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Grace Meng to join India Caucus Details on page 5

Two Indians among Forbes top 15 Details on page 5

Gurdwara row in Yuba City: Two stabbed Details on page 5

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VOL 18, No. 949

November 23, 2012

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CONTENTS

India Post News Service

echJect, a Georgia company headed by Indian American Dr Jayant Ratti, has developed a spy drone small enough to fit in your hand and which looks and flies like an insect. Called TechJect Dragonfly, it's a lightweight robot that collects and relays data while flying like a bird or hovering like an insect.

The smallest and the most sophisticated flying drone has unique flight characteristics which are native to the insects thus giving it superior flight performance compared to conventional flying systems like helicopters, airplanes and quadrotors.

TechJect is the developer of the world's newest and smallest flying drones for gaming, research and personal photography/videography use. TechJect Dragonflies are indistinguishable from an insect in the environment.

Dhinchak Diwali extravaganza in Bay Area

Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 52 Community Post -------------- 16-25 Date Book -------------------------- 49 Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 12-15

BEAMING LEADERS PULL IT OFF: President, Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh with the President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, at the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on November 12 (Details on page 6)

Horoscope ------------------------- 50 Immigration Post ------------- 43-45 Life Style ----------------------- 30-32 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 46-47 TechBiz Post ------------------- 33-37 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-42

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

Publisher’s Diary

A

fter almost a year of aggressive campaigning and more than $2 billion in campaign expenditure later, Washington D.C. is back exactly to where it was: political posturing and Congressional gridlock.

Just two days after being declared victorious in the elections, President Obama is already making his trademark direct appeals to the electorate to push the House representatives to pass the deficit reduction package - that includes spending cuts, more taxes for the rich and less for the middle class.

As with all his other bills throughout his first term, President Obama is racing against time. This bill has only till the end of December to pass or come January 1, and taxes for 114 million middle class Americans will go up.

"Now you have a choice to make," says a White House appeal to Americans.

"This debate can either stay trapped in Washington DC or you can make sure your friends and neighbors participate."

In his remarks to the nation, President Obama has already thrown the ringside bleachers open to the American people to witness the Congressional drama with this challenge: "Right now, if Congress fails to come to an agreement on an overall deficit reduction package by the end of the year, everybody's taxes will automatically go up on January 1 including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year… It would be bad for the economy and would hit families that are already struggling to make ends meet."

Now, when the President adds, "The American people understand that we're going to have differences and disagreements in the months to come…but on Tuesday, they said loud and clear that they won't tolerate dysfunction", he is reminding the people that the real barrier to progress is Congress and that the onus of getting it to work is on the people.

Well, that's consistency for you, because we have all heard that from the President through the first term … at least I hope this term around, we won't hear him complain about his Bush era "inheritance" anymore.

BOSTON Gope Gidwani Bureau Chief

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Sticky deal The much-anticipated item song in Dabangg 2 is called 'Fevicol' as Arbaaz Khan has tied up with that company.

Cover Story: Tiny drone TechJect, a Georgia company headed by Indian American Dr Jayant Ratti, has developed a spy drone to fit in your hand.

Community: Victory hailed While the election victory of President Obama was a foregone conclusion, the outcome has not induced an unmixed joy.

Health: Alert system The WHO has shown interest in Gujarat's SMS alert system of keeping a check on spurious medicines.

Life Style: Sushmita in SF Sushmita Sen was in San Francisco recently where she helped to make the Home of Hope fundraiser a grand success.

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Three curve shaped beaches, alienated by stony outcroppings, form the major attraction of the coastal resort of Kovalam.

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First Asian-American in Cong to join India Caucus NEW YORK: Grace Meng, the first Asian-American to enter the US Congress from New York State has promised to join the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans and be a true ally and supporter of India at the Capitol Hill.

Meng who stepped into the shoes of Gary Ackerman, the founder of India Caucus, said in

State and City electorate and has made significant contribution in many areas healthcare, small business and law and they contribute to the vibrant economy of New York and Queens. I am very thankful to the community for their support will follow the legacy of Gary Ackerman."

Grace Meng is a Taiwanese American lawyer and a member of

‘Young Indians are role model to many communities as they imbibe values and cultures and go to temples, churches and mosques with their parents despite born and raised here. I am happy more young Indian-Americans are entering politics now,’ she said an interview: "Gary (Ackerman) was a stalwart and he leaves me tremendous shoes to fill. I will work with Indian-Americans in my Congressional district in matters such as Medicare, education, job creation and small business and be a voice of the middle class."

"The Indian-American community comprises a large part of the

the New York State Assembly representing the 22nd assembly district in Flushing, Queens, New York.

"I will join the India Caucus and to help Indian-Americans and also work with them to help solve their numerous problems such as issues in running small business, tax issues, taxation on invest-

ments in India and other concerns that makes them harder to achieve the American dream," she said.

Heaping praise on the Indian community, she said youngsters in the community are very much influenced by their parents and elders who invest their time and values in them.

"Young Indians are role model to many communities as they imbibe values and cultures and go to temples, churches and mosques with their parents despite born and raised here. They study hard, work hard and give back to the community. I am happy more young Indian-Americans are entering politics now," she said.

Her constituency consists about 10 per cent Indian-Americans.

"As an assemblywoman I had advocated equal pay for women in work place and many there were many institutions where Indian women occupy top-notch positions like in universities, hospitals, technology firms but paid less than their male co-workers.

She said Asians should enter mainstream politics.

Two Indians among Forbes top 15 NEW YORK: Indian-origin CEO of Datawind, the maker of India's low-cost tablet Aakash, Suneet Singh Tuli and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Anant Agarwal have been named by Forbes magazine among the 15 "classroom revolutionaries" who are using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and

tial to revolutionize educational access in the developing world."

Datawind has a backlog of "millions" of orders for the 35 dollar Aakash tablet. The publication quoted Tuli as saying that "I don't care about creating the iPad killer. I care about the 3 billion people who can afford this device."

Agarwal, 53, a professor of

what we do on campus," Agarwal, who took over as head of edX in May this year, said.

"EdX continues to up the ante by increasing partners, classes (seven to dozens for spring 2013) and innovations, such as virtual laboratories," Forbes added.

Datawind had won the tender in 2010 to supply one lakh Aakash tablets for a price of around 49 dollars

Suneet Singh Tuli

Datawind has a backlog of "millions" of orders for the 35 dollar Aakash tablet.

Tuli says, ‘I don't care about creating the iPad killer. I care about the 3 billion people who can afford this device’

Anant Agarwal

teachers globally.

The Forbes list names 15 education innovators who are "harnessing a slew of disruptive technologies to change everything from the way we teach grade school math to how we train the next generation of teachers."

The publication said Tuli (44)) is the "mastermind" behind the worlds cheapest tablet computer Aakash, "which has the poten-

computer science at MIT is also the President of edX, the new combined online offerings of Harvard, MIT, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Texas.

Over 400,000 are currently enrolled in the education program.

"We've created dramatic access to learning for students worldwide. By reinventing online learning, we can dramatically improve

per unit. A new version of the tablet PC, featuring one Ghz processor, four-hour battery time, capacitive screen and Android 4.0 operating system, is expected to be launched in India on November 11.

Among the other education innovators on the list is Salman Khan, the Bangladeshi-American founder of Khan Academy, the revolutionary online education platform. -PTI

"Look at the numbers there are 435 seats and how many are represented by Asians in the Capitol Hill. There are not many Asian

much Americans as they are.

Americans are not those only with blonde hair and blue eyes but also we Asians belong to that cat-

Grace Meng

faces and this contributes to the anti-Asian sentiments in the Congress blaming countries like India and China for lot of things.

"We need to make them recognize our community. We are as

egory."

More representation at state and federal levels will decrease a lot of anti-Asian sentiments that have risen unfortunately in many walks of life. -PTI

Two stabbed outside Gurdwara in Yuba City WASHINGTON: Two men have been stabbed outside a Gurdwara in California and more than a dozen people peppersprayed in violent clashes that broke out between two groups over a power struggle to control the shrine.

According to an eyewitness, violence erupted outside the Tierra Buena Gurdwara in Yuba City of California when the meeting of its board of directors ended and some of the directors were leaving the parking lot.

Clashes erupted outside the Gurdwara apparently due to a power struggle between two groups on having the control over the religious place.

Two men were stabbed in the incident while more than a dozen others were pepper-sprayed, witnesses said.

No arrest has been made so far, as the incident is currently being investigated, the Sutter County Sheriff's Department said.

Details of the incident were not available as the matter was under investigation.

The board members leaving the parking lot were apparently confronted by a group of men and attacked with shovels, broom handles and sticks, as two groups of over 30 people clashed with each other.

Later both sides claimed that they were attacked by the other group.

The ugly event is the latest chapter in the power struggle for the Gurdwara.

This past September, five board members of the 73-member board had sought to force a new election, which was denied by a Sutter County Judge. -PTI

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India, Afghanistan to intensify cooperation in economic sphere NEW DELHI: India and Afghanistan have decided to intensify their cooperation, especially in the economic sector as they inked four pacts, including one on cooperation in development of coal and mineral resources and Indian aid for implementation of small development projects.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held discussions with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is here to seek investments in his war-torn country, on the entire gamut of bilateral ties as well as challenges confronting the region.

"We also discussed changes in the security and political situation in and around Afghanistan. I expressed to President Karzai our belief that sustained international support and cooperation in all respects, including in combating terrorism emanating from the neighbourhood, will help Afghanistan meet these challenges," Singh said at a joint media event.

Reaffirming the "shared vision of a stable, strong, united, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan", he said India remains committed to supporting Afghanistan in its development efforts and noted the country's development assistance to Afghanistan currently stands at approximately USD 2 billion.

"We discussed the need to develop a strategic economic partnership, which will build on our economic synergies for mutual benefit. I also reiterated to President Karzai our belief that Afghanistan's regional economic integration will contribute to overall prosperity and stability in the region," Singh said.

Thanking India "for the generosity they have shown to us in the past many years", Karzai said, "In particular India has been a very generous frontline partner and supporter to Afghanistan's

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, at the joint press conference, in New Delhi on November 12

reconstruction and development.

India has strived with us for the hard-earned income of its people and the difficult walk that we had for development and reconstruction."

He also made it clear that this time he was here to woo investors. "My visit here this time is focused in talking to and asking and requesting Indian business to come to Afghanistan.

"Investment opportunities in Afghanistan today are better. A country that is more confident of its future and is willing to receive investments from its friends, specially from India. And I was happy to see today the signing of certain agreements and MoUs in this regard."

'Don't shy away' Earlier in Mumbai, Karzai told India Inc not to be "shy" when it comes to investing in his mineralrich country and pointed out to them of the gains reaped by the Chinese who invested early in the

war-ravaged country.

"Indian businesses need not be shy when thinking of Afghanistan. Chinese businesses were there long before you came, five or six years ago. And they have now taken two or three major con-

welcome you on a red carpet and others on a grey carpet. But you need to arrive on the red carpet. If you don't arrive on the red carpet, it will get dusty. Therefore, do hurry up in coming and take advantage of the opportunities in

The Afghan economy has recovered from having reserves of USD 180 million to over USD 7 billion now. The country's per capita income has risen from USD 200 to USD 700, Karzai said. He said those who invested early have reaped rich dividends and assured all help to Indian businesses tracts," he said, addressing the captains of the industry here.

Karzai said his administration will do all things possible and accord special treatment to Indian investors.

"We would like to give you a better platform. We would like to

Afghanistan," Karzai told the industry leaders.

He, however, reminded them that there is strong competition in his country.

"Competition is strong. You have now competition from the West arriving in Afghanistan,"

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai at the delegation level talks in New Delhi on November 12

said Karzai, who has been the head of government since 2001 following the US intervention and the ouster of the Taliban.

The meeting was organized under the aegis of CII, Ficci and Assocham and the participants included Adi Godrej of CII, Ficci's R V Kanoria, Yes Bank managing director Rana Kapur among others.

China has been among the first to invest in Afghanistan and experts appreciate it as a good move given the geo-political importance of Afghanistan as a bridge between South and Central Asia.

Karzai said a lot has changed in Afghanistan over the past decade and also appreciated over USD 2 billion funding by New Delhi in rebuilding efforts, infrastructure development and capacity building.

The Afghan economy has recovered from having reserves of USD 180 million to over USD 7 billion now. The country's per capita income has risen from USD 200 to USD 700, Karzai said.

He said those who invested early have reaped rich dividends and assured all help to Indian businesses.

"Those who came ahead are now multi-millionaires," he said, citing the example of a telecom company which invested USD 5 million in 2002 and is now commanding a valuation of USD 700 million.

"Indeed, Afghanistan today is ripe and ready for Indian investments," he said.

Referring to the Steel Authority of India-led consortium's plans of mining in Afghanistan, Karzai said a conglomeration of Indian firms is in the final stages of investing and hoped the necessary contracts are signed soon.

Speaking at the event, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said India is committed to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

India, which shares close bonds with Afghanistan dating back to centuries, is helping the country both as a friend and as a partner in its progress, Sharma said.

He specifically touched on the Chahbahar Port that New Delhi plans to help build in Iran, which will help evacuate Afghani cargo and also hoped for traction on the USD 7.6-billion, 1,040-mile-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline, which will help address India's energy security. -PTI

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Raj Shah could be first Indian-US Cabinet minister

Raj Shah

WASHINGTON: USAID's Indian-American head Raj Shah, who has established himself as one of the most successful administrators of the agency, is being seen as a strong contender for a Cabinet position as President Barack Obama prepares for his second term and forms a new team.

Given his strong credentials as a successful USAID administrator and his unflinching loyalty to Obama, administrative and political sources told PTI that Raj could well be poised for one of the Cabinet positions in particular that of Secretary of Health and Human Services; Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Edu-

Administrative and political sources told PTI that Raj could well be poised for one of the Cabinet positions in particular that of Secretary of Health and Human Services; Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Education cation.

Further Shah, 39, would not face any difficulties in any Senate confirmation given his strong credentials and support across both sides of the aisle.

Shah, in the last three ands half years has established himself as one of the most successful administrators of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) -- the agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world.

The White House for now has refused to entertain any question on new appointment or possibility of it.

"I have no personnel announcements to make of any kind," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters when he was asked several times on various new Cabinet appointments including that of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Before being appointed as USAID head the highest ranking Indian American in any presidential administration in January 2010, Shah worked in a range of leadership riles at the Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation. -PTI

Indian Americans rejoice at Obama reelection WASHINGTON: Indian Americans have welcomed the re-election of the US President Barack Obama, who in his first term appointed a record number of community members to high administration posts.

Elated at his "historic victory", the Indian Americans, who voted overwhelmingly for him, hope that his second term would further strengthen India-US relationship.

Even the Republicans, who campaigned against him during the election season, hoped that Obama will be able give a new thrust to the relationship.

"We need to bring President Obama of his promise to Indian Parliament to secure a seat in the UN Security Council which has not seen much of light since he returned from India. We also hope that President Obama will be India friendly on the issue of out sourcing defense treaties, US investments in India that would help to create more jobs in both the countries," Dr Sampat Shivangi, who was delegate to the Republican National Convention this year, said.

"I am certain that the warm relationship and the enduring partnership between US and India will continue to grow under the stewardship of President Obama," said George Abraham, president of Indian National Overseas Congress

(INOC), USA. Barack Obama has won a hard fought battle against Mitt Romney where Asian Indians have supported him with a very wide margin, he said referring to the opinion and exit polls in which the community members voted overwhelmingly for him.

INOC hoped that under Obama US will not pursue protectionist policies in the future as India continues to open up its market through various reform measures

Each favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, and religious and ethnic minorities, INOC (I) USA said. "They have opposed unregulated business and finance, and favored progressive income taxes. In recent years both the parties have adopted a centrist economic and social democratic agenda," it said.

"We hope and pray that President Obama is able to overcome the fiscal and economic challenges facing the US Economy

such as FDI in multi-brand retail.

"America as a champion of free market policies cannot revert back," it said.

Historically, the Democratic Party and the Indian National Congress have much in common.

which in turn would have a positive impact on the economy of India and the World economy as well," said Lavika Bhagat Singh, president of the Washington Chapter of the Indian National Overseas Congress (I), USA.-PTI

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Nitish in Pak, claims good governance in Bihar KARACHI: Making his first visit to Pakistan, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said he was captivated by the warmth of brotherhood and goodwill here as he shared his experiences in realizing his quest for ensuring an allround development in his state.

"Pakistan and India have common history and heritage. Our bilateral relations are witnessing an all-round progress. We take pride in shared history that goes back to time immemorial," Kumar said at a luncheon hosted by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

"I feel happy to be in Pakistan.

I bring good wishes and greetings for people of Pakistan," said the Chief Minister, who arrived here on a week-long visit to Pakistan.

He said he was "deeply touched" by the hospitality extended to him on his first visit to Pakistan. "I have been captivated by the warmth of brotherhood and goodwill."

Sharing his experiences, Kumar, who became Bihar's Chief Minister in 2005, said that "seven years back we started our quest for establishing governance and ensuring an all round development," which was both "a challenge and an opportunity".

"With our resolve for growth with justice manifold achievements have been marked across sectors like governance, law and order, human resource develop-

like education, health, women empowerment, agriculture, road infrastructure and poverty alleviation.

He said that atmosphere of peace and security has been ensured for minorities in Bihar during the last seven years.

"The state has been absolutely free from communal riots."

Multifarious schemes and programs have been launched for socio-economic development of minorities with special emphasis on their educational development, the Chief Minister said.

"Good governance is the mantra of our growth story," Kumar said, adding his state has a zero tolerance against corruption.

Earlier, Kumar visited mausoleum of Mohammad Ali Jinnah to pay homage to the founder of Pakistan.

Accompanied by the Sindh Chief Minister, he laid floral wreaths at the 'mazar' and the two leaders stressed the need for peace and brotherhood between the two countries.

"I believe that Pakistan and India need to work together and exist peacefully with each other.

This will not only guarantee prosperity and development for both countries but also for the entire region," Kumar told reporters outside the mazar.

Kumar also visited Karachi's famous Mohata Palace, built in the tradition of stone palaces of

Kumar and his delegation visited the historical Sadho Belo temple near Sukkur, the Indus valley civilization ruins of Mohenjodaro near Larkana and Garhi Khuda Baksh which is the ancestral home of the Bhutto family in Larkana ment, infrastructure and agriculture," he said.

Kumar said there is strict control over organized crime resulting in overall dip in crime graph in the state.

"Improved law and order has paved the way for restoring the authority of the state. No communal riots or social discord has been witnessed in the last seven years."

"With communal amity and social harmony came development.

Bihar achieved compound annual growth rate of 11 per cent over a period of last 5 years and aims at 13 per cent rate of growth for the 12th Plan. Growth rate for 2011-12 counts at 16.7 per cent, which is highest in the country."

Kumar also spoke of the state government's focus on sectors

Rajasthan.

The visit to Mohata Palace "has reinforced my belief that the cultural links between our two nations are abiding which is central to our history. If we shared a common past, it is wise to share a common future regardless of geographical boundaries," he wrote in the visitors' book.

Visit to temple Nitish Kumar undertook a whirlwind tour of interior Sindh, visiting a temple and addressing a Hindu panchayat, where he said that India and Pakistan need to co-exist peacefully and work for good governance in the region.

"I have brought a message of peace, love and brotherhood from India," Kumar said while addressing a Hindu panchayat in interior Sindh, adding that the frequency

and number of exchange of delegations should be enhanced for furthering relationship between the two countries.

Kumar also visited the ancient

in the region.

"The cultural links between the two countries are abiding and central to our history. We need to co-exist peacefully and work for

torical Sadho Bela temple.

The visiting CM noted that the Sadho Bela temple was a sacred place for Hindus of Pakistan and India and represented hope for

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar pays homage at Mazaars of former Pak President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his daughter former Pak PM Benazir Bhutto during a visit to Garhi Khuda Bux

Mohenjodaro site and stressed on more cooperation and coordination between Pakistan and India.

Kumar and his delegation visited the historical Sadho Belo temple near Sukkur, the Indus valley civilization ruins of Mohenjodaro near Larkana and Garhi Khuda Baksh which is the ancestral home of the Bhutto family in Larkana.

Kumar was overwhelmed while visiting the Mohanjodaro site that dates back to 5000 years and said it had reinforced his belief that Pakistan and India share so many common values and culture that they need to work closely together

good governance in the region," Kumar said.

Addressing a gathering of Hindu Panchayat during his visit to Sadhu Bela temple he said that India and Pakistan shared many common values and if exchange of dialogue is constant, it might improve relationship between the two countries.

He stressed the need to promote atmosphere of mutual understanding, brotherhood and peace among India and Pakistan which is need of hour aimed at progress, prosperity and development in the area.

Kumar also prayed at the his-

everyone.

"It is held in high esteem by Hindus in both countries that is why I cherish this visit today," Kumar said.

The general secretary of the Hindu Panchayat in Sukkur informed the visiting delegation that after the recent floods, the evacuee trust property had done a big job to clean up the temple complex and rid it of large number of snakes.

Kumar took deep interest in the art and architecture of the temple and was informed about its history dating back to 1823 by the religious leaders.-PTI

Great grandson of Gandhiji elected to Kansas State WASHINGTON: A great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi has been elected to a State Assembly in the United States during the general elections held on November 6.

Shanti Gandhi, 72, contesting as a Republican Party candidate, defeated his Democratic rival Theodore "Ted" Ensley by nine percentage point for the Kansas's 52nd Assembly District.

He is son of late Kanti Lal, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, retired in 2010 from Stormont-Vail Hospital at Topeka City in the Kansas State, received 6,413 votes against Ensley's 5,357 in the elections for the State's, according to the results declared by the Kansas Secretary of State.

He arrived in the US in 1967 as a medical graduate from University of Bombay. -PTI Shanti Gandhi

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Hindu Americans fete Tulsi Gabbard India Post News Service

WASHINGTON: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) celebrated a historic election day as Tulsi Gabbard overwhelmingly prevailed to claim a congressional seat in the Second Congressional District of Hawaii. A Democrat, Gabbard will enter the U.S. House of Representatives as the first Hindu-American legislator nearly a half-century after Dalip Singh Saund, a Sikh, served in the same body.

Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), a practicing Hindu of the Vaishnava tradition, campaigned on her experience as a former Honolulu City Councilwoman and Iraq war veteran. Her landslide win was expected after she became the Democratic party's candidate following a primary victory in the state's second district in July. She replaces Mazie Hirono, a Buddhist, who subsequently won Hawaii's vacant Senate seat.

"Gabbard is an incredibly inspiring leader whose political rise is a testament to the greatest ideals of American pluralism," said Aseem Shukla, co-founder and

Board member of HAF. "That Gabbard won while proudly espousing her Hinduism and voicing a willingness to be a strong voice for Hindu Americans brings over two million Americans into the political landscape for the first time. Her cultural understanding

‘We are absolutely certain that Gabbard and Bera will engage the Dharma community, address the interests of all faith communities, and fortify the firewall of religious freedom in government and beyond’ of Hawaii's unique and diverse population, will serve her district's interests well. Bolstering the economy, safeguarding the environment, and supporting Hawaii's heritage of pluralism, we understand, will be top priorities."

Gabbard, of Samoan-American origin, told the Religion News Service that among many issues, she will also focus on environmental issues, veteran affairs, and developing relations with India, Hinduism's spiritual homeland.

"How can we have a close relationship if decision-makers in Washington know very little, if anything, about the religious beliefs, values, and practices of India's 800 million Hindus?" asked Gabbard.

She also stated her desire to become the first to take her oath of office in January 2013 on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy scripture that inspires a billion people globally.

"The 2012 elections are a milestone for our community," said Jay Kansara, HAF's Associate Director. "We are absolutely certain that Gabbard and Bera will engage the Dharma community, address the interests of all faith communities, and fortify the firewall of religious freedom in government and beyond. We look forward to working with their offices on issues affecting our community at large."

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Orient Express rejects Tatas' buyout offer, again NEW YORK: Luxury hotels chain Orient Express has rejected the "unsolicited" USD 1.86 billion buyout offer from Tata Group firm Indian Hotels, saying the bid significantly undervalues the company.

Indian Hotels had offered USD 12.63 per share in cash to acquire all the outstanding shares of Orient Express. The USD 1.86 billion offer was made in October. This was the second takeover attempt

by Indian Hotels, which holds about 7 per cent in Orient Express.

The offer "significantly undervalues" the company and its unique assets and is not in the best interests of the shareholders, Orient Express said.

"After thorough consideration, and in consultation with independent financial and legal advisors, our Board of Directors has unanimously concluded that your proposal significantly undervalues Orient-Express and its future prospects," Orient Express

Chairman J Robert Lovejoy said in a letter to Indian Hotels Company Vice Chairman R K Krishna Kumar.

Indian Hotels had earlier termed

Indian Hotels had offered USD 12.63 per share in cash to acquire all the outstanding shares of Orient Express. The USD 1.86 billion offer was made in October. This was the second takeover attempt by Indian Hotels its all-cash offer as "compelling".

In early trade, shares of Orient Express tumbled over six per cent to USD 11.17 on the New York

Stock Exchange.

Lovejoy said that Orient Express board members have "great respect" for Indian Hotels.

"We have taken, and will continue to take, our responsibilities to Orient Express shareholders extremely seriously... that (offer) now would be a highly disadvantageous time to sell the company," the letter said.

The rejection comes on the same day when Orient Express announced the hiring of John M Scott as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Indian Hotels along with Charme II Funds, founded by the family of Ferrari chairman Luca Montezemolo, had made an allcash offer to acquire the outstanding 93.1 per cent stake at USD 12.63 per share.

In 2007 Tatas had attempted to increase holding in the US entity but the efforts failed due to stiff opposition from the then management of Orient Express. -PTI

Obama to visit Myanmar this month YANGON/WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will become the first US leader to visit Myanmar this month, the strongest international endorsement of the fragile democratic transition in the Southeast Asian country after half a century of military rule.

Obama will travel to Myanmar

States and European Union.

The visit to Myanmar, the first by a sitting US president, will give Obama a chance to meet President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to encourage the "ongoing democratic transition", White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

File photo of Barack Obama with Aung San Suu Kyi

during a November 17-20 tour of Southeast Asia that will also take him to Thailand and Cambodia, the White House said, confirming his first international trip since he won a second term in the election.

He is going ahead with the trip despite recent sectarian violence in western Myanmar that has drawn concern from the United

Obama will be in Myanmar on November 19, according to a senior government source in Yangon, where people expressed delight.

"I believe it is a clear sign of improved ties between the two countries and I am very glad that our NLD party played an important role in working for the emer-

gence of this situation," said NLD executive committee member Han Tha Myint.

Myint Soe, vice-chairman of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the historic visit showed Myanmar had now been admitted into the international community.

"It's good for President Obama to see things with his own eyes," he said. "I would like to request him to keep encouraging the democratization process in our country by helping to promote the socioeconomic standards of the people."

Obama's presence in Myanmar, also known as Burma, will highlight what his administration sees as a firstterm foreign policy achievement and a development that could help counter China's influence in a strategically important region.

Washington takes some credit for a carrot-and-stick approach that pushed Myanmar's long-ruling generals toward democratic change and led to Thein Sein taking office as a reformist president in 2011.

But Obama also risks criticism for rewarding the new government too soon, especially after security forces failed to prevent bloody ethnic violence in the west of the country.

US not to change India aid policy WASHINGTON: Against the three years. backdrop of the UK announcing The Obama Administration its decision to halt all aid to India has, however, adopted a new in 2015, the US has said it has no model of assistance to focus on plans to follow Britain's lead, poverty alleviation and addressthough its assistance to New Delhi ing security challenges like terrorhas dropped by over 25 per cent ism. since 2010.

In its last budgetary proposals From a total assistance of USD to the Congress early this year, 126.7 million in 2010, the proposed the State Department had said US aid to India for the year 2013 that the US has begun a transihas dropped to USD 98.3 million, tion to a new strategic assistance as this country goes through a grave economic crisis. It stood at ‘I don't see I don't have any USD 121.6 million in change in our India assis2011 and USD 108 miltance to announce... but lion in 2012.

State Department obviously in every budget spokesperson Victoria cycle, we look at all the Nuland told reporters that there is no plan for priorities across the planet, the US to change its and we have to make tough policy of assistance to decisions in consultations India.

"I don't see I don't with those governments in have any change in our terms of what's effective’ India assistance to announce... but obviously in every relationship with India, from one budget cycle, we look at all the of donor-recipient to a true partpriorities across the planet, and nership, where both sides have we have to make tough decisions something to offer. in consultations with those gov"The United States is increasernments in terms of what's effec- ingly looking to India as a source tive," Nuland said. of development innovations that Her remarks came in response can provide effective and sustainto a question on the British deci- able solutions that address not sion to end its aid to India in 2015 only the needs of India's poor but and make further cuts in its an- also have the potential to improve nual 280 million-pound assistance the lives of those living in povto the country for the remaining erty globally," it had said. -PTI

Ravi invites Indians in Kuwait to attend NRI event DUBAI: Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi has asked Indians in Kuwait to attend the 11th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, which is scheduled to be held in Cochin in January next year, saying that the event's focus would be on issues facing NRIs. Ravi, asked those present at a Pravasi Bhartiya Divas promotional event in Kuwait to take part in the NRI event from January 7 to 9 as he wrapped up his twoday visit to the Gulf nation.

He was accompanied by TK Manoj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and VN Ajayan, additional private secretary to the minister.

Kuwait was the first stop-over in the Minister's visit to the Gulf region in connection with Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) 2013.

During the visit, the Embassy of India, Kuwait, organized a

Pravasi Bhartiya Divas promotional event at its premises which was attended by a large number of people from the Indian community.

India's Ambassador to Kuwait, Satish C Mehta was present on the occasion.

Ravi urged those present to attend Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and said that during the event the focus would be on issues facing Indians abroad and the participants would have the opportunity to interact with chief ministers of various states.

He also highlighted various measures initiated by his Ministry aimed at the welfare of Indians working overseas.

Earlier in the day, Ravi interacted with members of Indian Doctors Forum. Later, he also attended a dinner hosted by the Indian Business Council.-PTI

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5 witnesses in Mumbai attacks case cross-examined ISLAMABAD: Lawyers of LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other Pakistanis charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks were cross-examined five prosecution witnesses who had testified against the accused.

The five prosecution witnesses, including officials of the Federal Investigation and operatives of intelligence agencies, were cross-examined for several hours during a hearing behind closed doors at the high security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, officials told PTI. After the completion of the cross-examination, Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman adjourned the proceedings till December 1.

The judge said an application filed by the prosecution seeking day-to-day hearings of the case would be taken up at the next hearing.

"The witnesses from FIA and the intelligence agencies have appeared six to seven times in court and the defense finally completed the cross-examination," chief prosecutor Chaudhry Zulifqar Ali told PTI. "The witnesses are feeling very relieved," he said without giving details of the proceedings.

Ali said the prosecution had filed an application seeking day-

to-day hearings of the case as considerable time had lapsed since the accused were charged.

The five witnesses who were cross-examined had earlier informed the court about the transfer of funds from Pakistan to the US to acquire Voice over Internet

court details of the training camps where the attackers had prepared for the assault on Mumbai.

During a public hearing organized by a parliamentary panel on September 28, former FIA chief Tariq Pervez Khosa had said that sleuths had uncovered two

Protocol connections that were used by the terrorists who stormed India's financial hub in November 2008.

They told the judge that USD 250 were transferred to a New Jersey-based firm to buy VoIP connections used for communications between the terrorists in Mumbai and their handlers in Pakistan.

The witnesses also gave the

Lashkar-e-Taiba training camps at Thatta and Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, that were used by militants involved in the Mumbai attacks.

The seven suspects, including LeT operations commander Lakhvi, have been charged with planning, financing and executing the attacks that killed 166 people. -PTI

Indian hand in Bond's favorite car LONDON: There is an Indian hand in James Bond's favorite car Aston Martin DB5 that appears again in the latest Bond movie 'Skyfall', which is turning out to be a big hit.

Since the 1960s, Aston Martin has been the fictional spy's favorite car and it is so in Skyfall, 23rd of the Bond movies.

The latest model has brakes by NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul's Caparo group.

"My company, Caparo, put the

brakes into his Aston Martin," Lord Paul said.

Equipped with interesting gadgets by Q, Aston Martin DB5 was first driven by Sean Connery's Bond character in third 007 movie 'Goldfinger' in 1964.

Since then it showed up in five more films - 'Thunderball', 'GoldenEye', 'Tomorrow Never Dies', 'Casino Royale' and in Daniel Craig-starrer 'Skyfall'.-PTI

India to grow fastest till 2060; Indians to remain at bottom NEW DELHI: Indian economy productivity of inputs into prois set to expand at the world's fast- duction) with a growth rate of 3.7 est rate over the next 50 years to per cent, followed by Indonesia's emerge as a major force globally, 3.2 per cent and India's 3 per cent. but it would still rank as the secThe overall economic growth ond worst in terms of prosperity rate in China (3.9 per cent) beof its citizens. tween 2011-2060 would be thirdOver the 50-year period be- largest after India's 4.9 per cent tween 2011-2060, India will regis- and Indonesia's 4.1 per cent. ter an annual economic growth On the other hand, major rate of 4.9 per cent, as per a latest economies like the US and the UK report by Paris-based interna- would witness growth rates of 2.1 tional grouping of the world's lead- per cent and 2.0 per cent respecing economies, the Organization tively, OECD said. for Economic Cooperation and China will have the highest Development (OECD). growth rate until 2020, but it will India's per-person GDP (mea- be surpassed by India and Indosure of well-being of a country's nesia thereafter, OECD said. citizens) will also grow more than "This partly reflects a more 7-fold during this period, but the rapid decline in working-age country will still rank at second population, and consequently in place from the bottom by 2060 in labor force participation, in China absolute terms, said the report. than in India and Indonesia," India was ranked lowest in OECD said. terms of per-person GDP in 2011 The annual human capital and its position would change growth rate would be the highest only marginally to second lowest in India at 0.8 per cent for this peafter Indonesia in 2060, while China's position will improve consider- ‘Income per capita in the ably from third-worst to poorest economies will 16th from the down.

On the top, the US more than quadruple by would be followed by 2060, and China and India Switzerland, Australia, Norway and Luxem- will experience more than a bourg. Switzerland is seven-fold increase, but projected to be at the living standards in these top in terms of well-becountries and some other ing of its citizens.

As per the report emerging countries will still titled 'Looking to 2060: Long-Term Global only be one-quarter to 60 Growth Prospects', per cent of the level in the China would also grow leading countries in 2060,’ significantly during this period with the third- OECD said highest growth rate after India and Indonesia. riod, as against 0.6 per cent in case "Income per capita in the poor- of China and 0.2 per cent for the est economies will more than qua- US and the UK. druple by 2060, and China and OECD said that India economy India will experience more than a is expected to be bigger than the seven-fold increase, but living US by 2060, while neighboring standards in these countries and China would emerge as the world's some other emerging countries largest economy by as early as will still only be one-quarter to 60 2016. per cent of the level in the leading "The United States is expected countries in 2060," OECD said. to cede its place as the world's larg"The extent of the catch-up (in est economy to China, as early as terms of living standards) is more 2016. India's GDP is also expected pronounced in China reflecting the to pass that of the United States momentum of particularly strong over the long term. Combined, the productivity growth and rising two Asian giants will soon surcapital intensity over the last de- pass the collective economy of the cade.

G-7 nations," OECD said.

"This will bring China 25 per Currently, Indian economy is cent above the current income worth over USD 1 trillion. level of the US, while income per As per OECD, the fast-ageing capita in India will reach only economic heavyweights, such as around half the current US level," Japan and the Euro area, will it added. gradually lose ground on the gloChina would be on the top in bal GDP table to countries with a terms of MFP (Multi-Factor Pro- younger population such as Inductivity that measures combined donesia and Brazil.-PTI

Health

Line

Georgia unlikely to run health exchange

ATLANTA: A day after President Barack Obama's re-election, Gov. Nathan Deal is suggesting he will not implement a Georgia health insurance exchange as part of the 2010 federal health care overhaul that ranks as Obama's signature legislative achievement.

Deal told the Associated Press that he wouldn't disclose his decision until notifying federal authorities. But he confirmed the state stopped planning an exchange once federal agencies wrote regulations that Deal says restrict Georgia's ability to design its own program.

The decision to stop, Deal says, is ``probably a pretty good indication of where we are headed.'' -AP

Florida won't back down on health care law SARASOTA, Fla.: Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he still won't implement parts of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul despite the re-election of the president.

Scott continued to say that the overhaul would be too expensive to carry out and would harm businesses by raising their costs.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year upheld the law, but said that states could decide whether or not to expand Medicaid programs in order to help lower the number of uninsured residents.

Scott at the time said he would oppose the Medicaid expansion.

He also said the state would not set up a state-run health exchange, a marketplace where people who need insurance policies could shop for them. -AP

Perry calls for repealing health care reform law AUSTIN, Texas: Gov. Rick Perry is calling for the repeal of the White House-backed federal health care reform law and urging Washington to stop trampling states' rights.

In a statement reacting to Barack Obama's re-election, Perry said Obama has ``a chance to start over'' and should ``take steps this time to govern responsibly.''

He said the president ``can put an end to his reckless disregard for our rule of law and spare our nation another long, painful and expensive four years.''

Perry briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination against Mitt Romney but flamed out after a series of public gaffes. -AP

Health Science 12

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November 23, 2012

Mass. OKs medical marijuana, but questions remain BOSTON: Massachusetts voters have overwhelmingly approved a move to legalize medical marijuana, yet questions remain over how distribution will be regulated and whether the state can stop abuses.

Details on page 14

WHO shows interest in Guj's SMS model to check fake medicines AHMEDABAD: The World Health Organization has shown interest in Gujarat's SMS alert system of keeping a check on spurious medicines, a top health official said.

As part of its e-governance initiative, the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) had developed an SMS alert system through which all the stakeholders in the state could be notified of the recalled fake drugs.

This cost-effective model was launched in the state earlier this year to protect the patients from spurious drugs.

"WHO has evinced interest in Gujarat's SMS recall model for the spurious drugs. It plans to implement this cost-effective model for patient safety in the developing countries," Gujarat FDCA Commissioner H G Koshia said.

This model has also been appreciated and praised by top executives of global pharma giants like US-based Abott Laboratories and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical "We have submitted a concept note of this model to them, after the recent visit of Dr Veer Surya

from WHO headquarters to Gujarat's FDCA," he said.

Commenting on the model, Dr

Surya had said that it was a viable tool to protect the patients' health and could be implemented in the developing countries, Koshia said.

This model has also been appreciated and praised by top executives of global pharma giants like US-based Abott Laboratories and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical.

WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nation system, with over 150 countries as its members.

Several Indian states are also in the process of replicating this model.

The system has issued around 60 alerts so far on sub-standards drugs detected during random sampling done by the FDCA, asking chemists to stop the sale of such spurious medicine. -PTI

Foods that boost & foods that kill cancer MAN MOHAN SHARMA

I

f money could save lives, Apple's CEO Steve Job would have been alive today.

My father and grandfather both died of cancer. I carry the genes of cancer. As a wellness consultant I had the earnest desire of researching cancer cures, for my personal interest and good of the community.

War against cancer was announced by the President Nixon in 1971. He declared that within 10 years cure for cancer would be found. Sadly the war has been lost. We are only witnessing rise, rise and rise of cancer, year after year and country after country.

American Cancer Society has declared that the number #1 cause of death in year 2010 was cancer. It has left heart disease behind in second place. Estimated number of cancer related deaths are going to double by year 2020 and triple by year 2030, as compared to year 1975-2000.

There may not be a single house in US which doesn't know the

misery, pain and suffering of this forty years before anyone can dreaded disease. ever find out about it.

Cancer is not an acute disease One flavonoid in particular has but a chronic one. The cancer caught the attention of many scicells may residing or progressing entists for its anti-cancer effects. in our body for many many years It is found in abundance in a part before they are picked by the of fruits most of us discard: the present diagnostic equipment like white flesh inside the peel. Stop X-rays or Mammograms. feeding cancer cells - the popular Famous Dr T. Colin Campbell, orange juice glass with fistful of an American biochemist, found sugar is cancer feeder. Eating full after 20 years of orange is a much research that better option. casein protein It is worth noting given to rothat rates for Colodents contribrectal, Prostate and uted to cancer.

Lung Cancers in InIt was more dia are one of the prevalent in rolowest in the world. dents who Thanks mainly to the consumed consumption of "Yelmore casein low Gold" also protein. Casein known as Turmeric.

Man Mohan Sharma protein is the Most of the turmeric main protein of comes from Chennai. milk and milk products.

Research at M.D. Anderson CanThe research studies con- cer Center at Texas, USA, has ducted in Canada by Dr. Richard found that the turmeric coming Beliveau and published in his from Alleppey is deeper in color book 'Food to Fight Cancer' and has got twice the cancer killshowed that we all have micro tu- ing powers. You can also increase mors and there may be a gap of the power of turmeric by 1000, by

mixing it with other Indian spices.

Green tea is the master killer of cancer, and among all the teas, those from Japan have the maximum preventive health benefits.

Allowing the brewing time of 3-5 minutes in warm water extracts the maximum amount of flavonoids. Tea should not be taken with milk. Tofu (Soya Paneer) is another food that can help prevent cancer.

With the right nutritional strategy we can prevent more than 80% cancers and significantly slow down the growth of many cancers in progress.

Affirming my faith in healing with nutrition, I plead that there are many foods which can turn off cancer and such researched and evidence based, life saving latest findings are shared in my latest book '52 Simple ways to prevent, control and Turn off Cancer'.

Man Mohan Sharma is working as Director Training with Metropolitan Asian Family Services and is also author four other health books.

November 23, 2012

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Obama's health care overhaul turns into a sprint WASHINGTON: The long slog has turned into a sprint. President Barack Obama's health care law survived the Supreme Court and the election; now the uninsured can sign up for coverage in about 11 months.

Even the government's topranking Republican, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, said that ``Obamacare is the law of the land.'' But not all hurdles have been cleared.

Republican governors who opposed the law have to decide whether it's better for their states to now help carry it out. The administration could stumble carrying out the complex legislation, or get tripped up if budget talks with Congress lead to scaling back the plan. ``We are out of the political gamesmanship and into the reality,'' said Sandy Praeger, Kansas' Republican insurance commissioner. Next week, states have to say if they're committed to building the framework for delivering health insurance to millions. ``We are still going to be struggling through the politics, and there are important policy hurdles and logistical challenges,'' said Andrew Hyman of the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foun-

dation, helping states carry out the law. ``But we are on a very positive trajectory.''

Instead of being dismantled by a Republican president and Congress, Obama's law is now on track to take its place alongside Medicare and Medicaid. The action starts right away.

States must notify Washington if they'll be setting up new health insurance markets, called exchanges, in which millions of households and small businesses will shop for private coverage.

The Health and Human Services Department will run the exchanges in states that aren't ready or willing.

Open enrollment for exchange plans is scheduled to start Oct. 1, 2013, and coverage will be effective Jan. 1, 2014.

In all, more than 30 million uninsured people are expected to gain coverage under the law.

About half will get private insurance through the exchanges, with most receiving government help to pay premiums.

The rest, mainly low-income adults without children at home, will be covered through an expansion of Medicaid. While the federal government will pay virtually all the additional Medicaid costs,

the Supreme Court gave states the leeway to opt out of the expansion. That adds to the uncertainty over how the law will be carried out.

A steadying force within the administration is likely to be HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The former Kansas governor has said

States must notify Washington if they'll be setting up new health insurance markets, called exchanges, in which millions of households and small businesses will shop for private coverage. she wants to stay until the law is fully enacted.

Governors will be the main counterparts to Sebelius, and Republicans are leading more than half the states.

Some, like Rick Perry of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, have drawn a line against helping carry out Obama's law. In other states,

voters have endorsed a hard stance. Missouri voters passed a ballot measure that would prohibit establishment of a health insurance exchange unless the Legislature approves. State-level challenges to the federal law will continue to percolate.

Other GOP governors have been on the fence, awaiting the outcome of the election. All eyes will be on pragmatists like Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia, whose states have done considerable planning to set up exchanges. ``Republican governors are at the center of the health care universe right now,'' said Michael Ramlet, health policy director at the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank. ``They do not have a uniform position.''

Virginia's McDonnell, in a rebuff to the administration, said in an interview his state would not set up its own exchange, defaulting to a federally run one.

McDonnell left open the possibility Virginia might later change course.

Some governors whose states aren't ready to run exchanges are considering the administration's fallback offer to run the new markets through a partnership.

``The real question for Republican governors is: `Are you going to let the feds come into your state?''' Ramlet said. ``The question for the Obama administration is whether they are going to have more flexibility.''

Major regulations are due shortly covering such issues as exchange operations, benefits and protections for people with pre-existing health problems. That could signal the administration's willingness to compromise.

A check by The Associated Press found 17 states and the District of Columbia on track to setting up their own exchanges, while 10 have decided not to do so. The federal government could end up running the show in half or more of the states.

The states on track include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

Not setting up exchanges are Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Missouri and others are likely to join the list. -AP

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Mass. OKs medical marijuana, but questions remain BOSTON: Massachusetts voters have overwhelmingly approved a move to legalize medical marijuana, yet questions remain over how distribution will be regulated and whether the state can stop abuses.

The law approved through Question 3 in the election ballot eliminates civil and criminal penalties for the use of marijuana by people with cancer, Parkinson's Disease, AIDS and other conditions determined by a doctor. It will create nonprofit treatment centers to grow and provide marijuana to patients or their caregivers.

Opponents say they are concerned that the state Department of Public Health, which is supposed to regulate the treatment centers, will not be able to prevent abuses.

The department has been criticized in recent months for a lack of oversight at a drug-testing lab that was shut down in August after a chemist allegedly acknowledged mishandling evidence and faking test results. The state pharmacy board, under the auspices of DPH, has also come under scrutiny in a fungal meningitis outbreak linked to a steroid distributed by a compounding pharmacy in Framingham. ``They have had some documented problems and they are working very hard to address those, but those are major undertakings and now this is thrown at them as well. It's a lot of work in a relatively short period of time,'' said state Sen. John Keenan, D-Quincy, an opponent of the law. ``I just think the law was poorly written

and is ripe for exploitation,'' he said.

The law, which will take effect Jan. 1, calls for the DPH to issue a set of regulations within 120 days after that. The DPH must decide what amount of marijuana constitutes the 60-day supply patients can get for their personal use, register patients and caregivers, register treatment centers that will distribute the marijuana; and register the treatment center's personnel.

from encountering the problems seen in California and Colorado, where hundreds of marijuana dispensaries have opened and sparked complaints about increased crime and other social problems. ``We only have 35 dispensaries versus the hundreds that are in Los Angeles or Denver. Nonprofits will be doing the dispensaries,'' said Peter Hayashi, a neuropsychologist from Newton who suffers from

Heidi Heilman, who headed the Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, a group that worked to defeat the ballot question, said she is concerned that the broad language in the law will open up the door for many people to get marijuana legally. The law lists nine specific medical conditions, but also says patients with ``other conditions'' can receive marijuana ``The Department will work closely with health care and public safety officials to develop smart and balanced policies and procedures over the coming months. We will work carefully, learn from other states' experiences and put a system in place that is right for Massachusetts,'' Dr. Lauren Smith, the department's interim commissioner, said in a statement.

The law limits the number of centers to no more than 35 in 2013, but says the DPH could allow more after that.

Supporters say the law has built-in safeguards that will prevent Massachusetts

chronic, debilitating nerve pain and supported the law to legalize medical marijuana. ``The Department of Public Health is hardly a hotbed of licentiousness or recklessness. I have confidence that they'll be able to handle the question of the number (of dispensaries) in a reasonable manner.''

Supporters also cite the penalties for violating the law. Anyone who fraudulently uses a DPH registration could be sentenced to up to six months in county jail, while those who fraudulently use a registration card to sell marijuana for nonmedical uses could face up to five years

in state prison.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said the mixed experiences in other states caused him to have his own misgivings about the ballot question initially. But he said now that the measure has been approved, the DPH has the responsibility for drafting regulations. ``They will do so and do so well,'' Patrick said. ``They'll be fully vetted as you know in this process, and we will learn as we go.'' ``That's been the secret of success around health care reform and a host of other legislative initiatives over the last few years, and I suspect that will also be the case with medical marijuana.''

Heidi Heilman, who headed the Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, a group that worked to defeat the ballot question, said she is concerned that the broad language in the law will open up the door for many people to get marijuana legally. The law lists nine specific medical conditions, but also says patients with ``other conditions'' can receive marijuana with written permission from their doctors. ``People can get medical marijuana for headaches, insomnia, back pain. That will increase the demand, and with that comes an increase in supply. That's what happened in other states,'' Heilman said. ``It's a billion-dollar industry that we just opened the door to here in Massachusetts. They are going to come in and capitalize on anyone in pain and our young people.'' -AP

Kansas officials ponder next health care step TOPEKA, Kan.: Kansas officials are considering their next steps to implement the federal health care law now that the presidential election has been decided and deadlines are looming.

The state has until Nov. 16 to tell the federal government whether it wants to be a partner in creating an online health insurance marketplace. Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger's office is preparing a partnership application and will seek grant money to implement the exchange.

But to do so, Praeger, a moderate Republican, must get a letter of support for the state's partnership from Gov. Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican who is opposed to the health care law. The two are expected to discuss the letter and application.

Both are elected officials and have been at odds over how the state should proceed in implementing the law.

Linda Sheppard, project manager for implementing the law, said Praeger's staff hadn't spoken with the governor about what is included in the state's application and didn't speculate on the chances of his approval. ``He has been very consistent that he has not wanted to talk about this and not willing to look at these issues until after the election,'' Sheppard said.

Brownback delayed the state's decisions hoping that a Mitt Romney victory would lead to a reprieve for states. However, with President Barack Obama's victory and a ruling this summer by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the law, chances of the law's re-

peal vanished.

The governor's spokeswoman, Sherriene Jones Sontag, declined to speculate whether Brownback would sign off on the insurance department's application to partner with the federal exchange.

The federal health care law was a factor in legislative election results, following the

Gov. Sam Brownback

trend set in 2010 when Brownback was elected and large numbers of conservative Republicans were elected to the Legislature.

Nearly all ran on the platform of opposing the health care law over concerns that it was an unconstitutional intrusion on state and individual rights.

Those victories were followed by more wins by conservatives in the August primary and November 6 marked defeats of

moderate Senate Republican incumbents who opposed a measure to amend the Kansas Constitution granting so-called health care freedom choices to residents. ``The people of Kansas have spoken loudly three times, they want us to pursue Kansas solutions,'' Jones-Sontag said. ``We are discussing options and alternatives with

Some state officials also worry that Kansas could face substantial new costs if it agrees to the Medicaid expansion because people who are now eligible without the expansion but not participating in the program also could seek coverage like-minded states and with our legislative partners in Kansas.''

Sheppard said the state was applying to fill the roles of plan management and consumer assistance. She said because of timelines to implement the law, Kansas was unable to set up its own exchange. The insurance department would have to receive legislative approval to spend any federal dollars on the exchange partnership.

Pressure from the conservative Republicans last year prompted Brownback to reject $31.5 million in federal funds to help build the computer infrastructure necessary for an exchange.

States must have the exchanges in place and approve a basket of qualified plans that would be available for consumers to purchase that meet minimum federal guidelines.

In addition to the exchanges, the federal health care law says that in 2017, states must pick up 5 percent of the cost of the Medicaid expansion. The figure grows to 10 percent by 2020. In the past, states generally have been required to pick up about 40 percent of the cost, and in Kansas, the state's share for its $2.9 billion-a-year program is almost $1.2 billion.

Some state officials also worry that Kansas could face substantial new costs if it agrees to the Medicaid expansion because people who are now eligible without the expansion but not participating in the program also could seek coverage. That issue was noted by a Congressional Budget Office report in July.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis said he was concerned about the state's ability to expand Medicaid given new revenue estimates projecting a $327 million shortfall in the next state budget because of income tax cuts taking effect Jan. 1. ``There's no room for any spending initiatives. That is a big concern,'' said Davis, a Lawrence Democrat. -AP

Health Science Post

November 23, 2012

India Post

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Cipla again cuts cancer drug Looking old may be a sign of heart risks prices by up to 64% MUMBAI: Drug major Cipla, which revolutionized the treatment of HIV, is now turning its focus on another killer disease - cancer. The company has slashed prices of three life-saving cancer drugs by 50-64%, a move that may trigger a price war or sorts in the industry.

Domestic companies including Sun Pharma and Natco which market similar cancer drugs will be forced to have a re-look at their prices, industry experts say.

The price reduction is on three additional anti-cancer drugs Erlotinib (Erlocip), Docetaxel (Docetax) and Capecitabine (Capegard) - for the treatment of lung and pancreatic, breast cancer, head and neck, gastric cancer, bladder, colorectal and colon cancers.

The biggest reduction of 64% is on lung cancer drug, Erlocip, which would now cost Rs 9,900 for a 30-tablet strip as against Rs 27,000 earlier, while breast cancer treatment Docetax would be priced Rs 1,650 instead of Rs 3,300, Cipla said.

In 2001, Cipla had revolutionized the treatment for HIV by in-

troducing the first triple once-aday drug cocktail in Africa at less than a dollar a day ($350 a year) as against the MNC price of over $10,000 for a year's treatment.

Cipla has not only taken head-on drug MNCs like Pfizer, Bayer and Roche by challenging their intellectual property (patents) but is also giving competition to domestic players "Continuing its contribution towards affordable and accessible treatment for patients, Cipla extends the work done in HIV/AIDS and malaria to now include cancer, not only in India but globally," Y K Hamied, chairman and managing director of Cipla, said.

The huge drug reduction comes

in the wake of Cipla's victory against drug MNC Roche in a patent infringement case on cancer drug Tarceva, which Cipla sells in its version 'Erlocip'. Industry experts said Cipla's move will trigger a re-evaluation of portfolio and prices in the oncology segment for all companies in the over Rs 1,500 space.

Interestingly, Cipla has not only taken head-on drug MNCs like Pfizer, Bayer and Roche by challenging their intellectual property (patents) over the years, but is also giving competition to domestic players in the branded generics market. It may not trigger a price war but definitely there will be some changes.

The price cuts follow similar reductions of up to 76% announced in May by Cipla in three major anti-cancer drugs. The first salvo in the cancer drug market this year was fired when Natco received the country's first compulsory license to sell generic version of Nexavar at Rs 8,880 for a monthly dose, as against Bayer's price of Rs 2.85 lakh for a month.

FDA: Fertility doctor didn't test donors for STDs CHICAGO: Federal regulators have sent a warning letter to a Chicago fertility doctor, citing his clinic's failure to meet standards for screening egg donors for sexually transmitted diseases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's letter to Dr. Martin Balin was posted on the agency's website. FDA spokeswoman Lisa Misevicz said nobody got sick, but the FDA's goal is to ``prevent anyone from becoming sick in the future.''

The letter followed an FDA inspection of Balin's north Chicago office from June 20 through Aug. 17 during which an investigator found ``significant deviations'' from required screenings for egg donors.

The FDA routinely inspects

clinics that deal with human tissue, including donated eggs, which can be used to help infertile couples conceive. Women generally are paid to provide eggs, which are retrieved and fertilized. The resulting embryos are implanted in the recipient's uterus.

Balin's office failed to meet screening standards for chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV, according to the FDA letter.

Balin told The Associated Press that he has addressed the FDA's concerns. ``I think the testing was not clearly the way they wanted it,'' Balin said, adding that the women who received donated eggs were safe because they took required preventive antibiotics. He said that a lab that ran the wrong HIV

test used another test instead. ``Patients were always safe, that I can tell you,'' Balin said.

American Society for Reproductive Medicine spokesman Sean Tipton said it's very important to screen egg donors. Tipton also said his group's standards match the FDA's standards.

The president of an affiliated group said the risk of spreading disease through fertility treatment is very low. ``There's never been a reported case of any kind of disease transmission from egg donation,'' said David Ball, president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and lab director of Seattle Reproductive Medicine. Screening is ``a federal mandate so we have to follow it.'' -AP

LOS ANGELES: Want a clue to your risk of heart disease? Look in the mirror. People who look old with receding hairlines, bald heads, creases near their ear lobes or bumpy deposits on their eyelids have a greater chance of developing heart disease than younger-looking people the same age do, new research suggests.

Doctors say the study highlights the difference between biological and chronological age.

signs of age.

In the next 35 years, 3,400 participants developed heart disease (clogged arteries) and 1,700 suffered a heart attack.

The risk of these problems increased with each additional sign of aging present at the start of the study. This was true at all ages and among men and women, even after taking into account other factors such as family history of heart disease.

``Looking old for your age marks poor cardiovascular health,'' said Dr. Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

She led the study and gave results at an American Heart Association conference in Los Angeles.

A small consolation: Wrinkles elsewhere on the face and gray hair seemed just ordinary consequences of aging and did not correlate with heart risks.

The research involved 11,000 Danish people and began in 1976.

At the start, the participants were 40 and older. Researchers documented their appearance, tallying crow's feet, wrinkles and other

Those with three to four of these aging signs receding hairline at the temples, baldness at the crown of the head, earlobe creases or yellowish fatty deposits around the eyelids had a 57 percent greater risk for heart attack and a 39 percent greater risk for heart disease compared to people with none of these signs.

Having yellowish eyelid bumps, which could be signs of cholesterol buildup, conferred the most risk, researchers found.

Baldness in men has been tied to heart risk before, possibly related to testosterone levels. They could only guess why earlobe creases might raise risk. -AP

Obama's win forces Walker's hand MADISON, Wis.: President Barack Obama's re-election is forcing the hand of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who had stopped all efforts to implement the federal health care reform law in the hopes that Republicans would take over in Washington.

But Obama won and Democrats kept control of the Senate, meaning the Affordable Health Care Act will continue to go into effect. Wisconsin faces a Nov. 16 deadline to inform the Obama administration

about whether the state will implement a health care marketplace, or exchange, or let the federal government do it.

Walker told reporters in Milwaukee that he will be meeting with state officials to discuss the next steps. A spokeswoman for Walker's Department of Health Services declined immediate comment.

Republican legislative leaders say they need to discuss next steps. -AP

Desi News Dhinchak Diwali extravaganza in Bay Area VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT: The biggest Bollywood party promoters in Bay Area, Instant Karma, who have consistently brought in the best Bollywood celebrities, presented the second annual Dhinchak Diwali Mela, 2012 in association with Avex Funding, Matrix Insurance agency, Peacock Restaurant, Sanjay Taxpro, The Royal Fashions, CIT and California Cricket Academy.

The event was held at MVP Arena in San Jose on November 11 and 12. The event witnessed about 2000 people and the extravaganza was spread over two days.

The celebration had Rangoli contest and Des Rangeela Dance competition for teens, kids and groups.

The kids competition was for tots aged 5 -12 and there were about 12 groups performing for foot tapping Bollywood numbers.

Details on page 22

Nach K Dekh spices up Bollywood dance VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT: Nach K Dekh is a Bay area based Bollywood dance company. Like the unique flavors of an Indian curry, they come up with the right mix of music, steps, style, choreography, and costume to give each dance class its unique character that is music to your palette.

To top it off, they add some final spice to enhance the flavor with performance opportunities.

They not only guarantee that you will be proud of the final result after the classes, but also enjoy every single class. They are located in Fremont, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Evergreen, Milpitas and Redwood City.

Details on page 23

Wells Fargo commits $35 mn for military families India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO: Wells Fargo & Company has announced that it is committing $35 million over the next three years as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting military service members and veterans. The commitment includes: Details on page 25

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Chinmaya Mission raises $200,000 for expanding activities Details on page 19

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November 23, 2012

Indian Americans happy with Democrats’ strong showing Suresh Shah & Harish Rao

CHICAGO: While the election victory of President Barack Obama was a foregone conclusion for many an Indian American with one budding astrologer predicting a landslide for him before the results, the outcome has not induced an unmixed joy in light of the continuing economic recession and hazy employment prospects.

The consensus is that the new administration will have to gear itself up with a favorable economic plan that would help small and medium sized businesses, and thru it a boost in the job market. Those concerned about ties with India are also are a bit concerned about the Obama government's policy regarding outsourcing. The President is believed to be a bit conservative on this issue and this could affect India which is reeling under a small bout of recession. On the political side, they would want the new administration to act more effectively on cross border terrorism as well.

Overall speaking, a real good showing for Democrats in Illinois has gladdened the hearts of Indian Americans who are traditional

President Barack Obama and wife Michelle with Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill following Obama's victory speech to supporters in Chicago, Nov 7

backers of the Democratic Party.

Those who backed Republicans met with setbacks as two of their candidates Joe Walsh and Bob Dold could not make it to the winning post. The strong showing by Democrats also helped a State Representative, who was kicked out of the State legislature, to win

his seat back. A judge who had a skirmish with the law also got elected.

One of the front ranking supporters of President Obama and Democrats, Balvinder Singh, was overjoyed at the outcome and exuded confidence that the new administration would revive the sag-

ging economy and that Indo-US relations would get a fresh boost.

He went to the extent of saying that he would not be surprised if the President accepts the Indian Prime Minster's invitation and visits India in late 2013 or early 2014.

Cont’d on page 19

Dr Kalam unveils Gandhi statue in Florida India Post News Service

DAVIE FL: Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and Davie Mayor Judy Paul unveiled a seven feet tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 in the Town of Davie, Florida Thousands of residents from the area including Indian American families joined the festivities despite heavy rains. It was quite a miracle that the rain stopped to allow the unveiling ceremonies to complete. It started raining again and Dr Abdul Kalam commented "what an auspicious occasion!"

President Kalam was received at the Airport by the Board of Trustees of the Mahatma Gandhi Square Florida - a corporation organized for the purpose. Among

Gandhi Square Board of Trustees: From left, Hemant Patel, Joy Kuttiyani, Babu Varghese, Piyush Agrawal, Vijay Narang, Sajan Kurian, and Chacko Philip.

Wow! Mayor Judy Paul receives a commemorative token Four of the members, Shekar Reddy, Assisi Nadayil, of appreciation from President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and Dr. George Kakkanatt, and Vivek Swaroop are not shown in Piyush Agrawal on behalf of the Indian community the picture

them were Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal, Joy Kuttiyani, Babu Varghese, Shekar Reddy, Chacko Philip, Hemant Patel, Vivek Swaroop, and Dr Sajan Kurian.

Welcoming the President, Mayor Judy Paul enumerated many of the accomplishments of her guest. She particularly drew the attention of her audience to Dr.

Kalam's humble beginnings and challenged the children in the audience to follow his path by being good in mathematics and sciences.

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November 23, 2012

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Manavi March brings awareness of domestic violence India Post News Service

JERSEY CITY, NJ: On Sunday, October 21, Manavi held its eighth annual Silent March. Manavi began conducting the Silent March in 2005 as a way of saluting South Asian survivors of violence during October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Participants included Manavi staff, volunteers, and concerned members from the community.

This year, Silent March participants marched on Newark Avenue in the busy South Asian business district in Jersey City carrying signs stating, "You have the right to live safely in your own home," and, "It takes a community to end domestic violence," among others.

Signs were made in various South Asian languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, and Urdu in order to reach deeper into the community.

In 2011, Manavi launched a program, Bolo Behen, in collaboration with the Hudson County Rape Crisis Center to address the high volume of calls from Jersey City.

During this year's Silent March, Manavi supporters distributed information detailing Manavi and

Bolo Behen's services.

"In order to foster safe and healthy communities for all, it is imperative that each one of us take a stand against violence. The

women to speak out against abuse in their own homes," said Manavi's Outreach Coordinator, Vineeta Kapahi. She states, "Manavi's Silent March not only

bers accountable for enabling violence to continue."

Manavi volunteer Chetana Guliani states, "[Domestic violence] transcends race, ethnicity,

community's silence around the issue perpetuates the cycle of violence and makes it difficult for

raises awareness about domestic violence and available services, but also holds all community mem-

culture, socioeconomic backgrounds, age groups, and genders.

It affects intimate partners, par-

ents, and children." Guliani says, "We need to put an end to it, collectively. The stigmatization of domestic violence is the first thing that must be erased - and it can only happen from spreading awareness and dispelling myths.

That's what we set out to do on Sunday. I think we changed some minds. " The event was extremely successful as it has been in previous years. Many passersby stopped to read signs and placards and asked questions about violence against South Asian women. Volunteer Amrita Minhas says, "I think that the Silent March most certainly achieved its goal of raising awareness, people were turning their heads as we walked by, taking pictures, sharing the flyers and telling us what great work we were doing."

This event engaged South Asian community members in coming together in solidarity to tackle the often ignored issue of violence against women. Support and cooperation from the community coupled with the enthusiasm of the marchers gave way to making this a memorable event.

Cont’d on page 20

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Community Across America

November 23, 2012

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100 Buddha sculptures emerge in communities SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: A collaborative public art and civic engagement project, Ten Thousand Ripples (TTR), is being presented by Changing Worlds in partnership with 10 Chicago-area neighborhoods and over a dozen community organizations.

At the center of TTR are 100 fiberglass and resin Buddha sculptures designed by award-winning artist Indira Johnson and installed at sites in 10 Chicago-area neighborhoods. Sites are chosen by the stakeholders in each community who are also planning and implementing related artistic programming. TTR uses art as a catalyst to foster dialog about peace and non-violence and create innovative solutions to address contemporary social issues "A powerful and profound need exists within each of us to know that peace is possible in spite of the violence that surrounds us," said Johnson. "Ten Thousand Ripples is a reminder of that need.

It invokes the image of an emerging Buddha as a widely held symbol of peace, inviting people to think about how they can find peace in their own lives and in their

communities."

Fifty sculptures are being installed in five communities this fall:

more communities in Spring 2013: Auburn Gresham, Back of the Yards, Evanston, Little Village, North

"Ten Thousand Ripples seeks to interrupt violence before it escalates, at a critical moment in time

Indira Johnson and some of her art exhibits

Albany Park, Pilsen, Rogers Park, South Chicago and Uptown. TTR will install 50 more sculptures in five

Lawndale. The project culminates with a July 2013 exhibit at the Loyola University Museum of Art.

when our city's murder rate is soaring," said Mark Rodriguez, Executive Director at Changing Worlds.

"What's compelling is that the Buddha sculptures are seen outof-context. Chicagoans will encounter the sculptures in unexpected places - many in high-crime or high-violence areas - then pause, we hope, for self-reflection and to engage their communities in dialog about violence prevention."

TTR is a partnership between artist Indira Johnson and Changing Worlds, the lead organization in a consortium of local community, social service, educational and cultural organizations. Community partners include among others Evanston Art Center, Loyola University, Northeastern Illinois University, Each community brings its own distinctive approach to TTR through neighborhood-based programming such as art walks, art-making workshops, art-based block parties, beautification projects and bike tours. Additionally, communities will provide written and visual documentation of the TTR planning process, and Arts in Action Plans for continued integration of the arts.

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November 23, 2012

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Chinmaya Mission raises $200,000 for expanding activities Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: An Illinois based no profit body, Chinmaya Mission's Badri and Yamunotri Centers together held their annual fundraising gala on Sunday, November 4 at Waterford Banquet Hall in Elmhurst, a northwest Chicago suburb.

Over 700 guests, Mission supporters and members, attended the event helping he mission to raise more than $200,000. Swami Sharanananda and Swami Ishwaranand of Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles addressed the gathering. Another highlight was

Child and young artists presenting cultural program

a remarkable cultural performance from students of Bala Vihar. The

Welcoming Chinmaya Mission leaders Swami Ishwarananda of Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles and Swami Sharanananda from Chinmaya Mission Chicago

theme of this year's banquet was "Gratitude is the Attitude'.

The evening commenced with a traditional PurnaKumbha, Invocation, Gurustotram chanting welcome for the Acharyas. After the traditional lamp lighting ceremony Swami Sharanananda of Chicago addressed the meet stressing the importance "giving" and serving.

Swami Chinmayananda and Swami Tejomayananda, Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, were remembered with awe and respect due to them for bringing this organization to its present level. Swami Sharanananda then introduced Swami Ishwarananda, Resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission, Los Angeles, CA. In his address, Swamiji stressed the importance of gratitude in our lives. He indicated

Indian Americans happy with Democrats’ strong showing Cont’d from page 16

Harendra Mangrola, president of Indo American Democratic Organization was also happy since all the candidates backed by IADO won the elections. He felt that the controlling of both the Houses of the Congress would help President Obama to push his agenda strongly.

Iftekhar Shaeef, a Trustee of the Federation of Indian Associations, in a statement said "we are all so thankful for all the support of Indian media in re-electing President Barack Obama for the second term. Indian-American community has used all the resources for the Democratic party and its candidates in Illinois."

"Special thanks to our community in rallying behind the popular Democratic candidates from Illinois especially snatching the seat back from Republican candidate from district 8th; Joe Walsh losing to Tammy Duckworth by over twenty thousand votes in district

5th and an easy win for Mike Quigley in District 11Th; Bill Foster regaining the seat, first timer Brad Schneider of district 10th got an easy win from Robert Dold a Republican candidate, Cheri

The interest would now be for the 2016 elections and in his opinion there could be a close contest between Hillary Clinton and Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuael for winning the Democratic primary, he observed Bustos of 17th district won against Republican Bobby Schilling."

Other U.S Congress candidates from Illinois including Jan Schakowsky, Bobby Rush, Jesse

Jackson, Dan Lipinski, Luis Gutierrez, Danny Davis and William Enyart had an easy win over Republican candidates. " Vinesh Virani of Art of Living said that his Guru Sri Sri Ravishanker had already said that Obama would be the winner. The interest would now be for the 2016 elections and in his opinion there could be a close contest between Hillary Clinton and Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuael for winning the Democratic primary, he observed.

Nand Kapur, former head of Association of Indian Americans, felt that Indian Americans should use their newly found clout and political strength in steering the new government policy in favor of India. "Indo-US relationship should get strengthened for strategic reasons. India needs US support in boosting its economy and fighting terrorism and the US needs Indian support for containing the growing might of China," he observed.

how the attitude changes the mind provided we see the world with a positive and grateful attitude, He applauded the dedicated volunteers who are doing yeomen

service by contributing their personal time to teach the younger generation of kids the values of life.

Cont’d on page 21

Dr Kalam unveils Gandhi statue in Florida The members of the Town Council, State Senators Nan Rich and Eleanor Sobel and several elected officials were present to witness the dedication ceremony which was a "living tribute to world peace and the quest for social justice" as the Mayor said.

The Mayor Judy Paul declared the day as the "World Peace & Mahatma Gandhi Day." The 800 pound statue was sculpted by Matt Glenn of Big Statues, Provo, Utah in cooperation with Sculptor's Guild. As a

"pathway of light" leading up to the statue itself. Then there are concentric circles with the curved wall behind it as if showing the letter G (for Gandhi) from above in an abstract form. Babu said "What an honor for an Indian living in America to design a Gandhi Square here!"

Responding to the warm reception accorded him, Dr. Kalam reflected on Gandhi's life and the relevance of his teachings in today's world. Then he talked about "Creative Leadership" which means exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach, man-

token of respect to Gandhi, they also contributed toward the cost of the statue.

Babu Varghese, a member of the Board and an engineer by profession, designed the Gandhi Square with half an acre of land that houses the statue. The square patterns with alternating colored step stones leading to the statue represent the steps Gandhi took in his lifetime struggle to achieve freedom to his people. These steps are bordered by lighted stone pillars which represent a

ager to mentor, from director to delegator and from one who demands respect to one who facilitates selfrespect. This is the kind of creative leadership that has been instrumental in creating the Gandhi Square in Davie and deserves our gratitude.

During his visit to Davie, Dr. Kalam, despite his extremely tight schedule, did find time photo opportunity for the Indian American community leaders. "It was a delightful event" said Piyush Agrawal.

Cont’d from page 16

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Connecticut rally to back TDP 'Padha Yatra' India Post News Service

MANCHESTER-CT: TDP supporters here conducted a "Sangheebhava Sadhassu" for the marathon "Padha Yatra" conducted by Andhra Pradesh ex-CM and TDP President Mr. Nara Chandrababu Naidu. This event with around 200 supporters was held on Saturday November 3 at NorthWest Park, Manchester-CT from 10 am to 1 pm. The event was organized by NRI TDP CT and "India Kitchen" Restaurant.

Despite the freezing cold, the supporters made the event a big success. Initially the supporters completed the Padha Yatra around the park with the TDP flags, banners, badges, "kanduvas" and NTR and Chandrababu flexies.

A rally with around 100 cars was held in the NorthWest Park.

Supporters completed this rally with slogans like "Jai Telugu Desham", "Vardhillali Chandrababu Nayakatvam", "Johar NTR". The supporters gathered at a place and spoke on their support to Chandrababu Naidu and his Padha Yatra.

TDP leaders from Andhra Pradesh like Kodela Siva Prasad Rao, Devineni Uma and Payyavula Kesavulu expressed their happiness for the support they get from NRI supporters.

Lunch for the supporters was provided by India Kitchen Restaurant.

Members of NRITDP Connecti-

cut - Srinivas Yenduri, Tarani Parachuri, Gopala Krishna (Gopi), Yogesh Abburi, Srinivas Atluri and

Rama Krishna Inturi - were extremely happy for the people making this event a huge success.

Recently NRITDP Connecticut

organized events like 'Candle Light for missing baby Saanvi' and 'Santhapa Sabha for TDP leader YerramNaidu'.

Manavi March brings awareness of domestic violence

100 Buddha sculptures emerge in communities Cont’d from page 20

Cont’d from page 17

Manavi is a New Jersey based women's rights organization committed to ending all forms of violence and exploitation against South Asian women living in the U.S. Established in 1985, Manavi

was the first organization to specifically provide services for South Asian women (those descending from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Through a wide variety of programs such as culture specific supportive counseling, legal assistance

through clinics and referrals, interpretation, support groups, and transitional housing, Manavi ensures that women of South Asian descent in the U.S can exercise their fundamental right to live a life of dignity that is safe and free from violence.

Award-winning artist and nonviolence and peace educator Indira Freitas Johnson received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Illinois Governors Award for the Arts.

Changing Worlds is an educational arts nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster inclusive communities through oral history,

writing and art programs that improve student learning, affirm identity and enhance cross-cultural understanding. Founded in 1996 at Hibbard Elementary School in Albany Park, Changing Worlds now reaches more than 10,000 students and community members annually through its arts and cultural awareness programs.

To learn more, including a map showing all Buddha sculptures installed to date and a calendar of upcoming events, visit www.TenThousandRipples.com.

November 23, 2012

Community Across America

India Post 21

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Chinmaya Mission raises $200,000 for expanding activities

Dr Kora elected LaPorte County Commissioner RAM GAJJELA

Members of the audience Cont’d from page 19

In his annual report, Chinmaya Mission Chicago, President, Shanker Pillai said that Chinmaya Mission of Chicago was looking into expanding their services for the senior population of Chicago. A plan is afoot to develop a senior citizens center in the recently acquired adjacent property in Willowbrook, IL. In addition, the natural disaster relief

and blood drives are a focal point in the upcoming months.

Ashok Bhatia, Executive board member of Yamunotri center gave a short presentation on CORD (Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development), the mission's unique Seva project in India which provides empowerment to women, operates Balwadis for young children, conducts Bala Vihar programs, fights social injustice, runs

support groups for young men, and health care services for the needy in several states of India.

Cultural presentations in the form of dance and bhajans were interspersed throughout the evening. Chinmaya Mission is dedicated to educating children, adults and families, fostering selfdevelopment through right understanding of religious principles and practice of value-based living.

CHICAGO: An Indian origin physician now settled in Michigan City, Dr. Vidya Kora, added one more feather to his cap by getting elected as the prestigious County Commissioner in LaPorte County, Indiana.

Dr. Kora ran on the Democratic ticket and defeated Republican, Terry Garner. Dr. Kora received 22,669 votes (54.17 percent).

Dr. Kora expressed gratitude to the voters in LaPorte County for their confidence and trust. He wants to make county-wide economic development a key priority.

Prior to being elected County Commissioner, Dr. Kora served two terms as the LaPorte County coroner and one term on the school board in Michigan City. Dr. Kora also served two terms as the chairman of the LaPorte County Democratic party.

Dr. Kora is the past president of the Indiana State Medical Association and currently serves on Indiana's delegation to the American Medical Association. He also serves on the Northern Indiana Regional Board of the Franciscan

Alliance and on the board of the Unity Foundation of LaPorte County which is a community foundation that promotes philanthropy.

Dr. Kora practices internal medi-

Dr Vidya Kora

cine at Franklin Clinic in Michigan City which he founded in 1987. He is married and has two grown up children, both attending medical school. He and his wife Sudha live in Michigan City, Indiana.

22 India Post

Community Across America

November 23, 2012

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Dhinchak Diwali extravaganza in Bay Area VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT: The biggest Bollywood party promoters in Bay Area, Instant Karma, who have consistently brought in the best Bollywood celebrities, presented the second annual Dhinchak Diwali Mela, 2012 in association with Avex Funding, Matrix Insurance agency, Peacock Restaurant, Sanjay Taxpro, The Royal Fashions, CIT and California Cricket Academy.

The event was held at MVP Arena in San Jose on November 11 and 12. The event witnessed about 2000 people and the extravaganza was spread over two days.

The celebration had Rangoli contest and Des Rangeela Dance competition for teens, kids and groups.

The kids competition was for tots aged 5 -12 and there were about

Sanjay and Dipa Thakur. Winners for the kid's competition were Tania Makhija and Suhani Agarwal of age 5 and they danced to Rajasthani folk genre. Bhavana Prabhakar was awarded the sec-

siasts from all over Bay area. It was a quiz competition based on cricket. The event had a special attraction. Cricketer Sreesanth graced the occasion and enjoyed the fun with the crowd till mid-

their queries on different pitches and players. He encouraged the youths to take up cricket as a profession and be dedicated to the sport and thereby serve the motherland. He took over to the dance

featuring Indian designer wear, jewelry, artifacts from different Indian regions sprawling from Kashmir to Kerala. There were about 25 vendor booths catering to the Diwali special dresses and sweets.

night. He spoke at length about his association with cricket, injuries and comeback to Team India.

He advised budding cricketers on bowling techniques and answered

floor to fast pace Bollywood numbers.

Special attraction of the event was the Indian market theme, Chandni Chowk and Mina Bazar,

Mumbai's famous Chowpathi Khao Gali offered delicacies to the enthusiastic Bay area Desi community. Shalimar, Spice Hut, Temptations, Mehran, Chaat Bhavan, Biryani bowl were the food booths and they catered typical Desi food like chaat, paratha, biryani, mithai, tandoori.

The second day featured mehndi contest, art contest, Phuljadi fashion show and speech on Diwali. Nirmitee band concert started at about 4:30 pm and entertained the crowd with mesmerizing numbers. This group of four believes strongly in creating their own identity in the music field.

Constant innovation and harmony has got Siddharth, Vian, Pranil and Ranjana this far in the competition.

They are students of Mumbai University and their sole aim was to make good music and make their families and college proud. They have continually triumphed in delivering show stopping performances, taking Bollywood music and making it their own. This fun, young zesty foursome propels every live show to another level leaving you wanting more every time with their cheeky choreography.

The event had a special attraction. Cricketer Sreesanth graced the occasion and enjoyed the fun with the crowd till midnight. He spoke at length about his association with cricket, injuries and comeback to Team India.

He advised budding cricketers on bowling techniques and answered their queries 12 groups performing for foot tapping Bollywood numbers.

The teens and groups staged nine performances. Dance competition was judged by Manju,

ond prize. Rangoli competition had about 20 entries and Sunita Chopra emerged as the winner.

Sabse Bada Khiladi contest witnessed budding cricketers, enthu-

Cont’d on page 25

November 23, 2012

Community Across America

India Post 23

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Nach K Dekh spices up Bollywood dance VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

FREMONT: Nach K Dekh is a Bay area based Bollywood dance company. Like the unique flavors of an Indian curry, they come up with the right mix of music, steps, style, choreography, and costume to give each dance class its unique character that is music to your palette.

To top it off, they add some final spice to enhance the flavor with performance opportunities.

They not only guarantee that you will be proud of the final result after the classes, but also enjoy every single class. They are located in Fremont, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Evergreen, Milpitas and Redwood City.

The dance company presented the Rangmanch theater show featuring Bollywood Dance Showcase by their talented students and Bollywood Musical "Forever" on November 11 in Evergreen College Theater auditorium, San Jose. Students of this school entertained the audience by 13 performances by disciples

The dance company presented the Rangmanch theater show featuring Bollywood Dance Showcase by their talented students and Bollywood Musical ‘Forever’ on November 11

of ages 3-13+. They danced to popular Bollywood numbers such as Chin Thatha, Masahallah, Chal Ghoome and many more.

Deepak is the owner and has been teaching Bollywood dance in the Bay area since 2008. He regularly experiments by blend-

ing different forms of dance on Bollywood music and this is

what keeps his students always wanting more.

Marylyn Kuverji, Nisha Kelkar, Preeti Gupta, Smita Nambiar, Dakshata Talekar, Deepthi, Rashmi are the tutors and they are professionally trained in Indian classical and western dance forms. The classes are offered from ages 313+ and the students are divided into different levels.

They are starting enrollments for winter batches from December end and those interested can reach them or mail for further details.

Share and Care opens Sandy Relief Fund India Post News Service

PARAMUS, NJ: Share and Care Foundation (SCF) has announced the setting up of the Relief and Reconstruction Fund for Hurricane Sandy. For immediate relief activities, Share and Care Foundation has allocated $10,000 from its Disaster Relief Fund.

In a statement, the SCF said, "This has been a major storm with extensive damage to property and severe hardships to the inhabitants of New Jersey, New York City, Connecticut Shore and Long Island. Thousands of

people have been impacted.

"Share and Care is working with local organizations that are capable of delivering immediate assistance as well as conducting reconstruction work. Share and Care will also try and leverage our 'Relief Funds' by obtaining matching funds from State and Federal agencies.

As always you can be assured that your generous donations will be put to the best possible use.

Share and Care has also conducted relief activities here at home in USA during Katrina and 9/11 disaster," it said.

24 India Post

Community Across America

November 23, 2012

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South Asian Network celebrates 22nd anniversary India Post News Service

ARTESIA, CA: The South Asian Network (SAN) celebrated on November 4 at the beautiful Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, 22 years of working towards healthy and violence-free South Asian American community in Southern California.

Sonal Shah, a premed major in college who graduated to become Dr. Sunny Dey on the television show, "Scrubs" emceed the evening, which included a gourmet Indian buffet and dancing to Bollywood hits and remixes of Bollywood classics as well

SAN Board chair Sanjay Chughani

as hip-hop provided by Dhamaka DJ. The USC Trojan Bhangra Team performed for an audience of 300 guests.

"We were blessed with another gorgeous evening at the LA River Center," said Chair of the SAN Board of Directors Sanjay Chhugani. "Sonal Shah and the USC Bhangra Team provided fantastic entertainment for our guests. And what made the evening really meaningful was learning about SAN's work and how their dedicated staff served hundreds of members of our community every year."

Sponsors of the gala included Kaiser Permanente, Caldwell, the law firms of Leslie & Proctor, Alston + Bird, and Cabada and Hameed as well as Maazda Travel and SABA Public Interest Foundation. There were an additional forty community sponsors of the event, which include The Tri-Valley Medical Association, Tarsadia Foundation and Yahoo!

The event raised more than $50,000 for the organization. Proceeds from the fundraiser supported SAN's core programs: Voices Against Violence, which empowers survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, Community Health Action Initiative, which promotes healthy living from newborns to grandmothers and the Civil Rights Unit that organizes the community to reduce hate crimes, discrimination and racial profiling.

Manjusha Kulkarni, SAN's Executive Director, noted, "The staff and I could not do this important work without the support

SAN executive director with Gala attendies

The SSG Older Adults Program paved the of our Board of Directors, our Council of Advisors, numerous volunteers and our way for SAN to provide extensive mental very generous corporate and community health therapy as well as case management sponsors.

And, we are especially grateful for all of our individual donors.

Several individuals have told me that this year was financially difficult for them, but they still made significant contributions to SAN because our services are so vital to the SAN volunteers and staff community."

The gala honored Puneet V. Kakkar, Esq. of Caldwell for SAN clients. Guidance from SSG enLeslie & Proctor, PC and Special Service abled SAN staff to create an older adults Groups, Older Adults Programs for their sig- program within the organization that offers nificant contributions to the South Asian hundreds of hours of free services to South American community. As President of the Asian clients.

Established in 1990, SAN is the only nonSABA Public Interest Foundation, Mr. Kakkar helped to establish a citizenship profit in Southern California advancing the clinic program, which utilized the skills of health, safety and solidarity of the diverse South Asian attorneys. As a private attor- South Asian American community, includney, Mr. Kakkar provide legal assistance to ing person of Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepali, Pakistan and Sri Lankan origin.

SAN clients.

SAN dinner location

November 23, 2012

Community Across America

India Post 25

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Wells Fargo commits $35 mn for military families India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO: Wells Fargo & Company has announced that it is committing $35 million over the next three years as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting military service members and veterans. The commitment includes: • Real estate owned (REO) property donations and support valued at $30 million to qualifying nonprofits that serve military service members and veterans • Hiring and mentoring initiatives, • Customized financial education efforts, and • Funds for philanthropic donations and sponsorships.

In addition, November 14-30, Wells Fargo is providing its customers an opportunity to make donations through the company's more than 12,000 ATMs in support of military service members and veterans.

Donations can be made at Wells Fargo ATMs across the U.S. (with the exception of Kansas, Missouri and Washington, D.C., due to local restrictions) to the USO, National Military Family Association and Homes for our Troops.

Customers will not be charged any fees for using the service and 100 percent of the donations will go to the selected nonprofits.

Wells Fargo is also giving customers an opportunity to give to the American Red Cross Disaster Re-

lease Fund through its ATMs for relief efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

"With this $35 million commitment it is Wells Fargo's goal to have a role in our nation's efforts to support military service members, veterans and their families," said Jon Campbell, head of Wells

‘Our mission of helping our customers succeed financially holds especially true for the men and women who serve our country through the military. We are pleased to extend these efforts by also making it easy for customers to support military members by donating at our ATMs’ Fargo Community and Government Relations. "Our mission of helping our customers succeed financially holds especially true for the men and women who serve our country through the military. We are pleased to extend these efforts

by also making it easy for customers to support military members by donating at our ATMs." The $35 million financial commitment is consistent with the three areas of support that Wells Fargo announced in September as its primary focus for supporting military service members and veterans: helping active duty military service members and veterans achieve homeownership, helping veterans' transition to civilian careers and providing customized financial education.

Homeownership REO donations and support already have been an ongoing part of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage support of organizations such as Military Warriors Support Foundation and Operation Homefront.

Here's how the REO donation program works: Wells Fargo gives properties to the participating nonprofits. In turn, the nonprofits match the properties to veterans according to home requirements and needs. Wells Fargo is not involved with the selection of individual recipients.

All veteran applicants are vetted by the nonprofit organizations based on a number of criteria determined by the nonprofits.

Those interested in applying to receive an REO property should apply through the participating nonprofits at www.militarywarriors.org or www.operationhomefront.net.

SCE joins Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts India Post News Service

ROSEMEAD, CA: Southern California Edison (SCE), its customers and SCE's parent company, Edison International, are helping Superstorm Sandy victims with three powerful philanthropy initiatives with funds from shareholders, not SCE customers: • Customers can help raise money without spending a dime.

Through SCE's "Every Click Counts" campaign, the company will donate $1 for every new "like" on SCE's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SCE) and for each new follower on SCE's main Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/ SCE). The goal is to donate up to $20,000 to American Red Cross relief efforts.

• Edison International has set up a special program that will match donations from employees to the American Red Cross up to $25,000. This is a way to enhance

the $1.5 million commitment that Edison International made to the Red Cross in 2012.

• Five SCE employees trained by the Red Cross have flown to

‘We can't all do the hard work of climbing poles and stringing wires, but everyone can take a few moments to let the people on the East Coast know that we're thinking of them, and to help in a meaningful way’ New York. They will help to provide temporary shelter and meals to displaced families. Members of the team range in age from 35 to 55

and come from the communities of Cerritos, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Rosemead and Santa Clarita. Their professional backgrounds include information technology, environmental safety and communications.

SCE has also sent 126 line workers and support crews to New York and New Jersey to help repair Sandy's devastation that left millions of Consolidated Edison customers without power.

• We are proud of our employees' and customers' eagerness to help," said Janet Clayton, Edison International senior vice president, Corporate Communications, and chair of Edison International's Corporate Philanthropy Committee. "We can't all do the hard work of climbing poles and stringing wires, but everyone can take a few moments to let the people on the East Coast know that we're thinking of them, and to help in a meaningful way."

Dhinchak Diwali extravaganza in Bay Area Cont’d from page 23

Bay Area Saregama paid rich tributes to late filmmaker Yash Chopra. They sang unforgettable melodies from Yashji's work.

Dhinchak Diwali came to an end by organizers thanking the sponsors and community at large who have supported them through the second year and made it a grand success.

26

India Post

November 23, 2012

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India Post 27

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Gustakh Dil: English Vinglish 2 Aashiyan: Barfi!

3 Phir Le Aya Dil: Barfi!

4 Barfi!: Barfi!

5 Badla Nazara: English Vinglish 28

India Post

I

t isn't for nothing that the muchanticipated item song in Dabangg 2 is called 'Fevicol'.

Producer-director Arbaaz Khan has tied up with the multi-national company for a huge collaborative project before allowing Kareena to croon in favor of the well-known adhesive company.

Kareena started shooting the 'Fevicol' song on November 5 after her much-hyped wedding on October 18.

Farah Khan choreo-

graphs the number.

Says a source, "Salman wants Kareena's item song in Dabangg 2 to be bigger, brighter and bouncier than 'Munni Badnaam' in Dabangg. He selected the tune, and finalized Mamta Sharma to sing it. He also decided on bringing the adhesive company into the song.

The 'Munni Badnaam' song in Dabangg had gotten into a wrangle with the Zandu balm product for mentioning their product in the song.

Subsequently, producer Arbaaz Khan sat across the table with the balm makers and the two parties worked out a lucrative deal whereby Malika Arora who performed 'Munni Badnaam' endorsed the balm and also became its brand ambassador. A similar deal has been worked out with the Fevicol company for the item song in Dabangg 2."

The idea is to use the Dabangg franchise as a platform for an endorsementbased item song each time.

It was Zandu balm in Dabangg, it's Fevicol in Dabangg 2.

www.indiapost.com

November 23, 2012

R

umor is strongly doing the rounds that 'The Dirty Picture' actress Vidya Balan will tie the knot with boyfriend and UTV

head honcho Siddharth Roy Kapur in December. The couple has been dating for two years and since then the duo is going steady in their relationship. Siddharth took time to start a new innings with his ladylove as his divorce case has recently been settled.

According to a source Vidya and Siddharth's marriage was planned in February this year but due to some reasons it has been pushed back to December.

Siddharth has taken a break from work for four weeks in December and Vidya Balan will take a break from her shooting of Raj Kumar Gupta's film Ghanchakkar.

The couple has planned for Caribbean Islands honeymoon and after wedding they would move into the new plush sea facing Juhu house that

The couple has planned for Caribbean Islands honeymoon Siddhath has purchased in Vidya's name. Vidya herself has decorated the house.

A while ago the duo was spotted in public together and they even headed for vacations a number of times.

6 Radha: Student Of The Year 7 Navrai Majhi: English Vinglish 8 The Disco: Student Of The Year 9 Tujhpe Fida: Heroine 10 Saiyaan: Ishkq in Paris

November 23, 2012

Bollywood

India Post 29

www.indiapost.com

DANGEROUS

FILMMAKER

P

A

celebrity

orn star and Bollywood actress Sunny Leone has emerged as the most dangerous celebrity in cyberspace, ahead of Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor, as searching for her on the web is the most risky.

In a study conducted by McAfee, Leone topped the list with 9.95 per cent chances of luring people into clicking on malicious links.

Katrina, who was the most risky celeb in 2011, held the second spot this year with 8.25 percent. She was followed by Kareena Kapoor, with 6.67 per cent possibility of making users fall into a trap of malware laden websites.

P r i y a n k a Chopra and Bipasha Basu rounded off the top five with 6.5 per cent and 5.58 per cent respectively.

Others who featured in the list are Vidya Balan, Deepika P a d u k o n e , Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Poonam Pandey.

Salman Khan, at the eighth position, was the only male star in the top ten.

Pretty

nushka Sharma plays a documentary filmmaker with the channel in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

The story of the film will be seen through her eyes. Her character's name is Akira and in the film her goal is to work for the Discovery Channel.

She chances upon the opportunity, in the form of Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan), employed with a special unit of the forces. She goes on to convince the Discovery Channel team to produce a documentary on him - "The Man Who Cannot Die." Rahul Johri, senior vice president and general manager - South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, "We are honored to have associated with one of India's foremost film stalwarts - the late Yash Chopra."

Not only has Anushka played the role of documentary filmmaker she also shot at Discovery Channel's office.

O

ne thing the vivacious and bubbly Sonakshi Sinha just cannot resist is chaat bhelpuri and sev puri.

In fact whenever she craves for some tongue tingling and chatpata taste, she promptly calls upon the bhelwala standing just outside her palatial building.

A friend of the actress said, "It is only her bhelwala's chaat that satisfies her taste buds.

In fact the entire Sinha family enjoys the chaat and like to have it fresh and never get it parceled. Thus, the bhelwala steps inside the building with all his paraphernalia and serves the freshly made bhel then and there."

The Sinha gal has been a bhelpuri buff since childhood.

"Chaat has been her weakness since childhood. She even loves pani-puri too. Sonakshi loves to gorge on it whenever time permits.

Though fond of chaat, she particularly loves the chaat made specifically by her bhelwala," said the source.

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India Post

RITU MAHESHWARI India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Famous Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen was in

www.indiapost.com

November 23, 2012

lady of India, Sushmita Sen made history by adopting a baby girl named Renée in 2000 as single woman. Recently she adopted a three-month-old girl and named her Alisah.

‘I can do different things because I am not afraid of trying. Nothing different is accepted the first time around.

If you believe in something, go ahead and implement it.

You will be eventually accepted. You need to live your life. You can't live your whole life for others’ San Francisco recently where she helped to make the Home of Hope (HoH) fundraiser a grand success.

Sushmita was the first Indian girl crowned

Sushmita has been very involved in helping underprivileged children. She was in San Francisco to promote and hold fundraiser for Home of Hope organization.

as Miss Universe. She is famous for her bravery as she is always been active for getting rights for children especially girls. Often known as the most stylish and glamorous

Home of Hope (HoH) is committed to cause of underprivileged and destitute children.

It partners with projects in India and the US that nurture orphaned children, so they

Sushmita Sen with HOH president Nilima Sabharwal and Ritu Maheshwari at press conference

may grow to be well balanced, self sustaining members of society.

Sushmita appealed for donations to HoH for its cause. HoH was started by Dr. Nilima Sabharwal in 1999 and is run completely with volunteer help and provides 100% of funds raised for the cause of children.

Over 145 donors attended the dinner and following Sushmita's appeal, raised over $50,000 for the HoH projects. The tremendous donor support resulted in almost double the fundraising target.

Sushmita answered a few questions at the event: Along with your beauty, you are also known for your unique accomplishments such as adopting children as single mom.

What drives you?

Fear cannot coexist with courage. You can't live with fear all your life. I can do different things because I am not afraid of trying. Nothing different is accepted the first time around. If you believe in something, go ahead and implement it. You will be eventually accepted. You need to live your life. You can't live your whole life for others.

Besides winning Miss Universe title, what was the 'Wow' moment of your life?

Arrival of my daughters in my life was most joyous moment of my life. When I adopted my first daughter, I was most ecstatic.

What suggestion would you give to women who want to achieve something on their own?

Cont’d on page 31

November 23, 2012

India Post

31

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Veera explores brother-sister bond India Post News Service

NEW YORK: After successfully exploring multifaceted relationships through various shows, Star Plus has embarked on a journey to narrate a heart-warming story about a brother-sister bond in a new show titled 'Veera'.

StarPlus, India's No. 1 general entertainment channel, launched 'Veera' on Monday, October 29 and the show is on-air Monday to Friday at 10.30 pm.

'Veera' challenges the formulaic TV programming by thoughtfully showcasing a brother-sister bond that is rarely highlighted and isn't frequently talked about.

Ranvijay and Veera's story is set to provide a ray of hope to all its viewers who often find themselves tangled in their complex daily life which is replete with strained relationships, rocky marriages, troubled family ties, routine pressures and hollow and materialistic existence.

'Veera' will fill an important void that is created by existential battles to survive extremely busy and stressful lives. The show will sensitively reinstate our faith in family ties that now suffer from monotonous and hectic lifestyles.

And who better to draw viewers into this show and be part of a glamorous launch in Mumbai than the popular brother and sister duo of Bollywood, Farah and Sajid

Popular duo Sajid & Farah with lead players of ‘Veera’

Khan. Their story shares a close resemblance to that of the show's lead characters Ranvijay and Veera.

It is not well known that Farah and Sajid had to start fending for themselves from a very young age.

They could survive only with the constant support of one another during their turbulent childhood It is not well known that Farah and Sajid had to start fending for themselves from a very young age.

Bursting crackers is unfair to pets: Anushka

Actors Bhavesh Balchandani and Harshita Ojha

They could survive only with the constant support of one another during their turbulent childhood years. The Khan duo consider their love and support for each other an extremely vital element that helped them reach the pinnacle of success.

Actors Bhavesh Balchandani and Harshita Ojha play the roles of Ranvijay and Veera. Snehaagh, Sudhanshu Pandey and Yajuvendra Singh are also part of the cast. 'Veera' has been produced by Beyond Dreams Pvt. Ltd. and has been directed by Waseem Sabeer.

The title sponsors for the show are PremJyotish - For Peace, prosperity & Happiness.

Beauty with brain & a heart of gold Cont’d from page 30

You can accomplish anything you want to. It doesn't matter how old you are. Age is just a number. I don't feel a day older than 16. No age is too old to try things you believe in. Start with small steps and you will find that people will support a just cause. Soon enough you will find your way and success.

What motivates you to help charities?

We all live in a society that is connected. Interacting with people and desire to make our society a better place to live motivates me to help organizations with charitable causes.

A

Sushmita Sen in San Francisco Bay Area

nushka Sharma, whose film 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' directed by Yash Chopra released on Diwali day, has some memorable Diwali moments. She says, "My best memory of Diwali is the food that used to be made in my house on Diwali, as my mother used to go all out to make the best food one could think off. After burning the fire crackers we would come back home to a good meal, it was the best way to end Diwali."

The actress now endorses environmental-friendly Diwali and

says, "I have stopped bursting crackers around six to seven years ago as I think it is not good for the environment. Also the day I saw how my friend's dog was petrified due to the firecrackers, I just stopped bursting crackers for good as I felt it's really unfair to the pets".

"I hope we can practice the festival in a safe manner and not create nuisance for other people, have respect for your neighbors and enjoy the festival in the right spirit", she signs off on a positive note.

32

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November 23, 2012 www.indiapost.com

Indian cinema: Poetic justice in three hours KOLKATA: Eminent poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan had once explained the general fascination for Indian cinema to his actor son Amitabh Bachchan by pointing out that the experience of watching a film assures the viewer of poetic justice in three hours while it may take three generations to achieve it in real life.

"I once asked my father, the eminent poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, what is it about Indian cinema that is so fascinating. He said, 'When you watch an Indian film, you are assured of poetic justice in three hours. For many of us it will take three generations or three lives to attain poetic justice.'

I thought that was a very apt and worthy description of what cinema means to all of us," said Mr. Bachchan at the inauguration of the 18 edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival here.

The ceremony, marked by the presence of several Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma and Mithun Chakraborty.

Describing himself as an actor who can "safely be identified as one associated with the more popular, escapist cinema of our

social and political history and often been the voice of the poor and downtrodden."

The function started off with a short concert conducted by Debajyoti Mishra.

The inaugural ceremony was

Amitabh Bachchan inaugurating the 18th Kolkata International Film Festival. The others (from left) are: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, actors Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma and Mithun Chakraborty

country," Mr. Bachchan pointed out that in recent years India's presence in international cinema has been because of super stars.

"The kind of cinema we are associated with has often borne the brunt of sharp criticism, sarcasm and a very great deal of cynicism.

The cynicism and criticism was about the content and the quality

of our films. But through time, despite all the negativity, we have not changed our content, and happily so. Because for that very content, we have come close to an international community that has now begun to recognize us in great numbers," he said.

His superstardom aside, it was the opening of Mr. Bachchan's

Priyanka Chopra first Indian celebrity on X Factor MUMBAI: Following the success of her debut International single 'In My City' Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has become the first Indian celebrity to appear on American reality show-

'X Factor'.

The actor, who travels regularly to Los Angles to promote her single and new video, that has sold 1,00,000 copies, was sent a special invite to appear on the

show, report said. Her single featuring Will.I.am was released on 13 September and a full fledged album is expected to follow early next year.

When Priyanka shot for the top-rated reality show on 8 November, the audience too didn't

When Priyanka shot for the top-rated reality show on 8 November, the audience too didn't take too long to recognize her. "The song seems to have got her a lot of mainstream popularity," a source said take too long to recognize her.

"The song seems to have got her a lot of mainstream popularity," a source said.

Apparently the actor also bonded with the franchise creator and celebrity judge Simon Cowell on the show.

speech, when he identified himself as "apnar jamai babu (your son-inlaw)," that captured the attention and endeared him to the audience.

Detailing the story of 100 years of Indian cinema with emphasis on the cinema of Kolkata, he said: "It has through the years reflected on India's fluctuating cultural mores, been a mirror to its

"It has through the years reflected on India's fluctuating cultural mores, been a mirror to its social and political history and often been the voice of the poor and downtrodden." followed by a dance recital of a troupe of inmates from correctional homes in West Bengal. The inaugural film was the critically acclaimed A Separation directed

by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi.

The week-long festival will screen over 180 films from 60 countries.

Shah Rukh Khan plans to launch his autobiography Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's much-awaited autobiography is almost complete and he is currently working on an unfinished chapter on Kolkata.

"I keep writing. The chapter that I haven't written yet is on Kolkata. While working very hard on Jab Tak Hai Jaan, I got no time, but I will start writing," Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of the state, told reporters in Kolkata.

"I don't want anything to be left out of which I have lovely memories," he added.

The autobiography is reportedly named Twenty Years in a Decade and begins from his childhood and takes readers through a phenomenal journey of how he started his acting career in 1988 as a television actor in Fauji and Circus before debuting on the silver screen in Deewana.

The 47-year-old actor, who also owns the IPL franchisee team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), considers the city of joy as his second home and also endorses a number of city-based companies.

Praising the intellect and love for art, culture, literature and cinema of the state, Khan said some of the greatest Indian films come from Bengal.

When asked about his chances of acting in a Bengali film he said he would be honored to work with Bengali directors but since he does not speak the language it would be difficult for him.

Khan inaugurated the 18th Kolkata International Film Festival along with Amitabh Bachchan, Anoushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. -PTI

Tech News Decision on GAAR and retro tax soon, says PM MUMBAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has declared that government will soon announce steps to stave off investors' fears ensuing from measures like anti-tax avoidance rule and retrospective amendments and hinted at a fast track mechanism to speed up clearance of infrastructure projects.

Terming the recent decisions to reduce fuel subsidies to bring down fiscal deficit as "politically difficult" ones, he said "we bit the bullet and did what we felt was the right thing to do".-PTI

Sharma asks BJP to embrace FDI in retail AHMEDABAD, Gujarat: Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma has appealed to BJP to stop protesting against FDI in retail saying the policy will not only generate more job opportunities but also protect the interest of small traders.

"FDI will bring in more employment...I ask Modi and BJP why are they protesting against it," he said at a party rally at Gandhinagar ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections next month.

Dispelling the perception that FDI spells doom for small traders, he said, "When McDonald and Pizza Hut came then also they (opposition) protested saying business would go... but they also flourished...Nathu sweets, Bikaner shops have flourished and expanded." -PTI

Govt plans to make CAG multimember body NEW DELHI: Battered by various CAG reports on alleged scams, government says it is "actively" considering a proposal to make the official auditor a multimember body.

Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy says Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has become "more impatient" and he wants that all constitutional bodies to work within their parameters.

"It (making CAG a multi-member body) is under active consideration. The government is actively considering it," he told PTI in an interview.

Cont’d on page 37

TechBiz 33 India Post

www.indiapost.com

November 23, 2012

Harvard Business School Prof. Robert S Kaplan (3 L) receiving the Global Management Guru Award instituted by BIMTECH, in New Delhi on November 10. Planning Commission Member Arun Maira (2L) and BIMTECH Director H Chaturvedi (2R) are also seen

Indian-led company perfects spy drone that can fit in your hand India Post News Service

T

echJect, a Georgia company headed by Indian American Dr Jayant Ratti, has developed a spy drone small enough to fit in your hand and which looks and flies like an insect.

Called TechJect Dragonfly, it's a lightweight robot that collects and relays data while flying like a bird or hovering like an insect.

The smallest and the most sophisticated flying drone has unique flight characteristics which are native to the insects thus giving it superior flight performance compared to conventional flying systems like helicopters, airplanes and quadrotors.

TechJect is the developer of the world's newest and smallest flying drones for gaming, research and personal photography/ videography use. TechJect Dragonflies are indistinguishable from an insect in the environment. It is a level of camouflage that while guarding your house or keeping a watch on your kids/family, it literally goes unnoticed. With more color options, one can customize it to any environment.

TechJect founder Dr Jayant Ratti says, "Our prototypes have gone through multiple design cycles. We'll be offering a number of Apps that the users can download from Google Play and App stores to perform pre-defined operations like: Indoor mapping, automated patrolling and more. If you're an entrepreneur, you can

literally kickstart your own NextGen application market using our Software Development Kit (SDK).

‘We'll be offering a number of Apps that the users can download from Google Play and App stores to perform pre-defined operations like: Indoor mapping, automated patrolling’

If you are a researcher or a hobbist, skip to the next most versatile and compact platform to do your re-

Dr. Jayant Ratti, PhD - Founder, TechJect

Experts laud Techject Dragonfly "This is something coming out of Georgia tech; and has the intellect of Georgia Tech! We're proud of the Dragonfly Team!"

Dr Tucker Blach, PhD; Associate Professor @ Georgia Tech; Co-Founder and CTO @ Lucena Research: F-15 Pilot - US Air Force "The Dragonfly is Awesome! It's tremendous! It's completely unique in the world of UAVs and you've never seen anything like it! It's going to be a lot of fun to fly" Jonathan Goldman, CTO and VP Engineering HydroPhi Inc., Co-Founder MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta, Former Associate Director VentureLab @ Georgia Tech, Co-Founder Platform Technology Ventures.

"This product's capabilities are definitely in place for security and monitoring. It will have unlimited possibilities and uses" Johnny Odom, Naval Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.), Submarines, US Navy for 22 years in nuclear power program "It's so life-Like! Resembles a natural insect! Tremendous applications for military and Home-Security. It will save lives!"

First Sgt. Maurice Blake (Ret.) US Army - 20 years "It's unbelievable how small this is! It's invisible for all practical purposes in the field" Sgt. First Class Linwood Brinson (Ret.) US Army - 20 years

search. Create your own remarkable Apps on the coolest robot on the market."

He says,TechJect's expertise has been acquired through years of research and development into micro flight solutions for various reconnaissance objectives.

The company is a spin-off from Georgia Tech's Robotics & Intelligent Machines (RIM) Department where Dr Jayant Ratti and Emanuel Jones, Co-Founder have worked together designing and improving flight mechanics, controls and avionics towards creating the smallest and the most sophisticated flying drone.

It is the culmination of four years of research and development at Georgia Tech, assisted by US$1 million in funding from the U.S. Air Force. The RIM was created to bring the Dragonfly and other robotic flyers to market. To that end, the TechJect team has turned to crowdfunding site indiegogo to help get the Dragonfly off the ground.

According to Gizmag.com, Dragonfly measures 15 cm (6 in).

It weighs around 25 g (0.88 oz) and is powered by a 250 mAh lithium polymer battery that provides hover times of 8-10 minutes and a hybrid (hover/flight) time of 25 to 30 minutes.

Cont’d on page 36

34

TechBiz Post

India Post

November 23, 2012

www.indiapost.com

Citi to pay $ 6.6 mn to former CEO Vikram Pandit NEW YORK: Citigroup will pay its former India-born Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit, who had unexpectedly resigned from his position last month, USD 6.6 million in incentive awards for 2012.

The financial giant will also pay

Chairman of Citi's board of directors Michael O'Neill said Pandit and Havens have made "significant contributions to Citi during their five years of service.

"Vikram steered Citi through the financial crisis, realigned its strat-

Pandit and Havens would not be entitled to any severance payments or special benefits or perquisites as a result of their departures from Citigroup under any employment or separation pay agreement or plan, the company said. In a surprise move last month, Pandit had quit from the post even after steering the crisis-hit banking giant into profitability its former President and Chief Operating Officer John Havens USD 6.79 million, it said in a regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

egy, bolstered its risk management processes and returned it to profitability. John's focus on our institutional businesses increased our capabilities and helped steer our

clients through volatile times.

"Based on the progress this year through the date of separation, the board determined that an incentive award for their work in 2012 was appropriate and equitable," O'Neill said.

While Citi will also honor all past awards that they are legally entitled to, there are no severance payments, he said, adding "awards to which they are not legally entitled have been forfeited".

The board has granted Pandit USD 6.65 million as incentive awards for his "significant" contributions to Citigroup during 2012, the filing said.

Pandit and Havens would not be entitled to any severance payments or special benefits or perquisites as a result of their departures from Citigroup under any employment or separation pay agreement or plan, the company said.

Vikram Pandit

In a surprise move last month, Pandit had quit from the post even after steering the crisis-hit banking giant into profitability.

Media reports at the time had said that Pandit's exit came in the wake of differences with the board.

-PTI

We have dispelled atmosphere of gloom and doom: PM MUMBAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the government has dispelled the atmosphere of 'gloom and doom' and will soon announce steps to stave off investors' fears ensuing from taxations measures like anti-tax avoidance rule and retrospective tax amendments.

"We have dispelled gloom and doom, improved the climate for foreign investment, improved ministry coordination, and are working hard to restore investor confidence and the growth environment," he told captains of India Inc at the Economic Times Award function here.

Admitting that certain tax measures like GAAR (general anti avoidance rules) and retrospective tax amendments in the Budget have led to "a very negative" reaction from investors, he said: "We hope to announce decisions on all these issues within the next few weeks."

Pointing out that the Cabinet has approved changes in the banking and insurance laws and also a new pension law, with higher FDI limits, the Prime Minister said: "It will be our endeavor to have them passed by Parliament as soon as possible. They will make our financial system more able to support growth."

As regards the growth prospects for the current financial year, Singh said the Indian economy has been affected by the global slowdown and this has dampened the investor sentiment.

"Growth decelerated to 6.5 per cent last year and may be only around 6 per cent in the current

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing at the Economic Times Awards presentation ceremony, in Mumbai on November 10. Governor of Maharashtra, K. Sankaranarayanan, the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Textiles, Anand Sharma and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan are also seen

year. This has dampened investor sentiment. Doubts are being raised in some quarters about the India growth story going astray..."

"But we can, and we must, correct our own weaknesses, and create new opportunities for economic growth and employment at home. This is the challenge before us," he added.

Referring to the recent government action to raise price of petroleum products and capping supply of subsidized cooking gas cylinders, Singh said the government is conscious of their effects on poor people.

"We will take all possible mea-

sures to protect their life line needs," he said.

Referring to recent reform mea-

Talking about the recent liberalization of FDI policy in retail, aviation, insurance, power exchanges and broadcasting, Singh said that "some people still try to make FDI into a bogey�

sures announced by the government, the Prime Minister said some of those were considered by many of critics as politically impossible.

"We bit the bullet and did what we felt was the right thing to do.

Undoubtedly, more needs to be done," Singh said.

He further said one of the major negative features of the present situation is that a large number of infrastructure projects are stuck because of the delay in granting various clearances and the non-transparency in determining the conditions under which clearances can be given.

"We are looking at ways to

speed up clearance processes and making them more transparent," he said.

Ramping up of investment in infrastructure, Singh said, is critical for reviving the growth momentum.

The 12th Plan (2012-17) envisages an investment of about USD 1 trillion, and the government expects half of it to come from the private sector.

"Investment in infrastructure has to be in the vanguard of public investment for many years to come and we are working in that direction...We have set ambitious targets for the infrastructure sector and ministries are being monitored regularly to see that they perform as expected," Singh said.

He also told the India Inc that government is ramping up coal production and promoting pooling of imported coal to deal with the fuel supply problem of the power sector.

Talking about the recent liberalization of FDI policy in retail, aviation, insurance, power exchanges and broadcasting, Singh said that "some people still try to make FDI into a bogey even invoking fears of the East India Company".

In democratic politics, he said, any action of the government should be open for scrutiny and criticism.

"But our experience should teach us not to be fooled by naysayers and Cassandras of doom. Indian industry has responded to the opening of the economy in ways which were not easily foreseen," Singh said. -PTI

TechBiz Post

November 23, 2012

India Post

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Lufthansa offers India trip tickets in raffle India Post News Service

L

ufthansa has consistently demonstrated its strong commitment to the South Asian community with its special offers, promotions and over 5 decades of award-winning service to India.

After multiple successful campaigns capturing the hearts of South Asians, Lufthansa has just launched its Fall 2012 India promotion. Festive get-togethers are just not complete without the flavorful and aromatic Indian Chai!

With this sentiment and as a tribute to this widely consumed and most enjoyed beverage, a dedicated micro site has been created - a platform to bring together family and friends for a fun engagement during the holiday season.

Indians all across the US are invited to enjoy the virtual "Chai Lounge" experience at LH.com/ ChaiLounge. Immersed in the rich and diverse tradition of bonding over the favorite beverage of Indians all around the world - Chai Time is seamlessly connected with Play Time and Celebration Time.

As members of the Indian community rejoice with family and friends, Lufthansa brings them the opportunity to enhance their celebratory experience and win big this holiday season.

Participants who register at LH.com/ ChaiLounge are automatically entered into the drawing for the Grand Prize: two round-trip Lufthansa Economy Class tickets to India.

Keeping the "spirit of giving" alive during Diwali, a special prize will be raffled on the day of the celebration of the "festival of lights"

Participants who register at LH.com/ChaiLounge are automatically entered into the drawing for the Grand Prize: two round-trip Lufthansa Economy Class tickets to India. Keeping the "spirit of giving" alive during Diwali, a special prize will be raffled on the day of the celebration of the "festival of lights". One lucky participant will win exclusive Lufthansa luggage

and branded travel merchandise.

Lufthansa's virtual Chai Lounge is packed with more fun elements to bring family and friends together. An exciting Daily Trivia game with questions related to Sports, Entertainment, Travel, Food and of course Chai, challenges visitors to the site to test their knowledge and be rewarded with a chance win an Apple速 iPad速 every week.

The interactive ChaiLounge micro site also offers additional engaging opportunities: a fun Chai Personality Quiz, Chai Fun Facts, and a chance to explore the Chai culture in the current Lufthansa-India destinations.

If you are planning a trip back home, avail the opportunity to book right from the comfort of the virtual Lufthansa Chai Lounge!

Promotion ends November 25.

Lufthansa offers convenient connections to key destinations in India: Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Whether visiting friends and family, undertaking a business trip or just exploring the diversity of India, take advantage of great Lufthansa-India special offers. Enjoy a special experience on your next Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Delhi and Bangalore: exclusive comfort on the "Queen of the Skies", the new Boeing 747-8.

Tharoor asks CII to set up centers of excellence India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: Dr Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, gave a clarion call to industry to participate in the higher education in the country to create centers of excellence as is the case with developed countries. Universities like Harvard, MIT, Silicon Valley etc. have been set up by the enlightened business houses. In India also many premier institutions like Indian Institute of Science, BITS Pillani, and Xavier Institute of Labor Management etc. were set up by the corporate houses.

However, during the postindependence period such initiatives were very few. During the post-independence days, there was less focus on research and innovation. Since 1991, he mentioned that there have been positive changes and greater partnership between industry and academia on the one hand and industry and the government on the other hand to create a conducive eco system for promotion of R&D and innova-

tion.

In this regard, he welcomed the efforts made by the Infosys for setting up centers of excellence for training their employees. He exhorted corporations to go beyond their employees and target talented students other than their

Shashi Tharoor

immediate beneficiaries.

While giving away the AICTECII Awards for recognizing excellence in industry-engineering colleges linkages at AICTE-CII University-Industry Congress 2012 in New Delhi, Dr Tharoor underscored that all legislative measures

that have been initiated by the predecessors in the ministry would be carried forward. In this regard, he said that the higher education bill, which has been referred to the select committee after its introduction in the Parliament, would be considered for passage in the

prove their linkages with industry to show them the path to do so.

Dr Tharoor said that the reforms in the education sector would continue and proactive steps would be taken to promote greater industryacademia interface, particularly in the field of higher education.

Calling for transformation in the eco system governing Stressing the need for the education sector in India, Dr Tharoor greater innovations to that demopropelling India to the observed graphic dividend could be achieved next trajectory of only by spreading growth, the Minister higher education and enhancing the emsaid that incubation ployability of the milcenters should be set lions of young up with support people joining the workforce." The 540 of the industry million people, who are below 35 years of coming session. age is a national asset and it is The survey, developed by CII important to give them a producand AICTE, is an instrument to tive platform to harness their talgauge 'institutes' linkages with in- ents and productivity," he added. dustry to map the benefits that Stressing the need for greater such linkages accrue. The area of innovations to propelling India to the survey is to identify the areas the next trajectory of growth, the where institutions need to im- Minister said that incubation cen-

ters should be set up with support of the industry to permeate the culture of innovation not necessarily in the science streams but also in disciplines like art, culture, social sciences etc.

He mentioned that the government is setting up five design and innovation centers, which would be scaled up to 20 in number in different parts of the country. This, he said, would propel the R&D with focus on private-public partnership. The Delhi University will be implementing one such centre of excellence.

Earlier welcoming the Minister and delegates, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII flag marked the recent initiatives of CII in partnership with AICTE and the government to value add to the higher education in the country.

He particularly referred to the maiden survey made by AICTE and CII to gauge the industry and engineering colleges linkages and also the prime Minister's Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral research jointly promoted by Sceince & Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and CII.

36

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November 23, 2012

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Govt claims action being taken on black money NEW DELHI: A day after Indian activist Arvind Kejriwal accused it of inaction over black money allegedly stashed away in HSBC Bank in Geneva, the government stated that investigations are in progress with tax authorities to obtain more information regarding the reported account holders.

Without naming either the bank or the account holders involved, the Indian government came out with a statement saying that appropriate action has been taken on these cases based on information received last year from the French government Without naming either the bank or the account holders involved, the Indian government came out with a statement saying that appropriate action has been taken on these cases based on information received last year from the French government.

"And further including assess-

ment, tax collection and levy of penalty will be taken as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and based on the facts of the each case", said a statement issued on behalf of the Department of Revenue of the Finance Ministry.

The statement comes in the wake of allegations leveled by In-

having parked their money to the tune of Rs 6000 crore in the bank.

The official statement merely said that information was received in June last year by the government from its counterpart in France relating to certain bank accounts reportedly held by certain individuals and non-individuals in a

Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan

dia Against Corruption (IAC) activist Kejriwal and lawyer Prashant Bhushan that government has taken no action on the information provided purportedly on 700 account holders in HSBC Geneva by the French government.

They had also named top industrialists and a politician as

foreign bank.

Reference to this matter was made by the then Finance Minister during the course of the debate on adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on December 14. Subsequently, answers to question on this matter were furnished in the Rajya Sabha on August 23 this year. -PTI

Indian-led company perfects spy drone that can fit in your hand

Govt likely to probe allegations against HSBC NEW DELHI: Government is likely to conduct a through inquiry into allegations that multinational HSBC Bank was involved in money laundering which may help terror groups operating in India.

The probe is likely to be conducted by sleuths of various intelligence wings of Home and Finance Ministries as the allegations, if proved true, would have serious security implications, highly placed sources said.

However, the sources said, it has nothing to do with activist Arvind Kejriwal's allegations of money laundering against HSBC Bank. The multinational bank had, however, denied the charges and said it takes compliance with the law very seriously.

The probe agencies will look into reports that funds were being routed from Pakistan and a few Gulf countries to terror groups operating in India using banking networks.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Sushi Kumar Shinde said the government has information that the terror groups operating in India and outside India were investing money in stock markets through various methods.

"We have information that they have been putting in money in stock exchanges and stock markets. We have received information in international fora.

We are keeping a track of them.

They are investing in stock exchanges in India and some neighboring countries," he told

are investing in stock markets through spurious companies, setting up fictitious businesses and laundering money," he said.

Sources said the information came following arrest of a few

couriers who had confessed that money was being sent from Gulf countries through Western Union money transfer.

In September, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India had said 35 stock brokers have been probed by it for possible lapses in controls related to money laundering and terror financing.

The inspections by SEBI followed actions taken by stock exchanges and depositories against more than 300 market entities for violations and discrepancies related to AntiMoney Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML and CFT) regulations in the 2011-12 fiscal.

Last year, government had told Parliament that it has received information about 10 suspected instances of terrorist financing using the stock exchanges between 2009-11.

Shinde had said stock markets have emerged as a new mode for terrorists to route their money into the country's economy and leverage it to carry out their nefarious designs. Credible intelligence suggests that terrorist outfits are investing in stock markets through spurious companies Cont’d from page 33

Designed with a focus on modular customization, the Dragonfly carries up to 20 onboard sensors to suit a variety of applications, from aerial photography, gaming, research and development, civilian security and military reconnaissance. The modular approach results in the availability of various flight control packages.

There are four models available: the Alpha model, Delta model,

Gamma model and the Omega model. All models are offered in blue, green, yellow, orange, red, black, white and silver color options and come with a fully customizable software development kit (SDK) for the creation of custom applications. However, TechJect will offer a number of free apps for iOS and Android devices and PCs. There will also be an online forum where users can share their custom apps and get development help from the

TechJect team.

The Dragonfly's modular construction also allows the future upgrade of various components, such as the wings, actuators, and onboard electronics. These will be available through the TechJect website.

TechJect is looking to raise $110,000 via indigogo by the time the calendar ticks over to 2013. If it achieves its goal, TechJect aims to be delivering Dragonflies to pledge-makers from July, 2013.

a press conference.

Earlier, addressing the Interpol General Assembly in Rome, Shinde had said stock markets have emerged as a new mode for terrorists to route their money into the country's economy and leverage it to carry out their nefarious designs.

"It is a clichĂŠ to say that terror-funding is the lifeblood of terrorism. Credible intelligence suggests that terrorist outfits

The Financial Intelligence Unit had received five suspicious transaction reports (STRs) during the 2009-10, four during 2010-11 and one case till November 2011.

The STRs, suspected to be linked to terrorist financing, have been received from intermediaries of stock market such as stock brokers, asset management companies, etc, and disseminated to intelligence agencies by the FIU. -PTI

TechBiz Post

November 23, 2012

India Post

37

www.indiapost.com

Rs 5 cr demand notice on Ramdev trusts for 'tax evasion' NEW DELHI: The Government has slapped a notice of Rs five crore demand on trusts run by Yoga-guru Ramdev in connection with alleged service tax evasion while organizing their yoga camps.

Claiming that shivirs (camps) undertaken by Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Divya Yoga Trust in Haridwar were commercial activity, the Revenue department has raised a demand of Rs 5.14 crore payable on fees collected from individuals for learning Yoga, officials said.

"The Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence has sent notices for alleged service tax evasion to the tune of Rs 5.14 crore late last month. The demands have been raised for its assessment for period between 2007-08 and 201112," a Finance Ministry official said.

empted from service tax net as they are doing charitable activities for medical relief.

"Trusts' activities are barred from service tax as it is for the purpose for providing medical relief

When contacted, Ramdev's spokesperson S K Tijarawala said the trusts and its activities like conducting yoga shivirs are ex-

substantial documentary evidence that the trusts were avoiding service tax by conducting semi and fully residential yoga camps

and calling them charitable in nature and thus claiming exemption.

"The trusts were taking donations from participants of yoga shivirs. They were also conducting a residential yoga camps

Claiming that shivirs (camps) undertaken by Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Divya Yoga Trust in Haridwar were commercial activity, the Revenue department has raised a demand of Rs 5.14 crore payable on fees collected from individuals for learning Yoga to poor. We do not have any thing to hide," he contended.

According to the Finance Ministry official, the notices were issued late last month after it found

through Swami Shankardev Vanprastha Asharam scheme," the official said.

The notices, issued to the trusts, also mentioned that the Finance Ministry is in the process of canceling the Income Tax exemption status given to Ramdev trusts.

Thousands of people participate in the yoga camps conducted across the country by Swami Ramdev and trusts managed by him.

Ramdev, who is leading a campaign against black money in the country, also manages trusts which manufactures and sells ayurvedic medicines in India and abroad.

The yoga guru has declared capital of Rs 426.19 crore involving four trusts run by him - Divya Yoga Mandir trust (Rs 249.63 crore), Patanjali Yoga Peeth trust (Rs 164.80 crore), Bharat Swabhiman trust (Rs 9.97 crore) and Acharyakul Shiksha Sansthan (Rs 1.79 crore). -PTI

Mamata appeals to industrialists to invest in W. Bengal KOLKATA: Pointing to the fund crunch facing West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked industrialists to invest in the state without giving any credence to 'wrong publicity' in the media.

"Invest in West Bengal as the industrial scenario is good in our state. Do not give credence to wrong publicity against our government," Banerjee said at a 'Bijoya Sammilani' in her first interaction with city industrialists after the exit of Haldia Bulk Terminal from Haldia port.

Stating that she was against forcible land acquisition and favored peaceful co-existence of in-

dustry and agriculture, Banerjee said "for the industry, we have land. We have a land bank and a power bank. We have set up egovernance.

Agro-based industries could be set up on 500 acre.

"We have land at Sankrail, Haldia. At Goaltore, we have 1,000 acres where 500 acres can be earmarked for manufacturing industries," she said, adding a cabinet committee on infrastructure has been set up.

Listing investment proposals cleared by the government, she said "many proposals have been cleared. Jindal's land proposals

have been cleared as also many others."

Urging industrialists to submit their proposals to the government, Banerjee said "you can come up with proposals for joint venture, PPP model."

She drew attention to the possibility of promoting tourism, cultural tourism, and tea tourism in the state. "Tourism can be promoted further in the Sunderbans, Digha and Sagar Islands.

She announced an eco-tourism park on 400 acre at Rajarhat in North 24 Parganas district would be inaugurated on December 28.PTI

Govt plans to make CAG multi-member body Cont’d from page 23

Narayanasamy was replying to a question about a suggestion by former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu that the post of CAG be made a multi-member body.

Shunglu suggested that "a three-member body would obtain greater transparency in its operation. One member should possess professional accounting qualifications, Chartered Accountant or its equivalent.

"This should not seem to exclude an Indian Audits and Accounts Service officer from the triumvirate, who has wide exposure to finance, audit and accounts and best international practices in these areas," Shunglu had said

in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Apparently referring to comments made by incumbent CAG Vinod Rai on various occasions, he said, "It is unfortunate (that) the constitutional body in this country is commenting on the government taking some decisions.

"Of late I have found, CAG is making remarks which are unwarranted. According to me, it is unwarranted and unnecessary. I think, nowadays he (Rai) has become more impatient. That is what I feel from my side.

"By saying this I am not criticizing. I am telling that everybody in the government has to function within the parameters given to them," Narayanasamy said. -PTI

38

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ovalam offers an excellent diversity with Kovalam beach to suit all desires and occa-sions. Three curve shaped beaches, alienated by stony outcroppings, form the major attraction of this coastal resort.

Located six kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, Kovalam beach spread widely over four kilometers.

Backed by precipitously mounting headlands and covered by fertile coconut palms, the beaches are beautiful, espe-

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November 23, 2012

cially the southern most part of lighthouse beach. It is sky on every new sunset. It attracts photographers also lined with a host of shops and shacks offering all from around the world to capture the beauty of sun kinds of services; creating an unmistakable resort at- and sky. mosphere. Curio shops, hawkers of Kashmiri and TiThree parts betan products, moneychangers and Kovalam beach is well known for its beachwear shops, between the surplus of restaurants and hotels, do brisk business beautiful sunset. Each and every day during peak tourist season. there will be something new to tell about The sea port of Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties of the sunset in Kovalam due to its beauty. fish, old Hindu temples, big churches and a The variation of colors such as red, mosque. The proposed international transorange and yellow in the sun and sky shipment terminal at Vizhinjam is also close to Kovalam. draw new masterpiece art works in Kovalam is finding a new connotation the sky on every new sunset in the light of several Ayurvedic salons and healing and renaissance resorts which supply a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments for Kovalam beach is divided into three main parts tourists. known as the southern most or the Lighthouse, the Kovalam beach is well known for its beautiful sun- Hawah and the northern most, Samudra beach. The set. Each and every day there will be something new to most popular part of the beach is the Lighthouse Beach tell about the sunset in Kovalam due to its beauty. The where an ancient lighthouse is situated and it belongs variation of colors such as red, orange and yellow in to the British era. You can have a spectacular view of the sun and sky draw new masterpiece art works in the the Vizhinzam mosque from here even though photography is prohibited without permission.

Hawah is situated in the middle part of the beach. It is also a base for the local fishermen.

The northern most part or Samudra beach is a freaky beach relatively and dotted with elementary wooden fishing vessels. Eve's beach of Kovalam is a semi-circular beach and renowned for its peaceful environment.

Kovalam beach is ideal for sunbathing, swimming, herbal body massages, fire rings, bonfire and cultural events. A large variety of continental seafood dishes are available on the beach side restaurants and hotels.

Cont’d on page 41

November 23, 2012

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

41

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Kovalam: Idyllic destination in God's own country Cont’d from page 40

Visiting the handicrafts, jewellery and cloth shops near the waterfront will also be a great enjoyment and you have the opportunity to buy things, if you like. There are facilities for backwater cruise to the beautiful countryside enjoying its lush greenery.

Kovalam beach is well known not only for its beauty, but also for the entertainment programs and sports conducted on the beach. One of the popular entertainments in Kovalam Beach is to enjoy beach bonfire with your friends or relatives. The beach fire rings and bonfires are usually enjoyed and promoted by local and foreign tourists.

You can smell the woods burning and hear the shouts of joy from different parts of the Kovalam beach in the evening. All have rings offered for free use on a first come first serve basis. The camp-like tradition lives on from generation to generation in this time honored celebration that brings families, friends and business associates together in a circle, huddled around the warm glowing flames to fend off the chilled night air of the Arabian Sea. The atmosphere and temperature in Kovalam is very good with soft winds creating a chill, especially in the evenings.

By the sunset, Kovalam beach is active with songs, dances and celebrations of different tourists. Apart from tourists, there are many local inhabitants who often visit the beach to spend their evenings with fam-

ily and friends. It is also interesting to watch the fishers fishing in the sea by sunset through ancient traditional ways.

In & Around Kovalam The Lighthouse: The lighthouse is located on a hillock named Kurumkal which is very close to the sea. The southern end of the Kovalm beach is named after this hill house. The lighthouse

of the river offers cruises, canoe rides, kayaking and houseboat cruises.

Vellayani Lake: The place is located seven kilometers from Kovalam. There are boat services available from Kovalam. It is one of the few freshwater lakes in Kerala that looks enchanting in the moonlight. The Vellayani Lake is the venue of world famous annual boat race or-

The Karamana River crosses the highway at Thiruvallam, twelve kilometers from Kovalam.

The place offers breathtaking views of the backwater and greenery is thirty five meter tall structure that is painted with red and white color that is easily visible from a long distance. It is open to visitors and offers spectacular views of the lighthouse beach, Eve's beach and its surroundings. The lighthouse road is a convenient venue for cycling and walks.

Karamana River and Boating: The Karamana River crosses the highway at Thiruvallam, twelve kilometers from Kovalam. The place offers breathtaking views of the backwater and greenery. The Thiruvallam boat club, located on the bank

ganized during Onam festival. The Vellayani Durga Temple is located close to the lake; the specialty of this temple is that it allows only non-Brahmin priests.

Valiyathura Pier: It is situated around ten kilometers away from Kovalam. The coastline of this region up to Kovalam is visible from this pier. The Valiyathura literally means 'Big Port'. There is another port in this region named Cheriyathura, literally means 'small port'.

This place offers excellent views of the setting sun and sea. Angling is the major ac-

tivity here.

Edakallu: Edakallu is the popular sunset viewing point that lies between the Lighthouse Beach and Eve's Beach. It offers enchanting view of the red and orange sun setting in the horizon with amazing new patterns in the sky. It is one of the best places to view the sunset in Kovalam and the best place to capture the photos of different patterns of the beautiful sky.

Kovalam Art Gallery: The Kovalam art gallery in Kovalam displays artifacts, paintings and art works. The paintings in this art gallery consist of ancient Indian paintings related to the Sanskrit culture. Europe and Western artists and art lovers are the major visitors in this gallery even though there are other visitors also.

Thiruvallam Parashurama Temple: Thriuvallam Parashurama temple is located twelve kilometers from Kovalam. It is one of the major Hindu shrine, in India. It is believed that this temple is about 2000 years old and is situating on the banks of the Karamana River. It is the exclusive temple that is dedicated to Parashurama.

How to reach Air: Nearest Airport Thiruvananthapuram (20 kms) Rail: Nearest rail head is Trivandrum Central Road: Kovalam is connected by road with several tourist destinations within Kerala and India.

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Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

November 23, 2012

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Tourism fraternity welcomes UK lifting travel advisory SRINAGAR: The announcement by the United Kingdom to lift travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir has come as a morale booster for tourism fraternity in the state.

"It is a welcome step and we thank the governments of the UK and India as well as the state government. It will boost tourist arrivals from foreign countries," Azim Tuman, Chairman Kashmir House Boat Owners Association, told PTI. "Foreign tourists have always been the main buyers of carpets and our carpet industry has been struggling because of such advisories. Now, we hope it will get a boost," he said.

"The people associated with the tourism trade see it as a positive step and hope other countries will follow and soon lift their respective advisories," Tuman said.

Describing the announcement as a good step, Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association president Showkat Choudhary said it would have a very positive impact on overall tourism in the state.

He said there would be a definite increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting the state next year.

Choudhary said he was hope-

ful other Commonwealth nations would also lift their advisories.

"This will also have a positive impact on the domestic tourist arrivals as it will boost their confidence as well," he said.

The traders' community also

banks of Dal Lake.

UK High Commissioner to New Delhi Sir James Bevan in a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced lifting of negative travel advisory for its citizens to parts of the state.

promotion", a government spokesman said the initiative was likely to give tremendous fillip to the inflow of foreign tourists to the Valley and other parts of the state in the next tourist season.

This would not only generate wide-ranging economic activities for the people but give consider-

"It is a welcome step and a big thing for tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. The UK shares old bonds with Kashmir and these bonds will be strengthened now”

expressed happiness over the announcement by the UK government.

"We are very happy to know that the UK is withdrawing the advisory. Our business has been severely affected due to such advisories. We hope to see a surge in the foreign tourist arrivals which will increase our business," said a trader in Boulevard area on the

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"The improvement in the security situation has led us to lift the advisory against UK citizens traveling to both the cities of Jammu and Srinagar," the letter read.

Terming the announcement as a "giant leap forward in tourism

able impetus to the development of tourism, he said.

The lifting of advisories would restore the visit of foreign tourists and flourish business and trade in the state, the spokesman said.

"This is a good omen for the tourism sector which will increase the inflow of foreign tourists to the

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Valley and subsequently to other parts of the state," Jora said.

The increase in the number of tourists would improve socio economic conditions of the people besides giving fillip to initiatives taken for development of the tourism sector in the state, he said.

The minister said the Commonwealth countries provide a rich source for enhancing the inflow of tourists to Kashmir.

Minister of State for Tourism Nasir Aslam Wani also appreciated the lifting of advisory and hoped other countries would follow suit.

"It is a welcome step and a big thing for tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. The UK shares old bonds with Kashmir and these bonds will be strengthened now," Wani told PTI. He said the UK was a big player in Europe and lifting of advisory by the country along with Germany would have a major positive impact on tourism in the state.

The minister said the state government would soon send a delegation to Australia and New Zealand to persuade them to lift their negative advisories. -PTI

LONDON: New Indian Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi has launched a new international and domestic campaign at the World Travel Mart 2012

here to promote India as an incredible destination.

Formally launching the campaign, Chiranjeevi, said "there is a paradigm shift in the campaign - Find What You Seek."

"Tourists from world over can find the destination or product of desire in India. Let it be heritage sites, forts, beaches, backwaters, lakes, mountains, adventure, wildlife, culture, festivals, medical, wellness, religion or shopping," he said.

He noted that India offered something for everyone.

"That is why we are proud to say that India is an incredible destination with range of products as nowhere else. It is truly in India, you will find what you are seeking," he said.

He said efforts are on to encourage domestic tourism and promote lesser known destinations. -PTI

Metros in India most preferred destinations MUMBAI: Metro cities of India are the favorite destinations of international travelers visiting the country with New Delhi at the number one spot, followed by Mumbai and Bangalore, according to the latest Hotel Price Index report.

"Metro cities dominate the top 10 favorite Indian destinations list amongst international travelers.

The capital city of New Delhi bags the number one spot as the most popular Indian destination for overseas travelers, followed

by Mumbai in second place and Bangalore comes in third on the list," the Hotel Price Index (HPI)

report said.

Other popular metros include Chennai at fourth position, Hyderabad (eighth) and Kolkata (ninth).

Goa, the popular beach and party destination of the country, is fifth most favorite destination for foreigners, while Jaipur, popularly known as the 'Pink City', is at the sixth spot.

Cochin, a city in Kerala, takes the 10th position on the list.

According to the report, South East Asian destinations are popular with Indian travelers going abroad.

The great value rates available in Bangkok make it the most preferred international destination amongst Indians, followed by Singapore, it said.

Other popular South East Asian destinations in the top 10 list included Pattaya, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Phuket on the sixth, seventh, ninth and 10th positions, respectively.

The other international destinations in the top 10 list include Dubai on the third spot, New York on the fourth, London on the fifth and Las Vegas on the eighth, the report added. -PTI

In Brief LA City Council approves illegal immigrant IDs LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles City Council has approved a plan to create city-issued photoidentification cards to help identify illegal immigrants.

The Los Angeles Times reports: council members voted 12 to 1 to select a vendor to develop and administer the identity card program.

The ID would act as a library card and a debit card, and it would be up to law enforcement to decide whether to accept the cards.

Councilman Richard Alarcon says they are necessary because federal government failed to make significant reforms in immigration policy and it's undeniable that businesses and individuals are hiring illegal immigrants.

The lone ``no'' vote was cast

by Republican Councilman Mitch Englander, who says the city is in too tough of a financial bind to take on a new program. -AP

Indian among 40 arrested during immigration sweep WASHINGTON: Authorities have arrested 40 people, including an Indian, during an immigration sweep in the US state of Indiana.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the 37 men and three women who were arrested include convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators.

They were arrested during a three-day operation in the greater Indianapolis area.

Thirteen have been previously ordered to leave the country but did not go.

Thirty-three of those arrested are from Mexico. ICE says others are from El Salvador, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, India and Peru. -PTI

Immigration 43

India Post

WICHITA, Kan.: A judge in Kansas has delayed the sentencing of a Jamaican woman convicted of entering into a sham marriage with a Fort Riley soldier to get legal immigration status.

Shannakay Hunter will now be sentenced Dec. 3 instead of November 26.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot ruled that Hunter may appear for sentencing by phone from New York City, where she lives.

Hunter was convicted in August of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud and lying to the government. -AP

November 23, 2012

DALLAS: Texas Republicans will go into the 2013 legislative session with much of the same agenda as last year: tackle government spending, tighten immigration laws and discourage abortion.

Details on page 45

Obama's big Hispanic win worries Republicans DENVER: Omayra Vasquez blinks when asked why she voted for President Barack Obama. The reason for her was as natural as breathing. ``I feel closer to him,'' said Vasquez, a 43-year-old from Denver. ``He cares about the Spanish people.''

Millions of Hispanic voters seconded that emotion with resounding 71 percent support for Obama, tightening Democrats' grip on the White House and putting Republicans on notice that they must seriously court the largest American minority group if they want to win the presidency again.

According to initial exit polls, Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who backed hard-line immigration measures, came away with 27 percent Hispanic support.

That's less than any presidential candidate in 16 years and a sharp drop from the 44 percent claimed

by President George W. Bush in 2004 after he embraced immigration reform. ``We could have won this election if the party had a better brand name with Hispanics,'' said Al

Spanish language election campaign signs promoting President Barack Obama hang on the windows at Lechonera El Barrio Restaurant in Orlando, Fla.

Mitt Romney came away with 27 percent Hispanic support. That's less than any presidential candidate in 16 years Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union. ``I don't believe there's a path to the White House in the future that doesn't include 38 percent-40 percent His-

panic support.''

Cardenas said Hispanics were only a large part of a worrisome trend in the electorate, which is increasingly comprised of

younger and minority voters who traditionally do not back Republicans. If the 1980 electorate looked like the 2012 version, he added, Jimmy Carter would have defeated Ronald Reagan.

Matt Schlapp, who was political director of George W. Bush's 2000 campaign, drew parallels between the Republicans' standing with Hispanics and the party's troubles with African-Americans, who now routinely back Democrats by 9-1 margins. ``The idea that we would somehow copy that with the Hispanic community is troubling,'' he said.

Hispanics have long favored Democrats, but they have been trending even more sharply toward that party since Republicans stymied Bush's immigration proposal and favored hard-line immigration measures that critics decried as racially motivated.

Romney chose an author of Arizona's controversial immigration law to advise him during the Republican primaries and called for ``self-deportation'' to lower the number of illegal immigrants.

Cont’d on page 45

Foreign income exclusion can hurt naturalization-II GARY ENDELMAN & CYRUS D. MEHTA

Contd from Nov 9 issue

Sentencing delayed in sham marriage case

www.indiapost.com

Texas Democrats end GOP House supermajority

T

here are two different ways in which one can file for earned foreign income exclusion through filing IRS Form 2555. One way is by claiming to be a bona fide resident of a foreign country for an entire tax year or by declaring physical presence there for a minimum of 330 days over 12 consecutive months. The filing of Form 2555 may be viewed as further evidence of failing to satisfy the continuous residence for naturalization. One potential point for advocacy is that the filing of an IRS 2555 based on spending 330 days outside the US is more benign than claiming you were a bona fide resident of a foreign country.

The former is a mechanical application of the earned income exclusion, and if the applicant can independently establish eligibility for naturalization despite being out for 330 days, we do not see why an IRS 2555 filed on the 330

ports our argument.

Of course, the cautious immigration lawyer may suggest to the client to simply pay foreign tax and deduct rather than protect one's foreign income up to $92,900. This may work where you need to pay

Even the USCIS Adjudicator Field Manual in Chapter 74 clearly makes a distinction between the bona fide resident exemption and the physical presence exemption, and supports our argument days exemption should adversely impact the applicant. Even the USCIS Adjudicator Field Manual in Chapter 74 clearly makes a distinction between the bona fide resident exemption and the physical presence exemption, and sup-

a foreign tax that is comparable to the US tax rate, but in some countries like Hong Kong or Dubai, the tax rate is much lower or next to nothing. Or you can be working for a UN or international organization where you are totally exempt

from taxes. Under such circumstances, the $92,900 deduction would benefit the applicant and may outweigh the marginal risk in the event of an abandonment claim or naturalization denial.

But this may not be the end of the argument in favor of shielding foreign earned income based on the 330 days out of the US exemption. Look at "Home on the Range: Establishing Continuous Residence and Physical Presence for Naturalization Purposes" by Julie G. Muniz and Lyndsey Yoshino, Immigration Practice Pointers 2012-2013 Ed. (AILA) where they point out that one of the requirements for IRS 2555 is to have a tax home in a foreign country.

Cont’d on page 44

44

Immigration Post

India Post

November 23, 2012

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Fla. immigrant tuition ruling won't be appealed BOCA RATON, Fla.: The State Board of Education won't appeal a judge's decision striking down rules that required Florida-resident U.S. citizens to pay out-ofstate tuition if they depend on parents who are illegal immigrants.

The board, which oversees state colleges, voted in Boca Raton to comply with U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore's decision.

The Miami judge held that charging higher out-of-state tuition for those college and university students violates their equal protection rights.

The panel also declined to appeal an administrative law judge's decision against a new teacher evaluation plan because of technical issues. The rule is being redrafted to comply with the decision.

The board agreed as well to let two charter schools in Escambia and Alachua counties stay open even though they received failing grades for two straight years.

Florida education officials say they will not appeal a federal court ruling that bars state colleges and universities from charging higher out-of-state tuition rates to Florida residents who are US citizens but dependent on illegal im-

migrant parents.

On another racial and ethnic issue, board members again said they are committed to a goal of reading and math proficiency for all public school students but did not back down from a new strategic plan that sets lower five-year goals for minority students. That provision has drawn opposition from Gov. Rick Scott and others.

Broward College President J. David Armstrong also told the panel he and his counterparts at the other schools do not object to the court ruling and oppose an appeal.

U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore ruled last month in Miami that charging higher tuition to students due to their parents' immigration status violates their

Critics of the short-term goals, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, PTA, incoming Florida House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston and Florida's Republican governor, said it implies minority children cannot learn The board, which also oversees Florida's 28 community and state colleges, unanimously voted to comply with an injunction against the immigrant tuition rules. ``I just got off the phone with Miami-Dade College and they have 240 students who will be impacted by this,'' said board member Roberto ``Bobby'' Martinez, who participated by telephone. ``They have complied with the judgment without any problems.''

equal protection rights. The decision will reduce tuition for those students beginning with the spring 2013 semester.

State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan sent a letter to his schools' presidents advising on how to comply with the ruling. It requires presidents to send written notices of the decision to all dependent students.

On the other matter, Board of Education Chairman Gary Chartrand noted the strategic

plan adopted last month includes a footnote saying the eventual goal is reading and math proficiency for all students. While the five-year goals are lower for black and Hispanic students than for whites and Asians, they would narrow existing gaps between those groups. ``We have to acknowledge that there are different starting points among groups of students today,'' Chartrand said. ``What is important now is that we focus on how we will achieve our goal.''

Board member A.K. Desai said the panel ``is absolutely 100 percent committed to make sure that 100 percent of the students ... are going to be 100 percent proficient at a future date.''

Critics of the short-term goals, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, PTA, incoming Florida House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston and Florida's Republican governor, said it implies minority children cannot learn.

Scott called that ``unacceptable.''

The board also declined to appeal an administrative law judge's decision that invalidates a new teacher evaluation rule because of violations of rule-making procedures. The rule is being redrafted to comply with the deci-

sion and is expected ready for board approval in early 2013. ``This is a self-inflicted wound and I want to make sure the message is clear that we're not walking away from the intent,'' said board member Kathleen Shanahan.

The Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union, challenged the rule that's designed to implement evaluation criteria required by a new state law.

The decision, though, did not invalidate local evaluation systems developed in connection with Florida's $700 million federal Race to the Top grant.

The board also agreed to let two charter schools, A.A. Dixon in Escambia County and Sweetwater Branch Academy in Alachua County, stay open although they received failing state grades for two straight years. The grades are based on student test scores.

The board agreed to grant waivers from a new state law that calls for closing such schools after members said they were reluctant to shut them in the midst of a school year. They plan to ask the Legislature to change the law so appeals can be decided earlier.-AP

Foreign income exclusion can hurt naturalization-II Cont’d from page 43

This is in addition to meeting either bona fide residence test or physical presence test. This is what Muniz and Yoshino say: "Even if an LPR can meet the physical presence test‌ the "tax home" requirement could be fatal to continuous residence. If an LPR has a tax home in the United States, she is precluded from claiming the foreign earned income credit.

However, if she claims the credit, she is implicitly indicating that she has interrupted her continuous residence, as it could appear inconsistent to both allege a foreign tax home and claim continuity of residence."

Under IRS definitions, your tax home is generally your regular place of business or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family home. Your tax home is the place where you are permanently or indefinitely engaged to work as an employee or self-employed individual. If your abode is in the US, then it is not possible to claim a tax home overseas.

Although the Muniz & Yoshino article makes a good point about cautioning against

claiming a tax home overseas, it can be argued that maintaining a "tax home" in a foreign country ought not to be conflated each time with the establishment of a bona fide residence in that country. If that is the case, any tax home in a foreign country, as the AILA article claims, is inconsistent with maintaining continuous residence in the US. For instance, even if one is out for more than 180 days but less than one year, due to a work assignment overseas, the applicant would have in any event broken continuity of residence regardless of the overseas tax home, but can still rebut the presumption under 8 CFR §316.5(c)(1)(i)(A)-(D).

The tax home overseas should not in itself be an aggravating factor. What indeed could be more perilous is when one takes a foreign earned income exclusion based on foreign residence rather than physical presence, as also indicated in the Adjudicator's Field Manual at 74 (g)(9)(B): If the legal permanent resident declared himself or herself to be a bona fide resident of a foreign country on IRS Form 2555, that means the alien declared to the

IRS that he or she went abroad for an indefinite or extended period. He or she intended to establish permanent quarters outside of the United States and he or she openly declared residence in a foreign country. [See IRS Publi-

Your tax home is the place where you are permanently or indefinitely engaged to work. If your abode is in the US, then it is not possible to claim a tax home overseas cation 54, Chapter 4.]

The applicant applying for naturalization after openly declaring residence in a foreign country on an official United States Government form will most likely be unable to fulfill the residence requirement for naturalization (see 8 CFR 316(c)(2)).

If the legal permanent resident declared himself or herself to be physically present in a foreign

country on IRS Form 2555, it only means that the applicant met the IRS's physical presence test to have a proportion of his or her income excluded form United States taxes.

The applicant has not declared residence in a foreign country.

[See IRS Publication 54, Chapter 4.] Eligibility for naturalization purposes may be affected if the applicant fails to establish that he or she meets the physical presence requirements or fails to establish that the absence of more than six months but less than one a year did not result in abandonment of LPR status.

If the applicant applying for naturalization has sufficient physical presence in the United States for naturalization purposes or can establish that his or her LPR status was not abandoned, then the applicant can still be eligible for naturalization (see Part 3 of the Form N-400).

Think of IRS 2555 as a warning sign whose presence on your tax return will trigger a red flag when applying for naturalization during the period when the applicant needs to maintain continuous residence. This does not

mean that it will always be fatal if one tries to shield foreign income from US taxation.

Any tax election should only be made by permanent resident aliens after consultation with competent immigration counsel.

All those who hold "green card" status should make certain that they understand what their tax obligations are and should refer to the IRS publication concerning the tax treatment for US citizens and resident aliens abroad.

Always look for the presence of those factors with the potential to demonstrate that the applicant has never disrupted continuous residence. Our blog points out how you can defend yourself if you have based the Form 2555 filing on physical presence overseas rather than a foreign residence. Do not be discouraged if you find this hard to understand.

So did Albert Einstein who famously remarked that "This is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher." * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

Immigration Post

November 23, 2012

India Post

45

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Obama's big Hispanic win worries Republicans Cont’d from page 43

Obama, meanwhile, announced in June that immigration authorities would grant work permits to people brought here illegally as children who graduated high school or served in the military.

The directive energized a Hispanic electorate that had been disappointed by Obama's inability to pass immigration reforms.

Recognizing the political impact, House Speaker John Boehner said that he wants the next Congress to tackle an immigration bill. ``This issue has been around far too long,'' Boehner said in an interview with ABC News' ``World News.'' `'A comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I'm confident that the President, myself, others can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all.''

A survey of Hispanic voters by the firm Latino Decisions found that Hispanics gave Obama his winning margin in Colorado, Florida and Nevada, swing states

where they turned out in unusually high numbers. Even before the races were called, some Republicans took to the airwaves and social media calling for the party to back off its hard-line stance and embrace certain immigration reforms.

It's unclear whether the results would change the party's opposition to legalizing the status of some illegal immigrants. In a conversation with the Des Moines Register last month, Obama predicted that Republican opposition could crumble after Hispanics delivered the White House to him.

The conversation was initially off the record but later published with the President's consent. ``And since this is off the record, I will just be very blunt,'' Obama said. ``Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino

community.''

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, vowed to introduce an immigration reform package next year, saying Republicans

Camarota and other supporters of immigration restrictions contend that Hispanics lean Democratic because they favor government social programs and higher taxes on the wealthy would reject it ``at their peril.''

Opponents of an immigration deal warned that Republicans should not take the Democrats' bait. Steve Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies noted that Hispanics have reliably backed Democrats for decades, even af-

Texas Democrats end GOP House supermajority DALLAS: Texas Republicans will go into the 2013 legislative session with much of the same agenda as last year: tackle government spending, tighten immigration laws and discourage abortion. But this time, they'll have to do it without a supermajority in the state House.

The GOP won 95 out of 150 seats in the House and 19 out of 31 in the Senate, guaranteeing they'll have majorities in both.

However, by failing to maintain their supermajority in the House, Republicans won't be able to suspend the rules and should the Democratic minority in either chamber take a trip out of state, they would lose a quorum to conduct business.

The first order of business will be to make up for a $4.3 billion budget deficit by March, when funding will run out for

Medicaid, the health care for the poor, elderly and disabled. Comptroller Susan Combs has forecast $5 billion in unexpected revenue this two-year budget cycle, so covering the tab should be relatively easy.

The next two-year budget, though, will present a bigger challenge, with the Department of Health and Human Services expecting Medicaid costs to increase more than $7 billion. Lawmakers also will need to find cash for increased enrollment in public schools, something they did not pay for last session, resulting in a $5.4 billion reduction in school funding, the first such cut since the Great Depression.

More than 600 school districts have sued the Legislature for failing to meet their constitutional mandate to fund public schools.

Most observers expect them to

win that suit, but it could be years before the case works its way through the appeals process.

House Speaker Joe Straus, under attack by conservatives who want to replace him, issued a statement welcoming all the lawmakers back and laying out the trouble ahead. ``I look forward to working with all members of the 83rd Legislature to improve public and higher education, make our budget more transparent, maintain a strong business climate and ensure that Texas has the resources and infrastructure needed for further economic growth,'' Straus said.

While Democrats gained some seats, so did conservative Republicans who ousted some of Straus' closest allies. More than 100 conservative party activists have endorsed state Rep. Bryan Hughes of Mineola to replace Straus. -AP

ter President Ronald Reagan signed an immigration amnesty in 1986 that gave many of them legal status.

Those new American citizens, Camarota said, turned into Democrats.

Camarota and other supporters of immigration restrictions contend that Hispanics lean Democratic because they favor government social programs and higher taxes on the wealthy. ``They changed the national electorate, and now they have to move with the electorate,'' Camarota said of the Republicans. ``For 30 years that we have data, Hispanics have been voting Democratic. There's no reason to think that's going to change unless the Republican Party moves away from its low-tax, low-regulation position.''

NumbersUSA President Roy

Beck, whose group advocates reductions in immigration levels, argues that Republicans like Romney need to explain to Hispanic voters why immigration restrictions are in their interest. ``He should have talked about Hispanic unemployment and how much high immigration hurts Hispanic employment.''

The debate is nothing new for the Republicans.

Mario H. Lopez, president of the conservative Hispanic Leadership Fund, said he's heard arguments like that before after every election in which Hispanics lean more Democratic and Republicans suffer. ``The clock has been ticking,'' Lopez said. ``Some of us have been talking about it for years. It's up to them if they want to listen or have more nights like November 6.'' -AP

PRADEEP ROY-SINGH B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. Attorney-at-Law

Former Assistant StateÂ’s Attorney

Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc.

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Realty Tidbits

World's smallest house takes only 1 day to build

Real Estate 46

LONDON: A German architect is trying to tackle the housing crisis by creating the world's smallest house, which measures just one square meter and takes only a day to build.

There is enough space for a bench inside the cosy wooden building and at night it can be rolled backwards to transform it into a bed.

Architect Van Bo Le-Mentzel is now giving blueprints of his invention One SQM away in the hope it will improve the struggling housing market.

"I wanted to offer people a plan to build their own house," the Sun quoted him as saying.

"You could take it and live in a park or a lake, or on a rooftop.

E-way buyout: Haryana approaches NHAI

India Post

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Land for international airport at Chakan finalized PUNE: Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced that the state government was considering setting up an airport in every district of the state and said that land for the international airport at Chakan near Pune has been "finalized".

"The location of the Chakan airport was changed two or three times due to some technical and local issues.

Cont’d on page 47

November 23, 2012

Canadian NRI Bob Dhillon keen to enter Indian realty mkt NEW DELHI: Canada-based NRI billionaire Bob Dhillon is considering investing up to USD 100 million (about Rs 540 crore) in the Indian real estate market and is planning to approach the Haryana government for developing a township near Chandigarh.

Dhillon, the President and CEO of realty firm Mainstreet Equity Corp, visited India as part of a large business delegation accompanying Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"I am looking at Haryana, more specifically areas adjoining Chandigarh, for development of a township. I am in the process of discussion with the state government," he told PTI. Dhillon, whose family hails from Tallewal village in Barnala district of Punjab, noted that the ageing population of Indian Diaspora in Canada - most of them are of descendants of Punjab - is looking for a second home in India. The planned project would be near upcoming international airport.

On likely investment, he said:

"Under the right circumstances, we would consider investing USD 25-100 million in India."

He said the investment in India might be in his personal capacity.

Asked about the Indian market, Dhillon said: "India is a developers' dream because of its demo-

ing housing demand, he said the government should make changes in laws to attract foreign investment.

The clarity in ownership rights, easy repatriation of capital and pragmatic landlord-tenancy act are required for easy inflow of institu-

"India is a developers' dream because of its demographics, migration from rural to urban areas and collapse of joint family system." He said the investment in India might be in his personal capacity Bob Dhillon

graphics, migration from rural to urban areas and collapse of joint family system."

Stating that India needs institutional capital to deal with the ris-

tional capital, he said.

"I would be in the best market of the world, if the policies were tweaked to my appetite," Dhillon said and hoped that the Indian

Ezzy Group enters Indian realty market NEW DELHI: The Haryana government has formally offered to buyout the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway - nearly a week after its chief minister hinted at the state's intention to do so. NHAI officials, however, felt that Haryana's takeover would be "too tricky and difficult".

The proposal of "purchasing" the expressway came up at a meeting held to ease traffic flow on the 27.7-km stretch, and not just at the two toll plazas. "NHAI officials said this needs to be examined since it involves bankers, who have lent fund for the project. Besides, the cost of the project has to be calculated after taking all stakeholders - banks and the two state governments - on board.

Cost will depend on negotiation," said a senior government official who attended the meeting.

government, which has made changes in retail FDI, would give priority to housing sector as well.

On his Toronto Stock Exchange-listed realty firm Mainstreet, he said the company, which acquires and rents apartments, has assets worth about

BANGALORE: Ezzy Group, an infrastructure and property management company, has announced its foray into the Indian

projects in the next two years," Ezzy Group Chairman Shabbir Saifuddin Ezzy told reporters here.

Ezzy Group has raised funds

realty market with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore spread over the next two years.

"Our objective is to offer something unique to the Indian realty market. We have set aside Rs 500 crore for our projects, both residential and commercial

internally to fund its projects and will invest in Bangalore and Mumbai, he said, adding the company also plans to bring in funds through FDI. "The projects will be in over a million square feet," Saifuddin added.

The company will invest Rs 500

crore in next fiscal year in luxury real estate projects in Bangalore, a major share of which will be through equity investors, he said.

Ezzy Group has plans to issue an IPO in the long term, he added.

The project comprises 25 boutique row villas built to the highest specifications on par with international standards, Ashai Design Corporation (USA) CEO Tony Ashai said.

The company has invested close to Rs 150 crore in the two projects - Corinth and The Avenue - comprising luxury residential villas and apartments, Ashai said.

Both the properties have been priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7000 per square foot, he said.

Ezzy Group and Ashai Design Corporation (ADC), California, USA, will set up several such luxury residential projects in the country going forward, Ashai said.

USD 1.2 billion and has annualized revenue of approximately USD 90-100 million. The company has over 8,000 apartments in Canada. -PTI

HC orders transfer of Noida Authority brass ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe all land allotments in Noida since 2001.

The court also directed the UP government to immediately transfer senior IAS officers, Noida Development Authority chairman Rakesh Bahadur and chief executive officer Sanjeev Saran, and a probe into the manner in which the two were appointed. They should not be posted in western UP, the court order said, warning they could interfere with the evidence or create hurdles.

A bench of acting Chief Justice Amitava Lala and Justice PKS Baghel also directed the state government to complete the departmental and criminal proceedings already under way against the two officers.

This order came on a PIL filed by Madhav Samaj Nirman Samiti and also on an intervention application moved by a lawyer, Renu Singh.

Real Estate

November 23, 2012

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47

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Student housing sector worth $ 200 billion NEW DELHI: Housing for students has emerged as a new real estate asset class and is estimated currently at more than USD 200 billion globally with large number

a report by global property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle.

"The increasing number of students from Asia choosing to study outside of their home country has

"The corporate higher education industry is expected to build close to 10 million square feet of educational institution space over the next few years - and this does not include the rapid expansion plans that are underway to build new IITs, IIMs, SPAs and other reputed educational institutions�

of Asians opting to study outside their home country, according to

played a key role in developing the student housing sector into a glo-

bal real estate asset class," JLL said in a statement.

The number of students studying outside their home country is expected to rise to 263 million by 2025 against 165 million currently, it said, adding that "globally, the student housing market as a whole is estimated to be worth in excess of USD 200 billion".

JLL said in recent years, Asia has increased its market share as a source market for international students from 48 per cent in 2004 to 52 per cent in 2009.

The top five source markets globally are China, India and South Korea, followed by Germany and France in fourth and fifth. The most popular destinations for these students are the US, the UK, Australia, Germany and France.

"Strong economic growth in the key Asian markets has fuelled higher education enrolments globally. Over the past decade, countries like China, India and Vietnam have experienced rapid growth in the wealthier middle class, which has spurred demand for higher education and better housing options in destination countries," Jones Lang LaSalle Lead Director Student Housing and Higher Education Philip Hillman said.

Real Estate Regulation Bill in Winter session MUMBAI: The Real Estate Regulation Bill, which aims to establish a regulatory authority for the realty sector, is likely to be tabled in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament, Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken has said.

"The draft Real Estate Regulation Bill is currently circulated at the inter-ministerial level. We propose to table it during the ensuing Winter session. I cannot

divulge further details now, as the Bill will be taken to the Cabinet for its approval," Maken said after inaugurating the 14th World Innovation Summit & Expo on Power & Construction here.

The draft legislation, pending since 2009, aims to establish a regulatory authority for the realty sector, ensure sale of immovable properties in an efficient and transparent manner and protect consumer interest.

The most important proposal in the draft Bill include setting up a regulatory authority in every state.

Maken said private builders will have to reserve 35

per cent of houses or 15 per cent floor area ratio (FAR), whichever is higher for the economically weaker sections (EWS), under the Rajiv Awas Yojana.

He also asked the private sector to pass on the benefits to the EWS instead of only "maximizing" their profit.

Under the ambitious Rajiv Awas Yojana, the government has proposed an expenditure of Rs 40,000 crore, Maken said, adding that bank loans will be available for EWS without any collateral.

Maken said a credit risk guarantee fund has been created for low-income housing and all states would have to implement these norms in all cities.

"The need for housing is growing rapidly as there has been a rapid urbanization," he added.

"The urban population has risen to 31 per cent from 27 per cent in the past six-seven years while the total number of towns also surged to 7,800 from 5,100 during the same period," he said.

Maken said the government was giving priority to the development of green houses. -PTI

that exist around prominent colleges positively affect the demand for residential spaces as well as restaurants and small retail spaces.

As such, educational institution lend value to a location," he added.

Puri said the country's top 10-15 corporate schools have plans to develop a total of 8001000 schools over the next deJLL India Chairman and Country Head Anuj Puri cade, aiming to deliver quality educaWhile ownership of student tion to far-flung parts of the counhousing has traditionally been try.

"The corporate higher educadominated by developer-operators, increasingly, equity funds, tion industry is expected to build sovereign wealth funds, pension close to 10 million square feet of funds, investment managers and educational institution space over the next few years - and this does REITs are entering the market.

Commenting on the report 'Stu- not include the rapid expansion dent Housing- a new global asset plans that are underway to build class', JLL India Chairman and new IITs, IIMs, SPAs and other Country Head Anuj Puri said the reputed educational institutions. student housing is one of the most The demand for the right kind of vibrant Indian real estate markets student housing that such a scenario presents can well be imagin the foreseeable future.

"Dense student populations ined," Puri said. -PTI

Land for international airport at Chakan finalized Cont’d from page 46

However, we have now finalized the land and are in the process of conducting surveys," he said Chavan was speaking at the concluding session of a day-long seminar organized by the state government at the Council Hall here on the platinum jubilee year of the state legislature.

"The government is developing two international airports - at Chakan and Navi Mumbai. Both projects were delayed due to land-related issues. The Navi Mumbai airport requires some additional land.

We are working on airport projects and are confident to push ahead both projects in the coming days. We are keen on setting up airports in every district to promote industry and better communication," Chavan said.

Referring to the various projects that were sanctioned for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad recently, Chavan said the government was working on implementing the metro rail and ring road projects for Pune city. He said there is a plan to start an international convention centre in Bhosari-Moshi to attract industries.

48 India Post

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November 23, 2012

Datebook

November 23, 2012

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

NEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Fri July 20 to Sat Dec 15 • Turning Rumi: Singing Verses of Love, Unity and Freedom Part2 : The Art of Salma Arastu Venue: Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, California Time: 2:30pm to 4:30pm (Artist Reception on Sat Sept 15at Community Gallery, Alemany Library) Contact: 415-482-2453

Fri Nov 30 • A Musical Extravaganza Venue: Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Rd, Newark, CA 94560 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: Peter Sahjani, 510-673-0153

Fri Nov 30 • Weekend Sanskrit Workshops & Chanting Concerts Venue: San Francisco Yoga Society, 2872 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94110 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 4156906675

Sat Dec 1 • Disha - Unforgettable Melodies Venue: Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 5107985440

Sat Dec 15 • Christmas Celebration at Christ Church of India, San Ramon Venue: Church on the Hill, 20801 San Ramon Valley Blvd, San Ramon, CA 94583 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 9253645247

Sun Nov 25 • Tulsi Vivah Venue: Gayatri Mandir, 22116 Pioneer Blvd, Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716 Time: 6:00 am Contact: 562-425-3970

Sat Dec 1 • DYFC Invites You to Christmas KickOff Party Venue: Norwalk Presbyterian Church, 11345 Rosecrans Ave, Norwalk, CA 90650 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 8053283932

Sat Dec 01 • Last Bollywood party Candyland theme party!

Venue: Infusion LA, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, CA 91602 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 323-205-5594

Sat Nov 24

Sat Nov 24

Mon Dec 03

• Jaya Jaya Sree Rama

• Diwali Mela NJ Nov 24

Venue: P.S. 115 Auditorium, 80-51 261st St, Floral park (Queens), NY 11004 Time: 3:30 pm Time: 914-484-5291

Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873 Time: 12:00 pm Contact: 732 763-0118

• Bruno Groening Circle of Friends: Spiritual Healing

Fri Nov 30

Sat Dec 01

• Runway Princess - the Super Model pageant

• Singing Bowl: Sound Healing & Meditation

Venue: Manhattan Center - Grand Ballroom, 311 W 34th Street, New York, NY 10001 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 3479222006

Fri Nov 30 • Shine and Sparkle with Sunny Leone Venue: Pranna, 79 Madison Avenue (Corner of 28th Street), New York City, NY 10003 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 7777777777

Tue Dec 04

Mon Dec 10 & 11

• Katie Garibaldi Plays SLO's Linnaea's Cafe

• Childrens Film Festival: Celebrating Children's movies from Bollywood

Venue: Linnaea's Cafe, 1110 Garden St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 6505923536

Mon Dec 31 • Fantasy Ball 7 - New Years 2013 Venue: Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 6101 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 3232055594

Venue: Plainview Old Bethpage, Public Library, 999 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY 11803 Time: 5:30pm Contact: 516-349-7119 Highlights: Festival Starting with the movie curated by Award winning Producer and Director Mr. Tirlok Malik (Little magician).

ATLANTA Upcoming

Mon Dec 31 Mon Dec 31

• Ayyappa Bhajans

• New Year' Eve Party 2013 Bollywood Musical/Entertainment Evening

Venue: Maha Kaleswar Mandir, 2344 Walsh Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95051 Time: 5:00 pm Contact: 4847278424

Venue: Royal Delhi Palace, 22323 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 805-404-9836

Venue: Westin Perimeter, 7 Concourse Parkway Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30328 Time: 9:30 pm Contact: 864-907-2003

Sat Dec 15

• A New Year's Resolution 2013 (5th Edition)

Venue: The Community of Saint John Baptist, 82 W Main St, Mendham Borough, NJ 07945 Time: 1:30 pm Contact: 9082772120

Sun Dec 02 • Grand Dulhan Expo 2012 Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873 Time: 12:00 pm Contact: 7327541894

Venue: Unity West, 4750 N Mayfair Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53225 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 414-375-4131

Fri Dec 14 & 15 • Sita Ram Venue: Harris Theater, 205 E Randolph Dr, Chicago, IL 60601 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 312-334-7777

Mon Dec 31 • NYE SOIREE 2013 w/ Stache Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile Venue: Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile, 300310 S Federal St, Chicago, IL 60604 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 5122319226

Horoscope

50 India Post

November 23, 2012

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Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

NOVEMBER 23RD to NOVEMBER 29TH (March 21 to April 20)

Y

ou will be very much determined to implement your plans and get quick results from other side. Recent developments will give you satisfaction and peace of mind. You will receive a big check ion the mail. You will be getting ready to meet competition head on. You will be calling few old friends and relatives living overseas.

(June 21 to July 22)

A

void getting involved in legal battle if possible. You will continue to enjoy company of visitors and plan several short trips to nearby places. There will be considerable improvements on career front.

You will be in touch with old friends for obtaining some important information. You may also visit a holy place with family.

(April 21 to May 20)

S

ome thing long overdue will come this week. You will also hear some encouraging news at work. An important issue pending with a government agency will clear soon. Financially things will stay little tight for some more time. Keep an eye on nicotine and caffeine intake. You will take care of papers gathering dust on your table.

(May 21 to June 20)

A

nswers you are looking outside lies within yourself. You will be seriously looking for ways to improve revenues. A new business partnership is on the horizon. There will be big improvement in ongoing overseas projects. You will also participate in religious ceremony this week. You will make changes in diet and cut down on spicy food.

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

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

(July 23 to August 22)

Y

ou will hear the news you had been waiting for. It will not only boost your morals but bring energy back in the body. You may receive verbal assurance about the contract. You may make some last minute change in your plans because of weather. You will make full use of extra time on hand and enjoy life with family. Keep an eye on incoming mail.

(August 23 to September 22)

Y

ou will try to relax as much possible before jumping onto a major project this week. A long distance business trip is in the air.

Financially you will continue to do well and have some in the pipeline also. Spouse may not keep well and need to see a doctor. You will benefit from some one living on east coast or in east direction.

(September 23 to October 22)

Y

ou will be in touch with a government agency to seek some important information. You will be writing many important letters and hope to get quick response. Change in financial strategy will save a lot in long run. A colleague will try to drag you into unnecessary argument. You will plan an interesting road trip with family.

(October 23 to November 22)

Y

ou will be confidant that you can deal with new situation. Earlier commitments can bring you under financial pressure. Many people will benefit from your expertise and you will see new faces at business. You may be thinking of replacing an old vehicle in near future. Business meetings will go very well and results will come soon.

(November 23 to December 22)

T

ough stand will get many works done. You will be making few important decisions about career. Gamble will pay off and big rewards are just around the corner. You will ear name and respect in professional world. Do not ignore health issue bothering you lately.

You will do some charity work and may visit a holy place.

(December 22 to January 19)

L

ife will continue to march towards positive from now and on. Planets are changing your mind towards materialism and making you very ambitious. You will start an exciting relationship. You will be spending some money on close family members. Some one opposing you in the past will try to make peace, ignore them.

(January 20 to February 18)

Y

ou will learn from past experience and become more mature and wise. You will benefit from new people who recently entered your life. Spouse will be little shaky and nervous. Soon you will be leaving for an important business trip. Wait will be over and soon you will receive clearance from a government agency also.

(February 19 to March 20)

E

xpect some favorable changes in career soon. You will be as signed an important task with added authority and benefits. A child may be under the influence of weather and may need lots of rest. You will be calling many old friends and may also visit one of them this week.

November 23, 2012

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Philosophy

November 23, 2012

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis ROBERT ADAMS

W

e are spiritual people.

The world is not. We act in accordance with spiritual principles. What this really means is that we, as human beings, become last, not first. That is what Jesus meant when he said, "Those who go first will be last, and those who are last will be first."

You have to develop great humility. Do not long for anything.

Do not want to be rich, or famous or great, yet do not say "I want to be poor and have nothing" either.

They are both wrong. Just be your Self when you are your Self, you will be amazed how the universe takes care of you.

You have got to depend on your Self (The Self is the Perfect Omniscient Love Within. I do not refer to your human self with all of its frailties, anger and bad habits) to take care of everything.

Now, your Self is yourself.

There is one Self, so we take care of each other. Did you ever think of that? When you think of others, you are making a mistake.

The feeling will come to you one day that you are all others. There are no 'others', there is just the Self, appearing as 'others'.

So, how do you treat others?

As you treat your self. You just A. H. ALMAAS

T

he Diamond Approach is a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of awareness of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychological theories; hence the perspective of this teaching recognizes the inherent synthesis between the spiritual and the psychological domains of experience.

The spiritual and the psychological can be separated only in theory, for in experience they are two dimensions of the same human consciousness. Recognizing this truth makes it possible to approach the path to inner realization informed with modern psychological knowledge, and thus allows the process of understanding one's psychological experience to open one's consciousness to the deeper truths of our spiritual nature.

This teaching approaches the path by taking into consideration, amongst other things, the structure of reality, both inner and outer.

It views reality to be fundamentally the eternal truth of spirit that manifests itself in various dimensions, from the deepest dimension of absolute emptiness to the physical realm.

The appearance of this manifestation is what is conventionally known as reality, including the

give of yourself automatically. You don't think about it. You don't think that, that person is worth and that person is not, so I am going to help this person, not that person, you give of yourself automatically.

You do not think about it, because everything is your Self, and that includes the mineral kingdom, the vegetable kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom, and everything else that you don't understand.

Your first premise is wrong. It does not work like that. I would never work like that. If you are hungry, something will happen to appease your hunger. What you are thinking about is that you sit down, and you do nothing. It does not work like that. When you know the Truth, somebody will knock on the door, and bring you food.

When you came to this earth, everything was predestined. And,

Truth', and just letting yourself be walked on! I am talking about Realization."

Q: When I was a child Christmas was a huge event - so magical and warm. Then I decided as a young adult I did not believe in the commercialism. Now I feel somehow I am missing something.

If you want to see just commercialism, that is all you will see. If you want to see the devout, those

How you treat one person is how you treat whole universe

Robert Adams

If you are hungry, something will happen to appease your hunger. What you are thinking about is that you sit down, and you do nothing. It does not work like that

They are all part of the One. What you do to the One, you do to everything. How you treat one person is how you treat the whole universe, because everything is One. Q: Let us say we all stay here and we have no money. Tomorrow we are so hungry we cannot think of any of these ideas that you told us because we are so extremely hungry.

everything is aware of how to take care of you, and what you are going to go through. But it has nothing to do with you - the secret is not to react - just do what has to be done. And you will do what has to be done. You can't help it.

Does God manifest through allowing suffering?

"Quite the contrary! There is a difference between 'knowing the

thinking of God, that is what you will see. If you want to see happiness, innocence, that is what you will see. What are you looking for?

So many people come up to me every year and complain of commercialism and such, yet they do not perceive that they are spoiling it for themselves.

Robert Adams is a rare original illumined Master from America

physical universe and all beings with their minds and psyches. The inner truth of this reality is true nature itself, pure spirit, which is the ultimate and real nature of both the universe and all beings.

the understanding and the methods of the Diamond Approach that manifest true nature possesses a structure, a structure that gives our experience its fundamental building blocks and capacities of perception and action.

In other words, as the nonmanifest absolute manifests it differentiates into dimensions and qualities, so what is virtual and potential becomes actual and

space in both inner and outer perception. Second is the dimension of pure nonconceptual awareness, the clear light responsible for our capacity for perception.

Third is the dimension of pure presence, where being and the knowing of being are the same thing, responsible for our capacity for discriminating knowing.

Fourth is the dimension of pure

View of Spirit The Diamond Approach views true nature to be both unmanifest and manifest. The unmanifest is totally nondifferentiated and without

Spiritual & psychological are dimensions of same consciousness

A. H. Almaas

qualities, a mysterious darkness and emptiness in which consciousness is annihilated as it approaches. Yet this nonmanifest absolute truth holds in virtuality all potential.

By manifesting it creates the world with all its forms and transformations, which becomes the appearance of reality; but it also manifests its own inherent perfections and characteristics, which become the inner truth of reality.

It is significant and central to

By manifesting it creates the world with all its forms and transformations, which becomes the appearance of reality; but it also manifests its own inherent perfections and characteristics experienceable. Spiritual realization is most fundamentally the recognition and embodiment of these dimensions and qualities of true nature, as differentiations of the eternal spirit.

True nature manifests its fundamental characteristics in five basic dimensions, all infinite, boundless and coemergent with each other. First is the dimension of absolute emptiness, which is responsible for the arising of

universal love, where presence is sweet and appreciative, which is responsible for the arising of felt qualities and affects. Fifth is the dimension of the logos, which is the dynamic dimension underlying all change, movement and transformation, responsible for our activities and functionality.

A.H. Almaas is the pen name of A. Hameed Ali, spiritual teacher from Kuwait.

As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world.

-Buddha Solitude is in the mind of man. One might be in the thick of the world and maintain serenity of mind; such a one is in solitude.

Sri Ramana Maharshi "As the river gives itself into the ocean, what is inside me moves inside you."

-Kabir Don't say that you are an individual; just stay in the beingness. The whole problem is the sense of being a separate entity - once that subsides, that is true bliss.

-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj O mind, why are you so deluded? Why do you run about like a frightened ghost? Become aware of the indivisible Self! Be rid of attachment; be happy and free!

-The Song of The Avadhut

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November 23, 2012

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Obama-II & Indo-US relationship: Old issues, new opportunities PR CHARI

I

nformed opinion ascribes President Obama's victory to his dedicated supporters among women, Hispanics, African Americans, young persons and working class Whites revealing the changed demographics in the most powerful country in the world. These constituencies will now seek their rewards, while the administration will wish to continue its on-going policies. Obama will also have to reach a modus vivendi with the Republicans to pursue his future initiatives on the domestic and foreign policy fronts with their cooperation.

India must evaluate Obama's victory against this backdrop, which has palpable consequences for IndoUS relations. The UPA government's indecision and rollback of decisions on issues of bilateral interest is obviously an irritant. The excuse that the UPA's policy paralysis arises from the 'compulsions of coalition government' carries little conviction.

In this milieu, New Delhi's galvanization of its economic and trade policies by allowing the entry of FDI in retail, permitting greater foreign participation in the banking and insurance sectors and so on has been welcomed in the US. Apart from revealing that the UPA government has finally resolved to arrest the drift and govern the country, these decisions provide opportunities for US firms to enter the Indian market and create jobs. New Delhi should now formulate a comprehensive FDI policy in the interests of clarity and pursuing its stated policy of globalizing its economy.

India's Nuclear Civil Liability Act is of special interest to Washington, which is inhibiting American and other foreign operators from entering India's atomic energy sector. It might be recalled that the Bush administration had forced the Indo-US nuclear deal through the US Congress, the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008.

Condoleezza Rice had made clear that she expected India to provide in return, a fair share of its new reactor business, which has not happened to date. India should level with the new Obama administration and explain its problems with establishing new atomic reactors in the teeth of domestic

opposition, as evident in Jaitapur and Kudankulam.

Instead, India could seek US cooperation in other areas of energy security like technologies to optimize the use of coal, extract shale oil, develop solar power and improve energy efficiencies in manufacturing industries.

But, it is in the sphere of foreign policy that Indo-US relations need careful tending in the ObamaII era. Two aspects need special attention. • First, it can be reasonably expected that the American 'pivot' or 're-balancing' towards Asia will be invigorated. Shorn of its rhetoric,

US and India. Could they view with equanimity, a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the revival of the al Qaeda? Parenthetically, Obama had repeatedly referred to the SEAL's raid that eliminated Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad last May. A serious dialogue between Washington and New Delhi is urgently required to make certain that a Taliban/al Qaeda takeover of Kabul does not occur again.

Very likely, this is the endgame that the Pakistan Army is hoping will unfold so that Rawalpindi achieves its goal of gaining 'strategic depth' in Afghanistan.

File photo of Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to India

the US wishes to grow its relations with the countries of East and Southeast Asia to contain the newly assertive China. The cooption of India into this strategy is of signal importance for Washington, to bracket China between the mature economy of Japan and the rising emergence of India.

New Delhi must think through where its best interests lie; by remaining neutral or by adopting a pro-active, issue-based policy towards China. Beijing has not shown much concern for India's sensitivities by establishing a quasi-military presence in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region or pursuing its 'string of pearls' strategy to establish its maritime presence in the Indian Ocean. Why, then, should India be ultra-sensitive about China's concerns regarding India's strategic linkages, alongside the US, in East and Southeast Asia? • Second, the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan is most likely to proceed on schedule. What will happen thereafter is of vital interest to the

How this nightmare scenario could be averted, perhaps by the US continuing a vestigial presence in airbases like Bagram, and India continuing its efforts to train Afghan civil, police and military forces and continue providing developmental assistance might be the answer. But there are several other issues, like the role of other regional powers, which require serious reflection and appropriate action.

How the US and India could enlarge their understanding of other regional problems like the unfolding but problematical democratization of the Gulf and Middle Eastern region, the arrest of Iran's determined quest for nuclear weapons, the slow return of Myanmar to the comity of nations and the eradication of maritime piracy are further issues that require consideration within the ambit of Indo-US relations. Continuing these discussions with the Obama-II government will be easier than with a new Republican set up.

The writer is Research Professor, IPCS

Two democracies

Y

ou can't imagine a debate between two prime ministerial candidates in India. There is a stark difference between the electoral processes of the US and India although both of them are democracies. The US enjoys the privilege of having only two political parties. India has a plethora of political parties and at this moment there is a real threat of the two major political parties being sidelined in the next election, in 2014. So it is never certain even as the election process is on as to who will be the prime minister. In the US election however it was long apparent that either of the two persons will be President. With corruption exposures having dealt a hard blow to the Congress as well as the BJP, it appears they may struggle to be recognized as even the largest parties. A conglomeration of regional groups taking power is not a remote possibility. And there are any number of aspirants for the post of prime minister.

The BJP itself may be divided over the choice but Narendra Modi of Gujarat is the strongest candidate at the moment. That he is not averse to the idea is apparent from the kind of attacks he has been launching on central Congress leaders, ranging from the Gandhi family, the prime minister and his ministerial colleagues. He has on offer the development model of Gujarat for all to see at the moment when the Central Congress, shell shocked and in survival mode, is trying to demonstrate that it believes in reform.

Another candidate is chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar who also claims to have turned round the economy of Bihar with 11 percent growth. He is an ally of the BJP but has sworn to leave the BJP-led alliance if Narendra Modi is projected as prime minister. Closer to Delhi lives another aspirant, the Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh. His claim is based on the recent overwhelming victory his party achieved in the UP Assembly elections. He put his son Akhilesh Yadav on the UP throne and is busy making friends and influencing people who will be able to support him in an attempt for the Delhi gaddi in 2014.

The ADMK leader Jayalalitha of Tamil Nadu also harbors prime ministerial ambitions. While the Congress is being written off, their obvious leader for 2014, the crown prince from the dynasty, Rahul Gandhi, is found to be not mature enough for any responsibility. It seems the death of his father in a terrorist incident has frightened him so much psychologically that he would not like to go near the prime ministerial seat out of sheer fear.

It would be interesting to put all these aspirants in a room and questions put to them on the major problems and issues before the country.

The tradition in US states also is to have debates between two contestants. This practice is again absent in India. In fact it is seldom known what a politician's plans are for the region he wishes to represent. What they send out in the manifestos is so far removed from the practice.

Barack Obama after winning the election delivered a rousing and inspiring speech in which he spoke for one nation which was once a leader of the world and the glory of which he promised to recapture. No comparable speech by an Indian winning the election has ever come to light. In fact no leader has been able to speak of India as one nation. After the election some critics have been parodying the US as the Divided States of America. If that is the position of the US, then what about India where regional parties would come to power at the Center emphasizing their regional, cast or religious identity and would have no qualms in promoting their sectional interests!

India has to become one country first before claiming merits of being a democracy.

November 23, 2012

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November 23, 2012