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Celebration of India's 70th Independence Day at the Embassy Residence, Washington, DC on August 15

Indians across the world celebrate I-Day Details on page 8

'Pak sponsoring terror with facade of human rights' Details on page 8

VOL 22, No. 1142

August 19, 2016

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PM SLAMS PAK FOR GLORIFYING TERROR

NEW DELHI: Lashing out at Pakistan for glorifying terrorists, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that the country will not bow before terrorism even as he said people of Baluchistan and PoK have thanked him for raising issue of atrocities against them.

In a 90-minute address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi made no reference to the situation in Kashmir valley which has been rocked by violence after the killing of Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani, but accused Pakistan of glorifying terrorists and celebrating killings in India.

This was an obvious reference to Wani who has been hailed as a martyr by Pakistan, which was not directly named by him.

Attired in his trademark half sleeves kurta and sporting a Rajasthani turban, Modi devoted bulk of his address on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day to presenting in effect a report card of his government's work particularly in boosting economic growth, ease of doing business and welfare schemes for the poor and farmers.

FOG celebrates India I-Day with record gathering Details on page 16

BAPS Sanstha Pramukh Swami passes away Details on page 6

Details on page 5

Rahman enthralls at UN concert on I-Day See Pages 38-43

Details on page 9

US greets India on 70th I-Day

FOG I-Day Parade & Mela:

Details on page 10

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et's call a time out on the US election shenanigans and focus on India even as we celebrate its 70th Independence Day. So how many of you watched or read later the speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15? Well, whether you did or not, here's something to be rather kicked about - Modi delivered what sounded to me like a bugle - may be not for war (yet) - but certainly what sounded like an open challenge to face India's diffident-no-more muscle to beat some sense into Pakistan with regard to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Gilgit-Balochistan.

In simply thanking the people of Balochistan for their goodwill for India, Modi sent a loud and rather clear message to Pakistan to lay its hands off of that far off land which sees a friend, benefactor and savior in India.

So it's known how low bred Pakistan is in its continuous war-like actions against India. For me no country is as lowly as Pakistan, as it is only Pakistan that refuses to claim back bodies of its soldiers who die fighting its despicable "wars" against India.

Without getting into the dynamics of the Kashmiri separatist politics played from within the Indian borders, one can see Modi's diplomatic overtures towards Pakistan from the day he took oath of office.

His diplomatic foreplay began with inviting Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief to his swearing in ceremony two years ago. Next, last year Modi simply "dropped in" to say hello and wish Sharif a happy birthday in Lahore while returning from Kabul - unmindful of the personal safety risks, and unmindful of the Opposition bricks back home.

If nothing else, these two gestures should have been message enough for lowon-IQ Pakistan to understand that Modi's diplomacy is different. I, for sure, am waiting for Modi's next move. And so is the world.

I must say I love it. I love Prime Minister Modi's acumen in using the right place, right time and the right language when dealing with Pakistan. I see the almost mythical Chanakya's neethi at work here. So, Pakistan beware!

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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Cover Story: Pak slammed Lashing out at Pakistan, PM says people of Baluchistan and PoK have thanked him for exposing atrocities against them.

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PM lashes out at Pak for glorifying terrorists NEW DELHI: Lashing out at Pakistan for glorifying terrorists, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that the country will not bow before terrorism even as he said people of Baluchistan and PoK have thanked him for raising

spoken out against atrocities on Dalits in the recent days, said a strong country cannot be built without a strong society which is based on social justice.

He asserted that a "tough and sensitive" approach is required to

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Nation on the occasion of 70th Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15

issue of atrocities against them.

In a 90-minute address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi made no reference to the situation in Kashmir valley which has been rocked by violence after the killing of Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani, but accused Pakistan of glorifying terrorists and celebrating killings in India.

This was an obvious reference to Wani who has been hailed as a martyr by Pakistan, which was not directly named by him.

Attired in his trademark half sleeves kurta and sporting a Rajasthani turban, Modi devoted bulk of his address on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day to presenting in effect a report card of his government's work particularly in boosting economic growth, ease of doing business and welfare schemes for the poor and farmers.

The Prime Minister, who has

tackle the age-old social evils including casteism or untouchability.

Referring to terrorism, he asked the youth of the country to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream, saying they have not achieved anything by taking the path of terror and extremism.

"I want to tell those youths that this country will never tolerate violence. This country will not tolerate terrorism.

This country will never bow its head before terrorism, never before Maoists.

"I am telling those youths that there is time left, come back and join the mainstream. Realize your parents' aspirations. Lead a peaceful life. The path of violence has never benefited anyone," he said.

Referring to Peshawar school attack in which more than 140 people, most of them children, were killed, the Prime Minister said India's Parliament and the country's schools and children had felt the pain as the country has strong foundation of humanity.

"But look at the other side where terrorism is being glorified.

Where killing of innocents by terrorists is celebrated. What kind of terrorism-inspired life is it? What kind of government is which is inspired by terrorism? The world will need to understand the double standards," Modi said.

The Prime Minister presented "two pictures" before the world about the difference between "the people who are brought up on the basis of humanity and those inspired by terrorism", appealing the world to "weigh it on a balance."

"Terrorists killed innocent children in a school in Peshawar.

Blood of innocent kids was spilled by terrorists. A temple of learning was bloodied. There were tears in the eyes of India's parliamentarians.

"Every school in India was crying. Every child in India was feeling the pain of kids of Peshawar.

Tears did not dry up from their eyes. The child victims of terrorism in Peshawar gave us pain. It is reflective of inspiration derived from our culture. This is our humanity.

"But look at the other side," Modi said while hitting out at Pakistan, without naming it, for eulogizing terrorists.

At the same time, he again

Baluchistan, Gilgit and Pakistanoccupied Kashmir wholeheartedly," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister asked the international community to judge the behavior of India and Pakistan in the context of terror attacks in each other's country.

Modi, who during his speech at an all-party meeting on Kashmir last week had slammed Pakistan for carrying out atrocities against people of Baluchistan and PoK, said people hailing from those areas have thanked him a lot since then and he is grateful to them.

Talking about economic and

"I am telling those youths that there is time left, come back and join the mainstream.

Realize your parents' aspirations. Lead a peaceful life. The path of violence has never benefited anyone," he said raked up PoK and Baluchistan issues.

"From the ramparts of the Red Fort, I want to express my gratitude to some people - the people of Baluchistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied-Kashmir - for the way they whole-heartedly thanked me, the way they expressed gratitude to me, the way they conveyed their goodwill to me recently.

"People in distant land, which I have not even seen, people that I have not met...when those people thank the Indian Prime Minister, greet him, it is an honour for the 125 crore people of the country.

"And that is why, Today I want to thank the people of

social sectors, he said he tries to adopt the strategy of "reform, perform and transform" while avoiding populism and asserted that march from self- governance to good-governance is a resolve of entire nation which will need sacrifices.

Hitting out at the UPA government, he said the previous dispensation was shrouded in allegations while his government was surrounded by expectations.

The Prime Minister also gave details of various initiatives undertaken by his government to promote ease of doing business, tackle corruption, provide good healthcare to poor people and benefits to farmers. -PTI

Attempt to divert attention from Kashmir: Pak ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi s references to Balochistan and PoK in his Independence Day speech were an attempt to divert world attention from the "grim tragedy" that has been unfolding in Jammu and Kashmir.

In his reaction to Modi's references to Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK), Sartaj Aziz, Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, claimed this proved Pakistan's contention that India has been allegedly "fomenting terrorism" in the province.

Aziz also asserted that the situation in Balochistan cannot be equated with Kashmir.

He said Prime Minister Modi was only trying to divert world

attention from the "grim tragedy" that has been unfolding in Kashmir over the past five weeks, in a reference to the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

The reference to Balochistan, which is an integral part of Pakistan, "only proves Pakistan's contention that India, through its main intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has been fomenting terrorism in Balochistan", Aziz was quoted as saying by a Foreign Office statement.

Aziz said India is a large country, "in fact the second largest in the world and this must be ac-

knowledged, but a large country does not automatically become a great country, specially when it

Sartaj Aziz

unleashes such brute force against innocent citizens to suppress their right to protest or when

it deliberately uses pellet guns to permanently destroy the eyesight of over 100 youth."

He said India should recognize that the core issue of Kashmir cannot be resolved by bullets and needed a political solution, through serious negotiations between India and Pakistan.

Earlier, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri had dismissed Prime Minister Modi's assertion that the province was suffering from repression and accused India of fomenting trouble there.

Zehri, while addressing a ceremony in the provincial capital of Quetta to mark Pakistan's Independence Day, said there was no comparison between Balochistan and Kashmir.-PTI

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Speak with one voice on Gilgit, Pak invites India for talks on Kashmir Balochistan: Naidu NEW DELHI: Appealing to Salman Khurshid, there is a stateparties, including Congress, to ment by Kapil Sibal, subsequently speak with one voice on the is- a statement given by Congress sues of Balochistan and Gilgit, spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu "I only appeal to the main ophas said all should avoid making any statement which hurts India's interests.

Naidu's remarks came in response to a question on Congress Leader Salman Khurshid's statement in which he attacked the Prime Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu Minister for raking up the issue of Balochistan in his Indepen- position party please bear with the dence Day address. country. Try to understand the im"As far as international issues plications. We must all speak with are concerned India should speak one voice. Our neighbor is aiding, with one voice. But unfortunately habitating (sic) and funding terCongress party is not speaking rorism in the country continuwith one voice within the party ously. It can't go on like this," also. There is a statement from Naidu said at the sidelines of an

event here.

"I appeal to all domestic parties to not make any such statements which hurts India," he added.

Khurshid had accused Modi of "ruining" India's case on Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) by raking up the issue of Balochistan in his Independence Day address.

But later Congress distanced itself from the remarks and asked the government to raise the issue of "atrocities in Balochistan and PoK" in bilaterals with Pakistan as also at international forums.

Taking a strong note of Pakistan's position on Kashmir, Naidu said that Kashmir is integral part of India.

"Government of India and state government are capable of handling Kashmir. There is an elected government in the state," he said.

"They are trying to give us lectures about Kashmir, that's why we have told them what is happening in Balochistan, PoK and Gilgit. Let them focus about human rights violation, massacre and atrocities there," Naidu said. -PTI

BAPS Sanstha Pramukh Swami passes away AHMEDABAD: Spiritual head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Pramukh Swami, passed away on August 13 at Saragpur in Botad district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to the 95-yearold spiritual leader saying that "he was a mentor to me".

Pramukh Swami, who was ail-

sect.

"His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, spiritual head and president of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, inspirer of countless and a great servant of society, passed away today, at 6 pm in Sarangpur.

We deeply mourn the departure of our revered guruji," an official statement of BAPS Swaminarayan

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Pramukh Swami

ing for some time, due to old age related problems, was under treatment at Sarangpur temple of the

Sanstha said.

He is credited to have overseen construction of over 1,000 temples

including some grand ones like Akshardham in Gandhinagar and Delhi and had initiated over 800 youths to monk-hood during his life time.

Modi tweeted that he was a stalwart among humans who embodied compassion and humility.

"HH (his Highness) Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a stalwart among humans, who embodied compassion and humility. His service to the society will always be remembered," Modi said in a tweet.

"HH Prmukh Swami Maharaj was a mentor to me. I will never forget my interactions with him.

Will miss his presence," the Prime Minister said in another tweet.

He is also known for his social concerns, having actively participated in rescue and relief operations during the times of floods and famines, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Thousand of his devotees, started thronging to temples of his sect in various cities and town and women were seeing crying at those temples, mourning his death.

Born at Chansad village in Vadodara district on December 7, 1921, Shantilal, as he was named by his parents, showed religious streaks since his childhood.-PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has resolutions," the statement said. invited India for talks on Kashmir, Pakistan's advisor on foreign saying it is the "international ob- affairs Sartaj Aziz said that a conligation" of both the countries to ference of envoys of Pakistan resolve the issue, a move already earlier this month had agreed rejected by New Delhi which had that Pakistan seek talks with Ininsisted it would talk on "contem- dia. porary and relevant" issues in The invite came days after Indo-Pak relations.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Foreign Office spokesman Singh addressed Parliament on Nafees Zakaria said in a statement the Kashmir issue and said that that Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale was called The invite came days after to hand over a letter of Union Home Minister Rajnath invitation for talks.

"The Foreign Secre- Singh addressed Parliament tary called in the Indian on the Kashmir issue and High Commissioner this afternoon (15 August said that India was willing to 2016) and handed over discuss only Pakistana letter addressed to his Indian counterpart, in- occupied Kashmir (PoK) viting him to visit Paki- with Pakistan stan for talks on Jammu and Kashmir dispute that has been the main bone of India was willing to discuss only contention between India and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Pakistan," Zakaria said.

(PoK) with Pakistan, and that the The invitation was extended question of discussing Jammu amid tension in bilateral ties due and Kashmir with Islamabad just to the war of words between the does not arise. two nations over the issue.

India had also virtually turned "The letter highlights the in- down Pakistan's proposal that it ternational obligation of both would invite India for a dialogue the countries, India and Paki- on J&K and made it clear that it stan, to resolve the Jammu and would talk on "contemporary and Kashmir dispute, in accordance relevant" issues in Indo-Pak relawith the UN Security Council tions. -PTI

India, Pak should decide scope of talks: US WASHINGTON: Refusing to said at her daily news conference. be drawn into the war of words The State Department spokesbetween India and Pakistan over person, however, did not respond Kashmir, the US has said it is for to questions on the remarks by the two countries to determine the Prime Minister Narendra Modi pace, scope and character of any during his Independence Day addiscussions on Kashmir.

"Our position on The pace, the scope, the Kashmir has not changed. The pace, the character of any discussions scope, the character of on Kashmir is for the two any discussions on sides to determine.

Kashmir is for the two sides to determine. We We support any and all support any and all positive steps positive steps that India and Pakistan can take to forge closer relations," dress.

State Department Spokesperson "I wouldn't speak to Mr Modi's Elizabeth Trudeau said. comments, that would be for him "We're aware of the clashes. to speak to," Trudeau said.

We remain concerned about the Prime Minister Modi brought violence and we encourage all up Pakistani atrocities on people sides to make efforts for finding a of Balochistan and PoK in his Inpeaceful resolution," Trudeau dependence Day speech.-PTI

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Indians across the world celebrate I-Day BEIJING/WASHINGTON: Soaked in patriotism, hundreds of Indians proudly marked the country's 70th Independence Day, as the tricolor fluttered and the national anthem reverberated at Indian missions across the world.

Indians in countries like China, the US, Thailand and Singapore joined people in India to celebrate the day with recital of patriotic songs and dance performances

Pranab Mukherjee's address to the nation followed by recital of patriotic songs.

In Shanghai, Consulate General of India Prakash Gupta hosted the celebrations. Gupta unfurled the tricolor besides reading out excerpts from the President's address. A similar celebration was held at the Indian Consulate in Guangzhou led by Consulate General Y K Sailas Thangal.

In the US, the Independence

Ambassador of India Vijay Gokhale addressing the Indian community at 70th Independence Day celebrations at Indian Embassy in Beijing, China

representing the diverse ethnicity of India.

In Beijing, Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale hoisted the tricolor in the embassy premises at a function that was attended by members of the Indian community.

A large of number of Indian professionals besides embassy staff took part in the flag hoisting ceremony along with their families.

Gokhale also read out President

Day was celebrated on a large scale in Fremont in California and Edison in New Jersey where thousands of people attended the event amid a colorful cultural extravaganza.

In cities like Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Orlando and Minneapolis, community organizations held cultural events over the weekend to celebrate the Independence Day. The patriotic fervor also

gripped Indian missions across Southeast Asia, as hundreds of Indian nationals, ethnic Indians and India lovers gathered.

In Bangkok, Indian Ambassador Bhawant Singh Bishnoi said, "2016 has been a most significant year for our bilateral relationships". Bishnoi, in his speech to over 500 people gathered at the embassy premises, said Thailand remains one of India's "closest" friends.

"People to people linkages are one of the most important aspects of our bilateral relationships. Central to this is the role played by the Indian community," he said and commended the significant contribution by ethnic Indians and Indian nationals to the economic and social development of Thailand.

Indian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates echoed with melodious strains of the national anthem as children and the hundreds of Indians joined to sing patriotic songs in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Yangon, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei.

Flag hoisting ceremonies were also held at Indian consulate buildings in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth apart from Indian High Commission in Canberra.

Extending his warm greetings, Indian High Commissioner Navdeep Singh Suri said that India was on an economic growth path and that the recent passage of Goods and Services Tax bill will

further consolidate the nation's position in global economy.

"Our 70th Independence Day comes at a very important of time in our history. Over last two years, India has come to be recognized as the world's fastest growing economy," Suri said.

He added that Indian government was proactively working on several projects including 'Festival of India' initiative project that would help in further strengthening the relations with Australia.

On Saturday, a special event was held at the iconic Federation Square where Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor hoisted the tricolor

In Cairo, India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya hoisted the national flag. Members of Indian community and Egyptian Friends of India, attended the celebrations and sang the national anthem. The function was held at the India House premises in Zamalek.

In Herzliya, about 300 Indians from all over Israel gathered to celebrate the Independence Day ahead of an expected exchange of high level bilateral visits as India and Israel celebrate the 25th year of establishment of diplomatic relations next year.

India's envoy to Israel Pavan

Members of Indian community and Egyptian Friends of India, attended the celebrations and sang the national anthem. The function was held at the India House premises in Zamalek along with Suri.

Australian politicians also attended the celebrations.

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said, "There are over 138,000 people of Indian heritage living in the state who make valuable contributions to our peaceful and harmonious society".

"The friendship between NSW and India continues to flourish and Indian migrants, students and visitors are welcome to the state in increasing numbers," Baird said.

Kapoor hoisted the national flag, calling on the Indian community in Israel to help strengthen bilateral ties.

A cultural program followed the ceremony, including a Bhangra performance by the Indian contingent at UN Disengagement Observer Force which serves as the border between Israel and Syria.

Senior political sources here said that Israel's President Reuven Rivlin is likely to visit India by the end of this year.-PTI

'Sponsoring terror with facade of human rights' NEW YORK: The nations which use the "facade of human rights" to sponsor terror are "hypocrites of the worst kind",

Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar said, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

In the city to lead India's 70th

Indian Minister M J Akbar speaking at the New York celebrations

Independence Day celebrations, Akbar asserted that India is a nation which believes in "faith equality" and not faith "supremacy" as he called terrorism a major threat to human rights.

"Terrorism is the biggest enemy of human rights. Those who use the facade of human rights in order to sponsor barbaric terrorism are hypocrites of the worst kind," Akbar told PTI here.

"We (India) do not believe in faith supremacy. Nations created in the name of faith supremacy are coming apart along the fault lines of a failed idea," he said after unfurling the tricolor at the Indian Consulate in a ceremony attended by several members of the Indian community.

"That is why Bangladesh happened in 1971 and that is why Balochistan is simmering now," the journalist-turned- politician said on his maiden visit to the US after assuming charge.

Akbar's remarks came on a day

when back home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also referred to Pakistan's atrocities in the restive Balochistan province and the PoK, prompting a sharp reaction from across the border.

In his address to the community members, Akbar said India represents the very essence of human rights.

faith supremacy rather than in faith equality, who believe that one faith is supreme or superior to others," he said, in another veiled reference to Pakistan.

He underscored that India believes in freedom and equality for every faith not just before the law but in society as well, adding that

"We (India) do not believe in faith supremacy. Nations created in the name of faith supremacy are coming apart along the fault lines of a failed idea," he said after unfurling the tricolor "This is the moment to tell the world and ourselves that the greatest enemy of human rights is terrorist and terrorism.

"Faith equality emerges from the ancient philosophy of our nation. The challenge to civilization and the challenge to stability is coming from those, including in our neighborhood, who believe in

freedom is not simply the right to vote but it is the right to express oneself everyday.

"In India, I am a proud Indian Muslim and in my country the Azaan has been heard for 1,400 years and shall be heard for 1,400 years. It emerges out of the belief and will of the Indian people," he said.

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Rahman enthralls at UN concert on I-Day UNITED NATIONS: Oscarwinning composer A R Rahman enthralled a packed audience at the iconic UN General Assembly hall with his renditions of Indian Carnatic legend M S Subbulakshmi's music, Sufi songs and the foot-tapping 'Jai Ho' at a concert to mark India's 70th Independence Day here.

Rahman, 49, became only the

on the occasion of her birth centenary.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of her performance at the UN. The first ever musician to be awarded India's highest civilian honor the Bharat Ratna, Subbulakshmi was invited by the then UN Secretary General Late U Thant to perform at the General

A highlight of the concert was performances by students of Sunshine Orchestra, an initiative by the A R Rahman Foundation that teaches music to underprivileged youngsters."From today, you are privileged, you are not underprivileged anymore," second Indian artist after Subbulakshmi to perform in the General Assembly hall, which is the usual platform for global leaders to address the world.

The concert, organized by India's Permanent Mission to the UN with the support of Sankara Nethralaya, an India-based civil society organization, on India's 70th Independence Day, was a tribute by Rahman to Subbulakshmi

Assembly in October 1966, becoming the first Indian to perform there.

The audience of ambassadors, diplomats and Indian-Americans welcomed Rahman with a thunderous applause and loud cheers as he stepped on stage, dressed in traditional Indian attire.

Through the nearly three-hour long concert Rahman and his troupe performed Subbulakshmi's

Indians begin SingaporeMumbai 'I-Day Ride' SINGAPORE: In an innovative 2016', they will cover 5,000 kilomix of adventure and patriotism, meters on the most-talked about five Indian motorcycle enthusi- Asian Highway that connects asts began their "Great Indepen- Southeast Asian countries. dence Day Ride" from Singapore, The riders will be exploring, aiming to redefine freedom in eating and delving into the culterms of culture and friendship tures of their destinations and through a five-nation 5,000-km stay connected with other enthujourney that will conclude in siasts through biker-clubs in difMumbai. ferent countries and the loop of The five, including a woman, social media during the trip. kicked off their tour on four mo"This venture is an infant yet torcycles from the Indian High Commission here, celebrating India's The riders will be exploring, 70th Independence Day. They are accompa- eating and delving into the nied by a support-sercultures of their destinations vice vehicle.

Vikram Mehta, Falguni Jasani, Ram and stay connected with Ithikkat, Nikhil other enthusiasts through Kashyap and Bhanu Pratap Singh, are pro- biker-clubs fessionals in various fields but they united for this exciting journey. heady amalgam of travel and adIndian High Commissioner to venture, that aims to redefine freeSingapore Vijay Thakur Singh dom in terms of multiplicity of culwished them for the ride through tures, languages, tourism, cusexotic locations in Malaysia, Thai- toms, traditions, religions, travel, land, Myanmar, and finally to In- food and much more with an indidia. vidual distinctiveness of friendDuring the ride, dubbed 'The ship," they said in a statement. Great Independence Day Ride PTI

music and compositions.

A highlight of the concert was performances by students of Sunshine Orchestra, an initiative by the A R Rahman Foundation that teaches music to underprivileged youngsters.

"From today, you are privileged, you are not underprivileged anymore," Rahman said as a word of encouragement to the students as they geared to perform on the UN stage.

Rahman's two sisters also performed on stage along with noted singers Javed Ali and renowned percussionist Sivamani.

Rahman, sitting amid his musical instruments on one side of the UN stage, rendered one soulful number after another as his troupe gave mesmerizing performances of Subbulakshmi's Carnatic music.

To loud cheers and applause, Rahman also performed some of his most popular songs including from movies such as 'Dil Se' and 'Bombay' as well as a rendition of 'Vande Mataram'.

Towards the end of the concert, Rahman and his group performed Sufi songs, including 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja', 'Kun Faya Kun' and 'Maula, Maula'.

India, China hold meet in Ladakh JAMMU: As the country celebrated its 70th Independence Day, the Indian Army held a ceremonial Border Personal Meeting (BPM) with their Chinese counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh sector.

The agenda of the meeting was to strengthen relationship and maintain peace along Line of Actual Control, a defense spokesman said.

The Indian delegation was led

by Brigadier R S Raman and Brigadier V Yadav, while the Chinese delegation was headed by senior Colonel Fan Jun and senior Colonel Guo Kexie.

"A ceremonial Border Personal Meeting (BPM) on the occasion of Indian Independence Day was conducted today at Indian BPM huts at Chushul-Moldo and newly constructed BPM Hut at DBO-TWD meeting points of Eastern Ladakh," the defense spokesperson said.

The ceremonial meeting began by saluting the Indian National flag which was followed by ceremonial address by both the delegation leaders. Later, both the delegations reaffirmed the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at functional level at the border, the spokesperson informed.-PTI

A R Rahman

The grand finale was the foottapping song 'Jai Ho' from the movie Slumdog Millionaire, for which Rahman had won Oscars and several prestigious global awards. As Rahman and his troupe

began the song, several people in the audience broke into a dance.

Closing the concert, Rahman made an appeal for peace saying killing one another will not solve the world's problems. -PTI

Tamil Sangam honors AR Rahman NEW YORK: New York based America Tamil Sangam presented its highest honor - Tamil Ratna Award - on maestro AR Rahman at the United Nations General Assembly Hall on Monday, August 15.

Rahman gave a sparkling mu-

Previous awardees include Bharathi Raja. the ace Tamil movie director, dancer Kamala Lakshman, Dr Srinivasa Varadhan, Abel laureate and Dr Prasad Srinivasan first Indian Assemblyman from Connecticut and Dr Valavanur Subramaniam, world renowned cardio thoracic surgeon.

sical performance in aid of Sankara Nethralaya to commemorate the birth centenary of Dr M S Subbulakshmi Presenting the award Dr Prakash M Swamy, president of the Sangam said the twice Oscar and Golden Globe winner is always an embodiment of peace, humility and charity.

It was an historic occasion for global Tamils to have him perform at the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Executive committee members Verra Kumar, Calai Chandra, John Joseph, Koshy Oomen, Nivetha Arasan and Soumya Murthi attended the event at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

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'Sponsoring terror with facade of human rights' Cont’d from page 8

Akbar noted the Indian Constitution, created under the "inspiration" of Mahatma Gandhi and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, represents a "template" of modernity, a template for the future and for the whole world.

"Freedom is engrained in our Constitution. Nobody can take away our freedom," he said.

"Our mission for the next 70 years is very clear. It is to turn India and put it on the high table of prosperity not just for some

but prosperity for all. That is true nationalism," he said.

He highlighted that India's Constitution is built on the pillars of economic equity and gender equality.

"Around us we have seen gender regression. You cannot be a modern nation anymore if you do not have gender equality.

The days of making women into second class citizens is over and it cannot be sustained," he said.

On economic equity, Akbar reiterated Modi's clarion call that the days of poverty alleviation are over and the era of poverty

elimination has begun.

"The poorest of the poor must feel they are part of the narrative of our rising prosperity. And the first benefits of prosperity belong to them. This is the mission that Prime Minister Modi has set for our nation for the foreseeable future," he said.

Closing bell at NASDAQ Later in the day, Akbar, along with Das, rang the closing bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange in the heart of the popular Times Square to mark India's 70th Independence Day.

"I am delighted that NASDAQ is closing positive today. India has always opened positive for business. It is today an occasion for the world's largest economy to harmonies with the world's fastest growing economy.

"I promise you that the partnership is really good news for the world," he said before he rang the closing bell.

India's Independence Day has been commemorated at NASDAQ, the second-largest exchange in the world by market capitalization behind only the New York Stock Exchange, for the last seven years now, with Consul Generals and visiting dignitaries being invited by the stock exchange to ring the ceremonial opening and closing bells.

Pictures of Modi's visits to the US, including his address at Madison Square garden, his meeting with US President Barack Obama and his senior ministers, with Facebook CEO mark Zuckerberg were splashed across huge screens near NASDAQ. India's national emblem and the tricolor were also displayed on NASDAQ's facade along with images of Akbar and Das ringing the closing bell.

Akbar will head to Beirut, Damascus and Iraq after wrapping up his US visit and is scheduled to hold a series of meetings of leadership in the countries, including Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Security issues and combating the growing threat of ISIS will be the focus of his talks with the leadership during his visit. PTI

US greets India on 70th I-Day WASHINGTON: Greeting India on its 70th Independence Day, the US reaffirmed its pledge to working towards ensuring freedom and justice for "all within our great democracies".

"On behalf of President (Barack) Obama and the American people, I send our best wishes to the people of the Republic of India as you celebrate your Independence Day on August 15," Secretary of State John Kerry said.

"As India celebrates Independence Day, we recommit to working to ensure freedom and justice for all within our great democracies," he said in a statement.

"When Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the United States Congress this past June, he remarked that "the traits of freedom and liberty form a strong bond between our two democracies." It is worth remembering this today as India celebrates its independence," he said.

Celebrations were held across the US a day prior (according to their local time) in order to coincide with revelry in India, with the largest gathering reported from Fremont in California and Edison in New Jersey attended by thousands of people, with marching bands and colorful cultural extravaganza.-PTI

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Tech News Mobile app for farmers offers equipment on rent COIMBATORE: City-based AK Surya Power Magic has launched a mobile app - 'Gold Farm' - for farmers, offering them all equipment on rent through a convenient platform.

In the first phase, Gold Farm would operationalise the business model in Karnataka followed by other three states in the South and aims to aggregate 2,500 farm equipment in the next six months, the company said in a release.

"Currently, we have aggregated additional 65 tractors and 50 farm equipments. This would be operational in the districts of Kolar and Gadag in Karnataka," Gold Farm Director and Co-Founder Karthic Ravindranath said.

"Keeping the farmers in mind, we designed this unique mobile app which directly benefits more than six to eight lakh farmers in and around four states. So far, we have reached around 15,000 acres of tractor services across four states.

This will be extended to the Northern states later," he said.

"In the next five years, we expect another five million farmers to be serviced," he said. -PTI

Five PSU banks post loss of Rs 2,564 cr NEW DELHI: Saddled with rising bad loans, five public sector banks, including Bank of India, Dena Bank, and Central Bank of India, have posted a combined loss of Rs 2,564 crore for the first quarter ended June.

The country's largest lender SBI witnessed a 78 per cent drop in consolidated profit to Rs 1,046 crore against Rs 4,714 crore profit in the same quarter a year ago.

Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) too reported 61 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 100.69 crore as against Rs 257.84 crore in the corresponding April-June quarter of 2015-16.

Leading the pack, Bank of India reported a loss of Rs 741.3 crore as provisions for bad loans nearly doubled.

Provisions and contingencies nearly doubled to Rs 277 crore as against Rs 151 crore in the yearago period. As on June 30, the bank's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) increased to 13.38 per cent of advances as against 6.80 per cent in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal.

BOI was followed by Central Bank of India registering a net loss of Rs 600 crore as against a net profit of Rs 203.6 crore in the AprilJune quarter of last fiscal. -PTI

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Forex reserves at record high of $365.74 bn MUMBAI: Continuing the rising trend, forex reserves increased by USD 253.6 million to touch record high of USD 365.749 billion in the week to August 5, the Reserve Bank has said. The reserves increased despite decline in foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves. In the previous week, the reserves had jumped by a healthy USD 2.81 billion to USD 365.49 billion.

FCAs declined by USD 765.4 million to USD 340.278 billion.

FCAs, expressed in dollar terms, include the effect of appreciation/ depreciation of non-US currencies such as euro, pound and yen held in the reserves. -PTI

India to save Rs 20k cr from gas import deal with Qatar: PM NEW DELHI: India will save as much as Rs 20,000 crore as it has renegotiated a long-term gas import deal with Qatar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.

India buys 7.5 million tons a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum from Qatar. The price formula for this was fixed 13 years back and the rate went out of sync when global energy prices slumped last year.

"We are dependent on other nations to meet our requirement of energy and petroleum (oil) supplies. And so long-term agreements have been entered into to get assured quantity at a pre-determined price," Modi said in his Independence Day address to the nation from the Red Fort.

In the changed world economic scenario, the Qatar LNG price posed a huge burden on Indian economy, he said, adding that India used its foreign policy to reopen the price.

"What was Qatar's right and we were bound to pay, we managed

to get Qatar to renegotiate...to make possible something which was impossible," he said.

crore (as per the long-term signed contract) but our diplomatic ties ensured that we renegotiate the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the Red Fort during his Independence Day address.

India will save Rs 20,000 crore by renegotiating the LNG price lower, Modi said. "They (Qatar) were entitled to take Rs 20,000

terms."

RasGas of Qatar supplies LNG to India under a 25-year long term contract since 2004.

The price of imported LNG under this agreement had been linked to crude oil (Japanese Customs Cleared Crude or JCC) and had a concept of floor and ceiling indexed to last 5-year average. The rate thus arrived at was higher than the LNG available in the spot or current market in 2015.

Petronet LNG Ltd, the firm that buys LNG from Qatar, sought renegotiation of the deal and RasGas agreed to modify the pricing formula to link it with last 3month average rate of Brent crude oil.

While Modi said the revision in price formula would help save Rs 20,000 crore, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had recently told Parliament in a written question that at the revised formula, the country will save Rs 8,000 crore over the remainder of the contract, that is up to 2028.

State-owned GAIL, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) hold 12.5 per cent each in Petronet.-PTI

'Inflation not allowed to cross 6 pc' NEW DELHI: Backing a new inflation target, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government has not allowed the rate of price rise to cross 6 per cent as opposed to the double digit inflation during previous government.

Delivering his third Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi backed the 4 per cent inflation target, within a range of 2 percentage points either way, set for the next five years under the monetary policy framework agreement with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

"It is true that during the time of previous government, inflation rate had crossed 10 per cent.

Our continuous efforts have ensured that inflation rate does not rise above 6 per cent," he said.

He attributed the spike in veg-

etable prices to two consecutive droughts that impacted supplies but said efforts have been made to contain it.

"I will continue to make efforts to ensure that the food plate of poor is not affected (by inflation)," he said.

creasing availability will make things better.

While monsoon has been good this year, excess rainfall has caused problems at some places, he said, adding the government was fully committed to helping such states.

Modi said unlike past govern-

Godown capacity of 15 lakh tonnes has been constructed to store crops and emphasis is being laid on all food processing and agro based industries to raise farm incomes.

On the spike in prices of pulses this year, he said sowing of pulses this year has risen by 1.5 times and with good monsoon and efforts like Minimum Support Price and bonus to farmers as well as in-

ments, he has stayed away from populist measures and instead relied on empowerment.

The Prime Minister said efforts by his government have led to 99.5 per cent of past dues of sugarcane

farmers in Uttar Pradesh being cleared and 95 per cent of crop being sold this season being already paid for.

Also, record urea production has meant that blackmarketing of the crop nutrient is a thing of past, he said, adding that farmers are being given crop insurance cover on minimum premium.

Godown capacity of 15 lakh tonnes has been constructed to store crops and emphasis is being laid on all food processing and agro based industries to raise farm incomes.

Hundred per cent FDI has been permitted in food processing. "These steps will help realize the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022," he said. "I have resisted from resorting to populist schemes," Modi said.

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'Unfair to put moral code of conduct on RBI chief' MUMBAI: Former RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao has spoke out against the idea of having a 'moral code of conduct' for the central bank head, strongly defending the right of public intellectuals like his successor

about issues relating only to central banking...to say that the Governor should not go beyond central banking, I think is ill-advised.

If the Governor is indeed a public intellectual as Governor Rajan is, I think it would be good, appropri-

Duvvuri Subbarao

Raghuram Rajan to use the gravitas of the office for public good.

"I don't think there should be any code of conduct on what subjects the Governor can talk about," he said at a special event at the RBI headquarters to launch his memoir 'Who Moved My Interest Rate'.

"I don't think it's advisable to compartmentalize that he talks

ate, advisable and desirable that he speaks about those issues," he said.

"The Governor does enjoy a certain amount of recognition in the public and if he is able to communicate on some of those larger issues using the gravitas of his office, I think his contribution to the larger public will be great," Subbarao said.

The academic-turned-central

banker Rajan often spoke his mind on issues which critics termed as beyond his remit and were inferred as stances contrary to the government of the day's stated positions.

This included invoking Hitler's legacy to wonder if stronger governments are good for the people, pitching for tolerance in the face of lynching of a Muslim for allegedly storing beef near the national Capital last September and also questioning the government's high-octane 'Make in India' initiative.

Rajan had defended his speeches saying all the 'controversial' public speeches were "perfectly legitimate" ones within the remit of a central bank head and asserted that he was never critical of the government in any instance.

"These are perfectly legitimate speeches. You can interpret them any which ways you want," Rajan had said.

"In none of those speeches that I have made has there been an explicit criticism or an implicit criticism of the government. There are people who read the interpretation of what is the speech I have given," he had said.

After his decision to return to academia after his term ends on September 4, there have been voices suggesting that his candid public speeches were one of the aspects which made the government uncomfortable about reappointing Rajan for another term.-PTI

Rajan felt FCNR deposits to be an idiotic idea MUMBAI: Outgoing Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan has disclosed that the idea of raising Diaspora deposits, which changed the downward course of the rupee when he took over in September 2013, had come from bankers and he was very skeptical about it given the cost to the exchequer.

"I thought this is bankers coming in again to get one of the sweet deals which will help them. They will go out and raise the money.

They will get fantastic bonuses and we will end up paying for it," Rajan said, after launching his predecessor D Subbarao's memoir at RBI headquarters here.

Rajan conceded that he thought the idea to be "completely idiotic" as it was akin to giving 3.5 per cent subsidy to bankers and it was "the

worst of the ideas on the table" which made him request Subbarao to announce it while departing.

Rajan announced the scheme on the evening of September 4, 2013, the day he took over. The

scheme attracted inflow of USD 30 billion in FCNR-B deposits and changed the course of the rupee which was bleeding following the 'taper tantrums'.

Cont’d on page 15

Raghuram Rajan

Foundation laid for multi-modal terminal at Varanasi VARANASI: As part of ambitious plan to develop waterways and make the Ganga River navigable, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has laid the foundation stone of a Rs 211-crore multi-modal terminal here.

"Multimodal hub here will take the state to growth trajectory. This hub with rail, road and waterways connectivity will change the face of UP," Shipping Minister Gadkari said at a function here.

The minister said the phase 1 of the multi-modal terminal would be built at a cost of Rs 211 crore and would be ready by August 2018. The terminal is part of Rs 4,200-crore Jal Marg Vikas project to enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1,5002,000 DWT tonnage from Varanasi to Haldia.

The minister said that after completion of phase 1, the terminal's cargo handling capacity is estimated to be 1.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The cargo that will be handled includes stone chips, cement, food grains, fertilizers, sugar, etc.

The terminal will have road and rail connectivity with proposed links on NH-7 and Jeonathpur railway station, respectively. It will have facilities such as berthing space for two vessels simultaneously, storage area, transit shed, parking areas, among others.

Announcing to promote sea-

planes on the Ganga River, the minister also said that next time he would be coming to Varanasi via seaplane.

"We are making efforts to encourage seaplanes. A small nation like Maldives has a fleet of 47 sea planes but India despite vast potential has none," the minister said.

"We are also building two more

After completion of phase 1, the terminal's cargo handling capacity is estimated to be 1.2 million terminals at Gazipur and Kalughat at a cost of Rs 250 crore besides 20 small terminals at an investment of Rs 500 crore. Ro-Ro crossings are planned at five cities including Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata at Rs 100 crore," he said.

Seven-star and five-star cruise services are being operationalised in 10 cities, including Varanasi, he said.

The contract for construction of phase 1 of the multi-modal terminal at Varanasi has been awarded to AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crore and is likely to be completed by August 2018.-PTI

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Air India logging Rs 100 cr profit NEW DELHI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of Air India's turnaround in his Independence Day speech, the state-run airline is expecting to log over Rs 100 crore operating profit in the last fiscal and projecting to cross the Rs 700 crore mark in the current financial year.

While the 2015-16 figures are still being audited and finalized, senior officials said, "We are sure to cross Rs 100 crore worth of operating profits in the last fiscal, largely due to low fuel prices as well as improved performance. In the current financial year, we are projecting that this figure will jump to Rs 700-800 crore."

In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, the Prime Minister, while speaking on the turnaround of major PSUs, said, "Today I can say with complete satisfaction that Air India, which used to be notoriously known for incurring losses, has improved its operations leading it to log operational profits."

The officials, however, said the biggest challenge before the airline was the massive debt burden of Rs 52,000 crore, whose servicing alone is costing the airline around Rs 5,800 per annum.

After debt servicing, the cash gap between operating and net

profit was estimated around Rs 4,000 crore. The carrier had incurred a loss of Rs 5,859.91 crore in 2014-15.

Asked how they planned to bridge this gap, they said, "A proposal could be to convert the debt into equity. It is for the government to take a final call, but we have flagged it."

When contacted, Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani said, "We are on the road to recovery. But there is still a long way to go due to the debt burden and other legacy issues."

"We want to jump to Rs 700800 crore worth of operating profits in the current fiscal. But this being a commercial enterprise and

Maintaining that the airline was consolidating and expanding, the officials exuded confidence that Air India would become "very good operationally in the coming months by trying to adopt a more aggressive strategy in the market".

This would be achieved through rapid expansion in its international and domestic network, along with a fleet expansion plan over the next 3-4 years, they said.

given the state of the aviation industry worldwide, this is what we desire. Everyone is putting in their best," Lohani told PTI here.

To questions on Air India's network expansion plans, the officials said the airline launched the Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight, months after the DelhiVienna and Delhi-San Francisco services. The airline is planning to double the San Francisco ser-

vice from 3 to 6 days a week from November one.

The plans are to launch a flight to Madrid in January and to Washington or Toronto by April-May next year. The other routes on the anvil are Copenhagen and some destinations in Africa, they said.

On the domestic front, the plans are to connect several Tier-II and TierIII cities, they said, pointing out that "there is a lot of space and we want to take the first mover advantage" to these destinations.

Regarding its fleet expansion program which would be a combination of lease or sale and lease-back, they said while three new ATR turboprop planes have already been inducted to serve the domestic route expansion, "orders for ten more are expected to be placed in the next week to 10 days."

Besides, Air India has also placed orders for 30 Airbus A320s, six Boeing 787 Dreamliners and three Boeing-777s.

Over the next four years, "We will either buy or lease a total of 115 aircraft (of different types)

and retire 15 old ones. So we will add 100 planes in this period," they said.

However on the flip side, the officials also expressed concern over "falling yields" saying this has been a factor affecting all Indian carriers which have seen their yields falling by as high as ten per cent.

They also spoke of several marketing tactics adopted in the recent past like matching AC-II tier train to last-minute fares, launching day-return flights and improved in-flight services to enhance its market share.

Besides expanding its route network and fleet, Air India has been working on ways to revive its fortunes by reducing expenses in a variety of ways.

"I have been repeatedly emphasizing on economy, curbing of wasteful expenditure and maintaining immaculate conduct and behavior," Lohani has said in a series of recent strong directives barring hiring of luxury cabs or high-end hotel rooms abroad or even welcoming him with bouquets or carrying his briefcases.

"All these steps have had a major impact not only on our finances but also on the culture and the value system of the airline," the CMD said.

ONGC expedites oil exploration in Tripura AGARTALA: Tripura Asset of ONGC has expedited exploration of gas in the state which will be supplied to a proposed fertilizer industry at Khobal in North Tripura district and gas-based thermal power project in Gomati.

"So far, we have drilled 10 wells in Khobal field of which three are gas bearing and more nine fields would be drilled in the area by next year. After exploration is over, ONGC would be able to tell how much gas could be supplied for the proposed unit," Tripura Asset of ONGC Manager S C Soni said.

At present, Tripura Asset has production capacity of 4.95 mmscmd per day which would rise to 6.25 mmscmd a day by the next year, he told reporters.

He said that the 726 mw gasbased thermal power project at Palatana now produces 535-550 mw per day and ONGC had expedited its production for supplying more gas to the Palatana project so that it could enhance its production.

The North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) has set up

101 mw gas based thermal power project at Monarchak in Sipahijala district last year which remained closed due to non supply of gas

by ONGC. "We would be able to supply

through city gas distribution for using gas as fuel in kitchen and 10,000 new households are planned to be connected by next year.

Soni also said, as part of 'Hy-

ONGC Tripura Power Company also known as Palatana Power Plant station in Palatana, Udaipur in the Gomoti distrit of Tripura

gas to the Monarchak (in Gomati district) project by December," he said.

He said, at present 20,000 households are connected

drocarbon Vision 2030', a 230-km long LPG pipeline would be laid from Chittagong in Bangladesh to Agartala through Sabroom, the southernmost town of the state.

A large volume of gas is flared in the North-East due to unavailability of modes of evacuation of gas, he said adding as part of the

vision 2030, a 600 km crude pipeline would also be laid on Agartala-Silchar-Shillong Guwahati Bongaigaon route.-PTI

Maternity benefit for women in unorganized sector NEW DELHI: Government is mulling a contributory maternity benefit scheme for the unorganized sector employing around 10 crore women, after enhancing the paid maternity leave in all companies to six months.

The ministry has geared up to provide this sustenance to women in unorganized sector after Rajya Sabha passed the Maternity Benefit Bill 2016 unanimously to provide 26 weeks of leave to working mothers in the formal sector.

"We are planning a maternity benefit scheme on the lines of other contributory social security schemes run by retirement fund body EPFO and Employees State Insurance Corp," Labor Secretary Shankar Aggarwal told PTI.

"The scheme will be contributory where the subscribers as well as government will make equal contributions. The members would have option to contribute more than the minimum prescribed contribution so that they can save even more for those days," he added.

He said there will be a certain lock-in period so that the money is not diverted for any other purpose.

The subscribers will also earn interest on accumulations, which will be credited into their accounts.

Aggarwal also talked about making a provision under the scheme that if a subscriber does not give birth to a child till the prescribed age then she would be allowed to withdraw the entire money.

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UM to launch 2 s to take on Enfield MUMBAI: American motorcycle brand UM International is gearing up to give a tough time to take on the decades-old dominance of Royal Enfield with the launch of its two mid-segment premium bikes.

The Florida-based company will be commercially launching its maiden models - the Renegade Commando and Renegade Sports, both in the 300-cc segment - at a price of Rs 1.49 lakh and Rs 1.59 lakh, respectively (exshowroom Delhi).

"We will begin delivery of 3,000 bikes (Renegade Commando and Renegade Sports) from the third week of August," UM India director Rajeev Mishra told PTI. Mishra, who also looks after UM's Asia, Middle-East and Africa businesses, did not give a model break-up of 3,000 bookings that the company has received since these bikes were showcased at the auto Expo 2016 in Delhi earlier this year.

UM International, founded by Octavio Villegas Llano entered the bike segment in early 2000, and forayed into the domestic market in 2013.

In September 2014, it tied up

with Delhi-based Lohia Auto Industries which has a plant in Uttarakhand to launch UM Lohia

when the demand picks up," he added.

UM has already set up 50 deal-

On initiatives taken by his government, he said income tax refund which used to take years and often be obtained by paying bribes is now online and is automatically transferred to the bank account within 1 to 3 weeks.

Registration of companies, which used to take six months is now being done in 24 hours. "In last July, more than 900 registra-

Cont’d from page 13

two-wheelers.

Since then, they have launched a 50:50 joint venture to manufacture the UM brand of motorcycles at a facility in Kashipur in the Himalayan state.

The US company has invested Rs 100 crore in the plant apart from technology, and can roll out 50,000 bikes now, Mishra said.

"The capacity can be scaled up to 1 lakh units per annum as and

lar by as much as 16 per cent.

"This is not an incremental change but a high jump. We want to increase to quantum jump," he said, adding, laying of transmission lines, to transport electricity from production sites to consumption centers, has been expedited to 50,000 km per year from previous 30,000-35,000 km.

Of the 18,000 unelectrified villages, power has reached 10,000, he said citing the example of Nagla

Under the Ujjwala Yojana, nearly 50 lakh new LPG connections have been issued to the poor free of cost in last 100 days and at this pace the target of 5 crore connections would be achieved much before the scheduled 3 year tion of companies has been done," he said.

Government's emphasis on non-polluting renewable energy has meant that generation from wind has gone up by 40 per cent in last one year and that from so-

lighter than Enfield bikes with the kerb weight being 172 kg.

Known for crafting quality bikes that not only ride but conquer the road, UM has established itself a leader in bikes that have changed the dynamics of riding in over 30 countries spanning across the continents.

Set up in 2008, Lohia Auto has carved a niche in electric scooters.-PTI

Rajan felt FCNR deposits to be an idiotic idea ers across the country, Mishra said, adding that already the bikes are at 37 of these dealers.

Sounding bullish about the market, which is dominated by Royal Enfiled, which has been unable to meet the demand, Mishra said their third model the 300-cc Commando Classic is ready for launch by Diwali and will be priced at Rs 1.79 lakh.

"We will have two more mod-

'Inflation not allowed to cross 6 pc' Cont’d from page 12

els in this financial year-one in the 200-cc and the other in the 400-cc category," Mishra said.

When asked about localization of the parts, he said only 30 per cent are imports while the company is working on 100 per cent local sourcing at the earliest.

UM bikes come in 1-cylinder 4-valve engines and can attain a speed of 135 kmph, offering 32 kmpl mileage and are marginally

Padam village which is a three hours drive from the national capital and has been without electricity since Independence.

To conserve power, the government has taken up distribution of LED bulbs on a massive scale and

price of the same has been brought down to Rs 50 from Rs 350 previously, he said adding 13 crore bulbs have been distributed so far.

The Prime Minister said 20,000 megawatt of electricity worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore can be saved annually after the target of distributing 77 crore LED bulbs is achieved.

This, he said, would prevent global warming and protect the environment.

As against 14 crore people being issued cooking gas LPG connections in 60 years, about 4 crore new LPG connections have been released in 60 weeks, he said.

Under the Ujjwala Yojana, nearly 50 lakh new LPG connections have been issued to the poor free of cost in last 100 days and at this pace the target of 5 crore connections would be achieved much before the scheduled 3 year period.

Stressing that 70 crore people now have Aadhaar cards, he said 21 crore people have been connected with the financial inclusion scheme with opening of bank accounts under Jan Dhan Yojana.-PTI

It was considered to be a masterstroke by Rajan.

"Now I get credit for the idea which actually I neither invented nor actually believed in," he said, adding the dire situation required us to do something, which got done.

Incidentally, in the memoir tiled 'Who Moved My Interest Rates?', Subbarao credits Rajan for the idea.

The Governor said on the costbenefit analysis front, it has worked out very well and the country had made money.

Against the cost of up to Rs 20,000 crore to get the deposits, the country benefited through stabilization of rupee, which helped reduce imports by up to Rs 1.6 trillion per year through the around-Rs 4 reduction in the value of the rupee.

"It was an important idea, we had to try because we were in a situation when we had to try something to change the narrative," said Rajan.

"Now it seems as if it was all very clear. It seems that this was a brilliant idea, that we thought about it, we did it and people for-

get that at that time, there was a lot of uncertainty about this and whether it should be done," Rajan said.

The redemption of the threeyear deposits raised in 2013 is due from the next month through November, and is an event which the market is watching keenly as there are concerns over drain on the liquidity. By November, USD 26 billion worth of these deposits would have to be paid back.

Rajan has repeatedly said the central bank will try to ensure it happens smoothly, without hurting financial markets.

Meanwhile, Rajan said the RBI has in-principle reached an agreement with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the proposal that the central bank top brass led by the Governor should depose twice a year before the panel.

Initial remarks by the Governor, before the House panel questions him, should be made public as well, he said.

Subbarao supported this, saying it will help strengthen RBI's autonomy and insulate it from government influence. -PTI

Desi News FIA to launch scholarship plan with Redberri MOON KHAN

CHICAGO: The controversy surrounding Rakhi Sawant costume and performances apart, FIA's phenomenal community outreach efforts were a big factor in inducing Dr. Deepak Kant Vyas, President of Reberri, to announce partnering with this umbrella organization to launch scholarships in the near future.

While addressing the FIA's Indian Independence Day festival in Wheaton last week, Dr Vyas, Chief Guest of the event, expressed his satisfaction on the pioneering works of FIA and as a token of appreciation he announced his decision.

Details on page 18

Chicagoans feel insulted by Rakhi Sawant costume RAMESH SOPARAWALA

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA www.indiapost.com

16 India Post

August 19, 2016

FOG celebrates India Independence Day with record gathering RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: This year's Festival of Globe 2016 was a huge success. The signature event FOG India Day Fair and Grand Parade witnessed record breaking gathering. Everyone in the community enthusiastically participated with friends and family in this year's festivities.

Randeep Hooda, Gulshan Grover, Laura Turner, Raima Sen and Prosenjit added additional oomph to the celebrations. One key feature this year was a vastly increased number of walking groups, organized by local community organizations. Parade area was filled with patriotic slogans and proclamations of "Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai".

India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Many believed that it was storm in a tea cup but it soon developed to be a Thunderstorm engulfing the entire gamut of Indian Diaspora - from Chicago, New York, California and to faraway India. It was an ugly turn to the celebration of India Day by a recently (six years old) formed Federation of Indian Association featuring Rakhi Sawant, a Bollywood celebrity as one of the main attractions.

Rakhi Sawant came dressed highly untypical for a somber celebration like Indian Independence Day but more befitting a New Year gala celebration.

Lighting the lamp

FOG Parade 2016

Details on page 19

Pratishta Mahotsav of Lord Mahavir idol

FOG Parade 2016

For the three hours during the Parade, the distance between In-

Odisha Float

SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: A two-day Pratishta Mahotsav event was organized by the Central Illinois Jain Sangh of Bloomington-Normal town in collaboration with the management of Hindu temple of BloomingtonNormal. It turned out to be a grand spiritual affair with over 250 devotees participating.

Located about 130 miles away in south from the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois, the program commenced on July 30 and lasted till next day. Besides more than 250 devotees and well wishers, leading local politicians and Indian community activists also participated in this event.

Details on page 20

Ocean of people

dia and US seemed to have vanished, and whole Fremont came alive with the colorful ensembles and cultural programs led by beautifully decorated floats representing all parts of India.

Speakers credited FOG Founder and Convener Dr. Romesh Japra for his leadership and the volunteers for their incessant efforts to make the FOG events successful.

This year FOG media partners went beyond their normal support in promoting and covering the event.

There were multiple TV channels telecasting the Parade live.

FOG 2016 successfully brought the world's largest and oldest democracies together, while imbibing the youngsters with the culture and values that community practices in making the adopted land of dreams their own.

Cont’d on page 24

August 19, 2016

Community Across America

India Post 17

www.indiapost.com

Call to empower youth against sex crimes India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: FOG Silicon Valley's Women Empowerment event was held on Friday, August 12 at the Camera 12 Cinemas in San Jose. In the wake of Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman and human trafficking on the rise, FOG Silicon Valley's Women Empowerment wanted to make sure that we continue to educate and empower our youth and lead the fight against sex crimes against women.

This event had the world premiere movie screening of "Sold" and followed by panel discussion and question and answer session.

"Sold" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit of a young girl named Lakshmi who was sold into human trafficking and kept in brothel prison where she must struggle daily to survive against impossible odds. An American photographer heard her

desperate cries for help and enlisted the help of a local NGO to spearhead a dangerous mission to rescue her. Finally, Lakshmi risked everything for freedom.

"Sold" movie was produced by

Academy Award-Winning Director Jeffrey Brown. "Sold" is a narrative, feature film adaptation of the globally acclaimed novel by Patricia McCormick. Globally the brutality of child trafficking affects

greatly make significant contributions to our community in human trafficking and violence against women and youth included Honorable Teresa Cox, Ohlone Community College, Trustee, Shipra

ney, Executive Director, Shashirekha Alur, Art of Living Foundation Teacher, Seirah Royin, Featured Actress in "Sold", Pamita Seth, Marketing Media, Chhitra Subramaniam, Producer/Director,

Desai, Hansa Shah, and Anju Patel were members of the FOG Silicon's Valley Women Empowerment Committee.

In summary, the audience was briefed on educational opportuni-

millions of children around the globe every year. The average age of a trafficked girl is thirteen, the same as Lakshmi in the movie.

"Sold" is a call to action for our global community.

FOG Founder Dr. Romesh Japra welcomed and addressed the audience and called for action on empowering youth and women in our community and especially leading the fight against human trafficking and bringing movies to educate our global community.

The global panel leaders who

Bhutani, Woman Entrepreneur, Dr. Yasi Safinya-Davies, Executive Director, Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments (SAVE), Sharan

Wiz Films, and Event Moderator Jessica Hubley, CoFounder & CEO, Annie Cannons, Inc. Anima Desai, Event Chair, Hon-

ties, women entrepreneurship, understanding the victim's perspective and on ways to help and support them as they transition into a better life. Discussion included knowing the signs of human trafficking and reporting it.

Human trafficking is modern day slavery. A person is not free to leave a situation where they are being exploited for their labor or sexually for commercial gain. Stop human trafficking in our cities.

Learn more at: www.NoTraffickAhead.org. Report in an emergency call 911. The National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888. The National Hotline is a non-governmental and confidential phone line.

FOG Founder Dr. Romesh Japra welcomed and addressed the audience and called for action on empowering youth and women in our community and especially leading the fight against human trafficking Dhanoa, Coordinator at South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, Christopher H.K. Lee, Producer/Director of the documentary, "The Last Tear", Laura Hack-

orable Teresa Cox, Co-Chair and Seema Sahni, Co-Chair, Olga Chervyakova, Shakun Nagdev, Sarla Kinsara, Sonia Siddhu, Manali Brahmbhatt, Sandhya

Marvelous India Day celebration at Naperville RAMESH SOPARAWALA & DAVE VASUDEVAN

CHICAGO: Kudos and three cheers to energetic team of Naperville Indian Community Outreach that organized easily among the best India Day Parades and Melas on Sunday August 14 in Naperville town.

Attendance at the Parade and the subsequent Mela-Music concert was unprecedented for this type of function or celebration.

People from all walks of life and not only from Chicago and suburbs but from nearby Midwest States too found time to come to attend this spectacular celebration. Those who could not make it probably would feel that they missed something.

Estimates of attendance varied with the Outreach sources claiming over 20,000 compared to about 10,000 last year. Conservatively, many placed it at 12,000 plus. Still it was a record and more importantly all of those attending did

A section of the audience

not find a single dull moment whether it was watching 45 colorful floats depicting rich Indian cul-

ture of multiracial, multi religious multi linguistic Indian society 'Anek Mein Ekta' ( Unity within

diversity) or be it the Mela that had 50 plus vendors with 10 vending tasteful Indian cuisine (Dosa,

Chat, Pani Puri, Bhelpuri, Cont’d on page 21

Community Across America

18 India Post

August 19, 2016

www.indiapost.com

FIA to launch scholarship program with Redberri MOON KHAN

CHICAGO: The controversy surrounding Rakhi Sawant costume and performances apart, FIA's phenomenal community outreach efforts were a big factor in inducing Dr. Deepak Kant Vyas, President of Reberri, to announce partnering with this umbrella organization to launch scholarships in the near future.

While addressing the FIA's Indian Independence Day festival in Wheaton last week, Dr Vyas, Chief Guest of the event, expressed his satisfaction on the pioneering

Bhagwakar, FIA's President, stated that FIA has celebrated Diwali and Eid, organized events for Republic Day and Independence Day, mobilized news media for the protection of a Sikh brother, participated in a rally to launch a governmental investigation for a Christian youth who was murdered a year ago.

At the Sunday event, FIA collected funds for a Hindu lady Shivani Degner - married to a Caucasian whose house got burnt down.

A section of the audience

Certainly, one of the main highlights was the mesmerizing performance of Rakhi Sawant, a re-

Sharma, Santosh Kumar, Manish Gandhi, Neal Patel, Aishwarya Sharma.

NinadDaftari, Mona Bhalla, Shree Gurusamy, Deepali Aul, Kanan Desai, Subash George, Ila Patel

FIA kicks off with Lamp Lighting

works of FIA and as a token of appreciation he announced his decision.

According to Sunil Shah, FIA's Founder President, FIA has evolved as an alter ego of the Indian community, promoting all the cultures of India.

Concurring with Shah, Dhitu

The six-hour program captivated hundreds of people with the performances of numerous artists - locals like Ashley Singh to Bollywood's Seven Stars Band, appearances of elected officials and consular officers, and recognition of community leaders and sponsors.

Bollywood actress Rakhi Sawant on the stage

FIA members, guests and dignitaries

nowned Bollywood star.

Prominent among political figures and community leaders attending the event were Raja Krishnamoorti, Frank Avila, Liz Chaplin, Christina Castro, Syed Hussaini, Asha Oroskar, Brij

The FIA board members are :Onkar Singh Sangha, Rita Singh, Mukesh Shah, Neil Khot, Payal Shah, Hitesh Gandhi, KhajaMoinuddin, ManjeetBhalla, Ali Khan, ShaliniSaxena, ShitalDaftari, Nirav Shah,

FIA Cultural event

Chaudhary, Jaimini Patel, Sunny Kular and Monty Saiyed.

The main sponsors of the event among others were Wintrust Bank, Patel Brothers, Desi Junction, Dimple's Salon, Makkah Printing, Bamboo Garden, Inch/n's.

Community Across America

August 19, 2016

India Post 19

www.indiapost.com

Chicagoans feel insulted by Rakhi Sawant costume RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Many believed that it was storm in a tea cup but it soon developed to be a Thunderstorm engulfing the entire gamut of Indian Diaspora - from Chicago, New York, California and to faraway India. It was an ugly turn to the celebration of India Day by a recently (six years old) formed Federation of Indian Association featuring Rakhi Sawant, a Bollywood celebrity as one of the main attractions.

Rakhi Sawant came dressed highly untypical for a somber celebration like Indian Independence Day but more befitting a New Year gala celebration (see the picture). She had Indian PM Narendra Modi's pictures placed in the back and front of her dress.

This triggered a murmur within a section of the audience and soon turned into a vocal resentment.

Once it was on the social media, there were boos and a chorus of demand for an explanation and apology from the organizers.

For Chicagoans it was talk of the town with many questioning if they should be supporting this type of buffoonery. A group of Indian Americans sought a meeting with the Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed and pressed him to take appropriate steps against the group that ultimately was responsible for this act of commission insulting the person of Indian PM Narendra Modi and the national flag.

In a note signed by all the nine members group, it was pointed out that Rakhi Sawant had been here on B2 Visa and had no work permit but still receiving $5000 from the FIA group that hosted the India Day celebrations. This amounted to violation of Visa

Rakhi Sawant at Chicago FIA India Day celebrations

agreement and generation of undeclared income, both unwelcome, it was pointed out.

The Chicago Indian consulate had to take note of it and it forwarded all the details to concerned Indian authorities in Washington DC and in New Delhi. In a separate meeting the FIA team that included President Dhittu Bhagwaker, Neil Khot, former president Sunil Shah among others, the CG impressed upon them the gravity of the situation and according to FIA sources; they tried to explain how come the situation had come to this pass The FIA team assured more vigilance and extra monitoring in their future handling of these type of events. The FIA officials re-

Indian Americans pitch for action at Indian Consulate

ported that they had no clue about Rakhi Sawant's dress as she came at the nick of time and had small time to change, if at all. Dhitu Bhagwaker in a talk to this paper said that as the President of this organization, he would be glad tendering any apology if needed for this unseemly costume and any poor mentoring of the event.

A formal explanation and regret note from the FIA Officials came a little too late to soothe the community feeling. But there is an old saying Better late than Never. Neil Khot, Executive Vice President, in a communication to this paper said "An unfortunate incident happened, of which we were not aware of, was the outfit of Bollywood artist Rakhi Sawant

who wore the dress (which she herself admitted was her choice in her own video) with our honorable PM Narendra Modiji's picture on that. She came late and entered the stage and we didn't have time to review her dress as we were in the midst of an ongoing event."

He further said "It was a perfect celebration with national anthems, patriotic songs, kids and youth classical dance performances, paying tribute to freedom fighters, recognition of community leaders. Of course looking back, we regret this happened at our FIA event and going forward we assure to our community, friends, sponsors and well wishers that in our future events we will be careful and vigilant to not repeat this."

Babul Supriyo, Hrshitta Bhatt not coming RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: In the wake of Rakhi Sawant controversy, the talk of the town now centered on the other FIA which had been trumpeting about Babul Supriyo and Hrshita Bhatt, both famed artists and celebrities, performing and attending the FIA India Day celebrations. Babul incidentally is also the Minister of State for Urban Development, Government of India and his presence would have lent a big boost to the sagging im-

age of FIA India Post learnt and it is for-

mally confirmed by Minhaj Akhtar, the FIA President that

Babul Supriyo and Hrshitta Bhatt

Babul Supriyo is not coming, and according to him. It is the outcome of Rakhi Sawant's ungainly costume and dance controversy.

India Post however, gathered that a person of the Minister rank coming with diplomatic Visa is not expected to give stage performance as an artist The reason for Hrshitta Bhatt not performing, however, is not known but Minhaj confirmed that she would also not be a Guest of Honor as publicized earlier. The FIA show however, will go on, rain or shine, in a very dignified way, Minhaj said and

added that he did find good replacements which would make up for the absence of Babul and Hrshitta Minhaj also indicated that the Parade on August 20 at Devon Avenue and the next day Banquet would definitely be graced by prominent figures in the State and within the community.

He said that FIA has planned this time to honor top ranking Indian community activists and figures who have really worked for the betterment of the society at large.

Community Across America

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August 19, 2016

www.indiapost.com

Pratishta Mahotsav of Lord Mahavir idol SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: A two-day Pratishta Mahotsav event was organized by the Central Illinois Jain Sangh of Bloomington-Normal town in collaboration with the management of Hindu temple of BloomingtonNormal. It turned out to be a grand spiritual affair with over 250 devotees participating.

community activists also participated in this event.

On July 30, the first day of the event, A Snatra Pooja as well as 18 Abhishek Pooja were performed which lasted about two and a half hours. This was followed by Aarti, Mangal Divo and Shantikalash.

All the members of Jain Sangh

tras and shlokas gave a spiritual vibration. This religious ceremony was performed by Vidhikar and Aaradhak Nareshbhai Shah who had travelled from New York, and Ashokbhai Sanghvi from Indiana.

Murti Pratistha Yajmans, sponsors and devotees opened their heart and soul and donated gen-

families joined as sponsors and they were Mahasukh & Meera Shah from Peoria IL and Bhupesh & Rashmi Talsania from Springfield IL. Additional Pratistha opportunities were given at nominal donation of $101.00 and 15 more families participated. Many other

be displayed on Temple Website.

Sponsorship amount is $1116.00 and if anyone is interested, contact Bipin Shah at 309-530-8044.

The idol of Lord Mahavirswami was carved from Makarana white marble form Jaipur city of Rajasthan State and brought over here for Pratishta.

Idol of Mahavir Swami and devotees at Pratishta Mahotsav

Located about 130 miles away in south from the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois, the program commenced on July 30 and lasted till next day. Besides more than 250 devotees and well wishers, leading local politicians and Indian

participated.

On the second day July 31st, a Snatra Pooja was performed in the beginning and then commenced the Pratishta ceremony of idol of Lord Mahavir, 24thTirthankara of Jain Sangh. The chanting Jain man-

erously. Originally there were about five Main Yajmans for Murti Pratishtha, including: Bhaskar & Seeta Damera; Bipin & Nutan Shah; Mahendra & Bharati Shah; Krishan & Kusum Jain; Kaivant & Varsha Shah. Later on, two more

sponsorship opportunities were offered and all of them were taken up by the devotees.

Bipin and Nutan Shah, Coordinators of this event, said that Murti sponsorship opportunity is still available and their names will

A good number of volunteers and other devotees put in a lot of effort and worked round the clock in order to make this event a historical one. Mahaprasad was served on both the days and every one enjoyed it.

India & Karnataka political situation discussed GEETHA PATIL

BOSTON: Kshama Ananthapura , a Management Consultant in the Boston area involved in various community support areas including environmental issues, climate consciousness, women and elderly, presented a brief report about the two-day con-

Group, Cambridge, MA. This was organized under the joint collaboration of Jana Sangrama Parishath, Karnataka Swaraj Party, Sarvodaya Karnataka Party, Swaraj Abhiyan at Vidhyavardhaka Sangha Dharwad on 9th and 10th of July.

A group of participants at the conference

ference, titled, "Wither India and Karnataka: Current Political Situation - A Discussion" to the members of the MIT Wednesday

Kshama was invited by the organizers of this conference to gain an understanding of the current burning issues that are affecting

lives of common people in India and especially in Karnataka. She shared those issues with the openminded and progressive RIs here in their efforts to find solutions.

More than seven hundred propeople activists, learned persons, libertarians, journalists and others who are interested in building the nation on proper democratic principles, met and discussed what should be done to get rid of shattering and upsetting situation in India and especially in Karnataka.

This event was attended by leading thinkers of the country like S. P. Shukla, Prashanth Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Prof. Anand Kumar and others.

The program was inaugurated by the children planting trees on the first day and a group of local singers singing a very enlightening 'Lavani' that narrated how the struggle of common people and Dalits is still going on even though many reformists came and went with their policies and preaching. Participants in this first session discussed on how and why India has been caught in a

mon people is getting worse and becoming unbearable as the prices of essential commodities and lifesaving drugs have sky rocketed and on the other hand, the pulses and vegetables have almost vanished from common people's plate.

Getting quality education and health care facilities, medicines from the nearby areas at affordable fees have become distant dreams.

More than seven hundred pro-people activists, learned persons, libertarians, journalists and others who are interested in building the nation on proper democratic principles, met and discussed what should be done to get rid of shattering and upsetting situation in India very critical situation. They were of the opinion that its central and state governments are sidelining the very essence of the Constitution and making way for the procorporate economic policies since two and half decades. The present Government, they said, had added more thrust to these policies as well.

On the one hand the life of com-

The afternoon session was dedicated to the discussion of how the agrarian crisis is happening and farmers' situation is becoming unbearable because at present, more than 3 crore hectares of fertile agricultural land has been converted to nonagricultural purposes.

Cont’d on page 22

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August 19, 2016

India Post 21

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Marvelous India Day celebration at Naperville

Naperville Indian Outreach Board with Chairman Krishna Bansal Cont’d from page 17

Pav Bhaji and you name it) while others showing their products and services with curious and inquisitive visitors flocking to most of them . Or be it Sunidhi Chauhan music concert in the evening.

Sunidhi with other local artists, including Mishu, stole the heart and mind of the audience. There was huge repeated applause after every song that she sang. The start with the extraordinary rendering of Dama Dam Mast Qalander set the tone for this near three-hour concert. Emcees too gave a wonderful account of themselves

and were hugely entertaining.

Yet another plus point was a sizeable attendance of dignitaries - Naperville Mayor, Aurora Mayor, Oakbrook Mayor, City Council members and Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed with his artist wife Ms Farha.

Kudos again to the Outreach team and volunteers Krishna Bansal, Chirag Jani, Dharmisth Patel, Dinkar Karumuri , Gautam Grover, Keyur Shah, Madhur Limdi , Narayan Tata, Rahul Saigal, Saily Joshi, Shammi Mittal, Vasavi Chakka, Vinod Vashisth, Viral Shah, Ashfaq Syed and Nimesh Jani.

Indian CG addressing the gathering

Naperville celebration floats

A Mela view

Sunidhi Chauhan entertaining the huge audience

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August 19, 2016

www.indiapost.com

Indian American Business Council formally launched HARISH RAO

currently operating in Illinois, Kentucky and India. It supports small and medium size businesses that are interested in expanding their business internationally. It also provides full scale services to investors from around the world to match their investment with opportunities for secure and maximum growth.

Attorney Ms. Chipo Nyambuya, principal of Virgil LLC, presented overview of creative investments and legalities for investment in USA and around the world. Ms. Nyambuya also provided highlights of the investment

Acharya Lokesh Muni being welcomed by IABC office bearers

CHICAGO: Indian American Business Council (IAB Council) hosted a high profile reception with dignitaries from India, South Africa, El Salvador, and America on August 11at Northwest Suburban College in Rolling Meadows, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

IABC earlier has been soft launched in the presence of Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer in May this year in Louisville, Kentucky.

Newly formed trade organization, IAB Council, was graced with presence and enlightening words from Chief Guest Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni ji who has been introduced as an ambassador of peace. Acharya Dr. Muni shared that ahimsa, unity, and coopera-

tion is the key requirements for any progress. He announced the setting up of a World Peace University in Gurgaon, India with the central goal of combatting violence and terrorism in the society and introducing the principles of nonviolence.

IAB Council is an umbrella organization registered as not-forprofit in the state of Illinois and is

Seniors visit Vivekananda Ashram, Ganges MITUL RAO

A Mackinac Island (Mi) tour organized by Indian Seniors of Chicago

CHICAGO: It turned out to be an affair to remember for a group of seniors who had a three-day tour to Mackinac Island last month.

The tour organized by Hema Shastri was for Indian Seniors of Chicago and it took place from July 22 to July 24. 86 seniors visited Swami Vivekananda Ashram in Ganges, MI on the first day.

They had a grand tour of the Ashram given by Swami Haridas.

The group also visited the Mothers Re-treat, another Ashram in Ganges l, MI next to Vivekananda Ashram. It was a very spiritual visit to both Ashrams. The group than enjoyed the scenic Traverse City, going thru the Grand Traverse Bay Area on the bus tour.

The second day was an all day visit to the Mackinac Island.

The group enjoyed ferry ride to the Island and a two and a half hour horse carriage tour of the island. No motor vehicles are allowed on the island. The only means of transportation is horses and bicycles, which the island police used as means of transportation.

opportunities present for businesses. Mohammed Faheem, CEO-Center for Strategic Solutions presented talk on WIOA grants for workforce development and retention.

Founder and Chair of IAB Council Board, Ms. Poonam GuptaKrishnan, briefed the audience about the success that Council achieved in short period of time.

Earlier, Harish Kolasani, IABC President welcomed the distinguished gathering and introduced the Council executive team including Keerthi Kumar Ravoori.

Cont’d on page 23

India & Karnataka political situation discussed Cont’d from page 20

money and tax havens issues, they expressed their frustration about the misuse of people's tax money by government people and yet they are patiently waiting to see when this money will be routed to India.

The present government is now marked off with corruption, nepotism and maladministration and is blamed for allowing illegal mining, banning of the Lokayukta institution, misusing of welfare schemes like 'Anna Baghya' and not strictly implementing the laws to protect natural resources such

These lands have been given on a platter to the capitalists and the real estate profit-oriented groups who are robbing and cheating customers in the day light. Not just this, there is also a plan to acquire four times the land for the proposed 18 industrial corridors.

Second day morning sessions started with discussion on how the agricultural sector has been the biggest contributor in terms of employment. Over the last few decades this sector has been on a decline and as a result the country is facing a huge unemployment The present government problem. The Dalits, tribal people, rural arti- is now marked off with sans, agricultural labor- corruption, nepotism and ers, women, minorities, and unorganized maladministration and is workforce in the urban blamed for allowing areas all together forming more than 80 per illegal mining cent of the country's population has been neglected due to the present eco- as forests, land, sand, minerals and nomic policies. As a result of this, rights of common people. in recent years, more than 3 lakh Before ending the conference, farmers have committed suicide in the participants jointly passed the country. resolutions for their 'Search for Afternoon discussion panels 'People's Alternative.' The orgafocused on the effects of various nizers of the conference thanked government policies and said that everyone for their active particiwhen the situation in the country pation and served them with good is getting worse, the government delicious north Karnataka food, has cut the budget grants to Em- snacks, and tea for two-days. ployment Guarantee Scheme, Edu"The registration of the particication, and Health sectors. pants went beyond or expectation.

Panel members expressed their We could not turn them down disappointment over the current since we wanted to build Maha programs like Make in India, Stand Maitri (a Grand Alliance of up India, Skill India" which have People's Movement). We had to not improved people's conditions change our venue at the last as they promised. Most of the minute to accommodate the large Prime Minister's 'Jan Dhan' bank group of over 700 participants," accounts are having zero balance. said S. R. Hiremath with a big beam On the much talked about black on his face.

Community Across America

August 19, 2016

India Post 23

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The most divisive election in US history DR MUNISH RAIZADA

U

S presidential elections are hardly 3 months away.

Voting will take place on Tuesday, November 8. Tuesday after the very first Monday in November is observed as Election Day in USA. USA is a Presidential system of Democracy unlike India which follows Westminster or parliamentary type of democracy.In USA, President is elected every 4 years and each President can hold maximum 2 terms. Weird but true, in the strongest democracy of the world, i.e., America, the President is not elected directly by a popular vote.

A citizen casts the vote for an

'elector' and the latter in turn elects a President. Out of 538 electors, a presidential nominee needs 270 votes to be the winner.

Another interesting contrast between Presidential system of democracy and Parliamentary democracy is that in USA, President constitutes the executive branch and the Congress functions as the legislative branch.

In the 2 party system of American democracy, the presidential nominee from each party is not thrust upon by so called "High Command" (in fact, there is no high command in parties here). A presidential aspirant has to seek a win

Tulsi scores primary victory for Congress India Post News Service

HAWAII: A great friend of India and Indians, Tulsi Gabbard won Saturday's Democratic Pri-

Tulsi Gabbard

mary Election for Hawaii's Second District with 84.6 percent of votes cast. Tulsi sent the following victory speech to supporters in the community as she continues on

to the general election in November: Tulsi said: "Namaste and Aloha. Thank you so much for all the support you have shown me and for standing with me strong throughout this entire campaign. Your support has enabled me to be able to run this strong campaign, and for that I'm grateful!"

Tulsi has served as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii's second congressional district since 2013. She was born in American Samoa but moved to Hawaii at age 2. At 21, Gabbard was the youngest state legislator ever elected in the history of Hawaii.

Indian American Business Council formally launched Cont’d from page 22

He invited Chief Guest Acharya Dr. Muni to light the ceremonial lamp. Keerthi Kumar Ravoori outlined the mission and highlighted IABC's upward trajectory in opening chapters in other states and facilitating business alliances. Dr. Vijay Prabhakar applauded for promoting Indo-US relations through business partnerships.

Among the dignitaries present were Shakira Motan, Consul Economic, South Africa; Silvia Toledo Enriquez, Mexico; Nakul Chand, Air India, Syed Hussaini, WinTrust, along with over 30 Industrialists, 10 legal professional, and many smallmedium businesses.

Agnihotri proposed a vote of thanks. The evening closed with guests engaging in networking over India dinner.

through primary contests (called with the masses by venting out the avowed "socialist" democrat primaries or caucuses) within his his feelings on issues like illegal Bernie Sanders gave her a proown party - a immigrants, tracted competition. Bernie was form of inner Islamic terror- able to mobilize the youth of the party democism (it may be country by playing socialist tunes racy that is noted that before finally sitting down in supmissing in InP r e s i d e n t port of Hillary Clinton. dia.

Obama has The Republican opponent In India, steadfastly re- Trump pounced upon this by statone party that fused to link ing that Bernie had been a victim came close to terrorism with of electoral maneuvers of Demopreaching this Islam) and cratic primaries and should conconcept (they why the USA test as an independent rather than named it is trying to be sitting down in support of Hillary.

Swaraj) was the chieftain Hillary Clinton carries big name Aam Aadmi of the world as well as a baggage of liabilities.

Dr Munish Raizada Party but as rather than Having been the first woman of soon as taking care of the country due to her husband A r v i n d its own press- serving as President, Hillary also Kejriwal came in to power in Delhi, ing issues at home. His priority for served as Secretary of State durhe bluntly took a U turn and sys- job creations in USA is also find- ing first term of Obama. Trump has tematically killed this concept. ing echo in the public. been constantly calling her Today AAP symbolizes the most Even though a highly polariz- 'Crooked Hillary' due to her alleged lethal form of High Command cul- ing figure, but Mr. Trump was truly involvement in email server scam ture where 3-4 sycophants are run- able to arouse mass mobilization and the fact that she must carry ning the whole show (this merits another topic of discussion).

One of the major determinants of Presidential Thus after months of rigor, virulence, theatrics and political rhetoelection outcome is how much funds you ric, we now have 2 Presidential can generate. In the previous month of July, nominees in the fray: Donald J Hillary campaign raised 80 million USD comTrump is the Republican (or GOPGrand Old Party) nominee and pared to 72 million raised by Trump. On that Hillary Clinton is the Democratic aspect, Trump may be lagging behind.

Party nominee. It does not mean that no one else can contest. Libertarian Party has nominated New of voters across the country dur- accountability for the failures of Mexico former Governor Gary ing the Republican primaries. He American intervention in the Arab Johnson as their Presidential nomi- amassed as many as 13.3 million world and ISIS becoming so pownee and Green Party last week an- votes in the GOP primaries, the erful in last several months. nounced Jill Stein as their nomi- highest so far. This is unprecWho will win? The National nee. Libertarian Party - an extreme edented despite the fact that he Polling Average on New York champion of individual liberty, lim- chose not to focus on a cadre Times website, as of August 8, ited governance and pro-market based party mobilization and shows Hillary Clinton grabbing 46 economy is hoping to entice vot- decidingto spend less on adver- % votes and Trump 39 %. ers dissatisfied with Trump and tisements.

One of the major determinants Clinton.

Trump is not a typical Republi- of Presidential election outcome is This is one of the most divisive can candidate and thus to com- how much funds you can generelections in US history. Credit pensate this, he has chosen Indi- ate. In the previous month of July, goes to Mr. Trump for running an unconventional campaign characterized by 'politically incorrect' views on several issues that USA faces today.

Donald J Trump is a multibillionaire businessman. Although, politically inclined since years, he never jumped into active politics prior to this. He is trying to use tag of being an outsider from the political establishment of Washington to his advantage by championing that things need to change and they must change NOW. Donald J Trump and Hillary Clinton A successful businessman, Trump has been maintaining that the country needs a politically in- ana Governor Mike Pence who fa- Hillary campaign raised 80 million correct perspective on various mously declared: "I'm a Christian, USD compared to 72 million raised pressing matters. His pet refrain is a conservative and a Republican, by Trump. On that aspect, Trump that the country needs a man out- in that order." may be lagging behind. But to be side of Washington establishment Hillary Clinton on the other fair to billionaire Trump, he never who can look at the problems from hand had tough primaries too. Al- seriously sought donations until a common man's perspective. though, she always seemed like in last couple of months.

Cont’d on page 25 He has struck the right chord a winner in Democratic Primaries,

Community Across America

24 India Post

August 19, 2016

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FOG celebrates India Independence Day with record gathering Cont’d from page 16

Colorful Float

Parade participant

Parade participant

RANA Float

Quick Pose in front of Baba Ambedkar float

Dr Romesh Japra introducing the Grand Marshal on the stage

Dr. Romesh Japra, Assembly Member Bill Quirk, Assembly Member Kansen Chu

Grand Marshal Randeep Hooda addressing the crowd Grand Marshal Randeep Hooda addressing the crowd

Gulshan Grover meeting people in the Parade

Consul General of India San Francisco Mr. Venkatesan Ashok speaking at the Parade

Dr. Romesh Japra welcoming Mount Everest Summiteers

Community Across America

August 19, 2016

India Post 25

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MAFS loses a stalwart in Pramod Kumar SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: A pillar and a great inspiring personality with Metropolitan Asian Family Services, Pramod Kumar, passed away on Saturday, August 13 in Chicago, succumbing to heart attack Kumar, 80, was the husband of Santosh Kulshrestha Kumar who heads MAFS. The husband and wife team started and nurtured MAFS and got it blossomed into one of the foremost seniors service organizations in Chicagoland.

Pramod Kumar was born to a well known Kulshrestha family in New Delhi on December 20 1937.

His family traces their genealogy from Adi Purush Shri Chitraguptaji Maharaj.

Kumar is survived by two sons Prashant Kumar and Sagar Kumar.

"He will live for years to come within our hearts," said not only Ms Santosh Kumar but all those who work with MAFS. May his soul rest in peace.

Readers Write... www.indiapost.com

Attack on Buddha Amarnath Yatris serious issue

T

he attack on Budha Amarnath Yatra is very unfortunate and it should be taken as a challenge by the society at large.

More than a dozen yatris were badly injured. It is a matter of relief that there is no casualty up to now. Still it is a matter of shame for all, including the right minded non-jehadi Muslims.

The situation in Kashmir is very serious. Firstly, they attacked Amarnath yatris and now they attacked Budha Amarnath yatra also which is organized in Poonch and Rajouri areas of Jammu region. Now everyone should make it clear that these devils are not misguided youths. They should be dealt with iron hands.

They need no mercy.

Muslim leaders or secular minded elements in India and abroad need to come forward and unequivocally condemn this type of nefarious act. The Indian government needs to eliminate these elements. Otherwise it will send a wrong message among Indians across the world. It is the duty of Muslim leaders to come forward and take all measures to put a check on these jehadis.

Madhu Patel Illinois Disclaimer :- India Post does not endorse opinions expressed in the letters.

The most divisive election in US history Cont’d from page 23

American political pundits say that Trump is not only lagging behind on the money trail and but also on organizational mobilization that it is not possible for him to catch up with Hillary.

But on ad spending also, Trump's approach has been careful. His campaign is in no mood to spend too much when the 'media is already paying him great attention anyway'.

In addition many feel that Trump has also alienated women voters, Black and Hispanic voters. How much can he woo middle class white voters will largely decide his outcome.

In addition, he cannot imag-

ine a victory without winning Swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. It may be noted that Pennsylvania has never voted a Republican candidate in last 28 years and Ohio has the sitting Republican Governor John Kasich who lost out in the Republican primaries and has refused to endorse Trump thus far.

I had written in another article that Democratic Party is more heterogeneous in terms of social, racial and ethnic representation, and Republican Party represents supremacy of whites and Christianity. Thus, Clinton will continue to rant usual Democratic Party ethos and woo Hispanic and Black voters and talk

of middle path.

In Republican domain, the discussion this time is not happening on abortion and gay rights, thanks to the uncharacteristic Republican Party candidate Trump who is talking of jobs, 'making America Great again' and his vigorous outbursts on illegal immigration, and radical Islam.

The possibility of Americans having a first ever female president does not seem to have ignited passions. Hilary cannot count on this alone!

Trump is a wild card candidate and that sums up all. Watch out!

The author is a Chicagobased columnist. Twitter @drMunishRaizada

Horoscope

26 India Post

August 19, 2016

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August 19th - August 25th 2016 Please send your birthday, place of birth and time, so I can give you your zodiac sign, according to Vedic astrology. Send to Jaysastrology@gmail.com

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he professional matters continue to face obstructions. The week makes you emotional but strong. The week is good for students.

The health of father may cause concerns. Handle all matters including relationship matters with patience. It is better to avoid haste and conflicts. Avoid driving. Take care of your health and don't get involved in arguments. Patience is your remedy.

he professional matters look up this week. Some of you may be rewarded and your work gets recognition. If birth planets are strong those who are expecting promotion, may get the same. Social circle interaction increases.

The professional opportunities are likely. Avoid conflicting situations during 2016, and take care of your health.

Exercise patience and avoid over ambitiousness.

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he professional matters are good this week.

Some sudden stress to mental peace is seen. Handle all matters including relationship matters with patience.

Your child may need help.

Avoid haste, conflicts, speculation, aggressive behavior and unnecessary driving.

Conflicts and financial concerns are likely to Continue.

Take care. Enemies are o trouble.

he professional matters need to extra care.

Handle your relationships and property matters with patience. Domestic peace is disturbed keep your cool in the house. Take care of the health of the family, especially your children. It is better to exercise patience an avoid conflicts and unnecessary driving. Sudden setbacks, delays and obstructions. Avoid being at wrong place at wrong time.

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he week is good for those who are in job and for students who are appearing in competitions.

Some of you are likely to get promoted, if birth planets are strong. Those who are appearing in selections may get good results. It is better to avoid new ventures up to September, 2017. The week brings some good news for the family.

rofessional matters need care this week.

Some gains through real estate assets are likely. Some sudden obstructions are likely. Some health concern is likely for parents. Better to avoid unnecessary driving.

Work with patience. Take care of relationship matters.

Some immune disorder is likely. Mental peace is disturbed take it easy and avoid conflicts.

ortune helps to some extent. The professional matters start looking up. The week is good for students and for those who are appearing in selections. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for whose ascending degree is around 18 degree in odd signs up to 15 th November 2016. Weak planets will cause sudden setbacks and obstructions.

he professional matters are looking up. Situation at home is better as mental peace is seen. Some additional expense is likely. Stay away from cheaters from people who try to manipulate.

Take care of your health.

Avoid aggressive behavior and don't make haste till sept 2016. Silence is golden for you. Better to avoid unnecessary driving and avoid conflicts.

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he professional matters face sudden challenges.

Things improve towards the end of the week. Hold of new ventures until better time. You should work with patience.

Take care of your health.

Avoid haste, conflicts and unnecessary driving and travel. This is due weak planets causing sudden setback.

Handle obstructions and relationship matters with care up to September, 2016.

rofessional matters are looking up. New business opportunities should be put on hold up to January, 2017. Child may need special attention upto September, 2016. Avoid speculation.

Patience is the best medicine during this year. Prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18 or some planet is around 18 degree in odd signs.

he professional matters look good this week.Some new gainful opportunities are likely. Delays or obstructions are likely in the sources of income. Avoid conflicts in family matters and manage with patience. It is better to avoid manipulations.

The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18.

rofessional matters start looking up. The incidence of conflicts, obstructions and sudden setbacks continues. Health of spouse may cause concerns. It is better to avoid driving. Manage persisting difficulties with patience.

Prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18 or some planet is around 18 degree in odd signs up to 15th November, 2016.

This weekly horoscope is more focused and accurate as these are based on ascending signs. The ascending sign is worked out on the basis of your date, time and place of birth. You will find the predictions at other places based on your Sun sign or Moon sign. The Sun remains in one sign of zodiac for one month whereas the Moon remains in one sign for about 54 hours. It is the ascending sign, which changes every couple of hours." That is how this site offers you more focused predictions.

JATIN P - ACHARYA MIHIR • JAYSASTROLOGY@GMAIL.COM • 630-675-7148

August 19, 2016

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India Post 27

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Jag Ghoomeya: Sultan 2 Sab Tera: Baaghi 3 Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai: Sultan 28 India Post

www.indiapost.com

August 19, 2016

4 Ud-Daa Punjab: Udta Punjab 5 Salamat: Sarbjit 6 Chitta Ve : Udta Punjab 7 Bol Do Na Zara: Azhar 8 Kar Gayi Chull : Kapoor & Sons 9 Cham Cham : Baaghi 10 Ikk Kudi : Udta Punjab

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hinese actress Zhu Zhu has been roped in to play the leading lady opposite Salman Khan in his upcoming film 'Tubelight'. 'Tubelight' is set in the backdrop of the Indo-China War of 1962 and it was only sensible of the makers to cast a Chinese actor. The shooting of the film is currently underway in Ladakh with a crew of 200 people. It is a tale of two brothers played by real life siblings Salman Khan and Sohail Khan.

Zhu Zhu appeared to be excited to be working with Salman and tweeted, "On top of the palace with Mr #Salmankhan @ Leh Ladakh." She also shared several other pictures on her Instagram page.

Zhu Zhu is an established actress and has featured in Hollywood movies like 'Shanghai Calling' and 'The Man with the Iron Fists' and Chinese supernatural thriller 'Last Flight'. She was also seen in Netflix's Marco Polo and was a VJ of MTV China.

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riyanka Chopra, who has made a mark in the west in the last couple of years, is showing no signs of slowing down.

The talented star is now all set to be a guest judge on 'Project Runway', a reality TV series based on fashion. Other celebrities who are also on the judging panel include Emily Ratajkowski, Nina Dobrev, Camilla Belle, Jaime King, Shiri Appleby and Sabrina Carpenter, amongst others.

Priyanka will share screen space with Nina, who coincidentally is a part of 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage', that also stars Deepika Padukone. With both Priyanka and Deepika pursuing their international careers almost simultaneously, it remains to be seen who makes a bigger impact. Sources say it would be interesting to see if Priyanka gets friendly with Nina, who is said to be quite close to Deepika.

unny Leone, who will be seen in a cameo role in Sonakshi Sinha starrer 'Noor', will be portraying a glamorous Bollywood actress.

This will be the first time that the 'Dabangg' actress will be sharing screen space with Sunny.

"It was fun shooting for 'Noor' along with Sonkashi and I wish the team all the very best," Sunny said in a statement.

Directed by Sunhil Sippy, 'Noor' will have Sonakshi essay a journalist. The film also stars S h i b a n i Dandekar, Kanan Gill a n d Purab Kohli.

Bollywood

August 19, 2016

India Post 29

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nushka Sharma, who is on a roll with 'Sultan' reportedly entering the Rs 300 crore club, is busy preparing for her new film, which will once again see her paired with superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The actress had forayed into Bollywood in a role opposite Shah Rukh in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. And in the new movie, to be helmed by Imtiaz Ali, she will be romancing the Bollywood 'badshah' yet again.

"Script and (coffee) Best companions for prepping a new film.

Wonderful feeling. Few days before we roll @iamsrk #ImtiazAli," Anushka tweeted. The character sketch of the roles to be played

by Shah Rukh and Anushka are yet to be disclosed.

Meanwhile, Anushka has entered a league of her own by having two projects in her filmography to have surpassed the Rs 300 crore mark. The first was "PK", in which she starred with Aamir Khan and now 'Sultan', starring Salman Khan.

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Value for money

n the past couple of years, he has proven his talent with back-toback strong performances in films such as Haider (2014) and Udta Punjab, which was released this year. Shahid Kapoor admits that the influx of younger talent keeps him on his toes. He feels actors need to do good films as the audience wants "value for money".

"You have to constantly give people good movies, and when you do that over a long period, a certain amount of loyalty and credibility develops, and you are viewed accordingly."

The Bollywood star says that actors who have spent a long time in the industry can gain credibility and loyalty faster, but the newer actors have the "freshness and the ability to surprise" the audience. "I have to do better than what people expect from me. But if a new actor is doing anything as good, then I have to work harder to find an inspiration. I find inspiration from everyone around me," says Shahid, who will next be seen in film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj's next, which also stars Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut.

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onakshi Sinha will not be seen opposite ex-boyfriend Arjun Kapoor in Anees Bazmee's upcoming project 'Mubarka'. Although the actress had earlier expressed interest in the film after hearing a script narration, reports indicate that she has now decided to walk out of the project.

The casting had generated quite a buzz as Sonakshi and Arjun had dated while shooting for 'Tevar' in 2014 but they had parted ways soon after the film released.

This would have been an unlikely reunion of the two former lovebirds. Sonakshi, however, had second thoughts about the movie, reportedly due to the length of her role in the film.

According to sources, the actress is looking for meatier roles post 'Akira' and does not want to be typecast as an actress who does small parts in male-dominated films.

"I have dubbed for Vin for the first time. He has a gruff and slightly rough voice.

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opular TV actor Sharad Kelkar will lend his voice to Vin Diesel for the Hindi version of Deepika Padukone's Hollywood debut 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage'. Not many know that apart from a good performer, Sharad is also a well known dubbing artist.

According to reports, the 39-year-old actor is putting in extra efforts to match the texture of Vin Diesel's voice.

"I have dubbed for Vin for the first time. He has a gruff and slightly rough voice. Since my voice is clear and deep, I had to put in a lot of effort to emulate his voice. Also, he doesn't move his lips much, so creating the correct tone wasn't easy. I tapped into the mood of his character and enacted the scenes in the dubbing studio. This is what I call 'method dubbing," explained Sharad.

30 India Post

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nondescript locale in the outskirts of Rajagriha, Nalanda in Bihar represents a glitzy visage of Indian renaissance. A hot seat of knowledge and learning, Nalanda boasts of a rich culture and tradition that has gained worldwide accolades. This tiny village was the favorite of Lord Buddha and Mahavira who had lived here for several years. Established in the 5th century, the ancient University of Nalanda flourished under the patronage of various rulers. It is now the latest entrant in UNESCO's World Heritage List.

UNESCO said in a release. "Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE," it said.

The site includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal.

"The University engaged in the organized transmission of knowledge over an uninterrupted period of 800 years. The historical development of the site testifies to the development of Buddhism into a religion and the flourishing of monastic and educational traditions," the

release said.

There is a fabulous legend behind the name Nalanda, which narrates how this village got its name. The place where the monastery was going to be constructed was the abode of a serpent and while digging the foundation the serpent got injured. The clairvoyants of that time observed that the monastery that would have been constructed in that place would be renowned for a long time. Later this monastery turned to be a great institution of knowledge, whose unparallel credentials gave it a unique seat in the entire history of the nation.

To the outside world, Nalanda still beckons with the remains of this residential school of bygone eras. But it is not just the remnants of a great institution that Nalanda offers to its visitors. Apart from the ramparts of ancient monuments and B u d -

dhist shrines, this historic place offers some of the popular pilgrim centers and holy spots on your Bihar tour package.

A place that carries the rich history, tradition and culture of a great nation Nalanda proffers some unique experience to the visitors. A visit to this tiny hamlet is just like going back to the ancient times. While roaming through the ramparts of stupas, monasteries and viharas one would feel they are walking through the doorsteps of various centuries. It is a must visit place for those who are proud of being a part of such a great culture and interested in knowing the colorful incidents of the past.

History The history of Nalanda goes back to the times of Lord Mahavira and Lord Buddha in the 6th century. Various legends have been associated with the evolution of the name 'Nalanda'. While some believe the name to have been derived from the terms 'Nalam' meaning 'Lotus' and 'da' that means 'to give', Hieun Tsang in his documents has suggested a 'naga' to have been the inspiration behind the name of the city.

Cont’d on page 33

August 19, 2016

Travel & Hospitality Post

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American workers taking fewer vacations

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t's summer time and the living is ... not so easy for some.

American workers have been taking less and less vacation over the past 15 years. A study by Project: Time Off found that in 2015, more than half of American workers left vacation time unused.

If you are among this unlucky group, consider our tips on why you should take a break and how to do it.

RECOGNIZE THE PERKS Vacation is a chance to rest your mind and your body from the demands of work.

Doug Walker, manager of HR Services at Insperity said that these psychological and physiological perks can help an employee feel refreshed and more inspired at work and at home.

However, he is quick to point out that a stressful vacation, such as one filled with work emails, may end up leaving a worker depleted. He suggests taking a real break

that has no work duties or very limited ones, and allows for some tranquility. ``It's in stillness that life's sediment settles and the murkiness becomes clear,'' Walker said.

CONSIDER THE HURDLE The United States is the only developed country that does not require employers to provide vacation time, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. But

Kerala Travel Mart to host 57 countries KOCHI: The 2016 edition of the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), billed as the largest gathering of tourism stakeholders in the state, is set to host 57 countries with 10 first-time participants.

The biennial meet's ninth edition, to be held in Kochi by September end, will see the biggest-ever delegate contingent from 10 prized traditional markets including the US, Canada and Australia.

The new participants include China, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Georgia, Chile, Greece, Iran and Botswana.

As many as 57 countries and 20 Indian states will explore tourism opportunities in 'God's Own Country' at the three-day event organized by the Kerala Travel Mart Society in association with the state government's Department of Tourism.

The number of registered international delegates attending KTM 2016, to be inaugurated on September 27 - World Tourism Day, has swelled to 560, organizers said in a release here.

Domestic participation has been buoyed as well with around 1,300 domestic buyers expected to participate this year.

"The KTM has always placed as much emphasis on the identification of quality

buyers from new countries as on retaining participation levels from conventional markets. With 10 new nations confirmed to participate this year, our efforts have borne fruit," KTM Society President Abraham George said.

"Moreover, the increase in registrations from the 10 conventional markets including United States, Canada and Australia is further proof of the KTM's growing profile," he added.

An array of products, services and packages from around 261 sellers including hotels, resorts, houseboats, Ayurveda resorts, homestays and tour operators, will be showcased at the event, which will run till September 30 at the Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre on Willingdon Island, Kochi.

KTM will witness 25,000 business meetings apart from other nonscheduled meetings.

The mart is designed to facilitate B2B networking and interactions among travel industry professionals and entrepreneurs from Kerala and across the world, thereby providing a vehicle for business linkages between the state's tourism fraternity and the international travel market.

Organizers said KTM 2016 will focus on the themes of 'Responsible Tourism' and the 'Muziris and Spice Route'.

In an attempt to promote the 'Muziris and Spice Route' theme, UNESCO together with Kerala Tourism and the Union Tourism ministry will host a 'Spice Route Culinary Festival' from September 23-26, in which leading chefs from the 31 member countries on the historic Spice Route will participate.

The event is organized as a prelude to the Mart. -PTI

workers are often entitled to days off that they simply aren't taking.

Project: Time Off found 658 million days went unused last year among those surveyed, the highest ever since the travel industry group began measuring it. Of those, 222 million days are simply lost they are days cannot be rolled over, paid out or banked for any other benefit.

Employees cite a variety of reasons for forgoing vacation time - they worry about returning to a mountain of work or feel no one else can do their job. Some cannot afford it and others simply want to show their complete dedication.

But Walker points out there are very few true emergencies at work and that in most cases someone else can handle it or a problem that arises can wait till you return. And taking a break can make you a better worker. ``It's important to remind yourself of that,'' Walker said.

WALK THE WALK If you are the boss, the pressure is on you to take a break.

By actually taking vacation, you signal to employees that it's OK to do so, too.

Communicate with them about vacation policies and encourage them to take time off as needed. ``A company's success is all about the degree to which your employees are engaged and effective,'' Walker said. ``If they aren't engaged because they are burnt out or they aren't effective because they are burnt out, they need a break.'' -AP

Learning to forage for food in Dorset holiday JERRY HARMER

TOLLER PORCORUM, England: ``This,'' said our guide James Feaver, ``is our main course.''

We were standing in front of a dung heap in a high meadow in the English countryside. Pushing up out of the ooze was a lowgrowing weed. He bent down, plucked a sprig and held it up. ``Fat hen. Humans have eaten it for thousands of years. We're going to need a lot of it.''

After a glance among us, my family and I set about picking with an approximation of gusto. When you are foraging for your food you can't be too squeamish about little things like cow dung beneath your fingers.

I have long been fascinated with the idea of living off the land, finding sustenance among the wild plants that teem in hedges and fields. So a week's holiday in Dorset, in

Hedgerow Harvest and booked a half-day course for me, my partner Fon and our 7year-old son, Jimmy.

On a classic English summer's day - meaning we experienced all weather conditions in one afternoon - we met up with James Feaver, who gave up office work for professional foraging eight years ago. He now runs courses in south and southwest England, but mostly in Dorset, his adopted home.

We met him in the village of Toller Porcorum, donned rubber boots and light waterproof jackets, and set off in search of wild provender.

We spent the next few hours walking through lanes hedged in with soaring banks, down tracks drenched in birdsong, beside clear streams and across uncut meadows in search of ingredients for a threecourse meal.

If like me you can't tell wild sorrel from a blade of grass, this quickly becomes daunting.

But Feaver has gimlet eyes and an encyclopedic knowledge of the edible.

High in a hedgerow, a spray of tiny white flowers stood proud of the foliage. He hooked it with his hazel stick, pulled it down to picking height, and inhaled. ``The smell of summer,'' he said.

For centuries, country-folk Fonthip Boonmak left, James Feaver, centre, and Boonmak's have used the fragrant son Jimmy Harmer, right, gather edible sea beet leaves near elderflower to add a zesty flasouthern England's Jurassic Coast. vor to food and drink. Now it southwest England - a county bursting with would bring its zing to our dessert. We picture-book countryside - gave me the plucked head after head. I lifted up Jimmy chance to see how abundant nature's larder so he could join the harvest. really is.

In quick order we found red currants, wild Foraging is increasingly popular in the mint and tiny, sweet, wild strawberries. The U.K. and there are many teachers to choose wicker basket James provided - a nice touch from. On a recommendation, I contacted - began to fill. -AP

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Resort operator buys largest US ski area DENVER: The largest resort operator in North America is buying the continent's biggest ski area, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Vail Resorts Inc. announced that it was purchasing Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc., the Ca-

Resort for $182.5 million and merged it with a neighboring resort. It operates nine mountain resorts and two ski areas in the U.S. and Australia.

The new deal is expected to close in the fall. ``Whistler Blackcomb is one of

Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, in Vail, Colo. Vail Resorts, which is the largest resort operator in North America, is buying the continent's biggest ski area, Canada's Whistler, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

nadian ski resort company, for $1.06 billion, adding to its aggressive expansion.

Located in British Columbia, Whistler Blackcomb is the largest and most visited ski resort in North America. Colorado's Vail is frequently the most visited ski resort in the U.S. Two years ago, Vail Resorts bought Utah's Park City Mountain

the most iconic mountain resorts in the world with an incredible history, passionate employees and a strong community,'' Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a statement.

Shares of Whistler Blackcomb rose above $27.36 ($36 Canadian) each in Toronto. In New York, Vail Resorts stock also was trading at the highest rate in at least a decade, reaching about $154 per

share midday.

Under the transaction, Vail Resorts would acquire all the stock of Whistler Blackcomb, whose shareholders would receive $13.30 (Canadian $17.50) per share in cash and 0.0975 share of Vail Resorts' common stock, for a total value of $27.36 (Canadian $36) per share. ``This relationship will bring greater resources to support our current operations and our ambitious growth plans,'' Whistler CEO Dave Brownlie said in a statement.

Brownlie will stay on as Whistler Blackcomb's chief operating officer and will become a member of the senior leadership team of Vail Resorts' mountain division, the companies said. ``Vail Resorts intends to retain the vast majority of Whistler Blackcomb employees, while only impacting a few select areas where there may be duplication in corporate functions,'' the companies said.

Whistler Blackcomb will honor the resort's existing season passes. Vail Resorts plans to integrate Whistler into its Epic Season Pass for the 2017-18 winter season.

In addition to Vail and Park City, Vail Resorts operates Colorado's Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Keystone ski resorts. In California, Vail operates Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood ski areas. It also has ski resorts in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. -AP

Goa govt hoping to host filmmakers PANAJI: After winning the 'Film Tourism Destination of the Year' award at India International Travel Mart in Chennai recently, Goa Tourism is now hoping to get more filmmakers to come to the coastal state for shooting.

"This award will surely increase the number of film shootings in Goa. It is unique and hence signifies the state as the most favored destination for film shootings," Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said.

Goa's picturesque locations make it a "hot-spot" for film producers and directors to want and

capture the beauty of the state on camera and make their films more vibrant and eye-catching, he said.

Yesteryear blockbuster "Ek Duje ke Liye" and the recent "Angry Indian Goddesses" have been extensively shot in Goa. "It is not just the Bollywood that is obsessed with Goa, but also a lot of Hollywood filmmakers have not escaped from the charisma of this state," Parulekar said.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Nilesh Cabral said it has been an endeavor of Goa tourism to promote the state

as the most popular choice for film shootings.

"While many shoots cover popular locations of Goa, many producers also capture some of lesser known locations such as its hinterlands, monsoons, adventure activities, festivals, and others which in turn promotes the lesser known facets of Goa," he said.

The state-run Entertainment Society of Goa plays an important role that facilitates all procedures and permissions for film shooting in the state through a single window system, Cabral said. -PTI

Delhi's Naini lake revival in limbo NEW DELHI: The revival of Naini Lake here has run into troubled waters with the Delhi government refusing to take up the task of cleaning it owing to North MCD's "refusal" to give a goahead to the Tourism Department in this regard.

In a letter to the Mayor of North MCD, Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra has accused the civic body of being "unable" to take any decision regarding the government's proposal to take up the responsibility of upkeep of the lake located in North Delhi's Model Town lo-

ism. The government had earlier come out in favor of boating.

"The government's offer is lying with the standing committee of North MCD for a long time. It has been unable to take any decision in this regard. So I would like to request you (MCD) to take up the task on your own. We are unable to provide any assistance in this regard," Mishra wrote.

The AAP government had said that it will implement ecologist Prof C R Babu's plan for reviving the lake's ecosystem without any engineering reinforcement.

cality.

When contacted, Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said that MCD had already decided against handing over the lake to the Delhi government and that it will itself look after its revival and tourism-related activities.

However, Mishra warned against boating or associated activities in the lake, saying it should be a place to relax for the locals and should not be used for tour-

Naini Lake, which had housed a variety of flora and fauna at one point, has ecologically degraded in recent years. The water level of the lake is at an all-time low while its depth has also reduced by a good 15 meters.

Naini lake's conservation has been a major issue among the locals in the recent past. Young people in the area have also been using social media to mobilize support for the cause. -PTI

Philippines expects 30% more Indian tourists KOLKATA: The Philippines expects a 30 per cent jump in the number of tourists from India by the end of the current financial year.

Verna C Buensucesco, director and officer-in-charge, Tourism development sector, Philippines Tourism, said India was now among the top 13 countries in terms of tourist arrival.

"The number of tourists is increasing. We are now targeting the

tier 1 and tier 2 cities of India to attract more tourists," Buensucesco said during a road show attended by a delegation of the Philippines tourism.

"Kolkata is a very key market in the east and hence we are looking forward to strengthening our relation with local travel partners from the city. Overall, the Philippines expects to welcome one lakh Indian tourists by 2017," she said. PTI

August 19, 2016

Travel & Hospitality Post

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to this scholarly man for his invaluable service.

Nalanda Archaeological Museum: A museum that exclusively

offers an authentic peep into the Pala art which proves that the university gave equal importance to creative arts along with intellectual development. Apart from showcasing imaginative skills, the assortment of sculptures exposes the attire, ornaments, and other features of societal life during the Pala period. In effect it is the finest portrayal of the ancient India that gives a great insight to the life and culture of the ancient Indian society.

Nalanda University: A glittering edifice in the entire history of Indian subcontinent, Nalanda University boasts of a rich tradition that had gained world wide accolades. This renowned institution of the 5th century had been established under the patronage of the Gupta rulers.

Nav Nalanda Vihar: A modern center of Buddhist thought set up by the Bihar Government, in the year 1951, Nava Nalanda Vihar tries to spread the ancient tradition to the modern generation. The institute is located at the famous lotus pond in Bihar. The centre mainly dealt with research-oriented education in the Pali script and Buddha religion.

exhibits the relics of the ancient Nalanda University and its adjoining areas, Nalanda Archaeological Museum is a treat to the eyes. It

The Great Stupa: The great stupa at Nalanda is the end result of seven consecutive accretions.

Flanked by flight of steps and ter-

Cont’d from page 30

Nalanda is also famed for being the birthplace of Sariputra, an important follower of Lord Buddha.

Nalanda has been an important center for Buddhism point of view as Lord Buddha is said to have visited it many times. Various memoirs of Chinese travelers Hieun Tsang and Fi Han confirm them to

have been students at the then Nalanda University, which was the first university of its kind in the world.

Emperor King Asoka, a great patron of Buddha is also closely associated with Nalanda. He is said to have built many temples here. It was during this time, i.e. 2nd century B.C. that the renowned alchemist and philosopher Nagarjuna studied and taught here.

However, not much of the history from the Asoka time has been restored. The Guptas ruled here in the 5th century. The city was also an important part in the kingdom of Mauryan king Harshavarshan, who ruled here from 606 to 647 A.D. The present day Nalanda was established on 6th November 1972, when it was declared as an independent district with headquarters at Bihar Sharif.

Tourist Attractions Hiuen Tsang Memorial Hall: The one and only traveler who helped a lot to fetch the fame of Nalanda to the outside world, Hiuen Tsang adorns a prestigious place in the history of entire India.

A lot of information is obtained about medieval India from his writings and in fact, India owes much

races, beautiful sculpture and votive stupas the great stupa offers a glance of the past splendor of Nalanda.

Surya Mandir: Dedicated to the sun god, century's old Surya temple is a popular attraction in Nalanda. It is situated just near the University premises. Apart from the idols of so many gods and goddess, one can find Buddhist deities inside the temple premises.

Best time to visit Nalanda Nalanda has a hot climate during summers and cool climate during winters. Monsoons during June to September offer medium rainfalls. The best time to visit the place is from October to March.

How to reach

By Train: Rajgir is the nearest railway station which is 12 km away from Nalanda. Regular train services are available from this station to all parts of India. Taxis are available from the railway station for Nalanda.

By Air: Lok Nayak Jayaprakash airport at Patna is the nearest airport, which is 78 km away from Nalanda. This airport is connected to major Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Taxis are available from the airport to Nalanda.

Nalanda is connected to other cities by state owned public bus services. Bihar Tourism and Development Corporation provides bus services from Patna to Nalanda, and also from cities like Bodhgaya and Rajgir to Nalanda.

'Selfie Danger Zone' signs at tourist sites NEW DELHI: In the wake of several deaths reported while taking selfies in the recent past, the Centre has issued an advisory to state governments to mark 'Selfie Danger Zone' at accident-prone locations of tourist sites.

In a letter to Principal Secretary/ Secretary of Tourism Department in states and UTs, Tourism Ministry Additional Director General Meenakshi Sharma said, "... It is advised that you may put up proper signages marking all such areas and zones as 'Selfie Danger Zones'."

She asked them to identify all such tourist spots which are prone to accidents and erect signages warning visitors, besides posting volunteers or tourist police at such sites.

Sharma also asked the officials to barricade areas, wherever "possible danger" is identified and urged for spreading awareness

through social and other media campaigns.

In recent times, there have been several accidents while taking selfies at accident-prone locations in tourist sites.

A Tourism Ministry official said the decision to issue advisory ahead of Independence Day is part of security measures being implemented for the celebrations.

Last year, India reportedly had the highest number of deaths among people trying to take selfies 15 of the total 27 in the world.

Among the people who died while taking selfies was a Japanese tourist, who fell down the stairs while taking a picture of himself at Taj Mahal last September.

In another incident in March last year, seven students drowned in a lake in Nagpur after their boat capsized when the boys tilted to one side of the boat to take a picture. -PTI

In Brief Pacific coast was route for colonizing Americas NEW YORK: Researchers have found new evidence that the first Americans migrated south from Alaska via the Pacific coast, rather than a route hundreds of miles inland along the Rocky Mountains.

The colonization of the Americas began after people arrived from Siberia, crossing an ancient land bridge called Beringia into Alaska. Huge ice sheets largely blocked the way south, but a gap in western Canada was long thought to provide an ice-free corridor for migration into the continent.

That idea ran into a problem as archaeologists documented human presence in the Americas at earlier and earlier times. The corridor appeared some 15,000 to 14,000 years ago as the ice sheets retreated, but studies suggest that people had reached South America by at least 14,700 years ago. Even if one accepts the earliest date for the corridor, it's hard to believe the migration could have gone so far south, so fast.

So in recent years, many scientists have concluded that the first southward migrants traveled along the Pacific coast instead, either in boats or on land.

The new research, released by the journal Nature, casts further doubt on the inland corridor. It suggests that even after the corridor appeared, it wasn't suitable for migration until about 12,600 years ago. -AP

„ Teen admits killing Nepalese refugee ROCHESTER, N.Y.: A Rochester teenager has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery for last summer's fatal shooting of a Nepalese refugee who was the married father of seven children.

Prosecutors say 15-year-old Khalil Nelson was the one who shot 38-year-old Jit Mongar at a Rochester convenience store last July during a robbery attempt involving three teens. Nelson was 14 at the time.

Defense attorney Mike Scibetta contends that one of the other two teens involved in the robbery shot Mongar. He said in court that Nelson was devastated by his actions and is remorseful.

Nelson is scheduled to be sentenced to 7 years to life in prison on Sept. 14.

Sixteen-year-old Kamron Campbell and 18-year-old Le'Sean Foucha also face charges. -AP

Immigration

26 laid-off Indians return from Saudi Arabia

34 India Post

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August 19, 2016

Details on page 35

2 vulnerable GOP incumbents break with Trump on immigration CHICAGO: Two Illinois Republicans considered among the nation's most vulnerable congressional incumbents are breaking from their party and its outspoken presidential nominee, Donald Trump, to push laws that would include a path to citizenship for people living in the country illegally.

Rep. Bob Dold and Sen. Mark Kirk joined GOP Rep. Mario DiazBalart of Florida and business leaders at an event in Chicago. They argued comprehensive immigration reform would help the economy, ensure companies have the workers they need and is the right thing to do. ``It's about people before politics,'' said Dold, whose district north of Chicago is home to large numbers of Hispanic voters and Fortune 500 companies. ``We need to fix a broken system.''

Immigration has been a tricky issue for Republicans, particularly as the electorate has grown more

and more diverse. After a dismal showing at the polls in 2012, lead-

can senators voted for an immigration overhaul proposal that

U.S. Rep. Bob Dold R-Ill., campaigns in Chicago. Dold and Sen. Mark Kirk R-Ill., both spoke at an event in Chicago, arguing comprehensive immigration reform would help the economy.

ers said the party must become more inclusive if it is to win back the White House.

The following year 14 Republi-

stalled in the House. The measure would have strengthened border security, increased visas for legal immigrants and given some 11 mil-

lion undocumented immigrants a path to become citizens.

The 14 GOP senators who backed the plan included Kirk and Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and John McCain of Arizona, who also are trying to hold on to their seats in November.

Trump has moved in the opposite direction, saying he wants to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and make Mexico pay for it. He also has called some Mexican immigrants rapists and promised to deport millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

Other endangered Republicans have pushed back on Trump's more divisive statement statements about immigration but are still supporting his candidacy.

After Trump said all Muslims should be banned from entering the U.S., Ayotte said she opposes any ``religious-based test for our immigration standards.''

Cont'd on Page 35

Indian wins lottery after surviving mishap DUBAI: A 62-year-old Indian, who was on board the Emirates plane that crash-landed here, might be the luckiest man alive as he has won a million dollars in lottery, just six days after miraculously surviving the accident.

Mohammad Basheer Abdul Khadar, from Kerala, was among the 300 people on board the Emirates flight EK521 which crash landed and burst into flames at the Dubai airport last week.

The Dubai expatriate struck gold when his lucky ticket number 0845 was drawn in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire at Concourse A at Dubai International Airport, winning him USD 1 million (Dirham 3.67 million), Gulf News reported.

Khadar had purchased the ticket on Eid on his way for a vacation with his family in Thiruvananthapuram.

A fleet administrator with a car dealer group in Dubai, Khadar had made it a habit to purchase a raffle ticket whenever he trav-

elled to his home country.

Khadar became a millionaire after purchasing his 17th ticket, just four months before he was due to retire in December, he told the daily.

"I have been working in Dubai for 37 years, and I have always felt

ing good things," Khadar said.

Khadar said he plans to return to India after his retirement to find a job that involves helping people in need.

He wants to help children in Kerala who are in need of finan-

like this is my country. I live a simple life, and now that it's my time to retire, I feel like God gave me a second life when I survived the plane crash, and blessed me with this money to follow all this up by do-

cial help and medical support.

"I am blessed to have finally won with Dubai Duty Free and can't wait to share the news with my family. If you ask me about my plans, I obviously want to help the

children in Kerala who are less fortunate than others and need some financial help and medical support," he said.

Khadar, a grandfather, earns Dirham 8,000 (Rs 1,45,212) a month. However, he had to struggle a lot for the treatment of his 21- year-old son who became paralyzed after an accidental fall just 13 days after birth.

"I had to spend a lot of money on his treatment. Some years back I had to take a loan of Rs 1.8 million for a major surgery for him. I have managed to pay it back," said Khadar.

He said he was thankful for his job that also helped him get his daughter married.

"I will continue to work till I can. Nothing else can give you the satisfaction of your hardearned money," he said.

In 2007, Indian national Sadanand Raghavan, a mechanic in Sharjah, scooped Dirham 5 million in a Mashreq Bank raffle. -PTI

Immigration Post

August 19, 2016

India Post 35

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Masto meets families who fear deportation LAS VEGAS: Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto met for lunch with families who live in the shadow of deportation, drawing parallels between their stories and her own family's immigrant roots.

The Democratic former Nevada attorney general met at Lindo Michoacan Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas with immigration activists and families who would've been eligible for deportation relief under Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, a now-suspended program that President Barack Obama called for through an executive order. ``Your story is no different than mine. I just happen to be generations down from my grandfather, who came from Mexico,'' said Cortez Masto, who will be the first Latina in the U.S. Senate if she's elected.

Her grandfather crossed the Rio Grande to settle in the U.S. in

the 1940s, a time when the emphasis was on assimilating and learning English, she said. She explained at the event, which alternated between two languages, that she doesn't speak Spanish fluently but can understand it.

Some of the children and teenagers who attended tearfully told about their fears that their families would be separated by deportation. She vowed to stand by them and work on immigration reform. ``I can't imagine a worse thing in the world as a child _ the concern you have every day that your parents may be taken away from you,'' she said.

Cortez Masto is in a competitive race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, and Hispanic voters could play a decisive role.

She took jabs at her Republican opponent Rep. Joe Heck, who said he opposes Obama's efforts

to fix immigration problems through executive orders. Heck

Catherine Cortez Masto

voted last year against expanding deportation relief, but supported keeping Obama's Deferred Action

26 laid-off Indians return from Saudi Arabia NEW DELHI: The first batch of 26 Indian workers, who had lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia, arrived here after the country issued them exit visas.

Saudi Arabia had agreed to swiftly resolve plight of thousands of laid-off Indian workers including providing them free passage to return to India during visit of Minister of State for External

India has already started," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

He said India appreciated the "magnanimous view" taken by the Saudi Arabian Government of granting exit visas expeditiously and agreeing to bear the expenses for the travel of the workers.

Saudi Arabia has also set up a crisis management group to ad-

Indian workers at the Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia

Affairs V K Singh to the Gulf nation last week.

"Minister of State, V K Singh has had very productive meetings with the Labor minister and other senior ministers during his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"As a result of these meetings, the process of lodging claims and for those wishing to come back to

dress difficulties being faced by the jobless Indian workers while a separate panel has been appointed to look into their claims relating to unpaid wages.

Saudi rules restrict foreign workers to leave the country without NoC by the employers.

"The swift action to tackle a localized problem specific only to

some companies of Saudi Arabia signifies the deep and abiding relationship that our two countries share. We are confident that this will alleviate the problems faced by workers of all nationalities," said the MEA Spokesperson.

The Spokesperson referred to the difficulties of retrenched workers of Saudi Oger limited and said the first batch of 26 Indian workers were issued exit visas. The workers came by a flight from Jeddah.

"From here, respective state governments will be making arrangements for their travel to their home towns," Swarup said.

Meanwhile, as per figures presented to the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar while replying to a question, a total of 55,730 Indians have returned from Saudi Arabia between August 2015 and July 2016.

The number of people returned from the country included those on home visits and coming to India on other purposes.

As per the figures, the number of returnees in May this year was 7,752 while it was over 8,000 in June and 6,437 in July.

Replying to a separate question, Akbar said negotiations for an extradition treaty between India and Afghanistan was in the final stage. -PTI

for Childhood Arrivals program in place for young people who are already enrolled.

Heck answered questions about immigration in July at a meeting of the Hispanics in Politics group in Las Vegas. He said he's always supported a pathway to citizenship and spent 10 months working on a related bill in 2013, but said the effort fell apart because some activists who were collaborating with him were more concerned about keeping immigration a political issue.

Cortez Masto said Heck ``talks a good game'' but wasn't fighting hard enough on the issue.

``I don't think if people walk away from it, you give up,'' she told reporters. ``If you're really passionate about it and having a positive impact, you continue to forge forward.''

She said she supports comprehensive immigration reform and believes it can be done in a single bill, but left the door open to handling the issue in phases. ``You should be willing to make that first step no matter what.

Again, it is about give and take,'' she said. ``Do you get everything you always want? No, and that's what it's about. But you have to start somewhere.'' -AP

2 vulnerable GOP incumbents break with Trump on immigration Cont'd from Page 34

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio blasted Trump for saying a federal judge of Mexican descent couldn't be impartial because of Trump's proposal to build the wall.

The pushback has been particularly strong in left-leaning places such as Illinois, where in recent years lawmakers have approved driver's licenses and extended health care for some immigrants who are in the country without legal permission.

Even Bill Kunkler, an executive vice president at a Chicago company who has faithfully voted for Republicans for president his entire adult life, called Trump's comments about immigrants ``ugly and hateful'' and predicted it will hurt Republicans in November. ``I hope Trump and his supporters are humiliated at the polls,'' said Kunkler, who attributes his success in business to the Mexican immigrants who worked beside him in his early years supervising an Illinois quarry.

Dold, who's in a rematch with Democratic former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, has said he won't support Trump. Kirk, facing a difficult

challenge from Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, first said he would support the GOP nominee but withdrew his backing in June.

Kirk peppered his remarks at the event with Spanish, talking up a program he started to reunite Mexican families by providing visas for people in Mexico to come to the U.S. But Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, one of the staunchest pro-immigrant members of Congress, accused Kirk of flip-flopping on the issue and supporting immigration reform only ``when it's politically convenient.''

Kirk and Duckworth have repeatedly clashed over whether the U.S. should admit refugees from Syria. Duckworth wants the U.S. to accept 200,000 refugees, including 100,000 from Syria. Kirk wants to ban them, saying they pose a national security threat.

He said that position doesn't contradict his support for immigrants because ``there's a difference between Mexican immigrants and Syrian refugees.'' ``Syrian refugees might tend toward Islamic terror, and we've never had a Mexican terror problem in this country,'' Kirk said. -AP

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Salarpuria, Apollo enter joint venture BENGALURU: Salarpuria Sattva Group and Apollo Asia RE Singapore Pte Ltd ("Apollo Asia Fund") have entered into a joint venture to acquire 100 per cent stake from a group of offshore investors in two real estate projects here and at Vadodara.

The deal value is Rs 275 crore (USD 42 million), Salarpuria said in a statement.

It said Apollo Asia Funds investment was made under the foreign direct investment guidelines.

"We plan to develop these projects as landmark residential developments in Bengaluru and Vadodara and look forward to partnering with Apollo Asia Fund in more Joint Ventures in the future," Salarpuria Sattva Group MD Bijay Agarwal said.

City-headquartered Salarpuria Sattva Group was founded in 1986 and has presence in different cities across the country.

With 18 million sq.ft of spaces completed, 17 million sq. under construction and 30 million more in stages of development and planning, the group plans to venture into more cities in the near future. -PTI

Value of farm real estate down from 2015 FARGO, N.D.: Farm real estate in North Dakota is worth less than it was last year.

A new report from the federal Agriculture Department says the value of farm real estate in the state averages $1,830 per acre, a drop of $90 per acre from last year.

Cropland value in North Dakota is down $140, to an average of

$2,000 per acre. Pastureland has dropped $20, to $830 per acre.

Cash rents are mixed, with irrigated cropland rent up $5, to $166 per acre, and non-irrigated cropland down $1, to an average of $67 per acre. Pasture rent also is down a dollar, to $17 per acre. -AP

Real Estate 36 India Post

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August 19, 2016

Tata Housing & Macquarie in luxury housing project NEW DELHI: Realty firm Tata Housing is in advance stage of discussions with private equity fund Macquarie to set up a joint platform with a corpus of about Rs 2,500 crore for developing luxury housing project across major cities.

The deal is expected to close this month, sources said.

The joint platform with Australia-based Macquarie Group would invest in future luxury and premium projects of Tata Housing, they added.

Details on Page 37

New homes selling at Crown Point at Stonebrae Club in Hayward India Post News Service

HAYWARD, CA: It's time to discover where country club living comes with a view. With beautiful new models now open, a Press release by Brookfield Residential says, "You're welcome to experience Crown Point at Stonebrae Country Club, Brookfield Residential's newest neighborhood in Hayward."

"A rare place of beauty and opulence," it says, "Crown Point puts you at the center of it all, presenting exceptional living with stunning new residences in a picturesque country club atmosphere. With breathtaking golf course, Oakland and San Francisco views and an exclusive selection of new single-family homes, this is where country club living reaches a new level of luxury. Visit to tour the models and see why there's no better place to call home than Crown Point.

"Located on the fourth hole and surrounded by beautiful open space and green hillsides, new homes at Crown Point present a delicate balance of refined elegance and tranquil ambiance.

Three two-story floor plans range in size from approximately 3,946 to 4,657 square feet and offer up to six bedrooms and four-and-onehalf baths, presenting all the room

"Residents will enjoy gourmet kitchens boasting stainless steel Bosch® appliances, elegant quartz countertops and convenient islands. In addition, each home will

needed to indulge in personal luxury. Plus, spacious plans feature great rooms for connecting with family and friends, whileequally impressive lofts and downstairs bedrooms makethe perfect space for guests to relax in comfort. Pricing at Crown Point starts from the high $1.4 millions.

include a luxurious master suite, gracious living areas, top-tier finishes, premium features and personalization opportunities like optional California rooms and en-suites.

"Stonebrae Country Club unveils a lifestyle brimming with the everyday luxuries you desirein an ideal location near the East Bay,

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Residents can also enjoy concierge services that range from housecleaning services to mobile car detailing.

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Cont’d on page 37

2 lakh homes built under Central schemes NEW DELHI: Over two lakh houses have been constructed under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) in various states in the last two years, Lok Sabha was informed.

"During the last two years, 2,23,814 houses have been constructed under JNNURM, RAY, PMAY-U by implementing agencies," Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Rao Inderjit Singh said during Question Hour.

Housing and urbanization come under the purview of the state governments, he said, adding that central schemes like JNNURM, RAY, PMAY-U are

being implemented for providing low cost houses and related civic amenities to the urban poor including slum dwellers.

The states and union territories including Andhra Pradesh are

JNNURM and RAY, 13,86,761 houses have been sanctioned, of which construction of 10,60,899 houses were completed. Further, 8,54,386 houses for urban poor have been sanctioned for con-

implementing these schemes through their agencies like Urban Local Bodies and Housing Boards, he said.

"Under the schemes of

struction under PMAY-U, 'Housing For All' mission since its inception on June 25, 2015."

Under this mission, construction of 1,770 houses has been

completed so far, he said, adding 8,004 beneficiary households have been disbursed interest subsidy under Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme of PMAY-U. Singh further said the projects considered for central assistance under these schemes include arrangements for convergence of inputs of health, education, livelihoods and connectivity to city civic infrastructure from existing schemes and programs of state or ULB or centre.

Infrastructure component includes all basic civic and social amenities like water supply, sewerage, drainage, solid waste street lighting and community facilities, he added. -PTI

Real Estate Post

August 19, 2016

India Post 37

www.indiapost.com

NGT to inspect projects on Yamuna riverbed NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has taken strong exception to "substantial variations" in reports submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government and other state agencies with regard to distance of various real estate projects from the flood plains of river Yamuna in Agra.

The green panel appointed

Registrar General Mukesh Kumar Gupta as local commissioner to ascertain the "correct position" of flood plains and the distances of the various projects after expressing dissatisfaction over a chart submitted by UP government on construction carried out by builders on the floodplains of Yamuna.

The chart prepared in consultation with Agra Development Authority and Irrigation Depart-

ment shows the distance of the pillar, used for demarcation of flood plains, from the edge of the river and distance of the boundary wall of the constructed project from the pillar.

"This chart has substantial variations with the affidavits and the Joint Inspection Report already filed by the various agen-

cies of the state.... We express our dissatisfaction to the manner in which these charts have been prepared and even joint inspection report has been submitted before the Tribunal.

"The authorities are expected to act fairly and judicially while complying with the directions of the Tribunal.

"Unfortunately, these discrepancies and contradictions among

various documents leave the Tribunal with no option but to have the clarification of the facts, existing at the ground, by appointment of a Local Commissioner," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said while directing him to visit the site on August 12.

The tribunal was hearing a plea

filed by Agra resident D K Joshi who had alleged that many buildings have been built right in the flood plain and even in the river itself.

Joshi's lawyer Rahul Choudhary alleged that pillars demarcating flood plains were not fixed anywhere and the flood plain level has been changed by raising its height by dumping of mud and sand. -PTI

Easing redevelopment in Detroit neighborhoods DETROIT: Detroit has started an effort to improve the city's neighborhood main streets and ease bureaucratic hurdles that often stand in the way.

The Detroit News reports the city is putting out a call to urban planners, architects, preservationists and designers for ``Pink Zoning Detroit.'' It seeks to transform the city's complex land use rules and speed new development in its commercial corridors.

The project funded by a $75,000 grant through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will have three teams assemble visions for walkable, mixed-use activity in three areas. Later, potential roadblocks from the city's zoning rules and building code will be examined.

Maurice Cox, director of the city's Planning and Development Department, says the process

hopefully will spur changes to

make redevelopment easier. -AP

Julia Callis, right, waits on Stephanie Blair, at The Red Hook, a coffee shop on Agnes Street in West Village in Detroit on Aug. 9, Detroit has started an effort to improve the city's neighborhood main streets and ease bureaucratic hurdles that often stand in the way.

Tata Housing & Macquarie in luxury housing project NEW DELHI: Realty firm Tata Housing is in advance stage of discussions with private equity fund Macquarie to set up a joint platform with a corpus of about Rs 2,500 crore for developing luxury housing project across major cities.

The deal is expected to close this month, sources said.

The joint platform with Australia-based Macquarie Group would invest in future luxury and premium projects of Tata Housing, they added.

T h i s would be the second such platform for Tata Housing.

Tata Housings subsidiary Tata Valuer Homes has formed a platform of about USD 90 million as it targets to develop about 16,800 homes over the next 10 years.

In May last year, World Bank Group member IFC had announced an investment of USD 25 million (around 160 crore) to finance affordable projects by Tata Housing. In May this year, UKbased CDC also invested USD 25 million.

Established in 1984, Tata Housing is a subsidiary of Tata Sons, which holds 99.86 per cent of eq-

uity share capital of the company.

Tata Housing has 70 million sq ft under various stages of planning and execution and an additional 19 million sq ft in the pipeline. It has projects across major cities. -PTI

New homes selling at Crown Point at Stonebrae Club in Hayward Cont’d from page 36

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"Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. is a leading land developer and homebuilder in North America. We entitle and develop land to create master-planned communities, sell lots to thirdparty builders and operate our own homebuilding division. We also participate in select strategic real estate opportunities, including infill projects, mixed-use developments and joint ventures. Further information is available at BrookfieldResidential.com."

India Post

38

www.indiapost.com

August 19, 2016

Trump vs Clinton & Modi govt priorities K

eeping up its traditions for the past many years, India Post touched bases with its array of readers about the outcome of US Presidential elections in November this year and the possible impact on US-India relations based on

SURENDRA ULLAL & RAMESH SOPARAWALA

the person donning Presidential cap.

The consensus was that chances of Hillary Clinton getting to be the First Lady President in US history were rated high. It was also felt that Indo-US relations would continue to be good whoever comes as

the President.

We also asked about the performance of the Modi Government and the area that our readers would like the India Government to focus in the coming year. A majority of the readers gave good rating to

Modi's performance and most felt that the government should concentrate on crating job opportunities, building infra structure for economic development and finally focus on the plight of Dalits and minorities.

India Post in its last issue ran some responses to its Survey and it finishes off with more results in this issue:

US, India ties escalating

Hillary Clinton is sagacious

IFTEKHAR SHAREEF , a front ranking community activist and a former President of the Federation of Indian Associations, said his strong belief is that the relationship between the oldest and largest democracies in the world, US and India, is escalating at a fast pace, and in coming years both countries will come more close for economic as well as political reasons .

The US needs India's help in controlling the allies in Asia and India needs US for economic growth.

Prime Minister Modi did a fairly good job in promoting "Brand India" and "Make in India" in the international market. Now the time has come for him to work within the country by bringing new industries and focusing on agricultural growth. However, the consensus is that there is need to try to fulfill the preelection commitments including working on bringing back stashed black money , corruption-free government and most important, the law and order in the country including atrocities on Dalits, minorities and other communities.

THAKAR BASATI, a Sikh community leader and Independent Associate Legal Shield, said he had no doubt that the US elections will create history by electing for the first time a woman as its President. Hillary Clinton is sagacious and has lot of experience in foreign affairs which her rival, Donald Trump is sadly lacking.

Trump has not shown anything yet that will convince people that he can lead America effectively.

"Just bullying is not leadership. It is not TV show.

The realty is different. World needs passionate leaders and Trump is not one.

Touching upon the performance of the Modi government, Basati observed that Modi himself, no doubt is a good leader but he has focused all on boosting Indian image globally and traveled extensively the world over in his this quest. He now needs to spend some time in India to understand the issues facing the common man and control the situation before its gets exacerbated. Religious tolerance has taken a low seat in daily life. Everyday incidents are happening that tarnish India' image as a secular state.

Prices of daily essentials have gone way up. Dalits have suffered under Modi government. Every Indian should have right to live.

Cont’d on page 39

www.indiapost.com

India more dependable ally DR BHARAT BARAI, a prominent community activist and a noted oncologist from Indiana, said that relations between India and USA would continue to be good and friendlier irrespective of the fact who heads the administration here. This is in light of the fact that there is a slow but a definite recognition that India is a more dependable ally than Pakistan and it is only India which could withstand the growing influence of China in South-East Asia.

This is especially so in the context of China seeking dominance over South China Sea route which in the future could even impact US business interests and trade in the area. India has not taken any side but obviously many Asian countries and the USA would like India to stay with them. Strategic interests in general demand India and USA pull together.

Pakistan is in shambles and there is a slow realization that the US economic and military aid is not put to fight Taliban or terrorist groups.

Rather it is used against India. This is not in the best interest of USA, many feel. Besides, the administration here has realized that it could not prevent Pakistan from encouraging cross border terrorism and if at all, India could be a better bait in fighting terrorism in the region.

Turning to India, Dr Barai said that India has taken great strides under PM Modi but much needs to be done . In the coming years, the government should do well to forcefully reiterate its position for Dalits and clearly indicate its allied governments in States to act accordingly.

The Modi government should also ensure that the corrupt elements at State levels are isolated and eliminated

India Post August 19, 2016

39

Hillary Clinton backs H-1B VINESH VIRANI, a community activist associated with a number of socio-cultural organizations, in his response posed his own question: "Would you have an individual who has worked for several years at different levels of government and who understands the complexity of trade to lead this nation's foreign affairs or an opinionated isolationist who has no experience in the sphere of macroeconomic trade and policy?"

Of course the former and we are able to obtain that in Hillary Clinton. Unlike Donald Trump, she supports the immigration of Indians, namely those who come to the United States under an H1B visa. This sort of immigration is not just benefi-

cial to India alone or the United States. It is equally beneficial to both nations. Indians are provided with an excellent American education and can gain substantial experience by being a part of the extremely innovative American workforce.

Similarly, American corporations are able to employ hard working and intelligent workers from India who further add to the workforce's innovation. How could an individual who publicly mocked a call center worker and continuously attacks America's trade agreements and initiatives be beneficial for either the Indian or American economy?

Cont’d on page 40

www.indiapost.com

Hillary Clinton backs H-1B closely look at whether India has fundamentally improved over the course of the past two years.

While outsourcing certainly has been a problem The answer to that, simply, would be yes. Under in the past decade, Trump seems to misunderstand Prime Minister Modi's administration, we have seen how trade and jobs function despite claiming to be a efforts such as Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana, successful businessman. Trade with any other na- and Skill India, to name a few, take off over the course tion is fundamentally good; it enables a country to of the previous two years. While neither of these produce what it is best at. In the past decade, we programs has fully taken off, they certainly have have been able to build more innovative jobs and shown that PM Modi is looking to implement mulsectors, such as those in renewable energy, which tiple strategies to greatly improve India. would not have been possible had we kept all our One issue that I would like to speak about specifimanufacturing jobs cally is the Goods at home. and Services Tax Under Hillary (GST) Bill. It is excelIf Hillary Clinton is elected President, Clinton's tenure as lent that the Prime Secretary of State, Minister's adminiswe will see even more developtrade agreements tration has led the and immigration of effort to assist in ments in our relationship with India educated Indians unifying India's grew and led to a complex tax policies. better economy for both the United States and In- If India has one, consistent tax such as the GST for dia. If Hillary Clinton is elected President, we will sales, it will spur business and economic growth and see even more developments in our relationship with enable consumers to further spend on goods and India. This will further strengthen both our econo- services. Such efforts simplify life for Indians while mies and lead to a better stature of both nations in alleviating any corruption or loopholes in the curthe international arena. rent, inconsistent system.

The Modi government came to power in May Overall, Prime Minister Modi should continue his 2014 with exceedingly high expectations. There is current domestic efforts while maintaining his interno doubt that the previous government was riddled national presence to further India's image in the fuwith corruption and scandals, and India desired a ture. His international showing has enabled India to drastic shift in that outlook. Instead of jumping to strengthen and form countless trade deals and conan immediate conclusion, it is essential that we tracts that will assist the nation's economy even further.

Cont’d from page 39

India Post August 19, 2016

40

Hillary better understands India MRS. SANTOSH KUMAR KULSHRESTHA, a counselor, attorney, professor, community leader heading Metropolitan Asian Family Services with seven facilities for seniors, said that India US relations under the Presidentship of Hillary Clinton would hit a new high. "I have no doubt about it. Ms Clinton is a seasoned politician with tons of experience behind her. Besides being a self made woman, she has a unique personality and I have been following her career for long and much more so after reading her biography."

She has better understanding about India and Indians as she has visited the country quite a few times. "I just chanced upon her in Jodhpur where she had shown upon to attend Holi festivities - the most enjoyed Indian festival in Rajasthan." During her husband's stewardship, Indo-US relations touched a new high and "I believe that the same tradition Hillary will keep up nurtured as it is even by President Barack Obama."

Ms Clinton is suitably placed to provide "Healing Touch" to the world and bring peace and harmony among all the religions.

Ms Kumar wants Modi government to speed up Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan more intensively, especially in rural and newly developed urban areas. The cleanliness and hygienic condition, pollution and lack of strategic planning leave much to be desired. It leads to unregulated growth which in its turn aggravates the situation.

Cont’d on page 41

www.indiapost.com

US too needs India BALWINDER SINGH, a Sikh leader and a businessman, said that India needs USA all the time and of late the USA realizes that it needs India as well for sustaining its global interests. Both need each other more now than any time in the past and hence, whoever comes at the helm of affairs in this country, the relations between India and the USA should grow in coming years, Offering his observation over the performance of Indian government in the past few years, Balwinder said that PM Modi has criss-crossed practically most parts of the world to raise India's image and boost its trade relations and improve investment climate. "Probably no important country is left out by him in his bid to project India as a global power with tremendous economic opportunities for overseas investors. Now he should turn his sight to India and address local problems more aggressively.

Balwinder feels that the best of efforts to push investment in the country would fail if there is infra-structural deficiency. "The Modi government should give top most priority in respect of road and energy development, the two critical factors for pushing domestic and foreign investment," he said.

Hillary better understands India Cont’d from page 40

Another suggestion is that the authorities should initiate cleaning streets and roads at night time which can solve most of problem as roads are clear to take the garbage out. Municipality department has

to be regulated and made responsible.

Another aspect is ending endemic corruption. Though the government has taken a number of steps, much needs to be done.

Unearthing black money and thereby streamlining economy should be given top priority, she said.

India Post August 19, 2016

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India Post August 19, 2016

42

Trump better candidate AJIT GANDHI, a community activist and financial consultant, said that Donald Trump would be a better candidate for cementing and promoting Indo-US relationship. He has clarity of thoughts and favors free society.

The Modi government needs to take quite a few initiatives - Establish additional courts for taking care of crores of lawsuits pending across the country; Start cases against all corrupt politicians/bureaucrats/industrialists (particularly politicians); stop Muslim appeasement (ironically, it is doing the same that the Congress

party was doing); start actions in J&K against Pakistanis (It has been very slow); Start providing proper equipment to the police & military there (we have seen pictures of the helpless police); start moves aggressively now about bringing back black money from foreign banks etc; He should also start moves to reduce various perks to politicians/bureaucrats. The recent move to approve such increase to Government employees is a mistake. Too much.

Donald Trump will win GIRISH RAY, a Chicagoland businessman and pharmacy owner, said that Donald Trump may coast to victory despite his lot of unsavory remarks and bravado. This is because a good number of people have been more impressed by his straight talk and no beating about the bush type approach.

He is a shrewd businessman and has innovative ideas to get American economy roaring with more jobs and higher income for all.

In contrast, Hillary Clinton is perceived as double talking and many question her trustworthiness. It is a matter of opinion about whom the American voters will choose to lead their nation but my feeling is that Donald Trump may emerge victorious With regard to relationship with India, I do not visualize any problem whoever comes to the top.

Cont’d on page 43

India Post August 19, 2016

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Growth of IT Industry in India

T

wo main components of Information Technology (IT) are software and hardware. Software has emerged as the major industry in the field of electronics. This industry made a modest beginning in the 1970s and by mid-1980s, the forecasters, analysts and policy planners started understanding the potential of computer software application.

The industry achieved a major breakthrough in the 1990s and is now one of the important industries of India. The main cause of the rapid development of software industry is its vast reservoir of technically skilled manpower which has transformed India into a software super power.

With a compound annual growth of about 52 per cent between 1991 and 1996, the Indian software sector has expanded almost twice as fast as the world's leading US software industry did, during the same periods, although from a smaller base.

There is now a critical mass of more than 500 software firms in the country and apart from these companies there are an additional 1,000 start-up-companies. Today, India is one country that offers cost-effectiveness, great quality, high reliability, speedy deliveries and, above all, the use of state-ofthe-art technologies in software industry.

The year 1995-96 was a boom year for the Indian computer industry and the Information Technology (IT) industry of India really exploded in that year.

Despite the challenges such as the continued technology slowdown in the global market, strong fundamentals and core value position of the software and services industry led to outperforming all other sectors in the country. Its export grew by 26.3 per cent in 2002-03, clocking revenues of Rs 46,100 crore.

The Indian software and services industry is one of the very few sectors worldwide to have witnessed double digit growth (Fig. 27.11). This has increased its share of total Indian exports from 4.9 per cent in 1997 to 20.4 per cent in 2002-03. It is expected to generate total employment for four million people (including support services), account for 7 per cent of India's GDP and 30

per cent of India's foreign exchange inflows in the year 2008.

Software has become a major item of export in India. In the year 2004-05, the software and service exports from India registered a 34.5 per cent growth. The total software and services revenues grew by 32 per

cent to $ 22 billion in 2004-05 and to $ 28.5 billion in 2005-06.

According to NASSCOM, the industry is expected to register a growth of 30 to 32 per cent in the near future. The domestic market, according to NASSCOM, grew by 24 per cent. Findings of the survey conducted by NASSCOM indicate that the total value of outsourcing to India ($ 17.2 billion in 2004- 05) is as much as 44 per cent of the worldwide total.

There is good reason to believe that the present strong momentum will continue to

tion.

"The Personal Computer (PC), not TV, will be the key information appliance of 21st century," said Andy Grove, co-founder of Intel, the world's largest chip-maker over a decade ago. He was proved right in the U.S. before the turn of the 20th century when for the first time PCs outsold TVs. This has not happened in India, and may not happen for another decade. But PCs are gaining more popularity in India as compared to TVs as the time passes.

Sale of personal computers (PCs) in-

drive the expansion of this industry. Indian companies have so far concentrated on only two largest IT service markets, viz., the U.S.A. and the U.K. Countries like Canada, Japan, Germany and France represent huge growth potential. Other countries like the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia also hold great possibilities. IT companies are aggressively exploring other markets in Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

creased by 20% in 2004-05 to 3.63 million units. Internet subscribers also went up by 23 per cent in 2004-05 to 2.92 million over the previous year. The rise in PC sales can be attributed to home segment which posted a growth of 48 per cent.

Significant consumption by telecom, banking, manufacturing as well as business process outsourcing (BPO) and IT enabled services (ITES) segment also contributed to rise in PC sales. India has emerged as the most preferred destination for BPO, a

Hardware The hardware segment of Information Technology (IT) industry is one of the fastest growing industries in terms of production, international trade and is characterised by innovation.

According to a recent study, by 2010, the global electronics industry would cross $ 1 trillion mark and Indian electronic hardware industry may be well over $ 73 billion by then.

The components segment has a potential to reach $ 11 billion by 2010.

This will offer employment opportunities to over 5 million persons.

After liberalisation in 1991, India is fast catching up with the world in terms of penetration of IT, telecommunications and consumer electronics products. This can lead to a huge demand for these products as well as provide base for global competi-

key driver of growth of software industry and the service sector.

Smaller cities and towns fueled the IT consumption with class ? cities accounting for over 50 per cent of total PC sales.

Under the existing growth pattern, the domestic PC market is expected to touch 14.3 million units by 2010 with PC penetration of 45 per 1000 people. Output of Indian electronics and IT industry is estimated to have grown by 18.2 per cent to Rs. 1, 14,650 crore in 2003-04.

The Department of Information Technology has recently drafted a wholesome IT hardware policy which addresses the basic problems faced by this industry. This policy must be implemented to rid the industry of the ills it is currently facing.

The vision of IT policy is to use IT as a tool for raising the living standards of the common man and enriching their lives. Towards this end, the Department of Information Technology has taken up an ambitious programme of PC and Internet penetration to the rural and undeserved urban areas.

The Department has also announced a programme to establish State Wide Area Network (SWAN) up to the block level to provide connectivity for e-governance. The Department has also set up Community Information Centres (CICs) in hilly, far-flung areas of the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate the spread of benefit of information and communication technology. It is also proposed to set up CICs in other hilly, far-flung areas of the country like Uttaranchal, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

A mixture of software and hardware technology lies at the heart of burgeoning business of embedded system design and India is emerging as a key centre for products from both local and global players. IT infrastructural facilities (software as well as hardware) are available at a number of places in India.

Trump will help business MADHU PATEL, founder president of NRI Press Club, said that Hillary Clinton has lot of questions to be answered about her performances and many in this country feel that she is not trustworthy. In contrast, Donald Trump is a businessman and not a politician. This explains his outspokenness and abrasive handling of the issues in general.

His emphasis on making America great and Save America are a good and appealing platform for many right minded Americans. He is for free enterprise and it is a proven fact that capitalism has succeeded over state controlled economies. China is unloading in the American markets because of State-owned industries.

Trump will encourage American business and industries.

He should win and if he does not win, the American voters would miss a chance to send a clear message to duplicity-oriented politicians and Shakunis. It may be recalled that Shakuni was a great player in Indian politics during Mahabharat times. "I feel that Shakunis are reemerging here and Trump will expose them," he said.

For India, Madhu Patel wants the Modi government to favor investment oriented policies that would include free flow of capital, improvement in law and order, ending corruption, exposing black money holders and lastly, helping create strong infrastructure.

„ Health

Line

Health centers get $245K federal grant CHICAGO: Seven community health centers across Illinois will split a $245,000 federal grant to help improve patient care.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced the centers will each receive $35,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The facilities include Chestnut Health Systems Inc. in Bloomington, Southern Illinois University in Springfield, the Knox County Health Department in Galesburg and Esperanza Health Centers in Chicago.

The funds are for a model of care known as the ``Patient-Centered Medical Home.'' It aims to increase communication between patients and their doctors, better coordinate care and focus more on prevention and wellness.

Durbin says community health centers provide medical care to thousands of Illinois patients annually. He says the money will help provide higher-quality care and reduce costs. -AP

„

Louisiana gets disaster recovery grant

BATON ROUGE, La.: State health officials say Louisiana has received a $19.5 million federal grant to help communities that are still recovering from devastating floods this past spring.

The Disaster Case Management grant is from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will fund work for about 1,575 families in 36 parishes: Allen, Ascension, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Carroll and Winn.

Disaster case management is a process where a qualified individual serves as a single point of contact for individuals or families impacted by the floods. This person helps households identify unmet needs and make referrals to appropriate agencies.

The funding will be allocated among nonprofit organizations that will train and administer case managers including Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Catholic Charities Diocese of Baton Rouge, Easter Seals Louisiana, Upbring Disaster Response, ICNA Relief USA, Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Volunteers of America North Louisiana. -PTI

Health Science

HP CM to told to give land for projects

44 India Post

www.indiapost.com

August 19, 2016

Details on Page 46

Physical activity boost can cut risk of chronic diseases MELBOURNE: People's engagement in physical activity needs to be at least five times higher than current WHO recommendations to reduce risks of diseases like cancer, diabetes and stroke, suggests new research that included data from India.

Researchers are calling for a major boost to physical activity recommendations, with the study linking more weekly exercise to a reduced risk of five common diseases.

Lennert Veerman from University of Queensland in Australia said a significant boost to physical activity level recommendations to the equivalent of 15 to 20 hours of brisk walking or six to eight hours of running a week could reduce breast and bowel cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

"Although the first minutes of activity do most for health, our research results suggest activity needs to be several times higher than current World Health Organization (WHO) recommenda-

tions to achieve larger reductions in risks of these diseases," Mr Veerman said.

"WHO advises a minimum total physical activity level of 10 metabolic equivalent of tasks

physically active, but we still do not definitively know the exact type and quantity of activity that most reduces the risk of common conditions because it is difficult to accurately measure physical

(MET) hours a week, but the study found health gains accumulated up to levels of 50 to 70 METhours a week," he said.

"A lot of previous research had shown the benefits of being

activity," said Veerman, who collaborated with researchers from the University of Washington and Dartmouth College.

Researchers used data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult

1 out of 8 men can develop cancer NEW DELHI: One out of eight men and one out of nine women have the possibility of developing cancer in their lifetime, the government has said.

Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha said the Indian Council of Medical Research has released a three-year report of population-based cancer registries: 2012-14, and consolidated report of hospital-based cancer registries 2012-14 in May 2016.

"As per the National Cancer Registry program of the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (ICMR), one out of eight men has the possibility of developing

cancer in his lifetime (0-74 years).

"Similarly, one out of nine women has the possibility to develop cancer in her lifetime (0-74 years)," she said.

She said her ministry is running

cilities in addition to early detection and prevention activities of the disease across the country for all types of cancer.

India is likely to have more than 17.3 lakh new cases of cancer and over 8.8 lakh deaths due to the disease In 2016 the total number by 2020 with cancers of of new cancer cases is breast, lung and cervix topping the list, the Inexpected to be around dian Council of Medical 14.5 lakh Research (ICMR) had said recently.

National Program for Prevention The premier medical research and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, body had said that in 2016 the Cardiovascular Diseases and total number of new cancer Stroke (NPCDCS). cases is expected to be around She said the cancer-related 14.5 lakh and the figure is likely components of this program in- to reach nearly 17.3 lakh new cludes provision of treatment fa- cases in 2020. -PTI

Health (SAGE) conducted in six countries - China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa - from 2007 to 2010, and additional data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 1999 to 2011.

"By analyzing the results of 174 studies published between 1980 and 2016, we found higher levels of weekly physical activity were linked to reduced risk in all five common chronic conditions," Mr Veerman said.

He said most people could achieve 10 MET-hours per week by running for 75 minutes or two and a half hours of walking per week.

"People may need to incorporate additional daily activity to achieve 50 MET-hours," Mr Veerman said.

"This could mean being more active at work, doing housework, using stairs where possible, gardening or running, and using active transport such as walking or cycling," he said. -PTI

Dengue testing facility at mohalla clinics NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has decided to start testing facility for the vector-borne disease at all its mohalla clinics from next month in the national capital where 171 cases have been reported.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that people with symptoms can get themselves tested free of cost at these clinics from September 1.

171 cases of dengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 of these being recorded in the first week of August, according to recently released municipal report.

The minister said that 100 of the cases were from outside the capital.

Giving details about treatment for various ailments given at mohalla clinics, he said that about 8 lakh people were treated at 105 such clinics.

Apart from this, 42,000 tests were conducted at mohalla clinics. -PTI

August 19, 2016

Health Science Post

India Post 45

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Fidgeting while sitting good for heart NEW YORK: Fidgeting while sitting can protect the arteries in legs and may help prevent cardiovascular disease, a new study has found.

"Many of us sit for hours at a time, whether it is binge watching our favorite TV show or working at a computer," said Jaumme Padilla from University of Missouri in the US.

Researchers caution that fidgeting is not a substitute for walking and exercise, which produce more overall cardiovascular benefits.

"We wanted to know whether a small amount of leg fidgeting could prevent a decline in leg vascular function caused by prolonged sitting," said Mr Padilla.

While researchers expected fidgeting to increase blood flow to the lower limbs, they actually found that this would be sufficient to prevent a decline in arterial function.

Researchers compared the leg vascular function of 11 healthy young men and women before and after three hours of sitting.

While sitting, participants were asked to fidget one leg intermittently, tapping one foot for one minute and then resting it for

four minutes, while the other leg remained still throughout.

On average, the participants moved their feet 250 times per minute. Researchers then measured the blood flow of the popliteal an artery in the lower leg - and found that the fidgeting leg had a significant increase in blood flow, as expected, while the stationary leg experienced a reduction in blood flow.

Previous research has shown that increased blood flow and its associated shear stress - the friction of the flowing blood on the artery wall - is an important stimulus for vascular health. However, fidgeting's protective role had not been established.

While only one leg was exposed to fidgeting during the experiment, in a realworld scenario researchers recommend tapping both legs to maximize the beneficial effects.

However, researchers caution that fidgeting is not a substitute for walking and exercise, which produce more overall cardiovascular benefits.

"You should attempt to break up sitting time as much as possible by standing or walking. But if you are stuck in a situation in which walking just is not an option, fidgeting can be a good alternative. Any movement is better than no movement," said Mr Padilla.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology. -PTI

Brushing videos can improve oral health WASHINGTON: Recording smartphone video selfies of brushing teeth may help people leaZn techniques on how to improve their oral health, a new study suggests.

While most people have the ability, motivation and desire to brush their teeth properly, they often do not because of improper techniques. Opportunities to improve such skills can also be few, researchers said.

"Often, tooth-brushing is learned and practiced without proper supervision.

Changing tooth brushing behaviors which are ingrained habits tied to muscle memory - can take a lot of time and guidance," said Lance T Vernon from Case Western Reserve University in the US. "Our study suggests that, in the future, recording these selfies can help shift some of this time investment in improving brushing technology. Patients can then receive feedback from dental professionals," said Vernon.

Before the study, researchers assessed and corrected participants brushing habits until each were able to demonstrate proper technique.

During the study, they were scored on time spent brushing and skill mastery, including brushing in a circular motion, ob-

taining a 45-degree angle while brushing facial surfaces of teeth and correct positioning of the arm.

Using smartphones propped on stands, participants filmed their brushing at home.

Researchers saw an increase in the accuracy of brush strokes, an increase in number of strokes and an overall 8 per cent improvement in tooth-brushing skill - but the length of time a person brushed did not change.

The very act of recording a selfie may disrupt ingrained habits, making participants conscious of their brushing and reinforced staples of behavior change, including the process of memory formation, association and creating new muscle memory, researchers said.

"Video and picture selfies are increasingly used in medical fields to assess, monitor and determine the progression of diseases and effectiveness of treatment - a new area of gathering data known as mobile health, or "mHealth," said Vernon.

"To our knowledge, this is the first report using selfies to study tooth-brushing behavior," he said.

The findings were published in the Indian Journal of Dental Research. -PTI

Birla health insurance gets Irdai nod MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG) has said its health insurance arm has received the final regulatory approval from sector watchdog Irdai and it is likely to begin operations in the last quarter of 2016.

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Ltd is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group and South Africa-based financial services group MMI Holdings (MMI).

Mayank Bathwal, who has been with the Aditya Birla Group for over two decades, has been appointed the chief executive of the health insurance firm, a statement by Aditya Birla Financial Services said.

"We are excited by the health insurance opportunity in India and believe that health and wellness play a key role to help people live successful lives and achieve their dreams," Aditya Birla Group Chief Executive, Financial Services, Ajay Srinivasan said.

"Given the low penetration of this category, we are confident that our differentiated products and solutions will bring relevance to our target consumers," he added.

MMI Holdings Group CEO Nicolaas Kruger said the move "is an important mile-

stone for MMI and we look forward to extending our health insurance solutions to the Indian market".

Noting that health insurance penetration in India stands at less than 5 per cent, Bathwal said, "This gives us tremendous room to reach out to mass India and play

the role of an agent provocateur in making them realize and take active interest in managing their health thereby safeguarding their financial well-being."

Aditya Birla Financial Services Group, part of Aditya Birla Nuvo, is among the leading fund managers in India with an AUM of Rs 1.84 lakh crore as on March 31, 2016. -PTI

46 India Post

Health Science Post

August 19, 2016

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Sedgwick may stop certain immunizations WICHITA, Kan.: Sedgwick County's health department may stop offering certain types of immunizations for international travel under the county's recommended budget.

County manager Michael Scholes' proposed budget calls for the end of providing vaccines for certain diseases and infections like yellow fever and typhoid fever, The Wichita Eagle reports.

Scholes says the decision to cut some immunizations will allow the health department to focus on other services. The pro-

Scholes says the decision to cut some immunizations will allow the health department to focus on other services. posed budget says the immunization program cost nearly $138,143, but generated about $137,660 in revenue. ``It seemed like low-hanging fruit,''

Scholes said.

County chief financial officer Chris Chronis says the decision ties to Scholes' goal to reduce government funding services that can be provided by non-governmental groups or through the private sector. ``We don't think that we should be in the business of using our resources to compete with the private sector,'' Chronis said.

Tom Moore, a physician with Infectious Disease Consultants of Kansas who specializes in travel-related diseases, said the decision was ``short-sighted.'' ``I just don't understand that if it's revenue-neutral,'' Moore said. ``It's all about access.''

Moore said a traveler can get the oral typhoid vaccine by prescription, but it would take longer. He also said there is not enough demand for yellow fever vaccines for a private primary care physician to keep it stocked. ``Short of creating a separate travel clinic, we've relied on the county health department for supplying that vaccine,'' Moore said. -AP

HP CM to told to give land for projects NEW DELHI: Himachal Pradesh Chief equipment in ESI Medical College at Mandi.

Minister Virbhadra Singh has met Union He said the state government had to pay Health Minister J P Nadda and raised the Rs 285 crore to ESI over a period of five issue of setting up of AIIMS in Bilaspur years beginning from 2019 in lieu of this and sought Centre's intervention for its college building. early opening.

Noting that the clearance for establishHe said the state government identified ing medical college attached to the district 1,200 bighas of land, out of which 750 hospitals of Hamirpur and Chamba is still bighas of non-forest land had been trans- pending, Nadda said the state government ferred for the institute. should take proactive steps for establishSingh said the documentation of forest clearance of remaining 450 bighas of land was under consideration of the Centre and urged for early intervention so that further action could be taken up for opening of the institute at the earliest.

Nadda assured all the support and cooperation to Singh.

"Nadda also raised issues regarding allotment of the land for new branch of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at Shimla.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh with Union Nadda said that NCDC reHealth Minister J P Nadda quires 2-3 acres of land from the state to set up a world class lab at the cost of Rs 10 crore. ing both the colleges. The centre has ear"He requested the Chief Minister to ex- marked Rs 189 crore for each. pedite the process of transferring the land He also said all formalities had been so that necessary steps can be taken up completed to start classes in Dr Y S Parmar for establishing such a facility in the state," Medical College, Nahan from September, an official statement said.

2016 besides appointing teaching faculty Singh apprised the Health Minister that and other staff. the state had signed a Memorandum of UnThe Health Minister noted that even derstanding to take over the medical col- though the tender worth Rs 62.55 crore lege building at Ner Chowk in Mandi dis- for the super speciality hospital Block at trict and the academic session would be Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in started from next year for which there was Shimla has been awarded, the civil work requirement of equipments and other facili- has not yet started. ties.

"The state government may look into Singh also requested Nadda to provide this and take necessary action so that the financial support for installing medical project is not delayed further. -PTI

Robotic surgery institute launched in Bengaluru BENGALURU: Multi-specialty hospital Narayana Health has launched an institute for robotic surgery which will primarily conduct prostate, kidney, gynecological, colorectal and select head and neck cancer surgeries.

The Institute of Robotic Surgery has been supported by Infosys Foundation here. The da Vinci Robotic Surgical System will be used primarily for prostate, kidney, gynecological, colorectal and select head and neck cancer surgeries, Narayana Health said in a statement.

Unveiling the plaque, signifying the launch, Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murthy said the need to adopt and continually update treatment protocols that reduce errors is crucial for a country like India, which sees high patient volumes and a wide spectrum of complex diseases. Ro-

botic surgery, with its high degree of precision and faster recovery time, has the potential to address this efficiently, she said.

"Our partnership with Narayana Health is aimed at encouraging rapid adoption of robotics in healthcare in India. Through this endowment, we also intend to provide impetus for further research in this area, and enable the masses to reap the benefits of affordable and high-quality treatment," she added. Narayana Health Chairman Devi Shetty who also spoke, said "World is on the threshold of a major transition from laparoscopic surgery to robotic surgery."

Robotic surgery has proved that inaccessible areas of the human body like deep in the pelvis where a prostate surgery needs to be done for a patient with cancer of the prostate can easily be accessed, he said. PTI

Datebook

August 19, 2016

India Post 47

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NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sun, Aug 21 • Dream Team Star live Concert 2016

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sat, Aug 20 • Dream Team Star Show - The BIGGEST STAR

Sun, Aug 21 • Kailash Kher Live in Concert 2016 - Bay Area

Sat, Sep 10 • MAST MAST 2016 in New York

Venue: Prudential Center, 25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102 Time : 7:00 pm

Venue: York College, 94-20 Guy R Brewer Boulevard, NY 11451 Time : 7:30 pm

Sat, Aug 27

Sat, Sep 10

• South Asian Theater Festival 2016 Venue: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingstone Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ Time: 2:30 pm

• Desi New Yorks Weekly Night DesiParty Featuring Bollywood Beats Venue: LEXICON, 226 E 54th St, New York, NY 10022 Time : 10:00 pm

Fri, Sep 9 • Bollywood Gents/Boys Night Out

Sun, Sep 11

Venue: Akbar Restaurant, 21 Cortlandt St, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 07:00 pm

Venue: The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036 Time : 7:00 pm

• Salim Sulaiman Live In New York City

CHICAGO

Venue: The Forum, 3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, CA 90305 Time: 07:30 pm

Venue: Performing Arts Center - Chabot

Sat, Aug 27 • Kannada

Time: 07:00 pm

Drama By Bannadavesha: Yayathi & Brief Casina Case-u Venue: Mission City Center for Performing Arts, 3250 Monroe St,, Santa Clara, CA 95051 Time: 5:30 pm

College, 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, CA 94545

Sat, Sep 10 • Ilayaraja Exclusive Telugu Live Music Concert 2016 Venue: San Jose Event Center, 290 South 7th Street, San Jose, CA 95192

Wed, Aug 31

Time: 06:00 pm

• gFive Event

Contact: 408-785-2282

Venue: The Comedy Store (Main Room), 8433 Sunset Boulevard , Los Angeles, CA 91502 Time: 01:00 pm

Sat, Sep 3 • Desi RockStar Reloaded 2016 - Bay Area Venue: Chabot College, 25555 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward, CA 94545 Time: 7:00 pm

Sun, Sep 4 • BAYVP Picnic 2016 Celebrations - Postponed Venue: Lake Elizabeth Park (Central Park), 40000 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538 Time: 11:00 am

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, Aug 20 • Gurdas Maan Live in Concert in Atlanta Venue: Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Boulevard Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30303 Time: 7:00 pm

Fri, Aug 26 • Imagine Music Festival Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway, U.S. 19, Hampton, GA 30228 Time: 3:00 pm Contact: 770-240-0377

Sun, Sep 18 • Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam Live in Concert - Los Angeles Venue: Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802 Time: 6:00 pm

Fri, Sep 16 • Sonu and Atif Live in Concert 2016 Atlanta Venue: Infinite Energy Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097 Time: 8:30 pm

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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Philosophy

August 19, 2016

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L

iberation, enlightenment, is completed when there is no more identification with body, thinking or feeling: when someone has understood that 'the world' is nothing else than a way of thinking.

When someone has really understood that thoughts cannot understand anything because a thought is nothing more than an object, and when someone has come to experience that there is no such thing as personality, then the deep silence in which all thoughts dissolve, and thus also the world, breaks through.

Whoever has come so far with the directions of a competent instructor needs to do nothing else.

In the beginning the silence might be colored by the absence of thoughts: it is like when a painting that has been hanging somewhere on a wall for many years is removed; one day the person who lives there takes the painting down and you come in. What do you see? At first you don't see the wall, you see the absence of the painting.

That is what it's like with this state of silence; at first you were hindered by thoughts: by the feeling that's gradually becoming vaguer that you were a thinker, then thoughts and feelings disappear, and now you notice their absence. The accent is not on the silence yet, but on the absence of JEFF FOSTER

M

ost people are peaceful and happy when things go their way and according to plan, and stressed and unhappy when things 'go wrong'. I want to point you towards a place of peace and happiness that is not dependent on the story of your life. So take a moment now and bring your attention back to your very own present experience.

Gently begin to notice everything that is happening right where you are, without judging it, without trying to change it in any way, and without expecting it to change.

Notice thoughts appearing and disappearing in awareness.

Notice all the feelings and emotions that come and go - confusion, sadness, boredom, frustration, anger, fear, excitement - and for a moment just allow them to be there.

Notice sensations happening all over the body - tingling in your fingers and toes, pressure in your head. Notice all the sounds appearing where you are-a television buzzing, your own breathing, a bird chirping outside. Notice the miracle of life that is all around.

Thoughts, sensations, sounds, feelings - these are all the waves

the other things. But now you only have to wait, you only have to make yourself open to the Unknown.

Gradually the symptoms of the great harmony arrive. A deep feeling of peace, of warmth, a feeling that everything is good, arises from the heart. This feeling that comes and goes, is not the absolute, not the Unknown, but it is a manifestation, it is like the first rays of dawn coming over the horizon.

Then you have to find the right attitude; vague feelings of I-ness, of personality, that still exist have to be allowed to dissolve in these

whatever little trace of personality that is still there.

Above all, you must not allow the personality, the automatic habits, to be in a hurry, to desire that it has to happen now. As long as there is any notion of 'now' you are still caught in time - therefore in the mental - and the realization can never take place in the mental - you have to be constantly aware of that. So, you need only allow that warm, soft feeling to wash away the last traces of the personality, blown away like a light feather in an almost imperceptible sigh on a still evening.

Then the complete emptiness

ner, but again and again the theme returns.

'The use of a bowl depends on its emptiness' says Lao Tzu. A full bowl can no longer be used for something else. And so it is when thinking and feeling are filled with other things, that they cannot be filled by the Unknown, by the Essence. Therefore one must take care to be always 'empty'.

In the beginning this can only happen for short intervals, (even though no time exists in this situation and one cannot speak of long or short), but slowly but surely the emptiness installs itself in us even when we are busy with

World nothing else than way of thinking

Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"Shortly before his death in the 80s, Wolter Keers invited his friends to a party at his house in his hometown. At the end of the party, he informed his friends that he was going to give up his body. He prostrated to a large photo of Sri

You can't blame gravity for falling in love.

-Albert Einstein

Ramana that he had placed on the floor. Then he placed a cushion in front of the photo, laid down his head on the cushion at Sri Ramana's feet and passed away."

-Excerpted from Bhagavan: Remembrances of Our Days Wolter Keers

With Ramana Maharshi.

soft feelings. You need not so much surrender (that still sounds too active), but you have to allow it to fill you; you have to allow desire without desire - that this soft feeling takes the place of

breaks through. Much has been said and written about this emptiness in all the great and living spiritual traditions, sometimes in a poetic way, sometimes in an almost clinical - philosophical man-

our daily tasks.

Excerpted from the section 'Absent' in 'Jnana Yoga.' Wolter Keers (1923 - 1985 ) was a Dutch writer and Advaita Vedanta speaker.

of life appearing in the vast ocean of present-moment consciousness that you are. What you are is always this vast open space in which all waves are allowed to come and go.

A wave - a thought, sensation or feeling - can only appear in you if on some level it has already been allowed in. Here is the amazing revelation of non-duality: what you are has already allowed ev-

but an unconditional acceptance of all life. Light and dark, good and evil, positive and negative waves - you are vast enough to encompass every apparent opposite. You are the Light that goes beyond light and darkness - you are enlightenment itself.

And as the ocean, even when the waves of life become strong, uncomfortable and intense, you know deep down that you cannot

This way of seeing things certainly goes against much of our conditioning, which is often about escaping or getting rid of the 'bad' or 'negative' or 'imperfect' waves in ourselves and becoming a whole and complete and perfect person in some distant future. But the wholeness I talk about has nothing to do with getting rid of waves, or repressing them, or escaping them in this way.

Finding deep acceptance in the present moment Thoughts, sensations, sounds, feelings these are all the waves of life appearing in the vast ocean of present-moment consciousness that you are. What you are is always this vast open space erything in this moment to be just as it is! These thoughts, sensations and feelings; even this pain, fear, sadness, or anger; even the uncomfortable waves, even the ones that we call 'dark' or 'negative - who you really are has already said yes to all of it.

You are not a separate 'person'

be hurt- for the waves are not separate from yourself. This realization totally changes how we relate to pain and suffering. Grounded in the knowing of who you are, you can now fearlessly face every wave that comes your way, seeing them as friends to be embraced, not enemies to be rejected.

Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you.

-Loretta Young

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

-Mother Teresa

Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.'

Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'

-Erich Fromm

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.

-Oscar Wilde

Jeff Foster

I speak of wholeness as a total embrace of every wave that appears in the present moment, an unconditional acceptance of every thought and emotion.

Excerpted from Kindred Spirit, Issue 117. Jeff Foster (born 1980) is a spiritual teacher from England.

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies -Aristotle Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.

-Plato

Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

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50 India Post ver 40 iconic im ages of India taken nearly 150 years ago by celebrated British photography pioneers, who gracefully combined artistic composition with commercial enterprise in the analogue era, are part of a recent exhibition that seeks to reintroduce the legendary duo to a contemporary audience.

From the picturesque Taj Mahal in the north to pristine Ooty in the south, and from detailed architectural studies to vivid portraits of people, Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd not only skillfully captured the vintage 19th century India, they visually reintroduced the country to the western world.

Titled 'Figures in Time: Bourne & Shepherd', the display hosted

by Bangalore-based Tasveer Arts, has been exhibited in four cities Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi, in that order.

Out of 41 photographs on display sourced from Bangalore based Museum of Art and Photography, 17 are original images while rest are "digitally blown-up versions" that "magnify" the details of the smaller analogue pictures while "matching" its original tone.

"While the original photo-

www.indiapost.com

August 19, 2016 Darjeeling, The loop on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway/ Bourne & Shepherd, c. 1880.

Bathing ghat in Calcutta, by Bourne and Shepherd, c.1880's

Assamese tea coolies being paid by European man 1903 or earlier by Bourne & Shepherd

graphs were very small, they contained a lot of details and information as they were shot on a large plate camera. This really lent them to being blown up. It took us six months to put it together, with two months spent on retouching the images.

"We made high-resolution scans and retouched the images to reveal all the hidden details, and printed the enlarged prints to match the tones of 19th century photographs," a team member from Tasveer told PTI. So, while a viewer can enjoy the original prints of Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and a heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway train doing its famous loop, a cathedral in Calcutta (now Kolkata) or Audrey House in Ooty, one can also visually feast on the digitally magnified and faithfully reproduced images of the ruins of the Lucknow Residency, Hooghly shipping yard, ghats of Varanasi, Safdarjung Tomb of Delhi and the opulent Taj Mahal.

Other digitally enhanced photographs include Cawnpore Memorial Well (now Kanpur), Kolkata's Clive Street view and its Government House, Secunderabad, Esplanade in Bombay (now Mumbai), aerial view of the city from atop Jama Masjid, Paigah Tomb, all taken during the period of 1860-1880.

Cont'd on Page 53

Shipping in the Hoogly in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), taken by Samuel Bourne in 1860 (above); Paigah Tomb in Hyderabad, taken by Samuel Bourne in the 1860

August 19, 2016

India Post 51 www.indiapost.com

Esha Gupta ready to be in a relationship

F

our years ago, she waltzed into the industry with the second installment of 'Jannat' and followed up with 'Raaz 3D'. After a praiseworthy cop act in 'Chakravyuh', she went missing from the big screen, except for making a few special appearances in films. But now, Esha Gupta is back with a bang in 'Rustom'.

The actress plays Priti Makhija, a character so grey and intense that it took her time to come to terms with her power and aura. In an unbridled conversation, Esha talks about playing the villain, why she took a short break from the industry and how she will never forgive those who break her trust in a relationship.

How did you bag 'Rustom'?

I got a call on my birthday last year from my casting director. She told me that she has an exciting project with Akshay Kumar and that it's a grey character. When she said it was a role with negative shades, I knew I wouldn't be paired opposite him. But I liked the idea of doing something different.

So, I met director Tinu sir (Tinu Suresh Desai) for a narration. I liked what I heard because the character was intense. Priti Makhija makes Akshay's life messy and ensures that he can't breathe peacefully even for a second. In a way, this movie is like a birthday gift for me.

Didn't playing the villain at an early stage in your career bother you?

On the contrary, it is far more challenging and fun. I've always looked up to Priyanka Chopra and loved how she took up 'Aitraaz' right at the beginning of her career and was even praised for her act. It was a huge risk. Usually, a lot of mainstream actresses think twice before playing the vamp. In my earlier films, I got all the sym-

Except for the beauty spot near my upper lip, which I was born with, I had no contribution at all (laughs). The director, costume designer and my hair and makeup team have done a fabulous job.

Every accessory was designed to reflect the character's persona - a rich girl whose parents have left her with enough wealth to last generations.

But it was a challenging task to ensure that my waist looked slender.

In the 50s, women wore tight-fitting clothes that were more of a waistclincher. So, I worked out to maintain a toned figure.

Also, I've worn so much of red lip color and nail paint - that I am going to avoid the color for a while.

You are also seen smoking in the film...

A week before the shoot was to begin, Tinu sir handed me a long pipe and asked me to practice the act of smoking. I had t o get comfortable with the idea of holding a pipe and blowing smoke sexily. Initially, it was tough, but I warmed up to the idea soon.

What kind of an equation did you share with Ileana D'Cruz, who

Except for the beauty spot near my upper lip, which I was born with, I had no contribution at all (laughs). The director, costume designer and my hair and make-up team have done a fabulous job. Every accessory was designed to reflect the character's persona a rich girl whose parents have left her with enough wealth to last generations. pathies. But with this movie, I want people to say that they loved Esha's acting, but hated Priti Makhija because she was badass.

A lot of effort seems to have gone in finalizing your retro look.

plays Akshay's wife in the film?

She is a chilled out girl. I'm a tomboy and have had many girlfriends. So, there were no tense moments. Neither of us were insecure because our characters and looks were completely different

and we both had strong roles to play in the development of the plot. So, we were at ease, secure and comfortable. We've posted so many pictures together and have had a riot during the promotions.

Despite a promising start, your

was adopted. I'm an athlete and can physically hurt people. I've hit two men when I was in school because one of them tried to touch our skirts. I'm overprotective about my sister and I need to know whoever she dates. If I had a brother who is like me, I would have probably died.

What's your take on infidelity?

For me, a relationship is based more on trust than love. If someone cheats me, I will leave the person, and also give it back to him (or her). I believe in this phrase you fool me once, shame on you.

You fool me twice, shame on me. If I'm loyal and loving, I expect the other person to be the same. This kind of trust should be there between everyone - friends, siblings, couples, even colleagues.

You were rumored to be dating an industry colleague and the 'engagement ring' picture you recently posted online has piqued a lot of curiosity. Have you found the man of your dreams?

I am so willing and ready to be

in a relationship, but I don't have the time. I started shooting for Rustom in January and I exactly know my schedule till December.

This is how busy I've always wanted to be. I've a loving family and a great bunch of friends who are always there for me. If I don't meet them for four years, they won't complain that I don't have time for them. Boyfriend toh jhagda karta rehta hai. I'm too independent to handle all this.

Not many know that your father is a retired Air Force officer. So, was shooting for a movie that is based on the life of a Naval officer intriguing?

Many people say that their dad is their hero. But for me, my dad is truly a hero. I have immense respect for all service people. Leaving their families and friends behind must be heart-breaking for them. The uniform commands so much of respect. When I looked at Akshay in the uniform, I could feel that he has done justice to it," says the actress.

'Sonam genuinely a style queen'

B subsequent films didn't connect with the audience...

No one wants to make a film that doesn't work at the box office. I think it was just bad timing. I had a dream run in the first couple of years, but the films I signed on later didn't do well. Though I got offers in the interim, I wasn't happy with them. I'm not in the industry for the money. The day it happens, I will quit. I believe in the universal law that if you wish for something wholeheartedly, you will somehow get it. So, I never gave up hope. In those few months that I wasn't shooting, I took acting lessons, learnt newer forms of dance and worked on my body.

My perseverance has paid off and I will hopefully get my due.

The movie is also about a sister's revenge. What kind of a sibling are you in real life?

I have an elder sister and I bully her a lot. The only prank she has ever pulled on me is to say that I

humi Pednekar admires Sonam Kapoor's style statements and feels the 'Khoobsurat' diva can carry off any look. When asked which Bollywood actor looks good in almost every outfit, Bhumi said: "I think, Sonam Kapoor. Until now, I haven't seen her in any dress that didn't suit her. She is genuinely a style queen." Bhumi said.

"I like those who experiment with style because you need a lot of courage to do that. Being an actor, now I realize, to present a look how much effort one has to put in. "In terms of experimenting with fashion, unless you do that, you can't take your style statement forward," she added. The 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' actress' own style mantra is: "Keep experimenting, be quirky and don't copy."

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Struggles have become 'Parched' opens Film harder: John Abraham Fest of Melbourne John Abraham, who started out as a model before venturing into the Hindi film industry in 2003 with 'Jism' and now even produces movies, says his struggles in showbiz have become harder with time as he has become tougher on himself. Every newcomer, especially those with no backing of a film family, faces hardships in the competitive industry. Was it the same for John when he forayed into filmdom?

"I still face struggle. Even today, after 'Dishoom', I struggle, but the struggle is of different kind.

The struggles are getting harder today because I am getting tougher on myself. The struggle is about being fitter, stronger and faster," John says in an interview.

"The struggle is about finding better scripts... It's about reducing the probability of failure, so the struggle is of a different kind. I really did not find that (entry into filmdom) much of a struggle," added the 43-year-old, who, however, found being the best in the modeling industry a tough nut to crack.

"I had to prove that I can sustain in the modeling industry," said the star, who is gearing up for his next release 'Force 2'. Once that struggle finished, he went on to act in movies like 'New York', 'Kabul Express', 'Zinda', 'Taxi No. 9211' and 'Garam Masala', after which he became a producer with

R

the National Award winning entertainer "Vicky Donor". Then, he says his struggle shifted to how to up the "quotient of quality of films" that he was doing. "The struggles keep going on in my life... The struggles are never going to end. I am always going to be a struggler," said the actor.

What has been tougher - being a model, actor or producer?

"I think being a model was the easiest thing to do," he said and added: "As a model, I was 'John Abraham, the model'. I was a

clothes hanger. You give me any clothes, my job was to make it look good." For him, being an "actor is tough, but fun", and being a producer is the "most difficult".

"As an actor, I'm open to working with different producers.

Someone I deeply respect and love is Aditya Chopra. Someone who is my really close friend and I really like working as a producer with is Karan Johar," added John,

who finds it "daunting" to find scripts to produce under his banner John Abraham Entertainment.

"I think people like hard-core quality content-driven films, and I feel it is my production house that looks out for the best. I think it's very daunting to find the next best script that will entertain the audience," he added.

In his over-a-decade long career in Bollywood, the actor's filmography boasts of adrenaline rushing actioners, power-packed dramas and rib-tickling comedies.

Is there any other genre John

would like to explore?

"I think the genre that I would like to attempt and re-attempt is in the space of the 2007 film"No Smoking". I love that space. A lot of people tell me that 'if you do 'No Smoking' today it would do fantastic business and I tell them that whether I do something 10 years too early or five years too early, that's the space I would like to re-explore."

MELBOURNE: Celebrating the theme of 'women empowerment', the fifth edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne kicked off with the screening of Leena Yadav's drama "Parched" as its opening film.

The festival, dubbed as the largest Indian film festival of the southern hemisphere, will screen over 50 films in 17 languages from India and the subcontinent over the next 12 days.

Besides screening, the fest will also hold several special events including flag hoisting event, master classes and a special awards night.

The festival was offic i a l l y launched in the presence of Consulate General of India in Melbourne Manika Jain and Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange at a press conference presided by Rishi Kapoor, who is also this year's chief guest of the festival, along with Richa Chadha, Radhika Apte, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, filmmaker Leena Yadav and Shakun Batra.

The state's minister for creative industries Martin Foley, also present on the occasion, said "Victorian Government is proud to support IFFM as part of Creative State, our USD 115 million strategy to strengthen Victoria's creative industries and cultural offering."

Salman-Iulia marriage imminent?

umors are rife that super star Salman Khan and his Romanian girlfriend Iulia Vantur will tie the knot soon.

These rumors got a new boost when Salman was spotted with Iulia's parents, who too have apparently accompanied the alleged couple in Ladakh where he is shooting for his upcoming film 'Tubelight'.

When Salman arrived in Ladakh to shoot for the Kabir Khan directorial, he met his fans there who came to greet him. Some of these pictures surfaced on the Internet, and in one of them an aged couple could be spotted. The

lady is seen wearing a pink shirt, while the man is sporting a mustard yellow T-shirt in the picture. It is believed that the elderly couple is Iulia's mother and father.

Salman and Iulia were spotted at the Mumbai airport leaving for Ladakh. The Romanian television presenter has also shared some pictures from Ladakh on her Instagram page.

Lately, Salman and Iulia have been making public appearances.

Iulia had also accompanied Salman during the shooting of his film 'Sultan'. She was spotted with his elderly mother Salma Khan holding her hand while exiting the

Mumbai airport in May. She also accompanied Salman to Budapest for shooting of a song sequence for 'Sultan'.

Now the couple is together in Ladakh and they will be spending quality time together amid shooting schedules.

Salman may not open up about his marriage with Iulia, but the couple is giving out strong hints about an impending marriage.

He said that the festival celebrated the state's long-standing relationship with India, honored the vibrant local Indian community, and presented an exciting program of events for all to enjoy.

"I am very happy to see Fawad part of this contingent of the Indian film festival. It only translates that we only have one secular language and that is cinema," Rishi said.

He said though Bollywood cinema is very proud of its old-age tradition of music and dance culture, there is a different curve in Indian cinema happening now.

"I do see a different kind of cinema, and different audience‌ even in my father's era we used to make films which were without song and dance."

Bhowmick said the festival will see the Australian premiere of Hrithik Roshan's "Mohenjo Daro" and world premiere of documentary "Moving Bodies Moving Boundaries" directed by critically acclaimed director Onir Anticlock.

The festival will end with the screening of Pan Nalin's "Angry Indian Goddesses". -PTI

August 19, 2016

India Post 53 www.indiapost.com

Origami paper cranes mark Hiroshima Day NEW DELHI: Armed with origami paper cranes, a bunch of slum children from the city are telling the story of Sadako Sasaki, a 12-year-old girl who lost her life to radiation caused by the NagasakiHiroshima bombing.

A range of paintings made by the children on the terror unleashed by the 1945 atomic bombings were displayed at the Japan Foundation on August 9 to mark the 71st anniversary of the attack on Japanese soil.

"Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl was diagnosed with leukemia following exposure to radiation caused by the nuclear bombings at Hiroshima. It was her wish to fold 1,000 paper cranes to avert her death. But she could only make 614 cranes and passed away at the age of 12.

"Sadako has since become a symbol of peace. We have trained hundreds of MCD school students in Najafgarh along with the NGO Apne Aap Women Worldwide in making origami (Japanese paper folding technique) paper cranes. The 1,000 cranes made by them were put on display at the Cont'd from Page 50

"The juxtaposition of vintage photographs and modern reprints in this exhibition also reflects the development of photographic technology in the last 150 years.

Our present-day ability to produce images with such rapid ease, in many ways, serves to accentuate the difficult physical circumstances under (and despite) which these photographs were originally produced," she said.

A former clerk in a Nottingham bank, Bourne arrived in India in

Japan Foundation during the anniversary," says Aseem Asha Usman, founder of Aseem Asha Foundation.

Aseem Asha, who has been working with the underprivileged children of Jamia Nagar area since

from a young age. The HiroshimaNagasaki bombing is not just the story of Japan's destruction. It also showcases the resolve of a country that started from scratch and is one of the most developed nations of the world today," he

the past eight years, says the initiative was aimed at drawing the world's attention to nuclear warfare and its perilous effects.

"Students are the future assets of the nation. It is crucial for them to know about the world affairs

says.

Deeba Saifi (16) and Farhana (19) are excited to exhibit their work on the life of Sadako and various other Japanese people who lost their dear ones and belongings in the war against America.

Reintroducing India Shimla. They were joined by Charles Shepherd, and with the leaving of William Howard, the studio dropped his name to become Bourne & Shepherd.

In 1866, in alignment with a growing culture of studio-photography, the Bourne & Shepherd establishment set up a branch in Calcutta, where it soon became

Indian snake charmers circa 1880. Photo by Bourne & Shepherd

1863 and abandoned his position in favor of a photographic career in the country.

Initially partnering with William Howard, Bourne set up the Howard & Bourne studio in

"I have drawn paintings based on the last moments of Sadako.

The cranes she wanted to make and her aspirations as a young girl form the theme of my work," says Adeeba, a class 12 student.

Farhana, a graduation student, showcased five paintings based on Toshi Maruki's book 'Flash of Hiroshima'.

"Tomoko Kikuchi, a Japanese writer who translated the book into Hindi titled 'Hiroshima Ka Dard', gave us the idea to paint about the lives of those affected by the Hiroshima bombings.

The book was very inspiring.

"We learnt a lot about the bombings and its perils after the interaction with the writer. Even a textbook could not have done justice to it," she says.

Scenes from the HiroshimaNagasaki bombing sites, a broken watch depicting the time at which the atom bombs exploded, a young girl standing in front of her bro-

one of the most prestigious studios of its time.

"Part of the idea behind the exhibition was to reintroduce 'Bourne and Shepherd' to a contemporary audience. Photography

is such a ubiquitous medium today, but few people actually stop to think who the pioneers of the medium were, or its significance in the history of visual culture of the country.

"As well as providing historical documents and records relating to the topographical spectrum of India in the 19th century, Bourne and Shepherd's significance is also to do with how they combined the artistic side of the medium, with commercial enterprise - creating a photographic brand and legacy," the Tasveer team member said.

She said the photographs also act as a reminder of how much the country has changed with the passage of time. "If one considers the context in which these photographs were taken (of a colonized country), and the context now (of an independent country), that's a huge gap - and India, and the world, has changed so much.

"On the other hand, what's also interesting is that actually, some of these scenes could still exist today; the views of the Ghats in Varanasi, for example. It goes to show how much history does in fact exist in the present day in India, and how despite moving forward, there remain lingering traces

of the past," she said. " But, some places like Clive Street in Calcutta has changed dramatically, the streetscape bearing a drastically changed look as many buildings disappeared over time. Before the advent of photography, the idea of India in the west was largely made through paintings and sketches, the noted among them being the famous Daniell uncleson duo, Sir Charles D'Oyly and various native artists who practiced what came to be dubbed as 'Company School of Painting' like Seeta Ram. Bourne and Shepherd, Felice Beato, Raja Deen Dayal are considered among the pioneers of photography in India and works of these artists are either prized possession of galleries and archives around the world or collector's items. "The Museum of Art & Photography has an extensive photographic collection that includes roughly over 100 historical photographs by Bourne and Shepherd. The selected images present the wide range of subjects that were captured by Bourne, Shepherd and their studio - whether topographical landscapes, architectural studies, event documentation or posed

ken house - have been brought on the canvas by Farhana.

Kikuchi, who has made India her home since 1992, is known for her translated work in Hindi. She has translated several Japanese books including 'Flash of Hiroshima' (Hiroshima Ka Dard), 'Town of Evening Calm' (Neerav Sandhya Ka Shahar) and 'Sakura No Kuni' (Sakua Ka Desh).

The 46-year-old writer, who did her PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, also launched her latest translated work at the Japan Foundation. "'Main Dhoondh Raha Hu' is a compilation of 14 photographs taken at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan. I have translated the Japanese book 'Sagashiteimasu' in Hindi. The photographs were taken by Tadashi Okakura. The book talks about those who lost everything to the atom bombings. It also contains a moving account by American poet Arthur Binard on the bombing victims," she says.

'Main Dhoondh Raha Hu' is being brought out by Eklavya Publications. -PTI portraits.

"Another aspect in the selection process was identifying those images with hidden details that would be particularly interesting when magnified, for the enlarged reproductions," she said.

The exhibition comes with a catalogue that was published with its first edition. It carries an original essay by Hugh Ashley Rayner, prolific British author and scholar

Jodhpur, His Highness, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, G.C.S.I./Bourne & Shepherd, c. 1877.

of early Indian photography, on the life and works of Bourne, she said, adding, 12 prints have been chosen for a special collector's box set.

The exhibition, celebrating ten years of Tasveer, will next travel to Vadodara and Jodhpur in 2017.PTI

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Time to impose penalties on Pak for its perfidy

India Post

VIJAY SHANKAR

O

n 12 July 2016, a long delinquent inspiration struck key members of the US Congress concerned with terrorism, non-proliferation, and trade. In concluding the hearing of the Joint Sub-Committee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on "Pakistan, Friend or Foe in the Fight against Terrorism," the Chairman, Mr Matt Salmon drew an unequivocal inference: "For the record, I personally believe that we should completely cut off all funding to Pakistan. I think that would be the right first step. And then, a State Sponsor of Terrorism declaration…Right now we have the worst policy that we could possibly have; all we are doing is rewarding thugs."

The experts panel was led by Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Afghanistan. His testimony was woven around what the Pakistani strategic calculus was and how its aims were the anti-thesis of the global war on terror; the exposition was substantiated by facts.

Pakistan, he said, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, was coerced into providing support to overthrow the Taliban; this was, at best, backhanded support roused more by survival instincts rather than conviction.

Fifteen years and ÚS$14 billion of funding later, Pakistan has shed all pretensions of being an ally in the war on terror and its blatant duplicity stands exposed.

Khalilzad surmised "One may conclude now that Pakistan is a State Sponsor of Terror."

Within the Indian security establishment, there has been little doubt that the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies provide the substructure for terrorist operations both in Afghanistan and India. It is also well known that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and a host of other jihadists are virtual arms of the Pakistan military and their deployment a cardinal feature of strategy.

Former President Musharraf more recently has boasted that Pakistan trains and equips the Taliban and Haqqani Network for operations in Afghanistan; while his military, through the devices of the LeT, Harkat-ul-Mujahidin (HuM) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were actively training, bankrolling and stoking the insurgency in Kashmir and terrorism elsewhere.

The fact is that the leadership of the Taliban from the Quetta and Peshawar Shura and are located there; while the LeT, HuM and the JeM operate freely between Karachi, Lahore and Muzzaffarabad from where they control terror activities in India.

Both denote the extent to which jihadists hold sway within the state of Pakistan.

It is apparent that global policy to tacitly accept Pakistan's deceit and characterize terror groups as 'good' and 'bad' and then neutralize the 'bad' while venturing to reform 'well-disposed' groups has failed.

And failure, to a large extent, has been machinated by Pakistan towards preserving what they consider instruments that served them well during the Soviet occupation, current Afghan campaign and insurgency in Kashmir.

With Pakistan's stratagem now laid-bare, the time has come to impose penalties for its perfidy. The irony is that the state continues to believe that they can dupe the world at large, get aid in billions of dollars, while selectively nurturing Islamic terror outfits.

The reality, however, is that these very terror organizations have infiltrated every limb of the establishment. Global peril raised by a nuclear state in this form has now become their central bargaining chip for relief, despite the obvious fact that derangement of Pakistan has already occurred!

The recent drone attack on Mullah Mansour in Pakistan, capture of LeT terrorist Bahadur Ali in Kashmir, flagrant inflammatory activities of wanted terrorists Hafiz Sayeed (LeT), Masood Azhar (JeM) and Sayeed Salahudeen (HuM) and Prime Minister Modi's strategic shift to expose atrocities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Gilgit, and for bludgeoning the Balochistan independence movement provide a pivotal moment to work a change in the UN policy towards Pakistan.

India must now direct its diplomatic efforts to bring the US on board (to some extent this is already happening) and then orient its strategic exertions along three prongs: • Politically, orchestrate through the aegis of the UN, isolation of Pakistan from international collaboration and impose

sanctions on the military and the ISI in their ability to move freely out of the country through the instrument of a UN resolution specific to that country (on the lines of UNSCR 2255 concerning terrorist threats to international peace and security).

• On the economic and financial fronts, embargo trade with Pakistan except for humanitarian assistance. Terror financing must be traced and cut (UNSCR 1373).

• On the military front, action must be stepped up on the targeting of terror leadership and infrastructure. In this context, for Pakistan to be designated as a "major non-NATO ally in the war on terror" is strange; rather, Pakistan must be placed internationally on the list of sponsors of terrorism.

Pakistan's strategic calculus has to be debunked on all counts; particularly the conviction that Afghanistan, with the pull out of NATO troops along with the drawdown of US combat forces, once again provides the space for a return to the "happy-days".

It must not be allowed to thrive under the belief that it can be both the legatee of international largesse and cavort with jihadists.

The international community and India have taken some measures to challenge Pakistan; it began with UNSC resolution 1373 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack which proscribed terrorist organizations, to the more recent UNSC resolution 2255 that identifies threats to international security by terrorism.

Blockage of military sales, cutting financial aid, calling to attention atrocities in Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK, increased attacks on terror leadership, are all representative of these measures.

In this context, how does one see Pakistan's all-weather friend China respond? The question ought to be: can China really afford to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds?

As Indian and US perceptions on terrorism converge and the growing disquiet over Washington's bottomless and ineffectual aid to Pakistan attains critical mass, India must work vigorously with the US and the UN to ensure that "thugs," in fact, are not "rewarded."

The writer is former Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command of India

Modi's omissions I

t was a one and a half hour speech boring by ordinary standards.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort was a very sincere narration of the government's intent and success in the last two years to bring about an improvement in the lives of people. Complete with statistics he brought a sharp comparison between what was done in the last 60 years and what his NDA government was doing.

The emphasis was on the speed of implementation. He listed not merely achievements but how the very culture of governance has changed and being sought to be changed. With good use of technology, how access to government facilities was available till the last mile, and how the middleman had been eliminated. How village women were coming to the fore to obtain loans made simple through use of the revolutionary Aadhaar cards.

A new thing at the Red Fort function this time was how, abandoning security, Modi went on to mix with the children. As his car passed by, the colorfully dressed children who were till then sitting in orderly rows after singing the national anthem started frantically waving their flags. Moved, Modi stopped his car and went on shaking hands with the kids causing almost a stampede and an acute headache to the swarming securitymen.

There was expectation that he would talk about Kashmir and the agitation for "Azadi" going on there. He did but not in a specific reference to Kashmir but in the context of Pakistan. Comparing, he said, when in Peshawar hundreds of children were gunned down by terrorists there were moist eyes in India and Indian Parliament rose up t0 pay tributes to the children who were massacred.

In contrast, in Pakistan they celebrate and honor the leaders of the terrorists when their trainees go out and attack innocent people in India. He lauded India's approach of non-valence and quoted Mahatma Gandhi's guru to say that non-violence has been around as long as violence has been there.

Modi took the names of a lot of leaders who sacrificed their best for the cause of the nation. To please different sections, he mentioned Sikh Guru Gobind Singh's coming 350th anniversary, the centenary of BJP founder Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and also quoted from Ramanujacharya to laud glory of hard work.

He mentioned Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and even Jawaharlal Nehru. But the glaring omission was not naming any Muslim hero in national building that could have appealed to the resentful Kashmiris.

Their alienation is because they do not relate to Hindutva notions that are being openly expressed and lauded by ruling sections.

Modi could have mentioned, Lal Ded, the venerable saint of Kashmir, or Sheikh Abdullah who chose to go with India at the time that invaders from Pakistan were trying to wrench the country by force.

He could have mentioned Maulana Azad, the first Education Minister of India, or Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, who did a lot as India's food Minister.

If Modi invokes the past glory of India and excludes Muslims from it, what does it say for a supposedly composite society where all sections are represented and respected? He did not say a word to soothe the hurt sentiments of Kashmiris or their perception that they are being neglected and that their icons are not being respected.

A long attempt to make this a syncretic society has been lost.

When any incident against any Muslim takes place in this country, it has its resonance in Kashmir valley.

They feel they do not have any place in this culture. In spite of Pakistani forces violently suppressing their own people and homegrown terrorists turning their guns at their own brothers, Kashmiris find common cause with that culture. They have common icons.

Unless India starts treating its Muslims as equal citizens, the Kashmir rebellion will not go away.

August 19, 2016

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