IndiaPost_05-07-2010 by Ghanshyam Bisht

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India launches its first stealth warship Details on page 6

Hinduism Summit awakens Chicagoans Details on page 12

White House initiative on Asian Americans

VOL 15, No. 817

May 7, 2010

50¢

Periodical Postage

BIG RISE IN COMMUNITY CANDIDATES FOR NOV India Post News Service

the federal level. "This rise in Indian Americans running for public office provides an amazing opportunity to come together as a community, support our candidates and make a difference in these elections. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our friends of IALI abreast of the political landscape this mid-term election year, we will be sending regular race updates and analysis of candidates," says Bhavna Pandit, IALI Political Director. Details on page 6

Madhuri Gupta

Indian woman spy may have embraced Islam Details on page 7

Community opposes new Arizona law Details on page 45

Few H-1B petitions filed this year

Details on page 7 Details on page 45

OFBJP calls for united fight against Maoists

Ajeet Singhvi to be next AAPI President

Details on page 10

Details on page 41

‘DU may face action for radiation leak’

'Westernized' version of Kites simultaneously

Details on page 9

Details on page 26

India to get direct access to Headley Details on page 10

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

Will Indian American candidates make a mark in Nov? Last week’s result

Is India’s NRGEA success overblown? YES 35%

NO 65%

FRIENDS?: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani, on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit, in Thimphu, Bhutan on April 29

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 24-25 Classifieds --------------------- 49-51

India, Pak to resume ministerial talks

Community Post -------------- 12-22 Date Book -------------------------- 52 Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 41-43

THIMPHU: Breaking the ice, India and Pakistan have decided to resume dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers soon as Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani met here in their first substantive engagement in less than a year. During their meeting, Singh and Gilani decided that the channels of dialogue between the two countries should be kept open to restore "trust and confidence" in the bilateral relationship.

This was their first meeting after their dialogue in Sharm-el-Sheik in Egypt on July 16, 2009 following which a major controversy had broken out in India on the contents of the joint statement. Terrorism and the "slow progress" of Pakistan's probe into Mumbai attacks formed part of the agenda of the discussions which were held at the 'Bhutan House' here on the margins of the SAARC Summit.

Horoscope ------------------------- 44

Details on page 8

Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 31-34

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Immigration Post ------------- 41-43 India ---------------------------------- 40 Life Style ----------------------- 26-30 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate ------------------------ 44 TechBiz Post ------------------- 37-39

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his may be coming a few weeks too late but I cannot go without this small note in remembrance of Prof. C.K. Prahalad -- a rare visionary, man agement guru and compelling orator of modern times -- who passed away in San Diego, April 16. Professor of Strategy at the University of Michigan, Prahalad - ranked number one among world thought leaders -- was legendary for his uncanny faith in India and her potential. I have heard him speak at various forums of his vision for India @ 75. And I reproduce here some of his most doable aspirations for the country, which unfortunately he did not live long enough to see happen. "India should have the right and the ability to shape the emerging world order; moral leadership is fundamental for India to take its rightful place." "If we can totally leverage the strength of India, we can create 200 million graduates and 500 million trained professionals in every field of human endeavor." "It is possible that 30 of the Fortune 100 firms will come from India. India can provide 10 per cent of World trade." "The bottom of the pyramid is a huge source of innovation, it's not just the market it's not just the micro producers, but it is fundamentally a source of innovation." "India will produce at least 10 Nobel Prize winners during the period." "If we can demonstrate to the world that we can not only understand how to live with diversity but we can leverage diversity, we become the most benchmarked country in the world." "In 2022, abject poverty may not be the big issue in India. A bigger monster to deal with is income inequality." "At a minimum, India needs to build at least 500 new cities; otherwise every city will be a slum." "Corrupt nations do not develop their human capital. And corrupt countries are not rich." "All of us can share the same passion of what India can be, not what she is today; I just want to live long enough to see it."

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Akshay romances not only Sallu's girlfriend Katrina but also ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'Action Replayy'.

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NOVEMBER POLL

Big rise in Indian American candidates India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The November election is about six months away, but the 2010 cycle has already proven to be historic for the Indian American community. According to the Indian American Leadership Initiative (IALI) that has endorsed various Democratic candidates across the country, there has been an unprecedented Dr. Ami Bera rise in Indian Americans who have decided to run for office, most notably on the federal level. "This rise in Indian Americans running for public office provides an amazing opportunity to come together as a community, support our candidates and make a difference in these elections. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our friends of IALI abreast of the political landscape this midterm election year, we will be sending regular race updates and analysis of candidates," says Bhavna Pandit, IALI Political Director. Of the notable candidates at the federal level are: Dr. Ami Bera (D), candidate for Congress in California's 3rd district, running against sitting Republican Congressman, Dan

Lundgren. Dr. Bera has been selected for the DCCC's Red to Blue program which highlights the candidates who are running solid campaigns with a path to victory. He does not Raj Goyle have a primary opponent so will have the ability to focus all his monies on the general election on November 4th. Bera has proven himself to be one of the top fundraisers in the country and his success has been noted in papers from CA to Washington DC including the Washington Post. Raj Goyle (D), candidate for Congress in Kansas's 4th district, is runKamala Harris ning in an open seat. Goyle too has been selected for the DCCC's Red to Blue program and does not have a primary opponent. Kamala Harris (D) is a candidate for Attorney General in California, running in a Democratic Primary for the open AG seat. Harris was recently endorsed by Speaker

of the House Nancy Pelosi and by the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa She is facing a number of Challengers in the June 8th Reshma Saujani Democratic Primary but internal polling data has her leading her closest competitor by 16 points. Reshma Saujani (D) is a candidate for Congress in New York 14th District, running in a primary against sitting D e m o c r a t C a r o l y n Maloney. Saujani's fundraising prowess has been noted widely in the New York press; Dr. Manan Trivedi she raised over $400,000 in the first quarter of 2010 Dr. Manan Trivedi (D), candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 6th district, is running in a Democratic Primary against sitting Republican Jim Gerlach. Trivedi has received a number of endorsements lately including VoteVets, the largest progressive Veterans PAC in the nation. He outraised his Democratic Primary opponent in the

First quarter and has enormous momentum to win the May 18th primary in a district Obama won by 17 points. Several other IndianHansen Clarke American Democrats are running for office this election cycle. IALI has been in touch with the respective campaigns and is currently involved in the vetting process with these candidates: Hansen Clarke (D) is a candidate running for Congress in Michigan's 13th District; Peter Matthews (D) is a candidate running for Congress in California's 37th District; Ravi Sangisetty (D) is a candidate running for Congress in Louisiana's 3rd district; Surya Yalamanchili (D) is a candidate running for Congress in Ohio's 2nd District. Ravi Sangisetty Among the Republican candidates, the most high profile campaign has been that of Nikki Haley, who is running for Governor in South Carolina.

India commissions its first stealth warship MUMBAI: India has commissioned its first indigenously-built stealth warship with sophisticated features to hoodwink enemy radars and gained entry into a top club of developed countries having such capability. Inducting 'INS Shivalik', the first of the three-ship Project-17 frigates, at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks (MDL), Defense Minister A K Antony called it a red letter day for the armed forces. The 143-metre-long warship, with 6,000tonne displacement, has "versatile control systems with signature management and radar cross-section reduction features." The other countries having the capability to build stealth warships are the US, the UK, Russia, France, China, Japan and Italy. "It is a red letter day for the Navy, armed forces and ship building industry of India. We can consider ourselves as a really potent force and the Navy has to maintain eternal vigilance since we have a long coastline," Antony said unveiling the new warship. "We have to maintain high-level of operational readiness at all times. Only a professional Navy can meet all its challenges," he said.

The Navy currently has a 130-warship- enemy with low radar cross section, be it of enous design effort of the Directorate of strong fleet which includes an aircraft car- the hull, infra-red or sound signatures," Naval Design that has since 1954 designed rier, 20 landing ships, eight destroyers, 12 according to Navy's Director General for 17 warships of different classes with 80 units frigates and 16 attack submarines based in Naval Design Rear Admiral K N built out of them. Currently, there are four designs from which 11 warships are under four commands headquartered in Mumbai Vaidhyanathan. (Western Naval Command), Visakhapatnam "Shivalik is a steep jump in the indig- construction," he said. -PTI (Eastern Naval Command), Kochi (Southern Naval Command) and Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Joint Command). Shivalik class warships can deal with multiple threat environment and are fitted with weapon suite comprising both area and point defense systems. It has sensors for air, surface and subsurface surveillance, electronic support and counter equipment and decoys for 'soft kill measures'. Two more of the Shivalik class -- INS Sayahdri and INS Satpura -- would be ready for commissioning by November this year and middle of next year respectively. "INS Shivalik has the latest A sailor walks past the Indian NavyĂs newly-commisioned warship INS Shivalik in Mumbai on April 29 stealth features to outsmart the

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May 7, 2010

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Indian woman spy may have embraced Islam ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Madhuri Gupta, the 53-year-old second secretary arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, may have embraced Islam about six years ago, a media report has claimed. Gupta, who was posted at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was perhaps a Shia Muslim, according to a media report. "She was really inspired by the teachings of Islam but was scared to announce her new faith," reads a report in the Post. "Her kin has very close relations with a well-known Muslim family of Ashiq Hussain Jafri in Lucknow. Ms Gupta spent her early life in Lucknow with Jafri's family where she enthused (sic) Islamic values," the Post quoted a source as saying. Gupta was spotted in the month of Ramzan by a local journalist wearing a bangle and rings which usually members of the Shia sect wear. "I am fasting and I have great respect for Islam," she told the journalist. RAW official under scanner She was brought to Delhi and arrested for allegedly passing on information to Pakistani intelligence agencies.

Simultaneously, the station head of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Islamabad R K Sharma has also come under the scanner, official sources said. A promotee officer of Ministry of External Affairs, Madhuri was summoned to Delhi on the pretext of discussions on the current SAARC summit meeting held in Thimpu, Bhutan, the sources said. The officer, working in the Mission for nearly three years, is

Gupta was spotted in the month of Ramzan by a local journalist wearing a bangle and rings which usually members of the Shia sect wear. ‘I am fasting and I have great respect for Islam,’ she told the journalist alleged to have been passing on information from the Mission to her contacts in ISI till her movements came under surveillance of Intelligence Bureau sleuths. Home Secretary G K Pillai said Gupta had been passing information to Pakistani agencies. "She has been arrested," he said.

The sources said Gupta, a spinster, is alleged to have been taking information from the RAW station head in Islamabad, which was passed to the Pakistani spy agencies. The sources said that the role of Sharma had also come under scanner for allegedly abusing his position and passing information to Gupta. However, it was not clear whether he knew the woman officer's real designs, the sources said. Hoping for US posting Sources say Madhuri was hoping for a plum diplomatic posting in either London or Washington. "I should get London or Washington," a confident Gupta told PTI few months back. Gupta had earlier served in the Indian mission in Baghdad and said she was looking forward to another good posting sometime later this year. Gupta made friends easily and was great with small talk. She could talk about clothes, hair styles or Pakistan's Urdu press "where the real news was" with equal ease. "English newspapers are boring. They always pick up news a day late. If you want to read real news, real gossip, read Urdu newspapers," she told this correspondent once. Gupta learnt Urdu in New Delhi

shortly before she was posted to Pakistan in late 2007. She hired a Muslim woman as a private tutor to teach her. "She taught me from scratch. I didn't even know my 'alif-bays'," said Gupta, who had earlier learnt another foreign language at Jawaharlal Nehru University's school of languages. Gupta spoke perfect Urdu and could have easily passed off as a Pakistani because of her accent.

Sources say Madhuri was hoping for a plum diplomatic posting in either London or Washington. ‘I should get London or Washington,’ a confident Gupta told PTI few months back Like locals, she was always well dressed, make-up in place, her hair coloured and looked younger than her age. "I bought this in Lajpat Nagar on my last trip to India," she said when friends recently praised her stylish new coat. Gupta sometimes came across

as brash and fearless, especially when she regaled friends with tales of driving to India via the Islamabad-Lahore motorway, often at breakneck speed. "I did the Lahore motorway in three-and-ahalf hours," she would tell friends, most of whom admired her guts for driving to and fro alone. No access Meanwhile the government said in New Delhi that Madhuri did not have access to highly classified material and investigations in the matter are continuing. "The position occupied by the official did not involve access to highly classified material. The official is now cooperating with us in our inquiries," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said in a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha. Kaur said at this stage, for national security reasons, it is not possible to divulge details of information that may have been compromised or to comment on the case as investigations are on. The minister, however, said that as a result of counter intelligence efforts, "We had reason to believe that an official of the High Commission of India in Islamabad had been passing information to the Pakistan intelligence agencies".-PTI

White House strengthens Asian American initiative SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In advance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders announced April 27, the Obama administration's efforts to improve the lives of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities underserved by federal resources. The Initiative will collaborate with top agency officials and community leaders in roundtable discussions on education opportunities, housing, jobs, employment issues and health disparities. Experts with hands-on community experience will advise federal agencies on critical issues and share innovative models of proven success. "We want all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to know what resources the Obama administration has available to help improve their lives," Kiran Ahuja Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders said. "By building strong collaboration

between federal agency officials and community leaders, we're taking the first step towards investing in a mutually beneficial partnership to create easier access to educational opportunities and program services." In a teleconference the after-

The Initiative will collaborate with top agency officials and community leaders in roundtable discussions on education opportunities, housing, jobs, employment issues and health disparities noon of Apr 27, Ahuja said although across the board all American communities were impacted by several common issues, specific to the AAPI communities that the Initiative would be looking at are data collection, analy-

sis and research in an attempt to unmask disparities. "It's also about better understanding of how these issues impact our communities and making all of this information available to our communities, the language access is so critically important," she said. While education and healthcare were critically important areas for AAPI communities, Ahuja said in response to India Post's question that "with respect to immigration related issues, while we will not be playing an active role in the immigration reform itself, we will be listening to the communities and taking back their voices to the administration." "The President is committed to maximizing the government's ability to address the needs of the AAPI communities through this initiative," Chris Lu, assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary, said. "President Obama and his administration are doing everything we can to support the efforts to increase AAPI access and participation in federal programs, especially during these tough economic times." Like all Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

are suffering severe challenges in the current economic crises. AAPIs have experienced the largest decline in homeownership of any racial group over the last year. Poverty rates, work-related injuries and job losses also have increased.

Asian Indian: Population is 2.73 million; 8.1 percent live in poverty; 3.6 percent are unemployed; 10.0 percent haven't graduated high school; 10.5 percent have only a high school degree Working with Initiative cochairs US Secretary Arne Duncan and US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Ahuja has already built a strong team at the Initiative. She has enlisted many administration officials to hold dozens of events

during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Key facts to note: Total US: Population is 307 million; 13.2 percent live in poverty; 4.2 percent are unemployed; 15.0 percent haven't graduated high school; 28.5 percent have only a high school degree; 28.8 percent have some college education; 17.5 percent have a bachelor's degree; 10.2 percent have a graduate or professional degree. Asian American: Population is 15.5 million; 11.8 percent live in poverty; 3.5 percent are unemployed; 14.4 percent haven't graduated high school; 16.3 percent have only a high school degree; 20.5 percent have some college education; 29.3 percent have a bachelor's degree; 19.5 percent have a graduate or professional degree. Asian Indian: Population is 2.73 million; 8.1 percent live in poverty; 3.6 percent are unemployed; 10.0 percent haven't graduated high school; 10.5 percent have only a high school degree; 11.3 percent have some college education; 31.9 percent have a bachelor's degree; 36.3 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

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Chairperson Sri LankaĂs President Mahinda Rajapaksa (4L) takes his position while the leaders of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) countries (L/R) Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Manmohan Singh of India, Jigme Thinley of Bhutan, Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, Madhav Kumar Nepal of Nepal, and Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan look on during the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit attended by the heads of states of SAARC nations

India, Pak to resume ministerial talks THIMPHU: Breaking the ice, India and Pakistan have decided to resume dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers soon as Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani met here in their first substantive engagement in less than a year. During their meeting, Singh and Gilani decided that the channels of dialogue between the two countries should be kept open to restore "trust and confidence" in the bilateral relationship. This was their first meeting after their dialogue in Sharm-el-Sheik in Egypt on July 16, 2009 following which a major controversy had broken out in India on the contents of the joint statement. Terrorism and the "slow progress" of Pakistan's probe into Mumbai attacks formed part of the agenda of the discussions which were held at the 'Bhutan House' here on the margins of the SAARC Summit. The two leaders first met accompanied by their delegations which was followed by a one-onone meeting and then again by delegations. "The Prime Ministers held very good talks in a free and frank manner. They agreed that cooperation between the two countries is vital for the people of South Asia to realize their destiny," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters. "Prime Minister expressed India's concern over the slow progress of Mumbai trial in Pakistan to Prime Minister Gilani," Rao said. Singh told Gilani that India was willing to discuss all issues of mutual concern through dialogue but the issue of terrorism is holding back the progress, she said. The Foreign Secretary also said it was decided by the two Prime Ministers that foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of the two

countries should meet as soon as possible to "restore trust and confidence" in the relations, said Rao. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference that the meeting between the two leaders ended on a positive note and he would be engaging with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna at an appropriate time. He also welcomed the Home Minister P Chidambaram's scheduled visit to Islamabad on June 26 for the SAARC Home Minister's conference. Qureshi said the meeting has "changed the climate" between the two countries. Asked whether the Foreign Ministers-level talks amounted to resumption of the Composite Dialogue process between the two countries, Rao said she does not want to get into details about the nomenclature of the talks. To another question, she declined to go into details of the issues that would constitute the talks, saying "all concerns" would be discussed. . Rao said Gilani also assured

Singh that Pakistan's territory would be not be allowed to be used for terrorism directed against India. She said the two leaders agreed that the Foreign Ministers would be charged with the responsibility

Asked about the dates for the meeting, Rao said the two sides have not agreed on the schedule for the talks, but the instructions of the two Prime Ministers are that the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries should meet as soon as possible of working out the modalities of creating trust and confidence in the relationship for a substantive dialogue "in which all matters of

concern" would be discussed. After their Sharm-el-Seikh meeting, Singh and Gilani had met a couple of times in Washington but it was just for handshake. The Joint Statement after the Sharm-el-Sheikh meeting had created a storm in India with the opposition attacking the government as it appeared to delink resumption of dialogue and Pakistan's action against terrorism, especially those involved in the Mumbai attacks. It had also made a reference to Balochistan, where Pakistan alleges India is fomenting trouble. Asked whether Balochistan was discussed during the meeting, she said it was not raised. "To the best of my knowledge, the issue was not raised. But we hope that Pakistan is well aware that India does not interfere in the internal affairs of either countries," she said. Rao said there was no evidence to suggest India's involvement in Balochistan. The Foreign Secretary said the Prime Minister told Gilani that Pa-

kistan has to control and eliminate the "terror machine" that operates from its soil. She said the two leaders felt that for progress in normalization of relations dialogue was the only way forward in the interest of the people of two countries and the region. Asked about the dates for the meeting, Rao said the two sides have not agreed on the schedule for the talks, but the instructions of the two Prime Ministers are that the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries should meet as soon as possible. To a question why the two sides did not hold a joint press conference, Qureshi said "I don't think either side was expecting such a positive turn today. But I can assure you very soon I can provide a joint interaction." "It was a very positive meeting. A step in the right direction," Qureshi said. Qureshi said the two prime ministers had acknowledged the "trust deficit" between the two countries.-PTI

India announces fund to combat climate change THIMPHU: India has announced setting up of a fund that would help South Asia effectively meet urgent adaptation and capacity building needs posed by climate change and also proposed establishment of innovation centres in the region to develop sustainable energy technologies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the announcement at the 16th SAARC Summit that began here with an apt theme - 'Towards a Green and Happy

South Asia'. "I am happy to announce the setting up of an 'India Endowment for Climate Change in South Asia' to help member states in meeting urgent adaptation and capacity building needs," Singh said. He also proposed setting up of climate innovation centres in South Asia to develop sustainable energy technologies based on indigenous resource endowments and welcomed the conclusion of the SAARC Convention on Cooperation on environment.

Noting that India has already launched a national mission in sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, the Prime Minister said the initiative could serve as a nucleus for regional cooperation in this vital area. Singh said there was perhaps no region more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than South Asia and lauded Bhutan's efforts in combining development with conservation of the environment. "Regional cooperation can be a significant multiplier in improv-

ing the quality of governance in managing our natural resources, in preventing land and water degradation and in strengthening our food, water and energy security," he said. Earlier, men and women dancers dressed in colourful attires welcomed SAARC leaders along the road to Tashichodzong, the main secretariat building that houses the National Assembly Hall, the office of the Bhutanese King and the throne room.-PTI

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SAARC leaders vow to combat terror, climate change jointly THIMPHU: Facing threats posed by terrorism and climate change, India and seven other SAARC nations have pledged to jointly combat the twin challenges, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking cooperation within the bloc to revive South Asia as a source of new ideas and opportunities. Kicking off the two-day SAARC Summit here, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley said no cause can be enhanced or served through acts of terror and those responsible for such heinous crimes must know that they would be brought to justice. Voicing concerns over the menace of terrorism, extremism and radicalism, Prime Minister Singh asked the SAARC countries to pledge to "revive the South Asia of our dreams that is once again a source of new ideas, new knowledge and new opportunities". In a hard-hitting speech, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said terrorism cannot be eliminated until all SAARC members without

exception or reservation commit not to allow their territories to be used directly or indirectly to shelter, arm or train terrorist groups. He made it clear, without naming any country, that differences have to be set aside to decisively defeat terrorism which poses a

Prime Minister Singh asked the SAARC countries to pledge to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;revive the South Asia of our dreams that is once again a source of new ideas, new knowledge and new opportunitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; threat to peace and prosperity in the region. Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani made no mention of Indo-Pak relations in their speeches as they sat on the dais along with leaders from

Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal and Afghanistan. In unusual remarks, Maldivian President Mohammad Nasheed talked about the strained relations between India and Pakistan, saying he hoped that tomorrow's meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two nations will lead to resolution of their differences. Nasheed, who spoke extempore, said that he hoped that the "conversation will lead to greater dialogue between India and Pakistan." In a veiled reference to IndoPak ties that tend to dominate SAARC meets, the Bhutanese Prime Minister said "every South Asian knows that a discordant family cannot be happy and that fractious and quarrelsome neighbors do not make a prosperous community. The day-long deliberations saw the leaders highlighting the challenges posed by climate change and the importance of South Asian countries to work together in overcoming them.

Chinese doc who murdered Indian carried 1,000 rounds ammunition medic, a former colleague with whom he had clashed at Kingsbrook Jewish Centre in Brooklyn, New York Daily News reported. Prosecutor Devant Joiner said police had found two loaded handguns on Wang, who also had printouts of two other doctors, who were directly involved in his sacking from the Kingsbrook centre in 2008. The hospital refused comment, as did the two doctors named in Wang's federal discrimination lawsuit - presumably his other targets. Their names were redacted in the arrest report.

Bhutanese dancers dressed in colorful attires welcomed the SAARC leaders along the road to Tashichodzong, the main secretariat building that houses the National Assembly Hall Madhav Kumar Nepal underlined the need for collective efforts of SAARC member nations in tackling the increasing challenges of climate change. He said Himalayan countries were most affected by natural di-

sasters like ice melting and river pollution caused by climate change. The summit also saw inauguration of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) Secretariat here. The SDF, with a paid up capital of 300 million dollars, was operationalised for extending financial support to various socially relevant programs. Earlier in the day, Bhutanese dancers dressed in colorful attires welcomed the SAARC leaders along the road to Tashichodzong, the main secretariat building that houses the National Assembly Hall, the office of the Bhutanese King and the throne room. Key roads in the picturesque Bhutanese capital were decorated with national flags of the SAARC countries and pictures of the leaders attending the summit. School children and residents stood along the road leading to the Tashichodzong waving national flags of SAARC countries and singing songs as the leaders drove to the summit venue.-PTI

DU may face action for radiation leak: Atomic Board

FASTING FOR SEVEN DECADES: Prahlad Jani who claims he has survived without food and water for more than seven decades, is pictured at Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad on April 26. A multidisciplinary study is being led by Defense Institute of Physiology & Allied Science (DIPAS) neurologist Sudhir Shah to examine the man, believed to be in his 80s, and his claim.

NEW YORK: A disgruntled Chinese doctor who gunned down his Indian-American Yale medicine school colleague Vajinder Toor had lain in wait for his prey for over 24 hours and was armed with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, enough for a massacre. Unemployed doctor Lishan Wang, 44, who is now being held on a USD 2 million bail was also carrying directions to the homes of two other Brooklyn doctors, he blamed for getting him fired. The police report said Wang was carrying a Google map of directions to his prey Toor's house and a photo ID of the Indian

The leaders noted that the SAARC countries have finalized a Regional Convention on Environment and made a strong pitch for having a joint position for the bloc at the climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, in December. Nepalese Prime Minister

As soon as they found the ominous information on the other doctors in Wang's car, Connecticut cops called the head security at Kingsbrook and asked him to "do a welfare check to make sure they are all okay," the police report says. Wang's ambush plot appeared to have been complicated and long-planned. A neighbour told the Daily News he saw Wang, a Chinese national who lives near Atlanta, sitting in his red 1996 Dodge Caravan outside the home in Branford, Conn., where Toor lived with his pregnant wife and 3-year-old son.-PTI

MUMBAI: Delhi University registered with Department of may face action and be penalized Atomic Energy. by the Atomic Energy Regulatory "We will soon come to know Board for allegedly failing to fol- about the registration of the inlow safety rules after the radiation strument as the Bhabha Atomic leak in a Delhi scrap market was Research Centre is also looking traced to its Chemistry depart- into its records," Bajaj said. ment. According to Delhi's Deputy "We are tracing the registration Commissioner of Police (West) of the Canadian irradiator and also Sharad Aggarwal, the university contemplating severe punishment bought the irradiator in question under the Indian Atomic Energy from the Atomic Energy Canada Act for the Chemistry Department as it is responsible for severe ex- The Delhi Police said it had posure of gamma rays traced the origin of the to the public in radioactive Cobalt-60 found in Mayapuri which even left one person dead," Delhi's Mayapuri scrap market Chairman, AERB S S to a laboratory in Delhi Bajaj told PTI. University's Chemistry The Delhi Police Department said it had traced the origin of the radioactive Cobalt-60 found in Delhi's Limited in 1970 for use in experiMayapuri scrap market to a labo- ments by students. It was not ratory in Delhi University's Chem- used since 1985. istry Department, where it was lyThe Atomic energy Act, 1962 ing unused for the last 25 years. has a special provision to impose Panic gripped Mayapuri in the punishment and enforce penalty first week of April when 11 people if there is any violation of safety were admitted to hospitals after rules. According to a former Rathey were exposed to radiation. diation Safety professional of A worker in the scrap shop from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, where the Cobalt 60 was discov- there has been no conviction so ered has died due to radiation ex- far over radiation safety violation. posure. The Delhi incident is purely a case AERB is also trying to find amounting to culpable homicide whether the Canadian irradiator in to be charged under criminal prothe Chemistry department was ceedings, he said.-PTI

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OFBJP calls for united fight against Maoist terrorism India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Overseas Friends of BJP-USA (OFBJP) has given a clarion call to the people, the government, and all the political parties of India to treat the Maoist (Naxalite) menace as a serious threat to the nation in terms of security, culture, and democracy. Dr. Adapa Prasad, President of OFBJP highlighted the concerns of NRIs after the recently conducted debate in Indian Parliament where the ruling UPA government, particularly the Congress Party voiced many contradictory signals regarding how to fight the Maoist terrorism. “This dampens the morale of the security forces that are fighting on the ground, and OFBJP USA calls for a national resolve and a united fight on this issue of great importance,” a statement said. Currently, this Maoist movement is a multi-billion rupees enterprise spread over 200 districts in India across eight states, the

overseas wing of the BJP further stated. “It is estimated that about 1,500 crore rupees run this well oiled machine whose leaders also enjoy the luxuries of modern life,” the statement says. “Unfortunately, Maoist movements which

Dr. Adapa Prasad, President of OFBJP highlighted the concerns of NRIs after the recently conducted debate in Indian Parliament where the ruling UPA government, particularly the Congress Party voiced many contradictory signals originally began as mass movements against oppressive land owners and industrialists have now become organized mafias of land grabbers, kidnappers, smugglers and terrorists. The Maoists thrive

on poverty, illiteracy and ignorance of the poor segments of the society, and therefore they do not want development in any backward area.” The OFBJP asked the people to recall the history of violent Naxal/ Maoist movement in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh in particular and how the Left wing politics of India “orchestrated by their Chinese masters” supported it morally and ideologically. After the demise of Soviet communist regime, the worldwide communist movement has died its natural death except in certain parts of India. Though anti-democratic and fascist in its ideology and practice, the left-over and discredited communist parties around the world are transforming themselves into new avatars adopting and practicing a more centrist and democratic way of politics in order to compete and survive in the increasingly globalized market driven world of today. China took Deng Xiaoping route of market economy way back in the

late 1970’s and today took the centre-stage in global economy and following a western model of economic growth. Ironically, the Maoist movement in India is still inspired by the rejected and failed Maoist China as China supports

In Andhra Pradesh, Congress and Telugu Desam parties played blow hot and blow cold relationship with Maoist groups. In the process, these Maoists established themselves firmly on the ground these misguided violent elements by supplying arms and ammunition as part of their India containment policy.” Several Indian governments starting with Congress party have

played double-games to suit their political interests with these Maoist groups at various times during the last four decades. For example, in Andhra Pradesh, Congress and Telugu Desam parties played blow hot and blow cold relationship with Maoist groups. In the process, these Maoists established themselves firmly on the ground and few years ago they merged to form one huge entity in India to challenge the very existence of the country as we know it, the OFBJP release states. The national executive committee of OFBJP USA, including Jayesh Patel, Chandrakant Patel, R.P.Singh, and Ramesh Shah called upon all concerned to treat Maoist terrorism as a national security issue and appealed to the Indian public, government, opposition parties, and the media to desist from airing multiple voices as it would only drag the concerted and united effort that must be taken without delay.

Indian authorities to get direct 'Pak moves 100,000 troops from border with India' access to Headley India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The US Administration and India have agreed to take suitable steps to give Indian authorities direct access to David Headley, the American citizen charged for his involvement in the Nov 26, 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai. The agreement to cooperate in the Headley came about following a meeting of the Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium and the US Attorney General Eric Holder in Washington DC on April 27.

This meeting comes soon after the bilateral meet between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC last month where the Indian premier made the Headley issue an assertive point of discussion and the American President assured full cooperation. The meeting between Subramanium and Holder, which was also attended by Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar and other US Department of Justice representatives

held detailed discussions that resulted in a mutual commitment that there would be the best possible cooperation in the two countries' common fight against terrorism. It was also stressed during the meeting that the partnership between India and the US recognized the high priority to be accorded to each country's national security. Both countries recognized the need for the investigations to reach a fruitful and successful outcome, an Indian Embassy statement said.

Ethnic Indian wins crucial Malaysian by-election KUALA LUMPUR: An ethnic Indian P Kamalanathan won a stunning victory for the ruling Barisan National front in a crucial by-election, giving a boost to Prime Minister Najib Razak's aim to win back flagging public support a year after he took office. Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) nominee Kamalanathan beat back strong challenge from the opposition stalwart Zaid Ibrahim, a well-known lawyer who has been touted as a possible successor to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. The ethnic Indian candidate

secured 1,725 more votes than his opponent to wrest the Hulu Selangora parliamentary seat, in a victory hailed by Premier Razak who said, "It was a hardfought win for us. I believe that we are on the right track." However, the opposition cried foul over the result claiming that the ruling coalition had used official resources and might to humble them. The win for the MIC who form the third largest electoral force in the country was a shot in arm for the ruling front as it was perceived that in 2008 election, the community had voted

with the opposition. Indians are less than a fifth of the 65,000 voters and were perceived to have voted with the opposition in 2008. "Indians are back with MIC but that doesn't mean the work is over. We still have a lot more to do," Kamalanathan was quoted as saying by local media reports. The election results appeared to be a setback for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who is currently on trial on sodomy charges, which he says is a political conspiracy by the National Front to destroy his career.-PTI

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has Manmohan Singh and his Pakimoved 100,000 troops from its stani counterpart Yusuf Raza borders with India, thinning the Gilani in the Bhutanese capital lines, to bolster its campaign Thimphu on the sidelines of the against Taliban and other mili- SAARC Summit. tants on its restive border with AfThe US Defense Department ghanistan, the Pentagon said while acknowledging that Pakihere. stani military operations in tribal The mass shifting of troops is areas of NWFP had placed "a high an acknowledgement of the fact degree of pressure on militants that terrorism and internal insur- and reduced their safe havens", gency were posing more threat to but was unlikely to have an immePakistan now, the Pentagon said diate impact on the US-led war in in a report to the US Congress. Afghanistan. "More than 100,000 PAKMIL troops were moved from the eastern The Pentagon did not specify border with India. This unprecedented deploy- the regions' from where the ment and thinning of the troops had been pulled out, lines against India indibut said it estimated that cates that Islamabad has acknowledged its more than 140,000 Pakistani domestic insurgent forces were now taking part threat," the department said in its latest report in the ongoing offensive on Afghanistan. against the Taliban The Pentagon did not specify the regions' from where the troops had been The Pentagon report said that pulled out, but said it estimated there was a broad syndicate of exthat more than 140,000 Pakistani tremist groups operating in the forces were now taking part in the AfPak region with multiple short ongoing offensive against the and long term goals. Taliban in Pakistan's semi-autonoIt identified the groups as al mous tribal region, known as Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban and FATA. Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) which it The Pentagon report was is- said threatened security of Afsued hours before the crucial meet- ghanistan, Pakistan, India and ing between Prime Minister elsewhere.-PTI

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India's Aravind receives $1.5 million Hilton Humanitarian Prize India Post News Service

REDWOOD CITY: Aravind Eye Care System, the world's largest eye care provider based in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, received the 2010 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $1.5 million, at the Global Philanthropy Forum in Silicon Valley on April 20. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation presents the annual award, the world's largest humanitarian prize, to an organization that is doing extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering. Aravind has developed innovative technologies that facilitate high volume, low cost, top quality care and allow it to perform 300,000 eye surgeries each year - 70 percent subsidized or free to the poor. "Aravind is a remarkable enterprise and its scale of impact on millions of patients is phenomenal," said Steven M. Hilton, CEO and president of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. "In a 30-year quest to end blindness in India, Aravind has developed a system that is now a model for both the developed and developing world." Hilton presented the Hilton Prize to Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Aravind's chairman, at the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City at a Prize Ceremony Dinner on April 20. Aravind has close ties with many in the Bay Area who attended including Dr. Larry Brilliant, cofounder of the Seva Foundation now with Skoll Foundation and an early supporter of Aravind; Dr. Kuldev Singh, Chair of Ophthalmology at Stanford University; Nipun Mehta, founder of charityfocus.org and an Aravind volunteer; Jack Blanks, Seva Foundation Executive Director; Dr. Suzanne Gilbert, Director of Blindness Prevention at Seva Foundation; Dr. Jack Whitcher, Professor of Ophthalmology and Physiol-

ogy, University of California at San Francisco and Governor, Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Ophthalmology Research at UCSF; David Green, board member, Seva Foundation, who collaborated with Aravind to develop Aurolab to manufacture intraocular lenses; Dr. Richard Litwin, a Berkeley ophthalmologist who performed the first intraocular lens implant for Aravind; Dr. William Stewart, Di-

Dr. P. Namperumalsamy Chairman, Aravind

rector of the Institute of Health and Healing at California Pacific Medical Center and longtime Seva volunteer ophthalmologist at Aravind; and Dr. David Chang of Mountain View, a world innovator in high volume cataract strategy techniques. There are 45 million blind people in the world, the majority in the developing world, and 12 million of these are in India. Because of extreme sun and genetics, Indians get cataracts in their 40s and 50s versus 60s and 70s in the United States. Without surgery they go blind, losing many of their productive years. Realizing that it was possible to end much of the unnecessary blindness in his country, Dr.

Govindappa Venkataswamy, known as Dr. V., upon his retirement in 1976 from government health service, mortgaged his home to start an eye clinic Aravind - with 11 beds in a rented house in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. As of 2009, Aravind has handled over 29 million outpatient visits and performed over 3.6 million surgeries. It operates five Aravind hospitals in India supported by a network of clinics, manages four others, and has well established research laboratories and a manufacturing facility producing high quality, low cost ophthalmic supplies. It is now expanding its model globally, establishing seven eye hospitals in Bangladesh with Grameen Bank and training all the staffs. It has worked with over 260 eye hospitals from India and other developing countries to expand their capacity to address eye diseases and conditions in addition to cataracts. It has participated in establishing national eye care plans for India, Rwanda and Eritrea. "The worldwide visibility and recognition that comes with the Hilton Humanitarian Prize will allow us to bring our healthcare model to alleviate suffering in many more parts of the world," said Dr. Namperumalsamy. "Over 80 percent of the developing world's blindness and impaired vision is needless, causing enormous personal and family suffering and severely limiting a country's ability to develop. Our goal is to manage 100 hospitals worldwide by 2015 to provide sight to many millions and the Hilton Humanitarian Prize will help us reach this goal." Inspired by the fast-food giant McDonald's capability to replicate the same quality and efficiency

anywhere in the world, Dr. V. adapted this concept to eye care, standardizing everything from systems and equipment to training. Nurses can be transferred to any Aravind facility and immediately start work. An assembly-line approach to surgery increases productivity tenfold. Nurses and paramedical staff handle routine tasks while doctors concentrate on diagnosis and surgeries. While a

Over 80 percent of the developing world's blindness and impaired vision is needless, causing enormous personal and family suffering and severely limiting a country's ability to develop typical ophthalmologist might perform 250 to 400 surgeries annually, an Aravind doctor will average 2,000 or more. Equipment that typically might be used a few times a day is used 30 times a day at Aravind. The result is that Aravind runs at one-fifth the cost of similar hospitals, leading to its model being replicated in other countries and

by other medical disciplines. "Every 15 minutes a doctor at an Aravind Eye Hospital completes an operation and restores someone's eyesight," reported Hilton. "Yet, with this great efficiency, there is no compromise on quality or care. Aravind is so respected for its unique model that students from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale and the University of California at San Francisco come to India for training." Aravind also has developed a cost-effective revenue model in which only 30 percent of patients pay and the remaining 70 percent are treated free or almost free. It depends on volume and efficiency to keep its low-cost structure, establishing eye camps in remote villages that bring in about half of its patients. Many are treated on-site with even prescription glasses dispensed in rural camps. When intraocular lenses were introduced, Aravind sought to use them but, at $200 each, they were too costly. So Aravind set up Aurolab to manufacture these lenses which now cost as little as $2 on average and are currently supplied to 120 countries, commanding 8 percent of the global market. Aurolab also manufactures other supplies such as ophthalmic drops, sutures and lasers for treating diabetic retinopathy. Aravind has accomplished all of this without assuming debt and with minimal charitable contributions.

successor to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. The ethnic Indian candidate secured 1,725 more votes than his opponent to wrest the Hulu Selangora parliamentary seat, in a victory hailed by Premier Razak who said, "It was a hard-fought win for us. I believe that we are on the right track." However, the opposition cried foul over the result claiming that the ruling coalition had used official resources and might to humble them.-PTI

Desi News Kingfisher Airlines honors Midwest travel agents AQ SIDDIQUI India Post News Service

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

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Silent votary of Indian culture in Bay Area

May 7, 2010

Details on page 19

Hinduism Summit awakens Chicagoans

Details on page 15

Colorful Indian dances in St. Louis MYTHILI NARAYANASWAMY & SHUBHA SUBBARAO

ST.LOUIS: The second St. Louis Indian Dance Festival held over the weekend of April 16 to 18 was a big success with more than 55 performing artists and over 15 dances. The festival attracted close to 1000 people at the Clayton High School Auditorium. This festival showcased dance forms from the Indian subcontinent and also included certain collaborative styles such as Irish dance and the Spanish Flamenco which added an international flavor to the festival. Details on page 16

Shilpa Kudtarkar of SSRF doing Deep Prajwalan India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Hindu temple auditorium at Lemont, Chicago, reverberated with the auspicious sounds of conch blowing and Vedic recitations, commencing the much awaited Hinduism Summit (Hindu Dharmasabha) held by Forum for Hindu Awakening and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti on April 20 (Adhik Vaishakh Shukla

Ekadashi 5112 as per Hindu calendar). Eminent speakers, Dr. Richard Benkin of Forcefield, Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra of Geeta Mandir, Kalyan Vishwanathan of Sanatana Dharma Foundation (Dallas) were awarded the 'Vishwa Hindu Ratna' for selfless service to Hinduism. Swami Varadananda of Vivekananda Vedanta Society who blessed the Summit with his

presence, was honored duly at the hands of Prasad Yelamanchi of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, among other honoraries, namely the Hindu temple president L Bhima Reddy, Shrinarayan Chandak of Global Media Forum, Madhu Patel and A. V. L. Narsimharao. The Summit had around 80 people attending in person while

thought provoking presentation regarding the challenges and opportunities in maintaining the Hindu identity; he proposed creating shared spaces for academia, media, leadership, networking and youth. Kudtarkar used SSRF's spiritual research video footage showing the power of Saints and subtle negative forces, and in-

Vishwanathan followed with a thought provoking presentation regarding the challenges and opportunities in maintaining the Hindu identity; he proposed creating shared spaces for academia, media, leadership, networking and youth

Festival of Dances at Jain Temple USHA BODIWALA

CHICAGO: Nrutya Kalashree Dance Academy is celebrating its twenty first anniversary on May 14 with a dance recital at the Jain Temple in Bartlett, a northwest Chicago suburb. The dance program consists of a wide array of different styles coming from our native land of India including Bharatnatyam, Bhangra, Raas, Garba, and more. Details on page 18

Felicitaion of Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra

Vedmantra-pathan

another 80 from around the world attended via a live webcast online. They listened raptly as Dr. Mehrotra opened the presentations, highlighting the universal nature of the Bhagavad Gita; he emphasized that preserving, promoting and practicing Dharma is everyone's responsibility. Vishwanathan followed with a

spired the listeners to consider spiritual measures in resolving issues facing the Hindu community. Gadoya spoke passionately about the need to stop rampant denigration of Hinduism and proposed practical methods to learn about denigration and stop it. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 13

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Hindu mantras, Jewish prayers mark Earth Day MEGHA PANDYA

RENO: Nevada Earth Day 2010 celebrations here began with prayers from ancient Sanskrit and Hebrew scriptures. Starting with Shanti Mantra in Sanskrit, Hindu activist Rajan Zed read "Prithvi Sukta" (hymn to earth) from Atharva-Veda (composed around 1200 BCE), invoking the Goddess Earth. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, also prayed from Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), where Lord Krishna is quoted as saying, "The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire-these are my glory. With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel of lifegiving fluid, I nourish all plants." Zed also lighted a lamp before the image of Lord Ganesha and sprinkled Gangajal before the invocation. ElizaBeth W. Beyer, Rabbi of local Temple Beth Or, read the Jewish prayers. According to Travis Souza, a Director of organizers Nevada Econet, participants took positive ideas home about environment.

Celebrations included live entertainment, crafts, farmers market, display booths by over 100 non-profits and other organiza-

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, also prayed from Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), where Lord Krishna is quoted as saying, "The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire-these are my glory. With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures” tions/agencies/businesses offering energy conserving and sustainable living products, children's activities, vendors selling ecofriendly items, etc.

The Earth Day invocation in Nevada. From right to left are Jewish Rabbi ElizaBeth W. Beyer, Hindu activist Rajan Zed, and Lord Ganesha image.

Hinduism Summit awakens Chicagoans Cont’d from page 12

Dr. Benkin brought to light the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh; he made a resounding call to support his efforts to urge US leaders to pressure the Bangladesh government, in the hope that the victims do not become mere statistics. Shinde concluded the presentations with emphasis on Hinduism education and spiritual measures to overcome is-

The attending Hindus vowed to create awareness about the plight of Bangladesh's Hindus, to peacefully but surely protest denigration of

Audience for Chicago Hinduism Summit

nized as a major religion in America as are others like Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism The attending Hindus vowed

to create awareness about the plight of Bangladesh's Hindus, to peacefully but surely protest denigration of Hinduism, to not support art, products or media

Book exhibition

that denigrate Hindus' revered concepts, and to take and impart Hinduism education. The Summit concluded with the speakers answering questions from the mem-

bers of the press and the attendees, on the direction ahead to understand, live and preserve Hinduism, through periodic meetings and action points.

Hinduism sues facing the Hindu community and to experience firsthand the unique science underlying Hinduism concepts and practices. The following resolutions were passed at the Hinduism Summit and will be submitted to the Indian Embassy and the American government: • The Bangladeshi government should be urged to stop the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh • Hinduism should be recogBaal Seeker Afolabi blowing conch

Dr Richard Benkin

Community Across America

India Post

May 7, 2010

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Baisakhi celebration at Indo-American Center ANUPAMA PATEL

CHICAGO: Close to 175 members of Indian community -Hindu, Muslim and Christian - joined Baisakhi celebrations held at Indo American Center here.

The program was followed by some cultural events by local artists- Sabera Syed, Sudaksha, George Susan, Poria Mahipal, Sudha Baxi, Mir Ali, and Raseem Alavi- regaling the audience with their songs The event full of color, fun and fair that lasted over three hours from 11 am till 3 pm was organized and coordinated by Gita Chawla of the Center on April 15. The event was kicked off with

A section of the audience.

music and thereafter Master of Ceremony Govindbhai Limbachia invited Gita Chawla who extended greetings to all the seniors on behalf of the center. Later Sudaksha Kapur related some interesting stories about Baisakhi. The program was followed by some cultural events by local artists- Sabera Syed, Sudaksha, George

Garba and Bhangra at Indo American Center

Susan, Poria Mahipal, Sudha Baxi, Mir Ali, and Raseem Alavi- regaling the audience with their songs. Naresh Shah sang some Ghazals. Jaikrishan Patel entertained the audience with his jokes while Quadari Mohammad presented a song on Indo-American Center. Some seniors performed Punjabi Bhangra. Later, Gita Chawla, Prema,

Raila Devi, Haseena, Mita and Prerana including some seniors performed Garba with gorgeous outfit .Many joined in an open dance floor. Senior participants were practicing the same from 15 days for the occasion. The program continued for two and half hours followed by sumptuous luncheon. As the Seniors' Program Coor-

dinator, Gita Chawla thanked all community members for their presence and co-operation. She especially appreciated Ms. Javanika Parikh and Ms. Yamini Chokshi efforts in preparing delicious food which was served on the occasion. Chirag Shah made a movie and took pictures of the whole ceremony.

Baisakhi celebrated at the Indian Consulate

A section of the audience India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Indian Consulate in New York, in association with the Sikh Art and Film Foundation, organized a reception April 22 to celebrate the festival of Baisakhi. The festival ushers the beginning of the harvest season in India. The festive event was attended by about 120 guests, including representatives from Punjabi Associations from the

Tri-State area, leading Indian Americans and members of the media. Consul General Prabhu Dayal offered his best wishes on the festive occasion and said that Baisakhi was celebrated all over India with various names but it had a particular fervor amongst Punjabi community in India. Amb. Dayal noted that it was of particular significance to the Sikh community because Guru Govind Singh established the Khalsa on this day.

Gidda

Teji Bindra

C G Prabhu Dayal

Teji Bindra, President, Sikh Art and Film Foundation, spoke about the significance of the Baisakhi festival in the context of the Sikh religion. He also noted the importance of Baisakhi as a harvest festival and its significance in several other states in India. Bindra also mentioned the Consulate's long tradition of celebrating each of India's important festivals, symbolic of the India's composite culture.

A cultural program was held on the occasion. Prominent poet and Sufi singer Dr. Satinder Sartaj of Punjab University, Chandigarh, opened the evening's program with some of his powerful lyrics. This was followed by Punjabi folk songs by Geeta Setia, a noted singer of the Indian American community. The program concluded with a vibrant and colorful Bhangra dance performance by the NYC Bhangra.

Joining the dance

May 7, 2010

Community Across America

India Post 15

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Kingfisher Airlines honors Midwest travel agents Kumria also thanked Midwest agents for promoting Kingfisher sales in the region. Kingfisher airlines values the contribution of travel agents and chose to honor the top selling agents, he said. Awards were given to Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Sky Bird Travel, Krisbi Travel, Natraj Travel & R.K. Travel for the Midwest region. Kingfisher airline operates daily flights from London and Dubai to all Indian cities. Passengers from US major cities are connected with partner United Airlines to London and Dubai.

AQ SIDDIQUI India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Kingfisher, the Airline that treats customers as guests on board, hosted a dinner event for Midwest travel agents at Taste of India Restaurant, Bolingbrook recently. Highlights of the three hours program were awards, recognition to top selling agents and a reminder to Indian Americans that the "Incredible India" remains the most attractive spot on world tourism map. Atul Kumria, the Kingfisher Head of Sales in North America, joined local Sales Manager Savio Dias for award and sales presentation to travel agents. Ronjon Lahiri, Director India Tourism office Toronto also made a presentation "incredible India" for the agents. Savio Dias welcomed the guests and introduced Atul Kumria to the local travel agents. In his address, Atul Kumaria said that

Sales Manager Savio Dias and the Kingfisher Head of Sales in North America Atul Kumria

Kingfisher has been conferred the prestigious "5-star Airline status" in India by Skytrax the world's leading independent travel forum and organization. The award is given for airline product and service quality excellence Kingfisher has turned out to be India's first and only Five Star airline that treats customer on board like Maharaja. Clicking an impressive presentation for the travel agents, he said that Kingfisher has been conferred the prestigious "5-star Airline status" in India by Skytrax the world's leading independent travel forum and organization. The award is given for airline product and service quality excellence. Kingfisher operates A330-200 aircraft, known as the best and configured in two classes for Kingfisher - First and Kingfisher Class. The video presentation showed Kingfisher Airlines spacious seat configuration in economy class, and the elite First Class with a luxurious lounge and bar on board. The Kingfisher Premium Economy class offers spacious and comfortable seating with 25 degree seat recline and the largest economy class seat pitch of 34 inches. USB connectors, in seat plug-charges, delicious Indian cuisines, finest wines and choice of cocktails are available for economy class guests on board.

Mid West travel agents winning recognition from Kingfisher Officials

Community Across America

India Post

May 7, 2010

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Colorful Indian dances in St. Louis MYTHILI NARAYANASWAMY & SHUBHA SUBBARAO

Nritya Kansa (Pics Willie Bennet)

A Kathak performance

dents of Soorya Dance Company. The highlight was a solo dance by Suryanarayana Murthy, a disciple of Guru Dhananjayan, who had traveled all the way from Chennai, India. He danced the Bharathanatyam style with great ease. His footwork, gestures and abhinaya were perfect. Kathak dances from Kathak

Aparna Sindhoor's production was a serious performance for mature minds. Madhumitha Roy's Kathak choreographic style was breathtaking. Pampa Dance Academy from San Jose, CA did an amazing job Indian subcontinent and also included certain collaborative styles such as Irish dance and the Spanish Flamenco which added an international flavor to the festival. The festival was the brainchild of Guru Prasanna Kasthuri, the artistic director of Soorya Performing Arts. The traditional lighting of the lamp to inaugurate the three-day festival was followed by a Bharatanatyam program by stu-

Nrithyakala Kendra, Chicago were followed by a few 'fusion' pieces. On Saturday evening, the audience was dazzled by the Asha Dwarka, Chitra Kalyandurg, and Lavanya Thamire artists from Kuchipudi Kalanidhi, Washington D.C. whose amazing expressions, footwork, and choreography captured the attention of the art patrons. Apart from the routine dance number they performed Nostal-

Des Rangila

gia, a composition of Yanni with elegance and brought an aura of creativity with Kuchipudi. Yamini Saripalli showcased the pure traditional Kuchipudi. This festival featured contemporary Indian dances from Navarasa Dance theater. The three artists performed with high energy. The performance combined dance, storytelling and martial arts - 'kalaripayattu'. Aparna Sindhoor's production was a serious performance for mature minds. Madhumitha Roy's Kathak choreographic style was breathtaking. Pampa Dance Acad-

emy from San Jose, CA did an amazing job. The Bharatnatyam dance drama, Paramananda, was the last performance of the evening and it was worth the wait. Guru Nirmala Madhav's simple, yet captivating choreography presented a high caliber performance combining stories of Ganesha and Krishna in a smooth flowing repertoire, with a dance troupe of about 14 dancers in coordinated costumes. There was overwhelming crowd on Sunday. The auditorium was packed. The shows included dances from almost every state

of India. There was Yakshagana and Kolata from Karnataka. The costumes were varied and remarkable. Smitha Rajan, the renowned Mohiniattam exponent who resides in St. Louis presented yet another dance style, this time from Kerala. The audience liked Indique, from Dallas, Texas for their innovative Bharatnatyam program. Dandia, a traditional folk dance from Gujarat was very enjoyable. The grand finale of this festival was 'Fanaa' (Destroyed in Love) by Soorya Performing Arts. Fanaa was a Dance Musical on Love and War based on the conflicts in the Kashmir region of India. It was based on the super hit Bollywood movie, by the same name. Guru Prasanna Kasthuri's musical talent was very evident. Guru Prasanna, Seema Kasthuri, Lily Sugathan, Falgun Dave, Sandhya played key roles with other 40 artists. Organizations such as the Missouri Art Council and Regional Art council are to be commended to have taken the interest in investing in festivals such as these through generous grants.

‘Sikh Americans add to diversity of America’ India Post News Service

CLEVELAND, Ohio: On April 14, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) was invited to speak at the prestigious City Club in Cleveland, the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, lauded for its tradition of debate and discussion. Past speakers at the club have included 6 former US Presidents, distinguished authors and artists, and other renowned speakers. The sold out event was broadcast on hundreds of radio outlets across 40 states.

The Panel discussion featured Dr. I.J. Singh, author of four books about Sikhs in the US and Canada, Paramjit Singh, City Club

The title of the talk was “Sikh Americans: Towards a More Perfect Union”. Dr. I.J Singh began the talk by discussing how

He suggested that instead of thinking of America as a ‘Melting Pot’ or ‘Tossed Salad’ we consider the metaphor of an Orchestra. ‘All the small chimes and bells add to the beauty and need to be protected,’ said Dr. Singh Special Program member, and Jasjit Singh, Associate Executive Director of SALDEF.

Sikh Americans add to the diversity of America. He suggested that instead of think-

ing of America as a ‘Melting Pot’ or ‘Tossed Salad’ we consider the metaphor of an Orchestra. “All the small chimes and bells add to the beauty and need to be protected,” said Dr. Singh. “Notice that the lowly cymbals or the triangle, too, have a place. When they speak, even the naturally dominant violins and pianos listen. When the mighty and the small talk to each other without drowning the other, the conversation becomes heavenly music. That’s how a rich performance is born.” Cont’d on page 17

May 7, 2010

Community Across America

India Post 17

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UIC students celebrate India Nite AUSIN PRABHU

CHAMPAIGN: India Students Association (ISA) of University of Illinois, Champaign, celebrated their 25th India Nite - "25 Years of Passion in 1 Spectacular Night." This event was coordinated by Atina D'Souza, Ruthvik Basavaraj and Shivani Mahida. It was the showcase of India's richness while creating memories that will last a life time. For the last 25 years ISA has celebrated the depth and variety of talents found within their campus and heritage. This event was emceed by Sirish Barhina, Zain Iqbal, Tanya Easow, Chaitan Patchava and Sujay Patel. Chandani Cappella beautifully sang US national anthem and Sai Gudimella sang Indian national Chandani Cappella led the Group singing US Anthem Oh Can You See

‘Sikh Americans add to diversity of America’

anthem. Various groups had their performances. In Masti, 10 danc-

A section of the audience

of the spectators. Dance India dance was performed by 14 danc-

danced to the rhythmic tunes saying Dance India Dance. A sixmember Indian fusion band performed contemporary Hindi music in a uniquely classy way. Ghungroo Dance Company had their thrilling performance with classical dance, Bharathanatyam - originating in Tamil Nadu and Kuchipoodi originating in Andhra Pradesh. They created the climax of the piece when Krishna opens his mouth, allowing his mother Yashoda to see that he is a Supreme Being as the entire universe emerges. 16 brown-town freshmen from the university came together to create Jawani who performed medley of some Hindi hits. Illini Raas Squad - with their fa-

They created the

Cont’d from page 16

climax of the piece

Paramjit Singh added historical context for Sikhs in America by highlighting the contributions of Sikh American pioneers, entrepreneurs and social workers. His examples illustrated that the Sikh identity is an asset, not a hindrance to success. He also moderated the panel discussion following the talk. Jasjit Singh reflected on the challenges Sikh Americans are facing in the US and his identity both as a Sikh and an American in a post 9/11 era. He highlighted the sharp increase in reports of hate crimes, racial profiling and school bullying after 9/11. He also discussed the imbalanced media coverage between the victims of the backlash and the cases of mistaken identity. In the end, however, he concluded, “despite all the challenges, I see 9/11 as a unifying event in our shared history - something that makes Sikhs an even more integral part of America.” Jasjit Singh pointed to increased focus on education about Sikh Americans and stronger relations with several branches of government and the law enforcement community as signs of progress. “Education and acceptance is very much a two way street, and regrettably, it took such a tragic event to make not just the Sikh American community, but our entire country, realize that we needed to come together to create dialogue and ensure that we live up to the ideals laid out by our Founding Fathers of creating ‘a more perfect union’.”

when Krishna opens his mouth, allowing his mother Yashoda to see that he is a Supreme Being as the entire Indian student Sai Gudimella singing Indian Anthem. Jana Gana Mana

ers brought out of midnight practices and knocked the socks off

universe emerges ers with Bollywood, Jazz, Hiphop, Rajasthani and more. They

vorite Dandiya dance and Garba charmed the audience. Natya Feat in collaboration with the Floor Lovers remixed the traditional movements of Bharathanatyam and the power movers of Break Dancing together into one track. 27 individuals in a fashion show brought together not only to display their wonderful attires but also their incredibly good looks Chai-Town a Cappella showed their love of music - Hindi &English. Fizza - a Hindi filmy dance team which participated nationwide performing their talents created cultural and artistic awareness.

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Cont’d on page 22

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May 7, 2010

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Festival of Dances at Jain Temple

Indian physicians donate $250,000 to Merced hospital

USHA BODIWALA

PRABHJOT UPPAL

These students will cover the entire range of the Bharatnatyam course taught at the academy with a number of different levels and curriculum The dances will be performed by 145 students of the Nrutya Kalashree Dance Academy. These students will cover the entire range of the Bharatnatyam course taught at the academy with a number of different levels and curriculum. Most students belong to the Bharatnatyam class, but some students will show different forms of dance from India as well. Nrutya Kalashree Dance Academy was opened in 1988 by Guru Shree Toralben Chaudhari. Toralben is the founder and director of this prestigious dance acad-

A Nrutya Kalashree student performing classical dance

emy. Born in Ahmedabad, she started her training in the fine art of Bharatnatyam at the age of 7 under the guidance of her guru, Shreemati Elakshiben. Her advanced training in 1987 was under the guidance of Madhubhai Patel of Madhur Jyoti Academy of Baroda. She has been teaching dance for the past 21 years in the Chicagoland area. She has taught the art of dance to more than 360 students and so far 60 of her students have completed their arangetrams. She has created this dance program so that her students can perform a variety of dances and stimulate their creativity to fuse together different styles. With such a colorful program, she gives her students the platform to showcase their talents and creativity.

Manhattan Hindus form religious Circle India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a first for New York City, like-minded Hindus have come together to form the Manhattan Hindu Temple Community Circle to bring Hindu prayer and festivities in an all-inclusive manner to the local community. Supported by the Krishnamurthy Tandon Foundation, the newly-formed Circle welcomes people of all races and backgrounds, in keeping with the cornerstone of Vedic thought where God is omnipresent and omniscient, and aims to be a community hub where the young and old can come together; where wisdom is passed on between generations; and where members of the community can connect, care for and support each other, according to the organizers. For starters, the Circle is cel-

ebrating Mother's Day with a special event - Devi Puja - on May 9 at Bohemian National Hall, at 73rd Street, between first and second avenues, New York. It will also celebrate Father's Day with special pujas on June 20 and Guru

The Circle also aims to be a center of learning and education of Hindu chants, music, the arts, texts and history for all ages Purnima on July 25. The Circle also aims to be a center of learning and education of Hindu chants, music, the arts, texts and history for all ages and celebration of rituals and signature holidays based on Hindu religious teachings and traditions.

MERCED, CA: Satnam Singh Uppal, M.D. of Merced, CA. a board certified internal medicine practitioner, with specialization in gastroenterology and geriatrics, has announced bestowing $250,000 to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the new medical center of Mercy Medical Center Merced in the honor of Guru Har Krishan. The eighth and youngest of the ten Sikh gurus, Guru Har Krishan was only seven years old when he traveled to Delhi during the seventeenth century in the midst of a smallpox epidemic. "The compassionate child guru personally tended to the needs of the people to ease their suffering and to give them comfort. In healing others he succumbed to the disease himself," described Dr. Uppal. It was in this spirit of selflessness, which embodies a true physician, Dr. Uppal decided helping his community build a state-

Satnam Singh Uppal, M.D.

of-the-art Guru Har Krishan Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the new Mercy Medical Center. The donation of $250,000 by Dr. Satnam S. Uppal contributed to over a $1,000,000 in efforts by local physicians to ensure not only excellence in care but also an enduring reminder of the memory and guidance of Guru Har Krishan

in tending to those in need. "The priorities of practice lie first and foremost with the care of the patient," said Dr. Uppal. Mercy Medical Center Merced is an established institution in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley of California. In recent years Merced has become home to the University of California Merced and is evolving into an academic medical nucleus serving the ethnically and culturally diverse communities in the central valley of California. Dr. Uppal has for over three decades of practicing medicine in the area and has devoted himself to his patients and their well-being. Patients ranging from the families of migrant workers to the disenfranchised elderly. At this time of great need for meeting health care needs of needy, a generous donation of quarter million dollar from an Indian physician has made all Indians proud.

GOPIO-CT to honor Dinesh Paliwal India Post News Service

NEW YORK: When GOPIOConnecticut celebrates its fourth anniversary at the Italian Center of Stamford, two Indian Americans will be honored by the organization for their outstanding achievements and contributions at an Awards Banquet on May 2. The honorees are Dinesh Paliwal,

Ramcharit Manas Katha at Jalaram Mandir SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Shree Jalaram Mandir has announced organizing Shree Ramcharit Manas Katha for nine days starting Saturday May 8. The Katha will end on Sunday May 16. Chirayu Parikh, the Mandir President, said that on Saturday May 8 a religious procession called Pothi Yatra will start at 9 o'clock in the morning to mark the start of the Katha. The procession will last about two hours and after that Shree Ramcharit Manas Katha will begin. He said there would be two sessions of Katha on Saturday and Sunday and the timings will be from 9.30 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 7 pm. On all other days from Monday to Friday, the timings will be for two hours from 5 pm to 7 pm. Cont’d on page 22

Chairman, President and CEO of Harman International as "IndianAmerican Achiever" and Neesha Ramchandani as "Young Person of The Year". Stamford's Mayor Michael Pavia will be the Guest of Honor at the Banquet. Also attending will be Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and Ambassador Prabhu Dayal. Paliwal is Chairman, CEO and

President of Harman International, where he has instituted numerous initiatives and programs to strengthen company operations, including driving innovation and breakthrough technologies, expanding the company's footprint in emerging markets, and dramatically improving its cost structure. Cont’d on page 22

TNF & Tamil Sangam education fundraiser KRISHNA RAJ

Pilot school after TNF involvement

CHICAGO: A fundraising concert has been planned on May 22 at the Hindu Temple of Chicago, in Lemont featuring Lakshman Sruthi orchestra from Chennai, India with the popular Tamil movie singers Krish, Mahathi, T.M.S. Selvakumar and Malathi. A comedy program will be presented by Devakottai Ramanathan from Kalaignar TV program "Kalakka povadu yaru" and Sun TV pro-

gram "Asatha povadu yaru". The Chicago Tamil Sangam in league with Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) is hosting this charity concert to raise funds for the "School Drop-Out Project". Audience will be able to enjoy music and comedy entertainment program and at the same time contribute to a great cause. Cont’d on page 22

Community/California

May 7, 2010

India Post 19

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Cal News When the Census Taker visits you India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: The Census Bureau has issued some directions for residents in case a Census Taker visits them. In a Press release Census Bureau says, "If you don't send back your form, you may receive a visit from a census taker. If a census taker knocks on your door, here are some recognition tips to assure the validity of the employee â&#x20AC;˘ The census taker must present an ID badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date. The census taker may also be carrying a bag with a Census Bureau logo. â&#x20AC;˘ The census taker will provide you with supervisor contact information and/or the local census office phone number for verification, if asked. Details on page 20

Embrace American Muslims HUSSAM AYLOUSH

Akshaya Patra launches gifts for moms India Post News Service

Silent votary of Indian culture in Bay Area ASHU SINGLA

s an India-born resident of the Bay Area for more than three decades and an active member of the regional Indian Community, I thought I knew very well all the various groups and locations where my culture is honored and promoted. That is why, when I found out about Mount Madonna Center and School located near Morgan Hill, it was such a total surprise and wonderful experience. What a joy to discover this unexpected and vibrant expression of Indian culture here in the Bay Area! Two years ago, a good friend brought me to meet Shri Baba Hari

Babaji himself hails from Almora but left home at the tender age of eight to begin his monastic life. He took a vow of silence in 1952 and while he has not spoken since then, he communicates with his devotees by writing Dass Ji, or "Babaji," as his students affectionately call him. Babaji is the inspiration for the Mount Madonna Center (MMC) and Mount Madonna School (MMS). MMC is a mountaintop yoga retreat and conference center, residential community and Ayurveda Institute nestled in the hills between Gilroy and Watsonville. MMC also hosts Mount Madonna School, a secular, private, CAIS/WASC accredited PK-12th grade college-preparatory school with 215 students. MMC recently built Sankat Mohan Hanuman Mandir, where many Vedic rituals including arti and yagna are practiced regularly. Since meeting Babaji two years ago, I have learned that he came to the USA in 1971 and introduced American students to Ashtanga Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, and to Vedic rituals and code of conduct. Babaji himself hails from Almora but left home at the tender age of eight to begin his monastic life. He took a vow of silence in 1952 and while he has not spoken since then, he communicates with his

nity unified around the principles of education, personal growth, and self development. All of this made me very surprised and very happy. Then I learned that one of MMS projects is the annual production of the Ramayana! Every child in the school takes a role and it is the longest and largest continuously running production of the Ramayana in the Western Hemisphere! This is its 32nd year and it will be performed at San Jose's Mexican Heritage Theater on June 11, 12, and 13.

and of course Hanumanji, that the audience is transported and filled with devotion and love. Their portrayal of the demons King Ravana and Surpanaka, as well as the virtuous Queen Mandodari and Prince Vibhishan, help to bring understanding of the value of leading an ethical life. The true essence of our wonderful scripture is brought to life for the audience. This is a great chance to experience live the true joy and teaching of the Ramayana, right here even so far from home. This is

I was very curious when I first set foot at MMC. I found a loving, supportive, multicultural community unified around the principles of education, personal growth, and self development

Baba Hari Dass Ji

devotees by writing and is the author of several books including commentaries on the Gita, Yoga Sutra, Samkhya Karika and many stories for children. In addition to his work in USA, Babaji is the inspiration for a yoga center and school in British Columbia and an orphanage, school and medical clinic in Haridwar, India. Most important of all is that in his presence I feel love and peace of mind. The history of MMC and MMS is very interesting. In 1974 when several of Babaji's students suggested that land might be purchased to begin a yoga center, he responded, "and a children's school." It took from 1974 to 1978 to purchase the beautiful 350 ocean view acres and obtain the appropriate governmental permits to open the Center. The school was opened in 1979. It is dedicated to positive character development, creative self expression and excellence in academic learning. Babaji's example of selfless service, his love and his teaching of the importance of living a virtuous life, of self-development, of respect for all, and of the potential for unlocking the hidden talents within each individual have inspired the educational philosophy of this Mount Madonna community. I was very curious when I first set foot at MMC. I found a loving, supportive, multicultural commu-

I am told that this Ramayana is a fusion of 'East meets West," offering traditional Indian dances; detailed, exquisite costumes; original, live music and singing; and plenty of comedy, action and drama. I am also told that the MMS students so bring to life our beloved Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati,

something you and your children and grandchildren should not miss! I am so excited to share this portrayal of my Indian heritage with my own two children and know that our daughter Anishar, 11, and son, Aryam, 13, will be amazed and entertained by this incredible experience. I hope I will see you there!

Ram and Sita

Community/California

India Post

May 7, 2010

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When the Census Taker visits you India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: The Census Bureau has issued some directions for residents in case a Census Taker visits them. In a Press release Census Bureau says, "If you don't send back your form, you may receive a visit from a census taker. If a census taker knocks on your door, here are some recognition tips to assure the validity of the employee • The census taker must present an ID badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date. The census taker may also be carrying a bag with a Census Bureau logo. • The census taker will provide you with supervisor contact information and/or the local census office phone number for verification, if asked. • The census taker will ONLY ask you the

questions that appear on the census form. The statement assures that, "The 2010 Census form and the 2010 Census takers will not ask you for your Social Security number, bank account number, or credit card number.

formation for the 2010 Census. If you prefer, you can schedule a visit with your census taker. Should the census taker come when you are away from your home, they will leave a contact number. If a census taker

The statement assures that, "The 2010 Census form and the 2010 Census takers will not ask you for your Social Security number, bank account number, or credit card number. In addition, the 2010 Census form and the 2010 Census takers never solicit for donations and will never contact you by e-mail” In addition, the 2010 Census form and the 2010 Census takers never solicit for donations and will never contact you by e-mail. It further says, "Census takers visit local homes several times to capture resident in-

has not visited your home or you have a question about your participation with the census, call your Census office. "The 2010 Census will ask for name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship, and

whether you own or rent your home - just 10 simple questions that will take about 10 minutes to answer. From May to July 2010, census takers will knock on the door of every household that did not mail back a completed 2010 Census form. Census takers are your neighbors - people hired from your community to make sure your local area get an accurate count." Help for non-English speaking respondents Census takers will have a flashcard containing a sentence about the 2010 Census written in approximately 50 languages. If a resident doesn't speak English, the census taker shows the flashcard to the resident, and the resident points to the language he/ she speaks. A census crew Leader will then reassign the case to a person who speaks that language"

Denim Day raises awareness against sexual violence India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Peace Over Violence (POV) held the 11th annual Denim Day in LA & USA, a sexual violence prevention and education campaign, as part of April's Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Multiple events were held throughout Los Angeles, including LAUSD schools and LA-area workplaces and communities, to raise awareness on sexual violence. Patti Giggans, executive director of Peace Over Violence, joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LA Police Chief Charlie Beck, and other leaders at the LA City Hall to announce a new domestic violence initiative, which will provide greater resources for victims of domestic violence and prosecutions of offenders. This initiative is supported by a $1.1 million grant awarded to the City from the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women. The public awareness campaign also included the launch of SafeLA, a one-stop website with emergency hotline numbers, shelter information and available legal services. At the press conference, Mayor Villaraigosa declared April 21 Denim Day in LA and stressed the

importance of public awareness surrounding sexual violence. Giggans thanked the city for such strong support. "We have come a long way in the 11 years of Denim Day in LA & USA, but still have more work to accomplish," said Giggans. "It is through these partnerships that we are able to make a difference in the lives of people in Los Angeles and nationwide." Giggans and Lovisa Stannow,

les-area agency to serve deaf and disabled victims of sexual violence. "The deaf and others with disabilities are considered easy targets so they are often times victimized over and over again," Giggans said. "Many times the perpetrators are family members, caregivers, or family friends who repeat their abuse because their victims are unable to report the crimes against them."

Denim Day began in protest against a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. The justices reasoned that the victim must have helped her attacker remove her jeans since they were tight executive director of Just Detention International, a human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention, along with sexual abuse survivors also made a presentation to the City Council about Denim Day and sexual violence. Peace Over Violence is making efforts to bring attention to the most vulnerable by recognizing its 20 years of service to the deaf and disabled, as it's the only Los Ange-

Through its Deaf, Disabled, and Elder Services program, Peace Over Violence has helped hundreds of deaf and disabled survivors of abuse over the past 20 years by offering personal security awareness; self-defense training adapted to ability; community violence prevention education; and professional training and consultation addressing issues of responding to violence against persons who are deaf or disabled.

L-R Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence Patti Giggans and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck at LA City Hall announcing a new domestic violence initiative on Denim Day in LA & USA 2010.

POV also provides telephone, TTY, or video phone counseling; inperson and support group counseling; hospital and court accompaniment; legal advocacy; case management; and shelter referral and advocacy, among other assistance. Denim Day began in protest against a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. The justices reasoned that the victim must have helped her attacker remove her jeans since they were tight, and this, they said, implied consent.

People all over the world were outraged, and, as a result, wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against destructive attitudes about sexual assault. Peace Over Violence organized the first annual Denim Day in LA 11 years ago, encouraging everyone to make a social statement with their fashion statement and to wear jeans with a purpose. Sponsors this year included Beyond the Bell, Clear Channel, the Los Angeles City Council, LAUSD, National University, the STAPLES Center Foundation and Zonta International.

AIF to host social entrepreneurship summit India Post News Service

SANTA CLARA, CA: The American India Foundation is hosting its 2010 Social Entrepreneurship Summit in partnership with the Stanford University Center for South Asia on May 24 at the Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara. This half-day summit will foster a dialogue about both the potential of and chal-

lenges facing social entrepreneurs as they seek to develop scalable, sustainable solutions to the world's persistent problems. Audience members will have an opportunity to explore social entrepreneurship in its various dimensions and hear about the individual efforts of social entrepreneurs who are working to bring about social and economic change in India. Titled the The Transformative Potential

of Social Entrepreneurship, the summit will feature David Bornstein author of How to Change the World and the recently published Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know, as well as founder of Dowser.org, a news site that reports on social innovation, as the Keynote Speaker. Panelists include Christy Chin, Portfolio Director, Draper Richards Foundation, and Lakshmi Karan, Director of Impact Assess-

ment, Learning and Utilization, Skoll Foundation. Joseph Pon from the James Irvine Foundation will moderate the panel. The summit will also see Lata Krishanan, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist interviewing social entrepreneurs like Ved Arya (founder of Srijan and an AIFAshoka fellow) who have brought about a lasting change in the communities they work with.

May 7, 2010

Community/California

India Post 21

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enator James Inhofe (R-OK) recently claimed that "all terrorists are Muslims or Middle Easterners between the ages 20 and 35." Michael Savage, host of the The Savage Nation, said, "Not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists happen to be Muslim." Such claims were proven wrong, once again, when Huratee militia members were arrested late last month on charges to "levy war" against the U.S., and as America observed the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma city bombing last week. Additionally, FBI statistics show that the vast majority of domestic terrorists are not Muslim. So, media pundits, policymakers, and law enforcement - take note. Terror perpetrators do not embody a single religion, nationality or ethnicity. They only embody an ideology of causing murder and mayhem to drive a political agenda. Sadly, the 'terrorist' and 'suspect' labels the American Muslim community has been confronted with are neither new, nor rare. What is rare, and often overlooked, is a perspective recently offered by a sheriff of national prominence. It might do America well to take another listen. "Americans, particularly elected officials, should not claim Islam supports terrorism. This is counter-pro-

Embrace American Muslims HUSSAM AYLOUSH

ductive to trust. It plays into the terrorist strategy that the West is against Islam. At this time in our history, with billions of dollars being spent on a war against terror, our nation should ask that all Americans follow President Obama's example and be the instrument of goodwill to Muslims throughout the world. "It is my belief that the average American has the potential to be our best ambassador of goodwill. However, senators, members of congress, governors, mayors, boards of supervisors, sheriffs, police chiefs, scholars, scientists, and laborers and their leaders must set the example with a desire to visit mosques and communicate with Muslims, worldwide, in the quest of better understanding Islam." This testimony, given before a Congressional hearing on homeland security last month captures the commitment of Sheriff Lee Baca of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to the nation's security while also paying homage to the American values of equality and pluralism. Moreover, his words follow diligent action in embracing American Muslims and addressing their concerns. A great example is the local

Muslim community organizations' partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department called the Muslim American Homeland Security Congress (MAHSC). Through this forum, the sheriff's department has engaged Muslims by addressing community issues, ranging from false arrests, to mosque vandalism, to cases involving Muslim women who wear the headscarf. Such outreach efforts help fos-

American Muslims, for their part, have answered the call of duty by collaborating in efforts to protect the homeland and contribute to America ter goodwill and cooperation between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and help ensure that civil rights of Americans are not trampled. American Muslims, for their part, have answered the call of duty by collaborating in efforts to protect the homeland and contrib-

ute to America. Late last year in Virginia, families of five young Muslim men came forward after the men had disappeared under mysterious circumstances and left behind a 'disturbing' video. The Council on American-Islamic Relations assisted the families in quickly contacting the FBI - steps borne out of concern for the young men and to help protect innocent people. Furthermore, several thousand Muslims serve in the Armed Forces. Many more keep America safe, healthy and informed by serving as police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, teachers and journalists. However, when American Muslims are framed as suspects rather than partners, then the entire nation suffers. For instance, the FBI - bucking its own statistical trend - has regularly used coercive tactics against Muslims. Last October, FBI agents fatally shot a well-respected Imam 21 times in Dearborn after he allegedly shot at an FBI dog. The U.S. Justice Department has now opened an investigation into the shooting incident, and the Michigan Attorney General's office has assigned a special prosecutor to the case.

Early last year, Ahmed Niazi of Tustin, Calif., was arrested on immigration-related charges after he refused to become an FBI informant. Niazi helped catch a suspect who professed extremist views in an Irvine mosque but later was found to be an FBI provocateur. In May 2009, four Muslim men were arrested in the Bronx in an alleged terrorism plot orchestrated by yet another FBI agent provocateur. One of the alleged perpetrators was mentally ill while another had an ailing brother whose needed liver transplant the provocateur had promised to pay for. In sum, treating American Muslims as suspect and running the risk of alienating them is a mockery of our Constitutional values and wastes precious law enforcement dollars and resources needed to catch the bad guys. The right move for pundits, policymakers and police officers is to follow Sheriff Baca's lead, and embrace American Muslims as well as the values that make America a great nation. Hussam Ayloush is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area

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Akshaya Patra launches gifts for moms India Post News Service

EDISON CHALLENGE WINNERS: Medea Creek Middle School received first place in the middle school category in the Edison Challenge, an environmental science competition. Pictured from left to right is Bill Nye the Science Guy, Russell Tagawa, Devika Chandramohan, Maya Halthore, Jianna Zeola, Tujare Jois, Shruti Aggarwal and advisor Sharon Lavene.

Earn more green for replacing clunker appliances India Post News Service

ROSEMEAD, CA: Customers of Southern California Edison (SCE) and Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) can receive extra rebates from the state when they purchase new qualifying energy-efficient appliances and recycle their old energy-guzzling models, according to a press release issued by SCE. The state's Cash for Appliances program, which is funded by $35.2 million in federal stimulus dollars, will apply to new, energy-efficient refrigerators, room air conditioners and clothes washers. Although SCE's and The Gas Company's rebate programs will be available yearround, the Cash for Appliances rebates will only be available on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified purchases made from April 22 to May 23, 2010 or until rebate funds are no longer available. Residential customers may receive one rebate for each type of appliance: $200 for a new refrigerator; $100 for a new clothes washer; or $50 for a room air conditioner.

These rebates can be combined with the available rebates being offered by the utilities. "We want to encourage customers to take advantage of the incentives being offered by the state and the utilities when buying energy-efficient appliances," said Mark Gaines, director of customer programs for The Gas Company. "By doing so, customers are doing their part to help conserve precious natural resources all year round and put a little 'green' back in their pocket." "Southern California Edison hopes that this program gives customers an extra nudge to get those inefficient energy-hogging appliances out of the house. Any time consumers choose an efficient appliance over an inefficient one, it reduces their electricity bill and it helps the planet. Everyone wins," said Gene Rodrigues, SCE's director of Energy Efficiency and Solar. Combining the California Cash for Appliances rebates with The Gas Company's and SCE's 2010 rebates can help customers earn up to $535.

Ramcharit Manas Katha at Jalaram Mandir Cont’d from page 18

A renowned Kathakar from Baroda (India) Shree Rajendraprasadaji will preside over the Katha and continue the narration for nine days. Hasmukhbhai Thakkar, Chairman of Board of Trustees, said that the Shree Ramcharit Manas Katha will end on Sunday May 16 at 12 noon. This will be followed with three hour devotional songs called Bhajan

Satsang. This program too will be conducted by Shree Rajendraprasadji. He will sing Jalaram Bapa's songs between 4 to 7 pm on the same day. The main sponsor of the Katha will have to donate $ 2501 while the daily Katha sponsor will have to donate $ 251 each. The devotees, who are interested in performing aarti, will have to donate $ 21 per day as well as $ 51 for Prasad. Mahaprasad will be served daily after the Katha.

GOPIO-CT to honor Dinesh Paliwal Cont’d from page 18

He has lived and worked in six countries on four continents. Prior to joining Harman, he was with the ABB Group for 22 years. Neesha Ramchandani is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Certified Diabetes Educator. She is coordinator of the pediatric diabetes program at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. While the majority of her time is spent doing clinical work and diabetes education, she has been doing innovative research in pediatric diabetes technology and has presented her research all over the U.S., Europe and South Africa. Over the last four years, GOPIO-CT has become an active and dynamic organization hosting interactive sessions with policy makers and academicians, community events, youth mentoring and networking workshops, and working with other area organizations to help create a better future.

May 7, 2010

BOSTON: The Akshaya Patra Foundation has launched Gifts For Moms, Smiles For Children, a Mother's Day campaign that pays tribute to Mothers worldwide while helping to feed and educate children throughout India. Akshaya Patra is an organization with the vision that no child shall be deprived of education because of hunger. The campaign is a way for people to celebrate their Mother, Grandmother, Sister or Aunt by giving them a gift for Mother's Day that actually gives back. "The unfaltering love that a Mother invests into raising her children enhances a person's life in a myriad of ways. The Gifts for Moms, Smiles for Children campaign is a great way for people to honor those Moms that have made an impact in their lives, by giving a gift with a real impact," said Madhu Sridhar, President and CEO of Akshaya Patra. "Akshaya Patra's mission of eradicating hunger and promoting education is based on the vision shared by all Mothers worldwide. $28 is a wonderful gift on behalf of a mother that a donor wishes to honor. A

child somewhere will smile." Donors to the campaign contribute $28 to Akshaya Patra for each Mother they wish to honor. Once someone has donated, they can either choose for Akshaya Patra to send an email about their gift to the Mother they are honoring, or they can print out a Mother's Day letter from Akshaya Patra to place in a card. Akshaya Patra's midday meal program feeds 1.2 million underserved children daily in 7,000 schools in eight states in India. It costs $28 to feed a child daily for the entire school year. With an average government subsidy of 50 percent, $28 feeds two children. For those who wish to purchase a different gift for their Mom while still giving back, they can do so by shopping through CafeGive, a website that brings together hundreds of online stores that donate part of their proceeds to charity. When someone makes a purchase through CafeGive, up to 20 percent of the purchase price is donated to Akshaya Patra by the vendor, at no cost to the consumer. Some of their vendors include Macys, Best Buy, 1-800Flowers and See's Candies.

UIC students celebrate India Nite Cont’d from page 17

Finally, with Bhangra, a competitive dance team focused on the energetic and vibrant folk dance style of Punjab. It fused both modern and traditional elements of Bhangra to create an entertaining and skillful performance. ISA President Vaish Shastry introduced three coordinators Atina D'Souza, Chaitan Patchava and Sujay Patel for their successful event and thanked them for their hard work. ISA Board consists of Vaish Shastry President, Atina D'Souza Internal Vice Presi-

dent, Uma Patel External Vice President, Samir Patel Treasurer, Ravi Bhatia Secretary. Cultural Chairs Shivani Mahida, Ruthvik basavaraj; Special Chairs - Krupa Patel, Nirbhay dhapodkar; Membership Chairs - Akash Moradia and Prpan Shah; Cultural Awareness Chairs - sandhya Prathap and Neil Mithipati; Philanthropy Chairs - Gaurav Verma and Hemal Patel; Creative Design Chairs Ciraag Deora and Sai Gudimella; Publicity Chairs - Dinakar Valdlamani; Show Assistants Reema Amin, Karan Talati and Disha Goswami.

TNF & Tamil Sangam education fundraiser Cont’d from page 18

There are more than 35,000 schools owned and run by the Government of Tamil Nadu's Department of School Education. Former President Dr. Abdul Kalam and the current Minister for School Education Thangam Thennarasu studied in panchayat (government) schools. The vast majority of these schools are located in 30,000 villages all over Tamil Nadu. These schools attract

poor students and serve as the backbone for India's rural development. Since its inception in 1974, TNF has a rich legacy of implementing more than 600 projects all across Tamil Nadu. The projects range from immediate needs such as Tsunami relief to long term needs such as education, health care, rural development, and social welfare. In 2009, realizing the importance of staying focused on the specific

needs for underprivileged Tamils, the TNF Board to focus on school education because of its enormous influence on individuals and the society TNF is currently conducting a pilot project by adopting six panchayat elementary schools in Maduranthakam area near Chengalpat. The project is funded by TNF and implemented in cooperation with Kalanjiyam (a local non-profit organization), school officials, and the local community.

May 7, 2010

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India Post 23

1 Dont Know What To Do - Housefull

6 Chaska - Badmaash Company

2 Mein Tenu Samjjawan - Virsa

7 Rang De - Bumm Bumm Bole

3 Ghum Suhm Ghum Suhm - IAWA

8 Roshni - Admissions Open

4 Khili Re - Raavan

9 Shaam Ki - Chase

5 Bekarar - Paathshaala

India Post

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May 7, 2010

10 Tumhare Liye - Trump Card

raumatic roles have become a part of Neil Nitin Mukesh's career. For his role in Lafange Parinde the actor is required to fight man to man with his adversaries, with the result he has bloody bruises and cuts all over his body from head to toe and it's not faked for the camera. "There's nothing fake about the fists of fury that fly in Pradeep Sarkar's film. It requires the rawest of physical violence and it can't be faked. So if you see me now I'm covered with welters, wounds and bruises, all gifted to me every day while shooting this, the most dangerous film of my career," Neil said. "Otherwise if my mother saw what I look like, she would have freaked out. I'm getting physically hurt every day. I'm covered in bruises. Because I am light-skinned, the hurt marks show up bright red on me within seconds. I look alarming! Even to myself in the mirror," Neil added. Nitin is not ready to disclose the plot "Fortunately, I'm not a stranger to these kind of raw... combats. I may come across as soft spoken now. But I've gone through my share of campus fights during my college days. In fact, I've a fierce temper problem. So far I had kept it in check. But now in 'Lafange Parinde' I'm disturbed to see the violent ill-tempered side of me emerging effortlessly." "What surprises me is the deep dark angry side to dada (director Pradeep Sarkar)'s personality. Who would have thought the man who made Parineeta and Laga Chunari Mein Daag had so much anger and violence in him?" Nitin concluded.

alman Khan must be really envious of Akshay Kumar! Akki is fortunate enough to romance not only Sallu's girlfriend Katrina Kaif in various films but also ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'Action Replayy'. Akshay is all set to do a cozy, romantic number with Mrs Bachchan. The song will have stanzas dedicated to the famous screen couples of the 70s and director Vipul Shah has included lines from the famous 'Bobby' song - "Hum tum ek kamre mein band ho." Ash is excited about the song and she is looking forward to play the legendary role of 'Bobby', even though for a short sequence. The film-maker is currently seeking permission to shoot the song in Gulmarg where the song was shot in the 70s. Yes, the same cabin is now a tourist attraction. And, Vipul is very excited about shooting here with Ash playing Bobby." And if Akki comes across any problem while shooting the song, he has the original 'Bobby' - mom-in-law Dimple Kapadia for reference anytime!

anjay Dutt is definitely a star very much sought after. Recently when he visited the Ajmer Sharif dargah to pray and offer 'chadar', a huge fan crowd gathered within minutes and made it impossible for him to leave the shrine as all the exits were blocked. His fans just didn't want to let him go, everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of him or, even better, get a jadoo ki jhappi from their beloved Munnabhai. Sanjay tried his best but it was simply impossible for him to greet and hug each and everyone. After three hours, as the situation became more and more chaotic, the dargah security finally called for the local police who helped Sanjay and his two friends to leave the place. Sanjay is also in great demand with film makers. He is booked till the end of 2011 for film projects like Inder Kumar's Double Dhamaal and Happily Divorced and Rajkumar Hirani's third Munnabhai film titled Munnabhai Chale Amerika. He is also doing two movies with Ashtavinayak, a project with Ajay Devgn and Apoorva Lakhia's Mumbai Taxi Service. Sanjay intends to go to various locations in Europe, South Africa, Thailand and the USA where he will shoot for his forthcoming projects.

Bollywood

May 7, 2010

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ot easy for all superstars. How ever 45-year-old Salman Khan is no longer hesitant to admit that he can't be expected to play a young boy. Salman turned down Ahmed Khan's assistant Abhishek Dogra's film as he felt he was a bit too old for the character. At Galaxy Apartments Bandra, Abhishek narrated the story of his film to Salman. The meeting lasted for an hour-and-half. After Abhishek finished his narration, Salman said he wouldn't do his film and suggested that he cast a young actor for the role. "While that's what he said, it could have been that Salman actually refused Abhishek's film because it is a three-hero project and he didn't want to share too much screen space with two other actors." Sources said. "Salman suggested a different ending to the script and the aspiring filmmaker agreed that it made for a far better climax than what he had envisaged. Abhishek is incorporating Salman's input." added sources. Though, Abhishek is keeping his fingers crossed for the future. "I'm earnestly looking forward to working with Salman one day. But I must say I don't know how thank him enough for his extremely valuable input to my script." Abhishek said.

t o

King of

PROBLEMS

Katrina as Madhubala

ing of Bollywood SRK feels that his friends have started calling him a "problem child" for his constant brush with controversies. "My friend just called me a 'problem child'... always in trouble. I think it is true...it would be so boring to be a 'solution adult'," Shah Rukh tweeted on a micro blogging website. Allegations of financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL), income tax officials had visited Shah Rukh Khan Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) office in Kolkata and claimed to have unearthed vital clues. SRK is expecting that clouds of suspicion and uncertainty will soon be over. "IPL controversy: fast, furious and too much noise. Like the T20 itself. Hope it gets resolved as fast too for our friend Lalit & franchises," added Shahrukh Khan.

emember the eternal face of classical Indian beauty Madhubala? The stunning actress, who made all ladies go green with envy and men weak in their knees, has caught the fancy of director Anurag Basu. Smitten by the iconic beauty's affair with Kishore Kumar, the filmmaker has found a fitting lass in Katrina Kaif to reprise the role of Madhubala onscreen. After playing a tough politician in Rajneeti, Kat will now be seen essaying the role of a lifetime. According to sources, Kat was finalized for the project after she opted out of Basu's other film, Silence, in which she was to co-star with Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor. What's interesting is that Kat has already started doing her homework for the role and watched Mughal-e-Azam, Mahal and Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. Talking about Katrina, Anurag said, "I think it's a little early to talk about it. I still haven't got the principal cast of my current project, Silence, in place. But yes, Katrina is someone I am very, very fond ofâ&#x20AC;Śfor her looks, talent and nature. I am definitely working with her, if not in Silence, then in my next film."

Colors TV CEO visits Los Angeles JS BEDI India Post News Service

ajesh Kamat, CEO of India's Colors TV made a brief visit to Los Angeles recently. India Post caught up with him at his hotel for a brief chat. Details on page 29

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May 7, 2010 Audience at the play The Blue Mug

Director Atul Kumar, Manish Bhardwaj, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rajat Kapoor, Sheeba Chaddha & Show promoter Bharat Jotwani of Poojanka Entertainments

RUCHIT B. DESAI

NEW YORK: "That was then, this is now," actress Sheeba Chadha stated as a prelude to The Blue Mug, which after not being performed for several years, had its New York premiere at the Gerald Lynch Theater, April 24.

Pics Gunjesh Desai/masalajunction.com

This Atul Kumar production explores the nature of memories with characters constructing their personal, social, and cultural histories with respect to coming of age in India Chadha is one of the ensemble cast of actors in the play who struggle to shape

themselves on the basis of what they remember; reflecting in a theatrical manner the im-

age of India, its history, its people and its joys and turmoil as seen through the memories and confabulations of these artists. Ostensibly characterized as a comedy play, this Atul Kumar production explores the nature of memories with characters constructing their personal, social, and cultural histories with respect to coming of age in India. When asked about where the idea for such a play originated, Kumar cited Oliver Sack's The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, a book describing the neurological case histories of some of his patients. He became fascinated with the idea of memories and created an adaptation into an Indian backdrop, implementing new scenarios and twists on the phenomenon of the ability to recall and what it actually means to remember. What is very unique to this particular production is that it has delved deep into the minds of the actors to use their actual past and memories. Kumar describes the piece as a very personal journey as there is no real written script. It is a compendium of the actors' experiences in childhood and beyond - everything from first loves to dealing with death. This improvisational method invariably makes for a unique performance each and every time it is enacted. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 28

May 7, 2010

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'Westernized' version of Kites for simultaneous release India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In what will be the widest ever release for any Indian 'Bollywood' production, Kites, the eagerly anticipated romantic adventure starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori, will open globally, including the US and Canada, on May 21, along with its Indian release. The Rakesh Roshan production, directed by Anurag Basu, will be released by Reliance Big Pictures on more than 2000 screens simultaneously, including over 200 in the United States. Shot completely on location in Las Vegas, Sante Fe and Los Angeles, Kites is a unique 'Bollywood' film in a number of ways, not the least of which is the fact that a reworked English language version, designed to extend the reach of the original, will be launched in select engagements a week later. Entitled Kites: The Remix, it is being presented by Brett Ratner, who oversaw its creation. In the US, Kites: The Remix will be released in association with Mark Urman's Paladin, and will open in several major markets, including New York and Los Angeles, for the Memorial Day holiday weekend beginning May 28. Produced on an epic scale, and

set primarily against the lavish backdrop of Las Vegas, Kites tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who are destined to be together even though each is betrothed to another. Indian superstar Roshan, plays "J," a charming hustler looking to make a big score, and Mori, the renowned Mexican actress (best known in America for the 2005 hit

Officially billed as ‘A Brett Ratner Presentation,’ Ratner's version of Kites is, as its title suggests, a true ‘remix,’ in that it is the same film, played to a different rhythm

"La Mujer De Mi Hermano"), plays Linda, a beautiful immigrant with dreams of marrying a rich American. Their romance is described in the film as a love that "knows no language," an apt description of Kites itself, which has more international appeal than more traditional Bollywood films. Reliance BIG Pictures CEO,

Sanjeev Lamba, commented, "Kites is a very important film for Reliance with a story that has international appeal. By releasing the original Hindi version and Brett Ratner's Remix a week apart, we feel that we can reach the largest possible audience, including the younger demographic for whom 2+ hours is a challenge." As of May 21, Kites will play at all traditional Indian film venues around the world, including Reliance's own newly-opened Big Cinema on E. 59th Street in Manhattan, New York. However, the vast majority of the initial screens will be major-chain, mainstream commercial theaters, as well as specialty cinemas catering to foreign film-going audiences. Officially billed as "A Brett Ratner Presentation," Ratner's version of Kites is, as its title suggests, a true "remix," in that it is the same film, played to a different rhythm, running a swift 90 minutes as opposed to the 130-minute original. One of the leading action directors working in the industry today, Ratner is credited with taking Asian action star Jackie Chan and crossing him over into American superstardom with his spectacularly successful "Rush Hour" series. Cont’d on page 30

KnockOuts For Girls in Grappling Tournament Lessons, Mentorship Programs and more which help serve those in need. KO4G also hosts a number of fundraising events such as charity golf tournaments, boxing matches and more. The first partnered event for Submission Ink and KnockOuts For Girls will be the May 1st Submission Ink Grappling Tournament

MAGDA MARCELLA

LOS ANGELES, CA: KnockOuts For Girls has announced partnership with Submssion Ink to help build awareness for the KnockOuts For Girls cause. KnockOuts For Girls (KO4G) is a non-profit organization that uses the discipline of boxing to build self esteem, inspire the human spirit, and promote physical fitness to help people facing challenges worldwide. Through female boxing events and fundraisers, KO4G raises money to support its many programs that help underprivileged girls, women, and those in need. Submission Ink is a one of a kind national submission grappling tournament and MMA Fighter Autograph Session which also incorporates entertainment from a number of different markets: Motorcycle, Tattoo, Music, Skateboarding, Motocross, Roller Derby, etc. providing a diverse entertainment experience for fans and competitors alike. Submission Ink was created to give the average fan the most memorable and interactive experience possible. Fans line up for hours in anticipation to get in the cage and share

KnockOuts For Girls was created by female boxers who felt the discipline of boxing had so changed their lives in a positive way

a laugh, a handshake and a picture with some of the biggest stars in MMA. By working with some of the biggest superstars in Mixed Martial Arts and having the autograph session in a competition sized MMA cage, fans are able to get up close & personal with their favorite stars for an experience they'll never forget.

Submission Ink's goal is to bring more awareness & visibility to the sport of MMA and Submission Grappling as well as to the fighters and competitors by delivering the highest level of entertainment to a broad set of markets. KnockOuts For Girls was created by female boxers who felt the

discipline of boxing had so changed their lives in a positive way that they wanted to create an organization built around the sport in order to help other women. KnockOuts For Girls have many programs including: College Scolarships, Empowerment Classes for Women, Free Boxing

and MMA Autograph Session at the family-friendly "Rock the Ink Tattoo & Entertainment Festival" in Ontario, California. It is the hope of both organizations that such a diverse cross-over event will help build awareness and inspire a broad number of people within the community. KnockOuts For Girls is excited to partner up with Submission Ink, and feels this will prove to be an innovative collaboration. Cont’d on page 30

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Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 26

Perhaps the audience's most adored character, Juginder, a psychiatric patient suffering from anterograde amnesia, was one of the most memorable highlights of the night. With his boyish charm and overall gawkiness, Ranvir Shorey's depiction of the forty

Chasing memories of India year old thinking he is still twenty something brought the house to countless moments of roaring laughter while still dealing with quite a tragic situation.

Konkona Sen Sharma gives a calm, cool, and collected performance as the patient's doctor who grapples with the meaning of a life without memories. Munish

Konkona Sen Sharma and Mira Nair

Pics Gunjesh Desai/masalajunction.com

Mira Nair & Ranvir Shorey

Vinay Pathak and Mira Nair

Bhardwaj, Rajat Kapoor, and Vinay Pathak add to this versatile ensemble with their simplistically insightful yet totally hilarious vignettes of boarding school, ailing parents, and transitions to college. While the play is predominately about memories in India, it is bringing this experience across

continents to audiences everywhere from the U.S. to South America. The New York run of the play was presented by Bharat Jotwani of Poojanka Entertainment. The play will be traveling to 10 US cities through May 16 with one performance in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on May 5.

May 7, 2010

India Post

www.indiapost.com JS BEDI India Post News Service

Rajesh Kamat, CEO of India's Colors TV made a brief visit to Los Angeles recently. India Post caught up with him at his hotel for a brief chat. Kamat, apart from being the CEO of Colors TV, is also the COO of Viacom India. He graduated in Bio Medical Engineering specializing in Medical Instrumentation. Prior to Colors Kamat was with Coca Cola, MTV, Star India and Endemol. Extremely charismatic Rajesh Kamat is not your stereotype grim no nonsense bureaucratic corporate personality that Indian corporations are notorious for. Rajesh is charismatic, humorous and extremely affable and amiable - breath of fresh air after a long, long time. Television is a booming industry in India and has developed as a parallel entertainment outlet to Bollywood. Gone are the days when Doordarshan had the sole monopoly of the small screen. "There are 400 plus channels in India and totally about 512 li-

Colors TV CEO visits Los Angeles censes have been issued," said Kamat. Currently there are about 120 million households with TV sets. Talking about his Channel, Kamat said that the prime audience is the middle class housewife and that is the reason why there is a

Extremely charismatic Rajesh Kamat is not your stereotype grim no nonsense bureaucratic corporate personality plethora of Saas Bahu serials; that's what is in demand. This is bad news for men folk, as no man can really see himself settling in at primetime to watch a sitcom with titles like Shanno Ki Shaadi, Banoo Mein Teri Dulhan and the likes. Or like Capt Kirk of Starship Enterprise, "go to where no man has set foot before!!"

Colors however do have alternative shows like Fear Factor (Khatron Ke Khiladi) and various dance and talent shows. Another unique aspect of Colors is that the programs are all at the same time in the world, which means that if a show is at 8pm in India it will also be at 8pm local time in other countries - 8 pm in Los Angels, 8 pm in New York and so on. Rajesh Kamat conceded that there is a vast difference between domestic viewers and NRI viewers. Shows that are popular in India may not enjoy the same popularity abroad. And the same applies to Bollywood movies. He said there are plans to do NRI oriented programs and shows within the next three to six months. They also plan to begin doing news in the near future. Colors is currently considering a Roadies type show but that will be confined only to the metros as the participants are from rich families who can afford the foreign travel and the expenses that come with participat-

ing in a show of this nature. Apart from USA, Colors is also available in the UK and Ireland along with the SAARC countries.

Rajesh Kamat

Oversees revenue accounts for only 20% of its total revenue and it would be fair to assume that for India based television channels overseas markets are a secondary market. However Colors will soon begin telecast in Canada and the Middle East. Colors, known as Aapka Col-

ors in the US, is a Hindi language Indian general entertainment channel based in Mumbai, part of the Viacom 18 family, which was launched on July 21, 2008. The channel got a huge popularity just after its launch with Khatron Ka Khiladi: Fear Factor with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and due to its successful ratings, it received the 2nd position among other Hindi general entertainment channels for a little while, such as Zee TV, Sony TV, STAR Plus, and Sahara One. The show completed its successful one year on 21 July 2009 Currently, the channel is featuring a number of successful shows, such as Balika Vadhu, Jai Shri Krishna and Bigg Boss 3. The channels' most popular show, Balika Vadhu has been ranked in the Top 5 shows of Indian television's TRPs charts, within three months of its launch. On 21 January 2010, Colors became available on Dish Network (channel 651) in the US, where it is called Aapka Colors because of a clash with Colours TV of Denver, Colorado.

India Post

May 7, 2010 www.indiapost.com

Polish Film Festival, a tasteful affair MAGDA MARCELLA

LOS ANGELES: It was a slow start for the Opening Gala at the 11th Annual Los Angeles Polish Film Festival on April 20. The day was overcast and it had been raining - complimentary weather for Poland's current somber mood. However, after a few bright and cheery flashes from the cameras on the red carpet, a couple of homemade periogis, and shot or two of Polish vodka, the festival was off to a rollicking good start. The show must go on, after all. The red carpet and reception for the Opening Gala at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood started promptly at six o'clock. Red carpet arrivals include: Alicja Bachleda Curus, Yola Czaderska-Hayek, and the Polish Consul for Culture, Science, Education and Public Affairs Malgarzata Cup. The Opening Gala was a festive yet tasteful affair. The theme colors, red and white - the colors of the Polish flag - adorned the buffet tables and the main lobby. Black was also present for mourning the Polish government officials who had died in the plane crash. While the recent tragedy certainly affected the mood, it never overshadowed the event, or why everyone was gathered there that night. Guests wore little Polish flags with black ribbons to show solidarity and mourning for the Polish President, First Lady, and the lives of others who passed tragically in the plane crash to Smolensk. While due respect was given to the tragedy at hand, the festival chose to focus on the posi-

Magda Marcella and Evan Evans

of the Holocaust: The Story of Irena Sendler, written by Anna Mieszkowska. Sendler was a Polish Catholic social worker, who with the help of her underground organization Zegota (comprised of herself, twenty three other

and stars Anna Paquin (The Piano, True Blood) as Irena Sendler. Irena Sendler and Zegota passed themselves off as nurses in order to gain entry into the Warsaw ghetto to give out food, medicine, and clothes and to get

The Opening Gala was a festive yet tasteful affair. The theme colors, red and white - the colors of the Polish flag - adorned the buffet tables and the main lobby tive aspects of why we were all gathered there: to celebrate Polish cinema and Polish artists. As more attendees kept coming in through the red carpet, guests mingled freely, chatting about the festival line-up, recent events, reminiscing about Poland, and looking

KnockOuts For Girls in Grappling Tournament

forward to the night's main entertainment: the film "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler." At nine o'clock, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" opened the festival's film line-up. The film is based on Sendler's biography Mother of the Children

women and one man) rescued approximately 2,500 Jewish children during World War II. The film was directed and co-written by John Kent Harrison (What the Deaf Man Heard) and Larry Spagnola (Arizona Seaside), respectively,

'Westernized' version of Kites for simultaneous release

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 27

The May 1st Submission Ink event will feature some of the biggest stars in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in a special in-cage autograph session including: Former WEC Lightweight Champion Razor Rob McCullough, WEC Featherweight Cub Swanson, Jamie Yager from the Ultimate Fighter Season 11 and StrikeForce Middleweight Benji Razor Radach. In addition to the special MMA Autograph Session there is also a Submission Grappling Tournament which will showcase the area's top submission grapplers and includes a grappling SuperFight between Gracie Barra Black Belt Roberto Tussa Alencar and Team Checkmat Black Belt Lucas Leite. All the action takes place within the three day Rock the Ink Tattoo & Entertainment Festival which provides entertainment of all types including on-site Tattoo artists, Music, Skateboarding, Motocross, Roller Derby, Guitar Wars, Tattoo Contests and more!

In much the same way, Kites: The Remix will target younger, hipper, more action-oriented crowd than the original. Besides playing in different theaters and neighborhoods, it will also take on additional screens at many of the same multiplexes that will be playing the original version as of May, 21, an unprecedented strategy that will present an alternative to fans who want to see more-and less-of the film at the same time. Brett Ratner says, "As a huge fan of Bollywood and its filmmakers, I was delighted when Rakesh and Anurag invited me to create a westernized version of their fabulously conceived film. The opportunity to widen the audience profile for Kites was compelling and I have thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration." Barbara Mori and Hrithik Roshan, and the key filmmaking team, will attend a US premiere

in New York on May 16. The entire entourage then flies to London for the European premiere at the Odeon West End. Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd. (RBEL) is the flagship media and entertainment arm of India's Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group with significant presence in film entertainment (film production, distribution, and exhibition), broadcasting and new media ventures. In Hollywood, Reliance Big Pictures has partnered with Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider on the formation of DreamWorks Studios and has development deals with Nicolas Cage's Saturn Films, Jim Carrey's JC 23 Entertainment, George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions, Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures, Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions, Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, Jay Roach's Everyman Pictures, Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment, Julia Roberts' Red Om Films and Brian Grazer and Ron Howards' Imagine Entertainment.

the children out. They entered the ghetto under the pretense of treating typhus outbreaks. They hid children in ambulances, trams, trolleys. When these relatively "conventional" means of transport were impossible to access, Sendler and her compatriots hid infants, toddlers, and children in suitcases, pipes, coffins, even boxes, often disguising them as packages; anything to get them out of the ghetto where they were sure to meet certain death. Sendler has said that the hardest part by far was convincing the parents and grandparents to part with their children. When asked if she could guarantee that they'd live, she answered truthfully that she couldn't but that she could guarantee they would die if they stayed in the ghetto. The children were sent to live with Polish-Gentile families, convents, orphanages, and even parishes, where they were given Polish names and identities. Sendler hid lists of the real names of the children in jars that she buried in her friend's garden. It was her hope to return the children to their families after the war; however, it many cases this wasn't possible as many of parents and grandparents died in concentration camps.

he small town of Bhimtal is famous as a lake resort. It offers to the tourists a quiet vacation and facilities for water sports. This beautiful town also attracts hundreds of tourists every year by its peaceful green surroundings. Bhimtal is located in the northern part of the state of Uttarakhand, in the northern region of India. It is located at an altitude of 1,371 m above sea level amongst the Kumaon hills. It is 23 km from Nainital. The weather in Bhimtal is alpine. Summers (April-June) are mild and winters are cold (November-February). It experiences southwestern monsoon rains in July-September. Best time to visit: The best time to visit Bhimtal is from mid-April to mid-July and from mid-September to

October. History: The origin of this small town is obscure. Bhimtal got its name from Bhim, one of the legendary personalities and central characters mentioned in the Indian epic of Mahabharata. Tourist attractions: The main tourist attraction of this small hill station is its lake. It is one of the largest lakes in the district of Nainital. The lake offers scope for boating to travelers. In the middle of the lake, there is a beautiful island with a restaurant. The island provides a panoramic view of the lake as well as its luxuriant surroundings. Travelers can also explore the region around the lake and take a walk through the quiet forest surrounding the lake. There is a large Victorian dam at one end of the lake and terraced flower gardens can be found on either side. Bhimtal is also known for its lovely dappled paths, ravines festooned with dog rose and wild raspberry. Farm-

31 India Post

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Bhimtal is famous as a lake resort. It offers to the tourists a quiet vacation and facilities for water sports. This beautiful town also attracts hundreds of tourists every year by its peaceful green surroundings

May 7, 2010

houses are set among terraced fields and citrus trees laden with fruits. There is a Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal, which is a private institution. It has a good collection of artifacts and information about the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh. The collection includes ancient wooden artifacts, information about traditional rites, rituals, stone implements, and items of archeological importance. It also houses a sizable collection of reproductions and photographs of rock art. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 33

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

May 7, 2010

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Goa to tie up with Karnataka for tourism PANAJI: Goa will tie up with Karnataka to provide visitors a mix of beach and hinterland tourism. Goa Tourism Director Swapnil Naik told reporters here that the state Tourism Development Corporation is in talks with its Karnataka counterpart to develop a circuit which will attract more tourists for both the states. Naik said that Goa, although attracts tourists from world over, does not have adventure tourism

facilities which are offered by neighboring Karnataka. "They (Karnataka) offer mind blowing adventure tourism packages, which can be clubbed with the packages offered by Goa to give visitors a chance to enjoy beaches and hinterland together," Naik said. All states have realized that tourists want varieties. Therefore, a circuit has been developed that recommends dif-

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‘They (Karnataka) offer mind blowing adventure tourism packages, which can be clubbed with the packages offered by Goa to give visitors a chance to enjoy beaches and hinterland together’ Naik said

ferent visiting spots, he added. Goa receives around 25 lakh tourists annually and the domestic tourists are on rise in the state. However, the state government records indicate 13 per cent decline in the foreign arrivals, this time. . Naik said Goa too is committed to develop its backwater and adventure tourism like Kerala and Karnataka. The Goa Tourism Director also pointed out that a tie up with the northeastern state of Sikkim is almost in the final stage. "Our endeavor is not just to promote Goa internationally. We

want to attract more domestic tourists and also offer varied services to the foreigners who arrive here," Naik said. He rubbished the contention that Goa has lost to Kerala on tourism front. "Although we share geographical similarities with Kerala, they cannot beat us in beach tourism," he said. -PTI

J-K tourism sector being fine-tuned JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government is fine-tuning the tourism sector to showcase its vast heritage, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said. The government has flagged preservation and propagation of state's rich culture and heritage as an important area. "Our strategy is to fine-tune the tourism development activities with the cultural affinity of the area," Abdullah said. Addressing the gathering after a book release function here, the chief minister highlighted the importance of books and said they "enrich one's knowledge about multi-faceted aspects of life, people, area and civilization".

The new book 'Ladakh-Travel-HistoryCulture', authored jointly by DIG police S D S Jamwal and T L Thasgspa, he said covers all aspects of life in Ladakh, its fauna, flora, geography, history and culture The new book 'Ladakh-TravelHistory-Culture', authored jointly by DIG police S D S Jamwal and T L Thasgspa, he said covers all aspects of life in Ladakh, its fauna, flora, geography, history and culture. He also encouraged his officers to write diaries and books as "it is a sophisticated way of telling true stories of people and the land". Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora said this was the third book on Ladakh and the great civilization it symbolizes. Jora said hospitality, friendly approach and courtesy for the guests has acted as a catalyst for development of tourism in Ladakh. -PTI

Travel & Hospitality Post

May 7, 2010

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Bhimtal: Water sports & quite vacation Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 31

Places around Naukuchiatal is 4 km from Bhimtal. It is a lake having nine corners. Like Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal also has quiet verdant environs, which attract the travelers. This treefringed lake is good for boating. Sat Tal (literally seven lakes) is 7 km from Bhimtal. It is another important place to visit. Sat Tal was originally a clus-

Sat Tal

Naukuchiatal

ter of seven lakes, out of which two have dried up. It is famous for fishing and boating. The densely wooded hills and little creeks along the shores of the lakes are a perennial attraction for tourists. Godhakhel Temple is 3 km from Bhim Tal. How to reach Air - Bhimtal does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is at Pant Nagar (55 km) and the nearest railway station is at Kathgodam (23 km). Road - Bhimtal is well connected by bus with Nainital and Kathgodam. Tourists can also reach Bhimtal by hiring taxi from Nainital or Kathgodam.

India Post

Shimla to host travel agents conference SHIMLA: A four-day long international travel agents conference will be held here in November, Chairman of the Shimla travel agents association said here. "Travel agents from Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai will also be invited to attend the conference and travelogue writers of repute, especially those who have highlighted the tourism potential of Himachal Pradesh, will be honored," G D Mani, Chairman of the association told reporters here. A tourism fair will also be held at the historic Ridge Maidan here where travel agents will set up their stalls, he added. -PTI

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31 new 'Tourist Centers' in AP HYDERABAD: Buoyed by a record number of domestic tourist arrivals in the state, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department is now developing the unexplored destinations into attractive 'Tourist Centers', to woo more visitors. Besides the 31 new tourist centers that are being developed there are already over 50 such centers in the state. Andhra Pradesh with its temple towns, Buddhist sites, monuments, beaches, hills, wildlife and forests has always remained high on the agenda for domestic tourists. The state ranked number one in terms of domestic tourist arrivals with over 127 million visitors during 2008-2009. In terms of international tourists, it ranked seventh in the country with 0.76 million holidayers. "There are many places which are beautiful but unexplored in Andhra Pradesh. We are identifying them and developing them into 'Tourist Centers' with the assistance of Central and state governments besides using our own funds," Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), Sandeep

Kumar Sultania, told PTI. The upcoming 'Tourist Centers' in different districts of the state will have entry plazas, restaurants, accommodation facilities, tourist amenities, ayurveda

Andhra Pradesh with its temple towns, Buddhist sites, monuments, beaches, hills, wildlife and forests has always remained high on the agenda for domestic tourists. The state ranked number one in terms of domestic tourist arrivals with over 127 million visitors during 2008-2009. In terms of international tourists, it ranked seventh in the country with 0.76 million holidayers and yoga centers, amphitheatre, eco and adventure activity, view towers, swimming pools, gymnasium among other services. The concept of 'Tourist Cen-

ters' is basically to develop tourist spots, by creating tourism infrastructure and bring them on tourism map, he said. . They will also be facilitation and information centers for the assistance of tourists," Sultania added. "We want to attract tourists by providing them basic amenities at these centers and add parks, cafeteria, provide rooms to ensure a pleasant stay for the visitors apart from creating other tourism infrastructure," he said. Each 'Tourist Centre' was being developed at a cost ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 16 crore. "The works are likely to be completed by the end of this year," he said adding "we would like to have more such centers and details are being worked out." Another tourism official said the department was also proposing to set up 60 'Way-side Amenities' at a cost of Rs 15 lakh each on important routes along the state and national highways in the state in the next one to twoyear period. "Through these 'Way-side Amenities' we want to create places for convenience of tourists," the official added. -PTI

May 7, 2010

Tourist influx in Sikkim in spite of rain GANGTOK: Heavy pre-monsoon showers has taken its toll but it has not been able to dampen spirits of thousands of tourists who are still flocking into packed hotels and resorts here in Sikkim. This year in the months of January, February and March an estimated 1,49,140 domestic tourists visited Sikkim which is the highest the state has ever recorded, State Tourism Secretary, SBS Bhaduria said, adding at least 4,909 number of foreign tourists have visited the state in past three months. Last year a total of 1,7,730 foreign tourists and 6,15,628 domestic tourists visited Sikkim. Many tourists also come to the state for the snowfall which is still being experienced in the upper reaches of Tsomgo Lake and north Sikkim. "People come to Sikkim to escape from the scorching heat. However keeping in mind the inconvenience that the rains can cause to the travelers, we have also arranged with the state R&B department, GREF and BRO to keep all state highways open for the commuters," Bhaduria said here. The secretary said that the In-

ternational Rhododendron Festival (IRF) that is being organized at Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary in north Sikkim might also be a reason behind the influx of tourists in the state.

This year in the months of January, February and March an estimated 1,49,140 domestic tourists visited Sikkim which is the highest the state has ever recorded, State Tourism Secretary, SBS Bhaduria said, adding at least 4,909 number of foreign tourists have visited the state in past three months But he also maintained that rush of visitors is almost the same in other seasons also as tourists were slowly exploring the potential of the state as a holiday destination. Bhaduria said all hotels have been fully booked till next month. -PTI

ITDC to use retired staff for C'wealth Games NEW DELHI: Putting their experience to good use, the Tourism Ministry has decided to take services of its retired employees for attending guests during the Commonwealth Games. There is a requirement of about 3,000 trained employees to manage room service, catering and housekeeping at 5,500 rooms being readied by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a PSU under Tourism Ministry, at Vasant Kunj and Jasola for the Games visitors. "We have decided to use the services of our retired ITDC employees for the Commonwealth Games and a formal notification to this effect will be issued soon," said a senior Tourism Ministry official. While the housekeeping and laundry

service will be outsourced, the room service will be managed by the ITDC itself. "Besides retaining the experienced retired staff, we are also hiring 750 students from the Indian Hotel Management for room service job," said the official. Currently, the rooms constructed by the DDA are being renovated and furnished by the ITDC at an estimated cost of Rs 35 crore. Chinese and Malaysian furniture, handicraft and artwork of various states are being procured for furnishing these rooms. Keeping foreign guests in mind, furnishing will be of world standard, said a senior ITDC official. Besides flats at Vasant Kunj and Jasola, ITDC is also involved in furnishing Games Village at Akshardham. -PTI

JK to promote religious tourism JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government will focus on developing religious places in Jammu region to promote pilgrim tourism. Several travel operators have been roped in the project and the government is holding publicity campaigns to promote places of religious importance, the state's Tourism Minister Rigzin Jora said at the end of 3-day Baisakhi festival at Bagh-e-Bahu here last evening. Jora said that efforts are being made to draw pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi

shrine to other tourist resorts of the region. The restoration and conservation work of Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore, out of which Rs 50 crore have been approved by the centre for the current financial year, he said. The illumination at Kud-Patnitop is being taken up at a cost of Rs 1.11 crore and a TRC complex at Sarthal Devi Ji in Kishtwar would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3.50 crore. -PTI

May 7, 2010

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Tech News India's largest and free mobile apps store

eliance Communications (RCom), India's only telecom operator offering nationwide CDMA and GSM mobile services, has inked a strategic tie-up with GetJar in order to develop the subcontinent's largest and free mobile Apps Store. GetJar, the world's second largest app store will offer RCom its extensive catalog of over 65,000 free mobile applications as per the agreement signed between the two companies. Following the collaboration, over 100 million subscribers to RCom's telecom services will gain immediate access to GetJar's massive library of applications via a GetJar apps store through RCom's VAS platform R-World.

Nokia N8 powered by latest Symbian OS

okia Corp has announced its latest smartphone - N8 - that let the users connects, create and entertain. This new smartphone device from the leader in handset manufacture is powered by the latest edition of the world's most used smartphone software - Symbian^3. Nokia introduces several major advances, including support for gestures such as multi touch, flick scrolling and pinch-zoom. The Nokia N8 boasts of a 12 megapixel camera bundled with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and a large sensor that rivals those found in compact digital cameras. Another major USP of the handset is its ability to make HD-quality videos and edit them with an intuitive built-in editing suite.

HP brings new motion controller

ewlett-Packard (HP), world's largest technology company, has introduced a motion controller device, which, as the company says, for the first time ever is bundled with a desktop PC. Called the "HP Swing", this new motion controller device has inbuilt sensors that will enable the users to have real-action-like experience while playing games like tennis, basketball, football, etc. HP is offering "Swing" exclusively with its Pavilion line of desktop PCs. People who seek to buy the device separately, thus, might have to wait. Surprisingly, the Company has said to be released the product in India, while the US still awaits any development on it.

TechBiz 37 India Post

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Info sought on multinational accounting firms NEW DELHIL: Against the backdrop of multi-crore Satyam fraud, the accounting regulator ICAI has sought information from 150 chartered accountant firms, including MNCs, to see whether they circumvented laws while providing auditing services in the country. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has written to 150 firms seeking information on various issues including on agreement or contract for usage of name of multinational entity, Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said in the Lok Sabha.

May 7, 2010

Cont’d on page 38

India sets up joint venture for foreign investments India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a major step to promote foreign investments into the country the Government of India has approved the creation of a company 'Invest India' -- a joint venture between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Explaining the need for such a company, a government of India official release states that globally, India is one of the most preferred destinations for foreign investment, however due to the heterogeneous nature of the Indian market investors do find difficulty in finding clear answers to queries and

also delays in getting their investments to fructify speedily. It is with this view that Invest India, a Joint Venture Company (Not for Profit Company) between Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion

Invest India is responsible for promoting and facilitating Investments to India. The shareholding currently is 51% FICCI and 49% DIPP. Subsequently DIPP will dilute its equity to include all State

Due to the heterogeneous nature of the Indian market investors do find difficulty in finding clear answers to queries and also delays in getting their investments to fructify speedily. It is with this view that Invest India has been set up (DIPP) - Ministry of Commerce and Industry - Government of India, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Various State Governments has been set up, the release states.

Governments. The primary mandate of 'Invest India' is: • to provide handholding support services to all investors, seeking to do business in India.

• to ensure that the investment projects fructify on the ground and success in ensured. • to support investment promotion activities of the Central and State Governments. • to help investment policy reviews, in view of experience gained, to make then more conducive for foreign investments. The Board of Invest India comprises of R P Singh, Chairman of Invest India Board and Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI); and Vijay Kumar Topa, Managing Director, Invest India and Advisor to Secretary General, FICCI.

Indian companies participate at Bio 2010 MOHAMMAED GHOUSE

CHICAGO: The Confederation of Indian Industries is leading a strong delegation of 31 business leaders in the Bio and Pharma Industry to participate in the Bio 2010 to be held at McCornick Place, Chicago from the 3-5th May. Prominent companies like Biocon, Dabur Research Foundation, GVK Biosciences, Panacea Bio Tech, Vimta Labs, Strand Life Sciences, Jubilant Biosys, Manipal Accunova, Ocimum Biosolutions, Advinus Therauptics, Avestagen, Bigtec are participating in the exhibition. Ms Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director, BioCon would Chair the session on "Role of Indian Biotech Industry in promoting Global health on May 5 from 9 to 9-45 am. Dr George John, Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, leads a three member delegation. A four member delegation from the Karnataka Government led by Ashok Kumar Manoli, Principal Secretary (IT&BT) involved in the promotion of Bio-technology investments in Karnataka is also partici-

pating in the Bio 2010. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India, partnering industry and government alike through advisory and consultative processes. CII is a

association, with a direct membership of over 7800 organizations from the private as well as public sectors. The Indian biotechnology sector is one of the fastest growing knowledge-based sectors in India and is expected to play a key role in

Ms Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director, BioCon would Chair the session on "Role of Indian Biotech Industry in promoting Global health on May 5 from 9 to 9-45 am Kiran Majumdar Shaw

non-government, not-for-profit, industry led and industry managed organization, playing a proactive role in India's development process. Founded over 115 years ago, it is India's premier business

shaping India's rapidly developing economy. Currently, India holds two per cent share of the global market. With numerous comparative advantages in terms of research and development (R&D) facilities,

knowledge, skills, and cost effectiveness, the biotechnology industry in India has immense potential to emerge as a global key player. The Indian biotech sector's overall turnover in 2008-09 was US$ 2.51 billion, as compared to US$ 2.13 billion in 2007-08. With the current trend and the new biotech policy of the central government, the sector is poised to generate US$ 13 billion to US$ 16 billion by 2015. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has also decided to develop biotech clusters in the cities of Faridabad, Bangaluru, Mohali and Hyderabad apart from already existing Biotech parks and incubators to promote biotechnology in the country. India is already being globally recognized as a manufacturer of economical, high quality bulk drugs and formulations. With a huge base of talented, skilled and cost competitive manpower, and a well-developed scientific infrastructure, India has great potential to become a leading global player in biotechnology.

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May 7, 2010

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Bharti sees net fall for first time in 3 years

GENERIC ISSUE: Act'Up activists demonstrate in front of Indian embassy on April 28, 2010 in Paris during a rally to protest against a free-trade deal that could be clinched between India and the European Union as helping boost its presence in fast-growing Asia. Several associations protest against the project, including Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), which declared that any deal should not conclude without a deal to ensure access to generic medicines

India is 7th largest stakeholder in World Bank India Post News Service

NEW YORK: For the first time in a generation, India's shareholding in the World Bank, which had been declining since the 1970s, has been reversed. With historic changes being effected in the shareholding structure of the global bank, India is now its 7th largest shareholder. These changes were brought about when the Development Committee of the World Bank met April 25 in Washington DC to take historic decisions relating to increasing the financial capacity of the Bank and enhancing the role of developing countries in its governance. These decisions will be of great benefit to India - both as a borrower from and as a shareholder of the Bank.

Changes in the World Bank's Voting Structure

The changes in the shareholding structure of the Bank would make India one of the important shareholders in the Bank. While there is an overall shift of 3% vote share to developing countries bringing their total vote share to 47%, India would now be the 7th largest shareholder in the Bank. In recognition of the global economic changes that are taking place, the voting power of countries like India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey has increased while that of some of the major European and other coun-

tries that have traditionally dominated international finance like UK, France, Germany, the Nordic and Benelux countries, Japan, Australia and Canada, has gone down. As a result of this change, India would go ahead of Russia, Canada, Australia, Italy and Saudi Arabia in voting power. These changes reflect the rapid growth of the Indian economy in the past decade and its rising economic weight in global affairs. The

As a result of this change, India would go ahead of Russia, Canada, Australia, Italy and Saudi Arabia in voting power Bank has also agreed to review its shareholding five years hence and as India's economy grows further, this should lead to a further improvement in India's relative importance.

Enhancing the Bank's Capital

The Development Committee also agreed to raise the capital base of the Bank through a General Capital Increase. This increase is taking place after a gap of over 30 years. The increase in its capital base, along with the capital that would flow in as a result of the realignment in shareholding,

would allow the Bank to lend an additional $86 billion. As one of the largest borrowers of the Bank, India also would be able to secure additional assistance from the Bank. The enhanced lending capacity would enable India to receive additional assistance to the extent of $7-1 billion in the coming years. In his remarks at the DC meeting, India's Finance Secretary said that these changes "are transformative in nature and will reposition the World Bank Group in the international financial architecture. “Taken collectively, they will strengthen the role the World Bank Group in being an effective multilateral instrument for eradicating poverty, achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), supporting international efforts to manage global public goods, and most importantly, keeping it relevant in a dynamic world." He said, "We are taking momentous decisions today, decisions that will set the direction of this unique institution for many decades to come. “Our decisions will ensure that the World Bank Group continues to play a lead role in eradicating poverty and fostering development globally, that its storehouse of knowledge and resources is put to best use. By giving the World Bank Group a new sense of purpose and direction with enhanced governance and strength, we will ensure that the vision of its founding fathers is fulfilled".

NEW DELHI: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel's net profit fell -- the first time in three years -- by eight per cent in Q4, as cut-throat competition ate into margins at a time when it is raising debt to fund its USD 9 billion acquisition in Africa. Net profit stood at Rs 2,060 crore, down eight per cent from a year ago, although the company's total revenues crossed the Rs 10,000-crore mark (Rs 10,060 crore) for the first time in the quarter. This was so because of falling call charges in an increasingly competitive market. Revenues of telecom operators have come under pressure with the entry of 14 new players, as they are offering rock bottom call tariff to woo customers. However, there was some comfort for Airtel in Q4 as the company finally recorded a rise in minutes of usage per user after registering a fall for six straight quarters. Bharti shares closed down 1.26 per cent at Rs 294.50. "Bharti Airtel continues to be strongly positioned in India despite a hyper competitive market," Bharti Airtel Ltd Chairman & Managing Director Sunil Bharti Mittal said. For the full-year 2009-10, the consolidated revenue was up 7 per cent at Rs 39,620 crore year-onyear, while its net profit was up 7 per cent at Rs 9103 crore. Bharti Airtel's Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) was at Rs 220 in the fourth quarter, 4.3 per cent down from Rs 230 in the quarter ended December 31. The company made acquisitions in Bangladesh and Africa during the quarter, including the USD 9 billion acquisition of the

African assets of Kuwait's Zain telecom. Besides raising finances for the Zain acquisition, the company has also announced a capex of USD 800 million for building the network of Zain Africa. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA margin (an indicator of profitability)--excluding acquisition costs--contracted to 39 per cent from 40 per cent in the fiscal due to lower tariffs. The EBIDTA margin for its mobile services that contribute more than 81 per cent to the company's total revenue fell to 29.2 per cent

However, there was some comfort for Airtel in Q4 as the company finally recorded a rise in minutes of usage per user after registering a fall for six straight quarters. Bharti shares closed down 1.26 per cent at Rs 294.50 from 30.4 per cent in the previous quarter. The company added 8.8 million users in the fourth quarter, including those from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The company's operating expenses also rose 20 per cent year-on-year to Rs 4,107 crore because of a sharp increase in network costs. Indian mobile operators have been adding 13-16 million subscribers a month. -PTI

Info sought on multinational accounting firms Cont’d from page 37

With regard to Satyam scam, he said the ICAI has constituted a fact-finding committee to look into the entire gamut of financial reporting, accounting, auditing aspects and suggest changes wherever required for the purpose of making appropriate recommendations to government, SEBI and other regulators. "The fact-finding process is on and once the committee submits its report to the ministry, we shall take appropriate steps," he said. The ICAI wanted to know the arrangement for sharing of fees/ profit with other Indian CA firms with similar/identical name and with the multinational entity. He said that the multinational

firms came here through an automatic route under the FDI guidelines. "We are collecting the information and once it is collected we

‘The fact-finding process is on and once the committee submits its report to the ministry, we shall take appropriate steps’ shall analyze it," he said. Khurshid informed the House that out of 150 firms, 76 have given their documents while others are yet to submit. -PTI

May 7, 2010

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India stalls bid to patent 36 indigenous vegetables, spices

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NEW DELHI: India has stalled attempts to patent at least 36 of its indigenous vegetables and spices, including the popular dry fruit 'pista' and seasonal fruit 'kharbooza' (melon) in the United States and Europe. The European Patent Office (EPO) had decided to grant a patent to Data Medica Padova SPA, Italy, on February 2009 for use of pista (Pistacia vera) in an anti-cancer drug, Health Ministry officials said. Citing evidence based on eight Unani books published as early as 10th century and one Siddha book published in 1924, an application was filed on July 2009. EPO, based on the evidence, set aside its earlier decision to grant patent in the same month. Similarly, EPO decided to grant patent to Perdix Eurogroup SL Spain for use of watery extract of kharbooza as an antivitilgo cream. The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library team of India, produced evidence based on a Unani book, 'Muheet Azam' published in 1899, filed an application and the EPO set aside its earlier decision to grant patent, the officials said. Indian Lotus for curing heart disease, turmeric, onions, jeera and ginger as a slimming agent and Bengal Gram for curing obesity are among 11 patents which were withdrawn by the applicants themselves. The patents were stalled after India joined hands with the US and UK to help prevent misappropriation of its traditional knowledge with the signing of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access Agreement in November 2009 on the sidelines of the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US. This TKDL Agreement with the US is the first-ever agreement signed in this area of science and technology during the visit of an Indian PM to the US. A similar TKDL Access Agreement was signed by India with the European Patent Office (EPO), making TKDL database available to their Patent Examiners for es-

tablishing prior evidence in case of patent applications based on Indian system of medicine. A recent study carried out by TKDL team has revealed a sharp decline of 44 per cent on filing of patent applications concerning Indian systems of medicine, in particular, on the generic group on medicinal plants at EPO. Normally, on average, 80 such patent applications are being filed every year at EPO. About 25 get filed during OctoberDecember and 15-40 patents get granted

The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library team of India, produced evidence based on a Unani book, 'Muheet Azam' published in 1899, filed an application and the EPO set aside its earlier decision to grant patent, the officials said. Indian Lotus for curing heart disease, turmeric, onions, jeera and ginger as a slimming agent and Bengal Gram for curing obesity are among 11 patents which were withdrawn by the applicants themselves yearly during this period. In contrast, during October-December 2009 only 14 applications got filed and no wrong patent was granted. Beginning July 2009, TKDL team has identified 36 patent applications at EPO which concern Indian systems of medicine and third party TKDL evidences have been filed at EPO. -PTI

Govt say balance-sheets of IPL franchisees in order NEW DELHI: Amid a controversy over finances of the Twenty20 cricket body IPL, the government has said the Registrar of Companies has not found anything wrong with the balance-sheets of IPL franchisees and no company has given sweat equity to anyone. "Prima-facie as far as balance-sheets are concerned we can say there is nothing of unnatural... No sweat equity issues have been found either," Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said after a meeting with regional RoCs, who were earlier asked to look into the ownership pattern of each IPL team. Khurshid also said some franchisees have not been up-to-date in terms of filing of balance-sheets and RoCs have issued notices to them to do so by May three, or face proceedings under the Companies Act. "We have checked with the RoCs. In some cases, they (IPL franchisees) are upto-date with filings and in some cases they are not. Wherever they are not up-to-date we have issued notices and given time up to May 3," he said. "We will initiate proceeding as per the Companies Act," he said when asked what will be the action if these companies do not file balance-sheets by the stipulated time. Asked which franchise has not filed an-

nual returns, he said: "I don't remember the name but companies like Chennai franchise (promoted by India Cement), Mumbai Indians' owner Reliance Industries have filed." He added that as and when more information is collected and if some irregularities are found, the matter will be investigated. The third edition of IPL was embroiled in controversies, including allegations about

Khurshid also said some franchisees have not been up-to-date in terms of filing of balance-sheets and RoCs have issued notices to them to do so by May three the union ministers influencing the auction of IPL franchisees. Shashi Tharoor resigned as Union Minister of State for External Affairs over allegations that he influenced award of sweat equity to his friend Sunanda Pushkar in the Kochi team. The authorities have since launched probe to trace the finances of the cricket body and its franchisees. -PTI

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Briefs

Onlooker flings slipper at Swamy Nityananda

BANGALORE: A man hurled a slipper at controversial self-styled godman Nityananda Swami, arrested for his alleged involved in a sex scandal, as he was being taken in a police van after being produced before a court in Ramanagara, 40 kms from here. The incident took place as 32year-old Nityananda was about to sit in a police vehicle after being produced before a judicial magistrate, who remanded him to police custody for four days last night, police said. About 50 to 60 onlookers had gathered outside Judicial Magistrate Puspavathi's home and as soon as Nityananda came out and was about to sit in the vehicle, an onlooker flung a slipper and yelled at him, hurling expletives, a police official said. Nityananda, along with his close aide Nitya Bhaktananda, who was also arrested and brought from Solan in Himachal Pradesh, was taken away by police, he said. The duo have been lodged in a special cell at the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) office in the city. After remaining elusive for more than a month, Nityananda was arrested along with four associates in a joint operation by Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh police teams in Solan district on Wednesday. -PTI

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Rathore returns police medal to state government

CHANDIGARH: Nearly three weeks after the Centre's directive, former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore, sentenced to six month jail term for molesting Ruchika Girhotra, has returned the Police Medal awarded to him. Rathore has returned the Police Medal to the DGP, who forwarded the same to Home Department "in a sealed cover for further necessary action," an official spokesman told PTI here. It was not known immediately when Rathore surrendered the Police Medal to the state police following its cancellation and forfeiture by the Centre early this month. "The President's Secretariat notification stated that the Police Medal for meritorious service awarded to Rathore vide this Secretariat notification dated August 15, 1985, is hereby cancelled and the medal is forfeited under rule 8 of the rules governing the award of Police Medal," he added. He said that intimation is being sent to Union Home Ministry regarding the Police Medal having been received back from the former disgraced DGP. -PTI

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I've not done anything wrong: Tharoor to supporters THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shashi Tharoor who quit as Minister of state for External Affairs in the wake of IPL controversy has insisted he has not done anything wrong and that he used his office only for the benefit of his constituency and state. "I haven't done anything wrong and nobody is going to believe the allegations hurled at me," Tharoor told party workers as he arrived here on his first visit to his Lok Sabha constituency after being caught in the IPL storm. -PTI

Jaswant Singh the new Avtaar on Indo-Pak fences AQ SIDDIQUI

s he a disgruntled politician, wary of BJP seniors or seeking attention beyond domestic horizon? Whatever that be, Jaswant Singh, the former Foreign Minister and author of controversial book, "Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence" has emerged as a new Avtaar on Indo-Pak fences. He was in Islamabad recently to release his book. The muchdelayed launch ceremony was finally scheduled by Oxford University Press, the book's publisher in Pakistan, at Islamabad Club. The event attracted a galaxy of politicians, intellectuals, historians, journalists, diplomats, foreigners, human rights activists and Pak Foreign Office officials. The "second home coming" was more emotional, respectful and rewarding for Jaswant Singh than the first one when he visited Lahore with Party Chief Atal Behari Vajpayee. He was seen as a new Avtaar on Indo-Pak thorny fences mending way for thousands of eager neighbors willing to embrace each other. For analysts, Jaswant Singh's coterie with Pakistani intellectuals is timing with the current campaign for friendship

Jaswant Singh

Jaswant Singh's coterie with Pakistani intellectuals is timing with the current campaign for friendship among the feuding neighbors among the feuding neighbors. Anxious participants for the event sought Jaswant Singh for smoothening relations between two neighbors. He was seen relaxed, answering questions on many vexed topics. He defended his admiration for Jinnah in his speech at the release ceremony. "Gandhi himself called Jinnah a great Indian. Why don't we recognize that? Why don't we see

and try to understand why he called him that? I admire certain aspects of his personality; his determination and the will to rise. He was a self-made man. Mahatma Gandhi was the son of a Diwan. Nehru and other leaders were born to wealth and position. Jinnah created a position for himself. He was so poor that he had to walk to work. He told one of his biographers that there was al-

ways room at the top but no lift, and he never sought a lift." Singh went on to say that the Indian leaders had not only misunderstood Jinnah but also made a demon out of him. Later in an interview with Hum TV anchor Nayeem Bukhari at Pearl Inter-continental Hotel in Islamabad, Jaswant Singh reiterated his views and admiration for Jinnah. He said Jinnah was like the voice of his people, a model leader for both India and Pakistan. Speaking about Indo-Pak trade ties, he said, "Prior to 1947, trade existed from Burma to Quetta so why create boundaries for it now?" He defined Indian economy as a "self-sustained" economy as compared with that of China which depended mainly on exports. Speaking about a ban on his book by Gujarat government, he said softly that his book is well received by Indians and Pakistanis. A ban on a book or a film always has the opposite effect. People want to know why a ban is imposed. Since August 2009 till April 2010, there have been 26 editions of his book, he said. He also sought relaxation in visa policy between India and Pakistan. Large number of people on both sides want to see each other.

Logistical difficulties in allowing BJP withdraws support to Soren, Jharkhand govt reduced to minority NRIs to vote: CEC CHENNAI: Amid government's keenness to grant voting rights to Non-Resident Indians, Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla has said there were 'logistical difficulties' in implementing the proposal. There were "logistical difficulties" in reaching the NRIs as they were not confined to just one particular place, he told reporters here at the airport en route to Tiruchirappally. He also said some statutory changes had to be made in the relevant act to allow NRIs to vote. Chawla said the commission had written to the Centre on the

NRI voting issue. To a query, he said notices had been issued to 16 political parties asking them to furnish details by the month end on the poll expenses incurred during Lok Sabha elections last year. The government had told Rajya Sabha that it intended to confer voting rights on Indian passport holders working and living abroad. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said the matter will be taken up with the EC, noting the Prime Minister has already said it was under the government's consideration. -PTI

NEW DELHI/RANCHI: The four-month-old JMM-led government in Jharkand was reduced to a minority today after alliance partner BJP withdrew support retaliating strongly to Chief Minister Shibu Soren voting for the UPA in Lok Sabha. Jharkand appeared headed for another round of political uncertainty, as a stunned BJP wasted no time in pulling the rug under Soren's feet dubbing as betrayal his action to vote against the party's cut motion. The 66-yearold JMM supremo was also slammed by the BJP for his "dubious conduct." After withdrawal of support by

BJP which has 18 members, the strength of the ruling coalition has been reduced to 28 from 46 in a House of 82. The incumbent JMM-BJP coalition government is the seventh since the mineral-rich state was created in 2000. Soren is a three-time chief minister. Sanjay Seth, spokesman of BJP's Jharkand unit, said his party will seek time for a meeting with Governor MOH Farooq to hand over letter of withdrawal of support. A meeting of the BJP top brass, headed by party chief Nitin Gadkari, decided to withdraw support immediately giving indications that the new experiment in Ranchi has floundered. -PTI

Health

Line

FDA stepping up oversight of drug pumps

CHICAGO: Federal health regulators are taking steps to improve the design and safety of drug pumps. The pumps have been linked to more than 700 deaths in the past five years. Dr. Jeffrey Shuren of the US Food and Drug Administration announced the initiative at a health journalists' conference in Chicago. Infusion pumps are used to deliver liquid medicines like insulin, morphine and chemotherapy. They are used in hospitals as well as by patients at home. The FDA is working on new guidelines that call on manufacturers to provide more detailed design and engineering information to FDA for new pumps. The FDA also wants manufacturers to try out the devices in settings where they are commonly used.-AP

Residents start petition for health care lawsuit. CHEYENNE, Wyo.: Two Cheyenne residents have started a petition urging Wyoming to join 20 states in suing to block federal health care reform. The petition by M. Lee Hasenauer and Frank Smith also calls for the Wyoming Legislature to take up the matter in a special session. Gov. Dave Freudenthal has said the state won't join 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging health care reform in court, and the legislature's joint resolution to amend the Wyoming Constitution failed earlier this year. The resolution would have blocked the federal government from interfering with an individual's health-care decisions. -AP

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Vt House preserves disclosure of free drug samples MONTPELIER, Vt.: The Vermont House has voted to preserve an effort to get drug companies to disclose the free samples of their wares they give to doctors for distribution to patients. -AP

Doctor, health care pals start child obesity pilot EAGLE, Idaho: It was on their morning runs that a pediatrician, dietitian, physical therapist and exercise therapist thought up a way to tackle childhood obesity. They decided to blend their specialties into a free pilot program involving the whole family to help children ages 6 to 16. The friends wanted to get beyond old methods of doctors advising kids to miraculously cut calories and increase exercise to lose weight. The old way doesn't work, say care providers who have watched the childhood obesity rate rise to 17 percent nationwide. ``As a pediatrician I'm constantly frustrated with, 'How can I help these kids?''' said Mindy Gaddis, one of the running partners. ``I really cannot do this by myself.'' Gaddis teamed with dietitian Stacy Beeson, physical therapist Sima Tavazoie and exercise specialist Maria Covey to create Youth Engaged in Activities for Health, or YEah! It's ``more of a cooperative effort, instead of a more traditional medical model where I give advice and expect them to take my advice,'' Gaddis said. ``Let's identify together what the barriers are to change.'' Through YEah!, which is in its seventh month, families visit a grocery store with Beeson to learn

economical and healthy cooking ideas. Beeson directs them to the perimeter of the store, saying that's where the healthy foods are found. And she recommends filling the cart at least one-third with

and advises parents on helpful ways to talk to kids about their weight. ``Just telling the patient's family to eat an apple, that's not going to make them do that,'' said pediatrician Victoria Rogers, who

A social worker counsels families on reasons why children overeat such as boredom or for comfort and advises parents on helpful ways to talk to kids about their weight things that don't need labels, such as fruits and vegetables. "Foods high in sugar and fat almost always cost more,'' Beeson said. A social worker counsels families on reasons why children overeat such as boredom or for comfort

directs a childhood obesity prevention program at the Maine Medical Center in Portland. Kids in the YEah! program exercise together with Covey once a week at a YMCA. The families stay in touch with Gaddis and coordinator Sue Peterson, a nurse,

through meetings and phone calls to discuss goals and lifestyle changes. Programs like YEah! that involve families have been popping up around the country. ``The programs that have shown the most robust effect are programs that have a multipronged approach,'' said Denise Wilfley, a specialist on childhood obesity who teaches psychiatry and medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. ``They work to change behaviors at multiple levels.'' But most insurers don't cover obesity treatment, so pilots like YEah! need to find continuing grants or other funding. Cont’d on page 43

Ajeet Singhvi to be next AAPI President India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Dr. Ajeet R. Singhvi, a Board certified physician in Internal Medicine, gastroenterology, geriatrics and critical care medicine in Hemet, California will take over as President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) from Dr. Vinod Shah at the end of AAPI's annual convention in Washington June 23-27. Dr. Singhvi who is currently serving as president-elect, had earlier served as AAPI vice president and secretary. Dr. Sunita Kanumury, a Board certified allergy and immunologist of Denville, NJ was elected as President-elect for the year 2010-11. She was earlier vice president of AAPI, past member of Board of Trustees and MidAtlantic Regional Director. Dr. Narendra R. Kumar, now serving as secretary will move as vice president of the organization. Dr. Kumar is a specialist in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in Saginaw, Michigan and also the Medical Director of an Accredited Sleep Diagnostic Facility. Dr. Jayesh Shah, currently treasurer will take over as secretary of the organization. A chair

Dr Ajeet R Singhvi

Dr Sunita Kanumury, a Board certified allergy and immunologist of Denville, NJ was elected as President-elect for the year 2010-11 of the IMG Section of the American Medical Association and a former regional director of South West Central Region, Dr. Shah was also on the board of the AAPI Charitable Foundation. He is a practicing Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound care specialist in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar who practices urology in Lake Mary and in Orlando, Florida, was elected as

treasurer of AAPI. He was chairman of AAPI Orlando Convention in 2009 and served as regional director - AAPI region 10 and also treasurer of AAPI Charitable Foundation. Dr. Vinod K. Shah, current president will serve in the new committee as immediate past president. The following are elected to various committees of AAPI. Priya Kundra, president of Young Physicians Section (YPS) and Mamta Singhvi, president of Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows Section (MSRF). Mamta is doing her internship at Olive View Medical Center at UCLA, California. The regional directors elected were: Dr. Radha Menon (Pacific) Dr. Vishweshwar R. Ranga (Mountain Region); Dr. Vimal Goyle (NW Central); Dr. Tarakumar B. Reddy (SW Central); Dr. Gautam Samadder (NE Central); Dr. M.S. Arun, (SE Central) Dr. Onaly A. Kapasi (New England) Dr. Anil K. Gupta (Mid Atlantic) Dr. Suresh K Gupta (South Atlantic) and Dr. Sagar Galwankar (South Region). Dr. Ashok Fulambarker will be chair of board of trustees and new board of trustee members elected are Dr. Suresh C. Gupta, Dr. Durgesh Mankikar and Dr. Naresh Parikh.

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May 7, 2010

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Let Jill and Jack play and eat well SHOBHA SHUKLA

ith increasing affluence and socioeconomic changes, India, like the rest of the world, is witnessing an obesity epidemic, especially in children and adolescents. According to one study, the percentage of overweight/obese children in Delhi has increased from 16% in 2002 to about 24% in 2006. There is every reason to believe that this figure would have gone up further by now. In fact according to the latest study (mentioned below), obesity among both adolescent girls and boys in Delhi, has increased according to the measurement of parameters like BMI (body mass index), WC (waist circumference), W-HR (waist to hip ratio). The situation is not likely to be better in other parts of the country as well. Consequently, obesity related conditions like metabolic syndrome, and hypertension are becoming common in children. The long term consequences of adolescent obesity include Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. According to one estimate, if the present situation is not controlled, then India stands to lose USD 237 billion over a period of 2005 - 2015. A study was conducted by some doctors of DFI (Diabetes Federation Of India) and AIIMS (All India Institute Of Medical Sciences) on children of two schools in Delhi, to assess and compare the trends over 5 years (20032008), in anthropometric and biochemical parameters among urban Asian Indian adolescents, matched for gender, age, school grade and socioeconomic strata, living in north India. In girls, a significant increase in obesity was noticed by way of increase in BMI (5%), WC (11%), whereas in boys, a marked increase in prevalence of obesity was seen according to the measurement of triceps fold thickness only (8.8%). In boys, a significant decrease of 9.1% was noted for HDL-c (high density lipoprotein cholesterol or the good cholesterol) as compared to 1.2% in girls. These results are startling indeed and give a clarion call for immediate and sensible action. The culprit seems to be the increasing consumption of energy dense snacks and meals, coupled with decreased physical activity. Increased urbanization and industrialization has resulted in rapid nutrition transition, leading to excess consumption of high fat foods and soft drinks with high sugar content, causing imbalance of specific nutrients. Add to this the devastating effects of Trans Fatty Acids (which

are present abundantly in fast foods, bakery items, and various fried snacks bought from the market), and the scenario becomes very grim. The sedentary life style of most of our school going children, only adds fuel to the fire of the poor and disease prone health of our youngsters. India's Sports Minister M S Gill has admitted that sports have remained a neglected area in schools. He wants that physical education and sports are given at least one period everyday compulsorily in school curriculum, beginning from elementary school onward. Perhaps the cause of his worry is that even though the country has a population of one billion, it

The long term consequences of adolescent obesity include Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease fails to win Olympics gold medals or give great players to the world because over the years games and sports have got very little attention at the school level. Nonetheless, his insistence that adequate open grounds be provided for playing fields is in the interest of our children's health. It is unfortunate that most schools have few sports facilities and/or trained sports teachers. Even parents are more worried about the facility of a computer lab, rather than a play ground. Students tend to treat the games period as a free period. Our former Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss also had stressed upon having compulsory Yoga classes in schools, with a view to curb the rising trend of obesity and Type2 diabetes in children. Unless suitable measures are taken for the promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity, the

present trends are likely to cause a serious economic burden in terms of premature development of non communicable diseases in adulthood. School based educative intervention programs seem to be the most cost effective way to prevent this obesity epidemic in risk prone adolescents. School children, their parents and teachers need to be sensitized on this issue. Nutritional and physical activity education can be given through lectures, focused group discussions and other activities. Perhaps, more schools should join programs like MARG (medical education for children/adolescents for realistic prevention of obesity and diabetes and for healthy ageing), and CHETNA (children health education through nutrition and health awareness), which are currently being run in a few schools of some cities thanks to the initiative taken by the eminent diabetologist Dr Anoop Misra, with support from the World Diabetes Foundation. As right minded parents and educators, we need to join hands in the effort to promote healthy and active living. Parents will have to develop in their children a liking for wholesome and tasty food. The school managements and staff can support this endeavor by promoting the use of healthy food and creating awareness for making a conscious choice to avoid/ limit junk food, and increasing their physical stamina by making them run, march, jog, and play every day. Then we will not have students fainting due to fatigue, during the morning assembly. We may also be able to curb their aggressive and violent behavior, as it has been scientifically proved that eating of junk food and overuse of internet abets abnormal behavioral tendencies. The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service(CNS), Director of CNS Diabetes Media Initiative, has worked earlier with State Planning Institute, UP, and teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent.

Psychedelic trips aid anxiety treatments NEW YORK: The big white pill which funds some of the work. was brought to her in an earthen- ``We're at the end of the beginning ware chalice. She'd already held of the renaissance.'' hands with her two therapists and He said that more than 1,200 expressed her wishes for what it people attended a conference in would help her do. California last weekend on psyShe swallowed it, lay on the chedelic science. couch with her eyes covered, and But doing the research is not waited. And then it came. easy, Doblin and others say, with ``The world was made up of government funders still leery and jewels and I was in a dome,'' she drug companies not interested in the recalled. Surrounded by brilliant, compounds they can't patent. That kaleidoscopic colors, she saw the pretty much leaves private donors. dome open up to admit ``this most ``There's still a lot of resistance incredible luminescence that made to it,'' said David Nichols, a Purdue everything even more beautiful.'' University professor of medicinal Tears trickled down her face as chemistry and president of the she saw ``how beautiful the world Heffter Institute, which is supportcould actually be.'' ing the NYU study. ``The whole That's how Nicky Edlich, 67, hippie thing in the 60s'' and media began her first-ever trip on a psy- coverage at the time ``has kind of chedelic drug last left a bad taste in the year. mouth of the public She says it has 'There is now at large. greatly helped her more psyche``When you tell psychotherapeutic people you're treattreatment for anxiety delic research ing people with from her advanced taking place in psychedelics, the ovarian cancer. first thing that And for research- the world than at comes to mind is ers, it was another any time in the Day-Glo art and tiesmall step toward dyed shirts.'' showing that hallu- last 40 years' Nothing like that cinogenic drugs, fawas in evidence the mous but condemned in the 1960s, other day when Edlich revisited can one day help doctors treat the room at NYU where she'd conditions like cancer anxiety and taken psilocybin. Landscape phopost-traumatic stress disorder. tos and abstract art hung on the The New York University study walls, flowers and a bowl of fruit Edlich participated in is among a adorned a table near the window. handful now going on in the United At the foot of the couch lay an States and elsewhere with drugs Oriental rug. like LSD, MDMA (Ecstasy) and ``The whole idea was to create psilocybin, the main ingredient of a living room-like setting'' that ``magic mushrooms.'' The work fol- would be relaxing, said study lows lines of research choked off leader Dr. Stephen Ross. four decades ago by the war on Edlich, whose cancer forced her drugs. The research is still prelimi- to retire from teaching French at a nary. But at least it's there. private school, had plenty of rea``There is now more psychedelic son to seek help through the NYU research taking place in the world project. Several recurrences of her than at any time in the last 40 years,'' ovarian cancer had provoked fears said Rick Doblin, executive direc- about suffering and dying and tor of the Multidisciplinary Asso- how her death would affect her ciation for Psychedelic Studies, family. -AP

Some stores already selling FSC smokes BROOKHAVEN, Miss.: With cigarettes as a leading cause of house fires, and Mississippi ranked one of the highest in the nation for fire deaths, the "fireproof'' cigarettes that will be sold by law in July are expected to be a positive step in the fight against loss of life and property. Mississippi State Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Ricky Davis said the "Fire Standard Compliant'' cigarettes that most outlets are already selling and all will be required to

sell by July 1 are not actually fireproof, but do reduce the risk of a fire starting from a burning cigarette. "The theory is that everything we can do to reduce that chance of having a fire, that's what we're trying to do. "What the FSC cigarette is designed to do is, say if someone's lying in bed or on a couch and they go to sleep, the cigarette is designed to go out if you're not puffing on it or if it's not actively be-

ing smoked,'' Davis said. Local tobacco stores have already started putting the FSC cigarettes on their shelves, and smokers are giving mixed reactions. "I'm a chain smoker anyway,'' said Larnelle Jones of Brookhaven. ``I don't stop taking drags long enough for it to go out on me.'' Others don't feel as positively about the new smokes, some citing constantly having to re-light them. "Some people don't like that the

cigarette goes out and you have to light it again,'' said Tobacco Mart employee Kimberly Hood. And, she said, some people think they have a funny taste. Davis said there's no evidence that there really is a different taste to the fire safe cigarettes. "I'm not a smoker so I don't know for sure, but from all the information I've been able to gather there should be no difference because it's not any different chemicals,'' he said. -AP

Health Science Post

May 7, 2010

India Post

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New guidelines to reduce Doctor, health care pals overcrowding in hospitals start child obesity pilot Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 41

India Post News Service

SACRAMENTO, CA: The State Assembly has approved new requirements on hospital emergency rooms to reduce dangerous overcrowding levels. Introduced by Assembly member Ted Lieu (DTorrance), Assembly Bill 2153 would require hospitals to institute guidelines that will reduce high levels of overcrowding in California's already over-burdened emergency rooms in an attempt to save lives. "California is last in the nation with regard to the number of emergency rooms available to its residents, providing only six emergency rooms (ERs) for every one million people," said Assembly member Lieu. "These ERs are dangerously overcrowded and have reached a crisis level in our state. Unnecessary deaths will continue to happen if we do not fix this crisis." ER crowding occurs when there is no space left to meet the timely needs of the next patient that requires emergency care. This delay in services for urgent cases

creates overcrowding and congestion. AB 2153 would require all California hospitals to create and implement a full capacity protocol plan. This plan would require the hospital and ER to assess the results of an overcrowding scale every 4 hours, and then provide solutions at each stage of the crowding scale.

'California is last in the nation with regard to the number of emergency rooms available to its residents' Many hospitals across the nation, including LA-USC Medical Center, have developed a full capacity protocol plan, which is intended to ease tension in emergency departments and cut wait times for many patients. This plan assesses the level of overcrowding in an emergency department and sets guidelines for hospital operations at each level of overcrowding.

The full capacity protocol plan has been overwhelmingly successful in achieving safe and reasonable emergency procedures for both hospitals and emergency departments. Wait times and patient boarding have been significantly reduced as a result of the implementation of the full capacity protocol plan at LA-USC Medical Center. "AB 2153 is a vital component to improving healthcare in California and our organization is proud to be a sponsor," said Robert Rosenbloom, president of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. "Under AB 2153, hospitals will create plans that will allow for a rapid response when overcrowding occurs that provides practical solutions based on the ever-changing conditions in a given emergency room. These plans will ensure California is better prepared to meet the needs of all patients everyday and during a surge or disaster." AB 2153 is also supported by the California Medical Association and will be heard in the Senate this summer.

Wilfley said she's hopeful Michelle Obama's new focus on childhood obesity, and the health care overhaul will direct more money to obesity prevention. Her childhood obesity program is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 500 families called to see if they could get one of the 120 spots. Mary Savoye, a dietitian who is medical director of Yale University's Bright Bodies obesity treatment program, said insurers hesitate because many childhood obesity programs haven't yet published results showing that they make a significant difference. The programs also require long term, repeated visits to care providers. ``You may have to go with a program for a year,'' said Savoye. ``It hasn't been an easy situation for the insurance companies.'' Gaddis and her partners started YEah! with a $50,000 grant from PacificSource, a notfor-profit health insurance company, and with help from their

own employers, who are donating their time. The founders are donating their time as well. Apart from cost, another obstacle to effective treatment is the busy schedules of kids, said Gaddis. While food and video games take their share of the blame for obesity, Gaddis said she was also startled by how many families in the program have told her their kids' involvement in organized sports forced them to stop for fast food at dinnertime. ``Time seems to be the largest barrier in our culture to change, in terms of incorporating exercise into our daily life and changing our eating habits,'' said Gaddis. ``People are on the go with all these extra after school activities, so there is not time to cook a healthy dinner at home. I have been surprised at how significant that issue is.'' Organized sports themselves aren't necessarily an antidote to weight problems. Calories from fast food and snacks served on the field can more than compensate for the energy used in soccer practice. -AP

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Realty Tidbits

Fitch puts Unitech, Ansal on positive rating

NEW DELHI: Credit rating agency Fitch has placed four real estate companies - Unitech, Omaxe, Ansal Properties and Parsvnath on rating watch positive, in view of the improvement in industry fundamentals. Rating watch positive reflects the possibilities that the ratings can either be upgraded or affirmed at the current levels, Fitch said in a statement. Fitch said sustainable operating performances, continued deleveraging by developers over a longer period could lead to rating upgrades during the second half of the year. "The fundamentals of the domestic real estate sector are improving, as seen by better liquidity and improved demand in the residential segment," Fitch said. All these companies reported increased year-on-year residential volume sales in FY10. It said enhanced affordability, lower mortgage rates, and better job security have helped revive demand for homes. -PTI

Â&#x201E; Realty firms under scanner for slush funds NEW DELHI: Major realty firms of the country are under the probe of enforcement agencies for alleged violation of FDI terms and use of slush funds worth several thousand crore brought in from certain tax havens. While the Enforcement Directorate has carried out raids at premises of realty firm Emaar MGF for alleged violations of Foreign Exchange Management Act in the recent past, the latest to feel the ED heat was realty fund and developer IREO. Sources said more number of firms are under the scanner and a detailed probe is underway. The Income Tax department has also conducted its operations and is now planning to delve deep into the tax statement of the realty firms. -PTI

Real Estate P

Parsvnath plans exit from Ahmedabad

44 India Post

www.indiapost.com

May 7, 2010

arsvnath Developers Ltd, one of the leading real estate companies in the country, are planning to move their operations out of Ahmedabad, if industry sources are to be believed. After selling its top property in Satellite for around Rs150 crore last month; the company recently sold off another prime land for Rs 30 crore in Vastrapur, the sources said.

Residential prices in Mumbai going sky-high again

partments at Ashok Towers in the Parel area of Mumbai command a price of Rs 28,000-29,000 a sq ft. This is higher than what developers were charging at the peak of the property market boom during 2007-08. The prices then were Rs 25,00026,000 a sq ft. During the slowdown in 2008-09, the rates had come down to Rs 16,000-Rs 17,000 a sq ft. Ashok Towers isn't alone, something noted by the Reserve Bank of India's governor. In his monetary policy statement, the governor mentioned real estate prices in Mumbai having gone beyond the pre-crisis levels. There are other instances. Flats in Lodha Bellissimo, another upscale project in the nearby Mahalaxmi area, are selling at Rs 23,000-24,000 a sq ft, nearly 10 per cent higher than at their peak. Prices had gone down to Rs 15,000 a sq ft during the slowdown. Apartments at Raheja Vivaria in the same locality quote at Rs 28,000 a sq ft, about the same as the peak levels. That's a smart recovery from the slowdown days, when the same apartments were available at 40 per cent lower prices. Home prices across the country's commercial capital have crossed their peak levels as developers raised prices in the backdrop of improved demand. Home buyers had returned to the market since the second quarter of 2009, as developers cut prices by 20-30 per cent to woo buyers. But, since then, according to property consultants, Mumbai developers have increased prices by

up to 40 per cent in both new and existing projects, depending on the possession target and locality. The result, say observers, is that residential sales have come down by 20-25 per cent since December 2009. What has surprised industry-watchers is that developers are not ready to cut prices even after this. "Since March this year, sales are almost at a standstill. I clearly

weighted average price of properties sold a year earlier and those available today is up by 86 per cent. If the weighted average price of properties sold in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region was Rs 3,700 a sq ft in 2009, today they are at Rs 6,900 a sq ft. Take the instance of areas adjoining the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), which connects Mumbai's western and eastern

There are other instances. Flats in Lodha Bellissimo, another upscale project in the nearby Mahalaxmi area, are selling at Rs 23,000-24,000 a sq ft, nearly 10 per cent higher than at their peak. Prices had gone down to Rs 15,000 a sq ft during the slowdown see a bubble in the making, as prices are going up without sufficient sales to back it up. If the same situation continues, I think developers will face a huge debt pile-up, like in 2008-09,'' says Pankaj Kapoor, managing director of Liases Foras, a real estate research firm. By government estimates, developers have accumulated debt of Rs 75,000 crore and need to pay Rs 25,000 crore in interest and principal in the current financial year. According to Liases Foras' research, the difference between the

suburbs. Apartment prices here are around Rs 10,000 a sq ft, as against the Rs 6,200 a sq ft at which apartments were sold in 2009. "If properties were not selling at these rates at the peak of 2008, how can they sell now during the recovery phase? Besides, home loan rates have also gone up to 9 to 9.5 per cent now,'' Kapoor adds. According to Pranay Vakil, chairman of property consultancy Knight Frank India, property transactions with most developers have dropped to just three to four a month,

as compared to 20-25 a month earlier. "There is a clear resistance to price rise. I don't think prices will go up from here,'' Vakil says. If sales are not happening, why are developers bidding for bigticket land deals and launching new projects? According to Vakil, developers have increased the carpet to built-up area ratio, the proportion between the net usable area you get and the total constructed area, which includes thickness of walls. This ratio, he says, has risen from 42 per cent to over 50 per cent now. "Developers are making up highvalue land deals with higher loading (the term for the carpet to builtup ratio). In such cases, buyers end up paying more for what they get," says Vakil. In first three months of the year alone, deals worth Rs 5,000 crore have taken place in Mumbai. Liases Foras's Kapoor also sees an initial public issue (IPO) angle in the skyrocketing of prices. "Developers are not bothered about sales. They are hiking prices to show higher valuations to investors, so that they can dilute less in their issue,'' he adds. A dozen developers have lined up IPOs worth Rs 17,000 crore.

Online sales of premium residential properties

Rs 26 crore (Rs 260 mil lion) luxurious flat with a stunning sea view in South Mumbai or a duplex apartment in Bangalore can now be bought at just a click of the mouse. Saffronart, the online portal that sells art and jewellery, has joined hands with real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield for online sales of premium residential properties. According to C&W research, approximately 9,000 homes in luxury segment are planned in major cities in India over the next two-four years. Through this new initiative, Prime Properties, Saffronart and Cushman & Wakefield will offer online sales and auction platform to the premium residential market. This is the first online venture in India for sales and auctions of

prime residential properties. The sales figures in the realty sector started showing signs of revival by the end of 2009 after the economic downturn. Even

Many developers have started showing more attention to the super-luxury residential segment as the demand for high-end residences is on the rise Mumbai and Delhi markets had felt the heat as prices crashed. Currently, many developers have started showing more attention to the super-luxury residential segment as the demand for

high-end residences is on the rise. The joint venture company has identified seven high-end residences across the country, priced between Rs 2 crore and Rs 26 crore (Rs 20 million and Rs 260 million), for this purpose. It will be sold through the online platform of Saffronart to high net worth individuals. The total value of the properties showcased is around Rs one billion (Rs 100 crore). "This is an innovative step within the residential services sector. Our properties are targeted at high net worth individuals and Non-Resident Indians," says Anurag Mathur, managing director, Cushman & Wakefield India. "Our partnership will focus on the online auction of some of the premium properties available in India," he adds.

In Brief 43 Arizona businesses have illegal staff PHOENIX: More than half of the Arizona businesses that had their workforces audited by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents since last July have been found to have illegal workers on their payrolls. Immigration department spokeswoman Virginia Kice says that 43 of the 84 companies screened in two rounds of audits have been sent letters listing employees whose employment eligibility is suspect. The agency's policy is not to name the companies with illegal employees unless they are disciplined with a fine or other measure. Besides violation notices, two of the 43 companies with illegal workers were informed of pending fines. ICE agents did 40 of the audits last July and the other 44 in November. -AP

4 indicted in attack on Mexican immigrant in NY NEW YORK: Prosecutors say a Staten Island grand jury has indicted four suspects on charges of robbery and gang assault in an attack on a Mexican immigrant, but declined to indict them on hate crimes. Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan said the four could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted in the attack on Rodolfo Olmedo on April 5. The suspects' arrests raised privacy concerns after a police database designed to safeguard civil rights was used to locate them. Prosecutors say Olmedo suffered head trauma and bruising after he was robbed of his cell phone and wallet and beaten with a wooden stick. -AP

Immigration 45

India Post

May 7, 2010

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Texas man who murdered immigrant executed HUNTSVILLE, Texas: Condemned Texas inmate Samuel Bustamante has been executed for fatally stabbing an illegal immigrant from Mexico during an attempted robbery a dozen years ago. -AP

Community opposes new Arizona immigration law India Post News Service

NEW YORK: South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national advocacy group, has joined the strong protests against a new Arizona immigration law by condemning the enactment of SB 1070 in the State. Signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer on April 23, this measure allows state authorities to question individuals based upon the mere suspicion that they may be undocumented and requires immigrants to carry proof of their immigration status or else face criminal penalties. "SAALT opposes this policy as it will undoubtedly lead to profiling of communities of color, regardless of immigration status. Anyone who appears to be an immigrant can be questioned by police and have to prove their immigration status," said Deepa Iyer, Executive Director of SAALT. "South Asian community members are all too familiar with the pernicious effects of profiling resulting from ineffective national

security policies instituted following September 11th." Profiling results in community members being viewed with suspicion by not only law enforcement but also the general public and does little but fuel discrimination, she added. The new Arizona law also underscores the need for immigration reform and anti-profiling poli-

civil rights. The organization has urged members of the South Asian community to take a few simple steps like calling up the Governor's office, writing to the Congress and the President and or by joining rallies occurring across the country on May in support of immigration reform. Second-class status

Liu said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We look to Congress to enact a just and fair immigration reform that upholds the constitutional right of the federal government to enact and enforce immigration lawsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cies. In the absence of federal measures, state and local governments are implementing their own immigration enforcement policies that result in profiling, undermine trust between communities and police, and diminish public safety. S A A LT h a s c a l l e d u p o n policymakers to oppose the Arizona law, and to enact policies that respect fundamental

Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, said, "This law places all minorities, including Asian Pacific Americans, under constant suspicion, relegating them to second-class status. Such broad immigration enforcement powers are not only unconstitutional, but will undermine community trust in law enforcement."

"This law will level untold damage on the state's immigrant communities," said Titi Liu, executive director of the Asian Law Caucus. "Arizona's decision legalizes racial profiling by law enforcement and moves our entire country in the wrong direction." Given the vital role that immigrants, especially Asian Pacific Americans, play in Arizona's economy and the state's current budget deficit, the governor's actions will lead to nationwide repercussions of fear and distrust in government. The state faces a current budget deficit of $3 billion. Asians and Latinos wield significant economic power in Arizona, with about $37 billion in consumer purchasing power. Their businesses also had sales and receipts of $12.2 billion and employed nearly 65,000 people. Liu said, "We look to Congress to enact a just and fair immigration reform that upholds the constitutional right of the federal government to enact and enforce immigration laws."

Few H-1B petitions filed this year CYRUS D. MEHTA

Phoenix Council doesn't back immigration suit PHOENIX: Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon now says it doesn't have enough City Council support to mount a legal challenge to the new Arizona immigration law. During a public meeting, Gordon pulled from the agenda an item that would have asked the council as a whole to consider litigation against the state. The mayor's decision came after a majority of the ninemember council said they didn't support Gordon's proposed suit. Gordon says the immigration law encourages racial profiling and unconstitutionally requires police to enforce federal immigration laws. -AP

S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 8 that it continues to accept H-1B nonimmigrant petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2011 cap. USCIS will monitor the number of petitions received for both the 65,000 general cap and the 20,000 U.S. master's degree or higher educational exemption. USCIS has received approximately 13,500 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap. The agency has received approximately 5,600 petitions for individuals with advanced degrees. This is lower than the number of H-1B petitions USCIS had received by the same date

in 2009. If this trend continues, H-1B numbers may be available for some time. When USCIS receives the necessary number of petitions to meet the cap, it will issue a public

reached may differ from the actual final receipt date. USCIS said it may randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit from the petitions received on the

This is lower than the number of H-1B petitions USCIS had received by the same date in 2009. If this trend continues, H-1B numbers may be available for some time update that the FY 2011 H-1B cap has been met as of a certain date (the "final receipt date"). The final receipt date will be based on the date USCIS physically receives the petition, not the date that the petition has been postmarked. The date USCIS informs the public that the cap has been

final receipt date. USCIS will reject cap-subject petitions that are not selected, as well as those received after the final receipt date. For cases filed for premium processing during the initial five-day filing window of April 1-7, 2010, the 15-day premium processing period began April 7. For cases

filed for premium processing after the filing window, the premium processing period begins on the date that the petition is physically received at the correct USCIS Service Center. Petitions filed by employers who are exempt from the cap or petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap within the past six years will not count toward the congressionally mandated H-1B cap. USCIS's notice is available at http://tiny.cc/bpy6w. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

India Post

Immigration Post

May 7, 2010

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Immigration vote can be held in Fremont, Neb. LINCOLN, Neb.: The Nebraska Supreme Court has said that it won't stop a special election in Fremont on a proposal intended to control illegal immigration. The high court upheld the decision of a Dodge County District Court judge last year that he didn't have authority to stop the vote. The proposal would ban renting to and hiring illegal immigrants within city limits. ``All we've been asking is to just let it go to a vote ... let the people have a say and let them make a decision,'' said Jerry Hart, who helped collect petition signatures to get the issue on the ballot. He said illegal immigrants are taking jobs, violating housing ordinances, using up tax dollars, and sending money back home that could be spent in the city. The Fremont City Council considered a policy similar to the proposed ordinance in 2008 and narrowly rejected it. But proponents Hart, Wanda Kotas and John Wiegert collected enough signatures to put it on track to a public vote. Illegal immigration draws strong opinions in the community of 25,000, which is among a handful of Nebraska cities that have seen marked demographic changes as Hispanic immigrants find work at meatpacking plants. Opponents of the proposed legislation fear it could fuel discrimination and spur costly legal challenges for the city. ``The concern I have is that the piece of the ballot issue on housing has never withstood tests in court,'' Fremont City Councilman Gary Bolton said after being told of the decision. ``It's lost wherever it's been challenged.'' The special election originally

was supposed to be held last summer. But it was stopped after the city raised concerns about the constitutionality of the measure, then asked a court to stop the process before the city went to the expense of holding the election. The city lost in district court and appealed to the state Supreme Court. Following the new ruling, Fremont officials expect the vote to be in late summer. Courts in Pennsylvania and Texas have struck down similar ordinances on housing bans and appeals of both decisions are pending.

He said illegal immigrants are taking jobs, violating housing ordinances, using up tax dollars, and sending money back home that could be spent in the city Several unsuccessful legal attempts to uphold a renting ban in Farmers Branch, Texas, have cost more than $3 million, according to Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute's office at New York University's School of Law. ``Congress doesn't appear to have left much room for sub-federal entities to make it illegal to rent'' to people, he said. The Fremont proposal would require renters to get a license from the city. Afterward, city officials would be required to check a database to see if they were in the country legally. Under the employment compo-

nent of the proposal, employers would have to check workers against another database to see if they were in the country legally. Such databases are far from foolproof, however. The employment component of the Fremont proposal would require employers to check workers using the online system E-Verify. Research company Westat, which evaluated the system for the Homeland Security Department earlier this year, found that the system wrongly clears illegal workers about 54 percent of the time. EVerify missed so many illegal workers mainly because it can't detect identity fraud, according to Westat. Court rulings suggest that requiring bosses in Fremont to use it may be more likely than city officials having to check the legal status of renters. ``A growing body of case law makes clear that the employment provisions are on extremely solid ground,'' said Kris Kobach, the Kansas City, Mo.-based attorney representing the petition organizers in Fremont. Courts in Arizona and Missouri have upheld employment-related laws similar to the one being proposed in Fremont, Kobach said. Fremont officials argued in their appeal to the state Supreme Court that the two-pronged proposal aimed at employment and housing violated a state law that limits ballot initiatives to one subject. But the high court agreed with the district court judge that the two components have a natural connection and are part of one general subject regulating illegal immigrants. -AP

Immigration Post

May 7, 2010

India Post

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Top Calif. lawmaker wants to sever ties with Arizona plied but told reporters that immigration matters are the responsibility of the federal government. ``I urge the federal government to get their act together,'' the governor said in a news conference. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear added that the administration received the letter but does not yet have an opinion.

‘I think we have a moral obligation to deliver an unequivocal message to lawmakers in Arizona that California does not condone its conduct’ ``We need to determine how this idea would affect our budget and job-creation efforts,'' McLear said in an e-mail. ``The governor does not support the Arizona law, but the only real solution is for the federal government to produce a comprehensive immigration policy for the entire country.'' California and Arizona have ex-

tensive interaction. The state Department of General Services, the state's main procurement arm, identified 73 private companies based in Arizona to which California has awarded contracts. Those contracts were worth a combined $10.3 million in the past year and included computer manufacturers, human resources companies, a fertilizer maker, a publishing house, janitorial suppliers and others. However, they do not represent all of California's contracts with Arizona, department spokesman Jeffrey Young said. Some departments, such as the California Department of Transportation and the Department of Water Resources, can enter contracts without approval from the Department of General Services, he said. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Arizona houses 4,124 of the state's inmates in private prisons operated by Corrections Corporation of America. Because the company is based in Nashville, Tenn., it's unclear whether the inmates would be affected. -AP

Obama pleads for bipartisan support on immigration OTTUMWA, Iowa: President Barack Obama has warned of harassment against Hispanics under Arizona's tough new immigration law, saying such ``poorly conceived'' measures can be halted if the federal government fixes America's broken immigration system for good. Obama pledged to bring his own party along, pleading with Republicans to join in as the only realistic hope to solve a politically volatile problem. He offered a fresh, stern criticism of a new Arizona law that allows police to question anyone about their immigration status if they have reason to suspect

they are in the country illegally. He said it targets people who look like they might be illegal immigrants. ``Now suddenly if you don't have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you're going to get harassed that's something that could potentially happen,'' Obama said of the Arizona measure. ``That's not the right way to go.'' The Mexican government warned its citizens to use extreme caution if visiting Arizona because of the tough new law. Obama's comments came on the same day that Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland

Security Secretary Janet Napolitano were critical of Arizona's new law, and Holder said the federal government may challenge it. The president sought to step up Washington's will to get an immigration deal done. ``I will bring the majority of Democrats to the table in getting this done,'' Obama said in response to a question at a town hall in south-central Iowa. ``But I've got to have some help from the other side.'' Obama said he hoped to get a deal done ``sometime soon'' a politically vague timetable in an election year with a shrinking window for legislative action. -AP

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.: One of California's top legislative leaders called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to review the state's contracts with Arizona and cancel them if legally possible, as a protest against that state's new immigration law. In a letter to the governor, state Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the recently signed law attempts to legalize racial profiling. ``I think we have a moral obligation to deliver an unequivocal message to lawmakers in Arizona that California does not condone its conduct,'' Steinberg wrote. The law allows police officers to question anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant, and makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. Steinberg asked Schwarzenegger to provide details about California's contracts with any business or government in Arizona. He wrote that he doubts that the state law is constitutional, but it could take years for courts to resolve that question. Schwarzenegger has not yet re-

Horoscope

48 India Post

May 7, 2010

www.indiapost.com

ARIES Mar 21-Apr 20 There is an overseas trip in the air and you will be travelling for a good reason. Money wise you still have some more time to hit some kind of financial jackpot so keep thinking positive. Planets will improve health and self confidence. With new strategy you will overcome even the strongest competition and do well in career.

LEO Jul 23-Aug 22 You will meet few interesting people during the course of a trip or business meeting. A big promotion or change in the same organisation is imminent. People you rely on will not let you down. Business should pick up from now and on. You may call an old friend after long interval and may even invite him at your place for dinner.

SAGITTARIUS

May 7 to May 13

Nov 23-Dec 22 Property related issues will get settled. You may be market to purchase another vehicle. Image and self confidence on path of recovery. Chance of getting big amount through a litigation improves. You will be full of bright ideas and receive valuable guidance also. You will be slowly working on an upcoming trip.

TAURUS Apr 21-May 20 You will be relaxed and enjoy life. Getting mad on the phone will only cause unnecessary delay in getting results. A long awaited payment will finally come. It will be a promising week for people working as brokers. You need to keep an eye on your caffeine or nicotine consumption. Invitation for the big event will come in mail.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sept 22 ): Contract you had been working on should be finally in your hands. Jupiter will bring new associations and open doors for new partners. Strong Venus on the other hand continue to ease off financial pressure. You should be getting ready for another upcoming and important business trip. Get together will be entertaining.

CAPRICORN Dec 23-Jan 19 There will be some improvement on financial front. You will make final payment on few debts and obligations. Planets help those who are in sales. You will write two important letters and wait for response. You will be offered another opportunity but little away. You may get rid of money making stocks and pocket profit.

GEMINI May 21-Jun 20 Your bright ideas will bring the results. You will make good use of few people who are capable to help your cause. Jupiter's transit in tenth will bring some pleasing changes in career and the signs should become visible now. Relationships will keep getting stronger and the final commitment is also in the air.

LIBRA Sept 23-Oct 22 You will be doing some cleaning in and around your property. Money will come and disappear but you will be able to meet your commitments. Some anxiety about a child will be over. You will enjoy an evening with some well known people of society. Keep working on your professional ideas as success is just around the corner.

AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18 Health issues will come under controls. Expect financial growth from now and on. Very favorable time for people in finances. Soon you will be leaving for an important business trip. Prepare yourself as it is going to be a bigger opportunity than your expectations. Family will be excited about upcoming overseas trip.

CANCER Jun 21-Jul 22 Jupiter's transit in ninth is auspicious. It will bring peace in mind and you will finally make up your mind about an important issue bothering you for past six months. You will regain confidence and start taking intelligent decisions in life. There will be some dramatic developments in career and new doors will open.

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 22 Jupiter's transit in fifth is very auspicious. You will not feel stuck anymore and will be free to take decisions independently. Expect financial growth from now and on. A new member will be added in the family soon. You will get rid of some ungrateful people from your life.Expect settlement in litigation's now.

PISCES Feb 19-Mar 20 Jupiter's transit in your sign is very favorable. It will bring peace and prosperity in life. Some one close will benefit from your advice. Financially you will continue to be stable. You will be spending more time with a child and may even help with studies. Some uncertainty and tension at work should disappear too

Karzai assures PM of security to Indians in Afghanistan NEW DELHI: Seeking to assuage India's strong concerns, Afghan President Hamid Karzai here assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that his government is committed to providing full security to Indians in the war-ravaged country. Meeting Karzai for the first time after the February 26 terror attack in Kabul in which nine Indians were killed, Singh affirmed that India remains committed to assisting the government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts towards the reconstruction and development of that country. The two leaders discussed the issue of terrorism which threatens the region. "President Karzai assured me that the government of Afghanistan will take all possible measures for the security of Indians in Afghanistan," Singh said after his wide-ranging discussions with the Afghan leader. "We were of the view that the attacks of February 26 in Kabul were the handiwork of those who do not wish to see the emergence of a strong, independent and pluralistic Afghanistan," he said. Terrorists struck on February 26

at two hotels in Kabul, which were home to Indians engaged in developmental projects, killing nine of them and injuring 10 others. New Delhi has conveyed its serious concerns over the spate of attacks by Taliban and extremist elements on Indians working for the reconstruction of war-torn Afghanistan.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;President Karzai assured me that the government of Afghanistan will take all possible measures for the security of Indians in Afghanistan,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Singh said Singh said he had conveyed to Karzai that the perpetrators of such attacks would not succeed in undermining India's commitment to assist the Afghan people. Profusely thanking the Indian leadership for the sustained assistance, Karzai, who is on a day's visit, said India has shown to be a strong partner of Afghanistan. -PTI

Classifieds

May 7, 2010

India Post 49

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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,

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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

HINDU SOOD KHATRI PARENTS FROM LOS ANGELES INVITE

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OR EMAIL BIO DATA WITH PHOTO AT

Brahmin boy, ( from welleducated family of engineers ) 27 yrs, 5'10",very attractive personality ,from top-tier MBA + B-Tech from US, born/bred in India, US citizen, worked as Sr. consultant in Big four, great sense of humor, respectful in line with Indian culture seeks attractive match willing to settle in SF bay. Caste no bar. Please contact asharmacalishaadi@gmail.com

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Hindu Punjabi parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 32, 5' 8'', Lawyer in U.S.A. Boy should be at least 6' tall, professional, and brought up in North America. Email: RKGTA@HOTMAIL.COM

or Call 416-464-7471

Nai Sikh 5.1’ 25 Girl B.M.I.T.; P.G.D.C.A., from India. M.B.A (I.T) From USA. Has Student Visa and work permit Trying for H-1B Visa Brother Dentist in India. Father & Mother in USA Seeks Suitable Immigrant boy from USA or CANADA.

HELP NEEDED Upscale Salon in Walnut Creek looking for experienced Threader. Please call

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Notice is hereby given that sealed competitive bids will be accepted in the office of the GSA-Purchasing Department, County of Alameda, 1401 Lakeside Drive, Suite 907, Oakland, CA 94612 NON-MANDATORY NETWORKING/ BIDDERS CONFERENCE, North County RFP #900517, Actuarial Consulting Services, Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 2:00 P.M. ñ Alameda County General Services Agency, 1401 Lakeside Drive, Room 1107, 11th Floor, Oakland, CA NON-MANDATORY NETWORKING/ BIDDERS CONFERENCE, South County RFP #900517, Actuarial Consulting Services, Thursday, May 20, 2010, at 10:00 A.M.ñ Castro Valley Library, Learning Center, 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley, CA Responses Due by 2:00 pm on July 15, 2010 County Contact : Stefanie Taylor at (510) 2089610 or via email: stefanie.taylor@acgov.org Attendance at Networking Conference is Non-mandatory. Specifications and bid copies regarding the above may be obtained at the Alameda County GSA-Purchasing Department or the Current Contracting Opportunities Internet website at www.acgov.org. 5/7/10 CNS-1843589#

Notice is hereby given that sealed competitive bids will be accepted in the office of the GSA-Purchasing Department, County of Alameda, 1401 Lakeside Drive, 9th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 MANDATORY NETWORKING/INFO CONFERENCE Project #9031-Peralta Oaks Seismic & Tenant Improvements, Monday, May 10, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. and NON-MANDATORY NETWORKING/INFO CONFERENCE, Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at General Services Agency, 1401 Lakeside Drive, Conference Room 1107 (11th Floor), Oakland, CA Attendance at the May 10, 2010 Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference is required Responses Due by 2:00 pm on June 4, 2010 County Contact : Jarnail S. Ghumman at (510) 272-3753 or via e m a i l : Jarnail.ghumman@acgov.org Information regarding the above may be obtained at the Current Contracting Opportunities Internet website at www.acgov.org. 5/7/10 CNS-1843671#

Classifieds

India Post

May 7, 2010

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EXPERIENCE TRAVEL HELP WANTED

RESTAURANT HELP WANTED

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

(440) 734-0500 FINANCING YOU NEED MONEY? CALL US! FAST CASH- SBA LOANS HOTELS MOTELS, BARS, FRANCHISES, GAS STATION & C STORES LEASING MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT PURCHASE & REFINANCE CONSTRUCTION LOANS. LOW INTEREST RATES BAD CREDIT OK CONTACT MAHESH JANI: (845)735 -0183

Great Opportunity Come as a Part Time Payment Collection Representative to you and it take little out of your time, it pays any amount in a month plus benefits and takes only little of your time. Please send-mail to remedytexltd1@hotmail.com

NEED HELP VENUS SALON NEED EXPERIENCED THREADING LADY FULL TIME OR PART TIME IN UNION CITY. PLEASE CALL TIVIA @

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800 468 4940

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PAYROLL ACCOUNTANT WANTED

w w w. i n d i a p o s t . c o m

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DIT, House-keeping, Laundry, only. Energetic English/Hindi speaking/Punjabi speaking, Couple wanted In Franchise Hotel Florida / Georgia .Good Salary, Benefits Live Inn Accommodation, Immediate placement.

Please contact, Manish or Bobby at (904)891-5278,or (912)729-5454.

MOTELS FOR SALE 34, rooms EL monte $ 2.5 M. seller financing 80, rooms Oceanside $7.7 M. Franchise, seller finacing 112,rooms $2.8 M. short sale Sacramento 121, rooms $7.2 M.Franchise Mississippi Inn Realty Henry 626-484-8785 cell or 626-350-0506 (0)

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May 7, 2010

India Post 51

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Datebook

52 India Post

May 7, 2010

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NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

NEW JERSEY

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming

Sun May 9 • Yoga, Meditation And Spiritual Talks By Swami Mukundananda Venue: Hindu Center, 45-52 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, New York Time: 4:30pm to 9pm Contact: (917) 362 6838

Thurs May 20 • Singles Speed Dating Party Venue: Pranna Lounge, 79 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York Time: 8pm to 10pm Contact: 866 WE SPEED

Sun May 23 • Jai Ho Live In Concert With Sukhwinder Singh Venue: Colden Center, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, New York Time: 6pm to 9:30pm Contact: 732-763-0118

Fri May 7 • The Blue Mug - a comedy play in Hindi/ English Venue: North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, Illinois Contact: 630-964-6061

Sat May 8 • CRY Chicago Presents Club Night for What's Right Venue: Sayat Nova Restaurant, 157 E Ohio, Chicago, Ill Time: 10pm to 3am Contact: 630-881-0903

Venue: Glen Oaks School, 80-51 261st Street, Floral Park, New York Time: 4pm Contact: 917-353-4545

Fri May 14

• India Property Show Venue: New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, New Jersey Time: 10am to 7pm Contact: 718-472-3700

• Black and White Venue: The Meadows Club, 2950 W. Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows, Illinois Time: 6pm to 9pm Contact: (815)404-3803

• Chicago Booth Tata India Leadership Summit 2010

Fri May 14 • A Bollywood Cruise 2010 Venue: Aboard The Temptress World Yacht, Pier 81, W. 41st St. & 12th Ave, New York Time: 6:15PM Contact: 917-771-9030

Thurs May 20 • Singles Speed Dating Party Venue: Pranna Lounge, 79 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York Time: 8pm to 10pm Contact: 866 WE SPEED

Sun May 30

Sun May 23

• A Bollywood Cruise 2010 Venue: Aboard The Temptress World Yacht, Pier 81, W. 41st St. & 12th Ave, New York Time: 6:15pm Contact: 917-771-9030

Venue: Sound-Bar, 226 West Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois, CA Time: 10pm Contact: 773-490-0975

Venue: Mangal Mandir, 17110 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD,

Venue: Burlington Township High School, 610 Fountain Ave, Burlington, New Jersey Time: 4pm to 8pm Contact: 856-596-2651

Venue: Booth School of Business, 5807 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, Illinois Time: 8am to 5pm Contact: 281-685-3969

• ABCD Chicago presents The White Out Party with DJ Aqeel

• Yoga, Meditation & Spiritual Talks By Swami Mukundananda

Sat May 8 • Bollywood Dance Competition 2010 "Best Of Best"

Sun May 9

Sat May 15 Sat May 8 • Stage Friends presents Crazy Mohan latest play Kollathan Ninaikeren

May 2 to May 8

Sat May 8

• Jai Ho Live in Concert with Sukhwinder Singh Venue: Colden Center, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, New York Time: 6pm to 9:30pm Contact: 732-763-0118

Maryland, 20905 Time: 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm Contact: Mr. Desai Phone : (301) 604-2927

Fri May 7 • Sanjh Sanjeevani, live in concert Venue: Jewish Community Center, 6125 Montrose Road, Rockville, Maryland Time: 8pm Contact: (202) 247-7434

Sat May 15 • Tamil Musical Nite By Washington Shruti Venue: Woodson High School, 9525 Main St, Fairfax, Virginia, WDC Time: 5:30pm to 10pm Contact: 703-801-7725

Thurs June 10 • ORB Festival 2010 Venue: Ramblewood Resort, Darlington, MD, Maryland Time: 5pm to 8pm Contact: 917-569-1177

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Sat May 8 • Ohlone College Community Chorale Fremont Christian High School Living Water Vocal Ensemble, Directed by Darryl Guzman Venue: Centerville Presbyterian Church, 4360 Central Ave. in Fremont Time: 3pm Contact: www.smithcenter.com Highlights: The Ohlone Community Chorale and the Living Water Vocal Ensemble present works by American composer Randall Thompson including "Frostiana," a unique collaboration between Thompson and American poet laureate Robert Frost. The music has been described as "American in spirit but universal in appeal."

Sun May 9 • Jhankaar Beats presents Jalwa 2010 Venue: Jain Center of Northern California, 722 South Main Street, Milpitas, Time: 5pm t 7:30pm Contact: 408-564-3140

Fri May 14 • Sri Karunamayi Lalita Sahasranama Puja Venue: Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, Community Center, 420-450 Persian Drive, Sunnyvale, California Time: 6:30pm Contact: (408) 865-0709

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 May 7 to Sun May 11 • Amma Sri Karunamayi 2010 Los Angeles Tour Venue: May 7&8: Bhakta Cultural Center, 12311 Firestone Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650, May 9: 1443 Edgecliff Lane, Pasadena, CA 91107, May 10 & 11: Hindu Temple Ventura 6085 King Dr., Unit 110 Ventura, CA Contact: www.karunamayi.org/tour/2010losanglese.html

Fri May 7 • 5th Annual Asian American pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration Asian Fusion: Energy & Entrepreneurship Venue: Southern California Edison's Customer Technology Application Center 6090 N. Irwindale Avenue Irwindale, CA Time: 9am to 10 am Contact: 310-914-5000

Sat May 8 • Archana 2010: A Tribute to Farmers Venue: Civit Arts Plaza, FRed Kavli Theater, Thousand Oaks, California Time: 4pm to 7pm Contact: 805-754-9861

Sun June 20 • Pan-IIT, SoCal Chapter Annual Picnic

Fri May 21 • Gata Rahe Mera Dil - An evening remembering Kishore Kumar Venue: Mehran Restaurant - Banquet Hall, 5774 Mowry School Road, Newark, California, 94560 Time: 7:30 pm to 11:45 pm Contact: Sudhir Aravindan Phone: (408)802-5128

Venue: Cerritos Park East Shelter 1, 13234 166th St Cerritos, California Time: 12 noon to 5pm (12:00 noon to 12:45 pm: Registration and network, network, network, network, 12:45 pm to 1:30 pm: Games/Entertainment for all + snacks + Network, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Catered lunch : General music and hungama + Network, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm: More Games/Inter IIT Antakshari + Raffles, 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm: Chai / Soap Box / Game Prizes, 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Wrap-up, Clean-up and promises to meet soon) Contact: 818-209-0172

Philosophy

May 7, 2010

India Post

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis SWAMI CHINMAYANADA

he cruelest periods for a sincere seeker during his spiritual life are the moments before the final experience Divine. The pathetic anguish felt by him on the path is called "the dark night of the soul". This stage of extreme helplessness, complete disappointment, total dejection and utter despair, though unavoidable, can be minimized if the seeker, on his meditation-flight to the transcendental, is well equipped and fully trained for this supreme, subjective adventure Divine. It is the unprepared student who falls into unproductive, progress-halting ruts of thoughts and gets torn in the rising storms within him. Throughout our Hindu spiritual literature there are scattered "pointers and sign-posts" in order to guide the seekers who thus get stranded on the great path. Silhouetted against the dim light of our enthusiasm, each one of them presents but a vague shape of the pointing "hand" of the post. Everyone must pursue the pilgrimage in the direction so confidently shown by the unerring words of the Upanishads: all commentaries and explanations, annotations and discourses are attempts to raise a fluttering candle to the ambiguous cross-road signs left in the

reative expressions attain their perfect form through emotions modulated. Woman has that expression natural to her-a cadence of restraint in her behavior, producing poetry of life. She has been an inspiration to man, guiding, most often unconsciously, his restless energy into an immense variety of creations in literature, art, music and religion. This is why, in India, woman has been described as the symbol of Shakti, the creative power. But if woman begins to believe that, though biologically her function is different from that of man, psychologically she is identical with him; if the human world in its mentality becomes exclusively male, then before long it will be reduced to utter inanity. For life finds its truth and beauty, not in any exaggeration of sameness, but in harmony. If woman's nature were identical with man's, if Eve were a mere tautology of Adam, it would only give rise to a monotonous superfluity. But that she was not so was proved by the banishment she secured from a readymade Paradise. She had the instinctive wisdom to realize that it was her mis-

scriptures. Without all the preliminary preparations no one should start for a great pilgrimage. If one does so, it is clear that one has no sincerity, or sense of urgency, to reach the destination. The vehicle must be properly rigged, the fuel filled, the engine, well tuned up, and the tools packed ready before one gets behind the wheel and drives away. The traveler must have the necessary technical knowledge to spot out

these are useful hints, and a successful meditator of today among us is one who faithfully kept to this general plan of action. The final peak of success aimed at by a mind in meditation is its own merger into the great "silence," into the dynamic pure Consciousness which is the "matrix" behind all the subtle worlds of subjective thoughts and emotions, and the gross realm of objective things and beings. The "conscious-thoughts", in

All the psychiatric treatments doled out today are attempts to jerk the thought-flow of the patient into a rhythm. But the ruts cut by the long periods of wrong flow have created disturbing patterns of thought-gush in the subject, and he has an irresistible tendency to dash back into the old familiar stream of thinking and living. A spiritual seeker, to begin with, must therefore learn to initiate new and healthier channels of thought in himself and thereby, on the

Prepare properly for the spiritual journey Swami Chinmayanada

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;conscious-thoughtsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, in their enlivened vitality, give us the apparent illusion of individuality, known popularly as the ego (jiva)

troubles and correct them en route. As we travel ahead we must be alert to read the road signs and implicitly obey their directions; nay, at places where one is in doubt, it will always be rewarding to slow down, even stop and get out, meet others on the road, enquire, and ascertain whether one is traveling in the right direction. For a true and sincere seeker all

their enlivened vitality, give us the apparent illusion of individuality, known popularly as the ego (jiva). Mind is the thought-flow in us. The quality, quantity and direction of the thoughts in an individual determine the type of "flow" in him, and consequently it alone decides the worth, the beauty and the effectiveness of his personality as expressed in life.

whole, etching vividly the desired scheme of a spiritually conducive mental behavior. The direction of thoughts in a mind is determined by the peculiar sub-surface motivating factors found within the emotional profile of each of us: these are called vasanas. The 94th birth anniversary of Swami Chinmayananda will be celebrated on May 8

sion to help her mate in creating a Paradise of their own on earth, whose ideal she was to supply with her life, whose materials were to be produced and gathered by her comrade. However, it is evident that an increasing number of women in the West are ready to assert that their difference from men is unimportant. The reason for the vehement utterance of such a paradox can-

from its burden. Such has been the case in the social relationship between man and woman. Along with the difference inherent in their respective natures, there have grown up between them inequalities fostered by circumstances. Man is not handicapped by the same biological and psychological responsibilities as woman, and therefore he has the liberty to give

luxury to man. She has accentuated those qualities in herself which insidiously impose their bondage over her mate, some by pandering to his weakness, and some by satisfying his higher nature, till the sex-consciousness in our society has grown abnormal and overpowering. There is no actual objection to this in itself, for it offers a stimulus, acting in the depth of life,

Weight of life's tragedies heavy for woman Rabindranath Tagore

not be ignored. It is a rebellion against a necessity, which is not equal for both the partners. Love in all forms has its obligations, and the love that binds women to their children binds them to their homes. But necessity is a tyrant, making us submit to injury and indignity, allowing advantage over us to those who are wholly or comparatively free

In those ages when men acknowledged spiritual perfection to be their object, women were denounced as the chief obstacle in their way her the security of home. This liberty exacts payment when it offers its boon, because to give or to withhold the gift is within its power. It is the unequal freedom in their mutual relationships which has made the weight of life's tragedies so painfully heavy for woman to bear. Some mitigation of her disadvantage has been effected by her rendering herself and her home a

which leads to creative exuberance. But a great deal of it is a forced growth of compulsion bearing seeds of degradation. In those ages when men acknowledged spiritual perfection to be their object, women were denounced as the chief obstacle in their way. The 149th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore will be celebrated on May 8

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, one is on the road to freedom which bestows bliss. -Swami Tapovan Maharaj Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of a problem. -Jiddu Krishnamurti One person who has mastered life is better than a thousand persons who have mastered only the contents of books, but no one can get anything out of life without God. -Meister Eckhart A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy. -Friedrich Nietzsche From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing straight can be fashioned. -Immanuel Kant If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life - and only then will I be free to become myself. -Martin Heidegger A man can be himself only so long as he is alone. -Arthur Schopenhauer

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India Post

May 7, 2010

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Need for an Indian military industrial complex RADHAKRISHNA RAO

ndia has come to be recognized has not been able to replicate the technologies' held in Bangalore in as an economic and techno- space success story scripted by April this year , was of the view logical powerhouse in the mak- ISRO (Indian Space Research Or- that since India missed out on the ing. Indeed, India's rapid strides ganization), which is a much mid level technologies, the manuin space exploration along with its younger set up in comparison to facturing base of the Indian deimpressive advances in the cutting the DRDO. However, right from fense sector could not catch up edge technology of nuclear power the outset, DRDO has been be- with the global trend. generation and a leadership posi- deviled by problems including According to Barbora, reverse tion in software and IT (Informa- lack of focus, unclear priorities, in- engineering could be one of the tion Technology) industry are terference from bureaucracy and solutions for generating products clear pointers to the greater role defense establishment, smear that are not easy to get. He also India is poised to play in the glo- campaign by vested interests and pointed out that in terms of exports; bal affairs in the years ahead. influence of a well entrenched im- defense industry of Pakistan is Unfortunately, India has not port lobby. ahead of its Indian counterpart. been in a position to exploit its inOf course, now efforts are conIndia's Minister of State for deherent strategic advantages to tinuing to fine tune the activities fense MN Pallam Raju has stated make the defense prothat defense offset duction sector resurproposals worth gent enough to meet Rs490 billion that most of the needs of are now in the pipeits armed forces. Toline would help both day around 70% of the private and the hardware needs public sector indusof the Indian defense tries in India to augforces are met ment their skill, techthrough imports. nological edge and In this context, LK manufacturing Advani, leader of the base. opposition is right in Maj Gen Mrinal his observation that a Suman, head of deSupersonic aircraft being manufactured at H.A.L. country as large and fense and technical populous as India with assessment unit and such a vast pool of scientific and of DRDO with an enhanced focus advisory services Group of CII technological talent must not remain on self reliance in defense produc- (Confederation of Indian Indusexcessively dependent on imports tion. As stated by Brig Gurmeet try) is of the view that India has for meeting the defense needs. Kanwal, Director of the New Delhi not considered it necessary to diIndia's Defense Minister AK based Centre for Land Warfare rect offsets to pre-designated Antony has stated that "a coun- Studies (CLAWS), "there can be areas of its choice. try like India cannot indefinitely no alternative to self reliance in Since India has not much exdepend on foreign weapons." He defense technology and DRDO perience in the area of defense is of the view that Indian indus- deserves the whole hearted sup- offset, it is likely that there could tries, in both the private and pub- port of the political leadership, the be shortcomings in the implelic sectors should hone their skills mentation of offsets. As defense and upgrade their expertise, to experts point out, as the offset enter the defense production secimplementation gathers momenâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There can be no tor of the country in a big way. tum, India would be in a posialternative to self Antony has also urged the state tion to sharpen its focus on meetowned Defense Research and Deing its needs. reliance in defense velopment Organization (DRDO) However, the technical capabilto strengthen its 'core competence' ity and resource base of the Intechnology and and augment its 'research and dedian private sector needs to be DRDO deserves the velopment' base to minimize India's boosted to help India emerge as a dependence on imported hardware. major player in the global defense whole hearted supHe has also driven home the market. Industry bodies in India point that "India's image as a global have been highlighting the need port of the political leader in information technology to increase the FDI (Foreign Dileadership, the should be reflected in the national rect Investment) cap in Indian dedefense domain." MM Pallam Raju, fense industry to 49% from the armed forces, the Minister of State for Defense said current 26%. that "private sector should compleAs things stand now, there media and publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ment and not compete with defense should be serious, all round efpublic sector units." forts to harness the technological This perspective does not au- armed forces, the media and pub- strength and corporate energy of gur well for boosting the lic." Certainly DRDO which is at India, with a set of incentives, to indigenization of defense produc- the centre stage of Indian defense put in place a vibrant military intion. The immediate thrust should R&D has all the potential to turn dustrial complex for not only be on pooling the expertise and India into a global defense pro- meeting the needs of the Indian know how available in the Indian duction hub. defense forces but also to help industry, cutting across the pubMarshal PK Barbora, Vice Chief India enter the global defense marlic-private sector barriers. of the IAF (Indian Air Force) while ket in a big way. Strategic analysts have all speaking at the national convenThe writer is a Freelancer in along been wondering why DRDO tion on 'frontiers of aerospace Bangalore. Courtesy IPCS

India Post IPL future

hat will Lalit Modi do now? The Ex-Commissioner of IPL has created a template and the game will continue with the momentum of Indian fans' enthusiasm which he successfully tapped. It was his arrogance of behaving like an emperor bigger than the game which was his undoing. A tongue in cheek commentary on the Cricinfo website has a number of suggestions to keep Modi occupied, among them advertising on every live tiger stripe in a contest. Indeed, Modi will not go away quietly. Even his father, industrialist KK Modi, is egging him to fight on, to take the fight to the Supreme Court. So we may have not heard the last of Lalit Modi. Modi is a genius who can monetize almost everything. He is like the corrupt bureaucrat in an old fable against whom a lot of citizens complained to the king. The king called him and banished him to a place where he could not even think of making money. He told him to go to a remote sea shore and entrusted him with the task of counting the sea waves just to keep him off mischief. After a year or so again complaints started coming in of his making lot of money. The king sent his investigators and found that the bureaucrat was preventing fishermen and boats and ships in the area from going to the sea without bribing him. He told them the king had entrusted him with the task of counting the waves and they, by their activities, were preventing a government servant from doing his duty. So they had to bribe him in order to resume their normal activity. It is fascinating to observe how some jealous western cricket playing nations have sought to undermine the IPL. They are rubbing their hands in glee at the downfall of Lalit Modi. But as they ruefully admit, IPL is not going to die. Even they conclude that future editions of IPL may be run more democratically and be less commercially brazen. The English Cricket Board had banned its contracted cricketers from participating in the IPL on the grounds that it will hurt their domestic cricket season. To stymie the IPL, ECB attempted to start a rival tournament with American billionaire Allen Stanford to offer a lucrative alternative to England players. However, Stanford's business collapsed and IPL offered guaranteed wages -- good ones -rather than prize money. England's star attractions, such as Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, wanted to play IPL with the rest of the best in the world. And they were reluctantly allowed in the next season to do so. England, once the Mecca of cricket, is unable to reconcile with the fact of cricket and cricketers making money playing in India. In politics the days of colonialism may be over but in cricket the nostalgia of white domination still continues. England and Australia find it difficult to countenance the growing influence of India in the world cricket body, the ICC, over which India's Sharad Pawar will be presiding for two years starting June this year. There is some truth in the charge by India-born English cricketer Nasser Hussain that there are "too many IPL games, too much money involved and most of all, too much self importance about the IPL and the creator, Lalit Modi." The last word however belongs to Rahul Dravid who felt that the IPL had been hugely popular and the Indian people deserve a well-organized and good run league. To the chagrin of Englishmen, that is what will happen in IPL-4.

May 7, 2010

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May 7, 2010

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