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Ambassador & Quinn for close Illinois-India ties Details on page 22

VOL 19, No. 1016

March 7, 2014

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Periodical Postage

JAISHANKAR CAUTIONS U.S. LAWMAKERS Tightening of visa rules for Indian firms 'dangerous' ASIAN MEDIA USA & S. ULLAL

Nisha Agarwal

PIO lawyer heads NYC immigrant dept

CHICAGO: During a reception here hosted in his honor

by Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Indian Ambassador Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar laid emphasis on basics of Indo-US relationship observing that the fundamentals were sound and that minor irritants cropping up of late, though significant, could be overcome with mutual give and take.

The Indian envoy said that the 'romance phase of courtship' has ended and hard work is ahead. Speaking in subzero temperatures outside and against the backdrop of cooling of ties between India and the United States, he said that

although "current sentiment seems less than positive," the two countries "can neither afford dilution of attention nor weakening of faith" in the relationship that is always fated to show resilience and unity of purpose.

However, this did not prevent him from cautioning US lawmakers keen on tightening visa rules for hi-tech firms and professionals while overhauling immigration laws. The move is fraught with danger as it will have serious adverse repercussion on Indian economy and expansion of trade between these two great world democracies, he observed.

Details on page 21

Supporters throng Ro Khanna Meet Details on page 16

Indians protest anti-India move in US Congress Details on page 22

Johri Verma joins Election Board program Details on page 26

Details on page 44

US message: Ties with India are important

Exhibition opens on Indian Americans in US

Details on page 6

Details on page 8

India, US to perk up cooperation in tax cases

Indians lose crores in bitcoins exchange fall

Details on page 6 Details on page 8

US for space cooperation with India

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 52

Details on page 6

Community Post -------------- 16-27 Date Book -------------------------- 50 Edit Page --------------------------- 54

INDIA POST SURVEY

HealthScience Post --------- 32-35

survey@indiapost.com

Horoscope ------------------------- 51

This week’s question

Immigration Post ------------- 44-46

Will India-US ties mend under Obama?

Life Style ----------------------- 48-49 Philosophy ------------------------- 53

Last week’s result

Can Indian Americans make a mark in 2014 poll?

YES 62%

NO 38%

Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4

TOASTING A FRIENDSHIP: Myanmar President Thein Sein (R) raises the glass along with PM Manmohan Singh (L) during

Real Estate -------------------- 38-39

Gala Dinner marking the 3rd BIMSTEC summit. (Details on page 5)

TechBiz Post ------------------- 12-14 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

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Publisher’s Diary

P

ardon the poor analogy, but I think, the relationship between India and the US is going through a seven-year itch. It's appropriate though. What started as a whirlwind courting in the last four years of the Bush-administration culminated in the solemnizing of the new-found love affair with the signing of the civil nuclear deal in 2008; and then the first few years of the Obama-administration did stay true to the commitment between the oldest and the largest democracies. Well, ask any married couple who's been married for seven years - give or take a year - and they will tell about how much the nittygritties matter in a relationship; and how even the most trivial of issues can be used as ransom to get even on the larger ones.

All's not well between India and the US. Irrespective of where it started maybe the change in H1B visa rules - real tensions began showing with the arrest of Devyani Khobragade; then there was the targeting of the Indian pharmaceutical companies; downgrading of India's aviation status; souring of some defense deals; complaints from both sides to the WTO; and some taxation issues with regard to trade.

In Chicago last week, Indian Ambassador to the US S. Jaishankar put stiffupper lip diplomacy aside and warned the host country of consequences if the US put unnecessary pressures on India on trade matters.

This week, the US hit back by designating India a "priority foreign country" in the ongoing trade disputes - a status given to countries with the worst Intellectual Property rights having a negative impact on US competitiveness in the global markets.

I wonder, if, like in most marriages, this too is a clash of egos, where it doesn't matter anymore, who 'started it first'. Decades of good work put in by the Indian American community to bring the two democracies closer seems to be coming to naught.

Maybe I shouldn't be so pessimistic. Like I said in the beginning, this could just be the seven-year itch, and hopefully the partners will tide over this phase.

Because, like any marriage counselor will tell you: Divorce never really benefits anyone.

Romesh K Japra

rkjapra@indiapost.com

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Cover Story: Myanmar meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought stronger cooperation from BIMSTEC to counter terrorism

Community: Ro Khanna Meet FIA Chairman and Convener Dr Romesh Japra hosted a community 'Meet and Greet Ro Khanna' at his home in Fremont

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HIGHLIGHTS

Deutsche Bank's co-CEO Anshu Jain has been honored by the Jewish Museum at their annual event Purim Ball

Travel: Varanasi The holy city, believed to be have been founded by Lord Shiva about 5000 years ago, is placed on the bank of Ganges

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PM seeks BIMSTEC cooperation to counter terrorism NAY PYI TAW: Warning about the evolving threat of terrorism in the BIMSTEC region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought stronger cooperation from the seven-nation grouping to effectively counter it, asserting that their security is "indivisible".

Addressing the 3rd BIMSTEC Summit here, Singh said the region faces many common challenges - from natural disasters to terrorism which have to be collectively addressed to make an important contribution to peace, harmony, security and prosperity in Asia and the world.

"Like our prosperity, our security, too, is indivisible- whether it is the security of sea lanes of communication in our region or the persisting challenges of terrorism and transnational crimes," he said.

The seven members - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal bring together over 20 per cent of

tion of the Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking as also expediting signing of the BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, he said, adding that negotiations should be commenced on a BIMSTEC Convention on Extradition.

The Prime Minister also spoke of the many opportunities that BIMSTEC countries share in the fields of trade, economic cooperation and connectivity, saying all of this "presage a bright future for us".

He said that in realizing the BIMSTEC vision, connectivityphysical and digital-was the key to it and could be a drive of cooperation and integration in the region.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an expression of India's look East Policy of the 1990s, coinciding

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa

the world population, which is about 1.5 billion, and a GDP of over USD 2.5 trillion.

"The nature of the evolving threat of terrorism in the BIMSTEC region has imparted greater urgency for stronger cooperation to counter it," he stressed.

As part of this effort, the grouping must seek early ratifica-

with Thailand's Look West policy.

Singh said in coming together, the grouping was not only stepping out of "narrow, traditional" definitions of regions such as South Asia or Southeast Asia, but also building a bridge across Asia's most promising and dynamic arc.

India, he said, was working with BIMSTEC members to im-

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, on the sidelines of the third Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), at Nay Pyi Taw, in Myanmar on March 4

prove physical connectivity through various projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, the Asian Highway Network, the ASEAN Master Plan for Connectivity and others.

"We will soon launch a direct shipping line to Myanmar that will enhance our region's growing maritime links," he said.

"While developing physical infrastructure, there was also need for simultaneously putting in place supporting architecture of rules and regulations to facilitate crosscountry movements," he said.

Focusing on trade and economic cooperation, Singh said this should figure high on the list of priorities of BIMSTEC countries.

He underpinned the importance of early conclusion of the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement for trade in goods and extend it to investment and services.

Underscoring the importance of making energy another priority area, Singh noted that India and some of its neighbors were getting linked by energy grids and reaping regional and national benefits of energy cooperation.

"We must, therefore, connect each other through transmission highways and gas and oil pipelines, while also examining opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy," he said and hoped the BIMSTEC Energy Centre planned in Bengaluru would play a key role in this.

Touching on tourism as a powerful source of economic development, Singh said it was also a bridge between peoples and cultures.

The Prime minister suggested

declaring 2015 as a year of BIMSTEC Tourism.

Referring to economic dependence on weather and vulnerability to natural disasters in

inked.

Singh announced that India will renew its offer of 30 AYUSH scholarships to BIMSTEC students to study traditional medi-

"We will soon launch a direct shipping line to Myanmar that will enhance our region's growing maritime links," he said. "While developing physical infrastructure, there was also need for simultaneously putting in place supporting architecture of rules and regulations to facilitate cross-country movements," this region, the Prime Minister said cooperation in this area was important.

cine in India.

At the New Delhi Summit in 2008, Singh had announced 450

Manmohan Singh meeting the Chairperson and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy, Myanmar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

He said the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate in Noida near Delhi will become functional immediately. A Memorandum of Association in this regard was

scholarships for students from BIMSTEC countries which has since gone up by nearly three times and being availed of by India's BIMSTEC partners. -PTI

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US sends message: Ties with India, US to perk up cooperation in tax cases India important WASHINGTON: The US has sent a message to India through one of its top diplomats that the relationship between the two countries is important, saying America wants to move past the differences they recently had over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.

"The Secretary (John Kerry) is sending with her (Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal) a message that this relationship is important," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters during a conference call.

Biswal, the Indian-origin US diplomat, is on her maiden trip to India in her current position during March 4-6.

"We want to move past disagreements we've had because we have so many issues that are important for us to work closely on.

So that is the purpose of her trip.

But obviously, she has an expansive itinerary while she's there," Psaki said.

During the trip, Biswal would be traveling to Bangalore and then to New Delhi.

"She has a heavy schedule over the next couple of days," she said.

"She's going to meet with gov-

Noting that Biswal would be meeting a range of officials in India, Psaki, in response to a question, did not confirm or deny if she would be meeting BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi ernment and business leaders in Bangalore to discuss her joint efforts to foster innovation, increase our high-tech and engineering engagement and strengthen US-India economic

ties. She's also traveling to New Delhi where she will meet with senior Indian officials to discuss a full range of bilateral and regional issues, including our shared defense security and economic engagement," Psaki said.

"This is an important trip for us. We have a broad and strategic partnership with India, and we're a proud partner with India in virtually every field of human endeavor, from solutions to poverty and disease to space exploration and counterterrorism," she said.

Noting that Biswal would be meeting a range of officials in India, Psaki, in response to a question, did not confirm or deny if she would be meeting BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

"We are meeting with a range of officials. And as you know, but it's worth repeating, we don't take a position on the future of leadership in India. Obviously, that's up to the people of India," Psaki said. -PTI

US for cooperation with India on space security WASHINGTON: Facing challenges from countries like China, the US sees greater co-operation with India on space security issues, a senior American official has said.

"We are seeking greater engagement with India, which is an established spacefaring nation, and we see a strong role for greater US-India cooperation on space security issues," said Frank Rose, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance.

Rose was speaking at the 3rd International Symposium on Sustainable Space Development and Utilization for Humankind in Tokyo.

"As President (Barack) Obama said in 2010, the relationship between India and the US will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," he said according to the transcripts of the speech released here.

"We see a strong role for Indian leadership in regional and multilateral space fora given India's space capabilities and its strong ties to other regional space actors and emerging spacefaring nations," he said.

For these reasons, in 2011 we launched the first US-India space

security discussions as part of an effort to ensure that our two governments exchange views on this increasingly important domain, he said.

"The 2013 US-India Strategic Dialogue Joint Statement called

"We see a strong role for Indian leadership in regional and multilateral space fora given India's space capabilities and its strong ties to other regional space actors and emerging spacefaring nations," he said for a Space Security Dialogue between our two nations, and we look forward to having this dialogue in the near future," Rose said.

In his address, Rose said as a leading spacefaring nation, China will play a key role in space security issues, and the US will con-

tinue to engage China on space security through bilateral and multilateral channels.

"The United States and China have a mutual interest in maintaining the long-term sustainability and security of the space environment, including the adoption of measures to limit the creation of long-lived space debris," he said.

"It is important to routinely discuss space security issues in order to reduce the chance for misperceptions and miscalculations.

One way we have pursued these interests is by working to provide our Chinese counterparts with timely close approach notifications," he added.

"However, as US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper noted in testimony before the US Congress, the United States remains concerned about Chinese counterspace activities," he noted.

China has satellite jamming capabilities and is pursuing anti-satellite systems.

This is a development that the US and its allies will continue to watch closely, he said, calling on China to be more transparent about its intentions and activities in space. -PTI

NEW DELHI: India and the "In fact, four important cases United States have decided to under MAP were resolved with enhance cooperation for auto- the US during this financial year," matic exchange of information on the sources said. tax evasion and detection of fiMAP is an alternative availnancial crimes, shoring up efforts able to taxpayers for solving disto crackdown on black money putes giving rise to double taxacases involving economic chan- tion, whether judicial or financial. nels of the two countries.

The MAP procedures are also A team of the US Treasury of- listed in the DTAA protocol. ficials recently met Indian Income Apart from India, the US is also Tax and CBDT officials for nego- talking to over 50 countries and tiating an Inter-Governmental jurisdictions across the globe to Agreement (IGA) which will en- enhance international tax compliable faster access to tax evasion ance and to implement information related information and tax crimes reporting and withholding tax by individuals and entities of the provisions in its country, known two countries. as the FATCA. India, since 2009, has a Double The IMG is the precursor to Taxation Avoidance Agreement such an agreement.

(DTAA) treaty with the US which The FATCA, created in 2010, is also under revision for better- is aimed at targeting non-compliment of protocols.

"The US is a strategic partner when it Apart from India, the US is comes to combating also talking to over 50 black money and autocountries and jurisdictions matic exchange of classified information on tax across the globe to evasion cases. High- enhance international tax level negotiations are underway to enter into compliance and to implean IGA as stipulated ment information reporting under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ance by US taxpayers using for(FATCA) of the economic super- eign accounts. power," sources privy to the deThe sources said US and India velopment told PTI. are negotiating the IMG as both The Central Board of Direct the countries have a number of Taxes (CBDT), which is the nerve potential cases of offshore tax agency of the government in black evasion in their classified dossiers money cases as it administers the and once the deal is done the lists I-T department, recently also be- would be exchanged. gan talks on the Mutual Agree"The maximum cooperation ment Procedure (MAP) with the that India had on issues related US officials. to overseas tax evasion and crimiThese talks, sources said, have nal cases has been with the US. A begun after an interval of more number of meetings have taken than a year and two rounds of dis- place in the last one year and posicussions have already been held tive results are expected soon," between the authorities. the sources said.-PTI

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Indians lose crores in Exhibition on Indian-Americans bitcoins exchange collapse opens in US WASHINGTON: A first-of-its- my parent's generation who paved tional Spelling Bee trophy kind exhibition exploring the heri- the way with their dedication to awarded to the first Indian-Ameritage, daily experience, diverse hard work, education and family," can winner Balu Natarajan and contributions that Indian immi- he said.

Mohini Bhardwaj's 2004 Olympic grants and Indian Americans have The new exhibit examines the Silver Medal for gymnastics. made to shaping the US has opened here to the public.

The exhibition Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation by the Smithsonian Institute - showing at the National Museum of Natural History celebrates the history and achievements of the IndianA m e r i c a n community's political, professional, and cultural contributions to the US. "Indian-Americans have become integral to the fabric of American life, and I'm so glad that the U.S. Reps. Ami Bera and Grace Meng in front of a photo of former President John F. Smithsonian is recKennedy and former Congressman Dilip Singh Saund, the first Member of Congress of ognizing this remarkIndian American descent, participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 26 to able community's inaugurate the “Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation� exhibition contributions to our at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C country," Congressman Ami Bera said. daily experiences of Indian Ameri'Beyond Bollywood' is the Bera, the only Indian-American cans, and highlights the impacts Smithsonian Asian Pacific AmeriCongressman in the current Con- they have had on the nation, from can Center's largest exhibition and gress, presented the Smithsonian breakthroughs in medicine and will be on display for at least one with a framed entry into the Con- technology to the election of Dalip year. gressional record recognizing Singh Saund, the first AsianIt will then travel around the them for their support of the In- American member of Congress country to libraries, museums, dian-American community. elected in 1956. universities and community cen"As a first-generation IndianHighlighted artifacts include a ters as a part of the Smithsonian American born and raised in Cali- dress worn by First Lady Michelle Institution Traveling Exhibition fornia, I am here today largely be- Obama designed by Indian-Ameri- Service beginning May 2015 for cause of the Indian Americans of can Naeem Khan, the 1985 Na- up to five years. -PTI

NEW DELHI: In a rude jolt to There are over 35,000 bitcoins growing virtual currency frenzy in (worth over Rs 100 crore) held by India, bitcoins worth crores of ru- Indians across the country, while pees held by some Indians have many NRIs are also dealing in this vanished with collapse of Japan- popular virtual currency, which based Mt Gox, which was the currently trades at USD 550 world's largest bitcoin exchange apiece but isn't backed by any fiso far. nancial authority or real asset.

Having filed for bankruptcy, India, which is home to 200 milMt Gox has admitted to have lost lion Internet users, has of late seen 7.5 lakh bitcoins of its customers a tremendous rise in bitcoin enand one lakh of its own, which thusiasts lured by return potentogether are estimated to be worth tial, anonymous nature of transabout USD 0.5 billion (over Rs actions and pure novelty, among 3,000 crore). others.

The exchange was predomiToday, it costs about Rs 37,000 nantly used by foreigners, includ- including charges and fees to buy ing those operating on behalf of just one bitcoin from Indian opclients from India, while some In- erators, many of whom have been dians were directly trading there. doing business cautiously after In its bankruptcy filing, Mt Gox the Reserve Bank last year issued has listed 1.27 lakh creditors, bulk of which Today, it costs about Rs are foreigners and just about 1,000 from Japan. 37,000 including charges The debacle can also and fees to buy just one intensify calls for bitcoin from Indian operators, stricter regulatory checks on bitcoins and many of whom have been other virtual currencies doing business cautiously in India and other countries. an advisory warned the public Most of the affected Indians about the potential risks associrefused to identify themselves, ated with such currencies. fearing probing questions from tax The bitcoin used to cost close and other authorities in India as to Rs one lakh a piece just a few they had mostly used untaxed weeks back, but price have money for purchase of those tumbled for various reasons inbitcoins and were looking for easy cluding for problems at Mt Gox. returns in this so-far unregulated After three weeks of speculamarket. tion about the fate of the TokyoHowever, many bitcoin opera- based exchange, which had sustors and traders confirmed that pended withdrawals early last majority of bitcoins held by Indi- month, the bitcoin fraternity was ans were being traded on Mt Gox stunned after Mt Gox claimed and the value of those lost there hackers stole a total of 850,000 could be at least Rs 10-20 crore. coins. -PTI

PIO manager seeks to overturn conviction NEW YORK: Indian-origin hedge fund portfolio manager Mathew Martoma, convicted for his role in the most lucrative insider trading scheme in US history, has asked a court to overturn the verdict or give him a new trial as jury bias "tainted" the ruling.

Martoma, 39, said his conviction should be thrown out because "unrelated" information about his dismissal from Harvard Law School biased the jury against him and the government failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he traded on material, non-public information.

Alternatively, he said in a 45page motion filed in a federal court here that he should face a

new trial.

The motion by the former portfolio manager of CR Intrinsic Investors, a division of SAC Capital, seeks "a judgment of acquittal on all counts".

Martoma, convicted on February 6, will be sentenced on June 10.

He was found guilty by a federal jury for his role in the USD 275 million insider trading scheme after a monthlong trial on one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and two counts of securities fraud related to a clinical trial involving Elan Corp and Wyeth, now part of Pfizer Inc, for an experimental drug to treat Alzheimer's.

While the maximum prison sen-

tence on all the three counts is 45 years, Martoma could face up to 15 to 20 years in prison based on federal sentencing guidelines,

Mathew Martoma

which will take into account the gains reaped by SAC from the trading.

Martoma also faces a fine of over USD 5 million on the charges.

In his motion, Martoma said the government failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he committed any of the crimes he was charged with and that he obtained nonpublic information from two doctors who knew about the clinical trial.

The government also could not prove that the two doctors obtained a personal benefit from sharing confidential material with Martoma, the motion said.

The prosecutors could not prove that Martoma agreed with the doctors who knew of the information about the clinical trial to commit insider trading or had

the "requisite criminal intent to do so", it said.

Martoma said a new trial should be ordered since "the jury was tainted by evidence unrelated to the charged offenses...and the jury was presumptively biased by the unsealed motions...concerning Martoma's dismissal from Harvard Law School."

The motion said information that Martoma was kicked out of Harvard for allegedly doctoring his law school transcript to try to gain a federal clerkship emerged in the midst of jury selection and "garnered widespread media attention and negative publicity, rendering the jurors presumptively biased." PTI

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No merger with Congress, says Telangana Samiti HYDERABAD: Dashing the hopes of Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has ruled out any merger with the national party here today and even refused to commit to an electoral alliance, ending days of speculation about the prospects of the two parties coming together.

TRS also appointed a committee of senior leaders, headed by K Keshav Rao, to take a call on an alliance if any party approaches it, including Congress, TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao told reporters after a marathon general body meeting of the party which unanimously decided against merger with Congress.

"TRS has unanimously decided not to merge with Congress.

We have appointed a committee to look into the issue of alliance, if anyone approaches us," he said, adding TRS MPs could support Congress after Lok Sabha elections.

Lashing out at Congress, he alleged not even a single major demand of TRS was considered.

"We were not taken on board," he said. TRS had approached the Prime Minister and the Group of Ministers tasked with roadmap for the formation of Telangana with a charter of demands but in vain.

He criticized Congress for coming out with an ordinance

handing over certain villages facing submergence due to Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project, to Seemandhra, and making Hyderabad a joint capital as well as allocating Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in Delhi to the residual state.

him," Rao said.

He said his offer to merge TRS with Congress came with a rider that it should be unconditional but now a number of conditions have been imposed.

Telangana should have a strong regional party with a

be a disaster in administration.

He also claimed some Congress leaders misguided Sonia Gandhi on the Telangana issue.

Asked how many seats TRS would stake claim to in an alliance, he merely said "TRS should come to power," adding his party

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrashekar Rao addresses the party’s politburo meeting in Hyderabad on March 3

"AP Bhavan is our hereditary property and Hyderabad has been made joint capital for ten years. The distribution of employees is also not good for Telangana. The Governor has been made a super-cabinet with law and order being entrusted to

strength of 15 MPs (out of 17 in Telangana) and 100 MLAs (out of 119) to bargain with the Centre to get mega development projects, he said, indicating his party would keep its options open in a post-poll scenario.

He denied it's political oppor-

5 Indians among 11 killed in Qatar blast DOHA: Five Indians were among 11 expatriates killed in a deadly blast at a Turkish restaurant here in Qatar's capital.

The blast tore through the Turkish restaurant, which is attached to a mall in Doha and next to a petrol station on Feb 27, killing 11 people, five of them Indians.

Qatar government has announced a probe into the explosion that also injured 35 people.

The Indian victims have been identified as Riyas Kizhakemanolil, Abdul Saleem Palangad, Zakaria Padinjare Anakandi, Venkatesh and Shaikh Babu, The Peninsula reported.

Four Nepali nationals and two people from the Philippines were also killed in the explosions.

The Indian Embassy is in contact with all concerned to repatriate the bodies to their native places, Ambassador Sanjiv Arora said.

Of the 10 injured still undergoing treatment, eight are adults and two children. They comprise three

tunism on his part regarding the refusal to merge with Congress.

With Telangana seeing the light of the day, TRS is not just a political movement any longer but is in fact a pure political party and behaves so, he said.

Asked if he considers BJP to

Nepalese, three Pakistanis, two Filipinos, one Egyptian and one Indian, Gulf Times reported.

Qatari Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani visited the site.

expected to be issued by the end of this week," local Arabic-language Al Sharq newspaper reported.

With serious concern being raised about the safety of gas tanks and cylinders used in eater-

The Interior Ministry announced the formation of a special committee to investigate the incident and a report is expected to be submitted by the end of this week.

"The investigation is going in full swing and the initial report is

ies, especially those based in petrol station complexes, Qatari authorities are gearing up to launch inspection campaign at eateries across the country to ensure that they comply with the safety standards and requirements, the paper said.-PTI

be a potential ally, he said the appointed committee would take a call on the matter.

Rao hit out at Union Minister Jairam Ramesh for reportedly comparing TRS with Aam Aadmi Party, which the latter said was good in agitation but proved to

would win a substantial number of seats as projected by some pre-poll surveys.

He sharply criticized Congress for admitting TRS MLA G Aravind Reddy and expelled TRS MP Vijayashanti to its fold even as it tried to join forces with TRS. -PTI

India may scrap '5/20' rules for airlines MUMBAI: As the Manmohan Singh Government enters the final lap, the Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to move a Cabinet note at the earliest seeking to scrap the present "5-year/20 aircraft" norms for Indian carriers to fly to international cities, official sources said.

The existing rules require domestic carriers to be in operation for at least five years and have a fleet of a minimum 20 aircraft to be eligible to fly on global routes.

"The Aviation Ministry is giving final touches to the Cabinet note seeking its nod for our proposal to amend the 5/20 rules, which is likely to be taken up by the Government for discussion this week itself," the sources said, adding the note is almost ready.

Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls any day. Once the schedule is out, the model code of conduct will kick in, effectively debarring the Government from taking any important

decisions.

The proposal, if cleared, will help budget carrier GoAir, besides the AirAsia India and TataSingapore Airline and also the Kerala Government, which plans to launch an international carrier.

The two new airlines from the Tata stable are expected to be airborne in the next few months.

The first demand to do away with the 5/20 rules came from Kerala's Oommen Chandy Government in 2011, when it announced plan to launch Kerala Airways for the benefit of millions of residents of the State working in the Gulf region.

Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had last month said the Ministry was in the process of framing a Cabinet note to seek the Government approval to "scrap" the 5/20 regulations soon.

The Nusli Wadia-promoted GoAir has already said it plans to hit the international skies and would be firming up route network in the next few months. -PTI

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Honeymoon murder: Dewani loses extradition appeal LONDON: An Indian-origin British businessman accused of plotting the murder of his IndoSwedish wife on their honeymoon, faces extradition to South Africa within four weeks after he lost his last legal battle to block the move.

Shrien Dewani's legal team had wanted to challenge an earlier High Court ruling that he could be extradited over the killing of his wife Anni.

However, a panel of judges headed by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas refused to allow the case to be heard in the Supreme Court.

Bristol-based Dewani is being compulsorily detained under the Mental Health Act, suffering from severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

His lawyer told the judges at the High Court in London that there was fresh evidence that his "underlying medical condition" may have become chronic, making it "untreatable".

But the judges rejected complaints made about the adequacy

of the undertaking by the South African authorities regarding Dewani's welfare, refusing to give the go-ahead for the case to go to

South Africa about the length of time he would be kept in the country without trial.

The 33-year-old is suspected

Shrien Dewani

the highest court in the country.

In January, the High Court ruled it would not be "unjust and oppressive" to extradite Dewani if assurances were received from

of ordering the killing of his wife, a 28-year-old Swedish national of Indian origin.

The charge dates back to November 2010 when the pair were

held at gunpoint while driving through Cape Town in a taxi.

Dewani was released unharmed but his wife's body was found in the car with injuries to her head and chest the following day.

Prosecutors allege South African national Xolile Mngeni, who was later convicted of premeditated murder and jailed for life, had been hired by Dewani to kill his wife.

The legal battle to keep Dewani in the UK until he is well enough to travel has been ongoing since 2011.

But his team may now have exhausted all legal avenues, paving the way for UK Home Secretary Theresa May to issue an extradition order.

An application was made to the judges on Dewani's behalf to delay immediately triggering the 28day period in which the law now requires Dewani to be extradited.

Refusing the application, Lord Thomas said: "The provisions of the Extradition Act are designed to ensure extradition is a speedy process." -PTI

Indian arrested in US for assaulting passenger WASHINGTON: A 61-year-old Indian national has been arrested in the US on charges of sexually assaulting a fellow woman passenger aboard a domestic flight.

Devender Singh, who lives in Baton Rouge, was arrested by the FBI after the plane arrived in Newark.

He appeared in New Jersey Court to face a complaint charging him with one count of abusive sexual contact.

If convicted, Singh faces a maximum potential penalty of two years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense.

According to the filed complaint, Singh was seated next to a woman who occupied a window seat on a United Airlines flight from Houston to Newark. The woman did not know Singh.

While the plane was in the air, the woman fell asleep.

Prosecutors said Singh allegedly kissed her face and sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping. -PTI

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AIBA terminates Indian Boxing Federation LAUSANNE, Switzerland: Furious with the current logjam in the suspended Indian Boxing Federation, the International Boxing Association has terminated the IBF from its fold stating that the current set of office-bearers are "damaging the image, reputation and interest" of the sport.

In a tersely-worded statement, the AIBA said it is not in a position to make a "proper" judgment on how to handle India's case after receiving conflicting communications from various stakeholders.

The boxers and coaches will, however, continue to remain unaffected by the development and can participate in international events under the AIBA flag till the time the crisis is unresolved.

"It is with much regret that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Executive Committee (EC) has decided to end any official relationship with its current suspended member, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) after an extensive evaluation and assessment of all issues surrounding the sport of boxing in India," the world body said in its latest missive.

AIBA President Ching Kuo Wu said the IBF is unlikely to be rerecognized till the time a new set of officials take charge after fresh elections, the screening of candidates for which would be done by the world body.

"As AIBA President and on behalf of the entire boxing family,

I am expressing my deepest regret and sadness that we had to make this decision," stated Dr Wu. "AIBA has always regarded India as one of the most important members of its family, but it has become impossible for us to bear the hard feelings, the pain and suffering the boxers as well as the boxing family in India had to go through under the past and recent leadership which has also

been damaging the image, reputation and interest of our sport in the country," he added.

Sources said the latest AIBA diktat is the result of a letter sent

by IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta in which he sought to persuade the body to recognize the present set of IBF office-bearers.

The request was not taken kindly by the AIBA, which decided to

terminate India.

After provisionally suspending the IBF on December 6, 2012, AIBA has not recognized any official activities and did not support the Indian officials for almost 16 months.

However, AIBA promised to review the situation when the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had its suspension lifted by the IOC.

"Nevertheless, before and after the IOA election and lifting of suspension, AIBA received different claims from various groups of people on the way the sport of boxing was managed in India and it has therefore now become totally impossible for AIBA to make proper judgments in terms of handling the National Federation's affairs in India," the AIBA stated.-PTI

Antony orders CBI probe in aircraft engine deal NEW DELHI: Defense Minister AK Antony has ordered a CBI probe into allegations that a global engine manufacturing firm had paid bribes to Indian defense officials to bag military contracts from 2007 to 2011 in deals worth over Rs 10,000 crore.

The allegations surfaced in the form of a letter received by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) recently claiming that bribes were paid to officials in HAL and other departments concerned to bag contracts, highlyplaced government sources told PTI here.

HAL immediately initiated an inquiry into the charges through its Chief Vigilance Officer, which has found credence in the charges. The firm in question has supplied engines for the aircraft being manufactured by the HAL for the Indian Air Force, they said.

The investigations by the HAL, CVO have prima facie found

After the case with the findings and recommendations of the HAL,CVO was brought to the notice of Defense Minister, Antony ordered that the case be handed over to CBI for further investigations, the sources said.

After the development, IAF's several programs are expected to get delayed but the Defense Minister AK Antony Defense Ministry is firm that it bribes were allegedly paid, they would not allow any corruption to take place in its procurement said.

The issue came to light after process and would take strict acHAL issued queries to its vendors tion even if it means delays in and suppliers to ensure probity some of the projects.

The firm concerned could not in its transactions as part of its integrity pact to be signed with be contacted for its response on the issue.-PTI them, they said. that the company allegedly violated several of the contractual obligations with HAL between the period of 2007-11, when these

Indian-origin drug trafficker gets life sentence SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin Malaysian drug trafficker became the first person whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on mental disorder ground under a new law that took effect last year.

Dinesh Pillai Reja Retnam, 31, was re-sentenced to life term in jail as his case became an exception under the revised Misuse of Drugs Act, which had previously carried a mandatory death sentence.

Dinesh was facing the gallows for trafficking 19.35 g of heroin in 2011 and had his appeal dismissed by the Court of Appeal in 2012.

But the High Court found Dinesh to be suffering from "such abnormality of mind as substantially impaired his mental responsibility for his acts within the meaning of revised law".

He was psychiatrically assessed to be suffering from major depressive disorder of moderate

severity at and around the (material) time of the offence.

A medical examination also suggested some degree of organic damage to his brain, reported the Channel News Asia.

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) commented on the High Court's finding of Dinesh, saying it was "consistent with Parliament's intent in ensuring this exception operates in a measured and narrowly defined way".

The chambers said the exception extends latitude for consideration in cases like Dinesh's without undermining the government's zero-tolerance policy towards drugs.

Singapore Judges can give life imprisonment and caning instead of death to drug couriers under the new laws if they are certified by the AGC to have substantively helped the authorities in investigations and those who have mental illnesses that make them less responsible for their actions. -PTI

Indian-origin man charged with raping teen in Oz MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin man in Australia has been charged with raping and indecently assaulting a 13-year-old girl, according to a media report.

Surendra Chowdhry, 57, allegedly tied the victim's hands behind her back with a handkerchief and then sexually assaulted her in western Sydney on New Year's Day in 2013.

Chowdhry also faces charges of indecently assaulting her three times during 2012 and twice again in January, the Sydney Morning

Herald reported.

Child Abuse Squad officials arrested Chowdhry who wanted to "resolve the matters within the family", police told Parramatta Bail Court.

Police said the victim's father too expressed a desire to "bypass the police and judicial process".

Police alleged if he were released on bail, Chowdhry may influence the victim into withdrawing the complaint.

The magistrate formally refused him bail and remanded him in custody. -PTI

Man charged with murder appears in Aus court MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin man, charged with the murder of four persons in a road accident, appeared in an Australian court and surrendered his passport.

Jobandeep Gill, a 27-year-old sub-contractor for a trucking company in Melbourne, was accused of killing four persons when the truck he was driving crashed into a car.

Gill's defense counsel made no application for bail during his brief appearance in Melbourne Magistrates Court, The Age reported.

Lawyer Abdullah Altintop told the court that Gill, who appeared

in court with a bandage on his wrist, had voluntarily surrendered his passport.

Altintop said Gill could seek bail later.

The charges against Gill allege that he drove in a manner dangerous to the public and caused four deaths.

Gill was charged in his bed in hospital with four counts of culpable driving causing death, four counts of dangerous driving causing death, one count of reckless conduct endangering life and one count of failing to stop at a stop sign. -PTI

Tech News RBI grants 9 more months to exchange notes MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank has granted an additional nine months for the public to exchange currency notes printed before 2005, including Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations, and set a deadline of January 1, 2015.

"RBI has also advised banks to facilitate the exchange of these notes for full value and without causing any inconvenience whatsoever to the public," the central bank said in a release.

It clarified that the public "can continue to freely use these notes" for transactions and can unhesitatingly receive these notes in payment as all such notes remain legal tender.

The RBI on January 22 said it would withdraw from circulation all pre-2005 currency notes from April 1 and the public was advised to approach banks to exchange such notes.

Currency notes issued before 2005 do not have the year of printing on the reverse side. In notes issued after 2005, the year of printing is visible at the bottom of the reverse side.

The RBI said the withdrawal is in conformity with the standard international practice of not having multiple series of notes in circulation at the same time. -PTI

Bahrain's GFH signs pacts with Adani, Wadhwa Group DUBAI: Gulf Finance House, a Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank, has signed two development agreements with Adani Infrastructure and Mumbai-based developer Wadhwa Group for real estate development in India.

Gulf Finance House (GFH) is one of the largest private sector investors from Bahrain into India.

The flagship investment of GFH in India is the Energy City and Mumbai IT & Telecom City in New Mumbai.

The project is to be carried out on an area of 1,200 acres. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Bahrain-India Business Forum in Mumbai, held as part of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's visit to India.

According to the first agreement, GFH and Wadhwa have agreed to the appointment of Hafeez Contractor, India's largest architect firm to be the master planner for the Phase 1 of the India Project, with an expected endsale value of USD 4 billion. -PTI

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Japan LCD screen giant plans USD 4.0 bn share sale TOKYO: Japan Display, the world's biggest maker of screens for smartphones and tablet computers, has announced details of a share offering that could raise up to USD 4.0 billion.

The firm, which counts Apple and Sony as customers, said it would list its shares in Tokyo on March 19, the exchange's biggest offering so far this year after Suntory's food-and-beverage unit raised USD 3.9 billion in 2013.

The liquid crystal display maker said it would sell 140 million new shares at a price range of between 900 yen and 1,100 yen, while its major private shareholders are to sell 213.9 million shares. -AFP

Deutsche Bank co-CEO Anshu Jain honored by Jews NEW YORK: Deutsche Bank's co-CEO Anshu Jain has been honored by the Jewish Museum here at an event where the India-born executive reminisced about his years as a young immigrant studying in the US and the values of family and education that helped shape his life and career.

Addressing the high-profile annual Purim Ball, Jain said a "defining" year for him was 1982 when he arrived in America as a 19-yearold student.

"For a young Indian, it felt like a new world. What I experienced was something many of your parents and grandparents may have told you about: that unforgettable moment of arriving, as an immigrant, in this great, multi- cultural country," Jain told an audience of about 1,000 guests from the worlds of art, fashion, entertainment et al.

Jain was accompanied by his wife and two children.

The event also commemorated 15 years of partnership between

the Jewish Museum and Deutsche Bank.

Jain started his career at Wall Street, working at financial major Merrill Lynch.

Describing himself as an "Indian with a British passport who works for a German bank", Jain

dian. Family is important in both our communities. In India, it's central to the fabric of life. Education was another point in common. My parents made it possible for me to travel seven thousand miles to study here in the US," he said adding that it was a first step in his

Anshu Jain at the Purim Ball

said he learnt a lot from New York's Jewish community during his early years in the city.

"Here in New York, in this Jewish community, many things felt instantly familiar to a young In-

journey.

Jain noted that the cultural bonds he experienced as a young immigrant student have been a "huge help and support" to him throughout a large part of his life.

"I was an immigrant; your community made me feel at home. I'm deeply grateful for that. These bonds are more than cultural; they're also personal," he said.

Jain recalled that during his early years on Wall Street, many of his first role models were Jewish, who had started as immigrants like him.

"From them I learned, as a newcomer, how to navigate Wall Street's traditions. Among New York's Jewish community I have friendships and close client relationships which I forged and treasured in my early days," he added.

Jain said tolerance and respect for diversity are crucial to the culture of Deutsche Bank.

"Around the world, we have employees from more than 150 nationalities. We believe a diverse team is a strong team," he added.

Jain became the Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank in 2012, having first joined in 1995 to build the bank's nascent markets business.

-PTI

Lakshmi Mittal's salary, perks decline 38% NEW DELHI: Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of world's largest steel-maker ArcelorMittal and one of the richest Indians, took a 38 per cent cut in his salary and perks last year amid his firm reporting second consecutive loss in two years.

As per the annual report of ArcelorMittal for 2013, Mittal was paid USD 2.29 million as salary and perks last year, down 38.29 per cent, from 2012's USD 3.71 million. His base salary declined marginally by 0.57 per cent to USD 1.76 million, while his short term performance related pay went down by over 72 per cent to USD 0.53 million.

However, Mittal was allotted 1,50,576 long term performance share units (PSUs), a jump of 20 times than that of last year's 7,500 PSUs. Interestingly, pay cheques of

all Board members, other than Mittal, rose in 2013 despite the poor performance of the company.

This includes Mittal's daughter Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, who got nearly 7 per cent hike in her com-

Mittal's son and company's CFO Aditya Mittal as he is not a Board member.

In 2013, ArcelorMittal had posted a net loss of USD 2.545 billion. The loss, though lower than 2012's USD 3.352 billion net loss, was due to poor market conditions, which was largely witnessed during the first half of the year.

This had led to company's operating profit (EBITDA) and sales declining by 10 per cent and 5.67 per cent, respectively. The company has also kept the dividend for 2014 unchanged at USD 0.20 per share.

Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal Lakshmi Mittal, along with his wife Usha Mittal pensation at USD 1,84,000. holds 39.39 per cent stake in The report, however, did not ArcelorMittal. mention compensation given to He is also highest paid among

the Board members of ArcelorMittal, the report showed.

All the 10 Board members of the company, other than Mittal, are non-executive directors.

Of them, eight are independent directors.

In 2013, Mittal's pay cheque was way ahead of the second best paid Lewis B Kaden, the lead independent director, who received 6.87 per cent hike in compensation at USD 2,80,000.

Narayanan Vaghul, former chairman of ICICI Bank and an independent director of ArcelorMittal, was the third highest paid board member with a compensation of USD 2,33,000.

Cost cutting by the company was also evident on total salary and wages paid in 2013 to its 2,32,000 workforce, which declined by 3.29 per cent to USD 9.89 billion. -PTI

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Fight within DoT delays project in Naxal area NEW DELHI: An internal fight and wrong mathematical calculations by a wing of Department of Telecom (DoT) has led to a delay in a crucial telecom project in Naxal-hit areas, raising concerns among security agencies who have taken up the matter at the highest level of government.

versal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a department created to look after connectivity in non-profitable areas of the country.

The issue got caught in bureaucratic wrangles after USOF red-flagged the project, which had gone from Rs 3,046.12 crore, cleared by Union Cabinet on June

Security agencies have urged the authorities concerned to speed up phone connectivity at nearly 2,200 locations across nine states.

After the security agencies raised the issue with the Prime Minister's Office, a meeting was held within DoT in which details were sought from BSNL and Uni-

4, 2013, to Rs 3,900 crore.

BSNL, which had tendered the project and finalized all details about installations of telecom towers, cited a "calculation mistake" on part of USOF, which had unilaterally undervalued the maintenance cost for the towers besides reducing the prices of several other components.

Although USOF has maintained that the cost of installing telecom towers in left-wing extremism affected areas in the nine states was worked out by a committee, sources in the telecom ministry said the department was delaying the project despite having funds.

A senior Home Ministry official said that the delay was causing a lot of operational hazards and going against the government policy of ensuring full-fledged development in the remote areas of Naxalhit states.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced at the Telecom summit in last December that the Centre has approved a scheme for installing mobile towers at about 2,200 locations in areas affected by Naxal violence.

BSNL contended that VAT, excise and other state taxes had not been calculated by USOF before submitting the project to the Union Cabinet.

USOF is likely to recommend to the Telecom Commission that a retendering process be initiated which, however, may lead to litigation from the selected companies, thus resulting in a lengthy delay, officials felt. -PTI

Fastlane in Nokia X shows promise BARCELONA, Spain: By design, Nokia's new Android smartphones will underwhelm users of high-end phones. The Nokia X line was created with emerging markets in mind, so the company emphasized keeping prices low, meaning the user inter-

Nokia Corp. added a Fastlane feature, a screen with quick access to your mostused apps. You get to it by swiping from the left or right edge of the home screen face is relatively simple.

The home screen resembles the one on Nokia's Windows-based Lumia phones, even though it's Android underneath. But Nokia Corp. added a Fastlane feature, a screen with quick access to your most-used apps. You get to it by swiping from the left or right edge

of the home screen or tapping the back button at the bottom.

The basic Nokia X phone costs 89 euros ($122) and has a 4-inch screen, measured diagonally, and a 3 megapixel camera. A X+ version with an SD storage card costs 99 euros, while an XL with a 5-inch screen and 5 megapixel camera goes for 109 euros.

In the brief time I've had with the Nokia X at last week's Mobile World Congress wireless show in

Barcelona, Spain, I have found the Fastlane feature to be a good start.

It's something I would like to see on more phones, including Nokia's Windows devices.

I hate to spend time customizing gadgets, getting the icons for the most-used apps on the main home screen. The nice thing about Fastlane is that you don't have to spend any time on that. Your favorite apps are just one swipe away - sort of.

New ring controls your gadgets with gestures WASHINGTON: A new wearable ring-shaped device allows you to control your gadgets via hand gestures, letting you send texts, turn on appliances and making payments.

The novel device called 'Ring' allows users to control anything they want, by wearing it on your finger, it creators said.

Using the device, users can send texts, control home appliances, and even pay bills - all at once and in a flash.

The device resembles an ordinary ring and is filled with sensors and electronics to give it the ability to control devices and render input.

For instance it can enable gesture controls, of the kind available with a special kind of remote, 'TechCrunch' reported.

The device also allows for text input by drawing letters in the air, gesture-based authorization for finalizing payments, and transmit alerts from connected devices via a built-in vibration motor and onboard LED. According to Ring's creators, sensors on board the device can detect even the smallest finger movements and the gadget works with preset gestures for common controls such as calling up messages, playing music or activating the camera. -PTI

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Bill Gates regains world's richest man title NEW YORK: Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has regained the title of the world's richest man in the Forbes magazine's annual billionaire list that includes 56 India based billionaires led by RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Gates is back at the top spot after a four-year hiatus, reclaiming the title of world's richest person from Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu, who had ranked number 1 for the previous four years.

Gates, whose fortune rose by USD 9 billion in the past year to USD 76 billion, has held the top spot for 15 of the past 20 years.

"After years focused on his philanthropy, Gates plans to spend more of his time working with product managers at Microsoft as rivals like Google and Apple continue to outshine the company in the market," Forbes said.

With a networth of USD 18.6 billion, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chief Mukesh Ambani leads the pack of 56 billionaires based

in India featured on the list.

His younger brother Anil Ambani is ranked 281st on the list with a net worth of USD 5 billion.

USD 43 billion and he when was the world's fifth richest person.

"Regardless he remains India's richest person and is still bullish;

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates

However, Forbes said the richest Indian person has seen "precipitous decline" in his fortune since 2008 when his networth was

says he plans to invest USD 25 billion in his businesses over the next two years," Forbes said.

The magazine also referred to

accusations of wrongdoing made against Reliance by Aam Admi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal, who had recently alleged that Ambani is "running the government".

The other Indian billionaires in the list are ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal who is ranked 52nd with a networth of USD 16.7 billion, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji ranked 61st with USD 15.3 billion, founder of Sun Pharma Dilip Shanghvi ranked 82nd with USD 12.8 billion, HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar is ranked 102nd and has a net worth of USD 11.1 billion. Hinduja brothers came in at the 122nd with USD 10 billion.

Birla group chief Kumar Birla is ranked 191st and has a networth

Fastlane in Nokia X shows promise Cont’d from page 13

Indians may get Swiss chocolates at cheaper rates NEW DELHI: Indian consumers may get high-end Swiss chocolates at cheaper rates as the government is likely to reduce import duty on the product under free trade agreement with EFTA, a four-member bloc including Switzerland.

"The talks are progressing.

Switzerland has asked India to reduce duty on its high-end chocolates from the current 30 per cent.

The commerce ministry is looking at the issue positively," a senior government official told PTI. India and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are negotiating a free trade agreement and both the sides have completed 1314 rounds of talks.

The EFTA is a grouping of four countries -- Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

"Reducing duties will be beneficial for Indian consumers.

Today, a person coming from abroad always carry packets of Swiss or Belgian chocolates.

"So, why not give them an op-

tion to buy in India itself. I think domestic chocolate manufacturers should not have any problem in reducing the duties, at least for high-end Swiss chocolates," the official said.

India is one of the fastest growing chocolate markets in the world.

Multinationals Cadbury and Nestle claim a big chunk of domestic chocolate market which is estimated at around Rs 3,000 crore. It is growing 15 per cent a year.

Two-way trade between India and EFTA stood at USD 34.48 billion in 2012-13 as against USD 37.5 billion in 2011-12. -PTI

London School funds Bangalore analytics start-up MUMBAI: A Bangalore-based career analytics start-up has received a Rs 5 lakh grant for a unique business plan competition for which they were evaluated by visiting students from the London Business School (LBS), in association with Mumbai's angel investors.

As part of their education pro-

gram, 86 students from the LBS visited the financial capital and the competition was held to test their business analytics skills, professor John Mullins said here.

A total of three businesses from across sectors made business pitches, of which Kunal Varma's presentation won the

prize.

"This is a grant from our end.

It is not an angel investment, where equity will exchange hands. We are thankful for all our friends here and this is a gift from the school," Mullins said.

This is the second consecutive year where LBS students visited the country, he said. -PTI

of USD 7 billion, Forbes said the ranks of the world's billionaires continued to scale new heights and stretched to new corners of the world.

The list has 1,645 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of USD 6.4 trillion, up from USD 5.4 trillion a year ago. The list features a record 268 new ten-figure fortunes, including 42 new women billionaires.

In total, there are 172 women on the list, more than ever before and up from 138 last year.

The year's biggest dollar gainer was Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped USD 15.2 billion, to USD 28.5 billion, as shares of his social network soared. -PTI

The top of Fastlane shows you what's coming up, whether that's alarms about to ring or future events in your calendar. Below that are your recently used apps. The ones you just used will be at the top, so you don't have to scroll down.

For some apps, you get information that normally comes with notifications, such as previews of text messages or alerts that three people have tried to reach you on WeChat, a Chinese social network.

You see small versions of recent

prove - understanding better which apps I use most over a period of days or months and creating a section at the top for those.

Last week, for example, I was too busy to check Facebook, but that doesn't mean I don't use it regularly. But in Fastlane, Facebook would drop toward the bottom in a matter of days, unless I happen to choose it as my one shortcut.

Why not make sure the mostused apps are stored as favorites at the top of the screen? Nokia says it's considering that.

Likewise, if I haven't used

photos and can tap for the larger version in the photo gallery app.

You see calls you missed, songs you heard and websites you visited.

It could get overwhelming, so you can block certain apps and certain notifications from appearing in Fastlane. In the settings, you can also add a shortcut to one social network, such as Facebook or Twitter.

That's where Fastlane can im-

something for months after using it daily, Fastlane can assume I've grown tired of it and automatically remove it. Myspace anyone?

Nokia doesn't plan to make Fastlane for its Windows phones, and I doubt it'll extend it to rival Android phones, such as my Samsung Galaxy S III. It's something it wants to keep exclusive to its own phones to compete.

That's understandable, yet a shame. -AP

March 7, 2014

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India Post 15

Desi News Amb. Jaishankar wins all by his simplicty & sagacity ASIAN MEDIA USA & S. ULLAL

CHICAGO: Brevity is considered to be the soul of a good report and it seems after listening to Indian Ambassador Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, that brevity in speech should also be the soul of good and effective speech.

Ambassador Jaishankar was quite pleasing and effective though he spoke briefly to a good number of Indian community leaders, Chicago elites and US elected officials during a reception hosted in his honor by Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed at the Union Club of Chicago in Downtown Chicago on the evening of Thursday February 27.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Ambassador & Quinn for close Illinois-India ties Details on page 22

16 India Post

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March 7, 2014

Supporters throng Ro Khanna 'Meet & Greet' at Japra Vineyards

Details on page 21

Chants, pujas mark grand celebration of Maha Shivaratri India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: Maha Shivaratri festival that glorifies Hindu god Shiva was celebrated as a week long grand celebration from February 26 to March 3 at Fremont Hindu Temple. The festival is celebrated on the 14th night of the new moon during the Hindu lunar month of Phalguna.

The celebration of Maha Shivaratri began with Pradosha Puja and Kalasa Sthapana on Wednesday Feb 26. Kalasha Sthapana means installing a pot filled with water and is meant to represent Lord Shiva by a process of Avahana. It is believed that the formless God appeared in the form of "Lingodbhav Moorti" at midnight on Maha Shivratri. This is said to be the reason as to why Shiva devotees keep vigil at night and offer prayers to the Lord.

Details on page 18

250 students participate in Spelling Bee

Dr Romesh Japra extols community for support to Ro Khanna's candidature for Congress India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: FIA Chairman and Convener Dr Romesh Japra hosted a community 'Meet and Greet Ro Khanna' at his home Japra Vineyards in Fremont on Sunday, February 23. A diverse group of over 400 people attended and heard Ro's vision for Silicon Valley and America.

Ro Khanna is running for Congress (CD 17) and continues to make strides in his campaign for US Congress election in 2014. One of his core strengths has been to mobilize grassroots support in the local community. His campaign has successfully raised campaign funds by conducting Meet and Greet events in Bay Area.

Attending the event were community leaders such as Fremont City Council member Raj Salwan, Fremont Vice Mayor Anu Natarajan, Steve Spinner, Anil Yadav, Brahma Kumari Kusum Behn, Reshma Karipineni,

Councilmember Kansen Chu, Rishi Kumar and FIA team including Rajesh Verma, Yogi Chugh, Dharminder Diwan, Manorama Joshi, Deepak Chhabra and Ritu Maheshwari.

Steve Spinner, Ro's campaign chair laid out specific action items for the gathered crowd while giving the inside scoop of what has been going on in the journey thus far. There was a dedicated group of student volunteers registering people to vote and encouraging them to sign up to volunteer for the campaign. There was much excitement in the air.

Also present were prominent Chinese American community leaders from San Jose and Bay Area committing their support to Ro Khanna.

Attendees were impressed with Ro Khanna and his commitment to public service. Many also felt that he represented the best shot for the community to get a political voice and also felt that he is

India Post News Service

SAN RAMON, CA: Spandana Foundation organized its 3rd annual spelling competition "Spandana Spelling Bee 2014" at Windmere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon on Sunday, February 9.

"The competition was in two stages, written round and oral round.

Details on page 19

Youth turned out in great numbers to support Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna addressing the gathering as Rajesh Verma, guest, Mr. Kansen Chu, Dr. Romesh Japra and Raj Salwan support him

Rajesh Verma, Dr Romesh Japra, Manorama Joshi, Soni Singh and Ratika cheer Ro Khanna

the best person for CA Congres- and issues of importance to them. sional District 17th which includes Many admired his support of civil parts of Fremont, Newark, liberties and justice.

Milpitas, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Ro Khanna is proposing his Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose. seven point program for Bay area.

Supporters were heard saying that he was a very impressive candidate with impeccable credentials.

Having served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce many felt that he understood manufacturing, job creation and the interest of Mr. Roman Reed addressing the gathering small, medium and large businesses.

Many were pleased to see that Its highlights are: Ro supported comprehensive im1. Include Computer coding in migration reform. He reiterated his Public School Curriculum Cont’d on page 18 support to the entire community

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March 7, 2014

India Post 17

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Ro Khanna outlines seven-point jobs plan India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Charu and Chaitanya Vaidya, big time supporters of "Ro Khanna for Congress" organized a Meet and Greet Ro Khanna event at their Early Learning Preschool located on 1133 Piedmont Road in San Jose on Saturday, March 1, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.

Ro Khanna is a US Congressional Candidate representing Bay Area's District 17.

There was a very good turnout with close to 100 people from various walks of life attending the event. Among the guests were Dr Romesh Japra, Chairman of FIA, Rajesh Verma, President of FIA, as well as Silicon Valley technocrats, educationists, teachers, engineers and professionals along with many of friends and neighbors.

Ro Khanna delivered a very passionate speech outlining his Platform where he emphasized about Jobs Plan for the Bay Area's Future. Ro highlighted a seven-point plan to bring jobs back home and to prepare workers for today's dynamic economy. The plan included: 1. Include computer coding in the public school curriculum 2. Invest in and credential science tech-

Guru Shree Rishi Prabhakarji attains Mahasamadhi India Post News Service

P

oojya Guruji Rishi Prabhakar attained Maha Samadhi at 6.26am on 16 Feb 2014 in Bangalore. He was 65. He is survived by his mother Smt. Ramadevi Amma (84), wife Arundhathi Rishi Prabhakar, son Siddhanth and thousands of his shishya pariwar.

Rishi Samskruti V i d y a Kendra (RSVK) & L i f e Yesseence Academy (LiYA), the institutions Poojya Guruji Rishi Prabhakar founded by Poojya Guruji for spreading the knowledge to ordinary persons in the world have over 600 branches in India and outside.

Cont’d on page 20

nology, engineering and math (stem) educators 3. Increase the number of women in science and technology careers 4. Prepare young people for advanced manufacturing careers.

5. Connect small business with capital and access to the export market 6. Provide job training and tax credits to support dislocated workers.

7. Increase the minimum wage to make sure that the work pays.

The speech was followed by very lively Question and Answer session that lasted for about one hour.

20 India Post

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March 7, 2014

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Chants, pujas mark grand celebration of Maha Shivaratri India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: Maha Shivaratri festival that glorifies Hindu god Shiva was celebrated as a week long grand celebration from February 26 to March 3 at Fremont Hindu Temple. The festival is celebrated on the 14th night of the new moon during the Hindu lunar month of Phalguna.

The celebration of Maha Shivaratri began with Pradosha Puja and Kalasa Sthapana on Wednesday Feb 26. Kalasha Sthapana means installing a pot filled with water and is meant to represent Lord Shiva by a process of Avahana. It is believed that the formless God appeared in the form of "Lingodbhav Moorti" at midnight on Maha devotees from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It is believed that Lord Shiva performed Tandava, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction on this auspicious night of Shivaratri. On Sunday, March 2, Maha Rudra Yagam was offered by Holiness Sri Karunamayi Ma from 9 am to 2 pm. SMVA Trust promotes world peace through interfaith dialogue and cooperation.

The temple management thanked the priests, volunteers, committee members and others associated with Shivratri. This is said to be the reason as to why Shiva devotees keep vigil at night and offer prayers to the Lord.

Chants, mantras, pujas, offerings, meditations, every possible means to propitiate the Lord was on evidence on the auspicious day, ahead of the grand culmination of the aarti.

According to popular legend, described in Linga Purana, it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga for the first time.

Since then, the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by the devotees of Shiva and they celebrate it as Maha Shivaratri, the grand night of Shiva.

Fremont Hindu temple had organized for the special Sahasra Spatula Lingaarchana with 1008 Shiv Lingas and it was the first time all over Bay area, says, Govind Pasumarthi, Chair.

Over 3000 devotees offered their prayers on this holy day at the Fremont Hindu temple.

The temple management had made elaborate arrangements for Shiva Parvathi

Kalyana Mahotsavam. On Saturday, the Kalyanam of Sri Parvathi and Sri Shiva Kalyanam was attended by over thousand

the temple proceedings for their valuable time and for bringing the best religious events to the Bay area devotees.

Supporters throng Ro Khanna 'Meet & Greet' at Japra Vineyards Cont’d from page 16

2. Invest in and credential science technology, engineering, and Math educators 3. Increase the number of women in science and technology careers 4. Prepare young people for advanced manufacturing careers 5. Connect small busiPacked hall listens to Ro Khanna with rapt attention nesses with capital and access to the export market ties. His message of job creation and a strong 6. Provide job training and tax credits to middle class is resonating with the commusupport dislocated workers nity. Ro Khanna's candidacy has been gain7. Increase the minimum wage ing momentum and he has received tremenRo Khanna for Congress has been re- dous coverage in local and national media ceiving wide support from the Indian Ameri- where many are saying that CA 17 has becan community and many other communi- come a very competitive race.

Ritu Maheshwari, Raj Salwan, Dr. Uppal, Ro Khanna, Khushvinder Singh and Jerry Ahuja

Rajesh Verma, Nandini Verma, Dr Romesh Japra, Sunita Japra, Ro Khanna, Shalu Verma and Ritu Maheshwari

Community Across America

March 7, 2014

India Post 19

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250 students participate in Spandana Spelling Bee

Senior winners

Junior Winners India Post News Service

SAN RAMON, CA: Spandana Foundation organized its 3rd annual spelling competition "Spandana Spelling Bee 2014" at Windmere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon on Sunday, February 9.

"The competition was in two stages, written round and oral round. Top 30 students in written round in each category advanced to oral round and intensely competed to win category championship", said Spandana Foundation board of director and event coordinator Chandrasekhara Azad.

The event was a great success with more than 250 students from 1st to 8th grades competing for honors in three categories of Junior, Intermediate and Senior sections.

Students from all parts of Bay Area participated in this event representing over 80 schools from over 25 cities.

It was a pleasure watching such an abundance of talent and fierce competition in each category with "Oral Spelling" segment often going into multiple rounds - as many as 20 rounds in the case of Junior category!

Top three students in each category were presented with trophies.

"In appreciation of so much of talent and to encourage more students, Spandana Foundation recognized top three students in each grade. This is unique in Spandana Spelling Bee competition" said Hari Moola another director.

San Ramon Mayor Bill Clarkson graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Addressing the audience, Mr Clarkson said that he was very pleased to see such high level of performance with so many students fiercely competing for honors. He said that city of San Ramon will recognize all the category level winners of "Spandana Spelling Bee 2014".

Giri Lankipalle, Director and Founding member said "There are three goals for Spandana in organizing this competition, fundraising for Spandana, provide platform for kids to learn, compete and excel and finally making kids aware of philanthropy.

Participation fee of $25 is spent back in India for supporting 1 year of high-school education for the poor and deserving students".

Lankipalle said, in the last seven years, Spandana helped over 15000 high school kids and helped over 200 medical and engineering students in India for their higher education". He requested parents to involve in social service and make a difference to community both here in USA and in India.

Cont’d on page 20

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March 7, 2014

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Guru Shree Rishi Prabhakarji attains Mahasamadhi Cont’d from page 17

Guruji's Antim Kriya (Last Ritual) was performed at 11 am on 17-Feb-2014, Monday, at the Doddamaralawadi Ashram, off Harohalli, Kanakapura Road.

A modern day Rishi (researcher) A Rishi (Researcher) in the true sense, he was an active inspiration for simplicity and dynamism for several millions around the world, whose lives have been uplifted by him and his dedicated family of teachers.

Guruji was builder of many spiritual world leaders, and the world famous Siddha Samadhi Yoga (SSY) programs, in 1978. Millions continue to benefit from his teachings of inner silence and self-realization.

Guruji was in the Guru Parampara of the ancient Indian Rishis. He was initiated by H.H. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi into spiri-

tual sadhana and further elevated by his Sadhguru Bhagwan Shree Vishweshwariah of Bangalore.

After completing engineering from Bangalore University, he pursued his Master's in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and completed his M.B.A. from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

He was a scientist, engineer, active environmentalist and creator of breakthrough programs such as 100% Memory Program, Joyous Living through Higher Consciousness, Forest Academics and Rural Development, Inspirational & Visionary Leadership for Global Development, and Peace Homes and Peace Villages.

He worked in the field of health, stress management, solution for chronic ailments, changing life style and bringing about consciousness change in human be-

ings, environment protection, and re-establishing Gurukul and GuruShishya parampara for educational reforms to suit modern education and corporate world. He built Gurukuls, and promoted Peace Homes and Peace Villages for liv-

ing programs and taught the world for 35years through thousands of teachers that he trained.

SSY training is a holistic approach to life which transforms persons from within leading them to be joyous, responsible, healthy, ener-

Recently he wrote a book "Live Life King Size on an Empty Wallet" in which he shared his life time learning. Guruji practiced what he preached, in all areas of his life, including his own health, his family life and his teachings. ing together in trust, love and harmony. He worked for world peace and global religious harmony.

His teachings can be learnt through the SSY program (Siddha Samadhi Yoga). He developed SSY and other advance train-

getic, effortless, loving, caring and serving - contributing their best for the mankind.

He leaves behind a rich legacy of silence, love, seva to the mankind and a message that life is to live it fully with joy and sharing.

A King who lived in hearts of millions

Possessing nothing as his own, living on whatever was offered in love, working joyfully for the welfare of all, Pujya Guruji was the living embodiment of the Great Masters of India.

He did not hold on, nor did he form any cult or any religion. He respected teachings of all religions and could very easily and whole heatedly join prayers may they be in a temple, gurudwara, church or masjid.

Recently he wrote a book "Live Life King Size on an Empty Wallet" in which he shared his life time learning. Guruji practiced what he preached, in all areas of his life, including his own health, his family life and his teachings. He was very courageous and had enormous inner strength. But most importantly he was a loving parent to all his disciples. The light of knowledge he has lit in million hearts will continue to illuminate the world for years to come.

250 students participate in Spandana Spelling Bee Cont’d from page 19

Azad thanked the volunteers for their tireless work for over two months to make this event such a grand success. "Syamala Aramandla, Rohit Tiple, Sirish Aramandla and Bheem Sen spent numerous hours for over two months to prepare for this event.

We cannot thank enough for their commitment and time" he added.

Hari Moola thanked event sponsors BMC Software, JEI Learning, Brain O Magic, ATA Martial Arts, Windemere Realty, Dublin Plaza Dental, Sanjiv CPA, Avex Funding and Peacock chain of restaurants for their support.

Spandana Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to im-

prove the lives of poor and the needy in the fields of education and health. Spandana Foundation mission is "to help and aid the poor and the deprived people in the fields of Basic Living, Education and health by actively encouraging and engaging youth in service activities".

WINNERS: Junior Category: Anisha Rao - 1st Place, Aditya Popuri - 2nd Place, Rishik Gandhasri - 3rd Place.

Intermediate Category: Rutvik Gandhasri - 1st Place, Aarush Aitha - 2nd Place, Sujana Sridhar 3rd Place Senior Category: Shirlyn Prabahar - 1st Place, Akil Iyer - 2nd Place, Surya Auroprem - 3rd Place.

Intermediate winners

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Ambassador Jaishankar wins all by his simplicty & sagacity ASIAN MEDIA USA & S. ULLAL

CHICAGO: Brevity is considered to be the soul of a good report and it seems after listening to

In his address, the Ambassador laid emphasis on basics of Indo-US relationship observing

Ambassador Dr Jaishankar and CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed. Pics Asian Media USA

Indian Ambassador Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, that brevity in speech should also be the soul of good and effective speech.

Ambassador Jaishankar was quite pleasing and effective

that the fundamentals were sound and that minor irritants cropping up of late, though significant, could be overcome with mutual give and take.

A section of guests and invitees

though he spoke briefly to a good number of Indian community leaders, Chicago elites and US elected officials during a reception hosted in his honor by Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed at the Union Club of Chicago in Down-

Niranjan Shah and Smita Shah with Tony Preckwinkle

town Chicago on the evening of Thursday February 27.

Those present at the reception were truly impressed by his simplicity, sincerity and sagacity. He came he saw and he conquered those there along with Dr Ausaf Sayeed, who has also won the hearts of Chicagoan Indians.

Cont’d on page 23

India Post 21

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Ambassador & Quinn for close Illinois-India ties RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: In light of growing cultural and business relations between India and Illinois, a meet between Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and India's new Ambassador to the United States, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is seen by many as a milestone that would further boost these ties in coming years.

Indian Ambassador Jaishankar was in Chicago last week on a very short visit and Governor Quinn extended a hearty welcome to him on February 28. During a meet at Governor's office in Chicago Downtown, they discussed trade opportunities between Illinois and India. Governor Quinn in his remark said that he represented 200,000 Illinois residents of Indian descent and was "looking forward to a long and productive relationship with the newly installed Ambassador."

Governor Quinn also observed that "as the world's largest democracy and one of its oldest civilizations, India has many lessons to share. It was an honor to meet the new Ambassador, and we had a fruitful and enjoyable dialogue."

Governor Quinn also noted that he marches every year in Chicago's India Independence Day Parade on Devon and that the 2013 parade was the biggest ever. He hopes Ambassador Jaishankar can visit Illinois again next August for the 2014 Parade.

The trade between India and Illinois has been growing over the

past few years pushing Illinois as the sixth largest exporter to India among 50 States in USA. Its rank was 7th as the largest importer from India. The bulk of the trade covered chemicals, machinery and agriculture related items, according to sources close to the Governor's office. There is bigger scope now for higher level of technological collaborations and tie

Robin KKelly, uring a reception hosted by Indian Consul General in Chicago IP News Bureau adds: Earlier, Indian Ambassador addressed an elite meet at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in Chicago in Downtown Chicago and pointed out that there were no major hurdles to overcome in Indo-US relationship saying that

tives, instant market analysts and social media," Jaishankar said.

"Since they have become arbiters of the state of international relations, life is apparently defined by extreme outcomes. Our ties, for good or bad, are however currently positioned in the median zone. The rest of us - who think seriously about long-term strategic relations - therefore, have a problem on our

Indian Ambassador with Illinois Gov Pat Quinn

ups in coming years, it is believed.

The Ambassador had meetings with the Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, Senator Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel besides Governor Pat Quinn. He had a chance to meet other elected officials and US lawmakers - Secretary of State Jesse White, Lt. Governor Shiela Simon, Congressman Danny Davis and Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky and

efforts are directed rather at coping with the challenges of normalcy.

"We have no great problem in our ties to solve, nor a crisis to defuse. There is no big idea either in the works with a transformational potential. So, in an era where the news cycle becomes a barometer of ties, this has led to the relationship dropping off the radar, and being left to political opera-

hands," he added.

Detailing some irritants, Jaishankar said that an incident involving an Indian diplomat in New York, the downgrading of India's aviation safety status, attacks on pharmaceutical industry, the US filing a WTO complaint on India's solar industry and Congressional hearings on market access in India come easily to his mind.

Though important and quite significant, these problems could not be construed as insurmountable road blocks and are not representative of the totality of IndoUS ties. 'What they actually do is to present a skewed picture of what is being built on a solid foundation of converging interests," he said.

The Indo-US relationship needs to be worked upon at different levels. "We are approaching a defining moment where choices made would have significant implications for India of course, but for the United States and the world as well.

Pressing issues on agenda require a good give and take. But while doing so, we must not lose sight of the larger connect that provides an enabling environment where more ambitious visions could unfold," he added.

Touching upon Indian elections, he observed that any "government coming into office after general elections will naturally put nation building as its first priority.

Encouraging investment, expanding manufacturing, modernizing infrastructure, enhancing skills development, upgrading technology and promoting innovation will continue to be top priority and the partnership with USA would be indispensable, he said adding that nothing could be taken for granted and need be to assiduously tended by gardeners.

"The sensible thing to do is to switch to a problem-solving mode and iron out current wrinkles in the India-US relationship."

Indians protest anti-India resolution in US Congress SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Members of Indian community have expressed their deep sense of concern and disappointment over a bill H Res. 417 recently introduced in US Congress by two Midwestern congressmen that apparently seeks to castigate Indian rulers for the alleged "exploitation of religious differences and denounce harassment and violence against religious minorities, especially in the run-up to India's general elections in 2014."

The concern was also that two leaders of Congress from Illinois Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis - are likely to extend their support to the bill that apparently puts India in bad light and indirectly seeks to influence the election process this year. Tarnishing of India's secular image is deeply regretted, say Indian community activists led by Jitendra Diganvker, Vandana Jhingan and twenty others.

Group of Indians voice concern at HR 417 Bill that tarnishes India's secular Image

This group hosted a meeting in 8th district, where highest numbers of Indian live and own businesses, to voice their concern and apprehension. Over 50 organizations of Indian community members decided that some action needs to be taken on the bill that

puts Indians in a great unfavorable light and disrupts the secular image of the country.

Madhu Patel, Nirav Patel, Nitin Surti , Jayanti Oza, Vandana Jhingan, Prasad Yalamanchi, Amar Upadhaya, Jitendra Bulsara, Kalpesh Desai, Haribhai Patel ,

Ajay Gupta, IADO President Dr Ashish Sen felt that the said resolution was introduced in the House with an apparent aim to show sympathy for the minorities in India, but in fact, it sidelined the country's rich cultural heritage, its huge religious diversity and com-

mitment to tolerance and equality, and its all-time stance to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities.

The resolution H Res. 417 commended the U.S. government for exercising its authority in 2005, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to deny United States visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on the grounds of violations of religious freedom, and encouraged it to review the applications of any individuals implicated in religious freedom violations under the same standard.

However, this standard is not applied universally to other countries or other leaders in the world.

Persecutions of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in some of India's neighboring countries continue even now after sixty years of division of the India.

Cont’d on page 24

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India Post 23

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Ambassador Jaishankar wins all by his simplicty & sagacity

Dorothy Brown Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court with Ambassador Jaishankar, CG and Naren Patel Cont’d from page 21

pose.

He exuded confidence that the relation between India and US would hit a new high as in the market terminology "the fundamentals are good, it's the sentiment that needs improving." He underlined the importance of

The Indian envoy said that the 'romance phase of courtship' has ended and hard work is ahead.

Speaking in sub-zero temperatures outside and against the backdrop of cooling of ties between India and the United States, he said A graduate of St. Stephen's that although "current senti- College at the University of ment seems Delhi, M.A. in Political less than posi- Science, M. Phil. and PhD tive," the two countries "can in International Relations neither afford from Jawaharlal Nehru dilution of atUniversity where he spetention nor weakening of cialized in Nuclear Diplofaith" in the re- macy, Jaishankar is a lationship that career Indian civil servant is always fated to show resil- and diplomat with impecience and cable credentials. unity of pur-

Amb Jaishanakar with Consul Gangte and CG staff

close mutually beneficial relationship mainly because India and USA are world's largest and leading democratic nations.

However, this did not prevent him from cautioning US lawmakers keen on tightening visa rules for hi-tech firms and profession-

A graduate of St. Stephen's College at the University of Delhi, M.A. in Political Science, M. Phil. and PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University where he specialized in Nuclear Diplomacy, Jaishankar is a career Indian civil servant

message from the Governor.

There were many dignitaries present in the audience including Swati Dandekar, State Rep. Iowa; Tony Preckwinkle, President Cook County Board; Ameya Pawar, Alderman, 47th Ward; Divya Sarang, Public Prosecutor, Chicago City Hall; Daniel Goff, Dy. Dir. Trade & Investment ILL,; Andrew Spinelli, Dy Dir., Mayor's Office; Amardeep Kaleka, Candidate for US Congress; Manju Goel, Candidate for US Congress; Dorothy Brown; Douglas Derrick, President, Art Institute; Niranjan Shah CEO Globe Trotter Engineering Corp, Ms Smita Shah of Chicago Delhi Sister Cities, Dr Bharat Barai, Oncologist from Indiana; Naren Patel, CEO Medstar Laboratories; Santosh Kumar Executive Director MAFS; Hemant Shah of Jain Society; Rajinder Singh Mago; Balvinder Singh; Basanti Banerjee of Indo American Center; Dr Asit Sen of IADO Sohan Joshi NFIA President, Kanti Patel of Gujarat Culture, Vinesh Virai of Art of Living and many more.

Among those present, Dr Bharat Barai former President of FIA, said he "had the privilege

Amb Jaishankar with Swati Dandekar, Asit Sen and Rishikant Singh

als while overhauling immigration laws. The move is fraught with danger as it will have serious adverse repercussion on Indian economy and expansion of trade between these two great world democracies, he observed.

Ambassador Jaishankar did not mince words in thanking Indian CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed and its staff hosting this memorable event.

Earlier, Indian CG Dr Ausuf Sayeed extended hearty welcome to Chicago Indian American elite; American elected officials and guests and took opportunity to introduce the honored guest, Dr Jaishankar. The welcome ceremony had started with social hours with cheese wine reception along with specially prepared Indian appetizer.

and diplomat with impeccable credentials. His previous appointments included India's Ambassador to People's Republic of China and Czech Republic, High Commissioner to Singapore etc. During the era of President Bush he played a key role in negotiating the nuclear treaty.

He succeeds Ms Nirupama Rao as Indian Ambassador to USA and faces a great challenge and opportunity ahead to build new bridges of friendship and strengthen relations with this great country despite current blip in bilateral relations.

On this occasion, present on behalf of Governor of Illinois Quinn, Ms. Theresa Mah, Senior Policy Advisor & Director of Asian American Outreach, read welcoming and congratulatory

of meeting Dr Jaishankar at his residence in a dinner hosted in favor of Congressman Ami Bera and Crowly. Dr Jaishankar is a knowledgeable person and he knows the issues facing IndoUS relationship. I am confident that he will bring India and US closer during his term."

Naren Patel, former president of Association of Indians in America said, "Dr Jaishankar's speech was quite to the point and really thought provoking.

He has impressed us all. He has vast diplomatic experience and I wish him grand success."

Rishikant Singh, Manager Midwest of Air India said, "I am impressed by his sagacity and he would succeed in his mission to bring India-US closer, politically and economically."

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March 7, 2014

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Mahashivratri celebrated with great pomp & devotion GEETHA PATIL

CHICAGO: Mahashivratri, one of the biggest festivals among Hindus propitiating Trinity Lord Shiva, was celebrated with great pomp and devotion at Hindu Mandir of Lake County last week.

The event attracted a huge galaxy of devotees in spite of inclement weather and working day. Lord Shiva devotees flocked to the temple with lots of devotion and dedication from morning till midnight to have Lord Darshan in unique alankars and take Shiva's Shubha Ashisha on this auspi-

Pushpa Alankar of Lord Shiva with Pt. Anil Joshi and Pt. Ganesh

cious occasion.

Devotees offered milk, flowers, and fruits to Lord Shiva with great enthusiasm.

More than 800 devotees from all Indian communities, especially young couples and children,

showed up to see Baba Amaranth H i m Lingam made up of s n o w which was the special attraction of the occasion.

Special abhishekams Devotees waiting for Alankaram and Archana a n d alankars for Lord Shiva started from 6 p.m.

People enjoyed special onwards by temple priests Pt. Anil Prasadam prepared by Kamal Joshi and Pt. Ganesh with their Gupta and Neelkanth with their supporting and chanting devo- team members till midnight. The tees. Three abhishekams of Lord whole event was managed by Shiva were followed by unique Naveen Mishra and religious comalankars namely saga (veg- mittee. etables), phala (fruits) and President Harsh Kumar gave pushpam (flowers) that captured vote of thanks to all the alankar the attention of all the devotees.

All the alankars were offered and planned

by Pt. Anil Joshi.

After every anlankar special samoohika archanas were offered with full religious zeal. Chanting of melodious Shiva Strotram, Rudrashtakam, Lingashtakam, Panchakshra Baba Amarnath Him-Lingam Mantras and many other stotras made the shrine sponsors, chanting team and filled with religiousness and god- temple priests for making attracliness. Devotees sang devotional tive abhishekams and alankars to and prayerful songs and bhajans Lord Shiva and devotes for their of Lord Shiva in between the commitment and enthusiasm in alankars. every event of the temple.

Indians protest anti-India resolution in US Congress Cont’d from page 22

It needs to be noted that very recently the U.S. Government represented by Ambassador Nancy Powell met Modi for repairing frayed relations. This followed European nations and Australia which publicly desired closer ties.

HR417 is being sent to the Judiciary Committee now. It is an antiIndia resolution and not antiHindu. Community leader Prasad Yalamanchi met Nancy Powell in March and explained that India is the birthplace of several of the world's greatest religions including Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism and has most tolerant

and pluralistic traditions. Any move that leads to divisive and violent agenda would harm the social fabric of India.

Community representatives believe that the sentiment of the Indian community here on HR417 needs to be conveyed to all the concerned elected officials. Indian Americans here are traditionally supporters of Democrats and it needs to be clearly understood that this support could not be taken for granted for ever if the feeling of the community is ignored by those who need to have a balanced approach in their handling of the problems affecting the community.

March 7, 2014

Community Across America

India Post 25

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Dandamudi heads Administrative Hearing Commission

A Correction

ASHWIN PATEL

ST. LOUIS: In a sign of confidence, the Missouri State Administrative Hearing Commission unanimously elected Sreenivasa Rao (Sreenu) Dandamudi to simultaneously serve as the President and Managing Commissioner of the panel.

The Administrative Hearing Commission conducts hearings and makes findings of fact and conclusions of law in court cases involving a license issued by a number of state agencies, including the Missouri Dental Board, the Board of Accountancy, the Board of Nursing, the Missouri Real Estate Commission and the Department of Health and Senior Services among several others. Dandamudi will oversee budget and legislation as well as personnel of the Commission.

Nominated by Commissioner Mary E. Nelson, "Sreenu is exceedingly qualified to lead this body and maintain its ethical oversight," she says. Highly regarded

in State government as well as the legal community, "Commissioner Dandamudi's nomination speaks

Sreenu Dandamudi

to his abilities and years of experience serving the state of Missouri," says Judge George W. Draper, III, of the Missouri Su-

preme Court.

Dandamudi has extensive experience working in the public sector, beginning in 2001 when he served as an Assistant Attorney General, and then later as General Counsel for the Missouri Board of the Healing Arts. He was also selected by the Federation of State Medical Boards to serve as a member of the faculty for its Board Attorney Workshop from 2007-2010. In 2010 he was appointed by Governor Jay Nixon to serve on the Administrative Hearing Commission.

In addition to his work with the State of Missouri and the Federation of State Medical Boards, Commissioner Dandamudi has been active in the Missouri Bar Association, including participation in the 2006-2007 Leadership Academy class. In June 2012, he participated in a seven-member bipartisan delegation to China and Taiwan sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders.

T

he picture that appeared with the story on Sanatan Mandir Florida news item last week had incorrect identification of the people in the picture. Here is the corrected version: From Lt to Rt: Mrs & Mr Vipan Kaushal , Mrs Usha & Dr Vibhuti Singh, Mrs Ranjana & Vimal Agarwal, two daughters of our Mayor and Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Drs Palavi & Kiran Patel, Mrs Meena Shah and Dr Uppal.

Also Pankaj Patel, Temple President, is not a Doctor, although he is often called "Doctor" due to his closeness to many doctors in the community.

- Dr Pawan Rattan

North elevation of the Mandir

Community Across America

26 India Post

March 7, 2014

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Colorful Holi festival bridges the social gap PANDIT ANIL JOSHI

H

oli - a festival of colors is celebrated on Phalgun Purnima which comes in February and early March. Holi festival has an ancient origin and celebrates the triumph of 'good' over 'bad'. This colorful festival bridges the social gap and renews sweet relationships among people.

On this day, people hug and wish each other 'Happy Holi' by applying colors to each other. Holi celebration begins with lighting up of bonfire on the Holi eve. Numerous legends and stories associated with Holi celebration makes the festival more exuberant and vivid.

In Sat Yuga, a very powerful and evil king called Hiranyakaship wanted his citizens to worship him as a God and not the Lord Vishnu. Despite several warnings from his father, his son Prahlada continued to worship Vishnu instead of him.

Prahlad's spiritual teacher, Deva Rushi Narada had taught him that the presence of Lord Vishnu is everywhere and he always protects and takes care of his devotees.

His father decided to discourage the boy by giving him hard times. Every time, the boy was pro-

tected by Lord Vishnu and survived without any harm. Finally, Hiranyakashipu decided to burn him by putting him in his sister Holika's lap because she was blessed with a boon that fire never burns her out. Prahlada prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. Holika was burnt to death as Prahlada was unscathed due to his bhakti for Lord Vishnu.

This event is celebrated as the

Hindu festival of Holi. The logic behind this Holika Dahan celebration is that we should burn our evil thoughts and actions and embrace a praiseworthy belief in Lord Vishnu who is the supreme power and protector of this universe. In nutshell, Holi represents triumph

of truth over untruth, and a win over ego, disbelief and mistrust.

The story of Prahlada teaches us that faith in God is paramount, God will always prevail, God saves his devotees, devotion can be practiced at any time, age does not matter, evil will be punished and God remains omnipresent.

Next day, people play colors with immerse joy and happiness.

This colorful Holi took an impressive dimension during Dwapara Yuga when Lord Krishna played Holi with everyone in his Brija Bhoomi. His great qualities attracted all the persons of Vraja area. He was a supreme hero with wonderful personality, unmatched strength and magnetic power.

The charm of His flute was all pervasive.

Whatever He did, He did it for the welfare and happiness of his devotees. Krishna played Holi with His beloved friend Radha, Gopis and Gwalasin such way and gave a message to the whole world that there is no difference between rich and poor, man and woman, superior and inferior castes. He maintained equality and harmony in the community by playing colors of

Readers Write... www.indiapost.com

Using nick name for State Elections no crime

A

correspondent at Chicago Tribune wrote an article taking exception to an Indian American Laddi K Singh contesting forthcoming March elections seeking nomination for State Representative. Laddi K. Singh, who said her legal name is Nimrata Kainth, is running to represent the 54th District of the Illinois House. She is the Democratic challenger to incumbent Rep. Tom Morrison, R-Palatine.

The exception that Sally Ho, Tribune reporter pointed out was that she is using her nick name to run for elections. The heading goes as 'State House candidate running under nickname.'

It is not illegal to use nickname for State Rep elections.

The Election Commission had no objections, but her unfavor-

able comments had an undercurrent of her dislike for foreigners seeking elective position.

Ms Laddi Singh

The 39-year-old Singh said she uses the surname of her husband, Amarjeet Singh, and that "Laddi" is a nickname. She has wide sup-

port from prominent Illinois law makers including Sen Dick Durbin, Preckwinckle and Mike Madigan.

I worked in an American Hospital where a Neurologist called me Baxter for three years because he could not pronounce my first name or last name. One lady called me Batista instead of Basati. I had no grudge nor was I grumpy about this.

The link to the article is h t t p : / / www.chicagotribune.com/ news/local/suburbs/ct-laddisingh-election-rolling-meado w s - t l - n w 20140228,0,226121.story?track=rss Thakar S Basati Independent Associate, Director, Legal Shield, Palatine Illinois

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

love with everyone. He showed that love is really a powerful force in the world that binds people together and creates tuneful relationships among people.

'gulal' and 'abeer' on each other's' faces and cheer up saying, "bura na maano Holi hai".

In self-centered modern societies, people are very selfish, egoistic and less interactive with people of other classes, castes, religion, and other socio-cultural groups. Colorful Holi plays an important role in bringing people together and creating harmonious relationships among people. Krishna's Holi loving message is not for only Hindus but to people of the world to come together by crossing their borders and leaving aside their differences and power ego.

The Hindu Mandir of Lake Pandit Anil Joshi, Priest Hindu Mandir of County is celebrating colorful Lake County,Grayslake, IL Holi on Sunday, 16th March Holi is foremost Hindu festival with huge crowd that comes to play that is celebrated by people of all colors and enjoy delicious Indian castes and religions together by foods. I invite you all on the behalf applying colors to each other and of Mandir to come and have fun, forget their differences and and take blessings and love of Lord hatredness on this day. People rub Krishna with you.

Johri Verma joins Election Board's Outreach Program SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Shobhana Johri glish/Urdu. Under the federal VotVerma, an Indian American woman ing Rights Act, bilingual judges activist, is the Chicago Election must be available in designated Board's first-ever liaison with the precincts to provide language asCity's Asian-Indian voters and sistance to voters on Election Day. community organizations.

Johri Verma's duties will also inJohri Verma joins an Election volve promoting voter-registraBoard Community Services team tion and providing equipment that provides language assistance demonstrations. Johri Verma also to Chicago's oversees votHispanic, Chiing-material nese and Polish translations in communities.

Hindi for the Welcoming Election her to the ElecBoard. tion Board, J o h r i Chairman Verma's experiLangdon D. ence includes Neal, observed defending and that she brings promoting huextensive expeman rights, inrience in outcluding advoreach, and that cacy for rape "we are victims, legal pleased that research to Johri Verma she has agreed combat human to work with us trafficking, and on expanding voter services in film and print-media work in ChiChicago." cago, Los Angeles and India on a Johri Verma's work will involve variety of vital gender issues. She coordinating language-assistance holds a Bachelor's in Biology and in the polling places for Asian-In- Master's degree in Women's Studdian voters, as well as community ies from Lucknow University as outreach to Asian-Indian commu- well as a Master's degree in nity groups. She is expected in re- Women's Studies from the Univercruiting bilingual Judges of Elec- sity of Cincinnati. She is also a tion who are fluent in English/ parent volunteer in the Chicago Hindi, English/Gujarati and En- Public Schools.

Community Across America

March 7, 2014

India Post 27

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Spellbinding classical dances by Nrityamala students SURENDRA ULLAL

Young dancers performing "Mallari"

CHICAGO: The traditions and beauty of Indian Classical Dance was displayed by students of Nrityamala Dance Academy (NDA) while presenting Parampara: The Heritage at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) in Bloomington, a Chicago suburb, on Saturday, February 22.

Over 50 students danced in this Annual Performance, and the event also commemorated the legacy of Founder and Artistic Director, Guru Dr Uma Vyjayanthimala Kallakuri. The concert honored the 30th Anniversary of NDA in addition to being a charity fundraiser for the American Heart Association.

The audience was spellbound by this extraordinary presentation of Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Contemporary Classical, and Folk styles. As a special event, NDA also debuted a mini dance drama, "Rukmini Kalyanam", the divine marriage of Princess Rukmini to Sri Krishna. Especially memorable was a tribute to the heritage, or Parampara within Nrityamala, as seven pairs of Mother-Daughter students, including Guru Dr Uma

Kallakuri and Assistant Director and Choreographer, Pujitha Kallakuri, took to the stage.

Every dance piece was highly praised for its unique choreography, and the overall show was

hailed as the best cultural performance that the Central Illinois area has seen in years! It was fantastic to take in the enthusiasm with which the students of NDA performed, and their presence is

Dr Rebecca Gearhart, Dr Rita Bailey and Smt Vijaya Sreekakula honoring Guru Dr Uma Kallakuri

"Rukmini Kalyanam" Dance Drama: Lord Krishna with Radha Devi and others

highly valued within the community. This wonderful display of tradition was all the more memorable as the students gave their respect Guru Dr Uma which was moving.

The esteemed guests and other attendees included: Chief Guest- Rita Bailey, Assistant Provost of Illinois State University, and Guests of Honor - Dr Rebecca Gearhart, Chairman of Anthropology and Sociology at Illinois Wesleyan University; Mandava Rao, Chairman of Human Relations BloomingtonNormal; Ajay Kalavala, President of McLean County India Association; Mrs Seeta Damera, Mrs Aruna Mundlapudi, Mrs Vijaya Sreekakula and Mrs. Pushpa Chaudary - were deeply impressed by the skill and artistic talent of the performers.

It was certainly an event to remember and Central Illinois eagerly awaits Nrityamala Dance Academy's next production, observed one of the attendees!

Nrityamala Assistant Artistic Director Mani Pujitha Kallakuri as 'Rukmini' in "Rukmini Kalyanam" Dance Drama

Aashritha Madireddy and Mani Pujitha Kallakuri in "Contemporary Elements"

Nrityamala dancers striking a 'Nritta' pose in the item "Ganapathi Kautam"

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Patakha Guddi: Highway 2 Ishq Bulaava: Hasee Toh Phasee 3 Mann Kunto Maula: Gunday 4 Maahi Ve: Highway 5 Zehnaseeb: Hasee Toh Phasee 6 Kinare: Queen 28 India Post

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C

March 07, 2014

hetan Bhagat announced the 'engage ment' ceremony of his 2 States protago nists Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor on Twitter. It took place at PVR Cinemas, Juhu.

In case you have still not guessed, it was the trailer launch of Abhishek Varman's film 2 States whose book by the same name has been adapted

7 London Thumakda: Queen 8 Bawla Sa Sapna : Shaadi Ke Side Effects 9 Yahaan Vahaan (Reprise): Shaadi Ke Side Effects 10 Khushfehmiyan (Unplugged): One By Two

into the film.

2 States is the love story of a couple coming from two different states in India. So Alia Bhatt plays a south Indian girl sans the accent, Arjun Kapoor is the quintessential north Indian boy.

Arjun plays the character of Krish Malhotra and Alia plays Ananya Swaminathan in the movie.

Alia on Arjun Kapoor: "For me he (Arjun) has a very special place in my life... we were shooting for Highway and 2 States around same time. He became a good friend. He is a funny person and has a good sense of humor."

D

iplomacy be damned. Juhi Chawla, who is promoting Gulaab Gang, the film in which she plays the antago nist, is at her candid best. On a chat show recently, she spoke about her cold war with her 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' co-star, Aamir Khan. She also openly talked about Salman Khan looking through her, so much so that they never did a film together.

She surprised further by saying, "At times, I wish I could just go out there and say whatever I truly want." Asked who her favorite Khan is, she says, "Mera kya, poore India ke wahi teen favorite Khans (Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh) hain."

And she further adds, albeit in good humor, "But the Khans should thank Madhuri and me. We have made them the superstars. They did all the training with us and then became the stars that the country knows."

"Mera kya, poore India ke wahi teen favorite Khans (Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh) hain."

March 07, 2014

Bollywood

India Post 29

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I

f an agonized wife were to question Farhan Akhtar on setting her husband's roving eye straight, the actor would advice her, "Make your man jealous. I am telling you from experience from being a man and a husband that nothing works better than making a man jealous if the wife wants to take revenge on him for his tendency to check out other women," says Farhan, who is married to Adhuna for 14 years, and has two daughters with her.

While Farhan is all out to support women's empowerment, answering a question on, 'whether men do tend to check out other women even when their wives are with them,' he quips, "Men will be men! That's all I can say in the defense of my ilk!"

T

he Zee Cine Awards 2014 saw the glamorous Deepika Padukone win the Best Actor (Female) Popular trophy for 'Chennai Express'.

Deepika's role as Meenalochni Azhagusundaram in 'Chennai Express' and her Tamil accent in the film was much appreciated.

Her characters as Naina in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' and Leela in 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela' were praised, too.

Deepika won the award defeating her competitors Parineeti Chopra, nominated for 'Shuddh Desi Romance', Shraddha Kapoor for 'Aashiqui 2' and Sonam Kapoor for 'Raanjhanaa'.

She got a surprise, when one of her secret admirers replayed a scene of her on stage. It was none other than the famous television comedian Bharti Singh, who decided to do the brave task of carrying her up from her chair on to the stage and without any cuts. While the actress was truly surprised, she played along with Bharti, who also presented the best film nominations for 2013

P

riyanka Chopra, who will be playing the role of Olym pic medalist Mary Kom for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next, has been training round the clock to look and feel every bit the part.

The actress has been training with boxing coach Ravi Saharn for over the last year and seems to have impressed him no end by her dedication to learn and hone the sport.

Ravi Saharn says, "Priyanka has impressed me with her professionalism and dedication. There have been times when she has been hurt during the training but that has never been an issue with her which is admirable".

Saharn said that Priyanka's training comprises running, skipping, sparring and other exercises to get in shape.

"Priyanka is actually training to box and not to just appear as if she is boxing," added the coach.

30 India Post

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March 7, 2014

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„ Health

Line

Mayor urges health insurance signups DETROIT: Mayor Mike Duggan has declared March Affordable Care Act Enrollment Month and is opening some Detroit firehouses and recreation centers for residents to sign up for health insurance.

It is part of Duggan's efforts to get as many residents enrolled by the March 31 federal deadline.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays firehouses at 3737 E. Lafayette, 4700 W. Fort, 13939 Dexter, 2300 S. Fort and 16825 Trinity will be open for enrollment.

The Adams Butzel Family Center and Butzel Family Center will be open from 2-7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.

The Coleman Young Recreation Center will be open for signup from 2-7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, and signup will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mondays through Fridays at City Hall. -AP

„ Azad inaugurates super-speciality hospital DHARAMSHALA: Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad has inaugurated a Rs 150 crore super specialty hospital in Medical College, Tanda near here via video conference through Himachal Pradesh Food Minister G S Bali.

The super specialty hospital in Tanda, with a capacity of 210 beds will cater to patients suffering from heart, kidney, diabetes, gastro ailments and Cancer.

All these units will be operational in next three months.

Both Azad and Himachal Chief Minister Vir Bhadra Singh could not reach Tanda from Mandi due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Union Minister was at Mandi to inaugurate a Cancer hospital there.

This hospital at Tanda will benefit people of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, Azad said in his video message, adding one medical college will come up each at Chamba and Nahan in the state.

"The work on these medical collages shall start soon, and the project will cost Rs 190 crore," Azad said.

Speaking on the occasion, Bali said the central minister has promised to set up two trauma and burns centers in the state.

-PTI

Health Science

Man spends life overcoming health struggles Details on Page 34

32 India Post

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March 7, 2014

Long waits frustrate callers to health exchanges ANNAPOLIS, Md.: For those trying to enroll through online health exchanges, help has long been advertised as just a phone call away.

Yet the challenge in some states has been trying to get a call through at all, never mind the multiple transfers once contact has been made.

Long wait times of an hour or more have been commonplace in some states, primarily those running their own health care exchanges. California, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and Washington are among the states in which consumers and insurance agents have complained. One consequence is that people just give up because they are unable to wait indefinitely. ``If I had to use one word, I'd use `frustrating,''' said Jacki Manley, a stay-at-home mom in the western Maryland town of Keedysville, who has been trying since mid-December to enroll in a health plan through that state's health exchange.

With a child who is almost 3 and another who is 5 months, the

20 minutes she can spare on hold often have not been enough. She estimates she has reached someone at the Maryland call center three out of about a dozen times she has called, but then she gets

rolled her children but is unsure whether she and her husband have been enrolled after more than two months of trying.

Manley said she has given up calling. Now, she uses Facebook

Jacki Manley - pictured with husband David and two-year-old son Tyndale has been trying to enroll in a Maryland health plan since December

passed between different people and cannot get definitive answers to her questions. ``It just seems like all the right connections aren't being made,'' Manley said, adding that she believes she has successfully en-

to try to get the help she needs.

The telephone frustration is just one more obstacle consumers are facing as the March 31 deadline for open enrollment approaches. Technical glitches and software meltdowns on the fed-

eral and some state-run exchanges deterred many people from signing up after enrollments under the federal Affordable Care Act began in October.

With many of those technical problems solved, enrollments across the country have been brisk since the start of the year.

Yet even with 4 million signed up for policies through the exchanges, the Obama administration will be challenged to meet its own projection of 7 million enrollees by the deadline.

Long wait times for consumer won't help.

In California, an operational review of the state-run exchange's first three months showed consumers waiting 45 minutes to an hour for an employee to answer, and insurance agents have said they have waited hours to make human contact. The exchange's goal was to answer 80 percent of the calls within 30 seconds. ``We did not meet our standards,'' said Yolanda Richardson, Covered California's chief deputy executive director.

Cont'd on Page 35

New tech delivers chemotherapy inside cancer cells LOS ANGELES: Scientists have developed an innovative new cancer-fighting technique that can carry chemotherapy medication safely and release it inside tumor cells without harming the healthy ones.

In the technique, custom-designed nanoparticles carry chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells and release their cargo when triggered by a twophoton laser in the infrared red wavelength.

Light-activated drug delivery technique developed by University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) holds promise for treating cancer because it give doctors control over precisely when and where in the body drugs are released.

Delivering and releasing che-

motherapy drugs so that they hit only tumor cells and not surrounding healthy tissues can greatly reduce treatment side effects and increase the drugs' cancer-killing effect.

Jeffrey Zink, Fuyu Tamanoi and

pores, or tiny tubes, that can hold chemotherapy drugs. The ends of the pores are capped with nanovalves that keep the drugs in, like a cork in a bottle.

The nanovalves contain special molecules that respond to

Because the effective range of the twophoton laser in the infrared red wavelength is 4 centimeters from the skin surface, this delivery system would work best for tumors within that range, which possibly include breast, stomach, colon and ovarian tumors colleagues developed a new type of nanoparticle that can absorb energy from tissue-penetrating light.

These new nanoparticles are equipped with thousands of

energy from two-photon light exposure, which prompts the valves to open and release the drugs.

The operation of the nanoparticles was demonstrated in the laboratory using human

breast cancer cells.

Because the effective range of the two-photon laser in the infrared red wavelength is 4 centimeters from the skin surface, this delivery system would work best for tumors within that range, which possibly include breast, stomach, colon and ovarian tumors, researchers said.

In addition to their light sensitivity, the new nanoparticles are fluorescent and can be monitored in the body using molecular imaging techniques.

This allows researchers to track the progress of the nanoparticle into the targeted cancer cell before light activation, researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Small. -PTI

March 7, 2014

Health Science Post

India Post 33

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Month of promotion for Get Covered Illinois CHICAGO: With a six-month enrollment period ending at the end of March, the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace has planned a month of promotional activities and Gov. Pat Quinn has issued a proclamation to support the push to sign up the uninsured.

The public relations push is designed to call attention to the March 31 deadline

for private insurance coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law. After that date, most people without insurance are subject to federal tax penalties. ``As we get down to the wire for enrollment, it is critical that we reach uninsured residents and motivate them to take action to get covered before the March 31 deadline,'' said Jennifer Koehler, executive director for Get Covered Illinois, in a news release.

The enrollment push has the theme ``Road 2 Coverage'' and will feature an RV touring the state, starting with an event at Juarez Community Academy in Chicago.

The RV is designed as a moving billboard for Get Covered Illinois, making stops in communities with high numbers of uninsured residents. During March, the RV will be in the Chicago area, Marion, East St. Louis, Rockford and several other cities.

Quinn declared March 1-8 ``Get Covered Illinois Week'' in a proclamation citing his administration's commitment ``to improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Illinois.''

Nationally, about 4 million people have signed up for health insurance through federal or state marketplaces set up under his health care law. More than 88,000 Illinois residents signed up for private health insurance during the first four months of the nation's new insurance marketplace system.

Technical glitches and software meltdowns on the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace deterred many people from signing up after enrollments under the federal Affordable Care Act began in October, but Illinois enrollment has turned around and is nearing the original target set by the Obama administration.

Consumers who want to shop for insurance and see if they qualify for tax credits can visit the Illinois marketplace at GetCoveredIllinois.gov. Enrollment counselors throughout the state are providing help and can be found on the website by entering a ZIP code. -AP

Handheld camera to detect skin cancer LONDON: Scientists have developed a lightweight, handheld camera that images the skin region in two seconds to recognize early stages of cancer that are invisible to the naked eye.

The ultra-precision hyperspectral camera for the detection of skin cancers and their precursors has been developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

In the pilot study, the camera was used to detect the skin areas with field cancerisation i.e. areas of multiple skin cancer precursors, actinic keratoses, for early treatment of the affected areas.

The camera, invented by Heikki Saari, Principal Scientist at VTT, was also able to detect the borders of poorly delineated skin tumors, such as lentigo malignas, which are difficult to detect by the naked eye.

The pilot project was done in collaboration with the University of Jyvaskyla, the Paijat-Hame Central Hospital and the Skin and Allergy Hospital of Helsinki University Central Hospital.

The preliminary results are promising, researchers said.

The hyperspectral camera captures images in up to 70 narrow wavelengths, whereas a regular camera uses only three.

The spectral image generated is a threedimensional cube built of numerous layers of greyscale images, each of which has been taken within a limited wavelength range.

Different biological tissues can be iden-

tified by their reflected spectra in hyperspectral images, researchers said.

Computational methods are used to interpret these images, in order to determine the position and size of the tumor to be treated. -PTI

State may extend insurance enrollment deadline ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: New Mexico officials frustrated with the federal heatlhcare.gov website are considering extending the deadline to join the state-run health insurance exchange.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange board held informal discussions on whether to prolong the open enrollment period, which is scheduled to close March 15.

Board Chairman Dr. J.R. Damron says

glitches in the federal system have made signing up a ``dysfunctional'' process.

The deadline to have health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act is April 1. Those who miss it could face tax penalties and more months of waiting for the next open enrollment period.

Officials had initially estimated 83,000 people would register this year. But they now estimate between 40,000 and 50,000 will enroll. -AP

AIIMS starts unique health ID number for patients NEW DELHI: AIIMS has started issuing Unique Health Identification numbers to its patients with a view to electronically track medical care facilities provided to them and also to have a systematized database in place.

Till now, all patients at AIIMS were identified by the out patient department (OPD) cards issued to them.

"The hospital administration is, however, not doing away with OPD cards. The UHID number will be mentioned on the OPD card," an AIIMS doctor said.

"With the help of UHID numbers, a da-

tabase will be created which will make it easier to find out the history of patient's treatment at the hospital even if they are coming after a gap of 10-20 years.

"Further, a person having a UHID number wouldn't need to bring his earlier treatment or test reports," he said.

People, who have undergone treatment at AIIMS earlier, are also being issued UHID numbers. This facility came into force recently.

At least 15 lakh outpatients come to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) every year. -PTI

34 India Post

Health Science Post

March 7, 2014

www.indiapost.com

Man spends life overcoming health struggles BATESVILLE, Ark.: When Matt Williams was born, doctors said he might never walk - but he played tee-ball as a boy, rounding the bases with braces on his legs.

Doctors said he may not finish high school and yet he went on to become a substitute teacher at the very school from which he graduated.

When he took a preparatory test for college, he was told he wouldn't succeed - but he graduated in May 2012 with a bachelor of science degree and was on the Dean's List at Arkansas State University.

At 25, Matt has had more than his fair share of challenges in his life, and now he and his wife Marilyn are coping with the latest blow, an aggressive form of a rare cancer called peritoneal mesothelioma.

But those who know him would say if anyone can fight it, Matt, the son of Debbie Hall of Batesville and Randy and Paula Williams of Maple Springs, can.

In fact, his ``stubbornness'' is one of the qualities that attracted Marilyn to him, she said with a smile.

He said being wheelchair bound has made an impact on his life, and he's learned to be independent. In 2012, he surprised his family when he flew to Philadel-

phia alone to see the Atlanta Braves play and take in the sights.

Sometimes there were struggles for his independence, he explained. ``There were times my mom said, `You made it through elementary school, let's home-school you,' and I was like, `No.' ``When you tell me I'm not going to do something I want to go out and do it all the more.''

It started with a cough, one so bad that Matt thought he was just sore from it. When the cold persisted for a couple of weeks with no help from the antibiotics prescribed by the doctor, that's when Matt decided to have further tests.

On Dec. 18, his sister April's birthday, he received the news.

Cancer.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is very rare, typically present in less than 500 people in the United States each year. ``So there's no teams of doctors researching it,'' Matt said.

He took his first and only treatment on Jan. 7, thinking at the time he would take six rounds, three weeks apart, but he was so sick and weak he couldn't get out of bed, and when he did he was in the bathroom.

Even with the chemo, Matt was facing the possibility of another surgery, but it would not be easy to find a surgeon who would take

Matt's case, with his other health problems, including having spina bifida.

And, Matt said, he was only a 10- to 15-percent candidate for the surgery anyway because of the spina bifida. Matt has shunts in his head, back and stomach to keep fluid from building up on his brain and spine, and a neurosurgeon would've had to move the shunt tubing in his stomach to his heart cavity just so they could try to remove the cancer from the lin-

While Matt's family wishes he would continue the treatments, they also know that after 25 years of having spina bifida and 20 surgeries in his lifetime, he is tired. As Matt explained, ``Not the `I want to take a nap' tired but the `I'm too tired to do this again' tired.'' ing of his stomach.

And then, ``After the surgery I would have spent weeks on a ventilator and the result of how much cancer was left would have been uncertain.''

He was dealing with too many unknowns - and was sick from the chemo - so Matt made the decision to not continue with treatment. ``I could tell Matt was at peace with his decision,'' Marilyn said. ``My faith on Earth is so strong

High-calorie diet may slow motor neuron disease WASHINGTON: A high-carbohydrate, high-calorie diet could delay the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study.

ALS is a rapidly progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting the nerve cells that control muscle movement (motor neurons).

Patients gradually lose the ability to control the body's muscles, including the muscles which control breathing. This leads to respiratory failure and death on average about 3 years after patients are diagnosed.

Loss of weight, both muscle and fat, is common as ALS progresses, and patients experi-

ence more difficulties eating, swallowing, and maintaining their bodyweight.

Recent studies have suggested that these problems might

also contribute to the course of the disease: patients who are mildly obese are more likely to live longer, and mice carrying a gene which causes ALS lived longer when they were fed a calorie-rich diet high in fat.

The new study was led by Dr Anne-Marie Wills at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

To participate in the study, pa-

- God is going to take you out of this Earth when he wants you. ... I know he has given us medicine to help us, but I just feel like it's time to give him control.''

That was the day before his second treatment, which had been scheduled for Jan. 29.

While he stayed home, his mom and pastor went ahead and met with the doctor, who gave Matt two to eight weeks to live.

Depending on the day, he takes it pretty hard. ``I think to myself,

tients with advanced ALS had to already have a feeding tube (known as PEG tubes, or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes), which allows food to be delivered directly into the stomach.

Twenty patients were split into three groups, each with a different diet plan - a control group (to maintain weight) and two highcalorie (hypercaloric) groups: one high in carbohydrates, the other high in fat.

The diets lasted for 4 months, and data on safety and survival were collected from the beginning of the study for a total of 5 months.

Patients given the high-carbohydrate/high-calorie diet experienced fewer adverse events (23 vs 42), and significantly fewer serious adverse events (0 vs 9) including deaths from respiratory failure than the control group.-PTI

`What could I have done to be a better person or done more to help people?'''

Matt said he's not afraid of dying, and while some might feel cheated, he doesn't. ``I've lived my whole life being able to speak, see, hear and communicate, and there's people every day that don't get that,'' he said.

Marilyn said they've decided not to look at the time Matt has been given as the end of his life,

but rather embrace it as an opportunity to live life to the fullest.

Now he and Marilyn are planning a trip to Florida next month to see the Braves take on the New York Yankees during baseball spring training.

They said it is not a ``bucket list'' trip but a celebration.

While Matt's family wishes he would continue the treatments, they also know that after 25 years of having spina bifida and 20 surgeries in his lifetime, he is tired. As Matt explained, ``Not the `I want to take a nap' tired but the `I'm too tired to do this again' tired.''

They all supported his decision in the long run.

He feels fortunate to not hurt too much through it all - just weak.

He's hoping the pain stays away while he and Marilyn go on their trip and they're able to enjoy every moment. ``God has been so good to me, and I hope when someone sees me they see him and not just another person with cancer. He has blessed me in so many ways it's kinda hard not to smile after thinking about it all. Hopefully having this cancer doesn't damper my smile because I've got too much not to smile including the promise from him (God) that when I pass from this life I'm going to heaven where there is no more pain or dying.'' -AP

HMSA reports loss, cites health care cost increase HONOLULU: Hawaii's largest health plan is reporting a $44.4 million net loss for last year.

The Hawaii Medical Service Association attributed the loss to Hawaii's aging population, an increase in health care costs and fees associated with the Affordable Care Act. HMSA says it offset the losses with strong investment earnings of more than $57 million, a tax benefit and reserves.

The health plan maintains a reserve of nearly $400 million or about $540 per member.

HMSA says it spent $2.5 billion on health care services for its members last year.

For every dollar that HMSA collected in health plan premiums, more than 95 cents went to paying doctors, hospitals, pharmacists, and other health care professionals for member health benefits. -AP

Whooping cough outbreak affects Weber County OGDEN, Utah: Health officials say an outbreak of whooping cough has affected more than 30 students at three Weber County schools and their family members.

The Weber-Morgan Health Department said that one infant

was hospitalized and five others have experienced symptoms, but most of the 31 affected by the contagious respiratory infection are recovering.

The infant is home now and also recovering.-AP

March 7, 2014

Health Science Post

India Post 35

www.indiapost.com

Long waits frustrate callers Technique grows ears, to health exchanges nose from body fat Cont'd from Page 32

Gov. Martin O'Malley, a term-limited Democrat who is weighing a White House The most recent statistics, from the first bid, and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who is week of February, show the average wait running to succeed him, had hoped to make time for those dialing in to a California call Maryland a national model for health care center at about 47 minutes. implementation. Instead, the state has had Sherrie Larsen, a 49-year-old truck driver one of the rockiest rollouts of the 14 states in Tacoma, Wash., said the first time she operating their own exchanges, with the call called the exchange, she was told after wait- center problems coming on top of constant ing an hour and 27 minutes that the com- problems with the online enrollment portal. puter system was down, and she would For example, some Maryland residents have to call back. She called the state in- early on were prompted erroneously on the surance commissioner's office to complain, exchange website to seek help by calling a and said she didn't get a lot of help or un- telephone number that led callers to the derstanding there. The next day, Larsen owner of a pottery shop in Seattle. called the exchange again, and was told the The disastrous rollout forced the previwait time would be about 29 minutes. After ous director of the Maryland exchange to more than an hour on the phone, she fi- resign. nally got the help she was seeking, but no Officials in some states, including Maryapology or explanation. land, Nevada and California, have taken ``It's very, very, very frustrating,'' Larsen steps to address the long wait times. said.

Nevada has boosted its call center staff from 50 to nearly 250, and wait times reportedly have been reduced significantly.

California is adding 350 to 400 more call center employees by the end of March, while Maryland has tripled the number of call center employees from 120 to about 360 at the state's call center in Baltimore, said Carolyn Quattrocki, the interim director of Maryland's health exCovered California Executive Director Peter Lee greets more than 250 change. new employees at a call center in Fresno, Calif.

Quattrocki said she In Nevada, Claudia Lamb complained is optimistic the boost in staff at Maryland's publicly about spending more than 100 call center, expected to cost about $6 milhours on the phone to a call center, then lion, will be enough to handle the expected waiting by her phone for hours more for increase in activity as the enrollment deadreturn calls that never came. line nears. She said wait times and abanLamb and her husband first tried to ap- donment rates have gone down since the ply in early October when the system went middle of January. live, but she only received confirmation Covered California also created a dedithey had been insured on Feb. 12. That was cated phone line for insurance agents and 129 days after she first applied. counselors, increased the number of bilin``I once waited three hours and 40 min- gual staffers and added an online chat feautes to get through to a manager who cycled ture to help take pressure off the phone the problem back through to his subordi- lines. Exchange officials there said they nate,'' Lamb testified about her experience were somewhat surprised by consumer bewith Nevada Health Link, the state's ex- havior that exacerbated the long wait times. change. ``The subordinate's solution was They designed the exchange so people to do another application.'' could shop, compare, select a plan and be Wait times for call centers on the federal done with the process in one stop. Instead, marketplace that is running in 36 states have they found that people often had questions been much shorter to reach a customer ser- after visiting the website and wanted to vice representative. The average wait time speak to someone by phone. They often in October was just more than one minute, called back two or three times before sedropping to 38 seconds in November. It lecting an insurance plan, adding to the volrose to about eight-and-a-half minutes in ume of calls coming into the service cenDecember, when more people were trying ters. to get coverage for Jan. 1.

Still, Covered California Executive DirecThe federal call centers have about tor Peter Lee said the exchange is not mak14,000 employees. ing excuses and is working hard to reduce Maryland's problems have been particu- wait times. larly embarrassing because officials there ``We've heard their concerns,'' Lee said. were quick to support President Barack ``We've stepped up to say we're going to Obama's health care overhaul. make it right.'' -AP

LONDON: British doctors have developed a new technique that can reconstruct children's faces by rebuilding ears and noses with stem cells taken from their own fat.

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London believe a tiny sample of fat can be taken from the child and stem cells can be extracted and grown from it.

An ear-shaped "scaffold" would be placed in the stem cell broth so the cells would take on the desired shape and structure.

Chemicals would be used to persuade the stem cells to transform into cartilage cells.

This could then be implanted beneath the skin to give the child an ear shape.

The researchers have been able to create the cartilage in the scaffold, but safety testing is needed before they could be used in patients, 'BBC News' reported.

The new method aims to treat conditions like microtia, that leads to a missing or malformed ear.

Currently, children have cartilage taken from their ribs, which is then sculpted by

surgeons to resemble an ear and implanted into the child.

It requires multiple operations, leaves permanent scarring on the chest and the rib cartilage never recovers.

The new technique could be used to create cartilage for other tissues such as the nose, which can be damaged in adults after cancer surgery.

Doctors said they could also make bone

using the same starting material.

"Obviously we are at the beginning of this, the next step will be to perfect just the choice of materials and to develop this further," said one of the researchers, Dr Patrizia Ferretti. -PTI

36 India Post

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Realty Tidbits

Apartments b/w Rs 30-60 lakh most preferred CHENNAI: Majority of home buyers opted for mid-range apartments priced between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 60 lakh at the seventh edition of the Fairpro 2014 that concluded here recently, real estate industry body CREDAI said.

Besides, the event also witnessed record sales of over 300 units and Rs 200 crore revenue was generated, the industry body said in a statement.

"FAIRPRO 2014 saw a record sale of above 300 units bringing in revenue of Rs 200 crore for the real estate sector and recorded a footfall of about 30,000. About 72 per cent of the residential units booked were in the range of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh category," the statement said.

Giving a break up of the bookings received, it said, "93 apartments were sold between Rs 10 and Rs 30 lakh, 126 between Rs 30 and Rs 60 lakh, 62 between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1 crore, 17 between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore, two apartments between Rs 3-5 crore and one apartment above the Rs 5 crore price range." -PTI

„ Fewer Atlanta homeowners with troubled mortgages ATLANTA: Rising home prices in the Atlanta metro area are helping homeowners who have owned more on their mortgages than their homes were worth.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a new study from the online real estate service Zillow shows 35 percent of metro Atlanta homeowners with outstanding loans owed more on the homes than they were worth. The study was for the fourth quarter. The 35 percent was down significantly from 54 percent a year ago.

The study says Atlanta, Orlando and Las Vegas remain the top three areas for homeowners dealing with negative equity.

S&P Case-Shiller reports that home prices in the metro Atlanta area rose more than 18 percent in 2013. -AP

Real Estate 38

India Post

www.indiapost.com

March 7, 2014

Over 5,000 DDA flats unallotted NEW DELHI: Residents of Delhi may be waiting for Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to offer new flats, but there are about 5,970 flats lying vacant in the city.

These vacant flats are in various categories, including high income group (HIG), middle income group (MIG), low income group (LIG), self financing scheme (SFS) and economically weaker section (EWS). In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for urban development Deepa Das Munshi submitted that the highest number of vacant flats are in LIG category (2,744) followed by EWS (1,290) ,SFS (898) and MIG (866).-PTI

Commercial realty investment in Asia Pacific at record $127bn NEW DELHI: Commercial real estate investment in Asia Pacific region during 2013 increased by 29 per cent to a record USD 127 billion despite subdued office space demand, global property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) said.

"Economic performance remains mixed across Asia Pacific, with China recording the fastest growth in 2013. In the regional property market, 2013 was a record year for commercial real estate investment. Leasing activity remained subdued and was the weakest since 2009," JLL said.

The consultant released its Asia Pacific Property Digest Q4 2013 that tracks over 20 markets in Greater China, North Asia, South East Asia, India and Australia.

"2013 a record year for commercial real estate investment in Asia Pacific with transaction volumes reaching USD 127 billion, up 29 per cent on 2012," JLL said in the report. The previous record was achieved in 2007.

Top three markets of Japan, China and Australia accounted for

an impressive 70 per cent of total activity during 2013.

When contacted, JLL India Head Research Ashutosh Limaye said the commercial (office) real

Asked about commercial real estate investment in India, Limaye said it was still minuscule at below USD 10 billion.

"The key takeaway for regional property markets in 2013 was the stark contrast between corporates and investors in regard to their commercial real estate decision

Rents and capital values increased moderately in most markets and sectors, with capital values holding up better across the region, resulting in general yield compression, the report said.

Office leasing across the region remains weak, with only patchy improvement, as corporates stay focused on cost saving.

Expansion demand was subdued in Q4 with the majority of

Rents and capital values increased moderately in most markets and sectors, with capital values holding up better across the region, resulting in general yield compression estate investment in Asia Pacific have risen because of low rentals and the availability of office assets at attractive valuations.

Investors expects office rentals to rise in short to medium term, he added.

making," JLL observed in the report.

The consultant noted that the investors were "very active" but corporates remained focused on cost savings leading to subdued office space demand.

activity as a result of relocations.

While annual net take up in the region was down 15 per cent y-oy, the weakest since 2009, activity is expected to improve in 2014 as the global economy strengthens.

-PTI

Bangalore most preferred for buying house B

angalore is the most pre ferred for buying a house in 2014 thanks to connectivity, infrastructure and basic facilities, according to the findings of a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

A majority of the respondents,

about 49 per cent, of the urban working class remain keen to park their surpluses in buying residential properties than commercial

Bangalore is followed by cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, entire National Capital Region (NCR) and Hyderabad. After Bangalore,

properties as the latter are beyond their means and involve higher volumes of investments, said a statement by ASSOCHAM Secretary General D.S. Rawat.

"Mumbai occupies a special place in hearts of many Indians, who are attracted towards the city due to its diverse work force, employment opportunity, cosmopolitan

culture and glamour".

Mumbai (11 per cent) is followed by Delhi (10 per cent) with buyers willing to buy a property here. Delhi has also witnessed a healthy growth in the infrastructural development with a new international airport and spread of metro services to the NCR region, adds the survey.

Kolkata (9 per cent), NCR (8 per cent) and Hyderabad (6 per cent) are the other key real estate investment destinations of 2014.

Beyond the top five cities, homebuyers have also shown a preference for Dehradun (4 per cent) and Ahmedabad (3 per cent), added Mr. Rawat.

"A whopping 65 per cent of the national home buyers want to buy a house for self consumption", the survey added.

Real Estate Post

March 7, 2014

India Post 39

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'Office Space' actor now HDFC raises $300 million takes on real estate under affordable housing VENICE, Fla.: In Hollywood, he may forever be known as the ``O-face'' guy.

But now, Greg Pitts is trying to make a new name for himself in Southwest Florida real estate.

The actor - famous for an unforgettable scene in the cult comedy ``Office Space'' recently moved back to his hometown of Venice to follow in the footsteps of his family and begin a second career as a Realtor.

From the conference center in his brokerage - just a block from the beach, with views of the shops and cafes that line Venice

Greg Pitts

Avenue - Pitts said it was time for a change.

Real estate just felt right. ``I knew I always wanted to come back, at a bare minimum to buy a second home here,'' Pitts said, wearing a Coldwell Banker name tag on his white business shirt. ``For me, acting became a little less satisfying as a career because I didn't feel engaged enough.''

Pitts was born at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in 1970 - growing up in the Sorrento Shores community that his grandfather developed. His father runs a real estate business - which his brother later joined - in Osprey.

Pitts remembers answering the phones, riding tractors to clear land at Sorrento Shores and hand painting every single fire hydrant in the subdivision to meet a new safety code - twice because he had the color wrong.

He had an early knack for real estate, but a passion for the stage.

His father was involved with community theater, prompting Pitts to take his first acting class while a senior at Venice High School.

But it was while Pitts was dozing off in college business lectures that he realized his hobby was instead a calling. He swapped suits and briefcases for dreams of the stage and cameras.

After graduating from the University of South Florida with a degree in theater in 1992, he moved to Hollywood with $1,100.

He did work for a traveling Wild West show, a gig that remains one of his favorites. He performed with the Groundlings,

a comedy troupe whose alumni includes Will Ferrell, Kathy Griffin and Kristen Wiig.

Pitts also worked at a Blockbuster video store, at the House of Blues and as a production assistant, sometimes changing clothes in his car between shifts at all three jobs in a single day.

In his scarce free time, Pitts would scour production magazines - sending headshots and a noticeably empty resume to every opening he could find.

With gigs few and far between, Pitts and 10 of his fellow actors wrote their own screenplay for a small Hollywood venue called Theatre Theatre that's now home to a car rental company.

They hoped the sketch comedy effort would separate them from the thousands of aspiring actors jostling for relevance in Los Angeles.

But the newspaper would not review the show until they booked a theater for four consecutive weeks. So the group pooled their money. Pitts even walked Hollywood Boulevard, soliciting buyers for advertisements in the program.

The show sold out for 18 straight weeks in 1997.

Success split the band, and led to Pitts' first TV appearance: a role alongside stand-up comedian Damon Wayans in the series ``Damon.''

It lasted 13 episodes.

But ``Office Space'' - and the silver screen - was next.

The 1999 movie, written and directed by ``Beavis and Butthead'' creator Mike Judge, featured actors Jennifer Anniston, Ron Livingston and Gary Cole.

Livingston plays a disgruntled employee at a software engineering firm, who, along with his co-workers, plant a virus in their company's accounting system to embezzle a fraction of the financials.

Pitts' character - an obnoxious blond named Drew - had fewer than five minutes of screen time. But the 20-second scene where he shows his fellow coworkers the ``O-face'' - his purported expression in the moment of orgasm - became one of the most memorable scenes and still lives on in jokes today.

Pitts said that scene was scripted differently. He improvised the ``O-face'' that made it through the final cut. ``I'm wondering if these people think I'm crazy,'' Pitts said with a smile, recalling the moment. ``Then everyone laughed, and I knew we had something.'' ``Office Space'' was a flop in theaters, grossing around $11 million.' -AP

NEW DELHI: Mortgage firm HDFC has raised USD 300 million via external commercial borrowings (ECB) to fund low-cost affordable housing.

The fund, raised in the form of a syndicated loan facility, is the first by a housing finance company under the low-cost affordable housing scheme of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), HDFC said in a statement.

The RBI in December, 2012 had the opened USD 1-billion ECB window for housing finance companies to raise funds via ECB to finance affordable housing projects.

Low-cost affordable housing units have been defined as units where the property cost does not exceed Rs 30 lakh, loan amount is capped at Rs 25 lakh and the carpet area does not exceed 60 square meters.

The fund has been raised from a consortium of four lenders - State Bank of India (SBI), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corpora-

tion, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and DBS Bank.

The borrowing facility has a tenor of 5 years, it said, adding, the company has drawn-down the facility in February 2014 from the above consortium of lenders.

The rate of interest on the facility is linked to USD Libor plus a spread of 1.75 per cent. HDFC has swapped the facility in Indian Rupees for the entire tenor of the loan, it said. -PTI

40 India Post

THE IMPORTANCE OF VARANASI (KASHI) LIES IN THE RELIGIOUS BELIEF THAT THOSE WHO DIE IN THE AREA IN THE KASHI CITY BOUNDED BY THE PANCH KASHI ROAD WILL ATTAIN SALVATION. THE CITY IS THRONGED BY THOUSANDS OF HINDU DEVOTEES EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. ANY HINDU BELIEVER IN THE COUNTRY AND ABROAD IS A DEVOUT ASPIRANT OF VISITING KASHI AT LEAST ONCE IN LIFE TIME

V

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aranasi, also renowned as Kashi and Banaras, is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The holy city, believed to be have been founded by Lord Shiva about 5000 years ago, is placed picturesquely on the west bank of Holy Ganges River and is one of the most revered religious destinations in India.

Varanasi has got its name from two rivers Varuna located at the north and Assi located at the south of the city. This place has got its mention in the holy epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The importance of Varanasi (Kashi) lies in the religious belief that those who die in the area in the Kashi city bounded by the Panch Kashi Road will attain the salvation. The city is thronged by thousands of Hindu devotees every day throughout the year. Any Hindu believer in the country and abroad is a devout aspirant of visiting Kashi at least once in life time.

The place is also renowned as a place for performing last r i t e s for the believers

March 7, 2014

and the mortal remains are immersed in the water of Ganges in Kashi. Performing funeral rites and cremation in the pyres are very usual scenes on the banks of river Ganges in Varanasi. Many people like to spend the fag end of their life in this holy city and like to attain salvation here.

There are many attractions in Varanasi. It is an ideal spot for those travelers who are enthused about the Hindu beliefs, customs, cultures and concepts.

Cont’d on page 42

March 7, 2014

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Enjoying a winter bike ride in Northern Arizona FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.: Bare winters in Flagstaff can be endured - provided you are willing to change equipment.

That was my motto on Feb. 22 as I switched out skis for a mountain bike at 9,000 feet on the Arizona Trail. It's a February ride I had never expected to take - and probably won't ever take again.

But there I was rolling down an old snowmobile track from the Snowbowl parking lot onto upper Hart Prairie, the Special Olympians skiing alongside me for a few hundred yards inside the fence on the artificial snow.

But then I was free and clear and pedaling through the brown, dry grass as though it were late June - only 40 degrees cooler.

My destination was the new, 4mile section of the Arizona Trail that traverses the prairie from Aspen Corner north to Bismarck Lake. In summer it is a popular hiking and biking highway. But in winter, because vehicle access from both ends is restricted, crosscountry skiers have a hard time reaching it.

As I noted last week, however, I am hoping this is a false spring and that March roars in like a wintry lion and stays that way through Easter - which doesn't arrive this year until April 20. Without more moisture, what spring grass that does manage to sprout on the prairie and in the forest will dry out fast. That's a prescription for extreme and prolonged fire danger - and a closed forest for much of June.

At least I've had my first highelevation Arizona Trail ride of 2014. Let's hope it's not my last.

If you go...

Arizona Trail on upper Hart Prairie Road (FR151) is closed to motor vehicles in winter, so there is no easy access to the trailhead

those sections of the Arizona Trail that were in the shade of pines were still snowbound, and my bike tires weren't wide enough to stay atop the slush. That meant several dismounts and walk-arounds - but I was enjoying the views far to the north and west and in no particular hurry.

The highlight of My destination was the new, this trail section for me 4-mile section of the Arizona is Alfa Fia Tank below Aspen Corner. It is an Trail that traverses the prairie old stock tank that refrom Aspen Corner north to tains water yearBismarck Lake. In summer it round, a high-elevation treat for wildlife, is a popular hiking and bikdogs and small chiling highway. But in winter, dren.

Despite a month of because vehicle access warm winter afterfrom both ends is restricted, noons, Alfa Fia was cross-country skiers have a still frozen, an obvious disappointment to hard time reaching it.

Skye the border collie.

This winter, though, the blan- I circumnavigated it on my bike, ket of white that normally coats the searching for elk and deer tracks prairie through March and into but found very few.

Most descended long ago to April has been gone for several weeks. That has left enough time warmer climes, and the word apfor the ground to dry out, making parently has not gotten out that spring has come very early to the for a passable biking track.

I say only ``passable'' because Peaks this year.

Qatar eyes US preclearance for air travelers DUBAI: A top aviation official in Qatar says the Gulf state is applying to have a US preclearance customs facility to screen travelers headed to the United States.

Qatar Airways confirmed recent comments made by Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker about the proposal. Al-Baker is overseeing development of a new airport in Qatar's capital Doha slated to open this year.

The US Embassy in Qatar had

no comment. US Customs and Border officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The US in January opened a preclearance post in the nearby United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi that lets passengers avoid immigration and customs lines on arrival. US pilots and members of Congress have criticized the facility, alleging it could benefit UAE national carrier Etihad Airways over US airlines. -AP

at Bismarck Lake or farther north at Forest Road 418.

And at the south end, there is no winter parking at Aspen Corner on Snowbowl Road, which is the other popular access point for this section in summer and fall.

Instead, I recommend parking at the lower Snowbowl lot and either hiking down the Aspen Loop Trail or biking down an old snowmobile track. You'll reach the Arizona Trail in about a half-mile. Bismarck Lake is to the north, Alfia Fia Tank to the south - both are about 200 yards off the trail.

Either return the way you came or, for those who headed south, intersect with Snowbowl Road and hitch a ride back up the hill to your vehicle.-AP

42

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

March 7, 2014

www.indiapost.com

VARANASI, Uttar Pradesh

One of the most revered religious destinations Cont’d from page 41

They can have the real life experiences of Hindu way of living and belief in rebirth.

Varanasi is also famed as a centre of silk weaving and worthy silk apparels. The Paan, mixture of betel leaves, arecanut, tobacco and lime, is a favorite chewing item in Varanasi.

The lush green vegetation on the banks of the river is very attractive. The place is enriched with many ancient temples like Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Kal Bhairava temple, Durga Kund and Annapoorna temple. Varanasi is a prime centre of art, craft, education and culture. Many philosophers and scholars had been in Varanasi to understand the divine life style of Hinduism and virtues of Hindu beliefs. Buddha, Mahavir, Adi Shankaracharya and Acharya Ramanuja spent lot of their time on the banks of Ganges in Kashi.

ATTRACTIONS Ramnagar Fort: Ramnagar Fort, constructed by Maharaja Balwant Singh in 17th century, is a medieval period fort located on the banks of the river. This was the royal residence of Raja of Banares,

located at the confluence of Assi River and the holy Ganges, is the southernmost Ghat in Kashi. The Ghat is renowned for a spectacular and large Shiva Lingam placed under a Peepal Tree. This is a favorite spot for Hindu devotees to offer their prayers to Lord Shiva after taking holy dip in the river.

Darbhanga Ghat: Darbhanga Ghat, a renowned holy spot among Hindu devotes, is an ideal location to have religious rites associated with death of the relatives or

Kashi Vishwanath Temple: The chief deity for whom the whole city of Varanasi is dedicated is Kashi Vishwanath, one of the manifestations of Lord Shiva. The presence of Kashi Vishwanath Temple makes Varanasi as the most sacred city in India.

Kedar Ghat: Kedar Ghat is the favored temple among south Indians and Bengalis. It is a revered Ghat in Varanasi. It was constructed by the Maharaja of Vijayanagar in the southern part of Kashi. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (Kedarnath) is the unique feature of this place.

Man Mandir Ghat: Man Mandir Ghat, dating back to 1600 and renovated in 19th century, was built by Raja Savai Man Singh and the Ghat is named after him. Man Mandit Ghat, originally known as Somesvara Ghat, has a fine balcony at the north end of the Ghat.

Manikarnika Ghat: Manikarnika Ghat, also known

Varanasi. Legends say that this Ghat was built by Lord Ram himself and hence this Ghat is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, the most favored disciple of Lord Ram.

popularly as Mahasmasana, is one of two burning Ghats in Varanasi.

New Vishwanath Temple

friends. It is situated on the bank of the Ganges between two other Ghats, famous as Dashaswamedh Ramnagar Fort

also known as Maharaja of Kashi.

Ramnagar Museum: The scholarly museum, renowned as the Banaras Vidya Mandir Museum, is located inside the Ramnagar Fort. It is home of many medieval period artifacts, items belonged to the Royal family of Banaras and also many handicraft items.

Alamagir Mosque: Alamgir Mosque, built by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, has the unique distinction of being the largest structure located on the banks of river Ganges. It is believed that the mosque is placed at a place where a majestic Krishna temple was located.

Assi Ghat: Assi Ghat, the Ghat

spot in Varanasi. The name literally means well of wisdom. Gyan Vapi well, an imposing pavilion, is located at the entrance to the renowned holy Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Hanuman Ghat: Hanuman Ghat, earlier known as Ramesvaram Ghat, is situated at a holy spot famed as Juna Akhara in

Ghat and Rana Mahal Ghat.

Dasaswamedh Ghat: Dashaswamedh Ghat, a much ac-

claimed religious spot, is a favorite among Hindu devotees and is considered as the main Ghat. It is believed that Lord Brahma performed his victorious DasaAshwamedha (ten-horses) sacrifice in this spot.

Durga Temple: Brahmacharini Durga Temple is located near Durga Ghat (Durga Kund) on the banks of the holy river. The prime deity is Goddess Durga in imposing structure. The temple, built in 18th century by a Bengali Maharani, is one of the most revered temples in Varanasi. The temple was constructed with many storied Shikhara, placed one over the other. The temple structure is imposing and offers a spiritual ambiance to the environment.

Gyan Kup: Gyan Kup or Gyan Vapi Well is an acclaimed religious

Alamagir Mosque

Dasaswamedh Ghat

Cont’d on page 43

March 7, 2014

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

43

www.indiapost.com

Ohio museum volunteers building vintage war plane URBANA, Ohio: They got one part for the World War II-era bomber from under an elderly woman's porch in the next town, and another was bought from

planes, the B-17, celebrated in Hollywood adventure movies like ``Twelve O'Clock High'' and ``Memphis Belle.''

A behemoth of a vintage plane

Project manager Randy Kemp works on a panel for an engine housing for a B-17 World War II-era bomber being built with salvaged and fabricated parts at the Champaign Aviation Museum in Urbana, Ohio. Kemp, a 56-year-old aircraft engineer, oversees about 10 volunteers and is the only paid employee for the project

someone who had it hanging in a bar in Colorado. One chunk was a prop in a 1960s TV show, and the tail section was salvaged from a wreck deep in the Alaska wilderness.

When dozens of volunteers are finished piecing them all together at a small Ohio museum, they're going to roll out a better-than-new, airworthy version of one of history's most famous military air-

that hasn't been manufactured new in nearly 70 years is being built one piece at time here - and when the volunteers can't buy or barter for parts they need, they're making them from scratch based on a collection of 28,000 original Boeing Co. blueprints fetched from microfiche at the Smithsonian Institution. ``Modesty aside - and I've been around airplanes as much as any-

VARANASI Cont’d from page 42

The other Ghat where burning is allowed is Harishchandra Ghat.

Manikarnika Ghat is the prominent among the two and dates back to many centuries.

New Vishwanath Temple: New Vishwanath Temple, also popularly known as the Golden Temple, is situated in the campus of Banares Hindu University (BHU).

The temple was built by the Birla family and hence it is also known as Birla temple.

Panchganga Ghat: Panchganga Ghat, is a sacred Ghat located at the confluence of five holy rivers. The rivers are The Ganga, The Saraswati, The Dhupapapa, The Yamuna and The Kirna. This Ghat is a major Hindu religious attraction in Varanasi.

Rana Ghat: Rana Mahala Ghat, was built in 1670 AD by the Udaipur ruler during that period and is located at the western side of Varanasi. The Ghat is perfectly placed on the banks of Ganges so that one can perform all religious

rituals without much difficulty and can have a holy dip in the Ganges waters. This place is often visited by the Hindu devotees to perform purification of the mind and body.

Best time to visit Varanasi: Varanasi has a humid subtropical climate with much variation in temperatures. Tourists should visit this city during the months from October to March.

HOW TO REACH

By Train: Varanasi is well connected with all major railway stations in India. There are two railheads nearby, namely Varanasi junction and the Kashi junction.

Many express trains connect Varanasi with Delhi and Kolkata.

By Air: Varanasi airport is connected to Delhi, Mumbai and Agra.

International travelers can get connecting flights from Delhi, which is 755 km away.

By Bus: State owned public bus services connect Varanasi with other holy cities in Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states.

body here - I think we're building a better airplane than Boeing did,'' says volunteer Dick Bidlack, a 79year-old Vietnam War fighter pilot who's been involved with the Champaign Aviation Museum project since it started in 2005. ``But we're not trying to build 15 of them a day in a wartime scenario. We're taking years, so we have a little more freedom.''

Although completion is still years away, the gleaming shell of the plane stretched out in the hangar these days is unmistakably a B-17, the rugged 74-foot-long, four-engine bomber called a ``Flying Fortress'' because it bristled with .50-caliber machine guns and could take an awful beating in combat.

Volunteer Frank Drain designed and painted the authentic-looking nose art, which features a leggy 1940s pinup girl against an outline of Ohio and the plane's Champaign Lady nickname. ``If you had to pick an airplane that would attract the public attention, the B-17 is the one to pick,'' says the 61-year-old Drain, whose father was a radio operator on a Flying Fortress during the war.

Drain now teaches a class on aviation occupations at a local vocational school and brings his students to help out with the project, which can be inspected by visitors any time the museum is open.

More than 12,700 B-17s were built for the war effort, most of them pressed into service for daylight precision bombing raids on industrial targets in occupied Europe from small bases in England between 1942 and 1945. It was harrowing duty that claimed the lives of two out of three young men their average age was 20 - who served on the storied planes.

After the war, many B-17s were unceremoniously left to rust in

scrap yards or pressed into other service. Around 40 are left around the world today, with fewer than a dozen in flying condition.

Coincidentally, history's most celebrated B-17 - Memphis Belle is currently being restored about 40 miles away at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton. The Belle got the royal treatment from the military brass in 1943 after becoming one of the first B-17s to survive the required 25 missions at a time when American bombers were suffering heavy losses. Museum spokesman Rob

``There was never a decision to make. When we started the project, it was to make it fly,'' says Dave Shiffer, whose ride aboard a touring B-17 with his father and brother in 2005 eventually led to the B-17 project and the founding of the nonprofit museum.

The initial chunks came from five different planes. The many other missing parts that can't be found and restored have to be fabricated under the watchful eye of Randy Kemp, the 56-year-old project manager who works with a changing cast of around 100 vol-

Shonil Datta, left, and Rob Culbertson work inside the cockpit of a B-17 World War II-era bomber that is being built at the Champaign Aviation Museum in Urbana, Ohio.

Bardua says public display of the plane is still years away, although behind-the-scenes tours allow visitors to see the restoration work.

The fact that the Memphis Belle and other B-17s at the much-larger Air Force museum will never leave the ground again motivates the Urbana museum crew even more in their quest to make the Champaign Lady a flying example.

unteers who have come from as far away as England just to be part of the effort.

Donations and fundraisers are helping pay for the project, which Shiffer says will end up costing millions. A benefit dinner in April at the museum will feature a talk

by Amanda Wright Lane - a greatgrandniece of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Philly Flower Show brings art canvases to life PHILADELPHIA: Winter-weary gardeners and artists alike may find inspiration in the colorful palette of the Philadelphia Flower Show. ``ARTiculture'' is the theme of the annual floral extravaganza, which opened on March 1 and runs through March 9.

The main exhibitors have partnered with major U.S. museums. Their displays use plants and petals to pay homage to work by artists including Matisse, Calder and Kandinsky.

Visitors to the horticultural extravaganza can also view rarely

seen floral prints by Andy Warhol.

The event is billed as the

world's largest ind o o r flower show. It's also one of the oldest, dating back to 1829.

T h e show includes plant judging, a butterfly garden, interactive exhibits and craft workshops. -AP

In Brief UK immigration up sharply till Sept last year LONDON: Official figures show some 212,000 more migrants moved into Britain than left in the 12 months that ended in September, with the number of Romanians and Bulgarians increasing dramatically.

The net migration figure represents an increase over the previous 12 months when some 154,000 more people arrived than left.

The quarterly figures released by the independent Office for National Statistics show the difficulties the government is facing in getting immigration down.

The statistics office also found that the number of Romanians and Bulgarians who arrived in Britain rose to 24,000 arrived against 9,000 the previous year in advance of the year-end lifting of work restrictions. -AP

„ NJ woman admits carjacking in effort to get baby CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J.: A southern New Jersey woman has pleaded guilty to carjacking that she said was an attempt to get the teen driver to take her to and give her the baby to whom she had given birth.

Forty-five-year-old Floribert Nava of Wildwood faces 12 years in state prison with a plea deal.

The Press of Atlantic City reports the teen's baby was adopted by a family.

Nava used a fake gun on March 22, 2013 and forced the teen to drive her from Wildwood to Philadelphia. The victim crashed into a police car on the Ben Franklin Bridge to get the officer's attention.

That's when Nava was arrested.-AP

„ Trenton teens charged with killing immigrant TRENTON, N.J.: Two teenagers have been arrested charged with the beating death of a Guatemalan man who came to New Jersey just weeks before.

Eighteen-year-old Julio LopezCruz was attacked on Feb. 15 as he headed to his Trenton home with some groceries. He died a short time later.

Authorities said they have arrested Michael Holman and Dante Martin and charged them with murder. They say the men robbed Lopez-Cruz and beat him to death.

Both men are 18 and live in Trenton. -AP

Immigration

State Dept. predicts Visa availability soon Details on page 46

44 India Post

www.indiapost.com

March 7, 2014

PIO lawyer appointed head of NYC immigrant affairs dept.

NEW YORK: An Indian-origin lawyer has been appointed by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio as head of immigrant affairs in his office and will be responsible with seeing through the city administration's immigration agenda as well as improving outreach to immigrantowned businesses.

Nisha Agarwal, daughter of Indian immigrants and a Harvard Law School alumnus, will be commissioner of the NY Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs.

In announcing the appointment, de Blasio said Agarwal has a passion for social justice, an attribute he said she learnt from her Indian parents and shaped by "hearing stories of her grandfather's role in the non-violent struggle for Indian independence, led by Mahatma Gandhi."

"So it's fair to say that Nisha had extraordinary inspiration from early in her life," de Blasio said, adding Agarwal has become one of the leading advocates in the city for immigrant communities and puts her energies to work on behalf of the most marginalized people.

Agarwal is a public interest lawyer and a leading voice in immigration reform at the local and na-

tional level.

De Blasio said she would bring to the Immigrant Affairs office an entrepreneurial drive and a proven record of enacting pro-immigrant legislation in New York City and New York State.

As head of the immigrant affairs

immigrant-owned businesses, and ensuring victims of crimes in immigrant communities are fully protected and respected.

"This work is part of who I am.

It's embedded in the values I was taught as a child," Agarwal said. "...the lessons that I've learned

NY Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing three appointments: Nisha Agarwal (right) will lead Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, Lorraine Grillo (center) has been reappointed President of School Construction Authority and Steve Banks (left) will lead Human Resources Administration.

office, Agarwal would be charged with seeing through the de Blasio administration's immigration agenda, including establishing a municipal ID for undocumented immigrants, improving outreach to

that the fire in the belly for better opportunities to speak up for progressive values, is universal. And that it's a fire that burned in my grandfather as he marched for freedom alongside Mahatma Gandhi

in India. And it's a fire that crossed borders with my parents when they emigrated to the United States," she said.

The Mayor said one of his priorities is to make the city more inclusive for its residents, including the almost half million New Yorkers who are undocumented immigrants.

In this regard, his administration will establish a municipal ID card program, on which Agarwal's office would focus.

De Blasio said he wants to reach out to immigrant-owned small businesses and help them thrive and end the punitive policies that were addressed to them in the previous administration, including the unfair fines that they often suffered.

"We want to do everything we can to help get legal assistance to undocumented immigrants who are often subject to fraud by folks who try to take advantage of their status," he added.

Agarwal said many like her are the product of immigrant families which built their lives through education and economic opportunity.

Cont'd on Page 46

New immigration, customs norms for flyers NEW DELHI: A new customs form bearing additional fields for declaration of prohibited and dutiable goods for passengers flying into India has come into effect.

Passengers coming to India will have to declare Indian currency exceeding Rs 10,000 being carried by them in the new 'Indian Customs Declaration Form', different from the detachable perforated strip which was earlier part of the immigration card.

The new customs form has an additional field for declaration of baggage (including hand baggage).

Travelers would have to declare any prohibited articles, gold jewellery (over free allowance) and gold bullion.

Passengers will also have to give details of countries visited in the prior six days before arrival in India.

Besides, an Indian citizen

would now need to fill up an immigration form only when he or she goes out of the country, officials said.

Old fields like declaration of satellite phone, foreign currency exceeding USD 5,000 or equivalent, aggregate value of foreign exchange, including currency exceeding USD 10,000 or equivalent, meat, meat products, dairy products, fish or poultry products and seeds, plants, Passengers coming to India will have to declare Indian fruits, flowers and currency exceeding Rs 10,000 being carried by them other such material in the new 'Indian Customs Declaration Form'. have been retained

in the new customs form.

Passengers of Indian origin and foreigners of over 10 years of age residing in India and coming from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China are eligible for a duty-free allowance of Rs 6,000.

A duty-free allowance of Rs 35,000 can be availed by such passengers in case they are coming from any country other than the above four.

As per rules, a tourist of foreign origin gets a duty-free allowance of Rs 8,000.

An Indian traveler, who has been residing abroad for over a year, can get gold jewellery worth Rs 50,000 (for males) and Rs 1 lakh (for women) without paying import duty. -PTI

Immigration Post

March 7, 2014

India Post 45

www.indiapost.com

British Airways boss calls on UK British political newcomers see gains ahead to sort out visa system LONDON: British Airways chief Willie Walsh has called on the UK government to change its immigration rules to ensure Asian tourists are not put off from coming to the country.

He warned that "so many people want to come to London, but don't because they struggle with the visa regime".

Walsh, who runs IAG, the airline group which owns BA, added, "It's so much easier for them to go elsewhere. London is losing out because of the visa regime."

"We understand the UK has to have strong borders, but you need better systems in place for business people who want to travel here and tourists who want to visit here. People want to experience London, in part because of what they saw during the Olympics," he said.

BA launched a new route to Chengdu, a strong business region in south central China last year, but fears China is among the Asian countries who face a tough time over visas.

"It's Chinese tourists particularly who find it difficult to come to the UK," he told the Evening Standard.

"They are still coming, and that shows how strong the number of visitors could be, as the Chinese going through the difficulties of traveling here. But if it was easier we'd see a massive increase in tour-

ists from China - and that would benefit the economy," Walsh said.

BA's capacity meanwhile increased by 2 per cent after the introduction of the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 into the airline's fleet.

"The new aircrafts' economic and environmental performance has been excellent and customers love them," Walsh said. -PTI

Farage's base consists primarily of voters who believe Britain

Nigel Farage

has ceded too much of its decision-making powers to European bureaucrats.

Its leaders say Britain must withdraw from the EU and take control of its borders. -AP

PRADEEP ROY-SINGH B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. Attorney-at-Law

Former Assistant StateÂ’s Attorney

Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc.

1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties 1

British Airways chief Willie Walsh

Conn. residents settle deportation lawsuit NEW HAVEN, Conn.: Two Connecticut residents have said that they have reached a settlement with federal immigration officials in which deportation proceedings against the men were terminated in exchange for dismissal of claims they made in a lawsuit.

Gabriel Villanueva-Ojanama of Hartford and Sebastian Manuel Castro Largo of Meriden had alleged that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had caused their unlawful detention by issuing immigration detainers to Connecticut law enforcement authorities. The men were arrested by police in 2011 in separate incidents and convicted for driving offenses.

The men were represented by Yale Law School students who argued the case did not merit an enforcement priority for ICE, citing the family and community ties of the men in Connecticut and mini-

LONDON: The UK Independence Party claims its support is growing throughout Britain ahead of European Parliament elections in May. The upstart party led by Nigel Farage hopes to capitalize on antiEuropean Union and anti-immigrant sentiments.

At public meetings at the end of its two-day conference in southwest England, Farage said UKIP is winning voters tired of the political elite.

The party has 13 members in the European Parliament, with hopes of gaining more of the 73 available on May 22. It does not hold seats in the British Parliament.

mal criminal history.

ICE spokesman Daniel Modricker declined to discuss the specifics the settlement but said parties involved in litigation routinely seek to resolve the matters in the ``least disruptive manner without any concession of wrong-doing.''

tending their incarceration several days after the expiration of their criminal custody, students said. ICE often issues detainers in violation of federal laws and regulations that govern them, causing local police to unlawfully imprison immigrants while awaiting further investigation by ICE, the students say. ``We are thrilled ICE spokesman Daniel that ICE agreed to terModricker declined to disminate our clients' cases, and we celcuss the specifics of the ebrate our clients' vicsettlement but said parties tory. Mr. Villanuevainvolved in litigation routinely Ojanama and Mr. Castro Largo can now seek to resolve matters return to their lives with peace of mind,'' Villanueva-Ojanama, 37, and said Temidayo Odusolu, a law stuCastro Largo, 34, have lived in dent intern with the Worker & ImConnecticut for more than four migrant Rights Advocacy Clinic years, the students said. of the Jerome N. Frank Legal SerBoth were held by local au- vices Organization at Yale Law thorities on the ICE detainers, ex- School. -AP

1

http://www.proy-singh.com

2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659

Immigration Post

46 India Post

March 7, 2014

www.indiapost.com

State Dept. predicts Visa availability soon CYRUS D. MEHTA

V

isa availability. In the Visa Bulletin for March 2014, the Department of State's Visa Office makes the following estimates of visa availability in the coming months: EMPLOYMENT-based categories (potential monthly movement) Employment First: Current Employment Second: Worldwide: Current; China: Three to five weeks; India: No forward movement Employment Third: Worldwide:

and reorganized its website at http://www.travel.state.gov. The Visa Bulletin is now found under "Law and Policy" in the Visas section of the website. Visitors to the website have several ways to access the Visa Bulletin.

From the homepage: • Click on the link for usvisas.state.gov, located on the upper right side of the main graphic, or the link "U.S. Visas" located at the bottom of the page.

These links will take you to the

Readers should never assume that recent trends in cut-off date movements are guaranteed for the future, or that "corrective" action will not be required at some point in an effort to maintain number use within the applicable annual limits.

This cut-off date has been advanced over four and one half years since last spring in an effort to generate new demand. After such a rapid advance of a cut-off date applicant demand for number use, particularly for adjustment of status cases, can be expected to increase significantly. Once such demand begins to materialize at a greater rate it could have a significant impact on this cut-off date situation. Little if any forward movement of this cut-off date is likely during the next few months.

China: Will remain at the worldwide date; India: Little if any movement; Mexico: Will remain at the worldwide date; Philippines: Three to six weeks Employment Fourth: Current; Employment Fifth: Current The above projections for the Employment categories are for what is likely to happen during each of the next several months based on current applicant demand patterns. Readers should never assume that recent trends in cut-off date movements are guaranteed for the future, or that "corrective" action will not be required at some point in an effort to maintain number use within the applicable annual limits. The determination of the actual monthly cut-off dates is subject to fluctuations in applicant demand and a number of other variables. Unless indicated, those categories with a "Current" projection will remain so for the foreseeable future.

The Visa Bulletin for March 2014 is available at http:// travel.state.gov/content/visas/ english/law-and-policy/bulletin/ 2014/visa-bulletin-for-march2014.html.

Visa Bulletin moved. The Department of State has redesigned

Visas section of the website.

• Once in the Visas section, scroll down the page to the "We Want You to Know" section.

• Click on the icon, "Check the Visa Bulletin," or click on the link for the Visa Bulletin in the Law and Policy box.

• Alternately, once in the Visas section of the website, hover over the "Immigrate" icon along the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear with a link to the Visa Bulletin.

DOLAdds Q&A to FAQ Re Notification and Consideration of Laid-Off U.S. Workers for PERM Labor Certification Applications The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has added a new question

postings and apply, rather than their actively notifying and considering the laid-off workers.

In fact, the Q&A notes, misapplication of the regulatory requirements will result in denial of a PERM application. The employer must make a reasonable, goodfaith effort to notify each potentially qualified worker who has been laid off during the six months preceding the application whenever a relevant job opening exists and invite the worker to apply.

The Q&A notes that an employer who files multiple labor certifications can satisfy its responsibilities under the relevant regulation by notifying each laid-off worker (in the manner chosen by the worker) at least once a month that a list of current relevant job openings is maintained electronically on a website operated by the employer.

"Simply informing a laid-off worker to monitor the employer's website for future openings and inviting the worker, if interested, to apply for those openings, will not satisfy the employer's regulatory obligation to notify all of its potentially qualified laid-off U.S. workers of the job opportunity," the Q&A states.

The Q&A adds that an employer must maintain documentation showing that it has met its notice and consideration requirements, including copies of all relevant letters, e-mails, faxes, Web pages (including those listing details of the relevant job openings and applications by laid-off workers for those openings), and other contemporaneous documents that

"Simply informing a laid-off worker to monitor the employer's website for future openings and inviting the worker, if interested, to apply for those openings, will not satisfy the employer's regulatory obligation to notify all of its potentially qualified laid-off U.S. workers of the job opportunity” and answer (Q&A) to its frequently asked questions (FAQ).

The new Q&A concerns notification and consideration of laid-off U.S. workers for PERM labor certification applications.

The new Q&A asks, "How does an employer demonstrate that it notified and considered laid-off U.S. workers for the job opportunity listed on the ETA Form 9089?"

The answer notes that some employers have misconstrued the regulations to require only that they inform workers when laid off that the employer may have future positions and inviting the worker to monitor the employer's job

show when and how notice and consideration was given. In addition, an employer must obtain and maintain written documentation that a laid-off worker has declined to receive notices, requested discontinuation of the notices, or refused to give or update contact information.

The new Q&A is available at h t t p : / / www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/ faqsanswers.cfm#recrep2.

For a commentary, See Dol policy on laid-off US workers for perm labor certification applications, by Cyrus D. Mehta, available at http://

blog.cyrusmehta.com/2014/02/ dol-policy-on-laid-off-us-workersfor.html USCIS Revises Naturalization Application As part of its forms improvement initiative, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, on February 4, 2014. The eligibility requirements for naturalization have not changed.

The revised N-400 includes additional questions relating to good moral character and to security, to conform with the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008; "clearer and more comprehensive" instructions that highlight general eligibility requirements and provide specifics on how to complete each part of the application; and 2D barcode technology at the bottom of each page to enable USCIS to scan data for direct input into USCIS systems.

Applicants may use previous versions of the form until May 5, 2014, at which time USCIS will begin rejecting and returning previous versions of the N-400.

USCIS will hold a stakeholder engagement on February 20, 2014, about the revised form. For more information on the teleconference, see http://www.uscis.gov/outreach/revised-form-n-400-application-naturalization.

The announcement, which includes a link to a related video, is available at http://www.uscis.gov/ news/alerts/uscis-revises-form-n400-application-naturalization.

The revised form is at http:// www.uscis.gov/n-400. Information on USCIS's forms improvement initiative is available at http:// www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-updates/uscis-form-improvementsinitiative. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

PIO lawyer appointed head of NYC immigrant affairs dept.

Cont'd from Page 44

"More than three million New Yorkers were born in another country. We cannot succeed as a city unless they also succeed," she said, adding her office will focus on working with immigrant-owned small business, and ensure that English- language learners in our schools have every tool they need to succeed.

"We will end punitive policies that put honest, hard- working members of our society at risk for deportation. And we will launch the new municipal ID program this year, that will ensure that newcomers to our city are able - regardless of immigration status to participate in all facets of the city to sign leases, to open bank accounts, and to live their lives in the open."

Most recently, Agarwal worked with Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Robert Katzmann to establish the Immigrant Justice Corps, a new nonprofit that will recruit recent law school graduates and partner them with non-profit legal services providers to offer legal representation to undocumented immigrants.

She was previously Deputy Director of the Center for Popular Democracy, a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to advanc-

ing pro-immigrant, pro-equality and pro-justice policies at the grassroots and national levels, which she co-founded in 2012.

She was also involved in mandating pharmacies to provide interpretation services for speakers of the seven most common languages in the city, innovating new ways to bring immigrant communities out of the shadows,

“we will launch the new municipal ID program this year, that will ensure that newcomers to our city are able - regardless of immigration status - to participate in all facets of the city” the Mayor's office said.

Agarwal is not the only IndianAmerican serving in the new mayor's cabinet.

Last month eminent IndianAmerican physician Ramanathan Raju was appointed as New York City's Commissioner of Health and Hospitals Corporation, a network which has a dozen hospitals, a health plan and more than USD 7.3 billion in revenue.-PTI

March 7, 2014

www.indiapost.com

India Post 47

48 India Post

www.indiapost.com

March 7, 2014 L to R - Vijay Rajvaidya, Sindu Singh, Priya Satia, Basab Pradhan, Puneet

ARCHANA ASTHANA India Post News Service

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aatak Production Company had the opening night of its latest play "Party" last weekend. It is based on the Hindi translation of the Marathi play by Mahesh Elkunchwar.

The title "Party" would have you believe that you are about to enjoy an evening, at a friend's home, in the company of good friends, with food and libations punctuated by pleasantries. The story reflects an ecosystem of outwardly suave and polished individuals, who divest their facade, and become catty, petty, cynical and pretentious, as the evening progresses.

This party is set in the home of a wealthy and well connected patron of arts, Damyanti Rane, to felicitate an award won by a well known playwright, Diwakar Barve. The slew of guests represents an eclectic mix of individuals, who through their myriad interactions with other guests reveal some telling attributes about themselves to the audience.

There is Barveji, who is upheld as a symbol and stalwart of what a successful award winning playwright should be like. He, however, in a moment of shared weakness confides his insecurities to Damyanti and in turn hears about her deep seated struggles behind the ultra sophistication front.

Barve's female companion, the neurotic Mohini bares her soul every chance she gets to whoever would listen. Soni, an unwed mother, and Damyanti's daughter rebels against the pseudo intellectual society she finds herself surrounded with, and wants to lead a life with her head held high. This situation forces the group who claim "it's the duty of the well-to-do to help the needy" to confront their own prejudices.

Another guest, the Doctor, appears as

the host's sounding board and critic of other guests. The self righteous, up and coming playwright, Bharat, tries hard to be considered Barve's protege to be accepted by this group, and pretends to have higher ambitions than merely fame and fortune. Other characters include a gate crashing couple Malavika, a wanna-be socialite and her reVijay Rajvaidya, Sindu Singh, Basab Pradhan -Pics Archana Asthana

The communist, outspoken Vrinda, while analyzing the motivation of other characters, reveals her own insecurities and challenges. An interesting addition to this mix, is the character of Agashe about whom everybody at the party has an opinion. He, however, challenges the claim that Barve's plays are intellectual, and not commercial, while candidly admitting his plays are written to make money.

luctant husband, Naren, who provides comic relief as the perpetually sleepy member of the party.

The communist, outspoken Vrinda, while analyzing the motivation of other characters, reveals her own insecurities and challenges. An interesting addition to this mix, is the character of Agashe about whom everybody at the party has an opinion. He, however, challenges the claim that Barve's plays are intellectual, and not commercial, while candidly admitting his plays are written to make money.

The pivotal character of Amrit, in absentia, who, disgusted by the games his literary colleagues play has lived up to his ide-

als and turned into a social activist trying to restore the rights of a tribal community.

The guests laud his commitment, while, themselves lacking the courage to act on their beliefs. Joginder, the journalist ultimately communicates the fate that befalls Amrit to the gathering.

In a conversation, Director Ravi Bhatnagar emphasized the Chekhovian nature of the play and said that he aims to raise questions in the audience's mind, and make them think. He says this is "theater in real time" where the story is bookended by the beginning and end of the play. He suggests that the "changing relationships of characters is like a kaleidoscope".

Cont'd on Page 49

India Post 49

March 7, 2014 www.indiapost.com

Rahul Rawail to grace Mr & Miss South Asia show India Post News Service

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egendary Bollywood Direc tor Rahul Rawail (Betaab, Love Story, Bekhudi, Dacait, Aur Pyar Ho Gaya), Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih, Fashion Stylist and Costume Designer G.K. Reid, and the host of the evening award-winning director Indrani Pal-Chaudhari will be at Mr. & Miss South Asia 2014 on March 8.

Pal-Chaudhari will be hosting the show. Indrani has worked with the who's who in the entertainment industry: Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Keanu Reeves, etc.

The gorgeous Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010, will be adding more glamour to the red carpet. She rose to fame as the first Arab-Ameri-

Legendary Bollywood Director Rahul Rawail

Attractive and talented semifinalists will be competing at Spirit Of India's 22nd annual pageant Mr/Miss South Asia 2014 w/ Mr. & Miss India North America on Saturday, March 8 at the ICC Ballroom (525 Los Coches St. Milpitas, CA). The pageant is being presented by L.A. Tan and Gill Auto Group, in association with, Wells Fargo, South Asia Magazine, OrgaNick Life, and Royal Challenge.

Award-winning director and celebrity photographer, Indrani

Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010

can to win Miss USA title.

The red carpet gala is creating a buzz in the Silicon Valley, with Hollywood & Bollywood coming together to go down the red carpet, pose for pictures, and experience an amazing night. Plus with gorgeous contestants, top-notch entertainment, and plenty of glamour and glitz, it's definitely the hottest ticket in town. South Asia Magazine will reveal another hot, highly anticipated issue on the red carpet. The red carpet action will begin at 6pm, followed by dinner Spirit of India is bringing a first class production to the Bay Area.

Very talented and attractive contestants are vying for top coveted titles. Their pageant titles (Mr & Miss India America, Mr & Miss India Globe) have built a strong reputation in Hollywood.

Legendary Bollywood director Rahul Rawail (Love Story, Dacait, Betaab) is flying from Mumbai exclusively for this pageant. Rahul Rawail is currently looking for new faces for his upcoming film 'Love Story Again'. He's discovered top Bollywood stars, such as Kajol (Bekhudi), Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh (Betaab), Aishwarya Rai (Aur Pyar Ho Gaya). He also had

the privilege of working with Raj Kapoor as assistant director in 'Bobby' and 'Mera Naam Joker'.

GK Reid (Fashion Stylist & Costume Designer), who's worked with Rihanna, David Bowie, Katie Holmes, Iman, Usher, Liv Tyler, Janet Jackson, Kimora Lee Simmons, Chris Rock, Paris Hilton, the Kardashians, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore, was announced as a judge, GK Reid's advertising campaigns include L'Oreal, Hugo Boss, Shiseido, Pepsi, Puma, Nike, etc. And GK Reid's editorial work is equally impressive, with regular appearances in V, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, Flaunt, Vibe, Rolling Stone, etc. The other judges will be revealed at the pageant itself.

"I am glad to be associated with a great pageant, Mr & Miss South Asia, and I look forward to meeting the contestants. I hope I find a new face for my upcoming film, Love Story Again - which is not a sequel to Love Story (Kumar Gaurav). It's a new fresh story, with all newcomers in lead roles. We have our lead actress, Anushka

Award-winning director Indrani Pal-Chaudhari

Ranjan, and are now looking for two lead males and a second lead actress," said Rahul Rawail.

The evening will also witness Bollywood legend Rahul Rawail receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Naatak's 'Party' raises questions What is genuine? What is credible?

Cont'd from Page 48

minutes later. Because of the multiple iterations of similar issues, the tension between the characters appears contrived at times.

At other times, the direction is tight, and the subtle weaving of the comic relief is welcome to break the on-stage tension. The play does live up to the promise of raising questions, and I came away with "What is genuineness"? "How do we know when someone is credible"?

Ultimately, as a social commentary and a charade, the play was credible in that it reflects the duality and insecurities in all of us.

The stage was set with just enough props to depict three separate locations, deftly isolated with spotlights. The main party area was rather drab however, and not convincing as a set for a high society party.

The actors shared that they spend two to three months in rehearsals and "try to get under the skin of their character, so they can be the character, not just play the character". They also noted how live theater allows them to interact with the audience, who become a "lens" through which the performance is viewed.

The character of Mohini, played by Priya Satia stands out particularly as an authentic depiction of someone who gave up all, and got nothing more than mere reflected glory and neurosis. Agashe's character, played ably by Puneet is probably the most in sync and has great interaction with the audience. A noteworthy performance by Ashish L to R - Vijay Rajvaidya, Sindu Singh Divetia as Bharat portraying the unsure, yet bold facade. An understated Barve Boxed in by their beliefs and prejuis Vijay Rajvaidya's forte. dices, individuals can only expand The director takes his time to their thinking to the limits within develop the interactions among which they bind themselves. I look the guests at the party, to the point forward to witnessing more where it begins to drag, with many thought-provoking, question-raisrepetitions of the same theme, and ing performances in the future by takes the play to its conclusion 100 Naatak.

Datebook

50 India Post

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK Upcoming

Upcoming Sun, Mar 9 • Indian Classical Music with Chirag Katti Venue: oria Production Theater, 260 W 36th St, New York, NJ 10018 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 718-672-3211

Sat, Mar 15

• Page 3 Parties - HOLI HAI Venue: Dorrians, 555 Washington Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07310 Time: 09: 00 am Contact: 201-600-1120

Fri, Mar 28 • Sangam 2014 Venue: The Hindu Temple Society Of North America, 45-57 Bowne St, NJ 11355 Time: 6:00pm Contact: 732-398-9022

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sat, Mar 17 • Sonu Nigam Close To My

Sun, Mar 9 • Cerritos Music Circle

Venue: Nassau Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY 11553 Time: 08:00 pm

Venue: William and Jane Bristol Audi-

Soul - NY

Fri, Mar 28 • Sangam 2014 - NY Venue: The Hindu Temple Society Of North America, 45-57 Bowne St, New York, NY 11355 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 347-989-6104

torium, 16600 Civic Center Plaza, Bellflower, CA 90706 Time: 2:00 pm Contact: 310-530-5992

Fri, Mar 7 • Shraddhanjali for Poojya Guruji Rishi Prabhakar Venue: Ektaa Center 2691 Richter Ave Ste 105, Irvine, CA 92606 Time: 7:15pm to 9:30pm Contact: (408) 316 1712

Fri, Mar 14 • Holi Hai Venue: Mehran Restaurant and Catering, 5774 Mowry School Rd, Newark, CA

Sat, Mar 29 • Zakir Hussain and The Mas-

94560

Venue: The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, New York, NY 10001 Time : 8:00 pm Contact : 866-858-0008

Sat, Mar 15 • Rang Barse Holi Festival

ters of Percussion

March 7, 2014

Time: 7 pm

Venue: Cardoza Park, 1356 Kennedy Dr, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 11:00 am Contact: 650-793-0639

Sat, Mar 22 • Brahma Kumaris Silicon Valley Meditation Center has organized a special talk on "Make Mind Your Best Friend"

Sun, Mar 9 • Aav Taru Kari Nakhu Venue: Smith Center at Ohlone College, 43600 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539 Time: 6:00 pm

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, Mar 15 • Mohit Chauhan Live In Concert With Mamta Sharma Venue: Atlanta Civic Center, 395, Piedmont Ave, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 Time: 8:00 pm

CA 95035

Sun, Mar 16 • Chinmaya Tej lighting up the path

Time : 10:00 am to 12:00 noon

Venue: South Forsyth Middle School, 2865

Contact: www.bksiliconvalley.org

Old Atlanta Rd, Cumming, GA 30041

Venue: 821 Anacapa Court, Milpitas,

Sat, Mar 22 • Holi On The Beach 2014 Venue: Will Rogers State Beach (between towers 5&6), Pacific Coast Hwy, Los Angeles, CA 90272 Time: 11 a.m Contact: 8435032133

Time: 7:00 am

Sun, Mar 16 • Sangam 2014 - Atlanta Venue: AHindu Temple Of Atlanta, 5851 Highway 85, Riverdale, GA 30274 Time: 5:00pm

ILLINOIS Upcoming • J K Yog Satsang and Bal Mukund Hindi Classes are held every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of Month Chicago Satsang Information: J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets, Board Room, 933 South Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126 Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes

Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org/bal-mukund

Sat, Mar 8

• Free Health Screenings Free Assistance with Enrolling in an Affordable Health Insurance Plan through the New Obamacare Healthcare Law Venue: Where: Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60645 Contact: (312.372.7070

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

Horoscope

March 7, 2014

India Post

51

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Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

MARCH 7 TH - MARCH 13 TH , 2014 (March 21 to April 20)

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ittle efforts and big rewards will be the theme this week. A big business transaction is in the cards. You may plan an evening with some colleagues from work. Spouse may complain of aches and pain in the body and need rest. People looking for a career change will be offered a lucrative position in a reputed company this week.

(September 23 to October 22)

V

ery favorable week for people in retail business. You may go out and buy some nice cloths for your self. Little exercises will bring you back in good shape and reduce some weight also.

You may invite few close relatives at your place for lunch. There will be lots of conflict in mind about career but you will make the right choice.

(October 23 to November 22)

(April 21 to May 20)

S

uccess will be followed by self confidence. You will have many opportunities to make extra money this week. A big stocks transaction will get much need extra cash. Planets continue to help those seeking another job closer to home. You will also very quickly recover from some unexpected illness. Try few lottery tickets this week.

C

hanges you had been waiting in career will become visible but may take little more time to get implemented. Money wise you will stay comfortable and may make extra money through stocks. You may have to answer a legal query also and if you are not sure what to reply, better seek second opinion from a friend or colleague.

(November 23 to December 22)

(May 21 to June 20)

O

thers will benefit from your advise quickly but the same formula will not work for you. Stress level will increase because of a new situation. You may be thinking of taking a business trip to another state to renew a contract. Change of diet will help loose some weight also. You have big chance of some kind of financial jackpot.

T

ransiting Venus in second will give you several chances to make extra money. You may be looking for a good deal to replace one of your vehicle. There will be some interesting and favorable developments in ongoing legal matters. Government official will not give you run around and will grant the permission on the spot.

(June 21 to July 22)

V

enus aspect Moon is favorable for money matters. You will definitely lay your hands on some real easy money this week.

Chances of winning lottery still stay strong. One of your vehicle may need minor repairs. You may take a short trip to a nice place with water around with family this week to meet old friends or close relatives.

(December 22 to January 19)

Y

ou will have many reasons to celebrate with family and friends this week. A small check will go to a government agency in shape of fine or taxes. You will be successful in resolving an important issue with a colleague or boss this week. You may replace some electric gadgets in the kitchen. You will receive date for interview.

(July 23 to August 22)

N

ew contract will be beneficial quickly. Health will improve with new diet plan. You may be looking for right associates for your new venture. Legal matters will continue to move forward in right directions and the victory is in the air in near future. You may also have some construction done in or around your property this week.

(January 20 to February 18)

Y

ou may be thinking of traveling overseas for some business or to attend an important conference. Planets in ninth will create temporary hurdles and you may need to make several attempts to get anything done. You may also dispose off some stocks and put the money away. You will be studying some very useful material.

(August 23 to September 22)

D

o not stretch your limits and keep an eye on other family members and your credit card statement. There will be some inter esting developments in career and you may need to choose a side. You will continue to gain an edge over opponents. If appearing for any competitive this week, you will come out with flying colors.

PANDIT PARASHAR, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations.

He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com

(February 19 to March 20)

O

utside influence can cause temporary friction between you and spouse. Negotiations will continue to move in the right direction and the final agreement could take place next week.

You should be careful with money and should not stretch your limits when making the offer. An old friend will call and invite you to a party.

510-886-4370 www.parashar.com

52

Classifieds

India Post

March 7, 2014

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WANTED FINANCE MANAGER FINANCE MANAGER WANTED URGENTLY. ANY WORK EXPERIENCE CAN APPLY. MUST BE ACCURATE, COMPUTER LITERATE, HAVE GOOD TYPING SKILLS AND HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF COMMUNICATION.

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georgecorney001@gmail.com for application

RESTAURANT FOR SALE/RENT Well equipped & very nicely furnished Indian Restaurant on SALE & RENT located in the heart of Devon Ave Market.

Best location in Chicago. Only serious enquiries please.

Call: 312-479-5506

MATRIMONIALS BRIDE-GROOM WANTED

PROFILE OF OUR SON KAPIL ARORA Dear Parents, We are inviting a matrimonial alliance from a respectable family for our son who is currently working as a Manager in a Big 4 Consulting company .He is handsome ,fair ,5'7'' tall and is having a cheerful disposition.

He is honest with good values and is currently residing in San Jose California. He is having excellent credentials and is a Mechanical Engineer from M.I.T., Manipal and M.B.A (Marketing and Finance) from Symbiosis (SCMHRD) , Pune He is earning a handsome salary and his current remuneration would be gross USD 160 K /annum His Birth and Family details are as under: Birth details: Date: Feb-11-1976 Time: 3:38 PM Place: Delhi Marital Status: Divorced Family Details: Self: Retired Ex Senior Civil Service Officer (KAS) J&K and is in social service.

Wife: A Post Graduate running her own educational institution in Jammu. She hails from Delhi and settled in Jammu post marriage.

Elder Brother :Orthodontist by profession happily married and blessed with 2 kids (son and a daughter) and is residing in Vancouver Canada .

Daughter in Law: M.Sc. Physics (Hons.) - She is working in Vancouver Canada and is also a home maker.

We are a small family of 6 members who are very closely knitted, God fearing people with high moral values having properties in Jalandhar, Delhi and Jammu. Our relatives are well educated, professionals and into business in Delhi and Chandhigarh. We are a family of rich values and looking forward for a good human being as a life partner for our son.

In case you find it suitable, kindly mail the particulars of your daughter along with her photograph Contact Details:

greetings1102@gmail.com; kaparo@gmail.com Regards,

MRS & MR D.P ARORA

US No : +1 408 438 3399, 408 809 2067 India no :+91 96223 03596

Philosophy

March 7, 2014

India Post 53

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis P.D. OUSPENSKY

T

he idea of the fourth dimension arose from the assumption that, in addition to the three dimensions known to our geometry, there exists a fourth, for some reason inaccessible and unknown to us, i.e. that in addition to the three perpendiculars known to us a mysterious fourth perpendicular is possible.

In practice this assumption is based on the consideration that the world contains many things and phenomena about whose real existence there can be no doubt, but which are utterly beyond being measured in length, breadth and height and lie, as it were, outside three-dimensional space.

We may take as really existing that which produces a certain action, has certain functions, represents the cause of something else.

That which does not exist cannot produce any action, has no function, cannot be a cause.

But there are different kinds of existence. There is the physical existence, recognized by actions and functions of a certain kind; and there is the metaphysical existence, recognized by its actions and its functions.

A house exists, and the idea of good and evil exists. But they do not exist in the same way. One and the same method of proving existence cannot serve to prove the SANT GYANESHWAR

T

he Guru makes no distinction between the worship per and the worshipped - to such an extent that he does not permit even the worshipper to remain as a separate entity.

When one end of a loosely tied Dhoti (a length of cloth worn by a Hindu male) is pulled, the rest of it also comes loose; when the mirror is taken away, the reflection of the object in it also disappears - similarly, the Guru removes the individuality of both the worshipper and the object of his worship.

Where it is futile to try to get a glimpse of the face, of what use is eyesight? Sitting at the Master's feet is all that can be done (by way of effort).

The flame that is created by the combination of oil and the wick cannot compare with the light that arises when a piece of camphor is burnt.

When the camphor and the fire are brought together, both eventually disappear.

A person sees his wife in dream, but when he wakes up, both the dream and the wife disappear. Similarly, when I meditate upon the real nature of my Guru, both the worshipper and the worshipped get merged in each other and all dual-

existence of a house and the existence of an idea. A house is a physical fact, an idea is a metaphysical fact. Both the physical and the metaphysical facts exist, but they exist differently.

In order to prove the idea of the division of good and evil - i.e. a metaphysical fact - I must prove its possibility. This will be sufficient. But if I prove that a house, i.e. a physical fact, can exist, it does not at all mean that it actually does

the idea will grow, spread and gain strength.

On the other hand, silence, oblivion, non-doing, 'non-resistance' will annihilate, or at any rate weaken the idea. But silence, oblivion, will not harm a house or a stone. It is clear that the existence of a house and the existence of an idea are different existences.

We know a great many of such different existences. A book exists and the contents of a book exist.

view it will appear very naive to speak of the purchasing value of a coin separately from the coin; of the energy of a word separately from the word; of the contents of a book separately from the book, and so on.

We all know that this is only 'a manner of speech', that actually the purchasing value, the energy of a word, the contents of a book, have no existence; they are only concepts by means of which we

An idea is annihilated not by effort, but by silence

P.D. Ouspensky

By means of a certain effort a house can be destroyed - it can be burned or demolished.

But try to destroy an idea by effort. The more you fight against it, the more you argue , ridicule it, the more the idea will grow

exist. To prove that a man can own a house is no proof that he actually owns it.

Moreover, our relation to an idea and to a house is quite different.

By means of a certain effort a house can be destroyed - it can be burned or demolished. The house will cease to exist. But try to destroy an idea by effort. The more you fight against it, the more you argue, refute, ridicule it, the more

Notes exist, and the music they contain exists. A coin exists and the purchasing value of a coin exists. A word exists and the energy contained in it exists.

On the one hand we see a series of physical facts, on the other, a series of metaphysical facts.

There are facts of the first kind and facts of the second kind; they both exist, but they exist differently.

From the ordinary positivist

designate a series of phenomena in some way connected with them.

We see in things not only an outer aspect but an inner content.

We know that this inner content constitutes an inalienable part of things, usually their main essence.

Excerpted from Tertium Organum (the third organ of thought). The 136th birth anniversary of Ouspensky was observed on March 4

ity disappears.

Therefore, I bow down to my Guru, setting aside all ideas of duality, including these words themselves which also can arise only in duality.

The Guru's love is so wonderful, so mysterious, that even when he is beyond the parameters of any inter-related opposites, he uses a persona of duality to express his love. Without any apparent rela-

ers) as well as its depletion through evaporation; so also the GuruNoumenon is the repository of opposites.

Light and darkness are opposites, yet the sun, being light itself, knows not either darkness or non-darkness.

In that state where even the word "one" is inadequate, can there exist multiplicity?

Therefore in the word "Guru" is

Mirror projects the reflection of a face, but the reflection is never identified as the original face.

If a man should fall asleep in an unfrequented forest, when he wakes up he himself is the one who woke up and also the one who awakened him. So also, it is the Guru who instructs and the Guru who is instructed through this apparent duality of Guru and disciple.

The apperception of this unity

what

our

thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.

- Swami Vivekananda By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

- Confucius Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens - Aldous Huxley The pessimist complains

If a man should fall asleep in an unfrequented forest, when he wakes up he himself is the one who woke up and also the one who awakened him. So also, it is the Guru who instructs and the Guru who is instructed through this apparent duality implicit both the "Guru" and the "disciple".

Just as gold and the gold ornament are both gold, or the moon and the moonlight are both the moon; or the camphor and its fragrance, or the sugar and its sweetness are one; so also the Guru and the disciple are two aspects of the Guru himself.

are

to you.

In the word 'Guru' is implicit both 'Guru' & 'disciple'

tionship, the Guru brings about the Guru-disciple relationship, and yet retains his unicity.

The Guru-Noumenon who is the background against which is seen the infinite space that enfolds the entire universe, suffers the darkness of absence.

The ocean is the support of the addition of water (through the riv-

We

about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.

- William Arthur Ward Sant Gyaneshwar

in diversity is not possible for those who need a mirror to see their own eyes. The Guru gives such knowledge by which the disciple can see his own eye without the aid of a mirror.

Verses 47-69 excerpted from Chapter 'Homage to the Guru' in Amritanubhav, translated by Ramesh Balsekar.

The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.

- Khalil Gibran

You Insure all your Valuables, all are replaceable except YOU! So Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

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Implications for India of Saudi-US estrangement

T

India Post

RANJIT GUPTA

he Arab Spring strongly Prince Saud's sudden visit to Pacompounded Saudi kistan in January 2014 followed Arabia's progressively very soon thereafter by the new increasing disillusion- Pakistani Army Chief's visit to ment with the US when, to its ut- Saudi Arabia and now Prince ter consternation and deep anger, Salman choosing Pakistan as the the US failed to prevent the over- first country to visit after becomthrow of Mubarak, a faithful ally ing Crown Prince and Defense for more than three decades. US Minister has prompted a lot of criticism of Gen Al Sissi's over- speculative commentary in the throwing of the Muslim Brother- Western strategic community. hood government of President Those who closely follow Saudi Morsi and cutting off economic Arabia's relations with South Asia and military assistance added fuel believe that the Saudi Arabiato the fire. funded Pakistani nuclear program The West's holding back of and payback time may be aparms supplies to rebels fighting proaching. Saudi Defense Minisagainst the Assad regime in Syria ter Prince Sultan was given priviand the US decision not to take leged and complete access to Pamilitary action against it for kistani nuclear installations in 1999 breaching a publicly announced redline, the use of chemical weapons, added to Saudi Arabia's growing anger.

After these disappointments, the sudden opening of negotiations on the nuclear issue with Iran, the rapidity with which an interim agreement was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the reached and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Royal Highness Crown Prince continuing purSalman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on February 27 suit of a thaw in relations with Iran represent in Saudi eyes a will- (and again in 2002) and soon thereful disregard of its security con- after Dr AQ Khan visited Saudi cerns and sensitivities. Saudi Arabia.

Arabia has maintained that no US experts such as Bruce Reidel agreement will constrain the and Gary Saymore, who should nuclear program and Iran would know, say that a secret and longstill be able to make the bomb very standing agreement exists that quickly should it finally decide to Pakistan would provide the Kingdo so. dom with nuclear technology and From 2009, Saudi Arabia started weapons should Saudi Arabia feel sending signals from the King threatened by a third party nuclear downwards and has more than program. once since then stated publicly This would inevitably invite that in the event Iran acquires the strong reactions from the US and capability to make nuclear weap- Iran and would also almost surely ons, Saudi Arabia will also do so. evoke strong opposition from Pakistan-Iran relations have China which would not want to been witnessing a serious down- jeopardize its overarching relationturn in the past few months - Iran ship with the US for an issue far has threatened military interven- removed from its core national intion to secure the release of its terests. security personnel and in the conBoth Pakistan and Saudi Arabia text of the continuing killing of have strongly denied any such Shias; Iran has cancelled the much intention and also reports that flaunted gas pipeline, etc. A flurry Pakistan will, at Saudi request, be of exchange of visits between Pa- supplying sophisticated weapons kistan and Saudi Arabia are coin- to rebels in Syria - this would cidentally taking place during this greatly anger Iran but will hardly downturn. Saudi Foreign Minister make a difference in Syria. How-

ever, both these contingencies are unlikely to happen.

It is far more likely that these visits are in the context of the domestic situation in Saudi Arabia.

These are delicate and sensitive times in Saudi Arabia - Crown Prince Sultan and Crown Prince Nayef passed away in quick succession in October 2011 and June 2012 respectively; the King is in his mid-nineties and his health is fragile; Crown Prince Salman's health is not particularly robust; Saudi Arabia is approaching uncharted territory in relation to the succession to the throne.

Massive unemployment, the popular appeal of the Arab Spring, Sunni Islamic extremism, Shia restiveness particularly in the oil-rich eastern provinces, are factors that present serious putative security concerns. Given the one-of-itskind rather unique Saudi-Pakistan relationship, assertively Sunni Pakistan may be the perfect security partner to help meet internal threats. Western security partners cannot be used while Arabs will always be more problematic and risky.

Crown Prince Salman also paid a highly satisfying three-day visit to India during which an MoU on defense cooperation was amongst agreements signed which build upon the relationship spelt out in the Delhi Declaration of 2006 and the Riyadh Declaration of 2010, both landmark, path-breaking documents signed personally by King Abdullah with the Indian Prime Minister.

These established a wide-ranging strategic partnership. An Indian defense minister had paid a firstever visit to Saudi Arabia in 2012.

In contrast to Pakistan, the interaction with India is in the context of tentative beginnings of a potential reorientation of Saudi foreign policy to move away from complete and total dependence on the US. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, had given a thought provoking speech in Manama, Bahrain, on 5 December 2004. The subject was 'Towards a New Framework for Regional Security'. He said, inter alia, that "the international component of the suggested Gulf security framework should engage positively the emerging Asian powers as well, especially China and India." Since then, this theme is increasingly reiterated by leading Saudi personalities.

The writer is Distinguished Fellow, IPCS, and Former Indian Ambassador to Yemen and Oman

I

Vote for progress

f the Aam Admi Party had been in power at the Center, it could not have done better than A.K. Antony in ordering inquiries.

India's defense minister orders inquiries whenever he smells corruption (the stink cannot be missed). Whenever he sees hint of middlemen (and there are many) getting a packet in the bargain, he suspends the deal. He has suspended or withdrawn so many defense deals that India's security itself is now in danger with many weapons and defense equipment not having been replenished for a decade. The recent mishaps in the Navy are an indication of that. Modern equipment is not being imported nor is it being manufactured in the country. And on grounds of economy even whatever is available is either overused or of poor quality.

But in all this, there is satisfaction in the Congress party; particularly with its chief Sonia Gandhi that Antony's halo of incorruptibility is intact. Here is an example of what Kejriwal's AAP would do in government. It will open up a host of can of worms but do little to contain the damage and take corrective measures and make progress.

India today doesn't need name calling and making lists of the corrupt and the most corrupt. Everyone knows about them and there is no need to dig up proof. What is needed is to have a vision of progress and get a move on in implementation. Narendra Modi is the only one among political parties who is selling an economic agenda - urbanization, infrastructure, greater freedom to states, more productive PSUs, tax reform, etc. And he has the example of Gujarat to cite as a successful model.

Right from the day he was declared the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, there have been fears that whatever the BJP's tally after elections it would be short of majority and unlike the Congress it would find it difficult to attract allies given the hardline image of Modi. That theory was recently busted by Ram Vilas Pawan's Lok Janashakti Party in Bihar announcing its return to the BJP-led NDA. Paswan has been the proverbial weathercock in Indian politics. He holds the record of highest winning margin when he entered politics but today he doesn't enjoy any popularity to win a reasonable number of seats on his own. He left the original NDA over Narendra Modi's handling of communal violence in Gujarat. Thereafter, he enjoyed approval of Sonia Gandhi for being a leading light of the "secular" brigade and was rewarded with a ministry in UPA. Today he is nowhere but he knows which way the wind is blowing so he is back in the NDA, 12 years after he had stormed out of it criticizing Narendra Modi. And what are his views on Narendra Modi today? He had a good word for him saying, "he is also from the extremely backward classes." So it is clear that anyone who seems to be winning will get most allies, ideology be damned. Ideology is only there to fool the people. With UPA-II also the allies were sticking on for office and the perks that come with it.

This is also the election where the duplicity of the so-called socialists will be exposed. In the name of socialism, leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav have kept the people in their states in poverty giving little thought to development. The UP Samajwadi Party leader was recently found celebrating in his home town Saifal with Bollywood biggies, spending crores of state money, even as the riot hit only a 100 kms away in Muzaffarnagar were shivering in cold, living in camps without facilities.

If the socialists have fed only lies to the people, the Aam Admi Party also needs to take care not to make unsubstantiated allegations and talk in hyperboles. It is too early for Kejriwal to talk of 100 seats.

March 7, 2014

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March 7, 2014