Kumbabishekam ceremony draws hundreds of worshi ers

Ade laide may be known as the city of cbmches, but it wirnessed a different kind of spirimal spectacle in the fust week of February, when the city's sky reverberated to vedic chants at the Ganesha Temp le's k 11mhahisbeka111 ceremony.

K11mbahishek.a111, according to Hindu religious edicts, is a ceremony of consecration to be performed soon after scames are installed in temples to infuse divine power and make them idols worthy of worship. This ceremony is to be repeated every twelve years to re-inject fresh vibes into those idols after carrying om at1)' necessary repairs and renovation required to die temple's physical structures This practice is ge nerally prevalent in South India, particularly Tainil adu. However, nowadays th.is depends on the. depm of di e coffers of a particular temple, and die enthusiasm of its e..'(ecurive.s

Du.ring me renovation work d,e id ols are taken off dieir pedest:.'11s and temporarily housed in a different location, and as such are believed to have somewhat lesser divine power. The k11mhahishekmn ceremony mat beings d1em back d1cir original prowess, involves e laborate rituals including re.installation of me idols on their original pedestals after placing valuab le metals such as gold and silver pieces and performing havans in ho1T1t1 k1111d (s pecially constructed three-tiered brick structures to hold the fue) for four days The ceremony concludes with pouring of 'holy' water kept in special pots near die havans over d,e k111t1has (inverted conical metal or masonry structures) atop megopura1JJ (the pyramidical spire over the shrine) of me principal a11d oilier deities.

The five-day ceremony at Adelaide was conducted in aL1the.nric style as codified in the Hindu agrima sastro. Carton-loads of material required for several havcms and related rin.1als were brought from] ndia and had co p ass mrough srcict quarai1rine. Two str1pr1this (temple artisans) from the same. group that bui lt die temple twelve years ago were brought in again to carry out many works of renovation They worked seven days a week for two m ond, s co complete me job in rime for the ceremony. A dozen temple priests - local, interstate and from overseas arrived co perform the sastric cimals Hundreds of devotees witnessed the preliminary day rituals conducted in speciall y erected marquees. On me final day over a t housan d people crammed into the temple and spilled omo di e. streets to have a darshan of me k11111hahisbekr1111 and then pa1·take of the prasad. According to traditional beli efs, witnessing one such ce remony in a lifetime brings peace at1d harmony, and me 1\de laide Hindu community feels truly blessed to have mis opporruni tr, The Ganesba Temple is at 3 / llba1!Y Cres, Oak/ands Park, SA 5046.

Ph: 08 8298 1278

Panic as 4.9 tremor shakes

Delhi, adjoining areas

A 4.9- magnitude tremor shoo k rhe Indian capital and i ts adjoini n g areas recently, startling people in offices and homes as the gro un d shook and windowpanes rattled. The guake, ce ntred near Bahadurgarh town close to the Har yana-Delhi bo rd er, did n ot lead to an y casualties.

The epicentre was just .33 km from New Delhi, the India Meteorological Department (lMD ) said.

" The Delhi and National Capi tal Region (NCR) fe lt slight in tensity tremors, which measured 4.9 on the Richter Scale. The ep ic e n tre was in the Haryana an d Delhi reg io n ," R. S Dattatryam, d irecro r, Seismology Division, India Meteorol ogical Department (IMD ) said, when contacted. According to the llvID, the tremor was felt at 1 11 p.m.

As the ground swayed, many residents and office-goers in D elh i, Gurgaon a nd Noida ran out of their btuldi ngs into the open.

Sources in R ohtak said the bo un dary wall of a school in Mayna village of Rohtak distr ic t collapsed. The distr ict autho r ities, however, could not confirm the inc ident

Some people working a nd Living in highrise buildings in Gmgao n , which has the offices of several MN Cs and leading Indian companies located there, were asked co vacate the buildings as the tremors were fe lt for over IO seconds

"Sitting in an office on the 12th floor in Nehru Place, I felt it very strongly Like somebody shaking my chair. There was a general air o f panic. Luckily tl1ere was no repeat tremor," Mahj Singh, a MNC em p loyer said

"

I was in bed recovering from surgery when I was s haken awake by the guake. I tried to rush outside, limping," Ramkant M ahant from east Delhi said.

"Ail the small objects o n tables start ed s haking, I felt it fo r over five seconds, followed by a rumbling noise," said Rumu Banerjee of Chittaranjan Park in south Delhi.

Throughout the city, people called up relatives and friends, and as ked after their well-being.

The IMD official asked tl1e public n ot ro panic as it was a sligh t intens ity tremor.

" It is a sligh t intensity tremor, which was felt in the Delhi and I CR areas. No infrastrucmraJ damage is exp ected from the tremor of such low magnitud e. At most, there may be some plaster falling off in weak buildings," Dattacryam s aid.

"The possibility of aftershocks are very minimal for such a low intensity guake," be added.

However, the gua ke did not seem to have affected the concentration of students appea ring for their board exams. Many, however, comp lained they 'Nere not g iv en extra time to finish their papers disrupted by the 10- second tremo r.

"\Ve did not have the rime to react as the main co nc ern was finishing the Ph ys ics paper which was lengthy. W/e were l eft wondering what was th e noise, and realised it was a g uake," said Mrinalini Maha jan who was w riting her Physics paper in St 1vlar y's Sc hool in Dwarka area.

Smridhi Gupta was upset over not be ing allowed extra- rime to revise her ans,vers.

"

\'(/e all were taken aback w ith the tremor. The w indowpanes of the c lassroom were rattling. Though d1e tremor lasted onl y for ten second s, it took us almost t en minutes ro get back to writing. I wish we were given extra time," Gupta said

Another student who appeared for her board exam in Sh ri Ram School in said: "There was a bit of panic but we were done w ith the paper."

Tremors were also felt in Indonesia and Argentina.

"They were two separate guakes d1ac shook fodonesia and Argen tina at 12 25 p.m. and U 6 p.m , respectively. The y are not Linked," seated D atcatryam

"The epicen tre in Indonesia was

Nor tl1ern Sumatra, while it was Santiago Del Estero in Argentina," he added. The intensity of North ern Sumau-a quake an d Argentin a qu ake was 5.l and 6 on the Richter scale, respectively

SpiceJet foresees tough times l-,,[ills' views come as tl1e governme nt had on Feb 22 n oti.fied direct import of jet fuel and called upon int erested car riers ro apply for lice n ces.

Budget carrier SpiceJet's chief e.xecurive Neil ]\fills feels th e aviation sector, marred by high fuel and interest cost in the coming fiscal, will continu e co face "tou gh operating conditions".

" l think the tough conditio ns wiU continue for a while in the coming fiscal. Our fuCLLres are pegged with oil prices and they are ver y high rig h t n ow," .Mills said in an interview.

"There are some decisions on new policy Like direct import o f fuel and fore ign direct investment. W/e are evaluating t hem and will do what is best for us."

Acco rd ing ro Mills, tl1e low cosr carrier (LCC) was in touch with fuel suppliers for logistical support to allow airlines to directly import jet fue l.

"\Ve are evaluating che impact of tl1e decis ion whenever it comes We are in touch w ith them (fuel su p pliers), but I cannot comment on how m uch savings wo uld emerge out of this. But it will be substantial.."

This came after t he Feb 7 decision by a group of ministers (GoM) h eaded b y Finance Minister Pranab i\fok herjee to roll out a plan to help domestic carrier s, allowi ng the m to directl y import aviation fuel.

The move will enable airlines to cue o perating costs by about 10- 15 percen t, saving on sales tax, which ranges between three percent and 35 percent and is levied by state gove rnments

Jet fuel now constitutes about 50 percent of the coral operating cost of airlines in India. D omestic airlines are estimated to have lose around Rs 3,000 crore in di e first si x montl1s of chis fi scal.

On the issue of for eign capital by foreign airlines in domestic passenger carriers, Mills said the airli n e was n ot looking for a foreign parmer but was evaluating the proposal.

:Mills' confidence is eviden t as the airline's pro m oter Kalanidhi Maran decided March 2 co infuse R s. l 00 crore into tbe carrier in lieu o f live percent eg ui ty or additional 42 9 m illion shares.

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''This decision shows the confidence of the promoters in the company and its viability. The board has taken this decis ion and will aUot 42.9 m illion preferential shares to the promoters," NW1s said

"This is the second time in eight months when the promote rs have infused equity.

Last September, we received Rs.130 crore and five pe rcent of the equity shares were allotted co t he promorers."

Fresh funds should come as a re lief co the airline, as the whole sector is facing tough operating conditions like high interest and fuel costs.

"This (fund) will go into the normal working capital and for general growth. Our debts are affordable, we are paying che o il companies, salaries and we are not behind any schedu le. We will get through these tough times," l\tills said.

The budget carrier had Feb 6 reported a net loss of Rs.39 26 crore for the quarter ended Dec 31 from a net profit of Rs.94.44 crore in the like period of 2010- 11.

The company's auditors in a review report said that accumulated losses have eroded the nee worth of the company.

"As of Dec, 31, 2011, the company's accumulated l osses of Rs.107,781 3 lakh has substantially eroded the net worth of dJe company, indicating the existence of a material u ncertain ty that may cast doubts about the company's ability to continue as a going concern," die auditors said.

Now, cabbies, maids can learn while they earn

A couple of rears down d1e line, Mumbai residents may be deali.ug with cabbies and auto-drivers who are fuil- Aedged graduates. Thanks to an open unive rsi1:y, depr ived sections of che city's huge workforce will get a chance co enhance their skills

The ashik -based Yeshwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) has designed special shore- term and longterm courses for working classes like cab and auto drivers, private drivers and even maids to enable them to compete better in dJe job and money markets.

The special preparatory and degree courses shali be inaugurated Tuesday in Mumbai's AU India Institute of Local Sel f Government at Andheri by eminent Bollrwood actor Kader Khan, according to a YCMOU official.

"Given our social objectives, ilie courses shall be extremely simple but equip ilie 'students' to handle them without disturbing their crucial work schedules as most are die sole bread-winners of their fa1nilies," said Shrinivas Belsare, YCMOU head of corporate communi cations

There are an esti.niated 400,000 cabb ies in the city. According to Belsar e, arou nd 200,000 cabbies from MWJ1bai , besides a poten rial 1.5 million elsewhere in Maharashtra, are e.xpected to benefit from the new course, enro lment for whidi starts in June 2012.

YCMOU's format for the experimental coutse woul d be unique, using CDs, FM radio programmes and a few books to enable rhe cabbies to learn wh ile on the go - driving

It is expected to similarly help housemaids, who number around 800,000 in die city.

Besides, me courses would not burn a bole in die pockets of die 'students', considering they are at the bottom rw1g of die peop le contributing to the national economy, Belsare said

"The preparatory course wiJJ cost Rs.600, with a 50 percent discount for d1e target category of cabbies and it is equivalent of HSC. This will be followed by a diploma course, advanced diploma and a degree, each costing Rs.1,500, and recognized everywhere," Belsare exp lained

"Accordingly, if a person completes one year, that is, t\vo modules, be gets a diploma, after two years an advanced diploma and a full- Aedged, recognised degree after completing the full diree-year course. It means a win-win simation for al l, even those who drop out after a yea r or two," he added.

The new courses are expected ro be a boon for the next generation of cabbies as the state government plans to soon make HSC -level education compulsory before issuing new pe r mits for auros an d taxis.

Kader Khan, who himsel f p layed a cabby in several movies like Afl Ab Laut Chaim and Naseeb, was impressed wid1 YCMOU's new course and readily agreed to inaugurate it, Belsare said

A graduate, the 65- year-o ld Khan, after taking a break from his acti ng -writing career, is now engrossed in designing a new syUabus from nursery to post-graduation in Is lam ic studies for the benefit of studencs in thousands of 'madrassas' in India.

Given the large, semi-literate migrant population in i\fombai, YCMOU will offer its new course in Hindi, Marathi and English for the cabbies, w id1 the approval of d1e powerful Bombay Taximen's Union. lts existing BA degree course in Urdu have got over 2,000 students on dJe rolls and proved beneficial to m igrants, mostly school dropouts, coming here in search of employment opporrLu:i.ities.

YCM:OU has arow1d 400,000 students on its rolls in the state, including 50 percent women, who would odiet\vise have had no opportunity to educate t h emselves, he said.

The course modules are comprehensive and wide- ranging including soft skills, road safery, tour ism, hea.l d1, first aid, civic discipline, transport rules, ins urance, traffic scenario, networking with courier companies and basic banking

"This will enab le diem to ger a proper perspective of life and help them consider od1er lucrative professional options rad1er than spending their lives d riving cabs," Belsare pointed out.

The YCi\ifOll course is billed as the first of its kind among the 14 open un iversities around the coLmtry which have been silently spun·ing literacy leve ls among the most unfortunate sections of Indian soc iety

Playing with a splash of safety thi s Holi

.Amid the riot of powdered h ues and watery sp lashes that Holi brings, experts say peop le shm1ld not ignore safety issues as toxic chemical colours could bring on severe skin infections, eye injuries a nd od1er problems.

The festival of colours was celebrated on March 8 mis year.

"The use of synd1etic colours during Ho li can cause severe irritation, dermatitis, burning, redness and also in some cases blister formation. It can also lead ro irrevers ib le p igmentation," said Amit Bangia, consul tant dermato logist at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences.

"Besides, many water colours have an

Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow, on the sets during the filming of her upcoming film about Osama bin Laden in Chandigarh, India, March 2, 2012

Right- winged Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad have protested against the hoisting of Pakistani flags during the filming. Bigelow and cast are in India shooting at various locations over the next few weeks, local media reports. alkaline base capable of causing temporary blindness and severe injuries. Co lours in the form of pastes sometinies have toxic compounds mixed in a base of engine oil or od1et inferior quality oil," Bangia added.

Chemical colours have been in vogue for a long time, and die cost- effectiveness and easy avail ability make them more p refe r red than natural colours, say experts. But often people are not aware of their narrnful effects.

Bur o ne can prepare organic co lours at home.

"Turmeric can be L1secl for reUow colour. He1111a can act as a green colour and dried rose petals can be substin1ted for red," Bangia said.

The dangers lie not just in colours. Throwing water- filled balloons can also cause injury if targeted at the eyes or ears.

"The baUoons used by children dlLring Holi are mosr dangerous and can cause blum eye injury. An injury can lead to the loss of vision or loss of rhe eye. These are all eye emergencies and should be taken care of as eady as possib le," said r ikhil Sed1, consul tant optbalmologist at the Asian Institute of Medical Sc iences

"Eyes are extrem ely susceptible during Holi because of the ir strategic place in die body and also because t he use of harmful chemicals is known to cause eye irritation," added Seth.

While the best precaution remained use of namrnl colours, people were also advised to reduce rheir hours of playing Holi or take breaks when playing it at a stretch.

"If it is played for six to seven hours at a stretdi, he/ she is vulnerable to acquiring irritants such as bums, b liste rs or contract allergy, mild discolouration (which is reversible) and acn e. lr's best advised to take a break in between," Bangia said.

Another set of precautions was ro use a protective barrier between skin and colour. A l ayer of sun screen could help prevent direct contact of chemicals \Vid1 the skin. After p laying with colours, use of l ukewarm water to dean your body was recommended.

"People must realise that the colours have been added to Holi to make d1e festival more joyous and enjoyable and not to cause inconvenience to others. So, the ne.xt ti.rne you p lay wid1 colours, use good quality or natw:al colours and p lay according to t h e conve1:i.ience of others," suggested Seth. Nordi Delhi resident Mori La l Gan ju, 45, said be has always played the festival with natural colours But with synthetic colours flooding d1e markets, it is best to make t he colours at home.

"These days, Holi colours are so ld loosely on the roadside by small traders who often do not know the source. Sometimes, the co loms come io boxes that specifically say 'For industria l u se only' ," Lal said

"We should make sm:e our family celebrates d1e festival with organic colours. Lee us nor allow bard co lours to spoil d1e charm of gujiyas and music," Lal quipped. IANS

Proteste at a in

Smithsonian to chronicle the story of Indian Americans

The Smithsonian lnstitution, the world 's largest musemn and research complex, is purring together an exhib ition chronicling the sto r y of immigrams f rom India and their descendants in America.

"HomeSpun: Smithsonian Indian American Heritage P roject", the first Smithsonian initiative focused on the Indian American experi ence, will convey the history, contributions an d chaUe nges of nearly three million lnd ia n Americaus and signal their p lace in America

The initia l goal is to raise $2 million dollars for the project so that the exhibition can open this year and travel within tl1e US for three yea rs

The S mi tl1sonian is looking for an additional endowment of at lease $1 million to generate interest needed to continue Smitlisonian pro jects focusing on Indian Americans in perpetuity.

Ac a presentation briefi ng on the project, tlie Indian ambass ador N irupama R ao highlighted the ' peop le centri c' dimension of tl1e India- U S parmership a nd how it has, over the years, particularly strengthened the 'rnuniall y beneficial ' character of cooperation bet ween India and the US

"India takes pride in achievements o f the tliree million strong India-origin corumunicy in the United States", she said.

Rao desc rib ed "HomeSpun" as a celebratio n of the accomplishments an d success of the I ndian - origin co m1mmity in the U S and expressed confidence that it would be an effective public demonstration of tl1e potential and capabilities of India n Americans in contributing to the American sociery and economy and also to the IndiaUS parmer ship

Curated b y D r. Pawan Dhingra, HomeSpu n sets out to answer questions like how did this community come to such p rominence yet in other respects rernains

Modi's GiUiarat Madi's 6uiara,

a community in formation, how does this story reveal America's unique h istory of immigration and how can learning abou t fodian Americans infor m tl1e experiences of other groups and d1e nati on (and India) overall.

HomeSpun will cons ist of exhibits, public programmes, a middle school curr iculum, and a cutting- edge website As such it wiU establish a permanent presence - tl1rough research, collections, and public programm es - within the Smitl1so nian complex

1-Iom eSpun also will be visible in key cities as the exhibition travels the country and public programmes are held in various venues in cooperadon with local communities

Obama campaign reaches out to Indian Americans

Preside n t Barack Obama, whose administration has by far the l argest number of Indian -A m ericans, has turned to three pro minent member s of this growing and inAuential community to help his re -election campaign reach out to some tl1 ree million fodian -origi n voters.

The tliree, actor Kalpen Modi (aka Kal Penn), California's fir st female Attorney Gener al, Kaniala Harris and Sai I ye r, who served as a White House intern in 2001, figure am ong 35 s rn te, local and commu nity leade r s named as n ational co-chairs, or " ambassadors" for the president, who will p lay a high - profile role in defending his reco rd and mobilising vote rs for [ ovember.

"The presi d ent's national co-chairs will be tremendous assets on the groun d as we build the biggest grassroots campaign in history," Obama's canipaign manager, J im Mess ina said in a statem ent.

"They each s hare the p resident's vision for a funtte where every American can bave a fair s hot at success, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded ," Messina said.

The list includes current and former Democratic members of Congress, governors a n d mayors, as we ll as business and Jabor l eaders, members o f clergy and a few local campaign organizers, a nod to the value Obama places on his grassroots volunteers.

Kaniala Harris, daughter of a Tanul mother and a Jamaican American father and Sai Iyer, a student at the V i rginia Commonwealth Universiry and OFA (Obama For Ame rica) vol u n teer leader from Virginia will p lay key roles with former White House chiefs of staff Bill Daley and Rahm Emanuel.

Actor Kalpen Modi, who served as \ 'Vhite House Associate Director fo r me Office of Pub lic Engagem ent, is expected co .lead outreach co younger voters, wh ile actress Eva Longoria will spearhead efforts to reach women and His panics.

Although some Indian Americans like Obama's information technology chief, Aneesh Chopra, his tech guru V ivek Kundra, w h o streamlin ed tl1e federal government's massive IT infrastructure and Obama's export czar, Suresh Kuma r have left in recent days, h is administration stiU has more people of Indian origin than ever befo re

Among t hem U S.AID administrato r Rajiv Shah , b y far rbe highes t ranking IndianAmerican in an y presidential admi nistration, Obama appoin tee P reer Bharara, US attorney for New York, n iclrnam ed tl1e 's heriff of Wall Street, w h o recendy made it to d1e cover of d1e Time magazine and P r eeta D. Bansal, who serves on an ad,7 isory council promoting improvemems in government procedures.

Indian - origin British hotelie r sued by parents

Parents of a 60-year- old Indian- origin hotelier, repor tedl y one o f Britain's wealthiest me n , are suein g him for 100 million poun d s (armmd $157 million), clai m ing their son rook tl1e family business fo r himself.

Ja sminder Si ngh, chairman of d1e Radisson Edwardian Hotels, is accused of re nounc ing the Sikh tradition of sharing famil y wealth and barring his parents from their mul ti- million pound b L1siness, di e Dai!J E:xpress reported.

His 84- yea r-old father, Bal Moh inder Singh, stands to take a third of the family fo r m n e if he wins the h ig h court battle against his son.

The fauuly fortune is reportedly worth an estimated 4 15 million pounds

In a statem ent to the court in London, Bal Mohinder Sing h said he and hi s wife Satwant were "deeply ashamed that Jasmind er s h ould publicly ren ounce h is culmral. heritage".

The system of joint family own ership of all assets is based on religious reaching and widely practiced b y Sikh and H indu communities around the wodd, he said.

"For Jasminder co deny that and claim all the cred it an d ownership for himself wiU be shocking to wide sections of those communities. That is why hi s m od1er and I a re so ashamed," he said.

"The hotelier's name was on the family's assets purely because he was a c ha r te red accountan t and the Singhs' representative," the court heard.

Singh also accused his son of trying to fo rce h is parents om of the 10-rnillionpound house they share near Ascot racecourse in Berkshire.

Jasminder Sin g h denies ever having been tol d by his parents they were a " joint Hindu family" and that property acqui red by any of tl1em was "joint family property''. He al so denied having a particularl y re ligious upbringing.