IndiaPost_03-09-2012 by Ghanshyam Bisht

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USCIS honors Academic Vivek Wadhwa Details on page 43

3 Indians to co-chair Obama campaign Details on page 5

Survey says Consulate staff is rude

VOL 17, No. 912

March 9, 2012

50¢

Periodical Postage

IRAQ REBUFFS U.S.; BUYS INDIA RICE

HOUSTON: US Congress members from the largest ricegrowing states are on warpath, asking Iraq to resume buying US long-grain rice, instead of from India. "We liberated their country for one thing," said Texas Congressman Ted Poe. "We would think they would consider the US in trade since we spent billions of dollars not only to liberate their country, but to rebuild their infrastructure."

Twelve Congressmen have fired off a letter to Iraq's Trade Minister Khair Alla Babaker pressing him to get Iraqis back on the American long-grain variety. The letter said that there was a 77 per cent drop in rice sales to Iraq between 2010 and 2011, even though "not long ago, Iraq represented the largest market for US rice." Details on page 5

Details on page 12

Neha Patel

Mother drowns baby because she hated him Details on page 5

US financial industry leaders meet Nilekani Details on page 21

Trade Policy team meets Amb Rao Details on page 21

New NY district splits South Asian areas

Gandhi's proxy baptism by Mormon Church Details on page 6

Details on page 44

CONTENTS

80% Indian Americans to vote Obama

Bollywood ---------------------- 38-39 Classifieds ------------------------- 47 Community Post -------------- 12-19 Date Book -------------------------- 28

Details on page 6

Edit Page --------------------------- 49 HealthScience Post --------- 34-37

INDIA POST SURVEY

Horoscope ------------------------- 42

survey@indiapost.com

Immigration Post ------------- 43-45

This week’s question

Life Style ----------------------- 25-27

Can US force Iraq to buy its rice?

Perspective ------------------------ 46 Philosophy ------------------------- 48

Last week’s result

Will outsourcing debate continue after elections? YES 36%

NO 64%

TALKING IN PUNJABI: US Governors, both Indian Americans, both Republicans, in animated conversation. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal were waiting for President Barack Obama to speak to the members of the National Governors Association, February 27, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 40-41 TechBiz Post ------------------- 21-24 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 28-31

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March 9, 2012

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s we hurtle down to Super Tuesday round the corner, I am getting increasingly perturbed by the second position lead that Rick Santorum continued to hold after last week's Arizona and Michigan primaries. I wasn't going to pay much attention to this guy, dismissing him off as a flash in the pan; but, continued voter support for this ultra conservative Bible quoting moral cop is upsetting, if not disturbing. Here's a lowdown of Santorum's most vocal views: He is vehemently against separation of Church and the State in America; but calls Iran a "Mullahcracy". The concept of equality did not come from Islam or "Eastern religions," he says, but rather from the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." He is against reproductive rights for women and female contraception; abortion for ANY reason is a sin according to him. He thinks marriage is between man and woman ONLY. He does not believe kids should have to go to college; he thinks President Obama wants kids to go to college because he wants to clone them after himself. He does not believe every American is entitled to medical insurance because he thinks making it compulsory is trampling of individual freedoms by the government. He believes dialogue will not work with Iran. It should be bombed into submission, he thinks. He believes 'America-the virtuous' is under attack by Satan and other demonic forces; he means Islamic countries. He wants to go to war with China to make America the most attractive business destination. Now, the problem with Rick Santorum is whatever he says is not just common Republican agenda or campaign rhetoric. He really believes in that stuff. By his own admission, he is not ashamed he wants to take the country backwards. It's embarrassing that he is still in the running. You know what folks, with political leaders like Santorum up on stage with a mike and impressionable people cheering on - let alone sitting in the Oval office - in 21st Century America, I would be afraid. If you consider yourself a normal, rational human being, you would be too - very, very afraid.

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No more in love The couple's reel life bonding might be a treat to Salman and Katrina's fans, but the couple is definitely not in love again.

Cover Story: Rice for Iraq US lawmakers from the largest rice-growing states are on warpath, asking Iraq to resume buying US rice, instead of from India.

Community: Taxi driver hit Bangladeshi taxi driver Sajjad Matin's left leg was amputated due to severe injuries after a drunk driver struck him from behind.

Health: Polio free India marked a major success in its battle against polio by being removed from the WHO list of polio-hit countries.

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Life Style: Singer, actor Pop singer, composer and actor Ali Zafar follows up his popular hits with the romantic comedy 'London Paris New York'.

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Travel: Pondicherry On way to Pondicherry, one gets to see the scenery typical of the Deccan plateau- striking red soil and deep green vegetation.

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Iraq rebuffs US; buys India rice HOUSTON: US Congress members from the largest ricegrowing states are on warpath, asking Iraq to resume buying US long-grain rice, instead of from India. "We liberated their country for one thing," said Texas Congressman Ted Poe. "We would think they would consider the US in trade since we spent billions of

dollars not only to liberate their country, but to rebuild their infrastructure." Twelve Congressmen have fired off a letter to Iraq's Trade Minister Khair Alla Babaker pressing him to get Iraqis back on the American long-grain variety. The letter said that there was a 77 per cent drop in rice sales to

Iraq between 2010 and 2011, even though "not long ago, Iraq represented the largest market for US rice." The Iraqi Grain Board has said it decided to buy cheaper Basmati rice from India. Baghdad hasn't bought US rice since late 2010. Iraq's Trade Ministry has said that much of the shift is a function of the Iraqi public preferring

Mother drowns her baby because she hated him India Post News Service

then back home. She went inside but can't remember if she took the baby inside with her. She then got back in the van and drove to Ocala, and then to Tampa International Airport. She told detectives that she knew the baby was deceased during this drive be-

NEW YORK: A 32-year old Indian American woman in Florida is facing charges of first degree murder for intentionally drowning her one-year-old son in the bathtub and killing him because "she hated him since the day he was born." It was 33-yer old Rasesh Patel who called the police in the wee hours of Feb 17 when he was told by his wife Neha Patel that she had killed their son. Neha used to work as a pharmacist at the CVS pharmacy on Socrum Loop Road in North Lakeland, but quit on Feb 12. In a chilling account, she told detectives that she and her son Ishan, born Jan 2011, were home alone on the morning of Feb 16, after her husband, who works for JP Morgan in Tampa as a Quality Assurance Officer left for work and took their 4year old daughter to preschool on the way. She said the baby Ishan Patel was playing with the television remote, and then began crawlNeha told the police ing towards her. She said that she hates the that angry that her baby, and as he began crawling to her, she slapped him husband had started twice on his face in an attempt calling friends and relato discourage him from coming near her. She then put the baby tives, she drove back to down for a nap. the airport with the Neha told detectives that when the baby woke up from intention of jumping off his nap, she put him in the the parking garage roof bathtub, filled it half full of water, and left him in there and committing suicide alone "for 10 minutes." When she returned to take him out of the tub, she said he was uncon- cause he was "blue" and "cold." She told detectives that she scious. She said she knows CPR, but drove to the airport with the inchose not to do it or to call 911. tention of killing herself by jumpShe told detectives she then put ing off the roof of the parking gaclothes on the baby and put him rage. However, she decided to go in the car and drove out through back home because there were too a Public parking lot near her home, many people at the airport.

When she got home, she was confronted by her husband, who demanded to know where she had been and what was wrong with the baby. She said she took the baby to his room, placed him in his crib, and then eventually told her husband that she had killed their son by drowning him. She said that when her husband began calling relatives she became very angry and told him she was leaving because she didn't want to go to jail, and that instead she was going to kill herself. Between 2 am and 2:40 am on Feb 17, Neha came home with the baby wrapped in a blanket, and eventually when she told her husband that she killed the baby earlier that day, he called 911. That afternoon, around 1 pm, Airport Police found Neha sitting in her Toyota Sienna in the airport parking lot on the fourth level. Neha told the police that angry that her husband had started calling friends and relatives, she drove back to the airport with the intention of jumping off the parking garage roof and committing suicide. She said she didn't jump because every time she would get ready to jump, someone would walk by. Neha was very candid with detectives that she has hated her baby since the day he was born, and she blamed him for her "state of mind." She did not mention depression, just that she hated her son, the police said. "This absolutely makes me sick. To think of the torture that this child endured is beyond imagination. Our love for children, and our desire to protect children, is unlimited - the only solace there is in this case is that Neha Patel will not be able to hurt another child, because she is in jail where she belongs," said Sheriff Grady Judd.

India's Basmati rice, which the US doesn't produce. There is no law keeping the US out of Iraq's rice market, but American farmers simply aren't growing the right kind of rice for the Iraqi dinner plate. The Iraqi move comes as US farmers struggle with drought, unusual heat, rising production costs, dropping prices and a

shrinking export market. The 12 legislators from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Virginia say the rice industry has worked closely with Iraq to develop a relationship, including conducting meetings and workshops with Iraqi Grain Board officials, and touring with them at US rice fields and mills. -PTI

3 Indian Americans Obama campaign co-chairs India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Three Indian Americans - Hollywood actor Kal Penn, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Virginia Commonwealth University student Sai Iyer - are among the 35 individuals appointed co-chairs of President Obama's re-election campaign. The co-chairs, who will act as key surrogates and ambassadors for the President through the Nov 2012 elections, a diverse array of Obama supporters including former Republican senator Lincoln Chafee (now an independent serving as Rhode Island governor), former Wisconsin Senator and progressive darling Russ Feingold, former White House chiefs of staff Rahm Emanuel and Bill Daley, Caroline Kennedy, business executive Penny Pritzker, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese and actress Eva Longoria, among others. "The president's national cochairs will be tremendous assets on the ground as we build the big-

gest grassroots campaign in history," Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina said in a statement. "They each share the president's vision for a future where every American can have a fair shot at success, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded." Penn (Kalpen Modi), recognized for his role in the 'Harold and Kumar' movie series, has had two stints at the White House since he campaigned for Obama in the 2008 campaign, and the last position he held there was as White House Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement. He actively campaigned for Obama during the 2008 Presidential run. Harris, the powerful Attorney General of California, was fully supported by President Obama during her own campaign in 2009. Iyer served as a White House intern in 2011, and is an Obama for America (OFA) volunteer state leader from Virginia. OFA is an arm of the Democratic National Committee, formed soon after Obama took office in 2009.

GIFT FOR AMBASSADOR: Nirupama Rao, the ambassador from India to the United States, accepts a gift of a box with a palmetto tree on top from South Carolina State Ports Authority president and CEO Jim Newsome in in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 28. Rao, who is making a three-day visit to South Carolina, said she is anxious to meet Gov. Nikki Haley, who is of Indian descent and who Rao says is a star to people of India

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Gandhi's proxy baptism by Mormon Church upsets Hindus India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Bizarre as it might be, Mahatma Gandhi has apparently been baptized by proxy by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) headquartered in Salt Lake City in Utah. Speaking on behalf of Hindus, Nevada priest Rajan Zed said it was appalling to note that Gandhi, who lived his life as a Hindu and was cremated by Hindu traditions, had been reportedly baptized by proxy by LDS. Independent researcher Helen Radkey of Salt Lake City, in an email to Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, sent pages from FamilySearch, an LDS service, which showed Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Person Identifier LHTR-62Z; born October 2, 1869 in Porbandar & died January 30, 1948 in New Delhi) as baptized on March 27, 1996 at Salt Lake City Utah Temple; with "Confirmation" completed November 17, 2007 at Sao Paulo Brazil Temple; "Initiatory" completed February four, 2009 at Sao Paulo Brazil Temple; and "Endowment" completed October two, 1996 at Salt Lake City Utah Temple. It also lists names of Gandhi's siblings, parents and children. In this email to Zed, Radkey said that she looked up this record on February 16 but it had since disappeared and was no longer available in the database. Person Identifier LHTR-62Z pulled up as "Unknown Name". It was unusual

for a record to vanish, she added. Emails sent by Zed to LDS officials carrying short letter addressed to LDS President Thomas S. Monson on February 24 have remained unanswered till now. In this "information request," Zed asked whether it was a fact that Gandhi had been baptized by proxy by LDS; how many other deceased Hindus had been bap-

In this email to Zed, Radkey said that she looked up this record on February 16 but it had since disappeared and was no longer available in the database. Person Identifier LHTR-62Z pulled up as ‘Unknown Name’ tized by proxy without the will/request of their living relatives; was it the current/past LDS policy to baptize Hindu ancestors without the will/request of the living relatives and would this policy continue in future also. "After the recent news of posthumous baptizing of Jewish rights advocate Simon Wiesenthal's parents, prominent Jewish victim Anne Frank (Diary of a Young Girl) and now Mahatma Gandhi re-

ports, we were highly concerned and wonder how many of our ancestors had been baptized by LDS without our will," Zed argued. Zed further said that President Monson should himself apologize for this and explain how this happened. Monson should also come-out with detailed report on how many Hindus had been baptized without the will or request of their living relatives. "Proxy baptism of our ancestors, who lived and died as Hindus, is simply not acceptable," he said. If it was just an "accident", then LDS needed to come-up with a mechanism and some "effective" safeguards so that mistakes, errors, breaches and misunderstandings did not happen in the future in the area of proxy baptisms involving non-LDS ancestors, Zed stated. Zed noted that Hindus and most probably other faith communities worldwide would be willing to work with LDS to build bridges of understanding. He pointed out that they would gladly support the LDS endeavors if they made a good-faith effort and organized a meeting of various religious groups to help them set up such a mechanism. Zed stressed that ancestors had always been highly important in Hinduism since ancient times. Hindus followed sraddha, pitryajna, pinda, etc., rituals for their ancestors. It would be really painful for Hindus if they came to know that somebody unrelated

performed some rites on their ancestors without even asking them. "Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. Any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled," Zed added. According to reports, Catholics had also objected such baptism of their members and even

Zed noted that Hindus and most probably other faith communities worldwide would be willing to work with LDS to build bridges of understanding. They would gladly support the LDS endeavors if they made a good-faith effort Republican American presidential front-runner Mitt Romney's atheist father-in-law Edward Davies was posthumously baptized. FamilySearch claims to be the largest genealogy organization in the world and runs a Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Official LDS website says that the foundation of the doctrine of baptism for the dead comes from latter-day revelation through Prophet Joseph Smith. "By stand-

ing in as proxy for someone who has died - often one of his or her own ancestors - a Church member may be baptized on behalf of that deceased person…Lord does not damn those people who, through no fault of their own, never had the opportunity for baptism. He has therefore authorized baptisms to be performed by proxy for them...The validity of a baptism for the dead depends on the deceased person accepting it and choosing to accept and follow the Savior while residing in the spirit world". Baptisms for the dead are performed only in temples because of sacredness involved and the ceremony reportedly involves immersion in water while dressed in white clothing. According to LDS sources, Jesus Christ is the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints which has been restored by God through Joseph Smith (1805-44). One of the fastest growing church, LDS is led by 15 Apostles, including President Monson (who is also considered a prophet); first and second Counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf respectively; and President of The Quorum of the Twelve Boyd K. Packer. LDS, also known as Mormon Church, which claims to be a Christian denomination, has 134 temples and a membership of over 14 million. Republican Romney is a Mormon and so is United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Indian Americans overwhelmingly support Obama India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The results of a national opinion poll of Asian Indians released last week by INE Media Inc., the publisher of IndUS Business Journal and India New England, showed that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads his nearest rivals Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, by 24.1 percentage points and former US Sen. Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania by 33.4 percentage points. However, the poll also found that if the presidential elections were held today, an overwhelming 80 percent of Asian Indians would vote for President Barack Obama. The online survey was conducted on Feb 22-26 with respondents coming from across the country. "This is the first survey of Asian Indians during this presidential election season," said

Upendra Mishra, publisher of IndUS Business Journal and India New England. "Indians have been primarily known in the United States for their entrepre-

As for Republican candidates, this is what they said: Romney: 51.9 percent; Rep. Paul, 27.8 percent; Santorum: 18.5 percent; and former U.S. Speaker Newt Gingrich 1.9 percent neurial skills with excellence in the academic, scientific and technology fields, but now they're making their mark on both the local and national political scenes."

Some prominent Asian-Indian politicians in the United States today include South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Kumar Barve, Majority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates. The participants in the national survey were asked, if they were to vote today, which of the Republican candidates they would support. This is what they said: Romney: 51.9 percent; Rep. Paul, 27.8 percent; Santorum: 18.5 percent; and former U.S. Speaker Newt Gingrich 1.9 percent. When asked how they would vote for these Republican candidates versus President Obama if presidential elections were held today, President Obama had a commanding lead. Eighty percent said they would vote for President Obama; 14.7 percent for Romney; 2.7 percent for Rep. Paul; 2.7 percent for Santorum; and less than 1 percent for Gingrich.

RED CARPET: Anil Ambani (R), Chairman of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, walks the red carpet with his DreamWorks Studios partners Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider at the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at the Hollywood & Highland Center on in Hollywood, California

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Bigelow shooting Osama film in Chandigarh CHANDIGARH: Osama Bin Laden's last few days before he was killed in Pakistan's garrison town of Abbottabad in a covert US raid by elite Special Forces is being recreated by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow in Chandigarh. The film's crew has been shooting in prominent markets and at the Punjab Engineering College here with shop boards in Urdu, auto-rickshaws with Lahore number plates, burqa-clad women and men in shalwar-kameez, chappals

and skullcaps. A bus could also be seen with

become 'Shahzad Hardware and Paint Store'. Sources said that the production team plans to recreate Abbotabad in Rajasthan as well. The title of the film is being kept as a closely guarded secret but for now it is being talked about as 'Zero Dark 30'. The city will see the unit shoot scenes at various locations over a month's period. The crew had shot near a mosque in Manakpuri in SAS Nagar near here. Pakistani decorations, bright colors and motifs, jhoomers and lights. Outside the shops stood rehriwallas and hawkers in the typical clothes of Pakistani Punjabis. Bigelow, 60, became the first woman to win the Academy award for the best director for the Iraq war drama 'The Hurt Locker' last year. The crew, keeping the plot under wraps, is shooting the story

of Osama being hunt down by the US commandos. With US-Pakistan relations strained, Bigelow could not shoot in Pakistan where the infamous Abbottabad building was razed over the weekend. The shops hired for the shoot were suitably transformed. An internet cafe was 'Kotli Call Centre'. It reads ISD and PCO booth, 'Regal Centre' is 'Shahi Yunani Dawa Khana' and Ramgarhia Hardware store has

Husband, in-laws convicted for torturing woman India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Three members of an Indian American family in Rockland County, New York have been convicted on charges of physical violence and sexual abuse of the daughter-in-law. Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said the three members of the Clarkstown family - husband Vishal Jagota;

prosecuting those defendants who would prey on vulnerable and in many cases young - victims," said District Attorney Zugibe. "Human trafficking is a violent and degrading crime that will not be tolerated. My office will continue to use every tool available under the law to prosecute dangerous individuals like these and to seek justice for victims." The victim, now 25-years-old,

On one occasion, Parveen Jagota and Rajani Jagota burned the victim's hand with a hot iron in order to "teach her a lesson," following their displeasure with her laundry skills. Rajani Jagota, the victim's sister-in-law, and Vishal Jagota are accused of forbidding the victim from receiving medical treatment for the serious burn, telling her to treat the open wound with toothpaste.

Since Osama had earned a civil engineering degree from King

Abdul Aziz University so the local engineering college has been selected for shooting the scenes related to his college days. Sources said the crew would also be visiting parts of Punjab including Patiala. Some Hollywood actors, including Jessica Chastain, are expected to be here for the shooting of the film. The crew of the film refused to speak to the media but production companies from Mumbai and Delhi have also been roped in. A local production company has gathered over 100 artistes for the crowd scene. Sources said the film may be released at the end of this year.-PTI

Women's empowerment to be part of Indo-US dialogue India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India and the US have decided to make issues related to women's empowerment integral to all aspects of the India-US Strategic Dialogue. The third meeting of the IndiaUS Women's Empowerment Dialogue (WED) held Feb 27, in New York was co-chaired by Neela Gangadharan, Secretary, Ministry

Status of Women in New York. Secretary Gangadharan and Ambassador Verveer discussed issues related to women's social and economic empowerment, political participation of women, early childhood education, skill development of women and girls, and strengthening of institutional linkages and exchanges. They reviewed the progress that institutions in the US and India have al-

On one occasion, Parveen Jagota and Rajani Jagota burned the victim's hand with a hot iron in order to ‘teach her a lesson’ mother-in-law Parveen Jagota and sister-in-law Rajani Jagota - were convicted of labor trafficking and assault charges for using intimidation, threats and physical violence to force a 20-year-old woman into a life of servitude and sexual abuse. While Vishal was found guilty after the bench trial of one count of assault in the Third Degree, facing one year in prison, his mother and sister have been found guilty on two counts of labor trafficking and one count of assault in the second degree resulting in a 7year prison sentence. "These convictions underscore our serious commitment to

is an Indian citizen, who was brought to the United States through an arranged marriage with Vishal Jagota in January, 2008. The DA's statement said the three defendants engaged in a scheme, using intimidation, physical and sexual abuse and manipulation to force the victim to work as a round-the-clock servant, performing a variety of household chores, cooking, child care and other tasks under threats of violence. When the victim threatened to contact authorities, each of the defendants vowed to concoct wild stories, accusing her of committing various types of crime.

On another occasion, Vishal Jagota is accused of biting the victim, causing permanent scarring on her cheek. The victim was forced to face her captors for nearly three years, from her arrival in Rockland County in 2008, until September, 2010. Parveen Jagota and Rajani Jagota face up to seven years in state prison and Vishal Jagota faces up to one year in the Rockland County jail when sentenced on May 22, 2012. This case apparently marks the first indictments, trial and convictions under New York State's new Labor Trafficking Law.

Indiaís Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development Neela Gangadharan meeting Pakistan's Goodwill Ambassador for Women Empowerment Fiza Batool Gilani at the UN headquarters in New York

of Women and Child Development, Government of India and Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at- large for Global Women's Issues in the Department of State. The Dialogue was held on the sidelines of the 56th session of the UN Commission on

ready achieved and discussed new ideas to take the dialogue forward. The two co-chairs agreed that issues related to women's empowerment should be integrated into all aspects of the India-US Strategic Dialogue.

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NJ Fed Court upholds sex bias suit against L&T India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The federal court in New Jersey has upheld class claims for sex discrimination against India-based Larsen & Toubro, and its US subsidiary L&T Infotech. The lawsuit seeks damages of not less than $20 million on behalf of a class of about 1,500 past and present women employees, and injunctive and declaratory relief to stop further misconduct. The lawsuit, brought by New York attorney Krishnan Chittur on behalf of a former L&T employee Deepa Shanbhag, alleges that L&T Infotech, LLC, a subsidiary of the engineering giant Larsen & Toubro of Mumbai, discriminated against her and other women employees on grounds of sex and pregnancy. According to the complaint, L&T hired Shanbag after she had worked as an independent contractor with them for several months. L&T consistently praised her performance, but fired her the day after she informed them of her pregnancy. The complaint details allegations of unrelenting barrage of sexual harassment and criticism of women employees from Defendants' managers. L&T fostered an

intense climate of hostility towards women at the workplace that was both subjectively and objectively threatening to Shanbhag and other Class members, interfering with their ability to perform their work, it said. L&T had moved to dismiss the entire lawsuit. By an order of February 14, 2012, the Court upheld most of the

L&T consistently praised her performance, but fired her the day after she informed them of her pregnancy. The complaint details allegations of unrelenting barrage of sexual harassment claims. While it dismissed class claims under federal law, it upheld those claims under New Jersey law. L&T Infotech is a New Jersey company. "We are delighted with the Court's decision" said Chittur. "Now L&T will have to answer before a jury for its maltreatment of women, and pay

these women compensation for what these women had to suffer." The top Indian software exporter L&T Infotech, a subsidiary of engineering and construction conglomerate L&T, is among the first Indian companies to be accused of discriminating against pregnant women employees in the US. Deepa Shanbhag brought a class action suit against its wholly owned US subsidiary citing sexual harassment and discrimination, and has sought compensation in a US district court. The suit alleged the company terminated her employment a day after she told her immediate superior that she was expecting. Shanbhag was employed with L&T Infotech's US arm as a contractor since October 2010, and the company praised her performance and hired her as an employee in January 2011. She was sacked 38 days later, according to the class action complaint filed in a New Jersey district court. An L&T Infotech official said Shanbhag lost her job because the "position had expired, and there was no mala fide intention in the termination". "We have not violated any employment law provisions. The company has a strong written code and believes in pro-

viding a workplace free of any kind of harassment," he said. The complaint, being brought on behalf of a class of all past, present and future female employees, has alleged that during her employment, there was systematic discrimination against her and the class by wrongfully and unlawfully terminating employees under

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We want to affect a corporate change," said Chittur. "Usually, affected employees don't come forward because they are afraid they will lose their jobs. There is also a certain stigma and hesitation false pretenses, on the basis of sex or pregnancy. She also alleges being subjected to what the suit terms an unrelenting barrage of sexual harassment and criticism of other female employees from managers. The class action complaint alleges an intensely hostile work

NRIs flay pay limit for UK settlement LONDON: A leading campaign group espousing the cause of Indian and other non-EU professionals has strongly opposed the proposal to introduce a salary threshold for migrants who wish to settle in the UK permanently after working here for five years. Immigration minister Damian Green announced that for the first time, the link between the number of years a migrant spends in the country and permanent settlement was proposed to be broken with the requirement that they can settle only if they earn at least 35,000 pounds annually. "Settlement in the UK should not be a right of the wealthy few. It is high time that these morally bankrupt politicians stopped preaching lessons on morality and human rights to the developing countries and turned its attention on the migrants who come to UK by ensuring them a fair and a reasonable chance of making a home in the UK irrespective of their class of earnings," the HSMP Forum said in a statement. Until now, permanent settlement was automatic: if a migrant spends five years in the UK in an immigration route that leads to settlement, and has not committed major criminal offences, per-

manent settlement was granted, irrespective of the salary level. The new measure is scheduled to take effect from 2016 and is likely to reduce the number of Indian and other non-EU migrants granted permanent from 60,000 to 20,000 every year. The salary threshold would mean that many teachers, nurses and others from outside the EU would need to leave the UK after

He said: "The government only wants wealthy people as its citizens. How is that fair? The politicians seem to be busy waging petty wars in the name of immigration with both Labor and Conservatives crying hoarse over immigration. Draconian changes in fees and settlement criteria are prejudicial". At a time when the David Cameron government should con-

The new changes announced include restrictions on domestic workers who can come to the UK. Such migrants will not be allowed to stay for more than six months, without a right to change employer working for five years because they cannot meet the 35,000 pounds annual salary threshold. Amit Kapadia, executive director of HSMP Forum, said: "We are concerned that the government's proposed plans will not only lead to human rights abuses, litigations, enormous waste of tax payers' money but in addition will have a severe impact on public services and UK businesses".

centrate on getting the country out of recession, Kapadia alleged that it was trying to project immigration as the main issue. "It should get its priorities right instead of making life miserable for the migrants," he said. Thousands of Indian professionals migrate to the UK under various work categories. After spending five years in their jobs, those seeking perma-

nent settlement after April 2016 will need to earn at least 35,000 pounds in their jobs for permanent settlement. Immigration minister Damian Green said migrants who enter as PhD-level scientists and researchers will qualify for settlement without having to meet the 35,000 pounds minimum salary threshold. The new changes announced include restrictions on domestic workers who can come to the UK. Such migrants will not be allowed to stay for more than six months, without a right to change employer. However, current arrangements for domestic workers will continue for private servants in diplomatic households, but they will not be granted permanent settlement after five years. Green said: "We are sweeping aside the idea that everyone who comes here to work can settle, and instead reserving this important right only for the brightest and best". He added: "Our reforms of the immigration system will ensure we are more selective not only about those who are allowed to come here but also those who are allowed to stay permanently."-PTI

environment permeated with harassment and verbal abuse, which the company by failing or refusing to act or take remedial action, condoned. So far, the only high profile US lawsuit involving an Indian firm in a sexual harassment case was by Reka Maximovitch against Infosys and Phaneesh Murthy who was head of global sales in Infosys. "We want to affect a corporate change," said Chittur. "Usually, affected employees don't come forward because they are afraid they will lose their jobs. There is also a certain stigma and hesitation attached to such cases, so we don't expect people to come forward at this stage," he said. The class action complaint asks that "not less than $20 million, as may be determined after discovery and trial including without limitation back pay, front pay, benefits, and such other amounts" be awarded to Shanbhag and the class members. It also asks for reinstatement of all class members who may be desirous of it, and that the company "institute and implement policies, practices and programs to provide equal employment opportunities for women."

UK government may not extradite Musharraf ISLAMABAD: The British government may not extradite former President Pervez Musharraf even if Pakistan obtains a Red Corner Notice against him from Interpol as the two countries do not have an extradition treaty, according to a media report. Britain does not usually hand over wanted persons to countries where the death penalty is enforced. If a country approaches the British government through an international organization like Interpol, the request is processed by the British judicial system before a decision is taken, The News daily quoted its sources as saying. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who visited London recently, held meetings with senior officials there but did not take up the issue of the handing over of Musharraf to Pakistan in the course of her interactions, the report said. A senior British diplomatic source told the daily that not only Musharraf but a number of people from various countries living in Britain are wanted by their governments on different counts.-PTI

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March 9, 2012

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Krishna holds talks with Chinese Foreign Minister

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi before a delegation level meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet and the recent illtreatment meted out to Indian traders by Chinese authorities were some of the crucial issues that figured in the talks here between the Foreign Ministers of India and China, which also focused on an upcoming summit of major emerging economies here. "Every possible issue that is raised whenever India-China dialogue takes place were raised and we have understood each other's position and we have understood the perspective and we will continue to exchange these," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters after the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. He was asked if the issues of recent visit of Defense Minister A K Antony to Arunachal Pradesh which led to heated exchanges between the two countries and self immolations by 'free Tibet' protesters were raised during the meeting. Yang, who arrived last evening, kicked off his brief official visit with an official dinner by Krishna last night. Krishna was also asked if he raised the issue of traders with

India taking steps in right direction on Iran: Clinton WASHINGTON: The US appeared to express satisfaction with the steps being taken by India to reduce its dependence on Iranian oil even as Washington said it was having "very intense and very blunt" conversations with New Delhi, China and Turkey to bolster American sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program. "With respect to India, they are making steps that are heading in the right direction. In fact, I think in a number of instances, the actions of countries and their banks

are better than the public statements that we sometimes hear them making," Clinton told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing. Clinton said China, which is another major country being pushed by the US to reduce its dependence on Iranian oil, too has made progress. "I think that we have made progress, not enough in my view. With respect to China, they have actually worked with us to prevent certain businesses within China from continuing their trade.

They have reached out to the Saudis and others to determine ways to make up their loss of oil, if they cut what they receive from Iran," Clinton said. "So we're having very candid conversations with a number of countries, two of whom you named, to try to impress on them our seriousness about enforcing sanctions which will have very difficult consequences for them," Clinton said in response to a question from Congresswoman Nita Lowey from New York.-PTI

Iran oil: India to go by domestic interests NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the pressure of the US to reduce its dependence on Iranian oil, India has said it will continue to be driven by its own domestic interests in the matter. Reacting to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments that the US is having "very intense and very blunt" conversations with India and others on reducing their dependence on Iranian oil, government sources here said New Delhi will not be under pressure by any country. The sources also drew the at-

tention to the comments by Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy that "we respect UN sanctions but will not honor any other sanction. "We have cordial relations with Iran and we continue to import oil from them." Asserting that India is not facing any external pressure on buying crude oil from Iran, Reddy has said it will abide by UN sanctions only, not those imposed by any bloc of nations. Clinton, testifying before a Congressional committee, said the US is asking these countries to take

specific measures that would reduce their dependence on Iranian oil. But, without naming any one, she did acknowledge that this would be a bit tough for some countries. US has imposed sanctions that deny access to the US financial system to any foreign bank that conducts business with the central bank of Iran. At present, India's domestic energy supplies are limited and the import dependence is as high as 80 per cent for crude oil and 25 per cent in case of natural gas. Out of which, India imports 12 percent crude oil from Iran. -PTI

Foreign Affairs Minister of China, Yang Jiechi calls on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on March 1

Yang. "I did raise the traders' issue," he said, without giving the details. On the reports that the Siang (Brahmaputra) river originating from Tibet was suddenly found to have almost dried up at a town in Arunachal Pradesh allegedly due to dam construction by China, Krishna said the Ambassador to China, who has been apprised of the reports, will be looking into it. Krishna also referred to his

statement in Parliament over China constructing a dam at Zangmu in the middle reaches of Yarlung Tsango (as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet) and said the satellite imagery of the site has only shown that it was a run of the river hydro-electric project. Krishna and Yang also focused on preparations for a summit of the BRICS nations-- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa- here at the month end. -PTI

Trial of Dharun Ravi Rutgers University resident assistant Raahi Grover and Alissa Agarwal (below) testify during the trial of Dharun Ravi at the Middlesex County Courthouse on Wednesday, Feb. 29 in New Brunswick. N.J. Ravi, a former Rutgers University student, is accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, kissing another man. Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge days after the alleged spying in September 2010. Ravi, 19, faces 15 criminal charges, including invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, a hate crime punishable by up to 10 years in state prison. In the picture below Alissa Agarwal points to a map of the dorm room floor where Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi lived.

Dharun Ravi in the courthouse

Sports Track Soccer legend Sailen Manna passes away

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March 9, 2012

KUMBLE GESTURE: This picture of cricketer Yuvraj Singh with former Indian skipper Anil Kumble who visited him, was posted by him on his twitter page. Singh is undergoing chemotherapy for a malignant lung tumour in the US

Former football coach to head Cricket Holdings America KOLKATA: Olympian and 1951 Asian Games gold medal winning football captain Sailen Manna died at a private hospital here. Manna was 87 and is survived by his wife and daughter. Ailing for more than a year, Manna's condition turned critical last night and he was rushed to a Salt Lake hospital around 11 pm. "He was put on life support... But his condition did not improve. My daughter was with him. And the sad news came around 1.55 pm," his wife Abha Manna said. Known as one of the best Indian defenders who went on to become a captain of high repute, he made his first international appearance in 1948 London Olympics. Manna was the captain of India in the 1952 Olympics and a member of the 1954 Asian Games team. He was awarded the Padmashree in 1971. A graduate of the Surendranath College in the city, Manna started his playing career for Howrah Union, then a club in the second division Calcutta Football League in 1940. Known for his powerful free kicks, Manna switched to Mohun Bagan after a couple of seasons and continued playing for the club for a period of 19 years till his retirement in 1960.-PTI

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: A former American football coach is all set to bring world-class cricket to the United States. Keith Wyness, former CEO of Everton and Aberdeen football clubs, with more than a decade of experience in the US, will be responsible for making Twenty20 cricket league a reality in 2013. Cricket Holdings America LLC (CHALLC) has appointed Wyness as its Chief Executive Officer in a major step towards making the dream of world-class cricket in the US a reality. Wyness, 54, will be responsible for the delivery of a business plan which will include the sale of Twenty20 franchises for a league planned to start in the summer of 2013. Wyness has extensive experience in managing the business of elite-level sport, having worked on the Sydney Olympics of 2000 and as the Chief Executive Officer of two Premier League football clubs, Everton in England and Aberdeen in Scotland. He has also spent more than a decade living and working in the USA, something that has provided him with an understanding of the country's sporting land-

scape, and where cricket does and can fit into that landscape. CHALLC is a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) for the development of cricket within the USA. NZC CEO David White said: "Cricket Holdings America under-

is an understanding of sport and its importance in peoples' lives, the business of sport and the USA's sporting landscape. Keith's appointment is an important step on the road towards making regular, top-class cricket in the USA a reality, and with his leadership we look forward to moving forward with increasing speed along that

Cricket Holdings America, CEO, Keith Wyness in NewYork

took an extensive, worldwide search to find the right person for the role of CEO and in Keith Wyness we believe we have found that person." "What Keith brings to the role

road," White added. USACA President Gladstone Dainty said: "Keith Wyness's appointment is a hugely positive development towards putting the USA centre-stage in the cricket

world. USACA looks forward to working with Keith and New Zealand Cricket to make that a reality." Wyness said: "I am delighted to take up the role of Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Holdings America. It is very rare for an opportunity as exciting as this to come along within sport, to have a clean page to develop what I believe will become a major sport in the USA." "Cricket is already the second biggest sport in the world and the USA is the biggest commercial market for sport. My role is to marry those two factors together and there is plenty of potential and opportunity to do that," he added. "Cricket is already played extensively across the USA with close to 50,000 regular players and it is the world's second biggest consumer of internet cricket behind India. It means there is already a platform of very interested cricket enthusiasts in the USA and now it is up to us to put together a product that will excite them and also create the opportunity to bring a whole new audience to the game."

Sahara to give 1.12 cr to triumphant hockey team

Sandeep Singh of India waves the Indian national flag with teammates after winning the men's field hockey finals match between India and France of the FIH London 2012 Olympic Hockey qualifying tournament at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on February 26

NEW DELHI: Monetary rewards continued to trickle down for the Indian men's hockey team as Sahara India Pariwar announced a cash incentive of Rs 1.12 crore for the players and support staffs of the side that emerged winners in the just-concluded London Olympic qualifiers. India trounced France 8-1 in the final to seal a place in the upcoming London Olympics after having missed the Beijing Games four years ago. And it prompted Sahara, the official sponsor of the national game, to reward the players and team officials for their feat. While mid-fielder Sardar Singh,

who won the player of the tournament award, and ace drag flicker Sandeep Singh, who scored five goals including a hat-trick in the final, will be given a sum of Rs 11 lakh each, the rest of the team members will receive an amount of Rs 5 lakh each, Sahara said in a statement. The support staff will also get an incentive of Rs 1 lakh each, the release stated. "We are very proud that India performed so well in this tournament. Hockey is our national game and we are proud of being associated with it," said Managing Worker and Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar, Subrata Roy.-PTI

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March 9, 2012

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Sehwag rested, Yusuf and Dinda recalled in Asia Cup team

MUMABI: Stalwarts Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan have been 'rested' while Yusuf Pathan and Ashok Dinda staged a comeback as the selectors refrained from cracking the whip on non-performers who retained their places in India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup cricket tournament. While the selectors insisted that Sehwag and Zaheer were 'rested' on fitness grounds, alongwith paceman Umesh Yadav, Sachin Tendulkar will get another opportunity to score his 100th international century as he was retained in the squad which will have a new vice-captain in Virat Kohli. The national selectors, however, did not make wholesale changes in the squad that performed miserably in the ongoing triangular series and preceding Test series in Australia by retaining many of the players, like Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, who struggled throughout the tour. Barring the inclusion of 29year-old Baroda all-rounder Yusuf and Bengal paceman Dinda, 27,

there were no major changes in the squad to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The squad was announced by BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale after a meeting of the selection committee here which lasted more than two hours. Yusuf, who scored a century against Saurashtra with the help of 10 sixes and six fours in a Vizay Hazare match, and Dinda, who had an impressive performance in the domestic circuit, were rewarded with a place in the squad. Sehwag, who has been going through a prolonged form slump having scored 65 runs from five innings in the tri-series for an average of just 13, was expected to be dropped, but chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth said he was "rested" because of injury. "Physiotherapists have advised that both Zaheer and Sehwag need to take rest as they have some injuries. It is an honest truth, the fact of the matter," Srikkanth told reporters after announcing the squad. "Medical reports came to the Board from the team pshyiotherapist. The report said they needed rest for injury problem and accordingly after consulting with the board and the management in Australia we announced this team," said Srikkanth. "This is the best team possible considering the fitness of the players and also taking into account the response of the physiotherapist and Board," he added.

Srikkanth, however, did not specify what injury Sehwag was carrying. On naming Kohli as the vicecaptain, Srikkanth explained, "We slightly have started to look towards the future and named Kohli as the vice-captain. The board feels Kohli can be a future captain and it is important to groom him. The 38-year-old Tendulkar's inclusion also came as a surprise as there had been speculation that

he would be rested following a long tour of Australia. Though he was in a reasonably good form in the Test series, his performance in the tri-series dipped as he managed just 143 runs from seven matches for an average of 20.42. Apart from India, arch rivals Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Bangladesh will take part in the Asia Cup to be held in Mirpur from March 11 to 22. India will open their campaign

against Sri Lanka on March 13 while they will take on Bangladesh (March 16) and Pakistan (March 18). The final is scheduled to be held on March 22. The Team: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virat Kohli (v-capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Rahul Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, Ashok Dinda. -PTI

Six boxers for Olympic qualifications HC dismisses petition against police in Kumble case at Kazakhstan NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh (75 kgs) and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Paramjeet Samota (+91 kgs) are among the Indian Elite Men Boxers who are selected for Asian Continental Olympic Boxing Qualification tournament to be held at Astana, Kazakhstan from April 5-12. Apart from Vijender and Samota, four other boxers Suranjoy Singh (52 kgs), Shiva Thapa (56 kgs), Sumit Sangwan (81 kgs) and Manpreet Singh (91 kgs) -- were selected on the basis of selection trials held at NS NIS, Patiala from February 24-26. In 81 kgs category, Sumit is taking the place of Dinesh Kumar, who is a World Cup bronze medallist and CWG champion. Dinesh also represented India at the Beijing Olympics. Shiva Thapa, meanwhile, has come in place of Akhil Kumar, a

In 81 kgs category, Sumit is taking the place of Dinesh Kumar, who is a World Cup bronze medallist and CWG champion former CWG gold medalist and World Cup bronze medalist. Akhil has represented India twice in the Olympics. The Indian men's boxing team will leave for Kazakhstan on April 1 in order to get acclimatized.

The available quota places for London Olympics in various weight categories at the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament are: 52 kgs (4 places), 56 kgs (3 places), 75 kgs (4 places), 81 kgs (3 places), 91 kgs (1 place) and +91 kgs (1 place). The selection committee members who were present during the trials at Patiala included Government Observer M Venu (Dronacharya Awardee and Arjuna Awardee), Padam Bahadur Mall (Arjuna Awardee), Rajendra Prasad (Arjuna Awardee), Devarajan (Arjuna Awardee), Md Ali Qamar (Arjuna Awardee), Jitender Kumar (Arjuna Awardee), GS Sandhu (Dronacharya Awardee and Chief National Coach), BI Fernandez (Cuban Coach), Dr CK Jerath (Vice President, IABF) and Brig. PK Muralidharan Raja (Secretary General, IABF). -PTI

BANGALORE: The Karnataka lowing the Government advocate High Court has dismissed as "with- informing the court that after a drawn" a petition filed against police police inquiry it was found that accusing them of not registering an there was no case to proceed FIR against former cricketer Anil against Kumble. Kumble for allegedly forging the sigThe former India captain exnature of his stepdaughter's father to plained that he had affixed his sigobtain passport for her. nature in the column Kumar Jagirdar, of parent/guardian former husband of and not as Aaruni's Kumble's wife father, it was submitChetana, had moved ted. the High Court last Police had closed month praying for dithe case in view of rection to police to Kumble's explanation. register a FIR against In his complaint, Kumble. Jagirdar, who has Anil Kumble In his petition, been engaged in a leJagirdar said police had not regis- gal battle with Chetana over the tered an FIR on his complaint filed custody of their daughter, had on December 26 last. Aaruni, born stated that despite a Supreme Court to Chetana and Jagirdar, lives with judgment, which gave joint guardher mother and Kumble. ianship of his daughter in 2004, Justice Abdul Nazeer dismissed Kumble and Chetana went ahead the plea as withdrawn after to apply for a passport for Aaruni Jagirdar sought to withdraw it fol- with a "forged" signature. -PTI

Desi News Indian attorney making headway in Cong fight Surendra Ullal

Maha Sivarathri celebrations at Balaji Temple Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, IL, organized spectacular cultural celebrations 'Shivoham' on Saturday, February 18 at the temple auditorium to celebrate the Hindu festival Mahashivratri. The "Shivoham" unique classsical and contemporary dances by professional teachers of Chicagoland, in the Indian classical dance forms of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam and Kathak, were presented in the Veluchamy auditorium. The event began with the beautiful chanting of Siva puja by students of Dr. Hemalatha Burra, a Sanskrit scholar and a retired professor from Sri Sathya Sai University.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Bill to end religious discrimination in workplace Details on page 19

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March 9, 2012

Survey highlights issues faced by NRIs at Indian Consulates India Post News Service

NEW YORK: A survey conducted by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP-USA) highlights the many issues faced by PIOs and NRIs, at the Indian Consulates across the US. The OFBJP-USA initiated the online survey in December 2011, after a series of protests from Indian American community who were facing ill treatment and hardships at the hands of consulate staff and the outsourced visa services provider, TraVisa which handles the Visa/PIO/ OCI/Other services. Results of the survey were released recently in New Delhi by the BJP Delhi office; they were

served by five Indian Consulates. OFBJP activists Nimish Dixit, Arvind Modini, and Vice President Ramesh Shah took lead in

Indian American community throughout the nation spanning all five consulates (New York, Washington DC, Houston, Chicago, and San Francisco).

Typically, for waiting persons there are no civic amenities such as water, vending machines, etc. at the consulates. If you compare this with the consulates of British, Canada, or Singapore, etc., Indian consulate offices are the worst designing questions for the survey. Dr. Adapa Prasad, then President of OFBJP made an appeal to

The survey was intended to be gender neutral. Till Dec 31, 2011, about 2,000 people responded online. Most responders were

dian American community. Second worst is the New York consulate followed by Washington DC and Chicago. In general, as it was revealed from the survey, the staff members of these consulates are very rude and treat the customers like dirt (This is the general opinion of the survey). Typically, for waiting persons there are no civic amenities such as water, vending machines, etc. at the consulates. If you compare this with the consulates of British, Canada, or Singapore, etc., Indian consulate offices are the worst. The behavior of the staff members is rude, and un-courteous. The survey results were discussed by OFBJP representative

The survey results:

Details on page 17

Veteran journalist Aranha passes away India Post News Service

also highlighted during the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in Jaipur, India last month. The survey covered all regions of the nation that are

the Indian American community to participate in the online survey that has several relevant questions. The link was sent to several email distribution lists among the

from Houston area (45%) and the least from Bay area (7.5%). The survey concluded that the Houston consulate is considered as the worst offender by the In-

Dr. Gaurav Khatri during Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and the OFBJP says all attendees agreed with the results. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 15

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March 9, 2012

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Struck by drunk driver, taxi driver's has leg amputated India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Bangladeshi taxi driver Sajjad Matin's left leg was amputated due to severe injuries

termining the course for Matin's right leg which was also severely injured. Mrs. Matin says her biggest concern is how her husband will react when he regains full

Driver Sajjad Matin in hospital.

after a drunk driver operating a SUV struck him from behind as he was unloading a passenger's luggage on 51st Street and 8th Avenue on February 23rd at about 8:30pm. Matin (42) and his

consciousness and realizes he has lost his leg. Matin's friend Meer Islam, the last to speak with him before the accident, says a gloom had fallen over the driver community as the

"Sajjad worked so hard for so many years. We feel so powerless that now, when he and his family need support, there is nothing for them to rely on" wife, Saira Matin, have two small sons, 5-year-old M.M. Abdul Matin and two-year-old M.M. Shahadat Matin. Doctors expect a number of surgeries before de-

news spread over the weekend. "He is so honest and kindhearted and such a helpful person. He always sees the positive side of life. We could not believe

Sajjad Matin with his son.

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our eyes when we saw the two cars and all his injuries." Drivers have been going in groups and individually to the hospital. NYTWA is asking for support for the family in their hour of need. NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said, "Sajjad brought close to 100,000 riders safely to their destination during his tenure as a taxi driver. He worked continuously, logging in 60-hour weeks for 15 years of his

life. After all of that, there is still no disability or retirement pension or health care for him or any of his fellow drivers. As an independent contractor, the taxi companies he's worked for never had to make social security contributions for him. All this working family has to rely on today is the kindness of strangers in the city he's served for so many years."

"We taxi drivers make sure the people get home safe after they have been drinking. We are the designated drivers, we don't want to be designated victims of drunk driving," said Mohammad Tipu Sultan, a close friend. "Sajjad worked so hard for so many years. We feel so powerless that now, when he and his family need support, there is nothing for them to rely on."

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Indian attorney making headway in Congressional fight Surendra Ullal

LAKE COUNTY: An Indian American Attorney seeking Congressional seat from Illinois, (District 10), Vivek Bavda, delineated his five- pronged plan to address the country's environmental concerns during the course of his conversation with a voter after an election meeting here. He said that we need to do five things to address the issue. First, we create the infrastructure to support the development and use of electric cars. Second, we need to impose a national renewable energy standard of 20% for all utilities. Third, we need tax credits for clean energy investments. Fourth, we need to pay utilities to save energy, not maximize its use. Finally, we need to cap and trade greenhouse gases." When asked, if elected, how he would represent the citizens differently from his incumbent and primary opponents, Bavda explained that unlike Bob Dold he was a staunch believer that we have to use the government to create jobs. Outlining his plan for job creation he said that his regional jobs plan includes doubling the number of lanes on I-94 and I-90 from the Loop to Tower Rd and the airport, respectively that would bring unemployment in the 10th District and Chicagoland down to 2004 levels. Bavda added that he has practical, specific, and innovative ideas to positively affect the district and the country in every issue area from education to financial reform to health care. "As a former Teach For

America teacher, I know we have to create tests worth teaching to if we're going to get results for our kids. As a student of financial crises, I know we have to break apart

costs using a reverse Dutch auction system for payments without cutting Medicare benefits." Talking about his personal philosophy

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We have to break apart too big to fail banks like we break apart monopolies. As a staunch believer in Medicare and the President's signature health care reform, I know we can lower health care costs using a reverse Dutch auction system for payments without cutting Medicare benefitsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; too big to fail banks like we break apart monopolies. As a staunch believer in Medicare and the President's signature health care reform, I know we can lower health care

he stated that he would take political risks, offer solutions, and wouldn't rely on a group of political consultants. Arguing for the need of political debates he argued that he would

demand debates for two reasons. First, to let voters know more about his social and political views; secondly affording the voters to have closer touch with him by first hand information through direct contacts as conveniently as possible. Bavda is a son of immigrants from India and was born in Columbus, Ohio. His family moved to the district in 1982, attending Winkleman Elementary School in Glenview. In 1987, the Bavda family moved to Mundelein where he enrolled at Hawthorn schools and Libertyville High School. It was then on to Northwestern University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics. While at Northwestern, Bavda was recruited to work for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He implemented the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to prevent discrimination by banks against middle class loan applicants. He also worked in the statistics department, reducing the reporting and regulatory burden on banks. These jobs gave him a first-hand understanding of the financial challenges working families and community banks face. Later, Bavda worked for Munifinancial, a public finance consulting firm in Oakland, CA. He worked directly with local government officials to promote economic growth. Bavda is closely associated with Democratic politics and progressive issues. He is currently an attorney and holds a JD from The John Marshall Law School. He maintains a general private law practice, working on cases ranging from labor law, real estate, business, to estate law.

Rousing Dallas reception for Minister Ahamed HAIDER KAZIM

DALLAS: The Indian-American community in the DallasFort Worth area gave a rousing reception to E. Ahamed, India's Minister of State for External Affairs and Human Resource Development on Tuesday, February 21. The reception was organized by the India Association of North Texas (IANT) and the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) for Minister Ahamed who had stopped over in Dallas on his way from Las Cabos, Mexico, to London, UK. The minister was in Mexico to attend the first informal gathering of G20 foreign ministers and was scheduled to attend another international conference in London. Prasad Thotakura, IAFC President of Texas State, introduced Minister Ahamed as a "real asset to the nation". He said Minister Ahamed had sacrificed his personal life for the upliftment of the people of India. Sridhar Korsapati, IANT President, gave a brief introduction of IANT, which will be celebrating its golden jubilee this

year, and the community services provided by it. "IANT is in the forefront of bringing India and the US closer, politically, culturally and economically," he said. Minister Ahamed

The reception was organized by the India Association of North Texas (IANT) and the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) for Minister Ahamed who had stopped over in Dallas on his way from Las Cabos, Mexico, to London, UK complimented the Indian Diaspora in the US for its role. "The Indian-American community serves as a bridge between the world's two largest de-

mocracies and has a significant The minister complimented contribution in the strategic part- Consul General Sanjiv Arora with nership between our two coun- whom he had worked in the headtries," he said. quarters. "I compliment Sanjiv He assured the Indian Arora for very good services to Diaspora of support and help the Government of India." from the Government of India. "The Government of India is committed to the welfare of the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and the People of Indian Origin (PIOs) across the world." The Indian embassies and consulates were engaged in proactive outreach to the community on a priorE. Ahamed, India's Minister of State for External ity basis, he said. Affairs and Human Resource Development "Wherever is an Indian in any part of the world, he shall be given Consul General Arora also whatever service is possible." came in for praise by the orgaMinister Ahamed responded nizers of the event. Shabnam to a demand by some community Modgil, IANT Board of Trustee members for a consulate in Dal- Chair, thanked him for taking las by saying jovially that it may care of the community so much be possible someday but he can- so that Dallas had become his not give a commitment. second home.

Earlier IANT President Sridhar Reddy Korsapati welcomed the invitees and guests at the event at Mayuri Indian Restaurant Banquet Hall, Irving, TX. Korsapati, and Thotakura presented "Pride of India Award" to the minister for his services to the nation and the Indian Diaspora. Indu Mandadi, IANT Board member, presented a bouquet of flowers to the minister. Shabnam Modgil and Sudhir Parikh, IANT Trustee, Kuntesh Choshki and John Hamid, members of the IANT Corporate Board of Directors, felicitated the Minister with shawls. Ramki Chebrolu, member of the IAFC Board of Directors, presented a bouquet of flowers to Consul General Arora. John Hamid and Murali Vennam, both IAFC Directors, honored him with a shawl. Taiyab Kundawala, IAFC Vice President, proposed the vote of thanks. The minister was requested to send an official delegation to take part in IANT golden jubilee celebrations.

Community Across America

March 9, 2012

India Post 15

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Indian community urged to unite on crucial issues HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: The recent death of Lyvita Gomes, an Indian citizen during her detention in Lake County jail due to alleged hunger strike has raised several questions among the concerned citizens, especially among the Indian community in Chicago. Austin D'Souza Prabhu called for a "Meet of the minds" on February 26 at the Indo-American Community Hall, Chicago to discuss this issue further as well as similar issues that face the Indian community in USA and how to prevent them from happening to anyone in the future. Over 50 representatives from different community associations gathered for brain-storming session. It was noted that Indian community is well educated, vibrant and prosperous but their poor participation in political process makes them weak in American mainstream. Indian communities having 20% concentrations in some suburban areas of Chicago, hardly have any representation in civic or political bodies.

One statistic showed that out of about 8,000 registered voters in Lake County, only less than 100 Indians have voted during the last election. A few Indian community volunteers trying to reach out to Indian voters over the phone to pursue them

come to know that they cannot count on the Indian community when it comes to elections. It is also noted that there are many associations with different agendas, but there is not a single forum to address the issues

35 representatives volunteered to form an ad-hoc forum and agreed to meet once a month. They all agreed to take up the Lyvita Gomes' case with the State Attorney for investigation. Once the forum is organized, all other issues will be tabled for discussion during the subsequent meetings to vote have experienced a rude response to their calls. However, when trouble comes knocking at their door - be it immigration, discrimination or harassment, they expect help from these politicians. Congressmen and Senators who used to attend Indian community events often in the past have

like the one of Lyvita Gomes. Even the Consulate General of India in Chicago has shown laxity in handling Lyvita Gomes' case. One representative pointed out, "Though Unity in Diversity is Indians' motto; here in Chicago, we see the diversity in diversity"

Survey highlights issues faced by NRIs at Indian Consulates Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 12

During the discussions, delegates from Australia also revealed the working conditions of Indian consulates in their country and how there was no help forthcoming from the consulates when Indian students were being attacked and murdered until the Indian media mounted pressure. A delegation led by Vijay Jolly, Coordinator of OFBJP handed over a memorandum containing the survey findings to India's Minister of External Affairs, S.M. Krishna in Delhi and explained to him in detail about the hardships faced by NRIs and in return, the

minister assured he would look into the stated issues. Additionally, suggestions provided by former external affairs minister and Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha were handed over to S.M. Krishna. Some of those suggestions to improve the conditions of the Indian consulates all over the world are: 1. Train the staff in dealing the customer in a courteous and civilized manner. If performance of any staff manner is not satisfactory, suitable actions must be taken. 2. Consular officers should show professionalism and service oriented mentality. Generally, higher ranked officers are really

good and help the public. But the lower ranking staff is invariably rude. The worst behavior is exhibited by the staff attending the public counters. They even use uncivilized language and sometime threaten people. 3. Improve the decor of the general public sitting area and provide full civic amenities matching with American standards. 4. Cancel the contract with TraVisa the 3rd party Visa service provider. They lose passports and generally are indifferent to the customer requirements. 5. Overall Visa processing should be improved further and made quicker.

The representatives felt that there is a need to form a strong forum without regard to race, religion, caste, creed, name or fame, but as Indians to address the issues that affect Indian community. It is also felt that there is a strong need to raise political awareness among Indians, educate them about the importance of volunteerism and encourage them to participate in the political process by reaching out to them. Before concluding the meeting, 35 representatives volunteered to form an ad-hoc forum and agreed to meet once a month. They all agreed to take up the Lyvita Gomes' case with the State Attorney for investigation. Once the forum is organized, all other issues will be tabled for discussion during the subsequent meetings. A contact number and mailing address will be provided in due course. The media persons extended their cooperation assuring publicity for the issues taken up by the forum and to create awareness in the community.

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Community Across America

March 9, 2012

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Thai Americans host AAAC's lunar New Year celebration

(Pics: Asian Media USA) Asian Media USA

ROSEMONT: The Lunar New Year is approaching on the Chinese calendar. Though based on the Chinese calendar, the lunar New Year is also celebrated by the Vietnamese, Korean and Taiwanese and other Asian communities. The Thai American community of Chicago hosted the Asian American Coalition of Chicago's 29th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration in grand style, pomp and pageantry on February 25 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, in Rosemont, Illinois. The theme of this year's event was "It's time". More than 1000 people attended this mega event. A variety of South Asian dances were part of this colorful

ebrate these rich heritages and diverse histories. AACC organizes and promotes equal opportunities in government, education, economic development, and international affairs in order to advance the integration of all Asian Americans into the mainstream of society. Every year a different Asian community takes turn playing host to the Lunar New Year gala. This year it was the Thai American Community's turn, which has thrice before (1989, 1996 and 2004) hosted this event. Businessmen, politicians and prominent leaders of Chicago land who attended Asian American Coalition of Chicago's 29th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration were Lieutenant Governor Sheila

the media including ABC News and GWN News. Suresh Bodiwala Chairman of Asian Media USA. Opening remarks were made by Vallapa Kongsri, Event Chair. She recognized all those who helped in making this event successful and also welcomed all the dignitaries present. Introduction of Keynote Speaker was given by The Narang Sasitron, Consul General, The Royal Thai Consulate General in Chicago. Prof. Kantathi Suphamonkhon, The 39th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Thailand delivered his Keynote Speech on the occasion, emphasizing on the importance of Asian

celebration. The Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC), was founded in 1984 and is represented by over 16 cultures including the Bangladeshi, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese communities. The Asian American Festival helps to cel-

Simon, Secretary of State Jesse White, Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Judge Pamela Leeming, Jessica O'Brien, Consulate General of Pakistan Mr. Zaheer Parvaiz Khan, Raja Krishnamorthi, Anne Shaw, many Asian diplomats, many others APA Candidates and members of

American Coalition, and its role in the American Economy as well as the political scene. He stressed on the fact that Asian community has a pivotal role to play in the US economy and lead to expansion in the business world. He pointed out the abundant scope available to Asians living in America in fields such as study, employment and business. An Asian dinner was served,

simultaneously Live Jazz Performance by Jeff Chan's Jazz Band continued. Remarks by the Global Sponsor, The Hartford were presented by Karen Wood, Asst. Vice President of Sales and Distribution. OugiZukushi, "Collection of Fans" was performed by Fujima Ryu of Chicago. AWARDS Raymond B. Lee, Owner and President of Golden Country Oriental Food Co. (since 1979) and Golden Ocean Seafood, Inc. (since 1984) has been named the 2012 Pan Asian American Ping Tom Memorial Awardee. Raymond Lee built his business from a small

The Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC), was founded in 1984 and is represented by over 16 cultures including the Bangladeshi, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese communities warehouse on Wells Street in Chicago to what is now one of the largest Asian, African, Caribbean and Oriental wholesale food importers and distributors in the United States. Lee was instrumental in the formation of the Asian American Alliance and served as the President of its Board for three years (1996-1999) and as Director Asian American Alliance (Asian

American Small Business Center) (from 1996-2002). The Alliance was an organization comprised of various Asian Chambers of Commerce (Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Vietnamese). He also served as a Chicago Park District Commissioner (1988-1989) and Chicago Board of Education member (1989-1990), becoming the first Asian American appointed to each such position, at a time when there was little or no representation of Asian Pacific Americans on such important boards in Chicago. Among numerous community and civic service affiliations, Lee is past Chairman, President, and current Secretary of the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce (service in various roles, 1983present); Managing Director, Chinatown Parking Corporation (service since 1984); Chairman of the Board, Chinese American Development Corporation (since 1985); a member of the Ping Tom Memorial Park Advisory Council (since 1994); and a member of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (2001present). The 2012 recipient of the Coalition's Grand Asian American Sandra Otaka Memorial Award, is Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. This award is periodically presented to someone of non-Asian descent, who has made significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American community. The Coalition renamed its Grand Asian Award in 2010 after the late Cook County Circuit Court Judge Sandra Otaka. The Coalition announced its 2012 Community Service Award recipients as follows: 1. (Mr.) David Lee, Professor Emeritus of Optometry, Illinois College of Optometry; and Board Chairman, Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago, Chinese Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

March 9, 2012

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Maha Sivarathri celebrations at Balaji Temple

Artists performing classical dances propitiating Lord Shiva at Balaji temple Asian Media USA

presentation on Lord Shiva in Mohiniyattam dance style from the beautiful state of Kerala. Siva Sthuthi was presented by Smt. Sandhya Radhakrishnan, artistic director of Bharatanjali School of dance. 'Ardhanareeshwara" in the 'Odissi' dance style was presented by Smt. Ipsitha Satpathy, Director, Utkala Centre for Dance. Vibrant Kuchipudi performances 'Natesa Kauthvam' followed by 'Enneramum' by

Highlighting the evening was a unique presentation on Lord Shiva in Mohiniyattam dance style from the beautiful state of Kerala. Siva Sthuthi was presented by Smt. Sandhya Radhakrishnan, artistic director of Bharatanjali School of dance. 'Ardhanareeshwara" in the 'Odissi' dance style was presented by Smt. Ipsitha Satpathy, Director, Utkala Centre for Dance sical dance forms of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam and Kathak, were presented in the Veluchamy auditorium. The event began with the beautiful chanting of Siva puja by students of Dr. Hemalatha Burra, a Sanskrit scholar and a retired professor from Sri Sathya Sai University. This was followed by the devotional bhajans of Lord Shiva rendered by Chicagoland Bhajan group. Chanting the name of the lord the audience experienced divine vibrations with the bhajan singing coordinated by Sri Gopi Jagarlamudi. Highlighting the evening was a unique

Dr.Sangita Rangala, a professional Kuchipudi dancer enthralled the audience. Presenting the grandeur and beauty of the north Indian dance style Kathak - "Shiv Aradhana and Triwat" hailed the blissful and wondrous Lord Shiva. The presentation was beautifully rendered by Smt. Gauri Jog, Director of Indian Dance School, and Isha Jog. Yet another unique and dramatic presentation of BharataNatyam's traditional repertoire in praise of Lord Shiva is 'Amma Anandadayini Varnam' performed by Bhavya Kumaran and choreographed by Smt. Sowmya Kumaran, Director,

Nrithyasangeeth School of dance. Contemporary presentation in Bharatanatyam dance style 'Om Shivoham' by students of Jinoo Varghese created great excitement in the audience. The high energy was evident for this item and it was a solid entertainer. Anjal Chande, Director of Soham Dance space offered 'Prostrations to Lord Shiva' in contemporary Bharatanatyam dance style. Bringing out the fervor of Mahasivaratri, Smt. Sushmita Arunkumar and students of Nrithyanajali presented 'Sankara - An Ode to the Dancing Lord'. This presentation was executed with grace and poise and was re-

ceived very well by the audience. Combining elements of Tandava and Lasya along with talent and synergy, 'Natanaanadam - The Dance of bliss, with original choreography by Smt. Janaki Anandavalli Nair and presented by the guru and her students, in Kuchipudi dance style, was one of a kind and made a lasting impression among the audience. Stage props with original creations by Ravi Tokala added a beautiful touch to the stage decor. The efforts of the Balaji Temple Cultural committee were appreciated in the vote of thanks delivered by the cultural committee chair, Smt.Usha Pariti.

Community Across America

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March 9, 2012

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'Hindu' organic tea from Colombia India Post News Service

here is "Hindu" organic tea being produced and marketed by a company based in Cali, Colombia. With a logo of a person sitting cross-legged, this trademarked and ISO certified tea marketed by "Agricola Himalaya S.A.", has been granted the UTZ- tea certification of "traceability, quality, and sustainability". It states to be the only company that has tea crops in Colombia, located in the mountains of the state of Cauca Valley, between 1750 and 1950 meters above the sea level, an ideal height to produce quality tea. Its tagline is "Live Naturally" and its products include black tea, green tea, red tea, esveltta, ice tea, herbal teas, fruit passion and ola frutal. Its homepage says: "Welcome to a world of health and nature". It claims to be a company with "social and environmental responsibility" and runs a foundation "which develops social, educational and environmental programs" for the benefit of the community. It is exported to many

countries, including USA. Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged the company to carry brief quotes from ancient Hindu scriptures aimed at the welfare of the humanity in general so that its consumers became aware of the rich philosophical thought offered by Hinduism. Meanwhile, there is a "Hindu Club" of rugby and other sports in Argentina, founded in 1919 and which is a powerhouse and has won various national and provincial titles, but reportedly none of its associates is a Hindu. Colombia is known for goldemeralds-platinum production, coffee plantations, violence, flowers, drug cartels, jungle walks, overhead sun forever, author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, pop singer Shakira, cocaine, most megadiversity per square kilometer, etc. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism combined are reportedly less than one percent of the population of this mostly Roman Catholic country. Juan Manuel Santos is the President.

Veda Sammelanam in Pennsylvania

Veteran journalist Aranha passes away India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Veteran New York-based journalist Joseph Aranha passed away on Feb 11. Born in Chennai in April of 1946, Aranha got a graduate degree in political science. He was married and divorced without any children. An obituary posted by the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) said Aranha joined the Indian Army and was a Martial Art specializing in Indian Kalaripayat. He lectured and organized a demonstration on it very recently in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY with the help of a group from Kerala, India. Before his death, he was working on a final script of Lectures on Martial Art History. At an early age, he was attracted to Yoga and Ayurveda. So, he followed a guru in a jungle for

two years. For several years before his death, he had been teaching yoga classes for free at the Queens Botanical Gardens and in Flushing Library. He has a large diverse group of students. He recently went to Chennai,

understanding, he conducted various social dinners at different national restaurants exploring culinary tastes of different nationalities and that of diverse regions of India as a cultural Ambassador. He chaired the Asian Arts Cultural

He was attracted to Yoga and Ayurveda. So, he followed a guru in a jungle for two years. For several years before his death, he had been teaching yoga classes for free at the Queens Botanical Gardens India to present a paper on Bodhi Dharma at an International symposium. He traveled extensively to China (on the roots of Sankya Muni) and to Japan to research on this subject and he was working on a final copy of his book on Bodhi Dharma before his passing. In his quest for cross cultural

Council, which he established in Queens. He has been a photographer and a journalist traveling all over the world and used to frequent the corridors of the United Nations Secretariat. For a longtime, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the South Asia Insider published from NYC.

Rimjhim Records celebrates release of Rang Punjabi

SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc., USA, is organizing the first Veda Sammelanam of North America at the Sharada Temple in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, April 14. Vedic scholars, priests, Agama/Sastra Pundits, Shivacharyas and Bhattacharyas from USA and Canada are invited to participate. This coincides with the 100th year of ascension to the spiritual

throne of the 34th Pontiff of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Jagadguru Sri Sri Chandrasekara Bharati Mahaswamiji. The program will include a ceremonious procession of the Vedic scriptures, recitation of all the four Vedas, an elaborate Vedic offering to Goddess Sharadamba, a lecture-cumdemonstration of various recitation practices, talks and honoring of the Pundits.

India Post News Service

NAPERVILLE: Over 80 music fans gathered in Naperville to participate in the release of Rang Punjabi, a CD of 9 Punjabi songs produced by Rimjhim Records. Following a social hour, the celebration began with Madhu Uppal, the producer of Rang Punjabi, talking about the 6 month long journey to get the CD to its completion. "No matter where Punjabis have gone on to settle, the richness of Punjabi music flows in their veins," she said. "The songs of Rang Punjabi represent the diversity of styles within Punjabi music. I am indebted to these artists who have enlivened my lyrics and compositions." Madhu introduced singers Pratibha Jairath, Mamta Joshi and Tara Swaminathan, and music di-

rector Narender "Vashishth" Verma. After brief remarks by the artists, the audience was treated to some of the songs of Rang Punjabi. The first song was "Bijali

"No matter where Punjabis have gone on to settle, the richness of Punjabi music flows in their veins," she said. "The songs of Rang Punjabi represent the diversity of styles within Punjabi music Chamke", a duet of great emotion sung by Tara and Narender. Next up was Mamta who sang the song "Mein Mela Vekhan Jana Ji" with

great pizzaz that had the audience swaying in joy. Tara also sang the romantic "Ruk Ruk Chaldi Hawa". Following this, Pratibha entertained the audience with her beautiful rendition of "Ankh Jad Di". Even though Neetika Kapoor, another singer on the CD, could not attend, the audience heard her scintillating voice on the solo "Bijali Chamke". Narender, showed two very different aspects of his amazing singing range, the soulful "Babul Mein Teri Ladli" to the very boisterous "Tun Shama" that had the audience clapping and dancing. The audience was captivated by the lively singing and the outstanding music. "It was fabulous," said Om Dhingra. "I loved the songs, they are so beautiful," concurred Gunchu Arora. The evening ended with the audience taking home a sampler of Rang Punjabi.

Community/California

March 9, 2012

India Post 19

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Bill to end religious discrimination in workplace India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: California Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (AD-8), in collaboration with the Sikh Coalition's Western Region office, has taken steps toward introducing a California version of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA). If this bill becomes law, it will make it harder for employers to discriminate against Sikhs and other religious minorities in California. The proposed law will combine the best elements of similar laws in other states and draw on the Sikh Coalition's ongoing efforts to strengthen equal employment laws and protect workers from religious discrimination. Last fall, a successful six year effort by the Sikh Coalition, culminated with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signing into law a city version of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act. During the next few weeks, the Sikh Coalition will systematically reach out to the

California sangat to promote awareness about this landmark bill. Sikhs suffer high levels of workplace discrimination because of their Sikh identity. Many are told to shave their beards; others are told to remove their turbans; some are

showing that such accommodations would impose a minimal expense on the employer. WRFA would still allow employers to deny religious accommodations, but only by proving that such accommodations would impose a significant expense on the em-

Under current law, employers are required to make 'reasonable' accommodations for the religious practices of their employees. Employers can bypass this requirement by showing that such accommodations would impose a minimal expense on the employer told that they can only work out of public view. If enacted, WRFA would make it harder in each of these cases for California employers to discriminate against Sikhs. Under current law, employers are required to make 'reasonable' accommodations for the religious practices of their employees. Employers can bypass this requirement by

ployer. Because it usually costs employers little or nothing to accommodate Sikhs, the new legal standard under WRFA would make it harder for employers to discriminate against Sikhs. In addition, WRFA would make it illegal for employers to segregate Sikhs from customers and the general public. Mariko Yamada

Thai Americans host AAAC's lunar New Year celebration Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

American Community Awardee; 2. (Mr.) Jose Renato N. (Napoli) Abella, Quality Assurance Coordinator, John Stroger County Hospital, Chicago, Illinois; Secretary, Filipino Military Alumni Association of Illinois, Filipino American Community Awardee; 3. (Dr.) Vijay Khiani, M.D., Medical Director, Esophageal Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago; Founder, New Life Volunteering Society, Indian American Community Awardee; 4. (Mr.) Kismet Sabbath Argopradipto, Accountant, Proficient Business Systems, Inc; Member, Executive Event Committee, Indonesian American Community of Illinois, Indonesian American Community Awardee; 5. (Ms.) Sharon Harada, (Retired) Assistant Executive Director, Japanese American Service Committee; Newsletter Editor,

Midwest Buddhist Temple "Bulletin", Japanese American Community Awardee; 6. (Mr.) Tai Ryang Shin, Founder, Owner and President, Wagger Foods Corporation; Board Chairman, Korean American Association of Chicago, Korean American Community Awardee; 7. (Mr.) Eric C. Tee, 3rd - Year Medical Student, Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois; Secretary, Malaysian Club of Chicago (2010-2012), Malaysian American Community Awardee; 8. (Mr.) Bala Ghimire, Manager, Chicago Curry House and Curry Hut (Nepalese Cuisine); President, Education Foundation of Nepali Community, Nepali American Community Awardee; 9. (Mr.) Muhammad Munir Akhtar, (community title to be inserted); Founder and CEO, RNA Corporation, Pakistani American Community Awardee;

According to the 2000 Census, the Asian Pacific American population in Illinois was approximately 423,603, or 8.6% of the statewide population. The Vietnamese American community of Chicago will be next year's host of this event

10. (Mr.) Ruangsuk Chamnankict, Medical Technician, Cook County John H, Stroger Hospital; Member, The Thai Cultural Center and Fine Arts Institute of Illinois (19842011), Thai American Community Awardee; and 11. (Mr.) Michael Nghia Nguyen, Manager, AT&T; Vice President, Vietnamese Association of Illinois, Vietnamese American Community Awardee. An event of this grand scale is held only once a year. Lunar New Year is traditionally the single largest

organized annual event in Chicago's Asian American community. According to the 2000 Census, the Asian Pacific American population in Illinois was approximately 423,603, or 8.6% of the statewide population. The Vietnamese American community of Chicago will be next year's host of this event. Major sponsors of the event were: The Hartford as a $10,000 Global Sponsor, Wintrust Financial as a $10,000 Pan Asian Sponsor and American Family Insurance and CNA as $5,000 Continental Sponsors, among others.

Datebook

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March 9, 2012

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NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Sun March 25

Sat March 10

• Holi Hai 2012

• FAM Entertainment Theater Company Presents ìChicagoís 2012 Breaking the Cycle Da

Venue: 1 Dag hammarskjold Plaza 47th Street between 1st & 2nd Av, New York Time: 12pm Contact: 212-372-8001

Sun April 22

Venue: Ford City Mall, 7601 S. Cicero, Chicago Time: 8:30am Contact: 312-572-9373

NEW JERSEY

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Fri March 9

Thurs March 8

• Bura Na Mano Holi Hai

ï Reiki Master Teachers: Practicing Attunements

Venue: Dorrian’s Red Hand, 55 Washington Blvd, Jersey City, NJ Time: 9pm Highlights: Dance Hip-Hop Desi Party, Colors and Friends.

Mon, March 19

• Chinese Medicine Day

• The Wedding Salon

Veune: The Fremont Main Library-Furkaya Room, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont, CA Time: 1pm to 4pm Contact: 510-745-1401

Venue: SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, 465 South La Ciengega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA Time: 4pm Contact: 212-631-7777

Sun April 21

Sat March 10

Sun March 25

• India Fair 2012

ï Holi Dhuleti Celebrations

Venue: NJ Convention & Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Ave, Raritan Center, Edison, NJ Time: 11am Contact: 609-240-2350

Venue: Shreemaya Krishnadham, 25 Corning Ave, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 11:30am Contact: 412-983-2280

• Ravi Shankar Celebrating His Tenth Decade

Sat March 31

Venue: Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway@95th street, New York Time: 7pm Contact: 212-545-7536

Venue: Cahn Auditorium, Northwestern University, 600 Emerson Street, Evanston, IL Time: 6pm Contact: 617-827-5581

• Arif Lohar/Sanam Marvi Ensemble

Venue: Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, New York Time: 6:30pm

• Carnatic Ftute Concert Venue: Veluchamy Auditorium, Sri Venkateswara Swami (balaji) Temple, Aurora, Ill Time: 5:30pm Contact: 630-844-2252

• Gayatri Mandir Hawaiin Garden Duhleti and Holi

Sat March 10

• Tufaan 2012

• Best of the Best 2012

Sun March 11 Venue: Gayatri Mandir, 323 Newland Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 Time: 10am Contact: 562-425-3970

Sat March 17

Sat March 24

Upcoming

Venue: Manisha’s Home 260 N Mathilda Av, Sunnyvale, CA Time: 10am

• Pandit Jasraj: Masters of Indian Music

Sat April 7

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Venue: Pollak Theater, 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, New Jersey Time: 8pm Contact: 732-263-6889

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming Sun March 11

Sat March ï ìNrittoî An Enchanting Evening of North & South Indian Classical Dance Venue: Foothill College Smithwick Auditorium, 12345 El Monte Road, Loas Altos, CA Time: 6pm

Venue: Long Beach Covention and Entertainment Center 300 E. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 Time: 7:30pm Contact: 858-442-1586

Sat March 31 • Student Performance Show Case

Mon May 14

Venue: Mimis Plaza 13931 Carroll Way Suite C cross street - 17th Street, Tustin, Tustin, CA 92780 Time: 1pm Contact: 714-368-3424

ï Amjad Sabriís Qawwali Program

Sat March 31

Venue: India Community Center, ICC, 525 Los Coches St. Milpitas, CA Time: 9pm Contact: 510-754-0129

• Jashan A celebration Venue: Pearson Park Amphitheater, 401 North Lemon Street, Anaheim, CA Time: 5pm Contact: 714-368-3424

Sat April 21

Sat July 14

Fri April 20

• Yamandu Costa, Classical Guitarist

ï Summer Picnic

• Tadasana Festival

Venue: 8000 York Road, Towson MD, Baltimore, WDC Time: 8pm Contact: 443-296-2247

Venue: Lake Elizabeth Park, 4000 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA Time: 10am Contact: 510-713-2686

Venue: The Tadasana Village 2600 Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA Time: 8am Contact: 415-533-4052

• Rang De Mujhe Rang De (Holi) Venue: MANTRA Restaurant, 52 Temple Place, Boston, MA Time: 11am Contact: 617-935-9193

Sat April 7 • Swar Bahaar Venue: Littleton High School Auditorium, 56 King Street, Littleton, MA Time: 4pm Contact: 617-905-4305

Tech News Datawind in fray for Aakash 2 Tablet NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Human Resource and Development Kapil Sibal has remarked that Aakash vendor Datawind 'is very much here' and can bid for the Aakash 2 tender for procuring 50 lakh Aakash tablets, to be out in two months. Sibal clarified that the existing vendor, Datawind will have to supply the rest of the 100,000 tablets in its present contract. It can also bid for the next tender. The ministry has stated that HRD Ministry will involve C -DAC and ITI to for future requirements.

Microsoft to roll out Windows Phone in 23 countries SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp plans to bring its Windows Phone software to 23 new countries and put the operating system on less expensive smartphones, part of an effort to win back market share lost to Google Inc and Apple Inc. Microsoft will kick off the expansion by opening mobile- application stores in China, Thailand, Venezuela and the 20 other nations, said Terry Myerson, who oversees the company's Windows Phone business. That will bring the total number of markets Microsoft serves to 63, letting it target 60 per cent more buyers, he said.

TechBiz 21 India Post

www.indiapost.com

ntel has announced plans to enter the fast-growing Indian smartphone market by entering into a strategic partnership with Lava International, which would introduce a smartphone running its microprocessor. P a u l Otellini, CEO of Intel made the announcement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and said that the move is built on similar arrangements with Motorola Mobility and Lenovo. "We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world," said Otellini.

oogle Inc has announced that it will pay US $1 million to anyone who is able to hack its Chrome browser. Hackers will have to hack the Chrome browser during Google’s Pwnium security challenge at the CanSecWest conference to be held in Vancouver. Winners will also receive a Chromebook along with the cash rewards. Google in a statement said that the attacks have to be successful against Windows 7 machines running the Chrome browser. Awards will be given in three categories which include, $60,000 for a “Full Chrome exploit”, $40,000 for “Partial Chrome exploit” and $20,000 as “Consolation reward”.

US financial industry leaders meet Nilekani India Post News Service

enior financial services executives from the US-India Business Council (USIBC) were hosted by Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and former Chairman of Infosys Technologies, in New Delhi Feb 29, to explore avenues for deeper collaboration in new technologies to expand access to financial services for all Indian citizens. The high-level delegation reaffirmed industry support for the ambitious program and commended the open, competitive principles upon which the UID platform is continuing to be developed. The group discussed with the Chairman the current roll-out of 200 million ID numbers as well as

From right: Vishaka Hussain, USIBC; James Shipton, Goldman Sachs; Michael Finck, BNY Mellon; Richard Andrew, MasterCard Worldwide; Melissa Frakman, USIBC; Kiran Shetty, Western Union; Shailendra Ghorpade, MetLife; Nandan Nilekani, UID Chairman, Diane Farrell, USIBC; Uttam Nayak, Visa, Inc.; Nivedita Mehra, USIBC; John Barry, Visa, Inc.; Sanjiv Sharma, MasterCard; Harshendu Bindal, Franklin Templeton

impressive possibilities for gamechanging UID applications in payments, savings, and other tools for driving efficiency and transparency in the Indian economy.

Trade Policy delegation meets Indian Ambassador India Post News Service

Intel ties up with Lava to launch XOLO

March 9, 2012

Google to award hackers with $1 million

NEW YORK: A delegation of the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) called on Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao in Washington DC to discuss the advancing of bilateral trade between the US and India to the next level. The US delegation of the PSAG of the Trade Policy Forum (TPF) led by Dr. Fred Bergsten, its Co-Chair and including Robert Vastine, President of the Coalition of Service Industries, Ron Somers, President of the USIBC, Charlene Barshefsky, former Deputy USTR, Arvind Subramanian, Peterson Institute of International Economics and Anku Nath of USIBC called on the Ambassador on Feb 23, and briefed her on PSAG's activities; on the follow up implementation of its last report submitted to the Trade Policy Forum (TPF) leadership in January, 2011; and shared its thoughts on advancing bilat-

eral trade and economic engagement to the next level. Ambassador Rao appreciated the very constructive role that the PSAG has been playing in strengthening the TPF process through its detailed and progressive recommendations. She emphasized that there was a contin-

ued need to focus on the big picture of the relationship. She said that in this context the Ministerial Trade Policy Forum is an important platform to consider PSAG's recommendations on strengthening overall bilateral trade and commercial cooperation and expressed the hope that the TPF would hold its next meeting soon.

Executive delegation co-leaders VISA Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide stated, "The work that Chairman Nilekani is leading at the UIDAI has already created one of the world's largest platforms

for transforming not only authentication but also everything from government payments to financial inclusion. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Chairman and his staff to explore ways that the financial sector can support this important initiative." The USIBC delegation represents a cross-section of insurance, banking, electronic payments, investment and asset management companies, focusing on supporting India's goals of financial inclusion and capital markets development. The delegation is comprised of senior global executives from Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Citi, CME Group, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, MasterCard, MetLife, NYSE Euronext, State Street Bank & Trust, VISA, and Western Union.

USIBC launches Financial Services Executive Mission to India India Post News Service

India marketplace in prepaid, mobile, and other payment services. In India, they, along with other Electronic Payment Providers, are bringing global best practices and intellectual capital, supporting India's efforts in expanding access to financial services, mobile banking, domestic and international remittances, ATMs, credit cards, and other services.

NEW YORK: Financial services member companies of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) met with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman U K Sinha in Mumbai on Feb 27, to discuss cross-border cooperation and a commitment to two-way investment. The interaction is part of a weeklong Fi- The interaction is part of a nancial Services Execuweeklong Financial Services tive Mission to India which will convene se- Executive Mission to India lect meetings with key which will convene select government officials in New Delhi and meetings with key governMumbai. They will ex- ment officials in New Delhi plore ways to develop and Mumbai strategies on next steps in capital markets devel"Global financial institutions opment and financial inclusion. The mission will also participate remain committed to India and in roundtable discussions on key stand ready to provide long-term policy issues with Indian stake- resources, including capital and expertise, toward India's stated holders, including FICCI and CII. The high-level delegation is co- goals of financial stability, ecochaired by USIBC chairman's circle nomic growth, and financial inclumembers MasterCard Worldwide sion," stated executives from and VISA, Inc., who will highlight MasterCard and VISA. some of the exciting, important Contíd on page 23 advances they're bringing to the

TechBiz Post

India Post

March 9, 2012

www.indiapost.com

HSBC provides info to US on accounts in India LONDON: Global banking major HSBC has provided available information in its possession to the US authorities probing whether any US-based client used accounts in HSBC India to evade federal income taxes. In April last year, HSBC Bank USA received summons from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) asking the entity to produce records with respect to US-based clients of an HSBC group company in India, the banking giant has said. "While the summons was withdrawn voluntarily, HSBC Bank USA has cooperated fully by providing responsive documents in its possession in the US to the US Internal Revenue Service, and engaging in efforts to resolve these matters," HSBC said while announcing its annual results. According to HSBC, it continues to co-operate in ongoing in-

vestigations by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and IRS regarding whether certain "group companies acted appropriately in

HSBC India is the sixth largest profit centre for the banking group after Hong Kong, China, Britain, Brazil and Canada, according to its 2011 financial results relation to certain customers who had US tax reporting requirements".

In August 2011, HSBC informed its American clients having bank account in HSBC India that IRS has served a summons on the bank seeking information with regard to financial accounts of US persons maintained with its branches in India. HSBC India is the sixth largest profit centre for the banking group after Hong Kong, China, Britain, Brazil and Canada, according to its 2011 financial results. India operations' pre-tax profit stood at USD 813 million last year. HSBC also said it continues to co-operate in ongoing investigations by the DoJ, the New York County District Attorney's Office, the Office of Foreign Asset Control, the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regarding "historical transactions involving Iranian parties and other parties subject to OFAC economic sanction". -PTI

Pitroda panel suggests surcharge from passengers NEW DELHI: Seeking to raise an investment of close to Rs 6 lakh crore for railway modernization, a high- level committee has suggested levying a surcharge in this regard from passengers and disinvestment of railway PSUs among other options to generate funds. The Sam Pitroda-led committee has recommended that the modernization surcharge from passengers be based on per passenger km basis which would help Railways generating the required fund. It further suggested setting of a railway tariff regulatory authority. The committee appointed by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi last September to suggest modernization, has asked the Railways to mobilize total investment requirements of Rs 5,60,396 crore for the proposed modernization initiatives. At the same time the committee has also sought a gross budgetary support (GBS) of Rs 2.5 lakh crore for the next five years and raising Rs 2.01 lakh crore through internal generation for funding the modernization initiatives that include complete overhaul of railway infrastructure. Trivedi who received the report, however, ruled out any possibility of railway privatization saying "Railways will remain 200 per cent with the government only." The committee has recom-

mended for exploring new revenue models including commercialization of rail land and stations to generate funds for modernization of railway's core assets. Giving major stress on pubicprivate participation (PPP) model, the committee has suggested raising close to Rs 2.30 lakh crore through PPP projects. While it has sought dividend rebate of Rs 24,000 crore which

This is the second report within a week which has sought massive modernization involving huge fund. Earlier, the Kakodkar committee suggested upgrading of safety infrastructure to prevent accidents railways owes to the government on account of GBS and has pegged Rs 1.01 lakh crore which Railways could generate through leasing and borrowings. Admitting it as a "tall order" to raise the massive fund required for

modernization, Trivedi said, "It is the task of the government. Our aim is to ensure safe travel of passengers and in order to be safe travel we have to modernize railways." However, he did not give any timeline for implementation of the Pitroda committee recommendations though he hinted that suggestion would find mention in future policies. This is the second report within a week which has sought massive modernization involving huge fund. Earlier, the Kakodkar committee suggested upgrading of safety infrastructure to prevent accidents. Kakodkar panel has also suggested safety cess on passengers to raise fund. Both the committees have focused on strengthening of tracks and automation of signaling system in the major trunk routes of 19,000 km. The Pitroda committee has sought to create a separate modernization fund for railways on the lines of Special Railway Safety Fund. Suggesting the re-organization of Railways, the committee has favored for creation of a post of member responsible for project development and processing of all PPP projects to facilitate the speedy sanction by the government and award of concession.-PTI

AI to slash business class seats NEW DELHI: In a bid to enhance revenue earnings, Air India Board has approved a proposal to slash business class seats and increase economy seats on its Airbus fleet. The number of business class seats will be cut down in 34 Airbus aircraft, including A320s and A 319s, sources said after a marathon meeting of the Board. It also decided to rent out its properties at prime locations in Mumbai and other cities to increase its earnings. The meeting comes in the wake of government plans to support a package of about Rs 10,000 crore for it, including Rs 6,600 crore worth of equity infusion. The Union Cabinet is expected to consider this package shortly to enable inclusion of the provision in the general budget, official sources said. The cash-strapped airline is likely to get a Rs 10,000 crore package in the next financial year, including additional equity of Rs

6,600 crore and other support, the sources said. Official figures show that the debt-ridden carrier has outstanding loans and dues worth Rs 67,520 crore, of which Rs 21,200 crore is working capital loan, Rs 22,000 crore is long-term loan on fleet acquisition, Rs 4,600 crore is vendor dues. It has an accumulated loss of Rs 20,320 crore. Banks and financial institutions

had proposed several measures to beef up Air India's net worth and these were among the proposals approved by a Group of Ministers, the sources said. Air India's debt restructuring plan had hit a hurdle after the banks had refused to convert a part of the short- term debt into equity. -PTI

Infosys not to get SEZ status: Mamata Banerjee KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief interview to a private TV channel. Minister Mamata Banerjee has She said the government wants ruled out granting SEZ status to Infosys to come to the state and Infosys, sought by the IT major, boys and girls to reap the benefits in line with the state's land policy, of its presence. but gave an assurance that the ''But, we are opposed to grantcompany would get all the ben- ing SEZ status to a company along efits associated with our resistance with an SEZ. to FDI in retail, ''I want Infosys forceful acquisito come and I have tion of land and full sympathy for it. privatization of I will give all the banking and insurbenefits it wants. ance sector. We Whatever benefits have a principled it is getting within stand on all these an SEZ project, I issues,'' she said. shall give them if it The company asks, provided was recently allotWest Bengal Chief Minister they are within my ted 50 acres of land Mamata Banerjee capacity and it in the Rajarhat area does not press for the SEZ nomen- near the metropolis for setting up clature,'' Banerjee said. its first facility in the state. ''If I formulate a law and a policy The company had made full that I shall not allow SEZ, then payment for the land in October, how can I relax it for an individual? last year. Recently the company I was against SEZ and I shall be wrote a letter to the Housing Inagainst it in future. We have pre- frastructure Development Corpopared a land policy and our stand ration seeking clarification on its is in line with it," she said in an SEZ status in the state. -PTI

TechBiz Post

March 9, 2012

India Post

www.indiapost.com

IRDA slaps Rs 12 lakh penalty on Sahara Insurance NEW DELHI: Insurance sector regulator IRDA has slapped a fine of Rs 12 lakh on Sahara Life Insurance Company promoted by Subrata Roy-led Sahara Group for violation of various regulations, including delay in death claim settlement. "Accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred upon me under the provisions of the Insurance Act, 1938, I hereby direct the in-

surer to remit the penalty of Rs 12 lakh," IRDA Chairman J Hari Narayan said in an order against insurer. The company, set up in 2004, has been directed to pay the fine within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt of the order, it said. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) observed that the insurer allowed unlicensed entities to solicit busi-

ness through dummy codes and paid commission to such entities. "Taking into account, the seriousness of the violation a penalty of Rs 5 lakh is imposed on the insurer under Section 102(b) of the Insurance Act, 1938," IRDA said in the order. Besides, Sahara Group promoted life insurance company also allowed ineligible person to act as specified person, the order observed.

Kingfisher cannot be closed down because of losses: Ajit NEW DELHI: Beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines cannot be closed down just because it is making losses and banks are not helping it out with funds, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has said. "You can't close down a com-

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh

pany because they are making losses or banks are not giving them money. As long as passenger safety is not jeopardized, as long as they keep their schedule, why should we close down any industry," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters here. He was responding to a question from reporters whether the Government would take stringent action against the airlines if it flouts rules. His comments came even as the Vijay Mallya-owned carrier was asked by its bankers to infuse fresh equity on its own before they lent it additional funds. Bank chiefs have been quoted as saying that Kingfisher would need to arrange fresh equity of Rs 1,000-2,000 crore before seeking additional funds from the consortium of banks, led by the State Bank of India. To another question, the Minister said closing down of any airline would impact passengers. He said Kingfisher has submitted a new schedule of its flights to the Directorate General of Civil

Aviation (DGCA) which would closely monitor it. A consortium of 18 banks, comprising 14 state-owned and four private banks, have provided huge sums to the cash- strapped airlines, which has a total debt of about Rs 7,057 crore and accumulated losses of about Rs 6,000 crore. The banks are expected to hold meetings with the Reserve Bank of India on the financial mess facing the airline as its loans are reportedly turning to non-performing assets in the past weeks. They are expected to take a call on whether or not to extend fresh credit line to the ailing carrier. Kingfisher's net loss shot up to Rs 444.26 crore for the quarter ending December 31, 2011 from Rs 253.69 crore in the October-December quarter of the previous fiscal. It has suffered a loss of Rs 1,027 crore in 2010-11.

The ailing carrier has been put on cash-and-carry mode by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) as well as the oil companies for airport charges and jet fuel supplies. Compounding its troubles, the excise authorities have frozen the bank accounts of the carrier for its failure to pay service tax dues of about Rs 35 crore. The Income Tax authorities had earlier frozen Kingfisher's accounts. As per its new schedule, Kingfisher is now operating about 170 daily flights against over 400 it sought permission for in November. It would not be operating direct flights to some major cities and several Tier-II cities now on, as per the truncated schedule it has submitted to the DGCA. The airline has also informed DGCA that it would strive to bring in to service in the next week or 10 days 16 more planes in addition to the 28 it has promised to the regulator that it would operate. Of the 64 aircraft fleet, 28 are now operational. -PTI

IRDA Chairman J Hari Narayan

The insurance regulator also found Sahara Life guilty of licensing ineligible entities as corporate agent. In its order the regulator said, "It is observed that the corporate

agent D K Associates has solicited business through unlicensed persons as evident from the six sample proposal forms obtained during the course of inspection." -PTI

USIBC launches Financial Services Executive Mission to India ContĂd from page 21

USIBC Executive Vice President Diane Farrell said, "We look forward to deepening the partnership which has already been established between the government of India and many of our member companies." The delegation represents a cross-section of Insurance, Bank-

ing, Payments, and Asset Management companies, including USIBC Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Finck, Managing Director of BNY Mellon. He is joined by senior global executives from Bank of America, Citi, CME Group, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, MetLife, NYSE Euronext, State Street Bank & Trust, and Western Union.

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India Post

March 9, 2012

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NEW DELHI: Three days after Defense Ministry ordered a probe to find out if there was any corruption in the VVIP choppers deal, Italian firm Finmeccanica has said its subsidiary AgustaWestland was "not involved in any irregularity" in the Indian tender. Defense Minister A K Antony had ordered a probe to find out if there was corruption in the Rs 3,500-crore deal to procure 12 helicopters for VVIPs from European defense firm AgustaWestland. "Finmeccanica declares that

AgustaWestland is not involved in any irregularity concerning the supply of helicopters in India. No notice related to the purported investigations has been served to companies and officers of the Group neither in Italy, nor in India," the Italian company said in a statement. It said "companies of the Group have adopted organizations and ethical codes in line with regulations and best practices aimed at preventing and banning any conduct not responding to proper management standards." -PTI

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BANGALORE: Victoria and India have formalized a long-standing agreement to work together co-operatively to grow their aviation and aerospace industries, Victorian Minister Responsible for the Aviation Industry, Gordon Rich-Phillips, announced. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Aviation Aerospace Australia (AAA) and the Society of Indian Aerospace and Technologies Industries (SIATI) was signed at a function here attended by industry representatives from India and the Australian state Victoria.

Rich-Phillips said the signing of the MOU between AAA and SIATI signaled a new level of co-operation and exchange between Victoria and India in aviation and aerospace. "This agreement will make it easier for our respective organizations to share knowledge, develop expertise and transfer skills," he said. "The Victorian Government considers the aviation and aerospace sector to be a vital enabling industry in the state economy, and this partnership will help local firms looking to tap into new opportunities in India.-PTI

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Award-winning pop singer, composer and actor Ali Zafar follows up his popular hits 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' and 'Tere Bin Laden' with the crosscontinent romantic comedy 'London Paris New York' which opened in North American theaters March 2. Unlike most Bollywood films, LPNY features its multi-talented stars Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari singing their own songs on a soundtrack which has already spawned multiple hit songs and hot music videos. In this promotional interview, Zafar sat down to talk about his new film, shooting around the world, and idolizing Frank Sinatra. Q: How did LPNY come about and what attracted you to the story? Zafar: I and my manager met with director Anu Menon and executives from Rose Movies to discuss the project. I loved the script and the story and so was sold on doing the film. The fact that it is set in three parts, filmed in three wonderful cities and cov-

India Post

www.indiapost.com

March 9, 2012

‘The characters are different, the story is different. This is our way of telling a love story of today's time and age. We have made a nice, cute film. We know our targets and hopefully the audience will appreciate the film’ ers three chapters in the lead characters' lives, makes it a unique and special film. Q: What was your thinking behind the musical soundtrack? Zafar: I wanted to create sounds that are fresh and since the film touches on different emotions I could experiment with genres. I used Pop Romance in London, Electronic Sufi in Paris and Blues Rap in New York, all blended in with a true Bollywood style. What is even more unique is that it features me and Aditi singing our own songs on the OST. Q: Were you clicking pictures most of the time on the sets or romancing Aditi? Zafar: Both. She has a very interesting and photogenic face. She was also getting herself photographed. Aditi has given me a new tag and I will have to live with it forever :) Q: What is special about London Paris New York? Zafar: There are a lot of unique

Ali Zafar in scenes from ëLondon Paris New Yorkí

things about the film; it is a Hatke love story with a lot of romance and great music. Our experience from the film, I believe, is different from those who have done similar films in the past. The characters are different, the story is different. This is our way of telling a love story of today's time and age. We have made a nice, cute film. We know our targets and hopefully the audience will appreciate the film. Q: What was it like filming in London, Paris and New York? Zafar: Well, the three cities have a story written on all their walls. At some places, I would just wish I could put my easel down and start painting those streets. They are an artist's paradise. Q: How do you think your music and acting will be received? Zafar: I hope people like my acting and music. Right now, I only want to sing for my own films where I play the lead. At a later stage I may consider composing and singing for films where I'm not on screen. Cont’d on page 27

India Post

March 9, 2012 www.indiapost.com

Villain Pasha of Agent Vinod

Gulshan Grover plays villain Pasha in Agent Vinod. A stylish James Bond kind of villain, to please and romance whom Iram (Kareena Kapoor) does a mujra in the film.

Erasing Borders showcases Diaspora art India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Indo-American Arts Council's 9th Annual Erasing Borders Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora will be held in New York and Virginia beginning March 17, and is free to public. The exhibition features works by 41 artists who confront issues like sexuality, terror, disease, the environment and racial politics through various artistic mediums like paintings, prints, installations, video and

working to make themselves heard in an art world that is at once more competitive and more receptive to non-Western art than ever before. This exhibition seeks to transcend the borders that confine and control preconceived definitions of Indian and Western art. The exhibition features work by Debangana Banerjee, Raazia H. Chandoo, Shanthi Chandrasekar, Bivas Chaudhuri, Pritika Chowdhry, Nandini Chrirmar, Delna Dastur, Minakshi De, Uday Dhar, Claudia Dias, Anujan Ezhikode, Mustafa Faruki,

"I am very pleased that this year's Erasing Borders exhibition is able to include work by 41 artists working in a wide variety of media," says Vijay Kumar, curator of this eclectic mix of artists. "We are able to showcase work by established artists, as well as introduce work by new young talent sculpture. "I am very pleased that this year's Erasing Borders exhibition is able to include work by 41 artists working in a wide variety of media," says Vijay Kumar, curator of this eclectic mix of artists. "We are able to showcase work by established artists, as well as introduce work by new young talent to a wider audience. It has been my great privilege to be part of this ever-widening community of artists from the Diaspora." Twenty million people of Indian origin shifted countries in the 20th and 21st centuries. Implicit in the term Diaspora are the concepts of change and adaptation. The artists grappled with dual aesthetic concerns and with the complex issue of identity. Artists of the South Asian Diaspora are

Ruee V. Gawarikar, Reeta Gidwani Karmarkar, Abhijit Goswami, Shivina Harjani, Mansoora Hassan, Samina Iqbal, Ina Kaur, Kulvinder Kaur Dhew, Reet Kunal Das, Rahul Mehra, Shobha Menon, Rahul Mitra, Jayanthi Moorthy, Alkananda Mukerji, George Oommen, Jigar A. Patel, Avani Patel, Nirmal Raja, Ali Raza, Rasika Reddy, Sangeeta Reddy, Tara Sabharwal, Aparajita Sen, Ela Shah, M. Tasneem Shahzad, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Sarah Suleman, Anu Thadani, MD Tokon. The exhibition is on March 17-April 20 at Crossing Art Queens in Flushing; from April 30-May 30 at Bronx Charter School of the Arts; and from August 16-September 3 at art6 in Richmond, Virginia.

March 9, 2012

India Post www.indiapost.com

RARE SINGER, COMPOSER, ACTOR

Cont’d from page 25

Q: Will you be working with Katrina Kaif on your next music album? Zafar: I won't start recording for my album for at least two years. As for Katrina's involvement on my album, I don't know where that news came from. We jammed together during our last film. We love music and discussed a possibility of recording together but there is nothing planned. Both Aditi and Katrina are really dear to me. They're musically inclined and talented girls. If they are willing to be part of my album a few years later, it will be my pleasure to have them on-board. Q: Who are your musical idols?

Zafar: It is a big compliment for me when people compare me to Kishore Kumar because he is one man who I always look up to. He was so talented that I cannot dare to stand any closer to him. He was somebody who used to sing and act. Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, these are the people whom I idolize a lot. They have done movies and they used to sing songs. I just hope, in my small way, I can be somewhere close to these big names. Q: Do you have a message for your US fans? Zafar: I had a great time shooting some of London Paris New York in New York. I would love the American fans to see the film, as they will really relate to it and love it!

Scenes from ëLondon Paris New Yorkí

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ondicherry (Puducheri) literally means 'the new settlement'. The French settlement comprising the town Pondicherry, fondly called Pondy and three other pockets in different states, Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Mahe (Kerala), and Yanam (Andhra Pradesh), is what makes today's Union Territory of Pondicherry, which is 200 km south of Chennai (Madras). On the way to Pondicherry, one gets to see the scenery typical of the Deccan plateau. Striking red soil and deep green vegetation, consisting mainly of cashew, palm and neem, forming a stunning landscape. The township of Pondicherry is planned on a grid system, which is to say that the roads meet each other at right angles. On the seaward side is the long Petit Canal

March 9, 2012

which divides the town so that the French township is on the side facing the sea and the predominantly Indian/Tamil one on the other. Tourist attractions In the heart of the town lies the Samadhi, or the ashram of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. At the Ashram's hand-made paper factory one can buy the most wonderful paper products. The Ashram also has departments selling hand-painted saris, ties, and dress material. On the way, one can notice people playing a strange game with iron balls, which was a French form of amusement. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 31

March 9, 2012

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Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport ranked among best

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: For the fifth consecutive year, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport was named one of the top airports in the Middle East in a recent survey by Airports Council International (ACI). The survey ranked airports based on more than 30 parameters voted on by millions of travelers, and described new technologies at Ben Gurion International Airport as being on "the forefront of the international security infrastructure." The report also described the airport as "complying with high

international service standards for passengers departing from and arriving in Israel." "We are excited about this accolade which distinguishes Israel's main airport as among the best in the world," said Haim Gutin, Israel Commissioner for Tourism, North and South America. "We hope this award will help increase and simplify travel to and from Israel in the years to come." More than 12.2 million travelers passed through Ben Gurion International Airport in 2011, the second best year ever for tourism to Israel.

Vaz petitions for Indian visa centre in Leicester LONDON: Senior Labor MP Keith Vaz has launched an online petition for the establishment of an Indian visa centre in the east Midlands town of Leicester to promote more tourism and business travel to the country. Vaz, an MP from Leicester East, said: "Leicester, which has a number of Indian residents, would benefit greatly from an Indian visa centre and India would prosper from the additional tourism and business it would bring." He is calling for a dual-purpose facility in Leicester where Indian visas for UK nationals and UK biometric permits for non-European Union nationals could be issued so that residents can save time, money and inconvenience of traveling to obtain visas and biometric data. The petition has been launched on his website. "The need for biometric capacity is urgent. From March 2012 foreign nationals from outside the European Economic Area will have to have a biometric residence permit. This will include many international students and all new migrants with leave to remain in the UK," the petition brief states. -PTI

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Pink, purple: London Olympics seek a distinct look LONDON: For athletes, the Olympics are about the gold. For London organizers, the Olympics are about the pink, the purple and the orange - colors that will give the 2012 games an immediately recognizable look. Cities, towns and hamlets all over Britain are getting ready for their once-in-a-lifetime TV close-ups. Take Mole Valley, a community of 80,000 near London that is hosting the Olympic cycling road race. It has asked residents to plant dahlias, petunias and sunflowers in Olympic-approved shades so when the riders swish past on July 28-29, television viewers will be left seeing swishes of pink, purple and orange. It's not an accident: Making Britain memorable is considered critical to the long-term success of the games. "What will people be reminded of when they pull out the T-shirt, the pin?" asked Greenwich University marketing department professor Peter Vlachos. "Will they remember London or the Olympics?" Work is being done now in hopes that viewers fondly remember the UK and not just the sports. Britain's leaders will spend 9.3 billion pounds on the games, but hope that tourism and outside investments will repay billions in revenue over time. A barge carrying huge Olympic rings sailed down the Thames to mark 150 days to go until the games, floating beneath historic Tower Bridge. London's look is predominantly pink, aqua blue, yellow, purple and green -- big colors in shards that slash at the edges of Olympic banners. Local neighborhoods need only consult Olympic organizers' "Look Book" to get ideas - and purchase materials - to festoon their buildings in games-approved decor. "The people who are running these

Backdropped by the historic Tower Bridge, a giant Olympic Rings floats on the River Thames in London in the run-up for the Olympic games, during its launch to mark 150-days until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

things and their paymasters and mistresses have convinced themselves that you hold these things to sell yourselves to the world," said David Goldblatt, who wrote "How to

glitz and sun. Organizers planted palm trees along Wilshire Boulevard, making it seem bigger, more stately - a feel that is readily identifiable as Californian.

Work is being done now in hopes that viewers fondly remember the UK and not just the sports. Britain's leaders will spend 9.3 billion pounds on the games, but hope that tourism and outside investments will repay billions in revenue over time Watch the Olympics," with co-author Johnny Acton. This is not an idea unique to London. Hollywood-conscious Los Angeles recognized in 1932 that the games offered a platform for selling its image as the capital of

"If people are going to take pictures, you've got to dress the set," Goldblatt said. "The genius of Los Angeles is that they realized it." Then Los Angeles supplied the cast, having Hollywood stars appear at the Olym-

India, China to cooperate on tourism promotion NEW DELHI: India and China are exploring possibilities of strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries for promoting tourism. "This is my first visit to India. India's development makes great impression on me. There is a huge space for cooperation between China and India. "We hope our two Asian old civilization come together to push our cooperation and friendship," said Wang Zhifa, vice chairman of China National Tourism Authority, after meeting Tourism Minister Subodhkant Sahai here. The eight-member Chinese delegation led by Wang met Sahai along with senior Tourism Ministry officials and discussed various issues related to promotion of tourism in both countries. "We discussed how to develop tourism in our countries. How to strengthen the cooperation between both the coun-

tries," Sahai said. India and China had signed an agreement in 2002 for cooperation

"We need 22 lakh new rooms in the next few years and we asked for Chinese investment in the hotel sector," the minister said. Sahai said he had met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to seek enhanced budgetary support in the field of tourism. Sahai said there was a need for development of Buddhist circuit in India as a sizable number of Chi-

nese tourists visit Buddhist sites here. He said the ministry was also planning for exchange of tour operators between the two countries. While about one and half lakh Chinese tourists come to India, about eight lakh Indians go to China in a year, he said. "We need 22 lakh new rooms in the next few years and we asked for Chinese investment in the hotel sector," the minister said. Sahai said he had met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to seek enhanced budgetary support. "I met Finance Minister. The budget allocation is not much. However, I asked for Rs 50,000 crore needed to develop infrastructure to increase foreign tourist arrivals by five million. He has reacted positively." Tourism had got Rs 1050 crore budgetary support in the current fiscal. -PTI

pic Village. Screen idols like Mary Pickford hosted parties. The Marx Brothers went to athletics events. Movie mogul Louis B. Mayer had athletes over for coffee. Although it's a world away from Los Angeles, cycling venue Mole Valley is beside itself with excitement, planning British street parties, contests for kids, welcome centers for tourists. "The games will put Surrey on the map," said Denise Saliagopoulos of the Surrey County Council. In a separate move, Olympic organizers also are working to keep out any advertisers trying to sneak in a publicity stunt, imposing strict advertising regulations along the route to protect Olympic sponsors from unwanted competition. "Where a company deliberately attempts to create an authorized association with London 2012 we will take swift and firm action," organizers said in a statement. London's Olympics organizers aren't really talking too much about look yet, preferring to wait until a big launch in the spring. Their early attempts at a unified look have not been met with acclaim. The unveiling of the 2012 London logo was met by a wave of derision. Iranian hard-liners complained that the squarish design spelled out the word "Zion" as opposed to the numerals "2012." Impromptu contests sprang up in the blogosphere to offer alternative logos featuring icons like Big Ben or the London Eye. But that doesn't mean organizers won't go to great lengths to make sure UK sites hosting the games look just so. The marathon route originally was supposed to go through gritty areas in east London where the Olympic Park is located. But, mindful of television images, organizers rerouted the race so it now passes classic London landmarks. -AP

Heritage train for Kalka-Shimla route

To woo more tourists, IRCTC has launched a special heritage train consisting of saloon coaches of yesteryears in the picturesque Kalka-Shimla route.

NEW DELHI: With a view to woo more tourists, IRCTC has launched a special heritage train consisting of saloon coaches of yesteryears in the picturesque Kalka-Shimla route. The 46-year-old Shivalik Palace coach and the 38 year-old Shivalik Queen coach have been rebuilt to be made a part of the six-coach heritage train, said a senior official of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. The 96 km-long Kalka-Shimla railway which became a world heritage site in 2008, passes through 102 tunnels and 864 bridges.

"We have tried to make the oneway tariff reasonably attractive at Rs 2,600 per person per seat for the Shivalik coaches and Rs 2,200 for traveling in other four coaches," he said. The tariff includes traditional welcome drink at the originating station and non-alcoholic beverages, snack and lunch on board. "Since we are targeting both domestic and foreign tourists, we have kept the provision for alcoholic beverages and if served, however, will be on chargeable basis," the official said. -PTI

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March 9, 2012

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Pondicherry: Striking red soil and deep green vegetation Cont’d from page 28

The beach road is like the mall of a hill station, where everyone comes for a stroll. The footpath is interspersed with trees, flower beds and has lots of benches to sit on and enjoy the evening. Here one can even take a ride in a catamaran by requesting the fishermen, as is the practice. Overlooking the sea among the many mansions, the most striking is the one called Marie. It is built in the French style and is actually the municipality office. The other buildings which are reminiscent of the French architectural style are the Samadhi, French Institute, Ecole Francaise, Raj Niwas to name a few. Exactly parallel to the beach road runs the Rue Dumas Street, which was the first street to be

flamingoes, while Ousteri is great for observing water birds. Nehru Street is a paradise for shoppers where one can buy

structed around the 1200 AD. Also close at hand is the fossil tree - Tiruvakkadai and Ramana Maharishi's Ashram at

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built here in the year 1706. Strolling northwards one would come to a large park, which is Government Square. Auroville, about 10 km away from Pondicherry, is a unique experience. The place has been transformed into a lush green cover from a highly eroded area, by 25 years of sheer hard work. Ousteri and Kaliveli near Pondicherry are a birdwatchers' paradise. Kaliveli is famous for

Auroville

leather and pottery goods. Besides a lot of gift items like bags, bed sheets, paper lanterns and trendy T-shirts can be bought. The other attractions in Pondicherry are the Duplex and the Botanical Gardens. Places around There are exciting bird watching excursions at Kaliveli Tank, Ousteri or the lighthouse marsh. Gingee about 50 km south east of Madras is a very interesting enclave of forts that were con-

Tiruvunamallai. The backwaters of Pichavaram and Chidambaram are full of mangroves and birds too. South of Pondicherry, at Chidambaram, there is a temple complex - a good example of Dravidian architecture. World famous for its shore temples, Mahabalipuram is a pleasant little village - an ideal place for relaxation. Besides the temple relics, one can visit the Crocodile Bank too. The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park has living corals for one to see. The temple cities of Thanjavur and Kumbhakonam are also close at hand from Pondicherry. How to reach Air - Pondicherry is linked with Chennai (Madras), which is 200 km away. Rail - Pondicherry is connected with a meter gauge link with Chennai via Villupuram by the Pondicherry Express. Road - Pondicherry has a good network of roads, which connects it with most of South India.

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Ala. residents worry over mental health overhaul

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.: Hundreds of Tuscaloosa residents signed a petition objecting to a proposed overhaul by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. The Tuscaloosa News reports city Councilman Kip Tyner gathered more than 300 signatures during a five-hour petition drive in Alberta. The department's plan would shutter four of the state's six mental health hospitals, lay off 948 mental health workers and move about 470 patients to treatment centers. That would mean a mental facility in Tuscaloosa would be closed and offered to state corrections officials as a possible prison. Tyner said bringing a prison so close to the community is ``going to ruin all of the progress we've seen.'' -AP

Eastern Iowa officials warn of whooping cough DAVENPORT, Iowa: The Scott County Health Department in eastern Iowa is sending out an alert that there are more whooping cough cases in area schools. Davenport television station KWQC reports that 10 cases were reported in a week. Whooping cough, or pertussis, can occur at any age and symptoms may be milder in adults and teens. It can cause serious illness, especially in small infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. It is spread through the air, mainly through coughs and sneezes. Pertussis starts like a cold, but within one to two weeks the cough develops into coughing fits. Iowa has seen a jump in whooping cough cases in recent years. -AP

Drug czar meets with Appalachian governors FRANKFORT, Ky.: The White House drug czar described the prescription drug abuse epidemic that's ravaging the Appalachians as ``simply heartbreaking'' in a meeting with governors from the region. National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske met with Govs. Robert Bentley of Alabama, Steve Beshear of Kentucky, Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Beverly Perdue of North Carolina, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Bill Haslam of Tennessee, and Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia Details on page 36

Health Science 34

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March 9, 2012

India removed from WHO list of nations with polio NEW DELHI: India marked a major success in its battle against polio by being removed from the World Health Organization's list of countries plagued by the crippling disease. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the WHO removed India from the list after the country passed one year without registering any new cases. The milestone is a major victory in the global effort to eradicate polio and leaves only three countries with endemic polio Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. India must pass another two years without new cases to be declared polio-free. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised some 230,000 volunteers who traveled across India to vaccinate children and said India's success against polio ``shows that teamwork pays.'' Singh was addressing the conference, Polio Summit 2012, organized by the Union health ministry and Rotary International, a non-government organization. He said more work was needed to ensure every Indian child ``has equal access to the best immunization'' as well as to other factors for warding off disease including better sanitation, education, safe drinking water and nutritious food. ``We need to educate our children and our mothers on the importance of hygiene and nutrition to overall good health and longevity,'' Singh said. "Our ultimate objective is to achieve full immunization of all our children. We must ensure that every Indian child, rich or poor, whether living in Ladakh or in Delhi, has equal access to the best immunization," India's success in fighting polio has been credited to a partnership between the government, the WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International, whose members have contributed more than $1 billion to the global eradication effort. "This is the first time in history we're able to put up a map like this one," Bruce Aylward, an assistant director-general for polio in the WHO, told the conference. He

President Pratibha Patil and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad administer polio drops to an infant during Pulse Polio Immunisation program in New Delhi

presented a map displaying polio cases over the past year in Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China but none in India. Indian health authorities had recorded 741 patients paralyzed by the wild polio virus in 2009 and 42 patients in 2010, but have detected no new patients since January 2011. "But the big risk is to think we've finished," Aylward said. India will need to remain free of any

lion to cover immunization-related activities over the next two years. "If we can't find funds to finish the job, the virus may return to India," he said. The funds are needed for the immunization of children across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria - the last three countries where polio is still endemic. "But India also has to reach all its children through routine immunization," Aylward said.

Aylward said the WHO was looking for Indian vaccine-making companies that might be able to take up local manufacture of a new version of the injectible, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) paralysis caused by the wild polio virus for three years from the last case before it can seek WHO certification for having eradicated polio - in January 2014. Aylward cautioned that India and countries that reported polio over the past year should continue to pursue aggressive immunization to protect children from the polio virus which, history has shown, can reappear in areas from where it had vanished. He said the world's polio eradication effort currently faces a funds shortfall of about $1.09 bil-

Public health experts say countries without polio face a risk of the disease re-entering them through the movement of people from countries where polio still persists. The number of polio cases in Pakistan and Nigeria has gone up in the past six months. A virus from Pakistan, for example, had surfaced in China's western province of Xinjiang in mid-2011 after being carried across the Karakoram mountains, leading to China's first new polio in more than ten years. The virus paralyzed 21 people - the

youngest aged four months and the oldest, 53 years - but a quick immunization response by Chinese authorities stamped out the infection. Aylward said the WHO was looking for Indian vaccine-making companies that might be able to take up local manufacture of a new version of the injectible, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), which might eventually replace the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is now used in the program. If all goes according to plan, Aylward said, the WHO may tweak its polio eradication strategy and recommend the introduction of the IPV as a single additional dose with the OPV, but not before 2014. The OPV, which is based on a live but weakened virus, has been used for decades and has helped other countries eradicate polio. But it carries a small risk of causing paralysis either through vaccine-derived poliovirus paralysis, or vaccine-associated polio paralysis. Some pediatricians and infectious disease experts have long argued that the IPV will eventually need to be introduced for the true eradication of all polio paralysis, caused by the wild polio virus as well as the vaccinelinked polio.

March 9, 2012

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Indian Govt to provide free generic drugs NEW DELHI: Admitting that the healthcare system was "overwhelmed" by inequities, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said Government would provide universal healthcare in the 12th Plan and take steps to ensure free generic drugs at all public health facilities so as to reduce out of pocket expenditure of patients. "In the 12th Plan, in our attempt to provide universal health care, steps would be taken to provide free generic drugs at all public health facilities for reducing financial burden on the patients," said Azad while addressing a National Consultation on "Social determinants of Health" here. About 70 per cent of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in India is on drugs. Azad said the healthcare system in itself was an important social determinant and to address the problem of inequity in health care, the government had launched several programs to provide affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to all, especially the vulnerable sections of society. The minister vowed to take for-

TIP OF THE WEEK

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad addresing the conference

"The healthcare system and health status of population is still overwhelmed by inequities related to accessibility and affordability" ward the recommendations on Universal Health Care (UHC) for all as made by a Planning Commission expert group which was set up in 2010 to show the way forward on UHC. The panel recommended public procurement of drugs and free delivery of generics. The minister said, "The

healthcare system and health status of population is still overwhelmed by inequities related to accessibility and affordability." Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while inaugurating the Polio Summit, had also stressed on the need to take forward the concept of universal healthcare. -PTI

Make muscle pain a memory with ginger

hen Danish researchers asked achy people to jazz up their diets with gin-ger, it eased muscle and joint pain, swelling and stiffness for up to 63 percent of them within two months. Experts credit ginger's

potent compounds called gingerols, which prevent the production of pain-triggering hormones. The study-recommended dose: Add at least 1 teaspoon of dried ginger or 2 teaspoons of chopped ginger to meals daily.

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March 9, 2012

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Drug czar meets with Appalachian governors Americans have legitimate access to lifesaving prescription medications, the Obama Administration also remains laser focused on addressing this epidemic through a comprehensive public health and safety approach,'' Kerlikowske said.

National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske

FRANKFORT, Ky.: The White House drug czar described the prescription drug abuse epidemic that's ravaging the Appalachians as ``simply heartbreaking'' in a meeting with governors from the region. National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske met with Govs. Robert Bentley of Alabama, Steve Beshear of Kentucky, Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Beverly Perdue of North Carolina, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Bill Haslam of Tennessee, and Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia. ``The devastation wrought by

prescription drug abuse on Appalachian communities is simply heartbreaking,'' Kerlikowske said in a statement. ``"Prescription drug abuse is claiming too many lives, threatening public safety, and placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of economic prosperity in Appalachia.'' Kentucky has been especially hard hit. Beshear has said more than 80 Kentuckians on average are dying from prescription drug overdoses each month. That, he said, is more than are being killed in traffic accidents in the state. ``While we must ensure that

Kentucky has been especially hard hit. Beshear has said more than 80 Kentuckians on average are dying from prescription drug overdoses each month Kerlikowske visited the region last year to see the damage painkiller abuse has caused. He made several stops in Kentucky at the invitation of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl also weighed in the problem. "It devastates families, creates burdens for communities, and undermines the employability of the workforce,'' Gohl said in a statement. -AP

Utah bill on abortion waiting period clears hurdle SALT LAKE CITY: A measure that would triple the waiting period for abortions in Utah from 24 to 72 hours has cleared its first hurdle. The House Health and Human Services Committee endorsed the bill on a 4-1 vote and sent it to the full House, the Desert News and Salt Lake Tribune reported. The measure would make Utah tied with South Dakota for the longest waiting period for an abortion in the country. The sponsor of HB461, Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, said Planned Parenthood's website says some women feel anger, regret and sadness about undergoing an abortion. ``Basically, this is a consumer protection issue that gives a person facing a major life decision, a major medical decision, a major financial decision, sufficient time to consider the ramifications,'' he said, adding it would help overcome any pressure from a boyfriend or others to have a quick abortion. Laura Bunker of conservative United Families Utah also supported the bill. ``Seventy two hours is not too much to ask for a life-altering decision that affects a woman, her child and generations to come,'' she said. But Heather Stringfellow, vice president of Planned Parenthood of Utah, said women usually have

thought long and hard before talking to a doctor about abortion. ``We believe this bill is a bad policy that will not reduce the number of abortions but rather punish women for making the choice to terminate a pregnancy,'' she said. If lawmakers intend to reduce abortions, they should do more to get women access to contra-

Laura Bunker of conservative United Families Utah also supported the bill. "Seventy two hours is not too much to ask for a life-altering decision that affects a woman, her child and generations to come,'' she said ceptives and information about avoiding unwanted pregnancies, Stringfellow added. Marina Lowe, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, said South Dakota's new law imposing a 72-hour waiting period for abortions is being challenged in court. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent it from taking effect. -AP

Health promoters help bridge language, service gap COLUMBUS, Ind.: When Rocio Sanchez's 8-year-old daughter became sick, she turned to someone she trusted for help. It wasn't a family member. It was Nora Garcia, whom Sanchez knows from St. Bartholomew's Catholic Church. Garcia is one of Columbus Regional Hospital's two ``promotoras,'' or health promoters, who help Spanish-speaking residents by directing them to medical resources and educating them on health issues. ``It is very beneficial,'' Sanchez said through an interpreter, referring to the promotora program. ``They give us that information we need. When we don't speak the language, English, they help us with interpretations.'' The Hispanic population here grew 198 percent from 1,598 to 4,762 people _ in Bartholomew County from 2000 to 2010, according to 2010 U.S. census data. The hospital uses a threepronged outreach effort: CRH offers a clinic for Spanish-speaking

people at Volunteers in Medicine on Monday evenings. Two promotoras provide help one at VIM, the other at St. Bartholomew. And volunteers are trained to lead a self-care mental health program because depression and anxiety are big problems in the Hispanic community, said Laura Hurt, the hospital's director of diversity. The promotoras are a lifeline for many Spanish speakers. The No. 1 issue ``is the language barrier, and how do we help them manage the health system where do they go for help? - and how do we help them?'' said Amparo Caudell, who coordinates the promotora program for CRH. The goal, she said, is for promotoras to help people become self-sufficient consumers of health care. Promotoras exist in Latin American countries and in Western and Southwestern states with large Hispanic populations, Hurt said. Columbus Regional launched its program in 2007.

The program started with four promotoras. Hurt said the hope is to add more, especially in workplace settings. Another goal is to have promotoras who provide specialized help, such as for diabetes or substance abuse.

"It is very beneficial,'' Sanchez said through an interpreter. "They give us that information we need. When we don't speak the language, English, they help us with interpretations'' Promotoras aren't required to have a medical background, but they receive training on health issues. More important is a ``spirit to serve people,'' Hurt said. ``They need to be from the community we're trying to serve be-

cause they (need to) have trust and inroads into the community and live in the population,'' Hurt said. Garcia and Rosalba Simpson have been promotoras since the program started. Simpson, 41, has lived in Columbus for about 20 years. Garcia, 37, has lived in Columbus for 10 years. Simpson was identified for the program because patients at VIM routinely turned to her for help, Caudell said, and Garcia was chosen because St. Bartholomew parishioners sought her assistance. ``They feel more comfortable with people that not only speak our language but are familiar with our culture and can understand what they're feeling,'' Garcia said. Sanchez said that because she knows Garcia from work and church, she knows she can call Garcia if she needs something. Sanchez said Garcia has told her where to go for help, informed her about important events to attend and answered questions about Medicaid.

Garcia and Simpson are paid for 10 hours of work each week, although Simpson said she usually volunteers extra hours. ``I love what I do. I like to help. It makes me feel like I'm somebody here,'' said Simpson, who studied to be a nurse when she lived in Mexico. The promotoras participate in health fairs, teach classes, visit clients, direct clients to community resources, take them to appointments if needed and follow up with clients with phone calls. Garcia said common questions are about diabetes, Medicaid, the women, infants, and children program and baby care. Classes they've taught have covered topics such as stroke, blood pressure, heart disease, breast health, and osteoporosis. A recent class at St. Bartholomew focused on diabetes, which Simpson said is a big problem in the Hispanic community because too many people eat fried and unhealthy foods. -AP

March 9, 2012

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Oklahoma Emergency Medical Services sued TULSA, Okla.: Two Tulsans have sued Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) seeking class-action status for members of the agency's utility fee program they claim were fraudulently charged for ambulance service despite paying the fee. The lawsuit was filed in Tulsa County District Court by Priscilla Johnson and Evan Hughes. It seeks class-action status for residents enrolled in EMSA's monthly utility fee program ``who received services provided by EMSA, and who were subsequently charged for, paid, or were sued by EMSA for fees arising from EMSA services.'' EMSA CEO Steve Williamson said through a spokeswoman that the agency had not seen the lawsuit. He declined to comment because it is a pending legal matter. EMSA has said its billing practices are ``thorough and can be trusted.'' The utility fee program provides ambulance service for all permanent members of a household enrolled in it. EMSA bills insurance and says it will pay any out-ofpocket costs. Residents in Tulsa pay $3.64 per month on their utility bills while those in Oklahoma City pay $3.65. Residents of Tulsa and Oklahoma City are automatically enrolled in the program unless they opt out. The cities of Bixby, Jenks and Sand

``EMSA's use of process was primarily for the improper purpose of extorting money from people EMSA knew were covered by the TotalCare Program, and thus owed no money to EMSA. ... EMSA and its collections counsel primarily pursued those people least acquainted with the law and least able to protect themselves from abuses both by EMSA and its collections counsel,'' the lawsuit alleges.

EMSA CEO Steve Williamson

Springs along with Oklahoma City suburbs Edmond, Bethany, The Village, Mustang and Warr Acres have similar programs. ``EMSA has knowingly and intentionally engaged in the practice of charging Class Members for `out-of-pocket' expenses ... and when payment was not received, has proceeded with collection efforts,'' the lawsuit states.

CA lawmakers hold hearing for Prime Healthcare LOS ANGELES: State lawmakers held a hearing to learn more about allegations that a Southern California-based health care company overbilled for its care and has tried to increase revenues by refusing to transfer patients to hospitals in their insurance network. The hearing was convened by the Senate and Assembly health committees after criticism was leveled against Prime Healthcare, which owns 14 hospitals in California, Texas and Pennsylvania. Prime Healthcare has been accused in recent years of possibly submitting fraudulent bills to Medicare and Medi-Cal. State Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, chairman of the Senate health committee, said he wanted to know more about what Prime Healthcare is doing. ``I have no problem with hospitals and medical providers making a profit, but not at the expense of taxpayers or consumers,'' Hernandez said. Michael Sarrao, vice president and general counsel at Prime Healthcare, denied any wrongdoing by the Ontario-based company and defended its practices. He said he's not aware of any federal or state inquires. ``We are being unfairly singled out,'' Sarrao told the Los Angeles Times (http:// lat.ms/yuLHyg) outside the hearing. ``We are confident our billing is appropriate. This hearing is clearly about politics.'' The hearing focused on whether Prime Healthcare has violated state rules that require hospitals to transfer out-of-network patients to their preferred medical provider once they were stabilized.

Jonathan Gluck, senior executive and counsel at Heritage Provider Network, cited a 2010 study showing that Prime Healthcare hospitalizes its out-of-network emergency room patients at a far higher rate than other hospitals statewide. ``If a hospital wants to game the system, they can tell their doctors to write `not stable for transfer,''' Gluck said at the hearing.

Michael Sarrao, vice president and general counsel at Prime Healthcare, denied any wrongdoing by the Ontario-based company and defended its practices Prime filed a federal lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente and the Service Employees International Union last November, claiming the rival medical group and labor union violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by conspiring to squeeze it from the marketplace. Kaiser and SEIU have denied the allegations. Meanwhile, Prime Healthcare announced that president and CEO Lex Reddy has resigned for unspecified personal reasons. Reddy has served in both slots for the past 11 years and his brother-in-law was named an interim CEO.-AP

in multifamily housing units that want to opt out. Pezold said her son received bills from EMSA for the transports and wrote a letter stating the property was enrolled in the program. She said EMSA turned the account over to a collections agency anyway. The suit claims breach of contract, ``unjust enrichment'' and violation of plaintiffs' rights to due process under the 14th Amend-

EMSA CEO Steve Williamson said through a spokeswoman that the agency had not seen the lawsuit. He declined to comment because it is a pending legal matter. EMSA has said its billing practices are "thorough and can be trusted.'' The utility fee program provides ambulance service for all permanent members of a household enrolled in it Records show Johnson was transported by ambulance after a drunken driver struck her car in October 2007, about four months after the EMSA utility program started in Tulsa. EMSA sued Johnson in 2009 and won a judgment for more than $1,000. Records show she was enrolled in the utility program when it began in 2007 and never opted out of it. Hughes, 32, was transported twice in 2010 for an illness and lived in a condominium owned by his mother, Mary Pezold. Pezold said she had not signed a waiver form opting out of the program, as required

ment. It seeks damages in excess of $75,000. The suit also seeks an order vacating court judgments against class members. It also seeks ``disgorgement by EMSA of all profits realized for EMSA's breaches'' and an order requiring the agency ``to ensure that any person to whom a statement for services is rendered has opted out of EMSA's TotalCare program.'' Records show EMSA has filed at least 1,300 small-claims lawsuits against residents in Tulsa and Oklahoma City since 2009. -AP

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

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India Post

March 9, 2012

alman Khan, who recently got back from Cuba, where he was shooting for Ek Tha Tiger with Katrina, feels it was fantastic to work with her after a long hiatus. Salman and Katrina parted ways a year back after a long term relationship. The couple have been hogging the limelight for their break up gossips. But now when Sallu and Kats have bonded again to pair up together in Ek Tha Tiger, the news has left many tongues wagging. Many had felt that Salman and Katrina are back in real life again. But as it is said, "All that glitters is not gold." During the launch of His-

tory Channel's new show History Har Din, Salman said since he was working with Katrina, "that's his-

1 Chikni Chameli: Agneepath 2 Hosanna: Ek Deewana Tha 3 Jhoom Jhoomta Hun Main : Players 4 O Saiyyan: Agneepath 5 Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu : Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu 6 Aromale: Ek Deewana Tha 7 Kal Chalna Shuru Tu : Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu 8 Zara Dil Ko Thaam Lo: Don 2 9 Dil Yeh Bekarar Kyu Hai : Players 10 Sharminda Hoon : Ek Deewana Tha

Street singer

tory been created right there." The couple's reel life bonding might be a treat to Salman and Katrina's fans, but the couple is defi-

nitely not in love again. They have been sharing a friendly and good chemistry just like two professionals.

rrfan Khan admits that his next film Paan Singh Tomar, directed by his National School of Drama (NSD) friend, Tigmanshu Dhulia, based on a real story of the life of a dacoit, is very close to his heart. So much so that the actor is preparing to host a private screening of the film for his Hollywood actor friends and associates, where he'll even discuss the film at an after-party. He has invited Hollywood big shots like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Ang Lee and Natalie Portman among others to the party. Confirming the news, Irrfan says, "I am looking at showcasing the film to my friends there, and obviously, we'll bond over it at the after-party." The actor, who has worked in Hollywood projects such as A Mighty Heart (2007) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and will soon be seen in another franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man, however, refrains from divulging any details of his plan. "I cannot give you the specifics of the screening or the after-party," he says. Irfan wants the dacoits in Chambal to watch the film. Since Paan Singh's death, most have completed their punishments and are living a normal life. The film gives a fantastic insight into Chambal, in the interiors of Madhya Pradesh, which is infamously associated with the ferocious dacoits. Paan Singh Tomar was an ex-army man and a nationallevel athlete, who in the later part of his life, ganged up with gunmen.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;PAANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FOR HOLLYWOOD

fter Salman, Aamir and SRK, another Khan takes up the microphone. Amitabh Bachchan took to the recording studio to lend his voice to songs in his 1979 film Mr Natwarlal. Many actors have followed suit in later years. After Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, another Khan boy is ready to exercise his vocal chords. Thanks to filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. Imran Khan has lent his voice to what is being referred to as the 'street song' in Vishal's next project Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola. The song penned by Gulzar has been sung by Imran and his co-star Pankaj Kapur. In fact, it has already been picturised. A unit member revealed, "Imran is extremely excited about working with Vishal. The filmmaker too is fond of Imran. While shooting this sequence between Imran and Pankaj Kapur, everybody felt that the dialogues could be turned into a song." And that's how the song was born. Gulzar had already written the dialogues and Vishal simply added music to it. The song has now been titled Jalegi Kaise. A source close to Vishal confirmed the news and added, "Vishal loved the lyrics and the unit had a lot of fun shooting it."

March 9, 2012

Bollywood

India Post

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Dabangg 2 Munni A

nd the Munni goes toâ&#x20AC;ŚKareena Kapoor! For weeks there was a debate whether Malaika Arora Khan will get to reprise the dance that made her the nation's heartthrob in Dabangg. And now we have an answer. There will be a Munni in Dabangg 2, but it won't be Malaika performing it. Instead, it will be the new favorite of the Khan khandaan, Kareena Kapoor. "Bebo hasn't done too many item numbers in Bollywood, as she has always been a serious actress first. But Salman and the team wanted her to do the song and they insisted she do it," says our source. The news is especially surprising because Malaika, who has turned producer with Dabangg 2, was herself quite keen on doing another item number. She is said to be rather shocked that husband Arbaaz should opt for Kareena over her. "I have always said that Dabangg 2 is Arbaaz's brainchild. He knows what is best for the film and I support him with these decisions of his," says Malaika. "We are very excited and are all looking forward to starting the film in March." While the item girl's name has been revealed, Salman and Arbaaz, along with choreographer Farah Khan, were still working out the look and other details of the song.

FITTEST ACTRESS W ithout a doubt, Bipasha Basu is the fittest female star in Bollywood. That toned abs and perfect assets, she is the same Bipasha who was slammed for being fat and bulky, a few years ago. Talking to a daily, the actress said, "I don't encourage size zero because the Indian figure cannot be size zero. I am a fit girl, not a thin girl and I like myself like this." Her perfect figure, with those ripped abs and toned thighs are an inspiration for many young girls. Well, the actress admits to have worked very very hard to get into the current shape she is in. Bips weighs 60 kgs now.

ur very sexy Munni is back with her lachak-machak in yet another saucy track 'Anarkali Disco Chali'. The item number is from the movie Housefull 2. Munni Badnaam Hui, broke all records with the combined efforts of Malaika Arora and choreographer Farah Khan. The hit jodi is back once again with Anarkali Disco Chali. Now, the question is, which one will be bigger and better, Munni or Anarkali! Malaika says, the two songs are totally different. While 'Munni' was all desi, 'Anarkali' is more modern and sexy. Malaika talks about the song. "Munni is iconic, so I wouldn't like to draw any comparisons and would request others to do the same. But, at the same time, Anarkali Disco Chali is Kick A**." Can't wait for this number.

Anarkali disco

Realty Tidbits

Court stays Subhash Ghai's Haryana project

GURGAON: A court in Haryana has stayed Bollywood filmmaker Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts from performing any type of activity on the 20 acres of land it purchased from the Gram Panchayat of Badhsa village in Jhajjar district. Hearing a plea filed by exsarpanches of Badhsa Balbir Singh and Rambir Singh, Additional Civil Judge Rajesh Sharma issued notice to the Haryana government and Mukta Arts chairman Subhash Ghai. The petitioners have claimed that the land belongs to the village communities and the gram panchayat and government had no right to sell it to private firms.

S & S launches residential project in Chennai

he Chennai-based S&S Foundations has launched a 108apartment residential project on western outskirts of the city. The residential project, Solitaire, consisting of a 11-floor tower on the Kathipara Junction-Porur Road are priced at Rs 5,950 a sq.ft for the 2- and 3-Bedroom-HallKitchen units of 1,150-1,850 sq.ft. The company has completed five projects in Chennai and is set to announce three more projects in the heart of the city in Mylapore, Velachery and Maraimalai Nagar, said Mr S. Sathyanarayanan, Managing Director, S&S Foundations. S&S has a land bank of over 120 acres in and around Chennai.

DLF's scheme for government staff

LF has announced a special concession scheme for government and defense staff purchasing residential units in its projects, according to a press release from the developer. The discounts range from 3 to 5 per cent on residential developments in Jalandhar, Panchkula, New Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Shimla and Kochi. DLF is creating nine premium residential developments across these seven cities. From a case-to-case basis, discount value varies from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. The offer is valid only on direct bookings from January 21 to March 15, 2012. The release, quoting Mr Mohit Gujral, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, DLF India Ltd, said, "This special rebate for the people in the service of the nation is DLF's tribute to their services.

Real Estate 40

India Post

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March 9, 2012

DLF to realize Rs 700 cr from Gurgaon project NEW DELHI: Realty giant DLF will soon launch a luxury housing project in Gurgaon with an expected sales realization of about Rs 700 crore. According to sources, the company will offer 562 premium apartments in the project 'Regal Gardens', which is spread over 11 acres. The project is part of the 450-acre integrated township 'Garden City' in Gurgaon. The company expects a sales realization of about Rs 700 crore from the project. Last week, DLF had sold 350 luxury flats worth about Rs 500 crore in another luxury project 'The Primus' in the township.

Delay hits 40% residential projects in Mumbai region MUMBAI: Almost 40 per cent of ongoing residential projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has been facing serious execution delays with the most affected segment being the premium housing market. According to a report released by the real estate research agency PropEquity, of this 40 per cent, almost half is in the luxury segment with the remaining in the affordable housing and mid-segments. The report looks at all such projects launched between January 2007 and June 2009 and were supposed to be ready for possession by January 2012. "The hi-end property market has been most hit due to three reasons. The first is the general delay in approvals in Mumbai where no project was sanctioned for almost a year-and-a-half. Secondly, many of these projects are 50 to 70 storey towers with certain promised amenities in South Mumbai, the execution for which takes time," said Samir Jasuja, chief executive officer at PropEquity. Jasuja added that the most important reason for the delay in this particular segment is that financ-

ing has been an issue due to overall slowdown. Also, several developers have sold much more than they are capable of executing, he said. The

(NCR) and Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR). It states that several of the ongoing projects were those launched during the pre 2008 cri-

Jasuja added that the most important reason for the delay in this particular segment is that financing has been an issue due to overall slowdown survey also shows that a major chunk of incomplete projects is large ones with more than 300 residential units. The survey takes into account a total of 1,920 projects in MMR, National Capital Region-Delhi

sis and "are now facing severe funding crunch, increased borrowing costs, falling global macroeconomic trends and dwindling housing demand." However, of the three cities, NCR accounts for maximum delays

as the number of projects launched in Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida is very large compared to MMR and Bangalore. In NCR, only 23 per cent of the projects was completed by January 2012 against 61 per cent in MMR and 66 per cent in Bangalore. "The other reason is that the realty market picked up post subprime crisis and several projects were announced, but developers did not have the execution bandwidth for it. In several cases, they used funds raised from projects to acquire land banks," said Jasuja. He added that going from here, buyers can expect an average delay of nine months for ongoing projects in these cities.

Resource guide for South Asian homeowners India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Chhaya CDC and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) released a new resource for South Asian community members, "Your Home, Your Family, Your Security: A Guide for the South Asian Community." Available in English, Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, this guide provides basic information to homeowners on: How to avoid foreclosure; Options for individuals whose homes are currently in foreclosure; How to avoid foreclosure rescue scams; and Resources for housing counseling. "South Asian Americans have a strong propensity for homeownership - they have

worked hard to provide a stable home for their family, and give their

Deepa Iyer, Executive Director of SAALT.

children an education. Unfortunately, many have fallen prey to refinancing schemes and are facing a loss of income which has led

to high rates of default. Because many homeowners are hesitant to

‘Because many homeowners are hesitant to seek assistance, there is a need to provide the information needed to better advocate for themselves. We hope this guide will help’ seek assistance, there is a need to provide the information needed to better advocate for themselves. We hope this guide, available in

various South Asian languages, will help to ensure that further damage does not occur, and that owners don't fall prey to foreclosure rescue scams," stated Seema Agnani, Executive Director of Chhaya CDC. "With the Obama's Administration recently striking an unprecedented settlement with private banks to provide mortgage relief to families, it is clear that community members across the country continue to grapple with the impact of the foreclosure crisis. We hope that this resource will be helpful for community members and families who are in need of information and assistance regarding foreclosures," said Deepa Iyer, Executive Director of SAALT.

Real Estate Post

March 9, 2012

India Post

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2 townships to come up in Maharashtra

n a boost to the sagging infrastructure scene in the state, the commerce and industry ministry and the Maharashtra government has announced construction of two integrated industrial townships at a cost of Rs 8,700 crore over the next seven years. The twin townships at Dighi in Raigad district and at Shendra Bidkin in Aurangabad will come up as the National Manufacturing Investment Zones (NMIZs) as proposed under the National Manufacturing Policy announced last year, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said. Both the projects are aligned to the ambitious Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The Shendra project will require an investment of Rs 2,790 crore and the Dighi project will need Rs 5,967 crore, he said. Sharma and Chavan held a meeting with

top officials from the industrial departments where details about the projects were discussed. Conceding that the earlier attempts by the state, which used to attract the maxi-

be set up even before the industry moves in. One of the state's first private sector ports is being developed at Dighi while Aurangabad is also fast developing into a

The twin townships at Dighi in Raigad district and at Shendra Bidkin in Aurangabad will come up as the National Manufacturing Investment Zones (NMIZs) as proposed under the National Manufacturing Policy announced last year mum industrial growth and investment, notably the MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) townships have been developed in a "haphazard" manner, Chavan stressed that these will be well planned hubs which will be better and will

major industrial belt and already houses auto majors like Skoda. Chavan said as part of the work around DMIC, it was also decided to have two electricity plants of 1,000 Mw each at Raigad and Pune districts, a multi-modal logistics

Rohini plots: DDA blamed for delay NEW DELHI: The waiting applicants of Rohini Residential Scheme 1981 got together at a 'maha-sammelan' in Dwarka recently to demand allotment of plots from DDA and also seek action against officials responsible for the delay. The applicants have been waiting for 31 years to get plots, but DDA hasn't been able to deliver. Only a little over 82,000 applicants have got possession of plots while the rest seem to be staring in the dark. "An inquiry should be conducted on the delay in the allotment of plots to over 25,000 waiting applicants of this scheme and the responsibility for the delay should be fixed," said an applicant at the maha-sammelan, which was attended by nearly 250 wait-listed applicants.

The meeting was organized by the Association of Waiting Registrants of Rohini Residential Scheme. The applicants passed a resolution stating, "We have waited for 31 years for our plots under the DDA Rohini Resi-

The applicants have been waiting for 31 years to get plots, but DDA hasn't been able to deliver dential Scheme 1981. We have little faith in the DDA and all our faith now rests in the courts. Despite the DDA's sustained efforts to deny us our plots, there may still be hope, if not for the

generation that waited three decades, then at least for our children. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We demand the honorable court to order the DDA to allot fully developed plots to all remaining 25,360 registrants forthwith in accordance with the Rohini Residential Scheme, 1981. We are confident that the courts of the land will come to our aid and address the injustice perpetuated against us." Hearing a petition filed by Rahul Gupta, the high court had earlier pulled up DDA in the matter following which the authority filed an affidavit in September last year, submitting that the handover of plots will be completed in one-and-a-half years. Convener M K Gupta said that the DDA has duped the applicants.

HDFC invests R50cr in Fortuna Projects

DFC Property Fund has invested R50Cr for a 21% stake in Bangalore based Fortuna Projects' SPV. Fortune Projects has formed a SPV for two of its projects to be launched in the next few months. Fortuna North City, spread over 16.5 acres, would see development of 2.1 mn sqft near Yelahanka. This would comprise a business park, 5 lakh sq ft, a hotel, with 162 keys, and 1.4 mn sqft of residential space. The company would develop 2,000 apartments, three bedroom units have been priced at R75lakh, while duplex flats would be available at R1.5Cr. The other project, Fortuna Windflower, would come up on 4.5 acres at Sahakar Nagar. This would see development of 360 apartments, priced at Rs 5,000/ sq ft, according to HBL. This

projects are expected to be completed in three years from the date of approval. Fortuna Projects has completed 2 mn sq ft in Bangalore.

The company would develop 2,000 apartments, three bedroom units have been priced at R75lakh, while duplex flats would be available at R1.5Cr The company is also planning to launch another SPV, Fortuna Buildcon India, for its projects in East Bangalore, and is in talks with private equity players for raising R150Cr for this project.

In November last year, HDFC announced that it may invest $41Mn in ATS Infrastructure's residential project through it's Real Estate Fund. In October'11, HDFC invested $90Mn for a 40% stake in an upcoming IT park near Bangalore airport. There has been a spurt in real estate investments in the first two months of 2012. Most recently, Xander Group invested R70Cr in Ajmera Group's office and retail project Times Square in Mumbai's Andheri East through its NBFC Xander Finance. Red Fort also invested R150Cr in 3C Company's premium residential project in Gurgaon, in February. 3C Company is developing a residential project with apartments priced between R50lakh to R1.5Cr on a 47.5 acre site in Gurgaon.

hub at Talegaon near Pune and an exhibition centre at Aurangabad. The Centre and state have also decided to form an equal joint venture for the implementation of the projects and it was also decided to form a committee headed by the Maharashtra chief secretary to monitor the progress on the projects on a regular basis, Chavan said. The Dighi Township will require a total of 25,000 hectares, while the one at Shendra will need 8,340 hectares, according to a presentation made during the meeting. In spite of the troubles faced by the industry on the land acquisition front, which has also led some to abandon their plans of setting shop, Chavan sounded confident of meeting the land requirements for the twin projects and added that the acquisition has already begun in the case of Dighi.

Delhi to build 72k flats for slum dwellers NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has decided to construct 72,000 low-cost flats in next two years for allotment among slum dwellers and economically weaker section, in tune with its plan to make the national capital slum-free. Top officials involved in the mega housing project said the ground work for construction of the low-cost flats has already been started and agencies involved in it have been told to expedite process of various clearances. Delhi government's premier infrastructure agency Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) will implement the project which has been conceived as part of government's ambitious goal of making the city slum-free in next three to four years, they said. "We have set a target of completing the construction within next two years," said a top official of DSIIDC. The DSIIDC has already completed construction of 9,660 flats in Narela, Dwarka, Bhorgarh under the JNNURM scheme and another 5,184 flats are likely to be completed very soon.

The officials said the process of selecting the beneficiaries for around 15,000 flats was underway. They said people who have settled in a slum or jhughi jhopri cluster not later than March 31, 2007 will be eligible to get allotment of the low-cost houses. In her annual address to top officials earlier this week, Dikshit had identified providing roof to slumdwellers as one of the three major priority areas for her government for the coming financial year. The government earlier this month had started allotment of around 2,200 low-cost flats to industrial workers. In the first batch, a total of 115 industrial workers were given allotment letters of flats built at Narela area of North West Delhi. The DSIIDC has built the flats on 'no loss no profit'. The flats have been built under Rajiv Gandhi Housing scheme for industrial workers. The remaining 2,114 flats will be allotted within next six months. Officials said Government would make available hospitals, schools, shopping complexes and bus services in the areas where low-cost flats are coming up.

Horoscope

42 India Post

March 9, 2012

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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

MARCH 9TH - MARCH 15TH (November 23 to December 22)

(March 21 to April 20)

upiter will bring financial relief. Money stuck for long can also come this week. You may be able to get out of the project or a property draining you out for long. People in power will extend helping hand and will really deliver. You may also replace an old vehicle with newer model. Issue involving a child will get quickly resolved to satisfaction.

hanges may start taking place at work. Some of you will be offered opportunity little away from home. Pending issues with government are about to be decided in your favor. You will be paying more attention to spouse and try to entertain more often. Some of you may decide to appear and start preparing for a highly competitive exam.

(April 21 to May 20)

(December 22 to January 19)

ight help is only a phone call away. Once again things will start moving in right. You will receive useful tips and leads from a matured and elderly person. Business will pick up suddenly and you will be more optimistic about life. You may get out of a bad relationship also. You will call few old friends and arrange a small party at your place.

xpect some serious prosperity from now and on. Project you had been working on will be accepted opening new doors. A new member will be added in the family soon. You will also overcome few difficulties in life. Mind will stay calm and you will make excellent choices this week. Hard work and patience will yield rich rewards in very near future.

(May 21 to June 20)

(January 20 to February 18)

here will be big change on financial front. Suddenly you will feel relieved. Expenses will stay under control and new opportunity will bring in extra cash. You will be slowly planning a trip also. Do not disclose your strategy to every one right away. Planets in third will make you take some courageous steps to get out of rat race.

ome of you may need to travel out of state for business purpose. Listen to spouse carefully, the idea is not bad. Money wise you will stay comfortable and meet all commitments on time. Strong Venus can take you closer to an adventurous person. New job offer will not be bad and you may be slightly reluctant to take the risk at this point in life.

(February 19 to March 20)

(June 21 to July 22)

ou will spend lots of time on phone and writing emails. Commitments made long ago will keep draining you out financially. Health will be better and you will be more confident about your actions. Meetings will go very well and you will be given green signal also. Spouse may not agree on everything but support you on major ones.

ncertainty will clear in career and you will escape the worst. Jupiter's aspect on Saturn will bring an end to lots of anxiety and bring peace in mind. Some of you will be shifted to another position at job. Money wise you will continue to do fine and find time and resources to entertain yourself. You will be in great demand at the get together. (July 23 to August 22)

ome of you may feel discontent with the changes at work and start looking for a new and better environment. You will be taking more interest in a child and try to resolve important issues. Some one from a different culture will make an interesting offer. You may be confused whether to go on a trip. It will be better to think twice before actions. (August 23 to September 22)

usiness will pick up suddenly and things will be better at work. Jupiter's transit in ninth brings an end to lots of uncertainty clouding your mind in the past. You may visit a holy place or making some contribution to a noble cause. Expect some last minute delay in ongoing legal matters. (September 23 to October 22)

ou will be spending lots of money on family. Some money will also go towards a future trip. You may be suggested minor surgery to overcome a health issue bothering for quite some time. Stick your terms and soon the others will agree. Spouse may have some unnecessary fears in mind, talking will really help calm things down.

(October 23 to November 22)

eal will be good in short as well as long term. You will make new friends and one of them will give you good leads. Sibling will call to give you very good news. You will spend money on an upcoming trip also. You will be tempted to take a big risk but something will pull you back on last minute. You will relish your favorite items this week.

X Factor overhaul due to Simon's perfection tendencies

atty Kamson says, "Simon Cowell (Libra) and LA Reid (Gemini) are very competitive with each other but astrologically they are very compatible and can be great business partners if they keep their egos in check. The X Factor is going though a major overhaul and that has to do with Simon and his perfection tendencies. With Saturn in Libra strongly affecting Simon's chart, he has a very firm goal in mind for his show. "He really wants to outdo American Idol for his own sense of accomplishment. To show himself especially that he can succeed when he goes out on a limb. I think the X Factor will do well in its sophomore season. I don't see anything being set in stone in terms of the new judges on the panel until after April because in March, Mercury, Mars and Saturn will be retrograde which means things are bound to change." X Factor replacement rumors include Beyonce, Mariah Carey, or Whitney Houston any join the judges table. Who would make the best astrological fit? Beyonce a

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

Virgo is the ultimate perfectionist. Astrologically she probably would butt heads with LA Reid and would be an argumentative diva. Simon would probably have to break up their arguments. She could create some interesting drama on the set.

Mariah Carey, a passionate Aries girl would bring fire and humor to X Factor. She's sexy and fun, would make an excellent mentor for the signers. She's the polar opposite of Simon Cowell and I think they definitely would have a few arguments. Both are competitive and want to win.

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website: www.parashar.com

In Brief Yale files lawsuit to stop immigration detainers NEW HAVEN, Conn.: A Yale Law School clinic is suing Connecticut officials in an effort to stop them from detaining alleged criminals under a federal immigration enforcement program. The Worker and Immigration Rights Advocacy Clinic announced the federal lawsuit against state prison officials. It targets the detention component of the Secure Communities program run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Secure Communities was implemented statewide. The program involves the FBI sending fingerprint information it receives from local police to federal immigration officials. If fingerprint checks identify undocumented immigrants deemed to be dangerous, federal officials can ask local authorities to detain those suspects for 48 hours while they decide what to do. Students say such detentions are illegal. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration says it will review detention requests on a case-bycase basis. -AP

GOP candidates want more on illegal immigration MESA, Ariz.: The Republican candidates say more must be done to combat illegal immigration. The topic was a natural for the debate in Mesa, Ariz. Newt Gingrich says he would devote as many resources as necessary to securing the U.S.'s southern border and that he would build two separate fences at the border to make it more difficult to cross illegally. He also says he'd send thousands more employees of the Homeland Security Department to border areas.-AP

Groups to keep pressure after NM license fight ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: Immigrant advocates and religious organizations in New Mexico won yet another round in their battle against efforts to repeal a state law that allows illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses. But advocates aren't resting on their laurels. Instead, they are regrouping and plan to hold more forums and town hall meetings around the state as they prepare for the repeal to become a campaign issue. -AP

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USCIS honors Vivek Wadhwa as 'Outstanding American by Choice' India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Vivek Wadhwa, and academic, researcher, writer and entrepreneur, has been recognized as an 'Outstanding American by Choice' by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, at an Information Summit recently at the NASA Research Park in Moffett Field, California, to launch the USCIS Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) Initiative, recognized Wadhwa and four others as Outstanding Americans by Choice. The Outstanding American by Choice recognizes the achievements of naturalized US citizens through civic participation, professional achievement, and responsible citizenship. Recipients of this honor are those that have demonstrated their commitment to their community and this country and to the common civic values that unite us as Americans. Wadhwa is Vice President of Academics and Innovation at Singularity University; Fellow, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford University; Director of Research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at the Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University;

USCIS Director Alejandro N. Mayorkas presents Vivek Wadhwa, Academic, Researcher, Writer, Entrepreneur, with the "Outstanding American by Choice" recognition in Moffett Field, CA, February 22

and distinguished visiting scholar, Halle Institute of Global Learning, Emory University. Wadhwa oversees the academic programs at Singularity

preneurship and public policy, helps prepare students for the real world, and leads groundbreaking research projects. He is an advisor to several governments; men-

Wadhwa is Vice President of Academics and Innovation at Singularity University; Fellow, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford University University, which educates a select group of leaders about the exponentially growing technologies that are soon going to change our world. In his roles at Stanford, Duke, and Emory universities, Wadhwa lectures in class on subjects such as entre-

tors entrepreneurs; and is a regular columnist for The Washington Post, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and the American Society of Engineering Education's Prism magazine. Prior to joining academia in 2005, Wadhwa founded two software

New UK immigration rule to cover Indians LONDON: Indian citizens with permission to settle in the UK permanently will need to apply for a biometric residence permit (BRP) as part of changes in immigration rules intended to make it harder for non-EU nationals to work illegally and abuse the benefit system. Many Indian citizens who migrated to the UK years ago and gained the right to settle here permanently did not opt for UK citizenship and retained their Indian citizenship. Such individuals will be covered in the latest changes. A BRP is a card which holds

an immigrant's biographic details (name, date and place of birth); and 'biometric information' (fingerprints and facial image). It also shows immigration status and entitlements while in the UK. Most categories of immigrants are required to apply and obtain BRPs. Immigration Minister Damian Green has now extended the requirement to include refugees and those with right to live in the UK permanently (called 'indefinite leave to remain'). The widening of BRP requirements to almost all categories of

immigrants is intended to tackle immigration abuse by proving a person's right to work or access services in the UK, official sources said, adding that the number of foreign nationals issued with a BRP will double to 400,000 a year. Since the BRP holds a person's fingerprints and photograph on a secure chip, it enables a "simple and quick check" about an immigrant's work and benefits entitlements. There have been several instances of immigrants who do not have the right to work in the UK being arrested. -PTI

companies. Mr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from New York University and a B.A. in Computing Studies from the University of Canberra, in Australia. He is founding president of the Carolinas chapter of The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TIE), a non-profit global network intended to foster entrepreneurship. Wadhwa became a naturalized citizen in 1989. In an article he wrote for Washington Post, Wadhwa said that he had tears in his eyes when he received the call from Mayorkas about the honor. "I have been one of the biggest critics of US competitiveness polices," Wadhwa wrote. "My father, a retired Indian diplomat, called me on several occasions to plead that I tone down my criticism. He worried that I would anger US government officials and they would find some way to have me deported. Indeed, this would have been the case in many countries, where I could have ended up in a Gulag - or worse. But what happens in America? The Government gives me an official recognition - Outstanding American by Choiceâ&#x20AC;Ś" "This is the greatness of America and why this country leads the world: Disagreement and debate are cherished," Wadhwa further wrote. "Challenging the norms, thinking outside the box, and questioning those in power is encouraged and celebrated. The louder you speak the more prominence and respect you are given. Society's heroes aren't merely revolutionaries or political figures, but opinionated, non-conformist entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg." Wadhwa further wrote, "Today, America is in a slump. The ups and downs of the economy and rise of new global competitors are discouraging and often cause American's to lose hope. But, as someone who came to the US by choice, and who has studied the warts of this country and its competitors, I have no doubt that the US will continue to prosper and lead the world."

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March 9, 2012

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NY State Task Force draws first South Asian Opportunity District India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The contentious redistricting process of legislative districts in New York continues to pose challenges for the South Asian American community in the borough of Queens. Following the release of the preliminary boundary lines for State Senate and Assembly districts in New York by the NY State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR), a South Asian American non-profit organization Taking Our Seat has released its own analysis that finds that the newly composed 24th Assembly District in Queens captures a significant number of South Asian Americans. Over the past two years Taking Our Seat had worked to redress South Asian American voter dilution through the redistricting process and the release of the maps by LATFOR was to be a good measure of the efforts to date. The primary goal was to keep South Asian American neighborhoods whole when districts were drawn so the community's needs had to be addressed by elected officials. The secondary goal was to encourage greater participation in the electoral process which would be achieved when a properly drawn district incites a community's interest in political engagement. The 24th district as proposed by LATFOR approximates the percentages of the

South Asian American community's relative population strength but its boundaries ignore neighborhood lines, combining only portions of three distinct South Asian American neighborhoods. Undoing the Richmond Hill & South Ozone Park Cluster The unfortunate by-product of the proposed 24th district is the denial of a Richmond Hill centered assembly district. The proposed 24th district only partially covers Richmond Hill and in the process splits many high density South Asian and Indo- Caribbean census tracts. Taking Our Seat's analysis finds that Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, if kept whole, are capable of sustaining their own Assembly district with a population of approximately 124,000 where the South Asian American population will constitute approximately 34% of the population. The Proposed 24th District, By the Numbers Taking Our Seat's analysis shows that there are at least 29,544 South Asian Americans living within the boundaries of the proposed 24th Assembly district, or 24% of the total Assembly district population. The overall Asian American population for the proposed 24th district per LATFOR's own analysis finds a total of 42,059 Asian Americans in the proposed district, or 34% of the total Assembly district population. The

total South Asian American population matches, the total white population of 29,222. The closest minority population to South Asian Americans in the proposed 24th district is the Hispanic population at 24,129. District Profile: The proposed 24th Assembly District

Over the past two years Taking Our Seat had worked to redress South Asian American voter dilution through the redistricting process and the release of the maps by LATFOR was to be a good measure of the efforts to date Neighborhoods Covered: Richmond Hill, Briarwood, Jamaica Hills, Jamaica Estates, Holliswood, Oakland Gardens, Queens Village, Bellerose, Glen Oaks and Floral Park. The Solution Taking Our Seat's testimony before LATFOR suggested keeping the Richmond Hill/South Ozone Park cluster whole while roughly maintaining the composition of the proposed 24th district.

House committee passes immigration crackdown bill JACKSON, Miss.: Efforts to step up enforcement against illegal immigrants moved forward in the Mississippi House with a bill modeled on Alabama's crackdown, though its sponsor says his bill doesn't include the parts that have been tied up in federal court challenges. The House Judiciary B Committee voted 15-6 to pass House Bill 488, which now goes to the House Education Committee. It would then go to the full chamber. The bill's sponsor, Judiciary B Committee Chairman Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, said the Mississippi bill should stand up to legal scrutiny. Alabama's law is considered one of the toughest state laws against illegal immigrants. Mississippi has a relatively small illegal immigrant population, although it appears to have grown in recent years. The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that in 2010, the state had about 45,000 illegal immigrants out of nearly 3 million total residents.

The bill is supported by Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican who has been campaigning against illegal immigration since his days as state auditor. Proponents say the state spends more money providing services to immigrants

Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is still talking about driving people out of Mississippi'' than it reaps in taxes, and claim that illegal immigrants, if they leave, will vacate jobs that unemployed citizens can take. They say the bill is about legal compliance and that they welcome legal immigrants.

`Ì believe that every person in Mississippi, whether they are here illegally or not, is a child of God,'' Gipson said. ``We're not trying to hurt anyone. We're not trying to starve anyone.'' Opponents dispute those claims, emphasizing that Mississippi doesn't need to summon any ghosts of its racist past. `Ìt is still about ethnic cleansing,'' said Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance. `Ìt is still talking about driving people out of Mississippi.'' The new version of the bill removed an attempt to create a new crime of failing to carry immigration papers. That provision had led some opponents to nickname the measure the ``papers, please'' bill. Under the change, a police officer could only check someone's immigration status if the officer had pulled the person over for some other reason. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 45

Removing Richmond Hill will also give the added benefit of reducing the number of neighborhoods, community districts, school districts and council districts covered by the proposed 24th district. GOPIO support for redistricting Meanwhile, the Global Organization of Persons of Indian Origin (GOPIO), said it was actively involved in supporting meaningful and significant revisions to the proposed redistricting maps for the State Assembly districts in New York State, in particular the assembly district lines proposed by the LATFOR Redistricting Task Force affecting the South Asian community of Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Woodhaven in Queens, New York. The consensus among community leaders is that the proposed assembly district lines "would sever a contiguous, compact, and cohesive community in 6 ways, thereby depriving us of fair, equitable and effective representation of people with similar backgrounds and interests, with shared culture, history, aspirations and community spirit. We are a community of people with shared values and shared concerns, and we insist on a singular district in order to maintain our community area intact socially, culturally, economically and politically" according to a unified community letter sent to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. The revisions are fully sup-

ported by all segments and the entire cross section of the community considering the many adverse effects were it to remain as proposed. GOPIO Upper New York chapter representative Naidoo Veerapen participated in the planning meetings for the unified community group. At a Redistricting Hearing held on February 7 at Queens Borough Hall, GOPIO International President Ashook Ramsaran gave testimony for GOPIO's support of the revisions, citing guarantees by UN Charter, the US Constitution and precedence, stating that "it is critical to keep a unified, compact district with natural and sensible boundaries; the demographics and population statistics clearly confirm the need for retaining the community politically intact, and provide the supporting means for its own representation at all city and state levels." Speakers from the South Asian & Indo Caribbean Community at the Feb 7 Redistricting Hearing included: Darrel Sukdeo (AARI); Amrita Kilawan (FLS); Rachana Shah (Taking Our Seat); Vishnu Mahadeo (RHEDC); Richard David (ICA); Albert Baldeo (Attorney); Rohan Narine (TMM); Ashook Ramsaran (GOPIO); Ali Najmi (SEVA); Kawal Totaram (Attorney); Mohamed Sidiq (Taking Our Seat); Jerry Vatamalla (Asian Amer Legal Defence League); Anjali Chaudhry (Chhaya).

House approves bill making immigration law change MONTGOMERY, Ala.: The first possible change to the state's tough immigration law has passed the Alabama House that would allow the use of military identification cards to prove citizenship or legal residency. The law, being called one of the harshest in the nation, was approved last year and supported by the Legislature's new Republican majority. Lawmakers are working this session to make changes to address concerns of law enforcement officers, farmers, religious leaders and the business community have had concerning the law. Lawmakers have been stern in asserting they would not weaken the law's provisions. The House voted 92-0 for a bill that allows the use of military identification cards as proof of citizenship or legal residency to buy a car tag or conduct other official business with local or state government. The law requires proper ID. The sponsor, Republican Rep.

Steve Clouse of Ozark, said allowing the use of military ID is a major issue in his district because of the Fort Rucker Army base. House Majority Leader Rep. Micky Hammon, House sponsor of immigration legislation, said Clouse's bill would be included in legislation making overall changes. He said it was an oversight that military identification was not included as proof of citizenship in the original bill. He said supporters of the immigration bill did not want to hurt the military. Some members of the military are not U.S. citizens, but Hammon said all are legal U.S. residents. ``If our military has vetted them, we should accept their IDs,'' Hammon said. House Speaker Mike Hubbard said the bill to make changes to the immigration law is still being written and he hopes it will be ready to introduce by the time lawmakers take their spring break at the end of March. -AP

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GA bill would bar illegal immigrants from colleges ATLANTA: Legislation that would bar illegal immigrants from state colleges, universities and technical schools cleared a state Senate committee. The bill's author, Sen. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the bill clarifies the intent of laws that have passed in previous years. Besides the higher education provisions, the bill also adjusts some identification requirements for applicants for public benefits laid out in last year's tough law targeting illegal immigration. It makes some requirements stricter and loosens others. But almost all of the discussion in the committee focused on the education section. ``Our schools are here for Georgia citizens and citizens of the United States to prepare themselves for the work force,'' Loudermilk said. The committee heard testimony from both sides of the argument, but committee chairman Sen. Bill Hamrick, R-Carrollton, declared they were out of time before everyone who had signed up to speak had their say. Supporters of the bill said it's necessary to preserve statefunded education for citizens and legal residents. Opponents said the bill unfairly denies motivated students the opportunity to further their education. A House committee last month held a hearing on a House bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants from attending the

schools but has yet to vote on it. That bill doesn't include the other provisions that would tweak previous laws. Already, illegal immigrants are effectively barred from the most competitive state schools by an October 2010 Board of Regents policy that prohibits any institution that has rejected academically qualified applicants in the previous two years from accepting illegal immigrants. That includes five Georgia colleges and universities: the Uni-

“Our schools are here for Georgia citizens and citizens of the United States to prepare themselves for the work force,” Loudermilk said versity of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia Health Sciences University and Georgia College & State University. Illegal immigrants may still be admitted to any other state college or university, provided that they pay out-of-state tuition. University system Chancellor Hank Huckaby told the committee that he does not believe the legislation is necessary, adding current board policy is sufficient. He said the same thing before the House committee last month. When asked, Huckaby acknowledged that he had supported a

House bill that would have barred illegal immigrants from state higher education institutions last year when he was a state representative. ``At that time, the Regents' policy hadn't been put into place and hadn't really been formulated to the degree that made me comfortable,'' he said. ``I am now comfortable that we are doing an appropriate job in enforcing the current policy.'' The bill also adjusts some identification requirements from last year's law for applicants for public benefits. Benefits include food stamps and professional licenses, among other things. Applicants must provide a ``secure and verifiable'' document proving their legal presence in the country. Some agencies including Secretary of State Brian Kemp's office, which handles many professional licenses had expressed concern the requirement would cause extra work for his staff that could delay issuing or renewing licenses. Last year's law charged the state attorney general with coming up with a list of acceptable secure and verifiable documents. The list issued by Attorney General Sam Olens includes a passport issued by a foreign government. The new legislation says that foreign passports should only be acceptable if they are submitted along with valid federal immigration paperwork specifying that the person is in the country legally. -AP

House committee passes immigration crackdown bill Cont’d from page 44

Another provision was watered down that allows any Mississippi resident to sue a state agency, city or county that looks the other way on immigration status. The bill now says that an agency or government must adopt a written policy or ordinance to be subject to a lawsuit. The measure is supposed to prohibit ``sanctuary cities'' that don't enforce immigration laws. Gipson indicated

that Jackson is a sanctuary city, but it's unclear if a 2010 ordinance that instructed police officers not to use racial profiling or ask about immigration status goes that far. Added was a provision that allows churches and charities to meet ``immediate basic and human needs'' as long as they doesn't charge or use government funds. Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, tried to also exempt gov-

ernment health care facilities and government-owned utilities from provisions that say illegal immigrants can't enter into business transactions with any state agency or local government. Baria said after the committee meeting that he is worried about the public health consequences of illegal immigrants and their children not being vaccinated or being able to connect water and sewer services. -AP

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wami Vivekananda (1863-1902) is hailed as a patriot monk par excellence", one of the "molders of modern world", a spokesman of Hinduism who mesmerized the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in Sept 1893 with his oratory and robust articulation of the essence of Indian culture and soul of India. He was a visionary philosopher, thinker, social reformer and a man of action far ahead of his time. He introduced Indian philosophies, Vedanta and yoga to the Western world, particularly the US and Europe and through his stirring and inspiring speeches he raised Hinduism to the status of a world religion. He made the Western audiences realize that they had a lot to learn from India and prepared Indian mind to accept and apply Western science, technology and ideals of humanism, viz individual freedoms, social equality and respect and justice to women. He was the first Cultural Ambassador of India who ended the cultural isolation of India and became a significant bridge between Indian and western culture. By interpreting religion as universal experience of transcendent reality common to all humanity and insisting that there was no conflict between religion and science as "religion is the science of consciousness" he freed religion from superstitions, dogmas and intolerance. By insisting on respect to all religions and underlining that they were different paths leading to the same goal he was reiterating centuries old secular traditions of India. He attacked the self appointed guardians of religions who sowed conflict: "Religion has no business to formulate social laws and insist on differences between human beings. Religion is realization; not talk, not doctrineâ&#x20AC;ŚReligion is the manifestation of the divinity already in man." By underlining the potentiality of divinity of soul he offered a new ennobling concept of man and made life more meaningful and worth living and thus laid the foundation of "spiritual humanism." But are India's godmen teaching this today? He emphasized new principles of morality and ethics based on the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman. An individual must embrace morality and ethics as purity is one's real nature. And we should love and serve our neighbors as we are all one with the Supreme Spirit. Apparently, India which witnesses all pervasive corruption, crime, cruelty, violence and collapse of moral and ethical values today has forgotten Vivekananda's teachings. He is rightly credited with the revival of Hinduism and awakening national consciousness of

Vivekananda introduced Vedanta & Yoga to the West SURENDRA KUMAR Former Diplomat

India based on pride in her rich cultural heritage. But he was not an obscurant revivalist admiring blindly whatever was ancient. He was scathing in his criticism of Hindu society, especially the Brahmins, for practicing untouchability. Though the spiritual aspect of his personality gets talked about more, he was aware of the significance of material needs in society and agreed with his Guru Ramakrishna that, "religion is not for empty stomach". He wanted religion to be a leading force for bringing about social changes. He was appalled by the prevailing poverty and backwardness of the masses and strongly felt that real cause of India's downfall was the neglect of the masses. "So long as millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every person a traitor who, having been educated at their expenses pays not the least heed to them." He advocated provision of food and basic necessities of life to millions of hungry people, improved methods of agriculture and promotion of village industries. He stood for mass literacy, scientific education and industrial training and end of injustice and exploitation of women. Political parties in India have been sloganeering garibi hatao for decades and promising sadak, pani and bijli and foodgrains at one rupee a kilo rate to aam admi in election campaigns but more than 700 million Indians have barely twenty rupees to meet all their daily needs! He was for education which inculcated confidence and self realization. "Education is manifestation of perfection

already in man...we want education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, and the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one's own feet." If our educational institutions were adhering to these principles so many highly educated individuals won't be indulging in the loot of the nation and our educational standards won't be pegged below Kyrgyzstan! He wanted religion to play a role in day to day life. While masses needed spiritual knowledge to have faith in their abilities and to strengthen their moral sense, they needed secular knowledge for their economic upliftment.

He was way ahead of his times in stressing unity in diversity and opposing imposition of one's views and ideas on others. "Let every one do the best he can for realizing his own ideal. Nor is it right that I should be judged by your standard or you by mine" was his message. He exhorted people to stop complaining and blaming others all the time: "Stand up, be bold, and take the blame on your shoulders. Don't go about throwing mud at others; for all the faults you suffer from, you are the sole and only cause", was his blunt message. He was a firm believer in tireless work. Before his mahasamadhi he had written: "I

He exhorted people to stop complaining and blaming others all the time: "Stand up, be bold, and take the blame on your shoulders. Don't go about throwing mud at others; for all the faults you suffer from, you are the sole and only cause", was his blunt message. He was a firm believer in tireless work. Before his mahasamadhi he had written: "I shall not cease to work. I shall inspire men everywhere until the world shall know that it is one with god" Ramakrishna Mission, which he set up in May, 1897, was to "set in motion machinery which will bring the noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest." He founded a concept of monkhood in which monks didn't isolate themselves from society to pursue their spirit ual quest but devoted their lives to social service. Ramakrishna Mission has been serving the society admirably through its educational institutions, hospitals, orphanages etc. Belur Math which he founded in early 1898 was to introduce a universal pattern of monastic life which aimed at adapting ancient monastic ideals to the conditions of modern life open to all without distinctions of caste, race or religion for personal illumination and social service.

shall not cease to work. I shall inspire men everywhere until the world shall know that it is one with god." Serving others was the ultimate goal for him: "They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive ...this is the gist of all worship - to be pure and to do good to others." Only if our leaders had taken this message to their hearts! The ideals of secularism, eradication of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, discrimination based on caste, creed or gender, emancipation of women, inculcation of social service, education which built character and confidence and his fervent exhortation to the Indian youth to: "awake, arise and stop not till goal is reached" are as relevant today as in his time.

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Philosophy

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis COLIN DRAKE

on-duality is simply 'not two' (of anything). In fact the term 'nonmultiplicity' would be more accurate for what is being suggested here is 'not many' rather than 'not two'. What we are trying to get a handle on here is that there is actually no (permanently existing) thing in existence, and that all apparent 'things' are manifestations of the same essence. This can be shown by investigating the nature of our own subjective experiences, which is actually all that any of us have to investigate. For each of us any external object or thing is experienced as a combination of thought (including mental images) and sensation, i.e. you may see it, touch it, know what it is called, and so on â&#x20AC;Ś Thus everything in the external world is experienced as a mixture of thoughts and sensations, and when we attempt to investigate any 'thing' it is these that we are investigating. In any given moment of direct experience there are only three elements: thoughts (including all mental images), sensations (everything detected by the senses) and awareness of these thoughts and sensations. All thoughts and sensations are ephemeral objects (the perceived) which appear in this awareness (the perceiver) which is the constant subject. So at a TED BIRINGER

he next day Jordan, high priest of the School of the Tortoise, asked the Second Ancestor to give another address. Specifically, he wanted to learn about the significance of Maha Prajna Paramita, or the great wisdom of perfect enlightenment. Thereupon, having taken his seat on the flatbed, Louie Wing asked the assembly to purify their minds. Then he gave the following address. Learned audience, Maha Prajna Paramita is inherent in every one of you. It is only because of delusion based on conceptualization that you fail to realize it. The buddha-mind is not different in ordinary people and sages. The only difference between them is that sages have realized it, while ordinary people have not. Now allow me to expound on the nature of the enlightened mind so that each of you can directly realize Maha Prajna Paramita. Good friends, simply reading or hearing about the inherent nature of prajna without actually awakening to it cannot bring you liberation. Even if your under-

deeper level than the ever-changing objects (thoughts and sensations) we are this constant subject, awareness itself. To put this in a slightly different way, we can easily notice that every thought and sensation occurs in awareness, exists in awareness and dissolves back into awareness. Before any particular thought or sensation there is effortless awareness of 'what is': the

ness is still, as there is awareness of the slightest movement of mind or body. In fact this is the 'stillness' relative to which any movement can be known. Every 'thing' that is occurring in consciousness is a manifestation of cosmic energy, for the string theory and the earlier theory of relativity show that matter is in fact energy, which is consciousness in motion (or motion in consciousness).

(consciousness in motion) arises in awareness (consciousness at rest), exists in awareness, is known in awareness and subsides back into awareness. Awareness is still, but is the container of all potential energy which is continually bubbling up into manifestation (physical energy) and then subsiding back into stillness. Thus there is no dichotomy or duality between the physical world

External world is a mixture of thoughts & sensations Colin Drake

All thoughts and sensations are ephemeral objects (the perceived) which appear in this awareness (the perceiver) which is the constant subject

sum of all thoughts and sensations occurring at any given instant. During the thought or sensation in question there is effortless awareness of it within 'what is'. Then when it has gone there is still effortless awareness of 'what is'. In our direct experience everything arises in, exists in and subsides back into awareness itself. Awareness can also be defined as universal consciousness when it is totally at rest, completely still; aware of every movement that is occurring within it. In our direct experience we can see that aware-

For energy is synonymous with motion and consciousness is the substratum, or deepest level, of all existence. Now all motion arises in stillness, exists in stillness, is known by its comparison with stillness, and eventually subsides back into stillness. For example, if you walk across a room, before you start there is stillness, as you walk the room is still and you know you are moving relative to this stillness, and when you stop once again there is stillness. In the same way every 'thing'

and 'awareness' for they are both manifestations of the same essence. The physical universe is just cosmic energy (consciousness in motion) when it is manifest into physical form, and awareness (consciousness at rest) contains this same energy in latent form as potential energy. Therefore there is in reality no multiplicity (nonduality) as there is only consciousness existing in two modes, in motion and at rest. Colin Drake is Philosopher/ Author/Potter at Tomewein Pottery, Australia

standing and knowledge is wide and profound, without actual experience, you cannot be free. It is like someone learning to play an instrument; music theory and knowledge about the instrument may be helpful, but without actual practice, there can be no music. You have to put your learning

ted by the sages into actual practice, you will not fail to awaken to your own inherent prajna. Buddha is nothing other than the true nature of each one of you; there is no buddha outside of your own body and mind. This is the essence of all time and space. It is all-inclusive with nothing outside of it. It is ultimately beyond all limitations and

important. Many people have developed wrong views about this, and have fallen into aberrant paths. They sit like rocks or stumps, keeping their minds blank and empty, sitting in an inky black cave of indifference, cultivating detachment, stifling their intellectual abilities and

about prajna into practice with your whole body and mind. Knowledge and understanding alone cannot awaken you to the truth of prajna. At the same time, spiritual practice without knowledge and understanding will not do either. If you have aroused genuine aspiration, however, and you put the knowledge that has been transmit-

beyond definition and description. It is the vast, unnamable, fathomless void. That is your own true nature and it must be personally experienced to be realized. Learned audience, when you hear me call it 'the vast, unnamable, fathomless void', please do not conceptualize about non-existence or nothingness. This is very

If you put your conditioned intellect to rest for a long time, suddenly it will be like the bottom falling out of a bucket - then you will naturally be happy and at peace. -Yaunwu All truth is very ordinary. It is peoples' fantasies of what is true that is so extraordinary. That that we were born and that we face eternal extinction after death is an extraordinary fantasy. -Brian Perkins Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine - Shunryu Suzuki

Your true nature is identical with the void The buddha-mind is not different in ordinary people and sages. The only difference between them is that sages have realized it, while ordinary people have not

Emptiness is in fact form when we forget the self. There's nothing in the universe "other" than ourself. Nothing to compare, name, or identify. When it's the only thing there is, how can we talk about it? -Taizan Maezumi

Ted Biringer

denying their responsibilities, obligations, and creativity with irrational, inarticulate justifications that things "just are as they are." Such are the impotent nonBuddhist teachings of naturalism and quietism; they have nothing to do with Zen. Excerpted from The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. -Helen Keller If you are in the future, then ego seems to be very substantial. If you are in the present the ego is a mirage, it starts disappearing. - Osho

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March 9, 2012

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India in a diplomatic bind over US, Iran and Israel SITAKANTA MISHRA

he kind of response that nary option? A fine-balancing of Iran, India has already reduced its Iran's refusal to allow IAEA the three - USA, Israel, and Iran - dependence on Iranian crude oil iminspectors into the Parchin with an innovative diplomatic en- port from 16 per cent in 2008-09 to nuclear site may provoke from the deavor should be attempted. 10 per cent in 2012. It will further US-Israel-Europe axis is a matter The UPA government should, reduce it when alternative options of speculation. Although many at the earliest, announce the can- are available; but not abruptly. And options to curtail Iran's alleged cellation of the trade delegation if Iran's nuclear weapons program nuclear weapons ambition are be- supposed to travel to Iran. This is proved, India would undoubting considered, the use of India's can be rescheduled for a later date. edly condemn and vote against it. leverage over Iran is being More importantly, India must disSecond, India needs to emphastrongly urged by the US and its patch all party delegations to the size to both the US and EU the limallies. concerned state capitals to its of sanctions against a nation's India is certainly in nuclear weapons ambia 'diplomatic bind' as all tion. This approach has those involved in the never worked; sanctions stand-off are important and aggressing posturto its national interest. ing would only A diplomatic fine-balstrengthen Iran's resolve ancing and the convey(if any) to acquire nuclear ance of a strong mesweapons. sage on India's compelA technical-legal apling concerns is the proach is insufficient to way out of this bind. address nuclear weapPerceptibly, three ons proliferation. A susstrings are attached to tained dialogue by adIndia's current diplodressing Iran's, as well as matic bind over the Irathe region's security nian nuclear issue: enconcerns would help deHillary Clinton with S M Krishna, India's foreign minister, in ergy security, pursuit of escalate the West-Iran New Delhi. nuclear non-proliferastand-off. tion, and strategic partnerships strongly convey three important Third, India must strongly conwith major powers. messages which are vital to India's vey to Iran that New Delhi will Should the tryst for energy se- nationhood. have no sympathy for its clandescurity gag India when it comes to First, India must convey both to tine nuclear weapons program and taking a stand on nuclear weap- the US and Israel that it "does not for evading its obligations under ons proliferation and nurturing fancy a situation in which it might the non-proliferation regime. TeIndia's strategic partnerships with have to choose one nation over the heran must cooperate with the the US and Israel? Two straight- other" by overlooking its national IAEA and furnish necessary anforward policy options are avail- interest. This might in fact give rise swers to the questions raised. able: choosing the US-Israel-Eu- to Cold War bloc politics which is In fact, India would not like to rope axis or remaining neutral. completely against India's foreign see another nuclear weapons state Neither way is toll-free. policy ideals. A strategic partnership in its backyard which would make To address the concerns of the denotes an understanding of each the neighborhood tenser. It will go West, New Delhi has to abruptly others' vital national concerns and to any extent in response to a stop 10 per cent of its total crude proxy war against Israel in Indian oil import and the entirety of trade territory. India would like to conwith Iran, which has heavy ecotinue the unrestricted export of a This is the time for nomic repercussions. Disengagrange of items to Iran under the ing Iran would also affect India's proactive diplomatic UN sanctions, but it will stand firm presence in Afghanistan and Cenon non-proliferation issues. tral Asia as Iran is the conduit that posturing to balance Undoubtedly, along with unique enables connectivity. challenges, this occasion has the imperatives of Any military action by the West brought India an opportunity to be will necessitate the immediate re- India's energy security, a forceful stake-holder in an intripatriation of six million Indians in strategic partnerships cate global issue. Instead of choosWest Asia. On the domestic front, ing one against the other and inthe Left parties and the Muslim and pursuit of nondulging in somebody else's war, Inpopulation would up the ante on proliferation simultadia must be careful to calibrate close UPA government's pro-US foreign ties simultaneously with the US and neously policy strategy. Israel, while maintaining delicate ties Remaining neutral would be with Iran, all of which should be dipequally difficult and India's pur- accommodation in a mutually ac- lomatically tenable and pragmatic. suit of nuclear non-proliferation ceptable manner. This, therefore, is the time for prowould be questioned vigorously. India's strategic partnership active diplomatic posturing to balIts nuclear energy networking and with the US is important, and dif- ance the imperatives of India's enstrategic partnership with the US ferences of opinion should not ergy security, strategic partnerships would be under stress. Defense derail the evolving cooperation and pursuit of non-proliferation sitechnology imports from Israel are between the two. The manner in multaneously. also bound to be affected. The which India chooses to deal with The writer is Research Fellow, anti-India lobby in the US would Iran is neither 'a slap on USA's Centre for Air Power Studies gain momentum, hampering India's face' nor inconsistent with India's (CAPS) & Associate Editor, Ininternational clout. non-proliferation credentials. dian Foreign Affairs Journal. Is there a way out of this biConsidering US concerns over Courtesy IPCS

India Post Caste vs. governance

uring electioneering in Uttar Pradesh, India's Law Minister Salman Khurshid promised 9 percent sub quota for Muslims in government jobs. The Minister's wife, Louis, is a candidate in the UP elections. The Election Commission pulled him up for violating the Model Code of Conduct. The minister's fault was he had promised something which was not contained in the manifesto of the Congress party. This is a great departure from the past when the candidates or those campaigning on their behalf could get away by promising anything on earth because everybody knew promises were not made to be fulfilled. Two things have changed since. The Election Commission has tightened rules and, horror of horrors; people have started expecting that promises be fulfilled. They are even comparing past performances and weighing them against promises. That is why Behen Mayawati, the Bahujan Samaj Party chief minister, is up against the curse of anti-incumbency. The promises she had made have not been fulfilled for the majority of the voters. In a simple earlier world, the people just voted for their caste candidate and then got back to their businesses. There was no connection between elections and governance. During the earlier rule of Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, English and computers were derided as tools of dominance by the upper castes. How things have changed now that the SP is not only promoting English, it has even promised laptops to those graduating to higher classes. Governance was the issue of this election. The turnout had exceeded all expectations. Voters were talking of roads, educational facilities, power, water etc. The Congress crown prince Rahul Gandhi went on exposing the misdeeds of the present Mayawati government. But he never gave out any plan of what his government would do if it came to power. Indeed his party did not even have a chief ministerial candidate. People crowded his rallies, out of curiosity. His sister Priyanka also came to address a few rallies, to lend support to him. Mother Sonia Gandhi generally stayed away due to poor health. She was seen only at one or two rallies. All the rallies of the first family were well attended because for the rural folk of Uttar Pradesh it was a rare sight to behold the 'first family of India.' But there was no guarantee the audience would turn into voters of the Congress party. They were there to watch the celebrities who though associated with some electoral constituencies, had brought no tangible benefits to the people. Although initially it seemed in UP like a vote for governance, the Congress old guard's resort to old tricks of promising reservations probably sent all the caste groups scampering to their own caste candidates. Does that mean that governance as an issue has been given the go by once again! The Congress has been the culprit of not allowing the issues that really concern people to gain traction. It has repeatedly gone back to old tricks. One of its stalwarts has even threatened President's rule in Uttar Pradesh if no party gains a majority there. The central government ministers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, never tire of blaming the obstructionist role of opposition parties to progressive legislation like the GST, NCTC and bringing FDI in retail. But the UPA itself is guilty of obstructing many important legislations, passed by the states, which have been blocked either by the UPA appointed governors of the states or the President of India. If this tit-for-tat policy continues one can say goodbye to any tangible cooperation among political parties for India's development.

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