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Coal blocks allocated since 1993 illegal: SC Details on page 6

India-US at a 'new page' in ties, says envoy

VOL 20, No. 1041

August 29, 2014

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Periodical Postage

SUSHMA TELLS INDIAN ENVOYS TO ACT EAST

Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja

Hindujas willing to invest $10 bn in India infra Details on page 12

Wipro opens new customer center in US

Details on page 8 Details on page 12

Blame Modi, not separatists, says Yasin

Hindu leader convicted for bank fraud

Details on page 6 Details on page 6

India protests to Pak on ceasefire violations

Dikshit resigns; Kalyan Singh is Rajasthan Gov

Details on page 8

Sharif meets Pak Army Chief to discuss crisis Details on page 9

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

Should India’s Look East policy concern US? Last week’s result

Do you think calling off talks with Pak was right? YES 67%

NO 33%

CONTENTS LOOKING EAST: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at a meeting with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on August 25

Bollywood ---------------------- 36-37 Classifieds ------------------------- 51 Community Post -------------- 16-27

HANOI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on August 26 chaired a brain storming session of 15 Indian Heads of Mission in South East and East Asia here and directed them to Act East and not just Look East, as she discussed the foreign policy initiatives under the new BJPled government. The meeting deliberated on the security structure in the strategically-important region, Chinese presence and the scope of India's growth, official sources said. The issue of the contentious South China Sea was also deliberated upon besides the US approach to the region.

This is the second Heads of Mission meeting that she has called for since assuming office in May. She held a similar session with Heads of Mission from the Middle East in Delhi. Official sources said the meeting is a way to chart out the future roadmap and to get a frank assessment about the Indian foreign policy in the region and its potential. The issue of connectivity and commercial growth was also discussed besides the Indian Diaspora based in the region.

Date Book -------------------------- 47

Details on page 5

Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 41-43

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 32-35 Horoscope ------------------------- 52 Immigration Post ------------- 44-46 Life Style ----------------------- 48-49 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 38-39 TechBiz Post ------------------- 12-14

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ne does not know exactly how many $100 checks have been sent to the ALS cause, but when you hear of so called celebrities as far out as India taking on the Ice Bucket Challenge, you know it's the reach of social media that needs to be credited. Now, if you are one of those that haven't heard of the ice bucket challenge, you've got to be living under a rock, because none who has any kind of media device and knows how to use it would not know about the challenge. The reason why I am underscoring the point is not because I am a great campaigner for ALS (which is a worthy cause no doubt), but because I want to stress on the idea of reaching across communities and continents using social media. So extending on that idea is television actor/comedian Orlando Jones, who posted a video on YouTube pouring a bucket full of bullet casings over his own head while challenging the world to a Bullet Bucket Challenge. Now that's a powerful challenge if ever there was one. If the number of videos already uploaded on YouTube of this seemingly ridiculous ice bucket challenge where people at large are literally falling over each other trying to dump ice filled buckets on each others' heads - is anything to go by, then celebrities pouring buckets of icy water over themselves and "challenging" other celebrities to do the same is not a big deal. How many people really know what ALS is or why they are doing it at all? Which is why I find Jones' message so powerful. If the power of social media must be used, then why not use it for ending senseless deaths whether it is in the name of war, or racial intolerance as in Ferguson, Missouri, and ending gun violence? Meanwhile my own challenge to all the movie stars who are game for a challenge is to say "no" to any movie that displays gun violence. Now wouldn't that be a cool achievement, rather than a cold challenge?

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: 3 Khans talking Ranbir Kapoor plans to make a short film on the three Khans - Shah Rukh, Salman Khan and Aamir - talking together

Cover Story: Act East Sushma Swaraj chairs a brain storming session of 15 Indian Heads of Mission in South East and East Asia in Hanoi

Community: VGS celebrations Vishwa Gujarati Samaj’s annual celebration was on a grand scale theming it as victory of democratic institutions in India

Lawsuit on deportations A coalition of lawyers has filed a lawsuit to halt the quick deportation of Central American women and children

Life style: Renowned filmmaker British filmmaker Richard Attenborough, who died on August 24, is renowned for his biopic on Mahatma Gandhi.

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Kanyakumari Kanyakumari is the meeting point of three oceans - the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

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Sushma tells Indian envoys to Act East HANOI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on August 26 chaired a brain storming session of 15 Indian Heads of Mission in South East and East Asia here and directed them to Act East and not just Look East, as she discussed the foreign policy initiatives under the new BJP-led government. The meeting deliberated on the security structure in the strategically-important region, Chinese presence and the scope of India's growth, official sources said. The issue of the contentious South China Sea was also deliberated upon besides the US approach to the region. This is the second Heads of Mission meeting that she has called for since assuming office in May. She held a similar session with Heads of Mission from the Middle East in Delhi. Official sources said the meeting is a way to chart out the future roadmap and to get a frank assessment about the Indian foreign policy in the region and its potential. The issue of connectivity and

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressing a session at the 3rd Round Table on ASEAN-India Network of Think-Tanks (AINTT) in Hanoi on August 25

commercial growth was also discussed besides the Indian Diaspora based in the region. "The meeting will give the Minister a first-hand knowledge about the activities of Indian missions, the challenges and the future prospects in the region," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson

Syed Akbaruddin said. The day-long meeting is also looking at possibility of extending India's soft power in the region, especially by creating cultural linkages through Buddhism. Sources said the aspirations that the countries in the region have from India was also dis-

India, Vietnam decide to deepen cooperation in defense, oil sectors HANOI: India has decided to ramp up its engagement with Vietnam in the oil sector and deepen defense ties with the strategicallyimportant country which called for a more active Indian role in maintaining freedom of navigation and security in the disputed South China Sea. The Indian desire to deepen its ties with Vietnam, especially in the

oil sector) and also is looking to expand its cooperation with Vietnam in this sector," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. He said both sides also discussed "briefly" the five oil blocks which Vietnam had offered to India during the visit of Secretary General of Vietnamese Communist party Nguyen Phu Trong,

‘So, our cooperation should focus more on maintaining maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and settling territorial disputes through peaceful means’ oil sector, besides defense and trade, was conveyed to the top leadership here by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. In a move that could rile China, which has publicly asked New Delhi to keep off from the resource-rich South China Sea, India is assessing whether to explore oil in the five new blocks that have been offered by Vietnam. "External Affairs Minister mentioned that India is already engaged and is committed to continue cooperation with Vietnam (in

last November. "OVL (ONGC Videsh Limited) is looking at them in terms of their feasibility and is in touch to see how to proceed further," he said. Asked if the new oil blocks are situated in the disputed territory of South China Sea, Akbaruddin said, "These have to be assessed. These are, according to Vietnam, within their domain." Swaraj's visit to Vietnam comes just days after Hanoi renewed India's lease of two oil blocks in South China Sea for another year. Vietnam, which has an acrimo-

nious relationship with China due to their standoff over the South China Sea, said it is time to build a "stronger" ASEAN-India strategic partnership in the 21st century. Recalling Swaraj's statement in Myanmar earlier this month, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said, "India's strategic partnership owes its strength to the fact that your Look East policy meets our ASEAN's outward looking policy." He said future development and integration of ASEAN and India "largely lie in East Sea (the South China Sea) and the Indian Ocean. So, our cooperation should focus more on maintaining maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and settling territorial disputes through peaceful means on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS." Delivering the keynote address at the 3rd Roundtable on ASEANIndia Network of Think Tanks here, which he jointly inaugurated with Swaraj, Minh said the next 5-10 year period is crucial to the relations between India and the grouping "and even more with ASEAN becoming a full-fledged community and India a well-established power in the world." Cont’d on page 9

cussed besides brainstorming how well India can meet those. They said the new BJP-led government is keen to establish friendly and cultural ties with the countries in the region. Swaraj, who is here on a bilateral visit, has stressed on the need for an 'Act East Policy' that

she said should replace India's over two decade-old 'Look East Policy'. "She told the envoys that we must Act East and not just Look East," Akbaruddin said. This is Act East in action. We began with the focus on neighborhood and this has now moved on with focus on ASEAN. Our Prime Minister is going to Japan, so it further moves eastwards," Akbaruddin had said. India is keen to boost its ties in the region especially with ASEAN. Stressing on the need for strong connectivity within ASEAN, Swaraj has said that there is a need to look at a more "functional visa regime" in the grouping. She said the new government in India was a strong believer in a participative approach to bring together the members of the strategic community, the Industry, the experts and professionals and the youth in India and ASEAN countries to further the common agenda of development, progress and prosperity. -PTI

Swaraj emphasizes strong connectivity within ASEAN HANOI: Emphasizing the need which have been our collective for strong connectivity within strength through centuries," ASEAN, External Affairs Minister Swaraj stressed. Sushma Swaraj has said there is a She said the new government need to look at a more "functional in India was a "strong" believer visa regime" in the 10-member in a participative approach to bring grouping. together the members of the straShe also stressed on the impor- tegic community, industry, experts tance of the "C" of connectivity and professionals and the youth "to the five Ts" that Prime Minis- in India and ASEAN countries to ter Narendra Modi is pursuing - Tradition, Talent, Tourism, Trade She said the new governand Technology - for ment in India was a "strong" the growth of ASEAN. "As governments, believer in a participative we also need to look at approach to bring together a more functional visa the members of the regime between us, with long-term visas for strategic community businessmen and professionals and their families," she said in her address further the common agenda of at the Third Roundtable on development, progress and prosASEAN-India Network of Think perity. Tanks here. This is particularly necessary "There is also tremendous po- when we assess the ambitious tential for tourism between us, agenda of ASEAN and India conwhich is still at a fraction of what nectivity, she said. the numbers can be," she said Swaraj recalled that her meetadding that the grouping needs ings with the ASEAN Foreign to integrate business and tourism Ministers recently and emphasectors with better air connectiv- sized "the importance of the 'C' of ity. connectivity to the five 'Ts' that "We should find ways of the government of India is pursuseamlessly encouraging our ing. Cont’d on page 9 people-to-people interfaces,

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Coal blocks allocated since 1993 illegal, says SC NEW DELHI: All coal blocks allocated during last 17 years by various regimes at the Centre have been allocated illegally and arbitrarily, the Supreme Court has held, bringing uncertainty to the fate of 218 block allocations and consequential investments to the tune of around Rs 2 lakh crore. The apex court, which used almost all terms to condemn the pro-

ored more in their breach. There was no objective criteria, nay, no criteria for evaluation of comparative merits. The approach had been ad-hoc and casual. There was no fair and transparent procedure, all resulting in unfair distribution of the national wealth. "Common good and public interest have, thus, suffered heavily. Hence, the allocation of coal

cedures adopted by 36 screening committee meetings since 1993, however, stopped short of canceling them saying "what should be the consequences, is the issue which remains to be tackled." The court, which examined the allocation of 218 blocks in preauction era till 2010, held that they were done in an illegal manner by an "ad-hoc and casual" approach "without application of mind" and "Common good and public interest have, thus, suffered heavily" due to lack of fair and transparent procedure resulting in "unfair distribution" of the "national wealth" - coal - "which is king and paramount Lord of industry." "To sum up, the entire allocation of coal block as per recommendations made by the Screening Committee from July 14, 1993 in 36 meetings and the allocation through the government dispensation route suffers from the vice of arbitrariness and legal flaws. "The Screening Committee has never been consistent, it has not been transparent, there is no proper application of mind, it has acted on no material in many cases, relevant factors have seldom been its guiding factors, there was no transparency and guidelines have seldom guided it," a bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha said in its 163page verdict. The bench, also comprising justices M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, said "On many occasions, guidelines have been hon-

blocks based on the recommendations made in all the 36 meetings of the Screening Committee is illegal," it said. Holding that allocation of coal block amounts to grant of largesse to companies, the apex court said procedure for allocation by the Central Government through administrative route is "inconsistent with the law already enacted or the rules framed". The screening committee was constituted to screen proposals for grant of captive mines to private power generation companies and has six members including Additional Secretary of the Coal Ministry who heads it. The bench, in its judgment, re-

power for Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs) in accordance with the opinion given in Natural Resources Allocation Reference. However, it said "having regard to this, it is directed that the coal blocks allocated for UMPP would only be used for UMPP and no diversion of coal for commercial exploitation would be permitted". "As we have already found that the allocations made, both under the Screening Committee route and the Government dispensation route, are arbitrary and illegal, what should be the consequences, is the issue which remains to be tackled. We are of the view that, to this limited extent, the matter requires further hearing," the bench said. It said the entire exercise of allocation through Screening Committee route appears to suffer from the vice of arbitrariness and not following any objective criteria in determining as to who is to be selected or who is not to be selected. "There is no evaluation of merit and no inter se comparison of the applicants. No chart of evaluation was prepared. The determination of the Screening Committee is apparently subjective as the minutes of the Screening Committee meetings do not show that selection was made after proper assessment. The project preparedness, track record etc., of the applicant company were not objectively kept in view," the bench said. After the pronouncement, the bench orally said though the Attorney General had given the figures of coal blocks, they were not verified and even the state governments had raised objections. These issues have to be gone

After the pronouncement, the bench orally said though the Attorney General had given the figures of coal blocks, they were not verified and even the state governments had raised objections ferred to and analyzed the meetings of the screening committees since 1993. It also said "no State Government or public sector undertakings of the State Governments are eligible for mining coal for commercial use". The bench also clarified that there was no challenge laid before it for cancellation in respect of blocks where competitive bidding was held for the lowest tariff for

into, the court said while suggesting that a small committee comprising retired Supreme Court judges can be set up to give its report on the issue in the shortest possible time. It observed that the allocation of coal blocks through Government dispensation route, however laudable the object may be, also is illegal since it is impermissible as per the scheme of the CMN (Coal Mines Nationalization) Act.-PTI

Hindu leader convicted for fraud, money laundering NEW YORK: An Indian-origin credit card companies, Annamalai former leader of a now defunct submitted false documents in Hindu temple in Georgia has been support of the unauthorized convicted on multiple charges of charges. bank fraud, money-laundering and The income generated by the using the temple's income to fund temple through the credit card his personal lifestyle. charges was used to fund the perAnnamalai Annamalai, who sonal lifestyle of Annamalai and also went by the name of Com- his family, who owned or conmander Selvam and Swamiji Sri trolled numerous homes and real Selvam Siddhar, was convicted properties, luxury vehicles and after a two-week jury trial on 34 felony counts, including bank The income generated by fraud offenses, filing a false tax return, bank- the temple through the credit ruptcy fraud offenses, money laundering, ob- card charges was used to struction, false state- fund the personal lifestyle of ment offenses and conspiring to conceal a per- Annamalai and his family son from arrest. He will be sentenced on November 13. foreign bank accounts in India. According to information preAnnamalai was also convicted sented in court, Annamalai gen- of willfully filing a false tax return erated income through the Hindu for the year 2007 when he failed Temple of Georgia by charging to disclose his financial interest fees to his followers in exchange in foreign bank accounts held in for providing spiritual or related India. services. Annamalai "traded on his perAnnamalai charged the follow- ceived religious authority and ers' credit card numbers on mul- spiritual powers to cheat the faithtiple occasions, in excess of the ful who believed in him," United agreed amount and without autho- States Attorney Sally Quillian rization. Yates said. Court documents said that if "The jury saw through his dethe followers disputed the ception, and he is being held accharges with their respective countable for his fraud." -PTI

Blame Modi, not separatists, says Yasin NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "hardline" approach on Kashmir and rejected the contention that the separatists are to blame for the stalling of Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks. "Kashmiri (separatist) leaders meeting Pakistani officials has a 24-year-old precedent. Whenever their Prime Minister or Foreign Secretary used to visit India, we used to meet them. It is wrong to say that we have spoiled the (India-Pak) peace process. "On the contrary, we were trying to strengthen the peace process so that all the stakeholders could express their views.... We are not a third party. Kashmiris will have to be included in any talks relating to their fate," said Malik while replying to queries on Rajat Sharma's show 'Aap Ki Adalat' on India TV.

The Prime Minister is not going to give any diplomatic or political space "to us", Malik asserted, adding that since Modi had decided to take a "hardline" approach, "we in Kashmir are ready, and we will strengthen our movement". Malik, along with Hurriyat Conference leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabir Shah and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, had met the Pakistani High Commissioner in Delhi this week despite India's protest, triggering a diplomatic dustup. The row culminated into India calling off the Foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan scheduled in Islamabad on August 25. Malik said that it was former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who, after the Ramzan ceasefire in November 2000, had allowed Kashmiri separatist leaders to go to Pakistan so that an atmosphere for peaceful dialogue could be created. -PTI

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India-US at a 'new page' in ties: American diplomat NEW DELHI: The United States has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to America next month could "redefine" the bilateral relationship as both the countries were "at a new page" in their ties. "The two leaders (Modi and President Barack Obama) will meet face to face for the first time. And they could give out a message that may redefine our partnership. We are at a new page. And, we start afresh," US Charge

Center in Delhi, she referred to Modi's Independence Day speech and said "it appears the government has the political will to find solutions" to various challenges. "The new government came to power after being handed a huge mandate and even in his Red Fort speech, the Prime Minister (Modi) talked about bureaucratic issues and his eagerness to resolve them," Stephens said. "Yes, we both can. We are the

Charge d' Affaires of US Embassy to India, Kathleen Stephens called on Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, in New Delhi on August 25

d'Affaires Kathleen Stephens told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. Earlier, in her address at the launch of fellowship program offered by University of Chicago

oldest and the largest democracies in the world and as Barack Obama says ours is the defining partnerships of the 21st century," she said. Referring to US Secretary of

State John Kerry's recent visit to India to attend the fifth annual India-US strategic dialogue, she said, "I think Senator Kerry articulated a truly ambitious agenda of US-India relationship". "We must through our partnerships in technology, energy, education try to find a common ground and explore the future course of development. "And, our shared commitment to education remains an important factor in our relationship...There is a 60 per cent increase in student's visa applications (to the US). What a vote of confidence for the Indo-US relationship," she said. Invoking, Swami Vivekananda's connection with Chicago, she asked the 15 selected fellows to "add renewed vigor" in the ties between the two countries. This year the International Innovation Corps fellowship is hosting three teams, the University of Chicago Center in Delhi said. They will be working on three projects in India: designing a model charter city outside Delhi with the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, expanding the use of solar technologies for rural electrification across India with Central Electronics Limited, and establishing sustainable job creation and vocational training programs in India's textile sector with the National Skills Development Corporation, it said. -PTI

Dikshit resigns; Kalyan Singh new Governor of Rajasthan NEW DELHI: Yet another UPA appointed Governor Sheila Dikshit has resigned as the Narendra Modi government named former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh as the nominee for Rajasthan along with

previous regime, the Government picked 82-year-old Singh for Rajasthan, where Margaret Alva completed her tenure earlier this month. Gujarat Speaker Vajubhai Vala was named for Karnataka where

Sheila Dikshit addresses a press conference after resigning as Kerala Governor in New Delhi on August 26

three others for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa. Appointed in March on the eve of Lok Sabha elections, Sheila Dikhsit, who has been facing pressure, quit the post as Kerala Governor after her meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Continuing with the filling up of vacancies caused by the sacking, resignation or retirements of incumbents appointed during the

H R Bharadwaj had also completed his tenure recently. Former Union Minister C Vidyasagar Rao will take the place of K Shankaranarayanan, who quit as Governor of Maharashtra after he was shunted to Mizoram. 71-year Mridula Sinha, former President of BJP's Mahila Morcha, was appointed as Governor of Goa in place of B V Wanchoo who was among those asked to quit after the change of guard at the Centre.-PTI

India protests to Pak on ceasefire violations NEW DELHI: India has lodged a protest with Pakistan over increased border ceasefire violations as top military officials of the two countries held telephonic talks and agreed to hold flag meetings to defuse the situation. The DGMO (Director General Military Operations) talks were held around 1200 hours for about 10 minutes during which "all relevant issues" were raised, Army officials said here. During the talks, the Indian side is understood to have raised the issue of frequent ceasefire violations and lodged protest over the issue, Army sources said here. There have been 95 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control and it has also breached the ceasefire pact 25 times on the International Border. "The two sides have agreed to hold flag meetings at field levels by both Army and BSF to defuse the

situation," the Army officials said. The DGMOs - Lt Gen PR Kumar from India and Major General Amir Riaz from Pakistan - discussed the border situation during their talk on hotline which takes place every Tuesday.

The DGMOs hold talks every week during which they discuss issues related to the Line of Control and other areas. Defense Minister Arun Jaitley has stated that India has been responding effectively and strongly

to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan side. India has also further strengthened its counter infiltration grid to tackle any attempt by Pakistan to push in militants during the ceasefire violations.

Pak not cooperating

An Army jawan distributes food to people of border villages who are affected by Pakistani shelling, at Salehar village in Jammu on August 26

R S Pura Border (Jammu): Amid cross-border firing incidents and India's efforts to stop the ceasefire violations, Director General of BSF D K Pathak has said the Pakistani side was not cooperating to defuse the situation on the international border (IB). "We have made all possible efforts to stop it (ceasefire violations and firing). We tried four to five times to hold flag meetings. But they (the Pakistani side) did not respond to it... They never turned up," Pathak told reporters after a whirlwind visit to the forward areas along the IB.

The BSF chief visited several forward areas and met the jawans in a bid to boost their morale. He asked the jawans to give strong and befitting reply to the ceasefire violations. "We have lodged with them protest notes 16 to 17 times after firing incidents and ceasefire violations," Pathak said. Asked about the decision to hold flag meetings at field levels by both Army and BSF to defuse the situation, Pathak said, "I hope peace prevails. We have made so many efforts..." "In fact, ever since this problem started as many as 16 attempts of contacting them over telephone through established channel of communication have been made. They only responded to the initial calls and thereafter they have not responded and there have been no initiation from their end," he added.-PTI

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85 Indians return from Ebola-hit countries MUMBAI: Fleeing West African nations amid the Ebola scare, all 85 Indians who arrived here from Liberia and Nigeria were cleared by the Airport Health Organization as none had any symptoms of the deadly disease. These passengers arrived in three batches with more to follow in the day, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said in a statement. The first group of 20 passengers arrived on board South African Airways flight SA 284 at 5 am from Liberia via Johannesburg and were cleared by the APHO team after screening under supervision of health ministry officials. None of them showed any symptoms of Ebola or had a history of contact with anybody afflicted with the disease, MIAL said. After disembarkation of all the passengers the aircraft were disinfected by the APHO teams. This was followed by another batch of 46 Indians from Liberia who arrived by Ethopian Airline flight ET 610 soon after. These passengers were also cleared after going through all the precautionary checks and screening, MIAL officials said. 19 others who came from Nigeria were also screened by APHO team for EVD and cleared, they added. -PTI

A man suspected of carrying Ebola virus being taken to RML Hospital from IGI Terminal in New Delhi on August 26

Sharif meets Pak Army Chief to discuss crisis ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif here to discuss the current political crisis caused due to anti-government protests here and the recent IndoPak border "skirmishes". "Overall security environment including the prevailing situation was discussed in the meeting. There was a consensus Nawaz on the need to resolve the ongoing issue expeditiously in the best national interest," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said. The meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) came in the wake of protests by thousands of supporters of Imran Khan and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, demanding

the Prime Minister's resignation. The government did not give further details about the meeting but the army has already asked the two sides to end the crisis through negotiations. The issue of recent border "skirmishes" was also a subject of discussion in the meeting, Dawn News reported. There have been 95 ceasefire Sharif violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control and it has also breached the ceasefire pact 25 times on the International Border. Sharif's meeting with the Army Chief came on a day when the DGMOs (Director General Military Operations) of India and Pakistan held talks to discuss "all relevant issues".-PTI

Indian-origin MP appointed shadow minister in UK LONDON: Indian-origin British MP Seema Malhotra has been appointed as the Labor party's firstever shadow minister dealing with violence against women and girls. 42-year-old Malhotra was named shadow minister by Britain's Opposition party leader Ed Miliband. Malhotra's role will also involve working on Labor's Women's Safety Commission, which will draw up laws to be enacted if Miliband wins the next election. A shadow minister is a member of the main opposition party in Parliament who would hold ministerial office if their party were in power. The Feltham and Heston MP said there was a "shocking" level of violence against women both in Britain and abroad, and too little was being done to help victims. "I feel very proud to have been appointed as the Labor party's first-ever shadow minister for preventing violence against women and girls.-PTI

India, Vietnam decide to deepen cooperation in defense, oil sectors Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 5

as a disputed region, China had in March 2012 warned India to refrain from undertaking oil exploration in the resource-rich Vietnamese blocks in order to ensure "peace and stability" in the area. Due to its estranged ties with China, Vietnam is looking at India for a deeper defense cooperation which includes possible procurement of weaponry besides training especially that of the Navy. Media reports have said that Vietnam is looking at buying BrahMos Missiles from India. India and Vietnam reviewed the defense cooperation especially in

He said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) welcomes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reaffirmation of India's Look East Policy and cooperation with the 10-member grouping. Minh said ASEAN always views India as a key element in the evolving regional architecture. He said the people are talking about the "Indo-Pacific" in recognition of the "indispensable and inseparable" role of India as well as the centrality of ASEAN community in future of the region. Terming the South China Sea "Today, the Asia-Pacific has become a cen- as a disputed region, China tre of global political had in March 2012 warned economic gravity and a key theatre for the in- India to refrain from tense interplay among undertaking oil exploration major powers. We recognize that ASEAN and India stand at an important turning point," Minh said. terms of human resource devel"We both aspire for a peace- opment. ful, stable region where sover"That is the area on which we eignty and territorial integrity are are working on. There was generfully respected, where the rule of ally satisfaction and the Vietnamlaw, especially the fundamental ese Prime Minister said our relaprinciples of international law tion is based on trust, mutual unsuch as UN Charter, the UNCLOS derstanding and mutual support. continue to govern inter-state re- There was a feeling that we could lations and how inter-state con- do more in terms of HRD," flicts are resolved, without the Akbaruddin said. Asked if it means that both threat or use of force," he said without mentioning its disputes sides have agreed to deepen defense cooperation, he said "there with China. China has been objecting any was willingness on both sides activity in the South China Sea that we further deepen the relaregion including Indian oil explo- tionship." Both sides also discussed seration as it has territorial disputes with some ASEAN countries, in- curity ties and there was a "satiscluding Vietnam and the Philip- faction" that the entire architecture of security linkages is in pines. Terming the South China Sea place-PTI

Swaraj emphasizes strong connectivity within ASEAN Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 5

"Connectivity implies more than geographic linkages between us and it involves also institutionto-institution and people-topeople linkages," she said. "Even geographic connectivity becomes a stronger concept if we include a multimodal approach that integrates land, sea and air connectivity and if we can bring

in the soft infrastructure to advance trade integration and facilitation through joint transit arrangements and allow easier movement of goods and people," she said. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. -PTI

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Tech News Wipro opens new customer centre in US NEW DELHI: IT services major Wipro has said it has launched a global Customer Experience Centre (CEC) at its Mountain View office in California. India's third largest IT services firm also announced expansion of its strategic partnership with CA Technologies to jointly deliver next generation DevOps solutions for testing. The CEC in California is designed to demonstrate emerging technologies, test proof of concepts and give customers the opportunity to see the latest data centre, enterprise and cloud solutions in real-world, real-time scenarios, Wipro said in a statement. The Bangalore-headquartered firm added the lab leverages Cisco's UCS scale out infrastructure for SAP Hana platform, Common Platform Architecture for Big Data, and Cisco's Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). The global CEC was inaugurated by Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and Cisco President (Development and Sales) Robert Lloyd. It is the third Innovation lab to be opened in association with Cisco.-PTI

Shibulal to donate Rs 36 crore for education, health NEW DELHI: After leading India's second largest software services firm Infosys, its cofounder S D Shibulal and his wife are now working for social causes like education, child cardiac surgeries, old age pension schemes and organic farming. The former Infosys CEO and his wife Kumari Shibulal will donate about Rs 36 crore to two charitable institutions - Sarojini Damodaran Foundation and Advaith Foundation - with which they have been working for the past 15 years. The family has pledged 60 per cent of the donation to Sarojini Damodaran Foundation, while the remaining 40 per cent will go to Advaith Foundation. "Compassion is something I have watched my mother practice when I was a little girl growing up in a village in Ramamangalam in Muvattupuzha, Kerala. Someone would come to our house and ask for food. My mother would either share from her plate or starve to feed another," Kumari said. She added that while it is easier to give away money, "what leaves a mark is when one spares the gift of time, inspiration, ideas and above all else, a strong voice to those in need." -PTI

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J Sreenivasan, Vice President, Sales, TVS Motor Company, at the launch of TVS Scooty Zest 110 in New Delhi on August 26

Hindujas willing to invest $10 bn in India infra projects LONDON: Hinduja Group is willing to invest USD 10 billion in unfinished power plants and infrastructure projects in India that have been languishing as non-performing assets with banks, to help bring back economy on high

Gopichand Hinduja

growth path. Gopichand Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group of Companies, is keen that the projects, that were part-financed by state banks but abandoned for a variety of reasons like non-availability of fuel and now listed as bad loans, should be quickly completed as

Indian economy picks up under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The diversified business conglomerate feels the UK government can encourage some of its companies to finance and complete the construction of such projects in exchange for fast approvals from India and the prospect of operational power stations, roads and bridges within two years. Hinduja told London-based Telegraph newspaper that "The Hindujas are willing to invest USD 10 billion in such projects." He further said: "These projects are sitting in the banks as NPAs. We should invest in such projects so that investment and trade can grow in one or two years. Being a practical person I like to see something in the short, medium and long term." Hinduja added that brownfield projects are the easiest way to show (fast) results and that is what the Prime Minister is trying to show rather than go into green field projects. He said that Britain should seize the opportunity of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's new leadership to make a practical demonstration of its support. "The British have to treat India differently from its neighboring countries. India is the largest

new government with strong leadership wanting to move forward, Britain should take the maximum [role]," he added. Hinduja - who along with his brother Srichand have a fortune

democratic country with a good judiciary, law and order and now with the relaxation in foreign direct investment of 49 per cent in defense and insurance and with a

worth GBP fortune of 11.9 billion said Britain should give "India preference in different aspects, immigration, trade and investment focus, technology transfers." -PTI

UK wants to work with India in its transformation NEW DELHI: Britain has expressed desire to work with India in realizing the new government's goal of economic and social transformation as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi favored greater collaboration in areas like clean energy, infrastructure development and cleaning of rivers. The UK's intent was expressed by its Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg when he met Modi here and discussed a wide range of issues, including energy and WTO talks. During the meeting, Clegg conveyed UK's strong desire to further strengthen and deepen relations with India. "Expressing deep appreciation

for the ambitious goal of India's economic and social transformation that the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi had set, he conveyed the desire of the UK to work together with India in realizing this goal," a PMO statement said. Modi expressed appreciation for British Prime Minister David Cameron's personal interest and commitment to India-UK relationship. He called for greater collaboration between the two countries in areas of education, skill development, clean energy, infrastructure development and cleaning of rivers. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 14

UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on August 25

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MFs rope in KPMG to comply Quality Council launches accreditation for BMOs with US tax law NEW DELHI: Indian mutual funds have roped in global consultant KPMG to help them prepare for the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) - a new law enacted by the US to help combat tax evasion by Americans through overseas entities including in India. FATCA, which took effect from July 1, may have significant implications for Indians residing in the US and investing in products offered by the Rs 10 trillion Indian mutual fund industry. The implementation of the new tax evasion law is also expected to result in increased legal and compliance costs for the mutual fund houses here. According to official sources, mutual fund houses have together roped in KPMG to help them meet the guidelines under FATCA, rather than individual funds hiring different consultants to meet the tedious FATCA reporting requirements.

Currently, there are 44 players operating in the mutual fund industry. Market regulator Sebi, last month, asked fund houses and

India concluded an 'in substance' agreement on FATCA with the US in April to combat possible tax evasion by Americans through Indian financial entities. other market intermediaries to register with US authorities and obtain a Global Intermediary Identification Number as a part of FATCA regulations by December 31, 2014.

Prior to that, India concluded an 'in substance' agreement on FATCA with the US in April to combat possible tax evasion by Americans through Indian financial entities. While FATCA became a law way back in 2010, the final regulations were issued for it in January last year and it has come into effect from July after signing of agreements with different countries. As per the new regulations, all financial institutions in India need to carry out a detailed due diligence on all their clients and report details of their US clients to the US tax department (Internal Revenue Service). The law aims to check and impose withholding tax on illicit activities of some wealthy individuals who use offshore accounts to evade millions of dollars in taxes. A non-compliance with FATCA entails 30 per cent withholding tax on certain US source payments. PTI

Allergan eyes Rs 1,000 cr in revenues from India NEW DELHI: US-based Allergan Inc is eyeing over twofold jump in its revenues from India at Rs 1,000 crore in the next four years on the back of new product launches and consolidation

here," Allergan India Managing Director Raghu Kumar told PTI. Deep relationship with the stakeholders, new product launches and the team which the company has been able to create

Kumar said the company is in the process of getting regulatory approvals from regulatory authorities in India to launch some of the SkinMedica products of the existing business segments. The Nasdaq-listed healthcare firm, which manufactures leading facial aesthetics and anti-ageing drugs Botox and Juvederm, is present in India through a whollyowned arm. "Our dream is to touch Rs 1,000 crore revenue figure by 2017-18. We are on track to get it on the back of what we have created

in the country would help it achieve the revenue target, Kumar added. The company, which has presence across three main business verticals in the country - eyecare, cosmetics and neuro sciences, currently garners around Rs 400 crore in revenues from the country. When asked about the new product launches, Kumar said:

"We plan to launch 2-3 eyecare products every year in the country. We are also looking to build the skin care vertical by introducing products from SkinMedica portfolio". Allergan Inc had completed the acquisition of SkinMedica in 2012. Elaborating further, Kumar said the company is in the process of getting regulatory approvals from regulatory authorities in India to launch some of the SkinMedica products by 2016. On the cosmetics business, the company is focusing on doctors and clinics across the country as the products like botox and Juvederm are only sold to clinics or physicians. "This vertical is still at a nascent stage. It will take a lot of awareness activities to build it up," Kumar said. The company, which believes in institutional sales as the drugs has to be administered by a professional cosmetologist, has tied up with well-known skin clinics such as Kaya and VLCC among others in the country. Allergan Inc employs more than 9,000 people worldwide, with around 500 people working for the firm in India. -PTI

NEW DELHI: The Quality 50 BMOs for this voluntary acCouncil of India has launched accreditation in the first year, of creditation standards for business which German development instimembership organizations (BMOs) tution GIZ is funding first 25 in line with global best practices BMOs, it said. to promote micro, small and meQCI is a non-profit autonomous dium enterprises. body set up with assistance from BMOs refer to organizations the government, operates national with companies or individual entrepreneurs as Accreditation initiative is members and include business associations, aimed at encouraging chambers of commerce, BMOs to be an active partand so on. The announcement ner in MSME promotion and comes soon after Prime build their capacity with Minister Narendra transparent functioning Modi's clarion call to make India a global manufacturing hub with 'Zero De- accreditation structure. The acfect and Zero Effect' on his first creditation certification will help Independence Day speech. BMOs find new clients or markets Accreditation initiative is aimed where the services can be renat encouraging BMOs to be an ac- dered, it said. tive partner in MSME promotion An accredited BMO will draw and build their capacity with trans- interest from corporate, financial parent functioning, the Quality agencies and other institutions to Council of India (QCI) said in a act as an intermediary for reachstatement. ing out to MSMEs on various isThe council is targeting about sues, it added. -PTI

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Gap to set up stores in Delhi, Mumbai NEW YORK: American clothing retailer Gap will enter India next year in partnership with textile company Arvind Lifestyle Brand and open 40 outlets across the country as part of its global expansion strategy.

Delhi by next year, starting with Gap's Summer 2015 collection for adults, kids and babies. Describing India as an "important next step" in its global expansion strategy, the San Franciscobased company will enter the

The brand plans to open about 40 franchise-operated Gap stores in India, the company said in a statement. The first two Gap outlets are expected to open in Mumbai and

emerging Asian economy through franchise-operated Gap brand stores in partnership with Arvind Lifestyle Brand, a subsidiary of Arvind Limited. "India is an emerging, vibrant

Tata Group warns UK over harsh tax regime LONDON: The Tata Group, one "A change for the better would of Britain's largest employers in the be to do away with this disincenmanufacturing sector, has warned tive to invest by removing manuthe government over its commer- facturing plant and machinery cial tax rates system, saying it is from rates assessments," Pickford making Britain less attractive for said. the industry. Last month, Tata Steel cut 400 Joining hands with American jobs at its factory in Port Talbot in auto giant, General Motors, the south Wales - a move it partly atIndian multinational conglomerate tributed to business rates, as well lamented that business rates are five to 10 times higher in Britain than Last month, Tata Steel cut equivalent taxes in the 400 jobs at its factory in Port rest of Europe. Talbot in south Wales - a The two companies are particularly op- move it partly attributed to posed to the fact that business rates, as well as plant and machinery fall high energy prices and within the levy while other kinds of equip- environmental costs. ment like IT hardware do not. as high energy prices and envi"Large-scale manufacturers ronmental costs. constantly need to invest in upThe company lost around 16 grading their machinery. But these million euro in Europe the year improvements are taken into ac- until March, against a loss of 283 count in revaluations, leading to million euro in the previous year. higher business rates," Andy Business rates contribute Pickford, Tata Steel's director of around 22 billion pounds to the property, told The Sunday Times. UK Treasury every year.-PTI

market and an important next step in our global expansion strategy," said Steve Sunnucks, Global President of Gap. "More than half of India's population is under 25 and they are actively embracing fashion in today's retail environment," Vice President of Gap Global Franchise Ismail Seyis said. Seyis said India is one of the company's top 10 global sourcing locations and Gap has worked in an effort to build meaningful relationships with its vendor partners. In 2007, Gap launched the P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) workplace education program in India with one vendor in two manufacturing units. The program offers female garment workers the life skills education and technical training they need to advance at work and in life. Gap's entry in India is part of its wider Asia program, wherein the company seeks to reduce its dependence on the North American markets by adding 110 new Gap stores to its tally of 231 outlets in Asia. Notably, Gap is not the only US company banking on strong consumer spending by India's middle classes for its future growth. Only last month, online retailer Amazon had announced to invest USD 2 billion in India to boost its operations in e-commerce market. -PTI

UK wants to work with India in its transformation Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 12

The UK side, which also included UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, conveyed their appreciation for the work done in Gujarat in the area of clean energy and preservation of environment, the statement said. Modi said it is a priority area for his government which plans to develop 500 model towns in India with facilities for solid waste man-

Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defense, Arun Jaitley and the Deputy Prime Minister of United Kingdom Nick Clegg at a bilateral meeting, in New Delhi on August 25

agement and waste water treatment. Further, the government wants to develop all Himalayan states as 'Organic States' which would also have environmental benefits, the statement said, adding Modi also articulated his vision of creating mass participation in energy effi-

Bangla, India trade bodies plan closer link with NE DHAKA: To tap mutual business benefits between Bangladesh and India, two leading trade bodies of the two countries have decided to prepare a set of suggestions for their governments with special emphasis on landlocked northeastern states. The decision was taken by the India's Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and IndiaBangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) after a one-day joint business conclave here, which was attended by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (Retd) V K Singh. The two business bodies would formulate the set of recommendations for the policy actions by both the governments. "We have been challenged by him (Singh) to make an ac-

ciency. Modi invited the UK to partner in these efforts. He also asked the international community to take steps to provide clean technology to developing and under-developed countries at affordable prices. The two sides also discussed international issues relating to WTO and climate change. On WTO, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to move forward simultaneously on all agree-

tionable recommendation," ICC president Roopen Roy told media at the end of the conclave. The day-long conclave reviewed scope for enhanced mutual cooperation with special emphasis on business relations between Bangladesh and India's northeastern states. The ICC president said northeast could offer Bangladesh the much required power as the region has huge potential to generate electricity while the joint venture industries could be set up also involving other neighbors like Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal. IBCCI's founder president Abdul Matlub Ahmed told the media briefing that both the countries now appear "more open than before" to boost bilateral businesses for mutual benefit.-PTI

ments reached in Bali, including on food security, to address the interests of all sections of society, particularly poor people. He reiterated India's commitment to the understandings reached in Bali, including on Trade Facilitation and expressed support for trade facilitation measures. Clegg reiterated Cameron's invitation to Modi to visit the UK. The Prime Minister said he looked forward to visiting the UK at the earliest convenience.

Meeting with Jaitley Nick Clegg also met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and discussed various matters of mutual interest, including the retrospective tax amendment issue. Jaitley, according to sources, explained the government's position on the retrospective tax amendments with reference to the tax cases of Vodafone and Cairn Energy. The government has maintained that the legal process will continue in the Vodafone case, while the high level committee of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) will look into cases where the legal process has not yet been initiated. Besides the taxation matters, the issues concerning investment in sectors like energy, aerospace and education also figured during the discussion.-PTI

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Desi News Talk on 'Immune System of the Soul' MILPITAS, CA: Brahma Kumaris Silicon Valley Meditation Center, Milpitas has organized a special talk on "The Immune System of the Soul" by Brother Mike George, a sought after speaker & author of several books on meditation from Cotswolds, England, on Thursday, September 4, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The Barbara Lee Senior Center, 40 N. Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035. The event will start with a light dinner (6pm to 6.45pm), followed by an insightful talk by Brother Mike George. Learn how 12 different types of diseases (sufferings) attack the Soul and how you can activate spiritual immune system to heal and protect your soul. Admission is free but RSVP required.

Colorful floats & Grand Mela at India Day India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The Indian Independent Day celebrations organized by the Federation of Indian Associations, Chicago, turned out to be a highly successful affair with huge participation by the mainstream Indian Americans from across Chicagoland. Besides colorful floats, the Grand Mela regenerated after lapse of a few years, provided great attraction. Keerthi Ravoori, the FIA President, said that patriotic fervor was all in evidence throughout the celebrations and it proved that India as a nation with huge diversity has its own charm and vibrancy. Details on page 18

Annual Health Fair at Swaminarayan Temple

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

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Details on page 24

VGS hosts simultaneous India Day and victory celebrations RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Jai Shri Krishna greeted one of the guests in chaste Gujarati to the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj-USA (VGS) audience at the Jain Mandir Auditorium in Bartlett last week. Many in the audience felt that he was a convert Gujarati but NO. He was Cook County Commissioner Timothy Schneider. He won the hearts and minds of all those present as coincidently it was Janmashatmi (birth anniversary of Lord Krishna) as well. The audience greeted him with loud applause. But there was something more to come. It was the turn of State Senator Jim Oberweis. He commenced his speech saying Namaste and then paid handsome tribute to Indian democracy where a person selling prepared tea could become Prime Minister. He then alluded that he (Oberweis) a dairy man; aspires to be US Senator and the audience responded saying - the US President. The event was the annual celebrations by the Samaj which incidentally coincided with India Day festivities. The VGS Board headed by Naren Patel thought it fit to have celebrations on a grander scale theming it as celebrations for the victory of democratic

VGS Chicago speakers (L to R) President Naren Patel, Events Chair Mafat Patel and CG Dr Ausuf Sayeed. Pics courtsey Asian Media USA

VGS leaders, guests and volunteers

institutions in India and the election of Narendra Modi as Indian Prime Minister. Cook County commissioner Timothy Schneider complimented

JAYANTI THAKAR

Continuous support of sponsors led to Festival of India success

VGS audience

Naren Patel for his leadership and indicated that he would place a resolution for VGS-USA before the Cook County Board in September 2014.

The resolution says "Whereas, VGS USA members are dedicated to upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy, while working to make a difference in the lives of the fellow Indian Americans; "And whereas, VGS USA along with 1,500 Chicagoans are celebrating the Grand Victory and Life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sworn in as India's Prime Minister on May 26, 2014, I, Tim Schneider, Cook County Commissioner, do hereby proclaim this day, Sunday, August 17, 2014 as the Grand Victory and Life Celebration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the City of Chicago and the County of Cook are encouraging all citizens to join me in showing our gratitude, appreciation and congratulations to the Honorable Narendra Modi." Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

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Grand India Day celebrations by Midwest Alliance RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: It was a seven years' dream for many an activist associated with the Alliance of Midwest Indian Associations to hold a grand celebration of India Day in the suburb of Naperville and the fructification of the dream or the "itch" came good this time. The triggering can be sourced to a hugely successful democratic election in India last May that saw the end of "dynasty rule" that had overshadowed directly or remotely Indian politics for decades. The celebration this year was superbly organized by the executive team led by founding President Prem Lalvani and Secretary Dave Vasudevan. In more than one way, it proved unique. There was a large attendance from Indians and non-Indians with the event graced by the Mayors of Naperville and Oakbrook - Mayor A George Pradel and Dr Gopal Lalmalani, besides other elites of the area. The Bolingbrook Mayor Roger C Carr, a good friend of India and Indians was not there but he was honored by the Association team at the Council Hall with a turban, a pearl necklace and a shawl specially brought from India. This literally crowned him as Maharaja. The Mayor presented a Proclamation that declared August 15 as India Day in Bolingbrook Village. Those present on the occasion were Prem Lalvani, Krishna Bansal, a Republican candidate for State Legislature and Subhash Sharma, a community activist The Mayor of Naperville A. Pradel was honored by Dave Vasudevan with a Pearl Necklace during the near five hours of celebrations. He also declared August 15 as India Day in his town. Dr Gopal Lalmalani, the Mayor of Oakbrook, was present during the festivities and he had the proclamation read out that declared August 15 as India Day in Oakbrook. The festivities at the Naperville Central Park started early with vendors - about 20 beginning to set up their booths for their products ranging from boutique, jewelry, school preparation, organic food to Indian cuisine. By 11 am, Naperville Mayor A George Padrel unfurled the flag of the Naperville Central Park and Dave Vasudevan thanked the Mayor for all his support and honored him with Pearl Necklace. Dignitaries attending the event were Indian Consulate officials, Consul Gamte, Vasavi Chakka, Mayor George A Pradel of Naperville, Mayor of Oakbrook Dr Gopal Lalmalani, Darlene Senger (Running for Congress), Tom Cross (Running for State Treasurer), Krishna Bansal and others. The Mela and the festivities ran through late afternoon and the attendance easily crossed 1000 mark, a record for relatively thin population of Indian Americans. The joy and spirit however, knew no bound and Rahul Saigal owner of Cuisine of India, served all the food free. He said, "I sell for 364 days and one day I can do it free for our country." For the past five years, Sanjeev Pandey of Indian Harvest restaurant has been distributing free sweet packets, water and mango juice to all the attendees and spectators of the event. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 20

Prem Lalvani (right) Dave Vasudevan (left) honoring Mayor George A Pradel

The Guests Group (from left to right) Indian Consul Gamte, Vasavi Chakka, Dave Vasudevan, Darlene Senger and Nimesh Bhatt

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Colorful floats & Grand Mela at India Day India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The Indian Independent Day

celebrations organized by the Federation of Indian Associations, Chicago, turned out to be a highly successful affair with huge

participation by the mainstream Indian Americans from across Chicagoland. Besides colorful floats, the Grand Mela regen-

Keerthi Ravoori

erated after lapse of a few years, provided great attraction. Keerthi Ravoori, the FIA President, said that patriotic fervor was all in evidence throughout the celebrations and it proved that India as a nation with huge diversity has its own charm and vibrancy. "The people had thronged both sides of the rails from Western Ave to near California Ave where in Grand Mela turned out to be a huge melting point for members of diverse Indian communities," he said.

Indians gathered in thousands to watch the Colorful Parade

A scene of Grand Mela, the melting point for all communities

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VGS hosts simultaneous India Seniors celebrate India Day and victory celebrations Day in Carolstream Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

The Chicagoans and community activists from various ethnic Indian organizations and media representatives attended the event on Sunday August 17 in huge numbers and enjoyed nearly four hours show that included an exhibition on the life of Indian PM Modi. The representatives of organizations included both the FIAs, AIA, MAFS, Patidar Samaj, Brahm Samaj, Vaishnav Samaj, Hindi Club, Manpasand, Indian American Medical Association and IAMA-Charitable Foundation, Gujarati Samaj , Gujarati Punjabi Cultural Associations, Orissa Samaj, Konkani Association, UP

The event co chair Mafat Patel, often described as Uncrowned King of Devon" was brief and mentioned that he and PM Modi hail from the same district in Gujarat and he had also had the privilege to meet and greet him personally while he was Gujarat CM. "I am convinced that he will lead India wisely and justify the confidence that people reposed in him," he said Mafat Patel thanked his two sons for supporting his social and community services. Indian Consul General Dr Sayeed Ausuf along with his graceful wife attended the program. In his brief speech, he complimented VGS President Naren Patel and co-chair Mafat

VGS artists who entertained the 1500 plus members of the audience

Association, Kashmiri Samaj, Kerala groups, Sindhi Samaj, Dance schools, temples, churches, mosques, senior parivars of Chicagoland area Naren Patel welcomed all dignitaries and thanked everyone who had helped in organizing this memorable event. He shared his personal experience with Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat observing that he is convinced that India had finally got a leader with vision and commitment to the cause. "India will now strive to bring order and peace in the Indian sub continent and with neighbors besides seeking to better the lot of all Indians," he said.

Patel for organizing the event that attracted a cross section of Indian community. It reflected an underlying unity among huge diversity of cultures in India and that made him very happy. He shared the good news that Bharatiya Pravasi Divas and Vibrant Gujarat will be celebrated at the same time in Gujarat in January next. Dr Bharat Barai, president of Indian American Community Foundation, briefed the audience about the progress made for grand reception being organized by members of the Indian American community In New York on September 28 for PM Modi. The VGS -Chicago PM Exhibi-

tion was open for guests from 3 pm. The entertainment program that had dances from various regions of India - Gujarati Raas, Garba the award winning Odissi dance from Orrissa, Bharat Natyam, patriotic dances - by local artists and dance schools culminating with an exceptional performance by DID Artist Kamlesh Patel. The audience never had a dull moment, said Pradeep Patel of Feelings magazine. Ms Beena Patel and Vandana Jhingan did an excellent job as Emcees. Beena began with "Nand Gher Anand Bhayo, Jai Kanaiya Lal Ki". Nishal Patel sang the American National Anthem and Anand from Bollywood Entertainment sang the Indian National Anthem. Another highlight of the event was the presentation of three awards to community achievers. Dr Madhuvanti Ghose, Alsdorf Associate Curator of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, received award in Art and Culture. Dr Beejal Amin, Neurosurgeon at Loyola Hospital received award in recognition of excellent service in Medicine and Valjibhai Patel from Splash Graphics for Art and Commerce. Shashi Patel, Sajawat, Arlington Rental and Dream Occasions were recognized for their creative work and a beautiful venue decor. Varsha M. Patel assisted in safe keeping all of the art effects that were displayed in the exhibition. Dr Yash Amin was the main architect behind the exhibition while Kishore Chugh and Piyush Patel assisted in planning the event. After the event, Naren Patel received hosts of complimentary emails for the successful all-Indians inclusive celebrations. Among those who prominently praised Naren Patel's leadership were Dr Bharat Barai, Dr Umgan Patel, Hemant Patel and others.

Happiest moment at the VGS - celebrations ending

JAYANTI OJHA

CHICAGO: Bhartiya Senior Citizens of Chicago celebrated 68th Independence of India and the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, Janmasthami on August 16 in Carol Stream, a northwest suburb of Chicago, with lot of enthusiasm

of the importance of Janmashtmi. Members did the march and saluted the American flag and Indian flag. They sang national anthems of both countries, India and USA. Pratima Shah and Ramsing Parmar and their team performed

Bhartiya Senior Citizens of Chicago celebrating Independence Day with President Haribhai Patel, Joint Secretary Ramesh Patel and Executive Member Madhubhai Patel

and devotion. More then 300 members and guests participated in this event that started with prayers and welcome address from Vice President of BSC Parsotam Pandya. The Chief Guest was 70 year old Mahendrabhai Megani. President of BSC Haribhai Patel introduced Mahendrabhai Megani. Executive member Madhubhai Patel talked about significance of Independence; how the big day had arrived 68 years ago. Shivabhai Patel gave an account

Independence and Janmashtami drama. Vice President Parshotam Pandya announced the names of those whose birthday and wedding anniversary fell in August. During this event, Mahendrabhai, son of Jawerchand Megani, sang poetry regarding freedom of India. Everybody enjoyed his recital. At the end of this event Haribhai Patel (President of BSC) thanked every one who did the hard work for the success of this event. Members enjoyed delicious dinner.

Sri Krishna birth drama played by BSC Member Munjal Patel and Harshida Patel

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Mussman talks to Indian small business owners HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Ms Michelle Mussman, State Representative from District. 56 which includes Schaumburg - a northwest suburb of Chicago with heavy Indian population - had a luncheon meeting with local Indian Small Busi-

she said is much better than before. All State Pensions are being paid 100%. More jobs have been created; economy is in much better shape than before. There were realtors, insurance brokers, travel agents and not for profit organiz-

state. There are many local units that also levy taxes like park district, school and college bodies. So as long as local bodies keep increasing taxes, property taxes will keep going up." When asked about high utility bills, she replied, "Commonwealth Edison is improving infrastructure. Their system is quiet old and needs to come to 21st century." She also told the Not for Profit director, "There are grants available even to not for profit organizations from State. you need to get in touch with your State Rep and State Senator." Next small business meeting is Indian business owners met State Rep. Ms Michelle Mussman. Standing: Thakar S Basati, scheduled for OcSunil Gupta, Praful Rami, CB Brahmbhatt, Kishore Purohit. Sitting: Mrs Santosh Kumar, State Rep Michelle Mussman and Laddi K Singh tober 9. Details will be available ness Owners, Friday August 22 at ers in attendance. shortly. Lunch was organized by Clay Oven Restaurant in When asked about high prop- Thakar S Basati with the help of Schaumburg. erty taxes, she said, "Property Laddi K Singh, Candidate for State She discussed State' financial taxes are not levied by State alone, Rep Dist. 54 and owner of Diagposition regarding deficit which they are combination of local and nostic Imaging Hoffman Estate, IL.

BSS camp teaches youth to be better citizens S. SUCHETA

CHICAGO: Bharat Sevashram Sangha, (BSS) in Chicago kept its years long tradition of cultivating the youth to be well grounded and become better citizens by conducting a Youth Summer Camp. The camp from July 28 to Au-

about A B C (Avoid Bad Company). He taught kids to lead disciplined life and respect elders and parents. Everyday kids started their day with prayer, chanting Gayatri Mantra and Saraswati Strotam and

Youth camp participants with Swami Purnatmanandaji

gust 1 had personal supervision and guidance from Swami Purnatmanandaji Maharaja. The theme of the camp was Bhagavad Gita and why Sri Rama is called Maryada Purushottam. Swamiji started the camp by teaching kids

bhajans followed by Pranayam and meditation. The camp taught kids to learn to distinguish between positive thoughts, negative and wasteful thoughts, because thoughts create our destiny. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 21

Grand India Day celebrations by Midwest Alliance

Cultural presentations Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 17

Naperville kids singing national anthems

Dave Vasudevan, the publicity and booth vendor coordinator, said the cultural programs were coordinated and organized by Usha Pariti, Shree Gurusamy and Seeni Gurusami. Vendor booth participants this year were Ashok Lakshmanan of PMSI (Mortgage Specialist), Dakshin Restaurant, Cuisine of India, Meera Fast Foods, Isha Foundation, Mehar Couture, 24 Mantra Organic Products, Alli Dhanaraj of Eye Level, Alankrit Jewels, ISCKON, Dakshaini Anand of John Greene Realtor, Sangeetha Kapoor of Coldwell Banker, Beautiful Ideas,

Coool Creations, Rubha Yagnik of Mary Kay, Natural Path Meditation, College Prep, Saprama Boutique and Zahra Fancy Jewels. The team that oversaw the entire event comprised Chairman of Board Prem Lalvani, Treasurer M. Bhaskaran, Dave Vasudevan, Suresh Khattar, Prasad Garkhedkar, Board Members Archana Ocani and Gobind Kanal and volunteers Santana Todatry, Anukool Vasudevan, Surya Todatry, Vasavi Chakka, Saily Joshi, Krishna Bansal, Vandana Jhingan (often described as Jhansi Ki Raani of Chicago) and Surya Rao (official photographer for the event).

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AAPI leaders join India Day Parade in NY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The leaders of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI)

joined the India Day Parade in New York City on Sunday August 17. The applause from the crowd reached a crescendo as the color-

Color, fun & food at Milwaukee India Fest PURNIMA NATH

MILWAUKEE, WI: India Fest Milwaukee 2014 was organized successfully by Spindle India on August 16, second year in a row in Milwaukee, WI. This was part of India's 68th Independence Day

with performances by 260+ participants, 36 acts, 28 food and merchant vendors, over 5,000 attendees. Many things made it special for Milwaukee - an ios/android app, designated photo area, rangolis, paintings, kid volunteers, raffles, big name associations like Air India, Kohl's, Harley Davidson Motor company, Mayor of City of Milwaukee, County Executive, Fox 6, CBS, WTMJ, jsonline, Shephard Express amid a well-coordinated effort. Tireless volunteers, extraordinary performances, delicious food & seamless executions came together for Milwaukeeans under a beautiful sunny day where children's parade, flag hoisting, national anthem and patriotic songs were conducted. Kashmir to Kerala, Punjab to Tamil Nadu, West Bengal to Lamp lighting ceremony at India Fest, Maharashtra; Bhelpuri to Milwaukee Biriyani, Samosa to Dosa; celebrations with color, fun, chil- Bharatnatyam to Bihu to Bhangra dren, people, diversity, culture and - IndiaFest Milwaukee became the heritage. destination for Indians and nonIt was a full day entry-free re- Indians to celebrate a day of India treat with 11 hour jam-packed day and learn about India.

BSS camp teaches youth to be better citizens Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 20

Kids were explained the meaning of selfless service. Kids were taught about nonviolence related to life forms and how different number of sense organs of the life form endures pain when it is killed. Since plants have fewer number of senses than four legged animals, so killing an animal for food and cutting an eggplant in a garden do not involve the same degree of pain. According to Chandogya Upanishad, the mind is made up of food. The finer components of the food forms the body and finest

or the subtlest component of the food forms our minds. "You are what you eat." Kids were told about the great expanse of time through which the course of spiritual evolution runs is called Kalpa and one Kalpa is divided into four yugas. Teachers explained to kids the meaning of Sanskara. Every afternoon campers made good craft and Oragami. The camp ended with Shanti Yagna which included Matri Devo Bhava, Pitri Devo Bhava. All "devi-devtas" were worshiped and kids got blessings from elders to lead their life with peace and happiness

From L to R: Dr Krishan Kumar, Dr Rama Raju, Dr Seema Jain, Dr Ravi Jahagirdar, Dr Udita Jahagirdar and Dr Sanjay Jain during the India Day parade in New York City on August 17.- Pics Ajay Ghosh

fully decorated Float bearing AAPI's name, symbol, and message of health and well being to all, rolled on in New York City led by AAPI Chief Dr Ravi Jahagirdar. Besides Dr Ravi Jahagirdar, President, the AAPI team consist-

ing of Dr Seema Jain, PresidentElect, Dr Ami Shah, AAPI Regional Director for New York area, Dr Krishan Kumar, Board of Trustee member along with local stalwarts Dr Sanjay Jain, Dr Udita Jahagirdar and Dr Joseph Chalil participated

in the Parade. They had flown into New York from different parts of the country to be part of the largest India Day Parade around the world, organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).

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Rucha Deshpande excels in Pay homage to ancestors on Pitru Divas her Bharatnatyam Arangetram PT. ANIL JOSHI

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: It is said that dancing is like dreaming with your feet. Rucha Deshpande was introduced to this dream when she was five years old. Although she had learned ballet and tap earlier, learning Bharatanatyam was not easy at first. Rucha gives credit to her teacher, Smt Rupal Parikh for making Bharatanatyam an integral part of her life. The 18 year old recently performed Bharatanatyam at her 'Arangetram' or graduation at Lincoln-Way North High School. Arangetram comprises eight dances, some of which take up to twenty minutes to perform. Therefore, the dancer needs to build endurance to do all eight items continuously with grace. Rucha's stunning performance was full of expression and energy - two key elements that a Bharatanatyam dancer needs to complete her graduation successfully. The fluidity with which she moved, the expressions on her face, and the intensity in the way she danced, showed us all how Rucha has become a master in the art. Among the audience was Representative Renee Kosel, who presented Rucha a certificate from State of Illinois in recognition of the effort, dedication, and hard work that has led to success and

Rucha Deshpande

she further expressed her personal happiness and best wishes for this professional achievement.

Rucha will be studying human nutrition at UIC this upcoming fall. She also wants to pursue dance in the future.

Annual Health Fair at Midwest Swaminarayan Temple JAYANTI THAKAR

ITASCA: A free Health Fair has been arranged at Midwest Swami Narayan Temple in Itasca, a northwest suburb of Chicago, on Sunday, September 14 between 8:15 am and 1pm. The Health Fair is one of the temple's regular annual programs. Along with Midwest Swaminarayan Temple, other institutions including Lohana Association of Greater Chicago, Gujarati Samaj of Chicago and Kadva Patidar Samaj of Chicago are also cosponsoring this event. This is the 35th Health Fair organized by Jayantibhai Thakkar in Chicago land. The fair is open to all in need of medical checkup and health related problems. Preregistration is not required. Registration will start at the temple at 8 am and close at 11:00 am. Everyone is requested to register before 11 am. The check up will include testing of blood

pressure, blood testing, blood sugar, EKG, urine analysis, eye screening, bone density tests, ENT exam, Chiropractic consultation, physical therapy, dental examination, hearing test and physi-

The fair is open to all in need of medical checkup and health related problems. Preregistration is not required. Registration will start at the temple at 8 am and close at 11:00 am. cal examination. Information about social services and benefits will also be provided. Also arranged is a diabetic education program. This time 300 free

flu shot will also be given. The people who have Medicare need to bring their Medicare card so that those who do not have Medicare will get free flu shot. Also, participants need to bring the list of medicines that they are taking for doctors' review. Approximately 25 doctors and 75 health care professionals will provide their volunteer services for the event. Patients requiring blood testing are requested to observe fasting for 12 hours before the test. Please do not take food or drinks after 8 pm from the previous night (Saturday night). Any medical problems detected during the Health Fair can be further treated at the monthly clinic at the temple once a month. This is again a free service provided by the temple management and includes doctors' check up, laboratory testing and providing medicines on a regular basis.

itru Paksha (fortnight of the religious rituals, Homam, Pujas, ancestors) is wrongly con- Abhishekam, Archanas, and charisidered by Hindus to be in- ties especially of your Kula devata auspicious, given the death rite and Devi. Acharya Rina can be performed during the ceremony, paid back by following his teachknown as Shraddha or Tarpan. By ing, principles, and philosophy and large, people consider that without any compromises. In our these days are not favorable to daily lives also we need to build a start any good work, religious ritu- good character, share his knowlals, or purchase any valuable edge, participate in welfare activithings or property. This is totally ties of the society, love and care a wrong notion. for all living creatures without any We are following Shastras discrimination. made by people rather than the Pitra Rina exists in two forms 1) actual Shastras due to lack of Rina of living parents and 2) Rina knowledge, time, comfort and self- of deceased parents, grandparishness. There is no Shastra that ents, great grandparents and all says Pitru masa is an unfavorable forefathers in the parental lineage. masa. How can a Pitru who gave In case of living parents, folbirth to you, cared for and served low their teachings, fulfill their you throughout their lives become wishes and dreams, and make efunfavorable or inauspicious after forts to provide them with all posdeath? We are existing because of sible comforts and respect and them; our family name, culture, honor them in all aspects as living values, and traditions are continu- gods. In case of deceased forefaing due to them. thers, you should conduct So, perform your Pitru Divas as Bhagawat Katha, Path of a festival and pay homage to them Ramacharitamanas, Gita Path, and with utmost dedication and remem- Gayatri Japa by a Brahman. On ber their whole life contributions with real gratitude. According to Ramayana a n d Bhagawat, even Lord Ram and Jagat Pati Krishna performed their Pitru Divas. We all need their enerShraddha Tarpan in India gies and blessing as our Vedas also said 'Pitru Devo their respective death Tithi day bhava, Matru Devo bhava, perform Pujan, Tarpan, Homam, Acharya Devo bhava, Atithi Devo and give charities to temples, bhava'. Unfortunately, performing Goshala, Anath Ashrams, blind Pitru Pujan before any ceremonies and special need children schools, at home has lost its importance in prisons, mental and leprosy hosthe name of modern busy life. pitals in the name of your ancesIn our Hindu culture, we believe tors. in the theory of reincarnation Those who do not know the which says the reasons of our Tithi of their ancestors' death can comfortable or uncomfortable situ- perform their Tarpan on Sarva ations in life lie in the activities or Pitra Divas that is on the day of deeds undertaken by us during Amavasya of the Pitra Masa. You our earlier lives. It is the law of need to maintain purity of place, nature that we reap what we sow. body and thoughts on this day. According to Hindu mythology, Cook Satavik Bhojan of your aneveryone owes three Rina in life cestors' liking and make 4 differthat is an obligation to pay money ent plates with all dishes for a Brahor goods or services or do some- man, Dhenu (cow), Svana (dog), thing by one person to another. and Bakasana (crow). They are Deva Rina, Pitra Rina and Acharya Rina. Deva Rina can be Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 23 fulfilled by performing required

August 29, 2014

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Pay homage to ancestors on Pitru Divas soring one day Katha pujan or Prasadam. Your kind charities help your ancestors to get promoted from Pitru Loka to Moksha Marg. The following is a Sloka from Narada Vishnu Purana:

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 22

If it is not possible to offer food to these animals then give those plates to Brahman himself or to the temples. Wash the feet of a Brahman and offer him Bhojan along with Dakshina. If you do not find a Brahman, then you can offer charities to your Kula Guru, or Behan (sister), Beti (daughter) Buva (Father's sister), Bhanja (sister's son) and Damad (son-in-law). Along with these rituals, you need to follow your family culture, rituals, traditions, and values in order to fulfill their Rina. These actions of yours protect you from all the adversities and misfortunes and improve internal relationships of your family members as well. Everybody's life is invigorated by the energies of our Stars, Vastu, and Pitru. So diseased ancestor's pictures should be mounted on the south walls of your houses to get their proper energies and vitalities. Sometimes, energies of Stars and Vastu are controlled by their position or movement but not Pitru energy as it always flows to you because they love and care

Aspota yanti pitro nritantichaa pita maha mad vansho Vaishnava Jaat nastran ta bhavishyati

for you wherever you are. Hence, to get their energy and blessings, Pitru Divas should be not be performed as a formality. All close genetic relations should be present for the Pitru Divas ceremony and

then eat the bhoga as Prasadam. Hindu Mandir of Lake County is organizing Bhagawat Katha in this Pitru Paksha by a well-known Bhagwatkar Acharya Mridul Krishan Goswami Ji who is the

Vanshaj of Swami Haridas Ji of Brindavana. This Katha starts from 8th September for a week. Those who cannot perform Pitru Pujan have an opportunity to get the benefit of Pitra Krupa by spon-

Once Narada Maharishi went to Pitru Loka. He saw some Pitru dancing and laughing in happiness while some other Pitru were sitting quietly. He asked those happy Pitru what is the reason for your happiness. They told him that their family members on earth have performed religious rituals and made some worthy charities in their names so that with the help their charities they will soon be promoted to Moksha Marg. I invite everyone on behalf of Mandir to come to this event with your family members and friends to listen to our beloved Acharya Ji and obtain the blessings of your Pitru Krupa and assist their souls to rest in peace by making your generous charities.

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Continuous support of sponsors led to Festival of India success Pics Suresh Subramaniam & his team

India Post News Service

he Federation of Indo-Americans of Northern California would like to thank its sponsors for their continuous support for the Festival of India 2014. We are grateful for the generous and continued support of our sponsors for

the August 16 and 17, 2014 Festival of India and Parade in Fremont. As FIA continues to build a stronger partnership together, we fully recognize our sponsors' support and the continued trust that was placed in us is the foundation of our success. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 27

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Kailash Kher visits Nurture Kids open house India Post News Service

Kailash Kher's spectacular journey from a humble upbringing to revered pop star, Bollywood playback singer and television celebrity is nothing less than remarkable. During his recent visit to San Francisco Bay Area, Kailash Kher visited Nurture Kids open house in Pleasanton. Nurture Kids offers academic enrichment classes through their STEM program for students entering K thru 8th Grade. They also have Lego Robotics, Bollywood dance, Piano, Guitar, public speaking, creative writing, Math club, reading club, journalism, theater, chess, yoga, arts and crafts, keyboard, singing, table tennis, and canvas painting to establish a program which revolves around the activities that focus on the all round development of each and every student. Involvement in extracurricular activities plays an important role in the growth of a child. Their program features those activities that promote teamwork, leadership qualities, critical thinking skills, self confidence, communication skills and community awareness. Nurture Kids has four after school locations in Central Fremont, Warm Springs-Fremont, Newark and Pleasanton and one preschool in central Fremont. Addressing the media and parents Kailash Kher talked about his journey in the music world. His big break came with the song "Allah Ke Bande" from the movie Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II. The song be-

Kailash Kher, Dakshata Anand and Shalu S. Dewan

came more famous then the film itself and its success made him a household name. By 2004, Kher had been catapulted into national spotlight, and has since performed on over one hundred and fifty Hindi film soundtracks, has sung in over 14 languages on a number of regional Indian films, not to mention recording more than 400 radio and television advertising jingles. During this visit to Bay area, Kailash Kher was thronged by fans on all the events he went to. His main performance was at 'Chabot College Performing Arts Center, Hayward'. There, he regaled a houseful of audience with his melodious songs.

(L-R) Deepak Chhabra, Taresh Anand, Kailash Kher, Dharminder Dewan and Shalu S. Dewan

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Wells Fargo launches startup accelerator for financial services India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) has begun accepting applications through October 1 from young companies interested in joining the new Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator, a semiannual boot camp for innovators whose technology ideas in payments, deposits, fraud, operations and other fields could shape future customer experiences in financial services. Wells Fargo will make a direct equity investment of $50,000 to $500,000 in each selected start-up. The Startup Accelerator also will provide business planning expertise to firms in the six-month program, which is designed to con-

tinuously attract innovative ideas and stoke innovation across the Wells Fargo enterprise. Company subject matter experts and purchasing managers will offer workshops and individual coaching to the firms. Successful companies may become vendors to the bank. "For Wells Fargo to work on big ideas and spark innovators inside our organization, we need to expand our access to new ideas at the edges of our industry," said Steve Ellis, executive vice president and head of Wholesale Services at Wells Fargo, who noted that in 1995, Wells Fargo was the first major financial services company in the U.S. to give customers free Internet access to account bal-

ances. Wells Fargo also was first to offer a mobile service for businesses in 2007, he added. "The Startup Accelerator adds a new cylinder to our corporate innovation engine," said Ellis.

community and repurposing it as a strategy for connecting with start-ups whose ideas and growth prospects could add value to our business and our customers."

Wells Fargo will make a direct equity investment of $50,000 to $500,000 in each selected start-up. The Startup Accelerator also will provide business planning expertise to firms in the six-month program, which is designed to continuously attract innovative ideas and stoke innovation across the Wells Fargo enterprise. "We're taking a proven business model from the venture capital

Three innovative companies already have been selected and funded to pilot the Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator. They are: • Zumigo, San Jose, California: A developer of mobile services using a unique combination of location and mobile identity technologies to secure commerce and enable mobile marketing. • EyeVerify, Kansas City, Kansas: The creator of EyePrint ID™ that transforms a picture of your eye into a key that protects your digital life. • Kasisto, New York: The builder of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology that improves the consumer experience on mobile devices through intelligent conversation. In addition to these three firms, the Startup Accelerator will give 10 to 20 young companies each year the opportunity to develop and refine products in a collaborative environment. Applications will be accepted twice per year, with a deadline of October 1 for this fall's program. A Wells Fargo investment committee comprising senior technology, venture banking, and innovation leaders will evaluate candidates and select participants. Prospects can learn more and apply online at https:// accelerator.wellsfargo.com. "We're interested in any technology that could be used by an institution like Wells Fargo to better serve our customers or oper-

ate our business," Ellis said. "Analytics, big data, mobile, security, and infrastructure are all important to us. We're looking to engage with innovators beyond the edge of our own creative enterprise." Bipin Sahni, Wells Fargo Senior Vice President, Innovation, Research and Development, was instrumental in the creation of this program. Sahni said, "For more than 10 years, I have been meeting with startups to see if their technology could add value to Wells Fargo and our customers. During this time, we have had success in working with startups that resulted in our company adopting their technology. “ With this Wells Fargo Accelerator, we are formalizing a process to attract a steady flow of new ideas and explore emerging technologies for the benefit of our customers-we are formalizing a process that we had been refining for many years." He added, "I'm passionate about new technologies and fortunate to be involved with some of the innovations we have introduced for our customers, including leading the technology team for the CEO Mobile launch in 2007 and exploring how new technologies can make our jobs more efficient and new applications increase convenience, security and relevance for our customers." Wells Fargo Wholesale Banking operates 50-plus lines of business serving U.S. middle-market and large corporates with annual sales of $20 million and higher. Among the products and business segments are Middle Market Commercial Banking, including a growing technology practice group, Government and Institutional Banking, Corporate Banking, Commercial Real Estate, Treasury Management, Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Insurance, International, Real Estate Capital Markets, Commercial Mortgage Servicing, Corporate Trust, Equipment Finance, Wells Fargo Securities, Principal Investments, Asset Backed Finance, and Asset Management.

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Continuous support of sponsors led to Festival of India success

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 24

The Corporate Sponsors for the Festival of India 2014 were Aap Ka Colors, Wells Fargo bank, AT&T, Comcast, Divine Vastu, Bank of the West, P G &E, MC Donald's, Kaiser Permanante, St. Rose hospital, Chase Bank, Excel Test Prep, Agama Solutions, Calcoast/Intero, Peter Kuo for Senate, Fremont Hindu Temple, CEFCU, Robson Homes, Nurture Kids, Allvoi, Vonage, Bay Limo, Sunnyvale Hindu Temple and Fremont Bank. Health Fair 2014 was sponsored by Kaiser Permanante and St. Rose Hospital. Sonia Sidhu, Event Manager for Sponsorships has been working with some of these corporate sponsors for over the last 10 years. Sponsorships were also co-ordinated by Naresh Sodhi, Priya Nayar, Vidya and Raju Mantena.

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Health care success causes clinic to close MINNEAPOLIS: A Minneapolis medical clinic is closing, largely because more people are obtaining health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and seeking care elsewhere. Minnesota Public Radio News reports the Neighborhood Involvement Program provides medical care to thousands of uninsured and underinsured people. While 3,000 patients will be without a medical provider when it shuts down, its dental and mental health clinics and senior and youth programs will continue. Because of the Affordable Care Act, some clients now have health insurance through MNSure, the state's online insurance marketplace. Others qualified for Medicaid when the state expanded eligibility to 35,000 low-income adults. Clinic CEO Patsy Bartley says the drop in paying patients has resulted in a 30-percent cut in revenue since January. -AP

Â&#x201E; Kenai City Council ordinance bans e-cigarettes KENAI, Alaska: The Kenai City Council has passed an ordinance for electronic cigarettes to be regulated the same as smoking tobacco. The Peninsula Clarion reports the ordinance was spurred by concerns over the negative health impacts of e-cigarettes.

Health Science

Smartphones can help detect irregular heartbeat Details on Page 35

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California tells Insurers they must cover elective abortions SACRAMENTO, Calif.: Health insurance companies in California may not refuse to cover the cost of abortions, state insurance officials have ruled in a reversal of policy stemming from the decision by two Catholic universities to drop elective abortions from their employee health plans. Although the federal Affordable Care Act does not compel employers to provide workers with health insurance that includes abortion coverage, the director of California's Department of Managed Health Care said in a letter to seven insurance companies that the state Constitution and a 1975 state law prohibits them from selling group plans that exclude the procedure. The law in question requires such plans to encompass all ``medically necessary'' care. ``Abortion is a basic health care service,'' department director Michelle Rouillard wrote in the letter. ``All health plans must treat maternity services and legal abortion neutrally.'' Jesuit-run Santa Clara University and Loyola Marymount Uni-

versity notified employees last fall that they planned to stop paying for elective abortions, but said faculty and staff members could pay for supplemental coverage

Legislature, which in turn asked Gov. Jerry Brown to clarify and reverse the health care department's determination. In her letter to the insurers,

Pro-abortion and anti-abortion protestors rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington

that would be provided through a third party. The two schools said their insurers, Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente, had cleared the move with the state. University employees who objected to the decision and abortion-rights groups lobbied the women' caucus of the California

Roullaird said her department had ``erroneously approved or did not object'' to a small number of health insurance policies that excluded abortions. She asked the companies to review their plans, including any the department had already approved, to make sure they are in accordance with the

new guidance. The two insurance companies told the San Jose Mercury News that they would comply with the directive. Loyola and Santa Clara representatives said they would explore their options with Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente. Two groups that oppose abortion, the Life Legal Defense Foundation and Alliance Defending Freedom, sent a letter to Rouillard saying that under federal law California cannot force employers to cover elective abortions. The groups said they would file a civil rights complaint with the federal government unless the state's previous determination was reinstated. ``Pro-life employers have the freedom to choose health insurance plans that do not conflict with their beliefs on the dignity of human life,'' Life Legal Defense Foundation Legal Director Catherine Short said. ``California cannot be allowed to discriminate against health plans that don't cover elective abortions and force people to purchase coverage that conflicts with their convictions.'' -AP

6 hospitals in Uttar Pradesh to be upgraded

Kenai Municipal Code prohibits smoking tobacco in a restaurant, bowling alley or medical facility. Adding e-cigarettes to the code does not ban use in bars or private establishments. The council brought the ordinance back for reconsideration after it failed at the Aug. 6 meeting. The ordinance was proposed by Kenai Mayor Pat Porter. Vice Mayor Ryan Marquis, who was the only person to vote against the ordinance, said he was concerned about government telling a business how they should regulate their shop. -AP

KANPUR: Six medical college hospitals in Uttar Pradesh will be modernized and converted into super-specialty facility on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said here. He said high disease burden of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of the country, has influenced the decision to add two more colleges to the already cleared list of medical colleges that will be upgraded under Phase 3 of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). "I attach high priority to UP and have been to this place twice already in my three monthlong tenure. As I had been a medical student in Kanpur, I happen to know that the need

of the hour is to expand infrastructure at an unprecedented rate because we have to make up for many years of neglect," the minister said. Kanpur's Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medi-

catering to a huge population with no comparable facility anywhere in and around Kanpur, Vardhan said. Apart from this one, the Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra also joins the PMSSY list.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

cal College is the Health Minister's alma mater. He was an MBBS and MS student here between 1974 and 1983. This medical college's upgrade is to be put on fast-track as it is

The four already under the third phase of the program are the ones at Gorakhpur, Allahabad, Meerut and Jhansi. Earlier, the Institute of Medical Sciences at Varanasi, the

Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute at Lucknow and the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College at Aligarh have been upgraded under PMSSY. Under PMSSY-3, the central and state governments contribute on an 80:20 basis for establishing tertiary health care facilities by upgrading the existing ones. The Health Minister also held a meeting in Kanpur circuit house with Uttar Pradesh government's Principal Secretary (Medical Education) B S Bhullar, Special Secretary (Medical Education) Dr Arindam Bhattacharya, and Director-General (Medical Education) Prof. K K Gupta. Sundeep Nayak, Joint Secretary of the Union Health Ministry, was also present. -PTI

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Federal directive threatens Oregon Med reform PORTLAND, Ore.: Officials responsible for implementing ambitious changes to the Oregon Health Plan are worried a new federal directive could undo the state's Medicaid reform. The directive is outlined in a letter sent to the state this month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Officials say the new rules could increase costs and force the state to return hundreds of millions of dollars received from the federal government, The Oregonian reported. At issue is the state's system for distributing money to the 15 regional coordinated care organizations under the reforms. Oregon's sweeping reforms were supposed to create the flexibility to invest in creative programs and services to improve health and reduce costs. Rather than tracking individual procedures and paying a doctor for each service performed, the state gives regional coordinated care organizations a budget of Medicaid funds. For example, using the budget, an organization could buy an air conditioner for an elderly woman

with congestive heart failure, sparing the woman a costly trip to a hospital emergency room in hot weather. The model has been championed by Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, and is unique to Oregon. But the federal government now says the state should go back to the traditional way of budgeting and tracking for each ser-

that the federal office is enforcing regulations that have not been changed to allow the Oregon reforms. After learning of the federal letter in a meeting with the state, care leaders said the new directive was alarming. Several said the federal position could lead to unsustainable cost hikes that could eventually force the state to reimburse the

Rather than tracking individual procedures and paying a doctor for each service performed, the state gives regional coordinated care organizations a budget of Medicaid funds. vice provided. Care executives say that means services deemed not medically necessary by the federal government, such as an air conditioner, likely would not be possible. That could mean the woman who lacks the air conditioner might end up in an emergency room, which would ultimately cost the state a lot more money. The problem, officials say, is

federal government much of the $1.9 billion it awarded in 2012 to support Oregon's reforms. The money was conditioned on the state curbing cost increases. ``It sounds to me that the global budget is dead,'' said Kevin Campbell, CEO of Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, who works with several of the care organizations. Oregon Medicaid Director

Judy Mohr Peterson acknowledged that a gulf remains between federal and state officials but said the state will find a political solution to the new federal. ``I think the conversations will

be challenging,'' she told The Oregonian. ``We're still working on it.'' The Oregon Health Plan serves nearly 1 million low-income people, a quarter of the state's population. -AP

Dr Batra's to open 50 more homoeopathy clinics NEW DELHI: Dr Batra's Healthcare is aiming to open 50 new homoeopathy clinics across the country and abroad by the end of the current financial year as part of its expansion plans. "We plan to open 50 more clinics thereby taking the total number of clinics to 200 by the end of this financial year," Dr Batra's Healthcare Founder and Chairman Mukesh Batra told PTI. The clinics in India will be in a mix of company owned and franchise models. In tier I and tier II cities the clinics will be mainly owned by the company while in smaller towns they will be franchised, he added. "Our Franchise partners play a prominent role in our success. With their support we have man-

aged to have our presence in tier II, tier III and IV cities," Batra said. Without giving out the amount, he said the investments on expansion will be made through internal accruals. The homoeopathy clinics chain is looking for locations in which it is already present and is also plans to foray in the new cities. "We plan to open more clinics in existing cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Surat, Jaipur," Batra said. There are plans to open clinics in cities like Rajkot, Calicut, Silchar, Durgapur, Mehsana, Gondia, Aligarh, Moradabad, Sikkim, Dibrugarh, Panipat and Jamnagar among others, he added. -PTI

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Iowa woman lied about child's cancer ATLANTIC, Iowa: A western their father. Authorities said they girl appearing in person. Iowa woman lied to her commu- do not suspect the father was in``The citizens of the county, the nity and said her 5-year-old volved in the hoax, though the citizens of Atlantic, many of the daughter had terminal cancer, a Iowa Department of Human Ser- individuals around who obviruse that helped her solicit dona- vices has been notified of the ously do not like to hear of this tions for months, authorities said. case. type of news, reached out in a way Cass County Attorney Dan to try to provide support and Feistner said at a news cona lot of it was volunteer, ference that Leatha Slauson, nearly all of it volunteer, and 30, appears to have acted much of it financial,'' Feistner alone when she told residents said. in Atlantic and elsewhere that At one point, a bank acher daughter was ill. count was set up in support An investigation found the of the family. Authorities are child is not suffering from any not sure how much money disease, he said. was collected, but they beThe Associated Press is lieve it was at least several not naming the girl because thousand dollars. she may be the victim of a Atlantic Police Chief crime. Steve Green said Slauson's Slauson was arrested and story began to unravel when faces charges of felony child school officials became susendangerment and felony dispicious of contact informatribution of drugs to a child tion for the child's doctors. under 18. Court records do Green, who said his wife not list an attorney, and suffered from cancer, added Slauson remains at the county that he also donated money. jail. ``I don't think the hearts Leatha Slauson has been charged with child The drug distribution of the people of this commuendangerment after reportedly soliciting charge was later added on nity are going to be hardened money and attention for her 5-year-old suspicion that Slauson gave by it,'' he said. ``I think daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cancer treatment. It turns out the child wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sick the child cannabis oil. Police everybody's hurt right now, say they found traces of the but everybody's gonna drug in the girl's system, but auOfficials said Slauson lied for heal.'' thorities did not release additional months in person and online Feistner said additional information. about the girl's health. At least one charges are possible, and the case The girl and her four siblings community event featuring a lo- may involve additional agencies. are currently under the care of cal fire department involved the -AP

Doctor's body donated to alma mater CHENNAI: Bringing the focus on cadaver donation, the family of a doctor, who passed away recently, has donated her body to her alma mater for research and study in line with her wish. 74-year-old Dr C Selvakumari, who graduated from the Madras Medical College, was diagnosed with brain tumor in May this year, and she passed away recently. What makes the gesture unique is that Selvakumari herself broached the idea to her family. "She studied there and she also taught there. The idea came up because there was shortage in availability of bodies for research and she wanted to be useful to the students. It is a wise wish and we are proud of it," Selvakumari's daughter, Deepa Nandakumar, told PTI. She said the family had been informed by MMC authorities

that her mother was the first doctor to donate her body to her alma mater. Her mother had started dis-

She studied there and she also taught there. The idea came up because there was shortage in availability of bodies for research and she wanted to be useful to the students. cussing her intent with members of the family once she crossed 70, she said. "We wholeheartedly support her decision," she said, adding, the MMC will keep the

body for a year for the students to conduct research. "It is a noble deed by mother which makes the family feel she is not dead." An obstetrician and gynecologist, she had been a guide to many doctors, Dr S Ayyappan, a veterinarian and nephew of Selvakumari, said. She had been a "moral support to him" though he hailed from a different discipline, he said. "She is probably the first doctor to donate her body to research and study to the alma mater," he added. Selvakumari's husband, Capt R Chandrasekhar, said she had had been discussing about donating her body for research for the past few years, adding, the family was 'proud' with her decision to give back to her alma mater in such a manner. -PTI

Genes may put some people at risk of hangovers NEW YORK: Hungover after a wild night of partying? Blame your genes. Researchers have found that genes may partly determine why some people get hangovers after a night of drinking while others do not. In a study of twins, scientists looked for links between the study participants' genetic makeups and the number of hangovers the individuals reported experiencing in the past year. The results showed that genetic factors accounted for 45 per cent of the difference in hangover frequency in women and 40 per cent in men. In other words, genetics accounts for nearly half of the reason why one person experiences a hangover and another person doesn't, after drinking the same amount of alcohol, the study said. The other half probably comes from outside influences unrelated to DNA, such as how quickly a person drinks, whether they eat while they drink and their tolerance for alcohol. The researchers also found that the people who had the gene variants involved in an increased risk of having hangovers also drank to the point of being intoxicated more frequently than people who didn't have the hangover genes. The genes that dictate how frequently a person gets hungover may also underlie how frequently someone gets drunk in the first

place, researchers said. "We have demonstrated that susceptibility to hangovers has a genetic underpinning. This may be another clue to the genetics of alcoholism," study leader Wendy Slutske, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, told 'Live Science'. In the study, about 4,000 middle-age people from the Australian Twin Registry participated in a telephone survey, reporting their experiences with hangovers and alcohol consumption. The participants recounted how many times they had gotten drunk in the past year, along with their "hangover frequency,"

which is the number of days in the previous year they felt sick the day after drinking. They also reported their "hangover resistance," which was whether or not they had ever experienced a hangover after getting drunk. The researchers found a strong correlation between identical twins in reports of hangover frequency as well as hangover resistance, suggesting that the genetic similarities of some twins played a part in their hangover susceptibility. -PTI

tal health clinics and senior and youth programs will continue. Because of the Affordable Care Act, some clients now have health insurance through MNSure, the state's online insurance marketplace. Others qualified for Medicaid when the state expanded eligibility to 35,000 low-income adults. Clinic CEO Patsy Bartley says the drop in paying patients has resulted in a 30-percent cut in revenue since January. -AP

August 29, 2014

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Smartphones can help detect irregular heartbeat WASHINGTON: Your smartphone can now help detect if you suffer from atrial fibrillation, the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm which has mild or nonexistent symptoms. AliveCor in San Francisco has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the com-

pany clearance for its algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib). AliveCor's automated analysis process (algorithm) instantly detects if patients are experiencing AFib through real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings taken on the mobile phone based AliveCor Heart Monitor, so physicians can intervene be-

fore potentially life-threatening conditions, like strokes, occur. The heart monitor rests on the fingers or chest to record the electrocardiogram (ECG). Through AliveCor's ECG analysis service, patients can confirm their results with a US board-certified cardiologist or a personal physician. "The ability to automatically detect serious heart arrhythmia using mobile technology has the potential to save lives, reduce healthcare costs and allow patients and their caregivers to make informed decisions about cardiac care," said Euan Thomson, president and chief executive officer of AliveCor. "Having achieved clearance, we will work to incorporate the algorithm in our app and plan to make this available to customers during September," Thomson said. One in four adults over age 40 develop AFib making them five times more likely to have a stroke. AFib, an electrical disorder of the heart that causes it to beat in a rapid and disorganized way, can be hard to detect, as symptoms, including heart palpitations, may be mild or non-existent. -PTI

New genetic basis for sex determination found WASHINGTON: It may not just be the X and Y chromosomes which decide the sex of a baby, a subset of very small genes could also play a key role! Scientists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in US have found that a subset of very small genes encoding short RNA molecules, called microRNAs (miRNAs), also play a key role in differentiating male and female tissues in the fruit fly. A miRNA is a short segment of RNA that fine-tunes the activation of one or several protein-coding genes. miRNAs are able to silence the genes they target and, in doing so, orchestrate complex genetic programs that are the basis of development. In research published in the journal Genetics, a team of CSHL researchers and colleagues describe how miRNAs contribute to sexual differences in fruit flies. Male and female flies differ visibly, just like other animals. For example, females are 25 per cent larger than males with lighter pigmentation and more abdominal segments. The researchers, including Delphine Fagegaltier, lead author on the study, and CSHL Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Greg Hannon, identified distinct miRNA populations in male and female flies. "We found that the differences in miRNAs are important in shaping the structures that distinguish the two sexes. In fact, miRNAs regulate the very proteins that act

as sex determinants during development," said Fagegaltier. The team found that miRNAs are essential for sex determination even after an animal has grown to adulthood. "They send signals that allow germ cells, ie eggs and sperm, to develop, ensuring fertility. Removing one miRNA from mature, adult flies causes infertility," Fagegaltier said.

In research published in the journal Genetics, a team of CSHL researchers and colleagues describe how miRNAs contribute to sexual differences in fruit flies. More than that, these flies begin to produce both male and female sex-determinants, researchers said. "In a sense, once they have lost this miRNA, the flies become male and female at the same time. It is amazing that the very smallest genes can have such a big effect on sexual identity," said Fagegaltier. Some miRNAs examined in the study, such as let-7, have been preserved by evolution because of their utility; humans and many other animals carry versions of them.-PTI

Low nicotine cigarettes may reduce addiction TORONTO: Cigarettes with very low levels of nicotine may reduce smoking addiction without increasing exposure to toxic chemicals, according to a new study. The study by the University of Waterloo monitored the smoking behaviors of 72 adults as they switched to three types of cigarettes with markedly reduced nicotine levels. Unlike when smokers switch between conventional cigarette brands - all of which have very similar levels of nicotine content - the study found no change in participants' puffing behavior, number of cigarettes consumed or levels of toxic chemicals in their systems. The landmark findings may ease concerns that smokers would increase their consumption of cigarettes or puff harder if governments reduced nicotine levels to negligible amounts. "One of the primary barriers to reducing nicotine levels is the belief that individuals who continue to smoke will smoke more cigarettes in an effort to extract the same nicotine levels, thereby exposing themselves to greater amounts of toxic chemicals. Our findings suggest this is not the case," said Professor David Hammond, of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Waterloo, and lead author on the research paper. "The smokers were unable or unwilling

to compensate when there was markedly less nicotine in the cigarette and when the experience of smoking is far less rewarding," said Hammond. The cigarettes used in the study had a nicotine content of 8.9, 8.4 and 0.6 mg, re-

spectively, as opposed to an average of 12 mg in a regular cigarette. "There is ample evidence from inside and outside the tobacco industry that major reductions in the nicotine content of cigarettes would result in a less-addictive product," said Hammond. "Overall, the impact of a less-addictive cigarette on reducing smoking uptake and cancer prevention is potentially massive," Hammond said. The study was published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology. -PTI

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Galliyan: Ek Villian 2 Banjaara: Ek Villian 3 Saturday Saturday: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania 4 Caller Tune: Humshakals 36 India Post

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5 Fugly Fugly Kya Hai: Fugly 6 Aaj Phir Tumpe: Hate Story 2 7 Samjhawan: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania 8 Raat Bhar: Heropanti 9 Johnny Johnny: Its Entertainment 10 Humdard: Ek Villain

anbir Kapoor, who had earlier talked about making a short film on the life of his grandfather and legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, has dropped the idea. Now he plans to make it with the three Khans. Encapsulating Raj Kapoor's life in a short film is next to impossible, therefore, the young star plans to make a short film on the three Khans of Bollywood - Shah Rukh, Salman Khan and Aamir - where the three will sit together and simply talk. "After I said that, I began to think that a short film would be too small to tell about his (Raj Kapoor) life, it will take me 500 hours to do it," the 31-year-old said. "But then I also began thinking on whom can I make a short film. Then I thought about an eight-minute short film where Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan are sitting on a couch and only talking," Ranbir said. "The kind of success, fans and the work they have done, just to see them together will be something, which generations and generations will cherish. So if I get a chance to make a short film, it will be with them," he added.

is success is about the right decisions at the right time, but Aamir Khan confesses that the important decisions of his life were never supported by the people around him. However, now when he looks back, he cherishes the fact that he lived his life on his terms and conditions. "This is a fascinating thing that right through my life, every important decision of my life, all people who are important to me, close to me, have always told me, 'You are making a mistake, don't do

Every important decision of my life, all people who are important to me, close to me, have always told me, 'You are making a mistake, don't do this'. I have always been told that," this'. I have always been told that," the four-time National Award winner said. He further said: "I always listened to them carefully, I never ignored them. But I finally did what I felt like doing and when I look back after 25 years of being a professional, I think that is the one thing that I feel happy about. I lived on my terms." "I am happy that I never compromised. Whenever I was offered something I was not happy with, I didn't do it."

amir Khan's PK poster is creating a lot of buzz. After the nude PK poster, Aamir Khan has launched another poster which shows Aamir Khan wearing Rajasthani outfit sans transistor. Aamir Khan tweeted after releasing the second poster, "Ei dekha, humaar dusra postarwa…. ei ma tiraanjister bhi nahi hai… Ka samjhey?" When 'Dhoom 3' was released, Salman Khan promoted the film on 'Bigg Boss' wearing Aamir Khan's 'Dhoom 3' hat and the perfectionist now challenges if he can remove his pant to promote his new flick, 'PK' . "Salman wore the Dhoom 3 hat for me in 'Bigg Boss', so now I want to see if he does this. Let's see if he can do this…he has removed his shirt, now can he remove his pants. I want to test Salman's friendship," Aamir Khan said.

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August 29, 2014

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or the first time the Khiladi of Bollywood Akshay Kumar and filmmaker Karan Johar teamed up for a project tentatively named, 'Brothers'. The film will see Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra playing brothers. The film will hit the theatres on Gandhi Jayanti, 2015. The film stars Jacqueline Fernandez as the female lead. The film will be directed by Karan Malhotra. Karan made his directional debut with 'Agneepath' in 2012 starring Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra. The film will also have Jackie Shroff playing pivotal role. Akshay Kumar announced the film with Karan on the social networking site.

velyn Sharma is the latest in a long list of Bollywood actresses including Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu who have dyed their hair blonde. Evelyn recently shot for a short film in Germany which required a more European look and hence she had to dye her hair blonde for the role. In fact, she was so glad by the way the color suited her that she decided to keep it for a while now. Looks like Evelyn has taken the first steps towards becoming an international blonde bombshell.

The set designed for a special number, Let's Celebrate, is almost identical to the one in Indra Kumar's Raja on which Madhuri Dixit's famous foot-tapper, Akhian Milaoon ya Akhiyan Churaoon, was filmed

he is just a dozen-film old, excluding her special appearances, but Sonakshi Sinha is ready to step into Madame M's shoes in her upcom ing film Tevar. The set designed for a special number, Let's Celebrate, is almost identical to the one in Indra Kumar's Raja on which Madhuri Dixit's famous foottapper, Akhian Milaoon ya Akhiyan Churaoon, was filmed. Revealed a source close to the unit, "Everybody present on the set pointed out the similarities, in particular Sanjay who had featured in the earlier song opposite Madhuri." Sanjay, who is the producer of Tevar, however insisted that the likeness was incidental. "But yes, when I walked in, I was transported back in time," he admitted. Ask Sanjay how Sonakshi rates in comparison to Madhuri and pat comes the reply, "Sonakshi is the best dancer amongst the younger lot but Madhuri is incomparable!"

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Realty Tidbits

Omaxe felicitates CWG medalist Bajrang Punia NEW DELHI: Commonwealth Games silver medal winning wrestler Bajrang Punia has been felicitated by the Omaxe Limited, one of India's leading real estate companies. Bajang was given Rs 1 lakh for his silver medal winning effort in the men's freestyle 61kg wrestling event at the Glasgow Games. Speaking on the occasion Bajrang said, "I am overwhelmed with the appreciation I have received from Omaxe and fellow countrymen for my performance in wrestling. "We are proud that the Central and State Government and other people have started to recognize our efforts and we need more people to come forward and initiate efforts towards popularizing the sport." Mohit Goel, CEO, Omaxe Limited extended his best wishes to Bajrang. -PTI

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Raheja Developers planning IPO in a year

MUMBAI: Riding high on the revival in the real estate market, realty player Raheja Developers plans to go public in the next one year, a top company official said. "We have seen some revival in the sector in the last few months and we expect the trend to continue and the market will grow. We see this as the opportunity to raise equity funding," managing director Navin Raheja told reporters on the sidelines of a Nardeco banking summit here. He said the company might go public in the next one year and has already completed the necessary ground work. However, he did not specify how much money the company is planning to raise or how much stake he is ready to divest. "We have prepared ourselves in this direction. We are complying with the necessary requirements for going public. -PTI

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Goldman paying $3.15B over mortgage bond claims WASHINGTON: Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay $3.15 billion to resolve claims that it misled U.S. mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about risky mortgage securities it sold them before the housing market collapsed in 2007. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie and Freddie, announced the settlement with the Wall Street powerhouse. New York-based Goldman Sachs sold the securities to the companies between 2005 and 2007. -AP

DDA Housing Scheme 2014 to open from Sept 1 NEW DELHI: The DDA has announced its much-awaited 'Housing Scheme 2014' - offering over 25,000 flats across various categories while scrapping the proposed plan to reserve 80 per cent flats for the city-dwellers in it. The new scheme offers flats ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore across categories, viz - EWS, LIG, MIG, HIG, Janta flats and oneroom apartments and would be rolled out from September 1. "We are offering 25,034 flats in the 2014 scheme out of which 22,627 would be one-bed room apartments. Among others, 896 flats are constructed after 2010, with green technology," said Balvinder Kumar, Vice-chairman, DDA. "The 'DDA Housing Scheme 2014' would be open to applicants from September 1 and the last date to receive the application is October 9. The draw of lots would preferably be taken out within 20 days of the close of the scheme," a senior DDA official said, adding, applicants can also apply online. DDA for the first time has also introduced a five-year lock-in period for ownership of the flats, to cut out the middleman and reduce the scope of speculative buying. "After five years, the DDA will formally execute a conveyance deed in their favor," the official said. The registration fee for all other categories is Rs 1 lakh, and Rs 10,000 for EWS (Economically Weaker Section) category, the of-

ficial said, adding a ceiling of Rs 1 lakh of annual income has been prescribed for those applying under the EWS category. The one-bedroom apartment flats are in Dwarka, Rohini, Narela and Siraspur areas, priced above 14 lakh onwards, depending on the location and plinth area, the DDA said. Out of 896 newly-built flats, 512 are MIG flats and 384 Janta flats, located in Mukherjee Nagar, Narela, Rohini and Kalyan Vihar areas. The MIG flats would range

EWS category, which are part of the housing complex at Swatantra Bharat Mills premises at Rohtak Road. The flats have been developed by a private builder as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the DDA and the builder. The EWS flats priced from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 11 lakh, the urban body said. Over 800 old flats located under different categories are also being offered, on account of them being cancelled or surrendered.

from Rs 41.30 lakh and Rs 69.90 lakh and the Janta flats - one room tenement with a kitchenette would cost a little over Rs 10 lakh, it said. "The DDA had for the first time proposed a 80-20 quota in this scheme, but that proposal which sought to offer 80 per cent flats to Delhi residents has been scrapped, the official added. DDA is offering 700 flats for

These flats (older) consists of 21 HIG flats, 49 MIG, 451 LIG, 129 expendable and 161 Janta flats. The cost ranges from Rs 1.2 crore for HIG flats to Rs 5.4 lakh for Janta flats, the DDA said. The DDA had earlier said that the total number of flats on offer was over 26,000 but now said the figure has been revised to over 25,000. For the first time, DDA has also

decided to do away with attachments along with the application forms and now only a photocopy of PAN card would be needed for the process, she said. There is no income limits on one-bedroom apartments and any eligible candidate can apply. For EWS category, there will also be an option to pay the cost of the flats in installments, she added. For unsuccessful applicants, the DDA would return the registration amount within 90 days of the draw of lots and for delays beyond 90 days, interest would be paid to the applicants. In case of successful applicants, who decide to surrender their allotments, refund amount has been rationalized wherein the maximum amount recovered has been restricted to Rs 50,000. Any Indian citizen, 18 years of age and above on the date of filing of the application for the flats is eligible for the scheme. The applicants must not own any residential flats or plot in full or in part on leasehold or freehold in Delhi or New Delhi or Delhi Cantonment either in his/her own name or in the name of his/her minor or dependent children, the DDA said. One person can submit one application only, it said, adding, both husband and wife can apply for flats subject to fulfillment of eligibility conditions with a stipulation that if both are found to be successful, only one of them shall retain the allotment of a flat. -PTI

DDA allows conversion of property through GPA NEW DELHI: The DDA has decided to allow the conversion of property from leasehold to freehold on the basis of registered agreement to sell and general power of attorney, which was earlier suspended by a Supreme Court judgment. "The Competent Authority in Delhi Development Authority (DDA) after taking the opinion of Solicitor General, has decided to

allow such conversions subject to producing documents authenticating that the transaction is genuine," the DDA said in a statement. The conversion had been suspended in the wake of a Supreme Court judgment in a case in 2011, it said. The genuineness would be verified at the time of processing of conversion application and subject to production of related docu-

ments such as agreement to sell registered with sub-registrar of Delhi. On verification of these documents the lease administrating agencies of DDA i.e. Land Disposal Wing and Housing Wing would process the conversion applications subject to completion of all other codal formalities as laid in conversion brochure, the urban housing body said. -PTI

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DLF directed to give compensation for harassment NEW DELHI: Real estate firm DLF has been asked to pay Rs six lakh to a man, who had booked a flat in its project which failed to take off, by a consumer forum here which held it guilty of deficiency in service and "unfair trade practice". "...we hold Opposite Party (OP) guilty of deficiency and unfair trade practice in not refunding the deposit. We direct OP to return Rs 5 lakh...and pay compensation of Rs 1 lakh for harassment, deficiency and litigation expenses," New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, said. It noted that it was one of the many cases against the construction company with regard to its failed project and directed DLF

New Gurgaon Homes Developers Pvt Ltd to pay the money to Gurgaon based Ashesh Nanda. The forum's bench, also comprising member S R Chaudhary,

sales in June were the best since 2007. ``That continues the trend of a steadily improving real estate market in the state,'' Pakko said. Pakko also said sales between April and June were the best for any quarter since the second quarter of 2010, when sales were amplified by tax credits the federal government offered to homebuyers. There were 7,799 houses sold

there is no question of consumer being forced to continue with booking for such a project for lay off... "The provisional booking with-

"The provisional booking without anything moving forward in reality is only imaginary castle building and unfair trade practice" held that once the project has failed, there is no question of consumer being forced to continue with booking for such a project as it was "only imaginary castle building". "This forum has already in

Arkansas home sales gain more than 10 percent LITTLE ROCK, Ark.: The Arkansas Realtors Association says home sales in the state jumped more than 10 percent in June compared with a year ago. Realtors sold 2,708 homes compared with 2,453 in June 2013, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The average sales price in the 43 counties surveyed by the association was $164,227, down 1.9 percent from $167,455 last year. Michael Pakko, chief economist at the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said home

number of cases of this project of Opposite Party (construction company) has ordered refund of provisional deposit, after holding that once the project has failed,

in the second quarter of this year, down about 1.5 percent from the 7,920 sold in the second quarter of 2010. ``It has been a long, slow slog to get back to that point (in 2010),'' Pakko said. ``But it's still impressive.'' Crittenden County in eastern Arkansas had the highest rate of growth in home sales among counties with more than 50 closings. Sales rose 62.5 percent in June with 52 homes sold, up from 20 sales in June last year. Scott McElmurry, chief executive officer of Bank of Little Rock Mortgage, told the newspaper that mortgage rates are still are extremely low. Interest rates for a 30year mortgage are about 4 percent or slightly h i g h e r , McElmurry said. For a 15year mortgage, rates are about 3.25 percent to 3.375 percent, he said. That's a wider spread between the two rates, McElmurry said. A 15-year mortgage is usually only about a half-percentage-point lower than a 30-year mortgage, he said. ``The 15-year mortgage has been very popular with refinancing,'' McElmurry said. ``But now it's becoming more popular on the purchase side, too.'' -AP

out anything moving forward in reality is only imaginary castle building and unfair trade practice," the forum said. Nanda had told the forum that he had made provisional booking in company's New Town Heights project in Gurgaon by depositing Rs five lakh on March 31, 2008. The company, however, denied the allegations saying that the exit option was not available to Nanda as he had not deposited a part of his payment. -PTI

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anyakumari is the southernmost point of peninsular India and the meeting point of three oceans - the Bay of Ben gal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Besides its importance as a Hindu pilgrim center, it is famous for its beautiful views of sunrise and sunset over the waters. The multicolored sand is a unique feature of the beach here. History: Kanyakumari was once referred to as the Alexandria of the East. This place has been a great center for art, culture, civilization, and pilgrimage for years. It was also a famous center for commerce and trade. During the early part of the eighth century AD Islam entered the southern part of India through the sea route with traders and missionaries. Through St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ, Christianity arrived in this area in AD 52. Islam, Christianity and Jainism have greatly contributed to the architectural wealth and literary heritage of this place. Kanyakumari was also under the control of the Cholas, the Cheras, the Pandyas and the Nayaks who were great rulers of south India. The architectural beauty of the temples is the work of these rulers. During the British Raj, Kanyakumari was bestowed the dry title of Cape Comorin, necessitated perhaps by the Englishmen's inability to pronounce local names. Legend has it that Kanya Devi, an avatar of Goddess Parvati, was to wed Lord Shiva, the destroyer in the Hindu trinity. But he did not turn up at the auspicious time and the wedding never took place. The rice and cereals meant for the marriage remained uncooked. Even today, one can buy stones

August 29, 2014 there that look exactly like rice and cereals. Local folks believe that they are the leftovers of the legendary marriage that could not be solemnized. As for the princess Kanya Devi, she became a virgin goddess blessing pilgrims and tourists alike. BEST TIME TO VISIT Due to its proximity to the sea, Kanyakumari enjoys a pleasant climate and can be visited throughout the year. However, the best season to visit this place would be between October and March. During summers, the temperature can rise to a high of 34.8Â°C while it can dip to a low of 20.4Â°C during winters. Attractions The Kumari Amman or the Kanyakumari Temple, located on the shore, is dedicated to a manifestation of Parvati, the virgin goddess who did penance to obtain Lord Shiva's hand in marriage. The temple and the adjoining ghat, picturesquely situated overlooking the shore, attract tourists from all over the world. The diamond nose-ring of the deity is famous for its sparkling splendor said to be visible even from the sea. Two rocks reach out of the ocean, southeast of the Kumari Amman temple. One of these is Sri Padaparai, where the footprints of the virgin goddess are said to be imprinted. Swami Vivekananda is said to have sat in deep meditation and here also stands the famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial built in 1970. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 42

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KANYAKUMARI Meeting point of three oceans Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 41

There is a dhyana mandapam where one can sit in a serene atmosphere and meditate. Ferry services are available to reach the memorial. The striking Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was so designed that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday (October 2), the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where the ashes of the father of the nation were kept. PLACES AROUND Vattakottai (literally, circular fort) is an 18th-century fort overlooking the sea, located six km from Kanyakumari.

The Udayagiri Fort (34 km), built by King Marthanda Varma (AD 1729-1758), has a foundry for casting guns. The king's trusted European general De Lennoy's grave is located within this fort. Situated 13 km from Kanyakumari, Suchindram bears the imprint of various kingdoms. The Thanumalayan temple here is a repository of art treasures be-

longing to those kingdoms. The temple is famous for its musical columns and its impressive six mtall statue of Hanuman. The main deity in the form of a Shivling represents Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the trinity of the Hindu pantheon. Ancient inscriptions dating back to the ninth century are found in this place. The Nagaraja Temple at

Courtallam Fall

Nagarkoil (20 km) is a magnificent temple with Nagaraja as the main deity. There are also shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu. The entrance to this temple is reminiscent of the Chinese architecture of a Buddhist Vihar. Nagercoil is 19 kms from Kanyakumari on the way to Padmanabhapuram. Padmanabhapuram Palace (45 km) is a large mansion of the Travancore Kings. It is known for its fascinating natural splendor. Tiruchendur (85 km) is the site of a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya. The temple located here on the shore of the Bay of Bengal is one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya. The location of the temple draws a perennial stream of devotees. The temple overlooking the singing sea is an inspiring sight. The Courtallam Fall (137 km) is perched at a height of 167 m. Its

water is believed to contain medicinal properties. FAIRS & FESTIVALS The Chaitra Purnima Festival (the April full-moon day, celebrated in the first week of May), Navratri (last week of October), and the Holy Annual Festival of the Roman Catholic Church (fourth week of December) are the notable festivals celebrated in Kanyakumari. HOW TO REACH Air - The nearest airport is at Thiruvananthpuram (80 km). It is directly connected with Bengaluru, Mumbai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, and Chennai by regular flights. Rail - Kanyakumari is connected to Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi, and Mumbai by broad-gauge railway network. Tirunelvelli (80 km) is the other nearest railway junction and can be reached by road via Nagarkoil (19 km). Road - Kanyakumari is connected by road to Thiruvananthapuram (86 km), Nagarkoil (19 km), Tirunelvelli (91 km), Tiruchendur (89 km), Tuticorin (129 km), Rameshwaram (300 km), Courtallam (130 km), Madurai (242 km), Thekkady (358 km), Kodaikanal (362 km), Palani (370 km), Ootacamund (576 km), Cochin (309 km), and Coimbatore (478 km).

August 29, 2014

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E-visa for tourists to roll out by October NEW DELHI: Stepping up efforts to boost tourism and attract more foreign tourists, the government plans to roll out e-visa system by the beginning of the tourist season in October. Besides, initiatives have been taken to simplify hotel classification and rationalize tax structure to make tourism sector more competitive. "The e-visa scheme is expected to be rolled out shortly. We are trying to make it operational by October," Tourism Minister Sripad Naik said after a national conference of state tourism ministers here. Asked whether the Home and External Affairs ministries have any reservation over the e-visa scheme, he said, "There is no reservation over the scheme. The discussion is on with all ministries concerned and the scheme will be rolled out in phases."

According to the plan, the evisa facility will be extended to all countries except 10 nations including Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Somalia. Naik said steps have also been taken to rationalize the tax structure to make various tourism destinations competitive and promote seamless travel from one state to another. He said hotel classification system has been simplified to grant necessary licenses and no objection certificates for various tourism services in a time bound manner. The minister, however, said "It is the state government's responsibility to reduce the tax structure." Emphasizing on cleanliness, Naik said his ministry will give cash reward to civic bodies which excel in maintaining the tourism sites clean and hygienic. Asked about the creation of

tourist police force for safety of tourists, he said, "12 states have so far created exclusive tourist police. Uttar Pradesh has also written to us that they are having tourist police at a few selected spots like Agra and Varanasi."

Naik admitted that violent incidents involving tourists affect the image of the country and damage tourism potential.

New tourism policy delinks hotel-liquor classification NEW DELHI: Considering the long standing demand of hotel industry, Tourism Ministry has issued new guidelines for classifying 4-Star and 5-Star hotels in nonheritage sector and classic category hotels in heritage sector without insisting on the presence of a bar that serves alcohol on the premises. The new provision of classification has come into effect immediately, said a senior Tourism Ministry official. As per the new guidelines, hotels in the categories of 5-Star and 4-Star in non-heritage sector and classic category hotels in heritage sector can now be classified as 5Star with alcohol service, 5-Star without alcohol service, 4-Star with alcohol service, 4-Star without alcohol service, classic heritage with alcohol service and classic heri-

tage without alcohol service. At present, Tourism Ministry classifies various hotels on voluntary request in the categories of 1-

Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, 4-Star, 5-Star and 5-Star Deluxe in non-heritage sector and in the categories of Basic, Classic and Grand in the

Heritage Sector. Under the guidelines of the ministry till now, alcohol service was essential for hotels seeking classification under the categories of 4Star, 5-Star, 5-Star Deluxe, Classic Heritage and Grand Heritage. The decision would provide flexibility to hotel owners and management to take considered decision on whether to provide alcohol service or not in their units, the official said. -PTI

More Israeli families coming to visit India PANAJI: The profile of Israeli tourists visiting India is changing and more families from the country are arriving here, Israel's Mumbai Consul General David Akov said here. "The profile of the tourists visiting India is changing. Both the governments (India and Israel) are trying to make efforts," Akov told reporters on the sidelines of Israel Film Festival organized in Goa by Entertainment Society of Goa

(ESG). He was responding to a question on the allegation that many Israelis were involved in illegal drug trade and creating their enclaves in Goa. "The changing profile of Israeli tourists will alter that impression. You have more families coming to India from Israel," he said, adding that 40,000 Israeli tourists visit the country annually. "And almost everyone from Is-

rael visiting India, comes to Goa," he said, adding that Goa is very much known in Israel. Akov said that Israel has also initiated efforts to increase footfalls from India promoting the tourism in the country which has the cities including Jerusalem which is a religious place for Catholics. "We are definitely trying to reach out to the Christians across India, including Goa inviting them to visit the country," he said. -PTI

"It should not happen as it always affects tourism. Law and order should be maintained at any cost." The conference was organized as part of the 100 days action plan of the Tourism Ministry and was attended by representatives of 34 states and Union territories. The objective of the conference was to initiate a highlevel discussion on important issues faced by the tourism industry. Naik said steps should be taken to ensure safety and security of tourists, especially women.

He said a resolution was adopted after the day-long meeting that the departments of tourism of all states and Union territories will work for creating a safe and secure environment for tourists by taking appropriate measures including running mass awareness campaigns. On cleanliness, he said all states and Union territories will take steps on priority to maintain cleanliness in and around various tourism destinations and cities. It was also decided at the meeting to emphasize on skill development schemes to meet the tourism industry's requirements, run short term courses under the broad framework of the program 'Hunar Se Rozgar Tak' and pro-actively persuade the tourism industry stakeholders to nominate existing service providers for the skill testing and certification courses run by the ministry. -PTI

Work stations being installed in Rajdhani trains NEW DELHI: Rajdhani travelers can soon look forward to some getaway moments during their journey as the railways has finalized plans to install work stations fitted with office electronics in its premier train service. Work stations equipped with laptop, printer, fax machine and Internet facility will be set up in a Rajdhani train on a pilot basis soon, said a senior Railway Ministry official. As per the plan, a cubicle will

be selected for the pilot project. The aim is to cater to the requirement of business and leisure travelers. "While the work station is expected to add best value to business travelers, it can also be utilized by leisure travelers who can use the facility for entertainment purpose too," the official said. Besides Rajdhani trains, preparations are afoot to convert the entire coach as "office on wheel" as promised in the Rail Budget 2014-15.

be carved out in the pantry car for the work station and passengers can avail the facility by paying a fee. "To begin with, work station will be made operational at the pantry car and depending upon the response we will work out a permanent place for it," he said. The official, however, said fee structure for the service has not been decided yet. "Modalities are being worked out and the fee will be on hourly basis," he said. He said a long distance southbound Rajdhani train is likely to

The concept of "office on wheel" will be executed on Shatabdi trains and three routes have been short listed for the purpose. According to the official, premier services running between Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Kanpur and Chennai-Bangalore will have exclusive coaches with "office on wheel" facility. Internet facility, better and comfortable seating and catering arrangements will be provided in the specially designed coaches, he added. -PTI

In Brief Montana to appeal against judge's ruling HELENA, Mont.: Montana's attorney general plans to appeal a judge's ruling that a voter-approved law requiring immigration checks of anybody applying for state services goes against federal immigration laws. The 2011 Republican-led Legislature wrote the proposal meant to deny government jobs and assistance to people who are in the U.S. illegally. Legislators sent the plan to the 2012 ballot, where the referendum passed with nearly 80 percent of the vote. The law required Montana agencies to check legal status when a person applied for any state service from unemployment benefits to assistance for crime victims. If the person was not in the country legally, the agency must turn over the name to federal immigration officials. Groups led by the Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance sued to strike down the law, saying it infringes on the right to privacy, due process and equal protection. District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled in June the state law attempts to regulate immigration, which is exclusively a federal power. Legislative Referendum 121 makes up its own definition of ``illegal alien,'' meaning state officials would be making their own determination of immigration status, Sherlock said in his ruling. Attorney General Tim Fox intends to appeal the ruling once an issue over attorneys' fees is resolved, Department of Justice spokeswoman Anastasia Burton said. Two other defendants named in the lawsuit - the Montana Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Higher Education - won't join the appeal, university system attorney Jessica Brubaker said. -AP

Â&#x201E; Border patrol installs more rescue beacons TUCSON, Ariz.: The Border Patrol has installed 10 new rescue beacons in the southern Arizona desert. The beacons allow migrants to push a red button that calls for help in the case of an emergency. The Border Patrol says the beacons help save the lives of migrants who get lost in the desert or wander too long. The beacons are 30-feet-tall and solar powered. There are now 32 of them in the Tucson sector, covering most of southern Arizona. Border agents rescued 142 people who called for help using the beacons from October to July 31. -AP

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Should additional recruitment steps comply with 656.17(f)? Details on page 45

Coalition sues over immigrants' lack of access to lawyers ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: A coalition of lawyers filed a lawsuit to halt the quick deportation of Central American women and children, saying immigrants at a New Mexico detention center don't have proper access to lawyers and are being forced to clean restrooms and retell stories of violence and rape in front of children. The American Civil Liberties Union and three other groups filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of immigrants being held at an isolated detention center in the town of Artesia. The groups say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials should be more accommodating to the volunteer lawyers who have traveled to the remote site to aid the recent surge of Central American immigrants. Instead, the groups say, officials are putting illegal barriers between detainees and their lawyers by limiting consultation time and not allowing them to talk on the phone for more than five minutes. The lawyers from around the country are forced to operate in a law library without books and aren't given full access to their clients, the groups said.

``While expedited removal isn't new ... the manner in which it is being implemented in Artesia is new,'' said Melissa Crow, the legal director of the American Immigration Council, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit. ``Essentially, our government has created

edented surge has been both humane and lawful.'' She declined to comment further, citing the pending litigation. The lawsuit claims that women being detained at the center are being forced to clean restrooms to earn more phone privileges. It also

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement press secretary Barbara Gonzales in a barracks for law enforcement trainees that was turned into an immigrant detention center at the Federal Law Enforcement Center (FLETC) in Artesia, N.M.

a deportation mill.'' The immigrants are being sent back to their country without any meaningful opportunity to present their claims for asylum, Crow said. An ICE spokeswoman said in an email to The Associated Press that the ``response to this unprec-

says that in asylum hearings with a judge listening by closed-circuit television from Virginia they often have to recount stories of rape and violence in front of their children. The lawsuit comes before what many expect will be a broad effort by President Barack Obama to pro-

tect millions of immigrants already living in the country illegally from deportation. In June, he announced that he would act on his own to address whatever immigration issues he can while immigration legislation stalls in Congress. Republican lawmakers have been swift to decry previous administrative actions on immigration, including the president's decision in 2012 to create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which allows many young immigrants to avoid deportation and get a work permit for two years. At the same time Obama is considering protecting millions of immigrants from deportation, he has pledged to return newly arrived immigrants, mostly from Central America, who have been arrested along the Mexican border since Oct. 1. More than 62,000 immigrants traveling as families, mostly mothers with young children, have been arrested at the border this year. Before the Artesia detention center opened in June, most families were released with a notice to report back to immigration authorities after they arrived at their final destination in the United States. AP

Bulgarian immigrant thrives as machine wizard COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.: It's 3 a.m., and Ilia Petkov is bathed in the glow of a computer monitor, pricing a job for a railroad company. The 70-year-old president of IP Automation, a Springs-based engineering and manufacturing firm with clients that include such big names as Nike and Schlage, has been awake for an hour already, adhering to a work schedule he has kept for years. When a project proves particularly taxing, he sleeps in the bedroom adjacent to his office, poised to work immediately upon waking. Such dedication at an age when many people have retired or are at least thinking about it may explain why IP Automation

has lasted 20 years, despite some downsizing, and why Petkov has loyal employees who have stuck with him through good times and bad. To understand Petkov's drive,

Park and head into his office, where the wall hangings - a blackand-white image of a young boy in Bulgaria, a color photo of St. John Paul II blessing two children and at least a dozen quotes by

From his father, Petkov learned to drive and operate the trucks on the farm, an experience that led him to earn a degree in mechanical engineering after graduating from high school. He then started a career and a family, but their aspirations were limited in Soviet-controlled Bulgaria. you have to look past the company's nondescript building near the El Pomar Youth Sports

Albert Einstein - hint at an unorthodox narrative. Born in 1943, Petkov grew up

on his grandparents' farm in Bulgaria in the shadow of the Communist government he would eventually escape. His grandfather rose at 1 a.m. every Wednesday to travel between markets, a work habit Petkov later adopted. ``I still see the silhouette of him going in the night,'' he said. ``He was a guy who inspired me so much.'' From his father, Petkov learned to drive and operate the trucks on the farm, an experience that led him to earn a degree in mechanical engineering after graduating from high school. He then started a career and a family, but their aspirations were limited in Soviet-controlled Bulgaria. Cont'd on Page 46

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Should additional recruitment steps comply with 656.17(f)?

ALCA (Board of Alien La bor Certification Appeals) has been examining the issue of whether a Certifying Officer (CO) may deny an Application for Permanent Employment Certification (ETA Form 9089) for a professional occupation if one of the additional recruitment steps does not comply with the advertising content requirements in 20 C.F.R. ยง 656.17(f). In an en banc decision, Symantec Corporation,

CORA-ANN V. PESTAINA

general circulation or in professional journals. These requirements are that these ads must name the employer; direct applicants to report or send resumes, as appropriate for the occupation, to the employer; provide a description of the vacancy specific enough to apprise the U.S. workers of the job opportunity for which certification is sought; indicate the geographic area of employment with enough

The purpose of the labor certification process, known today as PERM, is to ensure that the employer has tested the US labor market for qualified and available US workers at the prevailing wage rate prior to filing an I-140 petition 2011-PER-01856 (Jul. 30, 2014), BALCA held that the additional forms of recruitment do not have to comply with 20 C.F.R. ยง 656.17(f). The filing of a labor certification with the Department of Labor (DOL) is often the first step when an employer sponsors a foreign national for permanent residency. The purpose of the labor certification process, known today as PERM, is to ensure that the employer has tested the US labor market for qualified and available US workers at the prevailing wage rate prior to filing an I-140 petition to classify the foreign national under either the employment second preference or the employment third preference. If the application is for a professional occupation, the employer must conduct the recruitment steps within 6 months of filing the ETA Form 9089. Two of the steps, a job order and two print advertisements, are mandatory for all applications involving professional occupations, except applications for college or university teachers selected in a competitive selection and recruitment process as provided in ยง 656.18. Then, under 656.17(e)(1)(ii), the employer must also select three additional recruitment steps from the alternatives listed in paragraphs 656.17(e)(1)(ii)(A)-(J). Section 656.17(f) lists the advertising requirements for advertisements placed in newspapers of

specificity to apprise applicants of any travel requirements and where applicants will likely have to reside to perform the job opportunity; not contain a wage rate lower than the prevailing wage rate; not contain any job requirements or duties which exceed the job requirements or duties listed on the ETA Form 9089; and not contain wages or terms and conditions of employment that are less favorable than those offered to the alien. The regulations do not address what content must be included in advertisements placed as additional recruitment steps. In a previous blog (http:// blog.cyrusmehta.com/2012/04/

US workers of the job opportunity and in order for this to happen, the additional recruitment steps must contain sufficient information about the position. In Symantec Corporation, 2011PER-01856 (Feb. 11, 2014) the question was raised again. In this case, the employer filed an ETA Form 9089 for the position of "Financial Programmer Analyst." The application was audited and the employer timely responded to the audit. The CO then denied the application because the employer's advertisement placed on a job search website, as one of the three additional forms of recruitment required for professional occupations, contained a travel requirement not included in the ETA Form 9089 in violation of 656.17(f) (6) in that it contained job requirements or duties which exceeded the job requirements or duties listed on the ETA Form 9089. The employer filed a request for reconsideration and argued that the requirements of 656.17(f), upon which the CO relied in issuing the denial, are limited to advertisements placed in newspapers and professional journals, and do not apply to additional recruitment steps found in section 656.17(e)(1)(ii). The employer also cited the Preamble to the regulations, which states that the additional recruitment steps need only advertise the occupation involved in the application, and not the specific job opportunity. The employer also

Two of the steps, a job order and two print advertisements, are mandatory for all applications involving professional occupations, except applications for college or university teachers selected in a competitive selection balca-clarifies-dols-position-onproof.html) I briefly discussed BALCA's decision in Matter of Credit Suisse Securities, 2010PER-103 (Oct. 19, 2010) that the regulations at 656.17(f) govern all forms of advertisements including the additional recruitment steps. In that case, BALCA held that the advertisements must have the purpose and effect of appraising

argued that its website advertisement was for multiple positions and the travel requirement expressed by the phrase "may be required to be available at various, unanticipated sites throughout the United States" did not create a travel requirement for all of the multiple open positions listed in the advertisement. The employer stressed that the use of the term

"may" indicated that travel "might or might not be part of the job." The CO denied the employer's request for reconsideration and forwarded the case to BALCA arguing that US workers could consider the phrase travel "may be required" to be a term and condition of employment which could have deterred them from applying for the position. A BALCA panel of three administrative law judges decided the case. They acknowledged Credit Suisse but noted that it was not an en banc decision and that BALCA, while it recognized, from a policy standpoint, that applying the content requirements to additional recruitment steps would further ensure that the job opportunity is open and available to US workers, does not have the authority to read into the regulations an additional requirement not stated therein. BALCA reversed the CO's

denial of the ETA Form 9089 and held that based on the plain language of the regulations and the regulatory history, the advertising content requirements of 656.17(f) do not apply to the additional recruitment steps. Unwilling to accept this, the CO petitioned for en banc review arguing that the panel's holding conflicted with BALCA precedent and that en banc review was necessary to maintain uniformity in the Board's decisions. BALCA granted the CO's petition, vacated the panel's decision, ordered a rehearing en banc, and permitted the parties to file supplemental briefs. BALCA en banc considered the specific question of whether advertisements placed to fulfill the additional recruitment steps must also comply with the detailed content requirements listed in 656.17(f). Cont'd on Page 46

PRADEEP ROY-SINGH B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. Attorney-at-Law

Former Assistant Stateย s Attorney

Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc. 1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties 1 1

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2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659

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Should additional recruitment steps comply with 656.17(f)? Cont'd from Page 45

BALCA en banc pointed out that the regulations explicitly identify three situations in which an employer must comply with the advertising requirements in 656.17(f): (1) when an employer places an advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation or a professional journal in fulfillment of the mandatory recruitment for applications involving profes-

an ETA Form 9089 under the basic labor certification process, ยง 656.10(d)(4). BALCA noted that in all three situations the regulations at 656.17(f) were cross-referenced and that no such cross reference exists in the regulations governing additional recruitment for professional occupations suggesting that the DOL did not intend to impose the content requirements on all types of advertisements.

BALCA noted that in all three situations the regulations at 656.17(f) were cross-referenced and that no such cross reference exists in the regulations governing additional recruitment for professional occupations sional occupations, 656.17(e)(1)(I)(B)(3); (2) when an employer places an advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in fulfillment of the mandatory recruitment for applications involving nonprofessional occupations, 20 C.F.R. ยง 656.17(e)(2)(ii)(D); and (3), when an employer posts a Notice of Filing announcing its intent to file

BALCA en banc also referenced the Preamble to the PERM regulations. When the DOL proposed amending the labor market test to include three additional forms of recruitment, it received a number of comments opposing the proposal. Commenters were concerned that additional recruitment steps would be costly and unduly burdensome. The DOL

responded to these concerns and pointed out that the additional recruitment steps represent real world alternatives and only require employers to advertise for the occupation involved in the application rather than for the job opportunity involved in the application as is required for the newspaper advertisement. The Board pointed out that this clearly shows that the DOL was seeking to alleviate the burden of requiring three additional recruitment steps. BALCA en banc expressly disagreed with the conclusion in Credit Suisse and found that unambiguous regulations must be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the common understanding of the terms used. BALCA en banc further pointed out that if the CO does not believe that the existing recruitment regulations provide for an adequate test of the labor market then the recruitment regulations may be amended through a new notice and comment rulemaking process. But the CO may not disregard the plain language of the regulations for policy or other considerations. The en banc panel reversed the CO's de-

Bulgarian immigrant thrives as machine wizard Cont'd from Page 44

``When my children started to grow up, I saw there was no future for them in (Bulgaria),'' Petkov said. ``I had to find a way to bring them to the United States.'' Inspired by a friend who swam across the Black Sea from Bulgaria to Turkey under the cover of darkness and then fled to the United States, Petkov left the country in 1981. He moved his family to Mozambique, where he worked for two years before interviewing with the American Embassy in Rome. While the family waited to receive visas, Petkov worked alongside prominent Catholic officials as a handyman at the Vatican. ``They treated me with respect because I was doing everything they needed,'' he said. Petkov arrived in the United States in 1984 with no knowledge of English and little money to his name. He connected with his friend who had crossed the Black Sea and, with his help, got a job at a gas station near Anaheim, California, and then at a machine shop in Santa Ana, California. He studied English between shifts until an

engineering design job opened at Schlage, a lock and hardware company, in San Jose a year later. ``I told these guys, `My English is very bad, but I'm a very good designer, `` Petkov said. The hiring team wanted proof. They sent Petkov home with some machine parts; he sent Schlage a design, and the company hired him. Petkov built Schlage's first fully

When Petkov finished the project, Schlage's president summoned him to the company's headquarters in San Francisco and assigned him to a $3.5 million project. automated machine, a lock polishing device. When Petkov finished the project, Schlage's president summoned him to the company's headquarters in San Francisco and assigned him to a $3.5 million project. ``I was the happiest person in

the world,'' Petkov said. Schlage transferred Petkov to Colorado Springs in 1988. That year, he began building machines for other companies on the side. He worked at night to complete projects in his garage, including a machine that engraved serial and part numbers onto the curved sides of aircraft brake discs. Shortly after delivering the machine to Goodrich Aerospace in 1992, Petkov left Schlage and built his company, IP Automation, with a simple slogan: ``Where Ideas Become Reality.'' A firm believer in the value of different perspectives, Petkov assembled a team capable of imagining and executing the development of highly complex machinery. Under Petkov's leadership, their ideas have taken many forms - machines that create the springs in the heels of Nike shoes, mold the hard inserts in the toes of work boots and test the endurance of Schlage's locks and door closures, to name a few. The company has about 30 employees and does multimillions of dollars in sales each year, though Petkov wouldn't give a hard number. -AP

nial decision and directed the certification of Symantec's ETA Form 9089. For PERM practitioners, what is the practical take away lesson from Symantec? Does the fact that 656.17(f) does not apply to the additional forms of recruitment mean that these additional forms of recruitment can indeed contain job requirements or duties which exceed the job requirements or duties listed on the ETA Form 9089? Can the three additional forms of recruitment contain requirements that are more restrictive than the minimum requirements listed on the ETA Form 9089? In footnote No. 4 to its decision in Symantec BALCA en banc mentioned that the CO, in his argument, relied on East Tennessee State University, 2010-PER-38 (Apr. 18, 2011) (en banc) where the Board concluded that an advertisement placed in fulfillment of an additional recruitment step must not include requirements not listed on the Form 9089, and stated that this conclusion is not binding upon the Symantec en banc Board as the issue was not raised or briefed by

does not have to certify an application if he has reason to believe that the employer's recruitment efforts were not sufficient to warrant certification and the CO may instead exercise his broad discretion to order supervised recruitment under 20 C.F.R. ยง656.21. Accordingly, pursuant to the en banc decision in Symantec, while the three additional forms of recruitment do not have to comply with 656.17(f) and may be significantly broader or perhaps substantially briefer than the mandatory advertisements and the Notice of Filing, there nevertheless cannot be any information listed on these additional advertisements that is not included on the ETA Form 9089 as this would indicate bad faith on the part of the employer and possibly trigger supervised recruitment. Viewing Symantec more broadly, BALCA clearly articulated that 656.17(f) was unambiguous, thus precluding the DOL from interpreting the regulation more broadly and insisting that the additional recruitment steps also conform to the requirement for the mandatory advertisements and the

The Board paid much attention to the fact that the employer's additional recruitment was for multiple positions with varying requirements and that the employer had indicated the word "may" at the start of each sentence the parties, or necessary to the resolution of the appeal, and the Board did not analyze the scope of 656.17(f) in any depth. This could be seen as somewhat confusing to PERM practitioners. How can BALCA hold that 656.17(f) does not apply to the additional recruitment steps but then fail to address the East Tennessee en banc decision stating that the additional recruitment steps must abide by 656.17(e)? Which en banc decision governs? I think that PERM practitioners ought not to read too much into Symantec's footnote No. 4. The en banc panel in Symantec points out that recruitment must be conducted in good faith and that the Board believed that the employer had indeed done this. The Board paid much attention to the fact that the employer's additional recruitment was for multiple positions with varying requirements and that the employer had indicated the word "may" at the start of each sentence thereby indicating that not all of the requirements applied to each of the multiple positions. The Board stated that the CO

Notice of Filing. Pursuant to Auer v. Robbins, 519 U.S. 452 (1997), courts are required to give deference to an agency's interpretation of its own ambiguous regulation unless such an interpretation is clearly erroneous. By holding that 656.17(f)'s plan language is unambiguous, the DOL will not be able to take cover under Auer by interpreting its regulations willy-nilly to the detriment of employers who recruit in good faith based on the plain language of a regulation but are then snared by the DOL's different interpretation of its regulation. Auer was similarly criticized by Justice Scalia in his dissent in Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center. If the DOL desires that the additional recruitment steps conform to the requirements for the mandatory advertisements and Notice of Filing, then it ought to amend the regulation through notice and comment so that it clearly imposes such a requirement. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

Datebook

August 29, 2014

NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sat, Aug 30 • Kumar Sanu - Aashiqui Ke Liye Venue: Ritz Theater, 1148 E Jersey St, Elizabeth, NJ 07201 Time: 8:00 pm

Sun, Sep

• South Asian Theater Festival 2014 Venue: HCrossroads Theater, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick , NJ 08901 Time: 2:00 pm Contact: 201-320-4617

Sat, Sep 27 • Secaucus Navratri 2014 Venue: Meadowlands Expo Center, 355 Plaza Dr, Secaucus, NJ 07094 Time : 08:00 pm Contact: 201-921-9918

NEW YORK Upcoming

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Sun, Sep 14 • Not Out An Ageless Comedy

Fri, Aug 29 • AKKA 2014 Sponsorship

Venue: Hindu Community Centre, 143-09 Holly Ave, NY 11355 Time : 6:00 pm

Venue: San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95113 Contact: 456-546-4646

Fri, Sep 5

Thu, Sep 4 • Talk by Brother Mike George

• P. Unnikrishnan Live in Concert - Classical Venue: Hindu Temple Auditorium - Flushing, 143 - 07 Holly Avenue, New York, NY 11355 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 917-498-8261

Sat, Sep 13

• Miss Pakistan World / Mr. Pakistan World 2014 Venue: United Palace Theatre, 4140 Broadway, New York, NY 10033 Time : 06:00 pm Contact: 416-898-2016

India Post 47

on "The Immune System of the Soul".

Organized by Brahma Kumaris Silicon Valley Meditation Center Venue: Barbara Lee Senior Center, 40 N. Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas, Ca 95035 Time :6:00 pm to 8:30 pm Contact: www.bksiliconvalley.org.

Sat, Sep 06 • Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Aman Ali Khan and Ayan Ali Khan - Sanskriti Music & Dance Festival Part 2

Venue: Amador Theater, 1155 Santa Rita Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94566 Time: 5:30 pm Contact: 408-887-5948

Mon, Sep 10 • Shreya Ghoshal Live In Bay Area

Venue: San Jose City National Civic Theater, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95113 Contact: 5102008784

Sun, Sep 13 • Naari- Ladies Event

ILLINOIS Upcoming

Sat, Sep 6, 2014 • Sediq Shubab and Aryana Sayeed Live In San Francisco

• J K Yog Satsang and Bal Mukund Hindi Classes are held every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of Month

Venue: Chabot Collage, 25555 Hesperian

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

Blvd, Hayward, CA 94545 Time: 6:30 pm. Contact:510-894-5376

Sun, Sep 14 • Nothing Like Lear Vinay Pathak Venue: Carrington Hall, 1201 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 408-579-9426

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, Sep 6 • Sri Sita Rama Kalyanam Venue: Norcross High School, 5300 Spalding Dr, Norcross, GA 30092 Time: 9:00 am Contact: 404-916-9899

Sat, Sep 13 • Art Competition

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

Venue: Sneha Restaurant Banquet Hall, 1214 Apollo Way, Suite 404 B, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Timet: 5:30 pm Contact: 510-865-6274

Venue: Chattahoochee Technical College,

Contact: 678-429-7105

Mondays and Fridays

Fri, Sep 19 • Tihai 2014 Festival

Sat, Oct 04 • Navaratri Mela - 2014

• Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services

Venue: Reed L.Buffigton Visual and Performing Arts Center (Chabot College), 25555 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward, CA 94545 Timet: 6:30 pm Contact: 925-413-8875

2680 Gordy Pkwy, Marietta, GA 30066 Time: 10:00 am

Venue: Independence High School, 86 School Dr, Alpharetta, GA 30009 Contact: 404-786-7860 Time: 8:45 pm

Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

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48 India Post

scar-winning British film maker Richard Attenborough, who died on August 24 at age 90, is renowned for his critically-acclaimed biopic on Mahatma Gandhi. Lord Attenborough won an Academy Award for best director for 'Gandhi', one of many highlights of a distinguished career that spanned six decades, on both sides of the camera. One of Britain's leading actors before becoming a highly successful director, he appeared in films like 'Brighton Rock', World War II prisoner of war thriller 'The Great Escape' and later in blockbuster 'Jurassic Park' as a theme park developer. Remembered fondly also as Kriss Kringle in a remake of 'Miracle on 34th Street', but his greatest success was 'Gandhi', a film that won eight Oscars, including best picture. Paying his tribute, British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "His acting in "Brighton Rock"

the age of just 12, making his professional stage debut aged 18. He made his film debut in 1942 as a terrified warship's crewman in 'In Which We Serve'. He was appointed a CBE in 1967 and knighted just nine years later in 1976 and was made a life peer in 1993.

was brilliant, his directing of "Gandhi" was stunning - Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema." Along with his naturalist brother David Attenborough, Lord Attenborough was one of Britain's best-known screen celebrities. One of the original West End cast for the stage play 'The Mousetrap', he started acting at

Films and Indian's National Film Development Corp., Attenborough had financing in hand by the end of the 1970s. He passed on several prominent actors such as Alec Guinness and Dustin Hoffman to cast a highly regarded Royal Shakespeare Company actor, Ben Kingsley, who was part Indian. The film copped eight Oscars,

August 29, 2014

Richard Attenborough

The hurdles To produce Gandhi, Attenborough struggled for 20 years and redoubled his efforts only after David Lean abandoned a similar project. He turned down an offer to be associate director of Britain's National Theater, mortgaged his house, sold his cars, pawned his paintings, took on a number of subpar roles in films such as "Brannigan," "Rosebud" and "Ten Little Indians" and made a poor directing choice in "Magic" for producer Joseph E. Levine, basically done as a favor to interest Levine in financing "Gandhi." With the help of Goldcrest

He had to face a plea in Bombay high court seeking an injunction, endure allegations of racial bias raised in Rajya Sabha. More than 20 well-known Indian filmmakers, including Kumar Shahani, Muzaffar Ali, Basu Chatterjee, MS Sathyu, Girish Karnad and Saeed Mirza wrote to the then I&B minister criticizing the government decision to finance the film. including two for Attenborough as best director and for producing the best picture. Attenborough detailed his struggle to make the film in a book, "In Search of Gandhi," published in 1982.

Objection from Morarji When he sought permission to shoot scenes relating to last days of Kasturba spent at the famous Aga Khan palace in Pune, he had to overcome an objection raised by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Cont'd on Page 49

August 29, 2014

India Post 49 www.indiapost.com

Akshay takes up ice bucket challenge India Post News Service

kshay Kumar gracefully accepted the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' as he was soaked by 11 contestants on his show 'Dare to Dance' which he is currently filming. Akshay, who was nominated by fellow actor Riteish Deshmukh for the challenge, that is sweeping across Hollywood, stood in the windy part of Cape Town, South Africa, in 8 degrees Celsius, as he was drenched in 11 buckets of ice. The brave challenge, which originated in the US, and raises funds and spreads awareness of the degenerative disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) involves pouring a freezing cold

Akshay Kumar Ice Bucket Challenge

bucket of ice water over the nominated person's head and then posting the video across social media. The person nominated then has to nominate three others and

complete the challenge in 24 hours or donate $100 to any charity working for neurodegenerative disorders. Akshay, who although completed the challenge within 24 hours, did not post the video on Youtube in time due to network connectivity issues and generously donated $100 to charity for the global cause. His other nominees included his wives, Twinkle Khanna, Johnny Lever and Salman Khan to complete the task within 24 hours. The challenge, was started in India by tennis player Sania Mirza who then nominated actor Riteish Deshmukh. Deshmukh in turn nominated his friends Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra, Abhishek Bachchan, Ashish Chowdhry and Pulkit Samrat to complete the challenge within 24 hours.

20-year struggle to make 'Gandhi' Cont'd from Page 48

Recalling this, Shobhana Ranade, the then secretary of Gandhi National Memorial Society (GNMS) trust, caretaker of the Aga Khan palace premises, told PTI, "Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, a known Gandhian, was chairman of GNMS when Attenborough's unit sought permission to shoot in the precincts of the palace which also has a 'samadhi' of Kasturba (wife of Mahatma Gandhi) who spent her last days there." "Why do we need a 'nakli' (fake) Gandhi to portray the Mahatma," he was quoted as saying by the 90-year-old Ranade, explaining Morarji's objection to the idea of a Britisher (Ben Kingsley) playing Gandhi. Finally, a permission was granted after much deliberation and Attenborough was told about "Do's and Don'ts" for his ten-day shoot at the historic Aga Khan palace, located on the city's eastern outskirts, which was also a witness to an imprisonment of Gandhi at Yeravada prison here during the freedom struggle.

"We told him that consumption of alcohol and non vegetarian food is strictly prohibited on the premises and the trustees had a zero tolerance policy towards those who violate these norms," Ranade said, adding that Attenborough, who was accompanied by his wife Sheila, accepted all their conditions whole-

"Why do we need a 'nakli' (fake) Gandhi to portray the Mahatma," he was quoted as saying by the 90-year-old Ranade, explaining Morarji's objection to the idea of a Britisher (Ben Kingsley) playing Gandhi. heartedly and graciously. "He used to call me whenever they took their food during the shoots, playfully asking to inspect

the stuff to ensure there was no alcohol or meat," she reminisced. Citing an instance of Attenborough's ingenuity as a director, Ranade said she saw him asking Ben Kingsley to redo a scene of a dhoti clad Gandhi climbing up stairs at least 50 times, insisting on a correct gait of a "Kathewadi Gujarati". "He was wonderful and a very warm human being, besides a great film maker. He sent me Christmas greetings every year without fail. This year I am going to miss it," she said. Noted actress Rohini Hattangadi, who played the role of Kasturba in 'Gandhi', said, "I was supposed to look frail during the last days leading to Kasturba's death. I was young when the film was shot (during 1981-82) and Sir Richard asked me to do dieting to get slimmer. I did as I was told, overcoming my pangs of hunger to get the results." "He was very helpful and always smiling and never expressed his disappointment if an actor was found wanting," she added.-PTI & agencies

A treasure trove of rare and vintage cameras NEW DELHI: For Dilish Parekh rare cameras are his "blood and heart." The Mumbai-based camera collector owns a treasure trove of rare and vintage cameras, which presently totals 4425 and is being continually expanded. He also holds a Guinness record for the largest camera collection. To mark the 175th World Photography Day, 40 cameras from Parekh's collection were displayed at an exhibition at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts here. "Still photographs keep reminding us that we are passing through history and we are reminded of the rich past through them", Union Minister of State Kiren Rijiju said after the exhibition was inaugurated. Also present was veteran photographer S Paul. The display also showcased original works from IGNCA's Henri CariterBresson Collection, which were put for public viewing after a gap of 20 years. Lines of black and white photographs taken by the iconic photojournalist during 1950s and 60s in Ahmadabad, Mathura and Jaipur among others depict everyday life of people. The collection of cameras include a Kodak Panoramic that a photographer from Gujarat used to click pictures at the first Parliament session with Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister. An aeronautic Rassi camera

which was used in the Second World War to click pictures from the airplanes during bombardment was also among the exhibits. In 2003, Parekh entered the Guinness Book of World record for the largest collection of still photography cameras when his collection totaled 2654 cameras, which comprises some of the rarest and oldest cameras.

Dilish Parekh

"I broke my own record in 2007 when my collection touched 4425", Parekh said. When asked about his hobby Parekh said, "It is in my blood and my heart." The 61-year-old said he inherited a passion for photography by acquiring cameras as a 25-year old from his father during the late 1970s and counts a Leica M3 among his first possessions.-PTI

50 India Post

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August 29, 2014

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Horoscope

52 India Post

August 29, 2014

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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

AUGUST 29TH - SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2014 (March 21 to April 20)

ou may make some big financial commitments and start arranging the finances. Mind will be relaxed and you will enjoy weekend with family and close relatives. Difficulties in career will completely evaporate. Spouse will feel better with change of diet and little medicines. Some of you may also replace one of your vehicle with a newer model. Party will be entertaining.

(September 23 to October 22)

lans are perfect and can take you towards financial freedom quickly. Any change in career at this point will be fortunate. It will be better to take advise from a trusted friend if you have any doubts. Value of the assets and stocks will appreciate considerably. Do not hesitate to try your hands at lottery. You may develop a taste for hot and spicy food.

(October 23 to November 22)

(April 21 to May 20)

ll journeys in direction East will be rewarding. Some of you may visit a nice place never visited before with family this week end. Value of your assets will grow rapidly. You will take several important decisions with calm and rational mind. You may also reap rich rewards for time spend on phone. And this could be the start of a beautiful relationship for bachelors.

lanets will bring energy back. Help from people in power and boss will make things easy in career. New opportunity will open additional door of revenue. Children will do a lot better and you will have one less tension from now and on. Great week for people in retail business. People prone to ligation should not let their guards down especially for next few weeks.

(November 23 to December 22)

(May 21 to June 20)

hances of moving to a better improves with recent developments. Stress will reduce suddenly as competition will disap pear. You will recover from any previous ailment with just the change of diet. If you let the past go, you will have several opportunities knocking at your door. Value of stocks and other assets will grow rapidly. You will hit bulls eye in first attempts.

trong Sun in ninth gives you the Midas touch. You may launch your plans with full force. Some one who was close in the past may try to comeback in your life, you have to be careful. You will spend lots of money on children. Some of you may also finalize an important business meeting. Good chance of getting small amount of money through legal channel this week.

(June 21 to July 22)

nd money will pour in from all directions. Strong Sun in second can get you money through stocks and lottery even. You may be writing a small check to a government agency. It will be better to limit the amount you drink at the party. You will start to see the positive signs of major upcoming changes in career. Mind will stay relaxed.

(December 22 to January 19)

ou may take off from work for few days to make it a long week end and travel to a nice but hot place with family. Bachelors will come across a nice and good looking person and quickly become friends. Some anxiety about career will come to an end and you will feel better. You may buy or replace some electric gadget at home. You may put some money away for rainy days.

(July 23 to August 22)

his is the right time to approach boss or a government official to seek favor. Your popularity is sky rocketing. You may buy some fine quality item for the house. Success in ongoing legal battle within your reach. You may also finalize an important trip to a comparatively warm area. Things you have been searching outside are in fact within your close circle, so look closely.

(January 20 to February 18)

elationship will keep getting stronger. Some of you will be taking a trip in direction East with family this week. It will be an expensive week and you may end up spending slight more than budget. You may ask boss to move you to another place. It will be better to dispose off recently bought and money making stocks and wait.people in business will spend more.

(August 23 to September 22)

ou will make final payment on an old debt and change strategy for the future. You will spend an evening with some famous people. Some money could go towards legal expenses also. An old friend may come up with a sound business plan. Stagnancy will force you to take a risky decision, results will be positive and instant. You may travel out of area for a party.

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

(February 19 to March 20)

ou may finally get out of a relationship not working out so well lately. Planets will help those who are seeking job for first time or looking for a change. Past efforts will pay off and your product will be appreciated and start selling. You will be helping one of your child with application to different colleges. Money wise things will start looking better.

510-886-4370 www.parashar.com

Philosophy

August 29, 2014

India Post 53

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis COLIN DRAKE

ere is an email exchange resulting from my article 'Dwell Not in the Inner Void' which advises 'being serene in the oneness of things' by correct identification as Pure Awareness, rather than trying to obtain peace by 'stopping the mind' using concentration/meditation. "Thank you Colin - I found this to be very helpful. The difference between the momentary peace coming from controlling/stilling the mind, and the greater, more lasting peace that comes from correct identification, is something I've not read elsewhere. And it quite fits in with what I've believed myself." I'm glad you found it helpful. I have noticed for some time that many seem to regard stillness of the mind (by mind control) to be more important than correct identification ... which automatically produces a mind uncluttered by self-referencing, analysis, concern etc ... And it is this pernicious thought stream that needs to end ... not all thought, some of which is very beautiful, uplifting, inspiring, euphoric etc. "Exactly - I love how you put this. I will definitely share this with friends." For, many teachers have emphasized the value of a quiet, or still, mind without elaborating on the value of this or how it is to be gained. Also many meditation tech-

PAMELA WILSON

orrow has been a constant companion for many of us, and yet we are content with the mind's interpretation of what it is. What if sorrow is not what it appears to be? What if it is a deep invitation to return to authenticity and naturalness? What if, in your heart, you know that sorrow is a sane response to the human condition of confusion and suffering? Everything in nature has a function, and depression's function is to dissolve the sense of isolation and the unnecessary defenses. We all know that when sorrow fills us, there is no escape. The depths of sorrow each one of us has experienced is so great. For some of us, there are circumstances that appear to cause sorrow and sustain it. And yet for others, we cannot trace it back to an event. In both cases, if we feel it deeply, it is too large to be ours alone. For a moment, don't touch the narrative of sorrow and notice its fathomless depths. What does this reveal? Have you ever wondered how we have the capacity to feel so deeply? How is it that we can experience the loss and disappointments of

niques are designed to forcibly still the mind by concentrating on a mantra, symbol, the breath etc â&#x20AC;Ś which has led many to believe that this was the way to still the mind's incessant chatter about one's illusory self and all of the unnecessary suffering that this entails. Further than this the value of attaining a state of 'no thought' where the mind is completely empty has been greatly overrated, if this can indeed be obtained by

the 'no thought' in which it occurs and is seen. However, the attempt to produce long periods of no thought, dwelling in the inner void, by mind control is unnecessary if the above realization has taken place and is often counter productive causing the mind to spin more violently than normal. Whereas, if self-recognition has taken place resulting in correct identification on oneself as

and the fictional self-image it concocts of oneself and others. Once this misidentification ceases then the mind is automatically restored to its rightful place as a servant, or instrument, of That - the Pure Awareness that we are and which underlies All That Is. As such, it is a wonderful power to aid in negotiating the physical world, problem solving, evaluating the data provided by the senses, contemplating the nature of Real-

Misidentification, not mind, is the problem The value of attaining a state of 'no thought' where the mind is completely empty has been greatly overrated, if this can indeed be Colin Drake

obtained by mind-control.

mind-control. That is not to say that there are not gaps between the thoughts and it is relative to this 'nothingness' that there is awareness of them. Indeed this Aware Nothingness (Pure Awareness) is the Absolute Reality, Consciousness at rest, from which all manifestation (Consciousness in motion - Cosmic Energy) arises, in which it abides and back into which it subsides! The realization of this is, in fact, the value of meditation and

Pure Awareness at the deepest level and as an instrument of That at the level of body/mind, then all (small) self-referencing and analysis ceases. This in turn results in a quiet mind untroubled by self-interest and existential anxiety as one becomes 'serene in the oneness of things'. Then the mind truly becomes the friend and not the enemy, for it is in fact a beautiful servant but a terrible master; this latter condition eventuating from identifying with the mind

ity, relating to those around us, helping the in act of creation, enjoying life etc. etc. Moreover, all of these activities are taking place in Awareness, for there is awareness of them all, and so it is a gateway through which Awareness can enjoy and experience its own manifestation - as indeed is the physical body. For more on this subject, See Colin Drake's books 'A Light Unto Your Self', and 'Awareness of Awareness - The Open Way.'

the human heart? There is so much about us that remains unseen. In our innocence, we listen to thought's interpretation of who we are and what is happening in our life. And yet in the background, there is a presence of such intelligence and wisdom that is already carrying the life we call ours. This is our natural Self. We all have played so many

What if you weren't defined by your birth date, or how others view you, or even how you view yourself? What if you were so much greater and simpler than any idea of yourself? And what if sorrow was pointing to that? Sorrow is a call, home. The human condition of dissatisfaction and depression was born of the perceived separation from our es-

ing the personality so it can function better and feel complete. This can be a lifetime process because the personality itself is imagined: it is not who we are. Like a piece of fabric, it cloaks our innocence and attempts to protect the openness within. Just check, are you really your role? As you look inside, are you aware of an aliveness that is natu-

Sorrow is a sane response to the human condition variously leading to joy and sorrow. The only thing that has remained a constant is this presence: that which is aware of the daily ups and downs Pamela Wilson

sential Self, our naturalness. At the heart of sorrow there is longing, an unquenchable hunger that we try to fill with experiences, food, love affairs and material acquisitions. Longing, when felt directly, is the invitation back to what is Real - to who we are behind our roles and personality. In the West, the focus is on fix-

Whatever you have in your mind - forget it; Whatever you have in your hand - give it; Whatever is to be your fate face it! - Abu Sa'id The sun never says to the earth, 'You owe me.' Look what happens with a love like that. It lights up the whole sky. - Hafiz I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God. - Sufi proverb IF words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears. - Al-Suhrawardi The Thing we tell of can never be found by seeking, yet only seekers find it. - Bayazid Bistami

We all have played so many roles in our lives,

roles in our lives, variously leading to joy and sorrow. The only thing that has remained a constant is this presence: that which is aware of the daily ups and downs, that which feels the emotions and all the body's sensations - and even listens to thoughts. Have you ever noticed that whatever the age of your body, you often felt much younger?

Asking good questions is half of learning. - Muhammad

rally open? Right now, all the sensations and emotions have free movement through us. One of the functions of this constant flow of emotions and thoughts is to awaken this alive intelligence to its innate capacity to soothe emotion and clarify the mind. Based in New Mexico, Pamela Wilson is one of the leading spiritual teachers in the United States.

Enlightenment must come little by little-otherwise it would overwhelm. - Idries Shah What is done for you - allow it to be done. What you must do yourself make sure you do it. - Khawwas

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August 29, 2014

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India, Myanmar focus on economic bonhomie

India Post

APARUPA BHATTACHERJEE

ndian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's four-day visit to Myanmar highlights India's intentions towards expanding the New Delhi-Naypyidaw bilateral. Swaraj, during her visit emphasized on the border cooperation and trade and investment between India and Myanmar. What were the focuses of this visit? What are the potential outcomes of these focuses vis-à-vis the future trajectory of the IndiaMyanmar relationship? Swaraj attended three multilateral forum meetings: the ASEANIndia Foreign Ministers meeting, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). She also held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, and other ASEAN and East

Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP), as opposed to the NLD.

Economic Commons The Indian External Affairs Minister in her speeches at the multilateral forums cited a new term called 'economic commons'. The term has a larger meaning, and encompasses trade, investment, connectivity and similar factors. According to Swaraj, "The economic commons in East Asia would benefit from the connectivity and infrastructure sufficiency in the region." The need for connectivity and developed infrastructure was also emphasized upon in her meetings with Myanmarese leaders. However, other important issues such as the Rohingya issue, ongoing ethnic conflicts - especially in the Shan and Kachin states - appear

The recent visit amplified the expectations of increased trade between both countries as well as of greater involvement of Indian private enterprises in Myanmar. However, it is important that India undertakes certain measures in order to live up to these expectations Asian countries. Her meetings with foreign ministers of ASEAN and other East Asian countries demonstrates India's growing thrust towards pushing its Look East Policy (LEP) to a new phase, one that called the 'Enhanced LEP' or 'Look East:3.0'. Swaraj also had the opportunity to meet the President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, and her Myanmarese counterpart, Wunna Maung Lwin. The primary discussions in these meetings were on border cooperation, economic investment and connectivity. Swaraj also met with the Speaker of the Myanmarese Upper House of the Parliament, Thura U Shwe. Interestingly, she did not meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the main opposition party, the National League of Democracy (NLD). Official statements explained this by reasoning that since Swaraj was only visiting Naipyidaw, it was not possible for her to meet the leader who lives in Yangon. However, Swaraj was expected to meet Suu Kyi, especially since the country is in preparation for the 2015 general election. It could hint India's support is towards the

to have been intentionally kept aside in her meeting with her Myanmarese counterpart. The strategy could have been that of focusing purely on economy as it is a safer subject to be discussed without affecting bilateral relations. Two issues play a significant role in the growth of New DelhiNaypyidaw trade relations: a. the trilateral highway project intended to connect India, Myanmar, and Thailand that is expected to be completed by 2016, and b. the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) initiated by India in Myanmar's Rakhine state. In 2012-13, the India-Myanmar bilateral trade stood at $1.8 billion. India's exported $532 million worth materials to Myanmar imported $1.33 billion worth materials from the country. India imports a substantial amount of pulses from Myanmar. Despite being immediate neighbors and sharing a 1600-kilometer border, the import depends on the sea routes instead of land routes owing to the lack of infrastructural

development, especially in Northeast India. Additionally, Northeast India is connected to the mainland by a narrow stretch called the Siliguri corridor; the other alternative is via Bangladesh's Chittagong port. However, Bangladesh has always used transit facility through this port as a political leverage. Therefore, India's emphasis on the KMTTP is justified. The Project will not only improve India's connectivity with Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries but also provide the former with an alternative sea route via the Kaladan River into India's northeastern state of Mizoram. Along with the development of connectivity along the border, India should also focus on the development of infrastructural facilities within the country. Improved connectivity with Myanmar through India's north-eastern states will further encourage Indian businesses to invest in Myanmar's growing economy. Indian companies such as ONGC Videsh Ltd, Jubliant Oil and Gas Pvt. Ltd, Gas (India) Ltd., etc are mostly public ventures. Improved infrastructure will lure Indian private enterprises into the Myanmarese market. Furthermore, several Indian banks such as the State Bank of India (SBI), the Bank of India and the United Bank of India have declared their plans to establish their representative offices in Myanmar. This will help boost bilateral India-Myanmar trade and investments. The recent visit amplified the expectations of increased trade between both countries as well as of greater involvement of Indian private enterprises in Myanmar. However, it is important that India undertakes certain measures in order to live up to these expectations. Time-bound completion of governmental projects is necessary. New Delhi should also provide incentives and trade concessions to private businesses' that have and that might - ventured into the Myanmarese market. It is also essential to build the people-to-people relationship that is currently lacking - as made evident via the lack of enthusiasm in the Myanmarese media vis-à-vis Swaraj's visit. Therefore, it is imperative that India focuses on these aspects in order to build its relations with Myanmar. The writer is Research Officer, SEARP, IPCS

True colors

fter long and careful consideration, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed his namesake as the Army Chief hoping that in this manner he would be able to retain influence over the Army. He was sadly mistaken. He has found to his chagrin that the man appointed by him is orchestrating the current destabilizing protests in Pakistan, led by two adversaries, Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tahreek of Tahir-ul-Qadri (PAT). According to Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistan Ambassador to America, several politicians and parties known for their close ties to Pakistan's deep state, the ISI, have announced support for the anti-Sharif protests. To add to the pressure on Sharif, the Army has escalated its border violations on the J& K border in India into full fledged bombardment. The refusal of their commanders for a flag meeting to resolve the issue shows up the Pak army in its true colors. The raison d'être of its existence is conflict. Peace, whether at the border or within Pakistan doesn't suit it. Peace sounds the death knell of the Pakistani Army. It has been at loggerheads with PM Sharif over his moves to improve relations with India. It was with great reluctance that it agreed to let Sharif go to New Delhi for the swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi. India's calling off of talks with Pakistan over its envoy meeting Kashmiri separatist has come as a god sent for Army's Sharif. It has given him the pretext to up the ante on the border. He must be hoping of killing two birds with one stone of the protest march on Islamabad, thus hoping to destabilize both India and Pakistan, bringing them to the brink and then fishing in the troubled waters thus enhancing its own influence both domestically and internationally. The Army considers coup making as its birth right. It is scandalized therefore that Nawaz Sharif has slapped a treason case against the former Army chief, President and Dictator Pervez Musharraf for having staged a coup. The Army supposedly claims first right on patriotism in Pakistan. Having one of its own then hauled up for anti-Pakistan activity is not palatable to the Army. All these reasons have combined for the Army to make a move to oust Sharif, not by a coup, but by instigating civil disobedience against him. It is well known that nothing moves in Pakistan without the consent of the Army. The Imran-Qadri jugalbandi could not have survived without the blessings of the Army. Sharif has had earlier a memorable confrontation with the Army when he sought to replace Musharraf as Army chief and was in turn ousted by Musharraf. Now Sharif has got a chance to get even with the Army. But it seems the Army has once again checkmated him by instigating civilian protests and in the process weakening him. Indeed he has gone and met the Army Chief to help control the situation. There has been strong criticism within India of the Modi government's calling off foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan by arguing that Pakistani envoys have always been talking to the separatists. Indian government's spokesperson has pointed out that no talks were taking place. As a goodwill gesture the Modi government agreed to test the waters to make the atmosphere feasible for talks. If actual dialogue had been resumed then it could be argued that the separatists were being entertained to contribute other shades of opinion to the dialogue. But this was a move to create an atmosphere for the talks. At this occasion to start talking to the separatists was a move to spoil the atmosphere for the talks. Any way no purpose would have been served to hold talks in the vitiated atmosphere of Islamabad with the government so compromised that it would not be in a position to hold a credible dialogue with protestors all over not letting the government to function.

August 29, 2014

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