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'Kids should try things outside comfort zone' Details on page 10

California signs law to address bullying Details on page 7

VOL 22, No. 1149

October 7, 2016

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U.S., UN LAUD INDIA ON PARIS DEAL

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: Leaders of the US, UN, France and some other count have welcomed India signing the Paris Climate agreement on Gandhi Jayanti Day. US President Barack Obama said that by ratifying the Paris climate pact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people have carried on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.

"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," Obama tweeted.

Obama, whose presidential term comes to an end in January next year, wants to be remembered as the presi-

dent who saved the world from climate change and he played a significant role in concluding the Paris climate deal last year.

At United Nations, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "Sabhi Bharatiyon ko Dhanyawad (I thank all Indians), as he lauded India on ratifying the historic Paris climate deal on Gandhi Jayanti and asserted that India has demonstrated global leadership and vision by the move.

In Paris, a communiqué issued by the French Presidency said,

Details on page 5

Indian agency says Hillary will sweep poll

Protest against terrorist attacks in Uri & blasts Details on page 16

Pak claims India agrees to reduce tension Details on page 8

More IndianAmericans likely in US Congress Details on page 6

Reliance and Rafale in joint venture

Details on page 6

Vedic Astrology favors Donald Trump!

Details on page 12

CONTENTS

Details on page 22

Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 48

INDIA POST SURVEY

Community Post --------- 16-26,34 Date Book -------------------------- 50

survey@indiapost.com

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

This week’s question

HealthScience Post --------- 45-47

China more dangerous for India than Pakistan?

Horoscope ------------------------- 44 Immigration Post ------------- 51-53 Life Style ----------------------- 30-33

Last week’s result

Will tougher Modi actions subdue Pakistan?

YES 43%

NO 57%

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

HONORING SUBBULAKSHMI: The UN has released a postage stamp to honor India's most celebrated Carnatic music

Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4

artist M S Subbulakshmi. The ceremony concluded with a soulful rendition by Carnatic music singer Sudha Raghunathan

Real Estate -------------------- 36-38

who is seen here greeting UNGA President Peter Thomson on the occasion. (Details on page 9)

TechBiz Post ------------------- 12-15 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

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call it the dilemma of the undecideds. It's real. And it can sway crucial outcomes. Like, it cost the British the European Union, and cost the Columbians a shot at lasting peace.

At home, conscientious but discerning voters are facing the dilemma of having to choose between the devil and the deep sea, well, between two unpopular candidates, one of who will go on to decide their collective fates.

Surely, they want to see the country have its first female president, and value Hillary Clinton's qualifications and experience. But if only she were not representative of all that is clichéd in politics. Yeah, I am sure putting her in the Oval Office will change very little in the world, much as it did with Barack Obama, who was thought of by many as a messiah of change when he first campaigned for President eight years ago. Career politicians are not beacons of change or challengers of the status quo. Their one objective being to stay onboard without rocking the boat, much less get wet.

I wouldn't entirely caricaturize the Trump supporters whose angst against the existing political systems is real. And the underdogs who find themselves left out of a globalized world run by a nexus of politicians and big business, are real people. Unfortunately, however, Trump is hardly the bearer of the torch that will shed light on their lives.

So what the undecideds have in the running today is one candidate who is likely to perpetuate the existing systems and another who will manipulate that system for his own benefit - two evils that respectively represent corrupt politics and corrupt big business.

With just about a month left for Election Day, the undecideds are hoping for a miracle by which their vote can count for radical change. I would say yes, it can, but not in a contest for power. Radical change is possible when the undecideds of the world come together to out vote the vote banks and vote for an inclusive, equitable and harmonious world.

Apolitical people bring about change - not candidates of power, for power and by money power.

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Troubled circus Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty are reportedly set for a reunion in Bosco Martis's directorial debut 'Circus'

Cover Story: US, UN laud India Leaders of the US, UN and France have welcomed India signing the Paris Climate agreement on Gandhi Jayanti Day.

Community: Uri protest Bay Area NRI groups organized a protest to express their outrage at the terrorist attack killing Indian soldiers at Uri

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Immigration: Anti-immigrants sentiment Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia have become the most vocal critics of the EU's plan to share refugees.

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

Joint venture for Rafale Reliance Group and Rafale maker Dassault Aviation have announced a joint venture as part of the fighter jet deal.

Kanha National Park Picturesque Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh was the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book.

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US, UN laud India on Paris deal WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: Leaders of the US, UN, France and some other count have welcomed India signing the Paris Climate agreement on Gandhi Jayanti Day. US President Barack Obama

also lauded India's ratification of the Paris climate agreement.

"In joining the Paris climate agreement today, India has taken a bold and decisive step in combating climate change," Verma

US President Barack Obama

said that by ratifying the Paris climate pact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people have carried on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.

"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," Obama tweeted.

Obama, whose presidential term comes to an end in January next year, wants to be remembered as the president who saved the world from climate change and he played a significant role in concluding the Paris climate deal last year.

At United Nations, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "Sabhi Bharatiyon ko Dhanyawad (I thank all Indians), as he lauded India on ratifying the historic Paris climate deal on Gandhi Jayanti and asserted that India has demonstrated global leadership and vision by the move.

In Paris, a communiquĂŠ issued by the French Presidency said, "The President of the Republic (Francois Hollande) welcomes the ratification of the Paris Agreement

by India, on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday," "This decision, coming after the decision of the Environment Ministers of the European Union, brings us closer to the entry into force of the Paris agreement before the end of the year," it said.

Obama and Modi, on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos last month, had discussed climate change issues as an immediate priority of Indo-US ties.

Terming it as a "bold and decisive" step, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma in New Delhi

said.

He also commended Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and thanked all those who have worked on the agreement over many years.

"India's ratification provides indispensable political momentum to securing entry into force of the Paris Agreement this year, sending an enduring and irreversible

market signal that low-carbon development is 21st century development," Verma said. "... (It) will yield tremendous benefits not only for producers and consumers in India, but for those around the world," he said.

India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalizingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.

Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birth anniversary.

"We look forward to continuing our close friendship with India and furthering our work together on climate change and clean energy, so that we may provide future generations a world to be proud of and treasure," Verma said.

The ratification formalizes pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and

try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Ned Price, spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, applauded as "fantastic

US President Barack Obama said that by ratifying the Paris climate pact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people have carried on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.

"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," Obama tweeted. news" India's ratification of the Paris Agreement. He said the full implementation of the deal will help avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change.

"After the United States joined in September, India's joining represents the fulfillment of that shared objective and a significant step towards the Paris Agreement entering into force this year," Ned

Ban says 'Sabhi Bharatiyon ko Dhanyawad' UNITED NATIONS: "Sabhi Bharatiyon ko Dhanyawad (I thank all Indians), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said as he lauded India on ratifying the historic Paris climate deal on Gandhi Jayanti and asserted that India has demonstrated global leadership and vision by the move.

Ban said that this "historic" step will further India's sustainable path to growth and development and the step moves the world an important step closer towards achieving the climate goal.

"Sabhi bharatiyo ko Dhanyawad (I thank all the Indians)," Moon said in a video message on the United Nations news centre.

"Today, the government of India has demonstrated global leadership and vision by joining the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This historic step will further India's sustainable path to growth and development," he added.

On Gandhi Jayanti, India ratified the historic Paris agreement

on climate change, becoming the 62nd country to do so and one of the key countries to push the pact closer to coming into force later this year.

Later in a message issued by United Nations Information Cen-

Price told PTI. "Full implementation of this agreement will help delay or avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change, and pave the way for more progress in the coming years. We applaud India's action in moving us ever closer to achieving this goal," Price said.

"In June of this year, during his visit to Washington, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and President (Barack) Obama discussed

said was essential in building a "safer, healthier and more peaceful world".

"I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership and for building on a strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year.

"India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer towards achieving the goal," Moon said.

He said that every year on this International Day of non violence, "We recommit ourselves to the cause of peace as exemplified by the life of MaUN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hatma Gandhi".

Noting that to nurture tre for India and Bhutan, Ban also peace, there is a need to respect urged all countries to complete Nature, Ban said he was pleased their domestic process for ratifi- that this year's International Day cation of the pact and also strive of Non-violence puts the focus on in all activities to achieve progress sustainability and the environthrough non-violence, which he ment.-PTI

their shared vision for a rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement this year," he added.

"We welcome this. This is fantastic news. India, like many countries, has been working to complete its domestic process as quickly as possible. We are very encouraged," State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters earlier. -PTI

France welcomes ratification of Paris deal PARIS: France has welcomed India's ratification of the Paris climate change agreement on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, saying the decision "brings us closer" to the coming into force of the pact before the end of the year.

India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.

"The President of the Republic (Francois Hollande) welcomes the ratification of the Paris Agreement by India, on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday," a Communique issued by the French Presidency said.

"This decision, coming after the decision of the Environment Ministers of the European Union, brings us closer to the entry into force of the Paris agreement before the end of the year," it said.-PTI

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More Indian-Americans likely in US Congress WASHINGTON: Indian-Americans are all set to increase their headcount in the US Congress as more candidates from the community, including women, are expected to win in the November elections.

With the prospect of a woman

Kamla Harris

being elected for the first time as the president of the country getting brighter, Indian-American women are sailing ahead to create history by entering both the Senate and the US House of Representatives.

If local reports and political pundits are to be believed, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, 51, a close confidant of US President Barack Obama, is all set to be elected to the US Senate; thus making her the first Indian-American, that too a woman, to enter the upper house of the US Congress.

Similarly, Pramila Jayapal, 51, is cruising towards victory for the

US House of Representatives Seat from the Washington State. She would be the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House, which so far had three members from this minority ethnic community.

While Dalip Singh Saund was the first Indian-American to be elected to the House of Representatives in 1950s, it was only in the 21st century that the community could see another member elected to the Congress. Bobby Jindal from Louisiana was elected twice before he went on be become twoterm Governor of Louisiana.

Ami Bera, the only IndianAmerican in the current Congress is seeking his third consecutive

Pramila Jayapal

term from California's hotly contested set.

Embroiled in a controversy with regard to his father's fund raisings, Bera, 51, like his previous two contests, is engaged in a tight fight this time too, which is

again expected to run into recount of ballots.

His fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, 40, is hoping to be lucky this time and repeat his primary performance to defeat his party's incumbent Congressman Mike Honda. Khanna, who has raised a record amount of money, had gained more votes than Honda in the primary elections this Summer.

He received 52,059 votes against Honda's 49,823 votes.

In the 2014 general elections, Khanna lost to Honda with a little over 5,000 votes. This time he hopes to enter the US House of Representatives, but political pundits are yet to bet on a sure shot win for him against a formidable and seasoned Honda. If all goes well, California itself might see one Indian-American representation in the Senate and two in the House.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, 43, from Illinois is one of the few candidates who has earned the endorsement of Obama. As per political pundits, he may head to the House of Representatives. This is also because he is running from a seat that is considered to be a Democratic stronghold.

Krishnamoorthi is a businessman, who currently serves as the president of Sivananthan Labs, a company based in the Chicago area.

In New Jersey, young Peter

Jaitley invites Canadian Infra investments TORONTO: India and Canada Agreement (FIPA). are committed to deepen the eco"Both countries are very keen nomic and financial relationship and to finalize both the proposed enhance strategic partnership, Fi- agreements," Jaitley said. nance Minister Arun Jaitley has said He said that the two countries as he invited Canadian investment have also agreed to enhance strain India's infrastructure sector. tegic partnership.

"Both countries are committed to strengthen economic ties as there is a positive environment. Negotiators from both countries will meet soon to resolve sticking points," he said.

Jaitley met his Canadian counterpart Bill Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Morneau and Canada's International Trade Minister Chrystia The minister also held a series Freeland and reviewed progress of meetings with Canadian penin India Canada relationship in- sion funds, bankers, financial seccluding proposed Comprehensive tor companies.

Economic Partnership Agreement "Foreign Direct Investment by (CEPA) and Foreign Investment Canadian Investors was about 12 and Promotion and Protection billion dollar in India in the past

24 months. This does not include portfolio investment by Canadian investors," he said.

"India has a good story to tell and is moving much faster than rest of the world. The likely return on investments in India is much higher and the risk is much less than other nations," he said.

Canadian Finance Minister Morneau in a statement said: "I am pleased to build on Canada's longstanding relationship with India by exploring ways to deepen our economic and financial ties. It is important that Canada continues to engage with the world to create more opportunities and prosperity for the middle class."

The two ministers will travel to the US to attend the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group as well as a G20 meeting.

As co-chairs of the working group responsible for G20 growth strategies, both ministers are expected to highlight the importance of seizing the opportunity to invest in people and infrastructure to build a strong and prosperous global economy.

Cont’d on page 9

Jacob, 30, is seeking to enter the US House of Representatives.

He is one of the candidates who have been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders. His chances are expected to be slim as his Congressional District is considered

Raja Krishnamoorthi

to be a Republican bastion.

However, with Sanders' endorsement Jacob believes that he is ready to create history this time, by becoming the first Indian American to enter the House from New Jersey.

Businessman Abhay Patel, 40,

is seeking to enter the US Senate from Louisiana.

Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and philanthropist M R Rangaswami, who was the brain behind the first ever Indian American presidential ball in 2013 and is planning for the another one on January 18 next year, hoped that the 2016 general elections would result in Indian Americans increasing their representation in the US Congress.

Indian-Americans are said to be more than three million in population. Though spread over across the nation, they are mainly concentrated in California, the tristate area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Chicago, the two major metropolises of Houston and Dallas in Texas, Minneapolis, and pockets of Florida, and Atlanta.

In the last one decade, IndianAmericans have increased their significant presence in and around Washington DC.-PTI

Indian agency says Hillary will sweep poll India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: Todays Chanakya, a New Delhi based political research organization, claims that according to its "scientific poll" on US 2016 Elections, Hillary Clinton will sweep the poll.

Its survey, released on 25 Sept, before the first debate, dares to predict that "Hillary Clinton has a lead of 7% Âą 3% (margin of error) & will sweep the poll".

The research agency says its projection of US 2008 & 2012 elections was on dot & 100% correct. Most of its projections during Indian elections have come out true.

In a Press release, Todays Chanakya claims "US Election polls released by other agencies after the debate clearly show that Hillary has a lead of more than 3% and in the coming days of elections, these polls will touch the difference of 7% point lead as suggested in our poll of 25 Sept, before the debate. Moreover, most of the polls released by other agencies, towards the first week of Oct 2016, will show the lead much wider than the previous lead of 12%."

It says, "Neither the post-debate bounce was in favor of Hillary nor against Trump, but it was a

"US Media" hype of just 1% lead for Hillary before the debate."

Actually, Chanakya says, Hillary Clinton's lead was already at 7% point before the debate itself and she will certainly sweep the polls, barring a blunder.

Chanakya claims that most of the agencies on US polls will increase their polling lead - up to 7% - slowly & slowly and will fi-

Hillary Clinton

nally forecast that Hillary will sweep the polls. "These US polls, which are released everyday by changing the chances of winning percentage is nothing but to misguide the voters of USA," it says.

"Hillary Clinton has already established the lead by 7% and is increasing towards a wider gap.

Her chances of winning will be more than 85% on the final day of polling which we predict."

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California signs law to address bullying SAN FRANCISCO: Amid growing incidents of bullying and discrimination against Sikh-American, South Asian and Muslim students in the US, California State has approved a new law to provide a safer school environment for children from the minority com-

fornia that will curb bullying and discrimination in the classroom," said Harjit Kaur, Community Development Manager for the Sikh Coalition.

"AB 2845 ensures the right of every child to practice his/her faith freely in public schools,"

50 per cent of Sikh students and 67 per cent of turbaned Sikh-American students nationally have experienced school bullying. 'AB 2845' provides teachers, staff, and administrators with school and community resources to help prevent, identify, and remedy bullying and discrimination in the classroom munities.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 2845 also known as the "Safe Place to Learn Act," seeks to address bullying of South Asian, Muslim, and SikhAmerican students as well as those mistaken to belong to those groups.

"This is a landmark bill for Cali-

Kaur said. "(This bill) is very important to Muslim and Sikh children because both of our communities have seen a huge rise in the bullying of Muslim and perceived to be Muslim students," Saad Sweilem, civil rights attorney at CAIR-Sacramento Valley (CAIR-SV), told NBC News.

"Students from both communities played an instrumental role in getting this bill passed by testifying in front of Assembly members about their own personal experiences being bullied. Because of our current social and political climate, this issue is a major one and we're very hopeful that this bill will tackle it head on."

According to The Sikh Coalition, 50 per cent of Sikh students and 67 per cent of turbaned SikhAmerican students nationally have experienced school bullying.

'AB 2845' provides teachers, staff, and administrators with school and community resources to help prevent, identify, and remedy bullying and discrimination in the classroom.

The Sikh Coalition, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-California, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations-California all collaborated in helping draft and promulgate this bill. -PTI

Sikh man racially abused in US SAN FRANCISCO: A Sikh man in the US state of California has claimed that he faced racial slurs from a man who threatened to kill him, prompting police to launch a probe into a possible hate incident.

Balmeet Singh and his friends were out for dinner on California Avenue. The incident happened when Singh went out of the restaurant to make a phone call.

Singh said in the middle of his conversation a man walked out of a cafe and headed straight toward him.

"The man said you're trying to blow up this country, I should kill you. I'm going to kill you right now.

And he used a lot of curse words and he seemed very angry," Singh was quoted as saying by the local media Turnto23.com.

He yelled that he was a racist and was the problem. He continued to yell and then threw a drink at Singh, it said.

"The drink got all over my destar, my turban, all over my beard, you know my shirt, my jeans, and over my phone," Singh added.

Singh said after that the man

started to walk off toward the parking lot. Singh followed the man and was able to get his description, his vehicle's description and a license plate number, which he gave to police. Singh said he never expected anything like that to happen in Bakersfield city.

"Everything I do is here in Kern County and to have someone tell me that I'm trying to blow up the country that I'm going to cause some harm is just very shocking to me."

He said the worst part of about the incident was that several people saw what happened and no one stepped in to help.

"Everyone either looked down or looked away. They all pretended like I didn't exist," said Singh.

A report was filed at the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) and they are investigating it as a hate incident, police said.

"They need to be able to step up and say hey if we see hatred in out midst, if we see ignorance, we are going to stand up with love and we are going to stand up and support each other," said Singh.-PTI

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Sharif briefs Opposition after surgical strikes ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting of all parliamentary leaders to brief them on the situation on the LoC after India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads in the Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK).

The leaders from different opposition parties expressed full support to the government amid current tensions with India.

In their remarks, the leaders declared that the entire nation stands together when it comes to the Kashmir issue and the "Indian aggression", Radio Pakistan re-

Rehman said it is time to show unity.

"We need to forge national unity at this critical moment and collective voice and resolve of the entire nation is need of the hour," he said.

Warning on Treaty Leaders of Pakistan's political parties have warned that any attempts by India to unilaterally revoke the Indus Water Treaty will be treated as an "act of aggression" and condemned India's "interference" in Balochistan.

In a joint statement, the lead-

The leaders condemned the "stated intent by India to use water as a weapon against the people, not only of Pakistan but of the region, in flagrant violation of its international treaty obligations ported.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that despite differences with government on multiple issues, his party stands shoulder-to-shoulder with it.

"A united Pakistan can counter Indian aggression," he said, adding that by working together "we can achieve our national security goals".

He said there is no military solution to the Kashmir issue.

Leader of Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, who is also from PPP, said the Kashmir issue must be resolved as per aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

"We are with the government that Indus water treaty can't be revoked unilaterally by one country. We stand behind the government for a befitting response if India tries to revoke it," he said.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry briefed the meeting about the latest situation in Kashmir and the Line of Control (LoC).

Imran Khan, who is protesting to remove the prime minister over alleged corruption, skipped the meeting but his party was represented by former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Qureshi said the meeting conveys a clear message to India and the international community that the country's political parties are united in their stance on Kashmir dispute.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur

ers of the political and parliamentary parties at a special meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said they condemn the recent "unprovoked Indian aggression and repeated ceasefire violations that pose a threat to regional peace and security".

The leaders said they reject Indian efforts to "shift the focus from its brutal atrocities to suppress the indigenous uprising of the Kashmiri people to false

claims of terrorism" across the Line of Control (LoC).

Amid reports that India may review the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty, the leaders condemned the "stated intent by India to use water as a weapon against the people, not only of Pakistan but of the region, in flagrant violation of its international treaty obligations and state that any Indian attempts at unilateral revocation of Indus Water Treaty shall be taken as an act of aggression".

The leaders also condemned "India's documented interference in Balochistan, a federating unit of sovereign Pakistan" besides attempts to "destabilize" Pakistan as substantiated by the capture and confession of serving Indian naval officer from RAW Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Touching upon the 19th SAARC Summit which was earlier scheduled to be held here in November but has been postponed after member states including India pulled out, the leaders said they "regret Indian designs to scuttle all diplomatic efforts for bilateral and multilateral dialogue, including the refusal to engage constructively at the SAARC forum".

During the meeting, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry briefed the leaders on the latest situation in Kashmir and the Line of Control (LoC).-PTI

Keep talking to defuse tension: US WASHINGTON: The US has called for "calm and restraint" from India and Pakistan amid increasingly strained relations between the two neighbors and urged both militaries to keep their lines of communication open to help defuse tensions in the region.

"We urge calm and restraint on both sides. We understand, as we said last week, that the militaries are in touch. We believe that that continued communication is vital to reduce these tensions," State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters.

Trudeau, however, refused to respond to questions on India's "surgical strikes" across the Line of Control in Pakistan-oc-

cupied Kashmir last week. "I'm not going to speak to any reports of these incidents."

Trudeau said the US is emphasizing on regional stability and security in its dialogues with Indian and Pakistani leaders.

"I think what you would take a look at being discussed is regional stability and regional security. One of the things I think we all need to focus on is conflicts or issues or rising tension are not contained to any specific region," she said.

"We are in favor of any reduction of tensions that both sides agree to in this particular instance. We have strong ties with both Pakistan and India, and we'll engage on that basis," Trudeau added. -PTI

Russia snubs Pak on approach to UNSC UNITED NATIONS: The UN clear snub to Pakistan, which had Security Council has not been dis- approached the Security Council cussing the escalating tensions on the surgical strikes conducted between India and Pakistan, by India to target terror launch Russia's envoy to the UN and pads across the Line of Control Council president for October as well as on the Kashmir issue. said, in a clear snub to Pakistan Earlier in the day, UN Secretary which had raised the Kashmir is- General Ban Ki-moon's Deputy sue and surgical strike by India in Spokesman Farhan Haq was the world body. asked what the UN position is on "I don't want to go there, don't External Affairs Minister Sushma want to go there. No no please, I Swaraj s remarks in her address to don't want to go there," Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin Churkin said "because I am said as he quickly inter- President of the Security rupted a question on Council. The Security CounIndia and Pakistan tensions during a press cil has not been discussing it briefing here. (the India-Pakistan situation) Churkin was addressing the media as Russia as- the UN General Assembly that sumed the Presidency of the 15- Pakistan should "abandon" its nation Council for the month of Kashmir dream since Kashmir is October. and will remain an integral part of When asked why he would not India. comment on the issue, Churkin "We have issued a statement said "because I am President of on the situation between India and the Security Council. The Secu- Pakistan. I would refer you back rity Council has not been discuss- to that," Haq said. ing it (the India-Pakistan situaWhen asked again why the UN tion). did not "say anything" to Swaraj's "Sorry sir, I don't want to go remarks that Pakistan should stop there. No comment, no comment, dreaming about Kashmir, Haq sorry please," Churkin said. said, "We don't comment on evWhen asked again why he and ery speech made in the General Russia were "so reluctant" to dis- Assembly, but we have been cuss the India-Pakistan situation, commenting on the situation on Churkin said, "I'm sure you know. Kashmir, and like I said, we issued There are so many other things." a statement on that just last FriChurkin's remarks come as a day." -PTI

Pak claims India agrees to reduce tension ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India have agreed to reduce tensions after their National Security Advisors spoke over phone, top Pakistani diplomat Sartaj Aziz said about the first such contact after the Uri attack and India's retaliatory surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC. Aziz said a contact was established between India's NSA Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Nasir Janjua after recent tension between the two countries on the Line of Control (LoC).

They agreed to reduce tensions on the LoC, Aziz said about the contact between the two NSAs for the first time after the September 18 Uri terror attack by Pakistani militants that soured ties.

"Pakistan wants to reduce tensions on LoC and focus on Kashmir," Geo News quoted him as

saying.

He said that India wants to divert the world's attention from Kashmir by escalating tensions.

Indian Army had carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, inflicting heavy casualties on terrorists waiting to sneak into India.

The surgical strikes came days after Pakistani terrorists stormed an Army camp in Kashmir's Uri, killing 19 soldiers.

Pakistan has denied that the surgical strikes took place and have called it "cross-border" firing.

Talking about Sharif's recent US visit, Aziz said the Prime Minister had explained to the world leaders that incidents of border tensions would continue between both countries without the resolution of Kashmir dispute. -PTI

Top Stories

October 7, 2016

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Pak girls happy with India visit CHANDIGARH: Nineteen girls from Pakistan who were in the city to take part in a youth festival left for home after conclusion of the event, "overwhelmed" by the Indian hospitality.

The girls were in the city on a seven- day visit to take part in the 11th Global Youth Peace Festival, which concluded here.

After Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the LoC, parents of the girls had expressed concern about their welfare here and the event's organizers had in-

dicated that they may head back home earlier than scheduled.

Pramod Sharma, the event's organizer, said after the Indian authorities including the Ministry of External Affairs assured them that they should not worry about the girls while they are here, their trip carried on as per schedule.

"Today, the Pakistani girls and one male member of the delegation left for home. They were sent

back home in a bus from here and the crossed over to Pakistan from the Wagah border," Sharma said.

On October 1, head of the delegation Aliya Harir who runs a cross-border peace initiative Aghaz-e-Dosti had spoken to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who assured them all help.

"Extremely overwhelmed.

Spoke to @SushmaSwaraj ji who assured that Pakistani delegation of #GYPF2016 will reach Pakistan back safe," Aliya said in a tweet.

In her reply, Swaraj tweeted,

"Aliya - I was concerned about your well being kyonki betiyan to sabki sanjhi hoti hain (... because one's daughter is everyone's)."

According to Sharma, the girls also visited Shimla during their trip.

"The Pakistani guests said they felt at home here and were overwhelmed by the Indian hospitality," he said.-PTI

Jaitley invites Canadian Infra investments Cont’d from page 6

Canada and India have longstanding bilateral relations, built upon shared traditions of democracy, pluralism and strong interpersonal connections with an Indian Diaspora of more than one million in Canada, Morneau said.

Building on this strong relationship, Morneau highlighted the Canada-India Finance Ministers Dialogue as an important initiative to deepen the economic and financial relationship between the two countries.

Marginal impact Addressing a gathering at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, Jaitley expressed confidence that any economic impact arising from re-

cent tensions with Pakistan and incidents like the surgical strikes undertaken by Indian Special Forces will be "extremely marginal".

He said that any impact that had been felt on the markets and the rupee had been "temporary", and that foreign direct investment into India "continues to increase".

"Even recently, when the news came that India had made certain surgical strikes at the launch pads where the terrorists used to cross into Indian boundaries, there was obviously a certain amount of speculation as far as the markets were concerned. The impact was not what it would have been years ago," he said.

Economic impact arising from recent tensions will be "extremely marginal", he said.-PTI

UN issues stamp to honor M S Subbulakshmi UNITED NATIONS: The UN has released a postage stamp to honor India's most celebrated Carnatic music artist M S Subbulakshmi, who had performed at the world body 50 years ago.

The USD 1.20 value commemorative stamp, issued by the UN Postal Administration in Subbulakshmi's honor, has the iconic blue emblem of the UN alongside her picture. This year also marks her birth centenary.

The stamp was released at a special ceremony at the UN headquarters to mark India's ratification of the historic Paris climate deal. It was attended by several dignitaries who hailed the country's move to

combat global warming.

The ceremony concluded with a soulful rendition by Carnatic music singer Sudha Raghunathan of Subbulakshmi's music as well as of Gandhi's beloved 'Ram

Dhun'. Raghunathan performed songs in seven languages, includ-

ing Bengali, and received a standing ovation from the audience.

The first stamp was presented to Raghunathan to honor her performance at the UN. Subbulakshmi, the first ever musician to be awarded India's highest civilian honor the Bharat Ratna, was invited by the then UN Secretary General Late U Thant to perform at the General Assembly in October 1966, becoming the first Indian to perform there.

The Indian mission here had also organized a photo exhibition in August at the world body's headquarters to c o m m e m o r a t e Subbulakshmi's birth centenary which fell on September 16. -PTI

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India Post

SATYAGRAH SOULS Indian Americans Making A Difference

October 7, 2016

www.indiapost.com

S

ATYAGRAH SOULS is a monthly political series presented by Silicon Valley's community leader, Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar, in highlighting the community involvement and success of Indian Americans in the United States. This series seeks to inspire us in giving back to our local community. We Indian Americans are going through a transitional evolution, as we get entrenched in a new world, embracing new culture, exerting zealous work ethics, supporting the American economy as entrepreneurs, high tech geeks, doctors, lawyers and more. We are definitely imposing the

positive intentions and good citizen values upon this fantastic country and making a huge impact.

But can our involvement run a bit deeper with issues near and dear to our hearts, perhaps within our local city, or with the local public school that our children attend?

Do we sometimes hear our conscience imploring, "Am I doing enough?" Yes we can get involved just a bit more, push our comfort zone and enhance the learning and impact our involvement. Our involvement can simply start with developing a healthy curiosity in our local community, instead of being 'busy' bystanders. Once we get

involved, we will quickly discover, how easy it is for us to make progressive change happen and how receptive everyone around is, to leverage our skills for it.

There are leaders waiting to be discovered, why not "me", by taking that first step? The give-back experience can be freeing, energizing - personally rewarding and transformative at the same time.

There are many who have made their mark in doing just that. With this monthly series, we want to highlight these SatyAgrah souls who are showing us the path. Here is a SatyaGrah soul, who has found the calling:

A MONTHLY POLITICAL SERIES - BY RISHI KUMAR

Tough issues are 'Kids should try opportunities to grow things outside S comfort zone'

S

oma good to see a female elected leader of Indian American origin taking charge and making change happen. How has your experience been so far?

The experience has been both rewarding and challenging. Making decisions that benefit all kids, both now and in the future has been very rewarding. The challenging part has been balancing the needs of such a diverse community, especially on a limited budget. Sometimes unpopular decisions have been made and we are unfortunately unable to disclose all the information our constituents would like to know.

MIT to Cupertino School Board? Did you ever imagine yourself in this seat? What prompted you to run for school board?

When I was an undergraduate in college I had never imagined that one day I would run for school board. To be honest, as a student, I'm not sure that I had ever even heard the word "school board". After I had children and became an active volunteer in my school community, I started realizing the great needs of our local schools.

Cont’ d on page 11

Soma speaking to an audience of over 2,000 at Cupertino Middle School graduation

oma Bhattacharyya McCandless was elected in 2014 as a Governing Board Member of the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD). CUSD is one of the largest, highest performing school dis- project manager tricts in Northern California and conIn 1999 she moved to Silicon Valley sists of 25 schools, almost 19,000 and started a family and became an students, and nearly 1,500 staff mem- active school and community volunbers. teer. She did everything from hosting Soma sees the many tough issues meetings for safer neighborhoods to she has faced since she became a volunteering regularly in her children's board member as opportunities to classroom. She helped pass many lolearn and grow. Funding is always a cal ballot measures that secured milchallenge, as is lions of dollars of meeting the ongoing funding needs of a for local schools. vastly diverse She won many community of awards for her students, staff, work including an and parents. honor from the Always placing Cupertino Educathe best intertional Association est of students and Volunteer of as her top prithe Year from ority makes Project Cornereven the toughstone, a division est decisions a of the YMCA. bit easier.

Some of her Soma was most rewarding born and raised work has been Soma McCandless - CUSD Governing in the San with Project CorBoard Member Francisco Bay nerstone, promotArea. Both her parents are Bengali. ing the 41 Developmental Assets, the As a child, she attended local public building blocks of what adolescents schools. On the weekends, she at- need to become healthy adults. She tended a parent-run Bengali school in believes that adults need to be delibBerkeley. erate about providing healthy role modSoma obtained her bachelor's de- els, opportunities to serve others, and gree from MIT (Massachusetts Insti- caring neighborhoods to our youth. Untute of Technology). After graduating, derstanding this research based Asshe started working for Accenture as set Model has helped Soma immensely an SAP analyst and later a consult- in becoming a better neighbor, parent ant. She continued her work at to her two teenagers, and Governing ThyssenKrupp and IBM as a SAP Board Member.

October 7, 2016

SATYAGRAH SOULS Indian Americans Making A Difference

India Post

11

www.indiapost.com

Cont’ d from page 10

As a concerned parent, I joined the school district Budget Advisory Committee. After working as a leader on several community initiatives, I was approached by both teachers and parents to consider taking my efforts to the next level. After attending many board meetings as just a listener, and meeting with several elected officials, I decided that becoming a school board member was something I really wanted to do.

As you look back to your two years, what is the one (or two) thing that has given you utmost satisfaction serving on the Cupertino Board?

Recognizing the amazing work of parent volunteers, teachers, and students in our district has definitely been one of the highlights. Just last week we recognized three

'Kids should try things outside comfort zone' all people, Indian Americans included. One of our strengths is that we already are doing many great things in our communities.

One of our shortcomings may be that sometimes it is not easy to talk about our strengths. The hardest thing about this interview for me is to provide six pictures of myself! If we are to have greater involvement in the community, we need to continue to be involved in the issues as well as promote ourselves and the good work we have done.

money for the World Wildlife Fund, make toys for the humane society and with my son I have helped clean parks and even care for goats. I strongly advise students to find what interests them and then work hard at whatever that is. And how do you find that interest? I encourage girls, or anyone, to try different things and some of those things have to be things outside your comfort zone.

I've included a picture of me zip lining. I'm terrified of heights but was encouraged by my kids. I have learned that zip lining is not one of my most favorite activities, but I definitely enjoyed it and it no longer terrifies me!

I grew up in the Bay Area just 30 minutes from San Francisco. My brother and I were the only Indian Americans in our elementary school. While I loved my distant Indian community, I had no local Indian community. I followed my passions and worked very hard, and for me, that formula was successful!

As a community, what else can we do to get more Indian Americans elected to office?

We need to celebrate the achievements of our Indian American colleagues. We need to find the ones that are devoting themselves to bettering Soma, fellow school board members, and Superintendent participating in our community and CEEF 5K run/walk for Great Schools encourage them to Soma at a California School Boards Association conference in Sacramento female Indian American students (ages 9, take on greater challenges. We need to sup- Soma thank you! We wish you 11, and 11) who will be representing the US port them wholeheartedly as they take on success with all future endeavors. will help construct roadmaps for our comin the upcoming World Robotics Olympiad! these challenges. We also need to work with munity to empower ourselves, to hopefully **** Another highlight is touring our schools all members of our community.

I host a block party on my relatively short Dear Readers, Do you have a story to ignite a desire in all of us to represent our and seeing some of our board priorities in action. Just to name a few, I've observed street every year. It's fun and well- attended share? We invite you to introduce us to local communities as doers, leaders, estabteachers enthusiastically using new teach- each year by over 60 people. Next year will folks in your community who are making a lish and entrench ourselves in this gloridifference - we would love to profile them. ous country of America and help make it a ing strategies learned in recent professional be our 10th annual party!

Being in Silicon Valley, we have neigh- Are there similar stories you are familiar better place development, students testing out flexible **** furniture, classes being held in brand new bors from all over the world. Everyone with locally. The ones who helped address science labs, students using technology in brings their favorite dish and we sit in the a simple issue in the community to make ABOUT RISHI: Rishi is an elected city meaningful ways including in cooking class, middle of the street councilmember in Saratoga, CA and poeven after dark and enorchestra, and foreign language. litically active in the state of California, he joy each other's comcontinues to follow his passion for company.

We need to Do you see the Asian American commumunity service, seeking to provide services nity or the Indian American community in value and celebrate all to his constituents cheaper, faster and particular engaged with school issues? If people in our indibetter, seeking to truly make a difference. not, what is holding them back? Is it im- vidual communities if Rishi has community outreach and enwe are going to sucportant for them to engage? gagement a key focus for his political leadI do see the Asian American community ceed in higher office. ership. As Saratoga's community organizer, engaged in school issues and I do feel that Rishi is host of many community events in this is very important. This summer I at- What advice do you Saratoga, many of which are free and alhave for the young Intended a California School Boards Associaways inclusive usually addressing a need tion conference in Sacramento. There were dian American girl or a cause. Rishi's day job is as a Silicon hundreds of school board members from who is inspired by Valley hi-tech executive but his zeal for comacross the state in attendance. I noticed your leadership? munity service effervescent. Rishi is also many board members of many races but as How should she get Soma getting ready to zipline in Puerto Vallarta with her daughter the President of the Bay Area Indian Amerifar as I could see, I was the only Indian going?

Monica and son Arjay can Democratic Club (www.baiadc.org) I suggest that she American in the room. get involved in the community in ways that life a bit better. Perhaps someone you know whose charter is to further the interests Is political empowerment important for the interest her. I have always gravitated to- decided to make a run for school board, and values of Indian Americans, work tofuture of our Indian American community wards helping people, so as a child I volun- was appointed to the planning commis- wards political empowerment and adin this country? What are some of the short- teered in a hospital. My own children are sion. Provide us your insights on Indian vance ethical standards in the political sysbig advocates for animals and the environ- Americans locally and nationally who are tem. You can reach him via his website comings or strengths in this area?

Political empowerment is important for ment. I have helped my daughter collect making things happen. These perspectives www.RishiKumar.com.

Tech News India keen on FTA with UK post-Brexit LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May has named India among the countries keen on a free trade agreement with the UK postBrexit.

Addressing the annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, her first as Prime Minister, May highlighted the new role the UK can play outside the European Union.

"Countries including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements.

And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand," she told her party members.

"Brexit should not just prompt us to think about our new relationship with the European Union. It should make us think about our role in the wider world," May said.

It should make us think of a global Britain, a country with the selfconfidence and the freedom to look beyond the continent of Europe and to the economic and diplomatic opportunities of the wider world, she said.-PTI

Exits for Tata last resort: Cyrus Mistry NEW YORK: Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry has said he is "not embarrassed" to admit that exits for the group, which has exited over 40 businesses in 20 years, are usually the last resort and the conglomerate does not take decisions about exiting through a "short-term financial lens".

Mistry cited the turnaround and growth of Tata's jewelry brand Tanishq and its IT arm Tata Consultancy Services as examples "within the group where persistence and a long-term perspective have paid off."

He said "equally" the Tata Group has exited over 40 businesses in the last 20 years.

"And as we push the boundaries, there will always be failures, and we must expect these as part of our entrepreneurial model. Of course, critics could argue we could have been more aggressive with our exists and they most probably would be right if we were to take all our decisions through a short-term financial lens," Mistry said here last week.

Mistry was in New York for an event to unveil the membership of FCLT Global, a body dedicated to encouraging long-termism in business and investment decisionmaking. -PTI

TechBiz 12 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 7, 2016

Renault signs deal for venture in Iran PARIS: Renault has reached a deal with Iran's government to open a plant making at least 150,000 vehicles a year, as European companies race for a share of Iran's market now that international sanctions have been lifted.

The French carmaker announced the deal with the Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran during the Paris auto show.

The plant in a Tehran suburb will produce Duster and Symbol cars starting in 2018. Renault will be majority shareholder, and have its own distribution network in Iran for the first time, according to a company statement. Financial details were not released.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said Iran could have demand for 2 million cars in 2020, making it a market with ``undeniable potential.''

Cont’d on page 15

Reliance, Dassault Aviation set up joint venture for Rafale NEW DELHI: In a major deal for India's private defense industry, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group and Rafale maker Dassault Aviation today announced a joint venture (JV) that will be a "key player" in execution of offset contract worth about Rs 22,000 crore as part of the fighter jet deal.

The announcement of the JV, Dassault Reliance Aerospace, comes within days of India and France on September 23 signing an agreement for 36 Rafale fighter jets at a value of euro 7.87 billion, or about Rs 59,000 crore.

The agreement includes a 50 per cent offset obligation, the largestever offset contract in the history of India.

The main point of the offset agreement is 74 per cent of it has to be imported from India, which means direct business worth around Rs 22,000 crore.

The offset, spread over seven

years, will be finalized soon.

There is also a technologysharing component, which is being discussed with the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Other companies involved in the Rafale deal include French firms MBDA and Thales, besides

Safran, which too will be part of the overall offset obligation.

The Dassault Reliance Aerospace joint venture will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations, a joint statement by the companies said.

The development has come as a boost to the Reliance Group,

which entered the defense sector only in January 2015.

"This new joint venture called Dassault Reliance Aerospace

will support Prime Minister Modi's Make in India and Skill India policies and develop major Indian programs with high levels of technology transfer to benefit the entire aerospace sector," it added.

The proposed strategic partnership between Dassault and

Reliance will also focus on promoting research and development projects under the IDDM program (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured), a new initiative of Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar.

"The formation of this joint venture with Reliance Aerospace led by Anil Ambani's Reliance Group illustrates our strong commitment to establish ourselves in India and develop strategic industrial partnerships under the Make in India policy promoted by the Indian government," Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO said.

"We are delighted to partner a world leader in aviation like Dassault Aviation. This is a transformational moment for the Indian aerospace sector and Reliance Infrastructure's subsidiary Reliance Aerospace," said Anil Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Group. -PTI

Rs 65,250 crore black money declared NEW DELHI: A huge sum of Rs 65,250 crore in black money was declared through the one-time declaration window, marking the biggest-ever disclosure of hidden wealth that will rake in Rs 29,362 crore in taxes to the Indian exchequer.

While the black money declarations may go up further once all the online and manual filings of undisclosed assets filed at the end of the four-month window on September 30 are compiled, the government will get this fiscal nearly Rs 14,700 crore or half of the total taxes due.

Making the announcement about the declarations made under the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said 64,275 declarants disclosed an amount totaling Rs 65,250 crore.

"Some disclosures have not

been tabulated... This figure could Half or Rs 14,681.25 crore will be revised upward once the final accrue this fiscal. tabulation is done," he told a news Last year, under a similar conference here. scheme for foreign black money Government had offered a one- holders, 644 declarations of undistime chance to holders of income and assets that had illegally escaped taxes, to come clean by paying 45 per cent in tax and penalty.

On the declarations compiled so far, the government will Finance Minister Arun Jaitley get Rs 29,362.5 crore in tax and penalty. closed foreign income and assets The declarants can pay this were received, and just Rs 2,428 amount in two installments up to crore was collected in taxes.

September 30, 2017.

"We will maintain secrecy of

these declarations," Jaitley said, adding the tax would accrue to the Consolidated Fund of India and would be used for welfare of public.

The average declaration per declarant comes to Rs 1 crore.

A total tax of Rs 9,760 crore was collected under the Voluntary Income Disclosure Scheme (VIDS) amnesty scheme brought by the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in 1997.

"In 1997, the tax collected was Rs 9,760 crore," Jaitley said, adding that VDIS and IDS cannot be compared as the two schemes are different.

While IDS is not an amnesty scheme, VDIS provided blanket amnesty, he said. Taxation under IDS is charged at the rate of 45 per cent while the effective rate of tax in the 1997 scheme was in single digit.-PTI

TechBiz Post

October 7, 2016

India Post

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'Ease of doing business rank should improve' WASHINGTON: Hoping India will improve its ranking on World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index, eminent economist Kaushik Basu has said the government also needs to be more active in promoting cohesiveness and diversity in the society, as economic reforms with political and social inclusiveness can help the country regain 9.5 per cent growth rate.

Basu, who demitted office as Vice President and Chief Economist at World Bank here after a four-year tenure and has been the architect of the Doing Business report, said India already stands out with over 7 per cent growth rate in a difficult phase of global economy but needs to pay greater attention on inclusiveness.

Pointing out that for a nation

a secular society.

"There has to be greater effort to build on this cohesiveness.

India's diversity in terms of religion, caste and race is something we should be proud of. Also India stands out among emerging economies for being a nation where freedom of speech is valued.

"I point to these because some Indians are ashamed instead of being proud of these qualities.

These political and social characteristics are important for sustained economic growth. I personally believe that inclusiveness is a moral precept. It is desirable as an end in itself. But even if you do not share this belief, you must work to promote inclusiveness for the sake of high long-run GDP

"Where this government needs to be more active is in promoting inclusiveness and diversity. Stable, long-run growth depends more on this than most people realize.

People work harder if they feel a part of society; if they can trust one another.� growing so well, India has far too many people below the poverty line, Basu said Indians must be proud of the country's diversity in terms of religion, caste and race and rued that "some Indians are ashamed instead of being proud of these qualities".

Noting that India has a long history of caste and discrimination, Basu said the country's founding fathers made a big effort to change this and make India into

growth," he added.

Advocating a greater push for inclusiveness, Basu said the government must invest more on health and education and design better delivery so that these benefits reach everybody.

"In the long run, better nutrition, better education, better health can make a disproportionate difference to a nation s development. But for that very reason these interventions get too often

overlooked."

"We saw India greatly improve over the last two years, from rank 142 to 130. This was partly because of reforms and partly because of improved methodology.

"I hope India continues to improve its ranking. But it has to be recognized that India s cumbersome bureaucracy is a colonial baggage and making it trim and efficient will not be an easy task.

Also, remember that Doing Business measures a nation along 10 main indicators.

"In reality, many other things matter for an economy to do well that Doing Business does not measure. We must not lose sight of those while striving to do better in terms of this ranking," Basu said.

"Where this government needs to be more active is in promoting inclusiveness and diversity.

Stable, long-run growth depends more on this than most people realize. People work harder if they feel a part of society; if they can trust one another. We can see examples of this from Singapore to the US," he said.

Basu, who has decided to return to academia and said he would not take up any role in the government of India, also hoped that the GST would be a gamechanger.

"We have to remember India grew at an astonishing rate of around 9.5 per cent from 2005 to 2008. The aim must be to position India so as to regain that growth as soon as the global situation improves. Economic reforms with political and social inclusiveness

India must open up further: Panagariya NEW YORK: India should open up further and make business conditions better for investors as it is likely to be the "natural place" for global firms that will face the challenges of shrinking labor and

Arvind Panagariya

rising wages in China over the next decade, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said.

Panagariya, participating in a conference on world trade at Columbia University here, said demographically the labor supply in China was now shrinking and the already high wages there are going to rise even quickly. "This could lead global firms based in China to move out over the next decade and look for better markets."

The leading economist said such a scenario presents an "opportune time" for India.

"These firms are going to go out of China. India is likely to be the natural place. So my pitch to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is

that we ought to take advantage of this great opportunity, open up further, make business conditions better for the investors. That is ultimately going to be what will sustain growth in India over the next two decades," Panagariya said at the conference presented

by Columbia's School of International & Public Affairs in association with Raj Center on Indian Economic Policies.

He said the pace of reforms in India slowed after 2004, with some reversal also taking place during that period.

Due to this "India lost about 10 years' time." It however did manage to grow rapidly on the back of the reforms that were done in 1990s and early 2000s," he said.

He said India is now "back into reforms and has opened up quite a bit".

Cont’d on page 14

can help India do this," he said.

Recalling his earlier role as Chief Economic Advisor to the government of India, which he performed during the previous UPA regime, Basu said he used to

the performance of the present Modi government, Basu said, "In terms of economic performance, this government has done well. It has begun cutting down bureaucratic transaction costs; GST

Kaushik Basu

argue at that time and he continues to argue even today "that while regulation is a part and parcel of any modern economy, if India can make the regulatory system more efficient, the economy can benefit greatly, attracting capital and encouraging small and medium sized enterprise."

Asked about his assessment of

alone will give India a big boost.

"In fact, what is very heartening is to see how stable India is in terms of economic policy, since broadly what this government is doing is what the previous government did or what it was trying to do. This stability is a great plus for FDI coming into India," he said.

Cont’d on page 14

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TechBiz Post

India Post

October 7, 2016

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PM to brainstorm with rail staff over roadmap NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to around 400 railway staff in person, and around 20,000 over video conferencing to firm up a road map with innovative ideas to ensure the national transporter meets the aspirations in a fast changing scenario.

In a first in railways, Modi will attend 'Rail Vikas Shivir' - the brainstorming session with the employees - from November 25 to 27.

"The objective of the meet is to generate innovative and practical ideas from within the organization that will help Indian Railways achieve commercial and societal objectives and become a worldclass organization," a senior official involved with the idea generation conference, said.

These ideas will form the basis of the road map for the railways and will be monitored by the Prime Minister himself, he said.

The railways has shortlisted eight themes to be taken up during the three-day event, including ways to ensure every train journey is a pleasurable experience for the passengers and making the railways the preferred freight car-

rier.

Since the earnings from freight and passengers are not very encouraging, the railways is focusing on non-fare revenue in a major way.

The 'Looking Beyond Fare' theme will also be a part of the conference, which aims to dramatition of rail infrastructure with the use of latest technology are some of the other themes to be taken up.

All railway zones and divisions have been instructed to gear up for the three-day idea generation discussion with the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Each zone, headed by a cally improve non-fare revenue general manager, is expected to through advertising and real es- prepare and present 10 to 15 unique ideas for the Rail Vikas tate development.

'Zero Fatalities' and moderniza- Shivir. -PTI

BLS to open over 2,000 centers in Punjab NEW DELHI: Visa and passport outsourcing service provider BLS International Services will open more than 2,000 e-governance centers in Punjab with an investment of Rs 1,500 crore as part of the state's initiative to bring in transparency in governance by providing several services to the people at doorsteps.

After getting listed on NSE on June 14, the company listed itself on BSE on September 8, BLS

vices to common people. They would act as a catalyst to help people get their routine administrative works done in a speedy manner.

"Earlier, people living in remote areas had to travel more than 100 kilometers or even more to reach government offices for getting their job done. With this, they can get their job done at their villages itself. This practice will not only save their money, but also reduce

"The project, meant to provide over 200 government services to people under one roof, will also generate revenue for the state government and would bring transparency in the work culture by bringing administration to the doorstep of the citizen" International's Associate MD Shikhar Aggarwal said.

As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Digital India' initiative, the company is setting up as many as 2,147 e-governance centers, also known as Sewa Kendras, in Punjab.

The centers will minimize public interaction with various offices and enhance efficiency of the administration and delivery of ser-

harassment," Aggarwal told PTI in an interview.

Almost 1,500 centers have already been operationalized while rest of the centers would be inaugurated in next 15 days.

Aggarwal said these e-governance centers would not only help the government deliver their services to the people more effectively but also generate enough employment in the state.

"The project, meant to provide over 200 government services to people under one roof, will also generate revenue for the state government and would bring transparency in the work culture by bringing administration to the doorstep of the citizen," he said.

On the company's expansion plans, Aggarwal said, "We would have expanded our services in 20 more countries by the end of November 2016 and for which, the company is investing heavily".

"Keeping in mind the current competition level in the market, we are working hard to expand our services to as many countries as we can and things are moving in right direction," he said.

BLS has operations in more than 22 countries and is providing services through 101 offices worldwide. It handles close to three million applications annually.

In last three years, the company, which was founded in 2005, has increased its competence by doubling its application processing services.

BLS is also an authorized service provider for attestation of documents by the Ministry of External Affairs.-PTI

India must open up further: Panagariya Cont’d from page 13

"It is as open as China. Last year, in terms of the volume of foreign investment, India beat China," Panagariya said.

He said there is "no question about it" when asked whether India has been late in opening up.

"India has been about 15 years behind. If you look at all the characteristics of growth, trade, India is about 15 years behind China," he said adding that when reforms were launched in India in 1991, the country was already 12 years behind its Asian rival.

"India's GDP is two trillion dollars today. This is where China was

15 years ago," he said but added that India has the potential to become the third-largest economy in the world in the next 15 years.

He stressed that openness is a "key policy lever" that leads to high growth in a country.

He cited the example of China which lifted 700-800 million people out of poverty and became a "super-open" economy which today boasts of merchandise exports of 2.3 trillion dollars alone.

"Most countries don't have that kind of GDP. Openness is a very critical part of the Chinese growth experience and the massive poverty reduction that it brings about," he said. -PTI

'Ease of doing business rank should improve Cont’d from page 13

Asked to compare the present government with the previous UPA regime, he said, "As I said, the broad economic reforms and changes are ones that were being attempted earlier. I remember myself sitting in numerous meetings trying to get the GST passed.

"As I had said even when I was in government, the reforms, while on the books, had slowed down in terms of implementation. It is therefore good to see some of them being put into action.

"What I worked on a lot and still needs work is cutting down on the leakage that takes places in providing benefits to the poor. We must not cut down the benefits in fact, they need to be increased but wherever possible the benefits should take the form of direct transfer to the poor, instead of involving the government bureaucracy to deliver everything to the doorstep.

On India's position in this difficult global scenario, Basu said, "From 2015, we put India in number one place in terms of GDP growth, among all major economies of the world.

This has not happened before.

India is growing at roughly 7.5 percent per annum. In today's global climate, this is good performance."

"The drivers of this are India's very good monetary and fiscal policies. These have been very well conducted. GST deserves a big tribute, as does the new bankruptcy law," he said, while adding that there were global factors too.

"India ... is making good use of new technology that is linking up the global labor market. Secondly, the low oil price has helped India greatly. My belief is that, short of major political instability in the Middle East, the low prices will persist for three or four more years.

This is a window of opportunity for India," he added. -PTI

TechBiz Post

October 7, 2016

India Post

15

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Electric cars display at Paris show PARIS: Global automakers are showing off new electric vehicles at the Paris auto show as they look ahead to a world of tighter environmental standards and brace for rapid changes in technology.

Volkswagen, trying to recover from revelations some of its diesel cars pollute far more than is allowed, displayed the I.D, a battery-powered compact it says will sell for about what a fully equipped Golf diesel does when a production version eventually goes on the market in 2020.

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz luxury brand unveiled a new battery-powered SUV dubbed the

EQ, a concept vehicle that gives an idea of what future offerings might look like.

CEO Dieter Zetsche, dressed in faded jeans and sneakers more reminiscent of Silicon Valley ex-

ecutives than the more formal auto industry, said the company aimed to bring out 10 fully electric vehicles by 2025. It wants to have electrics make up 15-25 percent of global sales by then - depending, he added, on the ``continued development of infrastructure and customer preferences.''

The outlook for electrics remains uncertain, heavily dependent on advances in battery technology and the availability of places to charge up. Executives stressed that internal combustion engines weren't going anywhere, including diesel. That technology has been under pressure in the

wake of Volkswagen's scandal over cars it rigged to chat on emissions tests. ``Without any doubt, we are going to continue to develop diesels,'' particularly for SUVs and

higher priced cars, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told The Associated Press.

In fact, the first thing one saw on entering the Volkswagen pavilion was a sleek, sky blue dieselpowered Porsche Panamera highperformance sedan. Porsche, one of Volkswagen's brands, was also showing off a hybrid version of

At the high end, Ferrari showed off its low-slung, open-top LaFerrari Aperta. The limited edition of 200 vehicles is already sold out, at prices of 1.8-2.0 million euros ($2.0-$2.2 billion). the Panamera. Sports car makers like the powerful acceleration that can be had from electric motors.

Still, most people looking for modestly priced cars don't buy electrics because they're more expensive than the same car with a gasoline or diesel engine, and driving range is still limited, as is the number of places to recharge away from home. Diesel requires emissions controls to limit soot and harmful nitrogen oxides but is

cheaper to operate and remains very popular in Europe.

company has apologized and agreed on a $15 billion civil settle-

Automakers want to make sure they are ready in case improving technology makes electric sales take off. Electrics are often linked with ideas for autonomous driving and car-sharing as well.

For now, automakers need electrics to help them meet tougher requirements for fleet average emissions and mileage. The European Union is lowering average limits on CO2, blamed by scientists for global warming, by 2021. The United States will require 54.5 miles per gallon average mileage by 2025.

Electrics, which emit nothing and burn no fossil fuel, count heavily in calculating the averages.

And low- or zero-emissions vehicles are especially in focus after Volkswagen's scandal. The

ment with U.S. environmental authorities, state governments and consumers.

Other important vehicles at the show included a new Peugeot 5008, which is morphing from a family van into an SUV-like crossover - a much hotter category in terms of sales. At the high end, Ferrari showed off its low-slung, open-top LaFerrari Aperta. The limited edition of 200 vehicles is already sold out, at prices of 1.82.0 million euros ($2.0-$2.2 billion).

The show in Paris took place under particularly tight security, with guards performing added bag checks at pavilion entrances following terrorist attacks in Paris in November and in Nice, France in May. -AP

Apple partners Deloitte in pitch to business CUPERTINO, Calif.: Apple is extending its push into selling business technology by forging a partnership with the Deloitte consulting firm to advise companies on using iPhones, iPads and Apple software in the workplace.

ing a global slowdown in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets. That's spurred the Cupertino, California, tech giant to announce business-focused partnerships with companies that sell technology to corporate customers. These

Tim Cook and Punit Renjen, Deloitte Global CEO, announce a new partnership to accelerate business transformation on iPhone and iPad

While Apple primarily sells to the consumer market, it's confront-

include IBM, SAP and Cisco.

Apple says it sold $25 billion

worth of products and services to like Apple devices for their ease businesses in the 12 months of use and designs that emphathrough September 2015. That was size data security. a 40 percent increase, but just a Apple has also promoted its slice of its $233 billion in total sales. latest tablet, the iPad Pro, as a deCEO Tim Cook told The Associ- vice that's well-suited for work ated Press that Apple will soon because of its larger screen and announce figures that show more accessories like a physical keygrowth. Apple reports its quarterly board and stylus. earnings on Oct. 27. ``It's a healthy num- Analysts say businesses are ber and it's an incredibly great growth rate,'' he using more Apple devices said. after years of relying on Analysts say busi- computers running Microsoft nesses are using more Apple devices after programs like Windows, years of relying on com- Office and Exchange. puters running Deloitte's 244,000 workers are Microsoft programs like Windows, Office and Exchange. As currently using about 100,000 mobile devices have become more Apple devices, many of them runpopular, some companies found ning custom software apps, gadgets running Google's Android Renjen said. Deloitte has created software to be cheaper and easily a team of 5,000 consultants to advise corporate clients on how to adapted to run specialized apps.

Many businesses started ac- deploy Apple devices for specialcommodating Apple devices, how- ized business tasks, such as inever, after employees started surance claims adjusting or retail bringing them to work. Deloitte sales, and building software apps CEO Punit Renjen said companies for their business. -AP

Renault signs deal for venture in Iran Cont’d from page 12

``The Iranian government wants to attract foreign investment in the Iranian car industry to bring competitive new products benefiting Iranian customers with respect to standard, quality and safety,'' Industry Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh said in the statement.

He said Renault was chosen because it has been in the country for 12 years, though activities were frozen while Iran was under sanctions over its nuclear program.

The deal is in addition to a joint venture between Renault and Iran signed earlier this year to revive production at a plant where Renault's activities had been suspended.

Renault's crosstown rival PSA Peugeot-Citroen was especially active in Iran before the sanctions, and has also revived activities this year.-AP

Desi News Sadhguru presents path of joy to the West India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Sadhguru, world renowned yogi and visionary humanitarian, addressed 2800 of his followers in an event at San Jose city national civic, Downtown San Jose on Oct 2. He also launched his book "Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy", featured in New York Times best seller list. Inner Engineering presents a new way of thinking about our agency and our humanity and the opportunity to achieve nothing less than a life of joy. It is available at amazon.com.

Details on page 18

NJ legislature honors Dr Pankaj Naram NEELA PANDYA

NEW YORK: Dr Pankaj Naram, a master in reading the pulse using ancient Indian medical knowledge, got a rare recognition when the New Jersey Legislature decided to present him with the "Humanitarian of the Year Award" on October 1, eulogizing his abilities and contributions to humanity.

Dr Naram was in Germany and could not make it in time so Dr Clint Rogers, one of his ablest aides, received the award on his behalf.

The award was originally scheduled to be presented by Governor Chris Christie but in his absence it was done by Senator Thompson.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA www.indiapost.com

16 India Post

India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Various San Francisco, Bay Area NRI organizations' representatives, came together in front of San Jose City Hall on Friday September 30 under the coordination of OFBJP Northern California, to protest and express their outrage at the recent terrorist attack killing Indian soldiers at Uri, in Kashmir and the recent blasts in New York and New Jersey.

Protestors carried placards displaying slogans highlighting recent terrorist acts. The citizens of San Jose supported this rally by honking horns and joined the rally to show their outrage.

The protesters were encour-

Mahatma remembered with Peace March SURI SWAMY

Details on page 23

impacted India's development

October 7, 2016

Details on page 34

Protest against terrorist attacks in Uri & blasts in New York/NJ

Details on page 19

DALLAS, TX: Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas (MGMNT) celebrated Gandhiji's 147th birthday on October 2 at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in Irving (Dallas), TX with hundreds of people participating in "Gandhi Peace Walk" led by IANT. It was a quite scenic event to watch as children, men and women wore white dress and white caps.

Mrs. Archana Prasad, great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi along with her husband Hari Prasad attended as Chief Guests of Honor. Mrs. Shabnam Modgil, MGMNT Director welcomed the gathering and reminded everyone that United Nations declared October 2 as International Day of Non-violence.

MIT-educated

aged by the presence of San Jose City Council Member Ash Kalra, who joined in spite of his busy schedule. In a brief impromptu Interview to INO-TV, he supported the protest by condemning the terrorist attacks and appreciated the efforts of the community volunteers for organizing the protest.

Chandru Bhambhra, Coordinator of Overseas Friends of BJPNorthern California, when asked by the INO-TV group to highlight the purpose of the protest, said the protest was arranged to appeal to United Nations and the United States to identify the countries nurturing and sponsoring terrorism throughout the world and isolate them by declaring them terrorist states.

Dr Romesh Japra, renowned Cardiologist, India Post Publisher

and Community leader condemned these attacks and told INO-TV that since there is enough proof against Pakistan, UN should immediately declare Pakistan a terrorist State!

Gaurang Desai, President, Friends of India Society International-CA (FISI), reminded that Indians have been working towards declaring Pakistan a terrorist nation for over a decade as it has been epicenter of terror for a long time.

Mrs. Ashwini Surpur, indicated that UN has failed to even come together to define what is terror. If the recent attacks are not terror attacks then what are they?

Cont’d on page 20

OFBJP celebrates PM Modi's birthday India Post News Service

SUNNYVALE, CA: OFBJP volunteers celebrated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on 18th September at Chai Pe Charcha meeting in Bombay- ToGoa restaurant in Sunnyvale. The event was well attended by OFBJP volunteers. Chandru Bhambhra welcomed all. A delicious cake was cut after lighting a glowing candle to mark the occasion.

Cont’d on page 22

October 7, 2016

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India Post 17

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Verandah housing project for Seniors takes off

Bhoomipujan ceremony was conducted by Dr CL Shastri on morning of October 1

housing project as it seeks to ward off the evil and sanctify the land on which the India Post News Service project is being built with scriptural shlokas and hymns.

The Bhoomipujan was followed by a forCHICAGO: A dream multi-million dollar housing complex for seniors in Chicagoland mal ground breaking ceremony that was atchristened Verandah is now a realty with a tended among others by the Mayor Rodney formal launch at 900 Irving Park in Hanover Craig and village officials.

Verandah will have townhomes and conPark (a Chicago suburb) last week with a Bhoomipujan and ground breaking cer- dominiums, a big clubhouse, and medical emony attended by village dignitaries, in- facilities for use of the residents. The townhomes include 2 bedroom/2 bathroom and 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom units starting at $275,000. The condominiums will be in a 5-story building with elevators and include 2 bedroom/2 bathroom and 1 bedroom/1 bathroom units starting at $150,000.

All housing is especially designed for senior living and includes convenience features like main level master bedrooms, no exterior maintenance and extensive amenities.

The clubhouse is planned to be the heart of the community. It includes a dining facility which will serve vegetarian The Aman Living LLC President Dr. Anuja Gupta and food for lunch & dinner daily. There will Hanover Park Mayor Rodney S. Craig be many spaces for socialization and activities such as a community room, a gym, a vited guests and media representatives.

The Bhoomipujan puja was performed by library/computer room, a beauty shop and one of the most respected Octogenarian activities studio. Festivals like Holi, Diwali, priest Dr CL Shastriji with hosts Dr.Gaurav and Navratri etc will be celebrated gala-style and Dr.Anuja Gupta of Aman Living adher- in the clubhouse, in addition to other holiing to strict scriptural guidelines. The days like Christmas, New Years, etc.

The housing complex will also have exBhoomipujan is an essential part of any RAMESH SOPARAWLAA & SURESH BODIWALA

Ground-breaking celebrations at the property attended by Mayor Rodney S. Craig, and leading members from the community

Attendees at the Bhoomipujan ceremony with Dr Anuja Gupta, Dr Gaurav Gupta and Dr CL Shastriji

tensively landscaped grounds including a 1-acre pond, walking paths, Small Park & water features. The medical facilities will include a doctor's office, physical therapy office, home-health service and a licensed Assisted Living and Memory Care facility that will come at the tail end of the project.

Verandah developer Dr. Anuja Gupta said, "Loneliness is a major problem with seniors. We wanted to offer a community where neighbors felt like family and friends and there were many opportunities to socialize with like-minded people. Many se-

niors from our community are now reaching retirement age."

The project will be completed in 2 ½-3 years in phases. The first phase will include townhomes and be ready in summer 2017.

The condominiums will be ready in 2017 and the Assisted Living & Memory Care facility in 2018. Bookings will open spring 2017.

For more information visit Verandah w e b s i t e www.VerandahRetirementCommunity.com .

AMAN Living LLC can be contacted at 312 952 1802.

18 India Post

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October 7, 2016

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Sadhguru presents path of joy to the West

India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Sadhguru, world renowned yogi and visionary humanitarian, addressed 2800 of his followers in an event at San Jose city national civic, Downtown San Jose on Oct 2. He also

able at amazon.com.

Sitting on a settee on stage, he was as easy going as a familiar friend, cracking a few jokes, sharing some sharp witticisms and all the while imparting the message of having a joyful life. For the first time, Sadhguru presented Western readers with a path to achiev-

gives an opportunity to engineer an inner transformation that deepens your perception, bringing about a dimensional shift in the very way you look at your life, your work, and the world that you inhabit.

"My aim in this book is to help make joy your constant compan-

nection between spirituality and economics, and inner transformation. Sadhguru is regularly interviewed by leading news channels, such as BBC, CNBC, and Bloomberg.

He has authored over one hundred books, including the Amazon bestseller "Midnights with the

ing absolute well-being through the classical science of yoga in a practical, accessible book.

Sadhguru shared a profound method of self-exploration that can be applied to all aspects of our lives. Traversing seamlessly from the ancient to the ultramodern, Sadhguru bridges the gap between the known and the unknown, enabling all those who encounter him to explore and experience the deepest dimensions

ion. To make that happen, this book offers you not a sermon, but a science; not a teaching, but a technology; not a precept, but a path," says Sadhguru.

Sadhguru established the Isha Foundation, a volunteer-run international nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating human potential. The Foundation is headquartered at Isha Yoga Center in southern India and at Isha Institute of Inner-sciences in the

Mystic." Sadhguru has been an honored guest and speaker at distinguished forums and institutions including the United Nations, The World Economic Forum, Harvard, Wharton, Microsoft, TED, Google, and more.

of life.

In Inner Engineering, Sadhguru tells the story of his own awakening, from a boy to a young daredevil, to the moment of his enlightenment on a mountaintop in India, where time stood still, and he emerged radically changed. It

United States. Sadhguru's work has deeply touched the lives of millions worldwide through his transformational programs.

Sadhguru has addressed issues as diverse as human rights, economic development, social and environmental concerns, the con-

launched his book "Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy", featured in New York Times best seller list. Inner Engineering presents a new way of thinking about our agency and our humanity and the opportunity to achieve nothing less than a life of joy. It is avail-

Praise for Sadhguru and Inner Engineering "Contrarian and consistent, ancient and contemporary, Inner Engineering is a loving invitation to live our best lives and a profound reassurance of why and how we can."-Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element, Finding Your Element, and Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative "I am inspired by Sadhguru's capacity for joy, his exuberance for life, and the depth and breadth of his curiosity and knowledge. His book is filled with moments of wonder, awe, and intellectual challenge. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in self-transformation."-Mark Hyman, M.D., director, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and New York Times bestselling author "Inner Engineering is a fascinating read of Sadhguru's insights and his teachings. If you are ready, it is a tool to help awaken your own inner intelligence, the ultimate and supreme genius that mirrors the wisdom of the cosmos."-Deepak Chopra

October 7, 2016

Community Across America

India Post 19

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NJ legislature honors Dr Pankaj Naram NEELA PANDYA

NJ Senator Thompson with Dr Pankaj Naram Award

NEW YORK: Dr Pankaj Naram, a master in reading the pulse using ancient Indian medical knowledge, got a rare recognition when the New Jersey Legislature decided to present him with the "Humanitarian of the Year Award" on October 1, eulogizing his abilities and contributions to humanity.

Dr Naram was in Germany and could not make it in time so Dr Clint Rogers, one of his ablest aides, received the award on his behalf.

The award was originally scheduled to be presented by Governor Chris Christie but in his absence it was done by Senator Thompson.

Dr. Naram was honored for not only helping and healing thousands of the 9-11 firefighters and first responders, but also for his relentless commitment to all who need help and healing in any sectors of society around the world.

Dr. Naram has earned name and fame in Germany and Italy too. In fact, the Steinbeis University in Berlin has recruited him to teach a course to some of the top doctors from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and other parts of Europe. This 2-year certification

Senator Thomson with Dr Clint Rogers who received Award on behalf of Dr Naram

Interest in ancient healing methods in Germany and Europe is widening in view of highly intensive research and evidence of their ef-

We are extremely impressed."

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schröder, founder the Institute for Transcultural Health Sciences, ex-

Dr Pankaj Naram with Baba Ramdas, his Guru

fectiveness.

Dr. Klaus Küstermann, MD, the director in charge of a Medical Week program at another university in Germany, which had also invited Dr Naram as a Lecturer, made quite interesting observations He said, "In our program, we are talking about ancient knowledge and of course his [Dr Naram's] ancient secrets are a very good “Learning these ancient topic for us. When I secrets from Dr. Naram is a came from the university, working as a docbig support for us and our tor in the countryside patients. And it does no of Germany, I soon realized that what I harm! We are extremely learned in university impressed." was not sufficient.

What I had learned was course, beginning in November to treat and cure acute diseases, 2016, is to be called "Ancient Tra- with acute remedies, and for ditions of Healing: Siddha-Veda chronic diseases I had no good and Dr. Pankaj Naram." Partici- tools. I also had no possibility for pants in the course will participate prevention either. So learning face-to-face, online, and through these ancient secrets from Dr. a series of practical learning as- Naram is a big support for us and signments. our patients. And it does no harm!

Dr Clint Rogers receiving award from Sen Thomson

plained why there was such a strong interest in learning these ancient methods. "It is something different than many are used to,

but the most fascinating thing is how effective is his ancient method.

Dr Naram with German Doctors

Cont’d on page 23

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Gandhiji's impact on humanity recalled at Jayanti SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Members of Indian community in Chicagoland celebrated the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in a manner befitting the stature of Mahatma with

ing remarks were delivered by Acting CG D.B. Bhati. He observed that Mahatma Gandhi had influenced the course of world history in the 20th century by his lead-

mentioned about him that "Generations to come, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth."

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard presented with Gandhi Portrait at Chicago Indian Consulate. Seen in the picture are Dr Sonti, Acting CG Bhatti, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Dr Bharat Barai

for sustainable, symbiotic and mutually rewarding economic, social and cultural engagements between India and its Diaspora.

He appealed to the Indian Diaspora to participate in Pravasi Bharatiya convention being orga-

A section of Chicago elite with Acting CG Bhatti and Consul OP Meena at the Indian Consulate

the Indian Consulate in collaboration with Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Trust taking lead in hosting an event at its premises in Chicago Downtown.

The Consulate celebration was highlighted by the attendance of US Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard and also a good number of Chicago elites. The event started with peace and harmony music. Consul OP Meena welcomed the guests. The open-

ership of the Indian freedom movement. Through his legacy of nonviolence and noble life his is still a big inspirational force. Basic values underlying his "Experiments with Truth" were applied by him both to the political sphere and also in his personal life.

The personality of Mahatma Gandhi left a deep impact on the minds of all those who came in his contact. It was because of Gandhiji's ideals that Albert Einstein

Acting CG Bhatti also took opportunity to inform the attendees about the inauguration of Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra by PM Narendra Modi. He said that the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra is a tribute to the overseas Indian community and commemorates their migration to various parts of the world, the challenges they faced abroad, their achievements and contributions.

Over time, the Kendra is expected to develop into a hub of activities

nized at Bengaluru from 7th January to 9th January, 2017 and register themselves at the earliest on the PBD website www.pbdindia.gov.in.

The celebrations included a PowerPoint presentation on Mahatma Gandhi by Dr. Sri Ram Sonti and visuals drawn by Arvind Gunna Patel who also presented a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi to Bhatti and distributed bookmarks of Gandhi's quotes to Indian Diaspora. A 57 minutes video of inauguration of Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra by Prime Minister of India was also screened.

A gathering of Indians before Mahatma Gandhi Statue in Skokie

Cont’d on page 23

Protest against terrorist attacks in Uri & blasts in New York/NJ

Cont’d from page 16

From OFBJP, Lalji Goswami, Shivu Vibhuti, Gaurav Patwardhan, Mahadev K.,

Bhriguraj Singh, Sunil Ganu and Prabhu Patel and Community leaders Rajesh Verma, Jeevan Zutshi, Pandit Krishna K Pandey, Anil Surpur, Praveen Ohir, Nilesh

Pathak, Suresh Patel (Palo Alto), Mahesh Patel, Basu Ullagaddi, Upendra Giri, Vinod Kumar and several others, also urged that since all these terrorists are either

sponsored or supported by Pakistan, the UN should declare Pakistan a terrorist State immediately.

Protesters also expressed their support for the recent surgical

strikes on the terrorist camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. They urged the world to stand on the side of India and USA in the fight against terror.

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October 7, 2016

India Post 21

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St Louis show relives Burmans' genius BABUTANGEWALA

SR LOUIS: A St Louis based business firm - Seema Enterprises & Seema Travel - that periodically organizes cultural events for the last three decades, hosted a musical concert "The Burman Legacy" which brought back memories of yesteryears combining evergreen songs of father & son S.D and R.D. Burman.

The event on Sunday September 25 at Clayton High School had Bollywood's renowned singers featuring Jolly Mukherjee and two original musicians of R.D.Burman - Kishor Sodha, the trumpet wizard and Raj Sodha, the saxophone & concert flute genius

nostalgic memories of Burman's most popular melodies rendered by talented artists for three hours from Bandini to Aradhana and from Teesri Manzil to 1942 a Love Story. They all received a standing ovation for a wonderful performance.

S.D.Burman, one of the most famous Bollywood film music composers had composed music for over 100 movies, including Hindi and Bengali ones. Apart from being a versatile composer, he also sang songs in light semi classical and folk style of Bengal.

RD Burman, lovingly known as Pancham Da, was the man who Singer P Ganesh and Kishore Sodha, an instrument player

DilKe Chain, among many others.

No words to describe Kishore and Raj Sodha's talent , efforts and heart touching melody. Salute to entire team and special thanks to Pancham Da for creating such mindboggling creations. Even in 2016, these bring goose bumps.

Comments from viewers on this great show were exhilarating, said Ashwin Patel, one of the organizers, and this would induce them to host shows like this in the future as well. Hema Patel said," Awesome musical evening." Tamanna Williams said, " Reliving night! This is an example of RD Burman songs we rock to.

A section of the audience

alongwith a live orchestra from Bollywood. They were joined by talented singers Srikant (voice of Rafi), Priyanka (voice of Lata), P. Ganesh (voice of Kishor Kumar) and Nirupama Dey (voice of Asha and also of Sa Re Ga Ma & Indian Idol fame) Over 300 music lovers from across St Louis metropolitan area had come to enjoy the concert and were overwhelmed with the

revolutionized Bollywood music with his unique compositions.

Many of his scores have a mix of electronic rock, disco and jazz elements. Pancham incorporated a wide range of these influences, delivering some of the biggest alltime hits including Chura Liya Hai, Mehbooba Mehbooba, Bahon Mein Chale Aao, Tum Aa Gaye Ho Noor Aa Gaya Hai, Aap Ki Ankhon Mein Kuch and O Mere

Jolly Mukherjee with Hema Patel of Haveli, Ashwin Patel, Pankaj and a guest

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Vedic Astrology favors Donald Trump!

JATIN PATEL

A million dollar question that engulfs the mind of all Americans is - Who will be the US Next President? Millions across the world were glued to the TV watching the first Presidential debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and the consensus that emerged was that Clinton scored over Trump.

The post Debate opinion poll too indicated that Clinton widened her margin a bit but even now many feel that the balance can tilt in anybody's favor by the time the November election takes place. It is in this context it would-be interesting to get some clue - non political of course that could possibly point at the likely winner Astrologers do peep into the planetary movements and interpret the charts that could favor one over here. We have Jatin Patel, our astrologer columnist, offering his view here indicating that Donald Trump could emerge as the next US President.

O

ne of the central tenets of Vedic Astrology is the location of the various

Presidential Election.

In this particular analysis we have the date of birth, and birthplace but not the actual time of birth which is necessary for a thoroughly accurate reading. How-

Brief overview In Vedic Astrology the horoscope consists of: • 12 houses (of which 9 are

tion. Since the sun is the owner of Mars, Mars is also weak giving short temper, and promoting an attitude of superiority. He has two strong planets Jupiter and Mercury. The planet mercury gives him power of communication, reason, speech, sharp intellect. Basically intelligence with verbal and mental ability, also benefits of good sound judgment.

Thru the contributions of planets Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Sun he has acquired huge amounts of wealth and acquired status thru his intellectual enterprises. The weakness of Venus brought him moments where his communication was not appreciated.

Another strong planet Jupiter, it signifies top political and administrative position - Chairman, advisor, and advisory roles.

Final prognosis

Now let's look at where the planets will be on November 7 election day to see if they help or hurt the candidate. In transit the planet sun is debilitated (extreme weak) mercury is weak along with Venus.

Clinton's natal chart and transit have the sun as extremely weak, and afflicted. Mercury is weak in transit and natal. Venus is weak in transit. Mars is exalted in transit (extreme power).

Trump has weak sun, afflicted Mercury and Venus. But a strong Jupiter, Saturn and exalted Mars (extreme power).

In summary both candidates corresponding charts are fraught with weakness and power. However, when comparing the charts, Trump has more strength of planets than Clinton.

Expect Trump to prevail to become the next president.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

ever, utilizing a systems approach we will examine the planets by themselves and their strength to decipher which candidate has the ultimate edge to prevail.

In instances where time of birth is absent, we can gauge the

Clinton's natal chart and transit have the sun as extremely weak, and afflicted. Mercury is weak in transit and natal. Venus is weak in transit. Mars is exalted in transit (extreme power). Trump has weak sun, afflicted Mercury and Venus. But a strong Jupiter, Saturn and exalted Mars (extreme power). planets at the time of birth and for the purposes of this exercise the corresponding time of the US

placement.

proper birth (natal) chart by overall planet placement and the resulting owner of the house of

good and 3 are bad) • 12 signs (zodiac signs) • Planets: Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Sun along with the 2 shadowy planets which are malefic (bad) for everyone in the world - Rahu, Ketu As we examine the two candidates, there is sufficient informationin the birth chart when read in conjunction with the current planetary position of planets also known as transit. In this case we will look at the transit on November 7 2016, where the planets are in relation to their birth chart comparing the planets strength at birth and transit. We can only use the shadowy planets as malefic planets due to the fact we don't know what other planets are malefic. We would know this if we had the time of birth. So, Rahu and Ketu can afflict (cause trouble to) the other planets. Moon will not be used as it moves too many degrees in one day.

Hillary Clinton outlook Clinton's birth chart shows the planets mars and sun debilitated (extreme weak power) and mercury is afflicted by Ketu. These three planets alone cause serious problems to health, her reputation and government position. Her planet Saturn is old and is not conducive to ruling masses of people. Clinton's main concern at this moment is issue of health relating to cardiovascular and nervous system. Jupiter significator for husband aspect the Moon giving her status thru husband.

Donald Trump outlook Trump has many weak planets and planets that are afflicted. The planet sun is in old age and also afflicted causing problems of cardiovascular system and diges-

OFBJP celebrates PM Modi's birthday

Cont’d from page 16

Celebratory mood of the event was dampened by the heinous terror attacks on an Indian Army base in Uri area of Kashmir, India. Various members expressed their views. Members felt that Lt. Gen. (Retd) Syed Hasnain, who once commanded the Uri brigade, had highlighted the vulnerabilities which limit India's ability to guard herself well against these terror attacks.

The reduced levels of Jhelum River may have made it easy for the terrorists to cross the border into India. The attack seems to have been timed to cause maximum effect, when two regiments were switching occupancy at the army base.

Attendees underscored that 13 of the soldiers seem to have been martyred when grenades were thrown at a refueling diesel tanker

located at the base. This is one of the worst terror attacks on India and urged the Government of India to act tough on terrorists and their supporters. An overt action may be necessary to showcase India's intent but if under the circumstances, covert action is the best choice, people should support the government in that too, and not construe that as inaction.

Knowing PM Modi to be a patriotic man to the core, attendees reposed their faith in Modi's visionary leadership to act tough. It was felt that PM Modi should keep working on uniting the world against terrorism.

Prominent attendees included Mahadev Karadigudda, Shivu Vibhuti, Sid Shettar, Thippeswamy, Prabhu Patil, Raghu Reddy, Dinesh Neelavar, Sunil Ganu, Lalji Goswami, Bhriguraj Jhabua, Mahima Singh, Sunil Ganu, Rajesh Nair.

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Mahatma remembered with Peace March SURI SWAMY

DALLAS, TX: Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas (MGMNT) celebrated Gandhiji's 147th birthday on October 2 at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in Irving (Dallas), TX with hundreds of people participating in "Gandhi Peace Walk" led by IANT.

tiation is. Dr. Thotakura thanked Mrs. Archana Prasad for gracing the occasion to celebrate Gandhiji's birthday in Dallas.

In her address, Archana shared her vision and experience of working for Gandhi Institute, Memphis, TN that was founded by her fa-

Gathering at Mahatma Gandhi Statue in Irving, Dallas

It was a quite scenic event to watch as children, men and women wore white dress and white caps.

Mrs. Archana Prasad, great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi along with her husband Hari Prasad attended as Chief Guests of Honor. Mrs. Shabnam Modgil, MGMNT Director welcomed the gathering and reminded everyone that United Nations declared October 2 as International Day of Nonviolence.

R a o Kalvala, MGMNT Secretary briefed about the hard work and approval process of having this largest Gandhi memorial in USA and thanked City of Irving and the community. Mrs. Indu Reddy Mandadi, MGMNT Co-chair stated having Gandhi Peace Walk at Gandhi Memorial is a unique and many other communities may not have this kind of opportunity. She thanked India Association of North Texas volunteers and MGMNT leadership for making all the needed arrangements for this meaningful walk.

Dr. Prasad Thotakura, MGMNT Chair reiterated the essence of Gandhi's life in spreading peace all over the world, emphasizing fighting, conflicts & wars are not solutions for any crisis but only nego-

ther Arun Gandhi. She thanked Dallas Indians for building the largest Gandhi Memorial in USA. MGMNT Board and Chief guests released about 10 white doves in symbol of spreading Peace across the globe.

Hundreds of community members walked around the lake after

warm up session by Yoga coordinator Vijay. All community members paid tribute to Gandhiji by offering flowers. IANT secretary B.N. thanked his team members Salman Farshori, Bhima Penta and other volunteers, FunAsiA for providing breakfast, police department and city of Irving officials for making all the needed arrangements at the event.

Dinner banquet MGMNT hosted a complete vegetarian, non-alcoholic Gandhi Banquet on the same evening where Mrs. Archana Prasad attended as a keynote speaker.

The Banquet theme was - "Peace, Nonviolence & Harmony" Dr. Thotakura reminded the great saying "Peace begins with a Smile." A smile can light up a room so imagine what a world of smiles can do."

Mrs. Archana Prasad in her keynote highlighted the principles and philosophies of Gandhi and challenges in maintaining her Gandhi legacy. She mentioned almost all Gandhi family members are

Annual Gandhi Banquet and Souvenir release

Gandhiji's impact on humanity recalled at Jayanti Cont’d from page 20

Those gathered expressed their desire to attend the PBK and to avail various facilities available at the Kendra.

The Gandhi Memorial Trust in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in Chicago organized a peace prayer at the Gandhi Statue located at Heritage Park, McCormick Blvd, Skokie in the

morning. Shri D.B. Bhati, Acting Consul General and Shri O.P. Meena, Consul, paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi by presenting a wreath on the Gandhi Statue on the occasion. US Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard and Mayor of Skokie, Van Dusen also paid tribute to Gandhiji. The Mayor of Skokie marked this special day in Skokie as Peace Day with his proclamation.

Peace walkers during the Peace March

engaging in several community service activities all over the globe.

She particularly mentioned about the noble work of Gandhiforchildren.org doing in supporting needy children.She released MGMNT Special souvenir.

Mrs. Kalpana Bhatia released "Gandhi Memorial - DFW-TX" App which is available currently

in Google Play store. MGMNT funded scholarships to UT Dallas students. MGMNT also sponsored UT Arlington students to attend Gandhi Conference in New Delhi, India at the end of May. One of the students Ms. Fatima Hirsi thanked MGMNT for sponsoring and shared her trip experiences in visiting India for the first time.

Cont’d on page 25

NJ legislature honors Dr Pankaj Naram Cont’d from page 19

heart problems, asthma, allergies, arthritis, obesity, and so on.

In this university course, Dr Pankaj Naram will be sharing for one of the first times some of the secrets he learned from his master and lineage dating back more than 2,500 years.

Dr Naram gives credit to his master, Baba Ramdas. He reports meeting his master more than 30 years ago when Naram was a balding, bespectacled and overweight young doctor. A patient told him about a 115 year old healer, Baba

So this group of medical doctors are asking for more knowledge and for more competence from ancient sciences. For me, Dr. Naram is the best example for systemic healing."

According to Steinbeis University's website: "Ancient healing methods have been known and practiced around the world by master healers for thousands of years. Traditional medicines, known anciently in China and India, are still practiced today. "Many of the Siddha-veda healing He reports meeting his "secrets" or methods were passed down mas- master more than 30 years ter to student, and ago when Naram was a through their ancient "scriptures" or records. balding, bespectacled and This is an introductory overweight young doctor. course in the ancient Siddha-veda healing methods, taught directly by current head of the lin- Ramdas, who practiced just outeage, master healer Dr. Panakj side of Mumbai. Ramdas was part Naram." of a direct lineage of healers that Dr. Naram is considered one of goes back 2,500 years to Lord the world authorities in the ancient Jivaka, the personal physician for practices of pulse diagnosis, Buddha. marma healing, and the use of diet Despite his age, Ramdas was & ancient herbal remedies for seeing 80 to 90 patients a day, and modern-day maladies. Through was able to determine what was understanding the secrets of the wrong with the person in less than pulse, he has been able to help one minute. Dr. Naram said Baba people with chronic and acute Ramdas not only helped him rehealth challenges like high blood duce his diabetes, grow his hair pressure, diabetes, kidney prob- back, and lose weight, but also lems, hair fall, infertility, ADD/ helped him face his own fear and ADHD, psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema, ego, so he could be a true healer.

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Ekal Vidyalaya adopting new methodology PRAKASH WAGHMARE

ORANGEBURG, N.Y 'Ekal is pulling all stops on village development in India and adopting ground-breaking methodology in the way it operates in rural-tribal areas' -that's the profound mes-

storming sessions to critically assess the progress made so far, but also to charter EVF's course for 2017. Until now, 'Ekal' (as it is popularly known), had targeted100,000 villages as its 'goal' for integrated

Ekal Team With PM Modi

Bajarang Bagraji, CEO of Ekal Abhiyan with Lalan Sharma

sage that came out of Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation's (EVF) recently concluded "International Conference" in Orangeburg, N.Y. This 3-day conference, meant for national committees of USA, India, Canada and other countries, was convened not only for brain-

development. Now, Ekal wants to reach out to all 600,000-plus rural/ tribal areas in India.

Considering it is already in 62,000 villages, this was inevitable.

Another reason for this ambitious undertaking is that it has picked up tremendous momentum in re-

cent years in terms of enterprising entrepreneurs joining its fold everywhere with innovative ideas and actively pursuing various rural projects. At the conference, Himanshu Shah, CEO of 'Shah Capital' and 'Mohan Wanchoo', CEO of 'EC Info systems' each pledged $100,000 to $200,000 per year, for the next several years to uplifting rural lives.

Inspired by PM Modi's 'Swachch Bharat' initiative, Ekal's 'clean environment' pilot project is already making its mark in some

rural and tribal areas. Moreover, water conservation, organic farming, cottage industries that could empower young girls and womenfolks are in full swing in most of the villages. There are 53,000 Ekal schools in operation throughout rural India that benefit 1.5 million children -half of which are girls.

Lalan Sharma, Village Development Field Director for "Ekal-India", presented numerous ex-

for 2017 at this Conference. According to him,' Ekal will add 5,000 new schools specifically in conflict-zones and enhance the quality of training by resorting to digital technology. For youths, 5 more 'Ekal-on-Wheels' digital trainingvans are being added, bringing the total of such facility to 9. Each of these 'modern-technology' labs have capacity to train 5,000 youths each year.

amples of Ekal Alumnus, with full details, who have distinguished themselves by obtaining prestigious district and state-level jobs, after graduating from Ekal schools. There are plans under way to carry out impact-studies by collecting and analyzing data on all Ekal alumni.

It is widely known that Ekal renders all assistance without any credence to caste, creed and religion and its overhead is just 10%. When Ekal-Team met PM Modi this year, he not only applauded Ekal Vidyalaya's efforts all across rural India, but also, termed it as an extension of 'Skill India' campaign.

Bajarang Bagraji, CEO of 'Ekal Abhiyan' (umbrella Orgz of 'Ekal') unveiled an ambitious plan of multifaceted development of villages

He added that 'Anemia', which is so prevalent among rural women-folks, would be expressly addressed in 300 villages and soon a pilot project of 'tele-medicine' would be started in West Bengal. As for agro-projects, 15,000 nutritional gardens and 25,000 acres of organic farming are being added next year.

Currently, a 'Gramotthan Resource Center' (GRC) at 'Karanjho', Jharkhand is the only encyclopedic information 'citadel' for villagers to learn modern techniques. It caters to 100 surrounding villages, directly benefitting 100,000 rural folks, and indirectly, affecting almost one million people. Bagraji elaborated that 11 such 'GRC's are under way for next year.

HAF hosts Northern California fundraising gala India Post News Service

MILPITAS, CA: On Sunday, September 18 over 430 attendees, including Hindu American community and business leaders, interfaith partners, and elected officials joined the Hindu American Foundation (HAF)'s 2016 Northern California Fundraising Gala Dinner at the Indian Community Center in

CEO of DiyaTV. Featured speakers included, Barbara McGraw, J.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism, Director of the Interfaith Leadership Program, and Professor of Social Ethics, Law & Public Life at Saint Mary's College of California, Murali Balaji, Ph.D., Director of Education and Curriculum Reform at HAF, and Mohak Shroff, Vice

The evening was capped off by Vilas Nayak, Asia's lead speed painter hailing from Ukire of the Mangalore District in India, who delighted the audience with two sessions of speed painting accompanied by lively music.

Milpitas.

The Foundation's signature event in Northern California, featuring Los Angeles-based comedian and host Rajiv Satyal raised over $550,000 to benefit Hindu American advocacy in the areas of education, policy, and community.

The event was emceed by Suhag Shukla, Executive Director and Legal Counsel, Co-founder of HAF and Ravi Kapur, Founder and

President of Engineering, Consumer Products of LinkedIn. In addition to these entertaining and informative speakers, HAF honored Dr. D. Andrew Kille, Ph.D, Chair of the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council with the 2016 HAF Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism and Sanjay Patel, Writer and Director of Pixar's short film, Sanjay's Super Team

with the 2016 HAF Pride of the Community Award. Rajeev Ram, 2016 Olympic silver medalist in doubles tennis and Akash Modi, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in parallel bars were similarly recognized for their achievements.

The evening was capped off by Vilas Nayak, Asia's lead speed painter hailing from Ukire of the Mangalore District in India, who delighted the audience with two sessions of speed painting accompanied by lively music.

"This was an historic event for HAF's Northern California Chapter, not just in terms of the money raised, but also based on the diverse range of leaders, athletes, and entertainers in attendance supporting HAF's mission of promoting human dignity, mutual respect, and pluralism," said Kaushik Macherla, HAF Northern CA Chapter Co-Coordinator. "With the generous support of the community, the future is bright for Hindu American advocacy."

Surplus food from the event was donated to Copia to ensure meals were distributed to communities in need.

Cont’d on page 26

October 7, 2016

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Met, Ministry of Culture renew MoU PRAKASH M SWAMY

NEW YORK: Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that The Met and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India have reaffirmed their long-term cooperative relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which renews for five additional years the two-way partnerships for sharing knowledge and expertise that have been established between the Museum and cultural institutions in India.

The MOU was signed in June by Shefali Shah, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, and Mr. Campbell.Through the agreement, the Ministry of Culture and The Met will continue to cooperate in the areas of conservation, exhibitions, academic research, informationsharing, public education, publications, museum management, and short- and long-term loans.

"This agreement is a wide-ranging reaffirmation of The Met's close relationship with India and its rich cultural heritage," said Campbell. "The Indian Conservation Fellowship Program, in particular, has forged important professional relationships between colleagues internationally and has provided critical experience that can be built upon in the future. By generously continuing its support of this program, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has once again demonstrated its commitment to providing educational support for museum professionals around the world."

The launch of the next phase of the Indian Conservation Fellowship Program marks the beginning of the new agreement. This major initiative-undertaken beginning in 2012 by The Metropolitan Mu-

Consul General Riva Ganguly Das with Met senior officials at a function held at Indian Consulate in New York

seum of Art and the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL), with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-awards up to seven fellowships a year to con-

Consul General Riva Ganguly Das addressing the gathering

The components of the program over the next five years are: 35 new fellowships; annual seminars and workshops in India; follow-up visits by host supervisors at fellows' home institutions; visits by the directors of the partici-

The Arms and Armor Department has rich holdings of Mughal and South Indian arms and armor, including a highly decorated armor of mail and plate from the period of Shah Jahan (dated 1632-33) servators currently working in art and cultural heritage museums and institutions in India.

The current phase reinforces and expands upon the program's goals and essential structure. Two new partners are now joining the program: the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Brussels; and the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, The Smithsonian Museums of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.

pating Indian museums to the fellows' host institutions; and meetings of the advisory committee to organize and plan seminars, work-

shops, and interviews.

Art from the Indian sub-continent has been collected by the Metropolitan Museum from 1891 through today, and thanks to the generosity of numerous private donors, the Museum now boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of Indian art in the West.

The holdings of the Department of Asian Art include early, classical, and medieval sculpture, Hindu court (Rajput and Pahari) painting, court and trade textiles, and various other media. The Indian collection consists of some 1,250 works of art, of which around 350 are on view in the nine Herbert and Florence Irving Galleries of South Asian Art, the most extensive such displays outside of In-

dia.

Indian art dating from 1500 to 1900 is represented by more than 1,300 pieces in all media in the Department of Islamic Art. Over the past 30 years, the Department of Islamic Art has curated several major Indian exhibitions, including India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900 (1985); Flowers Underfoot (1997); Treasury of the World (2001); Pearls of the Parrot of India (2005); and Sultans of Deccan India, 15001700: Opulence and Fantasy (2015).

The Arms and Armor Department has rich holdings of Mughal and South Indian arms and armor, including a highly decorated armor of mail and plate from the period of Shah Jahan (dated 163233). And some 200 musical instruments from India reside in the Department of Musical Instruments, including rare instruments donated by Indian musicologist Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore in the late 19th century.

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

Care for the Cause hosts Danceathon

Mahatma remembered with Peace March Cont’d from page 23

MGMNT conducted essay writing competitions on "The Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolence in today's world" topic.

Archana Prasad awarded the winners Senior Category - 1. Mr. Anshu Jain 2. Ms. Irene Ameena 3. Ms. Tayyaba Ali; Junior Category - 1. Ms. Arja Singh 2. Ms. Ameena Sikka 3. Ms. Ashrithaa Adhibhatla.

Dr. Thotakura read the proclamation from the City of Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne declaring October 2 as "Gandhi Day" in Irv-

ing. MGMNT Board felicitated Chief Guest of Honor Mrs. Archana Prasad with Distinguished Public Service Award and Mr. Hari Prasad with a token of appreciation. MGMNT Co-chair, Mrs. Indu Mandadi briefed MGMNT activities in her closing remarks.

MGMNT Co-chair Mr. Piyush Patel thanked chief guests for attending, community for supporting, media for covering, Park Plaza Tower for hosting and scores of volunteers for making needed arrangements.

Gandhi Birthday celebrations ended with a sumptuous dinner.

India Post News Service

ANAHEIM, CA: Care for the Cause hosted a charity event called "Danceathon for a cause", on Saturday September 17 at the East Anaheim Gymnasium in Anaheim.

Instructors Kim Cotley, Shayna Patel with Amna dance, Dwana Olsen and Pearlene Brar fully supported this event. The doors opened at 8:30 a.m. and the awesome instructors taught UJam, Zumba, Bollywood and CIZE for two hours. The Danceathon event

was a great success with a turnout of over 80 guests.

The Danceathon raised funds for the 2016 cause Acid Survivor Trust International (ASTI). The event raised approximately $2000 for this charity.

Care for the Cause plans to hold its biggest event in four years - the Gala on October 15. You can join in support-

ing ASTI that helps raise awareness and funds for victims of acid violence.

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Book inspired by Nepali woman's struggle ASHFAQ SYED

ney of becoming authors. The engaged audience was able to partake in a Q&A session.

The event also featured local women-owned businesses and was sponsored by Archana Paranjpe of d'Aprile Properties and Roopali Chand of E3 Entrepreneurs.

"We hope to engage sponsors and others who share our vision to support the community.

Change is inevitable Gathering at Ganga Jamuna Book Launch: Anu Desai, Saily Joshi, Roopali Chand, Meghana Bansal, Sunita Lad Bhamray, Sonali Dev, Ratna Kapur, Archana Paranjpe, Vandana Jhingan, Rasika Puri, Deepali Aul and together we can make a difference", said CHICAGO: Sunita Lad "Ganga Jamuna" is an inspira- said. "Days passed but the key Roopali Chand, the founder of E3 Bhamray released her third book, tional story of Abani, a resilient, facts about her worth-emulating "Ganga Jamuna", in the presence enchanting young woman from struggle kept spinning in my mind, of a large number of eminent guests Nepal, and her journey to find and an idea to write a book was coming in from different walks of medical care for her infants. True born in order to send out a strong life from Chicagoland at the White to her name, which means "mother message of hope and optimism to Eagle Clubhouse, Naperville, on earth" in Sanskrit, she bears un- the readers", she added.

September 21. The event was imaginable burdens with remarkThe audience enjoyed the exhosted by E3 Entrepreneurs, able tenacity. change between the two South (Educate, Empower and Evolve) "The story of "Ganga Jamuna" Asian authors Sunita Lad and moderated by Sonali Dev, the came to my notice through a news- Bhamray and Sonali Dev. Though author of a newly published book, paper report that I read about three they come from different genres, "A Change of Heart". years ago", Sunita Lad Bhamray they were able to relate to the jour-

Plant trees in India & greet friends for Diwali India Post News Service

G

row-Trees.com is a social en terprise launched and dedicated to the Planet on World Environment Day, June 5, 2010. It is the official partner of the United Nations Environment Program's Billion Tree Campaign and WWF's Cities for Forests Campaign, and has been recognized by the YPOWPO Global Impact committee. It aims to inculcate the practice amongst the web to greet or honor

ferent messages to different people for different occasions in the future, and their messages would be delivered by email on the due dates, with no risk of forgetting those special occasions.

Companies such as Vodafone, Ernst & Young, SBI Life Insurance, Yes Bank, Franklin Templeton, Kotak Mahindra, Merck, Tata Capital, FICCI, BASF, and dozens of others are enhancing their green credentials and planting trees to engage with employees,

These trees will create rural jobs, provide flowers, fruit, fodder and fuel to communities and living creatures, offer shade to nomads and their livestock, give shelter to birds and animals someone by means of an eTreeCertificat companies and individuals worldwide to plant real trees in public lands with a personalized message. The unique certificate number allows one to locate on Google Map the tree planting project location.

Individuals plant trees at a little under $ 1.50 per tree for greeting friends for festivals, New Year, anniversaries and birthdays. The site allows them the convenience to plant at one time for delivering dif-

recognize dealers, honor customers and acknowledge dignitaries, achieving a private purpose while doing social good .

Numerous studies (Nielsen; Ipsos Mori; Monster TRAK; IBM; U.N.-Accenture; BCG; etc) have shown that green companies get better valuation in the markets, attract and retain talent more easily, enhance brand, trust and reputation, and find that customers are willing to pay more for their products, and testimo-

nials confirm that the Grow-Trees certificate makes a very positive impression on recipients .

Over 1,750,000 trees have been planted so far creating about 144,000 workdays of jobs for mainly tribals and women in projects like Trees for Tigers, Trees for Sloth Bears, Trees for Tribals in places like Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan) , Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary (Orissa), Madanpalle (A.P) and Chintamani (Karnataka) community lands, the periphery of tiger reserves at Kanha National Park (M.P.), Sariska (Rajasthan) and the Unesco World Heritage site of Sundarbans National Park, and touching Rukshmani Temple at Dwarka (Gujarat) through www.Grow-Trees.com.

The plantings are audited by accounting firms as well as through own site inspections.

These trees will create rural jobs, provide flowers, fruit, fodder and fuel to communities and living creatures, offer shade to nomads and their livestock, give shelter to birds and animals, prevent soil erosion and flooding, improve water catchment, generate oxygen, reduce carbon in the atmosphere and fight climate change.

house, together with the author, has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the Nepalese family that inspired the author to pen this book in the first place. "I am very keen to support this woman and her child who reside in faraway Nepal," Sunita told Kitaab.org.

"The Changemakers series will continue to bring eminent guests that are visionaries in their respective fields. We hope to continually challenge the status quo, evoke discussion, and change mindsets through education. Our goal is to inspire our community to support causes, educate themselves about world issues, and foster intelligent discussions."

Invitees and guests at the Book Launch: Author Sunita Lad Bhamray, Sonali Dev, Saily Joshi, Roopali Chand, Archana Paranjpe and others

Entrepreneurs. "It is not often that we get to socialize and learn at the same event, she added.

Sunita Lad Bhamray is an Indian author based in Singapore.

The book, "Ganga Jamuna", is being published by Kitaab International Pte Ltd. The publishing

said Saily Joshi, the founder of The Changemakers Series.

"What started as a gathering of friends in a basement has now turned out to be a vibrant platform for the people of Chicagoland and Naperville to share their inspiring experiences", she added.

Ekal Vidyalaya adopting new methodology Cont’d from page 24

The Event-Committee, headed

by Dilip Kothekar and Prajna Khisti, is taking a departure from engaging Bollywood 'Song & Dance Troupe' for annual 'Fundraising Concerts'. For the first time, an innovative group of a dozen talented artistes from Ekal-villages will be presented in most amazing one-of-a-kind entertainment program consisting of regional folksongs & dances of India, skits from Ramayan-Mahabharat, folklore episodes etc. Currently, they are all being guided and trained by the best professionals in stage performances.

Ekal believes this pioneering effort to bring ordinary but talented, village-folks to the fore-

front of this continent in 60-plus Ekal events will promote their ethnic artistry and will give them consistent patronage at national and international level. Starting with this conference, Ekal-USA is entering into 'Social-Media' arena with vengeance.

The technology-savvy team, headed by Akshay Joshi includes Avinash Agarwal, Vinita Dogra, Arti Aggarwal and Sheetal Gupta. It will be guided by Prashant Shah, a new member of Ekal-USA 'Board of Directors' and shall be advised by Prakash Waghmare and Ranjani Saigal, as necessary. In short, there is new dawn at 'Ekal Vidyalaya' on every level.

More Community stories on page 34

October 7, 2016

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India Post 27

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

28 India Post

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October 7, 2016

A

fter Parineeti Chopra walked out of choreographer Bosco Martis's directorial debut 'Circus', Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty are reportedly set for a reunion. Papa Sunil Shetty also plays a role in it. The two will be playing father and daughter who have a troubled relationship.

A source says, "Circus is the emotional story about a father and daughter; both trapeze artists.

Sunil has been selective in signing on films in the last few years, but he immediately said yes to this one." The film revolves around the dying art of circus. "Sooraj and Athiya would be seen doing some daredevil acts and there is also a romantic track."

The film features action and elaborate dance sequences along with a lot of acrobatic acts. The makers have flown in international circus artists to be part of the film.

R

ecently there was buzz that Alia Bhatt would star in Rohit Shetty's upcoming film 'Golmaal 4'. But the film seems to have landed in trouble once again. Reports suggest that Alia Bhatt, who was the first choice for Kareena's role, has opted out of the film. Buzz is after the Karan Johar-Ajay Devgn hostilities flared up, Alia suddenly became unavailable on the dates.

Alia has put it across that since she is busy shooting for 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya' and was to sign another biggie by the end of the year she is falling short of dates. The Bhatt girl's volte-face is an apparent fallout of the 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'-'Shivaay' clash.

1 Kala Chashma: Baar Baar Dekho 2 Tere Sang Yaara: Rustom 3 Jag Ghoomeya: Sultan 4 Sau Tarah Ke: Dishoom 5 Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai: Sultan 6 Toota Jo Kabhi Tara : A Flying Jatt 7 Sau Aasmaan: Baar Baar Dekho 8 Tu Hai : Mohenjo Daro 9 Ikk Kudi : Udta Punjab 10 Beat Pe Booty : A Flying Jatt

N

o actor would like any one infiltrating his private space. But Akshay Kumar is a bit different. On a stormy evening, a few days ago, an unknown intruder sneaked into his Juhu residence, despite tight security in and around the building. A few hours later, when he was found hiding under a tree, the actor's security staff handed him over to the police.

When Akshay was informed, he called up the police to find out what had happened.

According to a source, he let the man go with a stern warning. If you're wondering why, here's the reason. But when he was told by the cops that the man was only seeking shelter in the heavy thunder showers and meant no harm to the actor or his family, Akshay requested the cops to let him go with just a diary entry."

October 7, 2016

Bollywood

India Post 29

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"I have grown up mostly around women. From my mother, my aunt and my sisters to Kajol, and now my daughter Nysa - I have always understood their point of view. I have maintained that I respect women

A

jay Devgn has been roped in to be the goodwill ambassador for Smile Foundation which supports education for girls and women empowerment. Ajay, who has been associated with the organization for the past five years, says "celebrities need to support" such causes.

Ajay claims he has always understood concepts from a "woman's perspective". "I have grown up mostly around women. From my mother, my aunt and my sisters to Kajol, and now my daughter Nysa - I have always understood their point of view. I have maintained that I respect women.

They are better than men. That's because women evolve, men don't. When a girl is born, she becomes a daughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, a mother, etc. She keeps moving on. But a man always remains a man," says Ajay.

J

acqueline Fernandez says yoga helps her in having a positive outlook in life and wants her family to adopt it as a form of fitness. "Yoga disciplines both the mind and the soul and not just your body. It helps me in having a constant positive outlook in life. I would love my family to adopt this form of fitness as well," Jacqueline said in a statement.

The actress tried a few yoga sessions with her family while she was in Sri Lanka. For Jacqueline, discipline is the key word to keep fit and achieve a perfectly toned body. She is currently shooting for her untitled next with Sidharth Malhotra.

"Yoga disciplines both the mind and the soul and not just your body.

It helps me in having a constant positive outlook in life.

R

icha Chadda, who had re cently attended the Nara International Film Festival in Japan, will be working in a fashion film with a Japanese producer.

Though she refused to divulge details, she said she was extremely happy to be working on this project.

She said the Japanese producer was very keen to work on a film about the varied dynamics of Indian fashion including textiles, considering the vast geography and culture India has.

Speaking about the film, Richa said it will look at how varied fashion aesthetics exist in India and how it has inspired global fashion over the decades. The film is said to go on floors at the start of 2017.

On the Bollywood front, Richa Chadda will be next seen in Pooja Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar's production Cabaret.

Though she refused to divulge details, she said she was extremely happy to be working on this project

www.indiapost.com

30 India Post

October 7, 2016

DJ- Dimitri and Michael Thivaios

D

ance music scene in India has risen up dynamically and is expected to grow further, believe DJs Dimitri and Michael Thivaios.

In recent years dance music has managed to create a global dominance with the producers being on the forefront rather than remaining backstage and India is no exception.

"Dance music scene in India is

crazy now. We started performing at smaller clubs and now it's like a 10,000 people event.

"At Sunburn Goa there are uncountable number of people. So, it is amazing to see the Indian dance culture in such a big light," say the musicians, who are current world number 1 DJs. Known by their stage name Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, the brothers say they are happy to be in the country to witness the

"madness."

The DJs will be next seen performing in Hyderabad and Mumbai on October 8 and 9 respectively at Sunburn Arena with some surprises for their Indian fans.

"I think as far India is concerned it will keep on growing. It is great to see this evolution and be a part of it. All the shows we have done so far here have been amazing. It is going to be pure

madness. We are more than happy to be here," Dimitri said.

"We have done a couple of remixes, including one for Lost Frequencies' new single 'What Is Love'. We will be premiering it for the first time, in India," he adds.

This summer has been quite an affair for the Belgian duo, be it giving out unreleased music for

free, a brand new single or performing during the 4-month-long Ibiza residency, which they recently wrapped up.

"As far as 'Bringing the Madness' (their annual arena show) is concerned, it will stay in Belgium as it is our home and the production needed cannot be easily done outside," Dimitri said. -PTI

October 7, 2016

India Post 31

Travel is priority for almost 50% Indians India Post News Service

D

ealSunny's "Spending Behavior in India 2016" survey analyzes the Spending Behavior

of Indians across the whole nation. The report reveals important trends and connections between Indians' income and expenses.

Surprisingly, travel takes the priority for almost 50% of full-time employed Indians, who spend more than Rs 30,000 on travel in a year. Those who are employed in a part-time capacity naturally spend less on this luxury with only 22% diverting income in this direction - however this is still a considerable amount. On top of that list of travel spenders are 15% of Indian women who can set aside over Rs 60,000 per year for traveling and vacation stays. In contrast, only 8% of Indian men spend the same amounts.

Fashion shopping Although fashion is consid-

ered a young person's game, the 35 to 44 year old age bracket are the major buyer in this field with a whopping 22% shelling out ?2 500 per month to extend their wardrobes with the latest trends. In some instances, this total makes up a third of their income going toward clothes. In contrast, college students, the unemployed and retired individuals choose not to spend their money on footwear, with 60-70% of these spending as little as Rs 1 000 per year on new shoes.

Eating out

When it comes to dining, India does not appear to be a spending hub. In fact, 22% of Indian youths between the ages of 18 to 24 do not dine out frequently, claiming a lack of affordability, while the number drops to 14% for 35 to 44 year olds. In stark contrast to the spending figures on clothing, 5% of Indians who boasts an income of ?15 lakhs or more still maintain that they are unable to afford dining out, while 15% report eating out on a daily basis.

Dating habits

Romance is definitely the order of the day in India, with 37% of 35 to 45 year old spending more than Rs 3,000 per date. Clearly with the middle aged generation in India, a date is a moment to remember and takes precedence over clothes, footwear and dining out for necessity. In the quest for love, entrepreneurs take that go-getter spirit to hard with up to 11% stating that they would spend more than Rs 4 500 on a single date.

Almost 80% of the population report having less than Rs 25 000 tucked away in a savings account or emergency fund. However in

North India, the figure rises with 32% of North Indians having more than Rs 25 000 saved up - a whopping average of 20% higher than the average found in all the other regions combined.

Of those who have more than Rs 5,00,000 saved up, 61% are educated up to a Master's level or hold even higher degrees. However, 37% of the men live from paycheck to paycheck with no room for saving, and for women the figure stands at 31%.

Generation X seems to be most money conscious, saving more than 30% of their income - this is the highest amount among the generations. Conversely, the millennial generation only saves 5%.

Rent / Mortgages in India

Credit card habits In India, 10% of women admit to spending more than 30% of their income on their credit card bills. Interestingly, the figure for men is only 5% - significantly less.

West India is the region with

The tendency is to spend less than a quarter of a salary on a mortgage or rental - which can be seen as a healthy ratio. In South and West India it is reported that 3 out of 4 people spend less than 25% on their rental or mortgage payments. Overall though, 69% of Indians that do not have a qualification spend less than 10% in contrast to those who are educated.

In this instance, 47% of those with a Master's Degree spend less than

the most credit cards at 63% owning one - a whopping 5 to 10% more than in any other region. In second place is North India with a 57%. Credit cards are also used for entrepreneurial pursuits such as setting up a business, and as a result, almost 50% of Indian entrepreneurs channel more than 50% of their monthly income to credit card bills.

10% of women admit to spending more than 30% of their income on their credit card bills.

Interestingly, the figure for men is only 5% significantly less. money, with 33% admitting that they never do so. In Northern and Western India, a very popular means of investment is real estate.

22% believe that this is the best way to invest their money. It is also one of the most popular investment methods for Indians who earn more than Rs 15 lakh, with more than 25% considering

Saving habits

10% on mortgage or rent, whereas only 33% of PhD graduates spend this small amount. This points to the idea that Indians are doing well in managing their housing expenses.

Investing money In contrast to North India, those who live in South India are the least likely to invest their

Online shopping When it comes to online shopping, gender does not play much of a role. Both men and women spend equally - up to 70% of each gender spends just under Rs 1990 online in a month.

Those living in Central India tend to spend the least on the internet. 81% spend less than

Rs1,990 per month. It would appear that as income levels rise, so does the amount spent online.

31% of Indians reporting an income of more than Rs 15 lakhs per month, spend Rs 6,000 of that every month online.

this the best way to invest.

Younger generations are definitely more savvy when it comes to making their money grow. Instead of simply tucking away an amount, 20% of high school students would rather invest in stock markets. Investors no longer need to rely on investors who make guesses on their behalf, and are able to invest on their one using easy online tools.

32 India Post

October 7, 2016 www.indiapost.com

‘Pluralism facing big threat’ NEW DELHI: Eminent historian and biographer Ramachandra Guha has said Indian pluralism is facing one of its "greatest threats" from religious chauvinists who remain committed to undermine it.

Speaking ahead of the launch of his new book "Democrats and Dissenters" here, Guha said India's adoption of a quite different of nationalism saved it from its imminent disintegration as had been predicted by many leading intellectuals of the time.

"Gandhi and others who chose a of nationalism quite different from European nations which stressed on acknowledging and cherishing Indian diversity and not imposing a single language and single religion on others is what kept India united," Guha told PTI. He said a true nationalist must have a "sense of shame" for the crimes his government commits and must accept that his country is not perfect rather than worshiping a symbol and remaining committed only to hoisting of flags on educational institutions.

"Indian nationalism is not adversarial like Pakistani nationalism. The BJP's nationalism is a mirror image of Pakistani nationalism. Hatred of Pakistan is important to the Hindutva view of the world, but that should not be important to an Indian nationalist. An Indian nationalist is someone who cherishes the values of the Constitution. A true nationalist should be a critic of the failures of his government," he said.

Noting that Indian pluralism is facing one of the its biggest threats today from some chauvinists who remain hellbent on converting a secular India into a "Hindu Pakistan", Guha said the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan has given rise to competitive Hindu fundamentalism in India.

Guha said Indian pluralism is fragile as Indian republic is never far away from a communal right.

Observing that Jawahar Lal Nehru's "greatest mistake" in Kashmir was not promising a plebiscite but incarceration of

Sheikh Abdullah on a "false" charge, Guha said the move was a

Ramachandra Guha

"blot on Indian democracy".

Guha also took a dig at celebrated economist Amartya Sen,

Breast cancer survivors walk the ramp NEW DELHI: In an attempt to spread awareness, breast cancer survivors took to stage as models for a unique fashion show here.

'Embrace the Pink Power' was organized to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness month and

signer Anupama Dayal.

"Breast cancer is the biggest enemy of women. If someone has cancer, the whole family and everyone else looking after them suffer too. Ignorance kills but awareness is empowering and early de-

Walking hand-in-hand with their physicians and surgeons, breast cancer survivors participated in ‘Think Pink’ fashion show.

show solidarity with cancer survivors.

The show, held at the Imperial hotel in collaboration with Roko Cancer Charitable Trust last evening, had cancer survivors draped in couture "Gulabi" by de-

tection leads to cure," APS Chawla, Chairman Roko Cancer said.

Dayal said working with the survivors has motivated her to get involved in more such causes.

"These women have stood firm

in the face of their worst nightmares. It has been inspiring to listen to their stories of hope and courage," Dayal says.

Joita Soni, who has been diagnosed with the cancer thrice, says those facing the disease must treasure themselves.

The stars of the fashion show were 15 women including Soni who walked the ramp to showcase their never-saydie spirit.

"Cancer no doubt is a tough disease to fight. I always believe health is not simply absence of illness. It also means constant challenge and creativity," Soni said.

Simran Kohli, 41, who finished her chemotherapy a month ago, opened up about her fight with the disease.

"Going through chemotherapy is no doubt tough but once diagnosed one should just go ahead and get the treatment done.

"In Indian society women underestimate themselves and forget to prioritize their health. We need to wake up and look at ourselves first," says Sodi.-PTI

who also finds a mention in a critical essay in his new book, saying the Nobel laureates' excursions into history are "misinformed" and his forays into literature are "rather amateurish and often counterproductive."

Published

by Penguin R a n d o m House India, the new book contains 16 essays touching upon a plethora of topics ranging from comparisons between modern political histories of India, Pakistan and China, Kashmir issue and Sri Lanka's Tamil problem, sufferings of Adivasis with regard to Muslims and Dalits, down to themes like dearth of conservative intellectuals in India and decline of the Congress party.

Terming tribals as the "most vulnerable people", Guha said in the interview that they had suffered economically and remained "politically invisible".

Kashmir also finds a separate mention in a detailed essay where Guha compares it with Tamil conflict. He emphasizes that the history of both Kashmiri and Tamil activism is of a "progressive radicalization", of a move from moderation through assertion on to militancy.

"Indian arrogance towards Kashmiris, and Sinhala intolerance towards Tamils, have at times been so brutal and extreme as to make reasoned and non-violent protest ineffective, and perhaps impossible," he said.

About China, he declares that the Communist country has been more successful than India in tackling gender inequality and removing deep-rooted cultural and social biases.

Lamenting the paucity of credible right-wing intellectuals in India, Guha proclaims that the precondition of conservative intellectual renaissance lies in the construction of a first-person plural which is not narrowly based on religion alone. -PTI

World's oldest gorilla has a great grandbaby COLUMBUS: The longest-living gorilla on record has another great-grandbaby.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says a baby western lowland gorilla named JJ was born there Wednesday. The newborn's gender has not yet been deter-

from the zoo's well-known gorilla family.

Fifty-nine-year-old Colo is considered the oldest gorilla on record.

She still lives at the Columbus zoo, where she was born. JJ's father, Macombo II, is Colo's grandson.

He and his brother, Mosuba, were

Colo the gorilla

mined as it bonds with its mother, Tabibu. Both are expected to remain behind the scenes for several months.

The baby gorilla is descended

the first gorilla twins born in the western hemisphere.

The naming of the newborn was auctioned off as a zoo fundraiser.-AP

October 7, 2016

India Post 33 www.indiapost.com

Bond book deals with the supernatural NEW DELHI: Ghost stories' fans here's some good news for you: storyteller Ruskin Bond's latest offering is a collection of supernatural tales.

"Whispers in the Dark: A Book of Spooks" is an anthology of strange and dark stories. Some of them are all-time favorites while

some have been exclusively written for this collection, published

by Puffin Books.

In the book, readers will befriend Jimmy the jinn who has

trouble keeping his hands to himself, be witness to the mischief of the 'pisach' and 'churel' who live in the peepul tree, and find themselves in the company of a bloodthirsty vampire cat, among other tales written in Bond's inimitable style and riveting to the core.

"Everyone likes to hear stories

about haunted houses; even skeptics will listen to a ghost story, while casting doubts on its veracity," says Bond.

According to him, old dak bun-

galows and forest rest houses have a reputation for being haunted. "And most hill stations have their resident ghosts - and ghostwriters! But I will not extend this catalogue of ghostly hauntings and visitations, as I do not want to discourage tourists from visiting Landour and Mussoorie.

In some countries, ghosts are an added attraction for tourists.

Britain boasts of hundreds of haunted castles and stately homes, and visitors to Romania seek out Transylvania and Dracula's castle," he writes.

In one of the stories titled "Ghosts of a Peepul Tree", he goes on to describe the different types of ghosts in India. "The villages of India have always harbored a large variety of ghosts, some of them good, some evil.

There are the 'prets' and 'bhoots', both the spirits of dead men, and the 'churels', ghosts of women who change their shape after death.

Then there is the 'pisach', a sort of hobgoblin; and the 'munjia', a mischievous, and sometimes sinister, evil spirit," he says, adding one thing they have in common: nearly all of them choose to live in the peepul tree.-PTI

Sami defends tweet on 'surgical strikes' In a recent interview, Pakistaniorigin singer Adnan Sami, who is now an Indian citizen expressed his opinion on why Pakistan should understand that Indian Army's surgical strike was not aimed at it, but was against the terrorists, who have even attacked the neighboring country in the past. After tweeting about the same, he received a lot of flak on social media.

In his defense, Adnan Sami spoke at the India Today Safaigiri Awards and said, "The tweet came out of my heart and I pardon those who criticized me. We need to look at why the strike happened and not against whom. This was not a territorial strike aimed at the acquisition of land but a response to an unwarranted attack.

Terrorism doesn't have a border.

Terrorists attack Mumbai, Peshawar and also Paris."

Stating the fact that both the

nations should aim for peace, he added, "People say that artists always want peace, they call them the messengers of peace and so on and so forth. Although it is true, I don't think artistes are the only

ones who should get this 'beautiful credit'. I think all our citizens want peace, not just artists."

Drawing an analogy regarding the current India-Pak situation, he

said, "The way I look at it, if my neighbor's house, for any reason, is producing garbage and that garbage is coming to my house then how is it right? What am I supposed to do? I will go to him and tell him to keep clean."

According to Adnan, Pakistan should come forward and join hands with India to eliminate terrorism and not take the surgical strike "personally". He added, "Eliminate it. If you won't do it alone, let us do it together so that we and our children can live in this world in peace. That is it. There is nothing more to it. It is as simple as that. "Why are you taking this personally? You yourself know there are suicide bombers who blast themselves in Mosques, so if someone is helping you eliminate it, you should be thankful."-PTI

Daddies to sons' rescue; why asks Kangana

K

nown to speak her heart out, actress Kangana Ranaut vented her anger publicly on the Roshans questioning that why Hrithik Roshan's father had to come for his rescue after issues between her and the actor surfaced earlier this year.

Ranaut asked indirectly "why Indian men cannot stand up for

43-year-old son. Why his father has to come for his rescue always?'

"For how long they will keep hiding behind their influential big names of father. He is an adult and he can pretty much handle his own controversies in show business.

It is just a simple controversy.

Why daddies have to always save their sons, I don't understand

themselves and a father is defending his son".

Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan in a recent interview had said "Hrithik is different. Even when someone was spreading lies about him, he chose to stay calm and dignified. If he does choose to come out with the truth, it will shock everyone."

However, this didn't go down well with Kangana following which she questioned that why daddy's have to always save their sons.

On being asked about Rakesh Roshan's comment that someone is spreading lies against them, the 'Queen' actress replied, 'No but I want to know why can't Indian men stand up for themselves. He is a

this," the actress added further.

Kangana was present at an event to launch Chetan Bhagat's new novel 'One Indian girl.'

Chetan said, "The book has been written completely from a woman's perspective and he interviewed around 100 women for writing it. This book will help men to understand their women better."

Kangana Ranaut also expressed her views on the book.

"I have read the book and it's a very human take on a working woman. Its lot more meaningful because its coming from a man.

When I read it I was in tears because it sounded like a leaf out of my own book," Kangana added.

'Busy with phones, no time to look' NEW DELHI: She is one of the few Bollywood stars who have maintained distance from various digital platforms, and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan feels invasion of social media in people's lives has made them lazy.

Speaking at the India Today Safaigiri Awards here, Aishwarya pointed out people don't even have time to look to each other because they are busy "using phones", let alone clean their surroundings.

"We are very quick with excuses.

Work, routine, lifestyle, social media and the need to be on it 24/ 7, I had to say this‌ I have observed, we don't have time to look at another person and talk to him/her because we are so busy on our

phones," she said.

"So, how many people would actually look around to do the basic things like leaving their phone for a minute and picking a tissue, which is lying on the floor, and putting in the bin? People are leaning on conveniently-attributed lethargy," the 42-year-old actress said.

Aishwarya, along with Minister of Information and Broadcasting M Naidu and chief executive of the India Today Group, Aroon Poorie, felicitated the winners of the second edition of the Safaigiri Awards.

On the film front, the actress awaits the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, in which she co-stars with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. Directed by Karan Johar, the romantic drama is set to arrive in theatres this Diwali, October 28.

Community Across America

34 India Post

October 7, 2016

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MIT-educated impacted India's development GEETHA PATIL

BOSTON: Boston Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) arranged its MIT-India Fall Reception and Book Talk with Professor Ross Bassett of North Carolina State, Raleigh on Sept 29 AT the Samberg Center of Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA. Enthusiastic faculty, staff, students and members from Greater Boston community filled the hall.S. P. Kothari, Professor of Accounting and Finance at the Sloan School of Management, welcomed the audience and intro-

sources for technological transformation of the nation, of businesses, of themselves, and including today's "high tech" Indians as well. Keshav Malhar Bhat from Poona attended MIT in 1882 and no Indian attended for another 20 years.

He narrated that in the 1920s and 1930s more Indians who went to MIT came from Gujarat than from anywhere else in India because of connections between Mahatma Gandhi and MIT through his longtime associate Devchand Parekh. Also a number

Prof Ross Basati addressing the meet at MIT India Fall Reception

duced Prof. Ross Bassett. He said that Prof. Bassett did extensive research using students' information from MIT Commencement Programs that listed the name, hometown of every graduate. This allowed him to construct a database of every Indian who graduated until 2000 with roughly 1300 graduates from the start and wrote a book titled, 'The Technological Indian-MIT and India: A130-Year History.'

Prof. Bassett said that in his book, The Technological Indian, he shared his research on how Indians looked to MIT to an extraordinary extent in their quest for technological development, while also focusing on the long history of Indians at MIT, the connection with Gandhi, and the development of the Indian IT Industry. He also stated that the question that motivated this study was how did Indians come to be such prominent engineers? And how did technological connections develop between India and the United States?

According to Prof Bassett, a study of Indian graduates of MIT shows us new perspectives on the history of Indian technology and business and puts major figures like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and G. D. Birla in Indian history in a new perspective. For over 130 years a group of Indians has looked to MIT seeking re-

of young men associated with Gandhi went to MIT. Devchand came to United States in 1893 due to his drive for industrial development. In Devchand's family one son-in-law, two sons, three nephews, and one grandson graduated from MIT. Trikamlal Shah, the Registrar of Gujarat Vidyapith, who married the daughter of Devchand, went to MIT in 1926.

Later, Bal Kalekar, the son of Kaka Kalekar wanted to study at MIT. He wrote to GD Birla asking for his support - Bassett reveals that Gandhi himself edited Bal's

Tamil School kids attend UN Summit PRAKASH SWAMY

letter, even though the life was not easy for these early students at MIT. By 1930s, when Anant Pandya graduated from MIT there was a larger group of Indian students who had an active social life with one another.

Prof. Bassett thought that even though Nehru advocated engineering and industrialization in India, Gandhi had some core values associated with modern industrial society such as time consciousness, work ethic, numeracy, the primacy of the organization.

That is why Richard Gregg, Economics of Khaddar, 1928, described, "Mr. Gandhi seems to be, in effect, a great industrial engineer."He further said that Indian graduates of MIT played a central role in the development of India's IT industry (Tata Consulting Services (TCS), Datamatics, Patni Computer Systems, Infosys (indirectly)) that does business with foreign countries.

His lecture was followed by a brief Q & A session where the audience raised a few interesting questions to Prof Bassett and got satisfactory answers from him.

Prof. Kothari not only moderated the session but also thanked all the audience for coming to learn more about the relationship of MIT and India and how they became a technological force to reckon with.

"It was really fascinating to listen to the leading technological historian, Professor Ross Bassett who used a unique database of every Indian who graduated from MIT. We felt very proud about the impact a group of Indians who went to MIT had on our country's technology, business, and development in different fields," said Mrs. Vasudha Kothari.

UNITED NATIONS: US based volunteers run Tamil School students voiced the "Yadhum Oore Yavarum Kelir" (Every city is our city, everyone is our kin) message at the UN during its 71st session on the International Day of Peace.

Valar Tamil Iyakam (VTI), a nonprofit organization that undertakes several visionary projects in the field

Students and organizers of the event before the UN headquarters building in New York

of Tamil language and cultural education for the younger generation in US, organized the participation of students from the Tri-State (NY, NJ, and CT) Tamil Schools in the UN's 71st session inauguration and the International Day of Peace event held in the sidelines of General Assembly session.

"As part of our efforts to give our students community more exposure to the global leadership and policy making process, we took a team of 30 high school students and teaching volunteers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Tamil Schools, " said Dr. Arul Veerappan, an Ivy League academician and the President of Valar Tamil Iyakkam.

Shivakumar, Organizing Secretary of the event, said "We are confident that our students and teachers will take this message and encourage our students to plan their participation next year and initiate a project reflecting the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and present the success at the General Assembly next year" "This is a wonderful opportunity

Sikh Seniors to visit Botanical Garden India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Sikh Outreach Society (SOS) of Chicago will take Sikh Senior Citizens to Chicago

Botanical Garden on October 22 from 11 am to 3 pm. This is the second trip for Senior Citizens organized by SOS. After visiting the Garden last year, they yeaned for

Seniors at Botanical Garden 2015

for our community students to learn and reflect the importance of the global leadership, listen to the leaders of various countries, setting their own Sustainable Development goals for the Global Peace", said Shanthi Thangaraj, Principal of Thiruvalluvar Tamil School based in Edison, New Jersey.

The students who attended this

visit one more time especially during the fall period when they can enjoy fall colors. People, who need rides, will be accommodated.

Chicago Botanical Garden is known world over for its beauty and educational material. They also do research there for plants, flowers and vegetables. There is no charge to Senior citizens for the visit. People usually share whatever they like to contribute.

There is an entry fee for cars/ vans; it is $25 for Illinois residents. Entry to the Garden is free except special exhibits. For more information about the trip please contact SOS at SOSchicago2014 @gmail.com or Thakar S Basati 847-736-6092

conference heard presentations from the U.N Secretary-General and interacted with UN Messengers of Peace, Goodwill Ambassadors, and young leaders that aim to inspire youth to become more involved in creating a more peaceful world for all.

UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon detailed in his address the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the young students' community. The students also had the opportunity to listen to influential people talking about the 17 sustainable development goals. These include Tawakkoll Karman (Nobel Peace Laureate), Leyma Gbowee (Nobel Peace Laureate), Shirin Ebadi (Nobel Peace Laureate), Leonardo DiCaprio (Hollywood Actor-Hero of the movie Titanic), Dr. Jane Goodall (UN messenger of peace), Stevie Wonder (UN messenger of peace), Michael Douglas (UN messenger of peace), Midori Goto (UN messenger of peace), and representatives of UN organizations from Rome, Liberia, and Cyprus.

More than 55 students and teaching volunteers from New York Tamil Academy, Kumarasamy South Brunswick, Malrboro, Plainsboro, Bridgewater, Thiruvalluvar-Edison and Newark Tamil Schools from New Jersey, Agaram, Bharathi and Kalvi Tamil Schools from Connecticut made this year's UN's International Day of Peace event special for Tamil community through their participation.

The organizers at the Peace Summit at the UN General Assembly

October 7, 2016

India Post 35 www.indiapost.com

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Realty Tidbits

Prefab book turns focus on small homes KATHERINE ROTH

Real Estate

A

uthor Sheri Koones believes that prefab houses (or ``prefabulous,'' as she calls them) are the homes of the future. She's written five books about them.

In the new ``Prefabulous Small Houses'' (The Taunton Press), Koones focuses on modestly sized homes and cottages, between 350 and 2,500 square feet.

Details on Page 38

36 India Post

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October 7, 2016

Developer seeks zoning change for condos PORTLAND, Maine: A developer has requested a zoning change for Peaks Island in Portland that would make way for at least a dozen condominiums. The Portland Press Herald reports the proposal from Kevin Carter for a property on the island is a sign that the city's housing crunch may spread to the offshore community of mostly singlefamily homes. The project details aren't clear, but the zoning change Carter is seeking could result in one of the tallest, densest developments on the island. He says it creates an opportunity to create affordable housing in and around the Portland area. -AP

Why single women's homes appreciate less than single men's CLARE TRAPASSO

S

ingle women have it rough enough. They earn less than their male peers, endure a deluge of questions about when they'll settle down and have kids, and let's not even get started on the horrors of Tinder dating.

And now, it turns out, the housing market is stacked against them as well.

Homes owned by single men are worth an average 10% more than those owned by single women, according to analysis by RealityTrac. And that's not all: Men's houses appreciate about 16% higher, too. The real estate data firm looked at nearly 1.14 million residences owned by single men and 1.01 million owned by single women, based on public record tax assessor data.

So let's look at the price tags. The average current market value of a bachelor pad was $255,226, compared with $229,094 (a $26,132 difference) for abachelorette pad. And the price gap only gets bigger over time.

The value of those man caves increased by about $170,765 over 15 years-providing an average 145% return on investment. But women without wedding rings racked up only $134,269-or a 127% bump-over the same time period.

"The wage gap we see between men and women gives

„

men more buying power to [purchase] more expensive homes," says RealtyTrac spokesman Daren Blomquist.

"They're able to afford homes in better-quality neighborhoods that have a better chance of appreciating faster."

That means single women were also more likely to live in ZIP codes with a higher percentage of criminal offenders than their male peers. Yikes!

But there were a few states where it paid (literally) to be an unattached, female homeowner. New York was rated No. 1, where women's homes appreciated 30% more than property owned by men. Girl power!

Single ladies also did quite well in New Jersey, where their homes appreciated 29% more than their male peers'; North Dakota, at 22%; Massachusetts, at 11%; and Virginia, at 8%.

"In areas where women are paid better, they'll have a better chance of building wealth through homeownership," Blomquist says.

And in three states (Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Kansas), unmarried women's homes were worth more than those owned by unmarried men, according to the report.

The worst states for single, female homeowners? West Virginia topped the list, as homes of unattached men appreciated 72% more. Wisconsin was up next, at 41%; followed

by Alabama, at 40%; Maine, 35%; and Minnesota, at 34%.

Clare Trapasso is the senior news editor of realtor.com.

Real Estate Post

October 7, 2016

India Post 37

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China tycoon warns on real estate bubble BEIJING: China's richest man, real estate magnate Wang Jianlin, has warned the country's property market is the "biggest bubble in history" - the latest alarm bell to be sounded on the world's second largest economy.

Wang, the owner of real estate and entertainment conglomerate Wanda, said property prices continue to rise in the country's big cities but fall in smaller ones saddled with huge inventories of unsold new homes.

"I don't see a good solution to this problem," Wang, whose group owns more than 200 malls, shopping complexes and luxury hotels across China, told CNN in comments published on its website.

"The government has come up with all sorts of measures - limiting purchase or credit - but none have worked."

Urbanization and property development have fuelled China's economy, the world's second largest and a vital driver of global growth.

China's long property boom, driven by credit and government spending, made fortunes for many owners as new districts mush-

roomed across the country.

But growth has hit the doldrums in the last two years, with new buyers priced out despite government borrowing restrictions reining in soaring costs.

Many more peripheral cities have become "ghost towns" full of empty and unsold residential property, even while in the larger metropolises property prices skyrocket.

Tiny apartments with no run-

sometimes sell for prices comparable to properties in Mediterranean tax haven Monaco.

The stumbling property market, combined with a sluggish manufacturing sector and mounting debt, has dragged on growth, which last year came in at its slowest rate for a quarter of a century.

Concerns about China's growing debt mountain led a global central bank watchdog to earlier this

ning water or toilets located in Beijing's good school districts

month issue a warning that the country's banking sector is facing

an imminent crisis.

The Bank for International Settlements - dubbed the central bank of BSE -0.27 % central banks - said a gauge of Chinese debt had hit a record high in the first quarter of the year.

While Wang said he was not worried about a hard economic landing, "the problem is the economy hasn't bottomed out.

"If we remove leverage too fast, the economy may suffer further.

So we'll have to wait until the economy is back on the track of rebounding -- that's when we gradually reduce leverage and debts."

In recent years, Wang has shifted his company's focus from property to services and the entertainment industry as profits wane in Chinese real estate.

Wanda is in talks to ramp up its push into Hollywood with the acquisition of Dick Clark Productions, the company behind the Golden Globes, the US firm's parent company said Monday.

The move would follow Wanda's high-profile, $2.6 billion acquisition of US cinema chain AMC Entertainment in 2012 and

its $3.5 billion purchase of Hollywood studio Legendary Entertainment in January.

Nor would it be the company's last.

Wang told CNN that Wanda was waiting for the opportunity to buy one of the so-called "Big Six" studios, having already begun investing in movies produced by one of them - Sony Pictures.

"If we want to buy something, our minimum would be 50 percent," he said. "It could come in a year or two, or longer, but we have patience."

His US film investments have raised eyebrows in the US, with lawmakers citing concerns that American cultural products might be censored or given propaganda spin thanks to his close ties to the Chinese government.

But Wang said critics were "over-worried".

"Although the number of Hollywood productions shown here is very limited, they account for more than half of the market," he told CNN. "That's why I think it's more like Hollywood influencing China than the other way around."-AFP

Chicago's Tribune Tower as it changes hands CARLA K. JOHNSON

CHICAGO: A 36-story Chicago landmark, the Tribune Tower, has been sold - gargoyles, flying buttresses and all.

Tribune Media Co. announced that it closed the sale of the tower and two other properties this week. The company has received $430 million in gross proceeds for the assets, and may receive up to an additional $45 million in contingent payments.

The Tribune Tower, purchased

by CIM Group, sits on three acres along Chicago's Michigan Avenue.

Here are some features of the historic edifice that make it significant: MONUMENT TO `THE COLONEL' News mogul Robert R. McCormick, known as the Colonel, became president of Tribune Company in 1911. To mark the 75th anniversary of the Chicago Tribune, McCormick held an international design competition to create ``the most beautiful office building in the world,'' with a $50,000 prize for the winner. A renowned eccentric who directed Tribune editors to use his own system of spelling, McCormick requested secret doors and pas-

sages in case the building was ever stormed.

The sculptural details include grotesques and gargoyles.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells won the design competition, and their Gothic Revival building was completed in 1925. The crown of the building,

STONES FROM ALL OVER Studded with history, the tower's facade holds pieces of the Parthenon, the Great Wall of China and the Alamo. The first fragments were collected by Tribune correspondents in the field. All told,

The Tribune Tower, center, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Tribune Media has completed the sale of several real estate assets, including the Tribune Tower in Chicago.

illuminated by floodlights and reaching a height of 462 feet, looks like a Medieval European tower complete with flying buttresses.

nearly 150 stones from notable locations around the world are embedded in the building's walls.

Other stones are from the Taj

Mahal, the Colosseum, the Cave of the Nativity in Bethlehem and a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.

ing that a newspaper is ``that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide.''

FAMOUS QUOTATIONS The building's lobby walls bear quotations from Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison extolling the freedom of the press. The Hall of Inscriptions also features a passage from an Illinois Supreme Court decision in 1923 in an unsuccessful libel suit brought against the Tribune by the city of Chicago. Col. McCormick's own words are here, too, proclaim-

POKER PARTY At some point when Tribune Co. was owned by a group led by real estate magnate Sam Zell, top executives of the company held a poker and cigar party in the Tribune Tower office once occupied

by McCormick. Photos of the party, dated June 2009 and showing some executives with handfuls of cash, were posted on Facebook by attendees.-AP

Real Estate Post

38 India Post

October 7, 2016

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5 tips for buying foreclosed homes HOLDEN LEWIS

D

espite increases in home prices and a stabilizing housing market, many experts say the foreclosure crisis is far from over. But buying a foreclosed home is different from buying a typical resale.

In many cases: • Only one real estate agent is involved.

• The seller wants a preapproval letter from a lender before accepting an offer.

• There is little, if any, room for negotiation.

• The home comes as-is, and it's up to the buyer to pay for repairs.

On the upside, most bankowned homes are vacant, which can speed up the process of moving in.

"Buying a foreclosure is definitely a bit of a grind. It's not easy," says Robert Jensen, broker and president of the Rob Jensen Co. in Las Vegas. "You're getting fantastic pricing, but sometimes it takes going through a lot of houses and writing a lot of offers to get the home you want."

5 steps to buying foreclosed homes 1. Find an agent specializing in foreclosures.

2. Get preapproved for a mortgage.

3. Know how long it takes to sell a home in your price bracket.

4. Study the sale prices of comparable homes in your area.

5. Remember the sale is for the home as-is.

1. Get a realty broker and a lender The first 2 steps in buying a foreclosure should happen almost

simultaneously: Find a real estate broker who works directly with banks that own foreclosed homes and get a preapproval from a lender.

Elaine Zimmerman, a real estate investor and author, recommends that shoppers first visit any site with a database of foreclosed homes. You also could look at a local real estate website that lets you filter the results to see only foreclosures. You might find the acronym REO, which means "real estate owned" (by a bank, that is).

This signifies that a home has been through foreclosure and the lender is selling it.

2. Get a broker on your side The goal of combing through foreclosure listings is not to find a house; it's to find an agent. Banks usually hire one or a few real estate brokers to handle their REO properties in a market. In a lot of cases, the buyer works directly with the bank's broker instead of using a buyer's agent. That way, the commission doesn't have to be split between 2 brokers.

"A lot of these Realtors have a long-term relationship with these banks, and they know of listings that haven't even come on the list yet," Zimmerman says. "Call them about the listings that you're interested in, but also ask them about listings that may be coming up because sometimes it may take a day or two or even a week before a listing actually comes onto the database."

Such a request might not always pan out. In places where thousands of foreclosed properties are for sale, you might not get much one-on-

one attention from overloaded agents. To prove that you're serious about buying, says Jensen, "right before or after you meet with the agent, meet with the lender."

3. Get a preapproval letter Unless you plan to pay cash, you'll need a recent preapproval letter from a lender. The letter will describe how much money you can borrow, based upon the lender's assessment of your credit score and income.

"The problem is, buyers want to find the house first, and then they think they'll work out the financing," Jensen says. "But the problem is, the really good deals on these bank-owned, they go

quick -- and the buyer doesn't necessarily have time to try to work out the financing afterward. They need to work that out first."

Zimmerman says some first-time buyers make the mistake of assuming that the bank selling the home will also finance the mortgage as part of the deal. "Don't expect to get financing from the bank that foreclosed on it," she says. "That's a totally separate transaction, and they view it that way. The people

in the (bank's) REO department are not loan officers. They are getting rid of bad assets."

4. Pricing depends on sales pace There's no rule of thumb on what the bank's bottom line is on price. Just as with any other realestate purchase, you have to look at the recent sales prices of comparable properties, or "comps."

Jensen says: "You really have to look at the comps in today's current market conditions and write a competitive offer based on that. Sometimes the bank prices the homes really low, and the home will have multiple offers over list price within hours. Sometimes it's priced too high, and you can

come in lower. A lot of times, buyers will come to me and say, 'We want to write offers for half price.'

It just doesn't work that way."

5. Don't expect a repair discount Keep in mind that foreclosed houses generally are sold as-is.

That means that you shouldn't expect to get a discount to compensate for repairs. Jensen says: "Let's say the house is listed for $200,000, all the comps are

$200,000, and so the client comes in and says, 'Hey, look, I want to buy this house but I've got to do paint, carpet and fix some mold damage, so I want to take $15,000 off the price.' You know what? All the other ones were in the same condition, and they sold for $200,000."

Jensen further counsels to look at the "absorption rate for your product class." That means you should find out how quickly comparable houses are selling. In foreclosure, a 3,500-square-foot house with a pool in a gated community might sell within days or hours, whereas more modest homes might sit on the market for weeks.

Or vice versa, depending on market conditions.

If homes in your product class are selling swiftly, "the best advice on a bank-owned property is to come in at your highest and best, unless the property has been sitting on the market forever with no activity," Jensen says. "If you're going to be upset because you would have gone $5,000 more, but you lost the property, just bid the higher price in the first place."

Find trades people ASAP Because repairs are almost inevitable with foreclosed houses, Jensen and Zimmerman recommend getting to know trades people who can assess and repair damage from pests, mold and leaks. Zimmerman says you should assume that the air conditioning needs to be fixed, and possibly the heating system, too.

It all sounds daunting. But at least you don't have to wait for the owner to move out of the house.-Courtesy bankrate.com

Prefab book turns focus on small homes

A

uthor Sheri Koones be lieves that prefab houses (or ``prefabulous,'' as she calls them) are the homes of the future. She's written five books about them.

In the new ``Prefabulous Small Houses'' (The Taunton Press), Koones focuses on modestly sized homes and cottages, between 350 and 2,500 square feet. ``It is definitely possible to live large but on a small footprint without cramping your style or budget,'' she said in an interview.

Compared to the basic modular homes of a decade ago, Koones says, these prefab residences are more elegant, ecofriendly and economical. Unlike traditional, on-site home building, they can be put up in a matter of days or weeks.

KATHERINE ROTH

The book profiles 32 homes across the country, and explains some of the latest technologies.

In a foreword, Robert Redford extols the ecological virtues of going prefab.

Excerpts from Koones' interview with The Associated Press: How did this book come about?

KOONES: I've been writing about prefab construction for a long time. If you're going to write about energy-efficient, sustainable homes, it really has to be prefab. The technology has come so incredibly far in recent years. And the more I traveled and looked around, the more I saw that there was a trend toward living smaller, and focusing on travel and other things instead of pouring all your time and resources into your

home. Today, almost anything that can be built on-site can be built prefab. In Japan, most of the houses are prefabricated, and in Australia many of them are. We're slowly going in that direction, too.

The homes featured in your book look very expensive. How economical are small, prefab homes?

Prefab houses can cost from 5 percent to 15 percent less than an on-site built house. And we know that building prefab saves time and energy both in the construction process and also in terms of maintenance. You wouldn't want someone to dump a bunch of car parts in your driveway and build a car there, so why would you want a home built that way? It's so wasteful.

What design elements do these homes use to help them feel comfortable and roomy despite their diminutive size?

High ceilings, limited hallways and rooms used for multiple purposes are elements shared by many of the homes featured in this book. The emphasis is on living well as opposed to living big.

Could you talk a little about the new technologies that are becoming available?

I am wowed by the houses created by students for the Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy every two years. These are really the architects, builders and manufacturers of the future. Three of the amazing homes in the book feature important Solar Decathlon innovations. The SU+RE House, built by

a team at Stevens Institute of Technology, is designed to withstand the next hurricane on the New Jersey shore, and because it uses marine technology instead of stilts, it's easier to access for a wider range of people. And the DesertSol House, built by students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, finds creative ways to save water and use it for cooling.

What are the biggest misperceptions about prefab housing?

People still think of it as cheap and boxy. But if I were building a house today, it's the only kind I would consider. All of the elegant houses in this book were custombuilt and are anything but plain.

Each is clearly unique and special.-AP

October 7, 2016

www.indiapost.com

India Post 39

40 India Post

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ituated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the pictur esque Kanha National Park was the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling's unforgettable classic Jungle Book. The romance of the Kanha National Park has not diminished over time - it is still as beautiful.

If one were to point to the middle of India, chances are he will pick out the forests of the Banjar and the Halon valley, the two forming the western and eastern halves of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, which have long been famous for their

wide diversity of wildlife.

The park was created in 1955 by a special law and, since then, it has dedicated itself in preserving a variety of animal species. Many endangered species have indeed been saved here. Today Kanha is among the few most scenic and beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia. This 'Tiger Country' is the ideal home for both predator and prey.

By far the most striking features of this region are the open grassy meadows, where s i g h t i n g

October 7, 2016 blackbuck, swamp deer, sambhar and chital is common. And, if one can transcend into time, a barefooted Mowgli would perhaps come padding along the dusty trail, for this is the land of Kipling's Jungle Book.

Best time to visit: The climate of this region is tropical. Summers are hot and humid with a maximum and minimum temperature of 40.6°C and 23.9°C. Winters are pleasant with an average maximum and minimum temperature of 23.9°C and 11.1°C, respectively.

Cont’d on page 42

October 7, 2016

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post 41

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Tourism season begins in Goa from Oct 15 PANAJI: With delay in arrival of chartered flight from Russia, Goa's new tourism season is now to begin from October 15.

Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has confirmed that the first chartered flight that was supposed to arrive in the coastal state from Dubai got cancelled due to some issues.

"Passengers from Moscow (Russia) were supposed to fly to Dubai in a chartered flight and from there they were to

arrive by another chartered flight - Fly Dubai - in Goa on October 2," TTAG President Savio Messias told PTI. Messias said before October 15, a couple of chartered flights are likely to arrive but the actual flow of the (chartered) flights will begin only from October 15 onwards.

Meanwhile, state Tourism Department has approved the three-year-long Policy which will regulate the shack business between 2016-19.

"The policy will be placed for final approval before Goa cabinet," Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said.

The shacks on different beach stretches would be allotted by October 15, he said.

From 2013 onwards, tourism department had adopted the three-year policy under which the license to run a shack was given for three years as against the earlier practice of allotting the licenses on annual basis.

Parulekar said the 2013-16 shack policy expired on March 31 this year, following which a new policy for 2016-19 has been approved by the department.

"Terms and conditions of the policy are same. There are no major changes in the new policy," he said.

The shack policy which was approved in 2013 had made installation of cameras compulsory for the shacks, the minister said, adding that this time too the shack owners will have to install CCTV cameras. -PTI

Indians love to travel during festive season NEW DELHI: Most Indians prefer to travel abroad during Eid, Dussehra, Christmas, New Year or summer vacations and youngsters are now going solo to explore newer places, a survey has revealed.

Solo travelling is increasingly becoming common among the Asian urban popula-

tion which prefers to take quick decisions instead of a long pre-planned travel, said the survey conducted by Airbnb, a web portal for travel.

When it comes to international destinations, London, Paris, New York, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Dubai, Rome, Copenhagen, Bali and Singapore are mostly preferred by Indians.

While for domestic destinations, Goa, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pondicherry, Lonavala, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai top the chart, the survey said.

When it comes to domestic travel, Indians don't like to spend more than three days while for international destinations, they spend around six days, it added.

Railways deny travel to 10 L daily NEW DELHI: Highlighting the demandsupply "mismatch" on long distance trains, a study by RailYatri.in has stated that over 10 lakh people fail to travel daily due to nonavailability of tickets.

The RailYatri.in, which has been tracking the booking pattern of train tickets since January this year across the country, said that nearly 10-12 lakh people are unable to travel on a daily basis as their tickets are not confirmed.

This would translate to nearly 13 per cent of long distance train travelers daily. In the peak travel season, the figure increases to about 19 per cent, it said.

The portal has analyzed the travel plans of over 30 lakh people from over 3,100 railway stations looking for seats in nearly 2,800 trains as part of the study.

"While we were always aware of the demand-supply mismatch in train travel, the scale of surplus demand as brought out by this study has been an eye opener for us," says Manish Rathi, CEO of RailYatri.in.

However, a Railway spokesperson said, "The study does not appear to be based on complete facts. It has not taken into account various sectoral and seasonal variations. The figures are a bit exaggerated."

RailYatri maintains that despite an increase in several transport options, trains continue to be the most-preferred mode for

long-distance travel.

"However, this would require hundreds of more trains to run every day. Considering the already overloaded network, the chances of a substantial number of more trains being added in the near future is difficult," Rathi added. -PTI

42 India Post

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October 7, 2016

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Cont’d from page 40

The annual average rainfall is 152 cm. The park is closed from July to mid-November during monsoons. Best time to visit is April to June and November to January Tourist attractions The main wildlife attractions in

the park are tiger, bison, gaur, sambhar, chital, barasingha, barking deer, black deer, black buck, chousingha, nilgai, mouse deer, sloth bear, jackal fox, porcupine, hyena, jungle cat, python, pea fowl, hare, monkey, mongoose, tiger, and leopard.

The bird species in the park include storks, teals, pintails, pond herons, egrets, peacock, pea fowl, jungle fowl, spur fowl, partridges, quails, ring doves, spotted parakeets, green pigeons, rock pigeons, cuckoos, papihas, rollers, bee-eater, hoopoes, drongos, warblers, kingfishers, woodpeckers, finches, orioles, owls, and fly

catchers.

However, if one animal species were to represent Kanha, it would probably be the barasingha, or the swamp deer. The barasinghas at Kanha are unique, being the hard ground variety, which populate the large open tracts of grass amidst the forests of teak and bamboo.

Twenty years ago, the barasingha

was faced with extinction but some desperate measures including the fencing-off of some ani-

mals helped save them and again the air in Kanha bugles with their rutting calls.

The open meadows during the cold winter months are usually teeming with barasinghas and there is plenty of tiger activity around the fringes. A female with two small cubs would circle around at least two or three times during the day and the swamp deer would go berserk, their husky alarm calls ringing through the jungle. Far from being the cunning, smart aleck, portrayed in Disney's adaptation of the Jungle Book, the real "Sher Khan" is true blueblooded royalty.

There is a museum at Kanha depicting attributes and activities of the park and tribal culture. It is closed every Wednesday.

Places around: Near Kanha National Park is Bamni Dadar visited by every tourist who comes to the national park. This place is also known as the sunset point.

The Kanha National Park is at it

AirAsia ties up with Reliance Insurance NEW DELHI: No-frills carrier AirAsia India has partnered with Reliance General Insurance for providing travel insurance to its flyers.

Under the partnership, 'Reliance Inland Travel Care Policy' will be offered to passengers of AirAsia India.

The policy will cover "trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, missed flight connection, damage or total loss of checked-in baggage and hospitalization due to accident," the airline said in a re-

lease.

It will be priced at a premium of Rs 149 for 30 days, Rs 279 for 60 days and Rs 399 for 90 days.

"Under this tie-up, we have made comprehensive travel insurance provisions for AirAsia flyers that will enable travelers to be adequately insured in case of any travel-related eventuality," Reliance General Insurance CEO Rakesh Jain said.

Besides, AirAsia India has relaunched its Red Carpet service across New Delhi, Jaipur,

Guwahati, Vizag, Kochi, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad.

The service, which can be prebooked, will provide the passenger access to lounge with food, beverages and wi-fi as well as a dedicated counter check-in, among others.

AirAsia India CEO Amar Abrol said the carrier has a "pay for what they use" model that allows it to keep costs low and pass on the benefit in the form of low fares.

AirAsia India flies to 11 destinations. -PTI

scenic best at this point. The sunset from this spot is mesmerizing.

The eminent natural splendor of the park comes to the fore here.

The grazing sambhar, barking deer, gaurs, and other animals make the ambience magical.

How to reach Air - Nagpur (266 km) is the

nearest airport. It is connected by Indian Airlines flights with Mumbai.

Rail - Jabalpur (175 km) is the convenient railhead to visit Kanha.

Road - Kanha National Park is connected by road with Jabalpur (175 km), Khajuraho (445 km), Nagpur (266 km), Mukki (25 km), and Raipur (219 km).

Monaco woos Indian investors in tourism MUMBAI: European country dian travelers with top end tourMonaco is seeking investment ism options. from Indian entrepreneurs to set Luring Indian glitterati and up hotels to boost its growth in luxury brands in India, Monaco tourism sector.

Tourism, this year, presented Fash"We are open for investment ion Designer Sanjay Gargs Show from Indian players to set up 3- at Lakme Fashion Week. star hotels for our booming tour"Monaco, as a destination has ist destinaMonaco Government Tourist and tion," Monaco Convention Authority President Government Guillaunme Rose Tourist and Convention Authority President Guillaunme Rose told reporters here.

"We are also looking at growth in IT, green industries and telecom sectors with partnership from leading IT a long history celebrating design companies from India," he said. and heritage. They are promoting Monaco has a registered a cross cultural dialogues and supstrong growth in banking, finance, porting India's design community real estate and tourism sectors - a wonderful initiative," said Garg, over the past few years, Rose who was delighted with the partadded. nership with Monaco Tourism.

Monaco, located on Frances Monaco is also looking at inMediterranean coastline and fa- viting rich Indians to host Indian mous for its casinos, yacht-lined wedding in the country. harbor, hosts over 700 internaMonaco Tourism had partnered tional level events around the year. with India's first-ever wedding Some of the renowned ones are destination show, Indian Wedding Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, Travel Mart in July as one of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Tennis, which lead country partners. takes place in the famous setting It is also engaged with local of the Monte-Carlo Country Club wedding planners and designers and attracts over 6,00,000 tourists to encourage high net-worth and every year. upper middle-class families to host Monaco tourism enticing In- weddings overseas. -PTI

October 7, 2016

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

43

www.indiapost.com

After bear attack, guide is more prepared JUNEAU, Alaska: After getting bit on his right leg by a brown bear sow, Michael Justa found himself looking right into the eyes of the animal - his face a mere several inches away from hers. ``I was knocked down on my back so I kind of curled up my legs in front of me and this mama brown bear was standing over me, just looking down at me in my face,'' Justa said recently. ``Then it kind of chuffed, looked up and then meandered away.''

It was the 26-year-old's first ever encounter with a bear in the wild, reported the Juneau Empire.

Justa was one of the two UnCruise Adventures guides who were mauled by the bear on Sitkoh Lake Trail on Aug. 18 while leading a group of 22 guests. Justa was the lesser injured of the two guides. The incident was the second of three dangerous bear-human encounters in the Sitka area that month, as reported by KCAW. The other two incidents resulted in the bear getting shot.

Justa, originally from upstate New York, was the rear guide on the hike that day; 41-year-old Anna Powers of Hawaii was the lead. Justa and the guests called Powers by her middle name, Marika. ``We saw plenty of bear signs on the trail - lots of poop, lots of dead salmon. The river was really thick with fish, but we were such a big group, making a lot of noise talking,'' Justa described of the walk prior to the attacks.

With 22 guests between them, Justa estimated being about 150 feet behind Powers during the hike. ``Then I heard a big roar, a re-

ally intense sound and the first connection I made in my brain was that it was a chainsaw - `Oh, there's some logging going on. No, that's not right, it's a bear,''' he described.

Justa didn't react immediately, thinking the situation was under control. ``Everything is probably going fine up there. She's got everybody together looking big, talking to it,

As he ran toward the front of the group, Justa un-holstered his bear spray, which he hadn't used since training, and took the safety off. ``I didn't actually see the bear on Marika at all because the bear was already charging towards me.

It closed the gap really fast, must have been five or 10 seconds,'' Justa said. ``I stood and I sprayed, and it hit the bear right in the face for a least three or four seconds. Then, it bit me in my right leg and knocked me down and bear spray got flung off.''

Looking into the bear's eyes, which Justa described as ``dark, black and small,'' he said he doesn't recall what he was thinking. ``I don't really know, to be honest. I mean, I guess I was just kind of braced for impact; whatever was going to happen was going to happen,'' he said.

Justa said he can't be sure if the sow felt the threat was neutralized or if the bear Juneau EmpireUnCruise Adventures guide Michael Justa shows where he was bit by a spray actually bear while hiking with a group of 22 guests near worked.

Sitka. The distance between the three areas on ``What I was exhis right leg where he got stitches shows the pecting was some extent of how big the bear's mouth was during sort of reaction, like the bite. you or I would do if and then as I kept meandering for- we got sprayed in the face with ward, people started coming back pepper spray, like be taken aback, and one of them said, `Bear's got and that didn't happen. It just kept Marika,''' Justa recalled. coming at me, but it didn't keep

attacking when I was on the ground. It just decided to walk away,'' he said.

As far as pain, Justa said the bite felt ``kind of like getting hit by a baseball,'' and he was able to walk immediately after so he knew nothing was broken. ``I went up towards Marika and I saw her and I saw what the bear had done to her,'' he said. Justa wouldn't describe Powers' injuries, saying it's her decision whether or not to share that information. ``She's totally conscious and she had done exactly what you're supposed to do. I saw her face down with her hands over her neck,'' Justa said. ``She's a very energetic person and she's very lucid and still calling the shots, like saying, `Mike, we got to get out of here. Get my first-aid kit, see if there's anybody who can help from the guests.'''

A trauma nurse and a medical doctor were among the group of hikers and Justa said they helped tremendously with splinting, wrapping injuries and taking her vitals, for which he's grateful. ``While I have all my certification for emergency wilderness medicine, I've never had to draw on them. I haven't encountered a lot of traumatic incidents, so to be involved in that was more shocking to me than being bitten by a bear,'' Justa said.

He was able to make contact with the UnCruise Adventures boat and its medical team responded within 40 minutes.

Shortly after, the U.S. Coast Guard transported Justa and Powers to Sitka by helicopter where they were taken to separate medical facilities.

Powers was evacuated to Harborview Medical Center that same evening and brought to the intensive care unit in serious condition. A few days later, she was moved out of ICU and has since remained at the hospital in satisfactory condition, according to Harborview spokesperson Susan Gregg.

Justa received 12 stitches in three different parts of his thigh and calf for the one bear bite - an injury that only left behind a small hole in his XtraTuf boot and another small hole in his hiking pants.

Justa was wearing both during an interview at GonZo. ``They're good pants,'' Justa said lightheartedly. ``Eddie Bauer.''

After the mauling, Justa took two weeks off before returning to work for UnCruise. He's added more big bandages and gauze to his first-aid kit, and he's more aware of what's in his pack and where to find everything. While tending to Powers, Justa had to dump everything out of his pack to find what he needed. ``I've learned that you can only prepare for so much and then the world is going to happen to you, but knowing your resources and being familiar with what you have is definitely a better way to go about being prepared,'' he said.

Justa doesn't think what happened to him is that big of a deal, though he said he recognizes it potentially could have been. ``As far as bear encounters go, it luckily went really well,'' he said. ``Nobody is dead, including the bear, and we were able to get ourselves out of there. None of our guests got hurt, and we're all going to be OK.''-AP

SpaceX envisions 1,000 ships flying to Mars CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.: On a personal quest to settle Mars, SpaceX founder Elon Musk envisions 1,000 passenger ships flying en masse to the red planet well within the next century, ``Battlestar Galactica'' style.

Musk outlined his zealous plan to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars, complete with iron foundries and even pizzerias. He wants to make humans a multiplanetary species, and says the best way to do that is to colonize the red planet. ``I think Earth will be a good place for a long time, but the probable lifespan of human civilization will be much greater if we're a multiplanetary species,'' he said.

Musk, who also runs electric car maker Tesla Motors, received a wildly warm reception at the International Astronautical Congress in

Guadalajara, Mexico. Many in the crowd were avid space buffs.

For now, the aerospace company he founded in 2002 is focusing on satellite deliveries, as well as space station cargo runs for NASA and a future crew capsule for U.S. astronauts. Its Falcon rocket, though, is grounded for the second time in a year because of devastating accidents.

During his address, Musk did not mention the Sept. 1 launch pad explosion that destroyed a Falcon rocket and its satellite.

Instead, he noted that SpaceX already has begun work on the Mars Colonial fleet, recently testfiring a powerful new rocket engine named Raptor. The system ultimately could take people to the moons of Jupiter and beyond, he

SpaceX founder Elon Musk speaks during the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico

said.

Musk said it would be a ``superexciting'' adventure to Mars but also dangerous, at least for the first few trips. His goal is to get the price down so anyone could afford to go, with a ticket costing no more than a house on Earth. He's shooting for 1 million Martians.

Would he go, someone asked?

Perhaps ultimately, but it would depend on whether he had a good succession plan in place. As for being the first Martian, the risk of fatalities will be high _ ``there's just no way around it'' _ and he wants to see his five young sons grow up. ``It would be basically, are you prepared to die? If that's OK, then you're a candidate for going,'' he told the audience.

In April, Musk announced plans to send an unmanned

Dragon capsule to land on Mars as early as 2018. NASA is offering technical support, but no money.

The space agency has its own program to get astronauts to Mars in the 2030s, using its own hardware.

Musk invited industry to join the Mars effort, which will represent a $10 billion investment.

SpaceX currently is spending a few tens of millions of dollars on the enterprise, and the amount will soon grow, he said.

Musk described in detail his plans to launch a monster-size rocket _ larger than even NASA's Saturn V moon rocket _ from the same launch pad at Kennedy Space Center from which the Apollo astronauts departed for the lunar surface in the late 1960s and early 1970s. -AP

Horoscope

44 India Post

October 7, 2016

www.indiapost.com

Oct 6th - Oct 13th 2016 Please send your birthday, place of birth and time, so I can give you your zodiac sign, according to Vedic astrology. Send to Jaysastrology@gmail.com

T

he professional matters look good. The week carries some obstructions and concerns. Some of you may have to change plans suddenly. The students need better concentration. The health of father needs care. Handle all matters with patience. It is better to avoid haste and conflicts. Avoid unnecessary driving and take care of your health. Patience is the Mantra for you.

he professional matters look better. Some additional income is likely. Social interaction and communications increases. Avoid conflicts. Some of you may go for outing. The child brings some concerns. The new professional opportunities are likely. Avoid conflicting situations during 2016, and take due care of your health. The health is improving. Exercise patience.

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he professional matters face challenges. With your understanding and patience you are likely to be able to manage things. Keep new ventures pending. Avoid manipulations. Handle relationship matters with patience. Child may need help.

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

Conflicts and financial concerns are likely to continue.

he professional matters need care. Some obstructions, delays, setbacks and losses and expenses are seen. Loss of sleep, Avoid travel to foregn land. Take care of your health see doctor is necessary. Financial position is ok. Take care and avoid unnecessary driving.

Hold off new business ventures.

Look after younger sibling. Focus on children and family, avoid speculation and stock market.

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T

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he professional matters look better. Some additional expenses are likely.

Those who are appearing in selections may get good results. Stay away from manipulations , people who are trying to take advantage of you. It is better to keep new ventures pending. Ask younger siblings how they are doing.

Week may bring some short lived concerns. Child may also bring some happy news.

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rofessional matters look better. Property matters need care to avert losses in case of litigation delay the process. Some sudden obstructions, setbacks and delays and stress are seen.

Parents need care, look after them or call them. Better to avoid unnecessary driving and getting involved in risky behavior. Work with patience. Take care of relationship matters.

Avoid travelling to foreign land.

he professional matters look better. Avoid manipulations. Students and those who are appearing in selections have better chances of success. Some of you may be rewarded. Some new rewarding opportunities are likely. Overall week is good. Can travel to foreign or short journey. Romance or relationship matter looks good. Can invest in real estate.

Additional income is likely, visit temple for blessing.

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he professional matters look good. The mental peace looks better. Can start new business venture or even a new relationship. Some pleasure trip is likely. Stay away from manipulations.

Some additional income is likely. Avoid aggressive behaviour and haste. Silence is golden for you. Better to avoid conflicts. It is better to settle conflicts by even apologising.

T

T

T

T

T

he professional matters look better. Work with patience and focus and problems will be more manageable. Keep new ventures or new relationship pending. The health of parents needs better attention. The week may involve some additional expenses and losses. Avoid haste, aggressive behaviour, conflicts, unnecessary expenses and driving/ travel. Handle obstructions and relationship matters with care.

he professional matters look better. Some additional income is likely. Some good news is in the making.

Child may bring happiness.

The new business opportunities should be put on hold up to January, 2017. Avoid speculation. Always invest in safe assets. Patience is the best medicine up to January, 2017. Additional income from friends and highly placed persons is seen.

he professional matters look better, enjoy work.

Fortune helps. The new opportunities should be seen with care. Delays and obstructions are likely in the sources of income. Manage obstructions with patience. It is better to avoid manipulations or people trying to take advantage of you. The health of spouse may cause sudden concerns. Handle relationship matters with care.

he professional matters look better and may involve travelling.. The incidence of conflicts continues, remedy is stay calm and avoid confrontation and walk away. Health of the spouse is improving. It is better to avoid driving. Manage things with patience. Spend time with children and have fun.

Can invest in stock market.

Spend time with older sibling and high placed friends.

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

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

„ Health

Line

Cinnamon can cool your body, improve health MELBOURNE: Adding cinnamon to diet can cool your body by up to two degrees and lead to a significant improvement in overall health, researchers including one of Indian origin have claimed.

The results of the study on pigs show that cinnamon maintained the integrity of the stomach wall, said project leader Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh, from RMIT University in Australia.

"When pigs feed at room temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2) gas increases in their stomach.

"Cinnamon in their food reduces this gas by decreasing the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin from the stomach walls, which in turn cools the pigs stomachs during digestion," said Kalantarzadeh.

"When the pigs are hot, they hyperventilate, which reduces CO2 production. With cinnamon treatment, CO2 decreases even further. This not only cools the pigs but leads to a significant improvement in their overall health," said Kalantar-zadeh.

"Altogether cinnamon cooled the stomach by up to two degrees Celsius. No wonder cinnamon is so popular in warm regions as taking it makes people feel better and gives them a feeling of cooling down," said Dr Jian Zhen Ou, fellow researcher along with Naresh Pillai from RMIT University Kalantar-zadeh said gut gases were the by-product of digestion and could provide valuable insights into the functioning and health of the gut. -PTI

„

Happy spouse is good for your health

WASHINGTON: Having a happy spouse may be related to better health, at least among middle-aged and older adults, according to a new study.

In the study of 1,981 middleage heterosexual couples in the US, researchers found that people with happy spouses were much more likely to report better health over time.

This occurred above and beyond the persons own happiness, researchers said.

"This finding significantly broadens assumptions about the relationship between happiness and health, suggesting a unique social link," said William Chopik, an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University.

"Simply having a happy partner may enhance health as much as striving to be happy oneself," said Chopik, principal investigator of the study. -PTI

Health Science 45 India Post

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October 7, 2016

AIIMS performed 1.5 lakh surgeries Details on Page 47

First-ever baby born with DNA from three people NEW YORK: Scientists say the first baby has been born from a controversial new technique that combines DNA from three people -the mother, the father and an egg donor.

The goal was to prevent the child from inheriting a fatal genetic disease from his mother, who had previously lost two children to the illness.

The birth of the boy is revealed in a research summary published by the journal Fertility & Sterility. Scientists are scheduled to present details at a meeting next month in Salt Lake City.

The magazine New Scientist, which first reported the birth, said the baby was born five months ago to Jordanian parents, and that they were treated in Mexico by a team led by Dr. John Zhang of the New Hope Fertility Center in New York. It's not clear where the child was born.

The technique is not approved in the United States, but Zhang told the magazine, ``To save lives is the ethical thing to do.''

The mother carries DNA that

could have given her child Leigh syndrome, a severe neurological disorder that usually kills within a few years of birth. Her two previous children died of the disease at 8 months and 6 years, the research summary said.

The technique involved re-

donor's egg, which was then fertilized. As a result, the baby inherited DNA from both parents and the egg donor.

The technique is sometimes said to produce ``three-parent babies,'' but the DNA contribution from the egg donor is very small.

Dr. John Zhang holds a baby believed to be the first-ever born using DNA from three people

moving some of the mother's DNA from an egg, and leaving the disease-causing DNA behind. The healthy DNA was slipped into a

People carry DNA in two places, the nucleus of the cell and in features called mitochondria, which lie outside the nucleus. The

technique is designed to transfer only DNA of the nucleus to the donor egg, separating it from the mother's disease-causing mitochondrial DNA. The research summary identified the mother as a 36-year-old woman and said her pregnancy was uneventful. One of the five eggs the researchers treated was suitable for use.

Critics question the technique's safety, saying children would have to be tracked for decades to make sure they remain healthy. And they say it passes a fundamental scientific boundary by altering the DNA inherited by future generations. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from women to their offspring.

Still, last year, Britain became the first country in the world to allow creation of human embryos with the technique. In the U.S., a panel of government advisers said earlier this year that it's ethical to test the approach in people if initial experiments follow certain strict safety steps.

Cont'd on Page 46

More men under stress than women MUMBAI: A health survey has revealed that around 80 per cent males are found to be living under stress, the percentage which is more as compared to women.

"Eighty per cent males live under stress due to inadequate rest and heavy workload, whereas in the case of females, it is 74 per cent," findings by a poll conducted on the eve of World Heart Day by ICICI Lombard General Insurance said.

Inadequate rest (52 per cent) and heavy work load (51 per cent) emerged as the reasons behind triggering the condition amongst respondents, it said.

"Moreover, 78 per cent respondents believe stress is the chief trigger for heart ailments.

This view was common irrespective of the gender and geogra-

phy of respondents," it added.

The survey also states that heart ailments (67 per cent) and high blood pressure (55 per cent) are the main disorders caused by stress. However, women, especially from the non-metros (74 per cent) do not attribute heart related ailments to stress.

According to the survey, lack of physical exercise was cited as one of the reasons for cardio vascular diseases with 56 per cent of respondents voting the same, followed by obesity (46 per cent). As a natural corollary, 54 per cent of respondents believe that by making exercising a daily routine can help in avoiding heart ailments followed with limiting calories (49 per cent).

The survey also shows that 68 per cent of respondents have health insurance policy to man-

age health related expenses. Male respondents (14 per cent) claim increasing the coverage of their health insurance on a regular basis to make provisions for any emergency whereas majority of

females (25 per cent) save money regularly to manage health related expenses.

The survey also concludes that those having health insurance and are not stressed are more con-

fident regarding their heart condition. Additionally, a high percentage of respondents (68 per cent), the survey polled, own a health insurance policy to manage health related expenses.

"It is heartening to note the perceptible shift of people who are now taking into account heart ailments and the reasons that trigger them. The World Heart Day provides us with another opportunity to pursue our goals as we aim to create higher awareness about the necessity of de-stressing ourselves," Sanjay Datta, Chief-underwriting and claims, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, said.

The nation-wide survey was conducted in the age group 2555, to which they received over 1,100 responses spread across 11 cities. -PTI

46 India Post

Health Science Post

October 7, 2016

www.indiapost.com

Mother inspects impact of son's organ donation WASHINGTON: An ultrasound showed one of Sarah Gray's unborn twins was missing part of his brain, a fatal birth defect. His brother was born healthy but Thomas lived just six days. Latching onto hope for something positive to come from heartache, Gray donated some of Thomas' tissue for scientific research - his eyes, his liver, his umbilical cord blood.

Only no one could tell the Washington mother if that precious donation really made a difference. So Gray embarked on an unusual journey to find out, revealing a side of science that laymen seldom glimpse. ``Infant eyes are like gold,'' a Harvard scientist told her. ``I don't think people understand how valuable these donations are,'' said Gray, who hadn't grasped this either until her yearslong quest brought her face-to-face with startled scientists. They had never met a relative of the donors so crucial to their work.

Families often find comfort in learning how many lives were saved if they donated a loved one's organs for transplant. But donating a body for research gets less attention - there are no headline-making ``saves.'' Yet critical medical research in labs around the country depends on scientists' ability to work with human cells and organs, so they can study both normal development and how disease does its dirty work. ``A lot of people, if the tissue doesn't get used for transplant, they think it's kind of second-rate tissue or something. I'd like

them to know that people who do research with human tissue are doing worthwhile things that are going to, hopefully, lead to cures for all kinds of diseases,'' said Dr. James Zieske, a corneal specialist at Harvard and the Schepens Eye Research Institute, whose description of treasured infant eyes spurred Gray's hunt.

Now, hoping to help other families facing decisions about donation, Gray has written a book, ``A Life Everlasting, The Extraordinary Story of One Boy's Gift to

NEONATAL DONATIONS OF ANY TYPE ARE RARE Gray's obstetrician didn't think donation was an option for a baby with this birth defect, called anencephaly. Only when Gray persisted late in pregnancy did she learn, from the Washington area's organ procurement agency, that her baby's organs probably would be too small for transplant but that donation for research was an option.

Statistics from the United Network for Organ Sharing show that organs from a dozen newborns, those younger than a month old, were donated last year for transplant.

On the research front, Dr. Arupa Ganguly of the University of Pennsylvania studies retinoblastoma, eye cancer that attacks young children. Before receiving Sarah Gray with her son Callum, 6, and infant daughter Jocelyn in Thomas' tissue, she their Washington home. Callum’s identical twin Thomas died of a birth had waited six years defect when he was just 6 days old, and the family donated Thomas’ for donation of a eyes, liver and umbilical cord blood for medical research. healthy young retina Medical Science.'' Gray and two of the sci- to compare with diseased ones. entists she met in her quest spoke with The Cells taken from younger tissue typically Associated Press about donation for re- grow much better than an adult's, said search.

Zieske, who could recall receiving infant corneas only two or three times in his career. Thomas' corneas were ordered to study how to repair blindness-inducing corneal damage.

MOST ANY TISSUE CAN BE USED In recovering tissue from deceased donors, hospitals consult a national registry of researchers' current needs.

On that day in 2010, Thomas died at home in his father's arms. The organ agency retrieved his body, and recovered his eyes and liver. Blood from the umbilical cords of

both Thomas and his healthy identical twin Callum already had been shipped to Duke University researchers studying what causes anencephaly.

WAS THE RESEARCH WORTHWHILE? Two years later, all Gray knew was where Thomas' tissue had been shipped. So during a business trip to Boston, she called the Harvard-affiliated eye lab, identified herself as a donor mom, and asked for a tour - a first for the lab, and one that changed the scientists' perspective. ``I still think more about, when we get a donated cornea, who that came from,'' said Zieske.

Eventually Gray visited each lab that procured and handled Thomas' tissue. A North Carolina biotechnology company, Cytonet, uses liver cells in researching treatment for babies awaiting a liver transplant. Penn's Ganguly froze some retinal tissue for future work.

Callum, now 6, even started coming along. ``We explained to him there are some special scientists there working on helping other people, and they're using some stuff from Thomas to help them,'' said his father, Ross Gray. ``We always get a sample but we don't see the person behind that sample. The lab has really established a bond with that family. And I think it makes the work a lot more meaningful,'' Ganguly said.

THE JOURNEY ISN'T OVER Gray changed careers to work for the non-profit American Association of Tissue Banks. That brought her to a meeting where scientists debated if it was ethical to test a new technology - gene editing - to fight inherited diseases. ``If you have the skills and the knowledge to fix these diseases then freaking does it,'' she told the group, recounting how Thomas had suffered seizures each day of his brief life. -AP

First-ever baby born with DNA from three people Cont'd from Page 45

That report was requested by the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently prevented by Congress from considering applications to approve testing the technique in people.

Shroukhrat Mitalipov, who has worked with the approach at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, said that given the panel's conclusion, ``We believe it's time to move forward with FDA-approved clinical trials in the United States.''

Henry Greely, who directs the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University, said he sees nothing wrong with using the technique if it is safe and is aimed at diseases clearly caused by faulty mitochondrial DNA. But he called the research leading to the

newly reported birth ``unethical, unwise, immoral.'' He said the approach ``hasn't been sufficiently proven safe enough to try to use to make a baby.''

Dieter Egli of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, who has done work in the area, was cautious about the implications of the new report. ``I wouldn't go out there at this point and tout the accomplishment because we don't have enough information,'' he said. ``We do not know exactly what was done.'' ``We have to wait'' for a fuller report, he said.

The child is not the first to inherit DNA from three people. In the 1990s, some children were born after researchers used a different technique. But federal regulators intervened, and the field's interest now has passed to the new approach. -AP

October 7, 2016

Health Science Post

India Post 47

www.indiapost.com

1 In 10 in world die due to air pollution NEW DELHI: More than 90 per cent people on Planet Earth breathe dirty air and 6.5 million people die due to conditions caused by air pollution, says a new report by the World Health Organization or WHO. In South-East Asia, air pollution is killing nearly 8,00,000 people a year. Data from 2012 said at least 75 per cent of them live in India.

The three Indian cities, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, are in the list of 11 most-polluted mega cities - the most for any

country. China has only 2 cities in the top 10 list, the World Health Organization said.

When it comes to particulate pollution, Delhi is twice as bad as Beijing, the report further said.

"One in 10 cities across the world live and breathe air that does not meet the WHO air quality guidelines. That equates to 1 in 9 deaths being attributed to air pol-

lution," Lesley Onyon, Regional Adviser of the World Health Organization in Delhi has said.

The data shows that 94 per cent of the premature deaths caused by air pollution are due to cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancers. The remaining are from acute respiratory infections in children under five years of age.

The big surprise, according to WHO, is that pollution by Particulate Matter 2.5 tiny particles 2.5 microns in width that make the air look hazy - affects the heart more than the lungs.

"This is something that is not automatically in people's minds and is a big concern," Lesley Onyon said.

Exposure to PM 2.5 causes short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath. In the long term it is responsible not only for heart diseases but also affects lung function and worsens asthma.

The report also called for measures against inefficient modes of transport, the burning of waste, coal-fired power plants and industrial activities, which are some of the major sources of air pollution.

Cure kidney stones with roller coasters WASHINGTON: Getting rid of kidney stones may now be as fun as going on a roller coaster, according to scientists who found that the adventurous ride helps patients pass stones with nearly 70 per cent success rate.

"I had patients telling me that after riding a particular roller coaster at Walt Disney World, they were able to pass their kidney stone," said David Wartinger, urologist at Michigan State University in the US. "I even had one patient say he passed three different stones after riding multiple times," Wartinger said.

He then conducted studies to assess whether the stories he was hearing from patients were true.

Using a validated, synthetic 3D model of a hollow kidney complete with three kidney stones no larger than 4 millimeters inserted into the replica, he took the model in a backpack on a roller coaster named 'Big Thunder Mountain' 20 times. His initial results verified patient reports.

"In the pilot study, sitting in the last car of the roller coaster showed about a 64 per cent passage rate, while sitting in the first few cars only had a 16 per cent success rate," Wartinger said.

The expanded study included riding the same roller coaster with multiple kidney models attached to the researchers.

They discovered even better results while sitting in the back of the coaster, with passage rate of nearly 70 per cent.

They also found that both studies showed a 100 per cent passage rate if the stones were located in the upper chamber of the kidney.

"In all, we used 174 kidney stones of varying shapes, sizes and weights to see if each model worked on the same ride and on two other roller coasters," Wartinger said.

"Big Thunder Mountain was the only one that worked. We tried Space Mountain and Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and both failed," he said.

Wartinger went on to explain that these other rides are too fast and too violent with a G-force that pins the stone into the kidney and doesn't allow it to pass.

"The ideal coaster is rough and quick with some twists and turns, but no upside down or inverted movements," he said.

Lithotripsy, which breaks apart kidney stones that are too large to pass, is a common treatment for the problem. -PTI

AIIMS performed 1.5 lakh surgeries NEW DELHI: AIIMS Delhi performed about 1.5 lakh surgeries and attended to 30 lakh outpatients and 2.5 lakh inpatients during 2015-16, Union Health Minister J P Nadda has said.

"AIIMS has contributed significantly in quality health care. It has discharged its roles as clinical provider, research institute and teaching Institute with considerable accolades over the past six decades," he said.

He was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the Foundation Day of AIIMS currently celebrating its diamond jubilee.

"During 2015-16, AIIMS Delhi, attended to 30 lakh outpatients, 2.5 lakh inpatients and performed about 1.5 lakh surgeries," he said.

The institute has always maintained the highest standards of meritocracy and learning. It has attracted the best talents across the country that enter this institute as young students and pass out with the intensity of commitment to serve the poorest of the poor," Nadda said.

Nadda further said that AIIMS New Delhi is also the "mentor institution" for the new AIIMS-like institutions being established across the country. In this regard, the work done by AIIMS in formulating and reviewing subordinate legislation including the AIIMS rules and regulations has been commendable, he said.

Highlighting its contribution, the Health Minister said that AIIMS not only has established high reputation but has also contributed significantly in academic quality, student care, infrastructure, and placement opportunities.

"With its 9 centers and 52 teaching departments, and manpower of over 10,000 including more than 800 faculty positions; AIIMS Delhi produces a large number of specialists (MD/MS), super-specialists (DM/MCh), PhD scholars and allied health and basic sciences experts, including nurses and paramedical professionals," he said. -PTI

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MATRIMONIALS BRIDE-GROOM WANTED

BRIDE WANTED Chicago based Gujarati Shah/Patel doctor parents invite correspondence from parents of Jain/ Vaishnav/ Leuva Patel well educated US Greencard holder or Citizen daughter for their India born British Citizen, American Green card holder son.

He is MBA/ 38years/5'7" working as General Manager in Pharmaceutical company in London, UK, divorcee with one son (Custody of son with ex wife).

Please send biodata with full picture to dr. Shailendrashah@gmail.com and Vivshahmib@gmail.com pr contact by phone at 773-807-9636 after 6 PM Monday to Friday or any time on weekend.

He is visiting Chicago for two weeks on October 24th.

Philosophy

October 7, 2016

India Post 49

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis WILL PYE

W

e typically imagine the act of perception in volves something out there to perceive and something in here perceiving, the one separate from the other. Such an assumption is so widely held as to be regarded as common sense, obvious and beyond question.

Unexamined experience supports this assumption - it certainly seems like there is the chair there and me perceiving it here. It seems like there is my life out there in form and my description of it apart from it. Yet if we look more closely we discover the experience of there being an inner and outer is a misperception.

The division is recognized to be an artifice. We might say a very useful artifice which allows this wonderful experience of being human; it is we could say one of the means by which eternity and infinity are collapsed for the purpose of creating the human realm of time and space.

It is regarded as common sense that there is a me and a world, one separate from the other. When we see the partiality of this assumption, when we see that there is just one thing or no-thing and that there is no world separate from the perceiving or, to put it another way, there is no perceiving separate from the world, we discover an astonishing new reality - we see DAVID LYNCH

I

deas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract.

And they're beautiful. Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics calls that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness - your awareness - is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger fish you can catch.

Desire for an idea is like bait.

When you're fishing, you have to have patience. You bait your hook, and you wait. The desire is the bait that pulls those fish in - those ideas.

The beautiful thing is that when you catch one fish that you love, even if it's a little fish - a fragment of an idea - that fish will draw in another fish, and they'll hook onto it. Then you're on your way. Soon there are more and more and more fragments, and the whole thing emerges. But it starts with desire.

Consciousness Little fish swim on the surface, but the big ones swim down be-

that the world is dreamt into being in each moment.

Thus we see that the act of perceiving is an inherently creative act. We may well be astonished to discover that we are never merely defining, we are always at once creating. To perceive is to be in communication with life.

What are we communicating?

If we communicate love, allowing, appreciation and gratitude we perceive a very different world and live a very different life than if we communicate judgment, resistance and discontent. This is not to be believed but discovered through personal experimentation.

free will exists or not, to believe it does or not is a determinant of how we experience reality and how we behave.

In the world of nonduality, as attempts are made to put into words that which is beyond the reach of language, from within the giddy realization that I am everything and nothing emphasis is so often given only to the truth that I am nothing.

Yet as the apparent division between myself and the world is no longer so convincing, as the invisible barrier between me and the world disappears altogether, it is equally true that I am everything.

The mind, so used to creating

on the other hand every thought, feeling and action reverberates around the universe with unseen effects. Every momentary perception is a cause. Everything matters and profoundly so.

Being everything the perception that I am only nothing has significant consequences; it creates more disempowerment, indifference and division presented under the guise of insight.

We might dream a new world into being not because we need to or to escape lack or fear but rather because in realizing we are one with all things there is a natural movement to serve all things. The more

No world separate from the perceiving

Will Pye

If we communicate love, allowing, appreciation and gratitude we perceive a very different world and live a very different life than if we communicate judgment, resistance and discontent. This is not to be believed but discovered

Thus, paradoxically, we discover that in the dissolving of the separate self experience we are reborn as individuated consciousness creating what we call 'my life' via a formative matrix of thoughts and feelings. Both experience and neuroscience confirm that whether

dichotomy and duality is not suited to embracing such paradox.

Similarly the mind's conditioning does not make it easy to embrace such contradictions as whilst, on the one hand nothing really matters, for all is perfect as it is, untouched by ideas of good and bad,

deeply we realize we are essentially Love we find ourselves dissatisfied with anything but loving.

Will Pye is a Transformational Awareness Coach, a spiritual teacher, speaker and author. He divides his time between Melbourne, Australia and Cambridge, England.

low. If you can expand the container you're fishing in - your consciousness - you can catch bigger fish.

Here's how it works: Inside every human being is an ocean of pure, vibrant consciousness.

When you 'transcend' in Transcendental Meditation, you dive down into that ocean of pure consciousness. You splash into it.

And it's bliss. You can vibrate with this bliss. Experiencing pure consciousness enlivens it, expands it.

and intellect going together.

Personally, I think intuition can be sharpened and expanded through meditation, diving into the Self. There's an ocean of consciousness inside each of us, and it's an ocean of solutions. When you dive into that ocean, that consciousness, you enliven it.

You don't dive for specific solutions; you dive to enlighten that ocean of consciousness. Then your intuition grows and you have a way of solving those problems -

really. You just keep working to make it look like that idea looked, feel like it felt, sound like it sounded, and be the way it was.

And it's weird, because when you veer off, you sort of know it. You know when you're doing something that is not correct because it feels incorrect. It says, 'No, no; this isn't like the idea said it.' And when you're getting into it the correct way, it feels correct. It's an intuition: You feel-think your way through.

Inside everyone is an ocean of consciousness You don't dive for specific solutions; you dive to enlighten that ocean of consciousness.

Then your intuition grows and you have a way of solving those problems It starts to unfold and grow.

Intuition Life is filled with abstractions, and the only way we make heads or tails of it is through intuition.

Intuition is seeing the solution seeing it, knowing it. It's emotion

knowing when it's not right and knowing a way to make it feel correct for you. That capacity grows and things go much more smoothly.

The idea is the whole thing. If you stay true to the idea, it tells you everything you need to know,

David Lynch

Excerpted from "Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity." David Lynch (b. 1946) - director, visual artist, musician and, most significantly, long-term Transcendental Meditation practitioner - is best known for his surrealist films.

He is beyond thought and invisible, beyond family and colour. He has neither eyes nor ears; he has neither hands nor feet. He is everlasting and omnipresent, infinite in the great and infinite in the small. He is the Eternal whom the sages see as the source of all creation.

-Mundaka Upanishad If one sees him in this life before the body passes away, one is free from bondage; but if not, one is born and dies again in new worlds and new creations.

-Katha Upanishad The soul can be thought as the part of a point of a hair which divided by a hundred were divided by a hundred again; and yet in this living soul there is the seed of Infinity.

-Svetasvatara Upanishad At the end of the worlds, all things sleep: He alone is awake in Eternity. Then from his infinite space new worlds arise and awake, a universe which is a vastness of thought. In the consciousness of Brahman the universe is, and unto him it returns.

- Maitri Upanishad There is a bridge between time and Eternity; and this bridge is Atman, the Spirit of man. Neither day nor night cross that bridge, nor old age, nor death nor sorrow.

-Taittiriya Upanishad

Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

Datebook

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NEW JERSEY Upcoming Fri, Oct 7 • Art of Living Navratri Raas Garba 2016 Venue: STV Asia Auditoriam, 76 National Rd, Edison, NJ 08817 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 732-738-4457

Fri, Oct 14 • Patel Brothers and India House Navratri 2016

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri, Oct 7 • Navratri 2016 Venue: Hindu Temple Cutural Center, 450 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12211 Time : 8:00 pm Contact: 518-455-0005

Fri, Oct 21 • Dopehri a Play with Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak in New York

Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873 Time: 09:00 pm

Venue: AHindu Temple Auditorium - Flushing, 143-09 Holly Ave, NY 11355 Time : 8:00 pm

Sat, Oct 22

Sun, Oct 23

• Workshop with Shri.Vikku Vinayakram

• Atif Aslam Live in Concert 2016 New York

Venue: Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, 5 Kent Lane, Hightstown, NJ 08520 Time : 3:00 pm

Venue: Colden Center, 6530 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367 Time : 6:00 pm

Fri, Oct 7 • Pankaj Kapurs Play Dopehri with Supriya Pathak Venue: Rolling Hills Church Auditorium, 800 White Rock Road, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 Time: 07:30 pm

Sat, Oct 8 • Amitesh Mishra Live in Concert 2016 Venue: Studio 8 (SJS-Live) Night Club, 8 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 510-589-3505

CHICAGO

Upcoming Sun, Oct 9 • Education Expo Fall 2016 "Roadmap To College" Venue: Quinlan Community Center 10185 N. Stelling Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 Time: 1:00-4:30pm Contact: cupertino@flexcollegeprep.com Contact: 408-252-7742

Sat, Nov 12 • Sri Lanka Bollywood Night With Preetysha & Sameer Venue: SSan Gabriel Mission Playhouse,

Sat, Oct 8

320 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, CA

• Laser Dandiya and Bollywood Night in support of Tri-Valley youth cricket

Time: 06:00 pm

Venue: Harvest Park Middle School GYM, 4900 Valley Avenue, Pleasanton, CA 94566 Time: 5:30 pm

Sun, Oct 9 • Ketakiand Suvarna Musical Concert VALLEY Venue: Indian Oven Indian Cuisine, 10110 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 91311 Time: 02:00 pm

Sat, Oct 22 • Super Masti Live In Sacramento Venue: Center At Twenty Three Hundred, 2300 Sierra Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95825 Time: 5:00 pm

Sun, Oct 23 • Gadathgajan comedy drama

by Crazy Mohan and Maadhu Venue: Rosemont High School Auditorium, 9594 Kiefer Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95827 Time: 4:30 pm

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, Oct 15 • Dussehra & Diwali Festival 2016 Venue: Skeeters Stadium, Stadium Drive, Sugar Land, TX 77498 Time: 4:00 pm

Sat, Oct 29 • Punjabi Society Inc Diwali Dhamaka Venue: Ashiana Global Mall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071 Time: 7:00 pm

Tue, Nov 22 • Thanksgiving tour to New York City, Penn, and Washinghton DC Venue: College Park, Norcross Global Mall, Atlanta, GA, 5288 Riverdale Road, Atlanta, GA 30349 Time: 1:00 pm

ILLINOIS Upcoming 1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Swami Ishatmananda • Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy of life Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662

• India Eternal: From the Vedic Age to the Present Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 N. Main Street Glendale Heights, IL 60139 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 630-655-8822

In Brief Mexican officials attacked to free migrants MEXICO CITY: Mexican immigration officials say five gunmen on motorcycles brazenly attacked a government vehicle transporting 25 immigrants and a suspected human trafficker, helping the smuggler and migrants to escape.

A statement from Mexico's National Immigration Institute says agents had detained the migrants from unspecified countries as well as their smuggler after a brief chase in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Later, as immigration agents transported those detained, five people on motorcycles attacked the vehicle with gunfire. Two agents were wounded - one by a bullet and another hit on the head with the butt of a pistol. -AP

„ India promises e-passports by next year THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre will roll out chip embedded e-passports, which can be incorporated with passports so that the information can be verified electronically, in the first phase by next year.

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said here that fully digital passports that could be even carried in mobile phones would be introduced in the next phase.

Singh was talking to media persons during a visit to the Regional Passport office here.

He said that facilities for e-passports are being installed and it is expected that all fresh passports to be issued from next year would have the chips incorporated in it.

The minister also said that once the delay in police verification process is sorted out through electronic passing of information, the time required for issuing passports could be minimized.

In reply to a question, Singh said the restrictions imposed on overseas recruitment of nurses and female domestic workers had helped curb the exploitation in the sector.

Singh, who had recently visited Saudi Arabia to help those stranded there following job losses, said the Saudi government is cooperating in getting the claims of Indian workers from Saudi employers.

He also advised those still going to Saudi Arabia to take up employment to be cautious and go through genuine channels.

Earlier in the day, Singh reviewed the working of the Passport Sewa Kendra, Kollam. -PTI

Immigration 51 India Post

www.indiapost.com

Caution over march for driver licenses

October 7, 2016

Details on page 53

Anti-immigration sentiment growing across European continent BUDAPEST, Hungary: Together, Hungary and the Czech Republic took in just around 1,000 asylum-seekers last year. Still, rallying cries against migration have dominated the debates ahead of upcoming ballots in the two Central European countries.

Along with Poland and Slovakia, they have also become the most vocal critics of the EU's plan to share refugees according to a quota system.

The influx of migrants into Europe has also upended the political order in many countries in Western Europe, which received more than 1 million asylum-seekers last year, yet analysts say it's not surprising that opposition to newcomers is at its highest in the mainly homogenous societies in Central and Eastern Europe. ``Migration is the issue because politically it works and it's not surprising that it works where there are no migrants,'' says Csaba Toth, strategic director of the Republikon Institute think tank. ``It

may even be easier without migrants because if people met migrants too often it's not certain that they would be able to hate them in the same manner.''

Hungary is holding a government-sponsored referendum seeking political support for the rejec-

in its reasons for rejecting the mainly Islamic newcomers: It wants to preserve Hungary's Christian identity and its relatively homogenous culture and population. ``Hungary does not need this kind of intercultural mass migra-

Anti-Islam groups rally across Europe; clashes in Amsterdam

tion of any future, mandatory EU quotas to accept refugees and Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has expressed no qualms

tion that is happening at our border,'' said government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs. ``We don't want those kinds of migrants, for obvi-

ous reasons.'' Only 1.5 percent of Hungary's population of 9.8 million is foreign born and most of them are people who moved here from areas in Romania and Slovakia which were part of Hungary until World War I. So far, the most noticeable counter-campaign to the government has been run by the satiric Two-Tailed Dog Party, which claims on one of its posters that the average Hungarian sees more UFOs in his or her lifetime than migrants.

While 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year on their way to Western Europe, so far this year the country has taken in only 331 people, proportionally very similar to the 545 asylum seekers recognized in 2015, according the Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. Fences built last September on the borders with Serbia and Croatia and tougher laws against migrants entering the country irregularly have also practically stopped the migrant flow coming north through the Balkans.

Cont'd on Page 52

'Some NRIs abandon wives in India' LONDON: Some British Indian men are among a broader South Asian group in the UK who are guilty of mistreating and abandoning their wives in their countries of origin, a new report by a UK University has found.

Lincoln University's 'Disposable Women: Abuse, Violence and Abandonment in Transnational Marriages' described the practice as an emerging form of violence against women, "especially in the context spanning the UK and the Indian sub- continent".

"Abandonment of wives by non-resident Indian (NRI) men in transnational marriages has become a widespread phenomenon.

Although the focus of this report is on the specific experience of abandoned women in India experience shows that their appalling accounts of abuse and abandonment are also echoed by women from Pakistan, Bangladesh and elsewhere," the report said.

"Ongoing demands for dowry, and escalating violence where such demands could not be met, were significant contexts for abuse for the majority of the women. Inability to meet dowry

"At the point of their visa application, British embassies abroad should give women a leaflet setting out their rights and entitlements under the UK immigration and family law." demands eventually triggered abandonment for most of the women left with their in-laws," it added.

The academics behind the report are now calling on the UK government to recognize the

abuse of these so-called "disposable women" to be treated as domestic violence.

As part of its recommendations, the report concluded: "Women who once resided in the UK (no matter how briefly) should be treated in all respects as domestic violence victims. Transnationally abandoned women should be issued with temporary visas to avail the UK's Domestic Violence Rule.

"At the point of their visa application, British embassies abroad should give women a leaflet setting out their rights and entitlements under the UK immigration and family law."

As most women tend to hide the fact that they have been abandoned by NRI husbands based in the UK, the academics spent more than a year finding 57 women in India who had experienced the phenomenon and were willing to share their stories.

Sundari Anitha, from the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lincoln, spoke

to women personally affected on a number of trips to Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat.

"The stigma is massive and it even has an impact on other people in the family. So a woman's sister will find it harder to get married. She will find it harder to get a job, she faces financial insecurity and she's seen as damaged goods - primarily because the assumption that she had sex," she said.

Pragna Patel, director of UKbased women's rights group Southall Black Sisters, also worked on the report.

She said abandonment can be prosecuted under existing laws, but "few, if any, perpetrators face any consequences".

A UK Home Office spokesperson said: "This government will not tolerate abuse through marriage or other relationships.

We will look carefully at any evidence of where further action might help to prevent abuse or support victims". -PTI

Immigration Post

52 India Post

October 7, 2016

www.indiapost.com

Obama refuses to use term 'Islamic terrorism' WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has defended his decision not to use the term 'Islamic terrorism', saying it is a "sort of manufactured" issue and there is no religious rationale to associate Islam with those who have "perverted and distorted" it as an excuse for their barbarism.

"The truth of the matter is, is that this is an issue that has been sort of manufactured, because there is no doubt that where we see terrorist organizations like Al Qaida or ISIL, they have perverted and distorted and tried to claim the mantle of Islam for an excuse for basically barbarism and death," Obama said at a military town hall in Virginia.

"These are people who kill children, kill Muslims, take sex slaves.

There's no religious rationale that would justify in any way any of the things that they do," he said.

Obama said he has been careful to make sure he does not lump these "murderers" into the billion

Muslims that exist around the world, including in this country, who are peaceful, who are respon-

to some of these Muslim families both in the United States and overseas is that when you start calling

US President Barack Obama

sible, who in this country are troops and police officers and firefighters and teachers and neighbors and friends.

"What I learned from listening

UNNJ represented itself as a school that, among other things, was authorized to issue a document known as a "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students," commonly referred to as a Form I-20.

This document, which certifies that a foreign national has been accepted to a school and would be a full-time student, typically enables legitimate foreign students to obtain an F-1 student visa.

In order to deceive immigration officials, Sachdeva, Right OPT's foreign clients, and others obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts, federal prosecutors said.

On April 5, 2016, 22 brokers, recruiters, and employers, including Sachdeva and Sukhija, were charged with enrolling foreign nationals in the University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ), the justice department said in a statement.

Sachdeva and Sukhija were employed at Right OPT, a purported international student recruiting and consulting company located in Somerset, New Jersey.

religious tests for immigration were a "slippery slope."

"The dangers where we get loose in this language, particularly when a president or people aspiring to become president get loose with this language, you can see in some of the language that we use - in talking about Muslim-Americans here, and the notion that somehow we'd start having religious tests in who can come in the country, and who's investigated, and whether the Bill of Rights applies to them in the same way," he said. -PTI

Anti-immigration sentiment growing across European continent these organizations 'Islamic terrorists', the way it's heard, the way it's received by our friends and allies around the world is that somehow Islam is terroristic.

2 NJ Indians charged with visa fraud WASHINGTON: Two Indians in the US state of New Jersey have been charged with visa fraud for recruiting foreign nationals at a "pay to stay" college where they maintained their clients' student visa status with full-time work authorizations without having to attend classes.

Harpreet Sachdeva, 26, and Sanjeev Sukhija, 35, currently on a foreign worker visas and living in New Jersey have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

"That then makes them feel as if they're under attack. In some cases, it makes it harder for us to get their cooperation in fighting terrorism," Obama said in response to a question.

"If somebody uses the phrase 'Islamic terrorism' that it's a huge deal? No. There's no doubt that these folks think that - and claim that they're speaking for Islam. But I don't want to validate what they do."

Obama said even some people "aspiring" to be president should refrain from such language. He said

With the visa, they can enter or remain in the United States while they make normal progress toward the completion of a full course of study at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) accredited institution.

According to court papers, Sachdeva and Sukhija told Right OPT's foreign recruits that for a fee, they could enrol at UNNJ without having to attend any classes and that their enrolment

would enable them to fraudulently maintain their nonimmigrant status.

With full knowledge that the recruits were not bona fide students and would not attend any course, earn credits, or make academic progress toward any legitimate degree at UNNJ, Sachdeva and Sukhija caused Forms I-20 to be issued to the foreign nationals.

The duo also caused the foreign nationals to be reported in government databases as legitimate foreign students.

In order to deceive immigration officials, Sachdeva, Right OPT's foreign clients, and others obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts, federal prosecutors said.

After enabling them to maintain their student visa status, Sachdeva and Sukhija also conspired to secure fraudulent work authorizations for some of their foreign clients.

In their guilty plea, they admitted that their intention was to profit from the scheme by outsourcing these foreign individuals through Right OPT as information technology consultants with various businesses in the United States for commissions. -PTI

Cont'd from Page 51

Migration has also been a main theme ahead of regional and parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic on Oct. 7-8.

There, some of the new parties competing in the elections make their positions clear already in their names. For example, the group ``No to Illegal Immigration Money to Our People Instead'' gathers four fringe parties with 281 candidates - one more than the total number of refugees who applied for asylum there in the second quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, the new conservative government in Poland has reneged on a promise made in 2015 by the earlier centrist government

that foreign powers brought oppression,'' says Attila Tibor Nagy of the Center for Fair Political Analysis. ``The government is building on people's fears, the facts learned in school and antiforeigner sentiments.''

Hungary hopes that if the referendum backs the government's position, it will lead to similar efforts in other countries and put an end to any mandatory EU quotas. ``We will get a very powerful weapon for Hungary to clearly veto the quota on every front,'' Antal Rogan, Orban's Cabinet chief, said on state television. ``If the Hungarian referendum is strong, Brussels' plans will hit a mine because opposition to the use of mandatory quotas will

In Germany, which has taken in the largest number of migrants in the past year, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and the center-left Social Democrats lost votes in recent regional elections to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany. to accept some 10,000 refugees from Syria and Eritrea. It pointed to terrorist attacks in France and Belgium and said its primary task was to ensure the security of the Polish people. While it says it has received over 800,000 Ukrainians fleeing the conflict with Russia, Eurostat said only 695 people were granted asylum last year and 740 in 2014.

The reasons for the popularity of the anti-migrant stance in countries with few migrants and refugees include politics, history and education, analysts say, while centuries of domination by the Ottoman Turks and Austria's Habsburgs have also left their mark on Hungarians' psyche. ``Most people have no direct experience of living together with migrants, but we learn in school

strengthen in many EU countries, encouraged by the Hungarian example.''

There are already signs antiimmigration sentiments are growing across the continent. In Germany, which has taken in the largest number of migrants in the past year, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and the center-left Social Democrats lost votes in recent regional elections to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany. And in the Netherlands, which received 60,000 asylum seekers last year, anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders' Freedom Party is narrowly behind Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberal Party in recent polls and could emerge as the largest party in parliamentary elections due in March.

-AP

Immigration Post

October 7, 2016

India Post 53

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Caution over march for driver licenses PROVIDENCE, R.I.: Immigrants and their advocates plan to march through a cluster of Rhode Island cities to push state leaders to allow driver's licenses for people living in the country illegally.

But in a move that reflects the fragility of their cause during a national backlash against illegal immigration, they're avoiding the places where they need the most support: predominantly white suburbs home to the elected representatives who dominate the Legislature.

The Coalition for Safer Rhodes originally planned an unprecedented day-long march across the smallest state. It would have been modeled after farm labor leader Cesar Chavez's 1966 pilgrimage across California's Central Valley. The group has now switched strategies, citing safety concerns after experiencing hostility and name-calling while passing out fliers in the suburbs and knocking on doors. ``We didn't want our people to be harassed,'' said march organizer Gaspar Espinoza, who expects at least 300 people to join the walk. ``We had wanted to do this in rural Rhode Island and use temples

of faith as stations, but a lot of our friends said, `Why expose people?'''

Twelve states, including neighboring Connecticut, now grant driver's licenses to people in the country illegally. Many have provisions that prevent the special licenses from being used for anything except for driving. Advo-

Democrats. Democrats control both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly, but after years of debate, legislative leaders have repeatedly blocked driver's license bills from moving to a vote. ``My opinion is the electorate across the state, the citizens of the state, are not in support of it,''

cates say along with improving immigrants' lives, the laws improve road safety by requiring everyone to pass a driving test and get insurance. Opponents say they encourage more illegal immigration.

Except for Republican-led Nevada and Utah, most of the states that enacted the laws are run by

Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello said in May, in remarks that effectively halted the debate until lawmakers reconvene next year. ``So we're going to respect what the majority of the citizens in the state want to do.''

Estimates released by the Pew Research Center found that in

UN center in Pak for return of Afghan refugees PESHAWAR: The UN has inaugurated its second voluntary repatriation centre in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to facilitate safe return of up to 10,000 refugees daily.

The new centre in the province would enable United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to facilitate the return of refugees through the Torkham border crossing, a key border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The centre is situated at Azakhel in Nowshera district, some 40 kilometers east of Peshawar.

UNHCR Representative in Pakistan Indrika Ratwatte said, "The extension is an important decision by Pakistan which recognizes the importance of policies to manage the legal stay of registered Afghans in Pakistan".

"Pakistan has ensured that the repatriation remains voluntary and that returns are conducted in safety and dignity," Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees Imran Zeb Khan said.

Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal asked Afghan refugees to return to their home-

land "despite the challenges and to join the nation-building process".

Zakhilwal said "the repatriation remains voluntary and the fact that Afghan refugees are returning of their free will demonstrate confidence in the efforts of the national unity government".

Since 2002, UNHCRs voluntary repatriation program has helped nearly 3.9 million Afghans return home from Pakistan.

Around 167,228 registered Afghan refugees have returned home

The spike in returns coincides with the introduction of tighter border management controls at the Torkham border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghans now need valid passports and visas in order to enter Pakistan.

The increase in UNHCRs voluntary repatriation and reintegration cash grant has significantly contributed to the increase in number of people opting to return. The cash grant was doubled from USD 200 to USD 400 per individual in June, which is approximately USD

from Pakistan so far this year.

UNHCR now has three voluntary repatriation centers in Pakistan two in Chamkani and Azakhel and one in Baleli, Quetta in Balochistan.

Since July, there has been an increase in the number of Afghans voluntarily repatriating to Afghanistan.

2,800 for a family of seven.

Pakistan claims to be the second largest refugee hosting country with some 1.4 million Afghans.

It says another 600,000 Afghans reside in the country irregularly.

On September 9, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif extended the stay of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan until March 31 next year. -PTI

2014 there were about 30,000 immigrants in Rhode Island illegally.

Guatemalans were the largest group, followed by Dominicans and Cape Verdeans.

But most of the immigrants are concentrated in Providence and a handful of surrounding cities.

Their statewide political power doesn't come close to matching their population.

Frustrated by political inaction, activists began crafting a plan to explain their cause to suburbanites who have little personal interaction with immigrant families.

They instead became wary of increasing opposition at a time when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who easily won the April primary, is appealing to many white voters with his promises to halt illegal immigration.

Republican state Rep. Doreen Costa, a Trump delegate who helped preside over the driver's license legislative hearings as vice chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee, said most people in Rhode Island ``just don't think illegals should be granted driver's licenses, plain and simple.'' ``If they want to march across the state, God bless them. But the

problem is they don't have the support,'' Costa said. ``They don't have the support in the General Assembly. They don't have the support in the entire state.''

The North Kingstown resident said she didn't think people outside of Providence would be receptive to marchers, but she doesn't think they would be confrontational, either.

Espinoza isn't willing to take the risk of finding out. The activist said he was asking for signatures to support a driver's license bill outside a Cranston mall, not far from Providence, when two women swore at him and told him he doesn't belong in the United States. Espinoza, a naturalized U.S. citizen and Navy veteran, had fled with his family from Nicaragua's political turmoil in the 1980s.

Another activist, Sabine Adrian, said she was canvassing with two other women in North Providence this year when a shopper began yelling and angrily pushed a grocery cart at them. ``We just had some nasty experiences, so we thought it would be safer for the people in the march to stay closer to where folks are affected,'' Adrian said.-AP

India amending Act to help refugees NEW DELHI: To provide succor to minorities belonging to neighboring countries, the government is planning to amend the Citizenship Act to grant Indian nationality to those who face persecution in their homeland within six years of their arrival in India.

As per the present law, a foreigner can obtain Indian citizenship by naturalization only after 12 years of his or her arrival in India.

The proposed move will allow Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to take Indian nationality within six years of their arrival in India, official sources said.

Ever since the NDA government came to power at the Centre, it has offered several special benefits to the minorities belonging to the neighboring countries who have been living as refugees in India.

Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians staying on long term visa (LTV) in India have already been allowed to submit an affidavit in place of a renunciation certificate, granted LTV for five years instead of two years and facilities for education and employment.

In order to provide them fair

opportunities for a more comfortable living and hassle-free movement and pursuit of economic activities in India, the government has extend additional facilities to this class of LTV holders.

The additional facilities include permission to open bank account, permission for purchase of property for self occupation and suitable accommodation for carrying out self employment, permission to take self-employment, issuance of driving license, PAN card and Aadhaar number.

Allowing free movement within the state/UT where they are staying, transfer of LTV papers from one state to other, reduction of penalty amount to Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 500 instead of existing amount of USD 30, USD 130, USD 230 on non extension of short-term visa/LTV. The refugees are also allowed to apply for LTV from the place of present residence when the applicants have changed place without permission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Lok Sabha poll campaigning in 2014, had made a distinction between Hindu and Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, arguing that the former should be accommodated. -PTI

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Preliminary assessment of India's 'Surgical Strike'

India Post

ANGSHUMAN CHOUDHURY

O

n 29 September, the Indian Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) announced that India had conducted overnight pre-emptive 'surgical strikes' against terrorist targets along its Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. Immediately afterwards, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif rebuffed the claims, stating that the Pakistan Army faced unprovoked small arms firing from the Indian side, following which it responded symmetrically, losing two of its soldiers. This sudden escalation of tensions comes ten days after the terror attack in Uri, Jammu & Kashmir, India.

In light of the limited details provided by the DGMO and the disjointed media narrative, it would be useful to discuss the feasibility of a cross-LoC counter-insurgency operation for the Indian armed forces.

Several media reports claim that

- especially in a non-conventional conflict theatre featuring an obscure mix of state and sub-state aggressors.

Given the non-uniformity and hostility of the terrain along the four sectors, reconnaissance for an offensive operation becomes a challenging and time-consuming task.

Ideally, such a situation would warrant a strategic fusion of human intelligence (HUMINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), and unmanned aerial reconnaissance.

A surgical strike based on uncorroborated or un-specific intelligence would make the operation vulnerable to easy detection and subsequent retaliation by belligerents. Yet, the qualitative nature and degree of India's intelligence-gathering approach remains unknown.

Some reports suggest the use of helicopters and paratroopers in the operation - components that further broaden the planning pro-

Despite the affirmative statements made by both governments, the body count on either side is still doubtful. Neither army would want to divulge details that could galvanize public opinion the targets were located 500 meters to 2 kilometers inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), in four sectors beyond the LoC. However, what is known from the DGMO's statement is that the Indian Army hit specific militant positions or 'launchpads' that were placed 'along' the LoC. Thus, it remains unclear whether the Indian forces did in fact enter territory controlled by Pakistan or simply fired from the back foot. If it was indeed a 'surgical strike' then strategic cross-LoC force deployment becomes inevitable so as to maintain precision, stealth, and overall strike efficacy.

A surgical strike across the LoC by the Special Forces would demand both detailed planning and substantial pre-assault surveillance and reconnaissance. The critical targets and their immediate surroundings would have had to be pinpointed and assessed before the operation.

It would be essential to determine optimal points for approach, a viable exit strategy, Pakistani military positions and locations of other non-critical infrastructure.

This would have to be done to ensure maximum precision and stealth

cess. While usage of helicopters for airdrop of paratroopers 'at' the LoC is a possibility, any offensive air assault design inside POK would have had to factor in the Pakistan Army's air defense capabilities.

In this regard, the assumption that India would use attack helicopters - most likely Mi-17s or Mi-35s - is improbable, even for airdrops.

These helicopters are very loud; nullifying the stealth advantage crucial for a night-time surprise assault. But, if it did so, it could imply that reconnaissance was strong enough to keep the close air support component of the operation outside the range of Pakistan's air defense systems.

Additionally, the scarce details provided by the DGMO indicate limited operational deployment (assuming the surgical strike did happen). The categorical statement that the Indian Army has no plans to carry out similar strikes in the near future implies that India does not want any serious escalation of conflict across the border.

The strike was a one-time, highly specific counter-terrorist operation within India's 'strategic restraint' doctrine and is not intended to trig-

ger a broader mobilization of troops on either side of the LoC. Simultaneously; it is aimed at displaying India's capability to hit specific targets in and around the LoC at will.

Contrary to what many analysts have argued, this surgical strike does not seem to fall within India's 'Cold Start' doctrine.

Despite numerous comparisons being made to 2015's counter-insurgency operation across the IndiaMyanmar border against NSCN (K)-led insurgents, the political and strategic context of the India-Pakistan LoC remains distinctive. In Myanmar, India had the support or at least the assured neutrality of the foreign government.

The hot pursuit operation was even reportedly based on intelligence inputs provided by Myanmar's military. This is not the case in India's western frontier, where New Delhi would have had to rely on unilateral intelligence covering both militant and military positions inside POK. Furthermore, unlike POK, force deployment is heavily limited in Myanmar's north-western sector, permitting a more comprehensive assault design.

At this point, it is difficult to determine the nature of targets India might have hit. The DGMO said that along with the terrorists, Indian forces also inflicted "massive casualties" to "those providing support" to primary terrorist targets. The details of these secondary targets remain unclear. Moreover, despite the affirmative statements made by both governments, the body count on either side is still doubtful. Neither army would want to divulge details that could galvanize public opinion and force either India or Pakistan into a war footing.

Thus, although the public announcement of a covert surgical strike at the LoC by the Indian Army is a significant development in itself, the scale of the operation remains dubious. The most critical of all the sketchy details available in the public domain is whether the Indian forces actually crossed the LoC - something New Delhi has not claimed to have attempted in decades.

The Indian government is expected to divulge more details in the coming days, which would correspondingly shape the future threat scenario along the volatile India-Pakistan border in Kashmir and elsewhere.

The writer is Researcher, SEARP, IPCS

Obstacle course T

hrowing hints of a climbdown, Sartaj Aziz, Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Pakistan Prime Minister, has declared that India and Pakistan National Security Advisors have met and discussed ways to reduce tension. India has made no such announcement.

Sartaj Aziz was till recently making provocative and arrogant statements about claiming Kashmir. This coming to a little sense is the direct result of the "surgical strikes" that Indian troops launched on terrorist staging posts in Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan has denied that any such major "surgical strike" had taken place and called it just "cross-LoC firing." If this cross border assault by Indian troops was of no consequence, why did the Pakistani establishment run complaining to the United Nations? Why was an all-party meeting summoned? Why did the Army chief ban low lying flights and order army maneuvers?

It follows that the Indian strike has had the desired effect and Pakistan now knows that any terrorist attack will be punished with double the force. There will be cost for any such misadventure in the future. It is this knowledge that that has brought the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit pleading for "serious sustained diplomacy" instead of war. Pakistan talking of avoiding war is a new terminology because only recently Pakistan Defense Minister was threatening India with a nuclear attack.

India has to be careful not to fall for this "peace-mongering" Pak talk. This could be just a ruse for buying time. Waiting for a more opportune moment to strike. Internationally Pakistan's position has never been worse. In the US and UK signature drives are on to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. So not only Pakistan has to keep in mind retaliatory attacks from India but it has also to worry about its damaging image.

Jammu & Kashmir Finance Minister Haseeb Dabru recently said that for governance in Kashmir they will have to factor in the protests and disturbances. Indeed the same is true in national politics for PM Narendra Modi. He also has now to perform the difficult task of keeping up the pace of development by factoring in Pakistani terrorism. Neither the protests in Kashmir nor Pakistani terrorism on Indian soil is going to go away. It is like running an obstacle course.

And Modi is saddled with enough local critics also who strive to bind his hands on almost all issues. Imagine veteran Congress leader and a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh calling Modi and Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar as "war-mongers." It almost amounts to defending Pakistani terrorism.

Even as Pakistan seems to be climbing down, its "all-weather" friend China is strengthening its embrace of Pakistan. One by one China is putting several obstacles in Modi's development course. A few days after India declared its intention to revisit the Indus Water treaty with Pakistan in order to make full use of its own share of the water, China announced that it had blocked a Brahmaputra tributary in Tibet for construction of its hydro project.

Experts say the decision to build the dam was taken as long back as 2014, so what's the point of re-running the story again? Only to introduce an element of uncertainty in the Indian mind. Bejing has also, once again, blocked a Delhi-led move at the UN to ban Masood Azhar, the Pakistan-based Chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group.

Moreover, China continues to resist allowing India into the world's most powerful nuclear club, the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

With Beijing building the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through Pakistan, observers say that Beijing has taken the strategic decision to invest big in Pakistan.

It seems Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to live with the China-Pakistan axis trying to destabilize India. According to one expert, brinkmanship is the name of the new game. Modi and his advisors believe they have to start paying hostile neighbors back in the same coin.

October 7, 2016

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