Indiapost 10 04 2013

Top Stories

V O I C E

O F

I N D I A N S

W O R L D W I D E

India Post www.indiapost.com

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA

Govts within govt ruining India, says Modi

VOL 19, No. 994

October 4, 2013

50¢

Periodical Postage

U.S. PUTS INDIA AT PAR WITH CLOSEST ALLIES Obama, Manmohan summit outcome

Details on page 8

Lalu convicted in fodder scam, sent to jail

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif In New York

Manmohan trusts Sharif but will verify Details on page 10

Baba Ramdev detained for 8 hours in UK

Details on page 12

Masood gets 4 years in jail, set to lose LS seat

Details on page 13

Sikh driver in US called 'terrorist' by police

Details on page 12

Details on page 9

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to visit india

CONTENTS Bollywood -------------------------- 33 Classifieds ------------------------- 47

Details on page 18

Community Post -------------- 18-28

INDIA POST SURVEY

OBAMA CARES: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama during meeting at White House in Washington on September 27

Manmohan was not taken seriously

by Obama, Sharif?

Last week’s result

IS US manufacturers’ complaint against India valid?

YES 41%

NO 59%

Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 50-52

survey@indiapost.com This week’s question

Date Book -------------------------- 48

WASHINGTON: Taking their defense ties to a new level, India and the US have decided to undertake joint development and production of military hardware, involving transfer of high-end technology from America, a move aimed at matching Russia's co-operation with India in this field.

After the summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama at the

Oval Office the two sides issued a joint declaration on defense co-operation spelling out the principles of cooperation in this area.

In the declaration, the US expressed its support to India's full membership in the four international export control regimes that would further facilitate technology sharing.

Horoscope ------------------------- 32

Details on page 5

Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Immigration Post ------------- 44-46 Life Style ----------------------- 30-31 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 14-15 TechBiz Post ------------------- 34-35

2

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post

3

4

India Post

October 4, 2013

India Post

IndiaNewsweekly Post

www.indiapost.com The Weekly Newspaper Serving Indians Worldwide

Romesh & Sunita Japra Publishers Rajesh Verma Co-Publisher Vikram Paul President Krishan Sharma Mg Director & Joint Editor Vinod Dhawan Senior Editor Naresh Sodhi General Manager Amit Saini IT Director Ghanshyam Bisht Supervisor Graphics SAN FRANCISCO & SILICON VALLEY Vijay Thapar CPRO & Advertising Sonia Sidhu Management Analyst Deepak Chhabra Promotions Harish Kalewar Promotions Priya Nayar Bureau Chief Gregg Nuti Sales & Marketing Director Rakesh Kapoor Correspondent Ratika J. Paul Photo Journalist Neeloo Kapoor Photo Journalist Sudesh Kumari Correspondent Rama Mehra Advertising Vidya Sethuraman Correspondent Ritu Maheshwari Correspondent Sujata Singh Correspondent Raaj D. Photo Journalist LOS ANGELES Mrs Shashi Trivedi Bureau Chief J S Bedi PR & Marketing Mrs Prem Kishore Sr Correspondent Greg Heffernan Correspondent Ms Bobby Sharma Correspondent Babeeta Kaur Dhillon Correspondent Pavan Kaur Bhatia Correspondent CHICAGO Ramesh Soparawala Resident Editor A Q Siddiqui Correspondent ST. LOUIS Ashwin Patel Correspondent NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY Pinky Kaur Bureau Chief Srirekha N. Chakravarty Correspondent Nikita Japra Correspondent Sukhvinder Saini Circulation ATLANTA Sanjay Saggere Bureau Chief FLORIDA B K Madnani CANADA Firdaus Ali Correspondent BOSTON Gope Gidwani Bureau Chief

Mission Statement To empower the Indian Diaspora and make their voice strong and effective in countries of their adoption. RJ Media conglomerate offers a credible, professional and complete package of news, opinion, entertainment, networking and information.

Publisher’s Diary D

id we make enough noise about that historic phone call from President Obama to President Rouhani of Iran?

I guess: The American media was cautiously skeptical as may be expected, the academics and think tanks were overtly welcoming of the development, and the hardliners in both the US and Iran dissed it - the Americans by twittering and tweeting about their displeasure, and the Iranians by throwing shoes and rotten tomatoes at their President's motorcade on his return to Tehran from New York.

But guys I will say it was an excitingly unexpected development for world diplomacy. Taking the initiative to break a 34-year hiatus and talk directly to a head of state of Iran is indeed, a big deal and only establishes American superiority.

This phone call does not solve anything - at least not yet. There's Israel to contend with from the outside and the Republicans to contend with on the inside.

We must grant it to President Obama. I mean, he holds few diplomatic inhibitions and increasingly, I see him as a true communicator. Like, he is very clear on his conviction that Israel has as much a right to its existence as does Palestine.

In any case, President Obama has little to lose - if his overtures fail - except maybe a legacy as the "Peace President" as against what President Bush had gained as a "War President".

For Rouhani, on the other hand, it is not so much a question as to what he has got to lose, but that of how much he has to gain, especially for his people, who are reeling under crippling economic sanctions.

Unlike an average American who fears Iran, the average Iranian does not hate America. But the average American has grown weary of war. They understand the irony of what a sophisticated war would cost the country when all it takes might be a landline phone call, the least sophisticated form of communication in this day and age.

So what does it take to just pick up the phone and call someone? People in real life are closer than they appear in political rhetoric.

DETROIT Ashok B Jain, M D Bureau Chief Gurminder Singh SAN DIEGO Neelu Bhardwaj Bureau Chief SACRAMENTO Madan Sharma Bureau Chief Janak Sidhra Correspondent Upen Shukla Correspondent CENTRAL VALLEY (CA) Dr Ram Saini Bureau Chief Sheila Rogers Correspondent YUBA CITY (CA) Satnam Tatla Correspondent CAROLINAS Nalini Raja Patel Correspondent INDIA Vinod Dhawan Senior Editor & Bureau Chief NEW DELHI Vijender P Shah Graphics Jitender Singh Rawat Graphics PUNJAB Shiv Japra Bureau Chief Anil Kanwar Senior Correspondent/ Marketing DOABA, PUNJAB Romesh Kaura Correspondent HYDERABAD M Sagar Kumar Bureau Chief MUMBAI Nidhi Soparawala Correspondent Frank Fernandes Correspondent Diana Gabriel Marketing VADODARA, GUJARAT Vaidehi Patel Correspondent India Post (ISSN-1064-3868) is published weekly for $30 for 52 issues yearly by India Post, 1860 Mowry Ave # 200 Fremont, CA 94538. Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, CA and additional mailing office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the corporate headquarters: 1860 Mowry Ave # 200 Fremont, CA 94538 Copyright © 1994 Indamec, Inc. DISCLAIMER India Post assumes all advertisers to be reliable and responsible for all liability for their claimers

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

INFO-CENTER CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 1860 Mowry Ave # 200 Fremont, CA 94538 Tel: 510-797-7799, Fax: 510-790-2806; E-mail: info@indiapost.com E-SUBSCRIPTION: Vikram Paul Tel: 510-789-7520 Extn: 208; E-mail: subscribe@indiapost.com Classifieds: Tel: 510-938-8668; E-mail:classifieds@indiapost.com or Tel: 510-275-4467, E-mail: priya@indiapost.com Graphics Inquiry: Tel: 510-936-9490; E-mail: ghanshyam@indiapost.com For Editorial: Sonia Sidhu Tel: 510-797-7799; E-mail: sonia@indiapost.com

For advertisement rates call the office nearest to you: SAN FRANCISCO & SILICON VALLEY 1860 Mowry Ave # 200 Fremont, CA 94538 Tel: 510-938-8667 e-mail: nareshsodhi@gmail.com Priya Nayar: 510-579-2760 e-mail: priya@indiapost.com

LOS ANGELES

12908 Indian Lane Norwalk, CA 90650 Tel: 562-441-5511, shashi19@yahoo.com

CHICAGO

2543 W Devon Ave Chicago IL 60659 Tel: 773-973-7394; Fax: 773-973-7396; Email: sramesh@aol.com

NEW YORK

Tel: 908-338-3752 (Marketing) Tel: 732-283-4939 (Editorial) E-mail: indiapost2000@yahoo.com

NEW JERSEY

21 Longfellow st., Carteret, NJ 07008 Tel: 732-969-1114; Fax: 732-969-3735 E-mail: indiapost2000@yahoo.com

BOSTON Tel: 617-298-9200; Fax: 617-298-1104 GOPE; E-mail: ggidwani@aol.com

ATLANTA 67 Peach Tree Dr., Ste. 102, Buckhead Atlanta, GA 30309 Tel: 404-425-3021 E-mail: sanjay@eBolo.com FLORIDA 8401 West Sample Road 30, Coral Springs, Florida - 33065 TORONTO, CANADA Tel/Fax: 416-744-8610 DELHI Jin Kushal Suri Complex, 3rd Floor, 230-A, Masjid Moth, (NDSE Part-II) New Delhi - 110049 Tel: 11-26257769 / Fax: 11-46142969 E-mail:delhi@indiapost.com MUMBAI • Fernandes Mansion Tam Taloa, Bassien (W) Mumbai Tel: 09619 330159

• Diana Gabriel Ismail Building, Veer Savarkar Road Fort Mumbai 400 001 Tel: 98200 28348 E-mail: drassociates.singh@gmail.com VADODARA

• Vaidehi Patel E-mail: v_patel83@yahoo.com Tel: 011 91 98797 79976

For editorial, contact: editor@indiapost.com or call 510-797-7799

HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Scared of losing A relentless worker that he is, Shah Rukh Khan goes the extra mile to achieve success as he fears losing the top position.

Cover Story: Defense ties Taking defense ties to a new level, India and US will undertake joint development and production of military hardware

Community: Quinn to visit India Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is likely to lead a delegation to India next year to give further boost to burgeoning trade

28 1 18

Immigration: Self-defeating Provisions of the current immigration reforms bill, in particular those related to the H-1B visas, are self-defeating

Life Style: No re-makes Rishi Kapoor dismissed any plans to launch re-make of any of the old classics featuring legendary film star Raj Kapoor.

Techbiz: Big Data benefits 91 per cent of Indian businesses surveyed reported that better uses of Big Data will lead to better decision making

Travel: Dharamsala Set against the backdrop of the dramatic Dhauladhar mountains, Dharamsala is perched on the high slopes of Kangra

44 30 12 40

Cover/Top Stories

October 4, 2013

India Post

5

www.indiapost.com

US puts India at par with closest allies Obama, Manmohan summit outcome WASHINGTON: Taking their defense ties to a new level, India and the US have decided to undertake joint development and production of military hardware, involving transfer of high-end technology from America, a move aimed at matching Russia's cooperation with India in this field.

After the summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama at the Oval Office the two sides issued a joint declaration on defense co-operation spelling out the principles of cooperation in this area.

In the declaration, the US expressed its support to India's full membership in the four international export control regimes that would further facilitate technology sharing.

According to the joint declaration on defense co-operation, the US and India share common security interests and place each other at the same level as their closest partners.

"This principle will apply with respect to defense technology transfer, trade, research, co-development and co-production for defense articles and services, including the most advanced and sophisticated technology," the

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama during a delegation level meeting at White House in Washington on October 27

declaration said.

"They will work to improve licensing processes, and, where applicable, follow expedited license approval processes to facilitate this cooperation," the declaration said, adding that the US and India are also committed to protecting each other's sensitive technology and information.

A joint statement released by the two countries showcased the breadth of their cooperation as well as highlighted joint naval exercises, promised momentum on investment treaties, reaffirmed their commitment to specific energy-sector projects and counterterrorism strategies.

Among the key initiatives

Defense ties with US not at Russia's expense: India NEW YORK: Days after agreeing on joint development and production in the field of defense with the US, India has said the first-ofits-kind of initiative with America will add "more muscle" to the bilateral strategic partnership but it is not at the expense of traditional friend Russia.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the defense cooperation between India and the US has been at a lower level despite the two countries having engagement in a wide range of areas and it will be upgraded by the Defense Declaration issued after meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama.

"I think, it gives major substance to our strategic partnership," he told the PTI in an interview here about the decision under which the two countries will undertake joint development and production of defense equipment with transfer of technology from the US.

"It (joint defense declaration) gives more muscle (to India-US relationship), gives it more content, more strength and I think it gives it more traction," said Khurshid, who was part of the Indian delegation in the Summit

“Everybody knows that we have to diversify and expand.

But we do not do this at the cost of traditional friend of ours.

There is massive cooperation between India and Russia” meeting between Singh and Obama in Washington on September 27.

Noting that there are many dimensions to the India-US strategic partnership, he said, "Nuclear

co-operation is one major initiative. The defense co-operation which was substantive but at a lower level, has now been raised to a higher level, is another dimension of our strategic partnership."

The decision came against the backdrop of America's wish to "replicate" Russia in joint development of defense equipment with India like Brahmos missiles.

Asked whether this could create apprehensions among India's old defense partners like Russia, Khurshid asserted that this initiative with the US is not at the expense of those already having ties in this area.

“Everybody knows that we have to diversify and expand. But we do not do this at the cost of traditional friend of ours. There is massive co-operation between India and Russia, which continues apace," the Minister said, adding "that is not going to be affected".

He pointed out that Russia too deals with the US.-PTI

flagged in the joint statement, India particularly welcomed the U.S. offer of membership in its 'Global Entry' Trusted Traveler Network program, a scheme only offered to select countries, which will expedite the entry of approved Indian travelers at the U.S. border.

The joint statement welcomed the announcement that Indian

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and U.S. nuclear company Westinghouse had concluded a Preliminary Contract to develop a nuclear power plant in Gujarat. It also reiterated that both nations remained committed to a "full and timely implementation" of the bilateral civil nuclear agreement.-PTI

First commercial deal on civil nuclear power sealed WASHINGTON: India and the However, there was no word on US have reached the first commer- the tough nuclear liability clause cial agreement on civilian nuclear in the Indian laws over which the power, five years after a landmark US firms had strong objections. deal between the two countries There was a major uproar in was clinched.

India over the agreement because Addressing a joint media inter- of apprehensions that it entailed action after talks with Prime Min- bypassing the Civil Nuclear Liabilister Manmohan Singh, President Barack Obama disclosed that India's nuclear operator the two countries have NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corsealed the agreement. poration of India Limited) "We've made enormous progress on the and US firm Westinghouse issue of civilian nuclear have signed an agreement power, and in fact, have that will pave the way for been able to achieve just in the last few days setting up an atomic an agreement on the plant in India first commercial agreement between a US company and ity Law in place in the country by India on civilian nuclear power," waiving the operator's right to reObama said. India's nuclear opera- course with the supplier. tor NPCIL (Nuclear Power CorpoReiterating his commitment for ration of India Limited) and US strong ties, Obama said India is firm Westinghouse have signed not just a regional, but also a gloan agreement that will pave the bal power. way for setting up an atomic plant Cont’d on page 7 in India.

6

Top Stories

India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India, US eye five-fold increase in commerce WASHINGTON: Eyeing to increase two-way commerce by five times from the current level of USD 100 billion, India and the US have vowed to expeditiously address all trade and investment policy issues to remove obstacles and improve business environment in both countries.

In this context, the two sides, after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama, expressed their commitment to concluding a high-standard Bilateral Investment Treaty that will foster openness to investment, transparency and predictability, thereby supporting economic growth and job creation in both countries.

They also agreed to consider establishing a Joint Committee on Investment in Manufacturing.

"Noting that two-way trade has increased five-fold since 2001 to nearly USD 100 billion, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh agreed that there are no insurmountable impediments to bilateral trade increasing an additional

Manmohan Singh meeting the US CEOs, on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York on September 27

five-fold," a joint statement issued after the talks said.

"The leaders welcomed progress towards increased engagement by experts from both governments, underlining the need for expeditious progress to address all trade and investment policy issues of bilateral concern so as to remove obstacles and improve the business environ-

PM invites US companies to invest in India NEW YORK: Citing long-term opportunities in sectors like infrastructure and defense, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today invited US companies to invest in India while asserting that concerns about the country's growth prospects and economic policy environment are "mistaken".

Seeking to assure the foreign investors, he told US industry lead-

average of eight per cent witnessed over the last decade but expressed confidence that there will be a turnaround in the second half of the current fiscal because of steps the government has taken besides the good monsoon rainfall.

"I am aware that the business community in the US has some concerns about India's growth prospects, macroeconomic stability and the economic policy environment. Doubts have Government is committed been expressed about to "fostering an economic our sincerity in this regard. This is a misenvironment that is open, taken perception," Singh said in his openpredictable and ing statement to busitransparent" as well as ness leaders.

He said the governinvestment friendly ment is committed to "fostering an economic ers here that virtually all political environment that is open, predictparties in India have supported the able and transparent" as well as process of reforms since 1991 investment friendly. which gives confidence about the "The results of our efforts will future direction of the country's be visible in the second half of economic policies. the year. We expect stronger Singh made the remarks while growth in 2013-14 than in 2012addressing US CEOs forum soon 13. The second half of the year after his arrival here from Wash- should see a distinct turnaround, ington. partly because of the good monHe acknowledged that India's soon and partly because of the growth had slowed down and steps we have taken," he said. touched five per cent from the PTI

ment in both countries," it said.

The statement said that Obama expressed confidence that the ongoing Indian economic reforms and policy measures to liberalize India's economy would accelerate economic growth, opening greater avenues for trade and creating jobs in both countries.

In this respect, the leaders recognized in particular the role and

contribution of the Indian and US Information Technology industry and the IT enabled service industry in strengthening India-US trade and investment relations, the statement said.

The leaders also committed their officials to work toward a successful outcome at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Bali.

Committed to early pact on bilateral investment WASHINGTON: India and governments, the two leaders the US have expressed their underlined the need for expedicommitment for early conclusion tious progress to address all of a Bilateral Investment Treaty trade and investment policy isaimed at increasing investment sues of bilateral concern so as and job creation in the two coun- to remove obstacles and imtries. prove business environment in "The Leaders reaffirmed their both countries. commitment to concluding a "In this respect, both sides high-standard Bilateral Invest- agreed to consider establishing ment Treaty that will foster open- a joint committee on investment ness to investment, transpar- in manufacturing," the stateency, and predictability, and thereby support economic The treaty is expected to growth and job creation in both coun- increase regulatory stability tries," according to and reduce investor uncerthe joint statement on Prime Minister tainty, particularly during Manmohan Singh's these challenging Summit Meeting with President economic conditions Barack Obama here.

In terms of foreign direct investment (FDI), the ment said.

US is the fifth-largest investor Singh and Obama were also in India. As per official data, FDI committed to working toward a from the US between April 2000 successful outcome at the World and July 2013 totaled USD 11.49 Trade Organization ministerial billion. conference in Bali. The four-day The treaty is expected to in- ministerial is scheduled to be held crease regulatory stability and from December 3. reduce investor uncertainty, parThey discussed ways to ticularly during these challeng- strengthen bilateral efforts to ing economic conditions. promote energy efficiency, clean Welcoming the increased en- energy and address climate gagement by experts from both change.-PTI

Obama and Singh emphasized the dangers that high oil prices can pose to the global economy and the need to increase oil market transparency and emergency response collaboration, through closer coordination and bilateral dialogue.

CHIDAMBARAM TO MEET JACOB LEW Meanwhile, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his American counterpart Jacob Lew would hold the next round of India-US economic dialogue in Washington on October 13, an official announcement said.

"Lew looks forward to being joined by Chairman Bernanke to engage with Indian Finance Minister Chidambaram and (RBI) Governor (Raghuram) Rajan on the major macroeconomic and financial sector issues affecting our two economies," Lael Brainard, the Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs, told PTI. Lew will participate in the fourth annual meeting of the USIndia Economic and Financial Partnership with Chidambaram at the Department of Treasury.

The Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke would also participate in the meeting.

"In this fourth meeting of the Partnership, the Secretary (Lew) will be pressing strongly on priorities of interest to our private sector, including tax issues, and deepening collaboration on combating illicit financial activity that will make both of our economies more secure," Brainard said.

The US-India Economic and Financial Partnership has served as a platform for greater cooperation on economic issues of importance to both nations.

Both countries recognize the importance of expanding bilateral economic engagement, noting the increasing range of global macroeconomic and financial issues, including those related to illicit finance, on which the US and India cooperate. -PTI

Top Stories

October 4, 2013

India Post

7

www.indiapost.com

PM flags concerns over US immigration law changes WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told President Barack Obama that certain aspects of the proposed changes in the American immigration laws will hit Indian IT professionals, eliciting a promise from the US that concerns will be looked into.

Singh raised the issue during his three-hour discussion with Obama in Washington and said that the Indian IT sector is a major contributor to US' GDP and employment generation besides being a cementing force between the two countries and any barriers would be counter-productive.

The Prime Minister expressed concerns over the changes proposed by the US in the immigra-

tion laws. He noted that any restrictions on the movement of services will have an adverse impact on India.

The US President said the concerns will be looked into while considering changes in immigration laws.

He told Singh that the matter is still an open question and it is not going to happen in the next few months as it is still under consideration of the Congress.

The US President mentioned that immigration laws needed to be reformed to fix the gaps.

Later, addressing business leaders in New York, Singh said Indian IT companies have been the "most ardent champions" of India-US relations and barriers

would affect the perception in India about bilateral economic partnership with the US. "I would like to use this opportunity to urge you to oppose efforts to create barriers for Indian IT companies through legislative

to operate in the US market would not only affect our economy, but also the climate of opinion in India about the economic partnership with the US," Singh said.

He said that a number of taxrelated concerns of US companies

The US President said the concerns will be looked into while considering changes in immigration laws.

He told Singh that the matter is still an open question and it is not going to happen in the next few months or administrative measures," Singh said.

"The inability of IT companies

that have wholly owned subsidiaries in India have been addressed.

Singh noted that some security related restrictions on elec-

tronic imports were perceived as "disguised protectionism".

"We have put these restrictions in abeyance and will work to find more acceptable solutions that address our legitimate security needs," he said.

US India Business Council (USIBC) President Ron Somers sided with India on the concerns related to certain provisions of the immigration bill, in particular those related to the H-1B and L1 visas.

"Let's have an immigration bill that does not close our borders when we are asking India to open hers," Somers had said.

He said USIBC is taking up the case of India and Indian companies on Capitol Hill and exuded confidence that its views would be incorporated in the final version of the bill. -PTI

Obama mentions Miss America as he praises Indian Americans First commercial deal on civil WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama made a reference to the new Miss America's Indian heritage as he acknowledged the role of the community in pushing for stronger relationship between the world's two largest democracies.

"The strong people-to-people relationship makes it more important for the two governments for closer ties," Obama told reporters in a joint news conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Oval Office of the White House.

"And you know, I think all of us recognize that as the world's two largest democracies, countries that have for a very long time been invested in, you know, the

Nina Davuluri

peace and prosperity of their own people, that there is a natural convergence between the United States and India," Obama told a battery of reporters after his meeting with Singh.

"And part of that has to do with the incredible people-to-people ties that exist. You know, IndianAmericans make extraordinary contributions to the United States every single day - businessmen, scientists, academics," he said.

"Now Miss America is of Indian-American descent. I think it's a signal of how close our countries are," Obama said in his remarks. Early this month, Nina Davuluri became the first IndianAmerican ever to be crowned Miss America. -PTI

Congressman wants level-playing field for US exports in India WASHINGTON: As leaders from the two nations push for greater Indo-US economic ties, a Congressman here has introduced a new bill to ensure a levelplaying field for American manufacturing exports in India and other countries benefiting from the US trade preference programs.

The new legislation named 'Playing Fair on Trade and Innovation Act' has been introduced by the House of Representative member Lee Terry, who chairs the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee.

"Countries like India are engaged in a growing pattern of unfair and discriminatory treatment

The Playing Fair on Trade and Innovation Act would prevent the President from granting special access to the US market designed to benefit its own domestic companies at the expense of American manufacturing and jobs," Terry said in a statement after introducing the new bill on September 20.

"India recently has announced rules requiring the local production of information technology and clean energy equipment. It

has denied or revoked patents for well over a dozen innovative medicines," he added.

If passed into a law, the Playing Fair on Trade and Innovation Act would prevent the President from granting special access to the US market under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program to countries that block American exports, either by requiring products to be manufactured domestically or by failing to protect IP rights.

After introducing the bill, Terry said that the US trade preference programs have sought to economic development in nations around the world for nearly 40 years. -PTI

nuclear power sealed Cont’d from page 5

President Obama and I have worked together, I think President Obama has made an outstanding contribution to strengthening, widening and deepening of our cooperation in diverse ways," he said.

Singh said India and America are working together to build on the cooperation and widening, and deepening it in diverse directions. . "We are cooperating in expanding the frontiers of trade investment in technology. Our bilateral trade today is USD 100 billion. Investments in India are USD 80 billion. And they are growing,

Prime Minister Singh reciprocated the feelings, saying US is as an indispensable partner for India.

"India, as a significant not just regional power but world power, has worked closely with us on a whole range of issues from climate change to how we can help feed the world, alleviate poverty and deal with disease," Obama told reporters in his Oval Office following their hour-long meeting.

Praising the Prime Minister for his leadership in strengthening India-US ties, Obama said Singh Praising the Prime Minister has been a great friend for his leadership in strengthand partner to the ening India-US ties, Obama United States and to him said Singh has been a great personally.

"Across the board, friend and partner to the Prime Minister Singh has been an outstand- United States and to ing partner," Obama him personally said, adding that India continues to grow at an amazing despite the slowdown in the glorate, but obviously there are a lot bal economy," Singh said, referof people in India that are still ring to the increasing trade betrapped in poverty. tween the two sides.

He said US is a strong partner "Outside the area of trade techto help India realize that vision nology and investment, we are because if there is a strong India, exploring avenues of cooperation that is good for the world and it's in new areas like energy cooperation, clean coal technology, enultimately good for the US. In his remarks, Singh said ergy-efficient technology, coopObama has imparted a powerful eration in the field of environment, impetus to that process of the two cooperation in the field of defense countries being on the same page. and security-related, cooperation "I've always believed that In- with regard to the intelligence dia and America are indispensable gathering and counterterrorism. partners. During the time that I In all these areas, India needs the have been Prime Minister, and United States to be standing by particularly during the time that our side," Singh said. -PTI

8

India Post

Top Stories

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Govts within govt ruining India, says Modi NEW DELHI: In a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday Sept 29 accused him of committing the "sin" of insulting the Prime Minister when he was abroad and asked people to decide in the next Lok Sabha polls if the nation will be run based on the Constitution or whims of the "prince".

Addressing a huge rally - his first in the capital as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate - Modi tore into the UPA alliance alleging

BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi speaks at party Vikas Rally in New Delhi on September 29

there were "governments within the government" which was affecting the country's overall growth and development.

"The pride of the Prime Minister has been brought down by his own party. Congress party Vice President has committed the sin of disrespecting the Prime Minister," he said, referring to Gandhi's public denouncement of the ordinance on convicted lawmakers. Gandhi had termed the ordinance as "complete nonsense" and said it should be torn up and thrown away.

Modi also attacked the Prime Minister and questioned his abilities in effectively taking up India's concerns and said, "UPA coalition is headed by a sardar but is not 'asardar' (effective)."

Exhorting people to bring the 'dream team' of BJP to power in 2014, he asked them to throw out UPA which is "deeply entrenched" in corruption.

"Today the issue is whether the country will run on the whims of the prince or on the basis of the Constitution," he said, alleging that Congress leaders were "disrespecting" the Indian Constitution, Parliament, democracy and the Cabinet.

He said all political allies of UPA are running individual governments because of which nation's growth and development have been severely affected.

"There are so many governments in Delhi. There is a mother's government.

There is son's government. There is also a son-in-law's government."

"This government is mired in corruption.

Instead of finding solutions to problems, it has stopped functioning.

This government is paralyzed. The UPA government is immersed in Gandhi-bhakti. The Gandhi-bhakti refers to currency notes which they are collecting in tonnes," he alleged.

"Coalition governments are formed on arithmetic but run on chemistry. Till the chemistry matches, such government cannot do any public good. Though UPA coalition government is together, there is no coordination...because of which the country is not moving forward," he said. -PTI

October 4, 2013

Top Stories

India Post

9

www.indiapost.com

Sikh driver in US called 'terrorist' by police NEW YORK: A Sikh truck driver in the US has alleged that traffic police in Mississippi called him a "terrorist" and a county judge later humiliated him by describing his turban as "that rag."

Jagjeet Singh, 49, a trucker from California, was driving through the Mississippi State when he was pulled over for driving with a flat tyre in Pike County on January 16, according to a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and United Sikhs.

Police officers called Singh a "terrorist" and had him arrested for declining to remove his kirpan, a small, sacred sword of the Sikh faith, which Singh was lawfully wearing in accordance with his religious beliefs.

When he returned to Mississippi for his court date in Pike County, Judge Aubrey Rimes ordered him out of the courtroom because he did not like his turban calling it "that rag" -- and threatened to punish him unless he removed it, the ACLU said in a press release.

"The officers' shameful treatment of Mr. Singh was an abuse of their authority and a betrayal of the public's trust that law enforcement officials will carry out their duties free from prejudice," said Bear Atwood, legal director at the ACLU of Mississippi.

"The fact that officers may be unfamiliar with Sikhism or other minority religions does not give them license to harass and degrade members of the public who follow those faiths," Atwood said.

The letter sent to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) offi-

Take Brand India to the world: Modi to marketers MUMBAI: Urging top advertising gurus, brand strategists and managers to take "Brand India" to the world, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said here the need of the hour is to inspire and not to impress.

"We have failed to present Brand India in front of the world because of some selfcreated problems," he told a global marketing summit here.

Modi was the guest-speaker at the dinner session of the summit, organized by International Advertising Association.

Admen Piyush Pandey, Sam Balsara, brand managers Pradip Guha and Sunil Alagh, prominent banker Deepak Parekh and BJP leader Gopinath Munde were present, among others.

"India should try to inspire people rather than just impressing them," Modi said.

Noting that we as a nation lack confidence, Modi said the country had failed to market itself and its products globally.

Hailing Mahatma Gandhi as the most effective communicator, he said no other leader in the world could match up to his communication prowess. -PTI

cials demands that they provide public documents relating to Singh's detainment and arrest and urges them to implement an ongoing training program to educate officers about their responsibility to treat every person with dignity and to remain respectful of religious diversity.

Sikhs deserve the same protections as all other people of faith. No person should be harassed and discriminated against by law-enforcement and judicial officers merely because he practices a minority religion, Manmeet Singh, staff attorney for United

"The fact that officers may be unfamiliar with Sikhism or other minority religions does not give them license to harass and degrade members of the public who follow those faiths," Atwood said

Sikhs, said.

In response to an investigation by the US Department of Justice, the county revised its harassment and non- discrimination policy to explain that religious discrimination includes forcing an individual to remove religious head coverings.

The ACLU and United Sikhs said they plan to file a separate complaint with the Mississippi Judicial Commission, asking officials to investigate Judge Rimes's conduct and impose appropriate sanctions. PTI

Top Stories

10 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

PM wants to give Sharif a chance: Khurshid NEW YORK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who met Nawaz Sharif here despite strong criticism from opposition back home, wants to "trust" the new Pakistan Prime Minister and give him a chance to "walk the talk" on stopping ceasefire violations and terror activities against India.

Stating this, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid underlined that while "seeking to trust" Sharif, India will "verify" the actions on the ground before taking any step further on resuming the stalled dialogue process.

In an interview to PTI here, Khurshid said the "bacteria" of anti-India terrorism rooted in Pakistan must be eliminated whether "it is state-sponsored, state-controlled, state-mandated or stateencouraged" and should not be allowed to grow and destroy the "sapling" of "creative constructive relationship".

"Our Prime Minister wants to give him (Sharif) a chance, wants to trust him. But as he (Singh) has said we have to verify," said Khurshid while defending Singh's meeting with Sharif despite opposition BJP contending that it was not the right time as Pakistan was engaging in ceasefire violations.

Noting that Sharif has taken over as Prime Minister of Pakistan recently, he said there is a "reasonable element of hope that this discussion will not go waste and it will lead to some improvement and something concrete in the future."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, in New York on September 29

At the hour-long meeting with Sharif on the sidelines of UNGA, Singh made it clear that ending ceasefire violations on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir is a pre-condition for resumption of bilateral dialogue.

Khurshid, who was part of the Indian delegation, said Singh had "free, frank and friendly discussion" with Sharif and flagged every issue of concern, includ-

ing Mumbai attack, Jamaat-udDawa and its chief Hafiz Saeed, and LoC firing during the meeting.

Rejecting BJP's opposition to the meeting, Khurshid said, "We owe it to our nation. Trust but verify. You can turn it (the statement) around. We can verify and then trust. Now, I think, what our Prime Minister has done is that he has kept verify and trust in

Pak gives no clear assurance on terrorism NEW YORK: Pakistan has given no clear assurance towards addressing India's concerns on terrorism, instead raked up Kashmir issue and "external interference" by India in Balochistan.

"Terrorism was discussed. We are aware of your concerns on terrorism, and I think our concerns are also known to the Indian side," Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said, while briefing reporters on the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

"Prime Minister Sharif also emphasized on external interference in Baluchistan and other parts of Pakistan," Jilani said.

"I have no doubt that the meeting discussed all issues including Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

Describing Kashmir as a "very important issue", Jilani said this needs to be resolved.

"We witnessed an equal willingness on the part of the two leaders to do so in an amicable manner," he said.

Responding to questions on Hafeez Saeed and Jamaat-udDawa (JuD), Jilani refrained from giving any commitment and said that there is "willingness and commitment" on the part of both sides to discuss the terrorism issues

Responding to the allegations, Jilani said schools and other educational institutions being run

by JuD have now been taken over by provincial government of Pakistan including that of JuD and Hafeez Saeed.

Jilani described the meeting as "very positive and constructive."

Sharif, according to Jilani during the meeting, emphasized that the two countries have no option

but to sustain peaceful dialogue between the two countries.

"The leaders expressed their commitment to have better relationship between the two countries. During the meeting the two leaders also all issues and factors which have contributed to the present state of relationship between our two countries," he said.

India raised the issue of continued cross-border terrorism and the support groups like Jamaatud-Dawa led by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed get from the Pakistan government.

Responding to the allegations, Jilani said schools and other educational institutions being run by JuD have now been taken over by provincial government of Pakistan at the direction of Islamabad in compliance with the UN Security Council resolution in this regard.

He claimed that the monitoring team of the UN which had recently visited the country in its report had found nothing about Pakistan violating the UN Security Council resolution in this regard.-PTI

parallel."

He said Singh made it clear that "while we trust you (Sharif), we must continue to verify."

This is why, he said, "Our PM has chosen among various alternatives that has been suggested

by Pakistan. He has preferred his own view which is - now this should be done at the level of DGMO. And the good thing is Pakistan's acceptance."

Khurshid said a mandate has been given to the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries to "come in much closer contact, spend some time together and uncover the reason of why this has happened, try to apportion responsibility and then try to find ways and means to ensure that this don't happen again."

DGMOs, he said, are given the primary responsibility to look at past, present and future, come up with some specific recommendations and find mechanism to ensure peace and tranquility at LOC is maintained.

According to Khurshid, Sharif said that he has instructed the Interior Ministry to speed up things with regard to the trial of the 26/11 terror attack. Sharif indicated that "we need to move forward" on this issue.

On Hafeez Saeed, the mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attack, Sharif said now that they have more evidence against him, these evidences can be brought to the court.

"And that evidence will then have implications for whoever you think is involved in Mumbai. He said that of course courts have to function independent of the government, but now that you have more evidence because of judicial commission's cross examination now evidence can be utilized," Khurshid said. -PTI

Pak media terms Singh-Sharif meeting as 'minor miracle' ISLAMABAD: Pakistani media has termed the first meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif as a "minor miracle" and noted that the dialogue held amidst a tense atmosphere yielded "words" but "no action".

The News International in its editorial said the prelude to the meeting could not have been more disastrous, and that the meeting itself took place is a "minor miracle" as both sides called it useful and constructive.

The Dawn newspaper said the meeting with the "lowest expectations" was perhaps a small victory for both the nations, while the Daily Times said the intent shown by both the neighbors to continue the process of dialogue and peace negotiations was encouraging.

The Dawn editorial headlined "Words, no action", praised Singh for holding talks

despite "pressure domestically".

The News said Prime Minister Singh has "devoted much of his speech" at the United Nations General Assembly to the question of Pakistan and terrorism, calling "us an 'epicenter of terrorism' and refusing to negotiate over the status of Kashmir."

"The tense atmosphere quickly turned farcical when it was claimed that Nawaz Sharif had compared Manmohan Singh to a 'village woman' in an off-the-record meeting with journalists, although other attendees denied he said any such thing," it said.

The editorial also brought in BJP leader Narendra Modi's comments at a rally in New Delhi and said External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid "poured further fuel to the fire by blaming the Pakistan military and the ISI for not obeying PM Nawaz and for militancy in Kashmir." -PTI

Top Stories

October 4, 2013

India Post

11

www.indiapost.com

Pak must shut down terror machinery: PM UNITED NATIONS: In a hardhitting speech, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Pakistan to shut down "terrorist machinery" on its soil while making it clear that there can "never, ever" be a compromise on the territorial integrity of India of which Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part.

In his address to the UN General Assembly, he virtually rejected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's demand for resolution of the Kashmir issue on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions, saying India favored settlement of all issues on the basis of the Simla Agreement.

Earlier, Sharif had made the demand when he raked up the Kashmir issue in his speech.

"India is committed sincerely in resolving all issues with Pakistan, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through bilateral dialogue on the basis of Simla Agreement," he said. India considers the UN resolutions as outdated.

Singh said terrorism remained a grave threat to security and stability everywhere and extracts a heavy toll of innocent lives around the world.

"From Africa to Asia, we have seen several manifestations of this menace in the last few days alone," he said in an apparent reference to the twin terror attacks near Jammu that claimed 10 lives and the Kenyan mall attack.

"State-sponsored cross-border terrorism is of particular con-

Meeting with Manmohan Singh productive: Sharif ISLAMABAD: Terming his first meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as "productive", Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif said dialogue between the two countries is the only way forward in normalizing ties.

"Dialogue is the only way forward in normalizing situation between the two neighborly countries," Sharif said on his arrival at the Heathrow airport in London on his return from the US after attending the UN General Assembly.

Sharif termed his meeting with Singh as "productive and said all important issues, including Kashmir and Sir Creek, were discussed, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

"Sharif said during the meeting, he also pointed out the Indian interference in Balochistan," it added.

To a question, he said the issue of terrorism was not just limited to Pakistan but many other countries were also facing this challenge. -PTI

Sharif asks aides to explain 'dehati aurat' remark NEW YORK: The 'dehati aurat' comment attributed to him is learnt to have upset Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who in immediate damage-control, sent a message to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh that he never used such a language against him.

According to senior Pakistani officials here, Sharif directed his close aides to get in touch with Indian officials as soon as he came to know that a controversy had erupted over the purported comments.

Sharif is understood to have tasked his Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani to pass on the message to Singh on the factual position that he never used such a language against him.

It was early in the morning that Jilaini called National Security Advisor Shivshankar

Menon to explain him the Pakistani position.

According to sources, Menon told Jilaini that he has already verified the authenticity of such a statement and is aware about the factual position.

The Prime Minister too has been informed about it; Menon is believed to have told Jilani.

This came as a big relief to the Pakistani delegation and the Prime Minister Sharif.

Earlier, a Pakistani journalist who was present at the breakfast hosted by Nawaz Sharif denied that the Prime Minister had used any word like 'dehati aurat' for Singh.

He, however, said Sharif was not pleased that Singh 'complained' against Pakistan when he met US President Barack Obama in Washington.-PTI

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addresses the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York

cern to India, also on account of the fact that the epicenter of terrorism in our region is located in our neighborhood in Pakistan."

While expressing readiness to solve issues including Jammu and Kashmir through bilateral dialogue, the Prime Minister said,

"However, for progress to be made, it is imperative that the territory of Pakistan and the areas under its control are not utilized for aiding and abetting terrorism directed against India.

"It is equally important that the terrorist machinery that draws its

sustenance from Pakistan be shut down. There must be a clear understanding of the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is integral part of India and that there can never, ever, be a compromise with the unity and territorial integrity of India."-PTI The Prime Minister also underlined the need to renew the commitment, especially at the UN, for concerted, cohesive and continuing global action against terrorism.

"There can be no tolerance for states sheltering, arming, training or financing terrorists. Nor can they absolve themselves of the responsibility to prevent their territories from being used to launch acts of terrorism," Singh said.

He noted that the increasingly complex challenges to international peace and security require a new international consensus to be built, whether it is in cyber security, non proliferation or terrorism.

"We must also guard against terrorists and non-state actors gaining access to sensitive materials and technologies," Singh added. -PTI

Singh-Sharif dialogue a positive step forward: US

‘Was ousted because of peace talks with India’

WASHINGTON: The meeting Singh had met his Pakistani between the Prime Ministers of counterpart Sharif over the weekIndia and Pakistan held on the end in a closely-watched hoursidelines of the UN General As- long meeting during which he sembly in New York is a positive raised the issue of terrorism emastep forward and would improve nating from Pakistani soil and their bilateral ties, the US has said. asked Islamabad to do more to However, the Obama Adminis- curb cross-border terrorism. tration, which has been encourWhen asked to comment on the aging the two countries to resume outcome of the Singh-Sharif meettheir peace process, refrained from ing, she said, "Well, it's not for us making any public evaluation of to evaluate, but dialogue is a posithe results of the talks between tive step forward and we'll conPrime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counter- "We welcome any and all part Nawaz Sharif. high-level discussions be"We welcome any and all high-level dis- tween Pakistan and India. cussions between Pakistan and India. That That would improve their would improve their bi- bilateral relationship," State lateral relationship," State Department Department spokesperson spokesperson Jen Jen Psaki told reporters Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference. tinue to encourage that."

"As President (Barack) Obama Responding to a question on said, we share an interest with Kashmir, in particular the UN Seboth countries in seeing a peace- curity Council resolution in this ful reduction of tensions on the regard, which is being still being subcontinent, and we continue to insisted upon by Pakistan despite support, strongly, efforts by In- that the Shimla Agreement calls dia and Pakistan to improve all for bilateral resolution of the disaspects of their bilateral relations, pute, the State Department offiand we encourage further dia- cial said there has been no change logue," Psaki said. in its position on this issue.-PTI

NEW YORK: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said he was ousted from power in a military coup in 1999 because he started peace talks with India.

Sharif made these remarks in his address to the Pakistani American community here. He said he was "ousted from power" by the military leadership during his last stint as premier because he had initiated a process of peace and friendship with India.

"What mistake did I make?" he asked the audience, adding he is committed to peace with India and Afghanistan.

Sharif was ousted from power in 1999 when then army chief Pervez Musharraf led a military coup against his government after the two developed differences in the wake of the Kargil conflict.

The Pakistani leader said he believed that if there is peace in Afghanistan and India, there will be peace in Pakistan too.

In his address, Sharif is believed to have told the Pakistani American community that his government, which was voted to power with an overwhelming majority in May, favors peace and a policy of non-interference with India and Afghanistan.-PTI

Top Stories

12 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Lalu convicted in fodder scam, UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomes India-Pak talks faces disqualification RANCHI: Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad suffered a major blow when a special CBI court convicted him in a 17-yearold fodder scam case of corruption that disqualifies him from Parliament and will keep him out of electoral arena for at least six years.

Also convicted was a sitting JD(U) MP from Jahanabad Jagadish Sharma, who becomes the third MP to be disqualified in the wake of a Supreme Court judgment striking down a provision in the electoral law that deferred immediate disqualification of lawmakers on conviction.

Less than a fortnight ago, former Union Health Minister and sitting Rajya Sabha member Rasheed Masood was convicted in a corruption case and faces disqualification.

Another 43 accused, including former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, five politicians and four IAS officers, were also convicted by the court of Pravas Kumar Singh for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury.

The court fixed October three for pronouncement of sentence against Yadav, Mishra and others.

While BJP and JD (U), rivals of RJD in Bihar, welcomed the judgment, its ally Congress merely said the law has taken its course.

JD (U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a one time associate of Lalu, declined to comment on the judgment.

The RJD said they would chal-

UNITED NATIONS: UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed the talks between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan held on the sidelines of the General Assembly here as he stressed the importance of India's role in South Asia.

Ban met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and discussed regional developments in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Myanmar, stressing the importance of dialogue, inclusiveness and reconciliation, as well as India's regional role.

The UN chief "welcomed the recent talks held between India and Pakistan," a statement issued from Ban's office said.

Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh had met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif over the weekend in a closely-watched hour-long meeting during which he raised the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil and asked Islamabad to do more to curb cross-border terrorism.

Ban thanked India for its significant contribution to UN peacekeeping operations and its "generous" assistance to development of Afghan security, economic and human capacities.

He lauded India's leadership in the post-2015 development agenda, building capacity for disaster management, and in vital efforts to promote international agreement on climate change issues. -PTI

Manmohan-Sharif meeting welcome, says China

RJD leader and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, arriving at the special CBI Court

lenge the judgment while party leaders said they would discuss the strategy to steer the party in the absence of Prasad.

Accompanied by his son Tejaswi to the court, 65-year-old

Prasad declined to react to the judgment. He appeared calm while his car sped away to the Birsa Munda Central Jail located on the outskirts of Ranchi straight from the court. -PTI

BEIJING: Welcoming the meeting between prime ministers of India and Pakistan in New York, China has said it supports efforts by the two neighbors to resolve their differences through dialogue as it is critical to the region's peace and stability.

"We welcome the efforts made by the leaders of India and Pakistan to improve bilateral relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said while welcoming the meeting between

Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif.

"India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia, the improvement of their relations is critical to peace, stability and development in the region," Hong said.

"As their common neighbors and friends, China supports, as we always, efforts by India and Pakistan to solve their differences through dialogue and cooperation to achieve common development," he said.-PTI

New York meeting a futile Masood gets 4 years in jail, exercise: Geelani

set to lose LS seat

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Rasheed Masood has been sentenced to four years in jail by a Delhi court in a corruption case, becoming the first MP to lose his seat after a recent Supreme Court judgment had removed the immunity for convicted lawmakers.

67-year-old Masood, who attains the dubious distinction of being the first lawmaker to be disqualified after the July 10 Supreme Court judgment, was immediately taken into custody by the court.

Special CBI Judge J P S Malik handed down the jail term to Masood after holding him guilty of fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates to MBBS seats allotted to Tripura in medi-

cal colleges across the country from the central pool as Health Minister in the National Front government of 1990. The court

also imposed costs of Rs 60,000 on Masood.

Masood's conviction and sentencing is the first case after the Supreme Court judgment that struck down a provision in the Representation of the People Act, under which incumbent MPs and MLAs could avoid disqualification till pendency of the appeal against conviction in a higher court.

Masood was held guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC Sections 120-B(criminal conRajya Sabha member and Congress leader, spiracy), 420 (cheating) Rasheed Masood arrives to appear at Tis and 468 (forgery). -PTI Hazari court in New Delhi on October 1

SRINAGAR: Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani has termed the meeting between the Premiers of India and Pakistan in New York as a futile diplomatic exercise while the moderate separatists said it was a bold initiative.

"Unless India accepts the reality that a solution to the Kashmir issue is not possible without honoring wishes and aspirations of the people, such meeting whether held in New York or Delhi or Islamabad will yield nothing," Geelani said.

He described the meeting between Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharief in New York as a "futile diplomatic exercise".

"We did not expect a breakthrough from this meeting because unless India fulfills its promises made to Kashmiris and Pakistan demonstrates boldness with

regard to Kashmir, such meetings are formalities.

"By such meetings, the leadership of the two countries can achieve applause but there will be no change in the actual situation," Geelani, the chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat, said in a statement here.

Describing the meeting between the two Prime Ministers as a "bold initiative", the moderate Hurriyat Conference hoped the dialogue process would not remain restricted to tension along the LoC and terrorism.

"We hope the dialogue process will not be restricted to subsidiary issues like tension along the LoC and terrorism. "It is imperative to demonstrate political boldness based on ground realities for the success of the dialogue," the amalgam said. -PTI

October 4, 2013

Top Stories

India Post

13

www.indiapost.com

Baba Ramdev detained for 8 hours by UK immigration DR GAUTAM SEN

LONDON: Baba Ramdev, India's prominent Yoga guru and campaigner against corruption, was detained on arrival at London's Heathrow airport on Friday, the 20th September. He had visited the UK regularly in recent years and was the guest of honor at the celebrations for Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary. The young Asian woman immigration officer informed him he would have to wait.

When he enquired after a half hour why he was being held up, she curtly told him to remain in the detention centre, failing to recognize her famed guest. His hosts waiting outside were growing anxious and Baba Ramdev phoned to inform them he was not being allowed to enter the country. After three hours he demanded to know the reason for detention but none was forthcoming.

Persistent representations from his hosts failed to elicit any explanation from the immigration authorities. Legal representatives who arrived to offer counsel and inquire had no luck either. The Indian High Commission in London was contacted, but claimed it could not fathom why Baba Ramdev was being denied entry. It cannot be said they evinced undue interest over the issue, perhaps conscious of the Congress party's abhorrence for Baba Ramdev and all his works.

immediately, inviting Baba Ramdev to his home to discuss the situation. It is unprecedented to be invited to the home of a MP to confer about an issue raised by a member of the public.

Keith Vaz, whose wife happens to be a leading expert on immigration issues, spent several hours on the phone to the authorities involved at Heathrow, the Home Secretary as well as 10 Downing, Street, the prime minister's official residence. He berated the immigration authorities roundly and then accompanied Baba Ramdev to Heathrow airport.

The immigration authorities suddenly became receptive and acceded to Keith Vaz's demand that Baba Ramdev's passport and the seized documents be restored to him immediately. All this only took five minutes and he was granted a two-year multiple entry visa by the immigration authorities on their own initiative. Keith Vaz earned the profound gratitude of Baba Ramdev's followers and British Hindus for his huge efforts and extraordinary courtesy towards their revered saint.

It transpired that a coded notation, visible to scanners used in airports, had been imprinted in Baba Ramdev's passport by the authorities at New Delhi immigration control, as he was departing for the UK. Such a notation is reserved for terror suspects and drugs warlords and prompted an instant red alert when No doubt Baba Ramdev's Baba Ramdev arrived at support for Narendra Modi's Heathrow.

It would seem that prime ministerial the highest political aucandidature compounded thorities in New Delhi sought to disrupt Baba their rage, prompting Ramdev's travel disregard for all legal abroad, to the UK and and moral norms US, where he was participating in various Eventually, after being detained events connected to Swami for eight hours, Baba Ramdev was Vivekananda's 150th birth annivergranted temporary entry to the UK, sary. It can only be inferred that but was required to return for a they have become so fearful of his further interview the following day. campaign against corruption and His passport, the leaflets he was support for political change in Incarrying and his personal diary dia that they were prepared to sink were seized while Hindi and San- to the lowest depth imaginable. skrit translators were sought to No doubt Baba Ramdev's supscrutinize them. port for Narendra Modi's prime The timing of the immigration ministerial candidature cominterview he was required to at- pounded their rage, prompting distend coincided exactly with the regard for all legal and moral norms. commencement of the They were prepared to instigate Vivekananda birth anniversary cel- the humiliation and possible arrest ebrations. It was evident they did of a Hindu saint to perpetuate their not wish him to participate. corrupt hold on power and persist One of Baba's devotees tele- in their increasing disregard for the phoned Mr Keith Vaz, MP for Le- Indian Constitution. icester and Chair of the Home AfThe prime minister himself and fairs Parliamentary Select Commit- his patron, who has usurped potee, a position of authority pertain- litical and constitutional authority ing to official police and immigra- in India, must both be personally tion policy. He swung into action held to account for this outrage

against Hindus.

In the event, Vivekananda 150th birth anniversary celebrations in London's Hounslow Borough were

The Indian High Commission in London was contacted, but claimed it could not fathom why Baba Ramdev was being denied entry. It cannot be said they evinced undue interest a huge success. The audience was amply rewarded for their patience, having waited many hours for Baba Ramdev's presence. He delivered a pithy and thoughtful speech

when he arrived at the closing minutes of the first day's session.

Mr Venkiah Naidu also spoke at length about India and its future in the context of Swami Vivekananda's aspirations for Hindu civilization. On the following day, many speakers, from doctors to educationists and women's rights activists, delivered inspiring talks about the future for India they volunteered to help promote.

Baba Ramdev spoke at length about the situation in India, suggesting some extraordinarily useful economic solutions that any out-of-the-box policy maker should take seriously. He counseled more modest aspirations for material advancement in India since European and American standards of living would be unrealistic for Indians to expect.

He criticized the waste of resources, citing the huge land hold-

ings of the Indian railways that could be used for economic development. Such imaginative ideas for a yoga guru were a surprise! He ended by giving a ringing endorsement of Shri Narendra Modi, much to the delight of the audience!

It only remains to reiterate the sense of outrage that pervaded the event in London at the treatment meted out to Baba Ramdev at the instigation of the Indian government and its supreme authorities.

It seems that they will stop at nothing to retain political power.

Dr. Gautam Sen taught international political economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science for more than twenty years. He is currently President of the World Association of Hindu Academicians and Member of the Steering Committee of the World Hindu Economic Forum

„

Realty Tidbits

Tata likely to get 3 months' extension for Taj hotel NEW DELHI: Tata-owned Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is likely to get an extension of three months to operate Taj Mansingh hotel in posh Lutyens Bungalow Zone here after its lease expires next month.

The IHCL has been running the landmark property for past 35 years and its lease is due to expire on October 10.

The New Delhi Municipal Council, which owns the property located in the heart of the national capital on Mansingh road, is yet to come to any conclusion on auctioning the hotel as it is waiting for the Solicitor General's opinion.

NDMC sought the opinion of the Solicitor General after it got a nod from the Home Ministry for it earlier this month.

NDMC officials said the civic body is likely to extend the lease with the IHCL for operating the hotel for at least three months as it cannot reach a decision on the issue until it gets the opinion of the Solicitor General.-PTI

„ No unsold inventories in books of account, says DLF NEW DELHI: DLF Ltd, the country's largest real estate firm, has said it has no unsold inventories despite slowdown in the property market as the company mostly sells flats before the start of construction of projects.

"We have always followed the model where we sell the project before we start construction and this approach ensures that we do not have an inventory of flats," DLF Group Executive Director Rajeev Talwar said.

DLF said the Rs 17,645 crore mentioned in the books of accounts under head 'Inventories' represents mainly cost of land and plots, construction and development material. -PTI

Real Estate 14

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

Multi-crop land acquisition should be the last resort: Ramesh CHANDIGARH: The Centre has said it is up to the states how much multi-crop irrigated land they could acquire for urban and industrial infrastructure, but noted "it should be the last resort".

Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Kerala had expressed concerns that urbanisation and industrialization process in their states would be adversely affected if acquisition of multi-crop irrigated land under the new land acquisition law was not allowed as multi-crop irrigated land is the major portion in their states, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said here. -PTI

How to sell your home & buy another at the same time DEIDRE WOOLLARD

B

eing a move-up buyer can be tough in today's market. Although deals are closing rapidly, there's no guarantee that your new dream home will close at the same time as your old dream home. Selling and buying at the same time is a delicate dance, but it is doable. There are a few ways to pursue this plan: 1. Sell first, then buy. This is perhaps the safest plan, but it calls for multiple moves. In this scenario, you list your home and complete the transaction before purchasing another home. When you sell your home, you put the bulk of your belongings in storage and live in a temporary rental or, if possible, enter into a rent-back deal with your home's new owner. The advantage of this method is that you know exactly how much you can spend on a new home, and you don't have to worry about temporary financing. Also, without another home waiting in the wings, you'll be less tempted to drop the price or to take the first offer that is below the asking price.

The disadvantage is that it is a disruptive experience, and you could be displaced for a while if you are home-shopping for a long time.

2. Buy first, then sell. This strategy minimizes disruption. You can move into your new place at your leisure and then take time to prepare your home for sale. The major disadvantage is that, depending on how fast your old home sells, you could be shouldering the burden of two mortgages for

some time. You are also responsible for maintenance and security on the vacant home. This scenario works best if your first home is already paid off.

A variation of this plan is to buy a new home with the plan to rent out the old one for a year. This

to know that if your timing is off, you will face one of the two scenarios listed above. The trickiest bit can be timing the financial burden. One option is bridge financing. This enables you to own two homes for a short amount of time.

To do this, you need to either

buys you some time with money coming in, but being a landlord comes with its own stresses and responsibilities. You may also need to repair or renovate the home after it has served as a rental.

3. Buy and sell simultaneously.

To execute this plan, you need to prepare for all contingencies and

borrow money from family or obtain a short-term loan from a bank or other lending institution to span the time period between when you close on your new home and sell your old one. In essence, you are getting a short-term homeequity loan, also known as a HELOC, a Home Equity Line of

Credit, on your present house and using it as a down payment on your new house. You then repay the loan when you sell your first home. It is not easy to qualify for a conventional bridge loan, since you have to demonstrate that you have enough money to pay for both mortgages for an indefinite period of time.

Experts advise applying for the HELOC well before you buy a new house. That way most of the credit on the line is unused until you actually need it. Lenders don't like a HELOC that works only for a very short time, and it's a challenge to get a HELOC if your present home is on the market.

Try to schedule the closing date on the sale of your old home after the closing date on the home you buy. In this way, you can stay in your present home until you move into your new home. Otherwise, you can attempt to negotiate a rent-back arrangement.

There is no right answer in choosing any of these scenarios.

Your Realtor may be able to advise which is best, depending on the local market. However, much depends on your financial stability, as well as your tolerance for risk or disruption.

Land acquisition bill to be notified in two months: Ramesh MUMBAI: The new land acquisition law, replacing a 119-year-old "colonial" and "anti-democratic" legislation, will be notified in the next two months, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has said.

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2013, passed by Parliament during the Monsoon Session, has also received the President's assent.

The bill will come into effect once the notification is issued in next two months providing for just and fair compensation to farmers while ensuring that no

land could be acquired forcibly, Ramesh told a press conference here.

He said the new land acquisition law will go a long way in addressing concerns of farmers and tribals as a new clause on resettlement and rehabilitation has been introduced for the first time in the original Act of 1894.

"It (the Act) has come at a right time. There had been disappointment among farmers...protests were seen throughout the country (against unjustified land acquisition). These protests will cease to exist provided the new law is implemented sincerely," he said, dubbing the previous Land

Acquisition Act as "colonial" and "anti-democratic".

All state governments are free to enact their own land acquisition laws, but they cannot undermine the law enacted by the Centre, the minister said.

"Law enacted by the Centre has established a broad basis.

States can add to this new law but cannot undermine it. For the first time, a clause ensuring resettlement and rehabilitation is introduced in the new Act," he said.

Ramesh said the earlier Act had been misused frequently since most of the states acquired more than required land for various purposes. -PTI

October 4, 2013

Real Estate Post

India Post 15

www.indiapost.com

Luxury to drive retail growth, but infra may spoil party MUMBAI: The fast growth in India's luxury retail space will push up the total retail market size to USD 650 billion by 2017, a report said but it warned lack of quality real estate may put spanners in this expansion.

In a report titled 'Luxury retail: Evolution and future prospects', property consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) said India's total retail market is expected to exceed USD 650 billion by 2017 from USD 450 billion in 2013, which excludes online retailing.

"With the introduction of much-awaited reforms like FDI in multi-brand retail and progressive amendments, the country is expected to emerge as an attractive destination for global retailers," it said.

Over 50 per cent of the total income in India is earned by the top 20 per cent of the population and their monthly expenditure is twice that of the next lower bracket. By FY'17, this population bracket's earnings will increase by about 10 per cent and they will control 60 per cent of the income, the report maintained.

"Given that over the years, exposure, availability and enhanced spending capacities have created a noticeable demand for luxury goods, the scope for luxury retailers,

including international ones, is expected to increase exponentially."

To meet the requirements of a host of incoming global retailers, more high-end malls catering to luxury retailers are expected to come up, C&W said.

"The luxury retail sector is not hit by the ongoing slowdown. Rather it has prospered indicating that the luxury industry is on a rising curve."

However, quality real estate, logistics and poor infrastructure, coupled with issues surrounding FDI rules and taxation, are some of the roadblocks in growth of the sector, which also faces lack of trained manpower, the report said.

Availability of quality retail space is limited to just a few cities and that too in very small percentage, it noted.

"This shortage of good quality supply will result in price rise for luxury retail. Therefore, there is a need for rapid transformation of retail real estate in terms of availability and quality." -PTI

16 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post 17

Desi News Miracles of Krishna - Spectacular show in Bay Area VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

LOS ALTOS, CA: Sri Krishna Leela dance ballet was yet another cap for Srimati Sneha Vivek, head of the Natya Ninada and a disciple of Guru Vidwan Chandrashekar Navada. The ultimate dream of producing the exciting dance production, "Krishna Leela" for Bay Area has become a reality, says Vivek, Sneha's husband and organizer.

Spectacular Krishna Leela dance ballet was performed on Sept 28 at The SmithWick Theater, Foothill College, Los Altos, CA. "Karnataka Kalashri" Vidwan Chandrashekar Navada with his eight talented Bharatanatyam artists from India with Smt. Sneha Vivek and her trained team of artists delivered an evening of true delight.

Details on page 27

Gautam Khanna wins Chicago Indian Icon crown Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: With 211 contestants from Chicagoland participating in the first ever Chicago Indian Icon Karaoke competition, the finale at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows on Saturday, Sept 21 was destined for grand success and all those present at the event with one voice gave it a big Thumbs Up. The event was monitored and managed exceedingly well by a five-person team of Indian Events Management (IEM).

This historic, prestigious title and trophy went to Gautam Khanna.

Details on page 20

MAFS raises $75000 for its activities for seniors ASIAN MEDIA & NAZNEEN BEGUM

SCHAUMBURG: Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS) annual fundraiser at India House in Schaumburg could not have notched more success than what was planned and expected by the management for months to raise funds for its seniorservice activities.

With huge attendance and highly entertaining programs (dance, magic show and fashion displays), MAFS raised $75,000 to bridge gaps in State, Federal and local funding for its programs for seniors.

Details on page 23

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Anna Hazare honors Anu Peshawaria for service to community Details on page 26

18 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

Illinois Gov Quinn & Mayor Emanuel to visit india RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is likely to lead a delegation to India after his election next year with a view to giving further boost to burgeoning trade between Illinois and India in the past few years.

Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed, said that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was also considering paying a visit to India in foreseeable further in order to further cement Sister City relations with New Delhi. Besides cultural exchange an improvement in trade relations is also on the agenda, he said here.

Sharing this information at the press meet at Consulate office in Chicago, Dr Sayeed said that closer business ties between India and the Midwest region, which is under his jurisdiction, would be one of the primary areas he would focus on as India has emerged a major trading partner not only with USA at large but Chicago, Illinois and Midwest too. Illinois ranked 7th among the 50 US States for imports from India and 7th in exports, showing a 40% increase It is interesting to note that the exports from India to Illinois boomed to $590 million for the periods ending June 2013 while the imports from Illinois were at $367 million. The figures for Midwest are still more impressive and the Consulate is seeking to give a further boost in coming years, Dr Sayeed said. He was accompanied by two colleagues Consuls NJ Gangte and Devashis Banerjee.

Dr Sayeed informed that his purpose of hosting this meet was to appraise the media about the working of Consulate, its volume of work, limitations and also get a feel of the grievances and problems faced by members of the Indian community in general with a view to have them addressed to properly. The press briefing was well attended and the media got away with the impression that the new CG is serious in understanding the problems and was keen to

have them resolved amicably.

A suggestion to have frequent town hall type meetings was well received by the CG. He sought cooperation from local community organizations to get them organized to reach out to the public and try to explain rules and

staff still managed to handle the job efficiently. The following indicated the CG office workload: Number of Visas Issued: 2012 45,357; 2013 (up to 24th Sep) 30,427 Number of OCI Cards Issued: 2012 - 11,367; 2013 (up to 24th Sep)

of Will; Attestation of Documents; Attestation of Death Documents; Birth Certificate or Non-availability of Birth Certificate; Commercial Documents; Affidavit for Child Support to be issued in India; Academic Qualification Equivalence; Certificate; NRI Certificate; Certifi-

Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed (center) flanked by NJ Gangte to his right and Devashis Banerjee to his left

changes the in issuance of Visa, PIO and OCI cards. He also appraised about services rendered

by CG Office and time taken/required for each issue and reason for the same, and assured he would continuously try to reduce period of action to the minimum possible, barring certain formali-

- 5,620 Number of Passports Issued: 2012 - 1830; 2013 (up to 24th Sep) - 1304 Number of PIO Cards Issued: 2012 - 4957; 2013 (up to 24th Sep) - 3292 Number of miscellaneous services Issued: 2012 - 11164; 2013

Exports from India to Illinois boomed to $590 million for the periods ending June 2013 while the imports from Illinois were at $367 million. The figures for Midwest are still more impressive and the Consulate is seeking to give a further boost in coming years ties that need clearance from New Delhi. There were many problems and incidents were cited related to Visa and other services delegated to new agency BLS. The CG assured that his office would try to address them.

He furnished data to show that the Consulate was relatively speaking quite burdened but its

(up to 24th Sep) - 8927 Consular Services include: Visa; PIO card; OCI card; Renunciation of India Citizenship/Surrender Certificate; Passport Related Services; Miscellaneous Services; Life Certificate; Marriage Certificate; No Obligation Letter for Child Adoption; Power of Attorney; Birth; Change; Attestation

cate; No; Statement of Need; Emergency Certificate.

In a talk to the Media, he indicated that the Consulate has installed emergency number 312 780 9801 to facilitate getting visa on emergency basis for traveling to India. Dr Sayeed also laid emphasis on promoting cultural ties and academic faculties' exchanges. A suggestion to get here the Indian Heritage Exhibition - Beyond Hollywood being organized by Smithsonian Museum in New York was readily accepted.

A product of Osmania University with Master of Science and Ph.D. in Geology under his belt, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, is an acclaimed author with three books to his credit. He came to Chicago succeeding Ms Mukta Tomar after a three year stint as Indian Ambassador in Yemen. He has handled different areas of work in his 24 years of diplomatic service. He has held various diplomatic assignments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Denmark, besides serving as the Regional Passport Officer in Hyderabad.

Community Across America

October 4, 2013

India Post 19

www.indiapost.com

Quinn proclaims Swami Vivekananda Day in Illinois SURENDRA ULLAL & RAMESH SOPARAWALA

CHICAGO: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed Saturday September 28 as Swami Vivekananda Day in Illinois to mark the celebration of 150th birth anniversary of this great spiritual leader from India who came, who saw and who conquered America a century ago.

The Proclamation that acknowledged Swami Vivekananda as a great scholar and a person committed to making the world a better place to live and creating a world without borders, was a great morale booster for the State-wide celebrations of his birth anniversary. He the taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance of all religions as true. This stands in sharp contrast to the present day intolerance and killings of innocent people in name of religion.

The Proclamation also stands in sharp contrast with the intolerance displayed by a group of people who allegedly sought to torpedo the Chicago celebrations by hook or crook and

before clearance was given thru intervention by an MP in UK Parliament.

The huge delay, it is reported, is triggered by a sort of "Red Alert" that is usually marked for the person with terrorist connections or links. In a talk to this paper, Baba said that he repeatedly made it clear to the Immigration authorities that he had nothing to hide nor was he carrying anything that could remotely get connected to terrorism. He had nothing but a Jhola and his Langoti.

In USA, nothing untoward happened although a smear campaign was unleashed that sought to link Swami's Birth anniversary celebration with one religion or with one organization that had religious affiliation. In fact, this was not true as two dozen organizations pooled their resources together to host the celebrations.

The members of the Indian community were also surprised and piqued that Indian Consul

Lamp Lighting at Chicago Art Institute where Swami Vivekananda delivered the historic address

a visit of two Federal Ministers upset the applecart.

When pointed out that the visits of Ministers or delegations are planned in advance and are not an eleventh hour affair, he said that this time the notice was sudden. Besides, participation by an Indian political figure gave a different color to the meet and hence, he chose to stay out.

To a question if deputing one of the Consuls would not have been appropriate, he said that nobody from the organizing group sought or suggested it. Nand Kapoor, a former president of AIA, said that the London episode and CG's absence at the main event are indeed disturbing and need to be

pursued.

Meanwhile, the two days celebrations - September 28 at Meadows Club and the other on September 29 at Art Institute of Chicago and later on at Bartlett Jain temple - turned out to be a huge success with a sizeable participation from first and second generation Indian Americans. The event at Meadows club attracted over 500 participants while that at Bartlett (which was an all day affair) had an array of speakers from different organizations - social and religious who wholeheartedly subscribed to the theme of World Without Borders.

The attendance was over 700 people. Even the lamp lighting ceremony at Chicago Art Institute early in the morning was attended by 250 plus saints from across India and local elites.

The Chicago Art Institute event had special significance in

that it was in the month of September 130 years ago that Swami Vivekananda preached universal brotherhood and Vasudha Aive Kutumbak philosophy by addressing the huge gathering with a novel and unique salutation 'My Brothers and Sisters of America.' The event was live broadcast on Aaj Tak, Z TV, TV Asia and a few other leading channels.

It was done for the first time and the credit should go to the organizing team led by Dr S Sheth, Harendra Mangrola, Vinesh Virani, Vandana Jhingan, J Dibvenkar, Nirav Patel and others. All of them however acknowledged the "untiring efforts

by Art Institute officials like Robert Hudson and one of his colleagues Kevin Lunt. More news and event details would be run in the next week issue of India Post.

Governor Quinn's Proclamation

means at their command.

It is alleged that efforts were made by an interested group to derail Baba Ramdev's coming to Chicago through subtle maneuvering that would either deny or delay his arrival to Chicago via London. He was delayed for nearly nine hours at the airport

General, who had earlier promised to attend the celebrations at Meadows Club on Friday September 28, did not show up. This became a talk of the town as it was not easily explicable Talking to a correspondent, CG Dr Ausuf Sayeed sought to explain this away by saying that

Art Institute of Chicago overflowed with attendees during celebrations of 150th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda

Community Across America

20 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Gautam Khanna wins Chicago Indian Icon crown Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: With 211 contestants from Chicagoland participating in the first ever Chicago Indian Icon Karaoke competition, the finale at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows on Saturday, Sept 21 was destined for grand success and all those present at the event with one voice gave it a big Thumbs Up. The event was monitored and managed exceedingly well by a five-person team of Indian Events Management (IEM).

This historic, prestigious title and trophy went to Gautam Khanna.

Captivating everyone's attention at the grand finale was Shekhar Suman, a multi-talented personality, known as the 'Badshah of TV' who lost no time in connecting with both the audience and the

of IEM, explained how the passion for music motivated the four partners to plan the project. "But we only came up with a sketch. Brij Sharma's vision to promote our culture and will to support the project was a big push and motivation", she said.

All the contestants had planned a scene that consisted of either classical or contemporary dance to add 'Wow factor' to their song performances. Natasha Trikha, winner in her category sang 'Kabhi Sham Dhale" and had an awesome team of friends who presented a dance in which she also participated. Nipa Shah presented 'Mere Dholna' along with beautiful Bharatnatyam dancer creating the scene from the movie. A few contestants had brought beautiful young Kathak performers to enhance the song performance.

The IEM Team Brij Sharma (President), Pratibha Jairath (VP), Sharan Walia (Director Planning), Raju Bankapur (Director Entertainment), Anoop Walia (Director Public Relations)

Shekhar Suman and winner Gautam Khanna with Indian Icon Team

performers alike and took the entire event to the next level that many will cherish for years to come.

The program commenced with traditional Diya Lighting ceremony by IEM team and the esteemed Judges Pt Ronu Majumdar, Kalyan Pathak and Hitesh Master. Welcoming all those present IEM president Brij Sharma announced his plans for the Indian American edition in 2014 and urged the participants as well as members of the audience "to keep the spirit of Indian music alive, and continue to instill our culture in the younger generation".

Having Pandit Ronu Majumdar of Grammy Awards fame as a celebrity judge was another feather in the Chicago Indian Icon crown.

The participants felt proud to perform in front of him and looked forward to his divine Bansuri performance.

Pratibha Jairath, Vice President

Suraj Patnaik was the winner in his category and did a beautiful job

The auditorium witnessed the outstanding performance of

Senria Nath winner in under 12 category

with 'Laga Chunri Mein Daag', once again accompanied by a young Bharatnataym dancer.

SUBSCRIBE TO INDIA POST E-PAPER Mail to: subscribe@indiapost.com or login to http://www.indiapost.com/subscribe/

Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Hitesh Master and Kalyan Pathak, while the flute notes mingled with the drum beats and keyboard echoed against the walls. End of every stanza was a beginning of another one, giving goosebumps to the speechless audience while they raised their eyebrows in apprecia-

tion.

The constructive feedback from the esteemed judges was appreciated by participants and audience. The participants were elated to hear positive comments.

One such unforgettable moment was felt when Praveen Jaligama sang "Bheegi Bheegi Raaten' and Ronu Ji commented "It was better than original".

Senria Nath (Winner in the category), Nitya Nair and Priyanka Khanna (Under 12 category contestants) stole the heart of audience with their performance.

There were a few special awards namely, Shining Star award to Shreya Addanki, Community Service award to Shaila Khedkar and

this caliber of judges", he said.

Anoop Walia was happy to see that contestants were actually performing, not just singing. "That adds another dimension to the song", he said.

Sharan Walia explained voting instructions to all the audience urging "Remember to be fair, the contestants have worked hard and need your honest votes".

The professionally set up stage with the backdrop of images of the legendary Hindi music icons, high tech cameras to capture and broadcast the event, excellent sound system and sound engineers were a few elements that contributed to high level of the show.

Pt Ronu Majmudar (center) being honored

Artistic Creativity award to Nehali Dhutia. DJ Excellence award to Sahaj Shah was accepted by his father Sunil Shah.

Raju Bankapur (known as the Kishore Kumar of Chicago) and his team were at their best in program execution. "Contestants feel proud and happy to be judged by

It was a historic karaoke night where one listened to some of the finest voices of all age groups and contestants from various parts of United States who flew in to Chicago to be part of this event.

But, the truth of the matter is, every participant was a musical winner!

October 4, 2013

Community Across America

India Post 21

www.indiapost.com

Hindi Kavi Manch to be launched on Oct 15 RAMESH SOPARAWALA & ASIAN MEDIA USA

CHICAGO: Brainchild of former president of Hindi Lovers Club (HLC) Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, the Hindi Kavi Manch will have its first meeting on Tuesday October 15 in Arlington Heights.

The start will be at the residence of one of the HLC members, Kamal

Gupta and all the local Kavis who would like to participate either for reciting their poems or listening to the work of other poets are invited to attend this event and give a boost to HLC bid to promote the Indian national language in this part of the world, says Gurbachan

Hindi Lovers Club team with supporters and guests. Pics Asian Media USA

Kaur.

In a talk to this paper, Kaur said that the response is really good as over 10 local Kavis have agreed to come to the event and recite their poems while many more are expected to be present to encourage them. "We plan moving to a bigger space for our once a month meeting once we garner a consistent and good response," she said.

Hindi Diwas

HLC had earlier celebrated Hindi Diwas Day and 150th Anniversary of Swami Vivekanand on 15 Sept at Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove, a southwest suburb of Chicago, with Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed as the Chief Guest.

Interestingly, it was on September 14 that India officially announced Hindi as its national language and Hindi Lovers Club has

been celebrating this declaration annually as Hindi Diwas for the past few years.

Vinita Gulabani, President of the Club, welcomed guests and in her unique poetic style introduced Jassi Parmar and Ankit Mahajan as MCs of the evening. To their great credit, they did the job gracefully.

Cont’d on page 22

Community Across America

22 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Seniors make merry at New Jersey event SUDHIR VYAS

EDISON: Senior citizens made merry at the three-day event organized by the Indo American Seniors Organization of New Jersey (IASONJ) as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations at the Royal Albert's Palace here from September 27-29. The event was aptly named as `Anandutsav'. This was the first ever event for senior citizens of this magnitude held anywhere in the USA. They had everything they could ask for. There was music, dance, entertainment, educational seminars, excellent food and lots to talk about their lifestyle, their problems

man and founder of Patel Cash and Carry chain of Indian grocery stores across United States, was one of the main sponsors of the event. He too was felicitated by the organizers. He called upon the audience to keep supporting the work he was doing.

Indian and American elected officials, including Edison Mayor Toni Ricigliano, remained present as a mark of solidarity for the Indian community and the seniors in particular.

The event will go down memory lane for a number of reasons. It was extremely well ex-

Students of the Indianica Dance Academy performed dance numbers including one on `Sare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Hamara' and other one a traditional Garba based on famous Gujarati folk songs. Their performances were well appreciated by the audience.

Another performance was an evening with Suma Nair, the voice of legendary Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar. Incidentally September 28 was also the birthday of Lataji and Suma made the most of it by rendering some of the memorable numbers sung by Lata during her long Bollywood career.

The organizers had also made provision for a musical night with Barba and Party which had come all the way from India for their entertainment, besides an evening with well-known singer Rex D'Souza. Natwer Thakkar of 999 Entertainment played a key role in the success of the musical events presented

by IASONJ. IASONJ has over 3300 mem(L-R) President of IASONJ Raman Shah, Edison Mayor Toni Ricigliano, Piyush Patel, Mafat Patel, bers in New Jersey NJ Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula and other community leaders at the 10th anniversary alone. The organicelebration of the IASONJ zation made a and issues during the three days ecuted, well organized and fun- humble beginning with just 29 that they stayed together and en- filled. The seniors enjoyed to the members in 2003 and has now joyed. fullest extent and according to turned into a giant organization and It must be said to the credit to Raman Shah, president of IASONJ, is presently one of the most influthe President of IASONJ, Raman "my aim to make the seniors happy ential seniors group in the United Shah to have put together a pro- has been fulfilled and I have States. It aims to provide various gram of this magnitude which went achieved my goal". Part of the benefits and services to its memabout flawlessly. It was a thought- credit for the success of this event bers and at the same time tries to fully carved out event and every- also goes to Rajesh and Usha uphold Indian values and culture. one had something to take back Shah and also Mukesh Kashiwala The organization has held its as fond remembrance from the and the entire team of IASONJ annual picnic, health camps which event. who worked tirelessly to ensure have benefited many of the memProbably for the first time, Jain that there were no glitches during bers, and also various cultural proMuni Acharya Lokesh Muniji and after the event at the Royal grams to help them overcome the graced the event on the opening Albert's Palace. boredom in their life. One of the day and blessed the event. He As part of giving back to the pet projects, Ramanbhai, president called upon the audience to preach seniors from whom we have learnt IASONJ, mentioned is to organize peace, happiness and brother- so much and took inspiration, the foreign tours for the seniors which hood amongst humanity. event also felicitated senior citi- gives them the benefit of seeing The chairman of the organiza- zens over the age of 75 as part of the world. Their special needs are tion, Piyush Patel in his address their Vadil Vandana program. The looked after while they enjoy the called upon the seniors to help in three-day event also held educa- tourist's spots around the world. keeping our tradition and culture tional seminars on healthcare, re- According to Ramanbhai "my next intact. He said it was time for all of tirement planning, social security, project is to construct a big buildus to unite and share our happi- long term care, religious dis- ing cum office for the senior citiness and joy. courses and travel, besides lots of zens and I have already started Mafat Patel, leading business- entertainment. work on it".

Hindi Kavi Manch to be launched on Oct 15 Cont’d from page 21

garlands. The ceremonial lamp was lighted with traditional puja

by Rohit Joshi and befitting the occasion, a prayer was sung by two kids, Sudit and Arush. Devi Stuti - Invocation of Goddess Durga was performed by Aadya

Vandana Jhingan, one of the pillars of the Club, briefed all those present about its activities and acknowledged services of Gurubachan Kaur. She then welcomed Vinita Gulabani as the new incoming President. Introduction of the New Board was done by Vinita Gulabani as she invited them to the stage.

Hindi Lovers Club Board 2013: Founder/ CEO: Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, President/Secretary: Vinita Gulabani; Joint Secretary: Beena Patel; Treasurer: Praful Rami; Editorial Committee: Jodhsingh Rawat, Kamal Gupta, Rajeev, Kusum; Public RelaHindi Lovers Club incoming President Vinita tions: Pratik Tanna, Gulabani and former chief Gurbachan Kaur Ambika Jamula; Chief Advisory Board: Sohan Joshi, Vandana Jhingan.

Verma, Muskan Bhatla, Simran Advisory Board: Rohit Joshi, Mahajan and Shreya D. Patel Chief Guest CG Dr Ausaf Dr Oranga, Rita Sunil Shah, Santosh Kumar, Naren Patel, Sayeed emphasized the need to Kamal Gupta, Subhash Pandey, enlighten the world with the imSudaksha Kapoor, Manmohan portance of Hindi. He also urged Sharma, Srikant Modi, Dhiren politicians, social and religious Shah, Jia Jassi Parmar, Renu Sood. leaders to engage in the spread of "My dream is for us and our Hindi at the highest level.

Vandana Jhingan urged all future generations to realize the true potential of our traditional those present to celebrate values, or "Sanskars", read our the150th Anniversary of Swami scriptures, the way they were Vivekananda on a grand scale and meant to be so that we may glean invited all to attend the two days from them those words of wisdom celebrations at the end of Septemwhich would otherwise have been ber in Chicago land. A small play lost in translation. I would like to was performed by group of small make an appeal to everyone in this children depicting examples of Swami Vivekanand's early life.

Bollywood dance was performed by Aloki Pandya followed by Bollywood Act by Laksh Mehta, a small kid in a wonderful style of his own. This was followed by poetry from Shanu Sinha, Solo Performance Mujhe Rang De by Jigna Sheth, Amithab Bachchan poem by Vishnu Panjwani, Young artists presenting a classical dance Guitar performance by Dr Saurabh Agarwal, Group organization to join me in this Dance (Hum Hain Hindusani) by noble endeavor of keeping Hindi Balodyan Group - Sauruv Garg, alive in our Karmabhoomi" ob- Ria Sharma, Sharen Gonsalves and served Vinita Gulabani in her Aahana Shedge, poetry by Shikha Presidential address.

Tandon, Bhajan by Bhamini, clasChief Guest Dr Ausaf Sayeed, sical dance by Urja Patel, Skit by Consul General of India, Guests of Pika Munshi, Bollllywood Dance, Honor Naren Patel CEO of MedStar Kathak Performance by Medha Group, Dr Virendra Bisla and Dr Bhargav, an act by Ranjoy Birendra Sinha, Dr Subhash Ganguly and Tabla performance Pandey, Sunil Shah and Dr by Raju Deshmukh.

Upadhyay were invited on the President Vinita Gulabani fistage and were presented with nally proposed a vote of thanks.

October 4, 2013

Community Across America

India Post 23

www.indiapost.com

MAFS raises $75000 for its activities for seniors ASIAN MEDIA & NAZNEEN BEGUM

SCHAUMBURG: Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS) annual fundraiser at India House in Schaumburg could not have notched more success than what was planned and expected by the management for months to raise funds for its senior-service activities.

With huge attendance and highly entertaining programs (dance, magic show and fashion displays), MAFS raised $75,000 to bridge gaps in State, Federal and local funding for its programs for seniors. The support from the community was still intact and MAFS could reasonably expect to tap this support The event on September 21 marked unmatched services to the community from this organization

Lamp lightening ceremony by Dr Kusum Patel and dignitaries.

Pics Asian Media USA

efits."

Guest speaker Husain Dalwai, Member of Parliament Upper House (Rajya Sabha), lauded

nounced the murder of his friend Narendra Dhabholkar by extremists and stressed the need to follow the example of leaders like

to MAFS as a role model in serving and enriching the community without any discrimination to origin, cast, creed and religion."

Consul General Chicago, Dr Ausaf Sayeed praised MAFS and Ms Santosh Kumar for persistently serving community with its various programs, since 1992 in her leadership. Dr Ausaf, attending with his family, had a pleasant surprise when all those present offered him Happy Birthday wishes and greetings. Mary Killough, Deputy Director, IDOA, remarked that it was her fourth year to attend the function and every time she is amazed with the number of people and programs MAFS serves and continues to grow to meet the increased needs of its community, despite shrink-

community leader, congratulated MAFS board and staff members for celebrating 21 years of community service.

This year the "Making a Difference in the World Award," was given to Dr Joseph Marek, MD, and Public Service Award was conferred on Husain Dalwai, Indian Member of Parliament (MP), for his work with tribal, Dalit and minority communities. The Best Employee of the Year Award was given to Afaan Muhammad, IT Manager and Jahnavi Bavisi, Manager Niles branch. Best Supervisor award was given to Smitesh Shah, supervisor and Public Benefit Award was given to Shree Gurusamy, SOS specialist.

Ms Catherine Jafri, Bollywood choreographer and her New York

Speakers at the event (L-R) Bill Foster, Santosh Kumar, Naren Patel, Husain Dalwai, Member of Parliament Upper House, Dr Rakesh Asthana, and Dr Firdaus Jafri, President MAFS

headed by Ms Santosh Kumar often described as Mother Teresa of Chicagoland.

The program was started by the lightening of auspicious 'Deep" followed by Ganesh-vandana prayer dance by Catherine Jafri and her group and welcome address of Dr Firdaus Jafri, President MAFS. In his keynote remark, Bill Foster, US Congressman, commended the vision and mission of MAFS and reaffirmed the commitment of his Democratic Party to welfare programs and reformation of immigration law to give immigrant sensible policy. Married to a first generation Asian American, the Congressman called for a comprehensive immigration reform that will boost home sales, widen tax base and provide other wider ben-

MAFS for lessening the pangs of old age. Invoking Swami

Gandhi, Nehru, and Azad.

Dalwai spoke on various pro-

In his keynote remark, Bill Foster, US Congressman, commended the vision and mission of MAFS and reaffirmed the commitment of his Democratic Party to welfare programs and reformation of immigration law Vivekananda's speech at the World Parliament of Religions in this city of Chicago, he also de-

ing of state and federal funding for social services.

dance group presented one of the most colorful dances that were in-

Prominent dignitaries with awardees

grams that Government of India has initiated to address this problem but observed that "we look up

Bollywood dance performance by Catherine Jafri and magic show performance by Dennis Watkins

Mrs Kumar spoke on how MAFS is working in collaboration and shared vision with the community and how it is transforming the entire field of social services as a shared responsibility of all.

She asked the community to join in this honorable mission to serve and nurture the community by sharing their responsibility and understanding the importance of Government funds which are thoroughly audited.

Mrs Kumar thanked her team for collectively working through rain and shine to take the MAFS' vision to the next level. Naren Patel, a Director and front-ranking

terspersed with fusion, traditional and contemporary dance presentations. Live magic show by Dennis Watkins, award winning magician from Chicago Theater, left everyone with illusion and laughter. Raaz boutique, leading fashion house in Devon Ave, showcased its haute couture and pret collection. Finally Rinki Talati, sensational local talent, enthralled everyone with famous Bollywood numbers till midnight.

The program was emceed by Dr Rakesh Asthana, Neelam Desai, and Shree Guru. The final vote of thanks was proposed by Beena Patel and Nikunj Baxi.

24 India Post

Community Across America

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Steny Hoyer honors Hindu scriptures at Capitol Hill HARISH RAO

WASHINGTON DC: Senior US Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) honored a renowned scholar of Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy, Bhadreshdas Swami of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha at a special ceremony in Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September 18.

Congressmen Hoyer was presented with five voluminous Sanskrit books penned by Bhadreshdas Swami - the Swaminarayan Bhashyam: Commentary on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahmasutras. Observing that this scholarly work needs to be preserved in the Library of Congress, Hoyer presented these texts in a separate ceremony to an officer of the Library of Congress. She welcomed the texts of ancient Hindu wisdom as an important addition to the cultural and intellectual wealth of the national library.

While an interest in all things yoga has led to a recent revival of Sanskrit and Indian culture in American popular consciousness, the American preoccupation with Indian

BAPS Bhadreshswami presenting his scholarly work to US Rep. Steny Hoye

philosophy and Sanskrit texts stretches back to the mid19th century when transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson roamed the halls of Harvard, inspired by passages of the ancient Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Since that time, ancient Sanskrit texts such as the Upanishads and Gita have been contributing to our understanding of ourselves and our world in ways both subtle and overt.

Bhadreshdas Swami was described as a modern-day interpreter of this very ancient tradition. His Swaminarayan Bhashyam is a classical-style Sanskrit commentarial text on some of the most prominent scriptures of Hinduism which are revered by almost one billion Hindus worldwide. Many scholars have lauded the Swaminarayan Bhashyam as one of the great contributions to Hinduism and Indian philosophy in the past several centuries.

Dr Krishnamurti Shastri, Member of the Project Committee, Maharshi Sandipani Rashtiya Vedavidya Pratishthan of India has said that this "poetic commentary presents new insights into the secrets of Vedanta in comparison to any previous views on the subject."

Bhadreshdas Swami is a scholar of Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. After being initiated as a swami in 1981, he has been studying Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures for the last 32 years. Having completed a 500-page thesis on the Bhagavad Gita written entirely in Sanskrit, he has earned five Masters degrees as well as a PhD in Sanskrit.

He recently completed commentaries on the Upanishads, Brahmasutras and the Gita and is currently working on a commentary on the Vedas. In recognition of his achievements, the Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University (KKSU) in Nagpur awarded him a Doctorate of Literature as well as the honorary award of Mahamahopdhyaya, an honorary title given to prestigious scholars by the Government of India.

The Swaminarayan Bhashyam is named thus as it encompasses the values revealed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan in a philosophy known as Swaminarayan Darshan. The five volumes of the Swaminarayan Bhashya address the modern need of religious and social pluralism and harmony in the world along with explaining universal ethical and spiritual values.

As Bhadreshdas Swami explained to Congressman Hoyer, "When the sages of government and the sages of spirituality come together, the result is the spread of peace in the world." Congressman Hoyer averred that, "Surely these commentaries written by you will bring peace and blessings to the millions who will read and benefit from them."

SUBSCRIBE TO INDIA POST E-PAPER Mail to: subscribe@indiapost.com or login to http://www.indiapost.com/subscribe/

Community Across America

October 4, 2013

India Post 25

www.indiapost.com

Pankaj Udhas back with heart-touching ghazals SEETA BRAHMBHATT

ST LOUIS: Ghazals come from the heart! This is what ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas proved at his Sept 22nd concert in St. Louis to a crowd of over 300 as a part of his Heart to Heart concert tour organized by Seema Enterprises and Seema World Travel at Clayton High School.

The graceful ghazal singer, who gave the music genre his personal touch, was back in St. Louis after 15 years to once again enthrall audiences with the spectacular heart-touching ghazals. His popular numbers such as Chitthi Aayi Ha, Chandi Jaisa Rang Hai Tera and many more have made audiences in India and overseas yearn for more from this ghazal maestro.

The eminent ghazal singer has taken ghazal singing to foreign lands and regularly performs concerts around the globe. Udhas was recognized for his efforts with a Padma Shri award, a government of India civilian award in 2006.

Padamshree Pankaj Udhas is not only a ghazal singer but has also sung a number of songs for Hindi movies as a playback singer.

His footprints in Bollywood with songs like Jiye to Jiye Kaise, and

Ghazal samrat Pankaj Udhas acknowledging greetings from the audience. Pic Hema Patel

Chitthi Ayi Hai are timeless.

He sang many soulful ghazals like Ghungroo toot gaye, Chandi jaisa rang hai tera, and Thodi Piya Karo that have mesmerized ghazal lovers over three decades with his intoxicating renditions. Pankaj sang several new ghazals from his recently released album 'Sentimental' which he autographed to a limited number at the show.

Despite decades of singing, Pankaj still has that young voice that was evident in many of his ghazals.

His soothing voice and the way he led the concert had the crowd swaying and singing along with hits like Ek Taraf Uska Ghar, Na Kajre Ki Dhar and of course his signature ghazal Thodi Thodi Piya Karo.

The quality of the accompanying artists was also evident as

Seniors celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in Chicago JAYANTI OZA

BSC members and guests celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi

CHICAGO: Bhartiya Senior Citizens (BSC) of Chicago celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi at Shri Nathji Haveli, Addison, a north side suburb of Chicago on September 21.

Over 200 members, invitees and guests attended the event. BSC Secretary Purshottam Pandya welcomed all those present while Joint Secretary Rakshika Anjaria briefed about the significance of the program

BSC President Haribhai Patel accorded welcome to Kunal Vyas, Director of Marketing, Dr Purvi Pardiwala, Physical Therapist and Bhavin Dave, Managing Director of Wellocity Physical Therapy & Rehab.

Committee member Ramsingh Parmar welcomed Vimal Patel, Pharm D. from Walgreens. Celebration began with Ganesh Vandana and Ganesh Chaturthi information

by BSC Member Hemangini Bhatt.

Carried away by joyous spiritual theme and atmosphere of Ganesh Chathurthi Mahotsav, many members started dancing.

All BSC members viewed a video clip of Gujarat Chief Minister and PM candidate Narendra Modi's birthday celebrations in Gujarat. BSC Chairman Batukbhai Shukla gave information about planned Navratri 2013 celebrations by BSC group.

some outstanding interludes were performed on flute, violin, mandolin, key board, dholak and tabla.

Pankaj Udhas himself on harmonium was accompanied by his very accomplished musicians:

Violin by- Rajendersingh Sodha, Mandolin by Nasir Quereshi, Keyboard by Anupam Chatterjee, Flute by Ninad Mulaonkar, Dholak

by Nirmal Singh Pawar and Tabla

by Rashid Mustafa.

EZ Armor for security against burglaries HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: When the economy goes down, crime goes up! Burglaries and home invasions have hit record levels. The most troubling fact is that these crimes are occurring far more frequently in rural and suburban areas pushing up guns and home security as people look for ways to protect their homes and families.

Naperville suburb of Chicago is experiencing a spate of theft and robberies of late which are causing concern among the residents.

In the past several years, the increased distribution of met amphetamine and other drugs has dramatically increased the amount of crime in rural areas. "Better" suburban areas have also seen a significant increase in crime during that same time.

Alan Young, a graduate from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. degree and a dual major in Organizational Development and Economics, and a sought-after speaker and security expert has set up a company to combat this growing menace.

With his engineer brother, they formed Armor Concepts and started producing the highly successful EZ Armor, Door Jamb Armor and ArmorDoor products.

Young's advice to homeowners is

to be proactive. Securing your doors and windows is crucial to increasing the likelihood of success against a burglar.

Alan Young's product, EZ Ar-

Alan Young

mor, was put to the test by a news station and police department in Michigan. EZ Armor was recently recommended in an online article about apartment security as "an affordable door security device that will strengthen your entryways and help prevent unwelcome intruders from forcing their way in."

26 India Post

Community Across America

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Anna Hazare honors Anu Peshawaria for service to community fornia and a practicing Attorney for the Supreme Court of India as well. Anu Peshawaria is a pioneer in Indian American laws.

She is a human rights activist and has been an advisor to various governmental and non-governmental organizations including the Anna Harare movement in India and the NRIAC (Non Resident Indians against Corruption) in USA. She has authored several books on Immigrant Rights in the US including "Lives on the Brink, Bridging the chasm between India and United States" Besides being academically and professionally accomplished, she has been a famous tennis player, India no 1, USPTA, as well as represented India at Wimbledon.

RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

Anna Hazare visited Bay area recently to raise community awareness among Indian community for his cause of social reforms in India. During his visit, he awarded Attorney Anu Peshawaria for her outstanding service to the Indian community in USA. Anu is recipient of many other prestigious awards for her tireless dedication to the human and legal rights of immigrants. Some of these include Excellence for her service & dedication for spreading social awareness and upholding immigrant rights, Hind Rattan award, Pravasi Samman Award and Alien of Extraordinary Ability status by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States.

Anu has over 25 years of experience in US and Indian laws. She is a practicing US attorney in Seattle, Washington as well as Cali-

Anna Hazare giving award to Anu Peshawaria while Kiran Bedi looks on

Third World Film Festival held in Bay area

T

SANJEEV SHARMA

the health conditions of the people, specially women. She decided to bring this to the whole world's attention that what kind of medical privilege a woman has in the Third World. Another best Narrative (Feature) was from Philippines 'Alagwa/Breakaway.

In the short film category, Best documentary was Gawah from India, produced and directed by Gauri Chadha. This short film was about the victims of 2008 Mumbai attacks. Gauri Chadha as a writer and director has always been the one to try and dive into the issues to understand a particular situation from reality of a certain individual at the root level. She explained the motivation behind this short film as learning about "how do we witness and survive". It took about three (L-R standing) Dr Romesh Japra, Gauri Chadha, Rewa Kumar, a guest, years to make Mr. N. Parthasarthy and Sunita Japra 'Gawah' as Gauri

he 3rd annual Third World Independent Film Festival's (TWIFF) red carpet event was held at Dave and Buster's in the Great Mall Plaza from 6.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m.

TWIFF's collection of films depicting Third World hardship and triumphs gets at what matters not only to Third World people, but all the people. The event screened films from India, Uganda, Grenada, USA, Philippines, Nepal, Thailand,

Lebanon, Vietnam, North Korea, Cambodia, Syria, Bolivia, Guyana, Sudan, Nigeria, Guatemala, and Finland.

The program started with light refreshment, drinks and entertainment followed by TWIFF 2013 Awards. The best social entrepreneur (short film) award went to Life Changing Moments-Uganda produced and directed by Dr Sherry Thomas. Dr Thomas was frequent traveler to Africa where she saw

was explaining her adventurous journey that how she learnt to understand the bridge between the craft and the business of film industry.

Gauri hopes that moviegoers will gain a different perspective on such situations.

As terrorism is not bound by border, Dr Romesh Japra addressing the gathering culture or creed, after seeing 'Gawah' she hopes the au- a few Hollywood feature films dience will understand that our such as "Mission Impossible" and greatest strength as a civilization "Ghost protocol". Currently she is is unity, and Gawah can represent working on her feature film which a pathway to this. is a crime drama that explores the Gauri Chadha has made four human psyche. films comprising a short fiction, an TWIFF attracts many film enexperimental short, a short feature tries from Third World countries and a short documentary. Aside and has grown into an important from this she has worked on nu- part of international film movement merous commercials, corporate and encourages their developvideos and several Bollywood and ment.

October 4, 2013

Community Across America

India Post 27

www.indiapost.com

Miracles of Krishna - Spectacular show in Bay Area VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

LOS ALTOS, CA: Sri Krishna Leela dance ballet was yet another cap for Srimati Sneha Vivek, head of the Natya Ninada and a disciple of Guru Vidwan Chandrashekar Navada. The ultimate dream of producing the exciting dance production, "Krishna Leela" for Bay

Area has become a reality, says Vivek, Sneha's husband and organizer.

Spectacular Krishna Leela dance ballet was performed on Sept 28 at The SmithWick Theater, Foothill College, Los Altos, CA. "Karnataka Kalashri" Vidwan Chandrashekar Navada with his eight talented Bharatanatyam artists from India with Smt. Sneha

Vivek and her trained team of artists delivered an evening of true delight.

In ancient Indian mythology many great people had taken birth

and one of them was "Lord Krishna" who was the symbol of love. Undoubtedly, Sri Krishna is the most romantic God whom we all worship day in and day out. In

Bhagavatham, the most interesting story is about Krishna's birth and his childhood and we call this as Krishna Leela.

Cont’d on page 28

28 India Post

Community Across America

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Miracles of Krishna - Spectacular show in Bay Area Cont’d from page 27

The conceptualization of using the sacred Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad Gita, to tell a compelling tale using different classical genres of ballet, drama, music and poetry hints at divine inspiration. The unique production celebrates Sri Krishna's journey from birth to adulthood primarily through classical Bharatnatyam.

This show has been single handedly organized by Smt Sneha Vivek and was choreographed by Kalashree Vidwan K.Chandrashekara Navada. The show opened with traditional pushpanjali, followed by Devaranama - stories of Lord

Vishnu such as Gajendra Moksham, Prahlada's Bhakti and Drupathi Vastrabarna. This was followed by scintillating Shiva Navarasa Padam depicting the stories of Lord Shiva.

The second half of the show was the spectacular classical dance Ballet - Krishna Leela. It was a vibrant display of color, emotion, radiance and the blissful experience of love

for God through dance. All the 14 artists took us through a divine journey into Sri Krishna's life from birth to countless adventures from Putana Vadha, Kaliya Mardana, Chanura Vadha and Mushtika Vadha.

Kalashree Vidwan Chandrasekara Navada played Kamsa and enthralled the audience with his priceless expressions and moves. He established Sri Natyanjali Kala Academy in 1985 to foster and promote Bharatanatyam. He is the recipient of many awards including the Bharatha award and prestigious Rajyothsava award.

Sneha Vivek adds, "This has been a wonderful journey to share our work and experiences with dancers from India". This is a classic example of a prodigy offering a rathnamala, a garland of jewels, back to the Gurus in India as a gesture of gratitude.

The performers were Sandhya Rao, Anjali Nagabhushan, Malavika, Ranjani, K, Sandhya Rao Baglodi, Bhavya Bhajan, Sneha Vivek, Amrutha Rao, Sanika Vivek, Sathvik Vivek, Padmasri Ramineni, Ganesh Brahmavara, Ashok Upadhya.

Natya Ninada offers dance and music classes at Sunnyvale and Fremont.

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post 29

30 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

(L-R) Reliance Entertainment COO Mahesh Ramanathan, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Pallavi Sharda, Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay, producer Himanshu Mehra.-Pic Gunjesh Desai, MasalaJunction.com

“Efforts were made to make some of the Charlie Chaplin classics into color and the audience had rejected it outright and hence he would also not like to see the alltime hits like Awara, Shri 420 or Barsaat in color or remake them".

SUDHIR VYAS

NEW YORK: Well-known Bollywood star Rishi Kapoor dismissed any plans to launch remake of any of the old classics featuring legendary film star Raj Kapoor. "It is important that we keep these black and white classics in their original form and not tamper with them", he told a crowded press conference.

The first family of Bollywood, the Kapoors - Rishi, his wife Neetu

and son Ranbir along with his costar Pallavi Sharda, Sanjeev Lamba CEO, Mahesh Ramnathan COO of Reliance Entertainment and producer Himanshu Mehra were addressing media on the launch of their forthcoming film Besharam.

It was probably for the first time that the Indian Consulate had opened its doors for the launch of any Bollywood movie launch.

According to Rishi, "Raj

Scenes from Besharam, above and right

Kapoor and his work is public property and we would not like to tamper with that. Efforts were made to make some of the Charlie Chaplin classics into color and the audience had rejected it outright and hence he would also not like to see the all-time hits like Awara, Shri 420 or Barsaat in color or remake them".

Replying to a question about how she felt about the success of Ranbir and her returning to film industry after a long time, Neetu Singh, mother of Ranbir, said "Obviously my family came first and I had to look after my two children.

Now that they have grown up and with my daughter married and Ranbir busy with his films, I felt it was time to go and do what I like most. In Besharam I am with my son and husband and so it was working like a family. So far as Ranbir is concerned, I do not think I have spoilt him in any way. He has become what he always wanted to be."

Asked to comment on what su-

perstar status meant to him, Ranbir said "I do not understand the concept of superstar. The word seems to have been overused. We are all actors and we must be judged by what amount of entertainment we give to the people and not by the number of films we act in. An actor is a superstar when he starts believing in his talent and leaves the rest to the audience".

In reply to a question as to how he felt as a member of the Kapoor

clan and what difficulty and challenges he faced as a result of this identity, Ranbir said "I am aware of the legacy that I have to take forward but there is no pressure - I see it as a responsibility. But having said that it was very important that I made my own identity you know - with my own hard work. I was born with that and I can't keep that away from me. I'm 10 films old now. I'm six years in the industry.

Cont’d on page 31

October 4, 2013

India Post 31 www.indiapost.com

Hrithik sports 3 looks in Krish 3 ortraying as many as three strikingly different looks, Hrithik says the journey for Krrish 3 has been a fairly challenging but rewarding one. Commenting on the hard work involved in

P

3,000 different shots which were then put under various algorithms to see what would look most natural. A dedicated team of 35 people were concentrating on this one scene for four months. The challenge was to make Hrithik leap in the air for 45 seconds and then

making the film, he said: "Krrish 3 is the most difficult film. I play two roles. If I want victory again, I'll have to go through the battle again."

The shooting of Krrish 3 has tested Hrithik Roshan's mettle to the full. The visual effects team found the shot in which Hrithik jumps from a bridge, which is 2000 meters above sea level, the most difficult shot to accomplish. That one sequence required around

land him in an upright position.

"It was difficult playing many roles In Krrish 3" says Hrithik.

"The script of "Krrish 3? has been such that it challenged each and every character and department from the production to the creative".

'Krrish 3' directed by Rakesh Roshan is the third instalment in the franchise after 'Koi Mil Gaya' (2003) and 'Krrish' (2006). Krrish 3 releases globally on 4 November.

India Post News Service

Kareena has filled gap left by Karisma

K

arisma Kapoor feels that the gap created by her exit from the movie industry has been more than filled up by her sister Kareena. She also expresses joy over carrying forward their family's acting tradition along with their cousin Ranbir, Bollywood's current heartthrob.

"I don't regret my decision. I think it is a great graduation for me. Kareena took the place where I left off, if I can say so. Now my cousin (Ranbir) is also doing so well. I am glad that the tradition is continuing," Karisma, who quit the industry in 2003 after marriage, said in an interview to media.

She married Delhi-based industrialist Sanjay Kapur, but they divorced this year. The actress of hits like Raja Hindustani and Biwi No. 1 took a break from acting to raise her children - Samaira, 8 and Kiaan 3.

Her comeback film was 2012 release Dangerous Ishhq, which got a lukewarm response at the box office. Even though she is back under the arc lights, she still puts her children before everything else.

"Earlier, it was a conscious decision for me not to work. I was happy to be away and I wanted to be with my children during their formative years. I do step out now, but my first priority is my kids. This is how it will always be for me," said Karisma, who also acted in non-commercial films like Fiza and Zubeidaa.

Asked about her children's response to her star status, she says her daughter treats her like a regular mother.

"My daughter is the most normal towards me. For her, I am just her mom. I am just a regular mom and the actor comes after that. If she likes something that I am wearing, she tells me and if she doesn't,

friend to your kids. But it is also equally important to set boundaries. My mother was a strong influence and so was my dad. My mom was my friend whom I couldn't cross," she said.

Karisma also wants to protect her children from the limelight.

"I try to shield my children as far as possible from the public glare. I want them to have a normal childhood, like we had. We went to school by the school bus, had school food... There was no special treatment given to us. The same applies to my children as well," the 39-year-old said.

But being brought up in the lap of luxury, it was very tough for Samaira to believe that her family was different from the rest.

"She thought Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor everyone's mom was she still makes it a point to let me an actor and everyone's autoknow," she said. graphs are taken. Having a masi Karisma said that she is more (Kareena), a mama (Ranbir) like of a disciplinarian than a strict par- that, it was tough for her to underent. stand. My son's still young, but "I won't say I am a strict mother, he will get a grip of this from my but discipline is important. Timing daughter," said the actress. and routine are important for kids.

The actress recently launched My children also look forward to her book My Yummy Mummy that," she said.

Guide on pregnancy and mother"I think it is important to be a hood.

Raj Kapoor classics won't be remade Cont’d from page 30

So I'm still working hard. I'm trying to find myself, find my own identity. I think my parents would be really proud with what I have done so far".

Asked of how he felt when he was acting in front of his legendary parents who were themselves acclaimed actors in their time, Ranbir admitted saying, "Till I shot the film Besharam I had

never looked into my father's eyes but during the shooting of the film I had a scene when I had to bundle up my father and that was when I saw directly into my father's eyes and then found the spontaneity in his acting.

"I can tell you from my experience that my mother is the best actress I have ever worked with so far. But I had not much difficulty in acting in front of my parents as on the sets we were char-

acters and we were all doing our jobs. It was a delight to work with my parents. My father is so natural in acting.

He's so effortless in front of the camera. He is very encouraging as a co-actor. So it never feels as if I was acting with my father. It was always that I was acting with a brilliant talent in front of me. So I think that added a lot and was a great learning curve for myself."

Horoscope

32 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

OCTOBER 5 TH - OCTOBER 11 TH , 2013 (March 21 to April 20)

P

roperty deal can finalize and will be beneficial. Your actions will be full of confidence and dedication. Hard work will not go waste and results will be almost instant. You may visit an old friend with family this week. You may be thinking of joining a health club to get back in shape. Things will keep getting better at work.

(July 23 to August 22)

S

trong Mars will bring opportunities nothing less than a jackpot.

You will be full of energy and feel motivated. You may decide not going to a party on last minute. All financial speculations will pay off in a big way. Children will do better but may need some money. A tall and fair complexion person will be really helpful in career.

(April 21 to May 20)

B

achelors will finally find the right partner. Money will come in plenty and you will spend it wisely this time. You will continue to work on a bright idea and keep looking for ideal partners. Some of you may travel to a warmer area in connection with some business.

You may also purchase some gold jewelry for spouse this week.

(August 23 to September 22)

V

enus will keep mind little restless but will help you overcome all problems big or small. You may spend most of your time away from your desk this week. Boss will agree on your ideas and plan.

Spouse if working may get a raise or promotion. And of course expenses will not leave you alone. You will visit a holy place with spouse.

(May 21 to June 20)

L

uck continues to be on your side. Positive changes in career will bring confidence back and you may feel like celebrating with family and friends. You will mean business when on phone and successfully resolve an issue causing headache. Health issue will come under control with home remedy. Your valuable advice will help a needy person.

(September 23 to October 22)

M

oney wise it looks like a great week. Business will pick up all of a sudden and new contracts will start pouring in money in your pocket right away. Some one from a different caste and culture will be helpful. Tough and a systematic approach will clear many road blocks. You may also visit a holy place with family this week.

(June 21 to July 22)

Y

ou may be slightly nervous about an ongoing property deal. Family may not completely agree with your plans. You may spend some money on an upcoming trip also. One of your vehicle may need minor repairs or replacement. Suddenly you may develop taste for hot and spicy food. You may completely discard an old friend from your list.

(October 23 to November 22)

B

e cautious unless you want some one to come after you with a law suit. Do not give more than required information to anyone this week. You may be spending extra hours at work trying to finish the project well before the deadline. You will gain friendship of an influential person. bank balance will continue to grow gradually.

(November 23 to December 22)

Y

ou may visit or call a government agency for some favor. Work will be done instantly. This is the perfect time to launch your project or take over a new business. Spouse may deliver the exciting news you had been waiting for. You may also get in touch with an old confidant for some advice and to seek direction.

(December 22 to January 19)

T

ry to look beyond immediate and plan things accordingly. You may give final shape to a long distance trip. Money will come and will go on good reasons. Change of strategy will help you save a lot in long term. You will try to work extra hours in order to finish project well before deadline. Bank balance will grow.

(January 20 to February 18)

Y

ou may buy some nice gifts for a sibling. There are strong chances for finding a very suitable match for a marriageable child.Careful planning will take you closer to your professional goals. You may be advised minor surgery to tackle an health issue. You will start to enjoy company of a new colleague.

(February 19 to March 20)

T

hings will be relaxing and normal at work. Money will come but will not stay for long. Planets will really help those looking for a job. You may spend an evening with some well known people.If appearing for any competitive exam, chances of passing in first shot are good. You will also overcome a temporary health issue with home remedy.

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

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

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Get On The Dance Floor: Chennai Express 2 Titli: Chennai Express 3 Gulabi: Shuddh Desi Romance 4 Ye Tune Kya Kiya:

Once Upon

A Time In Mumbaai Dobara 5

33 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

Lungi Dance:

Chennai Express

6 Sun Le Re: Madras Cafe 7 Tere Mere Beech Mein: Shuddh Desi Romance 8 Main Rang Sharbaton Ka : Phata Poster Nikla Hero 9 Shuddh Desi Romance: Shuddh Desi Romance 10 Zinda:

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

"I NEVER REST ON MY LAURELS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THIS WILL BE TAKEN AWAY ONE DAY. I HAVE THIS FEAR THAT IF I DON'T WORK HARD ENOUGH I WILL LOSE WHAT I HAVE ATTAINED AND NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO SO�

A

K

undan Shah is returning to the genre of satire with 'P Se PM Tak' and the filmmaker has already started shoot ing the film after zeroing in on a fresh face to play the protagonist.

Shah's debut film 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' is credited with pioneering satire in the Hindi film industry and remains a cult favorite after three decades of its release.

And his latest venture too has all the ingredients of its predecessor, a fresh cast and an incredulous story, this time about a prostitute who quickly finds herself in the Chief Minister's chair and then in the run to become the Prime Minister of the country.

The filmmaker is introducing Meenakshi Dixit in the film and the Lucknow girl plays the fiesty protagonist. "I had been on the look out for a fresh face. She is photogenic and also a talented actress," said the filmmaker. "The film is set in the Northern belt of the country and because the actress too is from that region, she has got the accent and other details right," added Shah.

“I HAD BEEN ON THE LOOK OUT FOR A FRESH FACE. SHE IS PHOTOGENIC AND ALSO A TALENTED ACTRESS," SAID THE FILMMAKER

relentless worker that he is, Shah Rukh Khan often goes the extra mile to achieve success as he fears losing the top position.

"I am scared of losing. I am scared of coming second. I am scared of not making it big. So, I have such a fear of failure that I work harder when even I don't need to. I work longer when I don't have to.

"I never rest on my laurels because I feel that this will be taken away one day. I have this fear that if I don't work hard enough I will lose what I have attained and not be able to continue to do so. I don't have blood pressure, neither I am a heart victim but I need to just work hard," he said on the sidelines of 40th National Management Convention by All India Management Association (AIMA).

"Failures also get you to find who your real friends are. The true strength of your relationship gets tested in the phase of strong adversity. I lost lots of friends post 'Ra.One', apart from losing a lot of audience too.

And after 'Chennai Express', I haven't made any new friends but I have a whole new set of enemies now," he added.

R

anbir Kapoor says people will learn the truth about his re ported affairs only when he gets married.

"When I get married, the truth behind these reports will come out on its own. It is the media which is publishing all this," Ranbir said, talking to reporters.

The actor, who is currently dating Katrina Kaif after his break up with Deepika Padukone, added that at present he is focused on his films.

The 30-year-old actor said he believes in healthy competition, and added that he will have competition with actors ranging from Amitabh Bachchan to Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra and Arjun Kapoor, who were all doing a good job.

Ranbir said he considered his father Rishi Kapoor the best actor of Hindi cinema, and therefore, he doesn't want to act in remakes of his father's films.

Tech News TVS launches new scooter in Rajasthan JAIPUR: Aiming to have 24 per cent market share in two-wheeler, especially scooter, segment in future, TVS Motor Company has launched its new vehicle 'Jupiter' in Rajasthan.

New scooter was styled to enthuse the male customer with a fuel efficiency of 62 km per liter, its Regional Manager North-2 Ravindra Chauhan told reporters here.

The scooter is installed with a mobile phone charger too, he said.

Trying to compete with Activa scooter which got 60 per cent market share in two wheeler segment, Chauhan said, the company presently having 13 per cent market share in Rajasthan will raise it to 24 per cent with the new product which he claimed was unique.

Across the country TVS got 15 per cent share in two-Wheeler segment, and it will get a jump by 7 to 8 per cent in near future with its new vehicle, he further claimed.

About 25,000 units of new vehicle would be manufactured every month in first year, he replied to a question.

About 11,000 scooters of different companies are being sold every month in Rajasthan, he said, adding its price would be Rs 47,215 for the entire state. -PTI

SC issues notice to Centre, CBI, RIL on gas controversy NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued notice to Centre, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and others on a PIL seeking cancellation of contract for exploration of oil and gas concerning the KG block and to impose penalty for failure in adhering to commitments.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam sought response from CBI on the petition filed by Civil society members including former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian and ex-Naval chief Admiral L Ramdas seeking probe by the agency in the alleged "collusion between RIL and the political establishment".

The bench, which had earlier also issued notice to the Centre on a PIL filed by CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta, asked the parties to file their response within four weeks and tagged the case with Dasgupta's petition.

The petitioners, also including former Secretary Ramaswamy Iyer and NGO Common Cause, challenged the Center's decision to raise the price of natural gas.-PTI

TechBiz 34 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

Interim report submitted on Saradha scam NEW DELHI: A SFIO probe into Saradha scam and 'chit fund' operations of 62 other entities has found serious financial mismanagement and siphoning off the funds by their promoters, who took advantage of regulatory gaps.

The financial fraud investigative agency is also trying to get details stored by these entities on computer servers located abroad, the Corporate Affairs Ministry said here while releasing excerpts of the interim report on SFIO probe.-PTI

'Big Data leads to better decision making' BANGALORE: Ninety one per cent of Indian businesses that responded to a survey conducted

by Information management and storage major EMC Corporation feel that Big Data will lead to better decision making.

"91 per cent of Indian businesses surveyed reported that better uses of Big Data will lead to better decision making," EMC India & SAARC President Rajesh Janey told reporters here quoting from the survey.

"In India, big data is giving rise to markedly improved decision making and is having a significant impact on companies' competitive differentiation and ability to avert risk," he said.

EMC released the findings of a survey that asked IT decision makers in India for their perspective on challenges and opportunities that big data and IT trans-

formation - and related skills can present to their companies.

The company polled a total of

Janey quoting the survey said "62 per cent of respondents agree that big data technology will prove vital in identifying and protecting against cyber attacks."

309 business and IT decision makers and executives, technical architects, data scientists and

60 crore Indians do not have bank accounts AMBALA: All India Bank Employees' Association general secretary C H Venkatachalam has said around 60 crore people in the country do not have accounts in banks due to insufficient numbers of branches in rural areas.

Talking to reporters after addressing the state-level conference of State Bank of Patiala employees' union, he said inflation and recession have badly affected the country's economy.

Growth in the employment sector was very low, he said adding,

storage/infrastructure managers from a range of Indian businesses who have registered to

around 6 lakh permanent jobs of Central services have been abolished, creating uncertainty for the youth.

20 crore women are working in the unorganized sector, but no step has been taken by the Centre to secure their basic rights, he said.

Venkatachalam alleged the government as well as RBI was promoting private banks and bank licenses were being issued to big corporate houses.

The government has become a puppet in the hands of big corporates, he said adding, figures published by public sector banks indicate they have about Rs 1,64,449 crore as bad loans as on March 31, 2013.-PTI

attend the EMC Forum event in India on October 3, 2013.

EMC in its findings said 68 per

cent of respondents believe big data will be a key factor in determining winners and losers in their industry and 35 per cent have already achieved a competitive advantage as a result of big data analytics technology.

68 per cent of respondents believe those industries that succeed will be the same ones using big data tools, the survey added.

Stating that big data technology is seen as an important instrument in identifying the cyber attack risks, Janey quoting the survey said "62 per cent of respondents agree that big data technology will prove vital in identifying and protecting against cyber attacks."

He also pointed out that 89 per cent of respondents agreed that data center automation will be crucial to innovation and agility over the next three years. -PTI

Current account gap widens to 4.9% of GDP in Q1 MUMBAI: High imports of gold and oil pushed Current Account Deficit (CAD) to 4.9 per cent of GDP to USD 21.8 billion in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal, RBI has said.

CAD, the difference between inflow and outflow of foreign exchange, was 4.4 per cent or USD 16.9 billion in the same quarter of last fiscal, 2012-13.

"The trade deficit, coupled with a slow recovery in net invisibles (income and services), led to widening of CAD to USD 21.8 billion in Q1 of 2013-14 from USD 16.9 billion in Q1 of 2012-13," RBI said in its Balance of Payments statement.

CAD had declined to 3.6 per cent in the JanuaryMarch quarter after touching a record high of 6.5 per cent in the October-December quarter.

The government plans to bring down CAD to 3.7 per cent or USD 70 billion in the 2013-14 fiscal,

from 4.8 per cent or USD 88.2 billion in 2012-13.

Gold imports increased by USD 7.3 billion in the first quarter of current fiscal. The imports stood at about 335 tonnes in the April-June quarter.

"Excluding the increase in gold imports of USD 7.3 billion in Q1 of 2013-14 over the corresponding quarter of the preceding year, CAD would work out to USD 14.5 billion, which translates into 3.2 per cent of GDP," the Reserve Bank said.

RBI said there was a small draw down on country's foreign exchange reserves to finance the CAD. -PTI

TechBiz Post

October 4, 2013

India Post

35

www.indiapost.com

Tough business takes a toll on Nationwide raids launched against NSEL bosses airline CEO salaries NEW DELHI: Amid turbulent times in the aviation space, top executives of listed carriers have seen their salaries coming down, with low-cost SpiceJet's CEO taking the biggest cut.

Neil Raymond Mills, who quit as CEO of Spicejet this July, saw

crore in 2012-13, from about Rs 4.01 crore in 2011-12, the airline's annual report said. Vijay Mallyaled UB Group's airline venture has incidentally remained grounded for almost a year now since it suspended operations in October 2012.

his annual pay coming down to Rs 3.32 crore in 2012-13, from Rs 4.97 crore in the preceding year, according to company's annual report. Mills had joined Maran group's airline venture in 2010.

It also said Spicejet's Managing Director S Natrajhen, however, saw his total remuneration rising to Rs 89.1 lakh during the last fiscal, from Rs 34.6 lakh in 2011-12.

Crisis-ridden Kingfisher's CEO Sanjay Aggarwal also saw a marginal dip in his salary to Rs 3.99

The third listed air carrier Jet Airways has not disclosed the salary of Nikos Kardassis, who resigned as its CEO in June 2013, in its latest annual report.

Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal earned a sitting fees of Rs 60,000 in 2012-13, unchanged from the last year's figures.

The airline's total payment towards remuneration to "key management personnel" fell to about Rs 51 lakh in 2012-13, from Rs 2.11 crore in the previous year.

The payment of Rs 51.4 lakh was made to Gaurang Shetty for his role as 'manager and director (executive)' for the period from May 24, 2012 to March 31, 2013, Jet disclosed in its annual report.

In the previous year 2011-12, Saroj Datta was paid Rs 2.11 crore, but he ceased to be a director with effect from September 30, 2011.

Jet paid its non-executive directors sitting fees of Rs 20,000 for each board and committee meeting attended by them.

"Due to the losses made by the company for the year ended March 31, 2013, no commission is payable to the non-executive directors for the financial year 2012-13," it noted.

Jet Airways had reported a net loss of Rs 495.53 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013 compared to loss of Rs 298.12 crore in the same period year-ago.

Jet has proposed to sell 24 per cent stake in the company to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways for Rs 2,058 crore.

Under the proposed deal, Goyal would eventually have a 51 per cent stake in the company, while 24 per cent stake would be held by Etihad and the remaining 25 per cent will be with public shareholders. -PTI

UP ranks highest in real estate investments LUCKNOW: UP has been ranked top with maximum share of about 40 per cent in the new investments attracted by real estate sector among top 20 states across the country during the first quarter of current fiscal, industry body ASSOCHAM has said.

Interestingly, the total new investments in real estate sector across the country had dipped by over 50 per cent during the course of past one year.

The top 20 states of India had attracted new investments worth over Rs 11,905 crore in the Q1 of FY 12-13 as against Rs 5,884 worth of new investments in Q1 of this fiscal.

"UP has attracted new investments in the real estate sector worth about Rs 2,350 crore in Q1 of FY 13-14 as against Rs 1,500 crore worth of new investments attracted by the state during corresponding period of last year," according to a paper titled 'Current State of Real Estate Sector in India and It's Revival,' released by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India

(ASSOCHAM).

However, timely completion of ongoing projects has remained a major concern for a long-time in the state, said D S Rawat, national

secretary general of ASSOCHAM, while releasing the chamber's paper.

"Real estate projects worth over Rs 2,971 crore got completed during the Q1 of FY 13-14 across India, thereby registering over 50 per cent growth in rate of project completion as realty projects

worth only Rs 1,976 crore had got completed in Q1 of the previous financial year," Rawat said.

"With a share of about 10 per cent in total outstanding investments worth over Rs 14 lakh crore attracted by top 20 states in the real estate sector as of June 2013, UP ranks fifth with outstanding investments worth over Rs 1.4 lakh crore in the realty sector," Rawat said.

With real estate projects worth over Rs 1.3 lakh crore under implementation in UP, the state commands a share of about 14 per cent in realty projects out of a total of over Rs 9.4 lakh crore under implementation across top 20 states of the country, the ASSOCHAM paper said.-PTI

MUMBAI: Dubbing it as "one of the biggest scams in India", the Mumbai Police has registered an FIR against National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) promoter Jignesh Shah and others in connection with Rs 5,600-crore payment crisis at the crippled exchange and began raiding their offices, residences and warehouses across the country.

NSEL, promoted by Shah-led Financial Technologies (FT), has been facing problems in settling Rs 5,600 crore dues of 148 members/brokers, representing 13,000 investor-clients, after it suspended trade on July 31 on the direction of the government.

Other promoters, directors and defaulting brokers of the spot exchange have also been named in the FIR, which comes nearly two months after NSEL suspended trading. The accused have been charged with several criminal offences.

"An FIR has been registered by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) against the NSEL promoters, directors and defaulters on charges of cheating, forgery and breach of trust among others," Joint Police Commissioner Himanshu Roy said.

As many as 63 police squads, comprising 121 officers and 241 policemen, have fanned out across 16 states to conduct searches at

184 locations that include residences, offices and warehouses of the accused, police said.

The NSEL office, residences of Shah, Chairman and Managing Director of Financial Technologies, and Joseph Massey, Managing Director and CEO of MCX Stock Exchange (also promoted by FT), in Mumbai were raided.

The states where raids are being carried out include Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar

Jignesh Shah

Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, police said.

"The accused had hatched a conspiracy and cheated 13,000 investors to the tune of crores of rupees by using the NSEL platform," Roy said.

"The raiding teams have been briefed to confiscate all hard disks, CDs, other electronic evidences, account books among others, besides sealing the warehouses. It is one of the biggest scams in the country in the recent past," another officer added.-PTI

36 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

India Post 37

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

New York (Hicksville)

AIRWING TRAVELS INC.

Tel: (516) 931 4600

SEEMA WORLD TRAVEL, INC. One of the Oldest Travel Agencies in St. Louis

Competitive Rates & Confirmed Seats for All Major Airlines 10635 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132

Tel: (314) 423-9990 or (800) 55 SEEMA

Est. 1991 Toll Free: (866) 532 3413

New Jersey (Iselin)

Tel: (732) 658 5450

Lowest Fares / Confirmed Seats to INDIA & Other Destinations Worldwide Save upto 40% on First and Business Class OPEN 7 DAYS - Call or Email : AIRWINGTRAVELS@GMAIL.COM

NEWS on your desktop

Fax: (314) 423-0391 www.indiapost.com

38

India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

SKY WORLD TRAVEL 1-888-695-0005

If You are looking For the BEST & the MOST AUTHENTIC VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT IN TOWNCome to One and Only One Place

CONSOLIDATORS (INTL. & DOMESTIC) : 3HWHUVRQ 6WH &KLFDJR ,/

SPECIAL LOW FARES TO BOMBAY, DELHI, MADRAS, CALCUTTA, DHAKA, KARACHI, LAHORE etc.

Tel: 773-728-9071 773-315-8597

E-mail us at: skyworldtravels@hotmail.com

Publicly Acclaimed Top Vegetarian Restaurant Serving NORTH INDIAN • SOUTH INDIAN • GUJARATI • JAIN DISHES

TASTE OUR 30 PLUSE MOUTH WATERING DISHES ONCE YOU COME TO US YOU WILL NOT ELSEWHERE THAT IS OUR GUARANTEE

2508 W. Devon Ave.Chicago, IL 60659

Tel:(773) 274-5800 Fax: (773) 262-4465 E-mail: aryabhavan@aol.com www.aryabhavan.com CATERING IS OUR SPECIALITY

FOR ALL YOUR

MATCHLESS EXPRESS TOURS 2600 W. Peterson Ave., Suite 105 Chicago IL 60659 Experienced Travel Consultants Pasport and Visa Services available * Confirmed seats (Even in High season) * Low Airfares * Courteous Service

Call and Contact

Tel. (773) 338 6260

TRAVEL NEEDS INTERNATIONAL DOMESTIC AIR INDIA AND ALL OTHER MAJOR AIRLINES. PACKAGE DEAL TAJ TOUR-SOTC

CALL:

Sita Ram Patel @ 847-568-0535

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post 39

40 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

S

et against the backdrop of the dramatic Dhauladhar mountains, Dharamsala is perched on the high slopes in the upper reaches of Kangra Valley. The town is divided into two distinct and widely separated sections, Upper and Lower Dharamsala, which differ almost a thousand meters in height.

Dharamsala has become synonymous with the Tibetan government in exile and the home of Tibetan leader Dalai Lama. Even if the Tibetan community dominates the town, it has still retained the colonial lifestyle and British fervor.

Dharamsala overlooks the plains and is surrounded by dense pine trees and Deodar forests. A nearby snowline with numerous streams and cool healthy atmosphere makes the surrounding very attractive.

Dharamsala is a busy bazaar town and has established itself as the travelers' base camp, who come to explore the nearby mountains. The Kotwali Bazaar provides the entire color and characteristic of a small town, which is mixed with simple lifestyle.

The colorful temple and Gompas which reflect the culture of Tibet add attraction for the visitor. The Kangra museum gives an overview of the rich past of the region. There are institutes that have been established to preserve Tibetan art, cultures and traditions.

Cont’d on page 42

October 4, 2013

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

41

www.indiapost.com

Brand USA eyes 1 m Indian visitors to US in 2015 NEW DELHI: Brand USA has said it is looking at a million visitors from India to the United States in 2015 as it hard sells the country as a premier travel destination.

"We expect a million visitors from India to USA in 2015," Brand USA Global Partnership Development Vice President Jay Gray told PTI. He was speaking on the sidelines of conclusion of second India Travel Mission by Brand USA. Established under the Travel Promotion Act 2010 of that coun-

try, Brand USA is the public-private partnership responsible for promoting United States as a premier travel destination. Its mandate is to increase international visitations to the country.

India ranked twelfth among the top 20 countries in the number of visitors to the US with 7,24,433 arrivals in 2012, an increase of 9.2 per cent from the previous year.

"We are also expecting a 9 per cent increase in the number of Indian visitors in 2013," Gray said.

'90 per cent of tourist spots in Uttarakhand safe' DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand government has sought to dispel the perception that tourist spots in the state were in disarray following the mid-June natural calam-

ity there, saying that 90 per cent of the destinations are in fact unaffected.

"From the tourism point of view, 90 per cent of the tourist spots in the state, including Mussoorie, Nainital, Rishikesh and Haridwar, are absolutely safe.

"These places were almost unaffected by the calamity and there is no risk in visiting them," tourism minister Amrita Rawat said in Delhi at the launch of a campaign to provide a boost to tourism in

Himalayan states.

The campaign was launched by the Union Minister of State for Tourism, Chiranjeevi, an official release here said.

Rawat said that only 10 per cent of the tourist destinations, part of the 'Char Dham Yatra' circuit, suffered extensive damage in the June flash floods.

Efforts were on to gradually repair the damaged infrastructure in the Char Dham area, she added.

The flash floods in Uttarakhand, which claimed the lives of hundreds of pilgrims and tourists, generated a sense of insecurity among potential visitors with hotels and resorts in places like Mussoorie and Nainital witnessing bulk cancellations.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary Umakant Panwar, who also spoke on the occasion, said a 14-km long ropeway will be built between Gaurikund and the Kedarnath shrine.

The 14-km trek route between Gaurikund and Kedarnath was badly damaged in the flash floods.

Panwar said that the fee charged by the state government for people to visit high-altitude areas had been waived to give a boost to adventure tourism in Uttarakhand. -PTI

In 2012 Indian visitors also ranked 10th in terms of money spent with a total spend of USD 4.9 billion, Brand USA said in a statement.

When asked what the drivers for growth will be in the number of Indian outbound visitors to US, Gray said: "It will be more about

the 'experience'. The diversity and experience which US offers makes it the greatest destination."

India, China and Brazil have huge growth potential for Brand USA, he added.

Indian visitors are also important because of duration of stay and the fact that Indian visitors

ranked tenth in terms of money spent, Gray said.

The India travel mission by Brand USA this year witnessed participation of 47 delegates representing 31 organizations from various US destinations that included hotels and destination management companies. -PTI

42

India Post

Travel & Hospitality Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

DHARAMSALA

Home of Dalai Lama & travelers' base camp

Cont’d from page 40

ATTRACTIONS: St. John's Church in Wilderness: 7-km upward from Dharamsala, between Forsyth Ganj and Mcleod Ganj lies the charming St. John's Church. It was built in 1852 and is dressed in grey stone with some fine Belgian stained glass windows donated by Lady Elgin. The church is popularly known as the church of St. John in Wilderness.

Chamunda Devi Temple: Mere 15-km from Dharamsala in a tiny village of Dadh on Palampur Road is the famous temple dedicated to Goddess Chamunda Devi. It is an enchanting spot with glorious views of the mountains, the Baner Khud, Pathiar and Lahla forests.

Maharana Pratap Sagar: Named in honor of the great patriot 'Maharana Pratap' (1572 - 97 AD), the Maharana Pratap Sagar was once known as the 'Pong Dam Reservoir'. India knows the

'Maharana' as a man who struggled valiantly for his kingdom of 'Mewar' for the principle of independence. In the words of the Chroniclers James Tod and Will-

possible flooding - the level varies with every season and averages around 30,000 hectares. Over 2,000 villages with a population of over 85, people are lying along the

sighted over the waters and the fringing mud-banks. These include black-headed gulls, plovers, terns, ducks, water-fowl and egrets. The first sighting in the region of the red-necked grebe was made at the Sagar.

The wetland's location at the head of the Indian plains has made it a suitable habitat and stopover for migratory birds that enter India from Central Asia. The land portion of the sanctuary has barking deer, sambar, wild boars, nilgai, leopards and clawless otters.

Twenty-seven species and subspecies of fish belonging to six families have been recorded in the Sagar's waters. Some of the impor-

kms from Dharamsala is Norbulinka. This place has heavy Japanese influence.

The Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan Culture was founded by the Department of Religion and Culture to preserve and promote Tibetan art and culture in exile Nurpur Fort: Originally known as Dhameri, 66-km from Dharamsala and 24-km from Pathankot, Nurpur Fort was renamed by Emperor Jehangir, son of the Great Moghul Jalal-Ud-Din Mohammad Akbar. The fort is now in ruins but still has some finely carved reliefs.

Tsug-Lag-Khang (Central Cathedral): Though a plain and utili-

Norbulinka Institute

iam Crooke, "He spurned every overture that had submission for its basis". Over the river Beas, the "Pong Dam" was completed in 1976. Its reservoir has an area of about 45,0000 hectares at maximum

wetland.

The Wildlife Sanctuary: In 1983, Maharana Pratap Sagar was declared a wildlife sanctuary and over 220 species of bird belonging to 54 families have been

Tsug-Lag-Khang (Central Cathedral)

Dall Lake

tant commercial varieties are Labeo dero (Gid), Labeo rohita, Labeo Calbasu, Tor putitora (Mahsir), and Mystus seenghala (Singhara). Since 1976, fishing has been a major economic activity in the areas and today it provides employment to some 1,500 fishermen and the annual catch is valued at over a crore of rupees.

Norbulinka Institute: Just 4-

tarian substitute for its far more splendid namesake in Lhasa, also known as the Jokhang, the TsugLag-Khang is nevertheless fascinating and peaceful. Situated opposite the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsug-LagKhang is known to local Indians as the Main Temple.

Cont’d on page 43

October 4, 2013

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

43

www.indiapost.com

Asia new favorite for Indian DHARAMSALA Home of Dalai Lama & travelers: Survey travelers' base camp

MUMBAI: Asian destinations like Singapore, Dubai and Thailand are fast emerging as the favorite destinations for Indian travelers, pushing the US, Australia and Mauritius to the back-burner as expenses are spiraling with fall in rupee's exchange value, says a survey.

"Singapore, Dubai and Thailand are replacing the US, Australia and Mauritius as top three choices due to rising costs," an ICICI-Lombard survey said here.

As per the survey, factors like a sharp fall in the rupee, expensive overseas travel and rising air travel have contributed towards this change of preference among travelers.

The survey covered Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and

gaining importance.

Interestingly, while the US is considered the safest country by travelers, China is perceived to be least safe.

"China is seen as the most un-

elers prefer to travel with their families.

On the cost side, the survey reveals that while the US is the most expensive destination, Sri Lanka is the least expensive.

Indore, with inputs coming in from 1,043 participants.

The survey further said that while beaches, landscapes, historical and heritage sites seem to be the top consideration for overseas travel, safety and security are also

safe country and the US is considered the safest by domestic travelers. Similarly, Singapore ranks tops in tourist infrastructure, while Sri Lanka is placed in the bottom on this front.

It also said majority of the trav-

As far as the information for overseas travel is concerned, the survey reveals that travel agents are the key source of information, followed by advice from friends and relatives as well as the Internet.-PTI

Cont’d from page 42

Govt committed to develop Agra to attract tourists AGRA: Uttar Pradesh government has approved a Rs 1,700 crore plan for the overall development

of Agra as a tourist destination, the state's Minister for Tourism, Om Prakash Singh, said here.

Speaking at the inauguration of an air-conditioned toilet facility at Taj Mahal on the occasion of World Tourism Day, Singh said that the state government was looking at improving the condition of Agra to make it a more attractive destination for tourists.

He said that UP government had received a USD 410 million package from World Bank for the development of tourism in the state and added that the state Cabinet had cleared the Rs 1,600 crore Agra-Lucknow Greenfield Expressway project.

The project for an international airport at Agra, too, has been okayed, he added.

Aridaman Singh, the UP Minister for Stamp, Court Fee and Civil Defense, who was also present on the occasion, said better air connectivity would make it easier for tourists to visit Agra. -PTI

13-km away from the town.

Rail: Pathankot is 85-km and is the nearest railhead for Dharamsala. Trains from all over the country make a stop over at

Andretta: Situated just 13-kms away from Palampur lies this dwelling place of artist S. Sobha Singh.

It houses a gallery of some of his major works and a pottery center.

Dall Lake: Surrounded by high and green Deodar trees is the lake, which fills a mountain bowl. Situated 11-kms away from the town, this lake is easily approachable by road and makes an enchanting and serene picnic spot.

Dharmkot: Just 11-km away from Dharamsala, located on the crest of a hill lies this attractive picnic spot, which presents a panoramic view of the Kangra Valley and Dauladhar ranges Kunal Pathri: St. John's Church in Wilderness These are the rock temples from which the place derives its name. Kunal Pathankot and from here it is a Pathri is a 3 kms flat walk from three-hour journey to Dharamsala.

Road: From Manali bus services Kotwali Bazaar.

Best Time to visit: Mid-May to are available to this place. One can drive from Delhi via Chandigarh, Mid-October.

Kiratpur, Bilaspur and it's an eightHOW TO GET THERE: Air: Dharamsala can be ap- hour journey. From Delhi and proached by air from Delhi and the Shimla, luxury buses ply to nearest Airport is at Gaggla, just Dharamsala.

In Brief Feds execute warrant at Lumber Liquidators HQ RICHMOND, Va.: Federal authorities have executed a search warrant at the Virginia headquarters of hardwood flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations spokesman Brandon Montgomery said the warrant was executed at the company's Toano, Va., headquarters and a Lumber Liquidators business location in suburban Richmond in coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Justice.

No other information about the details of the search was provided and Montgomery said the warrant is sealed. He could not say whether the warrant was related to a particular person or for the company as a whole.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

In a statement, the company said it is cooperating to provide information and documentation to ``answer questions relating to the importation of certain products.''-AP

Experts fear Dominican ruling could cause crisis SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: Experts have warned that a Dominican court decision to strip citizenship from children of Haitian migrants could cause a human rights crisis, potentially leaving tens of thousands of people stateless, facing mass deportation and discrimination.

Officials promised to create a path to Dominican citizenship, but gave no details about how it would work or who would be covered.

The ruling by the Constitutional Court is final and gives the electoral commission one year to produce a list of people to be excluded from citizenship.

The decision applies to those born after 1929 - a category that overwhelmingly includes descendants of Haitians brought in to work on farms. It appears to affect even their grandchildren, said Wade McMullen, a New Yorkbased attorney at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.-AP

Immigration 44 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

Fla. Citizen fighting to prove he was born in USA

Details on page 46

Provisions of Immigration bill self-defeating for US, says economist WASHINGTON: Certain provisions of the current immigration reforms bill, in particular those related to the H-1B visas, are selfdefeating for the United States, a top Indian economist has said.

The immigration bill, from the US point of view, is going to bring in much more talent to the US, which is desirable aid, said economist Arvind Subramanian.

"But I think it also has a number of restrictive elements which are not so good for the US, because it's like imposing a tax on chips. That's what imposing restrictions on skilled labor coming into the US," he told Senators during a Congressional hearing on Indian economic conditions.

Noting that the H-1B visas generates a lot of revenue for Indian

nationals, Subramanian said it is a symbol of cooperation but also people-to-people cooperation.

"I think it's really important to going forward to get this bill right as kind of sending a signal that this is a really important relation-

BALCA on the home office option CORA-ANN V. PESTAINA

I

t's time for another lesson, courtesy of BALCA (Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals). In a November 2010 blog entitled Perm and the roving employee (www.cyrumehta.com), I

BALCA held that there is no obligation for an employer to list every item or condition of employment in its advertisements discussed different types of roving employees and the existing BALCA or DOL (Department of Labor) guidance on how recruitment for these types of positions ought to be conducted. I raised the question, "What should the employer do when the employee works from home in a location that

is different from the employer's headquarters?" and stated "[this] less common issue of the home office has not yet been the subject of a BALCA decision."

In an October 2011 blog Balca says there is no need to list every benefit of employment in job advertisements. With still no definitive word from BALCA on the home office issue, I discussed Matter of Emma Willard School, 2010-PER-01101 (BALCA, September 28, 2011) where the DOL's CO (Certifying Officer) had denied the employer's PERM application because the recruitment failed to state that subsidized housing was being offered to the qualified US worker.

In that case, BALCA held that there is no obligation for an employer to list every item or condition of employment in its advertisements and listing none does not create an automatic assumption that no employment benefits exist.

Cont'd on Page 45

ship," he said.

"I would say that the Indian economy has to recover, has to gain back its strength.

And once that happens, I think we can move into a new phase where the economic relationship can blossom more.

"At that stage, I think we do need to be thinking about something much more ongoing, substantive, and big, moving beyond a BIT," he said.

However, a senior Administration official defended the immigration bill arguing that Indians have been the greatest beneficiary of the H-1B visa program.

The bill aims to address the misuse of the popular work visa regime by illegal emigrants. The Indian side has been arguing that Indian IT professionals are temporary workers and not emigrants.

The proposed law says all companies with 50 per cent or more employees from outside the US will have to pay a higher visa fee of USD 10,000 per worker. At present, the fee is USD 4,500, and it used to be USD 2,000 for H-1B and L1 visas till 2010.

The proposed legislation is expected to kick in early next year. PTI

Argentine-born rabbi muses on immigrants' dreams MCALLEN, Texas: Rabbi Claudio Kogan was just 7 years old when his native Argentina was ripped apart by war, its government taken over by the military in a violent coup, leaving its people under the regime of military dictatorship. He grew up in a place where, for seven years, students, labor organizers and other dissidents were assassinated, tortured and disappeared for demanding basic human rights during what was known as ``The Dirty War.'' In March of this year, 37 years to the day after his native country's government was overthrown, Kogan realized a dream and became a citizen of the United States. His background has propelled him forward with a mission: to unite people of different faiths and combat prejudice and poverty. ``Coming from a country that suffered a lack of democracy, and coming to a place with pure democracy was incredible,'' the 44year-old told The Monitor of

McAllen (http://bit.ly/18qumyf). ``One example is President Obama's move toward the Congress (asking them to vote about taking military action in Syria).

Some people might say `You are

Rabbi Claudio Kogan

president: Make the judgment and do it.' But whether we like (his actions) or don't like it, going to Congress is a show of democracy. In my former country, it was, `We want it, we take it.'''

Cont'd on Page 46

Immigration Post

October 4, 2013

India Post 45

www.indiapost.com

BALCA on the home office option Cont'd from Page 44

In my blog, I suggested that an employer whose PERM application was denied because the recruitment did not list a "work from home" benefit, might be able to argue, under Emma Willard School, that it was not required to list all benefits in its recruitment and that the choice not to list the "work from home" benefit should not serve to deter any US workers from applying for the position because US workers are savvy and well aware of the increasing flexibility offered by employers with regard to where they perform the duties of the job.

While I presented an argument that could have been made after receipt of a PERM denial, readers of that blog would likely have taken away that it is certainly better to list the "work from home" benefit in all of the recruitment.

BALCA has finally spoken on this issue and has made the requirement very clear.

In Siemens Water Technologies Corp., 2011-PER-00955 (July 23, 2013), the employer filed a PERM application for the position of Field Service Engineer. In all its recruitment the employer listed Houston, Texas as the location for the job opportunity and conducted recruitment from that location.

The PERM was audited and in its audit response, the employer explained that the primary worksite listed on the ETA Form 9089 was the same as the foreign worker's home address because the Field Service Engineer would be permitted to work from home and travel to various client sites as necessary.

The CO denied the application because the benefit of working from home was not offered to U.S. workers.

In its Request for Reconsideration, the employer argued that there is no regulation that requires advertisements to indicate that the geographic location is a home office. The employer argued that its

recruitment was properly conducted based on the Texas worksite address and in support of its position cited minutes from the DOL's March 15, 2007 Stakeholders Liaison Meeting which read as follows: 19. If an employer requires an employee to work from home in a region of intended employment that is different from the location of the employer's headquarters (i.e. work is required to be performed in a designated county or state that differs from the employer's headquarters), please confirm that the prevailing wage determination and recruitment can take place in the location of the employee's region of intended employment. Please confirm that the notice of posting under this circumstance should be posted at the company's headquarters.

If the 9089 form shows the worksite at a designated location other than headquarters, the PWD

In its Request for Reconsideration, the employer argued that there is no regulation that requires advertisements to indicate that the geographic location is a home office. and recruitment would be for the worksite. AILA note: This issue essentially requires a strategy decision. The PERM form can state that the worksite is the home office, in which case the PWD and recruitment can be for the area of the home office, but the fact that the worksite is the same as the foreign national's home address will be picked up by the PERM system and the case will likely be audited. This can then be addressed in the audit response and should not be a problem, if the case is otherwise approvable. Alternatively, the PERM form can state

that the worksite is the headquarters office, but then the PWD and recruitment must be done for that location.

20. In the case of a telecommuter or an employee whose location is

vented potential US applicants from applying for the job. Although the CO did not cite this in the initial denial, BALCA also found that the recruitment violated 20 CFR § 656.17(f)(3) and (4) because it was

One of the main takeaways from this case is that, as a rule of thumb, it's a good idea to include in the recruitment any unusual benefit that will be given to (e.g. work from home, subsided housing) or requirement that will be asked not specific to the job, please confirm that the notice of posting, recruitment, and prevailing wage determination should be based on the location of the employer's headquarters.

Please see answer to number 19 above.

The employer argued that its recruitment did not contain any terms and conditions of employment that were less favorable than those offered to the foreign national. The CO denied reconsideration and forwarded the case to BALCA. BALCA held that the employer's reliance on the minutes of the Stakeholders Liaison Meeting was misplaced and stated that while the employer may indeed conduct recruitment from the location where the foreign national resides and may list the foreign national's address as the primary worksite on the ETA Form 9089, the minutes of the Stakeholders Liaison Meeting are silent on what geographic location should be included in the advertisements in cases where the applicant would work from home.

BALCA found that applicants reading the employer's advertisements would think that they were restricted to working in Houston, Texas when, in contrast, the foreign national was given the option to work from his home which did not necessarily have to be in Houston, Texas. BALCA held that the recruitment was unduly restrictive and misleading and could have pre-

not specific enough to apprise applicants of where they would have to reside to perform the job and applicants were also not informed of the travel requirement that the employer explained in its audit response.

Time and time again we see that the fact that the PERM regulations provide no guidance on a particular issue is no defense when the DOL decides that an error has been made. As practitioners, we are left constantly trying to anticipate potential novel reasons for denial. We cannot confidently rely on existing guidance but must somehow anticipate future guidance and comply with that! One of the main takeaways from this case is that, as a rule of thumb, it's a good idea to include in the recruitment any unusual benefit that will be given to (e.g. work from home, subsided housing) or requirement that will be asked of (e.g. travel, relocation, mandatory week-end employment) the qualified candidate for the offered position.

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

Former Assistant StateÂ’s Attorney

Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc.

1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties 1 1

http://www.proy-singh.com

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

Immigration Post

46 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Fla. Citizen fighting to prove he was born in USA WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.: If Nebeth Carbajal's claim is true, he is living a life just the opposite of so many Latino immigrants today.

He is a legal, U.S.-born citizen who has been forced to live as if he were undocumented.

Carbajal, 33, whose Mexican parents came to the U.S. illegally, claims he was born in a house in Belle Glade on Dec. 6, 1979, delivered by his aunt and another woman. No birth certificate was issued, and 14 months later, his mother took him and his baby brother back to Mexico because she had to care for a sick relative.

In 1995, when Nebeth was 15, all three crossed back into the U.S. and have lived in Texas ever since.

The brother, Junior, 32, was born in Everglades Memorial Hospital in Pahokee and has always had a U.S. birth certificate.

But Nebeth is now trying to prove his citizenship, in part to acquire a U.S. passport so he can travel legally to Mexico to visit his father, who he said he has not seen in 14 years.

In June 2012, his mother and aunt testified in Palm Beach County Circuit Court about the day of his birth and they presented documents to support their case. On Sept. 28, Judge Lisa Small

``He is being made to prove his citizenship more than other citizens would need to, and that isn't right,'' she said.

The State Department would not comment on Carbajal's case, but spokeswoman Beth Finan provided a list of documentation, ``secondary evidence,'' that must be submitted in cases where a birth certificate issued within a year of birth is not available.

One such piece of evidence is a baptismal certificate. Carbajal has one, showing he was baptized Jan. 31, 1981, at St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Belle Glade. The document notes the child was born in Belle Glade and that the Rev. Vincent Villar performed the sacrament. A church secretary confirmed that Villar had served at the church.

Another document sought by the State Department was a ``doctor's record of postnatal care.''

Ricci gave the Circuit Court judge and the State Department a registration card issued to his mother, Elizabeth Carbajal, in 1980 by the Florida Department of Health's Women, Infant and Children program, which provides low-income mothers with food and nutritional counseling.

One such piece of evidence is a baptismal certificate. Carbajal has one, showing he was baptized Jan. 31, 1981, at St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Belle Glade. The document notes the child was born in Belle Glade and that the Rev. Vincent Villar performed the sacrament. ordered the county to file a ``delayed birth certificate'' for Carbajal with the Florida Department of Vital Statistics.

He applied for expedited service from the U.S. Passport Agency, but instead, a State Department investigator showed up to question Carbajal at his job in Texas, where he does painting and construction. Almost a year later, he still doesn't have a passport. ``I understand that they have to be careful about this kind of thing,'' Carbajal said. ``We have shown the government all kinds of documents, but it has been impossible to get them to respond.''

His attorney, Elizabeth Ricci of Tallahassee, said U.S. citizens have to show only a valid birth certificate to acquire a passport, and Carbajal now has one.

Dates have been written in, referring to appointments Elizabeth kept and when she received nutritional supplements.

His mother also saved a note from a Belle Glade family doctor, Rolando Piedra, saying he treated Nebeth for an ear infection on July 15, 1980.

The State Department also wanted his early school records.

That schooling happened in Mexico, but Nebeth provided those records, which indicate he was registered at his elementary school as a student ``of U.S. nationality.''

The State Department website also says a delayed birth certificate must be issued on evidence of this kind and on affidavits provided by the parents. Carbajal fulfilled those requirements as well.

He also included an affidavit from his aunt, Hortencia Carbajal, who assisted at his birth.

Ricci said her client has fulfilled the requirements the State Department has posted publicly. But in an Aug. 8 letter to Carbajal, its National Passport Center included an expanded list of possible ``secondary evidence,'' which included proof of prenatal care.

The document provided by Elizabeth Carbajal listing visits to the WIC clinic starts with one on ``12/2,'' but with no year included. ``I interpret the 12/2 notation to be Dec. 2, 1979, the week before she gave birth,'' Ricci said. But Elizabeth Carbajal says she never received prenatal care and doesn't know to what the date represents.

Still, she insists she gave birth in Belle Glade, having arrived there from Mexico when she was five or six months pregnant. ``I didn't know any such prenatal care was available,'' she said. ``It was same thing with giving birth. Back in Mexico, women gave birth in their homes. That's what I did. My sister-in-law was there and another woman, who wasn't exactly a midwife, but she had experience assisting with births.''

Dr. Ahmed Barhoush, an obstetrician who has practiced in Belle Glade since 1974, said Carbajal's story was feasible. ``Sometimes it happened that way,'' he said. ``It would happen much more back then in Belle Glade than it does today.''

Elizabeth Carbajal and her husband, Asencio, a landscaper, also did not register the child and get a birth certificate. ``We spoke no English and wouldn't have known where to go,'' she said. ``We were ignorant.''

Ricci said asking for proof of prenatal care, even though that requirement is not listed publicly, is the State Department ``changing the rules in midstream.''

In her submission to the court, Ricci included other ``secondary evidence,'' including the birth certificate of Nebeth's younger brother, Junior, born in December 1980. ``By then I knew what to do,'' Elizabeth Carbajal said. ``I went to the hospital in Pahokee and we also got a birth certificate.''

Not long after Nebeth was baptized, Elizabeth Carbajal took her sons back to Mexico because her mother-in-law was ill and no one else could care for her, she said.

Her husband stayed in the U.S. to

work.

On re-entering Mexico, she was told to file visa applications for her sons after informing Mexican border authorities that they were U.S.born, which meant they were foreigners entering Mexico. She has copies of both visas, dated Feb. 21, 1981, and giving Belle Glade as

Ricci, who helped them convince Judge Small they were telling the truth and then sent off the passport application, accompanied by the ``delayed birth certificate.''

After months without a response, Ricci asked the State Department to refund the fee for expedited service.

``I didn't know any such prenatal care was available,'' she said. ``It was same thing with giving birth. Back in Mexico, women gave birth in their homes. That's what I did. My sister-in-law was there and another woman, who wasn't exactly a midwife, but she had experience assisting with births.'' their place of birth.

Nebeth Carbajal said he sneaked back into the U.S. in 1995 because he could not prove he was U.S.born. He said that in 1996 the family sought an attorney's help in straightening out the matter. ``But the attorney wanted $5,000,'' he said. ``Where were we going to get that kind of money?''

In 2011, the family contacted

"Rather than issue a reimbursement or reach out to me, the (State Department) sent an investigator to Carbajal's job to interrogate him,'' Ricci told The Palm Beach Post in an email.

The State Department claimed the ``delayed birth certificate'' was ``insufficient evidence to prove his birth in United States,'' Ricci said. -AP

Argentine-born rabbi muses on immigrants' dreams time his girlfriend, Ana Sverdlick, thought he was kidding when he Rabbi Kogan, who is stationed said he was going to move to at Temple Emanuel, became the America to earn his rabbinical derabbi for McAllen last July after gree. Still, Sverdlick - now his wife moving from Connecticut, where was committed to their relationhe served as senior rabbi and po- ship. lice chaplain. ``I used to joke that airlines and Kogan had AT&T were the always wanted When Argentina unbeneficiaries of to help people derwent a disastrous our relationboth spiritually economic crisis in ship,'' he said. and physically, After a couple of 1999, Kogan left to so at 18, he delong-distance cided to be- seek his fortune in the years, Sverdlick come a rabbi U.S., despite leaving left her own caand a medical a medical career reer behind to doctor. In Ar- and steady girlfriend join Kogan.`` gentina, Kogan She left a job as of one year behind. a lawyer to bepursued both passions simultaneously: he at- come the girlfriend of a broke stutended rabbinical school at a semi- dent,'' Kogan added, seeming to nary while he started medical still be in disbelief. Since her arschool at the University of Buenos rival, Sverdlick has earned a Aires. He became a doctor in 1995, master's degree in global affairs and a mohel (professional who per- from Rutgers University, and she forms circumcisions) two years later. is currently finishing her PhD in When Argentina underwent a human trafficking. Kogan has disastrous economic crisis in 1999, picked up four more university Kogan left to seek his fortune in degrees himself, two in Hebrew the U.S., despite leaving a medical studies, and one each in educacareer and steady girlfriend of one tion and medical ethics, respecyear behind. Kogan said that at the tively.-AP Cont'd from Page 44

October 4, 2013

Classifieds

India Post 47

www.indiapost.com

NEWS on your desktop www.indiapost.com

Notice is hereby given that this is an Online Bid Process; only bids submitted through the online portal will be accepted. Please logon or register at https:// ezsourcing.acgov.org/psp/SS/ SUPPLIER/ERP/h/?tab=DEFAULT. NETWORKING BIDDERS CONFERENCES for RFQs #901179 901182: 2014 Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota Vehicle Purchase North County – Monday, October 7, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at General Services Agency, 1401 Lakeside Drive, Room 1107, 11th Floor, Oakland, CA or participate remotely @ https:// gsaalamedacounty.adobeconnect.com/ vehicles South County– Tuesday, October 8, 2013, 2:00 p.m. at Castro Valley Library, Chabot Room, 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley, CA Response Due by 2:00 pm as follows: RFQ 901179 and 901180 – November 6, 2013 RFQ 901181 and 901182 – November 7, 2013 County Contact: Evelyn Benzon (510) 208-9622 or via email: evelyn.benzon@acgov.org Attendance at Networking Conference is Non-mandatory. Specifications regarding the above may be obtained at the Alameda County GSA Current Contracting Opportunities Internet website at www.acgov.org.

10/4/13 CNS-2535147#

Datebook

48 India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri, Oct 4

Thu, Oct 3

• Bollywood Legend, Farooq Sheikh

• DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra

Venue: Edison Hotel, 3050 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 732-277-6687

Venue: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 718-207-0058

Sat, Oct 5

Sat, Oct 5

• ICS Presents Navratri 2013 Venue: Dunn Sports Center-NJ, 600 Pearl St, Elizabeth, NJ 07202 Time: 9:00 pm Contact: 908-656-2020

Sun, Oct 6 • Bhakta Prahlada Dance Ballot Venue: The Marlboro High School, 95 N Main Street, Marlboro Township, NJ 07746 Time: 3:00 pm Contact: 732-429-4855

Fri, Sep 11

• Raas Garba Benefit

Fri, Oct 4 • Red Carpet Bollywood Nights: DJ Kamya & IZ Rock Venue: Nirvana Beverly Hills, 8689 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Contact: 310-698-9223

Sat, Oct 5

Time: 12:00 pm

Jewelry Show Venue: Los Angeles Convention Center,

Sat, Oct 5 • Raas-Garba With Jayshree Gohil & Group Venue: Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim,

Venue: TV Asia Auditoriam, 76 National Rd, Edison, NJ 08817 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 732-261-4084

Venue: Hindu Temple Community Center, 143-09 Holly Ave, New York, NY 11355 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 917-300-9284

Fri, Oct 18 Venue: Centinela Valley Center For The Arts, 14901 S Inglewood Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260 Time: 5:00 pm Contact:310-497-8050

1201 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90744

• Navratri Rass-Garba

Fri, Oct 18 Sun Tv Kalyana Malai Pattiman-dram & Shooting

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

Venue: Edwards Westpark 8, 3755 Alton Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92606 Time: 5:00 pm Contact: 949-394-5148

• Durga Puja Kickoff

Fri, Oct 4 • The International Gem and

• OVBI-TV Asia Navratri Garba Nite

• J K Yog Satsang and Bal

• Silent River Film Festival

Time: 9:30 pm

Venue: Van Wyck Junior High School, 10 Hillside Lake Rd, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 845-245-6047

Venue: Navratri Rass Garba 2013 St. Anthony’s High School 275 Wolf Hill Rd, Melville, NY 11747 Time: 5:00 pm Contact: 347-455-8515

Thu, Oct 17

Sat, Oct 19 • Grand Diwali Mela – 2013 Festival Of Lights Venue: Bharat Community Center, 1732 Reynolds Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 Time: 5:00 pm Time: 714-846-1301

CA 92802 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 951-318-7375

ATLANTA Upcoming

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

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

Sat, Oct 5

Sat, Oct 12 • Bharathanatyam Fund Raiser

Fri, Oct 11 • Durgostav 2013

Venue: Madrid Theatre, 21622 Sherman

Venue: Berkmar High School, 405 Pleas-

Way, Canoga Park, CA 91605

ant Hill Rd, Lilburn, GA 30047

Time: 4:30 pm

Time: 9:00 pm

Contact: 8183575313

Contact: 678-764-5179

Fri, Oct 18 • Musical Prayer For Peace

Sun, Oct 20 • Dussehra Mela 2013

• Grand Musical Concert By Abhishek Raghuram Venue: The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL 60439 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 630-403-8342

Sat, Oct 5

Venue: Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, 6700 W 83rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90045 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 310-670-4777

Venue: Atlanta Event Hall, 3750 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096

Music With Jasraj Joshi

Fri, Oct 25 • Diwali Dhamaka 2013q

Venue: CENTINELA VALLEY CENTER

Venue: Ashiana Global Mall, 5675 Jimmy

FOR THE ARTS, 14901 S Inglewood Ave,

Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071

Lawndale, CA 90260

Time: 7:30 pm

Time: 8:30 pm

Contact: 770-309-1074

Contact: 3104978050

Venue: Lake Villa, 18788 Wildflower Way, Lake Villa, IL 60046 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 847-915-2291

Time: 3:00 pm Contact: 404-934-9991

Fri, Oct 18 • Celebrate 100 yrs of Indian

• Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan

Fri, Oct 18 • Shree Jalaram Mandir : Garba 2013 Venue: Shree Jalaram Mandir, 425 Illinois Blvd, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169 Time: 5:30 pm Contact: 847-596-0363

Thu, Oct 24 • IACS Diversity Job Fair 2013 Venue: Chicago Hilton, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605 Time: 10:00 am Contact: 847-596-0363

Sat, Oct 26 • 25th Anniversary Celebrations of Bihar Cutural Association of North America Venue: The Community House, 415,W 8th St, Hinsdale, IL 60521 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 708-691-2268

Sun, Oct 27 • Dhawani Entertainment Presents Down Memory Lane Venue: Cutting Hall of Performing Arts, 250 E Wood St, Palatine, IL 60067 Time: 5:30 pm Contact: 847-884-0912

Fri, Nov 1 • Diwali Celebrations 2013 Venue: Viceroy Of India, 233 E Roosevelt Rd, Lombard, IL 60148 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 773-230-3173

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post 49

„ Health

Line

Diabetes may up risk of breast and colon cancer LONDON: Diabetics have an increased risk of developing breast and colon cancer, a new study has warned.

Researchers at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam and colleagues found that patients with diabetes had a 23 per cent increased risk of developing breast cancer and a 38 per cent increased risk of dying from the disease compared to nondiabetic patients.

Diabetic patients also had a 26 per cent increased risk of developing colon cancer and a 30 per cent increased risk of dying from it.

"Our meta-analysis is the first to combine incidence and death from breast and colon cancer, while excluding all other causes of death. We have investigated the link between diabetes and the risk of developing as well as the risk of dying from these cancers," said Dr Kirstin De Bruijn from the Erasmus University Medical Center.

The study analysed results from 20 trials that had taken place between 2007 and 2012, involving more than 1.9 million patients with breast or colon cancer, with or without diabetes.

"The results for breast and colon cancer incidence in patients with diabetes are consistent with other meta-analyses. Furthermore, this meta-analysis shows a higher risk and a stronger association between diabetes and death from breast and colon cancer than previously reported," said De Bruijn. -PTI

„ Health sector is our priority, says Omar SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said health sector has been flagged as one of the most important areas in the state's development policy.

"Health sector has been flagged as one of the most important sectors in the state's development policy. During the last more than four-and-a-half year, tremendous expansion and consolidation has been achieved besides providing specialists and paramedics in the hospitals and health centers," Omar said.

The chief minister was inaugurating a 200-bed District Hospital in Baramulla district of north Kashmir.

Omar said the hospital was another milestone in the endeavor of the government to universalize modern health facilities across the state.-PTI

Health Science Plan to get 100 Indian firms under 'Healthy Workplaces' 50

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013

Details on Page 52

Houston practices yoga with Ramdev HOUSTON: A large number of yoga enthusiasts got a chance to start their day with Yoga Guru Ramdev who performed various yoga postures and Pranayama during a 'Yoga Shivir' here.

During the session, Ramdev demonstrated his ability to control his breath, sucking in his stomach so it wiggles beneath his ribcage and turns concave.

Ramdev demonstrated eight types of breathing exercises and explained the benefits of each.

He said he has conducted hundreds of clinical control trials for establishing the effectiveness of breathing exercises in treating stress related problems.

His prescription for good health comprises 10 per cent of physical exercise and 90 per cent of breathing exercises.

He compared the human body to hardware and the organs and their functions to software. While the physical exercise can keep the hardware in good condition, it won't protect the software and

yoga played that part, he said.

Ramdev, who was in Houston in 2010 last, enjoys a considerable

route Chicago and New Jersey to participate in the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami

Yoga Guru Ramdev

following among Indian-American population.

He stopped in Houston en

Vivekananda in Chicago and New Jersey.

He will also commemorate the

120th anniversary of the famous address by Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893.

Earlier, Ramdev addressed a huge gathering of Indians on September 26.

He talked about everything right from yoga, religion and issues surrounding India during his over three hour public meeting, "Yoga & India's Current Challenges".

"I didn't change people, yoga changed people," said Ramdev.

"If you want a good life, a better life, you have no choice but to do yoga. Life is not for doing yoga. Yoga is for making life better," he said.

Ramdev came out openly in favor of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the Prime Minister's post, describing him as the "most suitable person".

"People have already accepted Modi as the future PM and he is most suitable person for the post," he said. -PTI

Indian doctors face promotion bias in Britain LONDON: Doctors from Indian and other ethnic minority communities in Britain are less likely to be promoted to senior hospital jobs, a medical investigation has found.

The 'BMJ Careers' journal found that in 2012, 13.8 per cent of white applicants to senior hospital doctor jobs in England were successful in securing the role they applied for, compared with just 4.8 per cent of doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Black doctors were the least likely to secure consultant, specialist or other senior doctor roles, with a success rate of only 2.7 per cent.

Asian and British Asian doctors had a mildly better ratio at 5.72 per cent, with a total of 2,514 appointed last year.

Indian-origin doctors have long been seen as the back-bone of the NHS with over 25,000 practicing in the UK. But concerns around discrimination within the country's health service had recently forced the General Medi-

cal Council (GMC), the doctor's watchdog in the UK, to investigate.

Another paper, also published by the 'British Medical Journal',

the marking of the clinical skills assessment" as a reason for the discrepancy.

The paper follows a GMC review of the exam, which is run by

Ethnic minority GP candidates trained in the UK were four times more likely to fail than their white UK-trained colleagues at the first attempt, but these differences disappeared at the second attempt found that ethnic minority doctors were much more likely to fail the exam required to practice as a general practitioner (GP).

The researchers said they "cannot exclude subjective bias owing to racial discrimination in

the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), following concerns about failure rates among doctors who qualified outside the UK, as well as among UK-trained doctors from black or other ethnic minority backgrounds.

In his report for the GMC, Aneez Esmail, professor of general practice at the University of Manchester, said more needed to be done to acknowledge that candidates trained overseas may require more training and support.

Ethnic minority GP candidates trained in the UK were four times more likely to fail than their white UK-trained colleagues at the first attempt, but these differences disappeared at the second attempt, Esmail found.

According to RCGP figures, the failure rate for British medical graduates of South Asian origin is 17.5 per cent and for a black candidate 24.4 per cent, compared with 5.8 per cent for a white candidate.

The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), which represents Indian-origin doctors working in the UK, has been campaigning for a probe into the disparity in results for over two years ago.PTI

October 4, 2013

Health Science Post

India Post 51

www.indiapost.com

SC gearing up for launch of insurance exchange COLUMBIA, S.C.: Uninsured South exchange questions, but no one called. age, income and tobacco use. Catastrophic Carolinians can begin signing up for health Blue Cross Blue Shield will offer about plans don't qualify for subsidies. coverage through the online marketplace 20 plans. Its marketing effort includes openThose helping the uninsured enroll increated under the federal health care over- ing as many as seven retail stores by the clude ``navigators,'' who must complete 20 haul, but many residents may have no idea end of 2014, adding to those opened in to 30 hours of training and pass an exam to how to do that in a state run by Republi- Mount Pleasant and Greenville. It is also be certified. They can determine whether cans who have actively opposed the process.

South Carolina is among 36 states that opted against running its state exchange, leaving that to the federal government. So it's spent no money to advertise it. Still, hundreds of thousands of uninsured South Carolinians are expected to sign up for health insurance, and some state agencies have geared up to help.

The state's Medicaid agency has expanded its existing call center for Medicaid-eligible residents and launched a 2-1-1 center to answer health overhaul questions, complete with a team ready to help residents sign up.

Nomaan Merchant U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, right, with Asked why, director Tony Keck made Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, left, discusses the implementation of the federal health care clear his agency's assistance is not due to overhaul in Dallas, Texas. any support for the Affordable Care Act. ``We expect increased calls to our Medicaid call center by frustrated South Caro- sending a 40-foot mobile unit, with five people are eligible for subsidies and help linians, and we will do our best to direct agents aboard, to large sporting events and them through the online process, but they them to the right place to get an answer,'' festivals across the state, as well as small can't suggest which plan to pick. he said. communities that can't support a store. And Last month, the Obama administration Organizations recruited by the federal the company's hired about 15 people to awarded three groups a total of $2 million government to help people navigate the help residents sign up for its plans, said in federal navigator grants for outreach in process appear to largely still be in the plan- Terry Peace, a company vice president.

South Carolina. ning stages in South Carolina. Officials of Consumers' Choice is among 24 co-ops both nonprofits and insurers say they ex- nationwide created by the federal law. Limpect chaos and confusion. But Melanie ited by how it can use a federal loan to Colclough, deputy director of The Benefit market its eight plans, outreach involves a Bank of South Carolina, said people are team of six people talking at churches and putting too much emphasis on opening community forums, said spokeswoman day.

Adrian Grimes. ``You have some time to actually shop ``We were designed to create competiand understand everything,'' said tion and drive down cost,'' she said.

Colclough, whose group is partnering with On average, South Carolinians will be a company that received a federal outreach able to pick from 26 plans, depending on grant. ``You don't have to where they live, accordpull the trigger and go on ing to a federal report.

Oct. 1.''

Outside of cataOn average, South Beginning in 2014, strophic plans that propeople who don't have Carolinians will be tect from worst-case scehealth insurance will able to pick from narios, plans must fall have to pay a penalty. Enwithin four tiers: bronze, rollment through the ex- 26 plans, depending silver, gold and platichange has begun but num. The benefits are the on where they people have until Dec. 15 same, but the cost-sharto sign up for health cov- live, according ing varies, with bronze erage that starts Jan. 1. requiring the highest They have until March 31 to a federal report. out-of-pocket expenses to avoid the penalty. in deductibles and co``A lot of the mystery pays. will be unveiled Oct. 1,'' Colclough said.

No company is offering platinum-level ``It's OK. Everybody can breathe now.'' options to individual buyers in South CaroIn South Carolina, three insurance com- lina, according to state officials. panies will offer a total of 52 plans to indiSpecifics of South Carolina's plans - inviduals and families over the exchange, ac- cluding premiums, cost-sharing and procording to the state Department of Insur- vider access - aren't being made public unance. That includes eight ``catastrophic'' til www.healthcare.gov goes live. The plans, which the federal law limits to those Obama administration's report said the under 30 and some low-income residents. sticker price in South Carolina for a midParticipating insurers are Blue Cross and range plan will be $339 a month on averBlue Shield of South Carolina; Consumers' age, before federal subsidies that work like Choice Health Plan, a nonprofit co-opera- upfront discounts. tive; and Coventry Health Care of the CaroThat in-state average for a benchmark linas. Both Blue Cross Blue Shield and Con- policy known as the ``second-lowest-cost sumers' Choice are offering plans statewide. silver plan'' is $11 more than the national Coventry's range is unclear. A Coventry average. But averages can be misleading. spokeswoman said parent company Aetna What residents pay for premiums will vary would call The Associated Press to answer widely, with factors including family size,

The largest grant of more than $1.2 million went to DECO Recovery Management, which is working with the Benefit Bank.

The Benefit Bank, created in 2009 to help people secure various social services, has volunteer counselors in roughly 500 locations across the state's 46 counties. But DECO is in charge of the navigator program. ``This was a no-brainer for DECO to partner with us,'' Colclough said. ``We were already in the trenches all over South Carolina.''

The Columbia-based Cooperative Ministry received $508,300 to target uninsured people in eight counties, though the group hopes to cover more. When fully staffed, the charity expects to have between 30 and 45 navigators.

Appointments will be available beginning the second week of October. Navigators will spend the first week familiarizing themselves with the exchange, she said.

The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce received $234,100. Six of its seven navigators are certified. To reach people across eight counties, they will work with ``certified application counselors'' _ volunteers who receive five hours of training. Help will largely be offered through church functions and other community events, said Larry Holman, the chamber's president.-AP

52 India Post

Health Science Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Glenmark gets USFDA nod for skin infections cream NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has said it has received approval from the US health regulator for its generic Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream used for treating variety of skin infections.

Glenmark Generics Inc USA, the subsidiary of Glenmark Generics Ltd has received nod for it's Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream USP (0.1 per cent), abbreviated new drug

approval (ANDA) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a statement.

The company is entitled to 180 days of exclusivity with respect to the product as it is the first generic company to file an ANDA for the product, it added.

"In April 2011, Glenmark had entered into a royalty- bearing license agreement with Triax Pharmaceuticals, Astellas Pharma Europe BV and Astellas Pharma International BV to settle a patent infringement suit against commercialization of generic version of Locoid Lipocream and agreed to launch it near the end of CY 2013," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said.

According to IMS Health sales data for the 12 month period ending June 2013, Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream garnered annual sales of nearly USD 34 million, it added.

The company's product is a generic version of Triax's Locoid Lipocream.

"Hydrocortisone Butyrate cream is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of orticosteroid-responsive dermatoses in adults and the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in patients 3 months to 18 years of age," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said.

The company's current portfolio consists of 90 products authorized for distribution in the US market and 53 ANDA's pending approval with the USFDA, it added.-PTI

Plan to get 100 Indian firms under 'Healthy Workplaces' NEW YORK: An effort to get 100 Indian per cent of Indians have at least one chronic companies under the category of "Healthy disease, and 10 per cent more than one. For Workplaces" by 2016 was announced by a us to win against NCDs, multiple sectors global health non-profit organization to pre- of society must work together", he said. vent the spread of non communicable dis"It is smart to target workplaces, where eases. so many young people spend so much of Committed to changing the course of their day, to influence health behavior," said chronic diseases, Arogya World announced Dr Srinath Reddy, President Public Health "Commitment to Action" program to en- Foundation of India. courage companies to meet high standards Companies who have committed to apfor wellness, helping one million of those who work there to lead healthy lives."

"We have designed this ambi"We have designed this ambitious and pioneering public health initiative tious and pioneering public to leverage the workplace as a plat- health initiative to leverage the form for preventing Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs)," said Dr Nalini workplace as a platform for Saligram, Founder and CEO of Arogya preventing Non-Communicable World at the just concluded three-day diseases (NCDs)," said Dr Nalini 2013 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting here.

Saligram, Founder and CEO of The global health non profit is colArogya World laborating with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Government of India regarding this. plying for Healthy Workplace awards, by Joining Arogya World in the workplace benchmarking themselves against these wellness program are several leading orga- criteria, this year include iGATE, Infotech, nizations such as Public Health Founda- Quinnox, Aon, Reliance Infrastructure, tion of India (PHFI), Aon plc, and Wipro GE Healthcare and Emami which toNationWide. gether have a pool of more than 50,000 em"With an external score-card that recog- ployees. nizes companies for their commitment to "Indians get diabetes 10 years earlier workplace wellness, we want to encourage than counterparts in the West often in their companies to meet high standards for 30s and 40s and half of India are under 25 wellness, and motivate others to follow years of age", Desiraju said. suit", said Keshav Desiraju, Secretary, DeCriterias that mark a workplace as partment of Health and Family Welfare, 'Healthy' were previously developed by Government of India.

Arogya World for India, with the input of "India has a huge burden of NCDs - 20 multiple stakeholders in 2012. -PTI

Lower breast cancer risk with peanut butter use WASHINGTON: Girls who eat more peanut butter and nuts substantially reduce their risk of breast cancer later in life, a new study has claimed.

The study from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and Harvard Medical School shows that girls aged 9 to 15 who regularly ate peanut butter or nuts were 39 per cent less likely to develop benign breast disease by age 30.

Benign breast disease, although noncancerous, increases risk of breast cancer later in life, researchers said.

"These findings suggest that peanut butter could help reduce the risk of breast cancer in women," said senior author Graham Colditz.

The findings are based on the health histories of 9,039 US girls enrolled in The Growing Up Today Study from 1996 through 2001.

Later, from 2005 through 2010, when the study participants were 18 to 30 years old, they reported whether they had been diagnosed with benign breast disease that had

been confirmed by breast biopsy.

The researchers found that participants who ate peanut butter or nuts two times each week were 39 per cent less likely to have developed benign breast disease than those who never ate them.

The study's findings suggest that beans, lentils, soybeans and corn also may help prevent benign breast disease, but consumption of these foods was much lower in these girls and thus the evidence was weaker.

Past studies have linked peanut butter, nut and vegetable fat consumption to a lower risk for benign breast disease.

However, participants in those studies were asked to recall their high school dietary intakes years later.

This new study is the first to use reports made during adolescence, with continued follow-up as cases of benign breast disease are diagnosed in young women.

Because of the obesity epidemic, Colditz recommended that girls replace high-calorie junk foods and sugary beverages with peanut butter or nuts. -PTI

Philosophy

October 4, 2013

India Post 53

www.indiapost.com

Page Sponsored by Sahanis MAHATMA GANDHI

C

ivilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary reduction of wants. This alone promotes real happiness and contentment, and increases the capacity for service.

From the standpoint of pure Truth, the body too is a possession. It has been truly said, that desire for enjoyment creates bodies for the soul. When this desire vanishes, there remains no further need for the body, and man is free from the vicious cycle of births and deaths.

The soul is omnipresent; why should she care to be confined within the cage-like body, or do evil and even kill for the sake of the cage?

We thus arrive at the ideal of total renunciation, and learn to use the body for the purposes of service so long as it exists, so much so that service, and not bread, becomes with us the staff of life. We eat and drink, sleep and awake, for service alone. Such an attitude of mind brings us real happiness and the beatific vision in the fullness of time. Let us examine ourselves from this standpoint.

We should remember that Nonpossession is a principle applicable to thoughts, as well as to things. One, who fills his brain with useless knowledge, violates that inestimable principle.

RAM DASS

M

ost people define themselves in terms of their egos - I am a father, a mother, a teenager, rich, poor, liberal, conservative, young, old...the list goes on forever. Our culture reinforces this level of awareness - "you are what you wear," "you are what you eat," "what kind of car do you drive?" et cetera. Most of us also generally define others in terms of their egos - they are nice, mean, attractive, ugly, smart, stupid, funny, or unpleasant.

The ego is competitive; it assesses itself by comparison to other egos. We will tear down another's ego if it threatens our own or doesn't "measure up" to our standards - "Sure, she is beautiful, but she is really scatterbrained. I am smarter than she is." "He might be successful but I bet he doesn't have any real friends."

Soul We are much more than our egos, thanks be to God. We are also souls. If we identify with our souls, then we begin to see things as God sees them. In the Gospels, Jesus taught us time

Thoughts, which turn us away from God, or do not turn us towards Him, constitute impediments in our way.

In this connection we may consider the definition of knowledge contained in the 13th chapter of the Gita. We are there told, that humility (amanitvam) etc. constitute knowledge, and all the rest is ignorance. If this is true much that we hug to-day as knowledge is ig-

tween good activity, and evil activity. This discernment goes naturally with a single-minded devotion to service.

Fearlessness Every reader of the Gita knows that fearlessness heads the list of the Divine Attributes enumerated in the 16th chapter. Whether this is merely due to the exigencies of meter, or whether the pride of

with the sword, the rifle and other carnal weapons, which, strictly speaking are affected only by cowards.

Fearlessness connotes freedom from all external fear - fear of disease, bodily injury and death, of dispossession, of losing one's nearest and dearest, of losing reputation or giving offence, and so on.

One, who overcomes the fear of death, does not surmount all other

Civilization means voluntary reduction of wants We learn to use the body for the purposes of service so long as it exists, so much so that service, and not bread, becomes with us the staff of life.

So long as one has any association with this awful sense of being the doer, there cannot be the least achievement of liberation which is something very different.

-Adi Shankaracharya

norance pure and simple, and therefore, only does us harm, instead of conferring any benefit. It makes the mind wander, and even reduces it to a vacuity, and discontent flourishes in endless ramifications of evil. Needless to say, this is not a plea for inertia.

Every moment of our life should be filled with activity, but that activity should be sattvika, tending to Truth. One, who has consecrated his life to service, cannot be idle for a single moment. But one has to learn to distinguish be-

place has been deliberately yielded to fearlessness, is more than I can say. In my opinion, however, fearlessness richly deserves the first rank assigned to it there. For it is a sine qua non for the growth of the other noble qualities.

How can one seek Truth, or cherish Love, without fearlessness? As Pritam has it, 'the path of Hari (the Lord) is the path of the brave, not of cowards'. Hari here means Truth, and the brave are those armed with fearlessness, not

fears, as is commonly but erroneously supposed. Some of us do not fear death, but flee from the minor ills of life.

Some are ready to die themselves, but cannot bear their loved ones to be taken away from them. Some will swerve from the strait and narrow path simply because they are afraid of incurring the world's odium.

Excerpted from Selected Writings of Mahatma Gandhi by Ronald Duncan. The 144th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi will be observed on October 2.

There will be light waves that are beyond the capacity of lens to perceive. There could also be sound which cannot come within the hearing capacity of the ear. How can we say that there is nothing in the universe other than what we see and hear?

-Paramacharya

and time again that God sees us as souls. Souls are eternal, egos and all things that are important to egos are not. If we see others as souls instead of only their egos, then following Christ's great teaching to love others as you love yourself becomes much

God God is the source of all that is.

He is the Creator and we are created in His image. The material world of the ego is finite, as are the bodies where our egos are housed. God is infinite and eternal; our souls are similarly eternal

will be better able to live a Christcentered life. Christ, who as spirit lives in our hearts, brings us into union with God through His presence. The key is to be aware of His presence. We cannot attain this wonderful state of awareness by doing any-

Mahatma Gandhi

Our egos fight but our souls remain untouched The material world of the ego is finite, as are the bodies where our egos are housed. God is infinite and eternal; our souls are similarly eternal for they carry the divine spark. easier.

Compassion flows more readily when we realize that the person who injured our ego is also a soul just like us. Our egos fight. Our souls are untouched.

Even if we are worlds apart in terms of our egos, we share the same divine spark of the Creator in our souls. We are all children of God and beloved by Him. Just as God loves us He commands us to love others as well.

for they carry the divine spark.

God is spirit, the soul is spirit as well. Our souls yearn to merge with God, to be one with Him. Christ said that He and the Father are one and that we should approach the Holy through Him. We can become one with God through Christ. We can think of Christ as our guru.

Awareness As we increasingly identify with our souls instead of our egos, we

Ram Dass

thing. We attain it by doing nothing.

We attain it by being still, by letting go of our egos, by surrendering our life to God so that we might live more fully. When we finally let go, freed of the prison of the ego, aware that we are souls, we are connected to God. Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book 'Be Here Now'

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

-Reinhold Niebuhr Give up the belief that mind is, even temporarily, compressed within the skull, and you will quickly become more manly or womanly. You will understand yourself and your Maker better than before.

-Mary Baker Eddy It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.

-The Bhagavad Gita

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

54

Edit Page

India Post

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

‘A Kashmir agreement must be 90 percent face-saving’

H

ow does the American scholarship see J&K today, and the role of US? Unlike the South Asian case, in the US, the academic community plays an important role in influencing and reflecting the thinking of the State on various issues. Hence, it is important to analyze the perceptions of the academic community.

The recently published book - Shooting for the Century authored by Prof Stephen Cohen, one of the most important scholars of South Asia in the US is important. He has served in different American administrations and hence a critique of his perspectives on J&K would be significant.

For Cohen, the dispute has not been resolved for three factors - the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union, inflexibility of the States, and the failure of the Diaspora in US in projecting the cause of Kashmiris.

First, Cohen points out, that the Cold War led by the US and Soviet Union did not see J&K as a regional dispute, but a part of the larger East-West struggle, with India and Pakistan being proxies or treaty allies.

True, Cold War may have played an important role in internationalizing the Kashmir dispute since the 1950, but the important question is - has that helped the cause of J&K in reaching a peaceful understanding?

If Cold War is one of the primary factors, then the end of Cold War should have helped the international community to perceive J&K as a regional dispute and

in Asia and rest of the world, China wants to upset the existing equilibrium, be the undisputed leader in Asia and a leading global power.

The American Pivot and Rebalancing strategies towards Asia is a part of the US led efforts to check China within Asia. At least that is how China perceives it; Indo-US strategic partnership and the

Prof Stephen Cohen

Indo-US nuclear deal are seen as part of American strategies to prop up India against China.

As a response, China is attempting to cultivate Pakistan to check India within South Asia, and send warning signals to New Delhi not to move closer to the American allies in the rest of Asia, for example in Southeast and East Asia.

China's renewed support to Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, taking over of the Gwadar port, building of the Karakoram Highway and the investments in Gilgit-Baltistan are a part of propping up strategy. The Chinese intrusion in Ladakh should be seen as part of warning strategies pre-

The American Pivot and Rebalancing strategies towards Asia is a part of the US led efforts to check China within Asia. At least that is how China perceives it; Indo-US strategic partnership and the Indo-US nuclear deal are seen as part of American strategies to prop up India against China helping the settlement process.

Ironically, the violence in J&K increased multi fold after the end of Cold War. True, Soviet Union is no more and does not play any substantial role in J&K today.

However, there seems to be a new global context, in which J&K is again getting sucked into. The US and China are the new global players vying for superiority; while the US wants to maintain its influence

India Post

D SUBA CHANDRAN

venting New Delhi from building any partnerships within Asia against China.

That the Chinese intrusions came weeks before the visit of Manmohan Singh to Japan was no coincidence. With Japan becoming increasingly anti-Chinese and Abe pursuing a hostile approach, China is worried about any larger Indo-Japan strategic partnership with American support.

True, Cold War may be over now, but there are new alignments, which will pull J&K again into an international complex; this should not be seen as "internationalization" of Kashmir issue; it will only make the issue even more intractable.

The second factor that Cohen identifies for the Kashmir conflict not being resolved is the inflexibility of both the States - India and Pakistan.

Despite certain significant positive measures during the last decade, especially during Musharraf's period such as the Ceasefire, opening of the LoC for bus and truck services, the two States continue to remain inflexible. Perhaps, whatever was achieved during the last decade over J&K was due to the leadership in both countries, and not a result of a realization within the respective bureaucracies and the multiple institutions.

Third factor, equally important one that Cohen highlights is the role of Kashmiri Diaspora in the US and how it is seen.

To quote Cohen, "the so-called Kashmiri Action Committee a major lobbying effort on behalf of the Kashmir 'cause' in the United States - with links to several other countries - was shown to be largely paid for by Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, and its American director was convicted and sentenced to prison. “ Still the committee pursues the goal of an independent Kashmir, oblivious to the wishes of most Kashmiris and certainly to the views of the Indian government. This remains a Diaspora cause, and while the grievances in Kashmir that the committee highlights are real, it forwards no realistic strategy for resolution."

There has to be a larger dialogue between J&K and its Diaspora. As Cohen asks, do they advocate what the people of J&K want, and have a "realistic strategy for resolution"?

As a conclusion, Cohen argues, "a Kashmir agreement must be 90 percent face-saving; it must find reasons for both sides to accommodate the intensely held fears and feelings of the other, as well as those of Kashmiris."

Can there be such an agreement? Can we work towards it? As he says, this would be difficult, but not impossible.

The writer is Director, IPCS

I

Out of character

f actors in the Indian political drama are behaving out of character, the reason is the looming elections. If the soft spoken, almost timid Prime Minister of India was roaring like a lion in New York it is because of fear of public opinion back home which will decide the fate of his party six months from now. After elections, which give them a mandate for five years, politicians cease to care about those who elected them. They engage in enriching themselves and their kin until the next call of accountability. That time is soon arriving. Manmohan Singh may not have enriched himself, but he has allowed all those around him to do so because there has been no call from his masters (or mistress) not to do so. As a former bureaucrat he has been trained to follow orders.

As Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif privately remarked, Manmohan Singh had been complaining to Obama about Pakistan like a "village woman." This was out of character for the amiable Sikh. Normally he is all courtesy and bon homie. But with the public back home baying for his blood for tolerating attacks from across the border at the Line of Control and the particular incident two days before his visit to the US in which a police station and an army camp was attacked by fully armed Pakistani terrorists resulting in the death of ten people including an Army Lt Colonel. His position had been further destabilized by crown prince of the Congress Rahul Gandhi publicly attacking the ordinance cleared by his own party's prime Minister and his cabinet to protect legislators who have been convicted by courts for crimes. The hugely embarrassed PM was trying to buttress his image by behaving like an angry man.

Having been born in that part of India which is now Pakistan, Manmohan Singh during his tenure has been keen to strengthen ties with that country even at times going against public opinion.

But this time, at his New York meeting with Nawaz Sharif he demonstrated a tough exterior not even looking into the eyes of Sharif lest the TV cameras take a wrong image to the Indian public which is eager to announce a verdict on his alleged accommodation to Pakistan. The several overtures from Pakistan to start talks on trade and other issues were rejected out of hand. The only priority, the Indian Prime Minister indicated, was end to the attacks from the other side of Line of Control. Other things will have to wait.

Both Obama and Sharif did not seem to be taken aback by the change in the posture of the Indian Prime Minister. Both, in fact, may not have taken the current Indian PM seriously. They are waiting to do business with his successor, who could be the one who was haranguing massive crowds in Delhi at that time. Narendra Modi may not ultimately become the next Prime Minister keeping in mind the arithmetic necessary for such a scenario, but there was no doubt about his popularity going by the enthusiasm of those listening to him, by the extensive media coverage and the attendance by a horde of foreign diplomats who took notes and even did video coverage.

The Modi factor has challenged the present Congress dispensation in power like nothing ever before. The opposition criticism and public outcry is responded to. Attempts are being made to defend Rahul Gandhi for his ill-mannered outburst against an ordinance fashioned by his own party old guard. Rahul and Sonia have communicated to the Prime Minister that there was no attempt to humiliate him and he is in fact looked up to with great respect.

Modi on the other hand has not been leaving any chance to attack the dynastic rule in the Congress and the sycophantic hangers on who benefit from proximity. What however we are missing is a credible alternative particularly on foreign policy.

October 4, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post 55

56 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 4, 2013