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SPECTACULAR BEGINNING

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA

Jubilant Indian Americans celebrate change Details on page 16

VOL 19, No. 1028

May 30, 2014

50¢

NaMo chant fills Bay Area air waves

Periodical Postage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

Modi raises terrorism issue in talks with Sharif Details on page 5

Sharif: Change confrontation into cooperation Details on page 5

Arun Jaitley promises to contain inflation

Details on page 28

First decision: SIT on black money constituted

Details on page 6

Law Minister promises stable tax regime

Details on page 6

Crystal Lake Indian wins $300,000 lottery

Details on page 6

CONTENTS

Details on page 23

Bollywood ---------------------- 36-37 Classifieds ------------------------- 52 Community Post -------------- 16-32

INDIA POST SURVEY

Date Book -------------------------- 50

survey@indiapost.com

Edit Page --------------------------- 54

This week’s question

Modi is right to stress on neighborhood?

Last week’s result

Should Modi visit US this year?

YES 76%

NO 24%

HealthScience Post --------- 45-47

OATH OF A NEW ERA: Under the backdrop of a magnificent view of the Central Vista and in the presence of SAARC leaders and 4000 guests from among India's best and brightest, Narendra Modi being sworn in the 15th Prime Minister of India by President Pranab Mukherjee (inset) at a Swearing-in Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 26. (Details on page 5)

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Horoscope ------------------------- 51 Immigration Post ------------- 48-49 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 TechBiz Post ------------------- 34-35 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 41-43

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hat is it about men and their need to establish their supremacy using women as instruments of power? If it was wars of yore, it is the current day communal riots, ethnic strife, or simply the need to project religious fundamentalist ideology, where women seem to be the most convenient of mediums to prove their machismo among men.

It's 2014, and men haven't evolved in their fundamental nature by considering women as human beings, and not continue to variously regard them as property, cattle, objects, etc.

I have to make sweeping generalizations - because men, by nature, do not like equals.

So where am I going with this rant, you may ask. From the nearly 300 girls abducted by the Boko Haram in northern Nigeria to the 1000-odd Christian and Hindu girls abducted every year in Pakistan, the story is the same.

The tenth and latest annual human rights report released by the Hindu American Foundation finds that Hindu and Christian girls, some as young as five or six years of age, are routinely abducted in Pakistan and are forcibly converted to Islam before being married off to older Muslim men or sold into the sex trade.

The issue is not about Pakistan, it is about ideologies that allow preying on women with such impunity in the name of religion. The HAF report documents the plight of women similarly subjugated in 10 countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Bhutan, Fiji, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad & Tobago and the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.

It's more than a month now, and the abducted Nigerian girls are yet to be brought home from their twisted abductors.

It takes more than people holding placards with "Bring back our girls" written on them to give a dignified human status to women. Left to men, they will simply keep fighting their own turf wars, but at the fundamental level, the fight has to be waged by women themselves. Remember the movie 'Mother India'? If I am not mistaken, the mother in that film, guns down her own son for attempting to abduct a girl.

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Delhiwala vs Mumbaiwala When Arjun Kapoor was in Delhi, he spoke about the typical traits that comprise a Delhiwala and a Mumbaiwala.

Cover Story: Talks with Sharif Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised issues of terror in his first bilateral meeting with Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif

Community: Modi victory Indian Americans across the country have expressed their joy with congratulatory messages & jubilant celebrations.

Smugglers’ strategy A shift by immigrant smugglers to target the U.S.-Mexico border in southernmost Texas has accelerated this year

Health Science: Sign-ups increase President Obama celebrated when signups for health care law topped 8 million, but most Americans are unimpressed.

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Price-fixing An investigation into price-fixing in the auto parts industry has mushroomed into the largest criminal antitrust probe

Khandala Khandala is endowed with abundant natural beauty and like Lonavala, it also provides a popular getaway

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Modi raises terrorism issue in talks with Sharif NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised issues of terror and the trial in Mumbai attack case in his first bilateral meeting with Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif here.

Modi raised the issue of slow pace of trial in 26/11 terror case which was being held in Pakistan and as also India's core concern of terror with the visiting Pakistani leader.

Briefing the media on the meeting between the two leaders, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said the two leaders also talked about ways to enhance cooperation in the field of trade during the meeting.

The two leaders had a firm handshake and posed for photographers before heading towards the meeting room for talks at the ceremonial Hyderabad House. The meeting was also attended by External Af-

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting with Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, in New Delhi on May 27.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is also seen

fairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Singh said they decided that the Foreign Secretaries of the two

countries would be in touch to explore how to move forward.

Modi remarked during the talks

Need to change confrontation into cooperation: Sharif NEW DELHI: Pakistan Premier During his 45-minute long meet- ity and insecurity, that has Nawaz Sharif pitched for "work- ing, Sharif said he also recalled his plagued us for decades. ing together" in his maiden meet- invitation to then Prime Minister "Consequently, it was imporing with newly-elected Prime Min- Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Lahore in tant for us to work together for ister Narendra Modi and said both February 1999 and that he "in- peace, progress and prosperity. will have to strive to change con- tended to pick up the threads of Finally, I urged that we had to frontation into cooperastrive to change contion. frontation into cooperaSharif, who attended tion.

Modi's swearing-in cerEngaging in accusaemony, described his tions and counter-accumeeting as "good and sations would be constructive" and said counter-productive, I they have agreed that emphasized....After all, their Foreign Secretarwe owe it to our people ies would be meeting to overcome the legacy soon to review and carry of mistrust and misgivforward the bilateral ings," the Pakistan agenda in the spirit of Prime Minister said. this meeting.

He said they agreed Before his departure that this common objecfor Pakistan, Sharif met tive could be facilitated the press and read out a by greater people-tostatement which said people exchanges, at all that his government levels. stands ready to discuss "Prime Minister all issues between the Modi warmly reciprotwo countries, in a spirit cated my sentiments of cooperation and sinand remarked that my cerity. visit to New Delhi was "We agreed that our seen as a special gesmeeting in New Delhi, ture by the people of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a visit to Jama Masjid in New Delhi on May 27 should be a historic opIndia. He stated that it portunity for both our was incumbent on both countries. I pointed out that we the Lahore Declaration, from of us to work together, to achieve were at the beginning of our re- where it had to be left off in Octo- our common objectives for peace spective tenures, with a clear man- ber 1999". and development. date. This provides us the oppor"I stressed to Prime Minister "I take leave of this historic tunity of meeting the hopes and Modi that we have a common city. I do so with a strong sense aspirations of our peoples that we agenda of development and eco- that the leaderships and the will succeed in turning a new page nomic revival, which is not pos- peoples of our two countries share in our relations. The one and a half sible to achieve without peace and desire and mutual commitment to billion people of the two countries stability in the region. carry forward our relationship, for want us to focus on their well-beI urged that together, we the larger good of our peoples," ing and welfare," he said. should rid the region of instabil- Sharif added.-PTI

that Pakistan must abide by its commitment to prevent territory of Pakistan and the territory under its control used to spread terrorism in India.

He also hoped that necessary steps will be taken to expedite the trial in Pakistan relating to Mumbai terror attack case and ensure punishment to the accused.

Modi said the two countries could move towards trade normalization on the basis of the September, 2012 road-map on political and economic relations.

The Foreign Secretary said the acceptance of the invitation by the SAARC leaders and their presence in the swearing-in ceremony marks a new starting point in the relations. Modi noted that it was good to see all the eight leaders graciously accepting the invitation and their presence has enriched the celebration of Indian democracy.

"This is a new beginning. This

is the first time when all the SAARC leaders have been present on an occasion like this," she said adding one leader wondered whether there should have a SAARC summit here.

Asked whether Modi raised the issue of the presence of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Singh said many things including terrorism were discussed. "I don't want to speak more on this."

On whether Kashmir issue was discussed, the Foreign Secretary said the two Foreign Secretaries will be in touch to see the best way to move forward.

On trade, she said the two leaders discussed the issue of nondiscriminatory market access to be given by Pakistan and said the two countries are fully ready to resume normalization of trade relations at the earliest.

Asked whether Modi will travel to Pakistan, Singh said invitations have come and they have been accepted but no dates have been finalized. "Dates have to be worked out," she said.

When queried whether the Composite Dialogue process would be resumed, she said the Foreign Secretaries will meet to find a way forward.

To another question, she said "we want peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan. However, for such relations to proceed, it is important that terror and violence is brought to an end."

Asked if India was satisfied with the discussions on the 26/11 issue, Singh said the meeting was very constructive and both sides wanted to understand the concerns of the other side.-PTI

Chinese PM congratulates Modi, vows enhancing ties BEIJING: Premier Li Keqiang has said China views India as a "natural cooperative partner" and it is ready to work with the new Narendra Modi-led government to take their strategic cooperative partnership to a "new level".

Congratulating Modi on being sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister, the Chinese Premier said, "China and India are important neighbors to each other and the top two emerging markets in the world. China-India relations have moved beyond the bilateral scope and taken on global and strategic significance."

"By working together for peaceful, cooperative and com-

mon development, China and India will not only bring benefits to their own people but also contribute to peace, stability and prosperity of Asia and beyond. China stands ready to work with India to bring ChinaIndia strategic cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity to a new level," he was quoted as saying by an official statement.

The statement acknowledged that in the new century, the two countries have established a strategic cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity and found a way to actively expand cooperation while "properly handling disagreements".-PTI

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Jaitley promises to contain Defense modernization to be speeded up: Jaitley inflation, promote growth

Arun Jaitley taking charge as the Union Minister for Finance, in New Delhi on May 27

NEW DELHI: New Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley has pledged to contain price rise, restore confidence of investors in the economy and promote growth while keeping the fiscal deficit under check.

Stating that the country's economy was passing through difficult times, he said, "the chal-

lenges are very obvious. We have to restore back the pace of growth, contain inflation, and obviously concentrate on fiscal consolidation itself."

Veteran lawyer and senior BJP leader Jaitley was talking to reporters soon after taking charge of the Finance Ministry.

Referring to his priorities as

Law Minister promises stable tax regime for investors NEW DELHI: Seeking to assure On the Vodafone notice, Prasad global investors of a stable taxa- said: "We will look into it. Our tion regime, Indian Law Minister manifesto has been very specific Ravi Shankar Prasad said retro- that we want a stable regime where spective tax should be generally avoided as the country needs foreign investment to boost the economy.

"The larger view is that retrospectivity is avoided to the maximum. The fiscal regime, the policy regime, taxation regime must be very evident because India needs investment," he told reporters afRavi Shankar Prasad taking charge as the Union Minister for Law and Justice, in New Delhi on May 27 ter taking charge of the ministry.

Amendment to Income-tax Act those who invest in India may not with retrospective effect by the have to face uncertainty."

UPA government caused uncerThe goal of the government, he tainty among global investors and said, is that those who invest in India was even slapped with an India must have the assurance of arbitration notice in a Rs 20,000 a stable fiscal policy and also lecrore tax case by British telecom gal regime under which they are major Vodafone. investing.-PTI

Finance Minister, Jaitley said, "I am conscious of the fact that I am taking over at a very challenging time particularly when there is a need to rebuild the confidence of the Indian economy.

"The mandate that our government has received has an inbuilt hope in it...the political change itself sends a strong signal to the global community as also the domestic investors. I think over the next two months by expediting decision making processes we will be able to build on that."

On whether he would focus on inflation at cost of growth, Jaitley said a "the balancing act" will have to done.

India had registered over 9 per cent growth for a few years before the global financial meltdown of 2008 pulled it down. The economic growth rate slipped to decade's low of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13. It inched up to 4.9 per cent in 2013-14.

In the current fiscal the growth rate is expected to rise further to 5.5 per cent. -PTI

NEW DELHI: Defense modernization had "slowed down" in the last few years and providing the required equipment to the armed forces in a speedy manner would be the top priority of the Modi

ment of) equipment required for their support are going to be priority areas as far as our Government is concerned.

"We are certainly concerned that in last few years, some of

Defense Ministeri Arun Jaitley interacting with the three Service Chiefs General Bikram Singh, Air Marshal Arup Raha, Admiral RK Dhowan and Defence Secretary RK Mathur after taking charge of the Ministry, in New Delhi on May 27

government, Defense Minister Arun Jaitley said here.

"Speeding up the (procure-

First decision: SIT on black money constituted NEW DELHI: In the first de- and-a-half-hour long Cabinet cision after assuming office, the meeting.

Narendra Modi government on "This shows the commitment May 27 constituted a special in- of the government (to curbing vestigative team (SIT) headed black money)," Prasad said, by former Supreme Court judge adding that the SIT was formed M B Shah to unearth black in accordance with orders of the money.

Supreme Court.

The SIT will be headed by In course of its election camformer Supreme Court judge M paign, the BJP had repeatedly B Shah and will include Revenue Secretary, CBI and IB This shows the commitment directors, Enforce- of the government (to curbment Directorate official, CBDT Chair- ing black money)," Prasad man and RBI deputy said, adding that the SIT was governor. Former Supreme Court formed in accordance with judge Arijit Pasayat orders of the Supreme Court will be the vicechairman of the panel. vowed to fight corruption and The Supreme Court had black money, with Prime Minisgranted the government one week ter Narendra Modi himself reto constitute the SIT for monitor- ferring to the issue in his stump ing of all black money cases. speeches.

"In the first Cabinet of the After resisting for more than new government...in the light of three years, the immediate past the directions of the SC, we have United Progressive Alliance constituted an SIT for unearth- (UPA) government on April 29 ing black money... This was an disclosed the names and docuimportant issue for us," Law and ments of 26 Indians who allegTelecom Minister Ravi Shankar edly have illicit money stashed Prasad told reporters after a one- abroad. -PTI

these areas had actually slowed down and therefore expediting them would be a matter of top priority," he said while taking the "additional charge" of the ministry here.

He did not elaborate but was apparently referring to the delay in acquisition of modern equipment for the armed forces such as the 126 multirole combat aircraft, 197 light helicopters and a number of other acquisitions stuck up in the Ministry due to one reason or the other during his predecessor AK Antony's regime.

Jaitley, who primarily holds the portfolios of Finance and Corporate Affairs, said the Defense Ministry is expected to get a full-time head in a "couple of weeks" after the expansion of the council of ministers.

Asked about the demand for raising the 26 per cent FDI cap in the defense sector, Jaitley said it needs a deeper look.

"This is an issue, which in both limbs, would be dealt by both my departments. It has already come up in my preliminary discussions and therefore I do not want to say anything more before I look deeply into the matter."

Soon after taking over, Jaitley held a series of meetings with the various departments of the Defense Ministry.

He held meetings with the three Services chiefs, the Defense Secretary, Secretary (Exservicemen Welfare) and Secretary (Defense Production) and all the officers above the rank of Joint Secretary in the Ministry.-PTI

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Mauritius to provide automatic Nirmala says no to FDI in multi-brand retail tax info exchange NEW DELHI: Seeking to allay apprehensions about Mauritius being used for money laundering activities, its Indian-origin Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has said the island nation has decided to provide automatic exchange of tax related information with India.

Ramgoolam, who was here to attend BJP leader Narendra Modi's swearing-in as Prime Minister, also said that Mauritius would not allow anybody to abuse or misuse its jurisdiction for any illicit activities.

Speaking to reporters after a bilateral meeting with Modi, Ramgoolam said he has also invited the Indian Prime Minister to visit Mauritius.

On the contentious issue of revision of a tax treaty between two countries, the Mauritius Prime Minister said that "there must be a quick resolution to resolve all issues related to the direct tax avoidance agreement between the two countries".

"We both agreed that there must be quick resolution (on the issues) for certainty, clarity and predictability," he said.

A proposed revision of the tax treaty has been hanging in the balance for a long time and there have been reports that Mauritius was not agreeable to certain suggestions made by India, which has been seeking to make the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, in New Delhi on May 27

agreement stronger to check any possible round tripping of Indian

funds through the Indian Ocean island nation.-PTI

Govt change not to affect Army Chief appointment NEW DELHI: The appointment of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army Chief will not be affected by the change of government, said new Defense Minister Arun Jaitley, whose party BJP had strongly opposed the UPA government for elevating him to the top post.

"Well, I believe that there should be no controversy or issue about the appointment of any person. Some comments may have been made about the conduct and procedures of the process. It is not going to have any effect on any person concerned in any manner," he told reporters here.

Jaitley, while taking charge of the Defense Ministry, was asked to comment on the opposition by BJP during the elections on the appointment of Lt Gen Suhag as the next chief.

The BJP had questioned why the UPA government was rushing

to appoint him as the Army Chief when the incumbent was going to retire only on July 31. It had even moved the Election Commission (EC) seeking directions to stop the

Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag

government from making such key appointments.

Former Army Chief Gen VK Singh, who is now a BJP member and Minister, was in the forefront

of questioning the UPA government on this issue.

He had contended that Suhag did not have "vigilance clearance" in a Jorhat dacoity case.

V K Singh, as Army Chief, had put a 'Disciplinary and Vigilance' ban on Suhag when he was the 3 Corps Commander two years back. The ban, which prohibits a promotion, was lifted immediately after incumbent Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh took over on May 31, 2012.

"What and whom are they trying to protect? What are the Defense Ministry and UPA-II scared of? This harms the individual as people will question the UPA's motive," he had said.

Gen Bikram Singh is retiring on July 31 and the Manmohan Singh government had appointed Lt Gen Suhag on May 14, two days before the election results were announced. -PTI

NEW DELHI: Reaffirming BJP's tor, FDI will be allowed in sectors stand on FDI in multi-brand retail, wherever needed for job and asnew Commerce and Industry set creation, infrastructure and Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has acquisition of niche technology indicated that foreign players will and specialized expertise." not be allowed to open mega Although the previous governstores in the country as it may adversely impact the small traders and farmers.

"At this stage the party position is very very clear.

We have explained about FDI in multi-brand retail (MBR) that it probably is not best opened up now because medium and small sized traders or small farmers have not been adequately empowered... if you open up the flood gates of FDI in MBR, it may affect them," she said.

Sitharaman, who took Nirmala Sitharaman taking charge as the charge of the ministry, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for was replying to a question Commerce and Industry, in New Delhi whether the government would rescind the current FDI ment had allowed Foreign Direct policy of allowing foreign invest- Investment (FDI) in multi-brand ment in MBRT. retail, only one investment proThe Minister further said that posal of UK-based Tesco was she would "sit with the officials cleared by the earlier government. as to what has happened all the She said the ministry would while (to) further the manifesto look at the current FDI policy in based agenda of BJP we shall calibrated way. work."

Further, the new minister said The BJP manifesto had said, that boosting exports will be the "barring the multi-brand retail sec- one of the top priority.-PTI

17 ministries clubbed under 7 ministers NEW DELHI: In a restructuring of his Cabinet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has combined 17 related ministries into seven different groups, including some infrastructure departments, in an apparent bid to ensure synergy and better results.

First the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, created in UPA-II, has been brought together with External Affairs Ministry under Sushma Swaraj while Corporate Affairs has been brought back to Finance under Arun Jaitley.

In infrastructure sector, the Prime Minister has combined Road Transport and Highways and Shipping in the ministry to be headed by Nitin Gadkari, who had made a name for himself by adopting an innovative approach in expanding road transport network and bridges in Maharashtra when he was a minister there in BJP-Shiv Sena

Government.

Another important infrastructure combination is bringing together Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy under the independent charge of Minister of State Piyush Goyal. These used to be separate ministries with Cabinet ministers in charge in the UPA governments. Related ministries of Urban Development, Housing and Poverty Alleviation have been placed under the charge of M Venkaiah Naidu, while Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation have been grouped together under the charge of Gopinath Munde.

In another minor combination of ministries, Goa's Shripad Naik has been given charge of Culture and Tourism as Minister of State with independent charge.-PTI

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Govt open to debate on Article 370: PMO NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government is open to debate on Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Minister of State in Prime Minister's office Jitendra Singh said here while making it clear that efforts would be made through this exercise to "convince" the

Member and a surprise choice as Minister of State in the PMO, said, "his (Modi's) intention and that of the government is that we have a debate so that we can convince the unconvinced about the disadvantages of Article 370.

"If we do not have debate and

Dr Jitendra Singh taking charge as the Minister for State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, in New Delhi on May 27

"unconvinced".

Repeating the stand of Modi during his rally in December last year, Singh, a first time Parliament

discussion how would you be able to tell those who have been unable to understand what they have been deprived of on account

of Article 370," he said after taking over as Minister of State in charge of Department of Personnel and Training, which has administrative control over the CBI. 57-year-old Singh said Article 370 was more of a psychological barrier than a physical one and added that the Modi-led Government was open to debate with all stakeholders, including youths, pros and cons of retaining or withdrawing the Article.

Singh said Modi supports debate on Article 370 keeping in mind democratic values. "The Prime Minister had said we want to have a debate. This does not mean that we want to have a debate because certain section of media interpreted that Prime Minister deviated from its stand. It's not so. He said so with respect to the highest values of democratic system."

Singh, a doctor by profession, noted that BJP has won half of the six Lok Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir. "You see BJP has won half of the seats in Parliament from J and K. While BJP won three seats, PDP bagged the remaining three.

"If you take voter account, we have more that 50 per cent vote share, he said." Singh said his party has been inviting all stakeholders to get on board and succeeded to a greater extent in the Valley particularly with the youths.

Paswan plans improving PDS, curbing price rise NEW DELHI: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said his top priorities will be to contain price rise in food items, improve public distribution system (PDS) and create adequate storage capacity for foodgrains.

Speaking to reporters after assuming charge as Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Paswan said: "I will discuss important issues such

as PDS, FCI godowns and ensuring minimum support price (MSP) to farmers with food and consumer affairs secretaries and then fix priorities."

He said his ministry will work for providing maximum benefits to public and farmers.

"My priority will be to correct the deficiencies in public distribution system. We will strengthen the PDS," said Paswan, who was

Ramvilas Paswan taking charge as the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in New Delhi on May 27

accompanied by his son Chirag Paswan while taking charge.

Stating that the grains purchased by the government should not "rot", the minister said the Centre would create adequate storage space.

"Our government's priority will be to check price rise and corruption," Paswan added.

The Centre will also ensure that farmers get the MSP for their produce, he said, adding that it will work in co-ordination with the state governments.

With his latest victory from Hajipur seat in Bihar, Paswan will enter Lok Sabha for a record 9th time. He made a dream debut in Parliament in 1977 by a margin of 4.24 lakh votes that took him straight to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Known in political circles for correctly judging which way the wind was blowing, the 67-year-old Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader will be a prominent Dalit face of the new government. -PTI

He said people in J and K need to have an outlet. "A mainstream opposition outlet to dissent which we would not stifle because if you stifle that, that will lead them to an undemocratic outlet.

"But within that framework we also want to explain to them how they have been deprived of enormous advantage which the other states of this country have enjoyed because they were not under the constraint of Article 370.

Please remember that Article 370 off late has been more of a psychological barrier than a physical barrier," he said.

have been held with Kashmiri youths and separatists, Singh said the process is already on.

"No youth has separatist written on his forehead. We have tried to convince the youths of Kashmir that look here if you have a grievance against the Government of India, against Government, that does not necessarily make you a separatist and if it is done then it is unfair to them," said Singh.

Singh said J and K has come out of a difficult phase of militancy which was there for last 2025 years and it appears that there is normalcy.

"The Prime Minister had said we want to have a debate. This does not mean that we want to have a debate because certain section of media interpreted that Prime Minister deviated from its stand�

Singh, who won from Udhampur constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, said the BJP has already gained considerable success through its discussion with all stakeholders on Article 370.

"We have tried to interact with them (stakeholders) through media, through discussion and through seminars. We have already gained considerable success in this," the Minister said.

Asked whether discussions

"Our efforts will be to support it. The youth section there is demoralized due to unemployment and many other reasons, due to militancy.

"Our efforts would be to ensure sufficient opportunities of employment to them. For example, Narendra Modi has clearly said that he will take forward the initiatives started by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with regard to J and K," he said.-PTI

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List of Ministers with portfolios

President Pranab Mukherjee administering oath to Cabinet Ministers (Pic One from top left) Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, DV Sadananda Gowda, Uma Bharti, Najma Heptualla, Gopinath Munde, Ramvilas Paswan and Kalraj Mishra (Pic Two from top left) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Ananthkumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Anant Geete, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Narendra Singh Tomar, Jual Oram, Raja Mohan Singh, Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Smriti Irani and Harshwardhan

Narendra Modi - Prime Minister; Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space; All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister CABINET MINISTERS Rajnath Singh - Home Affairs Sushma Swaraj - External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs Arun Jaitley - Finance; Corporate Affairs; Defense M Venkaiah Naidu - Urban Development; Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; Parliamentary Affairs Nitin Gadkari - Road Transport and Highways; Shipping D V Sadananda Gowda - Railways Uma Bharati - Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Najma Heptulla - Minority Af-

fairs Gopinathrao Munde - Rural Development; Panchayati Raj; Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramvilas Paswan - Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Kalraj Mishra - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Maneka Gandhi - Women and Child Development Ananthkumar - Chemicals and Fertilizers Ravi Shankar Prasad - Communications and Information Technology; Law and Justice Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati - Civil Aviation Anant Geete - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Harsimrat Kaur Badal - Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar Mines; Steel; Labour and Employment Jual Oram - Tribal Affairs Radha Mohan Singh - Agricul-

ture Thaawar Chand Gehlot - Social Justice and Empowerment Smriti Irani - Human Resource Development Dr Harsh Vardhan - Health and Family Welfare.

MINISTERS OF STATE General V K Singh - Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge); External Affairs; Overseas Indian Affairs Inderjit Singh Rao - Planning (Independent Charge); Statistics and Program Implementation (Independent Charge); Defense Santosh Kumar Gangwar Textiles (Independent Charge); Parliamentary Affairs; Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shripad Yesso Naik - Culture (Independent Charge); Tourism (Independent Charge) Dharmendra Pradhan - Petro-

leum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge) Sarbananda Sonowal - Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge) Prakash Javadekar - Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge); Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge); Parliamentary Affairs Piyush Goyal - Power (Independent Charge); Coal (Independent Charge); New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh - Science and Technology (Independent Charge); Earth Sciences (Independent Charge); Prime Minister Office; Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space Nirmala Sitharaman - Commerce and Industry (Indepen-

dent Charge); Finance; Corporate Affairs GM Siddeshwara - Civil Aviation Manoj Sinha - Railways Nihalchand -- Chemicals and Fertilizers Upendra Kushwaha - Rural Development; Panchayati Raj; Drinking Water and Sanitation Radhakrishnan P - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Kiren Rijiju - Home Affairs Krishan Pal - Road Transport and Highways; Shipping Sanjeev Kumar Balyan - Agriculture; Food Processing Industries Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava - Tribal Affairs Raosaheb Dadarao Danve Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Vishnu Deo Sai - Mines; Steel; Labor and Employment Sudarshan Bhagat - Social Justice and Empowerment.-PTI

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Modi visits Manmohan Singh as courtesy call

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at a meeting at their new residence 3, Motilal Nehru Marg, in New Delhi on May 27

NEW DELHI: In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his predecessor Manmohan Singh to make a courtesy call.

Modi drove to 3, Motilal Nehru Place, the new abode of Singh, to meet him a day after being sworn in.

He was received by Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur who shifted to the new residence after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, vacating 7, Race Course Road, his official residence for 10 years.

Sources described Modi's visit

to Singh's place as a courtesy call.

Modi has not yet moved into the Race Course Road residence and is staying put in Gujarat Bhawan. He is likely to shift a few days later as the new residence is being refurbished, according to sources.-PTI

No external regulation of media: Javadekar NEW DELHI: Modi government believes in freedom of press as it is the essence of democracy and no "external" regulation has worked in media, Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said on his first day in office.

"We believe that press freedom is the essence of democracy.

And to make democracy a success, we require this press freedom because it gives people the choice in a rainbow of differing opinions," the Minister said.

He recalled restrictions imposed on media during the Emergency and said that he was among those who had opposed it.

"There is no external regulation which works in media.

Once in 1975, the media freedom was trampled upon but we fought against it. The people fought against it and I personally was very active on this front be-

cause I belong to a family of journalists and therefore we fought and were in jail for sixteen months," he said.

Javadekar said that dissent has its place in democracy and added that the government would welcome constructive criticism.

When queried about remarks reportedly made by his predecessor Manish Tewari that the I&B

ministry belonged to a past era, Javdekar replied that an institution can be brought to an end quickly but it takes time to nurture work culture in an institution.

He said he would study in detail issues related to his ministry and then give a presentation to the Prime Minister after which a course for the future would be charted out.-PTI

Prakash Javadekar taking charge as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information and Broadcasting, in New Delhi on May 27

Rajan calls on Jaitley; discusses inflation NEW DELHI: Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan called on new Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and discussed the prevailing economic situation as well as the issues related to the rise in prices.

The meeting, which comes just days before the next bi-monthly monetary policy review on June 3, lasted for about 50 minutes.

"It (curbing inflation) is absolutely a task that the government

and the RBI are engaged with," Rajan told reporters after the meeting.

Amid RBI maintaining high interest rate regime to tame inflation, Jaitley stressed on the need of a "balancing act" to deal with the declining growth and high inflation.

"Absolutely, RBI has always maintained the balance between growth and inflation," Rajan said, adding that the central bank would continue to do so.-PTI

The Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Dr. Raghuram Rajan calling on the Union Minister for Finance, Arun Jaitley, in New Delhi on May 27

Quota no solution to issues of Muslims: Heptulla NEW DELHI: Stating that proAccording to 2001 census, viding reservation was no solu- there are 138 million Muslims in tion to development concerns of the country who account for 13.4 Muslims, Najma Heptulla, who per cent of the population took charge as Minister for MiReplying to another question nority Affairs, stressed that the on reservation for minorities, the new government will ensure Minister said that it was not a "soprogress of all communities, with lution" but an "escape route". special focus on education facilities for minorities.

"We want to work for economic, social development and inclusive development (of minorities). Unless they become a part of development process, there will be lopsided development," she said.

When asked by reporters about steps she plans to take for welfare of Dr Najma A. Heptulla taking charge as the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, in New Delhi Muslims, Heptulla responded, "Why only Muslims? This is not a Ministry "We never promised reservafor Muslims affairs, but Ministry tion for Muslims. It was the Conof Minority Affairs. gress which did that. It is no solu"Muslims are not a minority. In tion to development concerns of fact, the Parsis are a minority and Muslims, but an escape route. their number is dwindling. They And what about others (minority need help so that do not diminish." communities)?

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Health Minister promises transparency, e-governance

Rail Minister Gowda stresses on safety NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of the Gorakhdham train mishap that has claimed 25 lives, new Railway Minister D V Sadanand Gowda said railway safety was a matter of concern and listed safety, security and speed as his top priorities.

Promising to come up with a roadmap for the ministry, he said it is a priority sector for the BJP government and he would be seeking the Prime Minister's views on the subject as Narendra Modi has certain "ideas" about the devel-

three Ses - safety, security and speed," Gowda said.

The death toll in the train mishap that took place near Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh has risen to 25 with preliminary report suggesting that a fracture in the tracks could have led to the accident.

Observing that there are many challenges confronting the Railways, Gowda said they would brace them and resolve the problems.

The minister said he has to

Harsh Vardhan taking charge of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi on May 27

NEW DELHI: Promising transparency and e-governance, new Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said he will be interacting with national and international experts to formulate policies and execute them successfully.

"I will ensure that at every level where public has an interface with the ministry, there is complete

transparency so that people are free from any corruption," he told reporters as he took charge of the crucial ministry.

Vardhan, whose term as a health minister in Delhi government between 1993-98 is rated highly by his admirers, said he would speak with officials to get a grip over the work going on presently before he

could set his priorities.

"Health is more important than wealth. It is the duty of every government to keep all its citizens healthy. What all I plan to do to achieve is something I can tell you only after some time," he said. He promised more frequent interaction with media to inform public about the ministry's initiatives.-PTI

Govt to restructure MNREGA, implement land law NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi Government will restructure UPA's flagship program MNREGA by linking employment with development in rural areas and "rigorously" implement the new land acquisition law.

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, who took over as the Minister for Rural Development, said that proper implementation of recently enacted Land Acquisition law and Modi's key electoral plank that every household will be provided sanitation and drinking water will be his priority.

Munde, who is also the Minister for Panchayati Raj and Sanitation, said that the rural job scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) will be restructured to ensure development of villages and provide employment to rural poor.

"I like this scheme. It is best for villages. Basically, people get employment," the Minister said about MNREGA - an ambitious Act passed by the UPA-I aiming at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to

a rural household.

Noting that he supported the scheme during a debate in Parliament, Munde, however, said there were "problems" in its implementation. "Proper manage-

ment was a problem, proper disbursement of money was a problem. I think the MNREGA money should go to the development of villages and people should get employment. -PTI

D.V. Sadananda Gowda taking charge as the Union Minister for Railways, in New Delhi on May 27

opment of railways.

On the Gorakhdham train mishap, the Minister told PTI, "The accident was unfortunate and it should not have happened.

"I need to study in depth the issues involved as railway safety is a concern for us. I want to have detail discussion with railway officials about this. My priority is

study all the issues in detail and discuss with the Prime Minister the goals ahead.

"I would discuss with my Prime Minister what is his idea and which aspect we should give focus to...I need another 10 days time to come before the public to explain what is the road map before me," he said. -PTI

HONORABLE GUESTS: President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Heads of SAARC countries after the Swearing-in Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on May 26

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Ambani, Hinduja, Adani lead India Inc at swearing-in NEW DELHI: A galaxy of industry leaders, including Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Sunil Mittal and Ashok Hinduja, attended the star-studded swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The who's who of corporate India rubbed shoulders with political big-wigs and diplomats on

ration.

Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita and two sons, his brother Anil and family, and their mother Kokilaben Ambani were in attendance, as were Adani Group head Gautam Adani and his wife.

Hinduja Group of Companies (India) Chairman Ashok Hinduja

Industrilaists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani at the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 26

Industrialist Anil Ambani, his mother Kokilaben and wife Tina at the swearing-in ceremony

the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, which hosted its biggestever ceremony with close to 4,500 people attending Modi's inaugu-

as well as Essar head Shashi Ruia and its CEO Prashant Ruia were present.

The Mittal brothers - Sunil,

Rajan and Rakesh, DLF vice chairman Rajiv Singh, Hero MotoCorp Managing Director and CEO Pawan Munjal, Suzlon Group Chairman Tulsi Tanti and Videocon Group's Rajkumar Dhoot were also present.

From the aviation sector, Jet Airways founder Chairman

Hindujas say Modi Cabinet oriented to implementation NEW DELHI: Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on assumption of office, leading industrialists Hindujas said here that with an excellent choice in ministers, the Cabinet seems geared towards implementation and success.

Hinduja Group Chairman S P Hinduja said the decisiveness and confidence with which Modi constituted his council of ministers augurs well for the future.

"After a long time, India has shown the world the reality as to 'what is India'," he said. "Now the

question is of implementation. The challenges ahead have to be tackled well."

His brother G P Hinduja complimented Modi for picking a Cabinet that indicates his decisiveness and clarity of thought.

"I believe the choice of ministers is excellent as all of them exude great energy and will synergies with Modi's objectives to galvanize the Indian economy, both from a social as well as an economic perspective," said the junior Hinduja, who is Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group.

Stating that the swearing-in ceremony indicated the businesslike nature of the Cabinet as a whole, he said the new Cabinet seems implementation and success-oriented, which should bode well for India.

"I would take the liberty of suggesting the incorporation of 'timebound' accountability and monitoring of this Cabinet and its performance so as to ensure that results happen quickly and are in tune with Modi's overall vision. My congratulations to him," he added.-PTI

Naresh Goyal and CEO of new entrant AirAsia India Mittu Chandilya were present.

From the financial sector, Yes Bank head Rana Kapoor, who is also president of industry chamber Assocham, attended.

Representation from the IT sector at the inauguration was led

by Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar.

Among the major names missing from the ceremony were Tata Group Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and his successor at the saltto-software conglomerate Cyrus Mistry, who were invited but couldn't attend as they were trav-

eling abroad.

M&M Chairman Anand Mahindra and UB Group chief Vijay Mallya were both also out of the country and couldn't make it.

HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh was unable to attend because of a prior engagement in Mumbai. Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla too had been invited for the event.

Ficci President Sidharth Birla, PHD Chamber President Sharad Jaipuria and IFFCO Managing Director U S Awasthi were among the industry leaders who attended the function. -PTI

Sports ministry to be made 'important and visible' NEW DELHI: Sarbanand Sonowal, the new sports minister, wants to make his ministry "important and visible" and will seek advise from experts and sports personalities of the country to discharge his duties.

Welcomed by the ministry officials at his Shastri Bhawan office, Sonowal was cautious taking questions from media.

"I need your (media) support and support of the countrymen to make this ministry important and visible," Sonowal, the Lok Sabha MP from Lakhimpur constituency in Assam, told reporters after taking charge.

"I want the sports personalities to grow from our countryside," he added.

Quizzed about his priorities, the

51-year-old leader said, "Some other day I will talk in detail about my future plan and action. I will discuss (matters) with sports experts and sports personalities of the country to carry out my functions and responsibilities effectively."

After his brief interaction with media, Sonowal sat with Sports Secretary Ajit M Sharan and other officials to discuss the roadmap ahead.

Sonowal was President of All Assam Students Union from 199299. He was also an MLA in Assam Assembly from 2001-04 before winning the Lok Sabha election from Dibrugarh.

Before joining BJP in 2001, he was associated with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). -PTI

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Desi News NaMo chant fills Bay Area air waves

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

16 India Post

India Post News Service

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s election results started pour ing in starting Thursday evening, Bay area supporters of Narendra Modi and BJP, led by Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and Overseas Friends of NaMo sprang into action for consecutive days with a rally in support of the sweeping victory of Bhartiya Janata Party led by Narendra Modi.

The rally was attended by various groups and community leaders including Gujarati Samaj, Friends of India Society International (FISI), Friends of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Sewa International, FIA, GITPRO, HSS, Niraj Baxi, past president of NFIA, Vinod Patel of ICA and many others.

Details on page 28

OFBJP Chicago organizes big celebration HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Overseas Friends of BJP Chicago organized a celebration on May 18 to mark the historic victory of BJP in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

More than 200 non-resident Indians joined the event at Best Western Plus banquet hall in Schaumburg.

The program started with recorded victory speech of Prime Minister elect Narendra Modi and the crowd cheered him with chants of Vande Mataram and "Bar Bar Modi Sarkar".

Details on page 18

UIC honors Dr Ghanshyam Pandey again Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Dr Ghanshyam Pandey, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Chicago, has been honored with the 2014 Distinguished Faculty Award.

Details on page 21

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May 30, 2014

FIA plans India Day event with Consular Expo Details on page 25

Jubilant Indian Americans celebrate Modi victory all over US Chicagoans hoping for PM visit in September RAMESH SOPARAWALA & SURENDRA ULLAL India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Now that Narendra Modi has finally been crowned as Prime Minister of India, a host of Indian Americans across the country have expressed their huge satisfaction and joy with pouring congratulatory messages and jubilant celebrations.

The talk of the town at least in Chicago is if Narendra Modi, while coming to USA in September ostensibly to attend UNO Session, will pay a visit to major US cities as well. Chicagoans are very much interested in getting him here.

Dr Bharat Barai, an ardent supporter of Modi, had a series of Chicago businessman Mafat Patel with PM-elect Dr Bharat Barai, Dr Panna Barai with PM Narendra Modi meetings with the leader prior to Narendra Modi Bharatiya Janata Party romping home victorious, and even after dent Chandrakant Patel. I sug- Modi before he was crowned as huge reception by his sizeable that. He assured all possible help gested that he should accept PM. He also voiced the desire of number of supporters and fans. from the NRI community for the President Obama's invitation to Chicagoans that Modi make it a One of the community activists, overall development of India and visit White House and address US point to come to Chicago when- Dr S. Vemury, was in forefront in organizing the reception for him. at the same time took the opportu- Congress, should that invitation ever he happened to be in USA. Whether Narendra Modi Meanwhile, host of community nity to extend him an invitation for materialize.

Modi, according to Barai, comes to Chicago this year or not, organizations have congratulated coming to Chicago now that US President Barack Obama and the merely smiled expressing his will- is a matter of opinion but it is a Narendra Modi on his leading BJP administration is all set to welcome ingness to meet members of Indian matter of fact that he was in Chi- to a smashing victory in the Gencago in 1996 and was accorded eral Elections in India. him to USA. This is despite alleged maneuvering and manipulations by the groups within and outside the country.

Barai in an email from India said "He is planSUDHIR VYAS ning to come to NEW YORK: Diwali celebra- particular distributed ladoos, exUN in September. tions came almost five months changed pleasantries and I extended him an Narendra Modi (extreme right) in Chicago in 1996 early for the Indian Diaspora danced in joy as election results invitation to visit with Dr S Vemury settled all over the world. trickled late in the night.

Chicago and adA new government led by dress the people from the Fuller- community in Chicago time and Though the Festival of Lights ton Hall of the Chicago Arts Insti- opportunity permitting. Dr Bharat is scheduled for October 25, In- Narendra Modi was set to rule tute, from where Swami Barai was accompanied by his dians celebrated on May 16 India, putting an end to the Vivekanand spoke in September doctor wife and active woman with the emphatic victory of Nehru-Gandhi family rule. The community activist in Indiana, Dr Narendra Modi. It seemed as if NRI community in the US hoped 1893. the Indians were celebrating that Modi remains in touch with He liked that idea very much. I Panna Barai. the Diaspora despite him never Yet another community leader Diwali. extended an invitation for meeting Be it New York, Jersey City, being allowed to step on the US with Indian American Community and a prominent Chicago busiin NY-NJ area, on behalf of H R nessman Mafat Patel, often de- Edison in New Jersey, or the en- soil as Gujarat chief minister.

Shah and many other friends from scribed as uncrowned king of De- tire East Coast of the United Cont’d on page 22 that area as well as OFBJP Presi- von Avenue had a chance to meet States, Indians and Gujaratis in

Feisty celebrations in New York, NJ

May 30, 2014

Community Across America

India Post 17

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Views & comments of community torch bearers

I

COMPLIED BY SUNTHAR V & RAMESH SOPARAWALA

t was Modi Modi everywhere and India Post wanted to touch base with lead

Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Gujarati, Punjabi, Maharastrian and others.

Without much ado we would be

happy to share their views as expressed to us with our readers:

Need for 'samman' imperative in Indo-US ties

RAJIV VARMA (Political activist, Houston TX)

I

communitytorch bearers about their views. Selection was from the cross section of the society -

ndia has delivered a historic electoral verdict in favor of the BJP and its leader Narendra Modi. After 1984, it is the first time that a political party has gained a majority in Lok Sabha on its own.

The clear mandate to the BJP is an epochal one, because for the firsttime a political party that represents India's cultural nationalism has obtained the unequivocal seal of approval from the Indian masses.

Also, equally important is the complete rout of the Congress Party. The year 2014, is as historically significant as 1920, when Gandhi took over the leadership of the Indian freedom movement, and 1947, when Nehru took control of free India's destiny. Year 2014 represents the eclipse of both, the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and the Indian National Congress.

Future politics in India will swing between the BJP and a nonBJP formation, the latter represent-

ing disparate socialist and regional forces. Congress Party may survive as a minor feudatory of left-oriented formations, but it is very unlikely they would regain their polarity in Indian politics.

This epochal change has come from down under, from the strug-

Shah, a key BJP strategist, in a recent TV interview defined two vital parameters for BJP's conduct of foreign policy, samman aur suraksha (respect and security).

The BJP is expected to recalibrate India's foreign relations incorporating these two vital pa-

The issue of visa denial to Modi will be a huge factor in Indo-U.S. relationship, no matter how hard the two sides try to brush it under the carpet. Amit Shah has already tabled the samman imperative gling masses aspiring for livelihood with dignity and not handouts from the government, which has been masterly channelized by the BJP led by Narendra Modi, into an electoral tsunami.

As soon as the results were announced world leaders called up Modi to congratulate, including President Obama. This is a good early indicator of what is in store for Indo-U.S. relationship. Amit

rameters. While the latter is a more technical matter, it is the former, the respect factor, which has an emotional dimension to contend with. Perhaps Shah was hinting at the recent Khobragade episode, but also the larger hint is at the issue of visa denial to Modi.

These are two prominent episodes that lay bare on the vortex of samman, one in recent memory, but the other more personal which

directly impacts the incoming prime minister.

Even though BJP officials have skirted the issue by saying that "individual incidents cannot influence foreign policy" but human affairs are conducted by real humans and not robots, the issue of visa denial to Modi will be a huge factor in Indo-U.S. relationship, no matter how hard the two sides try to brush it under the carpet. Amit Shah has already tabled the samman imperative, now it is the turn of U.S. to make amends.

A good beginning would be for the U.S. Government to institute an internal State Department inquiry into the whole episode as it happened ten years ago and fix responsibility. Since President Obama has already invited Modi to visit the USA, the State Department now has no legal or moral case to deny entry.

And if there is no case today, then obviously there was no case back in 2005. Such an inquiry will go a long way in redeeming the samman in the Indo-U.S. relationship.

It is the victory of Indian democracy BG DHAKE (CEO Dhake Industries Pvt Ltd Plymouth MI)

A

cross the USA, people have been welcoming and celebrating the landslide win of Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party in the Indian general elections held this

BG Dhake

month only. I am one of those who would love to participate in the joyous festivities but I do strongly feel that we should rather be celebrating the resilience of Indian democracy, the openness of its society, and the materiality of its electorate, many of whom are illiterate.

Cont’d on page 19

Community Across America

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OFBJP organizes big celebration HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Overseas Friends of BJP Chicago organized a celebration on May 18 to mark the historic victory of BJP in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

More than 200 non-resident Indians joined the event at Best Western Plus banquet hall in Schaumburg.

The program started with recorded victory speech of Prime Minister elect Narendra Modi and the crowd cheered him with chants

OF-BJP members and supporters at the celebration Indian CG with members of the gathering at the celebration

of Vande Mataram and "Bar Bar Modi Sarkar".

Vrinda Pandav kicked off the program officially with Vande Mataram song.

Consul General of India Dr Ausuf Sayeed attended the event with his wife and addressed the gathering as chief guest. Dr Sayeed drew the attention of the audience to huge demographic dividend for India result-

ing from high proportion of Indian population being under the age of 35.

Cont’d on page 20

Greeting Indian CG

Community Across America

May 30, 2014

India Post 19

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Views & comments of community torch bearers Indians assert: govt by the people, for the people, of the people NIRANJAN SHAH (CEO, Globetrotters Group, Chicago, IL)

F

or almost the first time in India's history, post-inde pendence or even pre-independence, the Indian people have come together for the best interest of India. This coming together is not because of communally driven forces or smallish personal considerations or selfish reasons.

If Indians at large had come together over a thousand years ago, or even longer than that, foreign invaders and rulers would not have been successful. As the in-

Niranjan Shah

ternal division within the country divided us, the great country and the great population got reduced to nothing but narrow-minded bunch of smallish people fighting against each other.

For the first time in recent years, the people have come together and said that we want better opportunity. We want to eliminate or reduce corruption. We want better services. We want a stronger defense. We want a relationship with large economic powers including the U.K., Germany and the United States on the basis of reciprocal respect, not on the basis of big brother dictating terms.

Narendra Modi is a very strong leader and supports these aspirations. A great nation like the United States refused him visa to enter the country. He did not fight their decision. Simply with his mental strength and bringing his people together, he changed that equation, and the US President invited him for a State visit prior to his taking office.

Nothing beats success in life, and success of the nation is more important than the success of the individual. What has happened in the last election is that we have shown the power of the electorate. We have demonstrated that a majority of our people are still poor, don't have a roof over their head, a decent healthy meal or all the physical comforts, yet they are the champions of democracy.

They recognize their power in the democratic process, citizenship, and right to vote. It is a fact that 60+% of India's population went to the polls, and yet many newspaper editors and news people are harping on the past and in a way casting their judgment through commenting on what Modi did in 2002. None of these individuals were elected to any position.

It is one person's opinion or comments by a few so called enlightened commentators who would project it to be the voice of millions of people. However, over 400 million people have spoken and spoken in no unmistakable term.

The Indian Supreme Court has spoken: Modi had nothing to do with the 2002 riots. It is power to the people. As one of the great U.S. presidents said, it is "government by the people, for the people, and of the people."

Will he make Gujarat land of Gandhi & Modi? living in the land of Lincoln, I am witnessing an event that has a potential to impact the history and legacy of India in this twenty-first am a Gujarati Muslim from a century. town that happens to be a The pursuit of an ideal cost stone's throw away from the Nelson Mandela 27 years in prison birthplace of our Prime Minister but for Mohandas Gandhi the Narendra Modi, and have mixed price was life. Gandhi learned from emotions on his Thoreau and resounding vicTolstoy; Mandela, tory in the just Martin Luther concluded 2014 King Jr. and Parliamentary elecWalesa (all Nobel tion of India.

Laureates) learned From the land from Gandhi. But of "a half-naked, there are other acseditious fakir" tivists and other ( W i n s t o n ideals. Modi's viChurchill) and sion and ideals will "Father of the Nabe learnt during tion" (of more his next 60 months than a billion Indileadership that Inans) that achieved dians have put Usman Baki not merely domintheir trust in. ion status for InThough voted dia, but complete independence in by only 31% of the Indian elecfrom the hated British rule and now torate, Modi nonetheless is Prime

USMAN BAKI

(Founding President, Gujarati Muslim Association of America)

I

Rama Tirtha's vision coming alive SHIV R JHAWAR (Noble World Foundation)

T

he voters of India, the world's largest democracy, have elected Narendra Modi as their next prime minister.

Modi promised Indian citizens the dawn of a new era, one that will be filled with economic growth and solid governance. In his acceptance speech, Modi told a cheering crowd, "I didn't get a chance to sacrifice my life in India's freedom struggle, but I have the chance to dedicate myself to good governance. I will develop this country. I will take it to new heights."

Does India have what it takes to become the next global power?

Renowned Swami Rama Tirtha (1873 -1906), who was a brilliant Professor of Mathematics, predicted prosperity for the Indian subcontinent by explaining cycles of time called "Law of Periodicity." More than a century ago, he wrote: "Everything in this world moves rhythmically, and the Law of Periodicity governs all phenomena.

Nature shows that the sun moves from east to west, coming back to the east to begin a new cycle." In accordance with this law, financial prosperity has been moving in the past 5000 years from the peak of civilization in India.

Rama Tirtha predicted: "After Japan, China will rise and gain

prosperity and strength. After China, the sun of prosperity and learning will again smile at India."

The peak of economic and cultural growth in India was witnessed during the Indus Valley civilization, which flourished 4500 years ago. Although South Asia is the most poverty stricken region of the world today, it holds tremendous potential for transformation and development.

Shiv R Jhawar

SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was formed in 1985 to promote the economic welfare of this region but has not proved to be very effective.

Just as the European Community developed into the European Union (EU) in 1993, so also SAARC could develop into an "Indus Union." The formation of regional union based on the EU

model is the best way to bring about radical and positive change in the entire region.

It is time to unify the economies of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, and others that were once an integral part of India into an "Indus Union."

The formation of an "Indus Union" would result in overall growth. With a combined population of over 1.7 billion (World: 7.2 billion), these neighboring nations together would become the world's largest consumer market, attracting unprecedented levels of commerce and investment from foreign countries.

An EU inspired "Indus Union" model could solve the longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India and deescalate their deadly arms race.

The funding for the combined defense budgets of Pakistan and India - over $47 billion - can then be used instead to reduce the desperate poverty of the people in South Asia and to promote modernization.

It could ultimately create a common currency, say "Indo," for member nations just as Euro is currently the official currency of the Eurozone.

The formation of an "Indus Union" would result in rapid growth, reduction in poverty, and would mark the beginning of a golden era for South Asia.

Minister and leader of the nation and all Indians, including more than 120 million Muslims, who saw the worst communal riots under his watch in 2002 in Gujarat.

In democracy, majority rules but minority should be heard. In the chain of democracy one is as strong as its weakest link.

Depending upon the course of actions Modi takes, history will note whether Gujarat that we proudly call "Land of Gandhi" will be known as the "Land of Gandhi and Modi." As a Gujarati Muslim and a proud Indian, I wish Modi all success in transforming the 'largest democracy of the world" into the "largest and the strongest democracy" of the world. This is all up to Modi.

It is the victory of Indian democracy Cont’d from page 17

It can easily be dubbed as the most unique General Election held in any part of the world. An unparalleled 400 million people voted in a most democratic way in the course of six weeks time without any untoward incident or violence.

There were no bomb blasts or killing of the candidates. And there was no curb on freedom of speech or expression. It was an eye opener to the world that a change in the government can be brought about not by bamboozling by radical groups or party or military couples but in a civilized way that the right thinking people across the globe could be proud of.

The Indian electorate showed a rare degree of maturity. Fed up with day in and day out of scandals, endemic corruption, indifference to people complaints, systematic effort to foist immature and puppet rulers as well as dynasty rule by pushing immature candidates to the fore, the Indian electorate by overwhelming majority booted out those in power.

There were concerted efforts to put one group of people against other - the divide and rule policy of the British was masterly domesticated. To the dismay of the ruling class, even a good number of those from minority groups also voted for Modi and his party. And that speaks of high level of maturity shown by Indian electorate and masses.

This is what needs to be celebrated not only by NRIs but also by all who pitch for spreading democracy across the world.

Cont’d on page 20

Community Across America

20 India Post

May 30, 2014

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Views & comments of community torch bearers May 16, a turning point in Indian history?

SHALLABH KUMAR (Chairman NIAPPI)

M

ay 16th 2014 will be known as the "water shed moment" in India's history when the largest electorate in the world shed the politics of division imposed in India since the formation of the state in 1947.

Despite the attempts of the Congress party, which in the past has always engaged in vote bank politics based primarily on religion, to label Narendra Modi as a Hindu nationalist and communal leader and constantly beating the drum of the 2002 Godhra riots, India rose as one, setting aside all considerations of religion, caste and social status.

The country overwhelmingly voted for good governance and prosperity for all, no matter the sectarian affiliation. Muslims

voted in large numbers for Modi.

Consider the constituency of Leh in Kashmir where over 90% of voters are Muslims. Modi wave swept in Leh and elected a BJP MP. Almost 80% of landmass voted for BJP including areas where the

Shallabh Kumar

Muslim vote is more than 20% of the total.

Indian Muslims love Modi and it is about time that Indian American Muslims follow their brethren

in India and reject the hate narrative they have stuck to for a long time. It is amazing to note that Muslims living in India, who are and would be directly impacted by the Modi administration in Delhi, reject the label of "maut ka saudagar" (merchant of death) for Modi, while Indian American Muslims such as Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) continue to beat that old and tired drum.

It is time to reject the politics of division and hatred and work together for the progress of our mother land, Bharatvarsha.

Indian Americans for Freedom, the sister organization of National Indian American Public Policy Institute (NIAPPI) that took the first high level congressional delegation to visit Modi in March last year, spent a considerable amount of time and effort to contribute to the BJP win.

Creating jobs has to be topmost priority THAKAR BASATI (Independent Associate, Director)

Y

es, I have been involved in the election campaign ing to some extent. We did support the AAP in Punjab from here and AAP did win four seats, which will make a difference in Punjab.

Punjab faces horrible epidemic of drugs. When I go there for 2-3 months, I sometimes attended a death ceremony every other week due to alcohol or drug abuse.

Most of these young people are between 30 to 40 years, married and have 2-3 children. They leave behind young widows. Hopefully drug dealers won't have government protection anymore and police will not be supporting drug dealers openly.

As far the BJP win all over India is concerned, people listened and trusted Modi' promises. Time will tell how much he can deliver.

India needed a strong hand in deal-

Thakar Basati

ing with corruption. Many familiar faces in Congress did not dare touch corrupt officers. Hopefully, with Modi at the Center now, people will

enjoy some rights. India may be the only country where we have to stand in lines to pay utility bills. So many young people don't have jobs; why doesn't the government provide them agencies?

In the U.S., convenience stores collect utility bills and make money, whereas in India, only the government babu will take your money.

He takes a tea break every hour while people are standing in line for hours. Here in the US, workers get half-an-hour coffee break and half-an-hour lunch break, whereas in India, there is a break every hour when someone familiar walks in.

There is a lot to be done. Hopefully, it is a step in right direction, we shall see. He does need to take care of the minorities, now that he is the leader of India not just of a certain constituency.

BJP should rise above narrow outlook RAJINDER SINGH MAGO (Past President Punjabi Cultural Society)

A

s a long time US citizen, born and raised in India, I always wish for the best for my motherland, including all the people of India. If this electoral change improves the life of all Indians with jobs, opportunities, dignity, and if the politicians do not stuff their own pockets, that would make me happy. I hope the new government improves the business climate by removing bottlenecks and gives people a chance at jobs, opportunities and dignity.

The downslide of the Indian economy, rotting of the ruling Congress party due to its dynastic power base, perceived foreign flavor, cronyism, corruption, internal bickering, a weak leader in Rahul Gandhi with no concrete agenda for the development of the country and who could not fire the imagination of Indians, and a placeholder prime minister Manmohan Singh, who was given a throne and a scepter but no sword or decision making power, all these have contributed to the Congress debacle.

The BJP, on the other hand, successfully exploited all these weaknesses through the media and marketed Modi's manifesto of good governance and economic development based on his Gujarat model to heal all the Indian economic ailments.

BJP and its affiliated wings

have also been able to whip up Hindutva-based nationalism. I hope that Modi is able to fulfill his promises and create jobs in India, but I don't think all in BJP are experienced MBAs, or that the BJP itself is devoid of corruption, cronyism, self-interests and extremist factions.

Modi may be good at attracting businesses to Gujarat and later to other Indian states, but his speech is usually acidic and, coupled with his dictatorial attitude, may bring about dissen-

Rajinder Singh Mago

sions and non-cooperation among his own ranks when the honeymoon and celebrations are over.

The BJP has to rise above narrow thinking and control its extremist affiliates to become a truly secular national party and earn international credibility, rather than let India become another Afghanistan or Pakistan.

As for the future of India, it seems bright in the long run. I also hope that BJP understands the delicate balance between US, China and Russia.

OFBJP organizes big celebration Cont’d from page 18

This fact was also mentioned

by Prime Minister elect Modi several times during his electoral campaign. Senior HSS leader Saumitra Gokhale was also present on the occasion. Senior community leader Amrit Mittal, former OFBJP USA president Subramanya Vemuri and Amar Upadhyay, Vice President of OFBJP USA, addressed the gathering.

Global India Bharat Vikas and OFBJP youth coordinator Nirav Patel shared his experience of campaigning in India in Anand and

A dance performance by local artistes

Khera, two of the toughest constituencies for BJP in Gujarat.

Other highlights of the event were a dance performance by Abby Mohan, recitation of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's poem by Manjari V. and songs sung by Jitendra Bulsara.

Vandana Jinghan and Jitendra Diganvekar MCed the event on behalf of OFBJP. The mood of the gathering was triumphant and upbeat.

Gathering of Chicagoans at the celebration site

May 30, 2014

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India Post 21

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UIC honors Dr Ghanshyam Pandey again Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Dr Ghanshyam Pandey, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Chicago, has been honored with the 2014 Distinguished Faculty Award.

Dr Pandey received the medal for this award in a Commencement Ceremony of the UIC College of

Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, Prof at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Chicago, was selected for the 2014 Distinguished Faculty Award

Medicine held on 9th of May at the UIC Pavilion. Earlier, Dr Pandey had received the Researcher of the Year award from

abnormalities associated with the patho-physiology of mood disorders and suicide, and you are considered a world-wide leader in the field of biological psychiatry."

Dr Pandey has conducted extensive research aimed at understanding the neurobiology of depression and suicide, which could be used for targeting better treatment for these disorders and for an early identification of the people with these diseases.

Dr Pandey is seen with Dr Dimitri T. Azar, Dean Dr Pandey was of the College of Medicine, University of Illinois also honored by the at Chicago American Foundathe University of Illinois at Chi- tion for Suicide Prevention for his cago in 2011. significant research in the underThe citation of the award read: standing of pathophysiology of "This honor is in recognition of suicide which has significant imthe international recognition you pact in the prevention and treathave brought to UIC through your ment of suicide. exceptional research on the neuFor the last several years Dr robiology of mood disorders and Pandey has studied the role of biosuicide. Your work has led to origi- chemical factors associated with nal discoveries by elucidating the suicide in postmortem brain molecular and cellular nature of samples obtained from suicide

victims and normal controls. In an initial study, he showed that one of the receptor subtypes of a neurotransmitter serotonin is highly

and immune factors in suicide. He has shown that the mechanism by which levels of stress hormones are regulated is compromised in

Ghanshyam Pandey with members of his family

expressed in the postmortem brain of suicide victims compared with normal controls. He also reported that this particular receptor is also higher in blood cells of suicidal patients compared with non-suicidal patients and normal controls.

Stress and depression are important risk factors for suicide. Dr Pandey has also been investigating the role of stress hormones

the brain of suicide victims. He has also shown that those chemicals which regulate the immune function are abnormally expressed in the brain of suicide victims.

Dr Pandey is currently Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Mood Disorders and Suicide Research at the College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Community Across America

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FIA Chicago hails Modi's landslide victory HARISH RAO

F

ederation of Indian Associations-Chicago [FIA] - a pre mier community umbrella organization of 30-years - passed a resolution hailing the landslide victory of Narendra Modi and warmly welcomed the clear mandate given to the BJP party by the Indian electorate in the historic elections held in India.

This distinctive resolution was tabled and adopted at a specially convened FIA board meeting held on Sunday May 18 in Chicago.

With a spirit of jubilation, FIA celebrated Narendra Modi's resounding victory and his ascension to the office of the Prime Minister. FIA further observed that the imperatives of good governance and development have driven the anxious and restless India in huge

VHPA congratulates the people of India India Post News Service

The World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) has congratulated the people of India for successfully electing a new government in the most elaborate exercise of democratic process, anywhere in the world.

In a statement, the VHPA said, "As the geographical and spiritual homeland of the largest number of Hindus worldwide, India is often considered as the Punnyabhumi for the community.

"In the past one month more than 1.25 billion people participated in a complex election process that included issues relevant to the survival of the Indian economy and socio-political identity. The ruling coalition which had dominated the political discourse for most of the past six decades was defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led

by Narendra Modi. This paradigm shift in the Indian political dis-

course, to an identity rooted in the concept of "Hindu Universalism", is in stark contrast to the divisive and appeasement politics that had mired the country over the past few decades.

"The decisive mandate offers the new government an opportunity to tackle some of the intrac-

the values of Hindu Dharma.

"The World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) wishes the new government, led by Narendra Modi, all possible support in fulfilling their mandate. We believe people of India have entrusted BJP with the task of bringing about social equity and economic

"The decisive mandate offers the new government an opportunity to tackle some of the intractable problems plaguing India, such as the situation of the Hindu refugees from Kashmir, uniform civil code for all citizens of India and the perpetual threat of terror. table problems plaguing India, such as the situation of the Hindu refugees from Kashmir, uniform civil code for all citizens of India and the perpetual threat of terror.

It also allows the government the ability to have a more global outlook in preserving and promoting

growth, for all. We are confident that a better understanding and partnership will develop between India and the United States that is rooted in mutual respect, shared threat perception and a move towards increased prosperity for all," the press release added.

Modi will rule for all Indians India Post News Service

NEVADA: Indo-Americans have congratulated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leader Narendra D. Modi on their landslide victory in India's parliamentary elections.

Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Ne-

vada (USA) commended Modi's statement that he would rule for all Indians.

Zed, who is Chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, expressed the hope that the new Indian government would take India to the next level, bring its past glory back, revive India's stalled economy, and make

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it an economic powerhouse and major cultural influence.

Rajan Zed further hoped that the new government would skillfully capitalize India's many strengths to move India forward; end poverty and endemic corruption; bring development to rural areas; successfully handle economic, environmental and social issues; and strengthen India-US relations.

Zed also congratulated multilingual India for successfully completing world's biggest exercise in electoral democracy with about 814 million eligible voters.

FIA Board and the Trustees (L-R) Ranjit Ganguly, Iftekhar Shareef, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori (FIA President), Babu Patel, Kanti Patel (Standing L-R) Jyotindra Patel, Ajai Agnihotri, Veenod Patel, Ajeet Singh, Victor Solia and Shailesh Patel

droves to the polls - thus electing a leader who has the fire in his belly to bring quantum leap to India with effective governance.

The FIA resolution further lauded Narendra Modi for his indefatigable energy and unshakable devotion to the ideals of good governance and his resolute will to lead India in the 21st century ushering a rapid all round economic development of global magnitude. In its resolution, FIA extended its warmest and heartfelt best wishes to the Prime Minister.

Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, FIA President said in a statement, "We at FIA believe and hold our fervent hope that Shri Narendra Modi will hit the ground running in eradicating the stubbornly enduring evil of corruption and usher a 'Clean India' bereft of scams, scandals, apathy, inertia and champion the causes of the poor and launch robust governmental machinery that will uplift the teeming masses from the clutches of grinding poverty and hopelessness."

Feisty celebrations in New York, NJ Cont’d from page 16

In New Jersey the Indian street was closed for general parking on 16th May so that it would be easier for the people to celebrate the victory. People smeared each other with colors and danced the night away. Sweets were distributed among people. New Modi Thali has been introduced in the various Gujarati restaurants. Even the Modi kurtas have gone up for sale in various Indian shops. This was just a glimpse of the popularity of Narendra Modi among the Indian Diaspora.

However the live streaming at the busy Times Square in New York proved to be a flop shop with poor video quality.

A resident of New Jersey Prashant Pandya said many came out on streets and celebrated till late in the night after Modi's victory seemed certain. "Despite the rain, Gujaratis played the traditional 'Dandia' and smearing colors on each other's faces. Many stores were playing music and everyone seemed excited."

In Atlanta, an NGO called Global Indians for Bharat Vikas, run

by Dhiru Shah, organized an event 2014 Bharat-BJP-Namo Victory to congratulate Modi. More than 100 NRIs attended the event. They wished Modi well and hoped that under his leadership India will rise

to become a strong economically and socially developed country.

Indian Americans in Edison, New Brunswick, Piscataway, and other parts of New Jersey partied till late in the night. Dishank Shah, who stays in Clifton, said Indians came out on the streets and played 'dhol' and danced to celebrate Modi's victory. Many Indians had put up big screens to watch live the election results and Modi's victory.

Celebrations were held across New York. People danced, sang and shouted slogans in support of Modi to the tune of dhols and free food and drinks were distributed. "People are finally optimistic about their motherland's future and were very happy that BJP got a landslide majority victory in the elections," an Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) spokesperson said.

Congratulatory messages also came from the opposition party.

George Abraham, chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) also congratulated the BJP party. He said, "The people of India have spoken and they have thrown in their lot with BJP-led NDA and their verdict ought to be respected by all". He added, "It is also a tribute to India that has proven beyond any doubt that it is a vibrant democracy that facilitates a peaceful transition of power."

May 30, 2014

Community Across America

India Post 23

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IPCC and Consulate host 'Glimpse of India' India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The Consulate General of India here offered "A Glimpse of India" on May 15 at its premises in Chicago downtown to highlight the country's cuisine, culture and achievements.

The public relations event was hosted in conjunction with the International Press Club of Chicago (IPCC), with many IPCC members, including students,

presented "India: a Land of Opportunities," which succeeded in cramming a wealth of information in the span of a few slides.

A recurring theme was the nation's amazing diversity at all levels boasting, for example, a greater variety of sects of Islam than may be found in many Muslim countries. On the eve of the declaration of results of the 2014 General Elections, he dwelt especially on the Herculean enterprise

Two Indian dance items were presented by Praneeta Jain's Kalapriya. Komal Shah performed Sona Mohapatra's "Pyar Se Naina Milayee Re" as a fusion solo and then a pure Kathak duet "Bol Paran" together with Ameera Nimjee.

A 10-minute tourism film took the audience on a whirlwind itinerary crisscrossing the country.

Attendees were invited to help themselves freely not only to a

Ameera Nimjee (L) and Komal Shah from Kalapriya performing a pure Kathak duet

Consul General of India Ausaf Sayeed (C) with International Press Club of Chicago members after "Glimpse of India" event. To his left are Gigi Callaway and IPCC diplomatic liaison Sevil Kutay. Second to his right is IPCC President Wayne Toberman

present. Consul General Ausaf Sayeed made the slide presentation.

The program opened with an address by IPCC President Wayne Toberman, who was introduced by Gigi Callaway and in turn introduced Sayeed at some length, also referring to his three books.

Having praised Toberman for his initiative, the Consul General

of conducting the elections every five years, which has no parallel elsewhere.

Several consuls, including those of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Japan and Lithuania were present, as was consulate staff from Serbia, Indonesia, China, etc.

The presence of several past IPCC presidents was duly acknowledged. Sayeed took questions, mostly from IPCC members.

light buffet lunch but also to piles of books, DVDs, CDs and shrinkwrapped albums illustrating Indian culture, society and politics.

IPCC organizes such networking events monthly in order to expose its members and especially journalism students to the various nations featured. India was being featured for the first time in this program as the final event for this season.

Crystal Lake Indian wins $300,000 lottery KARINA ROSADO

CRYSTAL LAKE: "I won the lottery by playing the birthdays of my family!" Prabhakar Gumidyala said when he presented his winning Lucky Day Lotto ticket at the Illinois Lottery Prize Center in Des Plaines.

The Crystal Lake resident won the $300,000 jackpot prize when his ticket matched all five numbers - 07 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 21 - in the Monday, April 28, midday drawing.

Gumidyala discovered his win the day of the drawing when he checked the winning Lucky Day

Lotto numbers on Illinoislottery.com. "I combine our seven birthdays and use them once a week to play Lucky Day Lotto, always hoping to win big someday. I couldn't believe it when I saw my numbers on the computer screen. I'm still in shock!"

Gumidyala is originally from India and has been working in the auto industry in Illinois for over 20 years.

He is married and has five daughters. He plans to use the windfall to buy a larger house for

his family of seven. When asked if he had advice for other players he said, "Don't give up!"

The winning ticket was purchased at Citgo, 282 Dundee Avenue in Elgin. The retailer will receive a $3,000 bonus, equal to 1 percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.

Jackpots for Lucky Day Lotto start at $100,000. Drawings are twice a day, seven days a week with an average of 40,000 winners every day. That's over 250,000 winners in Illinois each week!

24 India Post

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Sonu wins heart and soul of Chicagoans Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: On a 90-day tour in USA, Sonu Nigam, one of the most versatile singers and entertainers from India, treated Chicago music lovers to an evening of extraordinary music with his band of musicians.

The event on Friday May 17 at Sears Center Arena in Chicago attended by close to 8000 people not only from Chicago but also from neighboring States of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, was a grand success. Appropriately named "Klose to my

A section of the audience

Soul", Sonu lived up to the theme of the show and expectations of the audience belting out over 50 songs close to his soul.

And it would be no exaggeration to say that all sections of the audience had their souls tapped to the tune of music of Sonu and his artistry.

Echoing the same sentiment Bhavesh Patel of Sahil, an organizer, said that Sonu has been "Klose to the hearts of Chicagoans and Chicagoans are Klose to his heart and Soul. Though it was not his first performance, the way audience reacted, Sonu has

only singer who can sing not only in his own style but also in the style of Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey, R.D. Burman with ease and flair. The thunderous applause received after each song was a standing testament to his ever increasing popularity. He also entertained requests from his fans during the show. He was accompanied by Jonita Gandhi and Shruti Menon.

"Meher Dance Troupe" performed a dance. Local singer from Chicago ACE Boogie group, Sabah and Shariq Sidz also

Sonu Nigam with Nick Patel, Babbu Patel, Bhavesh Patel and Mayur Patel

Sonu Nigam and Jonita

not only carved a place in their heart but also in our heart." Nick Patel from La Tan and a partner to Bhavesh, paid handsome compliments to Chicagoans for showing their love for Sonu but also to Sonu for sustaining his popularity with music lovers.

Buoyed by the huge response, he held out possibility of performing for the second time in July, Inshallah.

The concert started with Nick Patel from La Tan who paid handsome compliments to Chicagoans for showing their love for Sonu but also to Sonu for sustaining his popularity with music lovers. Echoing the same sentiment Bhavesh Patel of Sahil, an organizer, said that Sonu has been "klose to the hearts of Chicagoans and Chicagoans are Klose to his heart and soul."

Sahil and La Tan are promoting Indian cultural and heritage and generously encourage young generation by giving a platform to singers and dancers. Shruti Menon performed as Master of Ceremony for the entire program.

Jonita Gandhi was the opening performer of Sonu's "Close to my Soul" concerts, and she sang two songs. Perhaps Sonu is the

sang songs Indian Consul General in Chicago, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, a few elected officials, dignitaries, American politicians, Indian and Pakistani Community leaders seniors and their families were part of the audience Besides performing some of his popular hits, he also paid tribute to Late Jagjit Singh and Mehdi Hasan who have made a significant contribution to Indian music industry.

He belted out evergreen hits of Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey bringing back the nostalgia of yesteryears.

Bhavesh Patel thanking the crowd, said, "Thank you Chicago, Thank You the entire Midwest for making tonight's concert sold out." He then thanked his sponsors Kannu of Al-Mansoor for "all your hard work; and last but not the least, all the ticket outlets and you the fans for you continues support."

Babubhai Patel from Sahil and Mayur Patel from La Tan told the audience the happy news that another great concert is coming - Melody Queen "Shreya Ghoshal."

Save the date - August 15 at Sears Centre Arena, they said.

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India Post 25

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FIA plans India Day event with Consular Expo SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Federation of Indian Associations-Chicago [FIA] will host the Kick-Off event to herald their flagship India Independence Day festivities on Sunday June 8, 10:30 a.m. at the Indo American Center.

Significantly, FIA has persuaded the Indian Consulate in Chicago to host its 'Consular Expo' [Passport/Visa Camp] that will be conducted immediately following the ceremony in partnership with the Indian Consulate staff This Kick-Off event will be attended among others by special guests Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India, Debra Silverstein, Alderwoman 50th Ward and State Senator & Committeeman Ira Silverstein besides leading business and community leaders. The Kick-Off ceremony will feature lighting of the lamp and an invocation dance presentation with remarks from the guests.

Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, FIA President in a statement disclosed the preliminary plans to host the India's Independence Day Parade on Saturday, August 16 at noon;

Grand Gala Banquet on Sunday, August 10 and Flag-Hoisting Cultural program on Friday August 15, 2014 on Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago.

FIA President Keerthi Ravoor

This year there will be an exciting addition to the festivities "Grand FIA Mela" at the Republic Bank premises on Devon Avenue

that will begin immediately after the completion of the Parade. This Grand FIA Mela will feature colorful dances, non-stop pulsating music and singing by local talent.

FIA is making arrangements to provide complimentary Indian snacks and cold drinks to all attending the Mela.

This Consular Expo will provide an opportunity to the families and the individuals in the community to avail a wide range of services provided by the Indian Consulate Office, including information about expeditiously acquiring Passports, Visas, PIO and OCI cards. At the Consular Expo, Cox & Kings Global Services will be introduced as the only authorized service provider for Embassy of India and its Consulates across USA for Visa/OCI/PIO/Renunciation of Indian Citizenship support services with effect from May 21.

The Indian Consulate and representatives from Cox & Kings will actively field questions, enquiries and address issues surrounding the application and documentary requirements for passports and

visas. In addition, the Consular Expo will feature guest speakers from the Illinois Attorney General Office to address civil rights issues confronting the community; while Representative from the Kiwanis will also be present to highlight their role in the community. This Consular Expo is also an opportunity for the Indian Consulate and

that provides driver's licenses privileges to certain qualified undocumented immigrants.

This camp will provide valuable informational assistance in acquiring Passports, Visas/OCI/PIO cards. Given the growing need for clarity of information surrounding varied services provided by the outsourcing office, this Consular

This Consular Expo will provide an opportunity to the families and the individuals in the community to avail a wide range of services provided by the Indian Consulate Office, including information about expeditiously acquiring Passports, Visas, PIO and OCI cards. outsourcing firm to hear the difficulties and challenges faced by the Indian Diaspora.

FIA-Chicago is spearheading this 'Consular Expo' to address the growing demands of the Indian Diaspora in reconnecting with India and in light of the recent changes in the law in Illinois State

Expo will give common folks and their families an understanding into the processes and documentation-compliance surrounding the issuance of Passport, Visas, OCI /PIO cards, etc. This Consular Expo will be co-chaired by FIA's Veenod Patel and Minhaj Akhtar.

Asians celebrate Heritage Month with awards ceremony AsĂ­an Media USA

CHICAGO: Chicago Asians celebrated their 14th Annual Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month (AAHM) on May 16 with an awards ceremony and cultural program at Richard J. Daley Center downtown.

The reception was hosted jointly by Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (CCCC), and Beena Patel, president of the 14-year old Asian American Employees Social Club (AAESC).

This year Mrs Dorothy Brown,

due to conflict in schedule, could not attend the event in person. Her place was substituted by Michael Moore, executive clerk of Court Operations and Administration Principal Host Beena Patel, Asian Committee Chair.

Beena opened the event and first congratulated Prime Minister elect of India, Narendra Modi for his triumphant overwhelmBeena Patel, the Asian American Heritage Month celebration host, 'Miss Chicago' Marisa Buchheit and Michael Moore, with Award recipients

Beena Patel with Fashion Show performers and Prina Bagla

ing election victory in recent Indian general election.

Master of Ceremony 'Miss Chicago' Marisa Buchheit individually thanked all the AAESC members and event sponsors. She recounted how AAHM was started over 10 years ago to celebrate contributions of American Asian-Pacific communities.

Award recipients for 2014 were: Jayal Amin- Community Service; Dr Bharat Barai- Leader in Medicine Service; Sgt. Abdul Kapadia- Law Enforcement Service /Cook County Sheriff; Rana Javed Khan- Public Relations/ Media; Judge Pamela Leeming-

Judiciary Service; Judge Jessica O'Brien- Judiciary Service; Savita Punjabi- Clerk of Circuit Court Asian Employee; Dr Ashish SenPolitical Service.

A breathtaking fashion show and designer clothing was provided by Prina Bagia. Prina's passion for fashion and design started at a young age and her dream is finally turning into a reality.

Vote of thanks and closing remarks were done by Beena Patel.

The program was followed by a luncheon reception at the Clerk's Office at the 10th floor Conference Room.

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Prana Prathista for three new shrines planned RAJA RAJASEKARAN

ST. LOUIS: The Hindu Temple of St. Louis is completing the construction of three new shrines for Sri Ayyappa, Sri Kanyaka Paramesweri and Sri Anjaneya (Hanuman ji). The temple has slated Prana Prathista from June 5-9 and expectations are that few thousand devotees from and around IL and MO would join the celebration.

Sri Ayyappa Maha Sannidhanam is the second of its kind in the U.S., the first being the Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland. The Maha Sannidhanam is a masterpiece of spiritual harmony whose architecture resembles that of Sabarimala.

The panchaloha vigraha of Sri Ayyappa was sculpted by integrating five metals (copper, bronze, iron, gold and silver) thus symbolizing the cosmic energies of earth, fire, space, water and air.

The Maha Sannidhanam would serve as a spiritual center for exhibiting Ayyappa avatars (forms) from five Ayyappa temples in Kerala, India - Erumeli, Achankovil, Ariyankavu, Kulathupuzhai and Pandalam. It also provides a divine opportunity to Ayyappa swamis in the Midwest to climb the holy 18 steps carrying their Irumudis thus representing the spiritual path to self-realization.

There are shrines for Kannimoola Maha Ganapathy, Nagaraja and Maligapurathu Manjamatha that are similar to Sabarimala.

Lord Ayyappa or Dharma Shastha who represents a combi-

nation of spiritual powers symbolized by the forms of Lord Vishnu, the power that maintains the universe and Lord Shiva the power that periodically reabsorbs the manifestations into reality.

of its kind in the Midwest. The shrine for Sri Kanyaka Paramesweri will be consecrated on June 7 on the South side of the Hindu Temple of St. Louis.

Sri Kanyaka Parameswari was

Sri Kanyaka Parameswari

Lord Ayyappa

Ayyappa devotees would engage in vratham during Mandala festival that cleanses physical body and mind which in its turn leads to peace and realization of self.

The Maha Sannidhanam for Sri Kanyaka Parameswari has been built with finest architectural design. A marvelous inside dome forms an elegant feature of this shrine. With a detailed sculptural workmanship, the Maha Sannidhanam for Sri Kanyaka Paramesweri in St. Louis is unique

taught the noble principles of nonviolence, universal brotherhood, world peace, love and sacrifice.

Later, the 102 couples who also did Agnipravesham attained salvation (Moksham). Hence the day

born on Vaisaka Suddha Dasami (Telugu month) at twilight during convergence of Uttara Nakshatra and Kanya (Virgo). Goddess Kanyaka Parameswari, incarnation of Adiparashakthi made Agnipravesham, Sacred Fire, along with the102 Gothraja couples at Penugonda to prevent bloodshed due to war and varna sankarana. Later, Sri Kanyaka Parameswari emerged from the sacred Homa gundam in her Moola swarupam of Adiparashakthi and

Magha Suddha Vidhia is celebrated as a big festival throughout India and abroad. Sri Kanyaka Parameswaris message is "Dharmam-Sheelam-Ahimsa.

The shrine for Sri Veera Anjaneya completes all upadevatas for Sri Venkateswara Swamy, the main deity of The Hindu Temple of St. Louis. The Prana Prathista of Sri Veera Anjaneya is planned to be held on Saturday, June 7.

Sri Anjaneya visited Lanka

thrice. The first was on a mission searching Mother Sita. He met her in the Ashoka Garden of Ravana in his land, identified himself with the Kanayazhi - the wedding ring she gave to Sri Rama and received

Hanuman ji

her Choodamani to prove to Rama that he had met his consort. In this first visit, he also played the role of a wise diplomat to pursue Ravana to hand her over to Sri Rama with all honor. As the Lanka King was unrelenting, he showed his might by setting ablaze his city.

The second was the march of the army, building of the Sethu bridge and reaching Lanka with the Lord.

The third was his departure from Lanka and return with the Sanjeevi Mount through the air route.

Jain Society Health Fair meets with big success SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC) organized its annual Health Fair on May 4 and May 11. These two days of Health Fair provided numerous diagnostic screenings tests and health awareness education through personal consultation and use of visual aids to all the Jain community members.

During the health fair, the team of 90 volunteers including many physicians, specialists, nurses, microbiologist, phlebotomist, lab technicians, and other healthcare professionals provided their services at no cost. Over 200 JSMC members including many senior citizens benefited. Laboratory service for blood tests was conducted

by Medstar Laboratories at minimum charge per person.

All the medical equipment and necessary medical supply for all kinds of screenings and tests were

Patients awaiting their turn at the Health Fair

donated by AMSCO Medical Supply and Equipment. Dr Parag Doshi (Cardiologist) provided necessary equipment and staff to conduct Carotid Ultrasound test to screen for any existent stenosis or obstruction. Loyola University Public Health Dept. provided Bone Mineral Density test machine and staff to conduct screening for either Osteopenia or Osteoporosis.

Many doctors brought their EKG machines with their staff to conduct Electrocardiogram test to screen any irregular heart rhythm or heart disease. In addition to above, many other members offered donations. For May 4, the booths were set up with closed curtain to maintain the privacy of the patient. Delicious breakfast with freshly squeezed orange Juice was set up for all.

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Vaishnav Samaj organizing free Health Fair JAYANTIBHAI THAKKAR

Jain Society Health Fair meets with big success Cont’d from page 26

Two large screen projectors were showing constant updates and instructions along with recognitions for sponsors, doctors, and volunteers.

On May 11, around 200 patients benefited from free consultation services provided by experienced physicians, subject matter specialists, and other healthcare professionals.

Experienced panel of physicians reviewed patients' lab results and provided recommendation for urgent and long term health concerns. Expert cardiologists, dentists, oncologists, audiologist, speech pathologist, gynecologist, ophthalmologists, gastroenterologist, physical therapist, pharmacist, dieticians, Sujok therapist, Homeopathy expert and stress management specialists provided consultation. Blood pressure, height, weight, and BMI checkup were conducted as part of this service.

Many helped to make this Health Fair successful. Following is the core planning team for this health fair: Vipul Shah (General Secretary, JSMC), Hitesh R. Shah (Vice President, JSMC), Himanshu Jain (Treasurer, JSMC), Dr Mukesh Doshi (Board of Trustee, JSMC), Dinesh Shah (Volunteer), Bharat Kothari (Volunteer), Mayuri Zaveri (Nurse), Dr Mahesh Shah (Physician), Dr Kaushal Mehta (Physician), Dr Hetal Gandhi (Cardiologist), Dr Shailesh Zaveri (Cardiologist), Dr Parag Doshi (Cardiologist), Dr Salil Vasanwala (Physician), Dr D. U. Shah (Physician), Dr Kirti Talsania (Physician).

Along with this core team, following doctors and specialists provided their expert services during the fair.

Dr Dilip Shah (Physician), Dr Neeru Shah (Physician), Dr Pravin Shah (Physician), Dr Mandakini Pokharna (Physician), Dr Rujuta Gandhi (Physician), Dr Avani Shah (Chiropractor), Dr Ishwar Patel (Gynecologist), Dr Payal Trivedi (Dentist), Dr Monil Shah (Dentist), Dr Reena Shah (Dentist), Dr Lata Jain (Audiologist), Kushalraj Singvi (Audiologist & Speech Pathologist), Dr Jagadish Shah (Hematologist and Radiation Oncologist), Dr Bharat Jailwala (Radiation Oncologist), Dr Parag Majmudar (Ophthalmologist), Dr Jill Zaveri (Ophthalmologist), Darshana Vyas (Dietician), Dipti Shah (Dietician), Pina Shah (Physical Therapist), Usha Doshi (Physical Therapist), Nisha Jani (Pharmacist), Shilpa Shah (Pharmacist), Smita Shah (Sujok Therapist), Smita Gandhi (Homeopathy expert). Alexian Brothers Cancer Institute provided cancer related educational material.

JSMC thanked all who helped to make this amazing community service project successful.

CHICAGO: Vaishnav Samaj of Midwest Temple in association with Global Organization of Peoples of Indian Origin (GOPIO) is organizing a free Health Fair on June 15 and June 22 at the Temple (Shreejidwar) premises in Addison, a north side suburb.

Registration for Health Fair will start at 8:15 am and continue up to 11 am. Medical testing will be done by 1 pm. The Health Fair is open to all in need of medical checkup. Pre-registration is not required.

This year The Health Fair is in two

parts. Part 1: Blood Test & Other tests.

On June 15 following tests will be performed: height/weight, blood pressure, blood testing, EKG, urine analysis, bone density, social services and senior benefits. Patients requiring blood testing are required to be fasting for 12 hours before the test. No food or drinks after 8 pm from the previous night (Saturday night).

On second part on June 22, all the blood test results will be given to people who came on June 15, 2014 and whose blood were drawn. Then they will see the phy-

sician with their blood test results for consultation. Doctors will review their blood test results and advise them for other health screening tests as needed. In addition, there will be ENT exam, chiropractic consultation, physical therapy, dental examination, hearing test, eye screening, foot exam and physical examination. A short presentation (lecture) will be given on Diabetic Education and Heart Disease Over 25 volunteer doctors and 70 health care professionals will provide their volunteer services for the event.

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NaMo chant fills Bay Area air waves India Post News Service

A

s election results started pouring in starting Thursday evening, Bay area supporters of Narendra Modi and BJP, led by Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and Overseas Friends of NaMo sprang into action for consecutive days with a rally in support of the sweeping victory of Bhartiya Janata Party led

by Narendra Modi.

The rally was attended by various groups and community leaders including Gujarati Samaj, Friends of India Society International (FISI), Friends of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Sewa International, FIA, GITPRO, HSS, Niraj Baxi, past president of NFIA, Vinod Patel of ICA and many others.

Hundreds of Indians, from all walks, came together on May 16, Friday evening in front of the Milpitas City Hall to celebrate Narendra Modi's victory.

On Saturday, May 17th, 40+ cars conducted a Victory Car Rally displaying banners & placards,

Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas". People also carried signs with slogans "Rise Of India With NaMo", "MODIfied India", "Congrats BJP" and "MODI and Idea of India" in support of Modi.

At both rallies, laddoos, pedas

Chandru Bhambhra, former president, Overseas Friends of BJP, said "In my 64 years, I have never seen a visionary person like Shri Modi. His vision and his power to execute ideas are amazing. He has developed Gujarat in

which started at Milpitas High School and ended at ICC. The air was filled with slogans and chants of "Vande Mataram, "Har Har Modi - Ghar Ghar Modi", "Baar Baar Modi Sarkar" and"Sab

and many other kinds of sweets and Chai were distributed. At the end of Car Rally at ICC, Ashok (Manager of Swagat Restaurant) brought specially made Mithai for the participants.

past 12 years and taken it to enviable heights and people have confidence and faith in him that he will now develop India with the same zeal and take it to a very respectable level."

NaMo Rally City Hall

Gaurang Desai, Northern California coordinator of FISI who recently visited Gujarat said, "I have witnessed the development and forward thinking ideas like daily garbage collection by truck. If Modi can accomplish even 1/10th of what he has promised, he would have achieved more than what Congress has in 60 years."

Khanderao Kand, founderpresident, Global Indian Technology Professionals of India, says,

cated corrupt, dynastic, caste and appeasement-driven politics that was ruining India."

Suresh Patel, a founding member of Gujarat Samaj, who has been responsible for Gujarat Day celebrations in Bay Area said, "This was a clean sweep. This is a tremendous victory for development of India. Such a mandate can only mean that people of India raised themselves against caste, religion and regionalism and voted

Participants of Car Rally in support of Narendra Modi's victory

"We technological professionals are very happy that a development-oriented leader like Modi got such a decisive mandate. He eradi-

for development."

Yagnesh Pathak, a member of Sewa International said "He delivers whatever he promises."

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OFBJP hosts Rajasthan BJP chief Parnami India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: On Saturday May 3, Bay Area Indian community led by Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) hosted Ashok Parnami at Arka Restaurant in Fremont. He is a past Mayor of Jaipur, member of Jaipur Development Authority. He has held various party positions in BJP and is the current President of BJP, Rajasthan.

Naren Baxi, Bay Area entrepreneur and one of the founder members of TiE, introduced Parnami.

He narrated his experience working with Parnami in starting a TiE chapter in Jaipur.

Fremont and Jaipur are sister cities. Parnami had visited Fremont in 2005 as a representative of sister-city of Jaipur. He was impressed with the cleanliness and water supply and treatment here in the US. He implemented water recycling for irrigation and street

Ashok Parnami with Chandru Bhambhra

Ashok Parnami with Gaurang Desai

of national elections. He highlighted the low points of current Congress led UPA government, which had put UPA on back foot.

Congress, while ruling India had

Fremont and Jaipur are sister cities. Parnami had visited Fremont in 2005 as a representative of sister-city of Jaipur. He was impressed with the cleanliness and water supply and treatment here in the US. pavement / sidewalk construction, which earned him 7th spot in world mayor's competition ahead of Bangalore, which came in at 9th spot.

He spoke on the current status

not been able to control Inflation, corruption. Youth felt discontent, people felt insecure, there was unabated terrorist activity and lack of conviction in securing borders.

Ashok Parnami with his family and Naren Baxi

People saw a ray of light in Narendra Modi after seeing his extraordinary work done in

Gujarat. He dismissed the allegation of opposition that Modi wave was a media hype! Media hype

can only take you so far, but can't give you three straight solid victories in a row.

He narrated a story of visit by big businessmen to Rajasthan during Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, when Narendra Modi stole the show with his speech of vision and action. Even Ratan Tata, who never speaks on politics or favored any politician, indicated that India needed strong leadership and only Narendra Modi can provide this.

The major difference between past elections and current election is that people have decided to vote for Modi as Prime Minister and not MPs, who in turn select Prime Minister. He narrated a story of his judge friend's father, who could not find his name in the voter list and bugged his son till his name was included, just so that he can vote for Modi.

On personal note, he was also very grateful to RSS for helping his family migrate to India during partition. Since then, he has been active in RSS. He was accompanied by his wife, his daughter and son-in-law who live in Bay Area.

The meeting ended with a Vote of Thanks by Chandru Bhambhra, coordinator of the event.

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Shiv Durga Mandir's havan & aarti for Modi

India Post News Service

SANTA CLARA: Shiv Durga Mandir, Santa Clara had organized a special havan and aarti on May 25 thereby sending best wishes to the newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Sunday afternoon celebration was attended by over 400 Bay Area devotees and special guests from all over Bay area.

Pandit Krishna Kumar Pandey is the founder, president of Shiv Durga temple and is involved in community services all over the Bay and had organized this grand

celebration for Modi. He hails from a family of priests from Northern India and is the third generation priest in this family dynasty. He is an Acharya in Vedic Religion and Astrology from Sanskrit University Varanasi, India.

Ganapathi Havan was started around 12:00 pm and many prayed for the bright future of India and United States. This was followed by talks by special guests from all over Bay. The guest list includes Jose Esteves, Mayor of Milpitas, Fred Flower, and Former Mayor of Sunnyvale, Teresa Cox, Dr Dharam Salwan, Narendra Pathak, Rishi

Kumar, Sanjay Tripathi, Sandeep Khandekar, Mahendra Yogi and California 17th congressional district candidate Ro Khanna. The guests spoke on the mandate received by Narendra Modi and wished for his success and their dream to see growing India.

Narendra Modi's victory in India's General Election has proved that Indian democracy can deliver a mandate for good governance, said Ro Khanna. He urged people to come out and vote on June 3 primaries. This was followed by Maya Aarti and Preeti Bhoj sponsored by Dr Rameshwar Singh.

Community Walk hosted by BAPS Charities India Post News Service

CHINO HILLS: Urmila Patel is 55 years old. Everyone that meets her immediately smiles upon seeing her beaming face. This year, Mrs Patel decided to fundraise for a cause close to her heart: finding a cure for breast cancer.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a nationally recognized organization that is dear to Mrs Patel's cause. In December of last year, Mrs. Patel was diagnosed with Stage One breast cancer. Fortunately, after two rounds of surgery, her biopsy report stated she was

negative and at low risk of relapse.

Mrs Patel has become committed to living a healthier lifestyle and to raising awareness of organizations like Susan G. Komen, so that women can one day live without fear of breast cancer.

Mrs Patel was thrilled to know that her efforts were going to make a profound impact in the community. For the last three months, she and her family took up the cause of raising funds to support the BAPS Charities Walk in Chino Hills and raised over $1,000!

The annual BAPS Charities Walk, which took place on Satur-

day, May 17at Veterans Park in Chino Hills, will support Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the Inland Empire. This renowned organization, committed to serving women and saving lives, is on a mission to eliminate breast cancer.

Beneficiaries like the Susan G. Komen foundation work to combat breast cancer through groundbreaking research, community health outreach, advocacy, and programs in over 50 countries.

Representative Sarah Bryant noted, "The impact of [BAPS Charities] and its activities within the community is remarkable and noteworthy."

This year's walkathon brought together over 700 participants ranging from young kids at the age of 5 to seniors at the age of 75.

Prior to the walk, over 20 participants raced through in a 5K run in support of the cause. Following the run, the walk was launched when the Boy Scouts Troop 220 performed the opening ceremony of colors and led the crowd in the pledge of allegiance.

In his opening speech, Assemblyman Curt Hagman, expressed his enthusiasm for service, saying, Cont’d on page 32

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Dance Karishma celebrates Community Walk hosted

by BAPS Charities 6th anniversary India Post News Service

W

ith the music in mind and rhythm in feet, Mrs Jaya Sharma continues to build her musical empire in Bay Area. She is the Dance Director at Dance Karishma, the academy of various Indian dance forms, from Classical (Kathak) to Bollywood, folk dances like Bihu from Far East to Lavani, Koli, Garba and Dandia from West Coast or the folklores from Kashmir to Kerala.

Mrs Jaya Sharma, disciple of

Guru Ranjana Srivastava in Banaras Hindu University and

Guru Shambhavi Dandekar, will host the 6th anniversary of her

academy as Kathakanjali 2014 at Shirdi Sai Parivaar, 1221 California Circle, Milpitas, on Saturday June 7 from 3:30PM to 5:30 PM. Admission to the event is free.

She extends the invitation to all music lovers. She believes there are 3 main aspects of dancing: Layakaari, Adakari and Taiyari. This event features segments on those aspects, by means of Kathak. After the students' performance, Mrs Jaya Sharma will conclude the evening with her performance.

Cont’d from page 31

"I am always proud and honored to support BAPS Charities in its collective effort to better the local community." Chino Hills

Mayor Ed Graham mentioned, "BAPS Charities continues to support the Chino Hills community through these annual walks. It's a testament to our wonderful working relationship and the commitment of each BAPS Charities member." Similar support was shown by the other dignitaries also in attendance, which inc l u d e d : Councilmembers Ray Marquez and Art Bennett, Commissioner Barry Fischer, Chino Valley Independent Fire District Chief Tim Shakleford, and San Bernardino County Sheriff Department Lieutenant Robert Salas.

Funds were also raised for the benefit of the local heroes from the

Chino Valley Independent Fire District and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's department, which serve to protect the public on a day-to-day basis.

Roma Patel, a local volunteer for

the walk, commented, "Participating in events like this is a wonderful opportunity for my entire fam-

ily to come together and contribute to something that creates a positive impact in our community.

Today, I walked with my son and daughter!"

Upon completing the walk, Urmila Patel proudly stated, "Because of BAPS Charities' efforts, women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer have a fighting chance.

The enthusiasm generated from this walk has given me faith that the cure is nearer to discovery and women like myself should continue to fight."

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Tech News Lava launches phone with KitKat system NEW DELHI: Domestic handset player Lava has launched a smartphone, under Iris X series, with the latest Android KitKat operating system for Rs 7,999.

"Currently, Lava Iris X1 is one of the few devices in India and the first one from Lava that is built on the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat outof-the-box platform," Lava International said in a statement.

KitKat platform offers faster multi-tasking through optimized memory and improved touch responsiveness. It also comes with a bunch of new features like its phone application automatically prioritizes contacts based on the people a user talks to the most and its caller ID looks for matches from businesses with local listing on Google Maps.

"It is for the consumers who not only want a high performance device but also a beautiful design.

We are confident that the latest hardware and software features coupled with its great design will surely deliver a rich experience to the consumers," Lava International Chairman and Managing Director Hari Om Rai said.

The 4.5 inch phone comes with 8 mega pixel camera, 4 GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 32 GB via micro-SD card, dual SIM with 3G connectivity and 1800 mAh battery. -PTI

Sebi asks KBCL India to refund investors MUMBAI: Pulling the plug on an unauthorized investment scheme run by KBCL India in garb of realty business, market regulator Sebi has asked the company to wind up the scheme as well as refund the money with returns to investors within three months.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) found that the company was running a 'collective investment scheme' (CIS) without requisite approvals and registration.

In an order, Sebi also prohibited the company from collecting any funds from investors or carrying out any CIS. Besides, the regulator has barred KBCL India and its directors from the securities market till all the CIS are wound up by it and all the funds mobilized through such schemes are refunded to investors.

The regulator had received several complaints, alleging illegal mobilization of funds to the tune of Rs 118.69 crore through activities in the nature of CIS by KBCL.-PTI

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Amway India CEO arrested in Hyderabad HYDERABAD: William S Pinckney, Chairman and CEO of Amway India has been placed under arrest by the Andhra Pradesh Police in connection with a complaint against the direct-selling firm.

Kurnool Superintendent of Police Raghurami Reddy said Pinckney was apprehended in Gurgoan and was brought to Kurnool on a warrant. The arrest was based on a complaint alleging unethical circulation of money through Amway's operations.

"He will be produced in the court shortly. The CEO has been booked under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act," Reddy told PTI.-PTI

Auto parts price-fixing investigation rattles US industry WASHINGTON: An investigation into price-fixing and bid-rigging in the auto parts industry has mushroomed into the Justice Department's largest criminal antitrust probe ever, and it's not over yet.

The investigation, made public four years ago with FBI raids in the Detroit area, has led to criminal charges against dozens of people and companies, stretched across continents and reverberated through an industry responsible for supplying critical car components.

The collusion has also saddled U.S. drivers with millions of dollars in extra costs. ``It's a very, very safe assumption that U.S. consumers paid more, and sometimes significantly more, for their automobiles as a result of this conspiracy,'' Brent Snyder, a deputy assistant attorney general in the antitrust division, said in an interview.

So far, 34 individuals have been charged and 27 companies have pleaded guilty or agreed to do so, the Justice Department says. Col-

lectively, they have agreed to pay more than $2.3 billion in fines. New cases have arisen with regularity, with Attorney General Eric Holder promising last September that investigators ``would check under

Officials say the investigation stands out not just for its scope but also for the cooperation the authorities have received from Japan, Australia and other countries.

Despite the challenges of pros-

Attorney General Eric Holder pointing to an illustration of the auto parts during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington.

every hood and kick every tire.''

The most recent development came when an executive from a Japanese company was charged with conspiring to fix the prices of heater control panels sold to Toyota and with persuading workers to destroy evidence.

ecuting foreign nationals, the Justice Department has won guilty pleas from a series of Japanese executives who opted to get their punishment over with rather than remain under indictment in their home countries and subject to career-crippling travel restrictions.

Though the techniques and strategies sometimes differed, the executives generally carried out the collusion by trading coded emails, meeting at remote locations and destroying documents to avoid paper trails.

With an eye toward eliminating competition and maximizing profits, they exploited an industry that experts say is in some ways vulnerable to collusion: There are a finite number of purchasers and suppliers, there's steady pressure among companies to cut prices and car parts, unlike certain products that have a great deal of variability, are generally standardized and homogeneous. ``The firms will just make more money if they're able to reach and stick to an agreement to collectively charge higher prices so that customers can't get them to bid against each other,'' said Spencer Weber Waller, director of the Institute for Antitrust Consumer Studies at the Loyola University Chicago law school. ``The problem is, of course, it's a felony in the United States.''

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Indian appointed dean in Hong Kong varsity SINGAPORE: An Indian management scholar has been appointed as the dean of the business school of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Professor Jitendra Vir Singh, 60, has been appointed as the Dean of the School of Business and Management at HKUST with effect from September 1, based on an open and competitive worldwide search.

Singh, an IIM-A alumnus, who left India in 1978, is currently the Saul P Steinberg Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in the US, where he has played a number of significant roles in boosting the school's global presence since joining the faculty in 1987.

"I am honored to have been chosen to lead the School of Business and Management at HKUST and it is exciting for me to be back in Asia at a time when momentous changes are under way.

"I look forward to working with

uting both to the region and to global society," Singh said.

Professor Tony F Chan, President of HKUST, said he was very pleased that the University has found such an acclaimed scholar and able administrator to lead the Business School.

As Wharton's Vice-Dean, International Academic Affairs, from 1998 to 2001, Singh contributed to the establishment of the Singapore Management University in Singapore, the worldwide alliance between Wharton and INSEAD the university and business school leadership to build on the strong foundations that are already in place, and strive toward ever higher goals, while contrib-

"With Prof Singh's wide-ranging experience and achievements in the academic, business strategy and policy arenas, I am certain he will bring HKUST Busi-

ness School to new heights. We are excited about this appointment!"

As Wharton's Vice-Dean, International Academic Affairs, from 1998 to 2001, Singh contributed to the establishment of the Singapore Management University in Singapore, the worldwide alliance between Wharton and INSEAD, and the foundation of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.

From 2007 to 2009, while on leave from Wharton, he was Dean and Shaw Foundation Chair Professor of Strategy, Management and Organization of Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University, during which time the School's profile enjoyed a substantial international ascent.-PTI

TechBiz Post

May 30, 2014

India Post

35

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E-com hiring to grow 30pc on Amazon push NEW DELHI: As foreign and domestic e-retail majors such as Amazon and Flipkart expand their businesses aggressively, hiring activities are expected to grow by over 30 per cent in the sector and may help create up to 50,000 jobs in the next 2-3 years.

According to leading human resources consultancy Randstad India, the hiring in this space is

ous year as various retail brands are also bringing in their business online.

As per findings of Jigsaw Academy, the e-commerce industry may create 15,000-50,000 jobs in the next three years for data analysts professionals alone.

"The companies are hiring aggressively and are also offering lucrative salaries to attract the

Flipkart, which is popular for selling books and electronics online, acquired the country's biggest fashion portal Myntra for around $300 million.

likely to rise by 20-30 per cent in next few years on the back of entry of domestic online start-ups and e-commerce MNCs into Indian marketplace, as also because of setting up of back-office operations for various global businesses.

Another HR firm Unison International says that hiring has been rather slow in the e-commerce space over last couple of years, but recruitments may grow rapidly now by 33 per cent over the previ-

right analytics talent," Jigsaw Academy CEO Gaurav Vohra said.

The sector recently saw one of the largest merger deals between homegrown e-commerce majors Myntra and Flipkart, while another domestic firm Snapdeal has also got new investors.

"The deal will only make Myntra's fashion business stronger and we will target more aggressive scale - to this end, our hiring will continue to be extremely aggressive but selective,"

Myntra VP-HR Pooja Gupta told PTI. "We are working also to make HR more Technology and Analytics driven and that focus will continue," Gupta said.

According to global major Amazon, which is seen as one of the major competitors for the domestic e-commerce player, the "the industry is growing rapidly and there is still a huge potential for growth".

"Likewise, we have grown exponentially over the last 11 months and will continue to see growth. Our hiring will continue to match this pace and grow accordingly," Amazon says.

HR consultancy MeraJob India's CEO Pallav Sinha said that the sector is "clearly poised for explosive growth".

"While private equity investments in e-commerce companies is one of the reasons for the expectation of this growth, the primary drivers are - proliferation of mobiles; development of digital payment platforms and social media usage.

"Hiring in e-Commerce is therefore poised for growth that could match the job creation rate in mobile telecom in early 2000's. Fiscal 2014-15 would be the tippingpoint in this hiring growth in India," Sinha said. -PTI

Samsung mobile chief Taneja joins Micromax NEW DELHI: Stepping up the battle in the Indian mobile handset market, homegrown firm Micromax has roped in Samsung India's mobile and IT business chief Vineet Taneja as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Micromax, the country's second largest smartphone player, expects the move to help it further strengthen its position in the segment, which is witnessing explosive growth.

"This move is a testimony to the vision and commitment that Micromax co-founders have of bringing in the best talent to build a strong organization and capitalize the opportunities in this environment of data devices explosion," Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma told PTI. The appointment will help the company consolidate its strong presence in the market, drive glo-

bal partnerships and strategic alliances, while strengthening the organizational capabilities within Micromax, he added.

"Vineet will be an asset in our

Vineet Taneja

next phase of growth, his diverse experience will be a great addition to the Micromax leadership in India both from organizational setup and business growth perspec-

tive," he said.

With over 25 years of experience, Taneja has worked with consumer brands like Hindustan Lever, Nokia and Bharti Airtel, prior to Samsung. He holds a degree in engineering from IIT-Roorkee and is an alumnus of IIMKolkata.

"We are witnessing an inflection point in the smart devices globally. Therefore, it is a great opportunity for me to lead Micromax into its next phase of growth by consolidating and further strengthening its position in India, and looking at global markets to complete its transition of becoming a global force to reckon with," Taneja said.

The company's former CEO Deepak Mehrotra had quit the firm in October last year, citing personal reasons, and Sharma was managing affairs in the interim.-PTI

Auto parts price-fixing investigation rattles US industry Cont’d from page 34

Michigan law professor.

But the collusion in these cases, which in some instances lasted more than a decade, was ``deftly done,'' said Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor of Cars.com, who has followed the auto parts investigation. ``If they get too greedy and they make their prices too high, then someone smells a rat,'' he said. ``When they set their prices and fixed their prices, they had to do it in a way that wasn't obvious

The Justice Department first publicly surfaced aspects of the investigation when FBI agents in Detroit raided the offices of Denso Corp, Yazaki North America and Tokai Rika. All three companies have pleaded guilty to their roles in price-fixing and bid-rigging schemes.

Since the raids, the probe has broadened to encompass about $5 billion worth of auto parts, including seat belts, ignition coils, steering The collusion in these cases, wheels, air bags, windshield wipers and rub- which in some instances ber parts that dampen lasted more than a decade, vibration. was ``deftly done,'' said Joe Similar cartels have formed in industries Wiesenfelder, executive ranging from oil and editor of Cars.com gas to cement and vitamins, though there's debate and that took into account the among economists about how entire market, including suppliers long they can last, given the con- that weren't involved.''

Wiesenfelder said that while the stant incentive for one member to cheat the others and the ten- collusion affected car consumers, dency to collapse under their own it's hard to tell how much the inweight as they keep growing, said vestigation has been noticed by Daniel Crane, a University of the average driver. -AP

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Mast Magan: 2 States 2 Locha-E-Ulfat: 2 States 3 Party With The Bhoothnath: Bhoothnath Returns 4 Whistle Baja: Heropanti 36

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5 Galliyan: Ek Villian 6 Raat Bhar: Heropanti 7 Dard Dilo Ko: The Xpose 8 Fugly Fugly Kya Hai: Fugly 9

Baby Doll: Ragini MMS 2

10 Caller Tune: Humshakals

A

rjun Kapoor was in the capital and he spoke about the typical traits that comprise a Delhiwala and a Mumbaiwala.

"My cousins are from Delhi, and they're energetic and exuberant; and they wear their heart on their sleeve. They're unabashedly proud of being Punjabi, and are very family driven. I've spent all my summer holidays in Delhi. My uncle and my bua live here. I've grown up here, done all the normal things, and all the tourist-y things, too.

Like that's what I loved when I saw Ranveer in Band Baajaa Baaraat. He got that - woh Delhi wala laundapan pakda usne. Lekin main hoon Mumbaiwala. Ab kya karoon," Arjun said.

"But let me tell you," Arjun adds: "When I'm here with my cousins, I'm a total Delhi boy. I admire the way they are so emotional here, in Delhi. Delhiwalo ko farak nahi padta log kya sochte hain.

'Hum aisey hi hain' is their attitude, and that is what I love."

A

bhishek Bachchan seems to have fallen in love with his wife all over again.

The actor, who joined the former beauty queen in the French Riviera, quips "I make her look good".

At the amfAR gala, the star couple made a stunning appearance, with Abhishek dressed in all black and Aishwarya making a style statement in an elegant shimmering gown. Picture perfect, Bollywood's star couple made for a cosy and romantic eye-in-eye candid photograph at the gala.

Junior Bachchan shared the 'moment' with his Twitterati, and posted: "I make her look good!!

Then again... anybody compared to me will look good."

R

anveer Singh feels that rumors of him and actress Deepika Padukone being in a rela tionship are abuzz because they hang out together.

"No (there is nothing between us)‌ She is a very special person in my life and is a very close friend.

She is one of the most wonderful people I have met.

I have great amount of admiration and respect for her as an artist and as a professional. That's it," Ranveer told in an interview.

Ranveer and Deepika have, however, never acknowledged that they are in a relationship. The actor said he is completely into his work and does not keep a tab of tabloid news.

"I think people are jumping the gun. I think it is very presumptuous of people to assume that two people are romantically involved if they are seen going out together. I don't think that is correct judgment," he said.

But he also does not feel the need of any sort of clarification even though he has joined the social networking website Facebook.

Bollywood

May 30, 2014

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P S

idharth Gupta, who makes his acting debut with Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, and Varun Dhawan, were in for a shock recently, when a prank they played on Nargis Fakhri went awfully wrong and she fainted. The 'jhand' was planned as part of a reality show.

The two actors decided to up the fear quotient to ensure that they succeeded in scaring Nargis.

When the actress stepped out of the elevator, there was this man waiting, pointing a gun at her. Obviously, she freaked out. "Nargis screamed aloud and was so scared that she fainted," recalls a source.

"She was inconsolable and it took a while for the guys to pacify her," the source adds.

riyanka Chopra is on the cruise and is traveling with her mother Madhu Chopra for two months.

The actress plans to spend some quality time with her mother as so far she has had a choc o bloc schedule promoting her single and shooting and dubbing for Mary Kom. Also before leaving she has completed all her assignments and in 20 days, finished all her commitments.

Priyanka says, "due to my hectic schedule I have not been able to spend time with my mom so hopefully this will give us enough time to catch up."

India Post 37

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41 India Post

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K

May 30, 2014

handala is an important hill sta tion in the state of Maharashtra and is the pride of the Sahyadri Mountains. Khandala is endowed with abundant natural beauty and like Lonavala, it also provides a popular gateway from the hustle and bustle of the cities

of Mumbai and Pune. The picturesque green surroundings of this pretty hill station attract many travelers.

Khandala is located in the western part of Maharashtra, in the western region of India. It is situated 101 km southeast of Mumbai and 69 km from Pune. It is 5 km from Lonavala. Weather in Khandala is pleasant. Summers (April-June) are mild, while winters are cool (November-February). It experiences heavy southwestern monsoon rains between June and September.

The best time to visit Khandala is between the months of October and May. History: The origin of the place is obscure. Chattrapati Shivaji, the founder of the first Maratha Empire, ruled the area around Khandala. Later it came under the Peshwa rulers, who founded the second Maratha Empire. It was finally taken over by the British when they defeated the Peshwas.

Tourist attractions: Khandala is a small hill station. The town provides a panoramic view of the lush green hilly environs. Travelers throng this place to escape the hectic lifestyle of Mumbai city. They can enjoy the scenic beauty of this place by taking a walk around. It has a number of trekking trails around it.

Places around The popular hill station of Lonavala is only 5 km from Khandala. Lonavala also has the same geographical settings as that of Khandala.

There are a number of lakes around Khandala. Tugauli Lake, Lonavala Lake and Bhushi Lake are worth visiting; so is the Cont’d on page 42 Walvan Dam.

Travel & Hospitality Post

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India Post

41

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Obama aims to lure more foreign travelers WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will move to reduce airport waiting times for foreign travelers arriving in the United States in order to boost tourism, the White House has said.

The US is currently the world's second tourist destination after France, according to the World Tourism Organization, and Obama says that gaining the top spot would create jobs.

Obama is going to ask his secretaries of commerce and homeland security, Penny Pritzker and Jeh Johnson, to "develop a national goal to improve the entry process and reduce wait times for interna-

tional travelers to the United States, and action plans at the 15 largest airports for international arrivals," a White House statement said.

It is common for international travelers arriving in the US to spend more than an hour at passport control and customs processing checkpoints at American airports, where controls there have been tightened dramatically since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

To speed things up, the Obama administration wants more checkpoints to be automated.

Cont’d on page 43

A view of the Merrick Butte in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal park, Utah.

KHANDALA Panoramic view of lush green hills & valleys highway can see the Duke's Nose with its peculiar peak.

Cont’d from page 41

Karla and Bhaja Caves, located in the hills at a distance of 16 km from Khandala, are important places to visit. These rockcut cave temples dating back to 2nd century BC and are amongst the oldest and finest examples of Buddhist rock-cut temple art in India, belonging

How to reach Air - Khandala does not have an airport. The nearest airport is at Pune (69 km).

Rail - The nearest railway station is at Lonavala. As Lonavala is on the main rail-

Cont’d from page 40

Lonavala Lake

to the Hinayana sect of Buddhism. Adventure seekers can try their hand at rock climbing at the Duke's Nose peak and other locations in the Karla hills, near Khandala. Travelers coming from Mumbai to Khandala via the Mumbai-Pune

way line between Mumbai (Bombay) and Pune (Poona), all express trains plying between the two cities stop here and travelers can take express trains passing through Lonavala to reach Mumbai and Pune.

42

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

May 30, 2014

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Cyprus bets on Modi govt, tourism to boost ties NEW DELHI: Keen to further boost bilateral ties with India under Narendra Modi-led government, Cyprus is looking to bolster tourism activities as well as make the island nation a shooting destination for Indian film makers.

Cyprus, the seventh largest

source of FDI into the country, is also pinning hopes on the new Indian regime to sort out tax issues which has created "immense obstacles" for investment activities between the two sides.

Striking an optimistic note, a Cyprus Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that a visit to India

Cyprus beache

by the country's President Nicos Anastasiades would help in creating a new atmosphere.

Emphasizing that Cyprus and India have traditionally had close ties, the official said the island nation was looking forward to the new government in New Delhi so that bilateral ties can be further enhanced and strengthened.

"The areas of trade, investments and commerce remain of primary importance, while at the same time we are looking to boost tourism in both directions.

"In addition, Cyprus being a 'natural studio' is trying to establish itself as a shooting destination for Indian film productions, which in itself will enhance tourism and cultural relations," the spokesperson told PTI. Many Indian films have been shot in Cyprus, known for its scenic beaches and natural beauty. "... a visit by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, to India, can do a lot to create a new atmosphere, which will be conducive in the promotion of our relations and the opening of new areas and avenues of fruitful co-operation," the spokesperson said.-PTI

Role of private players in tourism stressed DEHRADUN: In order to boost tourism in the state, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has stressed on the participation of private players and asked officials to prepare solid plans for the same.

Reviewing the progress of tourism department at a meeting, Rawat discussed the setting up of a three member single window system to encourage entrepreneurs in the sector.

He also stressed on promotion and propagation of tourism related plans and approved Rs 20 crore for the same.

The Chief Minister directed that plans be made for the provision of helicopter-tourism of the Himalayan range in the state for tourists from across the country and the world.

A Gangotri trekking route development board should be set up for hikers and trekkers, he said.

Rawat also said that the Mussoorie-Rajpur road would be

made two lane to allow Volvo vehicles to run smoothly. A bus station would also be set up on Rajpur road for smooth flow of traffic.

The Chief Minister also directed for the setting up of an infrastructure board under the tour-

ism department which would work for the development of tourism of the state on a national and international level.

Rawat also said that tax cuts for tourism operators during off-season would be considered. -PTI

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat

Uttarakhand to launch Himalaya Darshan program DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand government will launch Himalaya Darshan program by air from October 1 this year to promote tourism in the hill state.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat has asked the tourism and civil aviation departments to prepare a detailed roadmap for the successful conduct of the ambitious program, saying Uttarakhand is reputed all over the world as a state endowed with rare natural beauty.

"Under Himalaya Darshan program, proposed to be launched from October 1, tourists will be flown in choppers over the picturesque mountain ranges of

Uttarakhand," Chief Minister's media in-charge Surendra Kumar said here.

This will not only attract visitors from across the country and abroad to the hill state but also help in establishing it as a major destination on the world tourism map, he said. -PTI

Obama aims to lure more foreign travelers Cont’d from page 42

Congress recently gave the green light for an additional 2,000 border guards to be deployed.

On January 19, 2012 Obama set the goal of making the United States the world's top tourism destination by, among other things, granting more visas to people from China and Brazil.

Two years later, the White House says it has made significant progress by reducing the average time people from those countries

must wait to get a visa.

The White House says the total number of visas granted by the United States has gone up by 42 percent since 2010, reaching 9.2 million in 2013.

Obama wants the United States to lure 100 million visitors a year by 2021. In 2013, the figure was 70 million, compared to 55 million in 2009, according to figures released by the administration.

The administration says nearly eight million jobs in America are linked to tourism. -AFP

44

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„ Health

Line

Flu claims 107 lives in NC this season RALEIGH, N.C.: Figures from the State Department of Health and Human Services show that 107 people died from the flu in North Carolina this season, compared with 59 the previous season.

Just nine died in the season that ended in spring 2011.

State medical epidemiologist Zack Moore tells The News & Observer of Raleigh that one reason for the higher number of deaths may be that younger people worry less about the flu and are less likely to get their shots.

This season, nearly two-thirds of the deaths were reported in people between the ages of 24 and 65.

Typically, the virus begins showing up in late fall and cases subside by mid-May, when the state typically issues its last weekly flu statistics report of the season. -AP

„ Olive oil on veggies may lower blood pressure LONDON: A Mediterranean diet that combines unsaturated fats with nitrite-rich vegetables, such as olive oil and lettuce, can protect you from hypertension, a new study suggests.

The findings led by King's College London help to explain why some previous studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet can reduce blood pressure.

Such a diet typically includes unsaturated fats found in olive oil, nuts and avocados, along with vegetables like spinach, celery and carrots that are rich in nitrites and nitrates.

When these two food groups are combined, the reaction of unsaturated fatty acids with nitrogen compounds in the vegetables results in the formation of nitro fatty acids.

The study, supported by the British Heart Foundation, used mice to investigate the process by which these nitro fatty acids lower blood pressure, looking at whether they inhibited an enzyme known as soluble Epoxide Hydrolase which regulates blood pressure.

Mice genetically engineered to be resistant to this inhibitory process were found to maintain their high blood pressure despite being fed the type of nitro fatty acids that normally form when a Mediterranean diet is consumed. -PTI

Health Science

'Mental illness may be deadlier than smoking' Details on Page 47

45 India Post

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May 30, 2014

Sign-ups impressive but Health care law still fails to impress WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama celebrated when sign-ups for his health care law topped 8 million, far exceeding expectations after a slipshod launch. Most Americans, however, remain unimpressed.

A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds that public opinion continues to run deeply negative on the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature effort to cover the uninsured. Forty-three percent oppose the law, compared with just 28 percent in support.

The pattern illustrates why the health care law remains a favored target for Republicans seeking a Senate majority in the midterm elections.

The poll does have a bright spot for the administration: Those who signed up for coverage aren't reeling from sticker shock. Most said they found premiums in line with what they expected, or even lower.

But even that was diminished by another finding: More than one-third of those who said they or someone in their household tried to enroll, were ultimately unable to do so. For the White House, it's an uncomfortable reminder of the technical problems

that paralyzed the HealthCare.gov website for weeks after it went live last fall.

The example of business owner Henry Kulik shows some of the cross-currents of public opinion.

Kulik is disabled as a result of

Kulik says he doesn't believe the federal government should require people to carry health insurance, as the law does. And he can understand worries about the cost to taxpayers. On the other hand, he's been able to slash what his family pays for health insur-

President Barack Obama speaks at White House in Washington. The Obama administration celebrated when sign-ups for the health care law crossed the 8-million mark after a stumbling start. But most Americans are unimpressed.

Lou Gehrig's disease, a condition that destroys the brain's ability to control muscle movement. His family runs several stores that sell ice cream and other summer refreshments in the Philadelphia area.

ance by purchasing coverage through the law's new insurance markets and by taking advantage of tax credits to lower the premiums.

Before the law, his family was

paying $2,400 a month. Now it's several hundred dollars. And Kulik says the insurance for himself, his wife, and three children is comparable to what they had before. ``I think there is a lot of misinformation,'' he says.

Obama's health care law offers subsidized private coverage to middle-class people who have no health plan on the job, and it expands Medicaid to pick up lowincome uninsured adults. But last fall's launch of new health insurance markets was paralyzed by technical problems. The debacle contributed to the departure of health secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

After Congress approved the law in 2010, a political backlash over its Medicare cuts, tax increases and new regulations helped Republicans win the House. This fall the GOP is following a similar strategy with the Senate at stake. ``Republicans hold an advantage on this issue among people who feel strongly about it,'' said Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health, who follows opinion trends on health care.

Cont'd on Page 47

No-smoking undertaking for jobs in Rajasthan JAIPUR: Anyone seeking a job through direct recruitment process in Rajasthan government services will now have to submit an undertaking of "nonsmoking and non-gutka use" with the application.

State Personnel and Training Department, in an order, circulated to all departments, corporations, agencies, public service commission and district collectors, has asked to get the undertaking in writing from applicants seeking job through direct recruitment, official sources said here.

Applicants should undertake an oath on a paper while apply-

ing that they do not smoke cigarette and chew gutka (betel-nut with tobacco), the order categorically said.

Since the DOPT order was released on the eve of Assembly

during the Lok Sabha polls too, the order was lying pending for fresh job openings, they said.

Last month a Co-ordination Committee of five power companies adopted this order effectively

polls last year (October 2013) and the Code of Conduct was effected immediately last year and now

and sought "undertakings of nonsmoking and non-gutka use" from applicants in its direct job open-

ings in electricity corporations, the state energy and power department sources said.

The DOPT order, made in compliance to the state-level committee for tobacco control, had recommended that no person shall be offered a government job, if he or she smokes or chew tobacco.

Hailing the initiative in government services, general secretary of Indian Asthma Care Society Dharamveer Kateva said the move should be welcomed everywhere, and non-alcoholic undertaking should also be added with this oath. -PTI

46 India Post

Health Science Post

May 30, 2014

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Dentist tries to extract 20 teeth; kills patient NEW YORK: License of an Indian dentist was revoked in the US after he attempted to extract 20 teeth from the mouth of a 64-year-old woman in one sitting which led to her death.

The dentist, Doctor Rashmi Patel was performing the procedure on Judith Gan on February 17 when she gurgled and lost consciousness.

The procedure included placing implants in the woman's mouth after removing the teeth, according to the New York Daily News.

The paper quoted Patel's assistant as saying that he had requested him to stop the procedure before calling the emergency services.

"He wanted to complete the placement of implants as the assistant begged Patel to stop working, and finally ran out and called 911, but the patient had already flatlined," the state Department of Public Health wrote in a report.

"The four count petition found, among an array of other misdeeds, that Patel deviated from standard of care in that he did not timely and properly respond to Gan's oxygen desaturation and/or respiratory distress and/or cardio-pulmonary distress," state records reported.

"Gan did not have to die to receive this dental treatment and it is because of Patel's negligence that she died," said a dentist who was asked to review the case for the Department of Health.

Patel's license, issued in 2003, was suspended on April 21 pending a June 18 hearing in front of the state dental commission.

Patel runs two clinics in Enfield and Torrington.

"Patel has been ordered to stay away from his patients after one died and another spent six days in the hospital," state health officials said.

The horror of Gan's botched procedure came after a December incident, when a 55year-old man "aspirated the throat pack" and was rushed to the hospital. The victim stopped breathing and spent six days in the hospital after suffering heart and lung damage.

Patel was also sued for malpractice by a former employee in 2009 after he performed "shoddy" dental work. Doreen Jasonis won nearly USD 500,000 from a jury in 2011, but the ruling was appealed and eventually ended with an out-of-court settlement.

The dentist's attorney says both clinics remain open and that Patel will fight the charges. -PTI

Drinking alone increases risky behavior LONDON: Want to avoid risky behavior after consuming alcohol? Drink in a group.

Being in a group when drinking moderate amounts of alcohol makes people view risk more cautiously, a new study has found.

Psychologists from the University of Kent and the University of East Anglia found that individuals who consume moderate amounts of alcohol in social situations are likely to view risky situations with

greater caution when considering them as part of a group.

Researchers asked Kent students who were drinking in groups in bars and at a music festival at its Canterbury campus to decide what levels of risk they thought was acceptable before recommending someone should take various actions.

They accepted a higher level of risk when they were drinking and deciding alone, rather than when they were drinking and deciding in a group of others.

In the study, 101 participants aged 1830 who were in groups were approached to take part. The researchers compared groups of people who were just under the drinkdriving limit with groups that had not consumed any alcohol.

The participants first gave their private judgments about how much risk they would accept before recommending a potentially risky action - for example, whether it would be acceptable to drive to collect a friend from an airport after drinking.

They then re-joined the group and discussed a second problem and the group had to agree how much risk would be acceptable.

"When intoxicated, it is known that people are more likely to engage in risky behavior, including the use of illicit drugs, engaging in violent and other criminal activity and driving at dangerous speeds," said Dr Tim Hopthrow, of Kent's Centre for the Study of Group Processes.

"Our findings confirmed that individual risk decisions are increased by higher alcohol consumption.

"Our previous research, which had been conducted in laboratory conditions, showed that effects of alcohol consumption that affect people drinking alone, such as becoming riskier, are reduced or eliminated when people make judgments together with other drinkers in a group. -PTI

States scrutinize insurance enrollment workers DOVER, Del.: Republican lawmakers in criminal records, but a criminal background several states continue to push for tighter typically does not automatically disqualify oversight of workers who help people ap- someone from helping people enroll for ply for health care insurance under the Af- health insurance. State officials have infordable Care Act, even though there's no stead reviewed those applicants on a casesign yet that enrollment assistants have by-case basis. -AP misused consumers' personal information.

More than a dozen GOP-controlled states have passed legislation requiring licensing or background checks for people helping consumers buy health insurance on the federal marketplace, and similar bills are pending in other states. Proponents say the requirements will help protect consumers from identity theft.

Government officials have acCora Vay, right, a customer service representative, knowledged that enrollment work- explains a health insurance plan to Michael Carradine, ers in some states, including Cali- second from left, who came with his mother, Natividad Martin, left, to sign up for health care fornia, Nevada and Delaware, have

May 30, 2014

Health Science Post

India Post 47

www.indiapost.com

'Mental illness may be deadlier than smoking' LONDON: Serious mental illnesses reduce life expectancy by 10-20 years - a loss of years that's equivalent to or worse than that for heavy smoking, a new Oxford study has warned.

Despite these stark figures and the similar prevalence of problems, mental health has not seen the same public health priority, researchers said.

The figures should galvanize governments and health and social services to put a much higher priority on how mental

including over 1.7 million individuals and over 250,000 deaths.

The average reduction in life expectancy in people with bipolar disorder was found to be between 9 and 20 years, it's 10-20 years for schizophrenia, between 9 and 24 years for drug and alcohol abuse, and around 7-11 years for recurrent depression.

The loss of years among heavy smokers is 8-10 years, researchers said.

All diagnoses studied showed an increase in mortality risk, though the size of the risk varied greatly. Many had risks equivalent to or higher than heavy All diagnoses studied showed smoking.

"We found that many mental health an increase in mortality risk, diagnoses are associated with a drop though the size of the in life expectancy as great as that associated with smoking 20 or more cigariskvaried greatly. Many had rettes a day," said Seena Fazel of the risks equivalent to or higher Department of Psychiatry at Oxford. than heavy smoking.

"There are likely to be many reasons for this. High-risk behaviors are health services can prevent early deaths, common in psychiatric patients, especially according to Oxford University psychia- drug and alcohol abuse, and they are more trists. likely to die by suicide.

Researchers searched for the best sysThe stigma surrounding mental health tematic reviews of clinical studies which may mean people aren't treated as well for reported mortality risk for a whole range of physical health problems when they do see diagnoses - mental health problems, sub- a doctor," said Fazel. stance and alcohol abuse, dementia, autisOne problem is the tendency to sepatic spectrum disorders, learning disability rate mental and physical illness, said Fazel. and childhood behavioral disorders.

The finding was published in the jourTwenty review papers were identified, nal World Psychiatry. -PTI

Sign-ups impressive but Health care law still fails to impress Cont'd from Page 45

Still, just 17 percent of poll respondents said the law will be completely repealed.

While that represents an increase of 5 percentage points from March, the poll found that 67 percent believe the health law will be implemented with changes, whether major or superficial.

In Walhalla, South Carolina, digital publisher Greg Freeman says he's no big fan of the president. But now into his late 30s, Freeman thought it would be a good idea to get health insurance through the new law. It took several tries to navigate the federal enrollment website, but Freeman says he's generally satisfied. His main complaint is that his new doctor is about an hour away, in a bigger town to the east. ``I can see if some of the kinks can be worked out this could be a very positive thing in the long run,'' Freeman said. ``We should be in a position to be healthiest country in the world.''

The poll found that sign-up success translated into higher approval for the health care law. Among those who succeeded in purchasing coverage, 51 percent back the law, compared with 30 percent among those who tried to sign up

and weren't successful.

In the tiny coastal Oregon town of Reedsport, locksmith Marvin Plunkett says he's disappointed that public opinion about the law remains so negative. He was able to gain coverage through the state's expanded Medicaid program.

Plunkett recalled former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's discredited charge that the law would set up ``death panels'' to judge

In the tiny coastal Oregon town of Reedsport, locksmith Marvin Plunkett says he's disappointed that public opinion about the law remains so negative.

He was able to gain coverage through the state's expanded Medicaid program. whether seniors should receive medical care. ``The truth about it is pretty mundane,'' he said. ``But the lies are really exciting and emotional.'' -AP

Pak docs train in India on liver transplant NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its-kind training program, a team of doctors from Pakistan have come to India for training at a private hospital here.

Six doctors from Shaikh Zayadh Hospital in Lahore, one of the leading hospitals in Pakistan, are here for a month to undergo liver transplant training under the guidance and supervision of Dr Subhash Gupta, senior consultant of Liver Transplant at the Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences at Indraprashtha Apollo Hospital.

Dr Amer Latif, a senior liver consultant from Pakistan said the team basically wanted to learn the liver transplant procedure and techniques used here in India which has benefitted many Pakistani nationals.

"Many Pakistani nationals underwent liver transplant in India and are now leading a healthy life. This training program is aimed at exchanging ideas and sharing the techniques and methods used during liver transplant," said Latif.

"This training program would help in better exchange of innovative ideas and latest technology and would be beneficial to the patients as well as doctors. This is an important step towards building rela-

tions with fellow doctors across the border," said Dr Subhash Gupta.

The doctors also went for sight-seeing in and around the national capital. They visited Lal Quila and Chandni Chowk among other places.

The team of doctors who are attending the training program include Dr Amer Latif (consultant, HPB/Liver Transplant Surgeon), Dr Akif Dilshad (consultant, Liver Transplant Hepatology), Dr Muhammad Aamir Khan (consultant, Radiologist), Dr Muhammad Sarwar (Anesthetist) among others. -PTI

Dr. Subash Gupta, Senior Consultant, Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital

In Brief Ethiopian sentenced for US immigration crimes DENVER: An Ethiopian jail guard accused of torturing and killing dozens of people during government-sponsored violence in the 1970s has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for immigration crimes by a federal judge who said the United States cannot become a refuge for human-rights violators.

Defendant Kefelgn Alemu Worku had lived quietly in the Denver area for eight years until 2011, when another Ethiopian recognized and confronted him outside a cafe with the words, ``I think I know you,'' before alerting authorities.

Worku was convicted last year of assuming another man's identity and lying on U.S. immigration forms by denying that he committed acts of political persecution. ``The risk that this country becomes regarded as a safe haven for violators of human rights is such that the maximum sentence is required,'' U.S. District Judge John L. Kane said during sentencing, adding there was undeniable evidence that Worku had a role in war crimes. ``The relatively harmless lifestyle he has had in the United States does not change the character flaw of psychopathy.''

Two witnesses testified during the hearing that Worku routinely beat them and others at Higher 15, a detention center established during the political violence in Ethiopia known as the Red Terror. -AP

„ Senate holds immigrant health coverage bill SACRAMENTO, Calif.: The state Senate is holding legislation that seeks to extend health care coverage to immigrants who are in the country illegally until lawmakers find a way to pay for it.

The Senate Appropriations Committee held SB1005 by Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara of Long Beach. The move makes it harder for the bill to advance because it will require a two-thirds vote.

Federal health care reforms prohibit immigrants in the country illegally from receiving subsidies for insurance or qualifying for Medicaid coverage, known as Medi-Cal in California.

The bill proposes to extend Medi-Cal benefits to them while also creating a separate health benefit exchange to provide subsidies.

It would cost as much as $900 million in additional Medi-Cal spending and up to $400 million more in state subsidies. -AP

Immigration 48 India Post

www.indiapost.com

May 30, 2014

South Africa visa to Indian businessmen in 4 days Details on page 49

Illegal immigration in Texas sees increase MCALLEN, TEXAS: A shift by immigrant smugglers to target the tough-to-defend U.S.-Mexico border in southernmost Texas has accelerated this year as the Border Patrol scrambles to shift its resources from states farther west, according to an internal agency report obtained by The Associated Press.

From Oct. 1 through May 17, agents in the southernmost tip of Texas made more than 148,000 arrests, on pace to match last year's total in less than eight months, according to the intelligence report. That compares with nearly 63,000 arrests in the Tucson, Arizona, sector, which it surpassed for the first time just last year. The Rio Grande Valley sector averaged nearly 1,100 arrests per day from May 11-17, according to the document.

What these numbers look like on the ground is a near-constant flow of people across the Rio Grande. The arrests do not represent the full level of traffic, only those who are caught, but the report's hourly breakdowns showed the arrests never stopped.

Heat maps illustrating concentrations of arrests glowed bright red along miles of the Rio Grande south of McAllen.

"I don't think we have anywhere near the resources that we

would require to even make a dent in what we've got going on here," said Chris Cabrera, a Border Patrol agent in McAllen and local vice president of the agents' union.

"I think it's common knowledge that we don't have the resources,

were made the night before. They saw more than 1,000 immigrants, many mothers with infants or solo teenagers, being held in spaces intended to accommodate only a fraction of that.

In a statement, Department of

U.S. Border Patrol agents escort a group of undocumented immigrants into custody with helicopter support from the U.S. Office of Air and Marine on May 20, 2013 near the U.S.-Mexico border in Havana, Texas.

that's why they're coming in droves like they are. They're exploiting a weakness that they've found and quite frankly they're doing a good job of it."

When a delegation of state agriculture commissioners from around the country visited the McAllen Border Patrol station, they were told about 1,400 arrests

Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Catron addressed the government's efforts to deal with unaccompanied children, who have contributed to the crowded conditions at Border Patrol stations and overwhelmed available shelter space. The government has announced it would once again temporarily house as many

as 1,000 of the children at a San Antonio Air Force base. DHS has designated someone to coordinate efforts, sent additional senior staff to the region and expanded awareness campaigns in the immigrants' home countries.

Last month, at the McAllen station to welcome a new group of temporarily assigned agents, the sector's Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz said he and the new chief were talking a lot about staff levels.

"We do plan to bring on additional agents," Ortiz said. "Our plan is to certainly increase the staffing commensurate with the threat level down here."

The Border Patrol has been trying to beef up its resources in the area for more than a year. Most new academy graduates come straight to Texas, and 115 agents from sectors elsewhere in Texas as well as Arizona and California have been temporarily detailed here. At the end of the last fiscal year, the Tucson sector had 1,049 more agents than the Rio Grande Valley.

The difference is not only in agents. Drones hum above the South Texas border with highpowered cameras, and a growing fleet of blimp-like aerostats are tethered at busy crossing spots to watch with infrared cameras.

Cont'd on Page 49

UK unpopular among Indian, Pak students LONDON: The number of overseas students coming to study in Britain from Commonwealth countries like India and Pakistan has dwindled from one lakh to 35,000 in the past three years, according to the latest immigration report.

The official report issued by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicated a steep decline in students from India and other Commonwealth countries opting other international destinations for studies.

"The number of overseas stu-

dents coming to study in Britain from Commonwealth countries such as India and Pakistan had

UK University bodies and critics of the country's immigration policy have been warning the UK

"It is important to note that both India and China are important markets for UK universities seeking to attract international students they're getting the cold shoulder and heading elsewhere.,, fallen from one lakh to 35,000 in the past three years", the report said.

government over toughening visa policies driving overseas students, who pay much higher fees,

to other countries such as the US and Australia.

Most recently, a House of Lords committee had accused the government of creating an unwelcoming atmosphere for international students from countries like India.

"It is important to note that both India and China are important markets for UK universities seeking to attract international students they're getting the cold shoulder and heading elsewhere.

Cont'd on Page 49

Immigration Post

May 30, 2014

India Post 49

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South Africa visa to Indian businessmen in 4 days NEW DELHI: South Africa would grant visa to Indian businessmen who intend to explore prospects in the country for mutual business gains within four days of submitting an application.

"Since South Africa enjoys a cordial relationship with India and its companies are expanding their businesses in South Africa, the decision to grant visa facilities has been taken to further cement business ties between both countries," South African High Commissioner to India F K Morule said at a PHD Chamber session here.

The High Commissioner further said that the South African diplomatic missions overseas would extend this facility to other friendly nations as well, a PHD Chamber release said.

"India's relations with South Africa have flourished over the years. The bilateral trade between India and South Africa has grown substantially from USD 7.5 billion in 2008-09 to USD 11.15 billion in 2013-14," Morule said.

"India ranks amongst the top

10 trading partners of South Africa and is now South Africa's fifth largest export destination and sixth largest source of imports. India's investments in South Africa are estimated at around USD 6 billion to date and are expected to touch USD 7 billion in the coming years," he added.

neering goods, metals, minerals, textiles, agro-processing, healthcare, water and sanitation.

Besides, Minister Counselor (Economic) in the High Commission of South Africa Stefanus Botes expressed hope that with new governments in place both in South Africa and India, negotia-

According to Morule, economic cooperation between the two countries could be diversified into areas such as transport equipment, computer software, engi-

tion on India-SACU Preferential Trade Agreement would progress to benefit both the economies.

South African Customs Union (SACU), with a common Custom Tariff Policy, comprises of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia.

During the sixth session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission Meeting held in New Delhi on 5-6 December 2005, both countries agreed that a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement within a reasonable time.

In the interim, the two sides agreed on a limited scope agreement providing for exchange of tariff concessions on select list of products between India and SACU which would give further impetus to bilateral trade and urged for its early conclusion. So far, five rounds of negotiations of IndiaSACU PTA have been held.

India and South Africa are also engaged in various multilateral fora such as IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), G-20, and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and have a common approach on many global issues, including the future of multilateralism, South-South Cooperation and multilateral trade negotiations. -PTI

UK unpopular among Indian, Pak students Cont'd from Page 48

The rules are seen as too complex and subject to endless changes, the visa costs are not competitive, and the rules relating to work after study are so limiting that prospective students are heading to the US, Australia, Canada and elsewhere," the Lords Science and Technology Committee had said in a report last month.

The official migration figures, released on the day the UK is voting in its European Union elections, also show a rise in the arrival of EU citizens to the UK in the year to December 2013.

The ONS found that 201,000 EU citizens came into the UK as longterm immigrants, seen as a statistically significant increase of 43,000 over the previous year.

These figures are likely to give a boost to the UK's anti-immigration far-right party, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which is believed to be on course to register a major win in the polls.

The overall net migration figures show that the UK government's squeeze on immigration from outside the European Union (EU) from countries like India is working, with migration from the rest of the world falling to 146,000 in 2013, down 11,000 on the previous year and the lowest level for 10 years.

However the figures will still be seen as a blow to British Prime Minister David Cameron, with migration running at more than double his manifesto target of "tens of thousands" by next year's general election. -PTI

Illegal immigration in Texas sees increase Cont'd from Page 48

But one slide in a presentation

by Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher in March listed each sector's "deployment density," which it defined as having "sufficient assets to detect and respond to illicit cross-border activity." At that point, before the arrival of the temporary detail, the Rio Grande Valley ranked third from the bottom on the Southwest border at 58 percent, compared with 100 percent in San Diego.

The Southwest border totals are less than half the arrests made annually between 2004 and 2006, though they've been rising for the past two years.

When most of the traffic was crossing in Tucson, the overwhelming majority were Mexican

citizens.

But of the 7,640 arrests made in the Rio Grande Valley last week, Mexicans ranked fourth, behind people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Widespread gang violence and lack of economic opportunity are cited as factors in the growing numbers of people from those countries.

Crossing through Mexico into South Texas is their most direct route.

Immigrant smuggling is a huge business dominated by Mexico's drug cartels, which either cross the groups themselves or collect a tax per head from smugglers.

"These guys watch us," Cabrera said. "They know where we're at, when we're going to be there, when we're going to leave."

-AP

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2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659

Datebook

50 India Post

NEW JERSEY Upcoming Fri, June 6 • Ghulam Ali (Farewell Tour) Venue: Edison Hotel, 3050,Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 8: 00 pm

Sat, June 7 • ETV Paadutaa Teeyaga in NJ Venue: Green Brook Middle School, 132 Jefferson Ave, Green Brook, NJ 08812 Time : 11:00 am Contact: 425-638-3298

Sat, June 14 • 8th Annual Kite and Color Festival Venue: Buena Vista Camping Resort, 775 Harding Highway, Buena, NJ 08310 Time: 11:00 am Contact: 856-293-1970

NEW YORK Upcoming

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sat, May 31 • Ghulam Ali Live In Concert

Tue, June 3 • La Disco Loca Dishkiyaoon

Venue: Hindu Auditorium, 143-09 Holly Ave, Flushing, NY 11355 Time : 8:00 pm Contact : 917-855-2057

Venue: Mumbai Madness, 2691 Richter Ave, Irvine, CA 92606 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 949-345-1641

Sat, Jun 7

June 5th to 8th • Bombay Jayashree And

• Babbu Maan Live In New York Venue: York College, 94-20 Guy R, Brewer Blvd Jamaica, NY 11451 Time: 07:30 pm Contact : 516-946-4748

Sat, Jun 21 • 17th Annual Event by Asavari Venue: Valimar Clubhouse, 166 Valimar Blvd, White Plains, NY 10603 Time: 03:00 pm Contact: 9149488969

May 30, 2014

Shubha Mudgal Live In Bay Area Venue: Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 450 Persian Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Time: 6 pm Contact: 510-305-9285

June 6 and 7,8 • Mount Madonna School's 36th annual Ramayana!

Venue: Mexican Heritage Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose Time: 7 pm June 8 Time: 2 pm Tickets: All Seats Reserved, $35 Adults/$25 Children (18 and under) Contact: MountMadonnaSchool.org/ ramayana

Sat, Jun 7 • Swadeshi Ayya A Play By Y.Gee Mahendra Venue: Carrington Hall, 1201 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062 Time : 4:00 pm Contact: 408-892-9907

June 5th to 8th • Bombay Jayashree And Shubha Mudgal Live In Bay Area Venue: Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 450 Persian Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Contact: 510-305-9285

Sat, Jun 14 • Desi Rock Star

ILLINOIS Upcoming • J K Yog Satsang and Bal Mukund Hindi Classes are held

Venue: The Event Center, San Jose State

every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of

University, 290 S 7th St, San Jose,

Month

CA 95112

Chicago Satsang Information:

Time: 07:30 pm

J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda

Contact: 510-677-2777

Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets,

Sun, Jun 22 •Halo Ne Apna Malak Ma

Board Room, 933 South Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126 Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm

Venue: Jain Temple, 722 South Main Street,

Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok

Milpitas, CA 95035

@ 630-561-4807

Time: 4:30 pm

Website: www.jkyog.org

Contact: 408-646-0330

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, May 31 • ETV Paadutaa Teeyaga in Atlanta

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes

Venue: Independence High School, 86

Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins

School Dr, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next

Time: 11:00 am

to Nissan Dealership)

Sun, Jun 1 • ETV Paadutaa Teeyaga in Atlanta Venue: Independence High School, 86

Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org/bal-mukund

School Dr, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Mondays and Fridays

Time: 3:00 pm

• Free ESL - English as Second

Sun, June 29 • Bollywood Dream Girl Hema Malini As Durga Venue: Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280

Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL,

Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30303

Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm

Time: 6:30pm

Contact: 773-465-3105

Horoscope

May 30, 2014

India Post

51

www.indiapost.com

Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

MAY 30 TH - JUNE 5 TH , 2014 (March 21 to April 20)

T

here is a strong chance of some kind of Jackpot. Investment made in the past will get you tons of money and have no fear about new partners in business, they will play on your tune later on. People earlier suffering from ailments will cured with help of new medications. There will be some dramatic positive change in career.

(September 23 to October 22)

T

here will be lots of excitement about an upcoming trip. People in business will see a sudden surge in sales with new first time clients. An old appeal will get accepted and you will receive the confirmation letter. Your car will need minor repairs. Boss will be happy with your performance and make necessary recommendations.

(October 23 to November 22)

(April 21 to May 20)

I

t will be a hectic week, Limited time and so many important places to visit. You will buy some expensive but useful item for the house.

Things will be more relaxed at work and even of of your colleague will offer his help. Transiting Sun in first can get you some money through stocks also. Do not hesitate to try your hands at lottery.

C

hances of making money through stocks are very strong. You will become very ambitious and try your hands in different directions and will get some results too. Some of you may join a short term course to improve your chances in this challenging world. Children will keep you involved and plan more than one trip.

(November 23 to December 22)

(May 21 to June 20)

M

oney may pour in from totally unexpected places. Old payments will finally show up and the business should also pick up suddenly. You will be making frequent phone calls to a sibling and exchange few good news. Your past actions will pay off now and you will be admired by everyone at the party. Let the past go and think positive only.

Y

ou will put some assets in market to reduce ongoing financial pressure. Mind will be inclined towards spiritually and it will help restore peace in mind. You will be invited to couple of upcoming social events. There are strong chances of money through legal procedure. You will call someone for direction and advice.

(June 21 to July 22)

Y

ou may be sending some money overseas for a very good reason. Drive within speed limits when on freeway and traveling long distance. Some one who was too close long ago will once again try to flirt with you. Legal matters will start moving in the right direction and a comfortable settlement is almost within your reach in a few days.

(December 22 to January 19)

H

ealth issues will come under controls with right procedure and medication. You may win some money in lottery too. Spouse will get emotional quick so have patience with her. You will be working on several brilliant ideas and one of them will click soon.Business meetings will go well but results will come next week.

(July 23 to August 22)

P

roperty deal will also close this week. Just watch out for a shady character trying to flirt and come too close. People in business will be cheerful to see their sales almost double up in short period. You are very close to getting some money out of a pending litigation. You may travel to a real nice and warm area with family.

(January 20 to February 18)

S

ome of you will get a lucky break in career. Position you always wanted will be offered with better benefits. You may spend an evening with people from political background. Kids will be excited about an upcoming long distance trip. Money wise you will continue to do well and meet all commitments on time.

(August 23 to September 22)

T

here will be lots of activities in career. You may finally receive more than one contract in your hands. Seems like a female will be instrumental on the other side for these. It will be better to ignore the immature comment from a sibling. You will be going on a short trip with children to attend a social event this week.

PANDIT PARASHAR, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations.

He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com

(February 19 to March 20)

I

dea of legal action to prove your point will cross your mind. Strategy will silence people who have been taking undue advantage of your generosity. You may be assigned a lighter project by the boss. You will visit an old friend with family this week. There are strong chance of a second source of income opening this week.

510-886-4370 www.parashar.com

52

Classifieds

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May 30, 2014

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RESTAURANT FOR SALE/RENT Well equipped & very nicely furnished Indian Restaurant on SALE & RENT located in the heart of Devon Ave Market.

Best location in Chicago. Only serious enquiries please.

Call: 312-479-5506

WANTED FINANCE MANAGER FINANCE MANAGER WANTED URGENTLY. ANY WORK EXPERIENCE CAN APPLY. MUST BE ACCURATE, COMPUTER LITERATE, HAVE GOOD TYPING SKILLS AND HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF COMMUNICATION.

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MATRIMONIALS BRIDE-GROOM WANTED LOOKING FOR BRIDECITIZEN OR GREEN CARD HOLDER

For a New Jersey based Jain boy, 25, 5’11” well built, graduated in computer science from NIU university-near Chicago, presently working as a senior software engineer in I-GATE solutions in NJ. Good family backgroundfather a journalist and mother a former bank employee in Mumbai.

Contact: Pratima at 98212 61134 or e mail : pratimadshah@gmail.com or Madhav at 815-793-7277 or e-mail

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Philosophy

May 30, 2014

India Post 53

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis Narada Muni

B

hakti is intense love for God. It is the nectar of love, getting which man becomes perfect, immortal, and satisfied for ever; getting which man desires no more, does not become jealous of anything, does not take pleasure in vanities. Knowing which man becomes filled with spirituality, becomes calm, and finds pleasure only in God. Bhakti cannot be used to fill any desire, itself being the check to all desires.

Sannyâsa is giving up both the popular and the scriptural forms of worship. The Bhakti-Sannyasin is the one whose whole soul goes unto God, and whatever militates against love to God, he rejects.

Giving up all other refuge, he takes refuge in God. Scriptures are to be followed as long as one's life has not become firm; or else there is danger of doing evil in the name of liberty.

When love becomes established, even social forms are given up, except those which are necessary for the preservation of life.

The signs of love: When all thoughts, all words, and all deeds are given up unto the Lord, and the least forgetfulness of God makes one intensely miserable, then love has begun.

As the Gopis had it - Because, although worshipping God as their lover, they never forgot his Godnature; otherwise they would have

Ramesh S. Balsekar

T

he universe is uncaused, like a net of jewels in which each is only the reflection of all the others in a fantastic interrelated harmony without end.

Self-Realization is effortless.

What you are trying to find is what you already are. Enlightenment is total emptiness of mind. There is nothing you can do to get it. Any effort you make can only be an obstruction to it.

If you but cease from useless conceptualizing, you will be what you are and what you have always been. Seeing truly is not merely a change in the direction of seeing, but a change at its very center, in which the seer himself disappears.

The only ultimate understanding is that nothing is, not even he who understands. For enlightenment to happen the perceiver must turn right around and wake up to the fact that he is face to face with his own nature - that HE IS IT. The spiritual seeker ultimately finds that he was already at the destination, that he himself IS what he had been seeking and he was in fact already home.

Concepts can at best only serve to negate one another, as one thorn is used to remove another,

committed the sin of unchastity.

This is the highest form of love, because there is no desire of reciprocity, which desire is in all human love.

Bhakti is greater than Karma, greater than Jnâna, greater than Yoga (Râja-Yoga), because Bhakti itself is its result, because Bhakti is both the means and the end (fruit).

As a man cannot satisfy his hunger by simple knowledge or sight of food, so a man cannot be satis-

Meeting with a great soul is hard to obtain, and never fails to save the soul. Through the mercy of God we get such Gurus. There is no difference between Him and His (own) ones. Seek, therefore, for this.

Evil company is always to be shunned; because it leads to lust and anger, illusion, forgetfulness of the goal, destruction of the will (lack of perseverance), and destruction of everything.

These disturbances may at first be like ripples, but evil company

He crosses this river and helps others to cross it.

Nature of love The nature of love is inexpressible. As the dumb man cannot express what he tastes, but his actions betray his feelings, so man cannot express this love in words, but his actions betray it.

According to the qualities or conditions, this love manifests itself differently. The qualities are: Tamas (dullness, heaviness), Ra-

Bhakti is both the means and the end

Narada Muni

As a man cannot satisfy his hunger by simple knowledge or sight of food, so a man cannot be satisfied by the knowledge or even the perception of God until love comes; therefore love is the highest.

fied by the knowledge or even the perception of God until love comes; therefore love is the highest.

This is what the Masters have said about Bhakti: One who wants this Bhakti must give up sense enjoyments and even the company of people. Day and night he must think about Bhakti and nothing else. (He must) go where they sing or talk of God. The principal cause of Bhakti is the mercy of a great (or free) soul.

at last makes them like the sea. He gets across Maya who gives up all attachment, serves the great ones, lives alone, cuts the bandages of this world, goes beyond the qualities of nature, and depends upon the Lord for even his living.

He who gives up the fruits of work, he who gives up all work and the dualism of joy and misery, who gives up even the scriptures, gets that unbroken love for God;

jas (restlessness, activity), Sattva (serenity, purity); and the conditions are: Ârta (afflicted), Arthârthi (wanting something), Jijnâsu (searching truth), Jnâni, (knower).

Of these the latter are higher than the preceding ones. Bhakti is the easiest way of worship. It is its own proof and does not require any other.

Excerpted from Narad Bhakti Sutras, translated by Swami Vivekananda.

and then be thrown away. Only in deep silence do we leave concepts behind. Words and language deal only with concepts, and cannot approach Reality.

Between pure Awareness and Awareness reflected as consciousness there is a gap which the mind cannot cross. The reflec-

peared into the awareness of total potentiality that it is and has always been, this is called enlightenment.

Manifestation may adopt any number of forms but the substratum of all the myriad forms is Consciousness, without which there cannot be anything whatsoever.

phenomenality, and such perception is not a matter of will but of Grace.

Only that which was prior to the appearance of this body-consciousness is your true identity.

That is Reality. It is here and now, and there is no question of anyone being able to reach for it or

What you are trying to find is what you already are Manifestation may adopt any number of forms but the substratum of all the myriad forms is Consciousness, without which there cannot be anything whatsoever. tion of the sun in a drop of dew is not the sun itself.

Ceasing to conceptualize means ceasing to perceive objectively, which means perceiving non-objectively. It is to see the universe without choice or judgment and without getting into subject-object relationship. What happens then?

Nothing, except that you are what you were before you were born: everything.

When the apparent but illusory identity called a person has disap-

Nothing can have any meaning, or even any existence, except in terms of something else.

The man of wisdom is devoid of ego even though he may appear to use it. His vacant or fasting mind is neither doing anything nor not doing anything. He is outside of volition, neither this nor that. He is everything and nothing.

Your doubts will never be totally destroyed until perception has gone beyond mere

Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.

- Guru Nanak "O Lord, the world is on fire, save it by showering your grace. Save it by whichever way it can be saved."

- Guru Amar Das "There can be no rebirth without a dark night of the soul, a total annihilation of all that you believed in and thought that you were."

- Hazrat Inayat Khan, One of the tragedies of modern times is that people have come to believe that something said by someone in the past, perhaps for illustrative or provocation purposes, actually represents that person's beliefs at the time - Idries Shah "Born because of the karma of their past mistakes, they make more mistakes, and fall into mistakes."

- Sri Guru Granth Sahib

Ramesh S. Balsekar

grasp it.

The same Consciousness prevails at rest as the Absolute and in motion as duality. When the sense of 'me' disappears completely, duality vanishes in ecstasy.

To any conceptual problem there cannot be any valid answer except to see the problem in perspective as an empty thought.

Excerpted from A Net Of Jewels. The 97th birth anniversary of Ramesh Balsekar was observed on May 25

As the Lord Himself engages him, so is he engaged, no one has any say in this matter.

- Guru Gobind Singh Those who focus their consciousness on the True Guru are perfectly fulfilled and famous.

- Guru Arjun Dev

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Modi needs to evolve a new neighborhood strategy D SUBA CHANDRAN

M

ultiple foreign policy inputs have already started pouring in terms of options available or likely strategies that the new Prime Minister could/ should pursue. Narendra Modi would have his own foreign policy priorities already in terms of what needs to be done.

One important foreign policy area he has to address and make substantial intervention would be in terms of a strong and positive investment in our region - South Asia. In particular, the new government should invest in India's own sub-regions in North, Northeast, West and South to act as a bridge in reaching out to the neighborhood.

The focus of this commentary is limited to the above two points on the need for New Delhi to prioritize and invest in the region, and use

equate political capital in all its neighboring countries.

During the last decade, there was a perception and a policy attempt to bye-pass the region, if they are not willing to go along with New Delhi. Such a strategy involved, for example bye-passing Bangladesh in the east and Pakistan in the West, and use Myanmar and Afghanistan respectively as a springboard to reach out to Central Asia and Southeast Asia.

Despite substantial economic and political investment, such a strategy did not yield reciprocal dividend. The inherent ability of the neighbors, and the nuisance value of certain actors in the neighborhood is high; they could pull India's development down economically and socially.

It is imperative for the new

India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre left) with SAARC leaders after taking oath of office at the sprawling presidential palace in Delhi

its own sub-regions as a positive tool and leverage.

A comparison could be made with the previous government to avoid the mistakes and blunders.

Manmohan Singh, though professed about the need to invest in the region, he did consider US, China, European Union and East Asia as big ticket items; if there were any substantial investments in the region in terms of political and economic during the previous government, it was primarily limited to Afghanistan and Myanmar.

For India, it is imperative that it invests in the region, so as to grow at a particular economic growth rate and more importantly, to maintain social and political stability at the national level, and in particular, in its own sub-regions bordering the neighboring countries. It is in India's long term security interests - social, economic and political, that the new government makes ad-

Prime Minister to invest substantially in the region. But this is easier said than done. He would face three critical challenges in operationalizing any approach towards the region. First and foremost, the likely response from the region would play a substantial role in his pursuit of a regional policy.

The governments and the leading political actors, along with important pillars of the State such as the military and intelligence in India's neighborhood are not that euphoric about Modi's victory.

They are apprehensive and not sure of the new Prime Minister and his likely approach. His past record, especially the ghosts of Godhra still haunts the neighbors in shaping their perceptions towards Modi. Nor does the party he belong to and represent is well perceived in the region.

Besides their own perceptions, the leading political actors and other institutions in the neighborhood also have to worry about their own internal political equations with the rightist forces within their own country in terms of shaping a positive approach towards Modi.

Even if they want to and decide to, the political actors will always have to look behind their back in walking along with Modi.

Such is the internal situation and equations within most of the countries in the neighborhood.

From radical non-State groups such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba to military and intelligence institutions such as the ISI, can easily provoke India with less investment but maximum damage, as it happened with the Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008.

Second major challenge for Modi in terms of making substantial investments in the neighborhood would come from within - his own government and his own party. The equation between the Prime Minister's Office and those crucial departments of Home, External Affairs, Defense and Finance would play an important role, as it did during the previous government.

The Home and Interior Ministries all over the world will always remain apprehensive and cautious, for it is their job to do so. It is equally the job of the PMO to take calculated risks and ensure that the foreign policy is pursued through the Ministry of External Affairs. Besides the above ministries, the PMO also has the advice and experts opinion from the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and the National Security Advisor (NSA). He will have to carry them along, and do not get bogged down by them.

The final set of challenges for a strong regional investment for Modi would come from India's subregions, especially the Northeast, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and J&K. It is extremely important that Modi makes substantial investments in these regions within India as well and make them as a bridge between the rest of India and its neighborhood.

While the challenges are substantial, so are the opportunities.

Unlike the others, he can start afresh and does not have any baggage of the past vis-a-vis working with these sub-regions and also the region per se. He has an opportunity that Vajpayee had - to start afresh.

The writer is Director, IPCS

India Post

Well begun

N

arendra Modi has begun his innings with a master-stroke - by inviting the neighboring country heads to be present at his swearing in ceremony. The BJP called it celebration of democracy. Pakistan and Sri Lanka responded to the gesture by releasing Indian fishermen who may have unknowingly crossed the sea area supposedly belonging to the other country. More than any labored diplomatic parleys which produce little results such unusual but bold moves bring about a change in atmosphere. And much of the problems between countries are matters of perception. The view of India so far that it is cold and unmoving and doesn't empathize with neighbors changes for the better.

It brings a smile on the neighbors' faces. True, it raises lot of expectations but if it is matter of atmospherics, Modi seems to have begun on the right foot. It is necessary that his meetings with heads of state assembled for his swearing in produce results. This is an occasion for building friendships and Modi would need all the friends around him for the stupendous task he has set for himself.

On the home front also, Modi had assembled a glittering galaxy of India's best and brightest. A cross section of religious leaders were also conspicuous making a sharp departure from the anodyne secularism of the departing government which was frightened of being seen with Hindu religious leaders. For the first time a government has shown that there is no need to be ashamed of being Hindu and religious. The spectacular Varanasi ceremony where Modi offered prayers to the Ganga was telecast live by the TV channels and it was an event to remember. Something of our culture to be proud of. Modi has given back to the majority community the pride for being what they are.

The Modi cabinet has many familiar faces and many new ones also. The ones we have seen before do not inspire faith for anything remarkable that can do. The new ones are still to be tested.

But what makes the difference is Modi as the team leader. Will he be able to carry out his agenda through this cabinet and would there be ego tussles and hurdles? It is the personality of Modi and the powerful mandate he has secured from people which will prevent any part of his government from not carrying out his wishes.

It is a boon in the present times that he enjoys complete majority.

The way he has begun, even before taking oath, by asking the ministry secretaries to come out with video presentations of what they could not do and what they can do given a free hand gives a hint of the style of Modi and also that he means business.

There are lots of expectations from Modi and any shortcomings will be directly blamed on him. But he is made of much steel and his mission to serve the country and lead it to brighter days has not appeared overnight. It seems he had set eyes on it long ago and seriously began pursuing his goal almost two years ago, soon after he won the elections in Gujarat for the fourth time in succession. It is possible that the ideas he has to take the country forward may be similar to what the previous UPA government also planned but the difference this time will be in their implementation.

What has been left vague in the Modi cabinet is the ministry of defense. No one person has been found to be given full charge of it. Arun Jaitley, who already carries the heavy responsibility of the finance ministry, has been given additional change of defense too.

It seems Modi could not find a person in the present BJP strength to head the defense ministry which is a very important one. Maybe it his way of indirectly keeping the reins of this crucial ministry in own hands!

May 30, 2014

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