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June 6, 2014

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RESOLUTION IN CONG TO BOOST INDIA TIES

WASHINGTON: Congratulating people of India on holding the largest democratic exercise of the world, a bipartisan resolution has been introduced in the US Congress to strengthen Indo-US ties under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resolution (No 607), which was introduced in the US House of Representatives, says it will seek to further strengthen America's strategic partnership with India, including in the defense, trade, and security arenas.

"India has always been an important and strategic American ally. Prime Minister Modi's commitment to maximum governance and minimum government promises to strengthen this relationship through more enduring diplomatic ties, mutually beneficial trade in goods and services, and cultural collaboration with the United States," said Congressman Aaron Schock while announcing the resolution.

Two Indians jointly win Spelling Bee Details on page 8

Spelling bee win draws racial remarks Details on page 8

Details on page 5

Details on page 25

British MP slams BBC's Modi coverage Details on page 9

Rajat Gupta loses bid to stay out of prison

Preet Bharara talks Khobragade

Details on page 6

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'US flexible to meet India's defense needs'

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 52

Details on page 6

Community Post -------------- 16-24 Date Book -------------------------- 50

INDIA POST SURVEY

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HealthScience Post --------- 32-35

This week’s question

Horoscope ------------------------- 51 Immigration Post ------------- 44-46

Modi ministry will deliver on promises?

Life Style ----------------------- 48-49 Philosophy ------------------------- 53

Last week’s result

Modi is right to stress on neighborhood? YES 67%

NO 33%

MINISTER NO MORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leader LK Advani paying their last respect to the mortal remains of Union Minister Gopinath Munde at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on June 3. Munde died in a car accident earlier in the day. (Details on page 5)

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Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 38-39 TechBiz Post ------------------- 25-27 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 41-43

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t's been in the making for 45 years. And finally, this week, India inaugurated its newest and 29th state that is Telangana, hopefully putting to an end decades of agitation, unrest and bloodshed. It's happened and there's no point in discussing whether it is indeed the best thing to have happened to the people of what until a few days ago was Andhra Pradesh. Over the decades, especially since the 90's, the people of Andhra Pradesh and the United States have had a symbiotic and a mutually beneficial relationship, where tens of thousands of Telugus have benefited from well paying software jobs in the US and scores of American companies have benefited from the highly skilled and relatively low maintenance professionals from that State. At present, of the 2.2-plus million Indian Americans, nearly one million are Telugus and needless to say, they are perhaps one of the most strongly organized and close-knit Diaspora communities in the US. So, it is not surprising that the most prominent of the Telugu community organizations, the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) - I am sure its membership constitutes people with roots in both Telangana and the residual Andhra or Seemandhra as it may be called - has created two special funds for the development of both regions, the Andhra Pradesh Capital Development Fund, for the development of a new capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Development Fund for the development of Telangana. TANA leadership expects that the enthusiasm of the American Telugus can result in millions of dollars for the development of both the states. While that is so, as a neutral observer, I have been quite worried about Hyderabad, the IT hub of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh going into the hands of Telangana state, leaving the residual Andhra that much poorer in its loss. But not anymore. The reason: The coming back of Chandrababu Naidu as Chief Minister. Like Narendra Modi, Naidu has vision, is capable of thinking big and seeing the larger picture. Which leaves me in no doubt that it is only a matter of time before he puts a new dot on the world map.

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Exes unite Aishwarya and Katrina Kaif have been spotted hanging out together in Abu Dhabi and are bonding very well.

Cover Story: Indo-US ties A bipartisan resolution has been introduced in the US Congress to strengthen Indo-US ties under PM Narendra Modi.

Community: Exports Award Dhake Industries presented with the President's "E" Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, DC.

Kids’ detention network Record-breaking numbers of children caught in the U.S. illegally are being swept into a secretive detention network.

Life style: Sonu hits Indian singer Sonu Nigam kicked off the Californian leg of his "Klose to My Soul" tour before a crowd of more than 8,000

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Resolution in Cong to boost India ties WASHINGTON: Congratulating people of India on holding the largest democratic exercise of the world, a bipartisan resolution has been introduced in the US Congress to strengthen Indo-US ties under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

fense, trade, and security arenas. "India has always been an important and strategic American ally. Prime Minister Modi's commitment to maximum governance and minimum government promises to strengthen this relationship through more enduring dip-

The resolution is co-sponsored by 12 senior lawmakers including Cynthia Lummis, Cathy M Rodgers, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Sessions, Brad Sharman, George Holding, Patrick Murphy, Ed Royce, Eliot Engel, Ami Bera, Joe Crowley and Peter Roskam The resolution (No 607), which was introduced in the US House of Representatives, says it will seek to further strengthen America's strategic partnership with India, including in the de-

lomatic ties, mutually beneficial trade in goods and services, and cultural collaboration with the United States," said Congressman Aaron Schock while announcing the resolution.

The resolution is co-sponsored by 12 senior lawmakers including Cynthia Lummis, Cathy M Rodgers, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Sessions, Brad Sharman, George Holding, Patrick Murphy, Ed Royce, Eliot Engel, Ami Bera, Joe Crowley and Peter Roskam. "In my visit with Prime Minister Modi last year, I saw firsthand the economic prospects that his vision for India could foster for the Illinois business community. The rise of Narendra Modi is a welcome development to freedomloving people everywhere, and India's historic election underscores the virtues of democracy, pro-growth economic policies, and robust international trade," Schock said. The resolution says US-India relationship is rooted in common values, including democracy, respect for ethnic and religious di-

versity, and the rule of law and is further strengthened by strong people-to-people ties. It says the Congress will seek

"Prime Minister Modi has the opportunity to lead the world's largest democracy and unleash its economic potential to benefit the people of India as well as the citizens of its partners across the globe to further strengthen our strategic partnership with India, including in the defense, trade, and security arenas. The resolution says the new

government's commitment to efficient governance, respect for the rule of law, and strong alliances with strategic partners like the United States will benefit India and the United States-India partnership. Recognizing the critical role India plays in maintaining regional and global stability, it says Indian foreign direct investment in the US economy has surpassed USD 5 billion, creating and supporting thousands of United States jobs. "Prime Minister Modi has the opportunity to lead the world's largest democracy and unleash its economic potential to benefit the people of India as well as the citizens of its partners across the globe. I look forward to the United States and the House of Representatives working hand in hand with India under Modi's leadership," said Congressman Sessions. -PTI

India Minister Gopinath Munde dies in accident NEW DELHI: Gopinath Munde, Union Rural Development Minister and a popular backward class leader from Maharashtra, died apparently of shock and cardiac arrest suffered during a road accident early on Tuesday June 3. 64-year-old Munde, who made his entry into the Union Cabinet for the first time, was on his way to the airport when his car was hit by another vehicle at Prithviraj Road-Tughlak road roundabout in the heart of the capital.

daughters, one of whom is an MLA from Parli in Maharashtra's Beed district. "Munde was brought to the emergency department of Jai Prakash Narain Apex Trauma Centre, AIIMS, at 6:30 AM by his personal assistant and driver. Munde was sitting in the backseat of his car which was hit by another car or any other vehicle at around 6:20 AM from the side he was sitting," Dr Amit Gupta of the Trauma Centre told reporters. "On his arrival at the Trauma

mediately Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was started and continued for the next 15 minutes. Despite resuscitative measures, Munde could not be revived and was declared dead at 7:20 AM," he said. The doctor said, "Munde was hypertensive and a sugar patient. He was already taking medicines. Right now there are no major external injuries on his body. We cannot say anything but clinically we might say that he had a sudden cardiac death". The body has been shifted to the mortuary for postmortem. A board has been formulated by the head of forensics to conduct the postmortem. As it is a medico-legal case, the reason for the death can only be ascertained after postmortem, the doctor said. Munde's Secretary S Nair, who was in the car, said HRD Minister Smriti Irani consoles the daughter of Union minister Gopinath Munde after paying the Union respect to his mortal remains at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on June 3 Minister received a huge A brother-in-law of late BJP Centre, there was no spontaneous shock after the accident and apleader Pramod Mahajan, Munde breathing, no blood pressure, no parently suffered a massive heart is survived by his wife and three pulse, no cardiac activity. So im- attack.

File photo of Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde

chitect of social engineering in BJP since the mid-1990s and was responsible for adding parties like RPI and Rashtriya Samaj Party and Swabhimani Paksh into the Sena-BJP alliance that virtually swept the polls winning 42 of the 48 seats. He had only last night attended a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers called by the Prime Minister and was proceeding to Mumbai for work when the accident occurred. Munde hailed from a poor family in the backward Marathwada region and was brought into politics by the late BJP leader Vasantrao Bhagwat, who also groomed several other leaders including Pramod Mahajan. Munde was recently caught in a row over his educational qualifications with Congress alleging that he "graduated" in 1976 from

A senior police official said the offending vehicle was an Indica car which jumped the traffic signal at Aurobindo Chowk and collided with the Maruti Suzuki SX 4 in which Munde was traveling towards Safdarjung road from Prithviraj road. The Indica was coming towards Tughlaq road, a little over a km from the Prime Minister Police said Munde had Narendra Modi's offisome minor aberrations on cial residence, and hit Munde's car towards his nose. After the accident, the passenger side where Munde was sit- Munde sought water and ting, the police official asked his driver to take him said, adding Munde fell on the seat immediately to the hospital, police said after the car was hit. The driver of the Indica car was a college established in 1978. detained from the spot and later Condoling his death, Prime arrested by police. Minister Modi said he was exPolice said Munde had some tremely saddened and shocked by minor aberrations on his nose. demise of "my friend" Munde. After the accident, Munde sought Health Minister Harsh water and asked his driver to take Vardhan, who was the first to him to the hospital, police said. reach AIIMS, said doctors tried Munde was considered the ar- their best to revive him.-PTI

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Modi's governance tips to ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairing a meeting of the Council of Ministers, in New Delhi on June 2

NEW DELHI: Setting the tone for his government's tenure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his Council of Ministers to provide transparent and effective governance with time-bound implemen-

(guidance) to his 45-ministerial colleagues, he emphasized that the benefits of programs and works undertaken by the various ministries should reach the people and the public should feel that the

At the three-hour meeting, the first since he took over a week back, Modi talked about his ideas on how to boost the economy, attract greater investment and improve infrastructure. He is believed to have asked ministers to come up with progress report on various projects tation of programs as he held a marathon meeting with them here. Providing "marg darshan"

government is working for them, sources said. He said all the ministers and min-

istries should work cohesively with synergy and appropriately utilize the services of the bureaucracy by taking them along for the country's development, sources said. At the three-hour meeting, the first since he took over a week back, Modi talked about his ideas on how to boost the economy, attract greater investment and improve infrastructure. He is believed to have asked ministers to come up with progress report on various projects initiated by the previous UPA government, the sources said. The discussions are believed to have centered around the 100day agenda which Modi had asked his ministerial colleagues to

Rajat Gupta loses bid to stay out of prison NEW YORK: India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta will start serving his two-year jail term from June 17 after a US court here rejected his motion seeking surrender of the prison date and that he continue to be free on bail till his case on insider trading charges is reheard. The US Court of Appeals issued a brief order that said "appellant, through counsel, moves for a stay of Appellant's surrender and continuation of bail pending further appellate review. It is hereby ordered that the motion is denied." He is expected to be assigned to a medium-security prison in Otisville, New York, about 70 miles from New York City. 65-year-old Gupta had filed his 23-page motion earlier this month asking the court for an order staying his surrender date and continuing bail pending further appel-

late review of his conviction on insider trading charges. The Harvard-educated former McKinsey head had lost his appeal to overturn his conviction on insider trading charges and was

Rajat Gupta

ordered in April to surrender and begin his two-year prison sentence on June 17. He had petitioned that a threejudge panel, which upheld his conviction and two-year prison sentence, should reconsider its decision and the appeals court rehear the case, arguing that "criti-

cal evidence" in his favor was excluded at trial. Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara had opposed Gupta's motion to stay his surrender date and be free on bail till his case is reheard. The district court's order directing Gupta to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on June 17 was "issued on Gupta's consent," Bharara said in the motion. "Gupta's motion to stay the surrender date and continue bail pending his anticipated petition for certiorari should be denied...(His) motion... lacks merit. Gupta's motion curiously omits any reference to the fact that he consented to the District Court's entry of the surrender order that he now asks this Court to stay," Bharara said. After a federal jury had found Gupta guilty in 2012 of passing confidential boardroom information to his hedge fund friend Raj Rajaratnam, he was sentenced to two years in prison, ordered to pay USD five million in fine and a separate USD six million in restitution to Goldman Sachs.-PTI

set, identifying priorities. He sought suggestions from the Ministers on various matters related to governance, the sources said. The meeting at his residence took place against the backdrop of Modi's 10-point agenda which

includes increasing investment, completing infrastructure projects in a time-bound manner and exploiting of natural resources, besides giving freedom to bureaucrats to take decisions and implement them. -PTI

'US flexible to meet India's defense needs' WASHINGTON: The United industry would like to do with the States is ready to give a special Indian industry," the official told role to India in its "Asia-Pacific PTI in a recent interview on conrebalance" strategy and is "flex- dition that his name would not be ible" to adapt itself to meet the disclosed given the sensitivity of Indian defense needs, a former US the defense relationship between government official has said. the two countries. The official, who played a key These projects cover a whole role in India-US defense ties in gamut of defense system from hipast few years, hoped the tech information, command and Narendra Modi-led Indian Govern- control and reconnaissance and ment with a decisive mandate would clear He said the Obama the high-tech projects that the two countries Administration is ready to can co-produce for their go that extra mile to help respective armed India realize its ambition of forces. He said the Obama being self-reliant in Administration is ready defense research to go that extra mile to help India realize its ambition of being self-reliant in naval systems. The proposals defense research, development also included various kinds of and production. advance aircrafts and weapons About 10 months ago, the then systems for the two armies. Deputy Secretary of Defense Many of these proposals are Ashton Carter had submitted to the those, which the US wants to introthen UPA government a compre- duce for its own armed forces, the hensive list of defense systems, official said, referring to level of highwhich the US was ready to co-de- tech items that the Pentagon wants velop and co-produce with India. to co-develop and co-produce with "Those were projects that our India in the coming years.-PTI

June 6, 2014

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2 Indian-Americans jointly win Spelling Bee WASHINGTON: Two IndianAmericans - Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe - scripted history by becoming co-champions of the famed Scripps National Spelling Bee after a tense final in which they almost exhausted the 25 designated words to end the duel in a tie for the first time in 52 years. This is the seventh consecutive year that Indian- Americans have retained the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which was watched live by millions of people. An eighth grader from the Alternative School for Maths and Science, Sriram (14) is from New York, while Ansun (13) is a seventh grader from Texas. Like last year, the last three contestants were Indian-Americans - Sriram, Ansun and Gokul Venkatachalam from Missouri. Both Sriram and Ansun received a USD 30,000 cash prize, an engraved trophy and other gifts. This is the first time the bee has ended in a tie since 1962, organizers said. The Bee has previously had co-champions in 1962, 1957 and 1950 in its 89-year history. "It's a dream come true," Sriram said soon after being declared the

The 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee Co-Champions Ansun Sujoe, second from left, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Sriram Hathwar, third from right, of Painted Post, N.Y., celebrate with their family after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition, Thursday, May 29

co-champion with Ansun. "I was happy when I entered the final. I am even happier that I am the co-champion," said Ansun, who in the last 22nd round correctly spelled "feuilleton", which

is defined as "a part of a European newspaper or magazine devoted to material designed to entertain the general reader." And in the 21st round, Sriram correctly spelled "stichomythia",

which is defined as "dialogue especially of altercation or dispute delivered in alternating lines." This was Sriram's fifth appearance in the competition. He finished third last year and was tied

for sixth place in 2011. This was Ansun's second appearance at the Bee. He did not make the semifinals last year. "I was pretty disappointed last year," Ansun said. "I did a furious comeback this year. I studied more, a lot." Ansun and Sriram said they are happy to share the trophy. "The competition was against the dictionary, not against each other," Sriram said. "Same here," Ansun said. Once there are three spellers left in a round, the next round begins with a 25-word list. Ordinarily, a winner is declared if one speller misspells and the remaining speller correctly spells two words in a row. If no winner is declared before the list has been exhausted - or there are not enough words left for two consecutive spellings - co-champions are announced. Indian-origin people remain unchallenged in the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2008, with Sameer Mishra winning it in 2008, Kavya Shivashankar (2009), Anamika Veeramani (2010), Sukanya Roy (2011), Snigdha Nandipati (2012) and Arvind Mahankali (2013). -PTI

Spelling bee win draws racial remarks Doubts over cause of Indian NEW YORK: The historic win they took our beauty queen title hard work and learning which student's death by two Indian-American students then they take our bee. Whats leads to such students performat the prestigious national spelling bee contest drew some flak on the social media with many making racial innuendos about children of Indian-origin having an unbeaten track record at the annual contest. Sriram Hathwar, 14 and Ansun Sujoe, 13, created history by winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the first time in 52 years that two participants have won the contest. This was the seventh consecutive year that Indian- American students have retained the spelling bee title, a trend that was started by Sameer Mishra who won the contest in 2008. The win by the two youngsters has however lead to some US audience making racial comments about how only Indians have been winning the spelling bee for some years now. "Wait a minute!!! Where is the diversity? Why are there not women or non-Asian minorities winning? Sounds racist to me," a person commented on the Washington Post website. Another reader said, "How is it that foreigners who are new to America are able to win the spelling bee like this?" while another reader posted, "First

next they take away our jobs..." A comment on Twitter by one Matt Marzullo said, "We need an american to win this spelling bee #tiredofindiansmatt". Another said "The kids in the spelling bee should only be

"This is exactly why US students are, in many cases, falling behind. The parents do not value and encourage education and all the money and best teachers in the world are not going to educate someone who does not want to learn," AMERICAN". Another tweet said "Shocking that neither of the Spelling bee champs have names that sound American #Sriram #Ansun." However other readers said parents and families of IndianAmerican students encourage

ing well as these competition. "I find the comments here very interesting regarding how "foreigners" can win these contests. It is so simple it amazes me that everyone doesn't recognize the answer. The families of the winners value and encourage learning and hard work. They don't spend their time blaming others for their problems," a reader said. "This is exactly why US students are, in many cases, falling behind. The parents do not value and encourage education and all the money and best teachers in the world are not going to educate someone who does not want to learn," the reader said. The other tweets posted on the micro-blogging site were "Will an American ever win the #spellingbee", "Where are our American kids?". "wow that blows the spelling bee ends with a tie thats so friggin un-American no wonder the kids that won it are Indian", another tweeted. "The American national spelling bee, where all the finalists are Indians", and "No American sounding names who won the spelling B," a tweet said. -PTI

CHICAGO: The family of a 19- wrong," Varughese's mother, year-old Indian- origin student, Lovely Varughese, told the daily. who was found dead in February "But I didn't expect it to be this under mysterious circumstances big," she said. in the US, have alleged foul play Margolis, founder of Autopsy and disputed the cause of his Center of Chicago, said the audeath given by police. topsy he performed found "sigThe results of a second au- nificant injuries" to Varughese's topsy commissioned by Pravin face. Varughese's family showed that The sophomore criminal justhe Southern Illinois University student died as a result of blunt Margolis, founder of Auforce trauma to the topsy Center of Chicago, head, even as authori- said the autopsy he perties maintain that he died of hypothermia formed found "significant with no evidence of injuries" to Varughese's foul play. face. The sophomore crimiThe body of Varughese from nal justice major suffered Morton Grove was four different blows found on February 18 in a wooded area in Carbondale, tice major suffered four different Illinois, about a week after he blows to the face and head, all of went missing. which could not have been The findings by independent caused by a single impact, such forensic pathologist Ben Margolis as falling on a rock or hitting a raise more questions in the mys- tree. terious death of Varughese, the Varughese's body also Chicago Tribune reported. showed an injury to his forearm The Jackson County and his left thigh, Margolis said, coroner's office, however, main- as well as bruises below his knees tains he died of hypothermia with and scratch marks that could have no evidence of foul play. been caused by the difficult ter"I knew there was something rain.-PTI

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Preet Bharara talks Khobragade case at Harvard NEW YORK: The Devyani century but a serious crime noneKhobragade case came up for a theless, that is why the State Dediscussion at Harvard Law School partment opened the case, that is with India-born US prosecutor why the State Department invesPreet Bharara telling the graduat- tigated it. That is why career ing class that the "intense" criti- agents in the State Department cism and accusation hurled at him asked career prosecutors in my for charging the Indian diplomat office to approve criminal charges. with visa fraud had upset him. That case basically caused an inBharara was invited to address ternational incident," he said. students and faculty at the presBharara said he became "pertigious law school on its 2014 Class Day I'll admit that I was ceremony. upset as I think a The top US attorney in Man- normal human being hattan spoke might be. But as the about the criticism he faces accusations got from all quarters more and more as well as from absurd, they bevarious governments because of came downright his work. comical He added that he has even "been banned from Russia". sonally aware" that Khobragade Raising the Khobragade case, would be arrested only a couple Bharara said he got the most flak of days before the arrest was for prosecuting the former Indian scheduled. deputy Consul General even He became bothered by the though the case was initiated and "line of attack" made by the Ininvestigated by the US State De- dian government and media that partment and seasoned law en- he brought the case to "serve his forcements officials. white masters, presumably (US "You may have heard about the Attorney General) Eric Holder and case we brought last year in which (President) Barack Obama", both the State Department arrested a of whom are black. mid-level Indian female diplomat "That is an example of criticism Devyani Khobragade for visa that is stupid," he said, adding fraud in connection with lies that as the criticism got "increasabout what she would ultimately ingly intense" over time, it bothpay her domestic worker (also an ered his parents and this made him Indian). upset. "(It was) not the crime of the "That was tough because it

bothered them," he said. He was also concerned when he had to explain the accusations made against him to his young daughter, he said. "That was not so pleasant. I'll admit that I was upset as I think a normal human being might be. But as the accusations got more and more absurd, they became downright comical and I got some of

Preet Bharara

my perspective back," he said. "Indian critics were angry because even though I hailed from India, I appeared to be going out of my way to act American and serve the interests of America, which was odd because I am American and the words US are in my title," he said. He said, "putting aside disputes about the merits of the case," the Indian government and media decided that the case was brought by an Indian-American "for all manner of bad personal reasons, never mind that the case was initiated and investigated by career law enforcement officials." -PTI

British MP slams BBC's Modi coverage LONDON: Britain's senior In- in relation to Modi in the news dian-origin Minister, Priti Patel, item was unbalanced," it adds. has made an official complaint to Patel also highlighted Hakim's the BBC over its seemingly one- references to Modi as having sided coverage of India's new "blood on his hands" and that he Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. was "India's most divisive politiIn a letter addressed to BBC cian". Director General Lord Tony Hall The chair of the UK's All Party dated May 19, Priti Patel - who has Parliamentary Small Shops Group been appointed as an Indian feels the 'Newsnight' program foDiaspora Champion by British cused on Modi's alleged involvePrime Minister David Cameron - ment in the 2002 Gujarat riots withhas said she had received a num- out going into the complete deber of complaints from the Indian tails with its guest speaker Indiacommunity based in the UK in ref- born artist Anish Kapoor describerence to the BBC's 'Newsnight' ing Modi as a "mass murderer" program aired on May 16 as part on the show. of the results coverage of India's general elecShe had received a number tion. "Many in the British of complaints from the InIndian community, pardian community based in ticularly those of Gujarati origin, were of- the UK in reference to the fended by the reporting BBC's 'Newsnight' program about Prime Ministerelect Narendra Modi," aired on May 16 as part of her letter reads. the results coverage The Conservative Party MP objected to the program's presenter, Yalda "Although the presenter Hakim, referring to Modi as a asked him what he meant by mass "controversial figure". murderer, she did not challenge "Modi's political opponents him to provide evidence to suphave portrayed him as being 'con- port his claim. troversial'. So by using this refer"Claiming someone who is a ence, the BBC, who should be democratically elected politician is impartial, is giving acceptance to a 'mass murderer' is an extremely the political position of Modi's serious allegation and unless opponents rather than reporting such a claim is substantiated with objectively," her letter states. meaningful evidence, the BBC "The term 'controversial' could should not be broadcasting this be used to describe a large num- slur," she wrote, further expressber of politicians, which is why ing shock at the Indian general many people in Britain's Indian election being described as "supcommunity believe its use purely posedly democratic". -PTI

'US should grasp opportunity of Doval as NSA'

Overseas Friends of BJP celebrating the victory of Narendra Modi-led BJP, in New Jersey on June 1

WASHINGTON: The appointment of Ajit Doval as India's National Security Adviser means "accountability" and it would exert pressure on Pakistan to "shut down the terror factory it has built", an American expert on South Asia has said. Bruce Riedel, senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, part of Brookings' new Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, said the US should "grasp" this opportunity to work closely with India. "His (Doval's) CV is very impressive and intriguing. My impression is this signifies that counter terrorism is going to be a top tier issue for the BJP government, as I believe it should be," Riedel told PTI.

"This means not just accountability for past terror outrages like Mumbai but pressing Pakistan to shut down the terror factory it has built over the last few decades. The US should grasp this opportunity eagerly to work with India," he said. A former CIA analyst, Riedel was involved in the shaping of the Af-Pak policy in the first term of the Obama Administration. He praised the Narendra Modiled government for appointing Doval as the NSA, stating that this reflects the priorities of the new Indian Prime Minister. Doval, a 1968batch Kerala cadre IPS officer who retired as director of IB in 2005, till recently headed a strategic privately owned think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation. -PTI

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Afghanistan assures India on safety of embassy KABUL: Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh met Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the two presidential candidates here during which she was assured that Afghanistan was committed to ensuring full safety for the Indian Embassy in Kabul, four consulates and interests irrespective of the orientation of the new leadership. Singh, who flew to Herat and reviewed the situation following the May 23 attack on the Indian consulate, held meetings in the Afghan capital with Karzai, and Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani - the two presidential candidates - who asserted that friendship with India would remain a "top priority" for any new government here.

Afghanistan will see a run-off on June 14 between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani to elect a successor to Karzai in the country's first democratic transfer of power. "In all the interactions there was uniform condemnation of the attack on the Indian Consulate in Herat and they assured her that Afghanistan is committed to ensuring full safety for the Indian Embassy in Kabul and four Consulates in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif," official sources said. They also emphasized to her that whatever the outcome of the forthcoming elec-

tions and the orientation of the new leadership, friendship with India would remain a "top priority" for any new government of Afghanistan as India-Afghanistan relations are deep rooted and civilisational and will continue to be nurtured, the sources said. During her two-day visit, Singh had met Governor of Herat Syed Fazullah Wahedi, Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha and other senior officials to take stock of the situation during her brief visit which lasted a few hours. Singh thanked Wahedi for the support provided to ensure the safety of the Indian Consulate in Herat and complimented the Afghan forces for their velour in thwarting

the attackers. The Foreign Secretary met the brave staff including the ITBP security personnel who repelled the attack in which all the four terrorists were killed.-PTI

Indian aid worker abducted in Afghanistan KABUL: An Indian aid worker has been abducted from Herat in Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen, days after the Indian consulate in the province was attacked. The Indian, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was working with an educational charity in Afghanistan and was abducted in the afternoon, according to top official sources. Confirming the abduction, a spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said, "An Indian national working with an NGO in Herat province of Afghanistan has been kidnapped. Our mission is pursuing the matter with local authorities." Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the Foreign Secretary. The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the abduction of the Indian national for which no group has claimed responsibility so far. The abduction comes over a week after the attack on the Indian consulate in Herat by four heavily-armed gunmen carrying rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. The attackers were subsequently killed by the security forces who repelled the attack on May 23. On May 29, the Indian mission in Herat had issued an advisory asking its nationals to exercise extreme caution while venturing out.-PTI

Hagel looks to more Asia travel this year SINGAPORE: Critics may question the depth of the Obama administration's new focus on Asia, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is spending a lot of time in the region. On his fifth trip to the Asia-Pacific region in about a year, Hagel is telling defense ministers from Vietnam and India that he'd like to get to their countries too. Hagel in his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference said he hopes to visit India this year. And he tells Vietnam's defense minister that he's also looking forward to returning to that country. Hagel is a Vietnam war veteran. A senior U.S. official confirmed that Hagel is hoping to go to Vietnam sometime late this year. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the plans publicly and spoke anonymously. -AP

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Telangana is born as 29th state, KCR first CM

Chief Minister of the new state of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao salutes after hoisting the national flag before inspecting the first parade of Telangana state formation day at Secundrabad Parade ground in Hyderabad on June 2

Sonia asks Modi to fulfill promises to Seemandhra NEW DELHI: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to implement the commitments made by the previous Congress-led government to Seemandhra which include grant of special category status to it and execution of Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project. She said the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014, by which Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh, contains various investment and other commitments by the government of India to Seemandhra region. The Congress President promised all cooperation to the Modi government in implementing these commitments. "....The groundwork for many of them, like in the area of water resources, grant of special category status and facilitat-

ing the Polavaram project had already been laid by the erstwhile UPA government. I do hope that your administration will build on

Sonia Gandhi

what we had accomplished and take them forward," Gandhi said

in the letter. She noted that the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had also made certain further commitments on the floor of the Rajya Sabha on February 20, 2014 on which the Union Cabinet had taken certain decisions. In the letter, she also attached a note giving details of the commitments made by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. "As President of Indian National Congress whose coalition government drafted the Reorganization Act and got it passed through parliament, I assure you of our cooperation in ensuring that the commitments made to the people of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh are fulfilled both in letter and spirit," Gandhi added. -PTI

SIT on black money holds its first meeting NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Centre to probe black money stashed by Indians abroad had its first meeting during which the roadmap on how to proceed further was decided. Sources privy to the meeting said that the SIT headed by former Supreme Court Judge M B Shah decided to examine whether some of the black money cases could be put on fast-track. After nearly two-hour long deliberations, the Finance Ministry

came out with a brief statement saying that "during the meeting, detailed modalities of proceeding further with the Supreme Court mandate were discussed and the roadmap decided." Without elaborating on the roadmap, the statement said the next meeting of the SIT will be convened shortly to take stock of the follow-up of the decisions taken at the parleys. However, sources in the meeting said that probe agencies like Enforcement Directorate, the CBI

and other financial probe agencies were asked to submit the number of black money and money laundering cases pending before them and the progress of the probe. The meeting was chaired by 75year-old Shah and attended by former Supreme Court Justice (retd) Arijit Pasayat as its vice chairman and top officials of 11 high-profile agencies and departments including Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, CBI and Enforcement Directorate.-PTI

HYDERABAD: Capping decades of struggle, Telangana came into being as the 29th state of India when TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as Chief Minister at the head of a 11-member Cabinet that included his son and nephew. Turning the clock back 57 years when Telugu-speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad was merged with Andhra State in November 1956, the new state of Telangana was born at the stroke of midnight on June 1. Telugu will now enjoy a unique privilege of being the language of two states - Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh, thus becoming the only language apart from Hindi to be the dominant language in more than one

state. Telangana is the first state to be created in 14 years after Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were carved out of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh during NDA's rule at the Centre in 2000. 60-year-old Rao, who quit the Telugu Desam Party and floated Telangana Rashtra Samiti in 2001 to champion the cause of separate statehood, was sworn in as Chief Minister by Governor E S L Narasimhan. His son K T Rama Rao, nephew T Harish Rao and nine others were also sworn in as ministers. Rao's daughter K Kavitha has been elected to Lok Sabha from Nizamabad in the Telangana in the recent elections.-PTI

Indian media in phase of consolidation: Uday NEW YORK: The Indian media changing the way content is deindustry, which has been witness- livered to the audience. ing significant churning, has enIn the biggest ever deal in the tered into a phase of consolida- Indian media sector, Mukeshtion that will see entities with a Ambani led Reliance Industries "strong, unique, distinctive said it would acquire control in proposition" surviving and some Network 18 Media and Investfalling by the way side, according ments, including its subsidiary to Star India CEO Uday Shankar. TV18 Broadcast for Rs 4,000 crore. "In the early days, access to When asked about the changcapital was easy and this led sev- ing media market in India, Shankar eral people to get into the media said: "some of this is par for the business. Now we are entering a course in a market that is still phase of consolidation where those who have a s t r o n g , unique, distinctive proposition are the ones that will be able to survive. Some would consolidate, some would fall by the way side, that is the Star India CEO Uday Shankar natural process of evolution," Shankar told PTI here. emerging because (as) lots of Shankar was in the city to people come in, there would be speak at the Paley Center for Me- consolidation, some would fall by dia, becoming the first media chief the way side." from India to address the premier He noted that a dynamic media media council. industry will mean that content is The event was also attended going to get better, adding that by 21st Century Fox co-COO there is digitization of content and James Murdoch and Time Inter- distribution. national Editor Bobby Ghosh. Shankar also said a big chalThe Indian media industry has lenge for the industry is to create been witnessing significant adequate talent pools of writers churning over the last few years and directors to sustain the rapid with rapid growth in technology growth. -PTI

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Indian schoolgirl elated after Everest summit KATHMANDU: A 13-year-old impoverished Indian schoolgirl, thought to be the youngest female to climb Mount Everest, has said that she had never scaled a mountain before setting her sights on the world's highest peak. Malavath Poorna, daughter of a tribal farm laborer, said she reached the 8,848 meter peak on May 25 following a difficult and dangerous climb from the Tibetan side of the mountain in China. Poorna said she and her 16year-old friend, a member of India's lowest Dalit caste previously known as "untouchables", climbed the mountain with ten Nepalese guides before hoisting the Indian flag. "I started to train for Everest last September, my parents and my instructors were very encouraging," Poorna told AFP in Kathmandu before heading home

to India. She spent around seven months training on rocky hills and later on icy terrain in India's Himalayan Ladakh region, learning to cope with altitudes and bitter cold, a world away from her home in the tropical south Indian state of Telangana. The 52-day-long expedition to Everest was made possible after an Indian government-run welfare group sponsored the teenager, whose father belongs to an indigenous tribe and earns just 600 USD a year. The petite schoolgirl said she was a confident climber and only felt nervous the day she made her final push to the summit. "That morning, I saw six dead bodies on my way to the summit. My instructors had told me about climbers dying and their corpses being left on the mountain, but I

Malavath Poorna

was still shocked to see it," she said. Poorna's climb has since been recognized by the Himalayan Database, considered the most au-

thoritative record of mountaineering in the region. Kathmandu-based Jeevan Shrestha, who assists mountaineering expert Elizabeth Hawley,

with the database said, "Poorna is the youngest female to summit Everest. It is a very rare achievement." China and Nepal officials have not confirmed that she reached the summit. Most climbers attempt the peak from the Nepalese side, the easiest and most popular route but authorities in Kathmandu do not grant climbing licenses for Everest to anyone under 16. The Indian teenager brushed off such concerns, saying, "I am glad I got the chance to climb. If I am fit enough, why should anyone stop me from climbing?" "I wanted to prove that people from my background, tribals, can do anything they want," she said. She said she planned to join India's police force after finishing her education and climbing a few more peaks. -AFP

Indian-origin authors to dominate UK syllabus LONDON: Indian-origin British author and filmmaker Meera Syal and India-born George Orwell have been given priority in a new English literature syllabus for schools in the UK. It is being seen as a sign of a move away from American texts as the AQA (The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) exam board became the second UK school board to not include any American novels or plays as part of its proposed compulsory texts. Earlier, there were protests and online petitions over the OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) exam board's dropping of US authors such as John Steinbeck or Arthur Miller. However, UK education secretary Michael Gove rejected claims of any "ban". A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said the new set of guidelines for schools represent "only the minimum pupils will be expected to learn" and that exam boards could still include modern writers from outside the British Isles. "It doesn't ban any authors, books or genres," said a DfE spokesman. In response, the AQA said: "Technically it would not be im-

possible to add additional texts beyond the essential requirements, to do so would place an unacceptable assessment burden on teachers and students." The titles on the AQA's list for prose and drama are from Britishborn or British-based writers, in-

Meera Syal

cluding Syal's 'Anita and Me', Orwell's 'Animal Farm', Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go' and Dennis Kelly's 'DNA'. The reforms to the English literature GCSE exam aim to ensure that pupils read a wider range of literary work, across a range of eras, and to prevent an over-emphasis on a handful of over-used texts. -PTI

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MQM chief Altaf Hussain arrested in London LONDON/KARACHI: Altaf Hussain, Pakistan's powerful MQM leader, has been arrested in London on charges of money laundering.

Officers were searching "a residential address in north-west London, where a 60-year-old man was detained," police said. Even as police did not name

Altaf Hussain

Scotland Yard confirmed that a 60-year-old man had been arrested from a North-West London property on charges of money-laundering, but declined to disclose the exact identity of the individual for "legal reasons".

Hussain, media reports in Pakistan quoting sources said the MQM chief had been arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Hussain, the chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has lived in the UK since

1991, saying his life would be at risk if he returned to Pakistan. A spokesman for the British High Commission was quoted by Dawn News as saying that the UK's consulate in Karachi has been temporarily closed down. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the issue of Hussain's arrest was of an extremely sensitive nature and the government would take all legal angles into account. The Prime Minister directed that the Parliament be taken into confidence over the matter. Hussain had been ill for some time and was scheduled to be shifted to a hospital when the police arrived at his residence, MQM's Nadeem Nusrat said while addressing media representatives via telephone from London. Nusrat advised all party members inside and outside Pakistan to control their emotions and not do anything that may go against the teachings of their leader. Nusrat insisted that Hussain was not under arrest but at home. -PTI

Kharge a hardcore loyalist of Gandhi family BANGALORE: Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, who has been appointed the leader of Congress party in the Lok Sabha, is a hardcore loyalist of the Gandhi family. A Dalit leader with more than 45 years of experience in politics, Kharge, 72, has seen a steady rise in his career graph from humble beginnings as a union leader in his home district of Gulbarga where he had always been in the forefront of championing the workers' cause. That Kharge was unconquerable at the hustings was mirrored in recent Lok Sabha polls in which he bucked the Narendra Modi wave that swept Karnataka, particularly Hyderabad-Karnataka region. He won from Gulbarga with a margin of over 74,000 votes. Kharge has won from Gurmitkal assembly constituency nine times in a row before he plunged into the Lok Sabha poll arena in 2009. He is now the second-time MP from Gulbarga.

A hard-boiled Congressman and loyal to the core to the Gandhi family, Kharge has played multiple roles in different ministries that has enriched his experience as an

Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge

administrator. He has also served as the leader of the opposition in Karnataka assembly and at the central level as also in the party where he had served as KPCC chief during 2008 assembly polls. Sober by temperament and nature, Kharge has never landed in any political trouble spot or controversy.-PTI

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Grant to promote Hindi in Israel TEL AVIV: In a major boost to promotion of Hindi in Israel, Indian businessmen here have announced a grant of about USD 33,000 for students learning the language, during World Hindi Day Celebration at Tel Aviv University. The grant by the businessmen engaged at the diamond exchange here will support travel expenses of students, who excel in Hindi at the varsity, to enable them to visit

India to sharpen Hindi language skills during the next five years. The candidates will be selected through "Kaun Bharat Jayega" contest similar on the lines of famous television show "Kaun Banega Crorepati." They will be accompanied by a Hindi alumni of the University. "It is a matter of pride for us to see so many people learning our national language in Israel and to see such enthusiasm for Indian culture. It is an effort from our side

to promote a resurgent India in Israel," Ranjit Barmeja, a leader of the Indian diamond community at the exchange here, told PTI. Barmeja added: "we have been living here since 1980s, before the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and we hope this contribution will help in strengthening our bilateral ties." Not to be left behind, the Dean of Humanities at the University,

Prof Eyal Zisser, also announced instituting a fund to support field trip to India for students learning Hindi. The details will be worked out later by the department of East Asian studies where Hindi is taught along with Japanese and Chinese. Hundreds of enthusiasts participated in the Hindi Day celebrations at the University during which students staged plays including Shakuntala, sang Bollywood songs, read Sanskrit

shlokas and enacted scenes from Hindi films. "Foreign companies working in India have started to advertise now in Hindi as they have understood that they can touch the hearts of 100 crore Indians only through Hindi. Those who know Hindi do have an edge while doing business in India," India's Ambassador to Israel Jaideep Sarkar told the audience during the event.

Thanking Genady Shlomper, Hindi teacher at the varsity, Sarkar said "he has been the flag bearer of Hindi language for decades here and served wholeheartedly and selflessly towards the promotion of the language." Shlomper, a proponent of Hindi as an official language at the UN, was honored by the Indian government at the 8th World Hindi Conference in 2007 in New York for popularizing the language in Israel. -PTI

WINNING GESTURE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan and players during a felicitation ceremony for the teams victory at IPL - 7 tournament at Eden Garden in Kolkata on June 3

Sharif treated like a schoolboy in India, says Imran ISLAMABAD: Cricketerturned-politician Imran Khan has said Nawaz Sharif was treated like a schoolboy during his trip to India and questioned his visit to the home of an Indian steel tycoon, saying it reflected the misplaced priorities of the Pakistan Prime Minister. Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party asked how Sharif could visit the home of Sajjan Jindal with his businessman son Hassan Nawaz when it is clearly a conflict of interest. Khan pointed out that no western democratic leader does business while in office, as it is a clear conflict of interest. Khan said that going to the steel magnate's house for tea in New Delhi when he couldn't find time to meet the Hurriyet leaders reflected the misplaced priorities of Prime Minister Sharif. Speaking to the media outside the Parliament House here, Khan said that by not meeting representatives of the Hurriyat Conference, the prime minister had struck a bargain on Kashmir, Dawn News

reported. He said Sharif was treated like a schoolboy during his trip to India to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony. In a statement issued by PTI Central Secretariat, Khan said it was regrettable that the notion of conflict of interest is totally ignored by the leaders when they

Imran Khan

are in power, the Nation reported. The Sharifs' entire business has multiplied while they have been in power, he alleged. Khan said that even more disturbing is the fact that his family is one of UK's biggest investors. Yet, instead of bringing his own funds back to Pakistan, Sharif has done numerous overseas trips to attract investment from overseas, Khan added. -PTI

Singapore riot: Indian nationals withdraw plea SINGAPORE: Four Indians, ment. facing charges for their roles in Their lawyer M Ravi told The Singapore's worst riot in four de- Straits Times that his clients had cades in December last year, have "gotten used to the conditions" withdrawn their applications for and had decided to drop their apjudicial review proceedings plications as the trial dates were against the government. drawing near. Three Indian nationals - Arun Ravi had the proceedings canKaliamurthy, Rajendran Mohan and Ravi Arun Vengatesh - had sought Their lawyer M Ravi told The to quash certain condi- Straits Times that his clients tions imposed on them pending their criminal had "gotten used to the trial related to the riot- conditions" and had deing. The trio were re- cided to drop their quired to report daily to applications as the trial the Immigration and Check Point Authority. dates were drawing near "Two separate judicial review proceedings against celled on May 7 on behalf of the the Government, brought by indi- three. It was slated to be heard by vidual charged in connection with a High Court Judge on May 12. the Little India's Riot, have been The High Court granted the apwithdrawn by the individuals plication, with costs amounting to concerned," Attorney-General's SGD3, 000 (USD 2,392) to be paid Chambers (AGC) said in a state- by the three applicants.-PTI

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Desi News Businesswomen's meet explodes some myths ARCHANA ASTHANA

SAN JOSE: A mid- sized room in the San Jose Airport Garden Hotel was abuzz with activity and excitement, and the energy of the hundred or so women was palpable. It was not a tea party, a tupperware party, or a book club discussion. It was evident from the smartly dressed women congregation that this was all business. The annual career and mentoring conference by IBPW (Indian Business and Professional Women) in Silicon Valley, was about to begin! This afternoon, experts on topics such as building a personal brand, mastering the art of leadership and communication, and navigating the social media shared their expertise and wisdom. Details on page 22

Dr Nitin Shah honored for his medical missions India Post News Service

DIAMOND BAR, CA: On Sunday, May 18, Dr Nitin Shah was honored at the Diamond Bar Golf Course by the Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Foundation for his tireless national and international medical missions and humanitarian services. Anand Rao Lingayat, the managing director for the Leprosy Foundation, opened the evening events by welcoming the guests and speaking about the work supported by the Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Foundation which includes helping organizations which help underprivileged children and abandoned elderly folks.

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

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NILA PANDYA

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented Plymouth MI based Indian owned Dhake Industries Pvt Ltd with the President's "E" Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The "E" Awards are the highest recognition any U.S. entity may receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of US exports. "Exporting continues to be the foundation of our sales growth, and we are honored to receive the "E" Award," said B.G. Dhake, President and CEO. "When we first began exporting nearly 10 years ago, export sales accounted for a very small percent of our total sales. During the past ten years however, export sales have grown to 45 percent of our total sales, en-

Award to Dhake Industries (left to right) US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, B.G. Dhake, Arjun Dhake and Congressman Kerry Bentivolio

Blind Foundation raises $13,000 for Indian projects RAMESH SOPARAWALA

Details on page 18

Details on page 21

Dhake Industries receives Presidential Award for exports

Details on page 23

CHICAGO: The Blind Foundation for India (BFI) organized a Silver Jubilee musical evening program at the Avery Coonley School's Performing Arts Center, Downers Grove, a southside suburb of Chicago. It was attended by over 150 members, guests and invitees. Trupti Kuvadia and Dr Kumar Moolayil served as Co-Emcees for the evening. Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India in Chicago graced the program with his presence.

Father's Day: Let us not confine it to one day only

President B G Dhake, VP Arjun Dhake with Sapna Dhake (left) and Priyanka Dhake (right)

abling us to sustain jobs and continue to expand our work force, even through the economic downturn a few years ago." "Dhake Industries has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The "E" Awards

Committee was very impressed with Dhake Industries' work to develop a market for its products in China. The company's participation in international trade missions was also particularly impressive.

"Dhake Industries' achieve- kets across the globe. ments have undoubtedly contribPresident Kennedy revived the uted to national export expansion World War II "E" symbol of excelefforts that support the U.S. lence to honor and provide recogeconomy and create American nition to America's exporters. The jobs," said Secretary Pritzker in her "E" Award Program was estabcongratulatory letter to the com- lished by Executive Order 10978 pany announcing its selection as on December 5, 1961. Four years an award recipient. of successive export growth and Located in Plymouth, MI, the an applicant's demonstration of an company is a manufacturer of in- innovative international marketing terior and exterior OEM automotive paints and coatings. Being a major Located in Plymouth, MI, the supplier of coatings for company is a manufacturer of many interior and exteinterior and exterior OEM autorior automotive components, Dhake Industries motive paints and coatings. It prides itself on being is a major supplier of coatings the leader in coatings technologies in the in- for many components. dustry. U.S. exports of goods and ser- plan that led to the increase in exvices hit an all-time record of $2.3 ports is a significant factor in maktrillion in 2013. Nationally, jobs ing the award. supported by exports reached US companies are nominated more than 11 million last year, up for the "E" Award for Exports 1.6 million since 2009. Launched through the Department of earlier this month, NEI/Next, a new Commerce's US and Foreign Comphase of President Obama's Na- mercial Service office network, lotional Export Initiative, works to cated within the Department's Inboost economic growth and sup- ternational Trade Administration, port additional American jobs by which has offices in 108 US cities assisting more US companies of and more than 70 countries to help all sizes in exporting to more mar- US exporters.

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Blind Foundation raises $13,000 for Indian projects RAMESH SOPARAWALA

BFL helping blind and sightless in India

could raise $13,000 for its activities, included among others funding for a medical van for the

Dr Ausaf and Dr Manu Vora

Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Smriti Mandir, Khetri, Rajasthan in India. A highlight of the event was a musical evening with melodious songs by Dr Dipak Shah and Dr Sheela Shah who are dentists but have been organizing musical concerts often. This was their 5th

chestra kept the audience engaged throughout the evening. Dr Manu Vora, President of BFI, highlighted the plight of over 15 million blind people in India which translates to 1 out of A highlight of the event was every 3 b l i n d a musical evening with people in melodious songs by Dr the world. He also Dipak Shah and Dr Sheela shared exShah who are dentists but ponential have been organizing musi- power of prevention cal concerts often. such as $1 of Vitamin A Musical Program organized to drops administered benefit BFI. from age 4-6, prevents Young artists from the Falguni the child from going Rana Suhani Dance Academy blind. Also, in India it CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed addressing the gathering Monika Shah and Hrushikesh Vora costs only $20 per gave enchanting performances to Cataract operation enthrall the audience. Hitesh compared to $4,000 in the US. with a mission to prevent and cure Master from the Sa Re Ga Ma OrBFI was established in 1989 blindness and educate and rehabilitate permanently blind people in India. Over the years, BFI team has raised over $3.5 million dollars to examine eyesight of over a million people. So far, BFI has conducted over 110,000 free Cataract operations, donated 110 medical vans to transport doctors and patients, and distributed over 10,000 Braille Kits to blind children for their education. The current BFI focus is on prevention of blindness through Child Sight Projects. Over 500,000 children in government schools are examined for their eyesight and given necessary glasses, eye drops, Vitamin A and even Cataract surgeries in rare cases. Drs Shah and Dr Vora thanked the Platinum Sponsor, Dr Ashok Ray and Mrs Purnima Ray, all other sponsors, and the audience. Delicious Indian food was served courtesy the Saffron of Westmont, Sai Saffron Sweets & Chat House, Shree Indian Vegetarian Restaurant and Masala Indian & Fusion Cuisine. The generosity of all the sponsors for the worthy cause was acknowledged and is highly valued.

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Samuhik Satyanarayan Katha at Grays Lake Temple GEETHA PATIL

The start of the Katha

CHICAGO: Hindu Mandir of Lake County performed Samuhik Satyanarayana Katha on Saturday May 31 with more than 300 devotees participating in the event. Performing the ritual of Satyanarayana Katha especially on a community level seemed to have gained popularity in modern times. It helps in promoting closeness and harmonious relationships in the community and to overcome adversity, resolve problems and difficulties in our lives. It was really pleasing to see the gathering of different Indian communities at this event. At 6 pm, the temple priests, Pt Anil Joshi and Pt Ganesh welcomed the enthusiastic devotees

gathered for this auspicious Katha. They performed Ganesh pujan, Kalasha Sthapan, and Satyanarayana and Laxmi pujan in a traditional manner by chanting Shree Narayana's numerous names, making offerings of flowers, fruits, payers and home-made Prasadam. Devotees were given puja plates and performed the same pujas along with priests as directed by Pt. Joshi. Pt. Joshi narrated the five chapters of Katha and dwelt on the significance of Satyanarayana Katha in Kaliyuga. The characters in the stories represent the nature of people in the world. Worshipping the 'Lord of Truth' together with

family and community people leads us to true knowledge, wis-

He said that the word 'Kali' stands for 'Kalah". 'Kalah' means the quarrel and conflict, may be between close relatives or between close associates. The reason for 'Kalah' is ignorance about our true existence, and true aim in life. Once we submit ourselves to Shri Satya Narayan, who is the ultimate personified Truth, we realize the temporary nature of our body and all the persons and things associated with it. Melodious devotional songs sung by Rita Patel, Atul Soni, Vasu Choksi, and Vishwanathan and excellent Shlokas and practical

Natesiyer, Shri Rajagopalan, Shri Prabhakar, and Shri Ishwar was done by Pt. Joshi and Pt. Ganesh for their commendable services in making Maha Rudram function (held in the beginning of this month) a grand success by offering them beautiful turbans and Uttariyas. Shri Natesiyer, the Secretary of the temple, thanked all the devotees for spontaneous and overwhelming support to all the temple events. Maha Mangalarati was performed after the blessings given by Pt. Joshi for everyone's happiness, prosperity, and peace.

Katha Aarti

dom, and liberation whereas falsehood leads to adversity and suffering.

advice by Pt. Joshi kept the devotees captivated for more than two hours. Felicitation of Shri

Delicious Maha Prasad prepared by the volunteers of the temple kitchen was served to all.

Vaishnav Samaj raises $ 1 mn for its projects

President Umang Patel addressing the gathering Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Shreeji Dwar Haveli established by Vaishnav Samaj of Midwest (VSM) Addison, held its fund raising dinner on Sunday, June 1 at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows to raise funds for the construction of expanded Haveli building with well-planned facilities for kids, youngsters, youth, senior citizens and persons of all ages. Shreeji Dwar is attracting large and growing number of devotees from Chicago and Midwest area. It is becoming difficult to accommodate large number of devotees in the current facility. The fundraising event was at-

Artists entertaining with Bollywood songs and bhajans

tended by 700 devotees that included majority of Founder Trustees, Trustees, Board of Trustees (BOT), and Life Members. PP Yuvacharya Vrjaraj Kumarji graced the occasion and gave a heart felt discourse clarifying some of the issues raised by devotees. He gave examples of moving Shrinathji's statue. He gave the example of Shrinathji's original haveli moving from Giriraj to Nath Dwara which took two years. He emphatically declared that Pushti Marg is broad and inclusive. It welcomes anybody (including persons from other sects and even non Hindus) who have love and respect for Lord Krishna. He gave the example of Goswami title given

Yuvacharya Vrjaraj Kumarji giving discourse on Pushti Marg

Community stalwards Dr Bharat Barai and Narendra Patel flanking Dr Umang Patel, President of the organziation

to Gusainji by Muslim King Akbar. The event started with discourse and was followed by

bhajans by Gauri Pathare. Swar Surita entertained the audience with Bollywood songs. Shilpa

Purohit, architect, presented and explained in detail the drawings and proposed view of the Haveli expansion/construction. Harish Doshi presented Retrospect and Prospects for the Haveli. Devotees pledged generously. VSM was able to raise more than one million dollars. Dr Umang Patel thanked everybody including donors, devotees, guests, singers, artists, and JJ. VSM management led by Dr Umang Patel (President) and Rajesh Shah (Chairman) and majority of Founder Trustees and Board of Trustees have ambitious plans for the needs of devotees in general and community as a whole. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 20

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Family friendly vacation at Branson, Missouri

ften considered familyfriendly, a combination of Las Vegas style shows and Orlando kind of rides, Branson, Missouri is the place to be this season. This year for summer fun, we chose Branson, Missouri for our family vacation of Independence Day. About 8 hrs south-east driving from Chicago land, passing through Abraham Lincoln's National Museum at Springfield, IL and monumental Arch of Saint Louis, scenic hilly views of Branson, welcome you for a best family vacation. This time it was easy for us to make an itinerary for our vacation, using an interactive tool provided on Branson's official website. Branson/ Lakes area Chamber of Commerce and convention and Visitors bureau have developed a very informative website www.ExploreBranson.com for visitors. This unique website provides a very useful tool for visitors to create their own itinerary on top

LINA SHAH

of the necessary details of attractions, event calendar, lodging, etc. Whether it's the beautiful hilly view, or the many attractions, Branson has something for everyone. We enjoyed whole day at Silver Dollar City. They are celebrat-

joyed Branson Belle showboat and dinner. Uniquely designed, this dinner boat offers very highenergy live musical show and talking dog show with three course dinner, journey past lush Ozark Mountains on the crystal clear

Branson MO

ing 50 years of fun. Every child will have the time of his life at the world-famous theme park, Silver Dollar City. In the evening we en-

waters of Table Rock Lake during your two-hour lake cruise. If the day gets a bit too warm, the whole family is able to enjoy a

Dorothy Brown hosting Expungement Summit HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: The 10th Annual Adult and Juvenile Expungement Summit is slated to be held at Living Word Christian Center, 7600 W. Roosevelt Rd, Forest Park, IL, on Saturday, June 7. Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County along with Abishi C. Cunningham, Cook County Public Defender; Anthony Calderone, Mayor of Forest Park; Dr. Bill Winston, Pastor of Living Word Christian Center and an array of judicial, governmental, legal, community and religious organizations and agencies, will be hosting the summit. The registration begins at 8:30 a.m. "This is an opportunity for individuals who qualify to expunge their court records; a second chance for them to be law-abiding, productive members of society," said Clerk Brown. "We are attempting to remove as many impediments as possible for people who are attempting to better themselves and their families' quality of life." For the past nine years, the extremely successful, full-service, community-based Expungement Summits have attracted 2,500 to 3,000 people each year. Summit attendees are seeking to improve their ability to obtain employment and other opportunities by having expugnable offenses removed from their criminal histories. At the summit, volunteer attor-

pleasurable and thrilling soak at the White Water Lagoon. One day we went for adventurous ride in jungle setup to experience zipping at 50 mph at Branson Zipline and Canopy tour - a brand new attraction for visitors soaring through

neys help prepare applications for the filing of petitions that qualify for impingement and sealing. Representatives from the Cook County Public Defender and Cabrini Green Legal Aid also assist attendees with legal concerns. The Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police hold informational sessions on their impingement

To have a petition filed on site, the petitioner must bring a rap sheet (criminal history). For suburban cases, individuals may obtain their criminal case(s) information from the local police agency where they were arrested petition review process. Additional presentations are made by representatives of the State Appellate Defender and the Illinois Attorney General. Individuals who do not qualify for impingement may attend a panel discussion conducted by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to learn about Certificates of Good Conduct and Relief from Disabilities, as well as how to prepare let-

ters for clemency and/or pardons from the governor. A host of other agencies provide information on employment, job training, health care, housing, voter registration and other services for ex-offenders. The Illinois Department of Employment Security will hold an information session on job placement for ex-offenders. To have a petition filed on site, the petitioner must bring a rap sheet (criminal history). For suburban cases, individuals may obtain their criminal case(s) information from the local police agency where they were arrested by requesting a Right to Access and Review. Contact the local police agency for more details. For Chicago cases, individuals may obtain their rap sheets from Chicago Police Headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan, no later than two weeks prior to the summit. There are filing fees associated with Expungement and sealing, which may include $120 per petition for Adult Expungement /Sealing ($60 for the Clerk's Office and $60 for the Illinois State Police (ISP)), $9 per certified disposition (adult cases) and $124 per petition for Juvenile Expungement (includes ISP fee). For additional information about the 2014 Expungement Summit, please call (312) 603-5200 or visit the Clerk's Office web site at www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org.

the trees over multiple zip lines and skywalks on a breathtaking tour of the Ozark Mountains. It was even more fun than it sounds. As night falls, the family will sure be tired, and they'd appreciate nothing more than to sit back and enjoy some of Branson's finest stage entertainment. For the musically inclined, the Branson Variety theatre has shows that you'll never have seen before! We enjoyed Broadway show and "Spirit of the Dance" - Irish in origin and bursting with raw energy - this explosive and powerful show combines show stopping Irish dance with the passionate Latino rhythms of Tango, Flamenco and Red-Hot Salsa in a thrilling production of strength and passion. And your little gymnast will be blown away after she sees the performances of the Acrobats of

China. Chun Yi - The legend of Kung Fu is a powerful tale of personal growth and the realization of physical and emotional harmony. And before the little guy can complain, every boy in the audience will be wowed by the daring antics of the Legend of Kung Fu. No matter what your needs, Branson has everything your family could desire, and then some. Among other stage performances attractions, watch Noah and his family build an enormous Ark and fill it with animals, two by two! Featuring a 300-foot wraparound stage, hundreds of live and animatronics animals and a 40foot-high ark, Noah - the Musical brings the Bible to life on stage in an experience you'll never forget! A magical production packed full of astonishing disappearing acts, huge illusions and exotic animals of world class magician Kirby Van Burch was amazing. Apart from theme parks and shows, you also have many choices of shopping, visiting winery, museums, music bars, scenic railway and local events. With many varieties of restaurants for dining, you can also enjoy Luigi's pizza, Vasken's Deli for falafel and Andy's frozen custard. Whether it is an affordable romantic gateway for Valentine Day or golfing, dining and nice spring break during Ozark Mountain Spring festival, or for summer family fun like go-karts, high-tech magical illusions, variety of highenergy live musical shows, wakeboarding, water skiing, jet skiing, parasailing, or bird-watching, hiking, biking, boating in fall for the Ozarks or spectacular lighting and shows in Christmas, this vacation place is very enjoyable in all five seasons of the year.

Vaishnav Samaj raises $ 1 mn for its projects Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 19

VSM welcomed all to visit Haveli and seek the devotional and spiritual blessings from Lord Krishna. Everyone is invited to next big events of 6th Patotsav July 18 to 20. Shreeji Dwar was built with a capital outlay of more than $3 million in May 2008. VSM had a bank loan of $1.1 million in 2008 which has been almost repaid in just 5 years. The current loan balance is about $25,000. VSM intends to pay off the entire loan in next three months! VSM's devotees have acquired more land in the last three years.

The current leadership of VSM has plans to take Haveli to a different level. Additional 30,000+ square feet of construction is planned to accommodate the growing congregation. VSM has already received approvals for a meeting point for senior citizens. Very soon, Prasadam Kitchen will be inaugurated. It already provides education and inculcation of Hindu values to kids growing up in America. There is a plan to start Yoga classes shortly. VSM expressed thanks to devotees, volunteers, Press reporters, and spiritual benefactors for their support.

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Father's Day: Let us not confine Community Fair it to one day only attracts large crowd PUNDIT ANIL JOSHI

or Hindus everyday is Father's Day as for us, Pitru Devo Bhav. We worship three father figures and pay our utmost respect to them. We start our day by paying of our respect to Para Brahma the Eternal Creator and Father of this universe, and the genetic

bond by paying reverence to our fathers. Firstly, our humble gratitude goes to Brahma who is the creator of the universe and of all beings, as depicted in the Hindu cosmology. Brahma is considered the father of the Vedas, the oldest and

He is the "unchanging reality." He is described as infinite, serene, invisible, imperishable, immutable, formless, one and eternal. He is in our hears rather than in homes and temples. In fact it is hard to find a temple dedicated to Brahma in India. Although Brahma is one of the

Fathers Heavenly (Lord Brahma) and Earthly (Survya Deva)

father who gives us this precious life. Trinity, the three forms of Ultimate (Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh) are also father figures. Hindus begin their day by saluting these special figures for their blessings, love and protection. The fundamental idea behind this is to strengthen the parental

the holiest of Hindu scriptures and Hindu dharma. Brahma exist more in scriptures in the form of a supreme power and treasure of knowledge and rays of enlightenment. Brahma presides over 'Brahmaloka,' a universe that contains all the splendors of the earth and all other worlds.

Trinity, his popularity is no match to that of Vishnu and Shiva. One such temple is located in Pushkar in Rajasthan Secondly, every early morning, we pay our salutation to Surya "the Supreme Light" also known as Adithya or Phra Athiti. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 23

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: A Community Resource Fair was organized by the North Area Community Service Center in collaboration with 19th District CPD Homeless Outreach Team here last week. Addressing a large gathering at the fair, Zehra Quadri, Founder/ Executive Director of ZAM's Hope , emphasized upon the community leaders to join hands and work collectively to achieve maximum results for the betterment of society and the people in need. The suggestion was greatly admired by the community leaders and they assured to deliver the services jointly as much as possible. The fair was largely attended by the people of Chicago area,

social workers, philanthropists and Government functionaries in addition to the participating com-

munity resource organizations. Besides, the crafts prepared by the ZAM's Hope volunteers and artisans were highly appreciated by the people visiting the fair.

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Indian businesswomen's meet explodes some myths ARCHANA ASTHANA

sights to emphasize the value of leveraging a personal brand to move to the next step in the career ladder. Elaborating on the concept, she shared that the three most important things about your brand are: to know who you are, how

also discussed, which include multiple modalities, in addition to face to face conversations, such as power point, blogging and other social media avenues. A second panel consisting of McAfee (an Intel company) execu-

discussion. It was evident from the smartly dressed women congregation that this was all business. The annual career and mentoring conference by IBPW (Indian Business and Professional Women) in Silicon Valley, was about to begin! This afternoon, experts on topics such as building a personal brand, mastering the art of leadership and communication, and navigating the social media shared their expertise and wisdom. Keynote speakers, moderators and panelists spanned careers in engineering, business develop-

you are perceived, and to ignite your brand. Branding, or making yourself known to others can be powerful and enduring growth enhancers if you can suitably bridge the gap between the view of self and the aspired goal. Ana concluded that this can come with aligning your brand with market needs and positioning of self with demonstrations of required capabilities while maintaining an honest view of one's strengths and weaknesses. The first of three panels, moderated by Alka Jarvis was dedi-

tive Sajeen Warrier, and Garima Thockchom from Akasia, was a lively discussion focused on leadership, moderated by Monica Kumar from Oracle. A "mythbusting" format began with debunking the first myth that" Female leaders have to emulate successful male counterparts". The fact being that a large majority of examples are males, it was suggested to look for qualities to emulate in leaders regardless of gender, and link it back to the path in your own leadership journey. An interesting observation was that compassion in leadership, that women tend to bring more, and how that opens door for them and elevates the nature of leadership. The next myth explored was "Are leaders born"? A split in the viewpoints of the two panelists revealed that while Garima maintained a leader is a combination of natural abilities and training to hone those skills, Sajeena was of the opinion that a spectrum of leadership skills and strategies can be nurtured and trained. With feedback to recognize your blind spots, one can identify and attend to competencies, as well as seek, demand, and get offered the resources to bridge any deltas in those competencies. Leaders often get trained and naturalize these qualities. The third myth addressed if "it

With feedback to recognize your blind spots, one can identify and attend to competencies, as well as seek, demand, and get offered the resources to bridge any deltas in those competencies. ment, sales and marketing, psychiatry and evangelism, with titles ranging from CEO, VP, Senior VP, President, Founder, and M.D! With such credentials and experience, it promised to be an informative and educational afternoon, with networking opportunities over refreshments later. The afternoon began with the Keynote speaker, Ana Pinczuk of Cisco, who brought years of personal branding experience and in-

cated to mastering the art of impactful communication, led by Cisco executives, Afsaneh Laidlaw and Manjula Talreja. The takeaway lessons centered on creating an aura of your personal brand, for which communication is the best armor. They urged rehearsing the first three minutes of an elevator pitch, with a "hook" designed to convince the audience of the value proposition. Trends in communication were

is your title that makes you a leader"? The panelists expounded that within the personal brand, credibility, track record, and your interpretation of duties and responsibilities seem to hold weight. Your title does not have to be limiting, as you can use your job to make it what you want, showing curiosity about other aspects outside of defined job descriptions. Projecting confidence and changing mindsets would allow careers to be played like a game with intelligent moves and strategy. Sajeena recommended some reading (see note), and actively seeking advisors to get support from both sexes in your success. The last panel, moderated by Shubhangi Vaidya focused on lessons learned from social marketing, an unfiltered, often convoluted, labyrinth interfacing personal and professional lives. Reshma Nigam, of aMarketForce shared her journey from a journalist to social media and managing marketing solutions for B2B (Business to Business), and Soumya Ravi, of eBay emphasized the value of marketing what you can measure and create. The relevance of including a psychiatrist in this panel was not entirely obvious, however, Maya Sastry spoke of integrating needs of the mind and body in functional medicine. Jill Crowley, who calls herself the Chief Evangelist of her personal brand, talked about changing mind sets as well as skill sets. In all, the panelists agreed that social media can be used to

armed with plates of healthy refreshments. The energy of the room shifted to a more interactive level, and animated discussions were evident at every table. Overheard snippets suggested topics discussed included male dominance in corporate world, chauvinism, inability to deal with female authority by both men and women, abuse and derision of female employees by males, income disparity etc. This forum allowed a platform for frank discussions and courageous conversations. All the women participants, regardless of their title, achievements or career paths shared an afternoon of camaraderie and support, and left with renewing old relationships, or having made some new ones. Similar discussions have flowered from the work of other leaders such as Sheryl Sandberg, Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, powerful and influential women in politics and corporations. Against the backdrop of such optimistic bonhomie, I would like the readers to ask the questions "How does architecting your career compare to reinventing yourself?" and "What role does luck, or being in the right place at the right time have to do with your actual success?" It requires more introspection on the part of the women on how they can navigate in their careers, and merits diverse ways of exploring it, without being bound by any particular model of feminine advancement.

showcase expertise, participate in social communities, highlight content knowledge, and create and foster a circle of influence based on trust. The audience members were by now suitably engaged and welcomed the opportunity to share their own thoughts and ideas

Book titles: "Hit the ground running: by Liz Cornish "Ask for it" Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever "Nice girls don't get the corner office 101 (Unconscious mistakes women make that sabotage their careers" by Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D

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Dr Nitin Shah honored for his medical missions India Post News Service

speakers that evening stated that Dr Nitin Shan exemplifies Mahatma Gandhi's statement, "My life is my message". Dr Shah, a former president of the Jain Center of Southern California, was instrumental in the building of the temple as well implementing youth activities and health clinics. Along with working with the Jain Center, Dr Nitin Shah was one of the main donors behind the opening of the Center for Jain Studies at Claremont Lincoln University. As the President of the University, Dr Jerry Campvell, commented Dr Nitin Shah truly believes in the power of education and that healing requires one to not only focus on healing the body but also the mind and spirit. Dr Shah's vast philanthropic work also involves organizing free

health clinics throughout Southern California. In addition, Dr Shah has also organized and fundraised medical missions to Fiji, Haiti, Jamaica, Japan, Africa, Ban-

Reedley declares Oct 25 as Rajan Zed Day India Post News Service

REEDLEY, CA: City of Reedley in California has become the 11th city in US to declare October 25 as "Rajan Zed Day" after religious leader Rajan Zed, who is President

ert O. Beck and carrying the city seal, Proclamation of the City of Reedley said: "The City of Reedley honors Mr. Zed's initiatives to bring various communities together throughout the world so that they can live in peace and

Leader Award, Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch & Interfaith Families, etc. Reedley, whose tagline is "The

Just before the Reedley City Council historic Hindu invocation, from left to right are Mayor Pro Tempore Ray Soleno, Mayor Robert O. Beck, Rajan Zed, Councilmembers Anita Betancourt, Henry (Rick) Rodriguez and Mary Fast

of Universal Society of Hinduism. October 25 is Rajan Zed's birthday. Cities of Hartford (Connecticut), Taylorsville (Utah), Madera (California), Sparks (Nevada), Chowchilla (California), Sanger (California), Exeter (California), Tulare (California), Santee (California) and Dos Palos (California) have already declared October 25 as "Rajan Zed Day". City of Reno (Nevada) has also proclaimed a day in Zed's recognition twice in the past. Signed by Reedley Mayor Rob-

mutual trust and enrich themselves through dialogue". It further stated: "Mr. Zed is honored for his leadership roles in attempting to help the helpless". Zed opened the Reedley City Council on April 22 evening with its first historic Hindu invocation in 100 years of its incorporation containing verses from world's oldest religious text in continued use Rig-Veda, and after sprinkling few drops of water from river Ganga of India considered holy by Hindus. Bestowed with World Interfaith

World's Fruit Basket", is a multicultural and friendly town along the Kings River. It hosts annual Reedley Fiesta, Electrical Christmas Parade and Street Faire. Ray Soleno and Nicole R. Zieba are Mayor Pro Tempore and City Manager respectively of Reedley, claimed to be located in the richest intensive agricultural production area in the world. Its notable residents include author Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Olympian Lacy Barnes Mileham and baseball player Vic Lombardi.

galore, and India. The evening closed with a plaque presentation by Hitesh

Bhakta to Dr Shah for all of his humanitarian work and entertainment by Archana Sachdev.

Father's Day: Let us not confine it to one day only Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 21

they've taught us. This Father's Day thank Dad with a lunch or dinner on board the Napa Valley Wine Train. The concept of celebrating Father's Day is very new in India and has been imported from Western countries mainly US, perhaps less than a decade ago. However, it is remarkable to note that the idea of observing a day in honor of fathers has been appreciated by Indians to a large extent. Today, millions of people in India observe Father's Day on the third Sunday of June by expressing gratitude for their father or men who they revere as father figures. The practice to celebrate Father's Day in India is quite new and can be witnessed only in metropolitan cities due to the influence of Western culture.

It is the chief solar deity in Hinduism. Surya is the chief of the Navagraha, the nine Indian Classical planets and important elements of Hindu astrology. Surya is also worshipped with most reverence for its life nourishing properties. The sun is important to all of us because it supplies us with light and heat and is the main source of energy on our planet. The sun's gravitational pull is what holds the earth and all the other planets together. He is living in our hearts, homes and temples and taking care of us. Father's Day was created to complement Mother's Day, a celebration that honors mothers and motherhood. Father's Day is celebrated for over 100 years in the present Yuga. This is celebrated Today, millions of people in in many countries India observe Father's Day around the world, alon the third Sunday of June though at different by expressing gratitude for times of the year. In North America their father or men who they and the United Kingdom, Father's Day is cel- revere as father figures. The ebrated on the third practice to celebrate Father's Sunday in June. It is a Day in India is quite new celebration honoring fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers People always opt for various in society. Many countries cel- innovative ways to observe this ebrate it on the third Sunday of special day and express their gratiJune, but it is also celebrated tude to their fathers. Sending widely on other days. Father's Day greetings cards and Father's Day is an occasion to Father's Day gifts are some of the express gratitude towards your popular trends to celebrate the dad for all his love and support. event. To observe the day several How to ride a bike, how to throw a organizations and cultural societbaseball, how to drive a car. Dads ies also organize Father's Daynever get enough credit for all that themed cultural programs.

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Comedy Hungama has people in splits ARCHANA ASTHANA India Post News Service

NEWARK, CA: With a title like that you expect nothing but laughs! And a laugh fest it was...all the way from dinner to midnight, at a small restaurant in Newark on a Friday evening! The Master of Ceremonies was the well spoken, Annie Akhtar, who kicked off the evening with a dinner, and the audience settled in for what was to

come next...Comedy Hungama, 2014…a group of local and talented friends, who shared camaraderie on and off stage. The opening act by Intequab Nazeer, a young comedian, who specialized in impersonating Bollywood film actors, portrayed movie scenes, depicting some well known names, such as Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, and others. Vijay Singh, who followed next, had a range of entertaining and clever ideas, in addition to impersonating movie actors. He drew his material from everyday life and made fun of common situations, such as the chagrin of his thin friends, how people laugh and deal with life. He delivered several quick repartees, mimicked the one liners of actors from old Hindi films that everyone remembers. Vijay presented several interesting ways to get the audience laughing, including singing! He also promoted the value of artists and their artistry as avenues to span cultures and bridge the gap. Singer Ranjeet Kaur, accompanied by Robin John on the keyboard provided the musical interlude. Part of the program was sponsored by Shaista Ali's "We are one" organization that promotes unity in diversity in Indian villages, helping small businesses

with loans and educating children. With no shortage of entertainment in the Bay Area, it was interesting to see the crowd of about fifty odd people, including elders and children, come together to support their friends and local artists at a local venue.

Award-winning picture books from India India Post News Service

aradi Tales, a renowned children's publishing h o u s e based in India, has recently made a foray into the US market. These publishers bring with them stories about India's rich and wonderful culture. Their lovely picture books, which provide an aesthetically unique representation of India's diverse culture and geography, are now being made available in the US by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. From retellings of folktales and fables to contemporary stories set in a multicultural environment, their picture books are vibrant and colorful, and they address universal themes. They are rich in produc-

tion value and have been highly commended for their international potential, multicultural appeal and world-class artwork. Karadi Tales' books have received wonderful reviews from famed North American websites and magazines including Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the books are regularly listed in the Publishers Weekly. Many of these books have won worldwide acclaim and several of them received recognition from international bodies including White Ravens (Internationale Jugendbibliothek, Germany). Picture Books from Karadi Tales are available for purchase on www.karaditales.com, www.amazon.com and at Barnes and Noble outlets across the country.

Tech News India slips to seventh spot on FDI confidence WASHINGTON: India has slipped to its lowest position in over a decade in the foreign direct investment confidence index, which has been topped by the United States for the second year in a row, a study has showed. The survey of 300 global executives by global consulting firm A T Kearney found that the US was ranked top destination in the world for foreign direct investment. India was ranked second for three years in 2005, 2007 and 2012 and was placed on the third spot in 2010. India attracted USD 25.5 billion in FDI inflows in 2012, down from USD 31.6 billion in 2011, according to 2014 A T Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index. -PTI

Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth gets sixmonth extension NEW DELHI: Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth has been given six months extension in service, just 12 days before he was supposed to retire, in an apparent move to ensure continuity by the new Narendra Modi government. The extension of Seth, 62, was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. This is second extension for Seth who was given one year extension by the previous UPA government last June. The government has approved extension of Seth as Cabinet Secretary for a period of six months with effect from June 14 or till further orders, whichever is earlier, an official notification said.-PTI

Auto loan lender settles charges for $5.5M NEW YORK: Auto loans provider Consumer Portfolio Services will pay $5.5 million to settle charges that it harassed people and collected money that consumers did not owe. The Federal Trade Commission said that the Irvine, California lender agreed to pay more than $3.5 million to refund customers, or adjust 128,000 customer accounts. The remainder of the settlement will be used to address civil penalties.-AP

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Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 aircraft lands at the International Airport in Mumbai on May 30

Huge penalty for not filing FBAR by June 30 deadline RAMESH SOPARAWALA

CHICAGO: US citizen, US green card holder, or a US resident alien (H1B, H4, L1, L2, or any other visa holder who meets the substantial presence test and who filed a regular US 1040 for 2013) are required to file FBAR before June 30, 2014 failing which they are liable for hefty penalty. According to Milan Madhani, a CPA and a practicing accountant in Chicagoland, India is a signer to Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). All foreign financial institutions who have signed up with the IRS compliance program, known as FATCA are required to report American citizens and green card holders' names and addresses to the IRS, and any foreign account information pertaining to them. "If you had, in 2013, any bank, retirement, insurance or investment accounts in a foreign country whose maximum calendar year balances exceeded $10,000 individually or in total, then you have to file the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (known as the FINCEN 114, aka, FBAR by June 30th of this year," he said. Failing to comply, that is failing to file before the due date without

any valid reason; the IRS can legally fine you a civil penalty of $10,000 for each foreign account held in 2013. "The worst part is, if the IRS deems you willfully de-

(See 31 USC 5321(a)(5))," Madhani added. FBAR was originally set up to prosecute money laundering but it is now also being used to com-

Milan Madhani CPA

Rajesh Dhruva, Tax Consultant India

"The worst part is, if the IRS deems you willfully decided to not comply and you knew about the requirement, the penalty is greater of $100,000 or 50% percent of the amount in each account (See 31 USC 5321(a)(5))," Madhani added. cided to not comply and you knew about the requirement, the penalty is greater of $100,000 or 50% percent of the amount in each account

bat offshore tax evasion. As of the end of 2013, the IRS enforcement program has resulted in collections of over $5.5 billion. Yet, the

US Treasury Department believes it has collected only a fraction of the tax actually due related to offshore tax evasion. In particular, the FBAR helps the US government trace funds used for illicit activity and discover unreported income. But foreign financial accounts used for legitimate purposes must also be reported. In U.S.A. vs. CARL R. ZWERNER, on May 28, 2014 a Federal District Court jury in Florida determined that FBAR penalties in the aggregate amount of $2,241,809 with respect to an offshore account that had an apparent high balance of $1,691,054 during the years at issue was appropriate - an FBAR penalty equivalent to 150% of the highest account values in the previously undeclared foreign financial account. Rajesh Dhruva, a practicing account attorney in Rajkot India said that from September 30, 2013 a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Form 114 has been introduced in place of Form TD F 90-22.1 and from the year 2013 the FBAR reporting is to be submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 26

India 2nd largest textiles exporter: UN NEW DELHI: India has improved its ranking to emerge as the second largest textile exporter in the world beating competitors like Italy, Germany and Bangladesh in calendar year 2013, with China retaining the top position, according to data released by UN Comtrade. Currently, India exports textiles worth USD 40.2 billion, while the total global textiles exports stand at USD 772 billion, with India commanding 5.2 per cent of the share. The rise in textiles exports from India is largely attributed to the growth in the apparel and clothing sector as these account

for almost 43 per cent of the share. "Despite having slow recovery in our biggest traditional markets -- the US and EU, prevailing global slowdown and the sustained cost of inflationary inputs, we made the best possible efforts to reach here". "Government's policy of diversification of market and product base helped us and we ventured into the newer markets, which paid huge dividends," Apparel Exports Promotion Council (AEPC) Chairman Virender

Uppal said. India has also improved its ranking by two notches in the Apparel exports from eighth posi-

tion in 2012 to sixth position in 2013. The country's Apparel exports stood at USD 15.7 billion in 2013 as against USD 12.9 billion in 2012.

Among the top five global clothing suppliers except for Vietnam, India's Apparel Exports growth was the highest rising 21.8 per cent during 2013. India's Apparel exports account for 3.7 per cent share in the global readymade garment exports. However, elaborating on the bottlenecks being faced by apparel exporters, Uppal said: "The availability of specialty fabric is a big bottleneck for which we have been aggressively demanding 5 per cent duty scrip for the imports of fabrics. It must be considered favorably by the new government to boost Apparel exports". -PTI

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Moneydart Shetty to acquire UK based Travelex FRANK FERNANDES India Post News Service

MUMBAI: Dr B. R. Shetty, the Moneydart fame Middle-East based Indian entrepreneur together with equity partners associated with Centurion Investments ("Centurion"), of the UAE, have entered into an agreement to acquire Travelex Holdings Limited, the UK based world's leading foreign exchange specialist. Dr Shetty's principal investment portfolio includes significant holdings in NMC Health plc, UAE Exchange and Neopharma, as well as investments in hospitality, food and beverage businesses. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NMC Health plc, the UAE's largest private sector healthcare provider, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE-250 index. UAE Exchange is a leading global money transfer and foreign exchange provider headquartered in the UAE. UAE Exchange was founded in 1980 and has a fastgrowing international presence which today spans 32 countries

with over 700 offices. Neopharma is the first company of its kind to engage in pharmaceutical manufacturing in Abu Dhabi, with state-of-the-art facilities. Centurion is an investment vehicle based in Abu Dhabi, owned

Travelex is the world's leading independent retail foreign exchange business. Over the past 38 years, it has built the world's largest retail network of specialist foreign exchange stores and has developed it brand. and controlled by His Excellency Saeed Bin Butti Al Qubaisi, with a range of business interests. Commenting on the acquisition, Dr Shetty, said: "I am delighted to be acquiring Travelex, a trusted and recognized global brand in-

spired by Lloyd Dorfman's vision. With an attractive growth strategy and an experienced management team Travelex has demonstrated its ability to execute on strategy, to innovate and to deliver strong financial results. I am looking forward to working with Lloyd, Peter and the Travelex team. This is a landmark transaction for Abu Dhabi." Travelex is the world's leading independent retail foreign exchange business. Over the past 38 years, it has built the world's largest retail network of specialist foreign exchange stores and has developed Travelex as a trusted and widely recognized brand in foreign exchange. Lloyd Dorfman, Founder and President of Travelex, will remain a shareholder. Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Travelex, together with the existing management team, will continue to lead

the Company. He said: "I look for- acquisition and, other than in reward to supporting Dr Shetty, Pe- spect of the reorganization of exter and the rest of the management isting shareholder interests as a consequence of the transaction, team." The proposed acquisition will it is intended to maintain the existbe effected through BRS Ventures ing capital structure of Travelex. & Holdings Limited, a company owned by Dr Shetty and equity partners associated with Centurion. The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory and other approvals and consents. The acquisition will not result in additional debt being incurred by BR Shetty, is Chief Executive Officer & Managing Travelex in conDirector of the Abu Dhabi based New Medical Centre nection with the Group of Companies and UAE Exchange financing of the

Coal Minister Goyal seeks update on missing files NEW DELHI: Coal Minister Piyush Goyal has sought an update on missing coal block allocation files and ordered "micro-filming" of all documents to prevent such problems in the future. "I have asked for a report to be given to me on exact status of which files are still missing...I would like to go to the bottom of it and also asked them to draw up a plan for microfilming of all documents going forward so that in future we don't have to face such a problem," he said.

Several files, applications and documents pertaining to the coal block allocations are missing. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the government auditor, had alleged a notional loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore on account of allotting mines to private firms without auctioning them. "I did flag off the issue with the ministry officials and I was informed that most of the files are now in place," Goyal told NDTV. Goyal had raised a privilege is-

sue against the then Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in Parliament. Proceedings in Parliament had been stalled repeatedly last year due to protests by the opposition after the CAG report and also over the missing files. The CBI is probing 195 coal block allocations and in 16 of these cases, it has found prima facie material which indicate cheating, criminal misconduct and corruption, based on which it has registered FIRs.-PTI

Huge penalty for not filing FBAR by June 30 deadline Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 25

Earlier Form TD F 90-22.1 was to be filed manually whereas (FinCEN) Form 114 from current year is to be filed electronically. Besides an individual a USA partnership firm, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or trust (referred as United States Person) which has financial interest or signing authority in overseas financial investment exceeding US $ 10,000 during a calendar year, are covered in this program. It may be noted that filing of tax returns jointly by a married couple is common in USA but the limit of US $ 10,000 is for each individual and as the requirement extends to all accounts wherein an

individual has a signing authority, both husband and wife are to separately file details of each joint account. FBAR applies to Bank accounts; Securities; brokerage account; Commodity Futures & Options Accounts; insurance policy and any annuity with cash value; Mutual fund or similar pooled fund and any account maintained with a foreign financial institution or other person performing the services of a financial institution. It may be noted that investment in a partnership or proprietorship firm, private limited company, personal loans and personal assets like jewellery are not included and hence, not required to be reported. Immovable properties are also

not covered under FBAR but bank balances generated for purchase of immovable property by funds remitted in bank account in India need to be reported. However it may be noted that FBAR reporting applies to old accounts in India as also accounts holding inherited assets. Improper filing of FBAR attracts penalty of $10,000 whereas willful failure to file FBAR is liable to penalty of greater of $100,000 or 50% of the balance at the time of violation and also is subjected to criminal penalties. More info can be found at http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/ Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Report-of-Foreign-Bankand-Financial-Accounts-FBAR

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Cut taxes and airport charges, IATA tells Modi DOHA: The IATA has appealed to the Narendra Modi-led government to slash taxes, restrain private airport operators from levying high charges and relax "excessive" regulations in the aviation industry to maximize India's full potential to generate economic growth. "You are a great country, a sleeping economic giant. You have great opportunities and capabilities that very few countries have. But unfortunately, the previous administration did not make the maximum use of the hidden Indian potential," Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways who is the President of the 70th International Air and Transport Association (IATA) assembly being held here said. "I was very touched to hear the speech of Prime Minister Modi when he said that if each Indian takes one step forward, that will be 1.2 billion steps and this really is correct for India.

"And for the aviation industry in India, the potential is so huge that even if you allotted capacity to every airline that is applying to fly to India, you will still have load factors in excess of 80 per cent. "So I would urge Prime Minis-

ter Modi's government to look at aviation as a very important tool to generating economic growth in India because it is only aviation that will bring you trade, tourism, in return bring more employment and bring economic prosperity for

the Indian people who have up to now been deprived so much economic opportunities that they have in their country. "I hope this is a very strong message to whoever is listening," Al Baker said. IATA, the trade association for world's airlines, Director General & Chief Executive Officer Tony Tyler said he too had "quite a long wish-list for the new government coming to power in India." "To share a few, it would be to "stop political interference" in the industry, reducing excessive regulations, slashing of state taxes on jet fuel and to build the Navi Mumbai airport. "I hope to visit India in not too long and perhaps discuss those and other ways (to help the aviation industry) with the new government and we wish the new government every success in maximizing the potential of the Indian aviation industry," Tyler said.-PTI

I&B Minister mulls indigenous STBs NEW DELHI: Pitching strongly Javadekar said that his ministry for indigenously- made Set Top would work with the Ministry of Boxes (STBs) for the Micro, Small and Medium Entergovernment's Digitization drive, prises (MSME). Information and Broadcasting "We will work with MSME and Minister Prakash Javadekar has there needs to be some concessaid that he would raise the issue sion from Finance ministry, so we of encouraging domestic manu- will talk to the Finance Ministry. facturers with Finance and Com- And we need certain decisions merce ministries. from Commerce ministry," he said. Speaking to reporters here, the It was pointed out that the I&B minister said that for Phase III and IV of "Why these 12 crore Set the digitization drive nearly 12 crore STBs Top Boxes we should were needed and ques- import from China and tioned why should the Korea? We are losing our country import them. "Why these 12 crore foreign exchange,, Set Top Boxes we should import from China and deadline for implementing DigitiKorea? We are losing our foreign zation in the country was close to exchange and we are losing op- which Javadekar said that he portunity to develop our own in- wanted to check the feasibility of dustry," he said. domestic production first and The Government has already added that decisions would be implemented the first two phases taken in national interest. of the digitization drive covering He said that the cost of 12 crore most of the major cities in the coun- STBs was estimated to be around try but most of the STBs had to be Rs 12,000 crore and the governimported. ment was keen to avoid this outGiving details of the road ahead, flow. -PTI

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Mast Magan: 2 States 2 Locha-E-Ulfat: 2 States 3 Party With The Bhoothnath: Bhoothnath Returns 4 Whistle Baja: Heropanti www.indiapost.com

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5 Galliyan: Ek Villian 6 Raat Bhar: Heropanti 7 Dard Dilo Ko: The Xpose 8 Fugly Fugly Kya Hai: Fugly 9

Baby Doll: Ragini MMS 2

10 Caller Tune: Humshakals

esides being extremely beautiful and having dated Salman Khan in the past, Bollywood divas Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Katrina Kaif have another thing in common and that is friendship. They have been spotted hanging out together in Abu Dhabi and are bonding very well. A Bollywood Mantra report says Katrina met Aishwarya during her Bang Bang shoot in Abu Dhabi while she happened to be at the same place during a stopover on her way to the Cannes Film Festival. Both of them caught up and dined together at an upscale Japanese restaurant in Abu Dhabi with another female friend. They were very comfortable in each other's company despite rumored differences in their past. The actresses avoided each other earlier as they were both dating Salman in the past. When Aishwarya visited her husband Abhishek Bachchan on the sets of Dhoom 3 set last year in Chicago, she apparently ignored Katrina completely. However, now it seems that both of them have moved on in their life and are hence the bonding.

Katrina met Aishwarya during her Bang Bang shoot in Abu Dhabi while she happened to be at the same place during a stopover on her way to the Cannes Film Festival.

ctress Prachi Desai, who has wowed the audience with her looks in Mohit Suri's 'Ek Villain', reportedly lost her temper when she was asked to pad up with silicone cups. The actress is looking very sexy in the song that is composed by Pakistani band Soch. However, reports emerged that the creative team had to struggle hard to give her that look. A report in India Today says that she was required to wear a low-cut, body hugging blouse for the song. The creative team asked her to pad up with silicone cups, which infuriated her completely. Not only did she refuse to wear any artificial enhancement and considered the request indecent, she locked herself in her vanity van and refused to do the song until and unless an apology was given to her. Things became ugly and it was only when producer Ekta Kapoor came that Prachi agreed to do the song. Apparently, Prachi and Ektaa share a close bond. It was Ekta who gave Prachi her television break in Kasamh Se.

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June 6, 2014

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hruti and Raina are in a mature relationship, but they are trying to keep it private. Kamal Haasan's elder daughter Shruti's friendship with cricketer Suresh Raina has progressed by leaps and bounds. The two are now in a steady relationship. Their special rapport was first reported after Shruti was spotted cheering for his team, the Chennai Super Kings, at the IPL matches. A source close to the couple said: "Raina used to consider her his lucky mascot. This year, she has kept away from the cricket grounds. Yet Raina is playing extremely well. So the superstition has obviously ended. It is a mature relationship now and they are in love. But they are trying to keep it private and not speak about it in public." Added the source, "Shruti and Raina try to meet as much as their busy schedules allow them, and are very serious about each other." Before meeting the batsman, Shruti was in a relationship with Rang De Basanti actor Siddharth. The two broke off in October 2011 when she walked out of his life and the home they shared, ending a one-and-half year old relationship.

"Shruti and Raina try to meet as much as their busy schedules allow them, and are very serious about each other."

S B

esides being bold, actor Ranveer Singh and former adult star Sunny Leone have one more thing in common between them. And that is the fact that both of them have endorsed safe sex by doing condom advertisements. However, it seems that Ranveer's alleged claims that he's the first actor to have endorsed safe sex and sold a condom seems to have infuriated the Ragini MMS 2 actress. A DNA report stated that the actress was upset over Singh making such tall claims. Also during recent media interactions, when Ranveer was asked if he had seen Sunny's condom ad, he refused to have seen it. It seems that the actress is miffed with Ranveer for talking all the credit for shooting a bold advertisement.

he has many unconventional movies to her credit and actress Nandita Das has yet again decided to be a part of one such out of the box project. Being a conceptual remake of the Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil starrer Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai, her next will have yet another off beat actor Manav Kaul playing the lead role. Manav also revealed that Nandita will be playing seven characters in the film. He maintained that though only the concept is inspired by the 1980 classic, certain similarities like the names Albert and Dominic will be a part of this remake. Also, this film is said to be a road movie which has been shot in cities like Mumbai and Goa. The film is currently in the postproduction stage and it is slated to release in October this year.

Also, this film is said to be a road movie which has been shot in cities like Mumbai and Goa

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Conn Senators praise Shinseki's role HARTFORD, Conn.: Connecticut's U.S. senators are praising Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki's decision to resign, saying the move must be followed by action to fix decadesold problems in veterans' health care delivery. Shinseki quit amid growing evidence of patient delays and cover-ups in the sprawling health care system. U.S. Sens. Richard and Chris Murphy praised Shinseki's service in the military and after he returned to civilian life. Blumenthal says workers in the Veteran Affairs Department lied to Shinseki and gave him false information. He says Shinseki's successor must introduce better information systems, more doctors, more efficient patient care, and other far-reaching reforms in the agency. Murphy says he is encouraged that the recent audit of Connecticut's Veteran Affairs facilities showed that the state generally has wait times for care that are within acceptable standards. -AP

Â&#x201E; UT vets, politicians split over VA resignation SALT LAKE CITY: Utah veterans and congressional representatives hold differing views over the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki amid widespread troubles in the VA health care system. Veterans lamented the resignation but members of Utah's congressional delegation say he had to go to change the VA's culture. Vietnam War veteran George Gutzmer, new commander of the Department of Utah Disabled American Veterans, said the VA health care system saved his life and Shinseki should have stayed on. ``I think it's going to be worse, not better (without him),'' he told the Deseret News. Terry Schow, former director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs, said he was saddened by the resignation. Shinseki is a disabled veteran who lost part of his right foot to a mine in Vietnam. ``I am just sick of people using the veteran thing for a political point here or there,'' Schow said. ``Let's fix the problem. That's really what the answer is. I think if we could have let Shinseki stick around, we could have fixed them faster.'' -AP

Health Science

New drugs may make a dent in some cancers Details on Page 35

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US law prods states to revisit health care rule CONCORD, N.H.: Prompted by the health care overhaul law, several states are updating their rules for insurance networks to better reflect who is covered and how people shop for and use their benefits. Laws governing health insurance vary, but states generally try to ensure that health plans give residents reasonable access to a sufficient number of primary care and specialty physicians, said Tyler Brannen, a health policy analyst for the state of New Hampshire. Yet that aim hasn't kept up with changes in how and where people access health care, he added. For example, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants now provide a significant share of primary care, and many consumers head to urgent care clinics instead of scheduling office visits, he said. And the current focus on hospitals ignores the reality that virtually every service provided during a short-term hospital stay is now available in other settings, including ambulatory surgical centers. ``There's going to be an emphasis on types of services, versus types of providers,'' he said of the

new standards being put in place. New Hampshire recently began working to revise its 2001 rules, and while its first step in that direction came after a consumer challenged them under the Affordable Care Act, Brannen said he realized years ago that the standards were outdated. Washington State just implemented new regulations, and discussions are underway in several others, including Arkansas, Minnesota and

``We're now talking about people with different health care needs, and different abilities to travel to providers,'' Brannen said. Similar discussions are playing out elsewhere, said John Weis of Quest Analytics, a Wisconsin company that provides software and consulting services for health plans, employers and government agencies seeking to measure network adequacy. ``States are saying, `Boy, you

She believes the standards adopted when the state created its marketplace, MNsure, aren't strong enough because they only focus on how far patients live from providers and not on whether those providers are actually accepting new patients. California. Also changing is how many people have insurance and who makes up that group, with previously uninsured residents gaining coverage through the health overhaul law and the expansion of Medicaid, which in New Hampshire will involve using federal money to buy private health coverage.

know what? The process I had in place wasn't really sufficient,''' he said. ``What you've witnessed over the last six months is consumers saying, `Hey, my provider's not in the network, my hospital's not in the network, these networks are so skinny, there's no access to care,' because there weren't any rules that prohibited plans from doing that.''

Given the relatively quick implementation requirements of the health overhaul law, however, most states did not have sufficient time to revamp their process, Weis said. Regulations vary by state, and states are taking different pathways to update them. Legislative approval is required in some states, while in others, insurance departments have the authority to make changes. Anna Odegaard is head of an advisory committee representing consumers and small businesses in Minnesota. She believes the standards adopted when the state created its marketplace, MNsure, aren't strong enough because they only focus on how far patients live from providers and not on whether those providers are actually accepting new patients. Her committee has heard complaints from providers who believe their specialties are not well represented in the marketplace and from navigators who helped people sign up for coverage. Many new enrollees had no idea whether their doctors would be included until after they signed up, she said. Cont'd on Page 35

Surgery on weekends ups death risk BERLIN: The risk of death following surgery is the highest on weekends, in the afternoons and the month of February, a new German study has claimed. Hospital mortality is subject to day-night, weekly and seasonal variability. However, a cyclic influence on hospital mortality has not been shown in patients after surgery. The research by Dr Felix Kork and Professor Claudia Spies, from the University Medicine Berlin, Germany and colleagues, investigated the daily, weekly, and seasonal variability of hospital mortality in patients after surgery.

Hospital mortality is subject to day-night, weekly and seasonal variability. This has been shown

A retrospective analysis was carried out on patients who underwent surgery between 2006

for various populations, settings, and in different regions of the world.

and 2011 at the two University Hospital Campuses of Charite Tertiary Care University Centre, Ber-

lin. Data was then modeled to work out cyclical patterns. In this first analysis of the data, a total of 218,758 patients were included. Hospital mortality showed variability over the course of the day, during different weekdays, and different months. Surgery conducted in the afternoon was associated with 21 per cent increased risk of death compared with surgery conducted at other times of day. Surgery at the weekend was associated with a 22 per cent increased risk of death compared with surgery on weekdays.-PTI

June 6, 2014

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Obama makes public health pitch for carbon rules WASHINGTON: As governors, businesses and environmentalists brace for new limits on power plant pollution, President Barack Obama is casting his unprecedented effort to curb greenhouse gases as essential to protect the health and wellbeing of children. ``I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that's beyond fixing,'' Obama said in

Traditionally, the president records his weekly address at the White House. But Obama put the usual playbook aside this time and traveled to Children's National Medical Center, where medical equipment and white lab coats formed the backdrop for Obama to argue that by targeting carbon dioxide, his administration is shifting the U.S. away from dirty fuels that dump harmful pollutants into the air. He also met young asthma patients there, the White House said. ``In America, we don't have to choose between the health of our economy and the health of our children,'' he said. White House officials have been fanning out across Washington and the country to build support and reassure those concerned about the coming rules. Among those worried: a number of Democrats from conservative areas who have openly criticized the rules as they prepare for difficult re-election fights this fall. The specifics of the plan President Obama is casting his unprecedented effort to curb have been closely guarded greenhouse gases as essential to protect the health and wellbeing of children. and environmental advocates and industry representatives his weekly radio and Internet address. His alike are anxiously awaiting details such as administration is bringing forward the first the size of the reductions the government carbon pollution limits on existing U.S. will mandate and what baseline those repower plants, the centerpiece of his cam- ductions will be measured against. paign against climate change. Critics say the ``We all want clean air and clean water,'' plan will drive up costs, kill jobs and dam- Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming age a fragile economy. said in the weekly GOP address. ``We don't

Vardhan to take up AIIMS plan with CMs NEW DELHI: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will write to Chief Ministers of all the states seeking their cooperation in fulfilling BJP's ambitious poll promise of having an AIIMS in each state. "The message I will carry to health ministers in states and the chief ministers is that not providing health care to the poor is not an option for the Narendra Modi government. If we put our heads together, we will find a solution. So let us work," he said, according to an official statement. Vardhan reviewed the ongoing process of establishment of six AIIMS in as many states in a meeting with their directors and assured them that he would get in touch with respective Chief Ministers and consider giving them more autonomy to speed up the work, it said. Centre would consider having more AIIMS projects if the Chief Ministers show interest, the health ministry release said quoting him. The Minister asked the directors to submit detailed status reports within a week. Recalling how the work to have an AIIMS in Raigunj in West Bengal was stalled after the state government expressed its inability to acquire land for the project, he asked all Chief Ministers to make full use of the

Center's plan. "Land acquisition should not be a problem for a hospital because it is for a public purpose. Moreover, it would be a government-run free facility and no private company would make profits. So I would re-

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

quest all Chief Ministers to avail this opportunity," he said. Vardhan also praised the health care facilities developed in south India and said its model holds out an example for the northern states where medical facilities for the poor are still "scarce". -PTI

want costly regulations that make little or no difference, that are making things less affordable. Republicans want electricity and gas when you need it, at a price you can afford.'' But Obama accused special interests and likeminded lawmakers of repeating false

claims about harmful economic effects from the new rules, which the EPA is already preparing to defend in court once the inevitable legal challenges roll in. Every time the U.S. has sought to clean up its air and water, cynics have cried wolf, only to be proved wrong, Obama said.-AP

Modi asks countrymen to say 'no' to tobacco NEW DELHI: On the occasion of World Tobacco Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the countrymen to say 'no' to tobacco and lay the foundation of a healthier India. "On World No Tobacco Day, let's pledge to spread awareness on the risks of tobacco consumption & work to reduce tobacco consumption in India," he tweeted. "Tobacco not only affects those consuming it but also people around. By saying 'no' to tobacco, let us lay the foundation of a healthier India," he added. Painting a grim picture of the loss caused by tobacco consumption, a recent statement by the health ministry had put the total economic costs attributable to all diseases caused by it in India in 2011 at a staggering Rs 1,04,500 crore.

The figure of 1.04 crore was more than the combined expenditure incurred in 2011 by the Central and state governments on health care, it had said. -PTI

Narendra Modi

Health Science Post

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WHO calls for raising tax on tobacco JAIPUR: Hundred per cent tax should be imposed on tobacco products to reduce their consumption significantly, health activists here have said. "An increase in tax levied on tobacco products has not only increased revenue of the state, but also reduced their consumption significantly. Hence the government should continue the tax policy," said Satyen Chaturvedi, executive director of Rajasthan Voluntary Health Association. "Many lives can be saved by discouraging consumption of tobacco. It is in larger public interest. So the government should increase tax charged on tobacco products and also run special campaign to aware tobacco users about its harms," he said. "The state also got WHO DG Award for tobacco control efforts and now the government should impose 100 per cent tax for more effective tobacco control," Association's project director Vikram Singh said. There has been a constant increase in tax levied on tobacco products in the state for the last four years and the trend should

continue for good health of people, he said. The tax imposed on tobacco products in the state was 12 per cent in 2009-10, 20 per cent in 2010-11, 40 per cent in 2011-12, 50 per cent in 2012-13 and 65 per cent in 2013-14. Referring to a worldwide research, Pulmonologist Dr Virendra

tobacco products discourages people to use the tobacco which is an effective way to curb tobacco use," he said. Singh said that estimated 32 per cent people use tobacco product and almost half of the people who start consuming them in adolescence die due to tobacco related diseases.

Singh said that 10 per cent increase in tax charged on tobacco products reduces their consumption by 8 per cent. "Increase in taxes charged on

He said that the average age when boys start consuming tobacco in the state is 17 years. The situation is even worse in case of girls who start consuming to-

Eco-friendly napkins for menstrual health NEW DELHI: Bio-degradable and pocket friendly cotton pads and menstrual cups are among numerous innovations available in the market today to help the sanitary needs of women and girls during menstruation. Lack of availability of proper sanitary materials and limited access to toilets and water in rural and urban areas leads to Repro-

PATH, an NGO which participated in the first global Menstrual Hygiene Day held here recently. Women and girls, especially in rural parts of the country use newspaper, cloth rags, ashes, leaves, hay, mud and other ineffective and unhygienic alternatives that can lead to long-term health risks such as RTIs, toxic shock syndrome or cervical can-

The enterprise has also come up with the idea of a toll-free 'Menstrual Helpline' and school awareness program for adolescents, which is set to be launched soon. Similarly, PATH, which works on health innovation across 70 countries is testing a hybrid pad. ductive Tract Infection (RTI) in 70 per cent women in India and 30 per cent adolescent girls drop out of school after reaching puberty, says a study by A C Nielsen. "India accounts for 27 per cent of the world's cervical cancer deaths, for which poor menstrual hygiene is partly to blame," says Tanya Dargan Mahajan, a development consultant working with

cer. Several NGOs and enterprises have come forward to address the issue though a host of innovations. One such innovation is a cheaper than retail price and 100 per cent biodegradable sanitary pad by Azadi, a startup working in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

"We have developed eco-ultra thin sanitary napkin that costs only Rs 20 for 8 pads. These pads are being circulated in schools and primary health centers in the country's rural areas," says Dhirendra Pratap Singh, Cofounder and CEO, Azadi. The enterprise has also come up with the idea of a toll-free 'Menstrual Helpline' and school awareness program for adolescents, which is set to be launched soon. Similarly, PATH, which works on health innovation across 70 countries is testing a hybrid reusable sanitary pad. "Currently in testing stage, our product - a reusable hybrid sanitary pad is fitted with a leak-resistant sleeve with options to use either a disposable or reusable absorbent material. This pad would dry quickly, prevent leaking as well as minimize plastic waste disposal," says Tanya. Certain organizations like WASH United also make use of sports and interactive games and roping in sportstars to raise awareness and impart information about the natural process of life.PTI

bacco at an average age of 14. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India (GATS), a survey among the age group of 15 years and above revealed that nearly 35 per cent of the adult Indian population consumes some form of tobacco. As per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2009, 14.6 per cent of 13-15 year old students in India were using tobacco in some form. Ayurvedic medicine experts say that while addiction to tobacco use cannot be stopped suddenly, it can certainly be reduced gradually. "The main Ayurvedic psychological approach towards quitting smoking or other addictions is to not stop all of a sudden but to reduce in gradual steps. The idea is to notice everything about the act," said Dr Vyanketesh Joshi, MD Ayurveda and Chief trustee of Mumbai-based Siddh Dhyan Foundation.

"Increased attention should be given to all sensations, sounds and smells while consuming tobacco. If this is practiced with total dedication, consciousness will do the rest all by itself," he added. Dr Meghna Shah, Dean of Homoeopathic institute 'The Other Song' in Mumbai, recommends help from a professional homoeopath for "constitutional remedy" for a person intending to quit tobacco usage. She says this remedy has the potential to strengthen a person both physically and psychologically. "There are even some homoeopathic remedies that make the person develop distaste for tobacco," she said. World No Tobacco Day is observed every year on May 31 and intends to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe, which currently leads to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually. -PTI

Focus on better lifestyle to check diabetes NEW DELHI: Highlighting the need for preventive measures to tackle the "diabetes epidemic sweeping" the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that better lifestyle, food habits and also Yoga are necessary to control the disease. Stressing on the mantra that prevention is better than cure, the Minister, in a meeting with officials, announced that National Health Mission will have a special communications arm to spread awareness on better lifestyle and food habits, which are necessary to avoid getting this debilitating condition, according to a statement issued here. "International experts have warned that a diabetes epidemic is sweeping India...Even teenagers are getting it which is worrisome for the government," Vardhan said. In the meeting, Vardhan mentioned the good work being done by S-Vyasa University, Bangalore, in treating diabetes with Yoga. He also mentioned about the Karnataka Institute of Diabetology and the non-government M V Diabetes Hospital in Chennai which are providing low-cost diabetes treatment to

thousands of people. The Minister also underlined the need to combat on a war footing other diseases like Malaria, Filaria, Encephalitis, Chikungunya, Dengue, TB, Measles and Leprosy and said they would be components of

NHM's sub-missions for rural and urban areas. "This will be in line with the overarching prevention is better than cure strategy of the ministry," he said. -PTI

June 6, 2014

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New drugs may make a dent in some cancers CHICAGO: New drugs are making a dent against some hard-to-treat cancers, but some results raise fresh questions about whether the benefit is worth the cost. For the first time in a decade, an experimental drug has extended the lives of patients with advanced lung cancer who relapsed after standard chemotherapy. But the drug used in the study gave patients just six extra weeks of life on average, and costs $6,000 per infusion as currently sold to treat a different form of cancer. Eli Lilly and Co.'s drug, Cryamza, was discussed at a cancer conference in Chicago, where other studies showed: â&#x20AC;˘ The drug Imbruvica, sold by Pharmacyclics Inc. and Janssen Biotech, substantially improved survival and could set a new standard of care for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, the most common leukemia in adults. Doctors say the pill more precisely targets cancer and is a good option for older people who can't tolerate standard chemotherapy infusions. â&#x20AC;˘ Two experimental pills from AstraZeneca PLC worked much better than one alone against ovarian cancer that resisted or came back after standard chemo. The drugs significantly prolonged the time women lived without their disease worsening. Lung Cancer Cyramza is sold now to treat stomach cancer and fights the formation of blood vessels that feed tumors. French researchers led a study with 1,253 patients who relapsed after initial treatment of advanced lung cancer, a more common disease.

All were given the chemo drug docetaxel and half also received Cyramza infusions every three weeks. Median overall survival was 10.5 months for those on the combo and 9 months for the others; there were significantly more side effects with the combo. `Ì don't think a six-week increment is that impressive'' for survival, said Dr. Derek Raghavan, an independent expert and president of the Levine Cancer Institute at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also is on a task force on value in cancer care for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the group hosting the conference. The fact that it prolonged survival at all suggests it is worth testing earlier in the course of the disease to see whether those patients fare better, he said. But for people whose lung cancer has come back, he said, `Ì'd try something else that's cheaper'' first. Other doctors were more positive. `Ìt's exciting to see progress in this disease where the steps are small but cumulative,'' said Dr. Gregory Masters of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center in Newark, Delaware, and an ASCO spokesman. Leukemia The value of another expensive drug seemed clearer, doctors said. Imbruvica won approval earlier this year for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia based on a small study that found it delayed the time until the disease got worse. Ohio State University's Dr. John C. Byrd led a more definitive study in nearly 400 patients who did not respond or had a relapse after standard chemo. They were

US law prods states to revisit health care rule Cont'd from Page 32

``The conversation right now is: How do we get MNinsure or the Department of Health to do the data collection to substantiate that there really is a problem, so we can come back around with solutions?'' she said. Washington State's insurance department began developing a new network adequacy rule in September, and the approved changes have taken effect now. The new regulation was designed to give consumers more information about the networks, according to Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. In a statement, he said many consumers were upset to find their health plan no longer included their trusted doctor or hospital. ``The Affordable Care Act increased

benefits, but it also expanded the role consumers are expected to play when shopping for health insurance,'' he said. The previous network rules dated back to 1998 and hadn't been modified since 2003. Under the rule, insurers must supply detailed geographic information illustrating how their networks meet the needs of all their enrollees. It doesn't prohibit narrow networks but requires all networks to guarantee timely and adequate access to care. ``I also want health insurers to innovate, especially if it helps keep costs down for consumers, but innovation cannot be at the expense of a consumer's ability to access care,'' Kreidler said. Balancing access with affordability, while increasing transparency for consumers, also are key goals in New Hampshire, Brannen said. -AP

given Imbruvica or Arzerra, a GlaxoSmithKline drug often used in such cases. One-year survival was 90 percent for those on Imbruvica and 81 percent for those originally assigned to get Arzerra. Imbruvica also reduced the chances of the disease getting worse by 78 percent. The results were especially impressive because patients on Arzerra were allowed

to switch to Imbruvica early in the study once its benefit became apparent. Treatment costs $8,200 a month. The drug ``may transform the treatment of CLL,'' said Masters, the oncology society spokesman. Ovarian Cancer Ovarian cancer usually is treated with surgery and chemo but about 80 percent of patients relapse, said Dr. Joyce Liu of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

She led a federally funded study of 90 such women to test cediranib, a drug that blocks tumor blood vessel formation, plus olaparib, part of a new class of experimental drugs called PARP inhibitors, which keep cancer cells from repairing damage to their DNA. The ovarian cancer study was the first time these two drugs had been tested together. The combo delayed by more than eight months the time it took for the disease to get worse compared to olaparib alone. It's too soon to know whether the combo will prolong survival; participants are still being tracked. Cediranib seemed headed for the scrap heap after failing studies on lung and colon cancer, but this is the second study to suggest it works against ovarian cancer. AstraZeneca said it may seek the drug's approval for ovarian cancer later this year. The price of either drug has not been set. Study participant Ann Marie McEnelly, 61, of Brockton, Massachusetts, said the combo eliminated several of her tumors and dramatically shrank some others. Her cancer had spread from her ovaries to lymph nodes and her abdominal wall. ``It's amazing. My husband and I are thrilled to be part of the study,'' she said. ``I'm able to work full time. I play golf, do things, watch my grandkids, pretty much do everything I did before.'' -AP

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Realty Tidbits

Run-down home gets funeral amid rebirth PHILADELPHIA: Gospel music filled the air as people gathered in the impoverished Mantua neighborhood of Philadelphia to mark the end of an era. A funeral was held to mark the demolition of a rundown row house that's seen as a symbol of urban blight. The row house was draped in floral wreaths for the occasion, and honored with music and eulogies. Organizers randomly chose the building for a cultural project called ``Funeral for a Home.'' The idea is to recognize the neighborhood's history in a city where hundreds of homes are torn down each year. Some believe the service could be cathartic for longtime Mantua residents hoping to see the area reborn.-AP

Downtown Sioux City Hotel set to be auctioned SIOUX CITY, Iowa: Sioux City officials are hoping a foreclosure sale this summer of the Sioux City Hotel and Convention Center will net a buyer willing to make major renovations to the troubled downtown property. The 10-story hotel is set to be auctioned at a Woodbury County Sheriff's sale July 15, the Sioux City Journal reported. Proceeds from the sale will help satisfy a more than $5.2 million judgment a court awarded May 2 to the Illinois bank that foreclosed on the property. The judgment for First Bank and Trust Company of Illinois is against two of the hotel's former owners, Choa Hope LLC and Tower Sioux City LLC. Since the property went into receivership, the landmark hotel has been managed by a court-approved third party. The sheriff's sale comes after several failed attempts by a national real estate broker to find a buyer.-AP

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Renovated Omaha cottages draw new residents OMAHA, Neb.: A cluster of South Omaha worker cottages built more than a century ago to house immigrant meatpackers has been fully renovated, and a modern-day slate of tenants is to start moving in early next month. Called the Cottages, the 20 rental homes are mostly 11/2 stories and share a common alley. They're bounded by Vinton, Spring, 21st and 22nd Streets and resemble a little village.-AP

Models open for Brookfield Residential's La Vita in gated Orchard Hills India Post News Service

IRVINE, CA: Brookfield Residential recently unveiled La Vita, a new collection of grand homes behind the private gates of the Groves in Orchard Hills™. Be among the privileged guests to experience a grand tour of La Vita's stunning model home designs that elegantly blend indoor and outdoor living spaces with dramatic luxury. With interest peaking for these highly upscale residences and sales set to begin, homebuyers are encouraged to view the next generation of new home luxury in Irvine. Sales Procedures and Priority Registration Online Applications can be reviewed at www.BrookfieldSoCal.com . The pinnacle of an extraordinary lifestyle has been revealed, with romantic exteriors, refined interiors and superb detailing in an unmatched location. Authentic Tuscan elevations and traditional piazza configurations with private driveways establish a handsome arrival point. La Vita's four singlefamily detached, two-story designs range from approximately 3,400 to 4,000 square feet with 4 to 5 bedroom suites, 4.5 to 5.5 baths and 2-car garages plus additional storage. Desirable features include firstfloor master suites and/or generous guest suites in all four plans, gourmet kitchens with impressive islands and adjoining prep/high heat wok kitchens with walk-in pantry, sink and second dishwasher. This space can also be

customized to the needs of the home's owner and turned into an optional crafts room. La Vita's outdoor rooms with bi-fold or multi-slide doors invite al fresco dining and entertaining in a naturally spectacular

setting. Prices are anticipated from the mid to high $1,000,000s. Orchard Hills™ is a village so unique, there will never be another opportunity like it in Orange County. A place of such dramatic topography and natural beauty, it

is distinguished as a true landmark within the Villages of Irvine®. Set amidst rare natural beauty, 12 new home neighborhoods offer an impressive range of architectural designs within this extraordinary Irvine address. Rolling hillsides, acres of open space and proximity to working avocado groves highlight the village's rare natural splendor and serenity. Brand new luxury neighborhoods epitomize sophistication and architectural differentiation. Created by Irvine Company Community Development, Orchard Hills is conveniently located in Irvine, California. The City of Irvine was recently ranked by Money Magazine as the "6th Best Place to Live in America." Cont’d on page 39

DLF sales bookings up 7pc; debt falls NEW DELHI: Realty giant DLF's sales bookings increased by 7 per cent last fiscal to Rs 4,070 crore, but fell short of its target as volumes declined due to the sluggish property market. The company's net debt fell by Rs 1,400 crore during the March 2014 quarter to Rs 18,526 crore from Rs 19,926 crore at the end of December 2013 on the back of non-core assets sale. In an analysts call, DLF said sales booking increased to Rs 4,070 crore in 2013-14 fiscal against Rs 3,815 crore in the previous year. However, in volume terms, sales bookings fell to 3.74 million sq ft last fiscal against 7.23 million sq ft in 2012-13. "We have done better in value terms (compared to last year) but lagged behind in volumes," DLF Executive Director Finance Saurabh Chawla told analysts. Sales booking in value terms was lower than the Rs 5,000 crore that the company had initially expected, he added. "Slowdown in the economic

environment resulted in moderate achievement against sales volume target. This is expected to continue for at least next two quarters before we see improvement on the ground. Full revival is expected early next fiscal year," DLF said in an accompanying presentation. DLF did not give any guidance of sales bookings for this fiscal and would disclose the target in Sep-

net profit of Rs 219.68 crore for the quarter ended March, 2014 on the back of gains from sale of hotel chain Aman resorts. It had registered a net loss of Rs 4.19 crore in the year-ago period. On debt, DLF Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ashok Tyagi told analysts that borrowings would continue at around Rs 18,500 crore level through this fiscal.

tember-October. It expects demand to rise from the second half of this fiscal on improved sentiments following formation of the new government. Sales will become "normal" after 18 months, it added. DLF reported a consolidated

The company cut debt by Rs 1,400 crore in the March 2014 quarter helped by funds raised from sale of hotel chain Amanresorts, except Lodhi Road property, for about Rs 2,200 crore. It also settled the dispute with DDA on the Dwarka Convention Centre at Rs 676 crore. -PTI

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Housing for all by 2022 govt's motto: Venkaiah BANGALORE: Highlighting the priorities of his ministry, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Poverty Alleviation Venkaiah Naidu said private sector as part of their social responsi-

Venkaiah Naidu

bility should go for housing for their staff. "Employment is going to be a major challenge before the country, no government can provide employment to all through government jobs, so you need to

have public private partnership, and you need to involve private sector, public sector and agencies like banks, LIC." Naidu told reporters. He said he wants to motivate private sector to go for housing for their staff as part of their social responsibility because "housing for all by 2022 is the motto of this government." Describing it as "a gigantic task", he said government alone will not be able to achieve it and "... so you need to involve public private partnership, you need to involve corporate sector". He said he is calling a meeting for the purpose of various stake holders. "We want to involve the state, local bodies, private sector, pub-

Models open for Brookfield Residential's La Vita in gated Orchard Hills Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 38

The highly-acclaimed masterplanned community is renowned for allowing residents to enjoy a unique lifestyle unmatched in the region - some of the best schools in the state; America's safest city for nine straight years; abundant open space, parks and recreational opportunities; and world-class dining, entertainment and employment. For more information about

Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. is a leading North American land developer and homebuilder with operations in eleven major markets. It entitles and develops land to create masterplanned communities the Villages of Irvine, visit www.VillagesofIrvine.com. To visit La Vita from the I-5 Freeway, exit Culver Dr. and head east. Cross over Portola Pkwy, make a left on Settlers and proceed through the Groves entry gate. Turn left on Fiddlebow and turn left on Sunset Cove. The guest parking lot is located on your right hand side, past the model homes. The La Vita Sales Office and Model Homes are open daily from 10 a.m.

to 6 p.m. For more information, please call 888.331.5915 or visit www.BrookfieldSoCal.com. Prices are effective as of the date of publication. About Brookfield Residential Brookfield Residential Los Angeles is a premier lifestyle provider comprised of a dedicated, knowledgeable team of professionals with the passion and experience to craft exceptional new homes, neighborhoods and communities. From the goals of first time buyers to the prestige of luxury homes, Brookfield is proud to offer opportunities that embrace a diversity of aspirations. Respected as an award-winning innovator, it is recognized for delivering consistent quality, design details and an outstanding customer experience. Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. is a leading North American land developer and homebuilder with operations in eleven major markets. It entitles and develops land to create masterplanned communities and build and sell lots to third-party builders, as well as to its own homebuilding division. It also participates in selected, strategic real estate opportunities, including infill projects, mixed-use developments, infrastructure projects, and joint ventures. Brookfield Residential is listed on the NYSE and TSX under the symbol BRP. For more information, visit www.BrookfieldRP.com.

lic sector in this massive ambitious program of housing for all," he said. Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that priority should be given to problems of urban settlers, Naidu said 32 per cent of the country's population was living in towns. "It was 17 per cent in 1951 and now it is more than 32 per cent. Going by the trend by 2050, 50 per cent of our population would migrate to towns.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that priority should be given to problems of urban settlers, Naidu said 32 per cent of the country's population was living in towns.

"Prime Minister has told me that this is one of the big priority areas. He (PM) also said housing, drinking water, sanitation, transportation and livelihood they should be the mantras for my ministry," he stated. Listing out the focus areas for the government and his ministry with regard to urban issues, he said "mission on smart satellite twin cities, mission on clean cities they will be our priority." -PTI

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haramsala is famed as the holy abode of Tibetan charismatic leader Dalai Lama and houses the Tibetan Government in exile. Dharamsala is a synonym for Buddhism in India. It is situated on the upper hilly terrains of Kangra Valley and set against the scenic backdrop of exquisite Dhauladhar Mountains. The gorgeous city is distinctively divided as upper and lower divisions with two altitude ranges. Home to the Tibetan leader, this is the perfect place to learn about Buddhism and the Tibetan struggle for freedom. The city is dominated by the Tibetan populace while still retaining the British fervor and English lifestyles. Numerous Buddhist Viharas or Gompas, presenting great cultural values and Tibetan architecture, are the main attractions of Dharamsala. Dharamsala has a vibrant environment with dense green forests with Deodar trees and pine trees. Blessed with many clear and unpolluted streams it is an ideal retreat for nature lovers. This

June 6, 2014

place has been renowned as one of the best picnic spots in India. Kotwali Bazaar is a perfect shopping place where one can view the color and lifestyles of the entire Dharamsala community. The market is considered as the base camp for tourists traveling to upper Dharamsala. Those who love nature walks and trekking can stay in this base camp and explore the hilly forest regions. One of the tourist attractions in Dharamsala is the Kangra Art Museum, displaying the rich past of Dharamsala and the culture of the Tibetan people. There are some institutions as well which are established to preserve the grand old Tibetan traditions, cultures and arts.

ATTRACTIONS Haripur-Guler, Kangra: HaripurGuler is a twin township in Kangra district famous for preserving the heritage of Guler Riyasat. The towns are separated only by a small river making it a haven for migratory birds. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 42

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Dharamsala: Synonym for Buddhism in India Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 41

The hill in Haripur still has the ruins of various monuments and a fort built by Raja Hari Chand. There are a few temples as well as a cave which make it a place worth visit-

Kotwali Bazar

ing. The town is also famous for its traditional Kangra paintings. Kangra Art Museum: Situated close to the bus stand, Kangra Art Museum is a unique museum dis-

playing the artifacts of Tibetan and Buddhist cultures. This is a treasure of Kangra Valley's cultural past, crafts, arts and other ancient artifacts. Some of the displayed items in the museum date back to 5th century.

fort finds a mention in the war records of Alexander, around 4th century B.C. It is one of the largest and oldest forts in India. Tibetan Library: Tibetan Library, located at Gangchen Kyishong Complex (3km), is just

War Memorial

Kangra Fort, Kangra: Located just 20 km from Dharamsala and 3 km from Kangra, the Kangra Fort is a magnificent structure built by the royal family of Kangra. The

halfway up the mountain between lower Dharamsala and Mcleodganj. It is the archive store of Tibetan works, cultures and arts. The library encloses original Ti-

betan manuscripts and serves as an excellent depository of rich heritage of Tibetan literature. War Memorial: War Memorial is adorning the entrance to the great old holy city of Dharamsala. Memorial is placed in a perfect

Tibetan Library

place of peace, amidst the lush green pine trees to pay tribute to Great War heroes from Himachal Pradesh in the post-Independence era. The war memorial is beautifully decorated with attractive green lawns and artistic landscaping. Bhagsu Falls, Mcleodganj: Bhagsu Falls is a small yet beautiful waterfall located 2km away from Mcleodganj. Around 0.5 km from the waterfall stands the Bhagsunath temple and the waterfall is revered by devotees who throng the temple. Dal Lake, Mcleodganj: Dal Lake, which is 2km walk westwards from Mcleodganj market, is renowned for its scenic beauty and the cool ambience. With an altitude of 1775 m, the lake is situated at the vehicular road between Mcleodganj and the village of Naddi. Surrounded by deep green Deodar forests, it is also a base camp for trekkers i n Dharamsala a n d Mcleodganj. Hanuman-Ka-Tibba, Mcleodganj: Hanuman-Ka-Tibba is an ideal trekking route for all those who love challenges. Situated right in front of McLeodganj, it offers a spectacular and breathtaking sight. It is the highest point in the Dhauladhar ranges and is famous for scenic views. Kareri Lake, Kangra: Kareri Lake is a shallow fresh water lake around 9 km from Dharamsala. Located on a very high altitude, the lake is fed by the snow melting from the Dhauladhar mountains. Due to the fresh shallow water, the bed of the lake is easily visible.

Cricket stadium Dharamshala

This lake also serves as an excellent trekking spot in the Dhauladhar region. Neugal Khad, Palampur: Neugal Khad is located around 2 kms from the main town and serves as an ideal picnic spot. Also called as Bundla Chasm, there is a 300 mt wide stream where tourists can enjoy picnicking. The spot also offers scenic views of the Dhauladhar ranges. The place receives rainfall throughout the year, but the beauty increases bounty times during the monsoons. Tea Gardens, Palampur: Palampur is the only destination in Himachal Pradesh that boasts of tea garden attractions. Lush tea gardens sprawling over vast acres of land are enough to captivate the senses of onlookers. Palampur is

Kangra Fort

also known as the 'Tea Capital of Northwest India', and the splendorous virgin beauty of the place is the USP of this holiday destination. Triund, Mcleodganj: Triund, the name of a crest in the Dhauladhar ranges in The Himalayas, is a very famous tourist attraction, which is 9 km trek from Mcleodganj. This place gives a breathtaking view of the Moon peak-Indera Pass. Ideal for camping, its unpolluted air and the unspoiled environment make the place an eco-friendly tourist spot. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 43

June 6, 2014

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

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Goa to refund unutilized funds to tourism ministry PANAJI: The Goa government will refund the money sanctioned by the Union Tourism Ministry for various projects which never took off due to various reasons. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters here after attending a meeting of the task force on tourism, that the money would be refunded so that the state could stake claim for more funds for other projects.

The task force meeting reviewed the grants sanctioned by the Congress-led UPA government to the state of Goa. "We have reviewed earlier grants sanctioned for the tourism sector in Goa. It has been decided that the state government will refund the money back to the union government for all those projects which are not feasible," Parrikar said.

The meeting discussed two projects including a convention centre and Goa Haath (exhibition facility) where money was given by the union tourism ministry but the actual work is yet to begin due to "feasibility issues." "We will refund Rs 8 crore which was advanced for these projects," the chief minister said, adding that the proposal for both the projects would be re-submit-

E-visas planned to facilitate travelers PANAJI: With a view to liberalize the visa regime, the Centre plans to introduce systems like evisa (electronic visa) and expand the scope for visa-on-arrival in the country, Union Tourism Minister Shripad Naik said here. "We are trying to move forward. The central government wants to liberalize the visa policies. Under the e-visa facility, a traveler can apply by sitting in his country. Once we receive his application, we will process it and send him the travel authorization document before he leaves the country," Naik told reporters here.

India intends to provide e-visa facility to maximum number of countries, he added.

Union Tourism Minister Shripad Naik

According to the minister, the scope of visa-on-arrival will also be expanded by getting more countries in the ambit of this facility. The Tourism ministry will also hold dialogues with the External Affairs ministry to reduce the visa fees so that it would work as an encouragement for tourists to visit the country, he said. "The visa fees for the shortterm traveler can be less. We will hold a discussion with the Ministry of External Affairs on this issue," Naik said speaking to reporters after chairing the tourism task force meeting here. -PTI

Fast train between Mumbai and Goa proposed PANAJI: The Union Tourism Ministry has proposed a fast train between Goa and Mumbai to attract more tourists to the coastal state. Union Tourism Minister and local MP, Sripad Naik, chaired a meeting of Goa government's task force on tourism here. Afterwards, he told reporters that the Union Railway Ministry would be requested to sanction a fast train connecting Mumbai and Goa. "People are facing scarcity of tickets. The trains are always full. The flight fares are skyrocketing. Due to

this there is difficulty in getting more tourists to the state," said Naik. A proposal for a luxury train on the lines of Palace on Wheels too would be taken up with the Railway Ministry, he said. The forthcoming `Exposition of Relics' of St Francis Xavier in Old Goa would be turned into a religious tourism event, it was decided in the meeting. The decennial exposition would be held in the first week of December, and is expected to attract lakhs of tourists.-PTI

Synonym for Buddhism in India Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 42

BEST TIME TO VISIT Dharmasala has a cool climate all through the year but the best season to visit Dharmasala is from mid-September to June. HOW TO REACH By Train: Nearest railway station is Kangra Mandir at a distance of 22 km from Dharamsala. All trains won't stop here. The major rail junction is Pathankot, which is about 85 km away from Dharamsala. Pathakot is well connected to all major cities in India. By Air: Gaggal airport (also known as Dharamsala airport) in Kangra valley is the nearest air-

Bhagsu Falls, Mcleodganj

port. It is 15 km away from Dharamsala. This airport connects domestic flights to Delhi. International travelers have to connect through Delhi Airport,

which is about 520 km away from Dharamsala. By Bus: Regular bus services are available in Dharamsala connecting the nearby cities.

ted to the union government. "Whatever advanced money was received, we will refund it back so that we can get proper funding for new projects," Parrikar said. The chief minister said that a list of new projects would be submitted by June end to the ministry. "I have issued directions that

only those projects which are easy to implement and have suitable land for it should be suggested to the union government," he said. Parrikar admitted that in several cases, the state government had failed to give utilization certificate to the ministry because of which the funding had stopped. -PTI

In Brief Asylum-seekers sew lips in Australia protest SYDNEY: Seven asylum-seekers sewed their lips shut as part of a mass hunger strike protest involving hundreds of detainees in an Australian immigration detention centre, activists said. Refugee activists said seven Iranian men had stitched their lips to protest their detention on Australia's remote Christmas Island for almost a year under punitive policies aimed at deterring people-smuggling voyages. Almost 400 asylum-seekers at the Christmas Island compound, about 2,600 kilometers from the west coast capital Perth, were refusing food, Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition said. The protest as part of a demonstration against the death of Iranian asylum-seeker Reza Barati. "Hundreds are into their fourth day of hunger strike as the anger and frustration grows," said Rintoul. "Seven Iranians in Gold and Green compound have also stitched their lips." -AFP

Â&#x201E; Migrants dropped off at bus stations in Arizona PHOENIX: By the time the women arrived disheveled and hungry at the bus station in Phoenix, they had already spent weeks traveling with young children. The families were apprehended in Texas, flown to Arizona and dropped off by the busload at the station by U.S. immigration authorities overwhelmed by a surge of families caught crossing the Mexican border. It was a sign of a shift in immigration that has seen South Texas' Rio Grande Valley surpass the Tucson, Arizona sector as the leader in border apprehensions, overwhelming border agents. The trend is being driven by a huge increase in the number of immigrants from Central America. While the number of apprehensions in the Rio Grande Valley vastly surpasses those in the Tucson sector, the area has fewer agents. From October 2013 to May 17, agents in the Rio Grande Valley made more than 148,000 arrests, compared with 63,000 arrests in the Tucson sector. But the Rio Grande Valley has about 1,000 fewer agents than Tucson. ``This shows that our strategy is poorly thought-out. Illegal aliens are always going to go where agents aren't,'' said Shawn Moran, a spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council, the U.S. Border Patrol union.-AP

Immigration

Mental competency issues in immigration practice

44 India Post

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June 6, 2014

Details on page 45

Children lose childhoods in federal immigrant detention LOS FRESNOS, Texas: The round-cheeked 17-year-old boy with wide chocolate eyes hadn't felt like a child for some time. He'd spent months trying to reach the U.S., clinging to the tops of steel trains, holed up with kidnappers, shivering in a chilly Border Patrol holding tank. So, when the boy landed one winter day at a shelter for immigrant children caught in the U.S. illegally and alone, it seemed more like summer camp than a detention center. In that oasis along a rural slab of Texas borderland, children chased soccer balls in the sun. The food was warm. The staff smiled. He told the Houston Chronicle that one staff member, a burly night-shift worker, even brought him little gifts: woven bracelets and batteries for his MP3 player, a reward for good behavior. The Honduran teen didn't think anything of it - until the night-shift worker crept up to his bunk bed late one night after the dorm lights were out. Record-breaking numbers of

children and teens the Honduran immigrant caught in the U.S. illegally without a parent or guardian are being swept into a strained and secretive federal detention network. Some 60,000 are expected this year - up from about 6,560 in 2011,

work of more than 90 state-licensed shelters, foster homes and detention centers that the government describes as ``safe havens.'' Most children are well cared for. But a Houston Chronicle investigation found that youths inside the insular system have

This Harlingen shelter where immigrant children and teens who come to the U.S. without a parent or guardian has doubled its capacity since 2010. It is one of more than 90 state-licensed shelters, detention centers and foster homes the government calls "safe havens."

according to government estimates. The unaccompanied children are housed in a labyrinthine net-

quietly suffered abuses by the people paid to protect them. The system has repeatedly failed to hold abusers account-

able, despite a federal law that makes sexual contact with a detainee a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison, the investigation found. The full extent of sexual and physical abuse in the federal shelters is unknown. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, the federal agency responsible for the children's care, has no specific system that tracks abuse allegations all the way through the investigative process - from outcry to outcome. But for the first time, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Chronicle, the government has released copies of 101 ``significant incident reports'' from March 2011 to March 2013 involving abuse allegations against staff members. The Chronicle reviewed thousands of pages of records from federal, state and law enforcement agencies in five states and interviewed officials, former shelter staff and residents. Cont'd on Page 46

5 Indians charged with visa, financial fraud NEW YORK: Five Indians, including four from the same family, have been arrested and charged with participating in a wide-ranging student visa and financial aid fraud schemes in the United States. Suresh Hiranandaney (60), his son Samir Hiranandaney (27), sister Anita Chabria (49), brotherin-law Lalit Chabria (54) and employee Seema Shah (41) face student visa fraud, wire fraud and student financial aid fraud. They were presented before US Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein in Manhattan federal court here. The charges carry prison term from five to 20 years. "Through their for-profit schools, the defendants defrauded the government and exploited their students. For their personal financial gain, the de-

fendants allegedly made false certifications about the schools' compliance with visa and financial aid regulations when, in fact, they were not," Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said.

which included the falsification of student and financial aid files and failure to report to the government students who were non-compliant with the terms of their student visas, that victimized American tax-

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-inCharge James Hayes said the defendants allegedly "orchestrated a wide ranging fraud scheme,

payers." According to the complaint, the five were associated with forprofit school Micropower Career Institute (MCI) which had five campuses in New York and New

Jersey, as well as with the Institute for Health Education (IHE). Hiranandaney was MCI's President, Anita was MCI's Vice President, Lalit was MCI's Vice President and IHE's President. Samir was a director at MCI campus while Shah was a highlevel employee at MCI's Manhattan campus. The five represented to immigration authorities that MCI and IHE were legitimate institutes of higher learning where foreign students carried full course loads. In reality, the majority of foreign students at the schools did not attend the required number of classes. The defendants did not report this to authorities and continued to collect approximately USD 10,000 in annual tuition from each of these students. -PTI

Immigration Post

June 6, 2014

India Post 45

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Mental competency issues in immigration practice CYRUS D. MEHTA

t is already hard enough for an immigration lawyer to repre sent a foreign national client in an immigration proceeding, given the language and other cultural barriers, along with the fact that immigration law can be extremely complex and unforgiving. On top of this, an immigration lawyer who represents a foreign national client with mental competency issues faces even greater challenges, including ethical conundrums. To what extent can a lawyer represent a client who may not even have the capacity to consent or to comprehend the fact that there is a lawyer who can assist him or her? This client may be discovered in immigration custody while in the middle of complex removal proceedings. The lawyer may also encounter a client with mental competency issues who may need to file for immigration benefits such as adjustment of status or naturalization. This issue has gained even more importance in light of the mandatory appointment of counsel for unrepresented respondents in immigration custody who have mental disorders. While clients with diminished mental capacity also include children, this article focuses on the challenges that lawyers face in representing clients with mental

The decisive factors are whether the respondent understands the nature and object of the proceedings, can consult with the attorney or representative, and has a reasonable opportunity to examine adverse evidence, present favorable evidence and cross examine government witnesses. Further guidance relating to Matter of M-A-M- can be found in the excellent practice advisory of the Litigation Action Center. Subsequently, in FrancoGonzales v. Holder, No. 10-02211 (C.D. Cal Apr. 23, 2013), a class action law suit, the court ordered that non-citizen detainees with severe mental disabilities in Arizona, California and Washington be provided qualified legal representatives at government expense in removal and bond proceedings. The court also ordered bond redetermination hearings for those detained more than 180 days. The EOIR on December 13, 2013 issued guidelines to provide enhanced procedural protection to unrepresented detained respondents with mental disorders. These guidelines are more robust than the principles set forth in Matter of M-AM-, and require an assessment of eight competencies in order to determine whether the respondent is competent to represent him- or herself: A rational and factual under-

Even when a lawyer is appointed by the court to represent a respondent who is not found to be competent, there is a potential for conflict of interest as the appointment will generally only last while the client is detained. The lawyer won’t be paid. disorders. The first breakthrough with respect to the development of safeguards came about in Matter of M-A-M-, 25 I&N Dec. 474 (BIA 2011), where the Board of Immigration Appeals held that for an alien to be competent to participate in an immigration proceeding, he or she must have a rational and factual understanding of the nature and object of the proceeding and a reasonable opportunity to exercise the core rights and privileges afforded by the law.

standing of: • The nature and object of the proceeding; • The privilege of representation, including but not limited to, the ability to consult with a representative if one is present; • The right to present, examine, and object to evidence; • The right to cross-examine witnesses; and • The right to appeal A reasonable ability to: • Make decisions about assert-

ing and waiving rights; • Respond to the allegations and charges in the proceedings; and • Present information and respond to questions relevant to eligibility for relief. If a detained respondent is unable to perform any one of the

rather to have appointed counsel while in custody? This might be easier to resolve if the client could make decisions and provide informed consent, but clients with severe mental disabilities might be unable to make informed decisions. On the other hand, there are no

If the Immigration Judge determines that a respondent is not competent to represent him-or herself, the EOIR may provide a qualified representative who is found to be incompetent to represent him-or herself. above functions, then he or she is unable to represent him-or herself. An Immigration Judge is required to detect facts suggesting incompetency, conduct a judicial inquiry, and follow up with a competency review. If the Immigration Judge determines that a respondent is not competent to represent him-or herself, the EOIR may provide a qualified representative who is found to be incompetent to represent him-or herself. While this elaborate process to determine whether a respondent is competent or not is a good first step, one wonders why this process is conducted on behalf of a respondent without the presence of a lawyer. This writer believes that the respondent should have a legal representative earlier in the process, when his or her competency is being evaluated. Even when a lawyer is appointed by the court to represent a respondent who is not found to be competent, there is a potential for conflict of interest as the appointment will generally only last while the client is detained. If the client is bonded out, the lawyer will no longer be paid by EOIR after the client is released. This creates an ethical dilemma. If the client desperately needs the assistance of a lawyer who is paid by the government, he or she can only be represented by counsel at government expense while in immigration custody. Would it be in the client's best interest to be released but not to have appointment counsel, or

safeguards relating to non-citizens applying for immigration benefits outside a custodial setting. Practitioners representing clients with mental disorders should advocate for the application of the safe-

guards enunciated in Matter of MA-M even outside a removal hearing, which include: • Legal representation • Identification of close friends or family members who can assist • Docketing/managing case to give time for legal representation or medical treatment • Participation of a guardian in the proceedings • Continuance or administrative closure • Closing hearing to the public • Waiving respondent's appearance • Assistance with development of record • Reserving appeal rights To be continued * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

PRADEEP ROY-SINGH B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. Attorney-at-Law

Former Assistant State s Attorney

Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc. 1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties 1 1

http://www.proy-singh.com

2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659

Immigration Post

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Children lose childhoods in federal immigrant detention Cont'd from Page 44

Among the Chronicle's findings: • Children and teenagers reported having sexual contact ranging from kissing to unwanted touching to intercourse - with staff in Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois, the federal records show. • The Office of Refugee Resettlement relies on state childcare licensing and local police to investigate abuses of the children in its care, instead of notifying the FBI of serious allegations. In the hands of local police and prosecutors, criminal cases have crumbled because of sloppy detective work, communication gaps with federal officials and jurisdictional confusion. • No shelter worker has been prosecuted under a 2008 federal provision that makes sexual contact with a detainee in ORR's care a felony. • Youths in ORR custody in Texas were molested as they slept, sexually harassed and seduced by staff members during the past decade, records from state childcare licensing investigators and law enforcement show. They were shoved, kicked, punched and threatened with deportation if they

tected, and we investigate, we follow up, we do training .'' Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who authored the 2008 amendment that allows for federal prosecution of those who sexually abuse youths in ORR care, said in a statement that she was ``extremely troubled'' by the cases identified in the Chronicle's investigation. ``Federal officials have a duty to ensure the well-being of those in their custody, and I expect this law to be fully enforced,'' she said. In response to the Chronicle's findings, she wrote a letter to the White House office reviewing ORR's Prison Rape Elimination Act regulation, urging regulatory officials to swiftly enact the provision to better protect children. Linda Brandmiller, a San Antonio immigration attorney who frequently represents children, said the detention network is in critical need of independent oversight, particularly with the growing numbers of children pouring in. ``This is a recipe for abuse and neglect of kids,'' Brandmiller said. ``This would not happen in any other system, with any other kind of victim.'' By law, the government treats

Youths in ORR custody in Texas were molested as they slept, sexually harassed and seduced by staff members during the past decade, records from state childcare licensing investigators and law enforcement show. They were shoved, kicked, punched and threatened with deportation if they reported abuses reported abuses, investigators found. • Federal officials were slow to adopt clearer, more stringent policies to help prevent and punish abuse. They wrote an interim rule to comply with the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act only after Congress specifically ordered them in March 2013 to do so. The act requires strict standards for reporting, tracking, preventing and punishing abuses. ORR's proposed rule remains tied up in the regulatory process. ORR Director Eskinder Negash said the agency is dedicated to protecting children in its care and ensuring that abuses are properly reported and investigated. He said ORR already makes sure that shelters follow state childcare licensing requirements for reporting abuses. ``The safety and the well-being of the children is our No. 1 priority,'' he said. ``Every time there is an incident, regardless of how small it is, we make sure that the best interest of the children is pro-

unaccompanied children from countries other than Mexico differently than adults. Instead of entering immigration detention centers, youths are handed over to ORR, which houses the vast majority in state-licensed shelters and releases about 90 percent of them to relatives or other sponsors in the U.S. while their immigration cases are pending. ORR requires shelters to file a ``significant incident report'' within 24 hours of receiving an abuse allegation. The government also requires shelters to follow state childcare licensing requirements for abuse reporting. The outcome of many of the abuse investigations stemming from the significant incident reports remains off-limits to the public. State child protective officials in several states, including California, Arizona and New York, cited child abuse and neglect laws in refusing to discuss specific incidents. The Chronicle's investigation found problems in the detention

network dated back years. During the past decade, state childcare licensing investigators in Texas have documented more than 100 serious incidents in shelters and foster programs that held only ORR detainees. Dozens of workers were fired or disciplined in connection with sexual, physical and verbal abuses, maltreatment, inadequate supervision and inappropriate behavior and relationships. ``This is just the tip of the iceberg,'' said Michelle Brane, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program for the Women's Refugee Commission, which has monitored the detention system for unaccompanied children for more than a decade. ``I imagine there are many cases we don't know about.'' More than a decade ago, Congress stripped U.S. immigration officials of the responsibility of caring for children caught in the U.S. illegally and alone, citing a litany of abuses under the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. Lawmakers shifted responsibility for their care in the spring of 2003 to ORR, a small agency under the Department of Health and Human Services. The change created a loophole in federal law that became evident in the spring of 2007 in Nixon, a small town outside of San Antonio. The FBI came out to investigate allegations that a 41-year-old worker named Belinda Leal had sexually abused a string of teenage boys detained in a shelter in Nixon. But federal prosecutors determined they lacked jurisdiction to charge Leal under a federal law criminalizing sexual abuse of ward because it specifically applied to inmates in Department of Justice custody. Leal was sentenced to seven years on state charges. She is scheduled for release in June. ORR shut down the Nixon shelter and pledged reforms, including a ``zero tolerance'' policy for abuses. Feinstein's amendment closed the federal loophole in 2008. The change in law did not affect a caseworker in a Fullerton, Calif., shelter accused of fondling teenage boys in his office in 2007 and 2008. A jury convicted the worker on six state charges and he served 14 months in prison, but several charges were overturned on appeal. Since Congress tightened the federal law, ORR has not notified the FBI of any abuse allegations involving staff members, said Jallyn Sualog, director of the children's program for ORR. ORR ensures shelters follow state childcare licensing guidelines for

abuse reporting, she said. Sualog said the FBI ``defers to local law enforcement, and they will only take the lead and do an investigation if there is no local law enforcement involved.'' Kelly Kleinvachter, a national FBI spokeswoman, did not respond to specific questions about whether the agency defers to local law enforcement or would investigate abuses within the federal shelter network if notified. The Chronicle's investigation found that case after case fell apart after landing on the desks of local law enforcement. • A night-shift worker at a shelter in Brownsville sneaked up on a sleeping 17-year-old from Honduras and molested him early one morning in July 2010, according to statements by both the victim and the worker to Brownsville Police. ``I really do mean (it) when I say I made a mistake and am willing to go to jail for what I did,'' the 27year-old worker told police. In the case file, the detective wrote that the case originally was assigned as ``indecency with a child by sexual contact.'' ``No arrest will be made as the victim is 17 years old and he is not considered a child by Texas law,'' he wrote. The de-

ter in Cutler Bay, Fla., was fired in September 2011 after a 15-year-old boy told shelter administrators that she awakened him early one morning and led him into the shelter's laundry room and had sex with him. The case was referred to the Miami-Dade Police Department, but prosecutors ultimately declined to charge the worker. In the memo closing the case, the MiamiDade State's Attorney's Office noted that the shelter ``had custody of the child and did not wish to pursue prosecution of the subject.'' A second boy, 16, reported to his aunt in California after he was released from the shelter that he had oral sex with the same worker. Police eventually interviewed the boy and told him he could press charges. By then he had turned 18, and he declined. ``These cases are falling through the cracks,'' said Brane, of the Women's Refugee Commission. ``There is a lot of confusion over who is supposed to do what.'' Brane has lobbied for years for ORR to adopt a framework outlined by the Prison Rape Elimination Act Commission in 2009 for the reporting, tracking and punishment of abuses in custody. She

``This is just the tip of the iceberg,'' said Michelle Brane, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program for the Women's Refugee Commission, which has monitored the detention system for unaccompanied children for more than a decade. ``I imagine there are many cases we don't know about.'' tective reclassified the case to a Class C misdemeanor - the equivalent of a traffic ticket. The worker paid a $350 fine and now has a clean record. • In August 2011, a state childcare licensing investigator cited a shelter in Harlingen after determining a worker had an ``inappropriate relationship'' with a detainee. The worker was fired. The licensing investigator reported to Harlingen Police that he had ``received information that a sexual relationship involving a 17year-old boy and 51-year-old female had taken place'' at a shelter. Harlingen Police went out to the shelter to investigate nine months later, after they were contacted by a reporter. They then determined that because the shelter was neither a school nor a jail, and the alleged victim was 17 - the age of consent - there was no crime under Texas law. ``We don't have jurisdiction over the feds,'' HPD Sgt. John Parrish said. • A 39-year-old temporary worker at a Catholic Charities shel-

said the government needs to enter into formal agreements with police and prosecutors to prevent cases from falling apart. At the shelter in Los Fresnos, the 17-year-old boy didn't report what happened to him for more than a day. He just cried. A teacher in the shelter, run by the nonprofit International Educational Services Inc., eventually noticed his tears and asked what was wrong, the boy recalled. He said the night-shift worker came into the dormitory after midnight and stopped at his bunk bed. He asked where he had hidden the trinkets, then sexually assaulted him, the lad said. ``He said something bad would happen if I told anyone,'' he said. The teacher quickly reported the abuse, and the night-shift worker was suspended and then resigned. The state cited the shelter for abuse. The staff member was arrested by Cameron County Sheriff's detectives on suspicion of indecency with a minor in February 2009. -AP

June 6, 2014

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VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Indian singer Sonu Nigam kicked off the Californian leg of his "Klose to My Soul" tour before a crowd of more than 8,000 that packed the SAP center, San Jose on May 25. Singing along with IndoCanadian singer Jonita Gandhi, Nigam enthralled the audience for more than four hours with Bollywood hit songs from the 1970s, '80s and '90s, as well as many of his own popular hits. He was accompanied by one of the largest live orchestras from India to tour this country, featuring nearly 33 members, and 10 dancers. In San Jose, the concert was promoted by Sankara Eye Foundation for a noble cause of eradicating blindness in India by 2020. Established in the Bay Area, SEF is a non-profit organization that has been working for the past fifteen years for the cause of eradicating curable blindness in India.

Jonita Gandhi

Driven by the truly inspirational mission of "Vision 20/20 by the year 2020," Sankara has established eight community hospitals as well as two city hospitals, soon to inaugurate their ninth community hospital in Uttar Pradesh, and in the process of launching their tenth hospital in the state of Rajasthan. By far the most unique and remarkable characteristic of SEF is that they provide free eye care for those unable to afford it, those members of the rural poor, and this accounts for 80 percent-which is approximately 145,000 people per year-of the surgeries performed at their hospitals. Their tireless efforts have enabled over a million people to receive the gift of vision, utterly free of cost. The concert, besides a mix of new and old songs, contained plenty of characteristic Nigam improvisations. Nigam showed his fans that he wants to take Indian song and music to another level as this was obvious in his presentations of Suruj Hua Maddam, Main Hoon Na, Kabhi Alvida, Na Kehna and Abhi Mujh Mein among several others. Cont'd on Page 49

June 6, 2014

India Post 49 www.indiapost.com

Swooping in to a young Soul-stirring Sonu hits hawk's rescue Cont'd from Page 48

India Post News Service

SANTA MONICA, CA: Even birds of prey sometimes need help. In this instance, it was a young red-tailed hawk that was probably trying to fly for the first time but had fallen and couldn't return to its nest about 60 feet up on a transmission tower near Fontana's Southridge community.

Donohue and other SCE operations, explored their alternatives. "In speaking with Kara, the best alternative was to reintroduce the hawk to its nest and its mother," said Williams. But trying to return one to a nest was new for Mike Ward, a senior transmission patrolman, and John Egan, a lineman, who had been around hawks, but had

Fontana animal services officer Jaime Simmons holds the young red-tailed hawk before it is returned to its nest.

The Fontana Police Department, when notified by nearby residents of the hawk's predicament, called Southern California Edison (SCE). The fire department responded first but quickly realized that returning the hawk to its nest was unsafe, leaving the job to an SCE crew. "This time of year we often get these calls regarding a young bird that has fallen out of a nest on our facilities," said Kara Donohue, an SCE senior biologist. This is a rather common occurrence with young birds almost ready to leave the nest." When Wayne Williams, an SCE Safety and Environmental specialist, arrived, Fontana animal services officer Jaime Simmons had already secured the hawk inside a compartment in her vehicle. They then, in consultation with

never handled one before. Before the attempt, they were lifted up to the nest in a bucket truck to inspect it. They found another young hawk in it and the mother, which flew out when they approached. "We do a lot of climbing to wash insulators, so I've been close to birds' nests," said Ward. "I kind of knew what to expect from the mother and how she would react." Based on this and hoping to keep the grounded hawk from panicking upon its return, the crew came up with a novel approach. Ward and Egan tied and knotted a rope to a five-gallon bucket and placed the hawk inside with the lid put on lightly. They then were lifted up to a crossbar adjacent to the nest. Once there, they secured the bucket to the cross member, pulled the lid off and

backed away. And what happened next couldn't have gone better: The hawk hopped out of the bucket and back into its nest. The crew then quickly left, very pleased with the outcome. "If we had just put the bird in the bucket, it would have probably panicked or tried to fly away again," said Ward, of the process that took about 15 minutes. "But we put it in the bucket and turned it sideward and re-tied it to the steel tower and slowly opened the lid and backed away, allowing it to come out and hop back in the nest. "It went just as planned." Williams agreed, saying, "From a personal perspective, it was very cool to see. The mother became alarmed and stood up on the cross rail and made that unmistakable hawk noise. And we opted to leave quickly. The whole idea was to minimally disturb the nest and the birds." Donohue, who works in SCE's avian protection program and advises field crews on protecting birds in the utility's service territory, was perhaps the most pleased, saying, "The best option is to get [the hawk] back up in the nest or at the least off the ground and try and perch it in the tower or nearby vegetation so no ground

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The mother became alarmed and stood up on the cross rail and made that unmistakable hawk noise. And we opted to leave quickly. The whole idea was to minimally disturb the nest and the birds." predators can get to it. "The best thing for them is to be raised by their parents and so if we can put them out of harm's way, it's better than taking them to a wildlife rehabilitation facility."

One of the special elements of his performance was to teach lay man how music is composed in the studios with his signature comedy ingredient in the same. Speaking at a press conference earlier in San Jose, Sonu Nigam said the concert preparation started way back in November 2013, with details and hard work of the live orchestra team. Change is the only constant, whether it's in music, culture, dance or fashion. Since music is a reflection of our mindset and our culture, it is bound to change with time, answered Sonu Nigam to a question asked by reporters. He thanked Sankara Eye Foundation for inviting him to perform

for a special cause and lauded their efforts on being a transparent and hard working charity organization.

Datebook

50 India Post

June 6, 2014

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NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Fri, June 6

Sat, Jun 7

• Ghulam Ali (Farewell Tour)

• Babbu Maan Live In New York

Venue: Edison Hotel, 3050,Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 8: 00 pm

Venue: York College, 94-20 Guy R, Brewer Blvd Jamaica, NY 11451 Time: 07:30 pm Contact : 516-946-4748

Sat, June 7 • ETV Paadutaa Teeyaga in NJ Venue: Green Brook Middle School, 132 Jefferson Ave, Green Brook, NJ 08812 Time : 11:00 am Contact: 425-638-3298

Sat, June 14 • 8th Annual Kite and Color Festival Venue: Buena Vista Camping Resort, 775 Harding Highway, Buena, NJ 08310 Time: 11:00 am Contact: 856-293-1970

Sat, Jun 21 • 17th Annual Event by Asavari Venue: Valimar Clubhouse, 166 Valimar Blvd, White Plains, NY 10603 Time: 03:00 pm Contact: 9149488969

Sat, Jul 12 • Hema Malini as Durga Venue: Colden Center Auditorium, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367 Time : 8:00 pm Contact : 718-639-2881

June 5th to 8th • Bombay Jayashree And

Sat, Jun 14 • Desi Rock Star

Shubha Mudgal Live In Bay Area

Venue: The Event Center, San Jose State

every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of

University, 290 S 7th St, San Jose,

Month

CA 95112

Chicago Satsang Information:

Time: 07:30 pm

J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda

Contact: 510-677-2777

Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets,

Venue: Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 450 Persian Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Time: 6 pm Contact: 510-305-9285

June 6 and 7,8 • Mount Madonna School's 36th annual Ramayana! Venue: Mexican Heritage Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose Time: 7 pm June 8 Time: 2 pm Tickets: All Seats Reserved, $35 Adults/$25 Children (18 and under) Contact: MountMadonnaSchool.org/ ramayana

Sat, Jun 7 • Swadeshi Ayya A Play By Y.Gee Mahendra Venue: Carrington Hall, 1201 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062 Time : 4:00 pm Contact: 408-892-9907

June 5th to 8th • Bombay Jayashree And Shubha Mudgal Live In Bay Area

• J K Yog Satsang and Bal Mukund Hindi Classes are held

Board Room, 933 South Riverside

Sun, Jun 22 •Halo Ne Apna Malak Ma

Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126

Venue: Jain Temple, 722 South Main Street,

Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok

Milpitas, CA 95035

@ 630-561-4807

Time: 4:30 pm

Website: www.jkyog.org

Contact: 408-646-0330

ATLANTA

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's

Upcoming

Bal Mukund

Sat, Jun 7 • Color Festival Venue: Georgia International Horse Park,

Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes

1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway

Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins

Time: 11:00 am

Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next

Contact: 801-821-4527

to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @

Sun, June 29 • Bollywood Dream Girl Hema Malini As Durga

Venue: Sunnyvale Hindu temple, 450 Persian Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Contact: 510-305-9285

Venue: Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280

Sun, June 22 • Halo Ne Apna Malak Ma

Fri, Jul 11 • Tamil Kondattam

Venue: Jain Temple, 722 South Main Street, Milpitas, CA 95035 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 408-646-0330

Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm

630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org/bal-mukund

Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30303

Mondays and Fridays

Time: 6:30pm

• Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes

Mega

Stars

Venue: Ferst Center for the Arts, 349 Ferst

Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL,

Dr, Atlanta, GA 30313

Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm

Time: 6:30 pm

Contact: 773-465-3105

Horoscope

June 6, 2014

India Post

www.indiapost.com

Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

JUNE 6 TH - JUNE 12 TH , 2014 (March 21 to April 20)

uddenly you will find yourself very close to your goal. Things will start going your way and you will get most of the things done with little effort. Property deal can get finalized and you will start preparing for the big move. You may also visit an old friend with family. Your application to buy another business will get approved quickly.

(September 23 to October 22)

ecent changes at work will cause little uneasiness in mind, working conditions may get tough forcing you to look around and explore another opportunity. You may be in touch with an expert for opinion and valuable advise. Financial commitments will increase. You may plan a short trip with family to attend an event.

(October 23 to November 22)

(April 21 to May 20)

ou will start to have better feelings after making final payment on an old debt. New opportunity will come with added perks and better hours. People in sales or brokers will have an excellent opportunity to make quick money. You may be thinking of some work done inside your home. Right time to go in partnership with an old friend.

amble will finally pay off and you will reap rich rewards. News will be confirmed after authentic report from an expert. A big raise or promotion is in order for some. Value of stocks purchased in last few weeks will shot up suddenly. People self employed will have increased foot traffic and new valuable clients.

(November 23 to December 22)

(May 21 to June 20)

uccess will bring confidence level to its peak. People in business will continue to gain an edge over opponents with addition of new products and strategy. You may also receive some kind of clearance from a government agency. Some electric items may stop working in the house and may need to be replaced immediately.

pportunity is all yours only if you are willing to relocate. Some of you will be getting ready for an upcoming big move. A child may give some tense moments this week. If appearing for any competitive exam this week, chances are you will clear it. You will also receive invitations for couple of parties in near future.

(June 21 to July 22)

here may be some last minute delay in finalizing the property deal. You may receive a small refund from a government agency this week. Continue on your long term plans as success is closer than you can imagine. Spouse may complain of some aches and pains in body. Some of you will launch a new business in immediate future.

(December 22 to January 19)

ome cracks could start appearing in ongoing partnership or relationship. Spouse may not feel good but can get cured with home remedies. You may really enjoy the business trip this week and make some useful contacts also. Expenses will stay under control after making final payment on few big purchases made in past.

(July 23 to August 22)

courageous action will make you popular in professional circle. Expenses on a child are about to sky rocket, so prepare your self. People in business will keep adding new line of products. You may be in touch with bank or credit card company to increase your limits. You may be traveling to a warm area with family this week.

(January 20 to February 18)

he news you had been waiting to hear will be delivered in a dramatic way. It will one more reason to celebrate. Expenses will suddenly escalate but for a short period only. You may take family out for a short trip to a nice and warm area. Negotiations will continue to go well and contract will be in your lap soon.

(August 23 to September 22)

unt will be over for those looking for a change in career recently. Offer will be lucrative with many perks and you will jump on to it quickly. You will make final payment on an old debt also. There will be improvement in partnership or relationship matters as the final commitment could come any time within few weeks.

PANDIT PARASHAR, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations. He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com

(February 19 to March 20)

oney will go on buying valuable gifts and entertaining others. Suddenly you will feel liberated as obstacles will get out of way and you may find right team to work on your ideas. You will make some plans with children and finalize a trip. Some gadget may stop working in the kitchen and may need to be replaced immediately.

510-886-4370 www.parashar.com

Classifieds

India Post

June 6, 2014

www.indiapost.com

RESTAURANT FOR SALE/RENT Well equipped & very nicely furnished Indian Restaurant on SALE & RENT located in the heart of Devon Ave Market. Best location in Chicago. Only serious enquiries please.

Call: 312-479-5506

WANTED FINANCE MANAGER FINANCE MANAGER WANTED URGENTLY. ANY WORK EXPERIENCE CAN APPLY. MUST BE ACCURATE, COMPUTER LITERATE, HAVE GOOD TYPING SKILLS AND HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF COMMUNICATION.

WILL EARN $3040 MONTHLY. Email at

georgecorney001@gmail.com for application

MATRIMONIALS BRIDE-GROOM WANTED LOOKING FOR BRIDECITIZEN OR GREEN CARD HOLDER

For a New Jersey based Jain boy, 25, 5’11” well built, graduated in computer science from NIU university-near Chicago, presently working as a senior software engineer in I-GATE solutions in NJ. Good family backgroundfather a journalist and mother a former bank employee in Mumbai. Contact: Pratima at 98212 61134 or e mail : pratimadshah@gmail.com or Madhav at 815-793-7277 or e-mail

smadhav88@gmail.com

NEWS on your desktop www.indiapost.com

For Classifieds Ads Call NORTHERN CA (Priya) Tel. 510-275-4467 priya@indiapost.com SOUTHERN CA (Shashi Trivedi) Tel: 562-441-5511/ Fax: 562-947-0632 shashi19@yahoo.com CHICAGO (Ramesh Soparawala) Tel: 773-973-7394 / Fax: 773-973-7396 sramesh@aol.com NEW YORK (Pinky) Tel: 908 338 3752 pinky@indiapost.com

Philosophy

June 6, 2014

India Post 53

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis Ken Wilber

here are many things that I can doubt, but I cannot doubt my own consciousness in this moment. My consciousness IS, and even if I tried to doubt it, it would be my consciousness doubting. I can imagine that my senses are being presented with a fake reality - say, a completely virtual reality or digital reality, which looks real but is merely a series of extremely realist images. But even then, I cannot doubt the consciousness that is doing the watching… The very undeniability of my present awareness, the undeniability of my consciousness, immediately delivers to me a certainty of existence in this moment, a certainty of Being in the now-ness of this moment. I cannot doubt consciousness and Being in this moment, for it is the ground of all knowing, all seeing, all existing… Who am I? Ask that question over and over again, deeply. Who am I? What is it in me that is conscious of everything? If you think that you know Spirit, or if you think you don't, Spirit is actually that which is thinking both of those thoughts. So you can doubt the objects of consciousness, but you can never believably doubt the doubter, never really doubt the Witness of the entire display. Therefore, rest in the Witness, Swami Dayananda Saraswati

ou cannot manage a situation unless you know exactly what is happening. The inner responses are allowed to happen for want of a proper insight and knowledge. You want to have the capacity to manage every happening properly so that you do not deliver yourself into the hands of likes and dislikes, into the hands of anger, frustration and its roots. You are working towards that capacity. I am absolutely helpless in the event of a reaction. I seem to have no power over this anger. Please understand that it takes a lot of courage to accept helplessness. Unless I have the courage to accept helplessness I can never grow out of it. I will not seek help even if it is available. It is like the man who was an alcoholic. When someone asked him, "Why do you take alcohol every day?" he replied, "I am not an alcoholic. I can give up alcohol any day." This response is more from the alcohol than from the person. A man who wants to give up alcohol has to first accept the fact that he has no power over alcohol. Similarly, I must know intimately

whether it is thinking that it knows God or not, and that witnessing, that undeniable immediacy of now-consciousness, is itself God, Spirit, Buddha-mind. The certainty lies in the pure self-felt Consciousness to which objects appear, not in the objects themselves. You will never, never, never see God, because God is the Seer, not any finite, mortal, bounded object that can be seen… This pure I AM state is not

am I? Who am I? I am aware of my feelings, so I am not my feelings - Who am I? I am aware of my thoughts, so I am not my thoughts - Who am I? Clouds float by in the sky, thoughts float by in the mind, feelings float by in the body - and I am none of those because I can Witness them all. Moreover, I can doubt that clouds exist, I can doubt that feelings exist, I can doubt that objects of thought exist - but I can-

You can already feel some of this Great Liberation in that, as you rest in the ease of witnessing this moment, you already feel that you are free from the suffocating constriction of mere objects, mere feelings, mere thoughts - they all come and go, but you are that vast, free, empty, open Witness of them all, untouched by their torments and tortures. This is actually the profound discovery of… the pure divine Self, the formless Witness, causal

I can't doubt the Witness that exists in this moment To put it very bluntly, Spirit is not hard to find but impossible to avoid: it is that which is looking at this page right now. Can't you feel That One?

Quotes from Bhagwad Gita The power of God is with you at all times; through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions; and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.

Ken Wilber

hard to achieve but impossible to escape, because it is ever present and can never really be doubted. You can never run from Spirit, because Spirit is the Runner. To put it very bluntly, Spirit is not hard to find but impossible to avoid: it is that which is looking at this page right now. Can't you feel That One? Why on earth do you keep looking for God when God is actually the Looker? Simply ask, Who am I? Who

not doubt that the Witness exists in this moment, because the Witness would still be there to witness the doubt. I am not objects in nature, not feelings in the body, not thoughts in the mind, for I can Witness them all. I am that Witness - a vast, spacious, empty, clear, pure, transparent Openness that impartially notices all that arises, as a mirror spontaneously reflects all its objects…

nothingness, the vast Emptiness in which the entire world arises, stays a bit, and passes. And you are That. You are not the body, not the ego, not nature, not thoughts, not this, not that - you are a vast Emptiness, Freedom, Release, and Liberation. Source: Boomeritis, Sidebar E: "The Genius Descartes Gets a Postmodern Drubbing: Integral Historiography in a Postmodern Age".

that I have no power over my anger, my sorrow, depression, and frustration. Some people advice, "Don't get depressed". Very often religious teachers become advisers. Nobody seems to really understand what is going on. A person does not choose to get depressed;

they are mechanical. If we had control over them, we would not have them in the first place. If we understand this, a way out opens up for us. When I am helpless in controlling my reactions, I can approach the Lord for help because everybody else is in the same situation

and the will and effort to change what I can, and wisdom to know the difference." All of our problems are because we refuse to accept facts and very often we worry about things we cannot change. We do not know what can be changed and what cannot be. If we knew that, we could spare our

Problems exist because we refuse to accept facts We do not know what can be changed and what cannot be. If we knew that, we could spare our efforts and divert our energy. Our efforts can gain a direction. We can pray. it just happens. Equally that person cannot choose not to be depressed. There is no point in advising someone not to get depressed. When we advise someone not to get angry, he gets angrier because it is not that a person wants to be angry. Anger happens. We need to realize that we have no power over anger, over sorrow, over mechanical thinking because

as I am. I am sad and another person is also sad and two sad persons coming together do not make a happy lot. If a drowning person gets hold of another drowning one, both get drowned in the process. Therefore, this popular prayer on these lines is very relevant here: "O Lord, I am helpless. Please give me the maturity to accept gracefully what I cannot change,

One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor; and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self. A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return. In battle, in the forest, at the precipice in the mountains, On the dark great sea, in the midst of javelins and arrows, In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame, The good deeds a man has done before defend him. The disunited mind is far from wise; how can it meditate? How be at peace? When you know no peace, how can you know joy?

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

efforts and divert our energy. Our efforts can gain a direction. We can pray. The basis for any form of prayer is the acknowledgement of our helplessness and then seeking help. Prayer is born naturally when I realize my helplessness and recognize the source of all power, all knowledge. Excerpted from Insights, Arsha Vidya Research and Publications, 2007.

The mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is subdued by practice. A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed in the Self alone.

You Insure all your Valuables, all are replaceable except YOU! So Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

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June 6, 2014

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Will Modi and Obama come together?

fter denying Mr Narendra Modi a visa for nearly a decade the US saw the writing on the wall and started changing its tune just before the 2014 elections were held. Mr Modi is now officially welcome in the Washington but it will be a long time before the US-

Barack Obama

India relationship reaches the same level it was at during the second term of George Walker Bush. The US, once again, has had its focus shifted from China to a series of brush fires around the world

challenging Russia, a much diminished power, bring the sort of global rewards that the Cold War did to the US' position in world affairs. Now, challenging Russia does not lead to a rise in military budgets or in a national rejuvenation as happened with the race to the moon. But the Obama administration is likely to be caught up in putting out these brush fires till the end of its term. Along with this preoccupation with short term crises and the exhibition of caution in exercising military power is the fact that the Pivot to Asia has not been concretized in an economic plan of action for Asia. Consequently, it is China that is making major economic inroads in the region as some of the US' major allies - South Korea and Australia - now have China as their largest trading partner. The fact that the Trans Pacific Partnership - the Obama Administration's economic centerpiece for Asia - does not include China or India means in fact that it will have a limited impact

The Modi government, therefore, will have to recreate the kind of excitement that existed in business quarters about India in the early 2000s in order to generate renewed interest from Western and particularly US firms - Syria and Ukraine being the most prominent. The Bush administration when it came to power named China as a strategic competitor but was forced to shift its attention to Afghanistan because of the September 11 attacks. These traditional battlegrounds have their constituents in Washington. The bottom line is that quite a few American strategic analysts are obsessed with the Middle East and would like to revive the Cold War even though President Obama quite correctly dismissed Russia as a regional power. Because brush fires have overridden grand strategy in Washington, the Obama Administration's Pivot to Asia and enhanced ties that go with it have been put on the backburner and, instead, the focus is on regions that both present unsolvable problems and provide little reward to the US. The Middle East, after its flirtation with the so-called Arab Spring, has swung back to soft authoritarianism, and Russia will never be in the US camp. Nor will

India Post

AMIT GUPTA

on the US role in Asia. US businesses ranging from the commercial to the defense sectors, for example, now suffer from a bad case of India fatigue. The last five years of the UPA government saw Indian decision-making move at a glacial pace and simple attempts to open up the economy were stymied by corruption charges and coalitional infighting. The Modi government, therefore, will have to recreate the kind of excitement that existed in business quarters about India in the early 2000s in order to generate renewed interest from Western and particularly US firms. Given the economic focus of the new Indian government, however, this is likely to happen sooner than later as witnessed by the move to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in the defense sector. A more difficult issue will be to see if India and the US can de-

velop complementary world views especially on the issue of the rise of China and how to balance Beijing with a pivot to Asia. While New Delhi sees the value of a US that balances China in Asia it is not keen on being part of an antiChinese alliance as some in the US and Asia would want it to be. This is especially the case with Mr Modi who has made several trips to China and quite clearly recognizes the role Beijing could play in the economic development of India. Moreover, as long as the word expeditionary is taboo in New Delhi it is doubtful that the Indian government will agree to participate in coalitional efforts with the US (unless of course it is under the aegis of the United Nations). And there is the simple fact of personalities. Mr Modi, in his years as chief minister, spent time cultivating the nations of East Asia because he was not permitted to visit the West. He is likely to use that friendship to bring quick investment to India, something that the West will not be willing to do. Consequently, an India that finally adopts a true Look East policy and for a while at least adopts a wait and see approach with the US may be seen. Having said that, such an approach cannot be maintained in the long run since India's development will require technological inputs from the West and that means at some time either Mr Modi goes to Washington or Mr Obama

Narendra Modi

comes to Delhi. It will happen but not any time soon. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Air Force or the Department of Defense. The writer is Associate Professor, Department of International Security, USAF Air War College, Alabama

Bold moves

n sharp contrast to the paralyzed UPA government, right from day one Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown that he means business. The composition of his cabinet itself demonstrates his intent. In one of his boldest moves, he has entrusted the important portfolio of Education to a lady who is not even a graduate. The Congress was quick to criticize the move and the media has raked up a big controversy over it. Smriti Irani is a former TV actress but by sheer dint of her work in the party, she had risen to be a vice president of BJP. Modi has great faith in her as was evident from her being named a candidate against Congress scion Rahul Gandhi in Amethi where she put up a tough fight losing by a lakh or so votes. In an adjoining constituency, Sonia Gandhi won by more than 3 lakh votes. During the swearing in ceremony also, she was called in before Maneka Gandhi and Harsh Vardhan, denoting her new stature. Undeterred by the controversy, however, Smriti Irani stuck to her job telling her detractors to judge her by her work. Indeed that is the spirit in the new cabinet. In the UPA-Congress government there were big names who boasted of high qualifications from Harvard or other American universities but their delivery was woeful. In the name of governing they were appointing groups of ministers (GoMs) and empowered GoMs (eGoMs) which hardly met thus stalling decision making. Modi has abolished all these groups to expedite decision making and also to usher in greater accountability in the system. Hereafter the decisions will be taken by the ministers themselves and they will not appoint committees to avoid responsibility. Modi himself is no big shakes in educational degrees. The Master's he possesses in political science was acquired through Distance Education from Delhi University. And he mostly speaks in Hindi, thus becoming accessible to a majority of Indians. It is great confidence booster for the ordinary Indian that a former tea seller can become prime minister of the country. And also that it is not necessary to know English to hold high office. By holding the spectacular pooja at the Ganga banks in Varanasi, which was shown live on TV, he has proved to the ordinary Hindu that he need not be ashamed of his religion, assailed as he has been by the foreign educated secular brigade. Modi has sent instructions to his ministers that no relative will be hired by them or given a contract. This strikes a blow at one of the major roots of corruption. Already he has given the ministers a 10-point map of policy and governance goals. His message to them was that there is no room for slackness and advised them to get down to work and ensure that the agenda framed by their ministries are implemented within time frames. In a major departure from convention, Modi called a meeting of all secretaries to the government in which he outlined the agenda of governance and his expectations from the bureaucrats. Each secretary was given 10 minutes to make a 10-slide presentation. In another interesting move, young minister Piyush Goyal called in bestselling novelist Chetan Bhagat to give a pep talk to some 300 bureaucrats on how to break free from the staid babu culture and get going in their jobs. Even States where chief ministers held out against Modi are now making a beeline to the Prime Minister knowing that they cannot function without the Center's concurrence. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik who had said he was uncomfortable with the idea of Modi taking over as Prime Minister came with a bouquet and his 24 MPs to meet the Prime Minister and list the demands of his State. So did the intransigent Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu who also came with a bouquet and a list of her demands.

June 6, 2014

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