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Hillary Clinton’s Indian staffer is highest paid

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VALLEY PLANS GRAND RECEPTION FOR MODI WASHINGTON: Indian-Americans in California have begun preparations for a grand reception similar to last year's Madison Square Garden event for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who would be only the second Indian premier to visit the state with a trip planned in September to Silicon Valley.

Representatives of Indian-American organizations held their first full-fledged preparatory meeting in Sunnyvale, California to accord the grand reception to Modi at Silicon Valley, during the September visit.

Modi is to attend the Annual General Assembly meeting of the United Nations in New York in September-end.

After that, he is set to visit Silicon Valley and address Indian-Americans, including technology entrepreneurs, there though an official announcement is yet to be made.

"We have planned a community reception on the evening of September 27 at the SAP Centre, San Jose where close to 20,000 people are expected to gather to hear him speak," Khanderao Kand of newly-formed Indo-American CommuDetails on page 5 nity of West Coast USA told PTI.

Details on page 5

Two Indians among 'Hillblazers' Details on page 5

India-based scam leader jailed for 14 yrs

SF Global Movie Fest all set to take Bay area by storm RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO: SF Global Movie Fest, an integral part of Festival of Globe (FOG), this year boasts of over three thousand movie entries from all over the

world. It was a very tough decision for the eminent jurors to narrow the list down to fit into the eight-day window where the selected movies will be showcased to discerning viewers and judges from Aug 7th through Aug 14th.

This year FIA has expanded its network to bring you the Festival of Globe (FOG).

Details on page 16

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 30-31 Classifieds ------------------------- 48

Details on page 6

Community Post -------------- 16-26 Date Book -------------------------- 47

INDIA POST SURVEY

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

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

This week’s question

Horoscope ------------------------- 49

Will SAP Centre, San Jose be able to beat MSG reception?

Immigration Post ------------- 44-46 Life Style ----------------------- 50-52

Last week’s result

Will IPL emerge cleaner next year?

YES 57%

NO 43%

Philosophy ------------------------- 49

GIFT OF PLENTY: Defying the warnings of weatherman and the El Nino scare, India has been having good rains; leading even to floods in some States. Above is the scenario of submerged temples along the banks of flooded Kshipra River after heavy rains in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 36-37 TechBiz Post ------------------- 12-15 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43

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or a while now, news of Indian American kids winning the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee championships has been more worrisome for me than celebratory. The reason being the increasing negativity surrounding the ethnicity of the winners from presumably white Americans, the same kind perhaps, that abused the crowning of Nina Davuluri as Miss America last year.

In all fairness to those color conscious haters, I have wondered often, how justified their fears were or if it was just paranoia that White America was being taken over by the Browns or maybe be the Blacks and the Chinese and the Hispanics.

In that context, I read with much interest about the six-member US team of students who won the prestigious International Mathematical Olympiad recently, making it the first victory for America in more than two decades. The winning team included - check out the names - Shyam Narayanan, Yang Liu Patil, Ryan Alweiss, Allen Liu, David Stoner and Michael Kural. And don't miss this - Team USA's head coach was Po-Shen Loh. Expectedly, the long-overdue victory is being celebrated with pride right from the White House to the national media to the schools the students come from and the Mathematics Association of America, which runs the summer program to churn out math mavericks.

Of the team, I would like to focus a tad bit more interest on Yang Liu Patil, who happens to be the offspring of parents of Indian and Chinese origin Americans. So it doesn't take a genius to see the fantastic diversity of the all-American team that has made all of America so proud.

For conservative Americans - even those among Indian Americans who prefer to remain clannish - I say, folks, 'different' is the new normal, and it can only be for the better. But more importantly, this is the new America, one that is a living example of the old Indian phrase 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', the World is One Family.

I guess it's time we stopped defining ourselves by color codes, and created the space for our kids to grow in myriad hues of glory as citizens of the world.

Cheers to the true Olympians!

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Hubby happy Hubby and actor Ajay Devgn says he is happy to see Kajol and Shahrukh onscreen together again in 'Dilwale'

Cover Story: Valley plans A grand reception awaits Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Silicon Valley in September similar to last year's MSG event

Community: Global Movie Fest SF Global Movie Fest, an integral part of Festival of Globe (FOG), this year boasts of over three thousand movie entries

No agreement Justice Dept and immigrant rights lawyers have failed to reach agreement over conditions faced by immigrant children

Life style: Over the moon Pak TV journalist Chand Nawab is over the moon that he inspired a character in Salman Khan film Bajrangi Bhaijaan

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Silicon Valley plans big reception for Modi WASHINGTON: Indian-Americans in California have begun preparations for a grand reception similar to last year's Madison Square Garden event for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who would be only the second Indian premier to visit the state with a trip planned in September to Silicon Valley.

Representatives of IndianAmerican organizations held

After that, he is set to visit Silicon Valley and address IndianAmericans, including technology entrepreneurs, there though an official announcement is yet to be made.

"We have planned a community reception on the evening of September 27 at the SAP Centre, San Jose where close to 20,000 people are expected to gather to hear him speak," Khanderao

dia in San Francisco, Venkatesh Ashok, and Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge foreign relations department of BJP. Chauthaiwale is on a visit to San Francisco Bay Area to oversee the preparations for the reception.

"The event is a historic moment for the Indian community in Silicon Valley and the Diaspora in general," he said.

dian Prime Minister to visit San Francisco-Bay Area after Jawahar Lal Nehru's trip in 1949.

San Francisco-Bay Area, of which Silicon Valley is a part, is home to about half-a-millionstrong Indian-Americans.

Last year when Modi visited the US, he was given a grand reception at New York's historic Madison Square Garden. He addressed nearly 20,000 Indian-

highest total in the world, after Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester in Britain, and Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Last year, pop superstar Miley Cyrus performed at the arena during her Bangerz World Tour.

In April this year, pop superstar Ariana Grande performed at

‘We have planned a community reception on the evening of September 27 at the SAP Centre, San Jose where close to 20,000 people are expected to gather to hear him speak.

-Khanderao Kand Prime Minister Narendra Modi

their first full-fledged preparatory meeting in Sunnyvale, California to accord the grand reception to Modi at Silicon Valley, during the September visit.

Modi is to attend the Annual General Assembly meeting of the United Nations in New York in September-end.

Kand of newly-formed IndoAmerican Community of West Coast USA told PTI. The meeting was addressed by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Arun K Singh, via a video conference.

Among others, it was attended by Consul-General of In-

SAP Centre, San Jose

The Prime Minister's visit is considered significant, especially with regard to his 'Digital India' initiative that aims to use technology in connecting people and transforming governance in India, said a media note by the organization.

Modi would be the second In-

Hillary's Indian staffer is highest paid WASHINGTON: White House aspirant Hillary Clinton's longtime associate Huma Abedin, whose father is from India and mother from Pakistan, is the highest paid staffer in the US presidential campaign, taking home an annual salary of more than USD 277,000.

Abedin was paid USD 69,263.09 in the first quarter, according to the latest quarterly financial figures submitted by the Clinton Campaign to Federal Election Commission.

At this rate, her annual pay check is pegged at USD 2,77,052.

Interestingly, John Podesta, the chairman of the Clinton campaign received only USD 3,586, while Robby Mook, the campaign manager, got USD 27,625; Jennifer Palmieri, the communications director, received USD 31,710 during the first quarter of the campaign.

Married to former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, Abedin is currently vice chair of the campaign - Hillary for America.

According to Politico, "Abedin is overseeing the campaign opera-

tion and serving more often as an independent surrogate for her boss. She's even taking meetings in place of her boss."

"For all intents and purposes, she's number three on the campaign, after [campaign chairman John] Podesta and [campaign manager Robby] Mook," a

Clinton campaign aide was quoted as saying.

Abedin has worked for Clinton for the last two decades.

Her late father, Syed Zainul Abedin, was a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University and a university lecturer and her mother was a sociology professor.-PTI

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and her personal aide Huma Abedin approach a window to buy ice cream at Dairy Twirl.-AP

Americans there.

Like Madison Square Garden in New York, the SAP Centre is a top indoor venue in the US for such events.

In 2006, the SAP Centre sold the most tickets to non-sporting events of any venue in the western US, and the fourth

the arena during her Honeymoon World Tour for the first time with a sold out crowd of 12,717 people.

Organizers expect a packed crowd at the SAP Center, also known as Shark Tank, when Modi addresses Indian-Americans on September 27. -PTI

Two Indian Americans among 'Hillblazers' WASHINGTON: Two promi- Clinton, 67, announced her secnent Indian Americans figure ond presidential bid in May and among the list of 123 people who would be the first woman presihave helped raise a minimum of dent of the US if elected in NoUSD 100,000 for Democratic presi- vember next year. dential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

Mahinder Tak and Deven J Parekh have become the first Indian Americans to raise more than a hundred thousand dollars for Clinton's presidential campaign.

"Our National Finance Committee members - Hillblazers are individuals who have helped raise USD 100,000 or more in primary election contributions since the launch of this historic campaign on April Mahinder Tak speaks at a fundraising 12, 2015. We are grateful for their support of Hillary for event held at her residence in Potomac, MD, for Hillary Clinton, on July 1 America," the Hillary Campaign said. Both Tak and Parekh While Parekh is a Managing are longtime friends of the Director at the New York-based Clintons and have been consis- Insight Venture Partners, Tak is a tently raising funds for them. retired radiation oncologist and Former Secretary of State US Army colonel. -PTI

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India-based scam leader jailed for 14 years NEW YORK: A leader in an India-based scam that scared American taxpayers into sending millions of dollars because they thought the US government was after them has been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison by a judge who said he wanted to send a message to others considering similar crimes.

Sahil Patel, 36, of Tatamy, Pennsylvania, sobbed as he apologized for his crimes before he was sentenced by US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein in Manhattan for conspiring to extort, to impersonate government officials and to commit wire fraud.

The judge said he needed to impose a "very serious sentence" to ensure adequate deterrence.

Patel also must forfeit USD 1 million for crimes that stretched from December 2011 until his December 2013 arrest.

"The nature of this crime robbed people of their identities and their money in a way that causes people to feel they have been almost destroyed," Hellerstein said.

Assistant US Attorney Andrew Adams told the judge the fraud was "perfectly designed" to

manipulate financially distressed people who would fear arrest threats.

"This is such an exploitive fraud," Adams said. "This man preyed on hundreds of people who were particularly vulnerable."

"The nature of this crime robbed people of their identities and their money in a way that causes people to feel they have been almost destroyed," Hellerstein said Prosecutors said in court papers that callers in India impersonated law enforcement officials, sometimes threatening victims with financial penalties and arrest, and used an Internet-based calling service that made it appear their phone numbers came from the FBI or the federal prosecutor's

office in Manhattan.

As part of a presentence submission, prosecutors noted that the US Treasury inspector general for tax administration, which investigates crimes for the Internal Revenue Service, reports receiving 9,000 to 12,000 reports of calls each week over similar scams.

The IRS calls it the largest impersonation scam in the tax agency's history.

Since 2013, about 591,000 people have complained of calls from fake IRS agents demanding money and 3,967 people have reported losing more than USD 20 million. Although Patel was described as a ringleader, his prosecution has not slowed the calls, with 10,000 additional complaints being made recently.

The inspector general's office has said the typical victim loses USD 5,000 to USD 7,000.

While the scam has touched people in nearly every state, the top five states for dollar losses were listed as California at USD 3.8 million, New York at USD 1.3 million, Texas at USD 795,884, Florida at USD 760,000 and Virginia at USD 648,363, prosecutors said.-AP

Rudd, Banga for India joining APEC WASHINGTON: Making a ply chains and international trade strong case for India's member- and investment flows," Rudd said ship in the Asia-Pacific Economic in a statement.

Cooperation (APEC), a former Including India in APEC will Australian Prime Minister and a help open India's economy to the top US corporate leader have said region and the world, benefiting the forum would help it achieve the country and its neighbors and its economic potential and bolster trading partners, he said. its Act East policy.

"Stronger trade and investFormer Australian Prime Min- ment ties among India and other ister Kevin Rudd-led Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) on July 20 launched a task force to develop a strategy for gaining India's membership in the forum.

The ASPI initiative 'India and APEC: Charting a Path to MemberFormer Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ship' will be supported in India by the Confederation of Indian Industry Asia-Pacific economies will not (CII). only generate economic benefits "To achieve its economic po- but also foster stability across the tential, India should become more region. fully integrated into global sup"India's entry into APEC would make it a more inclusive forum for trade consultation and dialogue and thereby mitigate the divisive effects that new trade regimes in Asia could have," Rudd said.

Shyam Saran, former Foreign bors has undergone a big shift, symbolized by the invitation ex- Secretary of India, said that jointended to their leaders when the ing APEC would bolster India's Government was first sworn in. Act East policy by helping it imSince then, we have seen the prove its economic engagement themes of greater connectivity; and cooperation with Asia-Pacific stronger cooperation and broader countries.

MasterCard President and CEO contacts dominate India's engageAjay Banga said that APEC memment with them.

Even in a short span of time, bership would be a step towards some results are already evident," India becoming better integrated with Asia-Pacific economies, he said.

In the case of Bangladesh, it which will be welcomed by the US includes the settlement of the land and Asian businesses that want boundary and major connectivity to invest more in India.

Rudd, Saran and Banga are and infrastructure initiatives.

With Nepal, the long-standing members of the task force which potential for hydro-electric power include participants from various is beginning to be tapped. With APEC economies, such as IndoBhutan, a traditionally strong re- nesia, Korea, the Philippines and lationship has been further con- the US. During the first year of the inisolidated, he said.

Ties with Sri Lanka after elec- tiative, the task force will examine tions in both countries have in- the challenges and opportunities creasingly focused on their na- of India's membership in APEC tional reconstruction and recon- and develop a plan for its evenciliation. Myanmar remains our tual accession to APEC, the stategateway for "Look/Act East" and ment said.

The members will share the the possibilities for cooperation findings with their governments grow as they open up.

On India's relations with China, during 2016, in anticipation of the he said the changes are more nu- APEC Summit scheduled to be anced, more complex but no less held in Lima, Peru in November next year. -PTI significant.-PTI

'India hopeful on counter terrorism steps with Pak' SINGAPORE: Noting that the relationship with Pakistan has its share of challenges, India has hoped to take forward steps agreed by the two prime ministers in Ufa to combat terrorism and strengthen peace along the border, days after tensions rose over ceasefire violations.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said Pakistan is part of the neighborhood agenda, which has undergone a big shift symbolized by the invitation extended to their leaders when the government was first sworn last May. "To India's west, the relationship with Pakistan has its share of challenges but is part of the neighborhood agenda that I mentioned earlier. Our Prime Ministers met a week ago and agreed on steps to counter terrorism and strengthen peace and tranquility on the border. We hope to take that forward," he said while delivering 21st International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) Fullerton Lecture here.

Though the theme of the lecture was "India, the United States and China", the Foreign Secretary delved on the country's relationship with its immediate neighbors

including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Where Afghanistan is concerned, managing the consequences of the draw-down of foreign forces is the primary exercise underway. India supports an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process with in the framework of the Afghan Constitution and internationally accepted red-lines," he said.

to be a leading power rather than just a balancing one.

"The transition in India is an expression of greater self-confidence. Its foreign policy dimension is to aspire to be a leading power, rather than just a balancing power.

Consequently, there is also a willingness to shoulder greater global responsibilities," he said.

Shift in approach

‘Where Afghanistan is concerned, managing the consequences of the draw-down of foreign forces is the primary exercise underway. India supports an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process with in the framework of the Afghan Constitution’ He also noted that India's traditional friendship with the Afghan people has been reinforced through an effective development program in that country.

The interplay of India with the US and China is among the key factors that will determine the strategic balance in Asia and beyond, India's top diplomat said while articulating the country's aspiration

This was demonstrated recently in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Yemen and Nepal. It is also reflected in our role in peace-keeping and in keeping the maritime commons safe and secure. And it is affirmed by India's active participation in important global negotiations, Jaishankar said.

"The approach to India's neigh-

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Disaster-related displacements rise in India GENEVA: India is among top three countries after the Philippines and China where large number of people were forced to flee their homes due to disasters as 19.3 million people were displaced globally last year alone, a Norway-

based global humanitarian group's report has said.

In the last seven years between 2008 to 2014, an estimated one person every second has been displaced by a disaster, according to Global Estimates 2015 People Displaced by Disasters, a report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council's Internal Dis-

placement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

India was third after the Philippines and China, in absolute numbers last year, for displacements due to disasters both weather and hazard-related. India stood sec-

ond after China, again on an absolute scale, for largest number of displacements between 2008 and 2014 globally.

The three countries were home to last year's 15 of the 20 largest displacements due to floods, storms and earthquakes.

The analysis of IDMC's new report is based on research of 695

new displacement events in 100 countries.

"Middle-income countries, particularly in Asia, with fast growing urban population and fast growing economies seem to be particularly affected by disaster displacement. They account for 95 per cent of the total global [displacement] since 2008," said Director of IDMC, Alfredo Zamudio.

"A devastating payoff of this rapid and often unplanned urban growth is that there are more and more vulnerable people living in the path of natural hazards. The large and growing informal settlements around cities such as Mexico City, Mumbai, Karachi and Port-au-Prince are just a few examples.

"What these trends suggest, therefore, is that as well as being an acute humanitarian concern, disaster-displacement is also a chronic development issue," Zamudio said.

Among last year's 20 largest displacement events which shoved people off their lands was the Philippines' typhoon Rammasun which displaced 2,994,100 people. It was followed by the same country's typhoon Hagupit.

Indian-origin doc gets UK honorary fellowship LONDON: An Indian-origin doctor has received the honorary fellowship by one of the leading British Universities for his contribution to the community as a general practitioner and medical educator.

77-year-old Shiv Pande has been awarded an honorary fellowship of the University of Central Lancashire.

"Rarely has a medical doctor achieved so much in so many areas, not only within his own profession, but also in our broader community.

"As a dedicated medical practitioner, tireless charity campaigner, accomplished broadcaster and distinguished academic, Shiv Pande MBE represents a superb role model for any citizen of multicultural Britain," said Michael Thomas, University's Vice Chancellor.

"I have enjoyed working as National Health Service General Practitioner, Justice of Peace,

Broadcaster, charity worker all these years.

"My work at General Medical Council took me a lot to London but happy to say as a past Treasurer of GMC, I was quietly

Shiv Pande

pleased when we all at GMC decided to move it's office and majority of work to Northwest in Manchester," Pande, who is also

a member of the Indian Journalists Association, said.

Pande was presented the award at Preston Guildhall by The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to commemorate his lifelong help for local people but previously received an MBE from the Queen in 1989 for his community work, the University said in a statement.

A Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) is awarded by the Queen for a significant achievement or outstanding service to the community.

Born and educated in India, Pande obtained his MBBS and Ms (General Surgery) degrees in India before moving to the UK in 1971 where he worked in cardio-thoracic surgery at London Chest Hospital, Broad Green Hospital and Fazakerley Hospital, Liverpool until 1974.

In 1975 he entered general practice, eventually retiring in 2005 after 30 years. -PTI

India followed with the third largest displacement event globally as the Odisha floods displaced 1,073,700 people, according to the report.

Cyclone Hudhud that hit India's Eastern coast including Odisha and Andhra Pradesh displacing 639,300 people and the AssamMeghalaya floods between September and October that displaced 367,000 people last year, also figure among the top 20 global dis-

ment (Five million people) due to storms, 0.4 per cent displaced (132,600 people) due to earthquakes and 0.1 per cent due to wet mass movement.

Both in India and China, disasters tend to be more concentrated in specific regions, like the east coast of India with strong exposure to tropical storms.

The report also shows that conflict-related displacements have increased in India last year

Cyclone Hudhud that hit India's Eastern coast including Odisha and Andhra Pradesh displacing 639,300 people and the AssamMeghalaya floods between September and October that displaced 367,000 people last year, also figure among the top 20 global displacement events placement events of last year.

The report, however, states that relative to the population size, the scale of displacement in China and India is less significant than in the Philippines.

In India, between 2008 and 2014, 82.6 per cent, or 24.4 million people, were displaced by floods, followed by 17 per cent displace-

compared to data between 2010 and 2014.

Among the 19.3 million people displaced globally last year due to disasters, 17.5 million were affected by weather- related hazards like floods (8.3 million people), storms (9.1 million people) and 1.7 million due to geophysical hazards.-PTI

Scotland Yard hunts for Hindi, Punjabi speakers LONDON: Scotland Yard will recruit more bilingual officers with proficiency in 14 languages including Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali to connect with minority communities and increase public confidence in the UK's largest police force.

"We know that almost 300 languages are spoken in the capital. We need to recruit and deploy officers with second languages in areas where those languages are spoken," said Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard H o g a n Howe.

The move is aimed at connecting with minority communities to better police London and increase public confidence in Britain's largest police force.

"I believe it will help boost confidence, help to solve crime more effectively and support victims

and witnesses," he said.

"These officers will be deployed into the community as the first line of contact with victims and witnesses, in areas where we believe it will make a difference," Clare Davies, the head of human resources for the Met Police, said.

The other major world lan-

guages which will feature in the month-long pilot campaign include Yoruba (Nigeria), Hebrew, Arabic, Italian, German, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and Sinhala (Sri Lanka). PTI

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China says accept subs in Indian Ocean BEIJING: Justifying the docking of Chinese submarines in Karachi and Colombo, a Chinese think tank has questioned criticism in India of the presence of Chinese naval ships in the Indian Ocean, saying China has a right to protect its interests and India should be "broad-minded" to accept it.

"But even if Chinese naval ships and submarines appear regularly in the Indian Ocean, so what?," an article in the state-run China Daily questioning the criticism of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean said.

Written by Zhou Do, an honorary fellow with Centre for China American Defense Relations of Beijing-based Academy of Military Science, the article said, "India, like China, is growing with strength. If growth of strength indeed brings confidence, a stronger India should be broadminded. The Chinese naval vessels in the international waters of the Indian Ocean should not be taken as a threat."

"If the Pacific Ocean is big enough to accommodate China and the US, so is the Indian Ocean to accommodate India and China," it said.

"As one of the largest oil importers itself, India should have better understanding of China's energy needs and concerns over

the sea lane in the Indian Ocean.

"Four-fifths of China's oil imports pass through the area. India alone cannot assure the security of the Indian Ocean, even if it regards the Indian Ocean as its backyard and wishes no one to compete with it there. This is why counter-piracy has involved

‘The word backyard is not very appropriate to use for an open sea and international areas of sea,’ Senior Captain Zhao Yi, Associate Professor of the Institute of Strategy in China's National Defense University, said navies from more than 20 countries, including China and India," it said.

"China is not jostling with India for strategic influence in the Indian Ocean. The likelihood of a naval clash between the two navies in the Indian Ocean, as some Indian strategists have suggested, cannot be more hypothetical. "If there cannot be an all-out war between China and India, how

can the Chinese and Indian navies have war at sea? And if the disputed border has remained peaceful for more than half a century, how can anyone prove that the two countries are going to have a war at all?," it said.

Earlier this month, senior Chinese defense experts said that China recognizes India's special role in stabilizing the strategic Indian Ocean region but the perception that it is India's "backyard" may result in clashes.

"The word backyard is not very appropriate to use for an open sea and international areas of sea," Senior Captain Zhao Yi, Associate Professor of the Institute of Strategy in China's National Defense University, said.

"I admit geographically speaking India has a special role to play in stabilizing Indian Ocean and the South Asian region," he said while replying to a question on rising concerns in India over the Chinese navy's increasing forays into the Indian Ocean.

Zhao said though he did not agree with an American scholar who had predicted that Indian Ocean could be the focus of 21st century and as a result severe clashes could breakout, he said such a possibility cannot be "eliminated" if the Indian Ocean is continued to be perceived as India's backyard. -PTI

Congress slams PM's Pakistan, China policy NEW DELHI: Accusing Prime Pakistani counterpart Sharif on Minister Narendra Modi of being the sidelines of Shanghai Coopsoft on Pakistan and China, Con- eration Organization summit in gress has said, "The bull has be- Ufa, Russia, earlier this month come a bear". where the two leaders decided to The party described as "con- re-engage. fusing" the government's policies Sibal said Modi's foreign vis-a-vis the two neighbors, say- policy with regard to China is ing "diplomacy is not a sound and "even more confusing." light show" in evidence during his "Chinese presence in the Invisits abroad but needs "hard- dian Ocean stares us in the face. nosed strategic planning".

China has signed agreements for "Total confusion prevails. Di- use of Gwadar port in Pakistan, plomacy is not a sound and light Chittagong in Bangladesh, show. It is hard-nosed Hambantota in Sri Lanka and strategic planning.

This government lacks both experience and This government's confusing understanding. The signals have not only "bull" has become a "bear"," senior party confused Pakistan but also leader Kapil Sibal told confused our own reporters.

Recalling Modi's people," said Sibal frequent attacks on Pakistan during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, Sibal won- Sittwe in Myanmar. What is dered how he had done a "U- Modi's response to it? Silence. turn" after becoming the Prime China is wooing Maldives and Minister.

Seychelles," he added.

"You are now even willing to Sibal insisted the "high-progo to Pakistan and talk to Nawaz file visits, sound and light Sharif during the SAARC shows" publicized in the US, Conference....This government's China, Australia and the one proconfusing signals have not only posed in the Silicon Valley may confused Pakistan but also con- be good for publicity but hardly fused our own people," said represent the protection of the Sibal. country's vital interests through Congress has been targeting a well thought out foreign policy.

Modi since his meeting with his -PTI

'Stoning of minister reflects anger Chinese Navy ship docks at Mumbai against Akalis' CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa has said the hostile reception that the Akali leaders led by the Agriculture Minister Tota Singh received in US reflected anger against the SAD government.

It should be an eye-opener for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal as it reflected anger against them, he added.

Tota Singh became the soft target as both father and son had no courage to set their foot in the countries with large Punjabi population like in Canada and USA, Bajwa said.

He referred to the efforts by the Badals to woo the Punjabi Diaspora by organizing NRI summits with zero end results and the hate against them had been on the increase.

He asserted the NRIs contin-

ued to face the same problems despite the tall promises made at these summits.

This is not only about their problems but also because of the issues like drug menace, staggering debt burden, lack of develop-

The Narendra Modi government on which it had high hopes had ditched Punjab but Badal was unashamedly lauding it's so called magnanimity ment and false dreams shown to the people that was getting reflected in the demonstrations against Akali leaders abroad, Bajwa added.

"The NRIs too are highly con-

cerned with the open loot by the Badals as evident from their proliferating business while the socio-economic crisis in the state is deepening. There is rank mismanagement and blatant corruption in the administration.

Now Sukhbir Badal want to buy people's support with Rs 10,000 crore loan in the name of development. The fact of the matter is that the Badal government has miserably failed and this is the cause of people's anger against it everywhere", he said in a statement here.

The Narendra Modi government on which it had high hopes had ditched Punjab but Badal was unashamedly lauding it's so called magnanimity to cover embarrassment, he said. He called upon Sukhbir Singh Badal to visit Canada and US and himself face the situation rather than sending sacrificial goats.-PTI

MUMBAI: Jinan, a Luyang IIclass missile destroyer of Chinese Navy has docked at Mumbai harbor on a stopover while on an anti-piracy mission on the Gulf of Aden.

Defense sources said the destroyer will be leaving for Salalah in Oman on July 24.

The arrival of the Chinese vessel comes at a time when India is keeping a keen eye on the Chinese naval movement in the Indian Ocean Region.

Earlier this month, a Chinese submarine had docked in Karachi, Pakistan, raising the eyebrows of the Indian security establishment. -PTI

'Don't need cameraman to understand poverty' NEW DELHI: Taking a jibe at political leaders exploiting photo opportunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he does not need to take a cameraman with him to understand poverty.

Addressing the 46th Indian Labor Conference, he said the poor have more right on me than any

other prime minister in the past.

"I have seen poverty; I have no difficulty in understanding their plight. I do not need to take a cameraman to know about poverty. I fully understand it and I have the zeal to do something for poor," he said recalling his humble origins. -PTI

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BJP turns heat on Cong over bribery case PANAJI/NEW DELHI: BJP has turned the heat on Congress over allegations of payment of bribes by a US firm to win contracts in Goa and Assam while in power and pushed for a CBI probe even as it sought to drag the latter's top brass into the case.

On his part, former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who headed the Congress government during the alleged bribery in 2009 involving New Jersey-based construction management firm Louis Berger to secure a contract for a water developmental scheme, denied involvement by any of his ministers in giving clearance and asserted he was ready for any probe.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who

is in office since 2001, ordered an inquiry into the allegations of bribery for winning the contract for Guwahati Water Supply Project.

Louis Berger has been charged with bribing Indian officials with several crores to win two major water developmental projects in Goa and Guwahati.

The alleged bribery of USD 976,630 for a Goa project included that to a minister, the details of which have not been disclosed by the US Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors, in their 11-page chargesheet, alleged that Louis Berger maintained a detailed diary and account of bribery made to Indian officials.

"A party delegation will soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Rajnath Singh demanding an inquiry through CBI into the bribery scam.

The entire dealing of JAICA ((Japan International Cooperation Agency) project should be probed by CBI and if more people are involved, they should also be arrested, Tendulkar said

The guilty should be punished," BJP's Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar said in Panaji.

The entire dealing of JAICA ((Japan International Cooperation Agency) project should be probed by CBI and if more people are involved, they should also be arrested, Tendulkar said.

"The truth should be revealed. It is clear before the US court that the bribe was paid, we should know who accepted the money," he said.

With the BJP top brass deciding to aggressively counter Congress in Parliament, the party spokesperson M J Akbar alleged involvement of its ruling family in the bribery case.

"Since this is Congress, we would like to know how much of this loot was shared upwards to the ruling family in Delhi," he said at a media briefing in Delhi where he read from the US probe document which, he said, made it a "proven" case of bribery.

Union Defense Minister and former Goa Chief M Manohar Parrikar hinted at the involvement of Goa's two ex-ministers in the alleged bribery case and sought a CBI probe. He, however, did not name anyone.

In Guwahati, Gogoi directed Additional Chief Secretary Subash Das to probe into the allegations and submit the report soon and said if any prima facie evidence of bribe being given is found, the state government will refer the case to CBI. BJP spokesperson Bijon Mahajan said that those who received bribes must be brought to book and demanded a CBI probe.

-PTI

Murthy for a strong board for FTII MUMBAI: As the student's strike at the FTII sees no end in sight, Infosys cofounder Narayan Murthy has said there is a need to strengthen the institute and a strong board is one of the ways to achieve that.

Murthy, who took Infosys to great heights in his over three-decade long association with the company, said institutes like the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) need to be strengthened to match with the best internationally.

"One of the ways of doing it is having a board comprising experienced members," Murthy told reporters on the sidelines of an event of the filmmaker Subhash Ghaipromoted film school -Whistling Woods.

"Other ways through which the quality of the reputed institutes can be bettered include focusing more on technology," he added.

Lamenting that there are very few film schools in the country, Murthy stressed on the need to have more such institutes.

However, Murthy declined to comment on the ongoing controversy at the institute in Pune over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman.-PTI

July 24, 2015

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Tech News I-T dept to bring 1 crore new people under tax net NEW DELHI: The Income Tax department has launched an ambitious drive to bring under its net one crore new taxpayers after the government recently asked the taxman to achieve the target within the current fiscal.

As part of government's initiative to broaden the tax base, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body of the I-T, has activated all field formations of the department to achieve the goal with the Pune region being given the maximum target of bringing in over 10 lakh new assesses.

The order issued by the CBDT, also accessed by PTI, has laid down region-wise targets.

Maharashtra's second largest urban centre Pune leads the list with the target of over 10.14 lakh new assesses, north western states comprising Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana over 9.30 lakh new assesses, and the newly bifurcated states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will have to contribute 7.93 lakh new taxpayers.

Similarly, Gujarat region has been given a target of getting more than 7.86 lakh taxpayers, Tamil Nadu over 7.64 lakh, West Bengal and Sikkim over 6.91 lakh, and Mumbai region 6.23 lakh assesses.-PTI

China posts 7 per cent GDP growth in Q2 BEIJING: China's economic growth held steady at seven per cent in the second quarter, beating expectations in the backdrop of recent stock market crash and forecasts of slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

The GDP figures announced by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), China's weakest performance since the global crisis, remained unchanged from the first quarter.

The figure is in line with the government target of about seven per cent growth this year and comes in the backdrop of the recent stock market plunge that threatens to disrupt the country's economic reform plans.

In the first half of this year, the gross domestic product (GDP) hit 29.7 trillion yuan (USD 4.9 trillion) up seven per cent year-on-year, the NBS data said.

The national economy has stayed "in the proper range" in the first half as major economic indicators gradually recovered, indicating stabilization and improvement, it said.-PTI

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Hiroyuki Shimizu, Senior VP & Director, Marketing and Sales of Honda ( C ) Vikram Pawah (L) and Sandeep Madan (R) launch the new Honda Jazz car in Kochi on July 17

Indian firms invested $15 million, created 91,000 Jobs in US and New Jersey have the highest foreign direct investment (FDI) NEW DELHI: India-based com- from Indian companies.

Ambassador Arun K Singh panies are responsible for creatsaid, "The Indian industry is making a significant contribution to the US economy, investing billions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs across states and sectors. This trend has grown stronger over the years and is continuing to show remarkable progress. Today Indian companies are Ambassador Arun K Singh at the "Indian Roots, not just investing American Soil" event organized by CII and creating jobs, ing tens of thousands of jobs and they have also become significant $15 billion in investments across stakeholders in the growth and the United States, according to a prosperity of their local communinew report released by the Con- ties. Their linkages run deep federation of Indian Industry (CII) through the support extended by them to education programs and and Grant Thornton (GT).

For the first time, the report, capacity building. The CII study "Indian Roots, American Soil," draws attention to the growing also captured a state-by-state contribution and influence of the Indian industry, which forms an important component of our growing and vibrant relationship with the United States."

Key takeaways from the report: • Together, 100 Indian companies employ more than 91,000 people across 35 states and the District of Columbia.

• The total value of tangible investCongressman George Holding ments made by these 100 compabreakdown of tangible invest- nies exceeds $15.3 billion.

• The top five states in which ments made and jobs created by 100 Indian companies doing busi- Indian companies have generated ness in the United States. New maximum employment are: New Jersey, California, Texas, Illinois Jersey (9.278 jobs), California and New York are home to the (8.937 jobs), Texas (6,230 jobs), Ilmost Americans directly employed linois (4,779 jobs) and New York

by Indian companies. Texas, Penn- (4,134 jobs).

• The top five states in which sylvania, Minnesota, New York, India Post News Service

Indian companies have contrib- and agriculture, energy, and inforuted the highest foreign direct in- mation technology. vestment are: Texas ($3.84 billion), Chandrajit Banerjee, Director Pennsylvania ($3.56 billion), Min- General, CII said, "Indian Roots nesota ($1.8 billion), New York American Soil is CII's flagship ($1.01 billion) and New Jersey ($1 event on Capitol Hill and is part of billion). our ongoing effort to highlight the • The average amount of invest- positive stories of Indian compament received from Indian compa- nies' contributions to the US nies per state is $443 million. economy and society. Our aim, • 84.5% of the companies plan through this event is to highlight to make more investments in the the range and depth of Indian inUnited States.

• 90% of the companies plan to hire more employees locally in the next five years.

CII released the study on Capitol Hill during an event that highlighted Congressman Ami Bera at CII event at the Capitol held on the contribuJuly 14 at Washington DC tions of Indian companies to the U.S. economy, in the vestments in the United States. form of FDI, jobs created and India is now the fourth fastest saved, research and development, growing source of investments skills training and local corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Ambassador Arun K. Singh, Ambassador of India to the U.S., spoke in support of the contributions. In addition, several members of the US Congress and a delegation of CII member-comSenator John Cornyn pany CEOs from India participated in the event. into America - this is a very critical The CII-GT survey respondents aspect of the burgeoning bilateral represent diverse sectors includ- US-India business story and one ing pharmaceuticals, telecommu- that has an immediate and visible nications, financial services, health positive impact on the local comcare, materials and manufacturing, munities where these companies media and entertainment, tourism operate. It's a story that needs to and hospitality, engineering and be told and re-told."

Cont’d on page 13 construction, automotive, food

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India story is very exciting one: Microsoft NEW YORK: Microsoft recognizes India as a "growth opportunity", a senior company executive has said as he voiced enthusiasm over the potential of combining the firm's technological tools with the country's ambitious campaigns like 'Make in India' and 'Digital India'.

"What is really exciting is the initiatives going on with the government" and technology plays a very critical role in all, whether it is Make in India, Digital India or the Skill India campaign, General Manager SMS&P (Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners) at Microsoft India, Meetul Patel told PTI on the sidelines of the Microsoft Worldwide Conference that concluded last week in Orlando.

"The government has done a tremendous job in building excitement around India. The programs are easy and simple to understand," he said in an interview.

"From Make in India, Digital India to the (focus on) smart cities, it is pretty evident that things are happening and it makes it easy for us as business people to talk to others in the rest of the world and say here is a story and there is a resonance that already exists in their minds about what is going on and it helps a lot," he added.

Patel voiced optimism and enthusiasm over the possibility of a technological "explosion" in India as technology converges with the political environment.

"Microsoft's technology combined with India's passion and desire to enter the 21st century

Meetul Patel

Indian firms invested $15 million, created 91,000 Jobs in US Cont’d from page 12

Sumit Mazumder, President, CII said, "Indian Industry today is bullish on the US-India partnership. Our companies are deeply committed to the US market and are well integrated into the local communities where they are investing and creating jobs. PM Modi and President Obama's vision for the US-India relationship is in many ways best exemplified through these Indian companies in America that though have Indian roots, but are completely enmeshed into US soil."

Participating companies in the Capitol Hill event included Bank of Baroda, Birlasoft, Cyient, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Essel Propack, Exim Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, ITC Infotech, Larsen & Tourbo, Mahindra USA, Mindteck, NIIT, Piramal Healthcare, State Bank of India, Sun Pharma, Taj Hotels and Resorts, TATA Communications, TATA Group, TATA Consultancy Services, Torrent Pharma, Wipro and Wockhardt

Congressmen comment Senator Warner, Virginia, CoChair, Senate India Caucus said, "A cornerstone of relations between India and U.S. is the thriving commercial exchange between the countries. As India surges forward to become the fourth fastest growing source of FDI into the U.S., it is critical that we recognize the positive impact of Indian business investments in the country.

In Virginia, Indian companies have been key players in creating jobs

and engaging communities. I hope to see this trend continue in the future, with increased Indian business operations in the country."

Congressman Ami Bera, California - 7th district, Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said, "As the only Indian American currently serving in Congress and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on

Senator Mark Warner

India and Indian Americans, I've seen firsthand the contributions the Indian American community has made to our country. I also believe that growing the economic partnership between India and the U.S. will benefit both economies and bring new jobs to Sacramento County. I'm proud to help advance the economic and political dialogue between India and the United States. The Indian American community and Indian American business owners have been a critical part of the economic and social fabric of the nation, and I

hope to see the United States continue to positively engage with these groups in the future."

Congressman Holding, North Carolina - 13th district, Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said "The friendship between the United States and India has grown stronger over the past year. And both our nations are better for it.

Indian businesses have brought jobs to North Carolina and, at the same time, doors have opened for American companies to offer their goods and services to people in India. I am glad to see, as today's event proves, that the diplomatic and business bonds between our nations - continue to grow stronger."

Congresswoman Coleman, New Jersey 12th district, said, "As a Representative from a state with one of the largest and most thriving IndianAmerican communities in the country, I know just how much Indian-owned companies contribute to our economy. In New Jersey, and across the country, these companies create jobs and invest in our communities. We must continue to highlight the positive role they frequently play here in the U.S., and find opportunities to expand our relationships further."

and our partners' ecosystem readiness, you put all of this together and we are looking at a new era in terms of technology adoption in the country," Patel said.

He said while it has been only a year for many of the government's ambitious programs to come in, "we can feel and see the momentum beginning to happen."

He noted that while manufacturing is the focus of the Make in India initiative, quality and collaboration will be necessary to fit into the global supply chain and Microsoft tools like Office and Skype provide that very capability.

"In order to plug into a global supply chain, productivity, quality and collaboration are going to be necessary... Microsoft tools like Office provide that very capability," allowing firms to communicate and collaborate across the world, Patel said. "We have the technologies to allow them to become world class and integrated into the global supply chain," he said.

Patel said that Microsoft's partners recognize that India is a "growth opportunity" as they simply look at the "white space in

the country - the population that has not started using technology."

"Not many countries in the world have the size of population - consumer and small business that have not begun to use technology as in India," he said.

The solution providers that develop the applications that can be on cloud are also talking to the company and inquiring about applications relevant to the Indian consumer and small business, he said.

"The India story is a very exciting one. It is the biggest white space that exists in terms of opportunity for many companies to come in," he added.

Patel also cited the initiatives taken by Microsoft in India to get women initiated in IT, programs to educate teachers and investment in educational institutions as "our efforts to get the environment and ecosystem ready to be able to support this growth."

Referring to the government's Skills India initiative, Patel said Microsoft's cloud and mobility can help people learn and acquire new skills in unprecedented ways.

"The Internet provides the ability to people to remote learn and get access to information...This is what cloud and mobility provide...

We are opening the doors for people to learn and develop skills in a different format in a scale and speed that were never accessible before," he said.-PTI

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India, Russia to jointly build 200 military choppers MOSCOW: In a move aimed at boosting India's defense sector, 200 helicopters will be manufactured in the country with Russian collaboration as part of intensification and diversification of their strategic ties.

The agreement, reached recently, is one of the several new defense projects on which the two countries are working on, including under the ambit of 'Make in India' program, Indian Ambassador to Russia P S Raghavan told PTI here.

He underlined that the decades-old defense cooperation with Russia remains vibrant despite India purchasing military equipment from other countries, like the recent decision to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France.

"This (India-Russia ties) is a huge, broad based relationship,

getting broader every day," he said.

"Recently, we have agreed to joint manufacture of helicopters in India... Joint manufacture of 200 helicopters in India is big bang. If two countries decide to manufacture 200 helicopters in India with transfer of technology, and license production, this is big bang," he said.

He said this could possibly be the first defense project under 'Make in India' initiative.

Raghavan was responding when asked to comment on the perception that the defense relations between India and Russia are getting diluted as New Delhi has been looking at other countries for military purchases.

Maintaining that India-Russia defense ties remain vibrant, he said, "People notice few things we

do which are non-Russian... There are newer and newer products and newer and newer projects which don't get noticed and attention gets diverted to few things that we do outside Russia."

China's growth outlook still promising: Xi BEIJING: President Xi Jinping has reassured local governments that China's economy still enjoys a promising outlook despite downward growth pressure pegging it around seven per cent.

Xi made the remarks during a discussion with provincial officials after an inspection tour to Jilin where he urged the northeastern province to strive for breakthroughs while adapting to the "new normal" of slower economic development.

He pointed out the Chinese economy is in good condition with unchanged factors, including sound economic fundamentals, remarkable flexibility, huge potential and room for growth, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The economy is undergoing steady restructuring with emerging sectors cropping up to lend fresh steam to drive growth, Xi added.

"We should be confident that economic growth still enjoys promising prospects," Xi said.

China's economy posted betterthan-expected growth of 7 per cent in the second quarter of 2015, according to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The economy is entering a new stage of slower but more resilient growth, which Xi has called the "new normal".

The essence of the "new normal" is not fast growth, but an improved economic structure that relies more on the services industry, consumption, and innovation.

The latest data shows the services sector has become the big-

Chinese President Xi Jinping

gest driver of economic growth, expanding 8.4 per cent in the first

half and accounting for 49.5 per cent of GDP. -PTI

China's single-day box office hits record high BEIJING: China's total box office sales surpassed 400 million yuan (about USD 64.4 million), a record for a single day, according to the data from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT).

The biggest contributor was domestic fantasy-comedy "Monster Hunt," which brought in 180 million yuan on July 18, state run Xinhua news agency reported. Box office revenues hit 29.64 billion yuan (USD 4.94 billion) last year, up 36.15 per cent from the previous year.

Domestic film productions

grabbed 16.16 billion yuan, 54.51 per cent of the total market share.

Some of the Indian films that have done well include Aamir Khan's "PK", whose Chinese version has fetched 100 million yuan (about USD 16.6 million).

"Jian Bing Man," a domestic comedy that tells the story of an actor's experience in the film industry, came in second, grossing 149 million yuan.

"Monkey King: Hero is Back," the 3D animated adaption of the classical epic "A Journey to the West," took in 62 million yuan to be the third biggest contributor on the day.-PTI

He said a number of projects are under active discussion and "sooner or later, they will come out in the open." He, however, refused to give details about these, saying there can be no disclosure till

the decisions are firmed up.

While dismissing the perception that the vibrancy of IndiaRussia ties in defense sector are getting eroded, the Ambassador said, "Some impressions get formed on the basis of inaccurate or incomplete information."

Acknowledging that India is diversifying its defense purchases "as many countries do" to take advantage of opportunities, he said, "But our armed forces are 6070 per cent dependent on Russian supplies. That is a reality that cannot change overnight."

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raghavan said Russia continues to remain India's primary defense supplier.

"In fact, he (PM) has said that Russia has been and will remain primary defense supplier (of India)," he added. -PTI

India, Russia sign customs pact to boost trade MOSCOW: With bilateral trade India and Russia are working toextremely low, India and Russia gether, will help in reducing the have initiated steps to remove the distance and expenses by almost hindrances and boost commerce half. by signing an agreement in the "With Russia, we are working area of customs and moving to lib- on opening up of North South eralize business visas.

Corridor, for trade from India to The bilateral trade during the Russia to central Asia through last year was just USD 9.51 billion Iran. and Prime Minister Narendra We made some progress with Modi and Russian President all stakeholders in this. It will reVladimir Putin discussed ways to duce freight by roughly half, reincrease it when they met in Ufa duce time by roughly half and on July 8. make Indian goods competitive," The two countries have fixed a he said. target of USD 30 billion to be Among other steps being taken achieved by 2025.

"The fact that trade and investment is not "With Russia, we are workup to expectations was widely accepted by the ing on opening up of North leaders of the two coun- South Corridor, for trade tries," Indian Ambassador to Russia P S from India to Russia to cenRaghavan told PTI here tral Asia through Iran.� while referring to the Ufa meeting.

He said the trade has remained low because of various to address the non-tariff barriers, factors, like inadequate connectiv- the Ambassador said, was an ity, language barriers, visa barri- agreement reached very recently ers and regulations. on customs which provides for "Distances are long. Shipping rapid clearances of imported route at present is far too long and goods at the land and sea ports. expensive. There is no land con"We will identify entities to be nectivity because of political rea- covered under this. It will signifisons and security considerations," cantly address one of the non-tarhe said. iff barriers," he said.

While talking about the barriWith regard to visas issue, ers, Raghavan said, "We are work- which is encountering problems ing to clear each of them... We from the Russian side, the two have made progress... countries are also "close" to an We are systematically working agreement on further liberalizato expand trade." tion. "Hope that will take place in He said the proposed North- the near future," Raghavan said. South freight corridor, on which PTI

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Connecticut farm to milk cows with robots CANAAN, Conn.: The cows on Freund's Farm are about to trade in their cowbells for transponders, and robots will take over their daily milking.

The Northwest Corner farm next year will become the first in Connecticut to include robotic milkers in a new, high-tech barn - a move that the Freund family says will save manpower and could increase milk production. It's a bold move for the family business, one of the last 149 dairy farms in Connecticut in a state once home to hundreds more.

The family decided in January to build a new barn and include the latest technology, said Isaac Freund. They hope construction will be completed by next spring. Isaac Freund and his sisters, Amanda and Rachel, are third-generation Freund farmers. Their grandfather bought the land in the late 1940s. ``We think this is the perfect project for a generation change,'' Isaac Freund said. ``Last year had some of the best milk prices on record, so we knew we had to move forward.''

While Freund's Farm will be the first in the state to switch to robotic technology, the trend is growing in New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, said Wayne Kasacek, Department of Agriculture assistant director.

The milking of cows is a chore long ago mechanized but people were still required to hook the cows up to the equipment and groups of cows had to be milked at once.

At Freund's, which has a herd of 300, the cows currently are milked twice a day, at 12:30 p.m. and at midnight. The milking stalls can hold 20 cows at a time, while 50 to 60 others wait in a holding area that can be hot and stressful to the animals, Rachel Freund said. The robots will turn the farm into a 24hour milking operation.

The new system will recognize each cow as it comes through the barn door with chips inside a transponder around its neck, Rachel Freund said.

The robot, which looks like any stationary stall, has a laser that will take 3D images of each cow's udder. This allows the robot to attach itself without human intervention.

When it recognizes each cow, it will know how to attach itself for milking.

The cows will be trained to seek out the robot at milking time. The freedom of each cow to make its own schedule will allow for more than two milks a day for fresh cows and fewer for cows that produce less milk, Rachel Freund said.

The cows will have to get used to the robots, and each animal will have to be walked through the machine one at a time during the first week. Cows will be enticed into the robot with grain.

After initial training, when a cow decides it is milking time, there will be a handful of cows ahead in line, rather than the 50 to 60 in the holding area.

Freund's chose a Lely-brand robot from Europe. The most recent model, the Astronaut A4, costs upward of $200,000. The entire herd can be milked with one robot because the cows can be milked around the clock.

The high-tech collars will provide other helpful information as well, such as how many times a cow ruminates - or chews her

cud before digesting it as well as how much the cow walks around and when it may be in heat. ``If we change any of the feed, we can tell how the cows respond to that,'' Rachel Freund said. ``Ruminating less, there might be something wrong. Walking less could mean they are sick.''

The new barn will

have other updates including insulation, new bedding and alley scrapers that clean barn floors without disturbing resting cows, all in the hope of producing more milk.

Rachel Freund said the new technology can cut the cost of labor, but with a sprawling operation that includes more than 600 acres of crops, it is unlikely the farm will have to cut staff.

According to a 2012 USDA census, milk from cows made up more than 45 percent of Connecticut agricultural sales, producing almost $7 million from 149 farms. -AP

Desi News 60 shotgun blasts at temple sign in N. Carolina India Post News Service

NORTH CAROLINA: Members of the Indian community across USA and Hindus in particular are greatly upset over reports that the sign of planned "Winston Salem Hindu Temple" in Clemmons (North Carolina) was hit with over 60 shotgun blasts earlier this month.

This comes on the heels of reports of vandalizing of North Texas Hindu Mandir in Dallas around April 13 and vandalizing of two Hindu temples in Seattle metropolitan area of Washington State in February last, where words like "Get Out" and "fear" were scrawled on the temple walls.

In addition, a Hindu grandfather was roughed-up by police in Madison (Alabama) in February, resulting in his partial paralysis.

Details on page 18

FIA-Chicago to host spectacular I-Day Parade HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Federation of Indian Associations-Chicago [FIA] will host a spectacular India Independence Day Parade on Saturday August 15 at 11:30 am on the newly-refurbished stretch of Devon Ave in Chicago with a host of high-level elected officials, celebrities and dignitaries in the lead.

The marching bands and colorful floats each uniquely depicting the distinctive culture of various hues and traditions of India.

The parade will be led under the chair of Smita Shah complemented by the efforts of Parade Co-Chair Syed Hussaini. Parade Manager Kanti Patel and Anil Pillai will render logistic help.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

16 India Post

Appearance

July 24, 2015

Details on page 26

RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO: SF Global Movie Fest, an integral part of Festival of Globe (FOG), this year boasts of over three thousand movie entries from all over the world. It was a very tough decision for the eminent jurors to narrow the list down to fit into the eight-day window where the selected movies will be showcased to discerning viewers and judges from Aug 7th through Aug 14th.

This year FIA has expanded its network to bring you the Festival of Globe (FOG). Celebrated from Aug 7th to Aug 16th, it features SF Global Movie Fest, FOG Awards, Famous Mela (Fair), and Grand Parade. To support the oppressed and show solidarity, this year our theme is Freedom for All Globally. This year's net proceeds from FOG 2015 will go towards women's issues.

The SF Global Movie Fest mission is to empower and integrate global cultures and communities

Lavish Iftaar dinner by Etihad Airways A.Q. SIDDIQUI India Post News Service

Details on page 21

Krishna's Divine

SF Global Movie Fest all set to take Bay area by storm

Details on page 19

CHICAGO: Every year the holy month of Ramadan gets families and friends together in Iftaar dinners. The last ten days of Ramadan generate more religious and social activity including Iftaar dinners by big banners. It is also time when many non-Muslims join their Muslim friends for the taste of Ramadan Iftaar and share the moments of day-long fast breaking.

www.indiapost.com

The Secret of

Dr Romesh Japra, Founder and Convener, FOG displaying the FOG poster

Dr Romesh Japra, Founder and Convener, FOG addressing the audience at Union Square, San Francisco

through Film Arts, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Folk Arts.

FOG creates various platforms for deserving artists and honors celebrities who help us achieve the same. San Francisco Global Movie Fest features the best of world cinema with a gateway to Silicon Valley that fosters creative and technical talent.

We present the newest and best films from around the world, and we ensure that our audience learns something along the way - about other cultures, about the topic at hand, about the experience from the filmmakers themselves. By bringing the best of world cinema to Silicon Valley, San Francisco Global Movie Fest presents the region and the film industry with a singular platform that empowers creative talent in the most advanced technical hub amongst premier wealth creators.

The movie fest will feature short films, documentaries, feature films and music videos submitted by independent filmmakers from around the world. 'Bhopal' movie highlighting manmade disasters will be screened in the presence of Hollywood celebrities Martin Sheen, Kat Kramer and Kal Pen. Burning issues such as domestic violence, sex trafficking, child abuse and woman empowerment will be highlighted. Physically challenged human beings are helped

through 'Goonga Pahalwaan', a realty documentary.

Below is the list of superb movies selected and shown during the Movie Fest. Movies will be shown at Camera 12 cinemas and California theaters in San Jose.

Opening Film Fantastic Four

Narrative Feature Parallax - Graham Nolte (US) 19th January (India) Oass (India)

Chalk N' Duster (India)

Documentary Feature Goonga Pahalwaan (India) Urban World (US/India) Furthest From The Wild (US) Dr Lala (Hungary) Justice For Widow (India)

Narrative Short Rai Dance (India) Rebel Child (US) Lapsus (France) Kiko's Paradise (Spain) Tamso Ma Jyotirgamay (India)

The movie fest will feature short films, documentaries, feature films and music videos submitted by independent filmmakers from around the world. 'Bhopal' movie highlighting manmade disasters will be screened in the presence of Hollywood celebrities Rough Book (India) Rainy Day (Persia) Tulsi (Nepal) Bhopal (Non-competition) Cry Now (Mexico) Love And Love Only (Australia) Gour Hari Dastaan (India) UnFreedom (India) Makhmal (India) Dementia (Philippines) Kolikiyug (Bengal) ABCD 2 (India)

Still Standing (New Zealand) Might Be (Greece) The Way Of Tea (France)

Feature Screenplay Frogman War 2.0 Sheriff Private Life of American Mom Speak To Me Second Act Cont’d on page 17

July 24, 2015

Community Across America

India Post 17

www.indiapost.com

Shreya charms community with soulful numbers KAVI AGRAWAL

Haji Springer puts together theme song

India Post News Service

B

orn in the Bay Area, California Mu sic producer/ Rapper Haji Springer has been making waves in the international music scene since 2009 having worked with mega stars such as VishalShekhar, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sanjay Dutt, Bohemia the Punjabi Rapper, platinum re-

cording artist Baby Bash and the list goes on. Haji has dropped various tracks in past few years charting and trending taking the # 1 spot on YouTube collecting over 3 millions views.

Haji is set for the FOG Awards and will be performing some of his big tunes including the official theme song for the FOG event he has composed and recorded.

SF Global Movie Fest all set to take Bay area by storm Cont’d from page 16

Short Screenplay Tigerskull Epic Gone Fishing 10 Minutes Good Catholic Girl The Temp SOUP Becoming Lana Liu

FOG Awards and Red Carpet Gala will be held on Saturday August 15 at SAP Center at 5:00 p.m. Aesthetically appealing performances will continue in to the evening at SAP center.

Visit www.FOGsv.org for more details.

FOG Awards tickets available at ticketmaster.com.

Buy tickets at Sulekha.com/FOG

SAN JOSE, CA: With snaking queues and houseful board sign outside the National Civic Center was the most happening place this past Sunday. The occasion was a Live performance by Bollywood's melody queen Shreya Ghoshal. Shreya's concert in San Jose was part of her USA tour across six cities - Houston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Tampa conceptualized by Shree Balaji Entertainment Ltd. The who's who of Bay Area Indian community could be seen at the concert dressed in their finest swooning to Shreya Ghoshal's soulful numbers. The slow romantic numbers at the beginning gave way to foot tapping item numbers like "Nagada Sang Dhol"

and "Chikni Chameli" forcing people out of their seats. Shreya's tribute to classics like "Lag Ja Gale" had the audience captivated.

The show came to a close with thunderous applause with loud cheers of 'once more'.

The sold out show, was organized by Instant Karma, Shor Media and Bollywood Events. "We know Bay Area Desi community loves Shreya and expected to have a great turn out, but having a sold out show weeks before the event was unexpected. We had to turn away a lot of fans who came to the venue to buy tickets. We felt bad but we plan to bring Shreya back soon," said Bhavini Joshi, founder of Instant Karma.

Cont’d on page 18

18 India Post

Community Across America

July 24, 2015

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60 shotgun blasts at temple sign in N. Carolina India Post News Service

NORTH CAROLINA: Members of the Indian community across USA and Hindus in particular are greatly upset over reports that the sign of planned "Winston Salem Hindu Temple" in Clemmons (North Carolina) was hit with over 60 shotgun blasts earlier this month.

This comes on the heels of reports of vandalizing of North Texas Hindu Mandir in Dallas

around April 13 and vandalizing of two Hindu temples in Seattle metropolitan area of Washington State in February last, where words like "Get Out" and "fear" were scrawled on the temple walls.

In addition, a Hindu grandfather was roughed-up by police in Madison (Alabama) in February, resulting in his partial paralysis.

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident that happened sometime between noon and 1 pm July 4, according The sign for the Winston-Salem Hindu Temple in Clemmons vandalized recently. Pic courtesy Lauren Carroll/Journal

to a sheriff's office report. A deputy found empty shell casings near the sign that were consistent with bird shots being fired two to three times from a shotgun, said Chief Deputy Brad Stanley of the sheriff's office.

Investigators have no leads or suspects, Stanley said.

The sheriff's office doesn't have any information that the organization was targeted because of its faith, Stanley said." It appears just to be vandalism, Deputies have increased their patrols in the area," he added The Ground Breaking Cer-

emony (Bhoomi Puja) for "Winston Salem Hindu Temple" was held just last month with Om Hindu Organization of North Carolina and Sri Mata Shaktipeetham planning to build a Hindu temple on 7.6 acres land bought last spring.

The Construction of this 3,600square-foot Temple, after consultations with temple architects in India, is proposed to start later this year. This will be the first Hindu temple of Forsyth County where about 500 Hindu families reside.

Cont’d on page 20

Shreya charms community with soulful numbers Cont’d from page 17

"We have been organizing concerts for a decade and this sort of show turn out is unprecedented.

We hope people will continue to show their love and support for our future shows. To avoid standing in lines and being disappointed with seats sold out, we recommend our patrons to buy their tickets online on Ticketmaster or Sulekha," said BikramJeet Singh, Bollywood Events.

"We couldn't have done it without the support of our volunteers, partners and sponsors"said Amitabh Bhargava, cofounder Instant Karma.

The Platinum sponsor for the event was Roger Bakshi of CalCoast Financial. Gold Sponsors included Intero Real Estate, Matrix Insurance, Porche, Travelopod.

Bay Area's premium radio channel 1170 AM was the exclusive radio partner for the concert. Cakes & Bakes provided delectable food to accentuate the evening. Yours Humanly - a non-profit organization which aims to fight and end child illiteracy served as the phi-

lanthropy partner for the event.

Production partner for the show was Pacific Sounds.

Upcoming shows include comedy king Kapil Sharma's Comedy with Kapil and Family on August 1st, followed by the singing leg-

end Nitin Mukesh on 21st August.

Not to mention a Dance party with Bollywood hunk Upen Patel on August 8th.

More information on the shows can be found online at www.Bollyevents.com or www.instantkarmaonline.com

Community Across America

July 24, 2015

India Post 19

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FIA-Chicago to host spectacular I-Day Parade HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Federation of Indian Associations-Chicago [FIA] will host a spectacular India Independence Day Parade on Saturday August 15 at 11:30 am on the newly-refurbished stretch of Devon Ave in Chicago with a host of high-level elected officials, celebrities and dignitaries in the lead.

The marching bands and colorful floats each uniquely depicting the distinctive culture of various hues and traditions of India.

The parade will be led under the chair of Smita Shah complemented by the efforts of Parade Co-Chair Syed Hussaini. Parade Manager Kanti Patel and Anil Pillai will render logistic help.

Dr Indrajit Patel, FIA President is expecting a large turnout for this grand parade reflective of the passionate spirit for the motherland.

He said that this year he is extremely proud to enlist the support of a wide range of sponsors.

The India Independence Day Gala Banquet on Friday August 14- 6:30 pm at the Meadows Club will serve as an enthusiastic pre-

FIA President Dr Indrajit Patel

cursor for the grand weekend festivities. The evening ceremonies will also have the presentation of community awards recognizing prominent figures who have made indelible community contributions.

For the first time - in partnership with the Office of the India Consulate in Chicago - FIA will jointly host India Flag-hoisting ceremony on August 15 at 9 am

Withdrawal sought of sexually explicit Mandala SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Members of Indian community have made a fervent plea for the withdrawal of "Sacred Circle VI" Mandala mosaic from John B. Aird Gallery run in a government building in Toronto. They say it trivializes Hinduism and hence is highly inappropriate.

Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, Nevada, joined by Madhu Patel, president of NRI Press Club Chicago, observed that Mandalas was a sacred symbolic drawing in Hinduism and was used for establishing a sacred space. Assembling pornographic images of women in a Mandala was disturbing for Hindus, as mostly Mandalas contain images of deities Hindus worship.

The Ontario Government should not be instrumental in promoting pornography and hurting the feelings of the devotees of a leading global faith. Explicit and graphic sex acts displayed under the pretext of "sacred" happening just steps away from Legislative

Assembly of Ontario and in a government building is really shocking, said Rajan. He urged Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to intervene in the withdrawal of this objectionable Mandala mosaic from the Gallery.

Mandala exhibit

"We are all for the free expression of thoughts and ideas in art and literature but trivializing one's belief and faith bordering on commercialism is crossing the limit of freedom," Madhu said. "Art galleries should be more sensitive while handling faith related subjects, Rajan added.

Cont’d on page 22

A group of FIA officials

on the Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago. CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed will do the flag-hoisting accompanied with the national salute and the singing of the national anthems of

both India and the USA. Chairman Iftekhar Shareef along with his team is working to put together patriotic-themed cultural dance presentations.

Keerthi Ravoori will engage in protocol, public relations and events promotions. For more information, please contact: Tel:708574-4344.

Community Across America

20 India Post

July 24, 2015

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Nitin Mukesh steals hearts at St Louis ASHWIN PATEL

Badshah of Stage Nitin Mukesh with Manasi

ST LOUIS: Nitin Mukesh, son of legendary singer Mukesh and an acclaimed singer in his own

right, enthralled a packed house of over 300 guests at St. Louis University High School on Satur-

A section of the audience

Excited members of audience dance to the tune of Nitin

day 18 July in St. Louis.

Singing old hits from silver jubilee Bollywood films, Awara, Chalia, Boot Polish, Kabhi Kabhi, Saranga, Anand, Anokhi Raat and scores more of his golden hits riveted the crowd for three hours nonstop. His melodies are many and immortal .

Having been intimately involved in the life of senior Mukesh, who could be better than Nitin to bring his music and moods back to you? This was the feeling of those present at the concert.

At one point, Mukesh sang and walked through the crowd and gave hugs and handshakes to his devoted fans. The versatile singer kept the audience on their feet with

Over 8000 celebrate Eid at Ashyana Banquets SURESH BODIWALA

ues that held Eid prayers throughout the region, the largest turnouts were at the Ashyana Ban-

cluding Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India, with family attended the Eid prayers .Women in vibrant colored dresses, men in ethnic outfits and children, smiling and laughing, filled the parking lots and poured into the Ashyana Banquets Imam and Residential Scholar of the ICN, Mufti Rizwan Ali, delivered a talk on the good deeds performed by the Muslims during the month of Ramadan and the generous rewards promised

by Allah SWT to them. He stated that in the present day world, which is beset by widespread immorality, including the practice of giving and taking of interest, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India, with Community leaders of Naperville. intake of intoxicants etc., the -Pics Asian Media USA Muslims, across the globe, areas flocked to Ashyana Ban- quets where arrangements for Eid engaged themselves in fasting, quets on Friday July 17 to partici- prayers were made by the Islamic praying, and the reading of Qur'an. pate in celebrations of Eid Ul-Fitr. Center of Naperville (ICN).

Cont’d on page 22 Over 8000 devout Muslims, inWhile there were various venCHICAGO: Over 8000 devout Muslims from all over the Naperville and Chicago suburb

his intimate style and melodious voice. Accompanied by vocalist Manasi, and one of the finest orchestras from Bollywood, Nitin Mukesh made the audience nostalgic about the Golden Era of Bollywood. This was his 7th per-

formance in St. Louis area in last two decades.

The Mukesh Musical Concert was organized by Seema Enterprises & Seema Travel who has been serving St. Louis community for over 30 years.

60 shotgun blasts at temple sign in N. Carolina Cont’d from page 18

sal Society of Hinduism in Nevada, said that it was shocking for the hard-working, harmonious and peaceful US Hindu community numbering about three million; who had made lot of contributions to the nation and society - to receive such signals of hatred and anger.

He pitched for swift action on the part of concerned authorities in the area as well as the state government. He urged North Caro-

In the absence of a temple, the area Hindus have been traveling to Charlotte and Cary, besides worshipping at home shrines.

The Om Hindu Organization looked at several properties in the county, eager for a formal place where it could celebrate the many religious holidays on the Hindu calendar, give thanks to deities during momentous times and come together as a community. "It definitely will become a main hub of In the absence of a Indian families once it is built," said Manjunath temple, the area Hindus Shamanna, a member of have been traveling to the organization's board of directors. About 500 Charlotte and Cary, beIndian families live in sides worshipping at home Forsyth County, with shrines. several in the Clemmons, Lewisville and Pfafftown area, making the lo- lina Governor Patrick L. McCrory, cation of the temple convenient Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman David R. Plyler for many Hindus, he said.

Once those plans are set, Aher and Clemmons Mayor Nicolas Builders, based in Lewisville, will Nelson to meet with area Hindus build the temple. Until then, Hin- to ensure law and order as well as dus are meeting at the site regu- to restore the community's faith in larly, participating in various cer- justice.

Zed pointed out that reasons emonies to purify the land. Last month, for example, Mayor Allen for the success of the US Hindu Joines of Winston-Salem visited community in the areas of educathe site to participate in a tree- tion, wealth and long-lasting harplanting ceremony. Dr. Sudhakar monious marriages were because Pandit, Swami Rajendran and of their continuing with the tradiKrishna Surabhi are Chairman, tional values of hard work, higher Vice Chairman and Secretary re- morals, stress on education, sancspectively. tity of marriage, etc., amidst so Rajan Zed, President of Univer- many distractions.

Community Across America

July 24, 2015

India Post 21

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Lavish Iftaar dinner by Etihad Airways

Etihad Air hosts Iftaar party

A.Q. SIDDIQUI India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Every year the holy month of Ramadan gets families and friends together in Iftaar dinners. The last ten days of Ramadan generate more religious and social activity including Iftaar dinners by big banners. It is also time when many non-Muslims join their Muslim friends for the taste of Ramadan Iftaar and share the mo-

Alnofeli welcomed the guests and arranged for the fast breaking.

Anwar introduced Vincent Frascogna to all local travel agents in the feast. Umesh Patel of Sky Bird Travel, Birju Bhagat of Krisbi Travel, Siddiqui of Evia Travel, Rizwan of RK Travel, Prince of Imperial Travel and Asghar of Aero Travel were among the top consolidator heads invited for the event. Sami Khaja, Sales Manager of Jet Airways and

Masood Akram of Skybird Travel hosts Iftaar

ments of day-long fast breaking.

Etihad Airways has an exclusive lavish Iftaar dinner at The Langham downtown Chicago where heads of all its consolidator agents were invited. The event also coincided with introducing the new Director of Sales Vincent Frascogna who took over Chicago Sales office from Denis Harvill.

Account Manager Mohammad Anwar and associate Khadija

other local dignitaries were seen among the guests.

Turkish Airlines hosted its annual Iftaar dinner for travel partners at Reza Restaurant in downtown Chicago. All Turkish Airlines approved consolidators and staff members were invited for the event. Turkish Airlines Regional Commercial Manager Rahsan Acar and General Manager Levent Selvili, Regional Marketing Man-

FIA Trustee Iftekhar Shareef celebrating with Telangana leaders

Turkish Airlines Iftaar meet

ager Kadir Mermi and other Chicago office members welcomed the guests and joined the iftaar dinner.

Soon after the dinner, GM Levent Selvili thanked the travel agency partners for their support and briefly spoke about newly in-

troduced Boeing 777 in Chicago daily service.

Cont’d on page 23

Community Across America

22 India Post

July 24, 2015

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Sri Sri & Dr Nagendra to address Dharma meet NEELA PANDYA

NEW JERSEY: Hindu Students Council (HSC) has announced that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will be addressing the attendees of the Global Dharma Conference (GDC) live via videoconference on Saturday, September 12.

HSC, the largest Hindu youth

stand the multi-faceted applications of Dharma for the Self as well as for Society and the World whether through the multi-faceted systems of Yoga or the invaluable teachings of Vedas and Vedanta.

Hence, the conference will feature talks, workshops, performances

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Dr HR Nagendra

organization in North America, has slated hosting the Conference 2015 to commemorate its 25th Year Anniversary from September 11 to 13. The conference, to be held at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, New Jersey, aims to explore and under-

and music that depict various expressions of Dharma.

With a theme of "Reconnect, Rejuvenate and Realize," Global Dharma Conference 2015 will build upon the success of the first conference and will feature several prominent dignitaries, speakers,

celebrity guests and artists from around the world.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a universally revered spiritual and humanitarian leader. His vision of a violence-free, stress-free society through the reawakening of human values has inspired millions to broaden their spheres of responsibility and work towards the betterment of the world. One of Sri Sri's most unique offerings to the world is the Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique that facilitates physical, mental, emotional and social well-being.

In 1981, Sri Sri established the Art of Living Foundation, an educational and humanitarian NonGovernmental Organization that works in special consultative status with the Economic and Social

Over 8000 celebrate Eid at Ashyana Banquets

Council (ECOSOC) of the UNO. In 1997, Sri Sri founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to foster human values and lead sustainable development projects. Sri Sri has reached out to an estimated 370 million people worldwide through personal interactions, public events, teachings, The HSC hosted NJ Conference will also have another Yoga Celebrity, Dr H.R. Nagendra, the current President of the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore, India, as a speaker Dr Nagendra is a renowned scholar, yoga therapist, scientist,

of the Yoga University, Bangalore.

A yoga consultant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he has conducted yoga workshops and trainings for leading cabinet members and officials in New Delhi and is the founder of cyclic meditation, a training which combines yoga postures and guided meditation to alleviate occupational stress and treat diseases such as asthma, cancer and psychiatric illnesses. He has successfully helped many overcome their symptoms and reach a state of health and mental well-being.

Thus, HSC is doubly blessed having to host the most dynamic spiritual leaders of the world at

A yoga consultant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he has conducted yoga workshops and trainings for leading cabinet members and officials in New Delhi and is the founder of cyclic meditation, a training which combines yoga postures and guided meditation and leader who has fostered and promoted the yogic sciences in India and all over the world. He has served as Director of the Indian Yoga Institute, Prashanti Kutiram as well as the Chancellor

Global Dharma Conference and a front ranking Yoga therapist Dr Nagendra. "Sri Sri Ji's blessings and help in our efforts will make the conference a resounding success, " said an HSC spokesman.

Withdrawal sought of sexually explicit Mandala

Cont’d from page 20 Cont’d from page 19

Dr Ausaf Sayeed, the Consul General of India, while extending his warmest wishes to Muslims in the United States and around the world, stated that while Eid marks the completion of Ramadan, it is an occasion to celebrate the common values that reinforce the obligations that people of all faiths have towards each other.

"Ramadan is not only a special occasion for fasting and praying but also a month-long rigorous training program for inculcating the values of discipline, patience, caring for the poor, and respect for the fellow beings, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion", he said.

Aadil Farid, President, ICN, said that the month of Ramadan is an occasion for spiritual uplifting, softening the heart and humbling oneself, sharing and caring, seeking forgiveness from Allah SWT, extending forgiveness to others.

"The ICN community comprises over 3500 families representing India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Somalia, Iraq, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and various other countries, he added.

Muslims gather to celebrate Eid Ul-Fitr in Naperville

Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously.

Any assistance about Hinduism, Hindu scholars would be glad to help, both pointed out.

Mandala represents cosmos/ universe and is a way of manifesting deity/deities, and finds mention in Agamas and Tantras. It represents the abode of the deity/deities.

Queen's Park is one of the last places you'd expect to find a sexual piece of art, but artist Rosalie H. Maheux's Sacred Circle VI is currently on display at the John B. Aird Gallery, located in The MacDonald Block at 900 Bay St. The controversial artwork first

appears as an innocuous mosaic but when looked at closely reveals that it's actually composed of naked women placed in various sexual positions. Unsurprisingly, Ontario's Progressive Conservatives aren't too happy with it.

"The fact that a publicly housed gallery has been allowed to not only display but to sell images of this nature is very worrisome," said Laurie Scott, the PC's women's critic, in a statement.

The Government of Ontario provides the exhibition space and related building services for Toronto's John B. Aird Gallery, opened in 1985 and which claims to provide a "nurturing atmosphere".

Jowenne Herrera and Sarah Morison are Gallery Board's copresidents, while Carla Garnet is the Executive Director.

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Danny Davis to honor community heroes RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The much awaited 5th Annual Awards Gala hosted by the 7th Congressional district's Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force is being held on Sunday July 26 at Meadows Club, Rolling Meadows, and a northwest suburb of Chicago This annual event honors Community heroes from different ethnic communities including India, Pakistan, African American, Nigeria, Korea, Armenia, China and Jordan.

Two front ranking community activists and professionals of Indian origin have bagged the honor this year along with half a dozen others. Dr & Mrs Bharat

Dr Abha Agrawal

Barai are adjudged as Couple of the Year while Dr Abha Agrawal, Chief Medical Officer & C.O.O., Norwegian American Hospital is named Woman of the Year.

Other awardees are: Ms Nabella Rasheed from Pakistani American Community - Attorney of the Year, Ms Janice Kim from Korean Ameri-

Congressmen Danny Davis

can Community - Humanitarian of the Year and Professor Supriya Draviam from Ohio - Educator of the Year. Prof Supriya has an outstanding record as a teacher of English for the past 28 years at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio U.S. Congressman Danny K Davis's Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force was established in 2010. The 7th Congressional district's Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force (MEATF) plays an important role in promoting and protecting minorities. The members of Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force firmly believe that for our Congressman Danny Davis, the inclusion and promotion of minorities is not a political compulsion but a matter of deep faith.

The Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force's Annual Awards Gala is a community initiative to honor individuals hailing from different ethnic communities, who have excelled in their respective professions and made significant contribution to society at large. The Gala also honor corporate organization/ s and N.F.P. organization/s who have excelled in providing employment opportunities to minorities and/ serve the minorities in Chicagoland area.

Lavish Iftaar dinner

by Etihad Airways Cont’d from page 21

He said the new aircraft with 3+3+3 configuration in economy offers most comfortable seating in economy and full flat bed in business class. He also spoke about the personal service of Turkish Chef on board even for economy passengers for the choice of their meal.

Masood Akram of Sky Bird Travel Chicago hosted an Iftaar at his residence where most local travel agent friends joined, including PIA ex Manager Shaid Jamal and Sales Manager Sajid Siddiqui.

Umesh Patel and Vikram from Sky

Bird also joined the Iftaar dinner and greeted all travel agency friends. A word of appreciation for Umesh Patel of Sky Bird Travel who was present for almost all Iftaars.

While Chicago's veteran community leader Iftekhar Shareef was away for Ramadan vacation, he was notably seen in social media enjoying Iftaar dinners with top political leaders, including Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao and other dignitaries in Hyderabad. He himself hosted an Iftaar at his Shamsabad residence for the area policemen.

The Annual Awards Gala attracts physicians, professionals and businessmen from all walks of life especially ethnic communities of India, Pakistan, Middle East, Palestine, Korea, China, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Greece, Ukraine and African Americans.

Dr Tapas Dasgupta, Chairman, Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force, said that the Annual Gala showcases our community heroes and reinforces that the various ethnic communities play a significant and integral role in the progress of our society in all walks of life. Every year the Awards Jury receives Drs Bharat and Panna Barai

Professor Supriya Draviam

nominations and also introduces new categories to ensure that diversity is well represented, he added.

Kishor Mehta, Executive Director, Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force, said that the 7th Congressional District is home to a host of world class cultural and higher education institutions. The district includes downtown Chicago, home of Chicago's financial ex-

changes (the Chicago Board of trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Options Enterprise, Chicago Stock exchange) and is one of the world's great International financial centers. The District includes 21 hospitals, dozens of clinics, 22 educational institutions of higher learning and many world class research institutions and medical schools, he added.

Ahimsa Walk slated for July 26 SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC) has announced holding its 2nd "Ahimsa Walk" on Sunday July 26 in Wheaton, a northwest suburb of Chicago The walk will kick-off with the blessings from dignitary, Tarlaben Doshi, encouraging community on global peace and non-violence.

The event leaders, Dimple Shah, Youth Secretary of JSMC and Tejas Shah, President of JSMC, are expecting a great participation from the community towards this noble cause.

Ahi?sa (non-violence) is one of the core pillars and a fundamental

principle of Jainism, forming the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. The term "Ahimsa" also means non-injury or absence of desire to harm any life form. Vegetarianism and other nonviolent practices and rituals of Jains flow from the principle of Ahi?sa. A community event - "Ahimsa Walk" symbolizing non-violence and compassion for all living beings, is an Annual Showcase Event of the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC).

Founded in 1970 and a member of the Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA), JSMC provides educational, reli-

A group of participants at last year's walk

gious and community activities in its renovated facility on 15.4-acre property in Bartlett, Illinois, where it built the first significant Jain temple of North America in 1992.

Since 1993, this facility has become the flagship Jain Center and a Temple for the North American Jains.

JSMC has a membership of more than 1,700 families, the largest representation of all Jain centers in North America.

For further information on events and upcoming programs, please visit www.jsmconline.org or contact piyushgandhi@hotmail.com.

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July 24, 2015

Community Across America

July 24, 2015

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PCS Sports Festival 2015 in Palatine SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) is organizing its 20th annual Sports Festival on Saturday August 2 at Falcon Park Recreation Center in Palatine, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

The PCS Chicago Volleyball and other games activities for men,

Rajinder Singh Mago, a spokesperson, said that there is "Free entrance, free Punjabi food and free parking at the park. All are welcome with families to watch, play, and enjoy the games and the free delicious Punjabi food. And also Yoga, Bhangra,

PCS hosted sports festival - Kabbadi

women and children and many fun activities and races will be outdoors at Falcon Park from 9 am to 7 pm.

Aerobics, Zumba, stretching exercise lessons etc."

Musical chairs, tug-of-war, three-legged races, spoon races

and races for children will add to the family fun for men, women and children.

A local Punjabi musical group and singers will entertain the audience with Punjabi songs. D.J. music will be on all day.

The formal opening ceremonies with invited V.I.P. dignitaries will be at 12:30 pm. Vendor booths are allowed for fee. For the PCS Chicago Volleyball Championship, first prize of $500 and the second prize of $250 will be awarded to the winners and the runners-up.

Children and adult races winners will also receive prizes and gifts.

The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is a not-for-profit community service organization devoted to promoting healthy lifestyle and sports, education, good citizenship, Punjabi culture, language, and performing arts, in the metropolitan Chicago area and beyond.

For more information please contact: 847-359-5PCS, Rajinder Singh Mago 630-440-7730 or any PCS official.

Spiritually transformational pravachans by Rakeshbhai SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai Zaveri, an ardent devotee of Shrimad Rajchandraji, was accorded an affectionate welcome at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where he spent endearing moments interacting with followers and seekers of enlightenment.

Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai gave spirituality a new meaning through three transformational pravachans (lectures) at the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago. He taught aspirants techniques to translate profound knowledge into practical wisdom.

Through everyday situations one encounters he demonstrated how each one is responsible for their own joy and sorrow. While it appears as though circum-

a brighter future for them.

Constantly studying oneself and remaining in awareness play a key role in strengthening one's inner muscles. Introspection enables a shift in one's values and thus in one's perception of the world. It is this shift that gives one a new perspective of life and alters one's interpretations of the occurrences in daily life.

One may begin by only being able to see the physical - that which is plainly visible to the eyes. Moving ahead, with education and enhanced thinking, one gains intelligence and deeper insight.

As one progresses, he develops the power of discrimination and is able to make decisions which are in favour of that which

Hindu prayer facility urged at airports NAND KAPUR

CHICAGO: Members of Hindu community across the USA have pitched for prayer services at the world's airports which have chapels.

This is especially where the airports provide facilities for specific

religious groups, like John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Frankfurt Airport in Germany. Similar facilities should be provided to members of Hindu community who are frequent travelers and globe trotters as well, said Madhu Patel, president of NRI Press Club.

Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that a lot of Hindu passengers daily used

world's airports and it would be nice if airports offered a quiet facility at the airport where they could pray/meditate/worship and perform religious services.

He added that Hindus across the

clude recitation of texts, repetition of mantras and dhyan (meditation), Rajan Zed pointed out.

According to Pew Research Center (PRC), "a nonpartisan fact tank" headquartered in Washington DC, "Most of the busiest U.S. airports have dedicated chapels" (first being Our Lady of the Airways, opened at Prayer rooms at some of the world Boston's Loairports gan Internaglobe would appre- tional Airport about 60 years ago) ciate if world airport and "many of these facilities offer authorities work in a variety of worship services for this direction as an different faith traditions". issue of fairness and John F. Kennedy International equality in customer Airport in New York "has four service. Hindu scholars and pun- places of worship: a Catholic dits, including Raja Zed, would be church, a Protestant chapel, a glad to help, if asked, regarding the mosque and a synagogue", while structure of "Hindu Prayer Room". "Dallas/Fort Worth International Hinduism, oldest and third larg- Airport, has five different interfaith est religion of the world with about chapels - one in every terminal". one billion adherents, lays great "Washington Dulles Internaemphasis on prayer/worship to tional Airport, near Washington, God. Prayer Room would provide D.C., offers weekly Catholic Mass, facility Hindu passengers who Protestant worship and Christian missed their daily worship rituals/ prayer services, as well as daily rites while traveling. This might in- Jewish and Muslim worship."

Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai with aspirants and admirers

stances determine one's reactions, it is actually an individual's independent choice. He further elucidated that the power to make the right choice is gained from the strength of one's spiritual practices and satsang.

Propounding the path of Bhagwan Mahavira, Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai is a spiritual visionary and modern-day mystic. The founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, Gurudevshri has illuminated numerous lives across the globe through enlightening discourses and an array of meditation retreats.

His divine benevolence has touched scores of underprivileged lives through the ten fold Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care Program.

At present the Mission has 80 centres spread across the globe in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. In addition, over 225 centres worldwide mould the youth and children, shaping

is spiritually beneficial. Finally the inward journey leads him to experience invisible inner bliss.

Seekers were inspired to forge ahead on the path of liberation and bring about an inner revolution in their lives. Expressing their gratitude towards Gurudevshri, the Committee Members of the Jain Centre of Chicago felicitated the Master.

Gurudevshri graced the residences of several seekers, blessing them with memories of a lifetime. It was amidst joyous chanting that pious pratishthas ensued at the abodes of JagdishbhaiShobhaben Shah and ManishAnchal Jain, consecrating the Divine in their hearts and homes.

Aspirants boarded the Summer of George cruise for an evening of elevation with the Sadguru. Views of the Chicago skyline faded in the Master's captivating aura as energetic dance dedications uplifted spirits and melted hearts.

26 India Post

Community Across America

July 24, 2015

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The Secret of Krishna's Divine Appearance SWAMI NIKHILANAND

I

n the beginning of the fourth chapter, Shree Krishna tells Arjun that He had originally given the knowledge of yog (attaching the mind to God) to Vivasvan (the celestial sun god) several million years ago. He then taught it to his son Vaivaswat Manu (the original progenitor of human beings), who further taught it to his son King Ikshvaaku.

Thus handed down in succession, this knowledge of yog became known to a lineage of rajarshis (God realized kings). But due to the great passage of time, it became lost from the world.

Shree Krishna tells Arjun, "Because you are My devotee and friend, today I have taught you this same ancient yog. It is certainly a supreme secret."

Arjun said, "Your birth is recent and Vivaswan's birth was much earlier. So how can I comprehend

that You taught this yog to the sun god at the beginning (of this creation)?" (Chapter 4, verses 1-4).

Cycles of time and types of dissolution or pralay First let us understand why Arjun found it difficult to comprehend that Shree Krishna gave the knowledge to Vivaswan. According to the descriptions in Vedas and Puranas, there are four ages (yugas) which keep repeating in a cyclical fashion. The first yug is Satyug, which lasts 1,728,000 years. Next comes Tretayug, lasting 1,296,000. That is followed by Dwaparyug, which has a duration of 864,000 years, and finally Kaliyug, which is the shortest at 432,000 years. The four yugas total 4,320,000 years. One time around these four yugas is known as a mahayug, or a chaturyugi.

Many people think that after

one chaturyugi there is a pralay (destruction). In other words, when Kaliyug finishes (we are cur-

Swami Nikhilanand

rently 5,117 years into Kaliyug), there will be a pralay. This is not so. When Kaliyug finishes, there is a gradual transition from the extreme materialism of Kaliyug to the

relative piety of Satyug. There is no pralay, and life goes on for the souls of the earth planet. However, after 71 chaturyugis, one manvantar is completed. The manvantar (71 chaturyugis) having lasted 306,720,000 years - ends with a manvantar pralay.

During the manvantar pralay, there is a partial dissolution of the earth planet. After the passing of the manvantar pralay, life is renewed on earth, and the cycles of time continue. After each manvantar pralay, a new progenitor of the human race (called Manu) is appointed by Brahma.

All human beings descend from him, and are thus called manushya.

Fourteen such manvantar are known as one kalp (one day of Brahma).

At the end of a kalp, there is a much longer and more complete pralay of the earth planet. This gives you a brief understanding of the cycles of time described in the Hindu scriptures.

Age of the current manvantar Shree Krishna stated that He gave the knowledge to Vivaswan, who is the father of the current Manu (known as Vaivaswat Manu). When did Vaivaswat Manu begin his reign? In the beginning of the current manvantar.

How far are we into this manvantar?

We have completed 27 chaturyugis, and are in year 5,117 of Kaliyug in the 28th chaturyugi.

That means that 120,533,117 years have elapsed since the beginning of this manvantar (at the time of this conversation between Shree Krishna and Arjun, it was 120,527,965 years). Hence, we can understand that Arjun, who knew Shree Krishna to be his cousin (Vasudev and Kunti were siblings), doubted that He could have been there at the time of Vivaswan, at the beginning of the current manvantar.

In response, Shree Krishna explains the secret of His Divine appearance in this world. He says, "O Arjun, both you and I have had many births. I remember all of them, but you do not. Though I am unborn, immortal, and the Lord of all beings, yet, while controlling maya (the material energy), I appear in this world through My Yogmaya (Divine personal power). Whenever righteousness declines and

unrighteousness increases, I manifest Myself (in My personal form) at that time. For the protection of the pious, destruction of the wicked, and to re-establish dharm, I appear age after age.

One who correctly understands that My appearance and actions are Divine does not take another birth upon leaving their body, O Arjun. Rather, they come to Me in My eternal Divine abode." (Chapter 4, verses 5-9).

These statements of Shree Krishna bring up many questions, such as: Is Shree Krishna's body material or Divine? Was He born like we are? Did He die? Did He exist before His appearance on earth? If so, in the same form, or in another form? When He appears in our world, is He still God, or does He become human? Can His actions be judged by material standards, or understood by human intellect?

We will begin to address these important questions in the next article.

Disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj Swami Nikhilanand Ji is a Canadian born Hindu spiritual leader based in Austin, Texas. He is a sanyasi disciple and pracharak of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Attracted to the teachings of Hinduism from a young age, Swamiji eventually let his deep spiritual longing lead him to India, where he was most fortunate to come under the guidance of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Thereafter, living in the ashrams of JKP, he extensively studied Hindi, the philosophy of the prime Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, Darshan Shastras, Gita, Bhagwatam), and practiced meditation in the tradition of raganuga bhakti. In 2003, he was given sanyas. Now, with the blessings of his Guruji, he offers satsang programs throughout America, engaging audiences with his clear explanations of Hindu philosophy coupled with inspired chanting of Sanskrit mantras and shlokas and charming nam sankirtan.

His informative and compelling speeches provide practical insight into how to adopt the teachings of Sanatan Dharm into our daily lives, and inspire us to awaken our inner spiritual potential.

To stay in touch with Swami Nikhilanand Ji, like his Facebook page at https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / SwamiNikhilanand or follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/ Swami_Nikhil.

July 24, 2015

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TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Jeena Jeena : Badlapur 2 Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan : Roy 3 Jee Karda: Badlapur 4 Khamoshiyan : Khamoshiyan 5 Sooraj Dooba Hai : Roy 30 India Post

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July 24, 2015

6 Tu Hai Ki Nahi : Roy 7 Judai : Badlapur

R

ohit Shetty brings iconic couple Shahrukh Khan and Kajol together again on-screen with 'Dilwale' also starring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon. Hubby and actor Ajay Devgn said he is happy to see Kajol and Shahrukh on-screen together again.

Last seen in 'My Name Is Khan' in 2010, Shahrukh and Kajol, have featured in blockbusters like 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'.

8 Tu Har Lamha :

"I am very happy that they are working together. I want to see them together on-screen. They are good friends.

People are waiting to see them. Kajol is very excited about the film," Ajay told PTI. When asked if he thinks that Shahrukh and Kajol make the best on-screen couple, Ajay said, "I don't know, I have never thought about it that way. I feel anybody can make a good onscreen couple through the chemistry of characters, as that makes the film work."

Khamoshiyan 9 Chhil Gaye Naina : NH10 10 Dard Karaara : Dum Laga Ke Haisha

P

R

ecently when Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor recreated the song 'Dheere Dheere', the chemistry be tween them was throbbing and palpable, so much so that the two have decided to do a feature film together at the earliest.

An eyewitness from the location in Turkey said, "Hrithik and Sonam set the cool mountains of Antalya on fire with their chemistry.

The song that they shot was a sizzling ode to the romantic spirit. And choreographer Ahmed Khan gave them steps to match."

Apparently the song has turned out to be much hotter than intended.

Says a source close to choreographer Ahmed Khan. "The song was planned as romantic.

But Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor worked towards making it extra-special."

Hrithik and Sonam set the cool mountains of Antalya on fire with their chemistry. The song that they shot was a sizzling ode to the romantic spirit

arineeti Chopra has been approached to play Sakshi Rawat, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni's wife in MS Dhoni biopic while Anupam Kher has been roped in to play MS Dhoni's father Pan Singh.

Sushant Singh Rajput will be seen as the male lead in 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.'

A source says, "The makers are keen to sign Pari as she is as bubbly as Dhoni's wife. Moreover, she has worked with Sushant Singh Rajput in Shuddh Desi Romance and their pairing had been appreciated. So, she is high up on the makers' wishlist to be cast opposite Sushant yet again."

The biopic revolves around Dhoni's personal life and professional career, including his relationship with Sakshi, who was his longtime sweetheart before they tied the knot in 2012.

According to sources, Sakshi's character has a large screen time.

The makers are keen to sign Pari as she is as bubbly as Dhoni's wife

Bollywood

July 24, 2015

India Post 31

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B

ack in 2011, came the John Abraham's action packed drama in the form of Force, which was directed by Nishikant Kamat. The film's sequel is very much in the making and stars John Abraham again. This time round, the film is being directed

by Abhinay Deo. While the original had the beautiful Genelia D'souza playing John Abraham's lady love, media reports now state that, this time round, it is Sonakshi Sinha who has been signed as the leading lady opposite John Abraham, even though there is no official confirmation regarding the same.

If the news about Sonakshi coming 'on board' with Force 2 is true, then, it will mark the first time pairing between her and John Abraham.

The film's sequel is very much in the making and stars John Abraham again.

This time round, the film is being directed by Abhinay Deo. While the original had the beautiful Genelia D'souza playing John Abraham's lady love

"I think the audience likes to see films. They are not there to only see me being an action or a romantic hero.

People believe in good work. So I will never ever get trapped by thinking about the perception

A

be e will t t a in th h i B n a i i Al bik etty in a t d pr ith n n a e cen e s e ted ired w f r n tt e l a o a ta Bha . In ery att is p in two u t a i m v l l i e A f h , Bh oor s. B view a t s h e r Alia id Kap g f i l m asting e t ni n h in d th Sha p c o m i th contr drug biki e l a a t u g i h i s deal w is abou is all r e v e donnin r s e e . h m n t l g i o o f n ill be daar. w two . While fia, the w e d d i , is e h t a s aan r ects dm ion h gest S n subj ling an s t i n a t me sug d style i e he b l e o d l a d i o d er n . s w e pe a is w t aft h u t ar, as th d Bolly nd song att n T i o t b s h a ce a Year gran ia B anda ond e c h Sha to be a ith dan that Al film. In e s fT r nt O said tainer w we hea i in the att ree d u r n h , St biki ente now ia B ng a

T

rjun Kapoor, who has done films like Gunday, Aurangzeb and Tevar, doesn't like to be characterized as an action or a romantic hero, and says that he will never get trapped by thinking about the perception of other people.

"I think the audience likes to see films. They are not there to only see me being an action or a romantic hero. People believe in good work. So I will never ever get trapped by thinking about the perception. I will always go after the material, like I am doing with R.Balki's new film," Arjun says.

Having stepped into characters with rugged looks and oodles of action in movies like Ishaqzaade and Gunday, Arjun begs to differ when asked if he intends to do more romantic films, especially after the success of his 2 States.

"See, Balki's film is romantic, 'Ishaqzaade' is also an out-and-out romantic film. I've not done any action in it...it's set in a world that has a lot of violence and this perception is created by the media. We as actors never think about the perceptions that are being created or what people think," he added.

l And seen in a iew, A donni her v e r b e l be ll be will ent int she wil This wi f The c O a re d that andaar. tudent rticular e a l S a h p r e S v t e t this a e trailer ni in t af biki n d s t i n d e d t h a r t o f t h a ros e c o . She ad ll be a p nd p r i a a l w e Y ence Bah rma ikas nd Dha sequ V y o a b t o o . irected antom aar als d h D n P h a a d by , Sha , San duce uctions Kapoor n j a y Prod Pankaj n d S a s star o o r a a K p or. o Kap

„ Health

Line

Smart steering wheel detects drowsiness WASHINGTON: A new fatiguesensing steering wheel device tracks a driver's grip to alert them to wake up and pull over if they are drowsy.

The technology is based on the fact that when people drive and are reasonably alert, they are constantly applying pressure to the wheel and/or moving their hands along it.

If someone should fall asleep, have a heart attack or otherwise lose consciousness, that pressure will lessen and their hands will move less.

The device consists of a thin strip that is applied to the inside rim of a steering wheel, beneath the covering, 'Gizmag' reported.

The strip is made up of thin layers of foil, which have a weak electrical current running through them.

When pressure is applied and causes the layers to touch one another, it creates a short circuit between those layers.

Microprocessor keeps track of the intensity, frequency and location of those shorts, and uses it to establish a typical driving pattern for the user, according to the company Hoffman and Krippner, which developed the device.

When they deviate from it significantly, the car will then alert them to wake up and pull over. PTI

„ Doc penalized for giving unapproved drugs SPRINGFIELD, Mo.: A Joplin oncologist has been sentenced to five years of probation for dispensing unapproved cancer medication to patients.

The Joplin Globe reports 74year-old Robert L. Carter was also ordered in federal court to finish payment of $2.1 million in criminal penalties as part of a plea deal for selling foreign, ``misbranded'' drugs from Canada to cancer patients.

Prosecutors said the drugs had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and weren't labeled as prescription-only, and that some did not have mixing and use instructions in English.

Authorities said Carter bought about $1.2 million worth of drugs and received nearly $1 million in reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid programs in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. -AP

Health Science

Warning about marijuana exposure to kids

32 India Post

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July 24, 2015

Details on Page 35

Probe finds, bogus enrollees kept getting 'Obamacare' WASHINGTON: Phony applicants that investigators signed up last year under President Barack Obama's health care law got automatically re-enrolled for 2015.

Some were rewarded with even bigger taxpayer subsidies for their insurance premiums, a congressional probe has found.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office says 11 counterfeit characters that its investigators created last year were automatically re-enrolled by HealthCare.gov, even though most had unresolved documentation issues. In Obama's terms, they got to keep the coverage they had.

Six of those later were flagged and sent termination notices. But GAO said it was able to get five of them reinstated by calling HealthCare.gov's consumer service center. That seemed to be a weak link in the system.

The five bogus beneficiaries who were reinstated even got their monthly subsidies bumped up a bit, although GAO did not ask for it. The case of the sixth fake enrollee who appealed was under review.

HealthCare.gov does not appear to be set up to detect fraud, GAO audits and investigations chief Seto Bagdoyan said in prepared testimony for a Senate Fi-

nance Committee hearing.

HealthCare.gov's documentprocessing contractor ``is not required to seek to detect fraud,'' said Bagdoyan. ``The contractor personnel involved in the document-verification process are not

product in and of itself, with the cost of family coverage averaging close to $17,000 a year.

Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the GAO's investigation reveals ``negligence'' by the Obama ad-

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington.

trained as fraud experts and do not perform antifraud duties.''

Administration officials told GAO there has been ``no indication of a meaningful level of fraud'' in the program, Bagdoyan said.

Federal health care subsidies go directly to insurers, so the money does not end up in the bank accounts of individual enrollees.

But health insurance is a valuable

ministration, which ``calls into question the legitimacy of the health law's enrollment numbers and challenges the integrity of the website's security checks.''

Last year, when GAO first disclosed that it had succeeded in signing up fake beneficiaries, the administration said it would work to strengthen HealthCare.gov's verification checks.

The administration said it looks forward to working with GAO to improve safeguards for health insurance sign-ups. It noted that the online system had initially flagged applications from the undercover investigators.

HealthCare.gov is an online insurance marketplace used by residents of 37 states to get subsidized private coverage under the health care law.

Although the administration has terminated coverage for more than 200,000 people who could not prove their citizenship or legal immigrant status, and some 300,000 have had their subsidies changed because of discrepancies over reported income, GAO's bogus beneficiaries largely evaded that dragnet.

It's unclear whether the fictitious enrollees would have been kicked out of the program eventually. For example, no tax returns were filed on behalf of any of them.

Since health insurance subsidies are income-based, tax returns are one of the main ways the government checks applicants.

GAO's investigation also uncovered a problem that bedevils millions of real people dealing with the program's new bureaucracy: confusing and inaccurate communication.

Cont'd on Page 35

AAP scheme for free ambulance services NEW DELHI: The AAP government has approved the "Home to Hospital" scheme to provide free ambulance services in the national capital.

The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The scheme will be provided to people by Centralized Accident & Trauma Services (CATS).

Under the scheme, 110 new ambulances will be procured besides setting up of a modern and state of the art Control Room.

"There would be 100 basic life support and 10 advanced life support ambulances. Additional

manpower for the new ambulances as well as human resource deficit in the existing 155 ambu-

lances and Control Room would also be taken care of," a senior official said.

Free CATS services will be made available under the scheme in emergency situations, he said.

"Free services include injuries of chest, abdomen, pelvis or spine, crush injuries or severe allergy or drowning, any burn caused by electric shock or lighting, any other life threatening, medical emergencies," the official said.

Such service will continue in existing medical situation - accident and trauma victims, transportation of pregnant women for delivery and post delivery, victims of sexual assault, inter-hospital transfers etc, he said. -PTI

July 24, 2015

Health Science Post

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Military liaisons at mental health centers CONCORD, N.H.: Each of New Hampshire's 10 community mental health centers will have a staff member devoted to helping veterans, military service members and their families connect with other community resources under a first-of-itskind initiative being launched by the state's Department of Health and Human Services.

Commissioner Nick Toumpas was joined by state military officials, the directors of VA health centers in New Hampshire and Vermont, and numerous civilian sector partners to describe several initiatives aimed at improving health care and other services for veterans, active military and their families. He said the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently confirmed that no other state has created military liaison positions within its entire community mental health system. ``We're improving access to care and creating new access points, and we're doing this together with all of you,'' Toumpas said. ``It's an exciting time for the state, and it's really an opportunity for all of us.''

In addition to serving as a point person to direct patients to available resources, each liaison will also take the lead in educating others in the health centers about military culture, said Suellen Griffin, chairwoman of the New Hampshire Community

New Hampshire has the fifth-highest ratio of veterans in the United States, with 115,000 veterans making up nearly 11 percent of the state's population. But the state does not have an active duty military installation where veterans can easily find support and services Behavioral Health System. ``We don't want this to be sort of a sleeping dog, where only one person in the agency knows about it, but rather they keep it alive and well and talk about it, and make sure our folks are confident in being able to treat our veterans that may present themselves to us,'' she said.

AIIMS docs remove goiter weighing 2.91 kg NEW DELHI: Doctors at AIIMS have successfully removed a rare goiter, weighing 2.91 kg that was threatening the life of a 60-year-old woman, which they claimed was the largest goiter removal case recorded in India.

The patient, Noorjahan, a native of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh had come to AIIMS with very large lump in the neck region in May. "It has been there for more than 20 years.

Noorjahan had no problem in eating, breathing and had no pain. But it was putting pressure on nearby organs, causing heaviness and breathing problems," said Dr Pratyusha Priyadarshini, senior resident doctor at AIIMS' Surgery Department.

The patient was admitted and doctors carried out investigations including X-ray, CT scan, Thyroid Functioning tests after which they decided on conducting a surgery.

"Surgery took place on June 8 and we used the technique different from the routine one.

"Usually patient is put on anesthesia and then tube is inserted into the trachea for airway management. But here we wanted to insert the tube into her windpipe while she was awake because of the narrowing of the trachea and then she was put on anesthesia.

The mental health centers also are part of a second initiative being formally launched called ``Ask the Question.'' The program, being run by Easter Seals NH, is a statewide campaign to encourage health care providers, social service organizations

"It was a challenging surgery as it was a large goiter (a swelling of the neck resulting from enlargement of the thyroid gland) and we had to modify surgical techniques as the trachea, esophagus, recurrent laryngeal nerve of both sides and the main vessels of the neck were close to the thyroid," explained Dr S Chumber Professor Deptt of Surgery, AIIMS. Finally after six long hours of efforts, doctors succeeded in removing the goi-

ter.

"Her Trachea was wafer-thin and there were chances of stridor (noisy breathing that occurs due to obstructed air flow) due to collapsing of traches. To prevent this condition we did a temporary tracheotomy in which a tube was inserted in the windpipe to assist her in breathing," said Dr Priyadarshini.

The patient was kept under observation for six hours.

"Her vitals were found to be stable and after eight days the tube was taken out and she was breathing normally," Priyadarshini said.

The patient was discharged within three weeks and is doing fine, doctors said. -PTI

and others to ask patients and clients if they had served in the military. ``We don't know who we serve. We've never been able to get our hands on it, it's like sand through your fingers,'' Griffin said.

The state is contracting with a Portsmouth-based group called Dare Mighty Things for a third new program to will train health care providers and others in military culture to ensure that providers understand veterans and know where to refer them. Navy veteran Nick Tolentino said having health care providers who asked him about his service before a recent sur-

gery made a big difference in helping him avoid a bad experience in the recovery room. Instead of a violent wake up like he had experienced after a military surgery, he worked with a fellow veteran and staffer at Exeter Hospital to ensure a calm experience, he said.

But Tolentino said he hasn't always disclosed his military service to health care providers for main reason: the stigma. He said he feels shame about what he has seen and done, and guilt over surviving when friends were killed. ``You're always fighting the stigma,'' he said. ``You were fighting it over there.

You're fighting it when you come home.''

New Hampshire has the fifth-highest ratio of veterans in the United States, with 115,000 veterans making up nearly 11 percent of the state's population. But the state does not have an active duty military installation where veterans can easily find support and services, and it is one of a few states without a full-service VA hospital. The VA medical center in Manchester, however, collaborates with its counterpart in White River Junction, Vermont, and the directors of both praised the new programs as further examples of how government, military and civilian groups have worked well together. -AP

34 India Post

Health Science Post

July 24, 2015

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Colorado rejects medical pot for PTSD DENVER: Citing scant research, Colorado health officials have voted against adding posttraumatic stress disorder to the list of ailments eligible for treatment with medical marijuana.

The 6-2 vote came despite a recommendation from Colorado's chief medical officer and a panel of physicians to make PTSD the first condition added to Colorado's medical pot eligibility list in 15 years. Board members said they weren't swayed by the recommendation because studies on using pot for PTSD are lacking. ``We can't have physicians counseling people in favor of it because we don't have data to show it's correct,'' said Jill Hunsaker-Ryan, who voted no.

The vote was the third time the board has rejected petitions to add PTSD to the list. About five dozen PTSD sufferers attended the hearing, some loudly jeering.

A few were asked to leave. ``They just told every patient here, `We don't care about you,'''

said patient advocate Teri Robnett.

Colorado allows adults over 21 to buy pot for recreational use, with no doctor's recommendation needed. But medical pot in Colo-

Since 2000, Colorado voters approved both medical and recreational pot legalization, while state government officials, including the nine-member health board, generally have resisted expand-

rado is taxed at 2.9 percent, compared with at least 19 percent for recreational pot. Medical patients are allowed to possess twice as much marijuana - 2 ounces instead of 1 ounce.

ing marijuana access.

Colorado had about 113,000 people on the medical marijuana registry in May, the most recent data available. About 6,300 were under 21.

New single-dose drug may treat malaria WASHINGTON: A new drug may treat malaria in a single dose and prevent infection being transmitted by mosquito bites to other people, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.

The compound is the first to cripple a critical protein that the malaria parasite needs to survive at different stages of its complex life cycle, and is suitable for clinical tests in humans, researchers said.

If human trials underway are successful, the compound known by its acronym DSM265 could give doctors a new tool to prevent and treat infection by the microscopic parasites that cause malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that kills more than 500,000 people annually.

An international team of scientists - spanning 20 institutions in three continents - pooled their collective expertise to accelerate the pace of discovery and validation.

"This is the first of a new class of molecules that's going into humans," said University of Washington (UW) chemistry professor Pradipsinh Rathod.

"Until now, everything else in humans has been variations of drugs that have been developed in the distant past," said Rathod.

DSM265 targets a cellular protein made by the malaria parasite.

Malaria parasites rely on this protein - known by its acronym DHODH - to express their genes and copy those genes when it's time to divide.

Since DHODH provides a critical function, this drug could impair the parasite at multiple stages

of its life cycle, including one elusive stage when it hides in the human host's liver, researchers said.

Rathod's group made more than 500 versions of the initial compound and tested how well it inhibited malaria parasites in the lab. The 265th version - DSM265 - showed the most promise.

Rathod and his group passed DSM265 and related compounds to their collaborators at Monash University, who tested how the

human cells might modify or metabolize the compound.

These experiments ensured that a drug based on DSM265 would last for a long time in our bodies - an ideal feature for a single-dose anti-malarial treatment - and would not produce toxic byproducts. They also determined what doses of the compound might be the most effective in humans.

Rathod's lab also developed and performed experiments to test how well the malaria parasite might evolve to become resistant against DSM265.

"We developed methods to watch the malaria parasites mutate and try to generate solutions against DSM265 in real time," said Rathod.

"And with whole genome sequencing, we can really look at the whole scene as it's unfolding in front of us," Rathod added.

If doctors know the conditions that permit the malaria parasite to develop resistance to DSM265, they can tailor the drug's use in a clinical setting to lower that risk.

-PTI

Patients seeking medical marijuana must get a doctor's recommendation to use it to treat one of eight debilitating conditions, including cancer, AIDS, chronic wasting diseases, glaucoma, seizures, persistent muscle spasms, severe pain and severe nausea.

More than 93 percent of current patients list severe pain as their condition.

Colorado's chief medical officer, Dr. Larry Wolk, who does not vote on the Board of Health, said that he once opposed pot to treat PTSD but changed his mind because of widespread reports of PTSD sufferers claiming pain as their ailment in order to get medical marijuana.

PTSD sufferers are using pot anyway, Wolk said, so those people would be better off talking to a doctor ``rather than self-medicating through the legalized (pot) program.''

A dozen veterans who testified agreed, saying that vets routinely ask pot shop employees, not physicians, about using marijuana to

treat PTSD. John Evans of the group Veterans for Freedoms criticized the board for opposing the expansion. ``You are in support of use without treatment, because that's what is happening,'' he said.

Colorado last year assembled a panel of doctors and medical marijuana advocates to review studies about the drug's medical potential. The Medical Marijuana Scientific Advisory Council made its PTSD recommendation in April, saying the ailment could be added for a four-year trial.

But the board sided with the American Psychiatric Society, which opposed the addition. ``The science we have ... overwhelmingly demonstrates more harm than good at this point in time,'' said Dr. Doris Gunderson, who testified on behalf of the group.

Colorado has provided about $3.4 million for two other medical studies involving the use of pot for treatment of PTSD. Those studies are just getting started. -AP

Punjab to introduce 'patient feedback forms' CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government is soon going to introduce 'patient feedback form' in its hospitals to analyze and rectify the problems being faced by patients across the state.

Necessary directions in this regard had been given by Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, an official release said here.

At present, a "patient satisfaction survey through PGIMER, Chandigarh is in process. Based on the questionnaire developed

by PGIMER, this feedback format shall be developed," the release said.

"It would emphasize on key service delivery areas at the health institutions," she has said in the release.

A mechanism to install feedback boxes is also being discussed and will be finalized soon.

The move is aimed at putting in place more accountability and better behavior by government hospital staff and provide better healthcare facilities to the patients, she said.

Based on the feedback, she said, the government shall identify areas and services that need improvement.

A direct feedback from the patients shall also help the department to analyze specific and gen-

eral problems facing patients and a strategy can be devised to provide effective solutions.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Haryana, with a view to promote sanitation in hospitals under

Vini Mahajan

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a program known as 'Kayakalp' would be launched in the state.

Under this program, two best performing district hospitals would be awarded Rs 50 lakh and Rs 20 lakh each for bagging first and second positions respectively, Principal Secretary (Health) R R Jowel said here.

In a meeting with all district surgeons and senior officers in the Department Jowel said that this Centrally Sponsored Scheme would soon be implemented in all the district hospitals. -PTI

July 24, 2015

Health Science Post

India Post 35

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Warning about marijuana exposure to kids SEATTLE: Public health officials in Washington say they're increasingly concerned about children accidentally ingesting marijuana.

The Washington Poison Center says that in the first half of this year, it received 32 calls about children suffering from marijuana exposure - an increase from 24 in the same period in 2014. The center received

hotline, and some producers of marijuana edibles have even put the number on their packaging. So the increased calls could simply reflect a rise in awareness of the poison center, or people could simply feel more comfortable calling for help now that marijuana's been legal for a while.

Nevertheless, public health officials find the increasing number of reported cases troubling.

They say the products should be kept locked up or out of reach of children. ``Edible marijuana poisoning is an emerging health risk to children in our community that demands attention,'' Dr. Jeff Marijuana plants sit under powerful lamps in a growing facility in Arlington, Wash. Washington launched its second-in-the-nation legal marijuana Duchin, of P u b l i c 31 calls involving teenagers in the first half Health-Seattle & King County, said in a of this year, up from 24 in the same period news release. ``Edible marijuana consumlast year. ers, sellers and health care providers should But the center's Dr. Alexander Garrard all take steps to prevent children from getsays that doesn't necessarily mean more ting access to these products.'' kids are actually being exposed to pot. The The poison center said it received 133 center has been doing more to promote its total calls about marijuana exposures in the

Probe finds, bogus enrollees kept getting 'Obamacare' Cont'd from Page 32

Investigators said their bogus enrollees received unclear correspondence that failed to identify the problems with their applications. ``Rather than stating a message directly, correspondence instead was conditional or nonspecific, stating the applicant may be affected by something, and then leaving it to the applicant to parse through details to see if they were indeed affected,'' said Bagdoyan.

The fake enrollees also got some perplexing instructions from HealthCare.gov. Eight of the 11 were asked to submit additional documentation to prove their citizenship and identity. But the list of suitable paperwork detailed documents for verifying income instead.

The 11 bogus beneficiaries were part of a larger group of 18 that GAO tried to sign up last year.

They're the ones who got through and were automatically re-enrolled for 2015.

Overall, about 10 million people are getting coverage this year through HealthCare.gov

and state health insurance markets. GAO said the results of its undercover testing, while illustrative, cannot be generalized to the full population of applicants and enrollees. -AP

first half of this year, an increase of 22 percent over the 109 reports in the first half of last year. That includes cases involving adults.

About two-thirds of the cases reported this year were classified as having minor or

no effects on the people who consumed the marijuana - ``symptoms that are considered minimally bothersome to patients,'' the center said. Some 26 percent of the cases were classified as having a moderate or major effect. -AP

„

Realty Tidbits

Montana's big recreation ranches a hot sale item BILLINGS, Mont.: The market for large recreation properties in Montana has been active this year, according to one real estate firm. ``This market is hot,'' said Dave Johnson, a partner in Hall & Hall real estate in Bozeman. ``There's a lot of action.''

So far this year, Johnson said Montana has seen six sales of properties valued at $15 million or more. ``That is in stark contrast to the previous eight years,'' he said.

Among the big sales Hall & Hall has overseen is the 10,600-acre Chimney Rock Ranch west of Big Timber along Lower Deer Creek for $17.5 million and the Willow Creek Ranch west of Livingston, where more than 18,000 acres sold for $22.5 million. The company also finally closed on a deal that sewed up three ranches in the Shields Valley. The last acquisition for that East Coast landowner was the 9,600-acre Master Key Ranch for $16.9 million. ``These are luxury purchases obviously,'' Johnson told The Billings Gazette. ``To put that into context, prior to this year there were some recreational properties starting to sell, but they were all in the $1 million to $3 million range.''

-AP

„

DDA fined Rs 5 lakh for frivolous litigation NEW DELHI: Delhi Development Authority has been slapped with a fine of Rs five lakh by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for its "meritless and frivolous litigation" challenging the compensation awarded to an allottee who was given flat in a dilapidated condition.

Stating that such unscrupulous acts and "gross abuse of process of law" must be dealt with a heavy hand, Justice V B Gupta also directed DDA to recover the punitive damages from the salaries of the delinquent officers, who have been pursuing "meritless and frivolous" litigation with the sole aim of "wasting the public exchequer".

The case relates to Sudershan Bhareja who had applied for LIG Rohini Residential Plotted Scheme, 1981 in which he was given a priority number but no allotment was made to him.

In year 2002, DDA floated another "Narela Housing Scheme, 2002" which provided that waiting registrants of Rohini Scheme could also apply under this. -PTI

Real Estate 36 India Post

www.indiapost.com

July 24, 2015

Officials approve limits on large homes REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.: Elected officials in Rehoboth Beach have placed limits on the size of some new and remodeled homes in an attempt to slow down the market for vacation homes rented to large groups.

The News Journal of Wilmington reports that the Rehoboth Beach Commissioners approved an ordinance that caps the size of homes to 6,000 square feet in some zones and 4,500 square feet in others. The ordinance also requires more green space surrounding homes, which could limit parking. -AP

El paseo's spacious new designs attract family homebuyers India Post News Service

LAKE FOREST, CA: Homebuyers are discovering the path to happiness leads directly to Brookfield Residential's brandnew El Paseo in The Village of Foothill Ranch, one of Orange County's best new home buys.

This beautiful new townhome community is attracting a range of savvy buyers, including Uma Mandadapu and his wife Sasi Gummadi who recently purchased El Paseo's spacious Plan 5, a gorgeous 3-bedroom home that will beautifully accommodate their growing family.

"My wife and I have wanted to purchase a new home for well over a year, and when we found out we were expecting our second child, I knew it was time to fulfill this dream," explains Uma. "A few days after we learned about her pregnancy, I toured the El Paseo models, and within 24 hours, I returned with my wife and surprised her by putting down a deposit on our new home. She was very overjoyed!"

As a first-time homebuyer, Uma

was unsure how the purchasing process would proceed from there, but working with El Paseo's sales team quickly eased his worries. "I looked at other homes before finding El Paseo, and I can tell you that the sales teams I met were

patient and helpful, and were clear and precise every step of the way."

The home buying experience and loan process were exceptionally streamlined, as well, which was a pleasant surprise for Uma. "I'd heard from friends that buy-

Uma Mandadapu and his family purchase a Plan 5 at Brookfield Residential's El Paseo neighborhood.

nothing like Brookfield Residential's sales representatives.

Brigitte and Carin are absolutely the best. They were both extremely

ing a home can be incredibly tough, but our experience with Brookfield Residential went so smoothly I thought I must be miss-

ing something, but I didn't miss a thing, the whole process was surprisingly easy."

Prior to his new-home purchase, Uma noted that there were plenty of resale opportunities available, but after careful consideration, he decided that buying new at El Paseo was the best choice for his family. "El Paseo was a natural fit for us for a lot of reasons, one of course being the beautiful selection of brand-new homes," Uma remarks. "We liked Plan 5's open living spaces and the way the rooms are so easily accessible to one another, especially the way the great room leads to the private courtyard. Having that contained outdoor space for our kids to play and run around is a feature we'll value through the years."

The setting within The Village of Foothill Ranch was also a major draw for Uma and his family, offering a host of lifestyle advantages that are hard to beat. "We have so many conveniences near our new home that will keep us active and connected to the community.

Cont’d on page 37

Govt proposes to redevelop 400 rly stations NEW DELHI: A proposal to redevelop about 400 railways stations in metros and major cities besides pilgrim centers and tourist spots has been cleared by the government.

The Union Cabinet, chaired

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for redevelopment of the railway stations on 'as is where is' basis to accelerate the process of revamping them.

Under this model, interested parties coming through open bids would develop the stations with their designs and business ideas while commercial development of real estate would be allowed by the Zonal Railways.

The 'as is where is' model would entail a much simpler process for faster redevelopment, with more focus on vertical ex-

pansion.

"The 'A-1' and 'A' category stations (about 400) shall be offered for redevelopment by inviting open bids from interested parties.

"These stations are to be de-

age innovative ideas from interested parties "at no cost to the railways".

These category of stations are generally located in metros, major cities, pilgrimage centers and im-

veloped by leveraging real estate development of land and air space in and around the stations," a government statement said, adding that the model would also encour-

portant tourist destinations across the country.

The 'as is where is' model was floated by the Railways to redevelop a large number of stations

as the Indian Stations Development Corporation could undertake redevelopment of only some identified stations in the country, the statement said.

Earlier moves to redevelop the stations and transforming them into world-class facilities had met "little success".

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had observed that the existing processes for redevelopment are time-consuming as there are several stages involved.

They include 'inception and pre-feasibility report', appointment of architect, technical consultants, financial and legal consultants, in-principle approval of local authorities, request for qualification, shortlisting of bidders, and request for technical proposals. -PTI

Real Estate Post

July 24, 2015

India Post 37

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El paseo's spacious new designs attract family homebuyers Cont’d from page 36

We can hike and walk in the park, shop nearby, visit the library and take the kids to The Cabana's playground or pool. It's a great community, filled with educated professionals who want the same family-friendly setting as we do."

Uma and Sasi greatly value El Paseo's Orange County location which is close by to family and friends and includes a crucial benefit for their children. "Our children's education is incredibly important to us, and knowing that we have access to excellent schools right near home is invaluable," he says. "Overall, I can't imagine a more ideal place to raise our family."

El Paseo's enviable setting, beautiful new townhomes backed

by Brookfield Residential's home warranties, low taxes and low HOA fees have clearly made the neighborhood a must-see for those seeking the best lifestyle for their families.

To learn more, interested homebuyers are invited to visit the Welcome House today to tour the six professionally decorated models and take advantage of long-term rate lock programs through iMortgage. For more details, log on to www.BrookfieldSoCal.com.

El Paseo's authentic Spanishinspired architecture and six attached-home designs effortlessly accommodate every lifestyle need with stylish floorplans ranging from approximately 946 to 1,795 square feet, with 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms, up to 2.5 baths, and 1- to 2car garages. The interior layouts are designed to flow easily from one room to the next, creating a spacious atmosphere that invites family time and encourages socializing.

Design elements that are common in every floorplan include

large great rooms for entertaining; modern kitchens with granite countertops, stainless steel WhirlpoolÂŽ appliances, and Europeanstyle white thermofoil cabinetry; cultured marble countertops in all baths; and spacious master bedroom suites with walk-in closets.

Select plans also feature first-floor dens, patios, outdoor decks, and private courtyards. El Paseo's 1bedroom floorplans start from the high $300,000s, 2-bedrooms from the mid $400,000s and 3-bedrooms

El Paseo's enviable setting, beautiful new townhomes backed

by Brookfield Residential's home warranties, low taxes and low HOA fees have clearly made the neighborhood a must-see from the mid $500,000s.

Between El Paseo's dynamic setting in The Village of Foothill Ranch and its spectacular Orange County location, residents enjoy a truly enviable way of life with a host of leisure and lifestyle opportunities at every turn.

The community's hub of recreation is The Cabana, a private recreational center that gives residents access to a swimming pool, multi-purpose room, playground, great lawn for picnics and numerous community barbecues, while just steps from home, they'll find a Target, the Regal Cinemas, the Foothill Ranch Town Centre, and a number of popular restaurants.

The 241 Toll Road is also nearby conveniently offsetting the hassles of work commutes. El

Paseo homeowners with schoolaged children will appreciate inclusion in the respected Saddleback Valley Unified School District.

To visit El Paseo at The Village of Foothill Ranch from I-5, exit Bake Parkway and head east. Turn right on Portola Parkway, make your first right on Auto Center Drive and then turn right again on El Paseo.

The Welcome House is located on your right and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information on El Paseo, call 888.598.1632, or visit www.BrookfieldSoCal.com. Prices effective date of publication.

About Brookfield Residential Brookfield Residential Southern California (Los Angeles and San Diego) a division of Brookfield Residential, is committed to being more than a homebuilder. We strive to create the best places to call home. The Brookfield Residential Southern California (Los Angeles and San Diego) team has the passion, the expertise and the local knowledge to craft homes and neighborhoods that speak to homebuyers at every stage of life.

We are an award-winning homebuilder and industry leader with an exceptional reputation for quality, design, and customer service.

Brookfield Residential Properties, Inc. is a leading North American land developer and homebuilder. We entitle and develop land to create masterplanned communities and build and sell lots to third-party builders, as well as to our own homebuilding division. We also participate in select, strategic real estate opportunities, including infill projects, mixed-use developments and joint ventures. For more information, visit www.brookfieldresidential.com.

Two-story villa built in three hours in China BEIJING: A Chinese company has assembled a 3-D printed twostory villa in less than three hours, complete with interior decoration, plumbing, wiring and other facilities.

A crane assembled modules of living room, bedroom, kitchen and restroom within less than three hours on July 17 in Xi'an, northwest China's Shanxi province.

The modules were made in the factory using 3D printing technol-

around USD 400-480, People's Daily Online reported.

Because of the reduction of transportation, labor, material, machinery and assembly costs, the low cost of producing the final homes are passed along to the home owners.

This makes the homes much more affordable than those built from scratch using traditional construction methods, according to 3ders.org.

ogy.

"Traditional construction requires half a year to build up a villa, whereas using 3D print modules, the process can be shortened to around a dozen of days," said the engineer, who is in charge of the design and production of the 3D printed villa.

The cost per square meter is

The company claims its new materials are sourced from industrial and agricultural wastes and are capable of withstanding earthquakes with a magnitude of 9.0 and are also fireproof and waterproof.

"Thanks to our special materials, our rate of assembling houses is really fast," Zhuoda group vice president Tan BuYong said. -PTI

Maharashtra to allot 10,000 houses to mill workers MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government would initiate the process of allotting 10,000 houses to mill workers by December this year, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

Property demand in Delhi-NCR region slumps by 35% NEW DELHI: Demand for property in Delhi-NCR region has slumped by 30-35 per cent in the last one year, a survey says.

According to the survey by industry body Assocham, the unsold inventory pressure in the region is the highest among all other cities, even as prices have declined in the last one year.

"The National Capital Region (NCR) residential market is stuck with an estimated inventory of 1,70,000 units while another 90,000

dwelling units under-construction are likely to be delayed for handover," the survey said.

It added, "Prices of 3-bedroom, 2 BHK and single room flats have seen correction by 30 per cent in Noida, 25 per cent in Gurgaon and 15 per cent in some key areas of Delhi but still, the demand stays subdued."

The survey was conducted by Assocham among 120 real estate developers in Delhi-NCR. "A large inventory is piling up

despite prices correcting by over 20 per cent in the last one year, while there is a huge fall in the new projects being launched by developers who are hard-pressed for cash," the paper noted with concern.

The increase in inventory level is because of the falling demand from actual users as well as investors. Even the ready-to-move flats are finding few buyers, majority of respondents who took part in the survey said. -PTI

Devendra Fadnavis

He also said that an additional 8,710 houses would also be allotted to the mill workers.

Making a statement in the lower house, Fadnavis said that the mill workers are entitled to get houses of 225 square feet under the scheme for mill worker's housing.

"6,925 houses were built under

the scheme and 5,644 have already been transferred to eligible applicants. 6,794 new houses are under construction and the third phase would involve construction of 2,911 houses," he said.

Apart from these houses developed by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) would provide 4,800 houses under the scheme.

Thus a total of 10,000 houses would be available for distribution by this year, the Chief Minister said.

MMRDA would provide for additional 8,710 houses which will be available by December 2016, Fadnavis said.

There had been 1,48,067 applications when lottery was drawn for the first phase in 2012. Government would ask MHADA and the MMRDA to build more houses in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to implement the scheme, he said. -PTI

38

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40 India Post

July 24, 2015

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ALYSON LONG

F

rom now on, when people ask me where to stay in Sri Lanka, I'll say Mirissa.

I think I've found my Paradise, my happy place. Sri Lanka on the whole brings me enormous joy, but the little seaside village of Mirissa is, I think, as near to perfect as I'll ever find.

Right now I'm sitting in a shady spot drinking tea from a china cup watching a monkey happily munch on a mango up in the tree. I can hear the crash of the waves from the beach and little three striped squirrels are rushing about on the grass. It's not too shabby at all!

Two easy bus rides south of

Hikkaduwa, changing at Galle, things have quietened down a lot.

There are no more big hotels and pizza restaurants, although it looks to me like that may change soon, there is building going on. All that we have in Mirissa is a perfect beach, the main coast road that runs the length of the country lies just behind with a few rudimentary shops and local style eateries and beyond that, the village, nestled into the abundant greenery. That's all that's here and it is perfect.

The beach is the cleanest I have ever seen. I haven't spotted even one piece of washed up plastic or litter. The sea is crystal clear and warm, but not too warm. The surf is

huge, there are rips, you need to read the sea but they don't stop the waves being the best fun. At the north end of the beach the surfers look very happy with the break (is that what they call it?).

The sand is dotted with beach shacks and restaurants, mostly simple bamboo and palm frond affairs, no big developments. For me that is perfect, I love to have a shady table to sit at while I watch the children play in the surf. Better yet, a shady table with cold beer and great curry at reasonable prices. At night each table has a candle, each palm tree it's own fairy lights. I really don't think I've seen a prettier curve of sand anywhere.

Cont’d on page 42

July 24, 2015

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post 41

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Robots do check-in and check-out at Japan hotel SASEBO, Japan: From the receptionist that does the check-in and check-out to the porter that's an automated trolley taking luggage up to the room, this hotel in southwestern Japan, aptly called Weird Hotel, is ``manned'' almost totally by robots to save labor costs.

Hideo Sawada, who runs the hotel as part of an amusement park, insists using robots is not a gimmick, but a serious effort to utilize technology and achieve efficiency.

The receptionist robot that speaks in English is a vicious-looking dinosaur, and the one that speaks Japanese is a female humanoid with blinking lashes. ``If you want to check in, push one,'' the dinosaur says.

The visitor still has to punch a button on the desk, and type in information on a touch panel screen.

Henn na Hotel, as it is called in Japanese, was shown to reporters, complete with robot demonstrations, ahead of its opening to the public.

Another feature of the hotel is the use of facial recognition technology, instead of the standard electronic keys, by registering the digital image of the guest's face during check-in.

The reason? Robots aren't good at finding keys, if people happen to lose them.

A giant robotic arm, usually seen in manufacturing, is encased in glass quarters in the corner of the lobby. It lifts one of the boxes stacked into the wall and puts it out through a space in the glass, where a guest can place an item in it, to use as a locker.

The arm will put the box back into the wall, until the guest wants it again. The system is called ``robot cloak room.''

Why a simple coin locker won't do isn't the point. ``I wanted to highlight innovation,''

Sawada told reporters. ``I also wanted to do something about hotel prices going up.''

Staying at Henn na Hotel starts at 9,000 yen ($80), a bargain for Japan, where a stay

One area Henn na Hotel still relies on human beings is security.

The place is dotted with security cameras, and real people are watching everything through a monitor to make sure guests stay safe and no one makes off with one of the expensive robots. ``And they still can't make beds,'' said Sawada, who has also engineered the rise of a popular affordable Japanese travel agency.

He has big ambitions for his roA receptionist dinosaur robot performs at the new robot hotel, aptly called bot hotel concept Henn na Hotel or Weird Hotel, in Sasebo, southwestern Japan. and wants to in one of the nicer hotels can easily cost open another one soon in Japan, and later twice or three times that much. abroad. He is also eager to add other lanThe concierge is a doll-like hairless robot with voice recognition that prattles breakfast and event information. It cannot call a cab or do other errands.

Japan is a world leader in robotics technology, and the government is trumpeting robotics as a pillar of its growth strategy.

Robots have long been used here in manufacturing. But interest is also high in exploring the potential of robots in human interaction, including helping care for the elderly.

Robotics is also key in the decommissioning of the three reactors in Fukushima, northern Japan, which went into meltdowns in 2011, in the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl.

6 corporates adopt tourist spots in Karnataka BENGALURU: To give a boost to the tourism sector, the Karnataka government has signed six MoUs with corporates for adoption of tourist destinations in the state.

The MoUs (memorandum of understanding) were signed under the Karnataka Tourism Policy 2015-20 that was launched here.

As per the report of Karnataka Tourism Vision Group, till 2020, the state is expected to receive an investment of Rs 54,000 crore, which will likely help in creation of 30.38 lakh jobs in the tourism sector.

Chief Minister Siddaramaih said the government has decided to hand over 18 sick tourism units to private players.

The MoUs were signed between Tourism Department and nodal departments like horticultures, state archaeology, forest department and corporates like Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Lalbagh, Jindal Foundation for Bengaluru Museum, Sandur Manganese and Iron Ores Private Limited for Ranganathittu, Tasveer Foundation for Venkatappa Art Gallery, West Coast Papers Mills Limited for Kavala Caves and Coffee

Day Enterprises for Belur and Halebidu.

In the next five years, Siddaramaiah hoped that Karnataka will become one of the top tourist destinations.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Tourism Additional Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Kharola said the department has identified nearly 319 destinations in the state. -PTI

guages, such as Chinese and Korean, to the robots' vocabulary.

A block-shaped robot that was scuttling around in the lobby had been brought in to do room service, delivering beverages and simple snacks. But it wasn't ready to do that yet.

Outdoors, Sawada also demonstrated a drone that flew in to deliver a few small jars filled with snacks. He said he wanted to eventually have drones perform in shows for guests.

In the hotel's rooms, a lamp-size robot in the shape of a fat pink tulip called Tuly answers simple questions like, ``What time is it?'' and ``What is the weather tomorrow?''

You can also tell it to turn the room lights on or off. There are no switches on the walls.

Sawada is keeping the hotel half-filled for the first few weeks to make sure nothing goes wrong.

He also canceled at the last minute the overnight stay planned for media. The robots simply weren't ready. -AP

42 India Post

Travel & Hospitality Post

Mirissa

July 24, 2015

www.indiapost.com

Paradise found in Sri Lanka A large Lion beer on the beach is under $2, a few cents more buys you a cocktail during the evening happy hour. Chef's pina colada and my mojito were both excellent.

If you eat on the beach prices are relatively high. A tuna steak, chips and salad set us back just under $5, fish curry and rice $3, fried squid rice and salad $4.

etable roti.

There are a few rooms to rent on the beach but we've opted to stay in the village. We're boarding with an elderly Sri Lankan couple.

For $16 per night we have our own bathroom, large double and single beds, mosquito nets and fans, it's perfect. It's not too hot here, the rooms seem to be plenty cool enough without air con.

These houses have lovely gar-

Eat at the simpler restaurants on the main road or in the village and family lunch can be as cheap as $1.50 for 4 small, but filling, veg-

dens, the place we stayed in had a large expanse of grass running down to the riverside and a resident troop of monkeys. The river-

Cont’d from page 40

side walk is cool, green and shady, watch out for the huge monitor lizards. As we walk home from dinner in the early evening we always see fireflies in the greenery.

There are plenty of private homes turned guest house, everybody seems to be building a block of rooms on their land, they're cheap (all around 2000Rs $16), clean and new, but tourism hasn't taken away the village feel of Mirissa. A local fisherman sells his catch on the corner, opposite is a fruit and veg stall. People say hello to strangers.

The Sri Lankans are lovely people. I've already posted about their beautiful manners and good looks in Why Visit Sri Lanka? If you can make it this far south, Mirissa is a real treat. Hikkaduwa was more like this 12 years ago, the first time I came, it's not now.

The big draw in this area is the incredible whale watching, I posted about it in We Saw A Blue Whale! Now we've done that we're just going to stay here and relax for a while, enjoy the beach, the wildlife and old-fashioned Sri Lankan hospitality.

We've only been here 36 hours, we haven't fully explored yet, but as I sat listening to reggae under a palm frond roof watching the boys play, I couldn't have been any happier. This is it, my paradise, what I've been looking for.

Weligama or Mirissa You could choose to stay in Mirissa itself or in the larger bay immediately to the north, Weligama. Here you will find stunning Taprobane island and

still see plenty of fishing activity and fishermen selling their catch near the beach. Weligama has all sorts of accommodation including larger hotels, It is a short bus or rickshaw ride to Mirissa.

Alyson Long is the voice of World Travel Family blog. She is a full-time professional travel blogger and published writer.

This article was posted 25/11/2013 by alyson@worldtravelfamily

Catskill Mountains resort plan clears big hurdle ALBANY, N.Y.: A $365 million Catskill Mountains resort planned since before this century is a big step closer to offering guests a posh place to golf or ski.

New York Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens ordered state permits to be issued for the planned Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park, which is to include two hotels, a golf course and a spa next to the state-run Belleayre Mountain Ski Center. Developers who are trying to create a year-round destination resort 100 miles north of Manhattan have faced an unusually prolonged environmental review amid opposition. ``Obviously, had one stood at the base of a ladder in 1998 and realized how high it was, one would have been hesitant about going up the first rung,'' said Dean Gitter of Crossroads Ventures.

Gitter said that the resort will

be an economic engine for the sparsely populated area.

The Belleayre project has faced the same sort of push-back many large developments do, but more so because of its high perch in a state forest preserve that provides New York City with drinking water. Opponents have claimed the mega-project straddling two rural towns on Belleayre Mountain would carve up pristine woods, clog winding mountain roads and taint the city's water.

A 2007 deal brokered by thenGov. Eliot Spitzer addressed those issues by getting Crossroads to commit to a scaled-back proposal with fewer hotels rooms and a smaller footprint. Developers also agreed to avoid building on the wilderness land that particularly concerned city officials.

It worked, partially.

While some environmental

groups dropped their opposition, local passions never cooled entirely. Some residents thrilled at the

feared overdevelopment, environmental degradation and local businesses being hurt by a self-con-

prospect of hundreds of new jobs planted lawn signs reading ``More Jobs - Less Taxes.'' Others who

tained resort put up their own signs reading ``Save the Mountain.''

``The cumulative impact is one of turning an area that is an escape for people into the thing that they were trying to escape,'' said Kathy Nolan, chairwoman of Catskill Heritage Alliance.

Nolan said the alliance was disappointed that Martens canceled the adjudicatory hearing on the proposal that had been ordered by an administrative law judge, which cleared the way for permits.

Nolan said the group was considering its legal options.

Gitter said he was pleased but noted that the approval process continues. Significantly, the resort still needs to be reviewed by the planning boards of the two towns it will straddle, Shandaken in Ulster County and Middletown in Delaware County. ``My hope is by this time next year we'll be able to stick a shovel in the ground,'' Gitter said. -AP

July 24, 2015

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post 43

www.indiapost.com

Tokyo Olympic venue to be costliest stadium TOKYO: When the dust settles on the marquee venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, it could well be the most expensive sports stadium in the world.

The latest cost estimate of 252 billion yen ($2 billion at current exchange rates) would push it beyond the current record-holder, the $1.6 billion MetLife stadium completed in 2010 for the New York Jets and Giants football teams.

What is the money buying? The design of the stadium's ribbed roof on huge steel arches resembles a bicycle helmet. To support a natural grass field, the roof's southern end will be translucent to let in sunlight and underground will be soil ventilation and temperature control systems. Movable seats will bring the crowd closer for more intimate events, and this being Japan, the stadium will have earthquake-resistant features.

While exchange rate fluctuations and inflation make comparisons tricky, it is safe to say that Japan's new National Stadium will likely to be the most expensive ever built, two sports economists told The Associated Press. The latest estimate was a 55 percent increase over an earlier one of 163 billion yen. ``The spiraling costs come as no surprise,'' Victor Matheson, a professor at the College of the

Holy Cross in Massachusetts, wrote in an email response. ``Most of the recent Olympics Games and World Cups have seen final costs come in far above initial estimates.''

Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Massachusetts, added that he suspects the cost will rise further during construction, which is due to begin in October.

At least five stadiums costing

tect Zaha Hadid, would be the first to reach $2 billion. Unlike venues for professional sports teams, which generate a steady revenue stream, Olympic stadiums risk becoming ``white elephants,'' little used after their two weeks of glory.

The rising price tag has put the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the defensive, at a time when his approval ratings are already slipping because of oppo-

Japan's National Stadium is dismantled in March to make way for a new stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

more than $1 billion have been built worldwide, four for American football and baseball teams and Wembley Stadium for soccer in London. Tokyo's new stadium, designed by award-winning archi-

sition to his push to expand the international role of Japan's military. It also doesn't bode well for Boston and others bidding for the 2024 Olympics, as well as the International Olympic Committee's

Cape May, NJ's charming Victorian homes CAPE MAY, N.J.: Summer on the Jersey shore is all about going to the beach. What makes the sea-

city's many Victorian homes. They constitute what the National Historic Landmarks program calls ``one of the largest collections of 19th century frame buildings'' in the United States.

The entire city, in fact, was designated a National Historic District in 1976, with more than 600 summer homes, hotels and commercial structures in all.

Their gables, towers, domes, arched windows and inviting Columbia House on Ocean Street in Cape May, N.J. The house is one of hundreds of late 19th century strucfront porches, tures included in Cape May, N.J.'s National Historic often trimmed in Landmarks designation. bright colors, create charming side town of Cape May special is and whimsical streetscapes all not just sand and shore, but the over town.

Cape May's Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, a local non-profit, publishes an excellent guide to 57 structures. The $5 ``Cape May Bike Tour'' booklet can be purchased at MAC's headquarters on Washington Street. If you don't want to go around by bike, though, you can also head out on foot, starting from Washington Street, and hit many of the homes listed in the booklet in just a few hours. The publication includes a map, street address and description for each structure.

In addition to Washington, key routes include Ocean Street, Columbia Avenue, Hughes Street, Beach Avenue and North Broadway. Among the highlights are the Stockton Row Cottages on Gurney Street; Leith Hall, The Breakers and Columbia House at 22, 24 and 26 Ocean St.; the massive Congress Hall hotel at 251 Beach Ave.; and the Southern Mansion at 720 Washington St. Many buildings today house bed-and-breakfasts, eateries or shops. -AP

goal of making future Olympics more affordable for host cities, Matheson said. ``If a modern city like Tokyo with tons of highly developed infrastructure already in place can't make an Olympics work without breaking the bank, what chance do any other potential host cities have,'' he wrote.

The IOC has approved changes in plans for other 2020 venues in Japan that have saved more than $1 billion, according to the committee. The main stadium, though, far exceeds the $455 million ``Bird's Nest'' stadium built for the 2008 Olympics, and the approximately $680 million stadium for the 2012 London Olympics.

Japan is a rich country, but it doesn't have cash to spare. More than two decades of economic stagnation have left the government saddled with debt, and the rapidly aging nation faces soaring pension and health care bills.

Public opinion, already tepid about building a massive new stadium in central Tokyo, has turned decisively negative since the government sharply revised up the project cost. The government though says it's too late to make major changes and still meet a 2019 deadline to host the inaugural event, the Rugby World Cup. The Japan Sports Council,

which is overseeing the project, attributes about one-third of the increase in price to rising labor and materials costs, and two-thirds to the unusual design of the stadium.

An increase in the consumption tax rate also added about 4 billion yen.

Asked about the cost, Jim Heverin, the project director for the stadium for Zaha Hadid Architects, said in a statement that the design allows the roof and the spectator stands to be built simultaneously, saving time and money and ``ensuring the stadium will be delivered cost-effectively and on schedule against the backdrop of steep annual inflation in Tokyo construction costs.''

Japan is no stranger to highpriced venues. The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano were by far the most expensive until Sochi, Russia, last year, Matheson said.

Japan also held the record for the most expensive World Cup stadium - the $621 million Nissan Stadium that hosted the 2002 final in Yokohama - until Brasilia built a $900 million stadium for the 2014 tournament.

Nissan Stadium remains in use, as the home field for a J-League soccer team, the Yokohama F. Marinos. The Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, however, is now perhaps the world's most expensive bus depot. -AP

Nepal asks nations to lift travel advisories KATHMANDU, Nepal: Nepal's countries have not, he said. government is urging other counNepal received nearly 800,000 tries to lift travel advisories that tourists last year, but the number discourage their citizens from vis- is expected to drop by about 40 iting the Himalayan nation follow- percent this year because of the ing a devastating earthquake in April 25 earthquake.

April that killed thousands of Sherpa said he recently asked people, a government minister has ambassadors from India and China said.

To u r i s m minister Kripasur Sherpa said the government has asked other nations through diplomatic channels to remove the Tourists walk near damaged buildings at Basantapur advisories beDurbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal. cause most parts of the country are safe. to encourage their citizens to visit. ``Only about 15 percent of the Indians and Chinese account for country has been affected by the about 30 percent of Nepal's tourearthquake while the rest is fine,'' ists.

Sherpa said.

Tourism is a key source of forSo far the United States, Brit- eign currency for Nepal, which ain, Switzerland, New Zealand and has many of the world's highest Italy have removed their adviso- mountains, including Mount ries, but some other European Everest. -AP

In Brief Farmers for allowing permits for field workers ATWATER, CALIF.: To some Merced County farmers, a bill that would allow farmworkers who live in the country illegally to get work permits could be a solution to labor shortages.

Merced-area farmers said the proposal makes sense for their businesses because it would help widen the pool of field workers, the Merced Sun Star reports. The bill being considered by California legislators would establish a program for field workers who already live in the state without authorization instead of granting a temporary work visa to foreign laborers as existing programs do.

Under the bill, the workers, their spouses and children who are in school could remain in the state without the threat of deportation.

Farmer Marc Marchini of J. Marchini Farms in Le Grand said that, depending on the season, it can be very difficult to find good labor.

Picking crops, he said, is not a glorified job, and many U.S.-born citizens are not willing to work in the fields. It is extremely difficult work and requires time to develop the skill, he said. ``We have to pull from the labor pools of those willing to work,'' he said. -AP

„ Brought in workers illegally for Asian eateries PITTSBURGH: Eight men recruited immigrants who were in the country illegally to work for low wages at six Asian restaurants the suspects owned or managed in central Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors said.

The suspected ringleader - 51year-old Jing Mei ``Jimmy'' Jiang of Boalsburg - and the others have agreed to plead guilty, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.

The indictment alleges Jiang and the others conspired to bus in workers from employment agencies in New York City's Chinatown and paid them less than the $7.25 per hour minimum wage. The workers were immigrants in the country illegally from China, Thailand, Guatemala and Mexico, the indictment said. ``Unauthorized alien workers were hired routinely to staff restaurant kitchen operations, thereby cutting costs and maximizing profits,'' the Justice Department said in a statement.

The restaurants are located in State College, about 120 miles east of Pittsburgh. -AP

Immigration

Thousands of Cuban immigrants fear deportation

44 India Post

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July 24, 2015

Details on page 46

Sides fail to reach settlement in family detention lawsuit SAN ANTONIO: The U.S. Justice Department and immigrant rights lawyers have failed to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over conditions faced by immigrant children detained with their mothers after crossing the U.S-Mexico border, according to documents filed in a California federal court.

Lawyers for both sides have been trying to strike a deal since U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee issued a tentative ruling in April that the current family detention system violates an 18-year-old court settlement that bars immigrant children from being held in unlicensed, secure facilities.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles, both parties said they had ``worked diligently to resolve these issues'' but could not reach an accord, saying ``further discussion would not be fruitful.''

Immigrant rights lawyers who brought the lawsuit were disappointed they didn't see more willingness from the government to honor the earlier settlement, said Peter Schey, executive director of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, after the filing. ``We will continue to fight until we succeed for a policy that places these children in the least restrictive setting,'' he said.

Justice Department officials said they would not comment beyond the filing.

The government poured millions of dollars into two large detention centers for women and

Dilley, both located south of San Antonio, recently held more than 2,000 women and children combined. A third, smaller facility is located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. All three are overseen by

The U.S. Justice Department and immigrant rights lawyers have failed to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over conditions faced by immigrant children detained with their mothers after crossing the U.S-Mexico border, according to documents filed in a California federal court

children after tens of thousands of immigrant families, mostly mothers with children from Central America, crossed the Rio Grande into Texas last summer.

Many have claimed they were fleeing gang and domestic violence back home.

The centers in Karnes City and

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement but managed by private prison operators.

In her tentative ruling, Gee had found that detaining children violates parts of a 1997 settlement of an earlier case. The settlement requires that immigrant children be released only to foster care or

relatives, and if they must be held, they should be kept in the least restrictive environment possible in facilities licensed to care for children.

She also said the settlement covered all children in the custody of federal immigration officials, even those with a parent, and that the new detention facilities are secure and not properly licensed for children.

The Justice Department had argued it was necessary to modify the settlement and use detention to try to deter more immigrants from coming to the border after last year's surge. Some 38,000 children arrived with their mothers on the border during the 2014 fiscal year.

The government also said it was a way to keep families together while their immigration cases were being reviewed.

Since the tentative ruling, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has vowed to make the facilities more child-friendly and provide better oversight. Last month, Homeland Secretary Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the end of long-term detention for mothers with children who present a credible case that they fear persecution in their home countries. -AP

Immigrant families released faster from detention SAN ANTONIO: Mothers with children are being released from Texas immigrant detention centers more quickly in the weeks since the nation's top immigration official announced policy changes, with far more being given ankle-monitoring bracelets in lieu of paying bonds, according to immigration attorneys.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Richard Rocha wouldn't confirm the uptick or provide specific numbers of people being released. But he said that ``going forward, ICE will generally not detain mothers with children'' with a credible fear of persecution in their home countries, so long they can provide an address and are not deemed a national se-

curity or flight risk. ``This is a decision they should have made a long time ago,'' said Jonathan Ryan, director of RAICES, the Refugee and Immi-

grant Center for Education and Legal Services, which offers legal help to detainees.

Ryan said his volunteers have seen an increase in the number of

Immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala who entered the country illegally board a bus after they were released from a family detention center in San Antonio. Women and children are being released from immigrant detention centers faster on bond, with many mothers assigned ankle-monitoring bracelets in lieu of paying.

women and children at the downtown San Antonio bus station who have been released from two South Texas facilities where immigrants are detained after crossing illegally into the U.S. The volunteers also noticed an increase in the number of families needing a place to stay overnight and other assistance. ``We've seen ICE start to implement additional strategies for releasing people,'' added Brian Hoffman, who is leading a volunteer lawyers project for the American Immigration Lawyers Association and other groups at the nation's largest family detention center in Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Cont'd on Page 46

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Trump's criticism of McCain overshadows issues AMES, IOWA: Donald Trump's criticism that Sen. John McCain isn't a war hero overshadowed his rivals' quest for support among evangelical voters at an Iowa political gathering designed to showcase their conservative views.

In their appeals to more than 2,000 religious conservatives

Donald Trump

crowded into a sports arena, Trump and other White House hopefuls urged a crackdown on illegal immigration, a forceful approach to the Islamic State group that could include ground troops, and a devotion to Christian values.

Yet Trump's questioning of a respected Republican leader's war record dominated the day.

When the moderator pressed Trump over his recent remark that McCain was ``a dummy'' and

pointed out that the Arizona Republican was a war hero, Trump said: ``He's not a war hero. ... He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured.''

The comment directed at a former prisoner of war drew some boos from the audience and criticism from several Republican rivals who took the stage later in the day. McCain's spokesman offered no comment.

Trump's outsized role in the Republican presidential primary began last month when he described Mexican immigrants as ``bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.'' ``It turns out I was right,'' Trump declared, citing the recent murder of a California woman by an immigrant in the country illegally. ``I am so proud of the fact that I got a dialogue started on illegal immigration.''

Trump was not alone in his hardline approach on illegal immigration.

Once a leading advocate for an immigration overhaul that included an eventual pathway to citizenship, Florida Sen. Marco

Rubio said he'd support ``work permits or something like that'' for immigrants in the country illegally, but only after ``we bring illegal immigration under control.''

Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, took it a step further. He called for curbs on illegal and legal immigration, suggesting that both groups of immigrants are hurting Americanborn workers. He specifically called for cutting legal immigration by 20 percent. ``What is in the best interests of American workers?'' Santorum said.

The Republicans' position moves further away from GOP leaders' previous calls to embrace comprehensive immigration changes heading into a presidential election where Hispanic voters are expected to play a critical role.

On foreign policy, the candidates offered an aggressive approach to the Islamic State group, whose rise has become an increasing concern for American policy makers and a focus in the Republican presidential primary.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a conservative favorite, said he was skeptical of the U.S. invasion of Iraq more than a decade ago. On the Islamic State group, however, Carson said there was a ``strong likelihood'' that American ground forces would be

UK visa crackdown to hit Indian students LONDON: The UK has announced that it will ban overseas students from outside the European Union to work while they study in the country from the next month, a move that will hit students from countries like India.

UK immigration minister James Brokenshire said that from next

education (FE) colleges in Britain will lose the right to work for up to 10 hours a week.

"Immigration offenders want to sell illegal access to the UK jobs market, and there are plenty of people willing to buy," Brokenshire said.

"Hardworking taxpayers who

month students from outside the European Union who come to study at publicly-funded further

are helping to pay for publicly funded colleges expect them to be providing top-class education, not

a backdoor to a British work visa.

"Our reforms - which include introducing English language testing, removing sponsorship rights from hundreds of bogus colleges, and restricting students' access to the jobs market - are all of our plan to control immigration for the benefit of Britain," he said, as the latest rules were launched in the UK Parliament.

In justifying the decision, the UK Home Office highlighted official figures which show 121,000 non-EU students entering the UK last year but only 51,000 leaving.

Not only will non-EU student be banned from working while they study, but they will not be able to apply for a visa when their course finishes either.

As a further crackdown, the term of the student visas issued for FE colleges has also been cut from three to a maximum of two years after which they will have to leave the country. -PTI

necessary to contain the threat. ``I would send ground troops if I needed ground troops in order to take the land,'' Carson said. ``You're not going to take the land without troops.''

While not addressing ground forces, Rubio charged that, ``ISIS is someone we can humiliate,'' us-

John McCain

ing an alternative acronym for the group. ``We need to subject them to high-profile humiliating defeats that we broadcast and advertise to the world,'' he continued. ``We have won propaganda wars before.''

The conversation came as evangelical voters eye their options in an extraordinarily crowded Republican presidential contest.

There are already 15 high-profile contenders in the race, while two more are expected to join by month's end.

Iowa's evangelical voters traditionally hold great sway in the state caucuses, which are expected for the first week in February. Christian conservatives backed the winners of the last two caucuses, Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012, but neither became their party's nominee.

Former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn said it was likely too early for a leader to emerge among Christian conservatives. ``Not only are there considerable options within the Christian conservative lane, but there are also those in that lane that demonstrate appeal to a broader base,'' he said.

Indeed, muscular policies on immigration and foreign policy are often popular among the GOP's most passionate voters - as is a commitment to Christian values. ``I go to church. And I love God,'' Trump said. ``I'm a religious person. ... People are so shocked when they find this out.''-AP

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July 24, 2015

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Thousands of Cuban immigrants fear deportation MIAMI: With the United States and Cuba inching closer to fully restoring diplomatic ties, including re-opening embassies for the first time in 54 years, the future is murky for tens of thousands of Cuban immigrants who have been ordered by immigration authorities to leave the country.

As many as 25,000 Cubans living in the United States have outstanding deportation orders, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They include people who pose a threat to national security or have serious criminal convictions and are considered priorities for immigration enforcement agents.

Despite being an enforcement priority, those immigrants haven't yet been sent back to Cuba because the government of President Raul Castro has not given them permission to return. It's unclear whether the Cuban government's position will change.

Sisi, a 50-year-old grandmother who moved to Miami with her family when she was 4, is one of those waiting and wondering what the future holds.

As a teenager in the 1980s, Sisi married a man involved in South Florida's booming cocaine trade.

By the middle of the decade she'd become involved in the business herself and eventually served 2 1/

2 years in prison, cutting ties to her brief life of crime in 1989.

Though she served her debt to society for the drug conviction, what she didn't know at the time was that her criminal record would prompt immigration authorities to issue a deportation order in 2000.

includes a list of 2,746 people who had come to the U.S. in 1980 as part of the Mariel boatlift who should be deported. The mass migration from Cuba to Florida started when then-President Fidel Castro announced he would allow anyone who wanted to leave the

Grisel Ybarra, left, and Monica Barba Neumann look over documents at their office in Miami.

``I was young, stupid. It's hurting me,'' said Sisi, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition that she only be identified by her nickname because of her pending deportation order. ``It's coming back now, a lot.''

For decades deportation to Cuba has been complicated by the lack of diplomatic ties and the Cuban government's decision not to provide travel documents for most immigrants facing deportation.

A 1984 repatriation agreement

Communist island nation. An estimated 125,000 Cubans made the perilous trip between April and October 1980.

ICE records show that 1,999 people on that list have been sent back to Cuba, including 1,093 since 2001. ICE is responsible for finding and removing immigrants living in the country illegally and those who have been ordered to leave.

More than 35,000 Cubans have outstanding deportation orders,

and as of the end of March, more than 2,300 other Cubans have open cases pending in U.S. immigration court. ICE said of those, about 25,000 are considered deportation priorities because of their backgrounds, including criminal histories.

Sisi's lawyer, Grisel Ybarra, said the Cuban community is on edge amid the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Havana and the uncertainty about what renewed relations will mean for immigrants. ``Everybody in Miami right now is shaking like a leaf,'' Ybarra said. ``People are really worried.

The Americans and the Cubans are not in bed together, but they already have the room. It's happening.''

Ybarra said she represents several clients who could face deportation, including Elias, a 71year-old retiree whose deportation was ordered in 1991. Like Sisi, Elias agreed to speak about his immigration case only on the condition that his full name not published.

Elias said he has two drug-related convictions dating to the 1970s and 1980s. He moved to Florida in 1961, followed by other family members a decade later after his father spent about 10 years in a Cuban prison for being part of a union that opposed Commu-

nism. If he is forced to go back to Cuba, he said, he would be alone in a country he would barely recognize. ``I'm going to meet a new country,'' Elias said. ``I've got nobody in Cuba. All my family is here.

Anything that I love in this world is here.''

Though the future of migration agreements between Washington and Havana have yet to be laid out publicly, under any circumstances the tens of thousands of Cubans with outstanding deportation orders aren't likely to be quickly sent home. That's because ICE already struggles to find and deport immigrants living in the United States.

During the first six months of the 2015 budget year that started in October, the agency has removed about 127,000 immigrants.

If that pace holds, ICE will deport the fewest immigrants since the middle of President George W. Bush's second term in 2006.

If the Cuban government does begin accepting more deportable migrants, they would likely just be added to the ever-growing list of people who risk being expelled from the United States if ICE can find them, according the Migration Policy Center's Marc Rosenblum. ``There's definitely going to be a randomness to it,'' Rosenblum said.-AP

Immigrant families released faster from detention Cont'd from Page 44

``But there are people who have been here longer than a month,'' he said.

ICE opened two large detention centers south of San Antonio after tens of thousands of migrant families, mostly from Central America, crossed the Rio Grande last summer. Amid political pressure - and a lawsuit that could potentially close the facilities Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced last month that detention would be ``short term'' for families seeking asylum.

Johnson promised substantial changes, including ``reasonable and realistic'' bonds, and quick release for families with credible asylum claims.

Among the recently released immigrants was Juliana Tecu, who said she fled Guatemala with her 9-year-old daughter after her ex-husband threatened to kill her.

During an interview last week at a San Antonio bus station, she said she spent 17 days at the 2,400-bed holding facility in

Dilley after illegally crossing into the U.S. in late June.

She was granted a $4,000 bond, which her son in Los Angeles was able to cover with help from friends and relatives. ``If I waited up to a month, maybe they would lower it,'' she said in Spanish, referring to the bond. ``But when? I didn't want to be there.''

About a half dozen other mothers with children at the bus station were wearing ankle bracelets. They said a total of about 10 women had been released that day with the devices.

Ryan said there's been a significant spike in the number of mothers being given ankle-monitoring bracelets, though he and other immigrant advocates say there is inconsistency in how the devices are being doled out.

Linda Brandmiller, an immigration attorney who has represented several women held at the 500-bed immigrant facility in Karnes City, said ankle-monitoring bracelets are a fair alternative in some cases. But she said

there should be sound criteria for using them. ``Everybody is not a natural flight risk,'' she said. ``Everybody

uses ankle bracelets and other alternatives to detention on a case-by-case basis.

ICE reported that the Karnes

Immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala who entered the country illegally board a bus after they were released from a family detention center in San Antonio.

shouldn't need an ankle bracelet.''

ICE would say only that it

City facility was housing 122 people while the Dilley facility was housing about 2,000. The

third family holding facility is in Pennsylvania and much smaller.

The agency said the number of women and children at the facilities is expected to drop in the coming weeks, but the centers will remain open to process new immigrants who have crossed illegally into the U.S. or to hold those who don't meet criteria to petition for asylum.

RAICES reported that in the week after Johnson's announcement, nearly 70 women and children were released from the Karnes City facility. Ryan said that's an increase from previous weeks, and his organization expects about 30 families to be released each day in the coming weeks. ``ICE and the administration have known all along that family detention doesn't work. Rather than doing the right thing and bringing it to an end, they have had to slowly back away from the policy to save face at the expense of hundreds, and probably thousands, of women and children,'' Ryan said.-AP

Datebook

July 24, 2015

NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sat, Jul 25 • Comedy with Kapil and Family Venue: Boardwalk Hall, 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Time: 8:00 am Contact: 201-407-8378

Sun, Aug 2

• Nitin Mukesh live in concert New Jersey Venue: Sayreville War Memorial High School, 820 Washington Road, NJ 08859 Time: 5:30 pm Contact: 8482191079

Sun, Aug 9

• India Foundation Of Metropolitan Princeton Picnic Venue: Mercer County Park East, 1346 Edinburg Rd, West Windsor Township, NJ 08550 Time : 11:00 am Contact: 609-297-7116

NEW YORK Upcoming Sat, Jul 25 • Summer Meetup - Casual Drinks With New Friends

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

CHICAGO

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri, Jul 24 • Kknc – Camping 2015

Venue: Private Apartment Rooftop, 39 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003 Time : 6:30 pm

Venue: Little Basin Cabins, 21700 Little

Sat, Aug 1 • Om Entertainment - Nitin

Fri, Jul 31 • Paatasala Telugu School

Mukesh Live In Concert Venue: Community Center Auditorium, 14309 Holly Ave, flushing, NY 11355 Time : 7:00 pm

Sat, Aug 15 • Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha Starring: Anupam & Neena Venue: Tilles Center, 720 Northern Blvd, Greenvale, NY 11548 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 516 692 8690

India Post 47

Basin Rd, Boulder Creek, CA 95006 Time: 4:00 pm

registration Venue: Telugu Times, 68 S Abel St, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 8:00 am

Fri, Aug 7 • Festival of Globe: Festival of India and Parade with San Francisco Global Movie Fest Venue: Corner of Paseo Padre and Walnut Ave., 39439 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA 94538 Time: 10:00 am Contact: 510-304-5619

Fri, Aug 7 • Iffer - Antakshiri & Karaoke Night Venue: Golden Peacock Banquets, 24989 Santa Clara St, Hayward, CA 94544 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 6509212846

Sat Aug 8 • Marathi Movie - Bioscope Venue: Serra Theaters, 200 Serra Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 2:00 pm Contact: 650-6706665

Fri, Aug 8 • Festival of Globe: International Year of the Woman Movie Petals in the Dust Panelists: Divya Khosla, Neha Dhupia, Nyna Pais Caputi Time: 05:00 pm to 09:00 pm

Sat, Aug 13 Movie Tara Panelists: Shabana Azmi, Richha Chadda, Kat Kramer, Juhi Chawla Time: 05:00 pm to 09:00 pm Venue: 201 South Second Street, San Jose, CA 95113 Contact: 510-304-5619

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, Aug 1 • Gujarati Comedy Play Pappa Avaj Hoi Che Venue: Gujarati Samaj Inc, 5331 Royalwood parkway Tucker, Atlanta, GA 30084 Time: 8:00 pm

Fri, Aug 7 • ICHF Presents Arathi Dance Fest 2015 Venue: Dallas City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St, Dallas, TX 75201 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 2148838538

Mon, Aug 31 • MITHAS 2014 Membership Venue: Wong Auditorium, MIT, 70 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02142 Time: 07:00 pm Contact: 857-205-9731

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

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Swami Ishatmananda • Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy of life Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662

• India Eternal: From the Vedic Age to the Present Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 N. Main Street Glendale Heights, IL 60139 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 630-655-8822

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July 24, 2015

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Horoscope

July 24, 2015

India Post

49

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Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar July 24th - July 30th 2015 (March 21 to April 20)

T

hings stuck in the past will start moving in the right direction. Chances of another addition in the family improve. Presence of Jupiter in fifth will give you the Midas touch and all you attempts will hit the bulls eye. Some of you may be taking a short trip to a really warm area. Bank balance will grow rapidly during the week.

(April 21 to May 20)

S

ome of you may be getting ready to move to another place. Investment in a property at this point will be very profitable. Mind will still stay little restless and you may try to get in touch with a government agency to seek some kind of permit or clearance. You may get little hurt while moving or lifting some heavy items this week.

(May 21 to June 20)

F

inancial pressure will evaporate. Quite possible that you may need to have one of your tooth pulled out.

You may take a short trip to a nice place with family. bachelors will be introduced to some one they already knew but never paid attention.

You will be spending lots of time on phone and make new clients.

(June 21 to July 22)

Y

our plans and project launched in past twelve months will turn profitable.

People in job will also have better luck and a big promotion is not out of question. You may also dispose off some stocks and pocket the money. You may have to deal with a government agency to straighten out an issue causing unnecessary headache.

(July 23 to August 22)

(November 23 to December 22)

P

resence of conflicting planets Venus and Jupiter in your sign is interesting.You will be torn in between temptation and righteousness. An overseas trip is also in the air. You may be sending some money to government in shape of taxes or fine. A close relative will call to invite you for lunch or dinner this week. Avoid going out in extreme weather.

(August 23 to September 22)

A

long distance or overseas trip is in the air. Money will go on entertainment and going out with family. You may meet some very influential people at the party. Great week for people connected with communication industry. There will be tremendous progress in ongoing legal matters because of new evidence.

(September 23 to October 22)

M

any hurdles will clear in career. New management will be less demanding and the boss will be easier to deal with. You may buy some interesting items for the home as well as for yourself. Strong chance of getting some money through legal channels. Some of you may decide to join a short program to update your knowledge.

(October 23 to November 22)

A

nd if you believe in magic, you will see one this week. You may be slowly preparing for an upcoming big exam. Things will keep getting easy and under control at work. Just protect yourself against severe weather this week. Try to see if you can get away with the small doses of medicine. Bank balance will escalate.

PANDIT PARASHAR, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations.

He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com

J

upiter's presence in house luck will bring confidence back and some major hurdles will get out of your way in career. Your image will also improve in social as well as professional circle. There will be big change in your religious beliefs and you may start leaning towards spirituality from religion from now.

(December 22 to January 19)

P

lanets in eighth will improve personal life in a big way. You may receive some valuable gifts from someone close. Bachelors may also receive final words of commitment. You will spend some quality time with famous people this week. It will be better to dispose off the items not in use for long time and pocket the money.

(January 20 to February 18)

V

enus and Jupiter in seventh will provide much needed boost. You will be full of energy and won't waste even a single minute and bring personal as well as professional life back on the track.

You will be looking for ideal partners to launch your project. You will also clear any exam recently taken, with flying colors.

(February 19 to March 20)

S

ome big change in career around the corner and you will start to feel the ground shaking. Money wise you will stay in comfortable zone and at the same time looking for more avenues for additional income. You may also visit a close relative with family this week. It will be better to watch out what you eat at the party.

510-886-4370 www.parashar.com

50 India Post

P

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July 24, 2015

akistani television journalist Chand Nawab is over the moon that he inspired a character in the hit film Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which features Salman Khan as an Indian who sneaks into Pakistan to reunite a speech-impaired girl with her family.

"I saw the film on the first day it was released in Pakistan. And I was very happy with the way Nawazuddin Siddiqui portrayed me in Bajrangi Bhaijaan," Nawab told Hindustan Times on phone from Karachi.

"Do you know that all shows of the film have been booked in advance till July 27? People can't get tickets for any of the four daily shows at all halls in Karachi. And so many people have been calling me to tell me they enjoyed watching the character inspired by me," he said.

Six years ago, Nawab became an unlikely hit on YouTube after his colleagues posted a video of his flubs as a prank.

It was this same video that inspired the character of Chand Nawab, the Pakistani journalist who helps Salman Khan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

"I want to thank (director) Kabir Khan, Salman Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui for the way they portrayed me and Pakistan in the film. Nawazuddin has done a good role," said Nawab, a reporter with Karachi-based Indus News.

"I was on a TV show with Kabir Khan and he suggested I should come to Mumbai and work in films," he added with a laugh.

Nawab said he had been receiving calls from friends and colleagues even at 3am to discuss the character in the film.

"Others have been coming to my home with cakes and

sweets. My colleagues and bosses have expressed their appreciation," he said.

And thanks to the film, there have also been offers to appear in Pakistani television commercials. "There have been some offers, let's see what happens," said Nawab, whose mother hailed from Agra and his father from Bharatpur.

But there is also a tinge of regret. Nawab said he would have been happier if his wife Riffat, who passed away last year, could have watched Bajrangi Bhaijaan with him.

"She was a doctor and she inspired me a lot. She would always stand by me," he said, adding that his 'sasural' (in-

laws' home) is at Tonk in Rajasthan.

While 52-year-old Nawab is now basking in the fame generated by Bajrangi Bhaijaan, there was a time when he was upset by the video on YouTube that started it all.

"I had once gone to Iran some years ago and I met some Indian journalists there. At the time, I told them that the YouTube video had spoiled my reputation not just in Pakistan but also in India. People would point to that video and say, 'Look, this is the quality of Pakistani television journalism,'" he said.

But as time passed, Nawab changed his opinion about the video that features a series of flubs he made while re-

cording a P2C or piece-to-camera, the clip that anchors a television report, for a report about people leaving Karachi to spend the Eid holidays with their families in the interiors of Sindh.

Nawab wanted the P2C to feature a train pulling out the railway station behind him but the flubs made him repeat the same sentence almost 20 times. At other times, he was interrupted by people walking up and down the stairway on which he was standing.

Perhaps the ultimate tribute is that the YouTube video inspired a complete scene in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. -Courtesy Hindustan Times

July 24, 2015

India Post 51 www.indiapost.com

Bollywood praises Richa Chadha for 'Masaan' Richa Chadha made us proud when her film Masaan won 2 film awards at the prestigious Cannes film festival early this year.

The film which has been in talks for sometime now have got our Bollywood stars also curious and they are waiting to watch the

same.

Here's a look at various stars who have shown support and appreciation towards our very own Richa Chadha.

Sonakshi Sinha:-They made us proud in Cannes. Watch the amazing trailer of #Masaan here releas-

Richa Chadha

ing 24th July! Looking forward Karan Johar-Won so many hearts in Cannes and I can't wait to see this gem of a film...

Kunal Kapoor-This movie is looking so good! Really looking forward to watching it!

Faran Akhtar- Check out the trailer of #Masaan, a film featuring @RichaChadha_ that's done us proud at Cannes Sona Mohapatra:- Loved it A big shout out to @guneetm @ghaywan @varungrover @RichaChadha_ & team @MasaanTheFilm POOJA BHAT-Humbled by @MasaanTheFilm take a bow @ghaywan & the entire team!

Though I must say I lost my heart to @vickykaushal09 what a debut!

Arjun Kapoor- So Masaan makes India proud overseas...hope n pray it gets the platform in India to be showcased to our audience the way it deserves Alia Bhaat- Masaan trailer looks just LOVELY!! Can't wait to catch it https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=PZdfVEv1dhc ... @ R i c h a C h a d h a _ @FuhSePhantom

2 blundering terrorists on a mission India Post News Service

MUMBAI: On the surface, Bangistan, starring Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat, is a comedy about two blundering terrorists on a mission to change the world. But at its core, it is all about the 'Bromance'.

The concept of Bromance in Bollywood was actually pioneered by the makers of Bangistan, Excel Entertainment, with Indian audiences first seeing it in Dil Chahta Hai. Speaking about the bond between the lead actors, the film's producer Ritesh Sidhwani said, "Bangistan is about two unlikely people finding themselves and eventually becoming buddies in the most unusual circumstances

through their journey. It's funny and quirky. Both Riteish and Pulkit

enjoyed each other's company while shooting the film, which translates on screen."

Debutant director, Karan Anshuman added, "Bangistan makes for a most unlikely Bromance because the lead characters are antithetical in every manner, making their journey a real blast."

Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar have really captured the essence of a Bromance in Bangistan, and Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat's antics together will have audiences everywhere in stitches.

This summer, audiences will be entertained and educated in equal measure as the hysterically funny 'Bangistan' comes to cinema screens internationally.

Bengalis display their culture in US HOUSTON: Bengalis' penchant for art, music and culture was on display here as dance, music and literary discussions took centre stage at a convention here that drew community members from Canada and India besides the US. The opening ceremony featured a 45-minute spectacular fusion dance performance that told the story of Bengal through the music at the three-day North American Bengali Conference (NABC) which organized by the Tagore Society of Houston at sprawling George Brown Conven-

the business forum, "Houston 2025 and Beyond", highlighting the future of energy.

An MOU was signed at a gala dinner between Mumbai Port and Port of Houston.

The convention also saw performances by sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons - Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan.

A dance performance by actress Tanusree and her troupe was a big hit.

Organizers presented 'Bishwer Sera Bengali Puraskar' (World's Best Bengali awards) to Prabir Roy,

A display of Bengali culture

tion centre.

Over 140 events were organized for the conference which included an exhibition displaying Indian manufacturers' products from jute to textiles, books, handicrafts, food products and especially jewelry.

The area was like a huge, welllaid out Bengali Bazaar, in the midst of which was a stage for performers and fashion shows, drawing a sizable crowd.

The conference kicked off with

one of the founding members of the Cultural Association of Bengal, as well as to actress Konkana Sen Sharma and singer Shreya Ghoshal, among others.

An exhibition of Tagore Paintings was another attraction at the convention.

The event ended with a two-and half hour mesmerizing concert by Ghoshal, who kept an estimated 5,000-strong audience glued to their seats till midnight. -PTI

52 India Post

July 24, 2015 www.indiapost.com

City of Lincoln seeing Kareena, the momin-waiting boom in restaurants LINCOLN, Neb.: Nebraska's capital city is seeing a boom in chain restaurants.

Work began this week on a Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Franchise owner Ron Oberg said it will be a new concept store that likely will be the biggest Freddy's restaurant in the country, with seating

rant open by mid-November.

It'll be another in a string of restaurants recently opened or soon to be opened in Lincoln, including Chick-fil-A, BurgerFi, and Dunkin' Donuts. The list also includes Las Vegas-based sandwich chain Capriotti's, Arkansas-based Slim Chickens and Ohio-based grilled cheese and tomato soup shop Tom+Chee.

for more than 150 people and a double drive-thru.

He hopes to have the restau-

Several other restaurants already established in Lincoln are expanding.

Lincoln is likely benefiting from the growth of fast-casual restaurants. Fast-casual restaurant sales were up nearly 11 percent in 2014 compared with 2013, while overall restaurant sales grew less than 4 percent, said Mary Chapman, senior director of product innovation for Chicago-based food industry consulting firm Technomic Inc. Richard Meginnis, executive vice president with NAI FMA Realty, said Lincoln's status as a non-major metropolitan area helps it, because a lot of restaurant chains have not had those markets on their expansion map before.

Lincoln's low unemployment and the presence of three colleges _ including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln _ that offer a steady influx of college students also help, said Jim Hogg, a Lincoln-based franchise consultant. ``It's a pretty stable market to come into,'' Hogg said. -AP

Manish Malhotra to close ICW with grand show NEW DELHI: Designer Manish Malhotra will showcase his oldworld charm inspired collection on the closing day of Amazon India Couture Week 2015 here.

Known for his rendition of the most coveted trends, Malhotra's couture line titled "Couture Soiree", will be a celebration of intricate craftsmanship and admiration for traditional hues.

"At Amazon India Couture Week, I will bring to you Couture Soiree, an evening reminiscent of the old world Charm from the 1950s, when western fashion was being revolutionized and fashion shows had a sense of an intimate experience and luxury," Malhotra said in a statement.

Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to walk the ramp for Malhotra's closing show, in which the designer present will present a preview of his limited edition Manish Malhotra London Label.

"This finale show at couture

week is going to be a departure from what you've seen, with an intimate setting as we are going to present a preview of our limited edition Manish Malhotra London Label. It is even more special to me as it also marks the celebration

of successful 10 years of my label 'Manish Malhotra' in August 2015," he added.

Spanning five days, Amazon India Couture Week 2015, will be held from July 29 to August 2, 2015 here. -PTI

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to walk for Manish Malhotra at ICW grand finale

K

areena Kapoor, who mar ried Saif Ali Khan in Octo ber 2012, has expressed her desire to become a mother but not in the next two-three years.

"As of now there are no plans (to have children) and I am very clear about it. Of course I will be a mother someday but not for the next two three years.

It is not even a thought," Kareena Kapoor, who is basking in the success of "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" told PTI. After getting married to Saif, the 34-year-old Kareena Kapoor continued working in all kind of films. The duo tied the knot after a fiveyear courtship.

"Despite being married, I chose to do good entertaining films including commercial films. It is difficult to balance.

It is important for an actress to do everything," the "Jab We Met" Kareena Kapoor said.

Kareena Kapoor, daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita, has been in the industry for 15-16 years.

She said when she looks back at her career, she feels proud of her journey in filmdom.

"Playing Anil Kapoor's wife (in "Bewafa") to Arjun Kapoor's partner in director R Balki's upcoming film, for me it is a journey. I am still working with all the Khans in the industry. I was working from very

young age," she said.

According to Kareena, she thinks that she is the only actress who balances commercial and off beat films and says she will continue to experiment.

After scaling heights in her career Kareena wants to set an example for others.

"I am not an insecure person. I am happy that after so many years I am still working, I am happy, I am independent, I am married. I would like to be an example for many young girls ‌that they can be married and still flourish in their career," Kareena said.

"I don't have any fear apart from the fact that I have to lose my loved ones. I don't care about my position and all that but family does matter," the actress added.

Philosophy

July 24, 2015

India Post 53

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis JOEL GOLDSMITH

W

hen you are close to nature out in the country, in the mountains or by the sea, and more especially when in a peaceful, quiet and reflective mood, you become aware of many wonderful and beautiful things that ordinarily slip your attention and thought.

After watching millions of stars overhead rise and set a number of times with perfect regularity, you realize that there is a law, an order and an activity behind this event which produces this experience every night. And so it is also with the regular and orderly rising of the moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, the succession of growing things each in its own season.

In pondering this in connection with prayer, can you not see that it would be sinful to pray for the Southern Cross to rise in the sky, or to pray for the tide to come in or go out? Would it not be sinful to pray for flowers to bloom when all one has to do is to behold the great mystery of Life unfold, disclose and reveal Itself before your very eyes?

The great prophets of old saw that man need do nothing about these great miracles except to behold them, to enjoy them, and to be grateful that there is an infinite Wisdom, a divine Love, and that It has created all these things ALFRED AIKEN

S

pending thousands of years in the business of being human has accomplished nothing in fact, for there is no Truth in humanity. No thing and no one is man. There has never been a race of mortals, any more than there has been a flat earth. Spirit only, is Infinite, All, for the entire duration of Everpresent Eternity.

It is not human toil and labor that accomplishes aught in Truth.

Struggle, strife, battling has never yet won Heaven. If it could have done so, would it not have become universal after lo, these many eons during which it has been tried?

Would not peace, plenty, security and joy be the norm? But these are Real only to the One who is still, and knows "that I am God." This Awareness is a peace that is beyond any so-called human comprehension.

Humanity being but a belief without a believer, has kept itself so rushed in its foolish effort to carve out a living for itself, so occupied mopping the sweat from its face, so utterly in ignorance as to the nature and meaning of Wealth or Supply, that it has no time for Peace, no inkling of Heaven and happiness. In fact, no human can ever enjoy Heaven, for there is no

for Its own glory. This really exists for your glory and for mine, because God's only existence is as you and as me!

We have seen before that it is useless to pray for supply. If you were to be so practical as to think in terms of meat and potatoes, clothing, fresh air, pure water, you know that there is an over-abundance of these things in the

heart tells you that prayer is a glorious thing; that prayer is a necessary thing; and that prayer is one of the most beautiful experiences on earth.

Something within tells you that prayer must be the very Voice of God, the very atmosphere of God, the very consciousness of God. Something tells you that prayer is a sacred and secret

that God loves me, than to know that I love God! God's Love is expressed as my love, reflected by my love, for without God's Love for me I could not love God. And so I am not too concerned about my love for God, because that would not exist at all except for God's Love for me. Just the realization of God's Love for His universe and for His children is

Just the realization of God's Love is prayer The great prophets of old saw that man need do nothing about these great miracles except to behold them, to enjoy them, and to be grateful that there is an infinite Wisdom, a divine Love Joel Goldsmith

world-there is no use praying for them.

If it is not necessary to pray for all of these things, what is there left to pray for? It has previously been stated that every time you resist the temptation to pray, you are in prayer. This seems a strange statement, and one you might question. At first this seems to wipe out prayer and the need for prayer, but something in your

thing; that you must not pray to be seen of men, but that you must retire into an inner sanctuary, the secret place of the most High, and there pray in the realization that "The Lord is my shepherd." Because the Lord is my shepherd, the Lord's Grace is my sufficiency.

God must love His Son for He created the whole of heaven and earth for His Son-for you and for me. It is more wonderful to know

prayer, and in this prayer there are no desires that God should love me more than He does, no feeling that God should be doing more than He already is doing.

Excerpted from 'Infinite Way Letter.' Joel Solomon Goldsmith (1892 - 1964) was an American spiritual author, teacher, spiritual healer, and modern-day mystic. He founded The Infinite Way movement.

human, and never was.

To show how void of Truth socalled humanity is, let us examine it further. The driving force of human sense is fear. The human is afraid he will not have enough, afraid someone will cheat or outsmart him, afraid something will take his gains from him. He fears that when he has amassed supply, the government, a panic, or a re-

his family will waste his earnings; that he will die and have to leave his gains behind.

In no way is this how God feels, nor can fear ever motivate Action, Good-in-business. Love cannot know fear or its purported fruits. Wealth has naught to do with amassing a fortune. It has nothing to do with finite sense, the so-called commotion and

Health, Mind, Power, Individual, Identity.

To repeat, there is nothing human anywhere. This means there is no human law, body, mind or world, no human operation or business, no human lack or limitation, action or experience. But, so long as one insists on identifying himself and his neighbors as such, the follies and foibles of

Human toil can accomplish nothing in Truth Wealth has nothing to do with lack, a high IQ, intellectual theorization; with the stars, numerology, or with any other belief dealing with human goodfortune or Lady Luck. Wealth is a term for God Alfred Aiken

cession in the market, a national or international calamity, a catastrophe of war, or the depreciation, the devaluation of his currency will strip him.

He fears that his health will give out so he will have to spend his money for medical services, or that his income will be cut off; that

movement of mortals, their work, labor or evolvement. Wealth has nothing to do with lack, a high IQ, intellectual theorization; with the stars, numerology, or with any other belief dealing with human good-fortune or Lady Luck.

Wealth is a term for God, the same as the words Love, Life,

this belief will hound his every step. He will have not only wars mental, but wars physical and all that goes with the belief of such an ugly, Truth-deficient spectacle.

Excerpted from the book 'Now.' Alfred Aiken (1897-1968) was an American writer and lecturer on Absolute Truth.

Happiness is your nature.

It is not wrong to desire it.

What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.

-Ramana Maharshi God is not present in idols.

Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple.

-Chanakya If you desire ease, forsake learning. If you desire learning, forsake ease. How can the man at his ease acquire knowledge, And how can the earnest student enjoy ease?

-Nagarjuna Those who worship don't know, and those who know don't worship -Bodhidharma When your last breath arrives, Grammar can do nothing.

-Adi Shankara Many have died; you also will die. The drum of death is being beaten. The world has fallen in love with a dream. Only sayings of the wise will remain.- Kabir In a day, when you don't come across any problems - you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path -Swami Vivekananda

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July 24, 2015

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Ambiguous nuclear policy a deliberate Pak drama India Post

VICE ADMIRAL (RETD) VIJAY SHANKAR

P

akistan has no declared doctrine and has adopted ambiguity as central to their nuclear policy. Tactical nuclear weapons in their arsenal suggest that conventional principles of war apply (which places a premium on elements such as surprise, offensive action and deception).

This sets into motion a military dynamic that provides the incentive for use of nuclear weapons and a reactionary development of a first strike capability, while the adversary strives to generate a counter-force potential. Ambiguity has been used as an offset for conventional inferiority with the belief that control over escalation is possible.

This is so obviously a fallacy due to the nature of the weapon.

Covert technology intrusions coupled with ambiguity of intent

which has been in a condition of violent chaos since 1979, the idea of central control is anemic. The breakdown of the region into several 'Tolkienesque' warring worlds has opened geography to historical fractures that the politics of the last half a century have failed to reconcile.

Today, a simmering Baluchistan finds little mutuality in a Punjabdominated Pakistan; Pakthunwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) ferociously cling to religio-ethnic links with eastern Afghanistan that reject the modern idea of statehood within Pakistan; inside the rest of Pakistan is a smoldering Jihadist sentiment against India and the West; and finally, failure of the US AfPak strategy has left an insurgency engorged with modern weapons and enabling technologies. The region has become the

A Pakistan-made Ghauri missile, which has a range of 1,500 kilometers (940 miles) and can carry 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds) of nuclear warheads

and the mounting influence of radical Islamists on policy has increased the hazards of use and in turn a precarious instability.

Is ambiguity in Pakistan's nuclear policy a deliberate drama being played out to cause regional anxieties or is it essentially a strutting nationalism by a military to legitimize its vision of the Pakistani nation and its role both domestically and within the existing strategic milieu?

Stephen Cohen's incisively observed, "Pakistan is likely to remain a state in possession of a uniformed bureaucracy even when civilian governments are perched on the seat of power. Regardless of what may be desirable, the army will continue to set the limits of what is possible in Pakistan."

When states involve themselves for decades on end in irregular, decentralized warfare such as the Afghan-Pakistan situation

hatchery for the next generation of terrorists.

The key to GHQ Rawalpindi's compliance with rational norms of nuclear behavior lies in Beijing.

And the direction in which SinoPak collusion is headed will, to a large extent, influence nuclear stability in the region.

If the alliance was intended (as it now appears) to nurture a first use capability in order to keep sub-continental nuclear stability on the boil then the scope for achieving lasting stability is that much weakened.

The essence of Pakistan's rogue links will, unmistakably, seduce the Islamic State (IS) into the sub-continent, underscoring the distressing probability of the IS extending its reach into a nuclear arsenal.

At a time when the politico-ethnic situation in western China remains fragile and the fanatical out-

burst of xenophobia advanced by the IS has stretched south and eastward from Syria and Iraq, a nuclear armed IS is an alarming prospect which China cannot be blind to nor can it be in China's interest to persist with the promotion of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

The challenge before us is clear. To put the nuclear genie back into the bottle is not realistic. A movement in Pakistan towards democracy and weakening of the army's hold on the establishment, as history has shown, remains an unlikely event. Rapprochement with India would, on the other hand, diminish its own internal pre-eminence and therefore be anathema to the army.

At the same time to roll back the links that Jihadist elements have established with the Pakistani army and to convince them that it is the Islamists that pose the existential threat to that nation rather than India is a proposition that merits consideration.

But the fact that it runs counter to the army's foundational narrative, despite providing a basis for global pressure to be applied, gives it a low probability of success. All of which would suggest that nuclear stability will remain hostage to the army's revisionist and ambiguous nuclear policies.

Against the reality of conventional war with its limited goals, moderated ends and the unlikelihood of it being outlawed in the foreseeable future, the separation of the conventional from the nuclear is a logical severance.

Nuclear weapons are to deter and not for use; intent is key; transparency and an abhorrence of ambiguity are its basis.

These remain the foundational principles that a nuclear weapon state must adhere to. However, given the politics of the region, historical animosities, rising influence of Islamist radicals and the persisting dominance of the military in Pakistan, the dangers of adding nuclear malfeasance to military perfidy is more than just a possibility.

Stability in this context would then suggest the importance of not only reinforcing assured retaliation to nuclear violence, but at the same time for Indian leadership to bring about a consensus among both China and the US to compel Pakistan to harmonies with foundational rules of nuclear conduct.

The writer is former Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command of India. Courtesy IPCS

Dealing with Pak

D

uring the UPA rule, Army officers used to say they were fighting Pakistan-trained jihadi elements with arms tied to their back. This was allusion to official policy of not taking initiative to tackle Pakistani terrorism head on but only react when provoked. It is no longer so.

The NDA regime has given free hand to the armed forces to respond actively to Pakistani violations. In fact Modi's policy is not only tit for tat but the armed forces have been advised to give them a resounding retort so that they think twice before venturing to violate the ceasefire in Kashmir, or elsewhere. This has been the difference in the approach of former PM Manmohan Singh and the present PM Narendra Modi. From a timid reaction to teach them a good lesson.

Modi is also aware that lines of communication with Pakistan have to be kept open. There were lot of back-channel contacts before the meeting in Ufa, Russia, between the PMs of India and Pakistan was organized. At the photo op after the meeting, both the PMs looked grim. Nawaz Sharif even looked reluctant, as if anticipating the domestic reaction to the joint statement he had just signed with Modi. The Ufa statement was conspicuous by the absence of any mention of Kashmir.

Soon after returning to Pakistan, to assuage domestic opinion, the Pak foreign minister went to the old rhetoric of "nothing will move until you talk Kashmir." India rightly dismissed it as trying to please the critics at home and insisted the follow up on the Ufa statement was on.

The civilian leadership of Pakistan is aware of the pariah status of Pakistan. When it complains to the world about severe Indian retaliation to the violations at the Line of Control in Kashmir, the world looks on amused. International opinion is by now well aware of Pakistani provocations and the lies thereafter about having no hand in the attacks by jihadis trained by its armed forces who are encouraged to wage an undeclared war against India. It is only under Modi that India is refusing to countenance such behaviour.

There are certain sections in India who keep warning that there could be a war against Pakistan and let us do everything in our power to prevent such a scenario. This is the timid Manmohan Singh approach. It has encouraged Pakistan to carry on with its pinpricks convinced that the pacifist India would not retaliate. It has the past experience to go by where India has not reacted to serious provocations by Pakistan.

Things are not the same anymore. If there is a war it will not be of India's seeking. Whenever Pakistan now provokes it knows it will get a bloody nose. The nuclear option threat is no longer working. Pakistan itself broiled in the fight against terrorists. Much of that nurturing of militants is now coming home to roost. So much worried is it about fighting the Taliban and other terrorists on its western front that it has put its major battalions on that area.

Therefore it is logical that it would not be able to defend the eastern sector against India. That is why the Pak leadership wants the ceasefire with India to hold. It cannot fight on two fronts. But still if there are violations and attempts at infiltration on that front it means its own jihadis are now not under its control. They seem to be acting independently to the great chagrin of the leadership.

Their provocations can one day even lead to war, as some veterans fear.

Pakistan has been given enough long rope. If it still won't mend its ways then it has big retribution coming. Those who say war must be avoided at all costs have not read the Gita. Like Arjun, it is the duty of the State to see that unfairness doesn't succeed.

July 24, 2015

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