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US President Barack Obama
Obama for helping India on energy Details on page 6
Modi government under attack from West media Details on page 6
VOL 21, No. 1118
February 26, 2016
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MASOOD AZHAR IS IN 'PROTECTIVE CUSTODY' NEW DELHI: Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, named by India as the mastermind of the Pathankot attack, has been under "protective custody" since January 14, Pakistan Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz has said. He also said it was for India to decide on dates for Foreign Secretary-level talks, postponed in the wake of the terror strike. Aziz said a Special Investigation Team from Pakistan may visit Pathankot in the first few days of March to probe the attack and that his country was pursuing the investigation seriously.
He said one of the mobile phone numbers linked to the attackers was traced to the terror group's headquarters in Pakistan's Bahawalpur and called the lodging of the FIR in connection with the Pathankot assault as a "logical and positive step" in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Aziz told Karan Thapar of Headlines Today that Azhar, along with a few other operatives of the JeM, has been kept under protective custody and that some of the terror outfit's premises have also been sealed. He said action will follow against Azhar and others the moment evidence becomes available. Details on page 5
Raja has big lead over Democratic rival Details on page 16
Trump pledges to bring back jobs from India Details on page 7
Indian student wins Powerball lottery Details on page 17
PM launches 'Rurban Mission' for poor
Twitter shows Jammu in Pak, J-K in China
Details on page 36
Details on page 6
Silicon Valley wants 'big rise in H1-B visa
CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 48
Details on page 44
Community Post -------------- 16-23 Date Book -------------------------- 47
INDIA POST SURVEY
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HealthScience Post --------- 32-35
This week’s question
Horoscope ------------------------- 15 Immigration Post ------------- 44-46
Do you support arrest of students?
Life Style ----------------------- 50-52
Last week’s result
Philosophy ------------------------- 53
Has the BJP overreacted in the JNU case?
Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4
YES 57%
NO 43%
EATING TOGETHER: Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking Guru ka Langar at Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir, Seer Goverdhanpur in Varanasi on February 22
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Real Estate -------------------- 30-31 TechBiz Post ------------------- 36-39 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43
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hese days it's tricky to comment on anything that's been colored and prejudged by the mainstream media unless of course you are protected by the anonymity of social media. Anyway, I'll try putting my two bits out on this: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is burning his energies to 'make India' into an economically progressive nation for the country's youth, a section of that very same youth are on a quasi-jingoistic rampage to 'break India' on the lines of communalism, caste and politics. This past week saw a bunch of student politicians - patronized as they are by national political parties, I do see them as full-fledged politicians - on the notoriously politicized campus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi saw it fit to hold an event to glorify a convicted terrorist who was hanged to death three years ago; and the present government deemed it an act of sedition. While it's true the federal and state governments in India are slap happy in using sedition charges, it's interesting to see the pro-student reactions the police action at JNU has elicited from campuses in the US, with Noam Chomsky even asking the JNU vice chancellor point blank: "Why did you allow the police on campus … ?" American campuses of today are so politically correct that they beat the very concept of free speech, let alone spring revolutions. And perhaps Mr. Chomsky should Google search the instances where police have acted against students on American campuses before getting sanctimonious about campus authorities in other countries, but that's beside the point. The moot, for me, is why do these Indian students, who have so much going for them in terms of a willing government working towards an inclusive, youth oriented economy, allow themselves to be used as pawns by vested politicians for destructive purposes. Universities are fertile grounds to nurture ideals and ideas for innovative disruption. Just imagine if the vast pool of student population in India were to use their sense of nationalism, freedom of expression and might of collective ideation to build, modernize and beautify their country. Ah, but that would be utopia, right?
Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com
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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: 'Normal' kiss In R Balki's Ki & Ka Kareena Kapoor is seen puckering up with Arjun Kapoor after saying no to on-screen kissing
Cover Story: Masood Azhar Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, the mastermind of the Pathankot attack, is under "protective custody"
Community: Raja leading With hefty endorsements from across Chicago land, Raja Krishnamoorthi is all set to win Democratic nomination
H-1B visa scheme A top American CEO has called for a "dramatic expansion" of the H-1B visa scheme, popular among Indian tech firms
Life style: Vintage cars 16 vintage cars are displayed in Pradeep V Naik’s Nuvem Ashvek Vintage World, the only vintage car museum in Goa.
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'Rurban Mission' Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ambitious 'Rurban Mission' for developing 300 villages
Rameswaram Rameshwaram, located on a beautiful island in the lower extremity of India, is separated by Pamban channel from Lanka.
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Masood Azhar in 'protective custody' NEW DELHI: Jaish-eMohammed chief Masood Azhar, named by India as the mastermind of the Pathankot attack, has been under "protective custody" since January 14, Pakistan Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz has said. He also said it was for India to decide on dates for Foreign Secretary-level talks, postponed in the wake of the terror strike. Aziz said a Special Investigation Team from Pakistan may visit Pathankot in the first few days of March to probe the attack and that his country was pursuing the investigation seriously. He said one of the mobile phone numbers linked to the attackers was traced to the terror group's headquarters in Pakistan's Bahawalpur and called the lodging of the FIR in connection with the Pathankot assault as a "logical and positive step" in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Aziz told Karan Thapar of Headlines Today that Azhar, along with a few other operatives of the JeM, has been kept under
No info from Pak on Pathankot probe visit NEW DELHI: India is yet to receive a formal communication from Pakistan about a proposed visit by a team of investigators from that country to inspect the site of the Pathankot terror attack, a senior government official has said. "No formal communication has come yet from Pakistan about the visit of the Pakistani investigators," the official said. Asked whether India will allow the Pakistani investigators to visit the Pathankot airbase, the official said no decision has been taken on that yet. "We have to look into various aspects. As and when the Pakistani team comes, we will take a decision," he said. According to the official, there has been little information about the findings of the Pakistani investigators in that country. "We don't know what action they have taken to the inputs we have provided about the perpetrators and conspirators of the terror attack," the official said. Cont’d on page 6
protective custody and that some of the terror outfit's premises have also been sealed. He said action will follow against Azhar and others the moment evidence becomes available. This is for the first time a top functionary of the Pakistan government has confirmed that Azhar is in custody in that country though there were earlier reports to that effect. Aziz said the FIR in the Pathankot attack case has created legal basis for a Special Investigation Team of Pakistan to visit India to collect evidence. He said India has agreed to the SIT visit. Asked about Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar's comment that SIT will not be allowed to go inside the IAF base in Pathankot, Aziz said access to crime scene always helps the investigators. On holding of the Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two
countries, Aziz said the "ball is in India's court". "The answer to it lies entirely with India," he said, adding he
Pak envoy for liberal visa regime for tourism NEW DELHI: Pakistan would there is deep mutual desire to falike a liberalized visa regime with cilitate religious tourism," he India to facilitate pilgrimages said. across the border and boost reliReferring to several failed atgious tourism, according to Abdul tempts towards having a "corriBasit, Pakistan's High Commis- dor" for easier travel of citizens sioner to India. across the border, the Ambassa"We would like to see our visa dor said it could materialize only regime liberalized in the context of if the two countries "stick toreligious tourism so that people gether and work together". can visit easily and freely from "Unfortunately for decades both sides," Basit said here. now, we have been reflecting on The Pakistani envoy was this but so far we have not been speaking at the launch of a book able to move ahead into imple"Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy menting the proposal of having in Pakistan" by Singapore-based a corridor," he said. author Amardeep Singh. Urging for support from India, According to Basit, religious he said, "I can assure you that tourism is scheduled to be one of the major talking points once the two ‘So, we hope as and countries resume dialogue, in an attempt to when our dialogue resumes, enable more Indians to travel to the neighbor- religious tourism will ing country for pilgrim- become an important age. "There have been subject of our discussions’ many proposals as to how to facilitate more Sikh pilgrims going to Pakistan our incumbent government under and in this context I can tell you the leadership of Prime Minister that recently the two governments Nawaz Sharif is very much comagreed that they will have reli- mitted towards doing this. Now gious tourism as one of the main it takes two to tango." subjects of the dialogue process. The book "Lost Heritage: The "So, we hope as and when our Sikh Legacy in Pakistan" dialogue resumes, religious tour- chronicles the author's monthism will become an important long travel in Pakistan and gives subject of our discussions. an insight into the Sikh heritage The two sides will be able to in the neighboring country betake concrete steps towards pro- tween the 15th and the 21st cenmoting religious tourism because turies.-PTI
hoped Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif will meet on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington
next month. Pakistani authorities had lodged an FIR in connection with the Pathankot attack on February 18, without naming Azhar. The FIR was filed against "unknown persons" after weeks of probe into the terror assault that had led to the postponement of Foreign Secretary-level talks. It was registered at Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) centre in Gujranwala, Punjab province. Asked about Pakistani-American LeT operative David Headley's revelations about the Mumbai attack during his deposition through video conference to an Indian court, Aziz said he was "a double agent who cannot be trusted". He rejected suggestions of taking Headley's version on record in the ongoing trial in the Mumbai attack case in Pakistan. Cont’d on page 6
Pak govt plea again to examine LeT boat ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Mumbai attack in 2008. government has challenged in the According to the Federal InIslamabad High Court the rejec- vestigation Agency, the 10 milition of the 2008 Mumbai attack tants -armed with AK-47 assault case prosecution's plea by the trial rifles and hand grenades - used court to form a commission to ex- three boats including Al Fauz to amine the boat used by LeT ter- reach Mumbai from the port city rorists to reach the Indian coast. of Karachi to carry out the attack "We have challenged the Anti- in 2008. Terrorism Court (ATC) It said the security agencies Islamabad's decision to reject our had also traced the shop and its plea regarding formation of a com- owner from where the culprits mission to examine the boat - Al- bought the engine and the boat Fauz - used by alleged terrorists of while a bank, and a money exMumbai attacks in the Islamabad change company were also traced High Court," Prosecution Chief which were used for the transacChaudhry Azhar told PTI. tion of money. He said the court office would fix the date of hearing. According The security agencies had to the petition, the boat also traced the shop and should be made "case property". its owner from where the "A government commission should be culprits bought the formed to examine the engine and the boat boat which is in custody of the authorities in port city of Karachi is an essential part The 10 LeT militants had left of evidence against the seven ac- Karachi on the boat on Novemcused" against whom the trial is ber 23, 2008. En route, they hiunderway, it says. jacked another boat, killing four The ATC on January 13 had of its crew. They allegedly forced dismissed the plea of the prosecu- the vessel's captain to take them tion to form a commission to ex- close to the India shores. The capamine the boat. tain was killed when the vessel Al-Fauz is in the custody of the reached Mumbai's coast. Pakistani authorities in the port On November 26 that year, the city of Karachi, from where the 10 gunmen left their vessel, moored militants, armed with AK-47 as- off the coast of Mumbai, in inflatsault rifles and hand grenades, able boats and docked in an area had left for India to carry out the of fishing shanties. -PTI
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Modi govt under attack for 'authoritarian drift' NEW YORK: The "authoritarian drift" of the Modi government has come under sharp criticism by two of the world's leading newspapers which squarely blamed it for "the lynch mob mentality" witnessed in New Delhi in recent days. "India is in the throes of a violent clash between advocates of freedom of speech and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its political
allies on the Hindu right determined to silence dissent," the New York Times (NYT) said in an oped piece.
The confrontation "raises serious concerns about Modi's governance and may further stall any progress in Parliament on eco-
"India is in the throes of a violent clash between advocates of freedom of speech and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its political allies�
Obama acknowledges India's energy needs WASHINGTON: Acknowledging India's massive energy needs, US President Barack Obama has underlined the need for passing clean coal technologies to the country to fight climate change
"They (Indians) do not have electricity," he said. "And if we are not giving them options, if the only message we have for them is, 'stay poor', the we are not going to solve the prob-
"The good news is that technology and research and development are accelerating rapidly, and because of the Paris agreement this would be going to accelerate progress even more," while maintaining economic growth. "In order to grow the economy, we have got to have energy. In fact, there are countries like India where it is even more desperate," Obama said in his address to the National Governors Association at the White House.
lem," Obama said. "We have got to grow the economy, which means we have got to produce energy and we've got to deal with climate change. "The good news is that technology and research and development are accelerating rapidly, and because of the Paris agree-
ment this would be going to accelerate progress even more," he said. In his speech, Obama stressed the need of passing on the clean coal technologies to countries like India. "I want India and China to know how to use clean coal, because they're going to be building coal plants anyway. And if we've got technology that can help make sure that it is not emitting huge amounts of carbon, all the better," Obama said. After coming into office, Obama said his administration has invested in technologies to capture carbon from coal-fired plants. "The technologies are there, the problem is that they're just really expensive right now. And so given relative prices to natural gas and other options, they haven't been deployed," he said. -PTI
Twitter shows Jammu in Pak, J-K in China NEW DELHI: In a major goofup, popular social media platform Twitter has shown Jammu as part of Pakistan and J&K as being in China in its location-tagging service - drawing flak from its own users. Twitter, which is very popular among politicians, government leaders and others seeking to spread their views, also identified Pakistan-occupiedKashmir (PoK) as 'Azad Kashmir' province of Pakistan. Left red-faced over the faux pas, Twitter's India office said the problem has been identified and it will be resolved soon. The government on its part said the matter will be taken up with the micro-blogging site. "I am
sure this will be taken up," External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters. While posting a new tweet, Twitter gives an option to the user to tag his or her location, wherein the microblogging site was found to be showing Jammu as being
part of Pakistan. Besides, a user seeking to tag Jammu and Kashmir as the location was being
shown the option of this place being in 'People's Republic of China'. The development created a flutter among Twiterrati, a term used for frequent users of this platform, and large number of the users criticized Twitter for the goofup, with some terming it being biased against India. Several ministries and departments of the government including the President's Secretariat and Prime Minister's Office have been using Twitter to communicate with the people. Prominent politicians, cine stars and blue-chip companies of the country have also been using this platform. Twitter had shot into prominence in India after a major controversy over former Congress Minister Shashi Tharoor's "cattle class" tweets, which he had apparently used for economy class air travel. -PTI
nomic reforms", it said. The newspaper carried a separate article on the events in Delhi after the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU student leader, on charges of sedition and said that the message was clear - violence in the name of ultra nationalism is acceptable. "Not even the courts are safe spaces. Challenge the state, or the BJP, at your peril." The article was re-tweeted by tennis great Martina Navratilova with her comment, "What passes for sedition in India-ultra nationalism easily turns into violence at worst, bullying at best." France's leading daily 'Le Monde' said in an editorial that "the horizon of Indian democracy has been oddly clouded" since the coming to power of Modi. The arrest of a student leader
and a former professor of JNU, both accused of sedition, "is the latest illustration of the authoritarian drift of the Hindu nationalist government determined to silence criticism". It was "paradoxical" to see the Hindu nationalists defend the Indian flag they have long denigrated with their preference for the saffron flag, the editorial said. The NYT said that the responsibility for the "lynch mob mentality" lay squarely with the Modi government. Indian citizens have the right to voice their "outrage at government threats to the exercise of their democratic rights". The newspaper asked Modi to rein in his ministers and his party, and defuse the current crisis, or risk sabotaging both economic progress and India's democracy. -PTI
Masood Azhar in 'protective custody' Cont’d from page 5
Aziz said talks between the two countries and the probe into the attack may go on parallelly, noting both Modi and Sharif share "very good chemistry". Modi's attempts to improve ties with Pakistan have been visible, he said but insisted that more was required to be done to wipe out his earlier image of having a "strong" position on Pakistan. The two Prime Ministers should not allow derailment of the talks by non-state actors, he said, adding Modi's visit to Lahore on December 25 last year was "very well received". Favoring resumption of comprehensive bilateral talks as soon as possible, he said India has been held hostage to the "narrative of
terrorism" which was unfortunate. He noted that the importance of dialogue is growing by the day. On Pakistan's SIT's visit to India, Aziz said the team will go "as soon as possible", maybe during the first few days of March. He said Pakistan was examining all the evidences including the phone numbers given by India in Pathankot attack case and that the NSAs of the two countries are in regular touch. Aziz said the investigators are also trying to establish links of the perpetrators and weapons used in the attack. On Siachen, Aziz said Pakistan was for withdrawal of forces by the two sides and has put forth its proposal before India again and claimed both sides were close to an agreement for many years. -PTI
No info from Pak on Pathankot probe visit Cont’d from page 5
Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar had ruled out allowing Pakistani investigators access the Pathankot airbase. "None is coming. Nobody can come without any information to us. Rather, India should be allowed access to places in Pakistan from where perpetrators had come to our land," he had said.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan has said that India has asked Pakistan to inform it at least five days prior to a visit by Pakistani investigators to inspect the site of the Pathankot terror attack. Seven security personnel were killed when suspected terrorists of Pakistan-based Jaishe-Mohammad stormed the Pathankot airbase on January 2. -PTI
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Trump pledges to bring back jobs from India WASHINGTON: Controversial Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has alleged that countries like China and In-
for Americans. Trump made the remarks while predicting that he will earn a "tremendous amount" of support
Donald Trump
dia are taking away jobs from the US and vowed to bring them back
from African-Americans. "You are seeing the stories
when African-American leaders are saying, 'my people really like Trump' because I am going to bring jobs back from China, from Mexico, Japan and Vietnam and India...and all these places that are taking our jobs and I am going to bring back jobs," he told CNN. "I'm going to do great with the African-Americans. African-American youth is 58 per cent unemployed. AfricanAmericans in their prime are substantially worse off than the whites in their prime, and it's a very sad situation," the 69-yearold said. Trump, known for being openly critical of many countries like China, Mexico and Japan in many of his speeches, had last month said India is "doing great" but no one talks about it. Trump has a number of real estate interests in India. His remarks came after his emphatic victory in the South Carolina primary. The victory gave him two wins and one second-place finish in the first three primaries
and consolidated his front-runner billing. Trump also predicted that the presidential contest will be between him and Hillary Clinton and they will bring out the "greatest
‘You are seeing the stories when AfricanAmerican leaders are saying, 'my people really like Trump' because I am going to bring jobs back from China, from Mexico, Japan and Vietnam and India’ turnout" in US history. "Frankly, if she (Clinton) gets indicted, that's the only way she's going to be stopped. I think it's going to be Hillary and myself," the real estate mogul said.
"They say it will be the largest voter turnout in the history of United States elections...we have such a low voter turnout compared to a lot of other countries so I think it will be the greatest voter turnout in history. If its Hillary against me, that is going to be a tremendous turnout...I am gonna win," Trump said. The former reality TV star said he expects to win enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination before the party's convention in July. "I don't think we're going to have a convention, a brokered convention. I think it's unlikely. I think I'm doing better than that," he said. Trump also laid out his own road map to general election victory, pinpointing two states Michigan and New York - that he said he would sweep into the Republican column. "I'll win states that aren't in play. I'll win states that Republicans don't even think of," Trump said. -PTI
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ISIS claims murder of Bangla Hindu priest DHAKA: The Islamic State has claimed the gruesome killing of a Hindu head priest in Bangladesh using guns and cleavers at a temple in an area bordering India, the first attack by the dreaded group against a Hindu in a series of similar assaults on religious minorities. US-based private SITE Intelligence Group published the report after the execution-style killing of 50-year-old Jagneshwar Roy at Sonapota village in a pre-dawn attack in northern Panchagarh district's Debiganj Upazila, some 494 km from here, that also injured two devotees. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online jihadi activity, said the ISIS claimed responsibility for killing Roy in a communiquĂŠ posted by the ISlinked Amaq News Agency on Twitter. The claim could not be independently verified. Motorbike-borne assailants, said to be over three in number, pelted stones at the house of Roy
Bangladeshi relatives of a top Hindu priest react after he was killed in the remote northern district of Panchagarh on February 21
in the premises of the Santagourhiyo Temple which prompted him to come out following which the killers pounced on him and slit his throat, a devotee in the neighborhood said. Roy founded the temple in 1998 and served as its principal and chief priest since then. His murder is the first attack on
a Hindu priest and the fifth attack on minority religious communities including Shia Muslims and liberal Sufi preachers in the past six months by suspected Islamists. However, a senior police officer overseeing the investigation questioned the authenticity of the ISIS claim and said the initial investigation found that the banned
HAF demands action on priest murder India Post News Service
WASHINGTON, DC: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has demanded action after the brutal murder of Jogeshwar Roy, a 55 year-old Hindu priest who was beheaded by Islamic militants inside the Sonto Gaurio Temple complex in Panchagarh district, Bangladesh. Two others were injured by gunshots and grenade attacks on the temple. Although the Islamic State
has denied the existence of IS within its borders, despite significant evidence to the contrary. "We're shocked by this latest act of savagery, and we offer our prayers to the victims and their families," said Jay Kansara, HAF Director of Government Relations. "U.S. lawmakers need to take urgent action to work with the Government of Bangladesh to address the precipitous rise of religious extremism in Bangladesh before it spirals out of control." Last year, Kansara visited
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) introduced a bipartisan resolution in July 2015, calling on the Government of Bangladesh to protect religious minorities from ongoing violence and extremism (IS) initially claimed responsibility for the attack, local police have apprehended two members of the banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and one from the Jamaat-e-Islami in connection with the incident, while another assailant remains at large. The Bangladesh government
Bangladesh on a fact-finding mission to survey religious freedom conditions in the country, and he testified before the U.S. Congress on the growing atmosphere of fear and insecurity amongst minorities and atheists, amidst an upsurge in attacks on them. The Foundation has also documented the rise of religious extrem-
ism in Bangladesh in its annual human rights report. In 2015, four atheist bloggers, a Catholic priest, a Japanese aid-worker, and two Hindu temples were targeted in high-profile attacks by Islamic militants. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) introduced a bipartisan resolution in July 2015, calling on the Government of Bangladesh to protect religious minorities from ongoing violence and extremism. The resolution urged that human rights and religious freedom are at the forefront of the U.S. bilateral relationship with Bangladesh. "We call upon all members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support House Resolution 396 in light of the brutal murder of Jogeshwar Roy and the many other victims of violence and discrimination in the country," said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF Senior Director and Human Rights Fellow. "We also ask the House Foreign Affairs Committee to bring the resolution to mark-up in order to recognize the growing number of attacks on religious minorities and atheists that have taken place since its introduction in July of last year."
Jamaatul Mujahideeen Bangladesh (JMB) and fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami could be linked to the murder. "In the past several cases of such clandestine murders, we heard about the IS involvement, but our investigations found those claims to be unfounded... rather locally brewed militant or
Islamist groups were found to be directly involved in the killings," the officer told PTI requesting anonymity. Panchagargh's police chief Giasuddin Ahmed also questioned the ISIS claim, saying "the statement issued in the name of Islamic State is entirely bogus". Officer-in-charge of Debiganj police station in Panchagargh Babul Akhtar told reporters that in an overnight raid, police arrested two suspected JMB operatives and an activist of Jamaat's student wing suspecting their links to the murder. The SITE had earlier reported that ISIS claimed responsibility for the murder of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi at Rangpur, the attack on a Shia mosque in Bogra and another on a Shia procession in Dhaka. But law-enforcing agencies and the government had dismissed the claim, saying the Middle-East-based radical group had no presence in Bangladesh. PTI
US envoy praises India's diversity of speech NEW DELHI: Amid the debate envoy to India last year, said that over free speech following the the countries talk a lot about JNU row, US Ambassador to In- "shared values" and the peopledia Richard Verma has said that to-people relations as he highdiversity of "thought and lighted the "similarities" between speech" was one of India's great their "constitutional processes". hallmarks which will "propel" it "The fact that both of our Conforward. stitutions start with we the people, He also emphasized that free the fact that we both protect and speech was an issue that the In- uphold minority rights and celdian society will have to resolve, ebrate diversity. What I have seen terming universities as "laborato- again in both of our countries is ries of thoughts" and identifying that those traditions are so importhem as a "central tenet" that both tant in US and India and I believe India and the US hold dear. Verma, who was asked by journalists "It will be hard to find a about his opinion on country more diverse than the JNU episode as well as importance of free- India. That is a great attribute dom of speech, said with diversity comes of this country. It is what will "different view points". "It will be hard to propel India forward in the find a country more di- next century� verse than India. That is a great attribute of this country. It is what will propel India forward in the next they will continue to be what century. That's also a part of both makes both of our countries of our democracies, particularly great," he said. on college campuses and it is Verma said that all democracies something both of our countries at some point grapple with the frankly have celebrated and wel- question of what is the appropricomed over years and over de- ate amount of freedom to give to cades and these are called the people when they communicate laboratories of thoughts," he said. and that each society has handled Verma, who took charge as US it slightly differently. -PTI
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US envoy for greater role for India in Asia Pacific NEW DELHI: Pitching for a greater role for India in Asia Pacific, US Ambassador to New Delhi Richard Verma hopes navy vessels of the two countries "steaming together" will become a common and welcome sight in Indo-Pacific waters in "not too" distant future. Noting that Indo-US security relationship is of a "fundamen-
during responses to natural disasters, on maritime security issues and in consultation with other partners and allies in the region. I hope that in the not too distant future United States and Indian Navy vessels steaming together will become a common and welcome sight throughout Indo-Pacific waters," he said. Verma was delivering the
"We look to India to continue to move beyond its historical reservations to seize this moment, to reassert its leadership role in the region in our shared efforts to promote the peaceful resolution of disputes� tally different" nature, Verma said they will cooperate "as never before" on the high seas as he urged India to continue to move beyond its "historical reservations". Verma announced that US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will come to India this April for an "unprecedented" third visit in less than a year. "The ties between our militaries are becoming increasingly close," he said. "Our countries will cooperate as never before on the high seas,
fourth annual lecture of the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents here. He said the two countries recently took an important step in this direction by concluding a roadmap for the implementation of the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. On the US decision to sell F16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan, Verma said they were provided to address a "specific" counter terrorism and counter insurgency
threat. "The point that I hope to make clear is that the US-India security relationship is of a fundamentally different nature than our cooperation with any other country in the region. "We have moved far beyond simply supplying India with defense platforms. Rather, we are helping to support the development of indigenous defense industrial capabilities that India will need to become the 21st century power it aspires to be," he said. Verma went on to say that there is "no place" where India's leadership is needed more sorely than in the Asia Pacific region. "We look to India to continue to move beyond its historical reservations to seize this moment, to reassert its leadership role in the region in our shared efforts to promote the peaceful resolution of disputes, an open economic order," he said. Asked whether it was aimed at checking China's influence, Verma said it was not about "containment" of any particular country but the coming together of two maritime powers. Citing US offers to provide Indian forces with Apache attack helicopters, Chinook heavy lift
helicopters and M777 howitzers, Verma said it was "akin" to the country's defense relationships with its "closest NATO allies". "In the future, I am sure we will
John F Kennedy's quotes, Verma said India-US relations "flowered" remarkably during the latter's tenure and that it did not survive his assassination. "During intervening decades both sides held fast to preconceptions that obstructed our natural affinities," Verma said delivering the lecture titled 'Supporting Indian Leadership Across Domains'. On Pakistan, Verma quoted President Barack Obama's recent observations that the country "can and must take" more effective action US Ambassador to India Richard Verma against terrorist groups that operate soon see US and Indian aircraft from its territory. carriers operating side by side in He said "perpetrators" of terthe region and beyond to main- ror have to be brought to justice tain the freedom of the seas for and that US "won't relent" on all nations... that message. We are also eager to partner Verma said the US is not only with India on solutions to its committed to ensuring India's inpressing need for modern fighter clusion as a permanent member of aircraft," he said. the UN Security Council but that In a speech generously inter- it also has the "political stature" spersed with former US President to act as a global leader. -PTI
Foreign scholars perplexed at JNU happenings NEW DELHI: Asserting that they are perplexed at the recent "outrageous" events at JNU, foreign scholars have asked the Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar about reasons behind him "jumping to unwarranted conclusions". Michael Lambek, FRSC Canada Research Chair, University of Toronto, in an email to JNU VC, has said, "Canadian scholars are perplexed, saddened, and outraged at recent events at JNU. Why have you abrogated the fundamental principle of free speech on your campus? Why have you jumped to unwarranted conclusions and why have you called so precipitously on the police?" In another communication to the VC, Diana L Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University, has said, "It is astonishing and deeply troubling to see that the lively discussion of critical issues at JNU has resulted in the arrest and detention of the JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiyya Kumar on charge of sedition." "Is this a term that can be used in the context of a modern and distinguished University? Is it consistent with the character of a
democratic nation or of a great university like JNU to criminalize dissent and bring police to the campus? "We at Harvard have had difficult times of dissent and harsh criticism of the government and of the University itself. This is part
of the free exchange of ideas and the freedom of speech that is necessary for the free institutions of democracy to thrive," she added. Diana further said, "The perception that the Indian state is increasingly resorting to intervention to suppress views it
finds threatening is itself threatening. Please do not acquiesce in this move to undermine a great university like JNU." Jawaharlal Nehru University is caught in a row over an event in the campus against the hanging of parliament attack convict
Afzal Guru, where "anti-national" slogans were alleged to have been raised. The varsity students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, is in judicial custody in a sedition case in connection with the February 9 event. -PTI
Hundreds of people including ex-servicemen participate in a march from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar in Delhi on February 21 against alleged anti-national activities at Delhis JNU under the banner March for Unity to save the Country
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6 Indian photographers shortlisted for award India Post News Service
LONDON: Six Indian photographers have been named on the shortlist of the world's biggest photography competition, the Sony World Photography Awards - one photographer in the awards' Professional competition, judged on a series of images, and five in the Open competition, judged on a single shot. Entries to the awards from India were up over 123% on 2015 and the photographers were selected from a record-breaking 230 - 103 entries from 186 countries to secure their place on the shortlist. The total number of entries received by the Sony World Pho-
tography Awards since its launch in 2007 has now surpassed 1 million images, reinforcing the awards' position as one of the most respected and influential photography competitions in the world. Selected by an expert panel of judge, the shortlisted photographers are: • Abhijit Banerjee, Open Travel category. Banerjee, based in Kolkata, has been shortlisted for 'Gangasagar Fair', a stunning portrait of India's second largest fair which takes place every year in the month of January. The image captures devotees while they worship the sun just after their bath.
Abhijit Banerjee
Jaydip Bhattacharya
Anasuya Mandal
• Jaydip Bhattacharya, Open Smile category. Bhattacharya is a high school teacher in Kolkata and a photography enthusiast who loves to photograph faces, people, children and festivals. His shortlisted image shows the 'Joys of learning' for a brother and sister. • Anasuya Mandal, Open Travel category. Mandal grew up in Chandigarh and is currently pursuing her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She began travel photography three years ago as a hobby and her shortlisted image captures the Bryce Amphitheater in Utah, the United States, glistening in the rays of the sun. • Nikunj Rathod, Open People category. Rathod, age 28, is a film director and photographer living in Mumbai who is most interested in capturing life on streets - its raw emotions and civilization. His shortlisted image 'Bird hunter' was taken in Mumbai and shows a young the energy of a child aiming for birds in the sky using a sling-shot. • Sanghamitra Sarkar, Open Low Light category. Sarkar, a neurosurgeon from Kalyani, West Bengal is a passionate amateur photographer who first picked up a camera in 2011. He is interested in the documentation of different festivals both in India and abroad. The shortlisted image 'All souls day' was shot in the village of Puruliya, West Bengal. Nuns light candles, while village children were burning Diwali firecrackers in front of colorfully painted mud houses. • Prakash Singh, Professional Landscape category. Singh found photography as a young boy but began a career in the industry in 2012. He currently lives in Dubai which is where his shortlisted series 'Landscape' was shot. The shortlist also includes two international photographers who are long term residents of India Daniel Berehulak and Jordi Pizarro - both in the Professional People category. All the shortlisted photographers are now competing to win their category and the L'Iris d'Or/ Professional and Open Photographer of the Year titles, the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony plus a share of the $30,000 (USD) grand prize. The winners will be announced at a Gala Ceremony in London 21st April. The photographers will also have their work shown in London as part of the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in April and May and be published in the 2016 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book.
Nikunj Rathod
Sanghamitra Sarkar
Prakash Singh
Prakash Singh
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PM urges students to do new research VARANASI: Citing global problems of climate change, energy crisis and deadly diseases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Indian students to take up the challenge of finding solutions to these through innovation
response from the audience, the Prime Minister quipped he had felt that those at BHU would not be aware of "cut-paste" aspect of research but even if they were, he hoped they did not use it. He said he had in the past con-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the gathering at the Centenary Year Convocation of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in Varanasi on February 22
and research instead of merely doing "cut-paste" work. Addressing the convocation ceremony of the Benares Hindu University (BHU) here, he asked students to "keep the mind receptive and eager to fresh knowledge" even after their formal education was complete. "I want to throw this challenge before young men and women of this country. Come up with innovations that may help the world in bringing down temperatures a bit, help the humanity overcome the grave energy crisis it is likely to face if renewable and sustainable alternative sources are not found", Modi told the gathering of BHU scholars and academics.
sulted Nobel laureates about the prevalence of "sickle-cell disease in tribal families" which is even worse than cancer. But, he felt "our own researchers can find a better solution". Talking about global warming with which the world is struggling to cope with, he said Indians believe exploitation of nature is a crime and see God in plants and mother in a river. "In such a country, can't we find a concrete solution to global warming," Modi asked. In the context of energy crisis, he said a solution could emerge through research on how ethanol could be effectively used as a fuel, which would benefit sugarcane farmers as well.
Modi, who is Lok Sabha member from Varanasi, went on to add that this temple city has already given him something which no university degree can match. "I am already indebted to Varanasi for this," He said students should dream of finding solutions to the problems that are being faced by the country and the world. "Innovation is most important for us... New research, not just to obtain PhDs through cutpaste...," he said. As his remarks drew an amused
He said research is also needed in making renewable energy increasingly viable. "We need technology that can help us realize the goal of increasing our solar energy output," the Prime Minister said. Speaking about the glory of India's traditions, he referred to
yoga and said while it has existed for long, there was a time when "we lived with a mindset that we did not feel that the entire world would take to yoga". Last year, he noted, the UN accepted observing International Yoga Day on June 21 every year and 192 countries joined in celebrating it. Modi also referred to the country's ancient past and said that in the Taittreya Upanishad, the aspects related to holding a 'Deekshant' (Convocation) ceremony is mentioned. "Deekshant (convocation) must not mean sheekshant (end of education), since the real learning begins after one faces the world upon completion of former studies," he said. He said that even Mahatma Gandhi had established Gujarat Vidyapeeth with similar objectives as those of the BHU founder Madan Mohan Malviya. He also referred to several school children present on the occasion as his personal guests and said he wanted even poor children to dream and achieve the highest education. Modi, who has declined to accept honorary Doctorate from BHU, offered his "apologies" to the University authorities for this, saying he wanted to keep away from such things. "Please do not mind. The honor you gave me by inviting me on this occasion of the University's centenary is enough for me. But I have always believed that I should stay away from such laurels," he said. Modi, who is Lok Sabha member from Varanasi, went on to add that this temple city has already given him something which no university degree can match. "I am already indebted to Varanasi for this," he said. The Prime Minister lauded BHU founder Madan Mohan Malviya, calling him a "visionary", and said the British during their rule established universities mainly to educate people who would help in their work. Malviya, he said, wanted to nurture individuals who would move towards building the nation while keeping along our glorious traditions. Modi said while BHU alumni are proud of and speak of the glory of the institution, a question sometimes arises whether each and every Indian has a feeling of reverence for the institution. -PTI
Firm steps to deal with cross-border terror: Prez NEW DELHI: President Pranab any situation arising out of crossMukherjee has said the govern- border terrorism." ment is committed to forging a Turning to Pakistan, the Presi"mutually respectful relationship" dent said the government is comwith Pakistan while asserting that mitted to forging a "mutually re"firm and effective" steps will be spectful relationship" with Pakitaken to deal with any situation stan and in creating an environarising out of cross-border terror- ment of cooperation in combating ism. cross-border terrorism. In his customary address to the "My government believes in a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament outlining the government's agenda in the coming financial year, he said the government is fully committed to firmly dealing with all challenges concerning the security President Pranab Mukherjee of the country. "Terrorism is a global threat secure and prosperous future for and strong counter measures are our neighborhood", he said, addnecessary worldwide to eradicate ing that "Vasudhaiva it completely," Mukherjee said, Kutumbakam: The world is one congratulating the security forces family" is the principle to which for successfully foiling the recent the government is committed. terror attack at the Pathankot air "Its expression is most resobase. nant in the steps we have taken in He said, "Firm and effective reaching out to our neighbors," steps will be taken to deal with he said at the outset. -PTI
Sharmila allowed to cross Wagah border LAHORE: Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore has crossed the Wagah Border into India, a day
Sharmila Tagore
after Pakistan's immigration authorities stopped her for not having a 'police report' of her stay here. When Sharmila reached Wagah
Border, the immigration officials told her that 'police report' was missing from her travel documents. 71-year-old actress was then stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency Immigration at Wagah Border on Sunday Feb 21. A protocol official accompanying Sharmila contacted the police station concerned and arranged the report in about two hours through fax. By the time the police report matter was resolved she changed her mind to cross the border and decided to leave for India the next day. During her stay here, Sharmila also called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at his palatial Jati Umra residence in Raiwind and had a dinner with him and his family members. -PTI
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Haley rules out Vice Presidential run WASHINGTON: Amid reports that she was emerging as a "fantastic choice" for being Republican Party's Vice Presidential candidate, Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has ruled out any such possibility, saying her "plate is full". Haley, who recently endorsed
about latest media reports that Rubio-Haley would be a dream Republican ticket. "I am not only a mom, my daughter is going to college next year, son is in middle school. I got a State that I love. We have not done; finished all the work we want to finish here," 44-year-old said.
Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina said that, he is "all for" Haley being picked for Vice President. Haley is articulate and a strong leader, who went "through the fire" during a tragic 2015 in the State, he said Florida Senator Marco Rubio in the Republican presidential race, said she is quite "content" with her responsibilities as the Governor of South Carolina and bringing up two kids. "Not at all. I have said my plate is full," Haley told the Fox news in an interview when asked
"So I am totally content and happy in South Carolina. What I do want to see that America gets a great president," Haley said in a joint appearance on the Fox News with Rubio in South Carolina. "I think, we can do that with Marco Rubio," she said re-
sponding to questions on her potential running as a Vice Presidential running mate of Rubio, as being reported by some of the major media outlets. Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina said that, he is "all for" Haley being picked for Vice President. Haley is articulate and a strong leader, who went "through the fire" during a tragic 2015 in the State, he said. "She would be a fantastic choice and one that I think the country would be quite responsive to," Scott said. However, The Washington Post offered a word of caution. "A Rubio-Haley ticket might be many things. But a panacea for the GOP's sundry political and demographic challenges? It certainly is not," it said. But for The New York Observer, a Rubio-Haley ticket would be a worst nightmare for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front runner. "The sight of Florida Senator Marco Rubio standing side-by-
HSBC under lens for tax evasion by Indians LONDON: Armed with "sufficient evidence", Indian tax authorities have issued notices to global banking giant HSBC, warning of prosecution against its Swiss and Dubai arms for allegedly abetting tax evasion by four Indians and their families. The UK-based HSBC, which also disclosed ongoing probes by tax authorities from various countries in connection with alleged
branch found its way to the Indian tax authorities. Similar lists made their way to tax authorities in various other countries, prompting probes. Indian government has stepped up its fight against black money, allegedly stashed in Switzerland, in recent years and there have been apprehensions that the so-called illicit wealth might have got shifted to other places such
abetment of tax evasion and money laundering through its Geneva branch, said it is cooperating with the relevant authorities and cautioned of "significant" financial impact as a result of these investigations. HSBC has been under scanner ever since a leaked list of hundreds of Indian clients of its Geneva
as Dubai. Without disclosing the names of the Indians who indulged in the alleged tax evasion through its Swiss or Dubai units, HSBC said while announcing its annual results that it had first issued summons in February 2015 from Indian tax authorities, while fresh notices were issued in August
and then in November. The bank reported revenue of USD 1.84 billion from India in 2015, up from USD 1.74 billion in 2014. Its profits from India operations stood at USD 606 million, largely from global banking and market businesses. For India, its customer accounts had balance of USD 11.8 billion at the end of 2015, up from USD 11.7 billion in the previous year. "In India, in February 2015, the Indian tax authority issued summons and request for information to an HSBC company in India. "In August 2015 and November 2015, HSBC entities received notices issued by two offices of the Indian tax authority, alleging that the Indian tax authority had sufficient evidence to initiate prosecution against HSBC Swiss Private Bank and its Dubai entity for abetting tax evasion of four different Indian individuals and/or families and requesting that the HSBC entities show why such prosecution should not be initiated," the bank said. -PTI
side with South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, after her blockbuster endorsement of his candidacy for president days before the South Carolina GOP primary,
paign," it said. "Maybe a Hispanic-Asian ticket with one candidate who's rediscovering his tea-party roots and another who's made herself
Nikki Haley
gave the appearance of a presidential ticket that would be a game changer for the 2016 cam-
into the top union-hater in the country is the best they can do," The New Yorker wrote. -PTI
India makes fresh push for CERN associate membership NEW DELHI: India has made a offer an opportunity to Indian infresh push towards seeking asso- dustry to bid for CERN contracts ciate membership of prestigious for industrial collaboration in adEuropean Organization for vanced technologies. Nuclear Research, popularly The delegation was led by known as CERN. Charlotte Warakaulle, Director for A high-level delegation of the International Relations and Task Geneva-based scientific body met Force Convener, Olivier Martin, Union Minister for Science and Eckhard Elsen, Rudiger Voss, Technology Harsh Vardhan and Maurizio Vretenar and Sue Minister of State for Prime Foffano. Pakistan is also an assoMinister's Office Jitendra Singh. ciate member of CERN. "We have reiterated our comEstablished in 1954, it is the mitments towards the CERN and world's largest body of experts in take it forward," Vardhan said. nuclear and particle physics, Indian scientists from the Departments of Atomic Energy and Sci- Indian scientists from the ence & Technology have been actively par- Departments of Atomic ticipating and collaboEnergy and Science & rating with CERN. The application to become Technology have been associated member of the body was mooted actively participating and by the government in collaborating with CERN August 2015. The delegation also discussed a wide range of issues where scientists and engineers are of mutual interest including the probing the fundamental strucstatus of India's application for ture of the universe by using the the associate membership of most sophisticated scientific inCERN. struments and advanced systems. The major advantage of assoCERN is the birthplace of ciate membership of CERN is that "www" (World Wide Web). The it will entitle India to become a part touch screen technology widely of a huge scientific and techno- used in smartphones was also first logical Endeavour. This will also developed by CERN. -PTI
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Umar has 'learnt new things about himself' NEW DELHI: JNU student Umar Khalid who surfaced on campus, 10-days after police began searching for him in connection with a sedition case, says in the last week he got to know
planning to hold this event in 1718 universities when I don't have much of an influence even inside JNU," he said addressing a gathering of over 500 students at varsity's administration block.
Umar Khalid
things about himself which he never knew. "My name is, of course, Umar Khalid, but I am not a terrorist. I thank all the students and 'comrades' among the faculty members who took part in what he referred to as a 'fight' by the JNU students. "People have told me things about me in the last week that I never myself knew. I have been to Pakistan twice even when I have no passport. They think I was
28-year-old Khalid, who is pursing PhD on the Adivasi history of Jharkhand, further said, "If Jaish-e-Mohammed gets to know I'm being linked with them, they might protest against the RSS. For the last seven years since I have done politics on this campus, I have never projected myself as a Muslim. For the first time in seven years, I felt like a Muslim". "It's true that some of the slo-
gans used there weren't ours... If there is a small problem, I see with those slogans, it is that when we are trying to enter into a dialogue with the 'Indian population', it creates a lot of antagonism rather than dialogue. The population you are trying to talk with is getting antagonized". "I know what my parents and sisters went through. I saw the filthy threats on my sister's Facebook wall. They would say 'Bharat Mata ki jai'. It reminded me of how nuns were raped in Kandhamal by goons who said 'Bharat Mata ki jai'." "If 1947 was our tryst with destiny then this is our tryst with reality. It is up to us to show how we will stand up to this reality," he added. Khalid along with Anirban Bhattacharya, Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash had gone missing from the campus since February 12 after JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case lodged in connection with an event held on the campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. However, they returned to campus after they were assured that "normalcy" has been restored on campus but they refused to surrender before police saying they have not been issued any summons. -PTI
Indian-origin Sikh Kuala Lumpur Police chief KUALA LUMPUR: An Indianorigin Sikh has been appointed the Police Commissioner of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, the highest police rank achieved by a Sikh in the Muslimmajority country. Deputy Commissioner Amar Singh, in his late 50s, will replace Tajuddin Mohamed who will move to federal headquarters as the deputy director of commercial CID next month. His appointment as Kuala Lumpur police chief was announced along with several other transfers and promotions, The Star news site reported. Amar, a third-generation police-
man from his family, achieved the highest ever rank by a Malaysian Sikh, according to the Asia Samachar news web site.
Amar Singh
His father and maternal grandfather were both policemen.
Amar's father Ishar Singh joined the Federated Malay States Police in 1939, a year after coming to Malaya from Punjab and was a pioneer member of the police jungle squad established during the Emergency, according to a news report. His maternal grandfather Bachan Singh was a constable who joined the force in the early 1900s. Amar graduated in B.Sc from University of Malaya here and did his LLB from the University of Buckingham, the UK. He has a Diploma in Sharia Law. -PTI
Cameron cites trade with India to stay in EU LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron has used trade deals between the European Union (EU) and India as part of his case to convince the British Parliament against so-called "Brexit" from the EU, a referendum for which will be held on June 23. Cameron, who secured a deal on EU reforms at a summit in Brussels, asked lawmakers to favor to stay within the EU to prevent the
David Cameron
"By their very nature, these EU deals would be bigger and better and a deal with Britain would not even be possible until we have settled our position outside the EU, which means years and years of delay," he warned. The lines have now been drawn between the 'Leave' and 'Remain' camps for the referendum, with as many as 100 MPs of his own Conservative party saying they would back 'Leave' including his I n d i a n Diaspora champion Priti Patel. T h e poster boy for the 'Leave' campaign has now emerged as Mayor of L o n d o n B o r i s Johnson, seen as a potential successor to Cameron and future prime minister, whose announcement came as a big blow to the PM. In his Commons statement, Cameron stressed that the new deal he had negotiated with the EU would give the UK a "special status" within the EU and ensure it never becomes part of a European super-state. It is the first time lawmakers have had the chance to question Cameron since the agreement ahead of the referendum in four months' time. I recognize there are disadvantages of being in the EU, but I can look the British people in the eye and say this is what it is going to be like if we stay in. The people who are advising us to leave have got to spell out what the conse-
UK losing its "negotiating muscle" in future trade and investment deals in the event of an exit from the 28-nation bloc. "We have secured commitments to complete trade and investment agreements with the fastest growing and most dynamic economies around the world, including the USA, Japan and China as well as our Commonwealth allies India, New Zealand and Australia," Cameron told the House of Commons in his speech to officially table June 23 as the date of the in-out referendum in Parliament. "These deals could add billions of pounds and thousands of jobs to our economy every year... as a result of the negotiating muscle that comes with being part of the world's largest trading bloc. "Country after country have said to me that of course they could ‘My responsibility as Prime sign trade deals with Britain but they also Minister is to speak plainly said that their priorities about what I believe is right will be trade deals with for our country and that's EU," he said. Cameron's speech what I will do every day for can be seen as an indirect reference to a long- the next four months’ pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) being negotiated between India and quences of leaving are," he said. the EU. "I'm not standing for re-elecHe sought to warn tion. I have no other agenda than Eurosceptics that the UK's exit what is best for our country. I'm would be a "recipe for uncertainty standing here telling you what I and disaster" for such trade pacts. think.-PTI
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February 26, 2016
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Jhumpa Lahiri pens love affair with Italian NEW DELHI: An inexplicable craving for Italian language compelled Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri to go live in Rome, moving home to Italy from Rhode Island in the US. The Pulitzer winning writer who shot to fame with her simple yet pathos ridden style of storytelling in English has in fact put her authority as an accomplished author at stake with her latest autobiographical account, "In Other Words" (In altre parole) that she penned originally in Italian. The barely 200page-long book translated by Ann Goldstein, that bears a picture of the bemused author most likely in "a library in the ghetto in Rome" on the cover is the first book that she has written in the "adopted, desired" language. "My Italian is still limited compared with my English. And yet it is the sole language in which I continue to write. Writing in Italian is a choice on my part, a risk that I feel inspired to take," Lahiri writes. That the author is an amateur in Italian is conspicuous in her linear trail of thoughts reflected in equally crisp sentences. But what stays on with Lahiri as a writer at heart is her impeccable use of metaphors where she personifies the language, first as her lover and
person met one day by chance, with whom I immediately feel a connection, of whom I feel fond...What I feel is something physical, inexplicable. It stirs an indiscreet, absurd longing. An exquisite tension.
Love at first sight." It is only much later in the book, when she is assigned the reluctant task of translating one of her own Italian pieces into English to be presented at a literary festival in Capri, does her initial infatuation transforms into a motherly affection seeking to protect her newborn from his
Despite her nascent, limited and immature Italian, Lahiri's writing never ceases to create the effect of the impressionist litterateur she has been in "The Namesake" and "The Interpreter of Maladies" and evokes an immense sense of emancipation in anyone who wishes to set out to conquer a challenging dream then as her newborn child. She is impatient in revealing her secret crush on Italian and confesses her desperate love for the language even before she barely reaches the twentieth page. She says, "It (Italian) seems like a language with which I have to have a relationship. It's like a
dominating and stronger elder "brother," English. "Now, as I translate myself, I feel like the mother of two children...I feel split in two...I know that Beckett translated himself from French to English. That would be impossible for me, because my Italian remains much
weaker. They aren't equal, these two brothers, and the little one is my favorite," she writes. What is strikingly beautiful about Lahiri's latest is the way it documents the evolution of the author's relationship with the language without camouflaging the blemishes. It chronicles the rebirth of a writer and reasons with the readers and the writer herself as to why she takes up the perilous experiment in the first place. "I'm aware of a state of deprivation. And yet, at the same time, I feel free, light. I rediscover the reason I write, the joy as well as the need," she says. But why would a writer as affluent as Lahiri not translate the book herself? She answers even before the book begins. "Returning to English was disorienting, frustrating, also discouraging. It made me acutely aware of how limited my Italian was compared with my English. It made me question the value of the experiment I had undertaken." Her reasoning seems to stem from a pervading sense of infidelity she associates with her resuming writing in English - as if she would betray her lover. "Translating the book myself would have meant re-engaging intimately with English, wrestling with it, rather than with Italian." "In addition, had I translated this book, the temptation would have been to improve it, to make it stronger by means of my stronger language. But I wanted the translation to render my Italian honestly, without smoothing out its rough edges, without neutralizing its oddness, without manipulating its character," she says. However, despite her nascent, limited and immature Italian, Lahiri's writing never ceases to create the effect of the impressionist litterateur she has been in "The Namesake" and "The Interpreter of Maladies" and evokes an immense sense of emancipation in anyone who wishes to set out to conquer a challenging dream. -PTI
Drunk AI passenger urinates in aisle LONDON: A drunk passenger Alan Newport, Abraham's lawon an Air India flight from India to yer, said the defendant and his Birmingham was slapped with a wife, who had been married for 11 hefty 1,000 pound penalty for uri- years, worked for the National nating in the aisle, shocking the Health Service. His wife is a thecrew and sparking angry protests atre nurse. from other passengers. He said Abraham had been on Jinu Abraham, 39, who was trav- medication after one of his chilelling with his 10-year-old son, dren died at birth and that his wife was handcuffed and restrained had returned from India on a sepawith seat belts and arrested when rate flight with their 15-month-old the flight landed in Birmingham on child. January 19 and later fined 300 by "Unfortunately because of a the Birmingham Crown Court. mix up at the airport in India his A resident of Hollow Croft, medication had been placed in the Northfield, Abraham was also directed to fork out 500 as compen- He said Abraham had been sation, and 185 in costs on medication after one of besides a victim sur- his children died at birth and charge of 30. During the flight he that his wife had returned had become aggressive from India on a separate after drinking alcohol, flight with their declining crew's request to get back to his 15-month-old child seat. The airline was not available hold. He was without medication for comments on the incident. and nervous about flying and was "About 40 minutes prior to concerned about his wife s wellanding he removed his trousers fare," Newport said. and stood in the aisle. He pulled "He effectively tried to selfdown his boxer shorts, exposing medicate and it went dramatically his buttocks and then began uri- wrong, not just for him, but the nating on the floor and seat of the passengers on that flight. Fortuaircraft," John Cardiff, the pros- nately no one was injured and the ecuting lawyer, told the court. flight was able to land without an "He was restrained by crew emergency request," the report with plastic handcuffs and seat said. belts for the rest of the flight and "He was shocked and surwas arrested on landing. prised about what was said about When questioned, Abraham his behavior. He accepts it must later said he had drunk two whis- have been incredibly upsetting for kies, that he was on anti-depres- passengers and crew and possisants and he could not remember bly frightening for those people anything about his actions, the on board in that confined enviBirmingham Mail reported. ronment," Newport said. -PTI
Indo-Pak rail-bus services hit by Jat stir ATTARI: The Samjhauta Express and other buses running between India and Pakistan were
cancelled as the rail and land routes connecting the countries were hit by the ongoing Jat reservation stir.
Samjhauta Express, that was scheduled to arrive in India from Wagah railway station of Lahore, was cancelled. The Pakistan railway authority was informed well in time about the disruption of rail traffic in India due to massive protests on the railway tracks and G T Road National Highway, an official said. He added the DelhiAttari special train was also cancelled. Two bus services between Delhi and Lahore were also cancelled owing to the road block in Haryana, the official said. -PTI
Horoscope
February 26, 2016
India Post
www.indiapost.com
February 26th - March 3 rd 2016
ery favorable week for people in retail business. You may go out and buy some nice cloths for your self. Little exercises will bring you back in good shape and reduce some weight also. You may invite few close relatives at your place for lunch. There will be lots of conflict in mind about career but you will make the right choice.
V
ou will have many reasons to celebrate with family and friends this week. A small check will go to a government agency in shape of fine or taxes. You will be successful in resolving an important issue with a colleague or boss this week. You may replace some electric gadgets in the kitchen. You will receive date for interview.
Y
Y
L
ittle efforts and big rewards will be the theme this week. A big business transaction is in the cards. You may plan an evening with some colleagues from work. Spouse may complain of aches and pain in the body and need rest. People looking for a career change will be offered a lucrative position in a reputed company this week.
O
thers will benefit from your advise quickly but the same formula will not work for you. Stress level will increase because of a new situation. You may be thinking of taking a business trip to another state to renew a contract. Change of diet will help loose some weight also. You have big chance of some kind of financial jackpot.
N
ew contract will be beneficial quickly. Health will improve with new diet plan. You may be looking for right associates for your new venture. Legal matters will continue to move forward in right directions and the victory is in the air in near future. You may also have some construction done in or around your property this week.
C
hanges you had been waiting in career will become visible but may take little more time to get implemented. Money wise you will stay comfortable and may make extra money through stocks. You may have to answer a legal query also and if you are not sure what to reply, better seek second opinion from a friend or colleague.
ou may be thinking of traveling overseas for some business or to attend an important conference. Planets in ninth will create temporary hurdles a n d y o u m a y need to make several attempts to get anything done. You may also dispose off some stocks and put the money away. You will be studying some very useful material.
S
V
D
ransiting Venus in second will give you several chances to make extra money. You may be looking for a good deal to replace one of your vehicle. There will be some interesting and favorable developments in ongoing legal matters. Government official will not give you run around and will grant the permission on the spot.
T
utside influence can cause temporary friction between you and spouse. Negotiations will continue to move in the right direction and the final agreement could take place next week. You should be careful with money and should not stretch your limits when making the offer. An old friend will call and invite you to a party.
uccess will be followed by self confidence. You will have many opportunities to make extra money this week. A big stocks transaction will get much need extra cash. Planets continue to help those seeking another job closer to home. You will also very quickly recover from some unexpected illness. Try few lottery tickets this week.
enus aspect Moon is favorable for money matters. You will definitely lay your hands on some real easy money this week. Chances of winning lottery still stay strong. One of your vehicle may need minor repairs. You may take a short trip to a nice place with water around with family this week to meet old friends or close relatives.
o not stretch your lim its and keep an eye on other family members and your credit card statement. There will be some interesting developments in career and you may need to choose a side. You will continue to gain an edge over opponents. If appearing for any competitive this week, you will come out with flying colors.
O
15
Desi News Senior citizens celebrate Valentine's Day JAYANTI OZA
CHICAGO: The Bhartiya Senior Citizens of Chicago celebrated Valentine's Day, Birthday and Wedding Anniversary on February 20 with more than 250 members participating. The program began with Ganesh Vandana, a welcome to new members and a brief on last year's activities. BSC Secretary Rakshikaben Anjaria handled this task gracefully. This was followed with Rajendrabhai Anjaria and Gopal Shah explaining the significance of celebrating Valentine Day. Details on page 18
Chicago Varsity to honor Andhra CM Naidu SURENDRA ULLAL
CHICAGO: At a recent meeting, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University, on the recommendation of the University Honorary Degree Committee, unanimously voted to award an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of the Andhra Pradesh State, India. The only previous head of government to receive an honorary doctorate from Chicago State University was President Gerald Ford. "The University has bestowed its highest honor on the Chief Minister in recognition of his extraordinary ability to envision, plan, and successfully execute the transformative changes for the good of the people of the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh," said CSU Professor Dr. Rohan Attele.
COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA
16 India Post
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Believing in God, by logic & scientific reasoning
February 26, 2016
Details on page 23
With double digit lead, Raja is set for Democratic nomination for Congress SURENDRA ULLAL & RAMESH SOPARAWALA
CHICAGO: With hefty endorsements from top brass Illinois politicians and community leaders across Chicago land, Raja Krishnamoorthi is all set to win Democratic nomination for the US 8the District Congressional seat. His rival is State Senator Michael Noland and according to recent polls, Raja is ahead of Nolan with a double digit lead. Among the hefty endorsements, Raja has support from US Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Tami Duckworth who currently represents the 8 the District. A large number of political and community leaders are backing Raja's candidacy and so also U.S. House Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD-5), the Daily Herald, the largest suburban newspaper in the Chicago area, Sierra Club, the nation's largest grassroots environmental group, the Transport Workers Union (TWU), the Independent Voters of Illinois -Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO), a good gov-
Raja - A family man
cated his life to serve the community and is fighting relentlessly to serve most vulnerable citizens, said Balwinder Singh, a Sikh community leader. Among other Sikh leaders, Happy Singh, Harjinder Khaira, Thakar Basati have blessed Raja candidacy. Basati, a Member of Greater Palatine Democrats, said that Raja is mighty
government experience. He has a very pleasant personality and obviously perseverance and has a real shot this time, he added. Vinesh Virani, a community activist and a close supporter, mentioned that Raja has deep understanding of the problems faced by immigrant community and senior citizens. He is a big advocate of
cation, quality health care, better economy, protect social security and Medicare, rebuild America's infrastructure and take up several other burning issues. I support him and urge all others to do the same not only looking to which party he represents but also his individual qualities and strength". Raja's brother, Ram, observed that the journey has just begun. "We South Asians need to fight hard for representation and also to contribute to this great society that has given us so much. Let us not get too complacent and comfortable with this success. We *Must* get our community to go Vote, to make our voice heard," he said. Ram also mentioned about creating awareness about Vote by Mail and early Voting which starts Feb 29. Jitendra Digvenkar, a front ranking community activist and an ardent supporter of Raja, said that "our community irrespective of caste, creed language and religion is solidly behind Raja and his vic-
Details on page 19
Xfinity offers free calls to India India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: Next week members of the Bay Area will have the opportunity to surprise loved ones in India with a special phone call to those abroad. Xfinity strongly encourages the community to personally experience Xfinity Voice Unlimited service during a one-week on-site activation at local business centers. Xfinity recognizes the importance of family and loved ones and makes it easier for customers to stay connected, no matter how near or far they may be. Cont’d on page 21
Raja supporters Vinesh Virani and Sunil Shah
ernment group and prominent progressive organization, Citizen Action/Illinois, the state's largest public interest organization. Bar-
qualified and he knows the problems faced by the average citizen as he has come up from this group with his own ef-
Jitendra Digvenkar, a front ranking community activist and an ardent supporter of Raja, said that "our community irrespective of caste, creed language and religion is solidly behind Raja and his victory would ensure that the best person is elected ring unforeseen developments, Raja has virtually bagged the March 15 Democratic nomination Raja Krishnamoorthi has dedi-
forts and will. Rajinder Singh Mago of Sikh Religious Society said that Raja Krishnamoorthi is a highly qualified candidate with
Jitendra Digvenkar & Raja
minority groups and works against hate crimes. "We do expect him to take our problems to the Congress once he gets elected. He will be the first Asian American to get elected from Illinois to Congress and we expect that he strives hard to work closely with the State government to ensure that the big corporations do not leave Illinois and that more and more jobs are created in the State. Sunil Shah, founder President of the Federation of Indian Associations, said that "he is going to be our voice by representing us in Washington and will address our concerns relating to quality edu-
Iftekhar Shareef, Balwinder Singh with Raja
tory would ensure that the best person is elected for the job."Digvenkar who is also a member of IADO Director Board said that his organization is also supporting Raja's bid for Congress. A large number of Muslim community members have also extended their support to Raja and one of the most prominent leaders, Iftekhar Shareef, former president and Trustee of FIA Chicago, wholeheartedly extended his support to Raja. Cont’d on page 19
Community Across America
February 26, 2016
India Post 17
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Georgia baseball team adopting Yoga India Post News Service
GEORGIA: The fact that the mainstream American public and intelligentsia alike have been increasingly applauding Yoga as a means for better mental and physical health is getting more and more evident with the 37 million people practicing it regularly,. And now comes the report that the Georgia Bulldogs baseball team of University of Georgia in Athens have incorporated Yoga as a part of training. It helps the team in mobility, stretching, health, flexibility, injury prevention, peace of mind and recovery; it is widely believed. Geor-
stitutes of Health, Yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. Also a recently released "2016 Yoga in America Study", reveals about 37 million Americans (which included
Georgia Basketball players doing Yoga
gia baseball, the college baseball team which dates back to 1886, won the national championship in 1990. According to US National In-
many celebrities) now practice Yoga; and Yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image. Yoga was the repository
of something basic in the human soul and psyche. Yoga, referred as "a living fossil", was a mental and physical discipline for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces go back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley
civilization. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical. Commending the Georgia baseball team for coming forward and providing an opportunity to players to avail the multiple benefits of yoga, Rajan Zed president of Universal Society of Hinduism said that although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, it has been a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. He urged all the college sports/athletic teams of USA to incorporate highly beneficial Yoga in the lives of their players/ athletes.
Peoria gas station owner indicted India Post News Service
SPRINGFIELD: Adnan Rashid, 34, of New Jersey was charged with a 20-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Peoria for tax evasion, filing false tax returns, and mail fraud. Rashid was the sole owner of two Peoria area Marathon gas stations and partial owner of two additional Peoria Marathon stations. The federal charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Illinois Department of Revenue, Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service. The indictment alleges that Rashid submitted false sales and tax returns to the State of Illinois from January 2007 to January 2013. He allegedly defrauded the State of Illinois of $1.2 million in tax revenue by failing to report approxi-
mately $16 million in sales. Rashid is additionally charged with tax evasion for personal taxes for the 2009 and 2010 tax years, and with
Marathon gas station
the filing of false federal corporation income tax returns for three of the gas stations for the 2009 and 2010 tax years. "We take allegations of tax fraud very seriously. Not only does tax fraud deprive the State of critically needed revenues but it also puts businesses that play by
the rules at an unfair disadvantage," Connie Beard, Illinois Department of Revenue Director said. "I thank our Criminal Investigation Division for their hard work and cooperation with the federal government in bringing forth this indictment." If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for mail fraud (12 counts) is 20 years in prison. For the false corporate returns (six counts), the statutory maximum penalty is three years in prison. The statutory maximum penalty for tax evasion (two counts) is five years. Each of the 20 counts carries a fine of up to $250,000. Rashid's case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Darilynn J. Knauss and Illinois Assistant Attorney General Eugene Bian.
Indian student wins Powerball lottery V SUNTHAT
CHICAGO: Nirmal can also use the Illinois Lottery's Dhamodarasamy, a graduate stu- mobile app. The free app (the first dent at the University of Illinois at of its kind in the United States) is Chicago, has not gotten over his available for download on iOS and pleasant shock winning $1,000,000 Android devices and offers any playing Powerball lottery. Illinois adult the chance to purA few weeks ago, chase lottery tickets on their Dhamodarasamy decided to try his smartphone. luck in a different way and instead Powerball drawings take place of buying a ticket at a store, he Wednesday and Saturday nights bought a Powerball subscription at 9:59 p.m. via the Illinois Lottery's online Founded in 1974, the Illinois sales channel. "It was very con- Lottery has contributed over $18 venient to sign up and buy my tick- billion to the state's Common ets online," he said and bought a winning ticket that had numbers - 04 - 13 - 31 - 36 - 52 - and the Powerball number 08. Dhamodarasamy won $1 million when he matched the five numbers. Before Dhamodarasamy received an email from the Illinois Lottery notifying him of his win, he already knew he had won. "That same evening, after I purchased my subscription using Quick Nirmal Dhamodrasamy Pick numbers, I used the Illinois Lottery app to check the winning School Fund to assist K-12 public Powerball numbers. My heart schools, as well as hundreds of started racing when I realized I had millions of dollars to the Capital won the lottery. I still can't believe Projects Fund and to special I won a million dollars!" causes like Illinois Veterans, the Dhamodarasamy, 23, hails from fight against breast cancer, MS India and is completing his research, and assistance for master's degree in Industrial Engineering. His plans for the wind- Dhamodarasamy, 23, hails fall include bringing his from India and is completparents here from India for his graduation. ing his master's degree in When asked what Industrial Engineering. His prompted him to start playing Powerball plans for the windfall inonline he said, "The clude bringing his parents historic $1.5 billion jackhere from India pot sparked my interest. I wanted to try my luck even after it hit!" people living with HIV/AIDS. In Illinois residents, 18 and over, addition to playing in-store, the can buy tickets for Powerball and Illinois Lottery offers online and all of the Illinois Lottery's draw- mobile play for Mega Millions, based games online at Powerball and Lotto at illinoislottery.com or at nearly illinoislottery.com. Players must be 8,000 retailers statewide. Players at least 18 years old.
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Community Across America
18 India Post
February 26, 2016
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Senior citizens celebrate Valentine's Day JAYANTI OZA
A section of BSC members
CHICAGO: The Bhartiya Senior Citizens of Chicago celebrated Valentine's Day, Birthday and Wedding Anniversary on February 20 with more than 250 members participating. The program began with Ganesh Vandana, a welcome to new members and a brief on last year's activities. BSC Secretary Rakshikaben Anjaria handled this task gracefully. This was followed with Rajendrabhai Anjaria and Gopal Shah explaining the significance of
Executive members Pratima Shah and Chiman Patel present flowers as Valentine's Day greeting
celebrating Valentine Day. The highlight of the event was the screening of a Gujarati movie "Last Day" (Chhelo Divas) that underlined the importance of family and family values. The theme was that if you don't take care of you family when your kids are young, they can go astray and spoil their lives. Adults can learn how to control their fam-
On the screen 'Chhelo Divas' movie
ily. After that the seniors presented flowers to their Valentine and also offered birthday greetings to those who had their birthday and wedding anniversary. At the end of the program everyone was treated to a delicious dinner. To make this event successful, the BSC committee members had worked very hard.
Tabla wizard Zakir coming to Chicago MADHU PATEL
CHICAGO: Tabla superstar Zakir Hussain returns to Chicago with his all-star Masters of Percussion ensemble for a unique performance on March 20 at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at 3 pm Zakir Hussain is one of the founders of the World Music movement. He has received two Grammy awards as well as collaborated with musicians such as Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, George Harrison, YoYo Ma, Van Morrison, Mark Morris, Rennie Harris and the Kodo drummers among many others. He enjoys an illustrious career and is respected the world over for his talent and collaborations. The Masters of Percussion unites a diverse group of world-renowned musicians namely, Anantha Krishnan (Mridangam double-headed South Indian drum), Sabir Khan (Sarangi - a stringed North In-
dian instrument played with a bow), Navin Sharma (Dholak - a double-ended pitched drum), Mannargudi Vasudevan (Tavil - a barrel shaped drum), and Seiichi Tanaka (Taiko - a Japanese drum).
Zakir Hussain
February 26, 2016
Community Across America
India Post 19
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Chicago Varsity to honor Chandrababu Naidu SURENDRA ULLAL
CHICAGO: At a recent meeting, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University, on the recommendation of the University Honorary Degree Committee, unanimously voted to award an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of the Andhra Pradesh State, India. The only previous head of government to receive an honorary
our University will advance the public interest, cultivate mutual understanding between the two peoples, stimulate enhanced educational opportunities for the underserved populaces of Illinois and Andhra Pradesh, promote commerce between the two states, and it will lay the foundation exciting economic opportunities in our communities." The Chief Minister will meet
“The Chief Minister's visit will enable us engage India at a higher level and enhance our collaborative efforts with our partner institutions in Andhra Pradesh, JNTUK and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University at Anantapur, JNTUA.” doctorate from Chicago State University was President Gerald Ford. "The University has bestowed its highest honor on the Chief Minister in recognition of his extraordinary ability to envision, plan, and successfully execute the transformative changes for the good of the people of the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh," said CSU Professor Dr. Rohan Attele. "The Chief Minister's visit to
with business leaders, political dignitaries, and entrepreneurs during his visit to Chicago State University's south side campus in April. He will also make a major address on the story of Andhra Pradesh to help make the business leaders aware of the opportunities in Andhra Pradesh and set the tone for new economic roadmap based on growing the IT industry in Chicago and Illinois. "This is a unique opportunity
to build a partnership with an international leader who has shown significant success in creating economic opportunity for underserved communities," CSU Provost Angela Henderson said. "Through this new partnership we look to not only grow CSU's international student base, but create broader opportunities for our students who come to us from our surrounding communities. "Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University at Kakinada, JNTUK, and Chicago State University is a recipient of the prestigious Obama-Singh grant award. The Chief Minister's visit will enable us engage India at a higher level and enhance our collaborative efforts with our partner institutions in Andhra Pradesh, JNTUK and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University at Anantapur, JNTUA. "The Chief Minister visits the University in challenging times but also at a defining moment in its history. As the University looks back at its past 149 years of service, it also looks forward to the next 150 years of service with renewed hope, determination, and courage."
Chandrababu Naidu
With double digit lead, Raja is set for Democratic nomination for Congress Cont’d from page 23
He is also one of the organizers for a fundraiser for Raja. He believes that Raja's entry into US Congress would infuse fresh air in this august body besides helping the Asian community to voice their grievances at the highest level. Dr Anuja Gupta, a cardiologist from Frankfort, Illinois, said that her group was excited that a well qualified and well educated Indian American is seeking a Congressional seat and she assured all possible support to his candidacy. She indicated that she and her group would hold a one
Raja supporters
Volunteers campaigning for Raja
to one meeting with Raja to elicit his views on many issues besides assuring their support. Dr Gupta is setting up a multimillion dollar senior housing complex in Chicagoland Hanover Park - and she feels that Raja"s ascendancy would help Indian seniors to get their problems articulated with the concerned authorities. Raja Krishnamoorthi, 42, son of Indian immigrants to the US, is running for Congress on a progressive platform that includes protecting Social Security and Medicare, passing commonsense gun laws and addressing
the threat of climate change. He believes that growing economic inequality among Americans is shrinking the middle-class on which our democracy depends. He strongly believes striving for equal pay for equal work, paid sick and maternity leave, and raising the federal minimum wage. Raja is also a staunch defender of women's reproductive freedom. Starting from humble roots in Peoria, Illinois, Raja attended public schools there. He later won scholarships and took out loans to attend college and law school.He earned his bachelor's
degree summa cum laude in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. Raja served as issues director for Barack Obama's successful 2004 campaign for the US Senate. Later, Raja was appointed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General in her newly formed Public Integrity Unit to root out corruption. He also served for two years as Illinois Deputy Treasurer. Currently a small businessman, Raja serves as president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar, Inc., small businesses in the Chicago suburbs. He is a co-founder of InSPIRE, a non-profit organization that provides training in solar technology to inner-city students. Raja and his family place a high priority on the value of education. His father is a professor of engineering at Bradley University in Peoria. His brother is a doctor who treated veterans at the VA and now provides care to innercity children and families in Chicago. Raja is married to Priya, a doctor, who practices at local hospitals.
Community Across America
20 India Post
February 26, 2016
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Non-stop entertainment at Valentine event India Post News Service
MILPITAS, CA: A red carpet and the treatment that goes along with it, a photo shoot, an open bar, sumptuous dinner as well as very popular local artists entertained
coordinated by Jyotica Bhatia and Shweta, with showcasing special Traditional Latino Quinceanera by Rosa Bliss which was choreographed on Indian Music; and the Mastani dance by Elena, based on popular Bajirao Mastani theme,
by event's Grand Sponsor Park Balluchi of Mountain View. "We wanted to spice up our event so that we do not have the same event like last year. That is why we say bigger and better all the time every year as we add an
Singers Deeprekha Hazarika, Dahya Mistry, singer Geetesh Iyer, Peter Sahjani, Ria Nilwar and Vikas Singh
From left, Organizer Peter Sahjani, Mrs and Mr Charanjit Uppal, Grand Sponsors Ram & Garry Singh of Park Balluchi Emcee Priya AG & Rav Sastri, Pamila Sahu of Eve DĂŠcor and Organizer Dahya Mistry
the heartthrobs during the Star Entertainment's Valentine Bash 2016 event presented by Peter Sahjani and Dahya Mistry at the India Community Center, Milpitas
Bhangra dances by Bal Sindal who was dressed as male Sardar, and Exotic Belly dances by popular Natika. The event, which has now be-
The event, which has now become an annual, one was most glamorous, with full of non-stop entrainment which thrilled the audience. The DJ of the evening was popular DJ Edwin Singh and the program were emceed by Priya AG and Rav Sastri. on Feb 12. The local artists to win great applause were Geetesh Iyer, Vikas Singh, Deepti Venkat, Ria Nilawar and Deeprekha Hazarika
come an annual, one was most glamorous, with full of non-stop entrainment which thrilled the audience. The DJ of the evening was popular DJ Edwin Singh and the
extra push to what we had we had last year," said Peter Sahjani and Dahya Mistry of Star Entertainment. Grand sponsor for the evening was Garry Singh of Park Balluchi, Platinum sponsors were Dr. Charanji Uppal of Uppal Dental and Pamila Sahu of Eve Decor, and Gold sponsors were Master Deepak of Kimsmat Konnection and Mohammed Israr of Pioneer Diagnostic & Research (PDR). The other sponsors included Rajwant Abedi of Mountain Mike's, Taj Randhawa of RE/ MAX, and Mo Palani of Kukkie's Restaurant. The event was supported by Ray Walia and Kay Kaur
Elena as Mastani with Peter as Bajirao
It was one of the most memorable Valentine Bashes of the decade with the Grand Fashion show
program were emceed by Priya AG and Rav Sastri. The mouthwatering food was prepared
Media Partners were India Post, IND TV, Radio Zindagi 1550 AM, Azmi Gil of Urdu newspaper.
Bal Sindal as Punjabi Sardar
Jyotica Bhatia (left) seen with models, designers and make up artists
Community Across America
February 26, 2016
India Post 21
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The missing half of Congress's job LEE H. HAMILTON
E
very now and then, I'm asked if I miss Congress. My stock answer is that no, I don't really miss it, but there are definitely times when I'd like to jump into a policy debate or call congressional hearings. This is one of those times. Over the last few weeks, several media outlets have reported that US military commanders want more American troops on the ground in places like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and, most recently, Libya. This ought to have Congress working Lee H. Hamilton overtime to prepare for these requests. The military faces serious security challenges in the Middle East, but one can be sympathetic and at the same time skeptical, or at least probing. Congress should push hard to get answers to some very tough questions. Where are we headed with these proposed troop increases? If they don't work, what's next? What's our exit strategy? What are the prospects for negotiations? We insist that we're going to destroy ISIS, but no other country in the international coalition fighting the Islamic State seems willing to put forces on the ground. Are we going to be the only one? And just how does the administration propose to destroy ISIS? Congress has two key functions in our
Xfinity offers free calls to India Cont’d from page 16
The activation follows on the heels of Xfinity "Count Memories, Not Minutes" launch, a campaign that reminds customers to cherish and relive their special moments with family by using Xfinity Voice Unlimited international calling feature. With special holidays like Holi approaching, customers should be focused on treasuring their connection with family, and not being sidetracked with how much each minute costs them. The event is free to the public and all ages are welcome to attend. Participants are encouraged to use #CountMemories when sharing their experience on social media. Xfinity Voice Unlimited allows customers to place unlimited calls from home or on the go to mobile and landline phones in India, China, Singapore, South Korea and other regions outside the United States. Schedule: Monday, February 29 - Thursday, March 3; from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. PST; Bharat Bazar Fremont, 41081 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94538 Friday, March 4 - Sunday, March 6; from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. PST; Great Mall Milpitas, Grand Court Section, 447 Great Mall Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035
system of government: legislation and oversight. Most public attention - and certainly most media attention - focuses on policymaking and legislative maneuvering. But Capitol Hill's role in overseeing the executive branch is just as important. That's because in seeking answers, Congress can force the President and his top advisors to articulate and defend their policies, their objectives, the steps they're taking to implement those objectives, and the impact they expect. They need to explain the resources needed to obtain their objec-
tives: in this case, how many troops, how much money, what are the risks to American lives and interests? Simply put, government functions better when Congress pursues robust oversight. It sharpens objectives, improves government performance, makes the bureaucracy more responsive, and curtails wasteful spending. Sadly, this key responsibility has fallen into disrepair. Really tough overseers of the administration's policies - lawmakers interested in government performance, not po-
litical one-upmanship - have grown scarce on Capitol Hill. If we want to restore the vigor of the Congress, getting it to look into every nook and cranny of government is vital. The military's pursuit of growing troop strength and new strategies in the Middle East would be a good place to start. Lee Hamilton is a Distinguished Scholar, Indiana University School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.
Community Across America
22 India Post
February 26, 2016
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Elections, New Hampshire, and Education JEANNE ALLEN
A
s the American people are digesting the results of the 2016 New Hampshire primary, and the news media are acting like the contest for president is over, a reminder of how Democracy in America works in is order. Over 150 years ago, de Tocqueville called the four-year cycle of presidential elections a "revolution… in the name of the law," writing: "Long before the appointed day arrives, the election becomes the greatest, and one might say the only, affair occupying men's m i n d s … As the election draws near, intrigues grow more active and agitation is more lively and widespread. The citizens divide up into several camps… The whole nation gets into a feverish state…"
Wait, you mean that this isn't the first year people wanted to send a message? The reality is that - thankfully, for the cause of education - the New Hampshire primary is just the beginning. Democracy
Jeanne Allen
matters, and for the media and the pundits to begin to declare winners and losers long before November is an assault on what we stand for: knowledge and the cause of opportunity for all Americans. Those of us engaged in education know that knowledge matters. In the spirit of knowledge (as well as improving the institutions that help many arrive at such knowledge, namely schools), here are a few American government basics for the voters (and a candidate or two?) of what this Democracy in America that de Tocqueville reported is all about: 1. Many people feel disenfranchised, lacking basic education, work, housing and support. "If ever freedom is lost in America," de Tocqueville cautioned, "that will be due to the … majority driving minorities to desperation…"
But our common sense, he predicted, would most often prevail. 2. Despite widespread frustration with the status quo, and a very conflicted populous that changes their opinions day to day, New Hampshire is a state, not a nation. The great democratic contest for the next president goes on for another nine months. (Sorry candidates - it's not over!) 3. Presidents do not abolish agencies. Congress makes laws, presidents execute. Even abolish-
reform or adopt various charter school or choice programs. As we move toward the next round of contests, let's check our candidates every step of the way on what matters most to making education - and by extension our nation - great. Rather than responding to aspirational talk, for starters, we should be asking: • What is education and why does it matter? • Precisely what do you know about how the government func-
Saying education should be about local control ignores the fact that the only people who have the control are school boards and teachers unions. Assigning children based on zip codes bestows no power on those who need it the most - parents. ing agencies - say the Department of Education - does nothing to the programs that exist within them. You want to change education? You change state laws. Presidents can lead, recommend and cajole, not end state or federal efforts. Even a united Congress has difficulty doing that. 4. Saying education should be about local control ignores the fact that the only people who have the control are school boards and teachers unions. Assigning children based on zip codes bestows no power on those who need it the most - parents. This has been the case since 1965, unless states have pushed those institutions to
tions in and around education, and what would you do to make it work for the people? • What have you done to create more educational equality, as well as quality options, for kids? What would you do? For the guardians of education reform, there has never been a more important moment in history. Let's be educated about the stakes, and educate our neighbors and our fellow citizens to distinguish between the reality and the rhetoric. Jeanne Allen is Founder and President Emeritus of The Center for Education Reform located in Washington, D.C.
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Community Across America
February 26, 2016
India Post 23
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Believing in God, by logic & scientific reasoning
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lot of people think that to believe in God is a matter of personal beliefs, often geared by blind faith. However, it is perfectly logical to believe in God. In fact, believing in God is as scientific as believing in the existence of a country to which you have never been or a sub-particle you have never seen. There is more than one acceptable form of proof that is used in both scientific and spiritual matters. The forms of proof are called pratyaksh praman (perceptual evidence), anuman praman (inferential evidence) and shabd praman (testimonial evidence). If we were to rely only on pratyaksh praman ("I will believe it when I see it."), then there is very little in this world that we would accept as true. For example, we have no perceptual evidence that the force of gravity actually exists. In other words, no one has ever seen gravity - we have only seen the effect of gravity and have thus inferred its existence. In this case, scientists have accepted the existence of something without having direct or eyewitness proof - they have relied on inferential evidence. There is something else which even extremely rational, scientific thinkers tend to accept without having either perceptual or inferential evidence: who their mother and father are. Since no one can remember being born, no one has perceptual evidence
SWAMI NIKHILANAND
dence) also does not exclude the "believer" from gaining other forms of proof at a later time. In many cases, accepting testimonial evidence (or having faith) is the basis for gaining inferential and perceptual evidence. For example, many great scientists have seen molecules, atoms, and electrons, etc. with help of various high powered microscopes. They have direct perceptual evidence of the existence of these things. They are the experts in this field, and their experiences (they have seen, or perceived these things, and thus have the direct experience of their existence) are accepted as evidence by the rest of us, who have not had these advanced experiences. Many such expert scientists corroborate each others' experiences, thus giving even more confidence to lay people of the validity of this testimonial evidence. If a science student in 6th grade were to
When we accept the existence of something based on testimonial evidence, that is called "having faith". We are taking someone else's word for it. We have faith that our parents are who they say they are because we trust them. It is something we choose to believe, because we trust the person providing the testimonial evidence. Thus, having faith in something can have a rational basis of who their parents are; and since almost no one has a DNA test performed to verify the identity of their parents, very few people have inferential evidence of who their parents are. Then on what basis do we accept our mother and father? We take their word for it. They have told us, and we believe them. In other words, we are relying on testimonial evidence. In general, when we accept the existence of something based on testimonial evidence, that is called "having faith". We are taking someone else's word for it. We have faith that our parents are who they say they are because we trust them. It is something we choose to believe, because we trust the person providing the testimonial evidence. Thus, having faith in something can have a rational basis - it is not necessarily a blind acceptance. Based on other forms of evidence, we decide to believe in something we have not seen with our own eyes. Having faith (based on testimonial evi-
refuse to accept the existence of these molecules, etc. because he has never seen them with his own eyes, he may say that, "I refuse to have blind faith. I will not accept the existence of something based on another's word. I must see it for myself, and only then will I believe it. Teacher, please stop your lesson until you have shown me these things. Once I have seen them with my own eyes, then I will believe they exist, and you can go on teaching me about them." The teacher may admire the student's determination to verify things with his own experience, but will explain to him that there is a process to be followed to gain such "eyewitness proof" or "direct perceptual evidence" (pratyaksh praman). He would explain that with his current level of understanding, even if he were to show him an electron, he would not understand what he was seeing. He has to become qualified to have such a direct experience by following in the footsteps of the great scientists who
have gone before. Once he reaches their level, then he can get his own direct experience which will verify the existence of these things, and further corroborate the findings of the earlier scientists. So first the student has to rely on the testimonial evidence provided by the ex-
Swami Nikhilanand
perts in that field. This faith becomes the basis for his study, and can later be verified with his own experience, once he becomes qualified. Without this initial faith, or reliance on testimonial evidence, the student can't take even one step towards his end goal of experiencing that tattva for himself (a tattva is an existing thing, substance, or energy). He
will remain forever stalled at that initial beginner level. In the next article, we will learn how these three kinds of evidence can be used to prove the existence of God. Disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj Swami Nikhilanand Ji is a Canadian born Hindu spiritual leader based in Austin, Texas. He is a sanyasi disciple and pracharak of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Attracted to the teachings of Hinduism from a young age, Swamiji eventually let his deep spiritual longing lead him to India, where he was most fortunate to come under the guidance of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Thereafter, living in the ashrams of JKP, he extensively studied Hindi, the philosophy of the prime Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, Darshan Shastras, Gita, Bhagwatam), and practiced meditation in the tradition of raganuga bhakti. In 2003, he was given sanyas. Now, with the blessings of his Guruji, he offers satsang programs throughout America, engaging audiences with his clear explanations of Hindu philosophy coupled with inspired chanting of Sanskrit mantras and shlokas and charming nam sankirtan. His informative and compelling speeches provide practical insight into how to adopt the teachings of Sanatan Dharm into our daily lives, and inspire us to awaken our inner spiritual potential. To stay in touch with Swami Nikhilanand Ji, like his Facebook page at h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / SwamiNikhilanand or follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/Swami_Nikhil.
24
Perspective
India Post
February 26, 2016
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American election & Supreme Court Justice imbroligo NIRAV VIRANI
T
he year 2016 may well prove to be an iconic one in American politics. While this year's presidential election has drawn a significant amount of attention in the form of controversy and SNL skits alike, the added pressure of a vacant Supreme Court seat, which came with the death of former Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on February 12th or 13th, has only deepened the prevalence of partisanship within our political system. Nominated by heralded Republican President Ronald Reagan, Scalia began serving the Supreme Court in 1986. He replaced the then newly-appointed Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who held the position until his death in 2005. Widely known as one of the Court's most conservative jurists, Scalia was also an originalist, or a strict interpreter of the Constitution. While Supreme Court nominations are always subject to a significant amount of partisan clout, largely due to the requirement of a majority vote in the Senate after a Presidential appointment, there is a greater amount of disagreement between the liberals and conservatives in Washington D.C. and elsewhere due to two key contentions. First, this is the first time in the past 25 years that the President who is appointing a Supreme Court Justice is of a different party than the majority party in the Senate, indicating that President Obama will need the support of Republican Senators to get his appointed Justice approved. The last time a Supreme Court Justice had to be approved in a split government was when President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to the bench in 1991. The Senate approved him in a vote of 52-48. Additionally, the Court was known
Justice Antonin Scalia
to have a Conservative streak, which means it largely contained Justices who practiced conservative jurisprudence, since the appointment of Chief Justice Warren Burger by President Richard Nixon in 1969. How-
ever, since the death of Justice Scalia, there Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. If the Demois a 4-4 split between conservative-leaning crats win just five of these seats, then they and Liberal-leaning Justices on the bench. will regain a majority in the Senate. Hence, if President Obama nominates a libHence, because it is an election year, eral Justice to the Supreme many Republican SenaCourt, then the institution tors in swing states will will have its first liberallikely be reluctant to side streak in nearly 50 years. with the partisanship demAs a result, many critonstrated by several more ics and political pundits, conservative members of n a m e l y the Republican party. This Republicans,assert that is largely due to the fact Obama will have trouble that they would run the getting his desired nomirisk of being labeled as nee approved by the Sen"partisan," "ineffective ate. Within one day of the and "unproductive by announcement of Justice their opponents. Scalia's death, Senate Therefore, it will not be Nirav Virani Majority Leader Mitch surprising if at least five McConnell asserted that of these Senators voted the next Supreme Court Justice should be for President Obama's nominee to fill the confirmed only after a new President is in Supreme Court's vacant seat, as they need office, in 2017. to adhere to the large moderate and even Several Republican leaders and Senators liberal population in their respective states backed McConnell, which is certainly dam- if they want to be reelected. Moreover, it aging to Obama's potential nominee, as he may be futile for Senate Republicans to lin-
This is the first time in the past 25 years that the President who is appointing a Supreme Court Justice is of a different party than the majority party in the Senate, indicating that President Obama will need the support of Republican Senators to get his appointed Justice approved. or she will need the support of Senate Republicans to be approved. However, it is important to note that the Senate Majority Leader's claim is an empty one. As 2016 is an election year, 34 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election. This year's Senate election is especially important because several Senators who were elected during the 2010 Republican sweep in Congress are up for reelection with a more moderate populace. Moreover, as 24 of the 34 seats up for election belong to the Republicans, they have considerably more to lose than the Democrats. Risky seats include those of Senators Marco Rubio of Florida (who is retiring), Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Senator
ger and pick a fight with the White House over the nomination, as there is a chance that they will not even maintain a majority in the Senate after the election, and there is also a chance of electing a Democratic President this year. As a result, if the Senate Republicans delay the confirmation of a nominee until the next President in 2017, they will be betting on the maintenance of a Republican majority in the Senate and a new Republican White House. Even more pressure is added, as notable former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, also a Conservative jurist nominated by Ronald Reagan, chimed in on the Senate Republicans' desire to delay confirmation by asserting to Fox 10 Phoenix, "I don't agree. I think we need somebody there now to do the job, and let's get on with it." Justice O'Connor points out an essential fact: the necessity for a ninth Justice on
the bench. Because the Court is split 4-4 between conservatives and liberals, a ninth tie-breaking vote that maintains the balance of the court is essential to ensure the nation's highest Court can reach a decision. If there is a tie in the Supreme Court, then the decision of the lower court stands. As a result, it would be highly ineffective for the Senate to hold up the confirmation, as it would hinder the proper jurisprudence of the entire judicial system. A potential nominee for the Supreme Court is Indian-American Sri Srinivasan. Born in Chandigarh, India, Srinivasan would be the first Asian-American and Hindu to serve on the nation's highest Court if nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate. Srinivasan is currently a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the nation's first Indian-American appellate judge. Before becoming a judge, Srinivasan was the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court. What makes him a likely candidate for the bench was the 97-0 Senate vote to approve and confirm Srinivasan as a Circuit judge, indicating that his nomination had absolute bipartisan support. Moreover, his nomination was also approved 18-0 by the Senate Judiciary Committee to enter the Senate floor. During his remarks at a U.S.-ASEAN Press Conference in California, President Obama asserted that "I'm going to present somebody who indisputably is qualified for the seat and any fair-minded person - even somebody who disagreed with my politics would say would serve with honor and in-
Sri Srinivasan
tegrity on the Court." Only time will tell if Srinivasan will be the nominee, and whether the Senate Republicans will heed to the necessity of a ninth Justice on the Supreme Court.
February 26, 2016
Perspective
India Post 25
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Find out black money and nab the culprits
T
he Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has formed a 16-member team to verify a report by a USbased think tank, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), which said $505 billion flew out of India in the years between 2004 and 2013, when the UPA was in power at the Centre. The yearly illicit outflow was, on an average, USD 51 billion, which is more than India's annual defense budget of $40.4 billion. A Supreme Court-appointed Special In-
vestigation Team probing black money asked the DRI to form the team. The team includes DRI Director General Najib Shah, Additional Director General (ADG) HQs John Joseph, ADG Delhi S.M. Bhatnagar and ADG Mumbai Ajit Kumar, among others. The department will liaise with the Reserve Bank of India and the Enforcement Directorate for the task. The DRI has given the report top priority, with sources telling this newspaper that the department will release its report to the SIT in two months. DRI obtained the detailed financial calculations from the SIT
SHRIDHAR DAMLE
on 8 February. The data will now be assessed and verified with Indian records to check the veracity of the report. "We have formed a 16-member team and set a target of 45-60 days to release our report to the black money SIT. We have already received the detailed calculations from the SIT and the verification process has started. It is good that we do not have to undertake the task of procuring such a large amount of data on our own, since it would have taken a long time. If this report is, in fact, accurate, then it will go a long way in helping the SIT to bring back the black money that was siphoned out of India," a DRI official told The Sunday Guardian. Experts are of the opinion that it is impossible to ascertain the exact amount of money that has been siphoned out of the country as much of the black money goes into real estate and stays out of banks. "The government has to show its conviction about tackling issues like black money. But you can never figure out exactly how much money was siphoned out of the country as black money. While zeroing down on the quantum of money, you tend to incorporate several notional figures and assumptions. This process will just be of verifying GFI's report. I doubt whether this will have any impact on the process to bring back black money. The government should, in the first place, not depend on a foreign think tank to tell them how much money was siphoned out of its shores. That is the job of the government to know for itself. A large amount of money goes into real estate. That money, essentially, stays out of banks or bank records," C. Krishnan, expert on public finance and policy, told this newspaper. The GFI said in a press release, "GFI analyzed discrepancies in balance of payments data and direction of trade statistics (DOTS), as reported to the IMF, in order to detect flows of capital that are illegally
earned, transferred, and/or utilized. Since GFI's 2014 annual update, the existing methodology has been refined to provide a more precise trade misinvoicing calculation for a greater number of countries, leading to a significant upward revision in illicit flow estimates for many of these economies as compared to previous GFI reports."
The SIT believes that since GFI reports are widely cited and used in academic and financial circles, it is "very crucial to ascertain the veracity of such reports". The SIT said that trade-based money laundering is the primary reason for accumulation and outflow of black money from India. "This study clearly demonstrates that
GFI said in its report "Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 20042013'" that it has measured illicit financial outflows from India using two sources-deliberate trade misinvoicing and leakages in the balance of payments. "Trade misinvoicing is the primary measurable means for shifting funds out of developing countries illicitly," the report said. The report ranks India fourth in terms of illicit financial outflow from the country with an average USD 51.029 billion siphoned out of the country each year between 2004 and 2013.
illicit financial flows are the most damaging economic problem faced by the world's developing and emerging economies," said GFI president Raymond Baker, who is known to be an authority on international financial crime. "This year at the UN the mantra of 'trillions not billions' was continuously used to indicate the amount of funds needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. Significantly curtailing illicit flows is central to that effort," he said. China tops the list with average illicit outflows to the tune of USD 139 billion.
GFI said in its report "Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2004-2013'" that it has measured illicit financial outflows from India using two sources-deliberate trade misinvoicing and leakages in the balance of payments. "Trade misinvoicing is the primary measurable means for shifting funds out of developing countries illicitly," the report said. The report ranks India fourth in terms of illicit financial outflow from the country "The SIT obtained detailed calculations of country-wise illicit financial flows for each of these years from Global Financial Integrity," a Finance Ministry statement said. The details were sent to the DRI on 8 February. The SIT asked it to "verify the extent to which the calculations are correct"
Russia and Mexico follow with average annual illicit outflows of USD 104 billion and USD 52.8 billion, respectively. The report shows that global illicit financial outflows have grown from USD 465.3 billion in 2004 to over USD 1.1 trillion in 2013. Over 38 percent of the USD 1.1 trillion was siphoned out of Asia in 2003.
February 26, 2016
26 India Post www.indiapost.com
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TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS
1 Soch na Sake: Airlift 2 Gerua: Dilwale 3 Sanam Re: Sanam Re 4 Deewani Mastani: Bajirao Mastani 28 India Post
February 26, 2016
5 Yeh Fitoor Mera : Fitoor 6 Agar Tum Saath Ho : Tamasha 7 Janam Janam : Dilwale 8 Hua Hai Aaj Pehli Baar :
I
n the poster of R Balki's Ki & Ka Kareena Kapoor is seen puckering up with Arjun Kapoor. Hadn't Kareena said no to onscreen kissing after her marriage? When offered Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani she made it very clear at the outset that she "can't do all that with Ranveer" now that she is the Begum of the Pataudi khandaan. In fact in Prakash Jha's Satyagraha, Kareena's one intimate sequence with Ajay Devgn had to be drastically reduced. Now we see Kareena happily puckering up with her co-star Arjun Kapoor. So what gives? Director R Balki shrugs off all suggestions of special concessions from t h e dignified diva. "Kareena and Arjun play husband and wife in my film. So what do husband and wives do? They show affection with a kiss, right? How else should Kareena and Arjun behave while playing man and wife?" Apparently there are several pecks and kisses between the couple in Ki & Ka. Balki says the question of whether to kiss or not to kiss never even came up for discussion. "Bebo and I didn't even discuss this. The pecks and kisses are a given in any marriage. How could I show an urbane evolved married couple in Delhi not doing the normal things?"
A
s per reports, Priyanka asked photographers at a recent awards show not to not click her and Sunny together on the red carpet. However, Priyanka immediately wrote on Twitter that she loves "how things r sensationalized out of context (sic)". She further tweeted, "Standing and taking pics with @SunnyLeone makes me look bad cause she is stunning! (sic)". Ask Sunny about what happened, and she says, "I was actually just being respectful because there were [other] people talking to her. The worst thing is to walk behind someone with your entire entourage. That's rude. So I just waited [behind her]. I would do that for anybody, but I was happy that it was Priyanka." The actor admits that she's "always the one who is a bit more conservative and reserved". Sunny says, "I don't know how people are going to react to me. But Priyanka just turned around and gave me a hug. I was surprised and thought, 'Wow, what just happened (laughs)?' I am the kind of person who goes to places quietly, meets people with a polite 'hello' and gauges them. But it (her meeting with "Standing and Priyanka) was very nice. She is very sweet, and even our conversation was fantaking pics with tastic."
@SunnyLeone makes me look bad cause she is stunning!�
Sanam Re 9 Aayat : Bajirao Mastani 10 Rom Rom Romantic : Mastizaade
Bollywood
February 26, 2016
India Post 29
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S
onam Kapoor feels women in both urban and rural areas across the country are the real he roes. The 30-year-old says women in India are brave and are empowering themselves. "I feel that women today, here and in India's smaller cities, rural areas and everywhere, are our everyday heroes. They are bold, brave, standing out and empowering themselves. They are compassionate, giving and sensitive to the needs of others around," Sonam told reporters.
S
hraddha Kapoor says that she and her co-star in film 'Baaghi', Tiger Shroff used to battle in dance competitions as kids and she would always beat him. "We know each other since childhood and were in the same school as well. At birthday parties, I always used to win as a kid but now he has taken off, and how," said Shraddha. "Tiger's action and sincerity - he is just unbelievable," she says. I have done a bit of action so hope everybody likes that. But definitely he has taken it to a whole new level. We all have worked very hard. "We just hope that everybody loves our chemistry, the scenes that we have done. Sabbir sir has really directed us in very beautiful ways, I hope we have done justice to that,"
“We just hope that everybody loves our chemistry, the scenes that we have done” The 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' actor took to Twitter to promote the Romanian version of the show in which his alleged girlfriend Iulia plays the host
S
alman Khan is reportedly planning to host the Indian version of internationally acclaimed reality show 'The Farm'. The 50-year-old actor will be hosting the show with his rumored Romanian girlfriend Iulia Vantur who hosts
Sonam says Neerja represents the Indian women, who are ready to face any c h a l lenge w i t h courage. "Neerja as an empowered and brave young woman embodies the characteristics of women today... Brave and ready with what life throws at you. This is what Neerja did under an extraordinary circumstance with a resolve and defiance that was parallel to none..."
"I feel that women today, here and in India's smaller cities, rural areas and everywhere, are our everyday heroes” the Romanian version of the show titled 'Ferma vedetelor'. The 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' actor took to Twitter to promote the Romanian version of the show in which his alleged girlfriend Iulia plays the host. He posted a video of her where she is seen conversing in Romanian language. "Samajh Mein aaya (Did you understand)?" Salman tweeted along with the video. 'The Farm' has the same concept as that of 'Bigg Boss'. Celebrities will be spending close to four months on a farm where they will have to do everything by themselves from milking the cow and goat to farming and sowing. A farmer will be present who will teach all the techniques of farming to the contestants, the actor had earlier told about the show.
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Realty Tidbits
Piscataway to provide affordable housing TRENTON, N.J.: A central New Jersey town would provide nearly 1,000 units of affordable housing under a proposed settlement agreement. The Fair Share Housing Center called the deal the first major affordable housing decision to be made since the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in March that judges would take over enforcing housing requirements. The center, a nonprofit advocacy group, says that Piscataway Township would build 975 units of affordable housing if a judge approves the settlement next month. Center spokesman Anthony Campisi says at least half of the units will be open to families and some of the housing will be targeted toward poorer residents. The Supreme Court's March ruling was the latest in 40 years of litigation over housing for the poor in one of the nation's most expensive states. The court found the state isn't carrying out the Fair Housing Act, a 30-year-old law designed to enforce previous court rulings. The case goes back to the 1975 Mount Laurel decision, in which New Jersey became the first state where courts declared towns couldn't use zoning to exclude the poor. In later decisions, judges went further, ordering towns to take steps to allow the chance of housing for lowincome people. -AP
„ SC hires agent to sell surplus property CHARLESTON, S.C.: The state of South Carolina has a variety of empty lots, office buildings and even property with an old fire tower that it's trying to sell. The Department of Administration has hired the Columbia office of a national real estate firm to market the 45 surplus properties statewide. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports the real estate firm CBRE has been retained for the sales. The properties could bring in more than $11 million before commissions. The most expensive offering is a three-story office building in North Charleston going for $1.4 million. The cheapest is a quarteracre lot in Dillon selling for $5,000. The 10-acre fire tower site on Johns Island has an asking price of $265,000. -AP
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California home sales highest since 2013 SAN FRANCISCO: A research firm has said that buyers snapped up more than 27,500 houses and condos in California in January as the median price hit $400,000. The number of homes sold was the highest for a January since 2013, but below the average of roughly 33,000 homes sold in the month since CoreLogic started tracking sales in 1988. CoreLogic research analyst Andrew LePage says the sluggish activity could be due to lack of inventory and moderately tight credit restrictions. -AP
Govt nod for building 80K houses for poor in 7 states NEW DELHI: Over 80,000 houses will be built in urban areas in seven states for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) with the Centre giving its nod to the proposals which entail a total investment of more than Rs 4,000 crore. The houses will be built in 163 cities in the seven states. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation said a total central assistance of Rs 1,226 crore - at the rate of Rs 1.50 lakh for each house - will be provided under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana (Urban) with the overall cost of the project estimated to be Rs 4,076 crore. West Bengal has been sanctioned a total of 27,830 houses, followed by Telangana 22,817; Bihar 13,315; Mizoram 8,922; Rajasthan 6,052; Jharkhand 2,337; and Uttarakhand 484, an
official release said. An inter-ministerial Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee, chaired by HUPA Secretary Nandita Chatterjee, approved the proposals received from the seven
states after detailed discussions and once it was satisfied about the availability of land for the initiative and the share of the states and the beneficiaries, it added. Of the total houses sanc-
tioned, 58,456 will be built under the 'Beneficiary-Led Construction' component. Under this, beneficiaries will build new houses on their own land with assistance from the central and state governments. Another 23,301 houses will be built under 'Affordable Housing in Partnership' component under which the state governments will provide land while the Centre would extend assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh per beneficiary. With the latest approval, the government has so far sanctioned a total of 5.07 lakh houses for EWS in 13 states, the total central assistance for the same amounting to Rs 7,519 crore. Under PMAY, the government has a target to aid the construction of two crore houses for urban poor in 4,041 statutory urban local bodies in the country. -PTI
Housing sales fall 17%, new projects decline NEW DELHI: Housing sales fell by 17 per cent while new projects declined by 31 per cent in the second half of 2015 due to high price and cautious buyer sentiments, according to property consultant CBRE. In its latest report 'India Residential, H2 2015', CBRE said residential demand remained sluggish with housing sales dipping by around 17 per cent compared to the first half of 2015. Hyderabad and Mumbai were the only exceptions that witnessed balanced sales activity. "The continued decline in demand across the leading cities was largely attributed to unsold inventory and high price points amid cautious buyer sentiments," the report said. New project launches declined by nearly 31 per cent compared to the first half of 2015 as a result of weak pace of
residential sales across India. Capital values and rents in most markets maintained status quo. In the premium/luxury seg-
ern, south eastern and southern markets owing to sustained occupier demand and limited availability of premium stocks in these
ment, capital values remained stable barring the housing markets of Bengaluru and DelhiNCR. Bengaluru witnessed capital value appreciation across east-
locations. Delhi-NCR, however, witnessed a marginal dip in capital values in the range of 2-4 per cent across Vasant Vihar/Anand Niketan, Shanti Niketan/
Westend, Chanakyapuri and Greater Noida Expressway. Capital values across the high-end and mid-end segment also remained largely stable across cities except for Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR. Commenting on the findings of the report, Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and Managing Director of CBRE, South Asia said, "Despite the muted buyer interest noted in the housing market for much of last year, I feel that 2016 holds the promise of a market revival on the back of government initiatives in the right direction." "Apart from its renewed focus on large scale urban infrastructure and development of affordable housing, the central bank, for its part, remains accommodative towards further easing of interest rates. "I believe these moves could help spur property purchase decisions, propelling the market forward," he added. -PTI
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US housing falls in cold January WASHINGTON: Cold winter weather appears to have cut into homebuilding in the Midwest and Northeast, causing the pace of construction to tumble in January. Housing starts slipped 3.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.1 million homes, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. A sharp 12.8 percent decline in construction in the Midwest and a 3.7 dip in the Northeast propelled the broader decrease, with construction also falling in the South. It was nearly unchanged in the West. The setback occurs after months of improvement for the real estate market. For all of 2015, builders broke ground on 1.1 million properties, the most since 2007 when the housing bubble was beginning to burst into a broader recession. ``Seasonal weather and the recent uncertainty in the stock market are likely explanations for the decline in January housing starts,'' said Bill Banfield, vice president of mortgage provider Quicken Loans. ``Taking a step back to look at year-over-year growth, we continue to see healthy and steady gains.'' Construction firms also see further room for expansion. Building permits came in at an annual rate
of 1.2 million in January, a slight 0.2 percent dip from December but a 13.5 percent increase from a year ago. The steady demand for new homes reveals a sharp split in the U.S. economy. Global headwinds, such as uncertainty in China and volatile financial markets, have disrupted overall growth. Yet strong hiring and low mortgage rates have boosted the housing sector as more Americans buy new houses or sign leases for expen-
years after the recession officially ended. And unlike the housing bubble when builders focused on owners, the industry has shifted more of its efforts to address an increase in renters. Multi-family construction - which includes apartment buildings - reached its highest levels of starts last year since 1987. Homebuilders expect the demand from buyers to persist, yet their optimism about sales growth has become a bit more tempered
Unlike the housing bubble when builders focused on owners, the industry has shifted more of its efforts to address an increase in renters. Multi-family construction - which includes apartment buildings - reached its highest levels of starts last year since 1987. sive apartments. The residential market continues to recover from the dramatic crash brought about subprime mortgages nearly a decade ago. Home construction remains well below its annual pace of roughly 1.5 million during the 1990s, a reflection of both higher housing costs and the damaged financial credit that remains more than 6 1/2
leading up to the start of the spring home-selling season next month. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index fell to 58 in February, a decrease of three points from January. The index had stayed in the low 60s since June. Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as positive. -AP
Govt plans to increase Jammu city limits JAMMU: To meet the demand of the growing population in the Jammu region, the state government plans to increase the limits of Jammu city by including 103 additional villages by increasing the area from 305 square km to 652.32 square km. Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra viewed the preparation of revised Master Plan-2032 in a meeting held at Civil Secretariat in Jammu. "The draft Master Plan-2032 emphasizes increase in the limits of Jammu city by increasing its area from 305 Sq km as envisaged in 2021 Master Plan to 652.32 Sq km, to cover an estimated population of 20.50 lakh," an official spokesman said. Several senior officials of the state administration attended the meeting. The Governor was informed that the revised Master Plan for
Jammu has been prepared keeping in view the provisions under the J&K Development Act 1970, the spokesman said. The present Master Plan Jammu-2021 is proposed to be revised to address the gaps and discrepancies which have arisen from the rapid expansion of Jammu city leading to rising demand of housing, infrastructure and services. The revised Master Plan is envisaged to also address the issues relating to haphazard urban growth, unauthorized habitation and rising demand of housing, infrastructure and services. It was informed that the revised Master Plan proposes inclusion of 103 additional villages of Jammu and Samba districts as part of Greater Jammu. The Governor called for, striking a rational balance between the vital requirement of sustainable
agriculture growth and the demands of urbanization, also for specifically focusing on the availability of adequate urban infrastructure facilities, particularly ground water and for ensuring regulated constructions in accordance with the building bye-laws, particularly in the context of Jammu falling in Seismic Zone-IV. Keeping in view the need for regulated use of land for various purposes, the Governor directed the Chief Secretary to examine the feasibility of an appropriate legislation to provide for a Policy on Land Use and Land Conversion. The proposed Policy could prescribe levying of appropriate development charges while allowing use or conversion of land for various legitimate purposes that could be used for development of urban infrastructure in the new areas of growth, in a planned manner. -PTI
Lok Adalat can take up housing project delay NEW DELHI: If a housing project delays possession but fails to pay interest or an educational institution refuses admission on frivolous ground, people can now approach a Lok Adalat for faster redressal than going to a regular court where cases take years to conclude. Based on feedback received by legal services authorities across the country, the government has added "education or educational institutions" and "housing and real estate services" under the definition of 'public utility services' which can be covered by lok adalats. A Law Ministry notification issued on February 16 said the two
vice provided by hospital or dispensary and insurance service. People could approach lok adalats with grievances related to these utilities. "This will reduce pendency in regular courts. Issues like eligibility for admission, exorbitant tuition fee, refusal or delay to grant degree, refusal by builder to pay interest for delay in handing over a house can be covered by lok adalats where grievance redressal is faster than regular courts," explained a senior official of the ministry. He said certain types of cases related to housing and real estate would still have to be settled in regular courts.
Lok Adalat
new categories have been included in Section 22 A of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 "in public interest". Till recently, 'public utility service' under the Act included transport services, postal, telegraph or telephone service, power and water supply service, sanitation, ser-
The Legal Services Authority Act was enacted to constitute legal services authorities to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize lok adalats to ensure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity. -PTI
Motilal Oswal raises Rs 500 cr for investment NEW DELHI: Private equity firm Motilal Oswal Real Estate has raised Rs 500 crore which will be used for investments in realty projects. The company, the realty arm of Motilal Oswal Private Equity, has announced the first closure of its recently launched real estate fund - India Realty Excellence Fund III (IREF-III), at Rs 500 crore. "The fund, launched in November 2015, with a target of raising Rs 1,000 crore has been able to raise Rs 500 crore in a quick time span of 3 months," Motilal Oswal Real Estate said in a statement. The new fund, with tenure of five years from final close, will target a gross internal rate of return
(IRR) of 23-25 per cent from its investment. The company has already started committing money from its third fund. The second fund (IREF-II), with a corpus of Rs 500 crore, was raised in 15 months and closed in March 2015. Total asset under management now stands at Rs 1,500 crore. "Real estate vertical has become one of our key vertical within the overall private equity business. Motilal Oswal Private Equity now manages more than Rs 3,000 crore across 5 funds spread across growth capital and real estate," said Vishal Tulsyan, MD & CEO, Motilal Oswal Private Equity Investment Advisors. -PTI
„ Health
Line
Cigarette sales in Colorado increase DENVER: Colorado health officials say cigarette purchases in 2015 increased for the first time in nearly a decade, while the number of adult tobacco users remains on the decline. The Denver Post reports that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported in a press release that more than 194 million packs of cigarettes, or about 36 packs for every resident, were purchased in
2015. That was an increase of more than 1 million packs from 2014's recorded total. Officials reported that the number of adult tobacco users fell to a rate of less than 16 percent of the state's population in 2014. In 2004, the rate was about 19 percent. State officials have attributed the drop to a cigarette tax increase approved by voters in 2004. -AP
„ Iowa panel OKs medical marijuana bill DES MOINES, Iowa: A bill that would create a system for manufacturing, dispensing and possessing medical marijuana in Iowa has advanced in the Legislature with several changes. The Republican-majority House Commerce Committee voted 17-6 for the measure after it was amended to reduce the number of proposed cannabis manufacturers and dispensaries from an earlier version of the bill. Iowa currently has no medical marijuana production system. Under the bill, cannabis oil could be used to treat people with multiple sclerosis and cancer with a limited life expectancy as well as some forms of epilepsy, as now allowed. Legislators changed the bill to remove the use of the oil for several other conditions. The bill still prohibits smoking the drug. The legislation now heads to the full House, where its future is unclear. -AP
Health Science
Upsurge in paralysis accompanies Zika
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Indians suffer huge out-of-pocket expenses on hospitalization NEW DELHI: Indians and Chinese suffer "maximum" out ofpocket expenditure due to acute heart diseases, a recent study published by World Health Organization (WHO) says. As per the survey, "60 per cent of uninsured and 20 per cent insured Indian patients spend 30 per cent or more of their annual household income on hospitalization." The study titled 'Catastrophic health expenditure after acute coronary events in Asia: a prospective study' which covered 9,370 respondents from seven countries (enrolled between June 2011 to May 2012) is the largest observational study of household economic burden associated with treatment of acute coronary syndromes in Asia. Researchers from city-based Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) were national coordinator from India, which collected data from
48 hospitals and 1,635 respondents in the country. According to the survey, in India, out-of-pocket expenses for
"Asians on an average spend USD 3,237 in case of hospitalization due to acute coronary diseases. The primary outcome i.e.,
"Because of large uninsured population, the expense in India goes much higher compared to other countries. China has a similar expenditure figure," said Jitendra P S Sawhney, co-author and chairman, Department of Cardiology a heart patient after being hospitalized was about USD 2,600 on an average.
catastrophic health expenditure, was assessed on the basis of whether a participant had in-
curred out-of-pocket treatment costs greater than 30 per cent of annual baseline household income," the report said. Other countries surveyed included Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. "Because of large uninsured population, the expense in India goes much higher compared to other countries. China has a similar expenditure figure," said Jitendra P S Sawhney, co-author and chairman, Department of Cardiology, SGRH. "Our study also shows that the burden of out-of-pocket costs associated with treatment for acute coronary syndromes in Asia can be substantial, reflecting the limited financial protection available for hospitalization for these conditions. It further reflects high rates of financial catastrophe particularly in China and India," he said. -PTI
Patient wears 3-D glasses during surgery PARIS, FRANCE: In a world first, a patient in France undergoing brain surgery while conscious wore virtual reality glasses as doctors removed a cancerous tumor, the chief surgeon told AFP. "In creating a completely artificial world for the patient, we could map certain zones and connections of his brain related to functions that we could not, up to now, easily test on the operating table," Philippe Menei, a neurosurgeon at Angers hospital in western France, said. The operation was performed on January 27, and the patient was recovering well, he said. Taking a scalpel to the brain while a patient is conscious has been a common practice for more than a decade. Doing so allows doctors to determine, during an operation, whether and how vital functions such as speech, vision and movement are affected. Patients cannot feel the probing of their brain tissue, and do
not experience pain. But using three-dimensional, virtual reality opens up a whole new range of possibilities, Menei said. "By totally controlling what the patient sees and hears, we can put him in situations that allow us to do tests on certain (neural) con-
In this case, it was crucial to protect the patient's vision because he had already lost sight in one eye due to an illness. During the operation, the medical team created a neutral virtual environment with no single point of focus.
A patient wears virtual reality glasses during a brain operation at Angers University hospital in western France
nections that were not possible before," he said.
"In this empty void, we could control the space and make lumi-
nous objects appear in the patient's peripheral vision," Menei said. Three weeks after the operation, the patient's vision was intact despite the removal of an aggressive tumor in a region controlling sight. Menei said the patient was now preparing to undergo chemotherapy. Virtual reality glasses "open the way to greater precision, and allow us to envision procedures that were not possible up to now, such as the removal of otherwise inaccessible brain tumors," he said. His team plans to use the technique again in the coming months on patients with brain tumors situated near areas that control vision. Virtual reality glasses could also be adapted for children, and may be tested on young patients before the end of the year. Brain cancer is the second most common form of cancer among children in France. -PTI
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Maharashtra 'Green Corridor' to transport organs MUMBAI: Maharashtra government has decided to formulate a comprehensive policy on 'Green Corridor' to ensure smooth passage of transportation of harvested organs within specified time, a senior health official has said. The government has decided to frame a policy and also mooted a proposal to appoint a nodal officer from the police department to handle issues related to the 'Green Corridor', state Director of Health Satish Pawar said. The policy seeks to iron out hurdles faced by police over jurisdiction issues, obtaining necessary No Objection Certificates (NoCs) and creating a green corridor for smooth passage of ambulances carrying harvested organs. According to state Minister for Public Health Deepak Sawant, at present the wait list for cadaver transplants in Maharashtra is about 2,000. There is a huge demand for liver, followed by heart. "Non Transplant Organ Retrieval Centers (NTORCs) are to be set up in hospitals having Intensive Care Units (ICUs). These centers shall have counselors, who will convince relatives of brain dead patients for consenting to donate organs of their patient," Mr Sawant said. The minister had recently held the first meeting with representatives of government and private hospitals, traffic and other
using FM radio channels to air advance information about creation of dedicated Green Corridor in the city. "In Mumbai, the government can use display signages to inform motorists and pedestrians about green corridor route. The government is contemplating to have special stickers, sirens and specially designated lamp for ambulances meant to transport harvested human organs," he said. The government is also trying to tie-up with airline companies for air ambulance facilities, he said. The policy seeks to iron out hurdles faced by police over jurisdiction Meanwhile, Mr issues, obtaining necessary No Objection Certificates (NoCs) and Pawar said the creating a green corridor for smooth passage of ambulances carrying harvested organs. government's attempt is to convince relatives of young patients, who are recommendations to enable the governdeclared brain dead, to donate their organs. ment to draft a comprehensive policy with "The window period to transplant harcomplete protocols for organ harvesting and green corridor. Mr Sawant said suggestions included police officials, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials and medical experts. He directed the stakeholders to make
Hospital fined in forcible removal case TALLAHASSEE, Fla.: Florida's health care agency has issued a $45,000 fine to the hospital where a black woman died after being forcibly removed from the emergency room by a white police officer. The Agency for Health Care Administration lists four counts against Calhoun-Liberty Hospital in a 30page administrative complaint. Three counts are related to access to emergency care and services, and one is related to the Blountstown hospital's risk management program - patient grievance analysis. Last week the agency released a report from its investiBarbara gation where the 25bed facility was cited for 10 deficiencies. AHCA Secretary Elizabeth Dudek called those deficiencies ``egregious.'' The fines come after the death of Barbara Dawson, a 57-year-old woman who was treated in the emergency room Dec. 21 but refused to leave when she was discharged because she didn't think she was well. She was handcuffed by Blountstown Police Officer John Tadlock and collapsed when he tried to put her in a patrol car. She died about 90 minutes later.
Two counts - each a $10,000 fine - cite the hospital's failure to follow their policies on assessment and reassessment in the emergency room. The first count is related to the Dawson case, and the second is for a patient in the emergency room who was never treated. The complaint says the ER was staffed by a nurse practitioner who was not able to dispense medication. The patient told investigators that they never saw a physician or the nurse practitioner during the visit. The third count is for failing to address access to emergency services in Dawson terms of quality of care and how the ER was managed. Because it had to do with two patients, the total fine levied was $20,000. The final count is a $5,000 fine for not evaluating a complaint after the patient was turned away from the ER and not implementing its own incident report system for two patients. The facility must submit correction plans and have them in place by March 1 to avoid being suspended from Florida's Medicaid program. -AP
vested organs is about five to six hours. If the organs are to be transported outside cities like Mumbai, then the management at airport and traffic management has to be dealt with," he said. "At present, the airlines charge anywhere between Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 1 lakh per organ. The average cost of transportation of organs comes to around Rs. 3 lakhs. The government is trying to transport more than one organ at the same time to reduce the transportation costs," he said. He said the government has mooted the proposal of appointing a designated nodal officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, who will coordinate issuance of necessary NoCs, make traffic arrangements, and deal with legal issues. Assistant Director of Health Gauri Rathod said often issues of jurisdiction are raised by police. "Police will be sensitized about their role in handling such matters," she said. Besides, the transportation of organs within the state, there are issues of interstate transportation also, she said. The government is contemplating waiving 20 per cent of state taxes levied on airlines for air ambulances, which will reduce the transportation costs, Ms Rathod said. -PTI
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Upsurge in paralysis accompanies Zika CUCUTA, COLOMBIA: The doctor taps Zulay Balza's knees with a hammer and she doesn't feel a thing. She can't squeeze his outstretched fingers or shut her eyelids. Her face is partially paralyzed. "The weakness started in my legs and climbed upward. The face was last. After three days, I couldn't walk," said Balza, 49. "My legs felt like rags." Balza is a patient at the public University Hospital in Cucuta, at the epicenter of the Colombian outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Only Brazil has more cases. Two weeks ago, she came under assault by Guillain-Barre , a rare and sometimes fatal affliction that is the Western world's most common cause of general paralysis. Alarm over the Zika epidemic spreading across the Americas has been chiefly over birth defects, but frontline physicians believe a surge in Guillain-Barre cases may also be related. The World Health Organization says Guillain-Barre cases are on the rise in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela, all hit hard by Zika, though a link remains unproven. The auto-immune disorder historically strikes only one or two people in 100,000. About one in 20 of those cases ends in death, and it is frightful. "I thought my body was going to explode," said Balza, sitting on her hospital bed and apparently over the worst. Guillain-Barre attacks skeletal muscular nerves as if they were a
foreign enemy. Fine motor skills rapidly erode, arms and legs tingle and weaken to numbness. Patients lose their balance, their speech. In rare cases, they require ventilators to stay alive. The syndrome typically strikes after a bacterial or viral infection, such as influenza, HIV or dengue, though its cause can't always be determined. Dr. Jairo Lizarazo, the neurologist treating Balza, has seen cases increase more than tenfold since December - 30 cases in all - in this muggy city bordering Venezuela.
know exactly how it works. But it's there, for sure." Associated cases confirmed or suspected based on clinical evidence number in the hundreds. Guillain-Barre cases believed to be linked to the virus have killed three people in recent weeks in Colombia and health officials have attributed another three Guillian-Barre deaths in Venezuela to suspected Zika infections. WHO said Zika has been confirmed present in apparently just one Guillain-Barre death, in the northwestern Venezuela state of
Zulay Balza fails to close her eyes as neurologist Jairo Lizarazo tests her facial muscles at the Erasmo Meoz Hospital in Cucuta, Norte de Santander state, Colombia. Balza was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
Like Balza, many patients never showed the characteristic symptoms of Zika - fever, rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Four in five don't. He's convinced the virus boosts susceptibility to GuillainBarre. "It's an epidemiological association," said Lizarazo. "We don't
Zulia in January. Dr. Maria Lucia Brito Ferreira, chief neurologist at Hospital da Restauracao in Recife, Brazil, said she hopes to get laboratory confirmation this month that nine Guillain-Barre deaths recorded there in the past year were Zikarelated.
Microbes that thrive deep inside Earth WASHINGTON: Scientists have discovered a group of microbes that live several kilometers under the surface of the Earth, need no light or oxygen and can only be seen in a microscope. The researchers have also found how the microorganisms, named Hadesarchaea, first discovered in a South African gold mine at a depth of over three kilometers, are able to make a living in the absence of oxygen and light. Microorganisms that live below the surface of the Earth remain one of the last great areas of exploration. Organisms that live there have not been grown in the laboratory and therefore their lifestyles are unknown.
Researchers found these microbes in vastly different aquatic and terrestrial environments; the deep mud of a temperate estuary in North Carolina and underneath hot springs at Yellowstone National Park in US. "This new class of microbes are specialized for survival beneath the surface, so we called them "Hadesarchaea", after the ancient Greek god of the underworld," said lead author Brett Baker, assistant professor at the University of Texas. As its name suggests, the Hadesarchaea belong to a relatively unknown group of microorganisms, the archaea. Like bacteria, archaea are
single-celled and microscopically small, but they differ more from each other than a human does from a tree. Archaea were discovered only some 40 years ago. To date, they remain poorly studied in comparison to bacteria and more complex life forms, such as animals and plants. "The discovery of the Hadesarchaea will help us increase our understanding of the biology and lifestyle of archaea that thrive in the deep biosphere," said Thijs Ettema, senior lecturer at Uppsala University. In order to understand these elusive organisms, Baker and Ettema sequenced the genomes of several Hadesarchaea. -PTI
Cases of Guillain-Barre in Colombia - about 450 annually before Zika struck - were up nearly threefold in the past month and a half. El Salvador has reported 118 cases since November, nearly as many as previously seen in a year. "The only explanation is the Zika virus," said Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Espinoza. Dr. Osvaldo Nascimento, a leading Rio neurologist, estimates Brazilian cases of Guillain-Barre are up fivefold. Reporting is not compulsory, so the government's partial figure of 1,868 cases requiring hospitalization last year is a sketchy parameter. An upsurge in Guillain-Barre was documented in 2013 during a major Zika outbreak in French Polynesia, with a study finding cases up twentyfold. WHO said all 42 cases recorded in the Pacific archipelago tested positive for Zika as well as dengue fever, which is also currently present in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and other Zika-affected countries. Antibodies for the dengue and chikungunya viruses, which are far more debilitating than Zika, are often being found in infected patients. That is making establishing a direct Zika-Guillain-Barre link more complicated. Like Zika, both viruses are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and could also trigger Guillian-Barre, experts say. Under normal circumstances, eight in 10 patients nearly fully recover from Guillian-Barre, though it sometimes takes months. Data on Guillain-Barre is scant in most of the developing world.
Colombia's National Health Institute is overwhelmed with a weeks-long backlog in completing tests for Zika. The three Guillain-Barre deaths that the country's Health Ministry attributed to Zika on Feb. 5 have not yet been confirmed by laboratory tests, said spokesman Ricardo Amortegui. Nor have the three deaths in the Venezuelan state of Lara. One Guillian-Barre fatality in Colombia suspected of being linked to Zika was a 51-year-old man from the Caribbean island of San Andres who died in November, said Rita Almanza, epidemiology chief in Medellin. The others were a 45-year-old man and a 41year-old woman flown from Turbo on the Caribbean coast who died in Medellin in February. Guillain-Barre grabbed hold of Nancy Pino in neighboring Venezuela with devastating effect. The 68-year retired school administrator developed fever, rashes and muscle pain while celebrating Christmas with her family in the hot lowland state of Anzoategui. She recovered quickly. Days later, her hands and feet started to go numb. Her tongue felt like it was asleep. She stopped eating. The family rushed her to a Caracas hospital. She could barely walk. Bed-ridden, she lost the ability to talk and soon, to breathe. Doctors attached her to a respirator. "It was so quick," daughter Nihara Ramos said between sobs. "It was like a flame consuming her from the bottom up." Doctors diagnosed GuillainBarre with a spinal tap - they as-
Zulay Balza
Of 18 countries participating in a clinical study launched by Dutch physicians in 2012, only two are in Latin America: Mexico and Argentina. Brazil just joined. Across the region, investigators were simply unable to get government funding to participate, said Dr. Ken Gorson, a Tufts University neurologist and presidentelect of an international foundation that combats Guillain-Barre. Poorer countries were ill-prepared to manage the crisis.
sumed she had Zika earlier - and suggested that the relatives obtain immunoglobulin, an expensive treatment that pools healthy antibodies from hundreds of donors. Gorson said it costs $15,000$45,000 in the United States. The family, straightjacketed by Venezuela's economic crisis, couldn't find or afford enough. In less than three weeks, a woman who once bounded up seven flights of stairs to her apartment was dead. -AP
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Alzheimer's drug may help smokers kick the butt WASHINGTON: A class of drugs used to improve cognitive impairment from Alzheimer's disease may potentially help people to permanently quit smoking, a new study suggests. Despite several safe drug therapies available to help smokers quit, three-quarters report relapsing within six months of a quit attempt, researchers said. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania saw potential for a permanent cessation solution in a class of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications used to improve cognitive impairment from Alzheimer's disease. In a study consisting of a rat trial and a human trial, researchers studied the effects of two acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, or AChEIs, called galantamine and donepezil on overall nicotine intake. The rat component showed that pretreating the rodents with an AChEI decreased their nicotine consumption.
Consistent with these effects, clinical trial participants taking the AChEI, not the placebo, smoked 2.3 fewer cigarettes daily, a
Teens support plans to raise e-cigarette tax SALT LAKE CITY: Teens from anti-tobacco groups said during an event at the Utah state Capitol that they support two similar legislative proposals to raise the tax on electronic cigarettes because it could reduce the number of youth using the products. Both recently introduced bills by Republican lawmakers would add about an 86 percent tax to e-cigarettes. The legislative proposal from Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, would send $10 million to $20 million a year from the tax toward rural health programs, while the plan from Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful, would send money from the tax to pay for an expanded Medicaid program. Nearly twice as many Utah youth used e-cigarettes in 2015 compared with 2013, while adult use of the products has remained fairly steady, state officials said. E-cigarettes are the cheaper alternative to smoking, said Jay Winkler, a 17-year-old from Tooele County who spoke during the event. He said they are very popular at his high school. Neither proposal has been debated in a House of Representatives committee meeting. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said that he's concerned that more people, particularly minors, are using e-cigarettes. He said a tax on the devices is a natural progression from the current policy of taxing tobacco. The tax tries to discourage people from using what can be a public health hazard. The governor said he still needs to review any specific legislation that lands on his desk before determining if he'd approve it. Individuals critical of the tax increase also attended the event, holding signs behind presenters that said, ``I vape, I vote.''
They said they worry that a tax increase would hurt adults using e-cigarettes in efforts to quit smoking cigarettes, while youths could simply find unregulated access to the products. E-cigarettes are much healthier than cigarettes and instrumental in helping adults to quit smoking, said Jeff Stier of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a research
organization that supports incorporating free market solutions into public policy. ``There is a risk of kids using them no matter what the laws are, but there are tremendous benefits to the public health with these products,'' he said. Other states, such as New Jersey and Ohio, have attempted to pass similar pieces of legislation that ultimately failed, Stier said. E-cigarettes are battery-powered electronic vaporizers that heat liquid nicotine into an inhalable mist. They began to appear in the U.S. in late 2006, but marketing has increased exponentially in recent years. Dr. Sarah Woolsey, a family physician from Salt Lake City and member of the Utah Tobacco Free Alliance, said doctors and scientists don't know all of the possible effects from using e-cigarettes. During the event she referenced studies showing that the vapor has toxins and carcinogens in it.-AP
12 per cent decrease, and noted feeling less satisfied with the cigarettes they did smoke. "We're very interested in screening potential efficacy of anti-addiction medications in our models," said H e a t h Schmidt, a professor in Penn's School of Nursing a n d Perelman School of Medicine. " F o r this study, we looked at potential smoking-cessation medications," said Schmidt. Specifically, research from Caryn Lerman, director at Penn's Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction (CIRNA), concluded that people who quit smoking often report a decrease in what is commonly called their executive functions. "They feel fuzzy. They are forgetful. Those deficits are related to their ability
to quit smoking. It was this clinical aspect of smoking cessation we thought would be useful to take further," said Rebecca Ashare, a professor in Penn Medicine's psychiatry department. That is when they turned to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. In the brain, the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine is important to cognitive functions like learning and short-term memory. When nicotine enters the body, it binds to the same receptors in the brain that acetylcholine binds to, resulting in smoking's rewarding and reinforcement effects. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors increase acetylcholine levels in the brain and, in effect, substitute nicotine's effects. Schmidt had successfully employed such a model with other addictive substances like cocaine. He divided a group of rats into galantamine and donepezil cohorts. To mirror voluntary drug taking in humans, the rats self-administered nicotine using a lever pushed at will. Once nicotine-taking stabilized, the rats were pretreated with one of the two AChEIs. For both drugs, "we were able to show a reduction in total nicotine self-administered," Schmidt added. The study was published in the Nature journal Translational Psychiatry. -PTI
Tech News LG India eyes 30 pc growth in 2016 KOLKATA: LG India is aiming to clock a revenue growth of 30 per cent this year and will focus on new categories like water and air purifiers, a senior company official said. "The first month (January 2016) was good. It is difficult to predict but we are aiming for 30 per cent growth," LG Electronics India Corporate Marketing Head Niladri Datta told PTI in a recent interview. He said in 2015, growth was below expectations at around 10 per cent due to unfavorable market conditions.
Slowdown and currency devaluations were some of the events that hit the white goods industry in 2015. However, during the year, all product categories registered a growth, Datta said. Home appliances, TVs and ACs are major categories of the company.LG would be focusing aggressively on two new segments, water and air purifiers, he said. The company is focusing on regional sports as part of its marketing campaign and is open to be associated with more sports as and when the opportunity arises and is compatible with the brand philosophy, Datta said. LG India has partnered Indian Fotball Association in West Bengal as the title sponsor for its under-19 IFA Shield tournament. The company will focus on more brand stores in semi-urban and rural markets to catch up with brand-conscious consumers, he said. -PTI
Chinese brand Volvo is recalling 59,000 cars COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Sweden's Volvo Cars says it is recalling 59,000 cars in 40 markets because of faulty software that can briefly shut down the engine and electric system while driving. Group spokesman Stefan Elfstrom says the recall affects only five-cylinder diesel models from its 60 and 70 series built from mid2015. Elfstrom told The Associated Press that the glitch can be ``unpleasant'' but the company has no information about any accidents caused as a result. Both the engine and electric system start up again immediately.-AP
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Tax break for car insurers may end LANSING, Mich.: Gov. Rick Snyder and lawmakers inadvertently gave auto insurers a tax break worth $80 million a year. Now, they want to end it - either to bail out Detroit's state-managed school district or to address other priorities at a time Flint's water emergency could cost the state at least $236 million over this fiscal year and next. The other likely funding source for Detroit is Michigan's settlement with tobacco companies, a well-worn tactic when the state is in a pinch for cash. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Al Pscholka, RStevensville, is pushing to fix a 2012 law so insurance companies no longer are eligible for certain tax credits they were given unintentionally. -AP
PM launches 'Rurban Mission', says his govt is for poor, dalits DONGARGARH, Chhattisgarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ambitious 'Rurban Mission' for developing 300 villages across the country as urban growth centers amid his assertion that his government is for the poor, dalits and other oppressed sections of the society. Noting that the mission was aimed at curbing migration of youth from villages to cities, he targeted the previous dispensations, saying nobody had thought about planning and providing facilities even as urban areas continued to expand and slum clusters continued to come up because of migration. While launching the ambitious scheme in this remote tribal area of Chhattisgarh, Modi said a "huge country" like India cannot have proper economic development unless even the remotest places are developed as growth centers and provided with urban facilities and "good life" like education, healthcare and internet while retaining the "rural spirit". "This government is for the poor, dalits, adivasis, oppressed and deprived sections of the society. It is for the person standing in the last row," he said. Listing out various schemes including Swacch Bharat and Rurban Mission, Modi said these are all aimed at bringing positive
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of Shyama Prasad Mukherji National Rurban Mission, at Kurubhat, Rajnandgaon, in Chhattisgarh on February 21. Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh and Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir are also seen
changes in the lives of the poor people. "This is the only way that will benefit the country and we have started marching on this path," he said. Under the 'Rurban Mission', he said 300 rural centers, catering to at least four adjoining villages each, will be developed as urban clusters with modern facilities. 100 such centers are targeted to be developed this year itself,
the Prime Minister said at the event which was also attended by Chief Minister Raman Singh and Union Rural Development Minister Birendra Singh among others. "There will be big change in quality of life. Pressure on cities will reduce and new cities will be developed, which will be planned and have good economic activity. I am sure crores and crores of people will benefit from this," he
said. "People in villages have been sending their children to cities for good life, education, hospitals, internet. But in the cities, jhuggi jhompris have been coming up as people continued to migrate from villages. Nobody thought about planning, providing facilities...So even going to cities became difficult. Cont’d on page 38
100 fraud links sent to cyber sleuths NEW DELHI: Taking note of the spate of phishing and cheat refund emails landing in inboxes of taxpayers, the Income Tax department has referred over 100 such instances to the country's premier cyber security agency to block these hackers lurking in the e-world. The department is particularly worried after taxpayers recently brought to its notice certain emails which have very cleverly "spoofed the department's identity" by using almost resembling
addresses to cheat gullible taxpayers over the Internet. One such example is hackers using the email domain--
"The department has reported over 100 phishing emails and hacking attempts through fake websites and links to the Com-
"The CERT-In has been informed that these emails are a serious concern for the taxpayers and the Income Tax department as it is a malicious assault over the Internet "mailto:noreply@incometaxindia.gov.in", noreply@incometaxindia.gov.in" to send such phishing emails.
puter Emergency Response TeamIndia also called the CERT-In. "The CERT-In has been in-
formed that these emails are a serious concern for the taxpayers and the Income Tax department as this malicious assault over the Internet directly dents the taxman's efforts to effectively engage with the tax paying public in a paperless and nonadversarial manner and dissuades an individual from conducting safe e-transactions," a senior official supervising the counter operations in this domain said. Cont’d on page 38
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Tata accuses older airlines of 'monopoly' NEW DELHI: Hitting out at older carriers, top industrialist Ratan Tata has accused them of lobbying and using "monopolistic pressures" to retain preferential treatment under the controversial 5/20 rule that restricts over-
Ratan Tata
seas flying by new airlines. Reacting strongly to the charge, low-cost carrier SpiceJet's chief Ajay Singh asked him to rather advice the two airlines associated with Tatas - Vistara and AirAsia India - to first serve India and then seek to fly international. Singh also alleged that the two carriers were apparently controlled by their foreign parents and said they had undertaken, while applying for the license, to follow the 5/ 20 rule which they are opposing so vehemently now. AirAsia India and Vistara - two airlines operated by the Tatas through joint ventures - are presently ineligible to operate overseas under the 5/20 norm, which requires an Indian carrier to have minimum five years operational ex-
perience and at least 20 planes to operate international flights. The government is currently in advanced stage of finalizing its new civil aviation policy, wherein one of the proposals is to scrap the 5/20 rule. While several older airlines including SpiceJet, Jet Airways, IndiGo and GoAir are vehemently opposing any move to scrap the 5/20 norm, Tata has applauded the Civil Aviation Ministry's proposal to remove the "controversial" rule. Terming as sad the lobbying of incumbent airlines for "protection and preferential treatment", he tweeted that such moves were reminiscent of the monopolistic pressures by entities with vested interests who fear competition. "The lobbying for discriminating policies between old and new airlines is reminiscent of protectionist and monopolistic pressures by vested interests' entities who seem to fear competition, as in a variety of other sectors over the years," Tata said in a strong message posted on his Twitter page. "These protectionist moves have held back progress in India compared to open economies that have thrived on competition overseas," Tata Group's Chairman
Emeritus said in his message titled '5/20 Rule and Vested Interests'. "In the airline industry in India, it is sad to see the incumbent airlines lobbying for protection and preferential treatment for themselves against the new airlines... "...(the new airlines) have been formed in full compliance with prevailing government policy and providing air transport to Indian citizens in line with the dream of a 'New India' promoted by the new government under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's leadership," said Tata, who was instrumental in the group's re-entry to the aviation sector. Tata Group and Singapore Airlines together run Vistara, while AirAsia is a three-way joint venture between Tatas, Malaysia's
Ajay Singh
AirAsia and Arun Bhatia's Telestra. AirAsia India is less than 2year-old with six aircraft, while Vistara was started in January 2015 and has nine planes. -PTI
Baddi tech centre to boost 'Make in India' SHIMLA: Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra has laid the foundation stone of an Rs 102crore Technological Development Centre (TDC) for micro, small and medium enterprises at Baddi in Solan district, which he said would give impetus to the Make in India initiative. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was also present. The tool room, which is expected to be eco-friendly, will be set up under the Technology Centre System Program (TCSP) of the central government, Mishra said at the event. The main objective of such a technology centre, he said, is to keep pace with changing tech-
nologies and the World Bank had sanctioned Rs 2,200 crore for setting up such units at 15 locations across the country, adding that 10 places have been identified so far. He thanked the state government for providing 20 acres free of cost for the technology centre. According to the minister, similar technology centers are coming up in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttarakhand and other places where more than one lakh youth will be trained, who would either set up their own industrial units or get employed by major industries. Mishra also promised support from the ministry to set up ruralbased industrial units in the state. To back up his claim, Mishra
said the ministry is working on strengthening the Rural Self-employment Training Institutes and for those seeking online registration, the government has provided a one-page form to facilitate entrepreneurs. The Union minister also announced shifting of the Multi-purpose Development Training Centre from Kaned to Sundernagar in Mandi district. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the technology centre/tool room being set up would provide consultancy and advisory services in technology and engineering solutions for improvement of quality and productivity. -PTI
5 crore houses for the poor by 2022: PM NAYA RAIPUR: Prime Minis- ing materials like cement, bricks ter Narendra Modi has said five and others will increase. crore houses will be built for the He also spoke about skill depoor by 2022 as he laid the foun- velopment initiatives taken by the dation stone of 'Pradhan Mantri Chhattisgarh government and Awas Yojana' here. said, "Only talking about demoHe stressed on the need for skill graphic dividend won't do." development and asked the youth "Our youth must have skills and to be job creators. must be job creators," he said. Modi said that years after In"Skill development brings so dependence, there are still five many opportunities for the youth. crore families in the country who don't have a house for themselves. "Two crore of them are in the cities and three crore of them are in the villages. Every Indian should think what kind of India they want in 2022, when India will celebrate 75 years of Independence," he said. He said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi Centre and the state governments will work together to ensure that five 'Mudra Yojana' is creating new crore houses are built by 2022 for entrepreneurs and helping existthe poor. ing ones grow," he said. "This is not an infrastructure Modi said for economic project. This is a project being un- progress, there is the private and dertaken to strengthen the dreams public sector, "but the third and of the poor," the Prime Minister crucial one that I am attaching imsaid. portance to is personal sector, He said that the initiative will where every person becomes an create a lot of jobs as sale of build- entrepreneur." -PTI
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Ringing Bells comes under excise scanner NEW DELHI: Ringing Bells, makers of the world's cheapest smartphone, has come under the scanner of excise and income tax departments as debates around the feasibility of offering a Rs 251 handset rages on. According to the sources, the
"Yes, there was a visit from excise department and I-T Department. Since we are planning to achieve milestones under Make in India, Skill India and Startup India. They issued us some guidelines for future and extended full support and cooperation," Ring-
I-T Department is looking into the financial structure of the Noidabased company and have obtained documents, including those from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), in this regard.
ing Bells President Ashok Chaddha said in a statement to PTI. Earlier in the week, Ringing Bells launched the world's cheapest smartphone for Rs 251 amid great fanfare.
HC to examine Indo-Pak LoC trade policy
However, the celebrations haven't lasted long as the firm was surrounded by controversy around showcasing a rival company, Adcom's handset, as its own. Chaddha clarified that "it wanted to show a sample or prototype of what the handsets will look like. This is not the final piece." "In view of the shortage of time and given that these were to serve only as prototypes given FOC to a limited list of persons, we went ahead. We would clearly mention that the Final Freedom 251 manufactured/assembled in India would be to identical specs - i.e. no change," he added. The industry members have also complained against the company to the Telecom Ministry to dig deeper into the issue. The ministry has sought a clarification from Ringing Bells for marketing its 'Freedom 251' mobile phone without a BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification and has also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to check the firm's credentials. The company said it has received 3.70 crore registrations on Day 1-PTI
100 fraud links sent to cyber sleuths Cont’d from page 36
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High It also urged to ensure that the Court has agreed to examine a plea items under the policy are not imseeking immediate steps to check ported in contravention to LoC violation of Line of Control (LoC) trade policy, besides direction to trade policy between India and exclude import of almonds from the Pakistan. policy. A bench of Chief Justice G "The said directions were Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath sought in view of the rampant and asked the Centre to respond undeterred misuse of LoC trade within four weeks on the plea policy between India and Pakiwhich sought direction to ensure that items like almonds are not illegally "The said directions were imported in contravensought in view of the ramtion to LoC policy. "Respond to the pant and undeterred misuse averments raised in peof LoC trade policy between tition within four weeks," the court said India and Pakistan� and listed the matter for April 4. The court order came on a plea stan..." the plea claimed. by Association of Agro Importers It said the single judge had disand Indo Foreign Chamber of missed the association's petition Commerce, which came in appeal while "ignoring the procedure and against the single judge's October guidelines", which are of great 2015 decision, by which their peti- concern for honest almond tradtion seeking directions to the au- ers. The plea sought setting aside thorities concerned to take requi- of the LoC trade policy to the exsite measures to implement policy tent that the same applies to alof LoC trade was dismissed. monds.-PTI
The CERT-In is the nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and to fortify securityrelated defenses of Indian Internet domain. The department, the official said, has asked the cyber security sleuths to specifically go behind the fraud and malicious email domains and URLs and ensure that such elinks are not able to send emails to the bonafide address of the taxpayer. "These over 100 instances have multiple strains of fraud communications identified in them. The department is implementing all best practices to further bolster its eservices vis-a-vis dealing with taxpayers," the official said. The phishing emails issue has become such a menace that the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) early this month issued a statement and public advisory assuring taxpayers that it never asks them about their vital personal financial data like PIN numbers, passwords or details of credit or debit cards.-PTI
India-Nepal agreements on rail transportation NEW DELHI: India and Nepal sit facilities for Nepal through the have signed agreements for Vishakhapatnam port. strengthening cooperation in Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli, transportation sector that, among who is on a six-day visit here held other things, will provide transit comprehensive talks with Prime facility to Bangladesh. Minister Narendra Modi on a According to the pact, goods range of issues of mutual interest, transportation on rail would be facilitated f r o m Vishakhapatnam to Nepal. Besides, rail transit facility would be operationalised through Singhabad in India for Nepal's trade with and t h r o u g h Bangladesh, according to a statement. Another agreement envisages simPrime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his plification of modalistatement to the media at the joint media briefing ties for traffic of with Prime Minister of Nepal, K.P. Sharma Oli, at goods between Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on February 20 Nepal and Bangladesh while transiting including trade and political situthrough India, through the ation in Nepal. Kakarbhitta (Nepal) and There were agreements on variBanglabandha (Bangladesh) cor- ous sectors including power, rail ridor. and, culture signed between the It also aims to provide for tran- two countries. -PTI
PM launches 'Rurban Mission', says his govt is for poor, dalits Cont’d from page 36
"Should we then leave such people to their fate? Should we compel people to live in jhuggi jhompris? We cannot. That is why we came up with this 'Rurban Mission'," the Prime Minister said. He said if such a program had been launched earlier, so many years would not have been wasted in developing the tribal belts of the country. "There are small villages where even the doctor does not go," Modi said, adding the Rurban Mission will at least help ensure that urban level healthcare reaches the adjoining villages of such rural areas. On the occasion, he also launched a 'Jan Aushadi Bhandaar' campaign for providing cheap medication to people. Explaining why he decided to launch such major programs in a "remote area", the Prime Minister said it was part of his Endeavour of taking governance out of Delhi to the midst of people and villages. In this context, he took a dig at his predecessors, saying "earlier, the governments had the habit of doing such programs in Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan and used to get 24-hour publicity from media be-
cause of friendship." He said his endeavour of taking government to the people had ensured a new direction to development and "with the blessings of the public, development will touch new heights". Modi felicitated some villagers for extraordinary work in Swachh Bharat campaign, including a 104year-old woman Kunwar Bai who had sold her goats to build a toilet, and said such activities needed to be highlighted prominently. "I tell the national media also, if you don't show my speeches, it is ok but you should tell the nation about people like Ma Kunwar Bai," he said. He said the campaign to end open defecation was gaining momentum and at least two villages in this area had become 'open defecation-free' due to the people's movement. He cited the decision of the local body in one village to impose penalty for open defecation and quipped that their courage was appreciable as he, being the Prime Minister, was reluctant of levying any new taxes. Ending open defecation is a significant way of showing respect towards women, Modi said.-PTI
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Smart cities can enhance Indians' life WASHINGTON: India's ambitious plan to develop 100 smart cities can enhance quality of life for its citizens and help the country meet all environmental goals, a top US official has said. US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews, who travelled to India recently leading a high-powered delegation of 18 American companies on a Smart Cities Infrastructure Business Development Mission, said the plan can also offer a unique and important opportunity for American businesses. "Prime Minister Modi's leadership in revitalizing India's economic development and his vision to develop 100 smart cities can enhance the quality of life for India's citizens and help India meet its environmental goals," Andrews said. The smart cities plan, which involves the overlaying of urban infrastructure with IT connectivity, can improve core infrastructure and enhance citizen services, he said. During his visit, Andrews highlighted the need for India to address the fundamental 'ease of doing business' barriers that have
He also showcased the valuable contribution that the US industry can play in providing the products and services India's cities need to become global leaders in the deployment of "smart" technologies.
traditionally hampered expanded trade and investment between the two countries. He also showcased the valuable contribution that the US industry can play in providing the products and services India's cities need to become global leaders in the deployment of "smart" technologies. The week before the trade mission arrived in India, Prime Minister Modi's government named the first 20 cities that will be provided USD 15 million annually for
the next five years as seed money to facilitate "smart cities" updates and improvements. The Center's investment will be matched by state governments and used to catalyze private-sector investment. Visakhapatnam (Vizag), one of the three initial smart cities named as an official partner for the US, was included in the initial 20 cities that will receive the funding. As part of the trade mission, US Trade and Development Agency Director Leocadia Zak
concluded a grant agreement in presence of Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to continue US Trade and Development Agency's (USTDA) support of India's goal of developing smart cities across the country. The agreement will advance the City of Vizag's efforts to make it more efficient and sustainable through the development of interconnected infrastructure, communications and data systems, the Commerce Department said. -PTI
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ameshwaram is one of the holiest places in Tamil Nadu region in southern India. It is located on a beautiful island in the lower extremity of India and is separated by a small Pamban channel from Sri Lanka. Every year several people visit the place with to offer prayers to Lord Rama. It falls in the Gulf of Mannar and is a peninsula. According to Hindu mythology, this is the place where Lord Rama created a bridge across the sea to Sri Lanka. Lord Shiva too is worshipped in this place. It's a place where Ravana was killed and hence it has a great historical foundation. It is also known as Varanasi of southern India.
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It has one of the famous Jyotirlings to worship as a part of Hindu culture. There are several wonderful temples, which are a great master piece of creativity. The place has wonderful sculpture of Lord Rama on several walls of the temples and the statues of the Lord are made with great artistic sense. Tourist Attractions
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Agnitheertham: Agnitheertham is a pilgrim place where people believe that taking bath here washes away their sins. The temple is constructed facing the eastern direction and there is a large lake in the temple whose water is considered to be holy. It is one amongst the 12 jyotirlings of India. There are about 22 wells in this place each having a different taste of water. Dhanushkodi Temple: Dhanushkodi, a wonderful temple on the southern tip of India, was completely washed away by the cyclone. The location of the place is wonderful. Being an island, it is covered by waters on all the four sides. It is located near the confluence of Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. The seas are in the shape of bow and arrow when viewed from the top. The arrow head is considered to be a sacred place for worship by the Hindus and people from
far and wide come there to offer prayers to the deity. It is a wonderful pilgrim place for the followers of Lord Rama. The place is around 18 kms from Rameshwaram and one can easily travel by road. Gandhamadhana Parvatham: Gandhamadhana Parvatham is the deity of several communities in southern India and the temple of Gandhamadhana. The temple is two storied and Lord Rama's feet are imprinted on the chakra placed in the temple. Cont’d on page 42
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Airlines need price flexibility on regional routes NEW DELHI: To promote regional and rural connectivity, air-
lines should have flexibility in pricing of tickets rather than capping air fares at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights, says a study. Under the draft civil aviation policy, which is at an advanced stage of being finalized, the government has proposed to cap the ticket price at Rs 2,500 for flights to unconnected areas. "The proposed all-inclusive cap of Rs 2,500 on air fare Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju is even lower than
the first AC train fare for longer routes covered by one-hour flights (600-800 kilometers). The cap on air ticket should be linked to distance travelled," the study said. The suggestion is part of a study on 'Regional and Remote Connectivity in India' released by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju at an event here. According to the report, since there is a high risk of a lower load factor on regional routes, more flexibility should be given to airlines for pricing the tickets. The cap should be applicable to a fixed proportion of seats, and carriers should be given flexibility of pricing rest of the seats, it noted. The draft policy has sug-
gested various measures to tap the growing potential of the domestic aviation sector, including 2 per cent levy on all air tickets to fund regional connectivity.
and remote connectivity. Raju said India is trying to evolve a policy that would help it realize the potential of the domestic aviation sector.
Among others, the report has mooted the idea of having a separate department at the Civil Aviation Ministry to promote regional
The study, prepared by Auctus Advisors, was released at an event organized by industry grouping PHD Chamber. -PTI
Aviation sector on growth trajectory NEW DELHI: Domestic aviation market continues on growth trajectory in the New Year with the air passenger traffic up by over 22 per cent in January even as the seat factor declined marginally during the period due to the end of tourist season. Indian carriers together flew 76.55 lakh passengers in January 2016 as compared to 62.45 lakh fliers ferried by them during the same period in the previous year, logging 22.58 per cent growth, according to the DGCA data. Budget carrier IndiGo maintained its leadership position carrying 27.26 lakh passengers, more than one-third of the total traffic
pie, while another budget carrier SpiceJet continued seeing highest
seat occupancy in its aircraft at 92.1 per cent during the month.
While, Jet Airways and JetLite combined flew 21.4 lakh passengers with a market share of 21.4 per cent, national carrier Air India transported 12.23 lakh passengers, cornering 16 per cent of the total air passenger traffic in January 2016. SpiceJet and GoAir also carried 10.11 lakh and 6.20 lakh passengers respectively during this period, according to the DGCA data. On the other side, the number of passengers flown by the two startup carriers Vistar and AirAsia during January stood at 1.50 lakh and 1.75 lakh respectively, cornering 2 per cent and 2.3 per cent mar-
ket share respectively. The passenger load factor in the month of January 2016 has slightly decreased compared to previous month primarily due to the end of tourist season, the DGCA said. "For the ninth consecutive month in a row, SpiceJet has once again recorded the highest passenger load factor of all airlines in India. "In addition, the cancellation rate for the airline at 0.5 per cent was the lowest of all pan-India operators and the On-Time Performance (about 75 per cent) was amongst the best," SpiceJet said in a statement. -PTI
Puducherry to Tirupati tourist packages PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation has inked an MoU with Parveen Holidays Private Limited to operate tourist packages from Puducherry to Tirupati and vice versa and also to link the union territory with Shridi, Welfare and Tourism Minister P Rajavelu has said. This has been done to increase the tourist influx, he told reporters here. Rajavelu said Chief Minister N Rangasamy would flag off the Puducherry-Tirupati trip on February 26. The Union Territory attracted an influx of around 12 lakh domestic tourists during 2015-2016 fiscal, he said. He said Parveen Holidays private limited would take care of accommodation of the pilgrims making use of the package trips to
Tirupati and also Shridi. He said road shows would be held by PTDC in various parts of the country and abroad to bring to focus the tourist scenario in Puducherry. A training program would also be conducted to cover staff of travel agencies in association with the Parveen company so as to raise the influx of tourists. On reactivating the airport here, which has been defunct for almost a year after a private flight operator withdrew from providing services between Puducherry and Bengaluru, Rajavelu said the government was intensifying steps to reintroduce the service in association with another private fleet operator. Talks were on and this would materialize soon to bring the airport back on the air service map, he said. -PTI
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Jada Tirtham: Kaveri Tirtham is a holy tirtham in southern India where god Kapardishvara is worshipped. Jada Tirtham is another small temple within Kaveri Tirtham and it too has its own mythological importance. The temple is con-
structed near the trunk of a large peepal tree and all the deities are supposed to have rested there while they had been in banvas. Jatayu Tirtham: Jatayu Tirtham is the holy temple created in the memory of Jatayu, who was the most loyal eagle of Rama and who helped Lord Rama at several instances in getting herbs from the mountains. It lost its life in order
to save the life of Lord Rama and hence its sacrifice is always appreciated. It is worshiped as a deity even today. It was buried in the soil when it died and Jatayu temple has been created at the place of its burial. The whole of its pit was filled with vibhuti, which is the holy ash that is obtained after the yagnas.
Kothandaramaswamy Temple: Kothandaramaswamy temple is situated on the southern most tip of India on the island near Bay of Bengal. Indian Ocean covers it from all its sides. There had been several instances of cyclone in the area but the temple stayed intact even in most critical times. Lakshmana Tirtham: Lakshmana Tirtham has been con-
structed in memory of Lord Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama. In order to offer sacred prayers to Lakshmana, the temple has been constructed in Rameshwaram itself which indicates that Lakshman had been given a valuable place in the dynasty of Lord Rama. Several wonderful sculptures of Lakshmana have been carved out from marble and the temple has the statues of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita too. Rama Tirtham (Gandamadana): Rama Tirtham is constructed on the Gandamadhana Parvata hence it is also called Gandamadana. It is constructed on the island and is considered to be the most sacred pilgrim place in southern India. In this temple there is a chakra on which the imprints of Lord Rama have been engraved. It is little away from Dhanushkodi, which is a place where Rama met Vibhishana. Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple: It is a beautiful temple in southern India which was created for worshipping Lord Rama. The Five-faced Hanuman Temple: This temple is based on the mythological evidence that Hanuman showed his profile with five faces here. He is believed to be adorned with senthooram at this particular place. The statues of Rama, Lakshaman and Sita are also placed in the temple. Best time to visit Rameswaram has a tropical climate and can be visited any time of the year. But the best time to visit is from October to April. How to reach By Train:
Rameshwaram (Mandapan station just 2 km away) is well connected by rail with many south Indian cities. By Air: Madurai is the nearest airport to Rameshwaram, which is located at a distance of 163 km. By Bus: Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corporation buses
Ram Setu
connect Rameshwaram with all cities in Tamil Nadu, including Kanyakumari, Madurai, Trichy and Thanajvur. Overnight deluxe super fast buses connect Chennai and Bangalore with Rameswaram. Both cities are nearly 600 km away.
February 26, 2016
Travel & Hospitality Post
India Post
43
www.indiapost.com
Disney Dream named best overall large ship
C
ruiseCritic.com has an nounced the winners of its annual cruisers' choice awards, based on ratings submitted with reviews from passengers published on the site. Disney Cruise Line won 11 firstplace awards, nine in the large ship category. Disney Dream was named best overall large ship, best for families, best cabins and best public rooms. Disney Cruise Line also won best entertainment and best service for Disney Dream in the large ship category and for Disney Wonder in the mid-ship size. Viking Star was the only new ship named to the list of winners, named best for first-timers, and in the small ship category, winning for best cabins and best public rooms. Oceania's Marina ship won best dining in the mid-size category and its Riviera ship won best cabins and best fitness and recreation in mid-size.
Carnival Freedom won best value for money, the third year in a row that Carnival Cruise Line has won that award in the large ship category, with Carnival Liberty winning it the past two years. Hol-
sengers, won in the small ships category for best value for money and best dining. Celebrity Xpedition won best overall in the small ship category.
land America Maasdam won best value among mid-size ships, along with best overall and best for embarkation. Island Windjammers' Sagitta, a ship carrying just 24 pas-
NEW RELAIS & CHATEAUX MEMBERS Relais & Chateaux has added eight new properties to its collection of 540 independently owned
Tourism now a $19B industry in South Carolina CHARLESTON, S.C.: Tourism has posted record numbers for three straight years, growing into a $19 billion industry in South Carolina, state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Duane Parrish announced. Parrish told attendees at the Governor's Conference on Tourism & Travel that tourism meant $19.1 billion to state's economy during 2014. He said the figure was up about 5.5 percent, or about $1 billion, from the previous year. Overall impact figures lag about a year behind the calendar year. Parrish noted that 2015 was another record year in several other
important tourism categories. Hotel occupancy statewide was just over 62 percent - an increase of 2.1 percent over the previous year. Revenue per available room, an important gauge of industry health, was over $65 - an increase of 7 percent and better than the national growth rate of 6.3 percent. And last year about $1.1 billion in new tourism development was announced statewide. The strong figures were recorded despite last October's devastating floods that, according to estimates, resulted in a drop of as much as $35 million in visitor spending because of un-
certainty about what destinations were open. Parrish called the national media coverage of the flooding ``both a blessing and a curse.'' It was a blessing, he said, because such coverage encouraged people elsewhere to send aid to help the people of South Carolina recover. But it was curse because coverage focusing on floods ``gave the impression that the entire state was in a shambles'' causing ``a tidal wave'' of reservation cancelations. Coastal destinations such as Myrtle Beach and Charleston mounted media campaigns with television, print, Internet and social media letting visitors know tourist destinations were open, as were the roads leading to the coast. The theme of the state campaign was ``Our Coast is Clear.'' Parrish also announced a new marketing campaign to focus on what he called South Carolina's ``liquid assets.'' The ``Satisfy Your Thirst'' campaign is designed to draw visitors to businesses that make everything from beer to tea and from milk to moonshine. -AP
hotels and restaurants in 64 countries. Properties admitted to the hospitality membership association are selected on the basis of an inspection system with more than 300 criteria, emphasizing superior cuisine among other things. Many of Relais & Chateaux's boutique hotels are also historic properties. New members for this year include three in the United Kingdom _ Midsummer House in Cambridge, Idle Rocks in St. Mawes and Llangoed Hall in Brecon, Wales. Also admitted for 2016: Saison in San Francisco, Rockpool in Sydney, Australia, Villa Rene Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder, France, Les Cols in Olat, Spain, and La Bamba de Areco in San Antonio de Areco,
Argentina. Saison boasts three Michelin stars, Midsummer House has two and Les Cols has two. NEW GREAT WOLF LODGE IN CALIFORNIA Great Wolf Lodge is opening its first California property. The resort, with a 100,000square-foot indoor waterpark, is located in Garden Grove, in Southern California's Orange County, a few miles from Disneyland and a short drive from Los Angeles, San Diego and John Wayne Airport. This is Great Wolf Lodge's 13th property. The new lodge includes seven dining options, all-suite accommodations, a kids' spa, laser tag and a bowling alley. The first Great Wolf Lodge opened in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, in 1997. The company's next new location will open in late 2016 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. -AP
Thomas Cook accommodation deal with Airbnb NEW DELHI: Travel services provider Thomas Cook (India) (TCIL) has entered into an agree-
ment with accommodation website Airbnb to offer Indian out-bound travelers access to a range of unique accommodation experience. The company intends to offer families, ad-hoc groups of friends and business-cum-leisure travelers access to Airbnb's unique stay options across apartments, private rooms, castles, boats, manors, tree houses and private islands, Thomas Cook India said in a filing to BSE. Thomas Cook India Chairman and MD Madhavan Menon said: "The Indian traveler is evolving
rapidly and for many, standard stays no longer find favor. Our partnership with Airbnb for outbound Indian travelers aims to address this viable and yet untapped market need." The company's strategic focus is to target highpotential growth opportunities via innovation in products and partnerships, and tie-up with Airbnb reiterates delivery of this intent, he added. "We are excited to work with a leader in India's travel market to give Indian travelers the opportunity to have unique and truly authentic local experience by staying at one of our more than two million properties around the world," Head of Global Airbnb Operations Varsha Rao said. Prem Watsa's Fairfax Financial Holdings-promoted TCIL's footprint -exclusive of its subsidiaries
- currently extends to over 232 locations, including 23 airport counters, in 92 cities across India, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.-PTI
In Brief Canada restores healthcare for refugees OTTAWA: The Canadian government has announced it will restore interim healthcare coverage to all refugees, including failed claimants during appeals of their case, effective April 1. Beginning next year, Ottawa also will pay for medical examinations and certain vaccinations prior to an asylum seeker's arrival in Canada. "The reform will ensure that all refugees and refugee claimants can access services based exclusively on their health needs," Immigration Minister John McCallum told reporters. "These changes will improve the health outcomes of refugees. They will reduce longer term healthcare costs... And they will help protect the health of all Canadians," he added. The previous Tory administration had in 2012 nixed government health insurance for refugee claimants who had been rejected. This led to widespread confusion about who was insured and who was not entitled to government health benefits, which led some doctors to turn away all refugees and others to provide care without reimbursement of the cost from Ottawa. -PTI
„ MHA told to disclose info on immigration NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission has directed the Union Home Ministry to disclose records related to the establishment of the Bureau of Immigration which is part of the Intelligence Bureau, an organization exempted from RTI Act. One Bengaluru-based Asif Ayaz had sought information on seven points from the Ministry of Home Affairs on the establishment of Bureau of Immigration, records related to its origin, executive orders and mandate from Parliament for its creation. Rather than responding to the queries, the Home Ministry transferred the application to the Bureau of Immigration which cited its status as being exempted from the RTI Act under Section 24. Ayaz challenged this before the Commission, saying information related to the Bureau which is not listed as exempted organization in second schedule, needs to be given. While the Bureau defended its position of being exempted from RTI Act, saying it is part of IB which is listed as exempted from the transparency law, it also said the records sought by Ayaz can be provided by MHA which holds them. -PTI
Immigration 44 India Post
www.indiapost.com
February 26, 2016
Arizona bill allows refusal of refugees Details on page 46
Silicon Valley wants 'dramatic expansion' of H1-B visa WASHINGTON: With IT firms struggling to find quality and right number of professionals, a top American CEO has called for a "dramatic expansion" of the H-1B visa scheme - popular among Indian tech firms - to meet the growing demand. "The entire Silicon Valley believes that the H-1B visa policy needs to be dramatically expanded," Bill Coleman CEO of Veritas said. "We can't hire enough good people. They are just not available here. The salaries here are going through the roof, because everybody is competing to hire from everybody else," he said. Coleman, a former chairman of Silicon Valley Leadership Group, is involved with the Silicon Valley for about 40 years. Early this month, he became the CEO of Veritas, which has re-emerged as a newlyindependent company after its purchase by The Carlyle Group for $7.4
billion on January 29. Soon headed to India, where Veritas has about 1,700 people working for it with Pune being a major centre, Coleman said he plans to migrate some of his facilities to India from Florida.
US. But in a blow to Indian IT firms, the US has imposed an additional fee of up to $4,500 for certain categories of H-1B visa. Amidst revival of the US economy wherein the unemployment rate has hit below 5%, Coleman referred to the huge
"That is a priority," he said. The H1B visa is designed to allow US employers to recruit and employ foreign professionals in specialty occupations within the
shortage of quality IT professionals the Silicon Valley faces. "In Silicon Valley you go to Apple, Facebook or Google, open their websites, you will find thou-
sands of open jobs. One of the biggest problems here is that everybody is trying to hire from everybody else. As they can't find enough good candidates what they are doing is pushing the salaries through the moon," he said. Referring to a conversation he recently had with Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, Coleman described a "crazy" incident when the hiring-salary of a data scientist skyrocketed. "I know this is a very very extreme example. I was talking to Eric Smith a while ago. He was telling me that they had a really really top machine learning data scientist who they were trying to recruit. They ended up getting him, but with a $10 million sign on bonus. That's crazy," he said. Coleman said the number of H1B visas should be based on market demand and the program's expansion is one of the top priorities for the Silicon Valley. -PTI
Indian docs hit by new visa rules in UK LONDON: Indian doctors in the UK may find it difficult to apply for jobs under the proposed changes to the country's visa regime with plans to introduce a new test for the employers for ensuring European workers are given priority for skilled jobs. If employers wished to recruit a migrant from outside the settled workforce for a skilled job, they will need to show that they have carried out the Resident Labor Market Test (RLMT) unless the post is on the shortage occupation list, according to the new proposals. The UK Migration Advisory Committee's recommendation of a new RLMT to ensure UK and European workers are given priority for skilled jobs would mean that Indian medical graduates will be eligible to apply for higher training posts within the UK's National Health Service (NHS) only once most vacan-
cies are already filled up. The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), a representative body of nearly 50,000 Indian-origin doctors in the country, has de-
President Dr Ramesh Mehta told PTI. "These new proposals solve political issues and not practical problems. In real life, these proposals are unlikely to work prop-
"These new proposals solve political issues and not practical problems. In real life, these proposals are unlikely to work properly. The UK needs professional staff in the healthcare field as there is a huge shortage of doctors and nurses in the country. This move will cause chaos for the NHS� cided to write to the UK Home Office warning of an impending "chaos" for NHS. "We want to ensure Indian doctors are not used simply as a pair of hands to service the NHS. They should be treated equally as local doctors and given proper training before they return to their countries of origin," BAPIO
erly. The UK needs professional staff in the healthcare field as there is a huge shortage of doctors and nurses in the country. This move will cause chaos for the NHS, besides being unfair on doctors from overseas," he said. As part of a wider plan to engage with the NHS, BAPIO has facilitated a memorandum of un-
derstanding (MoU) between the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham and the Maharashtra government to initially bring 10 doctors from India to train in emergency medicine in the UK. "Emergency medicine is at a nascent stage in India and under this win-win situation, the NHS gets qualified doctors to meet shortages and the Indian doctors get mentoring and training in the UK. "At the end of the two years, these specially trained doctors will return to government hospitals in Maharashtra and a new batch of 10 doctors will take their place," Mehta said. BAPIO is planning on expanding these MoUs on a national scale between India and the UK. "Foreign health workers make a valuable contribution to the NHS," Department of Health (DoH) said. -PTI
Immigration Post
February 26, 2016
India Post 45
www.indiapost.com
Trump softens stand against Pope WASHINGTON: Hours after calling Pope Francis's explosive remarks against him "disgraceful", Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump in a damage-control move appeared to have mellowed down his outburst saying he does not "like fighting with Pope". The pontiff in a criticism of the controversial real-estate tycoon had said that Trump cannot claim to be a Christian and slammed his comments on immigration in particular building a wall along the US-Mexico border. Trump, 69, in a swift reaction had fired back at the Pope calling Francis's remarks "disgraceful" but later softened his stand on the Catholic leader. "I don't like fighting with the Pope, actually. I don't think this is a fight. I think he said something much softer than was originally reported by the media. I think that he heard one side of the story, which is probably by the Mexican government," Trump said.
"I have a lot of respect for the Pope. I think he's got a lot of personality. He's a very different kind of a guy, and I think he's doing a very good job. He's a lot of energy," Trump said at a townhall organized by CNN in South Carolina. Pope's comment had come in an interaction with reporters travelling on his plane on his way back to Vatican from Mexico where he visited this week. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Pope Francis had told reporters. "Thank God he said I was a politician, because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicus.' So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn - well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people," said the 79year-old leader of 1.2 billion Catholics. Trump late last night said: "I
would say that I think he was very much misinterpreted, and I also think he was given false informa-
Donald Trump
tion. If he would have heard our side from people that live in the United States?" But earlier in the day he had called Pope's comment "disgrace-
Dozens of Iraqi migrants return home BAGHDAD: Emotional scenes unfolded at the Baghdad International Airport as dozens of Iraqis who had sought refuge in Europe returned home. More than a hundred Iraqis, mostly young men, landed in Baghdad on a flight from Finland. Some kneeled, kissing the ground.
in Iraq." She was just one of 103 people who returned to Iraq according to Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Jamal. Over the past 12 months thousands of Iraqis are estimated to have returned home from Europe, citing lack of economic opportu-
Iraqis arrive from Europe at Baghdad International Airport.
Many were holding the so-called "yellow passport," travel documents issued by Iraqi embassies in Europe and elsewhere to those wishing to return home. "It's too difficult to live there," said one of the women, Um Ealia, who declined to be identified by her full name fearing for her own security. "I've come back home. I feel happy. I have good memories
nity due to language barriers, cold weather and cultural differences as the reasons for going back after often harrowing journeys by sea and land that can take weeks. The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration says it helped nearly 3,500 Iraqis return from Europe in 2015 alone. But the OIM says that is just a fraction of the total estimated num-
ful." "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgrace-
ber as many individuals and families return by the own means. In 2015, an estimated 70,000 Iraqis joined the tide of refugees and migrants making the thousands of miles long journey to Europe in an effort to escape war and poverty across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, according to figures from the IOM. "We are very pleased with the arrival," said Jamal, the foreign ministry spokesman in Baghdad. "Those people represent the first batch of Iraqi migrants in Finland who voluntarily wish to come back home." The flight was organized by the Helsinki Police Department, which has organized flights for returning migrants for more than a decade and said they are ready to continue similar chartered flights between the two countries to meet a growing number of returning Iraqis, according to Detective Superintendent Hannu Pietila. More than 3,100 Iraqis in Finland have withdrawn their asylum applications since January 2015, but most paid their own way back or caught flights organized by the European Union from other countries, Immigration officials in Finland said. -PTI
ful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President," Trump had said. He said he was surprised to see the comment from the Pope. "I didn't think it was a good thing for him to say, frankly. He was talking about the border. I'm very strong on border security. We are talking about building a wall. We're gonna build a wall, and Mexico's gonna pay for the wall, and that's the way it is," Trump had said. (Reopens FGN 4) Trump's rivals from his own Republican party supported him and differed with Francis in separating religion and politics. "I just don't think it's appropriate to question Donald Trump's faith. He knows what his faith is. And if he has a relationship with the lord, fantastic. If he doesn't, it's none of my business," former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a
Catholic, said. "We have a right to build a wall, but I've got to tell you, there are too many walls between us. We need bridges between us if we're going to fix the problems in Washington because all they do is have walls," Ohio Governor John Kasich said. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a devout Catholic, said he disagreed with Francis. "I disagree with a lot of thing that Donald Trump has said, but I do think America has right to secure its border," he told Fox News. Rubio stressed that America is "one of the most generous countries" in the world when it comes to immigration. "We admit a million people every year permanently legally to this country. Mexico does not do that, other countries do not do that," he said. The White House refrained from entering into the controversy but took a dig at Trump. "I think I can just say, as a general matter, that President Obama had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to address the National Prayer Breakfast, where he talked about his own personal faith, his own personal Christian faith, informed his view of the values and priorities that he has chosen to champion in the White House," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. "We have noted, I think on a number of occasions, we've had the opportunity to note that many of those values and priorities are not shared by Trump. So I will, however, though, extend to Trump the courtesy that he has not extended to the President, and not use this opportunity to call into question the kind of private personal conversations that he's having with his God," Earnest said. PTI
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Immigration Post
46 India Post
February 26, 2016
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Arizona bill allows refusal of refugees PHOENIX: Tempers flared as an Arizona House panel passed a measure prompted by the Paris terror attacks that would allow the state to refuse to help resettle refugees if it can't ensure they have been properly screened and vetted for risks. Republicans said they don't trust the federal government to properly vet incoming refugees. Democrats pleaded against passing another bill that would stereotype the state for demonizing foreigners. Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, said his measure also would require the federal government's refugee resettlement program to reimburse the state for any costs it incurs. ``These refuges have trauma, they have war-related problems, that tells me that those people are going to need a huge amount of dollars from taxpayers,'' he said. Arizona's Republican-controlled Legislature is one of several in the U.S. considering bills pushing back against the resettlement program. Florida lawmakers are considering legislation allowing the gov-
ernor to use military force to keep out immigrants or refugees from countries outside the Western Hemisphere. South Carolina's Legislature is considering a proposal requiring state police to track refugees com-
More than 3,600 refugees resettled in Arizona in the past budget year starting in July, according to legislative analysts. The state's refugees come from all over the world, including Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Volunteers help refugees and migrants to disembark from a dinghy after their arrival from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbo
ing to the state and hold their sponsors liable for damages if they commit an act of terrorism The Arizona Department of Economic Security operates the state's Refugee Resettlement Program, which is funded entirely through the federal government.
The department received nearly $13 million in federal grants to help provide resettlement services including medical aid, employment and English-language assistance in the budget year starting last July. Rep. Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix,
Immigrants protest Wisconsin legislative proposals MADISON, Wis.: Thousands of protesters marched around the Wisconsin Capitol and hundreds more packed the rotunda chanting and waving signs in protest of state legislation they consider antiimmigrant. The predominantly Hispanic crowd came from across the state as part of a planned rally called ``A Day Without Immigrants and Latinos in Wisconsin'' to push back against an Assembly bill they say would legitimize racial profiling and a Senate proposal they say would block counties from issuing local identification cards to non-citizens. The crowd outside - estimated at 14,000 by Madison police chanted ``yes, we can!'' in Spanish and waved signs that read ``All We Want is Equality,'' ``Stop Racist Laws,'' and ``Skin Color Is Not Reasonable Suspicion.'' But Republican supporters stood behind the proposals, saying the protesters were being misled. ``It's unfortunate Democratic activists are using fear and misinformation to drive a wedge,'' Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said. The local ID bill would ban towns and counties from issuing
identification to those who don't have access to a state ID. It would also specify that such documentation couldn't be used to vote or obtain public benefits.
Silvia Bello, 41, drove over 100 miles with her family of four from Sheboygan to Madison to protest the measures, taking the day off work on a ranch. Bello said she
Thousands of Latinos, immigrants and their supporters congregate inside the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wis. to protest legislative bills they believe to be anti-immigration
It wasn't clear when the state Senate would take up the legislation or whether it had enough support to pass. The measure says local governments can't prohibit police from inquiring about immigration status of someone charged with a crime or from working with federal immigration authorities.
came to the U.S. 18 years ago from Mexico and that it's worth missing a day of work to support immigrants and push for drivers' licenses for immigrants living here illegally. ``Many ranchers came,'' Bello said in Spanish. ``This is very important for us.'' ' -AP
said Thorpe's measure is unnecessary since the program is federally funded. ``What it does do is send yet another message that we are motivated by fear, that we want to keep people out that don't look like us,'' she said. Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott, said he doesn't trust the government to do its job and there may be other costs to letting immigrants into the country. ``We all know how the government operates. You hear these great things about how we are going to vet people and it never happens and people come into this country and cause great damage,'' Campbell said adding later the country has been ``overrun by immigrants and illegals.'' The federal government subjects refugees to the highest level of security checks of any travelers headed to the U.S., according to a White House blog on refugee resettlement. Federal authorities check biometric data, identifying documents, criminal and medical records and travel history. An Iraqi war veteran testified
that now isn't the time for the state to discuss turning away refugees. ``We as American are not fearful. We are prudent and cautious,'' said Leonard Clark, a Phoenix native. ``I don't want another voyage of the damned where (refugees) are turned back and murdered.'' Another bill by Republican House Speaker David Gowan requires an audit of the refugee resettlement program and state costs. Gowan says his House Bill 2691 was prompted by safety concerns. The House committee on federalism passed both measures on a 5-3 vote. The bills now undergo a standard review before going to a House vote. The ongoing refugee crisis stems from the civil war in Syria. The push to block refugees was prompted by the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds. Gov. Doug Ducey previously called for a pause in refugee resettlement in Arizona. But he conceded the state has no oversight of the program other than consulting with federal officials. -AP
Indian restaurant owner banned in UK LONDON: A 40-year-old Indian-origin restaurant owner in the UK who employed four illegal immigrants at his eatery has been disqualified for six years from being director of a limited company. Harcharan Singh Sekhon, owner of the Bombay Blues restaurant in Glasgow, gave an undertaking to UK Insolvency Service not to manage or control a company for six years until 2022, an insolvency service statement said. "The Insolvency Service rigorously pursues directors who break employment and immigration laws. Taking on staff illegally means they do not enjoy basic employment rights, a clear breach of a director's duties," said Robert Clarke, Group Leader, Insolvent Investigations North. "The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences. Running a limited company brings with it statutory obligations as well as protections, and this should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to take on illegal staff," he said. An investigation by the Insolvency Service found that Sekhon's failed as a director of Kirkcrest Limited to ensure that the company
complied with its statutory obligations under immigration law (specifically, to make sure that relevant immigration checks were completed and copy documents retained), resulting in the employment of four illegal workers. Following a visit from the UK Home Office Immigration officers in January last year, during which the illegal workers were discovered, the company was issued with a 25,000-pound penalty notice, which remained outstanding at the date of liquidation. All the illegal workers were also found to be paid less than the national minimum wage, contrary to the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. "I failed to ensure that Kirkcrest Limited (Kirkcrest) complied with its statutory obligations under The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to ensure that relevant immigration checks were completed and copy documents retained resulting in the employment of four illegal workers," Sekhon admitted in his undertaking to the Insolvency Service. "In addition, I caused or allowed Kirkcrest to breach the National Minimum Wage Act 1998," Sekhon said. -PTI
Datebook
February 26, 2016
NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sun, Feb 28
NEW YORK
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Upcoming
Upcoming
Sat, Feb 27
• NJTS 2016 Annual Membership
• Sham-E-Ghazal with Savita Ahuja and Deepak Puri
Venue: New jersey Tamil Sangam, 30 Ginger Dr, NJ 08837 Time: 09:00 pm
Venue: Royal Palace, 77 Knollwood Road, White Plains, NY 10607 Time : 7:30 pm Contact: 347-341-9494
Sun, Feb 28 • NJTS 2016 Annual Membership Venue: New jersey Tamil Sangam, 30 Ginger Dr, NJ 08837 Time : 9:00 pm
Sat, Mar 19 • Namam Excellence Award Night 2016 Venue: Royal Alberts Palace, 1050 King Georges Post Road, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 5:00 pm Contact: 848-667-3313
Sat, Mar 26 • Holi Bollywood Dance Party-Play with Real Colors Venue: Maple / Aspen Club, 157 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036 Time : 9:30 pm Contact: 646-543-8127
Mon, Feb 29
India Post 47
CHICAGO
Upcoming
Venue: CET Anthony Soto Theater, 701,Vine
Sun, Mar 14 • Strings n Beats -Shakir Khan (Sitar), Harshad Kanetkat (Tabla), Shambhavi Dandekar (Kathak Dance)
Street, San Jose, CA 95110
Venue: Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum
Time: 4:00 pm
Rock Avenue, San Jose, CA 95116
Contact: 408-252-1359
Time: 4:30 pm
Sun, Feb 28 • 2016 Annual passes
Sat, Mar 19 • KKNC Presents - Rock on Raaga
Sun, Feb 28 • Vidwan Sikkil Gurucharan vocal concert
Venue: CET Anthony Soto Theater, 701,Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110 Time: 4:00 pm
• Sulekha Seating
Contact: 408-252-1359
Venue: Tester Venue, 123 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036 Time : 1:00 pm
Fri, Mar 4 • Pankaj Udhas Live In Concert - Bay Area Venue: India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 08:30 pm
Venue: Carrington Hall, 1201 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062 Time: 04:00 pm
ATLANTA Upcoming Fri, Mar 11 • Purani Yaadein Bollywood Musical Journey Venue: Atlanta Event Hall, 3750 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096 Time: 08:30 pm
Sat, Mar 5 • Open Mic Karaoke Event - The Golden 90s Venue: Vara Indian Cuisine, 250 E Java Dr,
Sat, Mar 19 • Bollywood Beats 2016 (FundRaiser Supporting Kids Battling Cancer)
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Venue: Norcross High School, 5300
Time: 7:30 pm
Spalding Dr, Norcross, GA 30092 Time: 4:30 pm
Sat, Mar 12 • Bally Sagoo Live In Bay area Venue: The Glass House, 2 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113 Time: 9:00 pm
Sat, Apr 9 • Hope Night At The Hawks Venue: Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303 Time: 7:30 pm
ILLINOIS Upcoming 1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807
Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105
Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105
Swami Ishatmananda • Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy of life Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662
• India Eternal: From the Vedic Age to the Present Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 N. Main Street Glendale Heights, IL 60139 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 630-655-8822
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Philosophy
February 26, 2016
India Post 49
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A
ccording to the Vedanta one has to know the real nature of one's own Self. But such knowledge is impossible without the renunciation of ego. The ego is like a stick that seems to divide the water in two. It makes you feel that you are one and I am another. When the ego disappears in samadhi, then one knows Brahman to be one's own inner consciousness. One must renounce the 'I' that makes one feel 'I am a learned man', and so on. But the 'ego of Knowledge' does not injure one. Sankaracharya retained the 'ego of Knowledge' in order to teach mankind. Warning about lust One cannot obtain the Knowledge of Brahman unless one is extremely cautious about women. Therefore it is very difficult for those who live in the world to get such Knowledge. However clever you may be, you will stain your body if you live in a sooty room. The company of a young woman evokes lust even in a lustless man. "But it is not so harmful for a householder who follows the path of knowledge to enjoy conjugal happiness with his own wife now and then. He may satisfy his sexual impulse like any other natural impulse. Yes, you may enjoy a sweetmeat once in a while. It is not so harmful for a householder.
CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU
G
lory to the sri-krishnasankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them. One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one
Hard discipline for sannyasi "But it is extremely harmful for a sannyasi. He must not look even at the portrait of a woman. A monk enjoying a woman is like a man swallowing the spittle he has already spat out. A sannyasi must not sit near a woman and talk to her, even if she is intensely pious. No, he must not talk to a woman even though he may have controlled his passion.
the Marwaris depositing money for me with Hriday. I said: 'No, I won't allow even that. If I keep money near me, it will certainly raise clouds.' "Why all these strict rules for a sannyasi? It is for the welfare of mankind as well as for his own good. A sannyasi may himself lead an unattached life and may have controlled his passion, but he must renounce 'woman and gold' to set an example to the
holder after attaining Brahmajnana. "Janaka fenced with two swords, the one of jnana and the other of karma. The sannyasi renounces action; therefore he fences with one sword only, that of knowledge. A householder, endowed with knowledge like Janaka's, can enjoy fruit both from the tree and from the ground. He can serve holy men, entertain guests, and do other things like
A sannyasi must renounce both 'woman' and 'gold' "A man will have the courage to practice renunciation if he sees one hundred percent renunciation in a sannyasi. Then only will he try to give up 'woman and gold'. If a sannyasi Ramakrishna Paramhansa
does not set this example, then who will?
"A sannyasi must renounce both 'woman' and 'gold'. As he must not look even at the portrait of a woman, so also he must not touch gold, that is to say, money. It is bad for him even to keep money near him, for it brings in its train calculation, worry, insolence, anger, and such evils. There is an instance in the sun: it shines brightly; suddenly a cloud appears and hides it. "That is why I didn't agree to
world. "A man will have the courage to practice renunciation if he sees one hundred percent renunciation in a sannyasi. Then only will he try to give up 'woman and gold'. If a sannyasi does not set this example, then who will? "One may lead a householder's life after realizing God. It is like churning butter from milk and then keeping the butter in water. Janaka led the life of a house-
that. "After attaining Brahmajnana one does not have to discriminate even about food. The rishis of olden times, endowed with the Knowledge of Brahman and having experienced divine bliss, ate everything, even pork. Excerpted from 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' by M. The 180th birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna will be celebrated on February 18
should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly. O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devo-
flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name? O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your ab-
Some quotations • That birth, that deed, that mind or that word of the people which is conducive to and acceptable for service of Sri Krishna is worth its name. • The greatest benefactor is he who can enlighten us with the knowledge of God thus removing our age-long gloom of ignorance. • Intelligence cannot be purified
“I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your cause-
tional service, birth after birth. O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet. O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love
sence. I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.
Once there is a distance between you and your thought process, a new freedom is born. With this freedom, a new perception arises. -Sadhguru The beginning of freedom is the realization that you are not "the thinker. -Eckart Tolle True freedom is always spiritual. It has something to do with your innermost being, which cannot be chained, handcuffed, or put into a jail. -Osho Real values can have meaning to man only when he steps on to the spiritual path, a path where negative emotions have no use." -Sai Baba
His holy name alone can render all benediction
less devotional service, birth after birth.”
Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so too there is but one taste fundamental to all true teachings of the way, and this is the taste of freedom. -Buddha
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
without devotion to God. By severe austerities those having come near liberation are hurled down by their lack of devotion to God. Excerpted from Shikshashtaka: The Eight Prayers by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The 530th birth anniversary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be observed on February 18
It is love alone that leads to right action. What brings order in the world is to love and let love do what it will. J-Krishnamurti Love gives us in a moment what we can hardly attain by effort after years of toil. -Goethe
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50 India Post
February 26, 2016
Pics- Preeti Verma Lal
Pradeep V Naik in his Ashvek Vintage World in Nuvem, Goa
D
PREETI VERMA LAL
ecades have flitted past but Goa's vintage car collector Pradeep V Naik has not forgotten that rosy day in 1970s when his uncle drove home in a new Mercedes Benz. Price: Rs 5,000. Naik looked at the shiny four-wheeler and flinched. "Such a waste of money," he blurted. Soon, when his uncle bought the wooden-body Portuguese Carrera, Naik coaxed him to scrimp. "Why waste money?" He chorused. But Naik's car-hate story was doomed - it turned upside down when he was bewitched by a 1931 black Peugeot 311. He hurriedly signed a cheque for Rs 3,000, paid Rs 8,000 as RTO tax and brought the black beauty home. That day Naik got hooked to cars. And how! Today, 16 vintage cars are displayed in Nuvem's Ashvek Vintage World, the only vintage car museum in Goa. That's not all the cars he can count. He owns every Mercedes model made between 1939 and 2012. Add to that the 12 Morris Minors. 1945 Austin Ruby. 1929
Today, 16 vintage cars are displayed in Nuvem's Ashvek Vintage World, the only vintage car museum in Goa. That's not all the cars he can count. He owns every Mercedes model made between 1939 and 2012. Ford A. 1928 Essex. 1938 Mercedes 170 that Roger Moore drove for the 1980 war-film The Sea Wolves. A World War II Vidal Tempo (Wehrmacht) made for the German military and later owned by the Maharaja of Sawantwadi. A 1956 DKW Wunga, a 4-wheel jeep with 3 cylinders and two-stroke engine. And a white stretch Beetle on which Naik got Mario Miranda's iconic caricatures painted. Besides, the cars stacked in the Ashvek gallery, Naik also has an enviable collection of miniature cars. Cont'd on Page 53
February 26, 2016
India Post 51 www.indiapost.com
Singer, music director & now actor
W
e sat down with singer, music director com poser Shekhar Ravjiani, who recently made his debut as an actor with the critically acclaimed movie Neerja. Here are some excerpts from the candid conversation:
KAVI AGRAWAL
with each other and she was extremely supportive. The entire team has been a dream to work with. It's been a beautiful journey. You sang Gehra Ishq in the movie, tell us something about
and most recently my rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa. And yes, the response to the Chalisa has been overwhelming and continues to pour in. I have five or six more singles lined up and will share them soon.
with Vishal Dadlani and singer Neeti Mohan. What do you have in store for your American fans? S: We always love performing for our fans in America and they give us a lot of love and affection. As always our fans can expect us
What was special about Neerja that convinced you to make an Acting debut with Neerja? Shekhar: When Atul and Ram approached me for the role, what struck me was the sincerity of the film and the team behind it. When a film is so honest and a story so compelling, you can only feel blessed that it came your way and that's how I felt. There have been many offers in the past but none really tempted me to take the leap into acting. However with Neerja, it felt like the right film and the right time to do it. And couldn't be happier that this is my first film. Describe your experience shooting for Neerja? S: I have to say I enjoyed every single minute of it. Being in front of the camera was a fantastic experience and learning the ropes
Shekhar Ravjiani will be touring North America with fellow Music Director Composer Singer Vishal Dadlani and singer Neeti Mohan. They will be performing locally on April 17th at San Jose City Civic Center. under a director as brilliant as my dear friend Ram Madhvani was a privilege. Sonam and I go back a long way and so we were very comfortable
Shekhar Ravjiani with Sonam Kapoor in Neerja
it? S: Gehra Ishq is a beautiful song penned brilliantly by Prasoon Joshi and composed by the very talented young composer Vishal Khurana. When Ram asked me to sing the track I was happy to do so. It's a beautiful song and we had a great time recording the track. The fact that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves is apparent in the music video that was shot during the recording session. The song has been received with a lot of love by everyone and it seems to have captured a lot of hearts. Extremely happy to have been a part of it. Your Hanuman Chalisa has been a huge hit, would you be doing any others along similar lines? S: I began my journey of independent singles four years ago with my Marathi singles Saazni, Saavli, a Telugu song Butterfly
It's a lovely feeling to be able to create the kind of music that comes from the heart and is not dictated by any other objective. It's a journey I hope to continue no matter what detours I take. Unshakable Faith - a series of inspirational quotes from you What made you start those, how come no recent additions? S: When we were trying to get people to understand the ethos behind the Hanuman Chalisa, my team shared some inspirational messages that I had tweeted in the form of posts on Facebook labeled Unshakable Faith. And these were extremely popular with people. We did it as part of the Hanuman Chalisa promotions but now because of popular demand we will probably bring them back. You are scheduled to be on a 12 City tour across America along
to bring the house down. There's gonna be a lot of madness, jumping, dancing along with the music they've been waiting for. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my music making people happy. Every time I am on stage, I feel empowered to give someone the time of their life and that's what every single person who attends the shows can expect. You as a good looking singer, music director and now actor, with a huge fan following. You
have now composed the Fan Anthem, who are you a fan of and why? S: Thank you for the kind words. Still a long way to go. And nobody reminds me of that more than the one person I am the biggest fan of...Mr. Amitabh Bacchan. I have nothing but love, respect and admiration for him. His dedication to his work, his sheer energy and ability to still have so much to offer to the industry and all his fans. Seeing him tells me how much harder I need to work and how much further I have to travel. And the journey's only just begun.
“The fact that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves is apparent in the music video that was shot during the recording session. The song has been received with a lot of love by everyone and it seems to have captured a lot of hearts.� Shekhar Ravjiani will be touring North America with fellow Music Director Composer Singer Vishal Dadlani and singer Neeti Mohan. They will be performing locally on April 17th at San Jose City Civic Center.
52 India Post
February 26, 2016 www.indiapost.com
My flight has taken off: Prashantt Guptha India Post News Service
T
he actor who left New York to pursue his Bollywood dreams is now going from strength to strength after years of struggling to simply gain access and employment in tinsel town. The actor recalls those torturous years when he would go from office to office, pursue everyone for work, there wouldn't be anything to do, the phone wouldn't ring, emails and messages went unanswered and rejections became second nature. "I dip into a subtle trauma every time I recall those years. What pulls me out is the sudden realization that it's in the past, like after a plane has successfully surpassed turbulent clouds," says Prashantt. On the note of a plane passing turbulent clouds, Prashantt Guptha is seen in the current highly acclaimed and
talked about film, Neerja. He plays an Indian-American, much like himself, based on an actual character and incident from that fateful 1986 hijack of Pan Am airlines. Prashantt had read about the film Prashantt Guptha
back in 2014 and bagged the film in 2015 after pursuing director Ram
Madhwani, whose documentary on Amitabh Bachchan he had seen in New York during his production internship years in The Big Apple. "The entire struggle was up to the audition room in a small studio in a narrow Mumbai lane. When asked if I can pull off an American accent, I had a strong feeling this one was mine," claims Prashantt, owing that moment to having been raised in USA. The film is the talk of the town, a landmark in its own right and an additional feather in the cap of the young actor who now wears many hats. Apart from Neerja, Prashantt will be seen playing an investigation officer in 19th January, a docudrama on the civil war between Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims. The film stars veteran actress Deepti Naval. He is currently shooting for a film called Irada, with seniors Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. Prashantt plays a pivotal and dramatic role in this film, shot entirely in Punjab. Films like Issaq (2013) and Identity Card (2014) were sort of gamechangers for him. Post the acclaim of his film Identity Card back in
2014, Prashantt witnessed a sudden shift in his life, perhaps cosmically. After winning best supporting actor at The Festival of Globe in Silicon Valley and post the film's release, he went onto win the Pride of Rajasthan award at The Rajasthan International Film Festival.
Apart from Neerja, Prashantt will be seen playing an investigation officer in 19th January, a docudrama on the civil war between Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims. The film stars veteran actress Deepti Naval. Shortly thereafter, both festivals made him an instrumental player in the respective organizations. "This was a golden opportunity, to be a part of something
huge in my birth country and my native state. I then facilitated an alliance between both festivals and was instrumental informing multiple avenues for filmmakers, businesses and investors to come together, all in the interest of promotingthe community via entertainment and cinema. In particular, I'm grateful to be in the position to give back to Rajasthan and USA," expresses Prashantt. The actor was instrumental in getting Guneet Monga, Deepti Naval, Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, T-Series, Ananth Mahadevan, Manish Mundra onto these respective platforms. "My effort in creating this alliance has successfully led to several collaborations between artistes, investors, filmmakers and led to massive branding of both platforms across the world. I stand as an example of that reality, as recently the association with both events led me to land an endorsement deal with a Jaipur based dot-com called johareez.com and a three film deal with a San Francisco based film producer."
Slow cookers bring out the best in Indian flavors MEERA SODHA
T
here's a real joy in slowing down in the kitchen. Gone is the frantic stress of trying to get dinner on the table in an instant and in its place comes a different type of gentle cooking. It allows beautiful smells to waft through the house and ingredients to mingle and develop over time into something deep, rich and flavorful.
lar all over the world. Though the modern recipe, like the original dish, still uses garlic and wine vinegar, it has changed to include chilies and lots of warming spices, such as cinnamon, cumin and cloves. I like to use a cheaper and fattier cut of meat, such as pork shoulder, which responds well to a slow braise and shows its true colors after a few
Of all slow cooked dishes, Goan pork vindaloo is my favorite. Originally a Portuguese stew made with meat, garlic and wine, the dish made its way to India in the 1500s with Portuguese explorers. Like so many other dishes, it then was reinterpreted. Today, vindaloo curry is a sweet, hot and sour dish popu-
hours to become the best type of pork - succulent, sweet and soft. Whatever happens, rest assured that there are no wrong moves with slow cooking. It's one of the only mediums of cooking that creates a level playing field between the pro chef and the amateur. It gives you the flexibility to taste and adjust as
you go until it tastes just right. The only trouble is that after several hours of cooking, it will only take a few minutes to eat. SLOW COOKER PORK SHOULDER VINDALOO If you're nervous about the amount of chili powder, halve the amount called for in the recipe. It will still be delicious. If your slow cooker doesn't have a saute setting, start the dish in a large saute pan, then transfer to a slow cooker. Start to finish: 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours (1/2 hour active) Servings: 4 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided 20 black peppercorns 1 star anise 3-inch cinnamon stick 6 whole cloves 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2-inch chunk fresh ginger, grated (plus extra to serve) 2 teaspoons chili powder 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 medium red onion, finely sliced 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 1/4 pounds boneless pork
shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1inch cubes Plain Greek-style yogurt, to serve Cooked basmati rice, to serve Set the slow cooker to saute mode. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until hot. Add the peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the peppercorns and cloves swell and are fragrant. Transfer the spices
egar. Set aside. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in the slow cooker. When hot, add the onions and cook, stirring often, until brown and caramelized. Add the tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the spice paste, salt and sugar. Stir well, then add the pork. Coat the pork with the paste then add just enough water to cover the meat. Stir well, then cover and cook for 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low,
to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Grind until smooth, then add the garlic, ginger and chili powder. Grind again, then transfer to a small bowl and stir in the vin-
or until the meat is completely tender and straining to hold its shape. Serve topped with grated ginger, dollops of yogurt and basmati rice. -AP
February 26, 2016
India Post 53 www.indiapost.com
B
Priyanka role was written for a man
aywatch' antagonist was initially set to be a man but the makers decided to change the gender of the character after meeting Priyanka Chopra. The Bollywood star will make her Hollywood movie debut as villainous Victoria Deeds in the Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnsonstarrer. Priyanka is excited to play a negative character in the Hollywood project, a reboot of the hit '90s show of the same name. "It is so much fun to play a negative character because you have the liberty to go out of your comfort zone and do anything. Victoria is a very mean character," Priyanka told PTI in an interview over phone from Montreal, Canada. "It (the role) was initially written for a man and they were talking to me for another part. But after the director met me, they
thought I would be better as a villain and then they changed the character to be a female," said the actress. The star, whose earlier negative roles were in Bollywood movies 'Aitraaz' and '7 Khoon Maaf', will be seen taking on the Rock
and his squad in the Seth Gordondirected film. "It was really exciting that they changed the role for me. You have to be a very strong character to take on 'The Rock' and entire lifeguard squad. They will be six whereas I am alone. It looked very cool to me," she said.-PTI
Priyanka Chopra with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Hooked to vintage cars Cont'd from Page 50
Mercedes convertibles in one locked closet. Miniatures of all Beetle models ever made by Volkwagen. Countless key rings. Belt buckles. Archaic ceramic signages of tire companies that are no longer used. An old Vijai super scooter. A Rajdoot motorcycle. In his workshop in Madgaon, Naik is refurbishing an Austin FX4 (London taxi) - one inch, one nut, one headlight at a time. A labor of love that will take at least six months to return to its original grandeur. A Beetle is being painted white. And a dilapidated Morris is now shining bright red. Naik drives around in a black Mercedes
C Class and chuckles about that rosy day in 1970s when he subsisted on the frugal thought that buying expensive cars is a "criminal waste of money". Now, Naik walks around with a cheque book
ready to buy a vintage car. However dented, broken, rusted the engine and peeled its paint. The rust no longer bothers him. Pradeep V Naik loves old cars. Honk!
Neha Dhupia used to ape other actresses MUMBAI: Neha Dhupia says there was a time when she was unhappy with her work and began following other actresses. Neha, who has earned critical acclaim for her performances in films like "Phas Gaye Re Obama" and "Delhi Heights", said in the low phase of her career she decided to conform to the ways of the industry.
When asked if there was a time when she was unhappy with the work she was doing, Neha told PTI, "Yes there was. I had started dressing like other actresses. I started wearing contact lenses because we were supposed to. I was doing everything that other actresses were doing. I was following a suit." What held the actress together
was the unpredictability in her life, as Neha said she had initially thought of retiring by the age of 30 and have a family in Rome. "But I've always had a mind of my own. I was educated to believe that I was going to become an IAS officer. I passed my written and all of that. Then I ended up becoming a Miss India and came into movies," she said. -PTI
Treasures by Jamini Roy on show NEW DELHI: Noted modernist artist Jamini Roy's nearly century old paintings have lived beyond their time and find relevance even today. Uma Nair, who has curated an ongoing solo exhibition at the Dhoomimal Art Gallery here showcasing nearly 80 artworks by 20th century calls him a "universalist." "Jamini Roy is never out of fashion. Whatever he drew was universal. It is relevant even today. It is so important for works of art to live beyond its time," she says of the artist who passed away in 1972. Titled "Carved Contours," the show underway at the Dhoomimal Gallery here is divided into two distinct parts - one set of colored works and another of pen and ink drawings. Roy who was tutored under the Bengal School of Art under the mentorship of Abanindranath Tagore, shifted from the academic tradition of drawing classical nudes and went on to derive inspiration from Indian culture. He captured the simplicity of the tribal livelihood in his art where he painted extensively the "marginalized" santhal community of Bengal. "His main subjects were the humble simple people from the santhal tribe. His soft heartedness towards the community comes out of his sensitivity for the poor. In today's world when we hear about atrocities against Dalits, here is an artist who celebrated people who were marginalized," says Nair. Roy's treatment of the female body is sensitive and respectful in a way that it appears sensuous rather than crude and vulgar to the viewer. "I think he was very sensitive. He appreciated women. When you look at the forms of the women he does not make her look cheap but beautiful," says the curator. Even though the artist seldom paints the faces but whatever one sees in Roy's women is all beautiful. "He is a man who loved what he saw. In today's age when we are talking about violence against women, I think respect is very important and I realize Jamini Roy was a humanist," she says. Roy's colored works show clear influences of the Kalighat patta
paintings in his bold sweeping brush-strokes. He also turned to rural decorative traditions of alpana and kantha. According to Nair, the artist's choice of medium of work was egg tempera and tamarind seed glue and that he soon switched from dyes to natural colors, using earth, chalk powder and vegetable colors. "His palette was a limited array of seven colours - Indian red, yellow ochre, cadmium green, vermillion, grey and blue - prepared from materials like hingul, harital, kak khokri, lamp black chalk or limestone," she says. The "mother-child" figure is another recurrent subject in Roy's works, which he blends effortlessly with his other areas of in-
Jamini Roy
terest of the santhals and bauls, mythology - both Hindu and Christian. Roy's depiction of the selflessness of motherhood in his paintings -an image of a santhal woman embracing her child; a bronze bodied santhal mother feeding an infant - is indeed heartwarming. "He loves portraying Ganesh and Durga, as well as Krishna, especially the child Krishna and scenes from the Ramayan," says Nair. The show has a series of simple monumental images of sari-clad women, village dancers and domestic animals besides Madonna and Christ and the famed Ramayan series. According to the curator, Roy has dealt with the idea of 'Ravana' in a very contemporary way. Unlike his other works which have a very matte finish, this particular work depicting the evil king with his 10 heads positioned diagonally in 'tomato red' exudes an uncanny liveliness. "He has treated it in a very modern way. Whenever you and I think of Ravana, we think of him standing with his ten heads horizontal. He takes the Ravana and makes his heads diagonal. He gives so much joy in the destruction of evil," she says. -PTI
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February 26, 2016
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Chasing the chimera of Pak nuclear 'normality'
India Post
MANPREET SETHI
S
everal recent writings have recommended how Pakistan could and should be accommodated into the nuclear mainstream. Mark Fitzpatrick, a non-proliferation analyst at the IISS, London, had advocated this through his Adelphi paper entitled "Overcoming Pakistan's Nuclear Dangers" in 2014. More recently in 2015, Toby Dalton and Michael Krepon made a similar case in a Carnegie publication entitled "A Normal Nuclear Pakistan." Interestingly, Pakistan's military and diplomatic elite have been demanding the same ever since India earned itself a nuclear cooperation agreement with the USA and an exceptionalisation from the NSG. This din reached a crescendo in October 2015 just before PM Sharif was to visit Washington. US newspapers hinted at the possibility of a US-Pak nuclear deal as a means to get Pakistan to limit expansion of its nuclear arsenal. Though nothing came out of this then, Pakistan continues to voice the demand. On 12 February 2016, Pak foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, lamented that a "discriminatory approach
for a set of conditions. Dalton and Krepon have identified five conditions for such an offer. These include shifting declaratory policy from "full spectrum" to "strategic" deterrence; committing to a recessed deterrence posture and limiting production of short-range delivery vehicles and tactical nuclear weapons; lifting Pakistan's veto on Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty negotiations and reducing or stopping fissile material production; separating civilian and military nuclear facilities; and signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty without waiting for India. The basic argument behind these demands is to put a halt to the Pakistani slide towards operationalisation of tactical nuclear weapons that, the West fears, would lead to a command and control nightmare, raising the dangers of nuclear terrorism, which are not lost on the US. Keeping the above in mind, the US is protecting its national interest by trying to find ways of curtailing the expansion of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal. But the questions that need to be answered from a wider perspec-
The basic argument behind these demands is to put a halt to the Pakistani slide towards operationalisation of tactical nuclear weapons that, the West fears, would lead to a command and control nightmare, raising the dangers of nuclear terrorism, which are not lost on the US has impacted strategic stability" and argued that as a "legitimate and normal nuclear power with legitimate needs for nuclear energy," Pakistan too was entitled to a deal with US. As is evident from the expressions used by Western analysts and Pakistani officials, both seem to emphasize the adjective "normal" nuclear state for Pakistan. But there is a huge difference in how they use it. While Pakistan claims that it already is one, writings from US think-tanks suggest that the country could and should be offered some external inducements to change its nuclear behavior into becoming normal. This dichotomy in approach of both is where the dilemma lies. Pakistan believes it deserves a deal while the West contends that it is offering a favor in exchange
tive are whether a Pakistan that believes all is fine with its nuclear behavior and strategy can indeed be amenable to change through external inducements in the nuclear arena? Would an offer from the West change the basic drivers of Pakistan's nuclear policy? Is it at all possible to 'positively shape' Pakistan's nuclear posture by offering incentives from outside? The answer to each of these questions is in the negative because Pakistan's nuclear posture is driven by exaggerated threat perceptions and a self-created paranoia, largely by the Army. Its nuclear strategy is premised on the projection of easy and early use of nuclear weapons, or nuclear brinksmanship or a sense of instability, including through show of battlefield use of nuclear weapons. At every opportunity, Pakistan
officials do not forget to remind India and the 'concerned' West of its nuclear-armed status. All this, while Rawalpindi continues to uphold its support for terrorism beyond its own borders. Unless these drivers change, and that can only happen from within Pakistan, no influence from the outside can alter the country's nuclear posture. Therefore, to believe that offering a nuclear deal would placate Pakistan into becoming 'normal', is taking a rather shallow view of Pakistan's deep-rooted security psyche. In fact, to do so is not even desirable since it is only likely to further postpone a much needed introspection by Pakistan's strategic community of the dangers created by its self-generated threat perceptions and sponsorship of terrorism. It could well embolden Pakistan, even make it more adventurous, seeking to push the envelope of its demands even further. The inability and unwillingness of the international community to deal with Pakistan's past proliferation and ongoing nuclear brinkmanship with a firm hand, and instead consider offering it nuclear cooperation, contributes to the impression that countries with nuclear weapons can 'get away with' activities that may otherwise be considered unacceptable. International security will have to bear the consequences of this in the years to come as Pakistani behavior is copied by others to brandish nuclear weapons as a potent bargaining chip to seek political concessions. Of course, the 'West' has the prerogative to grant or deny nuclear cooperation to a country based on its assessment of how this would serve its interest without violating own guidelines and international obligations. But to believe that such an offer could reorient Pakistan's fast evolving force posture that boasts of a capability to build tactical nuclear weapons and refuses to allow negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, is certainly naive. Such a concession could most likely be interpreted and projected by Pakistani military elite as a victory of sorts and make them more risk prone, not less. This would only sustain the Army's predominance over its national security policy, including continued support to terror groups that in their mind serve a purpose.
JNU riddle
S
ome concerned foreign scholars have been asking to know what is happening in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. Indeed, those sitting in Delhi are themselves perplexed over the goings ons within and without this university. Do the students go there to study or to launch political agitations? And what does the administration do when they raise provocative slogans within the confines of the protected university? If the students had gone overboard the government, particularly the Central Government, acted in a ham handed manner. The police arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, the student union leader, acting on the basis of a doctored media video of Zee TV which showed students shouting slogans like "Pakistan Zindabad." This has been proved to be a plant after one of the producers involved in this doctoring resigned from Zee TV. Also, Home Minister Rajnath Singh fell into the trap of a fake Twitter account lauding the student agitators in the name of India beta noire Masood Azhar, chief of the banned Pakistani organization the Jaish-eMohammad. With rival parties bringing out large pro and anti-JNU student rallies in the capital even as Parliament has gone into session, it promises to be an eventful week with surely no tangible progress anywhere. There has been enough media coverage applauding the freedom enjoyed by JNU students. Even the US ambassador in India, Richard Verma has pointed out the value of free speech in a democracy. But he has also cautioned that "all democracies at some point grapple with the question of what is the appropriate amount of freedom to give to people when they communicate and that each society has handled it slightly differently." The traditional opponents of JNU allege the university is misusing funds providing cheap board and lodging to all kinds of political elements. In fact those with the aim of politicking join this university. They also say that the teachers there are afraid of students and anti-national activities are allowed inside the premises. Even a respected spiritual leader like Sri Sri Ravishankar has said that "Everybody has the right to freedom of expression but sedition, when someone says Bharat ko barbaad karke rahenge, that will not be tolerated by any democracy." He felt that criminal tendencies among students must be nipped in the bud. "If a child has a criminal tendency, what will the parents do? Will they say it's freedom of expression? They will say, no, this is not acceptable. Such punitive action needs to be taken so that the kid doesn't go off track. Today, we face the threat of terrorism across the world. We need to be watchful and alert." The country's academic community has also become sorely divided over this issue of freedom of expression of students. Fortytwo faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) have come out in support of JNU students, saying that the "state cannot define who is an Indian and what is nationalism". They have also condemned state intervention in various educational institutions, terming it as "attempts to stifle dissent and suppress differences". However a group of IIT-Madras faculty has expressed concern on institutions of higher learning being converted into "war zones." In a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee, the 56 faculty members have said there is a need to save educational institutions from the scholarship of abuse and hate. This leaves the ordinary citizen perplexed. Indeed it is difficult to arrive at a consensus at this time. The political polarization at this moment in India has become as acute as the Republicans vs. Democrats fight in the US. There is hardly any ground for common cause. The contentious state in the US can be understood as it is the year of the Presidential election. But in India the division has become pronounced ever since the coming to power of the BJP government of Narendra Modi. There is hardly any move of Modi which doesn't come under attack.
February 26, 2016
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