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Ganesha idol immersion in US for first time Details on page 26

Antony US visit heightens defense co-op Details on page 9

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VOL 16, No. 839

October 8, 2010

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COURT DIVIDES HOLY LAND INTO THREE

Ayodhya makeshift temple site given to Hindus LUCKNOW: In a much-awaited verdict, the Allahabad High Court has ruled that the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts among Hindus and Muslims and held that the place where the makeshift temple of Lord Rama currently exists belongs to Hindus. The majority 2-1 verdict of the Lucknow bench of the court, said to be running into nearly 8,000 pages, comes after nearly 60 years of tortuous litigation over who holds

the title to the disputed site. Still, the order may not be the last word and the issue may land up in the Supreme Court. As an anxious nation awaited the court verdict in the highly-sensitive issue with lakhs of security personnel deployed in Uttar Pradesh and other sensitive places across the country, the order of Justices S U Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D V Sharma became public just before 4.30 PM amid high drama. Details on page 6

Dr Ami Bera's campaign gains momentum Details on page 21

Direct ChicagoIndia flight from October 31 Details on page 14

India, Pak Face-off at UNGA Details on page 11

DiCaprio in save Indian tiger campaign

Musharraf warns of another coup in Pakistan

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‘When chips are down, US will help India’

Pak accuses India of 'amoral' position on J&K

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Delhi LG backs Kalmadi's Olympic dream

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 24-25

HAPPY TEAMS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in NY on Sept 27. UN Ambassador Hardeep Puri and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao are also seen. Pic Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia

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Pak reference to J&K unacceptable: Krishna SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY

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Will Ayodhya verdict end dispute?

Should US intervene on Kashmir? YES 87%

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Addressing members of the Asia Society a few hours after Qureshi's UN address, Minister Krishna said, "Pakistan is a country that has enormous and serious challenges confronting it; it's untenable and unsolicited remarks will not divert attention from the multiple problems that Pakistan needs to tackle for the common good of its people and the South Asia region in general.

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Horoscope ------------------------- 44 Immigration Post ------------- 45-47 Life Style ----------------------- 34-37 Philosophy ------------------------- 49 Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate ------------------------ 28 TechBiz Post ------------------- 42-43 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 29-31

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nce a year every year the United Nations comes alive during September when heads of some 140 member countries con verge at its New York headquarters for the general assembly session. Commoners going about their daily lives around the world may not care much about the goings on at the United Nations - except perhaps New Yorkers who suffer traffic disruptions because of the VVIP movements for at least a week - or even be aware of the significance of this world body, but it's important to know that this year's session called for a recommitment to achieving Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Even if the various governments do not achieve the goals in the next five years, it is good to know that at least the governments are seriously making an effort to alleviate the world needy from the clutches of poverty. The goals did sound far-fetched and almost unreal when first set 10 years ago, but now at least the intention to achieve them seems real. That apart, I must comment on the ubiquitous irritant nations that use the forum, well aware of the global media glare on them, to push narrow agendas aimed at instigating particular adversaries. The Iranian President pushed his envelope too far when in his speech he brazenly blamed the US for the 9/11 attacks; and the Pakistani foreign minister - oh, how I hate it when Pakistan does that - deliberately brought up the issue of Kashmir in his address, provoking an expectedly angry reaction from India. Of course what better forum could one find than the UNGA to make a political point and grab world attention in one stroke? Like the UN charter states, at the UNGA, all members of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, and each nation, rich or poor, large or small, has one vote. And just as well, at the podium in the mammoth General Assembly hall, each nation has its own minute under the spotlight one day in a year - good or bad, rogue or bully.

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Cover Story: Ayodhya verdict The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts among Hindus and Muslims.

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Commencing from October 31, Air India would operate a daily non-stop ChicagoDelhi service.

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Travel: Kota Apart from the several monuments that reflect the erstwhile glory of the town, Kota is also known for palaces & gardens.

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Court divides holy land into three Ayodhya makeshift temple site given to Hindus

The makeshift site

LUCKNOW: In a much-awaited verdict, the Allahabad High Court has ruled that the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts among Hindus and Muslims and held that the place where the makeshift temple of Lord Rama currently exists belongs to Hindus. The majority 2-1 verdict of the Lucknow bench of the court, said to be running into nearly 8,000 pages, comes after nearly 60 years

of tortuous litigation over who holds the title to the disputed site. Still, the order may not be the last word and the issue may land up in the Supreme Court. As an anxious nation awaited the court verdict in the highlysensitive issue with lakhs of security personnel deployed in Uttar Pradesh and other sensitive places across the country, the order of Justices S U Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D V Sharma became

Devotees enter the Hanuman Gadi (Hamunan temple) near the disputed area of Ram Mandir for darshan on the occasion of Divali festival in Ayodhya

public just before 4.30 PM amid high drama. The judges wrote three separate judgments but the majority verdict held that the area covered by the central dome of the threedomed structure where the idol of Lord Rama is presently situated belongs to Hindus. Justices Khan and Agarwal said the entire disputed land should be divided into three equal parts, each to be given to Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the parties representing 'Ram Lalla Virajman' (seated Baby Ram). Perhaps for the first in judicial history, a verdict was delivered in high security with media and lawyers and parties unrelated to the case kept out of the court premises. Press briefings were arranged in the District Collectorate opposite the court premises and summary of the judgments immediately uploaded on the website.

The majority judges declared maintenance of status quo at the disputed land for three months. One of the parties to the case Sunni Waqf Board said three-way division of land was not acceptable and it would move the Supreme Court against the verdict. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held confabulations with top Cabinet and party colleagues, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi, after which he issued an appeal to all sections of people for maintaining peace and tranquility. He said the issues involved were complex and the government remained fully committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining peace and order and harmony. BJP top brass met at the residence of senior leader L K Advani after the verdict was described as positive by party spokesman Prakash Javadekar.-PTI

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat greets media persons before making a statement on Ayodhya verdict at RSS headquarters in New Delhi

Bhartiya Janshakti Party and Ram Janma Bhoomi Andolan leader Uma Bharti watches a news channel on the Ayodhya verdict in Bhopal

Findings of Allahabad High Court • It is established that the property in suit is the site of Janambhumi of Ram and Hindus in general had the right to worship. • It is also established that Hindus have been worshipping the place in dispute as birthplace and visiting it as a sacred place of worship since time immemorial. • It is proved that the outer courtyard was in exclusive possession of Hindus and they were worshipping throughout and in the inner courtyard. • It is also established that the disputed structure cannot be treated as a mosque as it came into existence against the tenets of Islam. • The disputed structure was constructed on the site of old structure after demolition of the same. The ASI has proved the structure was a massive Hindu religious structure.

Sadhus celebrate after hearing the court ruling

Sadhus listen to radio news on the Ayodhya title suit verdict in Mathura

PM cautions people against 'disruptive elements' NEW DELHI: Appealing to maintain peace and harmony in the wake of Ayodhya verdict, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has cautioned people against "disruptive elements" spreading rumors to create illwill between communities. "You should be particularly careful with regard to rumors that disruptive elements could propagate to create ill-will between communities," Singh said after a meeting of the Cabinet

Committee on Security followed by a Congress Core Group meet headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi. The Prime Minister made it clear that the government remained fully committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining peace, order and harmony. Observing that only a few mischief makers often create divisions in society, Singh appealed to the countrymen to be vigilant and not let such people succeed

in disrupting peace and harmony. Noting that the judgment is the culmination of a long judicial process involving a sensitive matter on which different sections of people have held different views, he said, "The correct conclusion, at this stage, is that the status quo will be maintained until the cases are taken up by the Supreme Court." He said the orders delivered by the three judges need to be "examined carefully" and noted that

the High Court itself has directed that the "status quo as prevailing till date shall be maintained for a period of three months." Besides, he said, the High Court has granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. "I have full faith in the people of India. I also have full confidence in the traditions of secularism, brotherhood and tolerance of our great country," the Prime Minister said. "Show respect for all religions

and religious beliefs in the highest traditions of Indian culture," he said. He noted that by three separate orders, the judges have given their findings on issues and in the operative part, molded the reliefs to the parties in a particular manner. "It is my hope that the response of the people of India to the judgment will be respectful, dignified and do our country proud," Singh added.-PTI

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Political parties welcome verdict NEW DELHI: Political parties have welcomed the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suits with the BJP, which spearheaded the Ramjanmabhumi movement, terming it as a "positive" development while Congress said no one should treat it as a victory or defeat. However, both Hindu and Muslim lawyers said they will appeal against the ruling in the 60year-old case to the Supreme Court, which is likely to delay a final decision. "We have to study the judgment in details," said Zafaryab Jilani, lawyer for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedekar said the judgment was a "positive" development. The BJP top brass met in the evening to decide on the future course of action on the issue. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a known Hindutva hardliner, said the road

for the construction of a magnificent Ram temple at Ayodhya has been paved. He, however, maintained at the same time that there was "no room for frenzy". RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedekar said the judgment was a "positive" development. The BJP top brass met in the evening to decide on the future course of action on the issue also welcomed the judgment and said the order should not be seen as anybody's victory or defeat. "The movement for Ram temple is not a reactionary one, nor is it against any particular commu-

nity," he said. Hailing the judgment, Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said his party has held that the controversy should either be solved through talks or the verdict of the court should be accepted. "The court has given the verdict. We should all welcome the judgment," Dwivedi told reporters. BSP Supremo and UP Chief Minister Mayawati threw the ball in the Center's court over the implementation of the verdict as well ensuring peace and harmony in the state alleging that it had not provided enough paramilitary forces for security. CPI (M), however, reacted cautiously saying the judgment required to be fully studied as there may be questions on the nature of the verdict and maintained that recourse to Supreme Court should be the only way to resolve the matter. "This judgment requires to be

Verdict has paved way for temple: Joshi NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has said the Allahabad High Court's verdict on the Ayodhya title suit has paved way for the construction of a "grand" Ram temple and everyone should come together for this cause. "Unless entire judgment is thoroughly read, no extensive comment can be made. But whatever has come and been told, there is one thing that a way has been paved for construction of a grand Ram temple. The second thing is that the High Court has not accepted the Sunni Waqf Board's submission," he told reporters when asked to comment on the verdict. "So in view of the harmony, peace, goodwill and national unity of the country, it will be proper that everyone come together and support the construction of Ram temple there (in Ayodhya)," Joshi added. He said that acceptance of the verdict by everyone will be "a very strong reply to the enemies of India who want to divide it". The BJP leader underlined that the judgment had paved a way for the construction of a Ram temple with active cooperation and contribution by "all parties and communities, that is by all Indians" and suggested that "everyone" should come together

Murli Manohar Joshi

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;So many contestants are there in it (the case). Appeal is their constitutional right if they want to go for it. But, my suggestion will be that a way should mutually be worked out for the construction of the templeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;"

and find a way for construction of the temple. "This should not be taken as a sectarian approach. It is a national monument to be constructed with the support and cooperation of all citizens... For Ram temple, entire country should work together being one," he said. When asked if any appeal should be filed against the judgment, he said, "So many contestants are there in it (the case). Appeal is their constitutional right if they want to go for it. But, my suggestion will be that a way should mutually be worked out for the construction of the temple." He said the judgment has given an opportunity to create a "grand reconciliation" and this "whole controversy" should come to an end. "And the major ratio of the judgment is that there was a Ram temple at this place and so it should be accept like that," he added. When asked if he was happy with the verdict, Joshi said, "This is not a question of happiness or sorrow. It is the decision of justice. It should be taken in that way only. And out of this, whatever good is there should be taken." Country should remain committed to unity, integrity, peace and harmony, he said.-PTI

fully studied. There may be questions on the nature of the verdict," the CPI (M) Polit Bureau said in a statement. . "Nothing should be done to disturb peace and harmony.

BSP Supremo and UP Chief Minister Mayawati threw the ball in the Center's court over the implementation of the verdict as well ensuring peace and harmony in the state It is the responsibility of every political party and individual to ensure this", he said. The Congress leader said that the verdict should not be seen as victory or defeat of anybody.

Asked about bursting of crackers by VHP in Lucknow, he said there are civilized ways of expressing happiness. "No one should show extreme emotions in the wake of the verdict". "Lord Ram was equanimous in all conditions, bad and good and Ram bhakts should learn from him that he was not jubilant at the time of his coronation nor was he remorseful when he had to go to forest (vanvas)." Striking a philosophical note, he said there are moments in the life of individuals, society and nation, when one's wisdom and patience are put on test. RSS chief Bhagwat said, "The judgment has paved the way for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya...The judgment is not a win or loss for anybody. We invite everybody, including Muslims, to help build the temple." "Uncalled for provocation must be avoided," he said while appealing to the Muslims to "forget the past".-PTI

Sunni Wakf board to move Supreme Court LUCKNOW: The Sunni Wakf Board says it will move the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court order dividing the disputed land in Ayodhya among three parties and said they were not going to surrender it. "We will appeal against the division of disputed land among three parties," Board lawyer Zafaryab Jilani told reporters here. "HC's formula of one-third land is

not acceptable to the Waqf Board and it will appeal against it in the apex court," he said. He said they were not going to surrender the land. However, he said, the Sunni Board is open to any negotiated settlement on the issue if such a proposal for negotiations for a settlement came to it. "Talks can happen if a proposal comes," he said.

Obama must try seal a Kashmir deal during India visit: Riedel WASHINGTON: When US President Barack Obama visits India in November he must secure a deal on Kashmir, which has the potential to spark off another Indo-Pak confrontation, a former top CIA official has said. Bruce Riedel, senior fellow, foreign policy at the Brookings Institute wrote in an article that Obama's challenge would be to quietly help Islamabad and New Delhi work behind the scenes to get back to the deal negotiated between former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "Just as the war in Afghanistan is getting bloodier and Pakistan is drowning in floods, a new (yet old) battlefield is heating up in

Kashmir. President Obama's strategy for dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan always needed a Kashmir component to succeed, that need is becoming more urgent and obvious now. His trip to India in November will be a key to addressing it," he wrote. Posted on the website of Brookings Institute, a Washingtonbased think-tank, Riedel's article, however, said that an independent Kashmir is not in the offing as neither India nor Pakistan would ever accept that outcome. For the US, Riedel said, reducing and resolving the India-Pakistan Cold War before it goes hot is critical to stability in South Asia, isolating the jihadi extremists and preventing a war in South Asia that could go nuclear. -PTI

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Pak reference to J&K unacceptable: Krishna SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India's Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna expressed "genuine disappointment" at what he called the "unacceptable" reference made by Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to Jammu & Kashmir in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept 28. Addressing members of the Asia Society a few hours after Qureshi's UN address, Minister Krishna said, "Pakistan is a country that has enormous and serious challenges confronting it; it's untenable and unsolicited remarks will not divert attention from the multiple problems that Pakistan needs to tackle for the common good of its people and the South Asia region in general. There are floods on one side, and innumerable terrorist encounters right across Pakistan - two days back 100 people were killed in a terrorist attack there - (for Qureshi) to point out to J&K where 100 people were killed in past couple of months is not acceptable."

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna speaking at Asia Society on Sept 28. Pic Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia

Kashmir with grave concern." With reference to recent development in J&K where 100 Kashmiris died in firing by Indian security forces, Qureshi said, "We strongly condemn this brutality. The J&K dispute is about the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Kashmiri people

S M Krishna with Vishakha N. Desai, President and CEO of Asia Society

In his address to the ongoing 65th session of the UNGA, Qureshi said, "The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is about the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Kashmiri people through a free, fair and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices. Pakistan views the prevailing situation in the Indian Occupied

through a free, fair and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices. Pakistan reaffirms its complete solidarity with the Kashmiri people, and urges the international community to persuade India to end its repression in Kashmir." Reacting to those remarks, the Indian foreign minister said India

was a mature democracy where people were protected by their constitutional rights, an independent judiciary and the rule of law whether it was the people of J&K (in the north) or Kerala (in the south). "We have mechanisms in place to deal with situations and unrest in any part of the country whether it is J&K or Kerala, or Gujarat or West Bengal," Krishna said. India, Minister Krishna said, wants cordial relationship with Pakistan, but that those relations were so "complex that it takes a lot of patience and perseverance to pursue this destiny or goal" he said. Talking about his bilateral visit to Islamabad two months ago, Minister Krishna said he did have fruitful and purposeful discussions with his Pakistani counterpart and that although to the outside world nothing concrete may have emerged out of those talks, their ideas did converge on a number of humanitarian issues. "A suggestion was made with the best of intentions that we should take a graduated or step-by-step approach which could take us to an agreement on larger or core issues, but unfortunately that did not happen," Krishna said. The minister said he has invited Qureshi to visit India, which the Pakistan Minister has accepted. "I am looking forward to his visit to take up from where we left off," Krishna said. Earlier in his prepared speech, Minister Krishna said India's relationship with Pakistan has been complicated by the issue of terrorism and the need for Pakistan to take effective action to prevent the territory under its control from being used for terrorism directed against India. "We are determined

to persevere in our dialogue with Pakistan in order to resolve outstanding issues so that our region is stable, and so that the rationale of economic development in an atmosphere of peace, for all of South Asia remains our steadfast goal," he said. India's objectives for peace and stability are challenged by violent extremism and terrorism which find sustenance and sanctuary in its region, he said. "Terrorists have repeatedly sought to undermine our sovereignty, security and economic progress, aided and abetted by forces beyond our borders. Terrorist attacks on our embassy in Kabul and the horren-

Chinese Prime Minister who reportedly said, "Even though we have a huge undecided borderline, it is the most tranquil border that we have with India; and not a single bullet has been fired (at that border)." Stating that those remarks speak for India-China relations, Minister Krishna said there was a mechanism put in place to decide on the border issues. "But these border negotiations are so cumbersome and are so taxing and so time consuming that we will have to have lot of patience before we arrive at a conclusion, but that should not come in the way of pursuing a fruitful relationship,"

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Terrorists have repeatedly sought to undermine our sovereignty, security and economic progress, aided and abetted by forces beyond our borders. Terrorist attacks on our embassy in Kabul and the horrendous Mumbai attacks of November 2008 demonstrated the barbaric face of terrorismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dous Mumbai attacks of November 2008 demonstrated the barbaric face of terrorism. Terror groups implacably opposed to India continue to recruit, train and plot attacks from safe havens across our borders. There is increased infiltration from across the border." Border issues with China Responding later to a question on where India stood on issues of border disputes with its other neighbor, China, Minister Krishna said, "India does not have any expansionist views and we have a good working relationship with China." Referring to the visit of Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao to India recently, Krishna quoted the

Krishna said. Other strategic relations With reference to Russia, Minister Krishna said India's relations with Russia were the key pillar of India's foreign policy and that Russia was a trusted and reliable strategic partner. "Ours is a relationship that not only stands independent of any other, but whose significance has grown over time. Our partnership covers areas such as defense, civil nuclear energy, space, science and technology, hydrocarbons, trade and investment," Krishna said. The Minister also briefly touched upon India's linkages with the ASEAN nations, the African nations, and The India, Brazil, South Africa Forum.

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Antony's visit heightens Indo-US defense cooperation India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The entire gamut of Indo-US bilateral defense cooperation was discussed during the two-day official visit by India's Defense Minister A.K. Antony at the invitation of the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to Washington DC Sept 2628. Minister Antony's visit was part of the intensive ongoing bilateral engagement at high political levels, with a particular focus on defense cooperation. During the visit, Minister Antony held detailed discussions with his US counterpart Gates and reviewed, including the progressively increasing trade in military-technical equipment, service to service exchanges, joint military exercises and collaboration in defense technologies. The Indian Defense Minister expressed satisfaction at the increasing range and depth of defense cooperation and conveyed India's commitment to add even greater substance to the defense partnership in the years ahead. The two principals also exchanged views on the situation in India's neighborhood and noted that the expanding bilateral defense cooperation was in mutual interest. Antony also had separate meetings with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor General James Jones. Upon conclusion of the visit,

Defense Minister A.K Antony with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the State Department in Washington, DC on September 28

Antony expressed the view that such high level interactions had successfully served to develop deeper mutual understanding on defense and security issues of shared interest and played an im-

portant role in the process of unlocking the full potential of defense cooperation in the overall context of the strategic partnership between India and the United States.

Praful Patel did not ask for apology: US WASHINGTON: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel did not ask for an apology when he met US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Montreal on being questioned by immigration authorities for mistaken identity at Chicago airport. "He (Patel) didn't ask for an apology but we did talk about what is needed in both countries to make sure that air travel remains safe," Napolitano told the CNN in an interview. Napolitano met Patel in Montreal on the sidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meet. "Well, I actually met with the minister. We had a good conversation," Napolitano said when asked about Patel's detention at the Chicago airport and whether he was "really grilled". "I think it gives confidence that no one is exempt from screening

or random screening. That's part of the process. Unpredictability is part of the process," she said. "On the other hand, when you have known experts from other

"I think it gives confidence that no one is exempt from screening or random screening. That's part of the process. Unpredictability is part of the process," she said countries, known higher officials from other countries we need to make sure that they can get through the airport smoothly," she

said. Napolitano said global aviation has been much safer after the failed Christmas bombing attack due to the series of security measures taken by the US and other countries. "I think global aviation has been safe. Our goal is to keep it so. And to make sure that we are adapting where we need to in light of the fact that the threat keeps evolving and adapting," the official said. "So, when you have 190 nations of the world in one place reaching a global consensus on not only a set of standards to be achieved but also a set of regional summits that will take place over the next 18 months, and really a commitment to make sure this global aviation system which helps knit us all together remains safe, that's really a historic achievement," she said. .- PTI

Leonardo DiCaprio campaigns to save Indian tiger India Post News Service

from extinction, protect some of the planet's last wild habitats and help sustain the local communi-

NEW YORK: Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, an active supporter of the World Wildlife Fund's Save the Tiger project, met with India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh in New York recently to discuss potential ways for him to help the cause to save the Indian tiger. For Minister Ramesh who was in New York for the UN General Assembly session and has been busy with dozens of bilateral meetings on the sideHollywood actor Leonardo diCaprio met Indian lines, the Save the TiMinister of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh ger event organized at an event of REDD to the "Save Tiger, fight under Reducing Emisagainst Climate Change, the reduction of rural sions From Deforesta- poverty, and the protection of bio-diversity and tion and Forest Degra- natural habitats in developing countries at Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan, NY on dation (REDD) at New Sept 23. (Pics: Mohammed Jaffer-Snapsindia) York's Four Seasons Restaurant was significant as it meant gaining celebrity value for the cause of the Indian tiger. "He (DiCaprio) is very keen to work on tiger conservation. He wants to take on a more visible role. Somebody like him could play an important role in sensitizing the global community to the cause of the Indian tiger," President of Guyana† Bharrat Jagdeo meeting† Ramesh said later of his Jairam Ramesh meeting with the Hollywood A-lister. Earlier this year, before "Incep- ties surrounding them. By protecttion" became his second highest- ing this iconic species, we can grossing movie ever, DiCaprio save so much more." By working with the WWF on traveled to Nepal to see first-hand conservation programs aimed at their "Save Tigers Now" camincreasing the estimated 3,200 ti- paign, the 35-year-old hopes to gers left in the wild worldwide. help raise more than $20 million to "Tigers are endangered and criti- double the tiger population by cal to some of the world's most 2022. DiCaprio is expected to travel important ecosystems," he had said then. "Key conservation ef- to India sometime in the coming forts can save the tiger species months.

Group of REDD speakers included 5 heads of state and†Indian Minister of Environment Jairam Ramesh

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When the chips are down, it is US that will stand by India: Wisner

G.Parthasarthy former Ambassador and High Commissioner to Pakistan,â&#x20AC; speaking at Security Watch India meet at Harvard Club in New York on Sept 24. Pic Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India's external and internal homeland security challenges and needs were the highlight of a conference organized by Security Watch India (SWI), India's only security-centered non-profit organization, at the Harvard Club, New York City on Sept 24. The conference on "Protecting 1.1 Billion People: The Framework and Business Opportunities" was attended by delegates from India who discussed ways in which terror is capable of interrupting and at times thwarting the economic growth in India and provided preventive and reactive solutions. Areas of impact in homeland security as well as business opportunities in security for US companies were also examined.

Former US Ambassador to India, Frank G Wisner said India and the US share common values - their commitment of free market, commitment of rule of law, and commitment of democracy. "India's strength is going to be important to USA," Wisner said. "When the chips are down in the days ahead in Asia, it won't be the UK, France or Russia who will stand by India. It is the US who Frank Wisner, former Ambassador to India, will be the strategic speakingâ&#x20AC; at Security Watch India meet partner." "A police force trained to deal defense secretary of India. "Huwith urban crime is ill-equipped to man resources, training, motivameet the exigencies of jungle war- tion, management techniques and fare," said Ajay Prasad, former technology have to be provided

in a locally relevant context to police to police forces." The Capacity of terrorist organizations to harness financial resources and technology to strike targets needs to be countered, he added. Suhel Seth, brand advisor to Indian Railways and board member of Citibank and Coca Cola in India said, "India is relevant to the US as it is a fast growing economy that provides a market for American goods and services. American technology in homeland security could be very useful for India." Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik, Chief Belief Officer of India's largest retail chain, said: "Western thought is passed off as modern thought. When this reaches foreign shores, it is viewed as a Trojan horse. Therefore, there is no global solution. There are only local solu-

tions." G Parthasarthy, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan, said "Terrorists have realized that they cannot break the composite structure of India. They will therefore increasingly target infrastructure in order to discredit the country." Further, he added "India and the United States have met this challenge by close and enhanced cooperation. We need to widen the horizons of this cooperation to overcome the common challenges we face from those who sponsor terrorism across India's borders." Retired Brigadier Subodh Kaul observed that, "Homeland security has to be as foolproof as possible. The role is more or less as that of a goal keeper; people will not remember the number of brilliant saves that are made but will always remember the ones that got through." Shyam Mehra, former Secretary of Security, Government of India said that as open and pluralistic, multi ethnic and multi cultural societies which value human rights, particularly individual freedoms, both India and the US are highly vulnerable to terrorism and mindless violence. "The events of 9/11 in the US and 26/11 in India mark defining moments with epoch making consequences. Implicit in these attacks is an assault on the larger idea and essence of free societies. Both countries need to work in a common endeavor to meet these challenges," Mehra said. The conference focused not just on keeping the Indian agenda for preparedness in mind but also on how the market for homeland security in India is structured. At the conference, SWI released two reports: "Assessment of India's Internal (Homeland) Security Scenario"; and "Indian Homeland Security Market Assessment".

Delhi LG backs Kalmadi's Olympic dream NEW DELHI: Giving thumbsup to Suresh Kalmadi's farfetched dream of bringing the Olympics to India, Delhi's first citizen Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna has said the facilities for the Commonwealth Games were world-class and at par with Olympics standard. The Lieutenant Governor, who received the Queen's Baton at a function at the Organizing Committee's office here,

echoed Kalmadi and said India was now prepared to bid for the biggest sporting extravaganza on the planet. "The Games Village that we have is the finest ever and is ready to host Olympics or any other multi-discipline world class meet... I am not only saying this... Many foreign delegates during their visit were so impressed with our facility that they have told me that we should bid for Olympics now,"

Khanna said. Talking about the controversies leading up to the Games, he said, "I am not looking into the superficial aspects that have been highlighted in the past. Having seeing the facilities myself, I am giving a thumbs-up to the Commonwealth Games," he said. Khanna, along with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, received the Queen's Baton from Dronacharya awardee Satpal Singh at the func-

tion. Welcoming the Baton, Dixit said, "Happy Commonwealth Games, happy days ahead." Earlier, speaking at the Global Sports Summit, under-fire OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi said, "The biggest legacy (of CWG) is Olympics. Cricket is the most popular sport in our country but it is played by just 10 countries. Olympics has all sports. We have to ensure that Olympics come up.

This is our opportunity and CWG will help." As a matter of fact, India intends to bid for the 2020 Games but the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports Ministry have been at loggerheads on the issue. The Sports Ministry has said it's not aware about India's bid for the Olympic Games and no such effort can go ahead without the government's nod.- PTI

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Face-off between India, Pak delegates at UNGA NEW YORK: In an unusual face-off, Indian and Pakistani diplomats engaged in heated exchanges in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) over Jammu and Kashmir. The sharp exchanges of words started after deputy envoy of Pakistan to UN charged India with sponsoring terrorism in the neighboring countries. This led to Indians attacking Islamabad for raising Kashmir to deflect attention from its internal problems which needed to be addressed for the common good of Pakistanis, and thereby the entire region. The Pakistan side appeared to have come with prepared remarks on many of these contentious issues, while Indians seemed to have been taken off-guard initially and did not offer comments on specific allegations raised by the other side. "The Indian government is well advised to take careful stock of its own polices and conduct that includes supporting terrorist elements in neighboring countries which contributes to the problems facing South Asia," said Amjad

Hussain B Sial, deputy envoy of Pakistan to the UN. "India is also the country which conceived, created and nurtured the most lethal terrorist organization, which introduced suicide bombings in our region.

‘The Indian government is well advised to take careful stock of its own polices and conduct that includes supporting terrorist elements in neighboring countries which contributes to the problems facing South Asia’ Still India has the nerves to give lectures on morality to others," he said in an indirect reference to LTTE. These charges by Islamabad came hours after External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, at the UN,

slammed Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and said it should not impart lessons to New Delhi on democracy and human rights. Reacting sharply to Sial's remarks, Manish Gupta, a diplomat in the Indian Mission to the UN, said "Such unsolicited and untenable remarks will not and indeed, cannot divert attention from the multiple problems Pakistan needs to tackle for the common good of its people, and indeed of the entire region." "Pakistan should seriously concentrate on addressing the enormous challenges confronting it: terrorism, extremism and sectarianism, to name a few and the dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure that exists on territory under its control," Gupta said. The confrontation at the UN happened after more than a week of critical remarks and retaliations from both sides, which scuttled any possibility of an Indo-Pak bilateral on the sidelines of the opening session of the General Assembly. While India and Pakistan have often exchanged barbs at the UN

Musharraf warns of another coup in Pak LONDON: Pakistan may be on the brink of a military coup, the country's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has warned, amidst reports of the powerful army pressing for a shakeup in the nation's civilian setup. Musharraf, who is striving to stage a political comeback, has also demanded that the military in Pakistan should be given a defined role in the constitution, but not given the power to overthrow governments. Musharraf, who toppled the civilian government of Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999, said the current chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani could be forced to intervene against the civilian government led by President Asif Ali Zardari because of rampant corruption and nepotism. The 67-year-old former military ruler made these remarks at a debating forum here and his comments assume significance in the backdrop of media reports of a crisis meeting between Pakistan's Army chief Kayani, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and President Zardari, where media reports said the powerful General had demanded a shake up in the civilian set up. "Well, you see the photographs of the meeting of the General, President and the Prime Minister and I can assure you that they were not discussing the

weather," the former General told a Q&A at the forum. "There was a serious discussion of some kind or the other and certainly at this moment all kinds of pressure must be on this Army chief," Musharraf, who had handpicked Kayani, said. Musharraf recalled that there were similar pressures on him prior to his sacking Nawaz Sharif.

He insisted that the US and its allies should finish the job in Afghanistan, urging them not to negotiate with "moderate Taliban" as the Afghan government is attempting to do with the backing of the US and the NATO "That year Pakistan was going down and a number of politicians, women and men, came to me telling me 'Why are you not acting?'" Musharraf told the forum. According to him, the recipe for Pakistan was to give the Army a constitutional role in governing the nation, which has spent more than half of its independent exist-

ence under the jackboots. "If you want stability in Pakistan, checks and balances in the democratic structure, then the Army ought to have some role," he said. Musharraf claimed that after the 9/11 attacks, his support for US government had made him unpopular in Pakistan and a target for the Pakistani Taliban and other extremists. But he insisted that the US and its allies should finish the job in Afghanistan, urging them not to negotiate with "moderate Taliban" as the Afghan government is attempting to do with the backing of the US and the NATO commander in the country. "There is no moderate Taliban," he said. "Show resolve, the message that ought to go to the Taliban is we will finish you, instead of a message...we have to get our boys back. This is a weak message." Musharraf strongly rebuffed the widespread belief that Pakistan supports the Taliban in Afghanistan saying they were "the ones that tried to kill me". In comments that may anger members of the Pakistan People's Party, he went on to effectively blame Benazir Bhutto for putting herself at risk by standing up through the sunroof of her vehicle. She was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi.- PTI

over the issue of Kashmir and terrorism, several observers noted that the language of this exchange was much stronger than what had been used in nearly a decade. Krishna, in his address at the UN said "Jammu and Kashmir,

‘Free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been regularly held and the people of Jammu and Kashmir have exercised their right to franchise to elect their representatives’ which is an integral part of India, is the target of Pakistan-sponsored militancy and terrorism. Pakistan must fulfill its solemn commitment of not allowing territory under its control to be used for terrorism directed against India."

Referring to the minister's statement, Sial said "The Indian Minister of External Affairs has once again made the self-serving claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Nothing could be far from reality and truth." Sial also pointed out that 700,000 Indian security forces were deployed in Kashmir and described it as "the largest concentration of troops anywhere in the world." "One wonders if such a huge concentration armed with Armed Forces Special Powers Act (is) giving Kashmiris lessons on pluralism and democracy," Sial said. Responding to that, Gupta said "Free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been regularly held and the people of Jammu and Kashmir have exercised their right to franchise to elect their representatives." Pakistan and India responded to each other two times each, with India finally saying, "We reject all untenable and unsolicited remarks from the distinguished delegate of Pakistan." -PTI

Pak accuses India of 'amoral' position on Kashmir ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has we become indifferent and not accused India of adopting an "un- raise our voice against grisly optenable, illegal and amoral" posi- erations and grave violations of tion on the issue of Kashmir and human rights in Jammu and Kashsaid New Delhi should come for- mir," he added. ward for meaningful and resultIn the past few weeks, Pakistan oriented talks aimed at resolving has stepped up its criticism of the decades-old issue. India's handling of protests in Responding to External Affairs Jammu and Kashmir. The Foreign Minister S M Krishna's comments Office has said New Delhi should at the UN General Assembly about review its policy of describing the need for Pakistan to focus on internal concerns like terrorism in- ‘We are surprised that India, stead of imparting les- instead of resolving the longsons on democracy and standing Jammu and Kashmir human rights to India, dispute in accordance with Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said the aspirations of Kashmiris, is India should take steps not ready to dispense with its to resolve the Kashmir untenable, illegal and amoral issue. position on Kashmir’ Basit told a weekly news briefing that Pakistan found Krishna's suggestions Jammu and Kashmir as an integral "strange, to put it mildly". part of India and give up efforts to "We are surprised that India, find a solution to the Kashmir isinstead of resolving the long- sue within the Indian constitution. standing Jammu and Kashmir disBasit noted that Foreign Minpute in accordance with the rel- ister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had evant UN resolutions and aspira- said that Pakistan wants to engage tions of Kashmiris, is not ready to with India in a sustained, resultdispense with its untenable, ille- oriented and meaningful dialogue gal and amoral position on Kash- process. mir," he said. "Pakistan is ready to proceed "No doubt Pakistan is facing with this dialogue but obviously domestic difficulties and so is In- we are not interested in photo dia. But that does not mean that ops. - PTI

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PM, Sonia launch 'Aadhaar', the Unique ID project TEMBHLI: The world's first ID project where biometric data is used to provide unique identification numbers for India's billionplus citizens rolled out today with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi handing over the first set of 12-digit numbers to 10 tribals. The country's most tech savvy initiative called 'Aadhaar'(base) to provide the unique ID cards was hailed by Singh and Gandhi at the launch function as a "historic step" to provide identity to every Indian citizen and make delivery processes transparent. Biometric-based data including from fingerprints and an iris scan is being used for the first time anywhere in the world to provide a cost-effective nationally valid and verifiable single source of identity proof through an

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launches the Aadhaar Number under Unique Identification Authority of India, at Tembhli village, Nandurbar, Maharashtra on September 29. Governor of Maharashtra K. Sankaranarayanan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan and the Chairperson, National Advisory Council, Sonia Gandhi are also seen.

†A group of applicants and 0rganizers with Indian consulate officials

authentification infrastructure "Nowhere in the world, technology has been used in such a big way. I hope every citizen will get this number very soon," Singh said kick starting the multi-billion project in the backward Tembhli tribal hamlet in western Maharashtra, about 300 km from Mumbai. Singh also said the rolling out of the unique numbers displayed a symbol of a new and modern India. "We are moving fast in the field of technology." He said the issuing of unique identity cards is a beginning of a big effort for the welfare of the common man. "The poor did not have any identity proof. Due to this short-

coming, they could not open bank accounts or get ration cards. They could not avail the benefits of government welfare programs because of this and many times, these benefits were pocketed by others," Singh said. The 'Aadhaar' number will be for lifetime and can be used anywhere in the country, the Prime Minister said, adding the project will help in National Integration. "I hope that soon every Indian will have a Aadhaar number," he said. Gandhi said "The project launched from this village today, will reach over a billion people and is a historic step." "Our goal is not only development but inclusive growth," she said. Late Rajiv Gandhi dreamt of a 21st century India where Information technology will improve life of 'aam aadmi', she said, adding that Tembhli village is a symbol of "Rajiv's vision". "We are using technology to better our lives. It can make the system transparent and ensure speedy delivery of resources to the needy without any malpractice," she said. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chief Nandan Nilekeni, the former cochairman of Information Technology major Infosys, was also present at the function. UIDA said the government plans to give every Indian a number in the coming years after they submit their personal details, including fingerprints, an iris scan and photograph, to a vast Internet database.-PTI

OCI camp at Swaminarayana Temple a great success Kasab case, HC says daily MITUL RAO

CHICAGO: An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) camp organized by Chicago Indian Consulate and Bharatiya Senior Citizens Group at Itasca Swaminarayayan temple recently turned out to be a huge success, judging by the response from members of Indian community at large. In all about 420 applications for OCI were received while closet to 400 renunciation of old passports were processed. Jitendra Patel, a member of Director of BSC Group, said that the success could be attributed to nice arrangement made at the temple by its management led by Jagdish Patel. He said that "we are also thankful to Indian Consulate team besides Ghanshyambhai (Mota Bhagat), Vishunubhai who served food to our members. Our special thanks are to Dhirubhai Bhungalia and

hearing from Oct 18

Indian†Consul Vishwas Rao welcoming†an†applicant†at OCI meet

timely help by youth volunteers of the temple who solved the crowding problem by issuing token numbers to the waiting applicants and helping all to get seated in the chairs for smooth flow of

processing the applications." Spurred by the success, Indian Consulate is considering holding similar camps at different places in Chiicagoland, it is learnt from Consulate sources.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court today made it clear that it would hear on a day-to-day basis from October 18, the matter pertaining to confirmation of death penalty imposed on Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab for his role in 26/11 attacks. "We shall give this matter a top priority and shall not hear any other case from October 18 till this matter is finally heard and disposed of," said Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R V More. The bench asked Government Counsel Ujjwal Nikam and Kasab's lawyer Amin Solkar to ensure that they remain present and do not seek adjournments. "We want to finish off this case as early as possible... so please cooperate," the judges

told the lawyers. Kasab has also filed an appeal challenging death sentence imposed on him. The state too has filed an appeal against the trial court's verdict acquitting Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed on the ground that evidence against them was "doubtful". These two appeals would also be heard by the High Court along with the matter regarding confirmation of death sentence awarded to Kasab. The Court has ordered that Kasab need not remain present and can appear through video conference in view of the threat perception to him. Accordingly, it has asked the state to make arrangements for this facility at both ends -- in the Court and in jail where Kasab is lodged. -PTI

October 8, 2010

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UNGA meetings

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna along with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Ambassador Puri at them UNGA Hall on Sept 29. All pics Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia

Dr. Dipu Moni††Bangladeshís Foreign Minister arriving for the SAARC meeting

S M.Krishna (R) with Brazil Foreign Minister (2nd left) Guido Westerwelle, German Foreign Minister (left) and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara (2nd right) at G4 summit at Japanese Mission in NY on Sept 24

Japan Environment†Minister Matsumoto with Jairam Ramesh at United Nations United Kingdom Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman with Jairam Ramesh

SAARC†Countries †Ministers met†at a restaurant in†front of United Nations on 28 Sept†(Left to right) Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rasool, Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering, Nepal Home Minister Bhim Rawal, External Affairs S.M. MInister Krishna, Secretary General of SAARC, Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma, Foreign Minister of Maldive Dr Ahmad Rasheed, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pakistanís ambassador to the United Nations, Srilanksës Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague meeting External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna at a reception held at PMI in NY on Sept 24

Desi News INOC launches Kerala chapter India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Members and supporters of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) gathered in Long Island, New York last month to inaugurate the Kerala chapter and induct its first president, Varughese Kalathil. This is INOC's 15 chapter in the US. On the occasion, Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian ambassador to the United Nations said that despite his role as a non-partisan civil servant, he was pleased to participate in the function given the crucial role that the Congress Party played in the freedom struggle.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

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Dr Ami Bera’s campaign gains incredible momentum

October 8, 2010

Details on page 21

Direct Chicago-India flight from Oct 31 announced SURENDRA ULLAL

Details on page 16

Nargis Foundation commits $150,000 to Indore charity India Post News Service

OFBJP protests CBI ‘harassment of Modi’ India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Nearly 200 members and supporters of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) staged a noisy protest Sept 26, near the Indian Consulate in New York to protest against harassment of Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The protesters who came in buses from New Jersey and surrounding areas, carried placards saying "Stop Harassing Narendra Modi", Stop Misuse of CBI", "CBI is Congress Bureau of intimidation and investigation" and such. Details on page 19

Travel agents and guests at Air India meet in Schaumburg

CHICAGO: Jude Castro, regional Manager of Air India, has announced that commencing from October 31, Air India would operate a daily non-stop service from Chicago. Addressing a meet of ethnic media and leading travel agents at Gaylord India Restaurant in Schaumburg, a north side Chicago suburb, he said that the latest Boeing 777 aircraft would fly between O'Hare, Terminal 5, which is one of the latest and most modern airport buildings in the US and the newly established state of the art Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi From the coming winter schedule, he said Air India had pulled out all stops between USA/ Canada and India. There would be, he added, daily non-stop flights from New York (JFK and Newark), Chicago and Toronto. These flights would fly non-stop from New Delhi with immediate connections to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Amritsar and

many other cities, while the daily flight from/to New York (Newark Liberty International Airport) will operate non-stop to/from Mumbai with immediate connections to Ahmedabad and other cities. This is yet another positive

Air India Chief in Chicago Jude Crasto (center)

connecting flights for departures and arrivals. The new schedule offers reduced travel time and will stimulate business and leisure markets of India and the USA. From Chicago, Castro pointed out that the flights depart at 3:45 pm (2:45 pm

From the coming winter schedule, he said Air India had pulled out all stops between USA/ Canada and India. There would be, he added, daily non-stop flights from New York (JFK and Newark), Chicago and Toronto step by Air India to facilitate travel between the world's two largest democracies. All flights have convenient departure and arrival times and offer immediate connecting flights to all major destinations in India. Similarly, departure from the North American gateways allows passengers traveling from interior cities many

in winter) and arrive at the convenient time of 5:00 pm into New Delhi. Using the connecting flights at T3, passengers can reach most major destinations the same day. New connections, he added, were offered to Kolkata and Amritsar; while passengers to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore,

Chennai and Kochi would have only one stop to reach their destinations. All connections offer the facility to clear Customs and Immigration formalities at destinations. A daily arrival at 7:00 am (6:00 am in winter) into Chicago should make it extremely convenient for passengers getting connecting flight to interior cities in USA. New fleet of the latest Boeing 777 aircraft offers lie-flat seats in both First and Executive classes facilitating passengers to reach their destinations comfortably. In every class each seat offers a wider pitch personal television screen. In-flight entertainment includes latest English as well as Hindi and other popular Indian regional languages. The in-flight award winning gourmet cuisine consists of a fine selection of spirits and beverages and the passengers are offered a choice depending on religious, dietary or special requirements. Cont’d on page 22

October 8, 2010

Community Across America

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Hobson's Choice before FIA - 'resolve or dissolve' RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

Sunil Shah

CHICAGO: The faction ridden ethnic Indian umbrella organization, the Federation of Indian Associations Illinois, is facing prospects of dissolution. The Circuit Court of Cook County Judge Peter Flynn has reportedly warned rival factions headed by Sunny Gabhawala and Sunil Shah to "resolve" their dispute concerning membership eligibility and election process within a month or he will have no option but to "dissolve" this nearly three decades old organization. The judge Peter Flynn earlier on July 23 had declared the FIA elections held in December 2009 invalid ruling that they were not conducted in accordance with the articles of the incorporation and bylaws of the organization, but still wanted both the parties to amicably resolve their dispute in two months time ending September 24. Efforts to end the dispute that essentially centered on the eligibility and qualification of the FIA membership failed and this seems to have induced the Judge to give the parties a last chance to sort out their differences and strike a compromised formula for new elections for holding fresh elections. The Judge has reportedly given a month's notice for resolution of the dispute or face dissolution. Sunny Gabhawla, the December 2009 election President, said that it would be a

sad day for the Indian community to witness a demise of their umbrella organization that has been rendering yeomen services to its members and the community at large over three decades. "We have tried to overcome this intra-organizational problem bilaterally as well as thru good offices of a

eligible. The FIA should be ridden of bogus and paper organizations for really achieving the objectives that the founders had set for it, he said. This is not the first time, he added, that the vested interests wanted to control this august body by hook or crook, and the time has arrived to put an

Efforts to end the dispute that essentially centered on the eligibility and qualification of the FIA membership failed and this seems to have induced the Judge to give the parties a last chance to sort out their differences and strike a compromised formula for holding fresh elections Sunny Gabhawala

couple of community leaders, but with no avail. We are ready even today for settling this dispute thru mediation by third party. Hope wiser counsels prevail all over," he said. Sunil Shah who has successfully challenged the December 2009 elections said that the core of the dispute is voting by members who were not technically qualified or

end to this type of member manipulation, he added. Well meaning community leaders like Dr Bharat Barai, Niranjan Shah, Mafat Patel, Balwinder Singh among others are willing to use their good offices to resolve this problem for the overall well being of the organization and the community.

Denigrating Hindu deities needs to stop SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Once again, a very sensitive issue for the Hindus across the world surfaced with the production-planning of a religious movie called, Maa Durga, Maa Kaali, by a young aspiring producer after a controversy on the similar issue that had hurt their sensibilities because of a similar action by Ismail Merchant in 2004. Usually the so called liberal and secular Hindus are silent showing their acquiescence, but a large section of spiritually-oriented Hindus led by Avi Verma, a devotee of Ma Durga, have expressed their outrage. Avi Verma is active in the community in celebrating and educating Hindus immigrants and Non-Resident Indians in the USA, especially in Chicago land. In a talk with India Post during a function to worship Ma Durga at Radhey Shyam Temple, Bloomingdale, a suburb of Chicago, he expressed his outrage. As an average tolerant Hindu, he said he did not have any thing against the Star, excepting that for a pious Hindu it is hard to see Rock Star, as Mother Kali. She is worshipped and adored across India and wherever Hindus settled across the world, perhaps more than any other deity in Hindu pantheon. Just for a moment one may dis-

bilities as a popular Rock-star is slated to perform the role of Mother Kali. It has especially hurt the Hindus, because Shakira has been known to have performed in numerous Hollywood films in manners offensive to Hindu moral and spiritual values," Avi Verma said. However he admitted that he meant no disrespect to Shakira, the

Avi Verma praying before idol of Goddess Durga

regard this spiritual dimension of the Mother. But historically, Mother Goddess in different cultural perspective was the most ancient deity who was worshipped and prayed in all most the entire ancient, pre-historic and historic world, including Mesopotamia and Egypt, especially India. From Kashmir to Kerala, Punjab,

Rajasthan and Assam to Gujarat if there is one common denominator of India's spiritual unity, that is the devotion of the people to the Mother. That is India's heritage and a Hindu characteristic strongly ingrained in their psyche. "It may sound like a biased view expressed by the Hindus. Yet it is undeniably, irking their sensi-

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It has especially hurt the Hindus, because Shakira has been known to have performed in numerous Hollywood films in manners offensive to Hindu moral and spiritual values,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Avi Verma said people of the west and other cultures, whose cultural attitude differs from his own. He clarified that he was merely voicing his concern as the producer was a born Hindu and hails from the historic city of Allahabad, the land where sacred rivers Ganga, Jamuna and

Saraswati that has since been dried up due to natural cataclysm are continuing to flow. Every 12 years Hindus across the world gather on the banks of these rivers to take a sacred ablution from time immemorial. "I do not say that I objected to this because the movie is produced by a Hindu and the principal role is played by a Star, who is immersed in Western culture. It would have been ideal if the image of the star were in consonance with the character she would play. Gandhi movie is an excellent example of bringing to the silver screed personality of a great leader and spiritual icon.'' "Mother Kali symbolizes a divine motherly figure and victory of good over evil. We take honor in praying to her with great devotion. In spite of the fact that the controversial movie is a commercial venture, the producer could have easily emulated the example of the film Gandhi and many other films on the life of Christ, Moses, Guru Nanak Dev, etc. Maa Durga is worshipped in the form of Kanjak or Kanya in Sanskrit, meaning a symbol of purity Devout Hindus all over the world not want to see a pop star posing as Maa Durga.

Community Across America

India Post

October 8, 2010

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INOC launches Kerala chapter India Post News Service

Kalathil Varughese in his acceptance speech promised to do his utmost to motivate the Kerala community's support of the INOC goals and objectives

Mahatma Gandhi Health and Peace Walk in NYC India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Hundreds of people from New York and some from overseas are expected to gather in the Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, Manhattan on Oct 2, for a free and unique public health initiative - the Mahatma Gandhi Health and Peace Walk - that uses Mahatma Gandhi's words and example of walking regularly to maintain one's health and address the growing worldwide problem of non-communicable diseases. An initiative of the Arise India Foundation, the Mahatma Gandhi Health and Peace Walk is supported by the Permanent Mission

On the occasion, Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian ambassador to the United Nations said that despite his role as a non-partisan civil servant, he was pleased to participate in the function given the crucial role that the Congress Party played in the freedom struggle.

gets negatively. The Walk is based on the conviction that there is a need to return to economical and proactive public policy responses that emphasize popular participation, self-help, simplicity and sustainability as exemplified in Gandhi's life, he says. While Mahatma Gandhi's seminal message of peace and non-violence is universally known, few know that he also had a habit of walking to maintain his health. In his autobiography - The story of my experiments with truth - he records his liking for long walks as a student. Nothing deterred him from regular walks, not even the blazing Indian sun. "A man should

The creator of this campaign, Rahul Sur, says the Walk is designed to utilize the life The ambassador further encouraged members of the community to continue to practice their rich civic heritage in the United States. Other distinguished speakers included New York State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, who expressed confidence in the community's choice of Varughese as the first president of the Kerala chapter. As a former student of history,

DiNapoli said he valued the importance of ethnic communities that enrich the cultural and democratic fabric of New York. Nassau County Police Commissioner, Lawrence Mulvey stated that the diversity and safety of Nassau County was what truly made it a unique place to live. INOC President Dr. Surinder Malhotra appreciated the participation that Malayalees brought to the

long history of INOC. He recognized the tireless efforts of INOC Executive General Secretary George Abraham in forming of the Kerala Chapter over the past 3 years. Kalathil Varughese in his acceptance speech promised to do his utmost to motivate the Kerala community's support of the INOC goals and objectives. He exhorted the committee to move forward in unity, promoting democracy and secularism in India through continued close cooperation between two great democracies: India and the USA. George Abraham explained the structure, goals and objectives of the newly created Kerala Chapter that will have an Executive Committee and a National Advisory Committee. These bodies will have focal points from across the country who will be encouraged to plant new units of the Kerala Chapter in their respective States.

of a towering historical personality to address health conditions that can prevent individuals from the full enjoyment of life Mahatma Gandhi

of India to the United Nations, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) which is the regional arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Permanent Secretariat of the World Secretariat of Nobel Peace Laureates among several other organizations. The creator of this campaign, Rahul Sur, says the Walk is designed to utilize the life of a towering historical personality to address health conditions that can prevent individuals from the full enjoyment of life and simultaneously impact government bud-

be able to walk 10 to 12 miles a day and perform ordinary physical labor without getting tired", was one of Mahatma Gandhi's notable and relevant quotations. Innovatively finding inspiration from Gandhi's words, "My life is my message," the Mahatma Gandhi Health and Peace Walk seeks to inspire people to follow his example and walk everyday to enhance their wellness, fight heart disease and diabetes. Consequently, the slogan of the Walk is, "In His Footsteps, For our Health." Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 38

Community Across America

October 8, 2010

India Post 17

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Nargis Dutt Foundation commits $150,000 to Indore charity India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation, a New York based non-profit organization, held its 29th Annual Benefit Gala Sept 26 at the Long Island Marriott Hotel, with Priya Dutt, daughter of Sunil and Nargis Dutt and a Member of Parliament in India, gracing the occasion. A glittering fashion show by famous Indian designer Sagar Mehra was the highlight of the evening. This year, NDMF has committed to fund over $150,000 to the Indore Cancer Foundation Charitable Trust in India. The Indore Cancer Foundation was created in 1988 through the efforts of the late Sunil Dutt and the renowned Dr. Jatin P. Shah of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. Over the past 29 years, the New York chapter of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation has provided financial support for over 50 projects. Numerous hospitals have received equipment for the detection of cancer and

Honerees and the executive members of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation in NY along with Chair Priya Dutt

January 2010. This year, the NDMF funds are being deployed for the purchase of much needed radiation equipment for the early detection and treatment of underprivileged cancer patients at the Indore Cancer Foundation Charitable Trust. Among the dignitaries who attended the gala were Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Dr. Digpal Dharkar of the Indore Cancer Foundation, US Congressman Peter King, Nassau

Tribute to Nargis Dutt during Memorial Foundation meet in NY along with Chair Priya Dutt

dia. Sunil Dutt had in his lifetime, undertaken several projects in India, contributing toward the development of medical centers in the Indian Sub Continent. The foundation has donated equipment and enabled advanced training in the USA for Indian physicians for treatment of cancer. Today the foundation has over 20 chapters around the globe which contribute toward the objective of the foundation.

Over the past 29 years, the New York chapter of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation has provided financial support for over 50 projects Priya Dutt

Models displaying the dresses of Designer Sagar Mehra during Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation Gala in NY on Sept 26th. (pics Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia)

treatment of needy patients. Funding has been provided for the education of medical professionals. Recently, NDMF has also contributed to relief efforts of natural disasters, such as the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, as well as the horrific earthquake in Haiti in

County Executive Edward Mangano and Dr. Jatin P. Shah. Distinguished members of the community who were honored at this year's event were. Shashi Anand, Maninder Singh Sethi, Harry Singh, Jas K. Ghura, Harry Arora and Dr. Jeremy Boal.

"As one of the oldest nonprofit organizations in the United States working for the awareness, prevention, and treatment of cancer in India, we are honored to support the efforts of the Indore Cancer Foundation", said Inder Bindra, Chairperson of the Governing Body of NDMF. "We thank our honorees, sponsors, and benefactors for their continued generosity toward this worthy cause." The Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation, founded in 1981, is a charitable organization run by a board of trustees including actor Sanjay Dutt, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt. With the help of dedicated friends and non-resident Indians, the New York Chapter of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation raised funds to assist with the treatment of cancer in In-

Community Across America

India Post

October 8, 2010

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Forum discusses bias issues Univ of Iowa offers Rural India study program facing community India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Nearly 100 South Asian community members as well as local elected officials and government agency representatives participated in a community forum, "Working Together to Strengthen Communities", in Old Bridge, New Jersey. The focus of the event was to provide a space for community members to discuss issues surrounding bias and hate crimes and to collectively identify methods to ensure the community's safety, particularly in view of the recent killing of Indian American technocrat Dr. Divyendu Sinha, who was a resident of Old Bridge. "As a community of color, South Asians are often targeted for hate crimes and harassment based upon their race, ethnicity, and religion. Within the South Asian community in Old Bridge, in recent weeks, there have been increased concerns surrounding bias. This forum was an opportunity for community members to collectively identify actions that individuals, organizations, and the government can take to protect the community," said Navneet Bhalla, New Jersey Policy and Outreach Coordinator of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT). Participants at the event received information about what to do if they are affected by a hate crime or bias incident, New Jersey laws governing such occurrences, and resources to turn to for assistance. The importance of reporting incidents to law enforcement and organizations assisting the

South Asian community was underscored. Through interactive discussions, participants also actively identified and provided concrete recommendations to stakeholders present in terms of how to collaboratively address hate crimes and bias. The event was organized by SAALT, the Citizens of Old Bridge (COBNJ), and the US Department of Justice Community Relations Service in collaboration with a broad array of local ally organizations and government

Participants at the event received information about what to do if they are affected by a hate crime or bias incident, New Jersey laws governing such occurrences, and resources to turn to for assistance entities. "This event is a great example of what a small group of determined people can achieve working in collaboration with other groups," said Suresh Kumar of the Citizens of Old Bridge. The forum was also co-sponsored by: Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Indian American Defense League; Legal Services of New Jersey; Manavi; South Asian Bar Association - New Jersey; The Sikh Coalition as well as local government entities.

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The University of Iowa is offering a unique three-week study program again this winter - India Winterim - which involves visits to Rural India. The states covered include Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. The program utilizes the best of cultural immersion and tourism concepts to enable participants learn directly from and interact with leading social entrepreneurs, environmental and non-profit organizations and academic institutions within the cultural, socio-economic, and geographical diversity that is India. The leading Indian collaborators that the University works with the program employ a variety of approaches to address social and environmental problems such as poverty, access to health care, rural development, and conservation. The diverse group of students and participants from geography to public health and business to social work observe learn, and collaborate with these groups to develop new perspectives on pressing global challenges and methods being used to address them. Over the last four years, Professor R. Rajagopal has orchestrated this collaborative program between the University of Iowa and several highly successful research and non-profit organizations across India. He has taken a number of students from Iowa University for a 3-week structured program to learn about Rural India.

During January 2010, he took 105 participants (mostly US students, with a few students of Indian origin in the US, and also three NRIs) and 15 Iowa faculty with majors spread across a variety of subjects. In India, the group was joined by over 90 participants from the various partner NGOs that students/participants from any university in the world (including the US and India), NRIs, PIOs, OCIs, interested Americans, interested Indians, and any others could benefit from these courses. Participants can take these courses for credit or for audit (non-credit). Course descriptions and other information including the program's various Indian partners and hosts is available at: www.uiowa.edu

Grand Medstar get together for associates and clients Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Medstar Laboratories that goes extra mile for their clients and patrons, recently organized a grand party honoring their business associates and numerous supporters at its headquarters in Hillside. Hundreds of guests pulled in to the state of the art facility and they had a pleasant surprise in

Patel family upholds the fact that everyone is equally important at Medstar, and every step of the process is very crucial to overall operation". He continued by saying, "the single mantra of the company is that good quality is remembered long while the price charged is forgotten". CEO Naren Patel elaborated on the values of Medstar by saying, "We strive for continuous im-

Numerous prominent medical providers and healthcare officials gave brief remarks conveying their satisfaction with the company's excellent services, commending its community commitment, and applauded Naren Patel store for an extraordinary night full of delicious cuisine, decadent hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, live jazz entertainment, valet parking, dancing, red carpet treatment and more. Beena Patel was the Master of Ceremonies for the night, which began with remarks from Dr. Yash Amin, Director of Drug Compliance. Dr. Amin spoke fondly of the governing family of Medstar Laboratories, saying that, "the

provement, believing that competence, reliability, rigorous adherence, and discipline are the keys to excellence". Numerous prominent medical providers and healthcare officials gave brief remarks conveying their satisfaction with the company's excellent services, commending its community commitment, and applauded Naren Patel and his sons Neal and Raj, who have been in-

From L to R: Naren Patel, Sumitra Patel, Dr. Yash Amin, Dr. Robert Schaffer, Raj Patel, Nisha Patel, Dan Angarola, Neal Patel, Sonal Patel -Pics Asian Media USA

strumental to the company. Medstar had a humble start as is with many other business enterprises when the Patel family took over the lab in 2001. The company served 50 clinics but with the hard work, innovation and integ-

rity the number grew and has now bloomed to over 700 clinics in the Midwest region. It was one of the first companies to share test results via secure Internet systems, which made communication with healthcare providers more efficient

and less time consuming. The Hillside location is over 24,000 square feet and resides in a brand new building. The lab has 220 employees: 120 phlebotomists, 3 physicians, and 100 clerical and administrative positions.

October 8, 2010

Community Across America www.indiapost.com

OFBJP protests against ‘CBI harassment of Modi’

OFBJP protest against CBI near Consulate India Post News Service

using CBI to malign him and tarnish his image in the eyes of public," she proclaimed. Later, in a memorandum addressed to the President of India, submitted to the Indian Consulate, the OFBJP said, "We want to bring to your notice that CBI is selectively used by UPA government against its political opponents. We believe that CBI should not be politicized and must not work as 'Congress Bureau of Investigation'." The misuse of CBI is also highlighted by revelations by Gita Johri, an IPS officer, who told the news media in India that an investigating officer of the CBI was pressurizing her to give statement against Modi. The arrest of Amit Shah, an exMinster of State of Home Affairs, should also be seen in this light,

Sikh American on White House Commission

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Amardeep Singh, the Sikh Coalition's co-founder and Director of Programs, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). The Sikh Coalition believes this is the first appointment of a Sikh American to such a post. "Our nation will be well-served

by the skill and dedication these men and women bring to their new roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead," President Obama said in a news release issued by the White House. Mr. Singh began his service on Sept 28, when he was sworn into office along with 16 fellow Commissioners by Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal. Cont’d on page 22

the OFBJP said. "The BJP government under leadership of Narendra Modi is doing great work under every development index," the memorandum said. The memo further cited that reputed magazine India Today has consistently ranked Modi as the best chief Minster in its annual rankings for several years in a row. "The popularity of Narendra Modi is regularly demonstrated in every election including, parliamentary, assembly and local bodies. The popularity of Modi is increasing day by day. He has nation wide popularity. We suspect that intention of UPA government is malicious and wants to defame Shri Modi," the memo said. The memorandum was signed by Dr. Rajesh Shukla, Dr. Sudhakar Reddy, Dr. C. B. Singh, Mohinder Singh Gulati, Narain Kataria and Bhavesh Dave. The OFBJP urged the President to instruct the UPA government to allow CBI to work independently without any political interference.

India Post 19

Timeshare owners warned of reselling scam SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Many Indian Americans owning timeshare facilities at holiday resorts and other locations are urged to be wary of scammers while trying to sell their vacation time shares. The office of the Illinois Attorney General warned Illinois residents to be on the alert for scam artists preying on owners of vacation timeshares. The scammers are posing as timeshare resellers to deceive consumers out of thousands of dollars. The con artists typically contact the owners by phone and claim they've found a buyer for their timeshare. Often the fake reseller provides the owners with legallooking documents to make the potential sale seem real. If the owners express interest, the scammer tells them they must pay a refundable security deposit or fee to ensure that the sale goes through, and instructs them to wire money to an out-of-state bank account. As soon as the owners wire the money as directed, they've fallen victim to the scam. In most cases, by the time the owners realize they've been defrauded, the con artists have closed out their bank account, disconnected their phones and disappeared. Victims filing complaints with

the Attorney General's Office have reported wiring as much as $5,000 to the scammers. In some versions of the scam, the con artists tell the owners they've found potential renters for their timeshare. In others, a person posing as a prospective buyer makes the initial call and urges the timeshare owners to contact the fake reseller immediately to complete the sale. Also, in some instances, the owners are asked to charge the security deposit to their credit card rather than transferring the money by wire. Many scammers briefly rent a P.O. Box or office suite as a business address, and in some cases create Web sites to trick consumers into believing they are legitimate. The Attorney's office has received dozens of complaints since January from timeshare owners targeted by the scammers. Attorney General Madigan cautioned that consumers should never assume they will recoup their purchase price for their timeshare, especially if they have owned it for less than five years and the location is less than wellknown. For more information contact the Illinois Attorney General's office Consumer Fraud Hotline: Chicago 1-800-386-5438

Community Across America

India Post

October 8, 2010

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Sikh harassed, barred from wearing turban

Driver safety and yoga programs MOHAMMED GHOUSE

India Post News Service

BOSTON, MA: The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against AutoZone, Inc., a national automobile parts store, for discriminating against a Sikh employee. The Sikh Coalition filed a discrimination complaint on behalf of the Sikh employee -- Frank Mahoney Burroughs -- which led to the government's lawsuit. The Coalition will continue to represent the employee in the federal lawsuit. The EEOC lawsuit states that AutoZone violated federal law by verbally insulting and humiliating the employee after he adopted Sikhism, by refusing to let him wear a turban, and by firing him after he complained about the discrimination. For example, a manager asked Mahoney Burroughs if he was a terrorist and had joined Al-Qaeda and whether he intended to blow up the store. In addition, AutoZone failed to intervene when customers referred to Mahoney Burroughs as "Bin Laden" and made terrorist jokes. This lawsuit makes clear that the federal government is taking employment discrimination

against the Sikh community seriously. The government only files lawsuits in less than half of one

A manager asked Mahoney Burroughs if he was a terrorist and had joined Al-Qaeda and whether he intended to blow up the store percent of all cases brought to its attention. "We are thankful for the EEOC's lawsuit," said Sandeep Kaur, staff

attorney, Sikh Coalition. "I hope this lawsuit makes it clear that the Sikh community will not allow Sikhs to be harassed in the workplace. We will file complaints, partner with government agencies, and hold employers accountable in court when necessary. We will fight to ensure that Sikh Americans enjoy equal employment opportunity." Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., the director of the EEOC's New York District Office, which has jurisdiction over Massachusetts, said, "Employers are obligated to accommodate the religious beliefs of employees unless the accommodation poses an undue hardship. The EEOC will continue to take swift action to protect employees from religious discrimination."

Sikh culture and spirit at the State Capitol KANWAL PRAKASH SINGH

Hoosier Sikhs at Indianapolis State House

INDIANAPOLIS: A Friendship Lunch and faith presentation, a Bhangra Dance, fun and fellowship rich in culture and Punjabi tradition took place at the Indiana State House in Indianapolis on September 16. Probably this was the first such gathering of first Punjabi Bhangra folkdance performance in the prestigious halls of any State House in the nation. From the perspective of the Indiana Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives (IOFBCI) and Indiana Humanities Council (IHC), the two principal partners of this timely and meaningful series: "Learning about

Indiana's Faith Communities," the Event was a great success. For the members of the Sikh Educational & Cultural Society of Indianapolis, the hosts of this Friendship Lunch and Sikh presentation in the North Atrium of the Indiana State House, it was a landmark triumph. About 150 people, nearly half of them Hoosier Sikh Americans in their traditional Sikh turbans and ethnic Punjabi dresses, community leaders, and dignitaries networked with each other. In recent decades, we have seen increasing change in the spiritual landscape in Indiana with the arrival of Sikhs, Buddhists,

Hindus, Muslims, Baha'is, African traditions, and others added to the richness of long standing Jewish, Christian denominations, and Native American faith traditions. Hoosier Sikh Americans were the first to lead the series on Indiana's faith diversity and inspire a multi-textured framework for the presentations and introductions of faith communities that today form the rich spiritual and cultural fabric of Indiana. In his remarks, Mr. Issac Randolph, Executive Director IOFBCI, said, "This Friendship Luncheon is the beginning of a series of events that we hope will foster understanding and appreciation of our various religious communities in Indiana and that this series is all about learning and understanding, mutual respect, equality, and justice." Similar sentiments and a warm welcome was extended to the audience by Douglas Hairston, special representative of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, Ms. Rosemary Dorsa, Chairperson of the Board of IHC, and State Representative Cindy Noe; about the importance of learning about our shared humanity, mainstreaming our heritage, experiences, dreams; working together to build Indiana's bright future.

CHICAGO : Chicago-based driver's safety and yoga program instructor Om Johari will be conducting classes and holding seminars on subjects ranging from Driver's safety to Laughter and Yoga at different centers in Chicago land for the month ending October 27. Details : Sat. Oct. 9 - Rolling Meadows Senior Center:.9:30 am to 1:30 pm AARP Driver Safety Program Class (second session of class started on Oct. 2,) Mon. Oct. 11 - Niles Senior Center: 10:45 am - Laughter Club (registration required, a small fee; contact: 847-588-8420) Mon. Oct. 11 - Niles Senior Center: 11:30 am to 1 pm - Meditation (registration required, a small fee; contact: 847-588-8420) Mon. Oct. 11 - Arlington Heights Senior Center: 2:15 pm - Laughter

Club (registration required, FREE; contact: 847-253-5532) Mon. Oct. 11 - Arlington Heights Senior Center: 3-4:30 pm Meditation (registration required, FREE; contact: 847-253-5532) Mon.Oct. 11 - Elk Grove Village Park District (at Rain Bow Falls Community Center):: 7-8:30 pm M e d i t a t i o n Experience(registration required, FREE; contact: 847-437-9494; Barcode 68221) Wed. Oct. 13 - Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling: 1 - 2 pm - Lunchtime Meditation (FREE, registration NOT needed, contact: 847-459-4100) Fri. Oct. 15 and Fri. Oct. 22 - Elk Grove Village Senior Center: 12:30 to 4:30 pm each day - AARP Driver Safety ProgramClass (registration required, FEE, must attend both classes to receive certificate; contact: 847-364-7224)

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sikh genocide' issue raised with Obama India Post News Service

n the wake of President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to In dia in November during which he will also visit Golden Temple, a delegation of "Sikhs for Justice", a human rights advocacy group met President Barack Obama on September 20 in Philadelphia to apprise him about the "Sikh Genocide". The Sikhs for Justice delegation requested President Obama to raise the issue of "Genocide" and continued denial of justice to the victims, with the Indian Government during his upcoming visit to India. During the meeting, Dr. Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, Coordinator of Sikhs for Justice, briefed the President with details about the systematic killing of Sikhs in India focusing on November 1984 when more than 30000 Sikhs were murdered throughout India in just three days; continued denial of justice to the victims of November 1984; and policy of impunity openly practiced by Indian Government towards the killers of Sikhs.

President Obama with SFJ Coordinator Dr Bakshish Singh Sandhu

The Sikhs for Justice delegation requested President Obama to raise the issue of "Genocide" and continued denial of justice to the victims, with the Indian Government during his upcoming visit to India

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 38

Durga Puja at BSS India Post News Service

AURORA: Bharat Sevashram Sangha Aurora has slated celebrating Durga puja three days beginning October 14 Saptami, October 15 Maha Ashtami, October16 Mahanavami and October 17 Dasami. Puja will be performed both morning and evening. After puja prasad will be distributed. For more information, please visit website www.bharatsevashram.org or call 630-301-6039.

Community/California

October 8, 2010

India Post 21

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Dr Ami Bera's campaign gains incredible momentum India Post News Service

SACRAMENTO: Dr. Ami Bera, Democratic candidate for California's 3rd Congressional District, is running one of the most aggressive campaigns of the year. Bera, 45, is a lifelong Californian whose parents immigrated from India over 50 years ago. Widely acknowledged as the top challenger race in the country, Dr. Bera's campaign is gaining incredible momentum recently the respected political magazine CQ Politics upgraded this race from a "lean Republican" to a straight "tossup," - the only Republican incumbent seat to move in this direction in the entire country. This excitement is resonating with the people of the 3rd Congressional District, as the campaign has already recruited over 2,700 volunteers who've reached out to over a quarter of a million voters. Dr. Bera is running one of the top races in the country, but he can't win this election alone - he needs all of our support to get over the finish line. Visit www.BeraForCongress.com or call 916686-5244 to learn how you can get involved in this exciting campaign. Roll Call, one of the capital's leading publications that reviews Congressional races, says the battle between Democrat Dr. Ami Bera and GOP incumbent Dan Lungren has been moved into the "toss up" category. That's good news for Bera's impressive and well-funded campaign, particularly while the political narrative has been about Democratic losses in the House. Lungren has lagged in fundraising and in his campaign effort, while Bera and his energetic campaign team have been working the district hard for more than a year.

Washington Post said, "Rep. Dan Lungren is a rare species these days a Republican member of Congress from California. After failing to break 50 percent in his 2008 reelection, Lungren is a major target for Democrats who are tout-

keep control of the House. "Republicans need a gain of 39 seats to take charge, and with dozens of imperiled Democrats across the country, polls suggest the GOP could well succeed. To

"I'm a doctor, not a politician," Bera says when a man in shorts and bare feet comes to the door. "We need people with real-world experience”

ing the candidacy of physician Ami Bera. The Sacramento-area district is a partisan jump ball; President Obama won it by 1,592 votes out of more than 329,000 cast in 2008. Reporting from Elk Grove, Los Angeles Times says, "Ami Bera, a first-time congressional candidate, campaigns along the tree-lined streets of the Sacramento suburbs, toting a water bottle and shouldering the hopes of Democrats nationwide. "There is more at stake than personal ambition: A victory could help his party

Dr. Ami Bera

reach that number, however, Republicans almost certainly must hang on to 10 or so of their own vulnerable seats. "One is held by Bera's opponent, Rep. Dan Lungren, a former state attorney general and

candidate for governor. He faces the kind of criticism - too long in Washington, too much of an insider - being leveled mostly against Democrats this election season. "I'm a doctor, not a politician," Bera says when a man in shorts and bare feet comes to the door. "We need people with realworld experience." "Lungren, seeking his fourth consecutive term in Congress and ninth overall, fights back by tying Bera to the unpopular House Speaker and sounding the theme that worked so well for Democrats in 2008. "He stands for Nancy Pelosi," the Republican lawmaker said. "I stand for change. "The list of endangered GOP seats is fairly short. Four Republican seats seem at greatest risk…Lungren may be the most endangered. He is the only Republican House member in the country lagging behind his Democratic challenger in fundraising."

Asian Enterprise recognizes Asia-Pacific entrepreneurs RIA PATEL

LOS ANGELES: On September 10, the 2010 best companies for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) were recognized and enjoyed a beautiful evening hosted by Asian Enterprise with Wells Fargo Foundation and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Asian Enterprise stands as the largest Asian American Small Business Magazine in the Nation, as they have set out to be the "voice of Asian Pacific Americans" in business and entrepreneurship. The evening took place at the historically grand Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, where several Fortune 500 Company executives were selected for various award categories. Prior to the main events of the evening, a small reception was held and provided delegates from

Prior to the main events of the evening, a small reception was held and provided delegates from several prestigious companies the opportunity to network and socialize amongst themselves

several prestigious companies the opportunity to network and socialize amongst themselves. Cocktails and appetizers, including spinach dumplings and delectable coconut shrimp, circulated the room and excited guests for the main dinner course to come. Guests were soon ushered to the main ballroom, where representatives from Northrop Grumman, Wells Fargo, PepsiCo, Morgan Stanley, and more were scattered throughout. Steaming hot dinner courses of chicken and short ribs were served promptly, and was followed by the commencement of the award ceremony. Some of the winners included United Healthcare (Corporate Advocate), Brad Blackwell of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (Small

Business Advocate), Joe Alderete of Southern California Edison (Small Business Advocate), Honorable Senator Barbara Boxer (Public Servant Advocate), and Sri Rajagoplan and Kuntesh Chokshi of PepsiCo (Special Advocates). As awardees took stage to accept their honor, each spoke a few words of appreciation and how maintaining diversity in their company has been the driving force behind their success. Cont’d on page 22

Kuntesh Chokchi-Pepsico

Community/California

India Post

October 8, 2010

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So Cal Edison tips to conserve power during heat India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: With high temperatures forecast in many parts of Southern California, Southern California Edison (SCE) is urging customers to conserve power and is responding to scattered outages as they occur. High electric use on an ongoing basis may strain equipment, possibly causing more outages. SCE said its transmission system is performing well. SCE set a new record peak for 2010 on Tuesday Sept 28 at 22,771 megawatts. Tuesday's usage was the highest demand on the SCE system since Aug. 31, 2007, when an all-time high of 23,303 megawatts was reached. SCE anticipates having sufficient resources to meet forecast electricity demand. However, with energy use rising during extreme heat conditions, conservation can provide an added reserve should an unexpected power emergency occur such as mechanical problems affecting a major power plant or wildfires shutting down a major transmission system. Outage response and common causes When an electric outage occurs, SCE works quickly to dispatch service crews to affected customers, and they will work until all service has been restored. In

some cases, SCE cannot always reconnect all customers' service immediately due to factors beyond its control. SCE follows a system of restoring service to ensure the safety, health and welfare of the public. SCE maintains the following priorities when restoring power:

SCE anticipates having sufficient resources to meet forecast electricity demand. However, with energy use rising during extreme heat conditions, conservation can provide an added reserve • Eliminating safety hazards, such as downed lines or power poles. • Restoring transmission and substations' equipment as well as primary feeder lines. • Restoring critical services to hospitals, police and fire agencies, communication facilities, and water and sewage facilities. • Restoring service to the largest blocks of customers, when possible.

• Restoring service to individual customers. Medically sensitive customers and those with electric life-support equipment will be restored first, when possible. Conservation tips Conservation helps customers keep their bills lower during high temperatures - bills can increase up to 30 percent for residential customers who use air conditioning. Conservation also helps reduce stress on the overall electrical system. SCE recommends that customers: • Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. • Use electric fans instead of air conditioning when practical. • Turn off unused appliances and equipment. • Shut off lights when leaving a room. • Close drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot periods. • Avoid using evaporative coolers or humidifiers at the same time an air conditioner is running. • Operate swimming pool equipment and energy-intensive appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, during early morning and evening hours. • Limit the opening and reopening of refrigerators, which are major users of electricity in most

homes. • When possible, businesses should shift power-intensive work processes to morning or evening hours. • Turn off lights in unused areas. Safety reminders • Use flashlights for lighting

Should high temperatures coincide with imminent or declared rotating power outages, some community businesses and organizations serve as rotating outage "cooling Stations” during a power outage; do not use candles because they pose a significant fire hazard. • Never attempt to move or go near a downed power line. And keep others away as well. Call 911 and SCE at 800-611-1911 to report the situation. • Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops. • If someone in your home is dependent on electric-powered,

Sikh American on White House Commission

Asian Enterprise recognizes Asia-Pacific entrepreneurs

Direct ChicagoIndia flight from Oct 31 announced

Cont’d from page 21

Cont’d from page 14

Cont’d from page 19

The world's newest international terminal at Delhi offers passengers a new experience at check-in and in-transit arrangements because of short processing time and speedy clearance. With a capacity to handle 34 million passengers annually, there are 48 boarding gates, 78 aerobridges, 168 check-in and 95 immigration counters. Complimentary shuttles are available between International and Domestic terminals. There are facilities for dutyfree shopping and recreation for passengers traveling with children and for those having special needs. A very interesting and exploratory video presentation of this latest and one of the most modern airports gave a detailed visual explanation. After a brief question and answer session with Castro, who offered appropriate explanations to the questions by the Agents/ Media, the meeting concluded with a vote of thanks.

More than 400 leaders and activists, including Members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, converged on the U.S. Capitol Building to attend the swearing-in ceremony. "I am honored and humbled by the appointment. I look forward to helping connect the President and the White House to our community and its needs. We'll work on many issues, but I'm especially excited about the opportunity to discuss civil rights issues facing our communities," said Amardeep Singh. The mission of the Commission is to provide advice to the President on how all agencies in the federal government may improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). The Commission will focus on five areas: 1) Education; 2) Economic Development; 3) Sustainable Neighborhoods; 4) Health Communities; and 5) Civil Rights. The Commission works in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and

These Fortune 500 company executives expressed that being able to serve the larger community was a result of keeping diversity within their own firm. Founder and CEO of Sunrider

ing Harrah's Entertainment, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Denny's, and Sodexo were also recognized as Top Best Companies for Asian Pacific Americans. "Asian Enterprise is the only national competition based awards

‘Asian Enterprise is the only national competition based awards program that seeks to recognize exemplary Asian Pacific Americans entrepreneurs across the nation’ International, Tei Fu Chen, was selected as the overall winner, earning himself the title of Asian Entrepreneur of the year. His wife, Dr. Ou-Lin Chen, accepted the prestigious award on his behalf, while son, Eric Chen, looked on from the audience. Other large companies includ-

Tei Fu Chen

program that seeks to recognize exemplary Asian Pacific Americans entrepreneurs across the nation," according to the event program. However, the evening brought more than awards to these prominent firms; it also succeeded in bringing unity and pride among AAPI's worldwide.

life sustaining medical equipment, have an emergency plan that includes a back-up power source, or make arrangements to relocate. Ways to keep cool • Keep outdoor activities to a minimum, and drink a lot of water during the hottest parts of the day. • During a power outage, turn off and unplug any unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics. • Open the refrigerator and freezer only when necessary to keep the food cold. • Low-income and medically sensitive customers can take advantage of "Cool Centers," which are operated by local governments and community-based organizations. A list of locations can be found at www.sce.com/coolcenters <http:// www.sce.com/coolcenters> . • Should high temperatures coincide with imminent or declared rotating power outages, some community businesses and organizations serve as rotating outage "cooling Stations" - places where people with medical conditions that make them unusually sensitive to extreme temperatures can go to cool off. Learn more at w w w . s c e . c o m / PowerOutageCenter/Rotating/ coolingStations.htm <http:// w w w . s c e . c o m / PowerOutageCenter/Rotating/ coolingStations.htm> .

Pacific Islanders and a Federal Interagency Working Group to improve the quality of life of the AAPI community by facilitating increased access to and participation in federal programs where they remain underserved. "We are pleased by Amar's ap-

‘I look forward to helping connect the President and the White House to our community and its needs. We'll work on many issues’ pointment," said Sapreet Kaur, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition. "It is critical that all our communities have a meaningful seat at the table. Amar's appointment will greatly help raise the voice of the community before the White House and federal government."

October 8, 2010

Community/California

India Post 23

www.indiapost.com

United Sikh Mission holds annual fundraiser JS BEDI India Post News Service

DIAMOND BAR: Fontana based United Sikh Mission held its annual fundraising dinner Sept 25 at the Diamond Palace. It was a packed event attended by leading community members. Welcoming the guests, Founder and Chairman Jathedar Rashpal Singh briefed the guests on the previous year's activities. Aided by a slide show, he gave a detailed account of the various eye camps held in Punjab. This year eye camps are being held Oct 30 onwards all over Punjab and in Tilak Vihar Delhi. Teams of eminent doctors and medical staff will conduct eye surgeries all over the state from Oct 30 to Dec 5. This year it will be a little different. The Punjabi Dental Society has also pitched in and dental teams will conduct parallel camps on dental issues. Along with this other services

with the health care professionals in Punjab and continued holding Eye Clinics. Helping needy families in solemnizing the marriages of their daughters has been another worthwhile cause carried out by him since 2005. This mission was

carried out to save the girl child from the stigma of a burden and to make her life fruitful. It was also realized that it was not enough and greater participation and united efforts of all are needed to make a dent in the enormity of the prevailing situation.

United Sikh Mission empowers communities worldwide to improve

This year eye camps are being held Oct 30 onwards all over Punjab and in Tilak Vihar Delhi. Teams of eminent doctors and medical staff will conduct eye surgeries all over the state from Oct 30 to Dec 5

include mammography and general health check ups. Special focus will be given to children's health issues. All this will be totally free to the patients. Transportation will also be provided to and from neighboring villages. It was a fun filled party with a well stocked open bar and live performance by talented artistes. The local media was on hand to cover this event. Apart from the print media TV crews representing a national channel were busy filming and doing interviews. In 2006, United Sikh Mission was incorporated as a non.profit organization in California. Along with other associates, Jathedar Rashpal Singh, a wellknown philanthropist and entrepreneur in transportation business, became the founder of the "United Sikh Mission". He realized that individual efforts remain limited, ineffective and costly. With that in mind, he decided to reach out to friends and family while continuing to serve at a personal level. He gained experience and established contacts

eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. In Punjab, local and visiting volunteers work with partner eye clinics to provide eye care in communities with the goal of creating eye disease-free communities. This organization is managed and operated by volunteers according to the strict guidelines set by the lRS. Those who want to volunteer can email unitedsikhmission@gmail.com and sign up for a worthy cause. It is indeed a noble cause and just one more way to give back to the land of our birth - the land that nurtured us and made us who we are today. Although Punjab is the top state in India it has its share of issues and the United Sikh Mission has taken a very bold and noteworthy step in tackling this very critical issue of health care.

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TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahaani: Anjaana Anjaani 2 Tere Mast Mast Do Nain: Dabangg 3

Pee Loon: Once Upon A Time in Mumbai

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 8, 2010

Hairat: Anjaana Anjaani

5 Mera Jeena Hai Kya: Aashayein 6 Tujhe Bhula Diya: Anjaana Anjaani 7 Chori Kiya Re Jiya: Dabangg 8 Man Lafanga: Lafangey Parindey 9 Naav: Udaan (New) 10 Desh Mera: Peepli Live

ara Dutta is indeed a woman of her words. After having won the much coveted and prestigious 'Miss Universe' crown, she went on to win the hearts of millions of cinegoers. Lara is now planning to take a big step in Bollywood. The actress has, decided to become a producer and the name of her first home production is Chalo Dilli, according to Bollywood Hungama. Besides producing, Lara will also be starring in the film. Buzz also is that Vinay Pathak has been signed up as the lead hero opposite her.

ur lovely desi girl Priyanka Chopra wants an Indian guy and after her recent experience in Brazil. She couldn't even think of any guy who is not an Indian. While shooting at Rio De Janeiro for Khatron Ke Khiladi, PC got a marriage proposal from a local, handsome busi nessman with good financial assets. But the good gracious lady was so petrified of him stalking her all the time that while boarding her flight back to India she kept looking back to check whether he was around or not. For PC it was her skin tan, like a local Brazilian beauty, that got her male attention. So, what Priyanka has to say about the experience? "Brazilian men turned out to be a little too upfront for me. They don't waste time in making their movesâ&#x20AC;ŚI don't think I am interested in marrying any foreigners. Only an Indian guy for me, thanks."

October 8, 2010

Bollywood

India Post

www.indiapost.com

nder all the glamour and beauty of Katrina Kaif lies a simple girl who wants nothing much from her life than a happy marriage. The Bollywood hottie dreams of getting married, having kids and living happily ever after. Katrina is on Cosmopolitan for this month's edition and the magazine carries an exclusive interview where she has spoken about everything from being single to how important is a relationship to her. She clearly says that she is single, and all the fuss about her being single 'again' is just media hoopla. Kat says, "I have maintained for the last four years that I am single." When asked by the mag whether it's essential to have a man to complete her life, the actress says: "I belong to that mindset where having a husband and children are very important. I dream of being married and having kids and living happily ever after. That's me."

he Action Replayy song Zor Ka Jhatka has started creat ing ripples because of its catchy tune and visually striking video. This is the first song of the album to be released and Aishwarya Rai is seen dancing in a glamorous short dress with Akshay Kumar in it. Though the beautiful actress ups the oomph in the song, it is learnt that she was quite conscious of the length (or lack of it) of her dress while shooting the number. The outfit with golden sequins is designed keeping in mind the retro fashion of the '70s and is a lot similar to the pop diva Beyonce Knowles's hot shimmery dress from her music video Upgrade You.

A W

ith season one of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC)', the entire nation was held in raptures by the living legend of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan when his deep baritone voice took over TV screens. Well, time has passed and the fourth season is here, with the audience waiting anxiously for the first episode. There is a lot to look forward to in the first episode, as the first contestant will be Sanjay Dutt. Dutt will be appearing on the show as a contestant to promote his upcoming film Knock Out. Apparently, even John Abraham was on the game show to promote his film Jhoota Hi Sahi. Bipasha Basu was also present to help John in the game. Bips tweeted, "On the sets of KBC! I still have childlike excitement to meet MR. B!:)What a magnetic personality!!!" She however clarified that she was not on the hot seat playing the game. "Thankfully I don't have to b on d hotseat! I just hve to be the helpline to help d contestant.:) Easy Role!," she tweeted. KBC - 4 will be aired from October 11, which also happens to be Amitabh Bachchan's birthday.

month ahead of their wedding, Vivek Oberoi and his fiancĂŠe Priyanka Alva were spotted together in London. Vivek was in the UK to perform at stage shows in London, Wembley Arena and Leicester; Priyanka, on the other hand, was apparently busy doing the prewedding shopping with her

friends. Whether Vivek and Priyanka had planned the trip or they met coincidentally is not known, but they were seen 'very happy' together. The two are set to tie the knot on October 29 this year. Vivek has gone on record and told the media that he feels 'lucky' to be marrying a beautiful girl like Priyanka.

26 India Post

Community/California

October 8, 2010

www.indiapost.com

First-ever Ganesha idol immersion in US

DEEPAK CHHABRA Chair of Events, Fremont Hindu Temple

FREMONT, CA: About four months ago an inspiring thought arose among a group of temple devotees. The Bay Area Telugu Association (BATA), Maharashtra Mandal, and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) showed keen interest in organizing a Ganesh Mahautsav or Ganesh Chaturthi. The groups began discussions with the Fremont Hindu Temple Management and decided to collaborate to turn the first ever Fremont Hindu Temple Ganesh Mahautsav into a one-of-a-kind event. Encouraged by the Temple management, the event gained momentum. Mr. Sandeep Deokule of the Maharashtra Mandal suggested bringing a permanent idol of Lord Ganesha to the Temple. It was suggested that the idol be brought all the way from the very famous and original Siddhi

Vinayak Temple in Mumbai, India. As the plan materialized, Mr. Pravin Naik, one of the Trustees of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai, played an influential role in getting the idol to its Fremont destination. The idol itself was donated by the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Prabhadevi Mumbai. And so the travel journey of the idol began all the way from India to Fremont, California. Months of planning and hard-work from volunteers, devotees, and management lead to September 9th. The event began with the blessing of the ground where the new Sadri Vinayak Temple will be built over the next couple of months. In celebration of the arrival of the idol all the way from India, the groundwork was quickly completed and a pedestal was beautifully built for Lord Ganeshaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idol. Over the next week, the temple celebrated the arrival of the idol with prayer ceremonies and cultural programs every evening. The festival was attended by nearly 8000 people, filling the temple with families arriving in their best clothes, to enjoy this first-of-its-kind event. To take it a step further, the temple management decided to include an immersion trip as part of the festival. In collaboration with various local regulatory authorities, four buses filled with over 250 people set out on an immersion trip to the San Francisco Bay on September 19. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 27

Community/California

October 8, 2010

India Post

www.indiapost.com

First-ever Ganesha idol immersion in US Cont’d from page 26

The buses filled with devotees and enthusiasts of all ages, arrived at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf on a Sunday afternoon for Lord Ganesha’s Visarjan. The immersion was done in Pacific Ocean near Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. This has created history in Bay Area. The atmosphere on top of the ship that took the 250 devotees to a pre-destined off shore area of the Bay in the Pacific Ocean can only be defined as magical. Accompanied by chants of ‘Ganapati gele gavala chain padena aamhala,’ it was an out of world Ganesh Visarjan Event in Pacific Ocean near Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The ship was filled with the sound of hymns being sung by devotees of all ages. Children were seen running around the

ship, filled with questions, excited because none of them had ever seen this part of their culture before. The experience was further made real when after the prayer ceremony, families were allowed to take their own mini-idols (which were all pre-approved and made of completely biodegradable materials), and immerse them in the Bay waters. As the individual idols sunk into the deep waters of the Bay, the spirit of the people rose with singing and cheers to celebrate the end of the week long festivities. The Temple management, as represented by Dr. Romesh Japra and Rajesh Verma, concluded the event with a Sankalpa to the devotees to complete the Siddhi Vinayak Temple in the coming months. For the time being, Lord Ganesha’s idol sits on his beautiful pedestal awaiting the completion of his new beautiful home in the Fremont Hindu Temple.

Realty Tidbits

Omaxe bags Mohali for project infrastructure

Real Estate

ealty firm Omaxe has bagged Rs 70.4 crore infrastructure project from Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) for highway and bridge construction. Omaxe Infrastructure & Construction (OICL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, has got its first contract to construct Highway and three high-level bridges in Punjab from GMADA, Omaxe said in a statement. The project is valued at Rs 70.4 crore, it added. OICL will build an eight-km road in Mohali, Punjab along with three high-level bridges and culverts on the same road.

DLF expecting sales of 8,500-9,500 crore

riven by a resurgence in the commercial and luxury real estate segments, Delhi based DLF says it expects sales of Rs 8,5009,500 crore in FY11, a growth of 20 per cent to 30 per cent over the previous year. In 2009-10, the company reported sales of Rs 7,855 crore, down by 25 per cent from Rs 10,431 crore in 2008-09. With improvements in the real estate sector panIndia, DLF is now expecting to grow its top line year-on-year, but still below its peek of Rs 10,431 crore. A DLF official confirmed the developments. While there have been no significant launches in the first five months, DLF is banking on a large number of new launches to meet its volume target of 15 million square feet across residential, commercial and retail categories.

Developers planning to tap capital market

fter an almost six-month lull, real estate developers like Oberoi Realty and Prestige Estates are planning to tap capital markets next month with Initial Public Offer (IPO) issues, according to media reports. The exuberance in stock markets have prompted the developers, say bankers and analysts tracking realty companies. The last IPO in the real estate sector was in April this year, by Bangalorebased Nitesh Estates. While Mumbai-based Oberoi Realty is planning to raise around Rs 1,100 crore through the IPO by diluting about 12 per cent, Bangalore-based Prestige is planning to raise Rs 1,200 crore and dilute higher equity in the public issue, said bankers involved.

28 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 8, 2010

Kalpataru to raise Rs 1,000-cr via IPO

ealty firm Kalpataru has joined the bandwagon of property developers that are planning to cash in the rising stock market and has filed the draft papers with the market regulator Sebi for the Rs 1,008-crore initial public offer. Kalpataru, the flagship real estate company of the Kalpataru Group, has filed the draft red herring prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India, merchant banking sources told media. The Mumbai-based realtor would be raising Rs 1,008 crore through its initial public offering, sources said.

High prices making home buying a pocket burning affair

hile new developments continue to take shape around the periphery of metros, high prices in relatively prime locations make buying a home a mind-numbing, pocketburning affair. However, there is also a select section for whom matters such as price and, possibly, even practicality are outweighed by the opportunity to flaunt their affluence. Catering to this rich set, global online auction platform Saffronart and real estate service firm Cushman and Weikfield have come out with their second 'Prime Properties' catalogue. From holiday homes in Goa and Himachal Pradesh, to spacious apartments and bungalows in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, the catalogue is a choice selection of properties that would be any neighbors' envy. While the first edition of the uber-luxury catalogue had seven properties listed, the Fall 2010 catalogue lists nine. Speaking to The Indian Express, Saffronart chief operating officer Nish Bhutani said, "Of the seven that were in

our earlier catalogue, sales of four have been closed." Saffronart, however, was not in a position to

from the earlier listings are still being negotiated. The properties sold include apartments in

Catering to this rich set, global online auction platform Saffronart and real estate service firm Cushman and Weikfield have come out with their second 'Prime Properties' catalogue disclose which of the listed properties were sold. Sources said that sales of three properties, one in Mumbai and two in Delhi NCR,

Mumbai and Bangalore, besides an estate in Alibaugh and villas in Rishikesh. While the price of the 6,030 sq ft

duplex apartment in Belvedere Court on Spencer Road, Bangalore was Rs 4 crore, the 4-bedroom sea-facing apartment in the landmark Maker Towers on Cuffe Parade, Mumbai, had an asking price of Rs 25 crore. Apart from these luxury city apartments, two holiday destinations also found buyers. A holiday estate with two bungalows spread over a combined 10,000 sq ft in Nandaipada in Alibaug with an asking price of Rs 17 crore has ostensibly been sold. Sources also said that all 27 properties listed under Riverside Villas project located near Rishikesh found takers. It is inferred that the actual selling price could have been higher than the asking price. Properties listed in the current catalogue include more reasonably priced (Rs 2.25Rs 5 crore) holiday homes, including a designer villa, in Goa. Also listed is a 2,200 sq yd property in Chanakyapuri, Delhi. Obviously exclusive and hence not for the light-walletted, price for this property only comes when requested for.

NCR can have 30,000 acres for residences

he National Capital Region (NCR) may soon have 30,000 acres of land available for residential construction, if the government's steps in this direction bear fruit. The Centre is attempting to fast-track the resolution of disputes over NCR title deeds, which force developers to stay away. NCR is estimated to be

off by year-end. The exercise will unlock land in three states: eight districts in Haryana (Gurgaon, Rewari, Faridabad, Sonepat, Rohtak, Panipat, Jhajjar and Mewat); five districts of Uttar Pradesh, (Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Meerut, Baghpat and Gautam Budh Nagar) and one district

‘This is good for developers who can get land and good for consumers who can get residential units at lower prices. But one has to see how it is implemented. India doesn't have a very good history in implementing’ short of 5 lakh housing units, and demand is growing at 1 lakh units a year. The move will spark price correction, releasing over 2 million housing units. The exercise piloted by the urban development ministry and implemented by the NCR planning board, will be kicked

(Alwar) in Rajasthan. The government plans to seek help from local bodies to identify and verify land ownership, after which independent agencies will cross-check data. "This is good for developers who can get land and good for consumers who can get residen-

tial units at lower prices. But one has to see how it is implemented. India doesn't have a very good history in implementing such policy initiatives. One also has to see how soon the free land can be made available for developers," Abhishek Kiran Gupta, head-research, Jones Lang LaSalle, India said. "In any big transaction, the

problem of title deed arises at some point. We are trying to work out a formula. Various suggestions have come in. The exact strategy will be worked out in some time," an urban development ministry official said. The ministry plans to advise states to create an ad hoc title deed in the name of the claimant to facilitate the transaction.

29 India Post

he town of Kota was once the part of the erstwhile Rajput kingdom of Bundi. It became a separate princely state in the 17th century. Apart from the several monuments that reflect the erstwhile glory of the town, Kota is also known for its palaces and gardens. Location: Kota is located in the southern part of the state of Rajasthan, in the northwestern part of India. It is located on

the eastern bank of Chambal River and is drained by its tributaries. Kota is on a high sloping tableland forming a part of the Malwa Plateau. The Mokandarra hills run from southeast to northwest axis of the town. It is 36 km from Bundi. Summers are quite hot (April-June) while winters are cool (October-February). It experiences scant rainfall between June and August. History: The history of Kota is linked with the rule of the Chauhans in the 12th century. The descendents of the Chauhans set up their capital at Bundi and ruled from here. While Bundi was the capital, Kota formed the land granted to the eldest son of the ruler. This arrangement continued until 1624.

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The town of Kota was once the part of the erstwhile Rajput kingdom of Bundi. It became a separate princely state in the 17th century. Apart from the several monuments that reflect the erstwhile glory of the town, Kota is also known for its palaces and gardens

Garh Palace, Kota

October 8, 2010

In 1624, Emperor Jahangir, the great Mughal ruler, partitioned Bundi and made Kota an independent state. Rao Madho Singh, son of the ruler of Bundi, ascended the throne of Kota. It became a part of the British Empire in 1818 and later became a part of the Indian state of Rajasthan, when it gained independence in 1947. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 30

India Post

Travel & Hospitality Post

October 8, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Pledge to make India a safe tourist destination NEW DELHI: The Government has admitted that unregulated growth of tourism has a negative impact on ecology and favoured a policy responsive to environmental concerns, even as stakeholders in the sector took a pledge for safe and sustainable tourism. "Unorganised and uncontrolled growth of tourism has a detrimental impact on environment and ecology," Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said here while participating in the World Tourism Day celebrations. She said "there is a strong tie between tourism development, biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. It has been our concerted effort to formulate sustainable tourism policy that underlines creation of environmental, socio-economic and climate responsiveness." Stakeholders in tourism sector signed a Pledge on Code of Conduct for Safe and Honourable Tourism and Sustainable Tourism in the presence of Selja and Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed. Focusing on a healthy growth of tourism, she said, "A healthy tourism industry depends on a healthy resource base. Sustainable growth in tourism means increased focus for conservation." She said by signing a Pledge on Code of Conduct for Safe and Honourable Tourism and Sustainable Tourism, "we are conveying a strong message to the world that

neither we nor our organisations will be party to activities that exploit women and children." Expressing her concern over the increasing crimes which has posed a challenge to tourism growth, she said, "with more people travelling than ever before, recent years have witnessed emerging concerns of crime and human rights violations like never before. Such instances have been amply highlighted by the media frequently.

Stakeholders in tourism sector signed a Pledge on Code of Conduct for Safe and Honourable Tourism and Sustainable Tourism in the presence of Selja and Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed "However, the definite lack of documentation of such trends, especially in India, poses an enormous challenge to the sustainability and growth of tourism." A draft of sustainable tourism criteria is being finalised by the Tourism Ministry. "Once adopted, it would help in formulating policies that encourage sustainable tourism,"

Selja said. About other eco-freindly steps being undertaken, she said, "We have also amended the guidelines for granting approval for hotels to incorporate criteria with 'green' and eco?friendly practices which have been made mandatory for all categories of hotels in the country." World Tourism Day, held every year on September 27, seeks to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism. The event, while seeking to address global challenges faced by Tourism, intends to stress its impact on our socio?cultural, political and economic life. Selja said, "The theme 'Tourism and Biodiversity' for World Tourism Day 2010 is not only apt, but particularly significant. Concerned over the continued loss of biological diversity, the United Nations Assembly has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity." On Commonwealth Games, she said, "We are hosting the Commonwealth Games. Our awareness, self-discipline, vigil and maintenance of quality of service with a smile, will go a long way in keeping our tourism industry free from any undesirable and unlawful acts. "I am sure the Pledge on Sustainable Tourism would be our guiding light in our drive for compliance with the best global standards in environment and heritage maintenance." -PTI

Three new trekking trails in Nepal KATHMANDU: Nepal has opened three new trekking routes to the Himalayas in areas that are popular tourist hotspots of the country as part of efforts to involve local communities in promoting tourism. The three new trekking routes would offer options of adventurous outings for mountain lovers and are aimed at benefiting the local communities. The Paanchpokhari Bhairavkunda trekking trail in Sindhupalchowk district, Naginarcheng in Myagdi-Parvat districts and Dhorpatan in Baglung district were launched by Tourism Minister Sharad Singh Bhandari to mark the World Tourism Day. Mahavir Pun, the brain behind the initiative said these new trails have been developed in a way that involves the local communities for tourism promotion in these areas.

The trails will also provide all modern facilities for tourists despite being in remote, mountainous areas, and will also offer highspeed Internet facilities and virtual ATM services. "Nepal is launching Nepal Tourism Year campaign next year for economic transformation of the country which is badly hit by decade long insurgency," Bhandari said. He said the Nepal government wants to make sure that benefits of tourism are not limited to a few tourism entrepreneurs. "We want to reduce poverty and bring about economic revolution in the country through tourism promotion," CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, Prachanda Man Shrestha said. Nepal is popular among European visitors for its challenging trekking routes and mountains. -PTI

States to keep check on tariff of hotel rooms CHANDIGARH: The Union Tourism Ministry has asked the state governments to keep a check on the tariff of hotel rooms during the Commonwealth Games so that exorbitant rates are not charged from visitors. This was stated by Union Minister for Tourism and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Shelja af-

ter formally inaugurating the 'Kingdom Of Dreams', a recreation centre, in Gurgaon, an official release said here. She said government has given many concessions to the hotel industry and many new hotels have come up. They have raised a permanent infrastructure which will be used even after the Games are over. -PTI

Kota: Famous for palaces and gardens Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 29

Best time to visit: The best time to visit Kota is between the months of October and February, but one may also visit it in October, when the Dussehra festival is celebrated

here. Tourist attractions: There are a number of interesting places to be visited in Kota. The city fort and palace, one of its

main attractions, is located on the eastern banks of the Chambal River, near the Kota Barrage. This type of fort-palace complex is one of the largest to be found in the state of Rajasthan. The museum within the city palace is worth vis-

iting, as it houses a good collection of artifacts. Kishore Sagar tank, built in 1346, located near the palace is an important tourist attraction. The little Jagmandir palace,

built on a small island at the center of this tank by one of the local rulers in 1740, is another tourist attraction. Adjacent to the Kishore Sagar is the Brij Vilas Palace Museum, a small government museum. Other tourist spots in Kota include a number of gardens. The Chambal gardens and the Chhattar Bilas gardens are the main ones to be visited. Chhattar Bilas gardens has a number of royal cenotaphs. Places around The town of Bundi is 36 km from Kota and was the capital of one of the erstwhile Rajput princely states. A number of monuments are to be found in Bundi. Baroli, 56 km southwest of Kota, is known for its ancient temples. These temples date back to the 9th century and are some of the oldest temples to be found in the state of Rajasthan. Fairs & festivals: Dussehra, an important festival of the Hindus commemorating the victory of good over evil, is celebrated in Kota like

other parts of India with great fervor. The specialty of Dussehra in Kota is the Dussehra Mela celebrated in the month of October. How to reach Air and Rail - Kota does not have an airport of its own. Kota railway station is located at the extreme northern end of the town. As

Kota is on the main Delhi-Mumbai railway line via Sawai Madhopur, a number of trains pass through and stop here. Road â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kota is linked with Ajmer (6 hours), Chittorgarh (6 hours), Jaipur (6 hours), Udaipur (6 hours), Jodhpur (11 hours) and Bikaner (12 hours) by road.

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Kerala Tourism on YouTube, iPad, NEW DELHI: In a bid to attract more international tourists, mostly youth, Kerala Tourism Board has gone hi-tech and launched an innovative campaign by putting up its advertisement on YouTube and short videos on iPads and iPhones. "This year, ahead of the international tourist season, we have decided to do the campaign differently to attract young tourists, so we tied up with Google to put up our new TV advertisement on their popular video portal YouTube," Director of Kerala Tourism Board Sivasankar told PTI. Apart from it, the tourism body has also made arrangements for putting their short videos on Apple's iPads and iPhones. "With global recession coming to an end and holiday season starting, we have targeted the young tourists from UK, Germany and France and Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway and other European nations, who are ready to take adventure

tours and also ready to spend," he said. With Internet becoming a major and reliable source of information about a destination for international tourists planning a vacation, "we have put our new advertisement on YouTube, which they can see and in the first three days of the launch we have got over one lakh hits." In a TV or print advertisements, it is not clear whether the message has reached the right target audience but in Internet one can easily assess and make decisions according to it, he said. The campaign on YouTube was launched on September 24, for which the board spent Rs 75 lakh and for iPad and iPhones, Rs 40 lakh. Despite using new technologies, the Board has not done away with the traditional form of advertising in print and broadcast media and has made a provision for Rs 100 lakh, he said. Last year, during the recession, KTB witnessed a fall in the num-

ber of international tourists. In order to attract more domestic tourists, Sivasankar said it carried out intense campaign and conducted

‘With global recession coming to an end and holiday season starting, we have targeted the young tourists from UK, Germany and France and Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway and other European nations, who are ready to take adventure tours and also ready to spend,’ he said

Lucknow, Pune and Bhopal. "As a result, we received over 2.5 lakh domestic tourists last year and this year we have planned to hold 22 such meets in India and six-seven cities of Europe, including Scandinavian cities like Stockholm, Helsinki and others," he said. . KTB now aims to attract tourists from South-East Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore, as these countries now have direct connectivity to a number of south Indian cities. Google's Business Head India, Kiran Mani, said, "KTB is the first organisation to use Google's YouTube platform and make a shift from pure marketing to busi-

ness marketing, which is not only cost-effective but also has a reach to right set of customer." YouTube platform provides a rich multimedia experience to perspective tourists as visuals are not only interesting but also appealing. KTB's approach is rightly timed, as the holiday season in Europe and America is round the corner for which people start booking from now onward, he said, adding KTB can reach large number of audience outside India. "YouTube in England has large following, it witnesses more hits than the circulation of any other newspaper in the country," Mani claimed. -PTI

over 16 partnership meets with travel agents, hotel and other stakeholders in around 16 cities, including tier-II cities like

Delhiites rushing to South Asian countries NEW DELHI: South Asian countries have become attractive destinations for Indians, specially Delhiites as they look to holiday during the upcoming Commonwealth Games. According to tour operators, countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Mauritius are seeing an increased tourist inflow from Delhi for short-haul vacations to escape from the city during the Commonwealth Games. “There has been a 40 to 50 per cent jump in the number of bookings for people going out of Delhi. Because of CWG, with all the educational institutes closed, people in Delhi are making plans to go out of the city,” Yatra.com Co-founder and Executive Vice President Sabina Chopra said. Factors such as economical travel packages and visa on arrival make the region a favoured destination. “A lot of hotels such as Banyan Tree and Amari in the South East Asian countries are offering packages starting Rs 20,000 per person designed specially for people looking to travel during the games,” TRAC Representations Associate Director (Operations)

Rajeev Nangia said. The company represents a host of international tourism boards and hospitality firms in India. He said countries such as Thailand and Mauritius also offer free Visa on arrival. Expedia, a travel services pro-

‘There has been a 40 to 50 per cent jump in the number of bookings for people going out of Delhi. Because of CWG, with all the educational institutes closed, people in Delhi are making plans to go out of the city,’ Yatra.com Co-founder and Executive Vice President Sabina Chopra said vider that has designed special packages targeting such travelers, said it has witnessed increase in bookings for outbound travel from the Capital. “There is an increase of around 30 per cent in the number of book-

ings for outbound travellers,” Expedia India Marketing Head Manmeet Ahluwalia said, adding South Asian countries are the favourite among the travellers. Families are also looking to travel during the games as many educational institutes and offices will remain closed. Besides foreign destinations, Yatra.com is also offering packages to Andaman and Nicobar islands with special chartered plane. “This is the first time we have taken such an initiative,” Chopra said. According to industry observers, usually in North India people do not travel out during this time of the year. But this year due to the CWG the trend seems to have changed. “On an average, a family of four is spending between USD 5,0007,000 for a holiday. We have received around 500 bookings from people opting for leisure travel outside India,” Pearl International Tours and Travels Executive Director Arjun Seth said. “Even corporates are organising dealership incentive programmes to places like Thailand and Malaysia,” he added. -PTI

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October 8, 2010

‘SOCH LO’ WOWS

Sartaj Singh Pannu

Independent film premiered in Fremont Barkha Madan

KAVITA ARORA India Post News Service

FREMONT: Soch Lo, an independent film, held its world premiere in Fremont on August 27. It was refreshing to see new talent such as Barkha Madan, one of the leading actresses in Soch Lo. She was intelligent, friendly and humble as she addressed the press and movie goers at Big Cinemas in Fremont. Barkha said, "The biggest challenge for me was to work with an absolutely new team. We shot in Rajasthan in extreme heat and extreme cold." Overall, the film received positive reviews by the audience in an almost house-full theater. The filmmaker Sartaj Singh Pannu, who wore several

hats to see this film through completion, is a trailblazer, raising funds through You Tube marketing efforts and finding fresh students from prestigious FTII (Film and Television Institute of India in Pune). Soch Lo is the story of a wounded young married man on his honeymoon who is left to die alone while his wife goes missing. It stars Sartaj Singh Pannu as the lead, Barkha Madan (a former Miss India finalist and actress), K. P. Nishan, Himanshu Kohli and a model, Iris Maity. It has been shot in Jaisalmer, Ganpati Phule and Mumbai. Talking on the telephone from his Mumbai residence, director, writer and lead actor Sartaj Singh Pannu came across as passionate and intense for filmmaking. Pannu has not worked with filmmakers, nor did he go to film school or even acting school. He says he spent a lot of time sitting and writing and working with people in the industry to get to know the system. He says acting happened "because I did not have a lead actor. I knew the character very well and I was physically fit also. So, I decided to go ahead with it. I've gotten a good response as an actor also." As for the talent hunt, he says, "We don't make independent films in India. This is the first time it has happened and

Soch Lo is the story of a wounded young married man on his honeymoon who is left to die alone while his wife goes missing the movie has reached the U.S. also. It was hard to find people that were new and fresh, because they had the ideas to work in a certain pattern. I wanted people who know about filmmaking but worked outside of the patterns. It took me three months to gather a team from the Indian film institutes. Gradually, the team became bigger and bigger." Since it is not a small budget film, he says he was quite innovative in gathering funding. "There was a chance that we try the internet. It was the only tool to get the visibility for this visual medium and yes, we got the funding from You Tube. I had to give up the Telugu and Tamil rights fort the movie. This film will be remade as a movie in the South or it may be dubbed. It's their outlook." Cont’d on page 35

India Post News Service

A desi Sex and the City to hit screens

NEW YORK: Shailja Gupta's debut feature film Walkaway (2010) will hit the box-office on Oct 22, through Reliance Cinemas at 26 screens across 18 cities. Walkaway (IMDB), a light-comedy drama, mocks the clutches of social obligations on young Indian professionals settled in New York City. Exploring the subtleties of the Indian mega-institution of marriage, from the now-veiled urban dowry system to the overwhelming compromises demanded of a cross-cultural couple, the film weaves through the lives of four friends who struggle to balance engrained values with modern environs in the fast-paced melting-pot that is New York. In this South-Asian male version of Sex and the City, Darius, Vinay, Shridhar and Soham - single, dating, engaged and married, strive to maintain some semblance of sanity while questioning themselves, their desires and choices, and the importance of unshakeable traditions. Walkaway is an English-language, independent American film, made with Bollywood flair and influences. The film has received tremendous support from the Bollywood community. Renowned actor Shah Rukh Khan's production house Red Chillies Entertainment assisted in the post-production, editing and VFX. "As a successful member of our Indian film industry, it is my pleasure to support up-and-coming filmmakers like Shailja," said Khan. Academy Award winner (Sound Mixing for Slumdog Millionaire) Resul Pookutty provided the sound design and mixing for Walkaway. Pookutty said, "I was impressed by the director's passion and energy, which has resulted in a fantastic product!" Cont’d on page 35

October 8, 2010

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Melodious concert of Radhika Chopra

Students of Shalini Saxena Dance Academy

Radhika Chopra with Manesh Judge, Mike Anand and Jagdev Singh India Post News Service

Supna Saxena

SANTA CLARA: Shalini Saxena Dance Academy has a history of producing elegant and very well organized shows like Sur Shringaar, Bahaar-e-Shaam, and Sham-e-Raqs at Santa Clara Convention Center Theater. Another such show was the maiden performance of a nightingale of India, Radhika Chopra, at the Santa Clara Convention Center Theater on Sunday, September 19. The concert turned out to be a resounding success. Radhika Chopra took us on a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the era where melody was queen. Soulful rendition of her own compositions as also her tribute to the legendary stalwarts of yesteryears, ranging from the King of Ghazals, K.L. Saighal and Pankaj Mallik to Geeta

Dutt and Mallika-e-Taranum, Noor Jehan resulted in her receiving standing ovation by the audience who were genuinely moved to tears by the pathos and the intensity of feelings in her voice. The more she sang, the more was the appetite of the audience whetted so much so that at the

The cast includes Manu Narayan, Samrat Chakrabarti, Manish Dayal, Sanjeev Jhaveri, Deepti Gupta, Carrie Anne James, Pallavi Sharda, Ami Sheth. After a successful career in New Media and Information Technology, Shailja actively pursued her passion for films. She was Global Marketing Manager for the Indian National award winner (2003) and internationally acclaimed film - Chokher Bali, and later Assistant Script Supervisor for another Indian National award winner (2005) - Raincoat, starring Aishwarya Rai. Drawing from her Indian roots and urban life as a young South Asian professional in New York City, Shailja wrote, directed and produced her first feature film Walkaway, in 2009-2010.

charming Kathak dances on Tarana, Thumri, and Holi by the students of Shalina Saxena Dance Academy. Radhika Ji was brilliantly accompanied by Master Percussionist, Manesh Judge on Tabla, Maestro Jagdev Singh on Harmonium, and guitar virtuoso, Mike Anand.

Independent film premiered in Fremont Cont’d from page 34

Shalini Saxena

end of it all one was left asking for more. The melodious concert of Radhika Chopra enthralled one and all and though like all good

Walkaway – a desi Sex and the City to hit screens Cont’d from page 34

things it came to an end, the one redeeming feature was that Radhika Ji promised to come again to mesmerize us in the foreseeable future. The evening commenced with the US national Anthem sung beautifully by Supna Saxena. The concert was interspersed with

As for the time taken, he said, "The film was completed from start to finish in about twenty to twenty-two months. I had to eat and breathe the film. It was a maddening energy. It had to be done. There was a lot of time and money invested in the film. I couldn't do this without my team, my brother Karanbir Singh Pannu in USA, and friends." Asked how did he inspire people to join his venture, he said, "When you have the right intentions, you can inspire people and they are with you. I had a team without thinking about the money at that time and that's what you need. If you can inspire people to work with you, I think that is the greatest thing. Today I can make four to five films." The biggest lesson he learned from this experience was that a film is not made with script or passion, "it's made with money and then you. If you have money, then with money you can put your heart into it and get people who believe in you. You need resources. The content is not king. The money has to be there and it has to be a good release. In a capitalist world, it's not very ideological." The film has been very well received and things have changed for Sartaj. "People know that this guy has made a good film, that this guy is an actor. Things are looking up. I'm thinking of mak-

ing two to three films together now. It has made me a much more mature person, because I have more of an understanding of the process. You really become a better person." The positive reviews of Soch Lo have created new opportunities for him. "There is a good flow of people that want to make a film with me. There is a buzz about Soch Lo and about me. There is a good buzz overseas also and in some media circles in Hollywood also." About balancing so many roles, Sartaj says, "I had no other choice. I had to be very very well prepared. The script was locked. The actors had already workshopped with me. I had reduced my workload. We could not do retakes because of money limitations. "I used to get about two to three hours of sleep per night. It was required. I had to basically forget about sleeping, peace of mind, comfort, food, etc. It could not be stopped. I had only one shot, and it was worth it." Asked for the lesson can we take from his overall experience, he says, "I think if someone wants to make a film, there is a possibility and it's been proved. There is no point cribbing about scripts, funds. There is a possibility to make a film. There is some way and someone has crossed that path, carved his own way, so there is a possibility."

36 India Post

October 8, 2010 www.indiapost.com

Anjal's thought provoking performance SAMARTH BHASKAR

CHICAGO: In a crowded, dark theater of Chicago Cultural Center in Downtown Chicago, Anjal Chande recently presented an hour-long performance, comprising four pieces that blended her mastery of the South-Asian classical dance form Bharatanatyam and her contemporary artistic sensibilities. This presentation was part of the World Music Festival Chicago 2010 - India Calling, Although a dancer by training, Anjal showcased her art through a variety of media. Her spoken word, set to music composed by famed Sitarist Gaurav Mazumdar, Hindustani classical singer Gaurav Venkteswar, and member of the collegiate Chai-Town a cappella group, Arjun Venkataswamy, all provided backdrops to Anjal's dance that pulled the audience into the performance. Anjal brought the audience in closer with the use of her face, hands and feet. The emotive expressions on her face, the meaningful use of her hands and the rhythmic cadence of her feet all worked together to accent the frame of a dancer who commanded not only the stage she performed on but the attention and emotions of her audience. Anjal explored ideas of

thought, creativity, darkness, happiness and human connection with her original pieces. Tapping into the urban lifestyle and its ephemeral nature, she developed one of her pieces around distractions in the mind and the inevitable frustrations that grow out of constant yet shallow contact. In "Darkness," Anjal proposed that happiness actually lives in darkness and that our imagination is not something to be feared, but

Bollywood Night at Bel-Air Film Festival India Post News Service

Anjal Chande in a striking dance pose. Pic Mark Ness

Paresh Rawal troupe in St Louis V

eteran theatre and film actor Paresh Rawal performed in St.Louis with his new Hindi play Krishan v/s Kanhaiya at Mahatma Gandhi Center. The event was hosted by Seema Enterprises & Seema World Travel on Sept 21. Paresh Rawal has recreated the magic of Shaadi and Barbadi

something to be coveted. In her final piece, she released her largerthan-life-self onto the stage, darting to and fro while having a delightful conversation with the music she danced to. Throughout her performance, Anjal presented her art with confidence and her real self shined on stage. She embodied, almost literally, her convictions and painted them in an aesthetic that was irresistible for the audience.

with his new hilariously entertaining and sensationally shocking Indian/Hindi play, Krishan Vs Kanhaiya. The play directed by Umesh Shukla is about an atheist's battle with the Almighty and is an adaptation of the popular, contemporary Gujarati comedy Kanjee Virudh

Kanjee. Paresh Rawal was accompanied by other younger but accomplished Gujarati theatre actors such as Dharmendra Gohil and Chirag Vora. He will be performing over 50 shows by end of the tour. (Pic and news courtesy Ashwin Patel)

LOS ANGELES. The 2010 BelAir Film Festival (BAFF) now in its third year, will take place from October 14-19 with screenings at the UCLA James Bridges Theater. The festival will present 58 films including 35 world premieres and 12 Los Angeles premieres. This year's Indian Film Night will be held on Sunday, October 17 at 7 pm. The evening includes a red carpet event and screening of the feature film 99, produced by People Pictures. Actress and singer Lauren Mayhew will receive the Bel-Air Film Festival's Visionary Film and Music Award, and will perform a song before the film

screening. The after party will be held at the W Hotel Westwood. 99 is an original story inspired by real events. Directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the film includes different genres from comedy, slick, to a fast paced drama. Critically acclaimed by the New York Times, 99 is the story of two men in two cities, who are bound by a feeling of always being stuck at '99'. The film is an unpredictable and hilarious ride spread over two cities with colorful characters, unbelievable circumstances, small time crooks, big time conspiracies, fateful car crashes, a briefcase full of money and a controversy brewing in the background.

October 8, 2010

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Stars bring glamour to Lakme fashions

(From right) Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Urmila Matondkar, Sophie Chaudhary and Sameera Reddy

Priyanka Chopra

Amitabh & Jaya Bachchan

Tejaswini Kolhapure

he Lakme Fashion Week witnessed a profusion of filmy glamour on its penultimate day, with a bevy of Bollywood beauties including Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukherjee, Priety Zinta and newcomer Sonakshi Sinha thronging the venue. Thanks to designer Manish Malhotra, the A-list actresses along with some of his old favourites like Sangeeta Bijlani, Urmila Matondkar and Sameera Reddy showed up at the venue. This was not all. Sonakshi also walked the ramp in her western avatar flaunting Narendra Kumar Ahmed's creations. Even the music fraternity was not behind, while composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant along with singer Sunidhi Chauhan walked the ramp for designer duo Bhumika and Shyamal Shodhan, playback singer Shaan was the show stopper for Troy Costa, who showcased his western evening wear line. The second last show of the day was brightened by Sunidhi Chauhan, Esha Koppikar, Diana Hayden, Dipannita Sharma, Tisca Chopra and Vidya Malvade. But it was Mallika Sherawat who lifted the spirits of the LFW by attending designer Anita Dongre's show as a guest. She

came dressed in a yellow organic cotton federate dress from Dongre's summer 2011 collection. The second day was leaner in terms of Bollywood presence. The only star attraction was Pooja Batra, who walked the ramp for designer Babita Malkani. The former Indian beauty queen and actress was sporting a long gown. The third day brought in some excitement when Chitrangada Singh sashayed down the ramp in Arpan Vohra's outfit. Model-turned-actress Koena Mitra too got back to her roots when she hit the runway for designer Rajat K Tangri's show. However, the excitement in the air could be felt only towards the evening with the appearance of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan in the front row for Nachiket Barve's show.

Heema Malini

Jackie Shroff

And now Star Plus on Verizon FiOS TV India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Verizon and Star, a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corporation and Asia's leading media and entertainment company, announced Sept 23, the launch of Star India Plus on Verizon FiOS TV. Star India Plus joins FiOS TV's extensive channel lineup, which includes nearly 40 other international channels covering more than 20 languages. "The addition of Star India Plus to the FiOS TV channel lineup further enhances our overall multicultural offering with new content that includes favorite dramas, game shows and more," said Terry Denson, vice president of content strategy and acquisition for Verizon. "Bringing new content and sponsorship support to South Asian communities has been a priority for Verizon, and we look forward to more opportunities in the future." David Wisnia, Star's senior vice president of distribution, sales and marketing and head of Star's North American office, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be making Star India Plus available to FiOS TV subscribers. Viewers will be entertained like never before with our exciting array of dramas, reality shows and Bollywood Blockbusters."

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October 8, 2010

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US needs to change patent laws which sanction biopiracy VANDANA SHIVA

Dr. Vandana Shiva

wo major decisions have re vived the intensity of the patent debates that came to the centre stage of national politics during the finalization of the Dunkel Draft Text of the GATT agreement and the subsequent coming into force of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The first is the WTO ruling against India in the US-India dispute on TRIPs. In July, the WTO

the US Patent Office to revoke the turmeric patent on the basis of a challenge filed by the New Delhibased Council for Agriculture Research (CSIR). The patent had been granted in March 1995 to two non-resident Indians associated with the University of Mississippi Medical Centre, Jackson, USA. The WTO dispute ruling is an attempt to put pressure on India to adopt US-style patent laws. However, as the turmeric patent case makes it evident, the US patent system has its own weaknesses which allow biopiracy to be practiced as a rule. The withdrawal of the turmeric patent is only a first step in reversing biopiracy. Patents on Neem, Amla, Jar Amla, Anar, Salai, Dudhi, Gulmendhi, Bagbherenda, Karela, Rangoon-ki-bel, Erand, Vilayetishisham, Chamkura all need to be revoked. The US needs to revoke all the above patents based on Indian indigenous knowledge and 'prior art'. In addition, the US also needs

Most patents based on indigenous knowledge appropriation violate the criteria of novelty combined with non-obviousness because they range from direct piracy to minor tinkering ruled that India had not fulfilled its obligations under the TRIPs Agreement for interim measures to receive and protect new product patents applications in pharmaceuticals and agro-chemicals (socalled 'mailbox' applications), and to provide under stipulated conditions exclusive marketing rights (EMRs) for such products. The second is the decision of

to change its patent laws which sanction biopiracy by its non-recognition of foreign 'prior art'. Patents are supposed to satisfy three criteria of: Novelty, Non-obviousness, and Utility. Novelty implies that the innovation must be new. It cannot be part of 'prior art' or existing knowledge. Non-obviousness implies that someone familiar in the art

should not be able to achieve the same step. Most patents based on indigenous knowledge appropriation violate the criteria of novelty combined with non-obviousness because they range from direct piracy to minor tinkering involving steps obvious to anyone trained in the techniques and disciplines involved. Many distortions In the US, many distortions in law exist facilitating the patenting process for companies such as those in the pharmaceutical industry. One such distortion is the interpretation of 'prior art'. It permits patents to be filed on discoveries in the US, despite the fact that identical ones may already exist and be in use in other parts of the world. Section 102 of the US Patent Act does not provide a general definition of 'prior art', but a very

narrow rule-bound method to be used by low-level patent examiners for determining which materials will defeat a patent application by violation of the novelty and non-obviousness criteria. Prior foreign activity anticipates a US patent only when the foreign activity is in a tangible, accessible form such as a published document or a patent. However, prior foreign knowledge, use and invention are all excluded when the question of prior art is considered in relation to a US patent application. Unless Section 102 of the US Patent Law is changed, new examples of biopiracy will continue to occur. The phenomenon of biopiracy makes clear that it is not just Indian patent laws that need changing. The US laws also need to be changed to fit into a fair and honest global Intellectual Property

Rights (IPR) system. The WTO, which has been established to set up a multilateral rule-based system, has a role in ensuring that the inequity and injustice that biopiracy exhibits is removed from the IPR regimes of all member countries. India needs to make a submission to the WTO to initiate proceedings to change US patent laws to give India adequate protection against biopiracy. This will serve India in two ways. If India gets a ruling in its favor, the world will have solved the problem of piracy of indigenous knowledge of the South. If India's submission is not accepted, and a panel is not set up to investigate the inherent weaknesses and inadequacies of the US patent system, the bias of the WTO towards the powerful countries will have been rendered transparent. (To be continued)

Dr. Vandana Shiva to speak on 'Seeds of Change' India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: While urban India grows and thrives, agriculture still constitutes a significant part of India's economy. India's rural food producing communities are being left behind in the wake of environmental degradation and misuse. Navdanya Trust has been working with farmers and rural communities to develop

sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. A non profit organization called Friends of Navdanya (FoN) has recently incorporated. It is raising awareness of rural poverty and hunger in India - and promoting sustainable solutions by supporting the work of the Navdanya Trust in India. On Sunday, October 17, from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm, FoN will be

hosting "The Seeds of Change". The featured speaker at this event will be Dr. Vandana Shiva, founder of the Navdanya Trust and recipient of the Right Livelihood award. Dr. Shiva will be sharing her ideas and experiences regarding social and environmental justice in India. This issue is very dear to many of us in our identity as Indian-Americans.

Mahatma Gandhi Health and Peace Walk in NYC Cont’d from page 16

The organizers think the Walk is necessary because: The number of people worldwide with diabetes is expected to rise from 300 million in 2010 to half a billion in 2030; Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide; Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. As the World Heart Day falls on 26 September and World Dia-

betes Day on 14 November each year, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on October 2, and his personal example are perfectly positioned to help the world's citizens live healthier and more productive lives, according to the organizers. Other supporters of the Walk are the American Heart Association (AHA), World Diabetes Day (WDD), Adarsh Alphons Projects, Adharshila, Artimus, American Association of Phy-

sicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Citibank, 5th on the Park, Gatorade, Harmonym, Incredible India, Kids Parliament, MDCS, Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association (MMPCIA), Quaker, Sanskriti Center NY, Sulabh International Social Service Organization, South-South News, Tropicana, User Corporation, and World Of Hope International. The Walk is also a World Diabetes Day event.

‘Sikh genocide' issue raised with Obama Cont’d from page 20

According to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice, no other world leader is more capable to understand the plight of Sikhs in India than President Obama who himself comes from a minority community which had suffered a lot of discrimination and injustice in

America, just like Sikhs in India. Attorney Pannun stated, Sikh community hopes that President Obama will use his position and influence to further of cause justice for the victims of Sikh Genocide and issues related to deteriorating human rights conditions in India. According to attorney Pannun it is undisputed that successive

Indian Governments have failed to prosecute the guilty and continue to shield them. He added that instead of sacking Minister Kamal Nath from his cabinet position, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Government is paying millions of dollars to law firms in New York to defend Kamal Nath in a pending genocide trial against him in New York court.

Datebook

October 8, 2010

India Post

www.indiapost.com

NEW YORK/ Upcoming Thurs Oct 7

Fri Oct 8

• D'Arranged Marriage

• Broken Images - A Play starring Shabana Azmi

Venue: Triad NYC, 158 West 72nd Street, 1st Floor, NY Time: 9pm Contact: 212-362-2590

Sat Oct 9 • Navratri Night - Dandiya Raas by Mera Heritage Venue: Jewish Temple at Union Turnpike, 26222 Union Turnpike, Floral Park, New York Time: 8pm Contact: 917-535-9903

Fri Oct 22 • The 7th Annual International Sikh Film Festival Venue: 1410 Broadway, Suite 301, New York Time: 11am Contact: 203-300-1784

Venue: NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place, (at Washington Square South), NY Time: 8:30pm to 10pm Contact: 732-688-7249

ILLINOIS

NEW JERSEY

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Fri Oct 22 • Hemant Chauhan - Dandiya Raas

Sun Oct 17

Venue: Harper College, 1200 West Algonquin Road, Palatine, Illinois Time: 8pm Contact: 708-975-0076

• 10th Muslim matrimonial hosted by MillanUS.com

Sun Oct 17

Venue: Adria Hotel & Conference Center, 22033 Northern Blvd., Queens, Bayside, NY Time: 3pm Contact: 516-840-0396

Thurs Oct 21 • D'Arranged Marriage - Oct 21st Venue: Triad NYC, 158 West 72nd Street, 1st Floor, New York Time: 9pm Contact: 212-362-2590

• Vachikam Presents Shabana Azmi In Broken Images Venue: North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, Ill Time: 6:30pm Contact: 630-964-6061

Sat Oct 30 • Bharatam Dance Showcase 2010 Venue: Oswego East High School, 1525 Harvey Rd., Oswego, Illinois Time: 4pm to 7pm Contact: 630-922-3107

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming Sat Oct 16 • Dashera, Lord Shri Ramchandra's Vijay ot sava Celebration Venue: Hare Krishna Temple, 103110 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, Maryland Time: 4pm Contact: 301-299-2100

Fri Oct 8

• Swarnim Navaratri 2010 Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, New Jersey Time: 9pm Contact: 732-283-1234

Sat Oct 9 • 6th Year Grand Mettil Otsava Celebration

Sat Oct 16

• Sensheelta(Tolerence)

• Kailash Kher Live

Venue: Knights of Columbus Hall, 116 Grand St, Iselin, Alabama Time: 10am to 11:30am Contact: 732-207-7592

Thurs Oct 14 • The Merchants of Bollywood Newark Venue: New Jersey Performing Arts Center Prudential Hall, One Center Street, Newark, New Jersey Time: 8pm Contact: 317-222-1325

Venue: Chabot College, Hayward, California Time: 8:30pm to 11:30pm Contact: cultural@prabasi.org

Sun Oct 17 • Diwali Expo 2010 Venue: Hilton Hotel Fremont/ Newark, 39900, Balentine Dr, Newark, California Time: 11am to 5pm Contact: 510-894-3047

Fri Oct 22

Sat Oct 16

• Grand Diwali Celebration

• Navratri Garba Oct 16

Venue: New Heritage Of India Restaurant, 167 South Main Street, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 7:30pm to 10:30pm Contact: 408-515-3905

Venue: Navratri Celebration, Sayreville, New Jersey Contact: 732-656-7654

Wed Oct 27

• New Frontiers in Leadership 2010

Venue: Knights of Columbus Hall, 116 Grand St, Iselin, New Jersey Time: 10am to 11:30am Contact: 732-207-7592

Venue: George Marshall School, 7731 leesbrug Pike, Falls Chruch, Virginia, WDC Contact: 204-347-7923

• Ekal Walk/Run 2010

Sun Oct 10

• Dharam Ki Vastavikta

• Akkana Kazh Chakal

Sun Oct 10 Venue: Shoreline Park, 3070 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, California Time: 7:30am to 1am Contact: 510-676-73576

Sat Oct 9

Sat Oct 23

Venue: Sunnyvale Temple Hall, 420, Persian Drive, Sunnyvale, California Time: 8pm Contact: 510-364-6095

Venue: Hindu Temple of San Antonio, TX, 18518 Bandera Road, Helotes, Texas Time: 8am to 2pm Contact: (281)392-6685

Sun Oct 17

Venue: Durga Temple & Also Chinmaya Mission, 8400 Durga Place, Fairfax Station, Virginia Time: 3pm to 6pm Contact: 301-340-2983

• Sewa Dandia Night 2010

• Ravi Shankar & Anoushka Shankar Venue: 28th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, California Time: 8:30pm Contact: 866-920-5299

Sun Oct 17 • Diwali Dhamaka 2010 with ANWESHA Live In NJ

Sun Oct 31

Venue: North Brunswick School Auditorium, 98 Raider Road, North Brunswick, NJ Time: 4pm to 7pm Contact: 908-271-6364

Venue: Center for Employment Training, 701 Vine Street, San Jose, California Time: 3pm Contact: 408-252-5231

• Dr. Pantula Rama - Vocal

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming Every Sat (start from Sat Aug 8) • Gurukul Classes for Children Venue: Sindhu Center, South California Time: 2pm to 4pm Contact: 818-541-1754 & 909-576-1114 Highlights: Children between the ages of 5 and 18. Children will be taught the Fundamentals of Hinduism, Prayers, Shlokas, Bhajans and Values of our culture.

Sat Oct 16 • The Special Event Soiree' Venue: Agua Caliente' Casino Resort & Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, California Time: 4pm to 9pm Contact: 509-487-3040

Sun Oct 17 • Diwali Expo 2010 Venue: Hilton Hotel Fremont/ Newark, 39900, Balentine Dr Newark, CA, Newark, California Time: 11am to 5pm Contact: 510-894-3047

Sun Oct 17 • The Seeds of Change Gala: Dine with Dr Vandana Shiva Venue: 5000, Clark Avenue, Lakewood, CA 90712 Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm Contact: 310-544-2667 & www.friendsofnavdanya.org

Sat Oct 30 & Sun Oct 31 • Fun At "Boo At The Zoo"! Venue: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027 Time: 10am to 4pm Contact: 323-644-4200 Highlights: The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.

Â&#x201E; Health

Line

Smith verdicts will resonate for doctors, patients

LOS ANGELES: During the past few weeks, a beautiful blonde celebrity has been making cameo appearances in a downtown courtroom. Her image appears on a huge video screen above the heads of three of her friends whose futures are now at stake because of their relationships with her. The woman is Anna Nicole Smith, a one-time Playboy model who died in 2007 of a drug overdose. Those on trial are her former lawyer-boyfriend and two doctors, all charged with conspiring to give her excessive prescription drugs while knowing she was an addict. The trial's approaching outcome is sure to reverberate among doctors and pain management patients whose need for drugs is at the heart of California laws under which the defendants are charged. -AP

Â&#x201E; Measure shows California's conflicted link to pot SAN FRANCISCO: California has a long history of defying conventional wisdom on the issue of marijuana, including its embrace of the drug in the 1960s and its landmark medical pot law 14 years ago. So it may not be all that surprising that a November ballot measure to legalize the drug has created some odd alliances and scenarios. Pot growers have opposed it. Some police have favored it. Polls show the public is deeply divided. Only politicians have lined up as expected: Nearly all major party candidates oppose the measure. -AP

Â&#x201E; POM juice ads are deceptive about health NEW YORK: Federal regulators filed complaints against the makers of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice, saying there's no science to support claims that the products treat or prevent diseases such as prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction. The Federal Trade Commission says POM Wonderful LLC, its parent company Roll International Corp., its creators and an executive violated federal law by making false and deceptive claims about disease prevention and treatment. The agency's complaint names POM Wonderful President Matthew Tupper and company founders Stewart and Lynda Resnick, a billionaire California couple whose holdings also include florist retailer Teleflora, Fiji Water and companies that produce Wonderful Pistachios and Cuties clementines. -AP

Health Science 40

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 8, 2010

Descendants of 1st black US doctor mark NYC grave NEW YORK: Descendants of the nation's first professionally trained African-American doctor have gathered at his previously unmarked New York City gravesite to lay flowers on his new tombstone. -AP

High-level Delhi meet on women's and children's health India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: A high level political event, Partners Forum on Women's and Children's Health, will be held from November 12- 14 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Cohosted by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, it will be inaugurated by the President of India, Smt Pratibha Patil on November 13. Over 700 participants from around the world and India, including health and development ministers, senior government and UN officials, donors, health care professionals, civil society representatives and academics will review the commitments made to the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health and will identify action to be taken by the Partners. Over the past decade many countries have taken significant steps towards achieving the MDGs, but there is need for renewed energy and commitment in this last mile, particularly in regard to achieving MDGs 4, to reduce child mortality & 5, to im-

prove maternal health. This Forum is especially significant as it is a follow up of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's launching of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health at the UN Millennium Development Goal's Summit held in New York, September 20-22. The UN Secretary-General said on that occasion, "Each year, millions of women and children die

facing an unwanted pregnancy; for the married woman who has found she is infected with the HIV virus; and for the mother who faces complications in childbirth." India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Our meetings with The Partnership in India this year, to discuss the MDG's 4 and 5 on reducing maternal and child mortality, have been extremely valuable on

This Forum is especially significant as it is a follow up of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's launching of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health at the UN Millennium Development Goal's Summit held in New York, September 20-22 from preventable causes. These are not mere statistics; they are people with names and faces. Their suffering is unacceptable in the 21st Century. We must, therefore, do more for the newborn who succumbs to infection for want of a simple injection: for the young boy who will never reach his full potential because of malnutrition. We must do more for the teenage girl

both a National and International basis. Together we have also tackled some of the most important related issues in India itself. These include the importance of increasing midwifery training, improving the strength and coherence of advocacy messaging in regard to reducing maternal and child deaths, promoting community and media monitoring, and addressing social

determinants of maternal and child mortality in India, such as early marriage. During this year of very significant events, The Partnership is making a tremendous contribution towards progress. We look forward to even closer engagement with it this year and beyond", "This year, the issue of maternal, newborn and child health has reached the top of the political agenda. From the G8 Muskoka Initiative and the African Union, to the UN Secretary General's Strategy on Women's and Children's Health, the world has agreed that it is time to join forces and act together in moving pledges to action", Dr Julio Frenk, Chair, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health The Forum program has been designed with the hope of directing all efforts towards driving the key goals identified in the Global Strategy; to strengthen our resources for accountability, to share the knowledge and networks needed to scale-up models for change, and to deepen our connections across sectors and across regions to enhance financing, policies and service delivery.

After 10 years, abortion pill still divisive NEW YORK: Ten years ago, after long and bitter debate, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved use of the abortion pill by American women. It is hailed as safe and effective, but new turmoil may lie ahead as the pill's proponents consider using telemedicine to make it more available. Already, a pioneering telemedicine program in Iowa has provided the pill to about 1,900 women - with a doctor able to consult with a faraway patient in a video teleconference, then unlock a container by remote control to release the pill. To the alarm of antiabortion activists, abortion providers in other states are pondering whether similar programs would enable them to serve more women, especially in rural areas. ``There are many affiliates that are carefully considering this option, within the confines of their

state laws,'' said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president for medical affairs of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation's leading abortion provider. Initially known as RU-486, the pill was introduced in France in

counts for about one-quarter of U.S. abortions performed in the first nine weeks of pregnancy and about 15 percent of all U.S. abortions. In 2008, about 184,000 American women used the pill up from 55,000 in 2001 even though

Already, a pioneering telemedicine program in Iowa has provided the pill to about 1,900 women - with a doctor able to consult with a faraway patient in a video teleconference 1988, and anti-abortion activists fought doggedly over 12 years to keep it out of the U.S. The FDA finally gave its OK on Sept. 28, 2000, and nearly 1.4 million American women have used the pill since then. Affording women more privacy than a surgical abortion, the pill marketed as Mifeprex now ac-

the overall number of U.S. abortions wasn't rising. The pill's manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, says it is effective about 95 percent of the time, with surgical procedures needed in most of the other cases to end the pregnancy or stop heavy bleeding. According to Danco, since approval in 2000 there have been

eight deaths from sepsis, a bloodstream infection, among women taking the pill - a death rate of roughly 1 in 168,000 that's far lower that the rate of women dying in childbirth. Dr. David Grimes, a North Carolina obstetrician/gynecologist who formerly headed the abortion surveillance branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the pill's impact has been overwhelmingly positive. ``I just don't see any downsides,'' he said. ``For those women who don't like the invasiveness of surgery, it gives them a very important option.'' He noted the option enables a woman to undergo an abortion in the privacy of her home after getting the pill from her doctor, avoiding the need for surgery at an abortion clinic that might be targeted by protesters. -AP

October 8, 2010

Health Science Post

India Post

www.indiapost.com

How to widen the hunt for cancer therapy WASHINGTON: Cancer is a tale of two sets of genetic code, your own and your tumor's - and tracing the unique areas of damage makes for a way to target treatment. Fifty years after the discovery of the first direct genetic link to cancer, U.S scientists are assessing the state of so-called targeted therapy - with nearly 30 treatments on the market and a dozen or so more under study. ``We're still not using the 'C' word, 'cure,''' cautioned personalized medicine director Jeff Boyd of Fox Chase Cancer Center, who helped organized a meeting in Philadelphia to mark the anniversary and examine the future of targeted therapy. But, he added, ``there is real potential to transform many cancers into chronic diseases.'' One next challenge is how to expand the number of targets to attack, in part by answering what the new chief of the National Cancer Institute calls the ``big questions'' about what makes this disease so intractable. Questions like: What makes a tumor metastasize, or spread through the body? Metastasis is what kills, yet scientists do not know why some tumors spread

and others do not and what programs those tumor cells to invade, say, the liver instead of the bone or the lung - factors that undoubtedly could be new treatment targets. Starting in October, Dr. Harold Varmus, the NCI's director, will begin quizzing top researchers from around the country about which of oncology's underlying mysteries should be part of his ``Big Questions Initiative,'' a new focus of government cancer research. Answering those questions ``would get you over a roadblock that keeps us from making better progress,'' Varmus told a meeting of his scientific advisers earlier this month. For Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society, such a project might finally offer clues to a huge problem facing patients today: How to tell who needs the most aggressive treatment, and who would be OK skipping the big guns. A domino effect of genetic alterations is required to cause any of the 200 diseases collectively called cancer. Some occur in the person, making them more prone to illness. But tumors also have their own genetic signature _ four

to seven genetic changes that are critical to turning, say, a normal breast or colon or liver cell into a cancerous one, and a pattern of activity that signals how aggressive that malignancy will be. Those unique patterns also offer targets for treatment, drugs that

For Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society, such a project might finally offer clues to a huge problem facing patients today: How to tell who needs the most aggressive treatment, and who would be OK skipping the big guns zero in on the particular genetic pathways fueling the person's cancer - and even vaccine-like therapies, a fledgling field that aims to train patients' immune systems to recognize and fight their tumors. It all started with the 1960 publication of what was dubbed the

Philadelphia chromosome, a funny-looking chromosome that two scientists - one from the University of Pennsylvania, one from Fox Chase - spotted only in patients with a specific kind of leukemia. Fast-forward to the 2001 approval of the groundbreaking drug Gleevec, which has turned chronic myeloid leukemia from a fast killer into a disease that many patients today manage with a daily pill. It works by targeting the cancer-causing protein produced by the Philadelphia chromosome. Gleevec was not the first genetic targeted therapy for cancer the decades of research sparked by that discovery actually paid off for some other cancers first. Boyd predicts there will be more than 100 targeted therapies available within several more years, and the real quest is for targets that prove as crucial to holding cancer in check as Gleevec's did. Generating particular excitement now are possible new drugs for hard-to-treat breast cancer, compounds called PARP inhibitors that block enzymes needed for cell growth. Also on the radar are earlier-stage experiments with drugs for melanoma and lung cancer that target different genetic pathways involved in spurring

cancer growth. The biggest threat: Funding for cancer research is not keeping up with the discovery of possible new targets, said the cancer society's Brawley. The NCI's budget has held at around $5 billion for several years, but federal scientists are bracing for possible cuts in 2012. And because these targeted therapies work differently - shrinking a tumor or slowing its growth than the tumor-destroying approaches of chemotherapy and radiation, it's harder to prove a benefit. But Allison Frey, whose aggressive form of thyroid cancer spread to her liver in inoperable patches, says that approach has made her cancer an illness she can manage much like a diabetic manages insulin. For nearly five years, the Lanoka Harbor, N.J., woman has swallowed an experimental pill called Axitinib that shrank those patches and kept them from growing back, working through a pathway that targets a tumor's blood supply. ``Honestly, to me it's just like any other chronic illness,'' said Frey, who's part of a study at Fox Chase. ``I show up for work every day and live life ... with minimal issues.'' -AP

Tech News

TechBiz 42 India Post

Mahindra Satyam Chairman Vineet Nayar

Satyam reports Rs 125 crore loss HYDERABAD: Mahindra Satyam (formerly Satyam Computer) has reported a consolidated loss of Rs 124.60 crore for the year ended March 2010. The company's net sales stood at Rs 5,481 crore for the same period, Mahindra Satyam said. This is the first audited financial results from the company after its founder and former chairman of Satyam Computer B Ramalinga Raju admitted to multicrore accounting fraud in January last year. Tech Mahindra took over reins of the company in April 2009 after the government-appointed panel cleared sale. It later rebranded fraud-hit company as Mahindra Satyam. The Company Law Board had given exemption to Mahindra Satyam from publishing results for two financial years FY 2009 and FY 2010. - PTI

Over Rs 3.28 cr goods traded between JK & POK POONCH: Goods worth over Rs 3.28 crore were traded through 45 trucks between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) along Line of Control (LoC) at Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point in Poonch district on Sept 30, officials said. As many as 25 trucks rolled out from Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Ranger in Poonch district of J&K to POK, they said, adding these trucks carried bags of coconut, moti elachi, Red chilli and clothes, worth Rs 1,13,99,536. From POK, as many as 20 trucks carrying bags of almonds, dry fruits and dates, worth Rs 2,14,08,866 crossed to this side, they said. Officials from both the side monitored the transportation of these goods at Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point twice during the day from 1200- 1230 hrs and 1630- 1700 hrs respectively, they said. -PTI

www.indiapost.com

India invites foreign investment in aviation Details on page 43

October 8, 2010

US major General Electric wins engine bid for Indian LCAs NEW DELHI: US aircraft engine manufacturer General Electric (GE) Aviation has won the bid for supplying engines for the Indian Light Combat Aircraft program and the deal is estimated to be worth over USD 600 million. GE pipped its European competitor Eurojet for the deal after DRDO, which is developing the LCA's mark II version, formally announced that the American major's was the lowest bid in the tenders that saw a long-drawn battle for over two years. "GE was declared as the lowest bidder" by the Price Negotiating Committee headed by DRDO Chief Controller for Aerospace systems Dr Prahlada. "The Prime Negotiating Committee for the alternate engine for LCA Mk 2 has finalized the comparative statement of tenders...After evaluation and acceptance of the technical offer provided by both Eurojet and GE Aviation, the commercial quotes were

compared in detail and GE Aviation was declared as the lowest bidder," an official statement from DRDO said here. The committee also had representatives from Defense Ministry,

Though the order could be for 99 engines initially, India will have the option of order for another 100 engines in the future. GE had offered its GE F-414 engine as an alternative to its GE F-404

The final price to be paid for the engines will be decided in the negotiations between the Price Negotiating Committee and GE Aviation in the next ten days, officials said Defense Finance, Aeronautical Development Agency, DRDO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. "Further price negotiations and contract finalization will follow," the release added.

engines that are fitted in the first batch of LCAs that IAF would receive in a couple of years from now. Eurojet had offered its EJ-200 engines for the LCA Mk II aircraft that is under development now. The DRDO announcement

comes a day after Defense Minister A K Antony returned here after a two-day visit to the US and met American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates among others. "The company has been chosen to be given the contract for equipping the LCA Mk II aircraft with a customized version of its GE-414 engines," Prahlada said. He said the company will start equipping the aircraft with its engine in next two and a half years and will provide more power to the LCAs. The final price to be paid for the engines will be decided in the negotiations between the Price Negotiating Committee and GE Aviation in the next ten days, officials said. The need for changing the engines was felt after the IAF found out that the GE-404 engines were not providing enough power to the LCA and more powerful engines were needed for the purpose. - PTI

Mukesh tops Forbes list of India's richest NEW DELHI: Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has emerged as the richest Indian, with his USD 27 billion fortune surpassing that of billionaire rivals L N Mittal and Azim Premji, according to Forbes India magazine. As per the list of the 100 wealthiest Indians compiled by Forbes, the combined net worth of India's 100 richest people rose to USD 300 billion this year from USD 276 billion last year, driven by the country's booming economy and a rally in the stock market. Ambani was followed in the list by steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, who retained his second position in the Forbes India Rich List with a net worth of USD 26.1 billion. However, the wealth of both of these billionaires as calculated by Forbes is believed to be 15 per cent lower than their fortunes in the previous year. Mukesh's younger sibling Anil Ambani lost the third spot on the list to IT major Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and fell to sixth rank

in the latest list. Anil Ambani's net worth of USD 13.3 billion is less than half that of his elder brother, Mukesh. Writing about Mukesh Ambani,

The biggest gainer in percentage terms was media baron Kalanithi Maran, who made a splash with his purchase of a big stake in low-cost airline SpiceJet the magazine said, "In a surprising move, he ended a long-running feud with younger sibling Anil in May and scrapped their

non-compete pact. Jumped into telecom, paying USD 1 billion for wireless broadband firm Infotel. His Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company, is investing in shale gas assets." Premji's wealth has increased to USD 17.6 billion from USD 14.9 billion last year, taking him to the third spot from fourth place last year. Fourth on the list was Essar Energy brothers Shashi and Ravi Ruia, with a net worth of USD 15 billion, bolstered by the company's IPO in London, which raised USD 1.85 billion. According to the Forbes India Rich List, there are 69 billionaires this year, compared to 52 last year. As many as five women have made it to the Forbes India Rich List this year, led by O P Jindal Group Chairperson Savitri Jindal. Apart from Jindal, Bennett, Coleman & Co Chairperson Indu Jain, Anu Aga of Thermax group, Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Shobhana Bhartia of

Hindustan Times are the other women that found a place in the list. Savitri Jindal, with a net worth of USD 14.4 billion, has been ranked at fifth place on the list, ahead of Anil Ambani at sixth rank. Gautum Adani (USD 10.7 billion), DLF's Kushal Pal Singh (USD 9.2 billion), Bharti Airtel's Sunil Mittal (USD 8.6 billion), K M Birla (USD 8.5 billion) have been ranked at 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th ranks, respectively. The biggest gainer in percentage terms was media baron Kalanithi Maran, who made a splash with his purchase of a big stake in low-cost airline SpiceJet. Maran's net worth rose by 74 per cent in a year to USD 2.9 billion. This year's list signals a second wave of Indian capitalists amassing fantastic fortunes after an initial slew earlier in the decade. However, some fortunes took a hit, with property baron K P Singh losing nearly one-third of his wealth despite a real estate rebound. - PTI

TechBiz Post

October 8, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Indian aviation can reach 4 billion passengers India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: There is tremendous potential for Indian aviation to grow, currently 42 million annual passengers fly domestically and 34 million internationally. "If Indians flew as much as Americans, it would be a market of over 4 billion passengers. With the spending power of Indians set to triple over the next two years, the potential for growth is incredible," said Mr. Giovanni Bisignani, Director General & CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at an Interactive meeting on "Challenges of Indian Aviation" organized by Confederation of Indian industry (CII). India has to have a more coordinated cross-ministry government approach in shoring-up the gains in India's aviation industry. But there is still much more to be done. It's time to take care of structural weaknesses and go for a comprehensive approach with a common vision by all involved," said Giovanni Key areas requiring special attention to improve the Aviation market are safety, infrastructure, liberalization, policy coordination, security and environment. The success of India's airlines should not be compromised by an archaic investment policy that isolates them from global trends," said Bisignani noting

recent trends of consolidation, multi-hub and multi-brand strategies. . India allows 100% FDI in transit systems, ports, harbors, hotels, ocean transport and road systems. But airline FDI is restricted to 49%. Moreover, no foreign airline can invest in an Indian airline. To build competitiveness, it

‘IATA continues to expand our India operations….this could be the decade when Indian aviation will reach its potential. But there are no guarantees for success without continued hard work, change and a common vision for success shared across government and with the industry’ is critical that the costs of operating in India are reduced. "It is an embarrassing situation for such a relevant country as India-which is a member of the ICAO Council-to be ignoring rules that it has helped to develop," said Bisignani. The air transport industry has committed to improve fuel effi-

ciency by 1.5% per year to 2020, cap net emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth and cut net emissions in half by 2050 compared to 2005. "IATA continues to expand our India operations….this could be the decade when Indian aviation will reach its potential. But there are no guarantees for success without continued hard work, change and a common vision for success shared across government and with the industry. India has come a long way in addressing the challenges of growth. “The foundations for success are half-laid and IATA will continue its support to help finish the job," added Bisignani. Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman, CII National Committee on Civil Aviation and Chairman and MD of Kingfisher airlines Ltd said that, the Indian aviation industry will see a new high and India has the potential to emerge as an aviation hub. But a supportive, conducive environment is required. The few challenges faced by the industry include high cost of aviation, restricted FDI policy among others. Mr. Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group also reiterated that the regulations prevalent in this industry prevent airlines from maximizing operative and business efficiencies.

India invites foreign investment in aviation India Post News Service

MONTREAL: India has invited Canadian and other global companies to participate in its booming aviation sector, which has in-

short span of time, still we have a long way to go. Scope for working together is immense as USD 150 billion worth of investment opportunities are available," Civil Aviation Minister

He said both the Indian aviation industry and its foreign partners could grow hand in hand to become "partners in progress" Praful Patel

vestment opportunities worth USD 150 billion. "Though India has achieved a lot of progress in this area in a

Praful Patel said at a meeting of top aviation players here. He said both the Indian aviation industry and its foreign part-

ners could grow hand in hand to become "partners in progress" in the spectacular growth story of the country's civil aviation sector. Highlighting several growth indicators of the sector, Patel stressed that global best practices must be adopted so that the country may be equipped to handle this kind of high growth and massive expansion. The meeting, jointly organized by FICCI and the Civil Aviation Ministry on the sidelines of the ongoing 37th assembly of UN-affiliate International Civil Aviation Organization, was attended by a large number of leading figures of the global aviation fraternity. It was also addressed by Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, Boeing India chief and Chairman of FICCI Civil Aviation Committee Dinesh Keskar and Indian High Commissioner to Canada S M Gavai. -PTI

India Post

SAAB hopeful of making MMRCA list of IAF CAPE TOWN: As India's biggest defense contract of USD 10 billion to acquire 126 Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) nears final stages, the lone Swedish contender SAAB is optimistic of making it to the downlist. Expressing optimism, SAAB executives said that their India campaign was enthusing them to enter the lucrative fighter market in the Asian region where many other nations are planning major acquisitions. The Swedish company executives are hopeful that the Indian Government would shortlist the competitors by December to bring the number of contenders from six to two or three. The Gripen is in contention with American F-16 and F-18/A Super Hornets, French Rafale, Russian MiG 35 and Eurofighter Typhoon. The company executives claimed that the Gripen had come through well in Indian flight trials held at Leh and Jaisalmer. "The trials were a complete success. We are very happy with the trials that went off early 2010. We are looking forward to the next steps and we are hopeful," Eddy de la Motte, Director, Gripen for India, told PTI on the sidelines of the Africa Aerospace and Defense expo 2010. Gripen, like other five contenders, had undergone trials at Bangalore, Leh and Jaisalmer for performance assessment trials over varying terrain and weather conditions over six months that ended in March-April this year. La Motte said the Indian Air Force pilots, who tested the 1,320

mile-per-hour jet, were a "really professional team" and the flight evaluation was "very demanding." Gripen's Campaign Director and Test Pilot Magnus Lewis-Olsson said SAAB was looking forward to winning the Indian contract as it would mean a lot for the company. "If you win India, that would

The Gripen is in contention with American F-16 and F-18/A Super Hornets, French Rafale, Russian MiG 35 and Eurofighter Typhoon. The company executives claimed that the Gripen had come through well in Indian flight trials held at Leh and Jaisalmer be a strong signal for the world," he said. The Gripen fighter aircraft, which is in service in the Swedish and South African Air Force, flew for 12 to 15 hours for eight days and also did single sorties during the trials. Under the MMRCA deal, India will acquire 126 aircraft in 86 singleseater and 40 twin-engine seat configurations. It plans to procure 18 aircraft in flyaway conditions and produce 106 locally under license through technology transfer. -PTI

Horoscope

44 India Post

October 8, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Oct 8th - Oct14th

upiter will bring financial relief. Money stuck for long can also come this week. You may be able to get out of the project or a property draining you out for long. People in power will extend helping hand and will really deliver. You may also replace an old vehicle with newer model. Issue involving a child will get quickly resolved to satisfaction.

ou will be spending lots of money on family. Some money will also go towards a future trip. You may be suggested minor surgery to overcome a health issue bothering for quite some time. Stick your terms and soon the others will agree. Spouse may have some unnecessary fears in mind, talking will really help calm things down.

ight help is only a phone call away. Once again things will start moving in right. You will receive useful tips and leads from a matured and elderly person. Business will pick up suddenly and you will be more optimistic about life. You may get out of a bad relationship also. You will call few old friends and arrange a small party at your place.

eal will be good in short as well as long term. You will make new friends and one of them will give you good leads. Sibling will call to give you very good news. You will spend money on an upcoming trip also. You will be tempted to take a big risk but something will pull you back on last minute. You will relish your favorite items this week.

by Pandit Parashar

ncertainty will clear in career and you will escape the worst. Jupiter's aspect on Saturn will bring an end to lots of anxiety and bring peace in mind. Some of you will be shifted to another position at job. Money wise you will continue to do fine and find time and resources to entertain yourself. You will be in great demand at the get together.

ome of you may feel dis content with the changes at work and start looking for a new and better environment. You will be taking more interest in a child and try to resolve important issues. Some one from a different culture will make an interesting offer. You may be confused whether to go on a trip. It will be better to think twice before actions.

ome of you may need to travel out of state for business purpose. Listen to spouse carefully, the idea is not bad. Money wise you will stay comfortable and meet all commitments on time. Strong Venus can take you closer to an adventurous person. New job offer will not be bad and you may be slightly reluctant to take the risk at this point in life.

hanges may start tak ing place at work. Some of you will be offered opportunity little away from home. Pending issues with government are about to be decided in your favor. You will be paying more attention to spouse and try to entertain more often. Some of you may decide to appear and start preparing for a highly competitive exam.

xpect some serious prosperity from now and on. Project you had been working on will be accepted opening new doors. A new member will be added in the family soon. You will also overcome few difficulties in life. Mind will stay calm and you will make excellent choices this week.

here will be big change on financial front. Suddenly you will feel relieved. Expenses will stay under control and new opportunity will bring in extra cash. You will be slowly planning a trip also. Do not disclose your strategy to every one right away. Planets in third will make you take some courageous steps to get out of rat race.

usiness will pick up suddenly and things will be better at work. Jupiter's transit in ninth brings an end to lots of uncertainty clouding your mind in the past. You may visit a holy place or making some contribution to a noble cause. Expect some last minute delay in ongoing legal matters.

ou will spend lots of time on phone and writing emails. Commitments made long ago will keep draining you out financially. Health will be better and you will be more confident about your actions. Meetings will go very well and you will be given green signal also. Spouse may not agree on everything but support you on major ones.

In Brief 2 arrested for allegedly hiring illegal immigrants LOS ANGELES: Immigration authorities have arrested a father and son for allegedly hiring illegal immigrants at their Oxnard metal casting shop. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Wayne Haddox, the owner of Masters in Metal, Inc., and Dennis Haddox, the company's vice president, were arrested. ICE investigators say Masters in Metal employed 16 people with fake green cards and was told to fire them. Investigators say they later found that two workers stayed on the payroll after Wayne Haddox told them to get ``good'' Social Security numbers. -AP

Pat Boone rallies tea party crowd in Beverly Hills BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.: Pat Boone and blogger Andrew Breitbart praised grassroots politics during a tea party rally in Beverly Hills. They were about a dozen speakers who spoke on topics ranging from race to religion to immigration. The Los Angeles Times says the speakers also criticized the Obama administration, decried socialism and attacked the mainstream media. Alana Stewart was in the audience, saying there were many ``closeted conservatives'' in Hollywood who were afraid to speak out for fear of industry retaliation. The Bruin Republicans, a UCLA student organization, had a Ronald Reagan cardboard cutout next to its fundraising booth. -AP

House leader: Colbert was an 'embarrassment' WASHINGTON: The House of Representatives' No. 2 Democratic leader says comedian Stephen Colbert's testimony on immigration was `ìnappropriate'' and `àn embarrassment.'' Colbert was invited to appear before the House Judiciary Committee by Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California. But other Democrats weren't happy about her decision. The committee chairman, Rep. John Conyers, asked Colbert to leave the room at the beginning of the hearing because Colbert has no expertise in farm labor issues or immigration policy. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland tells ``Fox News Sunday'' he thought the episode was more of an embarrassment to Colbert than to the House. But, he added, `Ì think it was inappropriate'' that he testified.-AP

Immigration 45

India Post

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October 8, 2010

Immigration in back seat in Texas governor's race Details on page 46

Despite economy, Americans don't want farm work VISALIA, California: As the economy tanked during the past two years, a debate has raged over whether immigrants are taking jobs that Americans want. Here, amid the sweltering vineyards of the largest farm state, the answer is no. Most Americans simply don't apply for jobs harvesting fruits and vegetables in California, where one of every eight people is out of work, according to government data for a federal seasonal farm worker program analyzed by The Associated Press. And the few unemployed Americans who apply through official channels usually don't stay on in the fields. ``It's just not something that most Americans are going to pack up their bags and move here to do,'' said farmer Steve Fortin, who pays $10.25 an hour to foreign workers to trim strawberry plants for six weeks each summer at his nursery near the Nevada border. He has spent $3,000 this year ensuring domestic workers have first dibs on his jobs in the sparsely populated stretch of the state, advertising in newspapers and on an electronic job registry. But he hasn't had any takers, and only one farmer in the state

hired anyone using a little-known, little-used program to hire foreign farm workers the legal way - by applying for guest worker visas. Since January, California farmers have posted ads for 1,160 farm worker

One grower brought on 36 U.S citizens or legal permanent residents. No one else hired any. ``It surprises me, too, but we do put the information out there for the public,'' said Lucy Ruelas,

In this Sept 24, photo, Benjamin Reynosa, 49, of Orange Cove, picks table grapes near Fowler, Calif. As the economy tanked over the past two years, the immigration debate has focused on whether immigrants are taking jobs Americans want. Here, amid the sweltering melon fields and vineyards of the nation's top farm state, where one of every eight people is still out of a job, the answer is no

positions open to U.S. citizens and legal residents seeking work. Only 233 people applied after being linked with the jobs through unemployment offices in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona.

who manages the California Employment Development Department's agricultural services unit. ``If an applicant sees the reality of the job, they might change their mind.''

The California figures represent a small sample of efforts to recruit domestic workers under the H-2A Guest Worker Program, but they provide a snapshot of how hard it is to lure Americans to farm labor - and to get growers to use the program. Fortin is one of just 23 of the estimated 40,900 full-time farmers and ranchers in California who petitioned this year to bring in foreign farm workers through legal means, the government data showed. The Labor Department did not respond to a request for comment about the findings. More than half of farm workers in the United States are illegal immigrants, according to the Labor Department, and another fourth of them were born outside the country. Proponents of tougher immigration laws _ as well as the United Farm Workers of America _ say farmers are used to a cheap, largely undocumented work force, and say if growers raised wages and improved working conditions, the jobs would attract Americans. So far, an effort by the UFW to get Americans to take farm jobs has been more effective in attracting applicants than the official channels. Cont’d on page 47

Chicago bomb suspect wanted quick fame CHICAGO: A 22-year-old Lebanese immigrant accused of placing a backpack he thought contained a bomb near a Chicago baseball field is no terrorist, just someone seeking quick fortune and fame in America, his attorney and a friend said. But a federal judge denied bail for Sami Samir Hassoun, determining he is dangerous and a flight risk. ``It's hard to imagine a more serious crime ... Although it was thwarted, it had the potential to kill many people,'' U.S. District Judge Susan Cox said at Hassoun's detention hearing. Prosecutors allege Hassoun took a fake bomb given to him by undercover FBI agents and dropped it in a trash bin near the historic home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. While harmless, the

device appeared ominous - a paint can fitted with blasting caps and a timer. Earlier, restaurant owner Joseph Abraham told The Associated Press that Hassoun is well educated but also prone to big boasts, lies

ing, and he got caught in a bluff.'' Outside the courtroom, attorney Myron Auerbach also described his client as prone to embellish. He said Hassoun had difficulty backing away from dangerous situations but insisted, ``My

‘It's hard to imagine a more serious crime ... Although it was thwarted, it had the potential to kill many people,’ U S District Judge Susan Cox said at Hassoun's detention hearing and bluffs. Those may have led his friend of more than a year to plant the bogus bomb, Abraham said. ``Half of the stuff he told you couldn't believe - lies to show people he was a big shot,'' said Abraham, 49. ``I think what got him into trouble was he was bluff-

client is not a terrorist.'' Auerbach said Hassoun was born in Beirut but spent much of his childhood in the west African nation of Ivory Coast, where his father had a business. The family was forced to flee for their lives as fighting broke out among various

factions, he said. ``He saw death, mayhem and destruction as a small child,'' said Auerbach, who contends the trauma may have affected Hassoun's development. Auerbach is seeking a psychological evaluation for Hassoun, although he told the judge he believes his client is competent to stand trial. Hassoun wore an orange jumpsuit over his slight frame at the hearing, hunching his shoulders as he stood next to his attorney. When a marshal removed his handcuffs, Hassoun nodded at relatives seated in the courtroom. One responded by appearing to blow a kiss at the defendant. Cont’d on page 47

Immigration Post

India Post

October 8, 2010

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Immigration in back seat in Texas governor's race SAN ANTONIO: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who runs a state with an estimated 1.6 million illegal immigrants, is giving a roomful of real estate agents his greatest hits from the campaign trail. More job growth. Fewer school dropouts. A retreating federal government. Retired Capt. James F.A. Turner, clapping in a white cowboy hat, likes everything he hears. Then there's what he didn't hear. ``Did he say anything about immigration?'' the 70-year-old Turner wondered afterward. Despite a raging national debate over immigration heading

into the midterm elections, Perry and Democrat Bill White have barely whispered the word. Arizona showed it wasn't happy to leave immigration enforcement to Washington, but Perry and White have been content to leave the issue out of their race to lead Texas, which according to the Pew Hispanic Center has the secondhighest number of illegal immigrants behind California. Perry says discussing immigration policy is pointless until the border is secure. White said he'll have his hands full and can't fix all the federal government's prob-

lems. Political analysts say it's business-as-usual in a Texas gubernatorial race, going back to when George W. Bush campaigned in the 1990s. But when the Texas Legislature convenes weeks after the winner of this campaign is sworn in, some lawmakers expect to be under pressure to address illegal immigration. Two Republicans have pledged to introduce Arizona-style legislation, which puts local police officers on the front lines of enforcing federal immigration law. State House Affairs committee chairman Burt Solomons said he expects to see 60 or 70 other immigration-related bills also filed.

Dueling attacks over ethical lapses and tax records have turned the governor's race nasty between White, the popular former Houston mayor, and Perry, who is seeking an unprecedented third fouryear term. But aside from both stating that Arizona's law wasn't right for Texas, neither has said much on immigration. Years-old criticism is that White ran a ``sanctuary city'' for illegal immigrants in Houston?. Perry's campaign has lobbed the attack infrequently; White spokeswoman Katy Bacon said the accusation is false. Nevertheless, Houston had a hands-off policy toward illegal immigrants, which became an issue only after a man

Even finding the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;immigrationâ&#x20AC;? is difficult on the official campaign websites for both and Perry and White. Instead, both lay out plans for beefing up security Solomons, a Republican from conservative north Dallas, said illegal immigration was second only to jobs when he surveyed constituents about their top issues earlier this year. ``It comes up in questions in forums and town halls. 'What's going on with immigration? You plan on doing anything this session?''' Solomons said. ``You hear members say 'In my district, this is an important issue.' And you don't hear it from one or two members who seemingly want to be on the forefront.'' Last month, state officials testified to Solomons' committee that illegal immigrants cost the state at least $250 million last year in prison and medical care costs. Most outof-session committee meetings are typically unlively and sparsely attended. The room was nearly packed.

who had been deported multiple times killed a Houston police officer late in White's term. Even finding the word ``immigration'' is difficult on the official campaign websites for both and Perry and White. Instead, both lay out plans for beefing up security on the border and beating back drug violence from Mexico. Not all Texans are left satisfied. ``As a voter, to me, it's important to know what they think about immigration on a larger scale and not just touch on it in terms of border security,'' said Tiffany Turner, 27, a real estate agent who attended the Perry rally with her grandfather this month but said she's undecided. Her grandfather, the retired captain, said Perry did mention immigration _ a call for more troops on the border. But he said immigration wasn't a major issue to him

in a governor's race. Bacon, pointing out that immigration proposals didn't pass committee arguments in previous sessions, said White is focused on issues he can affect like the budget shortfall and keeping Mexican drug cartel violence out of Texas. Mark Miner, a spokesman for Perry's campaign, said voters know securing the border is the top priority when talking about immigration. Perry has maintained that a discussion over policy is futile until then. ``As part of the exercise of, let's throw ideas on a wall and see what will work, we've been engaged in that dialogue for the better part of two years,'' Perry said last month. ``But the fact is I'm not going to be distracted from what has to occur, and that's border security.'' At a potluck for Democrats in Seguin days earlier, White told a woman who asked about immigration that he'd ``have his hands full running the state'' and wouldn't be able to solve the problems of the federal government. But he added, ``We need to have some system that allows people to distinguish between people who are working and paying taxes on one hand, and narcotraffickers and human traffickers on the other. Some kind of reality-based system.'' Jerry Polinard, a political science professor at the University of Texas-Pan American, said neither side wants to risk alienating Latino voters. But he thinks immigration could become a bigger issue as Election Day nears. ``White's not quite walking the tightrope that Gov. Perry's walking, but probably holding back a little bit more than you might expect from a Democratic candidate in a state with such a large Latino vote,'' he said. -AP

Sanchez: Vietnamese trying to take her seat SANTAANA, California: A Hispanic congresswoman from a predominantly immigrant district sparked an outcry by telling a reporter in Spanish that ``the Vietnamese'' and Republicans are trying to take her seat in Congress. Rep. Loretta Sanchez's opponent, Republican Assemblyman Van Tran, asked for an apology, the Orange County Register reported. The reference sparked a heated debate about the close race on political blogs and local talk radio. George Andrews, Tran's campaign manager, said the comment on national television was an at-

tack against immigrants and the Vietnamese community. ``The 47th congressional district belongs to the people and not an individual ethnicity,'' Andrews said. The remark came as Sanchez was being interviewed by Jorge Ramos on Univision's Sunday morning show, ``Al Punto.'' ``The Vietnamese and the Republicans are - with an intensity - trying to take away this seat, this seat (from which) we have done so much for our community, take away this seat from us and give it to this Van Tran, who's very anti-immigrant and very

anti-Hispanic,'' she said in Spanish. Her campaign says her statement referred to members of the Vietnamese community who are supporting Tran, who was evacuated by the U.S. Army from Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon in 1975. He was the first VietnameseAmerican to be elected to a state legislature. Sanchez was elected to Congress in 1997. The 47th congressional district is 70 percent Hispanic and 9.5 percent Vietnamese. Half of its residents were born outside the U.S. -AP

Immigration Post

October 8, 2010

India Post

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Despite economy, Americans don't want farm work Cont’d from page 45

The UFW in June launched the ``Take Our Jobs Campaign,'' inviting people to go online and apply. About 8,600 people filled out an application form, but only 7 have been placed in farm jobs, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said. Economists have long argued over whether local workers would take jobs in the field if wages rose. Philip Martin, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis, said because so few farmers participate in the H-2A program, the data's limitations make it hard to draw national conclusions. Under current conditions, the figures show the work force will remain almost entirely immigrant, he said. ``Recruitment of U.S. workers in this program doesn't work well primarily because employers have already identified who they want to bring in from abroad,'' Martin said. ``I don't think a lot of U.S. workers are going out there looking for a seasonal job paying the minimum wage or a dollar more.'' The Labor Department collects the same data about H-2A visa applications for all 50 states, but does not make it publicly available.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request from AP, the agency said it would provide some records for nearly $11,000, but it was not clear whether the information would show how many Americans had applied for farm labor jobs nationwide. Even California officials say the guest worker program needs

About 8,600 people filled out an application form, but only 7 have been placed in farm jobs, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said fixing, despite a reform effort announced in February by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis meant to boost efforts to fill crop-picking jobs first with domestic workers. Benjamin Reynosa, who was picking ruby-colored grapes in 90degree Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) heat near Fowler, said he often is the only U.S. legal resident on sea-

sonal crews. He said most people hear about the jobs through word of mouth or signs tacked outside rural stores, not the electronic registry. ``I've been working in agriculture for 22 years and I can tell you there are very few gringos out here,'' said Reynosa, 49. ``If people know English, they go to work in packinghouses or sit in an office.'' In Tulare County, where the unemployment rate is above 16 percent, job seekers on a recent morning crowded around computers at the job development agency. Staff appeared unaware the guest worker program required them to advertise the jobs. ``We just don't advertise those kinds of farm worker jobs,'' said Sandi Miller, program coordinator for the county's work force investment board. Amid the U.S. Army flyers posted in the lobby, however, under the heading ``Hot Job Leads'' was an ad for a farm worker position, preferring someone with Spanish fluency and tractor maintenance skills. Miller said later it was the first she had seen such a notice. She hadn't received any applications, she said. -AP

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Hassoun was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and of an explosive device. If convicted of the first charge, he could face life in prison. An informant tipped off authorities about Hassoun and befriended him for more than a year. At least two FBI undercover agents then got in touch, posing as co-plotters. The complaint also says Hassoun waffled about his plans and motivations, talking about profiting monetarily. He also discussed wanting to spark revolution in Chicago, and he spoke of poisoning Lake Michigan or assassinating Mayor Richard M. Daley. Prosecutors told the judge that

Hassoun was deadly serious about the plot. ``This is not a matter of talk or bravado,'' prosecutor Joel Hammerman said. ``When the moment of action arrived ... he did so without hesitation.'' But Auerbach raised the possibility that authorities tried to entice his client into committing the crime. He said he was weighing a possible entrapment defense. ``The reality is he wanted to make his confidential source happy,'' said Auerbach, arguing Hassoun was incapable of staging the incident on his own. Hassoun, who immigrated with his parents and a younger brother nearly three years ago from Lebanon, speaks fluent Arabic, English and French, Abraham said. He also

attended private school and at one point aspired to study medicine, Abraham recalled. His version of the American dream, Abraham said, was ``to make fast money'' - and fast fame. ``The guy was starving for attention - any way he can get attention,'' said Abraham, who recalled first meeting Hassoun when Hassoun worked at a nearby bakery and delivered baklava to Abraham's Lebanese restaurant in Chicago. Abraham said Hassoun did not appear to have any affiliation with extremists. Although Hassoun came from a region in Lebanon where most people are Shia Muslims, Abraham said, he wasn't religious himself - drinking and often going to nightclubs. -AP

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Philosophy

October 8, 2010

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t seems to me that life is for living and living is to relate to that which is around you and within you in a sane healthy way. In order to relate, one has to perceive what is in existence around us, so that the perception has an authenticity and dynamism of its own. If the consciousness is cluttered with beliefs, credulity, myths, organized, standardized and sanctioned or if the consciousness is cluttered with the myths and beliefs constructed by the science of physics, psychology, biology and so on, perception cannot be pure. It cannot be scientific. We have to purify the perception. Purification of perception is the foundation of a new mode of living. For example, most of us living in India believe very piously that there is a creator, apart from and independent of the creation or the cosmos. The Indian consciousness is heavily loaded with many such beliefs. We may say in one breath that the phenomenon of life is "Swayambhu", self-created, "Swayamchalit", self-propelled. And in another breath we also owe allegiance to the concept of a creator independent of creation. May be the creation is its own creator. May be the process of constant expanding and unfolding its content has taken the form of cosmos - a creative self-aware energy, exPAUL BRUNTON

od has laid down an evolutionary path for man that leads from the basest in his character upward to the noblest and that is destined to raise him far above the level of unconscious animality. He must travel it in the end; so far he has no freedom of choice. But ordinarily the pace is to a large extent his own, he can make it as slow or as swift as he likes. Religion is a first step in this right direction, but sooner or later he must continue his journey and go all the way along this road, which means that he must next pass through the phase of personal and inward mystical experience. The first and final demand which religion makes on mankind is faith simple and unquestioning. There is nothing wrong in that. Every mother rightly makes the same demand on her little children. The religious man believes that a divine power exists and sustains everything. But his faith may change, slacken or even vanish altogether under the hard pressure of unfavorable events or skeptic arguments. The mystic is not satisfied with such a situation. He sees the need

panding itself and unfolding itself. It has been unfolding, and so many universes have emerged out of it. Cosmos has taken the form out of it. Yet it seems that the movement of expansion and unfoldment has not come to an end. So it seems to me that this myth which we have nourished through centuries, has to be exploded by the purity of perception, so that we

ments for the purpose of research in a laboratory but they have no absolute value just as the concept of an independent creator has no absolute value. In the field of religion they become irrelevant for the exploration of Truth and Reality. Dimensions of the Wholeness of Life I feel that round the corner, there is a second cultural renais-

and the deep sleep consciousness cannot be equated with the Totality. They have sensed it through the discovery of parapsychology and other such discoveries. So in order to relate to Life, the complexity of Life, one has to have the fearlessness to let the beliefs and the myths get exploded, when the sunshine of Truth reveals them. The second aspect of the com-

Myths have to be exploded with purity of perception

Vimala Thakar

In order to relate to Life, the complexity of Life, one has to have the fearlessness to let the beliefs and the myths get exploded, when the sunshine of Truth reveals them

can relate to the complex wholeness of Life, the dynamic wholeness of Life. This dynamism is also inherent in our body brain complex. Another example of a myth or belief can also mentioned. Time and space have been considered to be absolute truths. Twentieth century development in the science of physics has shown very clearly that time and space are the constructs of the human mind. They cannot be taken as absolute truths or reality. They may be useful measure-

sance visiting the global human society, in which myths and beliefs will be exploded due to the perception of Reality becoming clearer by the day. Another example can be seen in the field of Western Psychology. It talked about the human consciousness having three dimensions -the conscious, the subconscious and the unconscious. Now the psychologists have begun to sense that even the racial unconscious is not the last dimension. The waking consciousness, the dream consciousness

plexity of Life indicates there are the dimensions of motion and nonmotion, existing and functioning hand in hand. The dimension of non-motion is as important as that of motion. There seems to be a dimension of silence existing side by side the dimension of sound. The metaphysics of sound have been developed. The sound vibrations have been measured. Their color has been measured long ago. So sound and silence are two dimensions.

for a more intimate relation to God. And through self-denial, self-discipline and meditation he realizes it, finding a reflection of the divine power deep within his own self, its existence clearly proved by his own intimate experience. It does not depend on the appeal to any externals to convince him, but works entirely within his thought and feeling for its truth. Where religion derives its chief

paratory efforts certainly are, they leave still unfulfilled the highest object of human existence. The somewhat limited circle of those who are not satisfied with a merely preparatory knowledge of the higher life but want to acquire its truths through their own inner realization, as well as those who feel strongly the urge to climb from a lower stage somewhat nearer to the summit of spiritual attainment, may get

of reconciling simple faith for the masses with a complex one for the few capable of absorbing it. The majority cannot go beyond this simplicity but they should not stand in the way of those who can. On the other hand, the latter should not turn mysticism into an aristocratically exclusive affair for some privileged persons, depriving large numbers of people of its higher benefits.

Filtering process for advance in spirituality Valuable and necessary though religious knowledge and its preparatory efforts certainly are, they leave still unfulfilled the highest object of human existence sanction from outside authority, mysticism derives its chief sanction from first-hand experience. That the passage to it is an upward and progressive one is unquestionable. And this is the passage which numbers of people need to make in our time. Valuable and necessary though religious knowledge and its pre-

their aspiration fulfilled if they agree to pay a higher price in the coin of self-training and self-discipline. Thus they make themselves worthy of fuller and personal illumination by the Overself. When people of every level of character and intelligence, conduct and intuition, are thrown together in society, the problem is created

Paul Brunton

If it is wrong to proffer knowledge to people faster than they can absorb it, it is equally wrong to refrain from proffering it to the extent that they can do so. The solution of this problem calls for a filtering process, which would provide every opportunity for those anxious to progress but yet not confound those who are not.

Seekers continue to practice all kinds of selftorture without realizing that such 'spiritual practice' is a reinforcement of the very ego that prevents them from their natural, free state. -Ramesh Balsekar Be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, always offering respect onto others and never expecting any in return - Chaitanya Mahaprabhu He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king. -John Milton You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle. - Paulo Coelho To know people is wisdom, but to know yourself is enlightenment. To master people takes force, but to master yourself takes strength - Lao Tzu

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. - William Shakespeare

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October 8, 2010

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Af-Pak: Beginning of an end? FIRDAUS AHMED

n an attack on Pakistan from Khost province in Afghanistan, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces killed 50 Taliban insurgents. The NATO spokesman rationalized the attack as "ISAF forces must and will retain the authority, within their mandate, to defend themselves in carrying out their mission." This action has been taken as a violation of its sovereignty by Pakistan. Pakistan has indicated that it "will be constrained to consider response options" since there exists no agreement on such 'hot pursuit' with the NATO force in Afghanistan, the ISAF.

Army in ending the sanctuary in North Waziristan through military action. However, with the Army deployed in flood relief, this was not to be. The attack can be seen as a substitute for the military operations that were to be otherwise conducted by the Pakistan Army. The drone attacks, continuing since the Bush presidency and intensified in the Obama period, may now be supplemented by both 'boots on ground', if only temporarily, and Apache helicopters. This has precedence in isolated cases earlier, with in one instance, over ten Pakistani Rangers being killed for providing

During a firefight with Taliban militants, a group of Marines, an Afghan soldier, and an interpreter, run for a new position, in Nawa district, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan

After a lull resulting from the devastating floods in Pakistan, AfPak is back in the news with a bang. Two possible interpretations exist. One is that the attack manifests the energy of the 'surge' that has by now been finally completed, and Petraeus' determination to prevail in the asymmetric conflict. The second more negative one is that it could be indicative of frustration within the ISAF against a wily foe having sanctuary across the Durand line. In either case they potentially herald the beginning of the end. The end state could once have been visualized along the line of engagement and cooption of Taliban. Such attacks make this remote and instead are pointers that the strategy of herding the Taliban to the table through the surge has not worked. The possible end state now staring in the face is destabilization of Pakistan with expansion of the war into FATA in hope of ending the sanctuary. While the attack by itself does not presage follow-up attacks, it does indicate a strategy of reliance on military force. In the pre-flood scheme of things, indicators pointed to increased readiness of the Pakistan

cover to the retreating Taliban. It bears watching if there would now be a switch to a more aggressive military posture. Earlier the logic put forth was that such areas constituted 'un-

The possible end state now staring in the face is destabilization of Pakistan with expansion of the war into FATA in hope of ending the sanctuary. While the attack by itself does not presage follow-up attacks, it does indicate a strategy of reliance on military force governed spaces'. Since the writ of the government in Islamabad did not run in these areas, interdiction of Taliban presence required being done. Pakistan was not in a position to do anything about it, it had tacitly agreed to the drone

attacks even while putting up a token protest. Thereafter, Pakistan had taken on the onus of constraining the Taliban presence through Operation Rah-e-Nijat etc. However, it would have been obvious to the NATO that these were directed more against the Tehreeke-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan that was anti-state rather than the Afghan Taliban contesting the ISAF. For the ISAF strategy to work denial of bases in FATA was necessary; therefore these attacks. What do they portend? Over the immediate term, it could be indicative of retribution through bombings etc in Afghanistan to include Kabul. Of greater consequence is what could happen on the Pakistani side. Apprehending this, Pakistan was quick to challenge the attacks, so as to send the message to the Taliban that it was not culpable. This reveals the apprehensions Pakistan has in the possibility of the Taliban turning against it. Given that the Taliban has proven a formidable foe even for the NATO, Pakistan has so far preferred to have it on its side. In case the Taliban were to lose the secure sanctuary, it would not need Pakistani state support and thus could turn against the Pakistani state. A deepening of the already convergent interests with the Pakistani Taliban would make the combined Taliban implacable. The TTP through bombings even during the calamity of floods has demonstrated its reach. The Pakistani state has proven inept in its response to the floods and lost credibility. Its Army is unwilling to go the distance in taking on the different groups of Islamists together. Given its ideological inclinations and institutional interest in cohesion, it is doubtful it can be pushed to do so either. Clearly, Pakistan cannot be relied on to clean up the fallout of policy options adopted by the NATO. Since all this is clearly discernible, it begs the question as to why the continued reliance on the military template. The optimistic answer is that once the hand of the Pakistani military is forced, it would go after the Taliban of all hues. This can be made possible by the Taliban being provoked into challenging its hosts. The Army's willingness has been worked on considerably through incentives such as the IMF bailout, a three year extension to Kayani etc. This is the time to call collect. Obama's exit strategy relies overly on Petraeus' military reputation. Time will tell if the risk was a calculated one.

India Post PM & party

rime Minister Manmohan Singh is not a great communicator. Left to himself he would keep quiet and remain within him self. To add to the trouble, when he opens his mouth, there are chances that he would be misunderstood. So how does he express his point of view? It is important for us in a democracy to know what are the views of the top functionary and in what way is he implementing them, or is unable to implement them. It is well known that the Prime Minister is hemmed in by the party and whatever he proposes doesn't always come to fruition because it is Sonia Gandhi, the party president, who disposes. So in the Congress it is easy for partymen to squash the plans of the executive. Any lesser person than Manmohan Singh would have become frustrated and resigned in disgust. Media advisors of prime ministers usually stay in the background neither seeking nor being thrust into the limelight. In an unusual departure, Harish Khare, media adviser of Manmohan Singh, recently created a flutter by articulating an unprecedented critique of the Congress. During a discussion at a book-release function, Khare said, the Congress is "by nature, chaal, charitra, essentially a status-quoist party. It does not believe in any conviction. Its only conviction is to win elections." The book being released was about development in Madhya Pradesh during the time Congress's Digvijaya Singh was the chief minister. Digvijaya, who was present at the function, claimed that as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for 10 years, he had followed the "politics of conviction", as opposed to the "politics of consensus". Khare, in replying to this claim, remarked that only "enlightened leadership" from above is not enough in the absence of the creation of a "commensurate political constituency for change". He gave three examples of such a failure of Congress governments of the past: Indira Gandhi in 1971, Madhavsinh Solanki despite his astute 'KHAM' strategy in Gujarat in the 1980s, and Digvijaya Singh in Madhya Pradesh in 2003. Digvijaya's initiatives on land redistribution to Dalits and Scheduled Tribes did not succeed in MP, said Khare, "because the party was not with him" - it only "tolerated his politics of conviction" and therefore "he did not have the political space." Such criticism of the ruling party and by implication its top leaders should have invited an immediate sacking by his boss. It is curious to note that Manmohan Singh did not even pull up his media advisor for going beyond his brief. Only Khare himself issued a clarification claiming the 125-year-old party is the nation's "most enduring source of stability". It is difficult to believe that Manmohan Singh was unaware of what his media advisor was doing. His booming silence on this issue only confirms the suspicion that he endorses the views of his media adviser. By noting that Digvijaya Singh was unable to succeed in Madhya Pradesh "because the party was not with him," Khare was drawing a parallel to his own boss; that Manmohan Singh is failing to make progress on many fronts because the party is not with him. It is not convinced of the importance or necessity of his reforms and instead of supporting him, is putting hurdles in his way. This is novel way of communicating his displeasure with the party but it is a clever one. There is no doubt the message must have gone home to Sonia Gandhi. It seems the gentleman prime minister is learning the ways of politicking. A PM-party president war is on.

October 8, 2010

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