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Ro Khanna mobilizing grassroot support Details on page 16

VOL 19, No. 983

July 19, 2013

50¢

Periodical Postage

VISA CURBS AMOUNT TO 'NON-TARIFF BARRIERS'

Amar Bose

Inventor of Bose audio systems dies at 83 Details on page 12

Chidambaram flags concern over immigration bill

Minissha Lamba

FIA Chicago plans grand India Day

WASHINGTON: Flagging India's concern over the immigration reform bill with US authorities, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said the visa restrictions proposed on knowledge workers amount to non-tariff barriers.

The Minister, who was here on an official visit, raised the issue of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill with the US Congress members, including Joe Crowley, Sandy Levin, Erik Paulsen, John Larson and Ami Bera.

Chidambaram expressed India's discomfort on the immigration issue saying that the "temporary relocation of

knowledge workers (which is not 'immigration' by any definition) has been linked to the larger issue of immigration".

In his view, said a statement, "The restrictions sought to be placed on knowledge workers amount to non-tariff barriers".

The Bill, which was recently passed by the US Senate, and is before the House of Representatives, proposes several changes including higher visa costs and increase in wages for H-1B visa holders.

Details on page 5

Details on page 18

Congress hides behind 'burqa of secularism': Modi Details on page 7

Rights groups to serve summons to Badal Details on page 8

China's GDP growth slows to 7.5 per cent

300 terrorists waiting to enter Kashmir

Details on page 14

Details on page 9

HC rejects Sajjan plea to quash charges

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 52 Community Post -------------- 16-24

Details on page 7

Date Book -------------------------- 36 Edit Page --------------------------- 54

INDIA POST SURVEY

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

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Horoscope ------------------------- 26

This week’s question

Immigration Post ------------- 44-47

Will House Immigration bill be better?

Life Style ----------------------- 49-51 Philosophy ------------------------- 53

Last week’s result

Does US play a role in India’s policies?

YES 63%

NO 37%

DREADED VILLAIN, FINEST GENTLEMAN: Fans gather at the funeral of legendary Bollywood actor Pran (left) while another Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar with wife Saira Banu attends Pran's Chautha ceremony.

(Details on page 49)

Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 30-31 TechBiz Post ------------------- 12-15 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 39-43

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or those among the media and foreign policy experts who sometimes exercise little patience with diplomatic dealings or bilateral exchanges between India and the United States, I think the two countries have recently given enough fodder to dissect and analyze.

Just as pontificators were getting louder with their pronouncements that Indo-US relations were flattening out after the heights it had reached during the Bush Administration and the first term of the Obama Administration, Washington DC last week hosted the Indo-US CEO Forum and the USIBC Leadership Summit both of which were preceded by India's Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma's bilateral meetings with their US counterparts.

Well, it's true that issues were piling up between the two countries that needed to be addressed at highest levels of both administrations. Like, compulsory licensing, patent protection, preferential market access, and increase in FDI in areas such as defense and financial services.

Of course the bilateral cooperation in security, defense, and the civil nuclear agreement between the two countries is still on.

In the midst of all the economic and trade talks, sticking out like a sore thumb was the US immigration bill which is currently in the US Congress.

India is uncomfortable on the issue especially because the issue of temporary relocation of knowledge workers - which is not 'immigration' by any definition, according to the Indian side - has been linked to the larger issue of immigration.

He felt that the restrictions sought to be placed on knowledge workers amount to non-tariff barriers.

At the USIBC Summit too, Chairman Ajay Banga drew attention to the problematic provisions in the proposed immigration bill which he said discriminate against global technology providers and harm job creation in both countries.

Banga thinks it would be in the interest of the US to open its doors to more skilled workers, and not limit US companies from choosing where they source their IT support from.

Actually, it's quite interesting how immigration rule changes in any country impact India so drastically. Well, India needs its NRIs to maintain its foreign Romesh K Japra exchange reserves and Indians need jobs.

rkjapra@indiapost.com

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: AbRam comes home SRK says,"Amidst all the noise that has been going around, the sweetest is the one made by our new-born baby, AbRam”

Cover Story: Chidambaram in US P Chidambaram has said the visa restrictions proposed on knowledge workers amount to non-tariff barriers.

Community: Grassroot support In his campaign for US Congress election in 2014, Ro Khanna has been able to mobilize grassroot support

Immigration: Obama Term II Growing uncertainty over a sweeping immigration overhaul measure has dimmed expectations from Obama

Life Style: Pillar of cinema Veteran Bollywood actor Pran passed away last week at a suburban hospital in Mumbai at the age of 93.

Techbiz: Acoustics pioneer dead Amar G Bose, the Indian-American visionary entrepreneur and acoustics pioneer, has died at age 83

Travel: Mauritius Mauritius sits so close to the Indian Ocean, you can step onto the silvery sand and stick your toe in the ocean.

28 1 16 44 49 12 39

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Visa curbs amount to 'non-tariff barriers' Chidambaram flags concern over immigration bill WASHINGTON: Flagging India's concern over the immigration reform bill with US authorities, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said the visa restrictions proposed on knowledge workers amount to non-tariff barriers.

The Minister, who was here on an official visit, raised the issue of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill with the US Congress members, including Joe Crowley, Sandy Levin, Erik Paulsen, John Larson and Ami Bera.

Chidambaram expressed India's discomfort on the immigration is-

placed on knowledge workers amount to non-tariff barriers".

The Bill, which was recently passed by the US Senate, and is before the House of Representatives, proposes several changes including higher visa costs and increase in wages for H-1B visa holders.

If passed by the House of Representatives, the Bill will be sent to President Barack Obama for signing it into law.

The proposed law will hurt the over USD 100 billion IT-ITES industry in India and software firms like TCS and Infosys as their cost

The proposed law will hurt the over USD 100 billion IT-ITES industry in India and software firms like TCS and Infosys as their cost of operations could go up significantly.

In addition to the visa issue, Chidambaram held discussions on wide ranging subjects sue saying that the "temporary relocation of knowledge workers (which is not 'immigration' by any definition) has been linked to the larger issue of immigration".

In his view, said a statement, "The restrictions sought to be

of operations could go up significantly.

In addition to the visa issue, Chidambaram held discussions on wide ranging subjects covering the gamut of Indo-US relations with Congressmen.

Issues like compulsory licensing, patent protection, preferential market access and increase in FDI in areas such as defense and financial services were discussed.

He reiterated that there is close cooperation between the two countries in areas such as security and defense and the civil nuclear agreement was path breaking.

Chidambaram also explained to Congressmen that Indian law affirms intellectual property rights (IPRs) and the process of granting compulsory license and patent registration are WTO compliant and subject to judicial review.

He also emphasized the importance of India becoming a manufacturing hub for meeting its own domestic needs and for re-balancing the global economy.

The Members of Congress, the release said, spoke of their deep interest in promoting India-US relations and advancing mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

"They appreciated the opportunity to exchange views with the Finance Minister and stressed the value of continuing such dialogues and engagement to accelerate the deepening of the India-

L to R: The Co-Chair of House India Caucus Congressman Joe Crowley from New York, Finance Minister Chidambaram, Congressman Ami Bera from California and Congressman Erik Paulsen from Minnesota

US strategic partnership," it said.

Chidambaram also had discussions with Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Senator John

Cornyn of Texas, Co-Chairs of the Senate India Caucus. The WalMart representatives also called on the Finance Minister. -AP

4-point formula suggested for new thrust in Indo-US ties WASHINGTON: Asserting that the US and India have worked too hard and come too far to lose the momentum of their bilateral ties, a senior Obama Administration official has suggested a four point formula, including lowering of barriers in FDI, to give the relationship a fresh thrust.

"First, we ought to lower barriers for foreign direct investment.

The total two-way foreign direct investment between our countries is nearing USD 30 billion. We can do even better," said William Burns, US Deputy Secretary of State.

The US, he said, is encouraged by the ongoing deliberations in New Delhi to ease offset requirements and raise caps on FDI. Reforms in FDI and concluding the bilateral investment treaty will be instrumental in taking innovation, economic growth, and job creation to a new level in both the countries, he argued.

"Second, we need to continue transforming our defense trade relationship. Each of our countries took on a serious commitment to pursue specific co-production and co-development op-

Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Anand Sharma, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and other dignities at the US-India CEO Forum Meeting

portunities," he said in his address to the India-US CEOs Forum meeting.

This is a significant step that also promises to increase hightechnology trade and research and development collaboration in civilian sectors, he added.

"Third, we must deliver on the promise of the civil-nuclear agree-

ment," he said.

At the Strategic Dialogue last month, the two countries welcomed the intention of Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to arrive at a commercial agreement by September.

"This will be a visible manifestation of our strategic partnership

and an important step to securing a cleaner energy future," he noted.

"Finally, we must keep our countries open to the fundamental driver of this partnership our people. From Silicon Valley to Wall Street, and Cambridge to Washington, Indian Americans and Indian citizens are making a pro-

found impact here," he said.

"I understand the concerns in the business community about the potential for increased costs and new visa restrictions in draft versions of the comprehensive immigration reform bill," Burns said.

Cont’d on page 6

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Chidambaram for closer Indo-US economic ties WASHINGTON: Pitching for closer business ties between India and US, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said the two nations should not let "a few cases of business rivalry" stand in the way of good relations.

Delivering the key note address at the 38th annual Leadership Summit of the US India Business Council (USIBC) here Chidambaram expressed concern over provisions of an immigration legislation passed by US Senate that would make it harder for Indian IT professionals to get temporary work visas.

Stating that economic woes back home had been exacerbated by the global economic slowdown, he asked for patience as India creates jobs for its young and growing population.

India had paid a price for its earlier period of rapid growth "in terms of a high fiscal deficit, high inflation and now a high current account deficit. But these are not problems that we cannot overcome," Chidambaram said.

Noting that business competition is the foundation of a free market and free economy, Chidambaram said business rivalries should not be brought to the political table.

"I therefore appeal to you there is great opportunity to work together for the two countries," he said in his speech.

"We are a country where we are building our economy brick by brick, and in that process we seek your help," Chidambaram told the audience that included executives, officials and lawmakers from both India and the US. Expressing concern over the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill passed by the US Sen-

ate, Chidambaram said there is a need to fine a way to "disentangle" it.

"In no dictionary is immigration defined as including temporary relocation of knowledge workers.

Yet the immigration bill has a clause that seems to erect non-

panies have grown in size and stature and at times tend to compete with the US companies. This has resulted in competition between Indian and US businesses, he said.

"We have a very young population which is hungry and

P Chidambaram

tariff barriers on temporary relocation of knowledge workers," he said. "I have spoken to officials, Senators and Congressmen (on our concerns on immigration bill).

They understated that."

Calling for closer ties between the businesses of the two countries, Chidambaram said India is facing the challenge of elevating its large population from poverty and building its economy brick by brick.

As a result of India's economic reforms, a number of Indian com-

aspirational. We have a talent pool which is largely untapped," he said, adding, there is need for the two countries to work together.

"We can do much better if we work together. I sincerely hope that our meetings would give us more and more opportunities to build a prosperous society," Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram strongly defended India's policy on intellectual property, including compulsory license. -PTI

4-point formula suggested for new thrust in Indo-US ties Cont’d from page 5

Implementation of these suggestions, Burns said, can help achieve near-term progress and deliver a solid return on the investment in the bilateral relationship.

Noting that Indian nationals receive the largest proportion of work visas of any group, Burns exuded confidence that the comprehensive immigration reform will continue to benefit the Indian people and the economies by lift-

ing caps on nonimmigrant visas; expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs and professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and ultimately deepening and strengthening the bonds between people.

Deputy National Security Advisor Caroline Atkinson, US Trade Representative Michael Froman, and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India Montek Singh Ahluwalia, along with CEO co-chairs Ratan Tata and David

Cote, lead the meeting of the USIndia CEO Forum.

In addition to the American and Indian CEOs, many senior Indian and US officials who participated in the meeting include Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, US Treasury Secretary Jacob J Lew, US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and US Under Secretary for Economics, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs Robert D Hormats. -PTI

Banga calls for more investment in tourism, infra WASHINGTON: MasterCard Banga also drew attention to CEO Ajay Banga has called for the problematic provisions in the major economic reforms in India's proposed US immigration bill critical sectors of manufacturing, which discriminate against global tourism and infrastructure invest- technology providers and harms ment, which he argued would help job creation in both countries. create millions of jobs and accel"We believe it's in our interest erate the pace of economic devel- not only to open doors to more skilled workers, but also to ensure opment in the country.

Banga, who is also currently immigration reform doesn't disthe chairman of the US India Business Council (USIBC), said that the US companies need a trusting and open business environment to invest in India, which he noted is missing.

"India's got to create jobs -- lots of them. Increased MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure investment can criminate against our partners nor help do that. US investors have limit US companies from choosthe capital, the technology and ing where they source the IT supthe IP (intellectual property) to port they need," he said.

"India-US business relations invest. Lifting FDI caps in insurance will help attract that capital. have always been at the heart of Lifting caps in defense would the US-India partnership. The fact help spur technology-transfers," that the US-India relationship is under attack by the pain, points he said.

"But along with FDI caps and I've just mentioned on both sides the like, what investors really makes the search for common need is transparency, predictabil- ground more timely and crucial," ity and consistency," Banga said, addressing a crowd of the most se- "But along with FDI caps and nior in the industry and the like, what investors really government officials in need is transparency, prethe US-India commercial space, including the dictability and consistency," Union Finance Minister Banga said, addressing a P Chidambaram and the Commerce and Industry crowd of the most senior in Minister Anand the industry and government Sharma.

In his speech, Banga officials in the US-India recognized recent chal- commercial space lenges in the relationship, citing issues which have caused great concern he said.

"The US is better... India is betto investors including India's tax policy, local manufacturing re- ter... the world is better... when we strictions, and challenges to in- deepen the commercial and nanovation and intellectual prop- tional security ties between the largest and longest-running moderty.

"India has an opportunity to ern democracies. This is what we grow its pharmaceutical industry, have to do," he asserted.

Banga called for deeper indusfoster innovation, and create competition. It's in everyone's inter- try collaboration between the US est to find solutions with the pri- and India and the need for political leadership to step up and crevate sector.

But that prospect is jeopar- ate transparent, predictable, and dized when IP is jeopardized," he consistent business environments in both countries. -PTI said.

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Congress hides behind 'burqa HC rejects Sajjan Kumar's plea to quash charges of secularism': Modi PUNE: Narendra Modi on Sunday ripped apart the Congress, accusing it of wearing a "burqa of secularism" and "hiding in a bunker" when confronted with a crisis.

Addressing his first rally after being appointed the BJP's election campaign chief, he said: "They [Congress] promised to eliminate poverty 35 years back... someone should ask them what happened to that promise." The Gujarat CM

Congress is faced with a challenge - whether it is corruption, price rise, directives from the Supreme Court, or a minister being jailed, or the rape of girls or an atmosphere of insecurity - they do not answer the people. The moment there is a crisis, they wear the burqa... and hide in a bunker...

Congress will no longer be able to keep the poor hungry, or the young unemployed or distance itself when a girl is raped."

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi addresses students at Fergusson College in Pune on July 14

was referring to Indira Gandhi's election call in the 1970s, "garibi hatao", which was later used by her son Rajiv Gandhi as well.

"Is this not betrayal? The poor of India kept filling their ballot boxes, and now they have directly accepted that they cannot remove poverty," Modi said. He attacked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his party's "failure" to eradicate poverty.

"Look minutely, whenever

Sounding the poll bugle, he challenged the Congress, saying: "Chalo Muqabla Karein."

Earlier, speaking at the inauguration of an amphitheatre at Fergusson College, Modi said: "We're the youthful country of the world with 65% of our population below 35. But this youth needs a leader who will take them along with him/her, trust them. Everyone in this country is frustrated and full of negative thoughts. It is the

need of the hour to rise above this..."

Modi also took a dig at Suresh Kalmadi, Pune MP and former chairman of the Commonwealth Games organizing committee, saying India lost its respect on the international stage by the way the Commonwealth Games were organized.

"A small country like South Korea hosted the Olympics and got international appreciation. But we made fun of ourselves in organizing a small event like the Commonwealth Games...," he said.

"One country uses sport to bring laurels to itself... and another brings itself dishonor," the Gujarat chief minister said.

Stressing on the importance of education, Modi said: "We need modernization, not westernization, of our educational system. I support modern education but not blind aping of the West.

"Education has a very big role in nation building... If we want to have a good education system, we should create good teachers. But creating good teachers is not priority now."

Slamming the education system, he said: "Earlier, education was a man making mission. Now, it has become a money making mission. Was this our tradition?"

Attacking the Congress on its ambitious food security program, the Gujarat chief minister said: "They have brought before the nation a food security bill and are claiming as if a meal has already come on the plates."-PTI

BJP attacks Cong on secularism issue NEW DELHI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's "burka" and "puppy" remarks notwithstanding, BJP has said it wants good governance to be the poll issue and charged the Congress with diverting public attention from its failures by raking up the secularism issue to polarise the electorate.

"Congress is hiding behind the blanket of secularism and wants to clandestinely grab votes," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters here.

Asked if the use of the word blanket instead of burka (veil) as done by Modi is a climbdown by

the BJP, Hussain only said now use the term blanket.

However, Hussain batted for Modi and maintained that if the BJP has faced the brickbats since the 2002 Gujarat riots it should also get the applause for no riots taking place in the state since then.

"Today there is peace in Gujarat and our political opponents are disturbed by this," Hussain said.

The main opposition charged that 13,000 riots have taken place under Congress rule since independence and insisted that it has no moral right to talk about riots.

BJP said it does not believe in

wooing a particular community to get votes.

"The vote of every voter is important for the BJP. We do not see voters from the eye of communalism, unlike those who are greedy for votes. We believe in harmony between all religions. It is in BJP's ideology to be concerned about all creatures," Hussain said.

Drawing an analogy, the BJP leader said from an ant to a mountain, the party is concerned about the well being of all. He was quick to add that by ant he does not mean any minority community nor does mountain stand for the majority.-PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has dismissed pleas of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and two others challenging framing of murder and rioting charges against them in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Justice Suresh Kait refused to quash the charges framed against Kumar and the other accused by a trial court in the case relating to the killings of six persons in Delhi's Sultanpuri area.

The court also dismissed the plea of complainant Sheela Kaur, a riot victim who had filed a crossappeal seeking to invoke an additional charge of criminal conspiracy against Kumar and four others in the case.

"All (pleas) dismissed," Justice Kait said.

Besides the Congress leader, co-accused Ved Prakash Pial alias Vedu Pradhan and Brahmanand Gupta had also moved the high court challenging framing of charges against them.

With this verdict, the trial against all the five accused will resume in the lower court.

In July 2010, the lower court

had framed charges against Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta, Peru, Khushal Singh and Ved Prakash in connection with the case of killing of six persons in the riots that occurred after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

Besides charges of murder and

Sajjan Kumar

rioting, the trial court had also framed charges for the offence of spreading enmity between two communities against the accused in the case.

CBI had filed two charge sheets against Kumar and others in January 2010 in the riots cases registered in 2005 on the recommendation of Justice G T Nanavati Commission which had probed the sequence of events leading to the violence.-PTI

Modi speaks of strong bond between Gujarat & Odisha KOLKATA: Gujarat Chief Min- Govardhan Peeth of Puri in the ister Narendra Modi, who was east coast were set up by Adi given a rousing welcome on his Shankaracharya," he said. first visit to Odisha since taking Referring to the Swadeshi over as BJP National Election movement, he said the salt Campaign Committee Chairman, satyagraha of Inchudi in Balasore evoked the 'strong bond' between was considered to be the next bigthe two states.

"Wonderful being in the beautiful state of Modi said he had discussed Odisha. Blessed to offer prayers at Lord the strong bond between Jagannath Temple in Puri. I thank the people Gujarat and Odisha with of Odisha for their warm friends in the state welcome," Modi said in a post on social networking site Facebook. gest after Mahatma Gandhi's Modi said he had discussed the Dandi Yatra. strong bond between Gujarat and He also praised the skilled artiOdisha with friends in the state. sans of Odisha, who helped the "Dwarka and Puri are related to textile industry in Gujarat flourish. two incarnations of Lord Vishnu, "Thanks to the skilled manwho appeared in Dwarka as Lord power and the traditional aesKrishna and as Mahaprabhu thetic sense of Odisha's artisans Jagannath in Puri ... Both Dwarka who have made Surat's textile the Peeth in the west coast and best in the world," Modi said.-PTI

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Rights groups to serve US court summons to Badal WASHINGTON: A Sikh rights body in US has said that it will use provisions of the Hague Service Treaty to serve the summons of a US court to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in a case accusing him of human rights violation.

The Hague Service Treaty, of which India is a signatory allows service of judicial papers between the signatory countries without diplomatic involvement.

The Sikh for Justice (SFJ) which earlier filed a human rights violation case against Badal along with the Akali Dal (Mann) took

this decision after it failed to serve summons to Badal recently.

"We will use Hague Service Convention to serve outstanding Federal summons on Badal in India to make him accountable before Wisconsin Federal court for protecting and commanding a police force responsible for torture and extra judicial killings of Sikhs in the state of Punjab," said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ. The Eastern District of Wisconsin has given SFJ until October 24 to serve the summons on CM Badal in human rights violation lawsuit.

The complaint alleges that Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, throughout their tenure "have actively shielded, protected and promoted the police who were or have been involved in gross human rights violations, extra judicial killings and torture".

SFJ added that it has retained the services of, Process Forwarding International (PFI), a Washington based company to accomplish service on Badal in India.

"PFI is the official Process Server to "United States Department of Justice" and "US Department of State" and has exten-

Parkash Singh Badal

sive experience in executing service of process with authority using approved international law methods," it said.

The rights group added that under the Hague Service treaty, a central authority has been established by the Indian Government for receiving and serving judicial documents from foreign courts as provided under "Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters".

"Under Article 15 of the Hague Service Convention, a service is considered complete once the copy of summons and complaint is delivered to the Central Authority of India which is responsible to receive judicial documents from foreign courts," said SFJ. A similar case against Badal was dismissed by a Wisconsin court last year after SFJ served the summons to another person instead of Badal. -PTI

July 19, 2013

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HOLY MISSION: Pilgrims on way to holy Amarnath cave shrine at Baltal on July 16

300 terrorists in 'groups of ten' waiting to enter J-K JAMMU: The Army has said terrorists in groups of ten are trying to sneak inside Indian territory and attack troops at border posts.

"250 to 300 terrorists in groups of ten or 20 are waiting to sneak inside Indian territory with inputs being that their concentration is maximum opposite Poonch," General Officer Commanding (GoC) 19 Corps, Lt Gen D S Hooda told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of 220m long Battal bridge over Munawar Tawi river, which has been constructed by the BRO at a cost of Rs 12.5 crore.

"There is an increase in their attempts across the Line of Control (LoC) targeting the posts, trying and disturbing our grid, so that they can infiltrate," Lt Gen Hooda said while replying to a question about militant attacks or Border Action Team (BAT) infiltrations across the LoC. "There are inputs that they (militants) want to come inside our territory for causing casualty to our troops at the border posts," he said. The Coprs commander further said as per reports, there is no successful infiltration in Jammu region but it is difficult to give a surety that no infiltrator has been able to sneak inside Indian territory.

In the past two months, border incidents, attempt of infiltration and IED blasts targeting our posts have increased, Lt Gen Hooda said.

"Most infiltration bids made by terrorists have been foiled...Due to frustration, they are firing on our posts which are close to the border and also planting mines on the track (to target the troops)," he said.

Inputs suggest there are more infiltrators close to Poonch border, he said.

Hooda, who had earlier commented that the "border was tense", said he had said so because of regular incidents happening along the LoC, affecting the local populace.

"I had said tense because ceasefire violations, firing and incidents like placing a mine or an IED...if such things continue to happen, obviously there will be some tension," he said.

The Lt General, meanwhile, informed that incidents of infiltration have increased as compared to last year, but added that Army's sole aim was to dominate the LoC and not allow intruders to sneak in.-PTI

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Dravid prosecution witness Bassi named next Delhi Police Commissioner in IPL spot-fixing case NEW DELHI: In an effort to make a strong case in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, Delhi Police has roped in

the former Indian captain at his Bengaluru residence under section 161 of the CrPC. Considering Dravid's star sta-

Rahul Dravid

Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid as a prosecution witness in the case.

A team of Special Cell of Delhi Police recorded the statement of

tus and respectable standing, Delhi Police did not summon him to their Delhi office like Raj Kundra, police said.

According to a senior police

officer, Dravid in his statement said that he felt cheated by the conduct of S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila when he first heard about the news.

Dravid was asked whether he had any inkling that the three players were under-performing and whether there was any pressure to select them in the final eleven, police said.

"I never had any doubt about these players. I used to select players on a match-tomatch basis," Dravid said in his statement.

The officer said that no fingers have been raised against Dravid in this case. They had recorded his statement in order to nail the tainted trio and make a strong charge sheet.

Special Cell also plan to record the statement of Rajasthan Royals' coach Paddy Upton, who is in South Africa.

"Upton could also be made a prosecution witness once he returns to India," the officer said.PTI

Brar attack trial opens in London LONDON: The trial of two Sikh men and a woman accused of stabbing Lt Gen (Retd) K S Brar, who led 'Operation Blue Star' opened here nine months after the attack.

Mandeep Singh Sandhu (34),

which took place on September 30, and is up for trial at Southwark Crown Court.

"The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, began with a jury being sworn in," said Rajvinder Dayal from solicitors' firm Rustem

K S Brar

Dilbagh Singh (36) and Harjit Kaur (38) pleaded not guilty to the charge of "unlawful wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm" in relation to the attack,

Guardian, which is representing the defendants.

A fourth key accused, 33-yearold Barjinder Singh Sangha, had pleaded guilty to the charge of

"unlawful wounding" and will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

All four co-accused have been in judicial custody for their alleged part in the stabbing of the decorated Indian Army officer who led Operation Blue Star against Sikh separatists at Golden Temple back in 1984.

He was on a private visit to London with his wife Meena when the suspected Khalistan sympathizers attacked the couple.

The 78-year-old sustained serious injuries while his wife escaped unharmed and was instrumental in raising an alarm for passers-by to call the police.

Brar is likely to give evidence in the case via live link from India.

At earlier court hearings, Sandhu had admitted to being present at the scene but not participating in the attack.

Dilbagh Singh refused to confirm or deny his presence on the day.

The prosecution has claimed there are a large number of eyewitnesses in the case, besides parts of CCTV footage, telephonic and medical statements. -PTI

NEW DELHI: Bhim Sain Bassi, an IPS officer of 1977 batch, has been appointed as the next Delhi Police Commissioner and will succeed Neeraj Kumar, who will retire this month after nearly a yearlong tenure marred by handling of December 16 gang rape incident.

57-year-old Bassi, currently serving as Special Commissioner (Administration), will take charge of the over 80,000-strong force on August 1. He will be the 20th Commissioner of Delhi Police.

B a s s i served Delhi Police in various capacities including as Special Commissioner (Traffic), special commissioner (Vigilance), joint commissioner (Southern Range) and additional commissioner (Northern Range). He was also Director General of Goa Police.

The senior IPS officer of AGMU (Arunachal PradeshGoa-Mizoram-Union Territories) cadre, is due to retire from service in February 2016.

He is taking over reins of the force at a time when it has faced criticism on the issue of providing security to Delhi residents, especially women, and his major challenges will include bringing down cases of sexual violence against women and children.

Kumar, who will retire on July 31, had come under severe criticism

after the December 16 gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student which triggered widespread anger across the country.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had slammed Kumar for the way Delhi Police handled the protests in the city in the wake of the brutal gang rape and even demanded his resignation.

Kumar had also come under severe criticism following rape of a five-year-old girl in Gandhi Nagar

Bhim Sain Bassi

area of North East Delhi in April.

Hundreds of people had staged demonstration outside Delhi Police headquarters here after it was alleged that two police personnel had offered Rs 2,000 bribe to the victim's poor parents to hush up the case.

However, Kumar and his force were recently praised for exposing spot-fixing scam in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Director General (Investigation) at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Kanwaljit Deol and Tihar Director General Vimla Mehra were in contention for the top Delhi police post.-PTI

Indian sailor feared dead in tanker fire off Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR: An Indian sailor was feared dead while 22 others were rescued from a burning but empty Indian-owned oil tanker off the Malaysian coast.

MT Samudera's engine room caught fire at 2.40pm (local time) off the coast of Pulau Kukup in Johor State but the Southern region Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) was only alerted of the situation at 4.40pm, a maritime official said here.

One person who was missing was feared dead and the fire was brought under control after some hours, MMEA official Admiral

Adon Shalan said.

"The whole group was rescued and brought to the marine police jetty in Kukup at around 10.05 pm.

Two crewmen who sustained burns were being treated for their injuries," he said.

"The MT Samudra usually carries oil but we were informed by the crew that it was empty when the fire broke out," he was quoted as saying by Star newspaper.

MT Samudera was heading to Chittagong port in Bangladesh from the Indonesian island of Batam when the fire broke out. PTI

July 19, 2013

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Posco scraps Rs 30,000 cr steel project in Karnataka BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: Facing inordinate delays in land acquisition and local opposition, South Korean steel major Posco has scrapped its proposed Rs 30,000 crore project in Karnataka.

"With the given market conditions and significant delay in acquiring the required land in Gadag, we have decided to close our proposed 6 MTPA steel plant in Karnataka," Posco India Chairman and Managing Director Yong Won Yoon said in a statement.

"In future, if we get an attractive business proposal from the state, we may consider it and return to Karnataka," he said.

Posco had in June 2010 signed an agreement with Karnataka for setting up the steel plant. It zeroed down on

India's new envoy to Pak for measures to tackle terror ISLAMABAD: India's new High Commissioner to Pakistan, T C A Raghavan, has said measures should be taken to address the menace of terrorism.

Speaking to the media after he crossed over to Pakistan via the Wagah land border, Raghavan said India wants good and friendly ties with Pakistan that will benefit the people of both countries.

He said measures should be taken to address the menace of terrorism. Both countries should also build trade and cultural relations, he added.

Terrorism has been a key irritant in India-Pakistan relations since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Indian officials have called for the speedy prosecution of Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the attacks, whose trial has progressed at a snail's pace.

Raghavan and his wife were greeted by Pakistani officials at Wagah.

A diplomat with considerable experience of Pakistan affairs, Raghavan served as Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad about a decade ago.

He will replace Sharat Sabharwal, who was given several extensions after he reached the age of retirement last year.

Sabharwal returned to India earlier this month.

During his last stint in Pakistan, Raghavan served under Shivshankar Menon, who went on to become the Foreign Secretary. -PTI

Punjab to add 3 new NRI police stations AMRITSAR: Three more police stations meant exclusively to cater to Non-Resident Indians are being set up

by Punjab police, said state minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

The three new NRI police stations are to come up in Jalandhar (rural), Ludhiana (rural) and Amritsar.

Majithia, the state minister for NRI Affairs, said that the three new stations would be in addition to the six set up in 2008 at Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Moga, Nawan Sehar and Kapurthala.

He said that according to Punjab government orders, no FIR is to be registered against any NRI without a prior probe by a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

In case an NRI was dissatisfied with the investigation at a lower level, he could directly approach the IG (community division) at police headquarters, Majithia said. -PTI

Mundargai taluk of Gadag district, which is near the iron ore mining belt of Bellary, as the location for the proposed steel mill.

But the land acquisition process was stopped in July 2011 "due to agitations by some farmers and religious leaders," Posco said, adding that "the mining scam" in the state made the project progress stagnant.

Commenting on the development, H K Patil, minister in charge for Gadag district in the Karnataka government, said the people of the area will be happy with Posco's pullout.

"Farmers were fighting against Posco (being) allowed into that area. (With) Posco not pressing for getting into the same area...people of that area will be happy," he said.

The Korean giant has, however, decided to continue pursuing its USD 12 billion steel plant in Odisha, which was originally proposed in 2006 and has yet to get off the ground.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, under whose tenure Posco had signed the memorandum of understanding for the project, said other industrialists also

want to withdraw their projects.

Yeddyurappa said he would raise the matter in the state assembly during the budget discussion with the aim of trying to bring investors back to the state.

According to Posco, it was refunded Rs 60 crore on July 1 from the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), which was acquiring land for the proposed project on behalf of the state government. The money was deposited as an initial payment for land acquisition in 2010.

"We highly appreciate the Industries Department (GoK) and KIADB for their cooperation and cordial support in this regard," Posco India Chairman Yong Won Yoon said.

Besides delays in land acquisition, another issue for the South Korean steel major was securing a captive iron ore mine in Karnataka to run the proposed steel mill.

The Supreme Court, while lifting the mining ban in the state in April, had ordered an auction of all cancelled mines.

Posco would have had to compete with other claimants, including JSW Steel and ArcelorMittal, for a captive iron ore mine in the state.

Tech News Central Bank revises interest rates on FCNR

TechBiz

DIANA GABRIEL

MUMBAI: A premier Indian bank, the Central Bank of India, has announced new sets of rates for FCNR deposits effective from July1.

The Bank announced offering interest of 4.51 % for USD Deposit of 5 Years, 4.53 % for GBP Deposit of 5 Years, 4.22 % for Euro Deposit of 5 years, 5.23 % for Canadian Dollar Deposit of 5 Years & 6.59 % for Australian Dollar Deposit of 5 years.

These rates are revised based on the rates announced by FEDAI on June 28 and are valid till July 31.

Jet Airways to start more flights to South MUMBAI: Private carrier Jet Airways has said it will start daily services between Bengaluru and Vijayawada and two additional daily services to Mangalore, besides one flight to Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) via Kochi six days a week to enhance regional connectivity.

With the introduction of these flights from July 25, Jet Airways will operate five flights a day between Bengaluru and Mangalore and three flights daily to Kochi, the company said in a press release here.

"We are seeing strong demand from Tier II/III cities across the country. The new flights are aimed at enhancing better domestic connectivity to the passengers," Jet Airways chief commercial officer Sudheer Raghavan said.-PTI

MuthootFin offer to turn gold-loan outlets into banks MUMBAI: The largest pureplay gold mortgage player Muthoot Finance, which has applied for banking license, has said it can easily launch commercial lending business with as many as 2,000 branches.

"We are confident of getting a banking license from the Reserve Bank, given our reach in rural markets and our over a century of experience. In fact, our experience is the biggest asset and we are better suited than many other applicants in this regard," Muthoot Finance managing director George Alexander Muthoot told PTI from the headquarter in Kochi. -PTI

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Gilles Normand, Renault Senior Vice President and Chairman for Asia-Pacific, addressing the Renaul- Nissan media round table in Chennai on July 16

July 19, 2013

Amar Bose, inventor of Bose audio systems, dies at 83

A

mar G Bose, the IndianAmerican visionary entrepreneur and acoustics pioneer, famous for making highquality Bose audio systems and speakers for home users, auditoriums and automobiles, has died.

He was 83. Bose's death was announced by his company Bose Corp's president, Bob Maresca, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Bose was on the faculty for more than 40 years.

Bose died at his home in Wayland, Massachusetts. His death was confirmed by his son, Vanu G Bose. "Bose founded Bose Corporation almost 50 years ago with a set of guiding principles centered on research and innovation," Maresca was quoted by the New York Times as saying in a statement.

"That focus has never changed."

Bose was born on November 2, 1929, in Philadelphia. His father, Noni Gopal Bose was a Bengali freedom fighter who was studying physics at the Calcutta University when he was arrested and imprisoned for his opposition to British rule. Noni Gopal Bose escaped and fled to the US in 1920 where he married an American schoolteacher.

At 13, Amar Bose began repairing radio sets for pocket money for repair shops in Philadelphia. As founder and chairman of the privately held company, Bose focused relentlessly on acoustic engineering innovation. His speakers, though expensive, earned a reputation for bringing concert-hallquality audio into the home .LONG TERM RESEARCH And by refusing to offer stock to the public, Bose was able to pursue risky long-term research, such as noise-canceling headphones and an innovative suspension system for cars, without the pressures of quarterly earning announcements.

A perfectionist and a devotee of classical music, Bose was disappointed by the inferior sound of a high-priced stereo system he purchased when he was an MIT engi-

Amar G Bose

neering student in the 1950s. His interest in acoustic engineering piqued when he realized that 80 percent of the sound experienced in a concert hall was indirect, meaning that it bounced off walls and ceilings before reaching the audience.

This realization, using basic concepts of physics, formed the basis of his research.

TAKING EVERYTHING APART Amar Gopal Bose learned to channel his innate predilection for engineering into business endeavors from an early age. He grew up

Since Noni Bose's import business failed with World War II's advent, Amar Bose worked at odd jobs to support the Bose family.

Despite the looming specter of constant "racist attacks" towards his family, Amar Bose brought in some income by repairing old model trains that shops could not repair.

Bose seized upon opportunity when he familiarized himself with transistor repair, as the war's insatiable need for qualified repairpersons left only a few individuals to service electronics. Bose found so much business that he "opened a radio repair shop" which

Bose found that the ears and brain collaborate to collect sound from "the walls, ceiling [sic] and floor"; bouncing more components of a particular sound off those parts of the room improves one's listening experience. MIT recognized his work as an official project in 1959, in "an all-white neighborhood in Philadelphia", as the son of "an American, Charlotte" and Noni, an Indian refugee from the British Raj who started an import business.

Bose started "fooling around with electrical outlets and taking everything apart" as an infant, and developed an ear for music when his parents forced him to study the violin at age six.

experienced much success. His "business acumen" became clear "even then as he cut a deal with shopkeepers, offering them 10% of whatever business he got through them."

Bose avoided devices "which would only waste his time," such as the radio, while he pursued his investigations into "mathematical side of communications theory" at

MIT. After he finished writing his doctoral thesis, he ended his selfimposed sensory deprivation in 1956 by purchasing a "hi-fi loudspeaker based upon what [he] thought were meaningful specifications" in order "to enjoy his favorite classical music and to replicate the majestic sounds heard in the best concert halls of New York".

MUSICAL TRAINING However, his musical training enabled him to perceive the speakers' low sound reproduction quality. Bose became curious as to the quality of contemporary speakers, and tested every brand of speaker that Radio Shack carried. His interest in acoustics took full bloom when he found that no speaker met his standards.

After Bose spent a year as a Fulbright scholar teaching "statistical communication theory at the National Physical Laboratory in Delhi, India", he returned to MIT as an engineering faculty member.

"He began a research project in psychoacoustics, investigating the relationship between reproduced sound as perceived by people and sound as measured by electronic instruments."

Bose found that the ears and brain collaborate to collect sound from "the walls, ceiling [sic] and floor"; bouncing more components of a particular sound off those parts of the room improves one's listening experience. MIT recognized his work as an official project in 1959, and his work yielded "several patents in electronics and power processing, amplification through switching techniques, and acoustics" by 1963.

When MIT relinquished its ownership of Bose's patents to Bose, Bose started Bose Corp. with former MIT student Sherwin Greenblatt, who now serves as Bose's president, and fellow professor Yuk Wing Lee's life savings of $10, 000. Bose struggled to make ends meet until 1968, when Bose Corp. delivered its first commercial product based on its "better sound" technology, the "901速 Direct/Reflecting速 speaker system".

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IAMAI, Facebook partner on Tata Technologies inks MoU with BITS Pilani internet safety education

I

nternet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Facebook have joined hands to launch Internet Safety Education programs for Students between the age group of 13-17.

The campaign, which is focused on building community awareness on this developmental issue, will also train Educators, and Child safety NGOs about Internet safety practices. As a part of the first phase, the program will be rolled out across Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to cover 18000 students across approximately 30 schools and institutions immediately, and conclude with a national conference in Delhi addressing online child safety issues later this year. The program will be extended to other Indian cities through 2014.

Subho Ray, President, IAMAI, said, "IAMAI has been running the Safe Surfing campaign in India for past 4 years covering 625000 students across India. We

are delighted that Facebook has come forward to support this critical initiative and enrich the campaign with their global learning's. " Ankhi Das, Director of Public Policy, Facebook India, said, "Safety is an ongoing conversation between parents and kids, teachers and students, companies and the people who use the Internet. We encourage parents to have conversations about safety and technology early and often, in the same way that they talk to their kids about being safe at school, in the car, on public transportation or playing sport. “Let's keep talking about safety so that we can all make smart

sentations and events will be live streamed via https:// www.facebook.com/ FacebookIndia Facebook is part of a larger online safety community. It works with a diverse set of experts and organizations devoted to online safety. In order to bring the best safety resources, Facebook has created a Safety Advisory Board that advises the company on safety issues.

The members of that board are leading Internet safety organizations such as Childnet international, ConnectSafely, The Family Online Safety Institute, The National Network to End Domestic

Facebook will develop the content and training materials and translate the same in regional languages. As part of the partnership, Facebook safety specialists will work with IAMAI trainers on safety content and participate in these training programs. choices, wherever we are. We are glad to collaborate with IAMAI on this important initiative."

Facebook will develop the content and training materials and translate the same in regional languages. As part of the partnership, Facebook safety specialists will work with IAMAI trainers on safety content and participate in these training programs. Key pre-

Violence and WiredSafety.

This initiative combines the above aspects with IAMAI's experience of strong on ground program implementation carried on in the school premises called Safe Surfing. This program will train children, teachers and parents on how to reap the maximum benefits from internet while not compromising on their safety and security.-PTI

AMD to hold annual developer summit in California HOUSTON: The third annual developer summit of leading chip designer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will be held in California to discuss market trends in next generation software and computing development.

"The third annual AMD Developer Summit will again bring together the top minds from the developer and computing communities into one event focused on the innovators and technologies that will make heterogeneous computing accessible to mainstream developers," said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president, Heterogeneous Solutions at AMD. The event will be held in San Jose in California from November 11-14.

"By bringing together academia, developers and the larger computing ecosystem, we continue to drive open and industry standards for widespread

adoption by developers," she said.

The major speakers from the company would include Lisa Su, senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Business Units and Mark Papermaster, senior Vice

President and Chief Technology Officer.

Other notable names including Nandini Ramani, Senior Director of Mediatek USA and David Helgason, Vice President of Development at Oracle Solutions will also speak at the event.

In February, AMD announced two new additions to the conference agenda including a muchrequested gaming focus: the 2013 AMD Game Developer Summit.

This addition will showcase the latest Graphics Processing Unit and Accelerated Processing Unit technologies and their inclusion in the next-generation gaming platforms across mobile, tablet, personal computers and online. -PTI

MUMBAI: Tata Technologies has inked an agreement with Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, to design and implement specialized educational program for skill development of engineering professionals, students and faculty.

Tata Technologies would support the existing Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) industry interface programs, while the latter would run specialized programs created with expert industry perspective and inputs from Tata Technologies, according to a release.

This will lead to specific degrees of BITS through its off-campus Work Integrated Learning Programs (WILP), it added.

Tata Technologies is the engineering services and manufactur-

ing enterprise IT arm of the Tata Group.

As a first step, a select group of employees from Tata Technologies will undergo a specially designed Masters Program (MS) in Automotive Engineering from BITS.

The employees enrolled in this program will attend classes online through virtual classrooms without being dislocated from their work environment. The first batch will start in August.-PTI

Citi reports higher profit, revenue; shares rise NEW YORK: Citigroup is reporting earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations for the second quarter.

Profit for the March-to-June period was USD 3.9 billion after excluding an accounting gain, the bank reported.

That's up 26 per cent from a year ago. The profit amounted to USD 1.25 per share, beating the USD 1.18 per share predicted by analysts polled by FactSet.

Revenue was USD 20 billion after excluding the accounting gain, up 8 per cent from the same period a year ago. That beat the USD 19.8 billion predicted by analysts.

Citi's earnings from investment banking soared 63 per cent, boosted by strong stock and bond markets. Citi also did well in private banking, which caters to wealthy clients, and the bank set aside less money to cover bad loans.-AP

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RBI announces fresh steps to tackle rupee volatility NEW DELHI: In a move to stem the continuing fall of rupee, the RBI has come out with a slew of measures including hiking the lending rates for banks and sucking up of Rs 12,000 crore, to make the currency dearer.

The measures came after high

level meetings between the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister followed by discussions with RBI Governor D Subbarao who was called here as the rupee lost 33 paise to reach 59.89 after touching over 61-levels last week.

Under the measures announced, RBI raised lending rates to commercial banks 2 per cent to 10.25 per cent making the loans costlier.

The RBI will conduct sale of Government of India Securities to suck up Rs 12,000 crore on July 18

from the market, in a move to make rupee dearer.

Government has been under attack over the continuous decline of rupee from 53.8 levels against dollar in April.

Gujarat Chief Minsiter Narendra

Modi has made a blistering attack on government's financial management, including rupee, and targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling him a "failed economist".

The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate has also been increased to 10.25 per cent from current 8.25 per cent. Repo rate has been left unchanged.

"The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate is calibrated with immediate effect to be 300 basis points above the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF).

Accordingly, the Bank Rate also stands adjusted to 10.25 per cent with immediate effect," the release said.

Introduced during the 2011-12 period, MSF allows banks to borrow money from the central bank at a higher rate when there is significant liquidity crunch.

The central bank said it could take more measures depending on market conditions, liquidity situation and the macroeconomic developments.

Tata Global to make investment in brands: Mistry requirement of funds. He said that demerger of plantations business had made good financial sense for the company.

The demerger had led to increased profits both in the north and south. He said the impact of rupee depreciation had been positive for the company.

Vice-chairman of Tata Global R K Krishna Kumar told reporters on the sidelines that the company was targeting a revenue of USD five billion in the next three years. He said that Tata Global was looking for acquisitions in the beverages space.

To a query, he said that the share of coffee in the overall portfolio in terms of revenue proportion would rise from the present level of 30 per cent. "Globally, our coffee business will grow," he said.

Managing director of Tata Global Harish Bhat said Tata Group Chairman Cyrus P Mistry addresses share-holders at the 50th AGM of that the company was lookTata Global Beverages Limited in Kolkata on July 15 ing at both organic and inorganic growth. dia and overseas. There is also a in a couple of years," he said.

Bhat said the company would need for innovations which need The JV with Pepsico would also continue to make investments in funds. Large foundations have be strengthened, he said. been laid which need to be Mistry said Tata Global (for- Pakistan and Bangladesh to make grown." merly Tata Tea) would get out of operations profitable.

The areas of growth would be He said that the company's all non-core investments dependbrands, which included Tata Tea, ing upon market conditions and tea, coffee and water. -PTI KOLKATA: Tata Global Beverages would make substantial investments in its brands for making the company grow, company chairman Cyrus Mistry has said.

Mistry, who addressed shareholders in his new capacity for the first time, said: "It is crucially important to grow our brands in In-

Tetley, Himalayan water, and 8'0 Clock Coffee were doing very well, along with the joint ventures with Starbucks and Pepsico.

Mistry said that Starbucks has 17 outlets across the country and more would be added. "In Starbucks, we are in an investment phase. The break-even will come

These steps would be "consistent with growth-inflation dynamics and macroeconomic stability," RBI said.

"The overall allocation of funds under the LAF will be limited to 1.0 per cent of the Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) of the banking system, reckoned as Rs 75,000 crore for this purpose," ac-

vis-a-vis that of the Rupee in part because of the improving domestic liquidity situation."

RBI said the rupee has depreciated markedly in the last six weeks.

Countries, it said, with large current account deficits, such as India, have been particularly affected despite their relatively promising economic fundamen-

Introduced during the 2011-12 period, MSF allows banks to borrow money from the central bank at a higher rate when there is significant liquidity crunch. The central bank said it could take more measures depending on market conditions, cording to the release.

According to RBI, the market perception of likely tapering of US Quantitative Easing has triggered outflows of portfolio investment, particularly from the debt segment.

"The exchange rate pressure also evidences that the demand for foreign currency has increased

tals.

Last week, RBI had asked oil firm to source all of their 8-8.5 billion of dollar needs every month for import of oil, from a single public sector bank. It also barred banks from trading in currency futures and exchange-traded currency options market on their own. -PTI

China's GDP growth slows to 7.5 per cent, weakest in 15 years BEIJING: China's GDP growth after China's full-year annual slowed to 7.5 per cent in the sec- growth eased to 7.8 percent last ond quarter amid concerns that year, its weakest since 1999. the world's second largest Observers say that with no economy was headed for its signs of halting the slowdown, weakest growth in 15 years with China faced the risk of missing grim prospects of missing the of- the government's target of 7.5 per ficial target for the first time in cent this year which will be the recent years. first since the Asian financial criThe data released by National sis 15 years ago.

Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Speculation is rife even in the showed that growth in the first official media that the government half of the year stood at 7.6 per may be thinking of a bailout packcent, which is in line with market expectations and was above "Major economic indicators the government's fullyear target of 7.5 per are still within reasonable cent. ranges as expected, but the "China's economy has maintained a economic environment steady growth," Sheng remains complex," Sheng Laiyun, a spokesman for the NBS, said at a said, adding that the market press conference. should play a better role According to the NBS, the GDP totaled 24.8 trillion yuan (USD 4 trillion) age but it is to be seen whether it in the first six months. would come at all and what would "Major economic indicators are be the size of it. still within reasonable ranges as Chinese government has alexpected, but the economic envi- ready announced about USD 150 ronment remains complex," Sheng billion worth of stimulus package said, adding that the market last year to be spent on various should play a better role to bring infrastructure projects for revivout the economy's intrinsic vigor. ing the economy.

The latest GDP figures headed This was in addition to USD 570 a string of other data showing a billion bailout package spend to continuous slowdown in the tide over the world economic criworld's second-largest economy sis in 2008. -PTI

TechBiz Post

July 19, 2013

India Post

15

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Senate fails to keep student loan rates low WASHINGTON: Senate Democrats have failed to restore lower interest rates on student loans, again coming up short and perhaps signaling that undergraduates might really face rates twice as high as the ones they enjoyed last year.

The proposal from Democratic leaders would have left interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans at 3.4 percent for another year

failed and lawmakers said students would face higher costs to repay their loans after graduation.

"Today our nation's students once again wait in vain for relief," said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. "They expected more of us and I share their disappointment."

"Today, we failed. And our nation's students pay the cost of that failure," he added after the vote.

The failure to win a one-year

The Republican-led House has already passed legislation that links interest rates to financial markets. Republicans in the House were opposed to a one-year extension, meaning the Senate vote might not have meant much relief for students even if it had passed. while lawmakers took up a comprehensive overhaul. The one-year stopgap measure failed to overcome a procedural hurdle as Republicans - and a few Democrats urged colleagues to consider a plan now that would link interest rates to the financial markets and reduce Congress' role in setting students' borrowing rates.

The competing proposals

approval - combined with little interest in such a deal in the Republican-led House - meant students would be borrowing money for fall courses at a rate leaders in both parties called unacceptable.

The rate increase does not affect many students right away; loan documents are generally signed just before students return to campus, and few students re-

turned to school over the July Fourth holiday. Existing loans were not affected, either.

However, absent congressional action in the coming weeks, the increase could spell an extra $2,600 for an average student returning to campus this fall, according to Congress' Joint Economic Committee.

During last year's presidential campaign, lawmakers from both parties voted to keep interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans at 3.4 percent. Yet this year, without a presidential election looming, the

issue seemed to fizzle and the July 1 deadline passed without action.

The White House and most Democratic senators favored keeping the rates at 3.4 percent for now and including a broad overhaul of federal student loans in the Higher Education Act rewrite lawmakers expect to take up this fall.

"It's not just what rate. It's how do we keep college costs in check?" said Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who pushed for the extension measures. "It will allow us to work through a very complicated set of issues."

The Republican-led House has already passed legislation that links interest rates to financial markets. Republicans in the House were opposed to a one-year extension, meaning the Senate vote might not have meant much relief for students even if it had passed.

Efforts to find a compromise went nowhere as well. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia worked with the top Republican on the education panel, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, to write a bipartisan bill that closely follows the GOP bill. -AP

How to find the best car loan rate CLAES BELL

T

he rate you get on a car loan can dramatically affect a car's ultimate cost. Ensure the best rate possible by following these steps: 1. Figure out a budget. Creditors rarely extend a good deal on a loan you can't afford to pay off.

Figure out how much you can comfortably pay per month, the length of the loan you want and how much you can afford to put down.

2. Check your credit. Your credit history has a lot to do with the quality of loan you'll obtain.

Get copies of your credit report for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Your FICO score is available for a small fee at myFICO.com. Or, use the FICO Score Estimator to get a quick score estimate. Do this early to allow time to fix any mistakes or take action to improve your score.

3. Shop for loans. Apply for loans at several different institutions, including your bank, a credit union (if you're eligible) and one other bank. Use Bankrate's rate search to find lenders.

4. Negotiate. With loan offers in hand, go to the dealer and challenge them to get you a better rate.

If they can't beat it, use your prearranged financing.-Courtesy Bankrate.com

Desi News FIA Chicago plans grand India Day celebrations HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Chicago has slated celebrating India's 67th Independence Day on a grand scale keeping up its tradition of the past few years One of the highlights of the celebrations will be Gala Banquet on Friday August 9 at India House Banquet in Schaumburg to be followed up with India's Independence Day grand Parade on Sunday August 11 in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.

FIA President Rita Singh said, "These celebrations would not mean much if we do not show our sympathy and concern for the people and devotees in Uttarakhand who suffered heavily due to storm and heavy rains in recent weeks.

Details on page 18

Orissa Society celebrates 44th Annual Convention KANAK HOTA

CHICAGO: The 44th annual convention of Orissa Society of the Americas (OSA) held for three days beginning July 4 at Westin Hotel in Lombard turned out to be a huge success showcasing cultural splendor, artistic heritage, and modern progress of the Indian State of Odisha and its people.

More than 1800 people of the Odia Diaspora from various parts of USA and Canada attended the event with great enthusiasm. Sam Pitroda, currently Advisor to the Indian Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations was the Guest of Honor.

Details on page 21

Sahiyaru Abhiyan set to expand services SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: "Sahiyaru Abhiyan", a social and humanitarian organization established about three years ago in Ahmedabad, India to provide food, educational assistance, medical help and any required necessities of life to the very poor, handicapped, widows and mentally retarded individuals and their families, is now set for expanding its activities with other like minded organizations and support from Indian Diaspora across the world.

Details on page 24

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

600 attend picnic for Senior Citizens Details on page 22

www.indiapost.com

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July 19, 2013

Ro Khanna campaign mobilizes grassroot support RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: Ro Khanna continues to make strides in his campaign for US Congress election in 2014. One of his core strengths has been to mobilize grassroot support among local community. His campaign has successfully raised campaign funds by conducting meet and greet events in Bay Area.

Inder and Val Dosanjh hosted a community meet and greet at their spacious home in Lafayette, CA on Sunday, June 30. Attending the event were community leaders such as Joe Johal, Community Activist and Sikh American Community Leader Bob Dhillon, Anil Yadav, FIA Chairman Dr Romesh Japra, Yogi Chugh, Vijay Thapar, Mahesh Pakala, Fremont City Council member Raj Salwan. Also present were prominent Sikh American community leaders from San Jose and Bay Area committing their support to Ro Khanna.

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

Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna for Congress has been receiving wide support from the Indian American community and many other communities. His message of job creation and a strong middle class is resonating with the community sional District 17th which included parts of Fremont, Newark, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose.

Attendees were heard saying

that he was a very impressive candidate with impeccable credentials. Having served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce many

felt that he understood manufacturing, job creation and the interest of both small, medium and large businesses.

Attendees were pleased to see that Ro supported comprehensive immigration reform. He reiterated his support to the Sikh American community and issues of importance to them. Many admired his support of Civil liberties and justice.

Ro Khanna was recognized and given an award in 2008 by Washington, DC based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) for his role in supporting Sikh issues.

Ro Khanna for Congress has been receiving wide support from the Indian American community and many other communities. His message of job creation and a strong middle class is resonating with the community. Ro Khanna's candidacy has been gaining momentum and he has received tremendous coverage in local and national media where many are saying that CA 17 Congressional race has become a very competitive race.

Ro Khanna's grassroots mobilization has been unprecedented and is receiving wide support from all key constituents in Silicon Valley.

Inspiring Bhagwat discourses by Swami Rambhadracharya VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

SAN BRUNO, CA: Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya visited Sanatan Mandir, San Bruno from July 8 -14 for discourse of Shrimad Bhagavad Katha. Over 250 Sanatan families from all over Bay area attended the Bhagavad discourse on Sunday and sought the blessings of the Swami. The program was followed by aarti and distribution of mahaprasad.

Cont’d on page 19

July 19, 2013

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Saudi princess free on $5 million bail in Calif.

SANTA ANA, Calif.: A Saudi princess charged with human trafficking was freed after posting $5 million bail, but authorities imposed strict travel requirements

jected to ``forced labor,'' and likened Alayban to a slave owner. ``It's been 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, and slavery has been unlawful in the United States, and certainly in California, all this time, and it's disappointing to see it in use here,'' s a i d Rackauckas, who had requested t h a t Alayban's bail be set Saudi princess Meshael Alayban (right) listens to an interpreter during her scheduled appearance in court on July 11 at $20 million. and GPS tracking to keep her in Defense attorney Paul Meyer Southern California. declined comment on the case but Meshael Alayban, 42, who previously said it was just a disprosecutors said is one of the six pute over domestic work hours. wives of Saudi Prince Alayban is forbidden to have Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin contact with the alleged victim, Abdulaziz al Saud, was released cannot leave Orange County withafter posting the hefty bail amount out permission from the court, and a day after her arrest. turned over her passport.

Earlier in the day she had apThe Kenyan woman said her peared in court wearing a dark blue passport was taken from her when jail jumpsuit to answer to one she left her country to work for felony charge of human traffick- Alayban, hoping to make enough ing. She did not enter a plea. Her money to cover her ailing 7-yeararraignment was postponed to old daughter's medical bills.

July 29.

The 30-year-old woman, whose Alayban was arrested after a name has not been released, alKenyan woman who worked for leges she was forced to work long her as a maid alleged she was held hours and was paid only a fracagainst her will and forced to toil tion of what she was promised. long hours for meager pay. The Authorities said it wasn't until maid led police to a condominium she traveled with the Saudi family in Irvine where Alayban's family on their vacation to the United was staying, authorities said.

States that she was able to escape, Orange County District Attor- flag down a bus, and call police, ney Tony Rackauckas said after authorities said. court that the woman was subWhen police searched the

condo, they found four other workers, from the Philippines. The women left voluntarily with officers and told them they were interested in being free, police said. No charges have been filed related to those women and police said there were no signs any of the workers had been physically abused.

The women's passports had been held with the victim's documents in a safe deposit box, Rackauckas said.

The case is the first labor traf-

ficking case prosecuted in Orange County since voters approved a law last year to stiffen the penalties for the crime. If convicted, Alayban faces a maximum sentence of 12 years, which is double the sentence she could have received a year ago, Rackauckas said.

The Saudi royal family is extensive, with thousands of princes and princesses, including some who have run into trouble with the law.

In 2002, Saudi princess Buniah

al-Saud, who was accused of pushing her maid down a flight of stairs, entered a no-contest plea in Florida and was fined $1,000. In 1995, another Saudi princess, Maha Al-Sudairi, allegedly beat a servant in front of sheriff's deputies providing off-duty security.

No charges were ever filed. ``These people have lots of money; they think they're above the law,'' said Ali AlAhmed, director of the Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs. -AP

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FIA Chicago plans grand India Day celebrations HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Chicago has slated celebrating India's 67th Independence Day on a grand scale keeping up its tradition of the past few years One of the highlights of the celebrations will be Gala Banquet on Friday August 9 at India House Banquet in Schaumburg to be followed up with India's Independence Day grand Parade on Sunday August 11 in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.

FIA President Rita Singh said, "These celebrations would not

own community members but even within the mainstream society."

Under the leadership of Rita Singh and its Executive Board, this event is planned to be the best ever for FIA. One unique attraction of this event will be the presence of a popular Bollwood actress Minissha Lamba, who is coming to Chicago specially to attend FIA Banquet Dinner and Grand Parade.

The Gala Banquet on August 9 is expected to start sharp at 7:30pm with social hours followed by formal program for the evening. The

Under the leadership of Rita Singh and its Executive Board, this event is planned to be the best ever for FIA. One unique attraction of this event will be the presence of a popular Bollwood actress Minissha Lamba, who is coming to Chicago specially to attend FIA Banquet Dinner and Grand Parade mean much if we do not show our sympathy and concern for the people and devotees in Uttarakhand who suffered heavily due to storm and heavy rains in recent weeks. FIA is always in the forefront in helping victims of natural disasters and I would assure all possible help from my side to help efforts being made by some of our community groups and leaders for Uttarakhand victims. My view is that the extent of this natural calamity is not fully understood here and it should be our effort collectively to create awareness not only among our

evening will include fashion show

by Charisma Boutique, colorful cultural program and special menu Independence Day buffet dinner.

When it comes to banquet food, no one can come close to India House. Though Gala Banquet is a ticketed event, Grand Parade admission will be free. Rita Singh is expecting around 1000 people to attend both these events of great significance and importance to each and every Indian.

Minissha Lamba needs no introduction. One of Bollywood's latest and most popular actresses, Minissha Lamba is originally from

Delhi. She started her career in Bollywood in 2005 with her debut movie 'Yahaan'. Some of her popular movies are Corporate, Honeymoon Travels, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Kidnap, Well Done Abba, Bheja Fry-2, Joker, Zilla Ghaziabad, etc. She also appeared in music video for Himesh Reshammiya's song Tera Surroor from the album Aap Kaa Surroor which became very popular.

Minissha Lamba is expected to attend both Gala Banquet Dinner event on August 9 at India House as well as India's Independence Day Grand Parade on August 11 in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.

As per Rita Singh, president of FIA, many prominent dignitaries like Pat Quinn (Governor of Illinois), Jesse White (Secretary of State), Dan Rutherford (Illinois Treasurer), Lisa Madigan (Attorney General), Senator Mark Kirk, Senator Dick Durbin, Congresswomen Tammy Duckworth, Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson, Bill McLeod, Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig, City of Naperville Mayor George Pradel, Consul General of India, Chicago have been invited for both Gala Banquet as well as Grand Parade. She is very hopeful that these dignitaries will take time out of their busy schedule to grace this occasion with their kind presence.

Some of the main attractions of this year's event include Runway Fashion show, patriotic and scintillating Dance and Singing Performances, Keynote addresses, Red carpet welcome, to name a few. FIA

Minissha Lamba

represents the interests of over two hundred thousand Indian Americans living in and around Chicago land area and Rita Singh and her dynamic Executive Board appreciates huge support from the

community.

"Without generous support from Indian American businesses and community leaders, we could not have planned this grand event," said Rita Singh.

Jaina Convention in Detroit meets with big success KAMLESH MEHTA AND SURESH SHAH

NOVI, MI: The seventeenth biennial Jaina (Federation of Jain Associations in North America) Convention held in Novi, a beautiful Northwest suburb of Detroit, Michigan, last week met with Gurudev Chitrabhanuji along with Bhatarak huge success judgDetroit skyline Blessing ceremony Temple of the Jain Society Charukeertji performing the Exhibition Ribbon ing from the level of of Greater Detroit Ceremony (Jain Arts Exhibition) attendance and lofty planning and execution by which took place over four days ers and dignitaries who partici- Jainism: The Global Impact. It is abroad attended the event sharvolunteers and Jaina officials. brought together a host of Jain pated in a comprehensive series estimated that over 3500 Jains and ing a most joyous conclusion.

The convention celebrations religious leaders, scholars, follow- of events focusing on the theme: others from across the country and Cont’d on page 20

July 19, 2013

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Syed Hussaini: First President of Hyderabad Association HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Syed Hussaini, Vice President and Area Manager of Village Bank & Trust was elected as the First President of Chicagobased Hyderabad Association (HA), along with other office bearers.

The Association held its first official elections of Executive Committee and Board of Directors at its formation meeting on June 19 at Schaumburg, IL, USA. Eraj S. Ahmed was elected as an Executive Vice President.

Shahid Razvi was elected as General Secretary and Khaja M. Akif was elected as Treasurer. The other prominent board members who were elected as Vice Presidents are Ali Abid Yawar (President Browns Chicken), Ghousia Ghiasuddin, Nazneen Hashmi (Community leader), Tatai Krishnan (Director of Portfolio

Syed Hussaini President of Hyderabad Association

Management World Wide Services, Polycom Inc.) and Hamid M.

HA officials (L to R) S. K. Faheem (Director) Khaja M. Akif (Treasurer) Nazneen Hashmi (Vice President) Hamid M. Ali (Vice President), Tatai Krishnan (Vice President) Syed Hussaini (President) Eraj S. Ahmed (Executive Vice President), Ghousia Sultana (Vice President) Shahid Razvi (General Secretary). Ali Abid Yawar (Senior Vice President) not in the picture.

Ali. Also S. K. Faheem and Khurram Syed were named as Di-

Inspiring Bhagwat discourses by Swami Rambhadracharya Cont’d from page 16

Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya, born Giridhar Mishra on 14 January 1950, is a Hindu religious leader, educationist, Sanskrit scholar, poet, author, philosopher, composer, singer, playwright and Katha artist based in Chitrakoot, India. He is the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth, Chitrakoot.

verses with chapter and verse numbers, in 15 days, with the help of his neighbor, Pandit Murlidhar Mishra. On Janmashtami day in 1955, he recited the entire Bhagavad Gita.

When he was seven he memorized the entire Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, consisting of around 10,900 verses with chapter and verse numbers, in 60 days, assisted by his grandfather. On Ram

sisting of 18000 verses across 12 cantos, this Purana was written by Sri Veda Vyasa and narrated to King Parikshit by Sage Suka in seven days, when the latter faced a curse of death by the sting of a serpent.

Srimad Bhagavatam discourses started with an introduction and take one through origins of different characters and their significance in the spiritual realm and

Swamiji has been blind since the age of two months and had no formal education till the age of seventeen. He is the founder and Chancellor of the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University in Chitrakoot, which offers graduate and postgraduate courses exclusively to four types of disabled students.

At the age of five, Swamiji memorized the entire Bhagavad Gita, consisting of around 700

Navami day in 1957, he recited the entire epic while fasting. Later, Giridhar went on to memorize the Vedas, the Upanishads, works of Sanskrit grammar, the Bhagavata Purana, all the works of Tulsidas, and many other works in Sanskrit and Indian literature.

Srimad Bhagavatam is one of the greatest scriptures in the divine literature of the Sanatana Dharma. It shows us the beautiful path of Bhagavata Dharma. Con-

truth. Spiritual and social messages from Guruji delivered during the Srimad Bhagavatam Katha were inspiring for a common man to lead a peaceful and successful life.

Around $61,251.61 were donated by the devotees of Sanatan Mandir to Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University which provides higher and professional education to persons with disabilities.

rectors of the Hyderabad Association (HA).

The formal announcement and website launching ceremony of Hyderabad Association, Chicago, IL, USA will be held on Tuesday, July 23 at 6 pm at Meadows Club, Rolling Meadows. The mission, objectives and policies of HA will

also be announced on that day.

The celebrations of Sister Cities, Hyderabad and Schaumburg will take place in November. Syed Hussaini thanked all members of Hyderabad Association and congratulated all Hyderabadi American citizens for the formation of Hyderabad Association (HA).

Guru Purnima meditation event in Wisconsin HEM VAKHARIA

MILWAUKEE: On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Shiv R. Jhawar, author of the book, Building a Noble World, will give a talk that delves deep into the concept of Guru, followed by a guided meditation and Q&A session.

The event that is open to all irrespective of cast, creed religion or color is slated for Sunday July 21at Yog Asylum, in the Sendik's Town Center in Brookfield, WI 53045 at 2-45 pm.

The registration door opens at 230 p.m. Suggested donation is $30 which is tax deductible Guru Purnima Day (Guru's day) is celebrated every year as a sacred day dedicated to the memory of great Shiv sages, saints, and true gurus such as Vyasa, Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus, Shankaracharya, Mohammed and Guru Nanak. Powerful lineages of great gurus have been existing since the beginning of time. They teach us that the way to lasting peace is through the awakening of a spiritual energy, which exists

within every human being.

Jhawar says, it is important to understand that Guru is not an individual, but a power. There are five cosmic functions in the universe: creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment and grace.

Guru is actually the fifth cosmic function, or grace. A guru is necessary to make you experience your innermost pure "I," the formless eternal Spirit/Awareness inside your body and mind.

Guru removes your sanchit karmas (the negative impressions accumulated in your sushumna nadi over millions of your past lives). Your past karmas are the sole reason for your diseases, Jhawar and problems. It is said that there are many gurus who will take away your wealth but it is very difficult to find a true Self-realized guru who can remove the weaknesses of your mind such as anger, lust, greed, jealousy, hatred, and ego.

This program is open to people of all religions and cultures.

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Jaina Convention in Detroit meets with big success Cont’d from page 18

"On behalf of the Novi community, we appreciate and concur with the Jain principles that support non-violence and strong family connections which are valued foundations for every society. The Jain Community represents a movement of peace and harmony

effects on the global population in the areas of religion, commerce, education, culture, language, and cuisine.

"Act the way you want to become and you will become the way you act" stated Shri Gurudev Chitrabhanuji based on three A's of Jain religion - Ahimsa (non-violence), Anekantwad (many facets

Opening procession "Parade" with spiritual leaders and convention attendees

that we respect," observed Novi Mayor Bob Gatt, one of the honored invitees.

The convention celebrations were kicked off by honoring the 150th birthday celebration of Shri

Panel speaker Dr Dipak Jain

of truth) and Aparigraha (simplicity of life or non-possessiveness).

Throughout the four-day celebrations, there were extensive spiritual breakout sessions on

Swami Guruvanandji Guruji addressing the closing ceremony

Veerchand Ragavji Gandhi, the centennial birthday celebration of Acharya Tulsi, and the 91st birthday celebration of Gurudev Chitrabhanuji.

The event line-up included extensive Jain prayer ceremonies and spiritual sessions over the four day period led by Jain monks and scholars visiting from North America and India, including Shri Gurudev Chitrabhanuji, Acharya Chandnaji, Muni Roop Chandraji Maharaj, Bhattarak Charukeertiji, Amrendra Muniji, Samaniji Charitra Pragyaji, Guruvanand Guruji, Samaniji Dr Chaitanya Pragyaji, Shrutpragya Swamiji, and more.

Jainism has significant lasting

various categorical topics such as "Global Impact", "21st Century Values","Balancing attitude", "Compassion and animal rights", "Self-cleansing", etc. led by Jain monks and scholars visiting from around the world. For attendees, it was a fabulous environment to "reconnect and recharge" with Gurus, Acharyas, spiritual leaders, scholars, and friends.

In addition to spiritual development, the convention also focused on health and well-being, business, social and ecological issues. Sam Pitroda, an internationally respected development thinker, policymaker and entrepreneur was the keynote speaker. He addressed in multiple ways how

Jainism impacted and continues to impact globally on environmental issues, community services and most importantly, values and ethics in business environment.

Many focused panel discussions and sessions were conducted with well-known local and international business, civic and community leaders and philanthropists who

Many cultural activities such as "Mangalam - an auspicious beginning" choreographed by Chaula Thacker, "Let's Celebrate Together" performed by Jain Centers in North America, a traditional folk dance evening of "Raas/Garba /Bhangra" led by the popular Raj Pandya Group, "Jains Got Talent" and Jain Academic

Convention attendees enjoying the program

exemplify Jain values.

Bharat Desai, founder and chairman of Syntel Inc., was one of the panel speakers who shared his entrepreneurial journey. Additionally, many experts in their fields such as Dr Dipak Jain, Dr Sushil Jain, Professor Philip Clayton, Dr Mehool Sanghrajka, and Dr Masum Momaya were part of several exciting panels, discussing the impact of Jainism globally, especially identifying the critical needs of wide-range of communities where Jain values play a vital role. On the other hand inter-faith leaders were busy understanding and promoting "21st Century Values" during the inter-faith panel discussion.

Many other panel discussions such as "Lifestyles & financial planning", "Protection against identity theft", "Winning attitude through Jain beliefs & principles", "Philosophy and Science of Non-violence", "World Medical Relief & New Service Project Opportunities", etc. were conducted successfully.

The Convention also had a "Healthy Jain Series" where a panel of physicians and nutrition experts shared their knowledge.

These experts put together a booklet titled "Healthy Jain Series" which was provided free to the attendees for future reference and use. “I truly enjoyed the Jaina Convention. I learned a great deal about the people and organization and am very impressed. So friendly!" said Diane Lambert of Axiom Security.

vention is filled with people of various races who follow Jain principles without calling themselves Jain." He added that "Our first generation Jains were the torch bearers for my generation.

Time has come for us to turn over the torch to next generation in quest of exploring new frontiers.

Incoming Jaina President, Prem

Cultural program: "Let's Celebrate Together"

Bowl" were enjoyed by thousands of attendees in the evenings.

Saturday night's evening gala program blended East and West by combining the talents of entertaining and exciting Bollywood professional singers was a very special evening with outstanding music. The convention was a memorable and historic experience for all age groups. The youth activities planning team designed a four-day program to ensure the Jain youth have the network to be the leaders of the future The Jain Networking Forum (JNF) is for adults over the age of twenty-one and its vision is to implement a strong network of young Jains through profes-

Jain, Senior Vice-President of Cisco, emphasized that "through humanitarian, educational, and inter-faith work, we will make Jaina stronger together and build upon the momentum we achieved in the last 32 years".

He continued, "We have launched a fundraising campaign to raise one million dollars for several Jaina initiatives and projects".

Originating in ancient India, Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world and promotes tolerance, peace, and compassion.

Its fundamental beliefs are Ahimsa (non-violence), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness), Anekantvada (respect for a multiplicity of opinions), Asteya (non-stealing), and Satya (truth).

Sam Pitroda, an internationally respected development thinker, policymaker and entrepreneur was the keynote speaker.

He addressed in multiple ways how Jainism impacted and continues to impact globally on environmental issues, community services and most importantly, values and ethics in business environment sional, relationship, social, and spiritual activities.

Swami Guruvanandji, in the closing ceremonial discourse, stated that "The three phases of a person's life: Learning, Learning and Earning, and Learning, Earning and Returning." He urged that each one of us must volunteer to promote and support Jain Way of Life.

In his closing remarks, outgoing Jaina President Dr Sushil Jain stated, "We envision Jaina con-

Jaina ( www.Jaina.org) is the umbrella organization of 80 North American centers in the USA and Canada. It functions as a philanthropic, educational, and servicefocused organization, staffed by hundreds of volunteers.

Jaina partners globally to render disaster relief, medical aid, polio eradication, limb camps, ecology protection as well as organize annual legislative conferences on peace, harmony and non-violence on Capitol Hill.

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Orissa Society celebrates 44th Annual Convention KANAK HOTA

CHICAGO: The 44th annual convention of Orissa Society of the Americas (OSA) held for three days beginning July 4 at Westin Hotel in Lombard turned out to be a huge success showcasing cultural splendor, artistic heritage, and modern progress of the Indian State of Odisha and its people.

More than 1800 people of the Odia Diaspora from various parts of USA and Canada attended the event with great enthusiasm. Sam Pitroda, currently Advisor to the Indian Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations was the Guest of Honor.

Dr Pratibha Ray, literary luminary

and recipient of the Jnanpith Award for her extraordinary contributions to Indian literature, was the Chief Guest and acclaimed painter, poet and art critic Dr Dinanath Pathy was the Keynote speaker.

With invocation to Lord Jagannath and lighting of the commemorative lamp by Swami Sarananandaji, the spiritual guru from Chinmaya Mission, and patriotic fervor of the national anthems of India and the US reverberating in the air, the participants renewed their commitment to the cause of Odisha. The early immigrants shook hands with the third generation Indian Americans and

Sam Pitroda

L-R: Dr Uma Mishra, Sushant Satapathy, Jhara Das, Kuku Das, Annapurna Pandey, Sitikantha Das, Dr Pratibha Ray, Jnanpith Award winner 2012 & Dr Dinanath Pathy

Bollywood singer Krishna Beura

insisted on the need to preserve the linguistic and cultural heritage of their land of origin.

Pratibha Ray and Dinanath Pathy reiterated the special care members of the minority communities must take to preserve their mother tongue and stay connected to Odisha. Sam Pitroda emphasized on modernization of higher education, rapid industrialization and entrepreneurship.

Convener Gyana Ranjan Patnaik dedicated this year's convention to the youth of the community.

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Community Across America

22 India Post

July 19, 2013

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600 attend picnic for Senior Citizens JAYANTI OZA

CHICAGO: Over 600 people attended a picnic hosted by the Bhartiya Senior Citizens of Chicago at the Brahm Premanand Ashram, Elgin, a north side suburb of Chicago on June 29.

Rakishikaben Anjaria, Joint Secretary of BSC, welcomed all participants. Guests were treated to a variety of snacks like Fafda, Jalebi, Onion, Gota, Bhaji-Pav, Athana (Pickle) tea, coffee, other beverages like Pepsi, Coke, Sankist.

Many participated in games such as a Brain Memory, Hair Clips, Musical Chair, Limbu Chamchoo (Spoon Race), Bingo games winners received prizes from sports committee headed by Pratima Shah.

An Indian meal consisting of Khichhadi, Saag, Mohan Thal (Indian sweet), Naan, Chhachh (Buttermilk) was also served. Among the honored guests were Cook County Collector Timothy O. Schneider, Schaumburg Township Trustee Nimesh Jani, Shree Nathji Haveli, Trustee Kanubhai Hathi, Sahara Asian Elderly Care Lombard representatives, New Age Home Health's Administrator's Dhaval Patel and Hitesh Patel, Manager of Air Tour.

Cook County Collector Timothy O. Schneider spent a few hours with BSC members. Dhaval Patel and their team (New Age Home Health) checked blood pressure during the picnic. Sahara Elderly Care Services enrolled seniors

Cook County Collector Timothy O. Schneider with BSC committee members

Many participated in games such as a Brain Memory, Hair Clips, Musical Chair, Limbu Chamchoo (Spoon Race)

who were eligible.

President of BSC Haribhai Patel thanked Ma Divya and Bharatbhai Thakkar of the Ashram for use of their facilities. Secretary Pursottam Pandya, Vice President Shivabhai Patel and Batukbhai Shukla ChairPerson thanked all committee members for having worked so hard to ensure the success of the picnic.

New Age Home Health (Dhaval Patel) with his team checking blood pressure of Seniors Senior enjoying game Limbu Chamcho (Spoon Game)

Senior playing Bingo game

NJ IACF to celebrate India's I-Day India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Indo-American Cultural Foundation of Central New Jersey (IACFNJ), a non-profit organization in central jersey and South Brunswick Family YMCA will celebrate India's 67th Independence Day on Sunday, August 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at South Brunswick Family YMCA at 329 Culver Road in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. Approximately

400 to 500 people are expected to attend this free event.

After last three years' grand success and overwhelming community support, the organizers of IACFNJ and SB Family YMCA once again are prepared to organize 2013 patriotic celebration of India's Independence Day event with fun-filled entertainment and cultural activities, dance performances, traditional Indian dances, patriotic dances, children's activi-

ties, DJ, music and authentic food sampling which will be open to all at South Brunswick YMCA. The program will include the American and Indian Anthems followed by the dignitary's messages to the attendees and fun filled patriotic dances from the young and talented kids from the renowned dance groups from New Jersey.

The live DJ and music entertainment will be provided by DJ Deep with wonderful patriotic

songs. Among the media sponsors for this event are Masalajunction.com, EBC Radio, Akila News, Divya Bhaskar, Tiranga, Gujarat Darpan, Parikh Worldwide media, Asian Media USA, Sentinel, South Brunswick Post, South Brunswick Patch, Radio Dil, Radio Zindagi, TV Asia, Gujarat Samachar, NRI Tribune, HiIndia and India West. are the proud media sponsors for this event.

Authentic Indian food sampling will be sponsored by the local businesses like Jewel of India, Chutney Mary, Masala Grill, Udipi Restaurants, Cici's Pizza and Astha Caterers. The henna tattoos, face paintings and moon walk and bounce will be the attractions for the young kids for the event. Many young high school students will provide their community volunteer services during this event.

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Community Across America

July 19, 2013

India Post 23

www.indiapost.com

Orissa Society celebrates 44th Annual Convention Cont’d from page 21

In his speech he insisted that while growing up as integral parts of the American mainstream, it should be a fulfilling experience for the younger generation to stay connected with the community.

In coordination with Manoj Mahapatra (head of Cultural Team), Jhara Das (OSA President Chicago Chapter) and Ipsita Sathpathy (artistic director of Utkala Center for Dance) an inau-

quiz show, and an intellectually stimulating women's forum. The event was managed extremely well and participants had a remarkable experience of reconnecting with friends and family.

Each night offered entertainment from Bollywood performers like singer Krishna Beura of "Maula Mere" fame, singing sensation Sniti Mishra from Sa-Re-GaMa-Pa and comedian Kuna Tripathy.

Most of the members of Odia

Odishi Convention singers

gural show was devised that paid rich tribute to Odisha's past such as its heyday as a marine power and a land that transformed the heart of a ruthless conqueror like Ashoka the Great.

Lilting steps of Odissi synchronized with the patriotic fervor of a song like "Bandey Utkala Janani", folkdance, classical music and a spoof of the young getting initiated to a multi-cultural college campus were intertwined with colorful Bollywood dances.

A thought-provoking play on the dichotomy of a mother's heart as her son renounces the world went well with poetry readings, a

community are skilled professionals, so the convention was a retreat - a respite from the hustle of workday life. Sumptuous food was catered by Cuisine of India. Most members carried the memory of the convention with nostalgia and heartfelt delight.

The event was sponsored by Patel Brothers, Air Tours, State Bank of India, Little Odisha, Allishan, International Jagannath Society, Kalinga Hospital, The Crown Hotel, Odisha Tourism Ministry, the Blue Line Shipping Group, Z Estates and Siksha O Anusandhan University along with patrons of the society.

NJ IACF to celebrate India's I-Day Cont’d from page 22

The volunteer participants will be awarded with certificate of volunteerism.

IACFNJ dedicated Executive Committee and their hard-working committee members with the support from SB Family YMCA is getting ready and also working very hard to bring this event a grand success once again this year.

South Brunswick is ethnically diverse township with population of south Asians especially Indians with more than 23% in the latest census. The people from the surrounding towns of North

Brunswick, East Brunswick, Franklin, Somerset, Monroe, Princeton, Princeton-Junction and West Windsor will attend this event.

IACFNJ has been a leader in promoting South Asian culture and values to newer generation by organizing many activities for the past 15 years in Central Jersey.

IACFNJ organizes summer picnic, Navratri Garba, cultural events to raise funds to support the local organizations and Diwali and Christmas celebrations.

The next IACFNJ event will be Navratri Garba in South Brunswick on October 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19, 2013.

Odishi dance performers

Community Across America

24 India Post

July 19, 2013

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Sahiyaru Abhiyan set to expand services SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: "Sahiyaru Abhiyan", a social and humanitarian organization established about three years ago in

its activities with other like minded organizations and support from Indian Diaspora across the world.

One of the biggest motivating

to live a relative easy life. Back home in India nothing of this sort is available. It is therefore considered important that volunteered

The Ahmedabad Meet of Sahyaru Abhiyan

Ahmedabad, India to provide food, educational assistance, medical help and any required necessities of life to the very poor, handicapped, widows and mentally retarded individuals and their families, is now set for expanding

factors behind Sahiyaru Abhiyan was a stark contrast in the help being given to the poor in India and in USA. In US, the poor people get food stamps, welfare, housing, Medicaid and other facilities so that everybody hopes

efforts such as "Manav Sadhna", "Ekal Vidyalay" and many others should help the Indian needy people with the resources generated in and outside India.

Sahiyaru Abhiyan started with providing one month's ration to

about 30 needy families in February of 2010. After three years of existence, the number of families getting monthly food supply has grown to 80 families.

The organization also provides scholarships to needy students by paying their fees directly to the schools. The number of students getting such help has grown from 15 to about 70.

The Abhiyan also provides exercise books to school children at much discounted rates. The number of discounted exercise books provided has grown to tens of thousands. Yearly health fair is arranged to provide free medical check up. Volunteer doctors and health care professionals provide their services with great devotion.

The organization is managed by a group of seven volunteers in India with support from volunteers in USA. There are no office bearers and no administrative expense

is incurred. Abhiyan is registered as a Not for Profit organization both in India and in the State of Illinois. Donations in India are tax free and the volunteers are working on obtaining a tax exempt status from IRS in the US. A donors' appreciation day was celebrated in the Brahma Premanand Ashram in Hoffman Estates in August 2012. All the donors were invited and were acquainted with the activities and working of the Abhiyan. Donors made some important suggestions such as providing work to the needy to make them self sufficient, start some kitchen activities for creating employment and may be making some profit, collecting, transporting used clothing from here to India.

With these suggestions in mind, a similar donors' appreciation program was arranged in Ahmedabad on February 10, 2013. More than 250 donors, well wishers and donation recipients attended the program. The trustees outlined steps for employment thru providing sewing machines, starting home udyog and expanding the scholarships and medical services programs. The activities of the organization were well received and a lot of encouragement was given to the trustees.

Hundreds of Krishna devotees to pull 4-storied chariot ASHOK JAIN & SURESH SHAH

DETROIT, MI: Hundreds of Lord Jagannath devotees will throng the streets of Novi in Michigan to pull by rope a fourstoried tall 40-foot decorated chariot as part of Festival of the Chariots (Rath Yatra) parade slated for Saturday July 20.

This will be the 28th annual Rath Yatra from the temple and it is expected to be attended by many including Mayor Bob Gatt.

Festivities are planned for about seven hours and about 7,000 attendees are expected to take part.

It is like getting a taste of India and Hinduism without leaving Michigan.

Hosted by the Detroit based International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), this three-mile interactive colorful procession will start from Novi Civic Center and end at the festival site at Fuerst Park, which will feature 20-plus tents with various forms of entertainment, free lunch, dancing, live music, cooking demonstrations, henna, Vedic culture and arts and kids' activities.

Four-hour live outdoor kirtan (devotional chants) in the Park with the tagline "Energize the body, free the mind, and feed the soul!" and featuring renowned kirtan-singers from India and USA

Chariot Festival in Detroit

will form part of the festivities. Audience is encouraged to participate by singing/chanting, clapping and dancing; Festival announcement says and adds that Kirtan "connects with God" and "is a scientific study in the pursuit of happiness".

ISKCON in Chicago too had its own Rath Yatra last month in Loyola Park and it was attended by hundreds of devotees seen chanting dancing and actively pulling Lord Jagannath Chariot. Chicago area businessmen, community leaders and media colleagues besides Ald Joe Moore attended the six hours long event which culminated with Prasad and prayers, said Vrishabhdas, an Iskconite for years.

Rath Yatra is said to be the oldest known parade in the world and it is believed that the pullers of Lord Jagannath's chariot receive immense spiritual benefit. Popularized outside India by ISKCON founder

Chicago Rath Yatra

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this annual parade festival has reportedly been held annually in over 50 major cities in USA, Canada, Europe, etc., since 1960s.

The original Ratha Yatra is held on a grand scale in Puri, Odisha, where the presiding deities of Sri Mandira - Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra - with celestial wheel Sudarshana are driven on the chariots for about two miles to north Gundicha temple. After a

stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode in Sri Mandira.

Detroit has an ISKCON Temple (Devasadan Mandir) and Bhaktivendanta Cultural Center situated on four acres of formal gardens with roving peacocks, which was reportedly jointly purchased by Alfred Brush Ford (great-grandson of Henry Ford) and Elisabeth Reuther Dickmeyer (daughter of United Auto workers President Walter Reuther) in 1975.

July 19, 2013

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India Post 25

Horoscope

26 India Post

July 19, 2013

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Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

ULY 19 TH - JULY 25 TH , 2013 (March 21 to April 20)

D

o not go unprepared for legal matters or will have to pay hefty penalty. Eye sight may start to give some trouble and remember it could be the blood pressure. On the positive note there will be some interesting developments in career as well as relationship. You may be assigned an important project and boss will definitely take your advice seriously.

(July 23 to August 22)

P

lanets are in perfect order to make your long cherished desire come true. You will get the new this week. Money may come through legal channel also. You may change your mind going to a religious event on the last minute. You may go to mall and finally spend some money on your self. You will receive very good advice from a learned person.

(April 21 to May 20)

A

void any arguments with people specially who are lot older. Property deal can get extra money in your pocket. Decision will be hard to make but you will end up making the right choice. New contract will be big and you will end up saving a lot in long term. You will buy some expensive item for the house or may have some changes done in kitchen.

(May 21 to June 20)

Y

ou will regain confidence and make some tough decisions about career or the business you have been doing. Changes will relive you of lots of tension of the past. Money wise you will continue to grow but at a very slow pace. Some of you may join a health club to get in shape. You will be invited to a big social event this weekend.

(August 23 to September 22)

P

ayment stuck for a while will come. It is a very favorable week for job seekers. Offer will be reasonable and on your terms. Some of you will be moved to better place in the same company. You will be spending money on buying some gifts for immediate family members. There will be slight change in your travel plans. You will hear from an old friend.

(September 23 to October 22)

W

eek full of pleasant surprises. There will be some dramatic turns in ongoing legal battle and outcome could be even better than your expectations. If appearing for any highly competitive exam, have no doubts you will clear it in first shot. Malefic in sixth will help you gain an edge over your opponents. Health will improve with change of diet.

(June 21 to July 22)

S

ome cracks could start opening up in ongoing relationship. Its the other person who will become double minded. Planets in eleventh are very favorable for all financial matters. take your chance and you can not fail. An overseas trip will get finalized after minor change. You will be spending lots of money towards the education of a child.

(October 23 to November 22)

Y

ou will become more religious and perform some serious charity work this week. A big check in mail will be a pleasant surprise and that too from a totally unexpected place. You will hardly sit idle and make very good use of time on hands. Spouse may buy some items for the home. You will continue to have the Midas touch and get many important things done.

(November 23 to December 22)

T

rip will be finalized on a very short notice. You may need to take one of your vehicle for minor repairs. Money wise it looks like a very promising week. Stocks and lottery could get extra money in your pocket. For people in business, the new contract will not be any less than a jackpot. Strong Mars in fifth will help you achieve you professional goals easily.

(December 22 to January 19)

G

ambling instincts will pay off, and you will reap rich rewards for your bold actions. People in business will have a chance to make some extra money little unorthodox way. Strong Mars in fourth will help you with a property deal and help other goals easily. You may be training a new associate at work. You will be just lucky in all money matters this week.

(January 20 to February 18)

T

hings may not happen in first attempt but will ultimately. A new project will cause excitement and you may take family out to celebrate. You will become more spiritual and make a trip to a holy place and participate in special prayers. An old friend will call and invite you to a social event. You will do very well in all money matters.

(February 19 to March 20)

O

bstacles will be followed by solution but will cause some uneasiness in the mind in the meantime. New business partners will have some very good ideas and risk takers. You may spend some money on upgrading your home or buy new furniture. you may call an old friend and seek his advice on an important issue. You may also visit a holy place with family.

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

510-886-4370 website: www.parashar.com

July 19, 2013

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India Post 27

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Maston Ka Jhund: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 2

Tum Tak: Raanjhnaa

3 Sawaar Loon: Lootera 4 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 28 India Post

www.indiapost.com

July 19 , 2013

5 Ay Saki: Raanjhnaa

S

6 Mera Yaar: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag hah Rukh Khan and his wife recently hit the headlines 7 Manmarziyan: Lootera with the news of the couple 8 Ek Ghadi : D-Day having a surrogate child.

But even before the good news 9 Murshid Khele Holi: D-Day could be confirmed by the celebrity 10 Ghanchakkar Babu: Ghanchakkar couple, controversy struck when a certain NGO claimed that the couple had done sex determination test of the child, which is illegal in India.

However, clearing the air on the matter, SRK sent out a press statement clarifying that he never did those tests as claimed by certain people.

The statement said, "Amidst all the noise that has been going around, the

sweetest is the one made by our new-born baby, AbRam. He was born prematurely by several months but has finally come home. Gauri and our whole family have been dealing with his health issues for a long time now.

"As a family our silence on this subject has been because of the personal nature of emotional strife that we have been going through due to his health.

"Just to put the record straight there was no sex determination for our child.

The baby was born much before the speculations of 'sex determination' and other 'issues' pertaining to the same were being raised in the media."

H

rithik Roshan, who underwent a brain surgery at Khar's Hinduja Healthcare Surgical on July 7, returned home on July 11. The 39-year-old actor emerged from the hospital gates wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt looking buoyant as ever.

His wife Suzanne, who was at the hospital by the actor's side the whole night had left the hospital before him to make sure that the actor gets a warm welcome when he reaches home. And when Hrihik reached his Juhu residence, Palazzio Apartments, the fans were eagerly waiting on the road to get a glimpse of their beloved star and inside were bouquets and gifts from friends and relatives.

The actor was diagnosed with chronic subdural haematoma (a clot had formed between Hrithik's brain and the left side of his skull). According to sources, the clot was the result of a stunt the actor undertook during the Bangkok schedule of his upcoming film Bang Bang.

Bollywood

July 19, 2013

India Post 29

www.indiapost.com

D

ebutante Amyra Dastur was chosen over 200 girls, who auditioned for Bachchi Kashyap's role in Issaq.

Produced by Shailesh R Singh and Dhaval Gada, the film is the desi adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet.

The makers carried out a nationwide hunt to choose their actress. But interestingly, "we found her in Mumbai," says director Manish Tiwary.

He adds, "Amyra's headstrong nature, which is part of Juliet's persona, worked in her favor. Also, we wanted someone very young since Shakespeare's Juliet was only 14."

Amyra says she had no hopes about bagging the role. "I had auditioned for other films, but in vain. So, I felt it would be futile to try again. My manager had to literally drag me. When Manish spoke to me, I did not know that he was the director and auditioned with indifference. Later, they called me for a 10-day workshop saying I had been selected."

T

he talented British-Asian actress Feryna Wazheir who stole audiences hearts in Raj Kanwar's 'Sadiyaan' is all set to return to the silver screen with news of a two-movie deal with the youth-focused cutting edge studio iRock films.

Siddhartha M Jain, CEO of iRock stated, "Feryna has been cast in two iRock films and we will pitch her in fun, youth-centric and high concept edgy films, details for which we will be announcing soon."

Siddhartha's studio which has built its reputation on creating genre-specific, high concept films like 'Ragini MMS' and the soon to be released 'Disco Valley' is determined to forge ahead with a new style of movies aimed directly at the youth market, which now represents India's largest movie going audience.

A

few months ago, there was speculation that Katrina Kaif will be doing Imtiaz Ali's next with her boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor.

However, it was denied by the actress. It was then reported that Ranbir's former girlfriend Deepika Padukone has been approached for the project.

Strong buzz of Deepika's casting started after her onscreen pairing with Ranbir was highly lauded in the smash hit Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. It was also attributed to the actress' comfort level and equation with her Love Aaj Kal director, Imtiaz.

However Katrina being the chosen one is still being talked about.

Our source revealed, "She hasn't signed the film as yet, but Kat will be doing Imtiaz's film. Ranbir is keen on working with her as well."

N

argis Fakhri is all set to show her groovy moves in an item number for the upcoming film 'Phata Poster Nikla Hero'. She will be doing this dance number with Shahid Kapoor. The lead actors of this movie are Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D' Cruz.

Nargis is quite excited with this new project. She has been watching other item songs and getting inspiration for those killer moves. With this item song, Nargis Fakhri will be presented in a different avatar. Earlier Nargis was offered to do an item song in director Punit Malhotra's movie "Gori Tere Pyaar Mein". But the actress refused telling that she had no time for item songs as she was busy with 'Madras CafĂŠ'. Later Punit replaced her with Esha Gupta, who acted in 'Jannat 2'.

'Madras CafĂŠ' is a political thriller movie directed

by Shoojit Sircar. John Abraham plays the role of an Indian intelligence agent while Fakhri plays the role of an international reporter.

„

Realty Tidbits

CII inks MoU with NHB to promote green housing NEW DELHI: Industry body CII has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Housing Bank to promote adoption of energy efficient green homes in the country.

The MoU was signed between Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) of CII and NHB during the first edition of conference on green apartments here.

"The purpose of this MoU is to jointly enhance and promote the adoption of energy efficient and green homes concept in India," CII said in a statement.

The MoU, signed in presence of Arun Kumar Misra, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, was inked between Chairman of IGBC Prem C Jain and NHB Executive Director Arnab Roy. Misra said going green is an imperative to ensure a sustainable tomorrow.

MoU will go a long way in promoting green homes and facilitate India emerge as one of the global leaders in green buildings, Misra said.

He said the Ministry would extend all the support to work with IGBC in taking forward the green home concept to the mass housing sector. -PTI

„ BMC seeks Central funds for Rs 73k crore projects MUMBAI: The wealthiest civic body in the country is planning to seek around Rs 73,000 crore from the Centre to fund several development works in Mumbai over a decade.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which has an annual budget of Rs 27,000 crore, is preparing a report-called the City Development Plan-that details the many civic infrastructure projects it intends to undertake from 2015 to 2025 and the estimated funds needed for them. The report will be sent for approval to the Maharashtra government at the end of this month and, once the state gives its nod, to the Central government.

A majority of the projects listed in the report fall under the heads of water supply, roads and bridges, and sewage treatment and disposal. Among these are the Daman Ganga-Pinjal River Linking and Gargai dam projects.

For the execution of water supply and sewage projects alone, the BMC requires around Rs 40,000 crore.

Real Estate 30

India Post

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Errant road builders may have to pay fine to exit project

NEW DELHI: Road developers will not be blamed for delays in regulatory procedure but have to take responsibility for their own faults and may have to pay up to 1 per cent of total project cost as penalty for exiting, Road Minister Oscar Fernandes said.

"If there is any fault on the part of the concessionaire, then there will be a penalty of a maximum of one per cent, of the total project for the developer to exit the project," July 19 , 2013 he told PTI.PTI

How to avoid a low home appraisal JAY MACDONALD

T

hinking of buying or sell ing a home?

Even when both sides agree on a price, the deal could fall apart thanks to an under-appraisal.

Here's the increasingly common scenario: The seller lists the house for $325,000, the buyer offers $275,000 and they settle on a $300,000 sales price. A week before closing, the appraisal comes in at $265,000, the maximum upon which the bank or mortgage company is willing to lend.

Who's going to make up the $35,000 shortfall?

"This has proven to be a fairly significant problem," says Walter Molony, senior public affairs specialist with the National Association of Realtors in Washington, D.C. In the aforementioned scenario, the seller -- having already come down -- typically doesn't want to drop the price further. The buyer may not have the available cash,

or may not be willing to pay more than the appraised value.

Consequently, the wheels often fall off the deal.

Bitter pill Short appraisals typically arise in a declining housing market be-

market value of a property.

When home sales slow, good comps "age" fast. Add foreclosures and short sales to the mix and appraisals can run all over the map.

The Home Valuation Code of Conduct, or HVCC, that went into

cause the lack of recent comparable area homes sales, or "comps," making it difficult for appraisers to determine the current

effect last May has compounded the problem. The HVCC prohibits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lenders from having direct contact with

appraisers.

As a result, most lenders have opted to work through appraisal management companies, or AMCs, whose pool of residential appraisers includes those with limited training and/or little familiarity with the geographic area being appraised.

A rash of recent questionable appraisals has prompted the National Association of Realtors and others to call for a moratorium on the new code, Molony says.

"We were deluged by complaints from our members," he says.

"Our findings show that among successful homebuyers in the last year, 12 (percent) to 13 percent experienced a contract cancellation and this is the cause. Prior to this year, that figure would have been a low single-digit number."

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Seller concealed story of stigmatized home STEVE MCLINDEN

Dear Real Estate Adviser, We just discovered that the previous owner of our house molested children here and then hanged himself, also in this house. No one told us anything about this before we bought. We had to find out from our neighbors. Do we have any recourse?

- Skip J. Dear Skip, What a dreadful revelation!

Somewhere along the line, this information should have been relayed to you, arguably on the seller's disclosure form but certainly by your own buyer's agent, assuming you used one.

However, "should" in this case may not necessarily equate to "must."

While you may have a strong enough case to seek redress or rescission, state laws can be ambiguous and vary greatly on the subject, and the legal process can be time-consuming and expensive. Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure.

Your home, in real estate par- buyer beware," applies, though lance, is considered a "stigmatized there have been lawsuits won property." That's when a home has against such silent sellers. If the endured anything from a murder seller or seller's agent lied about or suicide to criminal or cult activ- or misrepresented any material ity to reported repeat haunting. facts aimed at misleading you, Such stigmas tend to render af- that's actionable in court. And, in fected properties harder to sell or lease If your home is in California, and can even subject new owners to unwelthe seller and seller's agent come public visits or vandalism. A study at were obligated to disclose Wright State Univerthe suicide, though not necsity published in 2000 found that stigmatized essarily the criminal activity. homes lingered on the market 45 percent longer than average. It also found, your case, there's a pretty strong somewhat surprisingly, that a chance the sellers willfully withstigma caused the sale price to held information they knew you'd drop by an average of only 3 per- find unsettling and would likely cent. affect resale value -- but this is alWhat to do? If your home is in ways a gray area. In about 30 California, the seller and seller's states, in fact, there are "shield agent were obligated to disclose statutes" that protect sellers and the suicide, though not necessar- agents from liability for not disily the criminal activity. More of- closing nonphysical defects. ten than not, though, the general Moreover, a seller's agent can acrule of caveat emptor, or "let the tually be held liable for violating

the agent-owner fiduciary relationship by disclosing stigmas to buyers without the seller's permission.

You don't say whether it was the kin of the molester or a shortterm investor who actually sold you the house. Sometimes, an investor will swoop in and pick up a stigmatized house at a steep discount with intent to quickly flip it to an unwary buyer. In some instances, the latter strategy can demonstrate intent to defraud in court. You'll need to consult with an attorney for clarity on your state's disclosure laws.

Because it's illegal to lie about a home's condition or history in response to a direct question, be doubly sure to ask the owner or agent if any of the aforementioned stigmas apply to the home you're seeking. And please summon the courage to chat up potential future neighbors before buying, no matter how good the neighborhood seems. A buyer's agent can help run this type of interference for you.

-Courtesy Bankrate.com

Real Estate Post

July 19 , 2013

India Post 31

www.indiapost.com

Mumbai office market to cross 100 mn sq ft MUMBAI: Despite sluggish sentiment in the overall realty sector, Mumbai's commercial real estate stock is likely to cross 100 million sq ft mark by the fourth quarter of 2014, consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle said.

When the city's supply of commercial real estate reaches this milestone, the three largest micro-markets will be secondary business districts in the north with 22 million square feet, Thane and Navi Mumbai with 21 million square feet and the western suburbs with 16 million sq ft, JLL said in its report.

Currently, this stock stands at 87 million sq ft.

JLL observed that when the city will achieve this milestone, the vacancy rate will hover at around 22.2 per cent.

By the end of 2014, two other heavyweight markets, including Bangalore and Delhi NCR, will have 86 million sq ft and 89 million sq ft stock, respectively, JLL said.

Meanwhile, for the first half of 2013, Mumbai witnessed the highest absorption of office space with 3.8 million sq ft, it said.

The absorption level across the country improved marginally during the period to 13 million sq ft compared to 12.8 million square feet during the year-ago period.

The first half of 2013 saw the completion of 19.3 million sq ft of office space across the country, as opposed to 10.7 million sq ft in the corresponding period last year.

"With the balance sheets of American companies looking decidedly healthier this year on account of a visibly improving economy, we can expect them to focus more intensely on the Indian office market.

"This is a reasonable assumption to make, given that American companies already account for 51 per cent of the commercial office space leased in India," JLL MD (West) Ramesh Nair said. -AP

Big attendance at Indian Homes Fair in UK LONDON: HDFC's Indian Homes Fair, the leading information event for India property, concluded an exceptional weekend event, which saw Indians from across the UK get practical ideas and inspiration about their dream homes.

Relishing the opportunity to get answers to the sometimesconfusing challenges of buying property in India, attendees flocked to the Fair on Saturday and Sunday, July 13 and July 14.

The Fair, now in its sixth successful year, was held at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. Attendees took advantage of the unique opportunity to talk to the more than 35 leading developers and thousands of properties assembled under one roof.

The median total household

wealth of Indians living in the UK is £229,000, reflecting their passion for buying and investing in property.

At the Fair, more than 30,000 impressive developments were on display, ranging upwards in price from £22,000, and including singlefamily homes, and retirement properties. Developers provided information on all major states, including the National Capital Region/ Delhi, and also on the expanding industrial towns, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Goa, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Punjab.

"The attendance was the best yet in the Fair's six-year history," said HDFC's Managing Director Renu Sud Karnard. "And, even if you couldn't make it to this year's

Fair, you can still get detailed answers from HDFC about the process of buying property in India, whether in the major cities or the expanding industrial towns."

She added: "We can reassure people that the process of getting a mortgage will be far easier, and far faster if it's started in the UK. HDFC has a base in London which is staffed by a strong team of experts who can help with any questions and queries, and we can safely and securely facilitate the process right here."

India property investment by UK-based Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) is seeing a substantial increase. The low penetration of about 8%, coupled with a huge shortage of 26.53 million units in India's urban areas will fuel growth.

ASK Property to invest up to Rs 500 crore MUMBAI: Private equity firm ASK Property Investment Advisors plans to invest up to Rs 500 crore in mid-income residential projects by this fiscal end, a top company official said.

"We are upbeat about India's real estate growth story. We intend to invest up to Rs 500 crore in various mid-income residential projects by this fiscal end," ASK Investment Managers CEO and Managing Director Sunil Rohokale told PTI. The company has so far raised two domestic funds with Rs 350 crore in 2009 and Rs 1,000 crore in

2011-12 and has invested to the tune of Rs 800 crore in 12 projects.

"We have committed entire Rs 350 crore by investing in seven projects. As far as the second fund is concerned, we have already committed investments to the tune of Rs 500 crore in five projects," he said.

The company recently invested Rs 147 crore in ATS Group's Gurgaon housing project.

The ASK Group has been concentrating only on mid-income residential projects coming up in five cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Delhi (NCR), Chennai and

Bangalore, he said.

"We don't wish to look at other destinations at the moment mainly because there is still huge scope in these five cities.

Despite tough economic environment, developers are undertaking new projects. Given the situation that interest rates are not coming down, capital starved real estate developers will look at private equity infusion for their projects," Rohokale said.

He said the company would be making investments to the tune of Rs 100-150 crore in individual projects.-PTI

How to avoid a low home appraisal county, or perhaps a neighboring county. After all, you're paying him Dean Moss, broker associate or her.

• Request that the appraiser with Keller Williams Realty -- Lincoln Square in Chicago, has seen have a residential appraiser certifisix instances of "severe" under- cation and a professional designaappraisals this year. While the tion. Examples include the Apbuyer may lose the dream house praisal Institute's senior residential and inspection and appraisal fees, appraiser, or SRA, or member of the the seller is often left with a much Appraisal Institute, or MAI, designations. larger problem.

• Meet the appraiser when he or That's especially true with Federal Housing Administration or she inspects the home and share your knowledge Veterans Affairs recent short deals; in such inWe have appraisers of sales and forestances, a file closures that number is as- who do not have might skew the signed to the ap- competency in how comps. praisal, Moss to properly verify • Many apsays. praisers are just Leslie Sellers, sales in declining pulling up data president of the markets and are out of MLS Appraisal Institute in Chicago, using improper sales (Multiple Listing Service) or says the root (comps). off the deed at problem lies with the way AMCs are compensated. the courthouse and not checking "They are paid a fee and they it out," Sellers says. "Most good make their money on the spread appraisers will appreciate the inforbetween what they can get paid mation."

And yes, you can speak with from the bank and what they can hire an appraiser for," Sellers says. your appraiser; the prohibition "Over a period of time, the lesser only applies to your lender. and lesser quality appraisers are If you're a seller: • Get an appraisal before you the ones that end up getting all list a home. Search for a qualified the work.

"As a result, we have apprais- appraiser in your area on the Apers who do not have competency praisal Institute site.

• Use the appraisal to set a rein how to properly verify sales in declining markets and are using alistic listing price for your home.

• Give a copy of your prelisting improper sales (comps). Many times they aren't doing fraudulent appraisal to the buyer's appraiser. things; they just don't know what "They won't be offended," Sellers says. "The more professional apthey don't know." praisers will understand that Protect yourself How can you protect yourself you're just trying to add more data from short appraisals? Here are and another perspective."

• Question a low appraisal. some suggestions for buyers and There's always a chance the apsellers. praiser or a supervisor will take into If you're a buyer: • Tell your lender to find an ap- account new or overlooked inforpraiser who comes from your mation.-Courtesy Bankrate.com Cont’d from page 30

Health

Line

Mercy to close health clinics in 3 Wal-Mart stores OKLAHOMA CITY: Mercy Clinic officials say health clinics in three Oklahoma City area WalMart stores will be closed due to a lack of patients.

Mercy Clinic Chief Operating Officer Pat Patton told The Oklahoman that the clinic in west Edmond will close July 31 and two clinics in northwest Oklahoma City will close Aug. 31. Patton says the 16 employees of the three clinics will be offered jobs at other Mercy locations.

The clinics inside the Wal-Mart stores were designed to treat patients for minor illnesses such as the cold, a mild case of flu or a child with a fever. Patton says other Mercy clinics in Edmond and northwest Oklahoma City offer a higher level of medical care and attract more patients. -AP

RI health officials see more cases of stomach bug PROVIDENCE, R.I.: Rhode Island health officials say they're seeing more cases of a stomach bug that was initially linked to Spring Lake Beach in Burrillville.

WPRO reports that an additional 14 cases of the bug tied to the Shigella Sonnei bacterium were reported by people who recently swam at Wallum Lake in Burrillville. Health officials say shigellosis cases have also been reported by residents who swam nearby in Massachusetts.

The reports come after an initial cluster of 134 cases was linked to July 4 swimmers at Spring Lake Beach. That beach has since reopened after Department of Health officials found no recent evidence of fecal coliform bacteria.

Health officials say shigellosis can be prevented with good hand washing, and if people don't swim when ill with diarrhea or for 48 hours after symptoms disappear.

-AP

MP govt to introduce Yoga in schools BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said Yoga will be introduced in schools all across the state.

"Yoga will be taught in schools as the future of the country is in the hands of students who have the potential to change the country's fate," Chouhan said at a function here.

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Fraud fear raised in California's health exchange SACRAMENTO, Calif.: As California prepares to launch its health care exchange, consumer groups are worried the uninsured could fall victim to fraud, identity theft or other crimes at the hands of some of the very people who are supposed to help them enroll.

The exchange, known as Covered California, recently adopted rules for a network of more than 21,000 enrollment counselors who will provide consumers with in-person assistance as part of the federal Affordable Care Act. In some cases, they will have access to personal and financial information, from ID cards to medical histories.

But the state insurance commissioner and anti-fraud groups say the exchange is falling short in ensuring that the people hired as counselors are adequately screened and monitored.

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones also said the exchange does not have a plan for investigating any complaints that might arise once the counselors start work.

That means consumers who might fall prey to bogus health care products, identity theft and other abuses will have a hard time seeking jus-

ber, bank accounts, health records or other private information, he said. ``We can have a real disaster on our hands,'' Jones, a Democrat, said in an interview.

His department regulates more than 300,000 insurance agents and brokers statewide.

Starting Oct. 1, the state is embarking on an ambitious effort to enroll an estimated 5.3 million Californians who lack health insurance, about half of whom will be eligible for tax credit subsidies.

The enrollment counselors will play Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones a critical role in Covered California's pubtice if unscrupulous counselors get lic awareness campaign because a hold of their Social Security num- the state estimates 1 of every 2

people seeking to enroll will need help buying insurance. Those consumers may not speak or read English, or they might not be familiar with how the federal law will affect them.

Covered California spokesman Santiago Lucero said the exchange shares Jones' concerns and has made consumer safety a priority.

The exchange's board adopted regulations last month requiring enrollment counselors to get fingerprinted and undergo background checks. The exchange also has established a code of conduct and will require counselors to wear name badges.

Plans also include sending out field monitors and ``secret shoppers'' to screen counselors, Lucero said. ``If we cannot guarantee protection, consumers will not feel like we're providing the security they need to have,'' he said. ``So it's a priority for us.''

Cont'd on Page 35

Texas abortion providers fear major shutdowns HOUSTON: Dr. Howard Novick winces as he recalls treating two and three women a week for infections and complications from botched abortions.

It was the early 1970s, before the procedure was legalized, and the experience persuaded him to devote his life to this area of medicine.

Now, more than 40 years later, new abortion restrictions passed by the Texas Legislature could force Novick to close the Houston abortion clinic he opened in 1980 because, he says, he does not have $1 million to $1.5 million to convert his run-of-the-mill medical office into a fully loaded surgical center with wide corridors and sophisticated air-flow systems. ``I have saved some women's lives. They are so grateful we're here for them and

nonjudgmental,'' Novick said. ``I really feel a kinship for this.''

The legislation, passed following weeks of mass protests and a highprofile filibuster, allows abortions only in surgical centers, requires doctors who perform them to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, dictates when abortion pills are taken and bans abortions after 20 weeks unless the woman's life is in imminent danger.

Abortion-rights advocates argue the costs associated with converting clinics into surgical cen-

ters are so high they will force more than 35 clinics to close, pos-

Dr. Howard Novick

sibly leaving only a handful of facilities across the vast state. In

rural areas such as the farthest reaches of West Texas or the Rio Grande Valley, that could put the closest facility 300 or more miles away.

The law could also create a backlog so great in the remaining clinics that women seeking abortions will miss the 20week deadline, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Woman's Health, a company that runs five clinics in Texas.

Abortion opponents insist, however, that the new rules are designed to guarantee the best health care. ``All we're asking for is better surgical care for women seeking these procedures,'' said Christine Melchor, executive director of the Houston Coalition for Life.

Cont'd on Page 35

July 19, 2013

Health Science Post www.indiapost.com

Scientists claim cancer cure is near LONDON: Scientists claim to have come closer to developing a cure for cancer using the body's own immune system to fight tumor cells.

Researchers at a British company Immunocore have developed a way of har-

Bent Jakobsen

nessing the power of the immune system's natural-born killer cells: the T-cells of the blood which seek out and kill invading pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria.

"Immunotherapy is radically different,"

said Bent Jakobsen, chief scientific officer of Immunocore.

"It doesn't do away with the other cancer treatments by any means, but it adds something to the arsenal that has one unique feature it may have the potency to actually cure cancer," Jakobsen said.

The company has found a way of designing small protein molecules, which it calls ImmTACs, that effectively act as double-ended glue, 'The Independent' reported.

ImmTACs are effectively independent Tcell receptors that are "bispecific", meaning they bind strongly to cancer cells at one end, and T-cells at the other so introducing cancer cells to their nemesis, researchers said.

"What we can do is to use that scaffold of the T-cell receptor to make something that is very good at recognizing cancer even if it doesn't exist naturally," said Jakobsen.

"Although T-cells are not very keen at recognizing cancer, we can force them to do so. The potential you have if you can engineer T-cell receptors is quite enormous.

You can find any type of cell and any kind of target. This means the approach can in theory be used against any cancer, whether it is tumors of the prostate, breast, liver or the pancreas," he said.-PTI

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Baby boy is 8,000th baby for Detroit doctor DETROIT: Just call him Baby Doc. When Austin Brian Jones was born at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, he was the 8,000th baby delivered by Dr. Richard Smith. The almost 8-pound-at birth Austin was the first child of Lauren Hood and her husband Andrew Jones of Detroit, according to the Detroit Free Press. ``Maybe I'll shoot for 10,000,'' Smith told the newspaper as he visited the mother and son later in the week at their hospital bedside. ``Because it is one of the best things you can do to help new life come into the world and work with these wonderful families.''

When Hood learned that she was pregnant, it was natural for

her to call Smith, 61. The obstetrician gynecologist delivered her 24 years ago. ``I thought how amazing if the guy who delivered me, delivered my child,'' said Hood, who recently was in the Teach for America program teaching thirdgraders in Patterson, N.J. Hood's mother, Brenda Hood, recalled Smith as her doctor. ``When I was having Lauren, I had complications,'' said Brenda Hood, 55, of Belleville. ``Just the care he gave, I knew I was in good hands, so I wanted to ensure that my child was, too.''

Smith said every birth is special. Others he remembered included twins who were 11 pounds each and a 1-pound girl

who later became a mother of twins, who Smith delivered as well.

Smith is a graduate of Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C. His first babies were delivered at a hospital that no longer exists. He has a warm spot for grandmothers because ``they're right by their daughters' sides, working hard with them.''

It's not unusual for a doctor to deliver thousands of babies. A 100-year-old Georgia doctor was honored in recent years for delivering more than 15,000 babies.

And if Hood is going to have another baby, she knows who she will call. ``Of course, Dr. Smith can deliver my next child,'' Hood said. -AP

Lawmakers explore issues with interim studies OKLAHOMA CITY: Oklahoma's underfunded pension systems, the high number of working poor without health insurance and state employees who haven't had an across-the-board pay raise in seven years are some of the dozens of topics that lawmakers want to explore before the 2014 legislative session begins in February.

Nearly 200 requests have been filed in the House and Senate for interim studies to take place over the next several months. House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, approved 68 studies out of the 134

chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. ``With that increased understanding, for those that come under health and human services, I can make a determination if those have some real merit.''

Among the requests that Crain will consider for his committee are ways to reduce Oklahoma's high divorce rate, youth access to tobacco alternatives like electronic cigarettes, increasing organ donation and the certification process for dialysis centers.

Crain also is among several legislators who have requested in-

``Until we reach a final decision on how we want to approach the working poor and making sure they have access to insurance in Oklahoma, we need to explore whatever options are available and figure out what the best approach is to take for the state,'' Crain said. that were requested by individual House members. In the Senate, President Pro Tem Brian Bingman has assigned each of the 55 study requests to standing committees, where the chairman has the discretion of whether to proceed with a study. ``As committee chairmen, we are expected to have some increased knowledge and understanding of that particular area,'' said Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa,

terim studies on how the state can expand health insurance to cover some of the estimated 17 percent of Oklahomans currently uninsured. Crain co-authored a measure late last session that would have used a state tobacco tax earmarked for health care, combined with modest co-pays and federal Medicaid dollars, to expand the state's Insure Oklahoma program for the working poor. However, the bill never was granted a hearing amid

resistance from some conservative Republicans in the Legislature who oppose any attempt to draw down additional federal Medicaid dollars.

Crain said he hopes to study a consultant's report that recommended ways to seek a federal waiver to expand the Insure Oklahoma program, along with what other states are doing that, like Oklahoma, have rejected an opportunity to expand Medicaid authorized under the federal Affordable Care Act. ``Until we reach a final decision on how we want to approach the working poor and making sure they have access to insurance in Oklahoma, we need to explore whatever options are available and figure out what the best approach is to take for the state,'' Crain said.

Also expected to draw legislative scrutiny in the interim is a plan to overhaul the state's pension systems, including a proposal to shift newly hired state workers into a 401k-style savings plan instead of the traditional defined benefit pension system currently in place.

Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill that would have given new hires the option of enrolling in a new type of defined contribution plan, saying the bill didn't go far enough. Fallin also pushed last year for a proposal to consolidate the administrations of the state's largest pension systems, but the measure never gained traction in the Legislature.-AP

Midland County boy saved by quick-acting cable man LARKIN TOWNSHIP, Mich.: A Midland County woman is crediting a cable television technician with saving her 2-year-old grandson's life. ``I tear up just thinking about it,'' Debbie Florey of Larkin Township told MLive.com. ``If he had not been there at that specific time, my grandson wouldn't have made it. He saved his life, I have no doubt.''

It all started shortly after noon on July 8 when Ken Tester, who works for Aero Communications, was installing a cable box at Florey's home. ``We were standing in kitchen discussing family, just visiting,'' Florey told MLive.com. ``They put a cable box on top of the microwave for the TV in the kitchen.

Originally there was a candy jar that sat there.''

When Florey moved the jar, her grandson Silas Florey reached inside, grabbed a peppermint disc and put it in his mouth, she said. ``I don't know how long he had it in his mouth, but I looked over and he was choking,'' she said. ``I grabbed him and slapped him on the back, but that didn't work. Just as I was hollering, `Someone call 911,' without asking Ken for help, he jumped right

in there, took the baby and put his finger in his throat.''

Tester dislodged the candy from Silas' throat and the boy vomited. ``All I could do was hug the little kid,'' the 39-year-old Tester said. ``We took a little bit of a pause. I held him for a little bit, got him calmed down.''

The father of four said children do not understand dangers they face. ``It really tugged on my heart, I guess,'' he said. ``It's more like a

fatherly or natural instinct to jump in and try to help.''

Joseph Massimino, Tester's operations manager, said Aero Communications planned to give Tester a gift card for his actions. ``I'm glad this guy is getting some recognition for what he did,'' Florey said. ``He deserves it.'' -AP

Children of obese fathers at risk of being overweight MELBOURNE: Children of obese fathers are at a greater risk of being overweight, a new study

by Australian researchers has claimed.

Adelaide University's Robinson Institute team has found molecular signals in the sperm of obese fathers could produce diabetes-like symptoms and obesity in two generations of offspring, even if those children consumed healthy food.

Researcher Tod Fullston said that this was the first time such a link was found.

"A father's diet changes the molecular makeup of the sperm," he was quoted by ABC News as saying.

"With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm, in their microRNA molecules, might program the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life," Fullston said.

He said research had used mice and the next step would be human trials.

"We'll be proposing to do human studies based around that very thing, whether men with a higher BMI (body mass index) do indeed have a different microRNA profile within their sperm and we'd also like to have a look at whether diet and exercise return that to what it would be in a normal weight male," he said.PTI

July 19, 2013

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SC environmental officials Texas abortion providers fear major shutdowns want pond drained Cont'd from Page 32

ANDERSON, S.C.: South Carolina environmental officials have said water in an Upstate pond must be lowered.

WYFF reported that the Department of Health and Environmental Control has ordered the draining of the pond at Big Daddy's Fishing Lakes in Williamston.

DHEC officials say they believe the recent heavy rain can create a potential hazard downstream of the pond.

They say they've had problems with the dam for some time.

Property owner Ramona Wesley says the water isn't draining properly because beavers have built dams on the pond. DHEC officials said the water needs to be low enough so crews can access the holes the beavers have made and fill them in.

Draining the pond will cost about $2,000 and won't fix the real problem, Wesley said. ``What's going to stop the beavers from doing the same thing?'' Wesley asked.

``And then with all this rain, it will take a while for this for that pond to drain and we can't drain it too fast because then that will cause a problem for them downstream.'' -AP

Fraud fear raised in California's health exchange its procedures and could follow other state Counselors who fail the screening will employment guidelines. not be certified by the exchange but will Eric von Geldern, a deputy district attorhave a chance to appeal. The exchange also ney in Alameda County, said the exchange will have the authority to revoke and sus- has adopted some good policies but can do pend certification. more to protect consumers.

Jones said that it's not enough to adopt ``We believe that a fingerprint and a backpolicies and procedures against fraud. In- ground check are essential, along with an stead, he said the exchange needs a more ongoing monitoring system, as opposed to comprehensive plan to follow up on com- just a qualifying requirement,'' said von plaints and work with law enforcement offi- Geldern, who also is president of NCFIA, a cials to prosecute bad counselors. national anti-fraud organization based in Without it, the exchange will risk con- Northern California. ``We're working with sumer confidence beCovered California to cause the enrollment Proponents of health make sure those concounselors are ``being reform view the consumer protections are in given a good housesumer assistance pro- place.'' keeping seal of approval'' Covered California is gram as an opportunity expected to begin training by the state, he says. ``Once they're in that to enroll hard-to-reach and certifying enrollment position of trust, it's pos- residents, many of counselors in August. sible they will obtain inThey will be hired indiwhom have just high formation that will allow rectly through an estithem to build the trust school educations or mated 3,600 community they have with the indi- less or speak a lanorganizations ranging vidual they're working guage other than Enfrom Native American with and potentially sell glish at home. tribes and chambers of them all manner of bocommerce to labor unions gus products, steal their identity, gain ac- and faith-based organizations that will be cess to certain assets they might have,'' authorized to help people buy insurance.

Jones said. ``The list is virtually endless.''

The exchange will pay an organization According to a national survey by Jav- $58 for each successful enrollment and $25 elin Strategy & Research, 12.6 million, or for a renewal, but the amount the counse5.3 percent, of adults fall victim to identity lors receive will vary. theft each year. That translates to about Proponents of health reform view the 1.6 million California victims each year. consumer assistance program as an opCurrently, Covered California's rules do portunity to enroll hard-to-reach resinot specify what offenses would disqualify dents, many of whom have just high an applicant for a counseling position. school educations or less or speak a lanLucero said the exchange is still reviewing guage other than English at home.AP Cont'd from Page 32

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst posted on Twitter a link to a map of facilities that would be affected and implied that any shutdowns would be an added benefit. The timeline for closures isn't immediately clear; opponents have vowed to sue to block the regulations from going into effect.

Texas already has stringent abortion laws. Two years ago, the Legislature passed a rule requiring women to get a vaginal ultrasound and a full explanation from the treating physician 24 hours before an abortion. Opponents of that rule say it adds travel costs to the expense of the procedure, and in some cases means women also have to stay overnight.

For Melissa Bradshaw, all of it seems absurd. She spent the past year going through a bitter divorce and readjusting her children to a new life. An unplanned pregnancy was the last straw. So after heartwrenching deliberation, she decided to terminate the pregnancy, calling Novick's AAA Concerned Women's Center in Houston just as Texas lawmakers held an angry debate over the new restrictions. ``Your mind is made up when you pick up the phone to call ... nobody feels good about it,'' Bradshaw said, noting the des-

peration women or teenage girls often feel.

The new requirements may not survive a court challenge. They conflict with the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established a woman's right to get an abortion until her fetus could viably survive outside the womb at about 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Federal courts have already struck down parts of similar laws in other states.

Novick says the law is medically unnecessary. The Texas Medical Association, the Texas Hospital Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology agree. ``It's been years and years since we had to send someone to a hospital,'' Novick said of his clinic.

For Houston, though, the bigger problem may be that its two remaining surgical centers will have to treat women from areas that will no longer have their own clinic.

Rochelle Tafolla, a spokeswoman for the Planned Parenthood Center for Choice in Houston, said between the travel, the 24hour waiting period and the lack of available clinics, the 20-week deadline could create time constraints. ``I don't think it's unreasonable to think that it's going to have a significant impact on when women can get the care that they need,'' she said.-AP

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NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri, July 19

Sat, July 20

• Gujjubhai in Golmaal Live in New Jersey

• Sufi Rock Concert New York City

Venue: Woodbridge High School, 1, Samuel Lupo Place, Woodbridge, NJ 07095 Lupo Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 732-921-7350

Venue: Pianos ShowRoom, 158 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002 Time: 10:30 pm Contact: 917-807-5350

Sun, July 28

Fri, July 26

• Indian Clothing & Jewelry Exhibition

• Personal With The Last Empress Sridevi

Venue: Palace of Asia, 2389 Route 70 West (located at America Inn), Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 Time: 12:00 pm Contact: 570-606-3384

Venue: The Metropolitan, 3 Pratt Blvd, Glen Cove, NY 11542 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 516-439-8989

Sun, Aug 4

• Indian Speed Dating - Meet 15 Desi Dates In One Night

• Chand Raat Eid Festival Venue: The Rose Garden, 911 Arena Dr, Hamilton Township, NJ 08610 Time: 4:00 am Contact: 6098884141

Sat, July 27 Venue: K lounge, 30 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 646-543-8127

Sat, July 20 • Charitable Event By Jagannath Venue: Mandir, 1732 Reynolds Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 714-232-2241

Sat, July 27 • Shri Krishna Madhuram Venue: Jordan High School Auditorium, 6500 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 310-753-8990

Thu,Sat, July 25 to 27 • Ohlone College SummerFest Theatre Department Production Venue: Smith Center At Ohlone College Nummi Theatre 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont Time: 8:00 pm Contact: (510) 659-6031

Sun, July 28 • Ohlone College SummerFest Theatre Department Production Venue: Smith Center At Ohlone College Nummi Theatre 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont Time: 2:00 pm Contact: (510) 659-6031

Sat, Aug 3 • Jaane Kahan Gaye Won Din Venue: Royal Delhi Palace, 22323 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303 Time: 6:30 to 8:00 pm Contact: 805-404-9836

Fri, Age 2

• J K Yog Satsang and Bal

• “Cbazaar Style Bash – Clothing Exhibition”

Mukund Hindi Classes are held every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of Month

Venue: Holiday Inn Express, 5925 Lusk Blvd, San Diego, CA 92121 Time: 10:00 am Contact: 314-258-3117

Fri, Age 2 • The Moment of Calm - Global Forgiveness Moment Venue: Place of work or residence , 100 South Main Street, Carson, CA 90745 Time: 2:00 pm

Sun, June 24-August 8 • Ohlone for Kids (and Teens) Summer Enrichment Program Venue: Office of College Advancement Ohlone College Contact: 510-742-2304

ATLANTA Upcoming Wed, Aug 7 • DJ Shaan's Chand Raat Eid Mela Venue: Atlanta Event Hall, 3750 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096 Time: 6:00pm Contact: 404-993-2060

Sat, Aug 10 • Pankaj Udhas Live In Atlanta Venue: Atlanta Event Hall, 3750 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096 Time: 8:30pm Contact: 404-934-9991

Sat, Aug 24 • Festival Of India 2013 Venue: Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Duluth, GA 30097 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 404-317-5474

Chicago Satsang Information: J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets, Board Room, 933 South Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126 Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org/bal-mukund

Sat, July 20 • Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Venue: DThe Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL 60439 Time: 1:30pm Contact: 630-955-1200

Sat, Aug 3 • Sathwaro Shri Radhe Shyamno Venue: Coppernicus Center (Gateway Theatre), 5216 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60630 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 708-408-2488

India Post 37

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39 India Post

July 19, 2013

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Pics Preeti Verma Lal

PREETI VERMA LAL

I

t is stylish, ritzy and drop-dead beautiful. It takes its name from Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, the man after whom Mauritius was named by the Dutch squadron that landed on the uninhabited island in 1598. It sits so close to the Indian Ocean, you can step onto the silvery sand, sit under the shade of orange beach umbrellas and stick your toe in the ocean.

But at Constance Le Prince Maurice, it was neither etymology nor the shades of blue that I was caught in. In Archipel restaurant, I thought I had noticed a typo.

'Samussas'. A 'vegetable samussa' on top of the list of starters. "It is the Indian samosa, but, in Mauritius, that is how we spell it," clarified Manjoola Dowlutrao, Guest Relations Manager. Dowlutrao knows all about Indian cuisine, her great-grandfather left his hometown in Bihar and came to Mauritius more than 100 years ago.

Cont’d on page 40

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Halwa, Yoga & Shirodhara in Mauritius Cont’d from page 39

"Flip through the menu, you'll find halwa, dholl puri and rasgullas as well," Dowlutrao rattled off names of Indian dishes in Hindi; her Hindi near-perfect but heavily laden with a French accent. In the hotel's La Barchois, a one-of-itskind floating restaurant, one can order home-made braised chilli balls with eggplant, basmati rice and small peas or parantha, dholl puri, basmati rice, lentils fricassee,

IN THE LE SPA DE CONSTANCE, YOU CAN SLOUGH OFF URBAN MALICE WITH PRINCE AYURVEDIC TREATMENTS LIKE THE 45-MINUTE SHIRODHARA IN WHICH WARM, HERBALIZED SESAME OIL IS DRIPPED IN A STREAM ONTO THE FOREHEAD TO PROFOUNDLY RELAX THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

tomato chutney, suran pickles, crispy vegetable salad - everything oh!so Indian but with a Mauritian twist.

And if you are craving for something absolutely Indian, there's

Chef Pravind Jugun

Chef de Cuisine Pravind Jugun who can rustle up a eggplant chutney, fried onion Madras rice and a phirni with equal ease. He tries his hands at jalebi, too!

That, however, is not the end of Le Prince Maurice's India connect. In the Le Spa de Constance, you can slough off urban malice with Prince Ayurvedic treatments like the 45-minute Shirodhara in w h i c h w a r m , herbalized sesame oil is dripped in a stream onto the forehead to profoundly relax the nervous system, balance the Prana Vata and the Dosha that exert control over the brain, or opt for Shirobhyanga with warm oil that frees your head and scalp from the tensions.

If all this does not seem Indian enough, tuck your sticky mat and head to the beach with yoga

teacher Isabelle Lamant. Famous for teaching at some of France's most exclusive spas, including Espace Payot on Paris' Champs Elysées and Hotel du Cap Eden Roc in Cap d'Antibes, Lamant has also trained contestants for Miss France and Miss Tourism International in Malaysia.

State certificated in Fitness (CREPS France), Lamant acquired her Vinyasa Yoga (Yoga dynamic) skills in Paris with Gérard Arnaud, diploma recognized by the French Federation of Yoga and Yoga Alliance US. After seven years of personal training in Paris and Versailles, Lamant moved to Mauritius to work with the Constance Group. She says, "My sessions will allow guests to tone up while they are dancing, practice the Dynamic (Vinyasa) Yoga as well as learning how to relax tense muscles and weak joints".

In the 89-room, 5-star Constance Le Prince Maurice, the staff happily speak Hindi, narrate

stories of their ancestors who came from India to work in the sugarcane plantations, and treat you like brethren. In this hotel, in-between miles vanish. And boundaries get blurred. Constance Le Prince Maurice feels like home.

July 19, 2013

Travel & Hospitality Post

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'Lost city' discovered near Angkor Wat MELBOURNE: A lost medieval city that thrived on a mistshrouded Cambodian mountain 1,200 years ago has been found using revolutionary airborne laser technology, according to a report.

The stunning discovery of Mahendraparvata includes temples hidden by jungle for centuries that archaeologists believe have never been looted, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The expedition used an instrument called Lidar - light detection and ranging - strapped to a helicopter pushing through landminestrewn jungle, swollen rivers and bogs criss-crossing the Phnom Kulen mountain, 40 kilometers north of Angkor Wat, the largest

French-born archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Chevance, director of the Archaeology and Development Foundation in London, who led the The stunning discovery of expedition, said it was known from ancient Mahendraparvata includes scriptures that a great temples hidden by jungle for warrior, Jayavarman II, centuries that archaeologists had a mountain capital, "but we didn't know believe have never been how all the dots fitted, exactly how it all came looted, the Sydney Morning together.

Herald reported "We now know from the new data the city Hindu temple complex in the world. was for sure connected by roads, The Lidar technology peeled canals and dykes," he said. away the jungle canopy using bilDamian Evans, director of the lions of laser pulses, allowing ar- University of Sydney's centre in chaeologists to see for the first Cambodia and a co-leader of the extime structures that were in per- pedition, said there might be imporfect squares, completing a map of tant implications for today's society. the city which years of painstak"We see from the imagery that ing ground research had been un- the landscape was completely deable to achieve. void of vegetation," he said, addThe instrument provided data ing "One theory we are looking at uncovering over two dozen previ- is that the severe environmental ously unrecorded temples and evi- impact of deforestation and the dence of ancient canals, dykes and dependence on water management

roads, the report said.

The research revealed that the discovered city, Mahendraparvata, founded the Angkor Empire in 802AD and existed 350 years before Angkor Wat, the Hindu temple that has captivated interest across the world and is visited by more than 2 million people each year.

led to the demise of the civilisation‌ perhaps it became too successful to the point of becoming unmanageable".

Locations of almost 30 previously unidentified temples have now been confirmed using the Lidar data.

The discovery is set to be published in the Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences in the United States and expected to prompt scientific excavation of the most significant sites by archaeologists seeking to discover what

life was like for a civilization about which very little was known, including why it was abandoned to the forest. It will also allow archaeologists and historians to learn

more about the evolution of Angkor, the enormous political and religious empire that dominated most of south-east Asia for 600 years, the report said.-PTI

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World's largest building opens in China BEIJING: Boasting its own artificial sun and a floor area three times that of the Pentagon, the "world's largest building" has opened in southwest China to mixed reviews from its first visitors.

The towering 100-metre high New Century Global Centre, which is said to be big enough to hold 20 Sydney Opera Houses, recently opened its doors Chengdu.

The complex, which Chinese officials say is the world's largest standalone structure, is 500 meters long by 400 meters wide, offering 1.7 million square meters of floor space.

But the first wave of visitors were divided over the attractions of the structure, which houses 400,000 square meters of shopping space, offices, conference rooms, a university complex, two commercial centers, two five star hotels, and an IMAX cinema.

"It lacks creativity," said one visitor on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. Another visitor poked fun at its name. "Why is everything in Chengdu called 'global'," the poster said.

However, some Internet users were impressed with the complex, which opened on June 28. "It will become the new landmark of

The Global Centre has a marine theme, with fountains, a huge water park and an artificial beach, accented by the undulating roof, meant to resemble a wave

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Chengdu," said one poster.

The Global Centre has a marine theme, with fountains, a huge water park and an artificial beach, accented by the undulating roof, meant to resemble a wave.

The centerpiece is a 5,000 square meter artificial beach, which includes a rafting course and a "seafront" promenade, complete with parasols and seafood outlets that can accommodate 6,000 people. -AFP

Gujarat to start cruise liner service with Maharashtra HYDERABAD: In a bid to promote coastal tourism, Gujarat government is contemplating to introduce a cruise liner service between Mumbai, the capital of west Indian state Maharashtra and Porbandar in west Indian state Gujarat by the end of this year, a senior Tourism department official said.

The plan is to introduce a cruise ship, to be run by a private operator, which will take tourists from Mumbai to Porbandar and Kutch as part of a 3-day package, Gujarat principal secretary (Tourism and Civil Aviation) Vipul Mittra told reporters here.

"We are hopeful that by this winter it (cruise ship connectivity)

will start. Gujarat has the longest coastline of 1,600 km. We have identified 17 beaches along the coastline and our focus is to develop coastal tourism in these places and make Gujarat a coastal tourism destination," he said.

develop coastal tourism in Gujarat and the funds will be utilized to create on-shore facilities and related activities, Mittra said.

As part of the policy to promote cruise tourism, cruise vessels will be given berthing priority and no

India's Planning Commission chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has sanctioned Rs 120 crore to

port fee will be collected from cruise liners for docking at the state's ports, he said. -PTI

July 19, 2013

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Kolkata most expensive city for travelers Going by TripAdvisor, while it costs Rs 10,115 for a night's stay for two travelers in Kolkata, the same was just Rs 6,406 in Ahmedabad.

In Mumbai, it would cost about Rs 10,074 and

NEW DELHI: Kolkata, better known as the City of Joy, has been ranked as the most expensive destination for travelers, followed

by Mumbai and New Delhi, according to a survey.

The country's financial hub Mumbai, which is at the second position among eight metro cities, was ranked the most expensive last year in a survey conducted by travel portal TripAdvisor.

The rankings under TripIndex are based on expenses that two people would have to

incur for staying one night in metro cities. Various factors including cost of accommodation, drinks and dinner were taken into account.

New Delhi is at the third spot, followed by Hyderabad (4th), Bangalore (5th), Chennai (6th) and Pune (7th).

The "most budget friendly city", as per the survey, is Ahmedabad.

Undeterred by rupee decline, Indians continue to holiday abroad NEW DELHI: The sliding rupee may have ment, Cox & Kings said, although there are hurt most of the sectors but has not de- short-term issues due to rupee depreciation, terred Indians from holidaying abroad, al- the concerns are mostly exaggerated. though they are preferring short haul desti"Close to 60 per cent of our India revnations, according to travel firms. enues come from outbound travel. We are Major players in the segment, Thomas very optimistic about this segment," Cox & Cook India, Cox & Kings and travel portal Kings Ltd Director Peter Kerkar told PTI, MakeMyTrip, said there has not been any adding that the company expects outbound significant decline in outbound tourist traf- travel to grow in double digits for the next fic from India this summer despite concerns 10 years at least. of rupee depreciation against the dollar.

Industry players, however, said the de"With swings in the rupee, customers clining rupee has in a way resulted in a shift have begun weighing all in the choice of holiday possible options and, locations. our analysis indicates “The preferred desti"The preferred destithat even the most price nations this summer nations this summer seasensitive segments will son appear to be the Far continue to travel, albeit season appear to be East, including Thailand, with a shift to short haul Malaysia, the Far East, including Singapore, destinations," Thomas Dubai, Sri Lanka and Cook (India) Managing Thailand, Singapore, Mauritius," Menon of Director Madhavan Thomas Cook India said.

Malaysia, Dubai, Sri Menon told PTI. Customers of the comOnline travel firm Lanka and Mauritius," pany are also going to MakeMyTrip also said new emerging and viable despite the recent con- Menon of Thomas options like Vietnam, cerns due to currency de- Cook India said Laos, Cambodia and Philpreciation, the company ippines, he added. has not seen a decline The other upside of since packages for the summer holiday sea- the depreciating rupee is that it has brought son are usually booked in advance. domestic travel into the spotlight like never "We have not seen a de-growth since before, Menon said. packages for the summer holiday season "India has re-emerged as a viable option, are usually booked in advance. In fact, we and certainly a trend that we at Thomas continue to witness growth in both domes- Cook India are leveraging via our attractively tic and international travel," MakeMyTrip priced domestic portfolio- Kashmir, Chief Executive Officer Deep Kalra said.

Andamans, Kerala, Goa, and Rajasthan," he Another major player in the travel seg- added.-PTI

in Delhi, the expense would be Rs 9,728 per night, it added.

The estimates have taken into account the cost of a room for two at a four-star hotel.

"The TripIndex 2013 total costs have

shown a decline across all cities with Chennai seeing the highest percentage of fall of 35 per cent from Rs 12,530 last year to Rs 8,122 this year," TripAdvisor said in a statement.

In terms of regions, East has emerged as the most expensive region - with TripIndex showing a cost of Rs 10,115 - followed by North (Rs 9,728), South (Rs 8,449) and West (Rs 8,076), it added.

"Hotel room rate prices have declined across the board in all cities with an average 17 per cent drop from last year," TripAdvisor noted. -PTI

In Brief Immigration changes will help Colo. revenue DENVER: An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says Colorado would gain almost $43 million in tax revenue if people in the state who entered the country illegally were allowed to work legally.

The institute says people living in the country without legal permission already are paying more than an estimated $152 million annually in state and local taxes, including sales tax and property taxes as renters or homeowners. Some also pay income taxes.

It estimates that if people living in the country illegally could work in Colorado legally, the state would gain $6.6 million more in personal income taxes, $1.4 million in property taxes, and $35 million more in sales and excise taxes.

The institute used population estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center, income estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, and its own computer model for its figures. -AP

Arizona agents arrest immigration activist TUCSON, Ariz.: U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested an immigration activist for crawling under their vehicle following a traffic stop in Tucson.

Raul Alcaraz Ochoa's arrest marked the second time he has been taken into custody for trying to impede the arrest of a man who was suspected of being in the country illegally.

Television station KVOA reports that Tucson police officers had stopped the other man for not using his turn signal.

Police spokesman Sgt. Chris Widmer says the man did not have a driver's license and officers called the Border Patrol as required by Arizona law.-AP

Raul Alcaraz Ochoa

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How to qualify as person of extraordinary ability?

Details on page 46

Immigration mired, early Term II wins elude Obama WASHINGTON: A dramatic tax-raising deal last New Year's looked like it might be a breakthrough, signaling improved second-term relations between newly re-elected President Barack Obama and a divided Congress. At least that's what the White House hoped.

But six months later, growing uncertainty over a sweeping immigration overhaul measure has dimmed expectations for a big summertime achievement and left Obama still in search of a marquee legislative accomplishment to mark his second four years.

His advisers now concede that their best shot at changing the immigration system might come in the fall, after lawmakers return from their August recess. But that could be a long shot during a period already crowded with other issues.

During the autumn months, Obama's administration will be dealing with one of the most challenging aspects of the historic health care overhaul - signing up

millions of Americans for insurance coverage. And if that's not enough, Obama also will be locked in an unexpected battle over domestic food aid - while working

sure that Republicans blocked in the Democratic-controlled Senate and the failure to avoid automatic spending cuts that further trimmed the government's budget.

through budget disputes with Congress as the new fiscal year looms in October and the government approaches its borrowing limit. Then there's overseas turmoil in Egypt and Syria.

Already shadowing the president are two major letdowns earlier this year - a gun control mea-

``He has a Herculean task ahead of him,'' Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, the past chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said hours after he and other black lawmakers met with the president this week. ``I am convinced he is fully aware of the difficulties in his path, difficulties that could reduce his legacy.''

Before his re-election, Obama liked to tell supporters that a second term would ``break the fever'' with Republicans, arguing that they no longer would need to routinely block his agenda because he wouldn't be seeking election again. By last month, that optimism was gone. ``When it comes to doing the things that need to get done, we're just not getting a lot of cooperation from the other side,'' he grumbled to donors at a June fundraiser in Palo Alto, Calif.

Republicans maintain that Obama's initiatives simply go further than they are willing to go.

Many refused to support expanded background checks for firearm purchases at gun shows and online. They rejected Obama's efforts to combine spending cuts with more tax increases. And now, on immigration, many oppose a path to citizenship for immigrants illegally in the United States - a key provision in the overhaul Obama seeks.

Cont'd on Page 47

'Immigration bill opposition can help GOP' MOBILE, Ala.: Bucking the conventional wisdom that Republicans need some kind of immigration reform to attract more Latino voters, US Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama says opposition to the Senate's plan can help the GOP among workingclass voters who have trended Democratic in recent presidential elections.

Sessions, among the most vocal Republican opponents of the immigration bill that the Senate adopted last month, headlined the Young Republicans National Convention in Mobile.

Essentially, the senator said, Republicans should hammer the idea that an influx of new labor will drive down wages among American workers. ``The Republican Platform should include a line that says we will promote an immigration policy that serves

and honors the American worker and the American taxpayers,'' he said. ``We need to be firm about that, not apologetic.''

Jeff Sessions

The senator's remarks are a contrast - at least in tone - to what his fellow keynote speaker, Repub-

lican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, has emphasized for months. Priebus has made the case that GOP leaders should use the immigration issue to connect better in Latino communities, though he has avoided endorsing any particular policy.

Sessions cited a June report from the Congressional Budget Office that projected just that result in the early years of the immigration changes contained in a bill that the Democratic-controlled Senate passed last month.

The bill is pending in the House, though many members of the Republican-led House say the proposal is too weak on border security and too lax on its treatment of an estimated 11 million residents

who came here illegally.

Sessions told several hundred attendees that political analysts have mistakenly focused on President Barack Obama's margin among Latino voters - he won more than 70 percent of the vote - in explaining Mitt Romney's defeat in November.

More significant, Sessions said, were Obama's margins among working-class Americans. Citing exit polls, Sessions said Obama defeated Romney by 28 percentage points among voters who earn less than $30,000 annually. The margin was 15 points in the president's favor among workers earning $30,000 to $50,000.

He also cited Obama's wide advantage on the question of which candidate ``cares about people like me.''

Cont'd on Page 46

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Support immigration bill: Obama to Republicans WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has asked Americans to use all communication means to prod their Republican lawmakers to pass a landmark immigration reform bill that would boost economy and create a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants, including over 240,000 Indians.

In his latest weekly Internet and

would build on the historic gains we've made in border security over the past four years with the most aggressive border security plan in our history.

"It would offer a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million people who are in this country illegally a pathway that includes paying penalties, learning English, and going to the end of

"This bill was a compromise, and neither side got everything they wanted. But it was largely consistent with the key principles of commonsense reform that most of us in both parties have repeatedly laid out," Obama said. radio address, Obama recalled that two weeks ago, a large bipartisan majority of Senators voted to pass commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform taking an important step towards fixing our broken immigration system once and for all.

"This bill was a compromise, and neither side got everything they wanted. But it was largely consistent with the key principles of commonsense reform that most of us in both parties have repeatedly laid out," Obama said.

"If passed, the Senate's plan

the line behind everyone trying to come here legally. And it would modernize our legal immigration system to make it more consistent with our values," he said.

Obama's message was aimed at the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which has balked at approving the bipartisan Senate bill.

Long supportive of the Senate measure, Obama and his aides have pushed the House of Representatives to take up the immigration reform bill, which includes a pathway to citizenship for 11 mil-

lion undocumented immigrants and strict border security provisions. There are some 240,000 Indians in the category of undocumented immigrants in the US. Some House Republicans have been resistant of the Senate -approved legislation, however, saying any pathway to citizenship amounts to amnesty.

But Obama said, the US House of Representatives must act now on the immigration bill.

"Now the House needs to act so I can sign commonsense immigration reform into law. And if you agree, tell your Representatives that now is the time. Call or email or post on their Facebook walls and ask them to get this done.

Because together, we can grow our economy and keep America strong for years to come," the US President said.

Obama also underlined that the Senate's plan would also provide a big boost to recovery of the US economy.

Pointing to a report released by independent, nonpartisan economists and experts, Obama noted that the study concluded that, if the Senate's plan becomes law, the US economy will be 5 per cent larger in two decades compared to the status quo.

"That's USD 1.4 trillion added to our economy just by fixing our

Plea hearing set in immigrant smuggling case JACKSON, Miss.: A change of plea hearing has been scheduled for July 25 for a naturalized U.S. citizen charged in Mississippi with transporting two Chinese immigrants who were in the United States illegally.

A criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Jackson said the two immigrants went from China to Hong Kong to Honduras. The complaint says they traveled through Mexico and crossed the border near Laredo, Texas.

Court records say Ming Che Chen picked them up in Texas and was taking them to New York when a deputy stopped him on Interstate 20 in Rankin County.

Ming was arrested after all three were questioned.

He previously pleaded not guilty. The change of plea hearing is scheduled to take place in U.S. District Court in Jackson. A previously scheduled plea change hearing in April was postponed.

The immigrants told authorities it cost about $85,000 to be

smuggled from China to New York, according to court records.

Under questioning, Ming told authorities he picked the two up from ``the Mexicans'' and would be paid ``a couple hundred dollars'' for taking them to New York, according court records.

The woman told authorities she was not Ming's daughter and that her family had paid about $85,000 to get her from Guangzhou, China, to New York, A criminal complaint filed in court contains an affidavit written by a Homeland Security Investigations agent. The affidavit says a deputy pulled over the car because the front seat passenger was not wearing a seat belt as required by Mississippi law.

Ming, who had a Texas driver's license and said he lives in Houston, initially told the deputy his two passengers were his son and daughter and that they were in the United States on student visas, the affidavit said. The deputy ran a background check and found that Ming was already the subject of a Homeland Security Investigations probe in Texas, according to the complaint.

The woman told authorities she was not Ming's daughter and that her family had paid about $85,000 to get her from Guangzhou, China, to New York, court records say.

She told authorities that she took a train to Hong Kong and commercial flight to Honduras and was smuggled over land through Mexico.

The other immigrant said he had agreed to pay about the same amount, and had already paid half to travel the same route, court records say. They didn't know how much of that money when to Ming, the affidavit said. -AP

immigration system," the US President said.

"Here in America, we've always been a nation of immigrants. That's what's kept our workforce dynamic, our businesses on the cutting edge, and our economy the strongest in the world. But under the current system, too many smart, hardworking immigrants are prevented from contributing to

"That's what immigration reform would mean for our economy but only if we act. If we don't do anything to fix our broken system, our workforce will continue to shrink as baby boomers retire.

"We won't benefit from highlyskilled immigrants starting businesses and creating jobs here.

American workers will have to make due with lower wages and

Pointing to a report released by independent, nonpartisan economists and experts, Obama noted that the study concluded that, if the Senate's plan becomes law, the US economy will be 5 per cent larger in two decades compared to the status quo. that success," he said.

He emphasized that immigration reform would make it easier for highly-skilled immigrants and those who study at American colleges and universities to start businesses and create jobs in the country.

"Foreign companies would be more likely to invest here. The demand for goods and services would go up creating more jobs for American workers," he said.

Every worker and business would be required to pay their fair share in taxes, reducing our deficit by nearly USD 850 billion over the next two decades, Obama said.

fewer protections. And without more immigrants and businesses paying their fair share in taxes, our deficit will be higher and programs like Social Security will be under more strain," Obama warned.

"If Democrats and Republicans including President (George W) Bush and I can agree on something, that's a pretty good place to start," Obama added.

If the bill become law, it would be the most far-reaching immigration reform passed in nearly 30 years and a major achievement for Obama in his second innings at the White House. -PTI

US begins flying deportees to Mexico City MEXICO CITY: U.S. immigration authorities began flying deportees deep into Mexico in an effort to discourage them from trying to return, U.S. and Mexican officials said.

The first of twice-weekly flights from El Paso, Texas, to Mexico City left with 133 deportees aboard, all men.

ICE spokeswoman Nicole Navas said the flights will accommodate up to 136 men and women but no children. Deportees fly from throughout the United States to Chaparral, New Mexico, for a short bus ride to El Paso.

The flights are not voluntary, unlike a previous program to deport Mexicans arrested by the Border Patrol during Arizona's deadly summer heat. Mexico's National Migration Institute said the flights will last six months, taking place every Tuesday and Thursday, and the Mexican government will pay for returnees' travel from the Mexico City airport to their

hometowns. A total of 6,800 people are expected to be returned under the program. Special accommodations are being made for minors traveling alone, Mexico said.

Under a two-month trial last year, more than 2,300 Mexicans returned on 18 flights. The US and Mexico agreed in April to make the arrangement permanent.

ICE has long flown home deportees who are from countries that don't share a land border with the US, most commonly Central Americans. Mexicans, who account for the vast majority people living in the US illegally, are traditionally sent by plane or bus to a city along the 1,954-mile (3,145-kilometer) border with Mexico.

Thursday's flight marks the beginning for regular air travel to Mexicans who are deported, a welcome development for authorities in Tijuana and other Mexican border cities who have complained they are getting overwhelmed by unemployed newcomers.-AP

Immigration Post

46 India Post

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How to qualify as person of extraordinary ability?

CYRUS D. MEHTA

W

hen Kazarian v. USCIS, 596 F.3d 1115 (9th Cir. 2010), was first decided, it was received with much jubilation as it was thought that the standards for establishing extraordinary ability would be more straightforward and streamlined.

Kazarian essentially holds that a petitioner claiming extraordinary ability need not submit extraordinary evidence to prove that he or she is a person of extraordinary ability.

If one of the evidentiary criteria requires a showing of scholarly publications, the petitioner need not establish that the scholarly publications in themselves are also extraordinary in order to qualify as a person of extraordinary ability.

This is a circular argument, which Kazarian appropriately shot down. If Kazarian just stopped there, it would have been a wonderful outcome. Unfortunately, Kazarian has been interpreted to also require a vague and second step analysis known as the "final merits determination," which can stump even the most extraordinary.

Read on….

As background, an individual can obtain permanent residence in

the US by establishing extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics which has been demonstrated by sustained national or international acclaim and whose achievements have been recognized in the field through extensive documentation.

See INA § 203(b) (1) (A) (i).

Furthermore, the individual seeks entry to continue work in the area of extraordinary ability and his or her entry will substantially benefit prospectively the U.S. See INA § 203(b) (1) (A) (ii) & (iii).

Unlike most other petitions, no job offer is required and one can even self-petition for permanent residency. Evidence to demonstrate "sustained national or international acclaim" could be a onetime achievement such as a major international award (for example, a Nobel Prize, Oscar or Grammy).

If the applicant is not the recipient of such an award then documentation of any three of the following is sufficient: 1. Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards.

2. Membership in an association in the field for which classification is sought, which requires

outstanding achievement of its members, as judged by recognized national or international experts.

3. Published material about the person in professional or major trade publications or other major media.

4. Participation as a judge of the work of others.

5. Evidence of original scientific, scholastic, artistic, athletic or business-related contributions of major significance.

6. Authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other media.

7. Artistic exhibitions or showcases.

8. Performance in a leading or cultural role for organizations or establishments that have a distinguished reputation.

9.

High salary or remuneration in relation to others in the field.

10. Commercial success in the performing arts.

See 8 CFR § 204.5(h) (3) (i)-(x).

An applicant may also submit comparable evidence if the above standards do not readily apply.

In Kazarian, the main bone of contention was what constitutes "authorship of scholarly articles

'Immigration bill opposition can help GOP' Cont'd from Page 44

Republicans, Sessions said, have been bullied by political analysts, the media and even some GOP strategists - he named President George W. Bush's top adviser Karl Rove - to embrace an immigration overhaul as an easy solution to reach more non-white voters. ``No political party can have as its goal lower wages for its country,'' he insisted.

The CBO report declared that an influx of workers would result in ``temporary imbalances in the skills and occupations demanded and supplied in the labor market.''

That would be among several factors, CBO said, that would ``cause the unemployment rate to be slightly higher for several years than projected under current law.''

Sessions did not explain that the CBO concluded that from 2025 and beyond, average wages would exceed what they would be under current law. The CBO report also details different effects on varying swaths of the labor mar-

ket, with the wage effect depending on skill level.

A June CBO document states: ``Average wages would be slightly lower than under current law through 2024, primarily because the amount of capital available to workers would not increase as rapidly as the number of workers and

The CBO report declared that an influx of workers would result in ``temporary imbalances in the skills and occupations demanded and supplied in the labor market.'' because the new workers would be less skilled and have lower wages, on average, than the labor force under current law. However, the rate of return on capital would be higher under the legislation than under current law throughout the next two decades.''

A second CBO analysis on the budget effects of the Senate bill projected a net reduction in deficit spending as newly legal workers and their employees pay more payroll and income taxes. Democrats have used that CBO report in their public statements on the bill.

Sessions was decidedly more strident in his remarks than Priebus.

Priebus, a Wisconsin native, is in the middle of a push to hire party employees in every state to focus on reaching non-white and younger voters who have favored Democrats in the last two decades, as Republicans have lost the popular vote in five out of six presidential elections.

Priebus did not explicitly mention the immigration bill, but he said Republicans must ``show up in the Asian community, the Hispanic community, the AfricanAmerican community.'' ``You can't show up six months before an election,'' he said. ``We have to be a year-round party.''

-AP

in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other media." In the original decision, Kazarian v. USCIS, 580 F.3d 1030 (Kazarian 1), the Ninth Circuit agreed with the Appeals Administrative Office (AAO) that "publication of scholarly articles is not automatically evidence of sustained acclaim; we must consider the research community's reaction to those articles."

The Court in Kazarian 1 ac-

and the focus of this article is to suggest ways to confront it and still win petitions for persons of extraordinary ability or outstanding professors and researchers.

In its December 22, 2010 Policy Memorandum, ("Policy Memorandum"), USCIS implemented a "twopart adjudicative approach" for extraordinary ability, outstanding researcher and professor, and exceptional ability immigrant visa petitions. The Service cites Kazarian

If one of the evidentiary criteria requires a showing of scholarly publications, the petitioner need not establish that the scholarly publications in themselves are also extraordinary in order to qualify as a person of extraordinary ability. knowledged that this reasoning "may be circular, because publication, on its own, indicates approval within the community."

However, the Court went on to justify the AAO's circular reasoning probably unmindful of the adverse impact that it would have for future EB-1 petitioners, "Because postdoctoral candidates are expected to publish, however, the agency's conclusion that the articles must be considered in light of the community's reaction is not contrary to the statutory mandate that the alien have achieved "sustained national or international acclaim." (Citation omitted).

It was precisely this reasoning that the new Kazarian decision reversed, on the ground that it was inconsistent with the governing regulation, 8 CFR § 204.5(h)(3)(vi), which simply states, "Evidence of the alien's authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media."

The regulation does not require consideration of the research community's reaction to those articles, which was essentially an invention of the USCIS. Unfortunately after the initial victory, Kazarian, as interpreted by the USCIS, has resulted in a two part test. In the first part of the test, the USCIS has to determine whether the individual has met three of the 10 criteria to establish extraordinary ability.

However, that is not sufficient and does not result in an approval.

Even after meeting the first part of the test, the individual has to establish through a vague and undefined "final merits determination" that he or she is extraordinary.

Whether we like it or not, the two part test, based on the USCIS's interpretation of Kazarian is here to stay with us - at least for now -

as the basis for modifying the Adjudicator's Field Manual to include a second step in the adjudication process, the "final merits determination."

Although Kazarian did not actually create a "final merits determination," and objected essentially to the AAO's imposition of extra requirements under the evidentiary criteria in 8 CFR §§ 204.5(h) (3) (iv) and (vi), the Service seized on the following excerpts in Kazarian as a basis for justifying a "final merits determination" analysis: (1) While other authors' citations (or lack thereof) might be relevant to the final merits determination of whether a petitioner is at the very top of his or her field of endeavor, they are not relevant to the antecedent procedural question of whether the petitioner has provided at least three types of evidence (emphasis added); and (2) ...[W]hile the AAO's analysis might be relevant to a final merits determination, the AAO may not unilaterally impose a novel evidentiary requirement (emphasis added).

Kazarian v. USCIS, 596 F.3d at 1121.

Under this two part test, the USCIS must essentially accept the evidence of extraordinary ability under the 10 criteria set forth in 8 CFR §204.5(h) (3) (i)-(x). The USCIS cannot object to the submission of the alien's "scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media" under §204.5(h) (vi) unless there is consideration of the research community's reaction to those articles, as it did erroneously in Kazarian.

To be continued * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

Immigration Post

July 19, 2013

India Post 47

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Ethiopian suspected of torture Italian senator likens black minister to orangutan to go to trial DENVER: An Ethiopian immigrant who prosecutors suspect tortured and killed dozens of political prisoners in his home country in the 1970s has decided to proceed to trial on immigration charges.

Kefelegne Alemu Worku, who was living in the Denver area under the name Habteab Berhe Temanu, is charged with unlawfully procuring citizenship or naturalization, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of both counts, he could face up to 12 years in prison and fines up to $500,000.

He has not been charged in Denver with any crimes related to prison abuse.

Court records show Worku was prepared to plead guilty to the charges but decided to proceed to trial after a federal judge said he would be subject to deportation if he pleaded guilty, The Denver Post reported.

The man had sent a handwritten letter dated June 23 to U.S. District Judge John Kane saying he had lied to U.S. government officials about his identity and

knows it was wrong, according to court records. ``My name is KefelegneAlemu-Worku. ... I lied to US gov't officials and I accepted documents that were not rightfully mine,'' according to documents filed in fed-

The man had sent a handwritten letter dated June 23 to U.S. District Judge John Kane saying he had lied to U.S. government officials about his identity eral court. ``This was wrong and I apologize for my errors ...,'' he wrote, adding he simply wanted to live in America.

Worku's lawyer has denied that his client was a guard at an Ethiopian prison known for atrocities and human rights abuses. ``He denies all of it,'' Matthew Golla, a federal public defender,

said in September when his client was arrested on immigration charges.

Golla said his client had lived peacefully in Denver for more than eight years and should be released.

Established during the late 1970s in a campaign known as the Red Terror, the Ethiopian prison was called ``one of the most systematic uses of mass murder by a state ever witnessed in Africa'' by the global watchdog group Human Rights Watch.

Homeland Security Agent Jeffrey Lembke previously said a prison guard had been spotted in May 2011 in a suburban Denver restaurant by a former prisoner.

The man went to authorities with his suspicions.

Two other Ethiopian immigrants who also say they were held at the prison identified the guard in a photo lineup, authorities said.

The three immigrants told authorities the guard participated in beatings and torture sessions that included a cattle prod, rifle butts, whips and pipes. -AP

ROME: A leading Italian senator has been chastised by Premier Enrico Letta for likening the country's first black Cabinet minister to an orangutan, the latest high-profile racist episode in a

Cecile Kyenge

nation grappling with immigration.

Letta in a statement denounced Roberto Calderoli's words as "unacceptable" and "beyond every limit." Calderoli, the Senate's vice-president and a leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, later said he was making a joke and meant no offense to Cecile Kyenge, a Congolese-born doctor who is the country's immigration minister.

The Northern League isn't in the government but has been the closest ally of former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party, which is Letta's main partner in the coalition government.

Italian media quoted Kyenge as saying she had nothing to say to Calderoli. -AP

PRADEEP ROY-SINGH B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. Attorney-at-Law

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Mired in immigration, early Term II wins elude Obama Cont'd from Page 44

To be sure, the legislative gridlock has occasionally eased. In February, Republican leaders allowed an expansion to the Violence Against Women Act by extending domestic violence protections to gays, lesbians and transsexuals.

And Republicans and Democrats are still trying to strike a deal that would lower interest rates on student loans.

But another trouble spot for Obama emerged just recently on what historically has been a guaranteed bipartisan achievement: approval of legislation that includes money for agricultural subsidies and food stamps. The Senate

passed a single measure. The House defeated its version. And Republican leaders this week divided that measure into two.

Obama, who opposes proposed cuts to food stamps in the House bill, has threatened a veto, signaling the food fight could consume the coming weeks.

White House aides say they're not surprised by the difficulties Obama faces. ``No one expected that post-election everything would be easy, that all the historic, huge differences between the parties on the big issues would all go away,'' said senior Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer. ``We're six months into our term,'' he added. ``We've already

fulfilled one of our biggest campaign pledges in preserving tax cuts for the middle class and having the rates of the wealthy go back to what they were under President Clinton.'' On immigration, he says that ``there are some serious challenges in the way, but six months in and having a bill through the Senate with a bipartisan majority is historically rapid progress.''

Still, White House aides had argued that a solid bipartisan vote on immigration in the Senate would give the legislation momentum through the House. Two weeks ago, at a news conference in South Africa, Obama called on the House to act before the August recess. ``Now is the time,'' he declared.-AP

http://www.proy-singh.com

2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659

48 India Post

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July 19, 2013

49 India Post

MUMBAI: Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, who played the dreaded villain and lovable character with elan in hits like 'Milan', 'Madhumati', 'Bobby', 'Zanjeer' and 'Ram Aur Shyam', passed away at a suburban hospital last week at the age of 93.

Bollywood mourned the legendary actor hailing him as an icon and a "giant pillar" of Indian cinema who shaped the lives of many stars.

As condolences poured in from the young and old in the film industry, veteran actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan recalled their favorite memories of their association with Bollywood's favorite villain.

Bachchan, who shared screen space with Pran in many films, said people like the 93-year-old stalwart don't come anymore.

"A gentleman of the finest order, an admirable colleague, a thorough professional, a master of disguise in the characters he played, a delightful companion after 'office hours' and a considerate human" is how Bachchan remembered Pran.

The two acting stalwarts worked together in Bachchan's first hit "Zanjeer","Amar Akbar Anthony", "Kasauti", "Majboor", "Don", "Kaalia", "Naseeb", "Nastik", "Sharaabi", "Andha Kanoon", "Inquilab" and "Mrityudaata".

"Pran Saheb....! Another stalwart leaves us, and this massive and imposing

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July 19, 2013

Film Industry edifice, tottering by the removal of the giant pillars that held it up, suffers another deathly blow...

"What shall remain thankfully, shall be the immense volume of documented work that they leave behind, a work that has been labored sweated and bloodied over years and years of harsh and severe commitment!

We don't make the likes of them anymore...," Bachchan wrote on his blog.

Dilip Kumar, who worked with Pran in films like "Madhumati", "Ram Aur Shyam" and "Azad", recalled how Pran braved bad weather to attend his wedding with Saira Banu.

"My dear friend Pran liked to talk to me on the phone till recently. Saira and I visited him whenever we could. We had our Punjabi jokes, bringing back memories of the great times we shared as co-stars. He was a through gentleman," Dilip wrote on Twitter while remembering his former co-star and friend.

"I can never forget how Pran managed to come to my marriage, braving bad weather in Srinagar where he was shooting... He took a flight to Delhi and then to Bombay and reached by evening, in time to hug me before the nikah ceremony," the thespian added.

File photo of Pran after being honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Award at his residence recently.

ACTOR AND A GENTLEMAN Superstar Shah Rukh Khan tweeted, "Why do icons who shaped our lives and

Pran's wife Shukla Sikand, son Arvind Sikand and other family members during his funeral

emotions have to go away? You will sir, remain etched in our hearts. Allah bless your soul Pran Sahib."

In his tribute, Abhishek Bachchan wrote, "Thank you for the memories Pran Saab.

You will live forever in our hearts. RIP." Actress Sridevi said the Bollywood legend would be missed by everyone.

Anupam Kher tweeted: "Final curtain call for one of the most loved actors of Indian cinema. An actor and a gentleman. Pran Saab - We will miss you and your warmth.

RIP." Madhuri Dixit wrote: "Another legend Pran Saahab leaves us. RIP." Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said Pran will remain in the hearts of millions of people who grew up watching his films.

Soha Ali Khan tweeted, "Pran sahib RIP. We have lost another legend but his memory and massive impact will live on. I pray he is at peace."

Gul Panag wrote, "RIP Pran Sa'ab. What a life! What an innings!"

Actor Arjun Rampal, who played Pran's role in "Don" remake, tweeted, "RIP Pran Saab, you immortalized so many characters, was fortunate to play one of them.

You live in my heart forever."

POWERFUL ROLES The veteran actor, who had a six-decade-long career that saw him performing in over 400 films, was conferred the country's highest cinema honor - Dada Saheb Phalke award - in April.

Cont’d on page 51

Amitabh Bachhan with wife Jaya, attend Pran's chautha ceremony in Mumbai

50 India Post

July 19, 2013 www.indiapost.com

Priyanka Chopra's ‘Exotic’ disappoints

B

ollywood actress-turnedsinger Priyanka Chopra seems to have taken a leaf out of international singing sensation Jennifer Lopez's book to

boost her musical career.

After her debut international single In My City feat. Will.i.am failed to top the charts, Piggy Chops thought it was a good idea

Priyanka showed off her traditional dance moves for the rapper

to rope in rapper Pitbull for her second singleExotic.

Interestingly, Jennifer Lopez's collaboration with Will.i.am. had also failed to set the charts afire, and it was none other than Pitbull who gave Lopez her top three hits on the US charts in the last decade.

Alas! The formula doesn't quite seem to be working for the Indian beauty.

Though her Exotic is the number one song on the India iTunes list, it's nowhere in sight on the US charts.

As far as the video is concerned, it just doesn't live up to the hype generated on the social media. Shot in Miami, it shows a bikini-clad Priyanka frolicking in the waves and singing the verses in English with a few lines of Hindi thrown in.

What's surprising is that everything about the video - right

YRF creates Bollywood fashion label India Post News Service

MUMBAI: Yash Raj Films (YRF) have joined hands with Karol Bagh Saree House (KBSH) to create India's first Bollywood inspired fashion label called Diva'ni - where fashion will romance Bollywood, according to a press release by the production house. It says that YRF along with KBSH aim to serenade the

splendour of Indian cinema through aspirational fashion. The brand is a reflection of the rich legacy and heritage associated with both these esteemed names, which celebrates the glitz, glamour, and drama that reverberates from the age-old union of fashion and cinema.

It says the objective behind the inception of Diva'ni is to create a brand that is infused with the spirit

of Bollywood amalgamated with a glamour quotient that fashion adds to it. Taking ode from the rich Indian traditions and keeping them alive in the form of Diva'ni's exquisite ensembles, YRF & KBSH together present an experienceconsume journey for the Indian and International audiences. The brand strives to make women feel like a diva, who traditionally have been the epitome of pure elegance, grace and beauty. Diva'ni reflects the way Mr. Yash Chopra envisioned his heroines and brought out the best in every woman he worked with.

Inspired from Yash Chopra's vision and portrayal of the diva in every woman, the first collection to be launched will be a fitting tribute to the man, who in many ways helped define Bollywood fashion, the release said.

from the locales, shots, lyrics, dance steps - seems amateurish.

While Priyanka manages a few hot moments, we wonder what Pitbull is up to as he tries to keep up with the Bollywood

actress.

While the possibility of Exotic tasting success is debatable, the actress received her share of bouquets and brickbats on Twitter for her latest single album:

Bipasha Basu ready for television debut

B

ipasha Basu is ready to launch her career in televi sion. She will be appearing in the Indian counterpart of the popular show America's Next Top Model. This show used to be anchored by the famous model Tyra Banks. The Indian version is going to be hosted by Bipasha. In addition to hosting, she also plays a part in the team who will be grooming and instructing the budding models.

A lot of excitement is building up both around the show and its glamorous anchor. According to a source, "Bipasha will be the mentor and will be part of the grooming and motivation sessions for the aspiring models. She will be part of the entire show and

auditions of the models have already started." It is being said that Bipasha will guide the contestants. She will give them valuable grooming tips as well as help with their cat walking skills.

"The shooting is likely to begin in August and will continue for about three months," the source added.

While Bipasha remains a hot star of the silver screen, she has branched off in a number of directions in recent times. She recently launched her own fitness DVD which is wildly successful.

She is now waiting for the release of her English film, Singularity. In the meantime, Bipasha is also busy with her shooting of Bollywood film, Creature.

Bipasha Basu

July 19, 2013

India Post 51 www.indiapost.com

Movie idols brought 3 Chinese into India

A

s security agencies probe the motive behind the infiltration of three Chinese Muslims through Sino-India border, the trio is singing a different tune.

If the responses of the three persons to the interrogators are to be believed, it was the charm of Bollywood superstars Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan that apparently drove them to India. They were detained last month.

The three - Salamo, Abdul Khaliq and Adil Thorsong - at present in the custody of security agencies at Margo post in North of Ladakh after being detained on June 12 had told their interrogators about their dreams to enter India and earn money as they were facing acute poverty in their region, official sources said.

According to the sources, there was incoherence in their statements except that they were mesmerized by the charm of Bollywood superstars - Khan and Roshan.

The three claimed that they were driven out by extreme poverty from home and wanted to come to India because they had seen it as a land of prosperity on the sliver screen, the sources said.

The three claimed during their interrogation, which was done separately, that the movies of Khan and Roshan were a hit in

their area - Kargalilik of Xianjang province.

The trio, who knew only two languages - Yarkandi and Uyghur - gave a different version about their family background and the way used by them to come into India.

The security agencies were still not convinced and their interrogation would continue, the sources said. The three men, aged between 18 and 23, one of whom is one-eyed, were nabbed inside Indian territory on June 12 near Sultanchku.

They were at present in the custody at Murgo post where the interrogators were flown along with a translator.

It was also not clear from where they had come as the nearest habitation across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was in North of Karakoram range. Authorities are working on the possibility that they could have entered through either Raki Nallah, Jeevan Nallah or North of Daulat Beig Oldie, where Indian and Chinese troops had a face-off for nearly 21 days from April 15 to May five.

The three men also could not give a clear description of the areas used by them to come to India. Besides this, apprehension was being expressed that the three could have been headed towards Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir which

is barely 30 kms up North of the area where they were nabbed.

The three men were carrying a big political map and two smaller versions of the document with Arabic and Yarkandi script on it.

Besides this, they were carrying improvised swords and knives, tinned food including egg powder (useful in higher region),

Chinese currency of over 900 Yuan and Chinese leather jackets.

The three claimed that the jackets, discarded by the Chinese troops, were picked en route.

Both summer and winter road connectivity to this post were cut off due to bad weather in Ladakh region this year and therefore, the security agencies airlifted the in-

terrogators and the translators to the post where they were detained.

According to the laid down procedure along the LAC, the custody of any accused apprehended in the area has to be with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and interrogation can be carried out by central security agencies.

-PTI

Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan

'Giant pillar' of cinema falls Cont’d from page 49

Pran left his imprint as a villain with powerful roles in films like Kashmir ki Kali, Khandaan, Aurat, Bari Behen, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai, Half Ticket, Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim, Don 'Karz' and 'Naseeb'.

Born on February 12 in 1920 in old Delhi, Pran Krishan Sikand was educated at places like Kapurthala, Unnao, Meerut, Dehradun and Rampur as his father Lala Kewal Krishan Sikand was in government service.

Prior to his film career, the actor wanted to become a professional photographer and worked as an apprentice with a company.

This job took him to Shimla, where he played the role of Sita in a local staging of 'Ramlila'. He happened to meet writer, Wali Mohammad Wali, who worked for producer Dalsukh M. Pancholi in Lahore. This eventually led to Pran's entry in the film industry.

After Partition, Pran came to Mumbai with his wife Shukla and

sons Arvind and Sunil but found it difficult to get work as an actor in the city of dreams.

Pran had almost given hope when writer Saadat Hasan Manto

vived his career.

He will be forever remembered for bringing villains on par with the heroes, ruling the industry from 1969 to 1982. He commanded equal money and respect for his negative characters in 'Madhumati', 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai', 'Ram Aur Shyam' and 'Devdas'.

The actor's baritone and good looks helped him bring charm to his villainy which was very unique to Pran.

Such was the magic of his onscreen roles that parents stopped naming their children 'Pran' at the height of his fame.

His chameleon-like ability helped Pran transform himself from one of the most hated onscreen villains to one of the most beloved character actors - be it the 'Mangal chacha' in 'Upkar', Sunil Sikand, son of legendary actor Pran, Sher Khan of opposite during the cremation Amitabh Bachchan in helped him get a role in Dev Anand 'Zanjeer' or the discipline-loving starrer 'Ziddi' in 1948 which re- but soft-hearted grandfather in

Gulzar's 'Parichay'.

FEARED AND DREADED Recalling the magic of Pran, Amitabh Bachchan in a foreword to Pran's biography wrote, "Onscreen villainy is a thankless job which Pran Saab accepted and carried out with such a degree of perfection that he became the actor the entire nation loved to hate.

"That indeed was the measure of his extraordinary success. Parents did not want their children to meet him. Occasionally, he would even be feared and dreaded at public gatherings. Evidently, he came to terms with that, bemused with the power of cinema to influence the audience in a way that sketches only a thin line between the real and the reel."

Pran will be forever remembered for bringing villains on par with the heroes, ruling the industry from 1969 to 1982. He commanded equal money and respect for his negative characters in 'Madhumati', 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai', 'Ram Aur Shyam' and

'Devdas'.

The actor's baritone and good looks helped him bring charm to his villainy which was very unique to Pran.

His chameleon-like ability helped Pran transform himself from one of the most hated onscreen villains to one of the most beloved character actors - be it the 'Mangal chacha' in 'Upkar', Sher Khan of opposite Amitabh Bachchan in 'Zanjeer' or the discipline-loving but soft-hearted grandfather in Gulzar's 'Parichay'.

His contribution in comedy movies also didn't go unnoticed with some side-splitting performances in 'Sadhu Aur Shaitaan', 'Chham Chama Chham', 'Half Ticket' and 'Bewaqoof' and others.

It was reported that in the 70s Pran was among the highest paid actors in Indian cinema, ahead of his co-stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna.

Pran married Shukla Ahluwalia in 1945 and has two sons, Arvind and Sunil and a daughter, Pinky. PTI

52

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Philosophy

July 19, 2013

India Post 53

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W

hat does an enlightened one see and feel?

Even though the answer to this question is extremely simple, it is at the same time completely incomprehensible. The enlightened one feels everything and nothing.

Why is the answer incomprehensible? Because the one who asked the question has hidden 'the rabbit of his personality' in the hat of the enlightened one, seeing him, whether he wants to or not, as another personage.

The extension of the personality of the questioner is the personality that he projects on the enlightened one. There is no such thing as an 'enlightened person or personality'.

As long as one sees oneself as a personality, that is to say as a point of view, everyone else appears as a personality (also the 'greatest' enlightened one before him). The questioner sees a mister or a madam, because he sees himself as a mister or a madam. And in addition he sees a mister with all kinds of characteristics. Some of the 'enlightened men or women' radiate holiness and then the personality is immediately ready to say that this is a case of 24 carat gold.

But others, who are also called enlightened, seem to be in a bad humor or be irritable or afflicted with all kinds of things. Such a person

BODHIDHARMA

M

any roads lead to the Path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice. To enter by reason means to realize the essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the same true nature, which isn't apparent because it's shrouded by sensation and delusion.

Those who turn from delusion back to reality, who meditate on walls, the absence of self and other, the oneness of mortal and sage, and who remain unmoved even by scriptures, are in complete and unspoken agreement with reason.

Without moving, without effort, they enter, we say, by reason.

To enter by practice refers to four all-inclusive practices: Suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and practicing Dharma.

First, suffering injustice. When those who search for the Path encounter adversity, they should think to themselves, "In countless ages gone by, I've turned from the essential to the trivial and wandered through all manner of existence, often angry without cause and guilty of numberless transgressions.

"Now, though I do no wrong,

can not be enlightened...

In fact there is no criteria that applies. There is no behavior from which one can deduce whether someone is enlightened or not.

There are people about whom it is claimed - and about whom 'acknowledged enlightened ones' claim that they are enlightened - who behave like the village idiot.

Who can understand that someone who can get angry or shows

calls 'happiness' is always present as the background of everything, also for the movement of feelings, including rage, concern and other things. He knows that he is not limited by any state of mind.

He is like the Indian prison inspector about whom Shri Krishna Menon told: 'sometimes the inspector had to visit an out of the way police station where there might not be any hotels. So, he slept in a cell,

all kinds of desires and aversions, but the enlightened can, any moment he wishes, be out of the cell.

This is possible from the moment that he has seen the situation as it actually is: from the instant that he sees with his whole being that all these things that he felt until then as 'I', are no more or less than fleeting appearances, because this can only be seen from an 'observation post' outside

No such thing as 'enlightened person or personality'

Wolter Keers

As long as one sees oneself as a personality, everyone else appears as a personality (also the 'greatest' enlightened one before him).

The questioner sees a mister or a madam, because he sees himself as a mister or a madam.

worry and so on is nevertheless 'an enlightened one'?

In a certain sense the enlightened one is only enlightened from the one impersonal point of view. He is happiness itself, but not that which the personality calls happiness.

The personality speaks of happiness when a certain deep emotion appears. The enlightened one is that from which the emotion is made, where it arises, and wherein it again dissolves like ice in water without leaving a trace behind. What he

just like the robber in the next cell.

So, at least on the surface there was no difference between the inspector and jailed thief.

But if you look deeper into the situation there is a world of difference: the prisoner has to stay in the cell, whether he wants to or not. The inspector can go out any moment he so wishes.

Seen from the outside, that is the position of the enlightened.

Maybe there is an appearance that comes over as a personality with

the personality, outside the framework of body, senses, thinking and feeling. And 'outside of the cage' one is not someone who is now free, but freedom itself. And that is what the old traditions designate as 'being enlightened'.

Wolter Keers was one of the first to introduce Advaita Vedanta to the Netherlands. He was a disciple of both Ramana Maharshi and Atmananda Krishna Menon.

I'm punished by my past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its fruit. I accept it with an open heart and without complaint of injustice."

The sutras say "When you meet with adversity don't be upset because it makes sense."

Second, adapting to conditions.

As mortals, we're ruled by conditions, not by ourselves. All the suffering and joy we experience

Third, seeking nothing.

People of this world are deluded.

They're always longing for something - always seeking. But the wise wake up. They choose reason over custom. They fix their minds on the sublime and let their bodies change with the seasons.

All phenomena are empty.

They contain nothing worth desiring. Calamity forever alternates with Prosperity! To have a

natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty. Defilement and attachment, subject and object don't exist. The sutras say, "The Dharma includes no being because it's free from the impurity of being, and the Dharma includes no self because it's free from the impurity of self." Those wise enough to believe and understand these truths are bound to practice according to the Dharma. And since

Basically there are two paths: Reason and practice

Bodhidharma

body is to suffer. Does anyone with a body know peace? Those who understand this detach themselves from all that exists and stop imagining or seeking anything. The sutras say, "To seek is to suffer.

To seek nothing is bliss."

When you seek nothing, you're on the Path.

Fourth, practicing the Dharma.'

The Dharma is the truth that all

Bodies come and go in consciousness and consciousness itself has its roots in me. I am life and mine are mind and body.

-Nisargadatta Maharaj

First tie the nondual knowledge in the corner of your cloth; then do whatever you like.

-Sri Ramakrishna

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

-Albert Einstein

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

-George Bernard Shaw

"Now, though I do no wrong, I'm punished by my past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its fruit. I accept it with an open heart and without complaint� depend on conditions. If we should be blessed by some great reward, such as fame or fortune, it's the fruit of a seed planted by us in the past.

When conditions change, it ends. Why delight In Its existence?

But while success and failure depend on conditions, the mind neither waxes nor wanes. Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path.

So long as one has any association with this awful sense of being the doer there cannot be the least achievement of liberation which is something very different.

-Adi Shankara

that which is real includes nothing worth begrudging, they give their body, life, and property in charity, without regret, without the vanity of giver, gift, or recipient, and without bias or attachment.

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th/ 6th century CE. He is credited as the transmitter of Ch'an (Sanskrit: Dhyana, Japanese: Zen) to China

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

-William James

Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?

-Bob Marley

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The New Silk Route: Linking J&K & Central Asia

India Post

D SUBA CHANDRAN

I

n the last few years, there has been an emphasis on a "New Silk Route," as a new strat egy involving the Central Asian republics and Afghanistan.

Can Kashmir get linked with this renewed effort? And how?

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has underlined that J&K will be the closest to Central Asia in geographical and spiritual terms. But, will that alone be sufficient to get connected with Central Asia and have a meaningful bridge between Srinagar and the Central Asian republics?

If geographical and cultural factors are to influence, than Myanmar, Maldives and Sri Lanka should be totally linked with the Indian mainland!

True, there is a renewed push and the revival of Silk Route. But, from a Kashmiri and larger Indian perspectives, one should understand what this "New Silk Route" initiative is, and who is behind this and for what reasons. The Chinese are the first one to make substantial investment - economically and intellectually to rework the idea of Silk Route during the last two decades.

Today, the Chinese see the erstwhile Silk Route as a strategy

US here is strategic, in terms of linking Afghanistan with two neighboring regions - Central Asia and South Asia, so that post-2014, there is enough positive inputs from the neighbors of Afghanistan to ensure Kabul is stable. The American pressure on the conclusion of TurkmenistanAfghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline should be seen as a part of this initiative.

Thus the two major initiatives from China and the US, run on parallel paths - the first one on an economic and energy East-West axis, linking China with Central Asia, West Asia and Africa, and the second one primarily in a strategic and semi-economic NorthSouth axis linking Afghanistan with Central Asia and South Asia.

At the national level, India is neither a part of the East-West axis led by China nor the NorthSouth axis led by the US. Though New Delhi would be interested in finalizing the TAPI gas pipe line project, it scuttled the chances by rejecting the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline, due to American pressure. While Pakistan was willing to work with India on both the projects - TAPI and IPI, New Delhi's rejection of the IPI has up-

From a Kashmiri and larger Indian perspectives, one should understand what this "New Silk Route" initiative is, and who is behind this and for what reasons. The Chinese are the first one to make substantial investment economically and intellectually to rework the idea of Silk Route during the last two decades to link Central Asia, West Asia and Africa, with a series of gas pipelines, road and rail networks.

The primary objective is to tap the energy resources in these three regions and take it all the way across the Tarim Basin and Taklamakan desert into the mainland, all the way up to Shanghai and the other industrial regions in South eastern China. As a part of the above strategy, the Chinese also build rail network linking China with Europe!

The next major initiative is what is being projected as the "New Silk Route." While the intellectual stimulus and operational ideas have come from the US, the strategy is to link Afghanistan with Central Asia, and perhaps with the rest of South Asia.

The primary objective of the

set the economic calculations of Islamabad.

Pakistan was hoping to get a substantial royalty for allowing the pipelines to go through.

Thanks to the American obsession with Iran, India had to yield to the pressure from Washington.

However, New Delhi is building its own network - linking coastal Iran from the port of Chah Bahar with Mumbai on the one side and through Afghanistan into Central Asia on the northern side. India's strategy of the New Silk Route is thus a landcum-maritime route, linking Mumbai with Central Asia, and perhaps even Russia via Iran and Afghanistan.

The primary objective is economic and strategic, as could be seen from the huge investment India is making in Afghanistan.

From the above narrative, it should be clear, that though there is an initiative to revive the Silk Route, by three different parties - China, US and India (primarily the first two), the objectives and end game are different.

It may not be an exaggeration, if one has to use "revolution" as a phrase to depict what is happening to the Silk Route in revisioning it at the international level.

Thinking purely in terms of culture, religion or geography as factors of linkage with Central Asia may not yield the desired results. It is here, we need to do our homework in Kashmir, in terms of how to revive the Silk Route and ensure that there is something substantial for J&K. In this context, we will have to make an intellectual investment in revisioning the Silk Route from a J&K perspective; scholars and institutions working on the subject have to take into account what is happening now in the entire region - China, Central Asia, Afghanistan and West Asia, and what are likely to be the future trajectories.

J&K fortunately is endowed with institutions and individuals who can make tremendous intellectual contribution by innovating thinking and suggestions, keeping history and culture in the background, but also making new projections. But the initiative will have to come from J&K. Unlike the rest of India, there is a repository of knowledge in the institutions and even in public memory in J&K. There are few institutions in India that could boast of a Central Asian studies outside the Kashmir University in Srinagar and the JNU in New Delhi. Remember, there is a Central Asian museum in Kargil, run by private individuals! No doubt, we have a rich history.

Unfortunately, we are frozen in time and we perceive the linkages purely in historical and cultural terms. Undoubtedly, both are important components; unless we understand the history, we will not be able to move ahead.

But the hard reality today is this region has changed substantially and the nature of interests and investments by the big powers are likely to pale history and culture. Unless we understand this and make rational calculations, we will be left alone romanticizing the Silk route with travelers, perfumes and yak tails.

The writer is Director, IPCS

Secularism myth

N

o one has dared to expose the myth of Congress "secularism" as has Narendra Modi. There is no party that is more communal and divisive than the Congress. It has created such an atmosphere that it can get away with murders and inaction in the name of secularism. As Modi pointed out in a recent speech, whenever questions are raised about "corruption, price rise, directives from the Supreme Court, or a minister being jailed, or the rape of girls or an atmosphere of insecurity - they do not answer the people. The moment there is a crisis, they wear the 'burqa' (veil) of secularism and hide in a bunker," he said.

"Secularism" has been a convenient excuse used by the Congress for long years of lack of governance and looting the country.

Close to every election it remembers that poverty has to be removed and the only tool it knows is passing a law to remove poverty. It has done so many times in the past beginning with Indira Gandhi's slogan of "Garibi hatao." And once again it has passed an ordinance to provide full "food security" to the people. How will the food reach the people it is none of their concern.

Every time Modi talks of governance, building infrastructure, reviving manufacturing and restoring confidence to industry, Congress seeks to hijack the debate to 2002 when under Modi's watch riots took place in Gujarat because of a conspiracy by Muslims to burn a bogie carrying kar sevaks. In such an atmosphere nobody points to the "secular' murder of Sikhs that the Congress encouraged soon after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Are those murders to be condoned because they were carried out by a so called "secular' party? The Congress led UPA has launched a host of cases reviving even the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter to malign Modi.

But whenever cases against culprits of 1984 riots are hauled before courts, the prosecution case is so diluted that they are freed by the courts. In the face of this horrifying occurrence, the Congress continues its single minded assault on Modi.

The Congress knows that if the next election is fought on the basis of corruption and governance, it will be wiped out. That is why it repeatedly seeks to bring the debate back to the alleged communalism and its own claim to "secularism". It is time to expose the sham secularism of the Congress.

You can fool some people some of the time. You can't fool all the people all the time. As stated by noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani in a recent article, "Secularism and communalism are two words in India's political terminology that have intentionally been left undefined, so that they can be misused as weapons of attack by the Congress and its allies, against any political opponent, (presently Modi), without any accountability, or questions regarding their true meaning. I strongly believe that the Congress and other self-proclaimed secular political parties should be made to explain the meaning of these words to the people of India, instead of bandying them about like ignorant charlatans."

The BJP is also guilty of not explaining to the people the true meaning of "Hindutva" on whose basis the Congress has sought to malign it repeatedly. The Supreme Court in a judgment has done the job for it if it cares to make use of it. The SC judgment said that Hindutva means "the way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture or ethos. Ordinarily, Hindutva is understood as a way of life or a state of mind and is not to be equated with or understood as religious Hindu fundamentalism... it is a fallacy and an error of law to proceed on the assumption... that the use of words Hindutva or Hinduism per se depicts an attitude hostile to all persons practicing any religion other than the Hindu religion..."

July 19, 2013

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