Indiapost 11 08 2013 by Ghanshyam Bisht

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Sardar Patel remembered at Indian Consulate Details on page 16

1.34 lakh return from Saudi, Govt watching Details on page 6

VOL 19, No. 999

November 8, 2013

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Periodical Postage

INDIA MISSION ON WAY TO MARS Only fourth nation to do so

SRIHARIKOTA, Andhra Pradesh: India's maiden mission to Mars was successfully launched on Tuesday November 5 with its polar rocket placing the Mars spacecraft precisely into an intended Earth orbit in its first-ever historic inter-planetary odyssey in a bid to join a select band of nations. In a "new and complex mission design", ISRO's PSLV C 25 successfully injected the 1,350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter ('Mars craft' in Hindi) into the orbit around Earth some 44 minutes after a text book launch at 2.38 PM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, marking the successful completion of the first stage of the Rs 450 crore mission.

Details on page 9

Indian-origin scientist explains evolution of life Details on page 7

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

Will India’s Mars Mission succeed? Last week’s result

Would Sardar Patel have made a better PM for India? YES 57%

NO 43%

Details on page 6

Indian troops in China for military exercises

UK scraps contentious visa bond plan Details on page 7

Youth to be focus of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

Nehru had called Patel a 'total communalist' NEW DELHI: The BJP has raked up another controversy over Sardar Patel with L K Advani quoting a book to allege that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru called his Home Minister a "total communalist" when the latter suggested that army be sent to take over a defiant Hyderabad after Independence. In his latest blog posting, Advani has referred to extracts of a book "The Story of an Era Told without Ill Will" by M K K Nair, an IAS officer of 1947 batch who served in the Union of India and was believed to be close to Sardar Patel. The book refers to "sharp exchanges" between Nehru and Patel in a Cabinet meeting before "police action" against Hyderabad. Written in Malayalam, the book is in the process of being translated into English.

Details on page 12

Details on page 8

Details on page 5

Legendary folk singer Reshma dies in Lahore

Plight of Indian spouses on H4 visa

Details on page 6

Modi will have to 'unlearn' before learning eco Details on page 10

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 36-37 Classifieds ------------------------- 52 Community Post -------------- 16-23 Date Book -------------------------- 48 Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 32-35 Horoscope ------------------------- 51 Immigration Post ------------- 12-14 Life Style ----------------------- 28-31 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4

INDIA ON WAY UP: The country’s first mission to Mars shoots into space on board PSLV C25 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (ISRO) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

Real Estate -------------------- 38-39 TechBiz Post ------------------- 44-47 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 41-43

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Publisher’s Diary

olitical news is embarrassing enough, but what is most distressing is the alarming increase in the incidents of sexual assault on women across India. Mumbai city hasn't recovered from the gang rape of a young photojournalist over two months ago and now there is another heinous case of gang rape of a 16 year old in Goregaon that has brought people out on the streets. The incident occurred as the Diwali festivities were on in the country. Statistics show that almost 250,000 crimes - from sexual assaults to dowry harassment - against women were reported to the police in India last year. What makes the situation peculiar in the current context is that rapes by strangers are increasing where statistically most rapes are supposed to be committed by someone known to the victim. Young working women and foreign tourists are increasingly becoming targets of lumpen elements, which apparently live on the fringes of society, steeped with attitudes of traditional patriarchy and impunity. In India, apart from the changing economic statuses across the board and the increase in the number of women coming out of their homes to either study or work, is the dark reality of the rise of the lumpen that survives on easy money through crime. Their brazenness comes from desperation to assert their male identity, and their sense of impunity comes from the sure knowledge that they can get away from the police and law in general. But it is not a situation that is peculiar to India or particular to the present time if one were to try to understand a context for sexual crimes against women. Whether it is the most advanced of nations like the United States or a developing nation like Brazil or the poverty-stricken South Africa or the ultra conservative Islamic nation of Saudi Arabia, sexual crimes against women are no less in numbers and no less heinous. Law, it would seem, is woefully inadequate to prevent such crimes anywhere in the world. What or who then will deter these men? I think, women themselves.

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Toughest role Aamir Khan, who has played a variety of roles in his 25-year-old career, says 'Dhoom 3' is his toughest role so far.

Cover Story: Mars mission India's mission to Mars has been successfully launched with its polar rocket placing the Mars spacecraft in orbit

Community: Patel remembered The photo frame of Sardar Patel was garlanded at the Indian Consulate in New York in the presence of Consul General

36 1 16

Immigration: Plight of spouses Spouses who come to the US under the H4 visa are in for a really problematic time ahead of them in an unknown country.

Life Style: Stars' Diwali For Amitabh Bachchan, the "joy" of Diwali was celebrating the festival with members of the Indian film fraternity

Techbiz: Fast-growing app Snapchat CEO Spiegel's fast-growing mobile app lets users send photos and messages that disappear in a few seconds

Travel: Istanbul Places in Istanbul recommened for visiting are Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Dolmabahce Palace.

12 28 44 41

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India mission on way to Mars Only fourth nation to do so SRIHARIKOTA, Andhra Pradesh: India's maiden mission to Mars was successfully launched on Tuesday November 5 with its polar rocket placing the Mars spacecraft precisely into an intended Earth orbit in its firstever historic inter-planetary odyssey in a bid to join a select band of nations. In a "new and complex mission design", ISRO's PSLV C 25 successfully injected the 1,350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter ('Mars craft' in Hindi) into the orbit around Earth some 44 minutes after a text book launch at 2.38 PM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, marking the successful completion of the first stage of the Rs 450 crore mission. Entering a new frontier in space technology, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s mission is aimed at establishing India's capability to reach the Red Planet and would focus on looking for presence of methane, an indicator of life there. "The PSLV C25 vehicle has placed the Mars Orbiter spacecraft very precisely into an elliptical orbit around Earth," ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan said after the launch. This is the 25th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and "it has been a new and complex mission design to ensure that we would be able to move the MARS Orbiter spacecraft from the orbit of Earth to the orbit of MARS

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talks with ISRO chairman after the successful launch of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Mars mission in New Delhi on November 5

visibly relieved and happy Radhakrishnan told reporters. The rocket injected the satellite into Earth's orbit over South America, which was captured by ISRO's sea-borne terminals on board Shipping Corporation of India's vessels SCI Nalanda and

Though there have been 51 missions to Mars (excluding MOM) by a few countries, only 21 have been successful. What follows in the next 10 days for the Indian Mars mission would be six crucial "orbit raising operations," with minimum energy," he said from Mission Control Room. After going around Earth for 25 days in an elliptical orbit (perigee of 250 km and apogee of 23,500 km), the golden colored probe, the size of a small car, would embark on a 10-month long voyage to Mars around 12.42 AM on December 1. It is expected to reach the Red Planet's orbit by September 24 next and go around in an elliptical orbit (periapsis of 366 km and apoapsis of 80,000 km). "I am happy to say the spacecraft is in good health. It has done a task what had to be done," a

SCI Yamuna in the South Pacific Ocean. There was a data break of over 10 minutes as expected after burnout of the third stage and the Mission Control Centre got signals on ignition of the fourth stage. "The biggest challenge will be precisely navigating the spacecraft to Mars," said Radhakrishnan, adding, "We will know if we pass our examination on Sept. 24, 2014." The robotic satellite, which is undertaking the over 200-millionkm long journey to Mars, is equipped with five instruments, including a sensor to track meth-

ane or marsh gas - a possible sign of life - on Mars. If all goes well and the satellite orbits the Red Planet, ISRO will become the fourth in the world after those of the US, Russia and Europe to undertake a successful Mars mission. The Mars missions of China and Japan have failed. Though there have been 51 missions to Mars (excluding MOM) by a few countries, only 21 have been successful. What follows in the next 10 days for the Indian Mars mission would be six crucial "orbit raising operations," in the coming days. The PSLV rocket rose to the sky with a roar, spewing fire and smoke and soon it disappeared into the clouds, triggering cheers and hand claps at the Mission Control Room where hundreds of scientists stayed glued to the computer screens that displayed the progress in its flight path. There was a slight drizzle a couple of hours before the launch. The tense - albeit expected phase came soon after the third stage of the rocket was burned out, and the blip on the tracking screens disappeared. As Radhakrishnan had explained earlier, the rocket would be on a coasting phase for almost 28 minutes, 10 minutes of which will be a

"total blind phase." The ISRO chief said that "five beautiful instruments" - Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP), Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM), Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer (MENCA), Mars Color Camera (MCC) and Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) on Mars orbiter were expected to beam important information for the Indian scientific community. While LAP and MSM would help in atmospheric studies, MENCA would focus on studying particle environment. MCC and TIS would contribute to studying surface imaging of the red planet. ISRO has made arrangements with NASA to use its Jet Propulsion Laboratory facilities at Goldstone (U.S.), Madrid (Spain) and Canberra (Australia) for communicating with this mission, while on the Martian journey. The life of the Indian satellite is based on the need for extra fuel if any, since the Mars orbiter has to undergo certain course corrections over the 10-month long cruise. Brushing aside criticism on the cost of the mission, Radhakrishnan, also the Space Department Secretary said MOM is one of the "cheapest and low cost missions to Mars." The mission would also explore Mars surface features, morphol-

Air Force Station, Florida on Nov 18 to study changes to the Martian atmosphere. Both satellites would cruise towards the Red Planet together during their Martian journey and are expected to reach Mars orbit in September 2014.-PTI

CHINESE MEDIA CRITICAL BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing when he was asked about India's Mars probe, "Outer space is shared by the entire mankind. Every country has the right to make peaceful exploration and use of outer space," At the same time, he said, the international community should make joint efforts to ensure enduring peace and sustainable development of outer space". Asked whether China is apprehensive of India's space program, Hong said relations between the two countries are on a path of steady growth. "Political mutual trust between our two countries has increased and mutual cooperation has expanded," he said. However, the official Chinese media alleged that India is undertaking ambitious ventures to overtake its own space program. The state-run Global Times daily criticized India's space program, saying it sent a probe to Mars de-

ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan addressing the media on the launch of Mars Orbiter Mission on board PSLV C 25 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre

ogy, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments. US has also scheduled launch of a similar NASA-designed multicorporation mission 'MAVEN' (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) from Cape Canaveral

spite having millions of poor people to gain an advantage over China. "India has an ambitious goal of leading Asia in this area, especially having an advantage over China," it said in an editorial titled "India's space ambition offers clue to China".

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Youth to be focus of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas NEW DELHI: Reaching out to the young generation of overseas Indians and harnessing their energy will be the focus of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to be held in the national capital from January 7-9, 2014. One of the highlights of the annual celebrations is a Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (YouthPBD) on January 7, Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi told reporters here. Ravi said that this was the first time that such a youth conclave is being organized. With a large population of youth, India is a young nation. It is in the fitness of things therefore, that there is a focus on YouthPBD, he said. The Union minister said that they are expecting minimum of 1,500 NRIs to participate in the three-day conclave with the theme "Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations". "The target is 2,000 NRIs and we hope that it will cross the 1,500 mark," Ravi told reporters. "There are 25 million Indians living abroad. We give a platform to a large number of delegations to come, participate, discuss and suggest to the government of India.

Naturally it will make us understand the problems they face in the respective country," Ravi said. He said youth organizations have been invited and embassies asked to send stronger delegations from different parts of the world.

"This can be a new connection with the youth and also to let them see and understand India and be proud," Ravi added. Asked if Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is being invited to the Youth PBD, Ravi said," I am yet to talk to him but I have an idea to invite him." -PTI

Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi addressing a press conference to brief about forthcoming edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi

1.34 lakh return from Saudi, Govt watching situation NEW DELHI: With 1.34 lakh Indian workers already returning to the homeland, Government is closely watching the situation in Saudi Arabia which is targeting illegal foreigners under its new labor policy, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said. Asked about the drive in Saudi Arabia under which foreigners who have not corrected labor and residency status under its new labor policy - Nitaqat - are being deported, Ravi said that till now no incident of harassment of Indian nationals has been reported. "The issue in Saudi Arabia has already been taken up. So far they have not entered into any house for checking. Saudi Arabian government has given specific instructions not to harass people but to check properly and not enter any house," Ravi told reporters at the sidelines of an event. He said those Indians who are coming back as they are unable to stay there, are also given assistance by the ministry. "1.34 lakh Indians have already come back from Saudi

Arabia," Ravi said. He said India is closely watching the situation and in touch with various associations as well. The embassy is very actively assisting in case of any problem, he added. Saudi Arabia has launched a strict inspection campaign to tar-

He said the number of Indians there has gone up from 2.4 million to 2.8 million. "But there are some people without proper documents and they will send them back. My ministry is in touch with the ambassadorâ&#x20AC;? get illegal foreign workers after the seven-month grace period ended. The campaign is expected to continue throughout the year and there is no time limit set for it. Asked if the move will ad-

versely affect India's remittances, Ravi said that a delegation from the ministry has already gone to Saudi Arabia and has discussed the issue. "I was in touch with them. They went in April and also gave suggestions. That is why there are no complaints of harassment to Indians being made. They are checking, listing and people are coming back. This is going on," said Ravi. He said the number of Indians there has gone up from 2.4 million to 2.8 million. "But there are some people without proper documents and they will send them back. My ministry is in touch with the ambassador and we are providing all the help they want." Asked whether Indians are being targeted abroad, Ravi said, "One cannot make such a general statement. "There will be some issues here and there, some in the Gulf countries as the employment question comes in. Indians are not targeted and that is why no such serious complaints have come to us."-PTI

Nehru had called Patel a 'total communalist' NEW DELHI: The BJP has After Nehru set aside Patel's raked up another controversy advice that the army should be over Sardar Patel with L K Advani sent in, then Governor General quoting a book to allege that then Rajaji prevailed over the Prime Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru Minister to send the army to called his Home Minister a "total Hyderabad. communalist" when the latter sugAs the situation continued to gested that army be sent to take worsen, Rajaji called Nehru and over a defiant Hyderabad after Patel to Rashtrapati Bhawan to Independence. discuss the issue. In his latest blog posting, Meanwhile, the army was kept Advani has referred to extracts of battle-ready. During his meeting a book "The Story of an Era Told without Ill Will" by M K K Nair, an IAS officer of 1947 batch who served in the Union of India and was believed to be close to Sardar Patel. The book refers to "sharp exchanges" beL K Advani tween Nehru and Patel in a Cabinet meeting before "police ac- with Nehru and Patel, Rajaji used tion" against Hyderabad. Written a letter from the British High Comin Malayalam, the book is in the missioner protesting against the process of being translated into rape of a 70-year-old nun of a conEnglish. vent two days earlier by Razakars The Nizam, who wanted to ac- of Hyderabad. cede to Pakistan, had sent an emV P Menon, a bureaucrat and issary to the neighboring coun- close aide of Patel, had given this try and transferred a huge sum of letter to Rajaji before the meeting. money to the government there. "Rajaji in his typical style deThe Nizam's officials were report- scribed the situation in edly heaping atrocities on locals. Hyderabad. He felt that, to safe"At a cabinet meeting, Patel guard India's reputation, a decihad described these things and sion should not be delayed any demanded that army be sent to longer. Nehru was concerned end the terror-regime in about international repercusHyderabad. Nehru who usually sions. Rajaji then played his trump spoke calmly, peacefully and with card - the letter from the British international etiquette, spoke losing his composure, 'You are a total "At a cabinet meeting, Patel communalist. I will had described these things never accept your recand demanded that army ommendation... "Patel remained un- be sent to end the terrorperturbed but left the regime in Hyderabad. Nehru room with his papers," who usually spoke calmly, Advani says, quoting peacefully and with internafrom Nair's book. BJP has of late been tional etiquette, spoke losing trying to appropriate Sardar Patel as a leader his composure, 'You are a close to the Hindutva total communalist. I will ideology. never accept your recomBJP has also alleged that Sardar Patel's con- mendation...â&#x20AC;? tribution was never hailed by the Congress and that it High Commissioner. only eulogized the Nehru-Gandhi "Nehru read it. His face turned family. According to Nair's book, red...Anger choked his words. He Nehru wanted to take the shot out of his chair, slammed his Hyderabad issue to the UN, just fist on the table and cried out, 'Let's as he did with the Kashmir issue, not waste a moment. We'll teach Advani said in his blog. them a lesson'.-PTI

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UK scraps contentious visa bond plan LONDON: The controversial 3,000-pound visa bond scheme for some "high risk" overseas visitors to the UK, including those from India, which was scheduled to be implemented on a pilot scale this month has been scrapped, it was officially stated here. "The government has been considering whether we pilot a bond scheme that would deter people from overstaying their visa. We have decided not to proceed," a government spokesman told PTI. The move comes ahead of Prime Minister David Cameron's third visit in two years to India on November 14. Cameron, who will make a daylong visit before heading to Sri Lanka to attend Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on November 15-16, will hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on key bilateral and regional issues. India had conveyed its serious concern about the scheme to the British government both at the ministerial and official levels. Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg

had also supported India's stand and threatened to block the proposal.

short-term visa had expired. Visitors would have paid a 3,000-pound cash bond before

Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Minister David Cameron takes part in a ceremony at the Hindu temple Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London during Diwali on November 4

The aim of the scheme was to reduce the number of people from some "high risk" countries - including India, Pakistan, and Nigeria - staying in the UK once their

arrival in the UK - which would be forfeited if they failed to make the return trip. Labor MP Keith Vaz, Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee

Indian-origin scientist explains evolution of life WASHINGTON: An Indianorigin scientist claims to have solved the mystery of how life on Earth exactly began about 4 billion years ago after studying three sites containing the world's oldest fossils. According to Sankar Chatterjee, a Texas Tech University paleontologist, meteorite bombardment left large craters on Earth that contained water and chemical building blocks for life, which ultimately led to the first

had also voiced his concern about the controversial bond scheme. "During this shambolic process the Home Office has managed to upset a number of foreign governments and confuse millions of potential visitors. This is not the way to fashion a strong and effective immigration policy," he said. "The Home Secretary is right to shelve the bond proposals. At the time Mrs (Theresa) May (Home Secretary) announced the pilot, I warned her that bonds would not work. Unfortunately the damage has already been done to our relationship with India," Vaz said.

organisms. How life begin on planet Earth has baffled humans for millennia. Chatterjee believes he has found the answer by connecting theories on chemical evolution with evidence related to our planet's early geology. "This is bigger than finding any dinosaur. This is what we have all searched for - the Holy Grail of science," Chatterjee said. Thanks to regular and heavy comet and meteorite bombard-

Sankar Chatterjee

ment of Earth's surface during its formative years 4 billion years ago, the large craters left behind not only contained water and the basic chemical building blocks for life, but also became the perfect crucible to concentrate and cook these chemicals to create the first simple organisms. Chatterjee's research suggests meteorites can be givers of life as well as takers. He said that meteor and comet strikes likely brought the ingredients and created the right conditions for life on our planet. By studying three sites containing the world's oldest fossils, he believes he knows how the first single-celled organisms formed in hydrothermal crater basins. "When the Earth formed some 4.5 billion years ago, it was a sterile planet inhospitable to living organisms," Chatterjee said. "It was a seething cauldron of erupting volcanoes, raining meteors and hot, noxious gasses. One billion years later, it was a placid, watery planet teeming with microbial life - the ancestors to all living things," he said. Chatterjee presented his findings during the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver. -PTI

DEPUTY PM BLAMED

Cameron has firmly blamed Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for the coalition's failed plan to force visitors from the socalled "high risk" countries to pay a 3,000-pound visa bond. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry's Annual Conference, the Prime Minister publicly slapped down his Liberal Democrat colleague over the plan, saying, "This was an idea that the Deputy Prime Minister first proposed but we are not proposing to go ahead with it." To laughs, he added, "He has lots of good ideas. We have just decided not to go ahead with it." In response, a spokesman for the Deputy Prime Minister said

that Clegg's proposal was "entirely different to the one from the Home Office". He said, "Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats thought they could serve as an additional tool and safeguard for immigration officers when making borderline decisions." By contrast, the Home Office wanted it as an additional requirement on a much wider range of legal migrants. Ultimately, Liberal Democrats in government were clear that we would not agree to the Home Office's version of the policy. As a result, they have dropped it," he said. Earlier this year, the Liberal Democrat leader said he would stop the plan if it was implemented in an "indiscriminate way". Clegg told BBC's Andrew Marr Show, "Of course in a coalition I can stop things," and added, "I am absolutely not interested in a bond which becomes an indiscriminate way of clobbering people who want to come to this country, and in many respects bring great prosperity and benefits to this country, of course not."

NOT TARGETED AT INDIA Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron has said that the scheme was never targeted at India. "It was an idea suggested within government but we decided not to go ahead with the idea...We want people from India to visit Britain," he told an Indian TV channel.-PTI

India happy with scrapping of visa bond scheme NEW DELHI: India has said it was happy that UK government has taken on board its "concerns" over the proposed 3,000-pound visa bond scheme and asserted that people-topeople contacts provide strength and durability to the long standing warm and friendly bilateral ties. Soon after media reports on the proposed visa bond scheme came to the Government's attention earlier this year, India responded promptly by raising the matter with the UK Government. "Our views on the subject were conveyed to the UK Government at different levels, including by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma

in his meetings in June 2013 during his visit to London. "These were once again discussed during the India-UK Comprehensive Dialogue on Visa Related Issues held in London in July 2013," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said here. "We are happy to learn that UK Government has taken on board our concerns as well as concerns expressed by other quarters. "UK and India have a strategic partnership. People-topeople contacts provide strength and durability to our long standing warm and friendly ties with the UK," he said.-PTI

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Indian troops in China for military exercises BEIJING: Indian and Chinese armies are all set to hold their third joint military exercises after a gap of five years, as a 150strong Indian army contingent arrived in Chengdu city to take part in anti-terrorism drills. The 10-day drill code named "hand in hand" would be formally inaugurated tomorrow at a designated area close to Chengdu city. The annual exercises, which began in 2007, are being resumed after a gap of five years. The first exercises were held in China's Kunming city followed by the second round

Soldiers displaying Martial art skills during the Indo China joint training exercise in Chengdu on November 5

at Belgaum in Karanataka in 2008. The next round was called off by India following the denial of visa to a top General heading troops in Jammu and Kashmir on the grounds that the region formed part of disputed territory. The two sides resumed contacts after China rescinded its decision and began issuing regular visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, a move that facilitated a broad engagement between the two giant neighbors. However, border tensions flared up when Chinese troops pitched tents deep inside the Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region in April this year. It was resolved subsequently ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to New Delhi followed by return visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here last month. During Singh's visit, the two countries signed the Border Defense Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) which both sides be-

Significantly, the exercises focusing on anti-terrorism drills were taking place as China stepped up its campaign against terrorism after last week's suicide attack at the Forbidden City overlooking Tiananmen Square here lieve would effectively address a host of issues causing tension at the disputed border. The military exercises were firmed up during Defense Minister A K Antony's visit here in July this year. Significantly, the exercises focusing on anti-terrorism drills were taking place as China stepped up its campaign against terrorism after last week's suicide attack at the Forbidden City overlooking Tiananmen Square here. Following this China said it would up step anti-terrorism cooperation members of the six member Shanghai Cooperation Organization consisting of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan are observers in the grouping. -PTI

November 8, 2013

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Legendary folk singer Reshma dies in Lahore ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Legendary Pakistani folk singer Reshma, who mesmerized music lovers in the Indian subcontinent with soulful rendition of songs like 'Lambi Judai' and 'Dama Dam Mast Kalandar' in her trademark rustic voice, died in Lahore after a prolonged battle with throat cancer. Born in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in a Banjara family, 66-year-old Reshma was under treatment after being diagnosed with the disease years ago. Reshma, known as Nightingale of the Desert, is survived by son Umair and daughter Khadija. Her funeral was held in Lahore and was attended by her relatives and well wishers. "She had been in coma for the last month and was diagnosed with throat cancer some years ago," said doctor Rahim of the hospital where she was undergoing treatment. Reshma's tribe had migrated to Karachi shortly after partition and the singer, who remained unaffected by the fame, had once said that "the borders do not matter to me...because, an artiste belongs to all". Remembering her origins to the sandy lands in India, she had said: "People in India showered me with a lot of admiration. In Pakistan, people have given me respect. But in India also, they listen to me with lot of love. It does not matter to them that I am a Pakistani singer." Having received no formal education in music, Reshma was only 12 when she was spotted singing at Sufi saint Shahbaz Qalander's shrine by a television and radio producer, who arranged for her to record the iconic song 'Laal Meri' on state-run

Reshma was once invited to meet then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a music lover, had come to her aid and gave her Rs 1 million to help pay off a bank loan Pakistan Radio. The song was an instant hit and Reshma went on to become one of the most popular folk singers of Pakistan, appearing on television in the 1960s, as well as recording songs for both Pakistani and Indian film industry. "Singers of that level and magnitude are an institution in themselves and her passing away means a complete era has passed away. It is a huge loss," Taimur Rahman, lead singer of Pakistani band Laal, told PTI. Some of her famous numbers include 'Hai O Rabba nahion lagda dil mera' and 'Ankhiyan no rehen de ankhyan de kol kol'. Reshma, who has a massive and loyal fan following, received several national awards including 'Sitara-i-Imtiaz' and 'Legend of Pakistan'. She was able to perform live in India much later, during the 1980s when India and

Pakistan allowed exchange of artistes. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai used her voice in the film 'Hero', which featured one of her most famous songs 'Lambi Judai'. Reshma was once invited to meet then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a music lover, had come to her aid and gave her Rs 1 million to help pay off a

bank loan. He also put her on a secured assistance of Rs 10,000 rupees per month. When she was hospitalized in Doctors Hospital at Lahore on April 6, 2013, the caretaker government led by Najam Sethi decided to pay all her medical expenses. Indian and Pakistani music industry mourned the demise of legendary singer Reshma, describing her as a "voice of passion" and "an inspiration to many". Pakistani band Junoon's former guitarist Salman Ahmad tweeted, "A voice of passion not of this earth (RIP) 'Hayo Rabba'".-PTI

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Indians mark their biggest festival with fireworks NEW DELHI: Millions of Indians set off deafening firework displays on Nov 3 to light up the sky for Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil. People across India also handed out sweets, exchanged greetings with friends and relatives, and adorned their homes with glowing lanterns and oil lamps as they celebrated the country's most important festival of the year. Diwali marks the return home of the Hindu god Rama from a 14year exile after killing the demon Ravana, who had abducted his wife, Sita, according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. A near-constant stream of fireworks and firecrackers lasting until midnight is expected to leave a dark, smoggy cloud lingering for days - a matter of concern for environmentalists.

down on the number of fireworks, and some schools sent notices home urging parents not to buy any.

India's economic downturn appears to have impacted this year's celebrations.

S.K. Tyagi, a senior scientist at the pollution control board, said the noise level at last year's Diwali

Mindful of the pollution and the dangers of the deafening displays, authorities pushed this year to cut

festival was down from 2011, due mainly to the use of less noisy fireworks.

At a wholesale market in New Delhi, shopkeeper Mahesh Chand Sagar said the sputtering economy was affecting sales. ``Fulfilling one's basic needs has become a problem nowadays,'' said Sagar, 40, who has been selling candles, garlands and other decorations for the past 10 years. ``If people can't afford basic necessities, how will they buy decorative items?'' People typically buy gold during Diwali, including jewelry, coins and small statues of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh. But the government has imposed a steep new tax on gold imports, making the already high prices far out of reach for many Indians. Diwali also is celebrated by Hindus in other parts of the world, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Malaysia. -AP

5 Indian-Americans charged for big fraud scheme WASHINGTON: Five Indian- proceeds. Americans have been formally Brahmbhatt, 39, from Texas and charged with fraud over a scheme Mehta, 47, from Illinois, were each to fraudulently obtain more than charged with one count of bank USD 10 million in loan proceeds fraud and will be presented on a and could face up to 30 years in date to be determined in the US prison if found guilty. District Court, the Justice DepartTwo of the men co-owned gas ment said. stations spread across the US Ghuman and Khan recruited states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska purchasers who did not qualify for and Wisconsin and sold them to loans from the Small Business purchasers financed by bank Administration and arranged for loans obtained with false finan- loans in the name of the cial representations. purchaser's relative or friend who The 23-count indictment by a had acceptable credit. federal grand jury was unsealed Khan, Ghuman and in a Chicago court after the arrest Brahmbhatt knew this straw purof 34-year-old Charanpal Ghuman. chaser would have no role in the The others who were indicted are gas station or repayment of the Aga Khan, his brother Shabbir loans. In addition, they provided Khan, Akash Brahmbhatt and Shital Ghuman and Khan recruited Mehta. The men could face purchasers who did not a maximum penalty of 30 qualify for loans from the years in prison and a million dollar fine for Small Business Administrathe charges. tion and arranged for loans Ghuman and Khan co-owned the gas sta- in the name of the tions and sold them to purchaser's relative or friend purchasers who got who had acceptable credit bank loans guaranteed in part by the Small Business Administration. false information and documents They allegedly recruited pur- to be submitted to the bank, inchasers and arranged the loans cluding fake information about through Brahmbhatt, a bank loan employment, income, assets, and officer, based on false financial liabilities; false tax returns allegrepresentations, including fake edly and false information about tax returns prepared by Mehta, an the purchasers' contributions of accountant, the Justice Depart- equity. ment said. Ghuman and Khan allegedly They allegedly engaged in the gave gifts like cars to Brahmbhatt scheme during 2006-09. The in- for his alleged assistance in prodictment seeks forfeiture of ap- cessing the loans. The proceeds proximately USD 10 million from were paid to Ghuman and Khan Ghuman and Khan, as well as USD as payment for gas stations 198,180 in proceeds from the sale owned by various business entiof Ghuman's luxury car, which was ties they controlled, federal prosallegedly purchased with fraud ecutors said. -PTI

Record number runners compete Modi will have to 'unlearn' in NYC Marathon before learning economics

NEW YORK: Bomb-sniffing dogs roamed the streets and police officers guarded nearly every corner. None of the heightened security, however, could keep a record number of runners from competing in the New York City Marathon. On a crisp fall Sunday Nov 3, 50,740 people started the race including the millionth in the 33year history of the marathon - that touches all five of the city's boroughs. New York shined in all its splendor for a national television audience, a year after the race was canceled because of Superstorm

Sandy. ``This is one big showcase of the city,'' said Mary Wittenberg, president of the New York Road Runners. ``The marathon is a good analogy. Step by step this is a long recovery from Sandy. You can go to parts of the city where they aren't recovered. This is progress and that progress has to continue. I really hope that today is another good step forward for us.'' Charles Breslin lost his home in the storm. He was volunteering at the marathon and welcomed the race's return. ``I don't know how the rest of

Staten Island feels about, but it can only be a good thing,'' he said. ``You have to get back to normalcy.'' This was far from a typical NYC Marathon, with the Boston Marathon bombings in April bringing increased vigilance. While fans could walk right up to most spots along the course to cheer as in previous years, security was tightened throughout the city. ``There were zero incidents, zero threats,'' Wittenberg said. ``It went really smooth. There was a very noticeable increased presence coming in.''-AP

NEW DELHI: As Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on the government accusing it of failing to curb price rise, Finance Minister P Chidambaram hit back saying the BJP's prime ministerial candidate will have to "unlearn" a lot before he learns about Indian economy. "I am glad that he is beginning to take interest in Indian economy. As he takes more interest, he will discover that there is much more to learn. First they have to unlearn a lot then learn," Chidambaram said. He was responding to questions on Modi attacking the gov-

ernment for failing to check inflation and making "hollow" promises to improve the economic situation. At a press conference here, Chidambaram hinted that the worst for the economy may be over and the country will have a bumper harvest and the troublesome Current Account Deficit (CAD) will come down on back of rising exports and declining gold imports. Modi has been targeting UPA and Congress in particular on the economic policies, accusing it of ignoring ground realities. -PTI

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US consulting India-Pak on FMCT talks WASHINGTON: The United States is consulting with key nuclear powers along with India and Pakistan on ways to commence negotiations on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT), a US official said. The FMCT is a proposed international treaty, prohibiting further production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices.

Community. "The United States is consulting with China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, as well as others, including India and Pakistan, to find a way to commence negotiations of an FMCT," Frank A Rose, Deputy Assistant-Secretary of State for Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, said. Rose said that initiating multi-

"A Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty or FMCT would codify an end to the production of weaponsgrade fissile material needed to create nuclear weapons, cap stockpiles worldwide, and provide the basis for further, deeper, reductions in nuclear arsenals," Obama had said in his remarks Pakistan is the only country that has been blocking repeatedly the start of the FMCT negotiations, frustrating the International

lateral negotiations on the FMCT is priority objective for the United States and for the vast majority of states.

Morgan's hiring in India, Singapore under scrutiny NEW YORK: The US authorities are believed to be scrutinizing the hiring practices of banking giant J P Morgan Chase in India, South Korea and Singapore following a probe into its activities in China regarding hiring children of powerful officials to win lucrative business deals. A report in the New York Time said that the federal investigation into the hiring practices of JPMorgan Chase appears to be expanding beyond China into other Asian markets. In a filing with Securities and Exchange Commission, the bank

disclosed that the federal regulator and the Justice Department were now looking into "its business relationships with certain related clients in the Asia Pacific region and its engagement of consultants in the Asia Pacific region." While JPMorgan did not specify the countries where the inquiries were directed, the NYT report cited people briefed on the matter as saying that government authorities are examining JPMorgan's hiring practices throughout Asia, focusing on South Korea, Singapore and India. -PTI

NRI community attends Hamid Ansari reception LONDON: Several prominent members from the NRI community in the UK attended a reception here hosted in honor of Vice President Hamid Ansari and his wife. Ansari arrived here on the third and last leg of his three-nation tour. He flew in here from Havana after completing a visit to Cuba and Peru. The reception hosted by India's Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dr Virander Paul was

attended by Lord Swraj Paul, Chairman of the Caparo Group, Lord Gulam Noon, Founder Chairman of the Noon products, Lord Karan Billimoria, Founder chairman of the Cobra Beers and Lord Dolar Popat, Chairman of the Conservative Friends of India. Others include Lord Diljit Rana, Lord Meghnad Desai, Baroness Shriela Flather and Joginder Sangar, Chairman of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. -PTI

He said that the US has been working to initiate such negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. "An overwhelming majority of nations support the immediate commencement of FMCT negotiations," Rose said. US President Barack Obama had in Berlin called on all nations to start negotiations on a treaty that ends the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons. "A Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty or FMCT would codify an end to the production of weapons-grade fissile material needed to create nuclear weapons, cap stockpiles worldwide, and provide the basis for further, deeper, reductions in nuclear arsenals," Obama had said in his remarks. Earlier in 2009, Rose said that the five nuclear-weapon states, or "P5," began to meet regularly for discussions on issues of transparency, mutual confidence, and verification. Since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference of 2010, these discussions have expanded to address P5 implementation of their (the P5 nations) commitments under the NPT and the 2010 Review Conference Action Plan. Russia hosted the most recent P5 conference in Geneva in April 2013, where the P5 reviewed progress towards fulfilling the commitments made at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. They continued discussions on issues related to all three pillars of the NPT: nonproliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including confidence- building, transparency, and verification experiences. "We are looking forward to continued discussions at a fifth P5 conference in 2014," Rose said. "In addition to providing a senior level policy forum for discussion and coordination among the P5, this process has spawned a series of discussions among policymakers and government experts on a variety of issues," he said. "The P5 are discussing approaches to a common format for NPT reporting, and we are also beginning to engage at expert levels on some important verification and transparency issues. As we proceed, we would like the P5 conferences and intersessional meetings to develop further practical transparency measures that build confidence and predictability," Rose

3 Indians jailed for bribery attempt in Dubai DUBAI: Three Indian barbers have been jailed for one year each after being caught in a sting operation offering 1500 dirhams (USD 400) as bribe to a Dubai health inspector to get one of them a health card despite suffering from a contagious disease. The trio, identified by initials IM, AK and MS, were said to have offered a bribe to the Dubai Municipality health inspector to ignore the hepatitis B disease AK was suffering from and issue him a health card, Gulf News reported. Although they entered a plea saying they were not guilty, the Dubai Court of First Instance found them guilty of offering a bribe. The court also fined the defendants 600 dirhams each and said the bribe money would be confiscated. IM mediated for AK and MS to pay hush money to the inspector at Dubai Municipality's clinic and

issue a health card saying that AK was healthy, prosecutors said. "The barbershop supervisor (IM) said earlier health cards had been issued to individuals with contagious diseases. I promised I would reconsider...then I told my boss. She suggested that I pretend to have agreed in order to expose the staff members who processed the health cards to unhealthy individuals," the health inspector said. Records said the incident took place in June. An Emirati police lieutenant testified he was given the task of talking to the municipality inspector and organizing a sting operation, during which the defendants were caught offering the bribe, the report said. The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 11 days. The convicts will be deported following the completion of their jail terms. -PTI

3 Indians killed in Oman road accident DUBAI: Three Indians have been killed while another Indian and an Omani national were seriously injured in a road mishap in Oman, a media report said. The Indians, hailing from Kerala were killed while they were traveling to Muscat from Sur. The victims have been identified as Fincer, Shibu Samuel, and Anil. The injured Indian has been identified as Iqbal. He is undergoing treatment for eye injuries at a local hospital.

The name of the Omani national, critically injured and lying in hospital is yet to be ascertained, the Times of Oman reported. "All the four Indians were traveling to Muscat. Anil, friend of Shibu, had come on a visit visa to Oman. After, visiting his relatives in Sur, he was traveling back to Muscat when the tragedy happened," victims' friends said. "Shibu had come to Sur to celebrate his child's first birthday," they said.-PTI

Indian dupes some 500 Hajj pilgrims in Saudi JEDDAH: An Indian national in Saudi Arabia has allegedly duped some 500 pilgrims of nearly USD 400,000 through a fake Hajj campaign here, prompting authorities to launch a manhunt for him. The victims of the fake scheme are all expatriates. They were informed by the Indian in mid-September that they will have tents in Mina and receive free food and transportation. However, after collecting over 1.5 million Saudi Riyal, the man disappeared and switched his mobile off. Victims were assured by the

Saudi authorities that the man who cheated them is still in the Kingdom and cannot flee the country, Saudi Gazette reported. Jeddah police said the man cannot leave Saudi Arabia because he has a documented case. The police said they have contacted the Indian Embassy to inform them about the man. They said the man was hiding somewhere between Makkah and Jeddah. "We are expatriates and are not aware of the legal procedures here," said Mohammed Shariff, one of the victims. -AP

In Brief Arizona AG eyeing college's immigrant tuition breaks TUCSON, Ariz.: The Arizona Attorney General's Office has asked Pima Community College why it's offering discounted tuition to immigrant students brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The college in Tucson recently received a letter from Attorney General Tom Horne's office. Horne wants an explanation for the PCC Governing Board's decision to charge in-state tuition rates to students who obtain work permits under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Horne is already suing Maricopa County's community college system for doing the same thing. About 150 such students have enrolled at Pima Community at instate tuition rates since the board approved the practice in February. About 27,000 students are attending the college in the current fall semester. The federal program that aids young immigrants began last year. -AP

Â&#x201E; Filipinos allege abuse in Saudi crackdown MANILA: Thirty Filipino workers, expelled from Saudi Arabia, returned home and alleged they were abused amid a crackdown on illegal migrants there. They were among an estimated 6,700 Filipino workers stranded in parts of the oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdom where an amnesty for undocumented foreigners ended over the weekend. "They treated us like animals," said domestic helper Amor Roxas, 46, who burst in tears while narrating her ordeal. She claimed Saudi police rounded them up and placed them in a crowded cell for four days before they were paraded from the immigration centre to the airport. "Our feet were chained," added Yvonne Montefeo, 32, in between sobs. Saudi Arabian embassy officials in Manila did not want to comment on the allegation of abuse. Migrante International, a support group for Filipino overseas workers, said 1,700 other workers remained stranded in Jeddah waiting for their documents to be processed so they can return home while about 5,000 more were scattered in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Dammam and also needing consular assistance.-AFP

Immigration 12 India Post

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November 8, 2013

Matter of Douglas sets a precedent Details on page 14

Plight of spouses on H4 visa ruining well being of families RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

ith increasing globaliza tion and American policy of inviting immigrants, there are thousands of men and women who are probably rejoicing at the fact that they have received an H1B visa by which they can work in the US and also take their families along. While this is true, what is equally true is that spouses who come to the US under the H4 visa are in for a really problematic time ahead of them in an unknown country. When people shift with their spouse because of better job opportunities the underlying factor in their minds is that they would also be able to do something not only to ensure a sustainable income but to suitably occupy themselves. Imagine their shock and despair when they come to know that the visa that they have been assigned to does not allow the spouse to work, unless it is some underhand over the counter pay-

ment at some small joint. This can be a rude shock to especially those people who are well qualified and are used to working and earning for themselves. While they do have the option of enrolling themselves in a higher education course, working and earning money is a closed option. Curiously and predictably per-

haps the problem does not end at only that. Not being able to earn their own living leads to numerous mental, emotional and adjustment problems, which often affect the families and ruin the very well be-

ing of the people and their families. This is more rampant with women, most of whom are extremely young girls married off by their parents in the hope that they will lead a good life in the US. Many a time these girls not only find themselves in an alien country but in situations where there

is domestic violence too. Because of the fact that they are not financially independent they cannot do what they wish. This leads to huge problems and even great mental and physical torture at

times. Even when the cases are not as extreme as this, there are plenty of cases where spouses have been through acute depression not being able to either get out of the situation because of family ties or reconcile to a life of doing nothing. In fact this situation has reached such alarming proportions that psychiatrists and self help groups are more than concerned. There have been many efforts through the media and individuals to highlight this fact to the US government, but all of this has failed to change the laws. FILM ON THE PROBLEMS Rashi Bhatnagar, an active proponent of the H4 cause, introduced Shah Peerally, an immigration attorney in the Bay to the H4 group and since then they both have been working very hard to make a change including letters to Obama, online petitions, article on major newspapers and even a movie. Cont'd on Page 13

Australia plans Indians-friendly visa regime MELBOURNE: The new Australian government is set to announce a series of steps to make its student visa regime simpler to attract more students from high-risk countries like India and China and revive the billion dollar higher education industry. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and Education minister Christopher Pyne jointly announced that the new coalition Government was keen to revive the industry by undoing the damage done by the former Labor government, according to an official media statement. The two ministers announced steps that would simplify student visas through a streamlined assessment-level framework (ALF) and by extending streamlined visa processing arrangements to low-risk non-university degree providers. Each country, across each

education sector, is assigned an Assessment Level which is based on the calculated immigration risk posed by students. Some of Australia's top markets for international education, includ-

tor, making access to Australia's education system more attractive for overseas students," Morrison said. "Assessment levels under the ALF would be reduced from five

"Assessment levels under the ALF would be reduced from five levels to three, while financial evidence for AL3 students would reduce from 18 months to 12 months, provided funds were from a close relative of the student applicant. ing India and China, are treated as high-risk level 3 or 4 countries, making it much harder for their students to obtain visas - particularly Indians, whose rejection rates are up to 60 per cent. "The changes will assist all providers, but particularly the vocational education and training sec-

levels to three, while financial evidence for AL3 students would reduce from 18 months to 12 months, provided funds were from a close relative of the student applicant. This would mean students from a number of key markets would be able to apply for a student visa

with up to 40,000 Australian dollars less in the bank. Streamlining of the visa application process that Morrison announced would benefit up to 22 low-risk non-university providers for students enrolled in Bachelor, Masters or Doctoral degree courses or an eligible exchange program. Pyne said the measures would attract more overseas students to Australia, benefit our education system, create Australian jobs and stimulate our economy. "The non-university sector is an important contributor to our overall education exports," Pyne said. "These changes would allow the vocational training sector to contribute more freely to our plan to restore Australia's tertiary education system to its former peak of almost 19 billion dollars in export income for the nation. -PTI

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November 8, 2013

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EB-5 visa draws marginal projects, says critic SIOUX FALLS, S.D.: A longtime critic of a U.S. immigration program that attracts foreign investment in exchange for green card qualifications says it tends to draw marginal business opportunities that would have trouble securing regular financing. Construction of the idled Northern Beef Packers plant in South Dakota was spurred by funds from the EB-5 program, in which foreign investors can secure permanent residency for as little as $500,000. Former plant officials say federal investigators have been asking questions about the financial dealings and EB-5. David North, a fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that examines immigration policies, said many projects that turn to EB-5 have had trouble getting backing from traditional banks. ``These tend to be sort of second-class investments because they don't make it with the banks or they don't make it with the people who tend to fund these sort of things,'' North said, noting some of the projects lack sound business plans and simply shouldn't be pursued. Northern Beef Packers opened its $109 million state-of-the-art facility on a limited basis in 2012 after years of delays. Its owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July, saying they did not have enough money to buy cattle

for slaughter. Once a locally owned project, Northern Beef Packers is 41 percent owned by businessman Oshik Song with 69 Korean investors who each gave at least $500,000 under EB-5. Dennis Hellwig, who stepped down as Northern Beef Packers' general partner more than four

Daugaard said there has also been a federal investigation but declined to provide details of either. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said that former Gov. Michael Rounds ``was not and is not a target of the state's investigation into the office of economic development.''

In Mississippi, a startup energy-efficient car company that planned to build a massive auto plant and bring thousands of jobs to the area is only by a temporary construction trailer sitting on mostly vacant land. years ago, and Bob Breukelman, the plant's former construction engineer, told the AP that they've been questioned by federal investigators about the plant's finances and how the EB-5 funds were used. Gov. Dennis Daugaard has acknowledged that an investigation was underway into the Governor's Office of Economic Development involving possible financial misconduct prior to his administration.

The government program allows foreigners to get visas if they invest $500,000 to $1 million in projects or businesses that create jobs for U.S. citizens. The amount of the investment required depends on the type of project. Investors who are approved for the program can become legal permanent residents after two years and can later be eligible to become citizens. Northern Beef Packers' former loan monitor Richard Benda was

Plight of spouses on H4 visa ruining well being of families Cont'd from Page 12

On its part the Shah Peerally production house has brought forth a very engaging film that showcases the problems of those with an H4Visa. The film has been aptly named as 'H4 visa the curse'. The film has been produced by Shah Peerally, who is a well known immigration lawyer in the Bay area of California. The film depicts the real pain of those on the H4 visas. The movie also tries to give some

answers and possible real life solutions from a legal perspective something that the immigrant community has perhaps not seen before. More details about the movie can be found at http:// www.shahpeerallyproductions.com/ executive-summary-of-the-movieh4-visa-the-curse/. The movie will certainly not only help those who are not on such a visa understand the dilemma of the H4 visa holders but

should actually create an awareness on the issue and hopefully gather enough support to change this unfair law. As such it gives hope to many although it may be some time before H4 visa rules are changed and spouses are allowed to work. The movie is expected to be released during holiday season in December 2013. "H4 Visa the curse" movie shows how spouses turn into invisible people in USA

found dead with a gunshot wound on Oct. 22 near Lake Andes, and his funeral was a day before Daugaard put out his statement. Benda had also served as secretary of the department that handles tourism and economic development from 2006 to 2010 under Rounds. Northern Beef is not the first EB-5 project to fall flat. In Mississippi, a startup energy-efficient car company that planned to build a massive auto plant and bring thousands of jobs to the area is only by a temporary construction trailer sitting on mostly vacant land. In May, the Securities and Exchange Commission subpoenaed unspecified documents from GreenTech Automotive Inc. and the area's regional center for possible security violations. In Chicago, the SEC announced

charges in February and froze the assets of a company that planned on building the ``World's First Zero Carbon Emission Platinum LEED certified'' hotel and conference center near O'Hare International Airport. The agency alleged that the developer fraudulently sold more $145 million in securities and $11 million in fees to more than 250 investors, most of them from China. North said one of the reasons the program draws marginal investment opportunities is that the foreign investors recruited under EB-5 aren't as concerned about making a return. ``The investors are more interested in green cards than making money off of them,'' he said. ``I've never seen a success story from an investor's perspective except that they got a green card.'' -AP

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Matter of Douglas sets a precedent DAVID A. ISAACSON

n October 17, 2013, its first day back to normal opera tions after the end of the recent federal government shutdown, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued a precedential opinion, Matter of Douglas, 26 I&N Dec. 197 (BIA 2013). At first glance, Matter of Douglas is about an interesting but obscure aspect of a section of the Immigration and Nationality

At issue in Matter of Douglas was former section 321(a) of the INA, repealed effective February 2001 by the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which in relevant part replaced INA §321(a) with the simpler rule of current INA §320. As Matter of Douglas explained, former §321(a) provided that citizenship was automatically acquired by a child born outside the United States of alien parents un-

Matter of Douglas is also an example of the BIA using its authority to go against Court of Appeals precedent decisions under National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. v. Brand X Internet Services, 545 U.S. 967 (2005) ("Brand X"), to the benefit of an immigrant Act (INA) that was repealed more than a decade ago. But perhaps more importantly, Matter of Douglas is also an example of the BIA using its authority to go against Court of Appeals precedent decisions under National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. v. Brand X Internet Services, 545 U.S. 967 (2005) ("Brand X"), to the benefit of an immigrant and potential US citizen rather than to the detriment of the immigrant.

der the following conditions: (1) The naturalization of both parents; or (2) The naturalization of the surviving parent if one of the parents is deceased; or (3) The naturalization of the parent having legal custody of the child when there has been a legal separation of the parents or the naturalization of the mother if the child was born out of wedlock and the paternity of the child has not been established by legitimation;

and if (4) Such naturalization takes place while such child is under the age of eighteen years; and (5) Such child is residing in the United States pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence at the time of the naturalization of the parent last naturalized under clause (1) of this subsection, or the parent naturalized under clause (2) or (3) of the subsection, or thereafter begins to reside permanently in the United States while under the age of eighteen years. Matter of Douglas, 26 I&N Dec. in 198. The question in Matter of Douglas was the relevance of the order in which the conditions of former INA §321(a) were satisfied. As the BIA explained, Mr. Douglas "was born in Jamaica on January 29, 1976, to his married parents, each of whom was a native and citizen of Jamaica. On December 14, 1981, [Mr. Douglas] entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident. [Mr. Douglas]'s mother was naturalized on April 13, 1988. His parents were divorced on July 25, 1990. [He] became 18 years old in 1994." Matter of Douglas, 26 I&N Dec. at 198. That is, Mr. Douglas's mother became "the parent hav-

ing legal custody of the child when there has been a legal separation of the parents" under former INA §321(a) (3) only after she was naturalized, having been naturalized in 1988 and divorced in 1990. Both of these events, however, happened while Mr. Douglas was a lawful permanent resident and before he reached the age of 18, in compliance with former INA §321(a)(4)-(5).

of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, however, as the BIA acknowledged, required that one seeking to show acquisition of citizenship under former INA §321(a)(3) demonstrate "that his [parent] was naturalized after a legal separation from his [other parent]," rather than before such a separation. In Matter of Baires, the BIA had noted the Third Circuit case law,

In Matter of Baires, the BIA had noted the Third Circuit case law, but had indicated that "we are not bound by the Third Circuit decisions on which the Immigration Judge relied because this case is within the jurisdiction of the Fifth Circuit." 24 I&N Dec. at 469. In its earlier decision in Matter of Baires, 24 I&N Dec. 467 (BIA 2008), the BIA had held that "A child who has satisfied the statutory conditions of former section 321(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act . . . before the age of 18 years has acquired United States citizenship, regardless of whether the naturalized parent acquired legal custody of the child before or after the naturalization." Under this rule, Mr. Douglas would be a U.S. citizen. Case law

but had indicated that "we are not bound by the Third Circuit decisions on which the Immigration Judge relied because this case is within the jurisdiction of the Fifth Circuit." 24 I&N Dec. at 469. The proceedings in Matter of Douglas, however, had taken place within the jurisdiction of the Third Circuit, and so the BIA had to decide whether to follow Matter of Baires or the Third Circuit's decisions in Jordon and Bagot. To be continued

11 immigrant protesters released; South Dakota terminates EB-5 contract one deported TEXAS: US immigration officials has released 11 of 25 people who were still detained after surrendering last month at the TexasMexico border to protest immigration policies. Five of the 11 immigrants released were women. The releases came after one of the 25, a Mexican woman was deported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a judge determined Rocio Hernandez Perez, 23, was ineligible for immigration relief. No explanation was provided on her case. Perez "was removed from the country," ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa told The Associated Press. Raul Garcia, the Mexican consul for protection in El Paso, confirmed Perez was sent back to Mexico City. "She is no longer here and we are heartbroken," Israel Rodriguez, one of the other detainees, said in a phone call from the detention

center. Eleven, however, tasted freedom as they left ICE's El Paso Processing Center. Protest organizers

had been ordered to pick those released up by car. Instead of leaving immediately, the 11 left the vehicles as quickly as they had entered them so they could rejoice with each other. The center guards eventually shooed them off the property.

Former detainee Leonardo Contreras said it was a bittersweet victory. "We should be happy, but we are saddened by the news of her deportation," said the 33-year-old suburban New York City resident. Contreras said he was a semester away from completing his civil engineering studies at Westchester Community College last year when he learned his father was dying of cancer at the family's Guadalajara, Mexico, home. He was faced with the choice of staying in the United States and continuing his studies or returning to Mexico to be with his father in the last days of his life. -AP

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.: The South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development has terminated its contract with a regional center that handles a US immigration foreign investment program. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show the state office ended its agreement with the South Dakota Regional Center in September. Construction of the idled Northern Beef Packers plant was spurred by funds from the EB-5 program, in which foreign investors can secure permanent residency for as little as $500,000. Former plant officials say federal investigators have been asking questions about the plant's finances and EB-5.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard's spokesman Tony Venhuizen says the economic development office for now will handle what the regional center did.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard

Daugaard acknowledged there is an ongoing investigation into GOED involving possible financial misconduct prior to his administration. -AP

November 8, 2013

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Desi News 11th Annual Gandhi Day Celebrated with Great Success India Post News Service

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Details on page 21

16 India Post

SURENDRA ULLAL

Designers Satya Paul & Joy Mitra add glitter to Diwali HARISH RAO AND ASIAN MEDIA USA

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November 8, 2013

Iron Man Sardar Patel remembered at Indian Consulate SUDHIR VYAS

Details on page 22

Moneydart celebrates customer week

Jalaram Mandir presents dazzling Garba-Raas

NEW YORK: Gujarat Foundation turned out to be the only organization in the otherwise vocal Indian community in the Tri-State area to come out and remember Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the 132nd birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India. The 8-feet tall photo frame of Sardar Patel was garlanded at the Indian Consulate here in the presence of Consul General Dayanand Mulay. The event was attended by community leaders including Peter Kothari, Suresh Jani and others. What was interesting is the fact that the photo frame of Sardar Patel was donated by Gujarat Foundation to the Consulate and was inaugurated by none else than Deputy Prime Minister of India, L. K. Advani. Bur for so long it remained `missing' at the Consulate. After lot of persuasion and coxing by the leaders it was "unearthed", as confessed by the Consul General and made available for garlanding on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. How and why the photo frame went missing is a subject of investigation by the community leaders. The Consul General called upon the audience to build a permanent place like a Center for Study of Life

Sardar Patel picture at NY Indian Consulate

and Work of Sardar Patel where the younger generation can take inspiration from this great leader,

or a museum or a statue where people, both Indians and others can go and not only pay obei-

sance but also take inspiration. He said that though Sardar Patel was instrumental in unifying the almost 532 princely states of India to make it a union, one must also take into consideration that he did it against all odds. "There were no communication facilities, no proper transportation and yet he acted shrewdly to unify all these princely states. It speaks volumes about the man's organizing capacities." The 8-feet tall photo frame was sponsored and donated by the Gujarat Foundation and was specially drawn by Dinesh Sharma and Mukesh Kashiwala. When contacted Kashiwala said that "the picture was enlarged on Photoshop and then a protective coating was put on the picture which guaranteed a life span of almost 100 years without any distortion or discoloration of the picture. This entire process cost almost $ 2000 at the 2005 rate", Kashiwala added. Looking at the frame today clearly shows it has been mishandled at the Consulate. There were clear signs of neglect. Most of the golden frame has patches of black soot and some of the invited guests were seen cleaning the frame to make it presentable for the occasion. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 17

Chicago to commemorate Swami Vivekananda's legacy Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Over 50 Ramakrishna Mission monks and nuns from all over the world are gathering from November 8-11 in Chicago for a massive commemoration of Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary hosted by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago (VVS). The program also celebrates the 120th Anniversary of the 1893 World Parliament of Religions (WPR) where the Swami introduced Hinduism to the West amidst thunderous applause and which laid the

Swami Vivekananda

historic foundations for contemporary interfaith dialogue. VVS is a

branch of the Ramakrishna Mission, which has over 175 centers

throughout the world. The main celebration, "Chicago Calling," is at the downtown Chicago Hilton from 9 am to 5 pm on November 9 and 10. The Hilton is actually built on the site of the Lyon's home, where Swami Vivekananda stayed during the WPR. On Saturday Nov. 9 the "International Vedanta Devotees' Conference" will take place in the Grand Ballroom. Monks and nuns, including the General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission, will speak on various aspects of Swami Vivekananda. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

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Gujarati Samaj Diwali gala & Masti night

Guarajti Samaj team at Lamp Lighting ceremony Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Gujarati Samaj Chicago hosted a Gala Diwali Dinner and a dazzling Bollywood Masti night 'Kal Aaj Aur Kal' on Saturday, October 26 at India House Banquet in Schaumburg. The event was attended by more than 600 guests. Welcoming all those present on behalf of the Samaj, the MC for the

occasion Kshama Shah kept the crowd involved for total length of the program. Suryakant Patel and his team worked very hard to bring the best Diwali for all. The Entertainment program with the help of Bollywood Masti Group started with Ganesh Stuti Dance. Diva lighting ceremony was performed by President Suryakant Patel. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 19

Singing stars Vinod Sutarea & Alka Thakur. (Right) Suryakant Patel (President of Gujarati Samaj)

Sardar Patel remembered at Indian Consulate Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

Insiders at the Indian Consulate wishing anonymity told this correspondent that the photo frame went missing just before the former Consul General Prabhu Dayal left office almost five months ago. These sources also maintained that the photo frame went missing in connivance with some prominent community leader whose name was not mentioned in the brass plate. The frame with golden color had names of some prominent Indian Americans. Along with Advani, the then minister of state for defense Harin Pathak was also instrumental in the launching of the photo frame. Several top MPs and former and present Union ministers including former ministers, Dr Vallabh Kathiriya, late Bhavnaben Chikhiliya and other leaders never

missed an opportunity to come and pay homage to Sardar Patel while in New York. The picture, which was launched at an event hosted by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan honoring Advani who was then the Deputy Prime Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, was later put up at the Indian Consulate. Incidentally, this is the only photo frame of this size in entire New York. Even the installation of the photo frame at the Indian Consulate was marred by controversy as the then Consul General Pramthesh Rath would not assign a proper place to hang the 8-feet tall photo frame and it was made to sit on a chair for almost six months. After persistent appeals by officials of the Gujarat Foundation did the Indian Consulate assign a proper place to the Iron Man of India.

18 India Post

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Hari Om Mandir celebrates Hanuman Saptahik Yagna Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Hari Om Mandir celebrated the one full week of Hanumanji Saptahik Yagna after the installation of Vishal 20 feet

one piece white makrana marble statue of Hanumanji (tallest in the world) with great enthusiasm and devotion beginning Monday, October 14 to Sunday October 20 at its facility in Medina, a northwest suburb of Chicago With the blessings of Vaishno Mata and all gods and goddesses, the mounting of Shiromani Bhagat Hanumanji in the front of the Mandir was complete finally. The Havan and Pooja started and was completed with blissful chanting by Shastri Yogesh Pandya and Pandit Dinesh Kumar. Sunderkand Path was recited by 1008 Maha Mandleshwar Swami Dr Ram Kamal Das Vedantiji and Swami Arjun Puri followed by

Yagna in progress with devotees around

their pravachan. On Sunday, October 20, it was a sight to see all devotees participating with Rajasthani Pagris

and Dupattas in the Kalsh Pad Yatra as our youth lead with flags and Hari Om Mandir banner. Medinah Road was blocked from

Gathering at Hanumanji Idol installation. Pics Asia Media USA

Lake Park high school to Mandir for the Pad Yatra. The first Moorti that arrived was cracked during the transit. The second time, Avatar Bhandari was in India and inspected the Moorti and discovered a crack in the shoulder. But finally it was all over with third attempt. "Now that we have performed the Saptahik Yagna, this is no longer a Moorti, but has become the actual presence of Shiromani Bhagat Hanuman Ji. We whole heartedly request all of you to attend the Hanuman Chalisa and seek blessings for you and your loved ones," Bhandari said.

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November 8, 2013

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Moneydart celebrates customer service week SURENDRA ULLAL

Gujarati Samaj Diwali gala & Masti night Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 17

Sunny sang a spirited Gujarati song' Aaj Bapuni Punyabhoomi Par Ugyun Suvarn Prabhat Jai Gujarat Jai Jai Garv Gujarat'. Then onwards program went on making all age group to dance with flurry of songs sung by talented artists, Sunny, KK, Alka keeping the audience enthralled till late night. Outlining activities of the Samaj, President Suryakant Patel said, "We are glad to be serving the Chicago Metropolitan area for

many years. Our goals are to encourage people to explore and learn about rich Gujarati culture. Together let us keep this light lit for life and joy for many years to come." The speech concluded with thanking of the event's sponsors. Gujarati Samaj of Chicago was established in 1972 and is the oldest and largest community of Chicago. The program included sumptuous dinner. All dispersed at late night cherishing sweet memories of the program.

The Chicago Office staff led by Prabhaker Patel and Shiela Jamil

CHICAGO: Joining its US headquarter in New Jersey, Moneydart Chicago facilities celebrated International customer service week from October 7 to October 11 with great enthusiasm, spirit and commitment to customer satisfaction and dedicated the week to breast cancer awareness. In Illinois Moneydart have two branches and several agent locations to facilitate the community with their state of the art services. Their branches are located on Devon Ave Chicago (Managed by Ms. Shehla Jamil) and Hoffman Estates IL (Managed by Jijo George) with the supervision and able monitoring from Prabhakar Patel, Asst. Vice President and Head Project Americas for Moneydart Global Services Inc. The branches were decorated with pink and white balloons. Pink ribbons, pink flowers and healthy snacks were distributed to customers all week long. Different activities were designed for its employees all over the globe to educate and understand the goals and objectives of the company, improve the customer engagement and to motivate them to go extra miles. As customer service plays a vital role for the growth of any organization, Moneydart recognizes and rewards its frontline representatives during Customer service week for the important work they do all year long.

Moneydart Global Services Inc. is entering a rapid expansion and growth phase in the United States. Their US operation is steadfastly processing with licenses in 27 states across the country and several new openings in the near future. It provides a vast range of services such as instant cash pickup, bank transfers, draft deliveries and a unique instant bank transfer service under the brand "FLASHremit" to India, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

can be sold and purchased for any amount. Prabhakar Patel said that one of the achievements of his company is that "it offers unbeatable rates for travel and cruise agencies to facilitate their customers for their currency exchange needs before travel to any country. Since very few banks provide currency exchange services and charge fees as well customers are glad to use their currency exchange services with best rates and no fees. Customers can now send money to their loved ones and exchange

Samaj audience during Diwali gala

Chicago to commemorate Swami Vivekananda's legacy Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

The Schauubrg staff and P Patel cut cake during CS Week

It has also started foreign currency exchange services with compatible rates and no additional fees. All major currencies such as Euro, Great Britain pounds, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, Singapore dollars, Saudi Riyals, Indian and Pakistani rupees etc.

their currencies under the same roof." "Stop by at one of their branches on Devon Avenue or Hoffman Estates for your remittance needs and experience their excellent customer service," he added.

On Sunday Nov 10, the 120th Anniversary of WPR will be celebrated in the International Ballroom. The program will include speakers from six different faiths, as well as experts on Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Movement in America. Both days will provide lunch and music. On Nov 11, there will be "Remembering Swami Vivekananda," a tour of places associated with the Swami which will end with a brief program at the Art Institute of Chicago, where the 1893 WPR was held. On Nov. 8 there will be an "International Ramakrishna Mission Monastic Conference" at the Vivekananda Retreat in Ganges, MI. The same evening, there will also be a program at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in Lemont, IL. The 1893 WPR, a part of the

Columbian Exposition, was the first interfaith gathering ever held, and the entire interfaith movement, which seeks to establish harmony among religions, began right here in Chicago. It had a tremendous impact on both India and America as Swami was the first monk to bring India's ancient spiritual teachings to the United States. Every schoolchild in India learns of his historic visit to Chicago. It is ironic that the opening day of the Parliament was September 11, 1893, exactly 108 years before 9/11 (2001), which unleashed a "conflict of civilizations" underpinned by the violent fanaticisms that the Swami from India had so clairvoyantly denounced. The registration fee for the two-day event at the Hilton Chicago is $100 for two days, $50 for one day, and $25 for students/ children.

20 India Post

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November 8, 2013

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Designers Satya Paul & Joy Mitra add glitter to Diwali HARISH RAO AND ASIAN MEDIA USA

CHICAGO: A glittering fashion show was brought to Chicago in celebration of Diwali by Sister City Committee International and The Studio Elite on Devon and Rockwell. Officials of the City Sister City - Niranjan Shah, Vice Chair of Chicago-Delhi Committee along with Brian and others - welcomed the guests and spoke about the cultural and artistic display of clothes and colors at the Show and other exchanges between the two sister cities to bring a better understanding and increase commerce. The program at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows on Friday October 25 started with welcoming remarks from Emcee of the evening Dr Nabida Rashid about the show, the fashion designers Satya Paul and Joy Mitra. The event was well planned and efficiently presented with unique

Sister City Chicago-Delhi officials and dignitaries at the Fashion Show: Rishikant Singh, Niranjan Shah, Pratima Shah, Leory Allala, BrianMcTartlin, guests and organisers. Pics Asian Media

Abiha Javed CEO Studio Elite with reigning Miss Illinois America Ms Brittany and Emcee Ms Nabila, Amrish Mahajan, an organize of the show

composition of fashion parade, music, lighting effects, video presentations all combined to create a spellbinding atmosphere and

keep the audience mesmerized. The fashion show commenced in a unique manner on video depicting glimpses of pictures wherein

Rituparno Ghosh had taken help of the costume designer and in presenting models dressed in simple yet grand dresses in an impressive

Fashion show participants

way. Thereafter came the show of Satya Paul presented in a real filmy style with models in attractive

Fashion presentation by two artists

A section of the audĂence: Leory Allala, BrianMcTartlin, Niranjan Shah, Indian CG Dr Sayeed and and CG of Pakistan Faisal Tirmizi with his wife and others

array of dresses interweaving story, drama, deity and evil force with a small girl having a dream. It is a three-city fashion tour showcasing Indian couture, luxury fashion and prĂŞt lines by some of the biggest and brightest designers in the industry. The fashion shows will introduce New York, Chicago, and Dallas to two established Indian designers, Satya Paul and Joy Mitra, as well as Canada Top Chef host Lisa Ray, who is launching a line of saris for Satya Paul's collection.

Community Across America

November 8, 2013

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Jalaram Mandir presents dazzling Garba-Raas YOGESH THAKKAR

Mayuri Patel and Group started the program by offering a prayer. This was followed by mesmerizing rhythmic conventional Garba music accompanied by traditional swirling dance around Mataji's shrine adorned with flowers and decorations. After the brief break and Aarti, the festive music of Dandiya-Raas commenced with enthusiastic participation by audience which lasted till early hours

Participants in Garba hosted by Jalaram Mandir. Pics Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Shree Jalaram Mandir, located in Hoffman Estate near Chicago, organized 'Raas Garba Ramzat' on eve of Navratri Celebration with International Artist Mayuri Patel and Group on Friday, October 18 from 8 pm to well past mid night at Harper College, in Palatine. The venue was overcrowded and those present danced and enjoyed Raas Garba with enthusiasm and fervor. The crowd was more than 2000 strong and many

had to return without enjoying participation due to capacity limitations. This annual holy event is celebrated in honor of Goddess Durga. Many in the audience, especially ladies and children wore very colorful and dazzling traditional dresses for this special occasion with appropriately matching ornaments and hairstyles. Some preferred to wear traditional outfit while others went for a modern look.

Arati propitiating Goddess Durga

A group of devotees

of the morning. The good planning and durable work of the Board of Trustees and executive committee members and volunteers was evidenced by excellent security safety and parking arrangements. With Divine blessing from Jalarambapa and Mataji combined with devotional hard work and enthusiastic support and participation by the community, the event was a grand success.

Regular activities at the temple include Bhajans every Thursday, first and third Sunday, Sundarkand path every Saturday, Abhishek on Mondays and on Ekadashi, group Satyanarayan Katha, Jalaram Jayanti, lectures of saints from India and celebrations of all religious events. Educationally, the activities include yoga classes, music teaching, Gujarati classes and religious classes.

22 India Post

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November 8, 2013

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11th Annual Gandhi Day celebrated with great success India Post News Service

MILPITAS, CA: The 11th Annual Gandhi Day or World Non-Violence and Peace Day was celebrated on October 5. This grassroots event, co sponsored by The Milpitas Public Library and managed by Indian-American Org, commemorated the 144th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The objective and focus was on the legacy of non-violence, peace, leadership and community service imparted to attendees which included children and youth and adults, via a myriad of activities. Over 250 people, including 100 children, attended the event held at the Milpitas Public Library Auditorium. The event started with a short address on World Peace by Native American Yannis of San Jose and Mansur Nur (69) a Gandhian who spoke on the legacy of non

Fancy Dress. Pic Vijay Gopal

violence. Attendees were regaled with a myriad of activities at the "World Nonviolence & Peace Day", in Milpitas, as young artist Ms Pearl Raina (10) displayed her sketches of Gandhiji, Martin Luther King Jr and Salt Satyagraha March. She was joined by High

Tech entrepreneur and sketch artist Menon Ramkrishna - who presented his breathtaking sketch of Mahatma Gandhi to the non profit organization MAITRI. The Artwork and Display section drew nearly 50 children, with more trickling in to participate in

other activities like performances of song, dance. Speeches followed one after another. The organized manner of performances drew admiration and applause from Chief Guests City of Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves and San Jose City Council member Ash Kalra. "We are pleased with the response of the community. Even before the doors opened, we had a long line of people waiting to get in and the cross section was across all age groups" said orga-

nizer Sam Rao of www.indianamerican.org. The Mayor of Milpitas Jose Esteves, handed a proclamation from the City of Milpitas to organizers and remarked, "It is a great theme and much needed in the world. It is a great honor to have such a program continued to be hosted in Milpitas and it is encouraging to see young people involved with enthusiasm and children being inspired and learning good values".

Sikhs participate in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Disabled Patriot Fund' cause HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: A group of Chicago Sikh Americans participated in The Disabled Patriot Fund's 2nd Annual fund raising dinner on November 1 Gibson's Steak House in Chicago. More than 180 total donors attended. The Disabled Patriot Fund

identity, we are always trying to do things that capture the attention of the mainstream. It was a wonderful outreach on behalf of our Sikh community. Really speaking, we are just one American community," said Rajinder Singh Mago.

(D.P.F.) is a volunteer charitable organization formed in 2004 by a group of area business people and local officials who came together because of a common interest - to help disabled American veterans who have fought in the War on Terrorism. Located in Orland Park, the funds raised are used to help those that have been injured in the "War on Terror." "Because of our mistaken Sikh

"Men and women who are protecting our freedom are coming home with varying levels of disabilities and may receive minimal financial assistance from existing governmental agencies. We hope that you feel, as we do, that they deserve our support, "said Patrick McShane the President of D.P.F. At this event several veterans were honored and a select few given grants of $5000 each.

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November 8, 2013

India Post 23

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Malala joins company of non-violence leaders

very movement has a face. The movement to equip the next generation with books and not guns has started with Malala, a little girl with a burning desire to spread education and eradicate ignorance. How did such a noble idea even occur to her in a region where kids live under the shadow of guns, where schools are burnt to ashes and where girls are forced to stay illiterate? Well, most peaceful ideas are born under most violent conditions, it is the law of nature - every action has an equal and opposite reaction. And let's not forget that peace and nonviolence are rooted even deep in the soul of Malala's region. She comes from a land where 5000 years ago River Sindhu (Indus) gave birth to the most nonviolent ancient civilization. A civilization that flourished for 700 years without any war and weapons; its ruins have revealed no evidence of an army or its barracks, a police force or a prison. Even after the collapse of Sindhu Civilization its aura of non-violence survived in different forms and in different periods -Bud-

dhism, Jainism, Bhaktism and Sufism to mention a few. Incidentally it was from Malala's home district, Swat from where a Buddhist monk went up in the

Malala Yousafzai

mountains to preach Buddha's message of peace. He is known as Guru Rimponche who introduced Buddhism in Tibet. Even in modern times when the world was at war, another son of Sindhu, Mahatma Gandhi was preaching peace. This time one more messenger of peace from Malala's neighborhood, left his home town to join hands with Gandhiji. His name was Ghaffar Khan but people call him the Frontier Gandhi, because his hometown was in the northwest frontier of Britain's Indian Empire. Mahatma Gandhi and the Fron-

tier Gandhi believed that the most powerful weapon against violence is non-violence and it was their non-violent movement that played a major role in the independence of India from the British rule. Leaders of peace and non-violence are born in times of intolerance viz Martin Luther King in America, Nelson

Mandela in Africa and Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. American Institute of Sindhulogy SI supports all the icons of peace and non-violence be it men or women, old and young, white or black. Of late, it has been promoting non-violent themes in video-games for children. It will now hope for

children to draw inspiration from Malala. American Institute of Sindhulogy, a non religious, non political and nonprofit organization established in August 2000, stands for non violence across the globe Dial V.Gidwani Founding President American Institute of Sindhulogy Chicago

Courageous Saudi women

ravo to the courageous Saudi women who are defying a government ban on driving. This oppressive ban is so unjust; it relegates Saudi women to a suffocating role as subservient members of their own society unable to venture outdoors independently. Predictably, Saudi clerics heaped scorn and called women drivers 'prostitutes'. Only male drivers are issued driving licenses. Sadly, Islam does denigrate women to a lesser role than their male counterparts allowing men to continue to exert their dominant roles. Saudi Arabia would do well to take heed of the Arab Spring which has made cataclys-

mic demands for more freedom and justice. CNN broadcaster, Fareed Zakaria, described Saudi Arabia "as the country with the most irresponsible foreign policy" - the epicenter of state sponsored terrorism spouting the Wahabi message of "intolerance and hate." Hillary Clinton described Saudi Arabia as a "critical financial base of terrorism." Rivers of money continue to flow to Wahabi clerics, madrasas (religious schools) and Sunni mosques in many parts of the world. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented extensive human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia systematically targeting the minority Shi'ite

population, political dissidents and Saudi women. It is therore baffling to understand why we consider Saudi Arabia as a key ally and strategic partner rewarding the monarchy with billions of dollars of military hardware which could easily be funneled to terrorist groups. It is also baffling to understand why the Obama administration remained silent when Saudi forces crushed pro-democracy demonstrators in neighboring Bahrain. By propping up the Saudi monarchy we are complicit in their acts of violence. Jagjit Singh Los Altos, CA

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Sita Ram Patel @ 847-568-0535

November 8, 2013

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India Post 27

28 India Post

www.indiapost.com

or megastar Amitabh Bachchan, the "joy" of Diwali was celebrating the festival of lights with members of the Indian film fraternity at his residence. Stars like Shahrukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were in attendance. The 71-year-old took to his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com to express his gratitude to his guests. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 30

November 8, 2013

India Post 29 www.indiapost.com

Ahana wedding Feb 2

harmendra and Hema Malini's younger daugh ter Ahana Deol will marry her fiancĂŠe Vaibhav Vora, a Delhi based businessman on February 2. After the engagement, many wedding dates were speculated but finally February 2 has been finalized. As only few months left for the wedding, Hema Malini and Esha Deol busy shopping for the D-Day. "The preparations have begun. We are going to be very busy for the next four months,"

Hema said. After the marriage, a grand wedding reception will be held in Mumbai as well as Delhi. "We have yet to take a call about whether it will be a Punjabi wedding or a South Indian one," said Hema. "There will be a function in Delhi as well," added Hema. Ahana met Vaibhav at Esha's wedding in June last year and both instantly fell for each other. "There was no family resistance from either side as the couple soon became "very seri-

ous about each other". Ahana like her mother Hema Malini is a trained Odissi dancer. Like Esha Deol, she did not venture into acting. She aspires to be a director but it could not happen. When asked whether Ahana will continue dancing after her wedding, an emotional Hema replied, "Yes, she will. She will move to Delhi after the wedding but I will get to spend time with her during our shows. And of course, she can visit Mumbai as and when she wants."

Pics of the engagement ceremony

Ugly father-daughter fight T

he property fight between fa ther Kabir Bedi and daughter Pooja Bedi has hit a new low. First Pooja, a TV personality, asked her

actor father, Kabir, to leave her late mother Promita Bedi's house - a Juhu flat in Mumbai - where Kabir was staying with his partner,

Parveen Dusanj. Then, she went ahead and sold the house, to which Kabir lashed out saying she didn't have the legal rights to do so.

And now, Pooja says she has the flat share certificate, evidence that shows that the house was in her mother's name in 1977 and in

Kabir Bedi with daughter Pooja

1995 it was transferred to her name. "All of this is so tasteless, undignified and unnecessary. The flat was in my name and I sold it in December last year. I'm really puzzled as to why this is being brought up now and why I am being portrayed as a villain," she says. Speculations are rife that the fight, in the first place, was over Parveen eyeing the property, while other reports suggest that the tiff began after Pooja increased the house rent.

India Post

November 8, 2013 www.indiapost.com

Sonu splits with wife Madhurima

hough Sonu Nigam is in seventh heaven as far as his professional life is concerned, his personal life is a shambles -the five-year-old SonuMadhurima marriage is on the rocks. When asked about the trouble in his marriage, Sonu admitted: "Madhurima and I need space; both of us are shattered, but life has to move on. I find there is no other alternative but to go our own ways, although we did try a lot to reconcile. "It has been a difficult decision for me, because I am very sensitive and emotional. I am the type of person who gets attached even to his driver! I realized that my cre-

ativity would be at stake if I continued to pretend all was hunkydory on the marital front."

"Madhurima continues to live in my house, but unfortunately, we do not communicate. I feel that it is better to part amicably, retaining respect for each other” So has the couple separated?

"Madhurima continues to live in my house, but unfortunately, we do not communicate. I feel that it is better to part amicably, retaining respect for each other, instead of matters precipitating to a level where we do not even like to see each other's faces." Sonu's is the classic case of once-bitten-twice-shy as far as marriage and love are concerned. "Right now, it is too early for me to say whether I will fall in love with another woman." Ironically, Sonu's album Chanda Ki Doli, brought out by T-Series, is an out-and-out romantic album, even though the romance has crept out of the singer's life.

Stars’ Diwali Cont’d from page 28

"What was the joy of course was the coming over of the entire fraternity in their traditional best to

bring in the greetings, to join in with us at the house and spend this large amount of time in the glory and the warmth of the festival in celebration," he posted. Cont’d on page 31

Anil kapoor

November 8, 2013

India Post 31 www.indiapost.com

Sky lanterns pollute and may cause fire

lthough sky lanterns are being claimed by market ers as an "eco-friendly" alternative to crackers and fireworks this Diwali, experts say it not only poses grave risk to the environment but can also lead to fire. Sky lanterns are small hot air balloons where a small fire is suspended before releasing it into the open sky. As it offers a visual treat and brightens up the night sky, such lanterns are getting increasingly popular in cities, especially during Diwali, the festival of lights. Environmentalists have however, clarified that it is a hoax that sky lanterns are eco-friendly and safe to use as it causes pollution and litter besides being a serious fire hazard for properties. "How can anything that burns and emits smoke be called ecofriendly? If people start replacing crackers with sky lanterns then it can be equally disastrous," Anumita Roychowdhury, head of air pollution control team at the Centre for Science and Environ-

ment (CSE), told PTI from New Delhi. To sell sky lanterns, a marketing company in Kolkata has started a campaign called 'Illumination' claiming these lamps are an

Starsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Diwali

Sunil Shetty

eco-friendly way of celebrating Diwali as they light up the sky without causing noise pollution. Green technologist Somendramohan Ghosh, who is an expert on air pollution, said be-

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 30

Among other guests were Anushka Sharma, Farah Khan, Neha Dhupia, Divya Dutta and Sonu Sood. "It was wonderful to see all, from Shah Rukh to Katrina to Anushka to Ranbir and everyone, all ...relaxed and in comfort of the auspicious moment, in the comfort of each other, of their laughter and camaraderie...a warmth in my heart," Bachchan added. This warm feeling was mutual with the film fraternity and extended their thank you greetings to the thespian via Twitter. Here's what they posted: Shahrukh Khan: Dignity...class....graciousness...will always stand apart. Thanks Mr. Bachchan, Jaya aunty, Abhishek and Aishwarya for a great evening and morning. Sonu Sood: Thanks Amitabh Bachchan sir and my brother Abhishek Bachchan for making my Diwali so so special. Had a great

sides polluting mid-air, sky lanterns are dangerous because naked fire is left out to float in the open sky. "Large number of such lanterns may crash with each other in the sky if the wind velocity is over 20 km per hour. Or they can strike a highrise building, a communication tower or even a low-flying aircraft," he said. The activist warned that such events where large numbers of sky lanterns are released, fire service department permission should be mandatory for safety aspects. When contacted, West Bengal Fire Services Additional Director General Gopal Krishna Bhattacharya said the organizers

should take clearances from the fire department as it is very risky. A number of cases of fire by sky lanterns have been reported the world over. In July this year, a massive fire in a plastic recycling plant in England was caused by a sky lantern resulting in a loss of an estimated six million pounds worth of damage. Sky lanterns are already banned in most European countries, including Germany and Austria. In China, the practice is forbidden in the city of Sanya. The litter left by sky lanterns is another issue as once the fire fizzles out the empty balloon will fall down on earth. Although some manufacturers claim they use bio-degradable material but a small metal rod is hidden inside the lamp to hold wax. "This can fall down anywhere - on streets, trees and even in water bodies. It will create a mess everywhere," CSE's Roychowdhury said. Besides the thin metal rod can even kill or injure birds, animals, livestock and marine life.- PTI

time. Lots of love. Neha Dhupia: Wonderful people, delicious food, fabulous setting. Thank you Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan and the family for be-

ing such great hosts. Farah Khan: Abhishek Bachchan thank you for always giving me a great time...whether it's at a shoot or a party at your house!

Mika Singh

Â&#x201E; Health

Line

Only six enrolled on 'Obamacare' first day WASHINGTON: Just six people managed to enrol in Obamacare on day one of the health plan's troubled rollout, documents released by Republican lawmakers showed, in a new embarrassment for the White House. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa released a document from a meeting on October 2, the day after HealthCare.gov went online, recording the paltry figure. By the end of October 2, two full days into the sign-up process, "there were 248 enrollments" nationwide, according to the notes from the Department of Health and Social Security. Both documents were posted on the website run by Issa's House oversight committee. President Barack Obama is counting on millions signing up for health care through online exchanges, part of a plan he pushed through in 2010 to help uninsured Americans get coverage. Republican lawmakers are uniformly opposed to the law, which they have nicknamed Obamacare, and seized on the poor enrollment figures as sign of a colossal failure of the website in particular. But Obama spokesman Jay Carney dismissed the focus on the six enrollees as a "dog-bitesman story." "We knew it was going to be a slow build," Carney told reporters. "It's no question that it's been made more challenging by the poorly functioning website, and that's on us and that's why we're dedicating the resources and the brainpower to get it fixed." -AFP

Health Science Andhra to have 'cashless health cards' 32 India Post

www.indiapost.com

November 8, 2013

Details on Page 34

Many in the middle class get rude awakenings on insurance MIAMI: Dean Griffin liked the health insurance he purchased for himself and his wife three years ago and thought he'd be able to keep the plan even after the federal Affordable Care Act took effect. But the 64-year-old recently received a letter notifying him the plan was being canceled because it didn't cover certain benefits required under the law. The Griffins, who live near Philadelphia on the Delaware border, pay $770 monthly for their soon-to-be-terminated health care plan with a $2,500 deductible. The cheapest plan they found on their state insurance exchange was a so-called bronze plan charging a $1,275 monthly premium with deductibles totaling $12,700. It covers only providers in Pennsylvania, so the couple wouldn't be able to see the doctors in Delaware whom they've used for more than a decade. ``We're buying insurance that we will never use and can't possibly ever benefit from. We're basically passing on a benefit to other

people who are not otherwise able to buy basic insurance,'' said Griffin, who is retired from running an information technology company. The Griffins are among millions

benefit requirements of the new law. They can buy different policies directly from insurers for 2014 or sign up for plans on state insur-

Dean and Mary Lou Griffin sit their home in Chadds Ford, Pa. The Griffins are among millions of people nationwide who buy individual insurance policies and are receiving notices that those policies are being discontinued because they don't meet the higher benefit requirements of the new law.

of people nationwide who buy individual insurance policies and are receiving notices that those policies are being discontinued because they don't meet the higher

ance exchanges. While lower-income people could see lower costs because of government subsidies, many in the middle class may get rude awakenings when they ac-

cess the websites and realize they'll have to pay significantly more. Those not eligible for subsidies generally receive more comprehensive coverage than they had under their soon-to-be-canceled policies, but they'll have to pay a lot more. Because of the higher cost, the Griffins are considering paying the federal penalty - about $100 or 1 percent of income next year - rather than buying health insurance. They say they are healthy and don't typically run up large health care costs. Dean Griffin said that will be cheaper because it's unlikely they will get past the nearly $13,000 deductible for the coverage to kick in. Individual health insurance policies are being canceled because the Affordable Care Act requires plans to cover certain benefits, such as maternity care, hospital visits and mental illness. The law also caps annual out-ofpocket costs consumers will pay each year. Cont'd on Page 34

Â&#x201E;

Oklahoma City chamber drops insurance

OKLAHOMA CITY: The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce will no longer provide a health insurance offering that 1,400 companies in the state have been using. The chamber said that the companies are going to have to look elsewhere for coverage because its group plan does not meet the requirements of the federal health overhaul law. Chamber President Roy Williams told The Oklahoman that having to end the program is ``very, very unsettling.'' Williams said the participating companies were being presented offerings by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma that will include 26 plan options. Companies that sign up by Dec. 1 will be covered through December 2014. -AP

288 businesses enroll with NM health exchange SANTA FE, N.M.: Hundreds of small businesses have signed up with New Mexico's new health insurance exchange. A total of 925 small-business owners opened accounts during the first full month of operation of the Small Business Health Options Program, and exchange officials announced that about one third of those businesses have completed enrollment. Enrollment will continue on a rolling monthly basis, but the Santa Fe New Mexican reports many business owners are still weighing how the program will affect their employees, their bottom line, tax obligations and even their own insurance coverage. Instead of providing health insurance for his employees,

Brian Lock of Santa Fe Brewing Co. gives them money, in addition to their wages, to help them buy private insurance. ``They can take the supple-

bunch of hoops and paperwork?'' Under the system, businesses with 51 or more full-time employees must offer health insurance and pay for a portion of it or face

Simon Brackley, the chamber's president and CEO, said questions include how the exchange will work for businesses like nurseries and ski areas that have full-time workers but for only part of the year. ment and pocket it, save it or apply it toward health insurance if they decide to get insurance,'' Lock said. Now he wonders, ``How does somebody transition from having their own insurance to moving into this insurance exchange? Do they have to jump through a

a fine. Small businesses - those with 50 or fewer workers - have the option to offer the insurance. If they do buy coverage through the exchange, they might qualify for a tax credit worth up to 50 percent of the premium costs in 2014. Lock is on the board of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce,

which claims almost 1,000 member businesses. Most of those have fewer than 10 employees. ``Personally, I think there is still some confusion among small businesses,'' Lock said. Simon Brackley, the chamber's president and CEO, said questions include how the exchange will work for businesses like nurseries and ski areas that have full-time workers but for only part of the year. He said some business owners are also asking if they should reduce their workforce to qualify as a small business. Most of all, business owners are so busy running their operations they don't have time to figure out health insurance, especially small businesses that lack a human resources person, Brackley said. -AP

November 8, 2013

Health Science Post

India Post 33

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Health care plans ending for 26K New Mexicans SANTA FE, N.M.: Nearly 26,000 New Mexicans are having health plans terminated at the end of the year because the insurance policies fail to provide expanded benefits and other coverage mandated by a federal health care law, according to insurance industry officials. State Insurance Superintendent John Franchini estimates most of those individual policyholders will pay an average of 35 percent more for new coverage, but will have plans with more health care benefits. He said individuals can buy new coverage directly from a private insurer if they don't want to shop through a federally operated health insurance exchange, which has been hobbled by computer glitches. ``We all have to adapt now because the exchanges aren't working, but it doesn't mean we can't get what we need,'' said Franchini. Presbyterian Health Plan has sent letters to its 23,000 individual policyholders notifying them that their policies will not be renewed and outlining options for buying new health plans, said Todd Sandman,

senior vice president of strategy and customer engagement. Lovelace Health Plan has notified 2,900 individuals their plans are being discontinued, said Marlene Baca, the company's chief programs officer. Under the Affordable Health Care Act,

A 40-year-old man will pay about $248 a month for that mid-range insurance plan, which is considered a benchmark by the federal government for plans offered through exchanges. That 40-year-old man pays about $140 a month for a health plan that will end this year, according to Sandman. But he emphasized it's an ``apples to oranges'' price comparison because the silver plan offers more coverage and a wider range of benefits. policies starting next year must provide certain core benefits, such as coverage for maternity care as well as mental health and substance abuse. Franchini said many individuals don't buy those benefits in their current policies, which allows people to hold

Indian doc sent to 2 yrs in jail for healthcare fraud NEW YORK: An Indian doctor has been sentenced to over two years in prison for submitting false medical insurance claims for services that he had not provided. Amar Nath Bhandary, 53, from Oklahoma was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release and a USD 20,000 fine, US Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Sanford Coats said in a statement. Bhandary has also been ordered to pay restitution to Medicare and forfeit some property. A case was filed against him in May this year alleging that Bhandary engaged in healthcare fraud in 2008 by submitting false

claims to Medicare for services that he had not provided. Bhandary, a psychiatrist, was licensed to practice medicine in Oklahoma. He was also indicted in March last year by a federal grand jury in a 53-count indictment alleging illegal distribution of controlled substances. The indictment also alleged that Bhandary distributed various controlled drugs to eight separate individuals illegally in 2008 and 2009. The complaint said five of these individuals died from drug toxicity. In April this year, a jury trial was held in Oklahoma City federal court. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. -AP

Conway hospital looking for financial partner CONWAY, Ark.: Conway Regional Medical Center is working to set a foundation for its financial future by seeking a partner relationship with another hospital. The independent community hospital says partnering with another health system would also give provide more industry expertise and patient services in a time in which the health care marketplace is changing. The Log Cabin Democrat reports that

down monthly premiums. ``Under the Affordable Care Act, you can't use those old thin benefits anymore,'' he said. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico offered its 28,000 individual insurance policyholders a way to keep their cur-

Conway Regional board chairman Dr. Bart Throneberry says structures of payments to hospitals are changing and some forms of payment will be reduced. He says some Medicare and hospital plan payments are expected to be reduced as part of the general effort to lower health care costs. Conway Regional's announcement comes shortly after Little Rock's Baptist Health Systems declared its intention to expand into Faulkner County. -AP

rent health plans for another year by renewing the policies now. Insurance regulators agreed that the contract period could run from December through the end of November 2014. ``They have a little more time to shop around and see what's going to work for them,'' said Janice Torrez, vice president of external affairs and chief of staff for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. However, those renewed policies will cost more. Rates will go up about 9 per-

cent, according to Torrez. Presbyterian policyholders who don't make a decision on new coverage will automatically be enrolled in a ``silver'' health plan the insurer offers through the exchange used by New Mexico, said Sandman. A 40-year-old man will pay about $248 a month for that mid-range insurance plan, which is considered a benchmark by the federal government for plans offered through exchanges. That 40-year-old man pays about $140 a month for a health plan that will end this year, according to Sandman. But he emphasized it's an ``apples to oranges'' price comparison because the silver plan offers more coverage and a wider range of benefits. Under the federal law, consumers can select from insurance plans with a range of coverage called bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The least costly or bronze plans will require people to pay more outof-pocket expenses. Bronze plans are to cover about 60 percent of health care costs on average, with 70 percent coverage for silver plans. Franchini said New Mexicans buying new health coverage now have the flexibility of canceling their policies on a month-by-month basis and switching if they find a better plan later. -AP

Health Science Post

34 India Post

November 8, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Hospital to resume 24-hour sexual assault exams ANCHORAGE, Alaska: The Providence nurse examiners in Alaska can draw 30 to health system plans to restart nighttime 40 participants twice a year. But once they sexual assault exams in Anchorage after learn what the job entails, most don't sign identifying a temporary solution to a staff- up, Meyer said. ing shortage. ``It's difficult work. It's not work that just Officials had stopped providing around- anybody can do,'' she said. the-clock exams in October because of a Meyer said most of the examiners also lack of specially trained nurses. A program work regular nursing shifts but commit to manager told the Anchorage Daily News one on-call shift a week to perform exams that the 24-hour exams will resume on Nov. as part of a team that includes advocates 16 after Providence Alaska Medical Center and police. Anchorage, like other Alaska found a temporary fix to the staffing situa- communities, has committed to a sexual astion. Two more nurses who work at the hospital will Meyer said most of the examiners provide care to victims. By also work regular nursing shifts but February, Providence is aiming to have additional commit to one on-call shift a week to nurses on board and the perform exams as part of a team that program fully staffed. Prosecutors and advo- includes advocates and police. cates say delays in exams can mean lost evidence. It can also mean more trauma for victims, who sault response team that involves an admay be told not to shower, change clothes vocate, law enforcement and a nurse. or eat or drink. Providence has provided the exams since Jennifer Meyer, clinical nurse manager 2008 and has an annual forensic nursing for Forensic Nursing Services of Provi- budget of $700,000. The funding comes dence, said the forensic nursing program from Providence Alaska Medical Center, the used to operate with 16 nurses but that it municipality of Anchorage and Anchoragehas gradually shrunk to just eight, which based Southcentral Foundation, the health wasn't enough. care nonprofit of regional Alaska Native Meyer said trainings for sexual assault Corporation Cook Inlet Region Inc. -AP

Andhra to have 'cashless health cards' HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief through a cashless, seamless and transparMinister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has asked ent scheme, the release said. the officials to immediately launch 'cashThe Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust would less health cards' scheme for all the 14 lakh implement the scheme and the steering comgovernment employees, pensioners and mittee, headed by Chief Secretary, would their family members (totaling about 70 lakh) monitor the scheme from time to time, it in the state. added. About 1,885 procedures will be covered The release said that 60 per cent of the in the scheme in private as well as govern- total amount would be borne by Government hospitals network all over the state ment and 40 per cent by the employee or and the estimated expenditure for its imple- pensioner. -PTI mentation is Rs 400 crore per annum, an official release said. The release quoted the Chief Minister as saying that the 'EHS' card would be a beneficial provision for easy, hassle-free treatment. He also said that the scheme will be reviewed after six months and any shortcomings would be resolved and additional treatments added. The Chief Minister reviewed the scheme with ministers and senior officials. The main objective of the scheme is to provide healthcare to state government employees, pensioners and their dependent family members Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy

Many in the middle class get rude awakenings on insurance Centre to make health tourism

industry competitive KOCHI: The Centre would make all efforts to make Indian health tourism industry globally competitive, Union minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi has said. Delivering the valedictory address at the International Conference and Exhibition on Health Tourism, organized by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and the Confederation of Indian Industry here, he said all efforts would be made by the government to make the Indian health tourism industry globally competitive. Foremost in the agenda of the government was to bring down the cost of healthcare in the country, he said. "Health tourism is gaining momentum in developing countries. It is the provision of cost effective private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment," he said. With rising medical cost and high degree of sophisticated practices, people are looking and exploring various economic options and alternatives, he said. According to a study by McKinsey commissioned by CII, health tourism industry in India could become a US$5billion business by 2015. "With the finest and experienced specialists and technological edge along with

latest equipment and state-of-the-art infrastructure, Indian healthcare is synonymous with safety, trust and excellence", he said. The death rate for coronary bypass patients in India is 0.8 per cent and the infec-

The Centre would make all efforts to make Indian health tourism industry globally competitive, Union minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi

tion rate is 0.3 per cent compared to the first world averages of 1.2 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. This statistics auger well for the health care industry in the country, he said. -AP

Cont'd from Page 32

In the past, consumers could get relatively inexpensive, bare-bones coverage, but those plans will no longer be available. Many consumers are frustrated by what they call forced upgrades as they're pushed into plans with coverage options they don't necessarily want. Ken Davis, who manages a fast food restaurant in Austin, Texas, is recovering from sticker shock after the smallbusiness policy offered by his employer was canceled for the same reasons individual policies are being discontinued. His company pays about $100 monthly for his basic health plan. He said he'll now have to pay $600 monthly for a mid-tier silver plan on the state exchange. The family policy also covers his 8-year-old son. Even though the federal government is contributing a $500 subsidy, he said the $600 he's left to pay is too high. He's considering the penalty. ``I feel like they're forcing me to do something that I don't want to do or need to do,'' Davis, 40, said. Owners of canceled policies have a few options. They can stay in the same plan for the same price for one more year if they have one of the few plans that were grandfathered in. They can buy a similar plan with upgraded benefits that meets the new standards - likely at a significant cost increase. Or, if they make

less than $45,960 for a single adult or $94,200 for a family of four, they may qualify for subsidies. Just because a policy doesn't comply with the law doesn't mean consumers will get cancellation letters. They may get notices saying existing policies are being amended with new benefits and will come with higher premiums. Some states, including Virginia and Kentucky, re-

Owners of canceled policies have a few options. They can stay in the same plan for the same price for one more year if they have one of the few plans that were grandfathered in. quired insurers to cancel old policies and start from scratch instead of beefing up existing ones. It is unclear how many individual plans are being canceled - no one agency keeps track. But it's likely in the millions. Insurance industry experts estimate that about 14 million people, or 5 percent of the total market for health care coverage, buy individual policies. Most people get coverage through jobs and aren't affected. -AP

November 8, 2013

Health Science Post

India Post 35

www.indiapost.com

Smoking can age your face! WASHINGTON: Smokers, please note! Smoking may cause premature facial ageing, leading to sagging of the upper eyelids and more wrinkles, a new study has found. The effects of smoking on facial ageing

least five years longer. Fifty-seven of the 79 twin pairs studied were women; the average age 48 years. A professional photographer took standardized, close-up photographs of each twin's face. The twins also completed questionnaires regarding their medical and lifestyle histories. Without knowledge of the twins' smoking history, plastic surgeons analyzed the twins' facial features, including grading of wrinkles and age-related facial features. Scores on several measures of facial ageing were significantly worse for the smokers. The smokers had more sagging of the upper eyelids, The twin on the left has smoked 17 years longer than the twin on the as well as more bags right. Note the differences in lower lid bags and upper and lower lip of the lower eyelids wrinkles. and under the eyes. are most apparent in the lower two-thirds Twins who smoked also had higher of the face, researchers found. scores for facial wrinkles, including more In the study, twins who smoke showed pronounced nasolabial folds (lines between more premature facial ageing, compared to the nose and mouth), wrinkling of the uptheir nonsmoking identical twins. per and lower lips and sagging jowls. The research found significant differMost of the smoking-related differences ences in facial ageing between twins with affected the middle and lower thirds of the as little as five years' difference in smoking face. There were fewer differences in agehistory, according to Dr Bahman Guyuron, ing of the upper face, such as forehead lines Professor and Chairman, Department of or "crow's feet" around the eyes. Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Case "It is noteworthy that even among sets Medical and Case School of Medicine, of twins where both are smokers, a differCleveland. ence in five years or more of smoking duraIn an annual Twin Days Festival, held in tion can cause visibly identifiable changes Twinsburg, Ohio, the researchers identified in facial ageing," researchers said. pairs of identical twins who differed by The study will appear in Plastic and Resmoking history. constructive Surgery, the official medical In each pair, either one twin smoked and journal of the American Society of Plastic the other did not, or one twin smoked at Surgeons (ASPS). -AP

Helicopter delivers Central Texas mom to safety AUSTIN, Texas: A newborn baby is resting comfortably after his mother went into labor and had to be airlifted over flooded roads in Central Texas. Jamie Jatzlau's water broke at about 10:30 pm as storms pounded much of the area. For six hours, emergency crews tried to get to Jatzlau's home to take her to the hospital, but surrounding roads were flooded. Finally, a helicopter took Jatzlau to an area hospital at about 6 am where she gave birth to a baby boy four hours later. Had the helicopter not made it, Jatzlau and her husband, a trauma nurse, would have attempted a home birth. They tell Austin television station KXAN that Trent Maverick Jatzlau was

born with his umbilical cord around his

Finally, a helicopter took Jatzlau to an area hospital at about 6 am where she gave birth to a baby boy four hours later. Had the helicopter not made it, Jatzlau and her husband, a trauma nurse, would have attempted a home birth. neck, which would have made that dangerous. -AP

Karnataka govt to settle medical bills of Manna Dey BANGALORE: Karnataka government has decided to settle pending medical bills of legendary playback singer Manna Dey, who died at a private hospital here on October 24, to the tune of about Rs 25 lakh. "...this is not just a gesture of the state government, but a mark of respect to the great singer, who had sung few songs for Kannada films also," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in an official release. The Chief Minister also announced that

the state government will organize "Naada Namana", a musical night, as a tribute to Manna Dey, it added. Dey's family is said to have appealed to the Chief Minister to help them pay the bills when he had visited them on October 25 to offer his condolences. The family had earlier alleged that some of Dey's relatives had siphoned off his Rs 30 lakh, which they were trying hard to get back to pay the bills. -AP

Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah paying tributes to legendary singer Manna Dey at his residence in Bengaluru on Oct. 25.

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Party All Night: Boss 2 Gulaabi: Shuddh Desi Romance 3 Main Rang Sharbaton Ka: Phata Poster Nikhla Hero 4 Boss (Title Track): Boss 5 Nagada Sang Dhol: Ram-Leela www.indiapost.com

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6 Hum Na Tode: Boss 7 Laal Ishq: Ram-Leela 8 Besharam ( Title Track) : Besharam 9 Ye Tune Kya Kiya: Once Upon

amir Khan, who has played a variety of roles in his 25-year-old career, says 'Dhoom 3' is his toughest role so far. "I have never played anything like this before. Every film is challenging, but this was a tough role. I had a great time working in the film," Aamir told reporters at the trailer launch of the film. In terms of preparation, the actor had to workout a lot for Dhoom 3. "I am playing a gymnast in the film. I also went for circus training. There was a lot of hard work.

I followed a strict diet." The actor plays a negative role in director Vijay Krishna Acharya's sleek and stylish thriller but says don't compare it with the typical villain of the big screen. "I liked the story and I was amazed after reading the script. I am not playing a typical Hindi cinema villain in Dhoom 3. I don't want people to feel I am playing a villain," said Aamir. Abhishek Bachchan, his co-star in the film, said, "Dhoom 3 is much more edgy. I wouldn't call Aamir villain of the film."

A Time In Mumbaai Dobara 10 Ram Chaahe Leela: Ram-Leela

ollywood actor Ranveer Singh wants to play the character of Bhagat Singh. "Transforming into somebody else is the toughest job for an actor. I want to do a biopic on him," said the Ram of 'Ram-Leela.' Promoting his 'Ram-Leela' he said, "My first film was a super hit, the second earned money while the third earned respect. But, I feel this movie will give me all three things together." He added that a successful movie isn't which earns a lot of money. "The memories related with a movie and its longevity are more important to me." Of Sanjay Leela Bhansali he said, "He is a special director and this is his most special film since the movie shares his mother's name." Declining fans' request to remove his shirt, the actor said, "I have become superstitious now. Whenever I remove my shirt, I either get ill or hurt. I have received two injuries and fell ill because of it." About his suffering from dengue recently, he said, "Ek machhar aadmi ko hijda bana deta hai. I realized this during my illness. I was so weak that I couldn't even pick up a glass of water."

nushka Sharma has turned producer as she has joined hands with Phantom to produce Navdeep Singh's next film called NH 10. Anushka, who plays the lead in the film, liked the script so much that she has decided to co-produce it with Phantom. At 25, this makes her among the youngest actor-producers on the block taking her into a different league altogether vis-a-vis her contemporaries. With two of the biggest films Rajkumar Hirani's P.K. with Aamir Khan and Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet with Ranbir Kapoor, NH 10 will be her third release next year. Speaking on her new role, Anushka says, "I'm thrilled to get a chance to do this so early on in my career. And I couldn't have found a better project than NH 10 to kick-start this new phase in my film journey. This is my second film after Bombay Velvet with Phantom, and it's a blast working with them. It's going to be super-exciting working together again on what promises to be an explosive film."

Bollywood

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any moons ago, she played a mom in Heyy Babyy. Then she took a bold step of mothering Amitabh Bachchan in Paa. Later in Kahaani, as a pregnant lady, she put on a fake tummy in order to seek revenge. Now in Balaji and PNC's Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Vidya Balan is back playing a mom to a toddler with Farhan Akhtar as hubby. Though in the interim she was seen in Ghanchakkar which didn't quite win her the kind of accolades that she is used to, things seem to be all set for change with the promo of Shaadi Ke Side Effects seeing an out and out positive response. While working on her endorsement commitments, preparations for the role and many costumes trials, she got going on Shaadi Ke Side Effects, but not before getting married and enjoying her real life 'side effects', including setting up her house with hubby Sidharth Roy Kapur. "Well, uska bhi apna ek mazaa hai," laughs Vidya, "I had to focus on doing up the house as well. I wanted to enjoy that phase than running around the studios. I wanted to settle down into the new house before diving into work."

aif and Sajid Khan seem to have bonded quite well on the sets of their upcoming film Humshakals, as the two have decided to join hands once again for another film. While Humshakals, which will star Saif, Riteish and Ram Kapoor in triple roles, is produced by Vashu Bhagnani, their next will be

produced by Disney - UTV. However, the rest of the cast for the film is yet to be finalized. This untitled project is slated to go on floors by the end of 2014. Humshakals stars Esha Gupta, Bipasha Basu along with Tamannaah Bhatia and the cast is currently shooting in London.

hile Deepika Padukone swears by her co-star from 'Ram-Leela' Ranveer Singh's honesty, he likes her warmth and kindness that the actress exudes. "I love the person that she is. I have rarely met people like her in my life who are so kind and gentle and who treat everybody equally regardless of their position and status. She exudes positivity, she has an aura that is indescribable." All praise of her co-star, Deepika says, "Ranveer's honesty whether it is to the craft, or as a person, or the way he conducts himself, is such a wonderful quality to have. It is so nice and refreshing to see someone who is unapologetic about the way he is whether it is the kind of films that he likes or the way he dresses or whether it is the way he carries or conducts himself. That is what makes him so refreshingly lovable." However, she discloses a trait in Ranveer that not many know which is his fetish for cleanliness. "Ranveer has an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)," she adds. Pointing out the 'spiritual' quality in Deepika, Ranvir adds, "She is like a saint. If she wants to retire and become one of those God people she can easily do that."

Â&#x201E;

Realty Tidbits

'Premium housing prices may fall soon' MUMBAI: Investorscan look forward to premium housing units getting cheaper by up to 20 per cent and gold prices rising significantly this festive season, says a financial advisory firm. "We are expecting premium housing projects to get cheaper by up to 20 per cent... Potential buyers will not have to negotiate discounts, since realty companies are in all probability going to make such announcements," a Delhibased financial advisory firm InvestCare said in a statement. The high inventories can soon impact cash-flow for realtors, adding that depending on the project, a cut up to 20 per cent could be possible. "A cut in prices is definitely possible for premium housing units. If companies can cut prices, it will help bring back buyers to the market despite the weak environment", its Managing Director Ajit Mishra said. -PTI

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Details on Page 39

Feng Shui secrets to sell your home DANA DRATCH

rying to sell a house this year? Consider using Feng Shui. The practice, which originated in China, is a very down-to-earth analysis of what does (and doesn't) make your home appealing and inviting, says Terah Kathryn Collins, author of "The Western Guide to Feng Shui" and founder of the Western School of Feng Shui.

"Those are the three basics that have to be right or Feng Shui is a nonstarter," Kennedy says. Once you have that, then you can put some Feng Shui techniques to work - to amp up your chances of a sale, he says. Arrange rooms to 'welcome' visitors Ever walk into a party where all

Â&#x201E; Gera to venture in Bangalore real estate PANAJI: Pune-based Gera Developments will have their footprints outside western India for the first time next year, with the development of a residential property in Bangalore. "We are looking at development of residential property in Bangalore which will be launched in February-March next year," Gera Developments Private Limited Managing Director Rohit Gera told PTI here. For the first time the group, with more than 40 years of experience in real estate development, would be venturing in South India through its Bangalore property, he said. "It took 33 years for us to come to Goa, and six years later we are looking at Bangalore," he said speaking about the markets they were looking at after Bangalore venture.-AP

Neighborhoods crack down on rental properties

"I think the whole popular notion of staging is all contained within the practice of Feng Shui," she says. Everything we associate with staging -- from clearing the clutter to making the place smell good to sprucing up the entryway - are all Feng Shui strategies, she says. But Feng Shui experts are the first to admit that it, alone, won't sell your house, says David Daniel Kennedy, a Feng Shui practitioner and author of several books on the topic, including "Feng Shui for Dummies." First, you want to have "the right price, the right agent and the right marketing plan," he says.

the guests have their backs to you? That's what it's like when you walk into a room and all you can see is the back of the furniture, says Collins. And that was one of the big problems with a $5 million home she'd been hired to consult on prior to the sale. "There was not a lot of intimacy in this house," she recalls. She turned the furniture so that it faced the entry ways, and "it made all the difference in the world," says Collins. Another problem in the house? Chairs were isolated - set down as one-offs. "Where do you sit and have a conversation in this house?" So Collins grouped them in pairs. And she placed them diagonally -- often sharing a table - to create spaces where people could sit and talk. You want buyers to walk in and feel like they instantly belong, says Jayme Barrett, author of "Feng Shui Your Life." That means you don't want them to walk into your living room "and see the back of a sofa," she says. That arrangement "creates an obstacle," she says. "And you want the positive energy" - and the buyers themselves - to be able to move freely through the home,

she says. Create a good traffic flow Good traffic flow isn't just for parties. Buyers want that in their everyday lives, too. With one house, Collins "came around a corner and almost ran into a chair," she recalls. "That's a big no-no." The rule: "You don't want anything that's going to keep people from feeling that they can move through an area." So look at the room in terms of creating easy-to-navigate, open pathways. You want to represent a home that makes potential buyers feel comfortable - not one that feels cramped or claustrophobic. And if that means getting rid of some of the pieces, that's OK, too, Collins says. "The way space is arranged has such power over people," she says.

says. Make sure to also put away those personal family photos and religious and spiritual icons, says Barrett. "You want to make your home as welcoming as possible to potential buyers ... you don't want your spiritual preferences, which may be different from theirs, to sway them in any way," Collins says. "It's essential for the buyers to be able to envision their family and furniture in the home so keep the decor neutral," she says. "Nature scenes are soothing and will relax the buyers," Barrett says. Feng Shui - and home marketing - are all about making a good first impression, says Collins. "You want to create that friendly, positive first impression."

Watch the subliminal messages The painting over the bed in one client's master bedroom? A three-ring circus. While it was colorful, the underlying message was "stress," Collins says. "It might have been fine in a den, but it's not fine in a bedroom,"

Use plants and water to your advantage Real estate agents will tell you to close toilet lids because no buyer wants to look into your commode. Feng Shui philosophy advocates the same thing for a different reason. "Water represents money and the toilet is the one place where water/money escapes," Barrett

she says. Instead, create an atmosphere that's calm, restful and restorative, she says. With that in mind, the homeowner selected another piece of art to hang over the bed - "a beautiful landscape," Collins says. "Nature scenes are soothing and will relax the buyers," Barrett

says. Instead, "You can place a small tabletop water fountain either at the entrance or in the back left corner of the home, which is the wealth corner," she says. "Moving water circulates prosperity energy throughout the home." -Courtesy Bankrate.com

November 8, 2013

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Neighborhoods crack down on rental properties GREENWOOD, Ind.: Neighborhood groups across Indiana are placing limits on rental properties after a wave of purchases by investors in the past year, forcing some of the buyers to put the houses back on the market.

Companies like American Homes 4 Rent have been snatching up vacant houses, contributing to a 19 percent increase in sales of existing homes over the past year. But the investors are increasingly running into issues with homeowners associations worried about the impact of rentals. Indianapolis attorney Scott Tanner said many associations are banning or restricting rental homes because of fear that renters don't have as much invested in a neighborhood and won't take care of properties, which could cause home values to decline. Restrictions can include banning rentals except in cases of financial hardship, requiring people to live in the houses for two to five years before using them as rentals and limit-

New home launches up by 5% in Jan-Sept NEW DELHI: India's eight major cities saw launch of 1.32 lakh homes during January-September 2013, up by five per cent from the year-ago period, according to global real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield. These eight cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, NCR and Pune - had witnessed launch of 125,590 residential units during the corresponding period of 2012. As many as 31,434 units were launched in affordable segment, while 75,529 and 24,032 homes were introduced in the middle-income and high-end segments, respectively. Nearly 1,100 luxury homes were also launched. "Contrary to tradition, there has been a decline in new launch activities in Q3 2013 as economic conditions have not been encouraging for developers. Slowed down in demand with consumer confidence at lower ebb on account of increased and consistently high pricing in key cities," C&W Executive Director Residential Services Shveta Jain said. Launches of new homes fell by 43,907 units during JulySeptember period compared with 47,048 units in the previous quarter. The demand from first time buyers and end users has been consistent as genuine buyers with adequate capital look at this phase as ideal to enter the property market on account of stable capital values, she said. "Most developers are focused on keeping the levels of unsold inventories low, thus to promote sales, developers are resolving to innovating marketing to ensure buyers can get more value from their product," Jain said. "Developers are looking at alternate strategies from promotional offers to resizing of units in order to meet the end consumer demand of economically viable housing," she said. -PTI

ing the number of houses in a neighborhood that can be rented. Tanner told the Daily Journal he has worked with about 20 homeowners associations this year to write new rules limiting rentals. ``I'm getting a lot of work out of it because people are trying to stop this before it gets way too out of hand,'' he said. In some cases, investors have put a house back on the market after learning of association restrictions on rentals. That happened in The Pines of Greenwood, where American Homes 4 Rent bought a house in October 2012 but now has it back on the market.

Chief operating officer Jack Corrigan said the company doesn't research every homeowners association's rules before buying because it's cheaper and more efficient to purchase houses while prices are low. If the company later learns a neighborhood restricts rental properties, American Homes 4 Rent avoids buying there in the future, he said. ``Because we've made money most of the time selling them, it hasn't been that problematic for us. It's a good business when you can make an error and make money at it,'' Corrigan said. Corrigan said that only 100 to 150 of the approximately 22,000 homes the company has bought nationwide have had to be resold. -AP

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KRISHAN SHARMA India Post News Service

f you have traveled far and wide you will appreciate how Turkey has preserved its culture and traditions over centuries. Because of its strategic location between Asia and Europe, it has seen several empires like Greek, Roman and later Ottoman conquered and fallen. They left behind rich traditions which present day Turkey can boast of. It is now bustling with tourists from all over the world and has also become one of the key centers for commerce. Turkey has turned into a model of how a predominantly Muslim nation can co-exist with all other religions. Such examples are everywhere, when one visits the monuments and bazaars. There are several places one can venture, depending on your time and interest. If you are there for few days there are a few places I would strongly recommend visiting. They are Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Dolmabahce Palace, Topkapi Palace. Besides seeing these monuments, one should find time for a walking tour of some parts of the city especially the Taksim Squire, Isiphiti Street the Tower, the famous Grand Bazaar and of course the Spice Market. The smell of spices and Turkish sweets can drive you nuts. Day tours can be very tiring but don't forget to treat yourself with some Turkish bath available everywhere. One can also end the tour on board one of the best short cruises in Istanbul by night in the Bosphorus Strait which separates Asia and Europe. They serve eight course dinner. There are cultural programs including Belly Dancing with breathtaking view of the skylines of Istanbul.

IMPORTANCE OF ISTANBUL At the south of Istanbul is the Marmara Sea, and at the north the Black Sea are situated. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 42

IF YOU ARE THERE FOR FEW DAYS THERE ARE A FEW PLACES I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND VISITING. THEY ARE HAGIA SOPHIA, BLUE MOSQUE, BASILICA CISTERN, DOLMABAHCE PALACE, TOPKAPI PALACE. BESIDES SEEING THESE MONUMENTS, ONE SHOULD FIND TIME FOR A WALKING TOUR OF SOME PARTS OF THE CITY ESPECIALLY THE TAKSIM SQUIRE, ISIPHITI STREET THE TOWER, THE FAMOUS GRAND BAZAAR AND OF COURSE THE SPICE MARKET Pics Krishan Sharma

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Istanbul - Where Europe meets Asia Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 41

The Western part of the city is in Europe, and the Eastern is in Asia. The important watercourse that divides Istanbul is the Bosphorus. As a seaport both the closest Asian city to Europe and the closest European city to Asia, and the passage of all commerce ways from here, increases the importance of Istanbul. Positioned between 280 01' and 290 55' eastern longitudes and 410 33' and 400 28' latitudes, Istanbul is among the best cities of the world with its location as a bridge between Europe and Asia. This geographical location gives characteristics of East and West to the city at the same time.

MILD CLIMATE Located on the northern west of Turkey,

Istanbul has a mild climate. It is possible to live all four seasons. In April and May, a short and cool spring is experienced in Istanbul. In June, you feel

Ourside Grand Bazaar

both summer and spring. In July and August, it is a moist summer with 30 degrees on average. From September till December, a long fall awaits you... In fact the weather doesn't get cooler, and in this season when it often rains, it is possible to swim almost until September. But it also rains frequently. From December till March, especially nights are cold, but you face a soft winter. Rarely are there snowy and freezing winter days.

CAPITAL OF ECONOMY

Galata Tower Istanbul

The city, bearing the position of being the country's economic locomotive can be defined as 'private sector's management', the 'capital of economy'. Therefore, headquarters of all companies in all sectors are located in Istanbul. The rest of the financial institutions conducting the money markets such as IMKB (Istanbul Stock Exchange), Gold Stock Exchange and leasing, factoring and insurance sector are located here. Trade, finance, culture and tourism sectors are mostly located at the center; industry sector is located at suburbs such as Tuzla, Pendik, and Ikitelli. The population consists of 15 million, mostly comprised of young workers. The city has a very dense traffic in which 4 millions of vehicles are transiting and streets are mostly crowded from 9 am to 6 pm due to rush hours. Maslak, Etiler and Levent could be defined as the future vision of the city.

Inside Grand Bazaar

Les Coffee and Snack Bar offers one of the best Turkish coffee and Turkish delights and sandwches one can indulge while shopping at Grand Bazaar. Proud owner Mr Ahmed standing in front of his Coffee Bar.

November 8, 2013

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Jet Airways to pay Kerala Tourism launches new $ 10,000 to settle US case campaign on Twitter THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Tourism has chosen the virtual world to launch its new 'Great Backwaters campaign.' Ahead of the traditional media, the campaign to unveil the state's majestic backwaters as a single destination and an once-in-a-life-

launch by enthusiastically tweeting with the hash tag #GreatBackwaters in large numbers. Kerala Tourism is a pioneer in using the innovative means of technology to promote its destinations. Kerala Tourism website (www.keralatourism.org) has won

time experience like the Great Wall of China or the Grand Canyon of the US was launched on Twitter. The fans of Kerala Tourism on Twitter (@KeralaTourism) have already welcomed the campaign's

several national and international awards. The department's Twitter and Facebook accounts are followed by tens of thousands of fans around the world.

"It is a tribute to the millions of travelers across the world who embrace technology every day in knowing about and visiting their favorite destinations," said Kerala Tourism Secretary Suman Billa in a release here. Kerala Tourism has set up a separate micro-site (www.greatbackwaters.com), in which a front line image of the campaign is hidden. The image from the aerial photography of the backwaters under the campaign is revealed bit by bit with each tweet on hashtag #GreatBackwaters. The entire image will be revealed once a considerable number of tweets with the hashtag appears. Kerala Tourism is offering souvenirs of the state as prizes to two winners from the tweets every day. "The Great Backwaters campaign is a product of the use of cutting edge technology. The campaign has used technology, which has never been attempted in Kerala or in the country before for promoting a destination," said Billa. The campaign's launch on Twitter will be followed by its release in the traditional media both nationally and internationally during the month-end, he said. -PTI

Multi-utility vehicle service launched for Tirupati CHENNAI: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has launched multiutility vehicle service for popular destinations in Andhra Pradesh like Tirupati, to cater to tourists who want to travel by cars rather than buses. The 'small coach service' would cater to segments of tourists who would like journey in cars with their families or friends alone rather than traveling as part of larger groups in bus. The tourism corporation would take care of requirements, including food and accommodation, besides "darshan" at pilgrimage centers like Tirupati. The corporation was willing to work out special customized packages to suit the requirements of small groups and families travel-

ing to destinations in Andhra Pradesh, especially pilgrimage centers like Tirupati and Srisailam, Sumeet Singh, Executive Director, APTD, told reporters here. Such services are being offered

from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad besides other centers, he said. In the wake of disturbances caused by the pro and anti Telangana protests, tourists in

Andhra Pradesh were facing difficulties. The top APTD official was here as part of the tourism promotion body's efforts to tell people that "all is well in Andhra Pradesh now and that tourists and pilgrims are welcome." "Now everything is fine and we welcome everyone to Andhra Pradesh," he said. Customized packages in MUVs or luxury coaches could be worked out to several other destinations like Mypadu beach (180 km) and Horsely Hills (240 km) from Chennai considering the proximity, said Srinivasan, Manager, APTDC. The corporation has hotels and resorts across Andhra Pradesh including in lesser known places like Araku and Dindi, he added. -PTI

WASHINGTON: The US transportation regulator imposed civil penalties of USD 10,000 on Jet Airways after the Indian carrier agreed to settle a case related to its failure to provide accurate information on a tarmac delay. Jet Airways reached a consent settlement with the US Department of Transportation, according to an order issued by the regulator late last month. The Indian carrier "has paid the fine as per the order", a Jet spokesperson said in a statement in New Delhi. The incident occurred in 2011 when a dozen airlines were forced to divert due to bad weather to Bradley airport, which was not a regular diversion airport for Jet

the tarmac delay on October 29, 2011. Due to bad weather on that day, Jet Airways flight 9W 228, going from Brussels Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport, was diverted to Bradley. Since Bradley was not a regular diversion airport for Jet, the carrier did not have a coordinated contingency plan with the airport. Later an investigation found that after being diverted to Bradley, 217 passengers were delayed on the tarmac for five hours and 14 minutes but Jet Airways reported a tarmac delay of four hours and 40 minutes. Later, Jet filed corrected data after the Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) had been published. Under US regulations, certain

Airways. The statement said Jet was "unable to disembark its (217) guests at Bradley Airport when the aircraft was on ground due to unforeseen circumstances and the aircraft returned to New York after refueling and obtaining necessary clearance". The Department of Transportation order issued on October 22 said, "In order to avoid litigation, Jet Airways has agreed to settle this matter with Enforcement Office and enter into this consent order directing Jet Airways to cease and desist from future similar violations." Jet was directed to pay a "compromise civil penalty", with the US regulator saying it believed "this assessment is appropriate and serves public interest". The issue related to Jet's failure to provide accurate information on

foreign carriers are required to file a "Tarmac Delay Report" for each month in which there has been at least one tarmac delay of three hours or more. This data is made available to the public through the monthly ATCR. The Department of Transportation's Enforcement Office opined that most of the circumstances that led to the tarmac delay in October 2011 were beyond the control of any single carrier. "... because Jet Airways had not previously considered (Bradley) to be one of its regular diversion airports and had not used that airport for diversions in the past, the Enforcement Office is not pursuing enforcement action against the carrier for having failed to coordinate its tarmac delay contingency plan with (Bradley)," the order noted. -PTI

Tech News Govt discusses possibility of having more FTAs NEW DELHI: With the economy facing bad times, government is exploring the possibility of having more free trade agreements with various countries at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here. The meeting of the Trade and Economic Relations Committee, attended among others by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, held discussions with the aim of giving a boost to the economy, sources said. The meeting also reviewed progress of various free trade agreements (FTAs) under negotiations, they added. The discussions included the possibility of having more commerce-opening FTAs with countries in Europe and Pacific, sources said. India is negotiating several FTAs with various countries, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand besides the European Union. The economy in the first three months of 2013-14 grew at rate of 4.4 per cent, the lowest rate in four years.-PTI

Finnair turns 90; to focus more on India NEW DELHI: Finnish carrier Finnair, the world's fifth oldest airline which is still in operations has turned 90, with more and more focus on Asia, particularly India. According to airline officials, Finnair specializes in flights between Europe and Asia, offering direct connections from Helsinki to over 60 European destinations and 13 destinations in Asia. Finnair was established on November 1, 1923, and offers direct connections from Helsinki to over 60 European and 13 Asian destinations. "We build on a legacy of building better connections between Europe and Asia and our vision of doubling our Asian revenue by 2020," CEO Pekka Vauramo said, adding Finnair has ferried over eight million passengers per year. Finnair has renewed its service concept and now uses tableware and textiles designed by Marimekko for Finnair on all flights in both Business and Economy class. The entertainment systems in Finnair aircraft have also been upgraded, nearly doubling the selection of entertainment on long flights with 72 films and over 150 TV programs available in both Business and Economy class. -PTI

TechBiz 44 India Post

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Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. (NMIPL) president Kenichiro Yomura flaggingoff of the 300000th car for export from Ennore Port Ltd. (EPL) at Ennore Port in Chennai

November 8, 2013

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel talks sexts and growth

van Spiegel dropped out of Stanford University in 2012, three classes shy of graduation, to move back to his father's house and work on Snapchat. Spiegel's fast-growing mobile app lets users send photos, videos and messages that disappear a few seconds after they are received. Founded in 2011, Snapchat is especially popular with teenagers and young adults, but many parents fear the app is the ideal tool for sharing lewd photos, or ``sexting.'' In spite of the unfavorable baggage and no revenue, Snapchat is growing. The company has raised about $70 million in venture funding from investors such as Institutional Venture Partners and Benchmark Capital. The Pew Research Center found in a recent poll that 9 percent of American cell phone owners use Snapchat. Spiegel's ideas about the permanence of digital data run counter to those of just about everyone else in the industry. ``It would be better for everyone if we deleted everything by default and saved the things that are important to us,'' he says. ``Right now most businesses are built on saving everything and then writing a ton of software to organize it and hopefully find the things that are important later.'' The company recently added a feature called ``Stories,'' which lets snaps live for 24 hours. Speigel, 23, talked with The Associated Press about his app, and his plans for the company's future. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Q: The first thing many people think about Snapchat is its use for sexting. How do you address that? A: The fun thing about Snapchat is really the surprise and the joy that comes from learning how to use it. But it was tough in the beginning. I can even remember when we were first trying to get people to get on the service, I stood on the (Santa Monica) promenade and I would go up to people and be like: ``Hey, you should try this application. You can send dis-

appearing photos.'' And they would say: ``Oh for sexting,'' which kind of meant that we had to do a better job teaching people. And we're fine in how we described the service over time. Now, the growth of the service shows that it's about a lot more. Q: What's the point of Snapchat?

ing disappearing texts, photo, video. And they really had a hard time because there was a lot of stigma around deleting things. But when Bobby (Bobby Murphy, Snapchat chief technology officer and co-founder) and I built the prototype and started using it, we realized how much fun we were

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel

A: It's fun. Period. And that's the most important part. Somewhere along the way when we were building social media products we forgot the reason we like to communicate with our friends is because it's fun. People started conceiving of their friends as networking tools, like `friend me so you can be friends with someone else' or `the more people you know, the more networked you are.' But we

having sending the photos back and forth. And based on our experience with the application we were able to do a good job describing how ephemeral content can make an experience that is really fun, exciting and way more engaging. Q: Would the service be as popular without the disappearing aspect? A: This is something we like to ponder as well. One of the great-

One of the greatest benefits of the service, especially in the early days, was that it was 10 times faster than an MMS (multimedia messaging service) message. So a lot of people just liked it see real value in having a fun conversation with your friends. Q: How did you come up with the idea? A: A buddy of mine was bummed about a photo he (regretted sending). And so we started looking at some of the other applications in the space that were do-

est benefits of the service, especially in the early days, was that it was 10 times faster than an MMS (multimedia messaging service) message. So a lot of people just liked it because the interface was so simple. It sent the photos so quickly. It was a lot faster than opening up a text message, going

and taking a picture or choosing it from the gallery, uploading it which took a really really long time - and then sending it to your friend. There are lots of different benefits to the Snapchat application. Obviously we haven't yet run the experiment of making the messages permanent but we have seen that people save messages they receive. Two percent of snaps that are received are screenshot (and saved). So there's obviously a lot of value to sending images quickly and if an image grabs you, or you think it's interesting or fun, it's always fine to save it. Q: How'd you go about getting your first round of funding? A: This guy named Jeremy Liew, who works at Lightspeed Ventures, one of his partners, Barry Eggers had a daughter who was using Snapchat. She said her three favorite apps of the world that everyone was using at her high school were Angry Birds, Instagram and Snapchat. And (Liew and Eggers) had never heard of Snapchat, so they were like we've got to find those guys. So Jeremy sent me a Facebook message. I ended up meeting with him and showed him some of the early data we had. That was the month we were not going to be able to pay our server bills any more. Bobby had a job that was paying for the server bills at the time. And it just got too expensive, so the timing was awesome. My dad didn't want to pay for disappearing photos any more. Q: So what's the pressure on you now, now that you've had these investments? What are the paths for revenue? A: Going forward there are lots of different revenue models. One we talk about is in-app transactions (selling extra content or features within the Snapchat app) because we don't have to build a sales team to make cool things that people want to pay for. Q: Are you still living at your dad's? A: Yes. Q: How long will that be for? A: Until he kicks me out. -AP

TechBiz Post

November 8, 2013

India Post

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Govt to use Big Data, Analytics for taxation NEW DELHI: As government looks at ways to analyze huge amounts data available on corporate as well as individuals to increase tax collections by studying various parameters like spending patterns, IT companies expect strong growth in Big Data and Analytics business in the coming years. "Government is planning to use Analytics to increase its revenue base," Infosys Vice President and India Business Head Raghu Cavale told PTI. He said the country's tax-payer base is just about 3 crore and the number has been inching its way slowly for the last 5-10 years, which the government would like to see growing at a faster pace. "The economy has been expanding, which essentially means that the number of people coming

Raghu Cavale

in the tax rate should be more. But it is not so," Cavale added. Big Data and Analytics businesses of IT firms aim at storing, sorting and analyzing vast amounts of data across various fields - finance, marketing, healthcare, utilities, climate and transaction records. According to government data, the total tax payers in the country stood at about 3.24 crore during the 2011-12 fiscal. "As a nation, we can put together all the data. If you travel abroad, buy expensive jewellery, we can check your digital

Sinha's appointment as SEBI chief upheld NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has upheld the appointment of U K Sinha as SEBI chairman, saying it was done by the Centre in accordance with the law and rejected the contention that Omita Paul, who was adviser to the then finance minister, had influenced the decision making process. A bench of justices S S Nijjar and P C Ghose dismissed the PIL

accept the submission that respondent No.6 (Paul) was able to influence the decision making process which involves the active participation of the ACC (appointment committee of cabinet), a high powered Search-cum-Section Committee with the final approval of the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister. "The proposition is so absurd

U K Sinha

challenging the appointment saying that allegations made against Paul, now President Pranab Mukherjee's Secretary, are "imaginary" and the petitioner is a surrogate for some "powerful phantom lobbies". "In our opinion, the petitioner has unjustifiably attacked the integrity of the entire selection process. It is virtually impossible to

that the allegations with regard to mala fide could have been thrown out at the threshold," the bench said. The PIL was filed by one Arun Kumar Aggarwal on whose case the apex court had on September 26, last year, issued notice to the Centre and SEBI and had also impleaded Paul. The apex court said the petition

does not satisfy the test of utmost good faith required to maintain PIL and it was filed at the behest of certain interested powerful lobbies. "We have been left with the very unsavory impression that the petitioner is a surrogate for some powerful phantom lobbies" the bench said. "It is a well known fact that in recent times SEBI has been active in pursuing a number of cause against some very powerful business houses. Therefore, the anxiety of these business houses for the removal of the present Chairman of SEBI is not wholly unimaginable," it said. The apex court rejected the plea of the petitioner that Centre had refused giving extension to earlier SEBI chairman C B Bhave just to bring Sinha as head of the market regulator. The bench said the petition could have been dismissed as not maintainable for a variety of reasons but it chose to examine the entire issue to satisfy judicial conscience that the appointment to such a high powered position has actually been made fairly and in accordance with the procedure established by law. "We are inclined to accept the submission of the Solicitor General that the allegations made against Paul are imaginary and based on a distorted interpretation of the official notes appended with the writ petition," the bench said.-PTI

footprints on online shopping and piece together a person's lifestyle and through that create a taxable database," Cavale said. Citing an example, he said the government in Italy follows people's lifestyle, travel and spending pattern to track those who could be evading taxes. "So can we use this data analytics to expand out taxable database. Our total direct taxes are only 9 per cent of our GDP, whereas it should be about 18 per cent, and you cannot raise it by taxing people who you have already taxed. You are going to use analytics," he added. On government's use of IT for collecting and utilizing income tax

information, Cavale said: "We are discussing with the government many projects. Some have already been tendered, which we have won. Some other people are doing it. Government is very well aware of data warehousing and analytics. It is talking to us as well as other firms." The Finance Ministry had collected Rs 4.73 lakh crore in indirect taxes during 2012-13. For the current fiscal, it has fixed the target of collecting Rs 5.65 lakh crore in indirect taxes, comprising customs, excise and service tax. The total collection of indirect taxes stood at about Rs 2,28,550 crore during the first six months of 2013-14. -PTI

TechBiz Post

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November 8, 2013

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CSE misses Diwali trading for Hitachi eyes Rs 20k cr revenue from India first time in history KOLKATA: The Calcutta Stock Exchange (CSE) missed its Muhurat trading for the first time in its 105-year-old history due to regulatory hurdles. However, the bourse officials held puja on the occasion and

will resume when the approval comes and we are hopeful," CSE managing director and CEO B Madhav Reddy told PTI. "This is the first time since 1908, since the exchange was incepted that there was no muhurat

Muhurat trading for its members on NSE and BSE platforms. "SEBI approval is still awaited for clearing activity with Indian Clearing Corporation Ltd. Trading

trading. We had not missed muhurat of our own trading platform despite extreme odds," CSE employees union president Gulab D Dubey said.

Trading at the bourse has remained closed since April 4 after the market regulator asked CSE to stop its own clearing and settlement of trades executed on C Star unless compliant. CSE soon tied up with BSE's ICCL to carry out the settlement due to high capital requirement, but SEBI is yet to approve the same. "We understand this is due to additional guarantee ...When a regional exchange is trying to revive why is SEBI not supporting it - we are unable to understand it," Dubey said. The union, he said, may approach state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, if needed as Trinamool Congress election manifesto also promised revival of CSE. CSE is the only regional bourse in the country compliant with regulations and was trying to attract small companies of other regional exchanges to get listed in it as a cost effective solution compared to other national exchanges, its officials said. Trading on BSE and NSE platforms through CSE gets an average volume of around Rs 40 crore, they added. -PTI

Market cautioned against excessive exuberance NEW DELHI: With the stock markets scaling new heights, Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram has sounded a note of caution and asked investors to guard against excessive exuberance. "The markets seem to be very happy. More than anyone else, the markets seem to welcome the RBI and government measures. But I would caution investors against excessive exuberance," he told reporters here. The RBI reduced the marginal standing facility (MSF), which is an additional borrowing window for banks, to 8.75 per cent. The MSF rate had been hiked to 10.25 per cent on July 15 as part of liquiditytightening measures taken to curb volatility in the rupee's exchange rate. The central bank also increased the repo (lending) rate for banks to 7.75 per cent. It said both wholesale and consumer price inflation are likely to

remain elevated in the months ahead, warranting an appropriate policy response. Chidambaram said the RBI's

Finance Minister P Chidambaram

policy should be seen in the context of not only high inflation but also currency depreciation.

"I am happy that in two successive policy statements the RBI has able to withdraw almost entirely all the monetary tightening measures. We are now back to normal monetary policy, where the difference between repo and MSF is 100 basis points," he said. Chidambaram said the rupee has by and large stabilized against the dollar, although, in his view, it is still a little over the appropriate exchange rate. "There is no such thing called appropriate exchange rate, but giving my personal view, it is slightly over the appropriate exchange-rate level," he said. Chidambaram said he was confident that the government would be able to pass about a dozen Bills, including those on insurance and the securities market, in the winter session of Parliament. -PTI

TOKYO: Japan's engineering and electronics major Hitachi is looking to increase revenues in India to Rs 20,000 crore by 201415 fiscal and plans to hire over 5,500 people to meet its growth targets. "We would like to scale to 300 billion Yen (Rs 20,000 crore) (by March 2015). It is almost three times from the current business," Hitachi President Hiroaki Nakanishi said. Hitachi, which started its business in India in 1930, had consoli-

and urban development systems to drive growth. Highlighting the importance of banking and IT sectors, he said that to cater to the huge population many commercial banks want to outsource their services like cash dealing services, not only the setting up ATMs but also on its applications. "Indian economy is growing, incomes are increasing. So, how to provide services in those areas is a good opportunity for us," Nakanishi said.

dated revenue of 100 billion yen (Rs 6,700 crore) as on March 2013. The company also plans to invest Rs 4,700 crore by 2014-15 fiscal. It has 24 subsidiaries employing over 7,000 people in a wide range of segments, including power and industrial systems, industrial components and equipments, air conditioning and television. It is planning to have 13,000 employees in India by 2015. On growth prospects in India, Nakanishi said the company is focusing on 'social innovation' business that includes IT and telecom, power, industrial, transportation

In addition, he said, Hitachi is looking to enhance its profile by selling software services in India. "We would try to expand. In the case of outsourcing those (IT) contracts, it could be important to India but now we are also interested in selling software services in India," he said. Hitachi's current IT business projects in India focus mainly on software design and some outsourcing. Underlining the importance of the Indian market, Hitachi held its board meeting in India on December 2012, which was the first outside Japan. -PTI

India's CAG wins election to UN Board UNITED NATIONS: India has won a crucial election to the UN Board of Auditors with its nominee Shashi Kant Sharma, the Comptroller and Auditor General, garnering the largest number of votes. Sharma won 124 votes out of the total 186 cast in the General Assembly's Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary questions. India won by a comfortable margin against its closest contender the Philippines, which got 62 votes. Having obtained the required majority and the largest number of

votes, Sharma will be appointed to the UN Board of Auditors for a six year term beginning July 1, 2014. The General Assembly had established the UN Board of Auditors to audit the accounts of the United Nations organization and its funds and programs and to report its findings and recommendations to the Assembly through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. The Auditors-Generals of UN member states are elected to the Board. India had last sat on the board in 1993 for six years. -PTI

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November 8, 2013

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Women bank to be launched International Trade Expo on Indira Gandhi's birthday in Amritsar from Dec 5-9 NEW DELHI: Plans are afoot to launch the India's first all women bank Bharatiya Mahila Bank - on November 19, the birth anniversary of the country's former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. "We have asked the Election Commission...it (the bank) might be as well inaugurated on November 19. All work has been completed. "But whether we can do it on November 19, whether we can do it in Delhi or in other city, these are matters my secretary is talking to the Election Commission," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said at a press conference here. The government is seeking Election Commission's nod for launch of the bank, proposed in the Union Budget, as the process of assembly elections in five states, including Delhi, is on. The public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank proposes to have 25 branches by March 31, 2014. The government has already

approved Rs 1,000 crore seed capital for the women focused public sector bank, announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his budget speech. The proposed bank, to be headquartered at Delhi, is likely to be operational by November this year. Reserve Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for

the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June and the banking company is being set up, the official added. One of the key objectives of the Bank is focus on the banking needs of women and promote economic empowerment. The bank has invited applications through online mode from female candidates for 115 posts. PTI

UK's Co-op Bank to shut 50 branches LONDON: Co-operative Group, the UK's biggest mutual business,

said it had agreed on a revised rescue plan to plug a USD 2.4 billion hole in its finances. The ethical lender's plan will result in the loss at its banking unit of 50 of its 324 branches by the end of 2014. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be lost. Group Chief Executive Officer Euan Sutherland said it will retain 30 per cent of the bank and remain its largest shareholder. The bank pledged to retain its ethos, and took out full page advertisements in British newspapers to underscore its commitment to its values. The company said its values will be "legally embedded" in the

new rules that govern the bank. That's an important point because

many of its customers such as charities chose it over other insti-

tutions because of its values. "The bank will be what its customers expect of it - a fair, responsible and trusted bank that delivers great service to retail and small business customers, underpinned by the values and ethics of the Co-operative movement," Sutherland said in a statement. Shareholders must still approve the plan in the coming weeks. Worries about Co-op emerged after it backed out of a deal to buy some 630 branches from another UK lender, Lloyds Bank. The bank's problems resulted from poor commercial loans taken on in a merger with the Britannia building society in 2009. -AP

AMRITSAR: Industry body ies at the local, regional and naPHD Chamber would organize the tional level to discuss the bilateral eighth edition of the PHD-Punjab trade opportunities, he said. International Trade Expo (PHD"We are expecting wider interPITEX, 2013) here in association national participation this year," with the government of Punjab Bali added. from December 5-9 this year. Industry associations from "Punjab being amongst one of Punjab, he said, had detailed meetthe highest per capita income ings with the representatives of states... it is the right time for visiting 11 Chambers of Commerce Punjab to market and promote it- and Industry from Pakistan. self to the world as an ideal destination for The chamber has invited growth of industry and embassies, ambassadors, investment," said Rajiv Bali, Chairman, Punjab trade counselors of the Committee, PHD Cham- SAARC and central Asian ber of Commerce and countries among others to Industry. partake in PITEX, 2013 beBali said PITEX provides a platform for en- sides International Chambers trepreneurs, MNCs, and and Trade Associations MSMEs besides megabrands, and FMCG products Business communities on both to exhibit, network and explore the sides showed keen interest in business opportunities with their business opportunities available participating counterparts, from in respective countries. India and abroad, by showcasing Terming trade fairs and exhibitheir products, services and tech- tions to be categorical in boostnologies. ing trade and industry at the naThe chamber has invited em- tional and international level, Dalip bassies, ambassadors, trade coun- Sharma, Regional Director, PHD selors of the SAARC and central Chamber, said: "The beauty of Asian countries among others to such endeavors is that the benpartake in PITEX, 2013 besides efits percolate down at the reInternational Chambers and Trade gional and local level as well." Associations; and industry bod- PTI

Myanmar, India sign MoU on information technology NAYPYITAW: India and Myanmar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening skills in the Information Technology sector in this country. Advanced Science and Technology Department Director General U kyawSwa Soe and Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Gautama Mukhopadhya signed the MoU recently. The MoU was signed between both the countries for strengthen-

ing India-Myanmar Centre for enhancement of Information Technology Skills (IMCEITS). The MoU is aimed at conducting more training courses at IMCEITS, turning the centre into an Authorized Training Centre for Development of Advanced Computing-CDAC in India to be able to present internationally recognized joint certificates to trainees and making contributions to the development of ICT sector in Myanmar. -MNA

Westpac Bank posts 14 pct profit hike to $6.7B SYDNEY: Westpac Banking Corp., one of Australia's largest banks, has reported a 14 percent rise in its annual profit to 7.1 billion Australian dollars ($6.7 billion), saying it was poised to benefit from increased lending in the current fiscal year. The result for the year through September built on profit of AU$6.6 billion for the

previous fiscal year. Westpac chief executive Gail Kelly said she hoped a recent improvement in Australian consumer confidence would translate into higher lending activity in the current year, particularly in the most populous state, New South Wales. ``We will continue to remain disciplined due to global uncer-

tainty and structural change in the Australian economy, however I'm encouraged by signs of improving confidence which we expect to lead to increased lending activity, in particular in New South Wales, and a gradual increase in domestic credit growth,'' she said. ``Given our domestic franchise, we're well positioned to benefit from the pick up as confidence re-

turns,'' she added. The Sydney-based bank is the latest of Australia's four biggest banks to post hefty profits in recent weeks for the latest year. The Australian banking sector is relatively well regulated and the banks proved resilient through the global economic crisis. -AP

Datebook

48 India Post

November 8, 2013

www.indiapost.com

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Fri, Nov 1 • Diwali Dhamaka in BollyHouse Jersey City Venue: VB3 Lounge, 475 Washington Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07310 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 212-203-2861

Fri, Nov 8

Sat, Nov 2 • DIWALI by Asavari Venue: Valimar Clubhouse, 166 Valimar Blvd, White Plains, NY 10603 Time: 3:00 pm Contact: 9149488969

Thu, Nov 7 • DJ Rekha Presents Basement

• Bollywood Bhangra Night

Bhangra

Venue: The Lucky Dublin Bar and Grill, 30 Minue St, Carteret, NJ 07008 Time: 9:00 pm Contact: 908-208-8882

Venue: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 718-207-0058

Sat, Nov 9

Sun, Nov 17 • Antar Yatra by Kumar Raj

• Basement Bollywood Saturdays Venue: Fire N’ Ice, 85 Lafayette Rd, Fords, NJ 08863 Time: 9:00 pm Contact: 732-703-6661

Gandharva Venue: Colden Center Auditorium ( Queens College), 65-30 Kissena Blvd, , NY 11367 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 516-413-2053

Fri, Nov 1 • Buster Keaton's "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Venue: Smith Center at Ohlone College 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont CA Contact: : (510) 659-6031 website : www.smithcenter.com

Mon, Nov 4 • Information Seminar - Fully

Sat, Nov 2

• J K Yog Satsang and Bal

• GRAND DIWALI Celebration

Mukund Hindi Classes are held every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of Month

Venue: DIWALI Celebration near LAX, 401 Sheldon St, El Segundo, CA 90245 Time: 11:00 am Time: 310-421-2222

Thu, Nov 7

Accredited MD Program

• Diwali Tabletop Competition and Industry Mixer

Venue: DoubleTree By Hilton Los Angeles Downtown, 120 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 778-785-0400

Venue: Glow Lounge in Marina Del Rey Marriott , 4100 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Time: 6:00 pm Time: 562-366-3640

Sat, Nov 9 • Deepavali Kondattam 2013

Thu, Nov 14

Venue: Jordan High School Auditorium, 6500 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805 Time: 3:00 pm Contact: 310-213-7342

• Cry Walk 2013 Venue: Santa Monica Beach, 2000-2054 N Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Time: 8:30 pm

ATLANTA Upcoming

Thu, Nov 14 • NetIP Presents Affordable Care Act Outreach & Education Venue: Tanzore Restaurant, 50 North La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 424-456-8429

Sat, Nov 16 • HTHF Diwali Cultural Program 2013 Venue: Clifton Middle School (AUDITORIUM on Palm Avenue), 226 S Ivy Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 626-351-0664

Sat, Nov 2 • Diwali Mela & Garba Night Venue: Atlanta Event Hall, 3750 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096 Time: 2:00 pm Contact: 404-934-9991

Fri, Nov 8 • Devotional Bollywood Night Venue: Book Your Show Now, 3750 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096 Time: 9:00 pm Contact: 315-591-3921

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

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

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

Every third Tuesday • Hindi Kavi Manch Organized by Hindi Lovers Club Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago Lemont Il...0915 Lemont Road IL Time: 6:00 to 8:30 pm

November 8, 2013

www.indiapost.com

India Post 49

India's wealthiest player NEW DELHI: Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who is retiring this month, is the country's wealthiest cricket player with a personal fortune of USD 160 million, according to a Wealth-X estimate. "Tendulkar has amassed a fortune that eclipses the combined net worth of the four other cricketers on the list, and is more than three times the net worth of the next wealthiest player, Mahendra Singh Dhoni," Wealth-X said. The list of top five wealthiest cricket players, compiled by Wealth-X, was headed by Tendulkar with USD 160 million, followed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni (USD 50 million), Yuvraj Singh (USD 30 million), Rahul Dravid (USD 20 million) and Virat Kohli (USD 15 million). According to Wealth-X, a global wealth intelligence and prospecting company, the wealth of Tendulkar "eclipses" the combined fortunes of others on the list.-PTI

Ajit Tendulkar

Sports 50 India Post

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A cricket lover showing the ticket, bearing the picture of Sachin Tendulkar, for the India versus West Indies Test match which will be Tendulkar's 199th, at Eden Gardens

November 8, 2013

We never thought Tendulkar would win India cap at 16: Ajit NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar's family members had never thought of him representing India so early at the age of 16 and breaking so many cricket records, his elder brother Ajit said here. In a rare television interview, Ajit said Tendulkar's decision to quit Test cricket came at a right time as he is bowing out on a high. "We never thought of Sachin getting the India cap at such a young age of 16. We were thinking of going step by step, from school level to zonal level and then the all India level, from Under 15, Under 19 and to senior level and so on," Ajit said. "Never ever thought of Tendulkar jumping all these levels and represent India at the age of 16 and go on creating so many records," he told 'Headlines Today'. "We were proud and happy when he was selected for the first time for India in the Pakistan tour of 1989 and the family was absolutely delighted at that time," he added. Ajit said that Tendulkar's decision to quit from Test cricket did not surprise his family members

as he was assessing retirement for some time from series to series. "At some point of time, he will have to retire. You can't go on playing forever. For some time, he was

"The family had a mixed feeling as he has given so much joy to us in the last 24 years. But at the same time, we were happy that he has done the country and the team proud. He has achieved almost every record in world cricket. I think, he has got the timing right as he is bowing out on a high." Talking about Tendulkar's character and his passion for the game, Ajit spoke about the time in 1999 when their father passed away. "I remember father suffered a heart attack and it was on 28th Feb 1995 and Sachin was not going to know that. He was going to bat the next day and Sachin Tendulkar stands in front of his life size that was the last day wax statue at Eden Garden of the match. Same thing happened durassessing every tour. It was not a ing the 1999 World Cup (during shock as such to us. All the fam- which Tendulkar's father passed ily members were around and a lot away) as well," said Ajit. of discussion went into it. Finally "We really did not have to conit was his own decision," he said. vince him to go back to England

to play in the World Cup. He knew his father well. He (father) would have asked him (Sachin) to go back and play. "Undoubtedly, it was very, very tough. But keeping all the emotions behind, he decided to leave for England and play in the remaining part of the World Cup." Tendulkar scored a century in his first match after coming back from home against Kenya in the World Cup. Ajit said that Tendulkar's trait of putting the team ahead of his personal achievements was an inborn quality. "We did not inculcate that trait in him. He was born like that. It came naturally to him. In all his 24 years, he was never involved in a controversy and was never self seeking. It (team spirit) was an inborn quality." Asked about none of the family members watching Tendulkar play live, Ajit said, "It was a sort of 'nazar lag jayega' (something bad may happen by watching) which cannot be translated into English as it is a part of Indian culture. We will only see the highlights."-PTI

Shiv Kapur wins Dubai City Challenge DUBAI: Shiv Kapur played an extremely steady and solid final round of two-under 70 without any bogeys to claim the season-ending Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final at the Al Badia Golf Club. Kapur celebrated his Diwali in Dubai in a winning way with a total of 16-under 272 and a whopping four-shot margin over the second place duo Jose-Felipe Lima of Portugal (69) and Andrew McLeary of Scotland, both of whom carded 69 each to total 12-under 276. It was not only Kapur's second Challenge Tour title of the year - he won the season-opener in February at Kensville Challenge, Ahmedabad - but it also

helped him find his way back to the European Tour for 2014. Kapur is the first Indian player to win more than once on Challenge Tour. McLeary squeezed in as the 15th player for the European Tour card for 2014. Rhys Davies (69) and Andrea Pavan (70), who finished on top of the 2013 Challenge Tour rankings, were tied for fourth at 11-under 277. Kapur, who began the week in 20th place on the Challenge Tour rankings vaulted to fourth following the winning cheque of Euros 56,650 which took his season's earning from Challenge Tour to just over Euro 118,323. The top three were Andrea Pavan (Euros 147,811), Lima (Euros 123,697) and American Brooks

Koepka (Euros 119,433). While Pavan played 23 events and Lima played 20, Koepka started in 10 and Kapur in just nine, which included two wins and a second place in the 25th year of Challenge Tour. Kapur's win in Dubai was his first international win outside India since his breakthrough triumph in his rookie year at the Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok in 2005. It was also Kapur's third win in a season-ending Championship of any Tour - he did so on Asian tour in 2005, then the 2012 Shubhkamna Invitational on the Indian Tour and on Sunday Nov 3 it was the Dubai Festival City Challenge on the European Challenge Tour. -PTI

Horoscope

November 8, 2013

India Post

www.indiapost.com

Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

NOVEMBER 8 TH - NOVEMBER 14 TH , 2013 (March 21 to April 20)

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

(July 23 to August 22)

eal will be good in short as well as long term. You will make new friends and one of them will give you good leads. Sibling will call to give you very good news. You will spend money on an upcoming trip also. You will be tempted to take a big risk but something will pull you back on last minute. You will relish your favorite items this week. (August 23 to September 22)

(April 21 to May 20)

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

hanges may start taking place at work. Some of you will be offered opportunity little away from home. Pending issues with government are about to be decided in your favor. You will be paying more attention to spouse and try to entertain more often. Some of you may decide to appear and start preparing for a highly competitive exam. (September 23 to October 22)

(May 21 to June 20)

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

ncertainty will clear in career and you will escape the worst. Jupiter's aspect on Saturn will bring an end to lots of anxiety and bring peace in mind. Some of you will be shifted to another position at job. Money wise you will continue to do fine and find time and resources to entertain yourself. You will be in great demand at the get together. (October 23 to November 22)

(June 21 to July 22)

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

ome of you may feel discontent with the changes at work and start looking for a new and better environment. You will be taking more interest in a child and try to resolve important issues. Some one from a different culture will make an interesting offer. You may be confused whether to go on a trip. It will be better to think twice before actions. (November 23 to December 22)

usiness will pick up suddenly and things will be better at work. Jupiter's transit in seventh brings an end to lots of uncertainty clouding your mind in the past. You may visit a holy place or making some contribution to a noble cause. Expect some last minute delay in ongoing legal matters. Isn't it time to get in touch with old friends and relatives. (December 22 to January 19)

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

(January 20 to February 18)

ight help is only a phone call away. Once again things will start moving in right. You will receive useful tips and leads from a matured and elderly person. Business will pick up suddenly and you will be more optimistic about life. You may get out of a bad relationship also. (February 19 to March 20)

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

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Philosophy

November 8, 2013

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis JOHN SHERMAN

he fear of life is the sole cause of all human hatred, greed, aggression, and all the rest of the neurotic stupidity that falls from our fearful alienation from our own lives. The fear of life appears at, or near birth for most of us, and infects the human mind with chronic fearfulness and anxiety, and a generalized alienation from and distrust of life itself. It causes the newborn mind to shrink away from life into a relationship with all experience that is rooted in suspicion, distrust and fear. This underlying context of fearfulness is not the experience of fear with which we are all familiar. It is below the level of conscious awareness, and it is mostly inaccessible to us, except through its symptoms. The fear of life is more like an autoimmune disease. It spoils life for us by corrupting every component of the developing structure of personality through which we have the experience of life. How to rid yourself once and for all of the fear of life that spoils life and find satisfaction using a simple act of inward looking. Looking is what we all do naturally when we focus our attention on anything present in our consciousness. For example, right now, as you read this, your attention is focused mostly on this text

KEN WILBER

he Realization of the Nondual traditions is uncompromising: there is only Spirit, there is only God, there is only Emptiness in all its radiant wonder. All the good and all the evil, the very best and the very worst, the upright and the degenerate-each and all are radically perfect manifestations of Spirit precisely as they are. There is nothing but God, nothing but the Goddess, nothing but Spirit in all directions, and not a grain of sand, not a speck of dust, is more or less Spirit than any other. This realization undoes the Great Search that is the heart of the separate-self sense. The separate-self is, at bottom, simply a sensation of seeking. When you feel yourself right now, you will basically feel a tiny interior tension or contraction - a sensation of grasping, desiring, wishing, wanting, avoiding, resisting-it is a sensation of effort, a sensation of seeking. In its highest form, this sensation of seeking takes on the form of the Great Search for Spirit. We wish to get from our unenlightened state (of sin or delusion or duality) to an enlightened or more

and its meaning, more or less ignoring everything else. Notice that you can move your attention at will Now, move the focus of your attention away from this text for a moment and place it on the feel of your breath as it moves in and out of your body through your nose. Focus on the sensation it causes as it passes across the flesh of

thing: start over at 1.Continue with it for one full minute, and then return here and continue reading. Do not skip this step. Move the focus of your attention to the feeling of 'me' In the same way that you moved the focus of your attention to your breath, move the focus of attention inward, looking for the faint sensation of what it

If you are unsure now whether you succeeded in getting that moment of a direct taste of you, here's something that may help. Try to remember a moment in your childhood. It doesn't need to be anything special, just an ordinary memory of an ordinary event. When you have that moment in mind, look for what it felt like to be you in that moment. You will realize that what it felt

How to rid oneself of the fear of life John Sherman

This underlying context of fearfulness is not the experience of fear with which we are all familiar. It is below the level of conscious awareness, and it is mostly inaccessible to us

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened. -Lao Tzu Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher's help.

your nostrils on the way out. You may find it easier to do this with your eyes closed. Now, start counting your outbreaths: Breathe in. Breathe out. When the outbreath ends, count silently to yourself: 1. Breathe in. Breathe out. When the outbreath ends, count silently to yourself: 2. Continue counting each outbreath in this way, until you reach 10, and then start over at 1. If you lose count, just do the same

feels like to be you. What you would call 'me'. What you are looking for here is the simple me-ness of you. Not the thoughts and emotions and sensations that rise and fall within you. You really cannot fail in this. Remember, what you are looking for is only you, and you must be here. It's not necessary even to know that it happened, or remember what it felt like, but it is necessary to actually do it in just the way I have laid out here.

like to be you then is exactly what it feels like to be you right now. It's exactly the same me-ness as now. This inward looking is the actual solution to the common experience of life as misery and dissatisfaction. Excerpted from blog 'Truth is All That Matters'. John Sherman lives in Ojai, USA and offers guidance in the practice of self-inquiry according to Ramana Maharshi.

spiritual state. We wish to get from where Spirit is not, to where Spirit is. But there is no place where Spirit is not. Every single location in the entire Kosmos is equally and fully Spirit. Seeking of any sort, movement of any sort, attainment of any sort: all profoundly useless. The Great Search simply rein-

Search presumes the loss of God. The Great Search reinforces the mistaken belief that God is not present, and thus totally obscures the 'reality of God's ever-present Presence. The Great Search, which pretends to love God, is in fact the very mechanism of pushing God away; the mechanism of promis-

during which time, thank God, I can continue to be myself. The greater the Great Search, the more I can feel my own sensation of seeking, which defines the contours of my self. The Great Search is the great enemy of what is. There is actually nothing the self-contraction can do to stop the Great Search, because the self-con-

Great Search is great enemy of what is The Great Search, which pretends to love God, is in fact the very mechanism of pushing God away; the mechanism of promising to find tomorrow that which exists only in the timeless now

-Bodhidharma Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. -Aristotle Where there is love there is life. -Mahatma Gandhi I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. -Mother Teresa Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives. -C. S. Lewis

Ken Wilber

A loving heart is the beginning of all knowl-

forces the mistaken assumption that there is some' place that Spirit is not, and that I need to get from a space that is lacking to a space that is full. But there is no space lacking, and there is no space more full. There is only Spirit. The Great Search for Spirit is simply that impulse, the final impulse, which prevents the present realization of Spirit, and it does so for a simple reason: the Great

ing to find tomorrow that which exists only in the timeless now; the mechanism of watching the future so fervently that the present always passes it by - very quickly and God's smiling face with it. The Great Search is the loveless contraction hidden in the heart of the separate-self sense, a contraction that drives the intense yearning for a tomorrow in which salvation will finally arrive, but

traction and the Great Search are two names for the same thing. Should we then simply cease the Great Search? Definitely, if we could. But the effort to stop the Great Search is itself more of the Great Search. Excerpted from 'The Eye of Spirit.' Kenneth Earl "Ken" Wilber II is an American Neoplatonic writer and public speaker.

edge. -Abraham Maslow A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love. -Max Muller

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Mehsud killing won't derail Pak ties with US RANA BANERJI

he elimination of Hakimullah Mehsud through another pinpointed US drone attack on his newly built, lavish farmhouse at Danday Darpakhel, near Miramshah on November 1 evening indicates that his recently arrested cousin, Latif Mehsud, must have sung like a canary before US interrogators in Kabul. The fact that this farmhouse was located quite near a 7 Division garrison in North Waziristan confirmed again that the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) remain well aware of the whereabouts and movements of most militant leaders in the Federally Administered Tribal A r e a s (FATA) but are reluctant to act against them for fear of spreading discontent within their own ranks. The timing of the attack may frustrate, at least in the short-term, belated measures to set the peace dialogue rolling with the TTP. A delegation of ulema led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's Maulana Fazlur Rehman was about to leave for North Waziristan for talks with the TTP Shoora when the drone strike occurred. This led Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali to allege that the US had nixed attempts at a peaceful resolution of the problem.

Anti-American rhetoric Whatever the current high pitch of anti-American rhetoric spouted by him and other politicians like Imran Khan, Pakistan's relations with the US are not likely to be majorly derailed. The Army may perhaps secretly welcome the killing of as brutal and ruthless an insurgent leader like Hakimullah, who had earlier resisted moves from his late deputy, Waliur Rehman, to make peace with the military establishment. Though Hakimullah had maintained good relations with the two major pro-establishment groups in Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur and late Maulvi Nazir (now succeeded by Bahawal Khan

Wazir), he had encouraged newly emerging die-hard ideologues like Adnan Rashid, the escaped Bannu jail detainee accused of plotting the Musharraf assassination attempt in 2003, to escalate the profile of recent Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) militant actions against the Establishment. Adnan Rashid now heads a new wing of the TTP that calls itself 'Adnan al Aseer', specially dedicated to freeing Taliban prisoners and planning insurgent actions. Hakimullah's death would definitely be a major setback for the TTP and weaken its capacity to take on the military, especially in case the new leadership in the Army after Kayani's retirement

the latter's ideological commitment and condemning the American 'terror act' intended to create a 'global vacuum' of Islamic leadership. They urged Pakistan to take up the matter of ending drone strikes with the US authorities more forcefully. This type of response may be intended for rhetorical purposes, to acknowledge the safe haven provided to them for so long by the TTP. However, it would belie expectations aroused by Mullah Omar's recent Eid messages, professing to have no outside agenda beyond Afghanistan and tacitly signaling a willingness to break links with terrorist outfits like al Qaeda, in case their proxies can emerge in power-sharing arrangements in Kabul brokered by Pakistan, post-US withdrawal.

Local warlords

Hakimullah Mehsud

decides to take them on. Even otherwise, the TTP is likely to face increasing fragmentation now, much on the pattern of other diehard ideologically motivated terrorist outfits which lose their top leaders in quick succession. The TTP Shoora has appointed the hitherto not too well known Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani as interim leader but there is talk within their ranks of selecting Khan Saeed Mehsud alias Sajna, a low profile operations strategist credited with planning the Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak, as their new leader. The Swat Taliban leader, Maulana Fazlullah, currently in Kunar, Afghanistan, Malik Noor Jamal alias Toofan who hails from Orakzai agency, and Abdul Wali of Mohmand, have also reportedly thrown their hats in the ring for the TTP leadership. Each of these contenders may try to resort to daredevil reprisal actions against the state in the short-term, if only to enhance their own leadership credentials. The Afghan Taliban, including the Haqqani network, reacted predictably, describing Hakimullah's 'martyrdom' as a big loss; praising

Administrative arrangements in FATA remain a halfway house, with political agents still reporting to the Governor while the Maliki system has broken down almost completely. Local warlords call the shots in all 7 agencies and large swathes of territory remain 'no-go areas' for district development officials and the police. The Political Parties Order, 2002 was extended to FATA by President Zardari in August, 2011 amending the Frontier Crimes Regulation, 1901, but the reforms remain on paper. None of the mainstream national political parties have set up branches there. 12 FATA legislators were elected as independents in the 2013 elections as before. They continue to align with whichever party is in power at the centre. None of them can claim to enjoy special credibility with the common people or access to the local maulanas/warlords, to serve as intermediaries on behalf of the state. What FATA needs even more are civilian reconstruction programs, investment in education, public health, water supply and sanitation programs to lift the masses from the morass of backwardness and poverty. This type of assistance can only be provided to the cash-stricken state exchequer by the US, which makes all the criticism against it quite selfdefeating. Without a concerted approach to such reforms in FATA, any olive branch for peace may amount to ineffectual appeasement of warlords without enforcing the writ of state. The writer is Distinguished Fellow, IPCS & Special Secretary (Retd), Cabinet Secretariat

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Banning instinct

pinion polls are not always accurate. They represent a section of the concerned voters and at best provide a sample. They can even go wrong in their predictions of likely voting patterns. But more often than not they indicate a trend and serve a useful purpose for the people in a democracy. In fact the likely voters look for them eagerly to know which way the wind is blowing and make up their minds accordingly. This is what is found galling by the ruling Congress party at the Centre which has now petitioned the Election Commission to ban opinion polls. Obviously most of the opinion polls are saying the Congress is going to lose the forthcoming elections, whether in the States or at the Center. The Congress has also sought to control the social media which has been saying uncomplimentary things about the party for much longer. This banning instinct is in the genes of the party which boasts of the great Emergency during the times of Indira Gandhi. The present Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari belongs to that old school. He is known to be brandishing a stick against TV channels and media who air bad tidings about the ruling party or those who promote the views of opposition parties particularly that of Narendra Modi. Recently the Congress party expressed regrets about the legendry Lata Mangeshkar endorsing Narendra Modi for Prime Ministership of India. A Congress spokesperson said, "There is pain and sensitivity in the voice of Lataji ... (so) when something like this comes out from her mouth for an insensitive person like Narendra Modi, the entire country feels the pain." It is amusing to find the Congress claiming association with the entire country. Opinion polls are already banned 48 hours before elections and exit polls before the results are announced. The Election Commission seems to be playing the game of the ruling party by proposing ban on all opinion polls. As expected, the Opposition parties have come out strongly against the proposal. All the polls are indicating that the Congress is on the way out. A CNN-IBN-The Week survey had shown that if elections were to be held today, the UPA figure would go down to between 134-142 seats against the NDA's 187-195 seats. The Congress would win between 116 to 124 seats as against the BJP's 171 to 179 seats. Naturally the projections are not to the liking of the ruling party and it is squirming at the revelations. The speeches of Narendra Modi exposing the misdeeds of the ruling party are receiving wide attention whereas the rallies of crown prince Rahul Gandhi are poorly attended and receive critical attention in the media. Modi has even challenged Rahul Gandhi to a debate which the latter obviously is unable to respond to. But picking up the gauntlet, Union Minster Kapil Sibal has offered to debate with Modi and challenged him to answer his questions. Modi while agreeing to the debate, characteristically asked why is it that all the questions are being asked of him? The Congress party has been in power for a decade, why does it not answer the questions that the media is posing? Why is it refusing to answer questions about inflation and corruption? Why does the Prime Minister hide from the media? Meanwhile, the opinion polls are projecting a very interesting contest in the forthcoming polls in Delhi. The latest survey says the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal may secure between 19 and 25 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly which could make it the kingmaker as neither the BJP nor the Congress is expected to win a majority. Kejriwal also emerged as the top choice for Chief Minister with 25 per cent support while incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has been preferred by 16 per cent. This is an opinion poll which even the BJP might like to ban.

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