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‘Kolaveri Di’

Turns Killer on the Net Is Big Boss Tamil star Dhanush’s song “Kolaveri Di” has become a sleeper blockbuster by crossing 11,597,943 hits since its release Nov 16 on youtube.

Composed by 18-year-old Anirudh Ravichander, the song with funny lyrics is sung in an unconventional manner by Dhanush himself and will be a part of his next film “3”, which is being directed by his wife Aishwayra. The film also stars Shruthi Haasan.

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December 2, 2011

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moods of “ashta Prahar” m musically usically Unfolded by cicmH cicm

By Sunil Pangarkar HOUSTON: On November 19th at the Old Stafford Civic Center, the Center for Indian Classical Music of Houston (CICMH), in its biennial “Saadhana Unmesh” concert focused on a special aspect of the Time Theory of Hindustani classical music. Pandit Suman Ghosh has been holding Saadhana Unmesh programs in Houston since 2004 to mark, celebrate, encourage and present the blossoming of his disciples in Hindustani classical music. The impact and following of Panditji’s activities grew to a point where it was appropriate to establish an organization dedicated to the cause of Indian classical music and musicians and since 2009, the Saadhana Unmesh program has been organized by CICMH, founded by Pandit Suman Ghosh.

‘Unmesh’ is symbolically the blossoming of a flower. Saadhana Unmesh as a program itself has

blossomed over time. From a few early stage buds, the program itself is developing into a brand like the Shalimar Gardens. Any person, who knows anything about gardens and blossoming of beautiful flowers, knows that it takes a lot of effort and attention to details before the colors and fragrances become captivating.

The 2011 Saadhana Unmesh in the words of the discerning audience left no stone unturned in that respect. It was a complete event!

The theme of the performance was depicting the vista of the Time Theory of Hindustani classical music. Around 90 students in ages ranging from 4 to 84yrs and seniority ranging from 6 months to 8yrs performed.

They performed in four groups called Sthayi, Antara, Sanchari and Abhog - just as a traditional

Hindustani classical composition progresses. The first group sang the early morning raags in a time sequence as per the “prahar” and its mood and the second group sang the late morning raags. The third group sang the afternoon to early twilight raags and added the seasonal dimension of Monsoon to the vista – an additional mood-based categorization in Hindustani music.

This composition by Pandit Suman Ghosh on raag Miyan ki Malhar added a completely new and fresh complexion to the lyrics of “Vande Mataram”. The final group sang the dusk (late twilight) to dawn raags, thus completing the 24 hour cycle or the “Ashta Prahar” (eight prahars: each of 3hr duration). True to the traditional free flowing style of rendering in Hindustani music, Pt. Ghosh himself joined the singing, to the audiences’ de-

light, and also provided the support on harmonium. All groups were accompanied on Tabla by Shri Nishad Kanhere, another fellow Houstonian with a musical lineage.

Over 400 audiences was spellbound for 4 hours and remained glued to their seats other than few standing ovations and an intermission. This was indeed due to the spectacular music performance, thought, planning, effort, décor and flow of the program.

The program reminded me both of the beautifully choreographed fountains of Vrindavan Garden and the totally temperamental Monsoon rains both with a charm of its own. When Pandit-ji initially planned for the program, the singing part was to be a compact 90min affair. As happens in any lively program – it extended to over 2-1/2hrs of singing.

Pt. Ghosh was presented with

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a proclamation from the city of Sugar Land by City Councilman Harish Jajoo, recognizing his contribution to music. Sonal Bhuchar, president of the Fort Bend School Board of Trustees, thanked him for giving the gift of India’s rich tradition of music to the youngsters.

While praising the performance, Ajit Thakur, CPA and Presidentelect of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH), added humor by recommending Pt. Ghosh to take his music to a partisan U.S. Congress, to unify them! Ajit-ji had hit on a very subtle point through that humorous remark.

CICMH and Pandit Suman Ghosh has been the glue in unifying Americans of Indian origin to their tradition. Saadhana Unmesh as a program has come to be a true symbol of unity, diversity and growth through creativity.

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December 2, 2011

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December 2, 2011

Kolaveri Di Becomes a Phenomenon on Internet

NEW DELHI (TOI): ‘Kolaveri di’, a song from the upcoming Tamil movie ‘3’, sung by popular Tamil movie star Dhanush has become an internet rage.

The promo of the song, which was released on November 16, became an instant hit on social networking sites for its quirky ‘Tanglish’ (Tamil-English) lyrics.

The promo features the actor-playback singer Dhanush, son-in-law of superstar Rajinikanth, singing the song in a studio, and composer Anirudh at the piano, while wife & the director Aishwarya Rajinikanth and co-star Shruti Hassan watch along and give suggestions.

“Why this kolaveri di. 24 hours 83000 you tube views. Thank you guys. For making it the most viewed you tube video in music category yesterday. God bless,” Dhanush tweeted on the day of the release of the song.

The song Kolaveri appeared as the number

one Indian trend on Twitter on November 21.

The lyrics of the peppy song are simple and since it is a live recording, Dhanush keeps firing instructions while singing, making it more endearing. “yo boys I am singing song soup song flop song why this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveri di why this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveri di rhythm correct why this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveri di maintain this why this kolaveri.. di..” goes the song.

Houston Ushers in the a art of living l c center for Peace, y yoga and meditation m HOUSTON: In a busy neighborhood in the sprawling city of Houston, amidst establishments hawking insurance solutions, automobile and service merchants, comes an oasis of peace and harmony. The ‘Art of Living Center for Peace, Yoga and Meditation’ establishes its roots within the ambit of the Spring Branch neighborhood.

The ‘Center’, the popular moniker for this haven of peace and tranquility, opens its doors to welcome Houstonians on December 10.

Another neighborhood Yoga center?

“Not in the least. The Art of Living Foundation recently celebrated 30 years of helping over 50 million folks in over 150 countries, through simple yet powerful tools of the breath, to find their inner space of joy. When one is able to dive deep within and rejuvenate the body and mind, the result is inner peace and outer dynamism – the new ‘IPOD’ mantra to living life to the hilt”, points out Margaret Guillory, af affiliated with the Foundation.

Houstonians are invited to join in celebrating the arrival of this mecca for stressrelief, when it opens its portals on December 10. Events are scheduled through the 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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hour, for the entire day, for kids, youth and adults alike. “The Foundation has been a community volunteer and a citizen of Houston through its solidarity for several past events. Very recently, it has contributed to ‘Citizenship Week’ celebrating harmony-in-diversity and the spirit of oneness in Houston, and has also participated in the Houston 5k Walk for Mental Health. Of particular significance is the Memorandum of Understanding signed by former Hon. Mayor Bill White, recognizing the contributions of the Foundation in its resolve to promote health and wellness in Greater Houston. The establishment of the ‘Center’ is our way of embracing our Houston family”, emphasizes Mila Allam, also with the Foundation.

Interested in knowing more? Come and join in the grand celebrations at the ‘Open House’ of the Art of Living Center for Peace, Yoga and Meditation on December 10.

For more information, contact Nitin Kapoor at 832-266-9309 or visit www.artof www.artoflivinghouston.org/openhouse. For more information about.the Art of Living Foundation, visit www.artofliving.org.

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IIT-Bombay Graduate Arun majumdar gets t top op U Us se energy Job WASHINGTON (TOI): Naming yet another Indian American to a key administration post, US President Barack Obama has appointed Arun Majumdar, an Indian Institute of Technology- Bombay (IIT-Bombay) alumnus as the top bureaucrat in the Department of Energy. Announcing the appointment of Majumdar as Under Secretary of Energy along with four other key administration posts, Obama said: “These men and women have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers.

“I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.” At over two dozen, Obama administration has more Indian-Americans in high places than ever before with their numbers rising through Clinton and Bush presidencies. By far the highest ranking IndianAmerican in any presidential administration is USAID administrator Rajiv Shah.

According to the White House, Majumdar has served as the Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPAE) since 2009. Previously, he was Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

His research career has focused on the sci-

Arun Mujumdar

ence and engineering of energy conversion, transport, and storage, ranging from the molecular and nanoscale level to large energy systems. He has served on the advisory committee of the National Science Foundation’s engineering directorate and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Majumdar was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2005. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1985 and his PhD in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley.

Fundraising e event for Pratham

By Srini Chittaluru HOUSTON: On Saturday, November 12, Klein Oak High School’s IB Class of 2012 held an International Food-Tasting and Dance-a-Thon fundraising event for Pratham. The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is an internationally recognized syllabus offered by only a few schools in each country. Apart from rigorous classes, IB has several additional requirements such as Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS), IB exams, etc.

One of the IB requirements for each class is to initiate a class project as part of CAS that has both local and global relevance. For this year’s class project, they chose to raise funds for Pratham. Pratham is the largest non-governmental organiza-

tion (NGO) in India and one of the most influential charity organizations in the world. It works to eliminate illiteracy in India.

The event began with Marie Goradia, a Pratham Houston Board Member, speaking eloquently about Pratham’s initiatives on improving literacy among India’s poor children. Klein Oak’s IB students put together a fun filled Dance-a-Thon and a delectable food tasting event. They really brought international flavors similar to what you might find at the Houston Food Festival. Foods stalls included Indian, Asian, Mexican, European and American food. The non-stop Dance-a-Thon continued from 6:30-10pm and everyone was clearly having a blast.

If you receive your paper more than four days after the dateline, please file a complaint with your post office or call the USPS Consumer Affairs Office at 713-226-3442

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December 2, 2011

A debut Performance by Five y young Guitar Learners

By Sowmya nandakumar KATY: A self- taught guitarist Raj Vedam’s idea of “giving” to the community, culminated into a guitar Arengetram for five ninth grade girls in Katy, TX. The performance on Saturday, Nov 19th, 4-7 pm, was held in the Redeemer Community Church, at the intersection of Cinco Ranch Blvd and Westheimer Pkwy. The star performers of the evening were four Indian girls, Krithika Kuppuswamy, Mythri Partha, Kavya Pasumarthi, Vrinda Rajkumar (daughter of Rajkumar Vedam, the teacher) and one Vietnamese girl, Nicky Nguyen.

Raj has been teaching them to play the guitar for over a year now.

Although they are called students of Raj’s Music School, the school itself is Raj’s home and there is nothing formal about it. Raj teaches them out of his love for playing the guitar. He says, “I believe that if we know something we must give back to the community and share our knowledge especially with youngsters, cultivating new channels of interest for them, giving them hobbies which they will relish and pursue all their lives”.

Raj’s specialty is that he does not teach classical music. He believes that there is an abundance of teachers to formally train children in classical music. He wants to teach them something they

Uncle Kracker and a couple of Celine Dion songs. Kavya Pasumarti’s invocation song Adhi Lak Lakshmi stood out for being a devotional song performed with western flavor.

Although the parents of these teenagers have been sending them to Raj Uncle’s classes and were all involved in arranging the evening’s performance, even they must have From left: Vrinda Rajkumar, Mythri Partha, Kavya Pasumarti, Nicky Nguyen, Krithika Kuppuswamy been pleasantly surprised to hear their completely relate to and want to zone round where each of them which their solo was an Indian children perform with so much learn; popular music of the day performed solo, an English song film song, with the exception of ease. In about a year of learning composed by their favorite singers of their choice by contemporary Nicky Nguyen from Vietnam, who an instrument, these teens sure including Shakira, Taylor Swift, artists like the few named above. played a Vietnamese song instead. have come a long way and defiKelly Clarkson and Demi Lavato Mythri Partha’s solo, Lightweight The Indian film songs were an in- nitely made their parents proud to name a few. Raj teaches them by Demi Lavato, really brought teresting mix of Hindi and Tamil that evening. It was very thoughtto play the chords of their favorite out her voice very well. Krithika songs including Mythri’s Ovoru ful of these youngsters to present numbers, which they inherently Kuppuswamy’s Back to Decem- Pookal from the film Autograph, their teacher with a surprise gift move to and sing along with any- ber by Taylor Swift and My Life and Vrinda’s Zara Zara from Reh- on stage – a lovely Washburn acoustic electric guitar! way. That makes it easy for them Would by Kelly Clarkson indicated na Hai Tere Dil Mein.

The third was a group round with As Christmas nears, bringing its to learn to sing these songs, si- the almost effortless attitude with multaneously twanging away the which she can throw her voice, in- a variety of songs - Chinna Chin- spirit of giving and sharing, Raj’s chords on their guitars. It was a dicating her versatile vocal range. na Aasai from Roja and Nannare idea of giving to the community pleasure to watch them sing and Vrinda Rajkumar’s peppy number from Guru; Their repertoire also has given this group of youngsters strum their favorite melodies with Gypsy, by Shakira and Kavya Pa- included a few surprising num- an avenue to explore guitar playenthusiasm and complete involve- sumarti’s Fire Flies by Owl City bers, not quite so contemporary, ing further and a wonderful group were well rendered. for their generation – Country of friends who get together and ment.

The second round was an “out Roads by John Denver, Lady in have fun learning and pursuing The evening’s performance had three rounds – first a comfort –of- comfort- zone- round” in Red by Chris de Burg, Smile by something they love.

Durga Bari Invites you all to 6th Anniversary

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Puja Program Friday, December 2nd 6:00 PM- 6:30 PM: SANDHYA AARATI 6:30 PM- 7:15 PM: DINNER 7:30 PM- 8:30 PM: INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCES 8:30 PM-10:30 PM: INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

Saturday, December 3rd 9:00 AM- 10:00 AM: SANKALPA/PURNA KUMBHA PADASKHIN 10:00 AM- 10:30 AM: ABHISHEKAM 10:30 AM- 11:00 AM: BREAKFAST (TEMPLE CLOSED FOR ADORING NEW SARIS TO DEITIES) 11:00 AM-12:30 PM: SOROSO PACHAR PUJA FOR ALL DEITIES 12:30 PM -1:00 PM: PUSPANJALI/BHOG/ARATI 1:00 PM-1:30 PM: HOMA 1:30 PM: LUNCH

6:00 PM-6:30 PM: SANDHYA AARATI 6:30 PM-7:30 PM: DINNER 7:30 PM- 11:30 PM: JATRA “NATI BINODINI” Sunday, December 4th 11:00 AM- 12:30 PM: SPECIAL DURGA PUJA

12:30 PM -1:30 PM: PUSPANJALI/BHOG/ARATI 1:30 PM: LUNCH

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December 2, 2011

realt r realtO r® Jacob david gets sres designation HOUSTON : Jacob David, REALTOR® agent with Champions Real Estate Group got his SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) designation from the National Association of Realtors. This course helps Real Estate agents gain the necessary knowledge to counsel mature adult buyers over the age of 50. “I am happy to have completed this course successfully. I can now help mature adults who have done Real Estate transactions in their past, do it once more should they need my services, ” he said.

People over the age of 50 are looking for their final two homes (the interim and their last home) to settle down once and for all to age-in comfortably. The home they choose is a decision they make after much careful thought, weighing all the pros and cons, thoughts about purchasing a new home, refinancing or reverse mortgage, and moving closer to be with their children and grand children.

The SRES designation helps Real Estate agents identify the needs and wants of the

Jacob David

Baby Boomers, Silent and GI Matures generations, all of whom are in some phase of transition in their lives. The 50+ market is a large segment in Houston and the Seniors Real Estate Market needs this much needed service. “I would like to offer my skills and services to the best of my ability to help mature adults choose their home, ” he added.

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December 2, 2011

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By ruChi mukherjee HOUSTON: It was a dazzling night of Bollywood music alluring a whopping crowd of 600 plus Houstonians at the Rice Memorial Center in Rice Campus on Saturday November 19. The event started with popular Bollywood dance songs followed by classical and contemporary dances. The main focus of the event was on dances and fashion show, a musical evening where Rice students organized a South Asian cultural event. The Rice SAS Team consisting of Vinita, Onkur, Punya and others worked together to raise $2000 to donate to Daya, a nonprofit organization that provides free services to those in the South Asian community who are victimized by domestic violence and sexual assault. “We had 229 clients in 2010 and this year it has increased to 240 already, there are a lot of families in Houston needing help,” informs Abhilasha who works for the organization.

Daya promotes healthy family relationships in the South Asian community by providing services that include counseling, referrals, legal advocacy, and financial support to women and children. The organization also promotes awareness on topics rel-

GoPI o o elects n oPI new Team

ISELIN, NJ: On Saturday, November 19 at its Biennial Convention 2011 held in Iselin, New Jersey, USA, GOPIO International held elections for positions in the GOPIO Executive Council for the next two-year term in accordance with GOPIO’s By-Laws. GOPIO Executive Council appointed From left: Dr Piyush Agrawal, Senior Vice President; Informer GOPIO Chairman, der Singh (Chairman); Ashook Ramsaran (President) and Dr Thomas Abraham two Sunny Kulathakal (Executive Vice President). months ago to chair the nomination committee. The election session cordance with GOPIO’s By-Laws and prowas chaired by Thomas who was assisted cedures, appointments for all regional and

by K. N. Gupta (President, GOPIO India) council positions would be made shortly by and Satruhan Sukdeo (President, GOPIO GOPIO’s Executive Council.

Upper New York).

For more information, contact GOPIO The results of the elections are: International at +1-818-708-3885 or email International President: Ashook Ramsa- at GOPIO-Intl@sbcglobal.net. ran (Guyana born, USA resident) GOPIO is a non-partisan, non-sectarian Executive Vice President: Sunny Ku- global organization with chapters in several lathakal (Bahrain) countries, actively promoting the interests of Senior Vice President: Dr Piyush Agrawal people of Indian origin worldwide by moni(USA) toring and addressing current critical issues Inder Singh will continue as Chairman. of concern, and by enhancing cooperation At the General Council meeting held on and communication between groups of IndiNovember 20, it was announced that, in ac- ans living in various countries.

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The event was well attended by students and their parents and the event was made a success with generous sponsors like The Wadhawan Law Firm, Rice University, and Masala Radio. The main purpose of this South Asian cultural event was to raise awareness and funds for Daya. Overall it was a very successful event with satisfying goals.

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chadrikaTandon Benefit concert in Iowa Helps Launch Global Peace Initiative c

MAHARISHIVEDIC CITY, IOWA: Leaders of the Global Peace Initiative hosted a Vedic Visitors Weekend from November 4-6 at Maharishi Vedic City in southeast Iowa, attracting Indo-Americans from cities as far away as Los Angeles and New York.

All the participants assembled to experience a weekend devoted to Peace, Vedic education, Vedic health, Vedic agriculture, and Vedic architecture.

The weekend culminated with Grammynominated world music artist, Chandrika Tandon, performing a stunning sold-out benefit concert at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

“The combination of different instruments and Chandrika’s voice revealed to me what World Music should be all about,” said Vinod Nayagar, a university student who attended the concert.

Ramani Ayer, retired CEO of the Hartford Financial Group and current Director of Development for the Global Peace Initiative, who served as a host of the weekend, said, “We invited Indo-Americans from around country to experience how powerful, valuable and relevant the practical application of ancient Vedic wisdom, as developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is to our daily lives and to the improvement of society.”

Fred Travis, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management in neighboring Fairfield, Iowa, is one of the world’s leading researchers on the brain, consciousness and meditation. His scientific presentation during the weekend on the ef effects of Transcendental Meditation on brain functioning was highlighted by slides and graphics illustrating the beneficial changes that occur as a result of regular TM practice.

From EEG signatures and connectivity maps, Dr. Travis showed how different meditation practices impact different parts of the brain. “Most meditations fall into two categories,” said Dr. Travis said.

“First are ‘focused attention’ techniques, which require you to concentrate on an object, or a particular word or phrase. The second are ‘open monitoring’ techniques, which involve being mindful of your thoughts or breath without interfering with them. This approach attempts to still the mind and become an uninvolved witness to activity. But these attempts are on the surface level of the mind,” he added.

Dr. Travis then identified a third category—“automatic self-transcending”—a process that allows the mind to transcend its own activity. “This is the Transcenden-

Chandrika Tandon describes her music as aspiring to “pierce into the deepest part of ourselves and reach into our grace.

tal Meditation technique, during which the mind transcends effortlessly, and arrives at the depth of consciousness, the source of the thinking mind, transcendental consciousness, or Samadhi,” Dr. Travis said.

Dr. G.V. Naidu, who traveled from St. Louis to attend the conference, said, “The scientific documentation of ‘The Neurophysiology of Enlightenment’ by Dr. Travis was impressive and a subsequent presentation by physicist Dr. John Hagelin was a climax of the conference.”

John Hagelin, Ph.D., a Harvard-trained, internationally renowned quantum physicist, provided the modern scientific understanding and corroborating scientific research documenting how groups of experts in the Transcendental Meditation and advanced TM-Sidhi program can neutralize violence and conflict and create world peace.

“Extensive research published in peer-reviewed scientific journals verifies that Transcendental Meditation dramatically reduces acute individual stress and its deleterious effects on brain and behavior far more effectively than other methods,” Dr. Hagelin said.

“But perhaps more interesting and important are the 23 published studies which show that relatively small numbers of people practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program together in a group can reduce crime, violence, and war throughout the en-

tire population,” he said.

Citing studies conducted in the Middle East showing reductions in war death and violence by 70 percent, Dr. Hagelin said, “There is no approach to peace that has been so thoroughly tested and rigorously established. And now, since the arrival in America five years ago of the large group of Vedic Pandits, there has been a significant decrease in violent crime in America’s largest cities. We are mobilizing to add more numbers to the group, to create an even more positive effect in America.”

Ayer provided a vision of the goal of the Global Peace Initiative: To maintain permanent peace-keeping groups of 9000 Vedic Pandits in India and 1250 Vedic Pandits in the United States—the number established by research that is sufficient to create a concrete and demonstrative positive global ef effect.

“The Vedic Pandits’ daily practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi program establishes their consciousness in Yoga, the pure field of intelligence, at the basis of all creation.

And their Vedic recitation from that deep and pure level creates a powerful influence of peace for humanity,” Ayer said.

The Global Peace Initiative is building an endowment fund to create and maintain these large groups of Vedic Pandits in perpetuity.

Another sublime highlight of the weekend was the performance by 121 Maharishi Vedic Pandits of Rudrabhsihek.

9

“It’s an amazing sight to drive over the rolling hills of Iowa and see spread before you a campus where nearly 1000 MahariMahari shi Vedic Pandits from India reside,” said Meenakshi Ghai, from Chicago’s western suburbs, who made the four-hour drive from Chicago with her daughter-in law to attend the weekend. “It was a non-stop wonderful experience packed into 36 hours.”

Mohan Pillai from Long Island, New York, who attended the conference with his family, said, “I cannot describe in words what is like to hear such a powerful chanting of the Rudrabhishekam. I could understand how such large groups of well-trained Vedic Pandits can create peace.”

G.V. Naidu expressed enthusiasm for the global initiative: “We were pleasantly surprised to see that Maharishi Vedic Vishwa Vidyalaya is training thousands of Vedic Pandits here in America as well as in India. These Vedic Pandits are propagating and sustaining ancient Vedic culture. At the same time, they are conducting fundamental research on the positive effects of meditation—far more than any other organization.

“As Indians who cherish the Vedic tradition in our hearts, we should feel very proud that this great knowledge has given us a practical means to create peace in the world, ” he concluded For more information, visit www.Global www.GlobalPeaceInitiative.org and www.VedicPandits. org.

- The Uncarved Blog

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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COMMUNITY

U.s. denies Visa to iindian Orphans

By Binu Paul BANGALORE(SI): They were ignored, discriminated and denied of their rights by birth– from the luxury of a life with parental love to the hopes of a rosy future. But the journey took them to the safest hands of a few good people who gave wings to their dreams and there is one dream that they held very close to their hearts, prepared for it over eight months, and the team of mentors toiled for it over an year – but now, all seems to have gone in vain as the embassy denied visas to the 8 orphans to go U.S. to represent India in the World Orphans Choir.

Only 7 children and 1 leader are selected from various third-world countries and after auditioning over 1000 Indian at-risk and orphaned children from different parts of the country, International Children’s Network’s (ICN) representative from the U.S., Heather Mehra-Pedersen selected final 7 from Udayan Care Homes located in Delhi NCR. The selected seven was deemed the best to represent the country in sharing their stories and culture during a one year United States Tour touring 20 cities. The one-year program was forced to cut short to 8 months as two months wer spent on clearing the paper-works, both in India and U.S. including permission from the Department of Homeland Security in U.S. The kids were practicing for eight months to perform before the world stage and to compete with children from different parts of the globe, but just two days before their much-awaited departure, the embassy denied them visas shattering the big dreams of the small minds apart.

“At Udayan Care, we have always ensured that despite their circumstances, children feel “equal” to their peers in the neighborhood, school and society. The most recent denial of U.S. visa, has undermined this belief and their confidence, leaving them feeling “less than” or inferior to other children, They are also deeply disappointed that 6 months of their hard work “has gone waste”. Moreover they are anxious that that their “school friends will make fun” of them,” said Reena Tete, Director-Programmes at Udayan Care.

The embassy says the selected leader and the kids are considered a flight risk and because they are without family ties, they will not come back. The biased commission also fears that they would be adopted. “This “feeling” has no foundation in fact. The other countries from the World Orphan Choir and Matsiko Children’s Choir including Liberia, Peru and Uganda have all met with approved and currently in the U.S., this is only India’s children,” said a statement from the Udayan Care.

“There was no written denial of visa. However, at the interview for the visa, we were told that visa cannot be granted as “children do

not have strong ties in India,” said Reena.

U.S.-based NGO, International Children’s Network that invited the Indian children have a solid documented history of two prior successful choirs. The denial of visa by the U.S. embassy is contradictory to the facts and odd at best considering the fact that every previous choir has returned back to the home nations safely and moreover, some of these children from India and the selected leader, Pinki Biswas have travelled outside the U.S. and returned in the past.

“We have always appreciated and even welcomed the US Embassy’s voice in trying to prevent child trafficking. However, this unexplainable ruling to deny the 7 orphaned children from India and their leader the chance to help children by coming to the USA with the choir against the advice

and research of USA’s Department of Homeland Security and the support of US Congressman, US Senator’s, Schools and citizens is actually unconscionable.” Heather Mehra-Pedersen states.

“These children all come from difficult circumstances of losing their families or facing abuse and neglect. With both countries behind the approval and full on documented support and proven successful history, what could make a decision like this? It’s absolutely an injustice! Udayan Care is constantly telling their children that although they have no parents, they are as valuable to society as those with parents. The U.S. Embassy Immigration Department has negated this fact by denying them visa simply because they are orphans,” said Kiran Modi, Udayan Care Founder and legal custodian of the 7 selected children.

The decision has surprised everyone. Talking to us, Kiran Modi said so far no Indian authorities have taken any initiatives to look into the matter. “I have been trying to get in touch with the Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, but could not get any solid replay or assurance,” she said.

The organizers (International Children’s Network) too are completely taken back by the by the visa denial. ICN’s President and Founder Don Windham expressed his disappointment over the decision and said, “An unexplainable oversight with severe impact to Indian orphan and at-risk children has been handed down from our most responsible and trustworthy

U.S. Embassy in Dehli. I cannot agree with the claims of many regarding discrimination for the decision of our US Embassy in India that go against the Department of Homeland Security, the written support of many in the USA and the past actions of trust from previous choirs regarding these orphaned children in India. This decision, if it stands, will certainly have a tremendous impact on the countless desperate children of India and around the world. However, we have always had complete trust in this process and our Embassies around the world. Therefore, we are certain and most hopeful they will consider the facts we have submitted in order to make a reasonable decision similar to Homeland Security, the support of many USA government officials and many other U.S. Citizens.”

“This was the first year for India and while I expected some extra due diligence and support material, I certainly am stunned at the ultimate decision and the drastic impact this decision will have on the children who have no voice.

India’s street children have suf suffered so much already and to pull away hope for a future is simply devastating. This decision will set the tone of their future lives and the many people that come across their paths because of the unexplainable denial of our US Embassy.” Heather Mehra-Pedersen was quoted in the statement.

The unfair and discriminatory decision surprised many despite the permission and approval from Child Welfare Committees, schools, Indian government as well as Homeland Security in U.S., over 600 pages of documents verifying authenticity of the case and testimony and letters of support from current U.S. Senators who have firsthand experienced past ICN choirs. “While I respect the concern and overall caution for illegal immigrants and child trafficking , we must not be so ultra sensitive that we fail to properly identify the exceptions to India’s problem of deceitful applicants who fail to return to their country. These children are dolphins in the net and set a precedent. This means that any Indian child who is an orphan does not stand a chance of going to United States even when Homeland Security approves them. U.S. Dept of Homeland Security evaluated and approved their travel as well as the support of U.S. senators and congressmen,” Kiran Modi said.

Along with ICN and Udayan Care, every sympathizer of this noble cause hope that the decision would be revoked. “We are very hopeful that the decision will be reviewed and the children will be on their way - even if a little late.

However, it will need the combined effort of each and every one of us - the Indian and American authorities, the media as well as individuals,” said Reena.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

COMMUNITY

December 2, 2011

Long w wait For Green cards could end e soon s

permanent green cards more quickly have been working in the United States for years on temporary visas. The immigrants and their employers have passed labor market tests showing that qualified Americans were not available for jobs they hold.

“This legislation makes sense,” Smith said before the vote. “Why should American employers who seek green cards for skilled foreign workers have to wait longer just because the workers are from India or China?”

American technology companies have been clamoring for ConWednesday’s Special (Professional foot Reflexology) gress to offer more green cards for $20/hr $17 $100/6 Time only their foreign employees, arguing 60 Minutes Foot Reflexology that the United States was losing out in global competition by forcing those immigrants to leave.

Some countries will lose under the legislation. During the next three years, many more employment green cards will be set aside for Indians and Chinese than for others languishing in backlogs, (Head, Shoulder, Back, Waist & Hand Massage at no extra cost) particularly Filipinos and South N Chinese Traditional with Tibtan Medicine Harwin Dr. Koreans.

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The wait in the most severely clogged employment visa categories will even out over time to 12 years for all countries, said Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, which conducts research on immigration.

Gutierrez said: “We need bigger fixes to our legal immigration system so •Quality Advocacy •Creating Working Relationships •Honesty and Objectivity that employers and families The law firm of Donnelly-Ashby & Nguyen, PLLC is use official dedicated to providing quality immigration advice and channels, not legal counsel to domestic and international black-market ones. We want companies and individuals. people to go through the The attorneys at Donnelly-Ashby & Nguyen PLLC combine have over fifteen years of immigration experience. system, not Anne T. Nguyen around it.”

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BJP Training camp Held in Houston

HOUSTON: Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), USA conducted a 2nd training camp for its members on Sunday November 20 at Keshav Smruti.

This is a first of its kind training conducted by Bharateeya Janata Party for its international cell outside of India. About thirty selected members from South Zone attended this camp. As per the vision of Shri Vijay Jolly, International Coordinator for OFBJP, first leg of the training sessions are being conducted in USA. First camp was successfully conducted in New Jersey for the North East Zone on Nov 13 and the training sessions are conducted by Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.

Dr. Sahasrabuddhe is the Political Advisor to BJP President in India; Director General of a UNO recognized NGO, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodini; Member of BJP executive committee; and Member of Board of Governors at Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA). He has two-decade long experience in training for democracy, a motivational trainer for elected representatives, party workers, youth and women, and social and institutional leadership.

The session started with lamp lighting ceremony followed by the rendition of Vandemataram. Ramesh Shah, Vice President of BJP welcomed the delegates. Following the introductions, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe stressed upon the importance of discipline of a Karyakarta and gave a brief background and context of the historic training in his eloquent speech. Ramesh Shah conducted the first session giving a detailed account of BJP’s journey from it’s inception as Jan Sangh. He also talked about BJP’s major initiatives and contributions to the society. Ramesh Bhutada, Sanghchalak of HSS southwest concluded the session with complements to all attendees.

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limited to 7 percent of those visas.

Under the bill, after a three-year transition, all employment-based green cards will be issued on a first-come-first-served basis, with no country limits.

The legislation also includes a measure that will more than double the green cards based on family ties available for Mexicans and Filipinos, the two national groups facing the longest backlogs on the family side of the system. It raises the country limit for 226,000 family green cards each year to 15 percent from the current 7 percent.

The fix in the family visas helped to persuade Democrats like Gutierrez to sign on to the bill.

By far, the main beneficiaries will be highly skilled immigrants from India and China, including many with master’s degrees and doctorates in science and engineering.

Because they come from populous countries that send many people to work here who have advanced science and technology skills, immigrants from those two nations had been forced by the country limits into lines that were many years long and growing much longer.

In most cases, Indians and Chinese who will now receive their

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Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, helped introduce an immigration bill.

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite

Fondren

By julia PreSton (NYT) In a rare show of bipartisan comity on the angrily contested issue of immigration, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that tweaks the visa system to allow more highly skilled immigrants from India and China to become legal permanent residents.

The bill, originally offered by Representatives Jason Chaffetz, a conservative Republican from Utah, and Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sailed through by a vote of 389 to 15. Joining as sponsors were several Democrats who are outspoken liberals on immigration, including Representatives Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois and Zoe Lofgren of California.

Chaffetz said he had tried to find a sweet spot, even if small, where lawmakers from both parties could come together to fix the legal immigration system, which is widely acknowledged to be broken. The bill does not address illegal immigration, nor does it add any new visas to the system, which many Republicans, including Smith, are reluctant to do.

“I campaigned in Utah on the idea that we can never solve our illegal immigration woes without fixing legal immigration,” Chaf Chaffetz said Tuesday. The bill seemed likely to pass easily in the Senate, said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, a leading Democrat on immigration.

Its main impact will be to reduce visa backlogs that meant, for example, that some Indians with science or technology skills who were approved recently for permanent resident visas, known as green cards, would face waits of 70 years before they would actually receive the documents.

The bill eliminates limits on the number of green cards based on employment that is available annually to each country. Currently, 140,000 green cards are available each year for immigrants based on their job skills, with each country

11

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

COMMUNITY

12 December 2, 2011

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi

In champaran, “ Face-to-Face with God, Ahimsa, Truth”

The story thus far….Gandhi permitted a lower caste family to reside at the ashram that he established at Ahmedabad. He met with much opposition. He also amazed and angered the British officers, upper-class Indians, and friends gathered at a foundation stone laying ceremony at Banaras University by speaking out against usage of the English language on the university premises that he deemed “sacred”.

The annual meeting of the Congress was held in December 1916 in Lucknow. The Congress was divided as there were the moderates and there were the extremists, but at Lucknow the Congress met without tension between the two wings. The President, Ambika Charan Mazumdar, spoke in terms of Swaraj, which previous leaders had demanded. A resolution was passed appealing to His Majesty’s Government and demanding that a definite step should be taken towards Indian self-government by granting the reforms contained in a referendum prepared by the AllIndia Congress Committee and adopted by the All-India Muslim League.

In Lucknow the Congress and the Muslim League came to an agreement. This was later known as the Lucknow Pact. For the sake of the unity of India the Congress conceded many points demanded by the Muslims. For two years Gandhi had traveled extensively in India and had talked at different places.

He now wanted to start some work connected with labor. His interest first centered on the problem of indentured labor, the system under which poor, ignorant laborers were enticed away from India to work in the British colonies. He disapproved of this system in South Africa, fought it there, and he wanted to see it abolished. The Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, announced that His Majesty’s Government had agreed to abolish the system in due course. Gandhi, however, wanted a definite date before which the system would go.

Gandhi started a great agitation on this issue. He went to Bombay and consulted all the Indian leaders there. They fixed May 31, 1917

dhi stayed and studied the grievances of the peasants. He visited many villages. He cross-examined about 8,000 cultivators and recorded their statements. In this way he arrived at an exact understanding of their plight and the causes.

He came to the conclusion that the ignorance of the cultivators was one of the main reasons why the European planters could exploit them. Gandhi set up volun-

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi is brought to you courtesy Mahatma Gandhi Library. www.gandhilibrary.org as the last date for the abolition of indentured labor. He then went around the country to get support for this view. Meetings were held in important places. Everywhere there was a great response. Even Gandhi admitted that he had not expected so much public support.

As a result of the agitation, the Government announced that the system of indentured labor would be stopped before July 31,1917.

Then Gandhi had heard about an obnoxious system of agricultural labor prevailing in the Champaran district of Bihar, where the cultivators were forced by Europeans to grow indigo, a blue dye. This imposed on them great discomfort. They could not grow the food they needed, nor did they receive adequate payment for the indigo.

Gandhi was told of this by an agriculturist from Bihar, Rajkumar Shukla. He requested Gandhi to go to the place and see the state of affairs there. Gandhi was then attending the Congress meeting at Lucknow and he did not have time to go there. Rajkumar Shukla followed him about, begging him to come and help the hapless villagers in Champaran. Gandhi at last promised to visit the place after he had visited Calcutta.

Gandhi went to Champaran with Rajkumar in early 1917. On his arrival the District Magistrate served him with a notice saying that he was not to remain in the district of Champaran but must leave the place by the first available train.

Gandhi disobeyed the order. He was summoned to appear before the court. The magistrate said that if Gandhi left immediately the charges would be dropped.

“This cannot be,” said Gandhi.

“I came here to render humanitarian and national service. I shall make Champaran my home and work for the suffering people,” added Gandhi.

A large crowd of peasants gathered outside the court shouting slogans. The magistrate and the police looked nervous.

Then Gandhi said, “I shall help you and calm these people if you let me speak to them.”

Gandhi appeared before the crowd and said, “You must show your faith in me and in my work by remaining quiet. The magistrate had the right to arrest me, because I disobeyed his order. If I am sent to jail, you must accept that as just.

We must work peacefully. Any violent act will harm our cause.”

The crowd dispersed peacefully.

The police stared at Gandhi in admiration as he went inside the court.

Gandhi wrote about the incident later.

“That day in Champaran was an unforgettable event in my life .....

It is no exaggeration, but the literal truth, to say that in this meeting with the peasants, I was face to face with God, ahimsa and truth.”

The Government withdrew the case against Gandhi and allowed him to remain in the district. Gan-

tary organizations to improve the economic and educational conditions of the people. They opened schools and taught the people how to improve sanitation.

The Government recognized Gandhi’s strength and devotion to just causes. They themselves then set up a committee to enquire into the grievances of the cultivators. They invited Gandhi to serve on that committee, and he agreed.

The result was that within a few months the Champaran Agrarian Bill was passed. It gave great relief to the cultivators and land tenants. Gandhi could not stay longer

in Bihar. There were calls from other places. Labor unrest was brewing in Ahmedabad and Gandhi was requested to help settle the dispute.

Gandhi hurried back to Ahmedabad. Before taking up the labor dispute Gandhi wanted to move his ashram. The Satyagraha Ashram was in a village near Ahmedabad, but the surrounding was not clean and plague had broken out. It had spread there from Ahmedabad.

A rich merchant of Ahmedabad, wanted to buy alternative land for the ashram. Gandhi went about with him looking for land and they chose a place on the bank of the Sabarmati river, near the Sabarmati Central Jail. The land was purchased and the famous Sabarmati Ashram was established.

In Ahmedabad there were many textile mills. Prices had gone up and the mill workers were demanding higher wages. The mill owners would not agree. Gandhi sympathized with the workers and took up their cause. He launched a struggle and resorted to peaceful resistance. The workers proudly followed Gandhi and pledged their full support to him. They paraded the streets with large banners, and said they would not go back to work until a settlement had been reached.

— To be Continued

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The Queen is Dead

Maharani Gayatri Devi passes away at the age of 90 Read all about it inside.

BollywoodSho ws4U Brings EXPLOSION 2009 to Houston HOUSTON: Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan and Hard to make a stunning Kaur are set the Explosions eventappearance in Bollywood Shows organized by 4

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Houston. The Foundation could not have chosen to raise awarenessa better topic among IndoB P Americans in Houston K about its HOUSTON: If there’s one recent Indian studies programs. Prior movie that has to polarized opinions the discussion of the film, Parul about India, it Fernandes is lionaire. The movieSlumdog Mil- explained and Krishna Vavilala has all the elthat the Foundation ements of entertainment is currently conducting designed to glue you to Hindi Level I and Level your II courses as awe, amusement, seat – shock, well as love and inspiration. disgust, true Jainism classes on Hinduism, and the Anthropology have seen movie Some people India. of The each time moved several times, received Foundation has also to tears and joy. support from There are a few Indian others, however, government’s Ministry of Overwho could not get past the slum seas Indians to fund a Chair for kid’s jump into Indian studies at the UH. blinding of a child. cesspool or the An 11-minute clip of Slumdog More than 120 people with prob- Millionaire, edited by Anil Kuably 200 opinions about the movie mar, was screened to stimulate assembled at a the discussion. The town clip included held at India House hall meeting scenes depicting negative last Sunday afternoon. aspects of India such as religious The town hall mony, child prostitution, disharmeeting was or organized by the and Foundation for lice brutality. These scenes poIndia Studies at were the University of followed by uplifting scenes in

Ambassador Ambassador MeeraMeera Shankar Shankar visits Houston Visits Page 11

Houston Page 11

Central Texas Temple Grows

Page 6

NRI nvestors Lose Money Chilled IACCGH to Maytas Watermel Helps onto Propertie s in SoupHire India Page Page 5 26

NRI Investors Lose Money to Maytas Properties in India Page 21 Indo-American

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COMMUNITY

December 2, 2011

dinyar devitre Joins the national Board of directors irectors of Pratham U Us sA sA

Dinyar S. Devitre is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Altria Group, Inc, one of the world’s largest tobacco companies. He retired from the Company in March 2008.

“Pratham is a superb organization doing ground breaking work in education for underprivileged children in India. I feel honored to serve on the Board of Pratham USA,” said Devitre.

Devitre held a number of assignments with Philip Morris International. These included; Marketing Services Manager, AsiaPacific (Melbourne 1974-1975), Managing Director, Godfrey Phillips India Ltd. (Bombay 1976-1979); and President, Philip Morris Asia (Hong Kong 1980-1990). Later Mr. Devitre was appointed Chairman and CEO, Philip Morris Japan (Tokyo 19921995) and contemporaneously served as Executive Vice President, Philip Morris International.

From 1998 to 2001, Devitre worked for Citigroup where he was Executive Vice President and Group Head of Citibank’s Global Consumer Bank for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Devitre has served as a Director on several corporate boards including Western Union, Altria Group, Kraft and SABMiller. In addition, his nonprofit Board memberships include the Asia Society, Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Born in Jamshedpur, India, Devitre earned a B.A. degree at St. Joseph’s College in Darjeeling, India, and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.

Dinyar Devitre

“We are delighted to welcome Dinny to our Board. Pratham USA depends on its Board leadership to shape governance and fundraising strategies. With his extensive experience serving on both nonprofit and for-profit boards, Dinny will be a valuable asset to the organization, as we look to 2012 and beyond,” said Arvind Sanger, Chairman of Pratham USA. About Pratham: Pratham, which means “first” in Sanskrit, was founded in the slums of Mumbai in 1994 with UNICEF support. Today, Pratham’s direct urban programs, including pre-schools, community libraries and remedial learning programs reach hundreds of thousands of children every year.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2, 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

13

14 December 2, 2011

HEALTH

world’s Healthiest s w spices & Herbs you should be eating

By Kerri Ann Jennings As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor at EatingWell Magazine, I know thatherbs and spices do more than simply add flavor to food. They let you cut down on some less-healthy ingredients, such as salt, added sugars and saturated fat, and some have inherent health benefits, many of which Joyce Hendley reported on for EatingWell Magazine.

Modern science is beginning to uncover the ultimate power of spices and herbs, as weapons against illnesses from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease. “We’re now starting to see a scientific basis for why people have been using spices medicinally for thousands of years,” says Bharat Aggarwal, Ph.D., professor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and author ofHealing Spices (Sterling, 2011).

Aggarwal notes that in his native India, where spices tend to be used by the handful, incidence of diet-related diseases like heart disease and cancer have long been low. But when Indians move away and adopt more Westernized eating patterns, their rates of those diseases rise. While researchers usually blame the meatier, fattier nature of Western diets, Aggarwal and other experts believe that herbs and spices-or more precisely, the lack of them-are also an important piece of the dietary puzzle. “When Indians eat more Westernized foods, they’re getting much fewer spices than their traditional diet contains,” he explains. “They lose the protection those spices are conveying.”

While science has yet to show that any spice cures disease, there’s compelling evidence that several may help manage some chronic conditions (though it’s always smart to talk with your doctor). What’s not to love?

Here we’ve gathered eight of the healthiest spices and herbs enjoyed around the world.

Chile Peppers May help: Boost metabolism.

Chile peppers add a much-appreciated heat to chilly-weather dishes, and they can also give a boost to your metabolism.

Thank capsaicin, the compound that gives

fresh chiles, and spices including cayenne and chipotle, their kick. Studies show that capsaicin can increase the body’s metabolic rate (causing one to burn more calories) and may stimulate brain chemicals that help us feel less hungry. In fact, one study found that people ate 16 percent fewer calories at a meal if they’d sipped a hot-pepperspiked tomato juice (vs. plain tomato juice) half an hour earlier. Recent research found that capsinoids, similar but gentler chemicals found in milder chile hybrids, have the same effects-so even tamer sweet paprika packs a healthy punch. Capsaicin may also lower risk of ulcers by boosting the ability of stomach cells to resist infection by ulcercausing bacteria and help the heart by keeping “bad” LDL cholesterol from turning into a more lethal, artery-clogging form.

Ginger May help: Soothe an upset stomach, fight arthritis pain.

Ginger has a well-deserved reputation for relieving an unsettled stomach. Studies show ginger extracts can help reduce nausea caused by morning sickness or following surgery or chemotherapy, though it’s less effective for motion sickness. But ginger is also packed with inflammation-fighting compounds, such as gingerols, which some experts believe may hold promise in fighting some cancers and may reduce the aches of osteoarthritis and soothe sore muscles. In a recent study, people who took ginger cap-

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sules daily for 11 days reported 25 percent less muscle pain when they performed exercises designed to strain their muscles (compared with a similar group taking placebo capsules). Another study found that gingerextract injections helped relieve osteoarthritis pain of the knee.

Cinnamon May help: Stabilize blood sugar.

A few studies suggest that adding cinnamon to food-up to a teaspoon a day, usually given in capsule form-might help people

with type 2 diabetes better control their blood sugar, by lowering post-meal bloodsugar spikes. Other studies suggest the ef effects are limited at best.

Turmeric May help: Quell inflammation, inhibit tumors.

Turmeric, the goldenrod-colored spice, is used in India to help wounds heal (it’s applied as a paste); it’s also made into a tea to relieve colds and respiratory problems.

Modern medicine confirms some solid-gold health benefits as well; most are associated with curcumin, a compound in turmeric that has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin has been shown to help relieve pain of arthritis, injuries and

dental procedures; it’s also being studied for its potential in managing heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Researcher Bharat Aggarwal is bullish on curcumin’s potential as a cancer treatment, particularly in colon, prostate and breast cancers; preliminary studies have found that curcumin can inhibit tumor cell growth and suppress enzymes that activate carcinogens.

Saffron May help: Lift your mood.

Saffron has long been used in traditional Persian medicine as a mood lifter, usually steeped into a medicinal tea or used to prepare rice. Research from Iran’s Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital at Tehran University of Medical Sciences has found that saffron may help to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and depression. In one study, 75% of women with PMS who were given saffron capsules daily reported that their PMS symptoms (such as mood swings and depression) declined by at least half, compared with only 8 percent of women who didn’t take saffron.

Must-Read: 4 Foods to Boost Your Mood Parsley May help: Inhibit breast cancer-cell growth.

University of Missouri scientists found

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that this herb can actually inhibit breast cancer-cell growth, reported Holly Pevzner in the September/October 2011 issue of EatingWell Magazine. In the study, animals that were given apigenin, a compound abundant in parsley (and in celery), boosted their resistance to developing cancerous tumors.

Experts recommend adding a couple pinches of minced fresh parsley to your dishes daily.

Sage May help: Preserve memory, soothe sore throats.

Herbalists recommend sipping sage tea for upset stomachs and sore throats, a remedy supported by one study that found spraying sore throats with a sage solution gave effective pain relief. And preliminary research suggests the herb may improve some symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease by preventing a key enzyme from destroying acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory and learning. In another study, college students who took sage extracts in capsule form performed significantly better on memory tests, and their moods improved.

Rosemary May help: Enhance mental focus, fight foodborne bacteria.

One recent study found that people performed better on memory and alertness tests when mists of aromatic rosemary oil were piped into their study cubicles. Rosemary is often used in marinades for meats and poultry, and there’s scientific wisdom behind that tradition: rosmarinic acid and other antioxidant compounds in the herb fight bacteria and prevent meat from spoiling, and may even make cooked meats healthier.

In March 2010, Kansas State University researchers reported that adding rosemary extracts to ground beef helped prevent the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs)cancer-causing compounds produced when meats are grilled, broiled or fried.

- Eatingwell.com Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D. works as Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine

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December 2, 2011

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15

COMMUNITY

16 December 2, 2011

state Bank of India Becomes moneyGram International Agent s

DALLAS: MoneyGram International has joined hands with State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest public sector bank, to provide in-bound money transfer services across SBI’s key branches, beginning with 100 new agent locations by the end of 2011. India was the world’s largest recipient of remittances in 2010, according to the World Bank, amounting to nearly $55 billion last year.

For the Asian Indian diaspora in the U.S., this deal reflects MoneyGram’s commitment in serving the community. This alliance with SBI, a respected and trusted name among India’s banks, brings MoneyGram customers greater options and convenience for sending money to family and friends at home in India.

MoneyGram is rapidly growing its network of partners to become one of the largest global money transfer companies in India, having more than 34,000 agent locations.

MoneyGram offers convenient, reliable and fast money transfer services to reach any of its agents across India. MoneyGram is a cost-effective solution for sending money to India, providing a competitive exchange rate as well.

According to Zainab Ali, MoneyGram senior interactive marketing manager, adding State Bank of India to MoneyGram’s agent network increases consumers’ access to MoneyGram services in India.

The Bank’s locations make it more convenient than ever for customers to send and receive money virtually anywhere in the country.

Dan O’Malley, MoneyGram executive vice president of the Americas and Emerging Markets, said on the occasion, “The State Bank of India is a well-known and respected institution. This is important to us and the customers we serve. They need to know and trust the services they use when they’re sending and receiving money. SBI is the largest com-

of India to our extensive pan-India footprint, will ensure increased access and facilitate ease in transactions for our customers, by bringing inward remittances right to their doorstep! This arrangement is an addition to Thomas Cook’s long standing association with SBI which includes Foreign Currency Pick-ups from more than 2000 SBI locations in the country and the white labeled Global Money Card (Prepaid Forex Card – Vishwa Yatra Card of SBI) which are retailed out of the 150 plus TCIL

mercial bank in India in terms of branches. It is also the only bank in India ranked among the Top 500 (Rank 292) companies globally by Fortune Magazine.”

Madhavan Menon, MD at Thomas Cook (India) Ltd said, “A partnership of three powerful customer-centric brands (SBI, MG, and TCIL) augurs well for our customers and the money transfer business as a whole. As superagent for MoneyGram, adding the impressive network of State Bank

branches in India.”

About MoneyGram International MoneyGram International, Inc. (NYSE: MGI) is a leading global payment services company. The Company provides consumers with an efficient and secure way to send and receive money globally, make urgent bill payments and purchase money orders. MoneyGram’s products and services are conveniently available through

more than 256,000 agent locations in 192 countries and territories.

Certain products and services are also available online. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.moneygram.com or on Facebook.

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited: Thomas Cook is the largest integrated Travel and Travel related Financial Services Company in the country offering a broad spectrum of services that include Foreign Exchange, Corporate Travel, MICE, Leisure Travel and Travel Insurance. The Company set up its first office in India in 1881, and has been providing world-class travel service for 130 years. TCIL’s footprint currently extends to over 213 locations in 78 cities across India, Mauritius & Sri Lanka and is supported by a strong partner network of 102 Gold Circle Partners and 180 Preferred Sales Agents in over 100 cities pan India. For more information, please visit www. thomascook.in About Thomas Cook Group plc: Thomas Cook Group plc is one of the world’s leading travel groups with FY 2010 sales of £8.9 billion and 22.5 million Customers. The Group operates under six geographical segments in 21 countries, and is number one or two in all its core markets. Its business is supported by 31,000 employees, a

fleet of 94 aircraft and a network of over 3,500 retail outlets. For further details please visit www. thomascookgroup.com About State Bank of India: State Bank of India, with a 200year history, is the largest commercial bank in India in terms of assets, deposits, profits, branches, customers and employees. With over 13800 branches, 25000 ATMs, it has the highest touch points in the entire banking space in India. It has a substantial international footprint with 131 branches in 32 countries spread worldwide across all time zones. It is the only Bank in India which is presently featured in the Top 500 (Rank 292) companies globally in the Fortune Magazine.

The Government of India is the largest shareholder, with 59.73% share holding. SBI has received many national and International awards including the prestigious international award “Innovations in Banking Technology Award” instituted by “The Banker”, London and IDRBT Banking Technology Excellence Awards 2011.

The Bank has also been conferred the Asian Banker Award “Strongest Bank in Asia Pacific Region”.

SBI is also a leader in the domestic remittance business besides having its own products like “SBI Express Remit”, “Onlinesbiglobal” and tie-ups with other agencies.

For more details, visit www.statebankofindia.com.

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INDIA

December 2, 2011

16 crores c sspent in 3 y years on Ajmal Kasab

BANGALORE (SI): It’s revealed that the government of Maharashtra has spent over 16 Crores in three years on Ajmal Kasab, India’s most highprofile prisoner.

The lone Pakistani terror terrorist captured alive during the Mumbai terror attacks that killed 164 people is now accommodated at the Arthur Road jail. The state home department has spent over 16.17 crore on his accommodation which necessitated building a special cell and deployment of special forces from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) apart from expenses on his food, safety and medical treatments.

It should also be noted that the expenditure doesn’t include the fees paid to the special public prosecutor and his team.

And it’s reported that the state government is taking a stock of the huge money spent on this Pakistani national in the wake of the third anniversary of the 26/11 attacks.

The city of Mumbai had been in siege as a group of 10 terrorists from its immediate neighbor and archrival Pakistan, who went on a three-day killing spree leaving 164 people dead

17

and 308 injured. Caught alive during the attacks, Kasab received a fair trial in a special court at the end of which sessions court judge M L Tahilyani sentenced him to death.

The legal expenditure alone was estimated to be around 12 Lakhs until the case was challenged in the apex court. Special public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam’s fee has reportedly gone up ever since the case was taken to the Supreme Court and he is paid 50,000 a day for every hearing along with business class air travels and VIP suite in the state guesthouse. The state has paid Rs 10.87 crore up to July 2011 for the ITBP who provides 20 commandos equipped with highly sophisticated weaponry and communication devices to provide a round the clock guard to Kasab.

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18 December 2, 2011 Falling into the map

You are now only 4.74 degrees apart from any other person in the whole wide world, according to a recent New York Times report.

Scientists at Facebook and University of Milan, using 721 million Facebook users, found that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the world was not six as previously assumed, but 4.74. In the light of this data, maps do seem quite useless.

It does make you wonder about the necessity of new cartological lines, when all you need is click to speak to anyone, anywhere in the world or be ‘friends’ with them.

Social networking apart, man’s obsession with maps is not something to be taken lightly. Power and ambition has been marked for centuries by this mesh of curves and furrows, with capitals marked in stars, borders inked in bright red, and oceans of deep blue.

However, these squiggles of ink on paper have often led nations to go on many a warpath. A single line on a map, one that we all know, may have as sinister a significance as swapping dead bodies after a bloody partition. It is certainly not the sort of recall for the Indian map Sir Cyril Radcliffe had in mind when he sat down to chalk out where India ended and Pakistan began. Over 50 years later, we are still tackling memories caused by everything that followed that fateful doodle.

A couple of days ago, the US State Department removed “inaccurate” maps of India and Pakistan from its website as it did not reflect the correct boundary and geographical locations. But then, we are not the only ones who get picky with the Indian map. China’s ambassador to India was furious when asked about a map that showed parts of India within the Chinese border. New maps and ambitious cartological oversights from our friends in the east can still stir up powerful emotions.

But before we get our borders in a knot, the powers that be are ready to splice up the states further, with Uttar Pradesh now being surgically split into Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Awadh and Paschim Pradesh/ Harit Pradesh. The whimsical drawing and redrawing of maps, and their often bloody outcomes do seem redundant, especially when the world is shrinking.

Their gory political consequences apart, maps are also simply beautiful to look at. For most of us, the atlas was a prized possession, and still brings back fond memories of tracing fingers over distant lands.

The latitudes and longitudes gave you all the coordinates you needed for imaginary trips and brought history lessons to life. Even artists like Guillermo Kuitca from Argentina and Kathy Prendergast from Ireland (who may be closer than you think, remember less than five people keep you apart) have used maps as metaphors for human relationships and political power in their paintings. But it will always be Radcliffe’s work that has the last word.

- Sharon Fernandes, Hindustan Times

EDITORIAL

nation’s obsession, o s sachin’s n nightmare

By PradeePP Magazine Even though Tendulkar hasn’t failed with the bat, any score below hundred now is being seen by his fans as one Even if he had been made of steel, by now he would have been reduced to pulp, given the pressure he is put under, to fulfill the “dreams” of a “billion” cricket fans. Every run he scores creates a new world record, whetting the appetite of those who thirst for more. When he scored his 35th Test hundred a few years back to reach a summit no one before him had scaled, he had tears in his eyes.

They were tears induced as much by the satisfaction of achieving a monumental landmark as they were reflecting the relief he must have felt, given the intense pressure he had been facing from his adoring legion of fans. He was to say later that the pressure had become almost unbear unbearable, as wherever he went, whosoever he met, the only sentence spoken to him was about his impending world record hundred.

Today, each time he goes in to bat, a nation goes into frenzy, for they want him to hit one more hundred, something he has been doing so regularly that its numbers have swelled to 51 in

Tests and 48 in ODIs. But it is of little significance to a nation so obsessed with records and Sachin Tendulkar, despite all his superhuman achievements, will be made to feel guilty if he does not score one more hundred.

It would be as if he is letting them down.

When he was playing some winsome strokes on a sluggish Kotla track to guide India to victory over the West Indies this month, people would have any day traded an Indian defeat for his century of centuries. A nation went into mourning when he got out just short of his hundred, as if the sole reason for the contest was to provide him a platform to achieve this feat.

In the Mumbai Test he played yet another innings of vintage charm but when he got out the reaction was one of disbelief and heartbreak. Ravi Rampaul, the man who plotted his downfall, was treated like a villain by the crowd, who castigated him for having the temerity to celebrate the wicket of the man, depriving him of an incomparable number by a mere six runs.

This frenzy is fed by the media, who have for the past few months repeated

themselves to death by running debates on television and statistical packages in the papers, as a build up to this statistical number, which will change nothing in the way he is per perceived by the sporting world. Like our verdict on two of the greatest spinners to ever bowl, Warne and Muralitharan, did not change when the duo took 1,000 international wickets. Did the world and their respective countries ever create such hysteria at their achieving this feat, something akin to scoring 100 hundreds?

The answer is no, and in India this staggering achievement was a footnote, buried in the avalanche of records of our cricket superstars which we everyday dig out as statistical nuggets to gloat about, as if cricket is a game of mere numbers and nothing else.

The question ‘will he or won’t he’ must be giving him sleepless nights by now. Let us by all means celebrate if and when he gets to that figure of 100; but even if he does not, it makes no difference to his status as the greatest batsman of all times. Please, let him be.

- Hindustan Times

By ajay raM aMachandran Machandran Chetan Bhagat is smart. I use the word advisedly, and in a corporate understanding of it. The reason I and many fellow Indian millennials like Dil Chahta Hai is because the story was about friendships in a college setting. Filmmakers who give such youth-oriented movies know their chief audience. Good or bad, they can count on the college-goer to give their films at least a single try. It is no wonder that Bhagat, who has a management degree from India’s top business school, saw an “oppor “opportunity”, and cashed in. It is, as any business student would tell you, a business model. A thriving business model, in fact. He has created an atmosphere wherein the only requirement for anyone to publish a novel is for them to have the basic facility to tell a story. Even the how is unimportant. The only important thing is how fast the books disappear from bookstores. What makes him a paper paperback phenomenon? Many, including ex-union minister Shashi Tharoor,

have pointed to the simple (if even pallid) style and the conversational tone of Bhagat’s books, in addition, of course, to the youth-centric themes. I think the one chief feature of his success is humor. The critics, who consider Bhagat an affront to their intellect, often fail to mention this. Maybe he’s so popular because people find his books funny.

But Bhagat is no novelist. Deliber Deliberately (though doubtful) or not, he has difficulty in churning out an agreeable sentence. Most bad writing is the result of bad reading or poor reading. After reading a few of Bhagat’s books, you can say movies and not books are his primary influences.

He is at best a screenwriter. He is the ideal publicist for Bollywood. His ad would read: Bollywood, now available in book form. Nothing wrong in people enjoying such books. For one thing, as J.K. Rowling did with the Harry Potter series, he has boosted among the young the habit of reading. Sure his books require a complete suspension of literary sensibili-

ties on the part of the reader. Sure you can’t improve your vocabulary when you read them. And sure you can’t quote him in general conversation, if you wish to be taken seriously. The point it all becomes jarring is when you justify your deficiency saying this is what “the common people” want. Bhagat has set a precedent for other average writers who not only seem to think bad prose is wholly excusable but also seem to say they don’t read good prose because they don’t need it. The whole marketing machine–everyone from Tharoor to “youth icons” like actors Sonam Kapoor and Suriya–to perpetuate this mediocrity by elevating Bhagat as the brand ambassador of young India seems to me as going overboard.

His latest book, Revolution 2020–an awful title for a novel–seems like the result of his increasing participation in the national debate (it is subtitled Love, Corruption, Ambition). “All bad art is the result of good intentions”, wrote Oscar Wilde. Bhagat proves why.

The curious c case of c chetan Bhagat

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OPINION

December 2, 2011

19

Breathing sspace in a marriage

By ranjani SathiSh (Hindu) These days, it is common to see every other marriage breaking apart in Indian society, just a few years after the grand wedding day. I am not pained by the fact that the marriages are breaking up. It is better that a marriage be dissolved, if two incompatible people have to suffer each other throughout their life time or if there is some kind of abuse involved.

But what saddens me are those cases, where married life is ruined by the interference from the man’s parents. This happens typically in a joint family system, where the son and his wife are expected to stay with the parents. The urge to stay with the married son, stems from a strong possessive feeling on the part of the mother. Slowly, the tentacles of possessiveness start spreading around in every aspect of the adult son’s life, throttling the daughter-in-law. The girl starts gasping for breath and is forced to look at her choices. If nothing works out, she finally opts for peace of mind — by walking out of the marriage.

Why is it that the mothers of adult sons find it difficult to let go of the attachment, which blinds their eyes and makes them do despicable things? If she wants to ensure that no emotional intimacy develops between the son and his wife, why get the son married in the first place? Why does she fail to think of the bride as a young, sensitive person full of her own dreams and ideas about her married life? Why is it that the in-laws cannot trust their son to remember his duties towards them, even if he got married? Is it the lack of faith in their own upbringing that makes them insecure?

I am not even talking about the infirm elders, who have to stay with children due to ill-health. I am talking about financially well=off people, who are healthy in mind and body and quite capable of staying by themselves. What is the need to micromanage the son and his wife’s lives, staying closely?

Shifting our attention to the daughterin-law, the bride is no longer the really young bride of 14 years, who steps into a new house and absorbs the traditions of that house. Circumstances have changed now and mostly the girl first steps out of her house to live in a hostel for a college education. Then follow higher education and job. By the time the urban woman is ready for marriage, she is well into her mid-twenties, established her career, knowledgeable about the outside world and financially quite independent. So what does such a woman look for in a

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marriage? She looks for love, companionship, respect and understanding from her spouse.

If every day is a struggle, wherein the husband’s behaviour is dictated by the parents-in-law, if her life is not panning out as she dreamed and if every aspect of her adult life is constantly monitored and supervised by other people, what happiness does she get? What is wrong if she wants to move out with her husband so that she gets the much needed personal space? Why is she called a family breaker when she has every right to a happy life and the choice to live the life she wants?

How can a woman who is so smart and independent in her professional life manage the contradictions in her personal life?

What about the son who is the common

binding factor for both the parties involved? The typical reactions are usually one of these — a) the son is emotionally torn between his wife and mother and incapable of arriving at a decision; b) he is so completely brainwashed by his parents, that he starts believing that his wife is really evil, for wanting to go away and spend her life with him and not with his parents; c) the son breaks off with his parents on a really bad note and goes out with his wife.

Would it not be easier for everyone, if the son’s parents gracefully allowed the son and his wife to move out, if that is what they desired? The breathing space certainly ensures a healthy and happy relation among all the people involved, for a lifetime.

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COMMUNITY BUSINESS

20 December 2, 2011

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By arun janardhan (Mint) On a brief visit to Mumbai in the first week of November, Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell was already carrying at least 150 Christmas cards. The idea was to sign them whenever he was free, well in time for the year-end festive season. “If you don’t hand write them, don’t send them,” he says.

It’s not his version of a campaign to get more people to write, though as chairman and chief executive officer of FaberCastell AG, the stationery company headquartered in Stein, Germany, he would probably prefer that over emails. But Count Anton’s habit is more of an oldfashioned etiquette that’s easy to explain.

The 70-year-old heads a company which is 250 years old?he was in Mumbai as part of an Asian tour that included South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia to celebrate this landmark.

He is now the eighth generation of the family that founded the company in 1761 which has a current group revenue of over ?450 million (approx.

Rs3,100 crore).

Count Anton is tall, in a dark suit in which I fail to see a Faber-Castell pen peeping out of the coat pocket.

He does not smile much and perhaps because of his height and the low seatseat ing, struggles to find a comfortable enough position in the course of the meeting. We meet at Taj Lands End, affectionately called a “sundown” meeting by his office staff, but by the time we do sit down, it’s already dark outside.

Faber-Castell has been present in India since 1998, an association that was propelled by Count Anton, who saw Asia as the next big market. His father, he says, was the one who pushed the business in Latin America. Count Anton also came to India first, preferring it over China, because of the English language. Today, he is not entirely satisfied with their business in India, but he is not displeased either.

“I wish it would go faster,” he says about the growth. “But it’s not so easy in India, particularly, to get the distribution right. But we have some excellent opportunities. If I look at our foreign competitors, nobody’s been able to establish their own company, including manufacturing processes.

It’s all relative, isn’t it? If you are satisfied, then something is wrong.

So I am, in principle, not satisfied.

We have great potential, so we should grow faster. We have been growing 15-20% on a small base.”

He says the challenge for the company is visibility and communication.

He has already been asked twice about getting some celebrity endorser for the company during this trip to India. Though the company brochure carries endorsements from people like Vincent van Gogh, there is nothing to connect to the current generation of Indians. “From a German point of view, I would be reluctant, but from an Indian point of view, maybe

it’s a good idea. We will pursue it.

We should become more open and creative regarding the means to communicate the brands and products, which may differ from country to country,” he says, thoughtfully.

I ask him what makes the company tick or even survive for over two centuries, remain relevant and continue to stay within the family. “You can learn from the Castells,” he says carefully, in his clear German-accented English. “In that, you have to make up your mind whether to survive for a long time or build an empire which might fall apart next generation. If you like to keep something long term, you have to be cautious with financial commitments. The objective is the company stays in family hands, but each generation has to work for it; you can’t take it for granted.”

Though the company has survived wars and revolutions, it has also staved off threats of acquisition. Count Anton says he has now made it completely clear that

they are not for sale. Even though it’s privately owned, Faber-Castell AG functions like a corporate firm, with independent, renowned outsiders on board. “What you always have to keep in mind is that companies are never destroyed from outside but from the inside?through arrogance, leniency, strategic mistakes and pompousness,” he says.

Count Anton himself did not have a seamless transition into the company.

After getting a degree in law from the University of Zurich in 1966, he interned with a lawyer for a year and then with Faber-Castell in Stein, Ger Germany, again for a year. He ventured into investment banking in 1971 in London and New York, later with Credit Suisse First Boston and White Weld Ltd, before coming back to the family business in 1978. “I went to another company to make my own career and came back because my father got sick, with prostate cancer,” he explains.

“The secret of taking a company further is to restrict family influence,”

Count Anton continues. “You have to try and include as few people from the family as possible or you have fights between family members, which is unpleasant because it’s emotional. I believe in concentrating the power because if you are too democratic, you don’t reach a decision in business. It’s important to structure your business so whoever is in charge can come to clear decisions. That’s my challenge for the next generation.”

That’s not Count Anton’s only challenge. In a digital world, where cutting costs in offices means stationery is the first thing to go, where emails have already replaced the post, where a notepad is a computer software and a paperless world is looking increasingly realistic, what is the future of stationery?

“It will probably last longer than we believe,” says Count Anton. “The question is in what quantities. It was already my concern 30 years ago with the pencil business which, to my sur surprise, is stronger than ever. One of the reasons is because pencils, especially coloured, are needed for education, they don’t dry out, last forever and are environmentally friendly.

“In Germany, for instance, I wouldn’t say the business is growing but it’s stable. Globally, colour pencils are growing because of education and demand in developing countries.

Children might start early with computers, but as we know from brain research, it’s important that children use their hands for motor development and mental skills.

“There was a dream of a paperless office, which has remained a dream.

Where there is paper, there is the need for pencils. Colour, including artist pencils, will remain for 50-100 years because they have special features but in limited quantities.”

Pencils are Faber-Castell’s most prolific product?the company manufactures two billion black-lead and colour pencils a year, and is the world’s leading maker of woodcased pencils. It’s also the product that brought the company to AsiaPacific some years ago, given the young population in the region and the growing demand for education.

For an ageing Germany, like the rest of Europe, Faber-Castell focuses on luxury products, though Count Anton dislikes using the word.

“There will be a trend (in the future) to buy more luxury products with more money around in developing countries. Particularly for men, there are few status symbols: a watch, a pen, maybe cufflinks. We decided to enter the field in 1993 with a small line of high-priced pencils. We would have started with fountain or ball pens, but we would have been in competition with Mont Blanc and the others.

With a luxury pencil, everyone was surprised.”

He leans forward with a rare smile and says: “You know why people have an affection for our products?

Because they are, still in some ways, reminded of their childhood.”

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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22 December 2, 2011

By O.j. jOycee Oycee (Hindu) The increasing number of divorces is a major cause of anxiety for many parents, and very often at casual get-togethers, the conversation veers round to the cause of such alarming rise in divorce or separation.

One of the oft-quoted reasons that has never ceased to irk me is that girls are not brought up as they used to be in the past or as they ought to be. It is lamented that in the past girls were

not a wife w w waiting to Happen

brought up “very strictly” to be docile, obedient, patient, subservient, tolerant and never demanding. Today, they are raised “just like boys.”

Their degree of tolerance is on the decline; they have absolutely no patience, do not make any “adjustments’ and have no idea of what it is to be an ‘obedient’ wife and ‘humble’ daughter-in-law. They question, deT:6” mand and command.

And if she happens to be a working woman,

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she expects her husband to share domestic chores and responsibilities, and so forth. Such whining and ravings about the bad girls of today and their irresponsible parents are not rare either.

This made me wonder whether girls should be brought up differently.

Is there anything wrong in bringing up girls “just like boys”? Shouldn’t they be taught to respect themselves, have a point of view and live out the

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dreams they nurtured when young?

Or, should they have no dreams at all other than getting married, staying married and bearing children? I do not know what it is to bring up girls “just like boys”.

If a girl is brought up to respect herself, uphold her dignity, cherish her dreams and be happy, then she will certainly fulfil with élan the roles assigned to her by nature. She should be brought up to be a fine human being, and not a fine woman who can be easily ‘gloved’ into the mould prepared for her by social convention.

There is no need to train a girl to be subservient, to suffer in silence, to be meek and humble and bear her lot without complaints in order to make a marriage work. Instead, she should be motivated to be a person of integrity, with a keen sense of social values and a sense of responsibility. We should bear in mind that a girl is not a wife waiting to happen. She is first and T:4”

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foremost a human being, and therefore must be brought up to be a good and self-sustaining person.

It also made me wonder whether wedlock is truly marriage or bondage if the wife alone suffers in silence and willingly obliges every single wish and whim of her husband and his family, and endures all humiliation stoically and uncomplainingly.

Will there be true happiness in such a marriage? If this is what made marriages in the past work, then they should be called by any name other than marriage.

While still on the subject, there is another question: should boys be brought up as they were in the past.

Even today there are parents who send their boys to the so-called reputed schools that are believed to be good, for the fee is sky-high, and daughters to the local school that of offer free education. Boys are brought up to believe that they are the centre of the family; that marriage is a giveand-take affair wherein he is the taker and she the giver; that he is the sole consumer in the trade of marriage, and she the commodity — not just the commodity but also a slave who comes free with the purchase. And to think that marriage is the only trade where the purchaser is not the privileged owner!

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

INDIA

December 2, 2011

Hyderabad Teens Build Android 2.3 Powered Tablet

BANGALORE (SI): “It was not a flowery path for us to come up with this device!”, said Chiman Prakash Reddy, who is in news for developing an Android 2.3 powered tablet. Chiman and Nikhil, the teens studying in their first year from AVR & SVR College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, have developed a multi- purpose gadget named “AVE”.

The high-end Ave tablet was recently launched by Ponnala Lakshmajah, Minister, Information Technology and Communications, Andhra Pradesh.

“We were planning to release hardware for quite some time now and it’s been a year we were working on this tablet. So launching the tablet was pretty good move for us to enter the market”, said Chiman. The high-end tablet powered by Android 2.3 features a 7-inch display, with up to 8GB expandable memory. It also supports the1080p full HD playback, DivX including multi codec and Micro SD card of up to 32 GB. The device is said to have a good battery backup of 6 hours which is quite decent compared to other tablets available in the market.

The device also sports GSM, which many tablets do not possess these days. The 3G connectivity and WiFi internet access that will keep people connected. It also sports 1.3 mega pixel front camera that enables to capture images and video chats. The tablet is being manufactured by a

provided to the students.” The enthusiastic teenager targets to sell off 1,000 tablets in the first 15-20 days.

Sharing his future plans, Chiman says, “Gaming is the main area of my focus”, and is interested in developing PC and mobile games. He is at present working on manufacturing Home Theatre glasses.

The device will sport a 62 inches virtual display screen

U.K. - based company, Sareddy Technologies, a company owned by Prakash’s father and is priced at 12999. “The device is lot faster than any other tablet in the market today and it will give companies like Samsung a tough run for their money,” Chiman claimed.

“Being a student myself, I know the difficulties faced by students, therefore we got the price down to 12,999, so that students like me can easily avail this tablet,” said Chiman. He claims that his device offers all

the features as any other device in the market today that costs up to 30,000.

The device is not only for students, “it will fulfill the needs of all the groups, from professionals to businessman,” he said.

“It was a great experience to work with Nikhil, who is also the team designer,” he said adding that Nikhil

23

with 32GB capacity. The 5-hour battery life will allow watching two movies back to back. He is also working on software that can completely stop piracy and it will be out soon. “I want to develop new gaming technologies, and I and my team are working really hard towards our goal.

I am confident enough that within a span of one-and-a-half year, we’ll be competing with all the biggest brand in the market today,” said Chiman packed with confidence.

has been a good family friends since 5 years now, and working together was pretty good experience.

The state Chess champion from the age of 4, Chiman has won three silver medals and four bronze medals in national championship. Apart from that he stood at the fourth position in Commonwealth Chess Championship under 12 years. He states, “My family has been very supportive both financially and mentally” and today they would be really proud to see their son stepping towards his dreams.

Talking about his marketing strategy regarding the tablet, Chiman said the government is supporting them with all possible help. “We are trying to tie-up with schools and colleges so that the tablets can be easily

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

HOROSCOPE ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: You may have developed new relationships recently. This week, spare some time for these relationships and make conscious efforts to strengthen the bonds. Determined to rule the world, you wish to realize your dreams, on both personal and professional fronts. However, finances for your projects are likely to be a matter of concern for you. Instead, you may look for options like finance schemes or loans that may take care of your immediate monetary requirements.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Three major areas of your life work, health and wealth are in focus this week. You are likely to benefit a lot from computers, correspondence and new contacts. You will feel encouraged to march ahead on your path, as your plans have started to materialize. You may travel far and wide because of your work. Travelling will make you communicate more, you get to see different places. The trips are likely to help you grow and progress in business.

GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: Now that you have understood the importance of relationships, you value your family and friends more. There have been strenuous times as well.

You have handled such situation quite patiently and tactfully, and it has always worked in your favour. At work, you are likely to meet and interact with people from all walks of life and have a good time. Reunions with old friends is on the cards too! You will also be inclined towards social work and volunteering. Helping the needy and the underprivileged will give you peace and satisfaction.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: You are likely to go through a transition phase this week. Your attitude, circumstances and life, change. New relationships, correspondence with people on personal and professional levels, and some travelling are on the cards. As you are likely to be surrounded by people during this time, you may require to hone your communication and public relations skills. You may be juggling too many things now. Although you may be working very hard, don’t expect instantaneous results. You still have a long way to go before your efforts materialize into something concrete. Your confidence levels stay upbeat.

LEO July 24 - Aug 23: This week you may be going through a lot of ups and downs, and emotional turmoil.

You may find it difficult to be yourself and express your thoughts. You may pretend to be indifferent so that you can avoid certain things. At work, you are proving your worth. With better branding and proper product positioning strategies, you are likely to portray a better and stronger image to your company. The support of your colleagues and cooperation of your bosses motivate you to achieve extraordinary results.

Your consistent efforts and sincerity get you applause! Way to go!

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: You continue to march ahead with zest. Wiser and more knowledgeable than before, you know what is right for you. You are bound to make considerable progress in your career. If you are in the media, your creativity is likely to fetch you a lot appreciation. Cash may come in from more than one source. Increments, promotions and perks wait for those of you who are working as professionals. If you are self-employed, you may try out different options to earn money.

You are going great guns on the career front, so you don’t mind putting personal life on the

www.GaneshaSpeaks.com back-burner for a while LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: You have made significant progress on the professional front, you sit back and enjoy the fruits of your hard work with friends and family. This week, a series of events and activities are likely to keep you busy. The creative side of your personality coming to the fore, meeting new people, going for movies, and expanding your social network are all on the cards. Finance and health, too, are likely to be good. You are well balanced in your success.

SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: You have been enjoying a glorious phase for a long time now, and it is likely to continue.

Your cards suggest that you will flaunt your possessions and achievements. You make extra efforts to bond with family members to keep the home environment peaceful and harmonious. Remain down-to-earth and don’t let the success go to your head. Avoid getting into legal hassles or issues, which may ultimately undo all the good that you have achieved till today.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22: You love to be surrounded by people as much as they want to be around you. Bonding with them is great fun. Even if you do not like somebody, you go the extra mile to converse with him/her. This week, your mood is likely to be upbeat and positive, and you are likely to be very polite and make efforts to be calm and cooperative.

Networking, socializing and travelling is on the cards. You may seek company of experienced and knowledgeable people. Family issues need to be dealt with maturity.

CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20: While you go ahead with your spiritual pursuits, demands and duties of the real world may keep you under pressure. You may have to be on your toes all the time.

However, you are likely to find your way through all the challenges to reach your final destination. This week you may encounter new situations that lead to confusion. So, you are likely to seek out fortune-tellers for guidance. It may be the time to rediscover yourself as you are likely to come across your secret likings or hidden potential.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19: You need to be careful about your finances this week. Be cautious about hanging out with friends, shopping and miscellaneous expenses drain your finances. You start to lose your focus. You are oblivious to this, yet your well-wishers will ring the alarm bell and tell you to get back on track. Make necessary changes in your approach and lifestyle. Your casual attitude towards life is just a passing phase and it is likely to get over soon. More serious problems and complications may be waiting for you ahead, be cautious!

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: This week will be about reaping the fruits of your past efforts. You are still brimming with fresh ideas and want to channelize this energy. If you are associated with fields such as law, media, sales etc., in which you have to interact with different kinds of people everyday, you are likely to perform exceptionally well.People turn to you for ideas in times of crisis and you stand up to their expectations. Now that the situation seems favorable, there are chances that success may go to your head. Don’t let ego be a hurdle in your personal or professional life.

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O

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Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, A decemBer 2 , 2011 • Online editiOn: Ay, On: www.indOamerican-news.cOm O