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Piyush Goyal seeks NRI role in development Details on page 16
VOL 18, No. 978
June 14, 2013
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Periodical Postage
U.S. TOLD OF INDIA'S AFGHAN CONCERNS
Jiah Khan
Bollywood actress commits suicide Details on page 49
Beware of extortion scam targeting Asians Details on page 21
Tulsi Gabbard wins hearts at AAPI Convention
H-1B petitions reach statutory cap for 2014
Details on page 22 Details on page 6
Richmond mayor backs Aneesh Chopra Details on page 5
India defends pharma sector drugs quality
VOICES FROM INDIA: Leader of a seven-member Indian Parliamentary delegation Biju Janata Dal Lok Sabha MP Baijayant "Jay" Panda addressing a meeting on India-US relations at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on June 3. On the dais at right are Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule and BJP MP Uday Singh
WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of visiting Indian Parliamentarians has conveyed New Delhi's concerns to the US on security implications after pullout of American troops from war-torn Afghanistan in 2014. "One of our concerns is as the United States begins to pull out, there will again be sort of chaos which used to be there 15-20 years ago and that will impact our relationship
with neighbors in the area," Biju Janata Dal leader Baijayant "Jay" Panda told PTI after his meeting with top officials from the State Department and the Pentagon. "In our meetings at the State Department and at the Pentagon, we got a sense that there has been great progress over the last one decade," he said. Details on page 5
survey@indiapost.com This week’s question
Will US pullout mean return of Taliban to Afghanistan? Last week’s result
Do India’s ties with Japan worry China? YES 73%
NO 27%
Details on page 5
CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 51 Community Post -------------- 16-26
Details on page 11
INDIA POST SURVEY
Joginder Sanger gets 'Pride of India' award
Simple vinegar tests in India cut cervical cancer deaths
Date Book -------------------------- 36 Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 32-35 Horoscope ------------------------- 14 Immigration Post ------------- 44-47 Life Style ----------------------- 49-50
CHICAGO: A simple vinegar test could prevent 73,000 deaths from cervical cancer worldwide each year, the authors of a large-scale study of women in India said. Wealthy countries have managed to reduce cervical cancer deaths by 80 per cent thanks to the widespread use
of regular Pap smears. But cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in India and many other developing countries lacking the money, doctors, nurses or laboratories for widespread Details on page 32 screening.
Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”
Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 30-31 TechBiz Post ------------------- 11-13 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 39-43
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very once in a while - not too often though - one hears of some 'real' ground level collaborative exchanges between various governmental agencies of India and the US that one feels reassured that it is not just the ministers out on taxpayer-sponsored foreign junkets in the name of strategic cooperation. So there was a hue and cry in India, and rightfully so when India's home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde remained here in the US on an extended stay recently while Maoists were out massacring Congress leaders back home. Indian ministers keep coming here all the time and I really don't see much of their foreign experience translating into the betterment of the country in any way. So I was heartened this week to learn about the visit by the Mumbai Police Commissioner Dr. S.P. Singh to New Jersey and later to Washington DC to take counter terrorism tips from the homeland security department. Commissioner Singh, along with NJ Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, recently toured the Regional Operations Intelligence Center of the NJ State Police where he gave a presentation on the lesson learned from the Mumbai terror attacks of 26/11, 2008, and equally significantly learnt from the NJ police. The biggest take away for Commissioner Singh from the Intelligence Center, he said, was the fact that every state department has representation in the operation center; and how the state police coordinated with representatives from the public sector for emergency management. In turn, he made a presentation to the NJ police on the various police training exercises and cyber crimes units his department has set up, post 26/11. Assemblyman Chivukula too was appreciative of the interaction between the Mumbai police and the NJ State troopers. And that is what I call real collaboration - department to department, where real work happens, where men on the ground put their necks on the line to get real jobs done. A lot more can be achieved if India continues more such direct interactions than sending its ministers, many of who are fairly regular visitors to the US.
Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com
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Bollywood: Dark lady Katrina has been tanned, toasted and made darker for 'Bang Bang' to give her a different look from role in 'Dhoom 3'.
Cover Story: Indian concern A group of Indian Parliamentarians has conveyed concerns to the US over pullout of troops from Afghanistan
Community: BJP Treasurer Visiting Rajya Sabha MP and BJP Treasurer Piyush Goyal urges NRIs to participate in India's development
Immigration: Angry doctors Alabama's doctors are angered about a new mandate requiring them to provide proof that they are legal U.S. residents.
Life Style: Suicide by actress Mumbai police are questioning the son of Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi in relation to the Jiah Khan suicide case.
Techbiz: Indian drugs Indian Government says drugs produced by Indian pharma industry are of proven global quality standards
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Travel: Alleppey A unique crisscrossing network of canals & lagoons on which thatch covered country boats punt along leisurely.
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US told of India's Afghan concerns WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of visiting Indian Parliamentarians has conveyed New Delhi's concerns to the US on security implications after pullout of American troops from war-torn Afghanistan in 2014. "One of our concerns is as the United States begins to pull out, there will again be sort of chaos which used to be there 15-20 years ago and that will impact our relationship with neighbors in the area," Biju Janata Dal leader Baijayant "Jay" Panda told PTI after his meeting with top officials from the State Department and the Pentagon. "In our meetings at the State Department and at the Pentagon, we got a sense that there has been great progress over the last one decade," he said. The visiting Indian Parliamen-
tarians were assured by the top American officials that the US under no circumstances would let
"One of our concerns is as the United States begins to pull out, there will again be sort of chaos which used to be there 15-20 years ago and that will impact our relationship with neighbors in the area" Afghanistan redevelop into a terrorist safe haven. Panda said the US and India have been collaborating quite a
lot and their interests have converged in South Asia including Afghanistan and Pakistan. "India has played a very important role in rebuilding of Afghanistan infrastructure as well as training of personnel," he said. The seven MPs, under the banner of India-US Forums of Parliamentarians of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, met Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. They also met officials from the National Security Council of the White House. Other members of the delegation are Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party), Bhakta Charan Das (Congress), Uday Singh (BJP), Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress), Manicka Tagore
(Congress), and Prem Das Rai (Sikkim Democratic Front). Congress leader Bhakta
Addressing a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based eminent American think-tank, they emphasized on cooperation in the field of education and healthcare Charan Das said they discussed enhancing co-operation in the field of military, space and increasing energy co-operation,
education partnership. "It was a good dialogue," he said, adding the members of the delegation felt a strong sense of improved relationship between the two largest democratic countries of the world. Later in the day addressing a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation, a Washingtonbased eminent American thinktank, they emphasized on co-operation in the field of education and healthcare. Uday Singh felt that had the US-India relationship, as it is now, begun in mid or late 60s, there could have been no problem of Afghanistan or terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In the coming years, defense would be a major area of co-operation between the two countries, he added. -PTI
Joginder Sanger gets 'Pride of India' award LONDON: NRI hotelier Joginder Sangar has been conferred with the prestigious 'Pride of India' award for his outstanding contributions towards promoting art and culture of India in the UK. Sangar, the CEO and Chairman of a Group of Hotels in Central
dignitaries like Lord Swraj Paul and S S Siddhu, Minister (Coordination) in the Indian High Commission here. NRI solicitor Hari Singh, founder Chairman of HS Law Solicitors and Notary received the award in the field of Judicary/Law while Deepak Kuntawala,
who played a key role in building the new Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan centre here, said Indian culture is appreciated all over the world and "we must not only preserve them but also try to promote them." He said he always considered business as secondary. "Deep in my heart, I always
Hothi, Head of Nice Markets at Lloyds TSB responsible for Asian Strategy; Deepak Khazanchi, pioneer of modern Bhangra (Art and Culture); Sonal Minocha, Dean, University of Bedfordshire Business School, (Achievements in Education) and Natasha Mudhar (Achievement
in Media). Winners also include Amarjit Sethi (Medicine); Seema Malhotra (Legislature); Professor Tejinder Singh Virdee (Science); Mahima Pandey (Social Services); Rajiv Ouseph (Sports) and East End Foods plc (Indian Business House of the Year 2012).-PTI
Richmond mayor backs Aneesh Chopra as Virginia LG
Britain’s Transport Minister Stephen Hammond presenting the prestigious Pride of India award to NRI hotelier Joginder Sangar for his outstanding contribution towards promoting art and culture of India in the UK on May 31
London and West London, was conferred with the 'Pride of India' award for 2012 by India International Foundation. Britain's transport minister Stephen Hammond, MP presented the award to Sangar at Marriott Heathrow Hotel last night in the presence of leading
Founder of DVK, a global commodity trading and finance boutique company enhancing interests in private equity, wealth management and fund management was chosen for the award for his achievement in the field of Business. Receiving the award, Sangar
gave prominence to social work, art and culture. Without taking interest in our culture, business has no meaning." The citation said, "Sangar devotes much of his time to fundraising and philanthropic work with success." Other recipients were Kamel
WASHINGTON: Indian American ex-White House tech czar Aneesh Chopra has received backing from the Richmond city mayor in his bid for Virginia's Lieutenant Governor. Chopra, one of two Democrats in the June 11 Democratic primary for the post of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia has started his campaign, with Richmond Aneesh Mayor Dwight C Jones is urging voters in automated calls to vote for him "I am supporting Aneesh because as a former resident, Aneesh knows the wonderful things our city has to offer and is committed to making sure that we protect the James River, create jobs to get Richmonders back to work, and make sure that all of our children have an equal opportunity to suc-
ceed," Jones said in the message. Last month Jones had endorsed Chopra, 39, a former technology secretary for Virginia and US chief technology officer under President Barack Obama, the Richmond Times Despatch reported. "I know that Aneesh shares my vision for creating jobs and building a sustainable e c o n o m y though investments in educaChopra tion and workforce development. I can appreciate his commitment to building an economy that invests in the jobs of the future," Jones said in a statement. Chopra left the White House last year to run for lieutenant governor. Upon Chopra's departure, Obama said his "legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come." -PTI
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Sikhs contribution in World Wars on display on buses THAKAR BASATI
Sikh warriors ad displayed on Chicago bus
CHICAGO: The American Sikh community of Chicago has sponsored display of a World War poster of Sikhs' contribution on 10 City of Chicago Transit buses for the month of June with a quotation, "83,000 Sikhs died in World Wars and 109,305 wounded fighting along with the Allied forces and helped win the war and establish peace." Sikhs fought with their turbans on their head rather than steel helmets like other soldiers. 4 Victoria Cross decorated sol-
diers are shown parading the streets of London. Posters will be displayed for the whole month of June on these buses. Many gurdwaras have displayed these framed posters in their lobby and people take and share these pictures. Chicago Sikhs also paraded with these posters in Memorial Day parades. In the City of Schaumburg, Illinois they were publicly displayed in the park after indoor services for the veterans. "Attitude of local people has
changed drastically in Schaumburg after seeing these posters," said S Sarwan Singh organizer of these posters. These posters were also displayed in the State building in Chicago for a week. Sikh Religious Society of Chicago and local Sikhs are contributing for the expenses of these activities. Sikhs are urged to get involved in their local communities to dispel fear of separation and help reduce stereotyping by local people.
American tourist gang-raped in Manali NEW DELHI: An American tourist was allegedly gang-raped by a truck driver and two of his accomplices in Himachal Pradesh, police said here. "The 30-year-old was raped by men in a truck on June 3 night. They offered her a lift and she
have confirmed that the tourist was raped and police were hunting for the accused men. "The woman cannot remember the number plate of the truck and she could not understand what the accused were talking about. They drove the truck to an iso-
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India reported earlier this year that female tourist arrivals had fallen after the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old Indian student by six men on a bus in New Delhi in December accepted it," police inspector Abhimanyu Kumar told AFP. The incident took place in Manali, a tourist destination 500 kilometers (300 miles) from New Delhi. Kumar said the medical tests
lated spot and raped her for nearly one hour," he said. Kumar said every truck driver in Manali had been ordered to report at the local police station as part of the investigation. A survey by a trade body re-
leased earlier this year found that the number of foreign women tourists visiting India had dropped by 35 percent following several sex attacks that have made global headlines. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India reported earlier this year that female tourist arrivals had fallen after the fatal gang rape of a 23-yearold Indian student by six men on a bus in New Delhi in December. The gang rape brought simmering anger about endemic sex crimes in the country to the surface and led to sometimes violent protests in cities across the country. A Swiss cyclist was gangraped in Madhya Pradesh in March, while a South Korean tourist was allegedly drugged and raped in the same state in January by the son of the owner of a hotel where she was staying.-AFP
Spelling Bee winning word wrongly spelled, claim experts NEW YORK: Spelling Bee spells it wrong? 'Knaidel', the word that won 13year-old Indian-American Arvind Mahankali the Scripps National Spelling Bee crown may have been wrongly spelled, Jewish linguists have claimed. Arvind, from New York, won the contest by correctly spelling "knaidel", a German word of Yiddish origin which means a small mass of leavened dough. However, Yiddish mavens say that the preferred spelling of the word 'knaidel', that won Arvind the USD 30,000 prize, has historically been 'kneydl', the New York Times reported. The correct spelling is kneydl, according to transliterated Yiddish orthography decided upon by linguists at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the organization based in Manhattan recognized by many Yiddish speakers as the authority on all things Yiddish. The prestigious spelling contest, however, relies not on YIVO linguists but on Webster's Third New International Dictionary, and that is what contestants cram with, said a bee spokesman, Chris Kemper. Officials at Merriam-Webster, the dictionary's publisher, defended their choice of spelling as the most common variant of the word from a language that, problematically, is written in the Hebrew, not Roman, alphabet. "Bubbes in Boca Raton are
using the word knaidel when they mail in their recipes to The St Petersburg Times," said Kory Stamper, an associate editor at Merriam-Webster in Springfield, Massachusetts. The dictionary itself says the English word is based on the Yiddish word for dumpling: "kneydel, from Middle High German knodel." The word was spelled on Thursday correctly, according to contest officials by Arvind, an eighth grader from Bayside,
Arvind Mahankali
Queens, who is New York City's first national champion since 1997. Arvind is also the first boy to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2008. He is the eldest son of an IT consultant father and a physician mother from Hyderabad. -PTI
H-1B petitions reach statutory cap for 2014 India Post News Service
FREMONT: H1B petition filings have been accelerating for the past few years. The new demand has been attributed to a variety of causes, but the result is that this year U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption.
USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process (commonly known as the "lottery") for all FY 2014 cap-subject petitions received through April 5, 2013.USCIS received approximately 124,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption. The General Cap is 65,000. Advanced Degree Cap is 20,000 and Cap Exempt - No limit. The applications acceptance started April 1, 2013 and the H1B start Date is on or after October 1, 2013
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Jindal Nature Cure set for global recognition VAIDEHI PATEL
BANGALORE: Going back to nature has become a global craze with the interest mostly confining right now to a diet change and getting more organic, but the day is not far off when this craze percolates to the health care field and people start commending nature cure for overcoming their ailments. A Bangalore India based nature cure facility with over three decades of standing and already treating over hundreds of thousands of patients from all walks of life, including many from abroad, Jindal Nature Cure Institute has already carved out a name and fame as one of the most premiere institutes in this field globally. abroad as we would rather conSpread over 100 acres in lush centrate on giving our best here green land with most scenic look, itself." the Institute has enamored many Started as 'The Institute of - Sheikhs from Arab world, busi- Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences' nessmen from Europe, millionaires from USA and not to talk about sports and Bollywood celebrities, and stressed out businessmen and politicians - who come to the facility for a cure and at times for rejuvenation. A Dr Sitaram Jindal, President Sheikh from Arab world with periodic visits was tempted in 1978, JNI today is a modernto ask the management to open a day, specialty charitable natursimilar institute in his part of the opathy hospital in an eco friendly
JNI is not merely a hospital that helps to prevent and cure the specific diseases but it also helps one to learn and imbibe a new way of life that will turn out to be a lifelong companion, enhancing the quality of your physical, mental and spiritual existence Middle East with offers of land and money. A similar offer was also made by a European visitor and a millionaire NRI from New York, but as put by BD Garg, Vice President and chief officer at the Institute, "We have no plans to go
Jindal Nature Cure Institute in Bangalore
mens, namely, diet therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and Vega therapy (Germany). The Institute accepts, encourages and provides diagnosis only through scientific methods with modern medical equipments. "But there is no drug involved, even herbal. We believe in nature and are convinced that going back to nature would lead not only to a cure but permanent relief," said BD Garg in a talk with this paper. JNI is not merely a hospital that helps to prevent and cure the specific diseases but it also helps one to learn and imbibe a new way of life that will turn out to be a lifelong companion, enhancing the quality of your physical, mental and spiritual existence, even long after leaving this abode of health and well-being, said Garg. Nature cure is primarily based on three principles: The body possesses the power to heal itself
Mud therapy
Specific diet for patients
atmosphere. Run by Sitaram Jindal Foundation (a Charitable Trust), it provides treatments for relief, prevention and cure of specific diseases through a non-invasive, drugless therapy which combines Indian nature cure with yoga and other drugless regi-
through its internal vitality and intelligence; disease is a manifestation of vital force applying itself to the removal of obstructions to the normal functioning of organs and tissues; cures should take a holistic approach to health. By integrating these principles,
naturopathy seeks to stimulate the body's inherent power to restore itself to health with the help of the five natural elements - earth, air, fire, ether and water. The element Earth stands for the solid structure in the body like bones. Water is the representative of fluids, like blood, lymph, etc. Air represents the breath of life, fire symbolizes the vitality and sky personifies the reflection of the human spirit - Soul - the unseen aspect of the human entity. The unbridled growth of industrialization, accelerated by science and technology, has created a fast paced social condition which has given rise to potentially harmful lifestyle remote from natural, healthy way of living. Naturecure therapy believes that health is a condition built over the years from within by our own vital processes through conscientious efforts and self-control or will power. The centerpiece of treatments includes: Naturotherapy, Mud therapy, Hydrotherapy, Physiotherapy, Yoga exercise (principally walking-jogging) and Acupuncture. Equal emphasis is on diet and food. The Institute has had patients suffering from variety of ailments - stomach pain, headache, allergy, cardio vascular diseases, cancer, bipolar, mood disorder, anxiety schizophrenia, etc. The Institute admits the patients after thorough examination by its doctors and medical professional. Those with terminal illness are not encouraged. "Even if there is no total cure we have notched huge success providing the relief and reversing the disease advancement. Overall speak-
ing we have a success rate of 85 to 90 percent. Many of our patients come again to ensure the permanence of relief and cure," said Garg.
Dr BD Garg, Vice President
JNI is a unique charitable health care center devoted to provide relief, prevention and cure to the suffering humanity from specific diseases otherwise incurable. A pioneer in its field, the Institute was conceptualized and visualized by Dr. S.R. Jindal, a philanthropic naturopath and a noted industrialist. The head of he JNI, Dr Jindal was an ardent advocate of naturopathy even as a teen and was all the more convinced of the system while going from youth to adulthood. Though in his early eighties, by strictly following nature cure principles he has maintained excellent health and looks at least twenty years younger than his physical age. First time in the history of preventive medical care, JNI has evolved a unique drugless treatment regimen, by bringing together, the two most powerful curative tools of ancient India, Naturopathy & Yoga.
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Raju's visit enhanced educational relations: US WASHINGTON: Union Human Resources and Development Minister M M Pallam Raju's visit has laid the groundwork for refining and enhancing educational partnership between the United States and India, an US official has said. "His visit laid the groundwork for refining and enhancing our educational partnership and conversations begun during the Minister's trip will feed directly into June's Dialogue," said Tara D Sonenshine, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Raju had recently visited Washington to hold talks with top American officials
and those from the US universities and had also visited a community college. Describing his Washington trip as "very fruitful and engaging," Raju said he is looking towards much greater cooperation and collaboration with the United States on education. "As I prepare to return to India for the Dialogue, I look forward to continuing this important conversation with our vital partner," Sonenshine said referring to her upcoming visit to India. "Minister Raju's visit has solidified our joint commitment to deliver high quality, cost-effective instruction for students to
access knowledge. It will be exciting to witness how this relationship evolves over the months - and
M M Pallam Raju
years - to come," she wrote in her diplomatic blog. "At the forthcoming US-India Higher Education Dialogue later this month in New Delhi, the United States and India will continue to strengthen our educational ties, knowing the important stakes at hand," she said in the blog. She added that the potential to collectively educate and prepare millions of youth for success, while also creating jobs and growing our economies," Sonenshine wrote.
Raju's visit, she said, set the stage for the upcoming event and to underscore India's determination to address a significant educational and vocational demand - educating 500 million students by 2022. "Our countries are starting from a good place - a strong commitment to educating young people in both cultures. On my most recent trip to India last February, I witnessed many Indian parents making huge sacrifices so that their children might benefit from greater opportunities," she wrote. "This joint prioritization of youth was certainly reflected in Minister Pallam Raju's visit" Soneshine wrote. From his very first engagement here - a round table discussion with industry and education experts - he made clear his commitment to furthering the educational partnership, a cornerstone of our bilateral relationship," she said. "Development of community colleges in India is one of his foremost objectives. On this trip, he deepened his appreciation of the US community college model with a visit to Montgomery Community College's Takoma Park campus," she said. "One of the high points of the visit for the Indian delegation was viewing the nursing simulation lab, where robotic "patients" exhibit symptoms that students must diagnose and treat. -PTI
June 14, 2013
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Congress rejects CIC order; BJP sees no wrong NEW DELHI: The CIC order on bringing parties under RTI ambit has divided the political class, with Congress and few others rejecting it while main Opposition BJP saw nothing wrong in such a move. A day after the CIC gave its ruling, Congress termed it as an "adventurist" approach that would harm democratic institutions. Its view was echoed by CPI (M) and BJP's ally JD (U), which also rejected the order passed by the quasi-judicial body. "It is not acceptable. We totally disagree with it. Such adventurist approach will create lot of harm and damage to democratic institutions," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here. "Getting political parties entangled in such unnecessary things will damage the democratic process. We simply cannot accept it," he said. The CPI (M), in a statement, said it "cannot accept" the CIC order that political parties are to be treated as "public authorities" and brought under the purview of the Right to Information Act. "This decision is based on a fundamental misconception about the role of political parties in a parliamentary democracy," it said, adding "This will interfere with and hamper the functioning of a political party." Expressing "astonishment and shock", JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav said the order
"This decision is based on a fundamental misconception about the role of political parties in a parliamentary democracy," it said, adding "This will interfere with and hamper the functioning of a political party." was "no way justified" as "political parties are not shops". Asserting that "we are totally against this move", he wanted the central government to scuttle the CIC move. BJP, however, felt nothing wrong in the CIC order. "BJP is not against anything that brings transparency and accountability which is equally applicable to all. We will follow the law," said BJP spokesman Capt Abhimanyu. The CIC held that six national parties Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government and they have the character of public authority under the RTI Act as they perform public functions. RTI is one of the historic measures of the Congress-led UPA government in its first term, introduced at the behest of Sonia Gandhi for greater transparency and accountability in government and government-funded bodies. Congress leader Dwivedi suggested that the CIC move would encroach upon the right to privacy of political organizations which don't receive any grants from the government and are voluntary organizations. Underlining that political parties are the mainstay of democracy which "cannot and should not be weakened", he cautioned that such decisions would have long-lasting
implications. CPI (M) felt that opponents of a political party can utilize the RTI as an instrument to destabilize a party. "Given the serious implications of this order of the CIC for the political party system and parliamentary democracy, the matter should be discussed by the Government with all political parties so that suitable steps can be taken to preserve the integrity and the role of political parties in a democratic political system," it said. It termed as "untrue" the CIC observation that "six national parties are substan-
tially financed by the Central Government and therefore they are held to be public authorities under the Act". The party said "the bulk of the funding and finances for the parties do not come from the government or any State institution. In fact, the CPI (M) does not even accept funds from the corporates which is legally permissible." The CPI (M) said one of the concerns of the CIC seems to be transparency of the funding and finances of political parties. "At present, according to the law, all political parties are required to submit their
accounts to the Income Tax department and the Election Commission. "Already under the RTI, the statement of accounts and the finances of the parties are accessible to anyone from the Election Commission. Any more details of the financing of the party can be sought for and has to be given. The CPI (M) has from the outset taken the stand that the financial statements and accounts of a party should be publicly available. "But this does not mean that a political party has to be treated as a public authority," the CPI (M) said.-PTI
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June 14, 2013
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One-third of US marriages start online WASHINGTON: More than one third of US marriages begin with online dating, and those couples are slightly happier and
The study is based on a nationally representative survey of 19,131 people who married between 2005 and 2012.
more likely to stay together than couples who meet through other means, said a study here. Online dating has ballooned into a billion dollar industry and the Internet "may be altering the dynamics and outcome of marriage itself," said the study by US researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We found evidence for a dramatic shift since the advent of the Internet in how people are meeting their spouse," said the study, led by John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago's Department of Psychology. People who reported meeting their spouse online tended to be age 30-49 and of higher income brackets than those who met their
spouses offline, the survey found. Of those who did not meet online, nearly 22 per cent met through work, 19 per cent through friends, 11 per cent at school, seven per cent through family, nine per cent at a bar or club and four per cent at church, the study said. So who is happier? When researchers looked at how many couples had divorced by the end of the survey period, they found that 5.96 per cent of online married couples had broken up, compared to 7.67 per cent of offline married couples. The difference remained statistically significant even after controlling for variables like year of marriage, sex, age, education, ethnicity, household income, religion and employment status. Among couples who were still married during the survey, those who met online reported higher marital satisfaction - an average score of 5.64 on a satisfaction survey - than those who met offline and averaged 5.48. The most satisfied among those who met offline were couples who grew up together or met through schools, social gatherings or places of worship. The lowest satisfaction rates were in people who met through family, work, bars/clubs or blind dates. -AFP
ODI HONOR: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni receiving ICC ODI Shield from former ICC president David Morgan at Swalec Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on June 3
Shankaran appeals against UK extradition order LONDON: Ravi Shankaran, warrants issued by the Court of one of the main Naval War Room Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in leak accused, has filed an appeal New Delhi. in Britain against his extradition The UK's Crown Prosecution to India to face trial. Service (CPS) had argued the CBI's UK Home Secretary Theresa case that there was substantial May had signed the official orders evidence to extradite the accused for his extradition to India to an- for a trial in India. . Shankaran's swer the Central Bureau of defense team, led by James Lewis Investigation's case on May 22, and solicitor Edward Grange, had giving him 14 days to appeal against the order. "An appeal has been filed and it will go back to the legal process," a Home Office spokesperson said. The case will now proceed to a case management conference (CMC) hearing, to be scheduled over the next few days. Ravi Shankaran 49-year-old Shankaran, a close relative of former Navy Chief claimed that some of the evidence Admiral Arun Prakash, has been should be ruled inadmissible and embroiled in a legal challenge also that their client's human rights against the CBI's extradition re- were at a "real risk" of being imquest to the UK government dat- pinged due to the "endemic deing back to 2007. lays in the Indian judicial system". On March 27, at a hearing at Delivering his verdict in March, Westminster Magistrates Court in Judge Evans said: "The court is London, District Judge Nicholas concerned with English rules of Evans ruled that "a case to an- law and evidence that may be inswer has been made out" against admissible in India is not a relthe accused, clearing the way for evant consideration....no new evithe Home Secretary to issue his dence has been presented that extradition to India. Meanwhile, the re49-year-old Shankaran, a tired naval commander has been remanded on close relative of former conditional bail, which includes the require- Navy Chief Admiral Arun ment to live at a single Prakash, has been emUK address he provided to the court, a broiled in a legal challenge deposit of 20,000 against the CBI's extradition pounds and no right to request to the UK governforeign travel. He is a key accused ment dating back to 2007 in the case of leaking classified information from the War Room to arms deal- deals a knock-out blow to the ers and has been absconding prima facie case to answer". since the case was registered by He also dismissed Shankaran's the CBI in March 2006. claims that the CBI had gone "out His passport was revoked on of the way to cover up false and May 1, 2006 and an Interpol Red fabricated evidence" as having no Corner Notice was secured "merit whatsoever". against him in July that year. The judge said extradition An Interpol Red Notice is the hearings are bound by good faith closest instrument to an interna- between sovereign states and that tional arrest warrant. he is confident that if the prosShankaran was first located in ecution in India no longer felt UK in 2007 and an extradition re- there was "credible and admisquest was sent. sible" evidence against the acShankaran was arrested by UK cused, then it was their duty to authorities in April 2010 on the end the proceedings and withbasis of the non-bailable arrest draw the extradition request.
Tech News ATA asks govts not to single out aviation for taxes CAPE TOWN: Global airlines' body IATA has asked governments across the world not to single out aviation industry for taxes and regulations and to treat it as "any other business". "One of our key messages to governments will be that aviation should be treated like any other business. We don't want a handout, but we also don't want to be singled out for special fees and taxes, and commercial regulations that chill market creativity and initiative," IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said here. His statement came just ahead of the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) three-day annual meeting and World Air Transport Summit which here. IATA has a membership of over 240 airlines across the world that amounts to little less than 90 per cent of global air traffic. The conference, being attended by some 700 aviation leaders including chiefs of airlines and aircraft-makers, is discussing issues like aviation safety, environment, distribution and financial sustainability among others. Among the attendees are Air India CMD Rohit Nandan and Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal, who is also a member of the IATA Board of Governors. -PTI
Indian manufacturer seeks inroads into Africa JOHANNESBURG: An Indian provider of digital television technology is aiming to establish a foothold in Africa, entering the annual Satcom Africa Expo as the sole exhibitor from the country. Kanhaiya Yadav of Mumbaibased Rudraksha Technologies said the company had decided to explore markets abroad after gaining a presence in India with their satellite and television products. "We have a presence already in Singapore and we are going to participate in Germany soon, so we thought it would be useful to exhibit our products here as the whole of Africa's satellite and television technology market is represented here," Yadav told PTI. The company manufactures encoders, decoders and many software products for IPTV, DSL cable and DTH, he said. Despite the fact that South Africa, which will be moving from terrestrial to digital television transmission soon, already has a highly competitive market with established suppliers, Yadav remains optimistic about his company's chances. -PTI
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June 14, 2013
New bank license norms get tougher as RBI clarifies at length MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank has made getting new bank licenses more stringent even as it allowed the aspirants to have the holding and capital structure of the bank-holding company in place within 18 months of getting the in-principle nod, instead of 12 months prescribed earlier. RBI also said aspirants from the NFBC/insurance spaces will have to get the go-ahead from their regulators concerned like Sebi and Irda and that their views on the same will prevail over the RBI's own views on the proposed non-operative financial holding company (NOFHC), which is the first and foremost criterion for having a bank license. -PTI
India says pharma sector produces high quality drugs NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of the US and EU moves to fine drug firm Ranbaxy, the government has said drugs produced by Indian pharma industry are of proven global quality standards and the sector is a highly regulated one. "The pharmaceutical sector is a highly regulated one and the exports are heavily guided by various regulatory regimes of the importing countries...," the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement. Citing statistics, the government said "The strong presence of Indian industry in the US and the reports of US FDA penalizing Indian companies are only a small aberration." The statement also assumed significance on a day there were reports from Brussels that European Union's anti-trust regulators may fine the domestic pharma company for allegedly blocking of entry of cheaper generic medicines
"The pharmaceutical sector is a highly regulated one and the exports are heavily guided by various regulatory regimes of the importing countries...," the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement. in the market. Reports said that Ranbaxy was
among the nine companies that are to be fined for the allegedly block-
ing the entry of the generic medicines in the EU. However, Ranbaxy Laboratories declined to comment on the reports. The government statement said India has proven global quality standard capabilities as measured by number of Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) approvals, DMF filings, USFDA/UK MHRA approved manufacturing facilities/bio equivalence centers, which are considered as key indicators for assessing the capabilities of any national pharma sector. "This fact is further firmly demonstrated by the trends in the number of product approvals received from various major regulatory authorities of the world," it said. All the concerned organizations in the government are constantly interacting to ensure that India's image as a safe exporter is protected from all angles. -PTI
The Chinese love their Tata-built Jaguars
I
ndia's biggest carmaker by revenue Tata Motors Ltd posted a smaller-than-expected drop in fourth-quarter net profit as Chinese demand for luxury motors helped to compensate for sliding domestic sales. Tata, which bought the upmarket Jaguar Land Rover Ltd (JLR) for $2.3 billion in 2008, said JLR's profit margin rose to 16.9 per cent in the three months ended March 31 from 14.6 per cent in the same period the year before, helped by a favorable exchange rate and record quarterly sales. Tata had previously announced that sales of Britainmade Jaguar saloons and Land Rover sport utility vehicles (SUV) rose 18 per cent to 115,504 units in the quarter. Key to that was a 21 per cent rise in sales in China, JLR's fastest growing market. JLR accounts for more than three quar-
ters of Tata Motors' group revenue. The lackluster performance at Tata Motors' India business, due to high interest rates and slowing economic growth, however, remains a worry for India's biggest
Motors' Chief Financial Officer C. Ramakrishnan, adding this would have an impact on demand for its products. Car sales in India are forecast by the automakers' association to grow by 3-5 per cent in this finan-
truck manufacturer and the maker of the Nano, dubbed the world's cheapest car. "We see the external environment and overall economic scenario very, very challenging and (it) will remain stressed," said Tata
cial year, a rebound from the first drop in sales in a decade in 2012/ 13. Tata Motors, part of the saltto-steel Tata conglomerate, said net profit for the January-March quarter was 39.45 billion rupees
($705 million), down 36.7 per cent on the same time the year before, with revenue up 10 per cent to 560 billion rupees. A one-off tax gain had contributed to a significantly higher net profit in the year-earlier quarter. Analysts had on average expected a profit of 28.86 billion rupees on revenues of 518.51 billion, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine. JLR's operating margins for the full fiscal year was 15.2 per cent, and Ramakrishnan said the margin was expected to remain in the range of 14-15 per cent for this financial year. Quarterly revenues for the Indian business fell 32.5 per cent to 110.68 billion rupees, as sales of its vehicles plunged 30 per cent year-on-year to 184,942 units. The profit margin dropped to 3.6 per cent from 9.5 per cent a year earlier.
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Reliance files complaint against fake website MUMBAI: Reliance Capital has filed a criminal complaint with the city police against a website accusing it of misusing its brand name and cheating people. The Anil Ambani-led firm has accused the creator of the website of cheating, impersonation and phishing, online extortion and misappropriation. Police have launched a probe in the matter. According to the complaint, the owner and creator of the fake website 'www.relianceconsumers.com' has been using the Reliance brand and cheating customers and maligning the company's reputation. The complaint, signed by Ganesh Aparaj, Zonal Manager Risk Containment Unit, was handed over to the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell of the city police on May 29. The company learnt about the website after receiving complaints from consumers who were cheated with offer of loans on easy terms. Police said that they have received the complaint and said a probe was on to ascertain the creator of the website.
"The fake website resembles the website of the group company Reliance Commercial Finance and contains all the database, information, names of our company as well as our sister and group entities," the complaint said. "The fake website operators have contacted various people in-
loans or gains. Besides, we are also alerting customers through SMS and emails against these frauds," Reliance Commercial Finance CEO K V Srinivasan said in a statement. The company said that it suspected that the money and information collected through the fake
cluding existing customers of our company for submitting confidential information such as bank details, password of bank account numbers and other related information," it alleged. "We urge customers not to fall prey to any person or entity making fraudulent offers of lucrative
and fictitious website may be used for organized crime. According to the complaint, the fake website also has a toll free number. On contacting, the website asks the consumers to deposit money in a bank account after which sanction letters will be issued. -PTI
3 senior Kingfisher executives quit MUMBAI: Troubles mounted for beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines with three more senior executives including its chief information officer, quitting even as a section of its pilots threatened to restart their agitation over non-payment of salaries for last 10 months. "The airlines' chief information officer Saurav Sinha, flight operations head Capt Ronald Nagar and cabin crew head Ajit Bhagchandani have put in their papers recently," Kingfisher Airlines sources told PTI. Their resignations come close on the heels of KFA's executive vice president Hitesh Patel and ground handling chief Murali Ramachandran reportedly parting ways with liquor baron Vijay Mallya's grounded airline. The private Indian carrier, which has not paid its employees since August last year, has been grounded since October. Its air operations permit or the flying li-
cense lapsed on December 31 last year, although it can be renewed within two years. Last month, Kingfisher Airlines had submitted a fresh revival plan to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking permission to resume operations. But it has not yet been accepted by the regu-
to revive their agitation over nonpayment of salary, sources said. "Our July 2012 salary was paid in March and since then we have not received any payment. The management is keeping quiet on when it will pay our dues. We have called an internal meeting to chart out our course of action," an air-
lator. "Besides these executives, a few pilots and engineers have also quit the carrier in the last one month as they did not see any hope of its revival," the sources said. Meanwhile, Kingfisher Airlines' Mumbai-based pilots are planning
line pilot said. Saddled with an over Rs 7,000 crore bank debt, besides dues to various stakeholders, the airline reported net loss at Rs 2,141.80 crore for the March quarter of the previous fiscal. For the entire FY13, the net loss stood at Rs 4,001.12 crore.-PTI
Infosys bets big on engineering services MUMBAI: Software services giant Infosys is focusing on verticals like healthcare, manufacturing and automobile to drive its engineering services business, a top official said here. "Engineering services are a focal point for our strategy in pushing innovation into the market place, and we are making all necessary investments in infrastructure and manpower that is required to stay ahead of the curve," Practice Manager (Infosys Engineering Services) Srinivasa Rao Patnala told PTI. The six service lines that Infosys is focusing on include manufacturing, retail, consumer packaged goods, logistics, life science, energy, communications, financial services and insurance, he said. Engineering services accounted for 3.3 per cent of the company's revenues for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. It has over 8,000 people working for the engineering services. According to industry body Nasscom, Indian offshore engineering research and development (ER&D) services market is expected to reach USD 37-45 billion and create over one million jobs
by 2020. The engineering design and products development segments generated export revenues of USD 10 billion in FY2012, growing by about 14 per cent, driven by increasing use of electronics, fuel efficiency norms, convergence of local markets and localized prod-
ucts. Meanwhile, Infosys said it recently won the 2013 Simulating Reality contest, organized by MSC Software for its simulation solutions. The Infosys team was awarded for developing an active 3D model that simulates the working of the human heart. It provided medical professionals and scientists with a near reallife scenario to improve understanding of the complexities of human heart disorders. -PTI
British Indian businessman buys Austrian bank LONDON: British Indian businessman and investor Sanjeev Kanoria has acquired the domestic banking unit of Austrian bank Hypo Alpe Adria for around USD 85.5 million. The nationalized bank agreed to sell Hypo Alpe Adria Bank AG, the unit which operates in the southern Austrian province of Carinthia, to Anadi Financial Holdings, the Klagenfurt-based lender said in a statement. London-based Kanoria, 49, is the brother of Hemant Kanoria, chairman of Indian group SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited, which had been named by the Austrian media as a potential buyer of the bank. "New products, additional markets and fostering the core region are the aims of our engagement," Kanoria, who is also a doctor, said in the statement, adding that SREI
will provide "financial expertise" to the business. "The investor is not only the clearly best bidder, but also has first-class experience in international business and convincing connections to leading financial organizations," Hypo Alpe chief executive officer Gottwald Kranebitter added in the statement. The sale the first step in the bank's campaign to divest operating units under pressure from the European Commission is now subject to regulatory approval. The sale was managed by JP Morgan Chase & Co and TJP Advisory & Management Services, Hypo Alpe said. The Hypo Group is also in the process of shedding its subsidiaries in south-eastern Europe after it ran into trouble before the global financial crisis because of risky investments. -PTI
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June 14, 2013
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Gillard working hard to strengthen ties with India MELBOURNE: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said she is working very hard to ensure bilateral ties with India are strengthened, as her government was making efforts to help Indian migrants settle in the country. "I can certainly tell the Indian community that we are investing in settlement services and monitor work with community members as they settle into Australia," Gillard told reporters here. "I can also say to the Indian community that as Prime Minister I work very hard to make sure that our relationship with India is strengthened," she said, admitting that Australia's refusal to sell uranium to India was a blockage in their bilateral relationship. "I have cleared that out of the way. So I'm incredibly optimistic about the relationship between our two countries," Gillard said, adding, "And also about the prospects for the Indian community members who come to settle in Australia." Gillard made the comments at a Labor party supporters' meeting held here which was organized by Indian and other South Asian communities. Gillard said her government was investing heavily on settlement services for new migrants and have also invested heavily on low social houses to help people with accommodations.
"So there are various supports there. But I'm not saying that problem is resolved. Actually this government has a very proud track record of investing heavily to support people in times of need," she said.
the student safety issues. There were some dreadful problems and some heartbreaking incidents, including one here locally (Werribee)," she said. Answering a question on declining number of international
Julia Gillard
She also spoke about a new student welfare system that she was working on with education ministers in the country. "I work with education ministers around the country to create a new student welfare system which I believe is making a difference," the Prime Minister said. "We certainly have addressed
students from India, Gillard said that the country was seeing an increase in overseas student numbers. "We are seeing huge numbers of international students and growth is continuing....from India, China, we are continuing to see growth. We are seeing growth in Indian migrants," she said. -PTI
Govt rejects CBI plea to quiz former Secy in Coal scam NEW DELHI: Government has turned down a request of CBI to question former Coal Ministry secretary H C Gupta, at present a member of Competition Commission of India, in connection with the coal blocks allocation scam. Highly-placed sources in CBI said the request was turned down by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs despite the agency reasoning out that his questioning was important as he was the Secretary between 2006 to 2009, a period which has come under the scanner. The sources said CBI would be telling the court about the decision of the government for not allowing Gupta, a 1971 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, to be questioned and take necessary directions. CBI, which is probing the coal block allocation scam, has regis-
tered 11 FIRs related to alleged irregularities in the allotment coal blocks between 2006 and 2009. During this period, 68 coal blocks were allotted to 151 companies and files of some of them had gone missing.
The alleged role of Bagrodia, a former Rajya Sabha member, was stated in an FIR filed by CBI on September 3, 2012 CBI has questioned former Union Ministers Santosh Bagrodia and D Narayan Rao and Congress MP in Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda so far. Bagrodia, a former minister of
state, was questioned as he was part of the Coal Ministry in UPA-1 and the allegations are that during his stint he had been informed about alleged misrepresentations and concealments by Nagpurbased AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd (AMR) in its application form but let it through. The alleged role of Bagrodia, a former Rajya Sabha member, was stated in an FIR filed by CBI on September 3, 2012. However, the FIR did not name Bagrodia as an accused. Vijay Dadra was also quizzed by CBI besides another former Minister of State D Narayan Rao. CBI has been raising the issue of missing files from the Coal Ministry which finally deputed a joint secretary-level official to provide the agency with the missing files related to the probe in the coal block allocation scam.-PTI
India biggest source of migrants to Australia MELBOURNE: For the first time, rate for the Australian-born popuIndia has become the leading lation and is essential in addresssource of permanent migrants to ing the demographic challenges of Australia, overtaking China, a gov- an ageing population, he said. ernment report has said. "With the government's strong The report titled, "Australia's emphasis on skilled migration, this Migration Trend 2011-12" was re- sort of growth is also crucial to leased by the immigration minis- ensuring depth in Australia's later Brendan O'Connor. It said the bor force," O'Connor said, adding number of permanent migrants that patterns of migration were from India stood at 29,018 during also changing. 2011-12 which was an increase of "In 2011-12, half of Australia's 12.7 per cent on the previous year. skilled migrants applied while they China stood at second position were already living in Australia on with number of permanent mi- a temporary visa. This was more grants falling from 29,546 to 25,509 than twice the rate of a decade last year. earlier and reflects a growing trend O'Connor said that the Asia region was becoming a leading "In 2011-12, half of source for permanent Australia's skilled migrants migration to Australia according to the new applied while they were migration trends in already living in Australia on Australia. The report contained a temporary visa. This was comprehensive analy- more than twice the rate of sis and commentary on migration activity for a decade earlier and re2011-12, and provided flects a growing trend of clear picture of substantial changes in the ori- migrants seeing what gins of Australia's mi- Australia has to offer� grants, reflecting the trend towards an Asian Century. of migrants seeing what Australia India and China were the two has to offer before making a commain source countries of perma- mitment to settle permanently," nent migrants, an official statement O'Connor said. said. "There is also clear evidence of "Seven of the top 10 source Australia's commitment to internacountries in 2011-12 were located tional refugee protection. By in the Asian region," O'Connor granting more than 13,700 humanisaid, adding, "Between 1996 and tarian visas in 2011-12, Australia 2011, Australia's overseas-born continued to earn its place as one population grew by more than 40 of the top three resettlement counper cent to reach six million". tries in the world, along with This was more than double the Canada and the US," he said. -PTI
Horoscope
14 India Post
June 14, 2013
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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar
JUNE 14 TH - JUNE 20 TH (March 21 to April 20)
F
inancial pressure will evaporate and you can expect growth from now and on. You may develop a taste for hot and spicy food. Luck is definitely on your side and this is the right time to approach the government agency to resolve an important issue. Planets are specially favorable for those in sales or connected with telecommunication industry.
(July 23 to August 22)
Y
our actions will be impulsive but will get the job done. Business meetings will go well and the other side may take some time to come back with the positive response. You may be getting ready for an upcoming big event in the family. Some of you may try to get out of a partnership also and start working on necessary paper work also.
(April 21 to May 20)
Y
ou may start going to gym or for a walk in order to get back in shape. You will have more than one chance to make some extra money. Spouse will buy some very fine quality item for the house. You will also finish the project well before deadline and earn some appreciation from boss. You will take family out to a nice place for dinner.
(August 23 to September 22)
I
t will be an expensive week but the money will go on family and entertainment. Business will pick up all of a sudden. Bachelors will get introduced to another professional by a friend. Take second opinion when handling legal matters. Trip will be pleasant and relaxing. Some of you will start looking for another good opportunity.
(May 21 to June 20)
C
hoices will be multiple but planets will help you go for the right one and the one with long term gains. Enjoy life with new friend but within certain parameters. Some of you may take over another business in partnership with some very like minded and already successful people. Let the past go other wise you will not be able to move forward.
(September 23 to October 22)
T
ry to think beyond immediate and go for the deal which give you less but for a longer duration. You may attend a big party this week with family. People in retail will benefit from favorable planets. some of you may need to deal with some legal paper work or process. It will be better to seek expert opinion before sending the reply.
(June 21 to July 22)
S
ome of you will be taking a trip with family to another state. You may also set the date to move to another house. You will continue to receive more good news about a child. People in business will have better sales. Important project you are working on will open new doors. Some one from past will try to come back in your life again.
(October 23 to November 22)
D
o not go for the property that needs fixing and repairs. You may start the paper work to buy a running business. Money you need will become easily available when time comes. Spouse may feel little drained out because of extra running around. You may take a short trip to an interesting place with some old friends or close relatives. (November 23 to December 22)
O
ther side will make the commitment. A well known person with political connections will be helpful and get the job done. You will hit your professional goals with ease. People in business will see an upsurge in sales. New contract will come on easy terms and added incentives. You may start your research to buy another vehicle. (December 22 to January 19)
T
ransiting planets in sixth will help those looking for a change in career. Sun in sixth will silence some one who has been creating obstacles in your path for past few months. Outcome in legal matters will be favorable only. You will be prone to loosing temper so watch out. You may replace or buy some electronic items for the kitchen. (January 20 to February 18)
Y
ou continue to have the Midas touch. New association will be lucky. Some of you may launch another major project in association with some successful people. Property deal can also get finalized. Some of you will start making necessary arrangements to move to a beautiful location. Money wise you will continue to stay in safe zone. (February 19 to March 20)
O
bstacles will be followed by easy solutions. Jupiter's transit in fourth will bring stability in career and remove all previous uncertainty. You will take a trip with family to meet an old friend and attend a big get together. Listen to spouse as the idea is not bad. You may make final payment on an old debt or credit card.
Pandit Parashar, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations. He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com
510-886-4370 website: www.parashar.com
June 14, 2013
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India Post 15
Desi News Beware of extortion scam targeting Asians, Indians RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Indian Americans, mainly those undocumented or those who have outstayed with valid visa, are now the target of a scam from con artists. The targeted Indians, and even others from Indian subcontinent, receive telephone calls from unknown parties telling the intended victims that they are from Internal Revenue Services or collection agencies and they have to cough up with the unpaid amount or the supposed tax dues. The callers are said to threaten the victims that they would be deported or arrested unless they comply with the demand and pay up immediately. Details on page 21
Sahara Walk for women’s empowerment ANU JAIN
IRVINE, CA: Colorful kites flew against clear blue skies, bodies stretched in yoga poses, feet danced enthusiastically to Bollywood aerobics music and groups of people walked around the beautiful lake in William R Mason Regional Park in Irvine. Over 160 people came together for South Asian Helpline And Referral Agency's (SAHARA) 'Walk For Women's Empowerment' on May 26. The walk aimed to create awareness about the critical role played by women's empowerment in reducing domestic violence and strengthening the family as a whole. Along with reaching out to people, SAHARA raised $10,000 via event registration tickets Details on page 19
Amritanandamayi to visit Chicago in July SURESH SHAH
COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA
Details on page 24
16 India Post
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June 14, 2013
Piyush Goyal urges NRIs to participate in India's development RAKESH KAPOOR India Post News Service
FREMONT: Young and energetic, he was seen walking and talking in and out of Japra Mahal. Clean and clear, he was found chatting and sharing his ideas about governance in India. Who was he? He was Piyush Goyal, owner of charismatic personality, member of Rajya Sabha and National Treasurer of Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a chartered accountant by profession and was elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. Piyush Goyal was here for a day to attend India Conference 2013 on Indian Economic Policy Reform at Stanford University organized by Stanford Center for International Development, where they were re-
From L to R : Sajni Bhambra, Chandru Bhambra, Rajesh Verma, Not Known, Piyush Goyal Member Rajya Sabha, Dr Romesh Japra, Ashok & Neena Kapoor Dharminder Dewan, Manorma Joshi & Kamaml Sahni
Piyush Goyal was one of the panelists in the Panel on Governance and Economic Growth in India's States. He talked about the
the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi. It talks about his achievements since 2001 till present in the field of power, agri-
Dr Romesh Japra presenting the plaque from FIA
viewing economic performance of Indian States. In the conference there were Rajya Sabha members from the States of Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Gujarat and Punjab.
State of Gujarat. The name given to this presentation was "The Remarkable Story of Gujarat" This report shows how Gujarat has come a long way since 2001 under
ter, Infrastructure, Industry and Investment, Women's Empowerment and Health Care. Later in the evening he at-
Having a talk with the audience
culture and overall infrastructure. It tells about the success story of Narendra Modi in his state which spreads into six case studies in the field of Power, Agriculture & Wa-
CHICAGO: Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) -affectionately called the "Hugging Saint" in the West - will be in the Chicago area from July 3-5 on her 27th Summer Tour of North America. The venue of her free public programs will be the MA Center Chicago, in Elburn, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Amma had dedicated this 141-acre Center to serve the Midwest in 2012. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was one of the chief invitees to this dedication ceremony on June 30, 2012. Details on page 21
Chicago Indian Icon off to a rollicking start
Piyush Goel honored with shawl by Sunita Japra, Sajni Bhambra & Manorma Joshi
tended a Dinner meeting at Dr Romesh Japra's residence with FIA Board, OFBJP executives and some prominent community leaders of Bay Area. Cont’d on page 20
Community Across America
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India Post 17
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Ro hires Andy Wong to ramp up constituency outreach India Post News Service
FREMONT: The Ro for Congress campaign has announced that Andy Wong has joined the team as the deputy campaign manager and head of constituency outreach. Andy will bring extensive experience working in Demo-
Ro Khanna
cratic politics, including President Obama's reelection campaign, and within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) communities. "Andy is a uniquely experienced and dedicated champion of causes important to our diverse communities here in California," said Ro Khanna. "Andy has a deep knowledge of policy, constituency outreach, and community organizing. He is going to play an integral role in spreading my positive vision of creating good paying middleclass jobs, improving public education, and bringing common-sense Silicon Valley thinking to Washington." Most recently, Andy served on President Obama's reelection campaign where he coordinated AAPI outreach, later shifting to directing strategic initiatives for Educators, Nurses, and Small Business Owners for Obama. Finally, Andy assumed the position of Western Regional Operation Vote Director in charge of constituency organizing and outreach in 13 states. Prior to joining the President's
Piyush Goyal meets OFBJP members in LA India Post News Service
LOS ANGELES, CA: A meeting was arranged at the home of Archana and Gopal Chaturvedi, in the city of Diamond Bar, California, to hear the visiting BJP Treasurer Piyush Goyal. Gopal Chaturvedi introduced Piyush Goyal's distinguished education and his political responsibilities in the BJP party for the last
Government's achievements, and public service agenda of the present BJP Chief Ministers in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Goa and BJP ministers in coalition governments in Bihar, Punjab, etc. "Lives of millions of Indians in these states are being uplifted daily," he said. If a BJP Government is formed at the center after 2014 parliamentary elections, it will have experi-
Piyush Goyal with fans at OFBJP Meet at LA
20 plus years. Piyush Goyal talked of his parents' involvement in RSS and earlier in Jan Sangh and as BJP party leaders in Mumbai and then in India. Goyal impressed the OFBJP local and national committee members and community leaders present with his knowledge of the party's, people friendly, all inclusive development agenda. He described the Vajpayee
enced leadership, vision, commitment and it will take India's development to surpass the development of China, On behalf of OFBJP, Harish Dhruv thanked Piyush Goyal for accepting the invitation from the organization. Goyal promised to revisit Los Angeles in few months time for the Grand Banquet of 1000+BJP supporters, an event being organized "by invitation only."
campaign, Andy was a leading advocate for marriage equality for same-sex couples in California. As the founder and director of API Equality, Andy spearheaded coalition building, community organizing, and earned media efforts to promote support for the issue among the state's AAPI communities. He has also worked for Community United Against Violence, an LGBT anti-violence organization in San Francisco, and Con-
gresswoman Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman ever elected to Congress. Andy's first campaign was organizing for Hillary Clinton's senate run in 2000. With Silicon Valley's distinct status as a world leader in technology and innovation, Ro is running for Congress to ensure the district has a representative who understands the challenges of competing in a global economy. Andy Wong
Cont’d on page 20
18 India Post
Community Across America
June 14, 2013
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29 participate in Hemkunt Speech Competition
Jaideep Singh (Walnut Center) 1st place in Group IV
above mentioned Gurudwaras. Prizes were given by Dr. Arinder Chadha to all the contestants and the medals for the winners The 1st place winners of the speech competitions were: i) Group I - Amitoj Singh from Santa Ana Center ii) Group II - Jessica Kaur Ghai
Amitoj Singh (Santa Ana Center) 1st place in Group I
India Post News Service
B
India Post News Service
SANTA ANA: The Orange County Zonal finals of the Sri Hemkunt Speech (SHF) competition were held at the Sikh Center of Orange County, Santa Ana on June 1. Participants included the 1st and 2nd place winners from the Center level competitions held earlier at the Sikh Center of Orange County, Buena Park, Walnut and San Diego Gurudwaras. A total of 29 contestants spoke on different topics prepared from books distributed by the Hemkunt Foundation and were judged by a panel of judges that represented the
Sikh & Jain Studies scholar joins Claremont varsity
Sri Hemkunt Speech Competition - Orange County Zonal winners with Center Coordinators and Zonal Convener
from Buena Park Center iii) Group III - Noor Kaur from Santa Ana Center, iv) Group IV - Jaideep Singh from Walnut Center, and v) Group V - Kamalpreet Kaur from Walnut Center. These 1st place winners of the Zonal round will travel to Washington DC for the International finals to be held from August 1-4. Orange County Zonal convener, Dr. Ginny Kaur Chawla thanked all the participants, judges and parents. Volunteers included all the Center Coordinators, Gagandeep Kaur (San Diego), Jaspreet S. Kochar (Buena Park), Jasleen Kaur (Walnut) and Tervinder S. Miglani (Santa Ana), who helped with check in, judges coordination and score tallying. Dr. Ginny recognized the above four Center Coordinators who worked very hard throughout the year in motivating and encouraging the kids to participate. Their enthusiasm and dedication helps
Kamalpreet Kaur (Walnut Center) 1st place in Group V
to bring participants from all four centers of Southern California together to make this Zonal event a great success. This is an annual event organized by Sri Hemkunt Foundation, NY, and Sikh centers and Gurudwaras across the US and UK.
Jessica Kaur Ghai (Buena Park Center) 1st place in Group II
Noor Kaur (Santa Ana Center) 1st place in Group III
working with our partners to achieve their vision for Jain Studies and Sikh Studies at Claremont Lincoln." Donaldson received her B.A.
rianne Donaldson, scholar of the spiritual traditions of India, process philosopher, and activist is joining the faculty at Claremont Lincoln University as assistant professor of Jain and Sikh Studies and as Director of the Center for Jain Studies, as well as Director of the n e w l y launched Center for Sikh Studies. Currently an instructor in India reliBrianne Donaldson gions and the Coordinator for Dharma Traditions at the Uni- from Goshen College in Bible, Reversity, Donaldson has been in- ligion, and Philosophy; her M.A. strumental in building courses and from Associated Mennonite Semiprograms in Indian thought and nary in Theology and Ethics; and establishing Sikh and Jain concen- her Ph.D. from Claremont Lincoln trations for its graduate students. University in Process Studies. In the coming academic year, Her teaching and research focus on the spiritual traditions of India, she will offer Claremont's first "Inprocess thought, post-structural- troduction to Sikhism" course, hosting numerous guest lecturism, and Critical Animal Studies. In the official announcement, ers from the Sikh Community. Provost Philip Clayton wrote, Donaldson will also offer two in"Professor Donaldson is already tensive Jain Studies courses: a widely published scholar whose "Chanting, Social Change, and work bridges traditional Currently an instructor in India gaps between theory religions and the Coordinator for and practice Dharma Traditions at the University, in creative new ways. Donaldson has been instrumental She is a well- in building courses and programs known advocate of expe- in Indian thought and establishing riential learn- Sikh and Jain concentrations ing and comfor its graduate students passionate activism. We are deeply grateful to our Jain and the Traditions of India," and "VeSikh partners for their generous gan/Vegetarian Nonviolence: gifts, which have made it possible Ahimsa in Theory and Practice." to hire a scholar-activist of Dr. She is completing work on her first book, Creaturely Donaldson's quality." Donaldson responded, "I am Cosmologies: Why Metaphysics deeply honored to accept this po- Matter for Animal and Planetary sition and energized to continue Liberation.
June 14, 2013
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India Post 19
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Sahara Walk creates awareness for women's empowerment ANU JAIN
IRVINE, CA: Colorful kites flew against clear blue skies, bodies stretched in yoga poses, feet danced enthusiastically to Bollywood aerobics music and groups of people walked around the beautiful lake in William R Mason Regional Park in Irvine. Over 160 people came together for South Asian Helpline And Referral Agency's (SAHARA) 'Walk For Women's Empowerment' on May
26. The walk aimed to create awareness about the critical role played by women's empowerment in reducing domestic violence and strengthening the family as a whole. Along with reaching out to people, SAHARA raised $10,000 via event registration tickets and donations at the event. The morning started with yoga led by Neemu Murthy who guided the participants through gentle
Keertan Darbaar contest in Raag Gujari played were: GNCA Jattha # 1: Jasnoor SANTA ANA: GNCA (Guru Kaur: Harmonium/Vocalist; Noor Nanak Children Academy, Santa Kaur: Harmonium/Vocalist Sahej Ana) Jatha teams (Junior Group I, Kaur: Violin; Mehr Kaur: Tanpura; Age Group 10-13 years) from Kulveer Setya: Tabla. GNCA Jattha # 2: Jasroop Santa Ana Center participated in the Sri Hemkunt Foundation West- Kaur: Harmonium/Vocalist; Malika ern Region Keertan Darbar held in Kaur: Harmonium/Vocalist; Esha Sikh Gurudwara, San Jose on May Kaur: Violin; Priya Kaur: Tanpura; Kulveer Setya: Tabla. GNCA Jattha # 3: Karishma K a u r : Harmonium/ Vo c a l i s t ; Prableen K a u r : Harmonium/ Vo c a l i s t ; R e m a l K a u r : Iktara; Riya K a u r : Participants from Santa Ana in Western Regional Keertan Ta n p u r a Darbaar in San Jose H u r s h Singh: 18. The Raag for this age group Tabla. The team was accompanied by was "Gujari". Navneet Chugh, President of Sikh Center of Orange the Orange County Zonal ConCounty graced Award Winning vener, Dr. Ginny Kaur Chawla, Ceremony of Group I participants Santa Ana Center Coordinator, Tervinder S. Miglani and the Santa Ana Keertan trainer, Ameet K. Nindra. The kids practiced for many hours under the guidance of Ameet Sikh Center of Orange County President, Navneet Chugh Nindra and presenting awards in San Jose Gurpreet Pokhale, in San Jose and encouraged the who trained the kids to play difparticipants and parents to further ferent instruments including Viothis cause. Names of the partici- lin and Tanpura for the Keertan pants and the instruments they Darbaar. India Post News Service
stretches to complicated yoga stances. Next the DEVIS group led the participants through a number of spirited Bollywood songs with aerobic dance moves incorporated for a great workout. The high-fives and whoops at the end of each song were testimony to the fun everyone was having. It was a once in a lifetime sight to see LAPD officers Susan Torres and Chand Syed dancing energetically to the beats of Bollywood in their official uniforms and belts which were holding several pieces of equipment along with their guns. A sumptuous breakfast generously donated by Surati Farsan and Rasraj was served throughout this time and at 11 am the participants started the walk around the 9.2 acre lake that is the centerpiece of the 345 acre serene park lush with open green spaces and shady trees. After the walk, the children and adults dotted the skies with kites, painted T-Shirts and got glittering body art tattoos painted. The Habit Burger Grill Truck served freshly made burgers, French fries and drinks for lunch.
TV Asia covered the event and Mr. Nilesh Patel volunteered his time as a photographer. Sheela Mehta, a SAHARA Board Member and founder informed the participants of the role played by SAHARA in the community. Last fiscal year SAHARA assisted over 300 survivors of domestic violence and provided over 2,100 shelter bed nights at its long-term transitional living home. All SAHARA services are pro-
assistance with public benefits, mental health counseling, computer literacy classes, etc. Sheela also requested the participants to spread the word about the services offered by SAHARA and to donate generously because community support is very important for the survival of non-profit organizations. She urged people to visit the website www.saharaorg.org to get more familiar with SAHARA. The day ended with over 30
The morning started with yoga led by Neemu Murthy who guided the participants through gentle stretches to complicated yoga stances. Next the DEVIS group led the participants through a number of spirited Bollywood songs with aerobic dance moves incorporated for a great workout vided free of charge and no distinctions are made based on an individual's religious affiliation. SAHARA's SEWA (South Asian Elder Wellness Assistance) project provides a wide range of services to senior citizens such as
raffle prizes being raffled and lots of people walking away happy with their winnings. The Walk was a beautiful way to commemorate the Memorial Day weekend by coming together to make a positive difference in the community.
Community Across America
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June 14, 2013
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Piyush Goyal urges NRIs to participate in India's development Cont’d from page 16
He was escorted by Sajni and Chandru Bhambhra, Past National President of OFBJP (USA) at Dr Romesh Japra's house. He was welcomed by Sunita and Dr. Romesh Japra, Chairman FIA, Nandini and Rajesh Verma, President, FIA, Neena and Ashok
on top of all, the Indian mood. More than 100,000 people gather on these events to celebrate India and its culture and to keep alive the Indianness here in US (Saat Samundar Paar). This year we are going to celebrate the Festival of India on the lines of Gadar Movement along with the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami
Rajesh Verma, Chandru Bhambra, Piyush Goyal, Jerry Ahuja, Neena Kapoor, Dr Japra, Neeloo Kapoor, Ashok Kapoor, Manorama Joshi, Soni Singh
Kapoor, Jerry Ahuja, Kamal Mirchandani, Yogi Chugh, Dharminder Dewan, Manorama Joshi, Uma and Kamal Sahni, Ujjwala and Prakash Gadgil, and many others. Dr Romesh Japra welcomed him on behalf of FIA and gave a brief account of the activities they are doing. He said, "We are holding high the banner of FIA along with
Vivekananda." Dr. Japra also mentioned about the young generation who was born and brought up here. He said people used to call them ABCD, American Born Confused Desis but now things have changed altogether. They are still ABCD, but American Born Confident Desis. Dr Japra invited Piyush Goyal on the stage with the welcome
Rajesh Verma, Piyush Goel, Jerry Ahuja, Dr Japra, Neeloo Kapoor, Manorma Joshi & Ashok Kapoor
the Tricolor Flag of India and celebrate the Republic Day and Independence Day not only as India is celebrating but much better than that. "We celebrate Indian culture, Indian dresses, Indian food and
applause by the audience. Then he introduced Chandru Bhambhra and asked him to introduce Piyush Goyal. Chandru Bhambhra introduced Piyush Goyal as a very old family friend from Mumbai and said that Piyush had a very bright
With Manorma Joshi, Treasurer Fremont Hindu Temple
academic record both as a CPA and a law graduate. Piyush Goyal thanked Dr Romesh Japra and Rajesh Verma for carrying out the responsibilities of an Indian High Commissioner and keeping alive the Indianness here so far from our native land. In his brief address, he invited NRIs to actively participate in India's development. He said that the young Indians all over world had enhanced the image of India with their commanding position in software and latest knowhow in other relative fields. No longer people around the world think of India as feeble and fragile. "It is stout and sturdy now just because of you guys who are sitting so far from the native land and taking care so much of its issues. In the same manner I want you people to become catalysts and come over to bring a much awaited change in the system for which Narendra Modi is already working and to some extent he has achieved the desired results. We still have to bring the changes at the grassroot level of basic amenities at national level on the lines of Gujarat. You are here in a developed nation and know better what changes are needed in the beginning." Piyush Goyal invited the audience to ask him questions and the audience reciprocated in a very lively manner. They asked him several interesting questions and the most prominent among them was on the subject of women's safety in India and the justice system. Sunita Japra asked him about rape cases and what actions have been taken so far against those who had done the heinous crime? She said, "We are more concerned about the role of your party as to what actions you and your party have taken or what suggestions you have on that." Piyush Goyal said nothing has been done so far in the absence of proper witnesses because court wants concrete proof and witnesses to reach any judgment. "It is not the question of my party or any other party, whosoever is in the power they have to face this problem. The society has to stand strong against such crimes. Somebody has to come forward and point the finger out at the culprits. Lack of proof creates delays and injustice." He said, "It is not that we are heartless people in power or in opposition. We also have the same heart as you have which beats the same way as yours but we are tied up with the law. As I have mentioned that in the absence of witnesses, the system is handicapped. In response Sunita Japra said, "How do these people dare to do
Enjoyiong Indian food
L to R: Prakash Gadgil, Chandru Bhambra, Not Known, Piyush Goyal
this kind of atrocities against society? Why do they not have the fear of police? The policing should be such that nobody could dare to move an inch against the law as well as against a woman, who has the so-called privileged place in our society. The people who are in power they must put their feet in the shoe of the shattered family and realize their plight." Goyal assured that his party has given some plans regarding this and very soon some concrete law will be introduced and admitted that policing needs to be improved considerably. The audience got so much in-
volved in the Q&A session that they almost forgot about the Dinner! Then Dr Japra took over and thanked Piyush Goyal and assured the audience that things will change after young people like him come to politics. He said, "I am confident that things will change on the lines of Gujarat, on the lines of Narendra Modi's action plan." Before announcing the Dinner, Piyush Goyal was presented with a Plaque by FIA President Rajesh Verma and FIA Chairman Dr. Romesh Japra. He was also felicitated with a shawl on behalf of OFBJP by Sunita Japra, Sajni Bhambhra and Nandini Verma.
Ro hires Andy Wong to ramp up constituency outreach Cont’d from page 17
Ro will use his experience as a manufacturing expert and a longtime technology attorney at one of the area's most prominent firms to promote policies that increase the nation's exports; incentivize firms to hire workers here at home; and boost advanced manufacturing to advocate for the type of commonsense policies that will grow the economy and create new jobs. A longtime Bay Area resident, Ro returned to Fremont after serv-
ing as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Obama Administration. He is currently a Silicon Valley technology lawyer, professor of economics at Stanford University, and professor of law at Santa Clara University. Ro's book on manufacturing, Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing is Still Key to America's Future, has won widespread praise for its strategies for keeping the best companies, jobs and opportunities in America.
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India Post 21
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Beware of extortion scam targeting Asian Indian community RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Indian Americans, mainly those undocumented or those who have outstayed with valid visa, are now the target of a scam from con artists. The targeted Indians, and even
Sheriff Tom Dart
others from Indian subcontinent, receive telephone calls from unknown parties telling the intended victims that they are from Internal Revenue Services or collection agencies and they have to cough up with the unpaid amount or the supposed tax dues. The callers are said to threaten
the victims that they would be deported or arrested unless they comply with the demand and pay up immediately. Interestingly, the callers often speak in various Indian languages to gain the "confidence" of the victims. The Cook County Sheriff Police sources say that they have received a number of reports from unincorporated Des Plaines area about the unknown caller threatening unsuspecting victims. In some cases, victims were instructed to make payments via Green Dot MoneyPak reloadable debit cards. Average individual losses run into thousand of dollars and the victims are hesitant going to the Police fearing "deportation" or other legal consequences. Sheriff Thomas J. Dart has offered following tips to avoid becoming a victim of this type of scam: a) If you believe the call is suspicious, hang up, b) Do not send money to anyone unfamiliar to you, c) Do not give any personal information, such as social security or bank account numbers, over the phone and d) Check any unfamiliar area
Amritanandamayi to visit Chicago in July SURESH SHAH
CHICAGO: Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) affectionately called the "Hugging Saint" in the West - will be in the Chicago area from July 3-5 on her 27th Summer Tour of North America. The venue of her free public programs will be the MA Center Chicago, in Elburn, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Amma had dedicated this 141-acre Center to serve the Midwest in 2012. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was one of the chief invitees to this dedication ceremony on June 30, 2012. Programs include guided meditation, devotional singing, and a spiritual talk by Amma offering practical solutions for personal fulfillment as well as the most pressing challenges facing today's
world. Program attendees also have the opportunity to receive
Ma Amritanandmayi
Amma's darshan - a spiritual blessing in the form of a physical motherly embrace. Cont’d on page 22
codes before returning calls. He also mentioned that if the caller claims to be from the Internal Revenue Service, call the IRS at 1800-829-1040 to determine if the agency has a legitimate reason to call you. If the caller claims to be from a collection agency, get the name and contact information for the collection agency and call back to determine if there is a
Dr Ram Gajella with Gov Pat Quinn
legitimate reason to contact you, he added Another suggestion is to add caller ID in the phone device if that device is not a part of phone service. The last but not the least, Sherrif Dart has asked that one should not hesitate in reporting any suspicious phone calls to the local law enforcement or Cook County Sheriff's Police at 708-8654896 immediately to enable the concerned authorities to move in the matter swiftly. Dr Ram Gajella, a former president of Indo- American Democratic Organization and a front ranking community activist, said that they have also been tipped off about this scam and plan an awareness campaign for enlightening the members of the community.
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Tulsi Gabbard wins hearts at AAPI Convention SURESH BODIWALA & RAMESH SOPARAWALA
CHICAGO: It was a rare combination of three human traits - glamour, intelligence and sincerity nicely personified by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from the State of Hawaii that easily won the heart and minds of all those attending a luncheon meet at the 31st AAPI Convention held during Memorial Day weekend in Chicago. Her straight talk from the heart underlying the basics of Karma Yoga while relating her recent experiences in Iraq war was hugely appealing. During her stay in Iraq she was disturbed as she saw the terrible effect of war and death. One day she came across a billboard that read, "Is today the day?" This made her realize the temporary nature of our lives and the bodies, and the great privileges and responsibilities that we have to make the positive impact on the society around us doing our best to be of service to others. "And that is Karma Yoga," she observed Rep. Gabbard said, in her struggles and anxieties and pain, she took solace and comfort in the Gita, from where "I drew strength and shelter, being inspired by the wisdom and knowledge. Today, it continues to inspire me to be of service at the national level. In the midst of all the divisiveness and rhetoric, the teachings of the Gita inspire us towards the understanding on the unity that must exist between us people and souls," the youngest Congresswoman told the audience. She exhorted all those in the
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard with newly elect President of AAPI Dr Jayesh Shah, Dr Bharat Barai, a recipient of Ellis Medal of Honor and Dr Umang Patel AAPI Convention Co Chair
medical profession to understand the transient nature of the body and have this realization ingrained in mind during everyday medical practice Quoting Mahatma
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard addressing AAPI Meet in Chicago
Gandhi "My message is my life," she spoke on behalf of both Indian and Indian Americans, and for broadening Indo-US relations. "My path to coming here, allow-
‘At 21, I saw an opportunity and also a vacuum in leadership. I needed to do something. I made a decision to contest for the State House’
Statue of goddess Saraswati near White House
ing me the privilege of serving in the Congress is so warming and meaningful as to share the room with so many people who understand the deep meaning behind the choice of me taking the oath of office to be a member of the US Congress on the Gita," she said receiving the loudest applause at the AAPI convention. At the AAPI women's forum, she said she grew up as the shyest kid in a family of five siblings. 'Nobody ever thought I would become a Congresswoman. I never went for any training in public speaking. At 21, I saw an opportunity and also a vacuum in leadership. I needed to do something. I made a decision to contest for the State House and began campaigning; I somehow
overcame my fear and began knocking the doors. I was not sure about the responses. Many welcomed, some questioned my qualification. They would say 'you are too young for this. Why don't you go for some partying? " "One day I saw a woman showing a scribbled note from a car, which said 'don't let us down.' It was a moment of realization and I stayed put and here I am now before you relating my experiences," she said amidst applause. Introducing Tulsi Gabbard, Dr. Bharat Barai said that born in 1981 in American Samoa, she grew up in Hawail and helped manage her family's small business. She graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with degree in International Business. Her commitment to serve the community and making positive impact has influenced every major decision in her life. He recounted how she voluntarily sacrificed her reelection bid in 2004 in order to serve with the National Guard in Iraq, only to be reelected in 2013 as the first Hindu member of Congress. Of SamoanCaucasian parentage and converting by choice as a teenager, Gabbard affirmed her attachment to India through her adopted faith and its spiritual gift of the Bhagavad Gita, the bedrock of her political commitments, she said She is coming to Chicago on June 16 for a Dharma Bee competition at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. The community plans to have a fundraiser for this decorated young veteran who is seen by many as a role model for young men and women alike.
Amritanandamayi to visit Chicago in July
SUDHIR VYAS
NEW YORK: A statue of goddess Saraswati has been erected about a mile away from White House in Washington DC. This 10-foot high statue raised by Embassy of Indonesia on public space on Massachusetts Avenue NW was unanimously approved by Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B Dupont Circle. It is said to be even taller than Mahatma Gandhi's statue, which is also on Massachusetts Avenue, about less than one fifth of a mile. The statue carver and six stone masons were flown in from Bali (Indonesia) for this Saraswati statue, which was created in three weeks. Saraswati is revered as goddess of knowledge/learning, music, art, lan-
guage/speech, and poetry Indian Americans at large have commended the Indonesian President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang
ing religious pluralism, honoring diversity and respecting minorities. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population than any
Yudhoyono and Indonesian Ambassador to USA Dr. Dino Patti Djalal for installation of Saraswati statue; thus display-
other country in the world where Muslims form about 88% of the population and Hindus about 3 percent.
Cont’d from page 21
Amma's programs are run entirely by volunteers. Funds raised from retreats as well as from the sale of food, books and gifts available at the programs directly support the humanitarian projects of "Embracing the World", Amma's global network of charitable activities. Embracing the World projects include orphanages, homes for the homeless, scholarships for poor children, hospitals, disaster relief and microfinance-powered initiatives for women. Amma has been conducting spiritual programs in her home country of India since the mid1970s. At the request of people in Europe and the United States, she
began giving similar programs outside India in 1987. Amma says that her life is dedicated to trying to awaken love and compassion within individuals all over the world. Amma feels these qualities are essential for world peace and harmony. "In today's world, people experience two types of poverty: the poverty caused by lack of food, clothing and shelter, and the poverty caused by lack of love and compassion," Amma says. "Of these two, the second type needs to be considered first because if we have love and compassion in our hearts, then we will wholeheartedly serve those who suffer from lack of food, clothing and shelter."
June 14, 2013
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Compromising Muslim freedoms threatens democracy: Prof Esposito RAS H. SIDDIQUI
SACRAMENTO: The Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims (SALAM) held its Spring Banquet and fundraiser at the Citrus Heights Community Center recently. SALAM's events are usually high profile but this time some of their own benchmarks were surpassed as a few members of the "Who's Who" of Sacramento's political and media groups were in attendance including Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones along with Edie Lambert and Stephen Magagnini. The main attractions for many in attendance this time were the keynote speaker, Professor John Esposito from duplicated." He said that tragedy Georgetown University and come- at the Boston Marathon which indian Dean Obeidallah. cluded the murder and maiming of SALAM Board chairman innocent civilians horrified our Farrukh Saeed briefly mentioned nation and was denounced by all some details of the Masjid project, Americans, Muslim and non-Musits funding challenges and the ser- lim alike. He added that every vices that the organization cur- major Muslim organization conrently offers to the community in- demned this act but still regrettacluding its regular and weekend schools, Friday family night, matrimonial services etc. Incidentally Farrukh recently received the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award on behalf of SALAM, another good reflection on the Sacramento Muslim community. SALAM's Executive Director Dr. Metwalli Amer introduced Professor John Esposito and invited him on the stage. One of the foremost pubProfessor John Esposito deliver's lic intellectuals (he is an SALAM Keynote expert on religions) in America today, Dr. Esposito's appearance and talk bly, it unleashed anti-Islam and here at SALAM, to which he re- anti-Muslim Islamophobes and turned after a 15 year gap, was organizations, including far right warmly greeted. media commentators on Fox teleHe started off by saying, "Much vision, and self-serving politicians of what you are doing needs to be like Rep. Peter King.
Steinberg, Jones and Dickinson at Sacramento event
man, inventing new sayings like LMHO (Laughing My Hijab Off). He has been a member of comedy Central's "Axis of Evil" group and has recently been working on a documentary with Negin Farsad titled "The Muslims Are Coming" (http://themuslimsarecoming.com/ ) which he described as 95% Halal and 5% Haram. His witty one-liners really make you think before you laugh (or was it the other way around?). "My fiancÊ is Palestinian, she is from the West Bank," he said. "I got her on eBay." On the possibility of having a Muslim President and its challenges; "Please Meet my First Lady, my Second Lady, my Third Lady‌.etc."
A group of local leaders at the event
On the current state of American Muslims, he said that "After Jews, Muslims are the most educated religious community in the US. Muslim women (unlike their Jewish counterparts) are as likely as their male counterparts to have a college degree or higher. 40% of women have a college degree as compared to 29% of Americans overall." He added that "American Muslims are more optimistic about their future than the average US population." But everything has not been great in the post-9/11 period. American Muslims have experienced and are concerned about the impact of anti-Islam and antiMuslim attitudes and behavior. Dr. Esposito shared statistical data, the results of polls to reflect on the mainstream's attitude towards Muslims and Islam. "Failure to distinguish between the actions of religious extremists and terrorists and the vast majority of Muslims and their faith has reinforced a belief in the collective guilt of American Muslims and their faith," he said. He added that by compromising Muslim freedoms and civil liberties, - the rights of American Muslim citizens and of Muslim organizations - threatens the very fabric of American democracy itself. "In the words of Benjamin Franklin, one of America's most prominent Founding Fathers: "He who sacrifices freedom for security is neither free nor secure." Professor Esposito had some advice for the American Muslim community and encouraged young people to seek careers in government, the media and in education. After the keynote speech, local luminary Rashid Ahmad, a retired State of California Civil Engineer was presented the SALAM
Distinguished Award for his many years of service to the local Muslim and Pakistani community. The formal fundraising segment of the evening began next as SALAM's very own Imam Azeez made the call for generosity with a little help from guests and volunteers. Over $175,000 was collected by the time dinner was served and comedian Dean Obeidallah appeared on the stage. Dean is a very funny
Dean Obeidallah
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Community Across America
June 14, 2013
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Chicago Indian Icon off to a rollicking start RAMESH SOPARAWALA & ASIAN MEDIA USA
CHICAGO: Chicago Indian Icon (CII) triggered huge excitement and interest among hidden
quets in Downers Grove on May 19. The response, to say the least, was overwhelming and exceeded
Chicago Indian Icon team: Brij Sharma, Sarna Walia, Anoop Walia, Ms. P Jairath and Raju Bankapur
talents in the Indian community in Chicgoland staging the first of its type Karaoke Competition for Bollywood songs. Launched by the Chicagobased company Indian Event Management Inc (IEM), the CII held its first of the three auditions at the prestigious Ashyana Ban-
the expectations of the organizers, with singers seeking registration close on heels of the program announcement, continued on line inquiries and in person line up before the start Participants aged 7 to 71 regaled the jam-packed audience all through the 8-hour organized au-
dition with their performances. Young Sutikshna Veeravalli attracted repeated standing ova-
Sponsor Sunil Shah addressing the gathering
tions not only from the audience, but also from the judges. Equally favorites were 7-year old Senria Nath from Wisconsin and Abhijeet Joshi. Participants competed in Solo, Duet or Group Song categories. More than 2000 people watched CII-2013 1st Audition live over
internet, which was way above expectation. Brij Sharma, the president of
Ms Veera a singer
IEM, introduced a four member executive committee, the founders Sharan Walia, Vice president
imposing backdrop beautifully set up stage. In fact, the entire Ashyana Banquet wore a ceremonial look. The glittering set-up and dĂŠcor was presented by Bhavna Taneja the art director of Diva Design. Chann Pardesi, IEM's sole Radio Media partners helped throughout the process. The event reflected high organizing standards. The glamour, well dressed volunteers' poise, the glittering stage, sumptuous lunch and supper, and freedom of movement - all made the CII look regal. The spicing up came from Ms Gurmeet, Dance Director of Dancing Petals presented two scintillating Kathak performances that left the audience spellbound and wanting for more. "It is dream come true for our team and in what a beautiful magnanimous way!" said Pratibha Jairath, who is a cultural brand name in her own right
Participants line up for their turn
Pratibha Jairath, Direcotr Raju and Anoop Walia. "We are a team although with different backgrounds and we are determined to take this program nationwide to New York, Los Angles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver etc. almost
and has been advocating the need for CII for many years. "The singers are being evaluated by such qualified judges and the judges can guide the participants to improve their singing'" observed Raju Bankapur, a popu-
Judges Vaishali Dhande, Hitesh Master and Richard Christian
10 US cities with Indian population more than 100,000 to achieve the goal of launching Indian American Icon in the near future," he said Noteworthy was the panel of highly qualified and accomplished judges drawn from within the community. They included: Vaishali Dhande, Shivana Bangar, Hitesh Master, Meenu Purshotam, and Richard Christian. Even the awesome MCs - Chinmayi Bhatt and TV personality Saurine Thakkar were wonderful exercising excellent control over the proceedings. The program started against an
lar and famous singer of Chicagoland. "We will try to see that the winners have an opportunity to sing with Bollywood stars one day", he added Overall, of the three auditions, 54 contestants will be selected for the semi-finals. Of these 27 will reach the finals. The Chicago Indian Icon will be selected on 21 September Grand Finale in Meadows Club. All performances will be streamed live. Provision for Audience poll and online voting has been made. Uniform judging criterion has been formulated.
Community Across America
June 14, 2013
India Post 25
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US group to provide Trauma Dorothy Brown celebrates Center facilities in Mumbai Asian Heritage Month India Post News Service
RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Efforts by a group of physicians led by Dr Navin Shah, a founding member and a
cials and trauma surgeons for infrastructure, CME, research and other related subjects. The delegation includes the chief surgeon of one of the largest Trauma Centers in the US, R.A.
Dr Navin Shah
former president of AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) to establish facilities for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma Centers (TC) in India seem to be bearing fruit. Dr Shah is leading a delegation of US physicians to Mumbai at the invitation from the Maharashtra government to attend a seminar on EMS being organized in Mumbai in middle June at JJ Hospital in Byculla, a Mumbai suburb. In a talk to this paper, Dr Navin said that the delegation will comprise three US Trauma Surgeons who will conduct a two day 'Trauma CareA US Experience' seminar in Mumbai, June 17, 18 and follow up with two days of hospital visits, and interactions with the offi-
Crowley Shock Trauma Center (University of Maryland at Baltimore) and Dr T.M. Scalea , Dr Amy N. Hildreth, Trauma surgeon, Wake Forest School of Medicine and Dr. Manjari Joshi, Professor of Medicine (infectious diseases) at University of Maryland Medi-
one week to observe and get acquainted with the U.S. service model and services. Unlike the US, India does not have an organized and centralized Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma Centers (TC) to provide prompt and proper transport and the medical care to the emergency patient. Annually 365,000 deaths in India are due to accidents. With every death there are three serious injuries thus amounting to a million injured patients. Annually Mumbai records 8,600 accident deaths (including 4,000 in railway accidents), 12,600 deaths due to heart attacks, 6,200 infant deaths and some 365,000 serious emergency patients. Dr Shah said, "Over the years, we have assembled expertise and facilities of 24 hospitals and ambulance services to provide a U.S. style organized service round the clock in Mumbai. In principle, all involved parties have agreed to participate and initiate the program. "This year (2013) the government of Maharashtra has issued a tender to acquire 920 ambulances (including for Mumbai) for the state. For this project I also had meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Health Minister G.N. Azad and top ranking federal health officials. I have stressed the need for Mumbai project and ex-
With every death there are three serious injuries thus amounting to a million injured patients. Annually Mumbai records 8,600 accident deaths (including 4,000 in railway accidents), cal School. Dr. Scalea and Dr. Hildreth have generously offered two fully paid scholarships for Massachusetts trauma surgeons to visit the U.S. at their center for
pressed that Mumbai/Maharashtra project will be a national model for other metros of India to replicate. This project will serve all, rich and poor," he concluded.
Chicago Indian Icon off to a rollicking start Cont’d from page 24
The enormous success of this event has encouraged IEM to move forward with confidence. Sharan Walia said this is, in fact, Chicago's local solution of the global standards. To a keen eye, the CII is Chicago's Sa Re Ga Ma in the making. Anoop Walia, director of Public Relations and Business Operations said that IEM will be organizing different types of reality shows - dance competitions, fashion shows, Indian festivals and the New Year Eve cel-
Members of the audience
ebrations At the event Brij announced
IEM's New Year 2014 at Ashyana Banquets.
CHICAGO: A front ranking Illinois elected official, Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (CCCC), lived up to her reputation as a great friend of Asians and Indian Americans in
and Executive Director of Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS) was honored as Professional of the Year. "I am nothing unless you (the community) support us," declared Kumar. Suresh Bodiwala, who had worked as an Aerospace R&D en-
Clerk Dorothy Brown with sponsor Naren Patel (CEO of Medstar Lab) Beena Patel, Chair of AAESC, and awardees
particular while celebrating Asian- gineer for 36 years, said "this award Pacific American Heritage Month is not for me but for my selfless, jointly with Asian American Em- hard working Asian Media USA ployees Social Club (AAESC) in team." The owner of Serena Restaurant Chicago Downtown on May 28. Highlights of the near four-hour on Devon Avenue, Muhammad celebrations were an awards cer- Aslam has worked as a chef for emony and a cultural program at notable restaurants in Pakistan for Richard J Daley Center in Chicago. 20 years, He now gives back to his Beena Patel, a community activist, community by donating food to kicked off the program with her wel- nonprofit organizations. Ms. Hetal come address which was followed Patel, the first female and youngby MC Susanna Song of CBS-2 est President of FIA in Chicago, Chicago introducing Ms. Brown. Rishikant Singh, Air India Thanking all the AAESC members and Regional Manager Midwest, event sponsors, espe- pitched for a mutually bencially awards sponsor Naren Patel and his sons eficial marriage between Neil and Raj Patel, Brown the economic prosperity of recognized by name for- the technologically adeign diplomatic personnel, media representa- vanced US and culturally tives, community lead- rich India. Under his leaderers present, and her own ship, Air India earned a support staff. Her office participates in Chinese, record increase of 25% in Korean, Vietnamese pro- tourism and grossed more grams, and the Indian than $75 million in and Pakistani Independence Day ceremonies, revenue in 2012 she said. MC Song introduced each of the volunteers at BAPS Temple, serves eight awardees: Rishikant Singh as youth coordinator for Gujarat Suresh Bodiwala, Lynne Cultural Association and is trustee Kawamoto, Ms. Santosh Kumar, for many organizations. Sponsor Naren Patel of Medstar Jin Lee, Ms Hetal Patel, Estefan G. Laboratory congratulated all the Roy, and Muhammad Aslam. Rishikant Singh, Air India Re- awardees, recognized the engagegional Manager Midwest, pitched ment of Dorothy Brown over the for a mutually beneficial marriage last 14 years with the Asian combetween the economic prosperity munities, and praised AAESC Chair of the technologically advanced Beena Patel for her initiative. Meghana Walia of Payalia US and culturally rich India. Under his leadership, Air India earned a Dance Studio performed a contemrecord increase of 25% in tourism porary dance (Ishq Shava) before and grossed more than $75 million the awards ceremony and a Bollywood dance Radha Radha in revenue in 2012. Santosh Kumar, the Founder from movie "Student of the Year."
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Communities take advantage of MAFS Health Fair SURESH SHAH
CHICAGO: Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Bosnians, Hispanics and Africans were part of the communities taking advantage of
The event, an annual affair, is getting popular among neighborhood communities and this was in evidence at this fair. The services offered included H e i g h t / Weight measurement, Blood Pressure Testing, Dental Care, Bone Density Test, Blood Testing, and Blood Sugar, Free Mammogram and Pap Smear RegisDr. Namratha Kandula of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Division with Mrs. Santosh Kumar and tration, OxyHimali Bharucha of MAFS (from Left) gen Test & Heart Rate free Health Fair of Metropolitan Test, Medical Supply for Diabetic Family Clinic (MFC) on May 18 at shoes and other equipments. Free Metropolitan Asian Family Ser- hepatitis B vaccines were given to vices (MAFS) Chicago location. participants, sponsored by Asian
Gulzar Khemani MAFS RN checking the blood pressure of a participant
Health Coalition. Many who took the advantage of the event were those who could not afford medical insurance coverage, or had lack of medical access due to transportation or language barrier. Over 100 people benefited from Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Stroke Risk and Dental Health screenings. Over 50 people took advantage of blood testing,
MAFS awarded for many accomplishments NAZNIN BEGUM
CHICAGO: It was a moment that South Asian community of Chicagoland will remember for many years to come when Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS), a community based not for profit organization serving Indian and Pakistani seniors, was selected for 2013 Community-Engaged Research Partnership Award, on May 15. The award was given by the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC), part of the Center for Community Health in Northwestern's Institute for Public Health and Medicine. ARCC established Community-Engaged Research Partnership Award in 2012 and MAFS was selected this year for using community based participatory research approach to the project "South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Initiative" (SAHELI). This project is led by Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Promila Mehtha, Himali Bharucha of MAFS along
Medicine. Since March 2012 MAFS and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine are conducting heart disease prevention study for South Asians in the Chicago-area.
expanding the reach of lifestyle interventions into immigrant communities that are often not reached by traditional healthcare systems. The study teaches South Asians about healthy lifestyle and
Dr. Manohar Jethani MD at health fair
blood sugar tests and free hepatitis B vaccines. "We're excited that within two years we have expanded our health services at MAFS Chicago and Naperville locations. Reaching out to the doctors was always a big issue for our community members and we now seek to resolve this problem at our clinics finding doctors speaking to you in your language and all this at a very affordable price," says Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Executive Director MAFS. For Dr Manohar Jethani MD, it was very busy but exciting day. He was happy for the opportunity to reach out to the community with this health fair. Dr. Manjusri Majumdar MD was elated with the
overwhelming response from the community and applauded MFC and MAFS teams for organizing this free health fair. Dr. Namratha Kandula of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Division said there's lot to be done and we need strong support from South Asian community members to make them aware about the various health benefit issues. She stressed on consuming less sodium food and asked the attendees to read labels of packaged, boxes or frozen food which contain more sodium than is required by FDA guideline. Many participants enjoyed delicious snacks prepared by MAFS kitchen staff.
State Treasurer honors Punjabi Cultural Society RAJINDER MAGO
From left, Promila Mehtha, Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Dr. Namratha Kandula, Dr. Swapna and Himali Bharucha.
This study is one of the first of its kind and is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Experts from Northwestern University are working with MAFS to reach out to South Asians because they have four t i m e s greater risk of heart disease compared to other communities across the globe. This MAFS staff members were excited after receiving the award program is aimed at with Dr. Namratha Kandula and Dr. understanding the multiple deterSwapna Dave, of Northwestern minants of health, engaging South University Feinberg School of Asian immigrants in research, and
it includes information that is relevant to the South Asian diet and culture. The study team helps participants to eat better, become more active, reduce stress, and lose weight. The study also involves group classes and fun activities. The overall goal of the study is to help Indian and Pakistani community members to reduce their sedentary habits and improve their understanding for the choices of food. In 2012 the study s helped many South Asian community members in bringing much change in their lifestyles through diet and exercise. This year too many South Asian community members have enrolled themselves to learn new techniques to live healthier and longer.
CHICAGO: Punjabi Cultural year are invited to a free dinner Society of Chicago (PCS) was banquet, keynote speech, cake among several organizations hon- and a social party event. ored by the Illinois State Treasurer The Punjabi Cultural Society of Dan Rutherford during an Asian Chicago is an all volunteer not-forAmerican and Pacific Islander's profit community service organiHeritage month celebration on zation devoted to promoting May 29 at the James R. Thompson Center, Chicago. The Treasurer honored the organizations that help Asian Pacific Americans achieve their educational goals, particularly, higher educational goals through tutoring, mentoring, scholarships, etc. The Punjabi Cultural Society (PCS) of Punjabi Cultural Society getting recognition from Chicago has always Treasurer Rutherford encouraged and assisted students in reaching their educational goals. Punjabi culture, language, perPCS has been organizing "Gradu- forming arts, education, good citiation Night" and providing schol- zenship, healthy life style, and arships for nearly a decade. All of sports in the metropolitan Chicago the community graduates every area and beyond.
June 14, 2013
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India Post 27
TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS
1 Manmarziyan: Lootera 2 Ilahi: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani 3 Sawaar Loon: Lootera 4 Kabira: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani 5 Ankahee: Lootera 28 India Post
June 14, 2013
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6 Sunn Raha Hai: Aashiqui 2 7 Aurangzeb (Rock): Aurangzeb 8 Allah Meherbaan: Ghanchakkar 9 Khali Salam Dua: Shortcut Romeo 10 Jeena Laga Hu: Ramaiya Vastavaiya
D
hoom 3' and 'Bang Bang' are action movies and Katrina Kaif is the leading lady in both. Not only that, in both the flicks she would be doing breathtaking action sequences and stunt scenes aka Lara Croft. After her hit item numbers, both the films will have her perform gyrating dance moves with the heroes on the dance floor. In 'Dhoom 3' Aamir Khan will have action sequences and dance steps which will be markedly different from what Hrithik Roshan is going to perform in the film 'Bang Bang'. But Katrina being the common factor in both, she needed to portray the two roles differently. After lot of brain storming the team
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ast year, Varun Dhawan made his debut alongside two other new comers Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra in the Dharma film Student of The Year. Though many from the industry stated that Dharma honcho Karan Johar was taking a massive risk with this film, the gamble paid off and how. While Dharma recorded one of the 2012's biggest hits, the three newbies got a jump start in Bollywood. Now we hear that Varun Dhawan has been approached for yet another Dharma film. Confirming the development, Karan stated that they will be starting the film in October. While Varun has been confirmed for the role, a new girl will be launched as the lead actress opposite him. Further he states that the film will also introduce a debutante director.
hruti Haasan who will be seen in P r a b h u D e v a ' s Ramaiya Va s t a v a i y a alongside debutante Girish Kumar, recently met with an accident on the sets of the movie. Shruti who was in deep conversation with director Prabhu Deva over some crucial scenes of the film, slipped and fell into the adjacent swimming pool. If sources are to be believed, the actress had to be rushed to the nearest hospital since she was badly hurt. Says a source, "Shruti was discussing a few scenes with Prabhu Deva when she happened to slip and fall into the pool, hitting her legs hard against the concrete in the bargain. She had to be rushed to the hospital and has been advised bed rest a few days of before she resumes shooting."
Shruti was discussing a few scenes with Prabhu Deva when she happened to slip and fall into the pool
members of the film projects came up with a brilliant idea. They decided to get Katrina tanned, toasted and darker for 'Bang Bang'. This will give her a distinctly different look from the role she is portraying in 'Dhoom 3'. A close source speaking about the idea of Katrina appearing different in the films, said, "The first thing Katrina did to ensure that the two films don't look similar was to change her own look. In Bang Bang she is tanned, looking several shades darker than her usual self." At present the beautiful diva is in Thailand, soaking the sun rays, lying on the pristine beaches of the country and getting ready to don that perfect tan that will make her look completely different but ravishing.
Bollywood
June 14, 2013
India Post 29
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T
he last time we saw Anil Kapoor and Tabu sharing screen space was back in the 1999 film Biwi No. 1. Now we hear that the duo will be seen together once again in Abhishek Sharma's (of Tere Bin Laden fame) next venture. The film titled Sharmaji Ka Atom Bomb is said to be a comedy drama based on the lines of the Italian film Life Is Beautiful. While the film will be helmed by Abhishek himself, it will be produced by Pooja Shetty and is expected to go floors by the end of this year. Initially though, Abhishek was supposed to start working on the film around May-June, however he delayed the schedule to accommodate Kapoor's dates, as the actor is currently busy wrapping up the Indian adaptation of the US TV series, 24. Currently, Abhishek is working on Tere Bin Laden 2.
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while back, it was announced that Freida Pinto would be making her Bollywood debut in the Navdeep Singh film NH10. Though the actress had confirmed her presence in the film, we now here that Freida has opted out of the project. It is learnt that Freida, who till now had been pretty excited about her Bollywood debut, so much so that she even roped in international financers for the film, has since decided on opting out. The reason she claims behind this sudden change were the apparent delays in the film's schedule. Earlier NH10 was slated to go on floors in March, however with the initial hiccup of Eros opting out of co-production, the film's shoot was postponed to June. However, this second date as well was later shifted to October. This entire date changing farce irked the actress who promptly walked out. While Freida no longer wants to be a part of the film, producer Vikramaditya Motwane and director Navdeep Singh have decided on roping in a more commercial actress, Sonam Kapoor.
ollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan says that he takes inspiration from his parents. He said even today his parents inspire him. "I limit my inspiration to my parents...to my father and mother. My father was a poet and my mother was from a Sikh family and it was very unusual for them to get married in the city of Allahabad," Bachchan said during an interview with G2: The Global Gujarati magazine's editor Abhinav Aggarwal. Talking about his relationship with his father, the actor said that he regrets not being able to spend more time with him. "I live with his works and books. I regret not spending enough time with him. When he passed away I was devastated. He passed away when I was 62," he said. Bachchan referred to his mother as being "strong willed" and "protective". "She was beautiful," he said. The actor said that he is happy that his entire family consisting of wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stay under one roof. "It is convenient that all of us stay under one roof. I think communication is important and I insist that we keep communicating. This brings a feeling of togetherness," he said.
Realty Tidbits
Tata Housing ties up with NSC for safety awareness NEW DELHI: Tata Housing says it has tied up with National Safety Council of India (NSC) to create awareness about importance of following environment, health and safety norms in real estate industry. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two organizations will exchange technical expertise and engage in collaborative work to make environment, health and safety (EHS) a norm for the real estate industry, an official statement said. Noting that construction is considered as one of the most risky industries when it comes to occupational safety, NSC Director General V B Sant said a recent research suggests the average Fatal Accident Frequency Rate in Indian construction sector is 15.8 for 1,000 employees as against 0.23 in the USA.-PTI
Parsvnath plans big project on KG Marg NEW DELHI: In a turnaround, real estate firm Parsvnath Developers has reported consolidated net profit of Rs 14.85 crore for the fourth quarter ended on March 31, 2013, helped by lower operating expenses. The company will launch a retail office space project on the posh Kasturba Gandhi Marg in the national capital with construction costs estimated at Rs 80 crore and aims to complete it in two years. The city-based firm had posted a net loss of Rs 27.23 crore in the yearago period, it said in a BSE filing. However, during the quarter total consolidated income from operations of the company decreased to Rs 181.88 crore from Rs 219.21 crore in the same period year ago. During the quarter under review, Parsvnath Developers' total expenses fell to Rs 63.85 crore from Rs 156.55 crore in the same quarter of 2011-12 fiscal. "We have been able to reduce administrative and general cost this year. We have focused on completion and delivery of ongoing projects rather than new launches," Parsvnath Group Chairman Pradeep Jain told PTI.
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June 14 , 2013
Green Tribunal probing damage to Dadri wetlands NOIDA: At a time when rising temperatures have been blamed for vanishing water bodies in Delhi-NCR, the shrinking Dadri wetlands in Greater Noida has come under the scanner of the National Green Tribunal. The tribunal issued notices to the Union environment ministry and UP government, among others, over a petition alleging ecological damages to the water body from encroachment and human interference.
Tips for a successful yard sale
H
aving a yard sale is a fun way to declutter your home while making a few bucks. But without proper planning, a lot can go wrong. Maybe you'll fail to attract enough shoppers. Or, you may run out of change just as sales get hopping. "If you have a well-organized yard sale, you'll probably have a better chance of selling your stuff," says Laura Leist, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers and founder of Eliminate Chaos, a professional organizing company based in Bellevue, Wash. Leist and two other yard sale experts offer the following tips for making your yard sale a success. Pick the right day of the week, month Know which days of the week, month and year are most likely to
Laura Leist
attract shoppers. "Saturdays are best here in North Carolina. In other regions of the country, it's Thursday," says Geralin Thomas, a professional organizer and founder of Metropolitan Organizing in Cary, N.C. She's also been featured on the A&E reality show "Hoarders." A lot of people get paid on the 1st and 15th of the month and may have more money in their
pockets on those days. If you live in a resort town, holiday weekends may attract tourists with spending money looking for bargains, Thomas says. Use advertising & be specific Lack of advertising is one of the biggest yard sale mistakes, Leist says. Thomas agrees. "Give people a reason to attend," she says, and suggests posting ads in the newspaper or on Craigslist or making fliers to pass out at church or the grocery store. Describe your items well -- tell people if you're selling a flatscreen TV or maternity clothes, Thomas says. Give detailed directions that describe that you're close to the pizza place or behind the church, she says. Leist says it's important not to skimp on signage. She recommends decorating big cardboard boxes with bright-colored paper
"If you have a big-ticket item, put it out closer to the street," says Tolar, a blogger for Wise Bread. "Kids are always looking for stuff like that." People need to see things at eye level, so you put most things
"Give people a reason to attend," she says, and suggests posting ads in the newspaper or on Craigslist or making fliers to pass out at church or the grocery store. Describe your items well -- tell people if you're selling a flatscreen TV or maternity clothes, Thomas says. Give detailed directions that describe that you're close to the pizza place or behind the church, she says. and writing "Yard Sale," the date and the time in big block letters with arrows pointing toward your house. "Some people think you can just take a Sharpie and make a sign," Leist says. Keep items at eye level Arrange items in a way that maximizes sales potential, says Tisha Tolar, who helps set up an annual town-wide yard sale in Frackville, Pa.
on tables, says Leist. Divide items up into categories, like tools, kitchen appliances, books, etc. Then, put signs in front of the tables telling people what category it is, Leist says. High-value items that someone could hide in a purse or backpack should be kept at the checkout table, where you can keep an eye on them, Leist says. Thomas and Tolar recommend putting clothes on racks, because
customers mess up clothes on a table or clothes in boxes. Thomas suggests grouping clothes according to sizes and who they're for: men's, women's, kid's clothes, etc. "I don't think anyone should ever put out unlaundered, dirty, wrinkled clothes," says Thomas. Also, a full-length mirror helps people see how clothes look on them and should boost sales, Thomas says. Have enough change on hand Have enough money to make proper change throughout the day. Thomas recommends having $75 in singles on hand. Tolar says having too little cash in the till can sabotage yard sale success. "If you don't have change, then the first person shows up with $50 and you're screwed for the rest of the day," Tolar says. Put the money in a cash box you hide or in an apron you wear, Tolar says. Offering snacks to customers - donuts and coffee, bottled water and snacks for kids -- could help you make a little extra money, Thomas says. Cont’d on page 31
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Is there really a new tax on home sales? STEVE MCLINDEN
Dear Real Estate Adviser, When selling my house, I understand there is now a 3 percent federal tax imposed on the sale to help pay for the Obama medical plan. Is this applicable to all sales? -R. Fedor Dear R. Fedor, ou've glommed onto some wrong information, I'm afraid. While the volume of erroneous emails, op-ed pieces and other communications penned following the March 2010 passage of the controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has waned somewhat, the misinformation apparently lingers on. The National Association of Realtors received so many inquiries on the topic that it posted a myth-buster document on Realtors.org to refute it. Now, there is one provision of
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the act that has been a source of confusion. Starting in 2013, the health care bill does impose a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on high-income taxpayers who exceed a total household net-investment income - a total which could con-
$200,000 or more for individuals, or $250,000 or more for married couples, it typically won't include capital gains resulting from the sale of a home, providing that home is a primary residence and not a vacation or rental home.
realized from the sale of the home falls below those capital gains exclusion totals, then it can't be tacked on to that household's netinvestment income tally. Hence, that 3.8 percent Medicare tax would not apply.
Why? Because the capital gains tax exclusion rule for sales of a primary home - $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples - will remain. In other words, if the profit
If the gains from the sale of the house do exceed the $250,000 or $500,000 thresholds, they will be added to the household's net-income total, which is subject to that
The National Association of Realtors received so many inquiries on the topic that it posted a mythbuster document ceivably include some of the proceeds from a home sale. However, while this Medicare tax will be applied to households with an adjusted gross income of
DLF targets 50% rise new sales booking NEW DELHI: Realty major DLF Ltd has said it is targeting more than 50 per cent jump in new sales booking to Rs 6,000 crore in the 2013-14 fiscal. The company said it will invest Rs 3,000-3,200 crore on construction of various projects this year.
this fiscal. "We are targeting sales of about 8-10 million square feet (msf) this fiscal, at Rs 6,000 crore. Last year, we sold 7.23 msf, at Rs 3,900 crore," DLF Ltd Chief Financial Officer Ashok Tyagi told PTI. Asked how it plans to bring
Institutional Placement Program (IPP)." DLF has raised Rs 1,863 crore through the issue of over 8.1 crore fresh shares to institutional investors, enabling it to dilute promoters stake to 75 per cent in line with market regulator Sebi's minimum
DLF Ltd, the country's largest listed developer, said it aims to bring down net debt to Rs 19,000 crore by June, and reduce it further to Rs 17,000 crore by end of
down the company's net debt, Tyagi said: "We are aiming to reduce our debt to Rs 19,000 crore by June with the help of funds raised from the recently concluded
public shareholding norms. The company said it will focus on bringing down the debt level by 50 per cent in the next three years and see free-cash flow re-
Tips for a successful yard sale Cont’d from page 30
Price items to sell Leist and Thomas agree the main goal is to get rid of stuff. "You're not doing this to make a ton of money," says Leist. So if you're looking to get half of what you originally paid for something, go on eBay or
Craigslist, according to Leist. Charging admission to the sale can generate more cash, Thomas says. For instance, each person pays $10 to get in and gets everything they can fit into two grocery bags. Or, if you have a lot of kid's stuff, charge $1 for everything a kid can fit in a Ziploc bag. Thomas also recommends pric-
ing items in sections -- a $1 section, $5 section, $10 section and so on. At the end of the day, put whatever's left on the curb with a sign telling people to take what they want, Thomas says. Or, conduct a leftover raffle and charge $1 per ticket. Then, allow each winner to take five or 10 items of his or her choice.
mains positive by 2014-15 fiscal. Its net debt as on March 31, 2013 was Rs 21,731 crore and average cost of debt has reached 12.8 per cent, it said. On progress made on sale of its luxury hotel chain Amanresorts to reduce its debt level, Tyagi said: "We hope that the deal will be concluded by June." In December 2012, DLF had signed an agreement for effecting sale of Amanresorts to the hospitality property's founder and Chairman Adrian Zecha for over Rs 1,600 crore. The deadline for the closure of the deal was February but it has been extended to June this year. "We will speak to them (Adrian Zecha) and find out if they have arranged funds. If they are in the process, we could think of giving more time. If they are not, then we will take decision at that point of time," Tyagi said.
3.8 percent Medicare tax. All told, however, that tax will fall on a relative few - typically, households with large incomes from other sources. Any revenue collected through the Medicare tax, by the way, goes to the Medicare hospital insurance program. If you do happen to be in that high-income bracket and own one of those scant few homes in which your sale profits are likely to greatly exceed the capital gains limits, you won't have to worry about that Medicare tax anyway unless you wait until next year or later to sell. Even if you should decide to sell in 2013 or after, the issue may be moot by then if the Supreme Court shoots down parts or all of the legislation this year. Most likely though, that Medicare tax will not affect you in any way. Good luck on your sale! Courtesy Bankrate.com
Intelligent design proposed for SmartCity building KOCHI: SmartCity has planned a smart design for the proposed first IT building of the project. The five-storey, environment-friendly building has been designed to meet the standards specified for LEED Platinum certification. The intelligent, centrally air-conditioned building will have energy conservation features such as heat reflecting coils. After a review meeting in Kochi, SmartCity managing director Baju George said the building would only be the second one in the state to be constructed as per LEED Platinum specifications. "There will be heat reflecting coils to keep the temperature inside to a minimum. The fire fighting system will also follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards," George said.
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Nonprofit selected to help protect NY disabled ALBANY, N.Y.: Federal officials say a nonprofit group is taking over federally funded advocacy and legal protection of disabled New Yorkers in the care of the state and its nonprofit contractors. Health officials say Gov. Andrew Cuomo has redesignated the program, with Disability Rights New York operating it. Formerly Disability Advocates Inc., it was one 18 legal service organizations and advocates statewide doing the work under contracts with the state Commission on the Quality of Care. The commission was criticized in a 2011 federal report for lack of independence from the state agencies it oversees. It was established in 1977 after the scandal over filth, overcrowding and abuse of mentally disabled children at the state's Willowbrook institution on Staten Island. -AP
„ Nevada mulls medical marijuana dispensaries CARSON CITY, Nev.: The push to get medical marijuana card holders in Nevada a way to access the drug is nearing a pivotal juncture. The Assembly Judiciary Committee heard passionate support for SB374. The Senate has already approved the measure. Democratic Sen. Tick Segerblom of Las Vegas is the primary sponsor of the bill which imposes fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries of marijuana. It is an effort to correct a legal confusion that has burdened some Nevadans for over a decade.-PTI
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Italy confirms 3 cases of new respiratory virus
ROME: Three people were being treated for a new respiratory virus that is alarming global health officials, in the first cases in Italy, the country's health ministry said. A 45-year-old man who had recently returned from a 40-day visit to Jordan was hospitalized in Tuscany with a high fever, cough and respiratory problems, the ministry said. Tuscan regional officials say that a young child who is related to the man and a work colleague also have the virus, the ministry said. All three patients were reported to be in good condition and were being treated in isolation. -AP
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Testing company thrives as drug firms outsource Details on Page 34
Simple vinegar tests in India cut cervical cancer deaths CHICAGO: A simple vinegar test could prevent 73,000 deaths from cervical cancer worldwide each year, the authors of a largescale study of women in India said. Wealthy countries have managed to reduce cervical cancer deaths by 80 per cent thanks to the widespread use of regular Pap smears. But cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in India and many other developing countries lacking the money, doctors, nurses or laboratories for widespread screening. The vinegar test, while not perfect, offers a solution to that problem. A primary health care worker swabs the woman's cervix with vinegar, which causes pre-cancerous tumors to turn white. The results are known a minute later when a bright light is used to visually inspect the cervix. Aside from the cost savings, the instantaneous results are a major advantage for women in rural areas who might otherwise have to travel for hours to see a doctor. The randomized study of 150,000 women over 15 years found that the vinegar test was able to reduce cervical cancer deaths by 31 percent. The inci-
dence of cervical cancer was essentially the same among the women who were screened every other year and those who were
"This is the first trial to identify a cervical cancer screening strategy that reduces mortality and is feasible to implement on a
Shanti Devi Maurya, right, who was suffering from cervical cancer, performs an exercise in front of health workers from Tata Memorial Hospital at her home in a slum in Mumbai. Maurya was part of the vinegar detection study.
simply taught how to watch for warning signs. Early detection is critical in successfully treating the disease. "We hope our results will have a profound effect in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in India and around the world," said lead study author Surendra Srinivas Shastri, a professor of preventive oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.
broad scale throughout India and in other developing countries." India has already established a vast network of community health workers who deliver basic services such as vaccinations to people in rural or remote areas and those living in urban slums. Establishing widespread screening will only require adding a month of training to their core competence, said Rajendra Badwe,
director of Tata Memorial Hospital. Health officials in the state of Maharashtra, where the study was conducted, are preparing to train those primary health care workers to provide the vinegar screening to all women aged 35 to 64 in the state. The National Health Service has also begun implementing a plan to train primary health care across the country, starting with six districts in each state. That will take about two and a half years but the pace will speed up as more primary health care workers are taught how to pass along the skills, Badwe said. In the past decade, cervical cancer mortality rates in India have dropped from 28 to 11 per 100,000 women but the illness is still considered the prime cancer killer. Overall, cancer causes 12 percent of deaths among Indian women. Once the vinegar testing program is fully implemented, it could prevent 22,000 cervical cancer fatalities in the country every year. That number would rise to 73,000 if it is implemented in resource-poor nations worldwide. Badwe would also like to see primary health care workers trained to perform biopsies when cancerous cells are detected. "It can be done," Badwe said. -AFP
Bill to fine employers with workers on Medi-Cal LOS ANGELES: Lawmakers have proposed legislation that would penalize large employers who pay their workers so little that they qualify for government health insurance at taxpayer expense. Fines of up to $6,000 could apply for every full-time employee who ends up on MediCal, the state's health insurance for the poor and other vulnerable people, according to the Los Angeles Times. It's estimated 130,000 workers from large firms will go on Medi-Cal in the next few years. The fines would be applied for employees who work more than eight hours a week.
Under the federal law, large employers already face fines if they don't offer health insurance to employees who work more than
bill, a loophole in the Affordable Care Act lets large retailers and restaurants dump hourly workers onto the government dole.
Fines of up to $6,000 could apply for every full-time employee who ends up on Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance for the poor and other vulnerable people 30 hours a week. A growing number of employers have gamed that part of the law by cutting workers' hours to avoid paying for insurance. Proponents of the legislation include unions, consumer groups and doctors who say, without the
``There are concerns that employers will be gaming this new system and taking less and less responsibility for their workers,'' Sonya Schwartz, program director at the National Academy for State Health Policy, told the Times. The legislation might make em-
ployers think twice, Schwartz said. Opponents say the new legislation won't result in more health care, just fewer jobs. ``It's one of the worst jobkiller bills I've seen in my 20 years in Sacramento, and that says a lot,'' Bill Dombrowski, chief executive of the California Retailers Association, told the Times. It's estimated nearly 1,800 companies in California that employ 500 or more workers, would be affected by the penalties. The fines would be based on 110 percent of the average cost of health insurance, which was $5,615 in the U.S. last year. -AP
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June 14, 2013
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HHS chiefs seeks review of lung transplant policy PHILADELPHIA: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is calling for a review of policies affecting patients needing lung transplants as a 10year-old Pennsylvania girl whose parents say she's been denied the life-saving surgery because of her age remains hospitalized on a ventilator.
Sarah Murnaghan, 10
Sebelius sent a letter to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, asking it to review the policy on lung allocation. The nonprofit agency is under contract with the federal government and also works with United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the transplant system. Sebelius asked that a ``transparent, deliberative'' review be done as soon as pos-
sible ``with the intent of identifying any potential improvements to this policy that would make more transplants available to children'' consistent with the goals of fairness and best use of organs. She said the disparity between donors and children awaiting transplants is ``especially stark'' with only 20 lung transplants
Sebelius did not directly reference the Murnaghan case but had been petitioned by lawmakers and Gov. Tom Corbett to take action on the girl's behalf, and an online petition calling for a change had drawn more than 260,000 signatures. last year involving organs from donors up to age 11. She also said she is asking federal officials to ``consider new approaches for promoting pediatric and adolescent organ donation.'' Sarah Murnaghan's parents say the Newtown Square girl has end-stage cystic fibrosis and has been unable to leave Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for three
Exercising just 12 mins a week can help you stay fit LONDON: Forget sweating it out in the gym for long hours, only 12 minutes of exercise a week could be enough to keep you healthy, a new study has claimed. Four-minute bursts of vigorous exercise three times a week could raise oxygen in-
take levels and decrease blood pressure and glucose levels, a study conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has found. During the ten week program, a team of researchers monitored the effect of different exercise regimes using a sample of 26 inactive, overweight, but otherwise healthy men who were split into two groups. Participants in the first group (1-AIT)
undertook four-minute exercise sessions three times a week and showed similar results to the men in the second (4-AIT) who completed three 16 minute sessions, broken into four minute bouts. Oxygen intake increased by similar amounts in both groups - 10 per cent in the four-minute exercise group and 13 per cent in the 16-minute group, 'The Independent' reported. However, the 16minute exercise group did prove more effective at lowering cholesterol and body fat. Researchers suggested that a single bout of strenuous exercise performed three times per week may be a time-efficient strategy to improve fitness and reduce blood pressure in previously inactive but otherwise healthy middle-aged individuals. "A growing body of evidence suggests that exercise training with low-volume but high-intensity may be a time-efficient means to achieve health benefits," author Arnt Erik Tjonna said. -PTI
months, needing a ventilator to breathe. They say she has been awaiting a transplant from a pediatric donor and is also eligible for a lung from an adult donor. But under existing policy all adults in the region with her blood type will be offered the lungs first, her parents say, even those more stable and with less severe conditions. The girl's parents called for a change in the policy after their appeal was denied. Sebelius did not directly reference the Murnaghan case but had been petitioned by lawmakers and Gov. Tom Corbett to take action on the girl's behalf, and an online petition calling for a change had drawn more than 260,000 signatures. United Network for Organ Sharing, also a nonprofit under contract with the government, said a committee would review the policy and the public would have a chance to comment on any proposed changes. But spokeswoman Anne Paschke said any changes most likely won't come quickly enough to benefit Sarah or others like her. ``The policy development process is not fast,'' she said in an email to The Associ-
ated Press. ``Organ allocation policies are created to transplant as many people as possible overall, result in the fewest waiting list deaths overall and result in the best
Kathleen Sebelius
possible survival overall. In developing policies, committees and the board weigh data, medical evidence and experience, and public input.'' Officials have said the original system setting priorities didn't establish criteria for children younger than 12 because of a lack of data, but the system was recently changed to give sicker children higher priorities for transplants and to cast a wider net for suitable candidates. -AP
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Testing company thrives as drug firms outsource NEWARK, Del.: Ben Chien was and continues to be the right guy, in the right market with the right chemistry of business savvy and scientific expertise to grow a startup testing firm into a globally leading multimillion-dollar enterprise. And all of this he accomplishes with unwavering humility, compassion for his teams of chemists
22, QPS was tagged DelawareBio's company of the year at an annual gala in Wilmington. Chemists at QPS analyze blood, urine and tissue samples to better understand the concentration of a drug and how it is absorbed into and excreted by the body. Such test results are federally required for drug companies
Xiaofen Li and Jinming Xing
around the world, and cuttingedge know-how driving QPS to the head of the pack. Chien is president and founder of QPS Holdings LLC, based at Delaware Technology Park in Newark in 1996 and has brought the firm a long way since. On May
looking to bring new medicines to market, creating a robust demand for services. ``I started QPS with $280,000 in funding and three employees,'' said Chien, who founded the firm at 37, leaving behind a position at the former DuPont Merck pharma-
ceutical venture. ``And we've been profitable since the first year, growing organically until 2008 when we started making acquisitions'' of testing firms overseas. Inside QPS, the walls are colored by lab coats, shelving of glass beakers and test tubes, latex gloves and protective masks. Chemists buzz about million-dollar machinery arrayed in a maze of workstations. Chien, 53, was touring the local facility last month in a visit from California, where he moved in 2005 to ease his travel schedule to sites in Asia and elsewhere. In the past five years, QPS has quadrupled its revenue, recording roughly $110 million in 2012 and navigating smoothly through a $10 billion industry. It has a 1,100member global workforce, with 230 at its Delaware headquarters. ``The company is very familyoriented and mutually respectful,'' Chien said. ``Management here is serving rather than demanding. There is a work-life balance with mutual consideration for each other and we try to get involved in giving back to the community and support our employee's passions outside of work.'' QPS re-branded and changed its name from Quest Pharmaceutical Services to avoid confusion with Quest Diagnostics labs for patients. It is an acronym for quality, performance, services. In 2012,
Adams County to conduct sale study on hospital NATCHEZ, Miss.: Adams County is seeking proposals from groups to complete a feasibility study to determine if the publicly-
ing with the hospital board. ``We are not going to be able to stand alone, we are going to need partners to survive,'' hospital board chairman Leroy White told the Natchez Democrat. ``If we wait any longer, we will be in trouble. We all want to unite for the best health care for A d a m s County and make sure we Natchez Regional Medical Center have some survivability owned Natchez Regional Medical for a long period of time rather than Center should be sold, leased or a short period of time,'' White said. if nothing should change. Board of Supervisors President The board of supervisors Darryl Grennell said the county reached the decision after meet- will seek proposals from a health
care law firm or a certified public accounting firm for the feasibility study. He said once that study is completed the supervisors will determine if they should take the next step and advertise for proposals for the sale or lease of the hospital. It's also possible the supervisors could reject the feasibility study and request another one, Grennell said. If the supervisors decide to solicit proposals for the sale of the hospital, it will hold public hearings. White said the hospital would start seeking a group to complete the feasibility study right away. The hospital had a similar study completed in 2008 and had solicited several bids. Officials said potential buyers backed out because of the volatile economic conditions at the time. NRMC has approximately 300 full-time and approximately 100 part-time employees. -AP
the company hired 30 to 40 employees and will continue to hire to accommodate growth, including those with doctorate degrees, chemistry and biology degrees, financial backgrounds and other post-graduate degrees, Chien said. The CRO - contract research organization conducts bioanalytical testing of developmental medicines for biotechs and
der-equipped to conduct the testing required to gain regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ``The industry exists because pharmaceutical companies have drug pipelines and cannot keep staff at the 100 percent level and typically outsource to CROs like ours more and more,'' Chien said. ``And a lot of biotechs don't have
``The company is very family-oriented and mutually respectful,'' Chien said. ``Management here is serving rather than demanding. There is a work-life balance with mutual consideration for each other and we try to get involved in giving back to the community.'' giant pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, which has its offices for the Americas in Fairfax, and Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer. Many drug companies outsource testing services, which creates fluid demand for firms like QPS, Chien explains. Often when drugmakers like AstraZeneca are plagued by revenue declines from the loss of patent protection on billion-dollar drugs, operations are scaled back and function previously done in-house are contracted out. In the case of smaller biotechs, it may be as simple as being un-
the infrastructure internally.'' Predictable factors maintain the firm's stronghold on the industry, marked by a talented and dedicated workforce and fluid investments in state-of-the-art equipment to the tune of $4 million annually at its locations in the U.S. and abroad. QPS has acquired testing firms in Sweden, India, Taiwan, where Chien is from, and the Netherlands. ``We will continue to grow,'' Chien said. ``I have always believed in business you have to be competitive and keep growing and provide employees the opportunity to advance.'' -AP
Tobacco responsible for rise in cancer cases AHMEDABAD: An estimated 35 per cent of the 45,000 new cancer cases registered in Gujarat every year are that of the head and neck due to high tobacco consumption, according to Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI). "An estimated 30-35 per cent of cancer cases recorded in the state every year are that of head and neck cancer. More than 50 per cent of the men in state show symptoms of this cancer because of high tobacco consumption," Associate Professor, Department of Community Oncology, GCRI, Dr Parimal Jivrajani said. In Ahmedabad district, more rural women are prone to head and neck cancer cases than urban women, according to Ahmedabad Cancer Registry (ACR), maintained by the GCRI. "While 18 per cent women in urban areas of Ahmedabad are
prone to head and neck cancer cases, in rural areas, the figure goes up to 20 per cent," Dr Jivrajani said. Jivrajani said 55 per cent men in urban and rural areas of Ahmedabad district were affected
by head and neck cancer cases. Senior consultant and director at Health Care Global (HCG) Cancer Centre, Dr Rajendra Toprani said that with young people getting addicted to tobacco these days at a very early age, there has also been a rise in young population showing symptoms of head and neck cancer cases. -PTI
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Community kicks in to help same-sex couple JUNEAU, Alaska: Carmen Cortese's cancer was discovered when she went to her doctor to get treated for what she thought was a bad case of bronchitis. ``The look on the doctor's face was a sight to behold,'' Cortese said. A chest x-ray revealed a tumor on her lungs and further testing showed the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. In Juneau, it was thought to be stage 4 cancer, caused by smoking, the doctors said, though Cortese had quit smoking 13 years ago. In Seattle, where Cortese is being treated, they said with what Cortese thought was relief, that it was only stage 3b. Though one practically needs a set of flash cards to learn all the new terms that come along with a cancer diagnosis, the meaning is that Cortese will be in Seattle being treated with chemotherapy and radiation at least through July. Only about a year ago, Cortese married her partner of five years, Janet Forbes, though their wedding is not recognized by the State of Alaska or the federal government. The couple has one another on their health care plans through the state, where Forbes is employed with the Department of Corrections, and where Cortese, 56, was employed with the Office of Children's Services until her diagnosis, when she arranged to retire immediately. Though their relationship is recognized
for certain benefits, Forbes was denied her request for leave under the federal Family Medical Leave Act and the Alaska Family Medical Leave Act. Cortese said plainly, ``I need Janet here with me.'' Already, dealing with various arrange-
Forbes said it takes time for money to come through, from insurance or grants from groups like Juneau's Cancer Connection, so the couple find themselves worrying about their drained bank account and mounting expenses. ments, paperwork and juggling appointments is a challenge, and Cortese said she knows things will be increasingly difficult as the treatments continue. Why Forbes didn't qualify for AKFMLA was confusing to them both and, it turns out, it is kind of confusing. Different State of Alaska employees have different contracts and some of them provide FMLA
Wrong number turns right for ailing NJ woman ROCHELLE PARK, N.J.: Authorities say a Massachusetts rug store worker misdialed when trying to call a New Jersey wholesale company and instead reached an elderly woman who told him she was having a heart attack. But after several anxious minutes of trying to locate and help her, it turned out the woman was safe. The Record reports that Sachin Baidya, who works for the Dover Rug Co. in Natick, thought he was calling a customer service representative he often deals with at Nourison Industries in Saddle Brook. When he placed the call, he entered the first three numbers of the store's telephone number and then plugged in the rep's extension as the last four numbers. But that connected him to an 82-year-old Rochelle Park woman with dementia. The woman felt nauseated and dizzy and mistook the symp-
benefits for same-sex couples, while others don't, Forbes said. Forbes has been very happy with her employer, the Department of Corrections, for their support and flexibility in this trying time. She also expressed satisfaction with her interactions with her union repre-
toms for a heart attack. Thinking the sales rep was ill, Baidya told the woman he would seek help and call her back. He then dialed the main number of Nourison, and told a receptionist that someone needed to check on the sales rep. But after learning their colleague was fine, workers at the wholesale company dialed the number Baidya had called and reached the elderly woman. After learning where she lived, they contacted Rochelle Park authorities. The woman was kept in the hospital overnight for observation, but was released the next day. ``I happened to dial a number that turned out to be somebody who needed help,'' Baidya told the newspaper. ``I feel like I did a good thing. -AP
sentative, who said same-sex FMLA benefits had been on the bargaining table, but have not been enacted - at least not yet. Forbes works seven days on and seven days off, so she has been able to travel to Seattle to be with Cortese during those days off, but she can't take leave to be there longterm, leaving Cortese on her own when she needs the support of her partner, and leaving the couple in financial dire straits pay-
ing for flights back and forth between Juneau and Seattle. ``We went through our savings like that,'' Forbes said. Though Cortese is insured, there are a lot of expenses insurance doesn't cover, including travel, transportation and living expenses. Though they have found a relatively low-cost housing option for Cortese's treatment period that has a free shuttle to the University of Washington Medical Center, the costs are still proving difficult. Forbes said it takes time for money to come through, from insurance or grants from groups like Juneau's Cancer Connection, so the couple find themselves worrying about their drained bank account and mounting expenses. That's where the Juneau community is stepping up, hosting a benefit fundraiser event at the Douglas United Methodist Church. Most everyone is affected by cancer at one point in life, whether personally or in someone close, so Cortese and Forbes both expressed dismay at the difficulties, financial and otherwise, that befall people. In addition to making a donation to help defray costs like travel and accommodations during Cortese's treatment, the couple and benefit organizers have said a helpful and important action would be to contact Alaska's legislators, at the state or national level. -AP
Datebook
36 India Post
NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sat, june 15
• Asian American Fair 2013 Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Dr, Somerset, Nj 08873 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 347-513-8526
Sun June 23
• Dr K.J.Yesudas Live In Concert Venue: Raritan Valley Community College Edward Nash Auditorium, 118 Lamington Rd, Branchburg, NJ 08876 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 848-219-9118
Fri June 28
• Ajmad Sabri Qawali Night Venue: Edison Hotel, 3050 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 732-277-6687
NEW YORK Upcoming Sun June 16
• Alba Vineyard's Annual Father's Day Festival Venue: Alba Vineyard, 269 Riegelsville Warren Glen Rd, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865 Time: 12:00 pm Contact: 908-995-7800
Sut, June 22
• Sri Sanjoy Banerjee and Samir Chatterjee Live In Concert Venue:Chhandayan Center for Indian Music, 4 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 212-302-0720
Fri, June 28
• Shri Krishna Madhura Sathvaro Shri Radhe Shyamno Dhwitiya Venue: Hindu Temple Auditorium -NY, 143 - 09 Holly Avenue, New York, NY 11355 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 718-639-9200
June14, 2013
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Upcoming
Upcoming
Fri, June 14 • Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) Venue: Smith Center Outdoor Amphitheatre at Ohlone College 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 510.659.6031 www.smithcenter.com
Sat, June 15 • Father's Day Celebration with Anis Chandani
Venue: Bharat Community Center, 1732 Reynolds Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 Time: 5:00 pm Contact: 714-846-1301
Sat, June 22 • Elements - Crossing Boundaries
Venue: Woodside Performing Arts Center, 199 Churchill Ave, Woodside, CA 94062 Time: 6:00 pm Contact: 408-982-7266
Sat, June 22 • Official Desi Summer Party Venue: Ultrasuede Hollywood, 661 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 858-610-7388
Sun, June 23 • Anantha: Infinite Possibilities Venue: Sophia B. Clarke Theater, 1100 N Grand Ave, Walnut, CA 91789 Time: 5:00 pm Contact: 909-630-8558
Sun, Jul 14 • Ganesha+The Woodcutter And The River Goddess
Venue: Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, 4800 Hollywood Blvd, , Hollywood, CA 90027 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 818-599-1936
Fri, jun 21
• Meet and Greet With Kapil Dev and Aparna Sen Venue: San Jose Airport Garden Hotel, 1740 N 1st St, San Jose, CA 95112 Time: 6:00pm Contact: 408-507-5889
Sun, June 23 • OHM Bhagavatha Sapthaham Yajna at Irvine Mandir Venue: Irvine Mandir, 1732 Reynolds Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 Time: 2:00 pm
ATLANTA Upcoming Sat June 14
• Singing Sensation Venue: Impact Conference Center, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071 Time: 2:00 pm Contact: 678-463-6613
Sun, June 22
• Atlanta Desi Summer Mela 2013 Venue: Berkmar High School Main Gym, 405 Pleasant Hill Rd, Lilburn, GA 30047 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 678 508 5050
Sun, June 23
• Shankar Ehsaan Loy Live Concert In Atlanta Venue: Cobb Energy Performing Art Center Center, 800 Galleria Pkwy SE, Atlanta, GA 30339 Time: 6:00pm Contact: 404-576-8909
Sun, Jul 23
•Singing Sensation 2013 Venue: mpact Conference Center, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071 Time: 2:00pm Contact: 678-463-6613
ILLINOIS Upcoming • J K Yog Satsang and Bal Mukund Hindi Classes are held every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of Month Chicago Satsang Information: J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets, Board Room, 933 South Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126 Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org
1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807 Website: www.jkyog.org/bal-mukund
June 28-30 • Purusha-Suktam A Week-end Retreat with Swami Brahmarupananda Venue: Vivekananda Monastery & Retreat 6723 122nd Ave., Ganges, MI 49408 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: (269) 543-4545
Sun, June 30 • Pij Picnic 2013 Venue: Deer Grove East Forest Preserve, Palatine, Quintin & Dundee, Palatine, IL 60305 Time: 9:00am Contact: 6309267110
India Post 37
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T
he quaint little town of Alappuzha (Malayalam name for Alleppey) is called the Venice of the East. Nowhere else will you find, spread out across the center of town, a unique crisscrossing network of canals & lagoons on which thatch covered country boats punt (houseboats) along leisurely. The proximity of lakes adds to the Venetian ambience. But when Raja Kesavadasan, the Dewan of Travancore (king), founded the town in 1762, there was just one canal through the strip of sand between the backwaters and the sea. This soon grew into a bustling waterway, with shops, factories and commercial establishments springing up on either bank of the canal. This attracted merchants from other parts of the country from Europe, America and some other business countries. By the mid-19th Century, the sea had receded a mile, offering more land along the sand strip. Trading vessels
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soon began to call on Alleppey. In 1859 the first organized coir factory & other products was started here and began producing matting from coir yarn on a loom developed by an English sea captain. Soon other British company-owned weaving establishments followed. Meanwhile, in 1816, the Church Missionary Society set up its local headquarters 'Christ Society of India' and three years later the first Anglican Church was built. In 1851 Alleppey had the honor of housing the first post office in the erstwhile Travancore State (Kerala). The commercial importance of Alleppey began to decline after the late 1920s with the development of Cochin (Queen of Arabia) into a major port. However, today Alleppey is still a major center for trade in coir products, copra (dried coconut meat) and coconut oil for cooking and Ayurvedic products. Cont’d on page 40
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June 14, 2013
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Alleppey Quaint Kerala town called Venice of the East Cont’d from page 39
Thanks to its long beach coast, Alleppey is also a center for fishing and marine products processing activities, have a good beach and looking to development for tourist ships. For tourists Alleppey is the pivotal point for trips into Kerala's famed backwaters (houseboats & motor boats) and the state's lush rice bowl, Kuttanad, between Quilon to the south and Kottayam to the east lie some of the most entrancing scenery of palm-lined banks, islands, quiet waterbound villages and little boats taking the local people to and fro-everything framed in green. Apart from the boat trips through the town's many canals and lakes, and the Mullackal Bhagavathi Temple in the heart of town, Alleppey offers glimpses of the coir manufacturing process-from the co-
The long sandy beach at Alleppey has a lighthouse and a pier jutting out into the sea, once active in the unloading of goods from cargo ships. Children can romp in the
The Mullackal Bhagavathi Temple
conut husk to the final rope/coir yarn stage. There are also several shops selling coir matting and carpets, often at prices cheaper than elsewhere.
Alleppey is, of course, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race which began in 1952 on the occasion of the visit of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It is now a major
Alleppey's single most important tourist event, with each boat being sponsored by a different village. Competition is severe as the boats, with over 120 rowers in each, race
APART FROM THE BOAT TRIPS THROUGH THE TOWN'S MANY CANALS AND LAKES, AND THE MULLACKAL BHAGAVATHI TEMPLE IN THE HEART OF TOWN, ALLEPPEY OFFERS GLIMPSES OF THE COIR MANUFACTURING PROCESS-FROM THE COCONUT HUSK TO THE FINAL ROPE/COIR YARN STAGE
Vijay Beach Park.
Snake boat race The not-to-be-missed spectacle in
event held on the second Saturday of every August and features the gigantic snakeboats of Kerala, the chundans, once the battleships of the Malayalee kings of yore. Today the Boat Race has grown into
to the finish to the accompaniment of rousing music.
Houseboats construction Alleppey is becoming famous for houseboat building. More than 50 houseboats are built every year. One houseboats cost Rs.25,00,000. A traveler can use Alleppey as a base to make excursions to nearby historical sites and scenic spots. Pathiramanal, (near Kumarakom) a beautiful little island in the Vembanad Lake; it is the largest lake in the Asia, which can be reached only by boat, is set to be developed as a major tourist spot. The Sri Krishna temple at Ambalapuzha, 14 km from Alleppey, is among Kerala's more famous ones, boasting the typical temple architectural style of the state. It is equally famed for its palpayasam, a sweet milk porridge offered to the diet. The temple's main festival occurs in March/April. It was in this temple that the 16th century poet Kunjan Nambiar staged his first Ottan Thullal, a solo dance performance with a high social content. Cont’d on page 41
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Alleppey Quaint Kerala town called Venice of the East Cont’d from page 41
Close to Ambalapuzha, the village of Karumadi is famous for its Karumadi Kuttanm a black granite figure of Buddha, said to belong to the 9th or 10th century. During his visit to Kerala in 1965, the Dalai Lama worshipped at this shrine. Arthinkal, known for the St. Andrews Church established by Portuguese missionaries in 1951, is near Sherthallai, 25km north of Alleppey. The feast of St. Sebastian is held here every January. On the Pamba river is Chambakulam, (Rajiv Gandhi snake boat race) the site for the famous boat regatta held during
ground floor, a walking distance from the palace pool. Inside is also a museum of antique sculptures, painting and bronzes. Situated 45
August/September that has traditionally involved the participation of all communities. The 18th Century Krishnapuram Palace (45 km from Alleppey), built during the reign of the Travancore monarch,
km from Alleppey, on the way to Quilon, Krishnapuram is easily accessible by bus from Alleppey. A short distance from Alleppey is Punnapra, a village that has gone down in history as the scene of a battle between the Commu-
Marthanda Varma, is a double-storied structure, which displays typical characteristics of Kerala architecture-gabled roofs, dormer windows, and narrow corridors. It houses one of the largest mural paintings in Kerala, called the Gajendra Mokshm. It measures 14 feet by 11 feet and is at the western end of the
nists and the Travancore State Police in the Punnapra-Vayalar Communist Uprising of 1946. Mannarasala, 32 km from Alleppey is a very important center of serpent worship in Kerala. Built in a cool grove of trees and shrubs, this temple is said to contain 30,000 images of snake-goods, which line the path to the temple.
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5 free things to do in Myrtle Beach, SC MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.: Myrtle Beach, this year celebrating the 75th anniversary of its incorporation, is the heart of South Carolina's $16.5 billion tourism industry. Myrtle Beach is in the center of a 60-mile (100-kilometer) reach of beaches that attracts more
shabby.'' In Myrtle Beach, the shore is lined with high-rise hotels and condominiums and it's just a short walk to grab a burger along busy Ocean Boulevard. If you bring a pet, check local regulations for hours when dogs can be on the beach.
The Beach
than 14 million visitors a year to dozens of golf courses, hundreds of restaurants and tens of thousands of hotel, motel and other rental units. There's shopping at hundreds of stores and nine live entertainment theaters with almost 12,000 seats. But there's a lot to do for free. Here are five suggestions: The Beach This is the reason people come to Myrtle Beach. In South Carolina, the beaches are public and there are regular beach access points. Some areas have lifeguards and some have umbrellas and chairs for rent, but all you really
other events runs this year from June 3 to Aug. 31. On Mondays there are free kids carnivals, with concerts from reggae to rock and country to Dixieland other nights of the week. Every Wednesday there are fireworks over the ocean. Across town, at the Broadway at the Beach entertainment complex, there are free fireworks every Tuesday and most Fridays during the summer. North Myrtle Beach holds four free concerts on Friday evenings during the season in McLean Park while there are other concerts by the lake at Myrtle Beach's Grand Park. As part of the Myrtle Beach birthday celebration, an oceanfront air show is set for June 28th through 30th. Art Museum If you want to get out of the sun for a bit, stop by the Franklin Burroughs-Simeon Chapin Art Museum. Admission is free, but donations are always accepted. Located on the south end of Myrtle Beach, part of the structure is an
The Boardwalk
almost 90-year-old beach house moved to its present location about 30 years ago. The museum has 10 galleries and an art studio for workshops. Beginning June 6, the museum hosts ``Animation B.C. (Before Computers),'' an exhibit focusing on the development of animation in the 20th Century.
The Boardwalk The boardwalk runs along Myrtle Beach's oceanfront business district. Just over a mile (1.6 kilometers) in length, it was completed three years ago at a cost of more than $6 million. It's a great place to wander along the shore without getting your feet sandy or to just to sit and watch people enjoy their summer escape. At sunset you can watch the oceanfront SkyWheel, the tallest Ferris wheel in the eastern United States, spin lazily, illuminated by a million LED lights. The boardwalk is being extended another block and Mayor Riverwalk
It features original production art including Mickey Mouse and Dora the Explorer. Also this summer, the museum features an exhibit with 45 works of golf art - more than appropriate in an area with 102 golf courses. Conway and the Riverwalk Conway, located 15 miles (24 kilometers) inland from Myrtle Beach, is the old tobacco town dating to the early 1700s that millions simply drive past rushing to the shore. But you may want to slow down and stop. The historic district includes almost three dozen National Register of Historic Places sites. The city's scenic River Walk connects to the business district and runs along the gently flowing Waccamaw River, a great place to cool off on a sultry South Carolina afternoon. Conway, on the first Thursday of the month from June through November, hosts Alive After Five events as varied as a community gospel sing and a classic car show to an ice cream social. -AP
Italy proposes 'wedding tourism' with India
Art Museum
need is a beach blanket and a cool drink. There's a beach for most every taste. Pawleys Island, to the south, is considered one of the oldest beach resorts on the East Coast with homes dating to the 1700s. The quiet beach is lined with weathered bungalows and proudly calls itself ``arrogantly
John Rhodes has said he would like the city to eventually build the world's longest, running 4.6 miles (7.4 kilometers) along the shore. Free Concerts, Kids Stuff Summer means a lot of free entertainment. In Plyler Park, just off the boardwalk, the Hot Summer Nights series of free concerts and
PANAJI: Italy and India can increase tourist footfalls by promoting new trends like 'wedding tourism', which has been a big draw for both the nations, a senior envoy said. "Between India and Italy, there is a high potential of increasing the number of tourists. There is a strong possibility to increase flow of tourists from respective countries," Daniele Mancini, Italy's Ambassador to India, told reporters here. "A number of new avenues have opened up. There is boom in weddings taking place in Italy. Now, probably Italian tourists can come to Goa for weddings," he said.
India should stop selling as a country and it should be sold as a destination, Mancini suggested.
"For the visitors it is not a matter of money but time available for
vacations," he said. Italy has reopened its national tourism board office in Mumbai recently. O v e r 100,000 Italian tourists visit India. " Y o u should do a better job to promote India in Italy and other European countries," he said. There is room for interconnection between tourism promotion agencies of both the countries, Mancini added. -PTI
Travel & Hospitality Post
June 14, 2013
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Trains to Vaishno Devi shrine likely to start in July NEW DELHI: Travel to Vaishno Devi shrine is expected to get much easier as several Mail, Express and local trains are expected to go up to Katra, the shrine's base camp, from July. Work on the 25 km-long Uddhampur-Katra rail link is almost complete and Railways will hand it over to Commissioner Railway Safety for approval to run trains up to Katra. Chairman of Railway Board, Vinay Mittal and General Manager of Northern Railway, V K Gupta will conduct a full- fledged inspection of the hilly route before it becomes operational. The high-level railway team will also visit the Banihal-Qazigund line, which is expected to be operational this month. "Safety clearance from CRS is mandatory for making new line operational. Barring the laying of ballastless track on the 3.1 km long T1 tunnel, the most difficult tunnel in the route, all other works in the Katra route are nearly completed now," a senior Northern Railway official, involved in the Kashmir rail link project, said.
The trains, including New Delhi-Uddhampur Uttar Sampark Kranti, Jammu Mail, ChandigarhKatra Express, Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Uddhampur Express, Ahmedabad-Uddhampur Ex-
tional. Besides, many local trains between Uddhampur and Katra will be pressed into service depending upon the demand. However, the official said,
any train coming to Uddhampur can be extended to Katra." Katra station is ready with three platforms and two more platforms will come up later. With the commissioning of
cost of Rs 960 crore, passes through inhospitable terrain, making it an extremely challenging engineering project. The route consists of seven tunnels and 30 small and big
press, Delhi-Pathankot Express, among others are likely to reach Katra once the line is opera-
"No decision has been taken yet on the number of trains to Katra. But once the line is operational,
the new route, pilgrims will be able to reach the base camp of Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra without having to break their journey at Jammu. The Udhampur-Katra rail route, coming up at an estimated
bridges, including a 185-feet high tunnel. A total of seven tunnels span over 10 km of the 25-km stretch. An estimated 10 million devotees pay obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine every year. -PTI
55th Venice Biennale celebrates the outsider
Global air traffic grew 3.2 percent in April
VENICE, Italy: Massimiliano Gioni is the youngest curator ever at the world's oldest contemporary art fair - the Venice Biennale. Yet it is not just youth that gives the 39-year-old an edge as he presents the main show of the prestigious event that can make or break artistic careers. More importantly, Gioni says, he offers a unique outlook that comes with experience curating shows around the world. ``I am not a spokesperson for my generation. ... If with youth comes innovation, I am happy,'' Gioni said in an interview, while adding: ``Youth for the sake of youth is always a way to brand products.'' The Venice Biennale is Gioni's fifth but his first curating the main exhibit. It's the culmination of a rich itinerant course that has taken him from Berlin to South Korea and has allowed Gioni, an Italian who has spent most of his career in New York, to see the world as both an
CAPE TOWN: Global air-passenger traffic grew by 3.2 per cent in April, compared to a year ago, driven by travel in emerging markets, the global airline industry body said. "We see strong growth among African, Asia-Pacific, Middle Eastern and Latin American airlines," International Air Transport Association chief Tony Tyler told journalists in Cape Town. Middle Eastern airlines were the strongest performers, growing by 10 percent, followed by Asia-Pacific at 4.7 per cent and Africa at 4.6 per cent. Latin America grew by 2.8 per cent. Growth was more modest in Europe where demand increased by 2.2 per cent in North American where the market rose 0.6 per cent. The seasonally adjusted rate for April was nearly five percent, the airline industry body said. Marginally ahead of demand, capacity was up 4.4 per cent from last April, pushing the load factor downward by 0.9 per cent to 78.1 per cent. If adjusted for seasonality, this remained at near record highs of 80 per cent. The international flight market was up 3 per cent in April from the year before, while capacity grew 4.3 per cent -AFP
insider and outsider _ distinctions his show both explores and challenges. ``I wanted to think of artists both
Massimiliano Gioni
as self-taught and as professional, as famous and not famous, as people who can teach us something to see things,'' said Gioni, a critic and curator who is associate director of the New Museum in New York and artistic director of the Trussardi Foundation in Milan.-AP
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In Brief Group wants civil rights probe into Todashev death ORLANDO, Fla.: An advocacy group is demanding a civil rights investigation into the death of a Chechen immigrant who was shot to death by authorities in central Florida while being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said his group is asking the U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division to open a probe into how 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev died. CAIR spokesman Hassan Shibly says he wants to know if excessive force was used or whether Todashev's rights were violated. The FBI says Todashev was killed during a violent confrontation while he was being questioned by an FBI agent and two Massachusetts state troopers about his ties to slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, as well as about a 2011 triple slaying in Massachusetts. The medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide. -AP
Conn. latest to pass immigrant driver's licenses NEW HAVEN, Conn.: Connecticut is set to become the latest state to allow immigrants to obtain driver's licenses regardless of their legal status, a move that could affect tens of thousands of drivers and came after an interfaith coalition was credited with playing a key role in urging lawmakers to pass the law. Immigrants would be able to get driver's licenses beginning in January 2015 in the bill, which passed 19-16 along party lines in the Senate. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, ``This bill is first and foremost about public safety,'' Malloy said. ``It's about knowing who is driving on our roads, and doing everything we can to make sure those drivers are safe and that they're operating registered, insured vehicles.'' Applicants would need documentation proving their identities and showing they have lived in the state for at least 90 days. They also would have to pass driving tests and background checks verifying they have no felony convictions in the state. The licenses would be marked ``for driving purposes only'' and would need to be renewed every three years, rather than the standard six years.-AP
Immigration 44
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June 14, 2013
Father of man FBI shot claims his son was executed Details on page 46
Alabama doctors angered they must prove they're legal ANNISTON, Ala.: Some of Alabama's doctors are angered about a new mandate requiring them to provide the government with proof that they are legal U.S. residents. The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners sent out a letter May 16 to about 16,000 doctors who hold medical licenses in Alabama. The letter told them they had until the end of May to submit proof of legal residency. The letter is the latest step in the implementation of Alabama's 2011 immigration law, considered one of the toughest in the nation, The Anniston Star reported. Larry Dixon, director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, said the agency is getting calls from physicians - and many of them are irritated. ``We're getting our fannies chewed about it every day,'' he said.
The state's professional association for doctors said they'd heard only a few complaints. ``It's state law,'' said Cary Kuhlmann, director of the Medi-
Larry Dixon
cal Association of the State of Alabama. ``The Board of Medi-
cal Examiners is doing what the law says, and physicians are just doing what they ask.'' The law requires people to prove that they're in the country legally in Some appli- order to conduct cants have transactions with refused to state. send in their the That inpapers, Lee c l u d e s getting lisaid, and for they haven't censes a wide been afraid range of profesto tell the s i o n s board their regulated thoughts. by the state, from electrical contracting to nursing. The director of the Alabama
Board of Nursing said her agency has seen some pushback from nurses who don't like the newly required immigration paperwork. The nursing board sent out letters in April asking nurses to prove their legal residency, director Genell Lee said. Nurses have until Aug. 31 to send in their paperwork, Lee said. The nursing board has 82,000 licensees, Lee said. Since the letter went out, she said, the board's fax machines have been constantly busy, including on weekends, as nurses send in their paperwork. Some applicants have refused to send in their papers, Lee said, and they haven't been afraid to tell the board their thoughts. ``I've been called a communist and I've been told to put my request where the sun doesn't shine,'' she said. -AP
Response to USCIS union on immigration bill
K
enneth Palinkas, President of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, the union representing 12,000 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudications officers and staff, issued a statement joining a vocal minority of other government union bosses, most notably Chris Crane of the ICE employee union, opposing the Senate immigration bill, S. 744. Mr. Palinkas' statement funnily reminds me of a Request for Evidence (RFE) that the USCIS routinely issues after it receives an application for an immigration benefit. An RFE typically lists the many real and phantom concerns that the USCIS may have about an application, which this statement does too. I will attempt to respond to Mr. Palinkas' statement like one would respond to an RFE, first repeating the concerns of the
CYRUS D. MEHTA
USCIS in bold followed by my response: "USCIS adjudications officers are pressured to rubber stamp applications instead of conducting diligent case review and investigation. The culture at USCIS encourages all applications to be ap-
an "approval machine." How I wish there was some resemblance to what you say and what we actually experience in our day to day practice. But seriously, what about all the H-1B and L-1 petitions that are filed, which receive an RFE of sev-
So a culturally unique folk singer should be granted the P-3 visa if she qualifies for it and the manager of a new startup office could also be granted the L-1A visa. proved, discouraging proper investigation into red flags and discouraging the denial of applications. USCIS has been turned into an "approval machine." Really! We attorneys always thought that there was a "Culture of No" at the USCIS. I scratch my eyes with disbelief when you say that USCIS has been turned into
eral pages, asking for the kitchen sink, even when the occupation is readily a specialty occupation or the position is managerial? Even after we respond with triple or quadruple the number of pages contained in the RFE (and much longer than the instant response), your officers often deny the petition with a cursory denial.
What "approval machine," Mr. Palinkas, are you talking about? Actually, whether you like it or not, Congress did indeed make USICS an "approval machine." Your mandate is to grant the benefit whenever the eligibility requirements are met through a preponderance of the evidence standard. Congress created certain visas and green card categories because it believed that they would benefit the country. So a culturally unique folk singer should be granted the P-3 visa if she qualifies for it and the manager of a new startup office could also be granted the L-1A visa. Please do not have any qualms in approving an application if it is deserved under the law, without factoring your own biases in the decision process such as the sluggishness in the economy or the national origin of the beneficiary. Cont'd on Page 47
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Arpaio not barred from enforcing immigration laws PHOENIX: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was dealt a heavy blow when a federal judge imposed a long list of restrictions on his trademark immigration patrols, crimping his years long crackdown on people who are in the country illegally but not forbidding him altogether from enforcing the state's immigration laws. A judge ruled that Arpaio's office has systematically singled out Latinos in its immigration patrols and that sheriff's deputies unreasonably prolonged the detentions of people who were pulled over, marking the first finding by a court that the agency racially profiles people. U.S. District Judge Murray Snow has forbidden the sheriff's office from using race as a factor in deciding whether to stop a vehicle with a Latino occupant and from detaining or arresting vehicle passengers who are Latino on only the suspicion that they are in the country illegally. Cecillia Wang, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who was part of the team that pressed the case against the sheriff, said Arpaio can still enforce state im-
migration laws, but he can't do it in the racially discriminatory way his officers have used in the past. Sheriff's deputies patrolling freeways in metro Phoenix can still
Sheriff Joe Arpaio
pull over an obvious smuggling vehicle that is packed with immigrants, but his officers can't detain and arrest Latinos only because they are believed to be in the country illegally, Wang said. ``The sheriff needs to wake up to the fact that he can't violate
people's rights,'' Wang said. Arpaio said in a statement that his lawyers will appeal the decision. ``Everybody knows me as a man who upholds the law,'' Arpaio said. ``The law has changed. I don't agree with the court's ruling. `` The sheriff said 160 of his employees underwent training from the federal government ``to enforce the immigration laws'' and that training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was erroneous. While the federal government trained some of Arpaio's deputies to make federal immigration arrests, Arpaio's office was eventually stripped of that power and
Would-be Chicago backpack bomber gets 23 years CHICAGO: A U.S. judge has sentenced a Lebanese immigrant to 23 years in prison for placing a backpack he believed contained a bomb along a bustling street near a major Chicago sports stadium. Sami Samir Hassoun, a 25-yearold former baker, pleaded guilty last year to dropping the backpack into a trash can outside a bar packed with late-night revelers across the road from Wrigley Field in 2010. FBI undercover agents had given him the bag. The defense depicted Hassoun as a gullible youth sucked into the sting during an alcohol-addled stretch of his life by an informant eager to please his FBI handlers.
Prosecutors say he declined repeated opportunities to back out
Sami Samir Hassoun
of the plot. Prosecutors display dud bomb in court Bomb displayed During the trial, a prosecutor displayed a dud bomb fashioned from a paint can in court during the sentencing hearing of Hassoun. Prosecutor Joel Hammerman dramatically pulled the devise from a suitcase in Chicago federal court. He then walked by the defendant and placed it before the judge. Prosecutors also showed a video of Sami Hassoun dropping the bomb. And they showed another video of Hassoun laughing and joking just hours before he went to the site.-AP
continued his crackdown on illegal immigration by enforcing state immigration laws. Republican state Sen. Al Melvin of Tucson defended Arpaio after Democratic Sen. Steve Gallardo of Phoenix, a longtime Arpaio critic, chastised Gov. Jan Brewer and other lawmakers on the Arizona Senate floor for remaining silent on Arpaio's tactics. ``I am confident that in the end he will be proven not guilty on these charges of racial profiling,'' Melvin said. ``We don't want racial profiling, and I believe he is not guilty of that.'' A group seeking a recall election against Arpaio said the ruling has drawn out more supporters for their cause. The group faces a deadline for turning in more than 335,000 valid voter signatures needed to force a recall election
against the sheriff. ``This is the vindication they were looking for,'' said recall organizer Lilia Alvarez. Recall organizers haven't attracted deep-pocketed donors and instead are relying on volunteers rather than paid professionals to sign up supporters. They face tough odds in getting enough signatures to force an election. The ruling, which was made in a lawsuit filed by a handful of Latinos, served as a precursor to a lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department, which also alleges racial profiling in Arpaio's immigration patrols. The Department of Justice, however, alleges broader civil rights violations, such as allegations that Arpaio's office retaliates against its critics and punishes Latino jail inmates with limited English skills for speaking Spanish. -AP
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Father of man FBI shot claims Jeb Bush calls for his son was executed immigration reform MOSCOW: The father of a Chechen immigrant killed in Florida while being interrogated by the FBI about his ties to a Boston Marathon bombings suspect said that the U.S. agents killed his son ``ex-
Massachusetts state troopers questioned him about his ties to slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, as well as about a 2011 triple slaying in Massachusetts.
Abdul-Baki Todashev
ecution-style.'' At news conference in Moscow, Abdul-Baki Todashev showed journalists 16 photographs that he said were of his son, Ibragim, in a Florida morgue. He said his son had six gunshot wounds to his torso and one to the back of his head and the pictures were taken by his son's friend, Khusen Taramov. It was not immediately possible to authenticate the photographs. The FBI says 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter Ibragim Todashev was killed during a violent confrontation in his Orlando home while an FBI agent and two
Three law enforcement officials said initially that Todashev had lunged at the FBI agent with a knife, although two of them later said it was no longer clear what had happened. Greg Comcowich, a spokesman for the Boston FBI, declined to comment on the elder Todashev's claim that his son was unarmed. Abdul-Baki Todashev said the photos were emailed to him by Taramov, who apparently was at the morgue to identify the body. The father said Taramov was part of the Muslim community holding the body for the family until they could retrieve it.
The father said Taramov told him that U.S. agents interrogated him on the street while five officials interrogated Todashev in his Florida house for eight hours on May 22, the night he was shot. He said his son was ``100 percent unarmed.'' Todashev's father said his son moved to the U.S. in 2008 on a study exchange program and met Tsarnaev at a boxing gym in Boston in 2011, about a year before he moved to Orlando. He said the two were ``not particularly close friends.'' Prior to last month's bombings, Todashev underwent an operation for a sports injury and was on crutches, making it physically impossible for him to have been involved in the bombings, his father said. He added that Todashev had recently received a green card and was planning to return to Chechnya for the summer. The father said he and his brother were interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as they sought a visa to take his son's body back to Chechnya. FBI agents interrogated the younger Todashev twice before the night he was shot, his father said. Todashev told him that he thought Tsarnaev had been set up to take blame for the bombings. ``I'd only seen and heard things like that in the movies - they shoot somebody and then a shot in the head to make sure,'' Todashev said. ``These just aren't FBI agents, they're bandits,'' he added. -AP
Indian visa centre for Leicester after 20-year campaign LONDON: An Indian visa centre will be set up at Leicester after a 20-year campaign by its citizens seeking the establishment of the facility in the city which has a significant Indian-origin population. The announcement was made by Deputy High Commissioner of India Dr Virender Paul here. The Indian government currently runs visa centers in Birmingham and London, as well as Edinburgh and Cardiff. Leicester has a total population of 329,000, 28.3 per cent of which
is of Indian-origin. "We have eight centers in six cities and we are going to have six
more in different cities. I am happy to say Leicester will be one of those. It will ease the problems of the Indian-origin community in Leicester having to travel. We re-
alistically expect that in three to four months all the new centers should be up and running," Paul said. Indian-origin MP from Leicester East Keth Vaz said, "This is a dream come true. I cannot believe that after so many people campaigning over the last few decades that it has finally happened. It will allow residents to save even more time and money." The announcement was made at a lunch reception held at the Peepul Centre in Leicester. Local councilors and dignitaries attended the lunch hosted by Vaz in honor of Paul, the new Indian Deputy High Commissioner who has recently arrived from Washington.-PTI
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich.: Boosting education standards and crafting an immigration policy that recognizes the valuable role newcomers play in creating jobs is essential to longterm economic growth, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said here. Speaking to Michigan business and government leaders on this Lake Huron resort island, Bush said the ``right to rise'' socially and economically is part of the fabric of American citizenship but has become frayed as too few students leave high school ready for college or a career. ``We're not rising to the challenge,'' he said. ``It is shameful. The greatest country on Earth has allowed this to happen.'' Bush, who served as Florida governor from 1999-2007, called for more rigorous standards, expanded school choice and greater use of technology in the classroom to better prepare students for jobs that went unfilled even as the unemployment rate soared during the economic downturn. Responding to criticism that Republicans have harmed public schools by cutting funding, he said U.S. education quality has lagged even as the nation spends more per student than any other. ``What's important is where it's spent, where is the focus,'' he told reporters after his speech during the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference. ``Are you funding the beast, or are
you funding classroom education? Are you funding your priorities as it relates to childhood education, or are you just send-
Jeb Bush
ing money down without any reform at all? The only thing that matters is student achievement.'' Bush praised education policies of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who said during the conference he would emphasize early childhood schooling and career technical training over the next two years. Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush, said he would need at least another year to decide whether to seek the White House in 2016. But he said regardless of whom the GOP chooses as its standard-bearer, its success will depend partly on taking a more welcoming stand toward immigrants.-AP
VHP wants check on illegal immigrants in J-K JAMMU: The influx of illegal immigrants in Jammu and Kashmir has become an issue of grave concern, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has claimed and cited the alleged presence of almost 1.5 lakh Bangladeshis in Jammu to demand steps by the state government to check the problem. "People from (other) countries are freely coming into the state. They have occupied both government and private land and have settled down in Jammu," VHP state president Ramakant Dubey said. Wondering how these foreign nationals could have entered J-K unchecked, Dubey alleged that a
large number of people from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) had illegally settled down in Jammu. "Nearly 1.5 lakh Bangladeshis and about 12,000 people from Myanmar are currently living in Jammu and its vicinity. If the trend continues, it will have serious repercussions for the people of Jammu and the state," Dubey said. He was also critical of J-K government's rehabilitation policy for militants wanting to return to the state from across the border.-PTI
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New Bedford's African immigrant excels in music NEW BEDFORD, Mass.: For Abdourahmane Doumbouya, aka Caliph, New Bedford isn't the Secret City because of its relation to the law -the name is rooted in all of the city's undiscovered brilliance. ``The real reason why it's called The Secret City ... (is because) it's known for having so much talent but no one knowing about it,'' said
it's like, and just to open the eyes of kids that are here that have the opportunities,'' he said. Philosophical in his words, Caliph is a smooth character with eyeglasses reminiscent of Malcolm X. He recently left New Bedford to pursue his rap career in Boston. In early May, he launched a new CD at a concert in Boston,
He recently left New Bedford to pursue his rap career in Boston. In early May, he launched a new CD at a concert in Boston, drawing more than 150 people. Later in the week, he performed at Miller's Homeport in New Bedford. Caliph. Born in the country of Senegal in West Africa, the 23-year-old was brought to New Bedford via France at the age of seven. Too young to know he didn't have legal status in the country, it would be years before he learned he lacked the rights of his peers. But what can be an insurmountable state for some was something of a blessing for Caliph: He's turned the entirety of his experience into poetry in the form of hip hop. ``My focus is being that voice, to talk about the struggles of what
drawing more than 150 people. Later in the week, he performed at Miller's Homeport in New Bedford. The album, entitled ``Heart in Mind,'' centers on the dichotomy between emotion and reason. Caliph's lyrics draw from a long tradition of ``conscious rappers,'' from the current Lupe Fiasco to the old-school Public Enemy. But his style also takes lessons from the ``commercial rappers,'' performers like Jay-Z and Kanye West. His aim is to bridge the gap between the topical lyricism of the former and the rhythmic
catchiness of the latter. ``Heart in Mind'' contains recordings of Malcolm X and samples from Jay-Z songs, laced with quickly-spit rhymes delving into Caliph's life experience, whether it's about lost love or immigration or family life. Among the verses on the first track: ``My first child got aborted when I was living in daily fear of being deported.'' He also raps about losing a scholarship as a result of his status. He still hasn't been able to attend college but aspires to do so in the years ahead. Part of what inspired Caliph to become a rapper was the absence of a music that spoke to his experience: that of an undocumented African youth living in a post-industrial New England city. Those lyrics to be found nowhere but in his own mind, sung through his own voice. ``Even listening to other people talk about their struggles in music, there was nothing that I really felt I connected with that,'' he said. ``We didn't have a voice; we didn't have anybody that was speaking for us.'' Spoken word artist Erik Andrade agrees that Caliph is a legitimate voice of the community. Andrade, an instructor at
YouthBuild New Bedford, a program for kids with promise who didn't succeed in the mainstream schools, recently brought Caliph to speak to the class. Andrade said his words were inspiring to the kids - one even remarked that he wanted to make music. ``His message was about working hard and there's going to be
the map through hip hop. ``I got a lot out of New Bedford,'' he said. ``I learned so much. I am who I am thanks to what I've learned and experienced in New Bedford. But it was my turn to tell the rest of the world our story - and my story.'' Part of that was because of the struggles he faced growing up here, like moving from one part of
`Even listening to other people talk about their struggles in music, there was nothing that I really felt I connected with that,'' he said. ``We didn't have a voice; we didn't have anybody that was speaking for us.'' struggle in life but you can get through that,'' Andrade said. In addition to his story, it's Caliph's music that Andrade qualified with raised eyebrows as ``amazing.'' ``As a musician, I would say that he's probably one of the better (ones) that I've heard in the last 10 years in hip hop, and that's not just for this local area, that's in general,'' Andrade said. Although he's moved away from New Bedford, Caliph says the city is still dear to him, and as an ambassador he hopes to put it on
town to another - a seemingly minor transition compared with the one between Senegal and the U.S. - but not to a kid trying to find himself. ``I worked so hard to get over being a new kid in the South End that when I got to the North End I had to start over,'' he said. ``When you're a kid you don't really realize it, but when you grow up, it builds that character and it builds a certain sense of self.'' ``Heart in Mind'' can be streamed at caliphmusic.com. AP
Response to USCIS union on immigration bill Cont'd from Page 44
That is not your job. In fact, USCIS examiners should look to approving applications after carefully examining the evidence within the legal framework, which many of them do. It is they who are doing a good job! "USCIS has created an almost insurmountable bureaucracy which often prevents USCIS adjudications officers from contacting and coordinating with ICE agents and officers in cases that should have their involvement. USICS officers are pressured to approve visa applications for many individuals ICE agents have determined should be placed into deportation proceedings." Mr. Palinkas, you may not be aware of this interesting paradox in our nation's immigration laws. One may still be authorized to remain in the United States even though technically deportable. ICE would probably determine that just about every ben-
eficiary of a visa petition, such as an H-1B petition, who has applied timely for an extension, is deportable during the pendency of the extension request. Still, under 8 CFR 274a.12 (b) (2), such a person is authorized to continue working
you may not be aware of this interesting paradox in our nation's immigration laws. One may still be authorized to remain in the United States even though technically deportable. for the same employer for up to 240 days. Also, a spouse who has applied for adjustment of status based on a marriage petition filed by her US citizen spouse, according to ICE, is technically deportable while the adjustment of status application is pending. This person too is allowed
to remain and work in the US while waiting for the green card during the pendency of the adjustment of status application even though the underlying visa has expired. Does this mean that you would request ICE to start deportation proceedings whenever you are asked to adjudicate a visa extension request and not do your job? Your job, again, as mandated by Congress, is to approve these applications if they qualify under law. In the event that ICE places such hapless aliens in removal proceedings, an Immigration Judge will most likely terminate or administratively close such proceedings, and you will have to continue to adjudicate such cases. Indeed, this will waste more tax dollars than what you complain of below regarding fee waivers. "USCIS officers, who identify illegal aliens that, in accordance with law should be placed into immigration proceedings before a federal judge, are prevented from exercising their authority and responsibility to issue Notices To
appear (NTAs). In the rare case that an officer attempts to issue an NTA, it must first be approved by a secretive panel created under DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, which often denies the officer's request. Illegal aliens are
You still have plenty to do if you want to put non-citizens in removal proceedings even if your mandate by Congress is to grant benefit applications. then permitted to remain in the United States as USCIS officers are not able to take action or contact ICE agents for assistance." Please carefully review the USCIS NTA Policy Memo dated November 7, 2011, which still gives you considerable authority to issue NTAs, such as when you
deny a Form I-751 application to remove the conditions on residence or when you do not approve an asylum case and have to refer it to an Immigration Judge. Consistent with the policy on prosecutorial discretion, which promotes the sound use of limited resources, you are still required to issue NTAs when you see a fraud case, or cases involving non-citizens with criminal convictions or where there is a national security concern. So what's all the fuss about? You still have plenty to do if you want to put non-citizens in removal proceedings even if your mandate by Congress is to grant benefit applications. I suggest you stay focused and adjudicate applications, and let others worry about putting folks in removal proceedings. To be continued * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com
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MUMBAI: Police officers of the Juhu police station are questioning the son of Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi in relation to the Jiah Khan suicide case. Reports suggested that actress Jiah Khan's boyfriend Suraj Pancholi was the last person she had spoken with before the tragic incident took place. Jiah Khan had been dating Suraj for over a year. Mumbai police officials have not recovered any suicide note from the actress' body. Jiah, 25, whose real name is Nafisa Khan, was found hanging at her residence on June 3. According to the police her maid, watch-
According to Jiah Khan's mother, Rabia Amin, the actress wanted to leave the film industry and opt for another career. She also hinted that she wanted to do interior designing
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one of the reasons why Jiah committed suicide. Reports say that her relationship with Suraj Pancholi could also be a reason for her depression. The last call that she received was from Suraj Pancholi at 10.53pm before she committed suicide between 11 and 11.22 pm. Pancholi and Jiah were dating each other for a year. They had broken up a month back. Co-star Amitabh When Jiah Khan made her Bollywood debut, aged 18, the stars seemed her destiny. Her first co-star was no less a person than Amitabh Bachchan, in the controversial Nishabd, directed by Ram Gopal Varma. But after making a splash with her first film, Jiah Khan faded away by degrees. Jiah Khan, real name Nafisa, was born in London on February 20, 1988. Her mother, Rabiya Amin, was a little-known actress in 1980s Bollywood, best remembered for appearing in Tahir Hussain's Dulha Bikta Nahin. Young Nafisa studied film and literature in London and then moved to New York to attend the famed Lee Strasberg Academy of Dramatic Arts. She
man and neighbors are already being interrogated to find out her last visitors. Upset about audition According to Jiah Khan's mother, Rabia Amin, the actress wanted to leave the film industry and opt for another career. She also hinted that she wanted to do interior designing. Amin further said that she was upset about an audition in Hyderabad that did not do so well. Reportedly, Amin told the police that Jiah had traveled to Hyderabad for an audition of a Telugu film. She did not do well in the audition and after coming back, she told her mother that she did not feel that her Bollywood career is moving forward. PIcs Surendra Prakash This could possibly be
June 14, 2013
Suraj Pancholi
Jiah Khan
quit her acting course after landing a Bollywood role. Now called Jiah Khan, her first film was meant to be Mahesh Bhatt's Tumsa Nahin Dekha (2004). Then just 16, Jiah backed out of the role of a strip dancer, feeling it was too mature for her, and was replaced by Dia Mirza. She was then cast in Ram Gopal Varma's Nishabd which released in 2007. The Lolita-esque story was reportedly inspired by both Kevin Spacey film American Beauty and Rajesh Khanna's Anokha Rishta. The no-holds-barred Nishabd starred Jiah as a seductive teen who falls in love with her best friend's father, played by Amitabh Bachchan. The film shocked critics and cine-goers with its provocative content but Jiah herself was widely praised for her confidence, screen presence and appeal. She was nominated for a Filmfare Best Debut award and became known as Bollywood's next big thing. However, the roles were few and far between. Her next film was the superhit Ghajini (2008), starring Aamir Khan and Asin. Jiah played medical student Sunita who investi-
gates and then befriends a mysterious businessman with amnesia. Jiah's third film was 2010 blockbuster Housefull, in which she played the third female lead with Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta. Jiah was also cast opposite Shahid Kapoor in Chance Pe Dance and shot a large portion of the film before being replaced by Genelia D'Souza. However, she was signed for a twofilm deal by UTV Motion Pictures and a threefilm deal by Ghajini producer Madhu Mantena. She had also signed a Hollywood film, according to her website. Jiah had lately changed her name back to Nafisa Khan and lived in Mumbai with her mother Rabiya. She was a committed PETA campaigner and helped get glasscoated manja banned during kite-flying festivals. Jiah had also recorded six pop songs and sang playback for the song Take Lite fromNishabd. She described herself on her Twitter feed as "actor, poet, singer, musician and dreamer" and spoke of seeing "life through my rose colored glasses." Cont’d on page 49
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TV Actor dies of heart attack MUMBAI: TV Actor Abir Goswami, seen in shows like Kkusum and Pyaar Ka Dard Hai, passed away here on May 31.
Abir Goswami
The actor was in good health and was busy working out when he suffered a heart attack, his colleagues said. Abir was in his 30s. Sayantani Ghosh, who was to work with the actor in a Bengali film titled Sakkhat, said she had spoken to him over the phone at 1:15 pm the same day. "We were planning to go for a
movie together, and around 3 pm, I got a call about his death. He was quite healthy and that's what is more disturbing. It's truly shocking," she added. Actress S m i t a Singh, w h o worked with Abir i n Kkusum, w a s shocked when she first heard the news. "It is true, he is no more. I am really shocked at the news. He was hardly 33 or 34 years old. He was working out in the gym and suddenly got a cardiac arrest," Smita, who knew Abir since 2001, said. Abir had also been a part of shows like Hotel Kingston, Kumkum, Choti Maa, Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan and Ghar Aaja Pardesi.
Dreadful work conditions The sudden death of the television actor of a heart attack has once again raised the issue of unearthly working hours and dreadful work conditions afforded to television actors. Ronit Roy, who has been working on television for over 15 years and has now shifted focus to the big-screen, says the arduous work hours and deplorable work conditions provided on the sets of television serials are potentially dangerous for the cast and crew's health. Ronit says, "TV actors work under unimaginable conditions. We work almost non-stop for 1416 hours in the most unhygienic conditions. I have shot for Adaalat on a set erected right next to a garbage dump! By evening the place would stink with garbage. I shudder to think what diseases that filth must have carried on to our sets." Ronit finally got the set moved from the garbage dump. But when it comes to the food provided, Ronit had to concede defeat. "While they listened to me about shifting the set away from the garbage dump, there are times, when I am helpless. The food provided during television shootings most
of the times is unpalatable. And there's nothing that can be done about it." Ronit says he happened to discover the shocking quality of food
dous health hazards. "I don't know if Abir Goswami could have lived longer if he worked under better conditions. But we certainly don't guarantee even basic amenities,
Ronit says, "TV actors work under unimaginable conditions. We work almost non-stop for 14-16 hours in the most unhygienic conditions. I have shot for Adaalat on a set erected right next to a garbage dump! By evening the place would stink with garbage.’’ on television shoots by chance. "I never touch the food on the television sets. I get ghar ka dabba that my wife sends no matter where I am shooting. But most actors can't take home-cooked food with them. I remember, we were shooting for this long-running serial for one of the biggest production houses. The crew and cast came to me to complain about the food. I tasted the food. It was absolutely unpalatable, not fit for human consumption. I complained to the production company's head about the food. For the next five days, the food improved, and then went back to being what it used to be." Ronit admits television actors work under conditions of tremen-
forget about luxuries for television actors. I am glad I've cut down on television. It would've surely taken a toll on my health." Abir, too, was gravitating towards the big screen. Says Ronit, "Abir was my co-star in the film Ugly. A talented actor. We'd also done television together. He had a bright future as an actor. I rushed to his home after the tragedy. It's hard to believe Abir is gone. We'd recently completed Ugly where he played an ACP. I believe he suffered from a heart condition. My advice to fellow actors on television: please insist on getting basic amenities and decent food on the sets during those long hours that television demands."
Bollywood actress commits suicide Cont’d from page 49
Bollywood shocked Jiah Khan's sudden death was a shock to the entire Bollywood fraternity too. Calling her "full of life" and "high-spirited", Bollywood celebrities mourned the death of the young actress. "What!!! Jiah Khan ??? What has happened? is this correct ? unbelievable !!!," tweeted a shocked Bachchan. Filmmaker Varma called Jiah a girl with "spunk and spirit". "Never ever seen a debutante actress with more spunk and more spirit than Jiah when I was directing her in Nishabd. The
later seen opposite Aamir Khan in Ghajini and Akshay Kumar in Housefull. She had been missing from the big screen for a while now. Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who worked with Jia in Housefull, said, "Life has to be experienced "Nothing worse than waking up to a bad and lived! It's a limitless news - shocked n ocean, have to swim dumb struck - RIP Jiah. through it, and not let it She was full of life and had incredible sense drown you! Rip Jiah Khan! of humor. She was a God bless her soul," Bipasha friend n will miss her. Basu tweeted. Am deeply saddened." "Jiah Khan was full of life when Shocked and choked to hear about I worked with her long time back. Jiah," Varma tweeted. So sad that something drove her The British-Indian actress was whole unit of Nishabd was literally in love with Jiah. No matter what her problem was I just so wish she applied her on-screen philosophy of Nishabd to her own life.
to take this extreme step. RIP," tweeted Anupam Kher who had also worked with the actress. Actor Shahid Kapoor, said, "Shocked and saddened to hear about Jiah Khan... Very disturbing. RIP... May her soul rest in
peace." "Life has to be experienced and lived! It's a limitless ocean, have to swim through it, and not let it drown you! Rip Jiah Khan! God bless her soul," Bipasha Basu tweeted.
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Perspective
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How to change your behavior one step at a time SATYA KALRA
H
ave you ever tried to change a behavior or habit, only to find your self disappointed and dissatisfied when you weren't successful? Do not worry, you are not alone. I was one of you. I had undisciplined eating habits. Fortunately, I was able to change these habits when I learned the secrets to making positive change. I want to share these secrets with you, so you can apply these transformation techniques to some of your habits you might want to change, such as smoking, dieting, even negative thought patterns and any other undesirable behaviors. Most of the time changing a habit (selftransformation) is not a quick fix. It requires reprogramming of the mind, which takes place at the subconscious part of the mind. Therefore, it is important to understand the function and process of the mind, especially the subconscious mind. Human mind has three parts: conscious mind, subconscious mind and Super Conscious mind. The conscious mind is responsible for logic, reasoning and all the voluntary action with awareness such as reading, listening, writing, speaking etc. Anything we learn for the first time is also an action of the conscious mind. The information we receive from reading, listening and learning will be recorded in our subconscious mind, the second part of the mind. Therefore, you must be very careful about your actions, which will program your subconscious mind and also determine your attitude and the quality of your life. It is like a chain reaction or domino effect. If you always think negative things will happen, this will cloud your judgment, and everything that happens will seem negative. People get into the habit of thinking: "Why does this always happen to me? Why do I deserve this?" However, it is the way your conscious mind perceives the situation that creates the negativity, and it keeps you in a cycle of negative thinking and missed opportunities.
Conscious mind is the gateway to subconscious mind The sub-conscious mind is the mind of the imagination. It is a storehouse of our
Satya Kalra
learned behavior, beliefs, feelings and memories. It is like a disc with our old data/information-Sanskaras. It is responsible for all of our involuntary actions, heartbeat, breathing rate, etc. Based upon the information saved by previous actions, we automatically respond and do things without thinking about them (auto responses). For example, when we first learned to drive a car, we had to consciously think where to put each foot and how to use each new control. As we develop our driving skills our subconscious mind takes over and we become so proficient that we can drive, navigate, listen to music and also talk on the phone at the same time! The language of the subconscious mind is feelings (pain, pleasure, hot, cold), emotions (anger, frustration, happiness, sorrow) and images. Our subconscious mind cannot distinguish between thoughts that are created by physical events or imaginary events. It doesn't have the power to reason and analyze. It interprets our thoughts literally.
It has no boundaries or limitations in its power to create, from the infinitely large to the infinitely small, from the microscopic to the greatest of the universe. It is described following way: • It consists of all things in the past, present and future. • It is omniscient and omnipresent. • It encompasses all things, both the seen as well as the unseen. • From the emotional perspective, the super conscious mind contains all feeling and emotion such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as well as fear, sadness, turmoil, anger, greed and resentment. It consists of all individual consciousness. Both parts of the mind conscious and subconscious work together to establish the connection with the super conscious mind, which is the ultimate source of unlimited power. When conscious and subconscious mind have any conflict, then the Super Conscious mind resolves the conflict, brings the harmony and takes care of all good things in our life that we aim for. Once we understand the function of the subconscious mind, we can also understand
Make a list). Make the commitment to change. For example, I became aware of my unhealthy eating habits and made the conscious decision to change them. 2. Put conscious efforts to change and support it with action and practice it during the day. Replace a negative activity or thought with a positive one. This will also change your "auto-response." When I decided to change my eating habits, I made a conscious effort to change by creating a meal schedule and list of the foods that I could eat each day. 3. Relax your body (Yoga, PranayamaBreathing exercises). 4. Relax your mind and Meditate. Meditate when you don't know what else to do. I used meditation techniques when I had a craving for certain foods. 5. Give messages or affirmations to your subconscious mind for the change you want to make within yourself. Affirmations must be in positive terms rather than negative. For example: I will eat healthy food vs. I will not eat junk food; I will get up early in the morning vs. I will not sleep late; I will do yoga and meditation every morning, etc. 6. Pray to Supreme Power and thank Him for His guidance and help, and let go… 7. Self-introspection, self-evaluation and practice Continue to practice until you have accomplished the change you want to make (A 30 days daily spiritual planner to help you with this process and keep you on track is available to down load from
why we behave differently. We cannot change because we are stuck in old ways, and our subconscious mind doesn't know how to change. Process of change: The process requires all the three parts of the mind. Therefore, " Take action with awareness and conscious efforts. This is the function of conscious mind. " Take action at subconscious mind with positive feelings: The change has to take place at the subconscious level with respect to one's behavior or habits, unwanted emotions or feelings. It can be changed only through subconscious programming, through meditation, sending auto-suggestions and creative visualization to the subconscious mind. This must be done in a very relaxed state of mind. 7-Steps to make a change: 1. Know the change you want to make or habit you want to change (ask yourself what behavior, emotions and feelings I want to change or what I wish to do differently-
www.pathtoanandam.org). Performing actions with awareness at a conscious level will bring some but slow and temporary change, however, combined with relaxation, meditation and affirmation (positive and motivational messages), and prayers will bring faster and everlasting change. Here both parts of the mind, conscious and subconscious are the part of the body (science-matter) and Super-Consciousness is Supreme Energy (Spiritual Mind). Change starts at Conscious mind? Subconscious mind ? Super Conscious mind (Spiritual mind) Finally, have patience because transformation of habit is not a quick fix but a slow, steady and gradual process. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, "One attains peace and tranquility of mind little by little through practice. (Gita.6.25) Satya kalra is a self- empowerment, selftransformational and happiness coach, spiritual guide, international speaker and bestseller author.
Subconscious mind is the gateway to Super Conscious mind Super-Conscious Mind is the third part of the mind. It is the spiritual part of the mind. It is also called Supreme Power/Energy, God, Almighty, Higher Mind, Higher Self, Higher Intelligence, Universal Intelligence, Universal Mind, Universal Consciousness, Supreme Consciousness, Brahman and more... The scientific community refers to it as "The Unified Field" or "Infinite Field of potential within." It does not matter what label it is given. What really matters is that this is the only force that both science and spirituality have acknowledged as the mastermind for all the creations in the universe. It holds the power to create any conceivable outcome.
Philosophy
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e search for who we are in endless thoughts and imaginings, endless reflections and ideas. This is the search that must be abandoned! We need to surrender all of our cherished concepts, beliefs, and preconceived notions about ourselves. Only when we let go of all ideas of who we think we are, are we able to realize what we truly are beyond any concept or fleeting experience. Not knowing anything, not searching for anything, understanding that we can't hold on to anything, leaves us with nothing - nothing except our original nature, pure presence/awareness. Everything else is a concept, but who you truly are as presence/ awareness is not a concept. You are the light illuminating all concepts and everything else. Under no circumstances can you ever leave what you are. You are what you are looking for; you just need to see that it is already here. There is only Oneness Awareness is like the sun in the sky. The sun's rays are the pathless path we travel back and forth between our original nature and its expression. Without encountering an object, the light of the sun wouldn't be visible. It is only visible when it reflects back off an object. Mani-
SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI
Q
uestion: Swamiji, how can we tell the difference between a deep spiritual problem and a psychological problem? Answer: An example of psychological problem, I would say, is finding that I am sad for no reason. Or, suddenly, I find I am panicky. Or, if there is something a little strange or overwhelming, I feel threatened. Perhaps I cannot be in crowds. I shy away from people. Or I may be afraid of authority which may be connected to some childhood problems or some parental problems. These are all psychological problems. A spiritual problem is seen in someone who has solved all these psychological problems, for the most part, but who is still sad. He or she is considered to be "normal," can interact well with people and so on, but is subject to his or her own yo-yo emotions now high, now low. This is because down below, there is always a self-image which is as good as the body-mind-sense complex. How then are we going to solve the problem? There is a legitimate fear, legitimate anger, legitimate
fest reality, the world around us, is the object, a mirror like-reality that reflects back the sun, allowing its light to be seen. Just as a reflection in the mirror, it may look very real, but it is only a reflection. Although it might look like there are two realities, the sun and the mirror, there is really only One. Thought is awareness in disguise Our original nature is com-
physical bodies. As our attention flows to our words and the sounds we make, we forget our original sound. In like manner, our thoughts endlessly come and go, obscuring the unconditioned awareness aspect of our original nature. And as our attention flows out to the physical body, we forget our universal body of unlimited space. In reality these qualities are
attention and re-stabilizing in it so that attention is not dragged out with every movement of the mind. Direct self-inquiry There are two approaches to realizing your true nature. The first is to discover the truth of who you are. The second is to discover what you are not. If you get rid of the false thoughts of who you think you are, the remainder is what you really are. And when you realize
You are what you are looking for Enza Vita
There are two approaches to realizing your true nature. The first is to discover the truth of who you are. The second is to discover what you are not
posed of three qualities: 1. Unending sound or vibration (the sound of our original nature, the heavenly music spoken of in all spiritual scriptures of different religions). 2. Cognizing awareness or luminosity (the ability to perceive even without thought). 3. Unlimited skylike vastness or emptiness (the container allowing for the arising and cognizing of everything) Because we don't realize our nature, these three qualities become our voices, our thoughts and our
present right now in body, speech, and mind, but we don't recognize them because our attention has shifted to the expression of the qualities rather than where the expression is coming from. All we need do is reverse this flow and realize that we are and have always been what we are searching for. All that has happened is that the attention has moved out into form and identified with it. It's just a case of mistaken identity. Understanding this is the first step, followed by returning the attention to the source of
what you really are, all thoughts of who you thought you were drop away and you are free of the suffering of misidentification. These two approaches are actually the same thing, two ways of expressing the same idea. The famous Indian sage Sri Nisargadatta once said, "You can either push the cart or pull the cart. Both are fine as long as you keep the cart rolling!" Enza Vita, born in Italy, is a leader in the personal development movement in Australia, and co-editor of Innerself Newspaper.
sorrow - "legitimate" because society has accepted them as legitimate. Modern psychology says that anger is normal and that one must be angry if a particular situation warrants it. Similarly, there is "normal" jealousy and "normal" sadness. Because they are "normal," there is nothing wrong with them. These we solve spiritually.
son is unable to grasp what Vedanta is saying, but stays with it and follows all the attitudes and values properly, then it can help. Vedanta itself has its own approach to psychology, normal psychology, that is. It is r채ga-dvesha (likes and dislikes) psychology and includes prayer, meditation, and an understanding of values. If a per-
Vedanta to just anyone. Only when the guru is satisfied that the mind is prepared will he teach the person. It was a common practice, one that is still used today, that when a man with unprepared mind came to a teacher in Rishikesh, in the north of India, the teacher would send him on foot, to Rameswaram,
Difference between a spiritual & a psychological problem
Swami Dayananda
Vedanta says there is no such thing as "normal" sorrow. The use of the word "normal," then, marks the difference between psychological and a spiritual problem. Vedanta can resolve a problem if the mind is more or less normal. But, if the mind is abnormal, Vedanta cannot help because the person cannot handle the subject matter. It will not take hold. If, however, the per-
Vedanta can resolve a problem if the mind is more or less normal. But, if the mind is abnormal, Vedanta cannot help because the person cannot handle the subject matter. son stays with it, follows it all properly, it can help. I consider this to be the best approach. On the other hand, Vedanta has no answer for abnormal psychology. It cannot help people who are schizophrenic, for example. It will only confuse them, in fact, and is therefore detrimental. This is why, originally in India, and still today, there are those who will not teach
which is in the deep south. He was told to go and come back - without money. "Then I will teach you," the teacher would say. The idea was that by the time he came back, he would be normal - if he came back. Swami Dayananda is an eminent teacher and a revered scholar of Vedanta heading the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam institute in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. -Wayne Dyer
He who loves, never grows old. God is a shining example. -Sri Chinmoy
Meditation is painful in the beginning but it bestows immortal Bliss and supreme joy in the end. -Swami Sivananda
The logs of wood which move down the river together Are driven apart by every wave. Such inevitable parting Should not be the cause of misery. -Nagarjuna "People do not know what the Name of God can do. Those who repeat it constantly alone know its power. It can purify our mind completely... The Name can take us to the summit of spiritual experience." -Ramdas, Swami If you live in unison with your true Atman or Spirit, if you always keep yourself in touch with God in you, with your own Self or Atman, you are inspired all the time. -Swami Rama Tirtha
The poor long for riches, the rich long for heaven, but the wise long for a state of tranquility. -Swami Rama
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Securing the first line of defense
T
he violent attack on the Congress leaders by the Naxalites in Chattisgarh is almost a reality check for those who would like to negotiate with the militants in South Asia. While the violence perpetrated by the militants against the State is well documented and analyzed, the violent attacks against political parties has generally gone under noticed. The media - print, electronic, and now the social as well - do not understand the reasons behind such militant attacks. Political parties, along with panchayat institutions, play a major role and occupy a crucial space in the dialogue between society and the State. In fact, given the lack of other institutions, political parties are the biggest liaison between society and the state. They represent the society, dialogue
D SUBA CHANDRAN
Sri Lankan state. Why would the LTTE target its own people, those who are also representing the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils? When the ethnic conflict between the Sri Lankan Tamils and the State was at the peak during the 1990s, more Tamil leaders were killed by the LTTE leading the Tamil cause, rather than the Sri Lankan state, representing the Sinhalese interests! In the recent months, a similar trend could be identified, especially in the FATA region and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban is against any presence of the political parties within the multiple tribal Agencies of the FATA. When Imran Khan announced plans to organize a rally in Waziristan to oppose the drone attacks by the Americans, the first
Security personnel inspect the site of Naxals ambush in Bastar where the Congress party's convoy was attacked
with multiple constituents of it, constantly attempt to win over their support - both during and after elections. The civil society also needs the political parties to transform their expectations into policy inputs; many of the decisions taken by the government are a part of this dialogue between the State and Society, with the political parties as a crucial medium between the two institutions. It is a different story that in South Asia, the political parties are highly corrupt and abused by the people and media. However, they play an important role, and more importantly, occupy a crucial role in the society. The militants, on the other hand, clearly understand the role and space that the political parties occupy, hence consider them as a primary rival. In fact, more than the State and its institutions, especially the police and military, the political parties pose a serious challenge to the militant groups. In Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, since the 1980s wiped off most of the moderate Tamil political leaders and political parties, in its fight against the
opposition came from the Taliban. Why would the Taliban oppose Imran Khan from organizing a rally in Waziristan against the drone attacks? The drone attacks led by the Americans based in Afghanistan have been targeting the Taliban leadership in the FATA and have been extremely devastating in terms of decimating the militant leadership. Imran Khan is also known to be soft vis-a-vis the Taliban; in fact, many would refer him as "Taliban Khan". Despite that, why would the Taliban oppose Imran Khan from holding a rally in the FATA? More importantly, the Taliban, in a neatly organized fashion targeted the Awami National Party (ANP) in the last few years. One of the primary reasons for the routing of ANP from the KP provincial assembly is this systematic assault by the ANP. Unlike the other political parties, the ANP did not have a level playing field, as most of its leaders were in the target list of the Taliban. Not only the political parties, even the panchayat leaders play this role, which is again repulsed by the militants. It is no wonder,
that the panchs and sarpanchs are attacked by the militants in Jammu and Kashmir, while the tribal leaders and jirgas were attacked by the Taliban in the FATA. The LTTE, in its initial years targeted many officials of the local self government in Jaffna and around. Why would militants - be the leftist Naxalites, secular LTTE and the rightist Taliban target political parties and leaders of local self governance, irrespective of whether they also represent the same people? Are they trying to prevent the political parties from forming the government? Or, are they trying to warn the political parties from framing strategies against them? The answer is simple. The attack on political parties is a part of the militant groups' strategy to prevent any other institution from reaching out to the people. The militants consider the society as their own space and want to keep it exclusively under their control - through either massive propaganda machinery, or a high level of violence. Either way, the militants want to remain the "sole spokesmen" of the people. In fact, the militants are much more afraid the political parties than the military or police. Given the inherent nature of these two institutions - the military and the police, the personnel serving these two institutions are unlikely to receive the societal support in any conflicting regions. On the other hand, the political parties, by their very nature are omnipresent in every village. In any democratic set up, or even otherwise, the political parties will pose a serious challenge to what the militants want to claim. It is unfortunate, that in South Asia, neither the civil society nor the State understands the role played by political parties in a conflict situation. It is also equally unfortunate, that even the political parties do not understand their own significance in a conflict situation. The political parties and the panchayat leaders are the first line of defense in a conflict situation, which needs to be protected. Unfortunately, the State does not understand this simple defense line, which the militants are extremely afraid of. The State has failed to provide sufficient security to this first line of defense in its fight against the militancy; in fact, protecting them should have been a part of its counter-militancy strategy. On the other hand, the militant groups understand the challenge that these leaders pose, hence attempt to eliminate them. The writer is Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
Sports & politics
W
hen cornered, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President N. Srinivasan quipped, "If nothing has happened to Delhi's son-in-law, how can anything happen to my son-in-law!" His reference was to the case of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, the most powerful person in India, who was accused of amassing property quite disproportionate to his income. From a small-time brassware dealer in Moradabad to being part of the country's mega rich set, Vadra made his fortune through real estate deals with realtors DLF. The government of the state of Haryana helped Vadra acquire these properties. The same government set up an inquiry commission which duly exonerated Robert Vadra of all wrongdoing and instead the whistleblower was transferred. Nothing has been heard of that case since. Obviously, the BCCI Chief was emboldened by such developments and was refusing to resign. The last heard he has stepped aside for a month to allow the so-called inquiry to perform its function. In a stop-gap arrangement, Jagmohan Dalmiya has been appointed BCCI Chief for a month so that Srinivasan should stay away while the inquiry is on. The public should be excused for seeing this as eyewash. Just like the inquiry in the case of Robert Vadra, Srinivasan will be exonerated by this in-house inquiry. The charge against him is quite serious. His son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, has been arrested for betting during the tenure of the IPL 6 tournament. Meiyappan also happens to be the chairman of Srinivasan's IPL team, Chennai Super Kings. Srinivasan is also the owner of company India Cements which owns the IPL team. Still Srinivasan claims there is no conflict of interest. He has also feigned ignorance about the activities of his son-in-law. Appalled by his brazenness, most senior officials of BCCI have resigned. But that has not affected Srinivasan who has pledged he will be back after a month since he expects, and rightly so, that no inquiry will be able to tarnish him. Srinivasan takes his inspiration from the politics of the country, particularly the Central government of UPA II. Law Minister Ashwini Kumar was found tampering with the report of the CBI in the coal mines allocation scam in which the name of Prime Manmohan Singh had figured. Even after being pulled up by the Supreme Court, the Law Minister refused to resign with the Prime Minister standing by him. Another minister, this time handling the lucrative portfolio of railways, was also in the dock. His nephew was caught accepting a bribe for promoting an aspirant to the Railway Board seat. The minister in this case, Pawan Kumar Bansal, refused to resign claiming he had nothing to do with the activities of his nephew. Doesn't it sound similar to the BCCI chief claiming he has nothing to do with his son-in-law's activities? Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once again stood by the minister who was said to be close to him. It is a wonder how the PM is still considered above corrupt practices. If he is defending a corrupt minister, he is himself culpable. The image of the Prime Minister has taken a big beating. He is now a butt of jokes. Finding the image of UPA-II suffering, the real boss of Congress, Sonia Gandhi put her foot down and had the two ministers resign. But the damage has been done. That the government and the Prime Minister won't do the right thing on their own. They would do so after being publicly humiliated. If politicians can get away with corruption they set an example for others. The impression remains that no wrongdoing is wrong as long as you have the right corrections. Interim BCCI chief Dalmia has promised to clean up cricket. This is difficult to digest. Dalmiya was himself the subject of the BCCI's legal proceedings, which accused the Bengal administrator of embezzling funds meant for the 1996 World Cup. Can he now be trusted to bring trust back to cricket?
June 14, 2013
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