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Anna Hazare to Fast Again on August 16

NEW DELHI: With the group committed to wipe out corruption from the system, Anna Hazare raised some real uncomfortable issues plaguing the system and proclaimed that he will undertake a fast unto death once again on Aug 16 if the Lokpal Bill is not passed till that time. The venue will be Jantar Mantar.

Related Story on Page 12

Indian ‘Villain’ in s&P’s us Downgrade NEW YORK (ToI): There is an Indian at the helm of affairs surrounding the historic downgrade of the US’ creditworthiness, as ratings agency S&P’s unprecedented move was taken under the leadership of Deven Sharma.

Standard & Poor’s President Sharma was

at the forefront of S&P’s decision to downgrade the US long-term sovereign credit rating from the topnotch ‘AAA’ level for the first time ever since a rating was assigned to the world’s largest economy.

“I hope over time that people recognize that we are objective and independent.

We call risks as we see them with a forward-looking view,” Sharma told Fortune magazine in an interview.

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3rd Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston Promises stellar line-up of movies, celebrities

Co mi ng

So on

By Kalyani Giri HOUSTON: The independent film, I Am Kalam, that is earning critical acclaim at festivals worldwide as an inspirational masterpiece, will be the opening night feature presentation when the Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) kicks off its third consecutive fest on September 20. The movie that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit is one of twelve diligently selected films that will screen over four days at the Studio Movie Grill at Town and Country Boulevard, the official theatre for the festival. An estimated 3,000 guests are expected to attend the various screenings of feature films, shorts and documentaries that culminates in a glittering Awards Night Ceremony and Reception to be held at the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Sorella, located at the City Center, September 24.

Sutapa Ghosh, an avant-garde filmmaker (Titli, Utsav) in her own right, and the visionary Founder/Director of IFFH three years ago, is determined to institutionalize the festival as an annual event, which in turn will draw businesses and create jobs in this city.

“My goal is to make companies recognize Houston as a viable place to make movies and commercials, and I see in our near future, studios being built here,” said Ghosh. She hopes to

From Left: Last year, Vikramditya Motwani, Director of the film Udaan, won the Best Feature Film Award; Dilip Mehta, won the Special Recognition/Audience Award for the movie Cooking with Stella; Carolyn Farb, won the 1st indian Film Festival Philanthropy Award, Sumit Chadha, Head of Reliance USA, accepted the Leadership Award on behalf of Amit Khanna, CEO of Reliance Entertainment; Sutapa Ghosh, Director of indian film festival and Mohammad Iqbal Khan, accepted the Best Documentary Award on behalf of Kiran Deol for Woman Rebel

create awareness in the mainstream of how diverse India really is through the IFFH. “I believe that many non-Indians have no idea that there’s so much going on in Indian filmmaking. While we’re proud of Bollywood, we are way beyond Bollywood in the rich genres of independently-made and regional films being made,” added Ghosh, who

came to this country as a student with $500 in one hand and a sitar in the other. Today she has come a long way from the Masters Degree she earned. Ghosh has a panel of diverse and distinguished judges that help with selecting only the best films that include Bill Megalos, Los Angeles-based filmmaker and cin-

ematographer, and Uma da Cunha, India-based authority on all films from India. Rick Ferguson, Executive Director of the Houston Film Commission, and philanthropist/ socialite Carolyn Farb sit on the Advisory Committee of IFFH. Big name sponsors include HEB, Momentum Jaguar, the Houston Arts Alliance, and Thompson Reuters, a database company.

Preceding the opening night feature film is a by-invitation-only exclusive cocktail reception with Indian dance and music, with an area of the City Center plaza blocked off for the festivities. This year, the red carpet awards event will inaugurate the spectacular new ballroom facility at the Hotel Sorella with Bollywood/Indie actors, directors and industry leaders in attendance; a special chef will prepare a delicious four-course meal paired with appropriate wines. In previous years guests included Adoor Gopalakrishnan who is hailed as the Satyajit Ray of the South, actresses Manisha Koirala and Deepti Naval, and singer Sonu Nigam. Ghosh hinted that this year, actor Gulshan Grover, who has a starring role in I Am Kalam, may be present at the event. Other actors she invited have yet to respond, she said.

Out of 82 submissions, the twelve films that will screen include Love, Wrinkle-free, Chatrak (the only official entry from India to the Cannes Film Festival

this year), Fatakra (directed by Houston-based director Soham Mehta), and It’s Cricket, No? that follows the Indian National Blind Cricket Team as they chase their dream to be the greatest national side India has ever produced. A couple of years ago, the short film Kavi that was shown at the festival went on to garner a student Oscar for its young director Greg Helvey, while Udaan that showed last year bagged top honors at Cannes, as well as the Filmfare and Stardust awards in India. All films made in Indian languages have subtitles and the movie directors will be available to answer questions following feature presentations.

This year Ghosh has introduced a scriptwriting competition for the best script, the prize for which is $10,000. Deadlines are strict and interested writers could browse the festival’s website for details.

Ghosh is confident that the festival will grow and attract a wider audience of film buffs and the best of moviemakers. She wants to keep the standard high, never compromising on quality. Deeply spiritual, she believes in what she calls the three P’s.

“I totally believe in perseverance, patience and purity; it’s served me well in the past,” she added.

For more information and for a calendar of events, visit www.iffhinc.org.

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IAcF Paves the way for the Brightest with $18K scholarships

By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Just in time for the goingback-to-school season, nine of the brightest and talented students in the desi community in the Bayou City got a jump start on their college years this past week. They were the latest recipients of the annual scholarships that the Indo American Charity Foundation has been bestowing for the past two decades.

This year, at a small but informal and cozy ceremony held last Thursday, August 4 at India House, the IACF handed out nine $2,000 scholarships, with no strings attached to nine deserving students, most of whose parents also attended the function that included a buffet dinner catered by Indian Ocean restaurant.

Anu Bala, President of IACF, challenged the young scholars to go out and make a change in the world around them. “After you have made received your degrees and made your mark,” Bala said, “come back and work to help the IACF.” Neeta Sane, a Trustee with Houston Community College, followed up that advice with some of her own and gave credit to the parents who taught the young students their values and the families that nurtured them.

As she said when she addressed last year’s batch, Sane stressed discipline, time management and hard work. “Follow your passion, don’t get distracted, stay the course,” Sane enumerated, “and choose the opportunities commensurate with your talents.”

The event was organized by IACF Board Director Ritu Raju, herself an educator at the HCC, who went through many applications for the scholarships. She introduced the other speaker, Professor Mark Tiller, Associate Dean of Instruction at HCC Northwest Campus. “Mark is a good teacher, wonderful administrator and excellent mentor,” Raju said in introduction.

Tiller touched on the subject on top of the current events, the debate over raising the debt-ceiling and stated that what the country really needed is investment in infrastructure and education. “Education creates value in society which results in stable tax payers,” Tiller added. “Education is so important today because we live in an unprecedented and new global trading economy. The rapid pace of technological change requires that we need constant re-education.” He then made a pitch for HCC and what a good value it was for those first two years of college education in comparison to bigger and more expensive universities.

Raju introduced the scholarship recipients with short bio-datas as they came forward to receive their awards from Sane, Tiller Indo American News (ISSN 887-5936) is published weekly every Friday (for a subscription of $30 per year) by IndoAmerican News Inc., 7457 Harwin Dr., Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036, tel: 713-789-6397, fax:713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com.

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and Bala. Later, and just before dinner, two of the awardees gave short performances of their other talents: Vikram Murali who played a plaintive bhajan on the violin, sitting cross-legged on the stage floor and Karishma Desai who did a contemporary dance around short portions of Bollywood hits.

The emcee for the evening, Manisha Mehta, another IACF Director, ended the evening by talking about the group’s upcoming Annual Gala, held this year at the Intercontinental Hotel on Friday, September 16. She also revealed a raffle for a Mercedes Benz Smart car (which gives 40 mpg) with only 300 tickets to be sold at $100 each.

For more details, call Anu Bala at 832865-6222 or Executive Director Surender Talwar at 713-668-2948.

IAcF $2,000 scholarships recipients

• Jayakrishna R. Davlapur: will attend Houston Baptist University to major in biochemistry, wants to become a doctor. Played tennis for Alief Hastings High.

• Tarun Jain: will attend UT Austin to major in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Business Foundation; received a $5,000 scholarship from Reliant Energy through its Scholarship for Champions for academic and athletic achievement, plays tennis. Graduated from Goose Creek Memorial High.

• Krupali Laxmidas: will attend Saint Edwards University in Austin to study International Business and Pre-Med. Interested in sports and crafts, works at Kumon. Graduated from Memorial High.

• Richa Surbhi: will attend University of Houston to major in Computer Science; went to Westside High.

• Yogashri Pradhan: will attend University of Texas in Austin to major in petroleum engineering and geophysics. Graduated magna cum laude from Clements High. Participated in speech and debate and actively volunteered throughout high school.

• Jennifer Zachariah: will attend Houston Baptist University to major in nursing.

Graduated from Elkins High in the top 5% of her class. She’s an accomplished dancer and sings choir.

• Raunaq Bana: Salutatorian of her class at Thurgood Marshall High; will attend Emory University to major in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She plays volleyball and is an accomplished Kathak dancer.

• Karishma Desai: will attend UT San Antonio; graduated from Hightower High School. Has volunteered actively all through high school; dances and skates.

• Vikram Murali: will attend Rice University to major in Bioengineering. Plays the violin at concert-level and volunteers actively; active participant in debate team at Hightower High.

Send your important documents to

Clockwise from top left: IACF President Anu Bala; emcee and Board Director Manisha Mehta; speaker Mark Tiller, Associate Dean of Instruction at HCC Northwest; eight of the nine scholarship recipients with the IACF Board of Directors; event Chair and Board Director Ritu Raj; 2012 IACF President-elect David Raj; speaker Neeta Sane, a Trustee with Houston Community College. Photos: Jawahar Malhotra and Dr. Nat Bala.

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A Haleem Kind of love! chatkhara Grill relocates

By JacoB daVid HOUSTON: It’s a haleem kind of love when it comes to cooking with Syed Aamir, owner of Chatkhara Grill. Tall, standing at 6’2”, Syed Aamir hails from Pakistan. The turn to a love for cuisine was unexpected, something Syed has never dreamed about in his life. It was a slow unravelling, much like the way Haleem is made. Haleem’s a special beef dish stew. Haleem gains special significance in the month of Ramadan, when Muslims cook it for Iftaar (daily breaking of the fast).

To understand Haleem, you will have to listen to Syed’s version, of how he thinks Haleem should be made. The beef is first slow boiled to tenderness. Six varieties of lentils (dals) and wheat are cooked in separate dishes. The water is drained and the beef is then stirred at its tenderest point, separating the meat into strands of fibers. Special spices are added. Garlic and ginger paste are added. Roasted coriander and cumin powder are added. The six lentils are stirred to a mushy paste along with the beef. The whole process is slow, long and drawn out for seven to eight hours, till the desired consistency sets in. It is served with nan.

Today, Syed Aamir has met his calling in life. He is into delivering the best tasting food from Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Robb Walsh from the Houston Press has dined at Chatkhara Grill anony-

Chicken kababs, Yogurt, green chili chutney, and Emli (tamarind) chutney, Naan (soft fluffy bread) grilled Bass garnished with Cilantro, Onions and Chilies, grilled kababs on a bed of rice, with tomato and onion slices Photos: Jacob David mously. He has voted Chatkhara’s tions in 13 cities. He also helped Chicken Seekh Kabab as one of open 4 TV stations. Coming to his top 100 favorites. A recent Houston, he got the opportunity Houston Desi radio show did an to serve as manager at IHOP, on-air survey got Chatkhara Grill Sugar Land. He shuttled to differthe 2nd highest number of votes ent branches across Houston. He’s for best tasting food and consis- been with IHOP for four years. tency. Syed Aamir could not be He has received his accreditation happier for Houston’s response. as Certified General Manager He is a gracious host and full of from IHOP. He was roped in to be smiles. But the road to recogni- the manager of Fish N’ More at tion has not been easy. the Hillcroft location for a year, a Armed with a law degree from restaurant that had negative cashPakistan, and interested in the flow each month. Taking over, he Television Media, he worked 8 broke even the first month, saw a years with NTM - Network Tele- profit of $2,000 the second month vision Marketing, in charge of and took it to profitability.

Transmission and Presentation.

The Chatkhara Grill journey He helped coordinate and link actually began when World Food government programming to sta- Warehouse opened on Hwy 6.

Syed Aamir was asked by Mashood, owner, to become Grocery Manager. A few months later, he was asked if he would like to take charge of the instore cafeteria, when Persian Grill closed down in 3 months of its opening. Syed weighed his options, said yes and opened Chatkhara Grill. Chatkhara means tasty and spicy. It means delicious, Aamir wants it that way.

It was quite a learning experience for him. “I Simply delicious food is what Syed Aamir am thankful to strives to create, it brings back a familiar Mashood, owner nostalgia plus great flavors from the lands of World Food of Punjab, India and Lahore, Pakistan Warehouse for all dishes. Watching 4 or 5 chefs, he his help.” noticed differences in their cookChanging chefs at the cafete- ing styles, made copious notes ria were like changing clothes. and additions of his own. When They kept leaving on a whim the new chefs he hired started of unauthorized absences. Syed coming in late, Syed started tryAamir was left waiting for them ing his hand at making food. He to return. He had to shut down checked for consistency in taste the cafeteria on the days they did each time he made a dish. His dinnot come. It cost him money and ers started noticing the difference losses. After getting the hang of in taste and started coming back. firing a few chefs, he breathed The chefs were caught off guard easy, hiring new ones. Then he continued on page 8 started watching them making

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Desi Lil’ Champs Sing Their Hearts Out

By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Just a couple of months ago India House was the scene of a singing contest for senior citizens at a function organized for the Indo American Charity Foundation. Three won from a field of 18 who sung a prepared song and then a short verse that was extemporaneous. The man behind this novel idea was Surender Talwar, the Executive Director of the IACF and a man who can’t resist a tune or the whisper of a lyric and breaks out into song in his bass voice on request.

on in singing, and although they were not including in the judging, they wowed the audience as they sang their hearts out.

The kids went through the first of auditions by singing two songs – one prepared, another of the judges choice - in any Indian language (and of course, English is an Indian language) from which 12 moved onto the second round finals and sang two songs again. The songs ranged from Hindustani classical to Kartanaka classical to bhajans and Bollywood hits.

Judging the little troubadours were Vinita

Above: Surender Talwar, the Coordinator of the Lil’ Champs competition (right) with Harshad Patel, the event coordinator for IFest. Left: the three winners of the competition.

Here he was again, organizing the community’s first singing competition for little people – desi kids from 6 to 12 years - in a venue entitled Lil’ Champs and also held at India House but at the behest of the India Culture Center, of which Talwar is also a Vice President. The event held on Saturday, August 6 was sponsored by Radio Masti.

“We felt that young kids should also get a platform to show their singing talents,” explained Harshad Patel, the Event Chair for the IFest, an ICC flagship event in celebration of India’s 65th Independence Day, which will be held at the George Brown Convention Center on Saturday, August 20. Patel should get a recognition award himself for being part of the volunteer and organizing team of just about every IFest (India Festival or India Bazaar as it used to be called) for the past 30 years.

Who could resist the idea? Certainly not the parents, grandparents and other relatives and friends of the 35 little wonders who packed a large room at India House. An exception was made to include a 4-year old and a 5-year old, mostly to encourage them

Lil’ Champs Winners 1st Place Sri Sanvitha Sridhar 2nd Place Apoorva Das 3rd Place Akhila Mamandar Consolation Prizes Soha Jashwant and Siddhant Pandit Special Prizes Lasya Dhulipala, 4-years old and Adhithi, 5-years old

Arora, R Ravi Iyer, Ram Ganeshan, Minal Kothare and Samrat Bhattacharya who found it challenging to narrow the field down to the final three, who had to perform three songs apiece selected by the judges.

These final three will be presented their prizes onstage at the IFest, although the judges agreed that all the contestants were winners for having participated in this first of a kind desi event.

Swapan Dhariyawan contributed to the story.

Above: Judges Vinita Arora, Ram Ganeshan, Minal Kopthare, R. Ravi Iyer and Samrat Bhatacharya.

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A Haleem Kind of Love

continued from page 6

that Syed Aamir now had learnt cooking.

Soon Syed established consistency in taste as a part of the game. The chefs could listen or they could choose to leave. The chefs showed more respect this time and listened.

tomers a small sample.” Chatkhara Grill is the only restaurant in Houston that serves Kashmiri Pink tea served with milk, sugar, cardamom. This tea takes 2-3 hours to prepare. It is garnished with almond and pistachio shavings. The Kashmiri tea is a winter drink, but in Houston, people love it

Chatkhara Grill aims to serve the older and younger generations with a mix of traditional and modern fare. With an ambiance that is a bit too over on the celebratory side, it promises a relaxing atmosphere and delicious dining

Announcement

Next, Syed Aamir wanted to specialize.

“Some places are famous for certain types of food, I want people to come to my restaurant expecting their favorite dishes.” His wish was granted. A customer, a businessman by profession, traveling the world, stopped at his restaurant. He asked, “Syed why do you lie in the newspaper ads that your Chicken Kabab is the best in town?”

Syed Aamir was taken aback, not knowing what to say. He thought of apologizing to the customer, when the customer beamed and said, “Your chicken Kababs are the best in the world, unparalleled. I have been to most cities in the world, eaten Kababs.

No one comes close.” True, the chicken Kababs are moist and tender, mildly spicy, but simply delicious. Word has gotten around that Chatkhara Kababs are delicious. Kabab lovers from as far as NewYork, Chicago and other states order his kababs in bulk, freeze and use them as needed.

Chatkhara Grill specializes in grilled fish, Lahori Chole (Chick peas) a vegetarian dish with option of adding chicken, Nehari (beef in gravy), Kadai Chicken / Goat with black pepper in a blend of tomato gravy, Goat and chicken biriyani.

Syed has also introduced signature drinks like Kanji - a seasonal, made with black carrots with their unique, sour taste, great for digestion and to cool down the body on a hot day. “It’s definitely an acquired taste, so I give my first time cus-

in the summer too. Syed specially recommends trying the Lahori Kheer that is made from scratch with almonds, pistachios and cardamom flavoring. The fruit custard is an original recipe as well.

Recently his lease ended at the World Food Warehouse. He has moved to a new location. It is a great place, has a Pappas Seafood house or Joe’s Crabshack feel to it. Large wooden pillars and beams support the roof, with booth style and regular table seating, two bar style countertops, (they do not serve wine or liquor), and large windows all around. There is a large wooden patio that seats 50 people. Live music performances gather crowds on weekends.

There is wi-fi on premises for those who want to browse the internet for leisure or work.

At the new location, Syed wants everyone to enjoy his food. “The young and the older generations have varying tastes.” He is planning on introducing burgers, club sandwiches, hot wings, chicken nuggets, breaded chicken tender strips, London’s famous fish and chips soon. All meats served here are halal. He plans to open Chaat & Juice bar, maybe throw in flavors of coffee as well for coffee lovers.

Visit www. chatkharagrill.com • For catering, call 713-240-1115 • Located 6202 Hwy 6 South (on the feeder, after Chase Bank), Houston, TX 77083

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JKP radha madhav dham Presents Krishn Janmashtmi

AUSTIN: JKP Radha Madhav Dham will celebrate Shree Krishn’s appearance during our Krishn Janmashtmi program taking place Saturday, August 20th at 5 PM. We will be featuring a well known dance drama troupe from St. Louis performing Krishn leelas, “Gokul Nirgaman,” while accompanied by live musicians playing flute, mridang and veena.

JKP Radha Madhav Dham is proud to welcome Sushree Braj Banchari, of Toronto, Canada, senior preacher of Shree Kri-

paluji Maharaj, who will offer a discourse on the secrets of Shree Krishn’s descension, “Avatar Rahasya.”

Join our festive program and experience the beauty of arti, kirtan and darshan in a devotional environment among your family and friends.

For overnight accommodations, visit www.RadhaMadhavDham. org or call 512-288-7180. For more information, see the ad on page 36.

sonia Gandhi in Us for Treatment

NEW DELHI (NewKerala): Congress president Sonia Gandhi is in the US for an undisclosed medical treatment, the party said Thursday amid intense speculation that she had cancer. Gandhi placed her son Rahul and three others to oversee the country’s oldest party during the two or three weeks she is expected to be be away.

The Congress did not reveal the nature of 64-year-old Sonia Gandhi’s illness but informed sources said that she was being treated at the Memorail Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The hospital refused to confirm or deny she was admitted there. The party also did not say when she left India. Congress chief spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi said Sonia would undergo surgery very soon, contradicting his own earlier statement that the operation had already been performed.

He said that Sonia Gandhi had formed a four-member group, including Rahul, a general secretary, to look after party affairs in her absence. Rahul is also, at present, accompanying his mother for the medical treatment abroad. Besides Gandhi, the others in the group are long-time loyalists Defence Minister A.K. Antony, political secretary to Congress president, Ahmed Patel and Dwivedi himself.

“Sonia Gandhi has been recently diagnosed with a medical condition that requires surgery. On advice from her doctors, she has travelled abroad and is likely to be away for two to three weeks,” said Dwivedi.

Congress sources said she had an abdomen-related ailment. According to party sources, Gandhi was down with viral fever sincelast week and could not attend meetings of the Congress core committee.

Her last known public engagement was her 24-hour visit to Bangladesh from July 24.

Indo American News • Friday, Aug 12, 2011

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Answering queries on Sonia Gandhi’s health, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the party had already issued a statement and even public personalities were entitled to certain amount of privacy in medical issues.

On Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wishing Sonia Gandhi speedy recovery, Tewari said if somebody has wished her speedy recovery, there was no need to extrapolate it politically or otherwise.

A party leader said the Congress headquarters had received reports of prayer meetings and ‘havans’ conducted in different parts of the country, wishing Gandhi a speedy recovery.

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nrI woes on surrendering Indian Passports

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Many non-resident Indians (NRIs) say they are facing problems because of the formalities they now have to face while surrendering their Indian passports to acquire US citizenship.

“It is mind boggling how much paperwork they have added for someone born in India to revisit India,” lamented NRI Padma Golla from Houston, US. She was among scores of NRIs reacting to the IANS report about India lowering the fee for surrender of Indian passports in early July.

Rules regarding surrender of Indian passports on attaining US citizenship, introduced

by India’s Ministry of External Affairs in May 2010, were relaxed from June 1, 2011, after strong pressure by NRIs. Indian consulates used to charge $175 as fee for the surrender of old Indian passports and additional penalties for various “violations”. The fee has now been reduced to just $20.

“I am being put in a difficult situation where I can’t get a visa while my kid has one and I can’t travel with my kid who just needed an American passport with an application for a visa,” Golla added.

Many Indian consulates still have no idea about the announcement.

The consulates in countries other than the US are not sure if this new ruling applied to NRIs with British and other passports. The websites of many consulates show the higher, outdated fees.

Kawal Gupta from Toronto had a similar problem. He wrote: “I heard on radio that the fees for surrender of Indian passport after obtaining the citizenship of other

country has been reduced to $20 but when I called VFS (visa processing office), they said they have not heard of any such change and that I should submit my forms with the fees of $175.”

Till mid-July, the visa processing office insisted on charging a higher fee from Kawal who has four passports to cancel, which means paying about $700.

Sanjay Zala of Houston, Te x a s (US), who became a Canadian citizen in 2006, said Trasvisa O u t sourci n g , which handles visa re-

quests from the United States, insists he pay a penalty of $250 because he did not surrender his Indian passport within a year.

He made representations to the Indian ministry of external affairs, ministry of overseas Indian affairs, senior officers and the Indian consulate in the US, but to no avail.

In his letter to the ministry, he wrote, “By paying penalty and Overseas Citizenship of India fees together, is the government of India really interested to increase the interest of NRIs and their investment in India?”

“And by imposing this penalty, is the government really doing a favour to NRIs to visit India and

obtain Overseas Citizenship of India?” he asked.

“I have many thousands of names of the people who became foreign nationals before 2005 and kept their valid Indian passports for over three years. On renouncing their Indian citizenship, they did not pay any penalty,” Zala added.

“Why have the consular officers abroad not drawn any attention about this to the ministry of external affairs? Why is there a gross discrimination against those who became foreign nationals after 2005 with valid Indian passports?” he asked.

Zala has not received any replies.

Tilak Sen and Raamprasad in Britain found it difficult to convince the Indian consulates that British passport holders should also pay the lower penalty.

Clarence Gomes from Mississauga, Canada, wrote that the previous rule was that anyone who obtained citizenship before May 2010 had to pay only $20 to obtain a surrender certificate but those who obtained citizenship after May 2010 had to pay $175.

Gomes wrote, “There are many like me who obtained Canadian citizenship in March 2011, does it mean that I have to still pay $175 for the surrender of my Indian passport? If so, there is no change in the policy as I understand it.

We will appreciate if the correct policy is confirmed as it is still not clear to many Indians who have recently been granted citizenship of another country.”

Gomes sent letters to the local TV stations, newspapers and the Indian consulate in Toronto and the ministries of external affairs and overseas Indian affairs but with no response. TOI

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Indo American News • Friday, Aug 12, 2011

Hindu Advocacy Touching real Hindu lives HOUSTON: Has your child come home upset and embarrassed of her heritage because of the way Hinduism was described in her textbook? Have you ever read about a Hindu practice in the local newspaper that makes you cringe or scratch your head, wondering what they’re talking about?

Do you care that your hard-earned tax dollars are supporting regimes where Hindus face a litany of human rights abuses daily? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to meet the leaders of the Hindu American Foundation, because they care too and are working hard to do something about it.

Join the co-founders, volunteers, staff, and supporters of the Hindu American Foundation on Friday, August 19 at the annual Houston Awareness Event, and learn more about how HAF’s advocacy work impacts you and your children.

The event also features a guest speaker from Chattisgarh, India.

Bhagwati Charan Bhatpare is a civil rights activist and a proud Hindu. He is part of the Satnami community, a group referred to as Harijan by “Mahatma” Gandhi, but commonly called “Untouchable” or Dalit or by the government designation of Scheduled Caste. He is a Board Member of the Sahayog Foundation, which works for the development of the people of Chattisgarh; a principal at Borsi Higher Secondary

HAF Managing Director and Legal Counsel Suhag A. Shukla with Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) - Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade at HAF’s 2010 Advocacy Day, Capitol Hill Reception. Congressman Royce was awarded HAF’s Friend of the Community award for his dedication to promoting the Hindu ideals of understanding, tolerance, and pluralism.

School; and a supervisor for all of the 13 principals in his primarily tribal district, Bhatpare will speak on why he remains a Hindu and why he supports HAF. A taste of Bhatpare’s thoughts can be found in his contribution to HAF’s recent report on caste-based discrimination in India: “Dharma and righteousness are the highest values in one’s life, influencing the past, present, and future. They affect our lifestyle and thoughts and guide us. I have no problem following the paths and customs of Hinduism. I can take part

in each and every religious activity. Most people have to struggle and have to face many difficulties to live up to their religious beliefs and doctrines. I do not see such problems in Hinduism. My religion gives me the freedom to choose my path and my doctrine to knowing God. I can see what is the right path for myself and what is not. To be a complete person, one has to adhere to some belief system. For me, Hinduism is the only religion that clearly teaches the path to knowing myself and knowing God. So I have accepted

the path of Hinduism. It has influenced my life very much.

I believe in its spiritual practices and I follow the path of Hinduism.”

Intrigued? Want to know more?

If so, join HAF on August 19 and meet Bhatpare along with two of HAF’s co-founders, Mihir Meghani. M.D. and Suhag Shukla, Esq. You will also meet the HAF’s Houston team: Rishi Bhutada, who serves as a member of the Executive Council, and Jay Kansara, HAF’s fulltime Associate Director, who began his journey into Hindu American advocacy in Houston and only recently moved to Washington, D.C. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is an advocacy organization seeking to provide a progressive Hindu voice

“MASALA WOK IS HOT. IT’S COOL, IT’S WOW” Dallas Morning News

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that interacts with the media, academia, public policy officials, and the public at large. HAF strives to ensure that Hinduism is presented accurately, and it proactively communicates the diverse viewpoints and tenets of our faith. Since its humble beginnings in 2003 as a purely volunteer group, HAF has established itself as a credible and effective organization that employs a fulltime staff across the country, maintains a permanent office in Washington, D.C., and addresses the ever growing needs and concerns of Hindus in America.

Come spend an evening with an organization that Harvard professor Diana Eck refers to as “the preeminent” Hindu voice in the United States. Bring your friends and family for a fun-filled, interactive, and though-provoking evening.

HAF wants to thank the Hindus of Greater Houston for making this event possible.

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10001 Westheimer Road. Houston, TX 77042 Phone: 713-784-8811 www.MasalaWok.com Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, AUGUsT 12, 2011 • onlIne edITIon: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com

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Ordained Himalayan Master to Lead Workshops in Yogic Lifestyles, Propagate Sanskrit in Houston

By Kalyani Giri HOUSTON: His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda Giri, the pontiff of the non-profit Self Enquiry Life Fellowship, will be visiting this city and offering succor to disciples seeking a spiritual way of life. The ordained master who is a Kriya Yogi, scholar, philosopher and monk will begin his twoweek stay in this city with Swara Ganga, Resonant Streams of Vedic Chanting, to be held at India House on West Bellfort on August 19, 2011. He will also present Mountain Path by the River of Knowing, a meditative discourse that will include the presentation of a 100-minute long slideshow of antique photographs of the Himalayan Mountains and the river Ganga. The program, hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston at the Brown Auditorium on August 28, will reveal images of mountains covering the headwaters of Ganga, holy pilgrimage sites along the riverbanks, and the merging of Ganga into the Bay of Bengal through the largest river delta in the world. The lecture will highlight Ganga’s impact on the

Sanskrit tradition, which developed after the Vedic Sanskrit from the Saraswati river era.

The Himalayan savant, who was awarded the title of Mahamaho-

padhyay (Great Ordained Teacher) by the university system in India for his scholarly articulation of Sanskrit literature and meditative insights, will lead a Labor Day weekend retreat at the Camp Young Judaea in Wimberley, Tex-

as, on Vedanta, the Upanishads, Himalayan yoga practices, and pranayama techniques. Other programs include a lecture on a yogic lifestyle at the Heights School of Yoga on August 25, and a talk on Inspiring Treasures of the Vedic Heritage at the Houston Durga Bari Society on August 29. Entrance to public presentations is free, though the foundation does welcome sponsorship or donations.

The Self Enquiry Life Fellowship founded by Swami Vidyadhishananda is committed to cultivating and organizing programs directly related to the monastic lineage and order of monks of the Adi Shankaracharya tradition. The organization also revives and propagates ancient Sanskrit scriptures of the Vedas, cultivates Vedic knowledge and esoteric branches of Sanskrit literature, and promotes the Sanskrit oral recitation and intonation techniques that are more than 5,000 years old.

For more information and a detailed schedule of events, visit Houston.tx@swamahiman,org or call (832) 659 5384. Also visit www.swamahiman.org for information about the Swami’s nationwide programs.

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Call to Join India’s 2nd Freedom Movement with Anna Hazare

The Indian Cabinet has approved a weak and ineffective “Joke-Pal” draft for Parliament -- betraying the overwhelming public mandate for a strong anticorruption law. But public outrage is rapidly turning to bold, nationwide and worldwide action -- we can join in and supercharge this historical moment.

The future of the fight against corruption is now in the hands of the standing committee, and they have the power to strengthen the Cabinet’s weak Lokpal . We know they will only act to regulate themselves and their friends if public pressure gives them no other option. Anti-corruption protests planned across India and around the world in the next weeks will powerfully send the message: we won’t stop until we win!

Already, the government has moved to quash Anna Hazare’s upcoming protest in Jantar Mantar -- showing their fear of public outcry. Let’s double the energy we brought to support Anna last April. By standing together in our own towns, parks and communities, we will show our leaders the power of India’s anti-corruption movement.

The Parliament has just begun the much anticipated monsoon session. After months of promises and bureaucratic delays, Con-

gress wants to pass a Lokpal bill that does little to fight corruption in their ranks. But the government has heard about the hundreds of protests planned across India to support the Jan Lokpal and a real anti-corruption bill. Anna Hazare is already making waves: he has said he is ready to face lathis, jail, bullets, starvation -- he is willing to sacrifice his life for India’s desperately needed strong anticorruption legislation Throughout this month, citizens across the country are forming small teams and undertaking padyatras. On August 16, we will start relay hunger fasts across the world to support Anna Hazare and many other brave citizens on hunger strike.

Vsit www.NRIAC.org to organize or take part in this second freedom movement for a corruption free India. Visit www.IndiaAgainstCorruption.org for developments withinin India.

Houston Events: Aug 14, 11am at Mahathma Gandhi Statue in Herman Park (Houston Garden Center Parking Lot). From Aug 16-22, Demonstrations @ Indian Consulate from 5.30pm to 8pm to support Anna Hazare Movement. For more information, call Raghava Reddy Solipuram at 781-367-9367

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Indo American News • Friday, Aug 12, 2011

divisity of cultures represented in miss Asian American Texas Pageant By deBorah FlecK DALLAS: The young women in the 2011-13 Miss Asian American Texas Pageant reflect the diversity of Asian cultures in North Texas. The contestants hail from not only India, Taiwan and the Philippines, countries with large local populations, but also from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Pageant organizer Merna Parcon said the event seeks to encourage creativity and confidence in AsianAmerican women as well as increase cultural awareness. Held Saturday at a restaurant in Arlington, the pageant was also a showcase of traditional dances and songs.

Julie Tam, a reporter for KXAS News (Channel 5), was one of several hosts. Judges included Austin Judge Ramey Ko, the first Asian American judge in Travis county. Previous winners were recognized, including Elizabeth Dinh, a television reporter in Seattle, and Tammy Nguyen Lee, a Dallas filmmaker.

Aishwarya Raju of India was crowned Miss Asian American Texas 2011-12. Kathleen Caprio of the Philippines was named Miss Asian American Texas 2012-13. The Miss Teen Asian American Texas Award went to Hiedi Xayasouk of Laos for 2011-12 and to Ezra Calado of the Philippines for 2012-13.

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rakhi: The Thread of love Relationships are the essence of any festivity and it holds true for any Indian festival.

Each occasion brings the family together which calls for a celebration. Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of one such relation - that of a brother and a sister. This relationship is no where so celebrated as in India. Raksha Bandhan is a festival which celebrates the bond of affection between brothers and sisters. It is a day when siblings pray for each others’ well being and wish for each others’ happiness and goodwill.

The name ‘Raksha Bandhan’ suggests ‘a bond of protection’. On this auspicious day, brothers make a promise to their sisters to protect them from all harms and troubles and the sisters pray to God to protect their brother from all evil. The festival falls on the Shravan Purnima which comes generally in the month of August.

Sisters tie the silk thread called Rakhi on their brother’s wrist and pray for their well being and brothers promise to take care of their sisters.

Previously, Rakhi festival encompasses the warmth shared between the siblings but now it goes way beyond it. Some people tie Rakhi to neighbours and close friends signifying a peaceful co-existence of every individual. Rakhi Utsav was first popularized by Rabindranath Tagore to promote the feeling of unity and a commitment to all members of society to protect each other and encourage a harmonious Social life.

In today’s scenario, the day has a different perspective. The occasion involves a pledge of life-time practice of moral, cultural and

spiritual values. The values and the sentiments attached to the rituals of this festival are worth inculcating by the whole human race, the sentiments of harmony and peaceful coexistence. The festival of Raksha Bandhan assumes all forms of Raksha or protection, of righteousness and destroyer of all sin. The ritual of Rakhi tying has become so important that come what may, brothers and sisters try to visit each other place on this particular day tin order to bring back the oneness of the family, binding the family together in an emotional bond of love.

Unconditional Bond of Love Raksha bandhan has been celebrated in the same way with the same traditions for many years. Only the means have changed with the changing lifestyle to make the celebration more elaborate and lively. This day has an inherent power that pulls the siblings together. The increasing distances evoke the desire to be together even more. All brothers and sisters try to reach out to each other on this auspicious day. The joyous meeting, the rare family get-together, that erstwhile feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood calls for a massive celebration. For everyone, it is an opportunity to reunion and celebrate. People also share tasty dishes, wonderful sweets and exchange gifts. It is a time to share their past experiences also. For those who are not able to meet each other, rakhi cards and e-rakhis and rakhis through mails perform the part of communicating the rakhi messages. Hand made rakhis and self-made rakhi cards are just representation of the personal feelings of the siblings. - Rakha-Bandhan.com

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Returning to the Houston Area 2011 Public Events & Lectures by Himalayan Monk His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda h<sSy git ivStarm ivStarm! • h<s AaTman< Xyayet! • iÇxama h<s %Cyte • h<syaeg ivc][> • h<s> zuiczt!

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losing currency in the west The world is eyeballing a currency crisis. Countries like China blame it on the West’s response to the 2008 credit meltdown. The United States and the European Union merely kicked the can down the road and are now seeing faith evaporate from their currencies, runs the argument, pushing global trade and investment into a bigger hole than the one it had clambered out of. A spendand-borrow US administration also faces flak at home from the Republicans for debasing the greenback. Credit rating agencies caught napping over the sub-prime crisis are trigger-happy this time around. Standard & Poor’s has lowered the US sovereign risk rating. If others follow suit, gold could become the sole AAA+ currency in the world. Politicians now must convince investors they are serious about fixing the causes that led to the credit meltdown. They cannot keep talking up markets indefinitely.

All this takes some pressure off Indian policymakers who have been trying to cool an overheated economy. Prices here have been on a tear in part because some of the newly minted dollars are washing up on our shore. The call to cut back government spending will be muted till the latest crisis blows over. Depending on how much of India’s trade in merchandise and services is affected, an expansionary fiscal stance will find takers in the government. The central bank may have to temper its zeal to raise interest rates in an effort to put the inflation genie back in the bottle. The Indian government has been able to do very little about the prices of commodities, especially oil, in international markets. The costs of cushioning the Indian consumer could fall on the prospects of a protracted slowdown in the US. Politically, too, global events could overshadow developments at home. A government cornered over a rash of high-profile graft charges and accused of policy inertia could use this opportunity to play on the front foot. If serious demand destruction were to recur, charges of corruption will take a backseat to the more pressing need to keep the economy ticking over. The UPA has demonstrated its crisis management skills once before, this time though the options will be fewer than in 2008. The fiscal headroom has shrunk and monetary tightening is fairly well advanced.

A fresh flight of international investments to safe havens could be a good time to announce measures that make it more attractive to do business in India. Capitalism’s latest paroxysm will perversely help the government put out home fires.

Hindustan Times

Quotable Quotes People try to live within their income so they can afford to pay taxes to a government that can’t live within its income.

Robert Half

EDITORIAL

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a liberal contract with america By hemAnT kAnAkiA I have been following the “debt limit raising” farce with increasing gloom. I cannot but feel that way after my daily morning routine of reading blogs by Paul Krugman, Jared Bernstein and Brad De Long, before and after my first cup of coffee.

I, like many others, blamed Obama’s negotiating skill for the mess. I chalked it up to his inexperience or to being the first African American President of USA—he would prefer to be loved and accepted rather than lead, which includes being feared and making enemies squirm.

However, I realize now that this is only a partial picture. The real failure is of the liberal establishment and its intellectuals and activists.

After the Obama victory, every liberal movement and organization cheered and went back to sleep, or splintered off with a great show of disunity. What they should have done is to recognize that this historic opportunity would be wasted if they did not work to mobilize grassroots opinion and commitment behind few important, significant issues.

They needed a counterpart of Gingrich on the liberal side; instead, they got Nancy Pelosi, who seems so ineffective in thinking ahead.

I do fault liberals for allowing the political discourse to drift away to debt, entitlements, government expenditures and non-regulation of financial industry. America is paying for that lack of leadership among liberals.

After the electoral success, the first priority should have been full employment and cleaning up mortgage owners’ messy situation, not to go after containing healthcare. The electoral mandate was not to enact longterm priorities of Democratic Party but to save the economy, make it more competitive. If the Democratic Party and the Administration had a laserlike focused on that goal, we would not be in this situation today.

However, it is still not too late to turnaround the situation. If the Democratic Party can get Tea Party like town hall meetings organized around the country, America can be

“i do fault liberals for allowing the political discourse to drift away to debt, entitlements, government expenditures and non-regulation of financial industry. america is paying for that lack of leadership among liberals.” saved from slipping into a prolonged decline of wealth.

The Liberal Contract with America would include: 1) Punish the guilty. Saving banks was necessary but there is no reason to protect bankers, who knowingly used weapons of mass financial destruction to line up bonuses for themselves. Pursue these charlatans, like America pursued and apprehended the likes of Al Capone and Mafia/ Cosa Nostra bosses. These mobsters killed people by the hundreds, while many bankers destroyed lives and dreams of millions, and their children’s future too.

2) Make it procedurally impossible to promote and enter wars again on lies and misinformation. Get out of current wars.

3) Jobs, jobs, jobs. Get the economy back to a pace, where everybody who wants a job has one.

4) Reduce the gap between rich and poor. Don’t give subsidies to poor but tax the rich. Give poor workers power to bargain for better wages. Class

warfare has been going on since the times of Reagan anyway.

5) Do what is necessary to make sure that banks do not fail and do not require bailouts ever again from the government. Pass anti-monopolies acts to break-up big banks. There is no difference between forcing AT&T to disband and forcing Citigroup to do the same.

6) Get America to, once again, become a country of businesspersons, entrepreneurs, producers and innovators of products, and not financial engineers. (What an insult to the engineering profession, to have this term be used in such a manner!). Make the financial profession unattractive enough so that the brightest kids go to other nobler professions that make and build something, not just move money around.

7) Make long-term investments in vital future industries. Educate and train people for such industries and encourage these industries with subsidies. Facebook and its social networking lookalikes are pastimes, not productivity tools that help industries. These should not be valued as highly as they are, except by bankers and financial “engineers”.

Dr. Hemant Kanakia is a successful entrepreneur with a huge social conscience. His is a tale of two countries—he lives in Washington DC, USA, and New Delhi, India.

wanted: airline manager

The Maharaja is in a mess and, if news reports are to be believed, the public sector company is looking for a new captain to replace the poor man who is struggling in the cockpit, Arvind Jadhav. Unsurprisingly, there are no takers for this high-flying job, once considered the height of India’s babudom.

Here is a bird’s eye view of the responsibilities: manage six different companies (the airline, AI Express, Alliance Air, Hotel Corporation of India and allied functions of ground handling and maintenance, repair and operations). Feeling frazzled already? Here are some more that he or she will inherit: not a fat bank balance, but a loss of Rs 51,000 crore. HT

IndoAmerican News FOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI EDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI BUSINESS MANAGER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRA MANAGING PARTNER: KRISHNA GIRI COMMUNITY REPORTER: KALYANI GIRI COMMUNITY EDITOR: MANASI GOKHALE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN BUSINESS & RECREATION: JACOB DAVID GRAPHIC DESIGN: SAQIB RANA CORRESPONDENTS CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, UK: ASEEM KULKARNI NEW DELHI: RAJ KANWAR ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com

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strength and stability matter when choosing a life insurance company Financial strength ratings for MassMutual and affiliated companies A.M. Best Company: A++ (Superior; top category of 15)* Fitch Ratings: AA+ (Very Strong; second category of 21)* Moody’s Investors Service: Aa2 (Excellent; third category of 21)* Standard and Poor’s: AA+ (Very Strong; second category of 21)* Ratings are as of 5/3/10. Ratings are subject to change.

Ratings are for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, C.M. Life Insurance Company and MML Bay State Life Insurance Company. *Note: see www.massmutual.com/ratings for up to date ratings information.

By Jimmy ABRAhAm What is the sign of a good decision?SM It’s having confidence in the company you work with.

There are many reasons to choose a life insurance company to help meet your financial needs: protection for your family or business, products to help provide supplemental income, and the confidence of knowing you will be better prepared for the future.

When choosing a life insurance company, strength and stability matter.

Financial strength ratings are a key measure of an insurance company’s

ability to meet its obligations to pay future claims. These ratings provide a third-party analysis of a company’s current and future financial strength and stability. This may help policyholders and clients assess the relative risk of doing business with that company.

Independent rating agencies assess a company’s financial strength and its capacity to meet its insurance obligations such as the guarantees in life insurance policies or annuity contracts.

They do this via a thorough analytical process that culminates in ratings to reflect their current assessment of the insurance company.

When you’re trying to make sense

of what to do next, sitting down with a knowledgeable professional can be extremely helpful. These professionals will listen and will help you make sure the people you care about are protected, now and in the years to come.

Jimmy Abraham is a financial representative with Strategic Financial Group, LLP, a MassMutual agency who represents Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and other companies, courtesy of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) © 2010 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

CRN201205-133550

19 Indians Indicted in Health care Fraud in Us

NEW YORK (TOI): A federal grand jury in the US has indicted 26 people, including 19 Indians, for their participation in a multi-million dollar health care fraud and drug distribution scheme to facilitate the submission of false claims to Medicaid and private insurers.

The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Detroit charged 26 individuals, including doctors and psychologists, United States attorney Barbara McQuade announced. An Indian-origin pharmacist is accused of being at the center of the conspiracy. The 34-count indictment alleges that 49-year old pharmacist Babubhai Patel, the beneficial owner and controller of some 26 pharmacies, concealed his ownership and control over many of the Patel Pharmacies through the use of straw owners. The indictment alleges that Patel would offer and pay kickbacks, bribes and other inducements to physicians, in order to induce those physicians to write prescriptions for patients with Medicare, Medicaid, and private

insurance, and to direct that those prescriptions be presented to one of the Patel Pharmacies for billing.

“Today’s arrests and the allegations in the indictment bring to light one of the largest diversion conspiracies ever uncovered in the state of Michigan.

These individuals abused their positions of trust and endangered the lives of countless people by illegally distributing more than six million doses of opiate painkillers and depressants throughout southeast Michigan and beyond,” special agent in charge of drug enforcement administration’s Detroit Field Division Robert Corso said.

The indictment further alleges the individuals conspired to distribute controlled substances at the Patel pharmacies, in order to facilitate the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers. Patel and his associates paid physicians and podiatrists associated with the scheme, kickbacks and other inducements in exchange for the medical professionals writing pre-

scriptions for controlled substances for their patients, and directing those patients to fill the prescriptions at a Patel Pharmacy.

Patel Pharmacies billed the Medicare programme not less than USD 37.7 million for medications purportedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries since January 2006 and not less than 20.8 million dollars for medications purportedly provided to Medicaid beneficiaries over the course of the scheme.

In addition to Patel, those named in the 34-count indictment are physician Paul Petre, pharmacists Dineshkmar Patel, Anish Bhavsar, Ashwini Sharma, Pinakeen Patel, Kartik Shah, Viral Thaker, Hiren Patel, Miteshkumar Patel, Lokeh Tayal, Narendera Cheraku and Chetan Gujarathi. Arpitkumar Patel, Sumanray Raval, Harpreet Sachdeva, Ramesh Patel, Rana Naeem, physician Mustak Vaid, psychologist and patient recruiter Sanyani Edwards and business associate Komal Acharya have also been named in the indictment.

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why Packing on Pounds is riskier for indians

TORONTO (TOI): Packing on pounds is riskier for Indians and other South Asians than white people, says a study.

While white Caucasian people store their extra body fat in their waistlines, Indians and other South Asians carry this extra fat into their internal organs like liver and abdomen affecting their normal functioning.

It is this disruption of normal organ functions among Indians and South Asians that triggers diabetes and heart problems, says the study conducted by a young Indo-Canadian researcher.

Sonia Anand, who is professor of medicine and epidemiology at McMaster University, says that the prevalence of diabetes and coronary diseases among South Asians is due to their body adding “ the organ-hugging fat” that leads to these diseases.

“South Asians have less space to store fat below the skin than white Caucasians. Their excess fat, therefore, overflows to ectopic compartments, in the abdomen and liver where it may affect function,” says Anand.

She says this visceral fat is associated with metabolic problems such as elevated glucose and abnormal lipids which lead to coronary artery disease.

Her study support previous research which shows that, even with the same body mass index (BMI) as Caucasians, people from the Indian subcontinent have more risk factors for car-

While white Caucasian people store their extra body fat in their waistlines, Indians and other South Asians carry this extra fat into their internal organs. (TOI Photo)

diovascular disease, including type 2 diabetes, low ‘good’ cholesterol, and more abdominal obesity.

Arya Sharma, director of the Canadian Obesity Network and a co-author of the study, added, “This study helps explain why South Asians experi-

ence weight-related health problems at lower BMI levels than Caucasians.

For the clinician, this also means that individuals of South Asian heritage need to be screened for the presence of heart disease and diabetes at lower BMIs.”

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By Ashwini Deshmukh MUMBAI (Filmfare) The defamation has turned Shiney Ahuja spiritual. Filmfare meets the actor who dubs the trauma a cleansing process Shiney’s wife Anupam (Pandey) joins me and recounts bits of the nightmare they’ve just emerged from. All through she stood by her husband, volleying media queries and public indictment. And gets ready to face my barrage of queries...

Did you believe that you’d come out of this mess?

I had faith in God. There’s nothing in life that can happen without His wishes. He has chosen a certain path for me and I had to go through this to wash away my karma.

Can you recount what exactly happened that day?

Nothing at all happened that day. I’m innocent and have been framed. I just paid the price of being a celebrity.

But why would any girl claim that she has been raped given the drastic consequences she’d have to suffer?

The maid has confessed in court that she made the false allegation at the behest of a witness who had placed her in our house.

But as per reports, initially you had admitted to the act.

I’ve never admitted or confessed. It’s absolutely false. I’ve also never admitted to consensual sex. Selective false stories were planted in the media by investigating authorities. One such news item appeared on the front page of a prominent daily on July 4, 2009.It was published that I had come to court and confessed to consensual sex. I had not even gone to court that day.

So what made the maid retract her statement?

We had documentary evidence against her

Shiney Ahuja: To Hell & Back

statement. During the cross-questioning, she confessed the truth. The time of the alleged incident is between 3.15 pm to 3.45 pm. But the investigating officer admitted in court that he ‘had heard the defense argue that the maid was on the phone between 3.20pm to 3.40pm’. Secondly, we had the CCTV print that falsified the witness’ statement who had placed her in our house saying that the maid had come out with her clothes and hair in disarray and that she had brought the maid down as she was unable to walk.

What about the injuries on your body

as observed by the trial court?

There were absolutely no injuries on my body. None. The only reference that was made was about a scratch mark – and the scratch mark has tested negative on the DNA test.

What about reports that linked you with your co-stars and other women in the past? You’ve been labelled a compulsive womanizer.

That’s absolutely not true. Instead, what I recall is that predominantly most articles mentioned how I always spoke my mind.

Because of this I was labelled arrogant.

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Reportedly, you also threw tantrums and couldn’t get along with your co-stars.

While I had a few disagreements with some of my co-stars, I also shared a great working relationship with them. Chitrangda Singh called up my wife and wished us strength to cope. Preity Zinta messaged my wife saying she was praying for the family. I recently heard Kangna Ranaut saying in chat show that she’d absolutely love to work with me.

Yet not too many people from the industry came out in the open to support you…

A lot of people believed and reacted to the stories that were being planted.

I don’t blame them as I might have done the same if I were in their place.

All the people with whom I had worked with including Pritish Nandy, Sudhir Mishra, Jahnu Barua, Tito, Sanjay F Gupta, Kunal Shivdasani, Vinod Pande, besides my co-stars, came out and supported my family.

What were the most difficult moments?

It was most difficult being a son.

It was so difficult for my parents given their age and health. They were shocked to hear what was said about me. All kinds of fears would cross my mind while I was in jail.

How anxious were you about daughter Arshiya?

I’m relieved and happy that my daughter has got her dad back. I missed her second birthday, as I was inside. That very day Anu came to meet me and when I asked about Arshiya, she informed me that she had woken up around the same hour, 5:30 am, asking for me. There’s a strong connection between Arshiya and me. I believe she senses my pain.

The moment I started thinking about her

again, I started seeing positive signs.

Would you say you paid the price of being a celebrity?

I don’t think this would have happened to me if I weren’t a celebrity. Now I understand why celebrities guard their lives. I kept shouting at the top of my voice that I was innocent but no one was listening.

How would this journey have been without your wife Anupam’s support?

I can’t imagine life without her. I always believed I loved her enough and the intensity couldn’t exceed that. But now I don’t only love her, I respect her. She wanted a certain upbringing and environment for our daughter.

She didn’t want two celebrities at home, one was enough. All that changed, as she had to face the media to defend me. Because of me she had to go against her decision.

Will you ever be able tell the truth to Arshiya, your daughter?

I want to share all with her even before she asks me about it. I want to tell her how the family stood by me, especially her mother who was like a rock. And that her father is a good man.

Don’t you feel embarrassed to face society?

I’m absolutely fine with it. Deep in my heart I know what the truth is. There are only two reactions people can possibly have.

People who have faith in me have come up and hugged me. The other set of people, well I can’t blame them. God bless and enlighten them.

Now that the case is before the High Court for it to decide, what about career plans? Do you have a plan B? My films Har Pal, Accident and Mary Magdelene are ready for release. Acting is my only love. It’s the one thing I enjoy and want to do.

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A Revenge Plot So Intricate, the Prosecutors Were Pawns

By Dan Bilefsky NEW YORK (NYT): Soon after Seemona Sumasar started dating Jerry Ramrattan, she had an inkling that something might be wrong.

He said he was a police detective, but never seemed to go to work.

He seemed obsessed with “C.S.I.,” “Law & Order” and other television police dramas.

About a year after he moved into her house in Queens, their relationship soured. One day, he cornered her, taped her mouth and raped her, she said. Ramrattan was arrested.

But he soon took his revenge, the authorities said. Drawing on his knowledge of police procedure, gleaned from his time as an informer for law enforcement, he accomplished what prosecutors in New York called one of the most elaborate framing plots that they had ever seen.

One night, Sumasar was pulled over by the police. Before she could speak, detectives slapped handcuffs on her. “You know you did it,” she said one later shouted at her. “Just admit it.”

Sumasar, a former Morgan Stanley analyst who was running a restaurant, said she had no idea what that meant. Yet suddenly, she was being treated like a brazen criminal. She was charged with carrying out a series of armed robberies, based on what the police said was a wealth of evidence, including credible witness statements and proof that her car was the getaway vehicle.

In her first extensive interview about her ordeal, she recalled sitting in jail, consumed by one thought: “Jerry is behind this.”

But when she insisted to the authorities that he had set her up, they belittled her claims.

Now, though, they concede that Ms. Sumasar was right — an astonishing turn of events that has transformed her case into one of the most bizarre in the city’s recent history.

They released her from jail last December after seven months, acknowledging that the entire case against her had been concocted by MRamrattan, officials said.

“We prosecute tens of thousands of cases each year, but in the collective memory, no one has ever seen anything like this before,” said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.

“Few people have the capacity to

pull off a master plot of this magnitude to exact revenge,” Brown said.

Ramrattan framed Sumasarbecauseshewould not drop the rape charge, prosecutors said.

And so even as Ramrattan remained free on bail in the rape case, Sumasar, who had no prior criminal record, was facing up to 25 years in prison.

Despondent, Sumasar passed her days behind bars scouring the indictments against her for Ramrattan in Queens Criminal Court last clues that could help week. He is set to go on trial in October on prove her innocence, charges of rape and conspiracy. His lawyer even as news of lurid and supporters say he is innocent. Photo: Robert Stolarik crimes that she had story shows how theAmerican justice not committed were system can be easily manipulated, splashed in newspapers.

“From the beginning, I said he with the principle of innocent until made it up,” Sumasar said. “I never proven guilty turned on its head.

Prosecutors countered that the web thought my life would become a cop of false evidence presented by Ramfilm.”

Sumasar, 36, is bubbly and petite. rattan was so detailed they had little She never finished college but used reason to doubt it.

But Anthony Grandinette, Suher analytical skills to land six-figure jobs on Wall Street. Yet she acknowl- masar’s former lawyer, said law enforcement was negligent. edged she can be too trusting.

“Why would a tiny woman with no After her arrest, she lost her restaurant franchise and her house in Far criminal record, who worked 10 years Rockaway went into foreclosure. on Wall Street, randomly hold up peoShe was separated from her daughter, ple at gunpoint at night dressed as a policewoman?” Grandinette asked.

Chiara, 12.

Sumasar, the daughter of an Indian Sumasar is now planning lawsuits against the Police Departments in taxi company owner from the South New York City and in Nassau Coun- American nation of Guyana, was the ty, the location of one of her purported embodiment of immigrant success.

When Ramrattan, dressed in a suit robberies, over her arrest. Neither and tie, first entered her restaurant agency would comment.

Ramrattan never worked as a law in 2006 and introduced himself as a enforcement officer, prosecutors say, police detective, Sumasar, a single but he often presented himself as a mother, recalled being impressed.

The two began dating, and. Ramratprivate investigator.

Ramrattan, who is being held at tan eventually moved into Sumasar’s Rikers Island, appeared this month in house. At first, he seemed attentive, a Queens court, where a judge refused but she grew suspicious of him. He a request for bail and set his trial date lied constantly, she said.

“I said to Jerry, ‘You tell so many on the rape and conspiracy charges for Oct. 3. He has pleaded not guilty lies, I think you actually believe what to both. He and his supporters are now you are saying,’ ” Ms. Sumasar said.

Throughout 2008, she said she voicing their own theory of the case: begged him to leave but he refused.

Sumasar framed him.

After Sumasar said she was at“My son is innocent, he was set up,” said Shirley Ramrattan, Ramrattan’s tacked, on March 8, 2009, she pressed rape charges against Ramrattan, who mother.

Ramrattan’s lawyer, Frank Kelly, was arrested and released on bail. said, “Everything about Sumasar and Soon after, Ramrattan sent friends to intimidate her, prosecutors said. her associates will come out.”

They said that when she would Some legal experts say Sumasar’s

Seemona Sumasar spent seven months in jail, accused of robberies that Queens prosecutors say were invented by an exboyfriend she had accused of rape, Jerry Ramrattan. Photo: Nicole Bengiveno/

not back down, he vowed to put her away.

The key to his scheme, prosecutors said, was to spread fake clues over time, fooling police into believing that all the evidence pointed to Sumasar.

They said he coached the supposed victims, driving them past Ms. Sumasar’s house so that they could describe her Jeep Grand Cherokee and showing them her photo so they could pick her out of a police lineup.

The setup began in September 2009, prosecutors said. An illegal immigrant from Trinidad told the police that he had been handcuffed and robbed of $700 by an Indian woman who was disguised as a police officer and had a gun, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said Ramrattan had persuaded the immigrant to lie, telling him that he could receive a special visa for victims of violent crimes.

Six months later, another man said he had been robbed in Nassau County by two police impersonators and described the main aggressor as an Indian woman about Ms. Sumasar’s height. The man said he had managed to take down the first three letters of the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s New York license plate — AJD.

All the while, Sumasar had a strong alibi, including cell phone records showing that calls were made from her phone at a casino in Connecticut on the day of the robbery.

But Sheryl Anania, executive assistant district attorney in Nassau County, said Ms. Sumasar’s business was foundering, so she appeared to have a motive.

The final fake crime was conjured in May 2010, officials said, when an acquaintance of Mr. Ramrattan said she had been held up by a couple posing as police officers. She said they were driving a Grand Cherokee, but she gave a full Florida license plate number.

She said she heard the pair call each other by name — “Seem” and “Elvis.” Elvis was the nickname of another former boyfriend of Ms. Sumasar, who owned the Jeep.

When the police looked into the Florida plate number, they found that the day after the purported March robbery, the title and the plate for the Cherokee had been transferred from Elvis to Sumasar’s sister in Florida.

Sumasar, who holds a Florida driver’s license, had driven the car to Florida to register it. To the police, she seemed to be covering her tracks.

With all the evidence pointing to Sumasar, the police arrested her. Bail was set at $1 million.

Prosecutors said the scheme unraveled in December 2010 — just weeks before Sumasar was to go on trial — when an informer told the police that Ramrattan had staged the plot. The informer gave detectives a number for a cellphone owned by Ramrattan.

When they checked phone records, they discovered multiple calls to the false witnesses, who confessed to the police. They were charged with perjury.

Today, Sumasar is trying to rebuild her life.

She checks the Rikers Web site frequently to make sure Mr. Ramrattan has not been released or escaped.

She once paid for purchases with cash but now uses only credit cards, so there is a paper trail attesting to her whereabouts.

“From the beginning I was presumed guilty — not innocent,” she said. “I felt like I never had a chance.”

“I can never have faith in justice in this country again.”

Indo American News • Friday, AUGUST 12 , 2011 • Online Edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

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25

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE

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ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: Calm and composed, you are ready to take on challenges that life throws at you. You have really worked hard on understanding your duties and responsibilities at both the domestic and work front. Your efforts now bear fruit, as you successfully balance work and pleasure, and please your colleagues as well as your loved ones. You are likely to earn rewards, which may be in the form of even a promotion. You revel in the glory of your success!

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 An end to your confusions regarding material as well as spiritual pursuits comes about. Invest your time in Realty, rentals, leases, insurance, and taxation matters. A loved one may be diagnosed with some ailment and may be hospitalized. The circumstances may upset you to a great extent.

This is a period that will make you work hard, and you will try out additional work options for additional income. You will give interviews, travelling, and meeting influential people.

GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: Love is in the air, and you are in a great mood. Look forward to an electric chemistry with your life partner. You may come across complicated situations while you deal with people; handle situations tactfully or they may end into conflicts or heated arguments. Too much stress and tension on personal as well professional matters may take a toll on your health. Relax and stay calm.

Money matters and communication both will grab you. Take a break during the weekend.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: The week begins on a bright note for all you Crabs. Owing to your spectacular achievements, you’ll experience enormous success this week. And with success will come happiness and satisfaction. This calls for a celebration! No disappointments and you will socialize with friends. You may even bump into your soul mate this week.

Flirtations, flings, crushes or friendships are surely on the cards. The stars are aligned in your favor, make the most of this benevolent time.

LEO July 24 - Aug 23:You might be caught in a whirlpool due to a few wrong decisions, but you leave no stone unturned to make amendments. You may be out of a long relationship, and this may be the reason for you feeling so low. Nothing can beat your stress like shopping can! Call up a friend and go on a shopping spree: clothes, accessories, jewellery, cosmetics or simply anything. Have a sumptuous meal.

Choose to find respite in your pets’ company.

Remember: be tough and face life.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: Your focus now deviates from money, finance and business to family bonding, love and friends. Your loved ones will be on your mind foremost. And they will be more than happy because of that.Apart from this, this week comprises of social commitments, new associations, renewal of old acquaintances, and dining and wining as well.

The socializing may work in your favour in the sense that it may open doors to new business collaborations. You need to mend a few of your habits. Hence, you may bring about changes in your lifestyle, tackle problems differently, and in the end, feel much more positive.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: Your cards suggest a family get-together and bonhomie at the home front.

You will enjoy this week in the company of your dear friends. You will enjoy good food, fun and laughter for

you. Your charming and charismatic personality is likely to add spark to every occasion. You may be the soul of all the parties, where you are likely to meet people from all walks of life. You will not only revive old contacts but will also make new ones easily, thanks to your flawless communication skills. However, excessive partying may dishearten your dear ones, who may feel left out. Well, you will have to win their hearts by making them feel special SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: This week, you wish to set out on a spiritual journey, in quest of inner joy and peace. You are charged up, and your energy levels are likely to be on an all-time high. Happy you will be and feel on top of the world.

And you will want to share your happiness with the less privileged and less fortunate. You will not only start believing but also practising the adage: Service to man is service to God. Make the most of these benevolent times. This period will turn out to be an important milestone in your life SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22: You can be assured of rapid, long-lived progress as you are brimming with ideas. Let your creative juices flow. Your innovative ideas and plans that were once criticized will now be appreciated and rewarded!

You can thank your stars for this! You may want to raise a toast to your achievements, and why not. Your self-confidence and self-belief are likely to shoot up. At this point in time, you will show your generosity and humility to the world. It will give you a chance to understand others’ problems and share their grief.

CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20: With an optimistic approach, you will emit positive vibes, which will make the people and environment around you quite positive.

Your superiors may appreciate your consistent performance at work. Besides your income, inheritance and legacies may add to your bank balance. You will be in demand and will top the guest list of all parties and social dos. You will add glamor to every party. After slogging hard for many weeks, you are tired, this week you may want to unwind. Make a trip to the nearest spa or salon to rejuvenate. You will have a fantastic week!

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19: The full Moon in your sign indicates an important phase for you. Push your limits and test your potentials as the phase looks promising.

You will see a clear picture of various situations.You are likely to experience an emotional turbulence within you.

It depends upon you whether to encourage it or be practical and focus on professional growth. You will feel tired and agitated for a while. Take some time out for yourself and relax. It’s better to leave a few questions unanswered. Time and life will solve the queries for you. As of now, experience the serenity.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: You have a lot of leisure time for you during this week. You may set out on a journey, with family and friends, as it has been a long time you have spent some quality moments with them. You may treat this week as a welcome break, considering the hectic week that just went by. Weddings, religious and social functions will make this week memorable. You will love to be in the lap of nature and enjoy the serenity.

Holding dew drops in your hand and listening to the chirpy birds will rejuvenate you. Have fun and relax this week. www.indoamerican-news.com

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