IndiaPost_03-12-2010 by Ghanshyam Bisht

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VOL 15, No. 808

March 12, 2010

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TOP PAK TERRORISTS LIST HAS 20 OF 26/11 ISLAMABAD: Twenty men who allegedly helped plan and carry out the Mumbai attacks, including several Lashker-e-Toiba operatives, figure among the 119 "most wanted" terrorists in Pakistan but the list excludes top leaders of Pakistani Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The 20 men are wanted in connection with a case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and have

Aruna's culture & cuisine surprise in Macau Details on page 6

been booked under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Pakistan Penal Code and a cyber crimes law. They figure in the "Red Book" or list of 119 "most wanted terrorists" that was drawn up by the FIA in October last year with help from provincial police forces.

Indian American teacher discriminated

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Afghan attack on Indians condemned

Manisha Singh appointed to top institute Details on page 7

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Amy Singh nominated for key admn post

Sikhs meets Pak minister over beheading

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Muslim scholar issues fatwa against terror

Two Indians in team analyzing water from moon

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Rahman plans world tour; NY concert in June

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RELICS FROM INDIA: Vietnamese Buddhist followers touch stupas containing Buddha relics offered by Indiaís Buddhist Church and carried by monks as they exit a Vietnam Airlines aircraft at Hanoiís Noi Bai airport on March 3. Some 147 Vietnamese Buddhist monks and followers flew to India on March 3 to bring home the relics. Buddhism is the countryís first religion with some 70 percent of its 86 million population following it.

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CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 36-37 Classifieds --------------------- 45-47 Community Post --------------- 9-20

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

Is the US losing the plot in Pakistan? Last week’s result

Should India continue talks with Pak? YES 64%

NO 36%

Date Book -------------------------- 48

who have advocated the inclusion of Kashmir in the US' regional approach to end the war in Afghanistan. "...I'm not talking about that certain area between them (India and Pakistan) which I'm not going to mention by name. Because I am not going to get involved in that.

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

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Edit Page --------------------------- 50 HealthScience Post --------- 23-25 Horoscope ------------------------- 21 Immigration Post ------------- 38-41 Life Style ----------------------- 26-28 Philosophy ------------------------- 49 Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate ------------------------ 22 TechBiz Post ------------------- 42-44 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 29-33

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ver the last two years leading up to as recently as two weeks ago, there have been at least four deadly attacks by the Taliban and the Pakistanbased Lashkar -e-Taiba, specifically targeted at Indians in Afghanistan. Senior Indian army officers and Indian Embassy personnel were among the dozens of Indians killed in these attacks. Intelligence reports - both Indian and international - now indicate more such attacks against Indian missions in Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan in the coming days. Why do I bring up these, you ask? Because I fail to understand what people refer to as 'international diplomacy.' Forget about what other countries practice, but I do not understand what India is trying to prove -- and has consistently been trying to prove - wanting to resolve things through 'dialogue' while terrorists continue to take innocent lives. For the more than a billion dollar worth of developmental work that India has undertaken to help rebuild Afghanistan, the anti-India forces in the neighborhood have begun to repay by killing its representatives working there. So okay, the US and NATO forces are in the region on a declared mission of war. And even they have been facing the dilemma of having to pull out from the region. So what is stopping India from pulling out of Afghanistan especially when the terror outfits have openly declared they would kill Indians if they continued their presence there? There is no compulsion on India to continue such humanitarian efforts since it is there in Afghanistan of its own volition. And my question again - what is India trying to prove by letting its innocent people be killed while it tries to collect accolades from the world as a do-gooder? Does it really expect crazed terrorists to see reason while it tries to 'talk' with political leaders who have no control over them? It may be collateral damage in diplomatic terms, but at whose cost? Call me naïve, but I think it foolish to try to douse a neighbor's fire when the neighbor is out to set your own house on fire.

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After repeated denials, it is now official that Lara Dutta and tennis player Mahesh Bhupati are couple.

Cover Story: ‘Most wanted’ terrorists Twenty men who allegedly helped plan the Mumbai attacks figure among the 119 "most wanted" terrorists in Pakistan.

Community: Republican meet The Indian American Republican Council cosponsored the 37th annual Conservative Conference in Washington DC.

Immigration: Discrimination An award-winning Indian teacher was given a negative review and asked to go through a psychiatric evaluation.

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Top Pak terrorists list has 20 of 26/11 ISLAMABAD: Twenty men who allegedly helped plan and carry out the Mumbai attacks, including several Lashker-e-Toiba operatives, figure among the 119 "most wanted" terrorists in Pakistan but the list excludes top leaders of Pakistani Taliban and Jaishe-Mohammed. The 20 men are wanted in connection with a case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and have been booked under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Pakistan Penal Code and a cyber crimes law. They figure in the "Red Book" or list of 119 "most wanted terrorists" that was drawn up by the FIA in October last year with help from provincial police forces. However, the name of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar or that of the top leaders of Tehrik-eTaliban Pakistan do not figure in the list. Pakistani authorities have also refused to arrest LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in con-

nection with 26/11 attacks, saying there is no evidence against him. Heading the list of 20 Pakistani nationals wanted for the Mumbai attacks is Muhammad Amjad

However, the name of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar or that of the top leaders of Tehrike-Taliban Pakistan do not figure in the list Khan, a shadowy LeT organizer and facilitator based in Karachi. Khan hails from Multan in Punjab province and his name has figured prominently in information provided by Pakistan to India in several dossiers.

Others on the list are Iftikhar Ali of Faisalabad, who deposited USD 250 for a Voice over Internet Protocol connection that was used for communications by the Mumbai attackers, and LeT financiers Sufyan Zafar of Gujranwala, Muhammad Usman Zia of Rawalpindi, Muhammad Abbas Nasir of Khanewal, Javed Iqbal of Kasur, Mukhtar Ahmad of Mandi Bahauddin and Ahmed Saeed of Batagram. . Also included in the list of most wanted terrorists are crew members of Al-Hussaini and Al-Fouz, the two boats used by the attackers. They are Shahid Ghafoor of Bhawalpur (captain of the boats) and crew members Abdul Rehman of Bahawalnagar, Muhammad Usman of Chicha Watni in Sahiwal, Ateeq-ur-Rehman of Lahore, Riaz Ahmad of Jharianwala, Muhammad Mushtaq of Gujranwala, Muhammad Naeem of Dera Ghazi

Holbrooke slams attempt to link Kashmir with Afghan WASHINGTON: Careful not to annoy India by mentioning the sensitive "K" word, Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's pointsman on AfPak policy, has rubbished Pakistan's attempt to link the Kashmir issue with the American approach to stabilize Afghanistan. Fresh from a trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, Holbrooke said he did not agree with people who have advocated the inclusion of Kashmir in the US' regional approach to end the war in Afghanistan. "...I'm not talking about that certain area between them (India and Pakistan) which I'm not going to mention by name. Because I am not going to get involved in that. "... And people who have advocated that (linking Kashmir with the approach to stabilize Afghanistan) are making a proposal which I believe runs counter to stability in Afghanistan. Afghanistan must be dealt with on its merits," Holbrooke told reporters at the State Department while taking great pains not to mention Kashmir by name. He noted that it was his personal feeling that the three countries -- Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India -- were "vastly different in culture, socio-economic standing, political development, but

they share a common strategic space." And in order to understand the US policy and its policy dilemma, one has to understand that both India and Pakistan have legitimate security interests in the region, he said. "India has a legitimate interest even though they don't have a

Richard Holbrooke

common border (with Afghanistan)," he said, rejecting Pakistan's stand that only Kabul's contiguous neighbors could help bring peace to the war-torn nation. "But I need to stress that both countries (India and Pakistan) have legitimate security interests. And if one country says the other has no interest, then it's hard to have a dialogue," Holbrooke said. He said that is the reason why President Barack Obama has stated that "we encourage any sort of dialogue between the two

countries, and Afghanistan is not the core of the issue but it is a part of the issue." Russia still has an interest in Afghanistan even though they do not have a common border, he said. At the same time, Iran and Pakistan are "obviously the two most important countries with common borders," he noted. Holbrooke said the US had good relations with both India and Pakistan. "It is our view that it is in our national interest to improve relations with both countries.... Improved relations with one country is not at the expense of the other," he said. "We, by improving relations in both countries, we can move forward a general search for peace and stability in the region." He noted that Washington's South Asia policy really began in the year 2000 when then President Bill Clinton went to both countries, the first President to visit either country in 22 years since Jimmy Carter had gone in 1978. And since then, former President George W Bush has done the same thing. "And we will, this is the overriding approach we have to the issue. And that's our starting point for the strategic overview of the region," he said.-PTI

Khan, Abdul Shakoor of Sargodha, Muhammad Sabir Salfi of Multan, Muhammad Usman of Lodhran and Shakil Ahmad of Rahimyar Khan. Another person in the list is

They are wanted for various terrorist attacks, including the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad Muhammad Khan of Turbat in Balochistan, who provided the boat Al-Hussaini to terrorists. Seven men, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, are currently being tried by an anti-terrorism court

in Rawalpindi for planning and helping execute the Mumbai attacks. Thirty-three of the terrorists on the list are wanted by the FIA and the rest by provincial police forces. They are wanted for various terrorist attacks, including the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, and attempts on the life of former President Pervez Musharraf. The wanted terrorists are affiliated with groups like the Harkatul-Jihad al-Islami, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Qari Saifullah Akhtar group of Waziristan, Jundullah and Baloch Liberation Army. Some of the wanted men have fought and were trained in Afghanistan. One of the men on the list -Qari Zafar -- was killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan last month.-PTI

Afghan attack on Indians condemned India Post News Service

when the United States and NATO are conducting major military operations against the Taliban in Helmand province. They also come after the arrest of the senior Taliban military commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital. President Karzai has condemned the attack, while India has called it barbaric. USINPAC's National Security

NEW YORK: Condemning the attack by Taliban last week in Afghanistan in which 17 people including 6 Indians were killed, the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) said there was now a disturbing pattern of violence against Indians in Afghanistan. The attack was made in an area full of hotels and guesthouses popular with foreigners. It USINPAC Chairman, Sanjay Puri, was also an area frequented by Indians, expressed his outrage at the who suffered dispro- attacks. "Clearly, this attack was portionately in this designed to hit the international attack. community in general and the USINPAC ChairIndian community in particular. man, Sanjay Puri, expressed his outrage Indians are in Afghanistan as part at the attacks. of civilian reconstruction and "Clearly, this attack humanitarian projects to aid the was designed to hit people of Afghanistan the international community in general and the Indian community in Coordinator Manish Thakur said, particular. Indians are in Afghani- "These attacks must be seen in stan as part of civilian reconstruc- light of other attacks focused on tion and humanitarian projects to Indians, including the particularly aid the people of Afghanistan. horrific blast at the Indian emThat the Taliban would target bassy. There is now clearly a disthem once again shows their cal- turbing pattern of violence lous disregard for human life and against Indians in Afghanistan." their determination to do anything Thakur went on to say that this to prevent the peaceful develop- attack once again reinforces the ment of Afghanistan into a mod- notion that there is no "good" Taliban or "bad" Taliban. "All terern state." The attacks come at a time rorism is bad," said Thakur.

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Aruna's culture & cuisine surprise in Macau PREETI VERMA LAL

Arun Nitya Niketan where Aruna took her Kathak lessons. Academics was not Jha's forte, it was dance that she pursued first as a student and then as a teacher in St. Patrick's and St. Anthony's (Agra) and later Sacred Heart College (Dalhousie). But destiny had other designs for Jha. An invitation by the Cultural Institute of Macau Government to do an Indian classical dance workshop repaved Jha's path. Jha knew not an inflexion of Mandarin or Portuguese, the two official languages of Macau, but dance knows no language. Hundreds of students lined up. Each day stretched well into night for the eager students and the three-month workshop was ex-

stoked her culinary and entrepreneurial skills and soon the renowned dancer opened a small Indian takeaway eatery. "It was a lot of hard work and sleepless nights but I am not the kind to hang my boot easily," Jha remembers. Her first restaurant was tiny, the second one could seat more and third large enough to host meetings (several IIFA meetings were held in Aruna's). It has been 13 years since the first Aruna's opened and more than 25 years since the day she packed her bags and landed in Macau. Jha now has a Macanese citizenship, three restaurants, can speak Mandarin like a native and loves the warmth and the peace in Macau. "I not only want to live

Grand opening of†Arunaís Maharaja Indian Curry, the third branch of Arunaís restaurants

n Macau's crowded Lotus Square, I first noticed the gilt colossal lotus sculpture. The yellow of the chrysanthemums and the orange of potted tangerines tossed a dash of color against the glum sky. The red lanterns looked clichéd and the air was laden with the continuing joy of the Chinese New Year. Suddenly, amidst the monotony of an unfamiliar Mandarin, I was distracted by a whisper. And a familiar name. "Let's go to Aruna's," a faraway mutter had my head turn. Across the street, a golden on black signage attracted my attention. It read: Aruna's Maharaja Curry. I stood in disbelief. In an island with less than 25 Indian families there could be no Indian restaurant, I mumbled to myself. Statistics were stacking against me - of late, Macau has become the favorite holiday haunt of Indians. Last year, nearly a hundred thou-

sand Indians had trooped down to Macau, which seems to have a come-again reason for everyone, specially after the IIFA awards. But an Indian restaurant? I still could not suspend disbelief. I walked into Aruna's. And there she was. Aruna Jha, the first Indian restaurateur in Macau, dubbed as the Queen of Indian Cooking by the Association of Food and Bakery Employees of Macau. Sporting a gleaming nosepin, Jha was adding a drop of whisky on the gulabjamun and flattening the baked eggplant for her signature La Aruna's Eggplant dish. The food orders were waiting but Jha was preoccupied. No, not with another plate of tikki chat or her famed samosas, but with kindness for an unknown Bangladeshi who had been cheated by his employer and was left with nothing. Not even hope.

Till Jha intervened to help the man go back to his family in Dhaka. I waited for Jha to pick back that thread of life for the stranger, I knew that was more important. For this Capricorn, generosity is a way of life. Cooking never was - instead of the ladle, as a little girl still in pigtails Jha picked up the ghungroo and learnt Kathak from her father, the legendary Guru Natraj Shanker Dev Jha, a disciple of Kathak maestro Shambhu Maharaj. In pursuit of dance, Guru Jha had moved from his ancestral home in Darbhanga, Bihar, to Allahabad and then to Dehradun where he settled with his brood of nine children and established

A dance in the Bar

tended. Little did Aruna know that it would stretch forever and she would swap the ghungroo for the kitchen apron. The Macau Hyatt offered her a chance to provide Indian buffets at its restaurant. Curry was unheard in Macau but very soon gourmands were eating out of Jha's hands. The stint in Hyatt

in Macau, I want to die in Macau too," says Jha hurriedly as she hails a taxi for the Bangladeshi who had lost everything. Even hope. Thanks to Jha, he was headed to home. For Jha, that is what life is all about; the drop of whisky on the gulabjamun is merely another reason to be. (www.deepblueink.com)

Muslim scholar issues anti-terrorism fatwa in London India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a radically significant move, London-based renowned and mainstream Muslim scholar Shaikh Dr. Tahir ulQadri issued a comprehensive fatwa (religious ruling) prohibiting terrorism and suicide bombing, at a press conference in Westminster, London on March 2. Shaikh Dr Tahir ul-Qadri is a widely recognized and respected authority on Islamic jurisprudence. Founder of the international Minhaj-ul-Quran movement, his

fatwa is significant because Minhajul-Quran is a major grass-roots organization with hundreds of thousands of followers in South Asia and the UK. The fatwa condemns suicide bombers as destined for hell, which helps remove extremists' certainty of earning paradise after death. The 600-page fatwa is arguably the most comprehensive theological refutation of Islamist terrorism to date and sets an important precedent and allows other scholars to similarly condemn the ideas behind terrorism. At the press conference, ac-

cording to UK Press Association, Tahir ul-Qadri described suicide bombers as "heroes of hellfire" and condemned terrorists as the enemies of Islam. Pakistan-born Tahir-ul-Qadri said there were no "ifs or buts" about terrorism and such acts had no justification in the name of Islam. "They can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma (the wider Muslim community), no, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire," he

said. "There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered Jihad." "Good intentions cannot convert a wrong into good, they cannot convert an evil into good," he added. "Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses or ifs or buts." A spokesperson for Quilliam, Britain's first and independent counter-extremism think tank, said, "This fatwa has the potential to be a highly significant step towards eradicating Islamist terrorism.

Fatwas by Wahhabi-influenced clerics and Islamist ideologues initiated modern terrorism against civilians. Terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda continue to justify their mass killings with self-serving readings of religious scripture. Fatwas that demolish and expose such theological innovations will consign Islamist terrorism to the dustbin of history." Tahir ul-Qadri's fatwa will be translated into English in the coming weeks and will also be made available online in an attempt to counter extremist versions of Islam available on the internet.

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Manisha Singh appointed to leading academic institution India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Manisha Singh, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs with the US State Department, was hired early last month as the first Executive Director of the Barer Institute for Law and Global Human Services at the University of Washington School of Law, Seattle. "I am thrilled to be the first Executive Director of the Barer Institute, and am very much looking forward to working under the

ments in achieving goals for human health, education, and social and economic well-being in developing countries. "It is my and Alta's hope that the Barer Institute for Law and Global Human Services will provide legal roadmaps for the establishment of enforceable duties and the resultant enjoyment of rights for the receipt of basic health care, educational and economic opportunity wherever those problems are most pressing in the globe," said Stan Barer. "It is a lofty goal but one that is close to our hearts and can no longer only be addressed

As Deputy Assistant Secretary, Singh was responsible for promoting trade and development issues within the foreign policy context. Her section led the Department's efforts on food security and she represented the U.S. at the United Nations Conference on World Food Security in 2008 leadership of Dean Kellye Testy," said Singh. The Barer Institute was created by a gift from UW Regent and law school campaign chair Stan Barer '63 and his wife, Alta. The Institute, which will involve an interdisciplinary effort based in the law school, will study and promote the effectiveness of legal frameworks as essential ele-

by medicine and science." As Deputy Assistant Secretary, Singh was responsible for promoting trade and development issues within the foreign policy context. Her section led the Department's efforts on food security and she represented the U.S. at the United Nations Conference on World Food Security in 2008. She has focused her policy career on global

economic growth and development, including providing increased access to medicine and healthcare in the developing world. She also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, where she developed US policy regarding human rights, humanitarian, health, and public diplomacy issues at the UN and served as a key liaison to US international organization missions in New York, Geneva, Paris, Vienna and Rome. Prior to her State Department appointments, Singh served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Republican staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee working for Chairman/Ranking Member Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana). There, she worked to further global trade, development and healthcare policy on the legislative front. Her duties as one of the committee's lawyers also encompassed overseeing treaty ratifications, and managing confirmation hearings of ambassadors and executive branch officials. Her Capitol Hill experience also includes serving as Counsel to the Republican staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. In addition, she spent several years as a practicing attorney at the law firms of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey and Reed Smith.

Sikh delegation meets Pak minister over beheading India Post News Service

NEW YORK: United Sikhs joined a Sikh delegation to meet the Pakistan Minority Minister Shabaz Bhatti, March 2, to seek assurances for the safety and security of minorities including Sikhs who have recently been targeted by the Taliban in Pakistan. The US-based Sikh advocacy group has called on Pakistan to secure the safety of minorities following the beheading of a Sikh and the rescue of two others from the Taliban captivity. The Taliban in Pakistan had on Feb 20, captured Jaspal Singh with two other Sikhs in the Khyber Agency. They later beheaded Jaspal Singh. The meeting followed an announcement by the Pakistan Army that it had secured the safe return of the two other Sikh captives on 1st March 2010, following a global outcry after the beheading of Jaspal Singh. Expressing relief at the rescue of the two freed Sikhs, the Sikh

community has appealed for help to rehabilitate displaced Sikh families living in Peshawar, who fled the tribal areas last year without many belongings and have limited resources to start life afresh. "We will protect the life and

The meeting followed an announcement by the Pakistan Army that it had secured the safe return of the two other Sikh captives on 1st March 2010, following a global outcry after the beheading of Jaspal Singh properties of the Sikhs and other minorities in Pakistan. The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan have been briefed about the developments. Rescuing the captured Sikhs was our mission and we accomplished it. I assure my support to all minorities," Shabaz

Bhatti reassured the Sikh delegation, which included Pyara Singh, the late Jaspal Singh's father. The two Sikhs who were rescued by the Pakistan Army are: Gurvinder Singh, 16, who was unhurt and Surjeet Singh, 25, who was injured by a gunshot fired at him. Surjeet Singh was taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Peshawar and is reported to be out of danger. According to media statements given by the Pakistan army, the two Sikhs were rescued after a massive operation conducted by security personnel. Many militants were reportedly killed in the gun battle. On Jan 11 Jaspal Singh, Surjeet Singh and Gurvinder Singh were on their way to meet relatives when they were kidnapped by Taliban militants in the Khyber Agency. On Feb 20, one of three Kidnapped Sikhs, Jaspal Singh was beheaded in the upper Tirah valley area on the border of the Khyber and Orakzai Agencies.

Singh's educational background includes a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Legal Studies from the American University Washington College of Law. She earned a J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law at the age of 22, and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Miami at the age of 19. She also served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Edward F. Threadgill, Jr., at the State of Florida Second District Court of Appeal.

"Stan and Alta Barer have tremendous vision in establishing the Institute and are seeking to fill a gap in the world of human services -- using the law as a tool in addition to fields such as science and medicine," said Singh. "Lawyers at the Institute will complement the important work that is currently being conducted by many divisions of UW as well as the greater Seattle community. It is a privilege for me to be able to join in these crucial efforts to advance humanitarian causes."

Amy Singh nominated for key administration post India Post News Service

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama last week announced his intent to appoint Amy K. Singh as Member, President's Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a White House press release stated. Singh is an attorney who practices in the areas of entertainment, advertising and marketing, and provides counsel to clients on event production and promotion, television production, talent and other matters. Before starting her own practice, she held several positions, including as General Counsel/Senior Vice President of DDB Chicago Inc., and

as an associate in the Chicago office of the firm now known as Sidley Austin LLP. Ms. Singh works to support the arts and youth, was a member of the Junior Board of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently on the Board of the Mikva Challenge, which develops civic leadership in Chicago's high school youth. Announcing Singh's nomination among several others to other key administration posts, President Obama said, "The American people will be well-served by the expertise and commitment of these individuals. Their decision to serve their country is commendable, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

MANMOHAN IN RIYADH: King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (R) of Saudi Arabia signing a bilateral agreement with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their meeting in Riyadh late on February 28. Singh, on the third and final day of a state visit to the oil-rich desert kingdom, told members of the Saudi Shura Council, the kingdom's appointed consultative body, on March 1 that an independent Palestinian state was key to Middle East stability and called on arch-foe Pakistan to "act decisively" against terrorism

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Two Indians in team analyzing water from moon

ndia's Chandrayaan Moon Mission continues to make news even one year after its launch. After scrutinizing evidence garnered from various scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan, the NASA had last year announced the presence of "little" amount of water on the moon. It was back then, hailed a very significant discovery. A few months down the lane, NASA's Mini SAR probe aboard the Chandrayaan has managed to discover significant amount of water on the moon in an area near the north pole of our closest celestial neighbor. The mini SAR is a very small scientific instrument that weighs less than 10 kgs. The news was announced by NASA last week. NASA scientists revealed that they expect to find at least 600 million metric tons of water- ice in the area riddled with craters. The number of these craters is believed to be around 40 and range in 2 to 15 kms in diameter. These craters are usually colder than the surrounding areas and have been long thought to be the best places to look for water on the moon. Jason Crusan, a NASA spokesperson, said, "After analyzing the data, our science team determined a strong indication of water ice, a finding which will give future missions a new target to further explore and exploit." In the team which made a meticulous analysis of the findings were two Indian scientists. Director of the Ahmedabadbased Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) J N Goswami, who is attending the lunar meet, said a

number of craters were thoroughly studied before a formal announcement was made. ''This is definitely an important discovery; it took us five months to evaluate the findings since we had to convince the scientific community,'' he said. Goswami is the principal scientific investigator of the

Director of the Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) J N Goswami is attending the lunar meet. M Chakraborty of the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad was the other Indian scientist who analyzed data from Mini-Sar Chandrayaan-1 mission. He explained that Indian scientists were a part of the team which examined the findings. ''We had access to the data. After it was analyzed by NASA, the details were sent to us for further analysis. We had to make sure that everything was okay.'' M Chakraborty of the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad was the other Indian scientist who analyzed data from Mini-Sar. The ice was found in the permanently shadowed crater of the moon's north pole. Similar condi-

tions of perpetual night exist at the lunar South Pole too. Although the total amount of ice depends upon the thickness in each lunar crater, it is estimated that there could be at least 1.3 trillion pounds of water ice on the moon. Nasa's lunar crater observation and sensing satellite (LCross) detected water vapor when its slammed into the moon surface at 5pm (IST) on October 9 last year. Jason Crusan, programme executive of Nasa's Space Operations Missions Directorate in Washington, observed: ''After analyzing the data, our science team determined a strong indication of water ice, a finding which will give future missions a new target to further explore and exploit.'' The Chandrayaan I mission was India's first attempt at sending its own probe to the moon. The spacecraft was launched aboard a modified PSLV rocket back in October 2008. The mission was officially declared abandoned after the ISRO lost contact with the Chandrayaan just a little less than an year since the Chandrayaan was in Orbit. However, in a short span of time, the Chandrayaan mission was able to unravel many secrets of the moon, which was hitherto unknown to us - the significant presence of water being the latest. Chandrayaan had, on board, eleven experimental payloads of which five were Indian, three from the European Space Agency (ESA), two from U.S. and one was from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

INDIAN-AUSSIE BON HOMIE: Australian cricketer Shane Warne (L) and Victoria State Premier John Brumby (4th R) pose for a photo with Indian students during a picnic at Parliament House in Melbourne on March 2. Brumby and Warne hosted the picnic as a show of support for AustraliaĂs 450,000-strong Indian community in the wake of a series of attacks against Indian students. Attacks against Indians, including beatings and robberies, have been on the rise in Australia, threatening to damage diplomatic ties and the countryĂs education system, which brings in 15.4 billion USD from abroad each year

SWAMINARAYAN HEIR: Indian heir to the Swaminarayan Temple, Lalji Maharaj Shri Vrajendraprasdaji Maharaj (C) celebrates Fuldol Utsav -the birth anniversary of Lords Nar and Narayan at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Ahmedabad on March 2. This festival also known as Pushpadolotsav festival of flowers marks the arrival of spring as well as the Anniversary of Narnarayan Dev

Rahman plans world tour; NY concert in June LONDON: Oscar winning composer A R Rahman has teamed up with the brains behind stage shows for pop divas Britney Spears and Mariah Carey to produce world tour saluting the Indian music. The acclaimed musician, who scored 2008's 'Slumdog Million-

SMITH IN DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna (R) shakes hands with Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith (L) during their meeting in New Delhi on March 3. Smith is on a offical visit to India. Smith kicked off his three-day trip to India with an inspection of the main stadium for the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games event which has been dogged by concern over possible militant attacks

aire', has announced dates for the 'Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour', which will feature music from the film and tracks he was working on with Michael Jackson before the 'King of Pop' died last summer, Contactmusic reported. Rahman will kick off the event in June at the Nassau Coliseum in New York. Produced by Deepak Gattani, the tour will travel to over 20 major arenas and cities around the world, including The Forum in Los Angeles, The Patriot Center in Washington, DC, American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas and Wembley Arena and the O2 Arena in London. The composer will collaborate with creative director Amy Tinkham, who is known for creating live musical concerts for Spears and Carey, among other pop stars. "The Journey Home World Tour will be a theatrical experience that will blend new technologies with powerful dance arrangements and acrobatics. The concert will keep intact the heritage and traditions of India with a new modern presentation. The show will feature changing sets, large images on LED screens and a spectacular cast of musicians," a spokesman for Rahman said. -PTI

Desi News Prof. Nanda pleads for working selflessly

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

SURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: Prof. Ved Nanda, a renowned jurist and Vice Provost at the University of Denver, was in Chicago last week meeting prominent Indian social workers and activists at the Eola Community Center, Aurora, a Chicago suburb. Around 65 people attended the meeting including prominent Hindu and social leaders from the Chicagoland, media persons, Sangh swayamsevaks and karyakartas. Prof Nanda is also the Sanghchalak of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangha in US.

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Holi fun & frolic at Fremont Hindu Temple

March 12, 2010

Details on page 15

Indian American Council sponsors Conservative conference

Details on page 10

Discrimination lawsuit against Lexus India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: A Sikh has filed a discrimination lawsuit after being told to remove his religiouslymandated beard if he wanted a job. The applicant, Gurpreet Singh Kherha, filed his lawsuit in New Jersey against Tri-County Lexus where he wanted to work as a sales representative. In 2008, Gurpreet was recruited for a sales position at Tri-County Lexus in Little Falls, New Jersey. After completing two days of training at Lexus. Details on page 11

Ghimre Curry House wins award KRISHNA RAJ

IARC Chairman Dino Teppara addressing an audience of more than 4,000 people at CPAC

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a significant first in political comeuppance the Indian American Republican Council (IARC) cosponsored the 37th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC, recently. "This historic gathering of our nation's conservatives confirms the massive sea-change of public opinion that is occurring in our nation," said Nina Verghese IARC spokeswoman. "We were pleased to be a part of this excitement as America's conservatives came together in a showing of solidarity and determination to put our country back onto a path of prosperity by embracing center-right principles." "The number of people who visited us in the Exhibit Hall and expressed their support of Governor Bobby Jindal and told us of their high opinion of the Indian American community was simply amazing," said IARC Board Member Suhail Khan.

The IARC became the first Indian American organization to ever cosponsor CPAC. This year's conference drew more than 10,000 attendees, the largest ever in CPAC's history, with more than 5,000 young conservatives attending the event. Prominent speakers included Senator Scott Brown (RMA); Minnesota Governor Tim

L-R, Back Row: Christine Sequenzia, Suhail Khan, Lynne Ozinga-White, Mihir Pathak, Ketan Poladia, Dave Wallace, Finney Varghese. L-R, Front Row: Ginny Sessions, Ruth Malhotra, Aarti Shah, Songeeta Guha Biswas, Dino Teppara

American staff members in the U.S. Congress. "With so many young people in attendance it is only natural that the convention reverberated with excitement and a feeling that we can truly make a difference." IARC Member Ketan Poladia noted, "It was my first time attending an event of this size. I was as-

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The number of people who visited us in the Exhibit Hall and expressed their support of Governor Bobby Jindal and told us of their high opinion of the Indian American community was simply amazing,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said IARC Board Member Suhail Khan Pawlenty; Senator Jim DeMint (RSC); House Republican Leader John Boehner; Vice President Dick Cheney; and Governor Mitt Romney. "I can sum up my CPAC experience in one word . . . energy," said IARC member Rajesh Bharwani, one of the highest-ranking Indian

tounded by the crowd turnout and their spirit. I was treated and felt like I was a family member. To sum it up, the atmosphere was truly electrifying, with the crowd, the speakers and the events making this a truly memorable CPAC." IARC Chairman Dino Teppara also became the first Indian Ameri-

can leader to ever address CPAC, speaking to an audience of more than 4,000 people in a nationally televised speech shown on CSPAN. He spoke in opposition to illegal immigration and the pending amnesty proposal in Congress. Teppara is the only Indian American to ever serve as Chief of Staff and Counsel to a Member of Congress and will receive an Officer Commission later this year, making him the only Indian American Public Affairs Officer in the United States Navy. IARC Member Lynne OzingaWhite stated, "I really enjoyed CPAC this year. I was very happy to be an important part of a wonderful outreach effort. I am very encouraged for the future of our movement and the success our center-right coalition is experiencing." Nearly 20 IARC members and supporters joined the organization at CPAC as volunteers, handing out leaflets and meeting hundreds of conservatives at the IARC booth in the CPAC exhibit hall.

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Prof. Nanda pleads for working selflessly SURESH BODIWALA

tively contribute to the society in which we live." In this context, he praised the work being done by many socio- religious organizations but posed question as to "what are we doing as a collective-united team?" Prof. Nanda shared his experience on how Hindu society and HSS US have responded to the needs of Bhutanese Hindu refugees in their resettlement in the US and work done by Sewa International, VHP and other organizations. In his eloquent speech Prof. Nanda elaborated the need to encourage our next generation boys and girls to ventures into areas

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How come great Hindu scriptures such as Ramayana, Mahabharata etc are not a part of the education system in the US? How can the great Hindu values that we cherish do not have a first rank place in the systems and in society?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; sues relating to the current phase through which Hindus in America are going through and pitched for working together selflessly by keeping our egos aside in a synergistic way. Appreciating the contribution of Hindu thoughts and views in social-economic-political strata globally, he observed that Hindu ethos can bring about peace in the world. He challenged the audience to work unitedly so that "we collec-

such as education, social sciences, journalism, political sciences and highly praised their accomplishments in the fields of research, medicine, engineering, information technology. Some of his thought provoking remarks were: How come great Hindu scriptures such as Ramayana, Mahabharata etc are not a part of the education system in the US? How can the great Hindu values that we cherish do

Prof Nanda addressing HSS Karyakartas

not have a first rank place in the systems and in society. Hindus were the first ones who thought of ecology and environmental issues. How come they are not talked in the mainstream society? Hindu's respect to all beliefs, faiths, great tolerance it has shown for several thousands of years, is not talked, promoted in the society? He quoted the remarks made by H.H. Dalai Lama when Prof. Nanda met him at his place in Dharamshala-India, that India is my Guru. India is a punyabhoomi, values that India/Hindus have given to the world are priceless; they are for entire humanity. Prof. Ved Nanda also shared his association with Chicago dating back in early 1960s. He also shared his ex-

Members of audience praying before the start of the session

perience in Denver University where young Indians are coming forward to offer volunteer services via Sewa International. He also shared his experiences of rising Hindu awareness on a worldwide basis. Prof. Nanda answered questions that came from the audience and appreciated the passion, and concerns the questions were based upon. Very humbly he thanked the attendees for coming to the meeting. He then introduced HSS karyakartas of Chicagoland to the attendees and requested for support to them. Professor Ved P. Nanda is the Vice Provost at the University of Denver and holds two named professorships at the University John Evans University Professor

and Thompson G. Marsh Professor of Law. He also serves as Director of the International Legal Studies Program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He has been a distinguished visiting professor and scholar at a number of universities in the United States and abroad. Past President of the World Jurist Association, he currently serves as Honorary President of the World Jurist Association and Honorary Vice-President of the International Law Association American Branch. Among numerous national and international awards, in September 2005, Professor Nanda was awarded the Highest Order of Justice in Shanghai, China, by the World Jurist Association.

Indian youth for Haiti raise funds for victims CHAYA GOPALAN

Youth members with a check that was presented to Arthur Hailand of American Red Cross Society

ST LOUIS: Earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath has moved the young minds of the St Louis Hindu Temple Youth Group who expressed their interest in raising funds for Haiti. The concerned temple committee not only unanimously agreed but also extended great support. In addition, the temple's executive board pro-

vided kitchen space, storage, and manpower. The Gandhi Center offered to host the event on short notice besides donating generously. Lots of individual donors, and grocery stores such as Seema Enterprises, Global Foods, and India Bazaar, and restaurants such as House of India, Flavor of India and Mayuri, came forward with a variety of things

to show their support. Mr. and Mrs. Odilon Queiroz from Anheuser Busch donated many wonderful items for the fundraising efforts. Ashoka, the Indian group from Washington University and students of St. Louis College of Pharmacy took care of the part of a cultural program. The guests and donors also enjoyed a comedy show by

St. Louis youth that collectively staged Haiti help efforts

Indian comedian Paul Varghese. The fundraising efforts had a further morale boost by Arthur Hailand who shared the mission of the American Red Cross in rebuilding Haiti and Professor Jean-Germain Gross, from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, a native of Haiti who addressed the guests to give a personal narrative.

The youth members instrumental in this effort were Rishub Keelara, Ravi Kasinadhuni, Kunal Mathur, Aashish Chalasani, and Harsha Swamy. Other members and parents joined in. With a generous effort from the Indian community, they were able to raise $15,112.90 to American Red Cross to help rebuild Haiti.

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Sikh files discrimination lawsuit against Lexus India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: A Sikh has filed a discrimination lawsuit after being told to remove his religiously-mandated beard if he wanted a job. The applicant, Gurpreet Singh Kherha, filed his lawsuit in New Jersey against TriCounty Lexus where he wanted to work as a sales representative. In 2008, Gurpreet was recruited for a sales position at Tri-County Lexus in Little Falls, New Jersey. After completing two days of training at Lexus, Gurpreet participated in a final group interview with a Tri-County Lexus manager. After the interview ended, a recruiter approached Gurpreet to ask if his beard is a religious requirement. Gurpreet explained that he is a practicing Sikh who does not cut his hair, including his facial hair. The recruiter

then asked Gurpreet if he would be willing to remove his beard in order to obtain a job as a Tri-County Lexus sales representative. Gurpreet replied that he would not. The recruiter then informed Gurpreet that

Gurpreet explained that he is a practicing Sikh who does not cut his hair, including his facial hair. The recruiter then asked Gurpreet if he would be willing to remove his beard in order to obtain a job as a Tri-County Lexus sales representative he had not been selected for a sales position at Tri-County Lexus. The recruiter told Gurpreet that TriCounty Lexus' manager stated he was "exactly what they were looking for"; "well-

NRI-SAHI calls for changes to Communal Violence Bill in India India Post News Service

NEW YORK: New York-based organization Non Resident Indians for Secular & Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI), while suggested several changes to be made in the proposed Communal Violence Bill in India, to the Government of India, has urged that communal violence be regarded as premeditated violence. In a letter sent to India's home minister P. Chidambaram and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the organization has listed eleven points of suggested changes to the proposed bill the foremost being that communal violence be treated as premeditated violence. Other suggested changes include: • Because of its premeditated nature it should be defined separately from violence in the Indian Penal Code for sexual violence, rape, gender based violence, genocide, crime against humanity, speeches which directly lead to violence, and for distributing literature that leads to communal violence. • The definition of communal violence should include both verbal and physical violence. • An area should be declared "Communally disturbed area" when the government intelligent agencies note signs that communal violence will take place, rather than wait for actual violence to take place. • The Center should take lead in declaring an area as "Communally disturbed area". • A Central court system should be set up to for trying cases arising out of communal violence. • The witness protection program should be strengthened to prevent intimidation or monetary corruption of witnesses. • An independent body with powers to prosecute be set up to

qualified" and "well-educated" but that the company has a corporate policy prohibiting salespersons from maintaining facial hair. The recruiter also stated that TriCounty's manager had contacted the cor-

prosecute public servants who are held liable for their acts of omission and commission. • The "Central Communal Disturbance Relief and Rehabilitation Council" should have power over to over ride "State Communal Disturbance Relief and Rehabilitation Councils" in case the latter do not help victims of communal riots as happened in Gujarat. • Compensation for victims of communal violence should be a separate item. It should not be comingled with monetary punishment given to perpetrators of com-

‘Because of its premeditated nature it should be defined separately from violence in the Indian Penal Code for sexual violence, rape, gender based violence, genocide, crime against humanity, speeches which directly lead to violence’ munal violence. NRI-SAHI says communal violence is a social and political evil that brings shame to India and it affects the country's progress. "India is an emerging super power. Law and order must be strengthened to achieve its full potential of human and physical resources. We applaud the UPA Government for making prevention of Communal Violence Bill a priority, because we believe, prevention is the best cure for communal violence," the organization says.

porate headquarters to request an accommodation for Gurpreet's religious practices, but had been rejected. The Sikh Coalition has represented Gurpreet since April 2008. The Coalition en-

gaged attorney Ravinder Singh Bhalla, an experienced New Jersey litigator, to work jointly on the case. Since then, the legal team has: • Been in direct contact with attorneys for Tri-County Lexus, which denies any wrong-doing. • Filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The legal team has met with the EEOC and is cooperating with the agency's ongoing investigation of the case. "Tri-County Lexus forced a Sikh to choose between his religion and employment," said Ravinder S. Bhalla. "Now they will have to answer for their discrimination in court." The Coalition is zealously advocating for Mr. Kherha, and is pursuing both state and federal employment discrimination claims against Tri-County Lexus.

Scintillating dance performance by Deeva Troupe SURESH BODIWALA

Fusion dance performance by Deeva Dance Troupe of Northwestern University

CHICAGO: Music is the food of the soul and dancing is the child of music and love. True to this adage was scintillating dance performance by national recognized dance troupe from North Western University Deeva Dance Troupe held a scintillating dance performance at the Petty Auditorium of Skokie Public Library in Skokie, a Chicago suburb on February 26 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. The collaborating partner to this performance was "Coming Together in Skokie", Performance by twinkle toes of the college to synchronize with the festive season celebration was attended by over 100 community members. The dance was

the fusion of western and classical Indian dance. The Deeva dance group has displayed colors of India and style of Western society. Deeva Dance Troupe blends the best of Indian classical, film, and folk dance styles with jazz, modern, and hip-hop. Representing diverse regions of South Asia, each dancer brings a unique background, finesse, and attitude to the table as they fuse their styles. The performance was well appreciated. The Deevas are a group of independent, talented women, who are, in the best sense of the word, Divas. The troupe performs dances that draw upon a number of musical styles to create its own

modern twists and strives to be diverse in styles. Their mission is to incorporate different styles of dancing and to express Indian culture and to make different cultures create a kind of dialogue in the community. In addition to performing in Philadelphia, Houston, New York and throughout Illinois, the Deeva Dance Troupe earned first place at both the 2005 S.A.S.A National Competition in Los Angeles and the Fusion 2006 dance competition in Chicago. While dancing in a variety of performances on campus, the group has a very strong relationship with campus dance groups such as Graffiti Dancers and Fusion.

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Ghimre Curry House wins award KRISHNA RAJ

CHICAGO: Bala Ghimre, a young Indian Nepalese owner of Curry House restaurant, has been named as the 2009 Local Winner in restaurant category. Local.com is a next generation local-search engine providing over 22 million business listings. Owned and managed by Ghimre brothers - Bala and Bhoj with a great help from front ranking Indian chef Jeevan Ram, the Curry House award has given all the three one more feather in their cap. Earlier, the same facility in Chicago Downtown had drawn favorable reviews and mentions from Time Out and Crain. It was a shrewd move on the part of Bala to come to Chicago after picking up an Italian restaurant in Highwood and turning it into a fine Indian Nepalese cuisine place. With huge experience in fine

Indian Nepalese cuisine under his belt working at top notch Indian restaurants and his own Curry, Baal had no doubt about success in his field and the events so far have justified his confidence. But

With huge experience in fine Indian Nepalese cuisine under his belt working at top notch Indian restaurants and his own Curry, Baal had no doubt about success in his field and the events so far have justified his confidence. But he gives equal credit to his brother Bhoj and Chef Jeevan Ram he gives equal credit to his brother Bhoj and Chef Jeevan Ram. Curry House's extensive menu focuses on simple, natural, low-fat fare like chicken curry and tandoor mixed vegetables, with fresh broccoli, bell peppers, onions, cauli-

Third special Yoga camp focus on youth ASHWIN PATEL India Post News Service

ST. LOUIS : A two-day Free Yoga Camp is being organized on March 20 and 21 at Mahatma Gandhi Center (Hindu Temple) in Ballwin, St Louis, MO. With the support of Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis, the camp will focus on youth. Prior to that, two Yoga camps were organized in the past and hundreds of people have attended and benefited. This camp will focus on youth related problems like drugs, alcohol, psychological, obesity, eyes and growth. Now a days, young ones are going through so much pressure that sometimes they crumble under pressure and move towards bad habits like drugs and alcohol. By practicing Yoga, the youth can strengthen their mind and attain a

positive attitude towards life. Another major problem of today’s young generation is obesity. Breathing exercise works great in such problems and curbs the problem better than any other exercise. Digestion, which is the main reason of obesity, improves. Swami Ramdev is the first, in the world health history, to use freely available Pran (Oxygen) as a medicine and in turn helped in treating millions of grief stricken persons suffering from lethal diseases. Sunil and Pooja Sharma are doing this community service free of charge for over two years. Lots of people have benefited from their camps. Their aim is to spread this knowledge to as many people as possible. These Yoga sessions are free and participants will be taken on first come first served basis.

India at international home and houseware show MOHAMMAD GHOUSE

CHICAGO: The Handloom Export Promotion Council of India (HEPC) is for the first time participating in the International Home and Houseware Show to be held in Chicago at the McCormick Place from March 14 to 16. The official delegation comprises Sohan Kumar Jha, Additional Development Commissioner (Handlooms) of India and M.Nagarajan, Business Promotion Officer of the Handloom Export Promotion Council.

flower, tomatoes, potatoes and paneer marinated in mixed spices and roasted in a clay oven. Other dishes include goat meat cooked with herbs and spices and vegetable kofta, mixed vegetable

Seven Indian companies from different cities of India, like Agra, Panipat, Chennai, Noida, Karur who are recognized exporters of various handlooms and textile products are participating in the exhibition and will be displaying their products. All exhibiting companies will be represented on site by owners/ senior management of the company. Cont’d on page 17

cheese dumplings served in a cream sauce. Vegetarians will find plenty to nosh on - the menu features more than 15 meatless entrees. Bala said "this is not just another Indian restaurant; our recipes are simple, natural, low fat, and

Bala Ghimre with Local.com winner certificate

authentic. Prepared from the freshest chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetables. There is always something exciting and delicious for

vegetarian and non-vegetarian patrons. Besides, service to our patrons is accorded top most priority."

Memorial service for prominent Indian jeweler

India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Family and friends of Scaria Chennikkara, a front ranking jeweler in Chicagoland who died a year ago from pancreatic cancer, gathered in numbers for the Memorial Service at the Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Hillside, at 10.30 am, February 20 and thereafter at the Memorial Mass at the Mar Thoma Sleeha Syro Malabar Cathedral, Bellwood, at 11 am, followed by a luncheon at Parish Alphonsa Hall.

The main celebrant was Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath of St Thomas diocese Chicago along with Fr Vinod Madathiprambil Procurator of St Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago. A 59-year-old jeweler and a successful entrepreneur hailing from Changanacherry, Kerala-India, Scaria had earned name and fame for his family owned business Chennikkara Jewelers thru dint of hard work and honesty. From dealing in gold jewelry and bars, he slowly built up reputation also as

a reliable supplier of diamond and precious stone jewelry. His amiable behavior and smiling face is what his customers and friends miss even today. His wife Thresiamma Chennikkara now runs the family businesses. In a talk to this paper she said, "I take care of the family business to fulfill his mission. Though he is not physically here, we do feel his spiritual presence guiding us and helping us in the present tough economic period also."

Expanding Desi Junction looking for interns JODH SINGH RAWAT

CHICAGO: After serving the community for nine years in the field of entertainment on air, Desi Junction, a premier South Asian radio Channel "your connection back home", as they call it, is set to go for expansion. Mainly entertainment, this is a radio talk show in South Asian

languages like Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati etc. and is aired every Sunday from noon till 4 pm with a volume of over 80k listeners in different sections of the South Asian population. Talking about history, geography and culture of the sub-continent, a lot is about the past and present of

Bollywood. To put this show on a larger canvas Desi junction has now announced openings for interns and dedicated volunteers. Interns at Desi Junction will get the opportunity to work on real projects that deliver tangible benefits and measurable results. Cont’d on page 17

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March 12, 2010

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Gauri Jog to present Shakuntala dance drama sage any hospitality. The infuriated sage cursed her saying: "He whose thoughts have engrossed you would not remember you anymore." On the plea of her playmates, the angry sage relented but added a condi-

KRISHNA RAJ India Post News Service

CHICAGO: After staging five successful Indian Ballet programs in the past such as Queen of Jhansi (2005), Fire - the Fiery Tale (2007) and East Meets West (2008) among others, Indian Dance School is now all set to bring its latest creation, "Shakuntala" on Friday, March 19, at 7.30 pm at Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, a north side suburb of Chicago. The dance drama will feature more than 100 dancers and it will present a combination of Indian Classical dance, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Bollywood and Jazz styles. Shakuntala is a name that sparks an aura of indefinable beauty and innocence of young love. Shakuntala was the daughter of celestial Apsara Menaka and sage Vishwamitra and was abandoned by her parents' right after she was born. The baby was found by sage Kanva who gave her refuge in his ashram and raised her like his own daughter. Shakuntala grew up to be a breathtaking beauty. In a chance encounter

The dance drama will feature more than 100 dancers and it will present a combination of Indian Classical dance, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Bollywood and Jazz styles

Shakuntala seen marrying King Dushyant in Gandharva form of marriage

she met King Dushyant and they got married in Gandharva form in vogue at that time. King Dushyanta returned to the capital with a promise to send his envoy to escort her up to him and Shakuntala started count-

Ramayana exhibition at New York Museum PINKY KAUR

NEW YORK: Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) of New York has announced holding "Scenes from the Ramayana" exhibition from March 31 to September 27. It will include selection of Indian paintings and sculptures about Rama and a newly acquired spectacular painted cotton textile depicting a scene from the epic. MMA's collections include Hindu bronzes from the Chola period (ninth to 13th century); Kashmiri and Pala period sculptures (sixth to 13th century); Indian court paintings from the 16th through the 19th century; Nepalese religious imagery from the eighth through the 19th century; and sculptures of standing Parvati, seated Ganesha, Krishna on Garuda, Goddess Durga killing Buffalo Demon; etc. It has over 35,000 objects of Asian art, from the second millennium BCE to the early 20th century, which include paintings, prints, calligraphy, sculptures, metalwork, ceramics, lacquers, works of decorative art, and textiles. Indians across the USA welcomed the holding of this exhibition in New York and Rajan Zed, a prominent Hindu community activist from Nevada, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged other major art museums of the world, including Musee du

Louvre and Musee d'Orsay of Paris, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize similar art focused exhibitions. Collections of MMA, one of the world's largest and finest art

Indians across the USA welcomed the holding of this exhibition in New York and Rajan Zed, a prominent Hindu community activist from Nevada, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature museums founded in 1870, include over two million works of art spanning five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe. Nearly five million people visit the Museum located in Central Park each year. James R. Houghton is Chairman of Board of Trustees; Thomas P. Campbell is Director; while Emily K. Rafferty is President.

ing days for reunion with the King. One day sage Durvasa came to Shakuntala's hut and sought the hospitality of the Ashram. Shakuntala engrossed in thoughts of Dushyant failed to hear his call or offer the

tion to his statement saying: "He would only recall you upon your producing some significant souvenir." Days pass by, and Sage Kanva on his own decided to send her to the royal as she was pregnant with Dushyant's heir. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 14

Community Across America

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Durga Puja at Bharat Sevashram Shangha

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Rajan Zed named on Foundation for Inter-religious Diplomacy PINKY KAUR

KRISHNA RAJ

Entertainment program by children at Bharat Sevashram Sangh in Aurora celebrating Basant Panchami

CHICAGO: Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS), a no profit socio-religious organization in Aurora, a Chicago suburb, has slated a grand celebration of Basanti Durga Puja (Chaitra Navaratri) on Sunday, March 21. Arathi will be between 6pm-8pm and it will be followed by dinner at the Ashram. Earlier, the Sangha had conducted Saraswati puja on January 24. Hundreds of devotees attended the puja and then enjoyed a Children's cultural program. Saraswati puja is performed on the fifth day of Magh month

March 12, 2010

of Hindu calendar known as Basant Panchami. Saraswati , the Goddess of knowledge, music and art, is believed to represents intelligence, consciousness, cosmic knowledge, creativity, education, enlightenment, music, arts, and power. BSS is dedicated to build our children's character. Through Sunday classes, it teaches children human values such as love, compassion, honesty and discipline. It has opened a children's library. All books are brought from India.

NEW YORK: Religious statesman Rajan Zed has been nominated as Senior Fellow of "Foundation for Inter-religious Diplomacy", who will also act as Religious Advisor on Hindu issues to the Foundation. Headquartered in New York (USA) and launched in 2000, this Foundation is developing a worldwide diplomatic network among diverse religious groups in order to build trustworthy relations that improve chances for peace. The Foundation seeks ways for religious groups to collaborate in joint humanitarian service. Dr. C. Randall Paul, President of the Foundation, speaking of this appointment, said that Zed would be an exceptional trustbuilder within and outside the worldwide Hindu community. Paul noted Zed's remarkable work in grassroots interfaith dialogue, as well as his international advocacy of religious rights. Rajan Zed has taken up Hindu, interfaith, environmental, Roma and other causes in diverse places. He was invited by the president of European Parliament to promote interfaith dialogue and discuss Hindu issues. He read the groundbreaking first Hindu opening prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC. He is one of the panelists for "On Faith", a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced jointly by Newsweek and WashingtonPost.com. He has been bestowed with the "World Interfaith Leader

Rajan Zed

Rajan Zed has taken up Hindu, interfaith, environmental, Roma and other causes in diverse places. He was invited by the president of European Parliament to promote interfaith dialogue and discuss Hindu issues Award". He is president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, Director of Interfaith Relations of Nevada Clergy Association, and Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families.

Gauri Jog to present Shakuntala dance drama Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 13

On her way to the court, Shakuntala's signet ring accidentally dropped into a river and a big fish swallows it. Dushyant under the spell of Durvasa curse, failed to acknowledge her as his wife. The loss of the signet ring earlier meant that Shakuntala had no proof at all of her meeting and marriage with Dushyanta. Disappointed, she left the court to a far away land where she gave birth to a son and commenced living like a hermit. In the mean time, a fisherman had accidentally caught the fish that had swallowed the signet ring. On cutting the fish, he found the ring and took it to a jeweler who recognized the royal signet ring and produced it before the King. On seeing it, Dushyanta came out of the spell and remembered all about Shakuntala. Overcome with guilt, Dushyanta makes Herculean but unsuccessful efforts to find her. While on a hunting expedition some years later, he came across this little kid in the jungle, who was fearlessly playing with lion cubs and other animals. Searching for the child's parents he got informed that it was his and Shakuntala's son, later known as King Bharat. Shakuntala forgave him and they returned to the palace. Shakuntala is one of the most passionate love stories ever written and Gauri Jog, a dancer, choreographer who is run-

ning an Indian dance school since 1999 in Chicago area, announced presenting this evergreen story on the stage with her group of artists coming March. The Gauri Jog run Indian Dance School has performed more than 100 shows since

While on a hunting expedition some years later, he came across this little kid in the jungle, who was fearlessly playing with lion cubs and other animals. Searching for the child's parents he got informed that it was his and Shakuntala's son, later known as King Bharat. Shakuntala forgave him and they returned to the palace its inception. Her shows are characterized by professionalism, creative content, storyline and fusion with numerous other styles such as Jazz, Ballet, Mexican, Flamenco and Bharatnatyam.

Community/California

March 12, 2010

India Post 15

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Cal News Fun-filled Festival of Colors at Sunnyvale Temple JAYA GAUTAM

Holi fun & frolic at Fremont Hindu Temple

India Post News Service

SUNNYVALE: Thousands of Indians braved the gloomy weather forecast of rain to celebrate Holi at the Sunnyvale Temple, California on Saturday, February 27. The weather co-operated with the revelers, staying clear and slightly cool. The Festival of Colors, Holi, is held to celebrate the arrival of Spring on the last day of the last month of the Hindu calendar, Phalgun. It also celebrates the victory of good over evil with the Holika Dahan, the lighting of the Holika fire, which was held on Friday, February 26 at Sunnyvale temple.

India Post News Service

Details on page 16

300 at Silicon Valley Engineers' Week Banquet India Post News Service

SAN JOSE: On February 18, at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, the Silicon Valley Engineering Council (SVEC) and sponsors presented the 2010 Silicon Valley Engineers Week Banquet. This once a year premier event of Silicon Valley engineers started with Opening Remarks by SVEC's first IndoAmerican President, Dhaval Brahmbhatt, followed by Program Co-Chairs. Steve Sherman and Greg Thiebaut's remarks on significance of large infrastructure projects as being promoted by the US Administration. Details on page 17

CG impressed with visit to New Mexico India Post News Service

NEW MEXICO: On February 24 and 25, Mrs. Susmita Gongulee Thomas, who is the Consul General of India, San Francisco office, visited the state of New Mexico. The Consul for Community Affairs, Mr. Ashok Kumar Sinha accompanied her on the trip. During her visit Mrs. Thomas met with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson along with Satpal Singh and Pawan Singh. For several years, Governor Richardson has supported the New Mexico NRI (Non-Resident Indian) community in building relations between New Mexico. Details on page 18

FREMONT: More than 1500 people across the Bay area celebrated the festival of fun and frolic, covering themselves from head-to-toe in bright colors in celebration of Holi at Fremont Hindu Temple. All present, ranging from new borns to seniors, were covered with a rainbow of colors as the Fremont Hindu Temple welcomed spring with its annual Holi festival. Free colors were provided to all. The Holi Mela celebration was started with a performance by kids dancing to latest Bollywood dance numbers. Temple Cultural Chair Vijaya Aasuri put together a great show for kids. Poonam Gupta choreographed several of the cultural dance performances. This was followed by much awaited distribution of free colors and soon the air above the ground was filled with clouds of purple, yellow and green. It was accompanied by shrieks of delight from adults and children alike as revelers tossed color powder on each other. Bhajans and Kirtans and Pooja continued in main temple. On Saturday more than 700 people attended the Holi Dahan and Havan

Pooja. Later, songs like Rang Barse Bheege Chunar Wali and other evergreen Holi numbers filled the air along with Bollywood dance numbers. In the midst of music and masti, participants smeared each

pichkaris, filling them up with colored water and drenching young and old. People were hugging each other and seniors were blessing young ones and it was a heart warming and a colorful sight. Dr Romesh Japra, Co-Chair of

Bay area at Fremont Hindu Temple. It is a way of bringing people together to enjoy culture, colour and of course food. This is way of sharing our culture with our kids." Ash Kalra ,Council Member

Kids, seniors, youth all danced in joy for several hours together to latest Bollywood and Holi songs. The song 'All Izzz Well' from movie '3 Idiots' was a super hit with kids who kept dancing with fun and enthusiasm other with handfuls of color. Kids, seniors, youth all danced in joy for several hours together to latest Bollywood and Holi songs. The song 'All Izzz Well' from movie '3 Idiots' was a super hit with kids who kept dancing with fun and enthusiasm. The children had a great time playing with water guns and

Fremont Hindu Temple, addressed the celebration and wished Happy Holi to all. Dr Japra said, " Fremont Hindu Temple is a spiritual plcae and center of Indian culture. All major events including Holi, Diwali, Shivratri, Ram Navmi, Ganesh Chatruthi and many more are celebrated by families and community from all over

San Jose, welcomed the crowd and wished them Happy Holi. Ash said Fremont Hindu Temple is a great center for Indian culture and celebration of India's events. Later Ash enjoyed the event and danced with Joy on tunes of popular songs "All Izzz is well" and many more. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 20

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March 12, 2010

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Fun-filled Festival of Colors at Sunnyvale Temple JAYA GAUTAM India Post News Service

Applying 'gulal'

evil with the Holika Dahan, the lighting of the Holika fire, which was held on Friday, February 26 at Sunnyvale temple. Throngs of people dressed in white, the better to show off the colorful end results of playing with gulal (dry colored powder), danced to the insistent beats of Bollywood music and Bhangra. Family groups along with college going students and senior citizens all enthusiastically danced for 2-3 hours, sharing colors with friends and strangers. As part of their community outreach program, the Census 2010 team was also out in force providing a visible reminder of the upcoming 2010 Census. The Census which is held every 10 years is trying to ensure that ev-

Raj Bhanot (center) with Temple volunteers

On the stage

ery person in every community responds to the Census, according to Vinay Khanna of the team. The lunch program, where supposedly over 5000 people were

served, was followed by a cultural program where little and not so little children got to showcase their talent on stage. Raj Bhanot, Sunnyvale Temple

Holi 'family' style

Treasurer said, "We are very happy with the Holi celebration which was a great success due to the hard work by the Temple volunteers". As people trickled slowly home, the last people left were the ones

hosing down the multicolored Holi playing area- red, blue, purple, green, yellow streams of gulal and water snaking down into drains, symbolizing the end of Holi till it comes back again next year.

Expanding Desi Junction looking for interns Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 13

All 'laal peela' with Holi colors

Interns will also have the opportunity to learn about several aspects of radio and event management business and get hands-on experience in the entertainment world. Interns will work with the pro-

gram director to host live radio shows, research interesting topics, record advertisements, interview Bollywood stars and successful NRIs and cover events from remote locations. Desi Junction's experienced RJs will provide on the job training.

India at international home and houseware show Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 13

The Indian business establishments and other businesses dealing with the above products will have an excellent opportunity to not only directly interact with the handloom and handicraft exporters from India but also see for themselves the products on display brought from India, during the exhibition. The participating companies are: Sethman Exports: Cotton Handoven Table linen & kitchen linen Kalp Sourcing: Handloom rugs, Durries, Cushion and other home furnishing items

Rithika exports: Table linen and kitchen linen Nandini fabrics: Kitchen ware, Cushion covers, Table runner Diamond exports: Bath Mats, Cushions, Curtains Home World: Home furnishing & handicrafts Handloom Export Promotion Council: Home furnishings Ronan Arshad: Handicraft items Interested businesses who wants to interact with the exporters may also contact the Commercial Wing of the Consulate General of India, Chicago for fixing up of business meetings at e-mail cci@indianconsulate.com

March 12, 2010

Community/California

India Post 17

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300 at Silicon Valley Engineers' Week Banquet India Post News Service

SVEC President Dhaval Brahmbhatt (2nd left), SVEC Hall of Fame Committee Chair Stan Myers (3rd left) and others

(Sunnyvale) were called upon stage by Brahmbhatt to address the gathering and present proclamations from their cities. Brahmbhatt also recognized US

tion of SVEC Journal. The event emcee was John Crump. SVEC honored Dr. Alan M. Title and Richard J. Elkus, Jr. by inducting both into the SVEC Hall of

Dr. Emily Allen of San Jose State University spoke about project "Lead the Way" that encourages students to go for engineering SVEC President Dhaval Brahmbhatt (3rd left) and Hall of Fame Inductee Alan Title (3rd right) with others.

Wang (Cupertino), Mayor Mark Green (Union City), Council Member Anu Natarajan (Fremont) and Council Member David Whittum

Congressman Mike Honda who sent a resolution in support of the event and Dr. Amip Shah of HP Labs for editing the second edi-

education Fame, each introduced by Stan Myers, Chairman of SVEC Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Dr. Title is the inventor of variation

Hall of Fame Inductee Richard Elkus with SVEC President Dhaval Brahmbhatt

on the Michelson interferometer and Director/Senior Fellow of Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Elkus headed the team that introduced VCR to the world, is the author of "Winner Take All: How Competitiveness Shapes the Fate of Nations" and former Director of KLA-Tencor and LAM Research. Keynote speeches were delivered by distinguished speakers from the California High Speed Rail project. Robert Doty, Peninsula Rail Program Director, and Timothy Cobb (Vice-President, HNTB) San Francisco to San Jose Segment Project Manager, explained how the project will affect commuters in Silicon Valley. Another Speaker Dr. Emily Allen of San Jose State University spoke about project "Lead the Way" that encourages students to go for engineering education. SVEC Scholarship Chair Laura Fechete announced seven scholarship awards of $1,000 each to

promising high-school and college students in mathematics, science and engineering. Event sponsors included BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, SEMI, Loral Space Systems, HP Labs, IEEE, CPMT, Lam Research, HNTB, etc. Nearly 300 engineers and students from the sponsor companies and local organizations including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers, San Jose State University, University of Merced, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, American Society of Civil Engineers and many others were in attendance. Engineers Week, founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), is a global professional outreach effort.

CAIR applauds Karan Johar for portrayal of Muslims India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA: The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) have sent a letter to Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula and thanked them for recognizing Muslims' contributions to American society in the newly released film, "My N am e is Khan." The film shows a central Muslim character, played by actor Shah Rukh Khan, who preaches the values of kindness, generosity and challenging injustice. According to Dharma Productions website, the film has made over 150 crore worldwide. In the letter, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush stated in part: "The film offers a poignant view of the struggles and ambi-

become commonplace in the past several years." CAIR-LA also sent a letter to Director Karan Johar, congratulating him on his initiative to humanize American Muslims and their often-maligned faith, Islam. "We appreciate Mr. Johar's tenacity and determination in conveying the many significant contributions of American Muslims to a worldwide audience, and urge those who are against the values of peace and harmony to take a

Director Karan Johar visits CAIR- Los Angeles office to gain a better understanding of discrimination and harassment against American Muslims after 9/11.

tions of American Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Arab communities to fully integrate in America after the horrific 9/11 terror attacks. Incidents of harassment and discrimi-

nation, such as bullying at schools and hurling racial slurs at women for wearing the hijab (Islamic headscarf) -- depicted in the film - mirror trends that have almost

lesson from this film," said Munira Syeda, communications manager for Los Angeles office of CAIR. CAIR's offices in Los Angeles, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area consulted with Johar on the film. CAIR representatives shared actual anti-Muslim incidents of harassment and discrimination and their impact on Muslims' life during visits with Johar, and arranged tours of Muslim and Arab neighborhoods for the director.

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March 12, 2010

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Indian CG impressed with visit to New Mexico India Post News Service

L-R: Consul Ashok Sinha, Honorary Consul of New Mexico Pawan Singh Dhindsa, Speaker of the House Ben Ray Lujan, Consul General Susmita Thomas, Governor Bill Richardson, Kewal Singh Dhindsa, Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa

who has ever settled in the state. The son-in-law of the late Yogiji, Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa, who is an Ambassador for

Consul for the State of New Mexico for India, were the main organizers for the visit. They hosted her throughout her visit. Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Sinha attended a number of events held in their honor during their trip. Pawan Singh Dhindsa and Satpal Singh organized a reception for the NRI community of New Mexico at the India House Restaurant in Santa Fe. During the reception, Mrs. Thomas spoke to

L-R: Honorary Consul of New Mexico Pawan Singh Dhindsa, Consul General Susmita Thomas, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa

Fe Mayor David Coss came to the evening reception and spent time speaking with Mrs. Thomas. Daya Singh Khalsa, President of Akal Security addressed the gathering and highlighted the achievements of Sikh community in New Mexico. The Sikh Dharma International community hosted a VIP luncheon for Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Sinha at the estate of the late Siri Singh Sahib Yogiji in Espanola.

The Sikh Dharma International community hosted a VIP luncheon for Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Sinha at the estate of the late Siri Singh Sahib Yogiji in Espanola From left to right - Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa, Ambassador of Sikh Dharma, Mukta Kaur Khalsa, Secretary of Foreign Affairs; New Mexico Attorney General Gary King, MSS Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa, Chief of Protocol; Consul General Susmita Thomas; Consul Ashok Sinha; Bai Sahiba Dr. Bibiji Inderjit Kaur, wife of the late Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji

and New Mexico. The Governor also shared his personal stories of the late Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, arguably the most influential NRI

the Sikh community in the western hemisphere and Chairman of Guru Ram Das Sikh Mission of America (New Mexico), and Pawan Singh Dhindsa, who is Honorary

the community about the amazing strides India has made in its economy, and how India is now a leader in many industries, with much to offer the rest of the world. The Consul General spent time in a question and answer session with the community, helping to clarify visa requirements for India that had recently changed. Santa

Yogiji came to the West in the late 1960s, bringing the teachings of Kundalini Yoga as well as the lifestyle of Sikh Dharma with him. Over the years, through his inspiration, many Westerners adopted the Sikh path. The largest Western Sikh community is located in Espanola, New Mexico. The Consul General was highly impressed

with the Sikh community in New Mexico and wished them well as they continue Yogi Bhajan's legacy and the work started by him. Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Sinha were given a tour of the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das ashram and Gurdwara, as well as the offices for SikhNet by Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa. He also gave a tour of the ranch of Late Yogi Bhajan. Dignitaries from the state joined the luncheon, including: New Mexico Attorney General Gary King; New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Patricio M. Serna; Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza; Espanola Mayor Pro-Tem Alice Lucero; and Pablo Sedillo, representing US Senator Jeff Bingaman. In addition, the wife of the late Siri Singh Sahib, Bhai Sahiba Dr. Bibiji Inderjit Kaur was in attendance, along with other community leaders' community such as Sat Nirmal Kaur Khalsa, CEO of Akal Security. During his lifetime, the late Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji established a positive presence in New Mexico for the Sikh and NRI communities. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 20

OhloneCollege gets grant for deaf studies lab India Post News Service

FREMONT: A $200,000 grant from the East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) to Ohlone College will furnish and equip a newer, more fully developed Deaf Studies/ American Sign Language (ASL) Computer Laboratory at Ohlone College. Announced jointly by College President Dr. Gari Browning and EBCF President & Chief Executive Officer Nicole Taylor, the computer and language lab will serve deaf and hard-of-hearing students, ASL learners and ASL interpreters enrolled in Deaf Studies courses at Ohlone. "This donation provides a crucial opportunity for the ASL Language Lab to give our Deaf and ASL students intensive language interaction that contributes to academic language development and social

change," said Dr. Genie Gertz, Dean of the Deaf Studies Division at Ohlone. "In turn, this donation makes a significant contribution not only to the Deaf community, but also to the general cultural life of the society in which we all live." The gift came through the foundation, which received the money from the estate of Evelyn Henderson, a former teacher of deaf students. "We're pleased that Evelyn Henderson trusted us to fulfill her wish to assist the post-secondary education of deaf students with her estate," said Taylor. "Because of East Bay Community Foundation's knowledge of and familiarity with programs and organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, Ohlone College was promptly chosen as the recipient that could best utilize this grant to benefit the Deaf community."

It is anticipated that the facility will include 40 computer work stations and will serve more than 650 students who are enrolled in the Deaf Studies Division each year. The College hopes for the lab to begin serving students as early as fall 2010. The grant allows the College to move forward with its long -term plans to improve facilities for the Deaf Studies Division. Existing rooms will be modified into one large computer laboratory, complete with appropriate infrastructure and wiring to accommodate the technology and software to complete this project. Evelyn Henderson was a former employee at the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, before it moved to Fremont in 1980. The School for the Deaf offers instructional and support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students from early child-

hood through high school. It is a separate institution from the College's Deaf Studies program, but the two institutions partner on deaf-related educational issues. According to her former husband, Malcolm Henderson, Evelyn Henderson began working at the School for the Deaf in the late 1940s after graduating from University of California at Los Angeles. She discovered that she had a facility for learning and using ASL, he said. She worked with high-school-level students for a number of years at the School for the Deaf, at the Arizona School for the Deaf and in Los Angeles public schools before health problems limited her teaching activities. She was 80 when she died. Her estate, which she entrusted to the foundation, came from a family inheritance, Malcolm Henderson said.

March 12, 2010

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Freedom of speech is worth defending, even when rude HUSSAM AYLOUSH

Eleven students heckled the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren at different intervals at a University of California, Irvine (UCI) event on February 8 and set off a debate on what constitutes free speech and when it should be protected. The right to freely express oneself, particularly against government policies, is a cherished freedom protected by our Constitution. That's why we were not surprised when people protested at healthcare town halls, when a congressman interrupted the President's address to Congress, or when audience members disrupted a speech by John Yoo at UCI in 2005. While some may argue that the UCI students' tactics were loud and rude, our opinions on the politeness of such conduct are irrelevant. The students merely voiced their passionate discontent on a grave political and moral matter they deemed worthy of their activism. Israel has undertaken a massive public relations campaign to salvage its negative image over its violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, and Oren - as the Israeli government's representative - must have antici-

pated vocal audience opposition, the same way supporters of Apartheid-era South African government speaking at U.S. campuses did in the 1980s. Though their protest was delivered in a loud and shocking manner intended to express the gravity of Israel's immoral policies and actions, the students were non-violent, non-threatening, and peacefully left the public gathering as soon as they spoke. Some try to characterize this as a case of Oren's right to free speech. News reports and videos of the event clearly show that his talk was not wholly disrupted. The interrupting remarks amounted to no more than ten seconds by each student, barely two minutes total, versus Oren's allotted time of about an hour. Oren left the stage for some time, but then returned, and despite shout-outs from supporters and opponents, was able to continue and conclude his speech. Public speakers, including ourselves, know that speaking on highly charged topics invites opposing viewpoints. Our own public appearances over the last 15plus years have been interrupted by jeers, heckling, and protests.

And, although we don't enjoy being subjected to that, we know that the freedom exercised by

Over the years, there have been countless instances of protest activities during campus speeches, including at UCI, with no comparable disciplinary action taken that we know of. By disproportionately and selectively punishing one set of protestors and not others, the university has chosen to censure a particular set of political views - the legitimate criticism of Israel some who rudely interrupt us is the same that protects our right to publicly and freely speak our minds on important political mat-

ters. We are troubled to see that, for exercising their right to free speech, the 11 students at UCI were arrested by the police and now face the threat of disciplinary action, including possible expulsion, not only by the university, but also potential criminal charges by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. It is incomprehensible that an institution of higher learning that claims to engage in and promote the free exchange of ideas now seeks to punish its students for peacefully expressing political views, however unpopular, at a student-organized event. Over the years, there have been countless instances of protest activities during campus speeches, including at UCI, with no comparable disciplinary action taken that we know of. By disproportionately and selectively punishing one set of protestors and not others, including the counter-protestors at the same event who cursed, threatened and even assaulted students, the university has chosen to censure a particular set of political views - the legitimate criticism of Israel. Freedom of speech is a two-way

street, and it must not be restricted to what is popular, respectful, or appropriate speech, though such guidelines might be preferred by us and others. Oren has the right to speak, even if it is to justify Israel's occupation and brutal policies. Similarly, the students have the right to dissent, even discourteously. Both sides exercised that right. We urge the university to drop all charges and disciplinary actions against the 11 students and re-double efforts to reach out to all students, including Muslim and Jewish students. Not doing so will cause a chilling effect on First Amendment rights on college campuses and our society at large, and leave many students feeling excluded and unwelcome. According to latest information, the 11 students of Arab, Asian and South Asian descent, are undergoing university disciplinary proceedings. The Orange County District Attorney's office might consider pressing criminal charges. The writer is Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area, and James Lafferty, Executive Director of the National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles.

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March 12, 2010

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Senate joins in repealing anti-Sikh law India Post News Service

OFBJP REP AT INDORE MEET: Dr Sudhakar Reddy OFBJP NEC Advisor attended the BJP National Council Meeting in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Here he is seen with BJP president Nitin Gadkari

Holi fun & frolic at Fremont Hindu Temple

WASHINGTON: The Oregon Senate joined its House of Representatives in voting to strike down Oregon's ban on religious dress for public school teachers. In total, 73 legislators in Oregon received 9676 messages from just under 1400 community members using the Sikh Coalition's online "contact a legislator" system. In a statement, the Sikh Coalition said, "Though this is a major step forward for religious minorities in Oregon, more work needs to be done before a final victory can be declared. It listed the work to be done as: 1. Oregon Governor must act Oregon's Governor Ted Kulongoski must sign the bill (HB3686) into law before it to goes into effect. The Governor has not yet declared whether he will sign the law or not. 2. Oregon Adminstrators must develop guidelines Even if the bill is signed into law by Governor Kulongoski, its effective date is July 1, 2011. In the meantime, administrative officials, alongside stakeholder organizations, plan to create detailed rules and guidelines about religious rights for teachers. This rulemaking process must be monitored carefully to ensure that the intent of HB3686 is faithfully carried out.

3. Sikh teachers should pursue teaching jobs Although HB3686 contains an effective date of July 1, 2011, the Sikh Coalition has urged all aspiring Sikh teachers in Oregon

In total, 73 legislators in Oregon received 9676 messages from just under 1400 community members using the Sikh Coalition's online "contact a legislator" system. In a statement, the Sikh Coalition said, "Though this is a major step forward for religious minorities in Oregon, more work needs to be done before a final victory can be declared to pursue employment opportunities with the public schools of Oregon. With the community's support, the Coalition will continue to see this issue through over the coming year until Sikh teachers are working in Oregon classrooms, it said.

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle endorses Harry Sidhu India Post News Service

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 15

Dr Japra also honored the Sponsors of Preeti Bhoj. Also present were on the Occasion Management Committee Member, Manorma Joshi, Rajesh Verma, Ajay Bhutoria, Deepak Chabra, Veeru Vuppala, Leela Mathur and Lalit Mathur. Later in the afternoon Anu Natarjan ,Vice Mayor of Fremont, wished all a very happy Holi and played Holi with the community. In the evening Vijaya Aasuri conducted an Antakshri program. There were six teams participating. Leela Mathur charmed the au-

dience with her songs. Traditional Holi food including jalebi sweets was served followed by a delicious lunch -Preeti Bhoj. All enjoyed Kulfi, Kesar Pista Faluda and ice creams at the ice cream booth. Raichand Bhutoria, who lives in India and is on a visit to US, said "This is one of my best Holis.We wanted to capture this amazing Holi spirit here in Fremont Hindu Temple and were impressed by the warmth and the fact that Indians in Bay area celebrate Holi with such enthusiasm, traditions and joy even thousands of miles away from home."

ANAHEIM, CA: Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle has announced his enthusiastic endorsement support for Mayor Pro Tem and longtime Orange County businessman Harry Sidhu for the open 4th District Supervisor seat. Mayor Pringle joins several other prominent Orange County leaders in supporting Sidhu, including OC Board of Supervisors Chair Janet Nguyen and Vice Chair Bill Campbell, as well as Board of Equalization Member Michelle Steel. "I've worked with Harry Sidhu for the past five years on the City Council, and I have seen first-hand how his drive for excellence in government has benefited the taxpayers of Anaheim," said Mayor Pringle.

"Harry has worked to stretch taxpayer dollars by making government more efficient, and more effective. Just as important, Harry Sidhu has taken leadership in helping improve our local economy - including his efforts last year to establish a jobs fair and his work with the Chamber of Commerce to help improve interaction between small businesses and local government. He will serve all of Orange County well on the Board of Supervisors, and I am proud to support him." "I am honored to have the endorsement support of Mayor Pringle," stated Mayor Pro Tem Sidhu. "I have appreciated working with Mayor Pringle to continually make government more responsive and more accountable."

Indian CG impressed with visit to New Mexico Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 18

The good relations that these communities have with the New Mexico government are a direct result of the groundwork he set in place for over 30 years. A second reception was held for the Consul General at the Hotel Santa Fe. The New Mexico Secretary of State, Mary Herrera was in attendance. Through a program supported by the Governor, Secretary Herrera, along with other state officials, had visited India

last year with Pawan Singh to learn about the culture and business potential of the country. Mrs. Thomas and Secretary Herrera exchanged mutual appreciation for experiencing each other's culture and heritage. The Consul General spoke very openly about her positive experience of New Mexico, how different it was from other parts of the US, and how openhearted she found the people. She thanked Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa and Pawan Singh Dhindsa for arranging her visit to New

Mexico and for all the meetings with various city, state and federal officials. The Board of Directors for the Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Committee also met with Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Sinha during the reception. They exchanged gifts and talked about the cultural importance of the NRI community in the state. The President of the Board, Maurice Bonal, invited the Consul General to add an item on behalf of India to the time capsule being prepared by the 400th An-

niversary committee. Mrs. Thomas expressed her appreciation to the Board for including the New Mexico Indian community in their plans for the 400th Anniversary celebration. Mrs. Thomas presented a traditional ceremonial sword to both the Santa Fe Mayor David Coss and to Maurice Bonal in honor of the large Sikh community that has settled in New Mexico. Besides these receptions, the Consul General also had a chance to visit one-on-one with other New

Mexico dignitaries, including State Treasurer James B. Lewis, Deputy State Treasurer Mark Valdez, Speaker of the House Ben Luhan, Magistrate Judge George Anaya, Santa Fe District Attorney Spence Pacheco, and New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Petra Maes. In addition, the Consul General visited the home of Mr. Pawan Singh, had tea, and socialized with him and with his family. Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh hosted a dinner reception for the Consul General at a local New Mexican restaurant.

Horoscope

March 12, 2010

India Post

www.indiapost.com

ARIES Mar 21-Apr 20 You will spend more money on children. People in business will see more traffic and even few new clients. You may spend some money towards an upcoming trip also. Try to do more research before making final commitment. An old friend will pay visit on a short notice. Chances of making money in stocks recently purchased are very strong.

LEO Jul 23-Aug 22 You will need more than estimated for your ongoing projects. Results will get delayed too causing slight frustration in mind. You will be on move or on your feet most of the time. You will get the chance to apply something your learnt recently. Money will go on making small changes in and around the existing home.

SAGITTARIUS

March 12 to March 18

Nov 23-Dec 22 Things you had been waiting for eagerly will get delayed. You may have a meeting with boss and look for his help and support. Old friend will call and invite for dinner. You may also finalize a future short trip to a nice place with family. Some of you will be working on a great plan that can take you to another level in career.

Kabul attack not targeted at Indian facility: Holbrooke WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: US Special Envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke says he does not agree that the recent terror strike in Kabul specifically targeted Indians, a view that has taken India by surprise. Holbrooke also cautioned against jumping to conclusions notwithstanding the statement of even Afghan President Hamid Karzai soon after the February 26 terror strike on a Kabul hotel that it was an attack on Indians. "In regard to this attack, I don't accept the fact that this was an attack on an Indian facility like the (Indian) embassy. They were foreigners, non-Indian foreigners hurt. It was a soft target. Let's not jump to conclusions," Holbrooke told reporters in Washington responding to questions on the attack in which six Indians were among the 16 persons killed. A spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence service was also quoted as saying that his agency has evidence that Pakistanis, specifically Pakistan-based terror out-

fit Lashkar-e-Taiba, were involved in the attacks. The LeT has been blamed for the Mumbai terror attack in 2008. "I understand why everyone in Pakistan and everyone in India always focuses on the other. But please, let's not draw a conclusion for which there's no proof," Holbrooke said. Sources in New Delhi said the comments were surprising considering the fact that the Afghan government has clearly stated that attack was against Indians and carried out by LeT whose sworn agenda is to target Indian interests. The sources also wondered on what basis Holbrooke made the statement that has apparently upset India. Afghanistan's intelligence service has said that the attack was directed against Indians and gunmen had detailed knowledge, including names, of Indian guests at the two hotels -- Park Residency and Noor Guest House, which were targeted. -PTI

TAURUS Apr 21-May 20 You may purchase another luxury vehicle for persona use. Things will get more relaxing at work and you will regain confidence but will be more careful from now and on. Check you had been waiting for will finally arrive in mail. Keep an eye on nicotine or caffeine consumption. A child will need more attention and moral support.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sept 22 Isolation from some one too close can be hard to handle. It really looks good on the financial front. You will be just lucky in all money matters. Deal will go through and the benefits will be for long term. Some of you will be relocating to another nice place soon. It will be a better week for people connected with real estate.

CAPRICORN Dec 23-Jan 19 You will become very ambitious and try your hands in all directions. As a result you will have more than one proposal to consider and all of them will be good. You may visit a close relative also with family. Money wise it will be another favorable week and you may make money through a stocks transaction.

GEMINI May 21-Jun 20 Timely actions can take you closer to goals. Listen to other party first and then make up your mind as the offer is not bad at all. You may feel frustrated about a relationship not going so well lately, hang in there and try to sort issues as this one can become permanent later on. Things will be kind of on the edge in money matters.

LIBRA Sept 23-Oct 22 It is another favorable week for those looking for a change in career. Concentration of planets in sixth will help overcome difficulties and beat competition easily. Money wise things will continue to be very slow and people who promised may not pay on time. Avoid any argument with a colleague who has nothing else better to do.

AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18 Some kind of financial jackpot is not out of question. Your plans will be foolproof and partners will easily agree on your proposal. You may need minor medications to tackle some health issues. Your valuable advice will help a needy person. Spouse will need moral support and need to get out more often. Refund will also come.

CANCER Jun 21-Jul 22 Speculation will be profitable and the refund will also arrive and you will be slightly relieved to look at the bank balance. You will have better control on things at work. Knowledge acquired recently will come handy. You will be more careful with the people who did not keep their words in the past. Trip will take final shape.

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 22 You may adopt little unorthodox way or twist facts slightly to get the job done. Business will increase and so will be the expenses. You will be attending couple of very important business meetings this week. Expect something creative and good out of them. You may meet someone very interesting during the course of a trip.

PISCES Feb 19-Mar 20 Mistake committed in the past will haunt you now. People prone to litigations should not let their guards down even for a minute and maintain proper record. Money will trickle in and you will be exploring new avenues to supplement your income. A child may need extra rest and small doses of medicine.

Â&#x201E;

Realty Tidbits

Gujaratis shifting from Mumbai to Ahmedabad

Real Estate

he Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Shiv Sena's campaign against nonMarathis living in Mumbai is beginning to worry the Gujarati community in that metropolis. It is true that the campaign is directed mainly against North Indians in the city but it is sufficiently unpleasant to make many Gujarati Mumbaikars consider shifting to Gujarat for safety. Some Gujaratis from Mumbai have already purchased apartments in Ahmedabad and many others are on the lookout for properties that they can buy. Six Gujaratis from Mumbai, who happen to be cousins as well, recently struck a deal for seven apartments in a housing scheme in the South Bopal area of Ahmedabad. "We have booked seven apartments in South Bopal for our six families," said Nita Shah.

Â&#x201E; GTC plot sold for Rs 591 cr in Mumbai

n a city where open plots have all but disappeared, the last of the vast chunks of land are worth their weight in gold. In yet another big-ticket deal-considered to be the largest in over two years Mumbai-based company Sheth Developers is learnt to have bought the GTC (Golden Tobacco Company) property in Vile Parle for Rs 591 crore. The deal overshadows last month's agreement by the Wadhwa Group with Hindustan Composites Ltd (HCL) to buy an 18.18-acre Ghatkopar for Rs 571 crore. According to people familiar with the deal, the Vile Parle landspread over 57,000 square meters or approximately 14 acres-is located in a prime area next to Mithibai College and touching S V Road. On paper, the transaction is shown as a joint development between the builder and the Sanjay Dalmia-led GTC.

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Wadia sells Worli building for Rs 640 crore

new four-storey commercial building at Worli is being sold for Rs 640 crore, pitching it as one of the costliest in the country. The Nusli Wadia-led Wadia Group has finalized the mega deal with Axis Bank, which is planning to shift its headquarters to the building. The deal generated a lot of interest in Mumbai's property market and some sources in real estate circles had pegged the price at Rs 900 crore. But this was discounted by a senior representative of a leading financial institution who was said to be aware of the nittygritties of the transaction.

Online trading facilities ease NRI investments

or non-resident Indians, in particular, the online facility to trade in the Indian markets is a boon. With the markets currently on the lower side and more volatile than a few weeks back, there is the opportunity for the discreet NRI investor to pick on choice stocks to add to his portfolio. To assist him in doing this more easily and with greater control, we have an increasing number of brokerage houses adding new online trading facilities. In the past weeks, ICICIdirect and Geojit BNP Paribas, two leading retail stock brokers with a sizeable presence in the Gulf, have joined the fray. ICICIdirect launched its new online trading platform 'TradeRacer followed by Geojit BNP Paribas which launched its enhanced online trading platform 'FLIP' (Financial Investment Platform). The platform is available free of cost for its existing customers while brokerage charges remain the same at 0.3 percent for a delivery. FLIP is already available in stock exchanges of Saudi Arabia and Oman. Developed by Geojit Technologies (P) Ltd, a subsidiary of Geojit BNP Paribas, 'FLIP' provides features similar to ICICIdirect's TradeRacer like alerts, research reports, intra-day charts, technical analysis, third party news, customized interface and a mobile edition called FLIPMe. Both mobile integration options are available through low bandwidth GPRS-enabled mobile phones. Where FLIP scores is in its tieup with eight banks, whose customers can access the platform. ICICIdirect does not allow any customer other than its own ac-

count-holders (in ICICI Bank) to trade in its online trading platform. In both the platforms, investors can arbitrage which provide multiple watch-lists. ICICIdirect's 'TradeRacer' was initially available only to its sub-brokers. Now it is open to all customers after registration. FLIP integrates with the risk management system offering

adapter to connect to multiple markets to serve different client categories including institutions, retail investors, traders and HNIs. To mark 74 years of business, the Pune-based Bank of Maharashtra has introduced "Maha-e-trade"---online share trading facility in its platinum jubilee year. Maha-e-trade is devised

ICICIdirect's 'TradeRacer' was initially available only to its sub-brokers. Now it is open to all customers after registration. FLIP integrates with the risk management system offering financial instruments such as equities, derivatives (stock and currency), margin funding, mutual fund units and IPOs financial instruments such as equities, derivatives (stock and currency), margin funding, mutual fund units and IPOs. FLIP also provides online fund transfer through multiple bank payment gateways in addition to RTGS/NEFT. FLIP uses FIX

in association with three major trading houses viz., M/s Religare Securities Ltd., Munoth Capital Market Ltd., and Enam Securities Direct (P) Ltd., Maha-e-Trade is a three-in-one integrated account. Bank of Maharashtra helps customer to integrate his/her banking,

demat and trading accounts. Customer can trade in shares backed by funds and securities available in their bank / demat account. Trading has been made very easy even for beginners. Salient features of Maha-eTrade include delivery based trading, intra day square off, lien marking on funds/ securities, no transfer of funds, investment in shares traded on the NSE and BSE can be made without having to visit the share-broker, all other associated hurdles like tracking of settlement cycles, paying and receiving funds in savings account, paying and receiving shares in Demat accounts have been removed. The Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) general body too, in its meeting held in December last year decided to introduce an online trading platform. As more exchanges and brokerages take the online route, overseas Indians have a better chance of getting firmer control of their investments not just in stocks, but also in derivatives, commodities, currency and other traded instruments.

California puts 11 office buildings up for sale SACRAMENTO: In a bid to raise cash to shrink the budget deficit, California has put the "for sale" sign on 11 state office buildings, including the San Francisco Civic Center and the Ronald Reagan State Building in Los Angeles. Real estate firm CB Richard Ellis released a sales brochure titled the "Golden State Portfolio" as part of its marketing strategy to lure potential buyers. Combined, the buildings have more than 7 million square feet of office space. State officials are hoping to draw offers worth more than USD 2 billion. California and other state and local governments have been eyeing their high-rises, prisons and even capitol buildings to generate fast cash for fiscal relief. Arizona has invited investors to buy bonds

secured by landmark state government buildings, while Connecticut plans to bring in USD 60 million over the next two years from real estate sales. California's sale is the largest. CB Richard Ellis Vice Chairman

Kevin Shannon said the sale is a low-risk investment for potential buyers worldwide. Since the state is planning to lease the space back, it gives the new owners a steady stream of income. -AP

Â&#x201E; Health

Line

Mass. asks federal aid for hospitals treating poor

BOSTON: Gov. Deval Patrick is asking for more federal help for Massachusetts hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of those covered by the state-sponsored health plans Commonwealth Care and MassHealth. Under an existing agreement, federal matching funds for these programs are scheduled to phase down during the current fiscal year and the next one. Patrick is filing an amendment to the federal Medicaid waiver that would let the state claim matching funds on the full amount for both fiscal years. Cambridge Health Alliance the state's only public acute care hospital would receive $216 million. Another $115 million would go to six hospitals including Boston Medical Center, Brockton, Caritas Carney, Lawrence, Holyoke and Mercy hospitals. -AP

Â&#x201E; Hawaii ranks ninth in CDC funding HONOLULU: A new study has found Hawaii ranks ninth among the 50 states in the amount of federal funding received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says Hawaii received $34.6 million, or $26.78 per person, in fiscal 2009 to support state disease and injury prevention programs. It says federal funding that goes to states for public health varies significantly from state to state, from a low of $13.33 per person in Virginia to a high of $58.65 in Alaska. -AP

Â&#x201E; Optional insurance for lawmakers approved OKLAHOMA CITY: The Oklahoma House has passed legislation allowing lawmakers to opt out of the state employees group health and life insurance plans. House members voted 92-4 for the bill and sent it on to the Senate for consideration. The measure's author, Rep. Leslie Osborn of Tuttle, says the bill will free up taxpayer money. Any savings would be retained by the state. If 25 percent of state lawmakers opted out of the state's health insurance, the state could save around $500,000 a year. Osborn says that money would be better spent on education, public safety or other core services. -AP

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March 12, 2010

FDA panel back Bristol-Myers transplant drug SILVER SPRING, Md.: Federal health advisers say an organ transplant drug from BristolMyers Squibb Co. should be approved for patients receiving a new kidney. -AP

Parents say doctors hastened death for dying kids CHICAGO: It's a situation too agonizing to contemplate - a child dying and in pain. Now a small but provocative study suggests that doctors may be giving fatal morphine doses to a few children dying of cancer, to end their suffering at their parents' request. A handful of parents told researchers that they had asked doctors to hasten their children's deaths and that doctors complied, using high doses of the powerful painkiller. The lead author of the study and several other physicians said they doubt doctors are engaged in active mercy killing. Instead, they speculate the parents interviewed for the study mistakenly believed that doctors had followed their wishes. A more likely scenario is that doctors increased morphine doses to ease pain, and that the children's subsequent deaths were only coincidental, said lead author Dr. Joanne Wolfe, a palliative pain specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital in Boston. The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and most other mainstream doctor groups oppose mercy-killing but say withholding life-prolonging treatment for dying patients can be ethical. Dr. Douglas Diekema, a medi-

cal ethicist at Seattle Children's Hospital, said the study results are not surprising. ``I have no doubt that in a small number of cases, some physicians might cooperate with a parent's desire to see a child's suffering ended. This might include giving a drug for sedation or pain control that also suppresses the drive to breathe. ``Most physicians don't intentionally push that drug to the point of stopping a child's breathing, but some may be comfortable not intervening if a child stops breath-

children said they had explicitly requested euthanasia for their dying children, and parents of three said it had been carried out, with morphine. ``If there was absolutely no other option, and the patient is suffering, then why wouldn't you'' hasten death" said David Reilly, a Boston-area man whose 5-year-old son died of cancer 11 years ago. Reilly was not part of the study, but Wolfe, the study author, treated his son. The boy had softtissue tumors that threatened to

They doubt doctors are engaged in active mercy killing. Instead, they speculate the parents interviewed for the study mistakenly believed that doctors had followed their wishes ing in the course of treating him or her for discomfort,'' Diekema said. The study was published in the March edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. It was based on interviews with parents of 141 children who had died of cancer and were treated at three hospitals, in Boston and Minnesota. Among parents studied, one in eight, or 13 percent, said they had considered asking about ending their child's life, and 9 percent said they had that discussion with caregivers. Parents of five

spread to his throat and choke him. ``I remember thinking what a horrible, horrible way to go,'' Reilly said. He recalls asking Wolfe if his son began to suffer, '``Can we just get it over with quickly?''' Wolfe told him no. Wolfe said in an interview that euthanasia ``is going beyond a moral stance that I hold for myself in terms of controlling when a person dies.'' She said she could not comment when asked if she knew of any cases occurring at her hospitals, which both were involved in

the study. The third hospital was Children's Hospitals and Clinics of St. Paul, Minn. Dr. Susan Sencer, a cancer specialist there who did not take part in the study, said in a text message that doctors will often tell parents this when dying children are suffering: ``'To alleviate pain and suffering we may need to increase the narcotics; increasing the narcotics may result in respiratory depression, which may hasten death,' so that they are aware of the trade-off.'' Wolfe said the study highlights the challenges of treating dying children: Parents cannot tolerate seeing their children suffer and do not know about all the legal options for pain relief, which can include sedating children into unconsciousness. Also, many doctors are uncomfortable discussing such issues. Dr. Melanie Brown, a palliative care specialist at the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital, said she's never had parents ask her to end their child's life, but the general topic has come up. She said when parents mention the idea, ``What they're talking about is ending the pain.'' Learning ahead of time about options other than euthanasia can help make these deaths more comfortable for children and their parents, she said. -AP

Volunteers give cancer patients rides to treatment SHREVEPORT, La.: Stanley Davis wondered how he was going to get to the doctor when he was diagnosed with colon and prostate cancer in October. Davis, 53, lives in downtown Shreveport and doesn't have a car. He turned to Road to Recovery, a new American Cancer Society program, for help getting to appointments at Christus Schumpert Cancer Treatment Center. ``I had radiation and chemotherapy. I had to go every day, five days a week, for about two months,'' Davis said. ``The person who took me, we connected. I'm doing OK right now. I'm a survivor.''

The local ACS affiliate started training Road to Recovery volunteers last fall. The affiliate receives two or three transportation requests each week in Shreveport alone, said Lisa Clark, the Shreve-

ers are a lifeline. It's a valuable service, but one that requires tremendous volunteer manpower, which means we're always looking for new people.'' Beau Bordelon signed up to

'I had the luxury of taking care of the same gentleman three days in January and once in February,' Bordelon said. 'That's one of the things they focus on' port office health initiatives representative. ``Just one patient receiving radiation treatment may require 20 to 30 trips for treatment in just a few weeks,'' Clark said. ``Our driv-

volunteer after a fellow member of the Knights of Columbus mentioned the program to Bordelon last year. His work schedule is flexible enough that he can take time during the day for the trips. The

ACS also lets volunteers know the week before a trip if their time is needed, he said. He provided transportation for his first patient in January. ``I had the luxury of taking care of the same gentleman three days in January and once in February,'' Bordelon said. ``That's one of the things they focus on, getting you with the same people so you can build a bond.'' Bordelon aims to provide encouragement on the trips to and from treatment appointments. ``I show up with a smile on my face because I have a job that allows me to help people who are less fortunate,'' he said. -AP

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Health Science Post

March 12, 2010

India Post

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Wyo. House advances health care pilot program bill CHEYENNE, Wyo.: Wyoming residents who can't afford health care on the open market might be able to get it under a health care pilot program bill that's moving forward in the House. The House by a voice vote gave preliminary approval to Senate File 61, sponsored by Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper. The bill would put up $750,000 from the state's Tobacco Settlement trust fund to establish personal health accounts for 500 participants. They could use the money only to pay for health care and health insurance. Scott maintains the program would encourage people to take responsibility for their health, rather than making expensive emergency room visits at taxpayer expense for minor problems. A similar proposal of his died by a single vote in the House last year. ``I think what you're seeing is a realization that we need to move forward in this whole health reform area,'' Scott said after House vote. ``You have to try some things that are different, that haven't been tried before that you can't

perfectly guarantee the answer to,'' Scott said. ``And there's no way until you try them that you know what the answer is for sure. I think people are understanding that we're at the point where we need to do that.'' The cost of the Medicaid program in Wyoming is expected to

'The people who believe in this model believe that we can supply health care cheaper than Medicaid' reach nearly $1 billion over the coming two-year budget cycle. State lawmakers expect the federal government to cover just over half of that tab. Nearly 65,000 state residents more than 10 percent of the state population were enrolled in the Medicaid program as of January. Gov. Dave Freudenthal in his state of the state address called

on lawmakers to embrace Scott's proposal as offering the state a chance to rein in costs. Scott's proposal would limit program participation to people whose family income is below 250 percent of the federal poverty level $55,125 for a family of four. Enrollment could rise to 3,000 participants by 2014. Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, spoke for the bill on the House floor. He said up to 18 percent of people in Wyoming have no health insurance. ``The people who believe in this model believe that we can supply health care cheaper than Medicaid, and heaven knows we pay enough for Medicaid,'' Brown said. Rep. Ed Buchanan, RTorrington, questioned whether there was a limit on how much money a person could keep when they left the program. The bill would create a committee to determine specific benefits, but it specifies that the state may retain an interest in health savings accounts to make sure any state-funded balances revert to the state. -AP

Consumer group sues Anthem over policy changes LOS ANGELES: A consumer watchdog group has filed a lawsuit against California's largest forprofit health insurer on behalf of policyholders, claiming they were pushed to take coverage with fewer benefits and higher deductibles. In the case filed in Ventura Superior Court, Anthem Blue Cross is accused of violating a California law requiring health insurers to offer new, comparable coverage or minimize premium increases when they close a policy. According to the lawsuit, plaintiffs Mary Feller and Randy Freed received similar form letters from the Woodland Hills-based insurer, stating their policies were closed and they could ``switch to any Anthem Blue Cross individual health plan with no underwriting required.'' The lawsuit alleges that the few plans Anthem would allow Feller and Freed to switch into had higher premiums, higher deductibles, less coverage, or a combination of those undesirable traits. Anthem Blue Cross spokeswoman Peggy Hinz said the insurer hasn't yet reviewed the case,

declining further comment. Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based consumer advocacy group, filed the case on behalf of Feller and Freed. When the practice was outlawed in 1993, legislative analysts called it a ``death spiral'' because rates inevitably increased until policyholders could no longer afford coverage. As the coverage pool shrank over time, rates went up and up.

Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monicabased consumer advocacy group, filed the case on behalf of Feller and Freed ``It's a very profitable practice, and what we know is the insurance industry is very focused on short-term returns,'' said Jerry Flanagan, a health advocate for Consumer Watchdog. The lawsuit comes on the heels of government scrutiny of a steep Anthem Blue Cross rate hike for roughly 700,000 individual policyholders in California. -AP

JESSI KAUR

t is a rare treat when a play or a film based on a book outdoes the original. That's precisely what "Making Books Sing" a nonprofit organization based out of New York and Stanford Lively Arts accomplished with their family presentation of Tea with Chacha Ji, based on Uma Krishnaswami's book Chacha ji's Cup. Neel Gupta, a teenager growing up in New York, perceives himself as 100% Indian and 100% American! When we first meet him, he is only ten years old and wants to be a Bollywood dancer as well as a successful doctor like his late father. His life is a colorful mix of basketball and Bollywood dreams and great ambition spiked with confusion and rebellion as he tries to straddle both the Indian and American cultures. He enjoys tea with Chacha Ji, his grand uncle who lives with him and his widowed mother Anya. Chacha Ji has a favorite teacup that is very precious to him. Neel in a moment of horseplay with his Hispanic friend Daniel tosses the cup with irreverence. Chacha Ji, with his heart in his mouth, tells him the story of the tea cup that his mother carried with her when India was split into two nations. The tea cup, thus, became somewhat of a family heirloom symbolizing tenacity, courage and a spirit that can't be broken even when everything is lost. Chacha Ji is co-incidentally hospitalized when the

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March 12, 2010

cup breaks and comes home to recuperate when the cup is lovingly mended by Neel who realizes the full import of it.

Tea with Chacha Ji was shown to 1200 students in the five boroughs of New York. It attracted a strong appreciative audience Raja Burrows and Stephanie Klemons in "Tea with Chachajiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj has taken a simple, sweet story, added the elements of song and dance and turned it into a highly entertaining musical drama that leaves you with a smile on your face

Tony Mirrcandani, Raja Burrows, and Stephanie Klemons

and a lump in your throat! The musical brings the story to life in a magical way with colorful costumes and masks, a god that is unaware of his power, and a young Indian - American lad who grows in stature and responsibility as he listens to the powerful story of his great grandmother. Raja Burrows (Neel) and Soneela Nankani (Anya) put up lively performances, as did the rest of the caste. Traditional Indian music, hip- hop and Bollywood strains mingled to create an upbeat score that makes the musical a real winner leaving the young and the old humming the songs when the show ended. Tea with Chacha Ji was shown to 1200 students in the five boroughs of New York. It attracted a strong appreciative audience made up of young families on Sunday, February 28 when it was showcased by Stanford Lively Arts. Look out for announcements of more performances in the near future as sponsors are found in the rest of the country. Plans are afoot to bring the musical to India, its home country.

March 12, 2010

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NRI venture promises new My Name is Khan grosses $3.6 m vistas for Bengali cinema India Post News Service

entire 'foreign film' viewing market in North America." Arijit Dutta, a founding Director of DMV NEW YORK: Databazaar Media Ventures (DMV), a part of the Databazaar group looking after content & acquisition, exof companies, based in Florida, USA, has pressed satisfaction stating that the revdeveloped an innovative and original enue gap between production costs and domestic sales, which model for the screening was plaguing modern and distribution of Bengali cinema, will now quality Bengali films be addressed through through more than the opening up of the 19,000 retail outlets in North American market. the US and Canada, Suman Ghosh and starting immediately. senior US-Indian jourOney Seal, Founder nalist Devasish Ray, & CEO of the both founding directors Databazaar Group said, of Databazaar Media "Our first release Ventures, emphasized "Dwando", from nathe massive reach and tional award-winning scope of the media director Suman Ghosh, Oney Seal spend that DMV is inis already available for pre-order wherever NRIs buy, rent or vesting on each title it acquires. "This is download movies -- on Netflix, Amazon, unprecedented and is the critical ingrediBest Buy, Target, iTunes, and Blockbuster ent for the success of every title," they etc. This is very encouraging and proves added. Databazaar Media Ventures acts as an beyond doubt that we have implemented a winning business model that fulfils the exclusive gateway for Bengali films to North wishes of both the Bengali film producer America, combining the latest in digital techas well as the NRI film viewer in North nologies with the best in traditional methAmerica. Our efforts have also ensured that ods in a new, fusion distribution model that quality Bengali films will now reach the maximizes North American film revenues.

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: On February 28, My Name Is Khan set a new all-time career record for Shah Rukh Khan becoming the actor's top-grossing film in North America with total sales of $3,635,000 after 17 days of release. The film surpassed Khan's old record of $3,597,372 for 2007's Om Shanti Om and continues to play in 119 theaters

across the US and Canada in its third week of play. On February 22, after only 11 days of release, My Name Is Khan also became the highest grossing film ever for director Karan Johar beating the $3,275,444 of 2006's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna which starred Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, and Abhishek Bachchan.

March 12, 2010

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Jus One TV make US debut on Dish Network India Post News Service

wish the launch of JUS One on Dish our very best, our heartiest congratulations and much success." "Dish Network is excited to add Jus One to our extensive lineup of international programming, providing our South Asian/Indian-

LONG ISLAND, NY: Dish Network L.L.C., the leader in international programming, has formally introduced Jus One, a spiritual channel from the JUS Broadcasting Group, the successful promoters of JUS Punjabi TV that also airs on Dish Also gracing the occasion, Network. The new Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, channel, JUS One is available exclusively Consul General of India in New in the U.S. to Dish York, and his wife Mrs. Chandni Network customers. Dayal who also celebrated their Photo Credit: Baldev Singh -BJ Video JUS Broadcasting Corp's President & 32nd Wedding Anniversary L-R: Penny Yogiraj Sandhu, Chris Kuelling, Ranju Batra, Mrs. Chandni Dayal, Ravi Batra, Esq.,â&#x20AC; Dr. Sudhir Parikh; CEO, Penny Yogiraj at the event Ambassador Prabhu Dayal and Karl Khandalavala II marking the 32nd Wedding Anniversary of Ambassador Sandhu, and Senior & Mrs. Dayal at the Launch event of JUS One TV on DISH Network on Feb. 24 in New York Executive Vice President, Karl American subscribers with our Khandalavala II hosted a glitter- first South Asian spiritual chan- the United States. We'd like to special programming interests cov- ming offering almost 50 South ing Launch Party and Press Con- nel," said Chris Kuelling, vice congratulate Penny and Karl for ering all the major Indian religions. Asian channels in a variety of packference on February 24 at the Em- president of International Pro- launching their second channel on JUS One is proud to be the first ages including both JUS Punjabi pire Penthouse at 230 Fifth Avenue gramming for Dish Network who Dish in less than a year and a half and only South Asian spiritual and now JUS One, too." Jus One, available on Dish Netin Manhattan, one of the city's prework Ch. 581, features spiritual and mier event spaces. religious programming covering a The launch event and dinner cross-section of religions from Inwas attended by more than 300 dia aimed at Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, people including members of the Indian-Christians, Buddhists and media, advertisers and sponsors, all other viewers in general. Jus community leaders and the enOne programs include daily relitire JUS team. Also gracing the gious hymns, discourses, prayers, occasion, Ambassador Prabhu educational segments, yoga and Dayal, Consul General of India daily live call-in programs on imin New York, and his wife Mrs. portant religious and spiritual isChandni Dayal who also celsues affecting Indian Americans ebrated their 32nd Wedding Anand South Asians in the U.S. niversary at the event. Among the programs already "The partnership between JUS airing on the channel, JUS One One and Dish Network is very L-R: Penny Yogiraj Sandhu-President & CEO-JUS Broadcasting, Corp.; Chris Kuelling-Vice President, International Programming-DISH Network; Ambassador Prabhu Dayal-Consul General of India, New York; Karl Khandalavala II-Sr. features well-known names such good for the community and I wish Executive Vice President-JUS Broadcasting Corp. at the Launch event of JUS One TV on DISH Network as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Acharya this great partnership all success." said Ambassador Dayal in his re- attended the launch party in New and we are confident it will be just channel currently offered by Dish Sudhanshuji Maharaj, Acharya Parmodh, Kathas by Asaram Bapu, marks. "JUS Punjabi their first York City on behalf of Dish along as successful as JUS Punjabi TV." to all its millions of subscribers." In her remarks, Penny Yogiraj Karl Khandalavala II thanked Morari Bapu, Srila Prabhupad channel has already been doing a with several other marketing exgreat service to the community; ecutives from the company from Sandhu explained the rationale be- Dish for its focus on the South ISKCON, Usha Bahen of not just the Punjabi community their Denver, New Jersey and New hind the new channel. "JUS One Asian community. "Chris Brahmakumaris and Kadve but the entire community. It York offices.. "With the introduc- fills the need for a spiritual chan- Kuelling's presence at this event Pravachan by Muni Tarun Sagarji. speaks volumes for Karl, Penny tion of this great new channel, we nel on DISH Network. As you know, sends a strong signal about Dish's The channel also features daily and the entire JUS team that they are committed to providing the most South Asians are spiritual or ongoing commitment to our com- Vrath Katha and daily LIVE Callare conducting themselves with most diverse and exclusive inter- religious by nature and we have munity. Dish is already the market In programs on interfaith, spiritual such electricity and energy and we national programming options in tailored the channel to meet their leader in International program- and social issues.

INDIAĂS JURRASIC PARK: Indian Nature Educator Natwarsinh Rathod stands next to Triceratops models by a pond at the Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park in Gandhinagar, some 30 km from Ahmedabad, on March 3. In the second picture, Natwarsinh Rathod cleans the mouth of a Rajasaurus Narmadensis dinosaur model. Regarded as India's Jurrasic Park, the 400-hectare park is run by the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEER) and is the country's only dinosaur museum. The fossilized remains of a 67 million-year-old snake found coiled around a dinosaur egg is set to offer rare insight into the ancient reptile's dining habits and evolution, scientists said

Chital (Spotted deer)

29 India Post

T Leopard

A rivulet

he Sanjay Gandhi or Borivali National Park has the distinction of being the only National Park in Mumbai. Notified in 1974, it is set in hill ranges around the suburb of Borivali in Mumbai. It plays host to various wildlife species like the panther, antelope, mouse deer and wild bear. Children particularly enjoy riding the colorful toy train here, as it winds its way through the vast park. In the Lion Safari Park, visitors can view lions as close as six feet away, from the special park vehicles. The park is a paradise for the lovers of avifauna and it is difficult for them not to be attracted by their charm here in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The Park is located in Borivali, east of the Thane district, at distance of 40 km north

www.indiapost.com from Mumbai. The temperature is on the rise from the month of March until the monsoons break here in mid-June, and go on till Sep-

It plays host to various wildlife species like the panther, antelope, mouse deer and wild bear. Children particularly enjoy riding the colorful toy train here, as it winds its way through the vast park. In the Lion Safari Park, visitors can view lions as close as six feet away, from the special park vehicles

March 12, 2010 tember. October offers relief from the humidity and heat. Best time to visit is September to March Tourist attractions Flora - The forest cover in the park can be divided into two main categories i.e. South Indian moist deciduous and Semi Evergreen. These two types can be further classified into four subcategories and they are moist teak-bearing forest, mangrove scrub, southern moist mixed deciduous forest, and western subtropical hill forest. The region has good biodiversity and major trees and plants include kadamba, teak, karanj, shisam, and species of acacia, ziziphus, euphorbia, flame of the forest, red silk cotton and many more varieties of flowers. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 33

Borivali National Park Watch lions as close as six feet away

Sleeping Lion at SGNP Lion Safari

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France looks at attracting Indian tourists NEW DELHI: France's tourism promotional agency Atout France has said it is looking at increasing the number of Indian travelers to the nation's capital, Paris, by 15 per cent, thus bringing back the annual growth rate which existed prior to the global slowdown. The group said around 2 lakh Indians visit Paris every year. But because of the economic slowdown, there was a decline

of around 10 per cent in the number of Indian visitors to the city last year. "Based on the information and data available to us, we are happy to see that the Indian market is peaking up. We are optimistic this year and expect that we register the same growth that we have been having," Atout France Director Catherine Oden told reporters here. By 2020, Oden said the group expects

to increase the number of Indian tourists to around 8 lakh. "Last year, because of the slowdown, we had a 10 per cent decline. We have been having a growth of 10-15 per cent couple of years back. This year, we hope to maintain it," Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau International Promotions Manager for Asia, Patricia Barthelemy, said.

As part of the effort, she said, the group is looking at increasing promotional activities and tour packages, covering more middle class income groups this year. "India is a growing market for us and continuously evolving. So every year we have to innovate our products and see that we reach out to more people here," she said. -PTI

Govt wants to promote pilgrim tourism in J&K

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JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Government wants to promote pilgrim tourism in the state and has taken up various schemes to strengthen the infrastructure in Amarnath Yatra circuit, the state assembly was informed. Replying to a question of Naresh Kumar Gupta in the Legislative Council, Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora said the government was paying special attention to the promotion and development of pilgrim tourism in the state. He said schemes were taken up under state plan and the government has submitted various projects to the Union Ministry of Tourism for approval. The government is strengthening the infrastructure in Amarnath Yatra circuit. Temporary camps and other facilities would be set up for the pilgrims. The cave shrine of Shiv Khori in Reasi is being developed at a cost of Rs 4.11 crore. The Amarnath Yatra would begin on July 1. -PTI

Indian builds tallest Shiva statue in Nepal KATHMANDU: A 143-feet idol of Lord Shiva built by an Indian national and claimed to be tallest in Asia, was formally opened for the public in the outskirts of the capital. The idol constructed by Indian businessman Kamal Jain was inaugurated by Nepalese Tourism Minister Sharad Singh Bhandari at Sanga of Bhaktapur district, 20 km east of Kathmandu. Jain who hails from Gurgaon in Haryana is the proprietor of Hill Take Water Tank, one of the leading water tank industries in Nepal. The construction of the idol made of cement and concrete started more than a decade ago. Bhandari said the site will be developed as a popular tourism destination and will attract more tourists into Nepal as the country gears up for Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign with an aim to attract one million visitors. -PTI

March 12, 2010

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India's first International Tourism police station KOCHI: India's first International Tourism police station, to cater to the needs of domestic and foreign tourists, has been opened at nearby Mattancherry. Sporting blue uniforms instead of usual khakis, policemen at this police station would guide tourists on ways to register complaints, secure a new passport if necessary and provide help to renew visas, Kerala Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said. The police station would also house details of tourist centers and route maps, besides providing booking facilities for hiring boats and taxis, he said. Balakrishnan said there is a need to attract tourists by launching innovative and imaginative

programs. Last year had seen an impressive growth in tourist arrivals and this was expected to con-

The police station would also house details of tourist centers and route maps, besides providing booking facilities for hiring boats and taxis, he said tinue, he said. In Mattancherry, more tourism related projects would be started

with the help of the Archaeology department and participation of the people, he said. "Every effort will be made to provide adequate security to the Jewish synagogue in Mattancherry, the oldest in the commonwealth and a program has been drawn up with the cooperation of the people of the area," he said. Union minister K V Thomas and Kerala Director General of Police, Jacob Punnonose, were among those who spoke. A tourism carnival in which there were 80 floats, including folk dancers performing traditional art forms, including 'Theyyam' and 'Pulikkali' was also taken out on the occasion. -PTI

Surge in international tourist arrivals in Nepal KATHMANDU: The arrival of foreign tourists in Nepal via air has increased by 33 per cent to 33,492 in February 2010 as compared to the corresponding month last year. According to Nepal Tourism Board, as many as 6,156 Indian tourists have arrived in Nepal in February this year, the figure is slightly up by last year's 6,050 arrivals by air. The number of Chinese tourist arrivals has increased in February this year to 2,045 as compared to

last year's 1,200 arrivals, registering a growth of 242.5 per cent. Similarly, other Asian countries maintained the upward trend with Japan 32 per cent, Malaysia 39 per cent, Singapore 56 per cent and South Korea 22 per cent. An overall growth of 20.6 per cent has been observed from European markets with arrivals from major countries like the UK, France and Germany up by 1.8 per cent, 46.8 per cent and 12.4 per cent respectively.

The visitors' arrival from the USA registered a notable growth of 53.2 per cent and Canada, Australia and New Zealand also maintained positive growth with 20.5 per cent, 26.9 per cent and 246.6 per cent respectively. The growth in international tourist arrivals gives encouragement to the tourism sector as Nepal gears up for Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign with an aim to attract one million visitors, double from last year's total arrival. -PTI

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Bhima Devi Temple gets best tourism site award India Post News Service

CHANDIGARH: Bhima Devi Temple site located about 100 m from Yadvendra Garden or the Mughal Garden in Pinjore, done up by the Haryana Tourism Corporation as an exquisite museum, has been awarded the prestigious "Best Maintained Tourist Friendly Monument" by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Mrs. Keshni Anand Arora, Financial Commissioner & Principal Secretary Tourism, Haryana received the award that was handed over by the Vice President of India in a well attended function in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on March 3. The remains of the Temple now preserved in the museum date to circa 9-11th Century A.D. The name of the town Pinjore itself seems to be derived from the ancient name, that Alexander Cunningham, during his explora-

tions in 1878-79, found in a 27-line inscription of 10th Century A.D., mentioning Panchpura as the name of this place. The name Pinjore also appears to be based on the myth that the Pandavs had stayed here during the course of their exile. Later on, the inhabitants also called this place Bhima Nagar - after a much revered local temple that came to be located at this ancient site. These evidences suggest that the ancient site of Panchpura and Bhima Nagar must have been a place of considerable importance between 9th and 13th century A.D. Evidences further suggest that the ancient temple site of Bhima Devi was systematically demolished repeatedly possibly by the contemporary Muslim invaders with the last blow coming when Aurangzeb reigned. The adjoining Mughal Garden was possibly constructed using the rubbles of the temple. As a result of the scientific

Bhima Devi museum

Keshni Anand Arora, IAS, Financial Commissioner & Principal Secretary Tourism, Haryana and S.N. Roy, IAS, Managing Director Haryana Tourism Corporation receiving the award from Vice President of India for Bhima Devi Temple, Pinjore (Haryana) in the category of Best Maintained Tourist Friendly Monument.

clearance of the site, three stone plinths of a prominent ancient temple have come to the daylight along with a good number of beautiful sculptural and architectural remnants. The presence of these three plinths indicates that the temple was built in the 'Panchayatan' style of temple architecture. Panchayatan means a group of five temples with a main shrine in the centre and four sub-shrines at the each cardinal direction. The architectural remnants and other fragmentary pieces like chaitya windows, Bhadramukha, miniature turrets, the scouting figures on the brackets of the pillars, etc. indicate that the temple might have been built in the then prevailing north Indian style of temple architecture. Some of the sculptures in the remnants carry striking resemblance with those found at Khajuraho. The deities are related to the Shiva cult leading to the presumption that the temple was dedicated

to Lord Shiva. Interior of the temple possibly remained simple in striking contrast to the profuse carving and decoration on the exterior.

The name Pinjore also appears to be based on the myth that the Pandavs had stayed here during the course of their exile. Later on, the inhabitants also called this place Bhima Nagar - after a much revered local temple that came to be located at this ancient site The outer walls of the temple were decorated with the sculptures of the gods and goddesses along with the depiction of social life. A large number of sculptures depict-

ing Shiva and Parvati, Agni, Varun, Surya, Vishnu, Ganesha, Kartikeya have also been found on this site. The other decorative patterns include social preferences; floral designs; animal motifs; musicians and erotic scenes, etc. A few notable stone inscriptions have also been found at this site linking it with the name of Raja Ram Dev, possibly a local king of repute who patronized this temple. The excavated remains of this temple have been organized in a nicely constructed indoor museum adjoining a big and attractively landscaped lawn serving as the outdoor museum by the Haryana Tourism Corporation at a cost of about Rs. 2.5 crores. The entire premises has been very artistically decorated and illuminated by a large array of modern lighting gadgets as well making it very live and vibrant during night as well. It is this site which has been adjudged as the "Best Maintained Tourist Friendly Monument" on a national basis.

Ensure tourists not fleeced: Selja NEW DELHI: Taking serious note of tourists being fleeced by unscrupulous elements including travel agents, Tourism Minister Kumari Selja has appealed to all concerned to bring a halt to this. "We have to take a serious note of the exploitation of tourists at the hands of travel agents, local service providers and others, which does not help in boosting tourism," Selja said. Referring to reports of tourists being harassed at market places and by locals, she asked all stake holders including tour and travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We have to take a serious note of the exploitation of tourists at the hands of travel agents, local service providers and others, which does not help in boosting tourismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; operators to make destinations for travelers free of such ills.

Selja was speaking at a seminar on Incredible India: Managing Destinations by the Foundation for Aviation and Sustainable Tourism. She said there is a need for creation of tourism police unit by state governments, adding, ex-servicemen can be part it. "We have written to all states and Union Territories about the need for such a unit," she said. Listing out several initiatives to boost the sector, Selja said a major exercise has been undertaken to improve tourism infrastructure in coordination with state governments. -PTI

March 12, 2010

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Borivali National Park: Watch lions as close as six feet away Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 29

During the monsoon, almost the entire park is awash with the rainbow hues of the flowers that bloom here and all over the Western Ghats. Avifauna - The Park is a paradise for the bird watchers of Mumbai. Despite receiving the highest number of visitors, the park

named it, is the biggest Buddhist monastic establishment on the Konkan coast. It is situated in the heart of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and is one of the better-known sites in Mumbai. The architectural activity at Kanheri began three centuries before Christ-almost immediately after the introduction of Buddhism in this region. The first simple caves

There are suggestions of it being a school, with 60 to 70 monks in residence and had dining rooms with a capacity of catering to 120 diners. An unusual feature at Kanheri is the number of open benches cut into rocks and benches in the verandahs or frontcourts of almost all the caves 7 m. tall Buddha statue at entrance to the largest Kanheri cave

has a large number of bird species like jungle owlets, golden orioles, racket-tailed drongos, minivets, magpies, robins, hornbills, bulbuls, sunbirds, peacock, and woodpeckers. At many times, migratory and resident birds like paradise flycatcher, kingfisher, mynas, drongos, swifts, gulls, egrets, and herons have also been seen here. In total 251 species of birds have been seen here according to the wildlife experts that include water and land birds. Wildlife - The park is known to shelter wildlife right from the time urbanization began in Mumbai. One can have encounters with several of the species including spotted deer, black naped hare, barking deer, porcupine, palm civet, mouse deer, rhesus macaque, bounet macaque, Hanuman langur, Indian flying fox, and sambhar. One is surprised by the density of leopards in this park despite its nearness to an urban settlement. One can also encounter here a hyena or four horned antelope. Reptiles have also made this park their habitat and one can see crocodiles in the Tulsi Lake, and pythons, cobras, monitor lizards, Russell's viper, bamboo pit viper and Ceylonese cat snake here. Kanheri Caves - Kanheri or Kanhasela, as the two inscriptions from the place have

were excavated during the reign of the Satvahana kings who came to the fore after the disintegration of the Mauryan Empire in India. In the earliest period the caves were meant to shelter wandering monks during the rainy season. At this time, vault-roofed chaitya griha were in vogue. From the 1st century AD, the caves appear to have been in occupation throughout the year. The monks were provided with cells with stone benches to sleep, along with accessories like a large number of cisterns, refectories and even bathing facilities. Food,

Leopard in mini zoo

medicine and clothing appear to have been stored here. The huge chaitya griha is believed to have been added during the reign of Gautamiputra Satakarni (AD 106-130). Unprecedented in dimension and beauty and the first of its kind on the Konkan coast, it began to attract numerous monks and laymen alike. A large number of donations ap-

pear to have been made by citizens, traders, royal women, even foreigners (yavanas) from nearby cities like Kalyan, Sopara and Thane. However, the later part of the 3rd century AD was the most active period for the Kanheri establishment with numerous cells being added. There are suggestions of it being a school, with 60 to 70 monks in residence and had dining rooms with a capacity of catering to 120 diners. An unusual feature at Kanheri is the number of open benches cut into rocks and benches in the verandahs or frontcourts of almost all the caves. Places around: The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a part of Greater Mumbai and Mumbai is one of the largest metropolises in the world and definitely the largest in India. The main highlights of the city are the Gateway of India, Prince of Wales Museum, Elephanta Island, Flora Fountain, Haji Ali's Tomb, Kamla Nehru Park, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Nehru Planetarium, Nehru Science Centre, and Marine Drive. How to reach Air - The nearest airport is Santa Cruz at a distance of 16 km for domestic air travel.

This airport is connected to almost all the major Indian cities with regular flights. The nearest international airport is Sahar at a distance of around 20 km from the park. Rail - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) at a distance of 40 km is the nearest railway hub connected to almost all the parts of India by regular trains. Borivali Station is

The path to Kanheri

the nearest connected to Mumbai CST and Mumbai Central Railway terminuses. Road - The Park is connected to all parts of Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra with very good road connections. Buses ply on Sunday's and holiday's from Mumbai to the Park. Chartered vehicles are available to the park on all days from Mumbai.

March 12, 2010

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10 Tere Bina Jiya Na Jaye - Shaapit

fter repeated denials, it is now official that Bollywood actress Lara Dutta and tennis player Mahesh Bhupati are couple. Both made a public appearance together at the Filmfare awards. For the first time they came in public notice together giving an indication that they are a couple in love. Lara formerly dated model and actor Kelly Dorjee but after few years, she broke up with Kelly and mingled with Kelly's best friend actor Dino Morea. Heartbroken Kelly cursed Dino for backstabbing him. But things took a U-turn when Lara cut ties with Dino and established relationship with Mahesh Bhupati while Dino got hooked to fashion designer Nandita Mahtani. Dino and Nandita are now on the verge of marriage. Mahesh is divorced from his wife and model, Swetha Jaishankar.

Freida in race

AFTA nominated Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) is again in the race to be the "James Bond" girl for the next Bond movie scheduled to be released next year. She reportedly unsuccessfully auditioned for Bond girl Camille Montes in last Bond movie "Quantum of Solace" (Marc Forster). She was reportedly paid about $3 million to act in latest Woody Allen movie. She is currently in three movies under different stages of production"Miral" (Julian Schnabel), "Dawn of War" (Tarsem Singh Dhandwar) and "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" (Woody Allen). She has appeared as herself in shows like "XposĂŠ", "Nyhetsmorgon", "Entertainment Tonight", "The Oprah Winfrey Show", "The Tyra Banks Show", "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Larry King Live", "This Morning", "Moving Pictures Live!", "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", "Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show", "Late Show with David Letterman", and "Up Close with Carrie Keagan". Nicknamed "Fro", 5'6" Pinto of Mangalorean Catholic background recently received "Global Indian Face Award" in Mumbai at Pearls Wave Awards ceremony. Although she is now an internationally acclaimed film star, she has not completely abandoned modeling. Besides being the "the new face" of L'Oreal, she was on the cover of February edition of Elle (India) magazine, which described her as "a dream to work with".

Filmfare awards

mitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan who played son and mother in 'Paa' received the best actor and best actress award at the 55th Filmfare awards. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's '3 Idiots' won the best film award and Rajkumar Hirani bagged the best director award for the same film. Music composer AR Rahman won the best music director award for 'Delhi 6' and Mohit Chauhan who crooned Masakali won the best male singer. Singers Kavita Seth and Rekha Bhardwaj shared the female playback singer trophy. Kavita for 'Ik Tara' from 'wake Up Sid' and Rekha for 'Genda Phool' from Delhi 6. Hosts Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan made the evening funny with their jokes. Actor Shahid Kapur gave a stunning performance. He paid tribute to pop singer Michael Jackson.

Bollywood

March 12, 2010

India Post

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t seems flying in an economy class is no more a big deal for the Bollywood celebrities. After Hema Malini who played it cool as she flew in an economy class, it was Deepika Padukone along with the team of 'Karthik Calling Karthik' who traveled in the economy class from Jaipur to Mumbai. The private jet in which they were supposed to go could not head for Mumbai due to a cyclone threat. It was necessary for the team members to reach Mumbai as most of them had to leave for Dubai next morning. So, they had to book themselves into the economy class of a commercial airline. The team had a gala time as they spent their night playing cards instead of taking rest even after a hectic day. Deepika recalls, "We had blocked a whole row and instead of sleeping after a super-hectic day we started playing Mendicot. We forgot we were in a commercial flight. So we were yelling and screaming in excitement while the rest of the passengers were trying to sleep." Deepika is now hooked to the game and says, "I can't stop playing Mendicot. Ritesh and Farhan introduced me and director Vijay Lalwani to the game. I've become addicted. I loved the whirlwind promotional tour. For two days I had more fun than I've had in my entire life. Throughout the trip we played Mendicot -not teen patti, please! We didn't sleep at all for two days because some of the flight-duration was less than two hours. So all we did was play Mendicot on flight."

Priyanka Chopra, who is set to cross the 200,000 mark in Twitter followers, visited the headquarter of the micro-blogging website in San Francisco after being especially invited there. Priyanka tweeted about her visit to the headquarter where she met Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder. "My day was really interesting because I was invited to Twitter headquarter in San Francisco! Had a great time. Thanks Biz and team for the wonderful hospitality," she posted. The 27-year-old, who has been shooting in US for Sajid Nadiadwala's "Anjaana Anjaani", is going to cross the 200,000 mark as far as her followers on Twitter are concerned. At present, she leads the Bollywood bandwagon on the site with 196,903 followers and has left stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Shahid Kapoor far behind. "Priyanka was in the US for her movie shoot. She had to drop by at a studio for the NDTV Indian of the Year program and there she met the Twitter team. She was invited to the headquarter office in San Francisco since she is so popular among the Bollywood celebs on Twitter," a source close to the actress told.

Too lazy for 6-pack R

egular sabbaticals, a welding course in New York and now martial arts for self-gratification - Abhay Deol, who is gearing up for his next outing "Road, Movie", believes in living life in packages. "I had taken a sabbatical from my Bollywood life when I went to New York. I was there only for a year; so it's not long enough. I have been taking sabbaticals here and there. I work in cycles, "Abhay told in a telephonic interview from Mumbai. "I have done that before. I have spent time in Spain, England and I've traveled within India too in between projects because it's just part and parcel of the way I live. I like traveling and being on the road. And once I finish my next film, it will happen again, "he said. After pursuing a course in welding and metal work at the Arts Students League of New York last year, the 33-year -old is now training in martial arts. So is Abhay also planning to go the six-pack way? "I am too lazy for that... I wish I could. Even a four-pack would be good, "he said. Abhay has carved a niche for himself as the contemporary young man doing experimental cinema. "If that's really happened, then that's great. We need to contemporarise our cinema...and if I have become an epitome of that, then that's a big compliment, " he said.

In Brief NY woman ordered to pay $3M in immigration scam NEW YORK: New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says a Queens businesswoman has been ordered to pay more than $3 million for defrauding dozens of illegal immigrants. Cuomo said that Miriam Mercedes Hernandez was ordered in Manhattan State Supreme Court to pay full restitution to 37 Latino immigrants and $2.8 million in penalties. Cuomo had accused the Jackson Heights woman of defrauding the immigrants out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In a lawsuit filed in May 2009, Cuomo said Hernandez falsely told her victims she could get them legal U.S. residency, including social security cards and passports. She demanded $15,000 for the documents. -AP

Body of suspected illegal immigrant found SIERRA VISTA, Ariz.: The Cochise County Sheriff's Office is investigating the discovery of a body found in Jackwood Canyon near the community of Apache. Deputies were told by a local rancher that he had located the body in a remote area. Sheriff's Office search and rescue personnel were led to the body. The male was fully clothed and a wallet was found identifying him as a 27-year-old Mexican National. The Cochise County Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and date of death. The Mexican Consulate was notified in an attempt to locate any family members. -AP

ICE arrests 49 immigration fugitives, criminals MILWAUKEE: Federal immigration officials say they've arrested nearly 50 people in central and western Wisconsin during a weeklong crackdown. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, says it targeted illegal immigrants with criminal records, previously deported individuals and those with outstanding deportation orders. ICE says the 49 arrests were made beginning Feb. 18 in 12 Wisconsin counties. Of the 49 taken into custody, 20 were arrested based on prior criminal histories, including drug possession. -AP

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India Post

March 12, 2010

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Details on page 40

Indian American teacher discriminated by Piscataway School Board India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: A long tenured, award-winning teacher in Piscataway, New Jersey, without any previous history of poor performance during the last 16 years of her service or any complaints from students or coworkers, was given a negative performance review last year and asked by the Piscataway School Board to go through a psychiatric evaluation. Raj Bansal, who has been teaching in Piscataway school district since 1993 as a much admired teacher and coworker, all of a sudden became, in the eyes of the school administration, a poor performer with a personality problem requiring psychiatric evaluation. During her career as a teacher, Bansal has won several awards. In 2005, she won the "Students Teachers Achieving Results" Award for her excellent lesson plans. "I have not changed. I am as dedi-

cated to my teaching and to my students as ever. Also I am happily married with two sons attending Princeton University, and have a great family and social life with many friends," Raj says. "But I have been singled out for an excessively heavy work burden, and harassed with unfounded allegations of behavior

beneficial to students' education, then every teacher, not only Asian Indians, should go through this kind of psychiatric evaluation". She also asked administrators to compare her students' scores for the last two years with the scores of students of other teachers. The administration has not

During her career as a teacher, Bansal has won several awards. In 2005, she won the ‘Students Teachers Achieving Results’ Award for her excellent lesson plans problems or personality disorder with no substantiation, thus jeopardizing my career, my reputation, reputation of my family and the education of my students." She now demands to know "why they are sending me to a psychiatrist? Why am I the only teacher subjected to this kind of evaluation? She asked at a board meeting of the school "If this is so

provided a copy of her students' scores vs. other teachers'. "I am sure that my students' performance would be equally as good, if not higher, than any other fifth grade teacher, even though I was burdened with extra work and a hostile work environment," she says. Piscataway Township has more than 30% Asian American residents, but Raj Bansal is the only

Asian tenured teacher out of 300 teachers in six elementary schools. Another Asian American teacher in one of the Piscataway Middle Schools, Uma Swaminathan, was also harassed and treated in a discriminatory manner. The board had suspended Swaminathan in 2002 and had asked the Commissioner of the State Department of Education to rescind her teaching license (which is done rarely, if ever, and only for gross misconduct). But after five years of litigation, costing the taxpayers of Piscataway hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Board could not prove there was any thing wrong with Swaminathan's performance as a teacher and the Board settled the case with her attorney paying her back salary for the years of her suspension and her attorney's fees along with compensation for her humiliation, pain and suffering. Cont’d on page 40

H-1B filing date approaches CYRUS D. MEHTA

mployers will be able to submit cap-subject H-1B petitions on April 1 for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 H-1B program. The numerical limitation, or cap, for FY 2010 was reached on December 21, 2009. Beneficiaries of cap-subject petitions may begin employment in H-1B status no earlier than October 1, 2010. Employers recruiting abroad or who have hired individuals for F-1 "Optional Practical Training" should prepare to have their petitions delivered to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during the fiveday filing window from April 1, 2010 - April 7, 2010 (which does not include April 4 & 5 as they fall on the weekend). If the USCIS receives more than 65,000 H-B petitions or more than 20,000 Master's H-1Bs during the five-day filing period, they will be subject to a randomized lottery. If the USCIS receives less than 65,000 or 20,000 H-1B

petitions during this five-day window, then the USCIS will continue to accept H-1B petitions until the H-1B caps are reached. Demand for H-1Bs is expected to increase somewhat this year, so early filing is recommended. Contact us for assistance with H-1B petitions. Petitions are only subject to the FY 2011 cap if the beneficiary of

search organizations are not subject to the cap, but if an employer wishes to hire an H-1B employee currently employed at such an organization, the new petition would be cap-subject. Scrutiny at POEs. Recent reports suggest that scrutiny at ports of entry is increasing for H-1Bs and other em-

Demand for H-1Bs is expected to increase somewhat this year, so early filing is recommended. Contact us for assistance with H-1B petitions. that petition has not been counted against a cap previously. Thus, "new" H-1B petitions are cap-subject but most petitions for extension, change of employer, or concurrent employment are not affected by the H-1B cap. Further, petitions on behalf of foreign nationals to be employed by institutions of higher education (or related or affiliated nonprofit entities), nonprofit research organizations, or governmental re-

ployment-based visas, especially those working for information technology consulting firms and those posted at third party worksites. We recommend that entering non-immigrants be familiar with the petition filed on their behalf, and that they carry a complete copy of the filing and supporting documents along with up-to-date documentation confirming their employment, such as recent pay

stubs. Entering H-1Bs should be prepared for the possibility of secondary inspection at the port of entry. Economic stimulus guidance Meanwhile, USCIS has issued guidance on the Employ American Workers Act (EAWA) to employers seeking to file H-1B petitions. EAWA was enacted to ensure that companies that receive funding under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) or the Federal Reserve Act do not displace U.S. workers. Under the legislation, any company that has received covered funding and seeks to hire new H-1B workers is considered an "H-1B dependent employer." An H-1B dependent employer must make additional statements to the Department of Labor (DOL) regarding the recruitment and non-displacement of U.S. workers when filing a labor condition application (LCA). Cont’d on page 41

Immigration Post

March 12, 2010

$2m India grant for UPenn's migration studies India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The University of Pennsylvania recently received a $2 million dollar grant from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) of the Government of India to support Penn's Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI), which will conduct research on international migration from India. This is the first time that MOIA has ever awarded an empirical research grant of this magnitude to an academic institution outside India. "Penn was chosen because it is home to CASI, which has become known around the world as the first and only academic research unit in a US university focused on contemporary India," G. Gurucharan, Joint Secretary, MOIA said. "We see this as a small beginning."

He signed the agreement on behalf of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs at a ceremony at Penn's College Hall Feb. 16, joined by Rajeev Ranjan, community affairs counselor of the India Embassy in Washington; Shiv Ratan,

This is the first time that MOIA has ever awarded an empirical research grant of this magnitude to an academic institution outside India MOIA director, financial services and budget; Rebecca Bushnell, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn; Devesh Kapur, associate professor of political science and Madan Lal Sobti director

of CASI; Penn Provost Vincent Price; Jack H. Nagel, associate dean for the social sciences; and Ramin Sedehi, vice dean for finance and administration at Penn. As principal investigator of the research project, Kapur will be supported by a group of scholars recruited specifically for the purpose of conducting the research, as needed during the next four years. Kapur's forthcoming book, "Diaspora, Democracy and Development: The Impact of International Migration from India on India" will be published this summer. CASI, which was founded in 1992, has been awarded numerous research grants from major philanthropic foundations such as The GE Fund, The Ford Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Teenager facing deportation after getting in fight SAN FRANCISCO: A woman and her 13-year-old son are scheduled to be deported to Australia after the teenager was referred to immigration authorities under a contentious city policy. The fate of Tracey Washington and her son, who was not identified, called attention to a measure instituted by Mayor Gavin Newsom in July 2008 that required officials to hand to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement any minor arrested for

a felony and suspected of being in the country illegally. Newsom adopted this stance after the city was accused of protecting from deportation young offenders who went on to commit other crimes. According to ICE, 167 minors have been referred to them under this policy. Since then, the city's Board of Supervisors have voted to reverse Newsom's policy and prohibit law enforcement from turning over minors to federal authorities un-

less they are convicted of a felony. But the mayor has vowed not to enforce the new measure, arguing it violates state and federal law. In this case, the boy was charged with assault, extortion and robbery _ charges that would likely be reduced if he had a chance to go before a judge, said Angela Chan, attorney with the Asian Law Caucus who was advising the family. But the teenager will not have a chance to go before a judge, said Chan. -AP

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Immigration Post

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March 12, 2010

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Hiring illegal immigrants may lead to jail in Utah SALT LAKE CITY: Employers in Utah could be among the first in the country to face criminal charges for failing to verify their workers' immigration status, under a bill passed by a legislative committee that now moves to the full Senate. Several states require businesses to use the federal E-Verify program, but generally only under threat of financial penalties. In Mississippi, employers who hire illegal immigrants can lose their business license, but illegal immigrants found working there are eligible for a one-year prison sentence. Under the Utah bill, employers

who fail to comply could face a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Bill supporters said enacting the measure would stop identity theft and encourage illegal immigrants to leave Utah. ``It's not a total panacea, but it almost is,'' said Senate Bill 251's sponsor, Sen. Chris Buttars, RWest Jordan. About 184,000 of the nation's 7 million to 8 million employers use E-Verify, a Web based system that checks a worker's information against Department of Homeland Security and Social Security databases to determine U.S. employ-

ment eligibility. The program is free to employers and some states _ including Utah already require public em-

Several states require businesses to use the federal E-Verify program, but generally only under threat of financial penalties ployers and contractors to use the system. But E-Verify has some widely reported flaws.

Indian American teacher discriminated by Piscataway School Board Cont’d from page 38

As the Board settled the case with Swaminathan, they started to harass Bansal but this time they took a quicker route to oust her, alleging that she has psychiatric problems. And if the Board psychiatrist finds any problem in the psychiatric evaluation, she will be immediately terminated. There is a pattern of harassing Asian American teachers. "I have a strong and passionate interest in Raj Bansal's struggle against the school system that I stood against the same discriminatory practices that they have been doing against me and other Indian teachers - who did not even get tenure. They think that we won't fight back or make a big noise," Swaminathan said. Raj Bansal's attorney, Lennox Hinds, wrote to the school attorney: "Bansal has consistently requested the reasons that the district is relying upon to justify the level of intrusion required by such psychiatric evaluation... The reasons shared with Bansal '… arose from a pattern of disjointed and incoherent expression on your part, coupled with behavior that appears to us to

be abnormally paranoid.' This statement utterly fails to provide any examples of specific behaviors that she could either acknowledge or challenge..." The board permitted Bansal to have the evaluation done by a doctor of her choice at her own expense. She did undergo the evaluation by a highly competent, well established psychia-

‘It is obvious that someone in the administration was trying to frame her and terminate her. This is totally unethical and unprofessional’ trist who provided a 30+ page report of his evaluation establishing that Bansal is completely normal; she exhibited no abnormal behavior in her personal or professional conduct. Her attorney presented a copy of the psychiatrist's report to each member of the Board on January 21st and demanded that they each personally review the report and arrive at their own con-

clusions without the advice of the Superintendent or the school attorney. The Superintendent was ready to terminate her instantly if the Board psychiatrist found any problem in the evaluation, but now that the psychiatrist found no problem, the board has not gotten back to her with their decision even after a month. "It is obvious that someone in the administration was trying to frame her and terminate her. This is totally unethical and unprofessional on the part of the administration," says the 80-20 Initiative in New Jersey against discrimination. "Asian American community in New Jersey strongly condemns the harassment, discrimination and mistreatment of Indian American teachers and demands that school board hold accountable the person(s) responsible for such unethical conduct, by disciplining them with exemplary punishment. And also the Board must conduct a diversity sensitivity training for the entire administration team to assure that all minorities are treated fairly without any discrimination," says Tina Liu Jen, President, 8020 Initiative, NJ.

Marijuana smugglers stopped in Ariz. sewer DOUGLAS, Ariz.: Federal authorities say a person wearing scuba gear apparently tried to sneak two bundles of marijuana across the Mexican border through a sewer system. Border Patrol agents operating infrared cameras noticed several individuals illegally crossing into Arizona using a

sewer outlet near Douglas. The Douglas Station's bike patrol went to the sewer system and saw one person carrying two bundles that were suspected to be marijuana. That person was wearing a wet suit and scuba gear and was wading through waist-high water with the bundles. The per-

son saw the agents, dropped the bundles and began wading back toward Mexico and the other people spotted by the Border Patrol also fled and were not found. Officials say the marijuana weighed 55 pounds and had an estimated street value of $44,000. -AP

Illinois lawmakers have already moved to bar employers from using the system, saying its accuracy remains in question. The online tool wrongly clears illegal workers about 54 percent of the time, according to Westat, a research company that evaluated the system for the Homeland Security Department. Opponents of the Utah bill said including criminal penalties could clash with federal law and place an undue burden on businesses. A federal judge in Oklahoma has already blocked portions of an immigration law there after the US Chamber of Commerce challenged it, saying the E-Verify program is

unreliable and unfairly imposes penalties on employers. Utah lawmakers have long prided themselves on creating a business-friendly environment in the state, and even those who supported the measure in a legislative hearing said they're still not sure they'll vote for it on the Senate floor. Several business groups testified against it. ``I think we need to take a baby step toward penalties on employers,'' said Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, a Sandy Republican who favors mandating E-Verify's use. ``It's just egregious at this point.'' - AP

284 immigrants convicted of crimes nabbed in Texas DALLAS: Federal agents arrested 284 immigrants with criminal records during a three-day immigration enforcement surge across Texas their biggest push so far, authorities said here. Dubbed Operation Cross Check, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said this week's action was one of the largest sweeps the agency has ever conducted targeting at-large foreign nationals convicted of crimes. ``Texas is safer'' because fewer criminal immigrants are on its streets, ICE director John Morton said, stressing that they did not arrest any non-criminals. That's a shift from several years ago when immigrant advocates complained that ICE agents were arresting illegal immigrants who happened to be home when authorities knocked on the door looking for someone else. About 56 percent, or 159, of the 284 arrested this week had previous convictions for violent crimes such as homicide or assault. ``These are not people that we want walking our streets here in Texas or living in our communities,'' Morton said. The arrests were carried out by local law enforcement officers working with ICE, the US Marshals Service and the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service nearly 300 law enforcement officials in all. Arrests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area netted 119 criminal immigrants, 73 in San Antonio, 59 in Houston and 33 in El Paso, authorities said. Those arrested came from at least 22 nations in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, officials said, noting that Mexican nationals were not singled out. Although 95 immigrants were

convicted of drug offenses, others were sex offenders, burglars and robbers, thieves, and people convicted of firearm offenses and smuggling, Morton said. About 35 of those arrested had re-entered the US illegally after deportation. At least 26 of those face federal charges for re-entering the country illegally after being deported. A conviction carries a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, officials said. Eighteen of the 284 arrested in Texas already have been deported. ``We are a compassionate nation with a proud history of immigration,'' said Morton, the Homeland Security assistant secretary in charge of ICE. ``But we are also a

‘Texas is safer’ because fewer criminal immigrants are on its streets, ICE director John Morton said, stressing that they did not arrest any non-criminals. nation of laws. If you come here illegally and commit crimes, a different kind of welcome awaits you.'' This week's action was led by ICE's fugitive operations program, which locates, arrests and removes criminal immigrants and immigration fugitives those who have ignored final deportation orders. Last year, Morton said the fugitive teams would increasingly focus on finding people with criminal records. Cases involving immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including members of transnational street gangs and child sex offenders, are given top priority. -AP

Immigration Post

March 12, 2010

India Post

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Man sentenced in Kansas for immigrant smuggling WICHITA, Kan.: A Mexican citizen who said he only wanted to help his family after he was caught transporting illegal immigrants has been sentenced to time served since his November arrest and ordered deported. Joni Rivera-Rodriguez has been in custody since he was caught in Kansas driving a passenger van carrying 16 illegal immigrants who were citizens of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. He pleaded guilty in February to bringing in and harboring illegal immigrants. Rivera-Rodriguez tearfully asked for forgiveness, telling U.S. District Judge Monti Belot in Spanish that he had unknowingly done wrong and never thought at the time that what he was doing was so bad. Seven passengers who also were indicted already have pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the U.S. after deportation. All

were sentenced to time served and ordered deported. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson said that the Kansas case is tied to Operation Night Moves, a federal immigrant smug-

Joni Rivera-Rodriguez has been in custody since he was caught in Kansas driving a passenger van carrying 16 illegal immigrants who were citizens of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras gling investigation of Houston transportation businesses. Anderson declined to elaborate. The investigation has led to the arrests of 209 people since November, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE ex-

ecuted nine search warrants at Houston transportation businesses last month and charged owners and managers with using their businesses to transport recently smuggled immigrants across the United States. The Kansas arrests came after a police officer became suspicious when he spotted several people milling around a van at a Scott City motel. The officer questioned the passengers as to their legal status, and each responded they were not in the country lawfully, according to an affidavit from ICE agent Rick Moore. The affidavit contends one of the men told police the passengers were being driven from Houston to Denver, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A manifest in the vehicle listed passengers, destinations, telephone numbers and what appears to be the price of each trip. -AP

REFINANCE/PURCHASE

H-1B filing date approaches 5.125% Fixed (5.125% APR) Subsequent to the enactment of EAWA, USCIS revised its Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, to include a question asking whether the employer received covered funding. USCIS said it understands that some businesses who received covered funding may have repaid their obligations and may not know how to respond to the question (A.1.d on the first page of the H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement). Companies that have repaid their obligations under the law should answer "No" to question A.1.d. Those that wish to provide further information with the petition to assist USCIS in determining that their status for purposes of EAWA is correct may do so. USCIS noted that a valid LCA must be on file with DOL when

the H-1B petition (with a copy of the LCA) is filed with USCIS. Processing delays or a denial of the H-1B petition may result if the LCA does not correspond with ques-

USCIS said it understands that some businesses who received covered funding may have repaid their obligations and may not know how to respond to the question tion A.1.d of the H-1B petition, unless any inconsistency is explained to the satisfaction of USCIS. For example, if the LCA includes the additional statements, but question A.1.d is answered "no," the employer can explain that it had received cov-

ered funding at the time of filing the LCA but repaid the obligation before filing the I-129. However, if the employer indicates on the petition that it is subject to the EAWA, but the LCA does not contain the proper declarations relating to H-1B dependent employers, USCIS will deny the H-1B petition. USCIS additionally reminds employers that EAWA applies only to new hires and not to H1B petitions seeking to change the status of a beneficiary working for the petitioning employer in another work-authorized category. It also does not apply to H-1B petitions seeking an extension of H-1B status for a current employee to continue working for the same employer. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

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Tech News Big FM's new multi-lingual mobile radio

TechBiz

mphasising more of the inno vative services offered by the Reliance Media World Ltd's (RMWL) radio network has now introduced Big Mobile Radio. In a filing with the BSE, RMWL has notified that in a strategic alliance with VAS provider OnMobile Global, the Anil Dhirubhai firm is beginning with a new initiative to provide its listeners with extensive radio experience on the mobile platform. Tagged as "Big Mobile Radio", the service will give mobile users the option to listen to 17 multi-lingual specially programmed channels anywhere in India. Moreover it will also be available in selective global regions that have large Indian communities, including Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Reliance Mobile promotional for GSM subscribers

n order to provide its subscrib ers with special promotional offers, Reliance Mobile, a leading player in the Indian telephony market, has launched "Weekend Masti" promotional pack for its CDMA and GSM subscribers across the country. With these promotional packs, Reliance Mobile customers can make Unlimited Free Local calls to any other Reliance Mobile (GSM or CDMA) at any time of the day on a weekend (Saturday & Sunday). A recharge of Rs. 33/- will give Reliance Mobile subscribers Unlimited Free Local On-net calling benefits during the weekend.

42 India Post

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arper's BAZAAR, the world's oldest fashion magazine with 29 international editions, successfully completed one year in India. Harper's BAZAAR India raises a toast to the most influential element for Fashion in India Bollywood. In a casting coup, BAZAAR's first anniversary cover has brought together two of India's most stylish actors - the suave and charming Hrithik Roshan and the beautiful Katrina Kaif. The cover couple, with their unmatched sense of personal style; were unarguably the perfect choice for this special issue.

asstech Group, the global leader in broadcast content management solutions, announced the release of new software to seamlessly convert any Avalon site to its MassStore Media Asset Management (MAM) solution. This breakthrough approach minimizes the time required for the migration process to less than one day compared to others that could take months, depending on the size of the legacy content library. It has now been installed in several sites resulting in a rapid and smooth transition with minimal impact on existing operations. "When EMC announced the end of support for the Avalon product line, we felt the need to reach out to the Avalon customer base and offer our solution.

Buffet all praise for Ajit Jain in annual letter India Post News Service

NEW YORK: For millions of followers of investment czar and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet, his annual letter to the company's shareholders is a much awaited event of the year. Quotable quotes apart, Buffet's letter this year, released Feb 27, explains the guiding principles that he and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger follow in running the Omaha-based company. Considering the talk in the corporate circles and the media over the past couple of years over Buffet's successor - the most plausible name being thrown about being that of Ajit Jain, who runs one of Buffet's major insurance units -this year's letter too may have disappointed many for there is no mention or indication to that effect. However, Buffet has been consistently mentioning Jain's many merits in his annual letters and this year, even a cursory read gives an understanding of the value Buffet places on Jain to his company. "If Charlie, I

and Ajit are ever in a sinking boat," Buffet writes, "- and you can only save one of us - swim to Ajit." Buffet begins his eulogy of Jain saying, "A hugely important event in Berkshire's history occurred on

We immediately put Ajit in charge of National Indemnity's small and struggling reinsurance operation. Over the years, he has built this business into a one-of-a-kind gi-

keeps every dime of the risk instead of laying it off with other insurers. Three years ago, he took over huge liabilities from Lloyds, allowing it to clean up its relationship

‘If Charlie, I and Ajit are ever in a sinking boat," Buffet writes, "and you can only save one of us swim to Ajit’ Warren Buffet

a Saturday in 1985. Ajit Jain came into our office in Omaha - and I immediately knew we had found a superstar. (He had been discovered by Mike Goldberg, now elevated to St. Mike.)

Ajit Jain

ant in the insurance world. Staffed today by only 30 people, Ajit's operation has set records for transaction size in several areas of insurance. Ajit writes billion-dollar limits - and then

with 27,972 participants ("names") who had written problem-ridden policies that at one point threatened the survival of this 322-yearold institution. Cont’d on page 44

India's Union Budget discussed at NY Consulate India Post News Service

Harper's Bazaar India celebrates one year

March 12, 2010

Masstech announces Avalon conversion software

NEW YORK: India's general budget for 2010-11 was discussed at length with an interactive panel at the Indian Consulate in New York on March 2. The Consulate in association

eral recounted the highlights - priorities, size of outlays and thrust areas for investment of the Union Budget - 2010-11. Higher outlays for education and health, growth with inclusiveness and fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency were the main areas

Higher outlays for education and health, growth with inclusiveness and fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency were the main areas covered; the emphasis was on agriculture with USIBC and KPMG organized the discussion, which was attended by representatives of corporations, banking and financial companies, investors, academics and government officials. In his opening remarks, Dr. A. M. Gondane, Deputy Consul Gen-

covered; the emphasis was on agriculture and increased investments in rural and urban infrastructure. He mentioned that India's economy grew at 7.2% in 2009-10 despite the impact of the global economic crisis and in that trajectory higher growth rates are ex-

Dr. A.M. Gondane along with Parag Saxena of New Silk Route (left) and Dharmesh Pandya (right) of KPMG discussing the Indian Union Budget at the NY Consulate.

pected in the coming three years. The fiscal deficit, which had grown to 7.8 in 2008-2009 was 6.9% in 2009-10 and is expected to be 5.5% in 2010-2011 and progressively brought under control, in consonance with FRBM Act and the rec-

ommendations of the 13th Finance Commission. Greater outlays for the primary sector, infrastructure, fiscal consolidation and stress on outcomes were the hallmarks of the budget. Cont’d on page 43

March 12, 2010

TechBiz Post

India Post

www.indiapost.com

Asian businesswomen kick CII-IIT Council formed to push innovation projects off NJ Chapter India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Celebrating Women's History Month, the Asian Women in Business (AWIB) kicked off its New Jersey Chapter at a networking reception on March 8. The New Jersey chapter is expected to make it more convenient for New Jersey residents to participate in AWIB's extensive programs for entrepreneurs and professionals. The Chapter grows out of AWIB's 15 year tradition of providing innovative programming, which has served over 27,000 women and minorities, where professional workshops, learning opportunities, networking activities, and much more are offered. With a proven track record in delivering targeted programs that empower Asian women, AWIB has been tapped as the organization of choice for entrepreneurs and professionals seeking to maximize growth opportunities. AWIB's strong presence in

the community and proactive approach in assisting Asian women set the groundwork for the new chapter to respond to the unmet needs of the growing Asian American population in New Jersey. Established in 1995, Asian Women In

The Chapter grows out of AWIB's 15 year tradition of providing innovative programming, which has served over 27,000 women and minorities Business is the only nonprofit organization in the country with the primary mission of assisting Asian women entrepreneurs. Over the years, AWIB has expanded its mission to address issues affecting the business and professional development of Asian women.

Rajiv Khanna joins K&L Gates India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Well known New York corporate attorney Rajiv Khanna has joined the New York office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP as a partner in its corporate practice and co-chair of its South Asia initiative. Khanna joins K&L Gates from Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where he chaired the firm's India practice group. An internationally-recognized corporate lawyer, Khanna concentrates his practice on crossborder corporate finance, M&A transactions, and real estate, with a focus on India. He advises a range of Fortune 500, US, and international clients, including financial institutions, investment firms, pharmaceutical providers, and software and technology companies. Khanna is president of the India-America Chamber of Commerce, a bi-national cham-

ber dedicated to US investment into India. "K&L Gates is pleased to add Rajiv to our New York office," said Woody Collins, Administrative Partner of K&L Gates' New York office. "His extensive international transactional and corporate experience will greatly benefit the firm's clients both locally and across our global platform." K&L Gates Chairman and Global Managing Partner Peter J. Kalis said: "With Rajiv's arrival, K&L Gates' growing India practice takes a major step forward." K&L Gates includes lawyers practicing out of 35 offices located in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and represents numerous Global 500, Fortune 100, and FTSE 100 corporations, in addition to growth and middle market companies, entrepreneurs, capital market participants and public sector entities.

India's Union Budget discussed at NY Consulate Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 42

Dharmesh Pandya, Director, KPMG spoke about the various taxation issues including the Goods & Services Tax (GST) and Direct Tax Code (DTC) and the discussions with all the stakeholders in this regard. He also mentioned about rationalization of direct and indirect taxes and the tax collection mechanisms. He said that the government provided impetus to both rural and urban infrastructure and the outlays were optimal relative to the size of revenues. Parag Saxena, CEO, New Silk Route, spoke of the attractive investment scenario in India and about the growth of entrepreneurs and businesses which could help in achieving the long term goals of the economy. He said that though the budget aimed to incentivize investment and make spending more effective, more reforms

would have sent positive signals to the investment community. He mentioned the various steps that the Government could take to assist and attract foreign investors and businesses including clarity in the long term investment scenario and plans. The panelists discussed the initiatives of the Indian government including the means for setting up of Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission, Independent Evaluation Office, Financial Stability and Development Council, Coal Regulatory Authority, Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects, etc. They elaborated on the positive aspects of the budget like increased spending on education, health, agriculture and infrastructure development, the scope for inclusive growth and increased private investments. The discussion was followed by a lively question and answer session.

India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: In order to make India a global hub of excellence in cross disciplinary higher education as well as in Industrial R&D in the 21st century through IndustryAcademia collaborations, CII and all IITs have formed a CII-IIT Council today. Directors of 13 IITs and key industry captains of CII National Council are the members of this newly constituted council. In the first meeting of the Council, three very important initiatives have been launched. The first initiative is to come out with a yearly compendium of IIT-Industry successful collaborative projects and celebrate the same in a yearly convention to provide necessary recognition and rewards to inspire others. The second initiative that was launched was Industrial Technology and Innovation Mission for design and development of new products and solutions. This mission will involve creation of a pool of willing industry (with a special emphasis on MSMEs) who will invest in product development, future technologies, technologies to overcome national and global challenges. The council has also decided to develop a roadmap for 21st Century Innovation University being contemplated by the Govern-

The second initiative that was launched was Industrial Technology and Innovation Mission for design and development of new products and solutions. This mission will involve creation of a pool of willing industry (with a special emphasis on MSMEs) who will invest in product development ment of India. Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman-CII National Committee on Technology and innovation and Chairman & CEO,HCL Infosystems Ltd. Chaired the first meeting of the council. All the members felt that this initiative will provide necessary thrust for India to leapfrog towards innovation driven economy.

TechBiz Post

44 India Post

Transcend introduces new 4GB Memory Kits

ranscend launched 4GB aXeRam DDR3-2000 memory kits for Intel Core i5 platforms in India last week. These new memory kits can be used with Intel's. LGA1156 Core i5 and Core i7 platforms. The XMP-ready DDR3 kits are designed to operate at a blazing-fast clock frequency of 2000 MHz with an exceptionally low voltage of just 1.65V. Featuring memory bandwidth up to an incredible 32GB/s, Transcend's new aXeRam dualchannel memory kit is rated at 2000MHz with timings of 9-9-9-24, allowing performance enthusiasts and gamers to take their Intel Core i5 platform to the next level of memory overclocking performance. The Core i5, based on Intel's new Nehalem architecture, is the first Intel processor to integrate both a 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics

port and a two-channel DDR3 memory controller, enabling all input/output and manageability functions to be handled by the singlechip Intel P55 core-logic. Mr. Austin Huang, Regional Head - Sales, SAARC & APAC, Transcend, remarked in a prepared statement released by the company, "To ensure extra stability and signal integrity at high clock speeds, all aXeRam modules are comprised of 128Mx8 high-quality DDR3 FBGA chips and use robust eight-layer PCBs that fully comply with rigorous JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standards. The aXeRam DDR3 memory modules use premium DRAM chips and high thermal efficiency aluminium heat sinks with cooling fins to delivering amazing overclocking performance while maintaining cool temperatures."

March 12, 2010

www.indiapost.com

'Technology & innovation critical to inclusive growth' India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: In his welcome remarks delivered at "Unconference on Building India Innovation Ecosystem" in New Delhi, Mr. Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman-CII National Committee on Technology & Innovation and Chairman & CEO, HCL Infosystems Ltd. mentioned that technology and innovation is critical to inclusive growth and India needs a unique ecosystem for constant sustainable growth. An "Unconferncing on Building India Innovation Ecosystem" was held with the support of Planning Commission . The main idea behind the unconference was to discuss on creating an India focused Innovation Ecosystem by identifying the existing enablers , inferring the gaps and identifying specific goals to address key chal-

lenges of our country where innovation can play a major role . Mr Arun Maira, Member - Planning Commission was the moderator of

Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan, IIM Bangalore was the rapporteur and gave interesting visual representation of the overview of the existing Innovation ecosystems & gaps the event and gave an overview about the entire concept. Mr. Sam Pitroda advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Infrastructure &

Information called for an innovation culture that promotes breaking of processes. Prof. Samir K Brahmachari, Secretary - DSIR, and DG-CSIR shared his valuable thoughts on the above theme. Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan, IIM Bangalore was the rapporteur and gave interesting visual representation of the overview of the existing Innovation ecosystems & gaps. The interaction concluded with the feedback from the participants and consolidation by the moderator. The effort of CII was lauded in organizing such a dynamic exciting event where participants could voice theirs ideas and opinion on their take on Innovation Ecosystem All participants agreed that more similar interactive sessions will help in achieving the desired innovative ecosystem that our strongly needs.

Buffet all praise for Ajit Jain in annual letter Cont’d from page 42

The premium for that single contract was $7.1 billion. During 2009, he negotiated a life reinsurance contract that could produce $50 billion of premium for us over the next 50 or so years. Ajit's business is just the opposite of GEICO's. At that company, we have millions of small policies that largely renew year after year. Ajit writes relatively few policies, and the mix changes significantly from year to year. Throughout the world, he is known as the man to call when something both very large and unusual needs to be insured." In his 2009 annual letter to his shareholders, Buffet wrote about Jain: "Our third major insurance

operation is Ajit Jain's reinsurance division, headquartered in Stamford and staffed by only 31 em-

‘During 2009, he negotiated a life reinsurance contract that could produce $50 billion of premium for us over the next 50 or so years’ ployees. This may be one of the most remarkable businesses in the world, hard to characterize but easy to admire. From year to year, Ajit's busi-

ness is never the same. It features very large transactions, incredible speed of execution and a willingness to quote on policies that leave others scratching their heads. When there is a huge and unusual risk to be insured, Ajit is almost certain to be called. Ajit came to Berkshire in 1986. Very quickly, I realized that we had acquired an extraordinary talent. So I did the logical thing: I wrote his parents in New Delhi and asked if they had another one like him at home. Of course, I knew the answer before writing. There isn't anyone like Ajit." Like Buffet, Jain is sure to become part of Berkshire Hathaway folklore, if not a worthy successor to the legendary investor.

BBC to close 6 Music & Asian network

leading global media net work and the pubcaster in the UK region, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in order to maintain its quality of services has decided to cut down on its widespread operations. In a report at the BBC's website Director General for BBC, Mark Thompson has confirmed that the Company would be soon closing digital radio stations BBC 6 Music and Asian Network as part of a shake-up of the corporation by end of 2011. This confirmation comes after a series of reports published in

various news media publications last week. Cost-cutting activities have been on BBC's sleeves for a while now to emphasise more over its quality of content and continue to deliver programming fulfilling its agenda of public service broadcasting. In this shake-up of the organisation around half of BBC's websites would close by 2013, along with teen services Switch and Blast. Also, Thompson has proposed an extra 600 million pounds ($893 million) to be diverted into programme-making as a result of the changes, but the

union Bectu fears that it would result in around 600 layoffs. "Mr Thompson pledged that in future, 90% of every licence fee 1 pound will be spent on programming and the corporation would spend 25% less on BBC online," says the report at BBC website. The strategy view report has been submitted to the BBC Trust. The Trust has published this proposed strategy for the BBC inviting views from the public and industry on the future direction for the corporation. This strategy review can be found on the corporate website of BBC.

Classifieds

March 12, 2010

India Post 45

www.indiapost.com

MATRIMONIALS BRIDEGROOM WANTED

Parents looking for a groom for their beautiful daughter, American Citizen, 31years, 5'3" tall, Caste No Bar. Please send your picture and biodata to P.O.Box # 342, India Post 29274 Union City Blvd.,

Union City, CA - 94587.

Well Settled in California,

PUNJABI FAMILY INVITES CORRESPODENCE FOR THEIR WORKING DAUGHTER 28 YRS OF AGE, 5'6". SEEKING US RAISED WORKING BOY. SEND RESPONSE TO RSOUGU@YAHOO.COM OR CALL AT 714-234-4921

PUNJABI SIKH PARENTS INVITE CORRESPONDENCE FROM WELL ESTABLISHED FAMILIES FOR DAUGHTER, 24 YRS, BEAUTIFUL, SLIM, 5’3", MASTERS-HUMAN GENETICS, LIVING IN INDIA. PROFESSIONALS PREFERRED. PLEASE SEND BIODATA WITH PICTURE. gundeepsingh8@gmail.com PH:562-201-1130

Punjabi Khatri parents looking for a suitable professional match for their beautiful daughter,

and well educated. Kindly respond with photo and biodata to P.O.Box # 340, India Post, 29274 Union City Blvd., Union City, CA - 94587, USA.

match for Punjabi Khatri handsome son born Nov. 1978, 5'9" educated, selfemployed. Alliance invited from beautiful educated girl. Email biodata and photograph to Dreamsunlimited1@yahoo.com

or Call (626) 374-1942

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slim, 29 years, 5’5” tall

Parents seeking

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or Call 416-464-7471

For Chanderika: Seeking alliance for 41 year old/5’5” Punjabi Khatri, well established professional teacher. Very brief marriage annulled. Seeking mature, responsible match from sincere professional/businessman, West Coast preferred. Email bio-data/photo at matriad41@gmail.com.

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(Shashi Trivedi) Tel: 562-441-5511/ Fax: 562-947-0632 shashi19@yahoo.com NORTHERN CA (Sonia) Tel: 510-938-8668 sonia@indiapost.com

Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their

CHICAGO

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age 26 years, 5 feet 5 inches tall, UC graduate and profes-

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area. Please contact:

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hsnba@sbcglobal.net

permit Trying for H-1B Visa

sramesh@aol.com NEW YORK (Pinky)

Brother Dentist in India. Father & Mother in USA

OWNER OPERATORS WANTED WITH OR WITHOUT

Seeks Suitable Immigrant boy from USA or CANADA.

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THE ROAD. CALL

Fax: 212-944-1932

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Classifieds

India Post

March 12, 2010

www.indiapost.com

NEED HELP VENUS SALON NEED

Urgent Help Needed

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for senior male.

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IN CLEVELAND Upscale Indian Cuisine (Inchin’s Bamboo Garden- Tadka) In Cleveland Ohio is looking for Professional servers Good compensation Call

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& desire to help seniors

DECOTO RD.,

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510-381-2105

INTERESTED IN PUPPIES? 1 MALE AND 1 FEMALE ENGLISH BULLDOG. If you are interested in the puppies. Contact email revjohn.colins99@yahoo.com

or e-mail

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Currently seeking payroll clerks and accountants.

(440) 734-0500

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e-mail resumes or

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March 12, 2010

Classifieds

India Post 47

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GET FREE PRODUCTS EVERYDAY! There's a company that gives never-ending freebies to you. And you can make a monthly income too! Get FREE groceries, FREE jewelry, FREE electronics, FREE software, and more. In fact, just about anything you can think of, there is a category of freebies. To join, go to www.abm.nocashever.com Questions? getfreebiesnow@yahoo.com

BUSINESS FOR SALE Quiznos in a prime location in Inland Empire area for sale. Only interested parties, CONTACT

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Please Call (314)-922-8190 or (213)-926-2727

Datebook

48 India Post

March 12, 2010

www.indiapost.com

NEW YORK Upcoming Sat March 13 • Holi Celebration 2010 Venue: Warde High School, Fairfield, 755 Melville Av., Fairfield, Connecticut Time: 4pm to 7pm Contact: 203-329-3234

ILLINOIS Upcoming Sat March 13 • Holi Hai!!! Venue: Iowa Community Center, 338 N. Iowa Ave., Villa Park, IL 60181 Time: 6:30pm to 11pm Contact: 630-542-2318

Tues March 16 Sat March 13

• Ugadi Celebrations

• Zakir Hussain's Masters of Percussion

Venue: Hindu Temple, 10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, Illinois Time: 10:30am to 7:30pm Contact: (630) 972-0300

Venue: Rose Theater, Broadway at 60th Street, New York Time: 8pm Contact: 212-545-7536

Fri March 19 • Bombay Jazz - Indian-inspired jazz & jazz-flavored ragas Venue: Skirball Center, for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, Washington Square South, New York Time: 8pm Contact: 212-545-7536

Sat March 27 • IMPACT Aatif Aslam and Shreya Ghoshal - live in Concert Venue: Trump Taj Mahal Casino, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic city, NY Time: 7:30pm Contact: 609-432-3301

Tues March 16 • Ugadi Celebrations Venue: Hindu Temple, 10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, Illinois Time: 10:30am to 7:30pm Contact: (630) 972-0300

Fri March 19 • Shakuntala Venue: Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg, Illinois Time: 7:30pm to 9:30pm Contact: 847-755-9625

WASHINGTON DC Upcoming Fri March 19

Thurs March 25

• Love Times Seven

Mangalam - A Bollywood Wedding Affair

Venue: Ernst Theater, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, Virginia Time: 7:30pm Contact: 202-365-4415

Venue: The Saloon, 1584 York Avenue, Between 83rd & 84th Street, New York Time: 8pm to 2am Contact: 347-633-8429

Wed March 24 Fri April 2 Amjad Ali Khan: Master of Sarod Venue: Miller Theatre at Columbia University, 2960 Broadway (at 116th Street), New York Contact: 917-971-7510

Sat May 1 • Dancing STAR ka Damaka Venue: Shreenath Enterprise Inc, 220-15, 92 ave queens village, New York Time: 7pm Contact: 347-513-8526

• Ram Navmi Venue: Hare Krishna Temple, 10310 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, Maryland Contact: 301-299-2100

Sat March 27 • 2010 Space Odyssey Venue: Heritage Lounge, 1337 Connecticut Ave, Washington, District of Columbia Time: 9:30pm Contact: 402-933-0647

Fri April 2 • The Essence of All Advice Venue: Hare Krishna Temple, Potomac, Maryland, 20854 Contact: 301-299-2100

NEW JERSEY Upcoming

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Upcoming

Thus March 11

Fri March 12

• Hasya Rus- 3 Hours Comedy Express

• SEF presents Shreya Ghoshal Live in Concert

Venue: Quality Inn, Maple Shade, NJ, Cherry Hill, NJ, Rt 73 North & RT 38, Maple Shade, New Jersey Time: 7:30pm to 10:30pm Contact: 856-313-6741

Venue: Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, California Time: 7:30pm Contact: 1-866-Sankara

Sat March 13 • Madan Mohan A Musical Legend

Sat March 13

Venue: Sri Venkateswara Temple Auditorium, 780, Old farm Rd., Bridgewater, New Jersey Time: 4:30pm to 7:30pm Contact: 973-539-5534

• A Musical Tribute to the Greatest Bollywood Legends

Sat March 20

Venue: Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Road, Newark, California Time: 6:30pm to 11:30pm Contact: 510-673-0153

• Naach Revolution Venue: Union County Arts Center, 1601 Irving Street, Rahway, New Jersey Time: 6pm to 9pm Contact: 732-763-0118

Sat March 27

Tues March 16 • Ugadi Celebrations Venue: Hindu Temple, 10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, Illinois Time: 10:30am to 7:30pm Contact: (630) 972-0300

• Marathi Vishwa-Vasantotsav 2010

Sat March 20

Venue: Crosroads Middle School- South, 195 Major Road, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey Time: 3pm to 8pm Contact: 732-355-9844

• Nachle Express 2010 Dance Show

Sat March 27

Sun March 21

• 2010 Spring Festival

• Asha For Education 5k/10k Spring Run

Venue: Ocean Township High School, Ocean, New Jersey Time: 3pm to 9pm Contact: 732-801-4694

Venue: Kite Flying Area, Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California Time: 8am to 1pm Contact: 408-627-0306

Sat May 29

Venue: The MAC, 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Ill Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm Contact: (630) 216-9632

• Vishwa Marathi Natya Sammelan

Tues March 30

Venue: Raritan Center, New Jersey Convention Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, New Jersey Highlights: The VMNS will be hosted and executed by the US branch of ABMNP, led by Dr. Meena Nerurkar and her team. It will have an attendance of some V.V.I.P.s in the entertainment industry, about 200 top notch artists from Maharashtra, the chief minister of Maharashtra and government representatives.

• Tabla Performer for hire

Sat April 3

Every 4th Sat every Month

• India Fair 2010 Venue: New Jersey Exhibition And Convention Center, Raritan Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, New Jersey Time: 11am to 9pm Contact: 609-240-2350

Venue: Bay Area, Berkeley, California 94705 Time: 6pm Contact: 510-486-8266

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Upcoming • Durga Mata Ka Jagaran Venue: 2335 S. Diamond Bar Boulevard, DBC Center, Diamond Bar, CA Time: 6:30pm Contact: 909-519-1579, 626-810-2345

Every Thursday evening • Pranayam, Meditation & Healing Venue: 18743, Pioneer Blvd, Suite Artesia, CA 90702 Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm Contact: (949)235-2960

Every Sat (start from Sat Aug 8) • Gurukul Classes for Children Venue: Sindhu Center, South California Time: 2pm to 4pm Contact: 818-541-1754 & 909-576-1114 Highlights: Children between the ages of 5 and 18. Children will be taught the Fundamentals of Hinduism, Prayers, Shlokas, Bhajans and Values of our culture.

Fri March 12 • Science Seminar Series Venue: Ohlone College, 43600 Mission Boulevard in Fremont, Room 3201 (Building 3, Second Floor) Time: 12:50pm Highlights: Bridges Between Science and Art: Geopoetry and Geologist Poets of Russia, Explore the fascinating connections between science and the humanities as Paul Belasky, Ohlone College professor of Geology and noted author, discusses geopoetry and geologist poets of Russia.

Fri March 12 • A Bollywood Dance Show! Venue: Highways Performance Space, 18th Street Arts Center1651 18th St, Santa Monica, California Time: 8:30pm Contact: 310-315-1459

Sat Arpil 10 and Sun April 11 • The Domestic Crusaders Venue: The Durham Studio Theater, University of California, Berkeley Time: April 10: matinee at 2 pm & evening show at 7:30 pm April 11: matinee at 2pm followed by Q&A with the Playwright, Director, Carla Blank, and Producer, Ishmael Reed. Contact: 510.643.4130 Highlights: A two-act Muslim American family drama by acclaimed Pakistani-American playwright, Wajahat Ali This staged reading, about three generations of a Muslim Pakistani-American family features the widely acclaimed New York City cast

Philosophy

March 12, 2010

India Post

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very important moment in the work on oneself is when a man begins to distinguish between his personality and his essence. A man's real I, his individuality, can grow only from his essence. It can be said that a man's individuality is his essence, grown up, mature. But in order to enable essence to grow up, it is first of all necessary to weaken the constant pressure of personality upon it, because the obstacles to the growth of essence are contained in personality. 'If we take an average cultured man, we shall see that in the vast majority of cases his personality is the active element in him while his essence is the passive element. The inner growth of a man cannot begin so long as this order of things remains unchanged. Personality must become passive and essence must become active. This can happen only if 'buffers' are removed or weakened, because 'buffers' are the chief weapon by the help of which personality holds essence in subjection. "As has been said earlier, in the case of less cultured people essence is often more highly developed than it is in cultured man. It would seem that they ought to be nearer the possibility of growth, but in reality it is not so because their personality proves to be insufficiently developed.

od is everywhere and at all times; He sees everything. He understands the needs of all and supplies them as He knows fit. But man is hardly aware of this truth; even if he is aware of it, he does not fully believe it. Some evil in him obstructs complete self surrender. Once a devout 18-year-old Christian girl left her hearth and home to follow the Lord. When

For inner growth, for work on oneself, a certain development of personality as well as a certain strength of essence are necessary. Personality consists of 'rolls,' and of 'buffers' resulting from a certain work of the centers. "An insufficiently developed personality means a lack of 'rolls,' that is, a lack of knowledge, a lack of information, a lack of the material upon which work on oneself must be based. Without some store of knowl-

intellectual development, remain open to him. But the methods and the means which are possible for a man of a developed intellect are impossible for him. Thus evolution is equally difficult for a cultured or an uncultured man. A cultured man lives far from nature, far from natural conditions of existence, in artificial conditions of life, developing his personality at the expense of his essence. A less cultured man, living in more normal and more natural conditions,

Let personality become passive, essence active P D OUSPENSKY

A cultured man lives far from nature, far from natural conditions of existence, in artificial conditions of life, developing his personality at the expense of his essence

edge, without a certain amount of material 'not his own,' a man cannot begin to work on himself, he cannot begin to study himself, he cannot begin to struggle with his mechanical habits, simply because there will be no reason or motive for undertaking such work. "It does not mean that all the ways are closed to him. The way of the fakir and the way of the monk, which do not require any

develops his essence at the expense of his personality. A successful beginning of work on oneself requires the happy occurrence of an equal development of personality and essence. Such an occurrence will give the greatest assurance of success. "If essence is very-little developed, a long preparatory period of work is required and this work will be quite fruitless if a man's essence is rotten inside or if it devel-

the streets of a great town are people who are empty inside, that is, they are actually already dead. "It is fortunate for us that we do not see and do not know it. If we knew what a number of people are actually dead and what a number of these dead people govern our lives, we should go mad with horror. The 132nd birth anniversary of P.D. Ouspensky was observed on March 5

ceeded on her way" Although I was travelling as a guest of wealthy and powerful princes and under their arrangements, I was unwilling to provide myself with a large quantity of food because of my simple faith in God and my spirit of renunciation. This sometimes caused serious difficulties on the way, but the Lord of the universe was everywhere sheltering me under His care.

plenty. God is ever ready to attend to the welfare of His devotees, just as He provides for the birds in the air. Not only in the matter of food, but also in other matters, God used to stretch forth His helping hand and pull us out of every difficulty. A man with his two sons was walking through a field. He was holding one of his children in his arm while the other clasped his other hand walking along with him.

did not stumble and get hurt. The boy who tripped and got hurt represent self help with regards to spirituality and the other who was safe in the father's arm represent surrender. When one indulges in self help in spirituality, one is caught up in the sense of doer-ship which further binds. But when one surrenders, he is on the road to freedom which bestows bliss. Rama and Lakshmana once thrust their bows onto the bank of river Pampa while they descended to take a bath. When they emerged out of the water to the shore and pulled out their bows, they found blood stained in the tip of Lakshmana's bow. Rama directed Lakshmana's attention to it saying that they possibly could have hurt something. Lakshmana at once dug the ground to find a bull frog hurt and bleeding. Rama enquired the frog in a sorrowful voice as to why it had not called out. He further asked as to why the frog submitted to the pain when it used to cry out in terror when ever it was likely to be the prey of a snake. The frog replied, whenever I was in trouble I used to cry out 'Rama...'. But when Rama Himself was killing me I kept still.

Surrender is the road to freedom TAPOVAN MAHARAJ

For people who repose implicit faith in God and His infinite mercy, can there by anything like want? Even in the solitary Himalayan recesses where one hardly ever hears of food, they experience plenty

she renounced all earthly possessions, she kept just a penny with her for the next meal. Then she heard a voice from the sky. "Did you give up everything else to trust in this one penny?" At once she replied. "My Lord! I came out trusting you, not the penny, and immediately flung away the coin. 'Trusting solely in the care of the Lord, she pro-

ops some irreparable defects. Conditions of this kind occur fairly often. An abnormal development of personality very often arrests the development of essence at such an early stage that the essence becomes a small deformed thing. From a small deformed thing nothing else can be got. "Moreover, it happens fairly often that essence dies in a man while his personality and his body are still alive. A considerable percentage of the people we meet in

When Mahatmas' wander all alone even in deserts, wasting not a thought on the morrow of what to eat or where to rest. God protects them against all harm. For people who repose implicit faith in God and His infinite mercy, can there by anything like want? Even in the solitary Himalayan recesses where one hardly ever hears of food, they experience

As they walked they spotted a kite in the sky. The one holding the hand of the father let go of it and started clapping his hands with excitement at the sight of the kite. Doing so he tripped and fell. Hurting himself he started crying loudly. The other safe in the father's arm also indulged in joyfully clapping his hands with great excitement but

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 Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future. - Swami Sivananda Comfort comes as guest, lingers to become host and stays to enslave us. -Swami Chinmayananda Faith is the pierless bridge supporting what we see unto the scene that we do not. -Emily Dickinson The myriad forces in India have no resultant pressure, being nullified by being pitched one against the other. Is it not a pity? What is the reason? Because each party concentrates its attention on the faults of its neighbour. -Swami Rama Tirath When all the knots that strangle the heart are loosened, the mortal becomes immortal. Here in this very life. -Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

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March 12, 2010

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The pro-talks argument ALI AHMED

ndia and Pakistan are talking again. If that is taken as good enough, then the fact that little progress was made in the latest round of talks is not taken amiss. Those happy with the outcome argue that since Pakistan has not obliged India in rolling back terror infrastructure there is no case for meaningful talks. Pursuing these amounts to talking with a 'gun to the head', which no self-respecting nation can countenance. In the Islamabad joint statement, resuming talks required Pakistan to discontinue terror. Since this has not been done, Pakistan is remiss. The linkage of non-state actors to elements within the state indicates Pakistan's double game. Secondly, talking reduces the scope of intelligence and military

two leaders pledged that they would not allow terrorism to impede the peace process." This was the manner in which the peace process was to be made 'irreversible'. Lacking the ballast of political consensus, talks are unlikely to prove consequential. The alternative to productive talks being the hard line, a look at its effectiveness is warranted. The Sri Lankan example of single mindedness in dealing with terror is gaining traction. The Fonseka arrest episode is but the latest evidence on the effect of the hard line on Sri Lanka's polity. Vir Sanghvi in his Sunday column in Hindustan Times mentions Dr Manmohan Singh's view on covert means, that Sanghvi advocates. He recounts asking Manmohan Singh why India re-

more difficult to argue that it has resorted to the hard line at all; leave alone whether this has been useful. Pokhran II did not prevent Kargil. India has experimented with a 'live' Line of Control and with coercive diplomacy through mobilizing its military might. It has resorted to brinkmanship in bringing down a Pakistani military aircraft. That intelligence action has been taken in Baluchistan as Pakistan alleges is not implausible; intelligence agencies not being known to advertise their 'success'. The myth of India's pacific behavior is difficult to challenge, but it would be useful to. Doing so would help view India as Pakistani decision makers privy to Indian doings - may be viewing it. Their reaction is expectedly along realist lines since they are in uniform. Their actions can be interpreted as their end of a dialogue of violence. Therefore, is

The observation that Pakistan has not done enough on the terror front is correct. But to expect it to do more is both unstrategic and unrealistic Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao with Salman Bashir, her Pakistani counterpart

pressure that can be mounted against Pakistan to act against terror. Not only does the deterrence value of possible military action reduce - the carrot being preferred over the stick - but ambivalence to use of force is conveyed, detracting further from deterrence. Lastly, talking to Pakistan at this stage is giving it greater strategic latitude. It has managed to keep India marginalized in the emerging post London Conference AfPak scenario. India therefore needs to be circumspect in falling in line with Western pressure to ease pressure on Pakistan. These reasons have led to an unproductive second round of foreign secretary level talks since 26/11. This indicates that the Prime Minister has yet to recover from being forced onto the back foot by the reaction to Sharm el-Sheikh. This was despite the wording in the joint statement being virtually a repeat of the formulation in the April 2005 joint statement during Musharraf's visit to Delhi, "The

jected the covert option and his answer summed up the mood in government, "because of the manner in which it would brutalize the Indian State and damage our moral psyche. Indians simply do not do such things." The fallout of reliance on military and intelligence instruments is on internal politics. This would expand their political clout which would give them disproportionate power in a polity vulnerable to conservative forces as obtains in India. The conflict with an external 'other' in the form of Pakistan, would be exploited by interested forces to bear down on an internal 'other', seen to be allied with the external 'other' by undefined terror linkages. Both Pakistan and India have resorted to these instruments and these have not got either state anywhere. This is more obvious in case of Pakistan in the cross hairs of a backlash. Since Indian self-image is that of a defensive state that perpetually reacts, it is

it not possible to argue that India's hard line contributes to the threat it faces? The observation that Pakistan has not done enough on the terror front is correct. But to expect it to do more is both unstrategic and unrealistic. To help it do more, the obligation that India would engage in talks meaningfully had found mention in the Islamabad joint statement. This obligation was met while Musharraf was in control. However, little progress thereafter is attributed to political disarray in Pakistan. Talks not having made headway, is it any surprise that terror continues? The two states have constituencies favoring both approaches - dialogue and violence. The two are in political contest in respective polity. The talks constituency is at a disadvantage since pressure and the threat of violence helps justify itself in light of the counter it evokes. Incapable of delivering peace, it needs to be exposed as self-serving. The writer is a Security Analyst

India Post Separatist tactics

ndia has to tread with caution in dealing with separatist leaders in Kashmir. They do not command a great following but they are able to ignite a minority, particularly the youth, in creating trouble for the government, the security forces and the police just in order to keep the pot of anti-India sentiments boiling. If they really had the majority of the populace with them, they could have taken part in the elections and won them. As a test case senior separatist leader Sajjad Lone fought the last assembly election and lost. He learnt that the people are not with him in the cause that he was mistakenly espousing. They were more concerned with jobs and a daily peaceful life. The lifestyle of the separatist leaders also betrays the fact that they are being financed. They frantically keep looking for causes to disrupt normal functioning by calling for strikes over dubious causes. And if someone gets hurt in police action, there is more grist to their mill. Peace in Kashmir is anathema to them. From time to time these separatist leaders keep visiting the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi to seek guidance for creating further trouble in Kashmir. It was not widely reported in the Indian press that when Pakistan's foreign secretary came for talks with Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, he first had a meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders. Thus he came to the talks after having done his bit to give a boost to the separatists and their cause. This what he meant when he claimed after the talks that he had "substantive" talks on Kashmir. Should the Indian government have allowed Bashir Ali to talk to the separatists? Some Indian commentators have objected to this practice. MJ Akbar observed in his column that if the Pakistani foreign secretary wanted to talk to Kashmiri representatives, why did he not meet Omar or Farooq Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mehbooba Mufti or Ghulam Nabi Azad, who represent parties that have won a substantial number of seats in the assembly? Akbar says Bashir Ali wanted to hear what Syed Ali Geelani wanted say, that there was a storm brewing in the Valley. Bashir is reported to have reassured Geelani that "Pakistan had not abandoned its dream of altering the map of India." India could easily have stopped these meetings from taking place by not allowing separatist leaders to visit Delhi. Is the policy of the Indian government in being soft to the secessionists a wise one? Which other government would allow secessionists to meet their foreign masterminds on its own soil? Look at China going berserk over Obama meeting Dalai Lama in Washington! Like China, should India have come down heavily on the separatists and denied them the meeting knowing what was to transpire at it? There is another and a saner view which the more experienced Indian diplomats must have considered. If the separatists had been denied an opportunity to meet their Pakistani master, they would have raised a ruckus in the Kashmir valley which would have led to some unfortunate deaths at the hands of security forces and given new life to their now dying agitation. By allowing them to go ahead and meet Bashir Ali, they were able to make two points. One that the separatists are not a major force in Kashmir so they were allowed to have their two-penny worth of meeting. And the second point, which is more interesting, that each of the separatists, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammed Yasin Malik refused to meet the visiting Pakistani officials together. Each of them insisted on a one-to-one meeting. That shows how the separatists will ever remain separate!

March 12, 2010

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India Post 51

52 India Post

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March 12, 2010

RISK MANAGER. “IN OUR CULTURE, YOU ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT HEART DISEASE IN MEN, BUT MY REPORT WAS AWFUL — WORSE THAN MY HUSBAND’S. BUT NOW I’M BETTER THAN EVER.” —Meenu Mehta

PEOPLE OF SOUTH ASIAN DESCENT HAVE 4X THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE.

Meenu Mehta knew her cholesterol was too high, but she had no idea she was at risk for coronary heart disease until her evaluation at the South Asian Heart Center. There, she underwent an in-depth assessment for risk factors common in people who trace their origins to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The Center performs a comprehensive lab test that also includes emerging genetic markers not included in conventional screenings. Besides identifying the complete risk profile, the Center counsels participants on healthy lifestyle changes, with a special sensitivity to South Asian culture and diet. Participants receive a personalized, comprehensive heart health plan, with ongoing phone and e-mail coaching to help them stay on track. The changes Meenu made in her routine helped her lose 15 pounds and lower her cholesterol from 350 to 142. As Meenu says, “I feel like I have someone watching over me. I have to respond, and that helps me succeed.”

Don’t miss Scarlet Night, the South Asian Heart Center’s annual fundraiser. Saturday, March 20, 6:00–11:30 p.m. Register at www.southasianheartcenter.org/scarlet.

650-940-7242