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Friday, May 18 2012 | Vol. 31, No. 20

Indo American erican News

Himesh Gandhi

Elected

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Infl uence through Education

Operation Hope Founder

John Thomas

to Receive Ellis Island Medal of Honor

P9

P6 Educator and genius behind the Khan Academy, Salman Khan, one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, delivered the commencement address at Rice University.

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May 18, 2012

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Ek Disha Supports Life-Saving Initiatives for Mothers and Children at Fundraising Luncheon

BY KALYANI GIRI HOUSTON: With a veritable show-and-tell, two young visionary change-makers held an audience riveted as they shared and demonstrated their inventive and life-saving ideas and designs that positively impact the lives of women and children in developing countries everyday. Linus Liang of Embrace and Zubaida Bai of AYZH were guest speakers at a Mother’s Day luncheon hosted by the humanitarian organization Ek Disha at the spanking new Asia Society Texas Center building on May 9, 2012. The event raised $15,000, with pledges continuing to pour in; funds garnered will help further the mission of Embrace and AYZH. Introduced by Swati Narayan, President of Ek Disha, Liang told gatherees of the low cost Embrace Infant Warmer that he and his colleagues devised, which has helped save the lives of thousands of babies in developing countries like India and Somalia. The figures are dire, he added; of 20,000,000 babies born prematurely or of low birth weight each year, 450 of

Rick Pal, the founder of Ek Disha, with Zubaida Bai of AYZH and Linus Liang of Embrace.

them die hourly of hypothermia as incubators are expensive or inaccessible. There are 4 000,000 neonatal deaths every year with a whopping 1.2 million in India.

“Traditional solutions are either unsafe or ineffective or costly and require a constant supply of electricity, which makes them unsuitable for rural areas,” said Liang, who along with four others founded Embrace in 2008 and spent three years developing their product. The Embrace Infant Warmer consists of a heating unit, a wax

pouch, and a sleeping bag and uses an innovative material that maintains a constant temperature of 98*Fahrenheit for up to six hours.

When assembled, it resembles a cocoon. It works without constant electricity, and has no moving parts that could harm the baby. It is portable, safe, and intuitive to use.

It is easy to clean and also allows for close mother/child interaction.

Each device costs $200 and can be used to keep 35 – 50 infants warm, which loosely translates into $4 - $6 per baby. It is reusable up to

50,000 times, said Liang, who also informed gatherees that Embrace is planning to expand to China and worldwide.

Bai, one of 35 finalists shortlisted as a possible recipient of the Echoing Green Grant, created JANMA, a quality low cost birth kit that reduces the risk of infection in women in childbirth. In India, 78,000 women and nearly one million babies die from pregnancy and childbirth complications. Infections owing to unsanitary conditions are a leading cause, with most rural hospitals having a limited number of beds. The JANMA birth kit, tucked niftily into a trendy jute bag, contains a sterile surgical blade with a steel handle for cutting the umbilical cord, a padded blood- absorbing sheet for easy clean-up, cord clips to help reduce cord infection, medicated soap/ hand sanitizing wipes to prepare a safe birth environment. The kits,

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sourced and assembled in India by rural women, costs $2; this year, 10,000 have already been sold.

Founded by local businessman/ entrepreneur Rick Pal, Ek Disha’s mission is to support and facilitate humanitarian projects with the focus on impact, transparency, sustainability, and measureable results. Very hands-on, Pal visits India, networks and identifies highimpact projects and helps support the existing endeavors. Ek Disha donates 100% of funds raised for the various initiatives it supports such as Prajwala, Deepannita Braille Institute for the Blind, Goonj, and Disha, to name a few.

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May 18, 2012

Salman Khan: World’s Most Influential Online Educator

BY SOWMYA NANDAKUMAR HOUSTON: With degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S in Mathematics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, an M.S in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and an MBA from Harvard Business School (a genius indeed!) Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy was no doubt headed for success. One would have expected Khan to be a super intelligent billionaire business man, an extremely successful top professional (perhaps at Google or Facebook), a top management wiz at one of those huge corporate conglomerates, or a Wall Street brain.

But here’s the catch! Contrary to expectations Salman Khan is an educator - the founder and faculty of a not-for-profit educational organization, The Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The mission of his academy is to provide “a free world class education to anyone, anywhere”. Interested students can access learning videos on a wide range of subjects (mathematics, physics, finance and history); they can choose what they want to learn, whenever they want to, from wherever they are. All one needs is the inclination to learn and there are about 3200 videos to watch and learn from, thanks to Khan Academy!

“Here I was, an Analyst at a hedge fund; it was very strange for me to do something of social value!”

Salman Khan Salman Khan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1976. He is of Indian and Bangladeshi origins – his father is from Barisal, Bangladesh and mother from Kolkata, India. He was brought up in New Orleans and went to public schools.

In an interview to the Houston Chronicle published on May 13, he says he was confused in college - for three months in his senior year, he was pre-law and then pre-med.

Finally he felt convinced he wanted to be a computer science professor but heard from a friend that the tech companies were profitable avenues for undergrads. He went that route and worked for Oracle. He predicted that he would work for a large company in Silicon Valley and eventually be a tech entrepreneur. Little did he know what the future had in store!

He worked as a hedge fund analyst (until 2009), alongside which in 2004, he started to remotely tutor his cousin Nadia (in Math) in New Orleans, while he was in Boston.

He used Yahoo’s doodle notepad, but when many others asked for help, he created a YouTube account on Nov 16, 2006 to post his video tutorials.

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Salman Khan: creative force behind Khan Academy for math education

In a TED video from March 2011, (http:// www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_ use_video_to_reinvent_education.html) Khan explains the reactions to his videos: First, his cousins gave him some feedback, letting him know that they preferred him on YouTube than in person! Khan explains that during the process of learning, when someone is trying to grapple with and understand a new concept, the last thing they need is for an adult to breathe down their neck, asking them if they understood. The discretion, space, and time flexibility that the YouTube videos gave his cousins, were probably why they liked learning through videos.

Second, he got a number of responses from people around the world including the parents of an Autistic child who said that their son dreaded math and they had tried everything and nothing worked until they stumbled upon his videos. Their son started to get excited about math for the first time!

Khan’s videos helped him understand decimals and fractions.

Each of his videos got 20,000 hits from students all over the world. Khan realized that his videos were not just “nice to have supplements”, as he had initially intended but had become “need to have lessons”.

In the TED video he says, “Here I was, an Analyst at a hedge fund; it was very strange for me to do something of social value!” He quit his job in 2009 to become an educator and started The Khan Academy.

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Khan now lives with his family in Mountain View, California. He has a son and daughter and his wife is a medical specialist in rheumatology and internal medicine. In the Houston Chronicle interview, he credits his wife of having been extremely supportive of The Khan Academy as his hobby and his full time job! He says they were in a dilemma because when he quit, he was getting paid a very good salary which always tempted them to think: one more year of regular work meant proportionate savings, that much more money to take care of family and paying off of mortgages, etc.

But they finally decided to go ahead and in late 2009 he quit his job with some savings which were to be used towards down payment on a home. In addition, he and his wife had their first child, their son. The first nine months were slow and he even began to doubt himself. Then came a $10,000 donation from a 1975 Rice Alumna, Ann Doerr, an environmental activist. A meeting with her followed, after which she donated $100,000. In 2009, The Khan Academy was validated by many including Bill Gates, receiving the Microsoft Tech Award for education. In 2010, Google provided $2 million to translate classes on the website and to create more courses. Khan tied for #34 in Fortune's annual 40 under 40, a list recognizing business's hottest rising stars. In March 2011, Bill Gates (who claims to use the Khan Academy Exercise Software

to teach his own children) invited Khan to speak at TED. With over 2000 learning videos in March 2011, he says, that the Khan Academy has about a million students a month using videos ranging from basic arithmetic to vector calculus; all these students in totality, were watching anything from 100-200,000 videos a day! Apparently The Khan Academy had delivered over 30 million lessons by March 2011. Now they have about 3200 video tutorials in 12 languages with six million and growing users.

In May 2011, Salman Khan appeared in The Colbert Report. He has also been featured on PBS News Hour, CNN, and the National Public Radio. On Apr 18, 2012, Khan featured in Time Magazine’s The World’s 100 most influential people. GQ India listed him as one of the most powerful Digital Indians.

Salman Khan gave a powerful commencement address in Rice University on May 12. Drawing from his experience with Ann Doerr, (whose financial backing and support validated for him, the worth of his own idea), he spoke of validating other people’s efforts - empowering others by showing them that we believe in their work, by recognizing, rewarding and complimenting efforts to make the world a more positive place, increasing the net positivity and happiness in the world no matter which field one chooses to work in.

He emphasized on always rising from failure, seeing it as life’s second opportunity and not an end in itself. Khan told the audience to travel fifty years ahead in time, when they all would have certain regrets about the past. A genie emerges and gives them a chance to go back to commencement day in May 2012 and correct all those regrets. He asked students to take the present moment as that second pass in life – the chance they get to make right all those potential regrets. He is also scheduled to be the commencement speaker for MIT's commencement on June 8.

In the TED video from March 2011, after his speech, Bill Gates asks Khan about the usage of motivation techniques in his learning software, how the Los Altos School District agreed to start using his method of learning, whether the learning method had been receiving teachers’ feedback and if it were ready to be launched in schools all over the USA. After those questions, Bill Gates turns to the audience and says, “I think you have just got a glimpse of the future of education!”

There are probably no better words to describe Salman’s Khan’s vision and accomplishment as an educator – he resonates the true quality, nature and essence of education : “a not-for-profit, completely accessible knowledge base”.

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May 18, 2012

Himesh Gandhi Wins Election to Sugar Land City Council Position

SUGAR LAND: Eight months of consistent campaigning, meeting and listening to residents resulted in a victory for attorney and community leader, Himesh Gandhi, who ran for Sugar Land City Council, At-Large Position One this past Saturday, May 12.

Gandhi, 35, is a 20-year resident of Sugar Land who graduated from Clements High school, Houston Baptist University and South Texas School of Law. He currently serves on Sugar Land’s Planning and Zoning Commission and has also served on the Sugar Land 4B Corporation, the Building and Standards Commission and the Redistricting Committee. Gandhi’s focus is to “strategically move Sugar Land forward through financial accountability, quality developHimesh Gandhi with wife Farrah ment and public safety with an emphasis on the Land’s youngest council members, Gandhi fundamentals of city services.”

As the campaign season moved into full is ready to work.

“I am humbled and honored that Sugar swing, residents evidently agreed with Gandhi’s perspective that “citizens of Sugar Land residents came out and showed their Land expect safe neighborhoods, qual- support by voting for me,” says Gandhi. ity development and excellent city ser- “I am excited and ready to dive into the vices with financial accountability and low business of our city and work with fellow taxes.” As Gandhi and his campaign team Council Members on the policies and deciwalked neighborhoods and knocked on sions that drive Sugar Land and will keep doors, Gandhi spoke with neighbors and it a great city. I look forward to representresidents about bringing a renewed energy ing the citizens in our community. I want to City Council and keeping Sugar Land a to send out a huge thanks to our campaign premier destination for both families and team and volunteers who worked tirelessly.

Your support and enthusiasm has my unendbusinesses.

With a full team of volunteers and a strong ing appreciation.”

A partner with the law firm of Hrbacek & grass roots campaign effort, Gandhi took the majority of the vote and now moves Gandhi, P.C. Gandhi and his wife, Farrah, towards being sworn-in as one of Sugar reside in Telfair.

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COMMUNITY

May 18, 2012

Viji & Jay Raman Host Club 24 Night of Philanthropy

Jay and Viji Raman (left) receive flower bouquets from Club 24 Signature Event committee co-chairs Hiru Mathur and Madhavi Kavadi.

Photos by Arun Pasrija

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BY PRAMOD KULKARNI HOUSTON: Dr. Jay and Viji Raman served as the hosts for the Club 24 Night of Philanthropy on Saturday, May 5.

It was the evening of the Super moon, so the garden party in the expansive backyard of the Raman’s Memorial area home was particularly enchanting.

Night of Philanthropy is one of Club 24’s signature events, designed around the club’s mission of building bridges with the mainstream community.

This year, Club 24 presented donation checks worth a total of $75,000 to 12 charities, the most ever. More than a 100 club members, their guests, and

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representatives of the charity organizations attended the special dinner party catered by Bombay Brasserie.

The Club 24 charity recepients cover a full spectrum of community development: Save a Mother (SAM), Indo-American Charity Foundaton (IACF), Public Broadcasting System (PBS), Houston Symphony, United Service Organization (USO), Memorial Spring Branch Rotary, UNICEF, SEWA International, Ekal Vidyalaya, BAPS, Tahrih Justice Center and Daya Houston.

See a detailed report in the May 11 issue of Indo-American News for additional information.

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COMMUNITY

May 18, 2012

Operation Hope Founder John Thomas to Receive Ellis Island Medal of Honor

BY ADAM D. YOUNG LUBBOCK (Lubbock Online) : The Lubbock surgeon who founded the Operation Hope nonprofit relief organization will join the likes of Frankie Valli, Brook Shields and United States Chief of Staff. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno this weekend at an awards ceremony at Ellis Island in New York.

Dr. John Thomas was named one of 102 recipients to be honored with the 2012 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Friday at a reception hosted by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations at the national landmark in New York, said Otto Coca, director of media for the organization.

Thomas said he was honored to receive the award for his works coordinating relief efforts and using his skills as a surgeon in war and areas of the world ravaged by natural disasters, including Haiti and Iraq.

“I never thought something of this magnitude would come my way,” he said.

Thomas, an Indian native and son of Christian missionaries, credited his success in part to opportunities he received in the United States since he moved to the country as a 15-year-old.

“It’s a great honor to be an American and it’s a great honor to come to America,” he said.

The surgeon said his experiences growing up in a poor family in India; living in a house with dirt floors are inspirations to help others.

“My upbringing is what Operation Hope is about,” he said. “Uti-

sons, are selected annually for their contribution to the United States as citizens with immigrant backgrounds.

“We try to honor people whose stories illuminate the American experience,” Coca said.

John Thomas in brief

Born: March 22, 1965, in Kerala, India.

Dr. John Thomas

lize every penny, value every moment.”

Now 47, Thomas said he also is thankful to Lubbockites for donating their money and time to Operation Hope during its nearly 10-year run in the Hub City.

“The greatest thing is I’m receiving this award on behalf of many people who have traveled with me overseas to help others,” he said.

Coca said Thomas was selected for the award in a year the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations plans to focus on the military, and those who have supported the nation’s military efforts overseas.

Thomas received a civilian service medal from Odierno, another 2012 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient, for Thomas’s relief work in Iraq during multiple aid trips through the 2000s, Coca said.

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Nominee for Light of India Dr. Renu Khator is one of the nominees in the Light of India Awards 2012 for Education given by Times of India in New York on June 1. This award is for an individual who has made significant contribution in the field of education leadership. Voting is open until May 28th. To vote: 1. Log on to http://www.lightofindiaawards.com/ 2. Click on “Vote” 3. Select “Education” in voting category 4. Cast your vote You will be asked for your email to verify for one personone vote.

Renu Khator is the eighth Chancellor of the University of Houston System and the thirteenth President of the University of Houston. She is the first foreignborn president of the university, and the second woman to hold the position.

In 1985, Khator began a 22year career affiliation with the University of South Florida. She is also the first Indian American to lead a major research university in the United States, and is

Dr. Renu Khator

the second Indian American to lead an accredited university in the United States. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has included her among its Outstanding Americans by Choice awardees, recognizing her achievements as a naturalized citizen. She serves on Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council since 2009 and in 2011, she was appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas board of directors.

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YLDP students visit Houston Museum of Fine Arts

HOUSTON: On Sunday, May 6, the Houston YLDP met at Houston Museum of Fine Arts for its eighth and final classroom session on the theme of society, culture, and art.

The students met and heard from Nidhika Mehta, a famous philanthropist and patron of the MFAH and Asia Society. Mike Akel, a popular teacher at the Kinkaid School spoke to them about his passion for the art of film making.

Students received a guided tour of the Asian art galleries in the museum covering the arts of Korea, China, Japan, and India.

Nidhika Mehta, appreciating Indian culture, expressed her desire to enlighten Houstonians of India’s rich cultural heitage. Mehta spoke of her upbringing in the Middle East and how exposure to different environments helped her

become the person she is today.

She emphasized that in pursung life goals, taking the first step was the most important obstacle to overcome. She says, “One cannot do everything, but everyone together can do one thing”. If everyone could just play a small role in helping others in need, that helping hand in turn creates a long lasting change. She encouraged all students to recognize their passion in life and to never accept failure in achieving their vision.

Mike Akel challenged YLDP students to recognize what makes them “come alive”, adding that what the world needs is “people who have come alive”. He showed that one’s passion does not have to be incredible; it simply has to be something that one can make a difference with.

He encouraged students to take

the first step to achieving their dreams, because one “can’t steer a parked car- one must start the ignition”. Mr. Akel also explained that movies are a reflection of society They narrate powerful and thought provoling stories and situations that make one cry, laugh, and encourages one to examine the times in which society lives.

Students’ belief in the arts was reinforced. They learned that art unites all serving as a medium to broaden their horizons. It also enables them as future leaders to strive to create a safe environment for all.

YLDP students Enakshi Ganguly, Priya Bhattacharjee, Rajni Bhavsar, Anuva Kachru, Gaurav Dhume, Akshay Rajan, and Isha Deo contributed to this article.

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May 18, 2012

George Willy Attends White House Briefing SUGAR LAND: George Willy, founder and principal attorney of George R. Willy P.C., attended a briefing at the White House in Washington DC on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. The Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Community Leaders Briefing offered Mr. Willy and other leaders in the AAPI community the opportunity to meet with top Obama Administration officials to discuss policy priorities as they relate to the AAPI community. The AAPI community is the fastest growing demographic in the United States.

The briefing featured Senior Policy Advisors Portia Wu and Felicia Escobar, Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh and Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter.

“I was honored to be invited to this briefing,” said George Willy, who has previously attended several briefing at the White House. “This briefing was especially topical since Felicia Escobar, the senior advisor to the President on immigration, addressed some questions I asked her directly”. At the briefing the attendees were updated on the economy, health issues, education and immigration. “The President’s efforts to initiate administrative policies against a stubborn Congress are a good thing,” said Mr. Willy.

Mr. Willy specifically asked Ms. Escobar about HB 3012, the bill that would change the per country caps with regards to family and employment-based applications, that is currently being held up in the Senate

by Senator Grassley. Ms. Escobar updated that the Senators concerns seem to be more related to temporary visa programs such as H and L visas and that advocacy groups have been meeting with Senator Grassley to address his concerns. She added that the White House has publicly come out in favor of the legislation.

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

12 May 18, 2012

COMMUNITY

HOUSTON: India Development Coalition of America (IDCA) organized the Second South Regional Conference on May 6, 2012 at the India House, Houston.

The theme of the conference was “Working Together to Eradicate Poverty and Mitigate Climate Change in India”. It was held from 9 AM to 5 PM. Dr. Kirtikumar Shah, Chair, IDCA Houston chapter welcomed the gathering. Dr. Mohan Jain, Trustee and Founder President, IDCA, Chicago presented Mission, Goals and activities of IDCA. First session on Health care and water was moderated by Sandip Mody. Dr. KT Shah talked about the free clinics he is involved in Houston metro area and his voluntary services for three months each year since 2004 mostly in Gujarat.

Dr. Nik Nikam, past president of Indian Doctors Association, Houston and a practicing cardiologist in Sugarland , Texas, and an author, presented D-WATCH, a holistic program to prevent diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Porus Dadabhoy presented a project to provide nutritional meal packets to poor children in India, and talked about the projects students from 7 Midwest Universities have done in India. Mr. Subbaraman Viswanathan spoke on challenges of water re-

forward to build this chapter and serve more members and create more awareness. Mr. Dev Mahajan offered the facilities of Arya Samaj Library to organize bimonthly seminars on Education, healthcare, livelihoods, water and climate change, by inviting NPOs/ academics working in these areas as well as visiting NGO leaders from India. Mr. Ashok Danda, Mr. Mahajan, Mr. Abbas, Dr. Shah, Mr. Kannappan, Mr. vats Kumar and Sandip Mody committed to work together to expand IDCA work in the Houston area.

IDCA Organizes Second South Regional Conference in Houston on Working Together to Eradicate Poverty and Mitigate Climate Change in India

For further details and to view presentations, photos and videos visit (http://idc-america.org).

Speakers and moderators at IDCA conference on May 6th 2012 at India House sources management in India.

Second session on rural development was moderated by Sam Kannappan, Co-Chair, IDCA, Houston Chapter. Dev Mahajan, president of Arya Samaj Houston (http://www.aryasamajhouston. org/) spoke on DVA school in Houston and shelters built by it in Gujarat and Pondicherry. Samihita Bhatt from Chinmaya Organization for Rural development gave the history of CORD (www.cordusa.org) and self help programs to empower women in 6 states of

India. Honorable Anil K Matta, Deputy Consul General of India gave information on Government of India agencies involved in rural development. Mr. Bipin Shah of Santa Clara, California presented scholarship programs in India by Foundation for Excellence (FFE— www.ffe.org ).

After noon session on Education was moderated by Dr. K.T. Shah.

Sam Kannappan, convener, Tamil Nadu Foundation Convention in Houston, presented the prevention of school dropout s program

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by TNF. Ashok Danda, President, Ekal Foundation, USA (www. ekal,org) spoke on more than 38000 one teacher Ekal schools in India. N.S. Vatsa kumar, President, Hoysala Charitable Trust gave the history of establishing a school in Karnataka, India. Sayeed Abbas, Coordinator, Vibha, (www.vibha. org ) Houston Chapter emphasized that the projects must be secular, replicable, scalable and sustainable.

In the final concluding session ideas were solicited how to move

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18 Years of Hinduism Radio Program in Houston HOUSTON: Voice of Sanathan Dharma, Houston’s only Hinduism radio program, was started by Padmakant Khambhati in the year 1994. Now in its18th successful year, the program was started with the intention of presenting Vedic Dharma to the community and explain its richness and significance to those who may not understand the complexity of Hinduism. The program endeavors to present Vedic Dharma with accuracy from knowledge gained through intensive research and providing a opportunity to dwell on the invaluable philosophies of ancient Hindu heritage. Mantras and Vedic hymns taken from scriptural authorities are broadcast and their significance explained to offer a better understanding of them. Regularly, open discussion on spiritual, divine and religious scriptures and texts and interpretations of the Vedas and Vedanta, are conducted during the show. A wide variety of bhajans, dhun and sangeet interspearse the more serious matters of spirituality.

Voice of Sanathan Dharma is a threehour long commercial-free program aired every Sunday from 9:00am to 12:00noon on 1090AM KULF. It is also available on the internet at www.kulfradio.com. The program is made possible solely through donations and has sustained all these years by the generous continued support of wellwishers and listeners. Donations are tax deductible and may be sent to Sanatan

Hindu Center, 10007 Mystic Spring Lane, Richmond, TX 77407. Padmakant Khambhati may be contacted via telephone at 281459-0866 or through email at padmakantkhambhati1@gmail.com Voice of Sanathan Dharma will conduct its annual fundraising program on Sunday, May 20 “On Air” from 9:00am to 12:00noon. Remember to tune into KULF radio -1090AM. The 18th year is very auspicious and significant as the number 18 represents several predominantly important features of Hinduism. 18 is considered the code number that can break into the soul of Nature. The significance of 18 can be traced back to the Vedic ages. The first Veda, believed to be protected by Lord Brahma himself, had 18 chapters.

Later, Veda Vyasa divided it to create the four vedas: Rigveda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. Each of these vedas has 18 chapters.

Veda Vyasa also wrote 18 puranas and 18 upa-puranas.The Bhagavad Gita has 18 chapters and the Kurukshetra war lasted 18 days. Incidentally, in Sabarimala, the famous Temple in Kerala there are 18 steps to reach the Bhagwan, the 18 steps are also considered as: 5 indriyaas - eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin; 8 rajas - kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matasraya, aham and asooya; 3 gunas - satva guna, raja guna and tamo guna; and vidya and avidya, thus making it 18.

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13

14 May 18, 2012

INDIA

60th Year of Indian Parliament Where Have Our MPs Failed Us? A Need for Introspection

BY RAJ KANWAR IAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI: When Indian Parliament turned 60 last week on 13th May, it should have been an occasion for a serious introspection and deep reflection by its members to ponder if they really had been true not only to their oath to the Constitution taken in its hallowed premises but also to the trust and the faith that their own electorate had reposed in their ‘promises’. There were much back-slapping and self-congratulations in the Parliament sessions held on the 60th anniversary. There was neither any recrimination nor a sense of repentance; the only bad spot that the parliamentarians were ‘gracious enough’ to identify and accept was their own ‘disorderly behavior’ repeated from time to time over all these years in utter violation of the hoary parliamentary traditions and conventions. All other misdemeanors, numerous acts of omission and commission and the steep fall in their moral standards and caliber were just not on their minds on this 60th anniversary.

These were indeed turbulent years, some good, others not very good and still some really bad. In other words, the story of the Indian Parliament since that auspicious day in May of 1952 has been more like a roller coaster ride. Right from day one, there were many prophets of doom and doubting Thomases such as Winston Churchill who had predicted that India would break into pieces. Churchill of course suffered from congenital India phobia. But what about Neville Maxwell who was The Times South Asia correspondent in 1967, who had written a series of articles describing India as a ‘disintegrating democracy’ predicting that India’s fourth general elections would be its last. The current parliament is India’s 15th and structurally it is strong enough to continue for many, many more years unless our so-called ‘hon’ble’ MPs were to behave more unabashedly and even criminally.

The MPs are already under the virulent and abusive tirade from the likes of Anna Hazare, the self-styled Gandhian, and his equally arrogant and smug aides. Ramdev, who loves to strut like a ‘Baba’ or ‘Swami’, is another vocal critic of our very ‘honorable’ MPs. The two ‘worthies’ claim that they alone are honest and truly represent the ‘civil society’ and dub everyone else who dares show dissent with their views as corrupt. Ours is unfortunately a land of gullible people and it is not very difficult for a group of clever people with unmitigated backing from electronic and print media and enough financial muscle to befool us. If it were not for a large number of ‘thinking Indians’ who do not follow the herd instinct, India could have to a lesser degree seen a replica of the ‘Arab Spring’. If this has not occurred, thanks for this must go to India’s Chief Election Commissioners who over the

Indian Parliament, New Delhi

past several decades have acted with great probity and strictness and ensured that each and every election was conducted impartially and voters were allowed to cast their votes without fear. Thus the institution of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to a large extent has been greatly instrumental in encouraging many sundry anti-national groups and parties to accept the efficacy and durability of the parliamentary democracy and in joining the political mainstream; in this way, the CEC acted like a ‘shock absorber’ against the growing divisive tendencies in the country.

On its 60th anniversary, the question arises what actually ails the Indian parliamentary institutions? There has been an abysmal fall in the moral standards and traditional Indian values among those who now occupy seats in the blessed houses of the Indian Parliament. A fairly large number of our MPs have criminal cases pending against them in courts. If an MP is convicted of a heinous offence such like murder, rape and worse, he would be allowed to contest the election both to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies if he has filed an appeal against the judgment and that it has been admitted. There have been numerous instances where many convicted criminals undergoing even life term had contested election from inside the jail and won. This could only happen in India where the judiciary works at snail’s pace and where such appeals have been pending for as long as 10 years or more.

Some other serious maladies from which the Indian Parliament suffers include disturbing of the proceedings of the Parliament on slightest or even no pretext day in and day out, disobedience of the speaker or the vice president without any rhyme

or reason, ‘jumping’ into the ‘well’ of the House and even tearing off official papers and documents. If such disorderly behavior is not enough, there have been more serious instances of ‘skirmishes’ between the members and worse their manhandling by fellow members. Those of us who occasionally watch the proceedings of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha on their respective channels are simply aghast to see our ‘Hon’ble’ members throwing chairs, paper weights and whatever else they could lay their hands on. Such deliberate and determined pandemonium is now more of a rule than exception. Of late, several sessions of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha simply failed to conduct any legislative business or initiate serious discussions on matters of much greater importance to the country. The tragedy is that all these disturbances and blatant disobedience of the Chair are done not by any ‘rogue’ elements but as a part of political strategy by opposition parties, particularly the BJP, to denounce some acts of commission or omission by the government; sometime a decision is also taken not to allow Home minister or Finance minister of any other minister to speak in the House if the opposition did not like his ‘face’.

Sadly and unfortunately, no effective solution has yet been found to curb such rowdy conduct on the floor of the two houses of the Parliament. The exasperated Speaker at times had even expelled some members who had persistently indulged in ‘misconduct’ and worse. However, the expelled members are later pardoned and allowed to return. It would perhaps hurt these habitual ‘rowdies’ if their daily allowance is deducted; even the more unrepentant and compulsive among them are marked ‘absent’. Some

more stringent steps such like expelling members from the House for breach of its privilege could be considered as ‘effective deterrent’. But such measures could alone be discussed if there is bipartisan agreement between the two major parties and a broad consensus among all the parties across the political divide. This, however, is easier said than done. All political outfits, particularly the two major parties have their respective short term political agendas. For instance, if it was a matter of enacting the controversial Lokpal Bill, the BJP would like to secure some brownie points if it could show the Congress in a bad light on this issue.

Similar, the consideration of immediate political gains on other important issues would generally influence their line of action. In a recent instance both BJP and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress joined hands with their arch rivals, the Left in opposing the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail sector, even though BJP as a matter of policy supports this issue.

There have been some recommendations from the Chief Election Commissioner for putting a total ban on such convicted criminals from contesting elections. Some constitutional experts and non-profit organizations have even gone a step further recommending that anyone charged with a serious criminal offence and whose case is pending in a court of law should be debarred from contesting elections. But all parties across the political divide have such criminal elements in their fold and thus they generally present a united front whenever any such proposal or suggestion is put up. Ironically, this is one of the two issues, the other being increasing their own allowances and salaries, on which these parties work in unison.

Though as a matter of some courtesy, the various political parties were at their best behavior on these anniversary sessions and spoke of maintaining decorum and the dignity of the Parliament. How one would wish that these pious sentiments become integral to the Indian parliamentary traditions and conventions. It is up to the MPs themselves to maintain and enhance the dignity of the two august Houses of the Indian Parliament by their own exemplary behavior. Also the parliamentarians have to realize and appreciate that they must first cleanse the mess and the debris that they have allowed to gather over all these years by their own blatant breach of dignity and the privileges of the Parliament. They also must remember that ‘respect’ has to be earned and that it is not merely a matter of ‘paper privilege’.

Still, despite its various failings, the Indian parliamentary democracy has stood the test of time and we must celebrate its 60th anniversary in a mode of introspection and try to bring about the necessary reforms so that the Parliament could proudly reclaim its hoary traditions.

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

May 18, 2012

Radhanath Swami: Bhakti Yogi, Noted Author Visits Houston

HOUSTON: His Holiness Radhanath Swami, who moved a packed audience at India House last September at a special program organized

by India House, ISKCON and Hindus of Greater Houston, and signed copies of his book, Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami, will once again visit Houston from Tuesday, May 22 through Thursday, May 24.

Since his visit last, Swamiji met with President Obama in Miami.

Radhanath Swami He also addressed Britain’s House of Lords, as well as gatherings at and H.H. Sri Shankaracharya Swaseveral leading universities and mi Divyanand Teerthij. corporations. On December 4-5 After hearing Radhanath Swami he spoke at the Yoga Summit in at India House last year, Ramesh Bangaluru, organized by the Art Bhutada, businessman and Presiof Living Foundation, which fea- dent of the Southwest Chapter of tured many of the leading voices Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh said, in the yoga world, including “I really don’t have words to exB.K.S. Iyengar, Baba Ramdev, presss myself… … it felt like it and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. From was somewhere touching the heart, March 1-7 Radhanath Swami giving a call to our inner wisdom, spoke at the International Yoga he so lucidly in such a simply way, Conference at Parmarth Niketan in such a simple language, told Ashram, Rishikesh along with us the essence of life. … Maybe forty yoga gurus, including H.H. I hope this will carry me someSwami Chidanand Saraswatiji where.”

Radhanath Swami’s schedule includes; Tuesday, May 22 — 12noon-1:15pm (geared for medical professionals; lunch served at noon) Institute for Spirituality and Health, 8100 Greenbriar, #220 Houston, Texas 77054. Register www.spiritualityandhealth.org or call Jerri Doctor at 713-7970600 Wednesday, May 23 — 7:00pm Kirtan, 7:30 talk Yoga of the Heart - Reviving Lost Love, and spiritual initiation 9:00pm.

Vegetarian dinner. ISKCON Cultural Center 1320 West 34th Street, Houston, TX 77018.

Dinner will be served.

Thursday, May 24 — 6:15 pm Interfaith Dialogue with Radhanath Swami and Dr. Jim Bankston, Senior Minister, St Paul’s United Methodist Church, Blindsided by God: Unexpected Lessons of Faith. 6:15-7:00pm vegetarian meal. 7:00 - 9:00pm program and discussion. Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross Street, Houston TX 77006. Register at http://www.imgh.org/blindsidedbygod

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15

16 May 18, 2012 TNF Nadana Mamani Winners

Alumini Forum at TNF 2012 Convention

HOUSTON: A special session at the TNF will be devoted to the alumni of the universities and colleges in Tamil Nadu. This is scheduled as part of this National Convention on Saturday, 26 May. In addition to meeting with fellow alumni, the Forum will provide opportunities for the alumni to get an update on the current educational activities of their schools and colleges. Dr. Ram Vairavan, grandson of Dr. Alagappa Chettiar, will be presenting the progress in several fields of education in Tamil Nadu colleges and Universities.

Dr. Vairavan has been actively involved in improving the quality of education and the infrastructure of the schools, both in Chennai and Karaikudi. He has set

aggressive goals for the school management and staff to elicit superior performance and state ranks in state board exams. It is his goal to establish alliances with US educational institutions and provide the students of the Alagappa Schools to benefit from resulting synergies. Dr. Vairavan will be joined by other speakers at this session to present ideas to support improved performance of Tamil Nadu colleges and Universities.

Alumni of Tamil Nadu colleges and universities are invited to participate in this forum.

Please email, with the name of your college, to Dr. Subba Viswanathan (viswaspc@yahoo. com) or Dr. A. K. Subramanian (aksmani@comcast.net).

“Virtual Bookkeeping made possible” TNF Idol dance coordinators, judges and finalists HOUSTON: The Tamil Nadu Foundation 2012 (TNF), which is gearing up to hold its annual National Convention in Houston May 25-28, recently conducted Bharatanatyam dance competitions (TNF Nadana Mamani) in two categories, Juniors (ages 12 – 15) and Seniors (ages 16 – 19), the winners of which will be given the opportunity to perform at the convention.

This competition was coordi-

nated by Dr. Rathna Kumar, Mrs. Indirani Parthasarathy and Mrs. Padmini Chari. First place winner in the Junior category was Meera Devarajan, a student of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts. In the Senior category, two brilliant young dancers where decided to be the finalists, and both will perform at the convention. Chinmayee Venkatraman from Dallas, a student of the Arathi School of Dance, and Srividvatha Sridhar, a student of

Saroja Vaidyanathan (Delhi) and the Anjali Center for Performing Arts, shared the honors.

Over twenty talented youngsters from several dance schools participated in the competition. The judges – Lavanya Rajagopalan, Vidya Ashwin and Soujanya Madhusudan – all of them professional dancers, were knowledgeable and thorough.

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HEALTH

May 18, 2012

Part II: Why Ghee is Good: Science Shows Some Benefits

BY NIRAJ PATEL M.D. In my last piece, I explained why many of us were wrong about ghee. For decades we were told that ghee is bad, that it causes heart attacks.

But this may not be the case if we consider the evidence from several recent studies. Researchers like Dr. Frank Hu and his team at Harvard, who used to believe that there was a strong link between saturated fats (which is abundant in ghee) and heart attacks, have turned around and expressed doubt about that association more recently.

Now let me explain why ghee is good.

Generally, a natural food that offers nutrition – as opposed to processed food fortified with artificially added vitamins and minerals – is good.

This is because our bodies have evolved to extract nourishment from natural foods. Most of these natural foods are grown from the earth, such as vegetables, fruits and nuts. But some foods do not come from the ground and are instead cultivated by people.

Ghee is one such food, having been found in ancient pottery from the 6th century. Ghee was the quintessential food of our ancestors and the medium used by Ayurvedic practitioners for various medicines. The use of ghee to cook food has passed from mother to mother throughout Indian history, which is an important point because the most famous writer on food today, Michael Pollan, says doctors, nutritionists, supplement sellers, celebrities and writers (including myself) aren’t the ideal teacher of what’s good to eat.

Culture is. And a culture would not pass a food from generation to generation unless the food is valuable.

And ghee was recognized to have good value.

Ghee contains some vitamins and helps us absorb others, specifically Vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they have to

be surrounded by dietary fat when inside our small intestine in order to be properly digested and passed on into our bloodstream. Fortunately, ghee has lots of fat.

Don’t let this scare you. As I explained in the first article on ghee, recent meta-analysis has not shown a conclusive link between saturated fat found in ghee and an increased risk for heart attacks. (That said, don’t eat all the ghee you want – everything must be had in moderation!)

In addition to fat-soluble vitamins, which helps you keep your ability to see light and colors (Vitamin A) intact and prevents bone loss (Vitamin D) whether young or old, ghee gives us at least one kind of antioxidant named conjugated lineolic acid (CLA) which has received press in the media because it has protected animals from developing cancers. CLA may have this power in people, too.

Only human studies will tell.

Finally, ghee makes an excellent cooking medium because it doesn’t break down in high cooking heat. Other oils we use for cooking, such as safflower or canola oil, can break down in high heat and produce what are called free

radicals. These free radicals are bad, and we eat antioxidant-rich foods like berries to help fight these free radicals before they hurt us. (They damage our cells and sometimes our DNA, which can lead to mutations that on a rare occasion can lead to cancer.) Ghee has a smoke point between 325°F and 375°F, compared with around 250°F for canola, the most common cooking oil, which means we can cook at a much higher heat when using ghee with less worry about these free radicals.

To sum it up, ghee helps us absorb vitamins that keep our eyes and bones healthy, contains an important antioxidant called CLA which has been shown to prevent cancers in animals, and makes an excellent cooking medium because it does not break down and create free radicals like many other cooking oils do. Ghee also tastes good. So don’t be afraid of using ghee – a little, not too much of course – as part of a healthy Indian diet.

Local physician Niraj “Raj” Patel, M.D. published “The Healthy Indian Diet,” a book with recipes by Anuja Subramanian and Hetal Jannu of ShowMeTheCurry.com, in summer 2011. Consult your physician if you have a medical condition before considering any advice in this article.

17

Glowing Skin Just a Glass Away MUMBAI (TOI): People spend fortunes in a bid to have glowing skin like celebrities around the world. While some use natural products, some use expensive cosmetics to get that much-required skin sheen.

Recently, however, a new trend is fast catching up among youngsters and middle-aged people alike - consuming plenty of fresh fruit juices - to enhance the quality of the skin.

Given the fact that most fruits are high on nutrients and minerals, fruit juices are excellent to get that glow on your skin. Also, by virtue of the fact that fruit juices are easily and quickly absorbed by the body, they show quick results on the skin too. Says Tupur Chakraborty, 23, “Although I have recently joined a job and have a really busy schedule, juggling between tutions, college and the job, I make it a point to eat healthy and consume at least a glass of fruit juice everyday without fail.

This is a habit that my mother inculcated in me but it really helps keep acne problems at bay and makes the skin look very healthy.”

Some of the most popular juices consumed for great skin are orange juice, apple juce, lemon juice and watermelon juice. But, vegetable juices, like juices of papaya, spinach and cabbage also help to give a shine to the skin, making it healthy from within.

Well, if glowing skin comes with consumption of something as tasty as fruit juices, no one should be complaining.

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

18 May 18, 2012

Not Good for a Few Laughs

Far from having a funny bone, it would seem that we are determined to turn most things into a bone of contention. Even as we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament, there appears a worrying lack of tolerance and a considerable erosion in our sense of humour.

A cartoon of Babasaheb Ambedkar which has been around for years in textbooks has aroused the ire of people like Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati who feel that it is a slur on the Dalit icon.

Punishment for those responsible and withdrawal of the cartoon have been demanded. And it does not end there. Cartoons in textbooks featuring Jawaharlal Nehru,Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh have also irked some of our political worthies.

A cartoon by RK Laxman showing politicians begging for votes before the elections and the public begging before politicians afterwards has been found to be particularly offensive. In more mature democracies, taking a whack at political figures is par for the course. And writing about them in what many here would consider disrespectful is also quite commonplace.

Perhaps no leader has been lampooned more than former US president George W Bush. He was invariably shown as a small figure being guided by his father or by his vice-president Dick Cheney. When he ran for president a second time, Mad printed this ditty with his picture: “Behold the sum of all our fears/he may be back for four more years.” The Queen mother was a favourite of humour columnists and cartoonists who repeatedly referred to her fondness for a drop or two of gin and racehorses. The personalities whose cartoon depictions have attracted so much attention here are men of such stature that they hardly require their honour to be defended by anyone. British prime minister David Cameron is routinely made fun of in the press, as are other European leaders.

If our politicians had more of a sense of humour, the level of debates in Parliament would surely be elevated. Humour and repartee are potent tools for driving home a point as many of our tallest politicians like Mr Vajpayee have demonstrated. It is also somewhat surprising that people’s sensibilities are so hurt now considering that these cartoons have been around for years. This raises the suspicion that they are playing to the galleries or that they have nothing worthwhile to contribute to public discourse.

People like Ambedkar and Nehru were the architects of democratic India in which tolerance of other points of view formed the very foundations. It is a shame that those charged with building on those foundations seem bent on undermining it. All our parliamentarians are doing by indulging in all these shenanigans is to make caricatures of themselves, and not too engaging or humorous ones at that.

Quotable Quotes

“Jokes of the proper kind, properly told, can do more to enlighten questions of politics, philosophy, and literature than any number of dull arguments.” Isaac Asimov

EDITORIAL

Small Towns, Big Ideas

BY SARITA RAI Innovative, cost-effective and inclusive start-ups are addressing India’s diverse challenges.

Some 375 kilometres west of Bangalore, in a small town many Indians have probably never heard of, a few inventive engineers have struggled with their start-up for three years. It is the desultory town of Kasargod, smack on the border of Karnataka and Kerala, where power outages are threetimes-a-day affairs and Internet downtimes are frequent.

Foradian, founded by Unni Koroth, Abdulla Hisham and their friends, is a technology company whose open-source school management web product is in use in 40,000 schools, including 15,000 government-run schools in Kerala, and schools in South America and Africa. The very scalable software can manage systems and processes in a school, college or training centre, tracking students, teachers, employees and courses.

The now-profitable company offers free downloads of the basic school management system but charges for customisation and large-scale implementation.

In a country where innovation is just beginning to take root, start-ups like Foradian represent a new wave of small-town innovators. Their origins give them a better perspective on the adversity and diverse challenges presented by India’s vast geography.

Unlike large companies who sell their products at a premium, plus added costs of customisation and support, small-town innovators’ solutions are inclusive and cost effective.

India’s information technology revolution of the past few decades, which built for India a global brand, had the underpinnings of innovation and creativity. But though founders of leading Indian IT services companies came from small towns and modest backgrounds, the IT wave was largely an urban phenomenon which sucked up talent from smaller places.

Now, the spread of the Internet

In a country where innovation is just beginning to take root, start-ups like Foradian represent a new wave of smalltown innovators.

Their origins give them a better perspective on the adversity and diverse challenges presented

by India’s vast geography.

and the cell phone are levelling the playing field across the countryside. A wider swathe of nextgeneration Indians is dreaming big, and trying a hand at turning out creative solutions for segmented markets. “Small town India is more hungry and driven than middle class and upper middle class India in big cities,” Bharati Jacob, a founder partner of the venture capital firm Seedfund, explained.

Foradian is a small-town venture all right. The founders are childhood friends who studied in the same Malayalam medium school. They went on to graduate with engineering degrees and MBAs from lesser known colleges, and added partners along the way, now numbering eight. “The unifying idea was to do something from our homeground,” says Koroth, 26, the CEO. In the early days of their startup, life in the little town, Koroth lists what kept them going: living

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

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

at home, low stress levels and the support of family and friends.

But there were struggles aplenty.

In Kasargod, a one-street town with creaky water supply, sewage and transport systems, hiring and keeping employees was a challenge. “There is no semblance of a social life in the town, it has been hard to keep employees motivated,” describes co-founder Hisham, who like the other seven founders is also in his mid-20s. “Young people these days want to be in cities where there are malls, cafes and multiplexes.”

The company does not necessarily wear its small-town origins on its sleeve. As a web products firm, it does not need to advertise its Kasargod base. It has a marketing office in nearby Mangalore. But what small towns lack is a cohesive ecosystem to nurture innovators.

So, Foradian will make the inevitable move to an address in Bangalore in the coming months.

The move should help Foradian in several ways, including in marketing its product and finding mentors. Most of all, the company is in talks with a prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm to secure funding. The big city move may also come with big city problems. “We don’t expect the same level of sincerity from employees as in Kasargod,” says Korath.

Jacob the venture capitalist says that small-town entrepreneurs are a growing breed. Her firm receives an increasing number of pitches from places like Vadodara and Indore, and has already funded a couple of start-ups like the Bhopal-based Carwale. Young Indians are more confident of themselves and of India. They want to stay where they are and become entrepreneurs. She predicts that small-town entrepreneurs could become the growth engines of the economy.

Certainly Foradian, born in a town that nobody can point to on a map, but selling its product globally to schools in Mexico, Brazil, Ghana and Morocco, is a sound example of that. Indian Express

COMMUNITY

Diplomat’s Daughter Files Wrongful Arrest Suit Against New York Schools

BY SUNITA SOHRABJI NEW YORK (IW): An Indian diplomat’s daughter who was arrested at her New York high school last year and hauled away in handcuffs as her classmates looked on, formally filed a $1.5 million lawsuit May 7 against New York City and its Department of Education.

Krittika Biswas, the 19-yearold daughter of New York Indian Consulate Vice Consul Debashish Biswas, was arrested Feb. 8, 2011 at John Bowne High School, for allegedly sending threatening e-mails to her calculus teacher, Jamie Kim-Ross.

She was released the following day with all charges against her dropped. The actual writer of the e-mails, student Shan Ming, has never been charged nor arrested in the incident.

The suit also names Kim-Ross, along with Howard Kwait, principal of John Bowne High School; New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and police officer Larry Granshaw.

“I would never write a threatening note to anyone. I said I didn’t do it, but he (the police officer) threatened to handcuff me and put me in jail with prostitutes and people with HIV,” a tearful Biswas told India-West last year, shortly after she was arrested.

Biswas also said she was not allowed to call her parents, nor was she read her Miranda rights.

She was held for 26 hours in an allegedly filthy jail where she had to use the toilet in view of five other inmates and drink from a water fountain which someone had thrown up in. Her requests for a blanket and clean drinking water were denied, according to the lawsuit.

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Krittika Biswas has filed a $1.5 million suit against New York City and its Department of Education for falsely arresting and jailing her.

Biswas was also denied diplomatic immunity. The Vienna Convention – to which the U.S. is a party – mandates that law enforcement must inform the appropriate local consulate before arresting someone with diplomatic immunity.

“No one has ever apologized to me,” said Biswas, who has since returned to India to study engineering.

“Here is a young woman who came to the U.S. with stars in her eyes and then experienced a side of society that no one should ever have to deal with,” Ravi Batra, Biswas’s attorney, told IndiaWest.

The impact to Biswas’s life has been tremendous, said Batra, noting that his client now suffers from insomnia, and also has nightmares about her stint in jail.

Police tried to intimidate Biswas into giving a false confession by tightly handcuffing her and walking her out of her classroom

in front of her peers, claimed Batra.

“Everything that is wrong with our system is exposed in Krittika’s case,” he said. “One million children go to our New York City schools. What happened to Krittika could happen to anyone.”

Batra had filed a preliminary lawsuit on May 24, 2011, and gave the defendants a year to respond.

“We have received nothing in terms of an overture from the City.

Krittika has not been offered any compensation for her trauma, and principal Kwait and Ross have not been fired.”

“Nobody’s apologized to Krittika even now,” said the veteran Indian American attorney.

The lawsuit seeks $500,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages plus attorneys’ fees.

Biswas will return to the U.S. to testify on her own behalf when the case is heard in court. Her family has remained in the U.S.

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DIASPORA

Dev Patel: Slumdog to Marigold Hotel

BY SOWMYA NANDAKUMAR Dev Patel who shot to fame after playing Jamal in his debut feature Slumdog Millionaire is a British actor of Indian origin. He was born on Apr 23, 1990 in Harrow England.

His parents, both of Indian origin, were born in Naorobi, Kenya. They both happened to have migrated to London which is where they ended up meeting. Dev’s father, Raj Patel is an IT consultant and his mother, Anita, a caregiver.

Dev Patel went to school in Harrow, England. In the Longfield Middle School, Patel played his first role in the school’s production of The Twelfth Night as Sir Andrew Aguecheek. He won the Best Actor Award for that. He then attended Whitmore high school where he got an A grade for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in drama. He received full marks and reportedly made the visiting examiner very emotional after he performed a piece he had written. In this piece he played the role of a child in the 2004 Beslan School Hostage Crisis of Russia (also called the Beslan school siege/ Beslan Massacre).

His first role came in late 2006 when he auditioned for a part in a television teen drama, Skins. He had a science exam the day after the audition, but his mom who had seen the casting ad took him for it.

After two rounds of auditioning, he was cast as Anwar Kharral, a Birtish Pakistani Muslim teenager.

This was Patel’s first experience of professional acting and apparently he said that since this was his first time, he really did not know what to do or what was expected of him. However, in 2007 the series won a Rose d’Or (one of the most important international festivals for entertainment television).

In 2007 as he was working in Skins, he also completed his AS Levels (Advanced Level, general certificate of education) in PE, Biology, History and Drama.

The most significant landmark in Patel’s life came in August 2007, when he was cast as the older Jamal Malik, (an Indian Muslim boy raised in Mumbai’s poverty), in the globally acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire 2008, directed

by Danny Boyle. Call it being at the right place at the right time or simply proficient acting- this was Patel’s debut feature!

The director Danny Boyle supposedly considered many other actors for this role, but found that Bollywood’s lead actors are all branded hero material and did not have the personality that Boyle was looking for. Boyle’s teenage daughter, Caitlin directed him to this actor in the TV series Skins.

Although Patel in the series might have considered himself a novice and been unsure of his footing, it seems that others did not miss his talent. He got his role in Slumdog Millionaire, then, Skins was nominated for the Best Drama

Dev Patel with Tina Desai in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel now showing in local theaters.

Series in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, (BAFTA) awards 2008. Patel continued to play Anwar in the second series of Skins, which won the Philips Audience Award in BAFTA 2009.

In preparation for his role in Slumdog Millionaire, Patel accompanied the director when Boyle was scouting for locations.

This gave him a chance to observe the realities of the Dharavi slums.

He worked in a hotel washing dishes for a day and in a call center which were all experiences that groomed him for the role.

Slumdog Millionaire earned Patel several awards for his performance including British Independent Film Award, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, two Black Reel Awards for Best Actor and Best Breakthrough Performance.

He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards and he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which he shared with ten other cast members from Slumdog Millionaire. He was also nominated for two London Critics Circle Film Awards - the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Leading Actor, and the European Film Award for Best Actor.

In 2010, Patel played Zuko in The Last Airbender directed

by Manoj Night Shyamalan but unfortunately the film received

negative reviews and this did not do Patel or his image a whole lot of good. The same year he also starred in a short film, The Commuter - a film which promoted the Nokia N8smartphone in the U.K. Directed by the McHenry Brothers, the fans who won a Nokia competition in the UK starred with Dev Patel in the film. In 2011 he acted in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, as Sonny Kapoor, a role for which he allegedly had to work hard at developing an Indian English accent as his own British accent was a little too British to be convincing enough for the character. In 2012 he acted in the film Cherry directed by Stephen Elliot, but this film did not receive great reviews and is pretty poorly rated on the Intenational Movie Data Base (IMDB).

Some Interesting trivia - Patel apparently started his Taekwondo training at the Rayners Lane Academy in 2000. In 2004, as a red belt competing in the juniors division with other red and black belts, he won a bronze medal in the Action International Martial Arts Association (AIMAA) World Championships in Dublin.

Although evenly matched with his opponent, an Irish black belt named Niall Fitzmaurice, Patel lost and ended up winning a bronze medal. He later gained a 1st dan (Japanese ranking system) black belt on March 11, 2006. It is commonly known and spoken about that he has been dating his co-star from Slumdog Millionaire, Freida Pinto since 2009.

Dev Patel with his girlfriend Freida Pinto.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

May 18, 2012

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ENTERTAINMENT Gabbar Singh: Excellent Telugu Remake of Dabangg

Director Harish Shankar shot to fame with his film Mirapakay with Ravi Teja as hero. Now, Pawan Kalyan had chosen him for the remake of Salman Khan’s Dabangg. He asked the director to rewrite the entire script to suit the Telugu nativity with good humour by retaining the main theme.

As a whole, the film has become a visual treat to the audience in general and Pawan fans in particular.

Story: Naidu (Nagineedu) marries a girl (Suhasini) who already has a son named Venkataratnam Naidu (Pawan Kalyan). Venkata likes the character of Gabbar Singh (Sholay) and is fond of being called a Gabbar Singh. He becomes a daring and dashing police officer. He is posted to his hometown Kondaveedu, which is facing many troubles from Siddhappa Naidu (Abhimanyu Singh), who is just a goon and political leader.

While Gabbar Singh starts confronting Siddhappa, he comes across Bhagyalakshmi (Shruti Hassan) and loses his heart to her. Later, things

get murky as several emotions come to the fore like jealousy, hatred and greed. Will Gabbar Singh crush the atrocities with an iron hand being

a police officer? What happens to Gabbar Singh’s love? What price does Gabbar Singh pay in his rivalry with Siddhappa? Answers to all these

questions lies in the rest of story.

Performance: Pawan Kalyan has given an extraordinary performance.

His comedy timing is perfect. He has delivered several punch dialogues with his inimitable mannerism. He is good in both action and dance sequences. Shruti Hassan looks gorgeous in the film. Her performance as an innocent village belle is excellent.

Though she has a very small role to play, she has used the available space to show her acting prowess.

Ali, Brahmanandam and Ranjit Kumar tickle the funny bones of audiences. Combination scenes of Ali and Pawan Kalyan have been shot well. Other artistes like Suhasini, Nagineedu, Rao Ramesh, Abhimanyu Singh have done justice to their respective roles. Gayatri (Happy Days fame) has played a different role in this film and will definitely score many points. The director has failed to make use of Kota’s acting abilities.

Technical: Devi Sri Prasad has not

only scored extraordinary tunes for the film but also has given fantastic background score. All songs have been shot well and are a visual feast to the audiences.

Jayanan Vincent’s cinematography is perfect and Gauthamraju’s editing is apt. Director Harish Shankar has penned a perfect script, screenplay and direction to the entire film.

Though the narration of the film in the second half appears to be slow, the director some how manages to take the film forward without any boring scenes. Another minus point is, the director could not keep the necessary emotional depth while reaching climax.

Undoubtedly Pawan Kalyan fans will enjoy the film as he delights his fans with comedy and punchy dialogues. Moreover, many of the action scenes would attract the front benchers. The film would definitely go well with ‘B’ and ‘C’ centres. The film would definitely fill the coffers of the producer.

-One India

Radio Hungama Celebrates Release of Gabbar Singh with a Bang!

DJ, Cake, Music, Dance, Flash Mob and More HOUSTON: On the event of the much awaited release of the Telugu film, Gabbar Singh, Radio Hungama, Houston organized an evening of dance, music and celebrations in Bollywood Cinema 6, on May 10, Thursday, starting at 7:30pm. The premiere show was at 8:30 pm. The film starring one of Telugu film industry's most popular youth icons, Pawan Kalyan, with music direction

by Devi Shree Prasad, was another chance to bring the film loving Telugu community together.

According to Shridhar Dadi from Radio Hungama, Pawan Kalyan is quite the sensation amongst the Telugu film viewing community, who are very excited about their films in general. To top it all, Gabbar Singh is a remake of the Hindi film Dabangg, which was quite the hit in India. An event like

this was bound to increase the aura of enthusiasm for Telugu films and Pawan Kalyan fans.

Four hundred people from all over Texas, mostly students from University of Houston (Main Campus), University of Houston, Clear Lake, and Texas A&M (Kingsville, Corpus and College Station) attended Radio Hungama's Gabbar Singh event. A DJ stationed at the lobby of the theater played songs from the film. This was perhaps the first time ever in the U.S where a DJ was brought in to play songs for the release of a Telugu film, before the movie was screened.

In the course of the evening there were fun contests and lots of dancing - an awesome dance performance to the song, Kevvu Keka with about 75 people during the intermission, choreographed by Kiron Kumar and

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The team behind Radio Hungama’s “Gabbar Singh” bash

Tina Bose of Infused Dance School, became an instant hit with the fans.

The celebratory mood of the audience migrated from the lobby to the theater itself, where there was apparently a lot of cheering right before the film screening began.

Fans also cut a cake for the release of this film during the intermission, following which there was a surprise

flash mob dance – people simply hit the floor to move, soon as they heard the music playing! Shridhar Dadi says, this cake cutting ceremony when popular heroes' (Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, etc.) films release has become something of a norm amongst Telugu film audiences, not only in the US but also in UK and UAE. Radio Hungama's Gabbar

Singh event was a mega success.

The crowd ranged from students, to IT professionals to doctors, all out there to watch a premier show on a weekday! With more than 500,000 people from the Telugu community in the U.S, Telugu movies, like their Bollywood counterparts have become very popular. With movies releasing in all major cities on the same day as India, (sometimes 12 hours before India), the excitement only seems be burgeoning.

Radio Hungama in Houston has always been at the forefront of organizing several interesting and entertaining events for the Telugu community. They have had outdoor carnivals, educational contests and fun filled new year parties. This time around, as they were waiting for an opportune moment to do something completely different from all their prior events, the Telugu film Gabbar Singh was released. Sridhar Dadi, a mega fan of the actor, Chiranjeevi saw the opportunity to innovate on the Pawan Kalyan moment, and seized the chance!

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Pavan Kalyan fans cheer Radio Hungama’s Sridhar Dadi (at right)

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18 , 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

RECIPE

May 18, 2012

Gajar ka Halwa ( Sweet Carrot Pudding) Halwa is a word used to describe many types of dense sweet confections. There are a lot many different types of Halwa that can be made like flour based, nut based, veggies like squash (Yes! You read it right!), carrots (gajar) based etc.

For Gajar Halwa, carrots are

cooked on medium low flame in the milk until they soak up all the milk and then added to it is sugar, nuts, cardamom powder,khoya, ghee and cooked some more and the result is this delicious rich pudding.

Ingredients: 6 cups-shredded carrots (Peel and wash before shredding) 3 cups-whole milk 1 1/2 cup-sugar 1/2 cup-khoya (divided) 4 tbsp- ghee (clarified butter) 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 15-20- raisins ( soak in water for 30 min) chopped almonds and cashews Method: 1. In a thick bottomed pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee and add the carrots. Cook carrots while stirring for about 10 min. The color of carrots will start to change. It will look pale.

2. Add the milk and let the carrots cook in milk on medium-low flame while stirring occasionally until the milk is reduced to half the quantity.

3. Add sugar and 1/4 cup of khoya at this point and let it cook, this time until all the liquid is soaked up.

4. Once all the liquid is soaked, add the 2 tbsp of ghee, raisins, almonds, cashews and cook it while stirring occasionally until the ghee starts to leave the sides. You will see that the color of the pudding will turn darker in color.

5. Switch of the gas and mix in the cardamom powder.

Garnish with rest of the khoya and serve warm.

- Recipe by Vaishali Sharma For more recipes, visit www.zestyflavors.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zestyflavors-AddingZest-to-your-Cooking/145518712165348 Also “Like” Zestyflavors on Facebook

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Come have the Darshan of Shri Gangaji’s Avataran Come have the Darshan of Shri Gangaji’s Avataran Date: 30th.

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Darshan from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Priti Bhojan after Maha Aarti at 7:30 PM) Shri. Avataran Ganga Dashhara Shri. Ganga Dashhara At Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston, TX

At Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir of Houston, TX

Date: 31st. May, 2011 Darshan from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Maha Aarti at 7:30 PM. 5645 Hillcroft Ave.all#701, Houston, TXin77036 Tel:713-278-9099 5645 Hillcroft Ave. #701, Houston, TX 77036 Tel:713-278-9099 It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do Ganga Poojan, which can wash out the sins committed the whole lifetime.

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OPINION COMMUNITY

24 May 18, 2012

Five-Year Anniversary of the South Asian Spelling Bee; 2012 Season Announced

Daring, assistant vice president of Diverse NEW JERSEY: Touchdown Media Markets at MetLife. “We look forward to Inc., the leading Multicultural advertisanother year of bringing families together ing firm, announced the launch of its for a fun event, and helping them create 2012 season of the MetLife South Asian sound financial strategies.”

Spelling Bee. MetLife, a leading global As always, The 2012 MetLife South provider of life insurance and other Asian Spelling Bee will be telecast on financial services, returns as the title Sony Entertainment Television, Asia in sponsor of the contest. over 120 countries. Sony Entertainment Celebrating its 5th anniversary in Television Asia has the broadcast rights 2012, the MetLife South Asian Spelling and will be showing the contest worldBee has received unprecedented support wide (except India and Pakistan) on their from the community and sponsors alike, channel. year after year.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 5th Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., anniversary of the South Asian Spelling the 2012 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee on Sony Entertainment Television, Bee will be conducted in 11 locations Asia. We pride ourselves on quality family across the United States starting on June based content and consistently delivering 16. Regional level events will be held innovative programming to our diverse in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, audience, our passion in partnering with Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, New Jersey, the best events is no exception. The SpellWashington DC Metro, New York and ing Bee is a fantastic platform for youth Boston. This year Seattle has also been of all ages to showcase their language added to the roster. All events will be free skills, dedication and self-motivation. to attend and open to the public.

(From L to R) John Derbick, AVP, Global Brand, Marketing & Communication, SET Asia is always looking to entertain “We are excited about celebrating our MetLife; Jaideep Janakiram, Head – North America, Sony Entertainment Networks; and to involve our international view5th anniversary this season. Over these Rahul Walia, CEO, Touchdown Media Inc. & Founder of ‘The South Asian Spelling ers in shows such as the Spelling Bee. past few years we have seen some amaz- Bee’; Neeraj Arora, EVP, International Business, Sony Entertainment Networks SET Asia plans to considerably enhance ing talent and lots of new talent develop. international viewer participation in its The Bee has become a critical platform premium programs,” Jaideep Janakiram, Jersey in August.

Like last year, MetLife has for the youth and we aspire to continue this online at www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

Head – North America, Sony Entertainment inducted the $10,000 champion’s scholarship Each competition will begin with a written effort year after year,” said Rahul Walia, CEO Networks said. test of 25 words. The participants must spell that will be awarded to the winner at the finals. of Touchdown Media Inc. and founder of the For a complete schedule, registration and “It continues to be a pleasure to partner with 15 or more words correctly to advance to the South Asian Spelling Bee. any other information, please visit: www.

Touchdown Media Inc., and to see the growThe event is open to children of South Asian afternoon oral round, which will be conducted ing number of families who participate in the SouthAsianSpellingBee.com. descent up to 14 years of age. It will give South by experienced pronouncers and judges. The Spelling Bee. We know that education is highly Find us on Facebook at South Asian SpellAsian children a chance to test their spelling top three in the oral round will receive prize valued in the South Asian community, and this is ing Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers money. handle at Spell South Asian.

The top two spellers of each regional competi- a great venue for children to compete for scholneed their parent or guardian to register them arships toward higher education,” said Laurel tion will advance to the finals to be held in New

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ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: This is an excellent week to buy stocks, even indulge in speculative transactions but within limits. If you overdo it, you might end up losing all your hard-earned money.

On other fronts, too, there will be opportunities in abundance. There will be extensive travelling, and on your journeys you will meet new people, make new contacts, maybe even try and develop one of them into a romantic relationship.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21: You will spread your wings far and wide.

You may be reaching out in new ways to your friends and relatives in order to renew attachments with them that have long been diluted. Partly, it is also because you are sick and tired of the monotony of your routine life. On the business front, you may examine your options of expansion in terms of purchasing modern equipment to improve work efficiency.

GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: You hit your purple patch now, and nothing is impossible for you during this phase which will last for two weeks, owing to Mercury’s favourable influence on your charts.

You will have the Midas touch, and whatever project you undertake is bound to bring you immense success. confidence.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: During this eventful week, you will concentrate more on the professional aspect of your life, more so because your personal affairs shall be quite settled and going on smoothly now. Since you are likely to be rather dissatisfied with your present job or professional standing, you shall be exploring a wider range of opportunities to make a change or make more progress.

Just don’t give up, keep exploring.

LEO July 24 - Aug 23: This is a very fascinating phase in which you are likely to meet someone whom you will look upon as an ideal, as a messenger of the Almighty. Such a leap of faith can be a very elevating experience. However, in these modern times it is not wise to idolise a person to the exclusion of everything else, unless you have checked and cross-checked the credentials of the person from every angle. As long as you exercise prudence, your experiences will be memorable.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: Your mind is being pulled in myriad directions. You shall be examining these various perspectives to the best of your abilities. Try to be selective now - just pick up one idea and work on it right through to its completion. But be cautious, while taking up any project, because what you initiate now shall have long-term repercussions. Steer clear of tending towards perfection in all attempts.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: You may feel refreshed this week, and shall be ready to take on your work and responsi-

May 18, 2012 www.GaneshaSpeaks.com

25

bilities again. You may also go in for an image makeover. You will overhaul your wardrobe, and shall try to appear more dignified. All this will have a very positive effect on your outlook, and also reflect on your social standing. This will also increase your self-confidence, and you will spread love and joy all around you. Nothing at the moment can shake your sense of security.

SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: The cosmic forces will now pull you out of your inertia and propel you into a flurry of activity. Though you will be busy with work, official meetings, interviews and communications, you will be in an upbeat mood and full of energy.

Your high spirits will rub off on your personal life too, as bonds with your family members and friends become stronger and more reliable.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22: You will get rid of the unnecessary baggage from the past, as new frontiers beckon you. The cosmos is exerting tremendous pressure on you to change many things in your life, and if you go with the flow, it could have far-reaching effects. You will relish the newfound freedom, and with it you will also be blessed with the wisdom to use it responsibly.

CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20: You may be faced with a temporary phase of despair. Unable to figure out the reason for it, you may feel really low, and start imagining that the people are conspiring against you. However, there is no such thing, and it is only your own deluded mind that is troubling you. And, remember that this phase will pass soon.

So, just focus on remaining cool and composed, till the time you don’t see a clearer picture.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19: The theme of this week is cleaning up the mess, getting rid of all the rubbish that has piled in your living and working space and in your mind. This will bring in more clarity in your mind, and the neatness of your surroundings will inspire you to work with greater efficiency. Changing the layout of your house, or even carrying out some major renovation, is on the cards for you, this week. You will also think about acquiring new property.

PISCES Feb 20-Mar 20: You will be in very high spirits now, bubbling with enthusiasm, interacting with people on all levels, both for personal and professional reasons. It will seem almost like you have suddenly turned into an extrovert, and that too a very charismatic one.

People will love your company and many may even seek you out for guidance, as you shall come through to them as very trustworthy. Ganesha also foresees travel and charity work in your life. You will manage to align your work, and leisure in an amazingly effective way now. There will be financial benefits pouring in from various quarters, some of them from altogether unexpected sources. Tap them in carefully.

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IndoAmerican News

Business IndoAmerican News

STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Infosys Management Salaries Cross $10 MM BANGALURU (HT): IT giant Infosys paid its top management personnel a total remuneration of $10.7 million (over Rs 50 crore) during the last fiscal, marking an increase of about 50 per cent from the previous year.

The remuneration paid to its key management personnel, which includes directors and executive council members, had remained almost unchanged at about USD 7 million for fiscals, 200910 and 2010-11, as per an annual regulatory filing by the US-listed Infosys with the US market regulator Chief Financial Officer V. Balakrishnan (left) and S.D. Shibulal SEC. (right), CEO and Managing Director of Infosys Limited at the Infosys But it rose sharply in headquarters in Bangalore, India.

2011-12 despite a fall in the individual pay packages of positions at Infosys in the past and performance-linked incentive. some top executives, including joined its board last year.

The Compensation Committee its Executive Co-Chairman S The total package of Shibulal was makes a half-yearly appraisal of Gopalakrishnan, CEO S D Shibulal $162,990 in 2011-12, down by about the performance of the employee and Chief Financial Officer V $80,000 from the previous year, directors.

Balakrishnan. while that of Gopalakrishnan fell by “We have a variable compensation During the year 2011-12, the about $85,000 to $ 164,543. structure for all of our employees... top paid executive, as per Infosys’ On the other hand, compensation Our Board aligned the compensation filing, was Stephen R Pratt, an paid to its independent chairman structure of our employee directors Executive Council member, with KV Kamath rose from $125,600 in line with that applicable to all of a total package of about USD two to $205,000. Kamath took charge our other employees,” it said. million. as Chairman of the Board in All its executive directors are Among others, B G Srinivas was August 2011, but has served as an entitled to a bonus of up to 20% paid $1.19 million, while Ashok independent director since May of their fixed salary, as also the Vemuri got $1.18 million. Both of 2009. incentives linked to the company’s them have held various leadership N R Narayana Murthy, who and individual performances. retired from the board in August last In the last fiscal, non-executive year, was paid $67,100, down from directors were paid an aggregate $137,500 in the previous fiscal. $1.47 million, including Infosys said a committee reimbursement towards their determines and recommends attendance at board and committee the compensation payable to the meetings. directors, and all board-level Those whose total payout compensation is approved by increased during 2011-12 also shareholders. included Deepak M Satwalekar, Remuneration of the executive Omkar Goswami, Sridar Iyengar, I n f o s y s h e a d q u a r t e r s i n directors consists of fixed David Boyles, Jeffrey Lehman and Bangalore component, bonus and a variable R Seshasayee.

Air India Strike Grounds 20 Flights MUMBAI: With Air India pilots not budging from their position, their agitation entered the sixth day on Sunday leading to cancellation of 20 international flights, causing inconvenience to the hundreds of passengers.

“Pilots have not reported for work.

We have had to cancel 20 flights from Delhi and Mumbai,” an Air India official said. Hundreds of passengers were stranded following the flight cancellations.

The passengers alleged they had not been given the refund by the airline against their booked tickets after the cancellation of the flights. The airline management has sacked 71 pilots and also sought cancellation of the flying licenses of 11 office- bearers of the Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG), which is spearheading the agitation.

DGCA had on Saturday issued show-cause notices to 11 pilots of the IPG after the airline management sought cancellation of their flying licences. Over 200 pilots owing alligience to IPG are on strike since Tuesday, badly disrupting the international operations of the national carrier.The airline has also suspended

its bookings for international flights till 15 May. Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has asked the pilots to consider the plight of passengers and said, “We are ready for talks but they must call off their strike”.

“The first priority must be to make sure that the passengers feel they are being listened to. So let the pilots decide that. Ask for forgiveness from passengers. Start the flights ... we can talk on anything after that,” Singh has said.

Taking a tough stand, the Air India management had on Friday sacked 25 pilots. With this, the total number of pilots whose services have been terminated has gone up to 71. Air India management has also written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asking it to cancel the licenses of 11 IPG office-bearers whose services have been terminated.

The statements from the minister and the IPG came a day after the Supreme Court asked the airline to resolve the issues by calling for negotiations. The pilots’ union had on Friday sought time for talks with the civil aviation minister.

Air India pilots on strike at the beginning of May shout slogans at the India monument in Mumbai.

127

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KATHMANDU: Fifteen people including eleven Indian pilgrims were killed when a private plane crashed after hitting a hill top while trying to land at the high-altitude Jomsom airport in Nepal on Monday.

Eleven Indian nationals, two Danish nationals and two Nepalese crew member were killed in the crash. The rescuers have so far recovered nine bodies from the wreckage. Six people on board, including a crew member and five Indians, have been rescued alive from the crash site.

9N AIG Agni Air plane, flying from Pokhara was about to land at Jomsom airport when it crashed with 21 persons, including 3 crew members on board. “The accident happened less than one mile from the airport,” Purusottam Shakya of the air traffic control said.

The high-altitude Jomsom airport, about 200 km northwest of the capital, is the gateway to Muktinath temple, a popular pilgrimage for Nepalis and Indians. The temple, situated more than 2,600 m above sea level, is about six hours walk from Jomsom.

According to the press release issued by the Indian embassy in Nepal, of the 18 passengers, 16 were Indians. Six people were rescued alive from the crash, out of which 3 were Indian nationals. These include Tirumala Kidambi Sreekanth, Tirumala Kidambi Sreevardhini and Tirumala Kidambi Sreepada and are undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital in Pokhara. The others 13 Indians are feared dead.

The Indian embassy is in close contact with the Nepalese authorities and are helping in the search and relief operation.

The embassy has set up a control room for assistance. The numbers are 00-977-1-

4423702 00-977-1-4410900, extn.4109, 00977-1-4411699, extn. 4109.

Meanwhile, a Nepal Army chopper has left for Jomsom to bring the mortal remains of the deceased to Kathmandu.

India sets up helplines to convey info about Nepal plane crash India has set up round-the-clock helplines in its embassy in Kathmandu to provide information on the air crash in Nepal in which seven Indians are among 13 passengers killed.

Carrying 21 people, the Dornier aircraft belonging to the Agni Air crashed when it hit a hilltop near Pokhara while returning to the Jomsom airport, killing 13 passengers.

Eight people on board, including the three crew members and four Indians, have been rescued alive from the crash site, said an official at the Rescue Coordination Committee of Tribhuvan International Airport.

The injured people were taken to a nearby hospital in Pokhara where conditions of the four Indians were critical.

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May 18, 2012

Chidambaram denies telecom investments

“Stab Me, But Don’t Question My Integrity”

29

CBI Raids Yeddyurappa Assets

CBI former Karnataka CM B.S. Yeddyurappa and his family members’ residences and two mining firms.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram dismisses allegations of financial misconduct in an emotional speech in the Rajya Sabha.

NEW DELHI (HT): Stating that neither he or his family had any connection with Aircel or any other telecom company, an emotional home minister P. Chidambaram on Monday said: “Plunge a dagger in my heart rather than question my integrity.”

He was giving a clarification in the Rajya Sabha on allegations that his son’s company was transferred money, before the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) cleared a proposal from Aircel pertaining to its telecom service venture in 2006.

Chidambaram, who was finance minister at that time, said there were no illegitimate transfers were made to any company involving any of his family members. “Neither I, nor any member of my family has any equity in any telecom company.”

The issue was raised in the upper house by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley. He did not take any names, but alluded that Oxbridge -- in which Advantage Consultancy, partly owned by Chidambaram’s son Karthi -- received money from Aircel.

Seeking to give more details,

Kaitley said Maxis, the Malaysian company which acquired shares in Aircel, had declared to Malaysian stock exchange that it acquired more than 99% shares in Aircel.

But the Indian policy permits no more than 74% share to foreign investors in telecom ventures. The money was allegedly transferred

by Aircel Chief C. Sivasankaran on the eve of FICB clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The home minister, however, said his “family” had nothing to do with Oxbridge.

“It is true my son had shares in Advantage consultancy. But young men have all the right to a start business. He invested Rs.1.8 lakh in the company, which had another share holder -- Rajesh,” the home minister said.

The minister, however, said Karthi had sold his share in the firm to his friend and has no holdings in the company. He further clarified that Advantage took shares in Oxbridge only in 2011, much after the 2006 clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The leader of opposition questioned how both Oxbridge and Advantage had the same e-mail

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address in 2006, to which Chidambaram said he was not aware “if they shared the same web address”.

“I don’t deny that the promoters of Oxbridge and Advantage did know each other. All are doing business in Chennai,” he said.

There’s an apocryphal story involving Karti Chidambaram, the 40-year-old son of India’s home minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, which has done the rounds for years in Chennai.

And that is the junior Chidambaram telling a visitor to come to the “kottai” (to mean Fort St George, the seat of the Tamil Nadu Government) to meet him the next time.

The story sums up what people who have interacted with Karti already know - he is ambitious. But his ambition hasn’t translated into any politically significant role until now, not even at the state level.

In fact, the first time he was discussed nationally was last week, that too on the back of Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy’s charges that Karti was a beneficiary in the controversial AircelMaxis deal. Karti has since sued Swamy.

BANGALURU (IE): In more trouble for beleaguered former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, CBI today raided his and his family members’ residences and two mining firms as it launched a probe into his alleged role in illegal mining in line with a Supreme Court directive.

A day after registering an FIR, CBI officials conducted the raids at eight premises belonging to Yeddyurappa, his sons B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member, and B Y Vijayendra as well as sonin-law Sohan Kumar in Bangalore and Shimoga district.

The CBI also raided the offices of JSW Steel and South West Mining Company Limited in Bellary besides searching the house of a mining leaseholder, police sources said.

The crackdown by the central agency came after it registered a case for offences under IPC, including criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust, besides under the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and Prevention of Corruption Act. Yeddyurappa has been accused of

granting undue favours to the two firms in lieu of donations made by them to a charitable trust run by his family.

The raids, which began at 6.15 am, were being conducted by a joint team of CBI officials from Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The searches were held at Yeddyurappa’s residences in Dollars Colony and Race Course Road here and a firm owned by one of his sons.

The Supreme Court order for the CBI probe came after an empowered committee set up by it submitted its report and pointing out several allegations against Yeddyurappa and corporate entities and recommending a CBI probe.

The apex court order had dashed Yeddyurappa’s hopes of making a comeback as the chief minister, a post he relinquished in last July after the then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde indicted him in his report on illegal mining.

After creating a crisis that threatened the D V Sadananda Gowda government, Yeddyurappa on Monday said he had decided to quit the party but was not going ahead with it for now.

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PAKISTAN

May 18, 2012

Pakistan Plans to Resume NATO Supplies

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Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said her country “has made its point” by blocking NATO’s supply line to Afghanistan in protest over a deadly American attack on its troops. after a recent visit to Britain, the second largest contributor to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

The presidency said the talks discussed “regional security” but did not refer explicitly to NATO. Officials have declined to say publicly when the supply route could reopen but reports suggest Pakistan and the United States are on the verge of a breakthrough.

The defence committee of the cabinet is to meet on Tuesday, followed by

the cabinet on Wednesday.

One of Pakistan’s major complaints is US drone strikes on al-Qaida and Taliban operatives, to which the parliament has demanded a halt but which American officials consider a vital weapon in the war on militants.

Analysts believe Islamabad has no choice but to reopen the border when US back-payments for fighting Taliban in the northwest are needed to help boost state coffers ahead of the next budget.

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ISLAMABAD (TOI): Pakistan said on Monday it was time to “move on” and repair relations with the United States and NATO, in a further sign it could reopen supply routes into Afghanistan closed for nearly six months.

Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar made the remarks one day before Pakistani leaders are to discuss ending the blockade on NATO supplies in time to attend a NATO summit in Chicago.

Islamabad shut its Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies after US air strikes killed 24 soldiers on November 26, provoking a major crisis in Pakistani-US relations still reeling from the raid that killed Osama bin Laden the previous May. “It was important to make a point, Pakistan has made a point and we now need to move on and go into a positive zone and try to conduct our relations,” Khar said.

Asked whether Pakistan would allow a resumption of NATO supplies, Information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said a decision would be made in the coming days.

“There are a lot of sensitivities,” he told reporters. “How we can share things with you which are under discussion? We will share it in the next three to four days.”

On Monday, Prime MinisterYousuf Raza Gilani briefed President Asif Ali Zardari, army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani and senior ministers

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Anish Kapoor’s Olympic Tower Unveiled

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LONDON: British Indian artist Anish Kapoor on Saturday unveiled Britain’s tallest sculpture, a twisted tangle of steel sponsored by ArcelorMittal, next to the Olympic Stadium that he called ‘awkward but beautiful’.

Kapoor, a Turner Prize-winning artist, created the structure called ArcelorMittal (RPT ArcelorMittal) Orbit, which is the tallest in Britain.

Steel giant ArcelorMittal has contributed nearly 20 million pounds towards the project.

Unveiling the tower, Kapoor said: “I think it is awkward. It has its elbows sticking out. In a way it refuses any singular capture.

It refuses to be an emblem. It is unsettling and I think that is part of this thing of beauty”.

Located in Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, the tower has two observation floors, a 455-step spiral staircase, lift and restaurant.

Visitors go up in the lift and walk down the staircase and take in the views and artistic tricks designed

by Kapoor.

Admitting that the structure would prove controversial, Kapoor said: “I think controversy is OK - it is part of the deal really. We have

Sculptor Anish Kapoor with a scale model of his controversial tower

tried to open territory for ourselves and hopefully in so doing a whole question about what this type of tower form can be”.

“I am sure there are other possibilities but this is the one that we thought was right”.

The tower, which is made from 60 per cent scrap metal, is designed by structural designer Cecil Balmond.

Kapoor said: “Cecil is also a very clever man. The four people who pieced it together could do so because Cecil designed the structure in such a way that one (piece of) steel and the next piece come down in the right position and because of it you need no scaffolding”.

During the Games the ticket price will be £15 for adults and £7 for children.

Kapoor said: “£15 is a hell of a lot of money, frankly. This thing has to be paid for, and there are all sorts of equations, but there’s a push to keep that cost as low as possible and make it as available as possible.”

The Orbit has two observation floors, a 455-step spiral staircase, a lift and restaurant. At ground level, visitors are greeted by a massive steel horn which hangs overhead.

The uppermost observation floor is flanked by two concave mirrors which disorientate the visitor before they get to see the skyline beyond.

Art critic Richard Cork, who was among Friday’s first batch of visitors, told the BBC: “You struggle to take it all in because it is completely mind-boggling.

It is utterly unlike all the photos we’ve seen of the Orbit from the outside.”

Steel company ArcelorMittal provided £19.2m towards the cost of building the Orbit, with the remaining £3.1m being funded by London Development Agency.

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www.testmasters.com Kate Middleton stunned the audience in a recent outing to the gala at London Olympic Games.

The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a floor length gown with lace on it and instead of letting her hair down, she went for an elegant bun, reports Daily Mail.

The Jenny Packham’s spring/ summer 2012 collection dress was undoubtedly the back, where we can see tiny gems in the delicate lace across her back.

While the bun was a departure from her usual style, Kate opted for the same £450 Vamp sandals from Jimmy Choo that she wore earlier in the week – and even appeared to be sporting the same crimson pedicure, says Daily Mail.

Recently, the 30-year-old royal, who is a newcomer on the coveted annual list, landed the fourth place in the Glamour magazine’s top 50 list and ranked higher than her sister Pippa Middleton, who is 47th, the Mirror reported.

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INDIA

May 18, 2012

Controversial Swami Nityananda is Back as Head of Madurai Adheenam

BY PUSHPA IYENGAR the math’s properties,” he said.

MADURAI (Outlook): Swami It’s an accusation Nityananda will Nityananda, the controversial not be able to shake off easily. godman who had gone into hiding There’s talk that Nityananda after a sex video featuring him and has a hold over Arunagirinatha, actress Ranjeetha surfaced two years who said this week that “neither ago, was arrested from a Himachal the courts nor maths have village and sent to jail for 50 days, the authority to appoint my is back in the news. This time, he is successor.” The statement is defiantly defending his anointment interpreted as an attempt to stave as head of the Madurai Adheenam, a off litigation.

1,500-year-old Shaivite math, one of A belligerent Nityananda the richest in the state, with control now says, “I am ready to have over 1,250 acres of land and other surveillance cameras installed properties across Tamil Nadu. in my rooms. But are those who An income-tax raid at the math last oppose me willing to do the week added sting to the allegation same?” Retorts V. Ranganathan, that the swami may have paid a price coordinator of the Tamil Nadu for the post. He denies the bribery Government Trained Archakars charge; at the same time, he says Association, “Others aren’t on he had already offered Rs 1 crore in test here, he is. The government dakshina and will be offering Rs 4 should take over the math.” That crore more. is also the prayer in a petition The present pontiff, Arunagirinatha before the Madurai bench of the Gnanasambada, who named the Madras High Court. swami his successor, says, “A divine Nityananda is desperate to gain voice told me Nityananda is the right respectability and ride out the person because he’s a learned and Jailed for 50 days after a sex tape with actress Rajneetha surfaced two years ago, Swami Nityananda has storm. He was seen so far only enlightened soul.” Other religious been annoited 239rd pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam, a 1,500-year-old Shaivaite institution. as a yoga guru and founder of leaders are not amused. They say Dhyanapeetam. But his elevation Thirugnana Sambandar, the saint as the head of an ancient math younger generations are not interested in a (overrun by protesters of the hmk) that in who founded the adheenam, wore rudraksha monastic life, says Ooran Adigal, a temple searching for a successor, he had visited will place him in a different league. beads; Nityananda prefers crowns of gold. researcher.

But Arunagirinatha, who has been heading Nityananda’s ashram, Dhyanapeetam, in Thirteen Shaivite maths and many Hindu the math for the last 32 years, is an unusual In any case, says M. Solaikannan of the Bidadi, near Bangalore. groups have threatened to move court to Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK), “Nityananda T. Suresh Babu, president of Sandigeswara swami too. He was a reporter in a Tamil challenge the arbitrary choice of successor. is the least qualified till he clears himself of Nayanar Narpani Sangam, who represented eveninger before his current avatar, and has Adheenams usually pick successors the sex charge.” Significantly, the swami had Shaivite maths at the coronation, says that a penchant for wading into political issues, from among tambirans (junior pontiffs) visited the adheenam three weeks ago with even after his protestations that the Shaivite the last one being a march to Cumbum, on trained in Shaivite philosophy and Tamil Ranjeetha. And Arunagirinatha, nearly 70, world was appalled, Arunagirinatha was the border with Kerala, at the height of the literature, but there’s an acute shortage as had revealed during Nityananda’s anointment unmoved. “We suspect a conspiracy to grab Mullaperiyar controversy.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 • WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

SPORTS

May 18, 2012

Mahela Guides Delhi Daredevils into IPL Playoffs

BY GEORGE BINOY

Delhi Daredevils 140 for 5 (Jayawardene 56*, Awana 3-22) beat Kings XI Punjab 136 for 8 (Hussey 40*, Yadav 3-21, Aaron 2-19) by five wickets NEW DELHI (Cricinfo): Mahela Jaya-wardene’s half-century may have been the slowest for Delhi Daredevils this season but it was compiled under trying circumstances and helped his team become the first side to qualify for the playoffs.

Jayawardene’s composure under pressure ensured that an incisive fastbowling performance from Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, which restricted Kings XI Punjab to a middling total, was not in vain. With a place in the top four secure, Daredevils need to win only one of their last two games to secure No. 1 position.

Kings XI, on the other hand, needed victory tonight and in their remaining two games to be assured of a playoff spot. They cannot afford another defeat and will have to depend on net run-rate and on a permutation of results in other matches to qualify.

Kings XI had persevered to make a below-par total competitive in their first clash against Daredevils - this season’s 64th game - but did not have enough runs in the end.

Daredevils unleashed their quick bowlers, supported by a crack fielding unit, and a steady fall of wickets ensued after Kings XI chose to bat. Mahela Jayawardene controlled Delhi Daredevils’ chase with an unbeaten halfThey had made a brisk start but Aaron century. ended that with his first ball: Shaun had been crying out for a reliable partner in Piyush Chawla the ninth over and watched Marsh caught glancing down the leg side. In his second over, Aaron had the vain, had to play within himself. He even Jayawardene cut the second ball for Darefree-swinging Mandeep Singh pulling to turned down singles in the final two overs devils’ first boundary since the fourth over.

Two balls later, Ojha stepped out and lofted midwicket, where Virender Sehwag dived and dragged his team 136 for 8.

Hussey, however, had one really quick the legspinner towards the straight boundforward to take a low catch.

Kings XI were progressing well, though, bowler in his attack too and Parvinder ary. The tide had begun to turn.

Daredevils needed 82 off 60 balls and and reached 50 for 2 in 6.2 overs. Yadav Awana rattled the Daredevils top order. He was the fifth bowler introduced, in the cut one delivery into Virender Sehwag and Ojha continued to target Chawla, chargeighth over, and struck with his second ball. bowled him off the pad; he straightened ing the bowler to loft consecutive straight Nitin Saini drove loosely at a fast outswing- two balls just outside off and induced edges sixes in the 11th over. Chawla also dropped er and Sehwag was stooping at first slip to from Venugopal Rao and Ross Taylor in the a straightforward chance off Ojha at longcatch the edge. After David Miller was run sixth over. In wretched form already, Taylor on, off Mahmood in the 13th over. Hussey, out by a direct hit from Pawan Negi at mid- was recalled for this game in Roelof van der however, continued to persist with him and on, Azhar Mahmood, the last of Kings XI’s Merwe’s spot but was out for a duck. Dare- chose not to bowl himself.

There was irony as well. Chawla, who proper batsmen, was in as early as the 10th devils were 37 for 4. Awana’s fellow seamover. He stayed only until the 12th, when ers, Praveen Kumar and Azhar Mahmood, went for 33 in three overs, finished his spell he hoisted Yadav towards long-off, where were economical too and Daredevils were with a maiden, while Awana, who had figures of 3-0-8-3, went for 14 in his last, the Irfan Pathan back-pedalled and caught the only 42 after eight overs.

At this stage of Kings XI’s innings, Seh- over that ended the game as a contest. Irfan ball over his right shoulder on the edge of wag had already used five bowlers. Hussey Pathan played the shots, while Jayawardene the boundary.

Kings XI were eventually in danger of had used only three and had to bring in his watched in satisfaction, having been the being dismissed and David Hussey, who fourth sooner rather than later. He gave glue that held Daredevils together.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 • WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

33

IPL Suspends Five Players

MUMBAI: The IPL governing council has suspended five players named by a sting operation alleging corruption until an inquiry into the accusations is conducted. TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Shalabh Srivastava (Kings XI Punjab), Amit Yadav (Kings XI Shalabh Srivastava Punjab) and Abhinav Bali were suspended, according to IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla.

“The above players would not be entitled to participate in any cricket match played under the aegis of the BCCI while under suspension,” N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, said.

Shukla said Ravi Sawani, the former head of the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), will conduct the inquiry. “The conversation [in the sting] is about other matches also, which are not IPL, or in previous IPLs,” Shukla said after the meeting on Tuesday. “After due consideration, the BCCI president has decided to have an inquiry for which a commissioner has been appointed, Mr Ravi Sawani. He will be conducting the preliminary inquiry. His report will be sent to the disciplinary committee.”

Srivastava, one of the players accused by the sting, said he was not guilty. “I fail to understand whatever is being said about spot-fixing. Also if they [a TV channel) are showing all the video clips, why aren’t they showing the clip where I allegedly am demanding Rs. 10 lakh?” he told NDTV. “The voice in that telephonic conversation is not mine. It is very easy to frame anyone with a doctored audio clip.”

India TV, a television channel, showed footage of a player bowling a big no-ball in a limited-overs match and played a recording of a phone conversation that it said was of a current IPL player negotiating a fee for bowling a no-ball. It also had at least three players on camera allegedly seeking more lucrative deal.

Srivastava has not played a match for Kings XI this IPL season, though he was a fairly regular starter in 2011 and has played 14 matches in all. Mohnish Mishra played the solitary match for Warriors in 2012, Sudhindra played three games for Chargers.

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May 18, 2012

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May 18, 2012

Tamil Nadu Foundation

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Saturday May 26th & Sunday 27th 2012, Memorial Day Weekend.

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36 May 18, 2012

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM