IndiaPost_02-11-2011 by Ghanshyam Bisht

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February 11, 2011

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INDIANS TIED WITH SHACKLES OF SLAVERY

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happened to have enrolled themselves to study in a US university in Pleasanton, California. The incident has caused huge furor in India though the Indian government has been lukewarm in its reaction. Throughout the week, Indian TV channels telecast visuals of Indian students with radio trackers around one ankle, apparently to monitor their movements. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has condemned the incident and demanded severe action against those responsible for the "inhuman act. Indian students are not criminals. The radio collars should immediately be removed," he said in Bangalore.

300 years of progress

India honors two dancers in United States

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Obama appoints Ann Kalayil as GSA Chief Details on page 8

Indian govt revokes visa of 'pro-LTTE' leader Details on page 9

US yet to decide on 'immunity' to Kamal Nath Details on page 9

Texas doctor sentenced to 15 years for fraud Details on page 10

Manish Dayal gets a new zip code - 90210!

NJ businessman charged for hiding income

Details on page 27 Juliet Wur

Details on page 8

Hip & happening! These “anklets (put on Indian students) are very hip and happening,” says US official. American slaves cuffed during 18th century

Hrithik's wax figure unveiled in London Details on page 26

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

Fault lies with US and its university? Last week’s result

India a big source of illegal immigrants? YES 37%

NO 63%

Indian students cuffed during 21st century

Details on page 7

No blanket amnesty for Tri-Valley students

IIGS founder Harbhajan Singh passes away Details on page 21

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evelopments in connection with the now shut down Tri-Valley University over the past couple of weeks have been pretty disturbing and upsetting. Several hundred Indian students who had enrolled are still running pillar to post, albeit an unprecedented and all out support from the Indian American community to the Indian government. Their fate largely hangs in the balance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities having fit some of them with ankle monitors pending investigations, placed some under detention, while some others are facing deportation proceedings, some desperately trying to get admission to other universities and yet others facing the prospect of ignominy and broken dreams upon returning home. Understandably, Indians are miffed at some of these students being fitted with the ankle monitors. As if to rub salt into wounds, a US official based in Hyderabad in India thought it funny that anyone should be upset about the anklers because according to her they are "hip and happening". Well, that may be so in the context of Hollywood stars and American celebrities caught in DUI or public misconduct cases, but definitely not in the context of students who, in their quest for a better living, wittingly or unwittingly became victims of an elaborate scam. On part of the affected students, while it can be argued that ignorance of the law is never an excuse, the fact that they did follow the law to legally come to this country, speaks for the loopholes in the system itself. After all it was the same immigration authorities who put ankle monitors on the students that allowed them to be given the visas to come into this country in the first place. Well, one can go around chasing the dog tail to fix blame, but it may not serve the victimized students any better. But I do have a homily for anyone wanting to come to the US for whatever purpose - Uncle Sam does give every immigrant a long rope, but please don't hang yourself with it.

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Indians tied with shackles of slavery India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: Radio collars are used to track animals. In the 18th century US, such treatment was reserved for Blacks when their feet were cuffed to restrict their movement. After three hundred years, the US is using similar practices to curb the movement of Indian students who happened to have enrolled themselves to study in a US university in Pleasanton, California. The incident has caused huge furor in India though the Indian government has been lukewarm in its reaction. Throughout the week, Indian TV channels telecast visuals of Indian students with radio trackers around one ankle, apparently to monitor their movements. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has condemned the incident and demanded severe action against those responsible for the "inhuman act. Indian students are not criminals. The radio collars should immediately be removed," he said in Bangalore. To add salt to injury, Juliet Wur, the Public Affairs Officer at the US Consulate in Hyderabad, remarked that these "anklets are very hip and happening. Many of

our movie starsâ&#x20AC;Śchoose the anklets than sitting in orange suit in a prison." There were demands from agitating students in Hyderabad that the lady be disqualified from serving and asked to leave India. Remarks like these harm Indo-Ameri-

There were demands from agitating students in Hyderabad that the lady be disqualified from serving and asked to leave India. Remarks like these harm IndoAmerican relations can relations. Sukhbir Singh Badal, President Shiromani Akali Dal and Deputy Chief Minister Punjab, said it was matter of great concern that the oldest democracy of the world "that fought the relentless battle

against slavery, has resorted to modern day shackles of radio tags, normally used to keep track of animals in the jungle. By treating the lawful immigrants from India worse than animals, the US government has committed worst kind of human right violation besides denigrating India as a country." CPI-M's Bengali mouthpiece Ganashakti said in an editorial, "Radio collars are used to track animals and now they are using such kind of devices to keep a track on Indian students in the US. It's an insult. The use of these devices is making Indian students vulnerable in that country." Many Indian Americans in US are also aghast at this US move. Dr Romesh Japra, President, Federation of Indo-American Associations of Northern California, in a statement condemned "the radio-tagging and other ill-treatment being meted out to Indian students of the now closed TriValley University in Pleasanton, California." He said, "We feel all these students are innocent. Tri Valley University conned them into becoming students. The University is rightfully closed but it is no fault

of these innocent students, who are threatened with deportation thus ruining careers, ruining families. Their lives will be devastated. We Indian Americans are working very hard with Congressmen and Senators to press the State Department and President of United States to exercise leniency and provide these students a second chance to stay on in US. All

been in touch with Congressman Pete Stark (D-California 13th district); Mike Honda (D-California 15th district) and other leaders and they have all echoed similar sentiments. "The Indian government also needs to put pressure on the State Department on the same lines. India's Indian External Ministry should make out a case for grant-

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna

the students who qualify for different courses should be allowed to apply to different universities in the US itself and should be given student visa. None of them should be deported. "Their plight has evoked sympathy of Congressmen. We have

ing these students amnesty in the US. Lot of refugees, from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and more recently Nepal, are being taken care of by USA. These intelligent students now being victimized can contribute a lot to America. They should be welcomed with open arms."

No blanket amnesty for Tri-Valley students SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Despite concerted efforts by the Government of India through its Embassy in Washington DC, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has declined a blanket reactivation of Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to affected students of the 'sham' TriValley University in California which has been shut down by authorities for running a fraudulent immigration racket. The ICE said it would deal with the students on a case by case basis. The ICE has, however, assured guidance to eligible students of the University regarding what they can do to seek admission in other schools. As for those students who have been fitted with ankle monitors by the ICE as they continue with their investigations, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco has advised that if they wish to further cooperate with ICE investigations, they should contact ICE directly or through their attorneys. Amidst the chaos and confusion over the shutting down of Tri-Valley University in California

and the detention of several Indian students in connection with the investigations into the sham university by immigration authorities, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco has issued several directives for the benefit of the af-

As for those students who have been fitted with ankle monitors, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco has advised that if they wish to further cooperate with ICE investigations, they should contact ICE directly or through their attorneys fected students. The Consulate, on behalf of the students, has taken up the matter with concerned authorities to find out how these students can be helped so that they can seek admissions in other universities or can go back honorably to India.

Based on its interaction with the ICE authorities, the Consulate has urged students to take note of the following: 1. The ICE is expected to bring out a detailed advisory for all students of Tri Valley University sometime next week which will be available on its website. It will provide guidance to eligible students regarding what they can do to seek admission in other schools. There will be no blanket reactivation of SEVIS. It will be done on a case by case basis. 2. ICE has suggested that all students of TVU, wherever they are, should report to the nearest ICE office for instructions. Students may consult with immigration attorneys before reporting to ICE. 3. Eligible students will also have the option of seeking voluntary deportation after which they can again apply to other schools in the US. 4. Those students who are presently in India with TVU sponsored Visas should not travel to the US. They can apply to other universities and, if admitted, can apply for new visas. 5. ICE has advised that students thoroughly research the credentials of a university before

applying for admission. They must ensure that the university is not only accredited at the Federal but also at the State level. For California, students can call California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Private and Post Sec-

The ICE is expected to bring out a detailed advisory for all students of Tri Valley University sometime next week which will be available on its website. It will provide guidance to eligible students regarding what they can do to seek admission in other schools ondary Education at 1 (888) 3707589 to find out about the accreditation status of the university. 6. Since TVU was not accredited by the above Department, its credits cannot be used for transfer to other universities. They will need to seek admissions

afresh. 7. For students who came to the US very recently or transferred from other accredited universities to TVU or had lawful status in the US (for example H4) and are now holding F1 visas sponsored by TVU, should present their cases to ICE. Those students who are found by ICE not to be in violation of any visa or immigration laws are most likely to be given opportunity to adjust their status. 8. Check out www.justice.gov/eoir/probono/ freelglchtCA.htm for free immigration legal service providers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of these attorneys may even agree to accompany the student when they report to the ICE. 9. Students should ensure that admission fee is refundable before taking admission in a new school. They should also consult with attorneys or check with ICE whether they are eligible to seek fresh admissions while the TVU case is ongoing. 10. ICE has provided a hotline (415)844-5320 or SFRHSIFraud@dhs.gov on which students wishing to provide information regarding fraud at TVU can do so.

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US assures India of 'good judgment' WASHINGTON: In the wake of strong protest lodged by India over radio-tagging of Indian students duped by a Californiabased "sham" university, US immigration authorities have assured New Delhi that they would use "good judgment and common sense" while handling the case. The assurance was given by John Morton, Director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar. Morton called Shankar after the Indian embassy lodged strong protest before ICE and other US agencies against the manner in which hundreds of Indian students of the Tri Valley University were being treated by ICE, including forcing scores of them to wear radio tags and suspension of Stu-

dent and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) that prevented them from taking admission in other colleges. Indian officials here have argued that there is no need to radio tag students as they do not have any intention to flee the country and they all are here having valid visas. "Efforts are on to ensure that people who are legitimate students are not affected," said an Indian official familiar with the discussions with the US officials on this issue. Shankar is understood to have strongly taken up the case of Tri Valley students with not only ICE, but also Department of Homeland Security and State Department officials. Objecting to the manner in

which Indian students are being treated, Indian embassy officials have argued that these students

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Efforts are on to ensure that people who are legitimate students are not affected,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said an Indian official familiar with the discussions with the US officials on this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; need to be treated in a humane manner and should not be made a victim of the federal investigation

against the Tri Valley University founder and President Susan Su. Shankar, during her interaction with the US officials, had specifically told them that radio tags should not be used against Indian students and that the blockage of SEVIS be lifted immediately so that students can apply for transfer to other universities and given sufficient time for this. Also students may be permitted to go back to India, without prejudice, and not deported and allowed in normal course to reapply for studies in the US at authorized universities, the US officials were told. During the conversation, the US officials, including the ICE Director, are believed to have acknowledged that there are a lot of innocent victims, but did not rule

out that there might be some students who were involved in this scam. Sources privy to the discussions said the ICE Director assured Shankar that instead of seeing this entire case as purely a law enforcement measure, he would be using "good judgment and common sense" in resolving the issues related to the students. US officials are believed to have assured Indian authorities that every effort would be made to ensure that the academic career of genuine students is not affected and they get ample opportunity and alternatives to pursue their goals. At the same time, deportation proceedings might be started against some, the officials conceded -PTI

India asks US not to victimize students WASHINGTON: Concerned over the plight of scores of Indian students radio-tagged by US authorities after being duped by a "sham" university, the Indian embassy here has asked the Obama administration to ensure that none of them is victimized and also launched an email helpline for them. The students, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, are facing the prospect of deportation as authorities shut down the Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, a major suburb in San Francisco Bay Area, on charges of a massive immigration fraud. These students are now franti-

"Time is fast running out for these students," said Ram Mohan Konda of the American Telugu Association. "These students do not know where to go. They are being asked for thousands of dollars in bond. At the same time they have to join any university as soon as possible so as to maintain their visa status and complete their studies," Konda said. Strongly taking up the matter with the State Department and other concerned departments, the Indian embassy asked the US government to ensure that none of the Indian students affected by the

Indian authorities pointed out that the university appeared to have been authorized by the US system to issue at least 120 forms, and in any case US consulates in India had issued visas for students to study here after their due scrutiny cally knocking at the doors of colleges begging for admission in their desperate attempt to save their academic careers and avoid deportation. Following a raid at the university, federal authorities swooped down on its students, 95 per cent of whom are from India, for questioning and interrogation. Immigration attorneys and Indian-American community leaders, who have been helping these students, said that scores of them had been detained and released on bond and many of them installed with Intensive Supervision Appearance Program or radio tags.

immigration scam of Tri Valley University is victimized. The embassy and its consulates in New York and San Francisco have taken up the matter with US authorities. According to a federal complaint filed in a California court, the university helped foreign nationals illegally acquire immigration status. The university is said to have 1,555 students, and as many as 95 per cent of these students are Indian nationals. According to information available here, only about 140 visas were issues directly to Indian students for studying at this univer-

sity. However, many students it seems had transferred themselves to this university from other universities in the US. This increased the number of students registered at this university. Federal agencies here claimed that the university was not conducting full-time courses and registered students were not doing full-time studies. This had caused violation of their visa status. Indian authorities pointed out that the university appeared to have been authorized by the US system to issue at least 120 forms, and in any case US consulates in India had issued visas for students to study here after their due scrutiny. "Therefore the students should not be victimized in any way," they said. The students, who have been in touch with the embassy and consulates in San Francisco and New York, requested that they be permitted to apply for transfer to other university and given sufficient time for this. Alternatively, they may be permitted to go back to India, without prejudice, and not deported and also allowed in normal course to reapply for studies in the US at authorized universities. Raj Akula, a Texas-based attorney, said that he knows at least 20 such students who had been subjected to detention. While many of them had been released on bail, a few of them were still in the detention centers as they had not been able to furnish the bond money. The Indian embassy here has

also launched an email help-line to provide the Indian students, affected by the immigration scam of Tri Valley University, with necessary guidance. The embassy posted on its website - www.indianembassy.org - an advisory to the students of Tri Valley University (TVU) and asked them to write to minca@indiagov.org and edu@indiacgny.org to seek guidance from the Indian authorities. "The embassy of India in Wash-

ington, DC has taken up with the US State Department the issue of Tri Valley University in California, so as to ensure that Indian students are not subjected to any kind of discrimination or victimization," the advisory said. "The embassy along with the Consulate General in San Francisco has set up a dedicated e-mail address to enable the affected students to communicate and seek guidance from the Indian authorities," it said.-PTI

ATA assistance to Tri-Valley students India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Ever since the Tri-Valley university "sham" broke out, American Telugu Association (ATA) has been working actively with legal experts to provide the necessary legal guidance and needed support to the affected students. ATA President Dr. Rajender Jinna and Community Chair Bangar Reddy also made representation to various US Senators and Congressmen to provide details and request their immediate attention to resolve the matter promptly and provide students a viable option to transfer to other universities. ATA is also in constant contact with the Indian Consulate General offices in various cities and the Indian Ambassador to put pressure on the US to resolve the matter in the interests of students who are the victims of this scam. ATA is working with Dallas law firm Akula & Associates that assisted in providing answers to

questions of over 600 students of Tri-Valley University who are currently in F1 status and who have been affected by the ICE investigation. Lawyers also talked with several ICE officers who detained the students to arrange for Bonds and get them released from detention centers around the country. They also guided several students who are in removal proceedings. They are currently in contact with several courts to arrange bond reduction hearings for still detained students. A conference call was hosted by the lawyers on Jan 27 to address the issues of the students on this crisis. Over 300 students attended and benefited from this conference call. Those still in need of guidance may reach Raj Akula at 972-2414698 by phone or by email at raj.akula@akulalaw.com. ATA is also working with JanethaLaw.com in providing needed legal assistance to students.

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US official says radio tags 'hip and trendy' HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: A US diplomat courted controversy calling ankle monitors tagged on some Indian students in California as "very hip and happening", evoking a strong protest from the Government after which she was forced to apologies. "Those anklets are used when you have somebody who might flee. And so you give them the choice -- would you go to the prison or would you like an anklet. The anklets are very hip and happening. Many of our movie stars caught in drunken driving or else choose the anklets than sitting in orange suit in a prison," said Juliet Wur, Public Affairs Officer at the US Consulate in Hyderabad. Soon after Wur's unpleasant remarks on the radio tags seen as adding insult to injury on the students appeared on TV channels, Jawed Ashraf, Joint Secretary (Americas) in the Exter-

nal Affairs Ministry, called US Deputy Chief of Mission Donald Lu and told him that the comments were in bad taste and "unacceptable", sources said.

Wurr later apologized for the remarks. "I deeply apologize. Because I would never want to insult or hurt the feelings of any Indian and particularly of young people Lu expressed regrets over such comments and said the diplomat has been asked to publicly apologies, the sources said. Some of the Indian students at

Tri-Valley University in California, who are in danger of being deported after the college was shut down over alleged visa fraud, are being made to wear ankle bracelets so that they can be tracked. The students are mostly from Andhra Pradesh. Wurr later apologized for the remarks. "I deeply apologize. Because I would never want to insult or hurt the feelings of any Indian and particularly of young people who are going through a very trying time now with this situation. I forgot about the feelings behind that and I think people responded when I did not mention that," she said tonight. While describing the anklets as "hot and trendy", Wurr had said, "I don't know why people are getting upset about this. I am not speaking for the way Indians feel about something. They may have their own reasons for feeling that.

Reward for Manmohan's love of US KOLKATA: The CPI-M has condemned the US for using radio tags to keep track of Indian students and took potshots at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying the victims were reaping the 'dividends' for his 'love for the US'. Recalling that Manmohan Singh had many times described former US president George Bush as a 'close friend', the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said: 'He had also said once in Washington that Indian people were very fond of Bush. And he had said this despite Bush killing lakhs of innocent people by invading Iraq and Afghanistan.' 'Now the Indian students in the US are reaping the dividends for the fondness. The future of a large number of Indian students has become uncertain because of the policy adopted by the country our prime minister is so fond of,' CPI-M's Bengali mouthpiece Ganashakti said in an editorial. Condemning the US, the daily said: 'Radio collars are used to track animals and now they are using such kind of devices to keep a track on Indian students in the US. It's an insult. The use of these devices is making Indian students vulnerable in that country.' The Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, a suburb in San Francisco Bay Area, was raided last week and charged with helping foreign nationals illegally acquire immigration status. Some 1,555 students of Tri-Valley University, 95 percent of them from India, mostly from Andhra Pradesh,

face the prospect of deportation following the university's closure. Throughout last week, Indian TV channels have telecast visuals of Indian students with radio trackers around one ankle, apparently to monitor their movements. India had termed the move 'unacceptable'. 'USA has not paid any heed to the protests lodged by the India's United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The

American authorities have categorically said the Indian students will have to continue wearing the trackers till the probe on the matter comes to an end,' it said. 'We are yet to know whether the prime minister's deep affection for the US has eroded a bit now. It is also not clear to us whether he feels that Indians deeply love US president Barack Obama,' the editorial said in sarcasm.

Krishna condemns radio tags on Indian students BANGALORE: External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has strongly condemned the reported forcible wearing of radio collars around the ankles of Indian students in the Tri-Valley University in US and demanded severe action against those responsible for the "inhuman act". "We demand the US government initiate severe action against those officials responsible for this inhuman act. Indian students are not crimi-

nals. The radio collars should immediately be removed," he told reporters here. "The Ministry will extend all help to the students. The parents need not worry since the matter has been taken up with appropriate authorities," he said. The government would also provide suitable assistance to the affected students if they wished to return to India, he said.-PTI

2 students sent to detention centre NEW DELHI: Two Indian students duped by a "sham" American university and forced to wear radio tags have been sent to a detention centre in the US after they complained about the movement

monitoring device tied to their legs. The two students would be released only after they furnish a bond of USD 8,000 to 20,000, according to information reaching here.-PTI

I see it differently." Wurr while seeking to calm the ruffled feathers in the country said, "We welcome Indian students in the United States. I know

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Use of ankle monitors is widespread across the United States and standard procedure for a variety of investigations, and does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from personal experience how much I learnt the first time I met an Indian student when I was in undergraduate. Indian students bring great tal-

ent, brilliance, hard work and interest in our culture and we welcome them with open arms. We want them to have the best educational experiences that they can." In a statement, the US embassy in India defended radio-tagging students. "Some of those involved in the Tri-Valley investigation have been issued ankle monitors. Use of ankle monitors is widespread across the United States and standard procedure for a variety of investigations, and does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity," the statement said. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna described this as "adding insult to the injury" and said he will ask the US to investigate why "dubious" universities are not more closely tracked and checked.-PTI

Sukhbir calls them shackles of slavery India Post News Service

CHANDIGARH: Sukhbir Singh Badal, President Shiromani Akali Dal and Deputy Chief Minister Punjab has flayed the weakkneed response of Congress led UPA government to the radio tagging of Indian students who had gone on study visa to Tri-Valley University( TVU) in San- Francisco. He asked the Union government to come out with the institutionalized system to deal with repeated incidents of harassment of Indian students studying abroad. In a statement here, Badal said it was matter of great concern that the oldest democracy of the World that fought the relentless battle against slavery, has resorted to modern day shackles of radio tags, normally used to keep track of animals in the jungle. He said that by treating the lawful immigrants from India worse than animals, the USA government has committed worst kind of human right violation besides denigrating the India as a country. He said that it was surprising to notice the weak response of Union External Affairs Ministry to such a serious incident. He said that USA seemed to be encouraged by the feeble response of Indian government to harassment of students in Australia. The SAD President said that Indian government should have given a strong response to USA

government and ensured proper re-admission of all Indian students in other USA universities because students have suffered due to lax control and superintendence of US authorities on its universities. He said that website of US Embassy in India shows Tri - Valley University as a legitimate and recognized University by the

Sukhbir Singh Badal

US Government and students should not be made culprits for seeking admission in US recognized university. Demanding an institutionalized system to come to the aid of students studying abroad in distress, Badal said that we must be aware of the fact that the economy of Australia, Canada and New Zealand was dependent upon students from India and other Asian Countries He said that besides collective bargaining to bring down the fee charged by them, Indian Authorities must not allow exploitation of Indian students.

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Obama meets Menon to further bilateral talks India Post News Service

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama joined in on a meeting between US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon at the White House Jan 28, to reaffirm his commitment to building a true global, strategic partnership with India. The President relayed his priorities for the coming year, including advancing US-India bilateral economic relationship and making progress on nuclear security efforts.

President Barack Obama

Donilon and Menon met to follow-up on the outcomes of President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Singh's historic Summit in India in November 2010. They discussed ways to advance the bilateral agenda over the coming year, including the implementation of initiatives launched during the Summit, as well as building new platforms for collaboration that fulfill the promise of the two countries' global strategic partnership. The two also had candid, in-depth discussions on regional and global issues of mutual concern.

Obama appoints Ann Kalayil as GSA Chief India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Long time Obama friend and Democratic campaigner Ann Kalayil was named Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration's Great Lakes Region in January 2011. Kalayil's appointment is historic as she is the first woman to serve as Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration in this Region. As the agency's regional chief executive, Kalayil heads operations that provide federal agencies and the US Courts in six states with support in vital areas such as real estate services, procurements, information technology, supplies, equipment, and vehicles. Headquartered in Chicago, the Region has a workforce of 956 employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $450 million. Prior to this appointment, Kalayil worked for more than 12

years at the University of Chicago in Information Technology Services, where she worked in Emerging Technologies and Communications but previously was Director of Client Services and

As the agency's regional chief executive, Kalayil heads operations that provide federal agencies and the US Courts in six states with support in vital areas Support. She has taught interdisciplinary courses on Asian Americans at DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Formerly a Co-Chair of Obama National AAPI Leadership Council, Kalayil is very active in many community and civic activities dealing with education policy, campaign finance reform, immigration reform, and documenting Asian American history. A Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, Kalayil has also served on several government task forces and has participated in many panel discussions on the above issues. Kalayil is also co-Director of the South Asian American Policy & Research Institute and a member of many community based organizations. She received a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Northeastern Illinois University, a Master's degree in Asian Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

India largest contributor to UN slavery memorial fund India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India has contributed $250,000 for the Permanent Memorial to honor the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, becoming thus, the largest contributor to the Trust Fund. India's contribution was acknowledged Feb 1 during the launch of the website of the initiative to erect a permanent memorial to honor the victims of

slavery and the transatlantic slave trade (organized by the Permanent Mission of Jamaica). A symbolic handing over of the check by Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, India's Permanent Representative took place at the Economic and Social Council Chamber (NLB) at the UN headquarters on Feb 1, although the actual check had been given by Amb Puri in April last year to the relevant UN entity in New York.

The Trust Fund was launched May 20, 2009 following the adoption by the UN General Assembly in May 2007 of the resolution sponsored by CARICOM and African Union to commemorate the 200th anniversary of abolition of transatlantic slave trade in 2007 as well as to create a Trust Fund to construct a Permanent Memorial in the lawns of the UN in New York to honor the victims of slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

NJ man charged for concealing offshore bank accounts India Post News Service

transactions in different currencies. During a subsequent trip to India, Dahake had a telephone conversation with a third banker, employed by the international bank in California, regarding how to conceal the repatriation of funds from India to the United States. The banker advised Dahake that he and his wife should not withdraw more than $18,000 collectively to avoid coming back into the United States with over $10,000 each. In 2006, Dahake faxed a letter to the international bank in India instructing the bank to issue him five bank checks, each in the amount of $9,500, and to send the checks via courier to his residence in New Jersey. A banker employed by the international bank in India had advised Dahake to purchase multiple checks in that amount when repatriating funds from India to the United States. Following the publication of

NEW JERSEY: A federal grand jury in Newark has indicted an Indian American businessman in Somerset, New Jersey for conspiring to conceal undeclared bank accounts located in the British Virgin Islands and India. The indictment returned Jan 26 charges Vaibhav Dahake with one count of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Acting Assistant Attorney General John A. DiCicco of the Justice Department's Tax Division announced. According to the indictment filed in Newark federal court: Vaibhav Dahake was born in India and became a naturalized US citizen in 2006. From 2001 through 2010, Dahake maintained undeclared bank accounts in the British Virgin Islands and India that he failed to report on his federal income tax returns. The accounts located in India were main- The bank's New York office tained at a large interna- advised Dahake that one of tional bank, which was headquartered in En- the advantages of opening gland and maintained up a bank account in India offices throughout the was that he would not have to world, including in India, Singapore, Hong supply the bank with his Kong and the United social security number States. In 2001, Dahake received from the bank an unsolic- news reports that Swiss bank UBS ited letter advertising bank ac- AG had entered into a deferred counts in India that paid high in- prosecution agreement with the US terest rates. Dahake subsequently Department of Justice, Dahake admet with a banker, employed by the vised the banker in California that bank's New York office, who ad- he was considering repatriating all vised Dahake that one of the ad- his money from India to the United vantages of opening up a bank ac- States. In response, the banker told count in India was that he would not have to supply the bank with Dahake he had nothing to worry about because the international his social security number. After Dahake decided to open bank would not be issuing Forms an account in India, the banker ad- 1099 on the accounts in India, and vised him not to send one large that the IRS would be looking for check, but to send five checks, undeclared accounts maintained in each in the amount of $10,000, in the Caribbean rather than in the Far East. The banker further advised order to "stay below the radar." During 2003 and 2004, Dahake Dahake that the international bank wire transferred additional funds operated banks in both Singapore from the British Virgin Islands to and Hong Kong and that the banker his undeclared bank account in could introduce Dahake to bankers India. In connection with these in those countries if Dahake wanted wire transfers, a second banker to move his funds there. Individuals who physically employed by the international bank in New York advised Dahake transport, mail or ship - or cause to that he could conceal his unde- be physically transported, mailed, clared accounts by converting or shipped - currency, checks, and funds from US dollars into either other monetary instruments in an British pounds or euros before wire aggregate amount exceeding $10,000 into or out of the United transferring them. The banker told Dahake that the States are required to file a FinCen funds would not be transferred Form 105, Report of International through the US banking system Transportation of Currency or because the international bank had Monetary Instruments (a correspondent banks in Europe "CMIR"), with the Bureau of Cusand around the world that handled toms and Border Protection.

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Indian govt revokes visa of 'pro-LTTE' leader India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India's Ministry of External Affairs has revoked the Indian visa of Washington-based Dr Muthuvel Chelliah, former president of Federation of Tamil Association of North America (Fetna) on "security reasons" for his alleged links with and support to the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Dr. Chelliah, a native of Tamil Nadu and a well-known supporter of Tamil Eelam who staged several demonstrations and protests against the Governments of India and Sri Lanka in New York and Washington during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakshe to the US, joined hands with Connecticut based Dr. Ellyn Shandler who formed US Tamil Political Action Committee (US-TPAC) to demand separate nation for Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka. Last year Dr Shandler was denied visa to enter India for her anti-

Indian stance and for her fiery speeches at the annual conventions of Fetna in Atlanta and Connecticut under the presidentship of Dr Chelliah.

Last year Dr Shandler was denied visa to enter India for her antiIndian stance and for her fiery speeches at the annual conventions of Fetna in Atlanta and Connecticut under the residentship of Dr Chelliah Dr. Chelliah was president of Fetna for three years between 2008 and 2010 and it was during this term, Fetna took an anti-India stance and strongly criticized Government of India and Sonia Gandhi for the killings of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The Fetna conventions in the US became a platform of anti-India elements and pro-Eelam leaders who lambasted India much to the embarrassment of Indians attending such conventions. Many of the leading Tamil Sangams across the US have been boycotting Fetna conventions over the years in view of the severe antiIndia propaganda at these conventions. Earlier, another Fetna leader, Dr. Thani Kumar Cheran of Raleigh, North Carolina, was stopped at Chennai International airport on his arrival from the US and prevented from entering after his visa was revoked on arrival. He was a strong supporter of LTTE and organized many fund raisers to help the militant organization headed by late Velupillai Prabakaran in the 1990s. Dr. Nachimuthu Socrates of Connecticut, another former Fetna President was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2006, for offering to buy arms and ammunition for LTTE to

an undercover agent in the US. The case is still pending in the court. Meanwhile, Pappammal, the 90-year-old mother of Dr Chelliah,

Earlier, another Fetna leader, Dr. Thani Kumar Cheran of Raleigh, North Carolina, was stopped at Chennai International airport on his arrival from the US and prevented from entering in Poravacheri in Nagapattinam district, has petitioned the Madras High Court seeking a direction to authorities to give clearance for processing the visa application of her son. Pappammal stated that Muthuvel Chelliah was born in

Tamil Nadu. He was working as a physical scientist at the Climate Prediction Centre of the National Weather Service in the US. He was president of the Tamil Sangam of the Metropolitan Washington and Baltimore areas in 1992. Chelliah visited India in 1997 and addressed several public meetings, including one at Bangalore Tamil Sangam. The essence of his speech related to the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka. He had not uttered anything against the nation or any politician, she said. She said she did not know why the 10-year visa issued to him in 2002 was cancelled and what charges were pending against him. The petitioner said that she was desperate to see her son, who had again applied for visa in September 2010 to the Indian Embassy. The application had not been processed since the authorities in India had not taken steps to give clearance to their counterparts because of the misunderstanding of facts, she stated.

US yet to decide on 'immunity' to Kamal Nath India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Contrary to claims by the Sikh Advocacy group Sikhs for Justice in New York, the US Statement Department has said it has not yet determined whether to grant diplomatic immunity to India's Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath in connection with a case against him

lations against Indian Minister Kamal Nath" and that the trial before the US District Court will proceed from Feb 9. However, at his daily press briefing on Jan 23, responding to a question on the status of a query by the Indian Embassy in Washington about granting diplomatic immunity to Kamal Nath, State Department Spokesman Philip

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If diplomatic immunity is granted to Kamal Nath in Sikh Genocide case, plaintiffs avowed that they will challenge it in the highest court of the United States and will also lodge petitions and complaints before the United Nations Human Rights Commission with regard to India's open practice of impunity,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said in a US court for his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India. After being summoned by US Court in April 2010, Minister Kamal Nath had sought diplomatic immunity so he could avoid trial in the case filed against him for his participation in Sikh Genocide and human rights violations. Sikhs for Justice claimed Jan 23, 2011 that the US State Department has declined to intervene in the matter due to the "seriousness of allegations of human rights vio-

Crowley said, "Well, we are following closely a civil complaint involving Minister Kamal Nath. This is still a legal process that is unfolding. It's unclear whether there's any live action against Minister Nath and what its content might be. I think the plaintiffs have until February 9 to file an amended complaint. The immunity question remains under review here at the State Department, and we have not made any determination at this point. Crowley also refrained from

commenting on whether Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) has been involved in the case. Trouble, however, is brewing for Minister Kamal Nath, Sikhs for Justice, representing the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots announced it would oppose any effort by the Indian Government to get diplomatic immunity for the Indian minister in connection with a US court issuing him summons on him. In April 2010, SFJ, along with two individuals, members of whose families had been killed in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, filed a law suit against Minister Kamal Nath in US District Court under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) & Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) asking the Court to order compensatory and punitive damages against Kamal Nath. According to SFJ's legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, "Alient Tort Claims Act of United State, the law under which trial against Kamal Nath will be held is specifically created to provide remedy and forum to victims of genocide to vindicate their complaints and the trial against Kamal Nath is one such opportunity through which SFJ plans to put on the record of the court evidence related to Genocide of Sikhs and Kamal Nath's role in it". Plaintiffs have asked for a "jury trial" and will have the right

to call upon survivors and experts on Genocide as witnesses to prove that systematic killing of Sikhs in November 1984 was Genocide as defined Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide. According to Pannun, the issue of "diplomatic immunity" is decided by the court and only the US Department of State can give its recommendation. He further stated that the plaintiffs will resist and challenge any efforts by Indian Government to get diplomatic immunity for Kamal Nath. "If diplomatic immunity is granted to Kamal Nath in Sikh Genocide case, plaintiffs avowed that they will challenge it in the highest court of the United States and will also lodge petitions and

complaints before the United Nations Human Rights Commission with regard to India's open practice of impunity," he said. The Indian Government, he said, was exposed with regard to human rights issue by its efforts to get diplomatic immunity from US for Minister Kamal Nath. During the past 26 years, the Congress (I) Party in India has used its influence in saving Kamal Nath and other leaders of the Party from being charged and prosecuted in India despite witnesses and evidence, he added. Pannun further alleged that the Indian Government was paying for the defense of Kamal Nath in the Genocide Trial and has asked the US Government to grant him immunity.

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Texas doctor sentenced to 15 years for healthcare fraud India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Kemah, Texas based Dr. Arun Sharma was sentenced Feb 1, to 15 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $43 million for engaging in a conspiracy with his wife, Dr. Kiran Sharma, to commit health care fraud over a 10-year-period in the Southern District of Texas, US Attorney JosĂŠ Angel Moreno announced. US District Judge David Hittner handed down the prison sentence and further ordered Sharma to forfeit more than $43 million, including their $700,000 home in Kemah, Texas, numerous parcels of real property, more than $700,000 in cash found during a search of their Kemah home, more than $800,000 in cash found in two safe deposit boxes and a number of investment accounts funded with the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. At the conclusion of the sentencing, Sharma was remanded back into the custody of the US Marshals Service. Dr. Kiran Sharma, who also has been convicted of conspiracy and health care fraud after pleading guilty in April 2010, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb 23. She remains in custody at the Federal Detention Center in Houston pending sentencing. Arun Sharma, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of health care fraud before Judge David Hittner on April 26, 2010. During

his plea, he admitted that from Jan 1, 1998, through June 10, 2009, he and his wife Kiran fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid and various private health care providers for medical procedures that were not performed. During the time period of the

Dr. Kiran Sharma, who also has been convicted of conspiracy and health care fraud after pleading guilty in April 2010, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb 23. She remains in custody at the Federal Detention Center in Houston pending sentencing conspiracy, the Sharmas owned and operated multiple medical clinics operating under the name Allergy, Asthma, Arthritis Pain Center, with two principle locations in Baytown and Webster, Texas. While some of the patients at the clinics were referred by other medical doctors, approximately 50% of the patients came to the clinics through word of mouth. Arun Sharma was known as an easy touch for pre-

scribing the "pain cocktail" of hydrocodone, Xanax and Soma. As time went on, he began prescribing stronger narcotics such as Oxycontin, morphine, methadone and fentanyl patches, investigators said. In addition to the prescription of narcotics, a large part of the practice conducted at the clinics was to provide patients with injections of lidocaine combined with steroids which at times provided temporary relief of various joint and muscle pain. Although the injections given to the patients were superficial, they were billed falsely to the insurance companies as facet joint injections, paravertebral injections, sacroiliac nerve injections, sciatic nerve injections and various nerve block injections. The pain management practice at the clinics grew quickly during the time period of the conspiracy. The doctor couple went from seeing an average of 50-60 patients per day in 1998 to more than 100 per day beginning in 2003 with a high of 279 on Jan 6, 2005. From 1998 through 2002, Dr. Kiran saw pain patients at the clinics in addition to her own allergy patients. Maintaining a modest allergy practice, she would sign patient procedure forms and superbills, falsely indicating that she had administered facet joint injections or other paravertebral injections when in reality she did not. She also prescribed the pain cocktail when she saw pain management

patients. Nearly every patient was prescribed one or more controlled substances and put on a regimen of shots every two weeks. The patients were required to sign the medical progress and procedure notes in their patient chart to prove they were at the

Maintaining a modest allergy practice, she would sign patient procedure forms and superbills, falsely indicating that she had administered facet joint injections or other paravertebral injections when in reality she did not clinic and received the shots. Arun Sharma tried to convince all patients to have shots at every visit, but many of the patients did not want the shots every two weeks. For those patients who ultimately refused the shots, he regularly required the patients to sign the progress and procedure notes even though they received only a prescription for controlled substances and did not receive any

injections. By the beginning of 2000, Dr. Arun was having certain patients sign blank procedure/progress notes and then using those forms to generate a superbill in order to bill the insurance companies for injection procedures on days when the patient was not in the clinic. As for Dr. Kiran, she hired several foreign medical graduates (FMGs) over the course of the conspiracy to assist in the movement of patients through the clinics. Several of the FMGs helped add fictitious patient examination information to the blank progress/ procedure notes after Dr. Arun had added non-existent medical procedures to the blank forms so that insurance companies could be billed as if the person had been in the clinic when in reality they had not. Dr. Kiran witnessed the FMGs creating the fictitious patient progress/procedure notes and knew that their ultimate purpose was to bill the insurance companies for procedures that never occurred. Demonstrative of the implausibility of the volume of patients who allegedly received injections is the fact that the defendants' own records purport to show that more than 100 patients purportedly received injections on 708 different days during the conspiracy. Further, the defendants' billings showed that as many as 279 patients allegedly received injections on Jan 6, 2005.

First UN Alliance of Civilizations-themed forum in India India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The first United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) themed-forum in South Asia is taking place in Kerala, India, Feb 6-8. Organized by the Global Dialogue Foundation (GDF) in collaboration with SAGE, PeaceWorks and PNCA, the forum will take place in the city of Thiruvananthapuram around the theme 'Unity in Diversity: Bridging Cultures, Building Peace and Development'. The forum will shed light on new ways for improving understanding and collaboration among people, cultures and communities. It will offer innovative platforms for governments, civil society organizations, and community leaders to discuss and begin breaking the walls of intolerance in different

societies. "This forum in India represents a major development for the UNAOC's work," says Jean Christophe Bas, Senior Advisor Strategic Development and Partnerships. "The mobilization of a wide range of actors, from government officials to civil society organizations and religious leaders shows that dialogue and cooperation among peoples and cultures are also a major concern and objective to achieve peace and development in this part of the world." Kerala was chosen to host this event, as "it is the most religiously diverse state in India. Religious diversity has been a defining trait of India's population," explains Vice Chairperson of Global Dialogue Foundation Maya Shahani. The Forum, to be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister V.S.

Achuthanandan, will focus on a number of issues, including the role of religion and beliefs in pro-

The forum will also provide a platform for youth and the young leaders of tomorrow to express their views. Youth Ambassadors chosen from the popular Youth Essay Competition will present their work and share their thoughts on shaping perceptions and challenging stereotypes moting peace and development. The roundtable discussions at the forum will lead to an action

plan of concrete and practical steps that can be taken to bridge cultural gaps. The opening session of the forum will feature an interfaith celebration in honor of the World Interfaith Harmony Week, which will be observed for the first time between February 1 and 7. The forum will also provide a platform for youth and the young leaders of tomorrow to express their views. Youth Ambassadors chosen from the popular Youth Essay Competition will present their work and share their thoughts on shaping perceptions and challenging stereotypes. This is the second Unity in Diversity forum staged by GDF, following its successful Melbourne forum in 2010. As Global Dialogue Foundation cofounder and CEO Peter Gorgievski explains "the Forum's aim is to bring the UNAOC to-

gether with local civil society organizations, promote worldwide experiences of multiculturalism and integration and understand the importance of combating intolerance at the grass-roots level." The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative of the UN Secretary-General which aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions. It also helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism. The UNAOC was established in 2005, at the initiative of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations and under the leadership of Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, as High Representative for the UNAOC.

Desi News NJ Assembly designates R-Day as 'India Day' India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: The New Jersey Legislature sponsored a bipartisan joint resolution to honor the land of Gandhi and Indian-Americans on the 61st anniversary of the Republic Day of India by designating an 'India Day' in the Garden State. State Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan and Assembly Deputy Speakers Upendra J. Chivukula, John S. Wisniewski, John F. McKeon and John J. Burzichelli sponsored the resolution.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

India Association celebrates Republic Day Details on page 20

11 India Post

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February 11, 2011

FIA (New) steals march during Republic Day celebrations SURENDRA NATH ULLAL

Details on page 12

Chicagoans await Dr Kalam visit with anticipation SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the eleventh President of India, will be visiting Chicago in late April at the invitation of IndoAmerican Center, a Chicago based community organization. "The IAC and its Board of Directors welcome the Chicago visit of Dr Kalam, a great individual whose service as Indian President was only one among a wide array of significant contributions he has made worldwide. We are eager to bring the community together in celebration of these," said Jay Luthra, IAC Executive Director. Details on page 14

Sardar Ujagar Singh Gill remembered

FIA Board Members with Ms Mukta Tomar, Indian CG and Chief Guest Dhitu Bhagwaker, Mayors of Schaumburg, Hoffman Estate and other dignitaries

CHICAGO: A newly set up Federation of India Associations celebrated India's 62nd Republic Day at India House Banquet Hall, as over 500 Indian Americans met to look back at the events that culminated in India's declaration as a Sovereign Secular Republic, on January 26, 1950. Along with the elite of the Indian American community of Chicagoland, several dignitaries including the Consul General of India in Chicago, Ms Mukta Tomar,

sentative Michelle Mussman, Ald. Ameya Pawar, Atty John Miller, Chief of Police Brian Howerton, Congressman Joe Walsh, community activists like Chief Guest Dhitu Bhagwakar, Balwinder Singh, FIA stalwarts President Sunil Shah, Executive Vice President Onkar Singh Sangha, Syed Mondy, Banquet Chairman Nick Gakhal and others had graced the event that lasted over four hours marked by lively entertainment and inspiring speeches.

‘Not only there is increased participation of Indian Americans in

THAKAR S BASATI

actual program began with "Lighting of the Lamp Light." Emcee of the night was Swapnil Shah who did a marvelous job to entertain the audience. DJ Ruckiss Sahaj Shah provided music for the night. In her Keynote address Consul General of India in Chicago, Mukta Tomar said that people of India are recognized for their adherence to the principles of nonviolence and living in harmony with nature as enunciated in the scriptures, which exhort that the

the mainstream economic and political venues but it is gratifying to note that with just 2% of Indian American populations, you already have two elected Governors’ Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson presenting the Village Proclamation

Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Hoffman Estates Mayor Martin Moylan, Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson, Illinois House, Representative Fred Crespo, State Repre-

Social Hour (Hors d'oeuvres) started the evening followed by American National Anthem by Nina Parikh and Indian National Anthem by Mrs. Rita Shah. The

whole world is one family, i.e. "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam." She said however that the greatest contribution of India is that of holding democracy as an article,

Sunil Shah addressing FIA meet

and a pillar of our faith. As democracy was crumbling across the newly independent nations, it is India which upheld and sustained its principles in early post independent era. In the process India has matured as a democratic nation. Emergence of India as an economic power, she said further accentuated her position in the international relations resulting in closer ties with United States and other countries. She paid compliments to nonresident Indians across the world for playing pivotal role in cementing the bond between our nations. "Not only there is increased participation of Indian Americans in the mainstream economic and political venues but it is gratifying to note that with just 2% of Indian American populations, you already have two elected Governors," she added. As India completes 64 years of Independence, it can look back with a considerable degree of pride at the shaping of a democratic political system in the country. One of the major achievements of independent India is the parliamentary democratic system that was instituted along with a sovereign Republican Constitution, she said. Despite the narrow basis and the class constraints on the democratic system in a developing capitalist society, it is creditable that parliamentary democracy has retained its vitality over the years. Contíd on page 13

12 India Post

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February 11, 2011

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FIA (Old) celebrates R-Day with Indian community BY AQ SIDDIQUI

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CHICAGO: Despite the fact that dissidents within the Chicago Indian community were hosting Indian Republican Day celebration elsewhere, the Federation of Indian Associations-Chicago (FIAOld) - a premier registered community's umbrella organization of 30 years - successfully staged its flagship Republic Day gala banquet on Friday, January 28 at Holiday Inn in Skokie. It met with a good response from the community at large. Senior FIA leaders led by Iftekhar Shareef, Babu Patel, Kanti Patel, Anil Pillai, Sohan Joshi and Keerthi Kumar Ravoori saw to it that the intra-organizational rivalry did not dampen the enthusiasm

of honor. Buoyed by large attendance, Iftekhar Shareef, head of the Trustee Board, in his address paid rich tributes to India's majority

rious divisions in the community. He observed that such elements in the community will only help strengthen our collective resolve to stay united. They

FIA stalwarts at Republic Day celebrations Kanti Patel, Anil Pillai, Sohan Joshi, Trustee-Chairman Iftekhar Shareef, Babu Patel, Sitaram Patel, Kishan Patel, Minhaj Akhtar, Keerthi Ravoori and Ajai Agnihotri

and the same patriotic atmosphere prevailed over the crowd greeting each other. They were not just the 'table occupiers' but the distinguished and elite Indian community members. Indian Vice Consul

Hindu population for their magnanimous secular ethos which, he added, enabled them to elect members of the minority communities to India's highest offices including the office of the Prime Minis-

dragged the innocent five judges of FIA elections to the court on the pretext of improper election practice, and now they started another organization with similar name to mislead the community,"

Iftekhar Shareef lamented the fact that disgruntled elements

Friday, February 4 & 11 7:30 pm

within the organization upon losing the elections embarked on creating serious

Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theater 3035 N. Hoyne TICKETS: www.Kalapriya.org phone: 800.836.3006

divisions in the community Indian Consul Vishwas Sakpal (second from left) being honored

General C Sapkal joined to represent the Chicago Indian Consul General's office, Alderman Bernie Stone along with Tariq Siddiqui and Abdul Wahed Bhatt, both from Chicago Pakistani American community were among the guests

ter, the President and ruling-party coalition chair. Referring to the unforeseen opposition faced by FIA, Iftekhar Shareef lamented the fact that disgruntled elements within the organization upon losing the elections embarked on creating se-

he added. "Let them run their new organization for at least two years, then they will know what it means to keep all groups together and manage the finances of community organization. ContĂd on page 14

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India Post 13

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NJ Assembly designates R-Day as 'India Day' India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: The New Jersey Legislature sponsored a bipartisan joint resolution to honor the land of Gandhi and IndianAmericans on the 61st anniversary of the Republic Day of India by designating an 'India Day' in the Garden State. State Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan and Assembly Deputy Speakers Upendra J. Chivukula, John S. Wisniewski, John F. McKeon and John J. Burzichelli sponsored the resolution. It was also sponsored by Assembly Budget Chairman Louis D. Greenwald, Senate

Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean Jr. Senator Linda R. Greenstein and Assembly Minority Conference Leader Jon M. Bramnick.

come oppression and injustice," Sweeney (D-Gloucester\ Cumberland\Salem) said. "It was his political genius and humanitarian

‘The world is indebted to Mahatma Gandhi for empowering us with a strategy of non-violent non-cooperation to overcome oppression and injustice," Sweeney (D-Gloucester\ Cumberland\Salem) said. "It was his political genius and humanitarian approach that inspired Dr. Martin Luther King’ "The world is indebted to Mahatma Gandhi for empowering us with a strategy of non-violent non-cooperation to over-

approach that inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his successful fight for civil rights for all Americans. I am privileged to honor

the land of Gandhi by sponsoring a resolution that designates an 'India Day' in New Jersey." As India also observed Jan 30 as Martyrs Day - the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 - Assembly Deputy Speaker Upendra J. Chivukula said "Even though the life of the 'apostle of peace' came to a violent end, he was successful in mobilizing the Indian masses to use 'Satyagraha' or non-violent non-cooperation to overthrow the mighty British Empire. His strategy of peaceful resistance can be effective in most situations today to bring about change while minimizing the mayhem and human casualties." Contíd on page 15

FIA (New) steals march during R-Day celebrations Contíd from page 11

Unlike the experience of many other newly independent countries, the prospects for democracy in India have not shrunk but grown since Independence. The participation of ordinary people in the elections at all levels is marked by sustained enthusiasm. Ms Tomar observed that the Constitution of India, in its Directive Principles, directs the state to promote the welfare of the people by securing "a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the national life." It calls for the state to strive "to minimize the inequalities in income" and to see that the "control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to serve the common good" and to ensure that the "operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to common detriment." Six decades later, there is no doubt that the working of the state and policy making are clearly not in consistence with the goals set out in the Constitution. Most of the conflicts and crises in the system can be traced to this fundamental contradiction: political democracy coexisting with concentration of wealth and economic inequalities. The goals are however set and need to be realized, she added. In his welcome address President Sunil Shah offered "Special thanks to our esteemed dignitaries who have taken time out of their busy schedules to attend this event and celebrate India's 62nd Republic Day. On this memorable and auspicious occasion, as 2011 President of FIA Chicago, Illinois; it my distinct honor and high privilege, to send warm Republic day greetings and hearty wishes to every Indian American.

Air India, the national career of India with global moorings, was a sponsor of the event and Shah was thankful for the support that FIA received from the air line. The Midwest Manger of Air India, Jude Crasto, had graced the event with his presence. FIA Executive Secretary Onkar Singh Sangha too offered special thanks at the end for Air India support saying "FIA is very thankful to Air India for their constant support and active role for the betterment of the Indian community." Sunil Shah further noted that as we enter a new era of multi-cultural society, we wish to strive sustaining our rich cultural heritage. "As you may have read in souvenir, FIA along with its member organizations is here to protect the interest of Asian Indian in the field of immigration, Social, Welfare and Commercial business interest. It is here to act as a catalyst between you and local state & national Government bodies

FIA Board Members for the current year

ganizing mela. This would be the first time India's Independence Day parade would be held in suburbs. This would heighten the cultural awareness of our Indian community and allow our youth to gain a better understanding of our Indian culture." He thanked all member organi-

be flown to India. Its expense is $8000 out of which $5000 has been collected through donations and auction two Air India economy class tickets, out of which part of the proceeds would go for this cause. If any one would like to donate he urged to them contact: State Treasurer Dan Rutherford

He thanked all member organizations and sponsors for joining on this historic occasion

FIA Board Members

and profusely thanked

Sunil Shah - President, Onkar S Sangha - Executive Vice President, Babu Varma - Vice President, Vinesh Virani - Vice President, Rita Singh - Vice President, Sunny Kular - Vice President, Monty Saiyed Vice President, Shahid Rizvi Secretary, Mukesh Shah - Treasurer, Jaswant B. Singha - Joint Secretary, Hina Trivedi - Joint Treasurer, Nilesh Khot. Youth Director, Pardeep Deol Youth Director, Sanam Shah Youth Director Sahaj Shah - Youth Director, Swapnil Shah - Youth Director, Ronny S Kular - Souvenir Co Chair.

the Chicago ethnic Indian media for their support A group of artists that presented a lively program

pertaining to any issues & concerns. "We have planned to organized Independence Day parade not only on Devon but also in city of Schaumburg & Hoffman Estates along with independence parade we are also planning to or-

zations and sponsors for joining on this historic occasion and profusely thanked the Chicago ethnic Indian media for their support. Referring to the recent demise of a young man named Paul in Chicago, who hailed from Goa, India, he said that his body needs to

tions were singing of patriotic songs, eye catching dance performances and inspiring speeches. There were folk dances - Bhangra and Garba, classical Indian dances - Bharat Natyam, Kathak - and Bollywood fusion dances and patriotic songs by accomplished local artists. Delicious Indian cuisine was served by India House Restaurant. Vote of Thanks was proposed by Onkar Singh Sangha. The newly appointed Executive Committee for the year 2011 was announced during this evening.

gave a pleasant speech cracking lot of jokes. Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson read the Village Proclamation declaring January 28 day as "The Federation of India Associations Chicago" for Schaumburg. Other highlights of the celebra-

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Chicagoans await Dr Kalam visit with anticipation SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the eleventh President of India, will be visiting Chicago in late April at the invitation of Indo-American Center, a Chicago based community organization. "The IAC and its Board of Directors welcome the Chicago visit of Dr Kalam, a great individual whose service as Indian President was only one among a wide ar-

Activities planned for his Chicago visit include the following: a public reception in his honor hosted by IAC; an essay contest for high school students addressing Dr. Kalam's concerns with science, the environment, and public policy; a question and answer session with local high school students and a collegiate luncheon for college students.

‘From his 20022007 presidential term to his continued leadership and advocacy of his 2020 vision for India, Dr. Kalam has helped pave the way for India's emergence as a world leader’ Jay Luthra, IAC Executive Director

ray of significant contributions he has made worldwide. We are eager to bring the community together in celebration of these," said Jay Luthra, IAC Executive Director.

These activities are a testament to the wide-ranging influence Dr. Kalam's work has had throughout his lifetime. From his 2002-2007 presidential term to his continued leadership and advocacy of his 2020

Dr Abdul Kalam

vision for India, Dr. Kalam has helped pave the way for India's emergence as a world leader. In addition to his success in politics, Dr. Kalam has achieved global stature in several other fields including science, technology, and education. He has been Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology and professor at several Indian universities and research institutions. Highly respected as a scientist and engineer, he is particularly known for his work on the ballistic missile and space rocket technology, which have brought India into modern space research. His honors include America's top engineering prize, the Hoover medal, for his work in public service contribution as an

engineer. Dr. Ralph Nicholas of IAC's Board of Directors expressed his excitement about the visit: "Dr. Kalam does great honor to Chicago and to the Center with his scheduled visit. As President of India he was known as 'the People's President' who opened the doors of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to all. “As one of India's foremost scientists he has been a leading advocate for young people and advancing scientific education. As an ardent advocate for protecting nature he has championed the environmental movement. He brings many important messages to us at the same time: about India's tremendous advances, about science, about youth, and about the environment."

FIA (Old) celebrates R-Day with Indian community Contíd from page 12

We on our part, however, will unveil many more events and community programs of significance to the Indian American community in the days and months to come," he said He congratulated Chicago Indian community for the 62nd anniversary of India Republic Day.

FIA. Kanti Patel, the Convener of the banquet outlined how a renewed sense of unity enabled FIA to host such a memorable event. He reminded the detractors that FIA is an institution of 30-years and it shall remain unfazed no matter whatever challenges it is presented with. Meena Purohit, the India TV show anchor said that FIA is the identity of Chicago

Alderman Bernard Stone of the 50th ward, in his remarks, saluted the democratic spirit of India and its abiding commitment to a democratic way of life Anil Pillai endorsed the Shareef statement for FIA elections and said that the entire election was conducted as per the legal procedure. The presence of all past presidents (Trustees) of FIA today in this event shows the unity of original and only one united

Indian community. Vishwas Sapkal, Consul at the office of the Consul General of India was the honored guest of the evening and he congratulated FIA for hoisting India Republic Day celebrations and commended the show of patriotism to

FIA-Chicago Cultural participants

their motherland. He outlined how India's economic prowess is emerging to reach the crest of global eminence. Following his remarks, Kanti Patel presented a flower bouquet to Vishwas Sapkal. Alderman Bernard Stone of the 50th ward, in his remarks, saluted the democratic spirit of India and its abiding commitment to a democratic way of life. After an introduction by Iftekhar

Shareef, Alderman Stone was warmly greeted by several other FIA Trustees for his support to the Indian community in the 50th ward. Robyn Dessaure, Assistant Director of US Homeland Security in Chicago was also an honored guest who freely mingled with members of the Indian community. Several prominent business and community leaders were acknowledged for their presence and

sponsorship-support Singer Rohit Parikh added to the patriotic glory of event as he sang Raj Kapoor film's famous song and reminded Indians that, "Mill Jul Ke Raho aur Pyar Karo, Yeh Chiz Badi hoti hai, Hum us Desh ke Wasi hain, jis Desh Main Ganga behti hai" (Live in harmony and love with each other, this is important, we are descendant of a country where Ganges flows). The song itself was a reprimand to dissidents within Chicago Indian Community." Earlier, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori welcomed the guests on behalf of FIA. While many senior Indian leaders and trustees of FIA were away on holiday, others who were present made the event a success. Many hailed Kanti Patel, Anil Pillay, Iftekhar Shareef and other FIA stalwarts for organizing the traditional FIA event at short notice. The event drew curtains with a high-energy Punjabi dance by RK group of young girls that served as a grand finale.

February 11, 2011

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Nile Township celebrates R-Day with a difference SURESH SHAH

Senior-most members of United Senior Pariwar actively participating in Republic Day celebrations

CHICAGO: Charting its own course and siding away from two warring groups of the Federation of Indian Associations, the Indian Americans in Niles and nearby suburbs, celebrated the 62nd Indian Republic Day with dignity, gusto and a lot of enthusiasm on Jan 29, in Niles West High School Auditorium. The nearly three hour program successfully showcased India's cultural diversity with an underlying unity thru vibrant performances by students, local artists and others. The start was a traditional one with the lamp lighting ceremony by dignitaries and was followed by rendition of American and Indian National Anthems. Satish Chander, Vice-President of Niles Township, welcomed the gathering. He emphasized how India started celebrating its Republic Day every year after adopting its Constitution and declaring itself a Republic in 1950, three

Members of a dance troupe that won audience acclaim

years after gaining independence from British in 1947 Usha Kamaria, President of Niles Township, in her brief address appreciated the theme of Chander's inspiring speech and acknowledged the huge support that United Senior Pariwar gave for the

NJ Assembly designates R-Day as 'India Day' ContĂd from page 13

"I am proud to honor the people of India and the land of Gandhi - a soldier of non-violence whose brilliant strategy of civil disobedience through non-violent non-cooperation and resistance helped free India from centuries of slavery and inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his triumphant fight for civil rights for African-Americans," Oliver (D-Essex) said. The joint legislative resolution that honors the land of Gandhi and Indian-Americans also acknowledges the Govt. of India's official Republic Day celebration at the Consulate General of India in New York hosted by Consul General Prabhu Dayal. Hundreds of In-

Republic Day celebration by Indian Community of Niles Township: Organizers, community activists and invited guests on the stage L to R Ramanbhai Patel. Moti Agraval, Ram Soni, Rohit Joshi, John Thill, Trustee Morton Grove Town, Ms. Susan Van Dusen, George Van Dusen Mayor of Skokie, Om Prakash Kamaria, Mrs.Usha Kamaria, Hasmukh Soni, Mrs. Pratibha Parikh and Carolin Anthony.

dian-Americans including representatives from New Jersey attended the event. "The New Jersey Legislature has bestowed a great honor on the people of India and Indian-Americans by designating 'India Day' in the Garden State," Dayal said. "We look forward to continuing to facilitate interaction between members of the New Jersey Legislature and the Administration with representatives of the Indian Diaspora and visiting Indian officials," he added. The resolution also notes that US-India relations have been enhanced by President Obama's unprecedented endorsement of New Delhi's long-standing call for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

success of the event. She then described about "coming together in Skokie" and said it is a way to attain peace and harmony amongst us. It helped me to learn more about other cultures and traditions." Ramanbhai Patel, President of United Senior Pariwar and Santosh Vargheesh spoke and conveyed their Republic Day wishes. ContĂd on page 19

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JAYANTI OZA

Invited guest singing National Anthem

CHICAGO: Bhartiya Senior Citizen Group of Chicago celebrated 62nd Indian Republic Day at Radhey Shyam Tempe at Bloomingdale, a north side Chicago suburb. Nearly 200 Senior citizens attended this event. The start was with the singing of National Indian anthem and patriotic songs by seniors. Manshukhbhai Patel, founder of Bhartiya Senior Citizen Group of Chicago, in his brief address talked about the significance of Independence Day and Republic Days and

the reason behind their celebrations every year. Guests Chhotubhai Patel, Dhirubhai Patel explained that independence of India was the result of g sacrifices and the struggle by many great leaders . President of Swaminarayan Temple of Itasca. Jagdishbhai Patel and Haribhai Patel, President of Senior Group, Secretary of Senior Group Parsotam Pandya thanked all donors and others for the successful conclusion of this event.

BioNJ names Chivukula Assemblyman of Year India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: State Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula (D-Somerset) has been named "State Assemblyman of the Year" by BioNJ, a group dedicated to supporting its member companies in finding cures and enhancing lives through medications and therapies discovered and developed using biotechnology. BioNJ supports the principle of providing universal access to affordable, high quality health care to all citizens. It is the New Jersey chapter of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (Bio), the industry leading advocacy and support group. "A robust biotech industry is vital for our continued growth and world leadership in pharmaceuticals, an industry that is the single-highest revenue generator for New Jersey," said Chivukula (D-Somerset). "As lawmakers, it is crucial that we support policies to advance research and discovery that

saves and transform lives and also ensures the health of our pharmaceutical industry. I commend BioNJ for its effective advocacy and am humbled and honored to receive this

‘A robust biotech industry is vital for our continued growth and world leadership in pharmaceuticals, an industry that is the single-highest revenue generator for New Jersey’ award." Assemblyman Chivukula was honored at BioNJ's annual dinner meeting on Jan 27, along with Senator Joe Kyrillos and US Senator Bob Menendez.

Mental health experts offer course in 'Islamophobia' India Post News Service

NEW YORK: On September 15, 2001 Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh American of Indian origin was consulting with landscapers in front of the gas station and convenience store he owned in Mesa, Arizona when a pick-up truck drew up to them. Frank Roque, the driver of the truck, opened fire, shooting and killing Sodhi. When he was arrested shortly afterward Roque offered the statement "I am a patriot!" Less than a year later, Sodhi's brother was shot and killed in an unrelated though eerily parallel crime. As if that weren't enough tragedy to befall

one family, still another brother who continues to work at the convenience store at which Balbir was gunned down, is routinely targeted for such hate speech as: "Go back to Iraq." Attacks on Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have increased exponentially after 9/11 (the FBI reports a 17 fold increase immediately after the 9/11 attacks) not only in the United States but around the world. Such hate and bias crimes are the focus of a course being offered by the American Group Psychotherapy Association during its Annual Training, February 28 - March 5, 2011 in New York City. Contíd on page 19

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Chicago Seniors celebrate Republic Day

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February 11, 2011

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FBI Informational Seminar at gurdwara

Food Drive by Bharat Sevashram Sangha

SURENDRA ULLAL

S. SUCHETA

CHICAGO: Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) in conjunction with Sikh Religious Society organized an FBI Informational Seminar at their Gurdwara facilities in Palatine on Sunday, January 30. The seminar featured an FBI Spokesperson and the FBI Civil Rights subject matter experts. This free for all seminar was very well attended and received. The two hour seminar without a break, where a lot of material was covered, was coordinated by FBI's Citizens' Academy 2003 Alumnus Rajinder Singh Mago of PCS and Birdella Braden, the FBI Community Outreach Specialist. "This was an excellent community participation. We may have to come back again for another session because many people couldn't get in due to limited seating and such an enthusiastic turnout," said FBI Special Agent Ross Rice, who is the media affairs director and the spokesperson for the FBI Chicago Division. Balwinder Singh Girn, the PCS president and Satwant Singh Atal, the S.R.S. president welcomed the audience and thanked

the presenters for coming. A DVD of the first 100 years of FBI was shown to the audience. An overview of the history and composition of FBI, and how

"This was an excellent community participation. We may have to come back again for another session because many people couldn't get in due to limited seating and such an enthusiastic turnout," said FBI Special Agent its various departments operate and interact was explained by Special Agent Ross Rice in his presentation. Contíd on page 19

Swami Purnatmanandji of BSS at Interfaith Food Pantry in Aurora

AURORA: The Aurora located Bharat Sevashram Sangha of North America (BSS) Chicago conducted a three-month food drive for needy people ending December 2010, with great help from Sangha devotees who donated non-perishable, vegetarian canned foods and dried goods. Sangha donated on January 7 this year 750 pounds of collected food items to Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry that assists people in need with food in a humanitarian and compassionate manner. Chairman of the Sangha Swami Purnatmananda Ji Maharaj went to take a tour of the pantry and distributed the food to unemployed families and single parents caring for children. Food was also donated to seniors with fixed incomes, persons with disabilities who need a supplement or anyone who cannot afford to purchase enough

food to adequately meet nutritional standards. Two days before the distribution, director of the pantry Mike Gaigno collected the food from ashram. Nearly 4,000 families are registered to receive food from the pantry. The ashram's volunteers took active part in collection and distribution of the food items. BSS is a spiritual brotherhood of monks and selfless workers devoted to service of humanity. With its various branches all over India and abroad as a charitable, philanthropic, socio-cultural organization it has helped victims of natural calamities like earthquake, flood etc. BSS has made major contribution to the suffering humanity. The Sangha has been recognized by Govt. of India as "an institution of national importance".

Gurdwaras to celebrate Sikh Environment Day India Post News Service

WASHINGTON: An international Sikh group, EcoSikh, is appealing to all Sikh gurdwaras and institutions to celebrate March 14 as Sikh Environment Day. EcoSikh representatives have got confirmation of participation from many Sikh institutions in India and abroad. EcoSikh has also launched website for gurdwaras and Sikh institutions to register their participation internationally. March 14th is when 7th Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai, assumed the Guruship of the Sikh community in 1644 AD. He is known to be a great humanitarian who had special sensitivity towards nature preservation and animal well being. He maintained an extensive

herbal garden for medicinal purposes for the benefit of the masses in Kiratpur Sahib, his birth place and his spiritual center near Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India. Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of Washington based Sikh Council on Religion and Education and convener of EcoSikh, said, "Guru Har Rai ji inspired Sikhs to care for nature and his legacy provides one of the most inspiring models for our ecological consciousness especially when earth is facing crisis due to human carelessness. His birth anniversary is on January 31st and we would like every Sikh to prepare to celebrate March 14th as Sikh Environment Day dedicated to nature preservation as a tribute to Guru Har Rai. This will be

our way to partake in making mother earth livable and lovable

‘Guru Har Rai ji inspired Sikhs to care for nature and his legacy provides one of the most inspiring models for our ecological consciousness especially when earth is facing crisis’ for future generations!" SGPC in collaboration with

EcoSikh celebrated March 14th as Sikh Environment day and whole day hymns were sung on nature from the Golden Temple. Avtar Singh Makkar has once again given consent to repeat the same for another consecutive year. He had also directed the SGPC apparatus to plant 100,000 trees in all the educational institutions run by SGPC. In addition, DSGMC, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Akal Takhat and various other institutions and famous Sikh personalities like Bhai Pinderpal Singh, Sikh environmental activists like Baba Sewa Singh, Baba Seechewal and Bhai Manjit Singh of Anandpur Sahib are being approached to join in this endeavor, according to Dr. Rajwant Singh.

EcoSikh was launched in July 2009 during the summit of Sikh leaders attended by DSGMC and SGPC leadership, Indian cabinet Minister Manohar Singh Gill, representatives of United Nations and UK based Alliance of Religions and Conservation. Ravneet Singh, Program Director of EcoSikh in India, said, On March 14th, hundreds of Gurdwaras across India, the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and the world will be taking part in this celebration by singing shabads focused on the environment, holding ceremonial tree plantings, and encouraging children to share reflections on the environment and Sikhism with the sangat. Contíd on page 19

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Hempstead celebrates Republic Day of India India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Town of Hempstead on Long Island, NY which is the largest township in the US celebrated its eighth annual India Republic Day on Jan 25 at Hempstead Town Hall hosted by Town Supervisor Kate Murray and its Council Members. Two prominent members of the community - Sudhir Vaishnav President and CEO of GEN-I a leading International Television Channel Distributor worldwide and licensees for the Sahara One, Filmy, Sahara Samay and Radio City, and Nayana Brahmbhatt, an administrator of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple - were honored on the occasion by the Town of Hempstead.

The program was attended by a large number of dignitaries including the members of the judiciary, members from Dr. Martin Luther King's foundation and community leaders. Keynote address was delivered by Dr. Rakesh Gupta the Dean of Adelphi University Business School. The significance of India's Republic Day was described by a young talent Anusha Syed. The program was followed by an entertainment segment presented by young children from Mukhtambar Fine Arts Choreographed by Saavitri Ramanand and Folk and Patriotic Dances presented by Arvin Batra and Sahil Batra and students of Sitara Group.

National Geographic apologizes for portraying Sikhs as terrorists India Post News Service

WASHINGTON: The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has secured a formal apology from National Geographic, following the

tions of the Sikh community will not occur. The program, entitled "Inside Al Qaeda," examines the Islamic terrorist network and the overall threat of home grown terrorism in America and around the world.

The program in question has been edited to remove the images of Sikhs altogether for any future broadcasts broadcasting of images of Sikhs linking them to terrorism and Al Qaeda. Furthermore, the program in question has been edited to remove the images of Sikhs altogether for any future broadcasts, ensuring further misrepresenta-

Forty-six minutes into the broadcast, as the narrator discusses issues related to home grown terrorism, the images of two Sikhs visiting the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC are shown. Contíd on page 19

February 11, 2011

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Sardar Ujagar Singh Gill remembered THAKAR S BASATI

CHICAGO: Asian American Seniors Association (AASA) organized a memorial for departed Sardar Ujagar Singh Gill on January 30 at Palatine Public Library. Attendance was heavy with the hall fully packed. Sardar Gill (87) passed away on Nov 28, 2010. He was suffering from some age related and some chronic ailments but never complained, yet stayed in full Chardhi Kala. The room was full of many prominent members of Sikh and non-Sikh communities and all said they learned something from Sardar Gill. Dr Inderbir Singh Gill, elder son of Sardar Gill, welcomed the audience and gave a short introduction about the life of Sardar Gill. The program started at 1:30 pm with a minute of silence and Ardas by Sardarni Gill. Every one shared their memorable association with Sardar Gill. The program was presided over by Sardarni Surjit Kaur Gill, widow of Sardar Gill and Prof. Jaginder Singh Ramdev, President AASA. Dr Pradeep Singh thanked AASA, Thakar S Basati for hosting the event. He also assured the

Sardar Gill (L) A section of the audience during Gill memorial service

audience that Gill family will do everything to continue his legacy.

As Gill Sahib never accepted bribe, some people weren’t happy with him as they could not make money Although he was a lawyer by profession, Gill gave up practice

because he to sometime twists the truth. He took up position in rehabilitation of refugees during Partition. As Gill Sahib never accepted bribe, some people weren’t happy with him as they could not make money. He believed in honest living within one’s means He also helped in contributing Punjabi books to Palatine Library. He was a contributor to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur memorial in Chapparchirhi Punjab, India. He is survived by his wife Sardarni Surjit Kaur, sons Dr Inderbir Singh, Dr Pardeep Singh and daughter Mandeep Kaur.

Top Jesuit university in USA teaches Vedas India Post News Service

WASHINGTON: Georgetown University in Washington DC, oldest and prestigious Catholic and Jesuit institute of higher learning in USA established in 1789, is offering various classes in Hinduism. Courses include Hindu Religious Tradition, Hinduism Today, Modern Hinduism, and Hindu Dharma; involving study of Vedas, Upanishads, Gandhi, Ramana Maharshi, sadhus, gurus, yogis, rituals, festivals, worship, devotional poetry and music, family, healing practices, pilgrimage, storytelling, Kabir, Mirabai, Laws of Manu, etc. Sohan Joshji, an Indian community activist said that Georgetown's move is "a step in the right direction". Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that the schools/departments of reli-

gion and philosophy of major world universities should strengthen follow this example and

Georgetown University is one of the world's leading academic and research institutions with 16,437 students representing 135 countries, out of which over 73 percent are Christian their Hinduism sections. Hinduism being the oldest religion with rich philosophical thought and a vast

array of scriptures needed more exploration. Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Stanford, Columbia, McGill, and Utrecht universities to further enrich their Hinduism resources. Georgetown University is one of the world's leading academic and research institutions with 16,437 students representing 135 countries, out of which over 73 percent are Christian. Its library holds over 2.3 million volumes and its annual tuition per student can be up to about $46,000. Dr. John J. DeGioia is President; Paul Tagliabue is Board of Directors Chair, while Terrence P. Reynolds is Theology Department Chair. Roman Catholics, headed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, are the largest denomination of Christianity with about 1.17 billion adherents out of which Jesuits form the largest single religious order of priests and brothers.

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FBI Informational Seminar at gurdwara

Mental health experts offer course in 'Islamophobia'

Contíd from page 17

Contíd from page 16

The FBI jurisdiction, assets, and capabilities were also explained. There were several Q&A about how to join the FBI. The Civil Rights Presentation, by Special Agent Kelly, who is the FBI Agent assigned to the Chicago Division's Civil Rights squad, consisted of Color of Law, Hate Crimes, Human Trafficking, and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE). It included real life case histories and examples of some of the notorious hate crimes and organized crimes cases prosecuted through FBI's investigative work. The purpose of this seminar was to address issues and build bridges within and among the many racial and ethnic populations in the Chicago area and to inform about the civil rights and hate crimes statutes and state and federal jurisdictions. Because of the FBI's active role in investigating civil rights, hate crimes and color of law issues, FBI hopes to educate and work better with the communities they serve. FBI's National Citizens' Academy Alumni Association is hosting this innovative Racial Healing "Community Relations Executive Seminar Training" (CREST) program across the country, including here in Chicago to many of our diverse neighborhoods, racial and ethnic communities and organizations. Such initiatives have gained importance and have been on the rise since nine-eleven.

Islamophobia in a Post 9/11 World: Addressing General Insecurity and Mitigating Harm to "Anyone Appearing Muslim" will be presented on March 3. This course will identify the issues that underlie bias crimes such as those against Muslims and anyone perceived to be Muslim. The course will highlight group interventions that can transform the general insecurity that manifests as "Islamophobia" and bolster the resiliency of communities that are victim to it. "This course is a significant and relevant offering as we approach the anniversary of 9/11 and hold our meeting in New York in partnership with the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes (IAGP)," said Jeffrey Kleinberg, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, AGPA President. "The challenging social issues that arise in complicated times inevitably present themselves in groups and this training will help group leaders address them in ways which benefit their clients and their communities." Islamophobia in a Post 9/11 World will be taught by four distinguished clinician-educators with long experience in working with minority groups. They are

Dr. Siddharth Ashvin Shah, who specializes in preventive/behavioral medicine and is medical director of Greenleaf Integrative Strategies; Razia F. Kosi, founder of the nonprofit organization, Counselors Helping (South) Asians/ Indians, Inc. (CHAI) which addresses mental health and wellness issues in

‘The challenging social issues that arise in complicated times inevitably present themselves in groups and this training will help group leaders address them in ways which benefit their clients and their communities’ the South Asian community; Cindy Miller Aron, a mental health specialist at Samaritan Mental Health in Corvallis, Oregon, who is an educator on the phenomenon of scapegoating; and Nina K. Thomas, a psychologist-psychoanalyst with over 20 years experience working in the area of trauma and with ethnic minority communities.

National Geographic apologizes for wrong portrayal Contíd from page 18

Although the program provides important insight into the issue of terrorism, it serves a great disservice to the Sikh American community by conflating them with Al Qaeda and extremists. Earlier this month, SALDEF issued a letter to National Geographic asking for immediate removal of the images and an apology for the gross error. SALDEF stressed the danger of a reputable media outlet furthering misconceptions Americans have about Sikhs and Sikhism, by drawing attention to the rise in discrimination, harassment, and hate crimes against Sikhs who are wrongfully perceived as terrorists. National Geographic issued a prompt apology, stating, "The images of the Sikhs should not have been in the program and we apologize for any disrespect or inconvenience this may have caused the SikhAmerican community. We have edited the program to remove the images. We thank you again for bringing this to our attention, and we hope you accept our sincere apology." "We appreciate the prompt response and apology from National Geographic acknowledging their error," said SALDEF Associate Executive Director, Jasjit Singh.

Nile Township celebrates R-Day with a difference Contíd from page 15

Daniel Bliss, 17th District State Representative, was also the chief guest of the event. He was quite moved by the program presentation and thanked Kamaria for it. Van Dusen, Mayor of Skokie praised Indian culture and traditions and warmly greeted everyone for the 62ndRepublic Day of India celebration. US Rep. Jan Showvky, an honored guest and a popular figure among Indian Americans, dwelt on the need of ushering an era of peace and prosperity. Greetings India and Indians on the occasion of Republic Day, she asked all Indians to strive for peace at the global level. The inaugural dance earlier de-

A section of the audience

picting the power of unity was presented by Nartan Dance Academy. Kalapadma Dance Academy presented 'Ishq Hi Rabh Hai' choreographed by Ruth Varghese. Ishq Barse from Rajneeti was pre-

sented by Payalia Dance Academy and was choreographed by Trupti Patel. Other attraction of the evening was 'Vande Matram' dance by Kalapadma Dance Academy. 'Med-

ley' was presented by Payalia Dance Studio and 'Tarana dance performance' was presented by Tarana Dance Academy. The crowd went into frenzy when Shaila Khedkar sang "Mere

Wantan ke Logo" and "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" by Raju Bankpur. The festivities culminated with award ceremony which was presented to all the participants for their scintillating performances.

Gurdwaras to celebrate Sikh Environment Day Contíd from page 17

Gurdwaras around the world are also coming up with their own creative ways to celebrate the day, through children's environmental art displays, environmental nagar kirtans, recycling drives for used goods, and by creatively reducing the use of energy and water. Bandana Kaur, New York based

Program Director of EcoSikh in USA, said, "We believe that every Gurdwara can make a difference. Since November 21st, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Gurdwaras and schools across the world have been signing up to share the message of 'Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat' with their sangats. By joining the celebrations,

Gurdwaras in the Diaspora will also be expressing their support to over one hundred Gurdwaras in India that will use the day to raise awareness about the state of ecology across their spiritual homeland, and in restoring peoples' relationship to the air, land, and water systems through careful reflection on the words of the Sikh Gurus enshrined in the

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji." Gurpreet Singh, Secretary of EcoSikh from Washington, said, "After the celebrations in March, Gurdwaras will have an opportunity to share stories, photos, and videos from the day on an online exhibition on the EcoSikh website. We believe that Sikh Environment day o March 14 will be an opportunity to bring the Sikh commu-

nity together by celebrating our rich heritage and tradition of concern for the environment. We invite all Gurdwaras and the sangat to celebrate the day according to their wishes, and sincerely welcome new ideas and suggestions to make Sikh Environment Day a day of reflection and renewal, and truly, a historical event for Sikhs around the world."

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February 11, 2011

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India Association celebrates Republic Day

IALA Committee: From left: Jigna Kumar, Dinesh Lakhanpal, Bobby Kumar, Vinod Manchhani, Inder Singh, Gursharan Nat, Mahesh Parik, Ravi Grewal, Ramesh Bramharouthu, Manjeet Wahi and Raman Chadha India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: India Association of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) celebrated India's 62nd Republic Day with great pomp and show on January 29 at Venus Banquet Hall, Canoga Park (North-

participation and members of his Executive team and other volunteers who made the event successful. Raman introduced the two association co-founders Inder Singh and Kumar Jawa, a prominent businessman in the Valley. Inder Singh

IALA committee with Congressman Brad Sherman.

the Republic Day of India." Inder Singh quoted President Barack Obama who spoke in glowing terms on Indo-US relations and also said that the US and India are not only the world's two largest democracies but are two pluralistic societies that believe in

ety. Inder Singh acknowledged Dr. Prakash Narayanan, Cypress City Councilman, for his participation in this year's celebration. Congressman Brad Sherman presented US flag to Chairman Raman Chadha, President Bobby

Congressman Brad Sherman presented US flag to Chairman Raman Chadha, President Bobby Kumar and the members of the executive committee. He complimented the India Association for the successful organization of the event IALA sponsors

West Los Angeles. The program was started by Chairman Raman Chadha who introduced association president Bobby Kumar. Bobby welcomed the fully packed banquet hall and spoke briefly about the importance of Republic Day. He thanked the 260 members of the community for

gave a brief background of Republic Day. He said, "India became a free nation on August 15, 1947 but, it declared itself a Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state with the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950. Thus 26th of January is celebrated every year with great pride and happiness as

the potential and dignity of every human being. Singh also informed the audience that the US House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing India's booming democracy and acknowledged the many contributions of the Indian-American community to American soci-

Dances

Kumar and the members of the executive committee. He complimented the India Association for the successful organization of the event. Raman Chadha and Bobby Kumar then called upon some members of the community including Iqbal Samra, Frank Chopra

from Moksha Restaurant, Narinder Grewal, Ravi Grewal, Mrs & Mr Gursharan Nat, Billu Samra, Balbir Singh from LA Security, Paul Pallan, Kumar Jawa from India Sweets & Spices and Jack Khangura who have sponsored the celebration of India Independence Day celebration in August last year and thanked them by presenting them with plaques. Chairman Raman Chadha also thanked VP Cultural Payal Saxena for organizing the splendid cultural show. He also thanked Rupinder Singh from Studio Friends and DJ Sanjay Syal for providing free service to the event. Entertainment by far was very colorful and lively. Dancing to the beats on Bollywood & Hollywood medley were the students of Electro Battles dance school who won heart of the crowd. Kathak Kala Kendra presented a semi classical dance with great poise. The evening proceeded with other talented young kids, coordinated by emcee Payal and Kavita, ghazals by Sunil and DJ Scorpio's hot sizzling music. At the end of the cultural program, the audience was served sumptuous food by Moksha Restaurant. Several people thanked the organizers for celebrating Republic Day event in the San Fernando Valley.

February 11, 2011

Community/California

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Jury awards Chaudhry family $1.7 million India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA: The United States District Court jury reached a verdict on January 24 that Joseph Cruz, a former officer of the Hollywood Division of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), used excessive and malicious force in the fatal shooting of Mohammad Usman Chaudhry and awarded the family $1.7 million in damages. Officer Cruz insisted that Mr. Chaudhry attacked him with a knife and that Cruz fired his gun in self defense. However, trial evidence verified that DNA found on the knife did not belong to Mr. Chaudhry. This marks a huge victory of justice because cases against law enforcement are difficult to win at trial. Mr. Chaudhry, a 21 year old autistic Pakistani, was shot multiple times and killed by the exLAPD officer on March 25, 2008. The Chaudhry family was not notified of their son's death until 21 days after the killing. Represented by Olu Orange and Donald Cook, the family filed a federal lawsuit against LAPD and sought justice. South Asian Network (SAN), a grassroots, community-based organization supported the family since their son was killed. SAN, in partnership with the family, has educated the South Asian American community about this tragic killing as well as the ongoing violence experienced by other ethnic communities and races. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, there have been 153 documented cases of homicides resulting from the use of police force since January 1, 2007. SAN, the Chaudhry family and

other civil rights and anti-police brutality groups organized a vigil on June 21, 2008, in Hollywood where Mr. Chaudhry was fatally shot. The purpose of this vigil was to empower witnesses and to unite diverse communities to come together and take action against police violence. Chaudhry family attorney Orange commented, "This case revealed many of the LAPD's disturbing practices to prevent dis-

Mr. Chaudhry, a 21 year old autistic Pakistani, was shot multiple times and killed by the exLAPD officer on March 25, 2008. The Chaudhry family was not notified of their son's death until 21 days after the killing closure of the truth about instances of officer misconduct. Through the support of community organizations like SAN, the lawyers on this case were able to reach community members who were willing to stand for justice and help the family fight to reveal the truth." When asked about this victory, Mohammad Umar Chaudhry, the elder brother of Usman, stated, "The family is most thankful for the outcome. Justice was sought and it has been served."

Ohlone College benefit show of 'Time Machine' India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: Edward Mast's The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi, premiered at Ohlone College in November under the direction of Tom Blank to sold out audiences. This darkly comic sci-fi classic has been invited to perform at the Kennedy Centerยนs American College Theater Festival (ACTF) western regional conference. ACTF Regionals will take place at CSU Humboldt February 14-18. During the weeklong event the judging panel selects the best production for our region to perform at nationals on all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. in April 2011. Time Machine is one of four plays chosen to represent the colleges and universities in Region VII, drawing from the nine western states. In addition to the honor

of performing at regionals, the production won awards for distinguished cast, as well as awards for

Ohlone College is presenting a onenight-only encore performance of the award winning production The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi, on Friday February 11 at 8pm sound design, stage management, and a meritorious achievement award for the student designed

'time machine.' In addition, three actors, Patrick Hilt, Bobby August, and April Labson, were chosen to compete in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. In addition, the play is under consideration for the prestigious Mark David Cohen Award for original play. Ohlone College is presenting a one-night-only encore performance of the award winning production The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi, on Friday February 11 at 8pm. Proceeds from the fundraising benefit performance, in the Smith Center at Ohlone College, will be used to help cover the costs for transporting the set, costumes, cast and crew to the ACTF conference, where the cast and crew will also be challenged by workshops, classes, auditions and University and professional recruiting.

Islamic education lectures at Chino Mosque India Post News Service

CHINO, CA: Imam Shamshad A. Nasir, the religious minister (Imam) of the Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, has begun a series of free lectures to educate Mosque members about the correct beliefs and practices of Islam. People from other faiths (or even no faith) who are interested in learning more about Islam can attend these lectures for free as well. The informal talks are scheduled for Sunday afternoon from 12:00 noon until

1:15pm. There will be ample opportunity to ask specific questions about Islam and its various esoteric practices and their importance. The purpose of the lectures is to allow members of the Mosque and anyone else who may be curious about Islam to learn the fundamentals of the religion and to get answers to whatever questions they may have. Topics will include: the Five Pillars and Six Articles of Islam, the purpose of Purdah, or dressing modestly in Islam, the reasoning

behind Islam's prohibition against drinking alcohol, using drugs, gambling or the unrestricted mixing of the genders. A major component of a Muslim's life is the performance of regular daily prayers. Imam Shamshad will explain the correct way to perform the various postures and correct common mispronunciations of Arabic words in the Islamic prayer, which is performed at the Mosque five times a day, beginning before sunrise and ending about two hours after sunset.

IIGS founder Harbhajan Singh passes away India Post News Service

Harbhajan Singh

TUSTIN, CA: Capt.(Retd) K. Harbhajan Singh (74), founder of the International Institute of Gurmat Studies (IIGS) and pioneer of the co-ed Sikh Youth camping movement nearly 40 years ago in India, passed away in Mexico on Jan 30 morning. He had gone to Mexico to attend a Keertan program organized by the local IIGS center there and was scheduled to fly back to the USA on Jan 30 evening. Popularly and respectfully known as Papaji, he has left behind his wife, Kailash Kaur, three sons, four grandchildren and thousands of dedicated fellow campers and self-less volunteers throughout the world. His sudden demise has shocked tens of thousands of Sikhs whose lives have been touched by him.

He dedicated his entire life to educating the Sikh youth about Sikh values and the

He moved to the U.S. in 1985 and Southern California became the headquarters of IIGS. In 1986 he started celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh on Dec 25 on a grand scale and named the event as Darbar-E-Khalsa great Sikh heritage. Under his direction, guidance and supervision, the IIGS held 72

Sikh youth camps and 13 family and women's camps in India, Nepal, England, USA, Canada, Australia and South East Asia. Thousands of Sikh youth have attended these camps since 1972. He worked passionately towards disseminating knowledge of Gurbani through the written and oral word. While he moved audiences with his oratory, he published several Nitnem books with transliteration and translations, keertan teacher handbooks and produced keertan Cds. He moved to the U.S. in 1985 and Southern California became the headquarters of IIGS. In 1986 he started celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh on Dec 25 on a grand scale and named the event as Darbar-E-Khalsa, which celebrated its silver jubilee 40 days ago.

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Sheila Ki Jawani : Tees Maar Khan 2 Yeh Des Hai Mera: Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey 3 Tarkeebein: Band Baaja Baaraat 4 Shakira : No Problem 5 Chamki Jawani :

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February 11, 2011

Yamla Pagla Deewana 6 Kaare Kaare Badra : Mirch

ollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan says it is the support of his fans that helped him complete 40 years in the film industry. "Quite undoubtedly it has been the prayers and support of the fans that put me in your midst today! I strive each day to live up to it," Big B tweeted. He was honored by Filmfare for completing 40 long years in the Hindi film industry. "Used to stand on the pavement outside Shanmukhanand Hall, where FilmFare used to be held, and wonder if I would get to see it someday, and today after 40 years, they pay

he chemistry of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol emerged victorious in the 56th Filmfare Awards as the popular pair of B-town bagged the 'Best actor Popular' and 'Best actress Popular' awards. Director Karan Johar also won the 'Best Director' award for the film 'My Name Is Khan'. 'Best Actor Male (Critics)' award was taken away by Rishi Kapoor, while it was Vidya Balan for her outstanding performance in the film 'Ishqiya' that brought her 'Best Actor Female (Critics)' award on the star studded night. After creating records at the box office, the Salman Khan starrer 'Dabangg' continued its bang at the awards night, as it received the 'Best Film Popular Category'. Besides the leading lady of the film, Sonakshi Sinha won the 'Best Sensational Debut Female' award. Director Manessh Sharma bagged the 'Best Debut Director' award for his film 'Band Bajaa Baaraat ', while, 'Best Sensational Debut Male' category was won by the Ranveer Singh for the same film. Habib Faisal won the 'Best Dialogue' award for the movie. 'Best Choreography' award was won by Farah Khan for the popular item number of the year 'Sheila Ki Jawani'. The 'Best Playback Singer (Female)' category witnessed the singers of the two chart-busting item numbers of the year bagging the award as Mamta Sharma (Munni Badnaam) and Sunidhi Chauhan (Sheila Ki Jawaani) won it. 'Best Playback Singer (Male)' was won by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for his popular number 'Dil toh baccha hai ji'. 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)' was won by actor Ronit Roy for his performance in the movie 'Udaan'. 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)' was cinched by Kareena Kapoor for 'We Are Family'. 'Best Music' award went to Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit for 'Dabangg'.

me a tribute! I could never have dreamt of it even. I just wanted to be able to get inside Hall!" he remarked in Twitter. Starting his career in the film 'Saat Hindustani', Bachchan has entertained his fans in multiple avatars over the past forty years. "Overwhelmed by all your good wishes and congratulatory words for 40 years Filmfare Award. thank you. you make life worth it!!" tweeted Big B.

7 Teri Parchhaiyan : Tera Kya Hoga Johny 8

Aali Re: No One Killed Jessica 9 Wallah Re: Tees Maar Khan 10 Isi Umar Mein : Isi Life Mein

February 11, 2011

Bollywood

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Rating Ranbir B

ollywood superstar Aamir Khan has never maintained the diplomacy tag. He has not been partial to anyone during his more than two decade career. A thorough professional, he does not spare family and friends too. This time, it was turn of his doting nephew Bollywood actor Imran Khan. In a recent interview with Zoom, Aamir was asked to choose between Ranbir Kapoor and Imran. Aamir could not be diplomatic here too and said that he loves Imran but as an actor Ranbir is the better one. Well, it may hurt Imran but he should not forget the big compliment he received from his 'mamu'. Aamir said that Imran is a 'lambi race ka ghoda', which is no doubt a big compliment. Aamir might have given a hint to Imran that he needs to work harder if he really wants to stay in competition in the industry.

Yoga fan C

anveer Singh is having the most exciting phase of his career. After having a blockbuster in his first film Band Baaja Baaraat with Anushka Sharma, Ranveer is bagging awards. Reports are doing the rounds is that Ranveer is one of the most sought after heroes in tinsel town. Ranveer was spotted in Hirani's office almost thrice. Hirani who shot to fame with Munnabhai series with Sanjay Dutt, is now planning to make a sequel to Munnabhai named Munnabhai Chale Amrika. Raju might be considering the young Ranveer for the role. On the personal front, life seems to be quite exciting for Ranveer. After the success of his film Ranveer is rumored to be in a relationship with his co-star from Band Baaja Baarat, Anushka Sharma. Though both of them deny their romance there is something brewing between the two. Anushka has commented that she is very fond of Ranveer and they are great friends.

anadian actress Lisa Ray has some big career plans which include opening a Yoga studio in Toronto. Speaking about her relationship status with Brett Wilson, she says that the rumor about their romantic alliance is baseless and they are just good friends. Currently, work for her yoga studio is going in full swing and she wants to share the benefits of yoga with the world. It is well known how she recovered from her prolonged illness with the help of Yoga, which offered her emotional and physical solace. The actress has been highly influenced by the effects of Yoga and wants everyone to take benefit from it. She says every day is a blessing for her as she has much to look forward. Lisa says that she will soon finalize some film projects and is now working on a kick-ass series for TLC.

ollywood star Akshay Kumar answers some questions on his new film, Patiala House: Q: How would you describe the plot of the film? Akshay Kumar: Patiala House is based in Southall London where the Kahlon extended family has lived for four generations. The movie follows my battle to follow my dream of becoming a fastpaced bowler for the England Cricket team, fighting the odds, although the cricket element of the film is incidental, and symbolic of something bigger, representing any dream or ambition one may hold in his or her heart. My character, Gurtej Singh Kahlon, or 'Gattu', is the eldest son and runs the family corner store for a living. He is a dutiful son but also adamant about following his dreams. Q: Do you relate strongly with the character of Parghat Singh Kahlon? AK: Yes to a very great extent, I do. In a way I can say that Parghat Singh Kahlon or Gattu, as a character is an amalgamation of me as a person and my struggles in life. Some years ago I went through the same situation, when I had a run of films that didn't do so well. I thought I was finished. But then I did a film called 'Jaanwar', which I felt was my second chance in the industry. I did not give up but kept fighting and trying, because I knew this is exactly what I wanted and I was not one to quit without a fight. Today, I am glad my persistence paid off and I want everyone to take an example from this and keep going, just keep fighting. Patiala House represents me as a person; very strong-minded, respectful and loving. I wanted to make a success of

my life, set myself some goals and worked hard to achieve those things from a young age. I never felt any job was beneath me, but while working in small jobs, I would continue to dream big and actively take steps towards achieving those dreams. Q: Was this role challenging? AK: I had to engage in a lot of emotional and cultural preparation for this film which in itself has been a challenge. The film offered me the opportunity as an artist to explore a persona that was deeply guided by a spectrum of conflicting sentiments and emotions. The unique thing about Gattu's character is that whilst there is a multitude of conflicting messaging, reasoning and dilemmas internally, his character is outwardly quite stoic and he conceals the emotional turmoil that is going on inside him. Q: The film's message is about generation gaps and overcoming the problems within this issue. What are your own thoughts about this matter? AK: My personal take on this is that family pressures and expectations are something that most youth experience and will have to address at various stages of their lives whether it's about which career one should pursue, who they should marry, or how they should conduct their life in general. It's a completely

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global phenomenon and to be honest not one that will disappear so easily. At each stage of one's life, norms, values and expectations change which impact relationships. The key to overcoming this issue is mutual respect, empathy and understanding.

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February 11, 2011

real life? AK: Oh yes! I love both, playing and spectating. I would play cricket in the bylanes of Delhi where I grew up as a kid. I always looked up to cricket personalities like Vivian Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan and always enjoyed their

The unique thing about Gattu's character is that whilst there is a multitude of conflicting messaging, reasoning and dilemmas internally, his character is outwardly quite stoic and he conceals the emotional turmoil that is going on inside him It's important to address the situation correctly, explain to parents what you believe in a way that is respectful and doesn't hurt their sentiments and beliefs. It might not always work in one's favor but that doesn't mean that you give up on your dreams. There is always a second chance and you have to grab it at the right time and do your best. Q: Are you a cricket buff in

on-pitch performances. With Patiala House I got to work very closely with cricketing veterans and icons such as Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Keiron Pollard, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Herschelle Gibbs, Nasser Hussain and David Gower to name a few. Whenever I am at home, my son Aarav and I have this schedule to play cricket together as Aarav is also extremely fond of cricket but only

to play. Watching it is still boring for him as he's only 8. Q: Tell us about your preparation for the cricket scenes. AK: I had to undergo thorough training with veteran cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu. This role was a challenge as I had to train as a fast paced bowler in preparation for all of the cricket portions of the film, but at the same time it was very enjoyable

as I got to try my hand at my favorite sport, cricket. He taught me how to play cricket with skill and as a sportsman which is extremely different to playing the game for leisure. I had to perfect my skill to the tee to ensure my bowling skills looked absolutely realistic on screen and that I did justice not only to the sport but to Gattu as well. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 25

February 11, 2011

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Great performances at Asian Expo

2011 Miss Asia USA Delegates at the VIP reception Tania representing India India Post News Service

irgelia Productions Inc. participated in the biggest Asian Expo in the US - the 30th Annual Asian American Expo at the Pomona Fairplex on Jan. 15th & 16th. The two-day event was filled with cultural excitement, business opportunities creating an atmosphere of unity and bonding among the 800 exhibitors and more than 100,000 visitors.

Ariana leading the parade at the opening ceremony

2011 Delegates networked & visited over 800 exhibitors and welcomed over 100,000 + guests in 2-days

The crowd was amazed and wonderfully entertained by the great performances of: • Oba Oba International - Carnival Rio Dancers • Justin Rivera the Magician • Joselyn Arciaga with her Tahitian Island Dance • Emily the 13 years old contortionist from Mongolia • Sean Colliado Aguilar's romantic ballads • Meeghan Henry • Miss Asia USA 2011 Delegates Fashion Show wardrobes were pro-

vided by: The Wedding Designing Center of Buena Park Mall. • GDL Media Group • Wedding Design Center • Krispy Creme • Juni Photography • Sam Photography • James Albert • The Queens, Delegates, the team of makeup artists, volunteers and supporters • To the organizers of the Asian American Expo • The media/press and community leaders.

Akshay the cricketer Cont’d from page 24

Ambassador of Sri Lanka

Overview of Virgelia Productions booth with the Oba Oba International Dancers dazzling the crowd

Q: How was the experience working with Anushka Sharma? AK:Anushka is a very sweet girl and a hugely talented actress. She fits perfectly into her character as Simran, a girl next door aspiring to be a Bollywood actress. She as a character is very strong; someone who will not give up on her dreams easily and hence goes ahead to pursue them. She is the one who encourages Gattu to chase his dreams, so here again you can see, behind every successful man there is a woman. She will really charm audiences with her performance. She has done a superb job and it was such a pleasure working with her - she's a through and through professional with an immaculate work ethic. Q: How was it working with Rishi Kapoor for the film? AK: It was an absolute delight to work with such an icon of the Indian film industry, who is so very humble and a wonderful human being. I have literally grown up watching his films and having the opportunity to work with him again was a total honor. He is such a great actor and inspiration and sharing the same screen space with him once again, as his onscreen son, was sheer joy.

Q: This isn't the first film you've starred in a film that deals with British Asians. How does Patiala House differ from Namaste London in terms of its message? AK: Namastey London was more of a love story between a British born Asian who is in denial of her Indian roots and a guy who is from India and has a deep-rooted connection to his homeland.

It's been a labor of love for every person that had the honor and privilege of being involved in this film, in whatever capacity Oh the other hand, Patiala House is more of an inspirational movie. It is about each and every individual who has had times of trial and tribulations but has emerged successfully out of it on the basis of his own will and hard work. It's about being passionate about your dreams and fulfilling them as and when you get that second chance, if you were not

successful the first time around. Q: What do you think is the best thing about Patiala House? AK: As the reference Patiala suggests, the film is extremely bighearted. There are so many wonderful attributes to this film that I would certainly be doing a severe injustice by mentioning just one quality to this film. It's been a labor of love for every person that had the honor and privilege of being involved in this film, in whatever capacity. I have faith that the collective love, hard work, dedication and vision of the entire unit will steal audiences' hearts and that this film will stay with people for years to come. Q: Which is your favorite song in the film? AK: It would have to be 'Kyun Main Jagu' which is also referred to as Gattu's theme tune. The song conveys the very essence of this film. Listen to the lyrics very carefully, no joke even months after making this film when I play this song in my car I can't help but get choked up, to be honest I still haven't understood why this song affects me so much, but it does, and I'm not afraid to admit that, listen for yourselves, see if you feel anything remotely powerful when you take in the words...

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Hrithik's wax figure unveiled in London India Post News Service

The star of hit films including Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, Dhoom:2, Krrish and Jodha Akbar, Hrithik Roshan is the youngest male actor from India to be honored by Madame Tussauds. The figure took four months to make at a cost of £150,000 and joins fellow Indian film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in the attraction's special Bollywood area

ne of Bollywood's most idolised stars, Hrithik Roshan, came faceto-face with his wax figure at Madame Tussauds, London on 20th January. Fans were delighted when the award winning actor was revealed Dhoom 2 style. On meeting his double for the first time the superstar commented: "I can't believe I'm here in Madame Tussauds unveiling a wax figure of myself. It's incredible just how detailed the figure is - they've really captured my look. I'm truly honoured to be included and hope my fans will like seeing the figure". The screen icon worked closely with the world famous attraction to ensure the pose, which was kept tightly under wraps until the day of its unveiling, was spot on, in homage to one of his most famous roles. He is portrayed in a short sleeved shirt left wide open to reveal his toned and taut body to full effect. Hrithik was completely involved in the creation of the figure - attending two sittings in Mumbai and London where sculptors captured a catalogue of reference photographs and hundreds of precise measurements. Hrithik also donated the red shirt and dark blue jeans his figure is wearing. The star of hit films including Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, Dhoom:2, Krrish and

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan poses with his wife Sussanne Roshan (R) and two sons Hridhaan (L) and Hrehaan (C) as a wax figure of himself is unveiled at the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum in central London, on January 20. The figure was dressed in the style of his character from the film "Dhoom:2" with Roshan being the youngest male actor from India to be honored by Madame Tussauds

Jodha Akbar, Hrithik Roshan is the youngest male actor from India to be honoured by Madame Tussauds. The figure took four months to make at a cost of £150,000 and joins fellow Indian film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in the attraction's special Bollywood area.

Two Indian American dancers conferred Sangeet Natak Akademi Award India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Renowned Indian American artistes have been honored with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award in India for their contribution to the field of dance. Dr. Ratna Kumar, a Kuchipudi exponent from Houston and New York-based Uttara Asha Coorlawala are among nine eminent practitioners to receive the Akademi Award for 2010. The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi announced the honorees last month. The Akademi Award was instituted in 1952 and carries a cash prize of One lakh rupees besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. The award not only symbolizes the highest standard of excellence and achievements on a national basis, but also recognizes sustained individual work and contribution to the practice, appreciation of the arts through performance, teaching and scholarship. Vivacious Ratna Kumar is Artistic Director of Samskriti, Society for Indian Performing Arts,

USA, and Founder-Director of Anjali Center for Performing Arts. She is one of the most awarded and recognized Indian dancers in the US. She is a recipient of numerous Dance, Choreography and Arts-in-Education Grants and Fel-

(National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts), Outstanding Contribution to Asian Arts (Asian Pacific American Heritage Association), and an Honorary Doctorate in Performing Arts (Telugu University, Hyderabad, India).

Dr Ratna Kumar

holds a Ph.D from New York University, has been teaching technique and theoretical dance courses at Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus, Barnard College (Columbia University) and at Princeton University, NJ. Coorlawala has worked on a project involving South Asian

Her own choreographic style brought her three disciplines, modern dance, Bharata Natyam and yoga, to the dance stage lowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts, Certificate of Appreciation (Governor of Texas), Congressional Recognition (Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee), Apple Award (Texas Institute for Arts in Education), Outstanding Asian Award (Houston METRO), Teacher Recognition Certificates

Kumar is a Board Member of World Dance Houston, Multicultural Artists Collective of Houston, and Houston Asian Arts, and a member of UNESCO's International Dance Council and Association of Bharatanatyam Artists of India. She also teaches a course in Bharatanatyam at the Rice University. Uttara Asha Coorlawala, who

Dance as part of a larger Ford Foundation project on changing demographies and cultures in the USA. Born in Hyderabad and educated in India, Coorlawala studied hatha yoga with B.K.S. Iyengar, Siddha Yoga, Bharatanatyam (Kalakshetra style) and studies in Ancient Indian Culture at St. Xavier's Heras Indological Institute, all in Mumbai.

She transferred to Smith College, Mass. graduating with the Phi-Sigma-Psi honor award, and went on to train in modern dance in New York city, as a competitive scholarship student at the Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham studios while running a dance program at The Spence School, New York. Concurrently she was and dancing with New York based dance companies as Ballet Hispanico, Pearl Lang, Daniel Maloney, Sun Ock Lee, and Kei Takei. Here, she performed the works of choreographers as diverse as Talley Beatty, Yvonne Rainer and Anna Sokolow. Coorlawala then returned to India to pioneer what is now a growing trend towards intercultural innovation. Her own choreographic style brought her three disciplines, modern dance, Bharata Natyam and yoga, to the dance stage. As a soloist, she danced throughout India, Europe, East Europe, Japan and the United States and as a designated cultural representative of India and for the United States. She served as a Performing Arts advisor to the late Rajiv Gandhi when he was Prime Minister and to the National Center of Performing Arts, Mumbai.

February 11, 2011

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Manish Dayal gets a new zip code - 90210!

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: CW Network's hit teen drama series 90210 has a new character Raj. Manish Dayal, who is already made his television presence felt in NBC's comedy series Outsourced, has joined the cast of 90210 as the first ever lead Indian character, and will play Gillian Zinser's love interest, Raj. Dayal will portray a college freshman, who is comedic, lively, charismatic, and slightly alternative. The character will also deal with subjects of drugs and medical illness, adding dramatic depth to his role. Dayal's character is one of the first lead-

ing-man roles on 90210 to be played by an actor of Indian origin. "90210 is an exciting series for me to be a part of, and I am thrilled to portray this very unique role; an opportunity that doesn't come up too often in our business," says Dayal. 90210 is currently in its 3rd season. The mid season premiere aired on Jan 24, and Manish's character Raj will debut on Feb 21. "Manish is a dynamic and vibrant young actor and I'm thrilled that he's joined the cast of 90210. Manish will be playing the role of Raj. Raj is a charismatic skater kid who seems initially to be a laid back stoner but who will turn out to have hidden depths," says Rebecca Sinclair, Executive Producer of 90210. Most recently, Dayal played the role of Ravi, the smug Ateam leader on Outsourced, a new hit comedy series on NBC, and co-starred in Jerry Bruckheimer's summer Disney hit, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. In 2008, he played Atul, the lead in The New Group's twice-extended off-Broadway hit Rafta Rafta, named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 10 best plays of the year, which was transferred to Broadway. He also starred in the Chester Theatre Company's award-winning show, Dov and Ali. Dayal has appeared in national ad campaigns for McDonalds, Windows, Nintendo, Dominoes and Citibank. After guest starring on CSI: Las Vegas on CBS in 2010, Dayal went on to play, Hal, a codebreaking computer analyst, on the new AMC hit series, Rubicon. He also starred in the romantic comedy, Walkaway directed by Shailja Gupta. Born and raised in South Carolina, Manish Dayal has appeared in high-profile projects for television, theater, and film. He graduated from the George Washington University and trained at The School for Film and Television in New York City. He

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Manish is a dynamic and vibrant young actor and I'm thrilled that he's joined the cast of 90210. Manish will be playing the role of Raj. Raj is a charismatic skater kid who seems initially to be a laid back stoner but who will turn out to have hidden depths,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; says Rebecca Sinclair, Executive Producer of 90210 currently resides in Los Angeles. 90210 is a teen drama developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and

produced by CBS Television Studios. The series airs on the CW Network on Mondays at 8/7c.

Horoscope

India Post

February 11, 2011

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Your Weekly future February 11th - February 17th by Pandit Parashar

ou will be negotiating with a known company and assurance is only a few days away. Trip will bring instant rewards. You will also gain friendship of an interesting personality. Avoid unnecessary stress and eat at regular intervals. There will be major changes in career soon. Planets will bend your mind and you will become more religious.

ou will try to reorganize things and yourself in a short time. Contract you had been working on will be in your lap soon. An old health issue will flare up again but you will be able to avert that surgery. Spouse will be shopping in big way and may buy few unnecessary items too. A new associate will be friendly and will take the pressure off too.

pouse will stay nervous and tense. You will sincerely make the efforts to help the situation but may not succeed right away. Old bills will drain you out but you will be able to fulfill your commitments and even make full payments on all. Something major is brewing up as far as career is concerned; it's a matter of little patience only.

ou will accept the challenge and go for the opportunity to prove your expertise. Money will come but will be hard to preserve. Search will be over and you will find nice and compatible company. Self employed people will sit down and reevaluate the situation and make drastic changes in their business strategy. You will arrange a small get together.

nly aggressive attitude and positive thinking can get the results, wait and patience will not help now. You will be exploring new ways to improve revenue. You will be invited to an upcoming party at a friend's house. You may delay your plans to by a property for the time being only. You may visit an government office for some work.

ajor improvements in career just around the corner. Don't be shaky as the events will take place at lightning speed. People will benefit from your advice and expertise and you will get a needy person out of a messy situation. You will be paying off several bills in full. Your hard work and all efforts will bring instant fruitful results.

ou have some real easy money now and for next few weeks. Uncertainty developed recently will disappear and you will get the correct picture. All government related matters should be handled carefully or will be penalized soon. You may become slightly double minded about a relationship. You will travel to a nice area to meet someone.

trong Venus in first will create protection and neutralize all negative energy coming towards you. Try to recognize enemy among friends. You will be offered a very lucrative deal by someone you know for long. You will be looking for ideal partners to invest in your idea. It will be a fruitful week and you will get many things out of your way.

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

ou may not get the support you were expecting all the times. Avoid all arguments and try to solve issues one at a time. Legal matters will get postponed for another date. Some of you will be taking a trip far away from home this week. Timely actions could save you from many complications. An old friend will call and invite for a small party.

t will be better to put off all major financial decisions for another week or even month. You will be in constant touch with people overseas and try to resolve an important issue. Home may need minor repairs or you may need to change some heavy electric gadget in the house. You will attend an important meeting or go for an phone interview.

ou will have many reasons to celebrate. You will be rewarded for past performance now. You will be paying many bills and even write a check to government. You may also visit a holy place with family and get some special prayers done. Money anticipated will get delayed for another week, but its coming. You will become very diplomatic.

ou will be relaxed and feel motivated. Answer will come in positive only and soon you will have the money to play with. You will learn from competition and change your strategy little bit. Push yourself a little harder and you will make it impossible for others to ignore your abilities and talents. You will visit an old friend this weekend.

925-833-7170 website: www.parashar.com

ahabaleshwar derives its name from the presiding deity "Mahabali" whose shrine at the old Mahabaleshwar Temple is a major attraction for worshippers and tour-

ists. Nestling in the curvaceous mountain ranges of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra are the cool misty resorts of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Away from the crowds and noise of the city, these twin resorts are an ideal holiday destination. Several little known but charming hill resorts nestle shyly in these mountains. They seem to belong to the colonial era when people traveled up to these resorts to escape the heat of the plains. Many of them still retain some of the old world charm and make an ideal

29 India Post

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February 11, 2011

Mahabaleshwar derives its name from the presiding deity "Mahabali" whose holiday destination. Among the hill resorts of the state, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani are very popular. Tucked away in the Satara district, they are best approached from Pune. Spared the commercialization that has affected the hill resorts of north and south India, the two resorts offer a clean, calm and thoroughly refreshing alternative. And, perhaps the only place in the country which offers myriad activities - boating, fishing, horse riding, trekking and playing golf on the gorgeous nine-hole golf course built on the edge of a cliff! Overlooking the Krishna and Koyna valleys, Mahabaleshwar, at an altitude of 1372 meters opens

shrine at the old Mahabaleshwar Temple is a major attraction for worshippers and tourists

up a whole world of picturesque delight. With an air of unspoilt beauty, it is a paradise for nature explorers and peace lovers, as also for filmmakers and producers. The summer capital of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, Mahabaleshwar retains its quintessential charm, despite the increasing crowds that visit the town. Numerous majestic mansions built during the days of the British, still stand as monuments of the Raj. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 30

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

February 11, 2011

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Torch lit atop Mt. Amadablam in Nepal KATHMANDU: An ace Nepalese climber has lit a flame atop 6,812 mts Mt. Amadablam to launch the country's tourism year 2011 campaign. Everester Pemba Dorji Sherpa lit the torch to herald the tourism campaign during which Nepal hopes to attract one million tourists. Heading a nine member team the Nepalese climbers lit the torch at the base camp at 4,600 meters and took it atop the peak two days later in marathon climbing. The expedition members also lit fire crackers on top of the peak to spread message of launching of Nepal Tourism Year 2011. Pemba, the Guinness World Record holder climber, told a press conference that his expedition was aimed at spreading the message of Nepal's tourism campaign worldwide. Pemba has climbed Everest in 8 hour 10 minute setting a world record. The team also includes Temba Chhiri Sherpa, who set a world record by climbing the Everest at the age of 16 years. Other members of the team were women

climbers Sushmita Maskey and Nawang Futi Sherpa, both Everest summiteers. The expedition made history by lighting torch on the peak of the beautiful Mt. Amadablam and spread message of launching Nepal Tourism Year to the entire world, said Tourism Minister Sharad Singh Bhandari addressing a press meet here. The torch was taken to the base camp of the mountain on the same day from Kathmandu's Dashrath Stadium where President Ram Baran Yadav officially launched the NTY campaign amidst a grand function on January 14. The torch brought all the way from Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, the Apostle of Peace, was taken to the mountain peak two days later. Meanwhile, Nepal's Tourism Board revealed that the country's tourist arrivals registered whopping growth of 26.2 percent in January this year as compared to the same month last year. In January 2011 Nepal received 32,014 tourists by air including 7,905 Indian tourists. The number of Indian visitors by air grew by a record 35.4 per cent in the month. -PTI

Nepal mulls free visa for Chinese tourists KATHMANDU: Nepal is mulling waiving visa fees for Chinese tourists to increase the arrival of visitors from the country, amid a major campaign to boost the tourism sector which is still reeling under the impact of a decade- long Maoist insurgency that ended in 2006. Tourism Minister Sharad Singh Bhandari said the government was working to offer free visa entry facility to Chinese tourists. Addressing the 18th national convention of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), Bhandari said the government is working towards waiving the visa fee for Chinese tourists in order to promote tourism, as the country launched 'Nepal Tourism Year 2011' campaign. The campaign aims to attract one million tourists to the country, including 265,000 Indians and 100,000 Chinese visitors. A record number of tourists flew to Nepal last year, with most of the growth coming from its two giant neighbors India and China, according to official figures. At the launch of the 'Nepal Tourism Year' campaign, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal had said the government will specially fo-

cus on the neighboring markets of India and China. "We are focusing on the development of tourism to generate more employment so that our youths need not go abroad for jobs," he said earlier this month. Presently, the government has been pro-

A record number of tourists flew to Nepal last year, with most of the growth coming from its two giant neighbors India and China, according to official figures viding 30 days gratis visa to tourists for one time visit. It is applicable to tourists from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. No visa is required for visitors from India as the two close neighbors have an open border under the 1950 Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty. -PTI

Mahabaleshwar: Boating, fishing, horse riding, trekking & golf Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 29

Best time to visit: Best time to visit Mahabaleshwar is October to June and best time to visit Panchgani is September to May. Tourist attractions: Lingmala Waterfalls present an enthralling sight of cascading water as it scatters from atop a steep cliff into thin silver streaks, often encircled by rainbow colors. The other water falls - Chairman and Dhobi, are popular with picnickers. The former can be reached by the Carviali Road. Dhobi waterfall is on a bridle path connecting Petit Road with Old Mahabaleshwar Road. A boat ride on the tranquil, crystal-clear waters of Lake Vena entices one. The cool whispers of the surroundings add to the serenity of the landscape. Mahabaleshwar's 30 exotic viewpoints provide one with a spectacular access to the ultimate in fascinating landscapes. Most of the points derive their names from some former British dignitary and are situated in the 10-kilometer radius of the bazaar in Mahabaleshwar. Some points can be reached by motorable roads, whereas other can be reached on foot Wilson Point is the nearest and the highest point in Mahabaleshwar. It is a vast bare rock with three observation towers erected at different spots. It is a major attraction for tourists as it offers a beautiful view of sunrise. Babington Point, two kilometers from the bazaar offers a beau-

tiful view of the Koyna Valley and Chinaman's Waterfall. Helen's Point is about a kilometer's ride from here by the Blue Valley Road. It takes one into the midst of the valley and gives an enchanting view of tiny fields and neat little huts. Bombay Point is one of the earliest known points in Mahabaleshwar. Every evening visitors rush to the peak to get a spectacular view of the sunset. From the peak, one can also see

view that he could not resist associating his name with the spot. Hence in 1880, Mount Olympia became Connaught Peak. From here one can see Old Mahabaleshwar and Elphinston Point to the north; Pandavgad and Krishna Valley to the east. Hunter's point approached from Old Mahabaleshwar Road gives a picturesque view of the Koyna Valley. On the way to Arthur's Seat one comes across Elphinston,

Elphinston, was discovered by Dr Murray in 1830. Arthur's Point, named after Arthur Malet, is Mahabaleshwar's most famous point overlooking the densely forested valley. It is interesting from this point, to watch a straw hat or a handkerchief, tossed down, sailing attractively in the air like a spread-out parachute! While going to Arthur's Seat, one comes across a small stream called the Tiger Spring. Till this day

It is only 12 feet to the Koyna Valley below. From Lodwick's point, the overhanging cliff looks like an elephant's head and trunk, and hence the name. Kate's point on the Mahabaleshwar-Pune Road gives a commanding view of the Krishna Valley. Near Kate's point is the Echo Point, which, true to its name, echoes the words of the speaker. How to reach Air - Pune is the nearest airport

While going to Arthur's Seat, one comes across a small stream called the Tiger Spring. Till this day people believe that tigers and panthers frequent this place to quench their thirst Pratapgarh and Makrandgarh at their best. Connaught Peak and Hunter Point are situated off the Old Mahabaleshwar Road. Connaught Peak is the second highest peak of these hills. It offers a panoramic view of the Vena Lake and Krishna Valley. It was first known as Mount Olympia, and was a favorite spot for riders. The Duke of Connaught was so enchanted by its majestic

Marjorie and Savitri Points and also Castle Rock. The cliffs at these points rise from the Konkan Valley, which are some 500 meters below the level of the Koyna Valley. The ravine between these points is the rise of Savitri River which rushes down 700 meters straight from here. Favorite picnic spot, Elphinston Point, named after the Governor of Bombay, Sir

people believe that tigers and panthers frequent this place to quench their thirst. Lodwick Point is named after a General who reached this point in 1824. He was the first European to set foot on the Mahabaleshwar hills. A monument at the top of the promontory has been erected in his memory. Beyond Lodwick Point is the extreme end of the mountain range known as Elephant's Head.

both for Mahabaleshwar (120 km and Panchgani (98 km) Rail - For Mahabaleshwar, the nearest railhead is Wathar (62 km) but Pune (120 km) is the convenient railhead. Road - From Bombay via Pune, Mahabaleshwar is 290 km and via Mahad it is 247 km. We would provide you all India tourist permit vehicles for the local transportations and also for the intercity drives too.

February 11, 2011

Travel & Hospitality Post

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Heli-skiing service starts in Gulmarg Tourists to Japan hit high of 8.61 million

GULMARG: Heli-skiing service was started in this picturesque resort of north Kashmir following heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of the area. J-K Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora, while inaugurating heli-skiing facility, said it will help in attracting rich tourists to the Kashmir Valley. "Heli-skiing will be an additional attraction in Gulmarg for the

tourists," Jora told reporters at a function here, 50 kms from Srinagar. "Heli-skiers are the top of the line skiers in the world, they are the rich and the elite. It will help in attracting rich tourists to Gulmarg," he said. The introduction of heli-skiing here is the brainchild of a young tourist guide-turned-entrepreneur Majeed Bakshi.

"Most of the foreign tourists wanted to ski on the upper reaches of Gulmarg, but due to lack of infrastructure then it was not possible," Bakshi said. The Heli-skiing equipment used here is French-made 2010 model of Eurocopter AS 350 B3 Squirrel, operated by a pilot from New Zealand with a team of five professional Heli-ski guides. -PTI

Heli Taxi services launched in Himachal SHIMLA: Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal launched the much-awaited Heli Taxi services to cater to high-end tourists by flagging off the first helicopter flight for Kullu from Annandale helipad here. Dhumal presented Himachali cap and shawl to the first passenger who boarded the flight to Kullu in the helicopter owned by the Sim-Sam Company. Talking to the media, the Chief Minister said Heli Taxi Service would not only boost adventure tourism in the state, but also facilitate the high-end tourists visiting the state to enjoy the fascinating

natural beauty of snow-clad mountains during the winters. He said that due to invisibility of broad gauge railway lines and

Dhumal presented Himachali cap and shawl to the first passenger who boarded the flight to Kullu in the helicopter owned by the Sim-Sam Company absence of regular air services, the Heli Taxi Service would attract foreign as well as domestic tourists, who are keen to visit hitherto unexplored and lesser-known desti-

Chandigarh to promote night tourism CHANDIGARH: To promote night tourism in the city, the local administration has planned to illuminate the world-famous Rock Garden. "We propose to illuminate the Rock Garden so as to make it a special attraction for the tourists to promote night tourism in the city and to increase the average stay of tourists in Chandigarh," Tourism Secretary of Chandigarh Ram Niwas said. The unique art work and figurines of the Garden shall be highlighted through special lighting effects, he said, adding, the Union Ministry of Tourism has given Rs 5 crore grant to illuminate the garden located in Sector-1 here. The Rock Garden, spread over 20 acres and situated close to Sukhna Lake was created by a lo-

nations through 56 helipads, including half a dozen helipads in tribal areas. The Chief Minister congratu-

cal resident Nek Chand over three decades ago. It showcases art objects, made from industrial and urban waste. Each year, a large number of domestic and foreign tourists visit Chandigarh, especially to see Rock Garden, he said. Famous for its many theme based gardens, the local administration is also planning new gardens in the city to attract more tourists, which includes setting up of Garden of Spring and Japanese Garden here in Sector 53 and Sector 31 respectively. Meanwhile, in 2010, the number of foreign tourists visiting Chandigarh has recorded an increase. 39,330 foreign visitors arrived in the city last year against 37,967 figures of 2009 and 34,000 a year before. -PTI

lated the tourism department for launching this service and hopped that it would go a long way in attracting more foreign tourists. -PTI

Missing foreign tourists found in JK SRINAGAR: Three tourists, including two foreign nationals, who had gone missing in the skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, have been rescued by police, an official spokesman said here. "Police Station Gulmarg received information that two foreign nationals and one Indian national have gone missing from skiing site at Affarvat. In this regard a joint search operation was launched by Police and Tourism Department," the spokesman said. He said all the three tourists were rescued at Manwar-Behak near Watpathri in Gulmarg. The tourists, who went missing on evening of January 28, were found "safe and sound." The three were identified as Onderej Aboley from Czech Republic, US national Robert Mitchel and Prithvi Singh Gill from New Delhi. -PTI

Nitish opens eco-friendly tourist attraction RAJGIR: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a tonga ride and opened the first ever eco-friendly, green and clean tourist destination at Rajgir hills at Ghoda Katora with facilities of adventure games, including trekking, rope climbing and para-sailing. Kumar, accompanied by ministers and top officials of the tour-

ism and forest departments, took a tonga ride for a distance of 6.5 km from Vishwa Shanti stupa base here to inaugurate these facilities. The place is nearly 6.5 km away from the ropeway site at Rajgir and the journey to the lake can be done on bicycles and the spot has been developed as an ecological zone. The tourists visiting the desti-

nation will be provided bicycles free-of-cost and they will be available near the rope way. No fuel-operated vehicle will be allowed as we want the area pollutionfree, Kumar said, adding more facilities would be added to the centre. Portable toilets have also been set up there to keep the area pollution free. -PTI

TOKYO: The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan hit an alltime high of 8.61 million in 2010, up 26.8 per cent from the previous year, due to the economic recovery and the resumption of fullfledged international flight services at Haneda airport last October, a tourist organization said here. But the number fell short of reaching 10 million, the level targeted by the government for the reporting year. The Japan National Tourist Organization said the rate of increase was the second biggest year-onyear rise in the last 50 years, following a 40.4 per cent jump in 1970 when the Osaka World Exposition

was held. Among the 2010 total, South Korean visitors accounted for the highest number at 2.44 million. Chinese tourists climbed to second at a record-high 1.41 million, helped by the relaxation of visa regulations for them in July 2010. Visitors from Taiwan followed in third at 1.27 million. The number of tourists from France, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand reached record highs, the organization said. Meanwhile, the number of departures from Japan for tourism came to 16.63 million, up 7.7 per cent from the previous year. (Kyodo) -PTI

S Asian nations should cooperate in tourism NEW DELHI: The government has emphasized cooperation between South Asian countries to promote tourism in the region. "Despite rich tourism potential, South Asian countries have to go a long way to attract more tourists. The share of the region is hardly one per cent of world tourist arrivals...

The South Asian countries could cooperate and collaborate for promoting adventure, beach and wellness tourism," Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay said at the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) conference here. He also said the country needs better infrastructure to attract more tourists. -PTI

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World Cup will be our biggest gift to Tendulkar: Dhoni NEW DELHI: As Sachin Tendulkar gears up to play probably his last World Cup, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian cricket team is desperate to make it a special one for him by gifting the champion batsman the trophy which has eluded the side for 28 years. In his two-decade long illustrious career, during which he has featured in five World Cups since 1992, Tendulkar has virtually every batting record under his belt but a world title is the only trophy which is missing from his cupboard. And Dhoni said his team will do whatever it takes to make it a memorable tournament for Tendulkar, who is approaching 38. "We all love him (Tendulkar) a lot. Most probably it is his last World Cup although we all want him to play many more World Cups. But practically speaking it seems impossible," Dhoni told reporters during a promotional event here. "So, that (the World Cup trophy) can be the biggest gift from the team to him," he said. "We believe in each others' talent and we have a very good team. The environment in the dressing room is very good.-PTI

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BharatMatrimony to sponsor ICC World Cup Cricket's US broadcast India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Leading matrimonial portal BharatMatrimony.com has signed up as the "Presenting Sponsor" of the ICC Cricket World Cup's US broadcast. The ICC Cricket World Cup, scheduled to kick-off in the Subcontinent on Feb 19, will be available as pay-per-view on Dish Network and DirecTV in the US and as a streaming package online. The live and repeat broadcasts, available in HD, is expected to garner about a million South Asian viewers through the satellite platforms, online streaming and commercial feeds to the universities, schools and theaters. The prestigious sponsorship of the ICC Cricket World Cup live broadcast reflects BharatMatrimony's continued strategy to

align with leading global events and brands that find relevance in the lives of its target audience. "We are very proud to be associated with a sporting event that is historically a major draw with expats from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka," said Farook Shamsudeen, International Business Head

the world's second largest sporting event after soccer and is often the talking point amongst first-generation South Asian Americans and recent immigrants from the Subcontinent. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as the joint hosts of the world cup this year only adds to the excitement within the South Asian community in the

of Consim, BharatMatrimony's parent company. "It's a once in a four-year opportunity and we very well know how South Asian Americans are emotionally passionate about world cup cricket." The 45-day ICC Cricket World Cup is

US. The sponsorship include s BharatMatrimony.com branding for live as well as repeat TV broadcast and online broadcast in the US and online streaming in Canada of all 49 qualifying matches.

World Cup is about all players, not Sachin alone: Kapil Dev

Previous cricket World Cup winning captains (L-R) Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Waugh attend a promotional function of a telecom company in Mumbai on February 2. Six of the seven cricket World Cup winning captains including Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Waugh gathered for the promotional event ìLetís keep Cricket Cleanî and showed their support for the participating teams in the upcoming 2011 Cricket World Cup

MUMBAI: Six former World Cup-winning captains gathered at a promotional event in south Mumbai to speak about the upcoming quadrennial event. They were Kapil Dev, Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Waugh. Kapil Dev surprised everyone with his reply to questions about it being Sachin Tendulkar's World Cup. "Why Sachin?" he thundered, when asked how important this World Cup was for Sachin Tendulkar. "It's an insult to everybody else if you keep asking about Sachin all the time. Winning the World Cup is as important to the rest of the team as it is to Sachin, to you and me and the billions who want India to do well. It's not about Sachin alone."

Until then, it had seemed like Kapil was busy soaking in what his contemporaries had just said. At that moment though, he did many things by not allowing the thought of this being 'Tendulkar's World Cup' to seep into the mind. He not only addressed the fact that too much pressure was being put on Tendulkar's dream of winning the trophy, but also reminded how passionate India is about this game. The six former skippers kept aside enough time to take questions from the eras gone by to the 10th edition of the World Cup which begins later this month. Imran and Ranatunga spoke of controversies and corruptions, Waugh and Border spoke of Australia's fighting spirit and Lloyd remi-

nisced the glory days of West Indies. Imran remembered how much the 1992 World Cup victory mattered when it came to materializing his dream of building a cancer hospital and spoke of the current woes of Pakistan cricket. Ranatunga saw humor in assessing how the 1996 World Cup victory had changed Sri Lankan cricket. "Among many things, the World Cup success brought more politics and corruption into Sri Lankan cricket," was how he summarized the impact of the victory. Steve Waugh was asked what he thought of sledging in cricket and once again displaying the no-nonsense attitude that he's so famous for, he just said: "I don't want to comment."

Border remembered the 1987 World Cup victory that was the beginning of a turnaround in Australian cricket. When asked what it takes for teams from outside the subcontinent to win here, he said: "Discipline. That's what Bob Simpson (Australia's World Cup-winning coach) taught the team and that's what gave us the edge." Lloyd put his hope on West Indies opener Chris Gayle, labeling him a player with the ability to change the course of a match single-handedly. "If West Indies make it to the quarterfinal and Gayle is in form, the team's chances will be very good. He's a player who can alone make a difference in a game," the two-time World Cup-winning skipper said.-Courtesy Times of India

Sports Post

February 11, 2011

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Sporting fraternity disheartened over Eden fiasco KOLKATA: Eden Gardens is to India what Lord's is to England and the sporting fraternity is shocked and disappointed after the country's Mecca of cricket, Eden Gardens lost out on a chance to host the Indian team in the upcoming World Cup. It will be for the first time that the India cricket team will not be playing at the venue that had hosted the 1987 World Cup final and 1996 World Cup semi-finals after the ICC inspectors found that Eden Gardens was not ready to host February 27-slated marquee India-England match. Former Bengal captain Deep Dasgupta told PTI that the issue could have been handled in a better way. "It (Eden Gardens) has a cult status in world cricket. Everyone around the world wants to play in Eden Gardens. It's like Sydney or Lord's," Dasgupta, who handles the cricket operations of new IPL franchise Sahara Pune Warriors, said. "We all were waiting for more than a year to see India vs England in Eden Gardens. Both the

teams are favorites to win the World Cup. So it's disappointing, and very sad," he said. Out-of-favor India batsman

Everybody is disheartened, but we need to move on." It was not just from the cricket fraternity, former Olympians were

Workers weld seat holders on a part of the stand under construction at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on January 27

Robin Uthappa, who played in 2007 World Cup, said, "It's one of the finest grounds in the country.

equally dismayed at the snub meted out to Eden. Former India footballer P K

DRS, Super Over to make World Cup debuts MUMBAI: The much-debated Decision Review System (DRS) and the Super Over, used in case of tie matches in knockout stages, would make their World Cup debut in the upcoming extravaganza which unfolds in the sub-continent on February 19. As per the playing conditions for cricket's showpiece set out by the International Cricket Council, DRS will be used in all matches. DRS, which has been used in Test matches selectively when the two competing teams' Boards have agreed to its implementation, has been consistently opposed by the Indian board. Sri Lanka's former World Cupwinning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga came out wholeheartedly in its support at a function here. "If ICC has the technology, they might as well use it and give the benefit to the players. It is a World Cup and one decision can change the game," said Ranatunga. DRS, which has been used in some bilateral Test series while ignored for others due to lack of agreement between the concerned boards, would be making its entry for the first time in ODI cricket. "Each team is allowed to make

Banerjee said he wanted to see the match but it would not be possible now. "Thousands of fans have been

two unsuccessful Player Review requests per innings. If a Player Review results in the umpire reversing his original decision, then the request has been successful and does not count towards the innings limit. If the umpire's decision is un-

"If following a Player Review, an umpire upholds a decision of 'Out', but for a different mode of dismissal from that for which the original decision was given, then the request will still be regarded as unsuccessful.

changed, the Player Review is unsuccessful," the playing conditions state. "After two unsuccessful requests by one team, no further Player Review requests will be allowed by that team during the current innings," say the playing conditions for the tournament about DRS.

"If following a Player Review, an umpire upholds a decision of 'Not Out' on account of the delivery being a no ball for any reason, thereby not requiring any review of the ball's subsequent trajectory, then this will not be counted as an unsuccessful request and not count towards the innings limit."-PTI

deprived and the fault is not theirs. It's really sad. I have not gone to the Eden in the past few years but

the match was on my agenda. But it's not possible now," the former India captain said. Another former India football captain Chuni Goswami, who also played for Bengal in Ranji Trophy, said time was a constraint and felt CAB's planning went horribly wrong. "We should have given priority to the renovation work. I had a faint idea about the fate of Eden. So I'm disappointed but it is not exactly unexpected. The authorities became over-confident to do everything at a time when they should have done it in parts. Things could have been different had the CAB planned their work better," he said. Former India middle-order batsman Ashok Malhotra, however, argued that if Mumbai's Wankhede stadium was given an extension by the ICC then why not to Eden. "The ground and the wicket (here) is ready. If the Wankhede is given an extension, then why not Eden? I feel that the ICC was also a little hasty in their decision." -PTI

ICC announces umpires, referees for World Cup prelims DUBAI: England's Steve Davis who played 31 Tests and 141 ODIs and Sri Lanka's Kumar as on off-spinner for Sri Lanka from Dharmasena will be the on-field 1993-2004, has officiated in 19 ODIs umpires during the inaugural match to date. of the ICC Cricket World Cup beIn the ICC Cricket World Cup tween India and Bangladesh to be 1996, Dharmasena was Sri Lanka's played in Mirpur on February 19. second most successful bowler, The International Cricket Coun- along with Chaminda Vaas, with six cil (ICC) has named the umpires and wickets while the table was topped match referees appointed for the by Muttiah Muralitharan who took warm-up and group stage matches seven wickets. for the February 19 to April 2 event In the final against Australia at to be jointly held by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. "Steve Davis of the Emir- The match referees for the ates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires event, besides Madugalle, and Kumar Dharmasena of are Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, the Emirates International Roshan Mahanama and Panel of ICC Umpires and a Andy Pycroft. Appointments former World Cup winner with Sri Lanka in 1996, will stand in for the knock-out matches the tournament opener which will be announced later will be played between Bangladesh and India in Mirpur," Lahore, Dharmasena had match figthe ICC said in a statement. ures of 10-0-47-1 as Sri Lanka won Billy Doctrove and Asad Rauf, by seven wickets with 22 balls to both from the elite panel, will be the spare. third and fourth umpires, respecBesides Davis and Dharmasena, tively, while Ranjan Madugalle will others who will share the on-field be the match referee. responsibilities in the ICC Cricket The 58-year-old Davis has so far World Cup 2011 include ICC Umumpired in 95 ODIs. pire of the Year 2009 and 2010, Aleem "If all goes according to plan, on Dar, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, March 9 in New Delhi he will be- Daryl Harper, Tony Hill, Asoka de come the 14th umpire to complete a Silva, four-time ICC Umpire of the century of ODIs when he will offici- Year Simon Taufel, Rod Tucker, Riate in the India-Netherlands match," chard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, the ICC release said. Bruce Oxenford, Amish Saheba and The 39-year-old Dharmasena, Shahvir Tarapore.-PTI

Health

Line

2 NM counties part of health pilot program

DEMING, NM: Luna County in southern New Mexico and Rio Arriba County in northern New Mexico have been chosen for a pilot health program. The state Department of Health is launching pilot programs in the counties to help raise awareness about how pneumonia and influenza deaths in the state disproportionately hit Hispanics older than age 65. Goals of the program include increased vaccination rates, better planning, improved health literacy and eventually, fewer older adults dying of pneumonia or influenza. Luna and Rio Arriba counties have similar pneumonia and influenza death rates. -AP

Dengue cases on rise in American Samoa

HONOLULU: The number of reported cases of dengue fever in American Samoa are on the rise. Officials at LBJ Medical Center in Pago Pago said this week that 467 cases were discovered last year. That compares to 436 in 2009 and 667 in 2008. Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Aloiamoa Anesi says there have been no deaths attributed to the disease in recent years. Anesi says American Samoa residents are well-educated on how to spot dengue (DENG'-gay) and often treat themselves at home. He stressed the ``3-Ds'' of avoiding the illness drain standing water where mosquitoes breed; dress properly; and use products with the repellant DEET to keep mosquitoes at bay. -AP

Okla. health officials report 4th flu death OKLAHOMA CITY: Oklahoma health officials say another death associated with influenza has been reported. The Oklahoma State Health Department said the fourth flu death reported since Sept. 1 was a Logan County resident in the 25-49 year age range. Health officials say 304 flu-related hospitalizations have been reported to the agency and 90 of those came in the last fortnight. Several schools across the state also canceled classes or postponed activities because of high absences due to the flu. The Health Department says 54 percent of those hospitalized with the flu were 18-years-old or younger. -AP

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Nev. power plants pose mercury health risk LAS VEGAS: An environmental group says Nevada's coal-fired power plants emit enough mercury from their stacks to create a significant public health threat. Environment Nevada released a report on mercury pollution in Nevada. -AP

Quality care and high standards focus of Punjabi Dental Society seminar JS BEDI India Post News Service

MONTEBELLO: Quality care and high professional standards was the focus of the seminar held by the Punjabi Dental Society on Jan 23 at an exclusive golf resort. The event brought together leading luminaries of the profession. There were almost a thousand dental professionals from all over California. Amongst the leading lights was John S Bettinger DDS, Pres. California Dental Board. Also present was California Dental Board Supervising investigator Theresa Lane, Gregory Salute Supervising Dept Attorney General and Dr Luis Dominicus, Secretary of the California Dental Board. This is the first time that these guests attended an event held by an ethnic dental society. There were presentations by Dr Luis Dominicus. Nancy Andrews spoke on infection control whilst Gail E Harris spoke on risk management. All the speakers empha-

sized on what the dentists should and should not be doing in self and public interest. There was a lot of emphasis on constant R&D to provide the highest quality care. Chairman and President respectively Dr DPS Nagra and Dr Ranjeev

Salwan in their address welcomed the guests and presented plaques to the visiting dignitaries. In an adjacent hall vendors had set up their displays. Vendors came from all over and included big timers Med Pro and

Darby Dental. There was a sumptuous lunch and plenty of hot and cold beverages. Where it comes to hospitality, nobody can match the Punjabis. Cont’d on page 38

Wyo. steps to block fed health reform CHEYENNE, Wyo.: Both chambers of the Wyoming Legislature took steps to try to block implementation of last year's federal health care law. The House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would declare the federal law invalid on its face, a move some called ``nullification.'' The bill, which received 31 votes in the 60-member House, said it would declare that the federal health care law violates the U.S. Constitution. Although the bill originally proposed felony penalties for anyone implementing provisions of the federal health care law in the state, the House amended the penalties down to a misdemeanor. Sponsor Bob Brechtel, RCasper, said he expected all the criminal penalty provisions could be stripped out when the House considers the bill again. ``I'm obviously excited

about the potential, and what I believe is my responsibility to take a stand for our citizens rights, especially when it comes to their rights to choose whatever health care system they want,'' Brechtel said. The federal health care law ``is a good law, and ... it can do a lot of good things for the people of

not, it is law, and we ought to go ahead and let it do the best we can for Wyoming residents.'' The state Senate voted 16-7 to give preliminary approval to a resolution that would allow state voters to decide whether to amend the state Constitution to specify that residents retain the right to decide whether to buy health insurance.

'We have to be very careful not to lose our way when we start amending the Constitution,' Schiffer said, adding that the state can't anticipate all the groups it may need to make decisions for in the future Wyoming,'' said Dr. Eric Wedell, of Cheyenne, a spokesman for a group called the Consumer Advocates Project Health Care. The group includes the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. He pointed out that ``whether you feel it's unconstitutional or

Gov. Matt Mead this month directed Wyoming to enter a federal lawsuit in which more than 20 other states are challenging the constitutionality of the federal law's requirement that all citizens buy health insurance or pay a penalty. The state Senate accepted an

amendment proposed by Sen. John Schiffer, R-Kaycee, that specified that the ``right to health care access as defined by the Legislature is reserved to the citizens of the state of Wyoming.'' His amendment stripped out a lengthy list of people, such as state inmates and hospital residents for whom the state would have been allowed to make medical decisions. ``We have to be very careful not to lose our way when we start amending the Constitution,'' Schiffer said, adding that the state can't anticipate all the groups it may need to make decisions for in the future. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, urged the Senate to reject Schiffer's amendment. He questioned whether language specifying that citizens have the right to health care access could be read to require employers to provide it to their employees. -AP

February11, 2011

Health Science Post www.indiapost.com

Obama open to 'tweak' of health care WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama stoutly defended his 10-monthold health care law, saying he's open to efforts to ``tweak'' it but he won't stand by while Republicans try to dismantle it. Obama spoke to the consumer advocacy group Families USA, which has strongly supported the new health law. The House of Representatives, with Republicans newly in control, voted to repeal the health care law. Republicans have vowed to seek a similar vote in the Senate, where it faces a more difficult path because Democrats still control that chamber. The White House has dismissed the effort as an empty gesture. Yet, the president is not ignoring the congressional challenge. He stood up for the bill in his State of the Union earlier and reiterated his support with a point-by-point rebuttal to the GOP. ``You may have heard once or twice that this is a job-crushing, granny-threatening, budget-busting monstrosity,'' he said. ``That just doesn't match up to the reality.'' He argued that since he signed the bill 10 months ago, the economy had grown and small businesses are offering health care to employees, many for the first time. He said the elderly are benefiting from a stronger Medicare and those who fell in a gap in Medicare's prescription drug program are receiving relief.

"I can report that Granny is safe,'' he said. Obama said he was open to ideas that would improve the legislation. He said he supports efforts to remove reporting burdens on small businesses. And he said he also would consider ideas dealing with patient safety innovations and medical malpractice.

He argued that since he signed the bill 10 months ago, the economy had grown and small businesses are offering health care to employees, many for the first time. He said the elderly are benefiting from a stronger Medicare ``I believe that anything can be improved,'' he said. But, he added: ``I'm not open to efforts to take this law apart without considering the lives and livelihoods that hang in the balance.'' -AP

India Post

Health Science Post

February11, 2011

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Scientists use stem cells to treat livestock FORT COLLINS, Colo.: A team of Colorado State University scientists and a syringe of her own stem cells helped Rio get her groove back. ``She saw the barrel, and it was Katy bar the door,'' said Linda Ghent of her 18-year-old mare's division-winning run earlier this month in the Mile Hi Barrel Horse Association's winter series finale in Castle Rock. In August 2007, the door to racing had closed on Rio. The stoic animal had shown no gimpiness at all, but when Rio crashed into a barrel during a race in Craig, Ghent knew there was trouble. Rio had torn the cartilage and connective tissue in her back-right stifle, which functions much like the human knee and is essential to the stops and turns demanded by the sport. Such injuries are often careerenders for performance animals, such as those competing at the recent Denver's National WestContâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 36

The Punjabi Dental Society is the second biggest in California after the California Dental Association. Founded in the late 1990s the PDS today has over 2500 members. The Punjabi Dental Society holds at an average of 15 to 20 seminars every year. The PDS also holds dental camps in rural Punjab every year where teams of highly trained dental professionals fan out across the state holding camps to provide international dental care to villagers. Everything from medicines to transportation is provided free. The last camp held in Punjab was in Dec 2010 when the Punjabi Dental Society along with the Sri Guru Nanak Foundation and other

ern Stock Show, Rodeo & Horse Show. Rather than perform the usual surgery to remove the damage and then hope the scar tissue holds, CSU equine surgeon Laurie Goodrich took the problem to Dr. John Kisiday, a faculty member and bioengineer doing stem-cell research. Bone marrow was harvested from Rio's sternum with a stout needle, distilled to the stem cells in Kisiday's lab, grown for two weeks in a petri dish and reinjected into the horse. Rio could have been ready for the barrel course within a year of the treatment, but Ghent kept her out of the arena for two years. During a checkup, Rio - short for Miss Re Olena - galloped with ease across a concrete floor at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital breezeway, not seeming to mind as Goodrich twisted and bent her leg to check for swelling. "This is cutting-edge stuff,''

said Ghent, who lives in Loveland. ``And we're fortunate that it's going on right here in our own backyard.'' A short time later, in a cavernous operating room nearby, Good rich attended to another quarter

Rio was one of the first horses to undergo the treatment at CSU, but hundreds more horses and dogs have since recovered horse. This one was out cold, flat on its back on a massive padded operating table, its legs splayed and its inner right leg shaved. Using a two-chamber needle similar to that used to mix epoxy with stem cells on one side and a

gluelike substance made from the horse's blood on the other Goodrich delivered the slow but deliberate injection as staff and students assisted. Stem cells have been the focus of a CSU clinical study since 2005. In 2008, the SteadmanHawkins Research Foundation gave the university $250,000 to extend the work. Rio was one of the first horses to undergo the treatment at CSU, but hundreds more horses and dogs have since recovered from joint, tendon, ligament and cartilage injuries that might have left them lame. Success, Goodrich said, depends on the severity of the injury, and her goal is high: getting the animal back to the same level of performance as before the injury. The work led to a spinoff business for Kisiday. His company, Advanced Regenerative Therapies, collects injured animals' stem

Quality care and high standards focus of Punjabi Dental Society seminar The Punjabi Dental Society holds at an average of 15 to 20 seminars every year medical specialists spent almost a month in Punjab. The PDS is a trailblazer in public service and doing Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiat proud.

cells, grows them and ships them back to veterinarians across the U.S. and Canada. Kisiday said the procedure for growing human stem cells is the same as techniques for growing animal ones. It is unrelated to the controversial use of embryonic stem cells for biomedical research. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it will take more study and licensing before the stem-cell treatment used at CSU can be used in humans. Until such work is done, animals are carrying the scientific weight. The $2,400 treatment seems steep next to the $3,500 Ghent paid for Rio when the horse was 5. But a few years later, as Rio collected prize after prize, Ghent was offered $70,000 for the mare. It was a small price, she said. ``I want her to run as long as she wants to,'' Ghent said. ``And after that, she'll be a pasture ornament.'' -AP

Datebook

February 11, 2011

India Post

www.indiapost.com

NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Thurs Feb 17 • 7 Khoon Maaf - Special Preview Venue: Big Cinemas, 59th Street at 2nd Ave, NYC, New York Time: 8:30pm Contact: 212-594-3685

Sat Feb 19 • Bhangra Fever 3 Venue: Osterhout Concert Theater, Binghamton University, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, New York Time: 6pm Contact: 716-472-7664

Sat March 5 • Lo Gujjubhai Ghode Chadaya Venue: Hindu Temple Auditorium, 143 - 09 Holly Avenue, Flushing, New York Time: 7pm to 11pm Contact: 732-763 -0118

Sat Feb 12 • Valentine's Bash @ Dosti Venue: Dosti Bar & Restaurant, 853 S. Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, Illinois Time: 8pm Contact: 847-895-0100

Sat Feb 20 • Ohio South Asian Bridal Show Venue: Hyatt Regency Columbus, 350 N High St, Columbus, Ohio Time: 1pm to 5pm Contact: 888-677-2726

Sun Feb 27 • Dulhania Bazaar Venue: Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, 1551 N Thoredu Dr, Schaumburg, Chicago, Illinois Time: 11am to 5pm Contact: 602-770-4066

NEW JERSEY

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Sat Feb 12

Fri Feb 11

• Saraswati Puja by Sreeshti

Fri Feb 11

• Ohlone College Theatre Department presents an Encore Performance of The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi

• Valentine's Weekend LA Desi Singles Party

Venue: Livingston Park Elementary School, 1128 Livingston Avenue, North Brunswick, NJ Time: 10am to 10pm Contact: 732-910-1962

Sat Feb 19 • Stars of SaReGaMaPa Live in Concert Venue: Holiday Inn, 3050,Wood Bridge Ave, Edison, New Jersey Time: 8pm Contact: 732-277-6687

Fri March 4 • Lo Gujjubhai Ghode Chadiya Venue: Eastern High School, 1401 Laurel Oak Road, Voorhees, New Jersey Time: 8:30pm Contact: 732-277-6687

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming

Venue: Smith Center at Ohlone College, 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont, CA Time: 8pm Contact: (510) 659-6031 Highlights: The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi has been invited to perform at the Western Regional Conference in consideration for the Kennedy Center's national award for Best Original Play. Time Machine is one of only four plays chosen to represent the colleges and universities from the nine western states.

Sat Feb 12 • Rachna Nivas performs "Traditional Kathak Solo" Venue: Mission Dance and Performing Arts, 42068 Osgood Road, Fremont, California Time: 7pm Contact: 510-378-0897

Venue: Bungalow Club, 7174 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California Time: 8am to 2am Contact: 303-459-2308

Sat Feb 12 • Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour Venue: Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College, 1570 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA Time: 8pm to 10pm Contact: (805)861-1110

Thurs Feb 24 • MCKS Arhatic Yoga Retreat Venue: Temecula Creek Inn, 44501 Rainbow Canyon Road, Temecula Creek Inn, LA Time: 6:30pm Contact: 909-548-0884

Sat March 12 • Scarlet Night 2011...a celebration of the gift of health

Sat Feb 26

• Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational 2011

• Shivratri-Amarnath Yatra

Venue: Warner Theater, 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC Time: 6pm to 9pm Contact: 800-551-7328

Venue: Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center, 401 Baker Street, at (Hayes), San Francisco, CA Time: 5:30pm to 9pm Contact: 415-5634459

Mon July 4

Thurs Feb 24

• Rathyatra, Festival of India

• Art of Living Course

Venue: National Mall (in front of Air & Space Museum), Washington, DC Time: 10:30am to 9pm Contact: 301-299-2100

Venue: Belmont Sports Complex, 550 Island Pkwy, Belmont, Bay Area Time: 6:30am to 4pm Contact: 617-922-8234

Venue: San Jose Convention Center, 150 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA Time: 6pm to 11:30pm Contact: 650 940 7242 Highlights: Networking - Socialize, connect with old friends and make new friends, Casino - Play black jack, poker, roulette, etc. & win great prizes, Banquet - Savor the delectable, heart healthy dinner, Comedy - Don't miss Nitin Kant, back by popular demand!, Live Auction - Bid on exciting items (incl. Fund-a-Need), Dancing - Rock the night away with DJ Salim

Mon August 22

Thurs May 5 2011

Mon Aug 1, 2011

• Shri Krishna Janamastami

• Fund raising Volleyball tournament

Venue: Hare Krishan Temple, 10310 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, Maryland Time: 4:30am to 1am Contact: 301-299-2100

Venue: Ponderosa Park, Sunnyvale, CA Time: 8am to 5pm

• Yogalicious! Venue: Art of Living Center Los Angeles, 948 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, California Time: 6:30pm to 9pm Contact: 310-820-9429

In Brief Ga. lawmaker to file tough immigration law ATLANTA: A state lawmaker plans to file a bill cracking down on illegal immigration in Georgia that mirrors some provisions in a controversial law that took effect in Arizona last year. Rep. Matt Ramsey, a Peachtree City Republican, says he plans to file the bill which would require law enforcement officers to try to determine the immigration status of a suspect if an officer ``develops reasonable suspicion'' that the person is an illegal immigrant. It would also impose penalties on people who encourage illegal immigrants to come to Georgia or who transport or hide them once they're in the state. -AP

Immigration sweep nets 83 arrests in 2 days PHOENIX: The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has arrested 83 people during a two-day crime sweep targeting illegal immigrants. Of the 83 people arrested, the office said that 68 were illegal immigrants. Those who were not illegal immigrants were arrested for crimes ranging including drug possession and theft. The sheriff's office seized 725 pounds of marijuana and some methamphetamine during the operation. It was the office's 18th such sweep. Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his office's 17 previous sweeps resulted in more than 1,000 arrests. He says a recent rise in the number of human smuggling arrests prompted another sweep. -AP

Judge sides with illegal immigrants' kids in US INDIANAPOLIS: A federal judge says a state cannot deny paternity documents for children born in the U.S. just because their parents are illegal immigrants and don't have federal identification numbers. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by parents who say an Indiana state policy requiring the numbers violates their children's rights. Under the policy, paternity affidavits filed by unmarried parents must contain both parents' Social Security numbers or be sent back to county health offices unrecorded. -AP

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February 11, 2011

Stumbo warns immigration bill needs closer look FRANKFORT, Ky.: House Speaker Greg Stumbo has distributed a letter to lawmakers warning them to look closely at an immigration bill that breezed through the state Senate earlier this month. -AP

'Exploited' Indian workers seek action against Louisiana shipyard company India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In what could be the largest human trafficking civil suit in US history, several Indian workers who filed a lawsuit against Signal International company in Louisiana in 2008, for alleged abusive working conditions, have asked a federal court in Louisiana to certify their lawsuit as class action. Lawyers for Indian guest workers who are suing Signal International, LLC along with its coconspirators and other entities for human trafficking and racketeering, filed for class certification Feb 1, to include hundreds of additional Indian guest workers in the lawsuit. If class status is granted, the lawsuit could be the largest human trafficking case in US history. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Louisiana Justice Institute (LJI) and the law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP filed the original proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of the seven individuals, who seek

to represent a class of approximately 500 former guest workers lured to work in the US after Hurricane Katrina and subjected to racial and national origin discrimination, forced labor, and other abuse by Signal and its agents and co-Defendants, including labor recruiters Sachin Dewan and Michael Pol and immigration attorney Malvern Burnett. Signal, a marine and fabrication

ment and other fees after they were told it would lead to good jobs and permanent US residency for themselves and their families. However, when the men arrived at Signal in late 2006 and early 2007, they discovered that they wouldn't receive the green cards as promised, but rather 10-month guest worker visas. Signal also forced them to pay $1,050 a month to live in overcrowded, unsanitary

When the guest workers tried to find their own housing, Signal officials told them they would still have the rent deducted from their paychecks company with shipyards in Mississippi, Texas and Alabama, is a subcontractor for several major multi-national companies. After Hurricane Katrina scattered its workforce, Signal retained the labor recruiters and immigration attorney who used the US government's guest worker program to import employees to work as welders and pipe fitters. Between 2004 and 2006, hundreds of Indian men paid the company as much as $20,000 each for travel, visa, recruit-

and racially segregated labor camps where as many as 24 men shared a trailer with only two toilets. When the guest workers tried to find their own housing, Signal officials told them they would still have the rent deducted from their paychecks. Visitors were not allowed into the camps, which were enclosed by fences. Company employees who stood guard at the camps regularly searched the workers' belongings. Workers who complained about the conditions

they faced were threatened with deportation. Kurian David, a class representative in the lawsuit said, "We hope the court will give us all a chance to make our voices heard and to right the wrongs that were done against us. Signal and the other defendants should be held accountable for what they did to so many Indian guest workers who worked for them, so that others won't have to go through the same terrible things." Murugan Kandhasamy, another class representative in the lawsuit said, "I speak on behalf of hundreds of Indian guest workers subjected to abuse by Signal and its co-conspirators. We came to America for good jobs and opportunity, which we were denied, and now we are asking for justice." AALDEF staff attorney Ivy Suriyopas said, "After being treated as disposable workers, these Indian guest workers are entitled to seek justice for their wholesale mistreatment. They toiled under a climate of fear and coercion and deserve their day in court." Cont’d on page 41

Absurdity of the Birthright Citizenship Act CYRUS D. MEHTA

hen I first glanced at the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, H.R. 140, introduced by Representative Stephen King (R-IA) on January 5, 2011, opencongress.org/bill/112-h140/ show, I figured that it was not worth my time to even write about it. I read it once more, and it dawned upon me that I could have some fun commenting on it and highlighting its absurdity. The granting of automatic citizenship to a child born in the US is rooted in the first sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they

reside." A list of resources can be found on Bender's Immigration Bulletin at http://bit.ly/f5pX7U. And here is a good policy policy piece from AILA, aila.org/content/ default.aspx?docid=34106 and a great blog with more resources, ijjblog.org/blog-mt/dan/2010/11/

to the jurisdiction thereof" by denying the children of illegal immigrants and temporary residents from claiming US citizenship. Well over a century ago in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898), the Supreme Court held in no uncertain terms:

‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside’ birthright_citizenship_under_t_1.html. Nobody is attempting the extremely arduous task to amend the hallowed Fourteenth Amendment, although opponents of birthright citizenship are proposing a reinterpretation of the phrase "subject

"The Fourteenth Amendment affirms the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within the territory, in the allegiance and under the protection of the country, including all children here born of resident aliens,

with the exceptions or qualifications (as old as the rule itself) of children of foreign sovereigns or their ministers, or born on foreign public ships, or of enemies within and during a hostile occupation of part of our territory, and with the single additional exception of children of members of the Indian tribes owning direct allegiance to their several tribes. The Amendment, in clear words and in manifest intent, includes the children born within the territory of the United States, of all other persons, of whatever race or color, domiciles here, is within the allegiance and the protection, and consequently subject to the jurisdiction of the United States." Cont’d on page 43

Immigration Post

February 11, 2011

India Post

www.indiapost.com

SD Legislature will debate immigration issues PIERRE, SD: The South Dakota Legislature will join the national debate on illegal immigration this year. Three bills seeking to crack down on illegal immigrants have been filed in the Legislature, all patterned after measures already proposed or passed in other states. Rep. Manny Steele, R-Sioux Falls, the prime sponsor of two of the measures, said he wants to protect the public from crimes committed by some who are in the country illegally and make sure immigrants working in South Dakota are doing so legally. ``These people who are here legally are part of our society. I welcome them. They belong here,'' Steele said. ``I'm glad they're here. They are helping our economy grow. As far as I'm concerned, they're needed.'' Steele acknowledged that South Dakota does not have as big of a problem as many other states with illegal immigrants. South Dakota probably only has 2,000 or so illegal immigrants, he said. However, Steele said two illegal immigrants were convicted of murder last year, and the state will pay $15,000 a year to keep them in prison. He said he believes his bills will treat people fairly and will not lead to racial profiling by law officers. Opponents disagree, saying the proposed laws are not needed and will violate people's rights by encouraging racial profiling. Sam Ellingson, program coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, said a proposal similar to an Arizona law will force law officers to give priority to immigration enforcement and give less attention to other public safety problems. ``Laws like these do not make us safer, and in fact have raised the crime rates in areas where similar bills have been passed,'' she said.

One of Steele's proposals, similar to an Arizona law being challenged in court, would direct law officers enforcing other laws to make reasonable attempts to ask about a suspect's immigration status if there is reason to believe that person is in the U.S. illegally. It also would make it illegal for anyone to transport or conceal an illegal alien or to encourage an illegal alien to come to South Dakota. Steele's second bill is part of a national challenge to automatic U.S. citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. It is intended to encourage Congress to propose a change to the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.

Steele said state lawyers have estimated a lawsuit could cost $50,000 to $100,000, which he said is much less than the cost of keeping a lot of illegal immigrants in state prisons The third bill, sponsored by Sen. Craig Tieszen, R- Rapid City, would penalize anyone who knowingly employs, transports or conceals an illegal immigrant. Steele said the bill requiring law officers to check immigration status during stops for enforcement of other laws has been modified somewhat from the Arizona law. He said he believes it will not lead to racial profiling or discrimination. Officers already check people's identification during traffic stops, and the bill would allow officers to let people go when it's not practical to detain them for a lengthy investigation, he said. However, Ellingson of the

ACLU said the organization will oppose Steele's proposal because it would lead to racial profiling, and that part of the Arizona law has been blocked by a federal judge. Some provisions also would be struck down because they are already covered in federal law, which takes precedence, she said. Robert Doody, executive director of the ACLU in South Dakota, said the three bills send a message to businesses and workers that South Dakota does not welcome minority families or economic growth. The measures, if passed, would likely lead to costly lawsuits, he said. Steele said state lawyers have estimated a lawsuit could cost $50,000 to $100,000, which he said is much less than the cost of keeping a lot of illegal immigrants in state prisons after they have been convicted of crimes. The bill dealing with citizenship seeks to require that a child born in the U.S. is a citizen only if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or a legal immigrant. It would create a compact with other states to issue different birth certificates for those who are citizens and those who are not. Such compacts would have to be approved by Congress, but do not require the president's signature. Supporters of the proposal contend that the wording of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. who is ``subject to jurisdiction'' of this country, does not apply to children of illegal immigrants because those families do not owe sole allegiance to the U.S. Steele said some people enter the U.S. illegally to give birth to children so those babies will get citizenship. He said supporters of the compact hope eventually to persuade Congress to propose a constitutional change. -AP

'Exploited' Indian workers seek action against Louisiana shipyard company Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 40

According to Daniel Werner, SPLC Deputy Legal Director, "This case illustrates in shocking detail the abuse occurring within the nation's guest worker program. These workers only wanted the American dream but instead were bound to an abusive employer and forced to endure horrific conditions." ACLU Human Rights Program staff attorney Chandra Bhatnagar

said, "These courageous men who have been victimized by systemic deficiencies in the US guest worker program and subjected to trafficking and racketeering at the hands of the defendants are seeking to assert their fundamental human rights. We hope the court will certify the class and enable several hundred of their fellow Indian guest workers to have their day in court." According to Alan Howard of Dewey & LeBoeuf, which has

been jointly litigating the case on a pro bono basis, "Class certification is warranted because that is precisely how Defendants treated Plaintiffs, as a class - albeit second-class - group of workers who could be exploited for higher profits." The guest workers' attorneys filed the class action human trafficking and racketeering lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in March 2008.

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Immigration Post

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February 11, 2011

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Ark. panel tables immigrant tuition bill LITTLE ROCK, Ark.: Following pushes by several states to grant in-state college tuition rates for children of illegal immigrants, a lawmaker in Arkansas now wants to do just the opposite. State Rep. Justin Harris proposed legislation to restrict cheaper in-state college rates to U.S. citizens and other students who can prove they're in the country legally. Harris, a freshman legislator from northwest Arkansas, where jobs at chicken processing plants have attracted poor immigrants looking for work, said his bill would mirror federal law, much like the state's minimum wage law imitates its federal counterpart. ``There's no new waves in it,'' said Harris, a Republican of West Fork. ``We weren't making a statement. We were just passing it

down to the state level.'' But Michael A. Olivas, a professor at the University of Houston who specializes in higher education law and immigration law, said the bill isn't necessary. Federal law already excludes undocumented students from instate tuition rates, unless states enact legislation that says otherwise. “If they want to keep undocumented students from getting (instate tuition), all they have to do is nothing,'' Olivas said. The bill was tabled by a House education committee. Arkansas lawmakers previously have pushed for legislation that would make children of illegal immigrants eligible for in-state tuition. Little Rock Democrat Joyce Elliott tried once as a state representative and once as a senator to

get such a bill passed, but to no avail. Her attempt in 2005 passed in the House, but failed in the Senate, and a similar attempt in 2009 died in the Senate before it would

‘If they want to keep undocumented students from getting (in-state tuition), all they have to do is nothing,’ Olivas said have headed to the House. Harris' bill seems to reflect a change in mood nationally on immigration. ``What it is a statement about immigrants,'' said Stella Flores, a professor of public policy and

higher education at Vanderbilt University. In Nebraska, one state lawmaker is pushing to repeal a 4year-old law that says illegal immigrants are eligible for in-state tuition so long as they graduated from local high schools, lived in the state for at least three years and promise to pursue legal status. That bill followed a judge's decision to throw out a lawsuit last month challenging the same law. And at the federal level, Republicans defeated the DREAM Act, which would have provided a path to citizenship for millions of young illegal immigrants. During the committee meeting in Little Rock, Rep. Ann Clemmer, R-Benton, asked what Arkansas would gain from offering undocumented students in-state

tuition. “They're graduating with a degree and they're still illegal,'' she said. ``We've advanced them with a degree, but they're going to have to show documentation to go to work. We haven't solved the problem. We've just pushed it four years forward.'' Other committee members suggested that nonprofit groups might cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates for some children whose parents brought them into the U.S. illegally. Meanwhile, Rich Huddleston, the executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said Harris' bill is headed in the wrong direction. ``This bill is a solution looking for a problem where one probably doesn't exist.'' -AP

Mississippi House OKs revised FBI investigating Posada trial witness' complaint immigration bill JACKSON, Miss.: Tatiana McDonald fought back tears of anger and frustration at the Mississippi Capitol after the state House passed an immigration enforcement bill that she believes could make her and other Hispanics targets of racial profiling. McDonald said if the bill becomes law, it could tear apart families if parents are deported and their U.S.-born children are taken into state custody. ``This is horrible. This is shameful,'' said McDonald, a 36-year-old Colombia native who's now a legal resident of the United States. The bill says that during traffic stops or other encounters, a law enforcement officer could check the immigration status of a person the officer thinks might be in the United States illegally. People who can't produce documents to show they're U.S. citizens, legal residents or visitors with visas could be jailed. Those found to be in the country illegally eventually could be deported. The House passed the bill 7740 after a brief explanation and no debate. The vote came nine days after the Senate battled over the immigration bill more than four hours before passing its version 34-15. Because the House changed the Senate bill, the two chambers are expected to negotiate in the next several weeks. Both sides must agree on a single version before a bill could go to Republi-

can Gov. Haley Barbour. Immigration enforcement is a top issue this year for Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, who's courting tea party voters as he runs for governor. Barbour can't seek re-election this year but is considering a 2012 presidential run. He said in December that he sees no problem with officers checking immigration status, but he acknowledged that

People who can't produce documents to show they're US citizens, legal residents or visitors with visas could be jailed some people who worked on Mississippi's Hurricane Katrina recovery might have been in the U.S. illegally. The Senate version would've allowed people to sue cities, counties or law enforcement officers for allegedly failing to enforce immigration laws. Local officials said such lawsuits could break their budgets. The House version removes the lawsuits against local government or law enforcement, but would allow suits against employers. Those found hiring illegal immigrants could face fines of $5,000 to $25,000 a day and could lose

state contracts. The bill's chief sponsor, Senate Judiciary A Committee Chairman Joey Fillingane, called the House changes ``crazy.'' Fillingane, R-Sumrall, said businesses should act responsibly but the fines could kill jobs. `Ì don't think the public policy of the state is going to be to drive all businesses all out,'' Fillingane said. If the Senate rejects the House changes, three members from each chamber would be appointed to negotiate a final version. House Judiciary A Committee Chairman Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, would be one of the negotiators. He voted against the bill but said he'll consider senators' ideas. `Ì'll uphold the House position,'' Blackmon said. Rep. Willie Bailey, D-Greenville, voted against the bill because he believes immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. “The only reason the Senate passed that bill out was to help those people who are running for office, and that's wrong,'' Bailey said. Rep. Beckie Currie, RBrookhaven, has spoken about immigration at tea party meetings. Wearing a ``Don't Tread on Me'' lapel pin y, Currie said she has no problem with people who follow proper procedures to immigrate to the US. “We're not making 'illegal' illegal,'' Currie said. `Ìt was already illegal.'' -AP

EL PASO, Texas: A key prosecution witness in the immigration fraud trial against an antiCuban militant claims a defense attorney has tormented his exwife and children. Gilberto Abascal, a 45-year-old Cuban native whose testimony is important to the U.S. government's case against former CIA operative Luis Posada Carriles, made the accusations in court after prosecutors complained Abascal was openly weeping in a hallway of the federal courthouse in El Paso. Abascal has been testifying in the trial of Posada, who is accused of lying under oath during federal immigration hearings in El Paso about how he reached U.S. soil, and failing to admit responsibility for planning a series of hotel bombings in Havana in 1997 that killed an Italian tourist. Posada, 82, faces 11 counts of perjury, obstruction and immigration fraud. He spent a lifetime using violence to destabilize communist political systems and is considered former Cuba President Fidel Castro's nemesis, but he is not on trial for his Cold War past. . Abascal is central to the government's case because he testified that he was on the boat that traveled to the resort island of Isla Mujeres in Mexico, picked up Posada, and helped him slip into Miami -testimony that contradicted Posada's account to immigration officials that he paid a people smuggler to drive him from Honduras to Houston.

Defense attorney Arturo Hernandez has tried to discredit Abascal by portraying him as a tax cheat who is mentally unstable. The FBI in Miami contacted Abascal's ex-wife to ask about his claims that Hernandez sent subordinates to her home to steal a picture of her and the couple's 23year-old daughter and 18-year-old son that was shown in court. Hernandez is speaking to FBI agents in El Paso himself, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone said.

Abascal has been testifying in the trial of Posada, who is accused of lying under oath during federal immigration hearings Cardone said Abascal's complaint was a matter for law enforcement, adding ``all this behind the scenes is not something that should affect the jury.'' The Cuba-born Posada worked for the CIA in the 1960s and helped support U.S.-backed ``contra'' rebels in Nicaragua in the 1980s. He was also jailed in Panama for a 2000 plot to kill Castro during a visit there, but eventually pardoned. After arriving in the U.S. in 2005, Posada sought citizenship and submitted to the immigration hearings that led to the current charges against him. -AP

Immigration Post

February 11, 2011

India Post

www.indiapost.com

Absurdity of the Birthright Citizenship Act Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 40

H.R. 140 seeks to amend section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which replicates the 14th amendment, by not just depriving the children of illegal immigrants from automatically becoming citizens, but by narrowly limiting birthright citizenship to a person born in the US to parents, one of whom is 1) a citizen or national of the United States; 2) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States whose residence is in the United States; or 3) an alien performing active service in the armed forces (as defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code). This bill, if enacted into law, would even deprive the child of a nonimmigrant parent from automatically becoming a US citizen who is lawfully in the US in H-1B status, and approved for permanent residence but for the fact that she is stuck in the employment-based preference backlogs for many years. What would be the status of such a child?

H.R. 140 is silent. Would this poor child be rendered deportable the minute it is born by virtue of being an alien present in the US without being admitted or paroled under INA section 212(a)(6)(A)(i)? Or would the child be given a dependent H-4 status? What if the parents of the child have two different statuses - one on an H-1B visa and the other on a B-1 business visa? Will the child get the more solid H-4 status or the more transient B-2 status as a visitor for pleasure? It is true that a diplomat, in accordance with Wong Kim Ark, is not subject to the jurisdiction of the US as a diplomat enjoys immunity from US law, but a child of such a diplomat born in the US is at least deemed to be a permanent resident. See Matter of Huang, Interim Decision #1472 (BIA May 27, 1965). On the other hand, it is not so apparent that conferring some kind of legal status short of citizenship is the intent of H.R. 140, which seeks to keep children in the same illegal status as their parents if born in the US. The only historic exceptions to

those subject to the jurisdiction of the US are diplomats and enemies during the hostile occupation of a part of US territory. Congress even passed legislation to ensure that children of all Native Americans are US citizens. See

Even a terrorist who enters the US in a nonimmigrant status, such as on an F-1 student visa with an ulterior motive to commit an act of terrorism, unlike a member of a hostile occupying force, is subject to the jurisdiction of the US INA section 301(b). An illegal immigrant is undoubtedly subject to the jurisdiction of the US. If he commits a crime, he will surely be prosecuted. He can sue and be sued in US courts, and Uncle Sam gleefully collects his taxes and his contri-

Financial condition driving immigration debate OLYMPIA, Wash.: The state's grim financial shape is pushing lawmakers further into the immigration debate, forcing a state historically friendly to immigrants to consider cuts that will impact large segments of legal and illegal immigrants. The proposed cuts are on top of introduced bills that call for stricter enforcement of immigration law, specifically bills that would force the state to ask for proof of legal residency when obtaining a driver's license. ``My whole point is that we ignore, ignore, ignore - now we have to make real decisions: Does the public think it's a priority to provide benefits for people who are undocumented?'' said Sen. Joe Zarelli, RRidgefield, the Senate GOP's budget chief. ``I believe it's time for prioritizing what we can afford to do. We gotta have that debate.'' From blueberry fields in Skagit County to the high-tech offices at Microsoft, immigrant labor, both legal and illegal, is a fuel in many of the state's industries. And no matter their legal status, immigrants contribute to the state's main source of revenue - the sales tax - whenever they buy something. ``In one year, Washington State has gone from a leader on immigration to a hostile environment for im-

migrants and their families,'' said an e-mail from OneAmerica, the state's largest immigrant advocacy group, to supporters, urging them to testify against the driver's licenses bills. During this legislative session, lawmakers have been tasked with two crucial budgetary jobs: They

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;In the last decade or two, Washington has wisely recognized that immigrants are tax paying, working neighbors to all of usâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; need to close a cash deficit of more than half a billion dollars in the supplemental budget for this fiscal year that ends in June, and they need to write a budget that closes a projected $4.6 billion deficit in the 2011-2013 budget. Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed budget, which sets the pace for the session, cuts more than half a dozen programs that directly aid immigrants - from subsidized naturalization classes to transferring illegal immigrant inmates in state prisons to federal custody. The two biggest proposals for

the next two-year budget, though, are stripping medical coverage to an estimated 27,000 children whose legal status is unclear under the Children's Health Program for savings of $59 million, and eliminating the State Food Assistance Program, which provides food stamps for legal immigrants, for a savings of $45 million. ``In the last decade or two, Washington has wisely recognized that immigrants are tax paying, working neighbors to all of us,'' said Jon Gould, executive director of the Children's Alliance, an advocacy group. ``I'm very worried right now that we are at risk of losing those important public structures that allow our immigrant neighbors to be contributing members of the state.'' -AP

butions to social security (even if he is unable to claim it later on). You cannot liken an immigrant who has entered the US without inspection with the objective of finding work to a member of a hostile force occupying a part of the US. When a hostile force occupies any part of the US, the laws of the US are no longer applicable in the occupied territory. Even a terrorist who enters the US in a nonimmigrant status, such as on an F-1 student visa with an ulterior motive to commit an act of terrorism, unlike a member of a hostile occupying force, is subject to the jurisdiction of the US as she can be convicted or treated as an enemy noncombatant, and if she gives birth to child here, the child ought to be a US citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment. Moreover, often times being legal or illegal is part of the same continuum. A thoroughly undocumented person, when placed in removal proceedings, can seek cancellation of removal under stringent criteria and become a permanent resident. Such a person whose visa has long since expired could get wrapped up in a romantic encounter with a US citizen, marry, and dramatically convert from illegal to permanent resident

within a few months. At times, Congress bestows such permanent residency through section 245(I) or the LIFE Act, or a person can obtain Temporary Protected Status if a calamity were to befall her country. The following extract from the Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe, 457 US 202 (1982), which held that undocumented children could not be deprived of a public education: "To be sure, like all persons who have entered the United States unlawfully, these children are subject to deportation. But there is no assurance that a child subject to deportation will ever be deported. An illegal entrant might be granted federal permission to continue to reside in the country, or even become a citizen." Under H.R. 140, one who is so unlucky to have been born a day before his parent adjusted to permanent resident status would be in some kind of immigration purgatory. The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, along with similar proposals from states to issue two types of birth certificates, is not just unconstitutional but is also shockingly absurd! * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

Tech News India, Germany cooperate in energy, climate NEW DELHI: India and German have signed two agreements worth over 500 million euros to step up cooperation in energy, environment protection and social sectors. "Two umbrella agreements amounting to a total of about 500 million euros were signed by German Ambassador Thomas Matussek and Prabodh Saxena, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Finance," a German embassy statement said here. "Roughly 95 per cent of the amount consists of preferential loans, the rest are grants and the agreements bring into force the commitments made by the German government in the annual IndoGerman government negotiations held in November 2010 in Bonn," it added. -PTI

India will address investors' concerns: Sharma ROME: Days after the India's Environment Ministry cleared South Korean steel major Posco's USD 12 billion project in Orissa, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said if foreign investors have any concerns, the government will address them. "If there are issues to be addressed, the government will proactively address them because we want foreign direct investment (FDI)," Sharma told PTI. Sharma is here leading a Ficci business delegation. Billed as the largest foreign investment project in the country, the Environment Ministry had given the go-ahead to Posco to set up a 12 million metric tonnes per annum steel plant in Orissa. -PTI

Ministry conditions for Posco can be met BHUBANESWAR: After the Ministry of Environment and Forest gave conditional clearance to the USD 12 billion plant by Posco, Orissa government's nodal officer for the project said it is not difficult to meet the clauses set by the Centre. "Many conditions were already there for the project. It will not be difficult to meet them," Priyabrat Patnaik, nodal officer for Posco project, said. Stating that the government and the steel major will fulfill all the conditions before starting work at the project site, Patnaik said the state had already acquired about 400 acres of private land peacefully. -PTI

TechBiz 44 India Post

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February 11, 2011

Ethiopia wants to develop Manesar-type project CHANDIGARH: A high-level Ethiopian delegation, led by Development Bank of Ethiopia President Esayas Bahire Gebremeskel, has sought cooperation from Haryana for developing industrial projects such as Industrial Model Township in Manesar, Gurgaon. The delegation also sought cooperation to develop food parks in both the countries, while visiting the project site developed by the State's nodal agency Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation. -PTI

India must play aggressive economic role, says Canadian Prof SINGAPORE: India must play an "aggressive economic" role in South Asia to win over smaller states in the region in the face of the growing challenge to its influence from China, an expert said here. India has not played a leading role in the region like it should have, particularly with respect to the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Professor T V Paul from McGill University of Canada told PTI here, indicating that China could benefit, given its "intimate" links with countries like Pakistan. "But now, India must do more for the region," said Paul after addressing a seminar on "State Capacity and South Asia's Insecurity Predicament" at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore. India must convince the smaller South Asian states that the regional economy could benefit from the "huge Indian market", he said. The frosty nature of relations between India and Pakistan is among the main causes of South Asia's insecurity predicament, he informed the audience of academ-

ics at the seminar. He pointed out that Pakistan had given top priority to the Kashmir issue, while ignoring bilateral trade opportunities with India. In this regard, bilateral trade between Pakistan and India could

the region. Comparatively, trade relations between India and its other neighbors -- Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka -- have been improving in recent years, said Paul, a director at the

pointed out. He also cited increasing Indian investment in Bangladesh, which could be emulated as the way forward to building a regional economy. Nevertheless, the growth of

India has proven the potential of its market benefits for these countries, sourcing garments from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and hydropower from Bhutan, he pointed out Professor T V Paul

be 52 times more than it is now, he asserted, citing a wide range of estimates on South Asian intraregional trade. He cited the theory that "countries engaged in economic activities would not engage in war" to back his presentation on

Universite de Montreal Centre for International Peace and Security Studies at McGill University. India has proven the potential of its market benefits for these countries, sourcing garments from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and hydropower from Bhutan, he

China's influence in South Asia is inevitable, Paul noted, pointing out that Beijing sees its own ties with India's neighbors as a "balance of power", even though India sees the world's fastest growing economy's actions as "political moves". -PTI

India may hike tax exemption limit NEW DELHI: Tax payers can expect some relief from high inflation in Budget 2011-12 as the government may raise the income tax exemption limit for individuals. "Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is alive to the price situation and its impact on the common man," sources said, adding he would favorably consider the issue of hiking tax exemption limit. Moreover, they said, as the government is committed to raise the income tax exemption limit from Rs 1.6 lakh per annum to Rs 2 lakh in line with the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) in 2012-13, tax payers could expect at least some relief in the upcoming Budget on February 28. "The finance ministry would keep in mind the high inflation in the Budget. Since there is no dearness allowance for a vast section of the society, hike in income tax

exemption limit is likely," a source told PTI. Presently, income up to Rs 1.6 lakh is exempt from tax for individuals. For women and senior citizens, the limit is 1.9 lakh and 2.4 lakh, respectively.

per cent rate on income between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, 20 per cent on Rs 5-10 lakh and 30 per cent above Rs 10 lakh. The DTC, which would replace the Income Tax Act, is slated to come into effect from April next

The overall inflation in December last year had also gone up to 8.43 per cent, up from 7.48 per cent in the previous month, mainly driven by costly food items However, under the DTC Bill which was introduced in Parliament last year, the I-T exemption limit is of 2 lakh. In the DTC bill, the government seeks to widen tax slabs to levy 10

year. "Since inflation is eating into the income of the people, some of DTC provisions can be implemented to benefit the common man," the official added.

Inflation, particularly the food inflation, has been a concern for both the government and the common man. For past few months, food prices have been staying at very high levels. The wholesale price food inflation rose to 15.57 per cent for the period ended January 15, on escalating vegetable prices, particularly, onions. It was at 15.52 per cent for the week ended January 8. The overall inflation in December last year had also gone up to 8.43 per cent, up from 7.48 per cent in the previous month, mainly driven by costly food items. Recently, P Chidambaram who served as Finance Minister before moving to the Home Ministry in the previous UPA regime, said that there is no tax worse than inflation. -PTI

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February 11, 2011

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Dabur, Marico shut Egypt plants, Emami assessing situation NEW DELHI: Leading Indian FMCG firms Dabur and Marico Industries said they have shut down their plants in Egypt due to the ongoing unrest in the African nation, while another company Emami is assessing the situation for its future course of action. Dabur India Chief Executive Officer Sunil Duggal told PTI that the company has shut temporarily its hair oil production plant in Egypt. "If the unrest continues for a longer period of time, there might be some impact. It would be too early to comment on the same," Duggal said. Marico also said it has shut down its two factories in the African nation in the wake of political unrest in the country. "Egypt and the MENA region is an important market for Marico. In view of the current situation, our factories have been temporarily closed as a safety measure," a Marico spokesperson said. For Dabur, Egypt accounts around 15 per cent to Dabur's overseas business, which stood at around Rs 600 crore last fiscal while it contributes about 2.5 per cent to its overall turnover. "We are still watching the developments

in Egypt. If the unrest is resolved over the next few days and weeks, we would not see much of any impact on business," Duggal said.

Code and Parachute in the region. The Middle East and North African (MENA) region contributes around 7-8 per cent to the company's turnover.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;For Dabur, Egypt accounts around 15 per cent to Dabur's overseas business, which stood at around Rs 600 crore last fiscal while it contributes about 2.5 per cent to its overall turnover. We are still watching the developments in Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dabur India Chief Executive Officer Sunil Duggal

While Marico did not specify how much revenues it generates from Egypt, the firm currently sells hair care brands Fiancee, Hair

Last fiscal, the firm's turnover was Rs 2,030.85 crore. "Prolonged closure of production facili-

Govt will take care of rising crude prices: FM NEW DELHI: Asserting that economic fundamentals are strong, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said the government will "take care" of the impact of rising global crude oil prices, which are hovering around twoyear high due to crisis in Egypt and other Arab countries. Attributing the recent slide in stock market to continued selling by foreign institutional investors, he said that the economy during 201011 would record a growth of 8.5 per cent, up from 8 per cent a year ago. Mukherjee's remarks come at a time when crude oil prices have soared a 28-month high of USD 102 a barrel following deepening of political crisis in Egypt and fears of the problem striking Yemen. "Unfortunately, developments in the Middle East and its impact on the Arab world is causing uncertainty about (oil) production (and) about (its) availability. We are watching the situation (closely)," he said, adding the

government will "take care" of the impact of high prices on the domestic industry. Pointing that India had managed the situation when crude oil price had touched a record high

mestic retail fuel price and their cost of production has widened, necessitating action - either by way of price increase or hike in government subsidy. Raising prices of auto fuel,

Unfortunately, developments in the Middle East and its impact on the Arab world is causing uncertainty about (oil) production (and) about (its) availability of USD 147 per barrel in July 2008, Mukherjee said his ministry was in constant touch with the Oil Ministry on the unfolding situation. The spike in global rates has meant that the gap between do-

however, may not be an easy option at a time when the government is struggling to calm down inflation which rose to 8.43 per cent in December, 2010, from 7.48 a month ago. -PTI

IMF warns of overheating in emerging economies SINGAPORE: Multilateral lending agency IMF has said the global economic recovery is unbalanced and warned of overheating in some of the emerging economies. "...the recovery is unbalanced across countries. While growth remains below potential in the advanced economies, emerging and

developing economies are growing much faster and some may soon be overheating," IMF Managing Director Dominique StraussKahn said. Kahn was speaking at a meeting organized by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country's Central Bank. It may be recalled that while the

US and Europe are struggling to recover, major emerging economies like India and China have been recording robust growth. Overheating refers to high growth leading to rise in inflation. This happens when producers are not able to make enough goods and services to meet rising demand, and raise prices instead. -PTI

ties in Egypt would, therefore, cause a progressive drying up of the supply pipeline for the MENA region. We had initiated as a back measure, plans to supplement the MENA supply chain with supplies from India," the company has said in filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Another FMCG firm Emami said the impact will not be much as it has just started its business in the country. The Kolkatabased company had recently bought a manufacturing facility for around Rs 25 crore. "We have just started operation in Eygpt. Our business is nascent there. Whether there will be an impact because of the political turmoil, it is too early to say... There will be some short-term impact but whether it will have in a big way, we have to wait for sometime," Emami International Director Prashant Goenka said. At present, Egypt contributes up to two per cent to the company's overseas business, which was at around Rs 120 crore last fiscal. Currently, the company sells skincare products and haircare range in the country. -PTI

Plan to raise FDI limit in defense sector NEW DELHI: To attract foreign manufacturers to invest in India, a group of ministers is considering a proposal to raise Foreign Direct Investment limit in the defense sector to 49 per cent from the current 26 per cent. The Defense Ministry said the proposal mooted by the Commerce Ministry would also help the domestic industry to grow. "The Ministry has proposed that the FDI limit should be increased to 49 per cent. That proposal was received by our Ministry and it is under discussion by a group of ministers," Secretary Defense Production Rajkumar Singh said here.

"It is not a proper EGoM or a GoM. It is a group of only two-three ministers," Singh said. He, however, declined to name the ministers.Recently, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion had suggested FDI cap in defense sector to be raised to 74 per cent saying 100 per cent overseas investment would be desirable. Industry chambers have also been demanding increase in foreign investment limit in the defense sector to 49 per cent for growth of the domestic industry as foreign companies were also reluctant to invest without getting a significant degree of control in the new entities.-PTI

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Realty Tidbits

Housing prices can appreciate in 2011

Real Estate

eople in India will have to shell out more money to buy a house this year due to increasing input costs and huge demand and supply gap, a report said. "About 70 per cent of the home seekers are pretty convinced that they will have to shell more money to buy a house in 2011, as compared to last few years," Track2Realty, a real estate market tracker, said in its report. The survey was conducted in 10 major Indian cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Allahabad. Majority of the brokers and property agents said that the property prices would remain bullish in 2011 mainly on account of "huge demand and supply gap and ever increasing input cost". The report also said that those planning to sell houses this year would get higher returns. About 72 per cent believe that if they missed the chance to buy a house now, "they may not be able to but it ever", it added. Real estate developers and consultants said that the RBI's decision to hike policy rates by 25 basis points will affect the sentiment of the property market. The RBI has raised short-term lending and borrowing rates by 25 basis points each.

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Banks asked to keep watch on loans

he Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to put in place an escrow mechanism that can ring fence their loans to real estate firms and keep a closer tab on the end use of funds. The RBI has been looking to tighten the lending norms for the real estate sector after last year's bribery-for-loan scam involving LIC Housing Finance and some public sector banks. The scandal also exposed several unethical practices, such as diversion of funds. RBI did not respond to an email request for comment. The bank has already advised lenders to closely monitor the end use of funds. A few weeks ago, it also asked the banks to set up an escrow mechanism at the time of providing project loans to real estate companies. An escrow account will help in safeguarding the interests of the lender from repayment risk and in monitoring the end use of funds. An escrow account is a trust account in the borrower's name. Payments from the customers of the borrower are deposited in this account to meet obligations, such as loan servicing.

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SBI to continue its teaser home loans

February 11, 2011

Details on page 47

Alpha G to build Rs 400-cr Gurgaon township in Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. Alpha G Corp Development Private Limited is one of the fastest growing professional companies in the Indian real estate industry with projects spread across the country including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Delhi NCR, Fatehabad, Gurgaon, Goa, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Jaipur, Meerut and other cities in Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. These de-

Alpha Group Director and CEO S K Sayal

ealty firm Alpha G:Corp has said it would develop a group housing project in Gurgaon at an investment of Rs 400 crore. The company would build 670 housing units on a 12.5 acre land, which is owned by Magnum International. "The project cost is Rs 400 crore including land cost," company's Director and CEO S K Sayal told reporters. The investment would be largely met through bank debt and advances from customers, he added. Alpha G:Corp, which is 60 per cent owned by foreign investors including Morgan Stanley, will

soon launch this project at an inaugural rate of Rs 3,400 per sq ft, but the company is looking at a realization of over Rs 3,800 per sq ft from this project. Morgan Stanley has 14 per cent stake in the company. Alpha G:Corp's completed developments and upcoming projects encompass an area of more than 40 million sq ft. The company's business model entails undertaking of projects through acquisition, joint venture development and real estate asset management. Apart from national capital region (NCR), Alpha G:Corp is developing projects

visual and physical connection between the site and beyond. Seven such towers are placed along the periphery of the site with the large expanse of landscaped green within in. A landscape of approximately 6 acres becomes the soul of the project, unifying the various elements together. Two basements have been planned to create ample parking space for the residents.

Gurgaon One Sector 84 epitomizes the principles of design that exudes openness, maximized greens induced with sensitive landscaping and an unprejudiced approach in planning velopments encompass an area of more than 30 million square feet. Gurgaon One Sector 84 epitomizes the principles of design that exudes openness, maximized greens induced with sensitive landscaping and an unprejudiced approach in planning. The highrise towers placed at appropriate distances from each other allow a

The design of each of the buildings is such that apartments extend out into the green like flanges though interconnected through a central core. Each apartment seems to float into the landscape enjoying a sense of individuality and freedom of space with ample sun light, ventilation and views.

Awkward shape of buildings upset WallMart

xpansion happened too fastâ&#x20AC;Ś which led to over capacity' It might sound odd and a bit funny too, but a big hurdle that WalMart faces in India is the awkward shape of buildings constructed by developers. Prohibitive real estate prices in the big cities too have forced the world's largest multi-brand retail company to open all its cash and carry stores in smaller cities. Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart International said that the company was keen to invest billions of dollars in India, but it will have to wait till the government allows foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail. "But the hurdles we face now are oddshaped buildings and high real estate prices," he said. "We are happy with square and rectangu-

lar-shaped buildings, but developers come with triangles and all other shapes," McMillon said. In

ments for big grocery stores. While Walmart can always work with developers in advance to cus-

The company was keen to invest billions of dollars in India, but it will have to wait till the government allows foreign direct investment in multibrand retail Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart International

India, developers are new to the large format concept and do not understand the space require-

tom-make buildings that suit its needs, the fact of the matter is normal construction cycle is about

3-4 years. Rising real estate prices too is a great challenge for Walmart which has five Best Price Modern Wholesale cash and carry stores in India. The cash and carry format requires at least 50,000 sq ft space. Not surprising then, all the stores are in smaller cities. The Bharti-Walmart joint venture opened its first store in Amritsar in May 2009 and two other stores in Zirakpur, near Chandigarh in April 2010 and Jalandhar in Punjab a few months later in August. The other two are in Kota in Rajasthan and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Besides the five cash and carry stores, Walmart provides logistics and backend support to about 100 Easy Day outlets that are run by its joint venture partner Bharti.

Real Estate

February 11, 2011

India Post

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SBI to continue its teaser home loans

or someone who has built a reputation of standing up to the regulator, State Bank of India chairman Om Prakash Bhatt is unlikely to let his image change as he prepares to step down in March after a five-year term as the head of the country's largest lender. Despite the regulator going public with its concerns on the so-called teaser rate home loans, SBI is likely to continue with the scheme, where rates are fixed during the initial few years before turning flexible. "Every quarter we look at the data. It is data-based. If it's good, then I would extend it," said Bhatt, the longest serving chairman in recent years. "The NPAs on my loans are the lowest and I also have the collateral of the customer's house." With nearly 80% of his home loans being under Rs 10 lakh, Bhatt said the real beneficiary was the aam aadmi. "About 2.92 lakh people have got loans. Where is the tease in the product? There is no risk and there is no opacity. There is no dilution of loan appraisal norms or documentation. Every Indian is eligible," he said. Though it was rivals such as HDFC which first raised concerns over these schemes, RBI recently asked banks continuing with the scheme to set aside more funds to deal with possible defaults in the future. Following this, SBI tweaked its offer

and told RBI that it was no longer offering teaser rate schemes that required provisioning. Now, other players such as LIC Housing Finance are also using SBI's stance to argue their case. The difference in position over the fixed-

With nearly 80% of his home loans being under Rs 10 lakh, Bhatt said the real beneficiary was the aam aadmi. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;About 2.92 lakh people have got loans. Where is the tease in the product? There is no risk and there is no opacityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; O P Bhatt

cum-floating rate offer, which has been on for nearly two years now, is not the only issue on which the regulator and the public sector player have differed. RBI first raised concerns over SBI's plans to float a private

40.4% dip in real estate stocks since Diwali

ince the muhurat session on Diwali, when the BSE sensex closed at an all-time high of 21,005, software stocks have emerged as the safest bet, safer than even traditional sectors like FMCG and pharma, while real estate stocks were the worst performers. The data on the performance of sectoral and other indices since Diwali shows that BSE's IT index has gained nearly 3%, while the real estate index, which is at the other end of the spectrum, has lost 40.4%. The other laggards on the sectoral front are banking with Bankex down 20%, capital goods index down 19%, and PSUs down almost 18%. Compared to these indices, the sensex and the NSE nifty are both down by 12.7% and 12.8% respectively. Even when compared on a monthly basis, the realty index is down nearly 22%, while the IT index has lost 6.7%%, and the sensex 10.6%. Market players say while a number of headwinds that the real estate sector is facing are the reasons for the current investor apathy towards realty stocks, the low level of institutional holding in this sector compared to sectors like IT and banking, also affected the sector's performance. A re-

equity fund, which eventually put on the backburner. Then came the tiff over provision coverage ratio that required banks to set aside funds to cover 70% of their gross bad debt. In this case, SBI managed to get certain

cent sector report by Edelweiss Securities said that although the demand for housing in India continues to be robust, rising interest rates, increase is residential prices in some cities crossing the peak levels seen is 2008, and rising construction costs will continue to be dampeners for the sector. On the other hand, software stocks are rising because of strong quarterly results, improving economic situation in the US, the largest export market for most of the leading Indian IT services companies and also the depreciation of the Indian rupee against other major currencies, market players said. Brokers and dealers also said that the currently sliding phase of the market has also unnerved retail investors as memories of 2008 and 2009 are still fresh, and they are in hurry to sell.This is clear from the fact that BSE smallcap index has lost a little over 23% since the muhurat session on Diwali day, while the mid-cap index is now down 21%. Compared to the sensex and nifty stocks, which are the preferred picks for fund managers, retail shareholding in midcap and small-cap counters are much higher.

flexibilities and an extended deadline though its profits may be hit. The latest set of differences arose over structuring of loans given to corporate houses and Bhatt said his position on the issue had been sup-

ported by the government too. He, however, said there was no question of his relations with RBI being strained. "There are a few issues on which we differed with the regulator. But that's in the nature of things. If you are the largest financial conglomerate in the country, often the regulator may do things that are not appropriate for us, or for the system. We give feedback on a regular basis and sometimes it gets into public domain. There are no interpersonal issues," he said. Is it the size, accounting for three-quarters of the banking business in the country, that allows him to defy the regulator? "That's a strong term. Tell me, had I been wrong, would the finance ministry or the regulator have not said anything. What power do I have? Who knows a simple pahadi like me? I can always be removed anytime," said Bhatt. Asked about his plans post-retirement, he said there were a few offers but he would only decide around April-May. But he seems to be retiring with a sense of satisfaction with what he has done. After all, he has brought much-needed aggression. "Focus, not aggression. Hopefully it should continue," he said and listed creating a leadership pipeline, steps to improve technology and productivity in retail banking as areas that were work in progress.

DLF reports marginal drop in earnings

LF Ltd said it was cautious on the near-term outlook as rising interest rates could weigh on demand after the top-listed Indian real estate firm reported a marginal drop in quarterly earnings. Property prices in major cities like Mumbai and Delhi have more than doubled over the past 18 months, spurred by rising incomes and a strong stock market, but sales volumes are down by a third from a year ago as high prices and rising borrowing costs deter buyers. New Delhi-based DLF said consolidated net profit fell to 4.66 billion rupees ($102 million) in its fiscal third-quarter ended December from 4.68 billion rupees a year ago. Revenue rose 21 percent to 25.94 billion rupees from 21.51 billion. India's central bank last week raised interest rates for the seventh time since March, to curb stubbornly high inflation, and mortgage rates are expected to move into double-digits. The central bank had also tightened loan rules late last year by asking mortgage firms to limit loans to 80 percent of the asset value. "With inflation becoming a serious concern and due to the inadequate supply side measures, it

is feared that overdependence on monetary policy alone to bring in-

The central bank had also tightened loan rules late last year by asking mortgage firms to limit loans to 80 percent of the asset value flation to reasonable levels could result in a sharp deceleration in

economic growth," DLF said in a statement. Rising land prices have also added to developers' costs. DLF said it expected its housing projects volumes to grow but would not hesitate to moderate volumes if needed, as it focuses on protecting margins. HSBC Securities last month downgraded DLF and second-ranked listed property firm Unitech saying it expected the companies to miss their volume outlook for the year to March 2011 and issue conservative guidance for the next fiscal year. Ahead of the results, shares in DLF, which is valued at about $8 billion, closed 0.4 percent higher in a Mumbai market that fell 0.4 percent.

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Philosophy

February 11, 2011

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis ECKHART TOLLE

he discovery of the true, enduring and trustworthy is perhaps more attainable now than at any other time in the history of humanity. Transformational consciousness until recently has been a luxury on the planet. A few individuals here and there underwent transformation but never on a large scale. It wasn't necessary for the planet. Neither the survival of humanity nor of the planet was threatened before now, although there already existed the madness or insanity inherent in the human mindby which I mean the thinking mind, not the deeper consciousness. This madness has been going on for a long time, but it has never threatened the survival of humanity. It's only when science and technology arrived that this threat began. The tools of science and technology amplified the effects of the madness of the egoic mind. So the survival of the planet began to be threatened, and with it the survival of humanity. The planet will not survive another hundred years of the same state of consciousness that produced the external effects of recent history. As for the awakening of consciousness, things are both getting better and getting worse. The madness is accelerating but an acceleration of the new consciousness is also coming in. However, this latter development is less apparent when you listen

J. KRISHNAMURTI

eath is something not only mysterious but a great act of purgation. That which continues in a repetitive pattern is degeneration. The pattern may vary according to country, according to climate, according to circumstance, but it is a pattern. Moving in any pattern brings about a continuity and that continuity is part of the degenerating process of man. When there is an ending of continuity, something new can take place. One can understand it instantly if one has understood the whole movement of thought, of fear, hate, love - then one can grasp the significance, instantly, of what death is. What is death? One realizes that the organism, the body, dies and the brain - having in life been misused in various forms of self-indulgence, contradiction, effort, constant struggle, wearing itself out mechanically, for it is a mechanism - also dies. The brain is the repository of memory; memory as experience, as knowledge. From that experience and knowledge, stored up in the cells of the brain, as memory,

to the media. The media still mostly reflects what is happening in the sphere of the old consciousness. Many people know from their own lives that despair and the intensification of suffering can sometimes catalyze enlightenment, especially if they have gone through intense suffering or great loss, or faced death in one way or anothereither their own physical death, a psychological death, or the death of somebody very close to them. Some form of suffering often brings about a readiness. One

Often all that is needed to evoke this response is to listen to one statement of Truth and immediately there's a response. Because we all carry the Truth within us as our essence, we recognize it immediately. Recent events, as terrible as they've been, have the potential of bringing greater enlightenment. What we don't realize in Western culture is that death has a redemptive dimension. There is another side to death. Whether death happens

someone dies to old ideas, there's a psychological death. Thought-forms with which one had identified as "me"-an egoic identity-suddenly collapse. In the face of death, especially violent death, things don't make sense anymore. So death is the dissolution of either physical form or psychological form. And when a form dissolves, always something shines through that had been obscured by the form. This is the formless One Life, the formless One Con-

Death is an opportunity for transformation The tools of science and technology amplified the effects of the madness of the egoic mind. So the survival of the planet began to be threatened

Eckhart Tolle

can say it cracks open the shell of the egoic mind with which many people identify as "me." Life cracks open that shell, and once that crack is there, then we are reached more easily by spiritual teaching. We're suddenly open to it, because it reaches the deeper levels of our being. Something from within-not from our conditioned mind but from the deeper level of unconditioned consciousness-responds immediately.

through an act of violence to a large number of people or to an individual, whether death comes prematurely through illness or accident, or whether death comes through old age, death is always an opening. So a great opportunity comes whenever we face death. It means that a form of life dissolves or that the imminent possibility of dissolution exists, whether through our own death or through illness or old age. When

sciousness. Death is the moment of form dissolving. When that dissolving is not resisted, an opening appears into the dimension of the sacred, into the One formless, unmanifested Life. This is why death is such an incredible opportunity. There is no transformation of human consciousness without the dissolving that death brings. The 63rd birth anniversary of Eckhart Tolle will be observed on February 16, 1948

thought arises. When the organism comes to an end, the brain also comes to an end, and so thought comes to an end. Thought is a material process - thought is nothing spiritual - it is a material process based on memory held in the cells of the brain; when the organism dies, thought dies.

dren, pain, anxiety, each fighting. I am living in all vigour, energy and capacity, and death means an ending to that living. Now, can I live with death all the time? That is: I am attached to you; end that attachment, which is death - is it not? One is greedy and when one dies, one cannot carry greed with one; so end the greed, not in a

one acquires is constantly ending, so that there is always a tremendous movement, one is not fixed in a certain place. This is not a concept. When one invites death, which means the ending of everything that one holds, dying to it, each day, each minute, then one will find - not ``one'' there is then no oneself finding it, because one has

Inviting death means time comes to an end J. Krishnamurti

One asks what happens after death. Now ask quite a different question: What is before death? not what is after death. What is before death, which is one's life. What is one's life? Go to school, to college, university, get a job, man and woman live together, he goes off to the office for 50 years, she goes off earning more money, they have chil-

One is greedy and when one dies, one cannot carry greed with one; so end the greed, not in a week's time, or ten days' time - end it, now week's time, or ten days' time - end it, now. So one is living a life full of vigour, energy, capacity, observation, seeing the beauty of the earth and also the ending of that instantly, which is death. So to live before death is to live with death; which means that one is living in a timeless world. One is living a life in which everything that

gone - then there is that state of a timeless dimension in which the movement we know as time, is not. It means the emptying of the content of one's consciousness so that there is no time; time comes to an end, which is death. The 25th death anniversary of J. Krishnamurti will be observed on February 17

The power of God is with you at all times; through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions; and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument. -Bhagavad Gita To save a family, abandon a man; to save the village, abandon a family; to save the country, abandon a village; to save the soul, abandon the earth. -Mahabharata You are neither earth, water, fire, air or even ether. For liberation know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these. -Ashtavakra Gita When ambition enters, creativity disappears. An ambitious man cannot love any activity for its own sake. He is always in the future -- and a creative person is always in the present. -Osho Practice action without striving and all will be in order. -Lao Tzu

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February 11, 2011

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Concern in China over Egypt's revolution GUNJAN SINGH

hether it was the social networks that caused the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings this winter is far from clear. The People's Republic of China, however, is not willing to wait to learn its lessons in a postscript. It has instead chosen to enforce a strict ban on Google, Facebook and even Twitter, in anticipation of negative consequences following the ongoing public movement against the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak. It shows that the second largest economy in the world continues to trade cautiously as far as dissemination and control of the flow of information to its people is concerned. There is a need to analyze the reasons fuelling this paranoid reaction from the Chinese government. The logical answer would be that China is also witnessing a large number of domestic protests, and the government is thus is worried about the spillover effects of the protests on the streets of Egypt on the protests in China. Over time, many aspects of the People's Republic of China (PRC) have undergone change. Of these, the most prominent transformation within China has been the transformation of the media. "Letting go" (fang) in the economic realm and "tightening up' (shou) in the political realm has completely altered the Chinese media. With the withdrawal of subsidies, media houses in China have to get more reader-friendly as their existence depends on the generation of advertisement revenues. Attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has become a more open process as the government is increasingly more concerned with the debate of transparency in politics. In a very famous declaration, Hu Jintao said in 2009, "the government had always attached great importance to the development of the media, encouraging the Chinese media to be close to national conditions, life and the masses, and to create new concepts, new content, new methods and new means in order to make the media more accessible, attractive and appealing." The Chinese media is also encouraged to play a key role in encouraging healthy trends, reflecting social conditions and public opinions, orienting public focus, soothing public dissatisfaction, ensuring supervision by public opinion and safeguarding the public right to information, participa-

tion in public affairs, expression and supervision. But when one analyzes the behavior of the Chinese media during the Tibetan uprising (March 2008) and the SARS outbreak, the independent role of the media becomes questionable. The process of the post-Mao Chinese model of economic reform

and debated. The Chinese media was caught in the cross currents of nationalism and globalization in the postTiananmen and post-Cold War era. The impact of globalization on the Chinese media has been quite fundamental. The introduction of newer technologies like the internet, telephone and television

India Post Popular uprisings

A crowd demonstrates in Alexandria, Egypt

was unique in many significant ways. In this model Deng Xiaoping adopted an open-door policy and market liberalization, which sowed the seeds for the eventual destruction of the one-party system in China, although this should be viewed as an unintended outcome of the opening up. Chinese communist power retreated slowly but steadily from

Chinese communist power retreated slowly but steadily from society as a consequence of this radical socioeconomic reform movement. Social pressure for further fundamental changes gained momentum. However, since this transition is still unfolding, the outcome can only be predicted and debated society as a consequence of this radical socio-economic reform movement. Social pressure for further fundamental changes gained momentum. However, since this transition is still unfolding, the outcome can only be predicted

transformed the process of the flow of information. With this, there was an increase in the flow of media content across Chinese borders. This openness of the media and the accessibility of information for the Chinese masses is becoming a cause of concern for the PRC. The easier it is for people to access information the more concerned the CCP gets about its implications. With a complete erosion of the politico-ideological basis for legitimacy, the era is marked by economic growth and nationalism as twin quasi-ideologies. The party state finds it especially difficult to configure the manner in which information in the age of microblogging should be ably dealt with. The PRC, already worried about the prevalent level of discontent in China, is taking only one step at a time in dealing with information on Egypt. Economic might notwithstanding, the PRC is uncertain about the role of information in its national strategy. Given the ongoing government control of political content, it is far from clear whether market forces in China are liberating the media to become a voice of free expression, or whether they are simply exploiting it as a tool of public relations and outreach for and within the confines defined by the State. The writer is Research Assistant, IDSA. Courtesy IPCS

osne Mubarak could not have imagined the scale of discontent against him, in his own country. But all this was lying dormant as in the neighboring North African and Arab countries where suppressed people under autocratic regimes saw no hope of deliverance from corruption and rulers tyrannizing their own people. Of all the countries hit by the present popular uprisings, Egypt was said to be the most stable and least likely to be affected. But in a domino effect, autocratic regimes masquerading as democracies are beginning to totter. The tragedy of the scene in the Arab world is that the US, and the western world in general, has been the guarantor of autocratic regimes in its urge for safe oil resources. Another reason for this support is to keep off the Islamic militants. But the Islamic militancy is a consequence of propping up unpopular dictatorships. When people's aspirations are not met by their own rulers, they turn to religion, and worse, militancy which is waiting just by the corner. There is a fear that Islamic militants will take advantage of the situation and might obtain a major share of power if the peopledriven insurrection succeeds. A blogger has raised the specter of Islamic revolution and a pan-Islamic empire from Iraq to Pakistan to Sudan. Next stop will be World War 3, he prophesies. It is such extreme reactions which have resulted in bolstering of dictatorships and military regimes. In fact the opposite may be true. If corrupt and tyrannical regimes in Arabia go, there might be less attraction for people to join the militants. If their aspirations are beginning to be met, the choices presented by militant Islam will have few takers. As one blogger noted, "If Mubarak goes, Al Qaeda will lose a recruiting argument." Let us hope the US is listening. It would be wiser for it to support these citizen movements than protect the regimes which it has been bolstering with aids and armaments worth millions of dollars. Paul Salem of the Carnegie Middle East Center says, "Citizens' movements in Tunisia and Egypt have managed to do in a few days or weeks what Islamic movements have failed to achieve in decades." Thus these roadshows of popular enthusiasm against their own rulers could resurrect the soul of the Arab world which lay crushed. The events in Egypt are being watched with bated breath the world over. India's reaction has been muted and it has been found counting the economic costs of the tumult in the Arab World. Already the price of oil has risen close to $ 100 and there have been resultant spikes in oil prices. This will add to the spiral of rising costs already affecting common man. But those who amassed fortunes by corrupt means are being dealt with gingerly. The proverbial income tax raids are for the less fortunate. The Congress party rulers should also worry at the rising people's consciousness all over the world. It is due to this that the corrupt in the establishment are being frequently exposed. It is this mood which has given courage to the traditional sycophantic Congressmen to raise their voice against Sonia Gandhi. Yes, in a surprising outburst a veteran Andhra Congressman has blamed Sonia Gandhi for the rising corruption and has called on her to step down because she could lead the Congress to defeat in the next elections. True, the 85 year old G Venkataswamy is a disgruntled partyman who has been dropped from the All India Congress Committee but what he has done is something never before been attempted in the Congress. On any other day he would have been sacked forthwith. But today the Congress is walking on thin ice due to the Telengana agitation and the resulting crisis which is also of its own making.

February 11, 2011

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