Desi Talk Chicago by Parikh Worldwide Media

High Schooler Seeks Damages From N.Y. City

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Concert Raises Cash for Girls’ Education

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A.R. RahRutger’s man and Dharun Ravi Mick Jagger Enters Not ‘Super Curtains Down for Guilty Plea NBC’s Heavy’ ‘Outsourced’ PAGE 12

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May 27, 2011 Chicago, IL Vol. VIII, No. 21 www.desitalkchicago.com Published by

Parikh Worldwide Media, LLC.

community colors IN CHICAGO

Transforming India

The India Leadership Summit at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

PAGE 8

PAGE 16

" This advertise is sponsored by Sri Harish Bhatt'

May 27, 2011

CLASSIFIED Matrimonial FEMALE Hindu parents invite correspondence for their US born doctor daughter 30/ 5'4"/ pediatrician, working in Chicago, seeking well educated professional male, Please send bio-data with photos to ppchicagomd@gmail.com 05/06 - 05/27 -SS

36yrs/5'4", Tamil, pretty, fair, slim, Chicago professional, US citizen, seeks professional US groom. rk5@juno.com 05/20 SL

AFFLUENT Aggarwal Business family invites alliance for beautiful daughter, 30/5’6”, MBA, Engineer. Seek accomplished professional 30-35; from cultured educated family. Email biodata and photo: kmla120@gmail.com AFFLUENT SIKH Khatri professional parents seeking match; for beautiful USA born dentist daughter, 29/5’4’’, self employed. Email recent photo & biodata: rinky2008@hotmail.com GUJARATI parents seek suitable alliance for never married US-born, v.fair, slim, beautiful, well-educated, cultured daughter, 31/5’8”, working for large US bank. Email: JaiShreeHanuman620@gmail.com BENGALI Brahmin parents invites correspondence for beautiful accomplished, US born & raised daughter, 26yrs/5’3”;Respond w/bio recent photo: banerjee3274@ comcast.net

Hindu Punjabi Parents invite correspondence for the US Citizen daughter 30/5'-3" MSc, Very fair, working for a Prestigious Bank in NY as there IT Professional. Seeking well placed professional Groom.. Send biodata with photo. Email: matrimonialmatch1@yahoo.com 04/22 - 05/13 - IQ

PATEL parents invites matrimonial correspondence; for 1981/5’4”, US born beautiful daughter, Investment banker in a major US bank. Please Email biodata to: akvpatel@yahoo.in FOR Harvard educated executive, beautiful, 34/5’8’’/125, U.S. born, v.fair, affluent SI Brahmin family; seek accomplished professional, 33-39, tall, never married, vegetarian. Email: parents2121@yahoo.com Physician Hindu Punjabi parents seeking professional match for 27 yrs MD daughter completing pediatric residency in June 2011, born and raised in USA. Send Photo /Biodata: us83jmd@gmail.com 2/25 HINDU physician couple invite correspondence from MBAs or professionals; for Ivy league MBA, 29/5’4’ niece, consultant in NYC. Email details, photo: sushmaji@hotmail.com Physician (family & sports medicine) daughter, 31/5’5”. Caste no bar. Email biodata/photo: BSaluja17@aol.com (610) 213-4589

Matrimonial MALE Handsome 32 yrs/educated in USA/computer science graduate/south indian/green card holder/mulukanadu brahmin/speaking telugu & kannada. Seeking a life partner with legal status. Email details to akumal9@hotmail.com phone # 201-424-4145. 06/24- SC

Correspondence invited from Hindu girls in US for Patel GUJARATI 37 / 5’7” male, never married, working as marketing professional. Respond with Biodata and recent photo: matrimony2011pp@gmail.com. 02/11 American citizen looking issueless female under fifty preferably Gujarati Tristate. For details E-mail: chuck2183@aol.com 03/011

PHYSICIAN, 38yr/5’10”, extremely fair, NI Brahmin, seeking Hindi speaking vegetarian girl. Email bio/photo to vedi75@yahoo.com MATCH for handsome, established, Hindu Specialist M.D. in the US, (37yrs/ 5’11”/170 lbs). Seeking a slim, fair, professional girl below 32 yrs. khushu47@yahoo.com

Seeking fair, beautiful, professional Hindu girl for handsome, educated son 27/5’11”. MBA, Manager at a reputable company NJ. Email biodata-photo to RatanMilap@gmail.com 03/04-0325-SL

Charotar Leuva Patel parents invite correspondence for USA born son, 33 years old, 5’9” and average build. Completed his MS and other graduate level certifications. He currently resides in the DC area and works for a consulting Firm. Please e-mail with bio-data / picture to jaypatel_98@yahoo.com 04/01

27/5’7’’, US educated (MS Bioinformatics) Hindu Agrawal professional working as software developer on H1B. Seeking educated, cultured girl. Biodata, photo requested. Email: pgngp99@gmail.com

CLASSIFIED RATES Regular Ad Minimum $25.00 (15 words) $1.50 each additional word. Box number ads $5 extra (U.S.A & Canada) $ 10 extra (overseas).

DISPLAY CLASSIFIED The use of borders or different type changes your classified advertisement to display. They are limited to one column. Rate $35 for one column inch. Can accommodate up to 20 words in one column inch. The complete address and telephone number of the advertiser are required for Desi Talk’s records prior to publishing an advertisement. If you want to receive a copy of Desi Talk in which your advertisement is published please include an additional charge of $1.50 per copy. Desi Talk does not assume responsibility for photographs sent to advertisers or their response. CLOSING DATE: Friday, one week prior to publication. Desi Talk reserves the right not to ac-

HINDU, 42/5’6” never married, well-settled, double masters, teaches Technology NYC, charter high schools. Seeking family oriented women. Jgbaby1234@yahoo.com

cept an advertiser’s order. No telephone or-

A very young looking 52 year old businessman with a multi-million dollar business in California is seeking a bride in her thirties; from a respectable Hindu family. Divorcee ok. Respond with Bio and photo: k1234@bak.rr.com

37 West, 20 Street, Suite 1009,

ders will be accepted. All ads are subject to editing. Mailing of any unsolicited material to our advertiser is prohibited.

Desi Talk New York, NY 10011

Tel. 212-675-7515, Fax. (212) 675-7624

24/7 Place your Classified Ads

www.desitalk.com

May 27, 2011

CLASSIFIED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Restaurant For Sale - Suburban Location. Turnkey operation for a well maintained restaurant. Good location. Serious inquiries only via email to: restaurantforsale@hotmail.com

Start your 22k gold jewelry business from your home or office - no investment

05/27 - SL

MONEY MAKER : EDISON AREA, DINER 110 SEATS, 4000 SQFT $80,000 RUNNING INDIAN RESTAURANT 3200 SQFT GOOD FOR FOOD COURT $95,000 OWNER FINANCING, BUSINESS DOCTORS. RAMESH 973 931 9580 INDER 973 881 7496, 973 517 6666. 05/13 05/20 -IQ

2 C- Stores (Sale) Pittsburgh (1) Sale $85 K per month - with / without property. Lottery 4.5K per month. (2) Sale 22.5K per month and with pizza 4.5K per month. David (412) 609 1282. 05/13 05/27 - SL

AUTOS WANTED DONATE VEHICLE: RECEIVE $1000 GROCERY COUPON. NOAH’S ARC SUPPORT NO KILL SHELTERS, RESEARCH TO ADVANCE VETERINARY TREATMENTS FREE TOWING, TAX DEDUCTIBLE, NON-RUNNERS ACCEPTED 1-866-912-GIVE 05/20-ny

CAREER TRAINING Drive Tractor Trailer: CDLA Training National Tractor Trailer School Buffalo (Branch) Liverpool, NY Approved for Veterans, Financial Aid, Housing Pre-Training Employment Offers if qualified. 1-888-243-9320 www.ntts.edu 05/20-ny

MISCELLANEOUS ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from home. *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Accounting, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. Call 888-201-8657 www.CenturaOnline.com 05/20-ny

WANTED TO BUY WE BUY ANYTHING OLD. Costume Jewelry, fountain pens, old watches, world fair and military items. Cigarette lighters; anything gold. Call Mike 718-204-1402 05/20-ny

ALL CASH CANDY ROUTE! Be Your Own Boss! Start up investment as low as $4995. Candy Included! Call Now! 1-877-915-8222 All Major CreditCards Accepted. 04/22-ny

C-STORES:

Denver, NC, $499K + Inv., GR $1M Greensboro, NC, $595K + Inv., GR $1.5M Statesville, NC, $775K + Inv., GR $1.6M Salisbury, NC, $850K + Inv., GR $1.4M Bostic, NC, $850K + Inv., GR $2M

www.thesterlinginn.com Beauty Salon and Spa for Sale in busy heart of Forest Hills, Queens, New York. Call (917) 582 4463 Hussain 05/20 - 06/10/ SL

40 units Motel with Drycleaners on sale, independently owned in West Virginia. Call (304) 757-8947 (304) 549-3595

Located off of I-485. Road frontage 320’. Inside average sales $25,000 per month; Fuel Sales 20,000 gallons; additional Lottery & ATM Commission; 2 MPDs. Easy access; 10 Doors cooler. Lots of opportunity to upgrade business. Seller is motivated. Contact your County South Realty & Business Brokers for more information.

Call (704) 814-9435

BUSINESS PARTNER LOOKING FOR ONSITE BUSINESS PARTNER FOR VERY BUSY GODDARD SCHOOL EASTON (PA) (MONTESSORI TYPE PRESCHOOL) EXCELLENT LOCATION (FASTEST GROWING TOWN IN LEHIGH VALLEY) COMMUTABLE (1 HOUR FROM EDISON, NJ) ANNUAL REVENUE $845+K. CALL 732 429 5726

BUSINESS BROKERS REAL ESTATE BROKERS

Branded Gas Station Gas 130K Gal, Biz $95K, Lease 29 Years, Brand New Subway Sandwich Doing $7,500 a Month. Convenient Stores Manhattan, $125K + Inventory Long Island, $125 + Inventory Long Island, Franchise Biz $89K Bronx, $275K + Inventory Liquor Store $250K + Inventory Offices Professional Offices in Hicksville. Investors Needed For Indian Restaurant / Banquet Hall

NEED MONEY FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Take advantage of LOW interest rates NOW!!! Turnkey Lenders offers business/ financing options. Call for details today: 888-906-4545, www.turnkeylenders.com 04/15-ny

WEBSITE BUILDER. WEBSITE, E-COMMERCE, LOGO, PRINT DESIGN, WEB HOSTING PLEASE E MAIL FOR QUOTE & VISIT OUR WEBSITE, WWW.MEDIATODAYUSA.COM EMAIL.info@mediatodayusa.com. Ph # 646-571-3898 05/20 - 06/10 -MV

For Group Discount, Please Call

570-676-3311, 570-676-3320

05/20 - 06/10 - SL

to view other businesses for sale!

04/29 - 05/20 - MV

Only $89+Tax Per person/night Leave StressBack Home, Come to Nature, Lake, Streams, Nature Trail, Pedal Boating, Continetal Breakfast and full Indian dinner, Deluxe Room, Jacuzzi, bar

Unbranded Gas Station with Real Estate in PA. Price $800K, $430,000 gallons, store sale $700K, Lotto $22K. Additional Income $35K, Short Hours, Wadood (917) 254 8035.

Log-on to

Gas station and C-Store for Sale with 2 Br Apt, in upstate NY also Lotto, Beer, Cigarette, Kerosene, Propane 7 Movie rental, Owner retiring. Call Bharat 551 208 9519

MOUNT POCONO (2 HRS-NYC)

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT TUTORING MATH K1-12, SAT MATH, ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, PRE-CALCULUS, CALCULUS AT HOME. Contact: Omer Admani 347-527-3245, oa2193@Columbia.edu

05/27 06/17 - SL

WWW.COUNTYSOUTH.BIZ

ADOPTION ADOPTION: Happily married, professional couple wishes to start family. Can offer child lots of love and stability. Expenses paid. Please call Maria and Michael. 1-800-513-4914 04/22-ny

05/20 - 06/10/ SS

Convenience Store & Gas Station for sale in Matthews, NC

---------------------------------Zarna Group “Business Brokers” Zarna Capital “Real Estate Brokers” Sanjev M Jain - Broker / Owner C: 646-721-5532 F: 516-307-3336 Web: WWW.ZARNAGROUP.COM Email: SONY@ZARNAGROUP.COM

MATH TUTOR

052711-(IQ)

Call (914) 426 8433.

05/20 - MV

0520 - 06/17-NIT+DT+GT - IQ

or risk . We will help for details.

VACATION / RESORT

LOOKING FOR ONSITE BUSINESS PARTNER FOR VERY BUSY GODDARD SCHOOL EASTON (PA) (MONTESSORI TYPE PRESCHOOL) EXCELLENT LOCATION (FASTEST GROWING TOWN IN LEHIGH VALLEY) COMMUTABLE (1 HOUR FROM EDISON, NJ) ANNUAL REVENUE $845+K. CALL 732 429 5726 05/20 - MV

CASH BUYER, Pre-1980 Comic Books, Toys, Sports, ANYTHING. I travel to you and Buy EVERYTHING YOU have. Call Brian at 1-800-617-355105/20-ny

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE SAWMILLS–Band/Chainsaw SPRINGSALE – Cut lumber any dimension, anytime. MAKE MONEY and SAVE MONEY In stock ready to ship. Starting at $995.00. www.NorwoodSawmills.com/300N 1-800-578-1363 Ext. 300N 05/20-ny

FINANCIAL CASH NOW! Cash for your structured settlement or annuity payments. Call J.G.Wentworth. 866-494-9115 Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. 05/20-ny

Best of the both worlds Act Now and save upto 70%

VACATION RENTALS OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102. Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com 05/20-ny

For more details: Call: 212-675-7515

May 27, 2011

CLASSIFIED HELP WANTED Immediately looking for Chef Tandoori, Curry, South Indian, Indo / Chinese, Gujarati, Halwai, waiter & dishwasher in Pittsburgh PA. Call 412 364 1760, 724 772 7468

Career opportunities in Upnageet Radio Looking for Social Media Experts, Advertisement executives & sales executives. Send your resume at hr@upnageet.com 05/20 - 06/10 - SS

04/29 07/22 MV

NEED OFFICE HELP in Insurance office, speak English and Punjabi, must have computer skills Call: 718-426-1195

Looking for General Manager, choice Hotels experience, Mid-west area, 100+ rooms, Limited service, Good English, good salary and incentive plans send resume camghotels@gmail.com 05/20 - 06/10 - MV

05/06 - 05/27 - IQ

Beautician required at Hicksville Salon, F/T, P/T, Threading must, Excellent Pay+Tips. Call: 516-933-3524 05/27 - 06/03 - MV

Experienced Punjabi speaking Nanny needed. Cooking a must. M-F Forest Hills, NY 2 Blocks from Subway Call: 917 804 2020 05/27 - NP

NEW JERSEY RESTAURANT Close to GWB Looking for Experienced waiters. Call 201.567.0061 05/27 NIT1157- IQ

India Employment Agency Computer Programmers, Jewelry Production Manager, Textile Designer, Garment Warehouse Supervisor, Import/Production Mgr/Merchandiser, Traffic Coordinator, Chemist, Pharmacist, R&D, Secretary, Receptionist, Admin. Assist, H.R Associate, Marketing, Data Entry/EDI, Clerk, CA/CPA, Accountant/Bkkpr. Phone: 212-564-0620 Interviews in NYC & NJ Driver- MANY CHOICES: Part-time, Full-time, Casual, Express Lanes, Dry Van, Refrigerated. Weekly or Daily Pay. Local Orientation. CDL-A, 3 months recent experience required. 800-414-9569 www.driveknight.com

Eyebrows threading person required. Good salary. Accommodation available. Only experienced persons call (718) 915 2752 / (917) 434 7048 05/20 - 06/10 SL

JEWELRY STORE SALES PERSONS WANTED SALARY PLUS COMMISSION, GOOD ENGLISH SKILL WITH ABILITY TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY, WE WILL TRAIN. CONTACT: 212-665-3583 NY/NJ. 05/20 - 06/10 IQ

Office Clerk -Entry Level for Immediate Hiring in Linden, NJ Must Be: 1. Proficient in Written and Verbal English 2. Confident on the phone, can compose emails and letters 3. Organized, Dependable, Respectful and Hardworking Professional 4. Office-based in NJ, but travel maybe required on some occasions Please EMAIL resumes to genew39@verizon.net 05/27-MV

Largest Gujarati and English Weekly Publishing House is looking for a part-time Graphic Designer for their New York office. The person should be proficient in Quark XPress, Photoshop and should have knowledge of Gujarati and English. If you have a similar background with experience and have worked in any newspaper / magazine

fax your resume at : (212) -675-7624 or email

nyc95x@gmail.com Full Time Help Wanted for packing & shipping in New Road, Parsippany, NJ. No experience required. Will be trained. Serious inquiries only. Call Prasad at 718-813-6666 or email at clickforotc@yahoo.com" 05/20 - 06/10 - IQ

AIRLINES ARE HIRINGTrain for high paying Aviation Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job Placement Assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (866) 296-7093 05/20-ny

Immediate opening for two chefs, expert in Punjabi , Indo-Chinese and South Indian dishes. Minimum three years or restaurant and catering experience required. Chefs must be capable to handle catering for 500+ people. Please email us at: sureshkpandya@yahoo.com 05/13 - IQ

Mid-Scale, Limited Service hotels in NJ/PA seeking General Managers. Good salary + accommodations + bonus. Couple or Single. Fluent English and 4+ years franchise experience required. Email resume to lodgingpartners@gmail.com or call 215-303-9977.

Experienced Licensed Real Estate sales person for Queens office needed for office help with computer knowledge. Call (718) 850 4868 04/15 05/06- MV

05/27 - 06/03 SL

If you are a store or restaurant owner and are interested to keep NEWS INDIA TIMES, DESI TALK or GUJARAT TIMES in your premises.

Call us at: 212-675-7515 ext. 102 or write to us at: subscription@newsindia-times.com

May 27-2011

May 27, 2011

REAL ESTATE (BETTER THAN RENTING)

Spacious move-in cond. End Unit Townhome (1680sqft as 3 bdrm TH/1 garage). Lg EIK w/ceramic tile flr, breakfast bar & Lg pantry. Formal Din & fam/den rm w/slider to patio w/hedges for privacy. Mastr BR w/WIC, cathedral ceiling. Lg 2nd BR & laundry rm w/ storage. Loft w/sitting area. EZ access to major highways. EZ Commute to NYC. Easy drive to Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson and St. Peter's Hospital. EBR0014 $247,000*(Pr Reduced) Sayreville Pristine brick front young Colonial Offers 4 Bed Rooms / 2.5Baths and 2 car garage. A Must See 11 Year Young Beautiful Custom Built Colonial Home in a Million Dollar Neighborhood! Walk to NYC Bus stop. EBR0010 $649,900 Old Bridge (BETTER THAN A TOWNHOUSE)

*Why to rent when you can own SFH.* North facing movein cond home offers many recent improvemnts. Open Flr plan. High ceilings w/2 skylites in LR/DR. Recently replaced HWH, windows, roof, vinyl siding. Gleaming hardwd flrs thruout. 2 car wide cemented Drway. New deck. Prof. landscaped Lg fenced in bckyrd. Great for summer entertaining. Walk to shopping & public trans to NYC. EZ access to major hywys. EBR0049 $279,000*(Pr Reduced) “Looking to Buy or Sell” Ask for Hariom (Harry) Sood Sales Associate, Coldwell Banker E-mail:Hariom.Sood@cbmoves.com Cell:732.277.2621• Direct Ph: (732) 432-6329 Visit my website: www.harrysood.com Ask for free complimentary market analysis of your home

BANK FORECLOSURES FOR SALE IN FLORIDA

STORE FOR SALE

In highrise building, good location, low rent. call 312-731-4045

NEAR ORLANDO, TAMPA, BEACHES, MEDICAL SCHOOL, HOSPITALS, DISNEY ETC. FOR A LIST OF BANK FORECLOSURES CALL

Jackson Heights, 1 BR Apartment asking $169,000 available for sale by owner. Near all. Great investment. Call: 718-864-2499 05/27/ MV

Single family in Briarwood Queens, Hardwood on 1st Fl, 3-rooms, marble half bath, 2nd Fl 3-BdRms/ Full bath, Walk-up attic/ Semi-finish basement, Private garage, Close to Public Trans/ School. Price at $475K. Negotiable. NO BROKERS. Please call 347-952-5452

RICK 321-624-3133

042911 - 080511-NITDTGTDTC(IQ)

HOMES IN NEW JERSEY North Brunswick

NYS LAND ONE TIME SALE 10 ac-Salmon River Area-$19,995. 7ac w/ New Cabin-$29,995. 5ac-Hickory Ridge-$12,995. 97ac Surrounding State Forest$119,995. 7ac-Trout tream-$29,995. 14ac-Southern Tier-$24,995. 5ac on Big River-$39,995. 7ac-Little Falls-$19,995. Over 100 new properties offered! Terms or cash discounts! Call Christmas & Associates 800-229-7843 Or visit www.LandandCamps.com 05/20-nyps

MORTGAGE

05/06 07/03 -NP

REAL ESTATE AGENT Westchester home, walk to train & Lake, 25 minutes to Grand Central. Updated kitchen & Bath, additional income apartment ground floor, Tuckahoe / Yonkers. $599,000, MUST SEE. Call: 914-433-3611

Hindi speaking Licensed Real Estate agents. Keep 100% of the commission. Learn more about our unique Model at KIANRealtyNYC.com. Contact us at info@KIANRealtyNYC.com or call 212-757-8268 X 101

05/27 - MV

Visit us at:

www.desitalk.com

MOTEL MOTEL FOR SALE/LEASE

MOTEL HELP WANTED

WESTERN PA : 27 Rooms, Non Franchise Motel excellent condition, Gross $230K, Price $650K. Call Shiv Gupta Broker (732) 718 3045 04/15 - 05/06-SL

Business Opportunity : 40 units Motel with Drycleaners on sale, independently owned in West Virginia. Call (304) 757-8947 / (304) 549-3595

MOTEL HELP WANTED

* Looking for Manager for 20 Room Motel in Tuscan, Arizona. * Front Desk Clerk with fluency in English * Housekeeper / Couple for Motel in Tuscan, Arizona. Call Jigar B. Amin (520) 907 0262 05/27 - 06/17 Sl

05/27/ - 06/17 SL

Hotels for Sale in Kansas, USA, newly constructed and under construction hotels for sale. Outstanding Revenue. Great Locations. Owner finance available. Holiday Inn, Marriott and Choice Hotels. Call Mr. Mitesh for more information (785) 341-3388 04/22-05/13

Front desk manager (single person) motel in New Jersey 7 days a week, laundry work included, Fluent in english, accomodation provided, good salary. Call Danny (732)330-3998 , e-mail: dannypatel2@yahoo.com 05/27 - 06/17 IQ-SL

32 Units Motel for Sale in Custer, South Dakota with 4 bed Room House on above office. Swimming pool, Miniature gulf ( Croucet) , On major Highways ( Corner of 16 & 385), Prime Location, In the Heart of Black Hills, Near to all major attraction. Yearly Revenue $ 270,000. Asking Price $825,000. Call: (605) 673- 4659 • Cell: (605) 517- 1399

04/22-05/13

Motel for Sale in Wyoming Franchise Motel with 36 Units for sale in Rawlins, WY. Nice location, well maintained, newly renovated, nice apartment. Asking price 3X gross business. Contact: Raj (307) 328-1600, (307) 321-3244 Email: rajanilapatel@yahoo.com

03/25-05/13

Motel + 2 Houses for Sale in Connecticut 11 Unit four season Motel 4- Unit Multy-Family residence W/Annual lease 3 Beds Room private Residence Seatinf 2.25 Acres, Asking $719K. Call (860) 693-4951 05/06 - 05/27 MV

Franchise Hotel near Harrisburg, PA immediately seeking help from an experienced for Front Desk/Manager. Must be fluent in English and computer skills. Attractive salary & accommodation provided. Call (717) 440-1645, (703) 327-9534 E-mail: sanghanip@gmail.com

04/29-06/03

Franchise Motel in Massachusetts looking for live in couple or individual, honest, hard working, experienced, people person, good English speaking and some computer knowledge. Please email us at: sureshkpandya@yahoo.com 05/13 - IQ

Immediately seeking from an experienced front desk/manager for franchise hotel near Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Fluent in English, have computer skills. Attractive salary & accommodation provided. Email: sanghanip@gmail.com Call 717-440-1645 or 703-327-9534

04/29-06/03

Need Motel Help Front desk clerk/House keeper in Ohio. Call Sunny 740-404-7478 05/27 - 06/17 SL

Front Desk Manager (Single Person) for Franchise Motel in Southern New Jersey. 7 days a week, laundry work included, fluency in English, accomodation provided and good salary. Call (609)892 5990 05/06 - SL

To Advertise in the Motel Section Call: (212) 675-7515 Fax: (212) 675-7624

May 27-2011

Restaurant For Sale - Suburban Location. IL. Turnkey operation for a well maintained restaurant. Good location. Serious inquiries only via email to: restaurantforsale@hotmail.com

LOOKING FOR LIVE-IN NANNY Looking for a experienced live-in Nanny in Naperville, IL to take care of our 3 year old son and do house keeping. Call (630) 557-9459

LIQOUR STORE COOLER FOR SALE 16 DOOR LIQUOR STORE WALK-IN COOLER FOR SALE. 10 FT DEEP, 48 FT LONG, 8 FT HEIGHT. CALL 630-808-5279 $13K OBO. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE.

To Place Ads Call us at 773-856-0545,773-856-3345

I fi t sENT ERTAI NMENT. . .i t sonAVS! F oradv er t i s i ng

JATI NDERSETHI6095985269 AVSTV. com avst vshow@aol . com | www.

AVSTV AVSTV

May 27-2011

www.desitalk.com

May 27, 2011

ASTROLOGY

Groups to Show Support for Corruption Fight in India

This week for you BY DR. PREM KUMAR SHARMA E-mail: psharma@premastrologer.com Tel & Fax: +91-0172-562832, 572874

Aries: This is a great week for working women. You will have the energy to achieve just about anything you set your mind to. Your concentration will be good and others will give you the respect you deserve. A mixture of romance, pleasure and entertainment is stored for you for the next few days. Income is likely to improve, but there will be a rise in expenses as well. Property matters will take final shape.

Taurus: When dealing with stubborn individuals, try to stay emotionally calm and avoid arguments. You will probably find that despite your best efforts, it is very difficult to change people who possess rigid and orthodox views. Take care of important tasks and correspondence that have piled up on your desk. This is also an excellent time for professional advancements, promotions and recognition.

Gemini: This week your dominating attitude will cause uneasy moments with partners and colleagues. Difference of opinions will cause arguments and your opinion will face severe criticism. Flexibility, negotiation and compromise are the keys to maintain peaceful and harmonious atmosphere around you. Your health might suffer if you don’t take care of yourself.

Cancer: This week you will become very restless. You will be very hungry for something new and exciting, which is also challenging and will keep you entertained. You can look for some out door games, which will keep you in cheerful mood and also help you keep in perfect shape. It will be a rather slow week, but you should not neglect your responsibilities. Do not overspend on luxuries and entertainment.

Leo: This week you will find special joy in creative activities. You will enjoy interacting with people who share your views and thoughts. Your ability to communicate effectively will help you enhance your reputation and make an invincible mark for yourself. Finances improve in the middle of the week as you benefit from past investments. However, your health will need some attention, especially if suffering from some serious ailment.

Virgo: This week housewives should look into ways to make extra money while staying at home. They can take classes of cooking, stitching, painting or even helping students with their schoolwork. You need to complete pending jobs before you start with new ones. Middle of the week will be highly crucial for those unemployed, as they will receive a good offer.

Libra: This week people will listen very attentively to what you have to say, so make the best of it. Your intelligence will make you shine. You will be able to impress others with your knowledge and your ability to handle complicated issues. Unexpected gains or losses are foreseen therefore investment needs to be done with extreme care.

Scorpio: This week you will have ample energy and will participate in competitive activities that interest you. Your creative talents and your ability to lead others will come in handy. However you need to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, putting your hands in many jobs will get you no where. Expensive household purchases are likely to be made towards the end of the week.

– Chicago, IL yatari Shaktipeeth and the Federation of Indian Associations will host an event at June 4 to lend show solidarity with the movement against corruption led by yoga guru Baba Ramdev in India.

The event will be held at the corner of Devon and Rockwell avenues from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to a press release from the organizers. It will coincide with a rally planned the same day in Delhi by Ramdev. Similar ral‑ lies are planned in cities across India. In the United States, the anticorrup‑ tion movement is being promoted by Bharat Swabhiman USA. According to its website, the group has planned similar events on June 4 in cities such as New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Tampa, Dallas, Houston,

Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.Bhishma Agnihotri, president of Bharat Swabhiman USA, told Desi Talk that Ramdev has been traveling all over India, educating people about the problems facing the county. "He believes that the systems in India require change and it’s not possible unless the people, the masses join the movement and uproot the entrenched current systems, built on corruption or inefficiency and supported by power‑ ful vested interests," he said. "For sav‑ ing India, people have to wake up as a united force." For details about the Chicago event, contact Brij Kamboj at 630‑886‑6323, Bhailal Patel at 224‑522‑2666, Iftekhar Shareef at 312‑593‑3210 or Satish Gabhawala at 708‑612‑7866. –By Staff Writer

Sagittarius: People will take care of you and you will eagerly return their favours. You will share your belongings with your close friends and family members. A wonderful idea if given prompt response will yield immediate gains. Budding romance for those unattached will bring new excitement and cheerfulness in their lives. Health will be perfect, but you certainly need to take precautions in the changing weather.

Capricorn: This week get ready to do some travelling. You need to associate with people who will show you new directions and goals. Although your financial position will improve in the next few days, the outflow of money will still create hindrance in executing your new plans and projects. Taking opinion from people who have experience and knowledge will be important. Health will be normal despite a busy and hectic week. A trip abroad is on the cards for some of you.

Aquarius: Your erratic behaviour will frighten your loved ones. Even some of your closest friends will get annoyed after seeing you behaving this way. Get involved in activities that will help you build contacts with people who share similar interest. Selective speculation in real estate and stocks will be highly rewarding. Good week for students and professionals as they witness steady progress in their respective fields. Auspicious events and marriage proposals for some.

Pisces: This week your energy is focussed on solving new issues. You will have a crystal clear sense of what needs to be done and what’s best for you. You will even use your recreation time in planning and preparing your next move. Home front will be peaceful and pleasant, and family members extend their full support.

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May 27, 2011

IMMIGRATION

Immigration Updates (Meeting with Senator Robert Menendez) – Part I BY MICHAEL PHULWANI

Michael Phulwani is a prominent attorney admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey and India. He practices immigration and nationality law and visa matters in the USA and abroad. He is a frequent lecturer on immigration law and co-hosts several TV and radioprograms on immigration and legislation and answer questions from our readers. All questions should be forwarded to Michael Phulwani, 888 Maywood Avenue, Maywood, NJ 07607.

ttorney Michael Phulwani organized a luncheon meeting with Senator Robert Menendez at Shalom Bombay Restaurant on Friday, May 13th 2011. During the meeting, Senator Menendez spoke on various issues pertaining to Dream Bill reintroduced by him together with Senators Harry Reid and Richard Durbin, prospects of getting the CIR (Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill) passed by the Congress, Budget Deficit, proposed taxes on Oil companies and other issues. Mr. Phulwani submitted to him a detailed memorandum, suggesting several small steps that can be taken in changes to be made in Immigration laws, and what the administration can do, as alternative methods to fix U.S. Immigration laws which protect aliens in unlawful status and provide reliefs in the areas of family unification and other issues. The following is the text of the memorandum presented by Mr. Phulwani to Senator Robert Menendez. Firstly, on behalf of our entire community, we thank you very much for your sincere effort to get CIR (Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill) passed by the congress, specially the Dream Act, which has been recently re-introduced by you together with senators Richard Durbin and Harry Reid earlier this week. We are highly grateful to you for the same. While Dream Act is extremely important and hopefully get passed, with efforts made by you and your colleagues, we suggest some other small steps that would make a significant difference in repairing the broken immigration laws. Section 245(i) benefit is presently available only to those aliens in unlawful status on whose behalf an application for labor certification or Immigrant Visa petition was filed prior to April 30, 2001. If this date is changed to April 30, 2010, many individuals and their families in this category, who are otherwise eligible to obtain permanent resident status, under the family, employment or investment categories, will be eligible to obtain permanent resident status. Presently, parents, spouses or children of US citizens who entered the US legally but have overstayed or violated their non-immigrant status, are eligible to adjust status if the qualify for the same, under section 245 (a) I&N Act. However, those who entered without visa and are not eligible u/s 245(i), cannot adjust their status in the US, even if they came longtime ago and have USC or LPR spouse and children. Such individuals are subjected to extreme hardship and separation from

their families, having difficulties in getting driver licenses, employment etc. If such individuals choose to go for visa processing at American Consulates abroad, they will be subject to 3 to 10 years bar. This is a small group of people and can easily be provided relief, merely by including them u/s 245(a) I&N Act. The Registry program under which any individual in legal or illegal status who has been residing in the US since before January 1, 1972, can apply and obtain permanent resident status. Presently, there are hardly any people who entered the US before January 1972. If the date of 1-72 is changed to 1992 or some other date as may be appropriate (Advancing by about 20 years), many long term residents in unlawful status can legalize their status, under the registry program and have a normal life, come out of the shadows, seek employment, pay taxes and support their families. This is not an amnesty program but providing relief to individuals, who have been residing in US over 20 years, not committed any crimes. In most cases, paying their taxes and already leading their lives as US citizens. Individuals who are in legal status or eligible u/s 245(i) and on whose behalf their employers have obtained Labor Certification, certifying shortage of such workers and petition I-140evidencing employer’s ability to pay the wages, approved by USCIS, based upon their eligibility for Immigrant Visa, have to wait for several years before their visa number becomes available and only then they can file application for adjustment of status u/s 245(a) or 245 (i) together with permission to work or travel. During this waiting period of several years, they cannot get permission to work or travel and some of them may remain in unlawful status, fearing possible deportation from the US. Those in unlawful status and their families are subjected to extreme hardship even if it is clear that they have met the requirements to obtain permanent resident status and ultimately they would be granted permanent resident status. If the law is amended to permit them to file I-485 even if visa numbers are not available, they and their family members can remain in the US legally, work and travel abroad and pay their taxes. It would be acceptable for them, to get permanent resident status several years down the road until the visa number is available in their case, but during this waiting period, they can remain in the US in legal status, seek employment, obtain driving license and send their children to school or college.

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Community Shows Support for Kenyan Candidate – CHICAGO, Ill. ndian‑Americans rallied for George Luchiri Wajackoyah, a candidate for president of Kenya in the 2012 election in the African nation. A number of com‑ munity leaders attended a gala in his honor May 22 at Furama Seafood Restaurant in the city. Dipne Lakha of Raj Jewelers commended Wajackoyah, an adjunct professor of law at the American Heritage University of Southern California in San Bernardino, Calif., for his service and dedication to Kenya. Addressing gathering, Wajackoyah said Kenya needs “strong leadership that has the people’s agenda.” The current leadership, he said, “has failed us.” If elected, he pledged to work closely with Kenya’s neighbors to create a state “ where people will be free to trade without barriers.” He said he would live up to the people’s expectations of integrity and accountability, and strive to create working institutions, a clean police force and a thriving econo‑ my. His goals would be to provide affordable education, free health care, working infrastructure, secu‑ rity, renewable sources of energy, promote agriculture and afforesta‑ tion programs, he said. While announcing his candida‑ cy, Wajackoyah spoke at a press

conference April 18 at Mysore Woodlands restaurant on Devon Avenue. Many community leaders attended that event as well. At the conference, Wajackoyah asserted that his top priority would be to eradicate corruption in Kenya at all levels of the gov‑ ernment and public places, fol‑ lowed by a number of measures that would spur economic growth and infrastructure development. He said he plans to urge Kenyans settled abroad, including many of Indian descent, to help revive businesses and industry in the African nation. “We would help them get back

their property, besides offering inducement to start business and industry. I have great faith in their talents and integrity,” Wajackoyah said . He noted that people of Asian descent constitute about 15 per‑ cent of the population of Kenya and many are in business. “We need their help for the develop‑ ment of Kenya,” he said. Known for his human rights work with the Shake the Tree Movement, which has members in India, Wajackoyah is adding final touches to his campaign, which is to be launched in Kenya next year. – By staff writer

Below, Indian community supporting Dr. George Luchiri Wajackoyah from left: Ray Nateyo. Director of Operations GLW4President, Kishore Purohit Producer of India TV , Bhailal Patel Vice President of Parikh World Wide Media, Dipen lakha President of Raj Jewels, Dr. George Luchiri Wajackoyah Presidential Candidate Kenya 2012 , Iftekhar Shareef Chairman IGS group.

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Chicago Bureau Reporter N. Begum New York Bureau Reporter Bhargavi S. Kulkarni Ahmedabad Bureau Contributing Editor Bashir Khan

Contributing Writers Shilpi Paul, Joanne Flynn Black, Swathi Reddy Layout & Design Shashikant Warik Photographers Jay Mandal, Yogesh Mehta, Peter Ferreira Chief Operating Officer Shomik Chaudhuri Director Business Development Bhailal M. Patel Director of Advertising & Marketing Ilyas Qureshi Senior Manager Sales & Marketing Neela Pandya Advertising New York Sonia Lalwani, Shailu Desai, Manoj Vyas Advertising Chicago Syed Sheeraz Mahmood (773) 807-7925 Business Development Manager – Atlanta Sanjay Pandya (404) 514-8044 Advertising Ahmedabad Digant Sompura Tel. 26446947

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 27, 2011

n Cinema

(773) 363-9303.

Trikone-Chicago presents its annual arts festival, ‘KalaKranti 2011,’ a festival of queer South Asian short films, June 4 at Columbia College Film Row Cinema, 1104 S Wabash, 8th Floor, Chicago, Illinois

‘Divya Chetana – Divine Energy’ Presented by Natya Dance Theatre Company ‘Divya Chetana – Divine Energy,’ is a classical dance performance in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, June 12, at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915 Lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois. For more information call (630) 972-0300.

Celebrations

n The Punjabi Cultural Society of

Chicago (PCS) to host Punjabi Youth Graduation & Scholarship Night. June 12, at Viceroy of India Banquets, 233 E. Roosevelt Road, Lombard, Illinois. For more information, visit

‘Camp Victory, Afghanistan.’

May 25, 6:00 p.m at River East Art Center, 435 East, Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit

www.tasteforlifechicago.com

Law

Dance

Indian American Bar Association of Chicago’s legal clinic.

‘Itihasam Puranam’—Are Our Epics Outdated? Presented by the Natya Dance Theatre School in honor of the 25th Anniversary of Balaji Temple, June 4 at 1145 W. Sullivan Rd, Aurora, Illinois. For more information, call (630) 844-2252.

Kalapriya Students to present a classical dance performance. June 5 at Avery Coonley School, 1400 Maple Avenue, Downers Grove, Illinois. For more information call

Sri Balaji Temple’s Anniversary Celebration.

n Various special religious and

cultural programs are being planned to celebrate this event on a grand scale, May 29 to June 5. May 15: Vasavi Jayanthi May 16: Sri Narasimha Jayanthi. May 28: Sri Hanuman Jayanthi Celebrations. The temple is located at 1145 W. Sullivan Rd, Aurora, Illinois. For more information, call (630) 844-2252.

Milwaukee Mega Concert with RDB & Nindy Kaur. May 27, 8:00 p.m. at Sharon Lynne Wilson center for Arts , 19805 W. Capitol Drive,

June 11, 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago,10915 lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois. For more information, call (630) 972-0300

Apna Ghar presents ‘Taste of Life for Around the World.’

Winner of the 2010 Sundance world cinema documentary special jury prize, June 2, 9.00 p.m. and June 7 9.00 p.m., at Facets Cinemateque, 1517 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

Religion

itan Asian Family Services, 1032 E. Ogden Avenue, Naperville, Illinois. For more information, call Gira Ethindra (630)705-1208.

Mahishasura Mardhini

www.pcschicago.org ‘Enemies of the People.’

The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago to celebrate Rajatotsavam – 25 Years of the Ramalaya Gopuram.

Brookfield, Wisconsin. For more information, call (414) 578-7584.

June 7 to 12 at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915, Lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois. June 7: Agni Prathishta June 8: Viswaksena Yagnam June 9: Mulamantra Homam June 10: Mahasamprokshanam June 12: Sahasra Kalashabhishekan and Shanthi Kalyanam. For more information, call (630) 972-0300.

Musical Night by Kavita Krishnamurthi and Suresh. June 10, 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915,

The Cyriac D. Kappil Pro-Bono Clinic helps connect IABA’s legal professionals with those who need legal assistance but cannot afford it. The clinic is located near Devon Avenue at 6326 North California Avenue; Chicago, Illinois. For more information or to volunteer, e-mail Tejas Shah te-

jasshah1980@gmail.com

Music

Desi Talk publishes the listings under the Directory of Events free of charge as a service to our readers. Organizers are welcome to send details of programs and these should reach us at least two weeks in advance of the date of publication. Readers are advised to reconfirm the events with the organizers.

Lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois. For more information, call (630) 972-0300.

Sursandhya – Musical Night June 11, 6:00 p.m. at Metropol-

Drawing from nearly 300 hours of vérité footage shot between 2005 and 2008, the film explores the reality of building a functioning Afghan military, June 4, 5.00 p.m. and June 9, 8.45 p.m. at Facets Cinemateque, 1517 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Filmmaker Carol Dysinger and film subject Col. Michael Shute, will be present for discussion to follow the film on June 4.

Film Festival

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CINEMA

May 27, 2011

NBC Drops ‘Outsourced’ From its Summer Lineup Production on the show wrapped up in February, and the season finale of “Outsourced” was aired in two parts, May 5 and 12.

From News Dispatches

utsourced,” American TV’s first sitcom set in India and the first to feature so many Indian-Americans in front of and behind the camera, failed to make it into the summer lineup on NBC. NBC Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt announced the network’s lineup of new shows May 16. The event introduced new and existing shows to advertisers, and “Outsourced” didn’t make the cut. The show had built up some ratings after its debut last fall, but NBC moved “Outsourced” to a 10:30 p.m. time slot, which many believe contributed to a slide in ratings, news reports said. Production on the show wrapped up in February, and the season finale of “Outsourced” was aired in two parts, May 5 and 12. Members of the cast and crew of the show had spearheaded a

campaign they had called “Save ‘Outsourced.” “Sad to see it go – hopeful that this opportunity was a step towards others! Thanx all!” tweeted cast member Rizwan Manji, who played Rajiv, the ambitious, backstabbing office manager at Mid America Novelties, an American gift products company whose call center was relocated to Mumbai. “Pity the show got canceled just as it seemed to be finding its feet,” tweeted Anisha Nagarajan, who played the shy Madhuri. “It was an amazing series to be in.” Parvesh Cheena, a comic actor

from Chicago who stole many of his scenes as Gupta, has already lined up a new acting job, according to reports. He will next be seen in a big-screen comedy called “City of Jerks.” Babu Subramaniam, who served as first assistant director on the show and was instrumental in creating the look of its realistic sets on a soundstage just north of Hollywood, posted on Facebook that “Outsourced” was “a great fun ride! Mumbai in Studio City!” “Outsourced,” which was adapted by American TV director Ken Kwapis from an independent film released in 2006, followed the comic exploits of an American sales manager, Todd Dempsey (Ben Rappaport), assigned to supervise his company’s call center in India. The show also starred Diedrich Bader, Pippa Black, Rebecca Hazlewood and Sacha Dhawan, and boasted a writing team that was one-third IndianAmerican.

Actress Hopes for Another Go at ‘Big Bang Theory’ From News Dispatches

he made quite a splash as Priya in the CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory,” and was featured in the show’s season finale. Now Indian-American actress Aarti Mann is waiting to see if she will be asked back for the next season. Mann told the Pittsburgh PostGazette she won’t know until next month if she’ll be invited back to join the show’s fifth season. “I would love to come back and see where it goes with Leonard and Priya,” she said, “but no contracts have been signed. I think we’ll know by June or July.” On the show, Mann is the sister of Raj (series regular Kunal Nayyar). Now engaged to Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Priya becomes the arch-rival of Leonard’s ex-girlfriend, Penny (Kaley Cuoco). Things got messy on the show’s season finale May 19. “Basically, things between Penny and Priya come to a head,” Mann told the Post-Gazette. “Priya has to face the music, and she and Leonard come to an important crossroads.” Mann was born in Connecticut, and moved to the Pittsburgh area as a toddler; she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband. She said her family was supportive of her choice to study film writing and directing at New York University. Her mother, Vashtia Mammular, an obstetrician/gynecologist, lives in Fox Chapel, Pa. Her father passed away while she was in high school. “I’m the daughter of two Indian immigrant doctors and I have an older sister and younger brother, and none of us have pursued medicine as a career,” Mann told the Post-Gazette.

Aarti Mann

“We’re all over the artistic side of things.” Mann’s brother, Nishada, is a journalist, and her sister, Krutz, is a filmmaker. Her sister cast Mann in a 2006 film, “The Memsahib,”

Rahman to Play with Mick Jagger in New Band From News Dispatches

usic maestro A. R. Rahman is set to collaborate with rock legend Mick Jagg er in a new group called Super Heavy. The band, which includes former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart, reggae legend Bob Marley’s youngest son, Damian Marley, and British soul singer and songwriter Joss Stone is expected to come out with its first album around Septemb er, according to a report in Rolling Stone magazine. The group’s members share 11 Grammy awards between them. Rahman wrote about the band on Facebook in a post titled “and Super Heavy is born.” “18 months ago Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Damian Marley, Joss Stone and me experimented at a studio in Los Angeles ... We had a

couple of more sessions ... and presently we have around 16 to 18 songs ... all have a world sound by contributions from all of us,” Rahman wrote. The band’s music is said to be a convergence of styles, what with none of its members practicing the same genre, Rolling Stone said. Super Heavy was born out of a conversation between Stewart and Jagger. A mutual liking for Indian orchestrations and a lookout for different voices were key to the inclusion of Rahman in the group. “Dave’s and Mick’s incredible musicality and Joss’ soul singing, Damien Marley’s Jamaican influence and philosophies and me bringing musicality from my world. It’s all too early to talk about this but I guess you guys should know something at least....,” Rahman said in his post.

www.desitalkchicago.com – that’s all you need to know

and while working on the scenes, Mann said she “got bit by the bug” to act and enrolled in acting classes in Los Angeles. “Our parents were so supportive of us,” she is quoted as saying. “My mom always knew I was going to be an actor because I was a ham from the very beginning, so she would push me toward it, which is really unconventional for Indian families to do.” Mann booked a national commercial for Volvo and other roles followed, including a part in the Web/TV series “quarterlife,” which aired briefly on NBC in 2008. She was also a guest star on “Heroes” in 2009. She appeared on “Big Bang” after series regular Cuoco broke her leg early in the season, forcing a delay in production and tweaking of storylines. When Mann auditioned, her character was different from what finally was seen in the series. In the beginning, she was engaged to someone else and Leonard was supposed to be a fling. But she was soon told that the show’s executive producer, Bill Prady, wanted the option of having her come back. Things worked in her favor, and Mann was booked on the show one or two episodes at a time. “It’s fun to see how Priya has changed,” Mann told the PostGasette. “She’s made strong turns and it’s been fun to see how fan sentiment has turned with it.” While she waits to hear whether she’ll be asked back to “Big Bang,” Mann hopes to land a dramatic role “that involves crying and screaming and turmoil.” And she still has special place in her heart for commercials. “I’d really love to get back into commercials, actually,” she said. “I love how quick and breezy they are. ... And honestly, they pay really well.”

COVER STORY

May 27, 2011

Transforming India The India Leadership Summit at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business offered insights into various aspects of doing business in one of the biggest emerging markets in the world, N. Begum reports

–CHICAGO rom education to entrepreneurship and from communication to careers, panelists at a leadership summit discussed a variety of topics related to doing business in India. Organized by the South Asian Business Group of the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, the seventh annual Tata India Leadership Summit was held on campus May 14. The South Asian Business Group aims to provide a cohesive forum through which members of the school community and others can explore and lead initiatives related to South Asia. The conference is one of the largest at the school and brings together thought leaders from across government, business and academia. This year’s theme focused on India’s transformation and its direct impact on individuals. Booth School Dean Sunil Kumar delivered the opening remarks and spoke about the impact of India’s transformation on the school. He discussed the school’s global vision and increasing incorporation of global content, focusing on countries such as India, in faculty research and teaching. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director of Tata Consultancy Services, spoke about India’s growth projections as well as the challenges facing the country. He highlighted key sources that lend India its economic advantage within the emerging markets. Chandrasekaran also spoke about

the impact of the IT sector on the overall Indian economy and its continued importance in the future. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Panel featured distinguished speakers including Abhi Shah, CEO of Clutch Group, a leading global legal outsourcing firm; Sandeep Ahuja, CEO of Operation Asha, one of the largest South Asian health nonprofits; Rishad Tobaccowalla, a prominent marketing guru; and Sunil Sinha, the chief of quality management at Tata Group. They spoke to a standing-room crowd and focused on opportunities in entrepreneurship, especially around frugal sustainable innovation. Ahuja provided insights on product and process innovations, and noted that Asha has developed a cure for tuberculosis in India. Sinha spoke about the need for frugal innovations for the growing middle class in India. Shah discussed developing innovations that reduce the cost of operations globally, thus making them sustainable. The Equitable Growth Panel discussed the need for (and the lack of) inclusive growth in India. While Gurcharan Das, author and former India CEO of Procter & Gamble, maintained that industrial growth was by definition inclusive. Other panelists contested this, and stressed the need for uplifting the rural poor through government, NGO and privatesector involvement. The poor quality of education was covered by Shayak Banerjee from Pratham, who cited the abysmally low skill levels of pri-

mary school students. The hurdles imposed by corruption in infrastructure development and the equitable distribution of health and sanitation were also discussed. Moderated by Professor Ram Shivakumar, the panel featured Thangavel Palanivel, chief economist for Asia and the Pacific with the United Nations Development Programme; Jason Gonzales, CEO of AquaVida International; and Geeta Mehta, adjunct professor of architecture and urban design at Columbia University. Shailesh Rao, managing director of Google Media and Platforms for Asia Pacific and Japan, delivered the keynote

speech during lunch and spoke about India in a global context. He emphasized the roles Indians play as consumers, suppliers and innovators, and discussed the role of technology as well as challenges that lie ahead. The Investment Outlook Panel brought together leaders in the private equity, venture capital and investment management industry to provide insights into the Indian investment climate. Panelists included James Quella, senior managing director, Blackstone Group; Steve Beinhacker, chief investment officer for emerging markets, Alliance Bernstein; Chris Garrett, institutional portfolio manager, Brandes Investment

Above left, Raghav Bahl, founder and managing director, Network 18 Group. Above right, Natarajan “Chandra” Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director, TATA Consultancy Service. Right, panelists at the summit, from left, Rishad Tobaccowala, chief strategy and innovation officer, Vivaki.com; Sandeep Ahuja, CEO and co-founder of Operation ASHA; Sunil Sinha, chief, Group Quality Management Services, Tata Sons Ltd.; Abhi Shah, CEO and managing director, The Clutch Group; and professor Scott Meadow, clinical professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Chicago Booth School of Business,

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Left, Dean Sunil Kumar, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Partners; Rajesh Sawhney, president, Reliance Entertainment; Raj Pai, managing director, Global Environment Fund Advisors India; and Seth Freeman, cofounder and CEO, EM Capital Management. The panelists discussed opportunities for investments in India. They emphasized the need to have “feet on the ground” to ensure due diligence. Puneet Shivam of Avendus Capital moderated a panel that focused on careers and opportunities with Indian and multinational companies. Alumni and others spoke about how to reconcile dreams and aspirations of working abroad with the realities of living in a different culture, working in a new environment, as well as important factors like business school debts, family commitments, etc. The panelists included Praveen Chennareddy, vice president of strategy for Marathon Data Systems; Prabhakar Reddy, managing director and managing partner for Naya Ventures; Gunjan Bagla, founder and managing director of Amritt Ventures; and Ganesh Pai, head of the insurance market unit for Mphasis. Giving a closer look at the media and entertainment industries, Harjiv Singh, co-founder and co-CEO of Gutenberg Communications, offered various perspectives that could help young business leaders take advantage of opportunities in this sector. Shivani Prabhakar, former head of marketing at Dharma Productions, talked about streamlining of operations at Bollywood production houses and the increasing importance of social media while marketing movies. Indira S. Somani, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., talked about the increasing importance of the Indian diaspora within this sector. Akash Bhatia, co-founder of KyaZoonga, and Sarbvir Singh, managing director of Capital18, discussed adopting popular Western business models to cater to the Indian population, with increasing focus on second- and third-tier cities in India. The panel also discussed the growing maturity of the Indian audience and its demanding appetite for creative content. The summit concluded with a keynote address by Raghav Bahl, founder and managing director, Network 18 Group. Bahl spoke about India’s growing economic reforms and the India versus China contest. He also referenced his recent book, “Superpower: The Amazing Race between China’s Hare and India’s Tortoise.”

CITY VIEWS

May 27, 2011

Krishnamoorthi Launches Exploratory Committee for Congressional Run By Ela Dutt – CHICAGO, Ill. aja Krishnamoorthi, who earlier ran for Illinois State Comptroller in 2010, says he is getting positive feedback from the Democratic Party about the possibility of running for the U.S. Congress from District 8. He launched an exploratory committee May 23, to seek the 8th Congressional District seat which covers the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The seat is currently held by freshman Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, a Tea Party favorite who defeated Melissa Bean, the Democrat who had been in office since 2005. Both Walsh and Bean got 48.5 percent of the vote, but Walsh received 98,115 votes to Bean’s

Raja Krishnamoorthi

97,825, a 290 vote difference. Krishnamoorthi believes he can turn those 290 votes around. So when Bean announced some weeks ago that she will not be running come 2012, Krishnamoorthi decided to check his odds, he told Desi Talk. “We need people who repre-

sent common sense problemsolving and are not held hostage by ideology,” he said. In his talks with grassroots activists and higher ups in the party, he said, he had seen that support for his candidacy. At least 30 political leaders have out for him, including Abner Mikva, former U.S. Judge, Congressman, and White House Counsel; Newton Minow, former Chairman of the FCC; Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President; Danny Davis, U.S. Congressman; Debbie Halvorson, former U.S. Congresswoman; David Wilhelm, former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee; Fred Crespo, State Representative; Tom Villanova, President, Chicago and Cook County Bldg. Trades Council; Bob Peickert, DuPage County Democratic Chairman; Rocco

Terranova, Schaumburg Township Democratic Committeeman; Nancy Shepherdson, 8th Congressional District Democratic State Central Committeewoman and Chair of the Eighth District Democrats and Independents; Christine Cegelis, 6th Congressional District Democratic State Central Committeewoman and Elk Grove Village Democratic Committeeman; and Robert Wagner, 6th Congressional District Democratic State Central Committeeman among others. A resident of Hoffman Estates, where he lives with his wife and two children, Krishnamoorthi is President of Sivananthan Laboratories, a high-tech company focused on innovation of products in the fields of renewable energy and national security, according to a release.

Munni Begum Concert Raises Cash for Girls’ Education By N. Begum –GRAYSLAKE, Ill. he legendary Munni Begum enthralled about 100 guests at a May 21 benefit concert organized by the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of the Greater Chicago area.

Held on the Grayslake campus of the College of Lake County, the event raised money for educating girls in India. Ateeq Ahmad, a member of the concert organizing team, said, the alumni association focuses on educational, social and cultural issues. “This program is organized for

the exclusive benefit of education of girls living in economically disadvantaged communities in India,” he told Desi Talk. A renowned ghazal singer, Begum riveted listeners with her evergreen number, “Lazzat-eGham Badha Dijiye.” The soulful notes of “Meri Dastaan-e-Hasrat” left quite a few listeners with

moist eyes. She also captivated listeners with her other popular ghazals including “Koi Mauj-eGul Se,” “Ishq Mein Hum Tumhe Kya Batain” and many others. Legendary ghazal singer Munni Begum performs at a May 21 benefit concert organized by the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of the Greater Chicago Area at Grayslake Campus of the College of Lake County.

Group Focuses on Smoking in Asian Community By a Staff Writer –CHICAGO, IL health conference organized by Asian Human Services Inc. on May 12 highlighted the growing problem of tobacco use in the AsianAmerican community. A number of community leaders, health advocates and state and local public health officials spoke at the event. Asian Human Services, an agency that aims to meet the social-service needs of the panAsian community in Chicago, recently received two grants – one from the Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project and the other from the Illinois Department of Public Health. “By increasing access to smoking cessation resources in an eth-

nic community frequently estranged from health services, the combined effort of these state and local programs exhibits tremendous progress in the united commitment to build a healthier, smoke-free environment for everyone,” Abha Pandya, CEO of Asian Human Services, was quoted as saying, in a press release. Through its partnership with the Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project, Asian Human Services is implementing smoking cessation workshops, an antitobacco media campaign and Operation Storefront – a special curriculum designed to teach youth about the targeted marketing tactics of Big Tobacco, the release said.

Asian Human Services Inc. held a smoking cessation workshop on May 12 in Chicago.

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Nonprofit Seeks Funds to Fight TB By a Staff Writer – CHICAGO, Ill. peration Asha, a nonprofit based out of Chicago and Delhi, is looking to raise money to support its fight against tuberculosis. According to its website, the group aims to eradicate TB worldwide and has treated more than 2 million people, most of whom live in slums in India. The cost of treatment per patient is $25, and Operation Asha aims to serve about 70 million people worldwide by 2013. “Operation ASHA is the largest nonprofit organization in TB treatment in India, working towards eliminating tuberculosis in India,” Sandeep Ahuja, CEO of the group, said at a May 11 press conference at Mysore Woodlands restaurant in Chicago. “It has started TB center in Cambodia and has laid the groundwork in several other countries.” Appealing for financial assistance, Ahuja said the group needs to raise about $600,000 this year to carry out its work. “We are in need of huge funds,” he was quoted as saying in a press release. Operation Asha was founded in 2006 by Ahuja and Shelly Batra, a New Delhi-based physician. The group has set up treatment centers in the communities where its patients live and that has helped reduce the cost of operation, its website says. Operation ASHA has joined forces with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to conduct social research and with Microsoft to utilize groundbreaking biometrics technology. More recently, it has joined forces My Hollywood Production, a group with ties to the entertainment industry that seeks to support filmmakers while helping those in need. My Hollywood Production offers various packages –a visit to a film set, lunch with the team, an exclusive invitation to the Cannes film festival and even a speaking role in a Hollywood movie –and 25 percent of the proceeds are donated to charity; the remaining amount goes toward making films. Packages range from $250,000 to $1 million.

CITY VIEWS

May 27, 2011

Fashion Show Attracts 3,500

Merits of Talking to Taliban By N. Begum

Continued from page 4 “Even if Afghanistan settles down, Pakistan faces a long war for which it is not fully prepared. The result may be continuing instability inside Pakistan and creeping radicalization may become a reality in society at large and perhaps even infect the military over time. In nucleararmed Pakistan, this may pose a regional and global threat to peace and stability.” Caught between U.S. pressure to “do more” to fight militants and a need to protect its own citizens at home (the Pakistan Army, rightly or wrongly, sees these two compulsions as competing and sometimes contradictory), Pakistan has dithered between wanting to use the Haqqani network to bring the Pakistani Taliban to heel and promising to fight it. It is a chaotic situation which is showing no signs of improvement, and which is very unlikely to be made any simpler by bin Laden’s death. (Many of the groups fighting in both Afghanistan and Pakistan are driven by compulsions which exist independently of al Qaida, whose roots have always been in the Middle East.) Ultimately any political settlement in Afghanistan, or for that matter any new policies on either counterterrorism or counter-insurgency, would have to take account of what is a vicious mix of Islamist militancy, political grievances and ethnic rivalries across the region. That is not to say that talking to the Taliban is a bad idea. But it would an illusion to think that these talks, combined with bin Laden’s death, will pave the way for an early exit for the United States. For more on the complexities of a political settlement in Afghanistan, do read this detailed lecture by Britain’s former foreign secretary David Miliband, this article by Giandomenico Picco published by the OxfordResearchGroup and The Century Foundation report (pdf) written by a group of international experts led by Lakhdar Brahimi and Thomas Pickering. – Reuters

–CHICAGO, IL reativity and style were on display at the South Asian Fashion Expo 2011 held May 15 at Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove, Ill. The event was presented by Khalid Pak Travel and Qursheed Ansari. Saree Palace and Cundri presented trendy garments for the festive season. Models Krunal Patel, Jigi Patel, Yash Kumar, Grishma Shah, Shahbaz Lateef, Jalpa Shah, Raj Kedam, Asma Khan and Amir Khan walked the ramp to music provided by DJ KMoney. Coordinated by the Media 1 and Equal Efforts of Chicago Premier Event, the event was attended by over 3,500 people and featured 50 vendors. Keyur Parikh, CEO of Media 1 and the show choreographer, was overwhelmed by the response. “I

Atika Studios

Models display the latest trend at the South Asian Fashion Expo 2011 held May 15 at Ashyana Banquets, Downer Grove, Ill.

am moved by seeing the response,” he told Desi Talk. “I’ll come again with more such con-

cepts.” The entertainment for the event was also arranged by

Parikh, and the show was managed by Chirag Shah and Chirag Patel, partners in Media1. The event opened with a musical program by Sheezad Ahmed, Sheezad Khan, Abdul Saif, Saleem Merchant and Amir Khan. A dance performance was choreographed by award-winning choreographer Jigar Shah and Misha. A special attraction was a dance performance by Bilal and a special appearance by Noman Khan. The program was compered by Saleem Merchant. Music and sound was provided by Imran Waheed, and hair and makeup was done by Sophia Motlani of Sophos. Photos were taken by Atika Studios and video coverage was provided by Ayantv.com. For information about upcoming events, contact bookings@themedia1.com, vendors@chicagopremierevents.com or register at Themedia1.com/expo.

Indo-American Center Celebrates Adult Literacy Students By a Staff Writer –CHICAGO, IL he Indo-American Center joined the North Side Literacy Coalition to recognize the achievements of students in the adult literacy program offered by the group. The “Night of 1,000 Stars” was held May 14 at the center on Devon Avenue. According to a press release from the center, students showcased their skills through a variety of performances including poetry, dances and music. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White was the keynote speaker. Praising the Indo-American Center and other organizations for promoting literacy among immigrants, he said he was “delighted” to see the progress made. “I am willing to help the member organ-

izations and the Indo-American Center,” he was quoted as saying. “This is the most important cause in which I wish to help.” White also handed out certificates to performers

Debra Silverstein, alderman from the 50th Ward, also attended. Zahra Somani represented Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. Other attendees included Indian-American journalist and activist Nand

Kapoor; Dorothy Whitney, Chicago consultant for White; and Saroja Reddy, a student at the Indo-American Center. Sher Rajput represented the board of directors of the center.

The Indo-American Center on May 14 hosted ‘Night of 1,000 Stars,’ to reconize the achievement of students in the adult literacy program.

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CITY VIEWS

May 27, 2011

Headley’s Testimony Links Pakistan’s ISI to Terrorist Organization By Sebastian Rotella –CHICAGO, IL confessed Pakistani American terrorist took the stand in a Chicago courtroom on Monday and described a close alliance between Pakistan’s intelligence service and the Lashkar-i-Taiba terrorist group, alleging that Pakistani officers recruited him and played a central role in planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks. David Coleman Headley’s longawaited testimony at the start of a trial with international repercussions resolved one question at the outset: Federal prosecutors did not hesitate to connect Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) to the attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans. Headley has pleaded guilty to doing reconnaissance in Mumbai and is the star government witness against his accused accomplice, Tahawwur Rana. Headley testified that Lashkar “operated under the umbrella of the ISI” even after the group was banned in Pakistan in 2001. The ISI and Lashkar “coordinated with each other,” Headley testified. “And ISI provided assistance to Lashkar: financial, military and moral support.” After he trained three years with Lashkar, Headley said a “Major Ali” of the ISI recruited him when he was briefly detained near the Afghan border in 2006.

Headley has pleaded guilty to doing reconnaissance in Mumbai and is the star government witness against his accused accomplice, Tahawwur Rana. Headley testified that Lashkar “operated under the umbrella of the ISI” even after the group was banned in Pakistan in 2001

Major Ali referred to him to an officer known as Major Iqbal, who became Headley’s handler and worked separately but in coordination with Lashkar chiefs, directing Headley’s reconnaissance in India and providing $25,000 to fund his mission. Before reporting to Lashkar, Headley always reported first to Iqbal, who participated in key aspects of the Mumbai plot such as target selection, the route for an amphibious attack and a proposed safe house for Lashkar gunmen, Headley testified. “This was being coordinated,” Headley said. “But the instructions emanated from Major Iqbal.”

Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied any ISI role in the Mumbai attacks. But Monday’s testimony is likely to intensify David Headley allegations that Pakistan plays a double game in the fight against terrorism, especially after Osama bin Laden was found hiding in a military town near the Pakistani capital. After more than a year of official silence about the sensitive case, the prosecution’s examination of Headley quickly laid out evidence implicating the ISI in a sophisticated commando-style attack that was designed to kill Americans, Jews and other Westerners. To corroborate Headley’s allegations, prosecutors displayed evidence of his e-mail exchanges and phone calls with Major Iqbal. Headley testified that Iqbal had acquired a phone number with a New York area code and told him to call it while in Mumbai to avoid detection “because all calls, almost, from India to Pakistan are monitored.” The case rests largely on the credibility of Headley, a former drug dealer and DEA informant. Headley has spent months helping the prosecution prepare and has cooperated enthusiastically in drug cases in the past. But he seemed remarkably

subdued Monday. The tall, broadshouldered and balding 50-yearold took the stand wearing a blue track suit and a solemn expression. Asst. U.S. Atty. Daniel Collins asked him repeatedly to speak more loudly. The multi-lingual, well-traveled Headley, who speaks with a trace of a Pakistani accent, often sighed or sounded exasperated as he responded. Parts of the account Headley gave Monday had already surfaced in an Indian interrogation report and been disclosed to ProPublica by Western and Indian investigators. But there were new details as the evidence was aired in a U.S. courtroom packed with U.S., Indian and Danish journalists. Headley described his close relationship Lashkar’s top leaders and said they alluded casually to their alliance with the ISI. At a lunch in Pakistan 2004, Headley suggested to Hafiz Saeed and Zaki Ur-Rehman Lahkvi, the group’s spiritual and military chiefs, that they sue the U.S. government for having designated Lashkar a terrorist organization, according to his account. “Zaki said we should take the ISI into confidence before making such a big move,” Headley testified. The Pakistan military also supported Lashkar at the tactical level, Headley alleged. Headley testified that a Pakistani Navy frogman provided technical advice in a meeting at Lashkar headquarters to plan the route for

the maritime attack. Headley said the debate about a landing site indicated that the frogman would accompany the gunmen to Mumbai. Headley testified that the frogman warned the plotters that a proposed landing site near an Indian naval base might force him into a shootout with Indian authorities. Rana, Headley’s boyhood friend, is the only defendant on trial. The others indicted include Major Iqbal, three Lashkar chiefs and two al Qaida figures accused of overseeing Headley’s scouting for a foiled plot in Denmark. Rana is charged with material support of terrorism for allowing Headley to use his Chicago-based immigration consulting firm as a cover for his reconnaissance. In his opening statement, Rana’s lawyer argued that Headley had manipulated Rana just as he had manipulated multiple wives, extremist groups and government agencies. Swift also raised the possibility that Headley may have continued working for the U.S. government well after he started training with Lashkar. He accused Headley of changing his story to betray Rana and avoid the death penalty. “Will David Headley make a fool out of us?” Swift asked the jury. “I’m confident he will not. ... The people who did this should be held accountable. The tragedy is that we made a deal with them.” – The Washington Post

Punjabi Society Showcases Indian Culture, Heritage By a Staff Writer –CHICAGO, IL ore than 300 community members participated in a celebration of Indian art and culture at Navy Pier on May 15. “Passport to the World: India Festival Celebration” was organized by the Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) in collaboration with Chicago Children’s Museum, a press release from PCS said. “This is 11th year in a row that PCS has organized this event,” Rajinder Singh Mago, a PCS member who compered the program, was quoted as saying. The program included Bhangra and Gidha performances by local youth groups, dhol music, Bhangra lessons, turban-tying demonstrations and other Indian performing arts, he said. The dance items were coordinated by Pardeep Deol, Sukhwinder Kaur and Sukhvir Kaur Dhillon. Other volunteers organized the Bhangra 101 dance lessons children and parents, the turban-tying demonstrations and other workshops. “This is an excellent opportu-

The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) collaborated with Chicago Children’s Museum (CCM) to organize the “Passport to the World: India Festival Celebration” on May 15 at Navy Pier.

nity to share our fine culture with the main stream children to create awareness about our community and build relationships for the future,” said Dr. Amarjit Singh, the PCS chairperson, was quoted as saying. “Passport to the World” is organized by the museum and aims to expose children to cultures from different parts of the world. The program organized by PCS “provides a unique opportu-

nity to the visitors to learn directly from the communities rather than us,” Keith McCormick, the museum’s director of cultural programs, was quoted as saying. He praised PCS for its effort and said the museum values its partnership with the group. “Children’s Museum provides us such a cordial and welcoming environment, that it’s a wonderful experience for our children, their parents and grandparents. They look forward to it every year,”

Balwinder Singh Girn, president of PCS, was quoted as saying. Volunteer organizers included Gurmit Singh Dhillon, Baljit Singh Sidhu, Parminder Singh Ghotra, Surinder Singh Sangha, Avind Gakhal, Jay Sangha, Thakar Singh Basati, Sunny Kular, Ronny Kular, Amarjit Kaur Atwal, Sukhmel Singh Atwal, Bhinder Singh Pamma, Yadwinder Singh Grewal, Onkar Singh Sangha, Paul Lail, Jasbir Palia, Lakhwant Singh Komal, Mohinderjit Singh Saini.

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PCS will host its annual Scholarship Awards Night on June 12 at Viceroy of India Banquets in Lombard, Ill. Participants of “Rangla Punjab 2011” will also be honored and the program DVDs will be available for sale, the press release said. The PCS Basketball Tournament is set for Aug. 6 and the PCS Sports Festival will be held Aug. 7 at Centennial Park in Addison, Ill.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

May 27, 2011

Teenager in Rutgers Suicide Case Pleads Not Guilty By Ela Dutt

John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger.

harun Ravi, 19, the former Rutgers University student whose roommate committed suicide in September, pleaded not guilty in a New Jersey court May 23 to the 15 charges against him. Ravi, of Plainsboro, N.J., appeared in Middlesex County Court in New Brunswick for his arraignment. Dressed in a navyblue suit and wearing a red tie, he looked nervous and did not speak during the proceedings. According to The Star-Ledger, he was formally notified of the charges against him, including bias intimidation and invasion of privacy. He could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted. While he was student at Rutgers, Ravi is alleged to have taped a gay-sex encounter involving his then-roommate, Tyler Clementi, using a webcam and aired it. Clementi committed suicide Sept. 22, a few days after the alleged airing of the encounter.

Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student who is charged with bias, intimidation and invasion of privacy of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, is arraigned at the Middlesex County Courthouse.

Steve Altman, Ravi’s lawyer, entered the plea for the teen. Altman did not return calls for comment by Desi Talk press time. Clementi's family attended the proceeding. According to the Star-Ledger,

Clementi's father issued a statement saying, "Our family is grateful for all the work done by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. ... We are eager to see the criminal justice process move forward."

Man Shot Dead in California Home; Wife Critical From News Dispatches

burst of gunfire in a quiet Sacramento, Calif., suburb prompted neighbors to call the police to the home of Balbir Singh Dhami. Dhami was found dead and his wife critically injured, the Sacramento Bee reported May 20. The May 19 shooting in the home in North Laguna Creek, Calif., came in the wake of several allegations against members of the family. Dhami’s son is a fugitive accused of murder and is suspected of being holed up in India, and Dhami himself was charged with cocaine trafficking. Dhami’s wife, whose name has not been released, is in a local hospital, authorities told the

newspaper. The gunman is described by police as a short, dark-skinned man wearing a yellow sweatshirt and driving a gold American-made car. Sacramento Police Sgt. Norm Leong said several leads were being pursued and several motives were being considered. Based on the preliminary investigation, Leong said, there was no indication that the victims' race or religion were motivating factors, the Bee reported. Details about Dhami’s life began emerging soon after the shooting. He had been indicted along with five other defendants in a drug trafficking case in 2008. Prosecutors had alleged that Dhami, part owner of a Stockton Boulevard truck stop, used his truck ties to transport large amounts of cocaine between Los

Angeles, Sacramento, Canada and other cities. Authorities intercepted that shipment in New Mexico, the Bee reported. Dhami was convicted of the conspiracy charge in April 2010, and sentencing had yet to take place. In 2008, six months after Dhami's indictment, his son, Amandeep, was charged by Sacramento police as one of two suspects in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Parmit Singh Pamma at a sports tournament in the area. Amandeep Singh Dhami is reported to have left for India from Canada. At that time, Balbir Singh Dhami and three relatives were charged with helping the son escape capture. Those charges were later dismissed.

Judge Says Facebook Posts of Accused Teens Can be Used in Sinha Murder Trial From News Dispatches

New Jersey judge has ruled that Facebook messages posted by Old Bridge, N.J., teens accused in the beating death of Divyendu Sinha can be used in the murder trial expected to get under way later this year. The exchange of messages took place between Julian Daley, 16, Christopher Conway, 17, and Cash Johnson, 17, barely 10 minutes after Sinha’s brutal beating June 25 last year on the sidewalk in front of his home on Fela Drive in Old Bridge. Two other teens –Christian

Tinli, 18, and Steven Contreras, 17– are also accused in the case. The teens will be tried as adults for murdering Sinha. Four of them are on bail, but Daley remains in Middlesex County jail in lieu of $1 million as he twice violated the conditions of his bail. Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Kuberiet had sought to use the Facebook messages as evidence of the alleged conspiracy among the five teens to beat up someone while on a “wilding” spree.

Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz ruled that 29 out of the 34 messages exchanged by the four teens relating to the attacks could be admitted in court, The StarLedger reported May 16. The remaining five messages, the judge said, were too inflammatory to be used as they apparently discussed how much the teens enjoyed carrying out the beating, the report said. The messages that can be used in court allegedly reveal plans to beat someone else up the next night and also how to respond to police queries. Ferencz said he expects to begin the trial this August or September, The StarLedger reported.

James O’Neill, the public information officer at the Middlesex County prosecutor’s office in New Brunswick, told Desi Talk he could not discuss the case out of court. The office has handed over lots of evidentiary materials to Ravi’s attorney, which O’Neill said he was not permitted to describe. However, media reports said Altman described the materials as including 88 computer discs,1,600 pages of documents and a list of 125 possible witnesses. Altman is reported to have said he would hire an expert and possibly an investigator to interview witnesses. O’Neill confirmed that the description was accurate. Prosecutors have alleged that Ravi tried to erase Twitter messages that could have incriminated him and tried to convince

friends not to testify against him. One of the witnesses against Ravi is Molly Wei, a former Rutgers student to whose room Ravi went and from whose computer he activated his webcam in the room he shared with Clementi. Wei is also charged with invasion of privacy. She has agreed to a pretrial intervention program that could result in charges against her being dropped in three years if she fulfils all conditions and cooperates with investigators. The judge in the case, Glenn Berman, scheduled a meeting for July 25. “The July 25 hearing is a status conference. The judge will discuss matters that involve preparing for trial,” O’Neill told Desi Talk. No trial date has been set so far.

New Jersey Couple Pleads Guilty to Illegally Selling Counterfeit Drugs By a Staff Writer – CAMDEN, N.J. elling “generic Viagra” when it was still under a patent was probably the surest way for Nita Patel, 47, and husband Harshad Patel, 53, to get nabbed by an undercover investigator. On May 16, the couple from Closter, N.J., admitted to selling counterfeit prescription drugs manufactured in India to customers in the United States, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 23. The charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Had the drugs the defendants sold to the undercover law enforcement officer been authentic, they would have had a wholesale acquisition cost of more than $2.5 million, authorities said in the press release. Harshad Patel, who is an Indian national, and Nita Patel entered pleas before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas to one count of unlicensed distribution of pharmaceuticals. A third individual, Moloy Ghosh, 31, of India, pleaded guilty before Irenas on Dec. 15, and was sentenced March 22 to eight months in prison. The Patels and Ghosh were all previously arrested and charged by complaint April 2, 2010. According to court documents filed in the case and statements made in Camden federal court, Nita Patel offered “generic” forms of

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patented pharmaceutical products for sale over the Internet, the source of which was an Indian company. When contacted by an undercover law enforcement officer, she provided a price list of products offering for sale “generic Viagra,” “generic Cialis,” and “generic Levitra,” each of which is a patent-protected erectile dysfunction drug manufactured in the United States. Over the course of several months, Nita Patel and her husband negotiated with the undercover officer for the sale of more than 300,000 tablets of counterfeit drugs, including counterfeit versions of Abilify (used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), Lexapro (used for the treatment of depression), and Plavix (an anticoagulant), authorities said in the release. All of the counterfeit drugs were shipped from Ghosh’s business in India, where he lived and worked before traveling to the U.S. on a business visa April 2, 2010, the day before he was arrested. Ghosh and Nita Patel used fictitious names on Customs Declaration forms in order to avoid detection, authorities said. The tablets, which in some cases were designed to mimic the appearance of the legitimate drugs, were not tested or approved by the Food and Drug Administration for distribution in the U.S., and had labels that did not contain required safety warnings. Under federal law, it is illegal to distribute wholesale quantities of pharmaceuticals without a license to do so. Neither the Patels nor Ghosh had such a license in the State of New Jersey.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

May 27, 2011

New York City Council Honors Physicians Group By a Staff Writer – NEW YORK ew York City Council Members Daniel J. Halloran , R-Whitestone, Mark Weprin, D-Oakland Gardens, and Jim Gennaro, DJamaica Estates, joined physicians of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) at City Hall May 23 to thank them for its work and honor the outstanding contribution made by Indian-American physicians. Halloran will present AAPI President Dr Ajeet R. Singhvi with a City Council proclamation declaring June 23 as AAPI Day to commemorate the 29th AAPI annual convention to be held in New York between June 22 and 26, a press release said. “AAPI has done outstanding work in fostering professional development, community activism and better health in the Indian-American community in the United States and in India,” Halloran was quoted in the release as saying Dr. Singhvi, in his remarks, said AAPI is very grateful for the kind gesture and Indian-American physicians are deeply honored with the proposed Proclamation by the City Council to declare AAPI Day on June 23. Dr. Sunita Kanumury, president-elect of AAPI; Dr. Ajay Lodha, AAPI convention commit-

Prakash Swamy

tee chair; Dr. Shashi Shah, host city chair of the convention, Lal Motwani, president of National Federation of Indian Associations, S. Chidambaranathan, executive vice president of New York Tamil Association and Dilip Chauhan, political advisor to AAPI spoke on the occasion. Meanwhile according to a press release, AAPI hosted a fundraiser at Manhasset, Long Island, May 22, which was attended by Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., DIll. Speaking at the event, the congressman said,“there should be a

2 New Jersey Students Win State Department Award By a Staff Writer

wo Indian-American highschool students from New Jersey have won an award from the State Department for a project that aims at promoting better relations with the Muslim world. Aparajit Sriram and Avanti Dabholkar, who developed a website called “Cultural Diplomacy with the Muslim World,” were named winners May 19 of the State Department’s 2011 Doors to Diplomacy Award, along with another team from China. Sriram and Dabholkar are from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in Plainsboro, N.J., and their site, www.wix.com/adas920/cdiplomacy, explores the role that culture plays in international diplomacy, a press release said. Doors to Diplomacy is cosponsored by Global SchoolNet. The awards recognize the Web projects that best teach young people about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. Participants, ranging in age

from 11 to 18, included 341 student teams from 30 countries. The other winning website was built by a team from Shanghai Community International School in Shanghai, China. Titled International Adoptions and Diplomacy, the site at www.wix.com/dufn50216/dtdinternational-adoptions shows how adoptions between different countries can help to strengthen the diplomatic bonds between them. Each student member of the two winning teams will receive a $2,000 scholarship, the press release said. The winning team’s coaches will each receive a $500 cash award. The websites were judged by student peers and educational professionals, with the final selections made by a team of State Department judges from the Bureaus of Public Affairs and Educational and Cultural Affairs. The winning sites will be linked from the department’s youth site at www.future.state.gov. Global SchoolNet is a nonprofit, Internet-based education program.

New York City Council Members Mark Weprin, 2nd from left, and Daniel J. Halloran, 3rd from right, with AAPI members and guests, including AAPI president Dr. Ajeet Singhvi, center, at City Hall in Manhattan, May 23. Right, in a separate event, AAPI recently hosted a fundraiser at Manhasset, Long Island, attended by Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., 2nd from left. Among those seen foreground are, from left, Indian Member of Parliament Ashk Ali Tak, Dr. Singhvi, Dr. Shashi Shah and Dr. Jagan Pahuja.

clear re-focus and rethinking on the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan following the assassination of dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden near Islamabad.” “Pakistan,” Rep. Jackson was quoted as saying, “may not be the ally that once

they led us to believe that they are.” Complimenting IndianAmericans for their accomplishments, he said that while there are (many) Indian-American physicians, engineers and scien-

tists, what we need is “Indian American Jessie Jackson and an Indian Al Sharpton to fight for the rights of the oppressed and champion the cause of civil rights.”

Andhra Medical Graduates Hold Convention in Atlantic City By a Staff Writer

he Federation of Andhra Pradesh Medical Graduates in USA celebrated its first gala at Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., from April 29 to May 1. The federation is an umbrella organization of alumni from 34 alumni medical colleges in the state. The three-day event was inaugurated by Dr. Rao Emandi, chairman of the federation, followed by a press meet. Members who attended the meet included Dr. Ranga Reddy, vice chairman; Dr. Mohan Mallam, past president; Dr. Jagan Kakarla, past president and founding member; Dr. Vemuri Murthy, chairman, emergency medical education; and Dr. Sadasiva Reddy, chairman, constitution and bylaws. According to a May 16 press release from the organizers, Emandi told the media that the

convention was arranged in the tristate area to accommodate members from New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Indiana Philadelphia and Chicago. He said the federation along with the NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government to introduce courses mandatory for house surgeons and post graduates. This is the first pilot project in implementing emergency courses into the state curriculum, he added. The convention also included dance performances, a fashion show and seminars conducted by Dr. Dattatrayudu Nori, on various topics including cancer, heart, emergency medicine and interventional radiology. The women’s forum was headed by Dr. Janani. A gala was dinner was held April 30 and was attended by

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Prabhu Dayal, consul general of India in New York, who was the chief guest. New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula and other prominent members of the community, including Dr. Sudhir Parikh, publisher of News India Times; Dr. Ranga Reddy, Krishna Putta, Dr. Sampath Shivangi, Dr. Sanku Rao, Dr. Narendra Kumar and others. In his address, Dayal acknowledged the federation’s work especially in the field of emergency medical education and charity, the release said. Chivukula praised the services offered by the organization and requested all members to participate in the adopt-a-village program. Dr. Ajeet Singhvi, president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, awarded a memento to Emandi for extraordinary leadership and service to the community.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

May 27, 2011

Yogesh Mehta

Teen Seeks Justice

Helen Peterson, a spokesperson for the Queen’s DA’s office told Desi Talk they were not in a position to comment on pending litigation and because the case had been sealed. However, John Bowne High School suspended Krittika and initiated disciplinary hearings on the charges relating to the emails. As a result the NYC Department of Education held hearings on the matter, and eventually the charges were dismissed. The school ultimately withdrew charges. “Indeed, the real criminal was later identified by the school and admitted to his misconduct,” says Batra but was not charged. Meanwhile, Kate O'Brien Ahlers, the media and communications director at the NYC Law Department which will handle the Biswas case as it applies to the Department of Education, told Desi Talk they had not yet been served the papers relating to it. "Once we are formally served with the claim, we'll evaluate Ms. Biswas's case thoroughly," she said. According to the events described by Batra, last December, two teachers at the John Bowne High School, KimRoss, the math teacher and Ivan Cohill, the gym teacher received “threatening, disgusting and vicious” emails. On December 21, the School identified two students, both of Indian decent, to interview. One was Krittika and the other was

Aman, says Batra, based on their home addresses and Internet Protocol addresses, and because both had the same teachers. This could not be confirmed with the school as the principal did not return calls. “In point of fact, as we later discovered, the offensive emails were transmitted from an IP Address associated with the network of “Earthlink, Inc.”,” says Batra. The school did not return calls for clarification. On December 22, parents of both Krittika and Aman were summoned to School, and told of the matter. More than a month later, on Feb. 8, according to Batra’s account, Krittika was informed that additional emails were sent on February 6th at 1:06pm, and the Police have been called to come arrest her. “Without probable cause, Krittika was arrested,” says Batra in his release, adding that police officer Granshaw handcuffed her “tightly,” while she was being interrogated. Batra also says the officers did not read her her Miranda rights and ignored Krittika’s assertions about her diplomatic immunity. “However, pursuant to Article 36(1)(b) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, if a foreign national is detained, upon request “the competent authorities of the receiving State shall, without delay, inform the consular post of the sending State” of such detention,” Batra says in his release. The same day, Feb. 8, afternoon, Krittika was taken to the

Above, Batra answeres questions from the media on the steps of New York City Hall. Apart from the media, a few members of the Indian American community were also present at the press conference.

Yogesh Mehta

Continued from page 6

Biswas narrated to the press her experiences on that day of Feb. 8, when she was handcuffed in school and made to walk out of school in front of other students.

107 Precinct, and placed in a detention cell for a few hours. Then, she was again handcuffed and transported from the Precinct station house to Queens Central Booking, where she remained confined from approximately 3:45pm Feb. 8, to approximately 2:30pm the next day, February 9, according to the release. At Queens Central Booking, she was finally given her Miranda warnings, and interrogated, where she again denied any involvement in the obscene emails. Batra says he was contacted on February 9, by Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal, and retained by Krittika’s dad, Debashish Biswas. Batra says he went to Queens Central Booking, and met District Attorney Richard A. Brown, and presented the Note Verbale DA Brown, according to Batra, decided to administratively dismiss the criminal charges and further ordered the file “sealed,” such that Krittika’s arrest was “expunged” and she can legally say that she was never “arrested.” Despite the charges being expunged, the high school, Batra says, continued to follow up the issue, and suspended Krittika on Feb. 10, when it also filed disciplinary charges. To fight her case at the NYC DOE, Krittika employed an expert forensic software engineer, Gleb Liferenko, from Granville, Vermont, as well as witnesses who could testify to her being at a mall during the time that some of the emails were sent.

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On March 15, Principal Kwait sent an email, with an attached letter dropping all charges against Krittika, according to Batra. The school did not return calls for clarification. Biswas narrated to the press her experiences on that day of Feb. 8, when she was handcuffed in school and made to walk out of school in front of other students. She said the handcuffs had deliberately been tightened to make her confess to a crime she had not committed. She recalled how in spite of several pleas to use the bathroom, she was not heard. Choking with discomfort, Biswas mentioned that it was almost after two hours in the precinct that she was able to make contact with her father. Biswas said she spent the night at the precint and shared the cell with another 17-year-old; that she was very cold that night as she was allowed to leave the school with only one jacket, in spite of getting into school that day with two; how she spent the night with her cell-mate on a tiny bench sharing a small blanket. Back at her school she said she has been instructed by her principal to “not talk about the arrest.” “Someone asked me the other day if I was ashamed that I was arrested,” she said, adding that she replied that she had not done anything, she was innocent. Biswas said she knew the culprit whom she identified as Shang Ming, a class mate for chemistry and earlier in the same calculus class with Kim-Ross before Ming was asked to leave by the teacher.

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ne moment, she was a high school student taking honors courses, the next moment she was a teen under arrest, accused of sending hatefilled emails to two teachers. The charges have been withdrawn and the real culprit has been found, but 18-year-old Krittika Biswas hasn't yet recovered from the ordeal of being falsely accused, detained and treated like a criminal. “I came to New York with lots of hope and dreams,” the teenager said at a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall May 24. Now she is not sure she wants to live here. The daughter of Debashish Biswas, the vice consul at the Consulate General of India in New York, has filed a claim against New York City, some police officers, as well as the principal of her school and her math teacher for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as other relief. Biswas, a student at John Bowne High School in Queens, filed the claim May 6, seeking $500,000 in compensation and $1 million in punitive damages against New York City; the city's Education Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott; John Bowne High School Principal, Howard Kwait and teacher Jamie Kim-Ross; Elayna Konstan, CEO at the city Department of Education's Office of School and Youth Development; as well as several personnel at the office; police

Commissioner Ray Kelly; police Officers “Jane Doe” Maldanado and Larry Granshaw, both from the 107th Precinct. She is also calling for termination of the principal and teacher at her high school. The school principal did not return calls seeking comment by press time. On the school’s website, Kwait describes the school as having one of the most diverse communities, one that offers a wide variety of programs including agriculture, a center for writing, a science research program with Doshi Diagnostic Laboratories, and the Bowne Leadership Institute. “This claim is made because Krittika Biswas was wrongly arrested and detained without

Yogesh Mehta

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

May 27, 2011

Teen Seeks

JUSTICE

Yogesh Mehta

Wrongfully accused of sending threatening emails to teachers and subject to a harrowing ordeal by NYPD, an Indian diplomat’s daughter seeks damages from the city, police and the school, Ela Dutt and Bhargavi Kulkarni report

probable cause, and while she was actually innocent,” says the filing, a copy of which was made available to Desi Talk. Because the Biswas family is in the United States on diplomatic passports, Consul General Prabhu Dayal sent a Note Verbale to the State Department on the matter. A State Department spokesperson for South Asia, Bryan George, told Desi Talk the department is looking into the latest developments in the case and awaiting more information from its legal department. Dayal told Desi Talk he informed the State Department about Krittika's diplomatic immunity in his note. "They (State Department officials) said she did not have diplomatic immunity," Dayal said, "They said family members of diplomats did not have immunity." The consul general said he has served in several consulates around the world, including in Pakistan, and in such cases family members do have immunity. "This is their reading of the Vienna Convention. But this is a matter for the two governments to resolve," Dayal said about the State Department. Dressed in a gray shirt and jeans with a black messenger bag across her shoulder, Krittika Biswas looked calm and confident on the steps of City Hall, with her attorney, Ravi Batra, by her side.

She listened attentively, as her attorney detailed the incidents that led up to her detention by police and her subsequent release, the dismissal of charges and the filing of the claim filed. But as soon as she was called upfront to address the media, she broke down in tears. Biswas said that the fact that she knows French, takes classes of both the teachers, Kim-Ross and Ivan Cohill, worked against her. Batra revealed at the press conference that the Biswases have spent over $50,000 so far in pursuing the case that goes back to Feb. 8, when Krittika was arrested. According to Batra, while in school, she was handcuffed in “an unconstitutional manner” on grounds that she had sent some threatening emails to the math teacher. She spent more than 24 hours in jail without being allowed to meet her parents or senior diplomats, Batra said. All of this occurred, despite her actual innocence as this was a case of mistaken identity, Batra told Desi Talk. Batra met with Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who he said, secured the dismissal of charges and the “sealing” of the criminal file, without Krittika being arraigned in court, essentially dismissing the case. Continued on page 8

Krittika Biswas,18, with her attorney Ravi Batra, at a press conference on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan, May 24.

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May 27-2011

May 27, 2011

DESITALKOPINION The president’s support for self-determination in the Arab world is an unabashed emulation of George W. Bush’s doctrine for the Middle East

The News in Obama’s Speech Charles Krauthammer

interesting, if convoluted, attempt to unite all current “Arab Spring” policies under one philosophical rubric. Convoluted because the Bahrain part was unconvincing and the omission of Saudi Arabia was unmistakable. Syria’s Assad leading a transition to democracy? This is bizarre and appalling. Assad has made all-out war on his people – shooting, arresting, executing, even using artillery against cities. Yet Obama is still holding out the olive branch when, if anything, he should be declaring Assad as illegitimate as Gaddafi. Clearly, some habits of engagement/appeasement die hard. “A lasting peace will involve . . . Israel as a Jewish state and the homeland for the Jewish people, and the state of Palestine as the homeland for the Palestinian people.” Meant to reassure Israelis that the

administration rejects the so-called right of return of Palestinian refugees. They would return to Palestine, not Israel – Palestine being their homeland, and Israel (which would cease to be Jewish if flooded with refugees) being a Jewish state. But why use code for an issue on which depends Israel’s existence? “The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps.” A new formulation favorable to maximal Arab demands. True, that idea has been the working premise for negotiations since 2000. But no president had ever before publicly and explicitly endorsed the 1967 lines. Even more alarming to Israel is Obama’s omission of previous American assurances to recognize “realities on the ground” in adjusting the 1967 border,

President Barack Obama makes a speech about United States policy regarding the Middle East and North Africa at the State Department in Washington May 19.

Reuters

ere with President Obama’s May 19 Middle East speech, annotated: “It will be the policy of the United States to promote reform across the region, and to support transitions to democracy.” With this Barack Obama openly, unreservedly and without a trace of irony or self-reflection adopts the Bush Doctrine, which made the spread of democracy the key U.S. objective in the Middle East. “Too many leaders in the region tried to direct their people’s grievances elsewhere. The West was blamed as the source of all ills.” Note how even Obama’s rationale matches Bush’s. Bush argued that because the roots of 9/11 were to be found in the deflected anger of repressed Middle Eastern peoples, our response would require a democratic transformation of the region. “We have a stake not just in the stability of nations, but in the self-determination of individuals.” A fine critique of exactly the kind of “realism” the Obama administration prided itself for having practiced in its first two years. How far did this concession to Bush go? Note Obama’s example of the democratization we’re aiming for. He actually said: “In Iraq, we see the promise of a multiethnic, multisectarian democracy. There, the Iraqi people have rejected the perils of political violence for a democratic process . . . Iraq is poised to play a key role in the region.” Hail the Bush-Obama doctrine. “President Assad now has a choice: he can lead that transition [to democracy], or get out of the way.” The only jarring note in an otherwise

–The Washington Post

Merits of Talking to Taliban

have known for months that the United States has begun direct talks with representatives of the Taliban. And as I wrote in this story, the death of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid on May 2 should make it easier for the Taliban to break with al Qaida, a fundamental requirement for including them in any eventual political settlement in Afghanistan. But lest anyone should think these talks, combined with bin Laden’s death, would somehow produce an early end to the Afghan war, it is important to remember that engaging with the Taliban is only a necessary but far from sufficient condition for a political settlement. As Thomas Ruttig writes at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, any deal between the Taliban and Afghan President Hamid Karzai that was simply meant to open the exit door for foreign troops would not serve the interests of Afghans. “… they need an end of the bloodshed that will also physically reopen spaces for economic and political activities, a debate about where their country is going. A deal which does not address the main causes of

meaning U.S. agreement that Israel would incorporate the thickly populated, close-in settlements in any land swap. By omitting this, Obama leaves the impression of indifference to the fate of these settlements. This would be a significant change in U.S. policy and a heavy blow to the Israeli national consensus. “The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves . . . in a sovereign and contiguous state.” Normal U.S. boilerplate except for one thing: Obama refers to Palestinian borders with Egypt, Jordan and Israel. But the only Palestinian territory bordering Egypt is Gaza. How do you get contiguity with Gaza? Does Obama’s map force Israel to give up a corridor of territory connecting the West Bank and Gaza? This is an old Palestinian demand that would cut Israel in two. Is this simply an oversight? Or a new slicing up of Israel? Finally, in calling for both parties to “come back to the table,” the Palestinians have to explain “the recent announcement of an agreement between Fatah and Hamas. . . . How can one negotiate with a party that has shown itself unwilling to recognize your right to exist?” Not a strong statement about Washington rejecting any talks involving Hamas. A mere placeholder. On the other hand, Obama made no mention here of Israeli settlements. A mere oversight? Or has Obama finally realized that his making a settlement freeze a precondition for negotiations – something never demanded before he took office – was a disastrous unforced error? One can only hope.

the conflict (namely the monopoly over power of resources concentrated in the hands of a small elite, then possibly with some additional Taliban players) will not bring peace. “Therefore, the ‘political process’ … needs to involve a representative crosssection of Afghan society, including former anti-Taliban mujahedin, the ethnic minorities … and what usually is called civil society … They need to hammer out a much broader political compromise that will guarantee, finally, the political stabilization of Afghanistan where everyone has to concede something but finally everyone gains.” The Taliban led by Mullah Mohammed Omar, described by Washington as the Quetta shura Taliban (QST), are not comparable to a national liberation movement with whom a peace deal can be struck and the war ended. Even among the Pashtun community, their support is patchy; and they are regarded with deep suspicion by other groups, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras, with bad memories of Taliban rule from 1996 – 2001. Already there are signs that

By Myra MacDonald some of the Taliban’s most bitter opponents are mobilizing to scupper any peace talks - among them Amrullah Saleh, former head of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency. The insurgency itself is also fragmented – even within the so-called Quetta shura Taliban, no one is sure how far Mullah Omar can deliver some of the younger fighters into a peace settlement. Then there are other major groups including the Haqqani network and the Hizb-e-IslamiGulbuddin (HiG) led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. So far, according to official sources from several countries, the United States is talking only with representatives of the Quetta shura Taliban. (The Taliban themselves deny being involved in talks, while Washington has made no official comment.) Yet the Haqqani network in particular is one of the most active insurgent groups in Afghanistan and blamed among other things for involvement in a suicide attack which killed CIA agents in eastern Afghanistan in 2009. It is based on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal

areas, along with the remnants of al Qaida, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and various other militants from groups with their roots in Pakistan’s Punjab province. What happens to them in the event of a political settlement in Afghanistan which draws in the Quetta shura Taliban? This is where it gets even more complicated. The professed objective of the United States and its allies has always been to bring stability to both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yet as Shuja Nawaz writes here, the Pakistani Taliban have declared war on the Pakistani state, claiming responsibility for a string of bombings inside Pakistan. “If the battle against these terrorists does not improve, Pakistan faces a grim future, especially after the United States begins to exit from Afghanistan and funding for the fight for Pakistan declines, either as a result of general cutbacks or because of differences with Pakistan over the Pakistani lack of vigor in battling Al Qaida,” he writes. Continued on page 14

May 27-2011