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Revolutionizing the Wireless World 15,000 products and project to double their with their new product and the resulting Moftware Tech is the wholesale and disBy Jacob David savings in the process, the word of mouth inventory by 2012.

They are planning to tributions division focusing on selling to HOUSTON: Pinakin Dinesh and Pallavi Resellers and Retailers. Their Dinesh are both creative and think on your expand their warehouse to 50,000 sq.ft gets them more business. It is a win-win purchasing power with feet type, true blood entrepreneurs, set to from the current 15,000 sq.ft they have. situation every which way you see it.

Fommy has been approached by major brand name take the digital communications supply and Fommy.com has not done major advertismega online and retail stores ing.

They have instead been very shrewd in manufacturers has distributions industry by storm. They’ve increased expobeen working hard on establishing Fommy. strategy - focusing more on reaching their like Walmart, Amazon, nentially over the com since 2001 when intense planning customers through social networks - like Best Buy, Tiger Diyears. The manustarted for their storefront web site. The You Tube, Face book, Twitter and Linked rect to increase their own In, among others.

They have optimized facturers give web site launched in 2003. Today they see of Fommy the lowest more than 300,000 visitors online every their SEO search ability ratings. “We are share rates possible to help month. It is by sheer planning resellers and stores stay in and strategy that they have come business. this far. Fommy.com is a web Amzer is Fommy’s own brand, site focused on delivering quality their manufacturing division. Like all mobile telecommunication desuccessful businesses do, “diversify”. vices and accessories to the end Pinakin believes strongly in this. While he consumer. There are also re-sellthe cell phone has his hands full with managing Fommy, er opportunities to buy wholesale market earnings. he has launched the Amzer, eco-friendly and sell retail for a profit.

Fommy has been universal solar charger that can charge Moftware is the parent comvery selective and cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, pany - focused on establishing prudent in forming game consoles, and anything that can be the software to run its four divibusiness partner- charged using an USB plug in device. The sions - Fommy, Moftware Tech, ships with each of Solar Cell device charger is given a strong Amzer and Cosmo Satellite, all these companies product recommendation by Michael Garhaving web sites after its own mainly because field - The High Tech Texan on You Tube. name. Moftware Tech is a single they want to focus The solar cell charging device by Amzer is software patented and intellecon establishing invention patented, sold in seven countries tual proprietary rights are held by direct customer - includes North America, Europe, United Dinesh Pinakin, CEO, who is also r e l a t i o n s h i p s . Kingdom, India and other parts of Asia. an MBA graduate from Leeds, “The service as- Amzer also makes car chargers, attractive UK. He specialized in Software pect is just lost phone skins, audio video cables, product Solutions Applications and Serwhen you allow charger cradles, batteries and other prodvices (SAP), Management InPinakin Dinesh, CEO, and Pallavi Dinesh, COO, Fommy.com, stand in a third party to ucts. formation Systems, with special Cosmo Satellite provides internet and emphasis on Enterprise Resource their warehouse showcasing their AMZER universal solar cell charger, deal with your Planning. An alumnus of ATT, he their latest product that is eco-friendly and helps charge any electronic products, you are satellite television products and services. not able to deliver Pinakin is ready to launch his next branch has gained the experience to run gadget with an USB outlet. the services part e-commerce TV linking it up with the interhis business efficiently. of the purchase to net. This is already becoming the trend of Fommy.com is already the king of all web never satisfied with our current status. We your consumer directly.”

Pinakin Dinesh, today. But Pinakin wants to do something are constantly analyzing how we can do sites for the cellphone industry. Now you CEO maintains. better, how we can deliver better customer don’t have to drive around town searchcontinued on page 27 ing for a brick and mortar store for buying solutions. That is our your cell phone or an accessory. They have 2010 goal. Ultimately everything online down to the last detail. what matters is a happy Most new products entering the cell phone consumer. The modern day consumer is very smart.

They know the prices of all the gadgets out there.

So there is no INDIVIDUAL & point of sellGROUP ing them the TERM & product on a WHOLE LIFE higher price.

We save our DENTAL consumDISABILITY ers time and money when LONG TERM CARE they shop market are inspected and reviewed by their with us.” Pallavi Dinesh staff. Their Moftware software enables emphatically points out. them to see the popularity of the products She has majored with a Sam Merchant being purchased by their customers online. Masters in AnthropolAccordingly they either order more of that ogy from Washington Reliance Business Solutions 3300 S.Gessner Rd, Ste 176, Houston, TX-77063 item or discontinue the product or if it is D.C. When the customwww.gorelianceusa.com going out of use. Currently they carry about ers they serve are happy INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

Fommy.com Revolutionizing the Wireless World

Indians Most Keen to Switch Jobs: Survey

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continued from page

25

drastically different. He is in talks with internet cable providers asking them to increase bandwidth by splitting and combining six or maybe even ten T1 lines to maximize upload speeds for TV and product commercials faster online so that it saves valuable upload time. This is a request that no one has ever put forward and it gets them nowhere as the telecommunications industry is yet to catch up with Pinakin’s idea of speed powering up the internet to the dizzy level. “This will help cut short the tech upload times for each video we try to make commercially for ourselves or our online clients. I also see potential for the commercial internet shopping network where this technology can be used to full effect.” If this comes into play, what happens is the download speeds also will increase, thereby the end user receives an internet streaming experience that can be watched nonstop just like TV in full flow. The commercial viability for doing online business uninterrupted by implementing this is unlimited.

Fommy by Moftware Tech is one of the fastest growing private online companies in America rated so by Inc 500 | 5000. It is ranked 40 in the top 100 Retailers in America (*2008 Ratings).

Moftware has business dealings all over the world as it is easily accessible by the internet. They

do not have their own retail store.

Pallavi, Chief Operations Officer, hesitates to open a retail store even today, seven years into the business. Their online business model is only growing stronger with their increasing client base.

“Our online retail and wholesale business has garnered good reviews from its customers. We have several requests to open a retail store at a particular location by our vendors and media partners. But we have not committed to doing that as our customers are happy shopping online.” she says.

True, Fommy provides them with the best online shopping experience and product display features using social networks effectively.

A consumer shopping for a cell phone or accessory or MP3 product is able to see what they will actually be receiving. They are able to look into the box, examine the products, read reviews and make an informed purchase decision before they even spend a penny - a feature that is not widely offered on all products by the traditional retail stores. A dedicated staff makes this available and this customer service translates into sales for their web site. Biz Rate has gotten some exceptionally good reviews many over 8.0 points from over 2500 consumers, many of whom will shop Fommy again. Fommy simply put is king and industry leading online retailer for cell phone devices and gad-

getry much like Amazon is for books, Ebay for auctions, Tiger Direct for Electronics and Sephora for Cosmetics. Fommy is now the cell phone spaceship docked in cyberspace with the rest.

Friends, well wishers, who warned, advised and persuaded Pinakin Dinesh not to enter into the wireless distributions business by himself are now eating up their words. They asked him not to put himself up against ATT, Sprint, Motorola and other cell phone providers. Pinakin says “ATT is a gigantic meteor in the business space. I did not go into competition with them or anyone else. I just went into business for myself. My vision was to provide consumers with quality cell phone products and services as I knew that the cell phone was quickly becoming an indispensable household item.

The advances in the cell phone industry are still continuing and I am very happy I made the right choice today.”

Fommy rewards its customers shopping online by giving them free shipping and giveaways on special holidays or promotions.

This works ten times better than advertising and gets them better word of mouth referrals.

Pinakin and Pallavi are constantly on their toes working hard as the rest of their hundred plus dedicated staff around the world, making sure that each day counts, each order shipped, gets to their

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Employee movement has been limited for more than a year due to a lack of job opportunities during the economic downturn

By Poornima Mohandas BANGALORE: As many as 80% of Indian employees are open to switching jobs in the next six months, topping a job mobility index of workers in 23 countries surveyed by Dutch human resources firm Rans t a d Holdings NV. The ‘Global Ranstad Wo r k Monitor’, which publishes a quarterly mobilty index, has a minimum sample size of 400 workers in each country across sectors. Its latest review was released in India on Thursday.

India, included in the study for the first time, is highest on the mobility index followed by Mexico, China and Turkey.

Male employees in the 18-24 age group with undergraduate or graduate-level education are seen to be the most mobile, it added.

Employee movement has been

limited for more than a year due to a lack of job opportunities during the economic downturn.

Staff mobility is the downside of growth, said E. Balaji, chief executive at Ma Foi Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd. “If for oneand-a-half years people have not experienced growth they are likely to shift (jobs).”

Balaji said India tops the mobility chart buoyed by its economic growth and its comparatively young working population.

During the downturn, the otherwise ambitious Indian worker held on to his job as companies turned cautious on hiring. Now, India’s economy is predicted to grow at 8.5% in fiscal 2010-11, up from an estimated 7.2% in the current fiscal.

The optimism in those numbers is reflected in other recent employee surveys as well.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

B U S I N E S S in d ia

Thailand’s Srithai to Set Up Units in India

NEW DELHI: Thailand’s Srithai Superware PLC on Friday said it would invest around Rs. 150 crore in India over the next five years to set up four units to manufacture its melamine products.

Capacity “We have aggressive plans for India. We will start four facilities with a total capacity of 12,000 tonnes of melamine products annually. Our first plant will be operational by early next year,” Srithai Superware Chairman and President Sanan Angubolkul told journalists here.

Local partners Srithai is also scouting for local partners to form a joint venture for manufacturing as well as retailing its products. “We want to make India as one of our major global markets.

While 70 per cent of our investment will come from our global office, the balance would come from a local partner. It is for this reason that we are keen to form a joint venture in India with a local player. We have already shortlisted some potential partners and the final announcement will be made soon,” Mr. Angubolkul said.

Srithai is world’s largest melamin-

BETS ON INDIA: (from left) Mita Chauhary, Country Head, Srithai Superware India, Alok Gupta Director, Sanan Angulbolkul, Chairman Srithai Superware PLC, Thailand, and Atil Jogani, Director, at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, March 12.

eware company.

Revenue target Stating that they were targeting revenue worth $60 million (Rs. 275 crore) in India in the next three-four years, he said in India they had started the business by unveiling ‘Ektra’ range of lifestyle melamineware.

“Our India facilities will be mainly directed to address local demand but we will also export our dishware and other products from here to neighbouring South Asian countries and the Middle East markets,” Mr. Angubolkul added.

BIG Cinemas now in Manhattan

MUMBAI: BIG Cinemas, a division of Reliance MediaWorks Ltd. and a member of Reliance ADA Group, on Monday strengthened its global footprint with the reopening of ImaginAsian Theater as BIG Cinemas Manhattan in Midtown East, New York.

BIG Cinemas Manhattan strives to bring the best of movie going experience and customer service to its patrons.

After undergoing major renovations over the past months, including aesthetic, audio and visual enhancements, the theatre now features brand new and comfortable recliner seating, remodelled restrooms, expanded lobby with an upBIG Cinemas, India’s largest cinema chain, a division of dated concession stand, LCD screens and Reliance MediaWorks Ltd and a member of Reliance ADA box office, as well as BARCO 2k digital Group, strengthened its global footprint with the reopening projection in the auditorium, according to of ImaginAsian Theater as BIG Cinemas Manhattan in a company release.

Midtown East, New York.

Special shows : The theatre will host several premier and special shows in keeping with its aim to provide a distinguished programming plan to its patrons. New York has a large and affluent Asian Indian population with over 300,000 Indians having a strong affinity towards Indian movies and BIG Cinemas Manhattan will now provide a destination for a luxurious cinematic experience, the release adds. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Anil Arjun, CEO of Reliance MediaWorks that operates the BIG Cinemas brand of cinema chain world-wide, said, “New York with its fast-growing and prosperous population of Indians, is the epicentre of growth for us and we see considerable opportunity here in the exhibition infrastructure space starting with the redevelopment of BIG Cinemas Manhattan. The theatre has undergone some remarkable changes and we are proud to present it as such a distinguished movie destination with best of amenities, services and film programming.”

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Chitra Kathas on iPhone, Cartoon Network

Now you can watch your favorite Amar Chitra Katha stories on the go.

ATLANTA: ACK-Media the pub- their rich heritage. Four decades later, lisher of Amar Chitra Katha Comics Pai’s heroes are ready to make an aniand iRemedi Corp have joined hands mated debut on Cartoon Network.

It was in August that Cartoon Network to bring the immensely popular and one of India’s largest selling comic andAmar Chitra Katha, nowACK Media, books series Amar Chitra Katha on inked a deal to animate select ACK titles. iPhones and iPods to be accessed by They are now ready with 26 half-hour episodes of stories about Kumbhkaran, NRI children worldwide.

Amar Chitra Katha consist of 400 Arjun, Vishnu, Shivaji, etc—and will start titles narrating stories from the great airing them from 28 March.

The partnership has also resulted in two Indian epics, mythology, history, folklore and fables in a comic book format animated films—Tripura: The Three Citand more than 90 million copies of ies of Maya and Sons of Rama—which Amar Chitra Katha has been sold in will be released later this year.Samir Patil, the CEO and founder of ACK Media, has 20 different Indian languages.

Atlanta based iRemedi have an in- been aggressive in his efforts to make novative mobile content delivery and the comics available on newer platforms touch media viewing solution called such as video-game consoles, iPhones Ether Media and this has helped and home videos. The next natural step, them to collaborate with ACK to according to him, was animation.

In turn, Turner International, which bring to the iPhone world 40 of the most popular ACK Titles including owns Cartoon Network and Pogo, has the stories woven around Ganesha, been steadily turning to local content to Krishna, Buddha, Dasha Avatar, consolidate its viewership. Starting with Rama, Mahabharata, Bagwad Gita, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Ram, Birbal, Panchatantra and Jesus Christ. acquired by Turner in 1991, the company They are now available for purchase has collected several titles that deal with at $1.99 in Apple’s iTunes stores in Indian mythology, fables and history. more than 82 countries across the Monica Tata, Turner’s vice-president and deputy GM, says the popularity of shows globe.

In 1967, Anant Pai founded the comic such as Chhota Bheem and Krishna is series Amar Chitra Katha, believing that proof of the strategy’s success.

Amar Chitra Katha animated series values are taught best through entertainment. His small group of artists and he goes on air on 28 March on Cartoon drew the contours of Indian myths, epics Network and will be available in India in and heroes to familiarize children with English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

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INDIA

Air India-Indian Airlines: ‘Incompatible Marriage’ NEW DELHI: Once again, the merger between Air India and Indian Airlines has been strongly criticized by a committee of experts. A government Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) panel has described the merger as “the root cause of all that ails India’s national airline today.”

In January, a parliamentary committee headed by Sitaram Yechury said the merger had been taken in haste, and had “given rise to so many problems concerning financial, administrative and operational (issues), which could not be foreseen by the people who took this Praful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation. decision.”

The new report is even tougher, like two separate airlines, with Air decision.” Members of the panel saying the “erroneous” merger is India handling international flights stop short of naming Civil Aviation like “a marriage between two in- and Indian Airlines focusing on the Minister Praful Patel, but say whoever recommended the merger to the compatible parties.” The PSU panel domestic sector.

The committee says it’s critical to cabinet should be held accountable recommends that in order to crawl out of its financial abyss, Air India identify the “agencies and individu- for causing huge losses to a public and Indian Airlines should function als responsible for this whimsical sector company.

Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

Government Indicates Next FS-Level Talks in Islamabad NEW DELHI: On March 15, Government indicated that the next round of Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan will take place in Islamabad to take forward the dialogue process.

“The Foreign Secretary of Pakistan came here for the talks. So, perhaps it is the turn of Indian Foreign Secretary to go to Pakistan. So, let us move step by step,” External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said here on the sidelines of the India-Africa conclave here.

There is speculation that talks between the two sides could take place later this month. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir had come to India on February 24 for talks with Nirupama Rao during which the Indian side made it clear that Pakistan has to take

effective and transparent action to stop acts of terror emanating from its soil.

Krishna said, “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken an initiative in good faith to hold Foreign Secretary level talks with Islamabad.” Asked if Singh would meet his Pakistani counterpart in Washington in April on the sidelines of the nuclear security summit, the minister was non-committal, saying, “keep speculating.”

Addressing the conclave, Krishna said India will establish 19 institutions to develop human resources and capacities in Africa.Krishna said under the e-networking project for 47 African countries, half of them were already connected and efforts were underway to integrate the remaining.

Indo-American News

Domino’s Pizza to Expand

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NEW DELHI: The US-based fast food giant Domino’s Pizza on Thursday said India would make significant contributions to its revenues to become one of its top five revenue generators in the next three years. To expand aggressively in the Indian market, the company will be opening around 60-65 outlets every year for the next three years.

“India currently is one of the fastest growing markets for us and ranks among the top 10 in our global list. In the next three years, India will be among our top five markets. India today contributes around 1.5-2 per cent to our annual global sales, and this figure would double in the next few years,” Domino’s Pizza President and CEO J. Patrick Doyle told journalists.

Targets Rs. 420 cr sales: In India, Domino’s Pizza operates under a master franchise agreement with the Bhartia group-promoted Jubilant Foodworks. In January this year, Jubilant had listed the Domino’s brand. The company is hoping to end this fiscal with a total sales turnover of Rs. 420 crore.

“We have opened 65 outlets in India this fiscal, which is the highest number in any market. This shows the growth potential for us here. We will be opening around 60-65 outlets every year for the next three years.

We will cross the 500-outlets mark in three years.” Mr. Doyle added.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

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Kingfisher to Launch 7 International Routes this Summer India’s second largest private carrier Kingfisher Airlines will launch seven international routes this summer, which include a daily non-stop flight between New Delhi and London starting March 28 and one between New Delhi and Hong Kong beginning April 7.

The two services are part of seven new international routes, for which Kingfisher Airlines received traffic rights from the Indian government last month, Kingfisher Airlines Commercial Administration and Industrial Affairs General Manager Arjun Dasgupta said at the ITB Berlin 2010 -- the world’s largest tourism fair.

The other routes include New Delhi-Bangkok, New Delhi-Dubai, Mumbai-Colombo, Mumbai-Bangkok and Mumbai-Dubai.

In an interview to PTI here Mr. Dasgupta said wide-bodied twin-aisle Airbus A330-200 aircraft configured in two classes will be deployed for flights to London and Hong Kong.

No dates have been set for the other flights, but they are expected to be launched this summer. They will be served by Airbus A320 aircraft,

Mr. Dasgupta said, adding that the company’s expansion plans abroad and its efforts to consolidate its share of the domestic market were at the centre of its marketing campaign at the five-day ITB Berlin.

Tour operators and trade visitors from Europe and other regions have responded positively to the airline’s intentions to step up its international services and evinced interest to cooperate in different areas, he said.

Continental Europe is not in the airline’s expansion plans at present and its strategy is to consolidate its presence abroad and maximise its extensive domestic network so that it can move forward in this challenging situation for the industry, Mr. Dasgupta said.

Kingfisher Airlines will consider possibilities for cooperation with other European carriers at a later stage, he said.

The company’s international operations are yet to make profit, but the expansion of its services abroad is expected to contribute to a turnaround in the coming years, Mr. Dasgupta said.

Kingfisher Airlines began its international operations by launching a direct flight from Bangalore to London in September, 2008. It was followed by a direct flight from Mumbai to London in early 2009.

Besides its daily services to London, the airline currently operates daily direct flights from New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore to six destinations in the South and Southeast Asian region.

Kingfisher Airlines slimmed down its fleet to 69 aircraft as part of a rationalisation programme and it operates around 360 daily flights on its domestic route network and around 100 a week on its international route network. The Hindu

26/11: Photographers’ Evidence Corroborated

By Rahi Gaikwad MUMBAI: The prosecution in the 26/11 case on Friday sought to corroborate the testimonies of two press photographers, Sebastian D’Souza of Mumbai Mirror and Sriram Vernekar of The Times of India (TOI), with documentary evidence. Both photojournalists had taken snaps of the lone surviving gunman Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and on a bridge outside the CST on the night of November 26, 2008.

Anticipating the defence to contend that the photographs could be morphed, the prosecution said the question of morphing did not arise.

By suggesting to Mr. D’Souza that his photos had appeared in print and in the electronic media, the defence lawyer in his cross-examination had indirectly admitted to the photographer’s presence at the CST, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam argued.

“Thus whatever he photographed there [is in the photographs]. Where is the question of morphing?”

Mr. Nikam said the eyewitness accounts of Mr. D’Souza and Mr. Vernekar corroborated with documentary evidence in the form of the photographs they had taken.

During the argument, judge M.L. Tahaliyani took the view that the court was not inclined to believe that eyewitnesses in the 26/11 case had never seen Kasab’s photographs in newspapers or on TV before going for the identification parades or deposing in court. However, this did not amount to rejection of their evidence,

us take a practical and realistic approach,” Mr. Tahaliyani told Mr. Nikam.

The prosecution argued the evidence of witnesses pertaining to the taxi blast at Vile Parle. Mr. Nikam referred to Kasab’s judicial confession, in which he admits to fitting a timer to the bomb and setting the time of the explosion to take place one hour and 15 minutes after he and his partner Abu Ismail left the taxi at CST. The blast ocThis photograph taken on Nov. 26, 2008, shows curred around Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving 9.45 p.m. on gunman in the Mumbai attacks, at the Chatrapathi November 26, Sivaji Terminal railway station in Mumbai.

2008.

Deceased pasMr. Tahaliyani stated. senger Laxminarayan Goyal had “The only issue is whether witness- spoken to his daughter during his taxi es have identified Kasab on the basis ride and after 11.45 p.m. he could not of photographs by the media or on the be contacted. The prosecution argued basis of what they witnessed in real- that Vile Parle witnesses were not ity. I will reject statements denying toppled by the defence in the crosshaving seen Kasab’s photographs in examination. the media. I will take that portion as a The evidence of witnesses to the lie. However, that does not mean their murders in the lane behind Cama whole evidence is to be rejected. Let Hospital was also discussed.-Hindu

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Cabinet Approves Bill to Allow Foreign Universities in India NEW DELHI: foreign university aspiring to set up a campus in India will have to deposit Rs 50 crore as corpus fund and cannot take back the surplus generated from education activities here.

These tough conditions are part of a bill approved by the Union Cabinet today to allow entry and operation of foreign education providers in India.

After hanging fire for over four years, the Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, was cleared by the Union Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

This paves way for its introduction in Parliament.

The major provisions of the bill are conditions like Rs 50 crore as corpus fund to be deposited by the aspiring institute to be allowed to operate in India.Each institute will have to be registered with the University Grants Commission or any regulatory body in place at the time of registration.

The bill has a provision under which the government can reject an application of a university if it feels that venture will have an adverse impact on national security.

“This bill is a milestone which will enhance choices, increase competition and benchmark quality,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said after the approval of the bill by Cabinet.

Provisions of Section 25 of the Companies Act will be applicable for

the foreign institutes. Under this provision, they cannot take the profit back but will have to spend the amount for further expansion of the institutions here.

The bill was approved by the Cabinet without any change on Monday, March 15.The proposed law prescribes a time bound format for granting approval to foreign educational institutions to set up campuses.

They will go through different levels of registration process during this period and will be finally registered with UGC or any other regulatory body in place.

Sibal has already said that quota laws will not be applicable to foreign universities setting up campuses in India.The passage of the bill in the Cabinet has attracted appreciations from educational institutions, including foreign universities.

“It is a milestone step. It will increase quality and access in the Indian education system. It is an opportunity programme for the foreign universities,” George Joseph, assistant secretary for International Affairs of Yale University, told PTI. Three other reforms bills, which were slated to be taken up in the Cabinet, were deferred to the next meeting.

These are - Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, Educational Tribunal Bill and Accreditation Bill.

Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore on Terror Alert NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry has issued an alert for Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore saying terrorists could target the three major cities.

Based on the interrogation of suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Salman Ahmed, the Home Ministry asked governments of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka to take all possible steps to foil any bid by terrorists to strike the cities.

“We are not taking any chances on whatever information we have received. So, we have alerted the concerned state governments to take all necessary security measures immediately,” a Home Ministry official said.

During his interrogation, Salman, who was suspected to be involved in serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, confessed that the Indian Mujahideen has set up bases in Karachi, Kathmandu, Dubai and a few places in Middle East under its so-called “Karachi Project”.

“He also confessed before the interrogators that IM cadres go to Pakistan either taking the route of Nepal or Bangladesh for training and he had

returned from Pakistan only in January last,” the official said.

Under the “Karachi Project”, IM sends Indian youths to Pakistan for terror training and again push back them to the country to carry out subversive activities. Salman, who was arrested on Saturday by AntiTerrorism Squad of Uttar Pradesh Police from Siddarth Nagar, is currently under the custody of Delhi Police.

The 21-year-old man, who is an accused in the 2008 serial blasts in Delhi, is said to be a key member of the Indian Mujahideen network, which has been involved in a series of blasts across the country.

Police claimed they have recovered a Nepali passport obtained under a fake name and an international SIM card from Ahmed’s possession.

After his name cropped up in the blast cases, police claimed, he moved to Nepal, where he allegedly got the passport issued in June 2009. With the help of the passport, which was issued in the name of Mohd Fahad Ansari, the IM operative travelled to Pakistan and other countries.

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

Meri Yamuna Cleanup Campaign Founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravishankar takes out plastic bags from polluted river Yamuna during ‘Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna’ campaign.

Mayawati’s Lakh Cash Malas Creates Furore in Lok Sabha

LUCKNOW (ToI):In an open show of defiance, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati was on Wednesday felicitated with another cash garland worth Rs 18 lakh, ahead of a party meeting.

Clearly unrepentant, the BSP said it would always welcome the party chief with cash from now on. This second cash garland is a reply to our foes, the party said.

The latest cash garland was made from cash collected as donations from 18 party units and was made of Rs 100, 500 and 1000 notes.

Just two days earlier, on Monday, Mayawati was presented with a ‘multi-crore’ garland at a rally in Lucknow. The issue brought Lok Sabha to a halt as they slammed the BSP chief, even as the Income Tax department started a probe into the source of the money.

The department is reportedly collecting photographs and video footage of the garland from various sources, including newspapers and TV channels that covered the event.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh

accused Mayawati of misusing which forced repeated adjournpublic money, and said that she ments in LS, finally leading to is not the daughter of a Dalit, but premature end of the first-half of the daughter of wealth. budget session. For thesecond Mayawati has been in conday, Mayawati found herself troversy in the past for colat the centre of ruckus in LS, lecting public donations on with Bareilly riots having found her birthdays. An enthusiastic strong echo on Monday.

BSP worker from Kanpur had Congress MP Jagdambika gifted a plot on the moon on Pal brought up the issue of garher birthday this year. The BSP land made of Rs 1,000 notes supremo’s diamond jewellery no sooner the LS assembled, sets and her statues carrying a triggering a free-for-all after purse have been hot topics of question hour. Samajwadi MPs discussion in political circles. led by Mulayam Singh Yadav But Monday’s extravaganza were up on their feet demanding to celebrate 25 years of BSP’s an inquiry, saying the garland existence and 76th birth anniwas estimated around Rs 10versary of founder Kanshi Ram 15 crore. sets a new bar.

They were, however, met with Congress and Samajwadi an equally vociferous resistance Party brought Lok Sabha to a from BSP MPs Gorakhnath halt on the last day before rePandey, Surendra Nagar and cess as they targeted BSP chief The IT department is looking into the sources of Dhananjay Singh who did not Mayawati for the “multi-crore” income for Mayawati’s cash garland. let the chair allow the members currency garland presented to to speak on the issue. her at a rally, even as the Income Congress seized the occasion While the Union government said Tax department has started a probe “it will look into the matter”, it failed to target the BSP chief. While Pal into the source of the money. to satisfy the agitated anti-BSP axis and former Mayawati aide P L Punia joined the protest, even Union minis-

ter Sriprakash Jaiswal tried to make a point. The fight spilled out of LS. Mohd Azharuddin called the display of currency notes “shameful”. AICC spokesman Manish Tiwari dubbed Mayawati as `Nero’, referring to her celebrations when Bareilly was burning.

BSPMPVijay Bahadur Singh called the drama a calculated Congress ploy to evade discussion on issues like price rise and food shortage. “Congress was looking for an opportunity to avoid meaningful discussion in LS on critical issues. The listing of the nuclear liability bill was for the same reason and now the pettiness over garland. Congress should improve its performance.”

Singh said Congress was rattled by the gathering at BSP’s rally in Lucknow. “I challenge it to fill 20% of Ramabai maidan,” he said.

The income tax department has sought photographs of the garland as part of its probe. Sources said that as per rules, BSP will be asked to explain its expenditure details for the rally and the source of the funds when its files its I-T returns at the end of this fiscal.

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b o o k r e v ie w

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We Are Still Like This Only The collection of bite-sized commentaries covers wellworn ground, but does so with joy and hope name and a new home address in less than 23 years…”

But, in fact, Mother Pious Lady is not at all like that. It does not explain why we are like this. It does not tell us how to manipulate our quintessential Indianness (indeed, the book that I was continuously reminded of while reading this one was an anthology of Busybee columns by the wonderful Behram Contractor).

Instead, Desai’s book is a collection of musings on all the little whimsies, quirks and tendencies that define Indians individually and collectively.

Yes, of course, there are generalizations. And these generalizations are

it slowly. His clothes are more normal and he woos his woman less roughly, but in many ways he is the same. As a society we still need our Heroes (sic) to do six impossible things before the first song in Switzerland. He must not appear ordinary, for we still have too much of that commodity going around in our own lives.”

None of this is new, but Desai is gifted with two rare qualities: an ability to write wonderful, pithy sentences, and a perfect sense of when to stop writing these sentences. This ensures that even when he is talking about clichéd “Indian things”, the reading is worthwhile and never boring:

By Sidin Vadukut When I began reading Santosh Desai’s Mother Pious Lady, I expected a somewhat Indianized version of Freakonomics or even Paco Underhill’s Why We Buy. Both books, somehow, sought to first state the way in which individuals and communities behaved, then investigate why they acted that way, and finally, how we could somehow use math or science or supermarket design to manipulate this behaviour.

All in order to bring about social uplift, better healthcare or, in Underhill’s case, higher sales and profit (in any Indian on wheels: Desai dedicates a chapter to the humble autorickshaw, case, I do rec- ubiquitous in some of our cities. ommend Why We Buy. It is a fascinating exposé on why the light- not exhaustive: They largely focus on Desai on those ubiquitous “badges” ing in some shops is so bright, why that eponymous Indian middle class carefully bestowed on organizers at we feel uncomfortable in narrow that everyone from blogger Great- puja mandals and Lions Club felicitasupermarket aisles and why in God’s bong to stand-up comic Russell Pe- tions: “The badge is a quasi-uniform name they always shove watches, ters derives endless inspiration from. converting disconnected people into perfumes and jewellery right in your But then they are never malicious. a cadre. The badge converts a lower face when you walk into a Shoppers And one has to admit, they are also division clerk into an officer bristling Stop. Some of the conclusions may quite true. Much like Desai, when with disappointment… and a housebe apocryphal, but it makes for splen- he makes the occasional reference to wife into a despot with untrammelled did intellectual shine at weddings and his own family and upbringing, I too powers.”That is part of a crackling cocktails). was brought up dreading three things: two-page piece. Just one more paraDesai, a veteran ad man, currently not becoming an engineer, being graph, and badge overkill would have heads Future Brands, a “branding pickpocketed in public transport and happened. services and consulting company”. that terrible social evil called “love Mother Pious Lady slows in the He is also a columnist and a social marriage”. second half when Desai touches upon commentator. All this, coupled with To this day, when I step into a larger issues such as politics. The best the tag line of the book—“Making Delhi Metro or a DTC bus, I quickly way to read this book is not to go Sense of Everyday India”—led me to manoeuvre towards a bar or pillar through it in one sitting. Or even in prepare for an Underhill-ian exposé and then lean posterior first. So that order. It is perhaps best read in short of why “We” are the way we are, and my wallet is safely squeezed between bursts—over lunch or during the what we can do with this informa- bar and butt. commute. Desai’s writing, honesty tion. And yes, I was secretly hoping Therefore, it is impossible not to and willingness to smile at himself, he’d tell me some devious means identify with the social and cultural and by extension at all of us, is reof manipulating my fellow Indians: truisms that Desai talks about, espe- freshing and oddly becalming. “…now that we know why public cially in the first half of the book (unMother Pious Lady wants to do sector employees work like that, this less you were/are very poor or very nothing more than remind you of the is how you can cleverly renew your rich). Desai on Hindi film heroes: way things were and the way they passport, in a new city, with a new “The Hero of today is changing, albe- are.- Mint

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A Bag that Could Solve India’s Toilet Woes NEW DELHI (PTI): It is a daily struggle for millions of slum dwellers in the country to get access to a toilet, a perennial problem that authorities have so far been unable to solve.

But, now a Swedish firm has come out with a solution -- Peepoo, a biodegradable toilet bag that can be used as fertiliser.

The toilet bag, which has recently undergone field trials in India, Bangladesh and Kenya, is expected to help mitigate the dreadful situation for millions, especially the women in the slum areas, says its developer Anders Wilhelmson, an architect and professor in Stockholm.

“Peepoo is not just a toilet bag, it’s a solution to human waste disposal problem, the biggest obstacle to sanitation and public health in developing countries like India,” Wilhelmson said in an email interview from Stockholm.

“It will be of great help particularly for women, who often wait all day until it is dark to go to the toilet, increasing their chances of infections.”

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 600 million people or 55 per cent of Indians still do not have access to toilets. About 54.71 per cent of urban slums have no toilet facility and most free community toilets built by the government are rendered unusable because of the lack of maintenance,

the UNDP report for 2009 said.

Camilla Wirseen, one of the founders of the Peepoo project, said the bag is designed in a way that it is easy to use and hygienic.

The Peepoo

is clean from the beginning and doesn’t smell after use and very importantly, it makes collection of waste very easy,” Camila Wirseen said.“It works like micro treatment plant and cuts the contamination. This

will save lives.”

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) data, an estimated 400,000 children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea and other infections caused by poor sanitation and hygiene which is largely because of open defecation of waste that contaminates drinking water.

The innovation will prove highly beneficial to control the situation, Wi l h e l s o n said, adding that his organisation (Peepoople AB) has carried out a small ground test in Bihar and “the response was overwhelming”.

Megh Pyne Abhiyan, an NGO, has carried out the trial in three flood-hit districts of Bihar --Supaul, Khagaria, Saharsa-- last year.

Describing Peepoo’s other features, the officials said the bioplastic bag can be used as fertiliser, which is an expensive and scarce commodity in countries like India.

Once used, the 14x38 cm slim elongated bag can be knotted and buried under the earth. With a layer of urea crystals, the waste can turn into fertiliser, killing off disease-producing

pathogens found in feces.

“Not only is it sanitary, they can reuse this to grow crops,” Wilhelmson said.

“You can use it directly in a small container or Garden-in-a-Sack. It can also be processed and mixed with topsoil and loam (clay+sand) creating a soil filled with nutrients.”

About the cost of the bag, the officials said, it will be comparable to the price of polythenes used to collect garbage.

“I believe fertiliser is subsidised in India. Peepoo is fertiliser, maybe it can be subsided either by the government or international organisations,” Camilla said.

She, however, said they have not yet collaborated with any Indian firm for its production or sale in the

country.“But, we are getting a lot of interest from Indian citizens who have expressed their willingness to cooperate and help,” she said, adding that if things go as planned the bag will be available in India soon.

However they said, Peepoople is currently focusing on Kenya and Bangladesh.

Soon the company will start manufacturing and selling the toilet bag in both the two countries and soon a production unit with high capacity will be set up in India, they added.

The market for low-cost toilets in the developing world is about a trillion dollars, according the World Toilet Organization, a sanitation advocacy group, which has been organising World Toilet Summit ever year since 2001.

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India in Pictures Sikh devotees pay obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar to mark the beginning of the Sikh new year.

A crying relative looks at three-yearold Gurshan Singh Channa, who was killed in Australia, during his funeral procession in Kotkapura.

Police officers look down at the wreckage of a bus that fell from a bridge into a dry riverbed in Sawai Madhopur district, Rajasthan, killing at least 26 students and teachers on board.

A man dries his clothes after bathing in the Ganga during the Kumbh Mela festival in Haridwar.

Congress President SoPrime Minister Manmohan Singh, il Nadu M. Karunani- Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan Tam of r nia Gandhi and Chief Ministe Secretariat in Chennai. with his daughter Suhana during the IPL match dhi at the inauguration of the new with Bangalore Royal Challengers in Kolkata.

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Desi V o i c es

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Your Life, Our Business: Life in India for NRIs

By Lakshmi Palecanda Question: What is the one thing that is freely and ungrudgingly given away by Indians, with great pleasure?

Answer: An opinion.

I realized this just recently, when I moved back from the United States to India with my family. The moving experience itself was a little traumatic, but what came after was a lot of drama. We were assailed with opinions right and left, pro and con, for and against, good and bad, right and wrong, until we were totally dizzy.

We, who had been left well alone for almost 20 years in the Unied States, were being told what was wrong with our lives and how we could go about correcting it before it became too late and we were totally ruined.

This experience left me in tears, and even shook up my husband, who is normally made of sterner stuff.

It started off quite well, actually.

The first three people we met congratulated us.

“You did the right thing in coming back,” they said.

“There is recession there now,” said one man. BPOs were laying off people right and left in India too, but we didn’t comment.

“Too much swine flu,” said a woman. She had probably missed all the local reports about dengue, encephalitis, and chikungunya.

“Lots of racism, no?” asked another. Meanwhile local papers had been inundated with stories of people killing each other in religious riots.

But the fourth wasn’t happy with us. “Why did you come back?” he demanded. When we replied that we wanted our children to know the people here, he was stunned. “Do you

really?” he asked.

This was just the harbinger of things about to come. We had admitted our children in an international school so that they would not feel too out of place amidst children from other countries. Almost immediately, we came under fire.

“You made a mistake,” said a neighbor.

“Those schools are useless,” said a relative.

“I heard about that school from the relative of a friend of an acquaintance, and it is bad,” said an acquaintance of a friend’s relative. They all magnanimously agreed that we had to make the best of a bad deal for a year, and then switch to another school. At this point, they had a falling out.

“East or West, CBSE syllabus is the best,” said one. “Without high marks, you can’t get anywhere in India, and for that State Board is ideal,” said another. “I say always go with ICSE, for it has the best exposure to every subject,” pontificated the third. While they were arguing with each other, we quickly made our exit.

This scenario was repeated over and over, with variations in the subject, but no change in the theme. Each one of our decisions was analyzed endlessly, be it our internet provider or our tamarind seller. I wondered why they did it. Was it because they were truly concerned that we got Airtel TV instead of Tata Sky, or Samsung instead of Kelvinator? It was just a trivial matter, wasn’t it?

Or perhaps they were just bored as nothing interesting was happening

in their own lives. Certainly IPL was taking a break, and there was only the Khan controversy and swine flu to talk about. But we were no Kennedys of the United States or British royalty for providing fodder for gossip. What

could we be doing that could cause phone wires to hum, and people to stay up at nights?

We didn’t have to actively do anything, as it turned out. We were just fresh meat in a society of flies that loved to mind each other’s business.

True, it was all done with the best of intentions to help us. But it sure bothered us, because a lot of the advice was conflicting, and all the people who were offering it were our “people”, friends, relatives, neighbors, and such, people who supposedly cared about us, and, therefore, people whom we didn’t dare offend.

And they did get offended if we didn’t take their advice, even in the most insignificant matters.

“Why don’t you use the coffee-

maker that you bought the other day?” my husband asked me when he saw me use an old-fashioned filter.

“Your relative said to use this, she swears by it,” I replied.

“But that is absurd,” was the reply.

“You should do what is convenient to you.”

“Really?” I asked slyly.

“Then why do you go all the way to that petrol pump outside the city every time?” He had the grace to look embarrassed. His cousin had recommended it. Once this fact was out in the open, we discussed things frankly. “I am scared all the time, no matter what I do,” I confessed. “I know that however careful I am, I am going to be offending somebody.”

“I know what you mean,” said hubby somberly. “But we just can’t go on this way.

We have to take a stance and live our lives the way we think best. It has worked so far.”From then on, we tried to make a conscious effort to try and think for ourselves, and make our own decisions. However, from time to time, I did fall off the wagon, as it were, and did things a certain way just because somebody approved it.

One such decision was my strategy for finding a job in biotechnology in our local area.

“I’m going to go to the local University and ask about any biotech companies in the area. That nice cousin of yours said it was a good idea,” I announced the other day.

“Wait a minute,” objected my husband. “When I suggested the same thing, you said it would be too te-

dious. And which ‘nice cousin’ of mine are you talking about?”

“You should be happy that someone else thought your idea was a good one,” I scolded. “Don’t you remember the nice guy who came the other day at the same time as the provision store delivery?”

“That wasn’t my cousin. That was the fellow who shared the auto-driver’s seat.”“Oh!” I was totally stymied.

Then I recovered. “He must be the owner of the store or something like that. He had a lot of opinions.”

Two days later, my husband had the occasion to go back to that provision store. He sought me out on his return.

“That ‘nice guy’ who approved your job search isn’t the owner of the store. He doesn’t even work there. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even live in our city. He is the cousin of the owner’s housemaid. He was just visiting the area for a couple of days.”

“What’s his profession?” I faltered.“He is a basic services provider at an exclusive social networking site,” was the reply. But before I could rejoice came the clarification.

“In other words, he wipes the tables at his village’s only tea shop.”

I stared at my man with a stricken look in my eyes. Had I sunk to seeking the approval of chai-shop boy in my overwhelming desire to fit in?

Seeing my sad state, my beloved took pity on me. “Don’t feel too bad,” he said. “That day, after delivering our provisions, he went next door.

It seems he discussed a lot of things with our neighbors as well.

Remember that really expensive car they bought that is too big to fit into their parking space? They bought it on his recommendation.”-IC

Indian Teenage Baseball Players Chase the Great American Dream NEW DELHI: Two Indian teenagers are chasing an American dream as baseball professionals and their promoters hope they can stir up interest in the game in their cricket-mad homeland.

Rinku Singh, 18, and fellow javelin thrower Dinesh Patel began a yearlong training stint in Los Angeles last week after winning an Indiawide pitching contest, “The MillionDollar Arm”.

The boys, from poor families, used their natural shoulder strength to take the top two spots from among 8,000 participants.

Another teenager, Manoj Shukla, will receive a month’s training after he came third of the 27 finalists.

The winners, who were handed their visas in a ceremony at the US embassy in New Delhi, will get an opportunity to be assessed by professional baseball scouts at the end of their one-year stint.

Their US-based promoters are hoping the youngsters can make it as professionals, saying such success would boost baseball in India in the same way that Yao Ming’s move to the NBA created a fan base for basketball in China.

“Yao Ming has been a huge success in linking China and the USA

in basketball and has created over 350 million new fans of the game in China over the past seven years he has played in the US,” Jeff Bernstein, managing director of 7 Figures Management, a sports marketing and management firm, told Reuters.

“Our hope is that our contestants can duplicate that success in baseball, creating fans in India over time through following these Indian nationals in their baseball career in the USA,” he said in an e-mail response to questions.

Commercial hub: India, world cricket’s commercial hub, has become a big draw for other sports hoping to tap into its booming economy.

Golf is taking giant strides and India staged its first European Tour events this year while soccer authorities are pushing to revive the game in the country.The Australian Football League (AFL) announced plans this month to push the game in India in their search for new markets.

Singh, son of a truck driver from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, won the first prize of $100,000 after pitching at 87 mph (140 kph) and being declared the most accurate.

Patel was fastest overall at 89 mph (143 kph) but was second in accuracy while the 17-year-old Shukla topped

86 mph.

Bernstein said he decided to test the throwing skills among Indian youngsters after watching a game of cricket.“That led to the idea to run a contest and identify those arms to see if any of them could be trained to play baseball in the US.” Live action:The winners began their stay in Los Angeles with trips to watch their first live baseball games.

“The training has started and it feels very good,” Singh told Reuters by telephone. “We’ve just got back after watching a match, we had no clue about the game.”

The left-handed Singh, who has hurled the javelin to a modest distance of 67 metres, is aware of the tough job on hand.

“The first trial was held when I had taken a break from my athletics training because of injury.

Our coach told me and Dinesh

that they were looking for a ‘bowler’ in this game,” he said. “I tried and felt good because here too you throw the ball javelin style.”

One of seven children, Singh is hoping he can forge a professional career and support his family. “My father was a truck driver but he is at home for the last one year,” he said. “I want to buy a truck for him, my (family) background is very bad.”

Dipesh Solanki, an Indian coach doubling up as interpreter for the boys, said the prize money had been

a big attraction.

“Actually, 80 per cent of them wanted to throw the ball and become rich.” Although Major League Baseball (MLB) games are televised live in India, they do not attract the same interest as NBA games or Formula One races.

Some baseball is played in the western state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, and an American club is promoting the game in the northeastern state of Manipur.- HT

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That’s The Way She Does It

A woman sarpanch in Karnataka got her village to build toilets first, then think of real estate booms by sugata srinivasaraju

Even before they had toilets in their homes, the people of Samethanahalli started to dream of crores. The real estate boom since 2002, coupled with the government’s intent in 2006 to set up an SEZ in the vicinity, and the fact that it is next door to the IT hubs of Whitefield and Sarjapur, had, in some sense, displaced the priorities of this gram panchayat in Hoskote taluka of Bangalore Rural district. However, it took a Dalit woman, M. Hemavathi, to set that right after she took over as panchayat president in August 2008.

This mother of two, aged 36, is in a hurry to show off her work and tell you that she recently collected the national Nirmala Gram Puraskar award from the Karnataka governor for improving sanitation. “We were to go to Delhi for the award, but I think there are too many gram panchayats in the country and it is difficult for the government to call all awardees to Delhi, so the function was organised in the Raj Bhavan,” she reasons. She begins to flip the pages of the many bulky photo albums lying on her table to narrate the story of her success— where her urban peers would have gone for a PowerPoint presentation.

Since Hemavathi took office, 660 new toilets have been created in the area under her panchayat, which includes five villages. Of the 1,880 households living there, 300 are BPL families. Now, all BPL families have independent toilets.

Hemavathi asks Nomesh Kumar, the gram panchayat secretary, to read out the cost breakup. “The 300 toilets were built at the cost of Rs 2,200 each,” he says. Around 260 toilets were also constructed for above poverty line (APL) households.

Now, all households under the gram panchayat have toilets. “The numbers make it look simple, but we had to work hard to convince people about the dangers of open defecation. We used street theatre to spread the message. I was particularly worried Hemavathi at work in the panchayat office about women getting attacked when they go to attend the call Hemavathi is of nature,” says Hemavathi. Besides unhappy that only all households, all anganwadis and all schools have toilets now.

80% of the children Since population in the gram in her village go to panchayat went up, two new schools school. She wants to and three new anganwadis have been make it 100%. started. But Hemavathi rues that only 80 per cent of the children go to school. Her aim now is to ensure that degree course to get married, but the all children in the gram panchayat panchayat secretary who reports to attend school. “I have two children, her has a PhD! Speaking of government schemes, a girl and a boy. The girl, in Std VIII, limps a little, so I have decided to Hemavathi says that they have implegive her good education,” she says. mented all of them “very well”. She “She goes to an English medium takes particular pride in NREGA. It school in Hoskote. I value education has been around for three years in the a lot.” Hemavathi dropped out of a jurisdiction of the gram panchayat

and for the first two years nobody registered for employment.

But over the last year, Hemavathi says, they have streamlined the process and spread awareness. At present 900 families get employment under the scheme. Similarly, tax collection in the village has been almost cent per cent. Under different housing schemes, they have also built 150 houses and dug six borewells since 2008.

“My other initiative is to help women’s self-help groups get loans.

I recommend their cases quickly,” she says. Then she asks: “Does this make us an ideal gram panchayat?”-

39

Baba Ramdev May Launch Political Party Yoga guru Baba Ramdev plans to launch his own party though he says he won’t fight elections. Baba Ramdev said he wants to ‘cleanse’ the system. The yoga guru would field candidates in all Lok Sabha constituencies.

Ramdev, who was in Ghaziabad on March 15th to participate in a school function, targeted the UPA government for not keeping the prices of essential commodities in check and alleged: “The intention of the government is very much doubtful towards poors and farmers”.

“No doubt Manmohan Singh is a good economist and he understands perfectly the growth rate, but he does not understand the economics of Dal-Roti (cereals and bread),” he told reporters.

He said common men eats bread and not the growth rate, which has no role in the life of those who live below poverty line.

The yoga guru said that he will field candidates in the 2014 general elections but not yet decided on his own candidature. He advocated reforms in the administrative system of the country.

Ramdev has already launched Bharat Swabhiman campaign with an aim to end corrupt practices, bring back the Indian black money and use it for the development of the nation besides changing the system that has been continuing since the British period, among others. - TOI

Outlook

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s t r ai g h t u p F OODT A L K

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STRAIGHT UP

Food Talk IndoAmerican News

Asian Food Expo Invites India “The food expo this year expects more Many hospitality developers have used last people to attend the event. So far, we have year’s downturn to upgrade at lower costs,� only 594 official visitors’ confirmation from Tan said.

According to the Tourism Satellite AccountIndia and just six participating companies. But we want at least 800 Indian companies to take ing (TSA) Research Report (2009), India is part in the business fair and maximum buyers’ projected to become the fifth largest growing footfalls,� Stephen Tan, chief executive of business destination from 2010-2019 with an Singapore Exhibition Services Private Limited, estimated 7.6 per cent share.

To keep alive the interest of buyers and parTuesday told the media in the capital, unveiling ticipants, several competitions like WSA Wine a brief model of the four-day festival.

The six participating Indian companies are Challenge under the Wine and Spirits Asia Aerolux India Limited (carpet and blinds 2010, an Asian pastry cup, Asia Barista (coffee blending) Championdesigners), Agrigold Foods and Farms Products Limited Displays of food produc- ship and Culinary Chal(processed food manufactur- tion, technology, culinary lenge for the chefs will ers), Desmond International wares, latest hospitality see the best of submissions from across the Limited (linen makers), R and D Engineers (baking designs, hospitality trends globe, the official from equipment makers), Raj and global food and wine Singapore said. Besides, Tandoor Corporation (tan- contests - the Food and Ho- seminars on energy efin kitchen, food door makers) and Ushodaya tel Asia 2010 exhibition in ficiency safety and designs will Enterprises (Indian spice and Singapore, in April, is ex- bring experts and pracpickle firm).

The biennial Food and pecting greater participa- titioners together.

The Indian wine inHotel Asia is billed as Asia’s tion of the Indian food and dustry is eyeing the largest food and hospitality event with anticipation. business show. It will be held hospitality industry. “Despite a marginal April 20-23. Last year, the drop in the Indian wine business of 10-15 per festival was attended by 52,900 people. “The consolidation of the events reflects the cent last year because of the downturn, we exoptimism in the Asian economy - particularly pect to recover with a 25-30 per cent projected in food, hospitality and travel industries. New growth rate this year,� ShubhasArora, president trade opportunities are emerging as developing of the Indian Wine Academy, said.

Indian wine has a niche market in Asia, he countries from Asia further open their doors to foreign trade and more tourist arrivals because said. “The Indian dry wines are popular in Singaof the lowered airfare by budget carriers. pore and in the SAVE YOUR MONEY rest of south-east PO %JOJOH Asia because the region has a large 1SJOU PVS DPVQPO Indian population,� Arora, who is on the panel of judges at the WSA Wine Chal* Only at participating restaurants! ** Single coupon applies per meal! lenge.

Credit: Kerala ilovegr8food@yahoo.com News

www.ilovegr8food.com 281-546-8433

FHA2010 Returns for Stronger Showing as Food and Hospitality Industry in Asia Rebounds Organizer of Asia’s Foremost Food and Hospitality Business Event Promises Bigger, Even More Comprehensive Show in April 2010 SINGAPORE – When the most influential players in Asia’s food and hospitality industry converge in Singapore from 20 – 23 April 2010 at FHA (Food&HotelAsia), they will likely be overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the exhibition. Expected to feature 2,800 exhibitors from 70 countries, the exhibition is also recognised for the vastness of its offerings, bringing the latest products and solutions from across the globe to the markets in the region.

T h e consolidation of the event reflects the optimism in the Asian economy, particularly in its food, hospitality and travel industries. The Asia Pacific international arrival numbers are expected to see a healthy four to five per cent growth between 2009 and 2011, with the main expansion occurring from 2010 onwards. New trade opportunities are surfacing as emergent countries from Asia further open their doors to foreign trade activities, and lower airfares brought on by the emergence of budget carriers have boosted demand for travel and hotels in the region. The forecast for Asia’s foodservice industry looks bright, as consumers become increasingly affluent and exposed beyond their cultural borders.

Foodservice companies are revising their services in order to meet growing demands arising from changing consumer habits. Recognising this, global players continue to press ahead with major expansion plans across Asia. “FHA has grown with the development of the industry in the region. Our aim has always been to maximise value to our exhibitors and visi-

tors, through raising the standards of the event and all of its components,� said Ms. Ting Siew Mui, Project Director for FHA from Singapore Exhibition Services. “Despite being the largest and most comprehensive business event for this industry in Asia, FHA is still developed to cater to the diverse needs of each company in the various sectors within the industry.

Companies will have the opportunity to explore the expanse of the event or focus on the specialised exhibits, innovative events and topical conferences most relevant to their immediate needs.�

Breaking new ground: FHA2010 is shaping up to be a recordbreaker. Spread across eight halls, or 82,000 square metres of exhibition space, at the Singapore Expo, this exhibition will cover more ground and feature more exhibitors than any other edition in its 32-year history.

With its wide range of exhibits, FHA2010 will offer opportunities for food and hospitality professionals to preview the latest products, equipment and technologies available in the global market, and harness trade opportunities – on one single platform.

The show will see the participation of over 40 group pavilions, compared to 33 previously. New group pavilions including those from Argentina, China, Dubai and Poland, will join perennial exhibitors from France, South Africa, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Turkey and many more.

WSA (Wine&SpiritsAsia), with the success

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Jab We Millet: The Humble Grain Gains as Health Food

MUMBAI (Outlook): Even in the home cooking too. “For the last few wheat and chickpea flour, has always world of grains, there is a caste sys- years, I mix liberal quantities of ragi, been widely eaten in Rajasthan.)

As health consciousness grows tem. Millets like jowar and bajra jowar and bajra along with wheat for have always been stereotyped in the chappatis and in my batter for dosas,” more entrenched in urban India, producers of organic foods are recording urban mind as lower down the scale she says. from rice and wheat—feed strewn Given the abundant goodness of an encouraging spurt in the urban on streetcorners for birds to peck at; millets, why aren’t more Indians consumption of millets. In Bangaor the stuff of thick rotis to nibble at eating these “wonder grains”? The lore, Pristine Organics has seen its the occasional faux-rural event, but simple answer is that not enough are sales of millet-based food products never at a fancy five-star lunch. But being grown and marketed. The Mil- go up from Rs 3 crore in 2007-2008 that’s changing. As urban Indians let Network of India (MINI), formed to Rs 10 crore in 2008-2009. Points seek more nutrition off their plates, in 2007 to revive millets, estimates out managing director K.C. Raghu, millets are acquiring a new respect- that 44 per cent of millet acreage in “People are becoming wiser to one of the most important ability. And nowhere health benefits of milis it more evident lets—that they offer than in the kitchens of complex carbohydrates Bangalore’s new ITC that sustain us longer.”

Royal Gardenia hoHe stresses, as Khosla tel, where executive does, that they are far chef Madhu Krishnan better for us than refined whips up millet and carbohydrates, most of blueberry muffins, which come from prodmultigrain dosas, ragi ucts like polished rice. sevaian and bajre ki These seep into our khichri, all in the purblood more quickly besuit of “wellness”, the cause they are simpler latest fad in the hospito digest, making us tality trade. hungry more often. And But some fads are The Millet roti has more calcium and minerals than rice because we burn carboactually good for us, or wheat. hydrates more slowly and the millet revival is clearly one of them. If you were India was diverted for rice and wheat than we consume them, the leftovers to draw a bar graph comparing the between 1966 and 2006, a lot of it dur- pile on within us as fat.

Chhattisgarh Agricon, a company nutritional content of millets with that ing the ‘Green Revolution’. This hapof rice and wheat, the millets’ bars pened mainly because state support of ‘agropreneurs’, began sourcing would tower imposingly. Calcium for farmers moved to rice and wheat, millets in 2008 from 300 farmers and selling them to urban consumcontent in finger millet (ragi) for forcing many to give up millets. instance, is nearly 350 mg for every In hindsight, that seems to have ers. Buoyed by the response, they 100 grams. For the same amount of been a foolish decision, not merely have added another 450 farmers this rice and wheat, it is below 50 mg. Mil- because of the high nutritional value year. “Like oats, millets too have the lets also contain far higher amounts of millets, but also because they potential to corner a big share of the of iron, fibre and essential minerals are far hardier than rice and wheat, health food market. Many of their than either rice or wheat. Says Ishi whose productivity is likely to be properties are similar,” says Rajnish Khosla, a Delhi-based clinical nu- hit by weather imbalances caused Awasthi, Agricon’s CEO. In recent times, these nutritious tritionist, “I now advise my clients by climate change. Moreover, since to switch to millets.” They are also they require virtually no synthetic grains have even caught the attention showing up on menus in restaurants fertilisers or pesticides, most of the of Bill Gates who in 2008 donated in Mumbai: the popular Swati Snacks millets produced are effortlessly or- over $23 million to develop the prohas introduced khichri and uttapam ganic, something that appeals to us ductivity of pearl millet and sorghum. made from bajra and the upmarket much more today than it did a few “Agriculture so far has focused on quantity and our thrust on rice and Moshe’s offers a range of breads decades ago. made from millets.Believed to be The good news, though, is that wheat has led to malnutrition. Now native to Africa and China, millets Indians are still the globe’s largest the focus is on quality,” adds I.S. comprise various grains. The most consumers of millets, eating 42 per Khairwal, a scientist with the Indian important ones in India are pearl mil- cent of the world’s total production; Council of Agricultural Research’s let (bajra), sorghum (jowar), finger and for this we have to thank tradi- pearl millet division.

The millets’ revival is also getting millet, foxtail millet (kakum), little tional food habits rather than modern millet and barnyard millet (sanwa). ones. For generations, millets have a boost because of the recent spate of Some are eaten in their granular form been part of the diet in rural homes. health foods hitting the Indian market but most are pounded into flour and This is especially true of semi-arid in response to high consumer demand. then used to make a range of dishes. regions like Rajasthan or Telangana, One of the constituents in Britannia’s Apart from using millets in her ho- where millets grow extremely well, recently launched 5 Grain biscuits is tel kitchen, chef Krishnan has, like requiring little water, unlike rice and finger millet; and the trendy Fabindia other health-conscious urban Indians, wheat. (To illustrate the case, Bejad has taken to stocking millets porridge. taken to using them ingeniously in ki roti, made from a mix of sorghum, The multigrain breads that are now

a regular feature on urban breakfast tables are generously showered with millets. Even multigrain flour and ready-to-eat chapatis, launched in the last few months, now come packed

with millet flour. But there is a long way to go before a complete revival is in place. The caste system isn’t quite abolished yet.

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FHA 2010 Food & Hospitality Show Returns as Business Booms in Asia

Continued from Page 38

of its past 10 editions and strong support from industry partners, regional and international exhibitors, will be organised as a dedicated show co-located with FHA2010 - consolidating exhibitors of wine and spirits products and services on one show floor. This move allows Asia’s wine and spirits buyers and sellers to meet at an exclusive area for business networking, product sourcing and knowledge gathering activities, and will encourage larger international interest into the region’s emergent wine and spirits industry.

A knowledge-gathering platform: FHA’s conferences, seminars and workshops, including the Food Safety Forum, HFTP Asian Finance & Technology Conference, and Asian Club Management Conference, will continue to add value to the event in 2010 as they bring together key executives and experts on one platform to discuss significant trends and issues pertinent to the current food and hospitality industry.

For the first time, FHA2010 will feature a conference dedicated to hospitality operations and design – the “Hospitality Operations & Design Conference”, offering an ideal venue to get the latest hospitality design trends, and dissect topical operational challenges in hospitality kitchens and methods to achieve cost savings through energy efficiency strategies.

Exciting competitions for skills development: Competitions add plenty of buzz and vibrancy to the

showfloor. But they provide more than just that. Judged by influential connoisseurs in the industry, they also serve as an avenue for professionals to gain knowledge, learn new skills and promote their talent to the industry. FHA2010 will feature the Asian Pastry Cup, Asia Barista Championship, FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC) and WSA Wine Challenge (formerly known as Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge).

FHA2010 At A Glance: Show: FHA2010 – Asia’s largest international food & hospitality trade event (Encompassing FoodAsia2010, Bakery&Pastry2010, HotelAsia2010, HospitalityTechnology2010 and HospitalityStyleAsia2010, and co-located with Wine&SpiritsAsia2010) Date: 20 - 23 April 2010 (Tuesday – Friday) Venue: Singapore Expo Opening Hours: 10:00am – 6:00pm (20 - 22 April, Tuesday – Thursday) 10.00am – 4:00pm (23 April, Friday) Admission: Business and trade professionals only About FHA : Since its debut in 1978, FHA has had a proud track record of international companies making up over 80 per cent of its exhibitors. FHA2010 will return with an even wider range of innovative products, technologies and solutions available in the global marketplace to answer the demands of Asia’s food and hospitality industries. Please visit www.foodnhotelasia.com for more information.

Credit: FoodnhotelAsia

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India Will Be Third Largest Grocery Market in 2014 China is set to overtake the US for the first time as the largest grocery market in the world by 2014, and India will be on third rank. This forecast was made by IGD, a service provider to the food and grocery sector in a new report.

IGD forecasts that the Chinese

grocery market will be worth €761 billion, outstripping the US, which is set to be worth €745 billion in four years’ time, whereas the Indian market would have a value of €448 billion (€279 billion in 2010).

Reasons for China’s move ahead include a three times faster growth

of the Chinese market compared to the US, an increased investment and consumer spending, and an expected double population growth rate in China compared to the US between 2010 and 2014.

Credit: Food Industry India

China to Export Apples to India: Cheaper, Bigger Delhi.

“Our apples are cheaper, bigger, and nicer than apples from other world regions”, says Mr. Ali, Manager of Chinapple.

Apples can be made available for 2$ a kg, he says.

Chinaapple has some business already in India, and being now the first time on a fair, they seek to expand the first business.

People in India are used to buy not only apples from Kashmir, but also from Washington State, US. If the consumers know always the place of origin of the fruits, that is another question.

Now Chinapple company from Xi’an, China, has come to India to present its huge apples on IDFE fair in

Italian Co. Naturitalia Starts a Kiwi Business in India Naturitalia, a leading Italian group in fresh fruit and vegetable products, has been in Delhi again during IFDE in December as part of the stall of the Italian Òpera Consortium.

The fruits and vegetables productions of Naturitalia are located in Italy for which the group uses “integrated production techniques and organic farming techniques”.

Renella informed about the start of the business in 2008 when he was for the first time in India – in Delhi and Mumbai events – under the umbrella of the Òpera Consor-

tium.

“Large retailers are almost absent in the Indian market, this situation makes it difficult to develop large volumes in supply of fresh fruits from Italy,” Renella says. But he achieved the first success despite that situation. In 2009, Naturitalia has exported already a total of 60 tons of green flesh kiwifruit (label Naturitalia) and yellow flesh kiwifruit (label Jingold).

He knows that the business in India so far is still “very small in relation to the country size”, but

he works on and expects more business in the future. “We are in contact with the some importers to evaluate the possibility to develop marketing activities to the Indian consumers of fresh kiwifruit on 2010”, Renella explains. His future outlook to the Indian market is very positive. “We see a good potential in this market for the future. In a country where 30 million people a year are added to middle or high income groups, there are business opportunities!”

Credit: Food Industry India

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A History Of Violation

The Chief Justice of India’s comments on rapists, marriage will be misconstrued

By Kalyani Menon-Sen In the course of a speech at a public event on the eve of Women’s Day, Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan gave voice to his views on the victims of rape. “Due regard must be given to their personal autonomy since in some cases the victim may choose to marry the perpetrator or choose to give birth to a child conceived through forced intercourse,” he said in his address at the National Consultation on Access to Justice, Relief and Rehabilitation of Rape

The Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan

Victims organised by the ministry for women and child development.

The CJI said a lot more than just this but, predictably, it was this remark that attracted

the attention of news channels and appeared on the front pages of newspapers. The rest of his address appears to have been entirely unexceptionable and even admirable for its emphasis on issues such as the need to protect women from victimisation and humiliation, the need to provide shelter and employment opportunities, the need to address the long-term mental and emotional consequences of rape. Should we then simply ignore his suggestion that marriage to the perpetrator might be an acceptable conclusion in some cases of rape?

Even if one were to see this as just another example of the media pulling an innocuous statement out of context and putting a sensa-

tional spin on it, the CJI’s comment cannot really be ignored. This is because, given his position, his words carry weight even when he is not speaking from the bench, and moreover, these particular remarks are liable to misinterpretation and misuse by those who see women’s rights as a dangerous aberration.

Marriage is routinely prescribed as a cure for rape by parents, caste and community panchayats, family counsellors, the police, the judiciary and others in sundry positions of authority. Marriages between rapists and their prey have been arranged in jails and courtrooms, presided over by judges, police officers, religious leaders and civil servants who are all convinced that they are acting in the best interests not only of the individuals concerned but also of society at large.

The notion that marriage reverses or cancels out rape is embedded in our rape laws. A man cannot be accused of raping his wife even if he has “forced intercourse” with her. Rape is seen as a crime only when the individuals involved are not married and are therefore not authorised by convention to have sex with each other.

Marriage between aggressor and victim can therefore accord post facto sanction to rape and render it less of a crime or not a crime at all.

Consensual sex can also be criminalised post

facto—courts have held that a woman who enters into a sexual relationship with a man in the expectation of marriage can charge him with rape in the event of his refusal to marry her.

There is also the assumption that rape involves some degree of consent and participation, conscious or unconscious, on the part of the woman—cases of rape are often dismissed because the woman cannot show physical evidence of having resisted the act, other than the odd bruise or scratch, which are brushed aside as being self-inflicted or merely “signs of passion”.

The net effect of such a legal framework is to turn rape into a kind of optical illusion—now you see it, now you don’t.

The CJI’s caution against lawyers and social activists taking “an overtly paternalistic approach when they have to make decisions for the welfare of rape victims” is also open to misinterpretation, and can easily be quoted to support the view that raped women do not necessarily feel violated—that they file cases only because of pressure from activists and, if left to themselves, would opt for the more respectable option of “rehabilitation” through marriage.

Again, this goes back to the assumption that rape cannot happen without the woman’s complicity and is therefore not a crime of the same order as, say, murder. How else is it possible to think of marriage as an acceptable follow-up to rape?

Women’s movements have always been attacked for demanding rights and justice for women which, it is felt, will destroy the foundations of marriage and the family and open the door to “un-Indian evils” such as homosexuality, extra-marital sex and atheism. Can it really be that the Chief Justice of India is not aware of the dangers of his remarks being appropriated and put to use by those leading this cacophony?- Outlook

The New Sound of Music

The Internet offers curious new ways to listen to your music

By Krish Raghav Let’s face it. Listening to music is boring.

It’s mostly not interactive, requires little to no input from your side other than just firing up one MP3 after another on a portable player. Music has much more to offer—in the joy of discovery, the thrill of actually playing some yourself, and the curious new ways of experiencing songs that are emerging online. So if you want a little more jazz (no pun intended) in your music, let the Internet come to your rescue. For a more immersive experience with your favourite songs, try the free demo of Audiosurf , an independent game that converts songs into playable video-game levels in which you steer a spaceship around obstacles.

It’s incredible fun, as it matches the tempo and intensity of a song with the difficulty of the level, and offers many different ways to literally “play” your music. The full version will cost you money (around $10, or Rs461), but the free demo is more than sufficient for hours of fun. Another site is Frets on Fire, which is a free and open-source variant of the popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band games that are available on game consoles. The game lets you “play” the guitar portions in songs by tapping a series of keys in sync with the music.

There are also many stand-alone games and online toys that use music and rhythm as a central mechanic. If you’re having a rough day at work, for example, there’s no better site to go to than the Blues Maker . Choose your woes, fill in the harmonica bits, and the site

plays you a customized blues song with lyrics of your choice.

There are also a number of sites that let you discover new music in interesting ways. There are the usual streaming audio sites, such as Grooveshark and StumbleAudio (which is based on StumbleUpon, the browser extension that lets you discover and share new and interesting websites).

These let you play any songs by artists of your choice, unlike radio stations such as Last.fm—which don’t give you full control over what music gets played.

Fans of Indian rock music should try the Indiecision Radio at music blog Indiecision .

There’s also HypeM, which is a social network website for music lovers.

You (be-)“friend” people very much like you do on Facebook, and you can play songs that friends have “liked”, create playlists and share music news and new tracks.

If you’re ready to get your hands dirty with some music lessons, go to Audio Tuts , which is a sort of hub for tutorials, lessons and videos on music throughout the Internet. These range from lists of useful YouTube videos for those learning the guitar to complex step-by-step lessons on music post-production. some not-so-simple soldering.Mint

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“I am Not Competing with SRK”: Aamir

Aamir Khan talks about films to Padma Bhushan and everything else in between... most actors are following it?

By Kunal M Shah MUMBAI: You will turn 45 in a couple of days. How do you see the coming year?

I am not taking on any new assignments as an actor this year. I have three earlier commitments as a producer- Peepli Live, Dhobi Ghat and Delhi Belly. I also want to spend time with my mom, children and family.

I am only going to be busy professionally as a producer and releasing these three films. I want them to be successful.

3 Idiots smashed all box-office records and is being compared to Sholay.

I am thrilled. In 2008, Ghajini broke all records and touched about Rs 300 crore and became the biggest grosser of Indian cinema. I never expected 3 Idiots to go beyond Ghajini in terms of collections. It’s unimaginable.

Won’t it be an uphill task for you to break your own records?

My approach is never to compete with anyone or anything or even outdo my earlier films. My sole purpose is about the essence of the film, which must come across clearly to the audience and get the success it deserves. I want to do work that excites me and my thought process is not to break records.

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Aren’t you insecure that after the success of 3 Idiots you have three films as a producer but none as an actor?

Each one of us is insecure about something or the other. I don’t want to take any step just because I am insecure. In that sense I have the courage to do unusual stuff. At this point of time there is Peepli Live, Dhobi Ghat where I am also acting and Delhi Belly. My focus right now is Peepli Live as it is releasing first. I think you should just follow your heart.

Do you feel proud that you were the first actor to set the trend of doing one film at a time and now

People used to laugh at me and used to say ‘yeh industry se gayaab ho jayega’. But, I am glad that more and more actors are following it as that’s how films should be made.

I feel that the main cast and crew should do so too as that’s how you make better films.

Now that My Name Is Khan’s collections is much less than that of 3 Idiots, do you think that the debate over which Khan rules is finally laid to rest?

(Laughs). There was never any war of supremacy so there is no question of starting or stopping any debate. I Continued on Page 48

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45

A Spate of Witch-Hunting Assaults

Murders and other violent crimes are on the rise in Assam, as superstitious belief in witches provides cover for such actions.

By Ratna Talukdar GAUHATI: Garbo Murmu, 55, and his wife Muni Hajda, 45, an adivasi couple of Gosaigaon subdivision in Kokrajhar district in lower Assam were brutally tortured with sharp weapons by attackers from their own community on the night of 18 October 2009. The attackers, who branded them a witch-couple, entered their house when they was asleep inside their hovel at the Ramendrapur relief camp. After attacking them for about half an hour, the mob, assuming that their victims had succumbed to injuries, left them and fled from the spot taking cover of darkness.

The couple was, however, fortunate enough and survived to tell the tale of their return from the jaws of death. Next morning the local unit of Birsa Commando Force (BCF), a militant organisation fighting for rights of Adivasi people in Assam - currently in a ceasefire agreement with the government - found them lying unconscious in a pool of blood on the bed, rescued and arranged a car to rush them to Kokrajhar Civil hospital, which is 60 km away from the camp area.

The injuries and cut marks on Garbo’s face and head were so deep that initially the doctors were unsure how to administer the oxygen which he needed desperately. The mob which had attacked him had also completely disfigured his wife Muni’s face. Ten days after the attack, she could still not speak. Still recovering in the hospital from his trauma and injuries, Garbo could not walk, but with much difficulty and determination, he narrated the sorrowful tale of how he and his wife came to be branded as witches.

The couple, originally residents of Mahendrapur village, were displaced during the series of ethnic clashes between Bodos, the largest plains tribe in Assam and the Adivasis in 1990s; since 1996, they had been living in a relief camp. Then, in 2006, as the situation started to become normal again after ten long years, the campdwellers decided to return to their village, which is about 16 kilometers from the camp site. Garbo, however, decided to stay in the camp along with few camp inmates because it would be easier to find a daily wage job near the camp itself than in his native village (of the two, the camp is closer to the nearby town, Kachugaon).

But, for the same reason they were also under threat. Land mafias with an eye on the camp site were threatening displaced families to move from the camp site. “We have been facing threats from various persons to vacate the land we have occupied in the camp. However, all of us have decided not to leave the place,” says Garbo.But the family’s resistance would be challenged from an unexpected quarter. To their perplexion and horror, they were branded daina (a local word that means ‘witch’).

“Perhaps, these people thought that branding us daina and killing us would frighten the other families in the camp site, and they will vacate the place,” Garbo said.

During their prolonged stay in the hospital, barring a few relatives, no police personnel or persons from any social organisations made any visit to know about their conditions, he alleged. His son Raga, however told India Together a case had been registered in Kachugaon police station by the local cadres of BCF. Other victims Garbo and Muni were not the first victims of such assault; indeed, they were fortunate to be still alive. Unlike this Adivasi couple, however, Bishnu Rabha and Purshee Rabha - who belonged to the Rabha tribe in Rajapara village of Palashbari in lower Assam’s Kamrup district - were not so lucky. The elderly couple, already crossed their sixties, lived as quacks in the village. Similarly branded as witches, they were burnt alive in daylight by their fellow villagers on 5 September this year. The villagers also made one of their sons to witness the brutal act, while the other son fled for fear of his own death.

The couple’s neighbour Banti Rabha, with whom they’d been involved in a land dispute, had committed suicide due to some unknown reasons.

Since then, Banti’s widow claimed she had begun having nightmares, and accused the couple of being responsible for her horrifying dreams.

The accusations finally landed Bishnu and Purshee in front of a village court. As it turned out, this would prove to be a kangaroo court. Going by the widowed woman’s word, the villagers recalled a number of earlier instances where they found that whoever had some misunderstanding or dispute with Bishnu and Purshee had

The injuries and cut marks on Garbo’s face and head were so deep that initially the doctors were unsure how to administer the oxygen which he needed.

died unnaturally.

The village court’s puinishment was severe and swift - they were to be burned alive, for practising witchcraft. Significantly, in an another incident a day later in Lohit-Khablu Panchayat under Panigaon police station of Upper Assam’s Lakhimpur district, Rajen Pegu, the president of the Managing Committee of Kambanggaon Primary School was killed in his sleep. He too had been accused of practising witchcraft.

ABSU campaigns against witch hunting This is one reason why, even as incidents of witch-hunting have been increasing, there aren’t very many organisations working to tackle the practice. Instead, it has been left to national organisations and other platforms to do what they can. The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), the apex student body of the Bodos, has launched a vigorous awareness campaign to fight against superstition of witch-practices in the Bododominated areas. The ABSU, which has been running the campaign since 2004, has so far rehabilitated at least 40 innocent persons who have been expelled from their original villages on the suspicion of witch practices, says Lawrence Islary, a senior leader of the student body.

Islary says that improvement of basic healthcare and education in these areas may improve the situation to a great extent. Unfortunately, both healthcare and education infrastructure is very poor in all tribaldominated areas in the state, he observes. “For instance, in Parbatjhara sub-division of Kokrajhara district, there was hardly a doctor last year and

and declare that the bad spirit of that particular witch is responsible for diseases and deaths in the village! Such pronouncements and the prevailing superstitious beliefs in witchcraft provoke ignorant villagers to target their own neighbours and acquaintances.

In non-Bodo areas, there has been less progress against superstition and crimes linked to it. Clearly, a lot more is needed to be done, across the state, to have a significant impact.

More needed from the state Hakasam is also critical of the role the state government has played - or more accurately, not plated. There has been so serious effort to punish

Muni Hajda in hospital, following the attack on her.

even now there is only one MBBS doctor to look after a huge population,” he adds.

Absence of doctors is directly related to the problem - villagers and tribes are compelled to visit local quacks for treatment of different diseases. During monsoons in particular, waterborne diseases like malaria, cholera, and diarrhea often takes an epidemic form in villages. If the treatment is beyond their limit, these quacks, just to remain on safe side, accuse someone of the village of being a witch

the culprits, nor is there usually a proper investigation into incidents.

In many witch-hunting related cases, the culprits are easily identifiable, or in many cases they themselves admit their guilt. But seious punishment for such crimes is rare. This has encouraged the vested interests, aggravating the situation, he says. Unlike Bihar or Jharkhand, in Assam there is no legislation to deal with the situation, despite the increasing incidents of witch hunting.” - IT

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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t r a v e l in g d e s i

Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

47

Temple Survives 100 Years, but People Shortage May Doom Its Future

By Jawahar Malhotra HO CHI MINH CITY, 5 March, 2010: Our driver Tri (pronounced CHI) left the famous crowded Ben Thanh Market in District 1, turned the 2009 Toyota Innova onto a side road and was 100 yards into the block when the colorful ornamentation above the front entrance wall on the left caught my eye. It had the distinctive three flat stupa layers of the South Indian style, with a tiny window in each and relief carvings at the top.

In the past three days, I had not run into any desis, other than an occasional South Indian couple on the fringe of the central District 1.

Later that night, two clean-shaven Sikhs with their wives came to the Tib Vietnamese restaurant, approachable through a long alley festooned with red Chinese paper lanterns.

Tib had become famous as the place former US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura had dinner on their brief visit to Vietnam a couple of years ago. Their pictures with the

Dinh Street. With its 15 foot tall sienna colored outer wall and ornate brown wooden entrance gate, left open for worshippers to enter, you could see the main altar to South Indian deity Mariamman, in its inner sanctum facing the street 30 feet away. Street vendors on either side of the gate sold flowers and other devotional items. As people passed by, the occasional Vietnamese would fold their hands, look at the deity and bow slightly as they proceeded along.

Inside the balustraded sanctum, a Vietnamese-Indian helper clad in white bush shirt and black pants assisted the dozen or so worshippers who were there to offer their devotion. His Vietnamese-Indian father stood nearby. At the other corner, Lakshmanan, one of the priests also dressed in a white bush shirt and pants pointed and said, “He is my mother’s nephew.”

But, what was truly remarkable was that all of those seeking solace and offering prayers were local Vietnamese. The young and old alike stood or knelt in supplication with fragrant The Mariamman Temple, with its colorful entrance stupa, in Saigon is located just three blocks away from the Ben Thanh Market in the city’s center.

The temple deity Mariamman and her guardians are looked over by local Vietnamese and Cambodian devotees.

staff adorn the walls.

There had been a few desi tourists that afternoon in the covered merchandise market with its tiny stalls packed with merchandise from top to bottom. But none at the Cu Chi Tunnels museum where the Viet Cong had hidden from the American forces during the war. Or, for that matter, in any of the other streets that we had covered across this city with its legions of motorbikes, mopeds and scooters that swarm the roads like bands of locusts, even on this burning hot Saigon afternoon.

So the temple was an unexpected and awesome sight in the heart of the city at 45 Truong

incense sticks held between folded palms in the style used at Buddhist temples, made their offerings, received some prasadum and went back out. Some lingered at the shrines to the guardians, Maduraiveeran and Pariachiamman off to either side, for more prayer.

The walls of the courtyard which surround the sanctum are covered in sky blue motifs with medallions to other deities, with potted plants against the walls, latticed openings and other rooms, all empty, beyond. A glass encased portrait of Krishna sat on a pedestal by the front, an adorned Chinese dragon covered in a red silk sheet stood across from the sanctum off to the

Shiv Sagar

keeping the temple running, even though there are only about 50 Indian families left in the city, and work there every day. For the past 10 years, decorating and dressing the deities has been done by Thakthi Lak, 53, a Cambodian Buddhist whose five sons live in Paris, but she professes to serve Mariamman for the rest of her life.

“Before the fall of Saigon to the Viet Cong in April 1975, there were many Indians here. But not so any more,” he lamented. “My mother and I will carry on as long as we can,” he continued in French-accented English. When I switched to French, he was delighted and explained in flawless French how he had spent many years in the southern suburb of Paris before returning three years ago to help his mother with the temple. His wife and two children live in India.

After the Viet Cong overran Saigon, the temple was taken over by the authorities to make joss sticks and dry seafood on the roof top. But now the site has reverted back to Lakhsmanan and a small Hindu and Vietnamese managing committee. Although he only speaks Vietnamese, English and French, he performs the aarti every evening at 7:30 for the many Vietnamese who believe in the miraculous power of Mariamman. In pre-revolution years, the congregation would hold an annual procession and pull a chariot through the streets, but that stopped after the Indian population fell.

Close by is the an Indian restaurant run by a Tamil Muslim, Cpm Cari An Do (or Indian Curried Rice) is located around the corner from the temple at 169 Ly Tu Trong Street. Until recently, it was alone in the city, but now others like India’s and an upscale Tandoor have opened up, giving hope for a resurgence of the Indian population here.

A colorful Chinese dragon draped in silk stands just by the entrance.

other side of the gate.

The 100-year old temple, known to Vietnamese as Chua Ba Mariamman, is one of three Hindu South Indian temples in the city, all within a short distance to each other. One is a mix of North and South Indian deities. “This temple was already here when my father arrived in 1928,” said Lakshmanan, who doesn’t look his 65 years, remembering the thriving South Indian, mostly Tamil community that lived in Saigon and had come in as migrant workers from the French colony of Pondicherry.

Now, Lakshmanan, his Vietnamese mother and the two other men are utterly devoted to

The temple’s priest, Lakhsmanan, returned from Paris to help his mother run the facility. He conducts aarti every evening at 7:30 for the numerous Vietnamese who attend.

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48

e n t e r t ain m e n t

Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

“I am Not Competing with SRK” Continued from Page 44

am not competing with him (Shah Rukh Khan). I never raised those questions so the answers do not interest me. For me the people who rule the industry are Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Lata Mangeshkar as I idolise them as an audience. I love Shammi (Kapoor) uncle too as it’s a different style and I also love Nargisji (Dutt) and Waheedaji (Rehman).

These days SRK and you are not passing any comments against each other.

(Laughs). I have never commented about him and I don’t want to start now. I used to respond only to comments he passed about me.

What is your relationship with him now?

He came to the premier of 3 Idiots and we have spoken on the phone after that once or twice. We don’t interact much and there is no marked difference in our relationship. It’s still the way it has always been - cordial.

3 Idiots is also the biggest hit in the overseas market. However there were constant comparisons between 3 Idiots and MNIK. Does it disturb you ?

It doesn’t disturb me as you can’t change facts and the trade knows it all. I can fool the people who do not know the business but I can’t fool you as a journalist as you know the facts.

The most important thing for me is to be a part of a film which not only entertains but also make a difference.

The fact that 3 Idiots gave students or parents a different point of view and had a positive impact is enough for me. I don’t get any satisfaction by numbers.

People say you have a success formula as all your films work.

I have always followed my heart and made some crazy decisions.

Many times people have told me that you are doing a film with so and so director and that it’s the worst decision. However, it has worked for me.

I have been following my heart from the early days of my career. I don’t lis-

ten to people or else I would not have done many of my films. Yes I have made mistakes but by and large I am very happy. One can never say that a particular film will be successful.

Have you started following the trade figures after you turned producer?

No. I understand trade ever since I became an actor. The one thing I won’t do is experiment with anybody’s money. I won’t make a Taare Zameen Par in Rs 40 crore and think that it will makers 100 crore (Incidentally, it did business of over Rs 100 crore). My motto is that everyone connected to my film should make money. I am aware of the fact that I am in a creative field but there is a business aspect to it and I would never be impractical.

You recently became the youngest Indian to get the Padma Bhushan.

I am honored. I am grateful to my family and fans who love me unconditionally.

Last year has not been easy personally with Kiran’s miscarriage and the demise of your father.

Yes, the last few years have been traumatic. But that’s life and one has to be able to absorb the difficulty and pain. Losing someone you are close to... I think that (pauses) I think that these are things that every human being has to face at different times. What you have to remember is that you must be strong for other people around you. Life is so fragile.

Your brother Faisal is back with you.

Faisal has been working with me and I think he is someone who has the ability to overcome all difficulties. He is actively involved with me in my script selections.

What is your son Junaid doing nowadays?

He is studying commerce. Reena and I are proud of him. This is the age to study and we aren’t going to pressurise him.

There are reports that Mansoor Khan will make a comeback.

Ireallywishsoasheissotalented.Ihave been telling him the same thing.-Mint

Bollywood Calling ShahRukhKhanlights thelampalongsideChief MinisterAshokChavan, YashChopraandKatrina Kaif at FICCI Frames inauguration.

Ranbir Kapoor to Play Kishore Kumar

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Bollywoodloverboy RanbirKapooris soon to shed his lover boy image and get into some serious role. He has been approached to play legendry singer Kishore Kumar. Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision is planning a biopic on the actor cum singer and decided to rope in Ranbir Kapoor. If everything goes well and the dates doesn’t create any hassle then Ranbir will be seen in the role.

A team of writers are working on the script and while flying with Ranbir, one of the writers narrated the script to him.

Impressed with the idea, Ranbir gave his nod. He informed the production house about his approval. Ranbir’s main concern is date and the director that will be assigned. If both worked out then he would have no issue.

Previously, many filmmakers attempt to make a film on the legendry singer but fail to implement.

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SPORTS

Three Captains and One Bat

rarely studied.

By Harsh Meanwhile the Bhogle IPL, as a cricket tourPakistan hand nament, has crept in. out bans like tofLalit Modi told me fee; and those this week that once handing them out the cricket starts it pretend they are will need no promopristine. Austration, and I hope he lia’s vice-captain is right. One reason leaves his team beit’s been low-key hind to offer solace could be India’s first to his girl, who is game at the World suffering the afterCup of hockey, effects of a dubiwhich showed that ous relationship.

India could still rally Another South around another sport.

African storms All of us, except his way into world those that run hockcricket - for Engey in India, know it. land. The world’s But when the hockey most hyped toursadly tapered off, the nament slithers, news boycott came rather than storms, in the way. I don’t in. That’s a lot of know the details of unusual things for the dispute but I do a sport played by Matthew Hayden will be playing in the IPL with a long handled bat. know that if I took so few. great pains to proPakistan continas their results, took cricket through duce a product, if I ue to make every licensed it to somebody and a third other nation look like the epitome of its testing years.

I wish Pakistan cricket well because party used it for profit, I would be good management. Big zamindar arI have been a child and have had very upset. rives, cleans up the shed; next zaminmy heroes, and when some of them But there is enough in the IPL to dar puts the old chickens back in. The cricket lover, like RK Laxman’s com- let me down later in life, I felt the get people going once it begins. It mon man, looks on, perplexed and pain. But the pity is that six months is no secret that I enjoy Twenty20 neglected. To be honest, the Pakistan from now a new zamindar will have cricket as much as I do Test and onecricketers don’t have much sympathy arrived, armed with a firman from day cricket, but in particular I will be around the cricket world, but what of a patron. The same people will be looking out for three captains, and the fans? What about the little eight- back. If they can give the little child one bat! Neither Warne nor Gilchrist year-old who wants to wear a replica something to smile about, if they can nor Kumble has played much cricket Pakistan cap and cheer for Afridi and be heroes, it might still be worth it. in recent times and this might well Yousuf and Younis? What happens to Essentially Pakistan need an Imran: be the last time we will see them on a him? His heroes, and those who man- proud, competitive and above board. cricket field. Proud men and excellent age his heroes, frequently seem to He was great when he played but they leaders and each an adornment to the game. They will be up against young have less passion for the team and the need him more 25 years later.

Essentially Pakistan need an Imran: men who won’t give them an inch. country than he does. His lot is to be let down. I wonder if people blinded proud, competitive and above board. And while I will be expected to be He was great when he played but they neutral, I will silently wish they hold by egos even realise that. their own.

On that count, India have been need him more 25 years later Michael Clarke’s predicament reAnd then the big man with the blessed. The results will be good one day and bad the next, and fans minds me of something Allan Border Mongoose. Matthew Hayden’s bat will be delighted and frustrated in told me 18 years ago when I was has always been a brute, a club. And equal measure. But when the disease ghosting his column to help make now he arrives with this big handle of match-fixing threatened to infect ends meet on a tour. He worried for and small blade, which looks a bit like India, the eight-year-old (and the 30- young players, he said, because not all the oar he might keep handy when he year-old who behaved like the eight- of them had stability in their private goes fishing. Well into retirement, he year-old) had proud people to look lives. It’s as true a statement as any could still be the key for the Chennai up to. Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble, you will hear. The likes of Tendulkar Super Kings. Cricinfo Laxman, Ganguly, Srinath - these and Dravid and Kumble came from Harsha Bhogle is a commentator, were men of character. Fine cricketers stable families, they married solid they might have been but fine people girls and have lovely families of their television presenter and writer. He is they were too. Their solidity, as much own. It’s an aspect of success that is on the IPL commentary team.

Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

49

Aussies Beat Germans in Hockey NEW DELHI: Power-packed Australia proved third time lucky as they won the hockey World Cup after a 24 year hiatus with a 2-1 win over defending champions Germany on Saturday.

Luke Doerner scored the winning penalty corner 11 minutes from the end after Edward Ockenden had put the Kookaburras ahead in the sixth minute and Moritz Furste drew level for Germany in the 48th.

Doerner’s eighth goal in the tournament made him the joint leading scorer with another penalty corner specialist Taeke Taekema of the Netherlands.

Australia, whose previous World Cup title came way back in 1986, had lost the last two finals against Germany in 2002 and 2006. The Germans, hoping to become the first team in history to bag a hat-trick of titles to add to the Beijing Olympic gold medal two years ago, were outpaced by the speedy Australians.

Kookaburras’ legendary coach Ric Charlesworth watched the final from the stands behind the goal, rather than on the bench, just as he had done in the semi-final against the Netherlands.

Charlesworth, who was part of Australia’s Cup winning squad in

1986, became only the second man after Dutchman Hans Jorritsma to win the World Cup both as a player and coach.

“I am too noisy and too excited on the bench, so I preferred to be calm in the stands,” said Charlesworth.

“There was nothing superstitious about it.

“I am very, very pleased. We played a good game with a lot of control and authority. Scoring that early goal was very helpful. “I am pleased to win both as player and captain. In 1986, the scoreline was the same, but the opponents (England) were different.

“The next goal now is the London Olympics.”

German captain Max Muller said the penalty corners proved decisive.

“We too got one in the end, but could not score,” he said. “We are a young side and maybe got overawed by the occasion.

“Today we are disappointed, but when we think of it tomorrow morning, we will be pleased we reached the final.”

The Netherlands, meanwhile, gave veteran goalkeeper Guus Vogels a retirement present by winning the bronze medal with a 4-3 win over England earlier on Saturday.

Reliance & IMG to Develop Sports MUMBAI: The Rs 3.33 lakh crore Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), the country’s biggest company by market cap, has joined hands with global sports major IMG to develop and manage sports infrastructure in India.

The equal joint venture, IMG Reliance Pvt Ltd, will provide and operate infrastructure and coaching facilities to unlock India’s sporting potential.

Financial details of the pact were not immediately available.

“World class infrastructure, frugal engineering, technology and scientific coaching are integral part of development of today’s sporting talent globally,” said Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director Reliance Industries. “Our joint venture company will actively work with like-minded organisations and invest in developing talented young Indians.”

The immediate priority would be to

identify locations to establish sporting academies. “We are planning to establish sporting academies on the lines of the IMG Academies which have been so successful in consistently breeding and training sporting legends,” said Nita Ambani, member on the board IMG Reliance.

“IMG is delighted,” said Ted Forstmann, chairman and CEO of IMG. “The performance of Indian athletes on the national and international stage will improve dramatically with the correct development strategies.”

The mandate of IMG Reliance includes initiating a scholarship programme for athletes, developing domestic coaching potential and creating and operating major sports and entertainment assets in the country.

Reliance Foundation, the corporate social responsibilities arm of RIL, will provide the required investment, while IMG will provide management knowledge and coaching skills.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

50

Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

c o m m u ni t y c o nn e c t i o n s

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Arya Samaj of Greater Houston 281-242-5000

Havan Satsang 10 AM - 12, discourse by Dr. Premchand Shridhar: 281-7520100 DAV Sanskriti school 10 AM - 12 - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. Shekhar Agrawal: 281-242-5000

BAPS Satsang Assembly accompanied by Santos from 4:30pm - 6:30pm followed by 281-765-BAPS (2277) arati and mahaprasad. 281-765-BAPS (2277)

Durga Bari Society Temple hours: Monday - Saturday: 9am- 11am and 4pm to 7pm; Sandhya Aarti 6.30pm. Sunday 9am- 7 pm. www.houstondurgabari.org, Champak 832-347-4003 Sadhu. • 13944 Schiller Road.

Hare Krishna Dham

Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30am, 7am, 8.30am, 12noon, 4.30pm, 7pm, 9pm. See darshan live on www.iskconhouston.org. Sunday Festival: 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Located at 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018.

Hindu Worship Society Temple

Priest – “Bhibhdutt Mishra Ji”. Open for Darshan all days, except Thursday, from 8am -10am & 5pm - 8pm. Sunday 11:30am to 1:30pm – Regular Puja, Religious discourses and Prasad. Website www.hwst.org

JVB Preksha Center

Regular weekly program of Yoga and meditation Mon-Thu 7.15pm to 8.15pm.

On Saturdays from 9.00am to 11.15am. Located at 14102 Schiller Rd.

281-596-9642

MARCH 2010 18-21 Thu-Sun

Temple hours: Mon - Fri: 8.30am-Noon, 5-8pm, Sat & Sun: 8.30am-2pm, 5-8pm, Aarti: Noon and 7.30pm, Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Rd, Sugar Land, TX 77478. www.saumyakasi.org, Bharati Sutaria: 281-568-1690

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple 281-498-2344

Daily Schedule: 7:30am – 9:30am -Suprabhatam, Sri Murthy Aaradhana, Tiruppa:vai Sevakalam, Theertha Ghosti, Balabhogam, 9:30am – 11am :Temple is open, 6:30am – 7pm, www.jetusahouston.org

Shri Kripalu Kunj Ashram 713-344-1321

Satsang & spiritual discourses, Sun: 10.30 am.-12.30pm. with simultaneous prog. of Hindi, Sanskrit and Moral science for kids, dance classes for children and adults every Fri:8 pm, www.shrikripalukunj.org

Vedanta Society

Darshan: Daily 7.30am-12.30pm, 4-8.30pm. Aarti: Daily 7.45am & 7pm. Hanumanji Aarti: Sat: 7.15pm. Rajbhog Thaal (No Darshan): 10.30-11am. Dinner Thaal 5.30-6pm. Located at 10080 Synott Rd, Sugar Land TX 77498.

5906 Cypress • Classes Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, 1st &3rd Sunday; Bhagavad-Gita, 2nd Sunday; on works of Swami Vivekananda, More information visit www.houstonvedanta.org

20

9.30am: Free Health Fair, Ibn Sina Foundation, Ibn Sina Community Medical Center, www.ibnsinafoundation.org 6.30pm: Dreams to Reality, India House, www.indiahousehouston.org, Sri or Yolanda: 713-929-1900

Fri

Sat

4pm: Music for Literacy, Pratham USA, Stafford Civic Center (old), 866-PRATHAM

24 Wed

6pm: Rama Navami Celebration, Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, 281-498-2344, www.jetusahouston.org 7pm: Rama Navami Celebration, Hare Krishna Dham, 281235-3590, www.iskconhouston.org Rama Navami Celebration, Chinmaya Mission, 281-568-9520, www.chinmayahouston.org

27 Sat

February - May 2010

Mondays & Thursdays 5.30-7.30pm Carnegie Neighborhood Library 832-393-1970

Wednesdays 7-8.30pm Henington Regional Library 832-393-1820

9am: Rama Navami Mela, Govindaji Gaudiya Matha, Abhiram Das: 713-870-7278 10am: Sri Ramanavami Celebration, Shri Meenakshi Temple, 281-489-0358, www.meenakshi.org 7pm: Hindustani Vocal by Dr. Ashwini Bhide, Indian Music Society of Houston, Jones Hall, University of St. Thomas, 713-9222501, www.imshouston.org 9pm: DJ Suketu Live in Houston, ABCD Houston, Stereo Live, Sunny Taj: 312-927-2946

28 Sun

Free Citizenship Classes

@ Houston Public Library

11am: Rama Navami Celebration, Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya, 281-568-1690, www.saumyakasi.org 11.30am: How India’s Top Business Leaders are Revolutionizing Management (Wells Fargo Series on South Asia), Asia Society Texas Center, Junior League of Houston, 713439-0051, brandiw@asiasociety.org, www.asiasociety.org 6pm: Chai Exchange - A Business and Networking Series, SACC, Jeff Wallace:832-660-2952, jeff@sacchouston.com, www.sacchouston.com 6pm: Hiring Event, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Westin Galleria, 713-624-7131, rsvp@iaccgh.com

Give Your Religious Services a Facelift

Please note: The above section for Religious Services has been provided as a free service for many years. We are now updating this section to make it informative for our readers. To help provide this service on an ongoing weekly basis, we are making these listings available for a nominal annual charge. Give prominence to your religious services with a special block ad for an annual cost of only $150. That is only $2.88 per week. Paid Service listing starts Feb 2010. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Houston Mega Retreat with Amma, Unity Church Pyramid, 713-365-9676, www.karunamayi.org 7pm: Bhgavathi Seva, Shri Meenakshi Temple, 281-489-0358, www.meenakshi.org 9pm: A Laughter Night with Comedy King Amdavadi Mahesh Shashtri, Namaskaar Entertainment, Old Stafford Civic Center, 281-240-3333, www.namaskaar.org

Shri Radha Krishna Four Arti daily: 6:30am , 12 noon, 7pm & 9pm. Tuesday & Saturday 7:10pm.

Sunday Bhajan and Kritan at 6pm. Maha Arti 7pm, More information www.

Temple srkt.org Located at 11625 Beechnut Houston, TX 77072.

281-933-8100 Swaminarayan Mandir (ISSO) 281-530-2565

CURRENT EVENTS

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Sanatan Shiv Shakti Rudrabhiskek every Monday followed by Aarti and mahaprasad. 5645 HillMandir croft, #701 Houston TX 77036.

713-278-9099

Saumyakasi Sivalaya 281-568-1690

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

5pm: Seeds of Hope: 14th Anniversary & Fundraiser Gala, DAYA Houston, Chateau Crystale, 713-981-7645, www.dayahouston.org, contact@dayahouston.org 7pm: Jai Ho Jamnadas, Namaskaar Entertainment, Houston baptist University, 281-240-3333

APRIL 2010

2

Fri SatSun

7pm: Nasha 2010, Indian Students Association at the University of Houston, University of Houston 8-9.30am: Free Yoga Classes by Patanjali Yogpeeth Center, Arya Samaj, Anil: 281-579-9433

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, March 19 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 19 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM