hi INDiA - January 1, 2016 by hi INDiA Weekly

he AAP’s dramatic rise and the comeback of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar in Bihar marked the first full year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who analysts say is still going strong though his earlier sheen has worn off. For a politician who seemed to be at the peak of his popularity when 2015 dawned, having led the BJP to a historic win in the general election and later in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, Modi suffered the maiden electoral defeat of his career in Delhi in February. It was a personal blow for Modi because the Aam Aadmi Party

(Above) Actors Irrfan Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in a still from ‘Piku’, a comedy-drama directed by Shoojit Sircar; (Left) Actors Ayushmann Khurana and Bhumi Pednekar in unconventional Hindi romantic comedy film ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’

T of content. The biggest example of power of good content is ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Even some of the smaller films really garnered good word of mouth from the audience.” In comparison to the seven films that crossed the Rs.100 crore milestone in 2014, the year just-ending had only five - Kangana Ranaut’s “Tanu Weds Manu Returns” (Rs.150.77 crore); Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan starrer “ABCD 2” (Rs.105.74 crore); Salman’s “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” (Rs.320.34 crore), “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” (over Rs.200 crore); and Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dilwale” (Rs.102.65 crore and going strong)

The Bihar outcome led to open dissidence in the BJP with senior leaders calling for a review of the defeat, but Modi’s popularity remains high

ANKIT SINHA, NEW DELHI

rime Minister Narendra Modi’s sartorial taste continued to create waves as multiple designers made a splash in the growing segment of menswear and 2015 turned out to be a year for the style-conscious male to rejoice. Modi’s style statements - from the US to China - have been inspiring many men, says designer Troy Costa, who was roped in to create

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he Congress’s 130th birth-

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Pradesh. But these few swallows do not make a summer. In Bihar, the “national” party came a poor third

Not a happy birthday

Politics

Bihar where it was a junior partner to the JD-U and the RJD, its leader Rahul Gandhi forced the government to go on the back foot on its land bill that he said would take land away from farmers for industrialists. Rahul Gandhi also showed more assertion and articulation after a 50-day sabbatical. No one seemed to know for sure where he was during this time. The Congress crippled both the monsoon and winter sessions of parliament on a range of issues from “intolerance” to alleged corruption in Delhi’s cricket body DDCA. Just ahead of the Bihar election,

Looking back at 2015:

NATALIA NINGTHOUJAM, NEW DELHI

Timeless Therapies From Nature

Congress at 131:

Congress, crushed in 2014, fired salvos after salvos. Charges of corruption and wrongdoing enveloped External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje. Sushma Swaraj and Raje were linked to controversial ex-IPL chief Lalit Modi while Chouhan was blamed for a recruitment scandal which also led to some reported 50 deaths. The CBI was asked to probe the scam and deaths. Although the Congress faced a bleak year, the exception being

a national party any more. It is not all that difficult, in its time of distress, to the root cause and even th - of the Congress’s decline The fateful date was June when prime minister Indir suspended all civil rights b gating the emergency. It did not take long, h

the brutal killing of a M in Uttar Pradesh on rum ate beef led to unprece render of awards by lead and artistes, embarrassin ernment. Despite the BJP’s rever personal popularity rem He continued to tour countries, and ended 2 historic visit to Pakistan him widespread praise. And the BJP became a government in Jammu mir, the country’s onl majority state, for the firs junior ally to the PDP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets children on the occasion of Independence Day at Red Fort in Delhi. (File p

Music

in 2015

Despite jolts, Modi still going strong

ANKIT SINHA, NEW DELHI

INDIA GROOVING

‘Huge included Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dilwale”. One can’t say the year has audience been “bad” for Bollywood, says for Indian trade analyst Taran Adarsh. classical “It has been a trend since the past so many years now that we have had music more flops and lesseraficionados hits. So you Music got the chance to witness some of the world's biggest abroad’ names genres like Electronic Dance Music (EDM), rock, jazz really can’t say that thefrom yeardiverse has been and heavy metal on the home turf in 2015 a bad one,” Adarsh told IANS. Hopes were high from movies like A pleasant change however was “The year has witnessed a diverse “Shamitabh”, “Roy”, “Detective the welcome to movies like “Baby”, set of films. People chose content Byomkesh Bakshy!”, “Bombay Vel- “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, “NH10” that touched their heart and which vet”, “Dil Dhadakne Do”, “Hamari and “Piku”; as well as to some for- they could carry home after getting Adhuri Kahani”, “Katti Batti” and mulaic entertainers like “Drishyam”, out of the theatres,” Adarsh said. “Shaandaar” with different story- “Welcome Back”, “Kis Kisko Pyaar Rucha Pathak, chief creative officer lines, but they failed to elicit the Karoon”, “Singh Is Bliing” and at Fox Star Studios, agreed that expected response. “Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2”. “2015 has been a great year in terms

INT MUSIC LEFT

(AAP), which swept away the BJP in assembly polls, was led by Arvind Kejriwal, who Modi crushed in the Lok Sabha election in Varanasi in May 2014. Nine months later, Modi suffered the second major jolt -- and of a far serious nature -when his personalized campaign failed to help the BJP to defeat JDU leader Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad. If the BJP won just three of 70 seats in Delhi, it got 53 of 243 seats in Bihar. The Bihar outcome led to open dissidence in the BJP, whose four senior leaders - L.K. Advani included - publicly called for a thorough review of the defeat. The statement was seen as an attack on Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, his Man Friday. Amid the electoral reverses, the opposition, particularly the

Modi’s style statements - from the US to China - have been inspiring many men, says designer Troy Costa, who was roped in to create some outfits for the PM last year

Looking back at 2015:

2015 in retrospect

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspired a trend of his own. The clothes worn by the PM is seen by many as the revival of classic clothing tion team research the artists, new Napalm Death, Demilich, Anatoproduction experiences and con- mia, Carcass, Inquisition, Hacktivist and Cannibal Corpse made sumer experiences to ensure that their appearances in the country at we give a truly global experience to festivals. Kunal Choksi, owner of our fans. We are in constant touch Mumbai-based heavy metal record with the international artists and label Transcending Obscurity, their agencies to experiment with attributes this growth to "awareness new sounds and new projects and we bring to the country the and promotion". "The fact is that organizers here absolute best," Singh told IANS. are actually making an effort He said that while "dance to get in touch with music is a well established bands of their choice, concept worldwide, and inviting them India is waking up Music to play shows in to it only now and aficionados got the country. In the embracing it the chance to past, this fully". Even on the witness some of remained a dream heavy metal front, the world's an array of artists for most," Choksi biggest names like Megadeth, told IANS.

PRASHANT SOOD AND BRAJENDRA SINGH, NEW DELHI

FLASHBACK 2015 PM inspires men’s fashion and heavy metal on the home turf in 2015. And there was also a surprise from Coldplay's Chris Martin! EDM has definitely taken the cake, as far as music genres are concerned. Sunburn, India's premier electronic music festival, featured Grammy Award-winning DJ and music producer Afrojack at Sunburn Arena, and is set to host Guetta, Martin Garrix, KSHMR as headlining acts in Goa. The idea is to bring new sounds and fresh projects to consumers every year, says Harindra Singh, vice chairman and managing director, Percept Ltd. "Each year our consumer research, marketing and produc-

ndia’s burgeoning appetite for foreign brands attracted a string of international brands to establish their presence in the country this year. US apparel retailer GAP, Swedish multinational retail-clothing company H&M, British fashion brands TOPSHOP and TOPMAN and more, available at brickand-mortar stores or online mediums, are already a hit. The summer arrival of GAP, which has made inroads into India through a franchise agreement with textile and retail major Arvind Lifestyle Brands Limited, was much talked about. Spread over a 10,000 sq ft south Delhi mall, the first flagship store

KERALA AYURVEDA CENTER

Cinema

n average ar for ollywood

l films that wowed audiences in the year gone by

krillex, Afrojack, Slash, Michael Learns to Rock, Mogwai and Megadeth. The live music calendar for 2015 was long and diverse with a plethora of artists from across the globe, who mesmerized sold out crowds at gigs, festivals and events in India this year. Some of the best - David Guetta and Fatboy Slim of course, are kept for the last! With an unprecedented surge in international festivals and concerts, music aficionados got the chance to witness some of the world's biggest names from diverse genres like EDM (Electronic Dance Music), rock, jazz

REPORT

barring Salman Khan, fail much moolah; several to match high hopes hem; novel concepts click

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, but content is ng. This stood wood’s roastera year full of d unique storysmall presence e stars, barring ehow failed to lah, say trade t how only five ndi film releaschological Rs.1 ) mark at the And this duly

When global retailers knocked at India’s doors nternationally acclaimed sitarist Anoushka Shankar says Indian classical music has a strong following abroad, but it's "such a shame" that the genre's popularity hasn't translated in the country of its origin. The daughter of late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar has earned her fifth Grammy nomination for her album "Home", which reaffirms Indian classical music's hold in the West. "I think our music in its purest form is something what we always talk about here as being under threat. I see that less for myself because I don't come here that often, but I see my peers who say that they have to do collaborations and crossover fusion, and some kind of spin for it to sell," Anoushka told IANS in a candid tete-atete. "I tour around the world, the classical shows would totally sell out. It's a shame that it is not translating in the country of its origin," she added. She says that the "narrow stream of media" here makes it seem that Indian classical music is under some "threat", but that's not entirely true. "We have a narrow stream of media and it's really prominent and therefore it seems like Indian music is under threat, because it is not very visible. There is only one genre that's really visible. But if you go to any classical festivals in any of the cities, it is amazing, it is beautiful. There are thousands of people listening all night," she said.

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side by showcasing his debut collection as a designer on the runway this year. He launched a quirky clothing line under his company Weirdass Comedy. There were also boxer shorts, which Vir had conceptualized himself. He even created Tshirts dedicated to Bollywood’s star comedian Govinda. Later this year, Gionee India Beach Fashion Week (GIBFW) 2015 soared the temperature of Goa with bikinis and bold resort wear for women. But it was the menswear that stole the show.

some outfits for the PM last year. “He’s a leader. People are getting inspired by what he is wearing. He has started a trend of his own,” Costa told IANS, referring to Modi’s jackets which he has made popular globally by flaunting them during international visits. Designer Raghvendra Rathore said that Modi “has opened up the walls of the mind of the youth”. “I don’t believe in this or that party. I believe that the most important thing is to unlock the imagination of the youth. He has done that

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2015 in retrospect

ion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. "We see a great potential for further expansion in India, the number and time frame will be determined by real-estate opportunities and retail market development. "Our expansion strategy is to always open at the best business location. We have proposed to invest up to euro 100 million ($110 million) in the SBRT (Single Brand Retail Trade) application," Einola told IANS. It was not only through offline stores that many international brands made its India entry this year as many of them chose to be part of the Rs.720 crore worth Indian fashion industry through online mediums.

Lifestyle Brands Limited also brought American youth brand AÃ©ropostale to India. Swedish multinational retail clothing company H&M also opened shop in the country, again at a south Delhi mall. And then, within a gap of a month, the brand opened its second store - its largest in the country - at another south Delhi shopping destination. India is one of the most exciting markets in the world right now, with so much potential within retail, said Janne Einola, country manager, H&M Hennes & Mauritz Retail Private Limited. "The response to H&M has been fabulous! We are happy that the Indian customers are pleased with our business concept of fash-

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Looking back at 2015:

Fashion

this year gave a push to the booming menswear segment, which saw experiments with cuts and colors. Joining the wagon was renowned designer Manish Malhotra, who has completed 25 years as a costume designer. He showcased his debut menswear line titled ‘The Gentlemen’s Club’ at a fashion week in Mumbai in August. The collection had suits and jackets in abundance with embroidery and intricate detailing, and much more. Actor-comedian Vir Das surprisingly displayed another creative

by creating an appetite for what I think is the Indian look...11 years from now, we will remember this day. It’s like a Renaissance of a sort. “It is about reaching out to weavers and using our resources. It’s the revival of classic clothing. Why do we always need a three-button suit or a tuxedo when we can do a good job with a bandhgala jacket,” said Rathore, known for the iconic Jodhpur style Bandhgala suits. Several fashion events plugged the gap between women and men’s fashion. Even the country’s fashion galas

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india news

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IAF personnel spies for ISI, sacked, arrested

Ranjith K.K., hailing from Kerala, was arrested from Punjab at the Bathinda airbase foe allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence IANS, NEW DELHI

n Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, who was lured into spying for Pakistan’s spy agency ISI while chatting with a woman on Facebook, was dismissed from service and was arrested from an airbase in Punjab, a police official said on December 29. “We have arrested an IAF personnel from Punjab on charges of spying for ISI,” Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav said here. Ranjith K.K., hailing from Kerala, was arrested from Punjab at the Bathinda airbase as he was spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), police said. An IAF official said Ranjith, who was a Leading Aircraftman with the Indian Air Force, was dismissed on December 28 evening after evidence was found against him for sharing sensitive information with others.

Ranjith KK (centre), arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly spying for Pakistani agencies, being taken to Patiala House Court in New Delhi on Dec 29.

“It was a long drawn case. After an internal administrative inquiry, we dismissed Ranjith around 5.30 p.m. on Monday,” the IAF official said on condition of anonymity. Joint Commissioner Ravindra Yadav said Crime Branch officials,

who have already been probing the ISI espionage racket since the arrest of some people earlier this month, had shared information with the IAF about Ranjith’s suspected links with ISI. Yadav said the modus operandi

was basically a “honey trap”. Ranjith fell in the spy ring through an unidentified woman with whom he had begun to chat over Facebook. He was in touch with a person having a Facebook profile of “Damini McNaught”, who pretended to eb an executive of a Britain-based magazine. The woman said the magazine wanted some information about the Indian Air Force, and promised pecuniary benefits in exchange. Yadav said Ranjith, who had joined the IAF in 2010, has admitted to having “passed airforce related information pertaining to recent Indian Air Force exercises, movement of aircraft and deployment of various units in the IAF”. He also said that in return, Ranjith had received monetary benefit in his bank account. As per investigations, Ranjith was “befooled by cross-border spies”.

DDCA official sought sex for selection: Kejriwal IANS, NEW DELHI

scalating his attack on the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused one of its officials of seeking sex for selecting cricketers and said he had no qualms about calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “coward” and a “psychopath”. Kejriwal said Modi was ready to befriend hostile Pakistan, but won’t

let the Delhi chief minister work. In an interview to NDTV, Kejriwal, whose government has set up a Commission of Inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the DDCA, said sexual favors were being sought for selecting players. “You will be surprised to know that a senior journalist phoned me and said that his son, who plays cricket, was selected,” Kejriwal told NDTV. “But his son’s name was not there in the list. And can you believe

Kerala: Booze in 5-star bars only Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: Tipplers in Kerala were left wringing their hands in despair as the Supreme Court on December 29 upheld the state’s policy to restrict service and consumption of liquor to only bars in five star hotels. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said they will now be able to “tackle the evils of alcoholism” and dared the Left opposition to tinker with the policy in case they come to power. An apex court bench of Justice Vikramjit Sen and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh dismissed the petitions challenging the liquor policy upholding the Kerala High Court judgment in

it... the next day his wife gets an SMS that said ‘come to my house and your son’s name will be there (in the list),” he said. Kejriwal said the journalist was willing to depose once the Commis-

sion of Inquiry starts working. Kejriwal, who said there were more sordid tales in the DDCA which was headed by now union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for many years.

NEWS DIGEST Separatist Masrat Alam re-arrested

JAMMU: Separatist leader Masrat Alam was re-arrested outside Kot Bhalwal Jail here on December 29 evening after he was released on the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashing his detention under Public Safety Act (PSA). “Masrat Alam was re-arrested late last evening outside Kot Bhalwal Jail,” a senior police officer told IANS. Alam was earlier released from the jail after his detention under PSA was quashed by a single-judge bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court headed by Justice M.H. Attar. Alam was arrested under the PSA on April 17 in Srinagar after he organized and led a separatist rally to receive senior hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Minor’s gang-rape: Army promises action

KOLKATA: The army has promised “strict disciplinary action” against two soldiers who allegedly gang-raped a minor girl on a moving train. Soldier Manjrish Tripathi has been arrested and was remanded to seven days’ police custody on December 29 and a manhunt has been launched for the other accused. The 14-year-old survivor, hailing from Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas district, was allegedly raped by the two army men inside a reserved military compartment of the Howrah-Amritsar Express.

Patel group threatens indefinite fast IANS, AHMEDABAD

T the matter. Under the policy, sale and consumption of liquor at bars in hotels below five star is prohibited. The Kerala government was quick to hail the verdict. “What all did they (Left) say when this policy was first unveiled. They said this was framed to help some people,” Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.

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he Patel community in Gujarat, agitating for reservations, will go on an indefinite fast in all districts from the first week of the new year to pressurize the state government to release their leader Hardik Patel, who is in custody on sedition charges. “We are planning to sit on an indefinite fast from January 6. Office bearers of all district units of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) will join,” a PAAS leader said, requesting anonymity. He said Hardik Patel’s father

Bharat Patel was also likely to join the movement, while family members of other jailed Patidar agitators will begin an agitation from the Mahatma Mandir in state capital Gandhinagar.

The PAAS leader said that even if Hardik and other jailed leaders are not acquitted by courts, they could be granted bail. “But the state government wants them to be in jail,” the PAAS leader said. Hardik, his close aide Chirag Patel, Dinesh Bambhania, Ketan Patel and many other Patidar leaders are in custody for sedition and other charges since mid-October. According to sources, the jailed leaders will join them and fast inside the prison. Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has also decided to support the Patels by organizing a rally on January 5 for the same purpose.

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in retrospect YEARENDER - 2015 DIPLOMACY

Looking back at 2015:

Diplomacy

GLOBE-TROTTER MODI’S FOCUSED DIPLOMACY From the tiny island country Fiji to economic giants like the US and Japan, Modi has ensured that he leads by example on the diplomatic front to engage with other countries of being a hit with NRIs. He assumed office with a bang by getting the top leaders of all the SAARC countries, including Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to attend his swearing-in in New Delhi on May 26, 2014.

JAIDEEP SARIN, NEW DELHI

e may have been in the firing line of opposition leaders for his frequent visits abroad but Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems undeterred by the flak — and even jokes on his foreign visits — to set a new benchmark for India’s foreign policy initiatives. In just over 18 months after becoming prime minister, Modi has already visited 30 countries, three of them — the US, France and Nepal seeing two visits each. His first visit, within 20 days of assuming office, was to closest neighbor Bhutan. That Modi is not in any foreign holiday mode can be gauged from his hectic schedules in all the countries he has visited so far and the number of summit meetings with top leaders, including US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameroon, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the heads of state and government rulers of the other countries. From the tiny island country Fiji

which seemed to have been lost on India’s foreign policy radar in the last few decades. Modi has addressed the UN General Assembly, actively participated in the India-Africa Forum, BRICS, SAARC and G-20 Summits and attended other international

Modi invited US President Barack Obama to be the chief guest at the 2015 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26 — a first in Indo-US ties

Narendra Modi addressing the Indian community in San Jose, Sep 2015.

to economic giants like the US and Japan, Modi has ensured that he leads by example on the diplomatic front to engage with other countries for economic and strategic interests. Modi’s mission certainly is aimed at catapulting India to a global power in the coming years. Modi has addressed lawmakers in

various countries, but his penchant seems to be in a rockstar role in addressing biggish gatherings of Indians settled abroad. From his first mega-show at New York’s Madison Square Garden to stadia in Sydney and Dubai to the recent show at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium, Modi has created an image

“Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to embark on a bilateral visit to Australia after 28 years, to Fiji after 31 years and the Seychelles after 34 years. He became the first PM of India to visit Mongolia,” the PMO website states. “His visit to the UAE in August 2015, the first by an Indian PM in 34 years, covered tremendous ground in enhancing India’s economic partnership with the Gulf,” the website adds, listing the importance that his government is attaching to engaging with countries

Foreign policy: Lahore the showstopper AROONIM BHUYAN, NEW DELHI

Narendra Modi being greeted warmly by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (L) as the former touches down in Lahore for a brief and unscheduled meeting on his way back to India on Dec 25.

dramatic stopover in Lahore by the Indian prime minister on his way home from Afghanistan to meet his Pakistani counterpart on Christmas day has become the showstopper of Indian foreign policy initiatives in 2015. December 25, 2015, might well go down as a red letter day in the history of Indian foreign policy. Having addressed the Afghan parliament after inaugurating its new building in Kabul, Narendra Modi tweeted: “Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday.” And moments later: “Looking

forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi.” Stories may arise of how it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and sceptics may claim it was a preplanned arrangement but the fact remains that it was a diplomatic masterstroke, comparable with no other when it comes to volatile India-Pakistan relations. It was the culmination of a flurry of diplomatic engagements between the two South Asian neighbors across nearly a month, following what was seemingly an impromptu meeting between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris climate

conferences in Paris, Kuala Lumpur and other cities. On home ground too, Modi has not let off on the diplomatic front. He invited US President Barack Obama to be the chief guest at the 2015 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26 — a first in Indo-US ties — hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Ahmedabad and New Delhi, had his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott visiting and hosted President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. summit on November 30. Following this, on December 6, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua held a meeting in Bangkok which was also attended by Foreign Secretaries S. Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry. Two days later, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj landed in Islamabad to attend the Heart of Asia conference which engages “heart of Asia” countries for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Two weeks later came the Modi stopover. Yes, it was a personal visit. It was Sharif’s birthday and his granddaughter’s wedding. And Modi made those two historical tweets through his personal @narendramodi Twitter handle and not the official @PMOIndia. So, the postUfa fiasco has been forgotten and critics of Modi’s foreign policy initiatives have been silenced — at least for some time.

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in retrospect yearender - 2015 diaspora

Looking back at 2015:

Diaspora

Indian Americans pack more heft in Modi’s shadow Obama, who has the largest number of Indian Americans in his administration, also added MasterCard CEO Banga to his ever expanding Indian talent pool ARUN KUMAR, WASHINGTON

he influential IndianAmerican community packed more heft in 2015 as America wooed “India’s reformer-in-chief” Narendra Modi, as President Barack Obama called his “good friend” amid another love fest with the Indian diaspora. Beyond power meetings with Obama and other world leaders at the UN, as the Indian prime minister on his second odyssey to America courted big business and tech titans of Silicon Valley, he found several desi faces across the table. Among them were Ajay Banga, chairman of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) representing more than 300 of the largest inter-

national companies investing in India, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella and Google’s newlyminted chief, Sundar Pichai. Obama, who has the largest number of Indian Americans in his administration, also added MasterCard CEO Banga to his ever expanding Indian talent pool by naming him as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. As India and the US together battle the scourge of terrorism, Obama named Rashad Hussain, a Muslim of Indian heritage, as US Special Envoy and Coordinator for Strategic Counter-Terrorism Communications. Son of immigrant parents from India, Hussain had since 2010 served as US Special Envoy to the

57-member Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to build partnerships with Muslim communities around the world. Again, as the White House looked for its first chief data scientist, Obama turned to Dhanurjay ‘DJ’ Patil to help shape policies and practices to help the US remain a leader in technology and innovation. Rajiv Shah, another son of immigrant Indian parents, left the US Agency for International Development (USAID) after five years at the helm of the agency engaged in a mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient, democratic societies. Other Obama appointees included Swati A. Dandekar as US director of the Asian Development Bank,

Arun Majumdar, an Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay alumnus as one of four US science envoys, and Atul Keshap as ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Keshap was the second person of Indian descent to be posted to the region after Richard Rahul Verma was appointed US ambassador to India, while Nisha Desai Biswal heads the State Department’s South Asia bureau. Obama presented the 2014 National Medal of Arts and Humanities to Pulitzer Prize winning Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri. Modi, along with Nadella, Chanda Kochhar (managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank) and Vikram Patel (co-founder of the NGO San-

gath), also made it to the Time magazine’s list of the World’s 100 most influential people. Foreign Policy magazine’s list of 100 Leading Global Thinkers featured Nina Tandon, co-founder of Epibone, New York city, and Indiaborn Zainab Ghadiyali, an engineer at Facebook, “for cracking the STEM ceiling”. Also included were Rajan Anandan, managing director of Google, Southeast Asia &India, and Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Civic Accelerator, an investment fund for socially conscious enterprises. Bhagwati Agrawal was listed among CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2015 for bringing safe drinking water to thousands drought-stricken people in his native Rajasthan.

How Obama-Modi chemistry helped seal Paris deal ARUN KUMAR, WASHINGTON

“strong and productive relationship” between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped seal a historic deal at the Paris climate change conference, according to a senior US official. US Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern did not think that but for Obama’s call to Modi just a day before the deal, the agreement would not have come about. “I could not at all say that but for that call the agreement wouldn’t have come together,” Stern said. It was more like “a check-in call to see how we were doing and to urge us all on together toward a successful conclusion,” he said.

“And I think it was done in that spirit, not in the spirit that there was some specific thing that had to be done before the agreement could get completed.” “What I can say is that President Obama and Prime Minister Modi have a very, I think, strong and productive relationship, not just on climate change but broadly.” “It was a quite extraordinary fact that within the space of four months there were two head of state visits,” he said noting that Modi visited the US in September 2014 and then invited Obama to India just four months later in January. And then there were communications during the year, Stern said. They also met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York

and they met on the first day of the Paris meeting. Stern who attended that meeting said, “It was, I think, a very warm and positive and cordial and detailed, substantive exchange.” “In fact, they talked so long that they were a little bit late to the announcement of this big Mission Innovation idea on R&D that the US, India, China, many other countries ultimately were part of,” he added. The US “is strongly supportive of the notion of differentiation,” Stern said. “We think it’s absolutely right that you can’t expect developing countries to act in ways that are inconsistent with their own imperatives of development, growth, poverty eradication, and so forth.”

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2015 in retrospect YEANDER - ECONOMY x

Looking back at 2015:

Economy

Year India became fastest GROWING BIG ECONOMY Real GDP in the first half of the fiscal grew at 7.2 pc; Forex reserves a little above $350 bn; FDI inflows increased to $17 billion in the first half; current account deficit at 1.6 pc of GDP BISWAJIT CHOUDHURY, NEW DELHI

otwithstanding a sharp cut in the government’s growth forecast at the fag end, 2015 will go down as the year when India emerged as the fastest-growing large economy, despite setbacks such as 12 months of negative export growth, another bad monsoon and roadblocks to the far-reaching goods and services tax regime. In addition to growth, the economy also saw some positives. Global crude oil prices fell to the lowest levels in over a decade, checking the balance of payments from going awry, inflation rate remained moreor-less under control, despite spikes in food prices, and economic reforms got a big push, notably in the form of further opening up of a host of industries to foreign equity. India’s real GDP in the first half of the current fiscal grew at 7.2 percent as per official data, which was

slightly lower in comparison to the GDP growth of 7.5 percent in the previous fiscal. India’s external position improved at the same time. Forex reserves are a little above $350 billion in November 2015 as compared to a little over $270 billion in July 2013. Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have increased to $17 billion in the first half of

2015-16 in comparison to $15.8 in the same period last year. The second quarter’s current account deficit logged at a level of 1.6 percent of GDP. However, the global slowdown continued to weigh on exports, which have declined for 12 straight months. The government said this was also pulling down growth but felt the situation would improve in

the coming months. On the fall in the value of the Indian rupee, the finance ministry’s mid-term economic review attributed it considerably to the major devaluation of the Chinese yuan. The changes overall, however, led many global institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank and some UN institutions to

upgrade India’s growth forecast to some 7.5-8 percent, calling it the fastest expanding globally, surpassing China. The year also began with India’s changing the way it calculated its gross domestic product under a new series, though the controversy over the changed methodology employed refuses to die down with economists even terming it obscure.

Mix of red, amber, green light for auto industry HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015:

VENKATACHARI JAGANNATHAN, CHENNAI

ndian passenger car makers were under legal and regulatory spotlights in 2015, while for the automobile industry, in general, it was a year of mixed fortunes in terms of sales with growth rates ranging from double digits to the negative, experts maintain. The apex court ordering ban on registration of diesel passenger vehicles of over 2,000 cc engines in the national capital region till March 2016 and the Delhi government’s proposal to allow odd and even number cars to ply on alternate dates, shocked the car makers. But the Volkswagen emission scandal is probably the strongest jolt to have hit the automotive industry worldwide which had its impact in India as well.

The central government on its part introduced new crash test norms for cars from 2017 onwards. “The year 2015 saw a spill-over of the safety concerns in Indian manufactured cars that were raised in early 2014. Most of the severe car crashes around the country were

in the spotlight as hard reminders of the substandard safety norms that cars in India need to adhere to,” Collin Noronha, senior research analyst, Automotive & Transportation Practice at Frost & Sullivan told IANS. According to Noronha, the gov-

n Minority shareholders of Maruti Suzuki India gave green signal for sourcing cars from Suzuki Motor Gujarat Pvt. Ltd. (SMG). n Jan Dhan Yojana to make many people loan worthy to buy two wheelers. n Higher pension for ex-servicemen, implementation of 7th Pay Commission expected to drive vehicle sales in 2016. n Hero MotoCorp unveiled two 110 cc scooters completely developed in-house. n TVS Motor Company to expand its Tamil Nadu’s Hosur at an outlay of Rs.3.50 billion.Minority shareholders of Maruti Suzuki India gave green signal for sourcing cars from Suzuki Motor Gujarat Pvt. Ltd. (SMG).

ernment stipulating stringent crash test norms for all new cars from October 2017 is a giant leap for the Indian automotive industry. For upgrades of existing models, the deadline will be from October 2018, he said. “Despite the relatively weaker emission norms in India as compared to those in markets like the US and Britain, action initiated by the Automotive Research Association of India has eventually led to Volkswagen Group India recalling approximately 323,700 cars fitted with 1.2-liter, 1.5- liter, 1.6-liter, and 2.0-liter EA 189 diesel engines that were manufactured and sold between 2008 and November 2015,” Noronha said. Terming 2015 as a volatile year for the passenger vehicle segment Noronha said some segments showed strong gains in two to three months since January 2015.

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2015 in retrospect yeander - international x

Looking back at 2015:

International

China firms ties with India, devalues yuan China reaches out to its South Asian neighbors, especially India; PM Modi visits China in May, widening trade imbalance, ‘strengthening trust’, high on agenda KARISHMA KALITA, NEW DELHI

hina, the world’s most populous country, scrapped its one child policy in 2015, a year that also saw an upswing in ties with India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the country. The yuan was devalued, sending shock waves in stock markets across the world. On the diplomatic front, China reached out to its South Asian neighbors, including India. In February, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited China, paving the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Modi visited China in May. He started his three-day trip from Xi’an

where he held summit-level talks during which the border issue, the widening trade imbalance, connectivity issues and “strengthening trust” were high on the agenda. While in Beijing, Modi held talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. A joint statement called

Islamabad where he envisaged investments worth $45 billion and signed 51 agreements. President Xi also made a state visit to the US in September where he along with his counterpart, Barack Obama, reached a consensus on cyber-security. He also visited

It scrapped one child policy, a part of family planning policy, introduced in the 1970s. The plan will come into effect from March 2016. for an early settlement of the boundary issue. With India’s neighbor Pakistan, China’s relationship took a new turn with President Xi Jinping’s visit to

Britain in October. As the year comes to an end, one of the biggest developments for the country of 1.3 billion was allowing the two-child policy in an attempt to balance pop-

PM Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Xi`an, China, May 2015.

ulation development and offset the burden of an aging population. It scrapped the one child policy, a part of the family planning policy, introduced in the late 1970s. However, the plan will come into effect only from March 2016. It has been estimated that it would help raise the population to an estimated 1.45 billion by 2030. China’s strength, its economy, took a beating when the yuan was

devalued on August 11. The next day, it faced its second devaluation. These resulted in Chinese exports getting cheaper and imports into China more expensive. Stock markets around the world, including India, were hit. Parts of China and capital Beijing were left gasping as smog enveloped the region, leaving residents worried. China grounded millions of cars to check rising pollution levels.

India can help power up African continent in coming years FRANCIS KOKUTSE, ACCRA

frica’s projected growth can fructify by leveraging India’s pledges at the recently held India Africa Forum (IAFS) summit in New Delhi to make public private partnership (PPP) programmes across the continent work, which could result in a slew of initiatives like power projects to generate 2,600 GW over the next decades, as also forward movement in the areas of agriculture, healthcare and telecommunications, experts say. Indications that the private sector in India is aware of the opportunities that Africa has to offer can be summed up from what Vijay Kumar Chohan, executive director for international operations at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, had to say: “There are immense opportunities to the tune of 2,600 GW over the next 10 years which

President Pranab Mukherjee with heads of delegation during the 3rd India Africa forum summit 2015 (IAFS-III) at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Oct 29, 2015.

would result in a number of transmission line projects.” There are also indications that some African countries would like to get into generating electricity from coal. Given this, it is encouraging that India’s coal secretary, Anil Swarup, has said the country has targeted the doubling of production to one billion tonnes per year by 2020 and thereby increasing generation by 50 percent by that year.

African countries, experts say, can take forward Swarup’s thoughts that India would be keen to partner with the continent to explore business opportunities in the coal sector by way of exploration, mining, development of projects and mines by Indian companies. Agriculture offers another great opportunity. With a large pool of unemployed youth, Africa can take advantage of its improving invest-

ment climate to attract Indian money to grow its agriculture. International accounting firm KPMG has said the “potential for growth in the agricultural sector on the continent is huge”, adding that agricultural growth in Africa has failed to reach its potential. The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) says: “The value of Africa’s agricultural output is about $280 billion and has the

potential to reach $800 billion by 2030.” The telecom sector is another area that is looking for investors across the continent. Therefore, experts say, with the Indian government keen to improve the poor balance of trade with African countries, an improved political atmosphere backed by right policy frameworks would be the magnet to attract Indian companies.

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Season's Best Wishes for Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year 2016

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2015 in retrospect YEANDER- POLITICS x

Looking back at 2015:

Politics

Despite jolts, Modi still going strong The Bihar outcome led to open dissidence in the BJP with senior leaders calling for a review of the defeat, but Modi’s popularity remains high PRASHANT SOOD AND BRAJENDRA SINGH, NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets children on the occasion of Independence Day at Red Fort in Delhi. (File photo)

Congress at 131:

Not a happy birthday AMULYA GANGULI, NEW DELHI

he Congress’s 130th birthday, which was observed by the party on Dec 28 could not have been a happy occasion. True, the party has lately shown faint signs of life after its humiliating drubbing in the 2014 general election. It fared much better, for instance, in the Bihar assembly elections than it has done in recent years and has been able to establish itself in rural Gujarat for the time being at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) expense. The Congress has also performed satisfactorily in an assembly by-election and in several local bodies in another BJP-ruled state - Madhya

Pradesh. But these few swallows do not make a summer. In Bihar, the “national” party came a poor third to the two major regional parties the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Since the scenario is virtually the same from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu via Odisha, where the regional parties rule the roost, the Grand Old Party can hardly be regarded as

From West Bengal to Tamil Nadu via Odisha, the Grand Old Party can hardly be regarded as a national party any more

the brutal killing of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh on rumors that he ate beef led to unprecedented surrender of awards by leading writers and artistes, embarrassing the government. Despite the BJP’s reverses, Modi’s personal popularity remained high. He continued to tour numerous countries, and ended 2015 with a historic visit to Pakistan that earned him widespread praise. And the BJP became a part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s only Muslimmajority state, for the first time, as a junior ally to the PDP. a national party any more. It is not all that difficult, however, in its time of distress, to pinpoint the root cause and even the very day - of the Congress’s decline and fall. The fateful date was June 26, 1975, when prime minister Indira Gandhi suspended all civil rights by promulgating the emergency. It did not take long, however, to put democracy back on track, for the people of India evicted Indira Gandhi from power in 1977. Although the Congress returned to power three years later, it was described as a party of “power brokers” by prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. Unlike the present occasion, the party did have reasons to celebrate at the time, but the storm clouds were already gathering over its future. The Congress lost power in 1989 and despite occasional sojourns in office since then - between 1991 and 1996 and between 2004 and 2014 - it has become a pale shadow of its former self.

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2015 in retrospect yeander - sports x

Looking back at 2015:

Sports

Non-cricket sports find a lifeline While hockey, cricket, kabaddi, badminton, football, boxing and tennis already have their own leagues, the year 2015 saw wrestling also joining the bandwagon SAYAN MUKHERJEE, NEW DELHI

ania Mirza personified Indian tennis in 2015 with a stupendous rise that catapulted her to the tip of the women's doubles rankings and also become the maiden countrywoman to win a Grand Slam. Two women's doubles titles were evidence of her growing stock in the format, which she was forced to concentrate on after an injury-induced retirement from singles in 2013. Her association with Swiss great Martina Hingis, forged in March, formed the basis of an unstoppable juggernaut as they complimented each other perfectly to win an astonishing nine titles, a fairytale journey adorned with prestigious victories at Wimbledon and the US Open. They teamed up in 16 events and enjoyed an overwhelming 557 win-loss ratio with a 22-match unbeaten hard court streak. The astounding success won them legions of fans who lovingly branded them "SanTina".

AJEYO BASU, NEW DELHI

nce upon a time, parents used to discourage their children from taking sports too seriously since education was seen as the only option to build a career. But with more and more sports coming up with their own professional leagues in India, future generations of youngsters may no longer have to go through the agony of sacrificing their sporting ambitions. While hockey, cricket, kabaddi, badminton, football, boxing and tennis already have their own leagues, the year 2015 saw wrestling also join the bandwagon. The inaugural edition was quite successful with crowds thronging the venues and world class action on the mat. The six wrestling teams in the fray - Haryana Hammers, Punjab Royals, Dilli Veer, Uttar Pradesh Warriors, Mumbai Garudas and Bengaluru Yodhas boasted several World and

Olympic medallists in their lineups. The Indians gave a good account of themselves against top international opposition. Upcoming Indian youngster Rajneesh Dalal of Punjab Royals created one of the biggest upsets in the tournament by defeating Dilli Veer's 2015 World Championship silver medalist Navruzov Ikhtiyor of Uzbekistan in the men's 65 kg

When Sania Mirza made the year her own The Indo-Swiss collaboration capped off a memorable year with a triumph at the season-ending Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Singapore, also winning at Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Charleston, Miami and Indian Wells. The Charleston victory propelled Sania to the top of the doubles rankings. It was their third successive trophy

Her association with Swiss great Martina Hingis formed the basis of an unstoppable juggernaut to win an astonishing nine titles

together and gave impetus to the Hyderabadi to monopolize the top spot in rankings. SanTina was named as Women's Doubles World Champions by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for 2015. Sania began the year brightly, claiming the Sydney International with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in January. She bagged 10 women's doubles trophies as an individual in the indelible year.

division. Budding Indian wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Amit Dahiya, Rahul Aware, Amit Dhankar and Rajneesh also grabbed the limelight alongside more established stars like Yogeshwar Dutt. Since wrestling is perceived to be more popular in the northern part of the country, the PWL organizers preferred to host most of the matches in the region. Bengaluru was the only city outside north India to host matches while Delhi along with Ludhiana, Gurgaon and Noida virtually hosted the entire tournament. The public support was excellent. With wrestling being the most successful sport for India at the international level, and Indian grapplers successfully challenging the best in the world, the PWL has a strong chance of being a longterm success story. One of the most successful has been the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) which saw as much popularity in its second edition as in its first. Although most Indians have played kabaddi at least once during their growing up years, the sport was in a very poor shape due to absence of sponsors and spectators. The lack of money forced many kabaddi players to become security guards or bouncers in order to support their families. But the scenario has taken a complete U-turn with the arrival of the PKL. Not only has the PKL brought in the sponsors and the crowds, it has also created stars -an essential element needed to popularize a sport, especially among children.

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2015 in retrospect YEANDER - SCIENCE x

Looking back at 2015:

Science & technology

CONNECTING BILLIONS TO INTERNET Top Oracle executive Thomas Kurian announced that the leading cloud services provider fully supports the latest digital initiatives launched by the Indian government NISHANT ARORA, NEW DELHI

hile “net neutrality” and its ensuing debate kept Indian policymakers and the social media busy for most part of the year, what took the country to the center stage was a statement from social networking giant Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg that if the world needs to be connected then it is very important to connect the billion-plus people in India. “It is central to our plans of connecting the next billion people and then the whole world,” Zuckerberg said during the townhall meeting held at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi in October during his maiden visit to India. Facebook rechristened its free

internet platform internet.org -which it developed in conjunction with Reliance Communications Network -- as “Free Basics by Facebook” in September. Today, nearly 15 million people in 24 nations have access to internet as a result of Facebook’s free internet efforts. Although India has no regulations yet on “net neutrality” a draft report on this from the department of telecommunications (DoT) is with the government for clearance. “Net neutrality” means that governments and internet service providers treat all data on the internet equally and, therefore, not differentially charge users, content, platforms, sites, applications or mode of communication. Amid the debate, Satya Nadella, the Indian-born chief executive of Microsoft, visited India in Novem-

Prime Minster Narendra Modi with Google CEO Sundar Pichai during his visit to the Google Headquarters in San Jose, California, US on September 27.

ber and announced a string of partnerships, programmes and products to help Indian organizations and governments explore unchartered business areas and enrich customer and citizen experiences. Referring to the newly-launched local Microsoft Cloud, Nadella said

during a conference in Mumbai: “With Microsoft Cloud and Surface Pro 4, our customers here in India have the digital technology they need to seize incredible new growth and opportunity on a global scale.” Just a month back in San Francisco, top Oracle executive Thomas

Kurian announced that the leading cloud services provider fully supports the latest digital initiatives launched by the Indian government. “Oracle is committed towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘Digital India’ initiative. In the days to come, the world will see Oracle investing in more Indian cities to open new product development centers,” Indian-born Kurian, Oracle’s president of product development, announced. Oracle has already hired 2,300 engineers in product development in India this year. The company has 12 development centers in India, including facilities in many emerging cities like Vijayawada, Thiruvananthapuram, Noida and Ahmedabad. Cloud computing is a general term for the delivery of hosted services over the Internet. It enables companies to consume compute resources as a utility -- just like electricity -- rather than having to build and maintain computing infrastructures in-house. When it came to wearable technology in India, the year saw some tough competition to the leader Apple. While Apple smartwatch was finally launched in India this year, at around Rs.30,000, it still burnt a hole in people’s pocket. Later this year, Lenovo-owned Motorola introduced five new variants of its android wear Moto 360 (2nd Gen) collection for the Indian consumers. The Rs.19,999 Moto 360 smartwatch gives users complete control right from the wrist so you can stay in the moment without constantly grabbing your phone from your pocket or purse.

ISRO: A year of achievements in space technology VENKATACHARI JAGANNATHAN, CHENNAI

HIGHLIGHTS:

he year 2015 could be termed as one of commercial launches for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), while steps have been taken to spread the usage of space technology within India. During the year, the Indian space agency launched 17 foreign satellites as against three Indian ones from its rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Last month, India also launched its GSAT-15 communication satellite using the Ariane rocket of the European space agency, taking the total number of satellite launches in 2015 to 21 (17 foreign, four Indian). India will send aloft two telecommunication satellites -

GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 - on the Ariane 5 rocket in 2016 and 2017. However, it terms of the foreign tonnage, ISRO had transported around 2,148 kg, which is much below the GSAT-15's three ton weight. According to space agency officials, India has contracted to

launch over 20 satellites - a mix of nano, micro and normal sized ones -over the next three years. According to ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar, the immediate focus is on completing the second vehicle (rocket) assembly line that would enable increasing the launch

l India's Mars Orbiter completed 100 days of its Martian orbit on the New Year's Day 2015. l Distinguished scientist A.S. Kiran Kumar was appointed secretary, department of space and ISRO chairman. l The year ending was the 40th year after the launch India's first satellite, Aryabhata, with a Russian rocket. l Till date, 50 rockets - not including sounding rockets - have been launched from Sriharikota. l Indian Railways initiated discussions with ISRO on the possibility of using GPS-Aided GeoAugmented Navigation for safety at unmanned railway crossings.

frequency. In terms of rockets used, 19 satellites were launched with the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) and one communication satellite - the GSAT-6 - with a geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV). During the year, India joined a select group of nations - the US, Japan and Russia, as also Europe with the successful launch of the Astrostat space observatory. India also moved a step forward towards its own satellite navigation systems by launching the IRNSS-1D in March. On July 13, India launched its satellite-based air navigation services GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation Satellite System) and in the process joined a select group of the US and Japan, as also the European Union (EU) that have a similar system.

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2015 in retrospect yearender - entertainment

Looking back at 2015:

Music

INT MUSIC LEFT

INDIA GROOVING

Music aficionados got the chance to witness some of the world's biggest names from diverse genres like Electronic Dance Music (EDM), rock, jazz and heavy metal on the home turf in 2015 ANKIT SINHA, NEW DELHI

and heavy metal on the home turf in 2015. And there was also a surprise from Coldplay's Chris Martin! EDM has definitely taken the cake, as far as music genres are concerned. Sunburn, India's premier electronic music festival, featured Grammy Award-winning DJ and music producer Afrojack at Sunburn Arena, and is set to host Guetta, Martin Garrix, KSHMR as headlining acts in Goa. The idea is to bring new sounds and fresh projects to consumers every year, says Harindra Singh, vice chairman and managing director, Percept Ltd. "Each year our consumer research, marketing and produc-

tion team research the artists, new Napalm Death, Demilich, Anatoproduction experiences and con- mia, Carcass, Inquisition, Hacksumer experiences to ensure that tivist and Cannibal Corpse made we give a truly global experience to their appearances in the country at our fans. We are in constant touch festivals. Kunal Choksi, owner of with the international artists and Mumbai-based heavy metal record their agencies to experiment with label Transcending Obscurity, new sounds and new projects and attributes this growth to "awareness we bring to the country the and promotion". absolute best," Singh told IANS. "The fact is that organizers here He said that while "dance are actually making an effort music is a well established to get in touch with concept worldwide, bands of their choice, India is waking up and inviting them Music to it only now and to play shows in aficionados got embracing it the country. In the the chance to fully". Even on the past, this witness some of heavy metal front, remained a dream the world's for most," Choksi an array of artists biggest names told IANS. like Megadeth,

in 2015

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Huge audience for Indian classical music abroadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

ANKIT SINHA, NEW DELHI

nternationally acclaimed sitari Anoushka Shankar says India classical music has a strong fo lowing abroad, but it's "such shame" that the genre's popularit hasn't translated in the country o its origin. The daughter of late sita maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar ha earned her fifth Grammy nomina tion for her album "Home", whic reaffirms Indian classical music hold in the West. "I think our music in its pure form is something what we alway talk about here as being unde threat. I see that less for myse because I don't come here tha often, but I see my peers who sa that they have to do collaboration and crossover fusion, and som kind of spin for it to sell," Anoush ka told IANS in a candid tete-a tete. "I tour around the world, th classical shows would totally se out. It's a shame that it is not tran lating in the country of its origin she added. She says that the "narrow stream of media" here makes it seem tha Indian classical music is under som "threat", but that's not entirely tru "We have a narrow stream o media and it's really prominent an therefore it seems like Indian mus is under threat, because it is no very visible. There is only one genr that's really visible. But if you go t any classical festivals in any of th cities, it is amazing, it is beautifu There are thousands of people li tening all night," she said.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

2015 in retrospect

Looking back at 2015:

Cinema

An average year for Bollywood

Big stars, barring Salman Khan, fail to rake in much moolah; several movies fail to match high hopes riding on them; novel concepts click SANDEEP SHARMA AND UMAR, NEW DELHI

tar power sells, but content is the original king. This stood true for Bollywood’s roastercoaster 2015, a year full of films with strong and unique storylines making their small presence felt in a big way. The stars, barring Salman Khan, somehow failed to rake in much moolah, say trade pundits, pointing out how only five of the nearly 172 Hindi film releases surpassed the psychological Rs.1 billion ($15 million) mark at the domestic box office. And this duly

included Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dilwale”. One can’t say the year has been “bad” for Bollywood, says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “It has been a trend since the past so many years now that we have had more flops and lesser hits. So you really can’t say that the year has been a bad one,” Adarsh told IANS. Hopes were high from movies like “Shamitabh”, “Roy”, “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”, “Bombay Velvet”, “Dil Dhadakne Do”, “Hamari Adhuri Kahani”, “Katti Batti” and “Shaandaar” with different storylines, but they failed to elicit the expected response.

A pleasant change however was the welcome to movies like “Baby”, “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, “NH10” and “Piku”; as well as to some formulaic entertainers like “Drishyam”, “Welcome Back”, “Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon”, “Singh Is Bliing” and “Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2”.

“The year has witnessed a diverse set of films. People chose content that touched their heart and which they could carry home after getting out of the theatres,” Adarsh said. Rucha Pathak, chief creative officer at Fox Star Studios, agreed that “2015 has been a great year in terms

of content. The biggest example of power of good content is ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Even some of the smaller films really garnered good word of mouth from the audience.” In comparison to the seven films that crossed the Rs.100 crore milestone in 2014, the year just-ending had only five - Kangana Ranaut’s “Tanu Weds Manu Returns” (Rs.150.77 crore); Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan starrer “ABCD 2” (Rs.105.74 crore); Salman’s “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” (Rs.320.34 crore), “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” (over Rs.200 crore); and Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dilwale” (Rs.102.65 crore and going strong)

Tamil films that wowed audiences in the year gone by HARICHARAN PUDIPEDDI, CHENNAI

f the over 200 Tamil films released this year, there were a few that may not have necessarily created an impact at the box office but they appealed to a mixed audience with their unique storylines, talent and formats. IANS lists some of the top such movies that stood out in 2015: “Kaaka Muttai”: M. Manikandan’s debut feature is not a children’s film. It’s a movie for adults and relates to children oblivious to the growing social divide, capitalism and elitism. “Rajathandiram”: A.G. Amid’s “Rajathandiram”, hands down, is the best heist film to have come from Tamil cinema. It’s hard to believe it’s the work of a newcomer. “Uttama Villain”: Kamal Haasan’s semi-autobiographical take on stardom and mortality could easily be

(L-R) Stills from Tamil blockbusters “Kaaka Muttai” and “Thani Oruvan”

the most underrated, star-studded film of the year. Haasan proved once again why he’s one of the best writers we have in the country. “Kuttram Kadithal”: Revolving around events that take place in a school in a single day, this extremely

well-written docu-drama encompasses multiple themes ranging from motherhood to religion and humanity. “Naanum Rowdydhaan”: A story about a wannabe rowdy and a woman he wants to help avenge the

death of her father, this is one of the most entertaining Tamil film of the year. “Trisha Illana Nayantara”: An Arated sex comedy that may have not done full justice to the genre, but introduced us to a young filmmaker,

Adhik Ravichandran, who isn’t afraid to go against the tide. “Thani Oruvan”: A film that made its audience root for a villain! How many times does that happen in Indian cinema, given the kind of villains our films produce? In a comeback role, Arvind Swamy was terrific in this extremely stylish thriller. “O Kadhal Kanmani”: It doesn’t matter if you’re a Mani Ratnam fan or not, this film will leave you with an everlasting smile on your face. The movie, which marked the auteur’s comeback to the romance genre after a decade, was a refreshing take on contemporary romance and relationship. “CSK: Charles Shafiq Karthiga”: A low-budget thriller that unfolds in a single night in a shopping mall, the entire story of the movie rests on its female protagonist, and that’s not something you see often in Tamil filmdom.

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2015 in retrospect YEANDER - FASHION x

Looking back at 2015:

Fashion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspired a trend of his own. The clothes worn by the PM is seen by many as the revival of classic clothing

PM inspires men’s fashion Modi’s style statements - from the US to China - have been inspiring many men, says designer Troy Costa, who was roped in to create some outfits for the PM last year NATALIA NINGTHOUJAM, NEW DELHI

When global retailers knocked at India’s doors NIVEDITA, NEW DELHI

offers Gap for men and women, GapKids, and babyGap. The plans are big as officials hope to open about 40 stores in the next five years and Rs. 1,000 crore worth of business opportunity from the ven-

ture is expected. "I think our clothes are perfect for Indian summer. It's very easy to wear with a whole lot of linen feel to it," Oliver Kaye, CEO - Gap Business, told IANS. Arvind

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

2015 in retrospect YEANDER - FASHION x

Looking back at 2015:

E-commerce

E-tailers log out buyers from costly retailers What began as a trickle twothree years ago has turned into a tide, as is evident from the phenomenal growth of e-tail business in 2015 FAKIR BALAJI & APARAJITA GUPTA, BENGALURU

echnology-driven etailers are giving a run for the money to retailers in the real world, as they lure away smart buyers with lower prices, heavy discounts and door-step delivery. What began as a trickle few years ago has turned into a tide, as is evident from the phenomenal growth of e-tail business in 2015, especially in consumer and electronic goods, durables, appliances and fashion. “This year (2015) has been the year of digital consumers, as more offline buyers shifted to online shopping for the advantages e-commerce offers,” Ankit Nagori, leading e-tailer Flipkart’s chief business officer, told IANS. With faster internet access through broadband and Wi-Fi and increasing use of smartphones and

other handheld Trends2015) Flipkart ‘E-commerce devices like tablets conducted from Janand i-Pads, browsuary 1-Dec 14, business has ing e-commerce Delhi NCR grown to $23 as the web sites and placemerged billion in 2015 most online shoping orders have from $13.6 ping-savvy area, folbecome a growing billion in 2014’ lowed by Bengaluru, trend in cities and Mumbai, Chennai towns across the and Hyderabad. country. “E-commerce business has “Internet penetration through mobiles and access to a grown to $23 billion in 2015 from variety of brands and products at $13.6 billion in 2014, registering a affordable prices has made 2015 a whopping 70 percent annual year of e-commerce, with electron- growth, with e-tail contributing ics and mobiles emerging as top $12 billion this year as against $4.5 billion last year in gross merchanperformers,” Nagori asserted. According to a survey (Flip- dise value,” Rajat Wahi, partner and

head, consumer markets, KPMG in India told IANS. Among tier-1 cities, Pune emerged on top followed by Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. Bhubaneswar is the only city from the eastern region to figure in the study. Mangaluru in Karnataka emerged the top tier-2 city of digital shoppers, followed by Mysuru, while hill town Dehradun in Uttarakhand came third, with Salem in Tamil Nadu and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh closely behind. “E-commerce has seen unprecedented growth in 2015, aided by rising online consumers, affordable smartphones and improvements in

HIGHLIGHTS v E-tailers outsmart retailers with lower prices, discounts & door delivery v More offline buyers shift to online shopping for benefits & advantages v Online shopping became trend on faster internet access & mobility v Delhi-NCR most online shopping savvy city-region in the country v E-commerce grows 70 percent annually with e-tail chipping in most v Consumers of 25-34 years age group dominate e-tail space v Online channel preferred over offline to save time and make better choice v Huge price difference makes even the well-off go on online spree v Office-goers and working couples find e-tailing suitable for daily needs v E-tailers shift focus on growth and returns from discounts and freebies

network infrastructure,” PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India partner Sandeep Ladda told IANS. Though diverse factors are fuelling e-commerce growth, huge price difference on products or goods such as groceries, fruits and vegetables offered online vis-a-vis retail sellers offline, is drawing even well-paid buyers to them. “As we are a working couple, we buy most of our daily needs online, as they are delivered at home, with option to return or reject if not satisfied of their quality,” said Sangeeta Kulkarni, a techie with a global software major in Bengaluru. E-tailers like Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon are also focusing on improving consumer retention and frequency through personalized offerings.

Govt seeks to push skills, clean energy PRASHANT SOOD, NEW DELHI

etting up of Niti Aayog, launch of Skill India and major social security schemes were among key initiatives of the Narendra Modi government in the past year as it sought to speed up governance amid a legislative gridlock and political setbacks. The government took steps to expand skills and jobs, boost investment, strengthen higher education, enhance the share of solar and renewable energy and step up agricultural growth even as its critics

alleged that it had not been able to show progress on the ground. In July, the government unveiled the National Skill Development Mission, National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the Skill Loan scheme. With about half the country’s population estimated to be dependent for their livelihood on some form of farm activity, the prime minister launched the Soil Health Card Scheme in February to promote productivity, conserve water

and boost rural income. The government hopes to issue over 140 million soil health cards by 2018. As part of efforts to improve governance, Modi launched PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation), a multi-purpose, multi-modal platform aimed at addressing the common man’s grievances. Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Yojana to foster entrepreneurship at the grassroots level. The proposal to create MUDRA was

made in the union budget this year with a corpus of Rs.20,000 crore (over $3 billion) and a credit guarantee corpus of Rs.3,000 crore.

The “Namami Gange” program to clean and protect the Ganga river, was approved with a budget outlay of Rs.200 billion in May.

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COMMUNITY NEWS/MIDWEST 2

FRIDAY, JANUARY 01, 2016

Consular Gala attracts top-drawer leaders

BY A STAFF WRITER HICAGO, IL -- The Chicago Consular Corps held a grand gala hosted by the Chicago Sister Cities International and World Business Chicago at the Chicago Hilton Towers on December 15 in Chicago. The event was attended by international guests, 85 foreign & honorary consulates in Chicago and top-drawer leaders from business, civic and cultural communities. The glittering gala was marked by elegance with high-profile presence of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Amy Rule; Dean of the Consular Corps of Chicago Patricia Maza-Pittsford and Philip Pittsford who were the chief guests. The Global Citizen Award was presented to W. James McNerney, jr., chairman of the Boeing Company. Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India in Chicago, was prominently featured with his audio-visual message in which he outlined his efforts in garnering valuable scholarships for young students through the Chicago Consular Corps scholarship programs, eliciting robust applause. He was appreciated for his active involvement in other Chicago Consular Corps initiatives, including International Peace Day, CPR Demonstrations with Chicago Medical Society, etc. Smita Shah, Chair of the Delhi-Chicago Sister Cities Committee International, said the Gala fostered a unique opportunity to

Smita Shah, Chair, Chicago-Delhi Sister-City Relations Committee, Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Mrs. Farha Sayeed, Mr. Niranjan Shah & Keerthi Ravoori at the Consular Gala

bring together Consul Generals of over 85 countries based in Chicago to help forge a more meaningful relationship between the global corporate leaders and the consulates to focus on profound humanitarian issues. E a r l i e r, Sm i t a Sh a h re c e i ve d appreciation from the Mayor for hosting Gandhi Jayanti celebrations under the aegis of Delhi Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International for two years in a row. Niranjan Shah, eminent community leader credited for his efforts in laying foundation for the Chicago Indian American community to showcase its growing community strength, said he

was gratified that the Chicago continued to showcase the finest band of the diplomatic corps and their spirited efforts to interconnect Chicago and the world. Among those who joined the Gala were Farha Sayeed, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, immediate-past FIA president and Nick Patel, a leading Bollywood shows organizer. The evening showcased the festive spirit and the generous proceeds of the Gala have been earmarked to support the work of Chicago Sister Cities International, World Business Chicago and fund Chicago Consular Corps scholarships to the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Chicago community, AAHOA rally behind Krishnamoorthi BY A STAFF WRITER HICAGO, IL -- With several high-profile endorsements already rendered, Raja Krishnamoorthi now has won support fom more quarters. The democratic candidate for the US Congress has been further bolstered with Chicago community leader Iftekhar Shareef and AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association) coming together to bring about greater national awareness of his candidacy from the eighth congressional district in Illinois at a recent event held at India House in Hoffman Estate, IL. Krishnamoorthi thanked community leaders and AAHOA leadership for invigorating new enthusiasm and new excitement in the community in rallying behind his candidacy and added that this gave him a new momentum to his campaign. He said: “I am running for congress for you and for your families and emphasized that he acutely understands the challenges the families are facing and will fight for their economic security. He pledged that when he goes to congress, he emphasized “you will go with me to congress to represent the dreams and hopes of each one of us. Krishnamoorthi thanked the leaders gathered at the event for extending a substantive and meaningful help and said he is deeply committed to working families’ agenda and he will employ his valuable experience both in the public and private sector to strengthen the working families. Shareef, Principal Host, in his introductory address said Krishnamoorthi bore tremendous promise as the next US Congressman mainly because he was uniquely and exceptionally qualified as he deeply understands the issues and the challenges the nation and the local communities face. Shareef alos said that he would continue to strive to evoke collective community enthusiasm to deliver for Krishnamoorti

Direct From Farm Inc. to add more products

BY A STAFF WRITER HICAGO,IL -- Direct From Farm Inc, the only producer of green garlic in mid west and east coast of the US, has ambitious plans to come out with 21 new products in the near future. The company has registered a spectacular growth in the past three years having carved out a niche for itself in the business of harvesting and distribution of spring-fresh green garlic in mid west and east coast area. According to Girish Ray, CEO of Direct From Fram Inc, the company churns out green garlic which is very long—about 24-26-inch-long--and entirely different from the conventional green garlic being grown in the rest of the US. The company has production facilities—its own green houses--in Mid West and North East locations covering Missouri, Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. “As the company name suggests, we promise to deliver fresh green garlic (and other forthcoming products) the same day or the next day of the harvest through its well-defined logistic chain”, claims Ray who has a vision of coming up with 21 new products starting as early as March 2016.

Sikh Chair created at UC Irvine BY A STAFF WRITER RVINE CA -- The inauguration and celebration ceremony of the Bibi Dhan Kaur Sahota Chair for Sikh Studies was held at the University of California at Irvine recently. The chair was created by Indian American cardiologist Dr. H. Sahota in honor of his late mother. A letter was read out from Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, who praised the foresight of UCI and its commitment to cultivate students with diverse knowledge of the world. Venkata Ramana, from the San Francisco Consulate, reminded the audience how the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his father Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, sacrificed his life along with those of his four sons for the defense of the Hindu religion. More than 150 people attended the function. Welcome remarks were made by Dean of Humanities Georges Van Den Abbeele and provost and executive vice-chancellor Enrique Lavernia. Closing remarks were made by Keith Nelson, director emeritus of the Religious Studies program. Professors Jack Miles and Gerry Larson were honored with a presentation of Sikh turbans, while Nicole Balsamo, executive director of development, was honored with a scarf.

Raja Krishnamoorthi joined by the hosts: Iftekhar Shareef, Dinesh Gandhi , Mujeeb Ahmed, Ajeet Singh, Keerthi Ravoori, Kalpesh Joshi, Balwinder Singh, Harish Kolasani, Babu Patel & Chirag Patel.

the victory he so tremendously deserved. He pledged that his team will remain a driving force in helping put together many more events in order to bring energy and momentum to Krishnamoorthi’s candidacy. Balvinder Singh, another champion of Indian-American community, also offered his full support to Krishnamoorthi by endorsing the latter’s candidacy and said that he would work with Washington leadership in mobilizing support for Krishnamoorthi. Kalpesh Joshi, Regional Director (Upper Midwest) of AAHOA and the event Co-Chair, earlier welcomed the gathering of community leaders and outlined the commitment of AAHOA in throwing its far-reaching robust support behind Krishnamoorthi and added that AAHOA was deeply committed to backing Krishnamoorthi with its resources and networking capabilities to help in reaching out nationwide to bring to bear the tools necessary to win the elections. Earlier, Chirag Patel, AAHOA’s Vice President for Governmental Affairs, outlined the strategy of AAHOA and its political action committee in channeling the support

for Krishnamoorthi because he understands the growing challenges and impediments the hospitality industry facesand the burdensome regulatory provisions which seriously impeded the business. Patel said AAHOA recognized the potential in the candidacy of Krishnamoorthi who, he said, could defend the goals AAHOA was committed to. Keerthi Kumar Ravoori in his brief statement said Krishnamoorthi was gaining momentum among the voters as he represents a new fresh invigorating voice for the Asians to help represent their dreams and hopes. Babu Patel apprised Krishnamoorthi of the challenges business community was facing in the nation particularly the mounting untenable tax burden placed on them. In conclusion, Krishnamoorthi thanked and acknowledged the event hosts: Iftekhar Shareef, Kalpesh Joshi, Chirag Patel, Balwinder Singh, Ajeet Singh, Harish Kolasani, Keerthi Ravoori, Dinesh Gandhi, Babu Patel, Jagmohan Jayara & Mujeeb Ahmed.

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COMMUNITY NEWS/midwest FBI reward for clue on Hindu temple soon in Palatine, Illinois vandalism at mosque 4

FRIDAY, JANUARY 01, 2016

BY A STAFF WRITER ALATINE, IL -- A Hindu temple in Palatine in Cook County in Illinois has reportedly been approved. It consists of about 0.78 acres and Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal of Chicago, a non-profit organization whose goal is “to become ideal satsangi”, is listed among the owners. Currently, the Mandal conducts kirtan, satsang, aarti, etc. besides Gujarati and spirituality classes for kids/youth on Sundays in Schaumburg. Meanwhile, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada has commended efforts of temple leaders and area community towards realizing this temple. According to reports, the Mandal i s p a r t o f “ In t e r n a t i o n a l Sh r e e Swaminarayan Sansthan of Vadtal (ISSSV)” headquartered in Somerset (New Jersey) with temples/chapters/ members in California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida in USA; and Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba in Canada. The Mandal claims links to Shree Laxminarayan Dev Gadi in Vadtal (Gujarat, India).

Passport restrictions for tax defaulters

BY A STAFF WRITER ASHINGTON, DC-- The US government has started to implement a new law passed by Congress earlier this month which allows it to revoke passports of tax delinquents – people who owe more than $50,000 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS reported 12.4 million delinquent accounts owing nearly $131 billion in assessed taxes, interest and penalties in 2014, according to a report by USA Today. In addition to going after delinquent taxpayers by revoking their passports, the FAST Act highway-transportation bill signed by President Obama earlier this month also gives private debt collectors a shot at forcing taxpayers to make good on their debts. The act includes a mandate that the IRS turn over certain unpaid tax delinquencies to private debt collectors. The passport-revoking provision allows the Department of the Treasury and the IRS to authorize the State Department to take away US passports from individuals with seriously delinquent tax liabilities. That’s defined as those greater than $50,000 and for which the IRS has filed a lien or levy, according to Matthew D. Lee of law firm Blank Rome. In a blog, he described the passport-revoking provision as a “powerful tool to force tax compliance.” Affected taxpayers would receive written notice. The State Department is now authorized to deny, revoke or limit use of a taxpayer’s US passport, and it isn’t supposed to issue a passport to anyone owing that much money (with exceptions for emergencies or for humanitarian reasons). Americans out of the country when their passports are revoked may be allowed to return home, said the USA Today report. The number of valid US passports has surged in recent years, from roughly 30 million in 1995 to 126 million this year. The new provisions wouldn’t affect taxpayers who already have entered deals with the IRS to pay their tax debts, such as instalment agreements or offers in compromise. Also, passports wouldn’t be revoked for people who are seeking hearings or who are claiming innocent-spouse relief, said the report.

Security cameras that show a man placing raw bacon meat on door handles

BY A STAFF WRITER AS VEGAS, NV -- An incident of an unidentified man, caught on surveillance video, putting raw bacon over the door handles of a mosque in Las Vegas, is being termed as a likely hate crime by the police. The FBI has issued a reward for information leading to the arrest of the accused. In the video, the man is seen carefully wrapping the raw bacon over the door handles of Masjid-e-Tawheed in the 6100 block of W. Viking Road, on December 27. At one point, he puts a strip of bacon in his mouth as he opens the package. A Muslim worshipper discovered the bacon on the same day and removed it with a napkin. All pork products are considered unclean in the Islamic tradition, and Muslims are forbidden from eating or touching it. The Las Vegas police are searching for the man and are calling the incident a possible hate crime. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for “a state and federal hate crime investigation of the desecration” of the Nevada mosque. “This type of attempted desecration must be investigated as an act of intimidation and hate, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. The FBI Las Vegas Division is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for vandalism committed at the mosque, it said in a release. According to the FBI, a white male was observed desecrating a local mosque by placing raw bacon on the various door handles of entrances to the mosque. “The subject was observed wearing a dark blue hat, jacket, and black framed glasses. The subject appears to have black or dark brown hair with long thin sideburns”, the release said.

Mukeshbhai Papaiya, Arjun Malavia and Subhash Patel are president, vice president and treasurer, respectively, of ISSSV, whose aim includes “to preserve

and practise the cultural heritage of Sanatan Dharma”. Achar ya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharajshree is the current Acharyashri.

March of Dimes honor for Bela Bajaria BY A STAFF WRITER EVERLY HILLS, CA -- Bela Bajaria, Indian American president of Universal Television, was honored recently at the fifth annual March of Dimes Celebration of Babies luncheon. Bajaria was joined by actress Jessica Alba and Dr. Michele Hakakha as honorees at the luncheon held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Actress Mindy Kaling presented the Inspiring Woman of the Year award to Bajaria at the event. Among Bajaria’s TV successes are hit shows like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” The woman who is behind the Aziz Ansari Netflix show “Master of None” and many other future projects, has been working with March of Dimes for more than two decades. Bajaria told reporters she had previously worked at a nonprofit for third-world

Bela Bajaria countries where polio vaccination was a big part of the job. March of Dimes helped cure polio and now is working to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality, which, Bajaria said, is very personal to her.

Indian CEO arraigned on wire fraud charges BY A STAFF WRITER RLANDO, FL-- An Indian-American CEO of a Florida financial firm has been charged with selling USD 179 million in sham loans to an investment company. Nikesh Patel, 32, chairman and CEO of Orlando-based First Farmers Financial, has pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court to charges that he forged signatures and produced false documents

to create the appearance that at least 26 government-backed loans had been issued to borrowers in Florida and Georgia. According to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago, the sham loans purported to contain principal amounts ranging from USD 2.5 million to USD 10 million and Patel sold the fraudulent loans to a Milwaukee investment firm for USD 179 million. The indictment charges Florida-resident Patel with five counts of wire fraud, with

each count carrying a 20-year prison term and fine of USD 250,000. Prosecutors said through its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program, the US Department of Agriculture guarantees a percentage of loans issued to borrowers who improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities. First Farmers obtained certification to participate in the programme after Patel submitted false statements to the USDA about his company’s assets and officers.

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COMMUNITY NEWS/NY-NJ collision leaves man dead Girl Scouts’ gesture for firefighters FIA Chicago hasCenter new Head-on Vedic Day Care executiveChristmas board celebrates FRIDAY, DECEMBER FRIDAY, JANUARY25, 01,2015 2016

BY BY AA STAFF STAFFWRITER WRITER ENOX TWP, 38-year-old HICAGO,GA IL----A Girl Scouts New woman crashed of Haven the Girl Scoutswho of America head-on anotherunder vehicle, Troop,into chartered the killing a man, was apparently Scouting Program at the Islamic speeding driving erratically beforetheir the Center ofand Naperville (ICN), utilized collision--and alcohol might be todelivered blame. day off on December 25 and The accident around breakfast baskets,happened simultaneously to 12:20 the 10 am December 18Naperville. on 26 Mile Road at fire on stations around PlaceAmong Road inthe Lenox Township. healthy items were fresh Macomb County Anthony fruit, coffee cake, BagelsSheriff and cream cheeses Wickersham womanGeorge, was driving with the helpsaid of the Michelle from aPanera DodgeCatering; Journey and eastbound on eggs 26 Mile scrambled with Road when she crossed into theinwestbound veggies prepared by Eggs Inc. downtown lanes and crashed Naperville by Gushead-on Vassos.into a Hyundai sedan. The breakfast was a gesture of gratitude A man driving the for the firefighters whoHyundai, everyday34-yearcommit old Kinjal Patel, killed the crash.of themselves for thewas safety andinwellbeing The police say Patel recently moved to the residents. Utica from Ohio. He was on his way home The visit was followed by the girls’ onefrom working in Ira Township when the on-one interactions with the firefighters crash occurred. aimed at appreciating the nature of their The woman was initially trapped her jobs, challenges faced by them, andintheir vehicle to be rescued by fire crews. messageand to had youth. She received non-life threatening injuries “While we received a number of and was transported to a local hospital. gifts from our friends and relatives on the Wickersham said a witness occasion of this Christmas, theindicated breakfast that the woman was speeding and from the kids seemed as if it wasswerving a special in the moments before the crash. “We have no independent witnesses to the actual crash,” said Wickersham,

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Indian Association Association president Indian president share share his his views views

(Back row L-R) Gaurav Arora, Hitesh Gandhi, Ali Khan, Khaja Moinuddin, Sunny Kular, Moon Khan, Ninad Daftari, Manjeet Bhalla, & Mona Bhalla. (Front row L-R) Shital Daftari, Shalini Saxena, Onkar Singh Sangha, Dhitu Bhagwakar, Sunil Shah, Neil Khot, Mukesh Shah, & Payal Shah.

BY A STAFF WRITER HICAGO, IL – The Federation of BY A Associations STAFF WRITER Indian (FIA) Chicago, -- Theumbrella Vedic aHICAGO, leading IndianIL American Day CareofCenter, a wellorganization Illinois, elected its 2016 executive boardschool at its annual meeting held known of Chicagoland, recently at Waterford celebratedBanquets. its annual Christmas function on presence December in the presence In the of 24 several community of someand110 peopleof comprising friends leaders members different associations, Sunil family Shah andmembers Onkar Singh founder and ofSangha, the center’s and former presidents, announced the following children. line-up T h eof officers: kids presented different Dhitu Bhagwakar--president; performances, singing devotionalMukesh songs Shah and Neil Khot--executive vice presidents; and Christmas carols, and even staging a Moon about Khan, the Shital Daftari, Manjeet Bhalla, drama birth of Christ. Ali Khan, and Hitesh Gandhi--vice presidents; The children exchanged gifts among Khaja Moinuddin--secretary; Shalini Saxenathemselves, which brought them joy. Along

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joint secretary; Payal Shah--treasurer. Directors will be Ninad Daftari and Mona with Bhalla.the Christmas program, the Vedic Day Care Center celebrated Gita Jayanti by While welcoming the Gita new board members, distributing Bhagavad books among the newly-elected the parents and president, teachers. Dhitu Bhagwakar, briefly outlined the importance of working The finale of the day was marked with together. a Christmas lunch. It was a day to celebrate year brings new enjoyed hope andbyfresh with“New excitement and was the challenges,” said.program. “Fortunately, we people whoBhagwakar attended the are prepared with new talents and renewed Throughout the years, the Vedic Day energy.” Care Center celebrates each occasion with has scheduled colorful program greatFIA enthusiasm whichabrings enjoyment to commemorate India’s 67th Republic to the children. Director Vrashbha Das Day said Celebration at Ashton that he wasfestivity gratefulontoJanuary Navin,24 Mehta, Dr. Place, 341 Street, Willowbrook, IL 60527. Modi, Kal75th Patel, and Nicolael Crestescu Dazzling cultural events are being scheduled. for their financial support.

Hyderabadi-style comedy is here

Indian novelist is Ohio’s first Poet Laureate

BY A STAFF WRITER OLUMBUS, OH -- Indian American novelist, poet and essayist Amit Majmudar was named Ohio’s first Poet Laureate by Ohio Governor John Kasich Dec. 17. In announcing the appointment, Kasich cited Majmudar’s unique career path. In addition to being a published author, he is also a diagnostic nuclear radiologist. Leading Stars from Hyderabad “Our first poet laureateFilm willIndustry bring aMast Ali, a. k. a. Saleem Pheku, Aziz Naser, A.K.A. Jahangeer, Syed Hussain, in Chicago with Iftekhar unique perspective to this new role and is Shareef, Layeeque Ahmed, Shoukat and others. a powerfulBY example to our young people The stars of Hyderabad Film Industry A STAFF WRITER that regardless of what they will present a 90-minute Comedy Show, HICAGO, IL career -- The path Hyderabad choose to Film pursue, they always tap a charity-oriented event, on December 29 Industry, even can though into their only otherabout passions,” Kasich 10 years old,said has onwards at Northshore Banquet Hall, Devon, in a statement. churned out a series of comedy Chicago. A graduate of the University of The show, comprising a unique blockbusters and gained popularity not only Akron andPradesh Northeast Ohio Medical in Andhra and different parts of combination of funny gags, mimicry, University, completed India but alsoMajmudar among the large Diasporahisin stand-ups, etc. will be laced with typical medical residency at US, the thanks University the Middle-East and the to the Hyderabadi-style comedy, according to Mast Hospitals Cleveland. He currently Ali and Aziz Naser. Internet andofDVDs. works forasRadiology, Inc.Ali, ina.Columbus, “The Show will be our tribute to the This stated by Mast k. a. Saleem Ohio. Pheku, the king of comedy, who acted in over worth-emulating success of people of that during two-year term Hyderabad in the US. Hyderabad has been 20 He highsaid impact makinghis films in different beginning onbrought January 1, he intended the capital ofAmit comedy for decades and we languages and laurels to Hyderabad, Majmudar to interdisciplinary approach at abring press an conference held on December 23 hope that the Show will be instrumental in Poetry 1988-2012. to promoting poetryDevon by establishing a American further improving the relations among the at Mysore Woodlands, Ave, Chicago. His essays literary criticism link“Our withfilms the existing, Ohio people of India, and Pakistan, Bangladesh, and entertainedthriving their audiences also have appeared in a number of arts community. Another important Sri Lanka”, they added. thoroughly, irrespective of their linguistic publications as well, including the New component of the hisHyderabadi outreach Urdu, will be Mast Ali, Aziz Naser, Syed Hussain, backgrounds, as the Times, The Kenyon Review and engaging Ohio’s high school students York Farhan Khan, and their team, including lingua franca of the streets of Hyderabad, Poetry Daily. through a variety of means to encourage Ahmed, Shoukat, and Keerthi which is a unique mix of Urdu, Hindi, Telugu, Layeeque His next collection poems, the poetry isin widely Ohio. understood thanked Iftekhar Shareef, of a prominent andfuture some of Marathi, published inleader, March. Businessmanwill andbeCommunity for across Subcontinent, including “Dothead,” Hethe hasIndian published two novels, Majmudar was recommended for sponsoring the Comedy Show and helping in Pakistan”, added Ali. and “ The “Partitions” in Mast 2009, position the Ohio laureateas them out in aby variety of wayspoet in Chicago Abundance” in 2011. Feroz Khan, who has essayed a negative the committee, following an well as in Hyderabad. roleHis in “Dawat-e-Ishque” said that in Hyderabadi poetry has appeared several selection statewide Iftekhar Shreef nomination requested alland the cinema had come to attain the status publications, including The New Yorker,of extensive legislation creating Indian process. AmericansAbelonging to the Indian a genre not of justBooks, considering The Newunto Yorkitself, Review The review position of laureate was Subcontinent in Ohio generalpoet and Telengana State the typical lingo ofPoetry the City of Pearls,The but the Atlantic Monthly, Magazine, in 2014. in particular to attend the Comedy Show, in even given the culture andBest traditions the approved Antioch Review and The of theof Best large numbers. Deccan.

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gift from the Almighty himself ”, said the firefighters. Aadil Farid, President, ICN, said that the visits by the Girl Scouts were meant to recognize, appreciate, and acknowledge the services provided by the brave firefighters andPatel to express gratitude Kinjal for the multifarious sacrifices they made in “but we did have a witness stop prior to discharging their duties even on December the female was 25,crash, whichindicating happens tothat be athe public holiday, driving erratically and driving left of center across the globe. prior to the crash.” “Thanking people for their good deeds Wickersham said investigators also is one of the core Islamic values, as Prophet believe that alcohol could a contributing Muhammed taught thatbe one who does not factor. thank people, cannot thank the Creator”, “We’ll have to have toxicology reports Farid added. from both the hospital and the medical examiner’s office to determine that,” he said.

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COMMUNITY - national Sleeping Sikh called Bin Laden in video

FRIDAY, JANUARY 01, 2016

BY A STAFF WRITER OS ANGELES, CA-- A flight journey of an elderly Sikh man ended in humiliation as a co-passenger shot a candid video of him sleeping and put it up on YouTube with a caption ‘flying with Bin Laden’. The video, which was uploaded on YouTube on December 9 by a YouTuber named “sila kila”, has been getting angry comments with people once again raising the issue of “Sikhophobia” and “Islamophobia”, which is on the rise in the US. The video was allegedly shot by a passenger who was aboard a Jet Blue flight from New York to California. The person who shot the video was seated next to Darshan Singh, who was apparently sleeping. The video was posted with a title ‘Would you feel safe?’ and below that he wrote a caption ‘flying with Bin Laden’. Singh was quoted saying that he didn’t exchange words with the man who was sitting next to him, and was surprised to see the video of him online. As of now the video has received 83,000 views on YouTube and over 1,000 users have disliked the video. The number of likes the video got has not surpassed three digits. A user named Caroleeena commented, “Not if I had to sit next to you. You are clearly stupid and racist. There’s no telling what an ignoramus (someone who is both ignorant and an asshole) like you might do. Give me a Sikh over an ignoranus any day. (What an

One is arrested after bullets hit mosque

Corrections official in soup: hate crime BY A STAFF WRITER AYWARD (CA) -- A state Corrections Department e m p l oye e w h o a n g r i l y confronted two Muslim men praying in a Castro Valley park has been placed on paid administrative leave, just days after she was formally charged with a hate crime for the incident. “Denise Slader has been placed on administrative time off effective immediately. The internal CDCR investigation into the incident is ongoing,” said Luis Patino, a corrections department spokesman. “We cannot comment on the specifics of that investigation; however, discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.” As Slander questioned the praying duo, one of the men walked over to start a conversation about religion. Things escalated and soon Slader began shouting “Your God is Satan,” “Allah is Satan,” and “The Quran is evil,” the police said. The complaint filed last week states that Slader “wilfully and unlawfully used force and violence” against one of the men, Rasheed Albeshari, and “unlawfully injured and interfered” with his civil rights. When Albeshari began videotaping the confrontation in the park, Slader hit him with an umbrella and threw coffee on him, shown in a video that has since been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. “We expect all of our employees to treat everyone with dignity and respect both on and off the job,” said Patino, who said the leave was paid. Slader’s arraignment is set for January 7 in Hayward.

Darshan Singh

embarrassment for our country!)” Another YouTuber wrote, “Everyone watching this video report it for ‘hateful and abusive content’ the guy is triggering everyone to watch it so he can make money off of the advertisements!” The daughter of Darshan Singh, who saw the shocking video of her sleeping father being called ‘Bin Laden’ reported it to YouTube as hateful video and took the incident to a non-profit advocacy group called United Sikhs. “Incidents like this are shocking. No one, Sikh, Muslim, or otherwise should be afraid to travel. These types of incidents only

weaken the fabric of our nation. It is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of acts of ignorance around them and to report them when they see them. Only then can we unify ourselves against hate, ignorance, and discrimination.” said Jaspreet Kaur, staff attorney, United Sikhs, in a statement. Hate crimes against Sikhs have been rampant in the US since the 9/11 attacks and the horrific shooting in San Bernardino, California, earlier on December 2, has increased the hostility. Sikhism is the world’s 5th largest religion, but Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims in the US.

BY A STAFF WRITER EW HAVEN, CT-- Federal authorities have made an arrest after bullets hit a Meriden mosque last month. On November 18, multiple bullets struck the Baitul Aman mosque in south Meriden in what officials believe was an anti-Muslim incident. No one was hurt, as the mosque was empty at the time of the shooting. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the state of Connecticut said that an arrest took place on December17 night. The police say shots were fired into the mosque, penetrating three interior walls and areas where members gather for prayer.

Indian to lead U.C.innovation fund

BY A STAFF WRITER ILICON VALLEY, CA -- University of California officials have announced that Vivek Ranadive, an Indian American Silicon Valley entrepreneur, will lead a fund and build a team to invest in innovation opportunities at U.C. campuses. U.C.’s Office of the Chief Investment Officer will be an anchor investor, committing $250 million to the cause. “Vivek is a visionary who has transformed the way businesses operate across the world and developed his own innovations in Silicon Valley,” U.C. chief investment officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher said in a statement. The U.C. Board of Regents approved the concept of investing in innovation emerging from the U.C. system in September 2014. The innovation would touch disciplines such as life sciences, technology, energy, agriculture and materials, all using no tuition or state funding. Ranadive’s entrepreneurial beginnings were with Teknekron Software Solutions, which he founded. The company provided

Vivek Ranadive the engine to digitize trading on Wall Street. He also founded TIBCO, which created technology that helps communication between entities, manufacturers, governments and organizations across the world. Also the owner of NBA team the Sacramento Kings, Ranadive has authored

three New York Times best-sellers and writes his view of a values-driven world grounded in research and technology. “It is a tremendous honor to partner with the University of California in this unique collaboration focused on investing in breakthrough technologies emerging from the world-class University of California system,” said Ranadivé, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s at MIT and his M.B.A. at Harvard. For each year of the past few decades, U.C. has been granted more patents than any other university in the world, according to the U.C. news release. Researchers produce on average five inventions a day. There are at least 30 incubators and accelerators throughout the U.C. system. More than 800 start-up companies with U.C. patents have been founded since 1980, it added. The U.C. system includes 10 campuses, five medical centers and three affiliation national laboratories, as well as 246,000 students, more than 200,000 faculty and staff, and 1.7 million living alumni.

Beer firm changes name of Gandhi-labeled brew BY A STAFF WRITER OODBRIDGE, CT—New England Brewing (NEB) Co., a local firm, has rebranded its pale ale beer named after India’s Mahatma Gandhi. Previously dubbed Gandhi-Bot, the microbrew company has changed the name by simply taking out ‘Gandhi’ and calling it G-Bot. Also, the new name comes with a new design. Now, the can features a metal arm extended from a pile of scrap medal, with the hand on the extended arm featuring the peace sign. Previously, the can featured a robotic depiction of the Indian civil rights leader.

The company, in a Facebook post, called the beer--along with the controversial Star Wars-esque Imperial Stout Trooper--the “same exact beer, just a new-ish label.” Much like the G-Bot brew, the Imperial Stout Trooper can design featured a storm trooper helmet from the famous movie ‘Star Wars’. It led to a cease-and-desist letter from Lucasfilm. NEB followed up by keeping the helmet, but adding a disguise of glasses with puffy eye brows, nose and a moustache, a la comedian Groucho Marx. The imperial IPA-India Pale Ale--which refers to when the British occupied India and shipped beer with extra hops as preservatives so the beer didn’t spoil en route, is a popular one for NEB.

It is only available at the Connecticut brewery though it will become available in local stores by the end of December. Prior to the name change, G-Bot was offered for a number of years until its original name was met with criticism. A lawsuit claiming the name dishonored the memory of Gandhi, who was assassinated on January 30, 1948, was filed in India in 2014. Gandhi had abstained from alcohol and was part of the temperance movement in India. The beer company later apologized to those offended and announced it would change the name and design. The process began in January of this year.

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COMMUNITY - national

FRIDAY, JANUARY 01, 2016

Woman in taxi is robbed of $1,000

BY A STAFF WRITER HE BRONX, NY-- A female passenger who took a yellow cab home was robbed of nearly $1,000 in cash by an armed robber who held her up as she idled in front of her building, the police said. The 45-year-old woman was sitting in the taxi that was double parked on Vyse Avenue in Morrisania at 5:25 am on December 27 as the driver was preparing to drop her off. A video show the suspect walking up to the taxi’s driver side door and yanking it open. The police said he pulled out his gun and demanded the passenger’s purse and the driver’s Galaxy 4 cellphone and $175 in cash. The woman’s purse contained $995. The suspect can be seen in the video walking away from the cab with the woman’s purse. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans. NYPD is asking for anyone with information about the incident to call 1-800577-TIPS (8477)

Fresno police probe attack on Sikh man BY A STAFF WRITER RESNO, CA -- A Sikh man was attacked on the morning of December 26 west of Highway 99 in what the Fresno police are investigating as a hate crime – the latest such attack on a Sikh resident in the Fresno area. Around 6:30 am, Amrik Singh Bal, 68, was waiting alone for a ride to work in the cold, 30-degree fog on Shields Avenue between Brawley and Blythe avenues. Bal wore a blue turban and has a white beard, said Ike Iqbal Grewal, member of the Sikh Council of Central California.

Live Oak, Calif. now has Indian mayor BY A STAFF WRITER IVE OAK, CA- Live Oak, Calif., has a new mayor. The City Council recently unanimously elected Lakhvir Ghag as Live Oak’s first Indian American mayor. Ghag, previously vice-mayor and serving a term that expires in 2016, is taking over for Diane Hodges, whose term ended on December 2. In his first order of business, Ghag, of Punjabi descent, looked for a nomination for vice mayor, which was offered to Jason Banks, who was then sworn in. The mayor of Live Oak is a City Council member-elected position. The position is more ceremonial in that it has no more authority than any other council members. It does, however, serve as lead spokesperson for the council. Live Oak policy states that the incoming mayor should be the incumbent vice mayor, while the vice mayor should be the council member farthest removed from service as mayor. Ghag was born in Punjab and moved to Live Oak when he was 13. He graduated from Live Oak High School and then attended community college in Portland, Ore., before going on to graduate from the United Electronics Institute. He has been self-employed for more than three decades, and, according to his biography on the Live Oak city website, is a pioneer of

Lakhvir Ghag

satellite technology for commercial and home use. As mayor, Ghag’s goal is to make government accountable to the community and serve the citizens affordably and quickly. Additionally, he hopes to enhance the city’s disaster preparedness plan, create more affordable housing, expand transportation alternatives and increase city revenues, among other goals. Ghag was elected to office in 2012. His mayoral term is for one year.

Indian charity gives $1m for IU recording studio

LOOMINGTON. IN -- Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music has received a $1 million gift from an Indian American foundation to provide materials and equipment for a state-of-the-art audio recording studio. The university announced the gift from the Georgina Joshi Foundation recently. The IU will name the studio the Georgina Joshi Recording Arts Studio, which will be housed in the Musical Arts Center currently under construction on the Bloomington, Ind., campus. “I speak for the entire Indiana University community when saying that we are tremendously grateful to the Joshi family for their continued, visionary support of the Jacobs School of Music,” university president Michael McRobbie said in a statement. “Georgina’s incredible life and passion for music will live on through the countless students whose lives and careers will be enhanced as a

G N I M O C P U

After her untimely death, the parents of Georgina Joshi created a foundation

result of learning made possible by the generous gift to establish the Georgina Joshi Recording Arts Studio.” Joshi, after completing her bachelor’s degree in music at Royal College of Music in London, had been pursuing her master’s degree in voice at IU’s Jacobs School of Music until her untimely death in April 2006.

Shiridi Sai Dham Inc presents Sai Bhajan Sandhya by Shri Kumar Raj Gandharva on Sat Jan 2nd at 2:00 pm at Shirdi Sai Dham, 12 Perrine Road, NJ 08852. Mahaprasad will be served. Call: 609-037-2800

Desi Saturdays presents Post New Years Party on Sat Jan 2nd, 10:00 pm at LEXICON, 226 E 54th St, New York, NY 10022 Tkts: Ladies $10, Gents $15

Indian physical therapist on OneStar commission

Sonal Bhuchar BY A STAFF WRITER ALLAS, TX -- Indian American physical therapist Sonal Bhuchar has been appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the OneStar National Service Commission. According to a recent Abbott announcement, Bhuchar’s term will run through March 15, 2018. Along with Bhuchar, Abbott appointed Ronnie Hagerty as the chairman; Lisa Lucero as vice chairman; with Laura Dixon, Roger O’Dell, Annette Juba, Kate Williamson, James Senegal and Kirk Beckert as members of the commission. The commission board promotes volunteerism in Texas and oversees the administration of the AmeriCorps programs for the state. Bhuchar, of Sugar Land, is a selfemployed physical therapist at Therapeutic Concepts and the office manager at Sugar Land Med-Ped Clinic. Additionally, she holds leadership positions for Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Literacy Council of Fort Bend, Fort Bend Cares and the city of Sugar Land PARCS. She previously was a board of trustee member and board president for the Fort Bend Independent School District, and has been involved in the Fort Bend Education Foundation, ACCESS Health, Sugar Land Cultural Arts and Sugar Land Heritage Foundation. Bhuchar previously ran for the District 26 Texas state representative seat in 2012 but fell short in the race. A graduate in physical therapy from Bombay University, Bhuchar also graduated from the leadership class at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

EVENTS

in the East Coast area

Radha Govind Dham presents Children cultural program on Sat Jan 2nd, 1:00 pm at 260-01 Hillside Ave, Floral Park, NY

Aarjay presents Desi Divorce Night NY/NJ on Sat Jan 9th at 7:00 pm at Hudson Terrace, 621 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Telugu Fine Arts Society presents Sankranthi celebrations 2016 on Sat Jan 23rd, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Sri Venkateswara Temple Auditorium, Balaji Temple Drive, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Call Srinivasa Gandi 732-221-8017. Competitions Registration fee Members $10, Non Members $15

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

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