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Foreigners in India are safe: Chidambaram Details on page 7

Preeta Bansal quits key White House position

VOL 17, No. 880

July 22, 2011

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Periodical Postage

OBAMA, LAWMAKERS EXTEND SUPPORT Widespread condemnation of new terror attacks in Mumbai

Hillary Clinton

Hillary asserts India visit on schedule Details on page 7

Hindus to observe 9/11 with blood drive

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70% Sikh boys are bullying targets in NY Details on page 12

8000 Telugus attend TANA Convention

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 22-23 Classifieds ------------------------- 47 Community Post -------------- 12-20

Details on page 18 YET AGAIN: Victims of bomb explosion lie on the ground outside the Opera House in Mumbai on July 13

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

Can terror attacks be totally stopped? Last week’s result

Supreme Court on black money should silence agitators? YES 77%

NO 23%

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India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The United States has strongly condemned the three simultaneous terrorist attacks in crowded Mumbai neighborhoods July 13 in which nearly 20 people were killed and at least a hundred others were injured. US President Barack Obama strongly condemned the "outrageous" attacks in Mumbai and said that his thoughts and prayers were with the wounded and those who have lost loved ones. "The US government continues to moni-

tor the situation, including the safety and security of our citizens," Offering US support to India in its investigative efforts into the blasts, President Obama said, "India is a close friend and partner of the United States. The American people will stand with the Indian people in times of trial, and we will offer support to India's efforts to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice."

HealthScience Post --------- 36-39

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Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 29-31

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Horoscope ------------------------- 28 Immigration Post ------------- 42-45 Life Style ----------------------- 24-27 Philosophy ------------------------- 48 Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 40-41 TechBiz Post ------------------- 34-35

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July 22, 2011

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July 22, 2011

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t's become de rigueur with our lawmakers to politicize issues, however crucial or trivial, purely with the intent of scoring ballots in a future election. No move initiated by the Administration is spared political posturing and sparring between Democrats and Republicans, needlessly dragging decisions to the last minute. In a gun-to-the-head drama right now Republicans are butting heads with Obama on the issue of raising the country's debt ceiling. All the elements are in place for a dramatic curtain down on Aug 2 - President Obama threatening federal checks to seniors and veterans may be stopped; experts warning of worldwide economic disaster; credit ratings agencies readying to downgrade the country from a AAA to negative, and media painting dire sketches of a default-on-payments scenario. Neither side is ready to back down without milking the situation to gain maximum credit points for themselves. What would it take for these politicians to understand that American families already facing unemployment and struggling to put food on their table couldn't care less if Democrats won or the Republicans won in Congress when the nation could face a 40% fall in federal spending? If Republicans want spending cuts, common sense would require them to agree with tax increases for the filthy rich. And if the Administration wants its way, it needs a plan to rein in entitlement costs and bridge the deficit. What spoils it for me is there is no suspense in this drama. We know that when both sides have had enough face time on TV, the Administration will raise the debt ceiling; Republicans will get away without tax increases for the rich, and the status quo of carrying the burden of a sagging economy continues for the middle class. There's no humor in this drama, but here's a nugget from Warren Buffet who says: "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes. You just pass a law that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for reelection." And as for posturing I would add: "… be fired for holding the country to ransom."

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Sexier item Priyanka Chopra is going to dazzle in an item number for Priyadarshan's movie, titled, 'Tezz'.

Cover Story: Mumbai attacks Obama has strongly condemned the "outrageous" attacks and said his thoughts & prayers were with those who have lost loved ones.

Community: Blasio for Mayor

A group of Indian Americans banded together to felicitate Bill de Blasio, NY public advocate who is contesting for Mayor.

Health: AAPI walkathons AAPI will be promoting a healthy lifestyle among people by staging walkathons in different cities across the US.

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Travel: Bandhavgarh National Park Considered the crown of wildlife heritage of Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh is known for Royal Bengal Tigers.

July 22, 2011

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July 22, 2011

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MUMBAI BOMB BLASTS

Obama, lawmakers extend support Widespread condemnation of new terror attacks in Mumbai

India Post News Service

daily press briefing, a journalist directly asked if the US suspected Pakistan hand in the attacks. "… given the allegations of Pakistani involvement in the Mumbai attacks of 2008, do you have any reason to suspect that there may be Pakistani official or unofficial involvement in these bombings?" the reporter asked. State Department Spokesperson Mark Toner was cautious in his response and said it was too early to speculate on who was behind the blasts. "The Indian government will no doubt begin

U S President Barack Obama

monitor the situation, including the safety and security of our citizens," Offering US support to India in its investigative efforts into the blasts, President Obama said, "India is a close friend and partner of the United States. The American people will stand with the Indian people in times of trial, and we will offer support to India's efforts to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice." The President added that during his trip to Mumbai (last year), he saw firsthand the strength and resilience of the Indian people. "I have no doubt that India will overcome these deplorable terrorist attacks," he said. US State Department At the US State Department's

an investigation of the incident, and we'll wait for their results," Toner said. "We stand ready to cooperate with them." Secretary of State who is scheduled to visit New Delhi and Chennai in India next week said she would go ahead with her visit despite the bombings. Standing with India at this time was more important, she said. UN Security Council The members of the United Nations Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks. They expressed their deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the victims of these heinous acts and to their families, and to the people and Government of India. The members of the Security

Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations. Reactions on Capitol Hill On Capitol Hill too there was condemnation all around against the perpetrators of the blasts. Strongly condemning the attacks, Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA) and Joe Crowley (D-NY), CoChairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, said, "With the US-India strategic dialogue planned for next week in Delhi, these senseless attacks underscore that counter terrorism cooperation between the two nations must be a top priority." "There can be no justification for what took place, and the targeting of civilians on their commute home from work is deplorable," they added. US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "The Congress and the Executive Branch are united in support of the US-India strategic partnership. If requested by the Indian authorities, we must stand ready to provide all appropriate assistance during this time of trial." Ros-Lehtinen said she joins with all Americans in expressing her outrage at the attacks in Mumbai, and in expressing her sympathy to the families of those killed or wounded by these "cowardly attacks". Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, said in response to the terror attacks, "India has once again been brutally attacked by barbaric terrorist violence and I extend to the people and government of India my deepest sympathy for the many injured and killed by the three bomb blasts in Mumbai." Congressman Ackerman said the deliberate murder of civilians is "always wrong, it is always inexcusable, and it is always unacceptable for any reason, cause, or belief. It cannot be rationalized, justified or excused." Ackerman further said the per-

petrators of this attack must be found, their backers, protectors and funders must be exposed, and justice must be done to all of those involved in this hideous mass murder of innocents. "A bombing of the sort which has just occurred in Mumbai cannot happen with-

this tragedy." Congressman Pete Sessions (RTX-32), a Member of House Republican Leadership, while condemning the attacks said, "I believe the United States should stand with India to ensure those responsible for these horrendous terrorist at-

State Department Spokesperson Mark Toner was cautious in his response and said it was too early to speculate on who was behind the blasts. ‘The Indian government will no doubt begin an investigation of the incident, and we'll wait for their results,’ Toner said. ‘We stand ready to cooperate with them.’ out networks and an infrastructure of terror. Nations that tolerate or, worse, encourage, such networks and infrastructure to take root are just as guilty as the terrorists who set off the bombs," he said. As a nation that has, itself, suffered at the hands of terrorists, the United States must not only be vigilant in prosecuting the war on terror, but also equally aggressive in confronting any nation that continues to facilitate or sponsor terrorists of any stripe, Ackerman said. "In this terrible moment of grief and horror, Mumbaikars, and all Indians should know that the United States stands with you in your righteous anger and shares with you the pain of your loss," he said. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said, "Senseless attacks such as these shock civilized people everywhere." "India is America's close friend

tacks are held accountable." "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have lost loved ones and those who were injured. During this time of tragedy, we should all offer our support to the people of India and Indian-Americans across the world," Sessions added. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT) said "… this is an evil and barbaric attack against the people of India, our close friends and strategic partners. This attack is also a terrible reminder that, despite the killing of Osama bin Laden, violent extremists continue to seek the mass murder of innocent people and the destruction of free societies around the world." Lieberman further said India and the United States are targeted by terrorists precisely because they hate the values the two countries share - the values of democracy, diversity, tolerance, and rule of law. "The Indian people should

Ackerman said the perpetrators of this attack must be found, their backers, protectors and funders must be exposed, and justice must be done to all of those involved in this hideous mass murder of innocents. ‘A bombing of the sort which has just occurred in Mumbai cannot happen without networks and an infrastructure of terror’ and the world's largest democracy; it is a shining example to other countries in the region and around the world of the universal right of self-determination and the success of pluralism," she said. "Americans stand with our ally India today and in the future as they work to bring the perpetrators to justice and recover from

know that the American people stand in solidarity and partnership in our common fight against the scourge of terrorism. I am confident the Obama Administration will do everything in its power to work with the Indian government to ensure that all those responsible for this despicable attack are brought to justice."

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July 22, 2011

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MUMBAI BOMB BLASTS

Foreigners in India are safe, says Chidambaram

Home Minister P Chidambaram along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh visiting the Opera House, one of the three explosion sites, in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Foreigners were not the target of Wednesday's blasts in Mumbai as the target was the "unity and prosperity" of India, Home Minister P Chidambaram said here. "Every foreigner in India is safe like every visitor to every country is safe. If incidents like this happen, let me assure you it is not targeted against any foreigner or tourist visiting India," Chidambaram told reporters here at a press conference. "The target is India's unity, integrity and prosperity. There are elements that are hostile to India and they are behind the bomb blasts that have occurred over the last 10 years," he said. "It has happened at some places and on last occasion some foreigners were present in the hotel therefore they lost their lives. But I don't think the target are foreigners...we had some respite in the last 31 months. But I want to assure you, none of these blasts are aimed at foreigners or visiting tourists," he said in reply to a question by a foreign journalist. Cautioning against jumping to any conclusion on the terror outfit responsible for the attack, Chidambaram said, "I advise Maharashtra government and the police not to proceed with presuppositions and assumptions...We are not in a position to say this group or that group and all aspects will be probed." Chidambaram whittled down the number of those killed from 21 that was officially given out last night to 18, including that of a person whose severed head had been found. A total of 131 people were injured of whom 26 were discharged while condition of 82 was reported stable. 23 were seriously wounded

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of whom some were critical, he said. He also trashed hints that the blasts had been targeted at any particular community. "Let us not draw inferences that one community or one religious group was the target. The target was India's unity, integrity and prosperity and executed by groups hostile to the country." He refused to accept the attack as one intended to weaken the country economically, saying "I think they chose the places because of the density or the population and congestion where even a low-intensity blast would have big impact." Chidambaram, who had visited the blast sites, said," These are

the places where you can't move two steps. Hundreds must have passed by or even on the bag or container at Opera House but nobody noticed. There are inherent difficulties in big cities like Mumbai." The Home Minister said there have been no arrests so far in connection with the blasts and "if anybody is arrested law will take its course." Chidambaram, who deeply empathized with Mumbaikars, replying to a question said, "No organization has taken responsibility (for the blasts). Those in the government will take constructive responsibility for the attack. That is why we are saying we regret it and will take action." -PTI

Important to stand with India: Hillary, post-blasts WASHINGTON: Denouncing US Under Secretary of State for the Mumbai serial blasts as "des- Political Affairs Bill Burns called picable", US Secretary of State Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao Hillary Clinton has made it clear to offer condolences and support that she would go ahead with her following the Mumbai blasts. visit to New Delhi for the security "Under Secretary Burns did dialogue, saying it is more impor- speak ... with Foreign Secretary tant than ever to stand with India Rao to convey our condolences in the struggle against terrorism. and to offer our support, and (it "We condemn the despicable is) worth noting as well that Secact of violence designed to pro- retary Clinton will have an opporvoke fear and division. Those tunity to reaffirm our commitment who perpetrated it must know to the US-India partnership when they cannot succeed," she said she travels there next week," State last night, shortly after the blasts rocked the financial hub of India. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Indian people have Reaching out to India, Clinton said she suffered from acts of terrorism would be traveling to before and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;we have seen them the country next week on July 19-20 as responding with courage and planned. resilience. We are continuing to "I believe it is more important than ever that monitor the situation, including we stand with India, the safety and security of deepen our partnership and reiterate our com- American citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mitment to the shared struggle against terrorism." Department spokesperson Mark She said the Indian people Toner told reporters after the have suffered from acts of terror- Mumbai blasts. ism before and "we have seen "The US government conthem responding with courage demns this senseless violence in and resilience. We are continuing the strongest possible terms. We to monitor the situation, includ- offer our condolences to the famiing the safety and security of lies and friends of those affected American citizens". by this attack and stand in soli"We reach out to the Indian darity with the people of India and government to express our con- Mumbai. dolence and offer support", she "We offer our full support and added. assistance to the government of "Our hearts are with the vic- India in their response to and intims and their families," Clinton vestigation of the attack," Toner said. said. -PTI

Police inspect the site of an explosion at Dadar in Mumbai

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MUMBAI BOMB BLASTS

Talks with US, Pak on schedule: Krishna NEW DELHI: India has said the deadly Mumbai bomb blasts will have no impact on the strategic dialogue with the US and peace talks with Pakistan scheduled later this month. "They are (on schedule). There is no change in the scheduled visits of Secretary Clinton or the Foreign Minister of Pakistan," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said. He was interacting with the media on the sidelines of his talks with Burhanuddin Rabbani, Chairman of the High Peace Council of Afghanistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is arriving here for the second round of the Indo-US Strategic Dialogue. Krishna is expected to hold talks with the Pakistan Foreign Minister towards the end of this month to review the progress of the bilateral peace process that was revived earlier this year. Ahead of the ministerial talks, the foreign secretaries of the two countries are expected to hold discussions. Krishna's remarks come in the backdrop of three serial bomb blasts in Mumbai that left 18 people dead and 81 injured. The External Affairs Minister condemned the "dastardly and heinous attacks on Mumbai" and said that the State will do every-

July 22, 2011

It could have been a suicide bomber NEW DELHI: The government has not ruled out the possibility of the involvement of a suicide bomber in Mumbai serial blasts, Home Secretary R K Singh said. "The NSG DG has informed that a body with circuit has been found from one of the sites. The body was found near the explosion site. We are not ruling out anything," he told reporters here. Singh was replying to a question about the possibility of the involvement of a suicide bomber in the blasts as the body was found with a circuit near one of the blast sites.

"The investigation is still on," he said. The Home Secretary said explosive experts of Central Forensic Science Laboratory, NSG and Mumbai Police were examining the blast sites and according to the information available, ammonium nitrate was used for carrying out the blasts. "The bombs were not crude and it is believed that trained persons were involved in making the bombs," he said. He said of the 133 hospitalized, condition of 23 people was serious. -PTI

99 per cent terror strikes have been prevented: Rahul

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna (L) shakes hands with Burhanuddin Rabbani, Chairman, High Peace Council of Afghanistan, during their joint press conference following a meeting in New Delhi

thing within its power to bring the guilty to justice at the earliest. "This is yet another grim reminder to everyone in this region and our country that terror is a continuing threat to India and it is necessary for all Indians to be

ever vigilant of these terrorist attacks," he said. Rabbani, also a former Afghanistan President, expressed sincere condolences on the precious innocent lives lost in the Mumbai blasts.-PTI

Maharashtra forensic experts have done a good job: HM

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the state Home Minister RR Patil during a press conference regarding serial blasts in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Amid fears that crucial evidence from the sites of bomb blasts might have been wiped out as rains lashed the city, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said Maharashtra forensic experts have done a "good job" in collecting the relevant forensic evidence.

"Even before I was able to visit here, the Maharashtra forensic laboratory has collected the evidence at the (blast) sites. And they have (done) a good job in collecting the relevant forensic evidence," said Chidambaram in a joint conference with Maharashtra Chief Minister

Prithviraj Chavan. Teams of the post-blasts NSG, NIA and Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) were dispatched to the city. These teams, along with Maharashtra ATS and Mumbai Crime branch, were on the job, the Home minister added. "These teams continue to work to determine the exact nature of the explosives that were used and nature of the trigger if it was a timer or a clock or any other kind of trigger (used for the blasts)," he said, adding "It was not remotely triggered blast." Soon after the blasts, the sites were cordoned off and barricaded, Chidambaram said, adding "Nobody would be allowed to visit the blast sites. I appeal to people not visit the sites." At least 21 people were killed and 141 injured in three blasts that rocked Mumbai. -PTI

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi speaks at a press conference in Bhubaneswar on July 14

BHUBANESWAR: Asserting that the government had promptly responded to the Mumbai serial blasts, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said though 99 per cent terror strikes in the country had been prevented due to vigilance and intelligence, the aim is to achieve 100 per cent result. Conveying condolences to all families affected by the blasts, the AICC general secretary said the UPA government had promptly handled the situation and has been working in the right direction to tackle the menace. Due to effective vigilance and surveillance, 99 per cent of the

terror attacks in the country have been contained, but the government aims at checking the menace by 100 per cent, he told reporters here However, it is difficult to stop every terror incident even though the country has improved by leaps and bounds in combating the menace, Gandhi said. "It is something we will fight and defeat," he said. Reminded that there was no terror attack in the United States after the 9/11 strike whereas India often faced the menace, Gandhi said the Americans had been facing attacks in other places like Afghanistan. -PTI

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July 22, 2011

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MUMBAI BOMB BLASTS

Adopt zero tolerance to terror: Advani MUMBAI: Alleging that terror attacks in India were a proxy war waged by Pakistan, senior BJP leader L K Advani has said the Indian government must shed its ambivalence and adopt zero tolerance towards terrorism. "Indian government must shed its ambivalence towards terrorism. It should declare that its policy against terrorism will be of zero tolerance. It must be categorical that there will be no tolerance towards terrorism after the attacks," Advani told reporters. Maintaining that no purpose would be served by engaging in a dialogue with Pakistan until the terror infrastructure was dismantled, the former deputy prime minister said the terror strikes were "not failure of intelligence but failure of policy". He deplored that Mumbai has become the favorite target of terrorists, whether from within or from the neighboring country. "Pakistanis have claimed that whatever was happening in Kashmir was not terrorism but freedom struggle. Pakistan has been trying for years to show to the world that Kashmir is a disputed territory," he said. "Some say that Indian

Mujahideen is behind the attacks. Even if it is Indian Mujahideen, they get their sustenance from Pakistan," Advani said. Referring to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, he said there was talk in some quarters about the involve-

Advani said one reason why US showed great interest in 26/11 was that some Americans and other foreigners had been killed. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Despite the fact that the Jehadists consider the US as its biggest enemy, no terror attacks have occurred there after 9/11â&#x20AC;&#x2122; ment of non-state actors. "ISI is not a non-state actor. ISI is a part of the Pakistani establishment," Advani said. . After the discovery that Osama was in Abbottabad, so close to their capital and in every bit protected by the Army, there is a proof of the extent to which Paki-

stan is involved in terrorist activity, Advani said. "We cannot change our history or geography," he said, on India's neighbors. "Except for a few elements, rest of Pakistanis are not happy with their country's obsession with Kashmir," he said. The country which has promoted terrorism as instrument of state policy has always suffered, he said. Advani said one reason why US showed great interest in 26/11 was that some Americans and other foreigners had been killed. "Despite the fact that the Jehadists consider the US as its biggest enemy, no terror attacks have occurred there after 9/11," he said. Replying to a question as to why as Home Minister he had allowed top JeM terrorists to be let off in exchange for Kandahar hijack hostages, Advani said the decision to release them followed an advice by an all-party meeting. "You know how there were sustained demonstrations in front of the PM's residence. The all-party meeting advised that the over 150 hostages should be released without any harm. I was a party to that decision," he said. -PTI

Mumbai blasts attack on India's economic growth: Praful Patel NEW DELHI: Terming the Mumbai blasts as an attack on India's economic growth, Union Minister and NCP leader Praful Patel has said the Centre and state governments should set up a specialized force to deal with such situations in big cities. Patel also agreed with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks that it is not possible to keep a check on all such incidents due to the size of the city, but said that such a situation should not become a "permanent disability". "There are slums and other such areas in big metros which make the work of police and security agencies difficult. But this cannot become a permanent disability. The Centre and the state government will have to find ways and means including setting up of a specialized force to check repeat of such incidents in big cities," he said. The Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises also said that such attacks send out a "wrong signal" as it is an attack on India's "economic growth and might." He said since 1993, Mumbai

has been targeted by terrorists every two-three years because it

is the economic capital of the country. -PTI

LK Advani meets an injured person at GT Hospital in Mumbai

Mumbai bounces back to life soon after blasts MUMBAI: The country's commercial capital bounced back to life just over twelve hours after three blasts shook the city, as the people of Mumbai responded

Medical staff attend to injured patients in a ward of The JT Hospital in Mumbai on July 13, after series of bomb blasts

splendidly to the latest terror strike. Educational institutions and offices reported almost full attendance and business in the city was back in full swing as most Mumbaikars chose to report to work despite the city being on alert after 21 people were killed and over 140 injured in the blasts in three congested markets. "Trains were crowded like before and everyone in our office showed up on time," Jason Pereira, an executive in a south Mumbai firm, said. Children went to school as usual and many people started early for work anticipating delay in trains on account of rains, only to find scores of others also turning up ahead of time just a day after the serial blasts. "Most of the office-goers have resumed their daily routine," said Meera Kamath, an executive working in Mahalaxmi, who was surprised at the usual crowd in the local train as not even a day had passed since the terror attack. The spirit of Mumbai residents was lauded by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who said, "People of Mumbai have responded splendidly (to the terror attacks). -PTI

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India gives $200,000 to aid flood-hit Bolivia

United Nations Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri presenting a check of $200,000 to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Bolivia Rafael Archondo at the PMI office in New York on July 11. Pic Mohammed JafferSnapsIndia India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India has made a

modest contribution of $200,000 towards relief for flood affected people of Bolivia.

A check for the aid amount was handed over by Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri to Ambassador Rafeal Archondo, Charge d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, on July 11. The transfer of the amount was completed when Ambassador Puri handed over the necessary documentation in New York to Ambassador Archondo. The Permanent Mission of India, in a statement, said: "The Government and people of India were deeply saddened by the news about the damage and loss caused to human life and property in the wake of the recent floods in North and Central regions of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. India condoled the loss of lives and property suffered and expressed solidarity with the people of Bolivia in the wake of the recent floods."

Dubai based Indian driver files RTI on NRIs DUBAI: A Dubai-based Indian driver has filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) act to find out about the exact number of overseas Indians and the state of their welfare. Kamaruddin Valiyavalappil has taken this step after his earlier bids to seek information were denied. According to a news report, the court ordered the concerned authorities to furnish the information within six months, which Kamaruddin alleges was never acted upon, forcing him to sue them in the Kerala High Court. The driver who works for a company based in UAE's Jebel Ali and has been in the Gulf for over two decades says he is ready with a charter of rights including declaring an expatriate policy in tune with the Indian Constitution, ensure voting right for all NRIs, reserve seats in the Indian Parliament and assemblies for NRIs. Using the platform of the Federation of NRIs, Kamaruddin has now designed detailed welfare charter for overseas Indians demanding more rights and respect for those who contribute to the economy through their remittances which run into billions ev-

ery month, the Emirates 24/7 report said. Before approaching the Kerala High Court, he also wrote to the Prime Minister, including his charter of demands for expatriate welfare, but found no response. The annual remittances by In-

The driver who works for a company based in UAE's Jebel Ali and has been in the Gulf for over two decades says he is ready with a charter of rights including declaring an expatriate policy in tune with the Indian Constitution, ensure voting right for all NRIs, reserve seats in the Indian Parliament and assemblies for NRIs dian expatriates is several times the total defense budget or education budget and remittances by overseas Keralites exceed the total Central Assistance to the State, he stated in a memorandum

submitted to Dr Manmohan Singh in January 2009. His charter of demands includes, among others, rehabilitation and implementation of welfare measures for expatriates returning home due to job loss. His law suit calls for action against the Indian Government, represented by the Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Kerala State Government represented by Chief Secretary, Minister of Overseas Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, and other concerned officials, who according to him, have not responded to the Kerala High Court's directive to provide him vital information that he requested as per the Right to Information Act. "Since they are supposed to give details to an Indian citizen, I approached the Kerala High Court. I have been spending part of my regular salary to fight this legal battle, which is for the welfare of my fellow overseas Indians," he was quoted as saying. Few resources are allocated for overseas Indian welfare in successive Central Government budgets, he argued, criticizing the political parties and religious groups that neglect NRI issues. -PTI

Preeta Bansal quits key White House position India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Preeta Bansal, the general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has quit her position to join a think tank and possibly return to private practice, according to a LegalTimes blog from the nation's capital that cited a memo sent to OMB staff late last month, by OMB Director Jacob Lew. Bansal has been the top lawyer for the White House's budget shop for more than two years. The job is at the center of key decisions across the executive branch, including decisions about appropriations and regulations, and it's an important point of contact for general counsel throughout the federal government. "Preeta has been an integral part of the senior team here and an important contributor to the discussion of legal and policy matters across the EOP and the entire government," said the memo, signed by OMB Director Jacob Lew and obtained by The National Law Journal. According to the memo, Bansal will "spend some time at a think tank as she makes a transi-

tion back to the private sector." The memo did not give a reason why Bansal chose to leave now. Before joining the Obama administration, Bansal was head of the appellate practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and she served as New York state solicitor general under then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. In 2009,

Bansal was mentioned as possible nominee for US solicitor general, an offer that went to Elena Kagan and, more recently, to Donald Verrilli. The National Law Journal reported in June that several large law firms are actively looking for a top appellate lawyer. Lew's memo also announced Bansal's successor - Boris Bershteyn, an associate White House counsel who served as a Bansal deputy from April 2009 to November 2010.

Saudi Arabia honors Indian envoy DUBAI: Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Talmiz Ahmad has been conferred the King Abdulaziz Medal of First Class in recognition of his "meritorious contribution to the promotion of Indo-Saudi relations ties." On behalf of King Abdullah, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal conferred the award on Ahmad at a function attended by several senior Saudi officials and dignitaries in Jeddah. "This (award) is a tribute from Saudi Arabia to Talmiz Ahmad for his contributions in promoting bilateral relations between the two countries during his two tenures as Indian ambassador," said Prince Al-Faisal. Ahmad, who is the first Indian diplomat to be conferred such an honor by the Kingdom, will leave Saudi Arabia on September 3 after completing his second tenure as ambassador to the Kingdom.

He termed the award as recognition of the new relationship between India and Saudi Arabia. "It recognizes the work done at various levels by my predecessors, other diplomats and leaders of the country," Ahmad told PTI. "I'm happy that I was here when the two countries were shaping their strategic partnership under the Riyadh Declaration signed between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz," he said. Ahmad has served in several countries of the region including the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq and Yemen. "It has been a privilege for me to serve my nation's interests in various capitals of the world and pursue different interests. Unlike many of my colleagues, I have been a specialist at West Asia and energy which has imparted special value to my stint," he added.-PTI

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Cabinet reshuffle: Jairam elevated; loses Environment NEW DELHI: Controversial minister Jairam Ramesh has been elevated to Cabinet rank and shifted from Environment Ministry as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a substantive yet incomplete reshuffle in the ministry dropping seven ministers and inducting eight new faces including V Kishore Chandra Deo. In a significant change, he also took away Law portfolio from M Veerappa Moily in the light of several embarrassments to the government in the Supreme Court and brought Salman Khursheed in the ministry. In the much-talked about revamping of his ministry, Singh did not touch the 'big four' - Finance, Home, Defense and External Affairs - and also kept four ministries, including Telecom and Civil Aviation, as additional charge. Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi has been elevated to the Cabinet rank and given the Railways portfolio left vacant by Mamata Banerjee after she became West Bengal Chief Minister. Ramesh, who stoked controversies by his handling of environment issues with his proactive approach, gets Rural Development from where Vilasrao Deshmukh has been shifted to Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences. Beni Prasad Verma becomes a Cabinet Minister for Steel, a portfolio he earlier held as Minister of State with Independent charge. The other new faces in the Council of Ministers are Jayanthi Natarajan who gets Environment and Forests, Dibrugarh MP Paban

Singh Ghatowar (DONER), Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya (Health and Family Welfare), Alwar MP Jitendra Singh (Home), Milind Deora (Communication and IT) and Rajiv Shukla (Parliamentary Affairs). Ministers who have been dropped from the Cabinet are M S Gill (Statistics and Program Imple-

While Maran had resigned last week in the wake of his being named in the 2G scam, 74-year-old Deora had offered his resignation citing his age and had reportedly sought a berth for his son Milind. The new ministers were sworn in at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan after which the strength of the Council went up by one to

Parliamentary Affairs. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal continues to hold additional charge of Telecom, while Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi retains additional charge of Civil Aviation. Telecom portfolio went to Sibal after DMK representative A Raja resigned on allegations in 2G

the issue at its General Council meeting on July 23-24 in Coimbatore. Veteran Parliamentarian from Andhra Pradesh V Kishore Chandra Deo makes his entry into the Cabinet for the first time, making him the second minister from the state after S Jaipal Reddy. Srikant Jena, who nursed a

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the newly inducted Ministers after a Swearing-in Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on July 12

mentation), B K Handique (DONER), Kantilal Bhuria (Tribal Affairs), Murli Deora (Corporate Affairs) and Dayanidhi Maran (Textiles). Ministers of State for Steel and Rural Development A Sai Prathap and Arun Yadav respectively were also dropped.

68. While there were eight additions, seven have been axed. The restructuring exercise appeared incomplete with additional charge of Textiles and Water Resources being given to Anand Sharma and P K Bansal respectively. Sharma retains Commerce and Industry and Bansal retains

spectrum allocation. No DMK representative was inducted as replacements for Raja and Maran. Apparently, some of the portfolios have been kept as additional charges so that DMK can be accommodated if it chooses to send replacements. DMK is expected to decide on

grudge when he was made Minister of State in 2009, has got a promotion being given Independent charge of Statistics and Program Implementation. However, he continues to be MoS in Chemicals and Fertilisers where DMK's M K Alagiri continues to be Cabinet minister.-PTI

SC gives no relief to Hilton Int in trademark row NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has dismissed global hospitality chain Hilton International Corp's plea seeking exclusive right over trade mark 'Hilton' while allowing an Indian entity to continue with its business under the name 'Hilltone'. Hilton International's petition challenged the order of Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court which in April had rejected the New York-based entity's claim to exclusively use 'Hilton' trade mark for its hospitality business in India. "We see no reason to interfere in the matter. The special leave petition is dismissed," an apex court bench of justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha said. The high court had upheld an order of the district court restraining Hilton International from us-

ing its trade mark as it has 'deceptive similarity' with Hotel Hilltone. The lower court had restrained the international hospitality group from using any kind of "misleading logo and mark" which has potential to cause confusion among the general public and directed it not to carry on the business of hotel and food items under "such duplicate trademark". The district court had passed the order on a petition by Hotel Hilltone founded in 1973 and based in Sirohi, Rajasthan. Hilton International made its foray into India in 2007 in association with DLF. The Indian Hotel had sought to restrain Hilton International from carrying on business in India by using a "deceptively similar trademark". "The defendant, in any state

of India, may not use the registered trademark Hotel Hilltone of the plaintiff or any kind of sabotage in it by using any kind of misleading logo and mark. "It may not use and enjoy by causing confusion of being plaintiff's hotel and in collaboration with any other Indian establishment may not carry on business of hotels and food items under such duplicate trade mark," the high court had said. Conrad Hilton had bought his first hotel in 1919 and founded the international chain of hotels named Hilton in 1925 in Dallas, Texas. Hilton has a joint venture in India with DLF. It has three hotel properties, including two in Delhi. "The defendants (Hilton International Corporation and Hilton International) are restrained by

HALE & HEARTY: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth waves to his supporters on his return to Chennai Airport on July 13, after undergoing a treatment at Singapore for several months

Desi News NJ Muslims continue fight for mosque India Post News Service

Spelling Bee Chicago and Atlanta winners K RAJDA

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

8000 Telugus attend TANA Convention in Santa Clara Details on page 18

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Hindus to observe 9/11 anniversary with national blood drive India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Hindu Americans across North America will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by donating blood. This will be first time ever that such an ambitious project will be held at the many Hindu temples in North America. This effort is being coordinated by the HMEC (Hindu Mandirs Executive Conference), an apex body of approximately 600 temples in North America, and agencies such as the American Red Cross will collect the blood. With a goal of participation by at least 100 temples and collecting 5,000 units of blood on a single day, the HMEC and leaders of the Indian American community have appealed to the temples to come forward and join this movement. Hindus form the majority of approximately 3 million Indian Americans in the US. According to the US National Institutes of Health, nearly 14 mil-

lion units of whole blood and red cells are required every year. Some patients of Asian descent require a closer blood match than that provided by the ABO positive/negative blood typing. For this reason, it is extremely important to increase the number of available blood donors from the Asian communities. At least 5%

dinator for the event. He urged Indian Americans and Hindus in particular to donate blood on 9/ 11 or around that time. Sudershan Pasupuleti, Associate Professor & Hartford Geriatric Faculty Scholar, The University of Toledo, and national coordinator for Hindu Seva (Service) Day, said that no one knows

Sanjay Puri, Chairman of the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) lauded the focused appeal and encouraged the Indian American community to participate in this effort of the total eligible population in the US gives blood. However, less than 1% of the Asian community donates blood. Rahul M. Jindal, a Transplant Surgeon, Walter Reed AMC and Clinical Professor, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, is the national coor-

whose life may be saved with a blood donation as it could be yours, a friend's, relative's or neighbor's. Abhaya Asthana, Bell Labs Fellow at Alcatel-Lucent Technologies said that donating blood is sharing the gift of life. Mahesh Mangalick of Alpha

Business, Management Solutions Corporation, Phillipsburg, NJ, pointed out that this is a very noble project organized by the HMEC, an initiative of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, America. Luz Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Student Activities, Baruch College, CUNY, New York, urged students to participate in large numbers on this day of remembrance. Rita Dave, Special Counsel, Workforce and Economic Development, New York Senate, said that this was an ambitious project and should be supported by all Indian Americans. George Subraj, President, Zara Realty, New York, said that irrespective of religious or national affiliations, Americans should donate blood, in particular on 9/11. Sanjay Puri, Chairman of the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) lauded the focused appeal and encouraged the Indian American community to participate in this effort. Cont’d on page 15

70% Sikh boys are bullying targets in NY schools

Details on page 16 India Post News Service

Dr Mallam elected head of Medical Society India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Sixty percent Sikh students in New York schools have experienced bullying, of which almost 70% Sikh boys are the targets, according to a recent United Sikhs' testimony at a public hearing of the New York City Council's Education Committee. The Committee, chaired by Councilman Robert Jackson, held a public hearing entitled "Hearing on Department of Education's Efforts to Combat Bullying". It was an oversight hearing regarding the Department of Education's (DOEs) overall efforts to combat bullying, the implementation of the Dignity for All Students Act, and the impact of the Respect for All (RFA) program. In its testimony, the Sikh civil rights advocacy group United Sikhs pointed out that: 60% of Sikh students have experienced bullying, as shown in surveys, of which almost 70% of

Sikh boys are the targets. These statistics show that bullying against Sikh youth is more than a series of isolated incidents. The community has experienced a collective trauma from bullying in a post 9/11 environment. Sikh youth expressed concern that

ing through the partial implementation of the Dignity for All Students Act, and the roll out of the Respect for All program has too often failed Sikh students who are bullied, it was said during the testimony. The United Sikhs said it was

Sikh youth expressed concern that there is a lack of follow up by teachers when students report that they have been bullied. There is a lack of religious and cultural sensitivity teachers have toward Sikh students there is a lack of follow up by teachers when students report that they have been bullied. There is a lack of religious and cultural sensitivity teachers have toward Sikh students who have reported being bullied. DOE's efforts to combat bully-

encouraged by the direct Congressional oversight and reporting requirements that would be required through the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2011 and offered its support of the proposed resolutions. However, for any policy or anti-bullying legislation to be

effective in safe-guarding Sikh youth, the organization urged that it must include: • Requirements for any data reporting to include categories for Sikhs or have generic categories where Sikhs can be identified so as to get accurate numbers on the impact that bullying is having on Sikh students; and • To require not merely reporting, but diversity training within classrooms so that the teachers will have the tools with which to address reports of bullying when they receive them. Throughout the hearing, the Council members addressed their thoughts on the Department of Education's efforts to combat bullying. Councilman Daniel Dromm mentioned that in his work as an educator he had seen a Sikh boy's turban pulled off and he felt that the majority of bullying he saw was on the bus or after school. Cont’d on page 15

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Indian Americans support de Blasio as next Mayor ASHOK OJHA

NEW YORK: A group of prominent Indian America businessmen, professionals and community activities banded together to felicitate Bill de Blasio, New York City public advocate and the second-highest elected official of the city, on his 50th birthday at Devi, an elegant Indian restaurant in Manhattan. Bill de Blasio, who arrived at the restaurant accompanied by his wife, Chirlane McCray, was warmly greeted by Dr Navin Mehta, a prominent activist of the Indian American community, Sudhir Vaishnav of

a true friend of Indian Americans and India. Bill de Balsio, who served as campaign manager of Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign, delved upon India-US relationship and commented that both countries are natural allies. "The politicians of USA haven't yet fully understood the value of the natural bond that exists between the oldest and the largest democracies of the world", he said adding that he planned to visit India in the near future. Eric Kumar who lives in New York, said that decision of New Jersey based Indian

Bill de Balsio, who served as campaign manager of Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign, delved upon India-US relationship and commented that both countries are natural allies. "The politicians of USA haven't yet fully understood the value of the natural bond that exists between the oldest and the largest democracies of the world", he said Bill de Blasio with his wife and Indian supporters, Dr Mehta and Pam Kwatra

Sahara Television Network, Eric Kumar, Shudh Jasuja, National Vice President of INOC, Phuman Singh, President Punjab wing New York, to name a few. "Bill de Blasio is a dynamic leader and a friend of India and the Indian Americans", said Dr Mehta in his opening remarks, "He will be our next Mayor of New York City and he has proved himself with his great contribution to the City of New York that he deserves to be in the Mayor's office next." He urged Indian American friends to support him in his upcoming campaign as he is

Americans to support de Blasio in his campaign funding was a living proof of his popularity. "We will organize a fund raise event for de Blasio next month", announced Dr Navin Mehta. Taking a cue from Dr Mehta, Shud and Phuman, two business tycoons said "we will host fundraiser the following month in September." Responding de Blasio said that he valued the generous support extended by the Indian American community. "The New York City is the most diverse place on earth. However, I don't see similar diver-

sity in the administration", he said adding that "I would like to see better representation of ethnic groups, such as Indian Americans, in the administration", he commented. The office of Public Advocate for the City of New York is a citywide elected position in New York City, which is first in line to succeed the Mayor. The office serves as a direct link between the electorate and city government, effectively acting as an ombudsman, or "watchdog," for New Yorkers. His duties are comparable to a vice President, lieutenant governor or deputy Mayor.

de Blasio has a track record of confronting the New York City administration in favor of helping and protecting the interests of the common man. He was inaugurated as the Public Advocate one and a half year ago. Bill de Blasio's popularity can be measured by the fact that he defeated Republican Alex Zablocki with a margin of 77% votes in the general election held in November 2009. He was endorsed by the New York Times in the primary of Public Advocate, a position as important as this in the city government.

Kean University to launch courses in Hindi and Indian culture ASHOK OJHA

presented completion certificates to 18 Hindi learners. For the event, the Downs Hall of Kean University was decorated with colorful flags and a variety of posters of Indian monuments, religious sites, landscapes and national leaders made by students as part of class activities. About two hundred men, women and children including

Dr Farahi said that it made sense to educate young Americans about the culture that offered remarkable knowledge and wisdom to the rest of the world for more than 3000 years. He added that he was proud to have come from the land that once had monumental statues of standing Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the

For the event, the Downs Hall of Kean University was decorated with colorful flags and a variety of posters of Indian monuments, religious sites, landscapes and national leaders made by students as part of class activities WAITING FOR STUDENTS TO ARRIVE: At the Valedictory Event of Kean University's STARTALK Hindi Program, seen from left: Dr Michael Searson, Executive Director, School for Global Education and Innovation, Dr Dawood Farahi, President of Kean University, Dr Sudhir Parikh, Chairman, Parikh Worldwide Media, NJ Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula and Janis Jensen, Asstt. Director, SGEI. (Pics Vaishali Nayak)

NEW JERSEY: Encouraged by the success of its Summer Hindi program for the second year in a row, New Jersey's Kean University, known for producing largest number of teachers in the state, plans

to expand its language programs to include semester long courses in Hindi and Indian culture. This was indicated by Dr Dawood Farahi, President of the University at the Valedictory Event

of the recently concluded STARTALK Hindi Student Program. Dr Farahi, along with other educational leaders of the university and prominent members of local Indian American community,

parents and friends of program participants attended the event. Kean STARTALK student program began on June 20 and ended on July 9. The Valedictory event was held on the concluding day when students showcased their Hindi language skills. Paying rich tributes to "one of the oldest civilization of the earth that lies south of the Himalayas",

Bamyan valley of Afghanistan. Dr Farahi spoke about the strong bond he enjoyed with India and quickly established a friendly rapport with the audience, especially the young students, who were delighted to watch video clips of the newly built state of the art science and technology facility of the University. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 17

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Dayton Sikhs celebrate America's birthday DARSHAN SINGH SEHBI

Sikhs participate in US Independence Day parade RAJINDER SINGH MAGO

SRC and Sikh leaders at the Parade

Flag hoisting by Victor Zimmer, Mayor Bill Flaute and others

DAYTON, Ohio: Members of the Sikh community of Dayton gathered to celebrate America's Independence Day on 4th of July in Dayton. The day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The flag hoisting ceremony was performed by Victor Zimmer, the Color Guard of ROTC from the Wright State University Engineering Department. On behalf of the Dayton Sikh community Dr Raj Cheema welcomed Bill Flaute,

Mayor of Riverside, who had come to preside over the event. Mayor Floute said that he was impressed with the support and solidarity shown by the Sikh community in organizing this event. As a token of appreciation the Mayor was presented a book called "The Sikhs." Victor Zimmer was presented a book named "The Golden Temple" as a sign of gratitude for his contribution. Dr Rajkamaljit Singh Cheema proposed a vote of thanks to the guests for gracing the occasion.

PALATINE, IL: Sikh Religious Society of Chicago (SRC) and Palatine Gurudwara organized the participation of Sikh community in the Independence Day parade in the village of Palatine Illinois on July 2. The mission of the parade was to celebrate July 4 Independence Day. This annual parade with more than eighty entries is organized by the Palatine Jaycees. The Palatine village mayor Jim Schwantz, the ex Chicago Bear and NFL Star, and other local dignitaries watched the parade from a reviewing station. US senator Mark Kirk also marched in the parade along with his contingent. The parade ended near the "Hometown Fest" at Community Park where a weeklong festival of food booths, arts and crafts, entertainment, shopping, carnival with rides and fun filled activities for all, was in full swing. Members from Palatine Gurudwara led by President Harkirat Singh Sandhu displayed their presence with a colorfully

decorated float, two more decorated vehicles, a marching unit of about 100 Sikhs, Punjabi Dhol and a Sikh martial art "gatka"

Thousands of local resident families and children lined up alongside the parade route to enjoy the parade and a beautiful sunny holiday. The spectators watched, waved and cheered the Sikh Americans walking down the parade sporting flowing beards and colorful turbans. Some of them inspired by the beats of the dhol drum joined the Bhangra dancers in the parade. Sikh men, women and children of all ages dressed in ethnic dresses marched in the parade raising slogans of "Jo Bole So Nihaal......Sat Siri Akaal," (whosoever believes that God is True...is a happy and contended person). The colorful turbans and women's dupattas stood out in the parade. "Gatka" (Sikh Martial Arts) performance was demonstrated all along the parade route, which turned out to be an attractive highlight for spectators. Bhangra dance steps were also demonstrated in the parade. The participants were served with refreshments at the parade end point.

Sikhs do Bhangra at US Independence Day Parade

July 22, 2011

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70% Sikh boys are bullying targets in NY schools Cont’d from page 12

Dromm emphasized this point by adding that, when he saw the Sikh boy's turban pulled off it was while he was walking out of the school, which evidences a need for bullying prevention training of not only teachers but all school staff and administrators. As a member of the LGBT community, Councilman Dromm also illustrated personal accounts of his own experiences and asked for positive LGBT role models to be highlighted more prevalently. The discussion also touched upon the effectiveness of "Respect for All Week" (RFA) in schools, the age of "cyber bullying," the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), the training of RFA liaisons and teachers, and potential solutions to better prevent bullying. Throughout the New York

Hindus to observe 9/11 with blood drive Cont’d from page 12

Dinesh G. Patel, Chief of Arthroscopic Surgery, Harvard, Boston, said, "Our Karma (action) is to follow our Dharma (duty), and that is to perform our prescribed duty without anticipating any fruits. What better cause to do than donate our blood where our spirit of giving is flowing and do without thinking about race, religion, gender or age.

Hindu Mandir Executives' Conference (HMEC) is an annual initiative seeking development of network between the executives of all Hindu temples of America The organizers need to be complimented on their passion so let us all participate in Raktadan (blood donation)." Hindu Mandir Executives' Conference (HMEC) is an annual initiative seeking development of network between the executives of all Hindu temples of America. HMEC is dedicated to the sustenance of Hindu Dharma (religion) in North America.

City school system, there are one or more Respect For All Liaisons assigned to each school, who can be identified on posters displayed publicly in the school. These liaisons are specifically for students, so if anyone has been a victim of bullying, they should look for the RFA posters at their school to find the contact information for their RFA liaison. However, anyone in the school, including a principal or teacher could be contacted on the issue.

order to be able to respond appropriately when a student is bullied because of their faith." In New York, over the years, United Sikhs' staff has conducted Bullying Truth Commissions and focus groups to provide an outlet for Sikh youth to talk about their experiences in addition to the legal team working with individuals who have been victims of ongoing and repeated instances of bullying. According to the results of

‘Our teachers must be armed with more than punitive measures (i.e. detention, suspension), rather, they must be given tools to learn about the different communities they teach in order to be able to respond appropriately when a student is bullied because of their faith’ To prevent bullying and other types of bias based harassment in a post 9/11 environment, United Sikhs asked the DoE for more diversity training and more education on Sikhs and religious minorities. In her testimony, Ilana Ofgang, representing United Sikhs, commented, "Our teachers must be armed with more than punitive measures (i.e. detention, suspension), rather, they must be given tools to learn about the different communities they teach in

their surveys and interviews in the Greater New York Area, it was revealed that Sikh children are disproportionately impacted by bullying. Nationally, around one third (33.33%) of students reported being bullied at schools; however, 56.4% of Sikh children have experienced being bullied. Since much of the bullying that occurs goes unreported, it is likely that the actual number of Sikh children impacted by bullying is much higher.

NJ Muslims continue fight for mosque against Township India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: A New Jersey federal judge has ruled that the Al Falah Center and Muslim community residents can proceed with their legal challenge to a zoning ordinance that would bar construction of a mosque in Bridgewater, New Jersey. In an oral ruling, US District Judge Joel A. Pisano denied the Town's motion to dismiss and found that the plaintiffs were not obligated to first seek a zoning variance. The case will now proceed to a hearing on the motion for a preliminary injunction. Kenneth Kimerling, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) Legal Director, said: "The Court's decision has turned back the Town's attempt to delay this lawsuit and tie up the Al Falah Center in a lengthy and unnecessary proceeding. The Al Falah Center will now proceed to prove in court that the Town's ordinance was unlawfully designed to block the mosque." In April, the Al Falah Center and Muslim residents sued the Town of Bridgewater in New Jersey federal court, contending that the new zoning ordinance violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Al Falah also sought a preliminary injunction to allow its application to build the mosque to proceed. In response, the Town moved to dismiss the lawsuit. The

Town asserted that Al Falah had to first seek a variance from the challenged ordinance before it could file its lawsuit. On June 29, Judge Pisano denied the town's motion. No date has been set for the hearing on the preliminary in-

In April, the Al Falah Center and Muslim residents sued the Town of Bridgewater in New Jersey federal court, contending that the new zoning ordinance violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Al Falah also sought a preliminary injunction to allow its application to build the mosque to proceed. In response, the Town moved to dismiss the lawsuit junction. Al Falah is represented by the AALDEF, the law firms of Arnold & Porter in New York and Archer & Greiner in New Jersey, and the Brennan Center for Justice.

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Spelling Bee Chicago and Atlanta winners

Tabu wins hearts of many in Chicago SHER RAJPUT

K RAJDA

CHICAGO: The 2011 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee continued its 10 city tour this past weekend with two events in the Chicago & Atlanta areas. With a great turnout in Chicago and excellent attendance in the recent city addition - Atlanta, the bee attracted some top talent as well as young and new spellers that competed for the coveted prizes and titles. "This event is being recognized as the essential platform to get your first experience and also meet and interact with veteran spellers," said Rahul Walia, Founder South Asian Spelling Bee. In Chicago, Mahati Vavilala from Novi, MI was the regional champ and Taarak Shah from Plainfield, IL was the first runner up while Yasir Hasnain from Forsyth, IL came in at third place. "MetLife congratulates all of the children who participated in the Chicago event. They certainly demonstrated great talent and dedication to excelling." said Ranjit Bahadur, financial services representative, Premier Wealth Group, an office of MetLife. In Atlanta, Stuti Mishra from West Melbourne, FL was the regional champ and Vaidya Govindarajan from Miami, FL was first runner up while Nilai Sarda from Marietta, GA was second runner up. "This is the third consecutive year that MetLife has served as

Directors and supporters of Indo-American Center welcome Bollywood star Tabu

L-R: First Runner Up Taarak Shah of Plainfield, IL; Regional Champ Mahati Vavilala of Novi, MI and Second Runner Up Yasir Hasnain of Forsyth, IL with Rahul Walia, Founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee.

the title sponsor of the Spelling Bee. We are so pleased to see the growing number of families who come out to the competition and take advantage of the resources we provide to help parents to start planning for the rising costs of education." said John Morris, financial advisor, The Georgia Group, New England Financial, a MetLife Company. The winners received cash prizes of $500, $300 and $200 respectively. Children up to 14 years of age

are eligible to participate and the contest saw spellers of even 6 years of age compete and make it past a few rounds. There are 8 more cities on the anvil and for more information and to register your child, please visit www.southasianspellingbee.com. The top two winners plus one parent each from every city will be given an all expenses paid trip to NJ on August 12 for the finals. The contest will be telecast globally on Sony Entertainment TelevisionASIA.

CHICAGO: The Indo-American Center hosted a reception and dinner to honor Bollywood actress Tabu on July 10 at the Center's facilities at 6328 N. California Ave. in Chicago. The Directors and Supporters of the Center extended a warm welcome to her. Tabu was also honored by Hindi Lovers' Club who presented a shawl and a plaque to her during her visit to the Center. Tabu was in Chicago in connection with the Eye on India Festival.

Tabu thanks the Center and the audience

Kean University to launch courses in Hindi and Indian culture Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 13

The complex has the unique distinction of being a location for shooting TV commercials. Dr Farahi invited Hindi learners to use the 3D theater of the science complex for educational

sity, who was instrumental in launching the STARTALK initiative at Kean, talked about his commitment to creating 21st century learning environment in New Jersey's educational institutions. He said that SGEI was partnering with institutions around the world

Janis Jensen, Assistant Director of School for Global Education and Innovation, underscored the hard work and commitment of teachers who were trained at the five-day teacher training program held prior to the student program purpose. He later joined the students, parents and guests in a Bollywood dance on the theme of Holi. Dr Michael Searson, Executive Director, School for Global Education and Innovation, Kean Univer-

to train language learners and educators. He pointed out that use of technological devises and social networking tools in lesson plans of language courses was an essential element of modern teaching

Certificate distribution at the Valedictory Event of Kean STARTALK Hindi Student Program 2011

strategies. Janis Jensen, Assistant Director of School for Global Education and Innovation, underscored the hard work and commitment of teachers who were trained at the five-day teacher training program held prior to the student program. The teachers implemented the skills and knowledge acquired

during the teacher program into the student program. A glimpse of various features of the main project of the program, India: Past and Present website was also presented to the audience. Program Director Ashok Ojha spoke about the major aspects of the three week long Kean STARTALK Student Program that closely integrated language and

culture. He emphasized the need of stronger community support for this program. NJ Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, who was the chief guest of the event, complimented Kean University for introducing Hindi during the summer. He said that New Jersey's Indian American community was very supportive of educational initiatives of Kean University. Students later performed a Phagun song and dance number to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of India's first Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. They also made a musical presentation about India's unity in diversity. The program concluded with a Bollywood Holi dance number choreographed by Smita Miki Patel. The dance sequence created a festive atmosphere in which all guests participated with joy and happiness.

Community Across America

July 22, 2011

India Post 17

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Dr Mallam elected head of San Bernardino Medical Society India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Dr Mohan Mallam, a senior physician and Medical Director at Rimrock Villa Convalascent Hospital in Barstow, California became the 119th president of the San Bernardino County Medical Society (SBCMS) recently at an installation ceremony at the San Bernardino Hilton. SBCMS installed the new officers and presented a series of community awards for contributions to health care, including medical student scholarships at their annual function. SBCMS, founded in 1878, is a professional membership organization comprised of 1,700 physicians practicing medicine in San Bernardino County in California. It is a private, non-profit corporation formed to promote and develop the art and the science of medicine, to conserve and protect public health and to promote the betterment of the medical profession. Dr Mallam received his medical degree in 1978 from Sri Venkateswara Medical College in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. He

served his internship in Surgery at New York Medical College and a residency in Internal Medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He is board certified in Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, is a Fellow of the American College of

SBCMS, founded in 1878, is a professional membership organization comprised of 1,700 physicians practicing medicine in San Bernardino County in California. It is a private, non-profit corporation formed to promote and develop the art and the science of medicine Physicians, and a member of the American Medical Directors Association. Dr Mallam's involvement in organized medicine began in 1987 when he joined the San Bernardino County Medical Society, served as

a California Medical Association Alternate Delegate in 1999, moved up to a Delegate position in 2006 where he continues to serve in that position today. In 2003 he began serving on SBCMS' Board of Directors and was elected to its Ex-

Dr Mohan Mallam

ecutive Committee in 2007. Dr Mallam is a philanthropist and a leader of Indian-American and Telugu community. Dr, Mallam is also the founder of North American Telugu Association and its core advisory board member.

Zed welcomed at South Jordan Mormon Temple India Post News Service

SOUTH JORDAN: In a remarkable interfaith gesture, Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, who delivered invocations at four city councils of Utah (USA) from July 5 to 7, was accorded a hearty welcome during his visit to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in South Jordan, Utah, recently. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 20

Temple President Alan S. Layton, Rajan Zed and Temple Matron Leslie Layton.

Campaign for Iftekhar Shareef as Indian MP AQ SIDDIQUI

CHICAGO: One of the front ranking Indian community activists and the first dual citizen of India and USA, Iftekhar Shareef, is now setting his sight to be the first NRI to be a member of Indian parliament. This follows a move by many of his supporters here and back home to propose his name to the Indian government to let him contest the elections or get nominated to Rajya Sabha by the authorities. An email campaign has already in circulation and the news had thrilled many in Chicago. At present Iftekhar Shareef is in Hyderabad.

Lord Vishnu graces NY at Brooklyn Museum

File picture of Iftekhar Shareef with Sonia Gandhi

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: It's not every day that one gets to see sacred Hindu deities brought out in all their celebrated glory for the viewing of mainstream Americans. Showering his blessings on New Yorkers since the past month has been Lord Vishnu no less from his temporary abode in the historical Brooklyn Museum, New York. Vishnu: Hinduism's BlueSkinned Savior is the first major museum exhibition to focus on Vishnu, one of Hinduism's three major deities. Presenting approximately 170 paintings, sculptures and ritual objects that were made in India between the fourth and twentieth centuries, this exhibition serves as a brief survey of Hindu art styles as well as an examination of the Vaishnava (Vishnuworshipping) tradition. Known as Hinduism's gentle god, Vishnu is easily recognized in paintings by his blue skin. While he is an interesting figure in his primary form, the complexity of Vishnu's character becomes clear when he assumes new forms, known as avatars, in order to save the earth from various dangers. Vishnu's ten avatars reveal the multiplicity of ways that one can envision and interact with the divine. According to a New York Times review, "Love, ultimately, wins the day in the exhibition though it takes a while to radiate its full devotional glow over a show that is gratifyingly large but

also dauntingly crowded with ideas and information." The first section of the exhibition introduces Vishnu in his primary form, with subsections dedicated to his attributes, his consorts, and his legends. The second section examines his avatars, as a group and then individually. The avatars that are more frequently celebrated in art are fully represented in the exhibition, with substantial subsections dedicated to Rama and Krishna. The third section shows some of the ways in which Vishnu has been worshipped, with images of temples and ritual objects. Vishnu: Hinduism's BlueSkinned Savior has been organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, Tennessee, and curated by Joan Cummins, Lisa and Bernard Selz Curator of Asian Art, Brooklyn Museum. Generous support is provided by the Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Exhibition Fund and the Estate of Bertram H. Schaffner. Additional funding has been provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; The Selz Foundation, Inc.; Katharine and Rohit Desai; Gary Smith and Teresa Kirby; Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky; Ruth and Richard Dickes; the Alvin E. Friedman-Kien Exhibition Fund; the Asian Art Council; an anonymous donor; and other generous supporters. The exhibition is on through Oct 2 in the Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing of the museum.

Community/California

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July 22, 2011

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8000 Telugus attend TANA Convention in Santa Clara

TANA President Jairam Komati welcoming legendry MP Raipati S.Rao at TANA 2011 in Santa Clara, California India Post News Service

More than 8,000 Telugus from across North America and around the world descended on Santa

America (TANA). The spectacular three-day cultural extravaganza attracted popular Telugu actors, politicians from Andhra Pradesh and community

Minister Pallam Raju lighting the lamp

chief guest and India's minister of State for Defense Pallam Raju; State Ministers from Andhra Pradesh Aruna Kumari Galla, Pitani Satya Narayan; Members

Central Minister Pallam Raju inaugurating the 18th TANA Conference in Santa Clara, California on July 2. Others in the picture are Jairam Komati President TANA, Actor Bala Krishna, AP Minister Galla Aruna Kumari and Minister Satyanarayana.

Clara the weekend of July 4th to be part of the 18th bi-annual Convention and cultural celebrations of the Telugu Association of North

stalwarts. Presided over by TANA President Jayaram Komati, Conference Convener Sateesh Chilukuri,

Anumoulu Subba Rao, the legendry New York Telugu figure, being honord

of Parliament Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, Madhu Yashki, N Venugopal Reddy; other political leaders including Raghavulu, Narayana,

media big-wigs Radhakrishna, Ravi Prakash, actor Nadamuri Balakrishna were among the key dignitaries who were present during the traditional lamp lighting

Addressing the audience following the inaugural ceremony, Minister Pallam Raju talked about the economic growth of India, especially the rising the standards

Telugu film director Kasinadhuni Viswanath receiving Life Time Achivement Award at the 18th TANA Conference in Santa Clara, California on July 2

and inaugural ceremony. TANA Board member Dr. Chowdary Jampala was the emcee of the event.

of living in rural India, and emerging tier-two cities. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

Legendry Telugu Film Director Kasinadhuni Viswanath speaking after receiving Life Time Achievement Award at the 18th TANA Conference in Santa Clara, California on July 2. Telugu film fraternity can be seen in the picture

Community/California

July 22, 2011

India Post 19

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8000 Telugus attend TANA Convention in Santa Clara

TANA President Jairam Komati speaking at the inauguration of the 18th TANA Convention in Santa Clara

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 18

Galla Arunakumari, the Minister for Mines, said expatriates should give something back to the home country and to their home state of Andhra Pradesh. She also asked NRIs to take care of their parents back home and ensure that they are happy. Convener Sateesh Chilukuri,

deputy conveners Veeru Vuppala and Jayaprasad Vejendla directed more than 300 volunteers in putting the 3-day program together. A series of programs during the convention included a business conclave, film & photography, a people's forum, a women's forum, alumni meetings, investment seminars, religious discourses and cultural programs.

Indian Minister Pallam Raju presenting a memento to TANA President Jairam Komati at the inauguration of the 18th TANA Conference in Santa Clara, California

Entertaining the participants on the first day was the latest winner of the television reality show Indian Idol, Sreeram Chandra; the second day saw the hugely popular Telugu actor Balakrishna in a play titled "Raja Raja Narendra". Dance performances by local artists and artists from India were a huge success. Krishna Mukunda, a dance ballet by small kids got a

standing ovation from the audience. A simultaneous exhibition with over 120 exhibitors including those who displayed jewelry, diamonds, clothing; real estate; nonprofits and media and community services were also a huge draw. "We have broken all the records in TANA history with the best exhibition till date," said Ramesh

Mandalapu, chair of exhibits committee. As the convention concluded, Jayaram Komati and Sateesh Chilukuri thanked the tireless work of over 300 volunteers in putting together the 3-day program. They joined TANA leadership in thanking all the delegates, sponsors, donors, volunteers and all people who attended the convention.

Past Presidents being honored by 18th TANA Conference President Jairam Komati

Fashion show

A view of the packed hall

Community/California

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July 22, 2011

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8000 Telugus attend TANA Convention in Santa Clara

Aruna Miller, an American politician who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, being honored by TANA with President Jairam Komati presenting an award to her

Telugu Superstar Bala Krishna speaking at the 18th TANA Conference in Santa Clara

Rapati honoring Hanimi Reddy

Komati greets Minister Galla Aruna Kumari

Jairam Komati with Pallam Raju

Zed welcomed at South Jordan Mormon Temple Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 17

Zed was received at the Temple by Temple President Alan S. Layton and Matron Leslie Layton. Layton explained the general functioning of the Temple to Zed in his office and Zed presented him a copy of ancient Hindu scripture

Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord) and observed that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. Dialogue will bring us mutual enrichment. Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple undertakes baptisms, endowments, confirmations, sealing, ordinances, etc., and offers hearing-impaired

and Spanish sessions also besides English. The Church has 134 operating temples worldwide. According to LDS sources, Jesus Christ is the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints which has been restored by God through the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-44).

July 22, 2011

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India Post 21

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Humko Pyaar Hua : Ready 2 Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye : Love Express 3 Kutta : Pyar Ka Punchnama Shor In The City 4 Hare Jhande Ke Shehzaade : A Strange Love Story

India Post

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July 22, 2011

5 Khoya Kya : Kashmakash 6 Khwab (Rock) : Kucch Luv Jaisaa 7

Zindagi : Shaitan

8 Ishq Da Keeda : Bheja Fry 2 9 Bhaag D.K Bose, Aandhi Aayi : Delhi Belly

riyanka Chopra is going to dazzle in an item number for Priyadarshan’s movie, titled, ‘Tezz’. It is rumored that Priyanka’s first solo item number is going to be sexier than Katrina Kaif’s ‘Sheila’ and Malaika Arora’s ‘Munni’. At first Priyanka showed hesitation in stepping into the shoes of an item girl but now she has broken her taboo and agreed to shake her body to the electrifying song to be composed by Sajid-Wajid. ‘Tezz’ stars Ajay Devgan and Kangana Ranaut in the pivotal role. Earlier, the actress teamed up with Shahrukh for the item number ‘You Get Me Rockin & Reeling’ in ‘Billu’. Well, let’s see whether she can give a tough fight to ‘Munni’ and Sheila’ and scores higher than them.

10 O Yaara : Shaitan

aif Ali Khan who is madly in love, is said to be as possessive as any lover would be. The actor is so possessive about Bebo that he doesn't allow anyone to even touch his 'Kareena' tattoo on his arm. Not only that... To play his role as a 'Dalit' in 'Aarakshan', Saif had to put on lots of makeup and also cover his tattoo. For this, the Chote Nawab made sure that his makeup artists don't touch his inked Kareena; instead he would do the makeup over the tattoo himself. Wait there's more! It seems Saif would click his own photos and MMS them to Kareena and go ahead to shoot once she approves them. Although Saif and Kareena rarely get time for each other, the couple surely knows how to keep the romantic barometer on high.

ovebirds Ritiesh Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza are going to take their relationship to the next level. The duo has decided to tie the knot in 2012. It was heard that they will marry in two style-one Maharashtrian style and the other in Christian way. Riteish and Genelia got the approval of Genelia's parents but Riteish's parents are not still convinced with the wedding because they wanted their son to marry a girl from their community. Recently at an event, the actor was seen sitting next to Genelia's mother and having a chat. Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza have been dating for past couple of years but they never display their affection in public and always avoid media attention. But now that the duo have decided to take the plunge, they are ready to declare their love affair to the world by displaying their closeness. They walked hand in hand at the red carpet of IIFA recently held in Toronto.

Bollywood

July 22, 2011

India Post

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No rift K

alki Koechlin has rubbished reports suggesting she and her "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" co-star Katrina Kaif don't gel well with each other, saying there are having no problems between them. "There have been a lot of people picking on us that me and Kat are fighting. I think it is really sad because not one person has come and asked me what I think, they have just kind of assumed. There are no issues," Kalki told reporters. Kalki, who will once again be seen with Abhay after "Dev D", says she doesn't want to be trapped in one image and hopes to do different kind of roles. "It (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) is different from the other film (Dev D) definitely that we have done and I think Abhay doesn't tend to stick on one thing and neither me," she said. "I don't want to be labeled or trapped, my job is to change and adapt to everything that comes. And it's exciting that I am doing something different." The actress, who recently tied the knot with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, was last seen in "Shaitan".

Compliments

rithik Roshan seems to be quite impressed with Katrina Kaif's team spirit and feels her unselfish ness has made her so successful in filmdom, while the actress praises him describing him as a "phenomenal" actor. "I had not seen any of her films until I had started working with her in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It just happened that I had not been able to see her films," Hrithik said. "I was absolutely delighted to work with her. She is a team player, she is not a selfish actor. I like to work with people who give themselves to work, towards the entirety of same goal, that's what she is, that's how she is. That's what has got her so far. What I have seen of her and what people have seen of her on screen is not even 10 percent of what she is capable of," he added. The actor's film, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara co-stars Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina and Kalki Koechlin. Katrina couldn't stop raving about Hrithik either. "Thank you for saying that you have not seen any of my films. I didn't know that. I have seen his films and have always been a huge fan of his work, he's a phenomenal actor and I was really excited to get a chance to work with him," she said.

Back to books A

ctor Kunal Kapoor, whose second passion after acting is flying planes, is busy with physics and mathematics queries for his flying exam so that he can get his license soon. Kunal has been spending a considerable amount of time locked up in his study for good results and enjoying going back to books. "I remember, in school, I used to dread exams but for an actor, every Friday is like the biggest possible exam. So now, every other exam really seems like a cakewalk. And it's actually great fun going back to books. It takes you back to your college and school days, especially the dozing off before the end of the lecture bit. I am loving the experience!" said Kunal. The 33-year-old will be seen next in Farhan Akhtar's "Don: The Chase Continues" with Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra.

A R Rahman

India Post

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July 22, 2011

PREM KISHORE

LOS ANGELES: Soundtrack, score, visuals and stories became an annotated guide to the works of Chennai born A R Rahman at the Hollywood Bowl. Narrating the Hindi, Tamil and Chinese screenplay through Rahman's music, the Los Angeles Philharmonic did an admirable job of showcasing the craftsmanship and vision of the composer. It was a visual and visceral treat for those like me who delighted in the curating of the works of the celebrated composer, producer, singer, Rahman. While the Hollywood Bowl selections ranged from the robotic imagery of Endhiran, The Rising; Ballad of Mangal Pandey, to the vulnerability of Chan Chan from Water, Changing Seasons (Raavan/ Raavanan) and Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire) the LA Phil transported us to a place of universal connectedness. The Indian flute of Naveen Kumar was a sublime cohesion with the orchestra as he played the theme from Bombay. It was a unique bridge of two distinct cultures and an ensemble bringing an enhanced context and an additional dimension with impressive effect.

Amrita Sen (left), Sachin Premasuthan and Vivek Agrawal perform alongside composer A R Rahman with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at ëJourney to Indiaí program at the Hollywood Bowl

Often times, the music was a little subdued, at times, a kind of unnecessary reverent restraint, but one must commend the extraordinary style, and intelligence of the LA Phil's conductor Matt Dunkley. Six months of planning song selections and repertoire to showcase

Rahman's talents is an invigorating collaboration. The skilful editing of film footage and the integral re-imagining of music and film demanded strenuous practice and intuition. But that's not the whole story. For the many thousands of people who came to the show it was a case of Where's the Party Yaar? The audience had come together expecting the celebrated Rahman's Hindi and Tamil commercial hits fronted perhaps by Sivamani the explosive percussionist, the sassy voice of a well known Bollywood

The spectators became restive and shouted out their favorite song titles. And then they waited patiently for their idol Rahman to take the stage and belt out his inimitable takeoff from Dil Se. It did not happen singer and Rahman's soaring vocals. Well that's how we rocked the last time Rahman came to the Bowl! This time round, the crowds, 15,000 of them, were taken aback. There was no commercial agenda. In the first place A R Rahman appeared only in the second half of the program. That was a huge disappointment. All that they saw on the stage was a medley of film footage shown, both Tamil and Hindi and a very lengthy Chinese epic accompanied by the LA Phil. The spectators became restive and shouted out their favorite song titles. And then they waited patiently for their idol Rahman to take the stage and belt out his inimitable takeoff from Dil Se. It did not happen. But it speaks for the lure and devo-

tion for Rahman that no one left. Indeed at one point Rahman jested "I am glad you are not cheering as if it was a rock show!" Thousands of Rahman's fans sat glum and frustrated and watched halfheartedly clips from Slumdog Millionaire before wandering off to the buses awaiting them, angry and questioning. One family of 30 members had braved the afternoon sun, traveled long miles to cut loose and sing and dance for a glorious three hours with their Mozart of Madras. Totally crushed, and complaining every step of the Hollywood Bowl stadium, they along with thousands returned home, feeling let down. But there was redemption. Many buses packed with crestfallen revelers got their own act together. For one hour wherever their buses took them in the dead of night, they sang lustily, and sang their hearts out. All the Rahman songs they had missed at the Hollywood Bowl! Cont’d on page 26

July 22, 2011

India Post

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Walt Disney to release 3 Indian films challenges of a middle-class family who take a chaotic journey to fulfill their dream of owning a car and discover the true meaning of family along the way. The film was written and directed by Habib Faisal and features Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor as its central characters. As the first ever Disney Telugu fantasy adventure, Once Upon A Warrior is about a swashbuckling

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Walt Disney Studios is releasing three films from India, Do Dooni Chaar, Once Upon A Warrior and Zokkomon, on July 26. The movies will be released simultaneously on DVD, video-on-demand, and digital download and will be featured on iTunes - all on the same day.

Designed to expand the entertainment options of diverse cultural groups in North America, the movies feature some of the most recognizable local talent from India. Disney was involved in production of each film which will be released in their local language and subtitled in English. Do Dooni Chaar is a heart-warming comedy about the dreams and

Kajal Aggarwal beats up crew members!

jay Devgn is famous in Btown for the innumerable pranks that he has played on his co-stars, directors and other crew members! This time around his target was his pretty co-star Kajal Aggarwal from 'Singham'. On one of the days of the movie's Goa schedule, the actor told the naive Kajal to thrash goons for a par-

ticular scene. He made her believe that she was a modern day heroine and handed over a belt to lash out at the goons. Unaware of the actor's antics, the southern beauty innocently went ahead and gave the shot, with Ajay quipping "Maro Maro" in the background to encourage her! Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 26

Lisa Ray to be honored at Miss India-Canada 2011

Designed to expand the entertainment options of diverse cultural groups in North America, the movies feature some of the most recognizable local talent from India warrior on an epic quest to save a mystical young girl from a wicked queen in the ultimate battle between good and evil. In the tradition of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Prince of Persia," the film features an all-star cast including Siddharth, Shruti Haasan and Lakshmi Manchu. Written & Directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, the film is produced by K. Raghavendra Rao who has over 100 Telugu films among his credits. Zokkomon is a thrilling Hindi action adventure film about an ordinary boy who overcomes extraordinary challenges to become a magical hero. The film had its world premiere at the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles and a limited theatrical release. Featuring well-known Indian stars Darsheel Safary and Anupam Kher, the film features music by India's most popular trio, Shankar Ehsaan Loy.

Lisa Ray India Post News Service

TORONTO: Internationally acclaimed actress, Lisa Ray, who is best remembered for her role in the Oscar nominated film, Water, will be the Guest of Honor at the 21st Annual Miss India-Canada Event, which is supported by Imagine Dil Se. The show will be held on Saturday, July 23 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Lisa will be presented with a Special Achievement Award at this year's event. The show is also sponsored by Yak, Euphoria by Calvin Klein, Cuisine of India and India Tourism, to name a few. Lisa is a shining example of what the Miss-India Canada Event has promoted for the past two decades, namely the promotion of South Asian talent from within Canada, across the globe. Toronto-born, Lisa made her indel-

ible mark in popular and critically acclaimed films like Kasoor and Deepa Mehta's Bollywood/Hollywood. The Miss India-Canada organization announced that Yak will give the general public the opportunity to vote for their favourite Miss India-Canada contestant. Contestants' photographs and information on how to vote can be seen at: www.Yak.ca/MIC. The contest will end July 22. The winner of the 'Yak People's Choice Award' will be announced at the show. Furthermore, after the contest, one mobile phone will be given to a voter who will be randomly selected by Yak. This year's event will also showcase the trailer of the much anticipated Canadian movie of the year: Breakaway; starring Vinay Virmani, Anupam Kher, Rob Lowe, and Russell Peters.

India Post

July 22, 2011 www.indiapost.com

Kajal Aggarwal beats up crew members! Cont’d from page 25

It was only later when the entire unit started laughing that the actress realized what she had fallen prey to and how the camera wasn't actually rolling. Thoroughly embarrassed, the actress then went around apologizing to all the people she had beaten up! Despite all the pranks, Kajal swears that she couldn't have got a better first co-star and admired Ajay Devgn for his work and professionalism. Beefy look Incidentally, Ajay Devgn sports a beefy look in 'Singham' where he plays a tough cop from a village on the Maharashtra-Goa border who will be seen doing a lot of hand to hand combat, something one rarely gets to see in movies in this day and age of high gadgetry. Director Rohit Shetty therefore did not just want Ajay to develop a six pack which is easily achievable with injections and steroids; but get a more realistic, brawny physique that would ooze raw manliness. Ajay's trainer Prashant Saawant had a major role to play in ensuring this. He trained with the actor for three months; help-

ing him losing weight and making him more lean and muscular. He got him to do a rigorous combination of weights and circuit super sets that incorporated all tech-

15 Marathi actors Since the backdrop of the movie is around Maharashtra, considering Ajay Devgn is seen playing a local Marathi cop, Rohit Shetty cast as

Atul, who are creating waves on the Marathi film music scenario, have been roped in for the music of the film. Villain from South Rohit signed none other than prominent south actor Prakash Raj to play the baddie in the movie. The three-time National Award

winning actor was his first choice as he played the same role superbly in the original Tamil version which the movie is a remake of. Prakash Raj was last seen playing the bad boy in 'Wanted' and has previously done Hindi films like 'Shakti-The Power' and 'Khakee'.

Rahman’s challenge Cont’d from page 24

niques including pushups and pull-ups. Prashant also oversaw Ajay's diet and made sure he maintained a high-protein low-carb diet to get that desired look. Luckily, it didn't seem like a tough task given Ajay's penchant for fitness and the fact that he already had a great physique! Fans of the actor can look forward to seeing him in a completely raw and desi action hero avatar!

many as 15 Marathi actors for the authenticity of movie. This star cast comprises of Ashok Saraf, Sachin Khedekar, Sonali Kulkarni, Anant Jogue, Vijay Patkar, Agasthya Dhanorkar, Suchitra Bandekar, Jayant Sawarkar, Suhasini Deshpande, Meghna Vaidya, Ashok Samarth, Kishore Nandlaskar, Ravindra Berde, Pradeep Welankar and Hemu Adhikari. In fact, even composers Ajay-

Rahman was trying to say perhaps "I am not a jukebox. This is my cherished work spanning diverse styles and cultures." Whether it worked or not it was a huge challenge and a risk. I do believe that the advertisements should have been more specific. A Rahman show always promises a high voltage, rollicking program of memorable legendary song and music from his many films. In this case there was most certainly a miscommunication. If the composer appeared after intermission, what happened in the first part of the program? Karsh Kale, Rhythms of Rajasthan and

Bollywood Step Dance were featured. Karsh K's ensemble completely overpowered and overwhelmed three very fine, gifted guest artists Aditya Prakash, Roopa Mahadevan and Lili Haydn. Kale's group thundered and drowned out the classical ragas of Prakash and Roopa determinedly. The tech crew for world music did not do their job for the guest artists. A real pity as Aditya and Rupa in particular would have been amazing counterparts to the electronic rock and jazz. Rhythms of Rajasthan are being featured everywhere in the US. Get another group next time please Hollywood Bowl. And is Bhangra the only dance craze of India?

July 22, 2011

India Post www.indiapost.com

Only hero to fly an F-16

ctor Shahid Kapur, who had the rare experience of flying multi-role jet fighter aircraft F-16 to adapt traits of a fighter pilot for his forthcoming film "Mausam", takes pride in being the only film actor to have flown that ultimate flying machine. "I was quite fortunate that I flew an F-16 fighter plane. I don't think any other actor has ever flown an F-16. Even when actor Tom Cruise had done 'Top Gun' he had flown an F15. I was very fortunate to get this opportunity. It was a very exciting experience for me," Shahid told reporters at the first look of the film. The actor had flown the American fighter aircraft at the AeroIndia defense exhibition in Bangalore earlier this year. Sharing his overwhelming experience, Shahid reveals: "Honestly I was not fond of flying in a plane but when I actually sat in it and flew it I was so excited that I started shouting. It was probably the most exhilarating experience one could have. I am someone who loves speed anyway.

"So, the fact that I was sitting in an F-16 and I was a co-pilot was unbelievable. I also went through G force. If you know when you fly such a plane you can go up to G9. G1 is when you feel your body weight; G2 is when you feel two times your body weight. He (the co-pilot) took me up to G6. That's something I would take through my grave with me." "I think it was required to understand my part better and it helped me to understand what all goes to become a fighter pilot," he added. Shahid closely followed the mannerisms of Indian Air Force pilots in the bases he visited and maintains that he is completely in awe of their attitude. "I visited some Air Force bases to meet some Air Force pilots; I sat on the aircraft, I put on the G-suit, observed how they walk with the helmet. All things like that which actually gives you some kind of perspective of what it is to be representing the country and to be the part of the armed force and to be an Air Force pilot.

Horoscope

India Post

July 22, 2011

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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

JULY 22TH - JULY 28TH ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 20)

TAURUS (APRIL 21 TO MAY 20)

ou will do very well with money this week. There will be many chances to make fast bucks. You will become more social and will be in demand in the party. People will appreciate your contribution. You will receive valuable advice and tips from an elderly and matured person. Spouse will pay more attention to health and have few uncertainties in mind.

f you can keep your emotions under check, you will be rewarded in near future. Money will become available as and when needed. Any changes at work at this point will prove to be beneficial in time to come. You will be again successful in trimming corners and save a lot. You will be working on a great plan with some like minded friends.

GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20)

CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)

o not act childish and take things seriously. It's a trap, watch out and be careful with a person who's been trying to flirt with you lately. Some disturbance will continue in career but without any real threat. You may need new prescription for glasses. Soon you will have few visitors in the house. You will travel to a nice area with family.

t will be an interesting week and if you play your cards right and quick, it's a win win situation. Changes you had been waiting for can take place so fast that even you will be amazed. You will take little time off work and spend quality time with family and may travel to a nice place for a day. Some body is working behind the scene for you.

LEO (JULY 23 TO AUGUST 22)

ou will be under lots of pressure in order to prove your efficiency under difficult conditions. Do not allow a co worker distract you from real goals. Sun in the third will help resolve all issues with government in your favor. If you sign any paper in a hurry you will regret soon. People in business will have better sales and make new clients.

VIRGO (AUGUST 23 TO SEPTEMBER 22)

pponents will try hard but fail. You will be selected among number of candidates for the job. Quick recovery from minor illness also indicated. You will benefit from some one lot younger in age. Money wise things will start moving in right direction and you will recover some old payments too. An old friend will call and invite for lunch.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 TO OCTOBER 22)

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 22)

ou will need outside help in order to get out of a sticky situation. Some of you will be trying very hard to find another job. Things will continue to stay on the edge as far as finances are concerned. Hard work and efforts will pay off in near future. You will be spending more on family and their needs. You will have few guests at your place.

long awaited reunion is in the air. Things will continue to be strong in career with bad days a matter of history. You will spend more time away from home for business purpose. Loan application will finally get approved bringing big relief in mind. You will be full of great ideas and wit for right opportunity and time.

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 TO DECEMBER 22)

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 TO JANUARY 19)

ou will need to make changes in plans on the last minute. People in power or the boss will give little headache. Money wise this could be a rewarding week. Money may come from totally unexpected quarters. You will make an appointment with your dentist too. You will learn from opponents and try to correct your approach to obtain a better deal.

ou will join hands with some very like minded and famous people. Plans you are working on will bring drastic changes in career very soon and place you to a totally different level. Home remedy will help you overcome health problems. You will take a short trip to a hot and dry area. You may also dispose off some stocks for a decent profit.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 TO FEBRUARY 18)

PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 TO MARCH 20)

ou should not wait another day and cash profit making stocks. Suddenly you will become very ambitious and seriously look for new avenues to supplement your income. Time spent on phone will not go waste and you will save some money for long time. You will get to sit with successful people and learn from their experience and personality.

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

worthy cause will bring you closer to some like minded people. Mars and Venus can involve you with an adventurous person but it will be temporary only. An upcoming move will cause lots of excitement in the family. You may have to travel to another city in connection with some urgent business. Money wise you will be comfortable.

925-833-7170 website: www.parashar.com

29 India Post

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andhavgarh National Park is located around 195 km off Jabalpur and 210 km off Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. Considered as the crown in the wildlife heritage of Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers, cheetals, leopard, gaur, sambhar, and many more faunal species. Bandhavgarh National Park is nestled in the Vindhya mountain range of Central India full of hills and ravines. Though, very small in comparison to Kanha or other parks of Madhya Pradesh, it hosts almost the same number of tigers or any other wildlife animal. Apart from tigers and leopards, Bandhavgarh is also extremely productive for medium-sized bison herds. Bandhavgarh came into existence as a national park in 1968 with a core area of 105 sq. km, which was later extended to include two adjoining sal forests in 1986. Before becoming a national park, it was the game reserve of the Maharajas of Rewa. But due to loss of royal patronage, it remained neglected for a long time until the government declared it a national park to control rampant poaching in the area.

July 22, 2011

Bandhavgarh is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers, cheetals, leopard, gaur, sambhar, and many more faunal species Best time to visit: Summer starts here in April and continues till June. The temperature touches the high of around 42Â°C. But these are also the months when you can look forward to sighting tigers and leopards. December to February are the best months climate wise, while the weather is cool and pleasant. The park is closed during the monsoon season, which also coincides with the breeding season, from June till November. Another reason for closure during this season is the torrential rainfall washing away most of the jungle tracks. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 31

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

July 22, 2011

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Choice Hotels to have new corporate HQ in Maryland India Post News Service

SILVER SPRING, MD: Leading worldwide lodging company Choice Hotels International has executed a lease for a new corporate headquarters in Rockville, Md. The news follows the October 25, 2010, announcement by Governor Martin O'Malley, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and City of Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio that Choice Hotels had signed a letter of intent to move to Rockville when the lease on the company's current building expires in 2013. The new headquarters will be located at a building being completed at 121 Rockville Pike in Rockville Town Center, where the company will occupy approximately over 130,000 square feet of Class A office space. The building will be developed, constructed, owned, and managed by the Foulger-Pratt Companies. "We are very pleased that Montgomery County will continue to be our home and that we were able to secure a headquarters location in Rockville-a vibrant community convenient to the vast majority of our associate base," said Stephen P. Joyce, president and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels. "Rockville Town Center is the ideal location for Choice Hotels - offering easy access to Metro bus and rail service as well as a wealth of dining and shopping options for our associates, franchisees and our many visitors and business associates. Additionally, we are grateful to have the opportunity to direct the build

out of our new headquarters to meet our unique specifications and needs." Choice Hotels International was founded in 1941 and has been headquartered in Silver Spring, Md. since 1968. The company, which was assisted in its search by brokerage firm Studley, anticipates a summer 2011 groundbreaking for its new headquarters and a move-in date in spring 2013. "Choice Hotels' commitment to investing and creating new jobs in Maryland

ing that Choice Hotels International signed a letter of intent to stay in the County is today's announcement that they have officially signed a lease to occupy 130,000 square feet of prime Class A office space in the heart of downtown Rockville," said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. "Choice Hotels is truly one of Montgomery County's leading corporate citizens. Their outstanding business acumen is only surpassed by their commit-

The new headquarters will be located at a building being completed at 121 Rockville Pike in Rockville Town Center, where the company will occupy approximately over 130,000 square feet of Class A office space. The building will be developed, constructed, owned, and managed by the Foulger-Pratt Companies speaks to the quality and availability of our workforce, our strategic location and the supportive business climate that the State and our partners in Montgomery County offer to businesses," said Governor O'Malley. "We are pleased that Choice, one of the world's largest lodging companies, will continue to make its home in Maryland and we look forward to working with the company as it continues to grow and expand in Rockville." "The only thing better than announc-

ment to their employees and to Montgomery County's business community by choosing to remain and grow here for many more years to come. I congratulate Stephen and his team." "Rockville is thrilled to welcome the Choice Hotels corporate headquarters to our downtown," said Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio. "Choice Hotels is yet another prominent national company that's chosen Rockville, and we look forward to seeing them thrive in their beautiful new Town Center location."

Indian's casino empire comes to an end in Nepal KATHMANDU: Indian casino King Rakesh Wadhwa's business interests in Nepal has suffered a fresh setback with the Supreme Court rejecting his plea to stay a government order which scrapped his license to run casinos in the Himalayan nation. The apex court rejected Wadhwa's demand to issue a stay order against the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOTCA), which had scrapped the license to Nepal Recreation Centre (NRC) to operate casinos for his alleged failure to pay taxes amounting to more than Rs 21 crore. However, the court decision would not annul the licenses issued to the respective hotels to operate casinos, Legal officer of Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ranjan Aryal, said. Now it is up to the hotels to decide how they would like to operate the casinos, he added. It is learnt that after the ministry's move to annul NRC's authority to operate casinos, the hotels have appointed new managements to operate the business.

NRC, which operated four casinos in Kathmandu, owes more than NRs 34 crore (Rs 21 crore) to the government in the form of royalties. Wadhwa was the Managing Director of NRC which operated Casino Nepal in the premises of Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Casino Anna

Now the NRC has ceased to exist, according to Ministry of Tourism. Wadhwa must pay the dues even after the NRC's authority to operate the casinos is annulled, Aryal said in the Hotel Annapurna, Casino Tara in Hotel Hyatt and Casino Everest in the Everest Hotel. The ministry had issued a seven days notice to clear all dues to NRC on June 18 and warned that the NRC's authority to run casi-

nos will be annulled failing to pay the dues. Now the NRC has ceased to exist, according to Ministry of Tourism. Wadhwa must pay the dues even after the NRC's authority to operate the casinos is annulled, Aryal said. The government issued the ultimatum to Wadhwa as the NRC has not paid royalties for the last 5-6 years, he added. The government has recently issued a notice for auctioning the land belonging to NRC in the premises of Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza to clear the dues. Wadhwa has been absconding and staying in Delhi for the past 56 months after the government issued arrest warrant for failing to pay crores of rupees in royalty. The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation had issued a letter to NRC in 1994 which authorizes the organization to operate casinos in Nepal. In fact, the five star hotels are issued the license to operate casinos which are handed to the casino management on contract basis for running the casinos. -PTI

"We are thrilled to partner with Choice Hotels International in building Rockville Metro Plaza II to be their worldwide corporate headquarters, and are grateful to the City, the County, and the State for their substantial effort in attracting Choice to the City of Rockville," said Clayton Foulger, principal at Foulger-Pratt. "We believe this beautiful new building, designed to accommodate Choice's specific corporate needs, will be a wonderful long-term home for them and a wonderful addition to the City of Rockville that will benefit all parties. We are excited to be involved in this dynamic project at this time." Choice Hotels has been extensively involved in charitable efforts in Montgomery County. It kicked off its three-year partnership with its signature cause partner Rebuilding Together in September 2009 in Rockville, with over 100 Choice Hotels associates volunteering to rehabilitate Stepping Stones Shelter. In 2010, the company's associates rehabilitated two homes in the Wheaton/ Silver Spring area. Additionally, the company received the President's Volunteer Service Award for its participation in the Manna Smart Sacks Volunteer Program, where it supports a county elementary school providing backpacks of food yearround for needy children. Additionally, Choice Hotels, through its Choice Hotels International Foundation, supports numerous philanthropic causes in the county and is a member of the Montgomery County Corporate Volunteer Council.

Amber-Jaigarh forts to be reconnected by old tunnel JAIPUR: Two famous monuments, Amber and Jaigarh fort, will soon be reconnected via an underground tunnel, that lies in a shambles and closed since long. "The tunnel once connected both the forts and the new feature would prove to be extremely popular and thrilling with the tourists. The Amber development and management authority has already initiated the development work related to the tunnel in the fort," Bina Kak, Rajasthan Tourism Minister said. Since the part of the tunnel in the Jaigarh fort is under the Sawai Man Singh II Trust, the minister met Jaipur royal family's Diya Kumari, secretary of Sawai Man Singh II Trust, in this regard and had discussions for smooth implementation of the tunnel project, according to an official. The minister said that once the tunnel is completed, the tourists will get an opportunity to walk from one for to the other. After the meeting, the minister also visited the World Heritage Site Jantar Mantar and reviewed

the progress being made in connection with the sound and light show to be implemented at the Jantar Mantar. She also gave directions regard-

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The tunnel once connected both the forts and the new feature would prove to be extremely popular and thrilling with the tourists. The Amber development and management authority has already initiated the development work related to the tunnel in the fortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ing the buffer zone of the Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Jaleb Chowk and how their herigate status had to be strictly maintained. -PTI

July 22, 2011

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post 31

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Kargil battlefield converts into polo ground DRASS, KASHMIR: From being a war zone 12 years ago, the sparsely populated town of Drass in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir has recovered from battle scars. The road to Drass goes through god's forgotten lands - there is silence and wilderness for miles and an unending number of mountain peaks. In 1999, an Indian war machine was mobilized and crawled through these mountainous roads to reach Drass, 150 kms and a seven-hour journey from Srinagar. It was a battle then, a fight to take control of Tiger Hill and Tololing Hill where Pakistani forces had barricaded themselves and were shelling the National Highway (NH) 1D in an attempt to cut off the Ladakh region. The army celebrates the 12th anniversary of its victory on July 26 and Drass is no longer a ghost town as the former battlefields are now hosting polo matches.

Crowds, which have come from all across Drass, cheer with endless energy as horses gallop in a dusty field and players on horse-

Tiger and Tololing hills - both of which have been part of plot of several Bollywood films made in the aftermath of Kargil War, in-

The polo at Drass has different rules as compared to the game played at international level - the difference being that there are very few rules. It is played in a more "macho" style, in a more aggressive manner, says a player backs hit the ball. From the ground where the match is being played, you can clearly see, in all their majesty, the

cluding the Hrithik Roshan starrer 'Lakshya'. These are times of peace in Kashmir, no major infiltration has

Bandhavgarh National Park: Wildlife preserve with highest density of tigers Cont’d from page 29

Tourist attractions At Bandhavgarh you can find moist deciduous forest, as at Kanha National Park. At higher altitudes, the flora tends to move towards mixed forests. With the highest density of tigers, Bandhavgarh is one of the most important wildlife sanctuaries in India for the wildlife preservers and enthusiasts. The park is also home of the white (albino) tiger. There are a number of other rare species moving around in Bandhavgarh National Park like sloth bear, gaur, sambar, chital, muntjac, nilgai, chinkara, and wild pigs. There are also interesting cave shrines scattered around the park, with Brahmi inscriptions dating from the first century B.C. You can visit the remains of the Bandhavgarh Fort believed to be

been reported this year, there has been no major attack and there have been no street protests. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah,

who was the chief guest at the Lalit Suri Polo 2011 tournament, said the government will try to bring Drass on the tourism map of the state. "Drass is famous for two things - one is the 1999 Kargil War which was fought at Tiger Hill and other places and before that Drass was known as the world's second coldest place, but other than that people did not know much (about) Drass," Omar said. Gayasuddin has walked nearly eight miles from Pandras village,

to watch the match. He had been displaced during the Kargil war and shifted with his family to Srinagar. Apart from being a student, he also works as a porter for the army and takes food and other supplies to mountain redoubts of army. "Now it is okay here. Things have gone back to normal. When Kargil war began, I moved with my family to Srinagar. No one stayed here," Gayassuddin said. Mohammad Amin, a polo player from Drass, said the game was "almost forgotten" by the people in the years that followed the Kargil war. "No one thought of playing it again because we were busy with getting our lives on track which were shattered by the war," Amin said. It was three years ago that Army took the initiative and organized a polo tournament. Now there are 24 local polo teams in Drass alone. "When we play polo, we concentrate on the ball, and for those moments we forget there was ever a war here," Amin said. The polo at Drass has different rules as compared to the game played at international level - the difference being that there are very few rules. It is played in a more "macho" style, in a more aggressive manner, says a player. -PTI

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2,000 years old. Bandhavgarh Fort: Built by the Maharajas of Rewa, Bandhavgarh Fort is located well within the Bandhavgarh National Park. The fort is situated at an altitude of 800 m and gives panoramic view of the wildlife preserve as well as surrounding countryside. There is a small stream call Charganga that flows besides the fort. In the

way to the fort you can also see a number of statues and temples, the most famous of all is a rock-cut statue of Lord Vishnu. Places around: There are very few places around Bandhavgarh that offer much in the way of excursion. Katani and Umaria are two important urban habitations around Bandhavgarh National Park. Major tourist attractions in the region include world-famous temples of Khajuraho, Jabalpur - a major business center of Madhya Pradesh and Bheraghat on the river Narmada. How to reach Road - Bandhavgarh is located equidistance from the city of Jabalpur and world famous tourist spot of Khajuraho. You can reach Bandhavgarh by using roads from both these places. Rail - Katni at a distance of 120 km on the South-Eastern Railways is the ideal railway connection for reaching Bandhavgarh.

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July 22, 2011

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Tech News India asks China to clear its pharma exports BEIJING: India has asked China to expedite clearance for its pharmaceutical companies to gain access to this country's huge market, saying that such a move would also greatly benefit the Chinese people who would be able to buy comparatively affordable drugs. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is on a four-day visit to China, met his counterpart Chen Zhu here and sought his intervention to expedite clearance for Indian pharmaceutical companies. He told Chen that the entry of Indian pharmaceuticals to this country's market would also greatly benefit Chinese people as India produces comparatively affordable drugs. -PTI

Canada firm commits $10 mn for India plant DUBAI: Cordiant Capital, a Montreal-based fund manager that specializes in loans to private borrowers in emerging markets, has committed a USD 10 million loan to Jordan-India Fertilizer Company 'JIFCO'. The loan will finance the construction of a new USD 186 million plant in Jordan using phosphate rocks from local mines to produce phosphoric acid, a fertilizer, for the Indian market, a statement released here said. "With the recent dramatic rise in the cost of basic foodstuffs in India, demand for fertilizers is increasing rapidly across the country. -PTI

Govt launches economy drive, cuts foreign visits NEW DELHI: Launching the drive to contain public expenditure, the government has asked ministries and departments to restrict foreign travel and refrain from holding meetings in five-star hotels. The ministries have also been asked not to purchase new vehicles or create new posts, except for organizations which are to be set up during the course of the year. "It would be the responsibility of the secretary of each ministry/ department to ensure that foreign travel is restricted to most necessary and unavoidable official engagements based on functional necessity," said an official memorandum issued by the Finance Ministry. -PTI

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July 22, 2011

ISRO to step up outsourcing in rocket-satellite areas BANGALORE: Indian space agency ISRO would significantly scale up outsourcing to industries to fuel the quantum jump in the programs being undertaken by it and has mooted a risk-sharing model, its chairman K Radhakrishnan said here. He said more than 500 industries (micro, small, medium and large) already account for 60 per cent production of the space agency's program and their share would further go up. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is witnessing a "quantum jump" in the production of rockets (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and satellites, in the last two-three years, he said. -PTI

'Mismatch in Indian procurement process & US license regime' NEW DELHI: Noting that there was a "mismatch" between Indian procurement requirements and the American license regime, the US business chambers has strongly pitched for finding "breakdown" in these procedures and also recommended issuance of a list of "pre-approved" technologies by the US to India. Participating in the 8th meeting of Indo-US High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG), led by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and US Undersecretary of Industry and Commerce Eric Hirschhorn, the companies from India and the US discussed the commercial and business ties. Presenting recommendations in defense sector, US-India Business Council President Ron Somers said "disappointed over the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) procurement and the fact that our companies felt that the challenge was from our side.....the US government pre-approves technologies that they will be willing to transfer to India. "We want action to match the rhetoric. The rhetoric is India has arrived, that India is a strategic partner of the United States. Therefore, let's have a list of all technologies that we are willing to transfer to India, so that our country can engage substantially with India". Somers suggested that four case studies - two from each country - should be done to find out the "breakdown" in the procurement process in India and license regime in the US, including missile control regime. In aviation sector, India would like to harness opportunities in areas of aircraft and aircraft components, air traffic management, aviation safety, security and capacity building.

Underperformance

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said at the Opening Plenary India's high technology ties with the US have underperformed, particularly in commercial sectors, and pitched

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao shakes hands with Eric L Hirchhorn, Under Secretary of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce, during the 8th meeting of India-US High Technology Cooperation Group in New Delhi. CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee (C), President USIBC Ron Somers (L) and Senior Member FICCI National Executive Committee Devin Narang are also seen in the picture.

for promoting cooperation in R&D, design, commercialization and production. "There is a shared perception that the HTCG has in a sense underperformed and underachieved, especially in commercial sectors." "While the focus has been on conventional trade and market ac-

national capacity through joint production, joint research and development and transfer of technology, Rao said adding that such collaborations would create the same kind of mutual benefit that we see in other economic sectors. "Regulatory framework in both countries should evolve in a manner that facilitates trade and ex-

Somers suggested that four case studies - two from each country - should be done to find out the "breakdown" in the procurement process in India and license regime in the US cess, we must now focus equally on promoting cooperation in research and development, design, commercialization and production," Rao said. She said the two sides must not only focus on barriers to trade, but also on commercial opportunities in the broadest sense. In the defense sector, India would lay emphasis on building

pands opportunities for collaboration in defense equipment and services," she said. Rao said the two sides should look at innovative models to harness opportunities in aviation sector, aircraft and aircraft components, air traffic management, repairs and maintenance, aviation safety and security and capacity building.

Rao said the best was to make progress in the HTCG was to identify tangible and time bound goals for each sector. "We are likely to be more successful if we identify one or two key goals each year rather than a wide array of diffused goals and priorities," she said. "It is equally important to identify specific activities and national actions that would enable us to achieve the desired outcomes," Rao said. Speaking on the occasion, US Undersecretary of Industry and Commerce Eric Hirschhorn said that India and the US must continue efforts to eliminate policies that discourage research and innovation. "We must find new ways to breakdown tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade that stifle cooperation," he said. US export controls affect less than one per cent of trade with India, Hirschhorn said adding that US authorities have approved 400 export licenses for controlled technologies and 99 per cent of applications had got permissions. -PTI

TechBiz Post

July 22, 2011

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Boeing's Dreamliner lands in Delhi NEW DELHI: World's first ultra long-haul passenger jet Boeing 787 Dreamliner - which can fly about 250 passengers nonstop up to 16,000 km kept its date with India and was greeted by a water salute at the IGI airport. After a journey of about nine hours from Japan, the test flight (named ZA002) flew in from Tokyo. Boeing's test pilot Heather Ross, along with two other pilots, flew the aircraft, which arrived here after crossing the US, Iceland and Japan. The state-of-the-art plane, flashing the livery of All Nippon Airways (ANA), the launch customer of the model, was based at the IGI airport for two days. On its arrival, the aircraft, which carried only crew and technicians, engineers and officials from Boeing, was given a traditional water salute before it was parked at a bay near the Air India office between runway 28/10 and Terminal 3. Boeing claims that the Dreamliner would be 20 per cent more fuel-efficient and less noisy than other aircraft its size, due to the design of its wings and cheveron, and could carry between 210 and 290 passengers to a distance between 8,000 and 8,500 nautical miles. "As per Air India's order the aircraft could seat 256 passengers, 18 in Business class and 238 in Economy class. Also these aircraft would have one of the best and warm interiors

President Boeing India Dinesh Keskar (R) poses with pilots of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at IGI airport

in the industry," said a Boeing official. As compared to Boeing's 777, which has 20 per cent composites and 50 per cent aluminum, the 787 Dreamliner aircraft is made up of 50 per cent composites, 20 per cent

other airlines. "Indian carriers have recognized the tremendous value Boeing 787 offers to airlines," Dinesh Keskar, Boeing India President said. National carrier Air India has

On its arrival, the aircraft, which carried only crew and technicians, engineers and officials from Boeing, was given a traditional water salute before it was parked at a bay near the Air India office aluminum, 15 per cent of titanium, 10 per cent steel and others 5 per cent. This would provide an edge of 10 per cent better cash per seat per mile costs as compared to

ordered 27 of these planes while Jet Airways has placed orders for ten of them. The aircraft would enable them to mount direct non-stop flights to North America or Australia. -PTI

Tata Motors leaning toward Indonesia for new Nano plant KUALA LUMPUR: Shelving its expansion plans in Thailand and opting for fast-growing Indonesia, India's Tata Motors is in talks with a leading Indonesian automobile company to produce its popular no-frills Nano car. Indonesia appears to have gained an edge over Thailand as the production site for the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, the Bangkok Post said, adding that Thailand was in contention to make the Nano since the Indian auto-maker has been producing its Xenon and Ace light trucks at its factory in Samut Prakanin since 2009. However, since Indonesia offered more attractive incentives, Tata decided to shelve the expansion plan in Thailand, the paper said, quoting unnamed sources. Quoting the source, the paper added that Tata was concerned about political stability in the country and also found the local automobile tax structure discouraging.

The Indian company is now said to be in talks with PT Astra International, Indonesia's leading automobile company, to produce the car.

Tata would launch a Nano imported from India by the end of this year at the Thailand International Motor Expo to build consumer awareness about Tata's passenger car brand before the cars are actually built in Indonesia Tata was one of seven manufacturers looking to develop ecocar projects in Thailand, but it scrapped the plan because of concerns about an unfavorable tax

structure and the requirement to produce at least 100,000 cars a year by the fifth year of operation. A Tata spokesman said at the time that the company wanted to build a highly fuel-efficient and environment-friendly car in Thailand that would be suited to Thai consumers' needs. However, it probably would not be the Nano. The source confirmed, however, that Tata would launch a Nano imported from India by the end of this year at the Thailand International Motor Expo to build consumer awareness about Tata's passenger car brand before the cars are actually built in Indonesia. The deliveries would start early next year. The Nano to be marketed in Thailand will come with a 600-cc engine, but with enhanced performance and speed to meet Thais' preferences. The top speed will be raised to 120 km/h from 105 km/h, the top speed for the Indian model. -PTI

India Post

India third largest investor in UK LONDON: India was the third largest investor in Britain during 2010-11 with 97 new projects, generating several jobs in a country facing recession and major job losses, according to official figures. "Among the high growth markets, India and China are still the two principal sources of inward investment by project numbers," an official report titled by 'UK Inward Investment Report 2010-2011' released by the UK Trade and Investment said. An example of India's growing investment in Britain is Tata Steel and Australia's Dyesol's recently announced expansion of their 11 million pounds collaborative R&D project in Flintshire to develop the

world's first continuously manufactured dye-sensitized photovoltaic product on steel, for building applications. Peter Strikwerda, Managing Director of Tata Steel Colors, said: "This project forms a key part of our strategy to develop a new range of functional coated steel products. The expansion takes it from its laboratory and pilot line phase into a pre-industrialization phase". He added: "We will now accelerate technical progress with the objective of establishing a product, process and supply chain that can be successfully commercialized". The report indicates that Britain is the top destination for foreign investment in Europe. -PTI

19 Kolkata companies under I-T scanner for funding Kalaignar NEW DELHI: The money trail in the 2G telecom spectrum scam has led the Income Tax Department to 19 "non-genuine" companies in Kolkata allegedly used by Kalaignar TV to return Rs 230 crore to Cineyug, taken as "loan", after a probe was initiated into it. During its probe into the spectrum allocation scam, the I-T Department zeroed in on 19 companies based in Kolkata that were allegedly used to pay Rs 52.20 crore to Kalaignar TV, in which DMK MP Kanimozhi had a 20 per cent stake, a recent report of the department said. The money from these companies was transferred to Saphire Media and Infrastructure Limited, which gave a Rs 83 crore loan to Anjugam Films Private Limited, which again forwarded Rs 69.61 crore as a loan to Kalaignar TV to pay Rs 230.31 crore to Karim

Morani-owned Cineyug Media and Entertainment as repayment of its Rs 200 crore "loan". Kalaignar TV had received Rs 200 crore from Cineyug Media between December, 2008, and August, 2009, which the CBI alleges was illegal gratification from DB Group promoter Shahid Balwa, whose company Swan Telecom was a beneficiary of 2G spectrum allocation during the tenure of former Telecom Minister A Raja. The CBI has alleged that money from Balwa was routed through Cineyug and soon after probe started, Kalaignar TV -- in which the family of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had an 80 per cent stake -- started returning money to give the impression that the money received was a genuine business transaction, a loan which was returned with interest. -PTI

Health

Line

West Nile Virus detected in Boston mosquitoes

BOSTON: West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes in Massachusetts for the first time this year. The state's Public Health Department says mosquitoes collected in Boston have tested positive for the virus that can cause mild to severe illness. The city health department said the mosquitoes were in two pools sampled in West Roxbury. No human West Nile cases have been reported in the state this year. There were seven in 2010. Public Health officials say people should apply insect repellant and wear long sleeves and pants to avoid mosquito bites, and drain standing water where mosquitoes breed Sixty-seven people have been diagnosed with West Nile virus in Massachusetts since 2000, and six have died. -AP

Exposure to floodwaters can be a health risk

LINCOLN, Neb.: Officials are warning people who live or work near flooded areas to be careful because floodwaters can carry diseases. Many low-lying areas along the Missouri River are covered with floodwaters, and the flooding is expected to continue at least into August. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency's Earl Imler says it's important that people understand the risks floodwaters present. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says floodwaters can help transmit diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A and typhoid fever. -AP

Kidney dialysis companies in court fight JACKSON, Miss.: A Hinds county judge will decide which of two companies can operate a kidney dialysis treatment center in Montgomery County. The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in February 2010 that the Department of Health lacked authority to extend approval through a certificate of need to Renal Care for almost three years to allow construction. In 2004, when Renal Care received its CON, state law said it was valid for a year and could be extended for six more months. However, the Health Department extended it four times with construction beginning in 2007. -AP

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India Post

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July 22, 2011

Maine CDC chief: solving obesity will take time AUGUSTA, Maine: Maine's top health official says the state's high poverty and unemployment rates are directly tied to the state's high obesity rate. Details on page 38

AAPI to stage walkathons to promote healthy life style India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), a premiere organization of Indian American physicians, will be promoting a healthy life style among people by staging walkathons in different cities across the US. Dr Sunita Kanumury, who took over as President of AAPI end of June said as part of the organization's social responsibility and educating the public, AAPI has taken up the project of promoting wellness and healthy living across the US. AAPI will conduct walkathons in several cities and distribute flyers highlighting various aspects of healthy living. AAPI will focus on creating a healthy lifestyle concept among the public and in this direction, it will stage a Health March initiative to work on education and prevention, she added. Dr Kanumury addressing her first press conference in Bombay Palace restaurant in Manhattan

AAPI President Dr Sunita Kanumury and Dr Satish Anand, Chair of Board of Trustees of AAPI

AAPI would also engage younger physicians productively to take the organization to next level. AAPI is planning to enroll more young physicians into the fold last week said AAPI would also engage younger physicians productively to take the organization to next level. AAPI is planning to enroll more young physicians into

the fold and more AAPI chapters are to be formed to accommodate newer members under the AAPI connect slogan, she said. Dr Kanumury said AAPI has

chalked out top-notch leadership development programs for young physicians in the areas of practice management, membership drive and strategy. There is quite a bit of discrimination in some of the hospitals and unless IndianAmerican physicians unite, it would become difficult for fellow physicians to serve, she said. Over 25% of healthcare in the US is provided by International Medical Graduates (IMG) and almost all of them belong to Indian subcontinent, and 44% primary care physicians are from this region. On the question of lobbying with lawmakers to increase the residency slots to meet a physician shortage that is imminent with at least 16 million new patients coming under the healthcare net in the wake of the Affordable Care Act, Dr Kanumury said AAPI will work in tandem with other professional and ethnic organizations and the American Medical Association (AMA) on the issue. Cont’d on page 38

Geriatric care is pathetic in India: Dr Jain India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The geriatric population of India is expected to reach 180 million in 2031 and touch 301 million in 2051 and would become second largest elderly population in the world, according to Dr Mamta Jain, Chief Operating Officer of Sarvodaya Hospitals in Faridabad, Haryana. Painting a grim picture, Dr Jain who was in New York to attend the annual Convention of the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) recently said majority of India's elderly about 80 percent - live in rural areas, of which 40 percent live below the poverty line. About 90 percent of them have no social security such as Provident Fund, Pension scheme, Gratuity and healthcare, she said. Also, with changing family structures from joint to nuclear or small unit families, these elders are without a safe, secure and dignified status. Welfare of the

elderly has become a low priority of different state governments, she averred. "Unfortunately, governments do not care about geriatric care and the senior citizens are left to fend for themselves," she regretted.

Dr Jain, a crusader in her fight for equal rights for the elderly, said government should encourage geriatric units in hospitals and private clinics; emphasize on family care for the elderly

'Governments do not care about geriatric care and the senior citizens are left to fend for themselves' Most major hospitals in India have no separate geriatric care specialties and at present most of the elderly patients are treated in general medical wards. There is only one educational institution in Chennai that offers post graduate degree in geriatric medicine. And worse, nurses and para-medical staff is not adequately trained in geriatric care, she said.

Dr Mamta Jain

through incentives and schemes for needy families. Subsidizing old age homes and day care centers was another move to be contemplated, she said. NGOs have a greater role to play in creating awareness, im-

parting information, and training of support services, she added. Dr Jain, who heads two hospitals in Faridabad, Delhi, did her medicine at Yerevan State Medical University in Armenia and followed it up with an MBA in IIM-Calcutta and MBA in health care systems and a post graduate diploma in quality program in hospital and healthcare system. She also did a post graduate diploma in medico legal systems from Symbiosis Institute in Pune. Dr Jain feels that ensuring participation and sensitizing NGOs, corporate houses and charitable foundations could help resolve the problem. Also creation of specialty hospitals and care centers for elderly population in urban and rural areas would go a long way in addressing the issues, she said. "With elderly population on the rise, there is an urgent need to learn from the model of geriatric care in developed nations such as the US," she added.

July 22, 2011

Health Science Post

India Post

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Salt diet dangers may be influenced by potassium ATLANTA: The debate about the dangers of eating too much salt has gained a new wrinkle: A federal study suggests that the people most at risk are those who also get too little potassium. Potassium-rich foods, including fruits and vegetables, have long been recommended as a dietary defense against heart disease and other chronic illnesses. The new research is one of the first and largest U.S. studies to look at the relationship of salt, potassium and heart disease deaths. ``If you have too much sodium and too little potassium, it's worse than either one on its own,'' said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City's health commissioner, who has led efforts to get the public to eat less salt. He co-wrote a commentary published with the study in Archives of Internal Medicine. Potassium may neutralize the heart-damaging effects of salt, said Dr. Elena Kuklina, one of the study's authors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of

heart disease and stroke. Salt or sodium chloride is the main source of sodium for most people. The research found people who eat a lot of salt and very little potassium were more than twice as likely to die from a heart attack as those who ate about equal amounts of both nutrients. Such a dietary imbalance posed a greater risk than simply eating too much salt, according to the study. Exactly how potassium and salt interact is not understood, and no one believes that simply taking a potassium pill will protect someone against the dangers of a high-salt diet. Instead, the take-home message is what health officials have been saying for years: Eat a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables and other potassium-rich foods, and eat less salty, processed foods. Health officials say no one should eat more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, equal to about a teaspoon of salt. Certain people, such as those with high blood pressure, should eat even less. But it's not just a matter of putting down the salt shaker. More than three-quarters of the

sodium in the U.S. diet is in processed foods, and only one in 10 Americans meet the teaspoon guideline. Americans aren't much better at getting enough potassium. The recommended amount is 4,700 milligrams a day. The average woman gets only about half that; the average man gets slightly more.

Spinach, bananas, broccoli and prunes are among the foods known as good potassium sources Spinach, bananas, broccoli and prunes are among the foods known as good potassium sources. In the new study, researchers surveyed more than 12,000 U.S. adults ages 20 and older, asking them what they ate the previous day, and calculating their daily consumption of sodium and potassium. The participants were followed for 14 years, and 433 died from heart attacks. In addition to the increased

risk of high sodium and low potassium, the study also found ill effects from high sodium alone. People who consumed 5 grams a day had nearly twice the risk of dying from a heart attack as people who ate 2 grams a day during the follow-up period. Some experts found the results interesting, but also noted several limitations of the study. Results are based on what people said they ate on just one day of their life. That day may not have been typical and it may not be representative of their diet in the years since, noted Dr. Robert Eckel, a University of Colorado heart expert. Also, it's an observational study that shows an apparent link, not the kind of rigorous scientific study used to prove cause and effect, he added. Health officials have increasingly pushed the public to reduce their salt intake, but the CDC study comes in the midst of some scientific back and forth over how dangerous dietary salt is. In a review published last week of seven, smaller studies, other researchers found no strong evi-

dence that people with high or normal blood pressure reduce their risk of death by reducing sodium consumption. That review, by the Cochrane Collaboration, had limitations because of its size. Still, it prompted the Salt Institute an industry group to call government policy on reducing salt consumption ill-advised. ``In light of this, and other recent research, it is time for the government to cease its costly and wasteful efforts to reduce salt consumption until it can conclusively prove a tangible benefit for all consumers. This can only be done through a large-scale clinical trial on the impact of dietary salt reduction on health outcomes,'' said Lori Roman, the Salt Institute's president, said in a statement. Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition scientist, said the attention on salt has created a lot of backlash. The CDC study ``is a confirmation that dietary salt does matter, and all these public health efforts and the dietary guidelines are appropriate,'' she said. -AP

Health Science Post

India Post

July 22, 2011

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To fight obesity, even babies should exercise LONDON: In a new campaign against obesity, the British government has issued guidelines saying that children under the age of five including those who can't even walk yet should exercise every day. In its first such guidelines for children that young, the health department said children under five who can walk should be physically active for at least three hours a day. Officials also said parents should reduce the amount of time such kids spend being sedentary while watching television or being strapped in a stroller. The three hours of activity should be spread throughout the day. Officials said kids' daily dose of exercise is likely to be met simply through playing but could also include activities such as walking to school. For babies who can't walk yet, the government said physical activity should be encouraged from birth, including infants playing on their stomachs or having swimming sessions with their parents. ``It's vital that parents introduce children to fun and physically active pastimes to help prevent them becoming obese children, who are likely to become obese adults at risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers,'' Maura Gillespie, head of policy

and advocacy at the British Heart Foundation, said in a statement. Nearly a quarter of British adults are obese, and experts estimate that by 2050, about 90 percent of adults will be heavy. More than 60 percent of adults don't meet the government's physical activity guidelines of about 150 minutes of activity each week.

'It's vital that parents introduce children to fun and physically active pastimes to help prevent them becoming obese' For children aged five to 18, Britain recommends at least one hour of exercise, but that should include intensive activities to strengthen muscles and bones. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises children and teenagers to get about one hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the Institute of Medicine, an independent organization in Washington, D.C., toddlers should get at least 15 minutes of exercise for every hour they spend in child care. -AP

AAPI to stage walkathons to promote healthy life style Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 36

"The focus of healthcare reform is to strengthen primary care, preventive care, and completely change the way we have thought about delivering healthcare," she said. "I had attended the annual meeting of Pakistani physicians and also engage the AfricanAmerican physicians group and Hispanic organizations to provide collective voice and address the common objectives. AAPI will be in the driver's seat this year," she said. Women's health will be accorded top priority under her leadership, Kanumury said. "We will reach out to temples, local chapters and community organizations in the next three months as part of the community outreach program. AAPI has recently formed, for the first time in its 29 year-old history, a Women's Health Advisory Board. This year, we are launching Health Smart, an initiative that will help women make informed decisions, lifestyle

changes and maximize good health throughout their lives." AAPI has also created a task force to look into medical education in India and present a paper end of the year on its functioning to the Medical Council of India. Addressing the media, Dr Satish Anand, Chair of Board of Trustees of AAPI, said the Board would coordinate and cooperate with the President and the executive committee in their vision. "We want to take AAPI to the next generation of Indian-American physicians born and raised in the US and bring them on board in our activities such as CME, Legislative lobbying and issues that affect patients and physicians," he said. Answering questions on the spate of arrests of Indian-American physicians on charges of committing fraud, Dr Anand said physicians work in individual capacities though part of an organization. Not all of these physicians are AAPI members and AAPI would address this issue, he said.

Chesapeake Bay 'pollution diet' on track RICHMOND, Va.: An ambitious plan to restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2025 is off to a positive start, with the first round of pollution control reductions on target, the Environmental Protection Agency announced. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the reductions, primarily from sewage plant improvements, are a significant milestone in the effort ``to protect and restore the Chesapeake.'' ``Ultimately we've come together on the federal, state and local levels as never before,'' Jackson told governors and District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray. The news was delivered at the annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council, which establishes the policy agenda for the Chesapeake Bay Program. Jeff Corbin, the EPA's senior adviser on the bay's restoration, delivered the interim report on cleanup targets established in 2009 for the six states in the bay watershed and the District of Columbia. The states are Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York. The numbers reflect progress in achieving pollution-reduction goals at the two-thirds mark of the first two-year milestone. Some states made more progress than others but collectively they are moving forward in cleaning up the 64,000-square-mile watershed, Corbin said. The EPA is directing the restoration of the nation's largest estuary after years of inaction by the states. The bay has been in steady decline because of pollution and runoff from farmland and the hard urban surfaces created by the 17 million people who live within its watershed. The pollution has created dead zones devoid of life and virtually wiped out the native oyster. The bay's blue crab population has rebounded over the past few years, primarily because of measures to limit its catch. While every speaker applauded the goals of the restoration, Virginia Gov. Bob

Gulls rest on the jetty at Buckroe Beach as a sailboat navigates the Chesapeake Bay offshore in this 2008 picture

McDonnell raised the question of the ultimate price tag. Virginia has estimated the cost of its measures at $7 billion to $8 billion through 2025. ``What we all discussed candidly is how it this going to be paid for,'' McDonnell said after a closed luncheon with Jackson and other members of the council. ``We don't want to set goals and then set ourselves up for failure.''

'Cleaning up the bay is expensive,' he said. 'Letting her die is even more expensive, and we're not going to allow that to happen' McDonnell said he is seeking a better understanding of how much costs state and local governments will have to shoulder for the bay's cleanup. ``Otherwise the multi-multi-billion price tag of this very honorable goal will be such that we won't have a plan or we just fall short,'' he said. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley praised his state for

nearly reaching its 2011 milestones and urged officials to stick with the pollution-reduction goals. ``Cleaning up the bay is expensive,'' he said. ``Letting her die is even more expensive, and we're not going to allow that to happen.'' O'Malley said Maryland is 98 percent of the way to reaching the 2011 milestones for nitrogen and phosphorus reductions. The two pollutants come from sources such as a fertilizer, animal waste and auto and power plant emissions. Jackson, who did not address the funding questions raised by McDonnell, said earlier she understood the difficult budget realities faced by the states. A key message of the council meeting stressed the importance of individual actions of individuals in making a difference in the bay's health. They include water conservation, reductions in lawncare products and the purchase of rain barrels to collect water for lawns and gardens. ``Actions by government at the federal, state and local level will not be sufficient it will take each and every one of us doing our part,'' Jackson said. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett also attended the Richmond meeting. -AP

But Maine's obesity rate of 26.5 percent was the highest in New England. And Maine was one of only 16 states that grew fatter last year. Dr Sheila Pinette, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says the state is targeting residents with several

programs aimed at getting them to eat healthier food. But she says the ``discouraging'' obesity epidemic took years to create and she says it'll take years to resolve. She says ``it's a cultural change and it's going to take time.'' -AP

Health Science Post

July 22, 2011

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Grant to fund NH trauma training Abortion-rights activist CONCORD, N.H.: Twenty-five New Hampshire mental health providers gathered in Littleton and Concord here for the start of a crash course on how to treat those reeling from the murder of a loved one. They learned from victim advocates the intimate and wrenching details of the start of a murder investigation, which often coincides with the notification of the next-of-kin. That shock is followed by additional pangs as the deceased's body remains at the crime scene for hours while evidence is gathered and the scene may be sealed off for days. Getting vital documents from that scene and even clothing for a funeral become tasks that must be assigned to strangers in the criminal justice system if the victim is killed at home. The project, funded by a $500,000 federal grant and developed by the state Office of Victim and Witness Assistance, is partly designed to recruit and train mental health care providers in the North Country. Victim advocates say there is a dearth of clinicians in the rural north who are versed in the challenges homicide survivors face from crime scene cleanup to mandatory autopsies,

to investigators' questions just minutes after learning a family member has been killed. These ``co-victims,'' as victim advocates call them, also typically endure a protracted legal process in which details of the crime are made public after an indictment and it is months or, occasionally, years before the alleged killer stands trial.

Getting vital documents from that scene and even clothing for a funeral become tasks that must be assigned to strangers ``They are going to be sitting in on the trial every single day,'' said chief victim advocate Sandi Matheson. ``They will be faced with the media. They will be facing the defendant and his or her family. They will be hearing testimony that's very graphic and disturbing. If you're their mental health therapist and you don't understand all the things this fam-

ily is going through, how can you help them to process it?'' Stephanie Gould, a licensed mental health counselor and clinical director at Northern Human Services in Conway, said she would have serious qualms about taking on a homicide case referral without the kind of training she began receiving. She and her colleagues will attend three additional daylong sessions and then three days of specialized training, followed by refresher courses. Gould said the advocates and other experts who addressed the group had an attentive audience. ``With seven homicides to date this month, people recognize there's a need and they have a skill base that could be very useful to an individual striving to recover and cope and make some meaning of a horrific event in their lives,'' Gould said. The session, which took place in Littleton and was relayed by video feed to another group of providers in Concord, was closed to the press and public. Matheson said providers were encouraged to talk openly about their concerns about taking on cases and subjecting themselves to possible ``vicarious trauma'' from the emotional intensity. -AP

More AIDS patients may get cheaper drugs LONDON: Gilead Sciences Inc. will allow some of its AIDS drugs to be made by generic manufacturers, potentially increasing their availability in poor countries, particularly in Africa, officials said here. In the first deal of its kind, the pharmaceutical company has agreed to allow four of its AIDS drugs to be made by generic drug companies at a cheaper cost in return for a small proportion of royalties, United Nations health officials said. Most of the 33 million people worldwide who have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, live in Africa. One of the drugs will also be used to treat people with hepatitis. The deal was negotiated by the Medicines Patent Pool, part of a U.N.-led partnership that raises money for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by things like taxing airplane tickets. Among the partnership's 29 member countries, only Chile, France, Korea, Mali and Niger are actually implementing the airline tax. ``We will continue to work with Gilead and others to expand access to all people living with HIV in developing countries,'' said Ellen 't Hoen, executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool. Gilead will receive from three to five percent royalties on its four drugs, which will be supplied to about 100 countries. Until now, its drugs have been mainly sold in rich countries, and profits from the

new deal are expected to be a tiny fraction of those Gilead gets from the West. Typically, patients in poor countries have to wait for years until the patents expire on new drugs before they can be made more cheaply by generic companies. But some experts questioned whether the deal went far enough and pointed out it specifically excludes manufacturers in Thailand and Brazil, which both produce large amounts of generic drugs.

Typically, patients in poor countries have to wait for years until the patents expire on new drugs before they can be made more cheaply by generic companies ``This agreement is an improvement over what other big pharma companies are doing to ensure access to their patented AIDS medicines in developing countries,'' said Michelle Childs, a director at Doctors Without Border's campaign for access to essential medicines. Still, she warned caution was necessary and that the new deal ``should not become the template for future agreements.'' -AP

plans Wichita clinic WICHITA, Kan.: A woman who once ran the political action committee for high-profile abortion provider George Tiller is raising funds to open a clinic in Wichita, where he was murdered more than two years ago. Julie Burkhart, now executive director of the St. Louis-based lobbying group Trust Women, said she hopes to open a clinic that offers first-trimester abortions and other women's health services in Wichita in about a year. The group is trying to recruit a qualified doctor. ``Wichita is a spot that has been targeted by the anti-choice movement relentlessly for the past 20 years and we have to be able to stand our ground and say enough is enough,'' Burkhart said. Although much-touted plans by others to open abortion clinics in Wichita after Tiller's death have yet to come to fruition, Burkhart's efforts are being taken more seriously by some longtime abortion opponents who call her ``Tiller's right arm and his fundraiser.'' They saw Burkhart turn Tiller's political organization in 2002 into the

state's top- spending PAC. ``We take it a little more seriously when Julie Burkhart says she is going to do it,'' said Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life. Since Tiller's death and the trial of the anti-abortion activist convicted of killing him, Kansas has more recently drawn national attention for a new law requiring abortion providers to obtain a special annual license and accompanying health department regulations. Those are part of a wave of restrictions enacted across the country as abortion opponents capitalized on the election of Republican governors or GOP legislative majorities. Tiller, one of the few doctors in the nation to provide late-term abortions, had been a target of both peaceful and violent protests long before his murder. He was shot and wounded in both arms in 1993 by an abortion opponent and his clinic was bombed in 1996. He was shot to death in May 2009 by another anti-abortion activist while he was serving as an usher in church. -AP

Realty Tidbits

IAN invests $ 1 million in GrOffr.com

MUMBAI: Early stage venture capital fund, Indian Angel Network (IAN), has invested around USD 1 million in a Mumbai-based real estate portal GrOffr.com for a minority stake. The real estate group-buying portal, co-founded by Sandeep Reddy and Vikhyat Srivastava, helps customers get attractive deals on their planned purchases of real estate, cars and other high value assets. "The IAN funding would be used to grow GrOffr's presence from Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Nagpur to Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Indore. We will also use the funds for marketing and brand building," Reddy said. The company has also introduced GrOffr Associate Program (GAP) that allows customers to negotiate deals with the real estate developers by leveraging their relationships or the deal size and join GrOffr.com platform and look for a group of buyers. The GAP members can earn a part of profit on deal closures. "We believe GAP will increase the number of deals coming to GrOffr thus offering wider choice for individual customers as we focus on forming groups," Srivastava said. GrOffr closed Rs 147 crore worth deals and saved over Rs 29 crore of customers' money till June this year since its inception in July 2010 by offering lucrative deals, he said. -PTI

Assocham calls for regulator in realty sector NEW DELHI: The government should set up a strong regulator to protect consumers from dubious operators and bring transparency in the real estate sector, industry body Assocham has said. The regulator could set up a public portal for project monitoring and protect consumer interests against dubious operators, it said, as the government prepares to introduce The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill in the upcoming monsoon session. It would help buyers make an informed choice and facilitate comparison based on objective criteria, it said. "Even as the real estate sector contributes about 9 per cent of GDP, the rapid growth is largely unregulated leading to rampant public complaints about fly-bynight operators who take advantage of the vulnerability of consumers," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said. -PTI

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India Post

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July 22, 2011

ASK to raise Rs 480 crore from HNIs

fter successfully raising Rs 520 crore in June 2011, ASK Property Investment Advisors (ASK PIA), now plans to raise Rs 480 crore from high networth individuals ( HNI )) to invest in residential properties. ASK PIA, a venture of the ASK Group was set up to manage and advise real estate dedicated funds. "We now plan to raise Rs 480 crore in next six-months period from HNI's to invest in residential properties in Tier-I cities Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore ," ASK Investment Advisors, Executive Director, Sunil Rohokale told reporters here.

Mumbai ranked as the Most Favored Development Market M

umbai is ranked third as the most promising investment market, and the first as the most favored development market, in the recent Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific 2011, a real estate forecast jointly published by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Pricewaterhouse-Coopers (PwC). "Projections for Mumbai in 2011 look good, as the city's investment ranking rises five spots to third," the report states, adding that this city is "clearly the best performing and most active real estate market". Development in Mumbai continues to be an area of interest, with the city ranking first in the 2011 results, up from second in 2010. Oversupply continues to be a serious risk for the area, but respondents "don't think many people are worried about real estate turning into a bubble again". "In terms of investment, buy-

ing opportunities 'ring out' in the retail, apartment and industrial sectors," the report adds. The report also notes that India's GDP continues to grow and shows "no real signs of declining anytime soon". Over the past 30 years, it says, the country has managed to sustain a GDP growth rate average of 10%.

Projections for 2011 are 8.5%, and forecasts are for growth of between 9% and 10% by 2015. This is a significant move from the mid-6 % range found in the early 2000s. To support this economic expansion, there has been a large amount of growth in the working population of India. Also,

Realty firms affected by SC order NEW DELHI: Realty firm Amrapali, which has been worst affected by the Supreme Court judgment regarding land acquisition in Greater Noida, has said it is refunding the entire amount to home buyers who have opted out from its township in the area. However, another badly affected developer Supertech has sought legal opinion on returning the service tax that was collected from consumers. Amrapali will have to return 40 acres of land to farmers following the apex court upholding the Allahabad High Court's order quashing the acquisition of 156 hectares (nearly 400 acres) of land in Greater Noida. About 4,000 buyers in Amrapali's 'Smart City' township have been affected because of the court order. "About 3,500 buyers have been relocated to our other projects. For those who have decided to take refunds, the company is returning the entire amount, including the service tax," Amrapali Chairman and MD Anil Sharma told PTI.

Sharma said the company will at present refund the service tax from its own account and later recollect it from new buyers in case the authorities renegotiate with farmers and allow builders to develop projects on the same land.

Amrapali will have to return 40 acres of land to farmers following the apex court upholding the Allahabad High Court's order quashing the acquisition of 156 hectares (nearly 400 acres) of land in Greater Noida "...in case that does not happen, we will approach the government for reimbursement of the service tax," he added. When asked whether buyers of other projects in nearby areas are also seeking refunds, Sharma said:

"The company has not received any such requests. The buyers are concerned and enquiring about the status of their investments, which is very natural". Supertech, whose 10 acres of land and about 500 buyers have been affected, said majority of them want to be relocated to other projects. "Those who are seeking refunds, we are returning entire amount with interest," Supertech Chairman R K Arora said. On service tax, he said the company is seeking legal opinion whether refund is possible from the government. Meanwhile, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) said it is yet to receive the formal order of the Supreme Court to take the necessary action. "We are still waiting for the detailed order. We will return the land to farmers after going through the detailed order," GNIDA Chief Executive Officer Rama Raman said. GNIDA will seek refund from the farmers, who had received compensation package, before returning the land, he added.-PTI

the government continues to make progress in introducing reforms that have helped the country introduce new private equity to capital markets, create a new platform of employment, and inject capital into infrastructure programs. Exports of both goods and services from this region continue to increase, marking more business interest abroad. Speaking of the region as a whole, the ULI/ PwC report also states that the "cloud has been lifted" from Asia Pacific real estate markets , with the fiscal outlook for most of the Asian countries more promising than that for Europe or the United States. "Many, if not most, Asian economies have rebounded to precrisis levels, and real estate markets, although mostly slower, are headed towards some semblance of normalcy," said ULI Asia Pacific chairman C Y Leung.

Reputation management key for developers

t a time when Indian real estate is perceived as low on transparency, 'reputation management' may be the next big thing on the radar of property developers. That is, if they were to trust the advice of global real estate consultant, Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). In an interaction with Business Standard, UK-based JLL chief marketing officer Charles Doyle said 'safeguard reputation management' using the social media and networking tools would help Indian developers project their brands and businesses in a transparent manner. An example could be consumers venting their anger on social networking sites like Facebook or YouTube over property project delays. If developers track those posts, and follow up with their own tweets or blogs explaining the reasons behind the delay, they could perhaps save their brand from getting a bad name, according to JLL. Cont’d on page 41

Real Estate

July 22, 2011

India Post 41

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DLF plan to counter input cost & inflation R

ealty major DLF Ltd's strategy to go for plotted development - a move aimed at weathering the blow from the rising input cost and inflation - seems to have clicked. To further strengthen its cash flow, the company is also

feet of plots, which is almost 50 per cent of the targeted plot launches in the current fiscal. The plots launched in Gurgaon are likely to rake in around Rs 1,125 crore while those in Indore are likely to contribute another Rs 250

looking at asset monetization worth around Rs 3,000 crore, though it has not specified a timeline for it. In the first quarter of the current financial year, the company has launched 4.5 million square

crore to the company, reports DNA. "Plotting development is doing well. We have got a good response in Gurgaon and Indore. Plots come as a ready stock that can be easily sold. And since execution cycle is

lesser, cash flow is better. The entire amount comes within eighteen months," said Rajeev Talwar, executive director, DLF group. Talwar, however, denied sharing details of the approvals received from the government for the balance plotted development plans for the year. This fiscal the company plans to launch a total of 14 million square feet. On the asset monetization front, the company is looking at sales of Rs 3,000 crore of assets. It is likely to put Aman resorts on the block and fetch Rs 2,000 crore from it. Talwar said that the company is indeed planning but no timeline can be given for the development. The other assets that DLF is planning to sell off are Pune IT SEZ spread across 5.1 million square feet - and Noida IT Park. In the current fiscal, the company is also looking at launches in Panchkula and Lucknow spread over three million square feet.

India Property buys 49% stake in Gurgaon project

rivate equity firm India Property Fund has picked up a 49% stake in Ramprastha Group's housing project Skyz in Gurgaon for Rs 120 crore. The project, being developed on 13 acres in Sector 37D on the Dwarka Expressway in Gurgaon, is part of the company's integrated township Ramprastha City. The company's chief executive officer Nikhil Jain confirmed the deal. About half of the Skyz project, which will have close to 700 luxury apartments, has been already sold by Ramprastha. The money raised from India Property Fund, which is managed by nonresident investor Purnendu Chatterjee's TCG Real Estate and US-based Vornado Realty Trust, will primarily be used for development of Skyz. "Some part of it will also go for other group housing projects

in Ramprastha City," said Jain. DTZ was the transaction advisor for the deal. The 450-acre integrated township will include group housing , plots, commercial, institutional space, retail, hospitals and

an SEZ as well and the company is targeting revenues of over . 8,000 crore from it over the next 67 years.

SC declines Sahara plea for notice to Govt Occupied buildings new favorites Court has de- istry of Corporate Affairs) has juris- to explain it. We wanted to know for PE investors TheclinedSupreme the Sahara Group's plea diction over us. If there is any listed that from where you got this (conto issue a notice to the government in connection to a dispute with market regulator Sebi, which had directed the firm to return funds raised from investors under an OFCD scheme along with 15 per cent interest. "We do not want Union of India (government) to come at this stage. Let them (Sebi) come and clarify. We have our own query on it," said the bench headed by the chief justice S H Kapadia. During the proceedings, senior advocate Fali S Nariman, appearing for the Sahara group, said that Sahara was not a listed company and only the government has jurisdiction over it and not market regulator Sebi. "We (Sahara) are not a listed company and the government (Min-

company, then Sebi has jurisdiction," he said, asking the bench to issue a notice to the government

‘Sahara was not a listed company and only the government has jurisdiction over it and not market regulator Sebi’ seeking a clarification of its stance. Narimnan said that despite the matter pending in the court, Sebi issued fresh cause notice to the group and passed the order. On it, the bench said," We have asked the Sebi

cept of) OFCD." The Supreme Court further said that it had asked Sebi as "We wanted investors to be protected." The bench later adjourned the matter for a week on the request made by Sebi's counsel P Venugopal. Sebi submitted that Sahara group has filed some documents before it and the regulator wanted to go through it. In November, Sebi had indicated that two Sahara Group firms - Sahara India Real Estate Corporation and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation - were raising funds from the public through an optionally fully convertible debentures (OFCD) scheme without conforming to prudent disclosure and other investor protection norms.

Reputation management key for developers Cont’d from page 40

At this point, however, the response from the developers' community is not too encouraging. A recent survey had shown that Indian real estate was perceived as the most corrupt of sectors, citing lack of transparency. Although JLL did not name any specific company, Doyle said foreign developers were not keen to enter India in the residential segment due to lack of transparency in the sector.

On the same issue, National Housing Bank chairman and managing director RV Verma said, "The real estate sector definitely has to have greater transparency. It has to generate confidence among international investors." According to Doyle, use of a tool like 'safeguard reputation management' was a global phenomenon. "Nothing is local any longer," he added. JLL executives advocate use of innovative technology tools to promote and market property,

rather than through 'traditional' and 'clinical' means like billboards, newspaper advertisements, or intrusive Sasses to end-consumers. Use of podcast, tweets, Facebook, YouTube, tech-savvy mapping systems on the i-pad and i-phone, Bluetooth and barcoding are among the many ways that property developers can market their products, they said. Indian developers must look at using these innovative tools to tap non-resident Indian investors as well, Doyle said.

ccupied commercial buildings are the new favorites for private equity investors in the real estate sector. In a property market where developers are trying to manage cash flows to reduce debt and fund development projects, dedicated rental yield funds like IL&FS Milestone Fund and JM Financial Real Estate Income Fund have bought into such assets, while a few new funds are being raised to focus on this segment. While the residential real estate market has seen sales slowing down, the commercial office market has been healthy, with many Indian corporates in the IT/ITes, BFSI, pharmaceutical sectors looking to expand. According to consultant Cushman & Wakefield, in the last

one year, Gurgaon has seen rentals go up by 5-10 %, Bangalore by 10-15%, Chennai by 4-9%, Kolkata by 10-19% and Mumbai by 1013%. "We are looking at investing in AAA-rated properties with AAA-rated tenants, who will carry minimum risk," says Ramesh Jogani, managing director of Indiareit Fund Advisors, which will launch a Rs 800-crore rental yield fund in August this year. The fund plans to deploy the capital in ayear-and-a-half to cash in on this opportunity that has opened up. "We believe commercial values are at an all-time low today." In a recent deal, IL&FS Milestone Fund invested about $20 million in a leased commercial building, Patel Corporate Park, in Mumbai's Jogeshwari area.

In Brief Group's bid to be impleaded in case denied PHOENIX: A federal judge rejected a request by a volunteer border-watch group to become a party in the federal government's challenge to Arizona's immigration enforcement law. The denial marks the second time that U.S. Judge Susan Bolton has denied such a request from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The group had argued that it should be made part of the case because it's important for the court to hear from groups that have an interest in the enforcement of immigration laws. Bolton says in an order that the group didn't convince her that her previous ruling was in error or that the judge abused her discretion. -AP

Recall election for Ariz. immigration law sponsor PHOENIX: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has announced a Nov. 8 recall election for the leader of the state Senate who was the chief sponsor of the state's controversial legislation against illegal immigration. Brewer's action was expected because elections officials certified recently that opponents of Senate President Russell Pearce had collected enough signatures to force the recall election. Pearce is best known for sponsoring immigration measures, including the 2010 enforcement law known as SB1070. A judge has placed key provisions of that measure on hold while they're challenged in federal court. But the people calling for the Republican's ouster have focused their criticism on other issues, such as cuts to education and social services. -AP

US deports Guatemala massacre suspect LOS ANGELES: U.S. authorities have deported a former member of an elite Guatemalan military force suspected of helping carry out a massacre in 1982 that left more than 150 people dead in the Central American nation. Pedro Pimentel Rios, 54, was flown on a government-chartered plane to Guatemala and turned over to authorities, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 43

Immigration 42

India Post

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July 22, 2011

Senate holds hearing on DREAM Act Details on page 45

Groups sue to block Alabama illegal immigration law MONTGOMERY, Ala.: Civil rights groups have sued in federal court to block Alabama's new law cracking down on illegal immigration, which supporters and opponents have called the strictest measure of its kind in the nation. The lawsuit, filed in Huntsville, claims the new law will make criminals out of church workers who provide shelter to immigrants and even citizens who give their neighbors a ride to the store or to the doctor's office. ``This law interferes with the free exercise of religion. It criminalizes acts of love and hospitality,'' said Scott Douglas, executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries. The lawsuit said the measure goes well beyond similar laws passed in Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia. Federal judges already have blocked all or parts of the laws in those states. It asks a judge to declare Alabama's law unconstitutional and prevent it from being enforced. Alabama's law, which takes effect Sept. 1, allows police to arrest any-

one suspected of being an illegal immigrant if the person is stopped for some other reason. It also requires businesses to check the legal status of new workers; makes it a crime to knowingly give a ride to an illegal immigrant; and makes it a crime for landlords to knowingly rent to illegal immigrants. The lawsuit said parents may

the individuals who joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs. He and his wife, who live in the community of Alabaster south of Birmingham, are in the process of adopting two boys who are already in the country illegally. Webster, who described himself as politically conservative, said he feared the boys could face deportation under the

Alabama's law, which takes effect Sept. 1, allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if the person is stopped for some other reason. It also requires businesses to check the legal status of new workers not enroll their children in elementary and high schools because of the law's provision requiring schools to check the immigration status of students. Lawmakers have said that the intent of that requirement is to gauge how much the state is spending to educate illegal immigrants, and that the law does not prohibit illegal immigrants from attending public schools. Matthew Webster was among

new law before the adoption process is done and the boys are in the U.S. legally. He said the boys ``have the fear of being picked up'' even walking to school. ``This criminalizes me and my wife for harboring and transporting these kids,'' he said. The new law also could lead to racial profiling and conjures memories of Alabama's troubled segre-

gationist past by making life more difficult for a targeted class of people, according to the lawsuit. ``Individuals who may be perceived as `foreign' by state or local law enforcement agents will be in constant jeopardy of harassment and unlawfully prolonged detention by state law enforcement officers,'' the lawsuit said. A sponsor of the bill, House Majority Leader Micky Hammon, a Republican from Decatur, said he is confident the courts will find that the law passes constitutional muster. In a statement, Hammon called the organizations that filed the lawsuit, including the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, ``liberal groups working to shield those who live here illegally.'' ``It is important to note that our law seeks to protect immigrants who reside here legally while affecting only those who break our laws with their simple presence. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 43

Teaneck Township passes anti-bias resolution India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, the Muslim American mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, and the Teaneck Township Council on July 12, unanimously passed an anti-bias resolution presented by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. The resolution reaffirms the township's commitment to state bias intimidation laws and requires the municipality to: train law enforcement agencies in identifying and investigating bias crimes; gather and make accessible data on bias crimes; inform residents about their rights around bias incidents; and, improve engagement with communities impacted by such crimes. "For the Township of Teaneck this was an easy resolution to pass," said Mayor Hameeduddin.

"It is consistent with the core values of our town. Many of the requirements of the resolution are already being conducted by our fine Police Department. We are happy to serve as a role model for other communities." He added, "We appreciate SAALT taking a lead in working with lo-

as part of SAALT's national campaign, An America for All of Us, to mark the 10-year anniversary of September 11. Through community mobilization and policy advocacy efforts, the campaign seeks to reaffirm a commitment to the fundamental American values of justice, diversity and equality

The resolution was designed as part of SAALT's national campaign, An America for All of Us, to mark the 10-year anniversary of September 11 cal municipalities to address these important issues." Chief of Police of the Township of Teaneck, Robert A. Wilson, said, "It is a positive public statement and clearly indicates the Township of Teaneck Police Department's lack of tolerance for bias offenses." The resolution was designed

for all, and ensure that racism, xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric have no place in American society. In this context, the resolution is all the more poignant. During the past decade, numerous South Asians, along with Arab Americans and Sikh populations, have been targeted by bias and hate

crimes. This resolution will not only ensure the safety and security of community members across the township, but it also helps enhance relationships with law enforcement agencies, and improve reporting measures. "As we mark a decade since 9/ 11, resolutions like these are important to reflect fundamental American values," said Deepa Iyer, Executive Director, SAALT. "We look forward to working on the implementation of this resolution. We have presented it in other municipalities also, and hope that they follow the example of Teaneck, New Jersey." To continue its efforts in raising the voices and perspectives of community members in New Jersey, SAALT will also hold a community hearing on "South Asians in New Jersey: Ten Years After 9/11" on July 30. Community members and media are encouraged to attend.

Immigration Post

July 22, 2011

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Calif Bar weighs illegal immigrant's application LOS ANGELES: A California State Bar panel is considering whether an illegal immigrant who passed the exam to practice law should be admitted despite his status. The case of Mexican-born Sergio Garcia could be the first reviewed by the panel since California began asking applicants about their immigration status in 2008, the Daily Journal reported. Garcia attended college in Chico and passed the Bar exam in July 2009. Since then, he has been waiting to see if he can be admitted even though he is an illegal immigrant. He now works as a paralegal. Garcia was brought to the United States by his parents when he was 17 months old, said Erica Tomlinson, his immigration attorney. He has been sponsored for legal status by a relative, but the

process could take another five to 15 years. ``It's not a fun way to live,'' Garcia told the legal newspaper. The panel will review Garcia's

Non-citizens can be admitted to the Bar, and in the past some illegal immigrants were approved without disclosing their status case to decide whether to certify him. If certified, the state Supreme Court would subsequently decide whether to accept him. Several attorneys who focus on ethics said they were unaware of such cases in the past, but Garcia's

may not be the only one pending. Non-citizens can be admitted to the Bar, and in the past some illegal immigrants were approved without disclosing their status, the Journal reported. In 2008, California began asking applicants who are not U.S. citizens about their immigration status on their moral character determination application, said Diane Curtis, a spokeswoman for the State Bar of California. Curtis declined to comment on Garcia's case, or any others, because applications are confidential. Jerome Fishkin, Garcia's lawyer, declined to comment on the case. Erica Moeser, president of the Wisconsin-based National Conference of Bar Examiners, said she did not believe immigration status was addressed on most state bar associations' applications. -AP

Groups sue to block Alabama illegal immigration law Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 42

We cannot turn a blind eye toward those who thumb their noses at our borders and our laws,'' Hammon said. Hammon and other supporters say the immigration law will ease unemployment in Alabama by opening up jobs currently held by illegal immigrants. More than 200,000 people in Alabama were unemployed in May, according to the most recent statistics available. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates there are about 120,000 illegal immigrants in the state, many of whom are believed to be working at farms, chicken processing

plants and in construction. But the legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mary Bauer, said the new law could discourage overseas businesses from bringing new jobs to Alabama. `Ìt sends a message that people who look foreign are not welcome in our state,'' Bauer said. `Ìf we are really talking about creating jobs, this is the worst form of political posturing by politicians.'' Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, a Republican, defended Alabama's law, saying `Ì'm not sure what part of the word ìllegal' some people don't understand.''

``It isn't fair to the generations of immigrants who have come to this country legally for us to look the other way while others break the law and cheat the system,'' he said. The lawsuit was filed by various organizations across northern Alabama that represent immigrant groups as well as individual immigrants who are listed under the pseudonyms John Doe and Jane Doe. The lawsuit names as defendants various state and local officials, including Republican Gov. Robert Bentley, Attorney General Luther Strange and state schools Superintendent Joe Morton. -AP

US deports Guatemala massacre suspect Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 42

The former instructor at the Guatemalan training school for a force known as the ``kaibiles'' was ordered deported from the United States in May when an immigration judge rejected his bid for asylum. Pimentel is wanted in Guatemala in connection with the massacre at the village of Dos Erres. He is one of more than a dozen former kaibiles sought by Guatemalan authorities for the killings. U.S. authorities have helped track down four of them. Three were found in the United States, and another located in Canada is

facing extradition requests to the United States and Spain. ``It doesn't matter how long ago the crime was committed,'' said John Woods, deputy assistant director of ICE Homeland Security's Investigations Division. ``If you're going to come to the United States, we're not going to permit safe haven here.'' Since 2004, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 200 suspected human rights violators from Bosnia, Rwanda and other countries who have sought refuge in the United States. Some have faced criminal

charges for allegedly lying on their immigration paperwork while others, such as Pimentel, have been called to immigration court for deportation proceedings. Pimentel lived in Santa Ana, Calif., and worked in a sweater factory for years until he was detained by immigration authorities in May 2010. He fled Guatemala two decades ago after leaving the army, fearing he would no longer be protected against the leftist guerrillas he fought during the country's civil war, according to Michael Selph, Pimentel's immigration attorney. -AP

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Immigration Post

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July 22, 2011

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Immigrant tuition plan seems headed for 2012 vote ANNAPOLIS, Md.: Opponents of a recently approved measure that would allow certain illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Maryland colleges have collected enough signatures to put the matter before state voters in November 2012, officials said. The Maryland State Board of Elections board reported that 63,118 signatures had been validated. A total of 55,736 signatures are needed to put the measure on the ballot for voters to decide in November 2012. About 40,000 signatures remain to be verified. ``It's going on the ballot, and the local boards will continue the verification process of the remaining signatures,'' said Mary Wagner, the state board's director of voter registration. ``The local boards will continue the verification process and then we will certify on July 22.'' The bill was signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley in May. It was

scheduled to take effect July 1, but it has been delayed from taking effect because of the petition drive. Republican Delegate Neil Parrott, who led the petition drive, said he was thrilled by the outcome. It will be Maryland's first referendum from a successful petition drive since 1992, when voters approved a bill guaranteeing abortion rights in Maryland. ``This is a great victory for the voters of Maryland and in particular those volunteers across the state that have worked diligently over the past months to allow voters of Maryland to vote on this in November of 2012,'' said Parrott, of Washington County. The success rate of the signature count has been more than 80 percent, Parrott said. At that rate he expected the total number of validated signatures to be more than 95,000. Supporters of the measure said they were confident Maryland

voters will vote in favor of it. ``We believe that investing in our children is critical for a successful Maryland, and we trust

Republican Delegate Neil Parrott, who led the petition drive, said he was thrilled by the outcome. It will be Maryland's first referendum from a successful petition drive since 1992, when voters approved a bill guaranteeing abortion rights in Maryland that once Marylanders do the math, they will understand the fiscal and moral import to ensure the MD Dream law prevails,'' the Maryland Industrial Areas Foundation, a coalition of Maryland

Opponents of GA immigration law rally at Capitol ATLANTA: Several hundred people, mostly labor union members, rallied at the Georgia Capitol against the state's new law targeting illegal immigrants. It was the latest in a string of actions by opponents to protest the law. The Rev. Al Sharpton told the crowd the law violates civil and human rights and will lead to racial profiling of U.S. citizens and others who are in the country legally. ``We're going to stop it here before it goes any further to other communities,'' the New York-based minister and civil rights activist said. ``We cannot have a nation where, based on your language or your race, determines your rights. Your rights must be determined by the fact that we're all equal.'' The law's author, state Rep. Matt Ramsey, has dismissed concerns about racial profiling, saying the law includes language to protect against it. The Peachtree City Republican and other supporters say the law is needed to keep illegal immigrants from putting a strain on the state's resources, such as hospitals and schools. The crowd at the Capitol was a sea of green T-shirts worn by members of the American Federation of State, County and Mu-

nicipal Employees. The union is holding a young workers conference in Atlanta and sent busloads of people to the rally. ``We're still a country that believes all people should benefit from human rights,'' said union secretary-treasurer Lee Saunders. ``I think we've got to make our voices heard on the assault on workers, the assault on immigrants across this country.''

One blocked section authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects who don't have proper identification and to detain illegal immigrants Ben Speight, a local Teamsters organizer, echoed those sentiments and said labor groups must get involved. ``Let's get in the way of hate. Let's build a social movement,'' he said, to loud cheers. ``Labor cannot be isolated. We've got to reach out to the community and stand up against hate.'' A federal judge has temporarily

blocked two parts of the Georgia law until a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality is resolved. State officials plan to appeal the judge's ruling. One blocked section authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects who don't have proper identification and to detain illegal immigrants. The other creates a state penalty for people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime. Other parts of the law took effect July 1, including a provision that makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job and another that creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to illegal immigration. Starting Jan. 1, businesses with 500 or more employees must use a federal database to check the immigration status of new hires. That requirement will be phased in, applying to all businesses with more than 10 employees by July 2013. Also starting Jan. 1, applicants for public benefits must provide at least one state or federally issued ``secure and verifiable'' document. -AP

clergy and their congregations, said in a statement. The measure would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at four-year public colleges, if they complete two years at a community college after attending three years of high school. Students also will have to show that their parents filed state income tax returns. Male students would be required to sign up for Selective Service to be eligible for the draft. The Maryland legislation includes a provision that requires illegal immigrants receiving the reduced tuition rate to count as a part of the school's out-of-state student pool, so in-state student slots for Maryland residents won't be affected. Only a successful legal challenge could prevent the referendum from taking place. The Republican-led petition drive used an online tool to make

it easier for registered voters to submit signatures. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland contends the online system could be susceptible to fraud. However, only about one-third of the signatures came from the website. Kim Propeack, political director for the immigrant service group Casa de Maryland, said she believes there are signatures that can be challenged. ``We are certain that there are some signatures that they've incorrectly validated, so it just comes down to how many that are challengeable, and we won't know that until we see the evidence,'' Propeack said. David Rocah, staff attorney for the ACLU of Maryland, said: ``We've expressed our concerns about the legality of the process, and we have not said and I'm not prepared to say right now whether we are or are not going to file a lawsuit.'' -AP

Federal immigration hub opposed by Cary citizens RALEIGH, NC: Plans for a 59,000 square-foot immigration investigations center have drawn stiff opposition from residents of Cary, an upscale North Carolina community often listed as one of the safest towns in the nation. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to convert a vacant grocery store into a center that will investigate and process immigrants suspected of breaking laws or threatening national security, said Temple Black, a spokesman for the Office of Homeland Security in New Orleans. Area resident James Gillig said neighbors learned of plans from flyers anonymously distributed throughout the neighborhood last month and received no formal notice from the U.S. government. ``That's one of the things we're so angry about,'' Gillig said. He said neighbors are worried for their own and their children's safety, as well as about the immigration center's potential impact on property values. In the past three weeks, the group has set up a website, made night visits to collect video showing the view into surrounding yards, and convinced federal officials to come to Cary for a public meeting. The ICE website says the agency investigates and prosecutes suspects in cases of cyber-crimes, crimes against chil-

dren, financial crimes, gangs, and human trafficking. ``They'll be bringing into the neighborhood criminals accused of any imaginable crime, and some of them will be brought in under armed guards and shackles,'' Gillig said. Neighbors also worry about supporters of the accused men and women congregating at the shopping center, which is in a neighborhood of $300,000 homes, he added.

Neighbors also worry about supporters of the accused men and women congregating at the shopping center Cary town spokeswoman Susan Moran said representatives from the U.S. General Services Administration, which handles property transactions for ICE, approached the city planning staff several months ago for clarification on whether the site on Highway 55 was properly zoned for government office buildings. ``The answer was: yes, it is zoned for government offices,'' Moran said. ``But they failed to explain the type of government offices they wanted in there.'' -AP

Immigration Post

July 22, 2011

India Post

www.indiapost.com

Senate holds hearing on DREAM Act CYRUS D. MEHTA

he Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security held a hearing on the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2011 on June 28. Sen. Dick Durbin (R-Ill.) opened the hearing. Witnesses included Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Arne Duncan, Secretary of the Department of Education; Dr Clifford Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Ola Kaso, a DREAM Act student; Lt. Col. Margaret Stock, and Steven Camarota, Director of Research for the Center for Immigration Studies. Secretary Napolitano said the Obama administration "strongly supports the DREAM Act." She noted that in the closing days of the 111th Congress, the DREAM Act passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support and fell a few votes short in the Senate. She commended Sen. Durbin and the 34 co-sponsors who have signed onto the bill thus far. She said the DREAM Act would "allow the Department to devote a greater portion of limited DHS resources to removing individuals who actually pose a risk to public safety or security." She said the DREAM Act would do this "by providing a firm but fair way for individuals brought into our country as children - through no fault of their own - to obtain legal status by pursuing higher education, or by serving in the U.S. Armed Forces for the country where they have grown up and which they consider their home." She noted that, as introduced in the Senate, the DREAM Act "establishes a rigorous process for those who entered the United States illegally as children to obtain conditional permanent resident status by proving that they meet several strict requirements." Those applying for conditional permanent resident status, she said, would also need to submit biometric and biographic data and undergo security and law enforcement background checks and a medical examination. Without the DREAM Act, Secretary Napolitano said, "young people will continue to be caught up in the immigration removal system, siphoning resources away from other, more pressing needs." She said that it does not make sense from a law enforcement or public safety perspective "to devote limited enforcement resources on young people who pose no threat to public safety, who were brought to this country illegally by no fault

of their own and have grown up here, and who want to contribute to our country by serving in the military or going to college." Democrats Reintroduce Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and six other Democrats reintroduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 (S. 1258) on June 22, 2011, a bill that would mandate the use of an employment verification system, establish a federal commission on immigration, and offer an earned path to citizenship for undocumented people already in the United States. The 679-page bill is similar to legislation introduced by Sen. Menendez and other Democrats in September 2010. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), along with Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), co-sponsored the legislation. The bill includes measures to strengthen border security, enhance worksite enforcement of immigration laws, and requirements that the estimated 11 million undocumented people in the U.S. register with the government, pay taxes, learn English, pay a fine, pass a background check, and wait in line for permanent residence. The bill also includes a mandatory employment verification system, and enforcement measures such as additional resources for the Border Patrol; expanded penalties for passport and document fraud; new requirements for the Department of Homeland Security to track entries and exits at the border; rules governing detention to ensure that U.S. citizens are not unlawfully detained; and new criminal penalties for fraud and misuse of Social Security numbers. A "Standing Commission on Immigration, Labor Markets, and the National Interest" would be created as part of the bill to evaluate labor market and economic conditions and recommend numerical limits for employmentbased visa programs to Congress. The bill received broad praise from immigrants' rights groups, who stressed the importance of addressing all aspects of the nation's broken immigration system instead of focusing on standalone measures such as an E-Verify mandate. The bill would also alter several visa programs, including the H-2A agricultural guest worker program and the EB-5 investor visa program. The text of the bill was not yet

available online as of press time. 'B-1 in Lieu of H-1B' Option Under Threat Amid reports that U.S. consulates (particularly in India) are cracking down on B-1 visa applications when they suspect the person may be "working" in the U.S., the Department of State and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are reportedly investigating Infosys Technologies Ltd. with respect to allegations that it may be using short-term B-1 visas for employees who should be subjected to the more difficult H-1B visa process.

She said the DREAM Act would â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;allow the Department to devote a greater portion of limited DHS resources to removing individuals who actually pose a risk to public safety or securityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Infosys said it "received a subpoena from a grand jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The subpoena requires us to provide information to the grand jury regarding our sponsorships for, and uses of, B-1 business visas." The probe comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by an Infosys employee alleging that Infosys has been misusing the B-1 visa program. After the lawsuit was filed, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter on April 14, 2011, to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano demanding an investigation. The Department of State responded on May 13, and Sen. Grassley issued a comment on May 25. The Department of State said, "We are in the process of discussing with [the Department of Homeland Security] removing or substantially modifying the B-1 in lieu of H guidelines, which State

first proposed eliminating in a 1993 Federal Register notice." The letter says such a change "requires DHS coordination and may require Federal Register notice, thus it may take some time before...any change is implemented." How to Protect Personal Data in Redesigned Green Card One of USCIS's recent improvements to the green card is an embedded Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip that allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at ports of entry to read personal data embedded in the card from a distance and compare it immediately to personal data on file. Additionally, the RFID chip adds a level of security to confirm that the card has not been tampered with, and makes it more difficult to counterfeit cards. USCIS provides a foil envelope encasing the new card, and advises permanent residents to keep the card in the envelope at all times to prevent unwanted wireless communication with the RFID chip. Because the RFID chip can be scanned by any RFID scanner within a reasonable distance, the envelope is needed to block the effective range of the chip, reducing the possibility that personal data may be electroni-

cally "pick-pocketed." CBP has implemented "Ready Lane" pilot programs at various ports of entry, including El Paso and Donna, Texas, and Otay Mesa, California. RFID technology expedites travel across the land border because CBP officers do not have to manually enter traveler information during the primary inspection. Thus, RFID-enabled travel documents reduce the time it takes to process travelers at the border. To use Ready Lane, travelers should follow three simple steps as they approach a U.S. land port of entry with their RFID-enabled green card: (1) stop at the entry to the inspection lane and wait for a signal to move forward; (2) remove the green card from its protective envelope and hold it up with the flat front face of the card toward a window on the driver's side. The RFID chip will be read automatically while the vehicle proceeds to the inspection booth; and (3) stop at the inspection booth and be prepared to present documents for all travelers in the vehicle to the CBP officer. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

Datebook

46 India Post

July 22, 2011

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NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

NEW JERSEY

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Sat July 23

Sat July 30

• The 2011 Metlife South Asian Spelling Bee

• Surtarang Music Competition

Sat Aug 27

Fri July 22

Venue: Naperville Community Concert Center, 104 E. Benton Ave., Naperville,Illinois Time: 11am to 4pm Contact: 630-355-5468

• Asian American Fair 2011

• Melodiens Present Rut Hain

Venue: Garden State Exhibit & convention center, 50 atrium Drive.somerset, New Jersey Time: 11am to 9pm Contact: 347-513-8526

Milan Ki

Venue: Hofstra University, 200 Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York Contact: 848-248-4139

Sat Sep 3 • Indo America fair Venue: Mercer country Park, west Windsor, New Jersey Contact: 609-240-2350

Sat Oct 8 • Rhythm For Relief Venue: Haven NYC, 244 East 51st St, NY Time: 6pm Contact: 347-307-1378

Sat July 23 • Guru Poornima @ HTGC

Sat July 30

Venue: The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915 Lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois Time: 4pm to 8pm Contact: 630-972-0300

• BasementBollywood. Night

Sun July 31

Sat Aug 13

• SGPS Picnic Venue: Busse Wood South Forest Preserve, Grove# 32, Grove# 32, Elk Grove, Illinois Time: 9am to 7pm Contact: 224-430-3415

Venue: Fire N Ice, 583 Fords Ave, Fords, NJ Time: 9pm Contact: (732) 734-1364

• Jadavpur University Picnic 2011 Venue: Mercer County Park, 1638 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, New Jersey Time: 6pm Contact: 609-785-1505

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming

Venue: India Community Center, 525,Los Coches Street, Milpitas, California Time: 8pm Contact: 510-566-2523

Sun July 24 • Sunidhi Chauhan and Atif Aslam Live in Concert Venue: Oracle Avenue, 7000,Coliseum way, Oakland, California Time: 7pm Contact: 408-368-6865

Venue: Shoreline Park, 3070 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, Bay Area Time: 7:30am Contact: 510-676-7357

Mon Sep 5 • Gopinath Muthukads Vismayam Venue: High Point High School, 3601,Powder Mill Road, Beltsville, DC Time: 5pm Contact: 703-506-0807

Venue: Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, California Time: 8:30pm Contact: 310-876-2513

Sun July 24 • Jcsc Presents Gandhi Before Gandhi Hindi Drama Venue: La Mirada Theatre, 14900,La Mirada Blvd, La Mirada, California Time: 6:30pm Contact: 714-856-4256

Mon Aug 1 Venue: Art of Living Center Los Angeles, 948 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, California Time: 6:30pm to 9pm Contact: 310-820-9429

Venue: Tdbank Center, Washington Township High School, 519 Hurfville-Crosskeys Rd, Sewell, CA Time: 12:15pm to 8pm Contact: 856-313-6741

• Manish Sood presents "INTENSE" starring Atif Aslam and Sunidhi Chouhan Live

Venue: Hare Krishan Temple, 10310 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, Maryland Time: 4:30am Contact: 301-299-2100

• Into The Bollywoods

• Yogalicious!

• Ekal Walk/Run 2011

• Shri Krishna Janamastami

Fri July 22

• Fogana National Dance Competition

Fri July 22

Mon Aug 22

Upcoming

Sat Aug 6

Wed Aug 10

Venue: DAR Constitution, 1776 D Street, NW Washington, Washington Time: 7:30pm Contact: 703-629-9623

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Fri Aug 5 • David Maldonado's "Noche de Pasion" - 100 Years of the Spanish Guitar Venue: Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., East, Hollywood, California Time: 8:30pm to 10pm Contact: 619-723-5407

Sat Aug 13 • Rang De Basanti A Night With Remix King Dj Akbar Sami Venue: Avalon, 777 Lawrence Expressway, Santa Clara, California Time: 9pm Contact: 408-368-6865

Fri Aug 12 • Akbar Sami live at Indiafest 2011 Venue: Crimson, 1650,Schrader Blvd, Los Angeles, California Time: 10pm to 2am Contact: 323-205-5594

Sat Nov 12 • Hello Namaste Salaam Satsriakal Masti

Sat Sep 10

Venue: Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Rd, Balentine Plaza, across Hilton Hotel, Newark, CA 94560 Time: 7pm Contact: 510-299-1138

Venue: Loyola Marymount University, Ahmanson Hall, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles Time: 6pm to 8pm Contact: 610-585-7951

• Veena Sahasrabuddhe

July 22, 2011

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Fax: 562-947-0632 shashi19@yahoo.com CHICAGO (Ramesh Soparawala) Tel: 773-973-7394 / Fax: 773-973-7396 sramesh@aol.com NEW YORK (Pinky) Tel: 212-944-1931/ Fax: 212-944-1932 pinky@indiapost.com

Philosophy

India Post

July 22, 2011

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis DOUGLAS HARDING

he best day of my life-my rebirthday, so to speak-was when I found I had no head. This is not a literary gambit, a witticism designed to arouse interest at any cost. I mean it in all seriousness: I have no head. It was eighteen years ago, when I was thirty-three, that I made the discovery. Though it certainly came out of the blue, it did so in response to an urgent enquiry; I had for several months been absorbed in the question: what am I? The fact that I happened to be walking in the Himalayas at the time probably had little to do with it; though in that country unusual states of mind are said to come more easily. However that may be, a very still clear day, and a view from the ridge where I stood, over misty blue valleys to the highest mountain range in the world, with Kangchenjunga and Everest unprominent among its snowpeaks, made a setting worthy of the grandest vision. What actually happened was something absurdly simple and unspectacular: I stopped thinking. A peculiar quiet, an odd kind of alert limpness or numbness, came over me. Reason and imagination and all mental chatter died down. For once, words really failed me. Past and future dropped away. I forgot who and what I was, my name, manhood, animalhood, all KARL RENZ

elcome! Welcome to the fair! I can see, you're already sitting on the merry-go-round! It's great how you are driving! You have a sleek car, with an accelerator and a brake. But most of all, you have a steering wheel, which you can spin around, and that's just what you are doing; though strangely, as much as you steer it, or put your foot down on the throttle, or jam on the brakes, the car keeps traveling in the same direction. This is how your 'I' (the socalled 'ego') works. It steers to the left, it steers to the right, and is never fully content with the result. It thinks, "I'll take a look at the others. How are they driving? How is that guy doing over there? That one is definitely shifting his weight more in the curve. I think I'll try that too." But nothing changes. The car keeps on going round and round. Every now and then the merrygo-round stops. Short break. The Tibetans call this 'bardo'. Then you look for another vehicle. "Let's try the horse. I'll ride for a while. Maybe that's my destiny!" Very smart on your part! Or per-

that could be called mine. It was as if I had been born that instant, brand new, mindless, innocent of all memories. There existed only the Now, that present moment and what was clearly given in it. To look was enough. And what I found was khaki trouserlegs terminating downwards in a pair of brown shoes, khaki sleeves terminating sideways in a pair of pink hands,

lar clouds riding the blue sky. I had lost a head and gained a world. It was all, quite literally, breathtaking. I seemed to stop breathing altogether, absorbed in the Given. Here it was, this superb scene, brightly shining in the clear air, alone and unsupported, mysteriously suspended in the void, and (and this was the real miracle, the wonder and delight) utterly free of "me", un-

ing mind. It was the revelation, at long last, of the perfectly obvious. It was a lucid moment in a confused life-history. It was a ceasing to ignore something which (since early childhood at any rate) I had always been too busy or too clever to see. It was naked, uncritical attention to what had all along been staring me in the face - my utter facelessness.

In all seriousness I say, I have no head ‘Its total presence was my total absence, body and soul. Lighter than air, clearer than glass, altogether released from myself, I was nowhere around’

Douglas Harding

and a khaki shirtfront terminating upwards in-absolutely nothing whatever! Certainly not in a head. It took me no time at all to notice that this nothing, this hole where a head should have been was no ordinary vacancy, no mere nothing. On the contrary, it was very much occupied. It was a vast emptiness vastly filled, a nothing that found room for everything-room for grass, trees, shadowy distant hills, and far above them snowpeaks like a row of angu-

stained by any observer. Its total presence was my total absence, body and soul. Lighter than air, clearer than glass, altogether released from myself, I was nowhere around. Yet in spite of the magical and uncanny quality of this vision, it was no dream, no esoteric revelation. Quite the reverse: it felt like a sudden waking from the sleep of ordinary life, an end to dreaming. It was self-luminous reality for once swept clean of all obscur-

In short, it was all perfectly simple and plain and straightforward, beyond argument, thought, and words. There arose no questions, no reference beyond the experience itself, but only peace and a quiet joy, and the sensation of having dropped an intolerable burden. Douglas Harding was born in 1909 in Suffolk, England. He studied and then practiced architecture. In his spare time he devoted his energies to philosophy

haps to be truly wise, you take the small scooter because all this driving has tired you out and left you full of humility. During all this steering your ego ripens tremendously. And if by chance you were aiming in the same direction as the merry-goround, then you can triumph: "Wow, I did that really well!

If you have mastered the art in this incomparable way, then you can even tell others how they should drive. "This is the way you have to do it, like me!" Now you are a fully-awakened driver. "Follow him!" exclaim a few others enthusiastically. The best thing would be if you just take over the entire bus: "Get on board

press the gas pedal at the right moment and break at the right moment, and most of all that you steer with great skill. That helps others. In this way you not only keep your vehicle perfectly on the path, but you also contribute to the successful ride of the entire merry-go-round! If only everyone would drive like

Relax driver! This thing drives by itself Karl Renz

The best thing would be if you just take over the entire bus: ‘Get on board here, everyone, and sit behind me! I am one with the merry-go-round!’ Then you are a guru

Now, I think I've got it!" Now you've discovered how all this works. "I have complete control. Look here!" You are in harmony with the cosmos, in harmony with creation. An ego which is so coherent, steers in the same direction as the merry-go-round is moving. "Look, how I can steer! The entire merrygo-round moves because I am steering this way! Here, look at me!"

here, everyone, and sit behind me! I am one with the merry-goround!" Then you are a guru. If you want to be active more quietly, you can of course take on other important jobs such as driving the fire engine, or the ambulance. Or you may just follow the ambulance, to be on the safe side! In all this it is important, that you keep the overview. That you

this! You have everything under control. Until one day, you accidentally let go of the steering wheel. Ooops! Now you are surprised. It also works on its own! This thing drives by itself! Exactly, the Self is driving. You don't have to strain yourself. You can lean back and enjoy your Self. It always drives directly to happiness.

Whatever is your highest, you just contemplate upon that. Your inner and outer purity will happen naturally. -Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh. -Friedrich Nietzsche To be full of things is to be empty of God. To be empty of things is to be full of God. -Meister Eckhart I do not conceive of any reality at all as without genuine unity. -Gottfried Leibniz A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. -Lao Tzu When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely - the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it. -Jiddu Krishnamurti If you want to regain your original powers and inspiration, keep yourself insulated, isolated for a while (from the world) -Swami Rama Tirtha

You Insure all your Valuables, all are replaceable except YOU! So Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

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July 22, 2011

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Internal security reform: Yet another opportunity ALI AHMED

n a landmark judgment on a writ petition filed by Nandini Sundar, Ramchandra Guha, EAS Sarma and others, Justice B Sudershan Reddy and Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar have asked the Chhattisgarh government to discontinue the counter-insurgency employment of SPOs, Salwa Judum and the Koya commandos. Since this is a significant dimension of countering Maoist insurgency, there has been consternation in the security establishment. The reaction should instead be one of reexamining counter-insurgency doctrine in general and approach to 'root causes' in light of the judgment. The judgment makes three major points that can usefully lead such a reexamination. The first is the skepticism it expresses on the neoliberal paradigm of development in operation in India over the past two decades. The 'have nots' this is creating brings into question the corporate-friendly approach to development and governance. The second point made is that the practice of employing SPOs is violative of Article 14 on right to equality and Article 21 on right to life. The SPOs are used as 'force multipliers' and for a meager 'honorarium' of Rs3000 are expected to perform duties of trained policemen at a greater risk to their lives. Since the criteria for recruitment is based on passing Class Five and training consists only of two months, their employment in dangerous duties on the frontline against Maoists has been deemed 'unconscionable'. The third, and most significant point, is that while the state has the duty to provide security for people, its actions have to be within constitutional bounds. The state does not have unlimited powers. Given the constitutional scheme explicated in Article 355 regarding the Center's responsibility towards internal disturbance, the court opined that it expected greater engagement with the nittygritties of operations than was on display by the Home Ministry. The question as to why the situation has come to such a sorry pass needs answering. The larger point on rethinking India's neoliberal grand strategy is outside the scope here. However, counter-insurgency

relevant points made in dismay by the court could provide yet another opportunity to revisit doctrine and structures. The utility of the SPOs was brought out by the counsel for the government. They serve as 'eyes and ears' of the security forces, who are handicapped by their limited knowledge of the human and physical terrain. Since they remain in location while counter insurgents rotate into and out of the theatre, there is continuity and in-

Salwa Judum members

The government would do well to heed the Court's admonishment that it develop "well trained, and professional law enforcement capacities and forces that function within the limits of constitutional action stitutional memory. Their familiarity with the forests and jungle-lore honed instincts makes them good operatives in the jungle, widely recognized as the most challenging terrain. Given that the paramilitary are not trained to Infantry level specifications, the SPOs help increase the effectiveness of the force. However, the judgment demonstrates that the casualties suffered have been out of proportion in comparison to those of the paramilitary. This indicates that they are being employed on warlike missions beyond the scope of their capabilities or contract. Additionally, they are being misused in actions with plausible deniability, such as in alleged atrocities in the Morpalli, Tadmetla and Timmapuram case that attracted the Court's ire.

It is clear that India lacks the policing capabilities of the order necessary to bring insurgency under control. Given this a policy decision needs to be taken on the employment of the Army that is better suited and trained for such tasks in forbidding terrain. That it has not been employed so far perhaps owes less to the publicly aired reservations of the brass than to the effect on investments in the region that may be less forthcoming in the knowledge of the real dimensions of the problem. The government would do well to heed the Court's admonishment that it develop "well trained, and professional law enforcement capacities and forces that function within the limits of constitutional action." On this, firstly, as of the moment, there is no overarching doctrine put out by the Home Ministry. The constitutional parameters need to have been set out in such a doctrine. This is evidence of lack of expertise in the bureaucrat-controlled Home Ministry. There is no doctrine for the paramilitary. The military's own sub-conventional conflict doctrine is autonomous. No wonder it sees a role for 'friendlies'. Second, there is little hope of policing reform. The latest has been increasing recruitment into the IPS to a yearly intake of 150. This needs contrasting to the Army taking in over 1500 a year. Therefore calling in the Army is the answer. The fear that this would be disproportionate force misses that fact that the Army is more professional, has learnt its lessons on proportionality and has a doctrine that is people-centric. Third, the reservations of the military for such deployment understandably spring from its external security concerns. India needs to recalibrate instruments to address the external threat, such as by using negotiations meaningfully; thereby releasing the Army for such duty. Better still it could take the Court's opinion seriously that it undertake "all those necessary socially, economically and politically remedial policies that lessen social disaffection giving rise to such extremist violence." The writer is Research Fellow, IDSA. Courtesy IPCS

India Post Missed opportunities

wo recent events are being talked about as missed opportunities. One is the cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the second is the failure of cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to try for victory when it was within reach against the West Indies. There is great criticism of the latest cabinet reshuffle as a tired old party making tired old moves. It should be remembered that it is not a Congress majority government. Although its face is Manmohan Singh and behind him, Congress president pulling the strings, actually it is a minority government. It depends for survival on allies, mainly the DMK of Tamil Nadu and Trinamool Congress of West Bengal. By its very nature it is not expected to be an adventurist government. Every move it makes has to be full of caution as displeasing the allies means destabilizing the government. When the UPA-II acts, it has to take all constituents on board. If the Prime Minister had decided to take action against DMK's A Raja on his own, it is certain that the DMK would have pulled the rug from under him. The ouster of A Raja did take place after the due inquires and, it must be emphasized, public pressure. The actions against the Commonwealth Games guilty and other scams have come again to due to public pressure. And Manmohan Singh should be pleased that it is so. The DMK cannot say that the major party in the coalition, the Congress, is gunning for it. If there is movement on the Lokpal Bill for tackling corruption and bringing back black money, the PM should once again thank public pressure which has been able to influence the nature of Supreme Court judgments too. The latest reshuffle is also designed to give the impression of better governance. Any hope that the major portfolios would be touched was anything but hazardous. Once again it is a more vigilant public and media which are checking out each move of the government and thus rendering it accountable. The message of this government's functioning is that a coalition would not make a move to jeopardize itself but public pressure can force it to do anything. The mood of the nation is such that any government would have to be respond. The other criticism is against the much-feted Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for not going for the kill and choosing to be safe rather than sorry. It is being argued that such defensive tactics are not fitting for the number one Test team in the world. Here again it needs to be remembered that India is certainly the number one Test team in the world but in the West Indies, Dhoni was leading a depleted side. With as many as four stalwarts missing, it was not at its best strength. India's success as a top team owes it much to its reputed openers, Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Any target would have been achievable with them in the side but they were not in the present eleven. Also missing was Sachin Tendulkar who can step up the gear and is a one-day great. Not so Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman who were in charge at Windsor Park in Dominica after three wickets fell cheaply. It is not in the nature of their game to score fast. The two who were to follow them, Skipper Dhoni himself and Virat Kohli were not in the best of form. Could they have made a gamble for victory on the strength of the swashbuckling Harbhajan Singh? Writing was on the wall that on a wicket not conducive to stroke play, they could not risk asking defensive batsmen to go for victory. It was a very practical decision. Let us respect the judgment of men on the spot, Manmohan Singh and Mahendra Singh.

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