Indiapost 10 31 2014 e paper by Ghanshyam Bisht

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Fond Bay area farewell to CG Parathasarathi Details on page 17

India spikes US' Javelin missiles for Israel's 'Spike' Details on page 5

Campaign for Diwali postage stamp in US

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VOL 20, No. 1050

October 31, 2014

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FADNAVIS CM; SHIV SENA KEPT OUT

MUMBAI: Devendra Fadnavis has been elected the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in Maharashtra, paving the way for his appointment as the first party Chief Minister of the state. The new government will be sworn in at a ceremony at Wankhede Stadium on October 31 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several of his Cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states. With no formal talks having started yet with estranged former ally Shiv Sena, which has expressed the desire to

be part of a BJP-led coalition government, Fadnavis is likely to be sworn in along with a small Cabinet. Back channel talks were, however, said to be continuing with Shiv Sena, which may join the government at a later stage when the ministry is expanded after issues get sorted out. Sena spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut once again tried to reach out to BJP, saying, "The blood group of BJP and Shiv Sena is the same. We have not placed any pre-condition for joining hands." Details on page 5

Details on page 6

FIA Diwali Mela charms with variety & fun Details on page 16

India keen to buy crude from US Details on page 36

UK trade union warns Tata Steel Details on page 37

Diwali observed enthusiastically in Pakistan Details on page 6

Grand Diwali celebrations at Grayslake Temple

CONTENTS

Details on page 21

Classifieds ------------------------- 48

Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Community Post -------------- 16-27 Date Book -------------------------- 47

INDIA POST SURVEY

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

survey@indiapost.com

HealthScience Post --------- 32-35

This week’s question

Horoscope ------------------------- 49

Will keeping Shiv Sena out boomerang?

Immigration Post ------------- 44-46 Life Style ----------------------- 50-52

Last week’s result

Has the Congress Party been decimated? YES 37%

NO 63%

DEFIANT HANDSHAKE: Notwithstanding China's opposition and warnings, India and Vietnam have inked a pact for exploration in two additional oil and gas blocks in South China Sea. Here Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen shaking hands with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung during a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on October 28. (Details on page 8)

Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 30-31 TechBiz Post ------------------- 36-38 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-42

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

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rganized religion has always made me uncomfortable as it has been prone more to politics of superiority over other religions than on really propagating a spiritual or righteous way of life for the masses. I mention the masses because invariably - as evidenced throughout history - it is the masses that have been victimized and/or killed be it regional religion-based riots or large scale genocide. Over the decades, Hindus have suffered at the hands of many an Islamic aggressor and unfortunately continue to do so, on an ongoing basis even today. More often than not, the world's sympathies fall short when it comes to Hindu suffering, be it in Pakistan and especially in Bangladesh. As a community that understands ethnic violence, last week, several American Hindus stood in solidarity with the Yezidis to protest against the ethnic cleansing they are facing at the hands of the ISIS in Iraq. About 200 Yezidis and Hindus came from across the US to Washington DC to protest against the abduction of Yezidi women and children who are being sold into slavery and the killing of Yezidi men who are in imminent danger of actual extinction. In case you are wondering, why the Yezidis, here's why: Yezidis - many among them may not even know this - come from a Hindu heritage, having originated in India, and are worshippers of the Peacock Angel, which some equate with the peacock-riding Lord Murugan (son of Shiva and Parvati), predominantly worshipped in the southern parts of India. Apparently, Murugan is one of seven divine beings manifest in Hindu scriptures that refer to him as Sanat Kumara, the leader of the Seven Kumaras. The Yezidis believe in one God who created the world and entrusted it to the seven holy beings, prominent one being the Peacock Angel. Presently, besides of course the need for military intervention to save the Yezidis in Iraq, as winter approaches, the Hindu community has sent out requests for donations and any kind of contribution towards humanitarian aid for the Yezidis taking shelter in refugee camps. Hindu or not, maybe we should do something about it for humanity's sake.

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Aashiqui driver Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur arrived in their respective cars at the Bachchans' Diwali bash but left together

Cover Story: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in Maharashtra CM on Oct 31 alongwith a small cabinet minus Shiv Sena

Community: Diwali Mela FIA "Diwali Mela" on October 25 was attended by over 15,000 of Indian Americans and other Bay Area residents.

Work permits The Obama administration appears to be preparing for an increase in the number of work permits for illegal immigrants

Life style: Quest in Pak Sunita Dwivedi is on a quest to seek Buddha because she was born where Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana

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Japan investment Japan-based telecom and Internet giant SoftBank has invested USD 627 million in homegrown Snapdeal

Ranthambore Ranthambore’s deciduous forests are rich in flora and fauna that inhabits a wide span of all species.

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Fadnavis CM; Shiv Sena kept out MUMBAI: Devendra Fadnavis has been elected the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in Maharashtra, paving the way for his appointment as the first party Chief Minister of the state. The new government will be sworn in at a ceremony at Wankhede Stadium on October 31 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several of his

the ministry is expanded after issues get sorted out. Sena spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut once again tried to reach out to BJP, saying, "The blood group of BJP and Shiv Sena is the same. We have not placed any pre-condition for joining hands." BJP central and state leadership have been insisting on Sena

Wife Amruta Fadnavis and daughter Dvija celebrate after Devendra Fadnavis was elected as the leader of BJP legislative party

Cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states. With no formal talks having started yet with estranged former ally Shiv Sena, which has expressed the desire to be part of a BJP-led coalition government, Fadnavis is likely to be sworn in along with a small Cabinet. Back channel talks were, however, said to be continuing with Shiv Sena, which may join the government at a later stage when

joining a coalition government "unconditionally" after the latter was reported to have demanded Deputy CM's post and some key portfolios. A senior BJP leader said, "The BJP's top leadership is irked with the attack launched recently through the Sena mouthpiece. What was most annoying was invoking Narendra Modi's father's name," the leader said. The party is wary of the behav-

ior of its former ally and would prefer not to be pressurized further, he said. "Allies who were with us before polls may find a place in the new ministry but there is not even the remotest chance of Shiv Sena being part of the new government, at least not till the next ministry expansion," the leader said.

Second Brahmin In a state dominated by Maratha politics and politicians, Fadnavis is only the second Brahmin after BJP's estranged ally Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi to become Chief Minister. Fadnavis, whom Modi had described as "Nagpur's gift to the country" at an election rally, had headed BJP in the state when it posted most impressive performances in both Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Together with Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Shetkari Paksha, the saffron alliance had won 42 of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats. BJP had clinched 23 seats, while Sena won 18. Despite its bitter separation from Sena just ahead of the Assembly election, BJP won 122 seats in the 288-member House, up from 46 in 2009, and emerged as the largest party. Fadnavis earned the appreciation of both Modi and Shah for the way he handled the election. Sharad Pawar's NCP with 41 MLAs has already offered crucial outside support to BJP in government formation and said it will abstain from voting if the new

India spikes US' Javelin missiles for Israel's 'Spike' NEW DELHI: India has decided to buy 8,356 Spike anti-tank guided missile and 321 launchers from Israel for Rs 3,200 crore, rejecting US offer of Javelin missiles that Washington was lobbying hard for. The decision was taken following a meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council, chaired by Defense Minister Arun Jaitley, that lasted for over two hours with Defense Secretary, the Chiefs of all three services, DRDO Chief and other senior officials attending it. India will outright buy 8,356 missiles and 321 launchers from the Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, official sources said. They said the missiles would be brought to India in various stages and pieces.

This, the sources said, would be followed by transfer of technology (ToT) to defense PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited for large-scale manufacture. Asked how many missiles the Indian army needs to have to fully equip the Army's 382 infantry battalions and 44 mechanized infan-

The decision to purchase the Israeli missiles came just days after India and US, in principle, agreed to extend their defense agreement

try units, sources put the figure at about 40,000. Spike is a man-portable 'fire and forget' anti-tank missile that locks on to targets before shooting. The Israeli missile trounced US' Javelin weapons system, built by Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Company but sold to global customers through the US government under the Foreign Military Sales route. The deal for the missile had been stuck since 2010. The decision to purchase the Israeli missiles came just days after India and US, in principle, agreed to extend their defense agreement for another 10 years which will take forward the cooperation between the two countries in the crucial area. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 6

Home Minister Rajnath Singh flashes victory sign after he announced Devendra Fadnavis as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister in Mumbai on October 28

government has to face a trust vote to prove its majority. Even in the event of 63-member Sena deciding to occupy opposition space with Congress, which has 42 MLAs, the new government will have no difficulty sailing through.

BJP's strength in the House has come down by one after the death of its MLA from Mukhed Govind Rathod, but has the claimed support of all seven independents and those from some smaller parties. BJP's pre-poll ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha has one MLA.-PTI

Wait till new CM takes oath, says Sena MUMBAI: Asserting that it has not demanded any specific portfolios from BJP, the Shiv Sena has said it will wait till the swearing-in of new Chief Minister before taking a final call on supporting its former ally. "There is a lot of false news being spread in the media that we have demanded the post of the Deputy Chief Minister or some specific portfolios in return of our support to BJP. I want the media to stop focusing on baseless rumors. We have not demanded anything yet," Sena MP Sanjay Raut told reporters on the sidelines of his meet with party chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence. Asked if the Sena will support its former ally in forming the state government, Raut chose to maintain silence. "There is no point in saying

anything at the moment. We will speak when the time comes. For now, please wait till the new CM takes oath on the 31st of this month," Raut said. Notably, the Sena has now spoken openly in favor of a BJP-led coalition government for the first time, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', it praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for changing the cultural face of the country. Senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi, who also met Uddhav, told reporters that he had general discussions with the party chief and they did not discuss politics. "We didn't meet for any special talks. I am like a family member to Uddhavji and it is not abnormal for me to visit him. I can only say let BJP make the first move and then we will decide on our support to our former ally," Joshi said.-PTI

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Pakistan enthusiastically observes Diwali said. "Diwali symbolizes the victory of the right over the wrong," New ETPB Chairman Siddiqul Farooq said. "The PML-N government will ensure protection and rights of all minorities as envisioned by the founder, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. "ETPB has launched a project to renovate the entire Hindus' worship places in the country. At present, the work on a temple is underway and will be completed soon," Farooq said. "Many Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities are holding important slots in the PML-N government. "We will continue facilitating the minorities events and will remove a feeling of deprivation among them," Senator Kamran Micheal said. Opposition party, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari celebrated Diwali with the members of Hindu community at Hindu community members lighting candles as they celebrate Diwali festival in Naudero (Sindh Peshawar on October 23 province) and vowed to protect the rights of miPunjab Governor Chaudhry country's prosperity and unity. Sarwar and his wife also held a "This time the government fully norities. On his direction, the PPP leadDiwali function at the Governor patronized the Diwali event and House in Lahore where Hindus we celebrated it along with the ers including district presidents were invited from across the prov- government officials and sena- celebrated Diwali in their respective areas with the Hindu commuince. tors. As the Senate session was "We are thankful to the gov- nity. PPP is in power in Sindh and underway, the government paid ernment for organizing this pooja heed to the Pakistan Hindu for us and to provide us with organized Neudaro Diwali funcCouncil's request not to hold ses- proper security here as well," says tion which was attended by Bilawal. sion on Diwali day. Pushpa, a worshipper. Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf chairThe Pakistani media also gave "The event highlights the conspecial coverage to Diwali events quest of light over dark, good over man and cricketer-turned politiorganized in different parts of the wickedness and regeneration of cian Imran Khan also sent his party vice-chairman Shah country. existence. A main ceremony for the occa"Hindu community in the Mahmood Qureshi to Umerkot, sion was held at Krishna temple country "equally loves Pakistan" Sindh, to hold a function there for here which was well attended by like other living here and always Hindu community in connection the senators and Evacuee Trust prayed for peace and prosperity with Diwali. "It was a huge gathering of Property Board's (ETPB) senior of the state," Manohar Chand, officials under tight security chief of Hindu Welfare Council, Hindus and Muslims at the Marvi ground on Oct 24," Qureshi said. A large number of Hindus live in Sindh province's Umerkot. Qureshi said the party would ensure the protection of the rights of the minorities in Pakistan. Mail to: priya@indiapost.com or login to "We are building a new Pakistan where minorities have equal http://www.indiapost.com/subscribe/ rights," he said. -PTI LAHORE: Diwali, the festival of lights was celebrated enthusiastically this time in Pakistan as the federal government officially patronized the Hindu festival especially in Punjab province. For the first time, the Senate observed a holiday on the occasion of Diwali. Not lagging behind, the other mainstream parties including Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf also held separate functions to celebrate Diwali along with Hindu minorities in Sindh province last week.

around the temple. ETPB is a body that looks after the holy places of minorities in the country. The participants sang Diwali songs, danced, hugged each other and arranged earthen lamps and candle-light vigil besides performing rituals. Sweets were also distributed. Although some Hindus celebrated privately in the smaller Valmiki Mandir near Neela Gumbad, Anarkali, most converged at the Krishna Mandir. They also prayed for the

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Indian-Americans campaign for Diwali postage stamp WASHINGTON: Indian-American community in the US has launched a campaign demanding a postage stamp on Diwali festival by next year, saying it is the only major festival on which US Postal Service has not issued a stamp. Indiaspora, an organization of influential Indian-Americans, has launched a website, urging the community members to write to their lawmakers and the USPS Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a Diwali Stamp during the festival in November 2015. "USPS has stamps for almost all major festivals of the world. Diwali is the only major festival on which it has not issued a stamp," Indiaspora founder M R Rangaswami said. USPS has issued stamps to honor other religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Hanukah, Eid and Kwanzaa. "Several serious efforts have been made in the past. But we still do not have a Diwali stamp," he said. Issuing a Diwali stamp would place the US alongside many other nations who already have stamps on the festival, including England, Canada, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Indonesia, he said. "Our holiday wish is to have a USPS Diwali stamp for our next Diwali in November 2015. Our

community is sure to buy millions of stamps and make this a best seller for the USPS. We believe the stamp will become a global collector's item," say a draft letter addressed to USPS posted on the website www.diwalistamp.com. Rangaswami argued that for a loss making USPS, a postage stamp on Diwali could add to its revenue.

"Diwali stamp could be one of those opportunities for them which will make money for them. We can easily generate tens of millions of stamps a year. Even if every Indian-American family buys 10 stamps a year, the USPS would require to issue several million stamps," he said. "We believe this would be a good money spinner for USPS," he said. "Indian-Americans can rally behind this initiative in the same way they mobilized to support Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in 2014. Let's ride this wave of fellowship to push for a Diwali stamp," says the campaign website. -PTI

India spikes US' Javelin missiles for Israel's 'Spike' Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 5

The US has been pushing defense deals with India worth over Rs 20,000 crore, including the sale of Apache attack choppers, Chinook heavy lift helicopters and the Javelin anti-tank guided missiles. To sweeten the deal, US had recently offer to co-produce and co-develop the missile. It had initially not agreed to provide critical technologies of the missile demanded by India and had also shown reluctance to make available the missiles for being evaluated by Indian experts in the field trials.

Army sources said the trial and staff evaluation of the Spike missile had been completed. US has already sold equipment worth Rs 60,000 crore in the last 10 years to India but none of these weapon sales program is about joint production or co-development and does not include transfer of technology. India has raised the FDI cap in defense sector recently from 26 per cent to 49 per cent with the aim of boosting indigenous defense production. India imports almost 70 per cent of its defense needs from foreign sources. -PTI

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India signs pact with Vietnam; defying China NEW DELHI: Notwithstanding Chinese objections, India has gone ahead to enhance its presence in hydrocarbon-rich South China Sea and inked a pact with Vietnam for exploration in two additional oil and gas blocks besides deciding to step up cooperation in key areas of defense, security, trade and counter-terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung held wide-ranging talks on important bilateral, regional issues and pitched for "freedom of navigation and commerce, and peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in the region". The two sides also signed an agreement on extension of the contract for another oil project in South China Sea. With acceptance of two additional blocks, India has exploration projects in five Vietnamese blocks. The agreement between OVL and PetroVietnam aims to enhance mutual cooperation between India and Vietnam in hydrocarbon sector and underlines Vietnamese invitation to OVL to expand its presence in Vietnam and further consolidate cooperation in exploration and other areas between the two countries in energy sector. Noting that India-Vietnam partnership was essential for advancing peace and stability in the shared neighborhood, Modi, at a joint media event with Tan, said, "We have shared interest in maritime security, including freedom of navigation and commerce and peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in accordance with international law." The agreements on oil exploration are likely to irk China, which has an acrimonious relationship with Vietnam due to their standoff over the South China Sea, a major source of hydrocarbons.

Both the sides noted that freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea should not be impeded and called the parties concerned to exercise restraint, avoid threat or use of force and resolve disputes through peaceful means in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the UNCLOS-1982.

herbal medicine. "We emphasized the need for stronger economic relationship as an essential component of a strong strategic partnership. We see great opportunities for increased trade and enhanced Indian participation in areas such energy, infrastructure, textiles, chemicals, machinery, agro-processing and information technol-

vice to service cooperation, ship visits, training and capacity building. The two Prime Ministers agreed that enhancing economic cooperation between both countries should be pursued as a strategic objective. They welcomed the strong growth in bilateral trade in recent years particularly after the implementation of India-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, at the delegation level talks, in New Delhi on October 28

They also welcomed the collective commitment of the parties concerned to abide by and implement the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and to work towards the adoption of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea on the basis of consensus. Modi and Tan also favored cooperation in ensuring security of sea-lanes, maritime safety and security, combating piracy and conducting search and rescue operations. Tan welcomed Indian oil and

The agreements on oil exploration are likely to irk China, which has an acrimonious relationship with Vietnam due to their standoff over the South China Sea, a major source of hydrocarbons. China has been objecting to India's oil exploration projects China has been objecting to India's oil exploration projects in the disputed waters. "Today, our partnership is important for promoting our nations' prosperity and essential for advancing peace and stability in our shared neighborhood. We have shared interest in maritime security, including freedom of navigation and commerce and peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in accordance with international law," Modi said.

exploration blocks. "We will continue to deepen our cooperation in this sector and associated downstream industry." He said both the countries have also agreed to increase cooperation in space, including in space applications and launch of Vietnam's satellites, and in peaceful uses of civil nuclear energy. Apart from agreements in oil

gas companies to explore new opportunities in midstream and downstream activities in the oil and gas sector in Vietnam. "Vietnam highly appreciates India's position regarding East Sea and India's continued cooperation in the Vietnam in oil and gas exploration in our exclusive economic zone." Modi thanked Tan for Vietnam's commitment to collaboration with India in its oil and gas sector and its additional offer of

and gas exploration, the two countries also signed five more pacts providing for cooperation in sectors like education, culture and broadcasting, conservation and restoration of the world heritage site of My Son in Vietnam's Quang Nam Province and the Nalanda university project. Talking about defense cooperation, Modi said India's defense cooperation with Vietnam is among its "most important ones" and that it remained committed to the modernization of Vietnam's defense and security forces. "This will include expansion of our training program, which is already very substantial, joint exercises and cooperation in defense equipment," he said. The Vietnamese side was conveyed about Tata Group seeking expeditious clearances for its thermal power project in the country as it wants to complete the project by 2020. In the meeting, the Vietnamese side also sought India's help in providing IT skills to its people by way of more slots for students in India educational institutions or setting up of a university in Vietnam. . India also offered Vietnam slots in the Petroleum University for better management of their oil and gas exploration projects. Favoring expansion of ties in diverse areas, Modi also talked about possible cooperation in

ogy in Vietnam," he said. He said Vietnam's recent decisions on infrastructure projects for Indian companies, the award of a banking license to Bank of India and direct air links through Jet Airways and Vietnam Airlines reflect the new momentum in the economic relations. "I have thanked Prime Minister Dung for Vietnam's co-sponsorship of the resolution in the UN General Assembly to declare June 21 as the International Yoga Day," Modi said. Tan said he has invited Modi

ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and noted that the conclusion of India-ASEAN Trade in Services and Investment Agreements would further boost economic cooperation between India and ASEAN in general and Vietnam in particular. They agreed to take measures to significantly expand and diversify bilateral trade for mutually beneficial results and agreed to enhance the trade targets to USD 15 billion by 2020. Tan welcomed Indian companies to invest in Vietnam and af-

Talking about defense cooperation, Modi said India's defense cooperation with Vietnam is among its "most important ones" and that it remained committed to the modernization of Vietnam's defense and security forces to visit Vietnam which he accepted. "Modi reaffirmed that Vietnam was an important pillar of India's Look East Policy. Prime Minister Dung welcomed a greater role for India in the regional and international arena," said the joint statement. It said the Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress made in defense cooperation including exchange of visits, annual security dialogue, ser-

firmed Vietnam's commitment to create favorable conditions for Indian investments. Modi invited Vietnamese companies to join the accelerated economic growth program 'Make in India' for reaping the benefits of this new initiative. They agreed to utilize the Customs Cooperation Agreement and Maritime Shipping Agreement between the two countries for facilitating more intensive economic engagement.PTI

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China opposes exploration 'that violates sovereignty' BEIJING: China has warned "Currently South China main- sia, Brunei and Taiwan. that it will firmly oppose any ex- tains tranquility in general. I wish The ONGC has explored some ploration activity in South China all countries do more things that wells in the past but did not find Sea if it undermines its "sover- are conducive to the peace and significant oil deposits. eignty and interests", hours after stability of the South China Sea," China had struck a similar posIndia inked a pact with Vietnam Hong said. ture when Vietnam offered new for exploration in two wells to India during additional oil and gas President Pranab blocks in the reMukherjee's visit to source-rich area. Hanoi in September. "As for the likely Mukherjee disexploration of South missed Chinese obChina Sea oil fields jections saying that between Vietnam and the ONGC is explorIndia, I want to say ing in the South that China's position China Sea from 1988. is consistent and "This is just a clear," Chinese Forcommercial action. eign Ministry spokesThere shouldn't be man Hong Lei said. any political angularHong was reacting ity to be looked into to reports of India acit," he had said. cepting Vietnam's ofThe oil exploration fer of additional in the South China blocks for oil exploraSea is a sensitive istion during the current sue as China's efforts visit by Vietnamese to explore oil in May Prime Minister this year resulted in Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei Nguyen Tan Dung to massive showdown New Delhi. between China and "China has indisputable sovChina refers to Spartly islands Vietnam with their ships colliding ereignty over the Nansha islands. which comprises of more than 750 with each other for days. Any lawful and justifiable oil ex- reefs, islets and atolls as Nansha Some Chinese were killed and ploration activity in the South islands. over a hundred injured in antiChina Sea is fine by us. But if such China's claims of sovereignty China riots in Vietnam. activity undermines sovereignty to almost all of the South China After that, the two sides are and interests of China we are Sea put it on collision course with now trying to rebuild their relafirmly opposed to this," he said. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malay- tions.-PTI

China cautions India on new border posts BEIJING: With India announcing the construction of 54 new border posts in Arunachal Pradesh, China has cautioned India to refrain from taking any action that may "complicate or exaggerate" the boundary issue. "China's position on China-India boundary question is consistent and clear. We are committed to finding a solution to the boundary question with the Indian side through friendly negotiation as soon as possible and working together to safeguard peace and tranquility along the border," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said. "Pending the final settlement of the boundary question, we hope that the Indian side could refrain from taking any action that may complicate or exaggerate the question," Hua said in an e-mail response to a PTI query about 54 new Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force border outposts to

be built along the Arunachal Pradesh border. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet. China's reaction is a trifle different from its reaction on October 15

"We should jointly safeguard the peace and tranquility of the border area and create favorable conditions for the final settlement of the border issue," he had said to the plans announced by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju to build new roads along the boundary from MagoThingbu in Tawang to Vijaynagar

in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh to match China's infrastructure development. "There is a dispute about the east part of the China-India border. Before final settlement is reached we hope that India will not take any action that may further complicate the situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said earlier while reacting to the road proposal. "We should jointly safeguard the peace and tranquility of the border area and create favorable conditions for the final settlement of the border issue," he had said. Subsequently, officials from India and China held the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) meeting in New Delhi during which the two sides discussed a host of issues relating to the management of the boundary and maintaining of peace and tranquility along the borders. -PTI

300 Chatwal-support letters submitted to court NEW YORK: Weeks before the presidential campaign against sentencing of NRI hotelier Sant Barack Obama. Singh Chatwal on charges of conA July 2014 letter by author spiring to make illegal campaign Deepak Chopra describes him as contributions in the US, over 300 a "compassionate, caring and selfletters of support from his friends less" person who has been "very have been submitted to a court instrumental in fostering relationhere detailing his humanitarian ships" between the governments work to seek leniency. of India and the US. Chatwal, 70, a Padma Bhushan Zee Network Chairman awardee and m a j o r fundraiser for former Secretary of State H i l l a r y Clinton, had pleaded guilty in April to violating the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than USD 180,000 in campaign donations to three candiSant Singh Chatwal dates through straw donors and to witness tampering. Subhash Chandra, who has been He is scheduled to be sen- Chatwal's friends for over 20 tenced on November 19 and while years, said in his letter of support the charges carry a maximum dated May 2014 that Chatwal is a prison sentence of 25 years, un- "hard worker who has done much der a plea deal with the govern- for the people of India and the ment, he could be sentenced to a US." little more than five years and Former Principal Secretary to would have to pay USD 500,000 the Prime Minister of India T.K.A. in fines. Nair said in a June 2014 letter that He has agreed to forfeit USD "as a devout Sikh and philanthroone million to the US. pist, Chatwal has been rendering His lawyers have submitted commendable service to society nearly 300 letters from Chatwal's in different areas." friends, family, employees and Nair noted the "remarkable pasbusiness colleagues detailing his philanthropic and humanitarHe is scheduled to be ian work to seek leniency from District sentenced on November 19 Judge I Leo Glasser in and while the charges carry his sentencing. Among them is a a maximum prison November 2008 letter by then Prime Minister sentence of 25 years Manmohan Singh, who expressed his "sincere apprecia- sion" with which Chatwal committion" for Chatwal's "personal ef- ted himself to the cause of the civil forts" in working for the success- nuclear deal. ful conclusion of the Indo-US civil Among those who have writnuclear deal. ten letters are his wife, sons Vikram He congratulated Chatwal for and Vivek, Former Indian Consul his "important contribution" in General in New York Ambassador bringing the two countries closer Prabhu Dayal, CEO of YES Bank together and expressed confi- Rana Kapoor, media honcho Robdence of his continued support ert Johnson and restaurant titan to deepen Indo-US ties. Geoffrey Zakarian. Notably, there are no letters of "We ask that the Court take support from former US President these letters, together with a senBill Clinton and his wife Hillary, tencing memorandum to be filed with whom Chatwal was consid- separately, into account in deterered to be very close. mining a just and appropriate senChatwal had raised at least tence," said Jonathan Sack, whose USD 100,000 for Hillary's 2008 firm represents Chatwal. -PTI

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India asks UNSC to enforce resolutions on terrorism UNITED NATIONS: India has told the UN Security Council that condoning the use of terrorism on account of perceived political purposes is counter-productive and the powerful world body must ensure its resolutions to combat the global menace are implemented without exception. India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Mukerji while speaking at an open debate on the "Working Methods of the Security Council", highlighted the shortfalls in the Council's methods in drawing up mandates of UN peacekeeping operations and the impact of its working methods which dilute the international effort against terrorism. "We strongly believe that the Council

must seriously and transparently take mea- the Council's working methods to include sures available to it under the Charter to a mandatory time-bound reporting requirerequire member states of implement its Reso- ment to the wider membership of the United lutions on countering terrorism without Nations on implementation of Security exception. To condone the use of terrorism Council Resolutions on countering terroron account of perceived political purposes ism," he said. is counterproducM u k e r j i tive, and will engulf stressed that terrormore and more mem- He called for a beginning ism is fast emerging ber states in an as the single-most ever-widening spi- on the proposal by having a important chalral of violence and report to the wider memberlenge to the maindestruction," tenance of internaship of the UN with respect Mukerji said. tional peace and "We therefore to the latest resolution security. specifically call for He called for a

beginning on the proposal by having a report to the wider membership of the UN with respect to the latest resolution adopted by the Council last month. One of the provisions in the resolution calls on member states to assist in criminal investigations relating to the financing or support of terrorist acts and foreign fighters. Other provisions were on improving cooperation among nations to take steps to stop the travel of foreign terrorists and to share information to identify them. "Our concern is that the current working methods, which have been provisionally applied since the Council was established, have deviated from the clear provisions, and indeed, objectives of the UN Charter, making the Council ineffective and unrepresentative of the world as it is on 23 October 2014," Mukerji said.-PTI

British Indian surgeon was murdered in Syria LONDON: An Indian-origin British surgeon found dead in a prison in Syria last year was murdered, an inquest into his death at the Royal Courts of Justice in London has concluded. Dr Shah Abbas Khan, a 32-year-old father-of-two from south London, died on December 16, 2013 while in custody in Damascus. His family had claimed he was murdered but the Syrian government had maintained he was found hanging in a jail cell. The jury of seven men and four women concluded that the medical cause of Khan's death was "unascertained", but found his killing unlawful. "Dr Khan was deliberately and intentionally killed without any legal justification," said the jury forewoman. The UK Foreign Office demanded that the Syrian regime give Khan's family the answers they have been demanding and said the UK government will consider its next steps. "The Foreign Office fully supported the Coroner's inquest and we will now consider next steps," Tobias Ellwood, Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East, said in a statement. "Dr Khan's imprisonment without consular access was unacceptable. The Foreign Office consistently sought access and pressed for his detention to be reviewed including through ministers and international partners. The Syrian regime ignored these approaches. It can no longer do so. His family deserves answers and those responsible for Dr Khan's death should be brought to justice. "This is yet another example of the brutal nature of the Syrian regime which has killed thousands of innocent civilians," he added. Outside court Khan's brother, Afroze Khan, said, "As a family, we have always maintained that our brother was an innocent man who traveled to Syria for no other reason than helping injured civilians in the conflict.-PTI

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Hindu-Americans ask US Indian-American gets life for killing ex-wife to protect Yezidis WASHINGTON: A large number of Hindu-Americans joined the local Yezidis in a peaceful protest outside the White House here, asking the US government to take urgent steps to protect the

Yezidi women and girls. Many of the Yezidi women and girls have been abducted and sold into slavery and their homes and lands overrun by the Islamic State militant group, which is methodi-

distribution of humanitarian aid to the Yezidi refugees across the region. In a media release, the Hindu community issued an appeal for donations and humanitarian aid

minority community from the ISIS in Iraq. Raising slogans 'Bring Our Women Back!' and 'Save Mt Shingal' the demonstrators urged President Barack Obama to take effective action in defense of the Yezidis fighting on Mt Shingal and to provide assistance in the rescue of the thousands of enslaved

cally targeting them for slavery, conversion and death, the protestors said. Both the American Yezidis and Hindu communities issued an urgent call for the immediate relief and support for the armed Yezidis resistance efforts on Mt Shingal, the rescue of the 7,000 enslaved Yezidi women and girls and the

on behalf of the struggling Yezidis. ISIS or IS is an al-Qaeda splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria, declaring an Islamic Caliphate. Al-Qaeda has distanced itself from the group, chiding it for its lack of teamwork in its aggressive, brutal expansion.-PTI

PM pays tributes to martyrs on Infantry Day NEW DELHI: Army celebrated Infantry Day marking the landing of first batch of troops in Kashmir 67 years back to push back Pakistani troops, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying tributes to the martyrs who dedicated their lives to protect unity of the country. "On Infantry Day we salute the indomitable courage & bravery of our Infantry, who have left no stone unturned in serving our Nation," Modi tweeted. "We pay rich tributes to our Infantry Martyrs who dedicated their lives to protect the unity & integrity of our Nation," he said in another tweet. It was for the first time in recent times that a Prime Minister has paid tributes on Infantry Day, according to army sources. On this day in 1947, the first battalion of Indian soldiers landed in Srinagar after the then Maharaja requested New Delhi for help in the wake of invasion by Paki-

stani troops. In the bloody conflict, the Indian troops pushed back the Pakistani aggressors and saved Kashmir from falling into the hands of Pakistan. "October 27 is an apt reminder of the Infantry's grit and determination to rise to the occasion to

As part of the Infantry Day celebrations, Wreath Laying ceremony was held at Amar Jawan Jyoti, at India Gate to honor the martyrs of the Infantry defend the country's honor and sovereignty, no matter how grave or serious the threat may be," the Army said.

As part of the Infantry Day celebrations, Wreath Laying ceremony was held at Amar Jawan Jyoti, at India Gate to honor the martyrs of the Infantry. The Chief of Army Staff, Gen Dalbir Singh, laid the wreath as the senior most serving Infantryman. Lt Gen Chandra Shekhar (Retd) laid a wreath on behalf of all the veterans of Infantry. The ceremony was attended by the Colonels of the Regiment of Infantry and soldiers from all the Infantry Regiments. In his message to all Infantrymen on this momentous day, Singh exhorted all infantrymen to rededicate themselves to uphold the values of courage, honesty, integrity and devotion to duty which is the unique ethos of the Infantryman and to remain indomitable in their resolve to defend the integrity and sovereignty of India in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. -PTI

HOUSTON: A 63-year-old In- wife Kaur purchased two pistols. dian-American has been senTwo weeks later, according to tenced to life in the US for mur- testimony, they drove to Montdering his ex-wife. gomery County, spent the night Baldeo Taneja, a biostatisti- at a Red Roof Inn and then drove cian, from Nashville was sen- to the Germantown neighborhood tenced on October 15 in Mont- of Taneja's ex-wife. gomery County Circuit Court. When Gabba left her apartment Taneja and his current wife, 63- building, Kaur walked up, pulled year-old Raminder Kaur, were out a snub-nosed revolver and convicted of first-degree murder shot her three times, prosecutors in the killing of Preeta Gabba, 49, said. near her Germantown home on The couple drove off and made October 12, 2013. their way to a nearby Amway conProsecutors say Kaur and ference, where they checked in to Taneja drove from Nashville to the try to establish an alibi - staying Germantown area, killed Gabba just long enough to smile and and drove back to Nashville, greet old friends - and then where they were arrested the next day. A sentencing date When Gabba left her apartfor Kaur has not been scheduled. ment building, Kaur walked "Justice was served. They got what they de- up, pulled out a snub-nosed served," Lim Gabba, 23, revolver and shot her three a son of the victim, who was living with her times, prosecutors said mother when she was shot, was quoted as saying in local media. headed home. Taneja stood expressionless as The motive, prosecutors said, Circuit Court Judge Michael D was Taneja's anger over a contenMason called his actions among tious divorce and alimony paythe worst he has seen in 40 years ments to Gabba. of his career, The Washington Taneja, who holds a PhD, was Post reported. a college professor who went on "The evidence in this case to a career in the pharmaceutical demonstrates that this is certainly industry. According to the Post, one of the coldest and most cal- court papers show Taneja, a US culated murders that this court citizen, moved from India to the has ever seen," Mason said. US in 2007 and worked in Boston, On September 28, 2013, near his Mass. Gabba came to the US in home in Nashville, Taneja and his 2008. -PTI

Indian jailed in US for supporting Hezbollah NEW YORK: A 50-year-old Indian man, who was residing illegally in the US has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a US court for conspiracy and attempting to provide material support to Lebanese group Hezbollah. Patrick Nayyar, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by US District Judge Robert Sweet for crimes related to the support he attempted to provide to Hezbollah, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US. Nayyar was convicted in March 2012 after a seven-day jury trial, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said. According to the superseding

indictment filed in court, between July 2009 and September 2009, Nayyar and his co-conspirator, Conrad Stanisclaus Mulholland, agreed to provide weapons, ammunition, and vehicles to Hezbollah. During a series of meetings with a confidential informant working with the FBI, who represented himself as able to deliver materials to Hezbollah, Nayyar and Mulholland agreed to sell guns, ammunition, vehicles, bulletproof vests, and night-vision goggles to the confidential informant. During these meetings, Nayyar and Mulholland also provided the informant with a handgun, a box of ammunition, and a pick-up truck, believing that the informant would deliver the items to Hezbollah in Lebanon.-PTI

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Vaz flays UK Secy's remarks against immigrants LONDON: Indian-origin Labor MP Keith Vaz has criticized Defense Secretary Michael Fallon for his comments that British towns are being "swamped" by immigrants, saying it was "nasty and inappropriate" and wrongly depicted the country as intolerant. "When discussing immigration, using words like 'swamping' are wrong, nasty and inappropriate and such comments are a result of the current 'arms race' to be seen as tough on immigration. "We need to conduct this serious debate on immigration in a calm and grown up way. Words like 'swamping' carry connotations and a tone which is deeply unhelpful and polarizing," Vaz, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said in a statement. ? He said, "Senior Cabinet Ministers should do well to fully understand the issues before using

words and phrases which do not advance this discussion, and indeed may cause offence and show our country as being intolerant which we are not." During a recent TV interview, Fallon had said parts of Britain are "under siege" from immigration,

ing benefits," Fallon said. He was responding to a question about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's declaration that she would not back the UK's bid to change the rules - a major blow to David Cameron. "The Germans haven't seen our

"When discussing immigration, using words like 'swamping' are wrong, nasty and inappropriate and such comments are a result of the current 'arms race' to be seen as tough on immigrationâ&#x20AC;? prompting the government to look at ways to stem the number of EU workers arriving in the country. "In some areas of the UK, down the east coast, towns do feel under siege, (with) large numbers of migrant workers and people claim-

proposals yet and we haven't seen our proposals yet, and that's still being worked on at the moment to see what we can do to prevent whole towns and communities being swamped by huge numbers of migrants," Fallon had said. -PTI

Prez gives consent to BJP govt in Delhi NEW DELHI: The uncertainty over government formation in Delhi may come to an end soon with the Supreme Court putting the issue on fast track even as the President accepted an LG proposal that BJP be asked to form the government. A five-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, however, while deciding to hear the petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seeking dissolution of the Assembly, slammed the Centre and the Lt Governor over the five-

month delay in taking a decision on government formation. During the hearing, the Centre disclosed that the President has given his consent to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung's proposal to invite BJP to form government. Rapping the Centre and the LG over the delay, the court said that in a democracy President's Rule cannot go on forever and questioned why the authorities failed to act expeditiously. The bench also asked why the Centre always comes out with one statement or another

just a day before the matter is taken up for hearing by it. "Just before matter is taken up for hearing, you make a statement. Why was it not decided earlier? How long can you go on like this?" the bench said, adding that LG should have taken the decision at the earliest. "We can't shrug our responsibility and we will hear the case on merit," the bench said, adding, "in a democratic polity people have right to have government and not to be ruled by a governor." -PTI

British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron (in blue Sari) along with Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Founder and Chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation lighting the lamp at unveiling of the first volume of The Encyclopedia of Hinduism in London on October 27

Sangh affiliates voice concern over govt policies NEW DELHI: Sangh-affiliated Narinder Singh Tomar (Labor) and groups have voiced reservations Piyush Goyal (Power). over certain policies of the The Sangh organizations Narendra Modi government, in- working in the field raised concluding FDI, intellectual property cerns over various issues and rights (IPR) in pharma sector be- asked the government not to rush sides seeking regularization of into any action that could harmed contract workers at a meeting of the interests of the common man, BJP and RSS leaders here. sources said. Issues pertaining to the probSwadeshi Jagran Manch raised lems of sugarcane farmers and concern over government's growtheir pending dues with sugar ing dependence on FDI in varimills, concerns over government ous sectors, the sources said. allowing field trials on GM crops like Bt Brinjal and giving employee Swadeshi Jagran Manch status to anganwadi raised concern over workers were also raised during the two-hour- government's growing delong confabulations. The first meeting of pendence on FDI in various its kind during Modi sectors, the sources said government's tenure was aimed at seeking views of such organizations It also voiced reservation to which are working extensively in allowing field trials on GM crops various fields and improve coor- like Bt Brinjal and raised concern dination between the party and over IPR in pharma-sector, the affiliates, sources said. sources said. The meeting was attended by Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh senior RSS leaders Suresh Soni raised concerns of the labor class and Krishan Gopal, BJP general demanding that the government secretaries Ram Lal and Ram regularize the services of contract Madhav, who are RSS represen- workers and anganwadi workers, tatives in BJP, along with some the sources said. senior functionaries of Sangh-afKisan Sangathano raised confiliates. Some union ministers also cerns of Sugarcane farmers in attended the meeting. They in- Uttar Pradesh and their plight with cluded Prakash Javadekar (Infor- sugar mills not paying remuneramation and Broadcasting), Radha tive prices to their produce and Mohan Singh (Agriculture), delayed payments.-PTI

Will continue to trade with India: Pak ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that it will continue to trade with India despite tensions along the border casting a shadow on bilateral economic ties as no country can improve its relations without going into business. "The vision of our government is that we must trade with our neighbors, including India, despite border tensions," Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir said, addressing a consultative trade meeting. "The government is committed to increase regional trade as part of promoting peace without compromising on national sovereignty," The Dawn quoted the commerce minister as saying. He said that Pakistan would have to trade in energy for import of electricity from India to overcome power crisis. The minister said the current tension with India on the border

is casting a shadow on economic ties between the two countries. Minister for Privatization Mohammad Zubair also supported the notion of opening of border for trade with India, saying "Pakistan should trade with India for better standard of living of its own people." "If we want to develop, we should contribute. It is not about India's domination on us, we absolutely want good relations with India," the minister said at the meeting themed 'Trade with Neighbors: Prospects and Challenges', organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). "No country in the world can improve its relations without going into business," he said. He also said foreigners love to invest in India, adding in 2008, IBM Pakistan had 400 people while India had 75,000.-PTI

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Australia looking forward Swiss aviators to land in 2 Indian cities to Modi visit MELBOURNE: Australia is looking forward to strengthen trade and economic ties and converging strategic interests with India, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said here. Abbott's remarks came ahead of his counterpart Narendra Modi's visit to Australia next month, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country since 1986. During his visit, Modi will address the Australian Parliament on November 18, after attending G20 Leaders' summit in Brisbane, Abbott said in a statement. "This follows my recent visit to India and I look forward to continuing our discussions on strengthening trade and economic links and our converging strategic interests," the Australian Prime Minister said. Abbott said that the leaders of five of Australia's key partners French President Francois Hollande, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Germany's Federal Chan-

cellor Merkel, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Modi would be visiting the country as guests of the federal government, coinciding with the G20 Leaders' Summit. Parliament will be recalled for formal addresses by Prime Minis-

Preparations are in full swing in Sydney where Modi will address a huge gathering of Indian Diaspora on November 17 ter Cameron on November 14, President Xi Jinping on November 17 and Prime Minister Modi on November 18, Abbott said. Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country since late Rajiv Gandhi, who visited in 1986.

Modi will visit Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Preparations are in full swing in Sydney where Modi will address a huge gathering of Indian Diaspora on November 17. The event has been organized by Indian Australia Community Foundation (IACF). "We were pleasantly surprised when we got 21,000 registrations within a span of three days, which is quite high than number of registrations at a similar event in the US. The population of Indian Diaspora in Australia is one tenth compared to America," IACF spokesperson Balesh Singh Dhankhar said. "IACF has partnered with hundreds of community, social, religious and linguistic organizations that represent the incredible diversity and pluralism that defines India and three hundred thousand Indian-Australians," Nihal Agar, President of IACF, said. -PTI

Judge stops gay sex worker from testifying CAPE TOWN: The judge in the trial of Shrien Dewani, accused of plotting his wife's murder during their honeymoon in South Africa, has stopped a gay sex worker from testifying against the Indian-origin British millionaire, in a setback to the prosecution. The prosecution had brought in Birmingham-based escort Leipold Leisser, 43, to give details of his three sexual encounters with Dewani in 2009 and 2010. But after a few minutes, Judge Jeanette Traverso stopped the testimony by the German-accented witness, also known as 'Gay Master One', when the defense queried the relevance of his statement that Dewani had slept over at his home on the first two occasions. This is the second time Traverso, Cape Town's second most senior judge, has stepped in to prevent the Dewani prosecution from providing evidence about the British businessman's bisexual nature, citing it as being irrelevant. Leisser told the court, "It was unusual and in fact, he was the first ever client I allowed to stay at my home." But defense advocate Pieter Botha's concern over the relevance of this was supported by Traverso,

who said that it was common cause that Dewani had spent some nights with Leisser and had slept with other men as well. Prosecutor Adrian Mopp attempted to justify Leisser's evidence in the context of Dewani having confided in Leisser about his engagement to counter a threat of being disowned by his family. He also said that Leisser's evidence would later assist in addressing the question of why Dewani would want to have his wife killed. Traverso asked Leisser to step down and adjourned the court after asking both the prosecution and the defense to provide her with written arguments on why Leisser's evidence should or should not be admitted. 34-year-old Dewani is accused of orchestrating the murder of his Indo-Swedish wife Anni while they were on honeymoon in Cape Town in November 2010. Anni was shot dead when the taxi she and her husband were traveling in was hijacked in the dangerous Cape Town township of Gugulethu. Three South Africans convicted in the case had claimed that Anni's death had been planned and paid for by Dewani.

Dewani, however, insists he is innocent. He fought four-year long lengthy battle to avoid extradition from his native Britain to stand trial, but was eventually brought to Cape Town earlier this year. He has pleaded not guilty to five counts against him in the trial.PTI

PAYERNE, Switzerland: It will cross the Atlantic Ocean Ahmedabad and Varanasi are the to South of Europe before ending two Indian cities among the dozen the flight at Abu Dhabi again landing stops planned by two re- somewhere in July next year. nowned Swiss aviators for their "This will be the first aircraft round-the- world trip on a solar- with unlimited endurance as it can powered aircraft in March next fly during day and night with an year. engine having efficiency as high "If we get the permission from as 97 per cent," 60-year-old the Indian authorities, we will be Borschberg said about Solar Imlanding in Ahmedabad and pulse, which has been manufacVaranasi during the first- ever tured by Solar Impulse seeking round-the-world flight on a solar powered aircraft in March 2015," mewhere in July next year. Bertrand Piccard and "This will be the first aircraft Andre Borschberg told with unlimited endurance as a visiting team of Indian reporters at a military it can fly during day and facility here. night with an engine having 56-year-old Piccard, who completed the first efficiency as high as non-stop flight around 97 per cent," the world in an air balloon in 1999, said he and his team technical and other assistance were hopeful of getting permis- from as many as 80 companies. sion for landing in the two Indian He said the Solar Impulse opcities. erates on solar energy during the "The discussions are ongoing day time while it operates at night with various authorities including on batteries, which are charged Director General Civil Aviation, during the day using solar energy. Ministry of External Affairs and Borschberg, a graduate from Civil Aviation Ministry and we are Massachusetts Institute of Techhopeful of getting the permis- nology and a pilot by passion, said sion," he said. the wings of the aircraft, which He said they were also looking have more than 1700 solar cells, at the possibility of making a land- have a span bigger than a Jumbo ing the aircraft - which has been Jet but weighs lighter than a van. named Solar Impulse - in China. "Two-thirds of the aircraft Piccard said the single-pilot weight is made up of batteries." aircraft will take off from Abu He said while the normal airDhabi around March 1 next year craft need either refueling or mainand reach India for its first stop tenance after around 12 hours of before carrying onwards journey flight, the solar- powered plane to Far East and across the Pacific can be operated for 120 hours Ocean into the United States. non-stop. -PTI

Minister of State for Commerce & Industry (Independent Charge), Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman with Chairman, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Lord Marland during a meeting at India House in London on October 27

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Desi News Grand Diwali celebrations at Grayslake Temple GEETA PATIL

CHICAGO: Diwali festival that marks the victory of good over evil and light over darkness was celebrated at Grayslake Temple for five days with all the Vaidic rituals. More than 500 devotees came and enjoyed a truly fascinating festival that exhibited luminous glow with bright lines of light both inside and outside of the temple, symbolizing a bright and prosperous future. On October 21, Dhan Thriyodashi started with Kalash Sthapan, followed by Lord Ganesh, Lord Kuber and Goddess Laxmi Abhishekam, Pujan, and Archana to obtain their blessings for prosperity and wellbeing. Pandit Anil Joshi chanted devotional hymns eulogizing Goddess Lakshmi and explained the significance of Dhan Thriyodashi by saying welcome Dhan-Lakshmi into life by lighting number of lamps and asked devotees to venerate the wealth as the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi.

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Bharathiraja conferred with Awards in New York Details on page 23

FIA Diwali Mela charms with variety, fun & live music

Details on page 21

Ekal raises Rs 1 crore for Clean India Campaign India Post News Service

'Gandhi Global Family' meets in Chicago

Dr Romesh Japra (FIA - Convener) addressing Diwali Mela with Congressman Eric Swalwell

Bollywood star Celina Jaitly and TV actor Manav Gohil at Diwali Mela

VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: Alameda County Fairgrounds here was bustling with activity as Federation of Indo-Americans of Northern California" hosted their third annual "Diwali Mela" on October 25. It was attended by over 15,000 of Indian Americans and other Bay Area residents. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, marks the time of year when Hindus symbolically cast away evil and invite good and prosperity with the light of lamps and candles. Where darkness rep-

Etihad Airways being honored

Celina Jaitly being honored by Congressman Eric Swalwell

resents evil to Hindus, lighting the lamp is a metaphor for the attainment of knowledge and symbolizes the destruction of negative attitudes and behaviors. The Mela kicked off the festive season in East Bay, charming its visitors with variety of stalls selling fashion jewelry, handicrafts, henna art, colorful Indian apparel, home dĂŠcor and an assortment of delectable mouth watering food from all over India. The park played host to happy children as they were seen jumping in inflatable bouncers, playing games, and participating in petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, and coloring. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 18

A.Q. SIDDIQUI India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Work, deeds and sayings of a noble soul never die in human history. So was Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy that continued even after he died. Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of love, peace and co-existence moved as far as Africa, America and Europe. Gandhian Movement was spearheaded by many organizations in India and other countries. Details on page 23

Manav Gohil being honored by Congressman Eric Swalwell

Diwali Fireworks sponsor Wells Fargo being honored

October 31, 2014

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Fond Bay area farewell to CG Parathasarathi VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: Bay area Indo-Americans vied with each other to bid farewell to popular Indian Consul General N.Parathasarathi who is leaving his office after a three year successful run as Indian CG at the San Francisco Consulate office. Shri N Parthasarathi graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 1974 from Mysore University and served as an Executive Engineer with a major PSU in India till 1980. He started serving as the Consul General of India in San Francisco from October 13, 2011. Earlier, from September 2005 to September 2008, he was Ambassador of India to the Republic of South Korea. From October 2008 to September 2011, he served as Ambassador of India to Senegal. He was also concurrently accredited as Ambassador of India to Mali, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde islands, as well as High Commissioner of India to the Republic of The

Gambia. The farewell function was held at the Japra Vineyards hosted by Federation of Indo-Americans of Northern California

(FIA) on Friday October 24 where the elite of Indian community flocked to express their appreciation for the departing CG as also to offer their best wishes to his new assignment. Notable presence was that of State Senate Majority leader Ellen Corbett who presented him with a commemoratory plaque. The function was attended by 300 plus guests and invitees. Bollywood Celebrity Celina Jaitly and Manav Gohli were present at the function.

Dr Romesh Japra, Convener of FIA spoke at length on his relationship with Mr Parthasarathi and said he was one of his favorite CGs. Mr Parthasarathi recalled his exciting journey of three years in Bay area, serving the Indian community which has the largest techie population. He lauded the community work done by FIA under the leadership of Dr Japra and assured his continued support. The ceremony was attended by community leaders, candidates running for State Senate, Assembly and local school boards.

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FIA Diwali Mela charms with variety, fun & live music Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

Live dance and music performances were crowd pullers with Indian Bollywood music by Harjit Mehndi and group. The action-packed day started with live entertainment on two stages. The performers, dressed in bold colors with ornate decorations, executed precise movements as they moved to the beat. The purpose of this festival is to get together and celebrate intercultural understanding that promotes economic and cultural prosperity. The Ramayana came to life with the Ram Lila performance. Participants wore colorful costumes and re-enacted scenes from the Ramayana. "I would like to thank all our sponsors, volunteers and scouts for making this event a success," said Dr. Romesh Japra, Convener of FIA. Sponsors who made this event possible were Wells Fargo, Bank of the West, Etihad Airways, Star Tours, Star TV, Life OK and Nurture kids to name a few. Wells Fargo were the sponsors for Gala fireworks and laser show which started at about 8:15 pm and was a 15 minute non-stop treat for the Bay area. Etihad Airways, who are starting their service to India from San Francisco in November, raffled two tickets to India. Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley and actor Manav Gohil were the festival celebrities and main attraction. Raas Garba and Dandiya night was a perfect way to end the celebrations. Thousands of Bay areans

Fireworks display

Mexico Tourism representative being honored

joined the Dandiya night and enjoyed the true Diwali spirit with food, fireworks and fun. Many local dignitaries and community leaders participated in the celebrations. Congressman Eric Swalwell, Pleasanton Mayor Jerry Thorne, Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves, Raj Salwan, Ro Khanna, Peter Kuo, and many others who are running for local school boards joined the FIA team and honored the Bollywood celebrities and sponsors. The ancient tradition of Diwali includes

the lighting of candles, setting off fireworks, and exchanging gifts and sweets. It celebrates the light of knowledge and truth overcoming the darkness of ignorance, said Rajesh Verma, Chairman of FIA, who worked meticulously for two months on this grand event. He attributed its success to the entire FIA team and its volunteers.

Raas Garba with Celina Jaitly

Amazing dance performance

Diwali Mela Parade

Bharat Darshan - "Journey through India"

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Ekal raises Rs 1 crore for Clean India Campaign India Post News Service

CINCINNATI, Ohio: Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation-USA (EVFUSA) on October 3-5 hosted an international conference in Cincinnati, Ohio to address various issues facing rural education, hygiene, and integrated development in remote parts of India, where it operates. In opening remarks, Shyamji Gupta, founder of 'Ekal Movement' set the tone by challenging the gathering to undertake a new initiative for the rural masses. Inspired by the clarion call for a 'Swachha-Bharat' (Clean-India) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ekal volunteers whole heartedly adopted this campaign to create and implement a strategy to clean the Ekal Villages where 1.5 million children are being nurtured and groomed. The campaign will create awareness and develop sustainable approaches to keep the villages clean. This conference had brought together volunteers, field teams and philanthropists from across US, India and Canada and as-

Shyamji Gupta, Himanshu Shah, Ramesh Shah

the health of Indians all over. It is time we address this issue". He contributed significant amount of his own mon-

Spearheading the on-the-spot fundraising efforts Himanshu Shah, CEO, Shah Capital, said "poor sanitation and lack of solid waste management has had tremendous negative impact on the health of Indians all over. It is time we address this issue". He contributed significant amount of his own monies to the cause toundingly raised Rs. 1 crore for this purpose. Spearheading the on-the-spot fundraising efforts Himanshu Shah, CEO, Shah Capital, said "poor sanitation and lack of solid waste management has had tremendous negative impact on

ies to the cause and matched donations raised by Ekal. Welcoming this impromptu generosity, Vinod Jhunjhunwala, President of 'EVF-USA' said, "While ideas are plenty, India often loses out on implementation.

Shyamji Gupta

Youth team

Ekal, with its reach in over 54,000 villages throughout India has wide grass-root network that can effectively implement this cleaning initiative". Ekal uses education as a primary vehicle to bring holistic development of remote and rural villages. In addition to education, Ekal is working on health, sanitation, agriculture and development. Ajay Singh, Project Coordinator for EVF-USA, informed the gathering about the stateof-the-art approach

adopted by 'Ekal-India' to administer and monitor various aspects of 'Ekal'. He elaborated that the teacher's and student's thirdparty assessment, automated school allocation as well as their 'google-mapping' was already underway. The movement has created so much excitement among youth in the US that several college students are going to Ekal villages to study the movement. Recently, Rohan and Anjeli Sharma, brother-sister team, both less than 15 year old, spent three weeks in an Ekal Village, learning how Ekal had impacted villager's lives. The reciprocal volunteerism of the Ekal model has also caught the eye of the Afghanistan community who feel that this unique model could be beneficial to the tribalrural villages of Afghanistan. A team from Afghanistan headed by Sunil Ishairzay, visited India, last year, with the sole intention of studying and repli-

Sunil Ishairzay of Afghanistan

cating Ekal education model in Afghanistan. Several innovative solutions to a range of issues including the use of technology for education and the micro-rural entrepreneurship were also discussed. In several villages, solar energy is already being used by the villagers for life's basic necessities with help from 'Ekal'. At the conference, Ekal also addressed the national tragedy of the floods affecting the Kashmir valley. Ekal USA has earmarked $150,000 for these flood victims. In short, Ekal Vidyalaya, the largest grass-root movement undertaken by NRIs and Indians, is playing a key role in the lives of neglected masses for their self-sustenance and empowerment.

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Forum discusses how to address ISIS effects India Post News Service

ANAHEIM, CA: On the evening of October 17, the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), in partnership with the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley (ICSGV) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) hosted an educational community forum on how to address the issue of ISIS and its negative effects on American Muslims and Muslims worldwide. The panelists who presented their views on the issue were CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, Shaykh AbuHaitham of ICSGV, MPAC Presi-

dent Salam Al-Marayati, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, the Religious Director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, and Usman Asrar, the ICSGV Youth Advisor. Over 200 attendees joined the

origins and cause of ISIS. As one of the pioneer religious directors of North America, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi explicated from an Islamic scholar's perspective as to why the extremist and violent

tional Islamic scholars and prominent Muslim leaders refuting the ideology of that terrorist group. Hussam Ayloush addressed the issue on three fronts; one is to have our Imams and scholars con-

pecially our youth, to become more civically engaged and take advantage of the training and opportunities available to better equip themselves to address legitimate grievances by advocating

event to learn and partake in the discussion that took place in the multipurpose room of the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley. Shaykh Abu-Haitham opened the speakers' forum with welcoming remarks. The first panelist, Usman Asrar deconstructed the

ideology of ISIS contradicts Islam's teachings of mercy. He briefed the community on the joint effort of CAIR National and the Fiqh Council of North America to issue the first-of-its-kind open letter in Arabic (with English Translation) signed by more than 120 interna-

tinue to refute and challenge ISIS' deviant and destructive ideology. The second is to understand the role and responsibility American Muslims have to work with fellow Americans to pressure our President and Congress not to support foreign governments that engage in occupation, human rights violations and repression. Lastly, Ayloush stressed that a preventative and proactive approach is for our communities, es-

for justice here and abroad. Salam Al-Marayati ended the discussion stating that the American Muslim community can contribute to the accurate portrayal of Islam by leading through example in their daily interactions with others and become well integrated as a community to positively influence public perception and public policy. The forum was followed by a question and answer session.

Raising funds for 'Clean India' campaign KHUSHI SHAH

am in 8th grade and I live in Fremont, CA. I visit India quite often. I love India but I hate walking around on those streets full of garbage. After watching the cleanliness campaigns of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I also decided to do something about it. A couple weeks before Diwali I decided to do a project to raise funds that can help in cleaning a part of India. I love art projects. My mom and I decided to create different types of floating diyas and sell them for the project. We started with few and we got a fantastic response. So I started making more after school hours and during the weekends. I set a goal of raising $1000, although I did not have much time. We had to plan quickly and get raw material. My mom and I

got lots of raw material at last minute. We called up a vendor in India and asked him to ship some material overnight. Slowly the project started taking shape. We started getting ideas for more elaborate designs. Initially we started selling them to people whom we know. With their good feedback we had our first booth at a Garba Night hosted by GCA (Gujarati Cultural Association) and SSF (Small Steps Foundation). We posted photos of the diyas on my very own Facebook page. We started getting orders from friends out of town. We did a small exhibition and sold some in my school too. I am happy to share that I have raised about $1,199.50 with the support of my friends and family.

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Grand Diwali celebrations at Grayslake Hindu Temple GEETA PATIL

Goddess Nav Durga destroying Narkasur

festival that exhibited luminous glow with bright lines of light both inside and outside of the temple, symbolizing a bright and prosperous future. On October 21, Dhan Thriyodashi started with Kalash Sthapan, followed by Lord Ganesh, Lord Kuber and Goddess Laxmi Abhishekam, Pujan, and Archana to obtain their blessings for prosperity and wellbeing. Pandit Anil Joshi chanted devotional hymns eulogizing Goddess Lakshmi and explained the significance of Dhan Thriyodashi by saying welcome Dhan-Lakshmi into life by lighting number of lamps and asked devotees to venerate the wealth as the blessings

made black sweets and fruits for Nivedyam. Pt. Joshi enlightened devotees by saying Kali Chaudas is a day to abolish laziness and evil forces from lives and let light shine all around and fill the body with new

Krishna by bringing more than 150 home-made dishes and to get the blessings of Lakshmi and Annapurna.

Pt. Joshi spoke on the significance of Annakut, Govardhan Pujan and Bhai Dooj and offered a grand Naivedyam in Govardhan form with all the rituals and blessed devotees for their welfare and prosperity.

Bhajan were sung by Rita Patel, Geetha Patil, Kaushika Ben, Atul Soni, Kamalesh Desai and other devotees. Pt. Joshi spoke on the significance of Annakut, Govardhan Pujan and Bhai Dooj and offered a grand Naivedyam in Govardhan form with all the rituals and blessed devotees for their welfare and prosperity. A sumptuous Maha Prasadam feast prepared by Kamal Gupta, Neelkanth and team was arranged for the devotees to enjoy the occasion. President Harsh Kumar warmly greeted all the devotees and generously thanked all the volunteers for their time and hard work in making this festival of lights a grand success.

Pt Anil Joshi doing Puja

energy. He added that black absorbs negative energy from your surroundings and protects you from harm and pessimism. Ma Kali wears black dress to absorb our pap and tap. On October 23, special Abhishekam, Pujan, and Archana for Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi along with Lord Kartikeya were performed by Pandit Ganesh. Devotees with immense devotion worshipped Ma Lakshmi who is considered the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth to bring prosperity and give strength to achieve success and fortune. Deeplaxmi Alankaram was done for the special attraction of

Devotees with immense devotion worshipped Ma Lakshmi who is considered the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth to bring prosperity and give strength to achieve success and fortune. Deeplaxmi Alankaram was also done of Goddess Lakshmi. On October 22, Choti Diwali called Kali Chaudas was performed with all religious rituals in the temple by decorating Kali swaroop Devi Ma in Mahishasur Mardini Alankar by Geetha Patil. Pandit Joshi let women perform Chausat Yogini Puja and men to perform Lord Bhairav Pujan while he was chanting their ashtottara shatanamavali. Devotees wore black dresses and brought home-

fare in the temple. On October 24 Vikrami New Year, the temple was opened early morning for devotees to have the Darshan and blessings of deities. Devotes greeted each other by saying Bestu Varas and Saal Mubaarak. Pt. Joshi distributed Sabras (salt - which means all taste) to devotees as a traditional ritual of Gujarati community to make the devotees' New Year prosperous and wished them heartily Nutanvarsh abhinandan. The next day after Diwali Parva, Annakut Mahotsav with Govardhan Pujan was performed in the temple. Devotees offered their humble gratitude to Lord

the day. Pt. Joshi gave a brief discourse on the importance of Lakshmi Pujan on Deepavali Day and the logic behind her choosing different Vahans for traveling such as horse, elephant, and owl. She uses horse and elephant only one day in a year but for the 363 days she uses owl for her ride. Grandly dressed up devotees in their traditional clothes enjoyed Puja, Deepamala, fire crackers and fan-

Devotees at the Mandir

Oregon State University to teach Hinduism OREGON: The Oregon State University (OSU) is launching religious studies major in the upcoming winter term and it shall include various Hinduism courses. "One area of emphasis is on the religions of Southeast Asia, including Budhhism, Hinduism and Islam", according to an OSU re-

Various Hinduism related courses offered include "Intro to Hindu Traditions", "Yoga and Tantric Traditions", "Gandhi and nonviolence", etc. lease. Various Hinduism related

courses offered include "Intro to Hindu Traditions", "Yoga and Tantric Traditions", "Gandhi and nonviolence", etc. Applauding this move on the part of the University, Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said this is "a step in the right direction". Rajan Zed urged the schools/departments of religion and philosophy of major world universities to strengthen their Hinduism sections. Hinduism being the oldest religion with rich philosophical thought and a vast array of scriptures needed more exploration. Founded in 1868, OSU headquartered in Corvallis now serves over 26,000 students from all 50 US states and over 90 countries. Dr. Edward J. Ray is President.

Oregon State University

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Chen Patel: Rising star in banking firmament RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: With two Masters from highly reputed educational institutions in this country under his belt, Chandrakant Patel has also proved to be a no-nonsense businessman shining of late as the rising star in banking firmament. Chandrakant, known more as Chen, had founded Sate Bank of Texas (SBT) in Dallas with a group of investors bringing in all $2 million as seed capital for starting a financial institution. This was in 1987 and the day was Black Monday that saw a crash at the Wall Street. This was not a deterrent but a challenge and Chen groomed the new baby so well that it is now ranked as the top performer among 4600 banks in the country. The survey was conducted by Sageworks, an independent financial information agency that surveyed banks with assets ranging from $10 million to $ 1 billion. This well managed bank has also taken care of investors handsomely distributing over $80 milion as dividend and still carrying sizeable assets to its credit. Impressed with its excellent track record, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was favorably disposed to SBT taking over another bank - the $86 million asset Millennium Bank in Texas that ran into problem some three years ago. The Chen Patel management helped change the fortune of Millennium Bank which is now part of SBT. The Bank added yet another feather in its growing cap of achievements by taking over a

(L-R) Sushil Patel, Chief Lending Officer; Chan Patel, Chairman, CEO & President; Rajan Patel, Senior Vice President

Chicago bank, National Republic Bank of Chicago, that was run by yet another Gujarati businessman , Hiren Patel, The Bank ran into problems over some bad loans and FDIC had to step in to protect the interest of depositors and investors. SBT was one of the suitors and FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Chen Patel controlled State Bank of Dallas. The nearly billion dollar asset Chicago bank is now part of SBT

and this has pushed the Chen Patel contoured bank into the august company of banks with over $ one billion asset. In a talk to this paper, Chen Patel said that there would be some streamlining of the operations at the newly acquired bank but exuded confidence that "my team would turn it into a profitable venture." He was confident that there would not be a serious problem in sharply cutting down bad loans

which are to a great extent with the hospitality industry interests. Before turning leaf as a banker, Chen Patel was a motel owner and at one time owned close to 15 small and big motels in Texas. Chen said there would be some overhauling of the staff with some trimming but by and large the new management would sail with the present team. The bank would be run most professionally and Chen will be assisted by his two experi-

State Bank of Texas takes over National Republic Bank RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The economic downturn that griped the US economy for nearly three years since 2008 has taken toll of another Indian owned bank in Chicago. The National Republic Bank of Chicago (NRB) was closed last week by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with State Bank of Texas, Dallas (SBT), Texas, to assume all of the deposits of The National Republic Bank of Chicago. SBT is ranked as one of the top performers in the banking world

State Bank of Texas, the new owner of National Republic Bank Chicago

in the country. Based on an analysis of data from more than 6,600 banks in US, Sageworks, a finan-

cial information company, identified the 15 best-run community banks using a combination of their

return on average assets (ROAA) and efficiency ratio. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 25

enced and academically qualified sons - Rajan Patel and Sushil Patel Born n in Bombay, India, in 1945, Chan Patel is an example of the American Dream personified. He grew up in a 5 x 8 room in the Dadar area of Mumbai, with four siblings and his parents. He was bright in his studies and earned his Bachelor's degree in science with top honors from the top most Mumbai College, Elphinstone College. As a result of his dedication, he was accepted by some of the finest graduate institutions in America, including M.I.T, Columbia, and Stanford. In 1965 with $600, he came to America to attend Stanford University. After earning Masters degrees from both Stanford and John's Hopkins University, Chan took a job as a programmer with Braniff Airlines; a job that brought him to Dallas, Texas where he would spend the rest of his life making his mark. In 1976 Chan bought his first hotel. His dedication and commitment to his work started paying him huge dividend. His motel helped earn him money and he stopped working with Braniff; turning into a full time hotelier. His vision and commitment to work again came in good stead for him and he was a front runner in the hotel industry in his area owning a total of 17 hotels. In his journey to become a hotel owner, he learned that many of his fellow immigrants found it difficult to get a loan due to some technicalities and also inadequate grasping of the formal requirements. And a dream was born - to start a bank for the people and of the people around him. The dream execution was not easy. He needed $2 million as capital. With Chan willing to invest $1 million himself, he approached other local Indian businessmen and professionals to invest by buying shares at the $10 each. With banking being such a new venture, he approached several family members and friends to invest $100,000 each. In exchange, he promised that each of them would become a professional banker and be Director of the bank. With this novel approach, he was able to raise the remaining $1 million within two weeks. On October 19, 1987, Black Monday (the day the stock market crashed), Chan Patel began the State Bank of Texas with a single paid employee. From the second quarter of the opening to this day, State Bank of Texas has not reported any operating losses in any quarter since its existence. The same trend continues and SBT has been turning a new leaf every year.

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'Gandhi Global Family' meets in Chicago A.Q. SIDDIQUI India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Work, deeds and sayings of a noble soul never die

Movement to carry forward Gandhian philosophy. This was revealed in a press meet reception dinner by Padmashri S.P. Varma in Chicago.

trustees pursued the issue. Iftekhar Shareef, FIA trustee, also welcomed the visiting activist on behalf of FIA. He briefly spoke about FIA community ac-

Padmashri S.P. Varma felicitated by FIA Trustee Iftekhar Shareef

in human history. So was Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy that continued even after he died. Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of love, peace and co-existence moved as far as Africa, America and Europe. Gandhian Movement

tivities in Chicago. Iftekhar Shareef introduced Padmashri S.P. Varma as a social worker and Gandhian activist from Jammu and Kashmir seeking peace in troubled land through Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of love, non-violence, truth and right path. Shareef also remarked that it was a pleasant surprise that Mahatma Gandhi's followers are present in Chicago among other communities. He was referring to Rev. Wade Wonsey and Hellen Cousineay, both from Chicago, joining the Gandhi Global Family as followers of Mahatma Gandhi. Shareef requested Padmashri Varma to speak about his mission. In his address, S.P. Varma said that after the death of Didi Nirmala Deshpande there was a lull in the Gandhian Movement. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had joined the movement as a college student in Srinagar four decade ago. He later took over as the head of Gandhi Global Family. Varma informed that

he was inspired by Dr Nirmala's work and left his government job for Gandhian movement. He organized inter-faith meetings, strived rebuilding the shattered trust of different communities in the valley. He was also encouraged by Bollywood actor and MP Sunil Dutt. Together, they established camps in Jammu and Kashmir and took upon the mission of 'Sadbhawana ke Sipahi' for peace in the valley. SP Varma believes that peace is possible through dialogue and shattered by conflicts. About his coming to Chicago, Varma thanked Mom Hellen Cousineay and Rev. Wade Wonsey and other volunteers who agreed to establish Mission Gandhi Global Family chapter in Chicago. SP Varma also thanked Iftekhar Shareef, Amair and Prabhudas for helping in Gandhi Mission. NFIA President Sohan Joshi joined with FIA president Keerthi Kumar to greet the mission activists.

Mahatma Gandhi's followers in Chicago and Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) jointly held a reception on Saturday evening at a restaurant on Devon Ave for Padmashri S.P. Varma and his team for Gandhi Global Family. FIA

Shareef also remarked that it was a pleasant surprise that Mahatma Gandhi's followers are present in Chicago among other communities. He was referring to Rev. Wade Wonsey and Hellen Cousineay was spearheaded by many organizations in India and other countries. Dr Nirmala Deshpande worked as an aide with Mahatma Gandhi conceived mission 'Gandhi Global Family' an international Gandhian

president Keerthi Kumar Ravoori welcomed S.P. Varma and others. He remarked that incidentally the event was being held on Gandhi Marg on Devon Ave. Keerthi said the street portion was named after Mahatma Gandhi as FIA senior

A group of admirers with Padmashri Varma

Gandhi Global Family Honors Thotukara BABU TANGEWALA

DALLAS: Dr Prasad Thotakura was bestowed with Gandhi Seva Medal form Gandhi Global Family, a New Delhi India based, non-profit organization, recently during a well attended event in Dallas. Padmashri S.P. Varma, Vice President, Gandhi Global Family while presenting the award stated Dr Prasad Thotakura was instrumental in bringing not only thousands of Indian American communities together along with this project but also involved people from all cross sections of regions, religions, races like Indians, Asians, Africans, Hispanics and

Dr Thotukara honored with Gandhi Medal

Jewish communities and made them part of various committees. Dr Prasad was honored for his efforts in creating awareness in international understanding, communal harmony and friendship. One of the projects that he spearheaded was to build one of the unique landmarks in USA "Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza" in Irving (Dallas area), TX. Dr Thotakura along with his team worked relentlessly with City of Irving for more than four years to realize the long cherished dream of the community in unveiling one of the most beautiful statues of

Mahatma Gandhi in USA on October 2, 2014, on the 145th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas (MGMNT) Board members congratulated their leader Dr Prasad Thotakura for receiving this very prestigious Gandhi Seva Medal award from Gandhi Global Family organization. Gandhi Seva Medal is being presented to leaders who promote and propagate the philosophies and principles of Mahatma Gandhi among youth and other communities including foreign nations. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 24

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Bharathiraja conferred with Awards in New York NEW YORK: Veteran director Bharathiraja was conferred with awards at a function organized by America Tamil Sangam in New York. Nassau County Executive (Mayor) Edward Mangano honored the director with the American proclamation for his service to cinema and America Tamil Sangam conferred the title Tamil Ratna on the ace director in the same event.

Describing Bharathiraja as a towering personality of Indian cinema, the proclamation said at a time when directors went abroad to film either entire movie or songs, Bharathiraja introduced the beauty of unspoiled and pristine unseen villages to the audience. He won several awards from the Government of India including Padma Shri and National awards. The Nassau County proclamation was presented in absentia as Mr Bharathiraja seen with Tamil Sangam members after receiving award

Mangano could not make it at the last minute. Replying to felicitations, Bharathiraja said Diaspora Tamils excelled in various fields such as politics, medicine and law due to their hard work and dedication. He compared Diaspora Tamils to that of a newly wed bride who would bring good name to the family in which she was born and to the family she is married to. He complimented the American Tamils for fostering their roots in Tamil Nadu and the America Tamil Sangam for promoting Tamil culture in the US.

Dr Prakash M Swamy, president of America Tamil Sangam, addressed the meeting through video conference from Chennai. Dr Sundar Selvaraj and Dr Madan Raj of Madurai Medical College Alumni Association, Dr Arul Veerappan, Edgar Rosario and Ramesh Ramanathan offered their felicitations. Koshy Oomen, treasurer of the Sangam, wrapped the director with a traditional shawl. Jaya Sundaram, secretary of the Sangam welcomed the gathering and Calai Chandra, vice president, proposed a vote of thanks.

Gandhi Global Family Honors Thotukara Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 23

At the same event M.Samuel and Mrs Rima Lal of Reach Out International; Dr Vinod Prakash of India Development and Relief Fund; Dr Sasala Challa of Challa Foundation and Rizwan Jaka of All Dulles area Muslim Society were bestowed with Gandhi Seva Medal for their committed community service in their chosen fields to make a big difference. Gandhi Global Family (GGF) is a non-profit organization founded by Padma Vibhushan Didi Nirmala

Deshpande to propagate the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave in an effort to develop peace, international understanding, communal harmony, and friendship worldwide. Additionally, the Gandhi Global Family establishes person-to-person contact throughout different countries of the world. GGF is currently headed by its President Ghulam Nabi Azad, the opposition Leader of Rajya Sabha, Padmashri S.P. Varma as Vice President. Several other prominent people from India serve on this organization.

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State Bank of Texas takes over National Republic Bank Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 23

It found that the State Bank of Texas, headquartered in Dallas, with assets around $413 million, topped the list as the best-run community bank in the country. The analysis was based on its 2014 year-to-date ROAA and efficiency ratio. Rounding out the top five were banks in two institutions in Minnesota, as well as Utah and

Bank of Texas during their normal business hours. Depositors of NRB will automatically become depositors of State Bank of Texas. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Depositors of NRB can continue to access their money by

The two branches of the NRB reopened as branches of State Bank of Texas during their normal business hours. Depositors of NRB will automatically become depositors of State Bank of Texas. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC Alabama. Community banks with between $100 million and $10 billion in assets - a total of 4,566 banks - were evaluated for the list. Chandrakant Patel, a no nonsense business person with two Masters under his belt, is the founder of the bank and heads it as CEO and President. The two branches of the NRB reopened as branches of State

writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual. As of June 30, 2014 NRB had approximately $954.4 million in total assets and $915.3 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of The

National Republic Bank of Chicago, State Bank of Texas agreed to purchase approximately $626.1 million of the failed bank's assets. The FDIC will retain the remaining assets for later disposition. The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $111.6 million. Compared to other alternatives, State Bank of Texas' acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. NRB is the 16th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the fifth in Illinois. Three years ago Mutual Bank owned by other Indian businessmen was taken over by United Central Bank. There was a change again and the control to the Bank was passed on to Los Angeles-based Hanmi Financial Corp through a $50 million deal a few months ago. The deal resulted in Hanmi to buy the parent of Garland, Texas-based United Central Bank, best known for acquiring the assets and deposits four

years ago of the Chicago area's costliest failure, Mutual Bank of Harvey. The deal made Hanmi the largest Korean-American-owned lender in the Chicago area. Congress created the Federal

nation's banks and savings associations, 6,656 as of June 30, 2014. It promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they

NRB in Chicago

Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the

are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars - insured financial institutions fund its operations.

Community Across America

26 India Post

October 31, 2014

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Bathukamma celebrated with T.M. Krishna holds Lemont audience spell-bound great enthusiasm DR JAISHREE PRASAD

ASHWIN PATEL

ST LOUIS: Bathukamma, a unique Telangana festival of flowers, was celebrated with great enthusiasm by local Saint Louis Telugu community on Sunday October 5 at Castlewood State

dess of womanhood. Later they sing songs and dance together to seek the blessings from the divine mother for good health, prosperity and happiness for their families.

and placed their Bathukammas together and offered Puja. Later, all women formed a big circle around the Bathukammas and danced with various Bathukamma songs, synchronizing

Bathukamma gathering in St Louis

Park in St Louis. It is a floral festival celebrated by the Hindu women before Dussehra in the Telangana region. To celebrate the event, women prepare colorful Bathukammas in an impressive array of patterns using various colorful flowers as the embodiment of Gauri, the god-

The event, organized by newly formed Bathukamma volunteers, began around noon with the women arriving in the colorful traditional sarees carrying the gorgeous Bathukammas. After the wide variety of tasteful lunch, the occasion warmed up with kid games while the women gathered

CHICAGO: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) Fine Arts Committee in conjunction with R.R. International and Raja Veena School of Music hosted Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna in a concert on October 10 in Lemont, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Accompanists R.K. Sriram Kumar and Arun Prakash responded to Krishna's brilliant musical ideas with equal expertise on violin and mridangam. Krishna began with a rare musical piece "Sri Guruna Palitosmi" by Muttuswamy Dikshitar in ragam Padi set to Rupaka talam in relaxed tempo, developing the composition through neraval, that is, by elaborating on the notes for a particular line within the rhythmic framework to bring out the emotional flavor of the ragam and through extempore musical notes (kalpana svara). This was followed by

ploration (alapanam) of its ragam Kapi covering all three octaves. Lyrics of compositions in slow tempo are held over a long duration and thus demand great musical artistry and breath-control to be sung with ease and aesthetic appeal. Krishna's rendering was superb and melodious. Prakash's intricate rhythms and Ramkumar's embellishments made it a much applauded masterpiece. Neraval and Kalpana svaras that followed were breathtaking. Shyamashastri's popular composition "Marivere" in ragam Anandabhairavi set to Misrachapu talam then described the wonderful qualities of the goddess Kamakshi. The pallavi in Tamil "Tadhimita dhim Kanaka Sabheyil Ananda Natanam Adinar" describing Lord Shiva dancing in the golden hall of Chidambaram temple, was in the majestic Kambhoji ragam. This was

steps and claps, providing a splendorous look to the festivities. In the evening the Bathukammas were set afloat in the Meramic River with a warm and cheerful send off. Volunteers thanked everyone for their participation and for making the event a grand success.

Interfaith Conference at Palatine Gurudwara

Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna, accompanied by R.K. Sriram Kumar on violin and Arun Prakash on mridangam, at the Lemont Temple concert

RAJINDER MAGO

PALATINE: Sikh Religious Society of Chicago (Palatine Gurdwara Sahib) is hosting an Interfaith Peace Conference, along with an Open House at their Gurdwara Sahib facilities in Palatine on Saturday, November 15 from 2 pm to 6 pm. The topic for the Interfaith symposium is "Service: A Pathway to Peace". The event is being held in collaboration with the World Sikh Council (WSC-AR) and Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR) which is headquartered in Chicago. Speakers from many faith communities including Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Pagan, Sikh and Zoroastrian will present their perspectives based on the teachings of their faith on this topic. Altruistic, selfless Service ("Seva") is an integral part of Sikh tenets that the Sikhs learn to practice since their

early childhood. "The Open House is to make other communities and neighbors aware of who we are and what we

Palatine gurudwara

believe in, and to share the core message of our Sikh faith 'Ek Pita Ekas ke ham Baarak', and 'Manas Ki Jaat sabh eke pehchanbo'," said Mrs Jasbir Kaur Saluja, presi-

dent of Sikh religious Society Palatine, IL. The open house, fellowship and refreshments will be 2 pm to 3 pm in Langar Hall. The Interfaith Conference starts at 3 pm in the Congregation Hall, and Langar (vegetarian meal) starts at 6 pm in the Langar Hall. The event is free and open to public with free parking. All are invited to join in this event. This invitation information can be extended to friends from other faiths and their families. While within and around the Gurdwara premises, the visitors are required to cover their head, remove their shoes and not to have on their person tobacco or other intoxicants. Be prepared to sit on the carpeted floor, unless you are elderly or physically challenged, in which case bench seats may be provided.

Tyagaraja's composition an Atita Pallavi, meaning the song "Vandanamu Raghunandana" in starts even before the set rhythm, ragam Sahana, set to Adi tala. Its Tisra Adi in this case. Krishna's soul stirring lyrics were meticu- creative imagination excelled in lously brought out through his rendering the pallavi also in powerful yet soothing voice dur- Kalyani, Bhairavi, Nata, Begada, ing the neraval on the phrase Hamir Kalyani and Sindhubhiravi, "vegara karunakara." thus making a wonderful garland Krishna then developed ragam Varali in all Krishna concluded with its intricacy, emphasizing its distinctive life- devotional songs in various giving notes (jiva languages. He rendered svara). It was as if vo- Purandara Dasa's old time calist and violinist were pursuing a musical con- but very popular Kannada versation reading each "Kelano Hari Talano" other's minds, their innovative musical phrases creating of ragas. a beautiful, serene and calm enviKrishna concluded with devoronment. tional songs in various languages. He continued with a very brisk He rendered Purandara Dasa's old rendering of tanam, exploring the time but very popular Kannada ragam in a faster rhythmic tempo "Kelano Hari Talano" in Kalyani using mnemonic syllables (ta nom ragam and then a Tamil devota and ananta) and transporting tional, leading into Muttuswamy the audience. Tyagaraja's "Inta Dikshitar's "Sri Dakshina Murte' in Soukhya" in Adi talam was pre- ragam Shankarabharanam, before ceded by detailed multifaceted ex- the auspicious mangalam.

Community Across America

October 31, 2014

India Post 27

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Telugu University music courses in Dallas BABU TANGEWALA

DALLAS, TX: Telugu Association of North America (TANA) has striven hard to bring exquisite Indian classical music closer to the younger generation of kids growing up in USA. On Sunday, October 19, TANA Past President Dr Thotakura Prasad, TANA South-

Music Courses in Dallas in the holy premises of Shri Shirdi Sai Sannidhi in Frisco. These courses are receiving huge response from parents and children from all over USA. Expressing his happiness about these music courses TANA Presi-

Launch of classical music teaching course in Dallas

west Region Coordinator Dr Rajesh Adusumilli and accomplished music teacher Mrs Meenakshi Anipindi officially launched the TANAPottisreeramulu Telugu University

dent Mohan Nannapaneni mentioned that this is a significant milestone in the history of TANA that has always been striving to preserve and propagate Telugu language and culture for future

generations. Speaking at the music courses inauguration ceremony, Dr Prasad Thotakura mentioned that this is a golden opportunity for all the music enthusiasts who are learning Carnatic music in USA to get music certification from a reputed University in India. After completion of two years of course work, examiners from the Telugu University will come over to USA to conduct exams and provide University certifications. He announced that gradually these courses will be offered in all major cities across USA and reputed music teacher Mrs Meenakshi Anipindi will be the USA Coordinator for these courses. TANA Southwest Regional Coordinator Dr Rajesh Adusumilli informed that more details about this course will be

available on www.TANA.org website. Speaking on the occasion, Music courses Coordinator Mrs Anipindi observed that previously students had to take a lot of extra efforts to go to India to take these exams. Students don't have to go through that anymore and she requested all interested students to

Parupalli Balasubramaniam on mrudangam and Sita Jayant on violin rendered several mellifluous Annamacharya keerthanas. Student of Suswara Academy Harish Yarlagadda also recited some famous keertanas. They all received huge applause from the large number of music enthusiasts who attended this event.

utilize this wonderful opportunity. To mark this auspicious occasion, a devotional concert of Annamacharya compositions was organized by TANA and Suswara Academy of Music. Famous music artist from India Parupalli Satyanarayana accompanied by

TANA team members Sreekanth Polavarapu, Chala Kondrakunta, community notables C.R. Rao, Dr. Alla Srinivas Reddy, Venkat Mulukutla, Nasim Shaik, several parents and students participated in this event and made it a grand success.

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

28 India Post

1 Meherbaan : Bang Bang 2 Manwa Laage : Happy New Year 3 Tere Ho Ke Rahenge : Raja Natwarlal 4 Bang Bang: Bang Bang October 31, 2014 5 Lovely : Happy New Year 6 Bismil : Haider 7 Tu Meri : Bang Bang 8 India Waale : Happy New Year 9 Sawaan Aaya Hai : Creature 3D 10 Naina: Khoobsurat

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n a recent interview Deepika Padukone said that every relationship needs some 'breathing time' and it will take some time for her to say that she is dating someone. It is being seen by industry watchers as a sign that Deepika is slowly reaching the stage where she will be ready to acknowledge her relationship with Ranveer Singh in public. "He is such free-spirited person. It influences you. Relationships don't happen overnight. It's definitely an equation that I value a lotâ&#x20AC;Śthere is something very special about him as a person," said Deepika. Deepika recently made headlines after she openly criticized one of India's leading newspapers after they published videos of her 'cleavage' on their online portal.

hraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur have kept the media guessing on their now on-now off relationship status. But guests who saw them at the Bachchans' Diwali bash had another story to tell. It is said that the Aashiqui 2 couple arrived in their respective cars. And once they discovered one another at the party, they stayed put together. Also, when it was time to leave, Shraddha opted for Aditya's car. They drove together to Aamir's bash well past midnight. Here, they spent a couple of hours. The two left Khan's Bandra residence around 4.30 am, say some waiting freelance photographers. Once again, Shraddha reportedly chose to leave with ARK. Sources say, in all this hurry-burry, she forgot to inform her driver who was later seen asking security guards whether they had seen his "Madam" leaving. Shraddha's spokesperson however denied the news that she had left with Aditya.

They drove together to Aamir's bash well past midnight. Here, they spent a couple of hours. The two left Khan's Bandra residence around 4.30 am

Bollywood

October 31, 2014

India Post 29

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lot has already been written and spo ken about Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli's alleged relationship. The duo have also been spotted together sev-

eral times. However the two have always maintained a silence over the alleged love affair. Recently, there were reports of Virat and Anushka's parents meeting each other, suggesting an impending engagement. However when Anushka Sharma was asked about the same at the teaser launch of PK, the actress avoided answering it. Anushka said, "No, I mean this is not the platform to speak about it." However in a fun mood her PK co-star Aamir Khan wanted to probe further. Aamir Khan jokingly asked, "Lets go on another platform, we will get the answer to this question. All of us want to know. Change the platform but we want the answer." The question went unanswered, as Anushka Sharma dismissed all questions about her love life.

Recently, there were reports of Virat and Anushka's parents meeting each other, suggesting an impending engagement

or a while now, rumor mills have been buzzing overtime about Anurag Kashyap's hush-hush plans to direct a Hollywood film. Now, Mirror has learnt that the film in question is a dark crime thriller. Says a source close to the development, "Anurag will only focus on this film in mid-June, after the release of his period thriller Bombay Velvet. The international project will kickstart in July and is a completely western production which will be shot entirely abroad." When contacted, Anurag, was unwilling to discuss details, "The international project is currently at a preliminary stage. It will not begin till the final print of Bombay Velvet is delivered. That's when we will start pre-production on it. It is a big project and there is a lot of development happening on it internationally. We cannot reveal what is going on. As and when the time is right, we will speak about it.

anbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif's holidays always grab headlines. It's either leaked snapshots on the beach or reports of a big fight. The couple touched down in Bangkok to flag off the next schedule of Anurag Basu's Jagga Jasoos. The lovebirds are staying in the picturesque town of Pai which is around 500 kilometers away from the Thai capital. "It's a 20-day schedule. They will wrap up by the second week of November after which Ranbir returns to the city to shoot for Roy, and Katrina kickstarts Fitoor. Anurag hopes to finish a major chunk of the film in Thailand which is a completely different setting from Cape Town where they had filmed in June. "Ranbir and Katrina celebrated Diwali in Pai this year together and away from prying eyes and wagging tongues," says a source close to the couple.

The lovebirds are staying in the picturesque town of Pai which is around 500 kilometers away from the Thai capital. "It's a 20-day schedule,,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The international project will kickstart in July and is a completely western production which will be shot entirely abroadâ&#x20AC;?

Realty Tidbits

China offers $1 bn for housing schemes in Pak ISLAMABAD: A Chinese group of investors has offered to invest USD 1 billion in housing sector in Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. A high-level team of Chinese investors met Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the provincial capital Peshawar and made the offer, Dawn reported. Khattak said new housing schemes in KP are the need of the hour to meet the residential requirements of the growing population and to reduce pressure on the urban localities. He told Ma Shi Jing, CEO of Shanghai-based company, that the mega projects would construct big cities equipped with all basic civic amenities and housing facilities, and will be named as education and sports cities. The group assured him of full support in implementation of the projects and lauded his decision to launch mega housing schemes planned to be of international standard, including safety and security in view of the residential requirements of the ever increasing population of the province. The housing projects include Mega Education City near Nowshera, Mega Sports City in Peshawar, New City Abbottabad and New City and Tourism Resort in Chitral. -PTI

Atlantic City, Revel battle over property taxes ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.: Lawyers for Atlantic City and the bankrupt Revel Casino Hotel are battling over as much as $30 million that Revel owes for property taxes and penalties. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Atlantic City wants to sell the right to collect that money by auctioning a tax certificate on Dec. 11, but can't do that without bankruptcy court permission. The city asked for that permission last month, saying it desperately needs the money to meet its budget. Revel's property-tax levy this year of about $38 million - based on an assessment of $1.15 billion equals 19 percent of Atlantic City's $200 million in expected tax collections. So far this year, Revel has only paid $7.3 million. Revel's lawyers have been trying to reopen the casino's 2013 bankruptcy, which included a settlement with the city establishing a $1.15 billion assessment for 2013 through 2015. -AP

Real Estate 30

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 31, 2014

Homeowner wins OK for personal hydro dam WOODBURY, Conn.: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a 40-year license for Andy Peklo's hydroelectric dam project beside his home on the Pomperaug River. In its written decision, the commission denied a request from opponents of the project seeking a formal hearing, concluding there were no issues of fact that could not be resolved through the application's written record. -AP

DDA to webcast housing scheme draw on YouTube NEW DELHI: The eagerlyawaited draw of lots for the flagship 'DDA Housing Scheme 2014' next month can be seen online as the housing authority has decided to webcast the entire event, a top official has said. The webcast would be available for "unlimited" number of online users through a YouTube channel. "A meeting was held with various vendors a few days ago, and the DDA vice-chairman has approved the proposal to webcast the draw through live streaming," Director (Systems) of DDA, V S Tomar told PTI. The tentative date for draw of the lots for the new scheme, which offers over 25,000 flats across various categories, ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore, is November 5. The scheme closed on October 15 and has received over 8.5 lakh applications. "Delhi-based vendors with prior experience in webcasting approached us and proposed to stream the event online through YouTube. We decided on YouTube and not DDA's official website to preclude any chance of crashing of the site, given the online traffic it would attract on

the D-Day," Tomar said. He said the proposal was approved as the proposed budget for the project by the vendors, turned out to be "cost-effective". "The proposal also will have no cap on online users as the video would be streamed online through

ters, Vikas Sadan itself," he said. C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) had also conducted the draw for DDA's last housing scheme in 2010. "Both places have their pros and cons, and we want to conduct

a YouTube channel," he said. Gearing up for the draw, the DDA has planned to dedicate a server to deal with the anticipated "rush of online traffic" on its official website. "As per the vendor for the draw, C-DAC again has been assigned the role, but the venue of the draw has not been finalized yet. It will either be Noida, where the C-DAC office and servers are located, or at the DDA headquar-

the procedure in the best possible way. If C-DAC agrees to shift its server at the Vikas Sadan, then we can do it either in our Auction Hall or the Conference Hall, both having a capacity of between 200250," he added. Tomar said it was decided not to provide a link for the webcast on the DDA website as it would become prone to crash. As part of our preparations ahead of the draw, DDA has

Sebi-DLF case may have wider ramifications NEW DELHI: As realty giant DLF fights a three-year capital markets ban imposed by regulator Sebi, the case is being seen as one having wider ramifications for the entire real estate sector and the regulatory framework applicable to them. Sebi barred DLF and six others, including the company's chairman and other top executives, earlier this month from accessing capital markets for three years for "active and deliberate suppression" of material information at the time of its public offer more than seven years ago in 2007. The company has challenged the order through an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tri-

bunal (SAT). During the first hearing, the company sought an interim relief from the Tribunal, while the regulator faced the flak for delay in passing the order and also for the

adverse impact suffered by minority shareholders of DLF in the

form of a huge 30 per cent plunge in the company's market valuation in a single day post the order. While promoters own 74.93 per cent stake in DLF, foreign institutional investors have close to 20 per cent and retail shareholders have about 4 per cent among others. As the case progresses, the industry experts are of the opinion that it could potentially become a watershed case for the capital markets and other regulations applicable to the real estate companies. Cont’d on page 31

planned to set up a dedicated served around the last week of this month, and it will have load-balancing facilities, to avert chances of crashing the website due to heavy traffic. Meanwhile, the procedure for the draw has also been uploaded on the website and applicants can check the status of their application online. "The draw takes about 60-90 minutes, and after 30 minutes or so we would be able to come up with the list of successful applicants on our official website," Tomar said. The draw would be overseen by a three-member team headed by a retired high court judge. It would also have two IT professionals, one from IIT-Delhi and another from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to supervise the process. The draw, which would be computerized, follows the system adopted in the 1980s, before which the draw was taken out manually. "In 1979, DDA had introduced 'New Pattern Registration Scheme', following which there was a huge response and the draw system was automated after that for the first time. The first computerized draw for flats was conducted in 1981-82. The first computerized draw for plots was for the Rohini Scheme of 1986," Tomar said. Initially the process was very "time-consuming" as the system was analogue, he said. "The manual system involved two boxes, which were shaken after each draw of the lot. With computerized system, the shaking was just replaced by randomized selection of a number," he said. This scheme offers 25,034 flats, across various categories, namely EWS, LIG, MIG, HIG, Janta flats and one-room apartments. The 22,627 one-bed room apartments was a major draw for people this year. The DDA official website had crashed on the day of launch of the scheme, following a massive response from online users prompting authorities to upgrade its server to meet the high-traffic demand. -PTI

Real Estate Post

October 31, 2014

India Post 31

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Housing prices remain stable, supply dips NEW DELHI: Housing prices remained largely stable during the last month across the country's seven major cities while supply dipped marginally, according to property consultant CBRE. "After recording an improvement in sentiments in August, the residential market saw a marginal dip in fresh supply of housing units during September," CBRE South Asia CMD Anshuman Magazine said in 'India Realty Market Update' for September. The consultant tracks real estate market of seven cities - DelhiNCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The consultant said the new project launches will increase over the next few months on the back of festive season, a revival in economic sentiments, and tax incentives introduced by the new gov-

ernment. "Prices remained stable across most locations, barring central locations in Chennai, which saw an

8-10 per cent rise over price points in August," CBRE said. The home-buyer demand continued to remain focused on mid-

Festive season fails to bring cheer for real estate MUMBAI: Despite recovery in market conditions and sentiment, this festive season has failed to bring in cheer to the real estate industry as home buyers continue to remain cautious, according to industry experts. Festive season is generally considered as the most important time for the realty sector as it records the highest number of sales, which is nearly 20-25 per cent more than non-festive period. "The real estate industry has always witnessed a rise in sales during the festive season especially on the back of freebies and incentives offered by the developers. However, despite recovery, there is no improvement in sales during the festive season," IndiaProperty.com Chief Executive Ganesh Vasudevan told PTI here. He said, "The demand from property buyers has increased

compared to the last few quarters. This is witnessed from the number of enquiries we are receiving. But this is not translating into ac-

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;While demand exists, it is still held in abeyance by various economic factors, including the natural lag between the announcement and implementation of the government policy, tual transactions as buyers have adopted a wait and watch approach." According to Jones Lang

LaSalle India Chairman and Country Head Anuj Puri, though there is a recovery in sentiment, the events that have catalyzed it namely the new government at the Centre and "its pro-business policies favoring realty" - will need more time to bring their benefits to bear on the market. "While demand exists, it is still held in abeyance by various economic factors, including the natural lag between the announcement and implementation of the government policy catalysts," he said. Likewise, the Reserve Bank has held on to current interest rates in favor of safeguarding against further inflationary trends. "It will take several more months for the market to get into convincing forward momentum againâ&#x20AC;Śthe festive season did not bring the kind of momentum that was hoped for," Puri added. -PTI

Ensure investments get fructified: Assocham CHANDIGARH: Industry body Assocham has said BJP-led Haryana government has a job cut out in the state for ensuring investments of Rs 3.87 lakh crore in the pipeline get fructified, notably in construction and real estate. While Haryana is among progressive states of the country, the pace of implementation of investment projects needs to pick up to ensure all round development and job creation, said the Assocham

President Rana Kapoor in a statement. Manohar Lal Khattar has taken oath as Haryana Chief Minister, leading the first BJP government in the state since it was created 48 years ago. With its proximity with the national capital, the new government should create many more Gurgaon type hubs of employment in different sectors like manufacturing, agro processing, health and edu-

cation, said Kapoor. According to an Assocham analysis, out of pending live investment which is under implementation in the state, the maximum of Rs 1.69 lakh crore relates to the services, followed by construction and real estate. "We expect from the new state government a single window clearance for investors, especially for the real estate and manufacturing," said the Assocham chief. -PTI

end and high-end projects. In the organized retail space, CBRE said the rental values remained stable across major markets in all leading cities, with the exception of Mumbai's Linking Road, which saw a decline of 3?4 per cent over the previous month. On office segment, CBRE said the office market reported signs of improvement in the quarter ended September 2014, with the conclusion of numerous transactions towards the consolidation and expansion requirements of major corporate occupiers. "Leasing activity remained upbeat with Bangalore, Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), and Mumbai leading the absorption of office space," it added. IT/ITeS sector continued to ac-

count for a major portion of the commercial office space absorbed during the month. "More than 30 per cent of the entire transacted space was led by domestic firms, such as Airtel, Aditya Birla Group and Tech Mahindra. Prominent corporates from the US and Eurozone also accounted for a large share of the transaction activity during September," CBRE said. Similar to previous months, CBRE said the back-office operations were a leading driver of office space demand, with almost 90 per cent of the leased space in September meant for housing either back-office operations or a combination of back-office and front-office operations of various corporates. -PTI

Sebi-DLF case may have wider ramifications Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 51

Without willing to be named, as the matter is currently before SAT, top executives from real estate sector and capital markets intermediaries said the case needs to be seen in a different perspective from those pertaining to sectors other than real estate. At the same time, the role of merchant bankers, legal advisors and others involved in the process of making IPO-related disclosures also needs to be examined, they said. The case has also brought to limelight 'technicalities' involved in the practice of Sebi giving 'observations' and not 'approval or clearance' for an IPO, they added. There is a view that regulators need to understand that the business practices tend to be different in real estate sector, from manufacturing or other segments of the economy. However, others feel that regulations cannot be overlooked to accommodate certain 'prevailing

practices' in one particular sector, such as those related to use of 'friendly' entities for purchase of land or development rights in the name of ease of doing business. In his order, Sebi's Whole-Time Member Rajeev Agarwal said vio-

The case has also brought to limelight 'technicalities' involved in the practice of Sebi giving 'observations' and not 'approval lations were "grave and have larger implications on safety and integrity of the securities market" and accused DLF and the six top management persons (at the time of filing IPO documents) of nondisclosure of certain dealings with three subsidiaries through "sham transactions". -PTI

Â&#x201E; Health

Line

Olive oil more healthy for frying food WASHINGTON: Olive oil is more stable and healthful than seed oils for frying food, a new study has found. Scientists report in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that olive oil can withstand the heat of the fryer or pan better than several seed oils to yield more healthful food. Mohamed Bouaziz and colleagues note that different oils have a range of physical, chemical and nutritional properties that can degrade oil quality when heated. Some of these changes can lead to the formation of new compounds that are potentially toxic. By-products of heating oil can also lower the nutritional value of the food being fried. Bouaziz's team wanted to find out which cooking oil can maintain its quality under high heat and repeated use. The researchers deep and panfried raw potato pieces in four different refined oils - olive, corn, soybean and sunflower - and reused the oil 10 times. They found that olive oil was the most stable oil for deep-frying at 160 and 190 degrees Celsius, while sunflower oil degraded the fastest when panfried at 180 degrees. They concluded that for frying foods, olive oil maintains quality and nutrition better than seed oils. -PTI

Â&#x201E; Oral health has improved for NH children CONCORD, N.H.: A new report is showing there's been statewide progress in children's oral health in New Hampshire. The report released recently by the HNH Foundation found significant improvement since a survey done in 2009, with a 31.7 percent decrease in untreated tooth decay and a 32.5 percent decrease in children with pressing dental needs. The survey gathered data for third-grade students in all 10 counties, and in the city of Nashua, between September 2013 and June. The report found among counties, Coos and Strafford had the highest prevalence of untreated decay at 14 and 14.2 percent, respectively. Sullivan County had the highest prevalence of dental sealants, at 91.3 percent. -AP

Health Science

Blood vessel grown with 2 tablespoons of blood

32 India Post

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Modi wants 'Make in India', 'Digital India' as tools for healthcare MUMBAI: Describing neonatal and maternal mortality rates as a matter of grave concern, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government wanted to effectively use its 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' campaigns to reach healthcare to the country's poorest of the poor. Stressing upon cleanliness and hygiene, he said preventive care was the most important component of overall healthcare and also inexpensive. "It is embarrassing to compare healthcare facilities in our country with those available abroad. Neonatal mortality is a matter of grave concern and so is maternal mortality. "When a child falls into a borewell, families sit in front of TVs and the media gives a running commentary as gloom prevails everywhere, but we are hardly aware that hundreds of children die soon after being born. Many times, the mother and child both die for want of primary healthcare," he said after inaugurating the refurbished and partly newly built H N Reliance Founda-

tion Hospital. Addressing the gathering which included Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, his wife and Reliance Foundation

initiatives effective tools to reach best healthcare facilities to the people. "Today, when diagnostic machines have replaced the doctor's

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani, Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao and nursing staff during the inauguration of HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai

chairperson Nita, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, Modi said he wanted 'Make in India' and 'Digital India'

expertise to a large extent, I want companies to come to India and manufacture expensive equipment needed for medical treatment, I want FDI to come into the

sector. "If hospitals like this are part of the network providing medical advice through telemedicine, quality healthcare can reach people living in remote areas for which Digital India can come in handy. I want the Digital India initiative to be effectively used for improving medicare and education," he said. Modi, who is pursuing his 'Clean India' campaign with great zeal, underscored the importance of hygiene and preventive care to stay healthy. "Preventive care is the most important component of healthcare. Getting treatment for a disease is expensive, staying healthy is inexpensive. If people get clean drinking water, they will not be afflicted by a number of diseases," he said. Recalling how as Chief Minister of Gujarat he had developed the Sabarmati riverfront by rejuvenating the parched river with water from Narmada, he said, it helped tackle drinking water problem in Ahmedabad city. Cont'd on Page 34

Indian-American heads Ebola response team NEW YORK: An eminent Indian-American physician has been appointed to lead New York's medical response team to tackle Ebola after another doctor tested positive for the deadly virus. Dr Ramanathan Raju was appointed earlier this year by Mayor Bill de Blasio as New York City's Commissioner of Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), a network which has a dozen hospitals. Raju assured city residents that focus was on providing "excellent care" to the patient and to protect hospital employees looking after him. Acknowledging the IndianAmerican physician for his leadership, the mayor said here that Raju efficiently runs the hospital system and is "prepared" to deal with the health emergency.

Craig Spencer, 33, is a doctor who treated Ebola patients in Guinea and returned to the US. He tested positive for Ebola and is currently "hospitalized in isolation" at the Bellevue Hospital. Bellevue Hospital is one of eight New York State hospitals that Governor Andrew Cuomo has designated to treat Ebola patients. The Mayor said Bellevue Hospital is Raju's "flagship" as he outlined the city's preparedness to deal with the crisis.

Addressing reporters, Raju said that in his 30 years of working in the health care field, he has "never seen such unprecedented

Dr Ramanathan Raju

collaboration between agencies". He said that health care personnel were able to "successfully"

take Spencer from the community to Bellevue's isolation ward "in a seamless fashion with no panic". Noting that collaboration and practice works, Raju said he is confident that the Ebola patient will get "excellent care". Outlining the goals for his hospital system in treating Spencer, Raju said the focus is on providing excellent care for the patient and to ensure that hospital employees are protected so that they take adequate precaution while taking care of Spencer. "I am absolutely confident that both will be achieved. We are ready to take care of the patient," he said. Chennai-native Raju is a respected physician who has led some of the US' largest and most complex health care systems. -PTI

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Health care worker criticizes quarantine process NEWARK, N.J.: The health care worker who was quarantined at a New Jersey hospital because she had contact with Ebola patients in West Africa is sharply criticizing the way her case has been handled. Kaci Hickox, the first traveler quaran-

Ofer said the government's response should not be driven by fear, noting that ``forcibly detaining people'' can frighten the public and may deter genuinely sick people who fear quarantine from seeking treatments. tined under Ebola watches in New Jersey and New York, gave a first-person account to the Dallas Morning News which was posted on the paper's website.

Hickox said she was stopped at Newark Liberty International and was questioned over several hours after touching down. She said none of those who questioned her would explain what was going on or what would happen to her. Hickox is a nurse who had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone. Officials said she was taken to a hospital after developing a fever, but Hickox said she was merely flushed because she was upset by the process. Hickox tested negative for Ebola in a preliminary evaluation. Hospital officials would not say whether she would remain in the hospital for the entire 21-day, stateordered quarantine period or be moved to another location. The Ebola watch mandates 21 days of quarantine of medical workers and other airline passengers who have had contact with Ebola victims. ``This is not a situation I would wish on anyone, and I am scared for those who will follow me,'' Hickox said of her quarantine.

Poor health systems in Asia cause for Ebola alarm SINGAPORE: The longer the Ebola out- pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, and patients break rages in West Africa, the greater aren't contagious until those begin. The chance a traveler infected with the virus virus requires close contact with body flutouches down in an Asian city. ids to spread so health care workers and How quickly any case is detected - and family members caring for loved ones are the measures taken once it is most at risk. will determine whether the virus takes Asia, home to 60 percent of the world's hold in a region where billions live in pov- population, scores higher than West Aferty and public health systems are often rica on most development indexes and invery weak. Governments are ramping up cludes emerging or developed countries response plans, stepping up surveillance like Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and at airports and considering quarantine measures. Still, health experts in the region's less developed countries fear any outbreak would be deadly and hard to contain. ``This is a non-treatable disease with a very high mortality rate. And even a country like the United States has not been able to completely prevent it,'' said Yatin Mehta, a critical care specialist at the Medanta Medical workers wearing protective suits, handle a protective Medicity hospital near New stretcher as they conduct a training exercise on dealing with Delhi. ``The government is suspected Ebola cases at a hospital in Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong province. trying. They are preparing and they are training, but our record of disaster management has been Japan. But countries like India, China, the very poor in the past.'' Philippines and Indonesia have vast numMore than 10,000 people have been in- bers of poor, many of whom live in crowded fected with Ebola and nearly half of them slums, and underfunded health systems. have died, according to the World Health The Philippine government estimates Organization. The Ebola epidemic in West there are up to 1,700 Filipino workers in Africa is the largest ever outbreak of the Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, plus more disease with a rapidly rising death toll in than 100 peacekeeping troops in Liberia. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. There The Department of Health is suggesting a have also been cases in three other West 21-day quarantine period before its citizens African countries, Spain and the United leave those three countries, but doesn't States. know how it will pay for that, said spokesEarly symptoms of Ebola include fever, man Lyndon Lee Suy. headache, body aches, cough, stomach Cont'd on Page 34

``I am scared about how health care workers will be treated at airports when they declare that they have been fighting Ebola in West Africa. I am scared that, like me, they will arrive and see a frenzy of disorganization, fear and, most frightening, quar-

Hickox's mother, Karen Hickox, said her daughter probably wasn't expecting to be quarantined upon her return to the United States, but is dealing with it. ``She was more frustrated but there were some tears...,, antine. ... The U.S. must treat returning health care workers with dignity and humanity.'' Udi Ofer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, raised similar concerns about the quarantine. He said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie must provide more information about how it was determined that mandatory quarantines were medically necessary.

Ofer said the government's response should not be driven by fear, noting that ``forcibly detaining people'' can frighten the public and may deter genuinely sick people who fear quarantine from seeking treatments. He also said it could discourage caregivers and first responders from helping sick patients. ``Coercive measures like mandatory quarantine of people exhibiting no symptoms of Ebola and when not medically necessary raise serious constitutional concerns about the state abusing its powers,'' Ofer said. Christie, campaigning in Iowa for a fellow Republican, said he sympathizes for Hickox but said he has to do what he can to ensure public health safety. Doctors Without Borders said Hickox was quarantined in an unheated tent at University Hospital in Newark. The group said she was given paper scrubs to wear and was permitted to bring her personal belongings into the tent. Hickox's mother, Karen Hickox, said her daughter probably wasn't expecting to be quarantined upon her return to the United States, but is dealing with it. ``I spoke with her,'' she said. ``She was more frustrated but there were some tears... If you knew her, she's a very compassionate person but she doesn't usually get emotional.'' -AP

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Blood vessel grown with 2 tablespoons of blood LONDON: Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have successfully grown new blood vessels in two young children from just two tablespoons of blood in a flat seven days. The vein that goes from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver was missing in the children and the novel transplants were performed in 2012 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

Researchers found a way to extract stem cells that did not necessitate taking them from the bone marrow. "Drilling in the bone marrow is very painful. It occurred to me that there must be a way to obtain the cells from the blood instead," Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson, Professor of Transplantation Biology at Sahlgrenska Academy, said. The method involved taking 25

Scientists have successfully grown new blood vessels in two young children from just two tablespoons of blood in a flat seven days.

"We used the stem cells of the patients to grow a new blood vessel that would permit the two organs to collaborate properly," said Michael Olausson, Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

milliliter (approximately 2 tablespoons) of blood, the minimum quantity needed to obtain enough stem cells. Sumitran-Holgersson's idea turned out to surpass her wildest expectations - the extraction pro-

cedure worked perfectly the very first time. "Not only that, but the blood itself accelerated growth of the new vein," Sumitran-Holgersson said. "The entire process took only a week, as opposed to a month in the first case. The blood contains substances that naturally promote growth," she said. Olausson and SumitranHolgersson have treated three patients so far. Two of the three patients are still doing well and have veins that are functioning as they should. In the third case the child is under medical surveillance and the outcome is more uncertain, researchers said. The researchers have now reached the point that they can avoid taking painful blood marrow samples and complete the entire process in the matter of a week. "We believe that this technological progress can lead to dissemination of the method for the benefit of additional groups of patients, such as those with varicose veins or myocardial infarction, who need new blood vessels," Sumitran-Holgersson said. The research was published in the journal EBioMedicine. -PTI

Indian-origin doctor struck off for groping patients LONDON: A 51-year-old Indian-origin gynecologist will be struck off from the medical register here after three patients complained against him for inappropriate sexual behavior. Mahesh Patwardhan, who got his medical degree from Bombay University, was accused of getting a "thrill from groping patients' breasts" while alone with them in his rooms at two hospitals. A fitness to practice panel at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester believed the account of three women patients, including one who claimed she was subjected to an unnecessary breast examination. Patwardhan denied the allegations but the tribunal concluded that in the absence of any other explanation his conduct must have been "sexually motivated". "The panel considers that through your misconduct you have demonstrated a harmful, deep seated attitudinal problem, in addition to a persistent lack of insight into the seriousness of your actions and consequences," panel chairman Neil Sykes told Patwardhan. "As a result the panel cannot

be satisfied that you do not present a continuing risk to patients," he added. "Why would I do something

Mahesh Patwardhan

like this and give away everything I have got over this time? There is no reason for me to do this," Patwardhan had told the panel, pleading innocence. However, the panel concluded that just a suspension would not suffice and his name will now be subject to an erasure notice from the medical register. He has 28 days to appeal against the tribunal's decision. PTI

Indian-American discovers

Junk food brands using Facebook stem cells to kill brain cancer to target young people MELBOURNE: Junk food brands are engaging with young Facebook users to promote unhealthy foods which can contribute to obesity and lifestyle diseases, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Sydney have shed light on the digital marketing strategies of energy dense, nutrient-poor food (EDNP) brands to teens and young adults who are using Facebook. "Our findings show that unhealthy food and beverage marketing is prolific and seamlessly integrated within online social networks," said lead author Dr Becky Freeman, from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health. "Adolescents and young adults are engaging with brands like Dominos, Slurpee and Skittles on Facebook on a near-daily basis. "Given the exponential growth in use of social media websites such as Facebook among young

people, there is a need to understand the techniques and reach of this kind of marketing on these sites. "Soft drinks and energy drink brand pages are hugely popular

on Facebook, reflecting the high consumption of these products among adolescents and young adults," Freeman said. The study used a sample of top-ranked Facebook pages of food manufacturers, food brands, retailers and restaurants.

The resulting analysis reviewed 27 food and beverage brand Facebook pages on the basis of their marketing techniques, follower engagement and marketing reach of messages posted by the pages. " Y o u n g Facebook users willingly spread marketing messages on behalf of food and beverage corporations with seemingly little incentive or reward required," Freeman said. "Any activity that users engage with on brand pages can appear in the news feed of their friends, so marketing messages quickly amplify across social networks. This kind of consumer involvement and engagement is unique to social media communication," Freeman said.

HOUSTON: In a breakthrough, a team of Harvard scientists led by an Indian-American researcher has discovered a novel way to fight deadly brain cancer with toxin-resistant stem cells. Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital led by Dr

The modified cells, most importantly, were able to release the tumor killing poison without succumbing to its effects. Khalid Shah, who hails from Kashmir, experimented on mice and used genetically engineered stem cells that released cancerkilling toxins while leaving healthy cells unaffected. The modified cells, most im-

portantly, were able to release the tumor killing poison without succumbing to its effects. "A few years ago, we recognized that stem cells could be used to continuously deliver these therapeutic toxins to tumors in the brain, but first we needed to genetically engineer stem cells that could resist being killed themselves by the toxins," Shah an HSCI Principal Faculty member said. "Now, we have toxin-resistant stem cells that can make and release cancer-killing drugs," he said. During the tests, the main brain tumor was surgically removed before the stem cells were placed at the site of the tumor in a biodegradable gel to eradicate the remaining cancerous cells. "Cancer-killing toxins have been used with great success in a variety of blood cancers, but they don't work as well in solid tumors because the cancers aren't as accessible," added Shah. -PTI

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Poor health systems in Asia cause for Ebola alarm Cont'd from Page 33

``The DOH is doing its part, but it is downstream, it is on the receiving end,'' said Dr. Antony Leachon, president of the Philippine College of Physicians. ``What is important is that Ebola shouldn't be able to enter. Since we have 10 million migrant workers, we have problems containing that.'' Indonesia has put 100 hospitals that have experience of treating patients suffering from bird flu on standby for Ebola, said Tjandra Yoga Aditama, head of the Health Ministry's research and development board. The only way of ensuring that the virus doesn't spread into a country is enforced quarantine for people coming from countries with an outbreak or - even more effective - a total travel ban. But those measures would mean that doctors and other experts trying to beat the virus at its source in West Africa would be less willing or unable to help, making the outbreak worse. Airports in Asia have stepped up their

defenses: screening passengers who have traveled from affected countries, taking any with high temperature for observation and trying to keep contact them with for 21 days - the incubation period. Even assuming these measures are carried out effectively, people can and do lie about their travel history, and common drugs like Paracetamol are effective in reducing fever. Authorities in China say 8,672 people have entered southern Guangdong prov-

economic ties between China and Africa. All arrivals are subject to medical observation, which, according to guidelines from the Health Ministry, involves medical staff visiting or calling them morning and evening for 21 days to ask them about their temperature. People whose temperature is above normal should be immediately quarantined for three weeks. In Hong Kong, around 15 passengers a day arrive from the affected region, chief port health officer Dr. Tsui Lok-kin ``Asia is very diverse in its capacity, and Edwin said. Prior to the Ebola there are some countries with people outbreak, Singapore had an average of that travel a lot that may not have the about 30 people arrivbest infrastructure and are at greater ing a month collecrisk,'' said Fisher, who has twice been to tively from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Liberia to assist in the WHO's response. Leone, the government says. ince from Ebola-ridden areas since Aug. 23. Dale Fisher, the head of the infectious There are more than 160 direct flights diseases' division at the Singapore National from Africa to the region's capital, University Hospital, said governments in Guangzhou, a reflection of the booming the region should be educating health workers about the disease and the need to ask anyone presenting with a fever at a medical facility about their travel history. ``Asia is very diverse in its capacity, and there are some countries with people that travel a lot that may not have the best infrastructure and are at greater risk,'' said Fisher, who has twice been to Liberia to suit. The provider says the office's investigation also violates its due process. The nonprofit is seeking unspecified damages, costs and attorney fees. In June 2013, the department halted payments to 15 nonprofits that provide mental health and substance abuse services after an audit found what the agency said was a high rate of billing problems and possible mismanagement. The agency decided last year to shift $7.5 million within its budget to cover startup costs of Arizona companies assigned to take over New Mexico behavioral health providers under investigation. The agency moved money from another part of its budget that pays for a broad range of expenses, including medical and behavioral health care for Medicaid recipients and some administrative costs of the program. -AP

Behavioral health provider sues NM agency LAS CRUCES, N.M.: A Las Cruces behavioral health care provider that closed last year has filed a lawsuit against state health officials over suspended Medicaid payments. Southwest Counseling Center Inc. names the New Mexico Human Services Department in its suit, the Las Cruces SunNews reported. The nonprofit argues in court documents that its due process rights were violated when the state indefinitely froze payments in June 2013 without a hearing. Attorneys argue Human Services didn't follow its own internal guidelines for Medicaid fraud investigations and improperly hid records related to the allegations. The provider went on to lose more than $1.3 million in funding and had to shutter. Southwest Counseling is also naming the state Attorney General's Office in the

Modi wants 'Make in India', 'Digital India' as tools for healthcare Cont'd from Page 32

"Water table rose and people started getting pure drinking water. Earlier, the poor of the city thronged hospitals due to poor quality of drinking water, but now, in the last 10 years, there has been no epidemic in Ahmedabad," he said. Referring to a survey, the Prime Minister said the cause of untimely death of 40 per cent of the children in Pakistan was because they did not wash their hands before eating. "We are no different, we share the same legacy," he said and lauded Madhya

Pradesh government's initiative when lakhs of school children created a new world record by collectively washing their hands on Global Handwashing Day. "Time has come for the country to start from here," he said. The Prime Minister referred to his address to UN General Assembly in which he had pitched for observation of International Yoga Day and said holistic healthcare was the need of the present times. "Today, the atmosphere is in favor of holistic healthcare...for transformation from stressful life to stress free life. It's time we start respecting life," he said. -PTI

assist in the WHO's response. ``If an index case arrived back in a large Asian city and they were to sit in an open ward vomiting, then you would have a pretty big job on your hands.'' He said that an outbreak could be brought under control with quick isolation and effective tracing of anyone who might have been in contact with the patient, citing the example of Nigeria, African's most populous country. It was declared Ebola free after confirming 19 cases, seven of them fatal. Asian health systems and workers have experience in countering infectious diseases, including severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which first appeared in Hong Kong in 2003, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing about 800. The region grappled a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu around the same time that killed about 800 people in 12 countries, and new strains continue to crop up. Sujatha Rao, a former Indian health secretary, said India's health system kicked into overdrive when confronted with a health crisis, as was seen during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. ``In India we're very good at crisis management, but we are hopeless at routine care,'' Rao said. Asked whether the country was prepared for Ebola, she added: ``We are not ready. But that said, there is only so much preparation that any country can do.'' -AP

Tech News India's GDP likely to grow by 5.6 pc in FY15 NEW DELHI: India's GDP is likely to expand by 5.6 per cent this fiscal as reforms gain momentum and the growth is expected to accelerate as proposed measures such as GST will give a boost to manufacturing sector, a World Bank report said. In the following years, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is likely to rise further to 6.4 per cent and 7 per cent in FY16 and FY17 respectively, it said. "India's economic growth is expected to rise to 5.6 per cent in FY15, followed by further acceleration to 6.4 per cent and 7 per cent in FY 2016 and FY 2017," said the World Bank report titled 'India Development Update' released here. India's growth is likely to accelerate towards its high long-run potential and implementation of GST as well as dismantling of inter-state check posts can significantly improve the global competitiveness of Indian manufacturing firms. "Implementing the GST will transform India into a common market, eliminate inefficient tax cascading, and go a long way in boosting the manufacturing sector. -PTI

Victoria Beckham tops British managers list LONDON: Former pop star and model turned fashion impresario Victoria Beckham has come top in a yearly ranking of Britain's 100 best managers for her "finely tuned business acumen". "The entrepreneur formerly known as Posh Spice is queen of the catwalk now," Management Today magazine said of the 40year-old mother of four, who is married to football icon David Beckham. Beckham has grown her business over the past five years from a Pounds 1 million (1.3 million euro, USD 1.6 million) a year turnover to Pounds 30 million and from three employees to 100. She launched her label in 2008 and opened a large boutique in the upmarket Mayfair area in central London last month. The list included 15 women up from 11 identified in the 2011 edition. There are also nine names from Britain's South Asian community, including in the number two spot brother-and-sister team Amit and Meeta Patel, who own a pharmaceutical business. -AFP

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20 Keralites in Arabian Business Indian Power List DUBAI: As many as 20 entrepreneurs and professionals from Kerala have been named in the annual list of 100 powerful Indians in the Gulf countries with people from the southern state also bagging the top two positions. The 'Indian Power List', published by Arabian Business, a leading business magazine, has also picked as many as six Keralites among the top 20. Managing Director of the Lulu Group, Yusuff Ali MA, has retained his top position on the list for the fifth consecutive year, while Ravi Pillai, Chairman of RP Group of Companies, is ranked second for successfully building a global business network that employs over 80,000 people. PNC Menon, Chairman of Sobha Developers is ranked No 8.-PTI

Day after announcing India plans, SoftBank invests in Snapdeal NEW DELHI: Japan-based telecom and Internet giant SoftBank has said it has invested USD 627 million in homegrown online marketplace Snapdeal, a move which is further set to intensify the fiercely competitive e-commerce space in the world's second most populous market. SoftBank, along with other investors, is also pumping in USD 210 million (about Rs 1,260 crore) in taxi services firm Ola. The investments come a day after SoftBank announced its plans to invest a whopping USD 10 billion in India in coming years, making the country its "top most priority". This is the largest investment made by a single investor in an ecommerce company in India. Other existing investors have also participated in this round of investment but the company declined to disclose the amount. SoftBank, run by Japan's richest businessman Masayoshi Son, seeks to tap the growing online market in India with this funding round. Snapdeal will use the investments in expanding its chain of

fulfillment centers and make acquisitions in the coming few months,

PTI: "We are looking at acquisition opportunities across sizes,

SoftBank Corp Chief Executive Masayoshi Son smiles as he attends a news conference in Tokyo May 7, 2014. Son, the richest man in Japan, is leading his company's overseas expansion including investments in Indian startups.

specifically in the area of mobile technology. The city-based e-commerce firm, which has so far raised about USD 1 billion this year, is already eyeing 3-4 firms, especially those in mobile technology. Its co-founder Kunal Bahl told

ranging from less than USD 1 million to USD 100 million." Besides, Snapdeal will open a R&D centre in Bangalore with 500 engineers in the next two weeks to work on platform innovation and areas like mobility, payments and supply chain.

SoftBank said it will become New Delhi-based Snapdeal's biggest investor but did not specify the exact quantum of stake it has bought in India's third-biggest online marketplace. In a statement, Ola (formerly Olacabs) said it has signed "a definitive agreement to raise USD 210 million (about Rs 1,260 crore) from SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc. (SMIC) and existing investors Tiger Global, Matrix Partners India and Steadview Capital." SoftBank has also invested in mobile ad firm InMobi and has a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises in messaging app Hike. "India has the third-largest Internet user base in the world, but a relatively small online market currently. This situation means India has, with better, faster and cheaper Internet access, a big growth potential," SoftBank Corp Vice Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc (SIMI) Nikesh Arora said. Arora will join the board of Snapdeal as part of the strategic investment. Apart from the two present deals, Arora has also overseen

India keen to buy crude from US NEW DELHI: Hit by uncertainly over oil supplies from West Asia, India is keen to diversify its imports and wants to buy crude from the US, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said. The new strategy is being planned to guard against disruption in supplies from its biggest sources in the Middle East - Iraq and Syria -as they are caught in problems relating to Islamic State movement. Asia's second-biggest energy user, which spends USD 143 billion on import of crude oil in 201314, wants the US to extend its policy of allowing gas exports to crude oil as well.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

"I met officials from the US recently and asked them to allow oil exports to India. We are keen to import oil from the US, which currently does not allow oil exports," Pradhan told PTI here. India wants to reduce its reliance on the Middle East nations for meeting its oil needs and instead wants to tap Latin American countries including Mexico and Russia. "We will look at Russia and Latin America too (for oil imports)," he said. Violence in Iraq and Syria has posed serious challenges to oil supplies. In 2013-14, Iraq supplied 24.63 million tonnes of oil or about 13.02 per cent of India's total oil

purchases of 189.24 million tonnes. India bought 31.73 million tonnes of oil from South America with Venezuela being the principal supplier at 21.58 million tonnes, followed by Columbia at 6.31 million tonnes. It now wants to raise these imports. Also, it wants to raise imports from Russia which are at a minuscule 0.08 million tonnes. Purchases from Mexico, which were 4.94 million tonnes in 201314, are planned to be raised. "Procurement has to be diversified, taking into account the changing geopolitics in the world," Pradhan said. -PTI

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Sundar Pichai to head Google's products business NEW YORK: India-born chief of Google's Android unit, Sundar Pichai, will now lead the US-based search engine giant's global products business as part of management reorganization. According to industry sources, Google CEO Larry Page is transferring leadership of core Google products to Pichai, who will now oversee products like search, maps, Google+, commerce, advertising and infrastructure. Also, six executives who previously reported to Page, including heads of research, social media and search, will now report to Pichai, they added. Google has, however, left out its video sharing service, YouTube, out of the restructuring exercise. Pichai, who is currently SVP, Android, Chrome & Apps, has been adding key Google businesses under his ambit since joining the company in 2004. He started with managing Chrome browser and took over the Android unit in March 2013. Born in the south Indian city of Chennai, the 42-year old has

worked at Applied Materials and McKinsey & Co. An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kharagpur alumnus,

Pichai has also attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University. -PTI

Sundar Pichai

UK trade union warns Tata Steel LONDON: UK trade union GMB has asked Tata Steel to protect the interest of workers in case it sells its European assets and to refrain from any move that has impact on their pension, warning of industrial action if the company fails to address these concerns. The steel giant earlier this month announced that it is in talks with the Klesch Group to sell its

nity, Unite, GMB and Ucatt - are calling on Tata Steel management to enter into a period of meaningful consultation to examine all the options to secure the future of the whole business and the steel industry in the UK," GMB has said in a statement. Union representatives from all Tata Steel sites were clear that they are not convinced that selling

long products business in Europe which employs about 6,500 people, including those at its distribution facilities. "Following a meeting of Tata Steel trade union representatives from across the UK at the TUC in London, steel unions - Commu-

Long Products is the best way forward in the interests of the members they represent, it said. It added that during the meeting, union representatives also raised concerns about the implications for their pensions, should a sale proceed.

"Unions have reaffirmed position to ballot their members for industrial action, should Tata Steel make any moves against the British Steel Pension Scheme," the statement said. Tata Steel's memorandum of understanding with global industrial commodities business firm Klesch Group covered talks for selling several UK-based assets including Scunthorpe steelworks, mills in Teesside, Dalzell and Clydebridge in Scotland, an engineering workshop in Workington and a rail consultancy in York, and operations in France and Germany. "There are 20 associated distribution sites which are part of the potential sale," the Union said. About 6,500 people are employed at Long Products Europe and its distribution facilities. Tata Steel employs 30,500 people across Europe, including 17,500 in the UK. GMB said the unions have engaged Syndex consultancy as expert advisers to provide in-depth economic and industrial research on the alternatives and to test the rationale for the sale, adding, "We want Tata Steel to co-operate fully with that process". -PTI

2 Indians accused of making money by fraud NEW YORK: Two Indians and plaint, Pairsys called consumers a technology firm they worked for pretending to be representatives have been accused by US authori- of technology companies like ties of making USD 2.5 million by Microsoft and Facebook and also fraudulently selling unrequired purchased deceptive ads online technical support services to com- that led consumers to believe they puter users and selling software were calling the technical support that was otherwise available for line for legitimate companies. free. The company then engaged in The defendants in the case "deceptive and high-pressure Pairsys and its officers Uttam Saha sales pitch" conducted by and Tiya Bhattacharya have been scammers in an overseas call cenaccused by the Federal Trade ter. Commission (FTC) of violating The scammers would convince telemarketing sales rule. a consumer to allow them to have A federal court has shut down remote control over the the company after FTC asked to individual's computer, in order to permanently close down the com- analyze the supposed issues. pany and required Saha and The FTC said once Pairsys and Bhattacharya to return their ill-gotten gains. "The defendants be- The company then enhind Pairsys targeted gaged in "deceptive and seniors and other vulnerable populations, high-pressure sales pitch" preying on their lack of conducted by scammers in computer knowledge to sell 'security' software an overseas call center. and programs that had no value at all," director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer its officers had access to a Protection Jessica Rich said. consumer's computer, they would The defendants have agreed to lead the consumer to believe that the terms of a preliminary injunc- benign portions of the tion issued by the court that pro- computer's operating system hibits them from making misrepre- were viruses and malware infectsentations to consumers. They are ing the consumer's computer. also banned from deceptive In many cases, they implied telemarketing practices, and may that the computer was severely not sell or rent their customer lists compromised and had to be "reto any third party. paired" immediately. The injunction requires that Consumers were then prestheir websites and telephone num- sured into paying for bogus warbers must be shut down and dis- ranty programs and software that connected, and their assets be fro- was freely available, usually at a zen. cost of USD 149 to USD 249. According to the FTC's com- PTI

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Govt to name those having Govt scraps selection of CMDs for 6 banks prosecutable case NEW DELHI: Government will make public names of only those people against whom there is a prosecutable case in connection with tax evasion through offshore accounts, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said, amid the Congress asking for disclosure of all names of black money holders. "We will disclose only those names against whom we have prosecutable evidence," he told reporters. His remark comes hours after the government disclosed before the Supreme Court eight more

names, including that of Pradip Burman, one of Dabur India promoters, a bullion trader and a Goa miner against whom it has started prosecution for allegedly stashing black money in foreign banks. Promising to disclose more names of black money holders who have come under the scanner, the government said that all foreign bank accounts cannot be termed as "illegal". Earlier, Congress leader Digvijay Singh attacked Jaitley for his comments that Congress would be embarrassed when all

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

names of those who stashed money abroad were made public. Terming Jaitley's remarks as "mischievous", Singh said: "If he (Jaitley) has guts, he should reveal those names." He said if any Congress member is found to have stashed money abroad illegally, the party would "punish" the person. Another Congress leader and a former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said the party has no problem if all names are put out in public domain. Jaitley had earlier said the government would not be pushed into an act of adventurism and jeopardize the chances of getting cooperation of other countries in future. The NDA government's approach on black money, he had asserted, "is doggedly persistent, not adventurist." He had also blamed the agreement entered into by the Congress government with Germany in 1995 as a constraining factor in disclosing details of black money stashed abroad. In the run-up to Parliamentary polls, BJP had promised to bring back black money kept by Indians in overseas banks while targeting the UPA government for not taking effective action on the issue. -PTI

Swiss differences with India on making a/c public WASHINGTON: Noting that tax evasion is not a criminal offense in Switzerland, a senior Swiss official has acknowledged differences with India on what can be made public about Indians having unaccounted money parked in Swiss banks. However, the Swiss Foreign Ministry official hoped that with the advent of the new government in India, which has made taking action against black money a priority, the differences would be resolved much quickly. Valentin Zellweger, Director and Legal Adviser, Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs, at the same time asserted that there is no banking secrecy in case of illegal acts. "There's no banking secrecy if we talk about illegal acts. So if we get a request from a prosecutor in another country, there's no banking secrecy. We have very strin-

gent know your customer rules. So we are quick in being able to give the information," he said. Responding to a question on the first list of names, allegedly having accounts in Swiss banks

on unaccounted wealth, Zellweger said the talks with the Indian Government so far has been on tax evasion and not any other illegal acts. "We have had long discussions with the Indian government. But that is for tax evasion. Tax evasion used not to be a criminal offense under Swiss law. That is

changing. We are now adapting to international standards," he told a Washington audience, acknowledging that this is an issue of dispute. "That is at the heart of the dispute. There is a disagreement with the Indian government and as to what exactly will have to be disclosed. There is a new Indian government. We now hope that we will be able to resolve the case much quicker than we could do so in the past," he said. Appearing at a panel discussion on Returning Stolen Assets organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, Zellweger said this is now very much on the forefront of international news and argued that in recent years Swiss authorities have been very co-operative in repatriation of the unaccounted money. -PTI

NEW DELHI: The Government has scrapped the selection of six PSU bank heads during UPA tenure following a high-level panel finding irregularities in the process followed. The probe into the selections to banks like Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank followed arrest and termination of Syndicate Bank CMD S K Jain for alleged graft. A Finance Ministry statement said future vacancies of chairman and managing directors (CMDs)

To fill up these 8 vacancies of CMDs along with those of 14 executive directors, the government decided the selection would be done by a panel necessarily comprising of RBI Governor or his nominee. "The Government (had) constituted a Committee consisting of Secretary (Expenditure), Secretary (School Education) and Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to examine the selection process adopted for the selections to the

as well as executive directors of PSU banks will now be filled through a new selection process. A panel headed by RBI Governor and including Financial Services Secretary, during the previous UPA regime had shortlisted Chairman and Managing Directors for Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, United Bank and Vijaya Bank. The selections made by the panel had been sent to the Finance Ministry for ratification by the

posts of CMDs/EDs of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) for the year 2014-15," it said. "...Eight posts of CMDs and 14 posts of EDs would require to be filled-up de novo," it said. Also, it has decided to "finalize a new process for selection of CMDs/EDs for all future vacancies." The statement, however, did not spell out the process to be followed. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the government is scru-

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) but the government decided to scrap the entire selection process and fill these vacancies as well as two others, including Syndicate Bank, through fresh selection process involving RBI Governor or his nominee. Following the arrest of Jain, the ministry had set up a committee comprising Expenditure Secretary, RBI Governor and Secretary School Education to examine the selections to six PSBs. "After receipt of the report of the Committee, the government has decided to cancel the current selection process of CMDs/EDs of Public Sector Banks (PSBs)," the statement said.

tinizing recent appointments of bank heads. "Time has come to be strict with PSU banks. I have urged the Cabinet Secretary and the RBI Governor to examine recent appointments in public sector banks," he had said. Syndicate Bank chief Jain was arrested in August for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to enhance credit limits of a company. Earlier selections were made by a panel headed by RBI Governor. Applications are processed by the Cabinet Secretary and placed before the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) for its final approval. -PTI

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tiny village that derives its name from two hills - Ran and Thambor, Ranthambore in the state of Rajasthan is endowed with a magnificent environment. Its deciduous forests are rich in flora and fauna that inhabits a wide span of all species. A land which boasts of a legendary history, was the stronghold of the Yadavas in the 8th century. Later in the 10th century, it came under the rule of the mighty Chauhans, which continued as such till the Mughals acquired its possession. Ranthambore is a dream destination for wildlife enthusiasts. Famed for its wildlife, Ranthambore proffers a picturesque ambiance with rocky smudges, lovely hills, pretty lakes, ponds and beautiful ravines. Its rugged terrain and strategic location in the midst of Vindhya and Aravalli ranges makes it a perfect asylum for those estranged and exotic breeds in the animal kingdom. Ranthambore is famous for the wildlife sanctuary by the

October 31, 2014

same name where one can witness the juxtaposition of wildlife, history and nature. Dotted with so many structures of the past, Ranthambore offers the fabulous mixture of a heritage site as well as the magical charm of a rich wildlife. The ruins of yesteryears, which are spotted throughout the length and breadth of the forests, give Ranthambhore a unique and invigorating appeal. A pictorial place with extensive range of dazzling landscapes, Ranthambore offers something unusual to its visitors. The mesmerizing ride through the undulating grasslands, gushing streams, open scrubs, densely wooded valleys, deep ravines flanked by steep peaks would definitely provide one with a rejuvenating vigor. Ranthambore would be the best place to squander if the traveler in you is quite proud of the rich legacy of an ancient township. Its majestic relics like the ruined pavilions, crumbling walls, wells, and other glittering edifices of kingships quench your thirst to be in the midst of a glorious past. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 42

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Aus launches 'Match Australia' ahead of World Cup MELBOURNE: Australia has launched the 'Match Australia Sports Business program' ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with an aim to promote its trade, investment, tourism and international education with the participating nations including India. The announcement was made by Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb here at Melbourne Cricket Ground with Cricket Australia CEO J a m e s Sutherland. Robb said the program would enhance business ties with participants from countries such as India, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and West Indies. "The tournament will be the biggest sporting event in the world in 2015, engaging one-fifth of the world's population and attracting a television audience of more than one billion people," Robb said. "It presents a wonderful opportunity to develop people-topeople linkages and to show visi-

tors that Australia is both open for business and provides a strong, stable, environment for international investment," he said. Match Australia will link Australian firms with business partners during a series of major sports and cultural events in Aus-

tralia. Others present at the occasion were ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 CEO John Harnden and former Australian Test cricketer Michael Kasprowicz. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 runs from 14 February to 29 March, with the iconic MCG hosting one of the opening matches and the final. A pre-tournament promotional event is scheduled for December 12 to coincide with the test match

'Non-existent' low fares by airlines questioned MUMBAI: Apex air travelers' body, Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) has questioned the frequent "special fare" offers by domestic carriers and termed them as "non-existent", even as it urged the DGCA not to allow such schemes. The association, in a communication to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, also sought to know as to what action the regulator intends to take against the carriers on the issue. "We strongly believe that the DGCA must put an end to this practice of offering ridiculously low fares which are non-existent and are not really available to the passenger," APAI President D Sidhakara Reddy said in his communication to DGCA Prabhat Kumar. Stating that the Association was forced to draw the regulator's attention towards the issue following several complaints received from the passengers, Reddy said, "most of the times, the schemes

are similar and fares announced are also similar. How can this happen unless a cartel is working to fool the traveling public?" It may be mentioned here that the domestic carriers, led by cashstrapped budget airline SpiceJet have been rolling our one-after another limited period "special sale" offers since January this year to woo passengers. "We have received several complaints that first the passengers do not get access to the airline's portal and if they are able to do so and look for the advertised (special) fare for a particular sector, it shows sold out, whereas most of the other types of fares are only available for bookings," Reddy alleged. Pointing out that it become a routine practice by all the airlines to announce such schemes almost once in 10-15 days, APAI said, "the Airlines seem to be doing this with certain objectives in mind as it gives them tremendous publicity at no cost." -PTI

between Australia and India Test at the Adelaide Oval. Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) will manage Match Australia in conjunction with the States and Territories hosting international delegations from key trading partners and organizing a series of business events during the tournament. The program will also build on the 300-strong business delegation Robb will lead to India from 12-15 January 2015, as part of Australia Business Week in India (ABWI) and Vibrant Gujarat. ABWI will focus on 10 industry sectors across multiple cities including New Delhi and Mumbai. -PTI

Website curates travel experiences across India NEW DELHI: Lazing around on a private beach in Goa or engaging in organic farming in a remote Karnataka village or being close to the divine at an 11th century monastery in Prague, comprise a few out-of-the-box travel experiences that seem to be popular with vacationers. A new website now caters to a niche section of travelers who are passionate about exploring not just a new destination but also its history, culture, cuisine and people. "With a bouquet of over 50 properties to choose from in both national as well as international destinations, we are offering a one-stop-shop for spectacular experiential retreats," says Tanuja Pandey, COO, Vunique

Resorts Pvt. Ltd. The website 'Vuniquehotels.com', a hotel marketing and selling platform, aims at bringing together experiential and different properties in India and abroad. It claims to offer personalized holiday experience that "stands apart from the crowd and clutter of many box type rooms of multinational chains of hotels." "We have just had a soft launch have already booked 100 nights last month and 74 nights this month. From the time you book with us you will have an attendant with you making enquires about your requirements on your stay and giving you updates on our itinerary and planning your trip," says Pandey. -PTI

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RANTHAMBORE Mixture of heritage site & rich wildlife Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 40

ATTRACTIONS Jogi Mahal: A superb guest house at the foothills of the majestic Ranthambore, Fort Jogi Mahal in Ranthambore offers the visitor a delightful time. This forest guest house provides outstanding and modern amenities to the tourists. The superb building was constructed as a hunting lodge for the members of the royal family of Jaipur. This beautiful Mahal grabs the tourists towards it with its stunning vistas of magnificent scenery.

fauna, the mesmerizing charm of the lake attracts scores of visitors during November-March. Ranthambore National Park: Standing out remarkably in an extensive denuded tract, the Ranthambore National Park reflects a unique juxtaposition of historical and natural richness. It proffers a winding terrain with slopes, hills, steep ridges, hillocks, pebbly ravines and flat valleys. The park spreads over a vast expansion of 392 sq km and it happens to be the finest example for conservation of tigers. BEST TIME TO VISIT

the best time to visit is from October to April, during which you can spot tigers. HOW TO REACH By Train: Sawai Madhopur, at a distance of nearly 10 km, is the nearest railway station to Ranthambore. This railhead is on the Broad Gauge line between Mumbai and Delhi. By Air: Sanganer Airport located at Jaipur is nearly 157 km from the Ranthambore city. Jaipur airport is connected to metro cities Mumbai and Delhi. Foreign travelers can take connection flights from Delhi international airBy Bus: Ranthambore is connected by regular bus services to other cities in and around. Many

Ranthambore Fort: Located atop a hill, the Ranthambore fort holds a bloody but brave history of the legendary Rajputs. Constructed in 994 AD, this fort encompasses massive gate, lofty walls, tanks and temples. Its strategic location and finest structural designs with safety measures makes it an impregnable one. This mighty fortress of the Rajputs holds an amazing legend that says that the fort was constructed as a token of gratitude to Lord Shiva. However, Ranthambore fort is famed as the first ever place where the women practiced Jauhar in order to protect themselves from the intruding army of the Persians. Surwal Lake: A shallow seasonal lake 25 kilometers away from Ranthambore, Surwal Lake is a pictorial destination, which captivates the onlooker with its alluring beauty. A haven of the avian

Ranthambore has a moderate climate all through the year. But

port, which is nearly 417 km away from Ranthambore.

public transport buses connect Ranthambore with Jaipur, Pushkar and Ajmer.

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In Brief African immigrant gets 7 years for child abuse WASHINGTON: A man from the African nation of Eritrea has been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually abusing an 11year-old girl in the District of Columbia. Twenty-six-year-old Abraham Ayele-Sium was sentenced in federal court in Washington after pleading guilty to second-degree child abuse and failing to register as a sex offender. He faces deportation upon release. Ayele-Sium's attorney says he came to the U.S. in 2010. He was convicted in San Diego in 2012 of misdemeanor child molestation involving two 10-year-old girls. Ayele-Sium moved to Prince George's County in 2012 and then to the District, where he didn't register as a sex offender. Metropolitan police arrested Ayele-Sium last October for sexually molesting an 11-year-old girl after luring her away from church by offering to buy her ice cream. AP

Â&#x201E; Immigrant, 97, to vote in 1st US election WINONA, Minn.: A 97-yearold Chinese immigrant who just became a U.S. citizen is ready to vote in her first Minnesota election. The Minnesota League of Women Voters-Winona says Chengyi Pan, originally from

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Homeland Security gears up for Obama immigration action WASHINGTON: The White House has cautioned against making assumptions about President Barack Obama's changes to immigration rules based on a new federal contract proposal from the Homeland Security Department to buy enough supplies to make as many as 34 million immigrant work permits and residency cards over the next five years. The Associated Press reported earlier in the day the contract proposal suggested that the Obama administration appeared to be preparing for an increase in the number of work permit applications form of immigrants living illegally in the country. The U.S. government produces about 3 million work permits and residency identification, known as green cards, annually. The new contract for at least 5 million cards a year would provide the administration with the flexibility to issue far more work permits or green cards even if it chose not to exercise that option. "I think those who are trying to read into those specific orders

about what the president may decide are a little too cleverly trying to divine what the president's ultimate conclusion might be," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "What I would caution you

Obama plans to issue more work permits. Obama announced earlier this year that if Congress didn't pass immigration legislation, he would act on his own. After twice post-

President Barack Obama

against is making assumptions about what will be in those announcements based on the procurement practices of the Department of Homeland Security." Earnest did not say whether

poning a final decision, he said as recently as last month that he would hold off on executive actions until after November's midterm elections. The administration has repeat-

'Parts of UK under siege from immigration'

Tianjin, China, had been living with her daughter in Winona for the past five years. Chengyi applied for citizenship as soon as she was eligible, and at 97, she became a U.S. citizen on Sept. 30. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank came to Winona and presided over her oath. KAGE-AM reports Chengyi has registered online through the Minnesota secretary of state's office and is ready to vote on Nov. 4 at her polling place in the Winona nursing home where she now lives. She told witnesses at her ceremony she is thankful to be in the United States. -AP

A significant decision for L-1B foreign chefs

LONDON: Parts of Britain are "under siege" from immigration, prompting the government to look at ways to stem the number of EU workers arriving, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has said "In some areas of the UK, down the east coast, towns do feel under siege, (with) large numbers of migrant workers and people claiming benefits," Fallon told the BBC. "We are looking at changing that to make sure there is some control. We are fully entitled to say this is making a difference to us, that now needs to be dealt with." Fallon said London was determined to push ahead with immigration reforms, despite a blunt warning from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that any attempts to "tamper with the fundamental principles of free

movement in the EU" would not be tolerated by Britain's European partners. "The Germans haven't seen our proposals yet and we haven't seen

whole towns and communities being swamped by huge numbers of migrants," Fallon said. British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party is aiming to curb immigration, as it faces increased electoral pressure from the antiEU UK Independence Party. Unless the prime minister can woo back rightwing voters tempted by UKIP's hardline rhetoric, party faithful fear that they will lose next year's general election to the Labor Party. Under EU rules, citizens of most EU countries have the right to live and work in Michael Fallon addresses delegates at the any other EU country. Conservative Party Conference in Cameron has vowed to Birmingham, central England offer Britons a referendum our proposals yet, and that's still by 2017 on whether to stay in being worked on at the moment to the EU or not, if his party wins see what we can do to prevent the 2015 election. -AFP

edly declined to say what options Obama was considering, but it is widely believed that he will expand protections from deportation already extended to more than 500,000 young immigrants who came to the United States as children. Under that program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, many young immigrants who are in school or who have graduated and don't have a criminal record can win protection from deportation for up to two years. They are also eligible for work permits. The president does not have the legal authority unilaterally to offer immigrants living in the country illegally green cards or any other permanent immigration status. But administration officials have said the president can authorize protection from deportation for immigrants on a case-by-case basis, such as with the DACA program, and issue them work permits. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Leon Rodriguez told an audience at a Georgetown University Law Center conference that his agency was ready for whatever immigration changes Obama may announce. He declined to provide details. USCIS confirmed to the AP that it published a draft contract proposal to buy the card stock needed to make work permits and permanent resident cards, more commonly known as green cards. The proposal calls for providing material for at least 5 million cards a year, with as many as 9 million "during the initial period ... to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements." The contract calls for as many 34 million cards over five years. USCIS spokesman Christopher Bentley described the proposal posted earlier this month a routine contract solicitation. "Solicitations of this nature are frequent practice," Bentley said. He said the number of immigration applications can rise "for any number of any reasons." The contract proposal was first reported by the online news site Breitbart.com. -AP

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A significant decision for L-1B foreign chefs

he best way for a great nation of immigrants such as America to showcase its richness and diversity is through fine ethnic restaurants. A better appreciation of different cuisines can also foster tolerance and social harmony. Cities and towns become more interesting and thrive if they have restaurants with diverse cuisines. For such restaurants to exist, though, there needs to be an immigration policy that would allow

CYRUS D. MEHTA

for food over the course of the evening. The key issue in Fogo was whether a foreign national chef could gain such specialized knowledge through one's own cultural traditions, upbringing or life experience. The USCIS, including its Administrative Appeals Office, held that one's own cultural upbringing falls within the realm of general knowledge rather than specialized knowledge, and thus such a chef would

The Court of Appeals in Fogo disagreed with the USCIS's rather wooden application of the law. (Many immigration practitioners like me will take great delight in the scolding given to the USCIS for being so wooden as we have experienced this tendency first hand!) restaurants to access foreign specialty chefs. This unfortunately is not the case. The United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) views applications for chefs under the limited and narrowly drawn nonimmigrant visa categories with a jaundiced eye. One such pathway for chefs is the L-1B visa for specialized knowledge employees who are being transferred from a foreign entity to a qualifying US entity. The Brazilian restaurant chain Fogo de Chao successfully brought in 200 specialty chefs on the L-1B visa, when the USCIS changed its mind and denied one of their visas. The restaurant appealed the denial. On October 21, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Fogo de Chao v. DHS, No. 13-5301, skewered the USCIS for denying the L-1B visa to a Brazilian churrasqueiro or gaucho chef. Fogo de Chao contended that it sought to recreate for its customers in the United States an authentic churrascaria experience, and it did so by employing a number of gaucho chefs from Brazil who learned this style of cooking first hand by growing up in the Rio Girande do Sul region and through training and at least two years of experience in Fogo de Chao's Brazilian restaurants. A gaucho chef who possessed this knowledge would be capable of i) preparing and cooking five to six skewers of meat on an open grill; ii) circulating through the dining room to carve meats for guests; iii) educating those guests about both the cuts of meat being served and gaucho culinary and cultural traditions, and iv) monitoring the estimated future demand

not qualify for an L-1B visa. The Court of Appeals in Fogo disagreed with the USCIS's rather wooden application of the law. (Many immigration practitioners like me will take great delight in the scolding given to the USCIS for being so wooden as we have experienced this tendency first hand!) The Fogo Court held that there was nothing in INA section 214(c) (2) (B) which precludes culturally acquired knowledge as a form of specialized knowledge. That INA section defines specialized knowledge in a rather circular way, as follows: …an alien is considered to be serving in a capacity involving specialized knowledge with respect to a company if the alien has a special knowledge of the company product and its application in international markets or has an advanced level of knowledge of processes and procedures of the company A government agency's interpretation of an ambiguous statute is entitled to deference underChevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984)-often abbreviated as "Chevron deference". Most are deterred from seeking review of a "wooden" decision in federal court to challenge an erroneous decision of the USCIS because of the Chevron deference the court will give to the government's interpretation of a particular visa statutory provision. The Fogo Court gave no such deference because the USCIS regulation at 8 CFR section 214.2(l)(1)(ii)(D) merely parroted the statutory L-1B definition in the same circular manner, and a parroting regulation deserves no

deference. Gonzales v Oregon, 546 US 243, 257 (2006). Instead, the Court applied the lower standard under Skidmore v. Swift & Co, 323 U.S. 134 (1944) where the weight accorded to an administrative interpretation or judgment "depends upon the thoroughness evident in its consideration, the validity of its reasoning, its consistency with earlier and later pronouncements, and all those facts which give it power to persuade, if lacking power to control." Even under the lower Skidmore standard, the Fogo Court held that the Administrative Appeals Office lacked the power to persuade that it could categorically exclude cultural knowledge as a basis for specialized knowledge. Also noteworthy in Fogo was the government's dismissal of the relevance of the economic hardship the restaurant would suffer if it had to train another employee to perform the gaucho chef's proposed duties. The Fogo Court disagreed, emphasizing that economic inconvenience is sometimes the most concrete evidence that can be used to determine whether knowledge is specialized. According to the Fogo Court: "Consideration of evidence of this type provides some predictability to a comparative analysis otherwise relatively devoid of settled guideposts…. That specialized knowledge

Although Fogo applied to a Brazilian gaucho chef, it can arguably be applied to other occupations involving specialized knowledge may ultimately be a 'relative and empty idea which cannot have plain meaning'...is not a feature to be celebrated and certainly not a license for the government to apply a sliding scale of specialness that varies from petition to petition without explanation. Suddenly departing from policy guidance and rejecting outright the relevance of Fogo de Chao's evidence of economic inconvenience threatens just that."Id. at 28 (citations omitted). Although Fogo applied to a Brazilian gaucho chef, it can arguably be applied to other occupations involving specialized knowledge. Skills gained through certain cultural practices may be relevant in determining specialized knowl-

edge in other settings, such as Japanese management techniques. Similarly, acquiring deep knowledge in a particular software application through another employer can equip the L-1B visa applicant with specialized knowledge that can stand out in comparison to others. Moreover, demonstrating economic hardship as a way to prove specialized knowledge has gained more force after Fogo. The1994 Puleo Memorandum was resurrected in Fogo, which endorsed a dictionary definition of the terms "special" and "advance" rather than soley tether specialized knowledge to the company's products or processes. Fogo has also paved the way to argue that the USCIS's interpretation of specialized knowledge does not deserve Chevron deference.

Finally, Fogo ought to potentially have more precedential value than other circuit court decisions since under 28 U.S.C. §1391(e)(1)(B) a petitioner could seek review in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as the Administrative Appeals Office is located in the District of Columbia. In recent times, the USICS has had the upper hand in L-1B visa adjudications by literally reading specialized knowledge out of the statute. Fogo thus comes as a breath of fresh air and should hopefully temper the USCIS's zeal in "woodenly" debarring specialized knowledge workers who can otherwise bring great value to America. We all need to forcefully deploy the hidden nuggets in Fogo to restore the more commonsensical definition of specialized knowledge.

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October 31, 2014

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NJ Senate candidates spar in debate TRENTON, N.J.: New Jersey's U.S. Senate candidates clashed over the minimum wage, immigration policy, jobs and other issues in their only debate of the race, now heading into the last full week of campaigning before the Nov. 4 election. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and Republican challenger Jeff Bell sparred for under an hour, answering questions from a fivemember media panel. Booker, who won a special election last year, and his challenger occasionally became testy with each other, especially when Bell at one point interrupted Booker and the incumbent questioned Bell's civility. Booker also repeatedly linked Bell to the tea party movement, suggesting Bell's views are out of step with the majority of voters. ``He's part of a movement that is going to be slamming and slan-

dering and not stopping that madness,'' Booker said. After the debate, Bell brushed off the criticism, saying he supports the movement. For his part, Bell several times mentioned President Barack

Obama, whose approval ratings are sagging, and blamed the president's policies for the influx of children across the U.S. southern border. Bell also questioned the president's use of executive orders to achieve his aims.

Jeff Bell, left at podium, looks on as incumbent Democrat Cory Booker, right, is prepared for their debate Friday, Oct. 24, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's U.S. Senate candidates participated in their first and only debate of the campaign and fielded questions at the League of Women Voters event.

``You pay lip service to bipartisanship,'' Bell told his opponent. ``But you just advocated something that would completely foul the immigration debate, having the president do everything by executive action.'' Booker later said if Bell wanted to criticize the president he should do it from his think tank. Bell worked for the Washington-based American Principles Project policy organization and lived in Virginia until recently. Booker also took issue with Bell's relocation to New Jersey, and Bell responded by saying it's not a ``gotcha'' point and that he's acknowledged in campaign speeches that he hasn't lived in the state in 30 years. He said he decided to run because of the Federal Reserve policy of zero percent interest, which he called ``disastrous.'' Bell, 70, the GOP Senate nomi-

nee in 1978, said it is the wrong time to raise the minimum wage and that hiking the federal $7.25 per hour rate would price young workers out of the market. Booker, 45, disagreed and said he's spoken to a number of people who could be helped by raising the rate. `My opponent says it's a bad time to do what's right,'' Booker said. ``It is a good time to raise the minimum wage. We are America. Nobody should work fulltime and find themselves under the poverty line.'' Bell criticized Booker for agreeing to only a single debate, saying he debated numerous times with Democrat Bill Bradley. Booker countered, saying the debate was not the only way voters could find out about the candidates' views. A Monmouth University poll released this month showed Booker leading Bell among likely voters. -AP

Cornyn, Democrat Alameel debate immigration DALLAS: Problems with the nation's immigration system dominated a debate between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic challenger David Alameel. Alameel cited the GOP, with its House majority, as the biggest obstacle to a comprehensive overhaul, while Cornyn said the fractured political culture in Washington is to blame. He endorsed a step-by-step approach to chang-

have been here for many, many years; people who are very hardworking, God-fearing, pro-family. ... And I believe that they deserve the same path to the American dream as every other community,'' he said. Cornyn said he doesn't think anyone is happy with the current immigration system. ``The issue is how do we find some consensus,'' he said. ``And I think the way we

cent, compared with 61 percent for whites, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. In the last governor's election, only a quarter of the Hispanic voters of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas cast ballots. Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, has done little outright campaigning against Alameel, a dental mogul from Dallas who lost a bid for Congress in 2012 and was previously a top GOP donor. When questioned about backing Cornyn and the Republican Party previously, Alameel dismissed it

as a mistake. Republicans can retake control of the Senate if they gain six seats, which has Cornyn keeping an eye on competitive races elsewhere as much as his own. Alameel is a Lebanon-born multimillionaire who tapped his own fortune to finance this race and his failed bid for a U.S. House seat two years ago. He has said he was part of once-secret negotiations in Afghanistan, trying to persuade the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Cornyn, meanwhile, has raised

more than $14 million and launched a statewide ``Keep It Red'' campaign for Republicans this election cycle after Democrats launched the Battleground Texas organization with hopes of ending 20 years of GOP victories in statewide elections. Like most Texas Republicans in the past two decades, Cornyn has twice coasted over Democratic opponents since being first elected to the Senate in 2002. Democrats did no better when Texas' other Senate seat opened in 2012, when tea party-supported Ted Cruz easily beat Paul Sadler. -AP

NY state to review schools' immigration compliance Moderator Wendy Cruz, left, listens as U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, center, responds to a question during a debate against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Alameel at Mountain View College campus, Friday, Oct. 24, in Dallas.

ing the system. The debate at Mountain View College in Dallas was sponsored by Univision and streamed live over the Internet. Alameel touted comprehensive immigration system changes as the cure for most of the ills faced by Hispanics in the U.S., even those in the country legally. ``Most of the Latinos here who are undocumented are people who

begin to do that is to find a way to break this down into smaller pieces because frankly there's so much distrust and division in Washington, D.C., these days. It's hard, if not impossible, to pass a comprehensive bill that does everything.'' Democrats have been working to maximize the Hispanic vote, something that was lacking in 2012. That year, turnout among voting-age Hispanics was 39 per-

ROOSEVELT, N.Y.: New York officials have ordered a statewide review of public school compliance with enrollment policies for unaccompanied minors and immigrant children following reports that several dozen children who had recently arrived from Central America were not admitted to a Long Island high school. The students are among about 2,500 unaccompanied immigrant children placed with relatives on Long Island in recent months following a wave of border crossings by youngsters who have come into the United States seeking asylum.

"The issue is very simple for us; the law in New York State says these children will be seated in their home school districts, whatever those districts are, and we plan to make sure that does happen," state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said during a visit to a Roosevelt, Long Island, elementary school. The first phase of the review will begin with suburban New York City school districts in four counties - Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester and Rockland counties - and eventually expand to include all districts statewide, officials said.

The Board of Regents, state Education Department and state attorney general's office announced the review following reports that the Hempstead School District had turned away about three dozen immigrant students for several weeks, citing overcrowding. Those students began attending classes this week after Hempstead officials opened an auxiliary school in rented office space in the village, according to advocates for the children and their families. Hempstead school officials have not returned several requests seeking comment. -AP

Datebook

October 31, 2014

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK Upcoming

Upcoming Sat, Nov 1 • Mega Tamil Musical Extravaganza Venue: Harrington Middle School Theater - South Jersey, NJ, 514 Mt Laurel Rd, Mt Laurel, NJ 08054 Time: 4:00 pm

Fri, Nov 07 • Ek Yaad Mukesh Ji Ke Baad Venue: Ritz Theater, 1148 East Jersey Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201 Time: 8:30 pm Contact: 732-910-6227

Fri, Nov 14 • Mehfil-e-Ghazal with Rasika Shekar Venue: Shahnawaz Palace, 159 Jackson Ave, Edison, NJ 08837 Time : 08:00 pm Contact: 732-277-6687

Sat, Nov 1 • Diwali Celebrations 2014 Venue: Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center, 74 Hauppauge Rd, Commack, NY 11725 Time : 05:00 pm Contact: 718-610-9799

Sat, Nov 1 • 10th Annual Halloween Hangover Venue: Pranna, 79 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 908-403-7045

Thu, Nov 6 • Dj Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra Venue: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012 Time : 7:00 pm

India Post 47

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Sat, Nov 8 • Enchanting Red and Dazzling Diamond Gala

Sat, Nov 8 • Kasturi Media 5th Year Celebration

Venue: Embassy Suites, 901 E Calaveras

Venue: Woodside High School Audito-

Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time : 6:00 pm

rium, 199 Churchill Ave, Woodside, CA

Contact: 408-274-4726

Sat, Nov 15 • Jhalak Dreams 2014 - From Tradition To Innovation Venue: Silver Creek High Auditorium, 3434

Time: 4:30 pm. Contact: 5104024633

Sun, Nov 9 • Kalakshetras Ananda Shankar Jayant

Silver Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95121 Time: 01:00 pm

Venue: McAfee Theater, Saratoga High

Contact: 408-238-4034

Time: 4:00 pm

Venue: Chakra Restaurant and Lounge, 151 S Doheny Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

ATLANTA Upcoming

Timet: 9:30 pm Contact: 843-503-2133

Sat, Nov 1 • Celebration Of Youth

Nov 1, 6-8, 13-15 • Ohlone College Dept. of

Venue: Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Rd, Atlanta, GA Time: 06:30 pm Contact: 404-876-0670

Theatre & Dance presents Dracula Directed by Michael Navarra Venue: Smith Center at Ohlone College 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont Timet: 8:00 pm Contact: smithcenter.com.

Sun, Nov 16 • Red Carpet Wedding Show Venue: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 Time :04:00 pm Contact: 562-366-3649

Upcoming • J K Yog Satsang and Bal Mukund Hindi Classes are held every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of Month Chicago Satsang Information: J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets, Board Room, 933 South Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126 Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org

School, 20300 Herriman Ave, Saratoga, CA Contact: 408-329-7040

Sat, Nov 15 • Bollywood Affair

ILLINOIS

Sat, Nov 01 • 10th Year Dhoom Macho Diwali Venue: IAshiana banquet hall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071 Time: 8:45 pm Contact: 770-329-0528

Sat, Nov 1 • Sri Sita Rama Kalyanam Venue: Norcross High School, 5300 Spalding Dr, Norcross, GA 30092 Time: 9:00 am Contact: 404-916-9899

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

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Classifieds

October 31, 2014

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Horoscope

October 31, 2014

India Post

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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

October 31st - November 6th, 2014 (March 21 to April 20)

eligious activities and prayers will show instant results. A very favorable time to appear for that highly competitive exam. Some of you may make a serious offer on a nice residential property. Gambling instincts will surface again and you will achieve your even big goals easily and will be out of all mental sufferings of the past.

(April 21 to May 20)

ittle time on phone and li abilities will come down by more than half. Things will start picking up in career at fast pace. Do not take chance with changing weather and have the necessary shots. People in business will spend more money on advertising. You will buy some nice item or furniture for house on hold for quite some time.

(May 21 to June 20)

erson with name starting with letter N may try to cause some disturbance in personal life but if you are firm this person will leave you alone for rest of life. You will continue to gain an edge over your opponents and one of strong competitor may finally call it a quit. money will just pour in from all directions this week.

(June 21 to July 22)

hanges will take place in career at a fast speed givingyou no chance to think. They may not look good initially but will prove to be blessings in disguise at a later date. Blessings and guidance from an elderly person will continue to steer your life in correct direction. Do not hesitate to try your hands at few lottery tickets.

(July 23 to August 22)

(November 23 to December 22)

ome of you may take the isk and accept a challenging assignment that re quires to move for couple of years at least. Though commitments made in the past could still continue to drain you out. Some of you may be looking to change one of your older vehicle. people in business will see sales shooting up. Try playing few lottery tickets.

(August 23 to September 22)

ffer will not be less than a financial jackpot. Stick to your demands and the other side will agree quickly. Stocks and other speculation will be profitable. You may buy some nice items for the house this week. Children will plan a short vacation for next month. You may travel to a nice and warm area for some business.

(September 23 to October 22)

our creative qualities will surface and will make a big difference in personality. You will be more relaxed and confident. Property deal may take final shape after minor adjustments. Try to be calm when talking to people on phone or things can get delayed. It will be a favorable week for people running for a political position.

(October 23 to November 22)

ome of you may accept a challenging position that requires you to spend extra hours outside home. Financially it will be rewarding on short as well as long term basis. There may be big change in your religious beliefs and you may start following a holy person. Some of you may develop taste for hot and spicy food and buy more spices.

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

your may may form

ind will be full of brightest idea and you will quickly start working on it. Some of you may be getting ready for a legal battle to prove point. Meetings with officials will go well but you not get the assurance right away. Some of you also finalize an upcoming overseas trip and inpeople of their plans.

(December 22 to January 19)

hanging weather may affect spouse but home made remedy will be enough to help out. Long awaited promotion can take place either this or next week. Bank balance will keep growing and you may transfer a big chunk to savings. Watch out for that self centered person trying to flirt with you. You may be working on a small party.

(January 20 to February 18)

oncentration of planets in house of luck can bring you closer to very successful people and a long term partnership is also in the air. Some of you may be knocking the doors of a court, seeking for justice. Large gains from distant places and projects active overseas possible. You may try to reconnect with an older person.

(February 19 to March 20)

eek with start with obstacles but you will keep finding better than expected resolutions. Good deeds performed in the past will come to your rescue and you will start to have faith in divine powers. You may send some money or nice gifts to a sibling or needy person. Improvement you had been waiting for in career, may happen this week.

510-886-4370 www.parashar.com

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50 India Post

October 31, 2014

A stupa niche decorated with a stucco figure of the Buddha at the Jaulian monastery, Taxila. Sunita Dwivedi

PREETI VERMA LAL

all it absent-minded coincidence or Buddha's grand plan, former journalist and author Sunita Dwivedi was born in Kushinagar where Buddha attained the Mahaparinirvana. From the tiny alcove of her room, she could see the huge cremation ground and Buddha's statue loomed like a shadow. Perhaps that quirk of fate unwittingly decided Sunita's quest - to seek Buddha, to walk on his footsteps, to find him around the world. No, Sunita is a not a Buddhist. She happens to love Buddha. And write about him - her fourth book on Buddha (Buddha in Central Asia; Rupa, Price: Rs 500; available on Flipkart) has just hit the stands. Sunita clings to that moment when The Reclining Buddha at the Mahaparinirvana Temple lay calmly and uttered his last words to Anand, his disciple, 'Decay is inherent in all composite things. Work out your own salvation with diligence.' She never forgot these last words of the Reclining Buddha and started working towards her own salvation. For that salvation - and for Buddha's love - she has traveled to remotest corners and found Him - the bronze Buddha in Po Lin monastery, the giant Buddhas of

A view of the Takht-i-Bahi monastic complex at Mardan, north-east of Peshawar.

Pics : Sunita Dwivedi

Joyful moments with children at Gol Gathri caravanserai in Peshawar city.

Majishan, Buddhist rock edicts in Altyn-Emel, the Buddhist petroglyphs at Almatyâ&#x20AC;ŚSo many Buddhas in so many countries. Her last stop: Pakistan, a region which in ancient days was the hub of Buddhism. But getting to Buddha there was fraught with danger and hurdles. Visa was the big question, but an invitation from Zulfiqar Rahim of Gandhara Art and Culture Association vanquished all visa frights. In four days, Sunita had the Pakistan visa in hand. Instead of flying, she decided to take the Friendship Bus from New Delhi to Lahore. Out went the jeans and trousers from her suitcase, Sunita threw in long kurtas, salwars and duppata. With visa in hand, bags packed and an itinerary ready, she waited to step into Pakistan and find Buddha. Alone. But hell was breaking loose in Islamabad. Thousands of protestors were on the streets. Tear bombs were exploding and politicians were crying hoarse. Even nature was irate. Cont'd on Page 52

India Post 51

October 31, 2014 www.indiapost.com

Fiery sisterhood in India GOPI RAI

ink Sari Revolution, traces the life of Sampat Pal, a poor and illiterate woman living in Uttar Pradesh - the "badlands" of India. Married off around the age of twelve, pregnant with her first child at fifteen, and prohibited from attending school, Sampat experiences firsthand women's struggle in patriarchal India. Against all odds, Sampat rises to become the courageous commander and chief of India's infamous Gulabi (Pink) Gang. Dressed in pink saris, Sampat and her team, now numbering in tens of thousands, fight for women's liberation in India. The Pink Gang bravely intervene wherever women are victims of injustice, confronting even policemen and gangsters. Rich with interviews from Fontanella-Khan's two year stay in India, Pink Sari Revolution is a triumphant portrait of a fiery sisterhood in India. 'Pink Sari Revolution' is an inspiring story of poor but courageous Indian women who have

Pink Sari book

decided to rise against exploitation, rampant corruption, injustice and high-handedness of the authorities. The most remarkable

woman in the story is Sampat Pal, the founder leader of the Pink Gang who rose out of poverty to become a mighty force to be reckoned with. The main plot in the book is about a Dalit (lower-caste) girl Sheelu Nishad who was arrested for allegedly stealing from the house of the most powerful local politician Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi, a Brahmin in the most backward region of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. In the normal play of things in India, Sheelu was destined to a long prison sentence because of the politician-police nexus. But Sampat Pal came to know of the false charges against Sheelu and the fact that Dwivedi had raped Sheelu and decided to shake things up with the

help of her Pink Sari Gang. The book skillfully portrays the contemporary Indian society. It peels back the layers of poor women's lives, revealing their personal struggles and the insidious manner in which politics and corruption are woven into the daily life of Indians in a society which has no regard for personal rights and a disastrously dysfunctional legal system. It also brings you up and close to the rural poverty and power in India, where justice is available to

those who can afford to bribe the police, if they (the police) haven't already been bought. In India truth is definitely stranger than fiction and this intimate treatment brings out the vibrancy and vision of women working together to achieve what none could do alone. Amana Fontanella-Khan writes for Slate, Daily Beast, the New York Times, and the Christian Science Monitor, and was formerly a contributing editor at Vogue India. Previously based in Mumbai, she now lives in Brussels.

Pink Sari women in fighting mood

Making Sandesh out of a fish NEW DELHI: The quest for the perfect dessert led Michelinstarred chef Vikas Khanna to travel across the country to plate up innovative Indian desserts. "I had my best experience in Kolkata where I learned how to make Sandesh out of a fish. It was the best Sandesh I ever had. And the second best experience for me was how to make the famous Mysore Pak," said Khanna. The chef was visiting the national capital recently as part of "'Twist of Taste - The Sweet Life", that is running on Fox Life. In the "the city of joy", the eminent chef said he was awe struck by the heritage of Kolkata, a city where he could lay his hands on Bengali cuisine cookbooks dating back to 1948 handed to him by his fans. "A woman from Kolkata taught

me how to make a Sandesh out of fish by boiling it in different flavored water. She kept boiling it

Chef Vikas Khanna

taking it out using a little cardamom elaichi in the water. What imagination! The fish is left with no smell. "The flesh turned out to be creamy," Khanna told PTI. The chef has added his own twist to the "Fish Sandesh" by fashioning a fish cake with black rice and butterscotch bundi. "So we are just making fish biriyani instead of salt we are using sugar. I just loved Sandesh and fish. So, I had to do such a difficult twist on it," Khanna said. Other dishes which the chef made at Kolkata included a Tiramisu prepared with candied ginger, a cake fashioned out of sugarcane juice, as well as coconut and

rice flour with a sauce made out of candied papayas. "The second best experience for me was Mysore Pak" Khanna said. "When I went to learn the real Mysore Pak I was shocked to learn why we chefs can't make it. Nobody has ever taught us the sense of temperatures and what goes in what temperatures and when to take it off heat when to settle it, how much to cook it - it's total

game of genius," Khanna said. Shedding a light on the fact that India is changing and so are its chefs and the way they are experimenting with Indian cuisines and presenting them to the international audience, Khanna pointed out that in the west chefs were changing everything about their cuisine and Indian chefs should also be given the freedom to experiment.-PTI

52 India Post

October 31, 2014 www.indiapost.com

Lisa Ray plans Cancer In quest of Buddha in Pak Research Institute in India Cont'd from Page 50

After her successful recovery or rather victory from the dreaded cancer (Multiple Myeloma, to be precise), the Canada-born

Lisa Ray

Indian actress Lisa Ray is now planning to open her own research institute for cancer in India. She is planning to join hands with Shiladitya Sengupta (the winner of 2009's 'DoD Breast Cancer Research Program Collaborative Innovators Award') in order to open an institute, that's penciled on the lines of Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Speaking about the same, Lisa Ray said that Shiladitya and she shared a common wish, a dream of having a cancer institute in India. As a step towards the same, she is planning to continue to spread awareness through the media, talks, and collaborations with medical professionals in the country. Additionally, she is also planning to write a new blog and organize various outreach programs. On a later stage, she wants to put all of these experiences together for the silver screen. After a sabbatical, Lisa also recently expressed her wish to star in Bollywood films once again. The actress is known for her performance in films like Kasoor, Hollywood Bollywood and Water. She is married to management consultant Jason Dehni.

Archaeologists seek movie set in California sands GUADALUPE, CA: Archaeologists work- sphinx, the Times reported. ing in the sand dunes along the California `Ìt was a really pleasant surprise when coast are digging up ancient sphinxes - but we found out it was almost a full sphinx,'' these are made of plaster. said Doug Jenzen, executive director of the More than 90 years ago, legendary film- Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center. maker Cecile B. DeMille erected 21 giant The second sphinx was missing much of sphinxes and a temple as a set for the silent, its face, but archaeologists had been lookblack-and-white classic movie ``The Ten ing for an intact body to put on display to Commandments.'' match the earlier head. But in 1923, when filming was over, Residents of Guadalupe, a small farming DeMille abandoned them among the sands of the GuadalupeNipomo Dunes. Now, archaeologists have begun excavations on a sphinx that they hope will eventually be on display at the nearby GuadalupeNipomo Dunes Center, which has raised $120,000 for the dig, the Los Angeles Times reported. `Ìt's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of site,'' said M. Colleen Hamilton, a senior historical archaeologist with Applied EarthWorks and project director for the excavation. `Ì've worked on sites all over Actors playing whip-wielding overseers drive Hebrew slaves before a 10-story wood-and-plaster set of an the country, and I think this one Egyptian city that was constructed for the production of could only happen in California.'' Cecil B. DeMille's 'The Ten Commandments' near the Crews began digging in 2012 Californian town of Guadalupe in this 1923 photo provided and found one sphinx, but money by the Guadalupe Dunes Center. for the project ran out. Parts of that sphinx's head are on display community, left the set alone for decades at the Dunes Center. out of respect, said Shirley Boydstun, 86, a When they returned this year for the member of the Rancho de Guadalupe Hisbody, they found the wind had shifted the torical Society. sand, exposing the plaster and damaging it ``The old-timers have always known it beyond repair. But the wind had also re- was out there,'' she said.-AP vealed a hint of the foot and leg of another

Rivers were swelling and the fear of floods was staring hard. But nothing deters Sunita. Nothing. She knows Buddha will protect her. Everywhere. In Lahore, her steps were hurrying towards Lahore Museum where lie the sec-

of oldest and most important Dharamrajika Stupa which lies on the foothills of the Hathial spur. Peshawar had been the ancient centre of trade and learning. In Peshawar Museum lay several giant Buddha images in black, blue and grey schist excavated from various Buddhist sites in and around Peshawar.

Rows of Buddha images decorate a stupa base at Jaulian monastery, Taxila.

ond century fasting Buddha image, a copy of the famous Kanishka casket and other antiquities of Gandhara art. It was in Gandhara that the artful depiction of Buddha's life, earlier incarnations and mudras were first painted and sculpted. At Mandara village, stood a colossal stupa, perhaps built by Emperor Asoka in third century BC. Measuring 128 ft in diameter, the rubble-filled hemispherical stupa is embellished with lotus motifs on dressed stone. The stupa also marks the place where Buddha in his earlier life fed his flesh to a starving tiger. Sunita was following the Buddha route Taxila, Peshawar and Mardan. Taxila boasts

Buddha seemed everywhere. A week in Pakistan and not for a moment did Sunita feel unsafe. All stories about Indo-Pak animosity seemed a myth. For her, Pakistan seemed like another home, the generosity of its people heart-touching. Sunita had traveled to Pakistan to find Buddha. She found him. She also found what Buddha preached - love and compassion. In the eyes of strangers who offered help; in the kind hospitality of Mian Imran Masood who welcomed her home and offered tea; in the kindness of Zulfiqar Rahim and his wife Esther Park; the benevolence of Ayesha M Hamid. In Pakistan, Sunita knew no fear. She found Buddha. And the love of its people.

At Manikyala Stupa near Rawal village on Grand Trunk Road.

Philosophy

October 31, 2014

India Post 53

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here is enormous interest in power, and especially personal power, which holds the key to every kind of success and achievement. Yet there's a problem with how we approach personal power. Despite the poet William Wordsworth's warning that "we murder to dissect," we analyze power by cutting it up in bits and pieces, trying to tease out the relevant factors from the immensely complex issues open to question. You can examine power as a product of the mind (some people come up with impressive new ideas that have an enormous impact), the product of the brain (some people seem to be hard-wired for great decision-making), or the product of genes (some people have won the DNA lottery, it seems). But what if the whole is much bigger than the sum of the parts? This certainly must be true when it comes to personal power, because it's the totality of the person who matters. We call this a "top down" approach, which considers wholeness first, rather than the reductionism of dissecting the whole into the tiniest parts, which is a "bottom up" approach. You are the product of mind, brain, and genes acting in concert - that much is undeniable so the big question is "How do they cooperate? What organizes SUNYATA (ALFRED SORENSEN)

he real Silence is not of sound, however, or even human noises, but cravings - desires and ego-willfulness. "Thy will be done" is not a prayer but a simple statement of awareness. The Will is ever being done, and ego-freeness is conducive of the grace that is joyous-ease in all due karmic and dharmic activities and all inter-relatedness -in Swaleela. The Titiksa mode of approach and effort-free acceptance - of the All-rightness and the sure guidance in the Life-play is psychically salutary. We must endure our coming hither and going hence. Ripeness is all. Be patient and ego-humble to mature and so awaken integrally. Let prarabdha karma fulfill itself in and through egoji. Swadharma has to be awared and endured - if not enjoyed and better so willy than nilly. Such was WujiÂ´s intuitive light of consciousness and values - already in babyhood - though there was no conscious awareness concept or expression of this - and none needed, no urge to express or explain, or even to get explanation or interference from other egojis. The intuitive light prevailed and the mental was no trouble (nor

them into a unity rather than as separate parts?" An emerging field known as systems biology has begun to ask top-down questions like these, because the way we experience life is not reductionist. Instead, we experience the following: A flow of events matched with a flow of thoughts, sensations, and feelings. A state of constant change that is matched with a state of balance and non-change. A body where trillions of cells communicate and cooperate constantly. A pervasive intelligence that di-

sciousness, which is what a topdown perspective declares, then the ultimate personal power lies at the level of consciousness. There is exciting new data from many quarters to support this conclusion. They indicate, to begin with, that familiar lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, stress management, attitude, and meditation reach all the way down to our genes. Some studies have already spotted hundreds of change in genetic output when positive lifestyle changes are made. This number extends to thousands when medi-

body-brain-gene connection that matters. The top-down approach promises to bring about a quantum leap in self-care, which we call "radical well-being," the most exciting prospect in wellness to come along in decades. Even more promising is the prospect of solving the so-called "hard problem" of how mind and brain are related. The reductionist position, embraced by all materialists (or physicalists to use the current term), is that the brain creates the mind. Just as insurmountable is a second obstacle: No one can explain

It's the mind-body-brain-gene connection that matters

Deepak Chopra

What if the whole is much bigger than the sum of the parts? This certainly must be true when it comes to personal power, because it's the totality of the person who matters

versifies into mind, brain, and gene, but which can be described by itself as "consciousness." When these experiences are taken as the starting point of life, a radical change occurs in the way we live. We find it possible - and very necessary - to promote the whole human being, and to do that, the most powerful approach works at the source. If mind, brain, and genome are organized at the level of con-

tation alone is intensely studied, and the alterations can occur very quickly, in the first few meditations rather than over years of practice. Twenty years ago the mindbody connection was intriguing but not necessary in the view of most biologists, psychologists, and physicians. Now we understand that nothing is more necessary; indeed, if you want to care for yourself in the optimal way, it's the mind-

how brain activity, which is entirely electro-chemical, produces the sight, sound, smell, taste, and texture of a three-dimensional world. There is no light in the brain and no sound, yet somehow the world emerges replete with color and noise. Excerpted from deepakchopra.com. The 67th birth anniversary of Deepak Chopra was observed on October 22

emotional and physical tools) so ananda bubbled up healthily - also in the due ego-deaths (some minor and some crucial and salutary). The art and craft of dying can be very salutary. One can learn to die now and then - from time to eternity - and thus experience that there is no real death. No death of the Real that we ever Are, the 1 Am,

no grievance complex against Bhagwan. There was singularly little imposition of conditioning - but acceptance and awareness of the essential All-rightness of things and events and of sure guidance. In positive passivity and negative capability the questions and problems were answered and solved -

ease) says Wuji - no trying, no wanting even to remain in Sahaja Samadhi, no ego desire, lust or predilections. The Para Brahman is in every one and everything - and one has only to look within himself to realize this. The Real Guru is within; the indwelling Christ Emmanuel and no

Swadharma has to be awared and endured The art and craft of dying can be very salutary. One can learn to die now and then from time to eternity - and thus experience that there is no real death Being-Awareness, Grace. He was singularly contented and at ease and is very pleased in and with him Self. So although there were deaths galore, minor ones and crucial, and salutary ones, there were no outer, dramatic, emotional and tragic events. No ambition, no inner urge to become 'learned', swell or "proud to meet Ye" - and so no frustration, no envy, no inferior or superior complex, no sin-complex and

from within. How to be consciously and abidingly aware of and in the Ananda Grace that is within and all around egoji? How to be grateful enough for grace - for unity awareness, Self-awareness, Ananda awareness. Ego oblivion is Self-awareness. We can be ego-still and ego-free and so ananda bubbles up. We can live spontaneously (in Self-controlled spontaneity and joyous

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. - Buddha The discipline of desire is the background of character. - John Locke The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. - Michelangelo It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. - Henry David Thoreau Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. - Socrates

Sunyata (Alfred Sorensen)

human can be the real Guru. The human mortal egoji is born with his Guru - the Self and the Maha Nam within. It is ego that prompts a man to assume the role of Guru for accumulation of mundane values. Guruism is a source of exploitation of the innocent man in the name of religion (or of spirituality says Wuji). Excerpted from 'The Nectar of Sunyata.' The 124th birth anniversary of Sunyata was observed on Oct 27

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. - Confucius The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique. - Walt Disney

You Insure all your Valuables, all are replaceable except YOU! So Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

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October 31, 2014

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Futility of Pakistan's bid to internationalize Kashmir

deally, Pakistani efforts to in ternationalize the Kashmir issue should draw big yawns, not just from India but also the international community. After all this is a script that has played out before, and except for a short period in the early 1990s, it hardly draws any traction in international forums. But because of the recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), the ratchetingup of rhetoric from both sides, the Pakistani approach to the UN to intervene and now, the 'million man' march in London, the issue of internationalization of Kashmir has started drawing a little more than passing interest.

India Post

SUSHANT SAREEN

states, or about the exaggerated and mostly false accounts of human rights violations, the 'stifling' presence of the Indian security forces, or even allegations of India violating the ceasefire, it has all been done before. And unfortunately for Pakistan, the world has seen through its game of starting the fire and then running to the international community asking for intervention. The only new tack Pakistan is trying to sell this time is that while it is fighting to save the rest of the world from terrorism - via Operation Zarb-e-Azb - India is creating problems by responding with uncharacteristic ferocity to ceasefire violations.

and brazen brinkmanship. This led to the pressure rebounding on Pakistan which was then forced to withdraw unceremoniously and with utter humiliation from the heights they had occupied. For Pakistan, this is probably the last chance to internationalize Kashmir. They have a small window of opportunity till 2016 when the presence of US and other foreign forces give Pakistan some leverage as they control the logistic and supply routes. Pakistan would like to use this opportunity to get some concession on Kashmir because it knows things will be very different post 2016 and it won't be able to exercise the blackmail on Afghanistan anymore. This means Pakistan will do everything to stir the Kashmir pot - restart violence in the state, heat up the LoC, send delegations to Western capitals to drum up international support, and organize the marches, like the one in London. India could react in two ways: first, ignore Pakistan with contempt and refuse to dignify their propaganda. The problem in this option is that India will leave the field open for Pakistan to feed all sorts of self-serving lies to their western interIndian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol the fenced border with Pakistan as they wade through floodwaters on the outskirts of Jammu locutors. Worse, India could start being perceived as arFor India, Pakistani efforts to But the world knows that more rogant, haughty and with someonce again internationalize Kash- than being a victim of terrorism, thing to hide or embarrassed mir is nothing more than a need- Pakistan is like that arsonist who about something. less distraction. But instead of re- sets fire to his own establishment The second option is engaging acting either with fury or fluster, and then plays victim to claim in- the international community and India should use this as an oppor- surance money. taking the initiative to explain why tunity to show the world Pakistan's Of course, given its nuisance whatever Pakistan says is a lie, perfidy and puerility. value, the world will lend it an ear pointing to Pakistan's past record In a way, Pakistan might be do- (which as if their wont, Pakistan of perfidy and worse, undertaking ing India a favor by trying to in- will misconstrue) and appeal to hectic public diplomacy to expose ternationalize Kashmir, more so at both sides to show restraint and Pakistan - remember Ghulam Nabi this point in time. To not put too start a dialogue. Fai and his ISI-funded jamborees fine a point on it, Pakistan is toIf this is the sum and substance - and making it clear to all counday all but an international pariah, of Pakistani efforts to internation- tries why their indulgence of Pakinot to mention an international alize Kashmir, then it won't be long stan and/or any attempt on their migraine. before the very mention of the word part to either interfere or mediate India, on the other hand, is once Kashmir draws yawns once again. in Kashmir will not be seen as a again being looked at with great Pakistan probably understands friendly act. interest by the international com- this and therefore it will try and If India plays its cards well, then munity and is on the verge of be- further raise the temperature on this internationalization gambit of coming the toast of town. And yet, the border, holding out thinly Pakistan could in fact work in India's strangely enough, Pakistan is strut- veiled threats of a possible nuclear favor because if, after having tried ting with confidence that it will be conflagration. both open and proxy wars, able to gain by internationalizing Normally when this happens, Pakistan's internationalization effort Kashmir, while India remains chary the world tends to lean upon In- also comes a cropper, then there is over the Pakistani ploy. dia, which is seen as a nice and an outside chance that Pakistan There is nothing new or novel reasonable party, to back down and could become amenable to a lastin Pakistan's play this time that it start some dialogue. But the last ing solution to this issue. hasn't tried in the past. Whether it time this happened - Kargil - India The writer is Senior Fellow, is the nonsense about tensions dug in its heels and refused to let Vivekananda International Founbetween two nuclear weapon Pakistan get away with its blatant dation

Calling the bluff

s an annual practice, Pakistani troops increase firing from across the Line of Control in Kashmir just before the winter sets in. The purpose is to push in as many militants as possible to create trouble in Kashmir by engaging the Indian troops so that their attention is diverted and the militants can sneak in. The response from the Indian side, as long as the UPA was in power, was lukewarm. Appeals went out to the Pakistani side to maintain ceasefire. This time however, under the guidance of new PM Narendra Modi the troops were not only told to give back as much as they get but to escalate to teach the other side a lesson. The result was civilian casualties on both sides with Pakistan taking a severe beating and its forward positions were destroyed. This time appeals came from the Pakistani side for talks and disengagement but it was made clear to them that no talks will be held until Pakistan stopped violating the border. Asserting India's new policy, Defense Minister Arun Jaitley said, "When Pakistan used to fire, we always had a shield in our hand. This time we also had a sword." Having thus failed to push in militants, and unable to stop the severe Indian retaliation, Pakistan went complaining to the United Nations. The UN also refused to intervene and repeated its known stand asking the two sides to mutually resolve the dispute through dialogue. Having failed with the UN, Pakistan tried to internationalize the Kashmir issue by organizing a 'Million March' in London. This also turned into fiasco. While Pakistani papers said "thousands" marched against the alleged human rights violations by India in Kashmir, Indian papers described the attendance in hundreds. Instead of focusing on the issue of Kashmir the marchers clashed and eggs and bottles were hurled at Bilawal Bhutto, the Rahul Gandhi of the first family of Pakistan, when he spoke trying to hijack credit for the march. The Bhutto scion had to be rescued by the London police. Instead of putting focus on Kashmir, the so-called 'Million March' (even the Pakistan papers put it in quotes) exposed the internal strife within Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is at loggerheads with the Army. His stated intention to make up with India runs counter to the Pakistani army position of trying to destabilize India, in whatever manner possible. Nothing happens in Pakistan without the concurrence of the Army. So, in order to weaken the Prime Minister, it allowed antigovernment rallies by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and cleric Tahir ul-Qadri who leads the Pakistan Awami Tehreek party. It is interesting note the consequences of strongman Narendra Modi calling the bluff of Pakistan. The perception within Pakistan has been that the threat of using nuclear weapons will keep India from retaliating to the mischief of Pakistan's regular and irregular troops. The perception was quite true as long as ineffective leaders of the UPA were at the helm. It is said that orders from former defense minister AK Antony to Indian soldiers were to duck the bullets but not fire back. Narendra Modi came with the reputation of being a non nonsense "iron man" as the Pakistani papers are fond of calling him. He ordered not only bullet for bullet but such a strong reply as to silence them. And he has not only been able to silence them but what is noticeable is the change in the tune in Pakistan. Never before has Diwali been celebrated with official patronage as this time. A minister was found saying "We are building a new Pakistan where minorities have equal rights." Another minister was quoted as saying Pakistan will continue to trade with India despite tensions along the border because trade will improve standard of living of its own people. Indeed if you stand up to bullies, they start behaving!

October 31, 2014

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