SPAN: November/December, 2008 by SPAN magazine

o encourage more travel and more contact between our people, the United States intends to open a new consulate in Hyderabad," President George W. Bush said during his visit to India in March 2006. His promise came to fruition on October 24 with the opening of the new Consulate General in the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Temporarily housed at the Paigah Palace, the consular section will begin operations in mid-December. However, visa applicants would need to continue applying at the Chennai Consulate General until full services are provided in Hyderabad. "President George W Bush is a great friend and admirer of India. He has understood from the beginning of his administration the importance of the relationship between our two great democracies, based as it is on shared values and many common interests," U.S. Ambassador to India David C Mulford said at the ceremonial opening "The

president has also been able to envision the impact that this relationship can have on the world of the future. As a result we have seen enormous growth in the breadth and scope of U.S.-India relations." Watched by 300 guests, including officials of the state government, members of Parliament, representatives of academic, scientific and civil society organizations, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS. Rajasekhara Reddy joined Ambassador Mulford in planting a tree as part of the ceremony Hyderabad Consul General Cornel is Keur was the master of ceremonies. The US flag was hoisted by representatives of the U.S. and Indian armed forces, and the Indian Army Ordnance Band played the national anthems of both countries. The consulate's permanent facility will come up near Hyderabad's Indian School of Business and land has been acquired for this purpose -D.K. http://hyderabad.usconsulate.gov/

B ~~ ~ "i

~ ~ ~ ~L Above: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS. Rajasekhara Reddy, Jeannie Mulford and U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford at the opening ceremony. Below: Ambassador Mulford speaks at the opening ceremony at the Paigah Palace.

Left: President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden. Photograph by Jae C. Hong © AP-WWP Front cover: Obama on election night in Chicago, Illinois Photograph by Pablo Martinez Monsivais © AP-WWP

2008

November/December

SPAN Publisher: Editor in Chief: Editor: Associate Editor: Urdu Editor: Hindi Editor: Copy Editors' Art Director: Deputy Art Directors: Editorial Assistant: Production/Circulation Manager: Printing Assistant: Business Assistant: Research Services:

Larry Schwartz Lisa A. Swenarski de Herrera Laurinda Keys Long Deepanjali Kakati Anjum Naim Giriraj Agarwal Richa Varma Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani Hemant Bhatnagar Khurshid Anwar Abbasi Qasim Raza Yugesh Mathur Rakesh Agrawal Alok Kaushik Shaji 1. Kommery Bureau of Internafional Informafion Programs, The American Library

• Entrepreneurs: Starting Your Own High-Tech Company By Ben Casnocha

48 . Education:

Student Entrepreneurs

By Andrzej Zwaniecki

49 . Producing

Tomorrow's Inventors

By Andrzej Zwaniecki

51 * Books: Comic Inspiration By Richa Varma

2 • America's Next President

6 . Electing the President By Laurinda Keys Long

7 • An Indian American

Elector

By Deepanjali Kakati

• Women Making Choices By Kaitlin McVey

56 . Balancing Work and Religion On the Lighter Side

8 10

Photo essay: Picturing the Presidents Shaping an Office By Michael Barone

.Media: American Visual Guru Shapes Indian Newspapers By Giriraj Agarwal

38 . Ethical Leadership

The Public Face

By Jane Varner Malhotra

59 . Book Review: Any Hope for Lessons Learned? By Laurinda Keys Long

.Achievers: Dena Merriam By Kumud Mohan

By Richa Varma

By Kenneth 1. Walsh

24 . Food: A Vegetarian Thanksgiving

By Christopher Connell

Websile

http://span.state.gov editorspan@state.gov

Contactus

40 . U.S.-India

Business: A Sure Thing Even in Uncertain Times

By Laurinda Keys Long

.Soaring Partnership By Oeepanjali Kakati

43 • Clean Energy: The Civil Nuclear Agreement and Beyond By Erica Lee Nelson

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Marg,NewOelhi 110001 (phone:23472000), on behalfof theAmerican Embassy,NewDelhi. Printed at ThomsonPressIndiaLimited, 18/35. Oelhi MathuraRoad,Faridabad,Haryana121007. Opinions expressedin this58-page magazinedo notnecessarilyreflectIheviewsor policies 01 theU.S.Government.

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011-23472205 or editorspan@state.gov

A LETTER FROM

THE

PUBLISHER nNovember 4, Barack Obama was elected president of the United States in an electoral process that was also followed closely in India and around the world. The victory by the former U.S. Senator from Illinois follows a campaign that stretched to nearly two years. The president-elect has immediately begun the process of preparing his administration through a long political transition. President-elect Obama and President GeorgeW. Bush have already met, and their aides are working together to ensure that the president-elect and his new Cabinet are fully informed and ready to begin working at noon on Inauguration Day, January 20,2009. Until then, President Bush and his Cabinet will continue to lead the U.S. government. Obamahas talked briefly with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other world leaders, but becausethe United States has no tradition of a "shadow cabinet," he is spending much of his time choosing his management team and outlining his priorities with his advisers. All American presidents make history; Obama is the first African American to win the office. With so much of America's history tied up in attempts to fully realizethe aspirations of the nation's Founding Fathers,the election of Obama has brought labout a major change in Americans' ~ race relations. In his graceful concession speech . .monNovember 4, Obama's electoral ~ opponent, Arizona Senator John ~McCain, pointed to this historic ~change. Senator McCain will return ~to his Senateseat in January. "Change" was the principle slogan of Obama's campaign. Yet in his victory speech he also dwelt on President George W Bush and the enduring strengths of America President-elect Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House. that make such progress possible. "Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes... from the enduring power of our ideals-democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope," Obama said. In this issue of SPAN we have reprinted the speech in its entirety, as a keepsakeand research resource, along with other details about the transition and election. We also include in this issue a pictorial history of the last 12 presidents. Other special features include an article by Jane Varner Malhotra on how Americans who are vegetarians celebrate Thanksgiving, sometimes known as Turkey Day. We've inserted some of their recipes, too. By this time each year, much of the United States has experienced the autumnal season of changing leaves. Erica Lee Nelson and Sebastian John share their experiences, in text and photos, of the natural beauty and warm hospitality that awaits those who travel into America's wooded regions in the fall. We would like to hear your opinions about the articles in this issue. Please write to us at editorspan@state.gov

Barack and Michelle Obama, Jill and Joe Biden take the stage after Obama's victory speech at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them. And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this camIt's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America. It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this

Formore inlormation:

Office of President-elect Barack Obama

http://WWW.change.gov/ Telling America's story

http://www.america,gov/

"The U.S. should be working with India on a range of critical issues, from preventing terrorism to promoting peace and stability in Asia. Joe Biden and I will make building a stronger relationship, including a close strategic partnership with India a top priority." -Senator

Saraek Obama, October 23, 2008, fANS interview, Chicago, Illinois

date, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead. I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. And I would not be standing here

paign, who built the best-the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America. To my chief strategist, David Axelrod, who's been a partner with me every step of the way. To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics. You made this happen, and I am forever grateful for

"Both President Clinton and President Bush did many important things to strengthen the U.S.-India relationship. I will work energetically to build on the work of the last two U.S. administrations and move forward to forge an even closer strategic partnership between our two countries."

what you've sacrificed to get it done. But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give, $5 and $10 and $20, to the cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished Below left: Obama supporters celebrate his victory at a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. Below right: Students pose with a cutout of Obama at the American Center in New Delhi.

from the Earth. This is your victory. And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime-two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education. There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts.

Mlnm'hll Sillh's MeSSIleli

"I have great pleasure in conveying my heartiest congratulations on your election as the President of the United States. Your extraordinary journey to the White House will inspire people not only in your country but also around the world. "The people of India and the United States are bound by their shared commitment to freedom, justice, pluralism, individual rights and democracy. Theseideals provide a solid bedrock for friendship and strategic partnership between our two nations. We have strong ties between our peoples and I look forward to working with you to realize the enormous potential for cooperation that exists between India and the United States. Our two countries working together to address global issues and challenges will be an important factor for world peace, stability and progress. "I hope you will find an opportunity to visit India soon. A warm welcome awaits you. "As you assume your high responsibility as President of the United States, I convey my best wishes for your success in office and for your personal well-being."

Elecdngthe President

'.. A

IIhoughU.S.Senafor Barack Obama won路 a majority of the votes cast on November 4 and a majority 01 electoral votes, which are determin"ed by how many people live in each state, and alth.olJghhe is now being called president-elect, he has actually not yet been elected president. Under the provisions of the U.S. Constitution, presidents are not elected directly by the people, but , bya group 01 designated eitizens known as electors.' This group makes up the Electoral College. TheSe electors will gather in the state capitals and in Washington, D.C. on December 15 to cast their votes lor, president and. vice' president. Their votes.wilL then.be counted by the u.:S.Congress in early January, and the winners will be announced in time to lJe sworn in on January 2l'l. But Why, then'; all the'celebration over the election of Obama? II's because according to the vote talTies, popular and eleCtoral, .Obama has the support 01the majority of the American people. Only one;percent of the electors, in the 219 years of U.S~ presidential' elections, have ,eyer.failed 10cvoteJor the person to

whom they were pledged. All states directly elect their electors. ThaI's who Americans were actually voting for on November 4slates of electors, representing Obama, or Republican Senator John McCain, or candidates from other parties. In some states, the electors' names are listed on the ballot under the candidate. In others, not. So how do the electors get designated? By their parties. Most states have winner-take-all presidential voting. If Obamagot more direct votes in a state, say Califomia, then he won all of that state's electoral votes. For California, that adds up to 55, one lor each U.S. Senator and for each member of the House of Representativesffom Califomia. Why is it this way? One reason is that the Constitution was written in the 18th century. Time was needed for people to travel long distances. That's why the electors have more than a month to reach their state capitals, and Why several more weeks are given for the members of Congress to gather to count the electoral votes, on January 6. Another reason for the system is that the Electoral College system preserves the role of states in

There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years-block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriot-

The 50 states and the District of Columbia by Electoral College weight

choosing the president. The founding fathers did not want the president to be chosen by only those in large, populous states, or big cities. Thus, they made it necessary for candidates to win support in many different states. For example, Obama won the most votes in five of the six most populous states. But it wasn't enough to win the election. He and McCain had to campaign across the country. In this election, there are 538 elec-

ism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more

tors. When there is a tie in electoral votes, the House of Representatives selects the president and the Senate chooses the vice president. This is why electors cannot be members of the US. Congress, and why ordinary people, committed to their party and candidate, are chosen for the high honor of electing the president of the United States. For more information: http://www.archives.gov/ http://www.america.gov/

divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too. And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world: Our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those-to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our

wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals-democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons-because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in Americathe heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can. Obama in his Senate office in Washington, D.C with photos of Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln and Mohandas K. Gandhi on the wall.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome." Yes we can. A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can. America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportumty for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the Umted States of America. ~

ÂŁ

~ ~ ~ Â§ 8

An Indian American Elector

By DEEPANJALI KAKATI

arender Reddy, a Republican from the state of Georgia, served as an elector in the 2004 U.S presidential elections. Founder and chairman of the Georgia Indian American Republican Council, Reddy says the opportunity was a surprise and an honor. Georgia has 15 electoral votes and Reddy's name appeared on the ballot-a printed form with a small box to check and sign- along with the other electors, in small print below George W Bush's name. Also, every polling station in the state had a huge poster with the electors' names on it. Born in Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh, Reddy moved to the United States in 1982 and became a citizen. He played an active role in the 2004 elections and served as the state vice chairman of the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign committee. He attended the 2004 Republican National Convention as a delegate from Georgia and the 2008 convention as an alternate delegate. A businessman, Reddy is also on the board of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. Reddy spoke to SPAN about his experience "When [then] State Republican Party chairman Alec Poitevint asked me to file my nomination to be an elector, I was pleasantly surprised. Knowing the importance of the Electoral College and the trustworthiness it requires from the elector, I felt it was an honor. "On the day when Electoral College members [in every state and the national capital] are required to vote, we all met for breakfast organized by our party at the Ritz Carlton [in Atlanta, Georgia] It was kind of a celebratory event for the party leadership to [meet] with the Electoral College members and thank them. "We knew that we could vote a candidate of our choice and nothing is binding us to vote only for a certain party candidate. All [the] electors were trusted by the party leadership to vote for the party candidate only. But no one specifically told us at the breakfast meeting that it is mandatory or anything to that effect. 'later, in a special coach, we were driven with a police escort to the State Capitol where Governor Sonny Perdue received us. We were seated in the General Assembly and cast our votes." ~

Picturina the :JJO . Presidents Informal images of the 12 most recent occupants of the White House.

hen I was a boy," Clarence Darrow said, tongue planted firmly in cheek, "I was told that anybody could become president. 1'm be' ginning to believe it." A quick perusal of the photographs ...on the following pages will prove the accuracy of the great barrister's gentle gibe. To be sure, there are men of privilege-the Roosevelts, Kennedys and Bushes-seemingly destined for high public office from birth. But there are the long shots, too-the Trumans, Nixons and Clintonswho made the impossible journey against impossible odds. History, as is its wont, tested each man with a unique matrix of challenge and opportunity. And each inhabited that high place with a style and energy uniquely his own.

ShtyJing an C1fice nly 42 men have held the office of president of the United States since George Washington first took the oath [219] years ago, Hundreds have run for the job, and millions have day-dreamed about it, but only those few have reached the goal. The experience of being president, presidents themselves have suggested, can be understood on Iy by those who have done it. Hence, the unlikely friendships among presidents of different parties: the long correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, Harry Truman's recruitment of Herbert Hoover to help reorganize the government, the mutual affection of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, the handsome tributes of the George Bushes to Bill Clinton, No one has shaped the office of president more than the man who first held it and for whom it was designed, George Washington assumed leadership of a new nation of only 4 million largely confined to the Atlantic Coast. But he had faith in his vision of a continental nation, one that would take a leading role in the world, He believed in "energy in the executive," as [America's first Treasury Secretary] Alexander Hamilton put it, but he also believed in limits on power He refused the title of "king" and left office voluntarily after two terms, Many Americans saw Washington in person, leading the Revolutionary Army or on his travels around the nation, Today, in a country of [305] million, few Americans ever see a president up close and personal. But [they] have come to know [their] presidents in other ways, In the early years, Americans met their presidents through the printed word and in paintings and cartoons, With the invention of photography by the 1840s, Americans came to know their presidents through photographs, and later through newsreels and television In a celebrity culture, the president is the biggest celebrity of all, and [Americans] know, or believe [they] know, his strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices, his family members, even his dog And [Americans] watch [their] leader shoulder the burdens of an office whose holder can take no vacation from his responsibilities Americans have seen great wartime presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D, Roosevelt; visibly age in office, then be struck down just at the moment of

Different presidents have had different man-

~ ~ agement styles. Franklin D. Roosevelt cultivated @

A 1796 oil-an-canvas portrait of George . Washington by Gilbert Stuart on display at Washington, D.C.'s National Portrait Gallery. victory, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, highly talented politicians, assumed the air of beaten men after struggling with the war in Vietnam and the scandal of Watergate More recently, we have seen baby boomers Clinton and Bush grow grayer before our eyes If every presidency has been shaped by Washington, every president has also shaped the office in his own image. Jefferson, a poor speaker, refused to deliver addresses to Congress, instead courting politicians over lavish dinners and fine wine. Andrew Jackson, used to military command, assembled his own highly political "kitchen cabinet." Early presidents had little in the way of staff; James Polk's chief aide was his wife. Lincoln walked over to the War Department to get telegraphed battle reports. Now, the West Wing, built by Theodore Roosevelt [to protect his staff from his noisy children], can house only a fraction of the White House staff,

ambiguity and delegated the same job to multiple appointees; Dwight Eisenhower set up a military-type staff that vetted each issue methodically Clinton was seldom on time and rewrote speeches at the last minute; George W Bush tends to show up early and keep to schedule, The presidency brings out hidden strengths and hidden weaknesses, Polk and Truman came to the presidency as little-known and cranky partisans. But each showed determination and creativity-Polk in winning the Mexican War and expanding the nation to the Pacific, Truman in clinching victory in World War II and challenging the Soviet Union. James Buchanan and Hoover came to the presidency after distinguished public careers. But neither could handle the crises handed him: Buchanan could not settle the issue of slavery in the territories, and Hoover could not end the Great Depression. Americans have come to expect a lot of their presidents, more perhaps than any man can deliver [They] say that the president runs the country, but in practice, presidents have trouble running large parts of the government. [Americans] hold the president responsible for the economy, even though he has few economic levers at his command. [They] expect the commander in chief to lead [them] to victory in war, and then [they] complain when [they] think he is micromanaging the military, And [Americans] tend to think of the president as the personification of the nation he leads. Few other democracies combine the position of head of government and head of state. [America] does, and some of the bitterness of [its] politics-the' divisions over the Civil War, the class warfare of the Depression, the "values" politics of todaysprings from the conviction of many Americans that this or that president does not really represent their country. Yet, as [they] look back at [their] presidents, [they] see them less as partisan politicians than as national leaders, who in different ways have helped develop the strengths _an_d_v_irt_ue_s_o_f _[th_e_u_n_ite_d_S_ta_te_s]_, __

Michael Barone is a senior writer for u.s. News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics.

7he Public Face residents like to think their administrations are based on big ideas, effective policies and personal charm. But in large part the essential ingredient to their success is imagehow they convey themselves to the public and how they communicate their goals to the country. President George W Bush and his strategists know this, and their use of stagecraft is among the best of the modern era. Throughout the past eight years, the president's handlers have surrounded him with the kind of visuals that the camera finds irresistible-scenes of American flags, soldiers, kids, admiring faces, and backdrops of signs and slogans reinforcing a theme of the day

Beyond all that, Bush's presidency has benefited from two iconic images. One was the picture of him standing with a bullhorn amid the rubble of the World Trade Center after 9/11, the other of Bush in a flight suit swaggering across the deck of an aircraft carrier after a dramatic landing in a Navy jet. Clearly, one of the president's goals, one that helped him win a second term, is to project an image of strength and resolve. Image wasn't always the coin of the realm. For much of U.S. history, presidents were faraway, gauzy figures who rarely gave speeches or mingled with the people and who made little impact on everyday citizens. Abraham Lincoln changed all that. He had his portrait taken by Civil War photographer Mathew Brady just before the 1860 President Calvin Coolidge, clad in cowboy attire, with photographers celebrating the Fourth of July in 1927 in North Dakota.

campaign, and the widely published picture gave the homely candidate an aura of dignity and statesmanship that appealed to Americans throughout the northern United States. Franklin D. Roosevelt also found a way to bond deeply with Americans through photography. He allowed the media to take many photos of him during his 12 years in office, projecting the idea of a gregarious, optimistic leader. What the photos didn't show were the heavy, steel braces that allowed FOR to stand up despite paralysis caused by polio In recent years, presidents have been constantly in the public eye, instantly recognizable and, to most Americans, endlessly fascinating. Remember the photo of a grinning Harry Truman holding up the newspaper with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman"? That only enhanced his image as the underdog who defied the odds. The photographic portfolio of John F. Kennedy is filled with irresistible pictures-the young father cavorting with his kids in the Oval Office, the handsome president and his glamorous wife in front of Air Force One, and, most particularly, the sunlit image of JFK with his head bowed before his big Oval Office desk, the embodiment of the pressures and responsibilities of Camelot. Other pictures have been less flattering. There was Richard Nixon giving his final wave as he left the White House the day he resigned; Gerald Ford on the tarmac in Austria after falling down the steps of Air Force One; Bill Clinton wagging his finger at reporters as he denied having sexual relations "with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."

But few images were as memorable as those created by Ronald Reagan and his brilliant media managers Perhaps topping the list was his 1984 speech overlooking the cliffs of Normandy [in France], where he honored the sacrifices of the World War II generation. "1 have always believed," said Michael Deaver, Reagan's lead imagemaker, "that impressions are more important than specific acts or issues .... I believe TV is a great boon to us in judging our leaders. It lets us see all the dimensions that, in the past, people could only see in person: the body language, the dilation of the eye, the way they perspire. We see them when they are tired, worried, under great crises. If television focuses on somebody every day, it shows all the dimensions." With today's 24-hour news cycle, the president fears the onset of [viewer fatigue] if he hogs the limelight too long. Says [former] Republican National Chairman Ed Gillespie, a key White House adviser: "The media themselves are more leery of manipulation of image, but when you give them a beautiful picture, they can't help using it." And former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer has observed: "Sometimes, I think the White House press won't be satisfied until there is a 'president cam' in the Oval Office, so they can watch him 24 hours a day." That won't ever happen, but Fleischer has a point. Americans have an insatiable appetite for pictures of their president, _an_d_th_a_t w_o_n_'t _ch_a_ng_e_a_ny_ti_m_e _so_o_n '__

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Kenneth T. Walsh is the chief White House correspondent for u.s. News & World Report.

Frankfln D. Rooseve(t Above: Leighton McCarthy, Canadian minister to the United States, watches President Franklin D. Roosevelt carve the turkey the Saturday after Thanksgiving at an informal dinner in Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1941. Photograph ÂŠ AP-WWP

Right: Roosevelt at Campobello Island off the northeast coast of Maine. Photograph courtesy Franklin D. Roosevelt Museum

Presidential Library &

Harr!1 S. Truman 1945-1953

Above: President Harry S. Truman (standing) fishes for salmon on Puget Sound near Olympia in Washington state in 1945. Photograph ÂŠ AP-WWP

Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961

Below: President Dwight D. Eisenhower relaxes during a golf game in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1957. Photograph by HENRY BURROUGHS ÂŠ AP-WWP

JOhn F Kenned!j 1961-1963

Above: A combined photo showing John F Kennedy, Jr., 2 1/2, crying at the door of a White House helicopter as he watches his father, President John F Kennedy, bid him farewell while boarding his jet for a flight to Arkansas in 1963. John Jr. had flown to Andrews Air Force Base with his fathel~ but was sent home as the president left.

Right: Kennedy, wife Jacqueline, children John and Caroline, with their dogs during a weekend at their Hyannis Port residence in Massachusetts.

Photograph ÂŠ AP-WWP

FRISSELL/Library of Congress/Courtesy

Photograph by CECIL STOUGHTON/Courtesy

John F.

Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Below: The 1953 wedding of John F Ker.medy and Jacqueline Bouvier at Hammersmith Farm in Newport, Rhode Island. Photograph by TONI Presidential Library & Museum

John F. Kennedy

L!Jncfon B. Johnson 1963-69

Right: President Lyndon B. Johnson works with a calf on his ranch near Stonewall, Texas. Photograph by YOICI-II R. OKAMOTOlLyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum © AP-WWP

Far right: Johnson gives a lollipop to 15-month-old grandson Patrick Lyndon Nugent, as he gets his first haircut from Steve Martini, White House barber for 16 years. Photograph by JOHN RODS © AP-WWP

~ ----.,...~-_._--

Richard M. Nixon Far left: President Richard M. Nixon sitting by his pool in San Clemente, California. Photograph courtesy Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library & Museum

Center: Nixon bowling at the White House. Photograph courtesy Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library & Museum

Left: Nixon and his wife, Pat, leave the Rose Garden wedding ceremony of their daughter Tricia and Edward Finch Cox in Washington, nc., in 1971. In the background are the parents of the groom, Mr. and Mrs. Howard E. Cox. Photograph by BOB DAUGHERTY

ÂŠ AP-WWP

Gerard R. Ford Above: President Gerald R. Ford, in his pajamas, meets with staff members Steve Todd and Terry ODonnell in Ford's suite at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, in 1974. Photograph by DAVID HUME KENNERLY/Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/White House ÂŠAP-WWP

Above right: Ford and his golden retrieveJ~ Liberty, in the Oval Office at the White House in 1974. Photograph by DAVID HUME KE NERLY/Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and MuseumfWhite House

Jimmy Carter 1977-1981 Below left: Amy Cartel~ and her father, President Jimmy Cartel~ participate in a speed reading course at the White House. Photograph courtesy Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

Below: Former president Carter uses a power saw to trim a porch floor while working on a Habitat for Humanity house in Pikeville, Kentucky, in 1997. Photograph by ED REINKE ÂŠ AP-WWP

Rona(d Reagan 1981-1989 Left: President Ronald Reagan laughs aboard Air Force One on a trip to Belgium in 1988. Photograph courtesy Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library.

Below left: Reagan shares a laugh with Sister Fredrick and Mother Teresa at the White House in 1986. Photograph by RO

EDMONDS ÂŠ AP-WWP

George H. W Bush 1989-1993 Above: Vice President George H. W. Bush and wife, Barbara, with their family at their summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1987.

Right: George and Barbara Bush with their first-born, George W. Bush. The senior Bush was a student at Yale University when this photo was taken, circa 1947.

Photograph courtesy George Bush Presidential Library

Photograph courtesy George Bush Presidential

and Museum

Library and Museum

Below: Former president Bush makes a parachute jump over the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, in 1997. Photograph by MIKE NELSON ÂŠ AP-WWP

Birr Cflnton Left: President Bill Clinton plays the saxophone at the National Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Below left: Clinton and his wife, Hillary, share a box of Valentine's Day chocolates with members of the press aboard Air Force One in 1999. The Clintons were on their way to Mexico. Below right: Clinton cheers during a touch football game at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in 1993. Photographs

by GREG GIBSON ÂŠ AP-WWP

Presidential Quiz Send your answers to editorspan@state.gov Answers will appear in the January/February

George W Bush 2001-2009

President George W. Bush and Malik Lawson, 7, smile at each other during the Children's Holiday Reception at the White House in Washington, D.C. in 2007. Photograph by RON EDMONDS ÂŠ AP-WWP

1. Who became both vice president and president without winning a national election? 2. Who was the last president to be born in a log cabin? 3. Who was the first president to reside in what would become known as the White House? 4. Which president served the shortest time in office and was the first to die in office? 5 Which president had the first phone installed in the White House? 6. Which president had the first electric lights installed in the White House? 7. Which president began the White House fleet's transition from coaches and carriages to cars? 8. Which president got stuck in a White House bath tub and remains the heaviest US. president in history?

issue.

9. Who was the first president to use helicopters to travel to and from the White House grounds? 10. Which first name is the most common among U.S. presidents? 11. Who was the tallest U.S. president and the only one to hold a patent? 12. Which president was elected to the House of Representatives after leaving the White House? 13. Who became the first president to appear on TV? 14. Which president was the first to use e-mail? 15. Which president was the first to have a Iive press conference on TV? 16. Which president never married? 17. Which president had 14 children? 18. Why is George W Bush the 43rd U.S. president but only the 42nd man to be president?

C? Fiona Martone, 7, helps her mother, Camille, b I prepare the Thanksgiving feast. ~---------------

ithe table.

In general, my sister and I both ~ just prefer to eat all the side veggies at z "i Thanksgiving," she explains. Once they had Thanksgiving dinner with another family who insisted on bringing a Tofurky, a "turkey alternative" made from tofu. "Some like it. But I think that there is actually a sizable subset of vegetarians who aren't crazy about fake meat-just because we don't eat meat doesn't mean we miss it. "There's so much vegetarian food in the traditional meal that we really have never missed the turkey, and most attempts to create a special main dish have kind of flopped or just gone ignored, because it's still a time when we like to enjoy all the O much of Thanksgiving is turkey, Manone's traditional favorites. It's nice to have a turkey, turkey. But really it's all Traditional American Stoning dish of vegetarian gravy. I love vegetarian about the warmth-food, family, • Dice stale bread friends sharing a meal together," explains • Add fresh herbs: celery, parsley, , stuffing and my mom is always experimenting with that. I appreciate the effort a vegetarian mother of four, Camille basil and oregano she makes to have a few of the childhood Martone, who lives in Washington, D.C. • Saute onions (not brown) in olive oil "The kids like a large gathering and often comfort foods veggie friendly," she says. • Add mushrooms (optional) we share Thanksgiving with non-vegetar• Add vegetable broth, bring to boil Jennifer ians. We don't do turkey but sometimes • Add chopped walnuts or Roasted Winter Vegetables cranberries (optional) there may be a roasted chicken or two on the table for the meat-eaters. But we make Ingredients: • Let cool and add to bread crumbs our meal from all the trimmings that go • Bake at350 degrees F for about 30 • 4 to 6 medium potatoes, cubed minutes with the typical turkey dinner: mashed • 1 bulb fennel, diced potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetarian • 2 onions, diced .3 carrots gravy and stuffing, squash, Brussels sprouts." • 3 medium beets, scrubbed but not peeled Each child has a favorite and helps pre• 4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped pare the item."That's always been our tra• Olive oil dition," says Martone. "Traditions are an;;'", • Rosemary important part of Thanksgiving." The; Method: Preheat oven to 450 F. Bring six cups of youngest, Fiona, who is 7, likes to help [5 water to boil. Add chopped potatoes, beets make the stuffing. "We obviously don't II cook it in the bird (as most Thanksgiving ~ and carrots. Simmer for five minutes and drain (reserving the stock for stuffing or. cooks do) just bake it in a pan, and we use Jennifer Scott of Seattle, in Washington a simple vegetable stock we make from state, has been enjoying a vegetarian soup). Toss all the vegetables with 114 cup cooked carrots, potatoes and celery." . Thanksgiving celebration for over 20 olive oil. Spread out evenly on a baking Asked if she adds sage, the main ingre- years. Both she and her sister chose to sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a dient in "poultry seasoning" mixes that forgo meat at an early age, despite their pinch of rosemary. Roast for about 20 minmany Americans use to dress their parents' non-veg lifestyle. Scott's hus- utes on the top rack of the oven, stirring to turkeys, Martone says, "Well, it's an herb band, Steve Nesich, and their young son, prevent sticking, until the veggies are golden and brown. Transfer to a bowl. Serves eight. that I associate too closely with turkey Lennon, enjoy helping with preparations meat, so I have a distaste for it." for the big meal they usually share with Dessert? "Definitely homemade apple her parents, sister and brother-in-law. pie." Last year the Martones' cousins "I've learned that Thanksgiving Day brought a pumpkin cheesecake, too. "It itself is not the best day to experiment g was delicious. And you know, pumpkins with a new alternative to traditional ~I and other winter squash are irr season, and favorites. It may not even be necessary for!, we try to eat seasonally," she says. the one or two veggie guests who are at ~~~

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Left: Lennon Nesich, 4, helps his mother, Jennifer Scott, with preparations. Below: Lennon, as a baby, with his father, Steve Nesich, on an earlier Thanksgiving Day.

Saratoga, n California, the Smith-Jain family enjoys a traditional American Thanksgiving feast without the meat, and with a few dishes tweaked for their Indian American tastes. "Cranberry chutney. Spiced, roasted winter squash. Greens and green beansfall foods," recites Ann Smith, whose two daughters and husband all help with the holiday cooking. Her husband, Peeyush Jain, grew up in Iowa, where his mother learned to adapt Indian dishes to American holidays. "Peeyush's mom devised a dal and broccoli dish that really goes well with Thanksgiving." Often considered the start of the winter holiday season, the Friday after Thanksgiving is a big shopping day. December schedules become hectic as people scurry around, checking off lists and running to the post office, holiday parties, stores and Christmas celebrations. But on Thanksgiving Day itself, shops

are closed for the national holiday, parks swell with young and old bundled in scarves and out for a stroll, and churches and shelters are overwhelmed with food donations for the hungry. "I love Thanksgiving because it's noncommercial. Any day that is about reflecting on our blessings in life is something to feel good about," says Smith. "I love the whole premise of getting together with friends, family, and friends that don't have family to get together with, to share in good food, conversation. "Our daughters' first grade teacher always had the kids read a traditional native blessing before their sharing feast," Smith recalls. "Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on the gifts we receive from the earth and all its creatures-just as the native people would have done at that first Thanksgiving, and every waking day." After the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated by the Pilgrims and the American Indians in 1621, an autumn day of thanksgiving was commemorated in towns, counties and by the various American colonies for 150 years. The declaration of November 26, 1789 as a day of "thanksgiving and prayer ...to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God" was the first proclamation by President George Washington. President Abraham Lincoln made it an annual national holiday in 1863.

from

A Recipe For a Family Fight http://www.newsweek.com/id/169906

AnnSmhh's Spiced, Roasted Winter Squash Ingredients: • 2 acorn squash (or other favorite winter squash) • Olive oil • Garam masala • Cayenne pepper (optional) • Salt • Brown sugar or maple syrup • Melted butter Method: Halve the squash, then clean out seeds, but leave the skin on. Halve again, then cut into thin wedges about one inch thick. These will look like crescent moon shapes. Toss in a bowl with a light coating of olive oil, then transfer to a baking sheet. Roast in 400 degree F oven until golden and tender when poked with aJork. Turn once during roasting. Sprinkle lightly with brown sugar or syrup, garam masala, salt and pinch of cayenne 1£desired. Top with a little melted butter poured over each slice. Retumto oven just long enough for sugar to caramelize a bit. Be sure to scrape up some of the sugary remnants off the pan when serving. Jane Varner Malhotra writes from Washington, D.C., where she and her Indian American husband have lived off and on for two decades.

Hills On Fire T

he promise of a flaming fall and technicolor hillsides may be what brought us to Pennsylvania's Pine Creek Gorge, but it's the pure, rural American charm of the people in the area that will bring us back. Pine Creek Gorge-in a part of the country far from any shopping mall or four-lane freeway-is a 64-kilometer passage through the nOltheastern wilderness that drops nearly 442 meters at its deepest point. It's known as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon, and though it may not be nearly as large as Arizona's it is celtainly grand. Driving there in early October, every turn of the road brings a new, awe-inspiring sight. "This is crazy!" my husband kept saying as we zoomed down the bumpy two-lane road, seeing hillside after hillside speckled with a confetti of trees-purple, red, yellow, pink, orange, brown and green. The entire area surrounding the gorge is sparsely populated and largely undeveloped, with nearly 400,000 hectares of park and forest land. The gorge itself began forming 350 million years ago, and the layers of rock put on their own color show, as the sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and shale take on hues of green, gray, brown and red. Waterfalls can be found throughout the park, as well.

Top left: A view of Pine Creek Gorge from Overlook Trail. Top: Motel and old style phone,booth at Ansonia near Pine Creek Gorge. Above left: Tourist Donna Daniels of Getzville, New York, pets goats at Carter Camp Lodge.

Above right: Barbara Andrews, who runs a bed-and-breakfast at Carter Camp, walks across the road from the Carter Camp Lodge.

Time to visit: For foliage, the peak time for northern Pennsylvania is usually the first week of October (www,fa.llinpa,cQJn). Cold weather is the key to the turning of theJeaves, $0 check the local conditions, Sununer is greatfor swinuning and whitewater rafting, while in winter there are snowmobile trailg, downhiUand cross-country skiing, Accommodation: You can find the roughest wilderness campsite here ($17,50 a night from April to October) and highend bed-and-breakfasts with jacuzzi and spa serv.jces (about $150 a night with breakfast), Carter Camp is $85 a night in the peak foliage season, Getting there: You!U need a car to get around, and prepare to do a lot of driving on backroads to see the sights, The gorge is about a three-hour drive from three nearby cities: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York and Scranton,.PennsyLvama,

Happv trails Our first stop was Little Pine State Park, where we saw life from the bottom of the canyon. Walking on the banks of the blue creek that helped carve out the area, we see families boating, hiking and picnicking. Despite the activity, the place is incredibly quiet. Absent the sounds of civilization, all you can hear is an occasional engine rumble, clank of paddles and cry of hawks overhead. America's national bird, the bald eagle, is also spotted frequently. Running through the entire length of the gorge is a wonderful walking and biking path, the 92-kilometer Pine Creek Rail Trail built along an old railway route. You don't have to be super fi~ to enjoy it, as the trail is flat throughout, and never has more than a 2 percent grade-the maximum incline the old railway engines could handle. For the fall colors, seniors were out in force on their bikes. "We make a three-day weekend of it every year," one older cyclist tells me. Best of all, you don't have to pack anything with you as there are stores and hotels near different points all along the trail. We kept seeing the dark-winged hawks circle the rim of the canyon as we walked. Hankering for a view like theirs, we searched the nearby roads for some route to the top that was easier than the steep trails up the slopes. Luckily, the roads at the top of the gorge led to well-maintained, shorter trails that rewarded you with long views down the twisting canyon. Another unique way to experience the fall foliage is from a ski lift. The area offers a challenging collection of ski slopes in Denton Hill State Park that are used for dirt biking in the fall and summer, and the ski lifts are put to good use by leaf-seekers and young bikers alike. The slow ride up is relaxing, and it provides an amazing view near the top. Once you're there, you can hike, take the lift down, or hold on for dear life and zoom your bike down the mountainside. (They offer rentals, too). The entire canyon area was once home to a booming logging industry at the turn of the 20th century. Timber used to float down Pine Creek to the nearby town of Williamsport and its saw mills. There's a lumber museum with authentic buildings that recreate the old times, right actoss the street from the ski slopes.

Trails in the region can even take you to sites of logging ghost towns deep in the forest.

Starrv, starrv night Besides the gorge, the area offers another natural wonderone which you can only experience at night. One evening, we drove to Cherry Springs State Park and arrived at 8 p.m., just in time for the last star-gazing program of the season. Cherry Springs is one of the best places in the United States to do it. Located in such a remote area, the park has almost no "light pollution" from human civilization. All the lighting in the park is covered, and the astronomy field is cleared of trees, affording a 360-degree view of over 3,000 stars and five to six meteors on a good night. Astronomers or amateurs can camp on the field during the summer, or enjoy the stars from special observatories with rotating domes. Unfortunately, the night we arrived the moon was quite bright, obscuring much of the starlight. However, not being deterred, the park had prepared a special moon program, and the giant telescopes were focused right on the nearly-full moon. After a presentation by a park ranger, we all got a chance to see the craters up close-every divot and valley came into view. I wanted to stay there all night and just take in the sky, but it's cold on top of the mountain and eventually we had to tear ourselves away. Below: Bikers at Denton Hill State Park. Bottom: The cafe at Carter Camp Lodge.

Country hospitality Our accommodation was in the unofficial town of Carter Camp, population: 2. The bed-and-breakfast there is run by two natives of the area, John and Barbara Andrews, who live in the 150-yearold boarding house with their two dogs, two ducks and six goats. "I don't have locks on the doors," John informs as we are taking our luggage up to the rooms. "Once, I tried to put them on there but the regulars complained," he says, laughing. He assures us that people are very honest in the area, and later on, I will find out just how right he is. Though there are some more upscale hotels in the neighboring towns, Carter Camp Lodge is pure country. Eight rooms, a shared bathroom and a giant iron stove for heat. Breakfast starts every morning at 8 a.m. in the couple's kitchen and living room. They make almost everything themselves-from the spicy sausage to the crusty wheat bread. Dinner, though, is a little bit harder to find, as most shops close early in these parts. So we headed to one of the larger towns in the area (Galeton, population 1,325) looking for some good food. Stopping at a restaurant, I accidentally left my wallet on top of my car roof and drove out of the parking lot. Half a mile down the road we realized the mistake and went back to the restaurant. Then, the true hospitality of the American countryside sprang into action. One of the cooks ran to his house to get a flashlight. A customer who had a powerful torch in his pickup truck, and another woman diner volunteered to help me search. With all that help, we finally found it squashed by traffic but all in one piece. When we came back to the restaurant, the whole bar cheered.

Small world Sunday morning breakfast at Carter Camp was busy. When the hungry crowd came in, everyone shared the three tables in the room and we got a chance to meet tourists and locals over coffee and buckwheat pancakes. Regular customers even picked up their own dishes and put them in the sink. Local hunters Jim Spotts and Melvin Vanemon sat with us, decked out in full camouflage. They had come from a nearby town on the lookout for wild turkey. The hills are full of deer, grouse, squirrels, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and even bears, they tell us. We eventually get talking about India, and Spotts tells us that the local doctor here is a Gujarati. "He taught me how to say some things," he says. "Majama!" My husband and I were totally shocked. By the time we left, they advised us on all the best trails and extended an invitation to their houses for lunch sometime, making sure we got their phone number so we could call if we got lost. Later, just before we left, we took one last look at the mountains. My husband admitted to me, "It looks like one of those Bollywood movies I saw when I was a child. I never believed trees could actually look like this." I told him I wasn't sure that places with such warm, rural hospitality still existed in our urbanized world. Sometimes, it's good . 路to know that you're wrong.

#h.

Erica Lee Nelson is a Washington, 'D.C.-based writer. She and her husband, Indian photographer Sebastian John, married in New Delhi.

or those planning road trips to enjoy the leaf-changing season in the United States, here are some unconventional spots worth a visit. http://gorp.away.com/gorp/features/fall/fall. htm http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallco! ors/

The Green Mountains in Vermont might be one of the most popular locations but the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey, just an hour from New York City, has three scenic overlooks with breathtaking views of the lush autumn foliage covering the hillsides. The effect usually peaks around midOctober, with maple, oak, hickory and dogwood trees turning into vivid shades of purple, red, yellow, brown and orange http://www .nps, gov/dewa/planyourvisit/fallfoliage.htm Sica Hollow State Park in South Dakota, just 24 kilometers outside Sisseton, presents a grand spectacle with maples, Iindens,.ash and oak trees blending for its famous fall foliage. The best way to enjoy the phenomenon is to hike or take a horseback ride along the Trail of the Spirits, through the Sica Hollow woodland where visitors can learn about the natural forces that created the hollow and the American Indian legends associated with the park. http://www.sdgfp.info/parks/Reg ions/G lacial Lakes/ SicaHollow.htm Oregon's fall foliage might not be as well known as New England's but Aufderheide Memorial Drive in northern Oregon offers a great option for a family picnic along with some amazing views of nature turning over a new leaf Partof the Willamette National Forest. it is also a popular bicycling route and a National Scenic Byway.Most of the drive is through a forested corridor so you will see some of the best scenery along its numerous hiking trails, http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/byway/or_aufde. htm Give the more well-known GreatSmoky Mountains National Parka miss and check out the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina instead. The best way to enjoy its autumnal splendor is by taking the three-kilometer loop trail, an easy hike even for families with children. Cascading waterfalls and white-water rivers add to the forest's atmosphere, heightened by towering oaks, hemlocks, chestnuts and poplars. http:!www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/press/fall.htm - Y.M.

"We've created a safe, nonjudgmemal environment that will leave your child ill-prepared for real life. "

American .â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

Shapes Indian Newspapers From overhauling the look of The Hindu to introducing color to the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, Mario Garcia is redefining the world of newspaper:design.

hat is common to The Hindu, Mint, Mid Day, Malayala Manorama, Hindustan Times, Sakaal Times, Business Line, Sakshi, The Week, Sports tar and India & Global Affairs? The look and layout of these 11 Indian publications were created or redone by American newspaper designer Mario R. Garcia. "For most Indian publications what was missing is some type of visual discipline," says Garcia, an immigrant from Cuba who is based in Tampa, Florida. "Each section editor had the freedom to layout his-or her pages based on individual choices and

preferences .... My job has been to bring in consistency. " Garcia also chose to use a lot of colors. "India is full of colors ...the array of colors in the sarees the women wear, the colorful buses .... This should be visible in its pub1ications." He has spent more than 30 years designing publications all over the world and has collaborated with more than 450 news organizations, besides writing several books on the subject. Garcia's association with India began with a short stint for the Hindustan Times in 2000. The designing of Mint and

redesigning of The Hindu are among his favorite Indian experiences. "Programs were followed from start to finish with the results that you can see on the pages of these newspapers daily," he says. For The Hindu he had a clear brief from the publishers. The design had to give the paper a contemporary look to attract young readers and yet keep the classic touch that is dear to its older, loyal readers. "The Hindu design is all about the purity and functionalism of design at work. The typography is based on two main fonts, Interstate and Chronicle, which render an elegance and clarity to the product," says Garcia. He

chose soft pastel tones "to go with the content of a paper for which credibility, sobriety and intelligent reporting are the key." Garcia designed Mint from scratch, and the financial daily is one of his favorites. "Mint is the trailblazer with its sparkling Berliner format ... .It was interesting to create the print and online look at the same time." The Berliner format is narrower and shorter than the broadsheet format. One of Garcia's most high profile assignments was the redesign of The Wall Street Journal in 2002. It was the first major overhaul of the look of the paper's front page since 1941. It had never used color in its U.S. editions as the publishers

felt that would diminish the gravitas for which the paper was known. "First introducing color to the U.S. editions and converting the European and Asian editions from broadsheet to compact, the experience was exhilarating, challenging, and to this day the one project that will always define me," says Garcia. Financial dailies do not specialize in printing the best photography, so Garcia's design team had to deal with type and charts. "It was a challenge to make sure that we preserved the traditions and good elements of the original WSJ, while allowing ourselves to introduce the newspaper to strategies that work for today's readers," says Garcia. He believes a modem newspaper cannot function properly without a visual sheriff to supervise how the content is presented. In

that sense, he finds some Indian newspapers 20 years behind. "Many Indian newspapers still operate without a design director. The publishers do not feel the need to hire and pay a high level art director," he says, adding that Indian publishers and editors need to recognize the importance of visual journalism, especially infographics. So what were Indian publishers looking for when they hired Garcia and why did he get priority over Indian designers? N. Ram, editor in chief of The Hindu, says, "This was not a sudden decision. Mario simply can't be compared with Indian designers who do not have that experience. He has a whole concept, a clear

"There is more consistency, better navigation, better use of pictures and clear hierarchy of stories." -N. Ram Editor in chief, The Hindu

design philosophy. He is so comprehensive. He takes briefs, listens to people and gives options ....He does not accept anything unless it satisfies him." Ram says The Hindu has changed for the better after the redesign and 95 percent of readers are happy with the new look. "There is more consistency, better navigation, better use of pictures and clear hierarchy of stories," he says. He also feels the editorial staff needs to be more disciplined with respect to basic design principles but agrees that when it is not possible for editors to follow a particular design guideline, their decisions should have priority. "We should know

when to put Garcia handcuffs in place and when they should be taken off," says Ram, explaining that some adjustments were made in implementing Garcia's guidelines when editorial staff had difficulty, such as in adjusting the size of the main picture. Raju Narisetti, editor of Mint, had worked with Garcia previously in Europe and briefly in the United States. "He is an ideal design consultant in the sense that he always starts by asking what the paper is or wants to be all about. He also is willing to work very closely-in fact he demands it-with the top editorial team, so there is common understanding all the way. This is really crucial, since design is not just about giving some templates for the news team," says Narisetti. Was there any conflict of views between the editorial and design team on layout

guidelines? "Ultimately, it is up to the editor to sign off on the design and Mario's work is never about his own ego," says Narisetti, who thinks Mint's innovative design helped it succeed in the key markets of New Delhi and Mumbai. Garcia travels more than a million miles annually and no matter where he is, likes to go for a run every morning. At 60, he often says that if it's not a good running city, he does not take a project. He brings his camera along and takes pictures of how different cities wake up. In fact, Garcia got the idea of using a coin as the dot of the 'i' in Mint, when he picked up a battered, old Indian coin during a morning

of his adopted country. It was at Miami High that he savored the "giant victory" of reading an English book cover to cover and also his "first journalistic scribbling, in halted English" for the school newspaper, Miami High Times. Garcia worked as a journalism professor and publications adviser at his alma mater, Miami Dade College. He went on to teach graphic arts at Syracuse University'S Newhouse School of Public Communication (1976-1985) and the University of South Florida (1985-1991). He also founded the graphics and design program at the Poynter Institute of Media Studies in Florida.

Far left: Mario Garcia (right) works with colleague Jan Kny on the redesign of The Hindu. Left: Some of the Indian publications designed by Garcia Media.

run. Garcia loves "chicken tandoori, the variety of teas, the flowers and fruit" in India and rates the Kerala backwaters as his favorite place in the country. He began traveling at the age of 14, when his parents put him on a plane for Miami, Florida, in February 1962, a few months before the Cuban Missile Crisis, because they wanted him to "grow up in a free country," he wrote in a letter published in USA Today in 2000. His parents promised to join him in a month, but it was two years before they could come to the United States, where he was living with an aunt and uncle. A child actor in Cuba, Garcia went to school and junior college in Miami. He writes poignantly about Miami High in his blog and how it represents his "first smell, taste and feel"

Despite Garcia's phenomenal success, not everyone is buying his ideas. G. Krishnan, a senior editorial consultant with experience in American and Indian news media, feels many of his design features do not suit Indian papers. "The requirement of navigational boxes is of no use in Indian papers, which are no more than 24 pages (for the main section), unlike the 100-page units that are printed abroad," he says. Then there are editors who think India already has many designers who understand Indian readers better. Vinod Mehta, editor in chief of Outlook, wrote in his Delhi Diary column in June, "Dr. Garcia is without a doubt a world-class professional, but he is costly, very costly." Mehta added that he designed three news-

For more information: Garcia Media http://garciamed ia.com/ What works and what doesn't in newspaper design http://www .ameri canpress institute. org/ pag es/resources/2004/03/ what works_and _what doesnUn/ Universal Newspaper Design Myths, Debunked http://www. poynter.org/dg .Its/id. 4091 /content. content view.htm papers with an Indian designer in a matter of weeks for less than Rs. 20,000. Mehta also raises the question of who should have the final say in design elements in a publication. "Designers have no magic wand. They need to be expertly guided by an editorial team. If you let designers run riot, they will produce a title which could win a design award but will be probably a publishing disaster," says Mehta. An editor should be able to visualize a page and have a say in the layout because "everything goes under his or her name," says C. Jayanti, senior editor with the Financial Express. "Indians tend to be individualistic, which creates problems, so the design person will want to have the last say. That sort of thing must be resisted." Anita Singh, design editor for the Hindi Hindustan feels there is no dearth of design talent in India but they need to have international exposure to adapt themselves to the changing times. Regarding the designers versus editors debate, she says, "A newspaper or a magazine is a team product ... and editors and designers both need to understand each other." Omkareshwar Pandey, executive editor of The Sunday Indian (Hindi), feels there is no harm in inviting designers from outside India because talent knows no boundaries. He adds that while editors and designers need to be liberal enough to listen to each other, "in an editor-driven industry, the editor is finally responsible for everything that goes in the publication." What is Garcia's reaction to this debate? "The reporter is the chief architect of the storytelling process," but designers also need to have journalistic skills, he says. "I believe in the maniage of writing, editing and design." Please share your views on this article. Write to editorspan@state.gov

â&#x20AC;˘

PS~Âˇ1 The journey toward equality is not a cavalier walk. alter Earl Fluker believes there is a special place in hell for bores. So when the professor of leadership studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, spoke on ethical leadership with Indian students, he wove an engaging web of conversation interspersed with folk tales and even a small dose of meditation to keep his audience engaged. But what is ethical leadership? Is it a distant philosophical realm that most young people would not want to enter? Fluker thinks so, and to simplify his point, began with a Trinidadian folk tale, with some 20th century modifications:

to the anthill so that the community can enjoy it, too. But even his best efforts are not good enough and he ends up feeling exasperated and humiliated. Out of nowhere, Bubba, the

One day Andy, the ant, finds a crumb with a blob of jelly on it. Delighted, he toils to take it

~.-

beetle, appears and offers to help. But Bubba's intentions are dishonest and he takes a big chunk out of the crumb "just to make it lighter" This leaves Andy back where he was, though more weary and dejected. Nancy, the spider, who has been observing everything from a distance, acknowledges the problem and in an attempt to prod Andy, tells him she would like to feed the crumb to her hungry brood. As she prepares to stick her web to the crumb and lift it, Andy is inspired to do something he never thought possible, and in a final, Herculean effort, pushes the crumb over to the anthill.

"You are going to meet these people," says Fluker. "They represent a certain kind of philosophy that we see, not just in our individual societies but also in our global culture. I call Nancy the ethical leader. She has an incredible potential to do incredible things once she is awake," he says. Like the ideal ethical leader, Nancy . provoked Andy's consciousness, believing in the philosophy "what is mine is yours, and we'll share it." Bubba, an epithet for the thug in society, thrives on the doctrine which says "what is yours is mine, and I'll take it." "More than the main content of his speech, I thoroughly enjoyed his asides," says Puneeta Roy, who attended the talk at the American Center, New Delhi, in Left: Walter Fluker speaks at the American Center in New Delhi. Below: Fluker interacts with student leaders from Stella Maris College, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women and Loyola College in Chennai.

such inspmng leaders For more information: among stalwarts who have Walter Earl Fluker dedicated their lives to httP:./lwww.morehouse.edulcenters7Ieadershlcenter/wefbiii.html empowering the community in which they live. Names like Prakash his philosophies and theories. Amte and his wife, Mandakini, Medha According to the college Web site Patkar ... and smaller unsung heroes ... are (http://morehouse.edu/), as King finished to be found all across the country. They his final year, "it was evident that he had form a part of an important group that is transformed into the leader he was destined active in the social sector," Roy says. to become when he wrote in the student Fluker insists that though there is a chal- publication, The Maroon Tiger: 'We must lenge to ethical leadership, there is also remember that intelligence is not enough. sufficient room for it, as demonstrated in Intelligence plus character-that is the goal the continuing struggles to sustain democ- of true education.' " racies across the world. In 2006, through the efforts of a group "Fluker's talk was an eye-opener. of prominent Atlantans, a 1O,000-piece Especially his remark where he says that collection of handwritten notes, telegrams the greatest challenge before the world is and unpublished sermons of King narrownot terrorism or global warming but stay- ly avoided an auction and now has a pering awake," says Saira Mujtaba, an under- manent home at the college. graduate student of English at Jamia Fluker is the interim director of the Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. Morehouse College Martin Luther King, And there is no shortage of staying Jr. Collection and has been the editor of awake at Morehouse. The college is the the Howard Thurman Papers Project since alma mater of Martin Luther King, Jr., 1992. whose passion for peace and justice was He describes King and Gandhi as two gs of the greatest ethical leaders in the 20th ~ century and as the embodiment of moral ÂŤ ~ traditions that have shaped the character ~ of their nations. "MLK and Gandhi were heirs of great traditions which funded ethical insight 'and wisdom, and which bred a deep sense of justice wedded to compassion," he says. "Gandhi garnered insights from his Hindu tradition ...and MLK was a product of the African American church tradition which held the ideals of community, compassion, protest and accommodation at the heart of its mission." Fluker adds that like the journeys of King and Gandhi, as with most other movements in history, ethical leadership is not going to be a cavalier walk for the next generation. "The greatest challenge is to stay awake. It's not something to be taken for granted because the world is depending JI.J on you to inspire and guide others and awaken consciousness," he says. first ignited there, arriving as a 15-year"So while it is important to step up to old in 1944. solutions when there are serious issues at Through his education at Morehouse, stake in society, ethical leaders know how King was exposed to the teachings of to negotiate. They may not always have the Mohandas K. Gandhi and Henry David right answer, but they know how to be pragThoreau. The people who taught and men- matic. And this has everything to do with tored him at the college were also to shape the future of democracy," he says. ~

September. Roy, who facilitates leadership workshops for young people in New Delhi and . has just returned from conducting similar seminars in South Africa, says there is a dearth of ethical leadership in' India. "There is a vacuum .... Yet, you do find

A Sure Thing Even in Uncertain Times ailing banks, employee layoffs and a recessive economy are not enough to stop the growing U.S.-India business relationship. Confident that the future will bring still ;;;, more growth and cooperation, the U.S.-India Business Council recently inaugurated its first permanent office in ~ z India, as did the New York City travel and tourism bureau. ~ Pepsico has announced $500 million for new investment in India. The U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement and NASA's cooperation on India's first moon mission have business people excited about the possibilities for further joint deals, trade, technology transfer and investment. The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), the 33-year-old organization that has helped propel growth between the two countries, decided that September 24 was the right time to establish a permanent office in New Delhi. And in a practical as well as symbolic move that indicates top Indian and U.S. business leaders know where the future lies, the office is at Fulbright House, home of the 60-year-old, renamed U.S.-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). "Just as USIBC is helping to strengthen the U.S.-India business relationship, USIEF is strengthening the relationship in the Above: Adam Grotsky, executive director of the U.S.-India Educational field of education. These objectives are mutually reinforcing, Foundation (from left), Steven]. White, U.S. deputy chief of mission, and with the co-location of these two great organizations, their Indra K. Nooyi, chairman of USIBC, Laksmi Narayanan, chief ability to make a difference in India will be greatly enhanced," executive officer of Cognizant, Ian Thomas, president of Boeing India said U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Steven 1. White, as he shared and Ron Somers, president of USIBC, at the inauguration of USIBC's the inaugural duties with Indra K. Nooyi, India-born head of New Delhi office in September. Pepsico and chairman of the business council. "Both the U.S. and India are mindful of the importance of "Despite this backdrop of uncertainty, the partnership between business and education in advancing the Indian growth story continues to hold interests and development of our countries," said White. "The USIBC office we are opening today is symbolic of the broad enormous potential for farsighted U.S. relationship America is forging with India today. We have no businesses, and also for millions of Indians, doubt that this co-location of USIBC and USIEF will contribute who see more and more opportunities every mightily to that relationship." Nooyi was not only on hand to cut the ribbon and "institutionday to prosper, develop and advance." alize USIBC's commitment to a strengthened partnership with Deputy Chief of Mission Steven J. White India" as she said. She reiterated that "Pepsico is a global compaSeptember 23, New De/hi ny committed to India" and she led a U.S.-India Business Council

-u.s.

Left: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush in Washington, D.C. at the Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy in November. executive mission to explore ways to increase India's agricultural productivity and speed up the "farm to market supply chain." The business council was formed in 1975 under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the group says on its Web site, www.usibc.com.Itis "the premier business advocacy organization representing 300 of the largest U.S. companies investing in India, joined by two dozen global Indian companies, whose mandate is to deepen trade and strengthen U.S.-India commercial ties." The president of the business council is Ron Somers, who in 2004-2005 also served on the board of what is now the U.S.India Educational Foundation. He said it was auspicious that the council was establishing its permanent presence in the Indian capital just as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was arriving in Washington, D.C. to finalize the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation initiative. "The spirit of cooperation that will ensue will positively affect relations between the peoples of our countries for generations to come, and will help shape the economic destiny of the 21st century," said Somers. The agreement reverses more than three decades of U.S. policy by permitting civil nuclear cooperation with India in return for international inspections of India's civilian reactors. Legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, with the support of both major parties, allows India to gain access to global trade in civil nuclear technology for the first time since it tested a nuclear device in 1974. "The legislation will strengthen our global nuclear nonproliferation efforts, protect the environment, create jobs and assist India in meeting its growing energy needs in a responsible manner," President George W. Bush said, after the bill was passed in October. "I can confirm, enthusiastically, that U.S. companies are interested, under the right conditions, in participating in and trading with India in the commercial nuclear energy industry," U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford told the Confederation of Indian Industry in November. As satisfying and historic an accomplishment as the nuclear deal is, said the ambassador, "building a large, world class, civil nuclear industry in India will take time, capital, ingenuity, competitive technology, a sound regulatory architecture, private sector input and a true political commitment to excellence. ·"Introducing a few more small reactors that produce power for an inefficient electric power system will not produce the results that India is seeking," he said. "India needs a public-private civilian nuclear strategy that establishes sound, transparent policies that lay the groundworkJor large scale and competitive electricity production. I hope that India is the birthplace of a major international civil nuclear industry, but earning that place will be a major challenge." The civil nuclear cooperation agreement, with the possibilities it opens up for technology transfer, infrastructure development, joint

For more information: U,S,-India Business Council http://www.usibc.com/usibc/ default Confederation of Indian Industry http://www.ciionline.org!fuIUtory.php?menu

~id= 79&news _id = 1909

• The U.S, is the largest generator of eleCtric power in the world, with 20 percent of that provided by nuclear energy. • U.S. nuclear power generating capacity (100,582 megawatts) is number one in the world, at 27 percent of the total. • The U.S. has the most nuclear reactors, 104, or 24 percent of the world's total. • The U.S. produces nuclear energy at one-half to one-third of the cost in other major countries. • Over the past 15 years, U.S. civil nuclear engineering companies have remained at the forefront of the industry globally, modernizing and upgrading the U.S. industry to keep it the most efficient and competitive in the world,

-u.S. Ambassador David C.Mulford November 14, New Delhi business opportunities and eventually lower fuel costs for India's businesses and consumers, is one of the silver linings inside the darker clouds of economic uncertainty and financial instability. On Broadway, the theater district in New York City, there is an old saying that "the show must go on," no matter what happens. And that sentiment was reflected by Varun Tuli, group president for business banking at YES BANK, who was on hand to witness the inauguration of the new usmc office at Fulbright House. "Yes, business will go on," he said. "There are many possibilities coming up." Among them: The U.S. Commercial Nuclear Mission to India in early December; the Solar Energy Mission to India in late January and the Nashville Chamber of Commerce Mission to India from the state of Kentucky in late February. Another symbolic and practical step in U.S.-India relations was taken in October, when New York City'S tourist and travel promotion section opened its India office, in Mumbai. Some 150,000 Indians came to New York last year, said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company, and the India office is meant to facilitate and encourage more of that in the future, particularly with promotions and contests for Indian travelers and travel agents on its Web site nycvisit.com. "We'll return and talk as much as we can about what a wonderful country this is, and we hope you will visit us and return and talk about our wonderful city," Fertitta said during a celebration in New Delhi. Although tourism between America and India has declined by about 10 percent in the recent economic downturn, it's a stable business in the long run because of the 3.5 million people of Indian origin in the United States, says Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group. "These people need to travel, come what may," says Goyal. "If not once a year, then once in three or five years they have to come back to India, to visit friends and relatives, for family functions or other activities. The travel between India and the U.S. doesn't seem to be coming down, although the tourist flow has declined." Also giving Goyal hope is that "when there is an economic crisis, people look to cost savings. Then they think of areas and places where you can do the same thing at lesser cost. This will result in more outsourcing of jobs to India." Another positive sign: There

are so many infrastructure projects in the pipeline, says Goyal. "Fourteen airports are in the process of being upgraded, in the first phase; in secondary cities, about 50 airports need to be upgraded. That means that America, the world power in aviation, engines, Xray machines, landing gear, has a lot of opportunity to trade with India." An additional development that has business people looking to the skies hopefully is the Chandrayaan-l lunar mission, a collaboration of Indian and American scientists aimed at

ith 25 companies and more than 200 industry representatives exhibiting their technology and products, the United States participated in India's first international civil aviation exhibition and conference as an official partner in October, "As the United States and India deepen their partnership to modernize India's aviation and airports sector, jobs are being created in India as well as in the U.S., spurred by technology trade and high-end manufacturing This is a true win-win for both sides given the current global economic slowdown," says Ron Somers, president of the U.S.-India Business Council. India's domestic air traffic is expected to grow to 180 million and international traffic to 50 million passengers by 2020. US. exports to India in the aviation sector have increased from $2 billion in 2006 to nearly $6 billion in 2007. "With India's economy expanding at an average rate of 8 percent per year over the last few years, the country is facing growing pressure to expand its air passenger and cargo capacity as well as improve its civil aviation infrastructure,"

exploring the moon's resources. Somers and more than 100 other high-powered U.S. industry representatives gathered in Washington, D.C. on October 21 in a darkened room to watch a live video feed of the historic launch. Said Somers, "This unique technology partnership in civil space exploration, which taps India's highly skilled scientific expertise with American instrumentation furnished by Raytheon, beckons what we hope will be a long and mutually beneficial relationship promoting the opening of the frontier of space." ~

U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Steven J. White said at a conference organized as part of the October 15 to 18 event in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. "U,S. industry stands ready and able to provide the solutions needed to ensure the safety, security and convenience of the traveling public as well as to provide modern, efficient and secure airports throughout India." The U.S. corporate delegation included The Boeing Company, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, United Technologies, Bell Helicopter and Satyam. Also present were officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, Departments of State and Commerce, U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, On display at the U.S. pavilion were American aircraft, aviation products, safety and security equipment, communications and navigational systems,

http://www.india-avia tion.in/main.htm

Above: Carmine D'Aloisio, minister counselor for commerce at the U.S. Embassy (from left), Hyderabad Consul General Cornelis Keur, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Steven]. White and Robert Sturgell, acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, open the U.S. pavilion.

Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice exchange documents after signing the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement in Washington, D.C. in October.

The Civil Nuclear Agreement and Beyond Despite all the challenges, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved the agreement that overturns a three-decade ban on nuclear energy trade with India.

hen the Indian ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen, congratulated the organizers of the first Green India conference on "impeccable timing," the entire crowd of political and business heavyweights at the mid-October event in Washington, D.C. had to laugh-partly out of good humor, but also with a bit of relief. Just five days earlier, on October 10, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had signed the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement after months of political uncertainty. Despite all the challenges, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved the agreement, which overturns a three-decade ban on nuclear energy trade with India and leads the two countries into a new era of bilateral relations. Now, American firms can sell nuclear fuel and technology to India-signaling a significant step toward satisfying India's growing energy needs. At the conference,

Indian Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said he hoped that, with the newly established international cooperation and domestic development, nuclear energy could add 40,000 megawatts to India's grid by 2020. However, the full potential of clean energy cooperation, "can only be realized if private sectors in both our countries substantially increase their engagement," Sen said in his remarks. "The summit today is an important step in that direction." While the successful nuclear deal was surely the star of the day, it was by no means the only topic. The summitorganized by the U.S.-India Business Council and the Confederation of Indian Industries-is set to be an annual event, covering environment-friendly ways to meet all of India's infrastructure demands: renewable energy, water, clean coal technologies and climate change issues. Speakers such as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez praised India's long history of cultivating sustainable

sources of energy. One example: India has the fourth largest wind power capacity in the world. From the fields of jatropha-a non-food source for biofuels-to its new emphasis on solar energy, India is moving along the cutting edge of green technologies. But both the American and Indian delegations at the conference know that much more can be done, and that possibilities are growing. As Gutierrez said: "Over the past decad~, India has implemented new energy policies that have promoted clean technology, as well as the momentum and support needed to see projects through ....The U.S. is committed to being India's partner in proviiling clean, sustainable energy."

India's new plan Gutierrez also congratulated India on the release of its National Action Plan on Climate Change earlier tills year-an illitiative that was also highlighted from the Indian side by Sillnde and Special Envoy on Climate Change Issues Shyam Saran, who spoke via video link. The action plan makes alternative energy capacity and energy efficiency top priorities as India continues to develop tills sector. ''We have set ourselves an ambitious target of acilleving savings of 5 percent of energy consumption by way of energy conservation measures by the year 2012," Sillnde said. The centerpiece of the action plan is solar energy, and India plans to launch a research and development program to create more affordable and convenient solar power systems. On tills effort especially, Shinde and Saran called for enhanced private sector cooperation with the Ullited States. "The scale [for solar power] willch India can offer, very few countries can offer," Saran said after ills speech, alluding to the intense tropical sunlight India receives. Inilia receives 5,000 trillion kilowatts of energy through solar radiation per year. According to the action plan, if tills could be effectively harnessed, just one percent of Inilia's land area could meet the country's entire electricity needs for 20 years.

Above: Indian Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde speaks at the Green India conference. Right: Ron Somers, president of the U.S.-India Business Council (from left); William S. Cohen, former u.s. secretary of defense, and Ronen Sen, Indian ambassador to the United States, at the conference.

next 30 years. But listening to the business leaders at this conference, you realize that it is just a beginlling. Everyone agrees that energy is key to India's continued economic growth. With 44 percent of Indians lacking access to electricity, it's not just power generation, but power distribution and transmission that need to be increased. The transmission sector is a big opportunity for the Ullited States to bring its expertise to India, says R. Srinivasan of Tata Consulting Engineers Limited. Patricia Campbell of General Electric's nuclear energy ilivision, pointed out that India isn't the only country with transmission problems. Throughout the world, she said, transmission investment is well below the rate it should be at: $50 for every $50 spent on generation.

To help American companies take advantage of opportullities in India, the U.S. Commerce Department has led 40 U.S. firms on three Clean Energy and Environment Trade Missions since April 2007. During the third trade mission in September 2008, one U.S. firm, Synergics, signed a deal to provide hydroelectric power to approximately one million homes in India. Campbell pointed out that through nuclear cooperation and other energy-relaF ed business ventures with the Ullited States, India would gain both technological expertise and new jobs. While much of the nuclear technology for any future reactors will come from the United States, Indian suppliers would be needed to produce and service parts domestically, thus creating jobs in both countries.

Energy

For more information:

Water

The U.S.-India Business Council projects that the civilian nuclear deal could create $150 billion worth of business between Ame11can and Indian compallies over the

Ambassador Ronen Sen's address http://www. ind ianembassy. org/newsite/press_ release/2008/0cI/10.asp/ GE Water http://www.gewater.com/index. jsp

The business commullity wasn't only bullish about energy, but also saw the water sector as a major opportullity. As Gutierrez noted, population and economic growth in

India are increasing demands on water resources by 10 to 12 percent annually. On this front, the United States is already in a good position; it is India's principal source of imported water treatment equipment. Yet, Jeff Fulgham of General Electric's water division sees this sector growing rapidly, since only five percent of waste water in India is treated. Because waste water often contaminates ground water, treatment is a key step to any major clean water initiative, he said. Business panelists also drew a connection between water and power, pointing out that much of a municipality's power demands relate to pumping and moving water. Even advanced membrane filtration techniques-while effective at removing impurities-still use up electricity. All these factors need to be considered by companies entering India, Patrick McCann, president and CEO of Weston Solutions said. "There are opportunities for many of us to make meaningful contributions and at the same time see very positive business results." One recommended model involved the unglamorous yet critical business of sewage recycling. Since power companies use so much water, some are buying sewage from local communities, treating it, and then using that for industrial purposes. Srinivasan of Tata Consulting Engineers also said that some Tata plants use sea water for industrial needs.

Looking ahead Naina Lal Kidwai, India country head for HSBC Bank, probably had the toughest topic to address: finding up to a half trillion dollars needed for India's infrastructure during a global economic slow-

, "I made a strCllegicbusiness decision-I broker to buy, sell or hold. "

told Illy

"This legislation will strengthen our global nuclear nonproliferation efforts, protect the environment, create jobs, and assist India in meeting its growing energy needs in a responsible manner." "I voted for the (U.S.) India civil nuclear cooperation deal in 2006 and have since worked to ensure that the agreement is implemented properly so that Indians benefit from expanded energy sources and that nuclear proliferation concerns are addressed." down. She, too, emphasized the impor- working to facilitate such exchanges. Sonti says that fledgling U.S. companies can get tance of water, in her speech. Kidwai contended that solutions for more out of their budgets by using India's clean, accessible water will not just help abundant engineering and information technology talent. They should ask themselves, in development, but will actually strengthen Indian democracy. She told the story of "How can I leverage Indian R&D? Or engia village woman who was given money neering? Then look at collaborating with through a micro-finance organization to Indian pattners and help them invest in the set up a rainwater collection system for United States. It's all about creating jobs, in both places." her house. Exchange between the countries should This meant she no longer had to walk hours every day to fetch water. With the free get a big boost from the December visit by time, the woman got a job and began to 路the lat'gest U.S. civil nuclear and clean eam money-which also earned her respect technology trade mission to India. in her family and community. Eventually, Farther ahead in 2010, India will host the she was elected to the local panchayat. second International Renewable Energy Kidwai said she believes women's Conference. The first one took place in voices in local governments are crucial Washington, D.C. in early 2008, and feafor India as a whole, and that the story of tured energy ministers from more than 80 empowerment illustrates "how critical countties who pledged to create thousands water is, and how simple the solutions of megawatts of renewable electricity capacity through 2030. sometimes are." Everyone knows that the challenges for Despite the CUlTentconditions, Kidwai did not envision a bleak future for green creating a green energy future at'e forrnidaprojects. In a credit crunch, companies are ble. But the excitement about such a future looking harder than ever for energy savings is just as strong. As Secretary Rice to keep costs down. "There's nothing like remat'ked at the signing of the 123 the high price of that energy to drive some Agreement, "The world's largest democraof that change," she said. cy and the world's oldest democracy ...now To keep things moving, India needs U.S. stand as equals, closer together than ever venture capital and expertise. And Kidwai before .... And with the conclusion of this also called on India to develop friendly tax civil nuclear agreement, our pattnership policies for environment-related ventures will be limited only by our will and our and incentives for research and develop_im_a_g_i_n_at_io_n_.'_' ---------~ ment (R&D). Pat Sonti, president of Strategic Capital Erica Lee Nelson is a Washington, D.C.-based Investments, is one of the businessmen writer.

Youth no obstacle to business success junior n high school, I had a technology teacher who forced me to memorize the text of an Apple Computer television advertisement titled "Think Different." The last line of the ad said: "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." I found this message and its ambassador (my teacher) inspiring. It made me want to start a company to change the world. But what type of company? I needed a good idea. Around the time I memorized the advertisement, I attended a professional football game in San Francisco, California. The seats at the stadium were dirty. I wanted to complain about them to the city. When I tried to register my complaint, I discovered that the city had no organized method to handle citizen contacts. In my frustration, I said to myself, "There's got to be a better way!" This personal experience led me to start a high-tech company that would solve the problem I had stumbled upon. I founded my company, Comcate, in 2001 with the aim of improving local government customer service. I developed software that allows cities to track, manage and resolve citizen complaints. For example, local government clients can efficiently track a citizen complaint about a pothole, a broken streetlight, a fallen tree limb, and similar problems. Not only does this lead to more satisfied citizens, but automating the tracking of tasks saves government

For more information: Ben Casnocha's blog http://ben.casnocha. com/ Small business planner http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

money. I have spent several years growing this business.

The tvpical and the atvpical In some ways, my entrepreneurial journey has been typical. First, my idea came from a personal experience. Good ideas are almost always informed by first-hand experience more than brainstorming sessions inside an office building. Second, I've endured successes and failures. Starting a company is called a roller coaster for good reason: There is much uncertainty, and each day brings its share of highs and lows, good luck and bad. Hiring the wrong employee for my company was one of my most memorable failures. My inability to judge someone's potential fit with the company resulted in lost time and money. The best entrepreneurs have the emotional resilience to thrive in these chaotic situations. Third, networking-constantly meeting new people-was and is a big part of every day. Each day I spend an hour thinking' about who I know and how to stay in touch with these people. And who else I want to meet. Maybe these are sales leads, maybe just personal mentors. Either way, networking has been important to my personal and professional success. In other ways, my experience has not been so typical. I started my company at 14. I'm 20 years old now. I have had to overcome challenges related to my age. I needed to convince people to take me seriously and to ignore the naysayers. I needed to learn the practical aspects of business-how to defme a problem, design a solution, build a prototype and sell it-largely on my own. With few professional contacts, I needed to establish a network of advisers and supporters. And I had a work-life balance challenge: going to school and growing my company at the same time. My youth may have also worked to my advantage. Sometimes

not knowing many things can help, since you ask the "dumb questions." My lack of experience meant I had fewer biases and could approach a problem with fresh eyes.

U.S. policv and culture Fortunately, when pondering my business idea as a kid, I was growing up in the United States, a nation that offers many benefits to entrepreneurs in terms of both official government policies and an overarching culture of entrepreneurship. The U.S. government makes it easy to start a company. There is little paperwork to complete. There is a fundamental belief in the United States that private business entrepreneurs should be afforded maximum freedom to do what they need to do to grow their business. Onerous government regulation and paperwork can stifle an entrepreneur's creativity, and thus should be avoided. In this spirit, the government offers tax benefits to smallbusiness owners and funds educational programs. The government believes in the power of private enterprise. Other than providing such emergency services as police and fire protection, U.S. policy generally favors competition in an open market rather than a nationalized equivalent. The United States, then, welcomes new entrants, even young entrepreneurs. America's cultural attitudes are even more important to its entrepreneurial success. If you have the courage to start a business, you are celebrated and you are encouraged. You are seen as an innovator, a pioneer, a successful rebel. If you fail-and there's a good chance you will if you start your own businessmost Americans will shrug it off as a learning opportunity. There's no shame in failing. Families, schools, and the media alike share this acceptance of failure. In one sense, in the United States you have a permanent fresh start. Youths, in particular, are seen as beacons of innovation and creativity. As an aspiring young entrepreneur, I benefited from these attitudes. I became proud of my individuality and pursued my ideas without embarrassment.

No one "right" approach The countries that promote entrepreneurship tend to be more economically successful. Economist William Baumol has called entrepreneurship the "indispensable component" of economic growth and prosperity in the United States. With more than 16 million people employed by businesses with fewer than 10 employees, the United States truly does run on small businesses.

But the United States is not the only place that recognizes the economic importance of entrepreneurship. China, India and other nations also emphasize the importance of small business and are prospering as a result. The approach of the entrepreneurs themselves in each of these countries may vary. There is no one right path to entrepreneurial success. Rather, it's up to the individual-you. In the United States, the most successful entrepreneurs look different. Google, one of America's powerhouse technology companies, was co-founded by a brainy Russian immigrant who did not care much for media attention. He earned a PhD in computer science at a top university. He studied how mathematical formulas could improve search engine results. Oracle, another powerhouse technology company, was founded by a college dropout who grew his company with aggressive sales strategies. He has become a media celebrity. All successful American entrepreneurs don't look or act like real estate mogul Donald Trump; in fact, few do. Instead, successful business owners find the right path for themselves. More and more people are finding a path and are finding the entrepreneurial spirit within themselves. Indeed, in the United

There is a fundamental belief in the United States that private business entrepreneurs should be afforded maximum freedom to do what they need to do to grow their business. States, people are experiencing a golden age of entrepreneurship. Particularly among young people-my generation-the prospect of starting your own venture has never seemed more exciting. A majority of college graduates today indicate on surveys that they plan at some point to start their own business.

The time is now This fervor to control one's destiny isn't limited to Americans: All over the world, people young and old are realizing the joys of creating a new business. Even if you live in an area that is not traditionally as democratic as the United States, or is not as tolerant of failure or experimentation, or has not yet established mature private capital markets, there has still never been a better time to start. The Internet has made your physical location less important. From Zambia to New Zealand, Canada to Costa Rica, you can log on to the Internet and teach yourself and connect with like-minded souls. In most cases, the entrepreneurial path begins by opening a Web browser. So join the global entrepreneurial community. Start your own high-technology start-up. Share your lessons and experiences. Share your story. Worst case, you fail. Best case, you change the world, solve someone's problem, maybe make a lot of money. What are you waiting for? ~ Ben Casnocha is the author of My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley.

Stu~ent Entre reneurs U.S. university programs aim to nourish entrepreneurial spirit, boost student startups. yed Hussain started his business disciplines had to have entrepreneurship in 2007, prompted by a desire to and leadership skills to succeed in a rapidfight extortion. That is what he ly changing world. In 1970, no more than a handful of such calls $60- to $70-per-hour fees he had been asked to pay for tutor- programs existed. By the early 2000s, about ing when he was an undergraduate student. 1,600 universities and colleges offered The torment of not being able to afford 2,200 entrepreneurship courses, according tutoring led Hussain to develop uProdigy. to a 2003 study. And those courses have grown in popularity among students. Through this firm, 120 English-speaking tutors in South Asia and the United States Edward Roberts, chairman of the MlT offer affordable online help to America's Entrepreneurship Center, says that because college students. Not only is uProdigy of growing demand for graduates who can prospering, but the business plan Hussain lead, negotiate and push new ideas and crafted for it was a winner in a major busi- products, even MIT, which had a long traness competition. dition of entrepreneurship, had to change. Roberts started the center in 1991 to That contest-the $ lOOK Business Plan Competition (http://www.mitl00k.org/) at couple technical expertise with managethe Massachusetts Institute of Technology ment skills across different departments (MIT)-is one of many ways an increasing and schools within MIT. number of U.S. colleges and universities Syed Hussain, chief executive officer of promote entrepreneurship among students uProdigy and a graduate student at Harvard and faculty members. The competition University. awards prizes in cash and business services to student entrepreneurs, who devise best business plans for new ventures. Purely technical training does not suffice any more, says Tina Seelig, executive director for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (http://stvp.stanford. edu/). With advances in biotechnology and infOlmation technology, "we need engineers and scientists who can get ideas out of lab into the marketplace," she says. In the past, entrepreneurship programs .~ were available only to business school ~ students. This started to change in the! 1990s when educators realized that stu- iG dents in science, engineering and other ~ 1Io ~

Other initiatives, such as a center for technological innovation and a venture mentoring service, followed, creating what Roberts calls a "positive feedback loop." MIT's strong entrepreneurial reputation attracts students with entrepreneurial ambitions, who in turn reinforce MlT's reputation. "In the last 10 years, we have seen a rapid growth in MlT-related startup ventures," Roberts says.

~ '= ,.11

Online Tutoring from PhD's and MA's

Producing Tomorrow's Inventors About 150 MIT-re1ated companies are founded each year, according to the center. The institute, along with its neighbor and competitor, Harvard University, takes credit for creating Route 128, a cluster of science- and technology-based companies around Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hussain, now a graduate student at Harvard University, said he and his company thrive in the entrepreneurial culture nourished by the two schools. He views access to business incubators and networking opportunities as particularly valuable advantages. "I can just pick up a phone and call someone I met last week for money, connections or advice," he says. Stanford University, the main force behind the world's best-known high-technology hub, in the so-called Silicon Valley in California, was another school that changed its approach to entrepreneurship in the mid-1990s. It developed the Stanford Technology Ventures Program when it realized the need for a cross-campus, structured approach to entrepreneurial training and laying solid foundations to enh'epreneurial activities. The program takes great advantage of the intellectual, entrepreneurial and financial resources of its high-tech business environment. "Our students get plugged directly into the entrepreneurial community and Silicon Valley [business] ecosystem," Seelig says. The program includes a less formal entrepreneurship week, with opportunities for networking, and an international innovation tournament at its center. In the 2007 toumament, participants were asked to find . creative uses for ordinary rubber bands. In contrast to MIT, Stanford dO,es not measure business-venture creation related

Medical technology innovations from Stanford students

Tina Seelig, executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, at a workshop during Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Week in February 2008. to its entrepreneurship program. Seelig says counting the number of companies started by the university's graduates is a superficial measure. "Our program's graduates are in great demand because it is about the entrepreneurial mindset, not necessarily about starting a company," she says. But there are more similarities between MIT and Stanford entrepreneurship efforts than differences. "Visitors to MIT, Stanford ... are often struck by the intense relationships between university researchers and the high-tech companies of their hinterlands," observed a reporter of the British Guardian newspaper in 2002. "Prominent academics are founders or directors of companies. ... Their graduate students work in company labs .... As far as research goes, it is often difficult to determine where the university ends and industry begins." Both schools spread the entrepreneurship gospel across the world. Stanford, which helped India develop entrepreneurship education, hosts international round tables on the topic in North and South America, Europe and Asia. MIT, which assisted similar efforts by British and Danish governments, runs an entrepreneurship development program for educators from around the world. It also hosts a workshop each year in a different country to encourage creation of contests similar to _it_s_$_l_O_OK __c_o_m_p_e_t_it_io_n_. -----~ Andrzej Zwaniecki America.gov

is a staff writer with

ardiologist Uday Kumar was completing a fellowship in biomedical technology products design when he decided it was a good time in his life to start a company Kumar had an idea for a medical device. It was a raw concept, not even a prototype at that stage. But he started iRhythm Technologies to develop and market a cardiac-rhythm monitoring device. California-based iRhythm Technologies is one of several medical-device firms started by graduates of the Stanford University Biodesign Innovation Program, which teaches how to invent, use and market new medical tech nolo째gies. Innovative products hatched under the program include a visualization catheter used in coronary procedures, a minimally invasive device for extracting bone marrow and a special heart coating that prevents dilation during heart operations. But the seven-year-old program aims at producing inventors-developing people like Kumar-rather than inventions, says one of the managers, Christine Kurihara. The focus is on Cardiologist Uday Kumar started iRhythm Technologies.

Sandeep Singh, Peter Frykmann and ]ayant Karve at Stanford University's Product Realization Laboratory.

training students, fellows and faculty in a systematic approach to solving medical problems and developing technologies that apply the solutions in medical practice. Kurihara says she looks for people who have demonstrated "an innovative streak" but do not have specific ideas for medical devices. "We want them to have a clean slate," she says, because the program's main concept is to teach the entire process-from identifying the need for a new device to designing, patenting and marketing it-rather than how to bring preconceived ideas to fruition. "When they move through their careers, they will be able to repeat this process over and over again," Eight of roughly 90 applicants are selected each year for the rigorous 1O-month program, and 60 graduate students for a month-long version. People from different backgrounds are sought after to set up multidisciplinary, four-member teams. Most have doctoral or master's degrees from medical, engineering or business schools. For Kumar, working with diverse teammates was eye-opening, "I was able to take what I knew and build upon it in a different mode than what I might have used if I had been on my own," said Kumar, who moved to the United States from Bangalore when he was 3.

Students spend the first few months in clinics trying to identify medical needs and then winnow about 300 ideas down to a few. They use ideas discarded by the more experienced fellows and push them through the development process. Participants are expected to try to patent the ideas they develop, according to Kurihara. But because they can graduate without a patenl, in some years three or four designs are patented, in others, only one or two. Those who want to tap the commercial potential of their patents have access to the venture capital industry concentrated around the university in California's Silicon Valley. They have numerous opportunities to meet with representatives of more than 30 such funds, all of which are associated with the program Kumar says he learned how to talk to venture capitalists and found out what expertise he would need to develop an idea into a business. When Kumar's teammates decided to pursue different careers after graduating, he says he started a company alone, but recruited a seasoned chief executive and soon thereafter got venture capital funding. Launches of several companies by graduates have drawn the attention of other U.S universities. The University of Minnesota and Duke University in

North Carolina established their own programs based on the Stanford model, Stanford University has also launched a small-scale program for students from a technical university in Monterrey, Mexico, and formed a partnership with India's government to stimulate innovative and cost-effective technological solutions to medical problems. Stanford-India Biodesign's goal is to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India. Funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, Stanford University, and other supporters, the program is based in New Delhi. Approximately half of the fellows' time is spent in India, and the other half at Stanford. Fellows work as part of a team for a year and those with welldeveloped projects have a chance of continuing their fellowships for another year. "The purpose is to eventually help meet the medical needs of the people at the bottom of the economic pyramid in India," says Balram Bhargava, the executive director of Stanford-India Biodesign and a professor of cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Launched in 2007, it is administered as a collaboration between Stanford University, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and AIIMS in partnership with the Indo-U,S, Science & Technology. Forum. There are plans to take the fellowship and associated teaching to other centers in India. "By sharing our teaching methods with our Indian partners, we expect similar biodesign training programs to spring up around India ... ," says Paul Yock, director of Stanford's biodesign program. "We hope this will parallel the extraordinary growth of the medial technology industry in the Silicon Valley over the past 25 years." http://biodesign.stanford.edu/bdn/india/ ~ Andrzej Zwaniecki America.gov

is a staff writer with

Inspiration The stories of Martin Luther King, Jr., Benjamin Franklin and the American Civil War are now more reader-friendly, courtesy of Indian American Ruchir Shah, who has developed a comic book series on these icons and events. emember Garuda, the mythical, parthuman bird who taught a stiff lesson to a thousand evil snakes? Or how Kumbhakarna, demon king Ravana's gigantic, greedy sibling, was always shown surrounded by mounds of steaming, hot food. Taking a cue from the memorable Indian characters and tales of the Amar Chitra Katha series, Indian American student Ruchir Shah has developed comics for 8to 14-year-olds that show the lives of American heroes. "I have always been fascinated by history and learning about cultures from across the world," says Shah, 17, who was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in June at the White House. A first year student of Chinese, physics and history at Rice University in Houston, Texas, Shah was among 139 young people chosen for their excellence in academics and the arts. Instituted in 1964 by an executive order of President Lyndon B. Johnson, being named a Presidential Scholar is among America's highest honors for high school students. "As a child, I read Amar Chitra Katha, the Indian brand of historical comic books, and two years ago, I did an internship at India Book House, the company that creates these books. I wanted an opportunity to bring that same model to the American students for whom history is often considered really boring," says Shah. The five-week internship i~ the summer of 2006 gave him valuable experience in the art

of comic book creation. "From the writing, drawing and formatting to printing and marketing, it allowed me to better understand the publishing process. This profound experience provided me with the foundation upon which to build and develop my business," he says. His mother, Vibha Shah, a computer programmer, says her son's chosen field of interest stems from his fascination with books since childhood. "We used to come home every week from the library. with loads of books," she says. "He liked reading so much that during his high school years, we had to hide the books away so he could concentrate on his studies." Shah's brand, EZ Comics, publishes three titles-on Martin Luther King, Jr., Benjamin Franklin and the American Civil War. He says he has placed more than 750 copies at libraries, bookstores, schools and museums across the United States. Shah receives support from his parents, who moved to the United States from Mumbai in 1985 and 1990. In fact, a lot of help comes from his Mumbai-based grandfather who coordinates with local artists and printers. But it's Shah who decides the texts and layouts, communicating countless rounds of edits and design changes to the Indian illustrators via e-mail. "We help him both in terms of direction and important decisions .... His grandfather has been very helpful too. He helped Ruchir get some of the artwork done using local

The covers of comic books published by Ruchir Shah.

KING VISITED INDIA IN FEBRUARY, 1959. HE WAS GREATLY INFLUENCED BY MAHATMA GANDHI'S APPROACH OF NON-VIOLENCE.

Panels from the comic book on Martin Luther King, Jr.

artists to keep costs down, , ,.He has also given many ideas to build the Web site," says his father, Feni! Shah, an electrical engineer in Rhode Island. Creatives aside, it was the marketing Shah found the toughest to negotiate. "Even though I had some negative responses during the marketing process, it was the experience of selling that I enjoyed the most, the thrill of learning that people were interested in buying what I had worked so hard to create," says Shah, whose comics retail at $6.95 each.

Formore inlormation:

Classroom, where credible, graphic novels and comics were introduced in regular classroom instruction for third and fourth graders. "Reading is such an important activity for all children, and using comic book-related lessons offers teachers an important new tool to draw students into the world of words," says Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. Ian Schweikert, a social studies teacher at Farb Middle School in San Diego, California, has used Shah's comics and says his students have found them interesting. "They have been helpful with my lesson planning. Our first job has been making storyboards and these books have been an excellent way to demonstrate how to create the storyboards while learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., Benjamin Franklin and the Civil War," says Schweikert. To ensure accuracy, Shah had his comics vetted by experts, including Clayborne Carson, the founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute at Stanford University in California. "I have worked with Ruchir Shah as he developed his comic books on King and support his efforts to use this means to educate young people about King's life and the movements he inspired," says Carson, who led a study group from Stanford to meet While some educators feel comic books with Gandhi scholars and peace activists in should not replace literature, they can be an New Delhi, Chennai and Madurai, Tamil entry point for reluctant readers and moti- Nadu, in September. Shah counts the Presidential Scholar vate them to read more, and better. In 2007, the Maryland State Department award as his most prized achievement. "It's of Education created the Maryland Comic a great honor. Not many people get it," he Book Initiative called Comics in the says. Shah stayed in Washington, D.C. for a week as part of the award program and met Ruchir Shah at the Great Wall of China President George W. Bush. He was also during a two-week study trip after receiving among a group of 12 scholars chosen to visit the Presidential Scholar award. China for a two-week study trip afterwards. ~ Although he has no plans to enter the ~ Indian market, Shah is now working on a 0: i;; comic book on Mohandas K. Gandhi. He ~ says he is setting out with the premise that u American children would love to read his story as much as Indian kids do. "More often than not, kids don't grasp the heritage hidden in history. There is always a lot to learn from great historical figures. If kids love the fictional superhero comics, they will also love the real superheroes of the past." L

WOMEN MAKING

Village women gain and share knowledge about health and reproduction. hama Parvin squints under the scorching sun as she shields herself with her canary yellow sari. Her voice steadies-decades of memories flood her mind as she describes her abrupt step into adulthood with her marriage to Zakir Hussain at 14. Within a year, Parvin was pregnant with Mida, the first of four children. Propelled into womanhood, she promptly learned to take care of her fam-

Mida and Shama Parvin at their house in Bihar's Herthu village.

ily and the home she and Hussain shared in a poor neighborhood in Bihar's Herthu village. Hussain supported his family by sellin bags at the railway station. In spite of their meager income, Parvin managed to save a Rs. 15,000 dowry Jor Mida. When Mi~ turned IS, her marriage was arranged ~a young man in their community and the engagement took place. Parvin was thrilled that she had ensured her daughter's future with a good match. Shortly after arranging the marriage, Parvin heard about the Parivar Kalyan

Salahkar (family welfare counselor) training on reproductive health offered by the Promoting Change in Reproductive Behavior in Bihar (PRACHAR) Project. The training intrigued Parvin, who had experienced difficult pregnancies and births, which left her in poor health. She wanted to learn more about family planning so that she would be able to help her daughters, as well as other young women in her community. Her husband resisted initially because of the cultural stigma attached to discussions of sex and reproduction in Indian society. After she was selected as a volun-

child bearing. She won Hussain's support to break the engagement by sharing her new knowledge and awareness. "I do not want the difficulty and agony that I faced at such a tender age by bearing children to be experienced by my daughter, so I have broken the marriage and my family is supporting my decision," she says. Even though the groom's family refused to return the dowry, Parvin and Hussain were confident that the loss was more than offset by the opportunities Mida gained to protect her health and continue her schooling. PRACHAR is one of several programs

lives and bodies. In India, there is pressure on young women in many communities to prove their fertility by bearing a child immediately after marriage. PRACHAR has trained more than 450 change agents to train and educate newlyweds, young couples with one child, mothers-in-law, adolescents and rural medical practitioners. An additional 3,000 community volunteers such as Parvin work with the change agents to educate entire communities and promote a social environment that allows women to make their own choices. An American, Dr. Clarence Gamble, formed The Pathfinder Fund (www.

teer trainee, Parvin relied on PRACHAR support to inform her husband about the project. As a result, Hussain agreed that Parvin's participation would bring valuable information to both the family and the community. Over the course of her five-day training, Parvin learned much about reproductive health and family planning. She also got to know about available resources and services. Through PRACHAR, she learned that a woman should not marry before 18 and not have children until 21 for economic, social and health reasons. Parvin understood how early marriage and early pregnancy had affected her physical and economic conditions. With her new sense of empowerment, Parvin went to Hussain and insisted that Mida's engagement be called off. Despite the risk of losing the dowry, Parvin wanted to protect her daughter from the negative consequences of early marriage and

instituted by Pathfinder International in India. Since 2001, "PRACHAR in India has sought to change deep-rooted social norms related to fertility and early childbearing. The program strives to bring about major attitude and behavior changes in youths, as well as their parents and influential community members," says W. Sita Shankar, Pathfinder's deputy country representative. Pathfinder spreads its message through "various mediums such as workshops and seminars, public plays and classes." Its India head office is in New Delhi, with local offices and projects throughout the country. In Bihar, PRACHAR promotes the concept of delaying the first child and spacing subsequent children. In areas where women and girls are traditionally married young and face extreme social and economic inequality, the information and resources provided allow them to take ownership of the choices that affect their

pathfind.org/) in 1957. It was a byproduct of Dr. Gamble's work to advocate for and introduce contraception to women and couples during the 1920s in the United States. Dr. Gamble provided the seed grant to start the Cincinnati Maternal Health Clinic in November 1929, and began dispensing information on birth control to women and men. Pathfinder is now based in Watertown, Massachusetts, and is a global nonprofit organization that centers on reproductive health, family planning and HIY /AIDS prevention and care. Under the leadership of Daniel E. Pellegrom since 1985, Pathfinder has grown from a U.S.-based, start-up nonprofit to a global organization with an annual budget of more than $90 million. Pathfinder International operates in more than 20 developing countries. Pathfinder's three primary objectives are to help arrest the spread of HIY /AIDS,

provide care to women suffering complications from unsafe abortions, and influence health policies in the United States and abroad. The organization forges working partnerships with local government and fellow NGOs in delivering reproductive health and family planning information. "Pathfinder recognized that many NGO partners in Bihar needed orientation and training, not just in [reproductive health and family planning] issues but also in project management, monitoring and administration," says Shankar. It builds "local capacity through classroom orien-

worker community, known as saathis) are trained to disseminate information. Mukta has established 104 health service centers which have provided health care services to about 20,500 female and male sex workers since 2004. The project also advocates for their social and economic rights. According to the Consortium on National Consensus for Medical Abortion in India (http://www.aiims.edu/aiims/ events/Gynaewebsi te/ma_fi nalsi te/reportl LL2.htm), the mortality is reported to be 7.8 per 1000 random abortions, most of which are illegal. Studies indicate that risk of death is seven times higher for women

Above left and center: Young women fmm PRACHAR intervention areas attend the training programs on adolescent reproductive and sexual health. Above right: Local men performing a street play on the theme of reproductive health.

who wait until the second trimester for termination of pregnancy. Pathfinder works in five districts of Bihar to improve women's access to safe abortions. Proactive efforts to inform people about unsafe abortions are complemented with increased availability of newer, safer methods of abortion. Pathfinder maintains that "the key to reducing reliance on abortion is providing women with the means to safely control their fertility, through promoting empowerment over their own reproductive behavior and delivering modem family planning services." Thousands of individuals like Parvin are making the difference in the fight against poverty linked to reproductive health, taking their knowledge and willingness for change out into their communities. "The story of Shama is truly an inspirational one which reinforces the point that women can make a difference," Shankar says. "Training women as volun-

tation, technical support, field supervision and exposure visits." In Maharashtra, Pathfinder's Mukta Project works in 65 cities, towns and villages to educate sex workers and their clients about safe sexual behaviors. The goal is to reduce the prevalence and spread of sexually transmitted infections. Mukta works with 12 local NGOs and is part of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Avahan Initiative, which supports HIV/AIDS prevention work in . six Indian states. Peer educators from within the , sex worker community, as well as auto drivers and lodge employees (friends of the sex

Consequences of Early Marriage and Childbearing • Early marriage disrupts schooling and limits economic opportunity and skill development. • Early pregnancy and motherhood pose serious health risks for young women. • Young brides with older husbands are more vulnerable to sexual violence and contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases because they lack autonomy and power, as well as information, education and access to services. • Early marriage impedes overall national development.

tary contraceptive counselors is a unique initiative that not only educates and empowers them to make their own reproductive health choices but also motivates them to make correct decisions to improve the quality of life of the women in their lives, as was the case with Shama." Parvin has become an avid community volunteer and sends Mida to school despite monetary hardships. Mida has continued with her education, which has provided her with opportunities for economic independence. Parvin frequently visits and educates community families on the benefits of contraception, the spacing of children, and limiting family size. Even though she is only one citizen in a nation of 1.1 billion, through her active involvement, Parvin enlightens her community and provides _n_ew_o_p_p_o_rt_u_n_i_ti_es_to_ot_h_e_rs_. ~ Kaitlin McVey is a writer living in Seattle, Washington.

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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is widely known for outlawing racial segregation in schools and public places in the United States. But it also protects workers from discrimination because of their religious beliefs. t the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Muslim immigrant cab drivers from Somalia risk their jobs and the public's wrath by refusing to carry travelers heading home from vacations with duty-free liquor. At a Starbucks coffee shop in Hillsboro, Oregon, a barista contends she was fIred not because of tardiness but because of the Wiccan necklace she wore. In New Jersey, the oil refmer ConocoPhillips is hauled into court by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for refusing to adjust a Christian pipe fItter's schedule so he did not have to miss church services on Sunday mornings. And in Phoenix, Arizona, after a six-year legal battle, a federal jury returns a $250,000 judgment against Alamo Rent A Car for fIring a Muslim sales representative from Somalia for wearing a head scarf during Ramadan. With the U.S. population rapidly growing more diverse, more workers are demanding the right to exercise their freedom of reli-

gion on the job. By law they have a right to reasonable accommodations to their schedules. They sometimes encounter resistance from coworkers or bosses. But in a growing number of court cases, employees have the law's enforcer, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on their side. And many companies fmd that it makes good business sense to make these accommodations.

A law based in equitY and respect Luke Visconti, partner and cofounder of the New Jersey-based DiversifyInc magazine, believes that religious accommodation "is just a way of dealing with human beings with respect and treating them equitably so that you have a productive and harmonious workplace. You don't do this out of some sense of pol itical correctness; you do this so that you can increase your productivity and profIt margin." An additional benefIt for corporate America is that it is leaming,

Below: Amric Singh Rathour (left) and his wife, Prabhjot Kaur Rathour, after filing a federal discrimination complaint against the New York Police Department in 2002. Rathour alleged he was fired during training as he did not shave his beard or remove his turban for religious reasons. Bottom: Amardeep Singh (left), legal director of the New York-based Sikh Coalition, talks to reporters after five Sikh station agents filed discrimination charges against the cinj's Metropolitan Transportation Company in 2005. The company required Sikh employees to wear its logo on their turbans, as other employees wore it on their hats.

Georgette F. Bennett, president and founder of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in New York, says, "They got themselves an extremely loyal employee in the process. That's not anybody who is going to disappear soon, because she was treated with respect and not made to feel like a second-class citizen." Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Initially, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said employers must accommodate employees' religious practices 0.. unless doing so created "serious inconvenience to the conduct of the ~ business." In 1972, the U.S. Congress sought to toughen the statute ~ by requiting reasonable accommodations that did not impose an ~ "undue hardship." But the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the pro'5" tections in 1977 when it ruled in Trans World Airlines, Inc. versus ~ Hardison that anything more than a minimal cost to the employer z ~ was an undue hardship. Religious groups including Seventh Day iil Adventists and Orthodox Jews-both strict Sabbath observershave lobbied for years to strengthen the law, but without success. Still, increased numbers of business executives and human resource managers are adopting the principle that American workers have a right to live by their faith on the job as well as off. It's a cutting-edge issue in the personnel business, according to Eric Peterson, manager of diversity and inclusion initiatives at the 225,000-member Society for Human Resource Management. "People are not necessarily looking for the freedom to proselytize or the freedom to convert" coworkers, says Peterson, former diversity learning manager for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. "They just want to be able to live and work within the tenets oftheir religious faith." That can be a challenge, especially for nonChristians whose religion "asks them to dress, appear, behave in certain ways that are not necessarily encouraged by the workplace," he says. Oftentimes, "there's not a whole lot of money you need to throw at this problem. It's just a matter of opening your mind and saying, 'OK, how else can we do this besides what we generally default to as [a] very Christian-oriented way of doing it?'" The law against religious discrimination in the workplace applies to all U.S. businesses with 15 or more employees. The federal agency that enforces the law released in July 2008 a new, 94-page compliance manual with dozens of specific examples on what employers must do to accommodate workers' religious at the same time, "how to get along with customers who are also needs and beliefs. Muslim or Jewish or Christian or whatever other religion they are "It is an area that everybody has been afraid to touch because people are so uncomfortable with the subject of religion. acc;ommodating" in the workforce, says Visconti. Corporations such as Texas Instruments Inc. have created Traditionally we like to think of religion as being left at the "serenity rooms" for workers at assembly plants to pray, and some office door, but in actuality that can't be done and isn't done," have installed foot-washing stations where Muslim employees can says the Tanenbaum Center's Bennett. perform the ablutions their faith requires before prayer. Ford Motor Challenging instances of discrimination Co. and others have encouraged--or in some cases, tolerated-the Since the early 1990s when immigration worked to expand culcreation of employee affinity groups with a religious orientation, tural and religious diversity in the United States, complaints to the whose members gather for prayer or conversation. When IBM tightened security after the September 11, 2001, ter- govemment commission about religious discrimination have dourorist attacks, a newly hired Muslinl woman feared she might lose bled to 2,880 in 2007. Race and sex discrimination cases remain far her job because she was unwilling to have her photograph taken more common (they account for two-thirds of the case load), but _without a veil for an identification badge. But the computer services they held steady over the past decade while complaints about religiant accommodated her by issuing two ill badges, one with only gious bias rose from 2.1 percent to 3.5 percent of all charges. After her eyes showing that she wore in public and a second, unveiled pic- the September 1I attacks, the commission placed special emphasis ture that only female guards were allowed to see. on safeguarding Muslims, Arabs, South Asians and Sikhs against

the workplace and in society in general. That can give rise to some backlash in the workplace. In the Alamo Rent A Car case, Bilan Nur, a 22-year-old immi- misunderstandings. " The law does not protect only the world's major religions. "It grant from Somalia, was fIred in December 2001 for refhsing to remove the head scarf she wore during Ramadan. The commission encompasses any moral or ethical belief about right or wrong that's sued Alamo on her behalf, and nearly six years later, a jury award- sincerely held," says Johnston. It also protects those who have no ed the Phoenix woman $21,640 in back pay, $16,000 in compensa- religious beliefs. tory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. "The jury just didWorkers invoke Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in numerous n't believe some of the testimony of the Alamo people" about why disputes over their hours or whether they can wear a yarmulke or Nur was fIred, says Sally Shanley, the commission's supervising kufi prayer cap. In Detroit, Michigan, for example, the commistrial attorney. Alamo paid $250,000 to settle the case without sion is suing HCR ManorCare, a large nursing home chain, for appealing. Its current owners declined comment. sacking a nurse who wore a hrpan under her clothing. The hrThe dispute over the veteran pipe fItter, Clarence Thomas, who pan, a sheathed, three-inch knife with a dulled blade, is one of was ordered to work on Sunday mornthe sacred symbols of the Sikh religion. ings at a ConocoPhillips refInery in Many religions encourage believers to Linden, New Jersey, has not yet gone to proselytize, and some groups say that Title trial. Thomas said initially he was told VII gives their followers the right to talk he could use vacation time to get those about religion around the office water coolhours off, but then that accommodation er and to inquire about a coworker's also was denied. Bill Graham, a beliefs. But if that coworker wants them to stop, they must, according to the commisspokesman for the oil company at its sion's Jeanne Goldberg, a senior attorney headquarters in Houston, says, "We do advisor. "The employer has two obligaconsider diversity of employees a "tremendous asset, and the company protions: to accommodate religious expression to the extent that can be done ...and not to hibits discrimination or harassment of ~ allow religious harassment of employees." any kind." He noted that unionized ~ It's a balancing act, both for employers workers such as Thomas have a right to i and the courts. fIle grievances with their local "and they "; Cab drivers at a Metropolitan Airport Commission In Peterson versus Hewlett-Packard can also call the ConocoPhillips ethics hearing in Minnesota. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Co., the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in hotline." International Airport inh'oduced stiffer penalties for A dispute between the operators of cab drivers who refuse service on religious grounds to 2004 upheld the fIring of Richard the Minneapolis-St. Paul International passengers with service dogs or alcohol. Peterson, who objected to posters proAirport and Muslim cab drivers from moting acceptance of sexual diversity that Somalia remains unsettled. More than 4,800 travelers were the company put up in its Boise, Idaho, office. Peterson, a devout refused service between 2002 and 2007 by drivers who saw or Christian, began displaying around his cubicle Bible verses consuspected passengers were toting alcohol with their luggage. demning homosexuality; he acknowledged his messages were hurtInitially cabbies who refused to take the passengers based on ful. The appeals court said that HP had a "right to promote diversitheir religious beliefs were sent to the back of the line, but since ty and encourage tolerance and goodwill among its workforce." May 2007 they have faced a 30-day license suspension for the But that same year a federal judge in Denver, Colorado, awardfIrst offense and a two-year revocation the second time they ed $146,000 to a former AT&T Broadband worker fIred for refusing to sign a company diversity policy that recognized the need to refuse service. Muslim cab drivers work at many other U.S. airports, but so far "respect and value the differences among all of us." The judge said this has emerged as an issue only in the Twin Cities. "Why it has- the company should have found a way to accommodate Albert A. n't happened in other airports, I don't know," says Patrick Hogan, Buonanno, who had said that as a Christian he loved all people but public affairs director for the Metropolitan Airport Commission. "I did not "value" homosexuality. Eric Peterson, the diversity manager for the Society for Human think it's more a matter of the way a portion of the community here interprets the Koran." The Muslim American Society of Minnesota Resource Management, said the challenge for personnel managers did not return calls for comments. is figuring out how to maintain comity in workplaces where workDoes the federal commission's increased caseload mean the ers may hold starkly contrasting views about religion and lifestyles. problem is getting worse? "What organizations need to hear is that it is possible to respect "It's hard to answer that," says Dianna Johnston, assistant legal people regardless of their religion or their sexual orientation and to counsel at the commission. "There's been a signifIcant increase in let both groups coexist," says Peterson. "They don't have to be best religious diversity in U.S. workplaces over two or three decades. friends. You don't have to invite your colleague and his partner That's part of it. Also, people are more open about their religion in over to your barbeque on Sunday afternoon after church. But you do need to be able to work with them in a respectful and inclusive

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_m_a_nn_e_r_a_n_d_th_a_t_g_o_e_s_b_o_th_w_a_y_s_." -----~

Any Hope for

Lessons Learned? ournalists, researchers, historians have all pored over the events, the numbers, the horrors, the reasons and the results of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and its re-cutting in 1971. So many of us have read, and interviewed and studied and listened, and feel we know what happened, that we understand. But there is a different type of understanding, a jolting, suddenly clarifying picture that can show us a glimpse of the human heart, that can explain "why" on an individual level, providing a new angle to a story so many times told. And that different type of understanding can often be derived from literature. That's what's been accomplished by the 2007 publication and 2008 reprinting of Crossing Over, a collection of partition literature from Ind!a, Pakistanand Bangladesh, much of it never translated before, or not readily available to English-speaking readers. These short stories and chapters from novels are told from almost every possible perspective, from the maniac to the well-to-do survivor, the rape "'". victim to the killer, the child to the cold-hearted soldier. Clearly, most of Crossing Over . these tales don't have happy endings. More than one ends without any Partition Literature from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh repentance or comfort. Tile depths of human depravity are here, the won- Edited by Frank Stewart and Sukrita Paul Kumar der of survival, the miracle of love, the banality of memory, the guilt of South Asia Edition, Doaba Publications, 2008 betrayal, the despair of unquenchable sorrow and loss. An Indo-American Cooperative Publishing Reprint But the motto of the original publishers, the University of Hawaii bi- Copyright University of Hawaii Press annual Manoa journal of international writing, seems to be that where there is understanding, there is hope. That's also why the U.S, Embassy partici- scenario, I balanced each inhumanity and each kindness displayed by the pated in the launch of that special issue of the journal in August 2007 in characters, glimpsed my own prejudices, and read on with dread. There New Delhi. Now, with additional photos and texts, and at a more affordable was no good guy, And I learned something about my own mind and heart, price, the South Asian edition has just been launched by t~e U.S. Embassy too. in New Delhi under the State Department's lndo-Amencan Cooperative Then, what to make of one's feelings in reading Bhisham Sahni's horror Publishing Program. story, The TrainHas Reached Amritsar? No, it's not that horror. It's the disThe selection and presentation of the literary pieces aims at depicting astrous horror of a mother's love. A barbarity committed out of joy. One "emotions and responses of ordinary people caught in a tragic turning cannot read it unmoved. point in history, when tolerance, respect and compassion broke down," say Sahni looks at love again in Pali. Love from so many people, selfless, the editors, Frank Stewart and Sukrita Paul Kumar. Almost journalistically, disinterested love. But it brings about no understanding, counteracts no they say the works are not meant to offer solutions or assign blame. prejudice, and intensifies, rather than eases, the national and religious and Is that possible for the reader? Most of the pieces stir up strong emo- cultural divide. tions. I felt myself growing angrier and angrier, filled with disgust, as I read "I love peace, I hate war. But I love that war, as much as I love peace, SaadatHasan Manto's TheDog of Tetwal. Grasping for a good guy-bad guy that is fought for freedom, for honor, for the survival of one's country,"

For more information: Manoa Journal http://www. awaiLeou7mjournal! Indo-American Cooperative Publishing Catalogue

says the protagonist in Khadija Mastur's Cool, Sweet Water. We all know that the folks on the other side, in most conflicts, feel the same. Perhaps, through these works of literature and others, we will be able to understand it, too. ~

CHIEVER

Crusading for a Women's

World Order A

h, I am quite comfortable in India," smiled Dena Merriam, looking deceptively Indian in a cream silk salwar kameez with an orange dupatta draped over her shoulder. "I think India and I have a special connection." Merriam, founder of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, has arranged two conferences this year in India to promote women's voices in religion and politics, "If women, who are life-givers by nature, were elevated to leadership positions in equal numbers with men, would we not see a more caring society with less violence, with more attention to the needs of chi 1dren and youth, and with greater sensitivity to the environment?" asks Merriam. Merriam's connection with India started some 35 years ago while she was studying for her master's in sacred literature at Columbia University in New York. The subject of her thesis was a comparison between the Bhagavad Gita and the Book of Job from the Old Testament. Around that time she also came

The Global Peace Initiative of Women htlP:7/www.gpTW:Org/index.html United States Institute of Peace http://www.usip.org/

across the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. "It was a very powerful book and changed my whole life," she says, "Yoga and meditation became a part I of my everyday routine." Merriam was instinctively drawn ยงio to spirituality as she was surrounded ~ by art and culture from childhood. 2 Both her parents were avid art col- traditions were under-represented lectors, and her father, David Finn, So, she started networking with women leaders around the worldwas a photographer of sculptures. When it came to finding a profesparticularly those in India, Thailand, sion, Merriam chose to write on the Taiwan, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan spiritual aspect of art when she and Cambodia-from the fields of became the editor of the magazine spirituality as well as business, govSculpture Review from 1988 to ernment and environment. 1993. "I wrote on how art can put us The culmination was a convenin touch with a higher reality," she tion of another U,N, World Peace says Summit, this time with 500 women In 2000, Merriam-who served leaders, in Geneva, Switzerland, in on the boards of Harvard Divinity 2002. It laid the foundation of the School's Center for the Study of Global Peace Initiative of Women, World Religions, the International "I firmly believe that women, with Center for Religion & Diplomacy, All their inherent qualities of caring and India Movement for Seva, among compassion, can playa major role others-was called upon to coin bringing about a greater world chair the Millennium World Peace balance and creating a new dynamSummit of Religious and Spiritual ic will that would successfully Leaders instituted by the United address the many challenges facing Nations. a world torn apart today by religion, At the summit in New York, she conflict, poverty and environmental was dismayed to find there were degradation," she says "Do you hardly any women participants know that in some of the Native communities, elderly among the 1,500 delegates Only two American of the 25 speakers were women, and women were consulted before a Merriam felt the eastern faiths and tribe could go to war? This was to

ensure that the war was a necessity, because women would not send their sons unless there was no better alternative, ... " A sequel to Geneva was a fiveday international summit on Making Way for the Feminine for the Benefit of the World Community in Jaipur, Rajasthan, from March 6 to 10, 2008, to coincide with International Women's Day About 450 leaders from 50 countries, both men and women belonging to different faiths, including the conflict zones of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Palestine got together to deliberate on issues concerning governance, conflict and peace. They shared their experiences and also ways of spiritual healing and reconci Iiation through ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha (passive resistance) Immediately afterward, the Global Peace Initiative of Women, in partnership with the U.S. Institute of Peace, invited 40 young Iraqi community leaders to Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, for a dialogue on building a peaceful and secure Iraq. Many of the participants worked in NGOs, while others were professionals like architects, lawyers and doctors, "In the end, each of us came to know more deeply that we are one human family and each person's suffering is our own. The teachings on oneness that we'd heard at the Jaipur summit now became real," says Merriam. Another important outcome of the Jaipur summit was the organization of the first US Summit of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, in Colorado this November, Its focus is: "Gathering the Spiritual Voice of America to Deepen our Knowing of Oneness and our Compassion as a Nation,"

___

Kumud Mohan is a freelance writer and photojournalist in New Delhi.

based

Indian Navy ships and a U.S. Navy flotilla simulated war games and combat maneuvers 200 kilometers off the Goa coast in October. They practiced air strikes, interceptions, anti-submarine warfare and submarine versus submarine maneuvers. The U.S. flotilla was led by a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, which holds 80 aircraft and 6,000 crew. The Malabar 2008 exercise aimed to increase cooperation and operability between the two navies.

American comedian Azhar Usman starts with himself in presenting an unrelenting joke routine that had audiences in New Delhi, Aligarh and Pune aching with laughter during the Chicago native's first India tour, in November. He quipped that it's rare to see "someone who looks like me smiling" when he made his India debut at the American Center in New Delhi. Part of a troupe of Muslim comedians who tour under the "Allah Made Me Funny" banner, Usman said it is important to remember that Muslims, like everyone else, laugh and cry. Usman's parents emigrated to the United States from Bihar. www.azhar.com

Sanskrit and South Asian religions scholar Elliott McCarter, 34, is in India researching early-modern Sanskrit texts that describe Kurukshetra, Haryana, as a place of religious pilgrimage. He is connecting the places, practices and stories found in these texts with classical sources and modern, oral narratives collected on his travels. Shown (right) conversing with a priest at Brahmasarovar in Kurukshetra, McCarter is pursuing his doctoral degree at the University of Texas in Austin. His work in India is supported by a FUlbright-Hays fellowship www.usief.org.in/

SPAN thanks its readers who sent 150 suggestions for the 2009 SPAN calendar theme contest. The winning theme is Cultural Diversity Through Dance, the result of a combination of suggestions from: Abraham Joshy (Kochi), Sameer Shah (Mumbai), Kalpana Chittaranjan (Chennai), RV Amaresh (Bangarpet), Varsha Thakur (Lucknow), Roma Gupta (Chhattisgarh), Meher Gadekar (Pune), Madhusmita Mishra (Bhubaneswar), Rini Rath (Bhubaneswar) and Mary Ann Dasgupla (Kolkata). They received personalized SPAN mugs.