India Herald 073014

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India Herald

VOL . 20 NO. 31 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • P.O. BOX 623 • SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017-699 25 Cents

Traditional stone-carved Hindu Mandir set to open in Central New Jersey

John Kerry presses India on WTO deal ahead of arrival NEW DELHI: US secretary of state John Kerry, on his way to India for an official visit, has pressed New Delhi to drop its opposition to global trade reforms, saying it was a test of the country’s commitment to advance trade and investment liberalisation.

Kerry made the call in an article in The Economic Times, penned along with US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker, hours ahead of his arrival for talks aimed at revitalising ties that have been mired in disputes over trade, intellectual property rights and climate change.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is set to inaugurate its sixth traditional stone mandir in North America located in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

The mandir has been built according to the Hindu Shilpa Shastras or ancient architectural texts following a tradition of temple building through the millennia.

Inspired by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the intricately hand-carved mandir is built to last thousands of years. It stands as a testament to the dedication, service and devotion of the organization’s many volunteers and wellwishers.

The inauguration of this traditional stone mandir marks the completion of the second phase of the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex that is currently planned for the site.

The mandir is 134 feet long and 87 feet wide, comprising of 108 pillars and three garbha gruhs or inner sanctums.

The entire mandir has been covered by a permanent structure to increase

the structure’s life and accommodate darshan and worship during the region’s harsh winter.

The Mandir is made entirely of Italian marble and was completed in three years at a cost of $18 million. This was made possible by the dedication and selfless service of professional volunteers, including engineers and architects, who helped to minimize the cost of the mandir.

The inauguration ceremonies will begin with a Vedic Yagna or sacrificial ritual for world peace and will be followed by a Shobha Yatra or celebratory procession of the deities.

The inauguration itself will take place according to traditional Vedic rituals in the Murti Pratishta ceremony on Aug. 9 and 10.

Finally, the Mandir complex will be opened to the community and public on Aug. 16 at a special dedication ceremony hosting community leaders from within the IndianAmerican community and from See MANDIR, Page 13

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India has threatened to block a worldwide reform of custom rules, saying it must be accompanied by a parallel agreement allowing developing countries more freedom to subsidise and stockpile foodgrains.

The deadline for the deal, which economists say could save members of the World Trade Organisation more than one trillion dollars eventually, is Thursday.

Kerry said India stood to gain by setting up a level playing field instead of erecting trade barriers.

See KERRY, Page 12

TCC Colts Cricket League KYCC SuperKings champions

Triggers Cricket Club (TCC), Houston based nonprofit organization, took initiative aimed at giving young children an opportunity to formally learn and play Cricket in a fun-loving environment of camaraderie, respect and sportsmanship.

To introduce and develop interest for Cricket amongst children of greater Houston area, TCC organized an inaugural TCC Colts Cricket League (TCCL) summer tournament 2014 for children ages 8-12 years from May to July (2014).

Over 70 children joined five

participating teams namely Cubs, Wild Cats, KYC Super Kings, KYC Knight Riders and NT Texans.

Dedicated Team Coaches scheduled training sessions to teach Cricket fundamentals and scrimmage games to prepare for league games.

Games were played at Matzke Park, Canyon Gate Park and Paul Rushing Park.

All five teams played the league games with Great Spirit and competition. Super Kings, Texans, Cubs and Wild Cats reached the playoffs based on their performances.

On July 12, Playoff games

Super Kings versus Wild Cats at Paul Rushing Park and Cubs versus Texans at Matzke Park.

Super Kings and Texans won their respective games and reached into the Championship finals.

The Grand Finale to crown the Triggers Colts Summer Champions 2014 season started with a spectacular celebrations and a huge family picnic at Matzke Park on 19 July 2014.

TCC invited family and friends of all youngsters to watch the grand finale, while having fun at the family picnic.

Championship and Plate See CRICKET, Page 14

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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

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COMMUNITY NEWS Superb concert by Kashmiri singer Dhananjay Kaul

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 3

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ICC trustee Sangeeta Pasrija (left), IHA president Swapan Dhairyawan, tabla accompanist Raja Banga, ICC president Charlie Patel, the artist Dhananjay Kaul and KOA president Surinder Kaul.

An evening with an outstanding star Dhananjay Kaul was organized by India Culture Center Houston (ICC) in association and support from Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA) and International Hindi Association Houston (IHA) on Sunday night, July 27.

Dhananjay Kaul was born in Kashmir (land of Shaivite saints and Sufi followers). His voice is cast in devotional mould and trained in Patiala Shyam Chaurasi mould. His singing is full-throated and bold, with beautiful tapestry of Swaras and Shrutis (musical notes and sub notes) his voice has requisite bass and Jhawari (a kind of rattle in the throat) to execute different taan patterns. His dazzling vocalism marks him as an artist of unique flair. Apart from Khayal singing, he also specializes

in semi-classical forms of Hindustani vocal music such as Thumri, Dadra, Kafi, Ghazal, Sufiana Kalam and Bhajans.

Kaul received his training in Hindustani classical music from his father, Pandit Shanti Chaitanya Kaul. He also received training from Acharya Nirmala Arun, who is a renowned exponent of Patiala Gharana. He has received formal training in Tabla from Ustad Hashmet Ali Khan of Ajrada Gharana. He has received numerous local and foreign awards. This was his first trip to the United States.

The KOA, who were very enthusiastic about Kaul, had made all the arrangements to bring him to the Bayou City. ICC, as a coordinating link with the Greater Houston community at large, was

approached and within a matter of one week all logistics were worked out to hold this special event. In spite of the rigorous planning of their signature event, the 68th Independence Day celebrations, a few of the core directors and trustees worked towards the goal of bringing an outstanding talent from India to Houston. It turned out to be a sold out event.

The program, held at Madras Pavilion, Sugar Land, started with a sumptuous dinner. The program started at 8pm with the introduction of the artist by ICC trustee Sangeeta Pasrija. She also introduced the local tabla accompanist, Raja Banga, who agreed to perform at a very short notice. Thereafter she invited KOA President Surinder Kaul, ICC President

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Indian Music Society of Houston Presents A 501 ©(3) Organization Promoting Hindustani Classical Music

Hindustani ClassicalVocal Recital by

Samarth Nagarkar (Promising Young Disciple of P. Ulhas Kashalkar)

Kedar Naphade on Harmonium

Pandit Shantilal Shah on Tabla

Samarth Nagarkar is one ofthe foremost and prolific artistes representing Hindustani classical music traditions. After years of rigorous training under the celebrated performer and guru, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Nagarkar graduated as a Grade-A scholar of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 2009. Earlier, he trained under the eminent late Pt. Dinkar Kaikini in Mumbai.

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IMS Programs are partially funded by a grant from Houston Arts Alliance.

Programs are subject to change for reasons beyond the control of Indian Music Society of Houston.

PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

VOICES Gross Failure yet again in Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has predictably blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Saharanpur clash between Muslims and Sikhs over a disputed piece of land. Bipartisan observers will point to the many instances in which the ruling Samajwadi Party leaders muddied the situation by crass communal actions and speeches, and then followed up by meddling in the affairs of the police to get the accused off the hook. There have been too many incidents of communal conflict over the last two years in the State for the Chief Minister and his Government to escape culpability. The dispute over property had been simmering between the Sikh and the Muslim communities in Saharanpur (the same constituency, where Congress candidate Imran Masood had threatened to chop Narendra Modi to pieces), and the local administration and the police were aware of it. But they either failed to anticipate the build-up on Saturday or preferred to ignore it. If reports that ‘outsiders’ had formed the bulk of the mob that went on a rampage, burning and damaging public and private property, are true, Yadav must answer how his law enforcement agencies could not spot the presence of these elements and take preventive action. The fact that Eid was round the corner ought to have heightened security concerns among the State agencies. The Chief Minister’s plea that secular elements among the communities must sit together to ensure peace is fine, but the fact is that his regime has previously taken sides in communal clashes. He has been boasting of his credentials by pointing out that his administration had recently stopped a procession led by noted Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad. The fact is that Maulana Jawad and his supporters have been for some time now opposed to the Samajwadi Party’s conduct, and it suited Yadav’s politics to come down hard on the cleric. In any case, the Chief Minister has been silent on the charge of corruption in the administration of Waqf affairs that the Maulana has levelled.

The State Government must first ensure that life returns to normal in Saharanpur; that peace initiatives influential locals have undertaken are given a chance to work; and that the rioters are identified and tried in a court of law. The police have reportedly booked certain people. It is to be seen whether the politicians at the helm allow the law to take its course or intervene with malicious intent, like they did in the case of the Muzaffarnagar incident a few months ago. — The Pioneer

UPSC Must Fix Imbalance The Narendra Modi government has come under unexpected pressure from protesting students who have taken to the streets in Delhi, railing against the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The aspirants claim that the second paper of the CSAT, which tests, among other things, logical reasoning, analytical ability, basic numeracy and English language comprehension puts rural students and those from non-English medium backgrounds at a disadvantage. The protestors want the CSAT format scrapped and the civil services exam, due next month, postponed. The Centre is waiting for the report of an expert panel before deciding its course of action.

The agitation does point to two troubling issues. One is the sheer lack of English proficiency among millions of youth, even among those who have been to English-medium schools. That English-comprehension, which accounts for no more 22 marks in a 200 mark paper, should exercise the youth is a grim reminder of the quality of English teaching across the country. It is of course not fair to punish students for poor transmission of English but both the Centre and states must reflect on the political effects of having unfulfilled millions who seek to get ahead in the English-dominated globalized workplace, but cannot because their schools have failed them. The civil service aspirants also argue that the analytical and quantitative questions in the CSAT favor science students. There is a good deal of heartburn among students that doctors and engineers smoothly sail into the civil services through an exam tailor-made for them. Governments have shied away from discouraging this practice, both to seek talent and avoid taking on a powerful constituency. But severe competition in a tight job-market makes that status quo untenable. The UPSC must fix the imbalance in the current format. — Hindustan Times

A real dilemma Parents are now wondering whether to send their son to be a chaiwalla’s apprentice so he becomes a Narendra Modi or to send him to IIT so he becomes a Kejriwal!!

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TOPIC OF THE WEEK Daft and dangerous: Muslim scholar’s plan for a militia to fight global jihad

By Hasan Suroor I’m not sure if the name Maulana Syed Salman Hussaini Nadvi will ring a bell in many places. My own first reaction when I heard it was “Nadvi, who?”

But apparently he is a big cheese in Islamic circles. An influential theologian and author of numerous scholarly tomes in Urdu and Arabic, Nadvi is Dean of the Faculty of Shariah at Darul Uloom Nadwa, Lucknow, whose reputation as a premier institution of Islamic teaching ranks in the same class as Darul Uloom, Deoband.

He is also a member of the AllIndia Muslim Personal Law Board and Aligarh Muslim University’s court, its highest decision-making body.

So, what he says matters and carries weight. It is important to stress this because what he has done has shocked even conservative Muslims.

Nadvi has written a long and passionate letter (in Arabic!) to the Saudi government offering to raise a militia of 500,000 Sunni Muslim Indian youth as his contribution to a “powerful global Islamic army” he has proposed in order to fight Shia militants in Iraq and “help Muslims in need” elsewhere.

The army would become part of a Caliphate that he wants Saudis to set up for the Muslim ummah, the international Muslim community.

He also suggested that terrorists should not be referred to as terrorists as they were engaged in a “noble cause” and called for a “confederation” of all jihadi organizations so that they could transform themselves into a single “powerful global force.”

Earlier, Nadvisent fawning greetings to Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, leader of the notorious Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and selfappointed caliph of a sharia administration he has set up along Iraq- Syria border.

Nadvi is the only Asian theologian of to have recognized Bagdhadi’s “Caliphate”. But it is his offer of raising an Indian Muslim militia to fight on foreign lands which has caused a stir even in the normally complacent Muslim quarters as it comes amid mounting concern over the increasing radicalisation of young Indian Muslims who had far defied the global Islamisation trend.

Reports that four educated middle class Mumbai Muslim boys (two engineering students, one medical student, and a call centre worker) have fled the country to join jihadisfighting a vicious sectarian war in Iraq and Syria have deepened concerns about homegrown Muslim extremism and put the entire community under the scanner.

It now seems so long ago when the then US President George W. Bush hailed Manmohan Singh as the leader of the “most fascinating democracy in the world” pointing out that al-Qaeda hadn’t been

able to “recruit a single Indian Muslim.” And The Washington Post commented that India’s “large and tolerant” Muslim population “may serve as an ally against Islamic militancy”.

Suddenly, questions are being Maulana Salman Hussaini Nadvi asked whether Indian Muslims are going the way of Pakistani youth. There are fears that what has started as a trickle with four Mumbai boys could turn into a “flood” if not nipped in the bud immediately. The Biju Janata Dal leader, Jay Panda, rightly reminded us of the Pakistani experience pointing out how “their youth got involved in jihadist activities, later on they came back and started hunting their own country”.

Nadvi’s action, not surprisingly played up by the Urdu press which has its own sectarian agenda, is certain to encourage extremist elements already engaged in brainwashing and radicalising Muslim youth.

There is a view that Nadvi may have broken Indian laws against inciting terror and there have been calls for an investigation into his conduct and for him to be stripped of his Indian nationality.

“The worrying thing for me is that this is not just his view. There are many takers for this view. If he is promising to put together an army of five lakh Muslim youth from the Indian sub-continent, essentially India, as he has no influence anywhere else, is he just making a tall claim?

Only proper investigation can reveal,” wrote Sultan Shahin editor of the progressiveNewAge Islam website which published the text of Nadvi’s letter, both in Arabic and in English translation.

He pointed out that what Nadvi effectively wanted was for Saudi Arabia to “organise a Khilafat for the Muslim Umma, the global Muslim community, which would have a world Islamic Army in which he would contribute five lakh Muslim youth from India”.

“He says there is no need for recruiting youth from among the messed up youth of the Gulf, when you can find them right here. This army would stand behind Muslims wherever they are in trouble.

He wishes that terrorists should not be called terrorists and thus antagonized. They are sincere Muslim youth fighting for a noble cause.

There should be a confederation of Jihadi organisations active across the Islamic world midwifed by Ulema who should help them hold a dialogue among themselves so they come together and iron out their differences and emerge as one powerful global force.”

At the best of times, such conduct should be a matter of concern because it amounts to exporting terror but it becomes even more alarming in the current climate with a full scale bloody conflict raging across the Muslim world.

Ask Nadwi about his daft and dangerous proposal, and I’m sure he would do what all fundamentalists do—resort to some Islamic justification by selectively quoting the Qur’an and Hadith (compilation of Prophet Mohammad’s sayings and teachings).Believe it or not, there are people who cite Hadith to claim that a male child’s urine is purer than a girl child’s!

Can it get any more absurd than this? Yet such claims, citing unreliable and inauthentic Qur’anic verses and the Prophet’s sayings are routinely made on Islamist websites making a mockery of Islam.

See Page 8

THE LIGHTER SIDE

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 5

SPIRITUALITY

Body, mind & soul relationship

By Swami Mukundananda Question: The popularity of Yoga has skyrocketed around the world. What is the science behind the effectiveness of the Yogasans?

Swami Mukundananda: The art of healthy living must incorporate all aspects of the personality: the physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. While the central theme of Yog remains the highest goal of the spiritual path, physical yogic practices enshrined in it give direct and tangible benefits to everyone regardless of their spiritual aims.

Yogasans harmonize the body, mind and emotions. For example, at the physical level, organs, muscles and nerves may not be functioning properly. Asans bring the different bodily functions into perfect coordination so that they work for the good of the whole body.

At the mental level, people harbor poisonous thoughts and emotions within. Muscular knots can occur anywhere in the body – in the neck as cervical spondylitis, in the face as neuralgia, etc. Every mental knot has a corresponding physical, muscular knot and vice versa. For example, emotional tensions can affect the smooth functioning of the lungs, and breathing process, contributing to a very debilitating disease, which is asthma.

The aim of asans is to release these knots. For full benefit, these asans should be performed along with the meditation. Meditational exercises cleanse the mind, to bring a feeling of peace and contentment within.

Proper asans, Pranayam, subtle body relaxation, meditation, tackle these knots both at the physical

and mental levels. As a result of the release of dormant energy, the body becomes full of vitality and strength, the mind becomes light and creative, joyful and balanced.

Yogasans have succeeded as an alternative therapy in diseases such as asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis, digestive disorders and many ailments of a chronic and constitutional nature, where modern medical science has failed.

What is consciousness?

How is it different from the soul?

SM: “Consciousness” is the symptom of life that is manifested by the soul. It is not the soul itself; rather, it is a quality of the soul.

This is just as heat and light are manifestations of the fire, but by themselves, they are not the fire.

Everything that exists is verily the energy of God. However, it is not all consciousness. Matter is “insentient” or devoid of consciousness, while the soul is “sentient” or possessing consciousness. This is an important distinction between the soul and matter.

Apart from having consciousness itself, the soul also has the ability to impart consciousness to matter, when it associates with it.

Just as “a flower carries aroma itself, and the garden where it grows also becomes aromatic by its presence.”

Likewise, the soul is sentient, and by its presence, it makes the dead matter of the body sentient as well. As long as the soul resides in the body, the senses, organs and limbs, all display signs of life. Upon death, when the soul departs, the body is dead matter once again.

Q: How does the soul communicate with the elements in

our body? Where is the connection between the body and the soul?

SM: The soul communicates with the body by energizing it with the force of life, or consciousness.

Its presence makes the intellect, mind and body work. As already mentioned the soul is sentient, and by its presence, it makes the dead matter of the body sentient as well.

Now the reverse communication – how does the body communicate with the soul? The link between the material body and the spiritual soul is established by the ego. In the materially conditioned state, the first covering on the soul is of the ego. The word for ego in Sanskrit is asmita, which means “that which is not.” This ego creates a false identity for the soul.

Due to it, the soul is under the illusion that it is the body, mind and intellect.

In this illusion that it is the body, the soul identifies with the pleasures and pains of the body. When the senses come in contact with the sense objects, they experience fleeting pleasure. Under the illusion that it is the body, the soul too experiences this pleasure. However, the experience does not satisfy the soul, which can only be satisfied by Divine Bliss. So the search for pleasure continues.

This is how the two-way communication between the soul and the body-mind-intellect works.

Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation. He is the founder of the unique Yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul. He received His degrees in Engineering and Management from IIT (Delhi) and IIM (Kolkata).

Swamiji is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. He has inspired people all over the world, on the path of Spirituality, holistic health, yoga, meditation, service to society and God-realization. He has been invited to speak at various Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle etc. For the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs at prestigious universities such as Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Kellogg and Duke University.

Swami Mukundananda will have a week-long program in Houston. Swamiji’s program will be held at India House at 8888 W Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77031 from August 23rd to August 28th, 2014. Each day’s program will include Yoga, Meditation, Lecture program and

Devotional chanting. The topic of the discourse is “The Path to Happiness”. Admission is free and Prasadam will we served after discourses. For inquires visit www.jkyog.org or call 281630-5982 / 832-377-6070.

Kashmiri singer Dhananjay Kaul From Page 3 Charlie Patel and IHA President Swapan Dhairyawan to recognize and felicitate the artist.

Each of them updated the organization’s activities and the synergy in which they came together to present the evening show.

Sam Merchant was invited to present the Congressional Proclamation from the office of Congressman Al Green to Dhananjay Kaul.

The musical program started with a thumri, followed by ghazals and sufiyana music. The audience was awestruck hearing Kaul perform. The company given by Raja Banga was phenomenal and none would believe that both performers had met for the first time. The sound system was provided by the perfectionist Darshak Thacker of Krishna Sounds. As the evening progressed, Kaul fine tuned with the audience and took requests

from them.

The original and evergreen Damadam Mast Kalandar was a big time hit that brought the audience on their feet. Even though it was Sunday night, none of the 90+ audience wanted to leave.

“My first live ghazal concert is an unforgetable one! Kumar and I had a wonderful music experience,” said Srimathi.

“We had an excellent time,” said Prabha Roopani. It was a mesmerizing evening and sitting so close up to the singer was just an amazing experience.”

The musical program which was initially slated for just 90 minutes ran for more than 150 minutes with each and every individual mesmerized and enjoying the voice of Dhananjay Kaul.

The program ended with a vote of thanks by ICC Director Nisha Mirani. For more information visit www.icchouston.org

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PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

COMMUNITY NEWS

Radhika & Lakshmi – The Rhythmic Duo

By Sanchali Basu Two sisters – the older Radhika Achari beautiful, poised and collected and the younger Lakshmi Achari fiery, energetic, and charismatic performed their joint Odissi Rangapravesh at the Jewish Community Center the evening of June 28, 2014. It was a treat watching the two sisters dancing delightfully with their ethereal movements as they kept the august audience captivated. It is interesting to note here that although the sisters performed their Rangapravesh together in the same dance style, they did it under the tutelage of two different gurus, Lakshmi under Guru Smt. Supradipta Datta, and Radhika under Guru Smt. Aparupa Chatterjee.

Lakshmi and Radhika started learning dance at the early ages of 5 and 6 respectively and dance seems to be part of their bloodstream !

Their first introduction to the Indian classical dance form was under Guru Smt Rathna Kumar who taught them Bharatnatyam.. Having already performed at several prominent functions in and around Houston, their Rangapravesh turned out to be their crowning glory.

Radhika, who had begun learning from Guru Supradipta had to take a break from dance when she went off to attend Texas A&M University to pursue her undergraduate degree in psychology. It was there that she was luckily able to find in Guru Aparupa, a mentor who rekindled her old passion for Odissi. Radhika through sheer determination, managed to train for her Rangapravesh inspite of her rigorous college course work and emerged to a skilled dancer.

Lakshmi, on the other hand, was not particularly interested in Odissi when she initially started accompanying her sister for the classes. It was only when her sister moved away, did she come to her own and begin to blossom as an Odissi dancer.

The program commenced with a small puja offered to Lord Jagannath. Emcee Ratna Sinha, the girls’ aunt, charmingly and eloquently took us through the evening proceedings in her inimitable style.

The evening’s repertoire was very adroitly choreographed by the two gurus. The recital started with Mangalacharan, invoking the blessings of mother earth, the gods, the gurus and the audience. This dance was beautifully choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and directed by Aparupa Chatterjee. The audience was blown away by the appearance of the gorgeously attired dancers.

Aravi Pallavi, a beautiful tapestry of lyrical movements and typical sculpturesque poses performed by Radhika, brought out the essence, charm and artistry of the Odissi dance technique. A pure abhinaya piece, “patha chaadi de” depicting the playful interaction between young Lord Krishna and Radha was masterfully performed by Lakshmi.

The next dance, “Ardha-narishwara,” describing the contrasting

yet complementary attributes of the masculine (Shiva) and the feminine (Shakti) energies of the universe was very fittingly portrayed by Radhika performing the Shiva bhaava and Lakshmi performing the Shakti bhaava. The two sisters complemented each other perfectly in this well choreographed dance by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and directed Guru Supradipta Datta.

It was very heartwarming to hear teachers, relatives, friends, siblings, gurus, and parents talk about the special places the two sisters hold in their hearts and share interesting anecdotes about both. They unanimously believed that the two sisters are both dedicated, driven, and passionate.

The second half of the program began with another Pallavi based on the raga Hansadhwani, performed by Lakshmi. It involved speedy intricate footwork and complex movements throwing light on the degree of mastery and expertise of the dancer.

The next dance “Lalita Lavanga Lata”, a famous verse from Jaydev’s Geeta Govinda was an enactment of Radha’s longing for her beloved Krishna at the onset of the spring season when everything around is buzzing and humming with blissful joy. This dance was brought to perfection

by Radhika.

“Sri Rama Chandra Kripalu Bhajamana”, is a Sanskrit poem written by Tulsidas in the 16th century and is one of the most popu-

Radhika (left) and Lakshmi Achari. Photo: Amitava Sarkar lar bhajans dedicated to Lord Ram. The dance choreographed to this song by Aparupa Chatterjee and danced by Radhika and Lakshmi displayed many modern, innovative dance moves while highlighting the different facets of Lord Rama’s life.

The final dance, the “Mokshya Mangalam”, symbolizes the reintegration of the Atma (the soul) with the Paramatma (the absolute) and represents a spiritual culmination for the dancers who uplift themselves into a realm of pure aesthetic delight. This dance brought the evening to an end, an evening which epitomized and rewarded the immense hard work put in by the two talented young Odissi students and their Gurus. We wish them continued support and success in every future endeavor.

Radhika will be graduating in December 2014 and pursuing a Doctorate of Psychology thereafter and Lakshmi, who has just graduated cum laude from Memorial High School, will be attending Texas A&M University with the aspiration of becoming a lawyer.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 7

INDIANS ABROAD

‘Desi’ diplomats don’t have it easy

6,000 Indians stuck in Libya

considered for the new US Ambassador to India is Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, The Hindu said.

Countries like Australia, UK, Portugal have already posted envoys and sent officials of Indian origin to New Delhi over the past few years. Australian Foreign Secretary Peter Varghese was actually sent to India as High Commissioner to deal with anger over ‘racist attacks’ in Australia. A spokesperson for the British High Commission, that has posted two deputy High Commissioners to India told The Hindu that their appointments “reflect British multiculturalism in all fields�. “It doesn’t really give them an edge�, says retired Ambassador K.C. Singh, and quotes the case of Chinese-American Ambassador Gary Locke, who ended a hostile tenure in Beijing earlier this year, because the Chinese government expected him to be more friendly to them.

In the Devyani Khobragade incident too, much of the outrage in India came because all the officials connected to the case, from Nisha Biswal, to New York State Attorney Preet Bharara, to State dept official for Labour and Human Rights Uzra Zeya, were of Indian-origin.

NEW DELHI: As fighting between militias loyal to the Libyan government and Islamist forces escalates, India remains diplomatically hard-pressed to ensure the safe return of close to 6,000 Indian nationals stuck in the strife-torn country. Among those caught in the conflict, in parts of Tripoli and Benghazi in eastern Libya, are again Indian nurses mostly from Kerala.

Intense fighting in Benghazi, Libya’s second city, and battles between rival militias in the capital Tripoli have pushed the country deeper into chaos after two weeks of the fiercest violence since the 2011 civil war ousted Muammar Gaddafi. At least 30 people were killed in overnight fighting on Monday as forces battled militants with rockets and warplanes for control of an army base in Benghazi.

There are around 750 Indian nurses in Libya in all. While all are said to be safe as of now, at least 80 of them have said they want to return home and are looking for help from the Indian mission in Tripoli. Fearing another Iraq-like crisis, the government has decided to arrange air tickets for those who can’t afford it even though officials admitted the situation still did not call for an evacuation like Operation Safe Homecoming witnessed in 2011 when thousands were either flown out of Libya by special Air India flights or were evacuated with help from Indian Navy.

It was an awkward moment for US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal and US department of Commerce official Arun Kumar when they faced questions from freshman Congressman Curt Clawson (R-FL), who mistook them for diplomats from India last week.

Biswal was forced to reply, “I think your question is to the Indian government. We certainly share your sentiments and will advocate that on behalf of the U.S. government.�

In India just a few weeks earlier, Biswal had faced an equally awkward moment, when she was told by a retired senior official at a think-tank meeting,

“It is a bad idea for the US to send Indian-American diplomats here, they end up having to prove their loyalty to the US more than others, and it doesn’t help us.�

Even so, Biswal is one of a growing number of IndianAmericans in the state department and in other senior positions.

The Obama administration counts more than 30 officials of Indian-origin, including Biswal, who is the point-person for India.

Ahead of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s meetings in Delhi on Thursday, others like Arun Kumar have visited India , and amongst those being

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PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Speech/debate camp Aug 1-3 Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj and Vallabh Vidya Mandir invite students entering 5th thru 9th grades for a speech and debate camp.

Learn effective presentation and delivery techniques to communicate with confidence. Register online at www.vvmspeechand debatecamp.com For more information, email Tanya Patel tpatel06@gmail.com

I-Fest 2014 Sat., Aug 16 @ 2 p.m.

ICC Houston celebrates India Fest 2014- India’s 68th Independence Day at the Stafford Center, Cash Rd. from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free event, free parking & musical concert. For info call Event Chair 281-217-7330.

AIM for Seva Sat., Sept 6 @ 5:30 p.m.

Dance drama of Kalidasa’s Meghadootam. At the Stafford Center, 10505 Cash Rd. Music by Bombay Jayashri. Script and choreography by Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon. Benefit program for AIM for Seva.

For info, email Suma Mudan Aim4seva.houston@gmail.com

IA Chamber gala Sat., Sept 27 @ 6 p.m.

Fifteenth annual gala of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston. At Hilton Americas Hotel, 1600 Lamar St. U.S. Senator John Cornyn is the keynote speaker. For info, call 713-624-7131 or info@iaccgh.com

Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281-759-

3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire off Hwy 6).

281-752-0100.

lowship. Worship is in English.

Call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. V. Gurrala 281-997-0757.

Chinmaya Mission Summer schedule

Sahaj Marg (Natural Path) Meditation and Spirituality (www. sahajmarg.org) A natural, simple system of Raja Yoga meditation and spiritual practice. Weekly satsangs held in the Houston area.

Email Radheshyam Miryala, MD at meditate_ houston@yahoo. com or meditate.galveston @gmail. com.

One Session from 6/15 to 8/24; No classes in July. Sunday satsanga for adults and Bala Vihar (PreK to Grade 11) from 10:50 AM to 12:30 PM at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX77498. Enrolling for new Bala Vihar year. New members visit welcome desk 10:15-10:45 a.m. Visit www.chinmayahous ton.org or call Bharati Sutaria 281933-0233

Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, 14809 Lindita Drive (77083) has classes every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, 1st & 3rd Sunday; Bhagavad Gita, 2nd Sunday; on works of Swami Vivekananda, 4th Sunday; Holy Mother Sarada’s Gospel, 5th Sunday. Swamis of Ramakrishna Order visit to conduct retreats and talks. www.houstonvedanta.org or 281-584-0488.

Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Puja services - Priest Bishnupada Goswami 281-597-8100 Temple is located at 13944 Schiller Rd (off Hwy 6 bet. Bellaire & Westpark).

Call Ganesh Mandal at 713-7979057 / 832-423-8541.

Telugu Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., Stafford TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fel-

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Classes in Houston, Mission Bend, & Sugar Land

Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281-261-4603.

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St (77035) Tel: 713-729-8994 email: temple@ guruvayur.us

Heritage Classes Ashirwad’s Heritage Classes in Katy, Cypress and Sugar Land for kids 4 to 18 yrs - meditation, Yoga, slokas, stories from scriptures, Vishnu Sahasranam, bhajans, competitions and fun activities. Adult meditation classes. Register at www.ashirwad ablessing.org or Sri Ravula 281-995-0930.

Hare Krishna Dham Houston’s original Vedic temple, ISKCON of Houston. At 1320 W 34th St. (77018). Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30am, 7am, 8.30am, 12noon, 4.30pm, 7pm, 9pm. Sunday Festival: 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. Weekly Gita classes for adults; call 281-433-1635 or harekrishnadham @gmail.com

Gandhi Library Mahatma Gandhi Library Book Club: Meets 2nd Sunday of each month; 12:30 PM at Arya Samaj Greater Houston, 13475 Schiller Rd. Join the discussion of the great man’s autobiography – The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

Call Manish Wani 713-829-6979.

Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:00 - 8:00 PM Saturday and Sunday: 8:30-2:00 PM and 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Contact Bharti Sutaria 281568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh 832541-0059 or visit www.saum yakasi.org.

Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma).

Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahouston@gmail.com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832-744-4166.

Shiv Shakti Mandir Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir, 6640 Harwin. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All major festivals, as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Virat Mehta 713-278-9099 or Hardik Raval 361-243-6539 for puja or other ceremonies.

Houston Namadwaar

Classes now ongoing or call for info.

Sahaj Marg Meditation

402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity).

A prayer house where the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is continuously chanted. Weekends: 8-11 AM & 4-7 PM, Weekdays: 7-8 AM & 6-7 PM. Weekly “Gopa Kuteeram” children’s heritage classes and Srimad Bhagavatam classes. Call 281-

Arsha Vidya Bharati Sanskrit classes and special worship sessions for all ages. At 2918 Renoir, Sugar Land, TX 77479.Call 281-606-5607 or AVB.Houston@gmail.com. Web-site: https://sites.google.com/site/ avbtexas/classes

Preksha Meditation New facilities of JVB Preksha Meditation Center. Classes for Yoga and Meditation under guidance by Samani jis and discourses. Located at 14102 Schiller Road (off Hwy 6 bet Bellaire and Westpark - 77082).

Tel 281-596-9642.

Patanjali Yogpeeth Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun at Arya Samaj from 8 am to 9:30 a.m. Call Anil 281-579-9433. For other free classes, call Indra 281537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. Web: www.pyptusa.org and www.DivyaProducts.com.

Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Louetta Rd, Houston, TX 77070, South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugarland, TX, 77479) from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm. Sai Spiritual Education classes for children; study circle for adults. Service programs - food distribution & food drives; nursing home visits, tutoring at schools etc. Contact Sanjay Gupta (North) 832-687-6766 or Sondip Mathur (South) 832-215-8675 www.sairegion10.org.

Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-463-0379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com

Gaudiya Math Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd., Houston 77084. Satsang every Sunday 5 to 7 pm. Mantra meditation, kirtan and classes on Sanatan Dharma. Vedic Education and Hindi classes for kids 5-14 yrs. Gita classes noon - 1:30 pm Wednesdays. Hanuman Chalisa and Ramcharit Manas on Tuesdays 7:30–8:30 p.m. info@sggm. org or 281-499-3347

Swaminarayan (ISSO) International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization (ISSO). Daily aarti 7:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday satsang sabha from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Temple is located at 10080 Synott Road (77498). 281-530-2565.

Maulana’s call for jihad From Page 5 The reason they get away with it is because the Qur’anic text is hugely ambiguous and often contradictory, allowing people to cherrypick to back their argument. Likewise, the Prophet ‘s sayings are too numerous and were uttered in vastly different situations. It is easy to manipulate them by plucking them out without context—such as the claim over the relative purity of a male child’s urine vis- a-vis a female’s.

Islamic theology is full of inauthentic Hadith. Even many authentic Hadith have been found to be flawed because of misinterpretation or contextual mistakes.

Coming back to Nadvi, it will not be easy to dismiss his behaviour as the act of a mad mullah. Because, as I pointed out, he is no ordinary clergy but a highly respected figure. And so is the institution he represents. What is particularly disturbing if it is true, as Shahin points out, that Nadvi’s view is widely shared by mainstream Muslims.

My own sense is that moderate opinion is far more widespread than there is public evidence for it. But moderate Muslims are reluctant to speak up for a variety of reasons. One is the fear of playing into the hands of Hindu Right. Second, most Muslims don’t have sufficient knowledge of Islam to challenge those who invoke Islamic teachings to justify their actions. Third, many simply want to get on with their lives instead of sticking their neck out.

But time for such excuses is over. If Muslims are serious about rescuing whatever remains of moderate Islam from the jihadi mafia which is acquiring ever more menacing teeth with each passing day, they cannot remain passive spectators any longer. — First Post

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 9

INDIA

17 die in landslide near Pune; 158 injured

responders. These teams are carrying state-of-the-art rescue equipment and communication sets. In addition, two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are helping the forces with the rescue work.

Though rescue operations may slow down at night, a senior NDRF officer told TOI that the teams will continue to look for survivors in the houses still left standing in the foothills.

RSS-sponsored Iftar parties?

PUNE: The landslide near Pune is turning out to be a major human tragedy with 17 bodies retrieved so far and around 158 persons, including 61 children and 60 women, feared trapped in the debris. Around 378 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which was requisitioned by the district administration at 10.45am on Wednesday, are either at the spot or traversing the muddy approach road on foot.

NDRF sources told TOI that of the 46 of the total 70 houses in the affected village of Malingaon, spread over 50 km radius, have been razed by the landslide. The landslide is being attributed to deforestation undertaken over the years to facilitate human settlements in the area, resulting in loose soil. “Though 8 people were rescued until Wednesday evening, the chances of finding many of the 158 trapped persons alive are not too bright,” an NDRF officer said

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adding that 17 bodies have already been recovered.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh left for the site at 6.30pm on Wednesday, accompanied by secretary (border management) in the home ministry and IG, NDRF. He will review the rescue work along with the district administration and meet the affected people.

Of the seven NDRF teams rushed to Malingaon soon after the district administration sent in a request at 10.45 am, two reached the spot first after covering a 5km muddy stretch on foot. The remaining five teams were still negotiating the muddy stretch towards the evening. Two more teams of the NDRF pre-positioned at Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai, left for Malingaon in the afternoon and are expected around midnight. Another six teams have been kept on the stand-by in Gujarat, and will be rushed as and when reinforcements are required.

All the nine teams assigned for the rescue operations comprise doctors and paramedics, besides personnel trained as medical first

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AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel may have refrained from hosting iftar parties but these symbolic functions for sadbhavana have found support from an unlikely quarter.

Some senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders have attended iftar parties organized in the state by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) — a platform for Muslims formed in 2002 at the initiative of then RSS sarshangchalak K S Sudarshan. The MRM organized at least seven iftar parties across the state this year.

On July 21, the MRM had held an iftar party in Vadodara that was attended by senior BJP leader Jayanti Barot, and senior RSS leader and MRM patron Indresh Kumar. Incidentally, Kumar is a suspect in the Samjhauta Express blast case. “Nearly 800 people, including 40 Muslim religious leaders and 30 Maulvis, attended the iftar party held at Purshottam Hall in Vadodara to give fillip to communal harmony in the state,” said Gani Qureshi, state coordinator of MRM. Iftar and sehri parties were held in seven places. MRM’s national convener, Mohammad Afzal, said that the manch had organized such parties across the country, including Gujarat. “An iftar party was organized in Vadodara on July 21 while a sehri party was organized in Ahmedabad. Programs were also held in Surat and Navsari to spread the message of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood,” he said.

Afzal further said that a mega-Eid Milan celebration is also planned in August, tentatively on August 3. “We have sent an invitation to Union minority affairs minister Najma Heptullah to be part of Eid celebrations in Vadodara where she will also be felicitated,” Afzal said. Qureshi said that the MRM works towards building confidence among Hindus and Muslims. “Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar is the patron-in-chief of the manch. Kumar had given the slogan, ‘Ek roti kum khayenge, magar bachchon ko padhayenge,” the MRM’s state coordinator said.

However, RSS officials have distanced themselves from iftar parties. State RSS chief Dr Jayanti Bhadeshia said that the sangh is not affiliated with the MRM. “I have no information regarding any iftar party being organized by the RSS,” Bhadeshia said.

RSS spokesperson Pradeep Jain said no member of the state RSS was directly or indirectly associated with the MRM in Gujarat. “We are not associated with any iftar programs in the state,” he said.

Chief of the BJP minority cell, Sufi Sant Mehboob Ali, said that local BJP workers had organized iftar parties at Junagadh, Surat, Rajpipla and even Gandhi Hotel in Juhapura area of Ahmedabad.

Listening devices in Gadkari’s home?

NEW DELHI: The controversy triggered by a newspaper report that highly sophisticated listening devices were planted at the residence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari could not be contained by an explanation from the Minister that stopped short of a complete denial.

After the Minister described the report as “highly speculative,” the Congress said the government must explain the issue in parliament and suggested that there was a trust deficit among ministerial colleagues. “If ministers’ houses are bugged, then it is not a good omen.

It should be investigated. How can it happen? It should be explained by the government in the House,” former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told journalists at an Iftar reception hosted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

BJP leaders remained tight-lipped, only saying it is for the government to confirm or deny the report, but pointed out that according to documents released by the U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden, a U.S. court had in 2010 authorized the country’s spy agencies to snoop on the BJP. “We must wait for the government’s response on whether the report is true or not. As of now, it is speculation,” said Sidharth Nath Singh, BJP spokesperson.

DMK seeks removal of Katju New York Office: 1123 Broadway, Ste. # 509 New York, NY 10010 Tel/Fax: (212) 242-1677

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CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday, July 30, shot off letters to the Vice-President and Supreme Court Chief Justice, seeking removal of Press Council Chairman Markandeya Katju saying a person with continuous outbursts and temperamental behaviour is not fit for holding office.

Last week, DMK president M. Karunanidhi had lashed out at Katju, also a former Supreme Court Judge, for his allegations on a Tamil Nadu additional judge, which put his party under a cloud, and accused him of acting under ‘indirect pressure’.

“DMK is submitting this representation to bring to your notice the various omissions and commissions of Markandeya Katju, which amounts to misconduct and proven misbehaviour and therefore seeking removal from said post”, the letter, which was also sent to the Union Ministers of Law and Justice and Information and Broadcasting, said. “Katju has belittled the post due to his continuous outbursts and temperamental behaviour, which is not expected from a person holding the public office”, the letter sent by DMK Legal Wing Secretary R S Bharathi said.

PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

INDIA

Flipkart gets $1bn funding

Co-founders Sachin Bansal (left) and Binny Bansal (they are not related; they were classmates in IIT-Delhi) told the media Tuesday they want Flipkart to become India’s first $100 billioin company in five years.

NEW DELHI: India’s biggest online retailer Flipkart has raised $1 billion in fresh capital from new as well as existing investors with a goal to become the “mobile e-commerce company of the future”. The amount is the single largest round by any Indian internet company and is among the largest in a single funding round for any e-commerce company globally, the company said. It puts the company in the league of companies such as Facebook and Uber whose funding rounds have equaled or surpassed $1 billion.

The announcement on the latest round of funding came on Tuesday. The valuation of the company is a matter of much speculation and has been put at $5 billion, but one report in the Economic Times newspaper said it could be as high as $7 billion.

Flipkart said it has 22 million registered users and handles 5 million shipments every month. Some months ago, Flipkart had announced that it was India’s first online retailer to hit $1 billion in gross merchandise value. “These numbers were unheard of a few years back and we are excited about the scale we have managed to achieve. But what is even more exciting is the huge opportunity that we still see before us,” the company said in a media release.

The latest round of capital came from Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, as well as existing investors including Tiger Global Management, Naspers, Accel Partners and Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

Co-founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (they are not related; they were classmates in IIT-Delhi) said the capital would be used to make long-term strategic investments in India, especially in mobile technology. India currently has 243 million internet users but the user base is galloping as users with smart phones capable of accessing the internet proliferate rapidly. India will have over half-abillion mobile internet users by 2020, Flipkart estimates.

“We believe the internet will improve the quality of life for millions of Indians, and e-commerce is going to play a huge role in this change.

The focus at Flipkart is to continue to make shopping online simpler and more accessible through the use of technology,” the founders said in a statement.

Flipkart wants to enable every Indian to either shop or sell online and believes that the power of the mobile internet is going to help it achieve the goal, the founders said.

The company’s founders told the media on Tuesday that they want to be India’s first $100-billion company in five years.

Flipkart offers 15 million products across over 70 categories and was founded by the Bansals, former classmates who quit Amazon.com to launch the startup. Their firm now competes against Amazon.com, a recent entrant into India that is ramping up aggressively.

The founders have previously said that they are in no hurry to make an initial public offering of Flipkart shares.

Kerry in India in big effort to woo Modi govt WASHINGTON: Identifying this as “a potentially transformative moment in our partnership,” US secretary of state John Kerry on Monday said the Obama administration is determined to deliver on the strategic and historic opportunities with India as he embarked on a visit to New Delhi for the annual strategic dialogue between the two countries. The three-day visit starting Wednesday, July 30, is also aimed at building bridges with the new government led by a man Washington abhorred for nearly a decade before his resounding electoral victory changed American policy and resulted in a rapid turnaround, including an invitation to visit the United States The Times of India reported.

Having presided over damaging US processes on the Narendra Modi visa issue and the diplomatic fiasco involving an Indian foreign service official, Kerry ramped up talk about a “new set of opportunities, new possibilities” with the new government, going as far as to cite Prime Minister Modi’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas slogan.

There were several other laudatory references in his speech to Modi’s vision and dynamism, a far cry from the harsh language and contempt State Department factotums had displayed during the visa imbroglio.

All that is evidently in the past, because, Kerry told the Center for American Progress thinktank, “this is the moment to transform our strategic relationship into an historic partnership that honors our place as great powers and great democracies,” a partnership that he projected will be consecrated when the US President will welcome Prime Minister Modi to Washington in September. Deepening ties, Kerry maintained, is a “strategic imperative” for both countries — “It doesn’t matter just to us or to India; it actually matters to the world.”

While much of his address was upbeat with its panoramic vision of a strategic US-India partnership that stopped just short of an alliance, Kerry subtly flagged several bilateral areas of concern for Washington, mainly in the trade and business domain that will be pursued by his co-traveler to New Delhi, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. They include removing various trade barriers, in-

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cluding fewer limits on US technology and products in areas ranging from energy to agriculture.

From the solar spat to the unfulfilled civilian nuclear agreement to climate change, there were several areas of dispute Kerry quietly underlined, although he emphasized that “we need to keep our eye on the prize out there and not get dragged down by one small or lesser particular aspect of a restraint.”

“The bigger picture has to guide us and the end game has to guide us,” Kerry said.

That big picture end game, in Washington’s vision, is a US-India partnership that can create a “more prosperous and secure future for the world and for one another.”

Whether Kerry will be able to sell that vision to the new BJP leadership in New Delhi where its old allies such as A B Vajpayee, L K Advani and Jaswant Singh have been sidelined, is a $500 billion (the targeted figure for bilateral trade) question.

Despite the rosy verbal outreach, distrust of US intention and lack of attention to New Delhi’s concerns - remains high in the current Indian establishment, exacerbated by the spying/ snooping scandal (some of it directed against the BJP) and various trade disputes in which India has been subjected to immense hectoring with little concession from the United States. There have also been consistent voices in the Indian establishment cautioning against becoming a US cat’s paw in Asia-Pacific and urging strategic autonomy.

Kerry appeared to acknowledge that saying that the US recognized that in a globalized world, India’s going to have many different partners. “But we believe there are unique opportunities for just United States and India,” he maintained, identifying common areas of dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit (Hollywood/ Bollywood, Boston/Bangalore) that few other countries could generate.

India protests delay in 26/11 trial NEW DELHI: Pakistan has told India that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial was a judicial matter and there was nothing the government could do over the adjournment of the trial, The Hindu newspaper said. Along with that, Pakistan also expressed its concern over the delay in the Samjhauta Express blasts trial in India.

On Friday, July 25, India summoned Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi, two days after the ongoing trial of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks was adjourned in Pakistan on Wednesday.

In a conversation with The Hindu, the Pakistan High Commission said it had conveyed its inability to “do anything” in the matter to the Indian government.

“Like everywhere else in the developed world, the judiciary (in Pakistan) is independent… the executive has nothing to do with it,” Manzoor Ali Memon, spokesperson for the Pakistan High Commission told The Hindu.

“Our job is to present evidence and prosecute the accused…we cannot push the judiciary…it is an independent institution and takes its own time,” said Memon.

Pakistan also expressed concern over the delay in the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing case, in which 68 people were killed, most of them Pakistanis. “Families of the Samjhauta Express (blast) victims are waiting to see the perpetrators of that heinous incident brought to justice,” said Memon.

The trial of the seven Pakistani accused, going on in a Pakistan anti-terrorism court, was adjourned for the seventh time on Wednesday, leading to India’s “strong diplomatic protest”.

“The Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi was summoned to the Foreign Office today. Also the Indian Deputy High Commissioner went to the Pakistani Foreign Office and has lodged a similar protest,” official sources told The Hindu.

In the meetings — in New Delhi as well as in Islamabad — Indian officials sought regular briefings on the progress of the trial and the investigation being conducted by Pakistani authorities.

Indian officials also reiterated the “high importance India attaches to bring to justice all those responsible in Pakistan for the Mumbai terrorist attacks,” the sources said.

The last two hearings in the trial could not take place because of the presiding judge being on leave. Earlier, on four occasions, trial could not be held owing to the prosecution lawyers being absent over security reasons.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 11

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PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

COMMUNITY NEWS

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) looks down as he boards a plane to New Delhi at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington July 29, 2014.

Kerry Surinder Kaul of the Kashmiri Overseas Association presents a memento to renowned Kashmiri singer Dhananjay Kaul who gave a concert of folk, semi-classical and Sufi music at Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land on July 27.

From Page 1 “In this regard, as we work with our trading partners around the world, India must decide where it fits in the global

trading system. Its commitment to a rules-based trading order and its willingness to fulfil its obligation will be a key indication,” he said in the article in The Economic Times.

India and the United States have already clashed at the WTO, with Washington saying Delhi’s 11th hour resistance could kill a deal that could create 21 million jobs. Kerry is arriving in New Delhi later on Wednesday for an annual strategic dialogue, the first engagement with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that took power in May promising to put India back on a high growth path.

So far, the new administration has moved slowly on reforms and its hardening of stance at the WTO suggests a more nationalist response on key issues than the Congress party’s centre-left government.

Kerry said India and the United States were on the cusp of an “historic transformation” in their relationship and that Washington stood behind New Delhi’s rise as a political and economic power.

“We are coming to India to deliver a single message: that the US is prepared to be a full partner in this effort. We will work hand in hand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to promote open and liberal trade and investment, jobs training and closer strategic ties,” Kerry and Pritzker wrote.

Such rhetoric, including calls to build India as a counterweight to China, have however fallen short of concrete progress in the past.

Disputes over protectionism and intellectual property rights have soured the business climate and India has remained cautious about committing to US strategic designs in the region.

The relationship took a dive last year after an Indian diplomat was arrested in New York on charges of mistreating her domestic help, an episode that provoked outrage and resentment in New Delhi.

Modi himself has yet to make clear how closely he plans to work with Washington.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 13

Mandir

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From Page 1 around the region.

His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj will be traveling to New Jersey to be a part of the inauguration ceremonies and festivities. He will be joined by a delegation of 40 sadhus and priests from India to officiate the rituals of the installation.

Adding to this joyous occasion, local devotees will be joined by devotees from around the world who have made their own arrangements to attend the festivities.

After its opening, the BAPS

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville, NJ, like other BAPS mandirs, will not only be a center of Hindu liturgy, but will also provide a spiritual haven for aspirants and devotees in their local community. The murtis of the chief deities of the mandir, Bhagwan Swaminarayan along with his ideal devotee, Gunatitanand Swami, will be installed in the mandir’s central shrine. The murtis of other Hindu deities, including Radha Krishna Dev, Sita-Ram Dev, Shiv-Parvati Dev, Hanumanji and Ganeshji, too will be installed within the mandir’s shrines. The mandir will help preserve Hindu ritual, beliefs, and Indian traditions for generations to come.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha inaugurated its first traditional stone temple (and the first traditional stone Hindu Mandir in North America) in Stafford, near Houston on July 25, 2004. This milestone was followed one month later by the opening of the second such temple in Bartlett, Illinois outside of Chicago.

In the summer of 2007, traditional stone temples were inaugurated in Lilburn, Georgia near Atlanta and in Toronto, Canada followed by Chino Hills, California in December of 2012.

These mandirs benefit the Indian-American community by providing a center for cultural and moral preservation.

In 2013, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn, GA hosted a spiritual and cultural convention that was attended by nearly 10,000 children and youth from centers in North America.

These mandirs also host a variety of activities for children and youth on a weekly basis, including music, language, education and career preparation, and Hinduism classes. In addition to the benefit for the IndianAmerican community, these mandirs also serve as beacons of cultural tolerance and awareness for local community members interested in learning about different communities, religions, and ethnicities.

These mandirs have been appreciated and welcomed as significant additions to the cultural, religious, and architectural landscapes of local communities around North America.

Today, the organization has over 90 mandirs in North America, of which six are traditional stone-carved, and over 1100 mandirs worldwide.

PAGE 14 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

Cricket From Page 1

finals are witnessed by very enthusiastic and supportive crowd of over 200. Parents,

Grandparents and siblings came in big number to support their children and team with banners, horns, whistles and drums. Raffle draws were conducted before the Championship game and during

drink breaks, with many exciting prizes to give away. Plate final to determine 3rd Place in the league was played between Wild Cats and Cubs, prior to the Championship final. Cubs scored 46 runs in

10 overs and Wildcats defeated Cubs by 6 wickets in 9.2 overs.

Championship final was played between the two best teams of the tournament, Super Kings and Texans, Texans won the toss and

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put the Super Kings into bat. At the end of 10 overs Super Kings had a defendable score of 38 runs on the board. Texans chased scored consistently to get closer to the Championship needing only 9 runs to win in last over. Super Kings crossed the line with good final over and won by 4 runs.

Presentation party included Chief Guest Brian Hodgden, Mrs. Hodgden, Guest of Honor Sakhi Muhammed, TCC President Nanda Kumar, TCC VP Krishna Sikharam, TCC Secretary Nataraj Rao and TCCL Program Director Surya Saladi. TCC Secretary welcomed Hodgden and Muhammed for their encouragement and presence.

Surya Saladi presented a plaque as token of appreciation to Chief Guest Hodgden.

Coaches from all five teams were recognized for their efforts to build such team spirit amongst these young cricketers. Man of the match trophies for each league games, Play-off games and Championship Final were awarded. Top performers of various categories Rohit (League MVP) Arya (Finals MVP), Prateer (Best Batsman), Arir (Best Bowler) and Numair (Best Fielder) were recognized with award trophies. KYC Super Kings won the TCC Colts Cricket League 2014 Championship Trophy and the League Champions Trophy.

As the TCCL inaugural tournament comes to an end, planning for next step has already commenced. TCCL is planning to expand to 8 teams playing in 4 grounds throughout greater Houston area from 2015. An effort like this requires support and TCC thanks Wells Fargo and KPIT for their generous support for the inaugural TCCL tournament and would like to invite others to come forward to support this children’s cricket in Houston.

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INDIA HERALD Extra BOLL YW OOD • SPOR TS • HUMOR • RELIGION • RECIPES BOLLYW YWOOD SPORTS

Kahani gets Hollywood remake

Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani is getting a Hollywood remake with Deity, an upcoming film directed by Niels Arden Oplev of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fame.

Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries) and Richard Regen (Tehran) have adapted the Sujoy Ghosh-directed 2012 Hindi film.

“It’s an incredible step by Yash Raj Films. Years back, Aditya Chopra had said he wanted to make Kahaani for a global audience … I thought he was kidding — but obviously not. YRF has left no stone unturned on making the English ver-

sion,” Ghosh said in a statement.

“The new script by Jose Rivera and Richard Regen is perfectly suited for the Western audience and I am really looking forward to see Niels direct this version,” he added.

The new movie is a thriller about an American woman who goes to Kolkata in search of her missing husband. As she gets closer to the truth, she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous conspiracy. The story unfolds in the context of a colourful, week—long festival.

“Niels is the perfect director to transfer the appeal of Kahaani into Deity,” said Uday Chopra, CEO of YRF Entertainment.

Oplev aims to make a “neorealistic” story. “Deity will be a compelling and exciting thriller with complex and interesting characters. A neo—realistic style to story and images will take the audience deep into Calcutta’s many different levels. A fascinating clash between American and Indian culture,” Oplev said.

The film begins production in February 2015 and will be shot on location in Kolkata.

Humaima Malik debuts in Raja Natwarlal

Pakistani actress Humaima Malik has created a buzz in India with her upcoming Bollywood debut, Raja Natwarlal, and continues to add a bit more spice with her chic looks at the film’s promotional events.

The star recently attended the wrap up party of Raja Natwarlal.

The film features Emraan Hashmi in the title role, alongside Humaima Malik, Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon. Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed music. The character of Emraan Hashmi, who plays a con man, is similar to Amitabh Bachchan’s in Mr Natwarlal.

SRK likes Honey Singh

Finding Fanny: Arjun changes gears to get typecast; I want to dabble with all kinds of films. I think that’s where even a Finding Fanny happened for me because I didn’t want to get stuck in a rut doing a particular type of films. These days I am inclined to do something on the lighter side. I would like to do a fun, urban film.

Arjun Kapoor has said he wants to be a director.

What sort of films would he make?

The promos of Finding Fanny are out and we can see Arjun Kapoor is shifting gears from popular masala to something niche. In fact it happened early this year when he shed his intense gangster image for a studious boy in love for 2 States.

How did he get Finding Fanny?

“Director Homi Adajania watched Ishaqzaade and wanted to cast me as Savio D’ Gama, a mechanic,” he says. To see Ishaqzaade and want to pitch me in an English language film, I found it very interesting. It wasn’t my comfort space, but I wanted to take that challenge and I am glad I did.

What kind of roles does he plan to do in future?

“Obviously, I don’t ever want

“I am very clear in my head that I want to direct. But, now is not the time. I am just starting out as an actor. Facing the camera makes you understand what’s on a director’s mind. This is like a nice grooming school while I get ready to direct, in the future. I just don’t know when.

“I don’t know as of yet,” he says candidly. The first two scripts I had written were big canvas scripts. At that point I don’t think anybody would’ve backed me.

“What I wrote when I was 17 or 18 doesn’t hold up anymore.

What I do know is that I want to make entertaining films not subtle films I would like to present films which are larger than life, yet relatable to each and every audience in the country.”

Yo Yo Honey Singh gave Shahrukh Khan one of the biggest hits in 2013 with his Lungi Dance song. The singer has surely created a special place for himself in Khan’s camp. However, it seems that SRK has apparently chosen Honey Singh over VishalShekhar.

Vishal-Shekhar who have composed the music of the film are not seen in the poster for King Khan’s SLAM tour to USA, but Honey Singh is.

Four Way Travels

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Girl with a mind of her own Huma Qureshi’s journey in Bollywood has been one of dogged determination and that rare neversay-die spirit.

An industry outsider in every sense of the word (she was born and brought up in Delhi), this 5’5” beauty always had her eyes set on being an actress. After honing her acting skills with Arvind Gaur’s theatre group Act One in the capital, she shifted base to Mumbai in 2008 to try her luck in films.

Sadly, the transition didn’t go as planned: Huma was selected for two films, but she had to wait for her debut in the industry as both the films were shelved even before they went to floors. Destiny, it seemed, had different plans for her.

Huma’s blink-and-you-will-miss role in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur wasn’t really the debut any newcomer dreams of, but she made the most of the opportunity that came her way. She was introduced in the second half of the film, but that was enough for her to get noticed.

She played Mohsina, a ferociously headstrong girl who is wooed by the gangster, Faisal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Mohsina played by her own rules, using her sexual charms whenever needed, so much so that even the unscrupulous Faisal didn’t mind bending over backwards to win her. Huma announced her arrival in the industry with this dream debut: she bagged the Filmfare and Screen awards for best supporting actor and female debut that year.

Huma played a similar woman, set in different environment in the Madhuri Dixit-Naseeruddin Shah-Arshad Warsi-starrer Dedh Ishqiya. Only, this time it was royal Awadh where she dominated and also used her sexual charms to her end.

The recognition didn’t change anything in Huma’s mind though.

She remained level-headed and didn’t go on a film signing spree. Ekta Kapoor’s Ek Thi Daayan was a stupid film, but Huma’s character certainly did not conform to the usual rules of a desi ‘daayan’.

In Love Shuv Tey Chicken Khurrana, Huma showed signs of her comic timing and the audience loved her. This one was also a defiantly non-feminine character in the traditional sense: her fans loved Huma riding her scooter in the fields of Punjab, with the hero sitting behind her. The film flopped at the box office, but Huma was once again noticed by the critics.

Not too many heroines have ever looked convincing playing an undercover RAW official. Huma not only signed up for the criticallyacclaimed D-Day, but also effortlessly stepped into the shoes of Zoya Rehman. Despite sharing screenspace with veterans such as Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, such was Huma’s performance that she was nominated for the Zee Cine Best Actor in a Supporting Role—Female and the BIG Star Entertainment Awards Most Entertaining Actor in a Thriller Film—Female.

The actor ruffled a few feathers recently when she posed on the cover of a lifestyle magazine for a feature that ridiculed zero size.

Huma posed with a manequin that said “I don’t owe you perfection.

My Body My Rules.”

Huma took a strong position across her public appearances and made it a point that she specifically clarified that it was not a one-off advertisement assignment but something she believes in.

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PAGE 16 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

SPORT REVIEW/PREVIEW Typical Salman flick — all cliches are in place India need 445 to win 3rd Test

Cast: Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nawazuddin Siddiqui The film is built around an interesting concept, sadly marred by a worn-out story. The idea of a central character, a genius of sorts, always looking for a “kick” is immediately arresting. For that kick, Devil Lal Singh (Salman) doesn’t mind being chased around by sword-wielding ruffians, taking on local MLAs, fighting off molesters etcetera.

He falls in love with Shaina (Jacqueline) whom he begins to call Dr. Psycho (because, you know, ... she’s a psychiatrist). In typical Bollywood fashion, pursuing a woman, despite her lack of interest is encouraged (she saves his number under “Headache”).

Great message to stalkers and other pests!!

Now, Devi can’t hold down a

job because that requires some discipline and falling into routine.

Shaina’s father offers him residence in their house, but his wounded ego screams, “ghar jamai...never!” They break-up.

The film then dips into other genres — it becomes a Dhoomtype good-hearted thief tale, mixed with a chor-police yarn. You know, where the police and chor are frenemies, threatening each other through smart-ass dialogue and talking like long-lost buddies.

With the cat-and mouse game, romantic triangle, and a social theme insinuated, the story gets too crowded, and no aspect is well explored.

What works for the film is its concept of “kick” and how the character ends up discovering it in the unlikeliest of places.

Randeep Hooda plays the cool cop who’s never in a uniform and

Thirumanam Enum Nikkah Cast: Jai, Nazriya Nazim, Heebah Patel. Director: Anees How far will you go when you’re in love and the going gets tough? Throwing yourself off a cliff is easy — you’re dead. It’s more difficult to stay alive and persevere, even if it means a drastic realignment of your life. Jai’s character, in Anees’s Thirumanam Enum Nikkah, chooses the tougher option — and I’d rather not tell you the name of this character. This is a film where people aren’t who they say they are, and their names play a big part in these charades. Let’s just call him X. On the surface, this is just another story where man X and woman Y (played by Nazriya Nazim) fall in love and have to clear a number of obstacles before they breast the tape that says “happily ever after”. But because religion plays such a big part in the proceedings, this isn’t just another story.

And this isn’t just another “religion angle”, with the lovers from different religions but not really caring about it (though their parents certainly do) because their real religion is love. Here — and this is the film’s USP — there is an attempt to immerse oneself in the other’s religion, something that’s part empathetic act, and part subversive thrill.

But the director is clueless about how to tie up these threads. What does X feel about his own religion?

Does it matter to him at all that he will leave it behind if he converts? Is there guilt, owing to what his family will undergo after his conversion? There are no answers — and it appears, after a while, that the whole religion angle is just flavoring to spice up a bland meal.

If you just want to make a feel-good film, why wade into such deep waters?

Thirumanam Enum Nikkah is infuriatingly bad. For a romance, there are few scenes of love. All we get, by way of explanation, is the old love-at-first-sight scenario — they meet on a train, he helps her, he sings a song, it rains, and splat, they are in love.

This is the extent of the detailing. There is no depth to the interactions and conversations; worse, many lines end abruptly and the next

Nawazuddin Siddiqui makes a crackling appearance as the bad guy, walking away with the best lines.

Their equation with Devi’s character makes for some very arresting moments, full of crackling dialogue and twists.

Jacqueline hangs around, looking gorgeous and making up for her shaky performance, with a sensational dance moment.

The mainstay of the film — Devi’s character — is inconsistent. This born “genius” is dumb enough to call a psychiatrist Dr. Psycho, throws roadside romeotype lines at the woman he likes, and hardly uses any of the special skills he possesses (shown to us in an animated aside). Indeed, the only extraordinary quality he seems to have is that he slaps one goon, and the others run away.

And that when he beats up people, their bones get crushed and altered (again shown through animated X-ray type footage). I guess you could call him grey-hued, but this character is more confusing than convincing.

Plus, it suffers from a serious Chulbul Pandey hangover. And Salman plays Devi very much like he did Chulbul. Meaning, he’ll say a serious statement then let out a goofy laugh. He’ll say something funny before beating up a baddie. He hangs Ray Bans on the collar behind, Dabangg-style.

Salman pulls it off, but he has done better. This performance is jaded, being a repetition of sorts.

Still, no one does the goofy laugh in the middle of a serious situation better than him. And his presence still fills up the entire screen, in a larger-than-life manner.

Producer and debut director Sajid Nadiadwala gives us a film that starts off interestingly, but veers along the trodden path. He sets out to make a Salman film, and keeps all the cliches in place.

It’s no surprise that the film, especially the latter half, is a giant show-reel for Salman Khan’s Being Human image. His fans will rejoice. The others will call it a trick where Salman and the film feed off each other. Either way, what you get is an archetypal Salman film with the regular cliches, and few kicks. line swoops in too soon. It’s like listening to a series of interruptions. It’s as if Arnab Goswami wrote the dialogues.

Jai and Nazriya Nazim never convince us that X and Y belong together. He does his usual lightweight lifting. She does what she did in Naiyaandi — all those gesticulations and wide-eyed antics so beloved of Tamil film heroines.

The Tam-Brahm milieu, the Muslim milieu, the IT office milieu — none of it is convincing.

These aren’t characters; they’re doodles.

And there is contrivance after cinematic contrivance. All X needed to do to learn about Y’s religion was to approach a learned man and express interest. But no, he has to pretend to be someone else, he has to lie... it’s all very offensive.

SOUTHAMPTON: India faced an uphill task of scoring 445 runs to win the third Test here after England declared their second innings at 205 for 4.

Earlier, India were all out for 330 giving England a lead of 269 runs in the first innings.

England’s bowlers backed up the good work of their batsmen to leave the hosts in a commanding position after three days of the third Test against India here.

India were reduced to 323-8, 246 behind England’s total of 569-7 declared and 47 short of avoiding the follow-on.

In an improved display from the attack as a whole, Stuart Broad claimed three wickets, James Anderson added two to the one he took on day two and Moeen Ali two of his own.

Ajinkya Rahane, who should have been given out on eight, resisted for 54, while Mahendra Dhoni remained unbeaten on 50.

However, on a blameless pitch, India did little to help themselves, with all of the top order falling after passing 20 on Tuesday.

Bowling a consistent full length to find movement in the air and off the pitch, and sparingly using hostile short deliveries, Anderson, Broad and Chris Woakes impressed.

Spinner Moeen chipped in as Rohit Sharma (28) and Rahane gifted their wickets before tea, while only Chris Jordan was regularly wayward.

On a scorching day, there were periods that looked ominous for England as Murali Vijay (35), Virat Kohli (39), Rahane, Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja made confident starts.

Yet, through patient probing, the hosts were able to prise the regular wickets that leave them well placed to level the series.

Anderson, swinging the ball both ways, struck to remove two important threats — Kohli, who edged to Alastair Cook and Jadeja who made a counter-attacking 31.

Broad, overlooked in favour of Woakes first up, eventually arrived to take two wickets in the morning session.

First, a bumper that followed Cheteshwar Pujara took a glove through to give Jos Buttler his first catch as a Test wicketkeeper.

Then Vijay, India’s highest scorer of the series and again looking dangerous, attempted to leave an outswinger that hit the bat and bounced down on to the stumps.

Following Kohli’s exit, Rahane, who survived gloving Moeen down the leg side to Buttler, scored heavily through the off side as he rebuilt in a stand of 74 with Sharma.

But both men would fall to the off-spinner in inexplicable fashion either side of tea.

Sharma, looking to repeat a hit down the ground, sliced horribly to Broad at mid-off.

And after the break, Moeen, who was warned by the International Cricket Council not to put on the pro-Gaza wristbands he wore on Monday, served up a long hop that Rahane toe-ended to mid-wicket.

At 217-6, India were exposed to the second new ball, only to be steadied by captain Dhoni and the dashing Jadeja.

That was until Anderson ended a partnership of 58 and, when Gary Ballance made up for dropping Bhuvneshwar Kumar at third slip off Broad by diving forward to take the same batsman off an inside edge, India were left further away from the follow-on mark.

England 1st innings 569 for 7 decl (Cook 95, Robson 26, Ballance 156, Bell 167, Butler 85; B. Kumar 3 for 101, Jadeja 2 for 153, Shami and Ro Sharma 1 wkt each) and 2nd innings 205 for 4 decl (Cook 70, Ballance 38, Root 56, Bell 23; Jadja 3 for 52) India 1st innings 323 for 8 (Vijay 35, Dhawan 6, Pujara 24, Ro Sharma 28, Kohli 39, Rahane 54, Dhoni 50, Jadeja 31, B. Kumar 19; Anderson 5 for 53, Broad 3 for 66, Moeen 2 for 62)

4 more wrestlers assured of silver Indian wrestlers continued their impressive showing in the 20th Commonwealth Games with Bijneesh Bajrang, Satyawart Kadian, Lalita and Sakshi Malik assuring themselves of at least a silver medal each by entering the finals of their respective events in Glasgow on Wednesday.

While Bajrang and Kadian advanced to the finals of the men’s 61kg and 97kg freestyle categories, Lalita and Sakshi booked their berths in the summit clash of women’s 53kg and 58kg respectively.

Bajrang ensured his final berth after beating Amas Daniel of Nigeria 3-2 in a hard-fought semifinal bout.

Bajrang, the 2013 World Championship bronze medallist, was 0-2 down in the first minute of the semifinal bout but made a superb comeback to take a 5-2 lead after the first period of three minutes and then maintained his lead till the end.

Bajrang had earlier defeated Sasha Madyarchyk of England inside the three-minute mark in his opening bout at the SECC before overpowering South Africa’s Marno Plaatjies 4-1 in the quarterfinal.

In the semifinal, Bajrang floored Amas Daniel of Nigeria 3-1 to advance to the gold medal bout, where he will face David Tremblay of Canada later on Wednesday.

In the men’s 97kg category, Kadian started his campaign on a resounding note and took less than two minutes to overpower Uduwila Manjula of Sri Lanka to storm into the quarterfinals.

The referee stopped the bout in 1:45 min of the first period after Kadian led by 10 points. Kadian, the 2014 Asian Championships bronze medallist, won the bout 4-0.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 17

CHEF’S CORNER

The Story of Mahatma Gandhi - VII

Gandhi’s first experiment with Satyagraha

In December 1902, a cable reached Gandhi from South Africa urging him to return as promised. Joseph Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary, was arriving from London on a visit to Natal and the Transvaal and the Natal Indian Congress wanted to present their case to him Gandhi kept his promise.

He reached Natal in time to lead the Indian deputation, but the Colonial Secretary gave the deputation a cold reception. The Indians felt disheartened. From Natal, Chamberlain proceeded to the Transvaal. The Indians there also wanted Gandhi to present their grievances to him. Before the Boer war, Indians had been free to enter the Transvaal at any time, but now they had to obtain a permit from the newly created Asiatic Department.

The new rule was designed to separate Indians from the whites.

To get a permit was no easy matter. The officers of the Asiatic Department did their best to prevent Gandhi from entering the Transvaal but he had his way in the end. He got a permit and went to Pretoria. He was not allowed, however, to lead a deputation and present the memorandum he had drafted. Gandhi now decided to stay in the Transvaal and fight the color bar which was taking such ugly shape there.

He realized that now he would not be able to leave the country, as he had hoped to. He therefore settled down and prepared to do his utmost for the cause of the colored people, particularly the Indians.

He was enrolled in the Supreme Court at Johannesburg. He rented a place and established his office. He made good earnings from his practice, but his heart was in the service of the people.

Meanwhile, he continued his experiments with vegetarianism.

He gave up all luxuries and pleasures. His idea was to tune his physical body to his spiritual self. It was at this time that a friend, Madanjit, came to Gandhi with a proposal to start a journal called Indian Opinion. Gandhi liked the idea and in 1904 the journal was launched. Mansukhlal Naazar was the editor. Gandhi helped the journal generously, contributing money and editorial work!

The journal, published every week in Gujarati and English, re-

flected his ideals and gave the Indian readers a liberal education. With absolute frankness Gandhi pointed out to them their failings and prejudices. Indian Opinion also gave the Europeans a correct picture of the difficulties faced by the Indians in South Africa. After the rains in 1904 there was a sudden outbreak of plague in one of the gold-mining areas near Johannesburg. It soon spread to the Indian quarters.

Gandhi rushed to the spot and organized preventive measures. With the help of friends, he set up improvised hospitals and looked after the sick. Another thing that happened that year was that Gandhi met H. S. L. Polak, then a sub-editor of The Critic. The two soon became fast friends as their outlook on life was similar. Polak presented to Gandhi a copy of a book by John Ruskin called Unto This Last.

This book on economics presented many new ideas, and it influenced Gandhi a great deal. He then hit upon the idea of starting a farm and founding a community with a true sense of brotherhood.

His friends supported the project enthusiastically. About 100 acres of land was acquired at a place called Phoenix near Durban, and a farm was set up. In the beginning six families were settled there. The office of Indian Opinion was moved to Phoenix, complete with press. Members of any race could freely go and live on the farm, tilling the soil or working at the press. Gandhi, however, could stay in the Phoenix Settlement only for brief periods.

His headquarters were at Johannesburg where he continued his practice as a lawyer. He knew that it would not be possible to return to India in the near future, so he decided to send for Kasturbai and the children.

They soon joined him. Whenever he found time he undertook the task of educating his three sons. He also pursued the experiments with his diet. “I intend to be the ruler of my body,” he would say. “The spirit can only rule me if I am free of earthly wants.”

He gave up drinking coffee and tea. Next to go was milk.

Sometimes he would fast, taking only water. Kasturbai watched all this silently. She knew it was useless to argue with her husband on such matters.

In 1906, the Zulu Rebellion broke out in Natal. It was a notax campaign. The Zulus were only asserting their rights, but the whites got panicky and declared war against the Zulus.

Gandhi’s sympathies were with the Zulus, but they were fighting against the British and Gandhi believed that the British Empire existed for the welfare of the world. He considered it his duty to help the British.

He offered to form an Indian Ambulance Corps. The authorities accepted the offer. The Indian Ambulance Corps was formed. It consisted of a squad of

Gandhi Jayanti 2014 Gandhi Jayanti, celebrated as 1000 Lights For Peace. Saturday, October 4, 2014 at Jones Plaza Downtown – Free Parking* Educate your children about Gandhi ji by having them participate in Speech, Essay, Poster or Multi-media contests. To register for these contests and more information visit www.gandhilib rary.org 24 men, and was in active service for six weeks, nursing and looking after the wounded.

Gandhi realized that the whites were determined to enforce the tax on the unwilling Zulus. They wanted to put down all resistance and deny the colored people their rights in their own land.

The Zulu Rebellion was finally over and Gandhi returned to Johannesburg. His presence was needed there to look after the interests of the Indians, for they were facing all kinds of oppression from the white settlers. In August 1906 an ordinance was issued by the Transvaal Government requiring all Indians — men, women, and children — to register themselves and obtain a personal certificate bearing name and thumb impression. This card was to be carried by all individuals at all times and had to be shown on demand. Anyone failing to produce the certificate was liable to be fined, imprisoned, or deported.

The police even had orders to enter private houses and check certificates. “This is too much to bear,” Gandhi told his colleagues.

“If we meekly submit, it will spell absolute ruin for us in South Africa. We must take action immediately if we are to live here.”

The Indians decided not to submit to this humiliating and insulting measure. They resolved to fight it. But how? Gandhi saw here the need for passive resistance or satyagraha. He explained to the people his concept of satyagraha.

First, he said, they must be prepared to observe absolute nonviolence.

The authorities would take all measures to put down the agitation. They might use violence, arrest people and send them to jail, but all this must be faced without resistance. “Merely disobeying the government’s laws will not be enough,” Gandhi told them. “You must have no hatred in your hearts and you must cast away all fear.” — To be continued

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 green bell pepper, chopped; 1 onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained; 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies; 1/4 cup picante sauce, 1 tbsp chilli powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 2 cups cooked rice, 8 flour tortillas, warmed; 1 cup salsa, 11/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided; 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir green pepper, onion, and garlic until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until heated through and mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

Fold in rice and 1 cup Cheddar cheese; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold sides over filling and roll up. Place enchiladas seam side down in baking dish; spoon salsa over each tortilla. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle with cilantro and 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Eggplant Involtini Ingredients: 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 4 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped; 1/2 tsp salt, divided; 4 garlic cloves, crushed and divided; 2 medium eggplant cut into 1/4-inch-thick lengthwise slices; 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, Cooking spray, 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted; 1 ounce whole-wheat French bread, toasted and torn into pieces; 8 ounces ricotta cheese, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, 1 large egg, 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, divided; 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup) and divided.

Method: Combine oil and tomatoes in a medium saucepan; stir in 1/4 tsp salt and 2 garlic cloves.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups. Cool 10 minutes. Place mixture in a food processor; process until smooth. Set aside. Preheat broiler to high.

Sprinkle eggplant slices evenly with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper; arrange slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly coat eggplant with cooking spray. Broil 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Place remaining 2 garlic cloves in a mini food processor; pulse until chopped. Add nuts and bread; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Add ricotta, rind, and egg; process until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup basil and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Spread 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce over the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Spread 2 tbsps ricotta mixture onto each eggplant slice; roll up jellyroll fashion. Place rolls, seam sides down, over sauce in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over rolls.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar Ingredients: 1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed with outer leaves removed; 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts and remove the outer leaves. If the Brussels sprouts are large, cut them in half. Leave the smaller ones whole.

Place sprouts in a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Arrange the Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15"20 minutes or until sprouts are just barely tender and maybe even still a little crunchy. Turn the sprouts over once halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven, place in a serving bowl and enjoy this amazing side dish.

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PAGE 18 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

INDIA 3 die in Muslim-Sikh riot in Saharanpur

Three persons were killed and 26 injured in clashes between Sikhs and Muslims in Saharanpur on Saturday, July 26, prompting the district administration to impose curfew and issue shoot-atsight orders. The Army has been put on alert. The violence is said to be a fallout of a dispute between two communities over ownership of a vacant plot.

Members of the Sikh community began construction at a vacant plot near Gurdwara Road in the Qutubsher police station area allegedly without the permission of the Saharanpur Development Authority. Muslims objected to this, saying the land, near a graveyard, belonged to them. Following a heated exchange, the two groups indulged in arson, threw stones and even exchanged fire.

Among those injured are the Saharanpur City Magistrate and six policemen. A constable who received bullet injuries has been shifted to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan expressed anger at the in-

telligence failure.

According to Daljeet Singh Kochar, an advocate in the Saharanpur civil court, one Moharram Ali Pappu filed a petition in the court 10 years ago, stating that a mosque had been built on the land and it must not be used by the gurdwara. But Kochar said the Additional District Judge had ruled in May 2013 that the land belonged to the gurdwara.

Kulveer Singh, a member of the Gurdwara Prabandhak Samiti, said, “The land where the samiti was constructing an extension to the gurdwara premises was the place from where the violence started around 4 a.m. on Saturday.”

He alleged that a mob of more than 700 people approached the gurdwara and started throwing stones.

Soon the violence that went on unabated for the next four hours took the shape of a massive riot that engulfed the entire city. One group of armed rioters even tried to overrun the Qutub Sair police station, forcing the cops there to resort to lathi charge and firing.

41-year fight over 5 paise shortfall NEW DELHI: Delhi Transport Corporation incurs a loss of about Rs 1,000 crore annually. Its rickety and unreliable fleet is an embarrassment for the capital.

Yet, in a bizarre instance of enforcing accountability, it has been fighting a case against a former employee for causing it a loss of five paise — 41 years ago! It is anybody’s guess how much DTC has spent from the public exchequer in keeping the man, who is now 70, down.

Ranvir Singh, a conductor, faced a flying squad of ticketcheckers in 1973 in a bus going towards Mayapuri. The overzealous checkers found that he had charged a woman passenger only 10 paise for a trip when the actual fare was 15 paise. Singh realized the enormity of this lapse when the squad decided that he had cheated the corporation and had been negligent.

A departmental inquiry was conducted and Singh was found guilty of causing a loss of 5 paise to the public exchequer and dismissed from service in 1976 on the grounds that he was a repeat offender.

Singh challenged the DTC decision before a labor court. The court ruled in his favor in 1990,

directing DTC to reinstate him with full wages. It found the punishment handed out by DTC disproportionate to the “crime”.

But DTC, instead of honoring the labor court verdict, approached the Delhi high court in appeal. It got no sympathy from the High Court which threw out its appeal in 2008, over two decades later.

While Singh demanded post-retirement benefits and back wages, DTC continued to oppose any relief. After suffering a setback before the HC, the corporation chose to appeal once again, this time by way of a review petition before Justice Hima Kohli.

Arguing that an employee who cheated the government can’t be allowed to go scot-free, DTC has in the process spent much more and forced Singh to do the same.

It is also challenging Singh’s demand for back wages though he has got some partial relief. Claiming that Singh’s past record contains adverse entries, the corporation has accused him of allowing ticketless travel to several passengers and justified his sacking.

In its latest affidavit filed before Justice Kohli, DTC has indicated its resolve to punish him.

The High Court will take a call on Singh’s fate on August 12.

“Cops had to run for their life and it was only after a policeman was shot that reinforcements came to Qutub Sair chowk,” said Anil Sharma, a local resident. By afternoon large parts of the city were covered in smoke coming from the shops and vehicles that were burnt by angry mobs.

Saharanpur District Magistrate Sandhya Tiwari said, “The construction was carried out without the permission of the Saharanpur Development Authority (SDA).”

The SDA stopped the construction when it was reported around four days ago, she added.

According to the Saharanpur Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Pandey, “12 persons have been arrested” for the violence.

Tiwari said curfew would continue to be imposed through Saturday night.

Alarmed at the ferocity of the communal flare-up and clearly wiser after the Muzaffarnagar riots of August last year that displaced over 50,000 and left 62 dead, the district administration quickly deployed 8 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary, two companies of the Rapid Action Force, four companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, two companies of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and two companies of the Sashastra Seema Bal have been deployed.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ensure communal harmony, and offered all help to contain the situation, PTI said.

Shias protest Waqf board nominees LUCKNOW: Members of Shia community were lathicharged by police today as they were marching to gherao the house of Uttar Pradesh Waqf minister Mohd Azam Khan over the alleged move to appoint “corrupt persons” to the Shia Central Board in the state.

After ‘Alvida Namaz’, a procession, led by prominent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, was taken out here to gherao Azam’s residence, but police put up barricades near Shaheed Smarak to stop them.

When the protesters attempted to force their way and march ahead, they were lathicharged by police.

Reacting strongly to the police action, Maulana Jawwad said the procession was being taken out peacefully, but “on the directive of Azam, police lathi-charged people observing roza (fast) in which several persons, including elderly and children were injured”.

The Maulana alleged that the election of Shia Central Waqf Board are scheduled soon and Azam intends to appoint people who intend to loot Waqf properties, to important posts.

Later, agitated with police action, the cleric sat on dharna in front of Shaheed Smarak, demanding that he should either be allowed to move ahead to Azam’s house or be arrested.

232 teeth in teenager’s mouth!!

Surgeons in Mumbai have removed 232 teeth from the mouth of an Indian teenager in what they believe may be a world-record operation, the hospital said July 24.

Ashik Gavai, 17, sought medical help for a swelling on the right side of his lower jaw and the case was referred to the city’s JJ Hospital, where they The dental team was all smiles after the found he was suffering seven-hour operation from a condition known as complex odontoma, head of dentistry Sunanda Dhivare-Palwankar said. “We operated on Monday and it took us almost seven hours. We thought it may be a simple surgery but once we opened it there were multiple pearl-like teeth inside the jaw bone,” she said.

After removing those they also found a larger “marble-like” structure which they struggled to shift and eventually had to “chisel out” and remove in fragments, she added.

The youngster’s father, Suresh Gavai, feared the worst. “I was worried it may be cancer, so I brought him to Mumbai,” Gavai said.

Dhivare-Palwankar said the literature they had come across on the condition showed a maximum of 37 teeth being removed in such a procedure, whereas she and her team had counted more than 232 taken from Ashik Gavai’s mouth. “I think it could be a world record,” she said.

Gavai’s jawbone structure was maintained during the operation so it should heal without any deformities, the surgeon added.

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INDIA Tihar special: Samosa & service with a smile NEW DELHI: As India’s capital baked in a heat wave, banker Gaurav Gupta sat down for lunch at a new air-conditioned restaurant, to be greeted by a smiling waiter who took his order for a traditional “thali” meal.

Nothing unusual, except that the employee, like most of his colleagues, is a convicted murderer serving time in Tihar jail, South Asia’s largest prison complex.

“Tihar Food Court” in west Delhi, a rehabilitation effort kicked off by the Tihar prison, opened in the first week of July on an “experimental basis.” It is sited half a mile away from prisoners’ dormitories.

The 50-seat restaurant has been praised for the polite behavior of its employees, who were trained by a prestigious nearby hotel management school.

“The food is average,” said Gupta. “But the hygiene is good, very clean. And it’s a good thing they are employing prisoners.”

Mohammad Asim, restaurant manager, said there are around 50 customers a day; workers are paid 74 rupees ($1.20) for a day’s work. The vegetarian menu features food items such as samosas, and rajma with rice. The deluxe thali is the priciest item, costing 150 rupees ($2.50), while samosas are among the cheapest, at 10 rupees (17 cents).

“Those who come once to have our food come back again,” said Asim, who has spent 14-1/2 years in jail for murder.

To be eligible to leave prison and work in the restaurant, inmates must have an “unblemished record” through at least 12 years

An inmate prepares chapatis in the restaurant kitchen.

of imprisonment and a high school education. Prisoners eligible to be released within two years are picked for the job, to minimize their temptation to escape. They travel to work by cycle or on foot, as authorities “trust them enough” not to need a security escort. Comments in the visitors’ book are mostly encouraging. “The food was simply delicious,” wrote one guest. “The service provided was also commendable ... 10/10 for cleanliness and humble service.”

Revenue from the non-profit restaurant and the TJ’s brand of products made by prisoners, is earmarked for prisoner welfare and vocational training, said Sunil Gupta, a spokesman for the Tihar jail.

Once notorious for corruption, drug problems and prisoner abuse, the Tihar jail complex has ushered in several reforms, with vocational training and painting featured among the rehabilitation programs offered to its 13,552 inmates. “The restaurant was set up to give employment to the inmates and project the positive aspects of prison work to the public,” said Gupta. A similar experiment has run for more than two years in Kerala state, where prison inmates dish up food sold at a counter near the jail, or distributed by mobile vans.

Customers had few qualms dealing with prisoners. “The Tihar authorities have observed them for years and have decided they can be placed in front of the public, so I am not worried,” said customer Atul Singh.

Bal Krishan Grover, 49, wearing the restaurant uniform shirt of red and white stripes, said he was an electrician before going to prison 13 years ago for “accidentally killing” someone in a quarrel. He says he enjoys working at the restaurant and plans to switch careers as soon as he is a free man.

‘Pakistan ki bahu’ taunt upsets Sania NEW DELHI: Tennis star Sania Mirza broke down in tears Friday, July 25, after being described by a BJP politician as “Pakistan’s daughter-in-law” and unfit to be an Indian representative.

Mirza, 27, who is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, Sania Mirza married Shoaib Malik in wiped away tears as Hyderabad in 2010. she told India’s NDTV network she was tired of continually being forced to defend her “Indianness”.

“I am a very patriotic person that is why I am so emotional right now,” Mirza, who wed Malik in 2010, said in the interview.

In comments reported earlier this week by local media, K. Laxman, a regional BJP legislator, questioned Mirza’s credentials to be “brand ambassador” for Telengana. Laxman was quoted as saying Mirza’s marriage to Malik made her a “daughter-in-law” of Pakistan.

“Telangana is proud of Sania,” the state government said in appointing her the region ambassador. She was also paid Rs. 1 crore for the honor. “Fans across the country don’t think her Indianness has gotten mysteriously diluted,” because of her wedding to Malik, the Times of India said in an opinion-page piece. She has also been defended by leaders across the political spectrum, including BJP members who said Laxman’s comment did not reflect its official stance.

Mirza earlier this month achieved a career-best rank of number five in the world when the new World Tennis Association doubles chart was released. “After winning medals for India after I got married, (I) don’t know why I have to keep justifying that I am Indian,” Mirza told NDTV.

IIT-Kharagpur honors Azim Premji KHARAGPUR: Wipro chairman AzimPremji, 69, was on Saturday, July 26, honored with a doctorate by IIT-Kharagpur. Premji was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Science “for being one of the pioneers of entrepreneurship in modern India through the establishment of Wipro, an organization deeply committed to values” at the 60th convocation of the institution. Premji received the DSc (Honaris Causa) from ‘Bharat Ratna’ scientist C N R Rao. ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, eminent statistician C R Rao, Faqir Chand Kohli, often referred to as the father of the Indian software industry, Prof Roddam Narasimha and Pradeep K Khosla also received the prestigious award.

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PAGE 20 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

BANGLADESH / SRI LANKA Marriages between Bangladeshis Sri Lanka asked to protect journalists’ rights COLOMBO: The U.S. on timidation and a government- Lanka accused the government and Rohingyas banned Monday, July 28, urged the Sri backed protest in front of the train- and military personnel of disruptDHAKA: Bangladesh said Thursday it has barred official marriages between its nationals and Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya refugees, whom it claims are attempting to wed to gain citizenship.

Law minister Syed Anisul Haque said he has ordered marriage registrars not to officiate any unions between Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas and also between Rohingyas themselves, thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh.

He said Rohingyas try to use the resulting wedding certificate to gain Bangladeshi passports and other documents, while Rohingyas who marry Bangladeshis could automatically qualify for citizenship.

“By registering their marriage in Bangladesh they try to prove that they’re Bangladeshi citizens,” he told AFP. “We’ve told the marriage registers not to list any marriage of Rohingyas and also between a Rohingya and a Bangladeshi citizen in Bangladesh.”

Law ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Shahin said marriage registrars have been warned of punitive action if they officiate any such marriages.

There are around 300,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh’s southern coastal districts bordering Myanmar who have fled alleged persecution in the Buddhist-majority nation since the 1990s.

Sectarian clashes flared up two years ago in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, with fighting that has displaced about 140,000 people, mainly stateless Rohingya Muslims.

Bangladesh recognises only around 28,000 of the refugees in its country, who are entitled to food, basic housing and other aid provided by the United Nations.

The rest of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh live in slums set up in cleared forests and on beaches.

Bangladesh border guards regularly turn back Rohingyas caught trying to cross the Myanmar border.

Rights groups and charities have criticised Bangladesh’s treatment of Rohingyas, claiming they lack basic healthcare and many are on the verge of starvation.

Bangladesh leads in commercial production of Bt brinjal DHAKA: Bangladesh is leading the world in commercial production after the country’s government gave approval for this last year, according to a leading not-for-profit international organization that shares the benefits of crop biotechnology with various stakeholders.

Bangladesh approved the commercial planting of four varieties of insect resistant Bt brinjal Oct 30, 2013, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

Following this, 20 farmers planted Bt brinjal seedlings on over two hectares of land in four brinjal growing regions of Gazipur, Jamalpur, Pabna/Ishurdi and Rangpur in the spring of 2014, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) said in its latest status report.

“Notably, Bt brinjal allowed farmers to raise healthy and vigorous brinjal crop, substantially cut down pesticide sprays to control fruit and shoot borer (FSB), considerably decreased cost of cultivation and significantly increased marketable yield,” the report stated.

The report cited Bangladesh Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury as saying that her government supported the use of Bt brinjal in Bangladesh and endorsed the commercial approval of Bt brinjal as a step in the right direction. “...We accord the highest priority to the safety and benefits to the society but shun any activity that intends to spread misinformation and misguide the public about Bt brinjal or other products that are evaluated by public sector research institutions,” she said, while congratulating the ISAAA for highlighting Bangladesh’s success in commercially producing Bt brinjal before the world.

Lankan government to protect the rights of journalists after a government-backed protest forced the cancellation of a training program for journalists from the island’s former northern war zone.

The United States embassy in Colombo said in a statement that it “is deeply concerned by the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of a journalism training session” over the weekend in Colombo.

The training focused on digital security for journalists based in the northern town of Jaffna and was financially supported by the U.S. government.

Sunil Jayasekara, convener of the local media rights group Free Media Movement, said training had been cancelled because of in-

Andhra rice for Tripura via Ashuganj AGARTALA: For the first time an Food Corporation of India consignment will enter Tripura using Ashuganj river port of Bangladesh, a senior official said. About 5000 tonnes of foodgrains, dispatched by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) from Kakinada port in Andhra Paradesh, has reached Ashuganj river port in Bangladesh for entry into Tripura, Chief Secretary S K Panda said.

“FCI officials informed that the consignment of foodgrains have reached Ashuganj port. Unloading of the foodgrains and transportation by trucks for Tripura would be started after the Eid festival on Tuesday,” Panda said. The consignment had earlier reached Kolkata from where it was brought to the Ashuganj port by using Bangladeshi waterways.

The port is 37 km from here.

Thanking Bangladesh, Tripura Transport Minister Manik De said it had cut down our cost and distance from 1650 km to 350 km.

He said Bangladeshi trucks would carry foodgrains from Ashuganj directly to the FCI warehouse at Nandannagar to prevent a second trans shipment at the Akhaura India-Bangladesh border and for the purpose of allowing Bangladesh trucks inside Indian territory, the Ministry of External Affairs had given clearances and ‘truck scanners’ had been installed at the Akhaura checkpost.

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ing center.

The embassy said in the statement that it had “raised our concerns with the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington, and strongly urged the Government to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of fundamental rights for journalists and for all Sri Lankans.”

It was the third journalism training session to be cancelled since May. “These events continue a troubling pattern of impunity for those who interfere with both freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in Sri Lanka,” the embassy said.

Last month, corruption watchdog Transparency International Sri

ing the group’s two training programs for journalists also from the north, accusing participants of being agents for the defeated Tamil Tiger separatists. The defense ministry rejected the allegation of disrupting the training.

Sri Lanka’s military has been accused of excessive interference in civil matters since the country’s quarter-century civil war ended five years ago.

Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s defense ministry banned civil activist groups from holding news conferences, issuing press releases and training for journalists.

But the civil organizations have rejected the move as unconstitutional.

Legacy of riots overshadows celebration of Eid ALUTHGAMA, Sri Lanka: At least four people were killed last month when Muslims and their properties were attacked by Sinhalese Buddhists in Aluthgama, Beruwala, and Dharga, and 2,000 people were displaced in southwestern Sri Lanka in violence that followed rallies by a hardline Buddhist group, Bodu Bala Sena.

The two-day violence in June overshadowed the traditional observance during Ramadan, which has been a stressful time for local Muslims who were forced to rebuild damaged homes and businesses. President Mahinda Rajapaksa responded to the clashes by ordering the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development to rebuild damaged homes and businesses.

But while an older generation in the coastal settlement remains angry at their neighbours, children are looking forward to the Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of the fasting month.

Ashraff, a Muslim boy on his way to the mosque, said he was excited about celebrating Eid and about sharing the food with his Sinhalese friends. “My friends always bring food during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, and I do the same during Eid,” he said. “This year will be no different - they did not attack our homes, so I do not know why they cannot celebrate with us.”

A ministry spokesperson, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, told Al Jazeera that 35 houses and seven shops had been restored and returned to their owners while an additional 103 houses and 25 shops were still undergoing repairs.

The upheaval disrupted Ramadan and left many Muslims fearful about the future. Mohammed Shezad, a resident of Aluthgama, said this year his children did not observe the fast.

“I have two young children whom, on the night of the riots, I had to take to the mosque so that they would be safe,” he told Al Jazeera.

“For several weeks they had sleepless nights, I could not ask them to fast as well.”

Shezad did not believe Eid al-Fitr would be joyful for his family this year. “How can we celebrate when our homes were attacked and shops burnt down? Every night I am scared for my family’s safety: those riots targeted us because we are Muslim.

“If we celebrate Eid, who is to say they will not attack us again?”

Some Muslims like Mohammed Althaf, whose house suffered several broken windows and a damaged roof, believe that simply rebuilding homes and shops will not repair the damage done to the community as a whole.

“We were a community of Sinhalese and Muslims who had lived together for decades in peace. Now both sides are suspicious of one another,” Althaf said. “I do not believe that the Sinhalese of Aluthgama took part in the riots, but they did not help us either. By the second day, Sinhalese homes were putting out the Buddhist flag so as to make sure they were not affected.”

Althaf urged the authorities to take strict action against those responsible for the violence. Police spokesperson SSP Ajith Rohana said that 124 people had been arrested in connection with the violence, nearly 100 of whom had appeared in court.

There are mixed feelings on both sides in this community about who is to blame and what the future holds.

Ranjith Boteju, a Sinhalese resident who has lived in Aluthgama for 60 years, condemned the rioters. “As a Sinhalese I am ashamed that this happened,” he told Al Jazeera.

Yet, not all Sinhalese residents share his sentiments. “Some Muslims had stoned a procession that was going to the temple and the Sinhalese involved fought back,” said resident Asela Ratnasinghe. “Several of them attacked a Buddhist monk on Poson poya, which is a religious day for us. “I do not support those who burnt down shops and homes - but the Sinhalese must be allowed to defend themselves if attacked by someone.”

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 • PAGE 21

PAKISTAN 3 Ahmadis killed over ‘blasphemous’ Facebook post No drive against anti-India jihadis?

Police inspect damage in an Ahmadi’s house that was burnt down.

GUJRANWALA: Three female members of the Ahmadi community, including two minors, were killed late Sunday, July 27, and eight others were severely injured when an angry mob attacked and burnt five houses, a storage building and several vehicles over alleged blasphemy.

Those killed in the attack include a 55-year-old woman Bashiran, a minor girl Kainat and 7-year-old girl Hira.The wounded were rushed to hospital and the condition of some of them was reported to be critical.

Deputy Superintendent of Police of the People’s Colony Circle said that the trouble started with an allegedly blasphemous post on Facebook by an Ahmadi youth.

The son of a Imam of a local mosque, along with his friends, reached the house of the youth where they got into a scuffle and were allegedly fired upon.

The Imam’s son and his friend sustained gunshot wounds following which a mob gathered and began protesting; it eventually attacked and damaged homes and other property belonging to members of the Ahmadi community.

“A crowd of 150 people came to the police station demanding the

registration of a blasphemy case against the accused,” said another police officer who declined to be identified. “As police were negotiating with the crowd, another mob attacked and started burning the houses of Ahmadis.”

The youth accused of making the Facebook post had not been injured, he said.

Civil Lines SP Zeeshan Siddiqi said the victims died of suffocation and that a woman miscarried during the riots and was being provided medical treatment.

Salimuddin, a spokesman for the Ahmadi community, said it was the worst attack on the community since simultaneous attacks on Ahmadi places of worship killed 86 Ahmadis four years ago.

“Police were there but just watching the burning. They didn’t do anything to stop the mob,” he said. “First the mob looted their homes and shops and then they burnt the homes.”

According to police and eyewitnesses, there were seven or eight houses of the Ahmadi community in the vicinity. Following the violence all Ahmadi families in the area have fled.

Fearing further incidents of violence and arson Gujranwala Elec-

3 medals for Pakistan at C’Wealth games GLASGOW: Pakistan clinched two medals in the Commonwealth Games as Pakistani wrestler Qamar Abbas on Tuesday, July 29, grabbed a silver medal in a free-style, 74 kilogram category wrestling match.

This brought the Pakistani tally to three medals in the Commonwealth Games.

In the final wrestling match of the Games, Bronze medallist Azhar Hussain had won a Abbas lost to his Indian gold medal in the 2010 Delhi CW games rival Sushil Kumar who won the gold medal.

Meanwhile, Azhar Hussain in a near immaculate display of skills threw his South African opponent out of the wrestling ring within the initial three minutes of the match.

Hussain won the bronze medal by 11 points to 1. He had also won a gold medal in the 2010 Delhi Games.

Earlier, Shah Hussain Shah from Pakistan had bagged a silver medal in the 100-kg Judo event.

Australia tops the Commonwealth Games with an impressive total of 91 medals including 32 gold ones. England ranks on the second spot with 81 medals, including 29 gold medals. Clinching 13 gold medals and in all 31 meals, the host country Scotland is in third place.

tric Power Company (Gepco) suspended the supply of electricity in the area.

Ahmadis have been arrested in Pakistan for reading the Quran, holding religious celebrations and having Quranic verses on rings or wedding cards. Four years ago, 86 Ahmadis were killed in two simultaneous attacks in Lahore.

The number of blasphemy accusations is rising, according to a 2012 study by the Islamabadbased think tank, the Center for Research and Security Studies. In 2001, there was only one such complaint, but in 2011 there were 80. No more recent figures are available but 2014 looks set to be a record.

In May 2014, 68 lawyers were charged with blasphemy for using the name ‘Umar’ in protest slogans against a police official of the same name.

In the same month, prominent human rights lawyer Rashid Rehman, defending a Pakistani university professor accused of blasphemy, was shot and killed after being threatened in court by other lawyers.

6 dead in attack on ex-minister’s house PESHAWAR: An attack on a guesthouse ‘hujra’ of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Bakht Baidar Khan, belonging to the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) early on Tuesday, July 29, left six people dead and four others wounded in Lower Dir region of the province while another three persons were killed and two others wounded in a gun battle between two rival parties in Karak.

A tribal jirga was under way at Khan’s guesthouse to resolve a dispute between two parties, when unknown persons opened fire in which six people were killed and four others were wounded.

Those killed in the firing included the brother of Bakht Baidar and two policemen.

Bakht Baidar is KP’s former minister for labour and manpower who was sacked from his post by provincial Chief MInister Pervez Khattak along with another minister of the QWP over ‘poor performances and corruption.’

Pillion-riding ban KARACHI: Sindh government on Sunday decided to impose a five-day ban on pillion riding in Karachi starting from from today Sunday, July 27 to to Aug 1 to ensure security during Eidul Fitr, a Sindh home department notification said.

Three people, among them a prayer leader and a muezzin, were killed in separate attacks in the city on July 26.

Four men on two motorcycles opened fire at a camp set up outside Masjid-i-Madinatul Uloom to collect Fitra and charity. Qari Hafeez died while being taken to hospital, said SP Abid Qaimkhani.

There were reports of terror activity ahead of the holy festival, sources said. Senior citizens, journalists, women and personnel of law enforcement agencies will be exempted from the ban.

By Hussain Haqqani Last month, the Pakistan army launched what it describes as a major military offensive against the jihadi terrorist safe haven in North Waziristan. Senior generals and the civilian defence minister insist that this time Pakistan will go after all militant groups, including fighters who target Afghanistan and have, in the past, been deemed Pakistan’s strategic assets.

Accompanied by much media discussion of “Operation Zarb-eAzb”, the Pakistani army has fought many battles over the last few weeks, killed several terrorists and lost some soldiers. The offensive has also caused a huge humanitarian crisis as more than half a million people have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), leaving villages shelled by artillery or pounded from the skies by F-16 aircraft.

But most foreign observers and many knowledgeable Pakistani commentators remain sceptical about the extent to which Pakistan’s generals have truly changed their minds about jihadi militias as an instrument of state policy. The Pakistani military, the critics say, is only eliminating extremist groups that have started targeting Pakistan and Pakistanis. Anti-India jihadis, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), continue to flourish with Hafiz Mohamed Saeed and his cohorts parading openly in major cities like Lahore.

According to the naysayers, the military operation will target hardline Uzbeks, Chechens and footsoldiers of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have claimed responsibility for the recent assault on Karachi International Airport. Groups such as the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban have already been directed or pushed across the Pakistan-Afghan border (the Durand Line) so that they can resume operations once NATO forces leave Afghanistan.

The Pakistani establishment has responded to its critics with a public relations offensive. In a conversation with Indian journalist Aakar Patel, a retired ISI general even made the argument that the sharp spike in violence in Pakistan over the last decade was the result of the Pakistan “military’s decision to crack down on terror groups operating against India.”

According to Patel, “The ISI general said that the thinking in India appeared to them to be that of satisfaction at the situation Pakistan found itself in. ‘Let them stew in their own juice’ and ‘You created the problem, now you suffer the consequences’ were some of the phrases he used to describe what he thought the Indian attitude was.” The Indian journalist was also informed of “limitations of the state with respect to the LeT and Hafiz Saeed in particular,” but he was also told that “this must not be seen as encouraging the group.”

Unfortunately, crisp statements are not a substitute for sound policy.

Pakistan’s establishment has made similar arguments since General Pervez Musharraf famously proclaimed soon after 9/11 the country’s U-turn away from its jihadi past. Even the declaration of intent to clear the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including North and South Waziristan, of jihadi terrorists is not new, neither is the launching of a military offensive.

There is no doubt that a large number of Pakistanis, including senior military commanders, now realize the dangers posed to Pakistan by Islamist extremists. There is substantive evidence also that the latest North Waziristan offensive is better planned and better executed than previous such military operations. But instead of dismissing the opinion of sceptics and critics, Pakistan’s military and intelligence leaders must try and understand their arguments.

Pakistan’s jihadi infrastructure grew out of a carefully nurtured national narrative and state ideology. Since independence in 1947, Pakistanis have been told that their country is a “citadel of Islam”, that its destiny is to be an Islamic State, and that its army is “the sword of Islam”. Advocates of modern, secular values or pluralism have been denigrated as traitors and “enemies of the ideology of Pakistan.”

This ideological milieu has helped religious-political groups exercise greater influence on national discourse than is justified by either the size of their membership or the number of votes they have obtained in Pakistan’s sporadic general elections. The jihadi groups, one more extreme than the other, is also an outgrowth of the decision to cast Pakistan as an ideological state.

If the Pakistan army is as serious about eliminating extremism as it asserts then it must realign itself in the context of Pakistan’s domestic ideological polarization. If Pakistani nationalism continues to be defined solely in religious terms and the state rhetoric does not change, General Raheel Sharif’s efforts against some jihadis will prove as ineffective as similar attempts under Musharraf and General Kayani.

The generals’ promise of fighting extremism would be more credible if it was accompanied with an embrace of groups and individuals marginalized and labelled as traitors because of their advocacy of a secular Pakistan or for supporting close ties to the West or India.

Until then, one cannot blame sceptics abroad for being unmoved by a military operation against terrorism that is supported by Hafiz Saeed.

Nor will the army’s critics at home change their stance easily if clerics who issue fatwas against human rights activists are also the first ones to march in support of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The writer, director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute, Washington DC, served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States. He is author, most recently, of ‘Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States and an epic history of misunderstanding’ — Indian Express

PAGE 22 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY Consciousness as computing process

By Deepak M Ranade The human brain is the most highly advanced data processor in terms of the speed volume and complexity of the data it processes. One could therefore say that it is the epitome of the evolutionary process. At any given moment the brain is exposed to a deluge of data. The sense organs are generating terabytes of data each moment, being constantly shovelled into the brain real time by transmitting pathways or neurons.

What determines prioritisation of data processing? Which data is to be assimilated and which is to be discarded?

Cognition can fluctuate between a general background unfocused awareness to sharp focusing on a specific target.

The brain has the amazing ability to process and sieve through this incoming barrage of data. One of the mechanisms deployed is called Latent Inhibition. Data (LID) that is repetitive in nature.

Signals Transmission: LID causes neurons carrying this data to suppress adjacent neurons carrying the same information. These neurons are deployed to transmit other signals or at least not transmit “more of the same.” An adaptation by neural pathways which narrows the bandwidth and accords a lower priority or inhibits data is meant to prevent crowding on the cognitive horizon.

An example is the tactile sensation of clothes touching the skin which is constantly being relayed to the brain. The neurons keep this data in a “Standby” mode, relegating its transmission to a lower priority. This phenomenon becomes even more important in increasing the accuracy of visual perception.

Our Perceptions: Different photoreceptors in the eye respond to varying degrees of light. When one cell activates in response to light, its activity impairs or prevents neighbouring cells from getting activated. This causes the edges between light and dark areas to appear more prominent than they would otherwise. In the absence of lateral inhibition, the border between a black tile and a white tile would appear less obvious. Perception is greatly impacted by the content of the delivered data.

When the filtered data arrives on the cognitive screen, the data is tagged with an emotion- byte.

This emotion- byte is unique to each individual. This emotion tagged data is transcribed into samskaras or anagrams for encryption, storage and subsequent retrieval. This emotion- byte

tagged database (samskaras) is unique to each individual.

Stored Samskaras: This emotion tag could be pain, fear, grief, pleasure or joy and becomes vritti or the software- that determines one’s inclinations or aversions.

The concept of vritti is central to the main definition of Yoga “yoga chitta vritti nirodha” given in Sutra 1.2 of the Yoga Sutras by the great sage Patanjali.

Vrittis refer to the different tendencies, or psycho-physical propensities. They are an expression of stored anagrams or samskaras. Collectively they represent motivation, behavioural patterns, desires, repulsions, predispositions and complexes.

Eightfold Path: The software thereafter not only shapes or personalises but also operates the hardware, the physical form with its identity. The eightfold path of Ashtanga Yoga aims to disconnect (nirodha) this database (vritti) from the personalised consciousness (chitta) to effect a pure, impersonal awareness. It ceases the generation of new software obviating the need for any appropriate hardware — liberation “from” the person rather than “of” the person.

Light up the dark places

By Janina Gomes With the skies dark outside and pelting rain, it seemed appropriate that I got a Forward from a nun friend — a prayer which says, “Woman of God, let your light shine in the darkest places, where it is impossible to love”. That was a challenge to me, since I have been feeling unloving to many of late.

The darkest places are often the places of sin, where accumulated hatreds and prejudices have corroded the soul over many years. In what way could I help the divine light to penetrate the darkness? The first thing I thought of was that I could smile more often, to bring cheer all around.

I could be more gracious even if I met with hostility. I could share a biscuit with a friend and I could give them a good book or article to read. Perhaps, I could help an elderly to clear her fridge of old food. I could be feeling uncomfortable and irritated by the noise made by young students in the lift, but I could try to be friendly, not always grouchy.

The list makes me sound like an old woman already, but it is true. I am no longer able to do remarkable things, but the darkest places for me are those just around my little room, where I could still meet the unmet needs of those who are now frail, feeble and in the evening of their lives.

The journey within is the hardest of all because that’s where we encounter the most darkness. The same prayer says that God is there for us, always with us, with unconditional love. And so, when I wake up in the morning, I thank Him for the grace of a good night’s sleep. I welcome the canteen boy, when he walks in with my breakfast tray at the YWCA, whether it is Upma, Idli, Poha or Masala Dosa. Just as the joys of life have become small ones, the ways in which I spread God’s light have become small too.

When I first read the prayer about shining in the darkest places, my thoughts went instantly to working for prisoners, criminals, prostitutes and what have you. After ruminating on it after my afternoon siesta, I began to think differently. The darkness is where I am at the moment.

All I need to do is to become a little more human by accepting my flaws and limitations.

It is strange how ‘holy’ people try to be ‘perfect’, when all they are asked to do is to accept their imperfections and work with them to help recreate the world. God’s love is after all for ‘imperfect’ human beings like us.

When I look at God’s creations, I can see that there are human beings of every shape, size and colour, sometimes even the absurd and ridiculous. So few are ‘beautiful’ in the sense of physical beauty.

To love all these is to bring the light of love to the darkest places.

Simpler than we thought, isn’t it?

This is an ordinary recipe for ordinary folk like you and me. So, now I do not think of “Woman of God’ as an awesome title that I can never inherit. In my own little room and with the little I do, I can still be a ‘Woman of God’. I will live and work quietly and I hope die quietly.

And I hope to find the gates of heaven opened for me because I smiled often, joked sometimes and gave the canteen boy a small tip for fetching my tea.

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Attachment to children

By Swami Parthaswarthy Children are victims of the intense attachment exhibited by their parents. The love that parents bear for their children has metamorphosed into a dreadful form of attachment.

This is happening universally because of the selfish trait in parents. The parental attachment to their beloved ones has turned into a deadly virus now sweeping the entire world.

Few can claim to be free from the parents’ compulsive attachment to their children. However well-meaning they may be, their attachment turns the parent-child relationship sour and destructive.

Confrontations: Constant confrontation between parents and children invariably end in separation, causing families trauma. The parents being innocent have no clue of the effects accruing from what they claim as love and care for their dear ones. Blissfully unaware of consequences, they dote on their beloved ones.

Parents’ attachment to their children manifests in two distinct ways: 1. Opulent parents pamper their children by showering money and appliances, amenities and facilities limitlessly upon them. The young are thus saturated with luxuries, only to lose their joy content.

2. Another class of parents manifest their attachment through possessiveness towards their children. They virtually pester them with constant instructions and directions. They pound them with do’s and don’ts, doctrines and dogmas. And their directives invariably fall short of reason or judgement.

In the first manifestation, the parents indiscriminately let loose money and, sensual objects of all sorts upon the kids without restriction. The pampering starts with toys, tricycles and bicycles, later with Ferraris, yachts, jets and the works. Through indulgence in

luxuries, children lose direction and purpose in life. It corrodes and ruins their lives. Neither parents nor kids anticipate the negative effects of such indulgence, that it could lead to a state when one loses the pleasure and joy derived from sense objects. And then one develops boredom which could drive one to commit serious blunders, even suicide. Nevertheless, well-meaning parents continue to pamper their children with sensual luxuries not realising the impending damage to them.

With regards to the second manifestation, parents’ possessiveness fixes their kids in an iron casket. They are shackled by forceful directions and instructions.

And when the parents constantly dictate their doctrines and dogmas to kids, they can take no more and buckle under the pressure. Then one of two dreadful consequences follows. Children become a ‘vegetable’ or a rebel! In the first case the kid turns inert and inactive, hardly responding to the external world. The kid reaches this state if his nature is passive and submissive and succumbs to the continuous onslaughts of his parents’ dictations. If, however, the kid is vocal and aggressive, he becomes a rebel. He would argue, swear, counter the unsolicited advices showered upon him. He could even turn violent, or leave home.

Use Your Intellect In either case, oppressive attachment of parents toward their children is a source of trauma to children even though such parents are well-wishing, well-meaning, caring parents! Parents ought to realise the blunder that their love and care lacks the support of a strong intellect. And their rigid controls flow from their emotional attachment rather than a discerning intellect. They must visualise the damage done and the dire necessity of developing the intellect in themselves and their children.

From the newly released book, ‘The Holocaust of Attachment’.

Parents Brethren, one can never repay two persons: mother and father ...

Parents do much for their children; they bring them up, they nourish them, they introduce them to this world. — Anguttara Nikaya i.61 My father, thank you for petting me; My mother, thank you for making me comfortable; Thank you for robing me with wisdom, which is more important than robing me with clothes. — Yoruba Nuptial Chant, Nigeria If your parents take care of you up to the time you cut your teeth, you take care of them when they lose theirs. — Akan Proverb, Ghana Children learn to smile from their parents. — Shinichi Suzuki Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence. — Plato Respect the child. Be not too much his parent. Trespass not on his solitude. — Ralph W Emerson

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