

OTTAWA, CANADA: In a ceremony on November 17th in Ottawa, Professor Ponisseril Somasundaran will be inducted as one of the newest Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, the only one from outside Canada to be elected this year.

A member of the faculty of Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science since 1970, Dr. Somasundaran was named La von Duddleson Krumb Professor in 1983. He was the chairman of the Henry Krumb School from 1988 to 1992 and of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Material Science and Mining from 1992 to 1997 and is currently Director of the National Science Foundation I/UCR Center for Advanced Studies in Novel Surfactants and Langmuir Center for Colloids and Interfaces.

He was one of the youngest members to be elected in 1985 to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest possible distinction then in engineering in the U.S. He was also elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering (1998), Indian National Academy of Engineering (1999) and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (2000) and Balkan academy of science/Mineral Technology.

He was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian Government in 2010. He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2009.

The Alumni Association of

He has been honored in many countries. He was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the Central University of Technology of China, 1988-1993, and an Honorary Research Advisor at the Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy, Beijing, China, in 1991 Columbia University's Alumni Association and Asian Columbia Association presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding achievement and commitment to excellence in 2007.

He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1990 along with such recipients as the then President George Bush and four former presidents.

He is also the recipient of the Gaudin Award (1982), the Mill Man of Distinction Award (1983), the Publication Board Award (l980) the Richards Award (l987), the Taggart Award (1987) and the Henry Krumb Lecturer (1989) and is a Distinguished Member (1983) of SME, the "Most Distinguished Achievement in Engineering" award from AINA (1980) and the Engineering Foundation's Aplan Award (1992). He was honored as the only 1989 Distinguished Alumnus and the first Brahm Prakash Chair in 1990 from the Indian Institute of Science.

He has been honored in many countries. He was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the Central University of Technology of China, 1988-1993, and an Honorary Research Advisor at the Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy, Beijing, China, in 1991.

He has been a lecturer at many international symposiums. He was a keynote speaker and Honorary Chair at the International Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Conference in Beijing, China in July 2001, when he also met President Jiang Zemin.

He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,

the Fine Particle Society and the New York Academy of Sciences.

He is the author/editor of 15 books and close to 700 scientific publications and patents. He is the Honorary Editor-in-chief of

Dr. P. Somasundaran

the international journal "Colloids and Surfaces," the Editor-in-Chief of "The Encyclopedia of Surface and Colloid Science" and has served on many international, national and professional committees and National Research Council Panels, NSF research and advisory panels, DOI Advisory Panel and university research advisory panels. He served in the

Congress' 28th Environmental Advisory Committee (Congressman Gilman, Chair).

The Pan American Committee also awarded Prof. Somasundaran the title of Pan American Advisor for Mines, Metallurgy and Materials. He was the Chairman of the Board of the Engineering Foundation (1993-95) and has served on the board of the SME/AIME (1982-85).

He has been a consultant to NSF, NIH, United Nations, IBM, Duracell, Exxon, ColgatePalmolive, Union Carbide, B.F. Goodrich, LVMH, Nalco, Honeywell, Allied Signal, ALJ Corp, ISP, Pennwalt, Amoco, Unilever, etc.

His research interests are in surface and colloid chemistry, nanotechnology, applications for Enhanced Oil Recovery, flotation, dispersion, waste treatment, molecular interactions at surfaces using advanced spectroscopy, polymer, surfactant and protein adsorption and biosurface phenomena.

In the community, he served as member of the Piermont Planning Board and currently as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Citizen Advisory Committee, Board of the Volunteers in Service to Education in India, U.S. Congress 28th District Environmental Advisory Committee etc.

Clinton signs up Indian-American chef for diplomacy WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has roped in 80 top chefs including an Indian-American to work on "the oldest diplomatic tool" of cooking and improving America's foreign relations.

Vikram Sunderam, a Mumbai native and executive chef at Rasika, an Indian restaurant in Washington, has been anointed State Chef as part of the US State Department's Diplomatic Culinary Partnership initiative, the Washington Post reported.

The distinction of State Chef comes with a 'uniform' for chefs, a navy jacket with the American flag and their names embroidered in gold.

Sunderam had introduced local schoolchildren to "A Taste of India" at a cultural exchange at Blair House three years ago, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's state visit in November 2009.

More than 80 top-rated chefs

were inducted into the first American Chef Corps. "Food isn't traditionally thought of as a diplomatic tool. But I think it's the oldest diplomatic tool," Clinton said in a video played at the launch.

"Sharing a meal can help people transcend boundaries and build bridges in a way that nothing else can. Certainly some of the most meaningful conversations I've had with my counterparts all over the world have taken place over breakfasts, lunches and dinners," she said.

The State De-

Vikram Sunderam

partment plans to use the chefs to cook meals for visiting dignitaries and travel to US embassies abroad to help educate foreign audiences and host culinary experts from around the world in their US kitchens.

"They might meet with an embassy, cook a lunch, post blogs or [write] articles, speak at events," US Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall was quoted as saying by the paper The Diplomatic Culinary Partnership aims to "elevate the role of culinary engage-

ment in America's formal and public diplomacy efforts", the report said.

The names in the roster include Ming, Bloomfield and Washington-area chef Jose Andres, who cooked for the 50th anniversary of the department's Diplomatic Reception Rooms.

Other names include Bryan Voltaggio, the Maryland chef and runner up on TV's 'Top Chef' who prepared dinner for Japan's prime minister at the National Geographic Museum in April, and Rick Bayless of Chicago who cooked President Barack Obama's second state dinner for the Mexican president.

Washington Chef Mike Isabella, who gained fame on TV's 'Top Chef', is the first new State Chef to formally represent America's food culture abroad as a culinary ambassador. -PTI

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India asks US to address Geithner to travel to India next month parents' concerns NEW YORK: Indian authorities have requested the US State Department to address the concerns of an Indian couple, who have been given limited access to their one-year- old son after he underwent surgery for brain injury and are facing criminal probe for failing to take proper care of him.

The Consulate General of India here has taken up with the US authorities the case of the child, Indrashish Saha, son of Kolkata natives Debashish Saha and Pamela Saha.

The boy is currently in Children's Specialized Hospital, New Brunswick in New Jersey, and is being treated for injuries he sustained after he apparently fell from his bed at home last month.

Morris Country Prosecutors Office is also conducting a "criminal investigation" against the Sahas on how their son sustained the injuries.

According to a complaint filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, the court has determined that that the "removal of the child is necessary to avoid an ongoing risk to the life, safety or health of the child."

Indrashish is currently under the custody of child welfare services and the Sahas have been allowed to visit him only once a week under the supervision of the division or a division approved supervisor.

Saha conveyed to the Consulate General his concerns as well as those of his family "that the child has not yet been handed over to them," a Consulate statement said.

"The Consulate General has requested the US Department of State (Office of Foreign Missions) in New York to have the concerns of the parents addressed. The embassy of India in Washington has also taken up the matter with the US Department of State," it added.

Saha's wife had told the doctors that her son fell off the bed while playing and his head hit the floor, after which he became unconscious.

However, the doctors treating Indrashish as well as the welfare agency say that the little boy could not have sustained such serious injuries just by falling off a bed.

His medical condition indicates that he is suffering from "Shaken Baby Syndrome" and his injury is "a high energy injury," the doctors have said.

"Various doctors stated that

WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would travel to India early next month for the third round of high-level economic dialogue between the two countries, an official announcement said.

During this India trip that would revolve around the IndiaUS Economic Financial Partnership, Geithner would travel to Mumbai, besides New Delhi on October 9 and 10.

The visit was postponed early this year after the then Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, resigned to contest presidential elections.

This would be the first highlevel economic dialogue between India and the United States, after P Chidambaram took over as the Finance Minister, following the resignation of Mukherjee.

"The US-India Economic and Financial Partnership has served as a platform for greater cooperation on economic issues of importance to both nations," the Department of Treasury said in a

Debashish Saha and Pamela Saha and their son

the injuries Indrashish sustained were not consistent with the explanation that Debashish and Pamela Saha gave but were consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome," the complaint said.

"The child was abused/neglected in that his physical, mental or emotional condition has

Saha, who last saw his son on September 6, said he wants to send the child back to India where he has relatives who can take care of him. He said he does not have relatives in US been impaired or is in imminent danger of becoming impaired as the result of the failure of his parents to exercise a minimum degree of care and in supplying the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, medical or surgical care though financially able to do so or in providing the child with proper supervision or guardian-

ship by unreasonably inflicting or allowing to be inflicted harm...," the complaint said.

Saha has denied that he or his wife neglected their child and is seeking support from the Indian government to send Indrashish back to India.

The Sahas made their initial appearance in court on September 7 without a lawyer and the judge has set a date of September 14 when they would have to "show cause why an order should not be entered continuing the child under the care and supervision of the division and in the legal and physical custody of the division."

Saha, who last saw his son on September 6, said he wants to send the child back to India where he has relatives who can take care of him. He said he does not have relatives in US and does not want custody of his child to go to foster parents.

He is also looking for a lawyer to fight the case and said he has been in touch with the Consulate for help.

The child protection division said it has "concerns as to how Indrasish sustained his injuries" and so he should be kept in custody of the court to "safeguard" his health and life." -PTI

statement.

"Both countries recognize the importance of expanding bilateral economic engagement, noting the rapid growth of US-India economic ties and the increasing range of global macroeconomic and financial issues, including those related to illicit finance, on which the United States and India cooperate," Treasury Department said.

Geithner and Chidambaram would co-chair the third US-India Economic and Financial Partnership in New Delhi on October 9.

Later that day, Geithner will participate in a moderated discussion hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the US-India Business Council.

On October 10, Geithner will travel to Mumbai, the country's financial center, to meet with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Duvvuri Subbarao, as well as Indian business leaders from a variety of industries.

From India, Geithner would travel to Japan. -PTI

Did choppers on Osama mission cross into Indian air space?

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: popular US website Redstate, deThe flight path taken by two scribed as a leading conservative American MH-47 Chinook heli- news blog. This has set off a decopters to Abbottabad in Pakistan bate in the cyber world. to kill Osama bin Laden in May The blog states that "this aplast year has triggered a contro- parent use of Indian air space" versy with questions being raised raises questions including as to whether they flew over the whether the Indian government Indian air space. had advance knowledge about A just-published book, con- the Abbottabad mission and taining a first-hand account of the whether the US had sought and raid on the Al Qaida leader's hide- was granted permission to use out in the Pakistan garrison town near Islamabad, contains a The map shows the helicopmap showing the flight path of the two helicop- ters crossing Pakistan's ters after they took off eastern border with India from Jalalabad in Afghanistan in the dead before looping around and of the night on May approaching Abbottabad one.

The map shows the from the South East helicopters crossing Pakistan's eastern border with In- Indian air space. dia before looping around and Indian Air Force sources in approaching Abbottabad from the New Delhi dismissed this hypothSouth East. The book - 'No Easy esis and said the US helicopters Day: The Autobiography of a had not crossed into Indian air Navy SEAL' - is written by one of space at all. the US Navy SEALS Matt B Raman, a noted security exBissonnette, who participated in pert who retired as a senior officer the operation, using pseudonym of India's external intelligence "Mark Owen". agency RAW, has doubted Questions about whether the whether the helicopters would helicopters flew over the Indian have been flown into Pakistan via air space have been raised by a India.-PTI

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Police release video of Gurdwara shooting incident WASHINGTON: A dramatic video of the tragic Gurdwara shooting incident in Wisconsin has been released in which Wade Michael Page, the white supremacist who gunned down six Sikh worshippers, is shown on the rampage.

"He (Page) was on a mission and he had to be stopped," Oak Creek police officer, Sam Lenda, who shot at Page told reporters at a news conference in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, after the police released the portions of the video of officers responding to the August 5 shooting.

Police Lt Brian Murphy, a 21year officer, who had stopped to tend to a victim outside the temple, is also seen being ambushed by Page in the video as there was exchange of fire between the two.

Murphy who was injured during the incident is now recovering.

"There's no question in my mind that Lt Murphy prevented the gunman from taking more

lives," Lenda said.

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards told reporters that Murphy was hit by 15 bullets, not nine as reported earlier.

Twelve bullets struck Murphy, and three bullets struck his bulletproof vest, Edwards said.

At a joint news conference with the police, Oak Creek Mayor, Steve Scaffidi, praised the police officers and said that they handled

themselves in a professional and heroic manner.

The police are yet to determine the motive of Page for the shooting, who died of self-inflicted injuries.

The 40-year-old Page, an exarmy veteran, went on a shooting spree killing six Sikhs on August 5 at the Gurdwara, before dying of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

-PTI

Terrorist involved in Kandahar hijack arrested JAMMU: Top militant Mehrajuddin Wani, suspected to be involved in the 13-year-old Kandahar hijack case and having close links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, has been arrested in Kishtwar district by the Jammu and Kashmir police which said he was a "big catch".

Acting on inputs that he was traveling from Nepal to Kashmir, police arrested Mehrajjudin alias Javed Dand in Kishtwar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu Zone Dilbagh Singh told reporters here.

Mehrajuddin was among the first five militants who launched the militancy in J&K in 1987 and later crossed over to PoK in 1989 to get arms training and returned back after three months to start operations in the state, Singh said.

He belongs to militancy-hit Sopore town of north Kashmir and was a member of UJC, an umbrella group of several militant outfits and had close association with United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's D-company, he said.

During questioning, Mehrajuddin said that a diplomat of an unspecified embassy in Nepal was "deeply involved" in the 1999 hijacking of the Indian

Airlines aircraft (IC-814) to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

"Mehrajuddin told interrogators that a diplomat of an unspecified embassy (in Nepal) was

‘We suspect that Mehrajuddin's services have been used (in the hijacking). He knew about the hijacking - he was there (in Nepal) when the aircraft was hijacked in 1999,’ Singh said

deeply involved (in the hijacking)"."We are investigating all this", the IGP said, adding, "He is big catch for the security agencies".

"We suspect that Mehrajuddin's services have been used (in the hijacking). He knew about the hijacking - he was there (in Nepal) when the aircraft was hijacked in 1999," Singh said.

In Delhi, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said, "we have to confirm the reports. If correct, I congratulate the J and K police."

Police claimed that Mehrajuddin provided logistical support by giving fake travel documents to the five Pakistani men who hijacked IC-814 on December 24, 1999.- PTI

Thein Sein to make first US trip as president NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: the country for the first time since Myanmar leader Thein Sein is to she began her campaign for devisit the United States for the first mocracy - and long years of house time as president of the fast-re- arrest - under the junta two deforming nation, officials said after cades ago.

Washington waived visa restricSuu Kyi, who was elected to tions. parliament this year in a dramatic Thein Sein, who has ushered sign of Myanmar's reforms, will in a period of sweeping change travel Washington to receive the for Myanmar since nearly half a century of military rule ended last year, will travel to the US to attend a United Nations General Assembly.

"The president will visit the UN and US for three days," a Myanmar official told AFP, adding that the Myanmar leader is set to leave for the US on September 24.

US President Barack Obama last month ordered an exception to a visa ban on Myanmar's leaders to let Thein Sein travel freely during the UN summit.

The Myanmar president, who last attended the GenFile Photo of Thein Sein with Hillary Clinton eral Assembly in 2009 as prime minister under the previous Congressional Gold Medal as part junta regime, would otherwise of her visit. have been confined to a narrow The medal is the top honor bearea around the UN headquarters stowed by the US Congress, in New York. which voted to award it to Suu Thein Sein's visit to the US fol- Kyi in May 2008 when the proslows soon after opposition leader pect of her leaving Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi is set to visit looked remote. -AFP

SILVER MAN: London Paralympics high jump silver medalist Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda shows his medal on his arrival in Bengaluru on September 12

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Dreamliner to ply on domestic routes from Sept 19 NEW DELHI: Air India's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner will start flying on domestic routes from September 19, with the airline hoping that the fuel-efficient aircraft will bring back its good old 'Maharaja' days by saving costs.

With Air India implementing its turnaround and financial restructuring plans for several months now, the beleaguered national carrier has reported a cash surplus of Rs 48 crore between April and July against a cash deficit of Rs 586 crore during the same period last year.

"Dreamliner is an exciting plane. We hope that it will take Air India back to its good old 'Maharaja days'," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters here.

US manufacturer Boeing claims the Dreamliner consumes 15 -20 per cent less fuel than an aircraft of the same size, thus substantially reducing fuel costs which comprises 40 per cent of an airline's total operational costs.

"Dreamliner will start flying on domestic routes from September 19. The first flight will be on DelhiChennai route. Later on, six more destinations will be added. It will fly on international routes in winter," Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said.

Singh, along with former Civil Aviation ministers Shahnawaz

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh along with former ministers Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, MP Navin Jindal and others at the induction of the first Boeing 787 into Air India fleet in New Delhi on September 12

Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Congress MP Naveen Jindal, cut the ribbon to formally launch Air India's first Dreamliner at a function at the IGI airport.

With the government already committing to provide Rs 30,000 crore to the cash-strapped carrier, he said no more funds would be given to the airline which would now on have carry out aggressive cost-cutting measures to become competitive.

Air India would take deliveries

of five more B787s by the end of this year, seven in 2013, five in 2014, six in 2015 and three in 2016, he said, adding the airline would need to add more planes to expand its share in the domestic as well as international market.

"After the pilots strike, we have started to fly all destinations except Toronto, but we are not content with our market share. We need more aircraft but it is a long term plan and will be done after the approval of the Cabinet,"

Indian origin member of Cameron ministry dropped LONDON: The only Indian origin member of the British administration, Shailesh Vara, has been dropped in a reshuffle by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The last week's development has shocked the Indian community in the UK, who were expecting Vara, who was holding a rather junior position of assistant government whip, to be promoted.

Cameron's decision flies in the face of his recent speech at a Conservative Friends of India meeting in which he said: "When I look at the talent behind me I think we (the Conservatives) are going to be the first party to have a British Indian prime minister."

The two million people of Indian descent constitute the single largest ethnic minority group in Britain.

Yet, it has no representation in government, despite there being four Indian-origin Conservative MPs. Vara, who sacrificed a promising solicitor's career, was reelected to the House of Commons

Singh said, adding Air India has set up a committee to look into its future aircraft requirement.

"For the first time since the

much as Rs 268 crore compared to the same period last year.

Despite the recent pilots' strike that caused a 17 per cent reduction in Air India's capacity, the airline posted an increase of 6.5 per cent in passenger load for the period of April-August, he said.

Air India's revenue on the domestic network increased by 33 per cent between April and August.

"It is an increase of Rs 531 crore," Singh said, adding the airline also posted an increase of over 25 per cent in yield from Rs 3.43 per passenger kilometers in 2011 to Rs 4.29 per passenger-km between the same period this year.

Speaking about reinstatement of pilots who were sacked following the strike, he said, of the total 413 pilots, 316 had reported sick en-masse and have been taken back.

"Out of remaining 97 pilots whose services were terminated, 50 have been recommended for

‘After the pilots strike, we have started to fly all destinations except Toronto, but we are not content with our market share. We need more aircraft but it is a long term plan and will be done after the approval of the Cabinet’ 2007 merger, Air India has made a cash surplus of Rs 48 crore during April-July. The net losses of Air India during this period have reduced by Rs 557 crore," the minister said.

The airline's expenses also dropped by 4.4 per cent in the same period, coming down by as

reinstatement, five were not found suitable for reinstatement while the case of remaining 42 was still under consideration," he said.

The national carrier in July, 2012 had formed a three- member committee to look into the issue of reinstating 101 sacked pilots. PTI

'Security at US missions in India being beefed up'

Shailesh Vara

from his Cambridgeshire constituency in 2010 with an increased majority.

He commanded more than 50 per cent of the votes; and is the senior most of the Indian MPs. After the Labor party lost and the Conservatives formed a coalition with Liberal Democrats two years ago, it was widely expected

that Vara would at least be made a middle ranking minister of state.

Far from this, he has now been omitted from a government post altogether.

President of the Indian Overseas Congress, D L Kalhan said "it is unfortunate that in spite of his good work Sailesh Vara has been dropped from the ministry." -PTI

NEW DELHI: Security at US embassy here and four of its consulates across India is being tightened following killing of a top American diplomat in Libya and a protest at its mission in neighboring Egypt.

"We have directed beef up of security at all US missions in the country," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters here.

Apart from its embassy in New Delhi, the United States has four consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The five US diplomatic missions are considered 'high risk' category buildings and are being provided round-the- clock security including monitoring of in-

gress and egress of every individual.

The directive to beef up security has come in the wake of American ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other embassy staff being killed in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

They were killed when protesters angry over a film deemed offensive to Islam attacked the American consulate there last night.

The Benghazi incident followed a protest in neighboring Egypt where protesters surrounded the US embassy in Cairo, some of them climbing up the walls and tearing down the American flag, to protest the film. -PTI

Top Stories

September 21, 2012

India Post

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OIFC to facilitate 'business partnerships' has built a one-stop shop for Overseas Indians. OIFC's success NEW DELHI: The first meeting includes the "query addressal" of of the Overseas Indian Facilitation over 10,000 Overseas Indians; 21 Centre (OIFC) Governing Council Diaspora Engagement Meets confor the year 2012-13 was convened ducted in Africa, Asia, the Caribon August 22 in New Delhi. It was bean, Europe, the Middle East, chaired by Parvez Dewan, Secre- North America and South East tary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Asia; networking between more Affairs (MOIA) and Co-Chaired than 12,000 overseas Indians and

by Chandrajit Banerjee, Director Indian companies through the General, Confederation of Indian OIFC's online business networking portal.

Industry (CII).

The meeting decided that the OIFC serves as a focal point to OIFC should reach out to the target groups of global Indians having the ability and the willingness to invest in India; strategise and guide the process of catalysing 'business Ravi Batra, recently appointed to a 2-year term of GC of partnerships' OIFC by Government of India (GOI) between Indian Industry create linkages between the and overseas Indians; help in Diaspora and India. In the last five identification of appropriate stakeyears, the Ministry through OIFC holders and suggestions to India Post News Service

Jeet Thayil on Man Booker short list LONDON: Indian writer Jeet Thayil's first novel 'Narcopolis', described as a compelling tale of Mumbai's hazy world of opium addiction, has made it to the six-author short list for the Man Booker Prize 2012.

Apart from 53-year-old Keralaborn Thayil, authors on the short list are Deborah Levy, Hilary Mantel, Alison Moore, Will Self and Tan Twan Eng. The winner will be announced on October 16 at London's Guildhall during a live telecast on the BBC. Announcing the short list, the judges praised the powerful language and artistry displayed in the six books, whose common themes include old age, memory and loss.

The six books are: Tan Twan Eng (The Garden of Evening Mists), Deborah Levy (Swimming Home), Hilary Mantel (Bring up the Bodies), Alison Moore (The Lighthouse), Will Self (Umbrella)

and Jeet Thayil (Narcopolis).

The short list includes first novels by two authors: Jeet Thayil and Alison Moore.

Of the six authors, two have previously been linked to the prize.

Hilary Mantel won the prize in 2009 with Wolf Hall, the first of

Indian writer Jeet Thayil

her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, and was longlisted in 2005 for Beyond Black. Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng was longlisted for the prize in 2007 with his debut novel, The Gift of Rain.

Four novelists, including Will Self, a radical of contemporary literature, appear on the list for the first time. -PTI

Chairman Dewan conducting a meeting of the GC of OIFC in New Delhi, India on August 22

incentivise and facilitate linkages emerging through the OIFC platform and recommend policies for effective awareness of OIFC services to the target sections of the Indian Diaspora.

Parvez Dewan welcomed the new and old Governing Council members, and all invitees to the meeting. Chandrajit Banerjee informed the members that OIFC celebrated its fifth anniversary in May 2012 and extended his sin-

cere gratitude to the members of the OIFC Governing Council, State Governments, Knowledge Experts and Indian Diaspora Associations who have lent their support to OIFC over this period.

The Council has three members each from Government of India represented by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Fi-

65 years after India's freedom, UK to scrap 'raj' era laws LONDON: As debate continues and the latest of 1942 - and reflect in India about using laws drawn the challenge of constructing and up during the 'raj' - such as apply- maintaining one of the largest railing the sedition act to a cartoon- way networks in the world across ist - Britain is in the process of vast distances in British India. scrapping as many as 38 acts reThe sources said the procelated to Indian Railways that were dure for such a repeal bill involves enacted between 1849 and 1942. a hearing before a joint committee The laws have remained on the of both Houses. statute books in Britain even That procedure has the effect though India gained freedom in of shortening the parliamentary 1947. process.

The 38 acts related to Indian Railways are part of a cull being carried The sources said the proceout of several old pieces dure for such a repeal bill of legislation considered involves a hearing before a "as being spent, obsolete, unnecessary or joint committee of both otherwise not now of Houses.That procedure has practical utility".

Law Commission the effect of shortening the sources told PTI that the parliamentary process 38 acts related to Indian Railways are contained in the Statute Law (Repeals) Bill, The bill is expected to reach and that the Ministry of Justice will the statute book by the end of this present it to Parliament in the on- year, the sources added. going session next month.

The 38 acts include those enThe scrapping of the acts is acted during the rule of the East due to completed by the end of India Company and later when the this year. governance of India was taken The 38 acts relate to the con- over by the British Crown after struction and maintenance of the India's first war of independence railways network in India during in 1857, and the railway network British rule - the first dated 1849 came under state control. -PTI

nance: and Ministry of External Affairs, eminent Overseas Indians - Jose Parayanken (Mozambique), Mr Yusuff Ali M.A. (UAE) and Mr Ravi Batra (USA) and senior representatives from Indian Industry with a term of 2 years. There were special invitees from the Department of Disinvestment, Government of India and from OIFC's Partner states Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab.

Dold decries attack on US Ambassador VANDANA JHINGAN

Robert Dold

CHICAGO: US Congressman Robert Dold condemned in no certain manner the violent attack on the person of US Ambassador J Christopher Stevens by misguided elements in Libya. In a statement to the press he said, "There is no justification for the murder of the U.S. Ambassador in Libya, and I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms.

As Americans, we stand for freedom of expression - this violent act of terror stands in direct opposition to the freedom and liberty that we champion throughout the world. My thoughts and prayers are with Ambassador Stevens' family, and the families of the three other Americans killed in the attack."

Desi News IADO's 33nd Annual Dinner on Sept 23 RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: IndoAmerican Democratic Organization (IADO) has slated its annual dinner on Sunday, September 23 at Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore at 5-30 pm.

IADO, a political outfit of Indian American community believing in democratic values, has been aiding the political empowerment for the Indian American community for the past 33 years. It was founded in 1980 with the aim of being a unified voice for the Indian American community and to encourage Indian Americans to participate in the political process.

Details on page 13

Anila Sinha Foundation to present 'Taleem' MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: Anila Sinha Foundation (ASF) jointly with Kathak Nrityakala Kendra has announced a dance performance "Taleem" at Schaumburg Prairie Center for Arts in Schaumburg, a northwest Chicago suburb, on September 23 at 5 pm.

Dr Birendra Sinha, President ASF, said that this will show the journey of the students through various stages of their learning.

In this program, students will showcase what they have learnt during the previous years. It will include the depth of knowledge, the technical ability and choreography. "This event which is free and open to all, is worth seeing for the beginners as well as the accomplished students," Dr Sinha added.

Details on page 14

Manglorean Christians celebrate Monthi Fest

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Details on page 17

10 India Post

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September 21, 2012

TANA celebrates 89th birthday of 'Nata Samraat' Dr. ANR ANGELA LEE

DALLAS, TX: Over 700 members of Dallas Telugu Community gathered at the Marriott Hotel at Legacy in Plano, TX on Saturday, September 8 to celebrate the 89th birthday of legendary South Indian movie star "Padma Vibhushan" & "Dada Saheb Phalke" awardee Dr. Akkineni

A large contingent of TANA team consisting of current and past office bearers, trustees, nominated committee chairpersons and other dignitaries joined on the stage to felicitate Dr. ANR with TANA Lifetime Achievement Award along with a beautifully designed memento to the glory of all ANR fans around the world Nageswara Rao under the aegis of Telugu Association of North America (TANA).

Dr. ANR was warmly welcomed at DFW Airport by several local prominent Telugu community

Members of Telugu community felicitating Padma Vibhushan Dr A Nageswara Rao

members and was brought in a convoy led by motor-bike riding security entering the premises in an exquisitely decorated horsedrawn buggy.

The "Evergreen Hero" with over 255 movies to his credit over an 80-year span entered the venue with Vedic priests chanting Vedic hymns and mellifluous "Nadaswaram" music.

Dr. ANR joined Harish Parvataneni, the new Consul General of India, Houston who opened

the ANR photo exhibition with 89 exhibits. Invited guests included CM Ramesh (Member of Parliament), Dr. Subbarao Anumolu, Chowdhary Yalamanchili and Dr. Jayaram Naidu.

Prasad Thotakura, TANA President, introduced the Chief Guest Dr. ANR. An inaugural dance was performed by the Suri sisters to a welcome song specially penned by music director Veenapani followed by an enthralling "ring" (hoola-hoop) dance by an upcom-

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: The Mangalorean Konkan Christian Association (MKCA) celebrated Monthi Festival, its annual event, this time at Courtland Community Hall of Des Plaines, Illinois.

This event signifies the pure and simple love and devotion of Mother Mary in accepting the heavenly call and sharing her life towards betterment of human race. Traditionally, this event also signifies the unity and nurturance among the kith and kin by offering the new crop to the Creator and partake it with family.

The program was well attended by Christians around Illinois.

Details on page 16

Brown signs bills to allow turbans at workplace, teaching of Sikh religion

Dr Nageswara Rao with other awardees

ing dancer Ambica Javvadi. Dr. CR Rao and Dr. Srinivas A. Reddy followed with their personal experiences with Dr. ANR recalling their long-time association.

A DVD presentation on Movie Life & Times of Dr. ANR, produced exclusively by SV Rama Rao, a well-known movie writer from Hyderabad, was shown to the audience followed by a brief speech by its producer.

Cont’d on page 12

Community Across America

September 21, 2012

India Post 11

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Alternative approach to health through TM CARLA BROWN

CHICAGO: Having the right instruction in meditation can make a world of difference in the results, according to National Institute of Mental Health researcher and psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal.

Dr. Rosenthal was in Chicago from September 5 to 7 and addressed three different gatherings on the impact of Transcendental Meditation. He addressed an audience of 200 at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center Wednesday September 5, spoke on Thursday September 6 with staff and students at Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola, and talked with health care and other professionals as a guest of the Chicago Lakeshore Hospital during Friday September 7 luncheon.

Dr. Rosenthal, a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School, was initially very skeptical about the effectiveness of the Transcendental MeditationÂŽ technique for beating stress and anxiety. After examining the research, however, he said, "I came to scoff, but I remained to pray."

"Having witnessed mental and spiritual anguish of many hundreds of people, I find the potential clinical power of this technique amazing," said Dr. Rosenthal. He pointed out that the current epidemic of stress has resulted in cardiovascular disease as well as in psychiatric conditions.

He described his research examining the

Transcendental Meditation program resulting in hard evidence not seen with other meditation techniques. He cited improvements in cardiovascular health, reduced drug, alcohol and tobacco use, and studies showing significant reductions in health

Norman Rosenthal

care costs and utilization resulting from twice daily Transcendental Meditation practice.

Economic challenges, the feeble job market and information overload, not to mention the drought, conspire to stretch people

to the breaking point. Everyone is experiencing some degree of stress and anxiety in their lives. In fact, the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) estimates that 40

He is a proponent of alternative therapies for treating anxiety and depression, including PTS experienced by veterans. Dr. Rosenthal also described National Institutes of Health-funded research on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cardiovascular health. A nine-year clinical trial at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee found that people with heart disease experienced a 47% reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke or death million adults, one in seven, have some type of anxiety disorder.

In his book on Transcendence, which is now available in paperback, he writes in

great detail about the technique and his own experience. The book is a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller. He has also penned another book Winter Blues. Dr. Rosenthal led a team that discovered "Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)" and pioneered the use of light therapy to treat it.

Both books are now being released in new paperback editions.

He is a proponent of alternative therapies for treating anxiety and depression, including PTS experienced by veterans. Dr. Rosenthal also described National Institutes of Health-funded research on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cardio-vascular health. A nine-year clinical trial at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee found that people with heart disease experienced a 47% reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke or death. A meta-analysis detailing this work will be published within a month.

Doctors and therapists who have benefited over many years from the technique themselves refer their patients to Transcendental Meditation, commenting that once their patients have learned, transformation can occur. Two such local doctors are featured in Dr. Rosenthal's book.

Heart surgeon and TV health guru Dr. Mehmet Oz recently offered the TM technique to his staff, with striking results. Dr. Oz wrote the foreword of Transcendence.

AAPI's nine-city musical tour by Shreya Ghoshal India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The much anticipated Multi-City Musical Program

by Shreya Ghoshal, the top Bollywood singer, is all set to roll across the United States, starting with Charlotte, NC on Friday, September 21. The spectacular musical program combined with educational and networking opportunities is being organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI) with

Atlanta, GA on September 30; Washington DC on October 5 and Dallas, TX on October 6. The grand finale of the exciting Tour will be on October 7 in San Jose, CA. Shreya Ghoshal's voice mesmerized viewers when she first appeared on the popular musical contest TVS SaReGa Ma a decade ago. Subsequently, she became a household name after her Bollywood debut in Sanjay Bhansalij's famous movie Devdas, where she rendered her voice to

Dr. Dhingra, who has close relationship with the Entertainment Industry, worked with Shri Balaji Entertainment in the signing of the contract for Shreya and her team to present an evening of cultural entertainment in each of these nine cities the objective of bringing CME and non-CME sponsored medical lectures, exhibits, gala dinner, community outreach talks and lively musical nite in each of the nine cities across the country.

Shreya and her troupe will perform at the famous Colden Center in Queens, NY on September 22; Columbus, OH on September 23; Orlando Florida on September 28; Houston, TX on September 29;

Paro. The talented young artist and youth icon has worked in more than 180 films and is the recipient of numerous National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards in a very short span. She has won the hearts of millions by singing in Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi & other languages, and is among the few con-

Shreya Ghoshal

temporary singers who makes music an emotional experience.

With AAPI leading the efforts to have her perform across the United States, music lovers around the United States will get to listen and enjoy the melodious voice of the Melody Queen. "It all began with the idea of strengthening the relationship between the AAPI Chapters and national office," says Dr. Narendra Kumar, President of AAPI. "The concept of this program is to bring together various local chapters closer has been in my mind for several years.

Drs. Jayesh Shah, Ravi Jahagirdar

and Hemant Dhingra enthusiastically received this idea and the net result of our collaboration and dialogue is the Multi-City Tour."

Describing the process leading to the Tour, Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, Vice-President of AAPI, recalls, "Realizing that it takes a lot of coordination and tremendous effort, we were successful in involving over two dozen AAPI office-bearers of various Chapters and Executive Committee members. Each of them was willing to give $10,000 of his/her personal money as seed money to put the program together at zero risk and no cost to AAPI,

while committing to have the funds raised would be given to AAPI, the local Chapters, and the many philanthropic endeavors organized by AAPI and its Charitable Foundation."

Dr. Dhingra, who has close relationship with the Entertainment Industry, worked with Shri Balaji Entertainment in the signing of the contract for Shreya and her team to present an evening of cultural entertainment in each of these nine cities.

"Entertainment was only just one component of the entire program," Dr. Kumar adds. The idea is to put together mini seminars, networking and strengthening the relationship between members and the national office. "Due to popular demand from several physicians on the need for enhancing scientific component at AAPI meetings and allowing greater number of members to participate, AAPI has now pioneered the first series of nine multi-city programs to make it easy for physicians to participate locally avoiding extensive travel and time away from practice," he explains.

In its efforts, AAPI has been joined by the Indo-American Psychiatric Association in America and the Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin.

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Community Across America

September 21, 2012

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TANA celebrates 89th birthday of 'Nata Samraat' Dr. ANR his movies were played to the hearts' content of the attendees.

During this current USA trip, Dr. ANR recognized a total of 89 NRIs for their contributions from various walks of life which include several academicians, social workers, entrepreneurs and

Iftekhar Shareef from Chicago was notably honored with a golden-laced fabric shawl and sandalwood garland placed upon him

by Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao in recognition of his contribution to the Indian Diaspora and for his steadfast benefactorship to the

During this current USA trip, Dr. ANR recognized a total of 89 NRIs for their contributions from various walks of life which include several academicians, social workers, entrepreneurs and business persons across USA. He has delivered such recognitions to 49 people during the prior three meeting venues: New York/New Jersey; Detroit and St. Louis Dr Nageswara photo exhibition being opened by Indian CG in Houston Harish Parvataneni Cont’d from page 10

A large contingent of TANA team consisting of current and past office bearers, trustees, nominated committee chairpersons and other dignitaries joined on the stage to felicitate Dr. ANR with TANA Lifetime Achievement Award along with a beautifully designed memento to the glory of all ANR fans around the world.

A commemorative poem written

by Veenapani, extolling the virtues of Dr. ANR in symbolic 89 verses in Telugu was read out. Students from Natyanjali Dance Academy danced to this specially composed music. Following this, Dr. ANR released the logo, TANA title song and theme for the upcoming 19th TANA Conference in Dallas (May 24-26, 2013) focusing on Language, Service, Tradition and Progress.

For the first time in the world, TANA in collaboration with Golden line Corporation (Atlanta,

Georgia) released a limited edition (symbolic 89 pieces) commemorative coin bearing the image of young Dr. ANR on one side and TANA logo on the reverse with extensive sleeve notes on Dr. ANR's background and TANA. Dr. ANR's birthday was celebrated in a new way by lighting up 89 candles instead of blowing candles and toasting payasam instead of cutting a birthday cake.

Dr. ANR in his acceptance speech recognized several great personalities who have contributed to his long and cherished life and experiences while thanking all the people who helped make this event such a grand success.

Dr. ANR said "During the times when artistes who act in dramas and movies were considered ineligible for any awards or felicitations, I was born in a remote village. Over the last eighty years I have paid my best and won many an award in my acting career against stiff competition from

highly experienced and talented actors across India."

"While all those awards and accolades gave me a great sense of achievement, today's showering of all this immense love and outpouring of affection by all of you I deem it as the ultimate gift to me for which I will be always grateful to you. What else can I offer to all of you - my dear fans for conferring this great honor

business persons across USA. He has delivered such recognitions to 49 people during the prior three meeting venues: New York/ New Jersey; Detroit and St. Louis. The final 40 recipients chosen from rest of the states including Texas, Oklahoma, California etc. were presented with the citations during this event.

The program concluded with Ram Yalamanchili thanking Sponsors and all the supporters.

Telugu communities in the United States. Keerthi Kumar Ravoori of Chicago joined Iftekhar Shareef in honoring the doyen actor.

In a statement, Iftekhar said "receiving honor from a legendary actor Akkenni Nageswara Rao is a very humbling experience as I have grown up admiring him as one of the reigning actor watching some of his movies and beautiful songs over television and radio."

He recalled with great fond-

Indian American community activist from Chicago Iftekhar Shareef (first from L) being honored along with Dr Nageswara, Keerthi Ravoori and a guest are on the right side of Dr Nageswara Rao.

and birthday gift other than to be born again in next life as an actor and bring happiness to you all to pay back!"

The guests were treated to a sumptuous dinner by Our Place restaurant with traditional Andhra delicacies, as the hit songs from

Iftekhar Shareef honored Among the distinguished Telugu NRIs honored by the Telugu Association of North America [TANA] at this event,

ness meeting and interacting with Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Hyderabad and revealed the depth of the human spirit and nobility he embodies. He thanked Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao for honoring him among the many Telugu luminaries.

AAPI's nine-city musical tour by Shreya Ghoshal Cont’d from page 11

The Seminars and workshops will be led by accomplished faculty of leading cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and psychiatrists. Each of the nine medical educational programs is expected to have an audience of 250-

400 physicians, which will be followed by annual gala event and entertainment with an expected 2,500+ audience at each location.

"Many of our industry partners liked this concept where they could get prime time with a few hundred doctors for product promotion/theater, non CME lectures,

exhibits, booths," Dr. Jayesh Shah, President-Elect of AAPI, says.

"These multi-city mini-seminars are a novel concept for education and recreation that will raise funds for the local chapters of AAPI, the national AAPI and the AAPI Charitable Foundation."

Community Across America

September 21, 2012

India Post 13

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IADO's 33nd Annual Dinner on Sept 23 RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: IndoAmerican Democratic Organization (IADO) has slated its annual dinner on Sunday, September 23 at Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore at 5-30 pm.

IADO, a political outfit of Indian American community believing in democratic values, has been aiding the political empowerment

on various issues affecting the Indian community like changes in immigration laws to make them fairer, ending job discrimination, inducing greater participation of the community in mainstream politics and working to improve the representation of Indian Americans in government.

"We have been successful in registering tens of thousands of Indian Americans to vote, con-

We have been successful in registering tens of thousands of Indian Americans to vote, conducted candidate forums during election years, provided endorsements for candidates: Harendra Mangrola for the Indian American community for the past 33 years. It was founded in 1980 with the aim of being a unified voice for the Indian American community and to encourage Indian Americans to participate in the political process.

IADO has lobbied the government

ducted candidate forums during election years, provided endorsements for candidates and worked on numerous campaigns for candidates running for local, state, and federal office. We were early advocates for "hate crime" legislation and will pursue the cause

IADO President Harendra Mangrola (third from left) with former president Dr Ram Gajjela (second from left) with Chicagoland elected officials

even further in the light of recent events involving members of our community," said Harendra Mangrola, IADO President.

"On Sunday, September 23, IADO will be hosting its 33rd An-

nual Banquet at the Holiday Inn Chicago in Skokie, and we expect a sizeable participation of elected officials of the government at local State and Federal level," Mangrola said. Doors open at

5:30pm with dinner beginning at 6:30pm. Invited speakers include: U. Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Lt. Col. Tammy Duckworth, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, and others.

Sikh leaders discuss crucial issues at Charlotte meet

Harpreet Singh, Director, Legislative Affairs United Sikhs talking about participation in political process India Post News Service

CHARLOTTE, NC: Sikhs leaders from California, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia got together in Charlotte to discuss important Sikh civil and human rights issues. The delegation of twenty Sikh delegates from CA and NY

Jasdeep Singh community leader from California raising issues of school bullying

met with over forty community leaders representing different parts of NC, SC and GA. The objective of the town hall session was to identify and share issues that will be presented during upcoming Sikh Summit scheduled on Oct 1st - 5th in Washington DC.

Gurdip Singh from New York talking about his participation in Sikh Summit in previous years

Key issues impacting the Sikh community in the United States after 9/11, especially following the Wisconsin shooting, were discussed. There was also an opportunity to hear about the collective action the California community had taken to address those issues.

Top issues that were identified and dis-

cussed included curriculum changes in schools, school bullying, hate crime tracking, human rights, employment discrimination, increasing awareness about Sikh identity, counting Sikh as an independent category in the next census, need for community collaboration and hiring of Sikhs in army and other uniformed

IDCA international conference at IIT Wheaton SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: India Development Coalition of America (IDCA) is holding its Tenth International Conference on "Working Together for Poverty Eradication and Climate Change Mitigation in India" October 6-7 at IIT's Rice Campus in Wheaton, Illinois.

The conference will bring together like-minded nonprofit organizations, UNDP, and activists from India, Canada, and US to share good practices and facilitate meaningful action on issues such as water management, sustainable

livelihoods, health care, education, rural development, and alternative energy. Through panel discussions and presentations, participants will learn about the latest development projects being done by non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Indians in these fields.

There will also be plentiful opportunities to network with eminent businesspeople, social workers and community organizers, and to learn from the experiences of students from universities such as DePaul, University of Iowa, Illi-

nois University, and others.

Key Speakers Include: Mrs. Mukta Dutta Tomar, CGI -Chicago; Dr. Ramesh Jalan, Chief, Climate Change Solution Exchange, UNDP, New Delhi; Prof. Ashok Malhotra, Founder Ninash Foundation, NY; Dr. Terry Papneja, President, AIM for Seva, Toronto; Dr. Molly Smith, Executive Director, Pratham, USA, TX; Mrs. Parul Sheth, Co Founder, Saishava Sansthan, Bhavnagar, Gujarat; Mr. Jay Sehgal, Exe. V.P, The Sehgal Family Foundation, IA; Ms.

Rajasvini Bhansali, Exe. Director, IDEX, CA; Prof. Sree N. Sreenath, Sewa International, OH; Dr. Terry Papneja, Canada; Dr. Molly Smith, Tx; Dr. Ramesh Jalan, UNDP India's economy has been growing at an average rate of nearly 8% over the past few years, second only to China. Despite its status as an emerging economic power, India ranks a meager 134th in the UNDP's Human Development Index and continues to have more people living in poverty than any other country.

With its booming economy and ever rising population, India faces tremendous environmental challenges, including air pollution, water scarcity and contamination, and soil and forest degradation. In response, governmental and nongovernmental organizations are making tremendous efforts to tackle the extreme poverty that persists in India and to form an environmental perspective and framework to put India on a path to sustainable development.

Community Across America

14 India Post

September 21, 2012

www.indiapost.com

Anila Sinha Foundation to present 'Taleem' MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: Anila Sinha Foundation (ASF) jointly with Kathak Nrityakala Kendra has announced a dance performance "Taleem" at Schaumburg Prairie Center for Arts in Schaumburg, a northwest Chicago

At present there are three teaching centers in Chicago land area - Elk Grove Village, Libertyville, Naperville. Soon there will be a branch in Chicago downtown. The students are trained in classical Kathak dance, choreography and stagecraft along with the associate subjects, Hindustani vocal and Tabla suburb, on September 23 at 5 pm.

Dr Birendra Sinha, President ASF, said that this will show the journey of the students through various stages of their learning.

Dr Birendra Sinha, ASF President

In this program, students will showcase what they have learnt during the previous years. It will include the depth of knowledge, the technical ability and choreography. "This event which is free and open to all, is worth seeing for the beginners as well as the accomplished students," Dr Sinha added.

Ms Anila Sinha, a great exponent of Kathak dance

ASF, an Academy of Kathak dance and music is a not for profit organization established in 1998 in memory of Mrs. Anila Sinha, who was a highly accomplished Kathak dancer and promoter of Indian classical arts.

The foundation has dedicated its activities to the promotion of North Indian classical music and dance, mainly Kathak.

At present there are three teaching centers in Chicago land area - Elk Grove Village, Libertyville, Naperville. Soon there will be a branch in Chicago downtown. The students are trained in classical Kathak dance, choreography and stagecraft along with the associate subjects, Hindustani vocal and Tabla.

North South Foundation Indonesia stops show offensive to Hindus marks 20 years of Bees MADHU PATEL

ASHOK JAIN

ANN ARBOR, Mich: The University of Michigan and an Illinois based no profit body North South Foundation (NSF) hosted more than 1,200 of tomorrow's scientists, professors, mathematicians and business leaders at the Foundation's 20th Annual National Academic Championships Aug. 18-19.

The tournament was the final step for young Indian-American bee winners from across the United States, in categories such as spelling, vocabulary, geography, math, science, essay writing,

dedicated volunteers.

The annual competition draws students from elementary school through high school, competing for scholarship money and the recognition of their peers NSF students consistently win major national competitions, including the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee and National Geographic Bee. NSF students have also made it to the MATHCOUNTS Competition and National Science Bowl finals.

NSF established in 1989 and

This year's local tournaments were held in March, April and May. The regional Bees drew over 15,000 contestants vying for the chance to compete at the national level.

National Finals were organized by the Detroit and Ann Arbor chapters public speaking and brain bee.

NSF organizes educational contests at 85 chapters across the U.S. that are designed to encourage academic excellence among Indian-American children. This year's local tournaments were held in March, April and May. The regional Bees drew over 15,000 contestants vying for the chance to compete at the national level. National Finals were organized by the Detroit and Ann Arbor chapters with the participation of over 250

entirely run by volunteers, has as its mission to develop human resources by giving scholarships to brilliant but needy students in India entering college, regardless of religion, gender, caste or creed; promote excellence in human endeavor by organizing educational contests for children in the United States; and help people achieve success by giving hope to those who may have none. The foundation has awarded over 7,800 college scholarships so far.

CHICAGO: Indian Americans, mostly from the Hindu community, have welcome the news emanating from Indonesia that a major Indonesian broadcaster has cancelled one of its prime Ramadan TV shows after angry protests from Balinese Hindus.

The historical drama series Sembilan Wali was commissioned to run throughout the Muslim fasting month, and features fictionalized adventures of the so-called "Wali Songo," the "Nine Saints" said to have brought Islam to Java.

Indonesian broadcasters traditionally commission dramas and soap operas with an Islamic theme as part of their Ramadan programming schedules.

This serial earned the ire of many Balinese Hindus, who complained about its allegedly negative and historically inaccurate portrayal of the Hindu Majapahit Kingdom.

Official protests were lodged with the Bali Legislative Council by various organizations, including the Indonesian Hindu Dharma Students Union, the Indonesian Institute of Hindu Dharma and the Parisadha Hindu Dharma Indonesia, as well as by individual religious leaders.

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) head Komang Suarsana said that the series' portrayal of the Hindu Majapahit forces as evil, and its scenes of violent clashes between Muslims and Hindus, were both historically

inaccurate and had the potential to incite religious hatred. "The story has the potential to create interfaith disharmony," he said.

"The Bali branch of the KPI expressly requests that the series be halted because of its harassment and defamation of the Hindu religion and its symbols. This series is against the basic teachings of

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) head Komang Suarsana said that the series' portrayal of the Hindu Majapahit forces as evil, and its scenes of violent clashes between Muslims and Hindus, were both historically inaccurate and had the potential to incite religious hatred Hinduism," Suarsana said.

"In the story, Hindu leaders are always synonymous with wickedness, and Islam is synonymous with purity and so on."

Several Hindu members of the Bali Regional Assembly said that if Indosiar refused to stop broadcasting the series then their broad-

casts should be suspended in Bali.

After initial complaints and official warnings, Indosair did not respond, but later Indosiar officials met with members of KPI and the Bali Legislative Council in Jakarta and agreed to halt the broadcasts.

The station made an official apology to all Hindus for any offence caused, and agreed to cease broadcasting the show.

Suarsana welcomed the move.

"We want to thank Indosiar for obeying the regulation set by the KPI," he said.

Chicago Hindus welcomed the actions of Balinese Hindu brethren for their efforts to stand up protecting their rights. Unfortunately whenever, for whatever reasons, Hindus remained submissive, the proselytizing religions like Christianity and Islam took advantage of their humility, especially when they are under alien rulers. Indterian history is especially replete with such instances, during the Islamic rule in the Middle Ages and under British rule in modern times prior to Independence of India.

It is a matter of pride for Hindus to realize that Just like Christianity and Islam, Hindus also share a Pan-Hindu, worldwide heritage. The Hindu maritime relations are being discovered with Mexico, Pacific Islands and probably with South American continent, said Nand Kapur, former head of Association of Indians in America.

Community Across America

September 21, 2012

India Post 15

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International Kabaddi and Volleyball in Chicago

Enthusiastic crowd at the sports festival

Singer S Baljit entertaining the gathering Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Sher-e-Punjab Sports and Cultural Club held its Annual International Kabaddi Cup and Volleyball Tournament at Busse Woods Forest Preserve, in Elk Grove Village, a north side suburb of Chicago on Sunday September 2, with a sizeable participation from enthusiastic teams and public.

It turned out to be a big festival of fun, food, live entertainment and sports. Despite uncertain weather in the morning people not only from Chicago land's area but from Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin came in large numbers to enjoy this sports plus festival.

Chief Guest was S. Ajit (Jay) Singh Walia of Wisconsin and Guest of Honor was S. Jasbir Singh Depty from Indianapolis.

moment of silence was observed in the memory of those killed recently in shooting inside Oak Creek Gurdwara, WI. There was lot of free food for the spectators who enjoyed Jalebi and Pakoras along with tea from Manak Royal Sweet. In lunch, chicken, chhole and rice were served by K K Pamma. The food was free and there was no entry of parking ticket. In the evening, Punjabi folk singer S. Baljit Malwa entertained the audience. A guest artist S. Tara Multani also presented a few songs.

Chairman S. Baldev Singh Salan thanked all sponsors making this event very successful with their generous donation. The sponsors were recognized and presented with plaques.

The board members of the club worked relentlessly to make the

Kabbadi game in progress at International Kabbadi Tournament

In Kabaddi Cup matches the first prize was won by the host Sher-e Punjab Sports & Cultural Club, Chicago by defeating Kings Sports Club. Four teams competed in the open Kabaddi. The other two teams were Miri-Piri Sports Club Indianapolis and Harjit Sports Club Toronto, Canada.

In the volleyball tournament Chicago Light Out team defeated Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sports Club by 3-1 sets. A prayer and

event success. Among them were S. Rachhpal Singh Khangura, S. Jaswinder Jassi, S. Jinder Benipal, S. Satnam Singh Minhas, S. Deepa Badesha, S. Peeta Sahota, S. Ravinder Khaira, S. Lalli Nijjar, S. Hardeep Gill, S. Nazar Singh Gill, S. Babby Bath, S. Kabul Singh Bhullar, S. Baljit Singh Mangi, S. Chaman Lal, S. Surinder Bhatti, S. Parminder Walia, S. Jindi Khangura and S. Amardev Badesha.

Community Across America

16 India Post

September 21, 2012

www.indiapost.com

Manglorean Christians celebrate Monthi Fest HARISH RAO

A group of women participants

CHICAGO: The Mangalorean Konkan Christian Association (MKCA) celebrated Monthi Festival, its annual event, this time at Courtland Community Hall of Des Plaines, Illinois.

This event signifies the pure and simple love and devotion of Mother Mary in accepting the heavenly call and sharing her life towards betterment of human race. Traditionally, this event also signifies the unity and nurturance among the kith and kin by offering the new crop to the Creator and partake it with family.

The program was well attended by Christians around Illinois and surrounding States as well as visitors from India.

The program began with a procession of celebrants, especially, children carrying flowers to express their love, respect and devotion to the birth of Mother Mary, and culminated in front of

the Infant Mary's statue. With the singing of "Sokkod Sangatha Mellyam" and "Moriyek Hogollsiyam", children were rejoicing with admiration, joy and respect to offer flowers to Infant Mary.

Monthi festival symbolization

Children carrying flowers showing love for Mother Mary

Compeer Dr. Austin D'Souza Prabhu, asked the audience to rise and to sing the Indian National Anthem and thereafter, all sang "God Bless America". The MKCA President, Godwin Rego welcomed the audience present and thanked

The program began with a procession of celebrants, especially, children carrying flowers to express their love, respect and devotion to the birth of Mother Mary The Holy Eucharist was conducted by Rev. Fr. Henry Sequeira.

The MKCA Choir members gave a special touch by singing hymns exclusively in Konkani.

Fr. Henry, blessed the new crop (Novem), which was produced in India and all the participants partook the "Novem in Roce". As a mark of respect to our motherland,

Ohmkaram celebrates Onam in St Louis

them for their continued support and fellowship. There were typical Mangalorean snacks like Samosa, Chana masaala and Idly complimented with open bar. The participants enjoyed the Mangalorean appetizers.

The President of MKCA, Godwin Rego distributed prizes to the winners of the sports and games

Hindi Lovers Club to celebrate Hindi Diwas

ASHWIN PATEL

Guests enjoy lunch

conducted during the Picnic - 2012.

The compeer Austin D'Souza Prabhu announced that MKCA will be participating in Christmas Around the World program at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago representing India on December 2. He also announced the MKCA's forthcoming event of Natal Fest on December 22.

There was a wonderful bo-

Beware of Oak Creek related phone calls India Post News Service

SURENDRA ULLAL

Performances during Onam celebrations in St Louis by local artists

ST LOUIS: Onam is the biggest festival in the state of Kerala and celebrated by all communities residing in the state. It marks the coming home of legendary King Mahabali to see his subjects and the 10 days of celebrations bring out the best of culture and traditions found in the state.

Ohmkaram celebrated Onam 2012 with a grand function at the Gandhi center on August 25. Celebrations included intricate flower

arrangements called Pookalam, recreating the snake boat race Vallomkali and other cultural activities including a drama, children's skit and an exotic traditional dance Thiruvathirakali. The evening of cultural activities concluded with a multi course traditional feast called Sadyavattom.

Ohmkaram is a not for profit organization registered in the State of Missouri created with the vision of showcasing Kerala culture authentically.

CHICAGO: Hindi Lovers Club is celebrating Hindi Diwas, second year in a row on Sunday, Oct. 7 from 4 pm to 8 pm at Indo American Center in Chicago.

The event will showcase local artists in dancing, poetry, songs and other areas of art and culture.

Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, president of the Club said "we plan launching Hindi Patrika on this day.

This Patrika will have Hindi poetry, short story, articles, jokes and much more fun stuff. This is not a newspaper and will have its thrust on entertainment for Hindi lovers.

We invite volunteer writers, poets and talents in literary field to send their articles, poetry for publication in Hindi Patrika."

nanza of vegetable menu consisting 13 items along with "Sannam" (idli), " Vorn" and Mango Kulfi for the dinner to relish. All this was home-prepared by the MKCA family members. The participants enjoyed to take over the floor and dance till they dropped to the tunes of Konkani, Hindi, Spanish and English songs provided by D.J. Joey Mendonca.

OAK CREEK, WI: A member of Gurudwara recently fell victim to an Oak Creek tragedy-related telephone scam. The scammer called the Sangat member, claimed he was from the "White House," promised victim assistance, including purchasing a home for the Sangat member. The caller requested that the Sangat member first wire funds for "processing" or "bank fees" to receive financial assistance. The Sangat member wired a substantial amount of money before realizing it was a scam.

A Sikh Coalition statement said, "We strongly urge the nationwide community to remain vigilant and alert to Oak Creek tragedy-related scams. According to law enforcement, these type of scams may become prevalent in the coming weeks and months as criminals prey on vulnerable people who

have also experienced trauma or loss. Scammers can use telephone, internet or regular mail to search for victims. They may also prey on the compassion of Sikhs nationwide.

“These type of scams may become prevalent in the coming weeks and months as criminals prey on vulnerable people who have also experienced trauma or loss�

"We advise anyone, in Oak Creek or elsewhere in the nation, who has contact with such scammers to immediately report to local law enforcement and to the FBI fraud website: ic3.gov," it said.

Community/California

September 21, 2012

India Post 17

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Brown signs bills to allow turbans at workplace, teaching of Sikh religion Community responds with peace and unity rally RITU MAHESHWARI

SACRAMENTO: A peace and unity rally was organized in this capital city of California by North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) in association with Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), Fremont Hindu Temple and many other organizations to show Sikh community solidarity in the face of the August Sikh killings in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

The highlight of the event was California Governor Jerry Brown signing two bills to protect and extend civil liberties in California.

AB 1964 was introduced by Assembly Member Mariko Yamada of California's 8th district, promoting openness by providing reasonable accommodations to stop discrimination in employment. This will allow Sikhs to wear turbans and religious clothing at work places without fear of retribution.

SB1540 was introduced by Assembly Member Loni Hancock and was pioneered by Dr. Omkar Singh Bindra. Sikh leader Dr. Bindra is at

People from all over the country gathered at the doorsteps of California State Capitol in Sacramento to pay their respects.

There was representation from Colorado, Canada, Oregon, Seattle, San Francisco Bay area and local communities. Event was covered by media contingent including Sargam TV USA and IND TV the forefront of community service. This bill paves the way for California history text books to teach about Sikh religion in a clear, unbiased manner.

On August 5, seven people were killed when a white supremacist shooter began firing at innocent worshippers in the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, WI. It was a gruesome incident that highlighted hate crimes and vio-

On August 5, seven people were killed when a white supremacist shooter began firing at innocent worshippers in the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, WI

lence Sikhs have been subjected to in recent years. Among those critically wounded was brave police officer Brian Murphy who was one of the first responders and took a barrage of bullets. His actions saved many innocent lives.

People from all over the country gathered at the doorsteps of California State Capitol in Sacramento to pay their respects.

There was representation from Colorado, Canada, Oregon, Seattle, San Francisco Bay area and

local communities. Event was covered by media contingent including Sargam TV USA and IND TV. Community leaders emphasized the contributions of the Sikh community to the nation and the need for more main-stream tolerance of religious minorities. Dignitaries Dalwinder Singh Dhoot, Satnam Singh Chahal, Dr. Romesh Japra, Raj Bhanot from Sunnyvale Temple and Indian Consul General N. Parthasarthi were present at the event.

Cont’d on page 18

Indian Consul General Mr. N. Parthasarathy addressing the rally.

18 India Post

Community/California

September 21, 2012

www.indiapost.com

Bills aimed at breaking down prejudice: Brown

A

s we all know, a recent horrific Sikh shooting in Wisconsin has shaken the Indo-American community.

In the past, there have been many outbreaks of hate crimes and violence. However, there is tremendous drive in the US to increase awareness and tolerance. California Governor Jerry Brown signed two bills into law on Saturday, September 8.

These bills aim to uphold civil liberties and seek to prevent such tragedies. Governor Brown is in his third term as California Governor. He has been able to motivate both Democrats and Republicans to accomplish many historic legislations.

With the passage of bills AB 1964 and SB 1540, California leads the fight against discrimi-

nation.

Ritu Maheshwari talked to Governor Brown on the occasion of signing the bills.

Ritu: Governor, please tell us about the bills you signed today.

Governor: The first bill will

rance and misunderstanding and create a more welcoming spirit and feeling in California.

Governor added on religious and cultural unity: People were shot in Wisconsin and this hate and prejudice is all over all the world. We

Governor Brown has been able to motivate both Democrats and Republicans to accomplish many historic legislations

Governor Jerry Brown

make it illegal for work places to discriminate against people because of their religious clothing or their practices.

The second bill will change California history books to include Sikh history. Both bills are geared towards removing igno-

need to show that we are all united against such horrific events. We need to strive to make a better place for everyone. We need to work on breaking down prejudice every day.

The two bills I signed today are efforts in that direction.

Brown signs bills to allow turbans at workplace, teaching of Sikh religion Cont’d from page 17

While addressing the rally, Dr. Japra, Chairman and Convener of FIA and President of Hindu Temple, highlighted the need for unity among different religions and pointed how America is built on the unity of different groups.

He emphasized that we must strive to prevent future attacks, especially in places of religious worship. Raising awareness is key to ensuring we avoid such inci-

The Pioneer behind SB 1540

L to R (Teresa Cox, Manorama, Govind, Rajesh Verma, Dr. Japra, Raj Bhanot, Leela and Lalit Kumar)

D

r. Onkar Singh Bindra is the pioneer behind SB 1540 (Hancock). He has been a watchdog to monitor information about Sikhism in the school textbooks of California. The change he has brought in school textbooks is just another example prompted by concerns about giving offense to any racial, ethnic or religious groups.

He is a Retired Professor of Entomology & Project Manager of FAO (UNO)

dents. Dr Japra has organized a convention of over 800 Hindu temples in the United States as a first step towards building cultural unity.

Consul General of India in San Francisco N Parthasarathi, who participated in the peace rally, has appreciated the signing of the two bills

by California Governor Edmund G Brown.

The move would augur well for hard working and industrious people of Indian origin, he said adding it would go a long way in promoting goodwill and awareness about various communities including the Sikh community.

Cont’d on page 19

Dr. Japra addressing Peace and Unity rally in Sacramento.

Community/California

September 21, 2012

India Post 19

www.indiapost.com

California Farm Bureau endorses Ricky Gill India Post News Service

STOCKTON, CA: The California Farm Bureau Federation has endorsed Congressional candidate Ricky Gill (R-Lodi), a family farmer running against incumbent Con-

"I'm honored to receive the Farm Bureau's endorsement," Gill said. "I look forward to standing up for our farmers and ranchers� gressman Jerry McNerney in California's 9th District.

"Ricky Gill has grown up in the Central Valley and has firsthand experience in small business, dealing with regulations and en-

couraging the expansion of trade to grow our economy and create local jobs," California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger said. "His family's roots in agriculture have guided his life's path and he will make the needs of farmers and ranchers a priority as he represents his district in Washington."

"I'm honored to receive the Farm Bureau's endorsement," Gill said. "I look forward to standing up for our farmers and ranchers so they can create jobs right here in the 9th District, where my family has been farming for 30 years."

"Ricky will be an energetic advocate for his constituents and will support policies to help turn our economy around, to provide jobs and business opportunities for the next generation," Wenger said.

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 74,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

Rafi Memorial concert pays tribute to the greats India Post News Service

CANOGA PARK, CA: The Royal Delhi Palace Banquet Hall in Canoga Park was the venue of the ninth annual Mohammed Rafi Memorial concert organized by the LaSargam musical group. Dr. Parvin Syal, who compeered the show, said, "The theme this year is 'Yaadgaar', to pay homage to the contribution to film and music by Dev Anand, Dara Singh, Rajesh Khanna and Mehdi Hassan - artistes who passed away this year."

Guest artistes Dr. Subhash Dixit and Kumud Amar added new charm and freshness to the program. They were launched into their stellar performance by the rib-tickling introduction by Harish Amar. The duo presented a seamless rendition of songs from yester-years and current favorites. Dr. Dixit, who has been singing since his childhood, said, "Music is a passion for me and I am fortunate to team up with Kumud, who has had classical musical training from

Delhi."

Perennial favorite Avtar Chadda, who founded the LaSargam group, presented the everlasting songs originally rendered by the legendary Mohammed Rafi. He was joined in a few numbers by the talented up-com-

Perennial favorite Avtar Chadda, who founded the LaSargam group, presented the everlasting songs originally rendered by the legendary Mohammed Rafi ing artiste Sangeetika Tripathi.

The program, attended by a capacity crowd of about three hundred, was brought to its conclusion by the other LaSargam singers, Sunny Singh and Hosi Amroli.

Brown signs bills to allow turbans at workplace, teaching of Sikh religion

Cont’d from page 18

"These will pave the way for school children in California to learn about various religions including the Sikh religion," he said.

In a statement issued by his office, the Indian Consul General said that the bills would acknowledge the religious freedom in workplace and authorize the state board to consider the adoption of a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials in historysocial science respectively.

Parthasarathi appreciated the

initiative by the North American Punjabi Association NAPA to hold the peace and unity rally in which not only Sikhs but people from other faiths also participated and paid homage to those killed in Oak Creek Gurudwara shooting.

NAPA president Satnam Singh Chahal said that this joining of rally of Indian community by the Consul General has helped to reduce the gap between the community and senior Indian officials as earlier people have been facing indifferent attitude of the official machinery in Indian consulates.

Horoscope

20 India Post

September 21, 2012

www.indiapost.com

Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

SEPTEMBER 21TH - SEPTEMBER 27TH (November 23 to December 22)

(March 21 to April 20)

Y

Y

ou may have to change your travel plans due to recent developments. Things will become clearer at work and you will once more start to feel safe. You will spend lots of money on family and visit close relatives also. Planets will help those with some political aspirations. Sun can help you get some money through stocks or lottery.

ou will make final payment on few old debts. Change of strategy and careful planning will help you avert financial crises in the future. You may finally get the decision in your favor in ongoing legal battle. You may also overcome minor health issues with the help of over the counter medicines. Some one will send nice gifts.

(April 21 to May 20)

(December 22 to January 19)

Y

our approach will be little unorthodox but will get the job done quickly. A property deal can also close. Past efforts will pay off and you will have many things in pipeline from now. You will have few visitors at your place this week. You may visit a holy place also with the family. Some one will leave making room for your promotion.

I

t will not be that easy to take those tough decisions. Advice and help from a matured person will guide you to go for the right one.

You will finally get to meet the top people and successfully convince them. Results will take little longer time but come in your favor only.

You may dispose off an old vehicle and replace with new one.

(January 20 to February 18)

(May 21 to June 20)

S

pouse may be under lots of pressure. You will spend time on collecting information and research. A child will need your help and make you run on the last minute. You will get the call you had been waiting for towards the end of week. You may not get any credit for good deed shown towards a close relative.

Y

ou will be charging a lot on credit cards this week and may also obtain a temporary loan for the business. Planets will boost your morals as you will get the work done in first attempt only. Some obstacles will also clear in career and a big contract will be almost in your pocket. You will attend an interesting party this week.

(February 19 to March 20)

M

(June 21 to July 22)

ind will be at ease as one of your long cherished desired will be fulfilled. You may arrange a small get together at your place.

People from other side will send the necessary documents. You will spend more time on phone and make many overseas calls. You may also benefit from mistakes made by others.

H

old on to the excitement and think of long term also. It will be better not to tell what's going on in your life to people who are least concerned. There will be several positive developments in life and people ignoring you in the past will try to come back. Be careful this time. Some of you will be getting ready for an important trip.

(July 23 to August 22)

Y

ou will need to deal with a very tricky situation in career but if you are bold and play your cards right, you will benefit from this situation. Gambling instincts will surface once again and you will be tempted to take a big risk. Business will require more investment.

You may call an old friend for some advice. Party will be entertaining.

(August 23 to September 22)

M

oney will come through Speculation, stocks and lottery. You will continue to make very sound decisions and keep marching towards your professional goals. You will take lots of time out of busy schedule to entertain your self and family. There will be positive change in ongoing legal matters. You will buy some fancy item for the house.

(September 23 to October 22)

L

arge gains possible from distant places. You will be sending some paper work to a government agency. Money wise it look like a promising week. Payments long overdue may arrive during the week.

You may also finalize to purchase land or property. You will be taking a short trip to a nice place to attend a social event.

(October 23 to November 22)

Y

ou may have to deal with some minor health issues. Mind will take a sharp turn and you will not be scared to use few unorthodox tactics to achieve your goals. Any relationship started at this point will go a long way. Trip will be successful and you will be assured of contract. You may visit a holy place with family.

Moon behind Sridevi's success and comeback

M

oon is the most flighty and jolly of all planets.

It keeps changing its shape every now and then. That is why the native whose horoscope is majorly influenced by Moon is peppy and perky. This is how Sridevi's bubbly nature got noticed across the world.

Sridevi was born under Cancer Ascendant and according to D9 chart she is a Scorpio. Her birth ascendant is ruled by Moon that transcends through higher sign and is placed in the destiny house. This is good for both her Ascendant and Moon. The Lord of Ascendant House is in the destiny House and the Destiny House Lord is in the Ascendant House. This is an indication of great success.

From October 2011 to February 2013 she will be under the influence of Mercury in Moon. It is Moon that brought her to Bollywood and Moon that is responsible for her return. Sridevi is making a comeback on the big screen with 'English-Vinglish' after a lull of 14 years. At this point of time, Sridevi's Dasha is that of Jupiter in Moon in Ketu. The Maha Dasha and Antar Dasha is fine, however Pratyantar Dasha is not favorable. It is this Antar Dasha of Ketu that had led to her career downfall. As a result, there is a great possibility of the film 'English-Vinglish' not being that successful. However, due to Mercury and Moon's Dasha as well as Sridevi's magic this film might show average performance at box-office.

Pandit Parashar, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations. He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com

925-833-7170

website: www.parashar.com

Tech News PSUs ready to invest more; want coal issue solved NEW DELHI: Heads of infrastructure sector PSUs here met Finance Minister P Chidambaram and committed to step up investments, while suggesting to the government that it address the issues related to project clearances and availability of coal.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, NTPC Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Arup Roy Choudhury said the company plans to invest Rs 20,000 crore in the current fiscal and was confident of the capex plan.

"Discussion (was) on speedy achievement on capex and (we) are confident of achieving capex commitment," he added.-PTI

India, Czech to double trade to $ 2 bn in 3 years BRNO, Czech Republic: Aiming at doubling the bilateral trade to USD 2 billion in the next three years, India and Czech Republic have agreed to increase cooperation in engineering, life sciences and pharmaceuticals.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who was here for a three-day visit, met Czech Minister of Trade and Industry M Kuba and discusses ways to enhance economic engagement between the nations.

"Both ministers agreed to launch Joint Working Groups (JWGs), in areas of skills and innovation, heavy engineering, and life sciences and pharmaceuticals," an official statement said.-PTI

New technology for rice parboiling CHANDIGARH: A Haryanabased rice exporter has claimed he has developed a new technology for parboiling of rice which results in less usage of water, brings down the cost for heating, steaming, water treatment and saves underground water table.

"A new technology 'Novel Process' has been developed for parboiling rice process under which significantly lesser amount of water, heat energy, steam and fuel are spent and will lead to saving of huge some of money," Chaman Lal Setia Export, Director, Vijay Setia who invented the technology told reporters here. -PTI

TechBiz

Phil Schiller, Apples senior vice president of worldwide marketing, speaks on stage during an introduction of the new iPhone 5 in San Francisco,

21 India Post

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September 12

September 21, 2012

Big line up of experts for global Indian business meet India Post News Service

NEW YORK: New Global Indian Foundation has announced an unprecedented line up of experts for the upcoming Global Indian Business Meet (GIBM), a history making event that is set to take place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square in New York City from September 20-23.

GIBM will explore emerging sectors and sunshine markets enabling businesses and organizations worldwide to work together to impact the global economy.

"For the first time a small group of people with a gigantic mission before them is organizing this event to truly impact the world of business and entrepreneurship." says event Chairman Mr.Vijay Nahata.

Business and Entrepreneurship is center stage at GIBM with speakers Desh Deshpande, Sam Pitroda, Ajit Manocha, Poonam Ahluwalia, Nicola Arena, Ajay Bhakshi, Ashish Chauhan, Gurbaksh Chahal, Swadesh Chatterjee, Ajit Dayal, Sachin Duggal, Dr. Vijay Eswaran, Dr. Anita Goel, Atul Gupta, Justin Hall, Stuli Jalan, Satish Jha, Dr. Vinod Juneja, R.V. Kanoria, Dr. Sunita Kanumury, Sushil Mantri, Shubash Menon, Louise Nair, Alkesh Patel, Rajen Pillay, Sajay Puri, Ashok Rao, Chandrakant Salunkhe, Fred Schwartz, Dr.

Ashok Sinha, Anand S. Krishnan, Edie Weiner and Manoj Soma.

Political and Government Leaders include Mr. Vijay Nambiar, Nirupama Rao, Robert Orris Blake, Upendra Chivukula, Subodh Kant Sahay, Vayalar Ravi, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, Prime Minister Perry Gladstone Christie, and Denzil Douglas. President Pranab Mukherjee, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and BJP

joined by Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha to focus on peace, harmony and devotion. Raju Narisetti of The Wall Street Journal and Kelly Wright from Fox News Channel are currently set to lead the Media forums.

An outstanding entertainment program is on tap featuring Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with Ayaan Ali Khan & Aman Ali Khan, Stem Dance Group from Bangalore, Standup comedy show

Business Leaders' Summit: Focusing on the Indian growth story and how Indian-origin CEOs from around the world have faced the global economic slowdown; conveying and exploring the recovery and growth strategies they adopted to help them succeed President Nitin Gadkari are expected to address the conference via satellite.

Thought leaders include Debashis Chatterjee, Meghand Desai, Meleveetil Damodaran, Mitul Desai, Vibhuti Jha, Ashoke Rao, Ranjana Khanna, Professor Tarun Khanna, Preet Bharara, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Dr. Navaratna Rajaram, Dr, Anil Lamba, Prof Dasarath Chetty, Dr. Deepak Chopra, and Minocher Patel.

Spiritual leader Swami Tyagananda Maharaj will be

by Rajiv Satyal. In addition, there will be a NGI Excellence Award Ceremony to recognize many great leaders in various fields.

Bollywood actor and producer Abhay Deol will also be in attendance on Saturday at GIBM. "NGI Foundation's purpose is to impact societies via various social entrepreneurship projects and GIBM will be a major stepping stone towards that." said Ms. Haimanti Banerjee, Chairperson of the NGI Foundation.

The Global Indian Business

Meet is focused on five main areas: Business Leaders' Summit: Focusing on the Indian growth story and how Indian-origin CEOs from around the world have faced the global economic slowdown; conveying and exploring the recovery and growth strategies they adopted to help them succeed.

Entrepreneurs' Summit: Focusing on the success stories of Indian-origin entrepreneurs in various sectors, and the summit will allow current and future young entrepreneurs to learn from leaders and peers through networking, direct interaction and connect with investors and business leaders.

Investors Summit: Focusing on businesses led by Indians from around the globe, including interaction with venture capitalists, angel investors, bankers, and institutional financiers, bringing together those seeking funding and those looking for investment opportunities.

India Business Opportunities Summit: Focusing on the leading states of India and their provinces as preferred destinations for investment, including their policies and incentives, and their focus areas/sectors.

Partnership Summit: An opportunity to explore and allow for international, country, state and city level partnerships from around the world.

New SCE App makes outage reporting quick and easy India Post News Service

ROSEMEAD, CA: new smartphone app from Southern California Edison (SCE) now makes reporting or checking on the status of an outage quick and simple.

The "SCE Outages" application includes an interactive map that allows customers to quickly find outage information - including the location and size of outages and estimated power restoration times all in a mobile-friendly and easy-to-use interface.

"We heard our customers' concerns loud and clear - reporting an outage via a mobile phone was extremely difficult and time-consuming," said Erwin Furukawa, SCE senior vice president of

customer services. "We need to be able to communicate quickly with our customers, not only to get their power restored as quickly as possible, but to make sure their safety is a priority at all times."

The new SCE outages app was developed in response to customers' requests for improved communication regarding service outages during past storms.

This free mobile application for iPhone and Android devices now enables users to conveniently report power outages, street light outages, or check on the status of a planned or unplanned outage.

As an important safety reminder, if you see a downed power line do not approach or touch it and call 911.

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TechBiz Post

September 21, 2012

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US trade mission to visit Kerala next year

KOCHI: An American trade mission will visit Kerala in February next year to explore investment opportunities in the state, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell said here.

She was speaking at the threeday 'Emerging Kerala' investors summit here.

"I am delighted to announce we are organizing our first-ever trade mission from the United State to Kochi in February 2013, so US-based companies can see for themselves what Kerala has to offer," Powell said.

According to her, these steps will enhance company to company interaction and actual trade between the US and the south Indian state of Kerala.

She said that she has been very impressed with Kerala's drive to promote inward investment that is environment friendly, knowledge-based and complimentary to its inherent natural advantages.

"Kerala is a leader in education, literacy and healthcare.

"Attracting investment based on those factors is a winning strategy and one that has already attracted over 30 US companies that have substantial investments in

this state," Powell said.

Speaking on the occasion, National Innovation Council Chairman Sam Pitroda said political will as well as clarity and consistency of vision can help in attracting investments.

Ambassador Nancy Powell

Pitroda said he is working with the Kerala government on 10 projects across diverse sectors to further the state's development agenda.

The projects are focused on waterways, skill development, egovernance, health and ayurveda, among others, he said.

He emphasized on the need for

India ranks 2nd in retail realty investment momentum index NEW DELHI: India ranks sec- served that "India falls short of ond among top 20 countries with China due to weaker real estate the strongest momentum in retail investment momentum and a real estate index and it lags behind smaller international retailer presChina due to weaker investment ence". prospects and a smaller presence On the future prospects, the of global retailer, according to a report said "India will remain a tworeport by global property consult- paced market. From a retailer perant Jones Lang LaSalle.

"Our Retail Real EsChina and India, tate Momentum Index identifies 20 markets unsurprisingly, top the Index, with the strongest retail due to their favorable dereal estate momentum. mographics, rapid urbanizaIn top positions are China, India, Indonesia, tion, strong consumption Turkey, Brazil and Viet- growth and significant exnam," JLL said in its repansion of modern retail port.

The index aims to infrastructures, it said identify those countries with the strongest momentum in spective, the country is clearly a terms of consumer, retailer, devel- key destination and although the oper and investor activity. retail market is yet to open fully to China and India, international retailers, when it unsurprisingly, top the Index, due does, major international retail to their favorable demographics, groups will expand rapidly across rapid urbanization, strong con- India," JLL said. sumption growth and significant Although, India has permitted expansion of modern retail infra- 100 per cent FDI in single brand, it structures, it said. is yet to allow FDI in multi-brand However, the consultant ob- retail.-PTI

innovations to have affordable, sustainable and scalable development programs.

British High Commissioner to India James Baven said the major challenges for Kerala, India and the UK today were the same and these were to create sustainable growth and lasting prosperity for the people.

"The way to do that is to increase trade and investments between our countries and states, to create high quality jobs and generate wealth which all can share," he noted.

Baven, who is leading the largest UK delegation ever to visit Kerala, also said this is the clearest possible indication of UK's belief in Kerala and its future.

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell is also leading a high level delegation for the event.

There were separate sessions on the US, the UK and Japan, highlighting their expertise in diverse fields that could be of interest to entities in Kerala and India as a whole. -PTI

India achieves growth in vehicle manufacturing THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soaring prices of petrol and diesel seemed not to have dented the vehicle manufacturing boom in India, the country which is rated as one of the most favorite locations of global vehicle brands.

The country has achieved remarkable growth in the manufacturing of various types of vehicles in the last few years pushing back the traditional giants like Brazil and France, industry sources said.

If a total of 35,36,783 units of vehicles were manufactured in India in 2010, the figure rose to 39,36,448 units in 2011 pushing the country to the sixth position in global vehicle manufacturing index, according to figures.

The industry aimed 50 lakh units by 2015 and 90 lakh units of vehicles by 2020, it said.

The demand for changing vehicle models and the achievements in the small-car manufacturing sector helped India rise to a good position in the global level.

Indian domestic car models enjoy great demand in international market, industry sources said.-PTI

TechBiz Post

September 21, 2012

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Centre to support Metro rail projects in 19 cities: PM KOCHI: Noting that an efficient transport system was 'critical' for orderly growth of cities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here the government has decided to support preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for Metro rail in 19 cities with a population of over two million.

Laying the foundation for the Rs 5,181 crore Kochi Metro project here in south India, Singh said DPRs had already been prepared for 12 cities and Metro rail projects were being implemented in seven cities covering a total network of length 476 km at a cost of over Rs 1.15 lakh crore.

The Delhi Metro is carrying about 22 lakh people daily, he said.

Pointing out that an efficient transport system was a service that was 'critical' to the orderly growth and development of cities, Singh said Metro rail was just one component of such a transport system.

"We need to build our cities with multimodal transport systems that efficiently integrate different modes of public transport like buses and trains. I understand that the Urban Development Ministry has taken several initiatives to

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh applauds after laying the foundation stone of Metro rail in Kochi on September 13. Kerala Governor HR Bhardwaj, CM Oommen Chandy and Union ministers A K Antony, Vayalar Ravi and Kamal Nath are also seen

promote sustainable transport practices in the country," he said.

These include support to Metro rail projects, Bus Rapid Transit Systems and sanction of city buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Singh said unless provisioning of services keeps pace with urbanization, "we will face serious problems of haphazard urban growth, slums and crumbling city infrastructure."

At present, about 28 per cent people live in towns and cities which is expected to go up to 40 per cent by 2031, amounting to 60 crore people and contributing over 70 per cent of the GDP, he said.

"The high speed of urbanization poses unprecedented managerial and policy challenges that we need to respond to."

The Prime Minister said the Centre was also providing assistance for implementation of Bus

Rapid Transit System projects in 11 cities with a network of over 437 km costing more than Rs 5,500 crore.

Under JNNURM, the government has sanctioned over 15,000 low floor buses for mission cities totally costing over Rs 4,700 crore and committed over Rs 2,000 crore of assistance for the JNNURM buses, he said.

Describing Kochi as one of the fastest growing urban agglomerations, Singh said it has emerged

as one of the most important ports and was expected to evolve as an economic and logistical hub with the operationalisation of International Container Transhipment Terminal at nearby Valarpadam.

Kochi is the eighth city in the country to get the Metro.

The newly sanctioned Metro line will run 25 km from Aluva to Petta. The central government will contribute Rs 1,000 crore for the project out of the total project cost.

-PTI

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Rukmankan Sivaloganathan

PREETI VERMA LAL

COLOMBO: "Cricket. Or crab. Or charity?" Standing outside the 400-year old Dutch hospital in the heart of Colombo, Rukmankan Sivaloganathan, a banker turned entrepreneur was being munificent with dinner options. Swank cars and red auto rickshaws were whizzing past, the waves were thrashing raucously nearby and Rukman's words were getting addled in the clamor of the capital city.

The evening was balmy, the wind clement and I curious. T20 World Cup is round the bend and cricket certainly is the city's flavor. I wish I could order a ladleful of cricket with crab and charity thrown. In Colombo, I was getting gluttonous. "Can I have all three?" I threw in a greedy question. "Yes, you can have all three. Let's step into the Ministry of Crab," Rukman happily agreed, as if pulling an incredible cricket dinner experience out of his fedora.

What was once a Dutch hospital housed in the oldest building in the Fort area is now a ritzy shopping and eating address in town.

And under the red tiled roof is the Ministry of Crab, cricketer Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena's restaurant famed for its butter/garlic/pepper/steamed crab (You can also order the Oh My God (OMG) crab which weighs more than 1.5 kilos!). The Ministry is functional in its dĂŠcor, the colors or-

Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara at their restaurant in Colombo

September 21, 2012 The outfit: Mahela Jayawardena Foundation.

The first priority: Provision of team kit bags for U13, U15, U17 and U19 and supply of coconut matting. The aim: To raise funds to nurture cricket at the rural school level and metamorphose Sri Lanka into a cricketing giant. The intentions are noble, the dreams colossal but funds are always the big hurdle. And it is for this that the cricketers joined hands with Rukmankan Sivaloganathan, the co-founder and CEO of Trekurious (www.trekurious.com), a marketplace for premium experiential tours and activities in Asia.

Cont’d on page 26

CRICKET WITH CRAB & CHARITY

Lankan cricketers getting 'Trekurious'

favorite crab dish is and he'd sing paeans to the butter crab which is best served chilled with warm butter. However, that evening, it was not crab that was served on the dinner table. It was cricket. Obvi-

What was once a Dutch hospital housed in the oldest building in the Fort area is now a ritzy shopping and eating address in town. And under the red tiled roof is the Ministry of Crab, cricketer Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena's restaurant famed for its butter/garlic/pepper/steamed crab (You can also order the Oh My God (OMG) crab which weighs more than 1.5 kilos!). ange, the seating communal and cutlery is laid on the table only if you insist - crabs are meant to be devoured by hand.

So says Sangakkara who that evening was sitting in his restaurant after a rigorous training regimen. Ask Sangakkara what his

ously. Not T20 cricket, though. It is charity through cricket. A cricketing cheer that Sangakkkara and Jayawardena aim to spread through supporting cricketing schools and nurture talented cricketers in Sri Lanka's under-funded rural outstations.

Minstry of Crab

September 21, 2012

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'I brought a new woman to Hindi cinema' Absolutely! People think we're glamorous creatures but our lives are like waves in the ocean. There's fame, money and power, but we're emotional too. In Raaz 3, Bipasha Basu's reality collides with Shanaya's! I probably wouldn't go to the extent of doing what

Bipasha Basu in a scene from Raaz 3 India Post News Service

H

er last film was Jodi Breakers earlier this year, but Bipasha Basu agrees that Raaz 3 is her true comeback vehicle. "It's definitely a new beginning," she says. In her usual bold manner, Bipasha opens up about her movies, her vulnerable moments, men in her life and the time when she reaches saturation point.

Raaz 3 is your reunion with the Bhatts. Why did it take you nine years to return to the camp?

Vishesh Films sparked off my interest in acting and since then we've shared a great bond. Even

before Raaz 3, they had offered me a few other films, but I wanted to do something like Raaz (2002) or Jism (2003). When I accepted Jism 10 years ago, the entire fraternity cautioned me against making a mistake. But I brought a new woman into Hindi cinema. Fortunately, the film did well. My role in Raaz 3 too has been extremely taxing. The Bhatts and I were unsure of how I would pull it off. I was scared initially. But, once we started shooting, I got under the skin of my character, Shanaya.

Would you say this role is a catharsis of sorts? Do you think it runs parallel to the lives of real actors?

My role in Raaz 3 too has been extremely taxing. The Bhatts and I were unsure of how I would pull it off. I was scared initially. But, once we started shooting, I got under the skin of my character, Shanaya Shanaya does. But reaching the top and then dealing with all the lows - professional and personal - has not been easy. Like all actors, even I'm a prisoner of pain.

It's scary.

Recently you said on a social networking site that you're vulnerable. Please elaborate.

There was a time when I was damaged. I had reached a saturation point. During Raaz 3, there

A song number

came a point when I couldn't take it anymore. I smiled through various embarrassing and obnoxious questions but only I knew what I was going through. When you show your wounds to people, they poke deep into them. Eventually, I had a breakdown on the sets.

In the last two years, things have changed for you personally.

Are you a better person now?

I've come to realize that I made a few mistakes in the past, I ignored myself because at the time my priorities were different. But I owned up to it all. And now, I'm wiser. You can say that I've evolved over these last couple of

years and I'm happier than I've ever been.

After your break-up with John Abraham, there have been reports of you getting close to Shahid Kapoor and Salman Khan. True?

I'm a social person. I have friends and acquaintances whom I meet and have a good time with occasionally. I don't know why people have to jump to conclusions when they see two people together. Just because I'm single, does not mean that every man I meet is my new boyfriend. Trust me, the day I find my perfect man, I will not hide him from the world.

And I won't even delay walking down the aisle then.

'Khushi' shows victory of innocence

India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: 'Tears in Khushi' is a movie about an adventurous 4-year-old girl in the milieu of the excitement of Cricket World Cup. Directed by Ravneet Kaur, it was filmed in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Based on happenings in the capital of India, New Delhi, 'Tears

in Khushi' is a same day story which explores the cricket crazy environment in the capital from the interval of the cricket match between India Pakistan Semi Final, till India gets the victory.

There is a steep rise in nuclear families in urban areas. The film depicts a real life situation through the eyes of kids and grandparents.

Khushi stays with her parents but shares a special bond with her grandfather. Due to some family issues she is separated from her grandfather.

A child never fears anything, it's the innocence hidden in her that leads to victory no matter how difficult is the way. That's what the film explores - how during the interval of this cricket semi-final the four year old girl, after rebelling with her mother, manages to meet her grandfather with whom she shares a special bond.

The movie also highlights the issue of discrimination against Blacks (Africans and South Americans). Indians discriminate against these people who are called "Negros." Even several housing societies in Mumbai display boards saying, "Nigerians not allowed."

In Bollywood movies also these people are shown in an unfavorable light. But for the first time, in 'Tears in Khushi', a Nigerian lady called 'Shanghan' is shown helping the main protagonist the fouryear old Khushi.'

Several stereotypes about Blacks prevail in India like - the

Blacks are man eating people; they are drug dealers or they are involved in all criminal activities. In this movie, other characters think that Shanghan is going to kill the girl 'Khushi.' In fact she treats the girl in a very friendly manner and even helps her.

explained that she treats India as her own country.

'Olga', a native of Nigeria, is cast in the movie as Shanghan.

Even during the shooting, the local public and kids were continuously laughing at her. Kids teased her by shouting 'Hapshi-Hapshi'.

Later, Shanghan tells about the discrimination she faces in India.

She explains that she works here and this country provides her bread and butter, so how can she think anything bad about the country, specially the charge that she wanted to kill a child. She even

Though Olga could not understand Hindi but she could sense the attitude and went back to her makeup room.

'Bhavya Anand' - a resident of New Delhi was finalized for the role of Khushi after auditioning more than 50 girls.

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September 21, 2012 www.indiapost.com

Neelu Sodhi debuts alongside legendary Sridevi India Post News Service

NEW YORK: New York based actress Neelu Sodhi makes her Bollywood debut in Eros International's film English Vinglish starring the legendary Sridevi. The film marks the comeback of India's superstar to the big screen after a 14 year sabbatical.

English Vinglish is directed by Gauri Shinde, wife of Director R. Balki, known famously for his films Paa and Cheeni Kum. The film is a funny and emotional story about an Indian woman who doesn't know English and is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large. Circumstances make her determined to overcome this insecurity, master the English language and teach the world a lesson. Neelu plays a pivotal role in the film as Sridevi's niece and even shares a dance sequence with the renowned actress. The film also

has a cameo by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

Set to release worldwide on

Neelu Sodhi

October 5th, English Vinglish had its world premiere at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. Neelu will join the promotional tour for the film at TIFF followed

by premiers in Mumbai and Chennai. English Vinglish is primarily shot in Pune, Mumbai and New York.

"I couldn't be happier to be debuting in a film alongside an iconic actress like Sridevi. The entire experience of English Vinglish has been so humbling and rewarding and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me hereafter" says Neelu of her work in the film.

Neelu left her corporate position with one of New York's top Investment Management companies to follow her passion and talent for acting and pursue it as a full time career. While the film marks her Bollywood debut to the big screen, Neelu is no stranger to the small screen. She has been featured in over 25 commercials including top brands such as Lancôme, Amazon Kindle, Budweiser, AT&T, Foot Locker, Citibank and many others.

She has also worked on multiple

Independent films such as NY Samsara, which will have its initial screening later this year at the Max Linder Theater in Paris, France.

Neelu has also shot a music video

Economics & International Studies from the University of Connecticut and went on to work for NY based Trust Company of the West (TCW) within the Leverage

Neelu Sodhi and Sridevi in a scene from ‘English Vinglish’

with world famous American pop singer, Lady Gaga.

Neelu was born in Pune and raised between India and Connecticut. She received a degree in

Finance Group. Neelu has trained at the Lee Strasberg Institute, New York Film Academy and coached under the prestigious Wynn Handman.

Cricket with crab & charity Cont’d from page 24

Rukman can not only crunch numbers with ease, in one long breath he can run a marathon, in another climb a mountain and throw in satire in a conversation. With an INSEAD MBA on his shelf, he has created innovative ideas to raise funds for the cricket charity.

This charity is certainly not a mundane method of fund raising.

Here, during the T20 World Cup, cricket will mingle with charity in celebrity style.

On September 24, you pick up the golfing iron, hop onto an air taxi and join either Sangakarra or Jayawardena's team and play a round of competitive golf at the picturesque Victoria Golf Club in Digana, Kandy.

On October 2, you can go 'crabby' with Sangakarra and Jayawardena and celebrity chef Dharshan Munidasa, who owns Nihonbashi, a premier chain of Japanese restaurants. The evening will begin with private cocktails and canapés at Nihonbashi and then crabs at Ministry of Crab. There will be a dash of camaraderie, photoops and autographs.

Or, if you can spin a ball, or want to learn how to spin a the red twine ball, on October 2 join the Muttiah Muralidaran's Masterclass - the legendary cricketer will host six fans at his favorite hunting ground, the Singhalese Sports Club, for a round of spin bowling class, net session and lunch. The proceeds will go to the Foundation of Goodness, an NGO committed to empowering the underprivileged rural communities in Sri Lanka.

I know I do not stand a chance against Murali, I am not perfect at

teeing, but as I sat in the Ministry of Crab listening to Sangakkara talk animatedly about a new cricketing ground, about bikes for girls so that they can ride to school (they have so far donated 2,500 bikes), cricket tournaments in war-torn North Sri Lanka and another T20 League being played by young boys and girls in the shadow of the ICC T20 World Cup, I realized that cricket is not only about white flannels, red twine ball and an oval green - for

On October 2, you can go 'crabby' with Sangakarra and Jayawardena and celebrity chef Dharshan Munidasa, who owns Nihonbashi, a premier chain of Japanese restaurants.

The evening will begin with private cocktails and canapés at Nihonbashi and then crabs at Ministry of Crab Sangakarra, Jayawardena and Murali, cricket is about hope.

Cricket is a means to reconciliation.

It is the cricketers' way of giving back to society. Cricket is about a better tomorrow for those who hold the tomorrow in their hands. That moment, I ignored the crab sizzling in the wok. I thought of a bunch of little boys with new cricket kits in hand and hope in their eyes. That thought had me curious. Trekurious, to be precise!

September 21, 2012

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Saroj Khan dance workshops in NYC & NJ the last decade, her most recent being Sridevi's comeback movie, "English Vinglish." One of Vaidya's most high profile assignments was choreographing Priyanka Chopra's NFL commercial (featuring music by artist Will.I.Am), which will be

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The newlyformed Institute of Bollywood Dance and Film (IBDF) is opening its doors this month to welcome Bollywood's legendary choreographer SAROJ KHAN to teach dance workshops to anyone with the desire to learn from one of the greatest artistic figures in the history of Indian cinema.

The workshops will be held in New Jersey: September 21-23 (YMCA Edison, 1775 Oak Tree Road, Edison,NJ) and New York City: September 28-30 (Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway, 2nd floor) Saroj Khan is a pioneer in Bollywood, widely known for her innovative and classical technique-based choreography. Saroj Khan's visionary mind helped the Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit, along with several other starlets, achieve significant career successes and a meteoric rise to fame. Her teachings of grace, strength, precision, subtlety and expressiveness have graced some of the most iconic songs in Bollywood. Her projects include choreography in feature films Lagaan, Don, Jab We Met, Love Aaj

Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan at a dance workshop in Hyderabad

Kal, Agneepath, Agent Vinod, VeerZara, Devdas, Bride and Prejudice, Tezaab, Khalnayak, and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, among several other blockbuster films.

The Institute of Bollywood Dance and Film is a new and unique training arena for performers looking for potential careers in the Indian film industry. "We're looking to bridge the gap between passionate amateur performers and work-

ing professionals," says IBDF founder Rujuta Vaidya, "while providing extraordinary training and networking opportunities to individuals who are interested in moving towards a career in the performing arts, especially in Bollywood."

Rujuta Vaidya, an acclaimed choreographer herself, has worked with Britney Spears on her 2009 "Circus" Tour, The E! Network "Morning Show," The Black Eyed

Peas 2010 "E.N.D." Tour, Oprah Winfrey's Oscar Special, The Slumdog Millionaire Academy Award winning track "Jai Ho" with A.R. Rahman and John Legend at the Oscars, Disney Channel's "Cheetah Girls: One World" feature film, and the "Journey Home" A.R. Rahman 2010 World Tour.

In addition to these recent projects, Vaidya has also worked on various Bollywood films over

Rujuta Vaidya, an acclaimed choreographer herself, has worked with Britney Spears on her 2009 "Circus" Tour, The E! Network "Morning Show," The Black Eyed Peas 2010 "E.N.D." Tour, Oprah Winfrey's Oscar Special aired before every Thursday night game on the NFL network.

Rujuta Vaidya has trained extensively for years in India under Saroj Khan and is her only disciple in the United States, and she is paralleling her Indo-American career by bringing one of Bollywood's greatest women to some of America's biggest cities.

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September 21, 2012 www.indiapost.com

Ronita Choudhuri is Miss India Connecticut India Post News Service

NEW HAVEN, CT: Diva America Inc hosted the third Miss India Connecticut Pageant on September 9 in New Haven, CT, at the Shubert Theater from 4pm to 7pm with the theme "Unity in Diversity". This year's pageant was hosted by Gujarati Association of Connecticut. It was a sold-out event with 1,400 people attending the show. New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. extended a warm welcome to the pageant and released the souvenir brochure.

Following a V.I.P. cocktail reception, sponsored by Indian Master Chef Prasad Chirnomula, the culinary visionary and owner of Thali & Oaxaca Kitchen, attendees of the Miss India CT 2012 Pageant made their way to their seats at New Haven's triple-tier Shubert Theater. Over the next three hours, the audience was entertained and enthralled by the talent demonstrations and colorful dresses worn by the 17 Pageant contestants, dance performances, knockout medleys

Miss India Connecticut Winner Ronita Choudhuri with Diva America President Anita Bhat and AmeriCares President Curt Welling

Madaras from Kick for Nick Foundation inspired the audience with her mission. This was all a lead-up to the grand finale.

The Miss India CT Pageant 2012 winner Ronita Choudhuri, who was also recognized as Miss Popular, will have the opportunity

"We believe that respecting other cultures, respecting other religions and getting respected for our own is the way to live in peace and harmony. Keeping that as a motto, the Pageant's theme this year was set as Unity in Diversity" from Indian Idol Mohit Lalwani and hilarious stand-up comedy from Dan Nainan.

Bollywood choreographer Rajeev Khinchi stole the show with his dramatic choreography and Bollywood dances. Shalini

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. releases the souvenir brochure, from l. to r.: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Mayor DeStafano, Anita Bhat and Meera Banta

to travel on a chartered flight to Guatemala on September 29 as part of AmeriCares' Airlift Benefit. The Pageant Runner-Up is Preeti Srinivasan, who was also named Miss Facebook. Other special award winners are: Aesha Patel -

Miss India Connecticut winner Ronita Choudhuri with Diva America President Anita Bhat and other contestants

Miss Smile; Khushbu Amin - Miss Catwalk; Manjula Bangalore Miss Photogenic; Mona Sheth Miss Congeniality; Anesha Agarwal - Miss Talent; and Shayla Ranmal - Miss Best Dressed.

Miss India Connecticut is not only a beauty pageant but also a

movement to bring a greater assimilation of Indian Americans with the local American community.

"We believe that respecting other cultures, respecting other religions and getting respected for our own is the way to live in peace and harmony. Keeping that as a

Moti Mahal Delux debuts in US oven) cooking. As their tandoori delights became popular, Moti Mahal Delux opened multiple locations throughout India, Nepal and London, to become one of the most

United States is headed by talented chef Gaurav Anand, owner of Bhatti Indian Grill and the newly opened Indian street food concept Desi Galli on Curry Hill. Born into a re-

Chef par excellence and owner of Moti Mahal Delux NYC and its franchise - Gaurav Anand India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The story of Moti Mahal Delux begins in the Imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire, where royal chefs for Mughlai kings designed the rich, intensely flavorful cuisine. In the early twentieth century, in the city of Peshawar, Moti Mahal brought this style of cuisine to the general public for the first time, beginning with the introduction of tandoor (clay

motto, the Pageant's theme this year was set as Unity in Diversity," said Diva America President Mrs. Anita Bhat.

Miss India Connecticut is also the first beauty pageant to introduce BMI (Body Mass Index) as one of the selection criteria for the contestants. "We believe that the Fashion Industry influences our next generation in its attitude towards health and fitness. To target the Fashion Industry, we have introduced BMI and we hope that by bringing this awareness, we can help reduce obesity, anorexia, bulimia, low self-esteem and depression amongst the next generation. If we succeed in bringing about this change in other beauty pageants, it will be historic!" Mrs.

Moti Mahal Delux Restaurant located in the prestigious Upper East Side in New York City

admired and renowned Mughlai food destinations in the world.

Now New York is the next destination of the high-end restaurant chain owned by Mr. Sanjiv Kohli, one of Moti Mahal Delux's brand co-owners. This first location in the

nowned culinary family in Punjab, India, Anand trained with India's master chefs, including Jiggs Kalra.

For Moti Mahal Delux, Gaurav partners with his brother Saurabh Anand, a graduate of the School of Hotel Management in India with

over ten years of experience in the hospitality industry in Delhi. After the success of Bhatti Indian Grill, the Anand brothers sought to bring to New York the authentic taste of Mughlai cuisine. They are now the franchisers of Moti Mahal Delux, with the Upper East Side location serving as the flagship for additional U.S. locations.

Anand welcomes franchising opportunities for this brand.

In Anand's hands, the signature dishes of Moti Mahal Delux come alive with a perfect balance of flavors and textures. He and his skilled team of chefs received extensive training from master chefs from Moti Mahal Delux - here and in New Delhi. In the course of their training, they learned the techniques that make this food so compelling and addictive, rich, tender, well balanced with nuanced spice and layered flavors.

Bhat commented.

Diva has been engaging several local Indian American community groups. The Pageant was endorsed by CAPI (Connecticut Association of Physicians of Indian Origin), AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin), YMCA and GOPIO (Global Organization of People of Indian Origin) Youth Council.

Diva America's team was proud to present a spectacular show with seven different classical dances of India simultaneously on the stage, which was a unique offering at the Pageant. All of this, in addition to the talent shows by brilliant contestants and Bollywood, folk and fusion dances by the talented local community, showcased magical India for the audience.

Michael Morand, Deputy Chief of Communication at Yale University, and celebrity TV anchor Kanika Chadda entertained the audience as Emcees. Celebrity Chef Maneet Chauhan, award-winning filmmaker Tom George Kolath, Executive Director of IAAC Aroon Shivdasani, Yale University Associate Professor Bonnie Fleming, President & CEO of AmeriCares Curt Welling, President and CEO of YMCA Greater Hartford James Morton and ExPresident of AAPI Dr. Sunita Kanumury were on the Pageant's esteemed panel of judges.

30 India Post

G

urez Valley in Kishenganga region of Himalayas is one of the most beautiful places in Jammu and Kashmir. Located very close to Srinagar valley, it is considered a hightension area, because of the Line of Control

exotic variety of flora and fauna, including the snow leopard and elusive Himalayan Black Bear. Dawar is the main village in the region and is covered in snow for more than half a year. This remote natural beauty is located at an altitude of 8000 feet above sea

www.indiapost.com

Ultimate adventure destination to the north of Kashrnir, Gurez, is a gateway to the famous silk route across central Asia. The pyramid shaped peak named after famous Kashmiri poetess Habba Khatoon is the most fascinating peak of Kashmir. The em-

The pyramid shaped peak named after famous Kashmiri poetess Habba Khatoon is the most fascinating peak of Kashmir. The emperor Yousuf Shah Chak who is said to be a Dard from Gilgit entered into Kashmir through Gurez. It is believed that when the emperor was imprisoned by King Akbar, his beloved Habba Khatoon used to wander near the peak to look for her lover Fareed Kaloo; President Habba Khatoon Club resenting a cultural item in Gurez.

between India and Pakistan crossing the valley.

The valley which was opened for public only in the year 2007, serves as home to an

level and can be visited between the months of June and August. In order to reach the valley, tourists can hire private vehicles from Srinagar.

peror Yousuf Shah Chak who is said to be a Dard from Gilgit entered into Kashmir through Gurez. It is believed that when the emperor was imprisoned by King Akbar, his

September 21, 2012

beloved Habba Khatoon used to wander near the peak to look for her lover. The roar of mighty Kishen-Ganga River flowing across the valley resonates with surrounding mountains to lull a visitor to sleep. The traditional log wood houses make Gurez no less than a European country side.

People of Gurez valley are Dards. They speak Sheena language and have their ancestral connection with Gilgit valley, now in Pakistan. The feature and attire of the Dards is similar to Kashmiri people of mountain region. Though Gurez is a far flung area but the people of the Dard race have uplifted themselves by hard work and proper education.

Dard women are fair with athletic built, who spend the summer collecting wood from mountains for the harsh winter; when it is impossible to move in the 20 feet snow outside.

The trekking routes from Gurez and Tilel lead up to Gangabal and Sonamorg to its east and Drass, Dahanu and Zanskar to its north.

The Kishen Ganga River in Gurez offers easy level of stream for rafting and the tough stream is from Tilel. Some of the mountains have a challenging scope for rock climbing.

Cont’d on page 30

Travel & Hospitality Post

30 India Post

September 21, 2012

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Gurez Valley: Natural beauty with variety of flora & fauna

Water rafting in Kishen Ganga River, Gurez Cont’d from page 29

Trout fishing is a frequent sport among locals who throw in a line to get a decent meal for the day. Anglers can be delighted to catch a brown trout in the Kishen Ganga River or the streams coming down from the mountains. Gurez has lovely camp sites where tents can be pitched near the river.

20 km from Gurez, the awesome villages of Tilel have log wood houses which add to the magnificent view of mountains full of pine and fir trees. The road from Gurez to Tilel is just seven years old, which has now

been extended up to Drass in Kargil region.

The legend of Habba Khatoon A beautiful and intelligent damsel of Saffaron village "Pampore" learnt holy Quran by heart at an early age and recited the Quranic verses in her sweet voice. Zoon "a moon" was daughter of a peasant who got her married to an illiterate peasant boy.

Zoon was ill-treated by her mother-in-law and husband as she spent time in poetry and singing. Dejected by her plight she approached a "Peer" who changed her name to Habba Khatoon and presumed her as the queen of Kashmir.

Shrine of Baba Razaaq in the lap of mountain in Dawar.

The emperor of Kashmir Yousuf Shaohi Chak (18th century) was enamored by her beauty, intelligence and poetry. He got Habba Khatoon divorced and married her.

The musicians and singers of the royal court groomed her to be a complete poetess. Habba Khatoon contributed musical compositions, Sufiana kalams and Kashmiri songs.

"Meha karl schoi kith, poshe daswanoi,

Ali also made repeat of the film "Zoon" few years back. Habba Khatoon continues to be a legend of Kashmir.

Location: North - East of Kashmir Valley, 142 km from Srinagar.

Best time to visit: May-Aug How to reach: For seven hours journey Srinagar-Gurez, one has to take the SumbalBandipur road. Bandipur town at a distance of 58 km offers spectacular view of famous

For seven hours journey Srinagar-Gurez, one has to take the Sumbal-Bandipur road. Bandipur town at a distance of 58 km offers spectacular view of famous Manasbal and Wular Lake. An uphill journey from Bandipur to Razdon pass 3300m has a breathtaking view where one can stop for a photo shoot Chhou mean danai posh" (I have done up myself with flowers for you, relish the beauty of the flowers oh my love.)

Arrested by the army of Emperor Akbar, Yousuf Shah Chak breathed his last at Patna in Bihar and was buried there. This devastated Habba Khotoon. She wandered on the banks of River Jhelum, fields and valleys.

Her songs uttered the words for lost love and said "Ghoh choun wuchan gotti, aki latti yeham naa." (I look for you oh my love in storms. I wish you to come once.)

Twenty years later the great poetess of Kashmir, Habba Khatoon, died in grief and sorrow and was buried in Athawajan. Her poetry still remains alive in the hearts of Kashmiri people. In fact, the first Kashmiri feature film Habba Khatoon was made 25 years ago. The famous film maker Muzzafar

Manasbal and Wular Lake. An uphill journey from Bandipur to Razdon pass 3300m has a breathtaking view where one can stop for a photo shoot. Shrine of Peer Bubo atop Razdon pass is looked after by the army regiment on duty in the Gurez region. The saint had come from Lahore in 1933 and was buried at Razdan pass.

The down hill road from Razdan reaches to the small village of Kunzalwan, where the border is just across the hills. A famous tributary of Jhelum - Kishen Ganga River with a length of 180 miles, rises in extreme eastern Tilel and flows westwards to be joined by Raman Sind and Burzil stream. Kishen Ganga River starts and re-enters Pakistan via Gurez valley. A plain road journey of more than an hour makes a way to the most spectacular view of Habba Khatoon peak (a limestone mountain) in Gurez.

India aims at 1 pc global tourist arrivals PANAJI: The country aims to attract one per cent of the global tourist arrivals by the end of 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) from the current 0.58 per cent, Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai has said.

"We aim to increase the number of global tourist arrivals in the country to one per cent, which will create a lot of employment opportunities," Sahai said, addressing the annual Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FH&RAI) conference

here.

Last year, 6.29 million foreign tourists came to India, which resulted in earning of USD 16.56 billion of foreign exchange. Majority of them were from Western Europe and the US. The Minister also said he would push for `infra' status for the tourism sector. The hospitality/tourism sector is demanding the infrastructure status, which can facilitate loans at lower rates with various tax concessions. -PTI

September 21, 2012

Travel & Hospitality Post www.indiapost.com

Brett Lee keen to rebuild Australia's image MELBOURNE: The newly roped in ambassador of Tourism Australia for India, Brett Lee has said he would help in rebuilding his country's image that has taken a beating following a spate of racial incidents in the past few years.

Welcoming over 70 Indian travel agents at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the former Aussie speedster insisted that Australia is not a racist country.

"Australia is not a racist country and the issue has been blown out of proportion in the media," he said. "Yes, there have been issues but there was a lot of speculation and innuendo," Lee was quoted as saying by the Austra-

lian media.

The fast bowler also said that 90 per cent of the Indians would jump at an opportunity to come to

Australia because of its climate and hospitality. "Indians love Aussies and they love the fact that we can talk about cricket. They

love coming out and studying here because of the climate and the hospitality.

"Australia is a beautiful place and has so much to offer," said Lee, who has been named a "Friend of Australia" under Tourism Australia's advocacy program.

The 'Friends of Australia' program has more than 160 advocates, including media personality Antonia Kidman, The Castle star Michael Caton and businessman Dick Smith.

Meanwhile Lee, according to media reports, has said that he was looking forward to heading to India to discuss other business opportunities. -PTI

South Africa sees 7% jump in Indian tourists JOHANNESBURG: South Africa, known for safaris, hopes to receive over 1 lakh Indians this year, as there was a 26 per cent rise in the arrivals in the first four months of the year over the previous year.

South African Tourism country manager Hanneli Slabber said the number of Indian tourists to her country has been increasing steadily over the past five years.

The January-April period saw 30,644 Indians flying to South Africa - a rise of 25.8 percent a year ago.

"In 2011, 90,367 Indians visited South Africa. Target for 2012 is to cross 1,00,000 and we hope to achieve the same. Since travel is aspirational for Indians we are confident that the rupee fall will not affect us drastically," Slabber told PTI on the sidelines of media tour.

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) media tour was recently organized by Brand South Africa, the national agency that coordinates with all other government agencies and

departments to promote SA as an ideal investment, tourist and expat destination.

The rise in Indian tourists to South Africa is despite the steep fall of the rupee against their unit rand. While the rupee has been the

"Our research shows that concerns about SA being unsafe for tourists improve by over 30 percent after the visit. Crime levels have gradually come down worst performing amongst the BRICS currencies, the South African rand (1 rand = Rs 9.5) has been the best so far.

Slabber said, South Africa's tourism industry reached record heights in 2011, with the highestever figure of 8.3 million foreign

tourist arrivals.

"We see an upward trend in arrivals this year too as the JanuaryApril period itself saw an exceptional 16.8 per cent increase in foreign tourist arrivals at 8,39,217 over 2011," Slabber said, adding going by the initial numbers, it seems that the global economic turmoil has not impacted SA's tourism business.

When asked about the negative perception of SA due to safety and security issues, Slabber said foreigners continue to come in spite of the concerns.

"Our research shows that concerns about SA being unsafe for tourists improve by over 30 percent after the visit. Crime levels have gradually come down in recent years, and success of the 2010 Fifa World Cup proves it, she said.

Reports of mugging, hijacking, killings etc of both tourists and locals by unemployed (official unemployment rate nearly 30 per cent) youth and organized gangs are frequent in the international and local media. -PTI

India Post

31

Maldives to launch air service to Mumbai MUMBAI: Maldives, which is looking at India as one of its key markets to enhance tourism, is planning to launch a direct flight to Mumbai starting from November 15.

"We want to enhance the connectivity between the two countries. For this, we are planning to have direct Maldivian Airlines flights between Mumbai and Male from November 15," Maldives Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor told PTI here.

Initially, the Maldivian Airlines will fly from Mumbai to Male thrice a week and depending on the traffic it will slowly be enhanced to five days a week, he added.

"We are also planning to fly directly to New Delhi from next year," he said.

Currently, Maldivian Airlines fly to Thiruvanathapuram five times a week.

Maldives, which is globally positioned as a luxury destination, is still working on its India marketing strategy. Maldives' ecology is very fragile and for this the country is not looking at catering to the mass segment, he added.

Maldives is also ramping up its infrastructure to make it an attractive destination for Bollywood.

"We are setting up infrastructure and working out incentives that make our country an attractive

Initially, the Maldivian Airlines will fly from Mumbai to Male thrice a week and depending on the traffic it will slowly be enhanced to five days a week, he added. "We are also planning to fly directly to New Delhi from next year," he said destination for Bollywood," he said.

In 2011, total arrivals from India were about 11,500, which Gafoor said is expected to go up to 30,000 by 2013, after all its strategies are put in place. -PTI

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Sahai asks transporters to double business www.indiapost.com NEW DELHI: Assuring tourist transporters that their concerns will be looked into, Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai has asked them to double their business to generate more jobs in the sector.

Terming the tourist transporters as 'vahaks' (carriers) of tourism industry, for providing the last mile connectivity, he said, "I am going to meet the transport minister soon to sort out the problems of multiple tax system in inter-state transportation. The issue is also being taken up with state governments separately."

He said this while inaugurating the 4th convention of the Indian Tourist Transporters Association (ITTA), the national body of tourist transporters, here.

If the 12th Five-Year Plan target of 12 million foreign tourist arrivals is met then sector would generate about three crore new jobs, he said, adding "The tourism industry is the biggest job generator."

The Tourism Ministry is trying to extend the Visa-on- Arrival (VoA) scheme to more countries for increasing the tourist arrivals.

Currently the government has al-

lowed the VoA facility for 11 countries including Japan, Singapore and New Zealand.

"We are in discussion with Home Ministry and External Affairs Ministry to extend the facility to 10 more countries including France, Germany and CIS nations," he said.

ITTA president Sarab Jit Singh said the industry is enthused to meet the challenge of 12 million arrivals in 2016-17 and wanted the government to address some of the major challenges faced by the tourism transport sector. -PTI

32

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September 21, 2012

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India Post

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September 21, 2012

H

e is often called the Casanova of Bollywood. Ranbir Kapoor has had enough of media linking him with his co-stars. In a very diplomatic way, he tells the media to shut up and not interfere in his personal life.

He makes it very clear that hereafter, he will only talk about his work and not his romantic affairs.

In a recent event, Ranbir was left furious when the media quizzed him about his link-ups with his co-actresses, and his equation with Ileana D'Cruz, his Barfi! co-star.

"See, my motive is to let my film talk. I don't tell others to write about my affairs nor do I decide it. I work hard. In 'Barfi' also I have worked hard," Ranbir Kapoor told reporters.

This is what the 29-year-old answered. "If your question is how did I feel working with Anurag Basu, then I will respect you. But if you ask questions like 'Why did I not have an affair with Ileana?', then you will lose respect.

So I'd like you to ask me questions about my work, not about my affairs."

D

espite a dream debut with big and highly coveted Bollywood personalities like Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali in the successful Rockstar, Nargis Fakhri hasn't gained much- either in terms of film offers or praise for her acting. Not many producers have been forthcoming to offer Nargis a role. The film that worked wonders for the lead actor, did precious little for the leading lady's career.

According to Mumbai Mirror, the three film-deal that Nargis had reportedly signed with Akshay Kumar's production house Hari Om Productions even before her first film released, seems to have been called off as well. However, the one-film-wonder has another option in the pipeline television. "I want to help people, be of some service, you know. Maybe become like Oprah (Winfrey) someday," she says.

Though some may think that television is her backup plan, Imtiaz Ali still swears by her talent.

7 Dhadang Dhang: Rowdy Rathore 8 Aa Re Pritam Pyaare: Rowdy Rathore 9 Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita: Rowdy Rathore 10 Jiya Tu Bihar Ke Lala: Gangs Of Wasseypur

HOOKED

TO

ZUMBA P

ost her return from a long holiday in the US, Prachi Desai seems to be a changed gal. She has returned with a new passion: Zumba.

It is learnt that a friend introduced the actress to the Latin American dance and fitness form during her visit there. And not only did Prachi find it a fun dance form, but she also practiced it regularly to stay in shape. If that's not enough, she has also acquired a new collection of music to play while she indulges in her Zumba sessions back home.

According to a friend of the actress, "Prachi has become addicted to the dance form and ensures that she takes time out for her sessions every day without fail. She's looking and feeling great ever since she's got hooked on to it during her visit to the US, so she sees no reason to not continue practicing it at home while in Mumbai."

Bollywood

September 21, 2012

India Post 35

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SPYING ROLE

F

ilmmaker Ketan Mehta is in talks with actress Katrina Kaif to play legendary World War II spy Noor Inayat Khan in his ambitious project Noor.

Meanwhile, the director plans to make another biopic titled Mountain Man, about a Bihar-based laborer named Dashrath Manjhi, who spent over two decades of his life carving a road by cutting a mountain.

The lack of a road had prevented him from taking his wife to hospital, and she lost her life.

Mehta is keeping his options open for the film's lead actor. "Mountain Man is a great biopic. I am yet to cast someone for the lead role. I am keeping all my options open (to cast a newcomer or an established actor)."

Mehta's Rang Rasiya has been ready for the last three years, but is yet to hit the screens. The director plans to get started on the proposed two biopics only once the Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen-starrer releases.

J

ackie Shroff's son Tiger Shroff will debut in Sajid Nadiadwala's production where he plays a ruffian from a small North Indian town.

Says a source, "The script written by Sanjeev Dutta who wrote Life In a Metro and Page 3, takes Tiger's character in the Indian heartland."

The role requires loads of action and dancing, Tiger's twin forte. Says the excited debutante, "The action and dance are a big part of the script. I've been training really hard for those. And I don't need to unlearn those skills. But yes, there's a lot of new things I need to learn for the role."

FAMILY WAY

A

fter featuring in erotic thriller Jism 2, porn star-turned-actress Sunny Leone is eyeing family drama and says her next could be from that genre.

"Yes, definitely I am looking forward to a family drama. I want to do a family-oriented film. Hopefully, if things fall in place, my next would be a light-hearted comedy and a family drama," Sunny said.

"A few directors have approached me with different roles for a family drama. I am really looking forward to it," added the actress whose second film after debut vehicle Jism 2 is Ragini MMS 2, a sequel to 2011 scary movie Ragini MMS. "My second film Ragini MMS 2 will go on the floors in January 2013.

It's a horror movie and it's going to be very scary. I have been reading the script scene by scene and all I can say is that it's going to be very scary. I heard the music of the film.

It's awesome," she said.

RUFFIAN

TIGER

And for this he needs at least six months of training. Adds a source close to the film, "It's a love story set in a small town in North India. The director Sabir Khan was earlier going to make Heer Aur Ranjha with Shahid Kapoor. But when he got Sanjeev Dutta's script, he knew this was what he wanted to do with Jackie's boy. The role has loads of action and dancing. Tiger is a toughie and also a lover-boy. It is just what audiences would expect from Jackie dada's son."

A hunt is on for a completely new face to star opposite Tiger.

Health

Line

Health officials unsure why EEE arriving in Vt.

MONTPELIER, Vt.: Vermont public health officials say they don't know why the state is seeing its first human cases of the rare, potentially fatal eastern equine encephalitis.

But they are committed to stopping its spread by killing the disease-transmitting mosquitoes.

The disease has killed an elderly man and sickened another adult.

The Health Department began aerial spraying in two areas of Rutland and Addison counties, low-lying, swampy areas long known for mosquitoes. Officials had already begun ground spraying as part of an effort to kill the mosquitoes known to carry eastern equine encephalitis.

The threat from EEE and West Nile virus won't disappear until the first hard freeze kills the mosquitoes that spread them. -AP

LSU center wins tumor registry award NEW ORLEANS: The LSU Health Sciences Center's Louisiana Tumor Registry has been recognized with an award from the National Program of Cancer Registries.

Dr. Vivien Chen, professor of public health and director of the LSUHSC registry, accepted the organization's 20th Anniversary Research Award in Washington.

The award is one of only two given to cancer registries this year.

It recognizes the registry and researchers who use registry data for cancer research resulting in peerreviewed publications as well as impact on early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer leading to improved outcomes. The NPCR includes registries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Pacific islands. -AP

New York man admits unlicensed plastic surgery ALBANY, N.Y.: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says a man who did liposuction and other cosmetic surgery without a medical license faces six months in prison and payment of $8,700 in restitution.

Carlos Arango pleaded guilty to a single felony count for procedures he performed on several New York women in 2011.

The attorney general's office said Arango has admitted recruiting women from a spa in Queens and doing the procedures in Stamford, Conn., and Manhattan. -AP

Health Science 36

India Post

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September 21, 2012

Iowa health officials warn of bats, rabies WATERLOO, Iowa: Iowa health officials are warning residents to be mindful of bats. Bat populations in Iowa are becoming more visible, as young bats begin to take flight and adults are preparing for migration. The Iowa Department of Public Health tells the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that it is receiving more calls regarding rabies in bats. -AP

Obama vies for health care edge in Florida BOSTON: Mitt Romney said he would retain some popular parts of the new health care law he has pledged to repeal, while President Barack Obama focused attention in all-important Florida on the Republican ticket's stand on Medicare, an issue that's been more favorable to Democrats.

Romney also said it was a ``mistake'' for congressional Republicans to go along with the White House on a budget deal that has set up big automatic spending cuts in defense and elsewhere in the new year. His running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, helped steer that agreement through Congress.

Health care grabbed the spotlight, less than months from Election Day in the deadlocked race.

Romney, appearing on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' for the first time in the campaign and the first time since June 28, 2009, said he would replace Obama's health overhaul with a plan entirely his own, yet would keep some popular provisions. ``I'm not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course, there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I'm going to put in place,'' Romney said in the interview. He cited coverage for people with medical conditions

President Barack Obama greets patrons during an unschedule stop at Gator's Dockside, Sepember 8, in Orlando, Fla.

The president promoted a study showing that future retirees under Romney's plan would pay tens of thousands more for health care over their retirement period. The report was rejected quickly by Romney's campaign and new insurance marketplaces.

Romney's aides said that was consistent with his previous position that those who haven't had a gap in coverage shouldn't be denied coverage.

But the comments brought renewed attention to the similarities between Obama's plan and the one

Romney championed when he was Massachusetts governor, which included both protections for health conditions and an individual mandate that the Republican has since railed against.

The GOP nominee, who attended church in Boston before debate practice sessions, didn't

offer specifics for how he'd deal with the affordability of insurance, but suggested competition would help bring down costs. For seniors, Romney has called for restructuring Medicare by giving retirees a government payment that they would use to choose between traditional Medicare and private insurance.

Obama, campaigning for a second day in Florida, tried to move past a weak jobs report and highlight the impact of Romney's proposals on older workers and those nearing retirement.

The president promoted a study showing that future retirees under Romney's plan would pay tens of thousands more for health care over their retirement period. The report was rejected quickly by Romney's campaign, which faulted Obama for relying on ``discredited attacks'' and noted the study was conducted

by Obama's former adviser.

Obama told about 3,000 supporters in Melbourne, Fla., that if Romney had his way, Americans will pay more so insurers could make more. ``No American should have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies,'' he said.

Cont'd on page 39

Study looks at driving under influence of pot IOWA CITY, Iowa: Marijuana use, despite the legal implications, has been common in America for generations, and it's becoming even more widespread as some communities legalize it for medical purposes.

But it wasn't until five years ago that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looked into its prevalence behind the wheel and found that 16.3 percent of the weekend nighttime drivers surveyed at 300 locations across the United States were drug positive.

Cannabis stood out as the most commonly detected drug, according to the survey. But what the survey didn't show - and what authorities don't know is how often drivers are impaired by the

drugs, specifically marijuana.

Some states prohibit drugged driving all together while others require proof of impairment, but few studies have actually ana-

nabis on driving performance. The study is taking place at the University of Iowa's National Advanced Driving Simulator, praised as being the most advanced simulator in the

Cannabis stood out as the most commonly detected drug, according to the survey. But what the survey didn't show - and what authorities don't know is how often drivers are impaired by the drugs, specifically marijuana lyzed the effects of cannabis behind the wheel until now.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct the first study to analyze the effects of inhaled can-

world, and pilot work is scheduled to begin later this month.

Marilyn Huestis, chief of chemistry and drug metabolism at the intramural research program for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has been trying to get the UI simu-

lator involved in drugged driving studies for years. New, top-quality research could help shape future legislation in the United States, which Huestis said is behind in its policies on drugged driving. ``It's so important for it to be done there,'' she said. ``But it's taken a lot to get the United States to recognize the problem.''

The study will use about 20 volunteers, ages 21 to 55, who live within 40 miles of the UI and are able to make eight study visits _ six of which will involve overnight stays at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Participants must be in good health, have good sleep habits and be alcohol and marijuana consumers.

Cont'd on page 39

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WHO call to scale-up disaster risk management

India Post News Service

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia: Health Ministers from WHO's South-East Asia Region renewed their commitment to improving disaster risk management in the health sector. Member countries are increasing investments and building capacities for all phases of disasters: risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery. The Health Ministers deliberated on this issue at WHO's 65th Regional Committee Meeting from 5 to 7 September.

Investments in disaster risk management in Indonesia are an example of this renewed commitment. Many institutional and community systems were in place after the tsunami. The Center for Health Crises Management in the Ministry of Health Indonesia has recently been designated as a WHO Collabo-

rating Centre for Training and Research in Disaster Risk Reduction. The centre has multiple functions of overseeing capacity development and decentralized operational response in the country. As a WHO Collaborating Centre it will serve as a knowledge base and a source of good practices in emergency risk management in the health sector, serving the needs of countries globally.

"For emergencies, information and research are needed to continuously provide evidence for development work in the health sector. Health interventions in disaster risk management need to be systematically documented and analyzed" said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO's Regional Director for South-East Asia. "In-service training for health staff is urgently needed.

Disaster risk management must

be incorporated into the existing public health and medical curricula" he added.

Aside from information, services need to continue during emergencies. Health facilities

linked to the communities. Countries need to focus more on building and strengthening "community resilience" whereby people are able to help themselves during emergencies before outside help arrives. Community resilience will greatly reduce deaths, casualties and destruction in affected areas.

46% of all deaths due to disasters from 2001 to 2010 occurred in the 11 countries of WHO's South-East Asia Region.

Health Ministers from South-

"For emergencies, information and research are needed to continuously provide evidence for development work in the health sector.

Health interventions in disaster risk management need to be systematically documented and analyzed" said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO's Regional Director for South-East Asia should be designed to ensure resistance to the major hazards that prevail in their locations. Emergency health facility plans should be in place and all health staff need to be familiar with them.

This capacity development should eventually be in and

East Asian countries have demonstrated their commitment to disaster response by establishing and managing a response fund with WHO. The WHO South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) assists countries by providing

funding within 24 hours of a funding request during an emergency. SEARHEF funds have been utilized in 13 different emergencies throughout the Region since its inception in 2008.

The SEARHEF was first used to support health response to the devastating Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008. Subsequently, it was used for funding the creation of semi-permanent hospital wards in Northern Sri Lanka to care for victims of the escalated conflict in 2008-2009.

Without these facilities countless more men, women and children would have suffered. The fund also supported smaller emergencies - providing antibiotics for burn victims of the 2010 fires in Dhaka which prevented post-burn infections, and assisting the response to flash floods in Sri Lanka.

In major emergency during the 2011 flood in Thailand, boats and life jackets for mobile health units were provided through this fund. In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the fund was utilized to equip and mobilize household doctors to mobilize them during torrential rains in 2011.

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AIDS vaccine sleuths find new clues BLOOMBERG: AIDS researchers found clues that help explain why an HIV vaccine worked better for some people than others in a study, advancing scientists' understanding of the virus.

Researchers identified two genetic "signatures" in the virus among people who contracted HIV despite being vaccinated in a 2009 trial in Thailand. Those genetic features may have helped the virus to evade the vaccine, according to the U.S. Military HIV Research Program in Silver Spring, Maryland, which published the findings in the journal Nature. The study is also being presented at an AIDS conference in Boston.

The new research shows that the vaccine, the only one that has shown any success fighting HIV, was more effective combating the virus when the signatures included one specific mutation and lacked another one, protecting in as much as 80 percent of the cases.

The findings may help scientists design future vaccines, said Jerome Kim, who led the research.

"It's as though you had 50 dif-

ferent kinds of fish that can potentially be caught, and you catch most of them, but by looking at the ones that escaped you can tell what the problems are with the net," Kim said in a phone interview.

An analysis published in April showed that those who were protected against HIV in the trial developed antibodies against the V2 loop, suggesting the region plays a key role in the virus's ability to infect, Kim said The 2009 trial on Sanofi's Alvac and VaxGen Inc.'s Aidsvax surprised researchers by showing that the two vaccines, which had failed in tests on their own, reduced infections by 31 percent over three years when used in combination. Researchers have

been scouring the blood of participants in the trial for clues to help improve on the result.

V2 Loop Kim and colleagues found the two genetic features in an area of the virus's outer coat called the V2 loop, an area on HIV's surface that is constantly changing, confounding vaccine hunters for more than three decades.

An analysis published in April showed that those who were protected against HIV in the trial developed antibodies against the V2 loop, suggesting the region plays a key role in the virus's ability to infect, Kim said.

The new findings combined with the April study show that the antibodies generated by the vaccine forced the virus to mutate to escape it, Kim said.

Kim and colleagues are part of a consortium called the Pox Protein Public-Private Partnership that is planning follow-on trials to the Thai study, including one in South Africa where it's hoping to generate a larger and longer-lasting response to V2. -sfgate.com

Job insecurity may affect your health: study WASHINGTON: Employees who feel their jobs are not secure are more likely to rate themselves in poor health and have increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, a new study has found.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that workers with job insecurity were nearly four times more likely to report symptoms of anxiety attacks, and close to seven times more likely to have symptoms suggesting minor or major depression.

The study analyzed data on about 440 working-aged adults living in southeast Michigan in 2009-10.

The analysis was part of a larger study to assess the impact of the recent economic recession and ongoing recovery on the lives of workers in the Detroit area, which was hit particularly hard by the "Great Recession".

Nearly 18 per cent of workers perceived their job was insecure - they felt it was at least "fairly likely" that they would lose their job or be laid off within the next year.

Workers with job insecurity

rated their health lower than workers who perceived their jobs as more secure - they were nearly three times more likely to rate their health as fair to poor.

"The study provides some of the first available evidence on the

The analysis was part of a larger study to assess the impact of the recent economic recession and ongoing recovery on the lives of workers in the Detroit area, which was hit particularly hard by the "Great Recession" extent and distribution of perceived job insecurity and its association with health in the wake of the Great Recession," lead researcher Sarah A Burgard said in a statement.

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. -PTI

State Supreme Court restores Sleeping pills don't work for 40 percent poppers medical marijuana law HELENA, Mont.: The Montana Supreme Court has ruled that a ban on medical marijuana sales does not violate the constitutional rights of registered users or providers, overturning a lower judge's decision to block part of lawmakers' restrictive rewrite of state regulations.

The justices ruled that the portion of the 2011 state law that limits the number of patients per provider to three and prohibits those providers from making a profit does not violate the Montana Constitution's right to privacy or to pursue employment and health.

Last year, District Judge Jim Reynolds last year blocked four provisions of the law from taking effect.

Medical marijuana advocates had argued the new law was an unconstitutional violation of registered patients' right to pursue good health and privacy, while also violating the providers' right to pursue employment. The plaintiffs had asked the high court to expand Reynolds' decision and block the entire state law.

But the Supreme Court said in its 6-1 decision that the Legislature was within its rights to gut the voter-

approved initiative that brought medical pot to the state. The court said rights to health and privacy do not protect medical marijuana use. ``In pursuing one's own health, an individual has a fundamental right to obtain and reject medical treatment. But, this right does not

The high court said there is a constitutional right to pursue employment, but that right does not extend a right to any particular job, or employment free of state regulation extend to give a patient a fundamental right to use any drug, regardless of its legality,'' the opinion by Justice Michael Wheat said. ``Thus, we conclude, in pursuing health, an individual does not have a fundamental, affirmative right of access to a particular drug.''

The high court said there is a constitutional right to pursue em-

ployment, but that right does not extend a right to any particular job, or employment free of state regulation. The court said medical marijuana providers are horticulturalists, free to generally pursue horticulture work.

Wheat went on to say the regulation of a medication is within the government's interest of protecting public health and does not violate an individual's constitutional rights.

The Legislature enacted the law as a reaction to public concern over the rapid growth of a medical marijuana industry that included retail storefronts, thousands of providers and tens of thousands of patients.

Even after Reynolds' decision, other restrictions in the state's crackdown remained in place.

That, along with a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute medical marijuana growers under federal law, led to a severe reduction in the state's medical marijuana industry.

Some aspects of Reynolds' decision were not challenged, such as his move to block a portion that allowed warrantless searches of medical marijuana premises. -AP

LONDON: Sleeping pills seldom worked for 40 percent of the poppers who suffer from insomnia, says a survey of 20,000 people, according to a British study.

Some 42 percent of the patients currently on medication have been sleeping badly for over 11 years or more. A further 22 percent had insomnia lasting two to five years, while one in six had suffered between six and 10 years, the survey revealed.

Experts said the study suggested that sleeping pills were not combating long-term sleep problems and that cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven to be more effective.

Around 10 million National Heath Service (MHS) prescriptions for sleeping pills are issued each year. But NHS guidelines say they should be for short-term use only - usually for two weeks and up to a maximum of four weeks at a time.

Findings from The Great British Sleep Survey of more than 20,000 adults in Britain found we are a nation of poor sleepers. The average score of sleep quality was only five out of 10. Long-term poor sleepers were twice as likely to

have relationship problems, suffer from daytime fatigue and lack of concentration.

The survey also showed almost one in 10 with insomnia was on sleeping pills prescribed by their doctor, with one in five using over the counter remedies. American research this year found sleeping

Experts said the study suggested that sleeping pills were not combating long-term sleep problems and that cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven to be more effective pills may significantly increase the risk of premature death.

The latest survey was sponsored by Sleepio, an online sleep improvement program which uses cognitive behavioral techniques.

Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, has campaigned for the NHS to highlight the importance of sleep. -zeenews.india.com

September 21, 2012

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Obama vies for health care edge in Florida Cont’d from page 36

In Ohio, another critical battleground, Vice President Joe Biden piled on, mocking Republicans for saying they want to protect Medicare and claiming that under Romney's leadership, benefits would be slashed.

Hoping to put a human face on the issue, Obama ate breakfast at a Florida cafe with two older couples concerned about Medicare costs. But a brief interaction with another patron and Romney supporter underscored what polls show is a persistent problem for Obama with voters who like him personally but question his economic competence.

Said 73-year-old Bill Terrell of Cocoa, Fla.: ``I always thought he was a very personable person, nice person. I just don't think he's doing a good job on the economy.''

In broadcast interviews, Romney and Ryan kept the heat on Obama on the economic front, warning that across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect at the start of 2013 could devastate the defense budget. Half of the cuts are expected to come from the Pentagon if Congress doesn't reach a budget solution in the next few months.

But Romney's attacks on the president for signing the deficit-reduction measure had some collateral damage for his running mate, who as House Budget Committee

chairman both voted for and loudly praised the bill that created the trigger for the automatic spending cuts. ``I thought it was a mistake on the part of the White House to propose it,'' Romney said. ``I think it was a mistake for Republicans to go along with it.''

With an eye toward undecided voters dismayed by the lackluster recovery, Romney and Ryan faulted Obama for failing to

In broadcast interviews, Romney and Ryan kept the heat on Obama on the economic front, warning that across-theboard spending cuts set to take effect at the start of 2013 could devastate the defense budget. Half of the cuts are expected to come from the Pentagon if Congress doesn't reach a budget solution in the next few months provide the tax relief they say holds the key to the creation of millions of jobs. Romney has pledged to lower tax rates for by 20 percent for all Americans - including the wealthy.

Romney has said he'll pay for those cuts by eliminating loopholes and deductions for higher-income earners. But both Republicans were unyielding in saying that the specifics would come only after the election.

Study looks at driving under influence of pot Cont'd from page 36

They must be willing to go through drug and pregnancy screenings, including blood draws.

Huestis said the study had to be approved by boards associated with the UI, the Federal Drug Administration and other local and national drug enforcement agencies. ``The regulatory reviews are extensive and meant to develop a study with high merit,'' she said.

Cannabis used in the study will come from a federally funded laboratory at the University of Mississippi, the nation's only facility allowed to grow marijuana for medical and research purposes. It involves a ``tightly controlled process'' involving the FDA and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Huestis. ``It is all very legal,'' she said. ``We have all the approvals in place, and we are starting the pilot data but it's very costly and difficult to perform.''

Volunteers for the UI study will be transported to and from the study they will not be allowed to drive while participating and they will be ``dosed'' under the supervision of medical professionals, driving simulator officials said.

Volunteers will get paid to participate in the study, although compensation amounts are kept private.

And, even though participants will be asked to disclose details of their marijuana use, the UI uses a ``certificate of confidentiality'' from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that protects information

``Mitt Romney and I, based on our experience, think the best way to do this is to show the framework, show the outlines of these plans, and then to work with Congress to do this,'' Ryan said on ABC's ``This Week.''

Drawing attention to his opponents' reticence, Obama shot back hours later, saying Ryan and Romney deserve a failing math grade instead of accolades for bold leadership. ``It was like two plus one equals five,''

about participants. The certificate, according to UI officials, verifies that no information about participants will be disclosed to anyone, including law enforcement.

Although few studies have been done on how marijuana affects a person's ability to drive, decades of research has shown its effects on the brain. ``It is very much involved in movement and control,'' Huestis said, ``in memory and decision making.''

Cannabis used in the study will come from a federally funded laboratory at the University of Mississippi, the nation's only facility allowed to grow marijuana for medical and research purposes Driving requires a lot of divided attention, with the need to stay in a lane, track turns in the road, monitor other drivers and handle unexpected events that might require a person to slam on the breaks or swerve, according to Huestis. Cannabis affects a person's ability to divide his or her attention, which is why, in crafting the drive for the study, Huestis included a number of unexpected occurrences. She also crafted a portion of the trip at the other extreme. -AP

Obama said, prompting incredulous chuckles from the crowd in Florida.

For Obama, Florida presents a convergence of issues. Even as Obama sought to touch a nerve on health care, Romney's campaign was trying to stoke anti-Obama sentiments among the state's numerous Jewish voters and donors by drawing attention to the flap at the Democratic National Convention over whether the party platform

should define Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

White House press secretary Jay Carney sought to distinguish between what Obama has said is his personal view that Jerusalem is and should remain the capital of Israel, and longstanding U.S. foreign policy which states that the status of Jerusalem should be part of final negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Also on the minds of some Florida residents was the future of the U.S. space program. Greeting Obama as he arrived at his rally in Melbourne were a knot of protesters holding anti-Obama signs, including one that read, ``Obama lied. Space Coast died.''

Melbourne, home of the Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Institute of Technology, has been hard hit by cutbacks in the space program. Obama's campaign cast blamed on President George W. Bush and House Republicans, while Obama said his proposals to put the U.S. on the cutting edge of space exploration would inspire the next generation.

Romney, who took a break from the campaign trail during the Democratic convention, has one by one returned to the most competitive states, with recent stops in Iowa, New Hampshire and Virginia. -AP

In Brief 3 groups join in opposing city's immigration law OMAHA, Neb.: Three civil rights organizations have entered the legal battle over an eastern Nebraska city's ordinance targeting illegal immigration.

The Fair Housing Center of Nebraska-Iowa, the National Fair Housing Alliance and Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group National Council of La Raza all recently filed ``friend of the court'' briefs in opposing the Fremont ordinance.

In 2010, voters in the town of 26,000 easily approved the measure, which banned hiring or renting to illegal immigrants and required businesses to use federal E-verify software to confirm that potential employees were not illegal immigrants. -AP

State asks full court to hear immigration appeal MONTGOMERY, Ala.: The state of Alabama has asked a federal appeals court to reconsider parts of two opinions that struck down some provisions of Alabama's immigration law.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said here the state was challenging a three-judge panel's decision to strike down parts of Alabama's law concerning harboring illegal immigrants, contracts and collecting school data on immigrants.

Bentley said the court was placing an illegal restraint on state government.

The state is asking the full appeals court to review the threejudge panel's decision.

The Southern Poverty Law Center was a plaintiff in the suit and is confident the ruling will stand. -AP

UK rejects another plea on Indian students LONDON: Under compulsion to deliver election promise to cut immigration, Britain's immigration minister has again rejected a recommendation by a key parliamentary committee to exclude Indian and other non-EU students from overall migration statistics.

The demand to exclude non-EU students from immigration figures has been made by several stake-holders, including trade and industry organizations, since most of them return home after completing studies.

The latest demand had been made by the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee of Parliament. -PTI

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Leicester council plans to thank Indian immigrants LONDON: A council in England that once did not want Indian immigrants to come to the city is planning to publicly thank them for transforming it and the region after facing racism and other hurdles as they rebuilt their lives over the last 40 years.

Cont’d on page 42

Judge OKs contentious part of Ariz immigration law PHOENIX: Arizona authorities can enforce the most contentious section of the state's heavily debated immigration law, according to a federal judge's ruling regarding a section of the statute that critics have dubbed the ``show me your papers'' provision.

The ruling by US District Judge Susan Bolton clears the way for police to carry out the requirement that officers, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer hailed the ruling on what she called ``the most critical section'' of the state's immigration law.

Critics have assailed the provision as un-American, saying it paves the way for ethnic discrimination and racial profiling, providing officers a justification for stopping people based on how they look.

Alessandra Soler, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Arizona, said the section of the law is ``divisive'' and will ``lead to rampant racial profiling and prolonged detention for countless Latinos, a majority of whom are US citizens and permanent residents.''

Protesters march in front of the Capitol after an executive order reaffirmed Arizona state law denying young illegal immigrants driver's licenses and other public benefits in Phoenix

In her ruling, Bolton said the court will not ignore the clear direction from the Supreme Court that the provision “cannot be challenged further on its face before the law takes effect” Proponents say that's a misinterpretation of a law necessary to stop immigrants from illegally coming into the US and using up scant resources. They say there's nothing wrong with being asked to provide identification proving legal status.

Brewer, a Republican, said the ruling ``will empower state and local law enforcement, as part of a legal stop or detention, to inquire about an individual's immigration status when the officer has reasonable suspicion.''

The provision has been at the

center of a two-year legal battle that resulted in a US Supreme Court decision in June upholding the requirement.

After the nation's highest court weighed in, opponents asked Bolton to block the section of the law, arguing that it would cause systematic discrimination and unreasonably long detentions of Latinos if it's enforced.

Brewer's office, however, urged the judge to let the requirement go into effect, saying the law's opponents were merely speculating in their racial profiling claims. The Republican governor's office also said police have received training to avoid discriminatory practices and that officers must have reasonable suspicion that a person is in the country illegally to trigger the requirement.

In her ruling, Bolton said the court will not ignore the clear direction from the Supreme Court that the provision ``cannot be challenged further on its face before the law takes effect.'' She reiterated the high court's interpretation that the law might be able to be challenged as unconstitutional on other grounds.

Cont’d on page 42

CBP discontinues admission stamps on forms CYRUS D. MEHTA

A

s of August 10, 2012, U.S. Customs and Border Pro tection (CBP) no longer provides admission stamps on Forms I-20/DS-2019 for prospective and returning international students and scholars (traveling on F, M, and J visas) seeking admission to the United States.

CBP said this change makes CBP processes consistent with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) recent change to stop stamping Forms I-20/DS-2019.

USCIS implemented this change as part of the launch of the USCIS Electronic Immigration System.

CBP noted that placing an admission stamp on Forms I-20/DS2019 has been a longstanding practice at CBP, but it is not required.

Although the admission stamps on Forms I-20/DS-2019 are not indicators of lawful status or academic program duration, some state and federal benefit-granting agencies have required international students and scholars to

20/DS-2019 to their local USCIS office to be stamped. This transitional step will end on November 21, 2012.

State Dept. Announces Numerical Limits for Immigrants The Department of State deter-

If a state benefit-granting agency rejects an unstamped Form I-20/DS-2019, applicants may make an appointment with USCIS online through InfoPass present stamped versions. State requirements vary.

If a state benefit-granting agency rejects an unstamped Form I-20/DS-2019, applicants may make an appointment with USCIS online through InfoPass and take their I-

mines worldwide numerical limitations on visa issuances, based in part on data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On August 8, 2012, USCIS provided the required data to the Department's Visa Office.

The Department has determined that the worldwide employmentbased preference limit for fiscal year 2012 is 144,951, and the family-sponsored preference limit is 226,000. The per-country limit is fixed at 7 percent of the family and employment annual limits; for FY 2012, the per-country limit is 25,967. The dependent area annual limit is 2 percent, or 7,419.

CBP Warns I-94 Processing May Be Delayed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is automating traveler arrival records to streamline passenger processing. The current processing time for entering foreign visitors' travel information into the I-94 database is 30 days or more.

Cont’d on page 42

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US halts Mexico flights for migrants

Illegal immigrants prepare to enter a bus after being processed at Tucson Sector US Border Patrol Headquarters August 9, in Tucson, Ariz.

TUCSON, Ariz.: The U.S. government has halted flights home for Mexicans caught entering the country illegally in the deadly summer heat of Arizona's deserts, a money-saving move that follows a seven-year experiment that cost taxpayers nearly $100 million.

More than 125,000 passengers were flown deep into Mexico for free since 2004 in an effort that initially met with skepticism from Mexican government officials and migrants, but was gradually embraced as a way to help people back on their feet and save lives.

The Border Patrol hailed it as a way to discourage people from trying their luck again, and it appears to have kept many away - at least for a short time.

But with Border Patrol arrests at 40-year lows and fresh evidence suggesting more people may be heading south of the border than north, officials struggled to fill the planes and found costs more difficult to justify. Flights carrying up to 146 people were cut to once from twice daily last year.

And this summer, there haven't been any.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Border Patrol, said it anticipates flights will resume next month in a redesigned program.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because an agreement has not been reached said flights in the redesigned program would be for Mexicans arrested throughout the United States and run year-round. It would be designed for a mix of Mexicans who committed crimes in the United States and non-criminals. ``Removing Mexican nationals to the interior of Mexico is part of an effort to reduce repeat attempts to illegally enter the United States, avoid the loss of human life and minimize the potential for exploitation of illegal migrants by human smuggling and trafficking organizations as well as other organizations,'' the department said in a statement.

The flights had operated only in the summer and only in Arizona, designed as a humanitarian effort

in response to the many migrants who have died over the last decade trekking through remote deserts in debilitating heat.

In an effort to keep the flights going with fewer migrants crossing, American authorities proposed mixing in Mexicans who commit crimes while living in the U.S. ``Everything comes down to dollars and cents,'' said George Allen, assistant chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson sector. ``We're running into a more budget-conscious society, especially with the government.''

He added, ``Does it fit within our budget and is there an alternative that is not as effective but still effective?''

The Mexican government balked at seating hardened criminals next to families, elderly and

The agency's new strategy, introduced in Tucson last year and later extended to the entire border, relies on tougher punishments that were rolled out in recent years. One calls for jail for up to six months the frail who recently crossed the border in search of work. ``Right off the bat, I can tell you that Mexico was not going to allow, nor will it ever allow, that kind of repatriation, which puts families' safety at risk,'' said Juan Manuel Calderon, the Mexican consul in Tucson.

U.S. and Mexican negotiators also discussed changing the route from El Paso, Texas, where many Mexicans with criminal records are held, to the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. In the past, the route has been from Tucson, Ariz., to Mexico City.

U.S. Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Mexico Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire said in

February that they planned to launch a pilot program April 1 to fly migrants arrested while living in the United States deep into Mexico. The pilot program was partly a response to complaints from Mexican border cities that too many deportees were being dumped on their streets and contributing to crime and unemployment. ``We wanted to maximize the flight and we couldn't come to an agreement,'' said Allen. ``They were close. It may happen next year, but by the time it drug on, we got through July and for a short period of time, it wouldn't have been realistic.''

The U.S. official who declined to be named said costs have been only one factor. ``The reason why (flights were halted this summer) is because we're still in negotiations with the government of Mexico,'' the official said.

The Mexican Interior Repatriation Program flights carried 125,164 passengers at a cost of $90.6 million since 2004, or an average of $724 each, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which manages all flights for deportees.

The flights ran as few as 38 days in 2009 and as many as 120 days in 2010, when a record 23,384 passengers were flown. Last year, there were 8,893 passengers flown at a cost of $5 million an average of $562 each.

The flights became a key piece of Border Patrol enforcement in Arizona as the agency moved to end its decades-old, revolvingdoor policy of taking migrants to the nearest border crossing to try again hours later.

The agency's new strategy, introduced in Tucson last year and later extended to the entire border, relies on tougher punishments that were rolled out in recent years.

One calls for jail for up to six months and another one buses migrants to border cities hundreds of miles away to be deported there.

The one-way flights to Mexico City were aimed at firsttime offenders and families. They were always voluntary and Allen said about 70 percent declined when they were introduced. But, as jail time and other punishments became more common, migrants increasingly jumped at the opportunity.

Without the flights, the Border Patrol is relying more on other punishments. It sends 70 people to federal court in downtown Tucson each weekday to face jail time. Deportation buses head east daily to Del Rio, Texas, and, when there are enough people to fill the seats, west to San Diego or Calexico, Calif. -AP

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Judge OKs contentious part of Ariz immigration law Cont’d from page 40

The Obama administration's case was based on the argument that federal immigration law trumped Arizona law. The challenge didn't confront racial profiling.

The Obama administration declared a measure of victory after the Supreme Court decision, as the court said local police cannot detain anyone on an immigration violation unless federal immigration officials say so.

President Barack Obama said in the aftermath of the ruling that police should not enforce the provision in a way that undermines civil rights. ``No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like,'' he said at the time.

Arizona's law, known as SB1070, was passed in 2010 amid voter frustration with the state's role as the busiest illegal entry point into the country. Five other states - Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah - have adopted variations.

Shortly before the law was to take effect in July 2010, Bolton prevented police from enforcing the questioning requirement and other parts of the statute, ruling the Obama administration would likely succeed in its challenge.

If legal residents feel they are the victims of discriminatory treatment once the provision kicks in, Guzman said, “we want them to contact us” Brewer, who signed the measure, appealed the ruling, lost at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and took her case to the Supreme Court.

Brewer's office said the law is expected to go into effect shortly.

Less controversial sections of the law have been in effect since late July 2010, but have rarely been used.

Lydia Guzman, a civil rights ac-

tivist in Phoenix and leader of the group Respect Respecto, which tracks instances of racial profiling, said that if a higher court doesn't issue an emergency order stopping the provision from taking effect, her organization and others will be watching carefully.

If legal residents feel they are the victims of discriminatory treatment once the provision kicks in, Guzman said, ``we want them to contact us. Those are the cases we are going to be taking to court.''

The chief sponsor of SB1070, former state Senate President Russell Pearce, called Bolton's ruling a ``huge win.'' ``The problem isn't the law,'' he said. ``The problem is a broken political system and those that fail to keep their commitment to defend the law.''

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the ruling doesn't change what his office already has been doing. The only difference, he said, will be in how US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials respond to calls for pickup. -AP

Leicester council plans to thank Indian immigrants Cont’d from page 40

In one of the most remarkable stories of the Indian Diaspora, the east Midlands town of Leicester is marking the 40th anniversary of Indians and Asians being expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin, and their arrival in a town that was then struggling economically.

In August 1972, the Uganda Indians were not welcome in the city, and the council paid for advertisements in the Uganda press, stating that it was "in your own interests and those of your family... not come to Leicester".

Forty years later, councilor Sundip Meghani, son of one of the many Indians expelled from Uganda, has proposed a motion in the same city council thanking the Indians

and other Asians from Uganda for their contribution to the city.

Meghani's father, Shantilal, and his family settled in Leicester after being expelled from Uganda with only 50 pounds in the pocket.

On the motion before the council, Sundip Meghani told Leicester Mercury, a leading local daily: "It is a symbolic gesture on an issue that is of great importance to the whole city.

"More than 10,000 Ugandan Asians came here. Most were active, hard-working and entrepreneurial people".

He added: "They helped the recovery of an economy that, in the early 1970s was struggling particularly the hosiery industry.

"Today, they and their relatives

play a major part in the city's business. It's in everything from restaurants to banking and the legal sector".

In August 1972, the expelled Indians were depressed, deprived and had arrived to the unwelcoming town of Leicester on a cold, misty morning.

The situation today could not be more different.

Not only has the Indian community worked hard and prospered over the years, it has also transformed a declining town into a buzzing multicultural haven that is the subject of study by several European towns. It is today seen as one of the major success stories of the Indian Diaspora anywhere in the world. PTI

CBP discontinues admission stamps on forms Cont’d from page 40

This does not affect the majority of foreign travelers visiting for business or leisure and will not affect any visitor's record of departure, CBP said.

Visitors may need to prove their legal-visitor status within the first 30-45 days of their U.S. stay to: • employers; • motor vehicle registration or drivers' licensing agencies; • the Social Security Administration; • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; or • universities and schools.

If visitors need to provide evidence of legal status during this time frame, they should include: • an unexpired foreign passport; • the country of citizenship; and • CBP Arrival/Departure Record, Form I-94 (if issued) Contact CBP for more information or with questions: Tel: (877) CBP-5511 TTD: (866) 880-6582 Groups of Travelers Can Now Submit Multiple ESTAApplications U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on August 9, 2012, that multiple applications may be submitted and paid for in one transaction via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The new online application is available beginning on Wednesday, August 15.

Applicants must enter biographic data and an e-mail address to create a Group ID that will allow a family or group the ability to input up to 50 ESTA applications and complete the transaction in a single credit card payment. All payments for ESTA applications must be made by credit card or debit card when applying or renewing. Applications will not be submitted for processing until all payment information is received.

ESTA is an electronic travel authorization that all nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must obtain before boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP. This travel authorization has been mandatory since January 12, 2009. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time before travel, although CBP recommends applying at least 72 hours before departure. Once approved, authorizations are generally valid for multiple entries into the U.S. for up to two years or until the applicant's passport expires or other specific circumstances give rise to a need to reapply, whichever comes first.

The Department of Homeland

Security administers the VWP. The program enables eligible nationals of 36 VWP designated countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Chicago National Processing Center Has Moved The Chicago National Processing Center (CNPC) has a new address. Paper filings for the D-1, H2A, and H-2B programs should be sent to the CNPC's new addresses below. The CNPC move does not affect the electronic filing of labor condition applications (LCAs), but any employer with permission to file by hard copy should direct its LCA filing(s) to the new address.

Payments of H-2A labor certification fees should be sent to the new P.O. Box address (also listed below).

Applicants must enter biographic data and an e-mail address to create a Group ID that will allow a family or group the ability to input up to 50 ESTA applications and complete the transaction in a single credit card payment.

All payments for ESTA applications must be made by credit card or debit card when applying or renewing Mailing Address for Application Filings: U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Office of Foreign Labor Certification Chicago National Processing Center 11 West Quincy Court Chicago, IL 60604-2105 P.O. Box Address for the Receipt of H-2A-Related Filing Fees: U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Office of Foreign Labor Certification Chicago National Processing Center P.O. Box A3804 Chicago, IL 60690-3804 * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

'We aim to make the organization self-sustaining'

Sports 43 India Post

International coach Michael Young has a word with Anurag Babbar, founder of GKCC

I

ndia Post asked Anurag Babbar, founder of the Germantown Kids Cricket Club, about the prospects of his venture. Excerpts from his views: What are some of your immediate challenges?

Availability of fields...County gives the right to fields not on first come basis, but reserves for leagues ahead of everyone else (so even a 2 month advance notice does not guarantee us fields); Coaches are all self taught without any training. Virtually no path forward for advanced kids.

With recent 2 other teams in MD, we may be playing a league match in Spring.

How do you foresee the future of this association?

I see it continue to grow. Everyone we have now enrolled has been looking for several years for a place for their kids to play cricket.

How are you affiliated with the actual cricket association of America?

We have created a partnership with USYCA (United States Youth Cricket Association, an affiliate of USACA - the US National Cricket Association). USYCA has some 60 clubs like ours as partners from all over US, and is a rapidly growing organization.

Are your goals in line with the actual cricket association of America or are they separate from it?

We have same goals...USYCA is looking at the entire country to make the game popular, and we are at a more local level. Objectives are the same - bring cricket to kids and see if they like it enough to continue to play.

Are you going to get many such coaches to motivate the kids, or was this a one time thing?

We are encouraging other dads to take an active interest during the session with kids. If someone knows a thing or two about a specific type of skill, we bring them forward to showcase it for the kids. By doing these things, our plan is to evolve the organization in a way that it becomes self-sustaining - long after the current kids grow up and go to high schools or colleges.-SV

www.indiapost.com

September 21, 2012

IPL coach gives tips to Germantown boys SANJEEV VERMA

GERMANTOWN, MD: August 26 was a big day for the boys of the Germantown Kids Cricket Club (GKCC). International cricket coach Michael Young was at hand to give them coaching tips.

Michael Young has served as fielding coach for the Indian Premier League's Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab, plus both the Australian and South African national cricket teams, and is the only American in international cricket.

Mike Young conducted a free youth cricket coaching clinic at Raider's Edge indoor facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The clinic was co-sponsored by the United States Youth Cricket Association and the GKCC. Young provided practical advice and led the attendees through a number of fielding drills. He spoke to the players and coaches in small groups, shared stories from his time in international cricket and fielded questions. Mike also took the time to sign autographs and pose for photos.

Anurag Babbar, a Business Consultant who leads the GKCC, said that Young was a great influence with the kids. "The most important thing he did was to tell personal stories about the real life players - Tendulkar, Ponting, and dozens more that the kids had

Michael Young talks to the players of the Germantown Kids Cricket Club about playing cricket in America

only seen on TV, internet. Mike left a highly motivated bunch of kids who truly believed that they can do anything and reach any height in this sport...and we saw it on the field the following Sunday. His few tips for coaches helped us all to execute few valuable exercises during practice."

GKCC, established in the summer of 2011, is working to spread awareness and promote the game of cricket, and its values, within Montgomery County. What started out as a handful of parents and their children in a parking lot i n Germantown has evolved into a 60-plus member organization designed to introduce the game to area youth beginning at the age of 3.

Jamie Harrison, president of the USYCA, came two months back to encourage and guide the kids The GKCC

is an affiliate member of the United States Youth Cricket Association based in Glen Burnie, and Jamie Harrison, president of the USYCA, came two months back to encourage and guide the kids

good sportsmanship."

Some dads also coach. They say there are several area organizations for adults to play cricket, but nothing for the children. So some parents got together to set the ball rolling. A few emails were sent around, the parents chipped in to buy equipment and jerseys and less than a year later the club has more than tripled in size.

The routine is, play Sunday morning from 9-12 and have a brunch afterwards (moms bring in lots of food - tea, samosa, healthy lunch for kids, fruits etc.) This also provides a cool time for kids and socialization time for parents.

One of the dads, Himanso said, "GKCC has allowed kids to experience the fun of neighborhood cricket matches that we all grew up playing minus the broken windows" Kush Singh, an Insurance Executive and a coach, said, "Not only the kids are getting a chance to get some physical activity and learn/play this great sport, they are also developing leadership skills as they get on the field and

The enthusiastic GKCC team members

and give them the motto, "The spirit of cricket teaches children that it's not just winning the game, but it's how you win the game."

Harrison said "It teaches you fair play, respect for your teammates and the opposing team, and respect for the umpires. It's about playing the game in the spirit of

work on keeping each other focused on the game. Every ball, every hit, every kid is engaged in coordinating "legato" type of reaction to make the play. It is great to see kids do that.

Sanjeev Verma, IT Project Manager with FDA, is also a coach

„

Realty Tidbits

Residential projects fail to take off

GURGAON: More than 100 buyers of a residential project Aditya Niketan-located in Manesar, created ruckus at office of the developer - ABW Group near IFFCO Chowk. The buyers are disgruntled about the inordinate delay in starting the project.

The buyers have been visiting the construction site only to find an open ground there. The construction has not even begun, said one of the buyers who said he had bought a flat for Rs 34 lakh in 2009, of which he has already paid Rs 7 lakh.

The problem of delay in execution of project doesn't pertain only to ABW but to most of the developers in the millenium city.

„

Disgruntled owners block road for 5 hours

JAIPUR: The protests against high court orders to remove the encroachment in the catchment area of Amanishah Nullah has intensified.

The affected house owners blocked the road near the Ridhi Sidhi crossing for nearly five hours. They were demanding a review of the centerline determined by the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA).

The local police tried to talk the angry house owners of four colonies out of the protest but the latter didn't give in. Instead they threatened to block the road again.

The disgruntled residents allege that due to a change in the alignment of the catchment area by the JDA officials, the number of affected persons has increased.

„

Thane chawl to be razed for a hip high-rise

THANE: It is a place of pride for the resident-owners of the 65year-old Anandashram Colony and provokes nostalgic envy of Thane in the late 1940's.

The two-storied tiled-roof chawl, which is among the first tenant co-partnership housing societies here, is set to be demolished to make way for a 17-storeyed swank high-rise.

Originally registered as a Bombay-Thane cooperative housing society, it is one of the few surviving old-world structures built way in 1947, but till date remains a model for community bonding and cooperative housing by and for the lower-middle-class Marathi-speaking families.

Real Estate 44

India Post

www.indiapost.com

September 21, 2012

Satellite towns a non-starter DHARAMSALA: The ambitious project of the state government to develop satellite townships around Dharamsala, Mandi, Solan and Shimla has failed to take off.

Land was identified near the Gaggal airport for developing the satellite township here. The idea was to bring about planned habitation to ease the population growth.

The urban development authority has failed to bring up planned housing colonies at the pace at which the population is growing. It has developed only one colony, located at Khaniara.

Mistakes that homebuyers make DANA DRATCH

B

uying a home is not an everyday activity. There's a learning curve, which explains why real estate experts see the same blunders again and again.

From confusing the seller's agent for your new best bud to putting all your available cash on the table at closing, here are six common -- and costly -- mistakes homebuyers make.

Sure, real estate agents are friendly. They'll share confidences over coffee, tell you stories about their kids and commiserate about work.

But unless you hire your own buyer's agent, the agent repping that house works for the seller, says Barry Zigas, director of housing policy for the Consumer Federation of America. That means that, if you admit that you can go as high as $250,000, you probably won't get the house for a penny below $250,000.

Never show your cards to anyone, says Eric Tyson, author of "Home Buying for Dummies." Remind your buyer's agent what information isn't for sharing. Treat the seller's agent as what he or she is: a stand-in for the owners.

When it comes to information from the seller's agent, adopt an attitude that's roughly the opposite of "innocent until proven guilty," Tyson recommends. Verify everything independently.

The home's been "impeccably maintained"? You still need to see that professional inspection report, he says. Fantastic schools?

Tour campuses, talk to parents and research test scores.

Too many buyers worry about being seen as difficult or untrusting, Tyson says. Instead, worry about getting what you've been promised to avoid one of the most common homebuyer mistakes.

When it comes to the calendar, most buyers are overly optimistic, says Ron Phipps, immediate past president of the National Association of Realtors. An unrealistic timeline is one of the frequently seen homebuyer mistakes.

With a regular sale, "Assuming you're preapproved and it's straightforward, you can probably do it in 30 days, but 45 is more common," he says. To be on the

safe side, allow 45 to 60 days, he says.

With a foreclosure, some larger lenders will aim for 30 to 45 days, Phipps says. But liens and title issues often mean delays. The norm is 60 to 75 days, he says, "And 90 days is not uncommon."

With a short sale, Phipps says, you need to know how many mortgages the house has and how

guide me through the process," she says. "It's like putting a sign on your forehead that says, 'Charge me more.'"

Instead, it's up to you to educate yourself on homebuying and mortgages, she says. You'll know what terminology to use, what questions to ask and "have a sense of empowerment," Warren says. Giving lenders the upper

many lenders -- and whether the lenders have agreed to a short sale.

If the house has one mortgage and that lender has a preset price, "you can close within 45 days," Phipps says. If the lender doesn't have a preset price, "it could take six to nine months." The more lenders, the more complications, and the more time you have to allow, he says.

You don't just want to shop around -- you want to shop smart.

That means surveying several

hand is one of the most ordinary homebuyer mistakes.

You want to drive a good bargain. But you're also a guest in someone's home. Forgetting to be polite is one of the commonplace homebuying mistakes.

When one would-be haggler told a homeowner that the color her late husband painted the home was "atrocious," the seller nixed the sale, says Phipps, also the principal broker with Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I.

If you believe you have most of the bases covered on your purchase, but you need some professional advice on one aspect, "it doesn't have to be all or nothing," Phipps says. "There absolutely are Realtors out there who will engage in a fee-for-service basis" kinds of lenders, Tyson says. He recommends shopping a couple of local banks, a few national banks, and one or two mortgage brokers, who will shop multiple sources.

Bankrate's mortgage rate tables are an excellent source.

Don't advertise your ignorance, says Carolyn Warren, author of "Homebuyers Beware."

Never tell a lender, "This is my first time, and I don't know how it all works -- and I need you to

Trash talking as a negotiating technique is an old tactic, rarely successful, Phipps says. "Be respectful."

Even if the place is painted five shades of pink, "saying, 'It needs to be painted' is different than saying, 'It needs to be painted a different color,'" he says.

If you're making an offer, you want to stress what you like about the place, Phipps says. "You don't have to make it adversarial." To

cut the price, talk in terms of what the home is worth to you, he says.

Avoiding experts is one of the most often-seen homebuyer mistakes. Sometimes the right professional advice saves far more than it costs. That said, you don't always have to pay a full fee if you just need a little advice here and there.

If you believe you have most of the bases covered on your purchase, but you need some professional advice on one aspect, "it doesn't have to be all or nothing," Phipps says. "There absolutely are Realtors out there who will engage in a fee-for-service basis" for tasks such as handling closing details or negotiating.

Likewise, if you need an appraisal to make sure you're in the right ballpark, you can get a professional appraiser to do just that for a single-family home for $250 to $500, depending on the property and area, Phipps says.

And if you're not a lawyer by training, you may need the services of a real estate attorney to review and explain the finer points of your contracts.

After finally finding that "dream home," what buyer isn't tempted to stretch as far as possible -- and drain all available savings -- just to make the numbers work? It's one of the big homebuyer mistakes, Phipps says.

Often, buyers fall in love with a property, and they try to rationalize the decision, he says. "You need to be disciplined about it."

Too often, buyers set a price range and then fall in love with something that costs more. So they figure they'll borrow the difference, Phipps says.

But you need a reserve fund -something you hold back to address unexpected problems, like the refrigerator that quits in midJuly, or the "like-new" water heater that dies the day after you move in. Or the realization -- after seeing the neighbors sunbathing once too often -- that you need a privacy fence, pronto.

"In most homeownership situations, there are going to be some unforeseen circumstances," Phipps says. "So you want to make sure you have some funds behind you."

-Courtesy Bankrate.com

Real Estate Post

September 21, 2012

India Post

45

www.indiapost.com

Demand for office space in Pune shrinks PUNE: The demand for office space in the city has gone down considerably in recent months in the midst of global and domestic uncertainties. The lull in the commercial office space market is expected to persist over the near term as the corporate and industrial sector exercise caution with their expansion plans, say reports from real estate advisory firms.

Realty advisory Knight Frank said in its report for the second quarter of the current year (April-March 2012-13) that the absorption of office real estate has declined 24% in the quarter when compared with the corresponding quarter last year and 15% from the preceding quarter Jan-March (2011-12).

Knight Frank said it expected the lull in market traction to continue in the short term as players in the business of information technology and its enabled services (IT/ ITeS) sector, which dominates Pune office market, continues to tread cautiously in the face of an uninspiring global economic environment.

The vacancy situation may get worse as nearly 40 lakh sq. ft. of office space is sched-

uled to come online in the next two quarters, Knight Frank said, adding that the vacancy levels would vary between 23% and 25%. As a natural fallout of this trend, the office rentals - which have held steady thus far - will be under pressure when fresh supply hits the market and if take up does not improve in coming quarters, the firm said.

seen in 2011."

Cushman & Wakefield's report for the second quarter this year said the slowing of economic growth has made occupiers curtail their expansion plans, thereby impacting negatively the leasing activity across the city.

Bajaj said the absorption for the city

Knight Frank said it expected the lull in market traction to continue in the short term as players in the business of information technology and its enabled services (IT/ITeS) sector, which dominates Pune office market, continues to tread cautiously Sanjay Bajaj, managing director of real estate consultants Jones Lang LaSalle India in Pune, said, "On a national level, demand for commercial spaces has contracted over the last two quarters. Having said that, individual cities are displaying their own unique dynamics.

In Pune, demand for commercial real estate is currently aligned with the dynamics

stands at 2.5 million square feet in the first eight months of 2012, including IT/ITeS as well as non-IT absorption. He, however, added that some businesses concentrated in cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai are evaluating Pune very seriously for future growth.

Knight Frank's Director of Research and Advisory Services Samantak Das said, "The

SEZ space accounted for the bulk of transacted space in the past six quarters and has left very limited inventory in this category.

The trend will continue in the remaining part of FY 2013 and will in turn result in firming up rentals in the SEZ space in the near term.

The fact that new entrants like UPS, Metro and Hitachi are setting up design and development centers in the city and existing large players like IBM, TCS and Cognizant are looking to add to their real estate portfolio, will support market health."

Amar Manjrekar, Credai member and managing director of Amar Builder, however insisted when it comes to the commercial segment, quarter to quarter analysis often can give a skewed perception of the market.

"Since the numbers will keep changing every quarter, it will be wrong to term the office market as sluggish," Manjrekar said., adding that his firm leased close to 1 lakh sq ft space in the last quarter. He said Pune has the demand for smaller office spaces within the 700-1500 sq ft bracket and there is acute shortage of office spaces in this category.

Chandigarh Metro planners foresaw snags CHANDIGARH: It seems Chandigarh Metro planners had anticipated a plethora of problems that would crop up for residents of Sector 34-D if they have an entry to the underground station from outside their houses.

In its detailed project report, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has pointed out, "The entry structure on Himalaya Marg towards Sector 34 may not be pos-

sible due to proximity of residential buildings."

The other entry to the station has been planned from the green belt on the south-western end with the platform located at 14.99 meters from the ground. The 'catchment' area of the station will be sectors 34 and 35 and it will also serve as the sub-city centre.

The house owners' welfare association of Sector 34 has pointed

out that the station entry will also raise security issues as large crowds of people will there. "Entry to the Metro station should be located in Sector 34-A as it has a large open area which will give adequate space for the Metro station and also for parking," reads its representation given to UT administrator.

A total of 10 stations have been planned along the north-south

Haryana notifies Gurgaon-Manesar draft plan CHANDIGARH: The Draft Development Plan of Gurgaon Manesar Urban Complex-2031 AD has been notified and published in Haryana Government Gazette.

Any person can submit objections or suggestions, if any, till October 3, 2012 to Director General, Town and Country Planning, Haryana.

The Gurgaon Manesar Draft Development Plan-2031 AD has been made keeping in view projected population of 42.50 lakh. A total of 33276 hectares of land has been proposed including 16010 hectares for residential purpose, 1616 hectares for commercial activities, 4613 hectares for Industrial, 4420 hectares for transport and communication and 626 hectares for public utilities.

Similarly, 2035 hectares for public and semi public (Institutional), 2775 hectares as open spaces, 114 hectares for special zone and 633 hectares as Defense Land have been proposed. In addition to this, 406 hectares for existing town and

478 hectares for village 'abadies' have been proposed.

According to its main features, 215 hectare land has been reserved for University in Sector-68 which will be exclusively devel-

Fifty hectares of land has been reserved for shifting of dairies from existing town near village Dhankot.

About 48.5 hectare land has been reserved for setting up of a whole sale market oped by the Government. Seven new residential sectors 36A, 88A, 88B, 89A, 95A, 95B, 99A and part sectors 37D and 68 are proposed in the plan. There will be three

small commercial belts in sectors 37D, 88A and 88B along northern peripheral road and part Sector99A for whole sale market, which will be exclusively developed by Government. Sectors 36B and 37B would be developed as industrial sectors. Also, sector 89B has been proposed to be developed as public and semi public.

Also, 50 hectare land has been reserved for affordable housing in sector 68 of Gurgaon with population density of 1125 persons per hectare or 450 persons per acre.

There would be a 90 meter wide Greater Southern Peripheral Road starting from Sohna Road (Sector68) up to National Highway-8 near National Brain Research Centre.

Fifty hectares of land has been reserved for shifting of dairies from existing town near village Dhankot. About 48.5 hectare land has been reserved for setting up of a whole sale market of building material, grain, fruit and vegetable in sector-99A.

corridor. The first seven stations are underground whereas the remaining three are elevated.

"Already, there is a major parking problem in Sector 34-D as people park vehicles here during peak hours to avoid paying parking fee in the paid parking lots in the adjoining shopping complex of Sector 35-C," said N N Sharma, a resident of the area.

"Double-laning of roads and laying of cycle tracks between sec-

tors 34-D and 35-C has already increased the amount of air and noise pollution in the residential area as the road has come closer to the houses," he added.

DMRC has, however, claimed that the rail corridors do not pose any risk to the existing buildings in the city but the situation is not the same in case of underground corridors as it passes through roads and buildings in congested areas.

46

Datebook

India Post

September 21, 2012

www.indiapost.com

NEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri Sept 11 to Sat Oct 20 • Aicon Gallery present Iconic Processions: Sacred Stones to Modern Masterpieces, an exhibition of works by India's Modern Masters Venue: 35 Great Jones St., New York NY 10012 Time: 6pm to 9pm Contact: 212-725-6092 Highlights: Featuring M. F. Husain, Ram Kumar, Anjolie Ela Menon, S. H. Raza, Jenhangir Sabavala, F. N. Souza and the Anonymous Masters of the Past. In Partnership with Nayef Homsi

Fri Sept 21 to Sun Sept 23 • Saroj Khan Dance Workshops in NYC & NJ Venue: YMCA Edison, 1775 Oak Tree Road, Edison NJ & Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York City, NY Contact: 917-261-7284

ILLINOIS

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri Sept 21 • Mumbai Se Chicago Venue: Hollybollyproductions, 6355 N Broadway # 17, Chicago, IL Time: 1pm Contact: 773-353-5080

Thurs Sept 20 to Sun Sept 23 Sun Sept 23 • Viva La Music Latina!

Venue: Fire N Ice- NJ, 583 Ford Ave Fords, NJ Time: 8pm Contact: 732-417-1999

Sun Sept 23

Sun Sept 30

• Dulhan Expro 2012

• Dulhan Expro 2012

Venue: Hyatt Regency Long Island, 1717 Motor Pkwy, Huppauge, NY Time: 2am Contact: 732-754-1894

Venue: The Mezzanine, 744 Broad St Newark, New Jersey Time: 12pm Contact: 732-754-1894

Fri Oct 12 • UTSAV- UCarnival New Jersey Venue: Hilton Garden Inn Edison/Raritan Center, 50 Raritan Center Pkwy, Edison, NJ Time: 11am Contact: 510-578-8728

• Chicago South Asian Film Festival- 2012 Venue: Showplace Icon Theater, Film Row Cinema (Columbia College Chicago) Contact: 773-669-8248 Highlights: 24 Acclaimed Films in 4days, Panels, Parties & more actors, directors in person. Opening night US premiere of heroine/ Q&A with Lillete Dudey and Farooq Shaikh.

• Forever Pamcham

Sat Sept 22 • Ganesh/Gowri Pooja

• Turning Rumi: Singing Verses of Love, Unity and Freedom Part2 : The Art of Salma Arastu

Venue: Jain Mandir, 8072 Commonwealth Ave, Buena Park, CA Time: 12pm Contact: 949-768-5740

Venue: Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, California 94901 Time: 2:30pm to 4:30pm (Artist Reception on Sat Sept 15at Community Gallery, Alemany Library) Contact: 415-482-2453

Sat Sept 22 • Saaral Venue: Chabot College Auditorium, 25555, Hesparian Blvd, Hayward, CA Time: 5:30pm Contact: 408-537-3458

• Simply Mumbai Party W/live Dholi

Venue: Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA Time: 7pm Contact: 408-802-5128

Venue: Club Axis, 2909 Lakeside Dr Santa Clara, CA Time: 9pm Contact: 408-569-2417

Sat Sept 22

Sat Sept 30

• Grand Traditional Kuchipudi Performance By Sri Kishore Mosalikanti and Smt. Padmavani Mosalikanti

• A Magical Eve of Kathak Dance

Venue: DVeluchamy Auditorium, Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Aurora, IL Time: 5pm Contact: 630-844-2254

Sun Sept 23 • 33rd Annual Dinner Venue: Holiday Inn Chicago, North Shore 5300 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie, Illinois Time: 5:30pm (Reception) & 6:30pm (Dinner) TIckets: $100per person & $50 per Student (ID card must) Highlights: Chief Guest: Lt. Colonel Tammy Duckworth, Special guest: California Attorney General Kamala Harris (Invited) & Keynote Speaker: Senator Richard Durbin (Invited)

Upcoming

Fri July 20 to Sat Dec 15

Fri Sept 28 Sat Sept 22

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Venue: Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St San Francisco, CA Time: 10:30pm Contact: 500-396-2919

Sat Oct 6 • Disco Dandiya 2012 Venue: Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA Time: 7pm Contact: 408-564-3140

Sun Oct 7 • Sammilan- Folk Fusion Concert Venue: India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas, CA Time: 3:30pm

Sun Sept 23 • Sarangi & Sitar Jugalbandi (A Rare Dialogue of Evening Ragas) Venue: Yoga House, 11 West State Street, Pasadena, CA Time: 8pm Contact: 310-753-3303

Thurs Sept 27 • Ballet Folklorico De Mexico Venue: Palace Theater, 61 Atlantic St. Stamford, CT 06901 Time: 8pm Contact: 203-325-4466

Thurs Oct 7 • Silent River Film Festival Venue: Edwards Westpark, 3735 Alton Pkwy, Irvine, CA Time: 2pm Contact: 949-394-5148 Highlights: the celebration and be part of the largest entertainment event of our city.

Premiers,Seminars,Zen hours(After parties) and Red Carpet Award Gala.

Fri Oct 19 • Royal Drummers and Dancers of Burundi Venue: Palace Theater, 61 Atlantic St. Stamford, CT 06901 Time: 8pm Contact: 203-325-4466

Fri Nov 2 • Spirituals to Funk Venue: Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St. Stamford, CT 06901 Time: 8pm Contact: 203-322-9862 Highlights: Dr John And 5-time Grammy award winners Blind boys of Alabama.

September 21, 2012

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Philosophy

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September 21, 2012

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T

he ordinary man is in the habit of regarding only certain persons as the proper objects of his love. His outlook is limited to wife and child, to parents and friends; all others are 'outsiders', outside, that is, the sacred circle of those whom he considers to have a claim on his love.

His heart is tied up in knots and though desolated with grief at the death of a son, the death of fifty thousand 'outsiders' in China leaves him more or less cold.

In order to loosen these knots of the heart, to plough up the soil, as it were, the Buddha recommended His disciples to practice a certain form of meditation known as the Brahma Vihara, or Brahmadwelling, so-called perhaps because by its aid the heart of the sadhaka is expanded till it dwells in the whole universe.

As a preliminary discipline the disciple is bidden to abstain from all killing of living beings and, "ashamed of roughness and full of mercy, he dwells compassionate and kind to all creatures that have life." After this he is instructed to perform the following exercise regularly.

"He lets his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of love and so the second and so the third and so the fourth. And RUPERT SPIRA

L

et us start with our self.

What can we say for certain about 'I,' our self, the subject, the one that knows experience? The first thing is that I am obviously present - I am. If I were not present I wouldn't be aware of these words. And the second self-evident fact about our self is that I am aware or knowing. If this were not true I would not be aware of thoughts, sensations or perceptions.

In other words, I am and the 'I' that I am, is aware that I am.

This knowing of our own being - its knowing of itself - is the most familiar, intimate and obvious fact of experience and is shared by all.

This present and aware 'I' is sometimes referred to as 'Awareness', which means the 'presence of that which is aware'. It is a word in which the two fundamental qualities of our self being and knowing - are recognized as one.

What else can we know for certain from experience about our self? 'I' am aware of thoughts, sensations and perceptions but am not made out of a thought, sensation or perception. 'I' am made out of pure being and knowing.

thus the whole wide world above, below, around and everywhere does he continue to pervade with thoughts of love, far-reaching, grown great and beyond measure."

"Just as a mighty trumpeter makes himself heard in all the four directions, even so of all things that have shape or life, there is not one that he passes by or leaves aside but regards them all with mind set free and deep felt love."

world as well. There is a direct connection between mind and mind, as direct as there is between matter and matter, and, as the sadhaka progresses in his efforts, as his mind becomes more and more capable of concentration, his outraying thoughts of love will directly influence an ever-widening circle, and so, since loving thoughts are parents of loving deeds, will be a silent source of inspiration to countless deeds of

will say that this love that is here taught is very fine but it is a love of humanity and not a love of God. Such an objection, however, reveals utter ignorance both of the nature of love and of the nature of God. The Shruti said: "not for the sake of the wife is the wife dear but for the sake of the atman."

Love is not a mere rapturous emotion. Love is self-giving, and to whom can the self be given

Expanding the heart till it dwells the whole universe

Yogi Krishna Prem

‘He lets his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of love and so the second and so the third and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world above, below, around and everywhere does he continue to pervade with thoughts of love’

Such a meditation, if regularly carried out with concentrated mind, has results of two sorts. In the first place, as described above, it operates on the heart of the sadhaka himself, ploughing up its stony soil and breaking down the barriers which shut off the individual within the narrow circle of his own relations and friends.

In addition to this it has an actual positive result in the outer

love of which he himself never knows anything.

Thus, not by his own hands alone, but through the hands of others too, he will help to extinguish the fierce fires of hatred and anger that torment the world. For, as the Buddha has elsewhere said; "not by hatred does hatred come to an end; hatred ends by love alone. This is the eternal law."

Perhaps there will be some who

but to that Vasudeva who is in the hearts of all? Nowhere in all the worlds can a living being be found in whose heart Vasudeva is not seated and none, however far he may wander, has ever or will ever set eyes on a single thing that is separate from Him, for Vasudeva is all.

Excerpted from essay 'Love In Buddhism' in the book 'Search for Truth'

As such 'I' could be likened to an open, empty space to which or in which the objects of the mind, body and world (thoughts, sensations and perceptions) appear.

And just as empty space, relatively speaking, cannot resist or be agitated by the appearance or activity of any object within it, so the open, empty space of Awareness cannot resist or be disturbed by any appearance of the mind, body

Thus happiness and peace, as well as being and knowing, are essential to our true nature.

With this apparent veiling of the true and only self of Awareness, a separate, limited self seems to come into existence, just as a real landscape seems to come into existence when the screen is overlooked.

And with the apparent veiling of our true nature, the peace and

rate self is always seeking peace, happiness and love in an outside object, other or world. However, the separate self cannot find peace, happiness and love because its apparent existence is the veiling of it. At the same time peace, happiness and love is all the separate self seeks.

The longing of the separate self is like a moth that seeks a flame. The flame is all that the

Imaginary separate self is always seeking peace

Rupert Spira

or world, irrespective of their particular quality or condition.

This inherent absence of resistance is the experience of happiness; this imperturbability is peace.

This happiness and peace are not dependent upon the condition of the mind, body or world and are present in and as the essential nature of Awareness under all conditions and in all circumstances.

This inherent absence of resistance is the experience of happiness; this imperturbability is peace. This happiness and peace are not dependent upon the condition of the mind, body or world happiness that are the natural condition of all experience seem also to be veiled. It is for this reason that there is always a deep pain in the heart of the separate self - the pain of separate existence. Most people's lives are spent trying to ease or numb the pain of this separation through substances, objects, activities and relationships.

In short, the imaginary sepa-

moth desires and the one thing it cannot have. As the moth touches the flame it dies.

That is the moth's way of experiencing the flame - by dying in it. And that is the separate self's way of experiencing peace, happiness and love - by dissolving or dying.

Rupert Spira is an English studio potter

Beyond right thinking and wrong thinking there is a field. I'll meet you there.

-Rumi The dilemma for the individual is NOT that it can't get what it wants, the dilemma IS the individual.

-Tony Parsons There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind--you are the one who hears it.

-Michael A. Singer The past is thinking and thinking is the past. It's the same.

-Florian Schlosser Truth begins where thought ends. The world is as you are.

-David Lynch As things are interpreted or labeled by the mind they slowly cease to be what they are and start to become what is thought about them.

-John Greven Seeking is simply a game that is played until the recognition that there is nothing to find.

-Unmani Liza Hyde

You Insure all your Valuables, all are replaceable except YOU! So Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

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September 21, 2012

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China's Defense Chief visit: A call overdue DIPANKAR BANERJEE

F

riendly visits by defense ministers of neighboring countries are always welcome. Especially welcome is the visit of General Liang Guanglie, the defense chief of India's northern neighbor, which comes after an eight years interregnum. He is the most important of the current crop of generals in China; was head of its General Staff earlier, its present Defense Minister for four years and a member of the Central Military Commission (its supreme body for the last 10 years).

Important to note is that the General is scheduled to retire in the near future, around the same time as the decadal leadership changes are ushered in the CCP and this might well be his final official visit abroad. Yet, the visit is significant as it paves the way for the Indian defense minister to pay a return call and further deepen mutual relations in the future.

The raison d'ĂŞtre of the visit was clear from the beginning. Now, its importance should essentially be measured in bilateral, regional and the larger global context. Unfortunately, the analysis in the Indian media has miserably failed on this account as it did not even attempt to capture the nuances of the visit.

The visit marked the consolidation of several important initiatives and bodes several strategic implications for India's future.

Amongst these, the agreement to resume the bilateral Army-toArmy Exercises must be genuinely welcomed. Two rounds had taken place earlier in Sichuan (China) in 2007 and at Belgaum (India) in 2008. Named Hand-in-Hand, these were platoon-plus level counter terrorism exercises, where often the "brass" visiting as spectators outnumbered the participants.

The exercises were discontinued ostensibly to further "review" the process. Relations took a downward turn over some rather inexplicable reasons like denial of visas and restricting contacts.

Nothing of course ever happens in China without reason and this probably had more to do with pressures from Pakistan or its own attempts to strengthen bilateral ties with Islamabad and therefore, go slow with India.

These developments should also be seen in the context of the report on 26 August 2010 by the influential journalist Selig Harrison in the International Herald Tribune, that there were between 7,000 to 11,000 PLA 'soldiers' in Gilgit-Baltistan. The floods in Pakistan had of course devastated

the region and assistance was required, which apparently was being provided by China.

Even though Selig later lamented using the word 'soldiers', the statement already had made an impact, particularly in India. In reality, he might have been referring to the unarmed engineering construction corps of the PLA. Current Indian assessment appears to be that about 4,000 such Chinese personnel remain in this new province of Pakistan even today.

Its strategic ramifications for India need not be further emphasized. General Guanglie was questioned on this and he firmly de-

the Hambantota Development Zone, which is the constituency of President Rajapaksha. This region will be transformed in another three years to resemble at least a poor cousin of Singapore, but enough to ensure that the Rajapaksha clan rules from there for the next quarter century. Meanwhile, China's defense ties with Sri Lanka also continue to grow.

With China's infrastructure expanding rapidly beyond its borders, the time is not long when Gilgit-Baltistan, Nepal and even perhaps Bhutan might be linked with better connection than these countries have with India. The

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie

nied that there ever were any PLA soldiers deployed outside China, and the matter rests there as of now. However, any opportunities for soldiers to meet in peaceful maneuvers should always be welcomed. These usually have a beneficial effect in mutual relations.

Another aspect of the visit is that following Wen Jiabao's (the Prime Minister of the PRC) visit to Nepal earlier this year, Guanglie's visit to Sri Lanka and India covered the principal countries and areas of interest in South Asia.

The visit marked the consolidation of several important initiatives and bodes several strategic implications for India's future China's influence in Nepal has risen dramatically in the last decade. Its connectivity and trade will grow even more in the coming years.

In the last five years China has emerged as the largest investor and trading partner of Sri Lanka.

The focus is in the south around

strategic ramifications of these increased linkages may reverberate around the South Block. But, unfortunately India lacks the ability to counter such moves and not much purpose will be served by crying wolf.

At the same time, China also has concerns. Guanglie's visit to India and Sri Lanka has to be seen in the context of the US pivot (rather rebalancing) towards Asia.

As jamborees of heads of state begin in East Asia with the approaching end of the year, with the APEC at Vladivostok and other ASEAN meetings, China has decided on pre-emptive this time.

The aim is to reassure the region of China's intentions and to win friends and allies. It has deployed two of its leading Generals, Ma Xiaotian and Cai Yingting to visit key Southeast Asian countries and the US to reassure them on the South China Sea issues and other concerns.

India may not have many cards to counter this game, but its "Look East policy" and friendly relations with East Asia and the US remain an asset. The challenge before Indian foreign and security policy is to diplomatically balance China even as it attempts to bridge the huge "capacity gap."

The writer is Mentor, IPCS

Loss of faith

A

general sense of no confidence in parliamentary democracy is being displayed by main players in Indian politics. The BJP started it all by disrupting Parliament for the whole Monsoon session. Its argument is that the ruling party, with its majority and the rules of business which favour the majority, makes it impossible to have anything revealed or any action being taken. It tasted blood in the 2010 2G case when by disrupting parliament it was able to focus on the misdeeds of the Telecom Minister and have an inquiry as well as the attention of the Supreme Court focussed on the big scam. The minister and his accomplices were jailed. All this could not have been achieved if a proper, decorum laced, parliamentary debate had been held. In all probability, the ruling party would have scotched any serious debate by its stratagems. So the BJP thinks it has found a way to achieve its goals by circumventing parliament.

The Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report on the coal scam came in handy for the BJP to once again target the government and tar even the Prime Minister with corruption. If it had allowed the parliament to function, it would have given the UPA II government the oft-used opportunity to evade the real issues and have the discussion closed citing rules of business. So the BJP went for the "unparliamentary" way of taking to the streets and the TV studios. Its focus was to retain focus on the corruption issue, in which goal it has succeeded. But this is a double-edged sword. In the Coalgate issue revelations, the BJP-ruled states have also been caught in the net. The universal practice of corruption is immune to political labels and is happily embraced by political animals of all descriptions. If its own are also being exposed, what has the BJP gained by this strategy of keeping away from parliament?

The BJP was hoping that by tarring even the Prime Minister with corruption it might make a better case for itself for 2014. It might have succeeded in bringing down the reputation of Manmohan Singh but it hardly succeeded in raising its own reputation. In its attempts to bring down the UPA II government it was hoping to rope in some of the allies of the Congress-led government who had earlier been sniping at the senior partner. But with the BJP assault, they have for the time being stopped their quarrels with the Congress and given some comfort to the ruling party. For all its labours, the BJP and its allies could not get its candidates for President or Vice-President, or any other posts, elected and the allies of the government did not oblige it by defecting. That shows the lack of confidence in the BJP promise of heading the next government.

The Anna Movement has also been chipping away at the edifice of parliament once considered the platform for debating vital issues concerning the country. It has also shown by collecting massive crowds that the people are unhappy because issues that concern them are not being taken up by parliament. But by their boorish behaviour, the Anna movement leaders have also demonstrated that they are no better as role models as the parliamentarians who often get physical in the once hallowed-house.

Among those watching from the sidelines, SP's Mulayam Singh Yadav and other regional leaders have accused the BJP and the Congress of colluding to logjam parliament to prevent a debate on the coal block allocation scam which would have proved damaging for both the mainstream parties. So, as in Agatha Christie's 'Murder on Orient Express,' everyone is involved in the attempt to murder parliamentary democracy.

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